Pretty, Funny, Happy, Real 20

Pretty

We spent Christmas down on Captiva Island, Florida.  I love this photo so much I used it in a recent blog post!

Now that we are back in Tennessee, it's easy to find "pretty" here, too.

This is a shot of the groundskeepers at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.  The man in the background is drilling a series of holes every foot or so, and the woman in the foreground is putting bulbs in the ground, getting ready for spring!

Funny

I've been coming down to Captiva Island almost every Christmas since I was 11.  Santa Claus arrives a little differently there.  Here Santa is arriving by parasail!

Happy

The moment big brother Tesla came home from college, Alleluia wanted him to open his presents from St. Nick.  She made the gift box on the stairs behind them.

Real

I'm planning to write a post on a spontaneous toddler/preschool matching activity called, "Find the Matching Mitten."  So I have actual unedited footage of Alleluia scouring our huge tub o' mittens and hats, just to find a blessed pair to wear!  She had spent part of that morning's walk crying that her "hands are rotten" because they were so cold!

Tweet

Pretty, Funny, Happy, Real 19

Short Fall Breaks just started.  Halloween costumes in development.  Church hosting big Oktoberfest tomorrow.  Weather should be great for that--yippee!

Pretty

Out our front door.

Funny

"Alleluia" was working with tracing shapes in the blue sand, but she's in a phase where she has to smell everything!

Happy

What 2-year-old doesn't love being read to?!?

Real

This is what the Montessori Room looked like when I came home this morning from doing errands.  One of the teenagers was babysitting.  This represents only about an hour of mess, and there was more in other parts of the house.  Sigh.......  Oh well, at least they had fun and no one was hurt!  :)

Tweet

Pretty, Funny, Happy, Real 17

This week was gorgeous!  The leaves are starting to change color, and I had to explain to 2-year-old "Alleluia" that they weren't going to be turning blue, her favorite color.

Pretty

From the Maple across the street

Trying to nurse a sick butterfly.........

Doesn't he look like he's smiling?!?

Funny

Found this on my camera.  According to 15-year-old "Wasabi" Sept. 22 was Hobbit Day (this is Frodo).

Happy

After her playdate with a friend, 8-year-old "Peel" said climbing trees was her favorite part.

Real 

We bought a butterfly net this week, and the neighbors' flowers were a great butterfly magnet.

She kept saying, "Butterfly!  Come to me!" (Can you see the little guy on the tall orange flower?)

I realized I forgot to mention that--unlike our fishing net we use in the creek--the butterfly net isn't for "scooping" but more for putting upside-down.

After a while she was more interested in the flowers anyway!

Tweet

Pretty, Funny, Happy, Real 16

It only took us a day or two to completely take over "Tesla's" bedroom, now that he's away at college.  Since I used to have a Catholic Montessori preschool in my home and I have been gradually getting all of those materials out again for "Alleluia," we can easily use the space!  His room is now the "Nature/Science Study" and has all the Botany stuff, rocks and minerals, and Shell stuff (plus some driftwood and feathers).

Pretty

Trying to hear the ocean in a Queen Conch.

Funny

The omnipresent dog and his omnipresent nose.

The smell of the driftwood, seaweed, feathers et al. drove him crazy!

The dog should know all of the parts of the leaf by now.......

Happy

"Peel" reunited with her stuffed crocodile "Jaws."  We visit the residents of an assisted living facility every week and afterwards my daughter was absent-mindedly tossing Jaws into the air (outside).  He got stuck on the roof!  After a letter to the maintenance staff and a few nervous hours we got a phone call that he had been retrieved and could be picked up.  What a relief!  Remember that song, "Reunited and it feels so good.........."?

Real

On Sunday we got out the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Altar I materials.  Alleluia was learning that the altar servers ring the bell when the priest elevates the chalice.  I put this under "Real" because I've been thinking this week about the Real Presence of Christ, contrasting this reality with my tendency (when I'm stressed out) to escape into fantasyland or imagine ridiculous scenarios or preposterous dialogs.  It was refreshing to think about His Real Presence and also to be surrounded by the shells, rocks and leaves that are His real creations!

The bell is the blur in the lower left.

A good shell guide is worth its weight in gold!

Alleluia is really drawn to the "real."

Tweet

Pretty, Funny, Happy, Real 15

Busy week spent delivering oldest to college (our first).  Makes you appreciate the little stuff...

Pretty

Making dinner before trip.  Romas all washed and lined up for Rotini.

Found this on campus.  Anyone know what it is?

Funny

We all stayed in connecting hotel rooms, so "Alleluia" was fascinated to watch and take part in Daddy's shaving ritual.

Happy

On the way up to the East Coast we stopped at two museums.  Here "Peel" is part of a demonstration at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge, TN.  "Tesla" (on the right) was as happy as a pig in mud to be part of the high voltage fun (thinking of re-naming him "High Voltage").

Real

All done moving him in.  Note the cool nerd shirt from the AMSE museum gift shop (yes, it glows in the dark).

Sheer exhaustion.  Two days drive up and two days drive back is a lot for a toddler!

Tweet

Pretty, Funny, Happy, Real 14

The first two weeks after the kids are back in school should be called the "I Think I Can" weeks, because there's so much adjusting going on and so many late nights due to parent meetings that we're just in survival mode.  That plus the anxiety over Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac made for a week where contentment came from the VERY SIMPLE.

Pretty

Remember those little green baby acorns we gathered a while back?
We'll see if this works as a transfer work.

Funny

I couldn't pass up this shark costume at last weekend's consignment sale.  When I was a kid I insisted on making a hammerhead shark costume -- which was a TOTAL disaster! -- so this $5 monstrosity somehow makes my life complete.

Happy

Thank Goodness it doesn't take much to make a toddler happy.

Real

Sigh.  Our bathtub and shower has been out of commission for TOO long.  Today the handyman is fixing it.  

Tweet

Pretty, Funny, Happy, Real 13

So many transitions this week!  Older kids in school (except oldest, who will leave the nest soon for college), youngest starting Montessori at home in earnest, church celebrating a special Mass with the bishop, and weather taking a pleasant turn to cooler temps.

Pretty

On our first day with no other kids around, Alleluia and I went to a wonderful big indoor playplace that has this light table and animal x-rays.  I love that we can delight in the normally unseen beauty of God's creation.

Our beautiful church hosted the bishop for a special Mass.  Our two boys served.

Here's Tesla helping the bishop at the recessional.

Happy

Here's a happy toddler doing real work!  We were working  with the articles of the Mass and noticed that our chalice was really tarnished, so today seemed like as good a time as any to give Alleluia her first presentation in metal polishing.  Now she's hooked!  I've created a monster........

The cotton-tipped swabs are a lot easier for her to use when applying the polish.

It cleaned up "real good!"

Funny

After neglecting to give away our Amish Friendship Bread starter (which you divide every 10 days), we've found ourselves drowning in bags of it!  Some of the kids helped me illustrate this silly post on the math of starter bags and exponential growth.

We also got into the Halloween costumes this week.  Alleluia wanted to be a mouse all day.........

Greeting Daddy as he gets home with "Fish-and-French Fries-and-Broccoli Soup".........

(Oh, and red pepper, corn and pie!)

Real

Earlier today Alleluia picked some beautiful dandelions.  Sadly, they don't last long, even in water.  

Tweet