Top 10 Easter Memories- 2016

Another list, another "countdown" to share a summary of our Easter weekend!

These memories are of course in no particular order...

10. Easter Cards

This year as part of the Mass box we received for Lent, there was a card and the suggestion to color it and give it to someone in need (like a homeless person) along with a bag of some food items etc.  Well that just wasn't quite possible for us this year, but we came up with an alternate idea along the same general lines (works of mercy).  We colored the card from the Mass box and made a bunch more of our own and visited a nursing home on Holy Saturday to deliver them to folks and chat with them for a bit.  It was a truly wonderful experience and I was impressed with the lovely artwork by my girls as well as their friendliness when we visited the nursing home.  Sometimes, because of their age, they are a little stand offish with strangers, but they were sweet, especially Kayla.  

9. Easter Vigil

This year our dear friends, Jonny and Crystal, came into the Church at the Easter Vigil.  Because of the length of the Easter Vigil Mass as well as the fact that it begins (and thus ends) late in the evening, we weren't able to make it as a family to support our friends.  Instead, Chris attended with Kayla, whom we felt was old enough to make it through the Mass as well as appreciate what was going on to some degree.  I stayed home and put kids to bed and prayed from there during the joyful evening of their entrance into the Catholic faith!

 

 

She was still smiling (though very tired) when they arrived home around 11pm, so I snapped a quick picture before she headed to bed to get a little shut eye before Easter morning arrived.  

8. Easter Day Food!

This year, we decided upon a delicious brunch of eggs, banana muffins, bacon, and sausage (bring on all the meat for this preggo lady!).   Dinner was yummy too.  Smoked pork shoulder and garlic mashed potatoes courtesy of my amazing hubby, and I made some glazed carrots.  

7. Sacrifice Beans

All during Lent we had a jar on the table in which the girls could put a bean for every sacrifice and loving act for someone else they did.  The beans were supposed to turn into jelly beans (per the idea I found on Pinterest), but this mama the Easter bunny short changed us on jelly beans this year, so after filling plastic eggs there were none left over for our bean jar.  Parent of the year award goes to me, because I raided their Halloween bags and grabbed all the M & M's to fill the jar with for Easter morning.  

6.  Person of Interest and ice cream!

Chris and I gave up TV in the evenings, so we were excited to watch not one, but TWO episodes of our favorite show, Person of Interest, on Easter night after the girls were tucked in.  And of course there was also ice cream after our Lenten hiatus.  

5.  Basket Hunting 

The Easter Bunny hides baskets in our house, so when we arrived home from Mass, the girls only paused for a brief selfie with Mommy before we finally let them loose to search for their Easter baskets.  

  

                            

 

4. Easter Egg Hunt

And of course, following finding their Easter baskets, the egg hunt began.  The girls were reminded to leave the "easy to find" eggs for the littler ones and the squealing fun commenced.  Ava was surprisingly sweet and helpful to Sophie, even giving her a few of her finds.  It was rather unnecessary though as Sophie proved to have a pretty good eye for eggs.  Kayla was a bit distracted by Sophie's hunt at times, and Elise proved to be the most focused egg hunter and ended with the most at the end, a somewhat surprising twist.  

 

When we said "GO!", Kayla promptly turned around and ran right into Ava.  No harm, no foul though. 

 

 

 

Pardon our mess of a house.  We took a break from all the moving craziness to enjoy our Easter, but our house was still mostly a disaster.  Better hiding spots for the eggs, I say.  :) 

3. Easter Dresses

Kayla, Elise, and Ava were flower girls in my sister's wedding in January, so we re-used the lovely, lacy frocks for Easter this year and they were adorable!  Sophie wore the dress she wore to Aunt Shannon's wedding too, which was an Easter dress purchased for Elise, many years ago, if my memory serves me correctly.  

2. Easter miracle

The picture on the right above is the the three oldest girls with our friend, Alan.  He snapped our family picture and that might just be the reason why we got a shot with ALL four girls SMILING!

Behold, an Easter miracle.  Alleluia, Christ is Risen, indeed!

1. Easter Mass

I look forward to Easter Mass all year long because it's always so very beautiful and joyful especially as it follows a much more solemn Lenten season.  This year when the choir sang the Alleluia for the first time in months (Ava's favorite, by the way), Ava raised her arms to heaven and sang her Alleluia loudly with the cantor, and then promptly sat down on the pew during the actual congregation Alleluia response and made not a peep.  I guess she wants to be a soloist.  Additionally she also whispered loudly and very joyfully, "It's Jesus!" during consecration-- at least no one can say she's not paying attention, disruptive as she might be at times....

Happy Easter (season at this point)!! 

"I am the Resurrection and the LIFE.  He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live." 

John 11:25-26

A Romantic Valentine's Day Evening (that was anything but)

Before I begin this post, I need to make a few disclaimers:
** I am not writing to make anyone feel badly about loving and enjoying a really romantic Valentine's Day with their spouse or significant other.  If you are the type of person who loves all things Valentine's Day and doesn't feel jaded about it like I do, POWER to you!
 **I am not writing to get some kind of pat on the back or because I'm looking for sympathy or pity. (You may find that hard to believe as you read through, but once you get to the end it will all pull together, I promise).   Because I repeat, I'm NOT asking for pity.  In fact, I don't want your pity and you'll see why later.   And I repeat, I'm not trying to tell you how I'm some supermom either.  I'm sharing an experience that I learned from and that is all.

And there will be randomly placed pictures of smiling 1 year old throughout.  For no apparent reason.  She's just cute and you might need a fun picture break every so often.

Ok, so here we go.

Just for good measure we'll start off with a cute picture. 

It shouldn't be new news that Chris and I have never been huge Valentine's Day fans.  We see it as a big marketing day to make money off of things that people should be doing a whole lot more regularly than once or twice a year.  Plus everything is marked up.  Because it's a Valentine's Day bouquet, it's twice as much.  Because it's Valentine's Day chocolate, it's twice as much.  And we've always thought that going OUT to dinner on a day when all the other couples in the world are also going out sounds like a nightmare.  Totally not us.  To each his own.  But that's just not how the us in this marriage works.  

So Valentine's Day around here usually consists of some simple homemade cards (that those who can create, create) and a dinner prepared by one or the other of us adults; often we each do parts of it and thus work together.   And then we usually have a sweet treat (this year was chocolate covered cherries and almonds) together-just the two of us- after the kids are in bed.  

This year was mostly the same routine.
Until it was time to put the kids to bed.  

Elise had had a low-grade fever that we'd been keeping an eye on all day, but there weren't really other symptoms so we just had it in the back of our minds.  So we put Sophie down about half hour before the other gals and she falls right to sleep.  As we are putting the other three down, suddenly Elise is a basket case.  A complete basket case.  I had put a little lavender oil on her forehead to help with the fever and to help her sleep.  But she was worried, OH SO WORRIED, that it was getting in her eyes.  And suddenly, (of course!) her eyes feel funny.  And she's crying and the tears might get the oil in her eyes.  And on and on.  You really have to be present for an Elise-fear-meltdown to even come close to understanding what it's like.  There is NO talking her out of anything.  Just crying.  And more crying.  

And then Ava decided she didn't want to say our family decade of the Rosary, so she starts crying too.  Chris and Kayla keep praying the decade.  Ava keeps crying.  I keep quietly whispering to Elise her special Bible verse, "When I am afraid, I will trust in You," and begging for the intercession of St. Dymphna (patron Saint of anxiety), Mary, and Jesus.  And eventually Ava gives up and stops crying.  And eeee-ven-tuaaaally, Elise slows her cries to little whimpers and those pitiful little cry hiccups (you know what I'm talking about right?).

We get the girls to bed.

And they are quiet for a few minutes.

Then Elise is crying again.  I sit with her and rub her back and hold her hand and whisper a few "decades" of a Chaplet of Mercy slowly and she falls asleep.

Now Ava is making noise again.  So I sit with her and we pray the rest of the Chaplet together slowly.  She finally seems to realize it's bedtime and she is a bit tired and lays still, so I tell her I'll be back to check on her and tiptoe out.

Finally it's time for Chris and I to watch our latest show, Person of Interest, on Netflix.  Sunday is our one day to watch TV and snack since we're giving that up for Lent, so we grabbed our goodies and sat down to enjoy our little show date.

I told you there would be random photos...

Part way through, right when we're at a cliff hanger, I hear something.  Chris pauses the show and sure enough, Elise is crying again.  Up the stairs I go to see what the problem is.  She has to go potty.  The tired, frustrated part of me wants to scream (or at least berate her), "Then JUST GO!  You are 4 years old.  Open the door to your room, find the bathroom, and go potty!!!"  But she's little.  And she's tired.  And she's not feeling 100%.  And she's Elise.  Everything is a big deal.  So I hold her hand and take her to the restroom.  And when she's done, I hold her hand and bring her back to bed.  Kisses and snuggles, we say our verse again and she closes her eyes once more.

Back to the show.

Another cliff hanger (it's kind of that kind of a show...) and I hear more noises.
Elise again.  We had watched Cinderella as our family movie night earlier that evening and when I went upstairs to see what she was crying about this time, it was the movie.  She was bummed that Cinderella went away from her home in the carriage with the Prince at end of the movie.  "WHERE were they going?  I want Cinderella to come back to her house!!" she wails.  I explain a bit about that and rub her back, give her some hugs and kisses, and we repeat her verse a few times more.  She settles back down uh-again.

Back to the show which we finished and then we headed off to bed.

And just as we are laying down, I hear the sound of a door opening...

Ava.  She had to use the restroom.  This happens almost every night, and recently it has meant that she begins crying almost hysterically throughout the process until she is returned to her bed.  So there was that.  Back to bed for her.

And back to bed for me.  And then more wails.  This time it was Sophie and Elise.  Elise's ear was bothering her a little.  Chris got her some ibuprofen and I put Sophie back to bed.  She was not happy about that at all.  Apparently Elise's cries had woken her up and she is crankypants when she gets woken up in the night.  So she cried, while Elise got her medicine and I tried to soothe her (because Elise is pretty always a basket case when she wakes up in the middle of the night).  Eventually after more prayers, I finally calmed her down enough that I could convince her to go back to her bed and I took Sophie out and brought her to bed with me.  She quieted down a little, but wasn't going to sleep.  Her restless little toes kept digging into my side, so I put her in the pack n play which we still have set up in our room for naps for her some days.  She cried momentarily and then gave in to sweet sleep.  And so did I.  For a blissful little period of time.

And I honestly can't remember much of the rest of the night except that I got up again with Elise and had to calm her down again and again with Ava who was a huge basket case herself that time and wanted me to lay with her (that's her thing recently).  I give in sometimes, and this was definitely one of those nights.  Normally though, she falls back asleep quickly and I can retreat silently back to my own (now cold) side of the bed in my own room.  But that night she was all kinds of restless and squirmy and oh my goodness.

And then she was in my room whining for "bwekfas" at 7:01am and I couldn't even.   I just sent her to get the pile of books that I knew was laying somewhere on our floor from the last time that a scenario of this general nature happened and she sat semi quietly on the bed between Chris and I and looked at the huge stack of books while I lay there in my daze.  Eventually I felt I could peel my eyes open enough to walk down the stairs without tripping over and we commenced with the breakfast eating.

My friends, I am still not sure that the calm woman who handled that Valentine's Night(mare) was me.  I'm not going to lie and pretend that normally when I get up in the middle of the night with the kids that I'm patient and cuddling and nurturing mom.  I'm usually cranky, tired, deep-angry-sighing mom who gets to the nurturing once the kiddos are back in bed by remembering a kiss and a hug and a "Sleep with the angels" (because despite my tired, crankiness, I do love my kids).  But the mom from Valentine's Day night was loaded up with grace.  Jesus and the Saints must have given me a few extra helpings of grace because I was actually able to embrace my crosses of suffering and they became joyful.  I wasn't resentful of the many trips I made that night to comfort, help in the bathroom, soothe fears based in fantasy, or cuddle restless children who seemed to want anything but the sleep I so craved.  Because I craved loving them, specifically, loving them as Christ does more than I craved sleeping.
  It was incredible.

The next day, I saw this quote on Blessed Is She's Instagram page that I had somehow missed on Valentine's Day, but which spoke to me so much more deeply the following day because I had just experienced it in such a tangible way.
"Pure love knows that only one thing is needed to please God: to do even the smallest things out of great love- love, and always love. " -St. Faustina

This Valentine's Day was one in which I can definitely say that I experienced true, pure, raw love.  Love and marriage are about sacrifice.  Sure, there's lots of joy to be found in love and in marriage and in romance--I know, I've experienced that too.  But this year my Valentine's Day was spent reflecting on love in a much different way than I'm used to.  It was spent living it.  And I know without a doubt that I was given special graces to live it well this year.

Our kids are a true blessing in our lives, but it's not just because of the joy and smiles and cuddles they bring.  Kids also have needs, and they are their own stubborn little people who push your buttons and make messes and get in the way of what you want to do sometimes.  There I said it.  It's true.  But when we choose to open ourselves to God's grace and sacrifice our own wants and needs to meet theirs, it is a truly amazing and incredible experience.  Because of my husband and kids, I have daily opportunities to grow in virtue by sacrificing myself and choosing to love my family through tiny tiny acts of service.  And when I choose to embrace what many look upon as annoyances, I can see that they are truly beautiful expressions of pure love.

Do I go back and forth, fighting against the idea that losing myself is actually how I find myself in Christ?  Yes.  But I'm grateful for nights like these that remind me that God's grace is truly enough.  And that choosing joy is always an option.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day, friends.  I hope yours was filled with the love and joy of Christ, whatever that might have meant for you this year.  

Sacrifice: He did it better ..

As I reflected over the past few days on what the word Sacrifice means in my life, my mind was filled with an array of things.  

As a wife, I sacrifice for my husband.  I get up early to make his lunch.  I take packages to the post office for him with 4 kids in tow.  I get up with the girls on weekends so he can sleep in.  I send him off for beer night with the guys at a local Catholic brewery and stay home with our kids.  I change most of the diapers....

You get the idea. 

As a mom, I sacrifice for my kids.  I give each of them my body to live in (read: possibly ruin forever) for 9 months.  I give them my time and energy.  I answer endless questions.  I clean up countless spills.  I give up time with friends, family, and dates with my hubby.  I haven't really slept a full night in years....

You get the idea....

I know I sound like I'm blaring a trumpet for myself, but my next thoughts were about my heart and my attitude when offering these sacrifices day in and day out. How often do I feel sorry for myself or keep a list of all the sacrifices I've made so that I can throw it back to the person when they hurt me or I feel tired?  Sadly, my answer is often.  

I get discouraged, too, that all the sacrifices I make seem to be so small.  So ordinary.  I want to be a Saint. How will I ever get there if my life is so filled with ordinary house-wifey sacrifices?  

All too often, I look at the sacrifices I make as mere tasks that need to be done each day.   

Matthew 20:28

Yesterday this verse was the end of the gospel.  He came to serve.  Jesus ransomed his life for us.  He sacrificed everything.  

It hit me that, for Jesus, healing the afflicted wasn't a task.  

Preaching the good news of the Father's love for us wasn't a task.  

Spending time in prayer in the desert wasn't a task.  

Feeding the 5,000 wasn't a task. 

Washing his disciples feet wasn't a task.

Dying on the cross wasn't a task.  

Sacrifices? Yes. 

Mere tasks? No. 

Because there was purpose.  

There was LOVE. 

Isaiah 53:5

He died for me.  He died for me, so that I could live.  

And yet, so many days, I can't even die to myself and offer myself in service to my family. 

Why?

1 Corinthians 13:1

Because sometimes my purpose is to be noticed, to receive praise or affirmation.  Because sometimes I don't have love.  Sometimes I'm just going through the motions and my heart isn't in it.  Sometimes I forget why I am even sacrificing in the first place.  

We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).  

We serve because he first served us  (Matthew 20:28) 

Ephesians 5:2

When I find that my sacrifices have become tasks, it's a wake-up call to make more time for prayer.  To make more time to bask in His love for me.  To take more time to reflect on HIS sacrifice.  

And I can do it while I am doing my daily tasks.  

When I'm tempted to be angry that my husband can more easily go out for an evening with friends than I can, I can remember Christ hanging on the cross for me.  When I'm cleaning up a diaper explosion, I can remember Christ reaching out to heal the leper.  When I'm washing the dishes, I can remember Christ washing the feet of his disciples.  

Because the truth of it is, there is nothing I will ever do on this earth that can ever top what He has done for me.  

But I can praise Him for His sacrifice and love for me. 

Hebrews 13:15

And I can offer my daily sacrifices up to Him, even the things that seem menial.  

Yesterday at my mom's group, we read this prayer by Brother Lawrence and it was perfect. 

 Just what I needed. 

"Lord of all pots and pans and things, since I've no time to be a great saint by doing lovely things, or watching late with thee, or dreaming in the daylight, or storming heaven's gates, make me a saint by getting meals, and washing up the plates.  Warm all the kitchen with thy Love, and light it with thy peace; forgive me all my worrying, and make my grumbling cease.  Thou who didst love to give men food, in room, or by the sea, accept the service that I do, I do it unto thee. Amen."

It's easy to thank God for obvious blessings, but it's harder to praise him for the little things and even the sufferings.  

Today my hope is that I can view my daily sacrifices as love offerings to the One who did it better, and perhaps quench His thirst for love of us just a drop at a time. 

Link-up at blessedisshe.net with your post or comments about sacrifice.  

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