Sunday Best and WIWS

Linking up double time today for Sunday fashion with Fine Linen and Purple and Camp Patton! Ok, lets get the picture portion over with shall we....

I hate this bathroom. I hate taking pictures in this bathroom. But look at the 24 week old baby :)

this ensemble gets 5 stars for comfort. Love.

close up of I don't know what.

trying to get a pic with not yellowish green lighting....and nope.

Because you could't see them in the above pics...I'm kind of obsessed with my new wedges.

Wow, sorry about those awful pictures. I could tell you about my Mass experience solo with the kids, but let's just skip to their grades. (*groan*)

Hailey: C. Neither plus or minus, just C. She wanted to sit on my lap in the cry room the whole time. Why? I have no idea. Um, probably because Casey was teething and miserable and wanted to sit on my lap, therefore she had to as well. At one point I was trying to hold both of them (excuse me, all three of them, let's not forget little baby brother taking up more and more room on Mommy's lap), and it was all causing this mama to sweat intensely. Oh yeah, no AC, closed door in cry room, it's like 8 by 5 feet in size, eight people in there....stale air, I kept checking Casey because I swore I smelled a bomb....it was all sorts of bad.  She did ask, "I eat JeeJeesus too?" right before we went up for Communion and I kind of softened then. Maybe I should give the girl a C+.

Casey: B. Whined, cried, wanted to be held the whole time. But he's teething and looked at books nicely for 5 min.

Looking forward to next Sunday with Daddy! Home in time for Father's Day. Maybe I'll send him to Mass by himself with the kids to allow him to celebrate fatherhood. I'm kidding, I'm not that cruel, but boy am I counting down the days! 5 down, 4 to go. 

Changes

It is SO weird to not be with Luke at focus summer training. I have gone every year for 7 years. That's a long time! I miss it so much! I miss being there, seeing everyone, and the energy, zeal and love for God and the Church that exudes from every missionary. I am so filled by simply being around them, getting to know the new first years....not to mention sitting in on classes and hanging out with friends in the evenings. Even the years we have gone with the kids, I still got to experience all of the above. I'm so in love with our focus family.

And yet, I have a lot of peace. I know this was the right decision to stay behind this year. Luke is able to stay more focused (no pun intended), be way more productive with his time, and I was not really thrilled at the idea of being in southern Florida 5 months pregnant with a 3 year old and 18 month old. I know this is where I'm supposed to be, as hard as it is.

Today's highs were.... 8:30am morning Mass again! Yay! Then leaving the house after two days of rain to run errands. Errands which included the kids playing in the child play area in the middle of the mall, me purchasing two amazing pairs of shoes on clearance at DSW (Hailey made Casey laugh hysterically by trying shoes - women's heels- on him as he sat strapped in the stroller. If I wasn't trying to hurry up and make a decision on what to buy and get out of there, I might have taken a video. It was so funny), the kids enjoying the lunch I packed them, picking up a bunch of random items at Walmart that were needed, included new shoes for Casey who recently had a random foot growth spurt and has the worst blisters from him shoes. It was shoe buyin kind of day. Then the kids NOT falling asleep in the car on the ride home,  and going down for late naps at 2pm!

And the lows were....allergies that just won't quit. Hot dogs for dinner because I was too tired to make the ham and sweet potato dinner I had planned. Casey teething and wanting to be held constantly. The temper tantrum Hailey threw in the check out line. Because you know, Casey was holding a pail and shovel, and despite the fact that she was holding an identical, matching pail and shovel, she wanted to have his. Toddlers. So the woman behind me asks her, "oh sweetie, do you want a pink one?" Hailey, voice quivering, "yeeesss....." Thanks lady. Explain to Hailey there was no pink.

I emailed these to Luke so he could see them being their usual crazy selves.

Me: "too close you two, back it up." Them: Not listening.

isn't her hair adorable?! 

yoga pro

trying to be taller :)

Off to bed so I can try to greet their early morning crys and moans for "cereal NOW" with a smile. Try.

Grateful

Luke is at focus summer training for 8 days so it's me and the kiddos and as we approach the end of merely day 2, I'm focusing on the small good things that have happened since he left. Because trust me, there is PLENTY that I could complain about.

-phone calls/texting with my sisters. They always brighten my day, even if our conversation is 5 min long. 

-diapers delivered to my doorstep. I always buy diapers online and sometimes I wait longer than I should to order more, and then we run out and I'm making a run to the grocery store to pick up a box. Then the next day or so, whenever the diapers arrive, we have an overflowing amount. Until we run out again. It's a crazy cycle, and I've tried automated delivery, setting them just to get delivered and my account charged every 2 months or so....but it doesn't really work out that well. We sometimes still run out, or Casey goes up a size and I forget to update my order, etc. Anyway.... yesterday we were out at playgroup and I thought about stopping by the store to get diapers, but knew the amazon order should be arriving any day, possibly that very day. So I took a chance. I put the last diaper on Casey before his nap and low and behold an hour into naptime UPS was knocking at my door with my precious box of size 5 Luvs. 

-chocolate. Although I'm thinking I should box every bit of it up and stash it in the attic while I'm doing this single parent thing because turning to chocolate every time I'm stressed is not.a.good.thing. 

-the Eucharist. Now that is what I need more of. Today I took the kids to 8:30 morning Mass. And it was the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I was so glad I was paying attention to the Holy Spirit prompting me to go all morning, without even knowing it was the Solemnity. We even stayed in the pew the whole time. Casey was a little talkative but there was a family of 7 in the tiny cry room so we stuck it out where we were. 

Off to put Hailey to bed, and hopefully will be blogging more in the week to come! I have a few other projects I want to work on around the house as well, so we'll see :)