Labor Day Weekend (Day 4)

The last day of Labor Weekend brought a sweet surprise!

My girlfriend, Julieanne, and I decided to meet for coffee in our jammies.  Seriously.  No fancy hair, makeup, or outfits.  Just clean faces, cute jammies, and hot coffee.

Julieanne has an amazingly beautiful custom-built home.  It is always a joy to visit her.  Her home is warm and inviting and decorated with all things music!  A baby grand piano, her husband's drum studio in the basement, head shots of her during her years on Broadway (really!), and photos of her with her gorgeous children teaching them piano or performing on stage are all a part of her well-appointed home.  It truly represents HER life and family.  

Currently, she is the drama/music teacher at Bishop Ward High School.  Like me, Julieanne teaches in the urban core.  (This is her first year and my second year after both having taught in the Archdiocesan school system.  Talk about change!) When she told me last Spring that she was considering a job offer at Ward she also wanted my opinion on what to do.  I overwhelmingly encouraged her to take a chance on experiencing interacting with amazingly resilient and beautiful children. Their lives are not easy, and they often bring a lot of trauma with them into the classroom, but if anyone could make a difference (and bring the gift of music therapy) in these high schoolers lives, I knew it to be her.  In my opinion, this was a God-initiative.

Anyway, when I arrived at her home with a sunny summer arrangement of flowers to surprise her for hosting on our impromptu coffee date, she surprised ME with a birthday breakfast!  It was simple and delicious.  The weather cooperated (for early September in Kansas) with a constant breeze and we got in some much needed girl time over french vanilla coffee and cinnamon rolls on her covered patio.  

Thank you, Julieanne, for remembering my birthday and sharing a part of your Labor Day weekend with me.  It was a delightful morning and one I won't soon forget.

She even stuck in a birthday candle!

Dining al fresco is always so much fun.

First Holy Communion (Spring 2019)

Sprinkled throughout my daily posts, will be memories from the Spring and Summer of 2019.  Spring 2019 was an especially busy season for our family including First Holy Communion, 8th Grade Graduation, and Confirmation.

I don't ever want to forget the feelings and emotions of those very special events.  Today's post is a reflection on L's First Holy Communion.

My boy made his First Holy Communion on May 11, 2019.  He received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion (Eucharist) with his 2nd Grade Class at St. Paul Catholic School. They were the very first class to receive this Sacrament in the brand new school building. While the church itself is still under construction, the sacramental service was beautiful inside the gymnasium/cafeteria/multipurpose room.

We started the day with L opening a few gifts from my parents and me.  We are so very grateful that my parents were able to share this very special day with us.  They traveled from St. Louis and attended my nephew's FHC the night before!  Busy Busy Busy

So handsome in his suit and tie.

He was so excited to receive his very own St. Florian Medal.  St. Florian is the Patron Saint of First Responders.  L's dad is a retired fire fighter.  

Certificate of Recognition for making his First Holy Communion

I love his class!  They are such a sweet group of 8/9 year olds.  They've been a tight knit group since preschool.

With so many special events and celebrations during the same two-week window, we chose to celebrate with lunch,  L's choice of restaurant...Olive Garden.

Although it was a dreary/overcast day, we had a lovely time celebrating L and his receiving of the Body and Blood of Christ for the very first time.  L is so excited to be able to now fully participate in Mass with the entire family.  What a beautiful day.

Labor Day Weekend (Day 3)

Yesterday,  I surprised the kids with a trip to Weston, Missouri.  I took them to the Weston Red Barn Farm which kicked off their annual "Fall Festival" weekends.  The Red Barn Farm has acres of farm land in beautiful Platte County nestled among the low valleys and rolling hillsides of the Missouri River.  The farm includes a pumpkin patch, apple orchard, petting zoo, and country store.  We went for the apple picking.

We had so much fun hunting for the ripest apples and learning to distinguish between Red Delicious, Jonathan, and Gala.  We were picking for pie/applesauce-making so we went for the Jonathans and Galas.

After apple picking, we visited the different farm animals.  Most of the animals quickly approach the pen fences, eager for handouts from visitors.  This Tom was gorgeous!

After a quick bathroom/hand washing break, we shopped the Country Store.  It was so cute and I couldn't help but purchase a new pumpkin for my table collection.  It's an artificial pumpkin covered in cable knit and feathers.  I plan to include it as part of my fall table scape, but for now, it's eagerly awaiting October's arrival on my entryway table!

The little country store is absolutely delightful.  My girl and I shopped the Fall decor and then we bought apple cider slushees and kettle corn to share with the boys.  Even the outside of the shop was cutely decorated with giant freestanding bathtubs overflowing with pumpkins.

While we didn't shop the pumpkin patch, they had plenty of gorgeous piles of pumpkins on display to get the four of us eagerly anticipating October!

After a busy morning, we were ready for lunch.  My initial plan was to take the kids to a cute restaurant in the historic town of Weston, Missouri, but everybody else had the same plan!  Three hungry kids and lots of (friendly) motorcyclists and get-away-for-the-weekend couples does not make for a good mix.  :)

Activate Plan B.   On our way home (about an hour's drive), we pass through a tiny town called Parkville.  I love Parkville.  It used to be my home many years ago when I still lived on the Missouri side of the state line.  It is an adorable riverfront community, nestled in the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, also located in Platte County.  Parkville also has cute antique shops and girly boutiques, art stores, and unique eating establishments.  While busy, it was definitely less crowded and afforded us the opportunity to quickly be seated.  We chose a local brew house and the food did not disappoint!

M and I decided that we need to come back for brunch or lunch to eat at this French bistro tucked into the hillside. 

...and the boys want to come back for miniature golf.  How does one play on a hillside?!?!

On our way out of Weston as we headed toward Parkville, we discovered the most beautiful stone Catholic church.  I would love to go back and attend Mass one Saturday evening.  I can't even imagine the courage and bravery it took explorers like Lewis and Clark or Father DeSmet to traverse such unknown terrain.

All in all, even with a pneumonia diagnosis for one kiddo, it was an amazing Labor Day Weekend with my children.  I am eagerly anticipating lots of fun Fall activities over the coming weeks and a return to cooler temperatures.

Labor Day Weekend (Day 2)

Saturday of Labor Day Weekend was a quiet one. 

With L just starting his antibiotic for pneumonia the day before, I didn't want to take him shopping, to the pool, or even Mass.  Older brother took one for the team and stayed home with L since M was scheduled to serve.

After Mass, Father Michael asked my girl if she was able to stay and serve at a Baptism.  

Since I didn't want to look like a creepy stalker lady, I snuck off to the side away from the parents/godparents and extended family in attendance, to snap a few photos of M serving alongside Father.  Not the best shots, but good enough for the memory file.

In the bottom photo, M is handing Father the chrism oil.  I don't think there is anything better than the smell of chrism oil on a newly baptized baby.  I remember not wanting to bathe my little ones for days after their Baptisms just to preserve that wonderful, heavenly smell!

I can't express enough how grateful and happy it makes me that M still participates in serving at Mass.  As a public school high schooler, she no longer has the benefit of attending a weekday Mass as part of her daily Catholic school attendance.  I appreciate that she is willing to continue to offer service to the Church by remaining on the Altar Server list.

Tomorrow, I hope to take the kids on a "Kickoff to Fall" field trip.  Fingers crossed that L will be feeling up to it.

Labor Day Weekend (Day 1)

It's not exactly how we planned to kick off our Labor Day weekend...

...but when he climbed into my bed early Friday morning, feeling hot to the touch, I knew we weren't going to school that day.  (I'm a teacher so no work for me, either.)

Diagnosis:   pneumonia

Prescription:  one antibiotic, push the fluids, and of course lots of TLC.

Looks like a quiet, restful weekend is in store for our house!

Let Me Love You A Little More

If you've stumbled here by accident...welcome.

This is my online journal to record my parenting journey with my three amazing kiddos.  It is my little spot on the Internet where the grandmas, aunties, cousins and girlfriends can check in to see what is happening with MBL and me.

Time is precious.  And fleeting.  My kiddos are no longer babies and toddlers.  Instead, they've grown into elementary, middle, and high school-aged teens and tweens.  And as they've matured, so has their sense of privacy.

Still, my mama-heart has a desire to capture on film both the big and small moments of their lives.  I hope to balance my need to document, record, and preserve the memories we make day in and day out with their desire to not feel embarrassed, exploited, or put-upon. 

My oldest started high school two weeks ago and is absolutely loving the challenge of her academic coursework as well as all of the extracurricular opportunities offered.  She is quickly finding her niche and making new friends.  Her interests lie mostly in theater and government/leadership opportunities and I couldn't be more proud.  

But I'm also a bit melancholic.  I know that these next four years are going to go by fast, and before I know it she will spreading her wings to fly away from the nest.  As she should.  But, it's so hard to believe that the itty bitty baby I longed for is already headed toward young adulthood.

My life certainly hasn't turned out how I expected it to, but in so many ways it's better than I could ever have imagined.  There are hard days, for sure.  And we are far from perfect.  But the kids and I are building a life we love with gentleness, kindness, beauty and grace.