Xavier's Success

Today was quite a day for my little boy. 

He was hauled out of bed before the sun even managed to say 'Good Morning.' While Xavier is generally an easygoing child, I was a little nervous about a day filled with so many new people and experiences. He sailed through it all. The only tears were shed during the injections for his lymph node scan. After that, he just smiled and complied with every little request. During the scans, he watched Monsters Inc with daddy and then tripped on over to the surgery building. 

 A child specialist brought him a spinning R2D2. He sat and played and played and played. Apparently, the combination of spinning lights and slightly obnoxious noises is childhood perfection. Stephen and I managed to stay calm, too. That is, until he was wheeled into the operation room. Somehow, seeing my little three year hooked up to machines was just too much. As soon as his little eyes closed, I headed off to cry on Stephen's shoulder.

Fortunately, the doctors met with us in the waiting room after each had finished their part. Smooth and easy was the report. The lymph nodes look clear, although we need to wait for the official report. He did emerge with a wicked looking five inch scar on his arm. I'm sure that will also heal up nicely. 

When the nurse called us into post op, I was expecting an agitated awakening boy. Instead, we were met a sleeper. He slept and slept and slept. Finally, he managed to open his eyes and ask for home, water, and food. All without a single tear or fuss. My sweet little Xavier has not complained once, not once. I am quite sure this was due to all the promised prayers and the intercession of his patron saint.

We are truly blessed.

Prayers for Xavier

My little Xavier will be heading into surgery early tomorrow morning. It will be quite a day for him as the team of doctors do a lymph node scan, removal of a few nodes, and the removal of the abnormal skin on his arm. Apparently, he won the lottery as this is the rarest of rare of bumps and lumps. His two primary doctors are quite intrigued with his case while they assure me that all will be well.

So, tomorrow is the day prayers are needed most.

St. Joseph, please pray for my sweet boy. May the hands of the doctors be blessed, may Xavier stay calm, and may the surgery be uneventful, and may he heal completely and without complications.

Thank you and God bless!

A Mother's Day Crowning and More

I have been informed that it takes months to post our little adventures. Months! Well, there may be some small kernel of truth to that bold statement. Thus, as a Mother's Day present to my own mother, here are photos from the very day they were taken.

Happy Mother's Day!

Today was quite a day for my Gracie Girl. She not only crowned Mary at the beginning of Mass, but also made her First Confession as well. She has been practicing her prayers diligently and rehearsing the order with Stephen. She read through all of Catechism lessons and thoroughly anticipated the day. Now, she has a pristine soul, ready for her First Holy Communion next week. 

After Mass, we headed over to a fellow parishioner's lovely home for brunch. I am always a little hesitant to take my crew to an adult celebration, but they all behaved admirably and I was even able to talk to another grown up for a bit. What a treat! That doesn't happen very often. :-)

One of our family traditions is that after First Confession, the little penitent receives a double scoop of ice cream from an ice cream parlor. This is quite a treat and everyone is thrilled! We headed off to Baskin' Robbins for cones on this hot day. Gracie chose mint chocolate chip and chocolate swirl. Hmm, that was a lot of ice cream, so she generously shared with Marie Claire. Marie had been eyeing her cone from the moment Grace sat down. We sat and laughed and enjoyed our beautiful day together.

Joshua Tree

Back in April, Stephen surprised us with a three day trip to the desert. While my big kids love to go climbing every year in Joshua Tree, I have not been since Gracie was a baby. That was my last trip camping in a tent. (Yes, it went that well.) One of Stephen's priorities was to take the whole family out to this beloved destination. Now that we have the little trailer, it is actually possible. 

Apparently, this was the trip to learn all those little details that must be learned at some point. Details like: don't forget the levelers, check to see if the battery works, and fill up with water at home because the available water at the campsite might be only a drinking fountain. See, little things.

In spite of these logistical challenges, we had a great time. Problem solving with a smile became the lesson of day one and, after that, it was smooth sailing. We tried to get as much climbing in as possible, both high and low. The little boys wanted to test out their billy goat skills while I constantly prayed to their Guardian Angels for protection. The big kids just left and showed up at the top of rocks- more prayers! During the heat of mid day, everyone snuggled up with books or blew endless rounds of bubbles. Marie was content to sit down and coat herself with sand all day. 

I think we have the menu figured out. That is a big deal with a family of nine that is gluten free. All the easy meals are out of the question, so I make frittatas and casseroles for many meals. Thank goodness, fresh air and lots of dirt is the best seasoning. I think they would inhale just about anything. Well, except Olivia. She's still a discerning eater. :-)

Hopefully, we'll be back again soon. The learning curve must get gentler. There is only more fun adventures to be had!

Do you see my crew way up at the tippy top?
Olivia, Quinton, Collette, and Stephen scrambled up to those dizzy heights. I stayed below with the little ones.

And Now on to Easter...

(Let's slide Holy Saturday in here real quick first.)

Holy Saturday
I think the children look forward to Holy Saturday more than Easter. I know, it's not supposed to be that way, but there is something special about this day of preparation. For this is the day to lay out the new clothes, cut the unruly hair, trim the outrageously long fingernails, bake the tasty treats, and color those magical eggs. It is a day brimming with anticipation and easy smiles.

A special friend donated her old popcorn popper to our family cause. We had used it before, but the newness had not worn off yet. Knowing that we needed a large batch for our bird nests, I added an extra bit of kernels to the machine. Squeals of excitement rang throughout the kitchen when the lid and all the popcorn started spinning around and around. Even the oldest ones were tickled by the whirling dome of corn. Pure joy!

Of course, everyone painted and dyed the eggs. They even ask for the timer now so that the eggs will be properly dark with color. Marie Claire sat in her chair for the longest time dunking one cracked egg over and over again. 

Blessed Easter
It is amazing how easy it is to get the children up on Easter morning. My moaning procrastinating children are replaced with cheerful morning larks. Everyone bounds out of bed and rushes headlong into the feast day. I wish every Sunday were met with such enthusiasm. 

Stephen headed down the mountain extra early with Quinton so he could practice swinging the incense.  The girls and I followed at a slightly more leisurely pace. We had hair to curl, you know. Mass was glorious and surprisingly uncrowded. I wonder if it is the early time. Whatever the reason, it was so nice to stretch out a bit and enjoy the breathtaking beauty of a sung High Mass on Easter morning. Quinton did an admirable job as the Thuriber and even the little boys sat quietly. Marie Claire ran around outside with the koi. She really loves the echo of the chapel and thus spends very little time in there. 

After Mass, we headed off to my parent's home for our egg hunt, feast, and swimming party. Any holiday is a good reason to heat up the spa for my children! I always snap a bunch of photos of them before they dismantle the Easter glory and become pool rats. Xavier was having none of it this year. There was no way I could get him to sit in for the family picture. Oh well, God willing, we'll have many more Easters to come and I can torture him at a future date. As it was, everyone had a lovely happy day. I don't remember one cross word. Of course, Easter was quite some time ago now so I could be editing a bit in my memory. That's okay, I have happy pictures to prove it all true. 

As you can see, it was a very full day. Poor Xavier was tuckered!
Happy Easter to All
Thank goodness, we have 50 days to celebrate!

A Little Late for Lent...

... Okay, it's a lot late but, I am going to post anyways. (Olvia is laughing at me. I can take it.)
I'm chaulking up all my lack of enthusiasm for getting anything done, anywhere, at anytime on my first trimester fatigue. Baby #8 should arrive in the Autumn and the dear wee bairn is wearing me out. One of these days I'll call the doctor and schedule an appointment to find out an actual due date, but even that is a little daunting right now. (Oh, I did finally get around to that appoinment- October 17th!) In the meantime, here is Lent 2013 to remember:

Holy Thursday

We used our GF Holy Thursday menu. While I knew how most of the dishes would turn out, the homemade tortillas were a first. I was a little worried, especially since we had so many hands helping in the kitchen. Would they be finicky to roll or tough to chew? They were neither! While nothing GF can compare to a soft buttered flour tortilla, these were very tasty and easy with all the help. :-)

The fig butter from Trader Joe's tasted just like the inside of a fig newton. Yum!

The biggest hit was the enormous bowl of strawberries. I think Xavier could happily exist for years on a deserted island so long as it had a strawberry patch!

Stephen loves these special dinners just as much as the children. There is a spirit of anticipation that sweeps everyone up and holds them tight through the whole day. Holy Thursday is definitely a day that should be anticipated. The story of the triumphant arrival in Jerusalem, the Lord's Supper, the institution of the Mass, the Agony in the Garden, and Judas' betrayal have so much power to hold even the little ones spellbound.

Good Friday

Good Friday definitely felt more rushed. There was not time to meander through the day as we headed down to noon services at the Basilica. Their choir is amazing and the entire Good Friday reading is sung. Lovely if a little long for the young ones. Afterwards, we headed home to bake and prepare. Again, the dishes were a hit with everyone. The one exception being the TJ's Rice Flour Tortillas- just pass on those. Bleh! 

 Marie Claire loved the Tomb Biscuits. Stephen says that he can watch a baby eat all day and be captivated by all their funny expressions and mannerisms. I couldn't agree more. You don't even want to know how photos I snapped of Marie and those biscuits. Too funny!