Grrrr...Darn Obama...

Thanks to your illustrious President, we owe taxes for the 1st time in eleven years. Grrrr...Thanks for giving us a "stimulus" by changing the amounts taken out of our paychecks, so that now we owe the government. I know, I know...in some ways it is better to owe taxes because it meams that I have had that "extra" money in my hands every month, but I really have always liked getting a big fat check in the spring...

Oh well...maybe next year will be better. Afterall, surely taxes will be reduced now that the health care bill has passed, right??? Na...didn't think so...

1st Concert

Last night was a first for my kids...their 1st ever concert! My 1st concert was when I was in college, so my kids are way ahead of me :) Anyways, St. Mary's had Matt Maher come do a benefit concert last night. I had bought the tickets several weeks ago (because they were $5 cheaper if you bought them in advance), but completely forgot about the concert. So when we got home yesterday (around 4:30), I took out my contacts and put on my jammies. Then, at 6:50, Toby called (he was in Colorado waiting for a train to come home) and he asked if we were at the church yet, or on our way.

The concert started at 7.

Whoops. We hadn't even eaten supper yet. So, I told the kids to get their socks/shoes on and go to the bathroom, and I grabbed some snacks they could eat on the way (in the car, which I usually don't let them eat in the car), and off we went.

As I was backing out of the garage, I realized I was still in my glasses (and any of you who know me know that I can't be seen in public with my 4 inch thick glasses in public...I can barely drive in them), so I ran in and grabbed my contacts and changed into them at the 1st red light we came to.

We got there about 20 minutes late, and when we walked in, I realized that I had forgotten how loud concerts are. Sadie hates loud anything, so I cringed waiting for her to start complaining, but she didn't! Instead, she just started swaying and bouncing to the music.

Both kids really enjoyed the concert...for about the 1st hour. After that, they had had enough and were ready to go home. Me being the mean mom that I am, I made them stay until the end (around 9).

Overall, it was a good experience. Now the kids can brag that they have been to a pop/rock concert (okay, so a Christian pop/rock concert, but still...). And now I have some new songs by Matt Maher I love (I could only find one of the new songs to add to my music for this blog...It's "Alive Again").

Stay tuned to this blog for some very late posts...about Sadie's b-day party in Groom, spring break, and who knows what else :)

Aaron Earned $7 at Mass Today

Today, at the school mass, Aaron earned $7! And I got to be there to see it! During the homily, sometimes Monsignor asks the students questions, and will reward the student with the correct answer with a dollar. Well, today, Msgr was asking just the 2nd graders, and Aaron got one of those questions right (the question was "What is the 1st Commandment). Then, after asking for certain other commandments, Msgr told the kids that the next question would be a $5 question. You should have seen all the kids wildly waving their hands, bouncing up and down in their pews, even before he asked the question.

The question was, "What is the Great Commandment?"

This happened to be from the Gospel reading today, so any kid who paid attention during the Gospel should have been able to guess this. Msgr called on one boy in 2nd grade, but he didn't give the correct answer. So Msgr looked at Aaron, and said, "Tristen, what's the answer?"

Aaron looked around for a second, and then decided Msgr must be talking to him since Msgr was staring right at him. So, he answered, and Aaron got it right! Good for him for paying attention!!! So he was up to $6.

Then, mass proceeded as normal...prayers of the faithful, sign of peace, Eucharist, and then after the communion song, Msgr called Aaron up to the front, apologized for calling him the wrong name, and gave him "the last dollar."

So, $7 for going to mass, knowing some basics, paying attention, and getting called the wrong name. Not bad for a 30 minute mass! Maybe it will help Aaron be more motivated from now on when we go to mass on Sundays :)

The Sweet Sound...

...of siblings laughing! I love my kids, but it seems like they spend waaaaay too much time arguing and snitching on each other. So last night was very precious to me.

It all started on Saturday, really. For Sadie's 5th b-day, we got all the stuff to turn her toddler bed into a "big girl" bed. So, we took apart the toddler bed and started re-assembling it as a full size bed (which I though it could be turned into a twin bed, so I had already bought all the stuff for a twin bed...had to exchange everything, but that's a different story). Anyways, with all the mishaps in the process of converting her bed, we didn't actually finish until Sunday. So, last night was Sadie's 1st night ever in her new bed.

So, we said our prayers (in Sadie's room) and both kids couldn't stop giggling. Every little look or sound would result in an eruption of laughter, usually from Aaron 1st, then Sadie. Next, I tucked them each into their beds, and told them goodnight.

And I continued to hear giggles. I LOVED that they were actually bonding in a healthy way, so I didn't want to make them stop. Every now and then, I would remind them gently that it was time to sleep, and they would laugh more. Finally, Aaron decided it would be better if he just slept in Sadie's new bed with her. A few more minutes of those sweet giggles, and then my little man (who is NOT a night owl) fell fast asleep, with Sadie still whispering to him and giggling. Shortly thereafter, Sadie fell asleep too.

I am glad that they had such a good time together last night. I love it when they get along, but when they are actually having a good time getting along...well that's just priceless :) What a great night!

Videos of Sadie as Dorothy

Here is Sadie singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." I love how she improvises when she's not sure about the words :) And of course, Aaron had to get in on the mix as well...

And here's another one...

Sadie's 5th B-Day!

Yesterday, my baby turned 5. I still can't believe it was 5 years ago that she entered our lives (without an epidural, by the way). Such a sweet, happy, loving little girl who is full of energy and loves to dance and sing. She has really blessed us, and I can't imagine life without her. I just want time to slow WAY down...it seems that it is just flying by, and I know that all too soon, my babies will be all grown up...

Anyways, for now, Sadie is still my baby, even though she's 5 now. She still loves to hug and kiss and squeeze me, and can always make my day brighter. Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Here are a few pictures of her in her gift from Granny...

She LOVES Wizard of Oz, and didn't want to take this outfit off last night for bed, and then also wanted to wear it to school this morning...

There's no place like home...There's no place like home...There's no place like home...

God's Perfect Timing

One of the sins that I struggle most with is gossiping about the flaws I see in people, especially people who aggravate or annoy me. They say admitting you have a problem is the first step, so perhaps I am on my way to recovery. God willing...

So, today, something happened. Someone got on my nerves, even when I was trying to do something nice for this person. But instead of just doing the good deed and ignoring the annoyance, I felt that I just HAD to tell someone about the frustrating incident. So, that's what I did, even though I felt something tugging me to just let it go. After sharing the story (and making me come out looking really saintly and the other person looking dastardly), I immediately realized that I had boasted and fallen, once again, to that sin of gossiping. I felt bad, and hoped I would learn my lesson and do better in the future...

Then, I get home and wasted some time on the internet. No, not of Facebook, but even though I have given up FB, I still find plenty of other ways to waste my time. Anyways, I went to a site with the daily readings and meditations on the day's readings. Today Gospel was Luke 6:36-38, and the OT reading was Daniel 9:4-10. Both refer to God's mercy and forgiveness, and Luke points out that "the measure you give will be the measure you get back."

But it was the meditation that really got my attention. It pointed out clearly that it is our job as Christians to not only be loving and forgiving to those who are nice to us, but to show kindness, mercy and love even to those who hate and abuse us, or are ungrateful or selfish towards us. It is a great explanation of the readings, and if you want to read it for yourself, visit this site:
http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/index.html and pick March 1.

It always amazes me how God has such perfect timing in our lives. Why is it that we refuse to trust in Him? Why is it that we think that we need to be in control of EVERYTHING, rather than submitting to His divine plan for us? Hopefully, I will be able to learn this lesson, and grow, and trust more. May God bless you richly, and may we always recognize the lessons He is teaching us :)