Our Family Circus

Sing Me Irish, Mommy

2012-02-25T08:36:00.000-05:00

There has been a big split in our family. And I mean a big division.
At first I tried staying neutral, then I tried playing peacemaker, then things got so bad that I just gave up.
And now things have not only gone from bad to worse, but from worse to WORST.
I don't think these two ladies will ever see eye-to-eye. And, in the beginning, I had a hope that at least while they might never be the best of friends, they would at least be cordial to each other, treat each other with a modicum of respect, and that they'd make sure not to involve the children, but it's gone beyond that now too. "All the king's horses, and all the king's men..."
It makes for very strained family gatherings to say the least. It's gotten to the point where Ray & I enjoy it so much more if one or the other is not around when the family visits.
I have to say, I did see both sides at first, but now, I think they have both behaved in a most negative manner, they both have acted hateful, malicious, and antagonistic, and the only side I'm taking now is the side of the grandchildren.

I'm wishing so much to have my Mom here now. Just to talk things over with her, and maybe to have her give them one of her pearls of wisdom, such as: "Oh, get over yourselves! Quit yer bellyaching at each other and just get along!" My Mom was very "no-nonsense"! I miss her a lot. And I'm asking her to ask the Greatest Peacemaker of All to intervene. Because it's going to take a miracle and I am no miracle worker.

I've actually adopted an attitude I never thought I would ~ "accept and move on". I'd love it if we were one, big, happy family. I have to accept that we are not and move forward.
I'm concentrating on the Blessing of grandchildren and the joy they have brought to our lives. I'm concentrating on the Gifts God throws my way everyday.
I've been missing my Mom so much lately (she's gone six years this month). And while searching for Irish music to put on the playlist on my blog I found an Irish folksong my Mom used to sing to me ("That's How I Spell Ireland" ~ the song has my name in it, and my Mom said she always loved that song and that's one of the reasons she picked my name). In fact, it was my favorite lullaby that she sang to me. I used to climb up onto her lap as she sat in the big rocker in the living room, and she would rock me to sleep as she sang, and my request would always be, "Mommy, sing me Irish. Sing me Irish, Mommy."
I cried and cried when I found that song. Jayden said to me, "Umma, are you crying?!" I shook my head yes and told him why I was crying, and he said, "Well, at least you're a little bit happy, right?" Later on he was telling everyone, "Umma was crying today, but they were happy tears."
It's hard to explain to a little seven year old boy the jumble of emotions I was feeling, but he's right, there were very happy tears there mixed in with tears of longing and loss. It felt good to have that release of emotion that finding this song brought out of me.

Mommy, sing me Irish.

Contemplative Prayer

2012-02-22T12:08:00.000-05:00

My brother-in-law Donald suggested I read Contemplative Prayer by Thomas Merton. It is very deep. Some parts are too deep for me. It's about developing an approach towards 'centering prayer', going deep inside yourself to connect with God on a deeper level. Allowing God to reveal Himself to you. Instead of the constant plea and/or praise that entails a jumble of words from us to God, it's more about quieting the spirit to be open to receiving The Spirit.

It's also about developing a monastic spiritual life without having to join a monastery. It's about being alone with the Holy Spirit even when you are with a crowd. You don't have to be physically separated from others in order to achieve this. But I think it is something that will be a challenge for me to achieve. I am so easily distracted.
And since I live in this 'worldly' world and not a monastery, and since the life I live is far from cloistered, I don't hold out a lot of hope for myself achieving this goal.

I have to admit, I was a little depressed reading this book, knowing that I'll never realize that 'Oneness With God' that monks, and those that lead a life of prayer experience, because I'm just not all that spiritual. So I went searching for articles on prayer that might help me. I found something that I really connected with:
"There is no difference between scrubbing the floor and praying. There is no difference between balancing your checkbook and praising God. It's all the same energy from the same Source, and the only difference is how we use that energy. Every moment is the same in God's Eyes, for every moment, every exertion of energy can be used to praise Him, and we waste those moments when we don't have Him front and center in EVERYTHING we do."

I know that it is a vocational calling to live the life of the religious. But I think the secular life, while not fully immersed in the spiritual twenty-four/seven, can be a life that is Spirit-filled.

Exceptionally Nice Weekend

2012-02-20T21:40:00.000-05:00

Nothing out of the ordinary, but a really special weekend with family and friends.
On Saturday Ray's sister Susie stopped over with his Mom, and Jillian and Rudy were along too. And they had some extra special news for us, but first I have to tell you a little story about Jayden and Jillian. A few months back Jillian had a miscarriage, and at that time Jayden went into a whole long story about babies and the 'waiting place' (I've posted about this so you might remember). Anyway, soon after Jill lost her baby we found out her sister Jackie was expecting. It was Christmas time and we were talking about how many babies there would be here next Christmas with all the cousins having babies this year, and Jayden said to me, "There will be five babies." I corrected him and said, "No, there will be four babies, there will be Sophie, and Eóghan, and Baby Ray, and then Jackie's baby, that makes four." Jayden said, "No, there will be five babies, there will be our three babies and Jackie and Jill's babies." I reminded him that Jillian's baby went to Heaven before it was born and he said, "I know, but it's coming back again. She's going to have the baby in October. It will be here in time for Christmas."
I had told this story to my sister-in-law Susie.
Well, during their visit on Saturday morning Susie leans over and says to me, "You're not going to believe this. Remember what Jayden told you about Jill? Well, she's expecting and her due date is September 28th!"
I don't know what this connection is that Jayden has with people who have passed and those that are about to arrive, but there is definitely something there.

Jackie and Scott are expecting their baby in mid-May, and Jill and Rudy are expecting in September, how wonderful for these sisters to be having babies so close in age, and how wonderful for all the cousins! They all grew up together and now their children will be growing up together. Sweet.

Erik & Lori stopped by too with Sophie & Mia, and Brian & Flora stopped in with Baby Ray so Ray's Mom could have a chance to see all the kids.

Here's Ray's Mom ~ Helena ~ with her great-grandchildren:

Later in the afternoon a few of Brian & Flora's friends stopped by for a visit and they brought along some gifts for Baby Ray.
Saturday evening we went out to a delicious dinner with my sister Diane & Steve. It was really a nice day.

Sunday morning Ray drove into Manhattan to pick up a coffee table he bought at a thrift store there one day during the week on his lunch hour, and Erik went along to help him. It's a big round coffee table with a marble top. Erik says from the workmanship he would estimate it to be about a hundred years old. I've been wanting something new because Jayden and Mia are getting kind of big for the little IKEA table they've been using, and I figure with more little ones about, we'll be needing to fit a few more chairs around the "kids" table soon! I usually don't let Ray pick out furniture by himself but I am extremely happy with his purchase!
Lori and the girls joined us later in the day for pizza, and Mia & Jayden said they were both happy with the table too!

Now, take a look at this big girl standing on her own, almost ready to walk on her own! Sophie already transfers, and uses anything she can get her hands on to steady herself as she takes a few steps here and there:

And, of course, I have to show you her shoes!

And I have to show you this little man, Eóghan is like a water faucet, drooling all the time!

Not only is he soaking wet, but we are all soaking wet too! He finally cut one tooth through. And here's a brave soul sticking her finger in his mouth!

It was really another nice day at home!

And today a lot of family had the day off for Presidents' Day! So it was another day of leisure, and more family visits!

Mia and I made Wanda's Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies:

('Can't thank Wanda enough for this recipe, it is a favorite of both Mia and myself! Katie and Jayden love them too! Wanda has the recipe posted on the sidebar of her beautiful blog along with many of her other delicious recipes, if you are interested you can go HERE, just scroll down a little.)

And my niece Erin stopped in for a visit, unfortunately George did not have the day off, but he was able to join us later after work:

He loves Wanda's cookies now too and has asked me to give him the recipe.
And he made us the most delicious chocolate peanut butter cupcakes! Everything was made from scratch, icing and all:

George is a wonderful baker and he is always making us so many delicious desserts that add to our holidays and celebrations! I hear he's a wonderful cook too, but I've haven't tasted one of his dinners yet.

Another day to be grateful for!
(Doesn't Katie look like the cat that swallowed the canary? I wonder what was so amusing?! Maybe some antic of Jayden's.)

And, our weather has been sunny and bright (although turning a little colder again now), and we have two Winter Crocuses poking their heads up through the brown grass out front:

'Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend too! And hope you all had a Happy Presidents' Day!

My Comfort In Blogging/And Yearning For Another Voice

2012-02-19T08:43:00.000-05:00

You'd never know it from the way I jabber on and on, talking a mile a minute, but I'm really not at all comfortable with my speaking voice. I have a heavy New York accent, and that coupled with the fact that I have an uncontrollable vocal tic at times really makes me self-conscious. I feel so comfortable blogging because when blogging/writing, the voice inside my head is not so deep, not so loud, and it definitely does not have a heavy New York accent. There is something so reassuring knowing that the blog world cannot hear me.

I've been reading lots of articles online about professional speech teachers and coaches, and I've been reading about the many people who have used their help in ridding themselves of accents. And I've found a lot of tips for my particular problem, such as focusing on pronouncing r's (instead of saying the word matter as 'matta' I have to make sure to pronounce it as 'maht-ur'). I have to remind myself that all "r" sounds are pronounced as "ur" or "er".
And I have to remember NOT to add a "w" or "u" sound to everything (I say the word 'off' like "awf", when I really should be be adding an "h" sound like the rest of America does, such as "ohf"). My pronunciations are more like the movie "My Cousin Vinny" (saying things like 'yutes' instead of 'youths'), I sound like the character Mona (played by Marisa Tomei) and I think it's true that certain not-so-nice assumptions are sometimes made about you when you speak like the characters from "My Cousin Vinny".

So I have a goal, and that goal is to be able to speak "standard American English" so that I can sound like I am from anywhere, and not just from Queens, New York.
There is a college speech instructor I read about who says that the Brooklyn/Queens accent is really a mixture of at least twenty-eight dialects spoken here over the last two centuries, such as Irish, Italians, Germans, Africans, and Eastern Europeans speaking Russian, Polish, and Yiddish, and each immigrant group shaped the accent in different ways. And the result is a native tongue full of dropped g's (such as readin' and writin'), dropped r's (such as mutha and fatha), mangled th's (tanks a lot), muffled t's (a boddle a milk), and many other unique inflections. This professor also says that many New Yorkers speak too fast and condense many words into as few as possible (D'ju eat? No, d'ju?) She also says that professionally and socially, people who speak in this way are unfortunately looked down upon as inferior.

I've also been reading that there are certain phrases that peg me as a 'New Yorker' such as saying "I was waiting ON line" instead of saying "I was waiting IN line", or saying 'sneakers' instead of 'tennis shoes', or calling a big sandwich a 'hero' instead of a 'sub'.

I asked my daughter-in-law Lori to help (she's a speech therapist) but she said that accent reduction is a specialty, so I'm going to try and wing it on my own. I've read that it takes lots of discipline and lots of practice. I'm going to go over my consonant and vowel sounds daily, I'm going to practice words and phrases each day, and I'm going to try to remember to take a breath before I speak, I'm going to try and speak more slowly, and I'm going to try to enunciate each word properly (seriously, this is like learning to talk all over again! Or like learning a new language! But I read a tip that said if I can train myself to pronounce at least a few of the key words in a sentence correctly that will be enough) . Wish me luck!

How's That Old Song Go? You'll Find That Life Is Still Worthwhile If You Just Smile

2012-02-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

You'd never know that this little guy isn't feeling well again because he's all smiles.

Eóghan's really such a good baby! Poor thing has been up so much at night coughing, but he still maintains his good disposition.

And here's a little guy that I got to smile twice yesterday!

Baby Ray is such a good little guy too!

This next photo Brian & Flora will be using for the invitation to his Baptism next month:

Ray did such a nice job on the invitations.

They've asked me to address envelopes so between tending to my sick little man here, and addressing envelopes, and due to a few other things going on in the family, I won't be posting or visiting for a few days.

'Hope everyone has a great week!
Love and Prayers,
Eileen

Magic Sleep Suit

2012-02-11T08:19:00.002-05:00

Eóghan used to fall asleep anywhere:

And he used to sleep through the night in a little cradle/bassinet that sat alongside his Mommy's bed.

But then he started to become very fussy when he got tired and he'd fight sleep all the time. And because he was growing leaps and bounds, it was also about time to transfer him from tiny cradle to big crib at night, and he was having none of that either! He stopped sleeping through the night.

But Ray came to the rescue when he found this Magic Sleep Suit:

It really is a magic sleep suit! It works like a charm! When Eóghan gets fussy during the day, I just say to him, "Do you want to put on your 'night-night' suit?" And immediately he calms down. I slip him into the suit, he smiles, he closes his eyes, and it's off to dreamland!
It's the same thing at bedtime, either Ray or I put him in the suit and he goes right to sleep. Katie said he's doing much better in the crib at night now, he will stay for longer periods, and even if he wakes up, she soothes him a little and puts him back into the crib, and off to sleep he goes again.

I don't know what it is about this suit, but whatever it is, it works! I highly recommend it!

But I don't recommend it for big boys or clowns!

It's Just Who She Is

2012-02-09T08:03:00.000-05:00

I never really talk in-depth about family members on my blog as I don't want to intrude on their privacy, and I won't go in-depth now.

But, suffice it to say that I think my daughter-in-law, Lori, is a very good Mom.

We kid her about being over-protective at times, and we tease her about how 'germ conscious' she is, but really, those aren't such bad traits to have. She's doing a wonderful job raising our two granddaughters Mia and Sophie.

That's one reason I love her. Another reason is how happy she makes our son Erik.

And here's another reason I love her:

The family was over for Super Bowl Sunday, and Ray wanted to get a picture with all the grandkids, and Lori also mentioned that Mia needed a picture of their little family for a school project. So she, Erik, Mia, and Sophie got settled on the loveseat to pose. And with that, Jayden came and stuck his head in the way.

The rest of us all thought he was just being a scootch and said, "No, Jayden!" ~ "Move!" ~ "Get out of the way!" ~ "They just want their family in this picture." ~ things along that nature. Jayden stepped aside and huffed, "Well, I'm their family too."

And, right away Lori said, "Awww! Of course you're our family!"
So then we all softened a little and told him as soon as we got a picture for Mia for school he could get in the picture too. But, of course, once all the picture-taking was done we forgot. Erik got up and walked away, and we all went about our business. Everyone except Lori that is.

She pulled Jayden over to her and said, "Wait! Now I want a picture with the rest of my family."

(This picture isn't the greatest, but I wanted to show how happy Jayden was to be included!)

(And look at Sophie's little face! So adorable!)

(Jayden's not smiling as big in this one but I love how Mia is looking toward Jayden.)

(And I love how inclusive Lori is with Jayden in every situation.)

It's just who she is.

Super Bowl Sunday

2012-02-06T13:31:00.001-05:00

Ray of course was very happy with Super Bowl Sunday as his team, the Giants, won!
He made sure we all had team shirts to wear while cheering the Giants on:

And while I was happy for him to see his team win the Super Bowl (I'm not a big football fan), I was more excited about another type of bowl:

Sunday morning some of us went bowling and it was lots of fun!

It was Mia's first time bowling and she was thrilled!

Jayden enjoyed himself too:

And this little man enjoyed himself too, but I think it will be a few years before he can lift a bowling ball.

And then it was back to the house where other family members joined us for pizza and to root the Giants on to victory!

(Eóghan looking for lunch!)

(I told you he was the baby that ate the baby!)

(Poor Baby Ray! He's looking a little concerned here!)

The Peanut...

...and The Pillsbury Dough Boy!

(Poor Eóghan has such a rash from teething. He's drooling all the time. His cheeks are so red and raw, but never a complaint from him! We took him to the doctor today and got some cream, so hopefully it will clear up soon.)

(Here's our little cheerleader!)

It was a very fun day all around!

Oh I Think It Will Be Fun...

2012-02-02T08:20:00.001-05:00

...to watch these two grow up together!

Katie was home from work yesterday, and Lori stopped by for a visit with Sophie after they dropped Mia at school.

It was a fun afternoon.

And Sophie was wearing another pair of shoes that I found to fit her feet!

I just love her little lace socks!

And I've always loved baby feet, but I especially love Sophie's little round feet! (As you can tell, I've blogged about them twice already!)

And here's my 'little professor':

Look at him with his hands folded! He does that a lot, and he has the cutest little expressions on his face all the time. His Daddy tells me to stop referring to him as a nerd (I promise, I have never called him a 'nerd', I just think he looks like a professor!)

Doesn't he look like he's thinking, "Hmmmm, well, Grandma, I could tell you how to solve the problems of the world, if only I could talk..."

I can't wait for him to get in the mix of things! Already Jayden and Mia are crazy about him. I'm sure Sophie, Eóghan, and Baby Ray will be like the Three Musketeers!

Happy Birthday Jayden!

2012-01-31T07:22:00.000-05:00

Jayden turns seven today!

On Saturday we had a family party for him with the usual crowd in attendance:

(Erika holding Baby Ray)

(Eóghan giving Uncle Brian some loving kisses!)

(Melissa stopped by, we haven't seen her since Flora's shower so it was nice to visit with her!)

(Rudy was having fun with the babies ~ here with Eóghan...

...and here with Sophie...

...I guess they wore him out because...

...we caught him napping!)

(Doug with a not-so-happy-looking Baby Ray)

(Sophie all smiles in her Daddy's arms!)

Cousins:

The Birthday Boy with lots of gifts and lots of smiles:

Another thing that made him very happy was a "Star Wars Battle" outside:

And on Sunday there was a Family Mass at Church to open Catholic School Week ~

Jayden was chosen to be one of the students that walked up the aisle in the opening procession at Mass:

(They all look so serious.)

Eóghan amused himself by chomping on Grandma's scarf:

After Mass there was an Open House at school, then we drove to 'Dave & Busters' for another Birthday lunch celebration, and Erik, Lori, Mia, & Sophie joined us. Most of the group spent a lot of time having fun at the arcade, but Ray, myself, Erik, Sophie, and Eóghan were happy to stay at the table where it was much quieter:

And Miss Sophie kept us entertained making silly faces for us (she actually does it on request, no matter how many times you ask her to do it she complies)!

I think Jayden had a great weekend, I know I had fun!

Today Jayden gets to celebrate in school with his classmates, he's bringing in cupcakes and goody bags for each student, and because it's Catholic School Week there are lots of fun events planned each day this week. Yesterday the students had to wear their team color (Jayden is on the Gold Team), today is 'Crazy Hat Day' so Jayden decorated a hat with lots of Birthday stickers, tomorrow is both 'Student Recognition Day' and 'Backwards Day' so the students will be treated to pizza for lunch and they will be wearing their clothes backwards! Thursday is 'Open House' so Eóghan and I get to visit Jayden's classroom, and Friday is 'Teacher Recognition Day' (I'm not sure what goes on for that other than a collection was taken up for his teacher). So there is lots of fun celebrating going on all week long! And this weekend is the Super Bowl and I'm sure there will be some celebrating going on in our house if the Giants win!

Happy Birthday, Jayden! Enjoy your special day!

I Guess I'm Getting Old Because I Used To Be So Much Better At These Things!

2012-01-27T07:07:00.003-05:00

I used to be better at doing things. I used to be better at taking care of babies. I definitely used to be more organized. I used to have a 'to go' diaper bag all ready when I went out. Nowadays I'm running around the house last minute like a chicken with it's head cut off, throwing baby gear into a plastic zip lock bag just before running out the door.
And so many times now, when going to change Eóghan, I realize that I forgot a diaper, or the wipes, or a changing pad.
Also now, most times while giving Eóghan a bath, I'm having to resort to using paper towels as wash cloths as I am constantly forgetting to get one BEFORE I put him in the water! Thank goodness the roll of paper towels is at hand! (And, thank goodness, so far I haven't forgotten to lay out a towel beforehand!)

I keep all his lotions and creams out on the counter otherwise I know I will forget something:

But it's so messy looking so I finally brought an ugly little organizer:

And, while I have all his paraphernalia for the bath finally organized and at hand, I usually forget one of the after-bath steps anyway!
(Lucky for me that EÓGHAN REMEMBERS! See how he looks to the side for the next cream/lotion/powder to come!)

And, something else I used to be better at is exercise. I used to be so much more disciplined. I just started another (and hopefully one that will LAST) diet/exercise program.
The diet lifestyle is something new I'm trying but the exercise routine is something I used to do and enjoy everyday. Nowadays I don't find too much enjoyment in exercising at all.

I used to be able to do Level Three for each routine! Now I am lucky if I can make it through Level One for each routine.

AND I USED TO BE ABLE TO LIFT MUCH HEAVIER WEIGHTS! I used to use twenty pound weights for my biceps, eight pound weights for my triceps, and five pound weights for my shoulders and back. Now, I am lucky if I can get through the arm routine using eight pound weights for my biceps, three for my triceps, and I now use NO weights for the shoulder/back muscles.

I'm pathetic now. And it's discouraging. I feel weak and I feel old.
Oh, well, what can you do?

I don't know if I'll get any better at the memory thing, but I'm hoping the exercise routine gets easier as time goes on.
In some ways I actually love the aging process, but in other ways, well, not so much.

HAPPY 85th!

2012-01-25T12:52:00.000-05:00

Today my Aunt Florence turns eighty-five!

My Aunt Florence and my Uncle Tom were like a second set of parents to us as we were growing up. They lived right next door to us in a semi-attached house, and this way we got to share our yards so it was like we had one big backyard to play in. I have so many wonderful memories of barbecues and splashing in a play pool, and building snow forts in that backyard along with my brothers and sisters, my parents, and extended family. My parents had seven children and Aunt Florence and Uncle Tom had my cousin Jimmy (he was like having another brother), and they included us seven in on everything, picnics, trips to the park, vacations to their friends farm in Connecticut, and vacations to Florida each summer. They would always have at least a few of us along. And their house was an extension of our house.

I think that while it was exciting for me to be moving into a bigger house when I was nine, it was hard letting go of Florence, Tom, and Jimmy and that physical nearness to them. We did remain close though and we are close to this day. I am Blessed to have her in my life, and Blessed to have her in the lives of my children and grandchildren. Over the past few years she has lost her only son and her husband, and still, she is a woman of Faith, independence and strength.

Florence through the years:

My Aunt Margie, my grandmother holding Florence, and my Mom

My Mom and my Aunt Florence (with unidentified man)

My Mom and my Aunt Florence with my cousin Mary (on her First Holy Communion Day)

My Aunt Marion, my Mom, and Aunt Florence

On one of our many vacations to Disney World with Aunt Florence and Uncle Tom.

We have so many wonderful memories of so many camping trips with Florence and Tom.

My Aunt Marion and my Aunt Florence holding my nephew William (on his Baptism day).

I know I have hundreds more photos of Florence with my kids and grandkids, but I just can't locate them right now. But suffice it to say that she is a BIG part of our lives!

Many Birthday Blessings to you, Florence!

It Always Feels So Good To Welcome Them Home!

2012-01-24T07:46:00.000-05:00

Baby Ray is home and his first stop along the way was Grandma's house!
And a few days later was his first appointment with the pediatrician, and his parents made sure to stop in here afterwards to give Grandma the good news that everything was perfect!
And Baby Ray was here over the weekend to keep his Grandpa company while we all watched his favorite team (the Giants) win the game to go on to the Super Bowl!
And there were lots of visitors here on all those days who were anxious to meet Baby Ray and to welcome this new little man home (but you can see that Grandma hogged the newborn most of the time!):

(All was quiet until Raymond's crying woke up Eóghan! I have never heard Eóghan cry like that! He sounded almost scared. But he soon calmed down and became very interested in him. I hope they grow up to be very good friends!)

Raymond Francisco, Mia Rose, Sophie Gianna, Jayden Marcellino, and Eóghan Harry

(Look ~ Sophie is ten months old and Eóghan is four months old and he's MUCH BIGGER than she is!)

This past weekend Ray said, "It's like having a Daycare Center in our house now when all the grandkids are here!"

Bernadette

2012-01-23T00:12:00.000-05:00

January is a bittersweet month for me. There are lots of Birthday celebrations in January ~ there was my niece Erin (32 years), and Baby Ray entered the world on Erin's Birthday this year too! And then a few days later was my nephew William (22 years) , two days from now it will be my Aunt Florence's Birthday (85 years!), the day after that is Katie's Birthday (34 years), and we end the month on the 31st with Jayden's Birthday (7 years). That's the fun that life serves up in January. But unfortunately, January also brings up feelings of loss and sorrow. It was in the month of January that I lost my little friend Kerry to cancer (twelve years ago on the 21st).

And seven years ago today my friend Bernadette died.

Bernadette's only son and my youngest son were in grade school together but I actually met her through The Rosary Society at our Church. The "Rosarians" as we were called used to meet once a month to celebrate Mass together and then we would go over to the school hall to recite the Rosary and share coffee, cake, and chat. We also held other functions to celebrate Christmas and various holidays and Holydays, and we had fundraisers that we all participated in. One of the Rosarians also planned bus trips for us, they were usually day trips but once in awhile there would be a weekend trip too. Sometimes the trips were for a very quiet and prayerful retreat, other times the trips were not of a very quiet or prayerful nature ~ there were tours, or dinner theaters, and then there were the shopping trips! A few times a year there were trips planned for shopping at the outlet malls, and it was on one of these trips that I first met Bernadette. It was a Fall trip planned to the Flemington outlets in New Jersey so the Rosarians could get an early start on their Christmas shopping, and my best friend Barbara and I always made sure to reserve a spot on the bus for these trips.
Usually Barbara and I never stopped to eat a meal, we just packed a few bagels and snacks and we'd eat on the run, but this one time we didn't take along any food, so we stopped in a cafeteria style eatery for lunch. Bernadette came up to us and asked if she could sit with us and after lunch she said, "I hope you girls don't mind but I'm going to tag along with you for the rest of the day, you two are lots of fun!" And that was it ~ a friendship was born. Bernadette said we were fun but she was the one that kept us laughing all the time. She had such a wonderful sense of humor and she was so down-to-earth. I remember complimenting her hair once, Bernadette had a head of beautifully blond-streaked hair, and it was full and wavy, and she always looked like she just stepped out of a high-end salon, and she looked as if she should be on a hair product commercial, anyway, I said to Bernadette, "I want your hair", and Bernadette didn't miss a beat when she deadpanned back to me, "Oh yeah? Well, I'll trade you my hair for your body." (Bernadette was somewhat overweight and at the time I was much thinner than I am now.) Well, I just about fell off my chair laughing.
Bernadette always 'told it as it is'! We were at a Rosary meeting once and one of the priests showed up intoxicated, everyone was uncomfortable and didn't know really what to do or what to say, but, Bernadette turned right around and walked up to the President of the Rosary Society and said to her, "Father needs to leave, let's go escort him back to the rectory and tell him to sober up!"

I remember Bernadette saying to a group of us at one of the Rosary meetings that most likely after our kids graduated from grade school we'd probably lose touch with each other and that we should make a conscious effort to get together. And for awhile we did all keep in touch, but after a few years I was occupied with caring for my parents, and I no longer went to the Rosary meetings, and I no longer attended the dinners that the 'girls' got together for.
The last time I heard from Bernadette was a Christmas card in December 2004, she wrote and asked me to come back to the Rosary group, and to come out to dinner with them, and she included her phone number in the card.
At the time my Mom had recently gone into a nursing home, and my daughter Katie was due to deliver Jayden the next month, and I told myself that I would call Bernadette once the baby was born and we could catch up then. I never was able to make that phone call. Instead I got a call from our friend Millie telling me that Bernadette had passed away. She said that Bernadette had gone for some tests and it turned out that she was allergic to the dye in one of the tests, but they didn't find that out until it was too late. She said she had just visited Bernadette in the hospital and Millie said Bernadette was in good spirits and joking as usual, and she said she was going to sign herself out of the hospital because, as Bernadette put it, "These idiots here have no idea what they are doing! They just keep doing more tests and I just keep getting sicker and sicker!" The next morning Millie got a call from Bernadette's husband that she had passed away during the night from kidney failure.

Jayden was born a week later, and I found myself telling Bernadette all about him, and in the following weeks and months when I used to walk to the nursing home to visit my Mom, I would talk to Bernadette about that situation too. And I asked Bernadette to put in a good word for us.

I miss Bernadette. It's strange to feel that way, especially since I hadn't seen her for such a long while before she passed. And it's been years and years since she's left this world. But I miss her not being here. I've been thinking about her a lot lately, and I feel her absence in this world.

Peace to you, Bern.

Seriously, This Baby Is Too Good To Be True!

2012-01-21T10:03:00.000-05:00

Morning, Noon, or Night ~
Feeling Sick or Feeling Well ~
While teething ~
While being jostled and roughly handled by Jayden, Mia & Sophie ~
While being poked and prodded at the doctor's office ~
Even while getting his immunizations (at his last two doctor appointments he needed TWO shots, at each visit he was jabbed twice! Once in each leg! Ouch!) ~

Never a complaint.

Eóghan is one well-behaved baby!

My sister-in-law Susie stopped by one day last week and said, "I don't think there has ever been a baby so good in all the world, except maybe Baby Jesus."

( Poor Eóghan! He looks like he's saying,
"Someone help me please!")

I pray he stays so good-natured all his life.

And we had our first snow fall today!

(And, yes, I still have Christmas greens in hanging baskets on the porch, I like to leave them up through the Winter if they last. And, yes, I still have a bowl of seashells on a table there too, but I have no excuse for that.)

Well, I guess this is not our real first snow fall, just the first snow fall of this year because Ray reminded me that we did have snow on Halloween weekend.
I'm hoping this melts just as fast as that snow did! It's supposed to warm up next week so I doubt this will be sticking around too long.

Eóghan took no notice of the white stuff, but Jayden was excited and happy to be outside and helping Ray shovel:

It's still coming down and we're supposed to get an accumulation of five to six inches. That's not too bad, just enough to look pretty, and little enough so that it doesn't stick around too long.

'Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Eóghan's Love/Hate Relationship with Apples and Pears

2012-01-19T06:33:00.000-05:00

Each time Eóghan eats apples and/or pears his reaction is the same:

He looks a little startled, he blinks his eyes, they sometimes even water, at times he even looks disgusted, but then he wants more!

A Visit With Baby Ray

2012-01-17T10:03:00.001-05:00

Jayden was off from school yesterday in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. And both Katie and Ray were off from work too, so as long as Kate was home to take care of her boys, Ray and I went to the hospital in the morning to visit with Brian, Flora, and Baby Ray.
Flora is still in a lot of pain, and understandably she didn't want to sit and pose, so we'll wait for some 'family portraits' until she's feeling better.

But we did get to enjoy a visit with all of them and we did get a few pictures of Baby Ray:

(I always forget how tiny newborns are! He's such a cute little peanut!)

(He looks like he might just have Jayden's eyelashes! Lucky boy!)

And later in the afternoon Ray drove Ellie and my Aunt Florence down to the hospital so they could share in some baby joy!

And here at home ~ we have the baby that looks like he just ate the baby!

Eóghan fell asleep as I was feeding him dinner. He's always happiest and most content on a full belly. I guess he takes after his Grandma!

Baby Ray

2012-01-15T19:14:00.000-05:00

Meet the newest addition to our family ~

Raymond Francisco

He was born at 7:03 PM and we got to see him at 7:15 PM!
We were in the waiting area of 'labor and delivery' when Brian knocked on the window, we had just arrived at the hospital and we thought he was going to tell us that Flora was being brought into the operating room (after hours and hours of labor and no real progress she ended up having a C-section), but, lo and behold, he was standing outside the room by the elavators with Baby Ray in the bassinett, they were transferring him downstairs to the nursery, so we were able to get a view up close and personal! And he looked right at me! And I think he smiled!

Here's the proud PaPa relating all the details:

(We didn't get a chance to see Flora as she was still in recovery and the announcement came that visiting hours were over.)

We wish her a speedy recovery so she can enjoy this new little Blessing!

Before And After

2012-01-13T17:31:00.001-05:00

No, this is not another big home improvement project. This is just the daily home improvement project.

Before Jayden leaves for school the living room looks like this:

(Throw pillows and cushions in disarray.)

(Artwork left out on the loveseat.)

(Various toys strewn all about the room.)

Of course he never has time to do clean-up before rushing out the door to school:

So after he leaves I do a quick pick-up and then the living room looks like this:

And Eóghan and I spend a quiet day surrounded by neatness.

Here is the living room before Jayden comes home from school:

Then Eóghan and I make the trek to school to fetch Jayden:

And out comes the whirlwind...

...who is always a few steps ahead of us:

And after he walks in the door the living room looks like this:

Me (indignantly): "Jayden!"

Jayden (just as indignant): "I know, I know, put my hat and gloves in the sleeve and hang up my jacket. Then put my shoes away, and get changed, and put my schoolbag on the dining table. Every day the same old thing!"

Sophie Has 'Build-A-Bear' Feet?

2012-01-09T08:02:00.000-05:00

Yes! It looks like God made Sophie's feet to fit perfectly into a pair of Build-A-Bear shoes. Sophie has round feet and her Mom & Dad could not find any shoes to fit her. That is until Erik took a pair of shoes meant for one of Mia's Build-A-Bear dolls and tried them on Sophie's feet. And these round little shoes fit Sophie perfectly:

Well, while we all thought it was funny, Sophie's Mom, along with Grandma & Grandpa and Aunt Ellie weren't having any of that! We were on a quest to find something other than fat, round doll shoes for Sophie. Grandpa and Aunt Ellie found slipper socks with a rubber-soled bottom, and Lori saw another pair of shoes that looked sort of like sweater boots she thought might work, but I was determined to find some kind of a soft shoe to fit her.
Finally, I think we found something! They seem to fit! And they stayed on even while she jumped and jumped in Eóghan's jumperoo!

Much better! Don't you agree?

The Baby That Almost Never Cries

2012-01-06T08:39:00.001-05:00

Now this is a very rare occurrence in our home:

I hear someone stirring in the bassinet and I see two little feet.

(No, someone stirring and kicking his little feet is not the rare occurrence.)

But I hear something that I almost never hear ~ I hear whimpering. And I see something that I almost never see ~ such a sour face!

"Eóghan, I'm right here. You're not alone!"

"Come on, look up!"

"Oh, Grandma!"

"You're here?"

"Okay, I'll stop crying now."

Now that's more like it!

This is what I'm used to seeing all the time!

Talk about spoiled! I am one spoiled Grandma!

The Three Days of Christmas

2012-01-03T22:20:00.000-05:00

Yes, we celebrated Christmas three weekends in a row!
On Saturday, the 17th, we started the day with Mia's Christmas Dance recital:

It really put us in the Christmas spirit!
And then we went back to the house to celebrate 'Jansson Christmas' (I don't know why we call it 'Jansson Christmas' because a lot of my side of the family attends too!)

It was LOTS of family! LOTS of food! LOTS of fun!

And we had our 'Secret Santa' gift-exchange (on Thanksgiving we all pick one name out of a hat and we buy only for that one person):

I had Jackie this year and I bought her some maternity clothes and also because she kept complimenting the necklace I wore to Eóghan's Christening I got one just like it for her. I love 'Secret Santa' because we get to concentrate on just one person. And Jackie is a very sweet person to be able to concentrate on, and she's so easy to shop for! (We have much the same taste in many areas.)

She sent me a picture of herself wearing the dress I got for her:

And Diane had me for Secret Santa and I LOVED what she got for me! She gave me a beautiful little icon of St. Anne and St. Joachim (they are the Patron Saints of grandparents), and she got me a book by Diane Keaton (Then Again), and she gave me a CD by Alfie Boe (Bring Him Home), and best of all, she gave me a walk down memory lane when she gave me a game that I loved when we were little ~ "Mystery Date" (and Jayden was very anxious to play it, and so was Ray's sister Susie, she said she always wanted one but never got it ~ I guess I know what I'll be buying her if I ever get her in Secret Santa)!

I think everyone was happy with their 'Secret Santas' ~ I know I was!

And the next day we went to the Family Mass at church and then a few of us went out to brunch at our favorite restaurant:

(Jayden & Mia were having fun taking pictures of each other!)

Then on Christmas Day we celebrated with a much smaller crowd, with just salads and sandwiches for lunch, but it was a wonderful celebration too. And we sang 'Happy Birthday' to Jesus. And, my sister Marybeth gave me 'the Chinese people'! Each year one of us girls gets to keep them for a year before we pass them on to the next sister as a Christmas gift. "The Chinese People" (which I actually think are Japanese as they were made in Japan, but we always called them the Chinese people) were one of the first knick-knacks we remember my Mom having. I love every little detail about them, I love their poses and their sweet expressions, almost as if they are reflective and wise, and mostly I love that they are a beautiful reminder of family, and love, and childhood:

And then on New Year's Day we had another Christmas celebration! Since we weren't able to celebrate with Erik, Lori, Mia, & Sophie on Christmas due to illness, we kept their gifts under the tree until we could all be together:

All three celebrations were lots of fun! And I'm happy to report that everyone is well on the road to recovery!

"Greatest Invention Since Sliced Bread"

2011-12-30T09:07:00.000-05:00

My Mom used to say lots of phrases, and some made no sense to me when I was little, it wasn't until I got older that I understood the wisdom of some of these sayings, and it wasn't until I was older that I understood the humor in a lot of them:

"Still wet behind the ears."
"Three sheets to the wind."
"Throwing the baby out with the bath water."
"To boot."
"Be careful what you wish for."
"Crying crocodile tears."
"Doubting Thomas."
"Spick and Span."
"Give the house a lick and a promise."

She had a ton of them, but these are some I remember off the top of my head. And often others will come to mind, like, "This is the greatest invention since sliced bread!" (I looked it up and found that bread was first sliced and packaged for convenience in 1928 [my Mom was five at the time, so maybe she does remember this invention!], I read that this phrase is commonly used to praise an invention or development. And I read that a writer for the Kansas City Star wrote that the phrase is the ultimate depiction of innovative achievement and American know-how.)

Anyway, that one phrase of my Mom's came to mind when I acquired these:

Dish Towel Gloves!

They were just an impulse buy when Ray and I were in the Corningware store at a local shopping center. And it is an impulse buy that I do NOT regret! They are fantastic! They dry well. They give you a good grip on whatever it is you're drying. And they are so thick and absorbent that you can dry many, many dishes and pots & pans without having to change the gloves out the way you do with conventional dish towels.

Yes! Dish Towel Gloves! Greatest invention since sliced bread!

Things Are Not Always What They Seem

2011-12-28T22:03:00.000-05:00

Does my blog make you think my life is a bed of roses? It is not.
Does it seem that my life is problem-free? It is not.
Does it seem as if my family is one big happy family? Unfortunately, it is not.

We have our problems. Some of them even of our own creation. Of course, we contend with the difficulties that life throws at everyone ~ finances, sickness, and the unanticipated complications that crop up now and then.
And, of course, with a big family, and the many different personalities in this family, well, there's a lot of squabbling that goes on. And sometimes the internal strife is intense, and it's always sad when there is a break in family ties.

You would think from reading my blog that we are a 'picture perfect' family. I assure you, we are not. We have our share of troubles just as other families do. But in my blogging I choose to highlight only the good and only the positive. I'm not trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes, and I'm not trying to make us out to be something we are not. My blog is sort of my scrapbook, and my journal, and I choose to put only the best and the brightest moments in it. And that is what I hope to remember all my life, despite the reality of the fact that things are not always what they seem.

"Be Careful What You Wish For...and... The Best Laid Plans...and...Making God Laugh"

2011-12-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

I've always loved this saying:
"Be careful what you wish for ~ you just may get it."

Well, if you read my post 'Quiet Please' you know I was hoping to spend a very quiet Christmas Eve. Well, it wasn't really all that quiet but it wasn't spent in the usual manner of the hustle and bustle either, so I guess I got my wish. Poor Eóghan was saddled with a full-blown cold, eyes watering, nose running, a rasping, wheezing cough that just would not quit! That poor baby was so exhausted, and poor thing, he could hardly swallow so he wasn't taking in much formula.
I spent most of Christmas Eve with him propped up on my lap to make it easier for him to breathe. As hard as it was to see the little guy suffering, I have to confess, I loved holding that baby hour after hour, trying this and that to soothe him, and feeling a great sense of relief when something worked to ease his discomfort. And I loved that in that time I was able to contemplate my Blessings and thank God for them all. But tending a sick baby certainly was the last thing I had in mind when I planned on spending Christmas Eve different from usual.

And later in the day Katie asked that we keep Jayden out of the house for awhile so that she could finish wrapping his gifts, so after the evening Mass we took him to dinner, we had the restaurant to ourselves (I don't think many people go out on Christmas Eve), so, I guess I got my 'quiet Christmas Eve' wish!

(Here's the Nativity scene that was set up in front of the altar.)

Another saying I love is:

"If you want to make God laugh ~ tell Him your plans."

Well, I had lots of plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day that didn't pan out at all!

Here are the grandboys clothes all laid out with plans of using the 'dress-up' clothes for Christmas Eve Mass, and then taking photos of the boys in their Christmas pajamas, and a little Santa Suit to dress Eóghan in Christmas morning...

...but poor little Eóghan was feeling so miserable on Christmas Eve so he never did get into his dress-up clothes, and he ended up vomiting all over his Christmas pajamas, and I didn't have the heart to dress him up as Santa for a photo op on Christmas morning.

A few snaps from Christmas morning:

(A very happy boy just spotted all the gifts under the tree!)

(And here's the sick boy, not enjoying Christmas morning very much at all.)

(Jayden opens a few of Eóghan's gifts and tries to cheer him up.)

(Well, that got a little smile out of him anyway.)

(Everyone was very good to Jayden and he was pleased with all his gifts!)

(And Jayden was just as excited to play 'Santa' and hand out the gifts he chose for everyone from the Christmas sale at his school.)

(Kate ~ the comic relief.)

And some family came over for lunch in spite of EVERYONE not feeling up to par. My sister Marybeth, my Aunt Florence (I think they were the only ones feeling well that day), my sister Diane, her husband Steve, and our nephew Will made it over here. And Brian stopped in for awhile (but Flora wasn't feeling well enough to venture out so Brian came solo), and our son Andrew and his girlfriend Lisa were able to make it too. It was far from the usual crowd, but it was one of the nicest Christmases I've ever had. Just a very easy, comfortable day.

Both Mia and Sophie were sick over Christmas weekend too, so we didn't get a visit from them at all!

But we're planning on making up for it this coming weekend! Ham for dinner with pineapple stuffing, and sweet potatoes, and a pasta dish with mixed vegetables for the vegans, gifts piled under the tree for the girls, and family gathered together once again. (I know, I know, I can hear God laughing now at my 'picture perfect' setting!)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T13:00:00.001-05:00

Love and Prayers,

Eileen

Quiet Please

2011-12-22T17:11:00.000-05:00

I want to experience a very quiet Christmas Eve this year.
Don't get me wrong, I love all the 'hoopla' of the Christmas Season, most especially the excited anticipation of the grandkids ~ it's all good, and it's all so exhilarating and stirring.

But I want a day spent that stirs me in a different way. I want quiet. I'm not talking about having a quiet house, I want more of a sort of 'spiritual quiet' to take the place of the usual hustle and bustle.
I remember my Mom telling me when my kids were little that all too soon the house would become way too quiet, and that I'd miss all the noise and commotion that goes along with a big family. Well, with two grandboys living under our roof, and two grandgirls that visit often, there is still a lot of wonderful noise and lots of fun commotion that goes on, and I get what my Mom was talking about, and I think Ray and I will feel a big void when we are surrounded by all that "quiet". And I know well that being surrounded by family and all the mayhem that comes along with them is really such a Blessing.

The quiet I am looking for is not the absence of noise, or the absence of people, it's just the absence of the flurry and the busy that usually occupies my mind and my heart at Christmas that I would like to distance myself from for at least this one Christmas Eve.

We usually spend Christmas Eve doing 'last minute' things, preparing food (and running out to the store for a forgotten item needed for a recipe), wrapping stray gifts meant for the grandkids stockings here and there, cleaning for company, then going to evening Mass and either visiting relatives or having extended family over for a late supper. This year I plan on spending the day before Christmas Eve doing all the 'last minute' things. I hope to just be spending a quiet Christmas Eve at home, and have an early dinner before evening Mass, and then home to get the grandkids ready for bed. And then a very quiet evening, and I hope to remember to spend many moments dwelling on all our Blessings and most especially the Blessing of Jesus. (Instead of my usual quick, "Thank You, Lord" amid the pandemonium, I hope to spend some really prayerful and meaningful "Thank You, Lord" moments).

Then the lovely 'Christmas mess' can start early next morning again, with Jayden unwrapping his gifts under the tree, and hunting through his stocking, and helping his new baby brother unwrap gifts, and then family and friends will be joining us for a very casual lunch of sandwiches and salads. I'm really looking forward to it! (And I'm hoping little Eóghan is feeling better by then, he's got a bad cough, and he's not eating well. But there's no fever so I'm breathing a sigh of relief.)

I often think of that Amy Grant song at this time of year (I Need A Silent Night), especially this verse:

I need a silent night, a holy night

To hear an angel voice through thechaos and the noise

I need a midnight clear, a littlepeace right here

To end this crazy day with a silentnight

I hope you all will enjoy some quiet Christmas moments along with some not-so-quiet moments (too much quiet is not good either), and I hope you all have a very Merry and Blessed Christmas.
Love and Prayers,
Eileen

Faith

2011-12-19T10:54:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday we went to a very special 'Family Mass' at our Church. At this Mass there was a Blessing for expectant mothers and the fathers too. Each couple came up to the altar (and in some cases whole families as some couples already had children), and Monsignor did the Blessing and prayed over them, and the congregation prayed also. He also thanked each couple for choosing life even though he knew it was a hardship for many couples. And each couple was then given a hand-made baby shawl. It was really a beautiful ceremony and our oldest son Brian and Flora were able to participate (Baby Ray is due in a few weeks).

This Mass was special in another way too. After the Gospel was read the sermon entailed the Christmas story with a live Nativity depicted. The 'players' in this scene were parish family members:

After Monsignor was done with his sermon he stepped forward to introduce "Mary and Joseph", and he told us that "Baby Jesus" did not actually have the name 'Jesus' but that his name was 'Creed', and he asked Creed's Mom to tell us the story of how he came to be Creed.
She told us that when she was six months pregnant she and her husband were advised to terminate the pregnancy as tests showed their baby had only half of his brain developed. The doctors said there was no hope of the baby developing normally or of having any kind of productive or meaningful life. She said at that moment she decided to place herself and her baby in God's Hands. She said that she and her husband met with one of the priest at Church and he prayed with them. She and her husband decided to have faith that what they and modern medicine could not do for their child God Could Do. And they decided to trust that He would do it.

Their baby boy was born three months later, happy, healthy, and perfectly normal. They wanted to honor God in some small way, so they decided to name their baby boy Creed after The Apostle's Creed, which is a statement of our faith and belief, and it is a prayer we say every Sunday at Mass:

I believe in God, The Father Almighty

Creator of Heaven and of earth,

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord and Savior,

He was conceived of the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried,

He descended into hell,

on the third day He rose again from the dead,

He ascended into Heaven,

He is seated at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty,

from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead,

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the Giver of Life,

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church,

I believe in the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and life everlasting. Amen.

Super Saturday (And Sunday)

2011-12-17T08:23:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we had so much fun with the grandkids.

We took them to two shopping malls, one mall to see Santa (and ride the Merry-Go-Round & the little train, and to view the big Christmas decoration shop), and the other mall has a Build-A-Bear store and since we didn't do that on our trip to Manhattan as usual, we decided to take them to the local Bear store last Saturday:

(I can't watch them in this, they spin so fast it makes me dizzy!)

Mia picked Smurfette at Build-A-Bear

And she took making a wish on Smurfette's heart very seriously!

And she scrubbed her clean before we left the store!

Jayden has been asking for a puppy for Christmas (that's ALL I need right now!), so I'm hoping this one he picked from the store will suffice for awhile! He even came home with a leash, a little dog bed, and a food bowl for "Ruff".

I was so happy to see that Jayden can still be caught up in the 'magic' of stuffed animal friends, I was afraid he was getting to that age where this was all 'too babyish' for him. So this was a delightful surprise!

And this little angel slept the whole while!

Then we stopped for a bite to eat at California Pizza before heading home:

Eóghan The Happy Elf!

Sunday was just as much fun!

And I think I love Eóghan's morning bath as much as Eóghan does!

Mia was back in the city with her Mommy and her other grandmother (Grandmum) so we didn't see her but we did get to spend the day with Sophie which made Eóghan very happy!

Uh-oh ~ here comes trouble!

Eóghan looks like he's actually enjoying the game on TV:

And he definitely loves his big brother already!
Here he's trying to give Jayden a kiss good-night and Jayden is trying hard to avoid the slobbering!

Encouraging And Enticing ~ And Whoa!

2011-12-15T12:12:00.000-05:00

Jayden was anxious to help his baby cousin crawl across our living room floor...

...so he thought he'd give Sophie a little encouragement in the form of a toy:

It worked! She found this toy to be quite enticing and she was off and running! (er, crawling):

She made it all the way to the sofa, and pulled herself up with a little help from a friend:

Jayden was a very happy and proud little boy, and he was happy to sit nice and play with Sophie...

...but he soon learned that "no good deed goes unpunished"!

St. Lucia

2011-12-13T07:27:00.000-05:00

This is the legend of Saint Lucia:
St. Lucia was a young Italian girl martyred for her faith. She lived in Sicily during the 4th century which was a time of paganism. Lucia committed her life to Christ and ministered to persecuted Christians and the poor. She brought food and hope in the darkness of night, using candles to light her way. It is this mission that established Saint Lucia as a symbol of light and hope.
Her story was most likely carried to Scandinavian countries by missionaries. In Sweden, legend has it that Saint Lucia appeared by candlelight bringing food to the hungry during a time of famine. December 13th is the celebration of "Lucia Day" and it ushers in the Christmas season. Early in the morning on Lucia Day, the oldest daughter, wearing a long white gown tied with a red sash and an evergreen wreath with lighted candles crowning her head, carries a tray of coffee and lussekatter (old-fashioned saffron buns) to her parent's room. She is followed by her younger sisters or "maidens" dressed in white gowns with tinsel halos in their hair, and brothers, or "star boys" dressed in cone-shaped hats decorated with stars. This custom is also observed in hospitals and throughout the community with a Lucia accompanied by maidens, star boys and tomtan (elves) singing Christmas songs as a reminder of the nearness of Christmas during the darkness of winter.
The story of Saint Lucia seems to reflect the real message of Christmas. Jesus said, "I am the Light of the World, whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life."

It's become a Christmas tradition for us to attend the Lucia Festival at Ray's cousin Wendy's church. Her daughter Heather Marie has been doing Swedish Folk Dancing at Barnklubben Elsa Rix (the oldest Swedish American Children's Club) for years, and each year at this time they put on the St. Lucia pageant. Last year Heather played the part of Lucia. This year she participated with many of the other past Lucias and she opened the program by reading the Lucia Legend.
Mia seems very interested in taking the Swedish dance lessons, so we're hoping that soon she will be participating in this sweet tradition too (and we're hoping to talk Jayden into it too, so he can be one of the little 'star boys'):

Heather Marie teaching Mia "The Shoemaker" dance:

Heather's costume is the traditional dress that belonged to Ray's grandmother, and it was handed down to his mother, and now Heather uses it, and hopefully, one day Mia will use it too. The original blouse was threadbare, so Ray's cousin Wendy and her sister Heidi made the pattern for a new one. I think they did a wonderful job, paying attention to every detail such as the smocking on the sleeves.

Here are all the children that belong to the Swedish club dressed in their own traditional costumes:

I think it would be so cute to see both Mia and Jayden standing up there with them one day. (Although I'm not going to count on Jayden because this year he wanted to take Irish Step Dancing lessons at his school until all the boys made fun of him! So I don't think he wants to go through that again.)

In addition to traditional folk dancing, songs, sandwiches, cakes, cookies, coffee and Swedish wares for sale, the club also had a few raffles. We all chipped in to buy lots and lots of raffle tickets for the "Lucia Doll". And guess who won?!

Grandkids And Radio City And Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-10T23:14:00.000-05:00

Something that has become a Seasonal tradition for us is a trip downtown to see the Christmas show at Radio City with the grandkids and then having them decorate gingerbread houses. We always go to the show on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Mia was so excited this year and she kept asking me, "Grandma how many more days until the Rockettes?"
Ray drove into the city early and we parked in a mid-town garage, and then walked a few blocks to a diner. It was very cold and windy, and Mia had to go to the bathroom very badly, she was afraid she couldn't hold it but we made it in time ~ even though Ray made us stop for a picture (because the marquee for the show 'Mama Mia' was across the street and he thought it would make a good background! You can't even see it!):

We had no lines when viewing the windows at Saks (they were very disappointing, I don't know why they feel they have to be so artsy and elitist all the time, just give us some nice Christmas scenes, or at least some pretty Winter scenes to view) and no lines to view the windows at the American Girl store (very cute window displays!), and it was wonderful walking near-empty streets to view the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center:

(The pictures don't do this tree justice, it was really pretty, and I usually don't like 'flashing' lights, but the lights that flashed on this tree made the tree look like it was shimmering and gleaming.)

We also stopped into the Lego store that was in the Rockefeller promenade and both Mia & Jayden had fun making three little figures each to take home:

(Notice Mia made sure to take her Rockette doll along with her!)

And then it was on to St. Patrick's Cathedral to light a few candles and say a few prayers:

I am always bothering St. Anthony when I've lost something.

(He is the patron saint of lost articles.)

So I wanted to thank him for always putting in a good word for me (I've found every article I've ever lost when I ask him to help out), so I said a little prayer of thanksgiving and Jayden was happy to light a candle by his statue for me:

Beautiful Pieta

Here Mia is saying a little prayer by the statue of St. Theresa.

And then it was soon time for the show!

And I think we have a future Rockette here!
(No one prompted Mia to pose like this, it all came natural to her!)

The show was a little different this year and I think Jayden enjoyed it a lot. There were two little 3D movies and one of them was about a video game ( one of his favorite pastimes!).
And a lot of my 'old favorites' were still in the show!

"The Twelve Days of Christmas"

"March of the Wooden Soldiers"

"Christmas in New York"

"Santa's Helpers"

This is how Mia sat through the whole performance ~ such a little lady with her hands clasped in her lap ~ captivated and enthralled.

And, of course, we all loved the finale!

I guess we wore these little ones out because they both napped on the ride home (we did A LOT of walking on long city blocks!):

But they perked up later and were happy to decorate their gingerbread houses...

"Grandma, we have no more heart gumdrops!"

...while I enjoyed eating gingerbread men with a cup of coffee!
(NO, I'm not going to let you see me chowing down!)

Erik & Lori stopped by later with Sophie, who was not very happy sitting in Grandma's lap...

...but she was in her comfort zone with her Daddy!

Oh! I almost forgot! Jayden lost his top tooth at the show! I love that smile!
(And the one next to it is loose. I wonder if he'll be singing "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth"!)

Ray's Wonderful Suggestion For Eóghan's Baptism Celebration

2011-12-09T07:27:00.000-05:00

In my last post I wrote about my sister Diane suggesting that Eóghan be Baptized on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. And while Thanksgiving weekend was a very busy weekend (Thanksgiving we had the family over, the next day we put up and trimmed our Christmas tree, we took the Fall decorations out of the front window and put up our Nativity window display, and on Friday we also decorated the outside of the house too, then on Saturday we had a Sweet Sixteen party to attend), still, all in all, having Eóghan Baptized on that Sunday was a wonderful way to end such a happy weekend.

After Church we went to our favorite restaurant ~ Exo ~ it's a Greek restaurant right down the street from us. Ray suggested that we celebrate there instead of the usual catering halls in the area. And since we have a very big family (fifty-three of us were there that evening), the owners were exceptionally kind to us and they closed the restaurant to other patrons in order to accommodate us. They also explained to us that they usually serve all the food 'family style' for parties rather than present each guest with a choice. I was a little leery of that at first since we have some very "picky eaters" in the family, and, also, some family members have some medical issues that prevent them from eating certain foods. But it all worked out well as there was such a variety of food that kept coming out, so everyone found something to their liking and something they could eat. (I, of course, found EVERYTHING to my liking and I could & did eat it all!)

Here's some pictures of the celebration:

(This used to be the outdoor area, but Exo put in a 'three-season' room, the glass walls can be taken down for the summer.)

(Below is my cousin Kathy, my Aunt Marion, my cousin Mary & her husband Lenny sitting in the 'indoor' part of the restaurant.)

(Our family has two sets of "Katies, Saras and Jimmys"! Ray's brother Kenny & his wife Eileen have Sara & Katie {in the photo below} [Ray's brother Kenny & his nephew Jimmy weren't able to make the party]...

SARA

KATIE

...and my sister Marybeth's daughter Rebecca & her husband Jimmy also have a Katie & a Sarah & a little Jimmy [we call him 'Jamesy Boy!])

Below are photos of Marybeth's daughter and her grandgirls:

REBECCA

KAITLYN

SARAH

And in the 'kissin' cousins' photo below is Jamesy Boy with Mia & Jayden:

And, yes, Eóghan got passed around A LOT!

(Proud Grandpa!)

(Sister-in-law Eileen)

(Sister-in-law Ann)

(Donald)

(My niece Erin)

(Ray's Mom & sister ~ Helena & Susie with Eóghan)

(Eóghan getting some loving from his Great-Grandma)

And while this was Eóghan's big day, we also had lots of fun with the other little people in attendance!

(Mia being entertained by Rudy)

(Erik, Virginia, Lori, & Sophie being entertained by Mia)

(Lori & Mia)

(Virginia & Sophie)

And I was having lots of fun raising little Miss Sophie high in the air and playing "What are doing up there? Get down!" ...

...BUT...

...while Sophie usually loves that game, she was having more fun playing with Grandma's necklace!

And she wasn't very happy when Grandma put a stop to it! But in my defense, she was trying to eat the beads! I had no choice.

Just some random pictures:

Godparents George & Erin

(Here with Eóghan)

(Parents Katie & Jayson and Godparents George & Erin)

(Erin with her Mom ~ Ann)

Helena

Erin & Ray

Erin, Eóghan & Mia

We got the cake from a local bakery and I thought they did a beautiful job decorating it:

Not only did it look good but it was delicious, with a whipped cream icing, and half the cake was filled with chocolate mousse while the other half was a canoli filling.

Just look at how big Eóghan's getting! He looks like he's been eating lots of cake! Beautiful healthy boy!

Ray took this picture of this motley-looking crew outside the restaurant ~
(Doug, Linda, Donald, myself & Susie)

Excellent food, excellent service, excellent company!
Exo was a very good call on Ray's part!
It was a wonderful celebration!

Diane's Wonderful Suggestion For Eóghan's Baptism

2011-12-06T08:28:00.000-05:00

I actually didn't think my sister Diane's suggestion that Eóghan be Baptized on the Sunday after Thanksgiving was really all that wonderful at first. She made this suggestion a few months before Eóghan was born. And I thought to myself, "She must be crazy! Thanksgiving weekend is always such a busy, hectic weekend." But I told Katie about it and she liked that idea. Kate had to go to the Baptism Pre-Jordan meeting (a preparation class) in August though because the September class was going to be held on her 'due date' and she was afraid she might not make it, and the October class was going to be held while we were away on vacation. So Katie called Sister Katherine at the rectory and explained her situation and Sister Katherine said it would be fine to take the class before the baby was born. And she told Katie that there was definitely an opening to fit her baby into the Baptism ceremony on November 27. So it was all set.

And as time went on I liked very much the idea that the baby would be Baptized on that date. Especially after Eóghan was born and had some trouble in the beginning, and everyone was so supportive with their prayers and good wishes. We all had so much to be thankful for, and it just seemed so appropriate to me that this little Blessing of ours would receive the Sacrament of Baptism on Thanksgiving weekend and the first Sunday of Advent:

(Here he is at home just before leaving for Church)

It was a beautiful, mild, sunny day, and Eóghan's Christening outfit was perfect for the weather ~ a little cotton suit...

...and it had a gown that could be buttoned on for the ceremony...

...and then taken off again for comfort later on!

(Jayden doesn't look too comfortable though ~ having his hair pulled by baby brother!)

The Church was beautifully decorated for Advent:

These Christmas trees behind the altar are the 'Giving Trees', decorated with "ornaments" that parishioners take off the tree and written on them are gift suggestions for those in need. They then buy the gift, wrap it, attach the ornament to the gift and place it back under the tree before Christmas:

All the new stained glass windows have been finished:

And I think they blend in very nicely with the old stained glass windows:

There were seven babies being Baptized at the ceremony last week, so I was glad we got to the Church early.

Here are the Godparents ~ George and Erin:

My cousin MaryAnn, and my Aunt Florence were up from South Carolina, and here they are with Ellie:

And here's Andrew and his girlfriend Lisa:

And here's Mommy with her boy ~

And here's her other boy making sure he's not left out!

I had to laugh at Jayden trying to stick his head into every picture!

The ceremony was very nice:

Eóghan was so good during the whole ceremony, but he was ready to eat as soon as it was over!

After his feeding and some visiting and picture-taking in Church...

(Lori's Mom, Virginia ~ with Sophie and Lori)

(Katie, Eóghan, Jayson, and Jayden)

(George, Erin, Kate with Eóghan, and Jayson)

...we all headed over to the restaurant for the Christening celebration. I'll post more about that next week (and also about some of the fun we had back at the house afterwards with Jayden encouraging Sophie to crawl).

What Has Been Keeping Me So Busy?...

2011-12-01T19:14:00.001-05:00

...or rather ~ WHO has been keeping me so busy?!

I really forgot how time-consuming taking care of a baby can be!
There's not much time left for blogging, but I'm going to make a conscious effort to post at least twice a month and to visit once a week.
I've really missed everyone and I'm so anxious to catch up on your lives!
Thank you to Rebecca, Jill, Diana, Bernie, Linda, Carol, Sheila, and Jackie for all your inquiries and good wishes! I can't tell you what it means for me to hear from you! I'd hate to lose this connection.

So much has happened these past few months and I'll try to fit it all in one post:

Our vacation was fantastic! And one very good baby made for one very good road trip and one very enjoyable vacation!
Eóghan slept most of the time in the car, and when we stopped to eat or take a break, we'd change him and he'd have a bottle, and he was good to go again!

My sisters Diane and Marybeth joined us for a few days so that was lots of fun!

(I'll try to do a vacation post at some later date.)

There were lots of soccer games this Fall and two award ceremonies:

We had a fun-filled Halloween:

I attended another wonderful class reunion thanks to our friend Helen who once again organized the gathering:

(Helen is on the right in the photo below)

We had a full house for Thanksgiving:

We also decorated the house inside and out for Christmas over the Thanksgiving weekend, and we took lots of pictures to try and get a photo for a Christmas card. After much cutting and pasting on Ray's part we ended up with this:

BUT ~ I must show you the 'out-takes'!

We also attended a most spectacular Sweet Sixteen party that weekend! Ray works with Monica and she very kindly extended an invitation for us to attend her daughter Prerna's Sweet Sixteen celebration:

And what a celebration it was! This party was nicer than most weddings I've attended! Beautiful hall:

Wonderful food and a great presentation:

The party was rich with culture, just look how beautifully dressed the women were! (I'm so disappointed that these pictures don't do justice to the beauty of these saris):

Look at the intricate detail on Monica's dress:

And I loved Prerna's dress just as much:

Their family and friends entertained with dancing:

And just look at the guest of honor! Prerna is stunningly beautiful! And she was so elegant, so poised, and so articulate as she called on family members and friends to help her light the candles :

Here are the party favors and sweet sentiments from Prerna and her family:

It really was a special day!

And the day after was another special day for us:

Sunday was Eóghan Harry's Baptism Day

(I will post more about that in detail in another post)

And I can't believe we are in December already! This weekend we will be going to a St. Lucia festival, and next week is our trip to Radio City's Christmas Show, and we'll be having Ray's family on the following weekend to celebrate Christmas (and Mia has a dance recital that morning!), and Jayden has a few Christmas shows at school the week after that, and we'll have my family Christmas weekend, so our calendar will be full AND fun! And not only do I hope to share some of it with you, but I hope to share in all you have going on in your lives too!

LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL!

Not Your Typical Baby Shower

2011-10-10T11:54:00.001-04:00

I've been to many, many baby showers (none of my own, as my Mom's family did not believe in baby showers), but I've hosted a few baby showers and I've been a guest at quite a number of baby showers of all sizes ~ small, intimate gatherings in the home or office, luncheons or teas at restaurants, and even larger affairs with many women and little girls attending, but I have never before in my life been to a baby shower with so many children and so many men:

(Too bad Jayden was sick that day, he would have loved running around with the other boys and playing with the wrestling figures!)

Brian and Flora's baby is due to arrive mid-January, and my girls and I were planning on having a family shower for Flora sometime in late November or early December but Flora had a plan of her own. Flora's family lives out of state, so understandably, she wanted to have it when her sister was visiting New York. Flora did the planning herself and she had lots of help and support from her friend Kathleen, and also lots of help from Brian's friend Melissa. While Flora was out of state the week before the shower these girls did a lot of the shopping and organizing. They also helped to set up and decorate the hall and they organized games and provided prizes for the guests to enjoy. The girls were an outstanding support system to Flora. And they were a God-send to me! With a two-week-old baby in the house, and planning and packing for a trip to Disney World, it was not perfect timing for me to host a small family shower, and definitely not perfect timing for me to throw a big bash. I did meet Flora's request for cupcakes and 'Wanda's Peanut Butter Cookies' though, and Ray made up some cute Baby Shower water bottle labels that we found online, and we had a great system: Ellie took off all the Poland Spring labels, Ray put on the new labels, I cut ribbon, Ellie tied it on the bottles, and then I curled it. So many thanks to Ray and Ellie, and many, many thanks to Kathleen and Melissa!

(I like the idea of the water bottle labels, and Kate says she may do that for Eòghan's Christening celebration too.)

(Flora's friend Kathleen is on the left)

(This is Brian's friend Melissa)

Ray's sister Susie has a severe latex allergy, so she was not able to attend the shower because there were lots of these:

We missed her a lot, but we were happy that her girls were there!

(Here are Erika, Jackie, and Jillian, back at our house for a little visit with E`oghan after the shower was over).

(Susie's oldest daughter Jackie with Ray's Mom Helena. We also got the good news that Jackie is expecting her first baby in May!)

(Here is my sister-in-law Eileen [married to Ray's brother Kenny] and her beautiful daughters Sara and Katie.)

(My cousin Mary, she just got out of the hospital recently, and even though she is recovering from major surgery, she still makes every party!)

(These are Mary's daughters and granddaughter, Laura with little Ashley, and MaryAnn)

(And this is my Aunt Marion [mother to Mary, Grandma to Laura & MaryAnn, and Great-Grandma to Ashley, among many others], Marion will be turning 95 on October 17! Happy Birthday, Aunt Marion!)

(Lori and Sophie!)

(And here's the guest of honor ~ Flora)

Flora's baby shower was more of a baby festival complete with a "Cat In The Hat" pinata!

I really don't like the idea of pinata's at all. I think it is too dangerous (I kept yelling at Flora to step back! She's carrying precious cargo after all!), and I feel bad for the children at the end of the line who never seem to get a chance at bat!

(But Mia was at the front of the line, so she got a chance.)

(And James got a chance too!)

And I think all the children went home with 'goody bags', so, all's well that ends well.

Well, we're off on a road trip to Disney! 'See you all when we return!

Dad's Birthday

2011-10-05T00:12:00.000-04:00

(I think Eòghan looks a lot like Daddy did as a baby. He's got that same deep crease between his nose and his lips, and he's got that crooked little mouth, and his head is getting that very round 'Charlie Brown' shape like Dad's!)

Dad was a very good man.

He was a very good husband.

He was a very good father.

(Remember those 'Fudgie The Whale' ice cream cakes from Carvel?!)

(And remember how Dad thought even the littlest nothing thing we did for him was the greatest thing ever?)

His needs were few, and he led a very simple, very good life.

I miss him. A lot. We all do.

Smiling Eòghan

2011-10-03T22:00:00.000-04:00

Eòghan has had lots of visitors already!

Erika, Aunt Susie, and Jillian

Uncle Erik

Uncle Andrew

Uncle Donald

Aunt Lori

And here's Sophie trying to get at him again!

Our niece, Jillian, made him this sweet bib:

I think it's such a precious keepsake. Jill's insisting we use it, but Katie says she wants to frame it. I vote we should do both!

While Jill was holding Eòghan he gave her this big smile:

Eòghan went to the doctor last week and he said everything looked fine, but he did lose some weight, especially after having his stomach pumped and only being on IV fluids for awhile. I guess it's taking him some time to catch up. We take him back to the doctor tomorrow to see if he's gained any more. Wish us luck! If everything goes well Eòghan and Katie will be able to make the trip to Disney World with us!