The Wedding Dress

Dear girls,
Someday you will choose a vocation. It will be marriage, single life or serving God. I pray daily for your path and know you will make the right wise choice. We played dress up today in Mommy's wedding dress and veil and as we did I shared with you the memories of my own courtship with your daddy and how fortunate I am to have him. We talked a lot about respect and what true love is. When you both asked me if you looked beautiful I told you yes but reminded you that your heart and inward beauty were far more important. For outward beauty fades but truth and conviction lasts forever. I know your own marriages are many moons away but for a moment I could catch a glimpse of the woman you each will become. I will remember this day when you are grown and possibly walking down the aisle in your own dress. I will recall the sweet little girl smiling in her Mommy's dress and I will wish we had played dress up just a bit longer.
"These are my daughters, I suppose. But where in the world did the children vanish?" -Phyllis McGinley

Sidenote: the girls loved doing this but both agreed that they would want their very own dress to pick out if they chose marriage. Emerson fell in love with my veil and didn't want to take it off. I told her she could wear it at her communion. Julia surprised me as she dislikes dressing up but she did have fun and seemed to transform into an angel before my eyes. I don't know yet what I plan to do with the actual dress. It has been sitting in that sealed box for almost 15 years. I know a dress makes not a wedding, and it was merely a symbol of my pure love for my Tony. It did make for a great conversation starter with the girls. I do not know God's plan for my daughters. I pray for guidance in their walk and I pray that they always keep their heart open to His voice. Yes, I must confess I tried on the dress too and after four kids and almost 15 years later it slipped right on like a miracle. I have been told that could change in my 40's though.

Sneak Peak

The girls and I did something super fun on Friday afternoon...I don't want to spoil it as they are waiting until Monday to see the final result. I got the idea from Jan and I think she got it from another blog or site. I was not the one that came up with this idea but I think it is one of the neatest ideas for making a lasting memory.

Meat Lovers Unite

Well I did it! They loved it! Benedict and I watched on! Maybe he will be a vegetable like me! The table feels a little lonely!

Pot Roast

Alright in an effort to make do on my resolutions I went out and bought the fixings for my pot roast dinner. Jan sent me several good ideas for recipes...thank you, and now this vegetarian is going to try to make a pot roast! I have been a vegetarian as far back as I can recall. I remember visiting my grandma and grandpa in Florida and they would take me to their Country Club and I would order these huge salads. The staff would be astonished that a kid wanted salad instead of a burger and fries. So far I am still the only "vegetable" in my family. Julia was vegan for 8.5 years until her dad introduced her to the bagel bacon sandwiches at Tim Hortons. She realized she wanted to sample all meats and decide which ones she may like to eat. So far she likes bacon, pepperoni, and BBQ wings! Was I disappointed? Maybe a tad. It was nice to have one vegan in the house, but I don't believe in forcing kids into eating a certain way. I tell her everything in moderation is fine. I wonder if she will like the pot roast? We shall see.

Dinner

I was not sure what was going on. They placed me in the high chair but this time secured a wide piece of cloth around my neck. Almost like what my daddy wears to work. They all lined up with these eager faces and I didn't know what to expect. Daddy began waving something in my face and everyone had their mouth opened saying ahhhh. What was going to happen?

New Sweater

I love my new sweater on my half birthday!

Six Months Old

Today I am devoting to my Benedict. Half a year old and already he has won all of our hearts over.

Cooking up Trouble

Tomorrow Benedict is 6months old! He has been here for half a year! I can not believe it. At 6 mos. I introduce solids and it is a BIG deal! I always let Tony give the first taste of real food since he misses out on a lot of the feeding fun the first six months. Kids and I will stock up on fresh veggies as I do the greenies first before any sweet fruits. It is a process but nothing but the best for my growing baby boy! I know once he gets the taste of his first donut or sip of pop my efforts of healthy organic fruits and veggies will have some competition but for now it is all about healthy choices. Side note: the cookbook used in his picture was given to me by my mother and I was going to set him in the pot but he wouldn't fit. Too big!

The King of the Golden City

For past few weeks Julia has been working on an allegory for Reading. It is a book about a child and a king. There is quite a lot if symbolism and thematic content thru out the story pertaining to her Catholic faith. She was pleasantly surprised today when she discovered that she was to construct the "King's house " today which happens to be a church. I will let you literary buffs do the work on figuring out the symbolism of who the child, king, house, and golden city may be. She enjoyed constructing the project out of whatever she could find in our craft cupboard.

Lily Beatrice

Not to be out of the family blog Emerson wanted me to mention her pet rabbit Lily. This has been a true work in patience for her. She obtained lily in April 2011 and she was only 4-6 weeks old. We were told she was a female (not) and discovered she was born on Nana's birthday. Thus, she was dubbed lily since Easter had just passed and Beatrice after Nana. Lily Beatrice ahh the turmoil Emerson has endured to develop and bond with this rabbit. She was persnickety, aggressive, and a bit snobbish in rabbit world. Every morning I have watched Emerson diligently clean that cage and sit in the laundry room for at least 30 minutes. She talks to the rabbit, reads books to her, always hoping and praying this "wild thing" would befriend her. Well right after Fall we had a break thru. Emerson proudly exclaimed Lily let her hold her. Then I noticed the rabbit sitting in her lap and as we blog she is playing with Blaise and Emerson. I imagine she is one of those slow to warm up folks. But, when they do warm up you have a friend for life. Emerson feels it may have something to do with fact that lily is really a Lyle and a bit perturbed at us for not noticing all these months. But we just can not change his name as we love Lily Beatrice. So we continue to be patient!