After many trips that we coined as "the adventure of a lifetime", we're finding the biggest adventure of our lives to be raising our two girls- one from Vietnam (the land of Pho), one from Boulder, CO (the land of granola). Join us on this adventure!
We were so grateful today to have Nana come play with the kids once again. I was at a craft fair today selling bows and Mom came to watch Maria and Teresa. Mom's birthday was this past Tuesday so we enjoyed eating a delicious birthday pie with her.
Seriously, I am SO grateful to have my mom close by, to watch my kids when needed, give me support over the phone or in person and generally help me through this crazy world of motherhood. Happy Birthday Nana!
I realize that this post will definitely be my most controversial one yet. I've actually been debating all week if I want to write about this or not.
Today, I'm thankful to be Catholic. In the last few years there has been a lot in the media that has been negative about the Catholic Church- namely the pedophile priest scandal. However, the last few weeks has had the Catholic Church back in the news because of the Health Care debate and abortion.
It has made me proud to see that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops took the stand that they did- health care for all and no public money going to abortion. I have found fascinating to see just how much clout the Church had when it came to this debate, namely by Pro-Choice camps outright blaming the Catholic Church for ruining Health Care Reform by incorporating the Stupak Amendment.
I do believe strongly in a separation of church and state. However, I found it really interesting when I worked for the church that people would say there needed to be a separation only when it suited their purposes. I heard that the Catholic Church was doing too much about abortion, embryonic stem cells, immigration, health care, and poverty. I heard that the Catholic Church was doing too little about abortion, embryonic stem cells, immigration, health care and poverty. We would joke in our office that we had only done our job when everyone was equally upset.
I do think that over all our society is grappling with many situations that are difficult to decifer. Science, globalization, economics, and other factors have forced us all to think about issues that have never been explored before. I am thankful that I have a faith that provides a moral framework in which to view these issues. I do find that while I may not always agree with everything right off, it is nice to know that there is source I can go to and trust.
Having said all of that, I do hope that I haven't offended any of you. I know that there are many who read my blog who aren't Catholic. There are many of you who have different political views than I do, different faiths, different experiences. I would like to say that I enjoy hearing from you because I learn so much through your own stories and thoughts- just please kept it respectful of everyone who comments!
Today I'm thankful for a new internet find. It's called Pandora and it is a really neat new concept in music. You put in the artist or song that you like and Pandora will create a radio station for you that has qualities like your song/artist. If you don't like the song they are playing you can tell them that and they will continue on with a new song. The best part is, you can listen for up to 40 hours a month for free!
That sounds like a funny Thankful Thursday thing, doesn't it? But the real reason I'm thankful for Pandora is because yesterday was just a rough day with the girls. They were whinny, I was tired, and we were all feeding into the negativity. But, I put on a contemplative Christian station I'd created and it mellowed me out. Listening to the worship songs brought me back to the times in my life when I prayed more, and was able to have a much more active faith life than I do now that I'm married and have kids. And that peace allowed me to look at the girls with a calmer attitude which in turned mellowed them out a little.
Today we have officially made it into the world of being parents of two toddlers. That's right, we went to the ER for a toddler related injury.
Teresa, Maria and I were at Kohls and the girls were up to their usual monkey business. We had a double stroller type of cart and Teresa had squirmed her way out of the seat belt and was standing on her seat to turn around and tease Maria. Somehow she fell out and hit her head really hard on the tile. She turned blue and passed out. Of course, I panicked. We rushed to the ER and luckily they couldn't find anything wrong with her- not even a bump or bruise. They did do a CAT scan for good measure and we're preparing for a few rough days as she recovers from what seems like a minor concussion. Thankfully though, she seems to be doing better already although she is super tired from crying nonstop for an hour and a half.
Moral of the story for mom, don't take two toddlers shopping. Let that be a lesson for us all!
If you read my last post about "Cheers" this will make a little more sense. Yesterday we were in mass. Fr. Kevin lifted up the chalice for the consecration and Teresa really loudly yelled "Cheers!". I was so glad that people around us had no clue what she was saying.
A few minutes ago Mark and I were talking about how tired we both have been after our workouts recently. Mark said, "I think my workouts are getting harder."
Maria was feeling left out of the conversation so she chimed in, "My work is harder too. Pressing on computer is harder. Games are harder. Peek-a-boo harder." What a tough life she leads!
This post is really just a hodge-podge of cute stuff that the girls say and do. I wanted to write these things down so I don't forget. I am slowly starting to believe the phrase, "They grow up so fast." Teresa now seems less like a baby and more like a kid to me. Maria has been working hard on potty training this week and imagining a world with only one daughter who wears diapers just seems too good to be true.
The girls loved going to weddings this summer. So, while there, they learned the phrase "Cheers." Now, every meal is interrupted every few minutes with both girls yelling out the word and everyone having to click glasses. The other great phrase is "Touch Down". Both girls will throw their arms up in the air when they hear this word.
Maria fell down the other day and told me she had hurt her button. I was confused and asked her to show me where it hurt. She pointed to her butt.
Recently, we have learned the names and ages of everyone we meet. We can't go anywhere without Maria asking people around us what their name is. She next follows it up with "How old are you?" This is a great little tool for me when I forget someone's name that I should know. And hey, I've learned exactly how old everyone is too.
This week Maria was playing with my shoes. She pulled out a pair of white ones. I told her that I had worn those when I got married. "I wear them when I get married too." She answered. I asked her who she was going to marry. "Jesus" she answered. So, I suppose it is off to the convent for her!
Lastly, here is a video of Maria singing. She loves singing her own version of Alleluia. In the Catholic mass everyone stands up for the Alleluia before the Gospel is read. She usually will ask all of us to stand up while she sings for us. Do you like how she uses Clifford the Big Red Dog as a hymnal?
When I was in college I spent most of a summer in Madrid. I was there to study Spanish along with 20 other students from the University of Southern Mississippi. Someone from our group had found this place that had all-you-can-drink sangria for incredibly cheap. The place was a dump, the sangria was horrible, and the building was jammed packed with Americans- in other words, it was perfect for an American college student. One night almost all 20 of us had decided to meet there. One of the female students arrived late and out of breath.
"You're not going to believe this. I was watching the evening news and Brittney Spears and Justin Timberlake got into a car accident. They're both dead." A hush fell over the group. The year was 2001, Spears had yet to have kids, kiss Madonna, or become a circus. She was the biggest IT thing in quite sometime.
All of us there were too old to really be into her or her music. However, we all realized that this was hugely significant in the pop culture of our society. People started to talk about calling home to see how their families and friends were taking the news. Within minutes, the word had spread to the entire bar. 200 Americans were mourning the loss of the two young stars. Of course, most of the crowd were already a bit tipsy and tears were soon flowing as people started to miss home and American music.
The next morning I was watching the news to see what the Spanish television stations were reporting about the matter. Apparently, Spears and Timberlake had been in a minor car accident.
So, where did the whole story begin? While, the female student who shared the sad news had only been studying Spanish for a few weeks. The t.v. report had been in Spanish and she had the story completely wrong. Yet, I will never forget where I was the night I heard that Brittney Spears had died.
