52 Weeks of Joy: Week 33

The girls enjoyed their first football game last week! Mom's high school alma mater was playing. Can it really be football season already!?! Miriam and Vivian did pretty much what we expected...ran around the bleachers and played with their aunts, grandparents, and parents.

They traveled down the aisle quite a few times to make friends with these ladies.

Tom, Aunt Annette's boyfriend, was in town for a few days from Canada. This was his first "American" football game. Bishop Luers won in the last 15 seconds of the game, so it was probably a pretty good first game for him.

Fr. Ben is the chaplain at the high school now, so he was at the game, too...praying for the winning team. And taking a few minutes to make sure Tom is good enough for our Aunt Annette.

By the end of the game the girls were wiped out! But they talked about their football game for days so it must have been worth the exhaustion.

52 Weeks of Joy: Week 32

Well, this is actually a post about what WOULD make Mommy and Daddy joyful. Two little girls smiling at the same time. While we're taking a picture.

One...

...then the other.

 Not today.

Oh well, one at a time is pretty cute, too.

52 Weeks of Joy: Week 31

Miriam and Vivian got to visit their cousins in Indy last week. They loved every joyful minute! Almost a week later, they cannot stop talking about it!

One of the highlights was visiting the Children's Museum. We got to touch a real dino bone! And go on a pretend dig to unearth some fossils with tools and goggles. 

Vivian didn't want to wear the goggles at all.

We saw a huge blown glass sculpture.

  

HUGE.

Rode a carousel that's been working for almost 100 years! 

Touched a piece of a real shipwreck.

And made our own "glass" sculpture.

By the end we were ready to relax below the exhibit on a rotating couch and take it all in.

 Then Lydia taught us gymnastics! We even got our own gymnastics outfits to practice in.

Finally, it was time for popcorn and a movie. Just the girls.  The boys weren't too interested in watching Barbie's Twelve Dancing Princesses.

Thanks to our Indy hosts! We loved our time with you!

Ladybug Land

A few weeks back, ladybugs took over our house. Because we asked them to. It was a ladybug themed week. And who would have known it would be so fun!?!?

Ladybug crafts...Miriam gave her's a nose!

REAL ladybugs. You can order them on Amazon...1,000+ of them. And they can live in the fridge until you're ready to set them free. For months. Amazing, right?

The girls loved releasing them into the garden. Those little ladybugs were eager to get out of their plastic home.

 They both wanted to hold a ladybug. Miriam did not act scared at all!

Vivian with a ladybug.

Miriam's ladybug.

Ladybug food. This was the easiest activity and held their attention for the longest! And they made their own breakfast. Win-win-win.

Paint strawberry jam onto a rice cake.

 Add raisins.

Eat a delicious ladybug breakfast.

Finally, ladybug costumes. Which took the most work for Mom. And were liked the least by the girls. But then, it's hard to be a nimble mess-maker if you're wearing a paper bag. 

Three Grandmas!?!?

Miriam and Vivian are very blessed to have a Great-Great Grandma living! We were able to visit her this weekend in the assisted living community where she currently resides about two hours from our house. She was absolutely thrilled to see them. She truly lit up when they came into the room and hugged her. 

Great-Great Grandma is 96 years old and raised seven children; she is Sarah's Mom's Grandma. She certainly had her challenges throughout her life. Yet, she remains a happy, generous person. 

And in true Grandma fashion, she presented treats in the form of vanilla wafer sandwiches. And would not let us deny the girls fifth helpings!

Great-Great Grandma has always been a sewer and still keeps herself busy embroidering pillowcases for family members. We even have a set in our home. Vivian is checking out a work-in-progess below. Happily, Mommy can justify her need to craft with genetics! (However, during it's most extreme moments, Daddy would probably label it a genetic disorder.)

We were also able to get a picture with all five generation! Look at Great-Great Grandma and Great Grandma holding hands. Aren't they the sweetest thing?!?!

Finally, Vivian was free to examine the place. And Great-Great Grandma LOVED it. If an adult tried to save an porcelain angel or silk flowers from her grasp, Great-Great Grandma would yell, "NO! NO! Let her have it! Give it to her!" Vivian was in heaven.

Then it was time to go...doesn't that hug look like a sacred space?

52 Weeks of Joy: Week 30

Miriam and Vivian are tremendously joyful at the simplest things. This morning we enjoyed breakfast on the deck. "A Breakfast Picnic!" declared Miriam. They are not big breakfast eaters, but today they both took more than three bites of their toast. That may have been because it had cinnamon and sugar instead of the usual peanut butter.

And then, still wearing their bibs and PJs, they were off exploring their dewy yard.  

 "See! Hands!" Vivian shouts, shaking the sand away.

 Oops...that was a zucchini blossom, Miriam!

Caught snitching a cherry tomato...

"I touch it!" Vivian exclaims, as she almost smashes a cricket with her tiny index finger.

We will have to do this again soon, little girls.