Happy first birthday, Emily and Erin!

Emily and Erin are turning one today! One year ago today, we met our sweet baby girls just after 9 pm.

Erin (L), Emily (R)

They've grown a lot since then:

Hanging out chatting - 2 months old

First Halloween - 4 months old!

5 months old!

Headed out shopping with Mommy and Grandma 

Baptized! August 6, 2012 - 6 weeks old.

A very interesting conversation. ~6 months.

7 months old.

8 months old!

9 months old!

Walking with their activity table - 10 months!

Our first Mother's Day together - almost 11 months old!

11.5 months. All ready for bed, drinking bottles like big girls! 

The last year hasn't always been easy, but it's been filled with more joy than I ever thought possible. Happy birthday, Emily and Erin! I love you more than you could ever imagine. God truly blessed us when you joined our family.

Homemade Father's Day Present: Jar of Awesome

I really wanted to have something sweet and special for Dan this year for his first official Father's Day. I was also operating on a budget, so I had to stick to something homemade. Pinterest is full of ideas for homemade gifts, but most of them are either really complicated or relatively costly once you buy all the supplies. I ran across an idea for making a "date night jar" a while back, and that one seemed doable - but then I thought of something even better. What if, instead of date ideas, I wrote things I loved about Dan and put them in the jar? I'd call it a "Jar of Awesome", and he could pull them out and read them at his leisure. Here's how it turned out:

Want to make your own Jar of Awesome? Here's what you'll need:

-wooden craft sticks (similar to Popsicle sticks, but bigger - I found them at Target)
-extra fine tipped permanent marker
-quart sized lidded canning jar
-pretty paper for tag
-ribbon or string to tie tag around jar

1. Write the awesome things about the lucky dad on the sticks. It's helpful to make a list first so you don't waste any of the sticks. You can write on one side or on both - but if you write on just one side, you can face all the blank sides out so he has to pull the sticks out to read them.

2. Put the sticks in the jar a few at a time, so you can make sure they're all straight and tidy. This also makes it easier to face the written sides towards the center.

3. Cut a label out of your pretty paper (I used some leftover scrapbooking paper) and use your creativity! I wrote "Jar of Awesome - Father's Day 2013" on mine, but you could tailor it to the recipient and the occasion.

4. Punch a hole in the top left corner of the tag, thread the ribbon or string through it, and then tie a bowknot around the top rim of the jar.

5. If you'd like, wrap the jar in a gift bag and tissue paper, and get ready to delight your favorite dad on Father's Day!

Dan said this was by far the perfect gift for his first Father's Day with his family, and he loved it. I think it would also make a fabulous gift for an anniversary or birthday. I hope you all had a fantastic Father's Day too!

Illusions of Productivity

I don't know about you, but I really struggle with productivity from day to day. There are so many things I need to do, things I could do, things I should do (but don't) and things I actually do. The need-to-do list is probably pretty similar to most moms': things like tending to my girls' needs, housework, laundry, cooking, work, church, and errands. Things I could do: spend more time praying, reading, meaningful time with my family, watch more TV shows I enjoy, exercise...you get the idea.

The things I should do list overlaps a lot with the could-do, though I probably wouldn't include TV on that one. I try not to dwell too much on what I'm not doing that I could be - that list has the potential to be miles long. The last one, things I actually do, is probably the one I ought to dwell on a little more. I have a theory that our brains are wired to be busy, not to necessarily register the necessity of that busy-ness. So for example, if I spend twenty minutes on Facebook or searching something online, my brain feels like I accomplished something. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. (For the record, I didn't spend any time googling that). But that illusion of productivity persists either way.

Don't get me wrong - as a blogger, I'm a big fan of social media. Sometimes, though, I have to remind myself to unplug. I have an easier time focusing on those need-to-do things when I do. I read in a book the other night that as a culture, we've managed to find the time and money to connect ourselves constantly via the Internet over the last few decades. We also have collectively redefined the concept of the family dinner and outsourced most of our food preparation over the same time period. As a trade-off, I don't think this is such a great one. Obviously, not everyone spends all their cooking time on the computer or phone, but if I wonder where I'd find the time to make three meals a day or do anything else on my should list, I suppose that might be it.

Obviously, as humans we're wired to be social creatures. This means that we are drawn to seek other humans, and so social media is very appealing - and even necessary for our mental and emotional health, in my opinion. The illusion of productivity, however, can be a trap. We're all given the same number of hours in a day. It's how we use them that makes them count. My goal, therefore, for this week, is to spend less time checking my phone and more time living this beautiful, blessed life of mine. I'll still spend time blogging - probably a little more than normal - but I'm hoping to find some balance within the should, the could, and the actually.

What are your goals for the week?

What I Wore Sunday: Three Months of Skirts (and counting!)

We have really fantastic lighting at midday, if you can't tell.

Outfit:

Sweater - Ann Taylor LOFT via St. Vincent de Paul

Tank tops - Target and Costco

Skirt - Van Heusen via St. Vincent de Paul

Wedges - Target

It occurred to me this morning that it's been almost 3 months since I wore pants to Mass. I had thought it would be harder to keep the promise I made to myself not to do so, but it hasn't been as difficult as I thought. As I've said before, I arrive at Mass in a more focused and reverent frame of mind when I'm dressed up. I feel like I'm setting a better example for my daughters, too. I don't necessarily have a show-stopping outfit every week, but that's not really the point. You know the saying "you get out of it what you put into it"? - for me, that's it. We're going to spend time with, and even receive, Jesus every week, so we might as well dress like we're going somewhere special if at all possible.

As far as Mass behavior goes - Erin did pretty well once she fell asleep, and Emily never succumbed to sleep. So she was pretty fussy. Age-wise, I'd give Erin a B+ and Emily a C. They weren't overly loud or cranky, just a little fussy and talkative. They'll learn. They're learning. We're learning, too. 

Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple and Camp Patton!

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 41

Thanks to Jen for hosting!

--- 1 ---

Whew! It's been quite a week. The warm weather is finally back (yay!) and we've been able to work and play outside after two weeks of mostly rainy weather. I'm still nursing a sunburn from Monday, but I think it's finally starting to heal. I also got this adorable picture of my almost-toddlers yesterday, which completely took my mind off the sunburn:

Emily (L), Erin (R). Too hot for pjs here!

--- 2 ---

This past weekend, we went to the coast for a day. It was a lot of fun to see how Emily and Erin reacted to the sand and the water. Of course, they're much too little to play in the ocean, but we did let them play in the sand. Emily just touched the sand at first, like she wasn't sure what it was, but then she started digging her hands deeper and picking it up in her fingers. Erin was much more interested in the things we'd brought with us, like my keys, my sunglasses, and my sandals, but she played with Emily for a little while. We topped off our trip with dinner at Mo's, a chowder house that's very family-friendly. Dinner is a little challenging these days even at family-friendly restaurants, but Dan and I were both able to eat our dinners while feeding Emily and Erin theirs. Both girls loved the restaurant and were very vocal about their joy in being there. Luckily, everyone around us seemed reasonably tolerant of their joy.

--- 3 ---

Erin took a step all by herself earlier this week. Just one, and she fell over and didn't really seem interested in trying it again. She will walk just fine as long as she's got one hand on something, but she hesitates and then drops down to crawl after letting go. One evening, I tried to entice her with my keys (her most favorite toy ever) and her face lit up. "Keysis!" she exclaimed as she reached for them. Laughing hysterically at how much she sounded like Gollum, I moved them a little out of her reach, and she looked at her feet and then dropped to her hands and knees. Aside from the reference to a movie she's never seen, it was entirely unsuccessful. She'll walk when she's ready. For now, I'll hug my chubby little toddler and enjoy her adorable laugh and smile.

--- 4 ---

Emily has turned into quite the chatterbox. She will sit and babble for several minutes at a time, and respond with intelligent-sounding answers when you ask her questions. She can say "yes" ("ess") and "yeah" ("eah"), as well as "Mama" ("ammm-ah") and "baby" ("bebee"). Oh, and "bye". She's really good at "bye". As soon as anyone in our house takes a step towards the front door, even if I'm just closing or opening it, she starts to wave and say "bye, bye, bye". It's the most adorable thing. Sometimes she waves at herself, sometimes she waves at you, but she has it all figured out as to the timing. I'm amazed. She, like Erin, walks while holding onto something (they do laps around our living room pushing their highchairs) but she has yet to take a step by herself that I've seen.

--- 5 ---

Dan's birthday was on Tuesday. I really wanted to get him a barbecue grill, but it just wasn't in the budget. I'd finally resigned myself to buying a really tiny, inexpensive one and promising that we'd save for a real one over the next year or two. That was, until I was headed out to the hardware store on a quick errand this past weekend, and saw a yard sale. On the grass next to the street was a barbecue. I drove on by, because the house was on the opposite side of the street, but I couldn't help wondering how much they wanted. It was a charcoal kettle-style grill, the perfect size for a growing family. It even had legs, something that most grills in my gift budget didn't. I decided to wait on purchasing one until I'd investigated the garage sale.

The grill was still there as I headed home. I pulled over to the curb, got out, and asked how much they wanted for it. The woman running the sale replied that since it didn't have a grate inside, they were asking $5. I was floored, having expected to pay at least $20. Without considering how I would haul it or that I didn't have any cash, I told her I'd take it. After a hasty trip to the convenience store ATM and a quick phone call to my parents, I had a present for Dan. The garage-sale lady was thrilled with my plans to buy a new grate and clean and paint it for his birthday.

--- 6 ---

Aside from transportation, I hadn't considered how on earth I was going to clean and paint a barbecue during the day with two small children and a husband who works from home. For starters, we have windows into the back yard all across the back of our house. I decided to pull down the blinds, work behind the garage (no windows) and tell Dan he was banned from the back yard until his birthday. I enlisted my mom to come babysit, and set to cleaning during nap time. We'd made a hardware store run earlier in the day, for all needed supplies, and I was well-prepared other than my lack of sunscreen (see take #1). Approximately four hours later, I had a reasonably clean, reasonably nice-looking barbecue topped with a green Christmas bow. I couldn't wait to show Dan, who had done a really good job of not peeking all day. First thing on Tuesday, I brought it out in front of our kitchen window. He was thrilled, and is really excited to use it this weekend! I feel like a frugal rockstar - if you can qualify for rockstar status while sunburnt with an aching forearm and wrist. Oh, and I completely forgot to take a before picture. I know. You'll just have to trust me, it was rusty and badly needed to be cleaned, and now it's much cleaner and not rusty. A win, if I do say so myself.

--- 7 ---

Last but certainly not least, I am a new regular contributor over at Kendra and Emily's blog Fine Linen and Purple, and I had a post there yesterday about how to get dressed like a guy without actually wearing men's clothes. Head on over and check it out, and don't miss Mary's joy journey posts while you're there! Have a great weekend, all!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

What I Wore Sunday: Corpus Christi

On me:

Dress - Merona (Target)

Sweater - Mossimo (Target)

Sandals - Target

On Emily: 

Footie pajamas - Carter's

Mass was a little more exciting today than normal - not just because it was a day dedicated (even more than normal) to the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Erin was unusually fussy today, and Dan finally had to take her outside during the Consecration. She's gotten so strong that when she gets upset, it's almost impossible to calm her because she flails around so much. Going outside seems to distract her enough to calm down, however. I was a little surprised that we had to resort to it yesterday, since she'd been in a fairly good mood and had even slept in a little.

Shortly after they walked out, I saw an older couple rush out the doors. The man was supporting his wife as though she was very ill. I focused my attention back to Mass, but kept glancing back to see if Dan and Erin would come back inside, since I couldn't hear her anymore. Suddenly, the sound of sirens pierced through the air. Since our church is near the downtown fire station, that's not terribly unusual, but this time they stopped right outside. I glanced back once and saw a stretcher on the steps, but I couldn't see anyone. After another ten minutes or so, Dan and Erin came back in, we went up for Communion, and things wrapped up like normal. 

After Mass, Dan filled me in on what had happened. He said I could share the story here (though he was being modest and didn't really want me to). When the couple had come out to the steps, the woman was clutching her chest and struggling to breathe. Dan hesitated for a moment, then offered to call 911. Neither the man nor his wife spoke much English, so he was able to talk the dispatcher through what was going on and make sure help arrived quickly. I'm positive God made Erin fussy just at that moment to make sure Dan was outside to help - doesn't He work in mysterious ways? I'm so proud of my husband, and so grateful for him too!

I'm linking up with Fine Linen and Purple and also with Grace over at Camp Patton!

Shouts of joy

I think I may have mentioned this a few times recently, but just in case you haven't heard, Emily and Erin have entered this stage where they love to shriek. It's a happy thing - they usually have big grins on their faces as they're doing it, most likely because everyone's looking. Sometimes the mood strikes in the middle of the grocery store; sometimes we're at church. Most of the time it's just fine and I move on with what we're doing, smiling and shushing and hoping they get the idea. Obviously, during Mass we make a hasty retreat to the back corner or even outside.

It's made me more conscious of where children are welcomed, though. Certain places are not intended for children - some for moral/legal reasons, others for safety. I take Emily and Erin along with me on the majority of my errands. Most of them are fairly child-friendly, like Target, the grocery store, and the hardware store. But any time we go elsewhere, I find myself incredibly conscious of any noise or behavior. I know it's all normal at this age, and they'll learn soon that there are places for noise and places for quiet. Most of the time, people are very patient and more than willing to accommodate our folding stroller and the occasional joyous shriek. There's a special place in Heaven for these folks, I'm sure of it! When things don't go well, which is fairly often, I inevitably learn something from the experience. Case in point: the day I attempted to take both girls to Mass alone.

It makes me wonder: should everyone have a babysitter when they go out shopping or to pay bills? Are we moms supposed to be hiding at home and doing all our bill paying and shopping online? If that's the case (and believe me, I have been tempted insofar as possible!) when will we teach our kids how to behave in public? As a kid, I remember tagging around town with my mom and my little brother as we went shopping, kept appointments, and paid bills. I remember one incident of chair pulling where my poor mother must have been just mortified (for the record, I was the one sitting down, not pulling the chair). Believe me, we never tried anything like that again. It wasn't an overnight transformation, but gradually we learned what was acceptable and what was not.

While it's rare that we encounter a place we need to go where children are completely unwelcome, there are certainly many places where it's difficult to take them by myself. I wish all stores had doors wide enough for a double stroller! I might feel differently about this in the future (say, around a year from now when Emily and Erin turn two) but for the moment, I think it's very important to bring them with me to do as many different things as possible. I haven't taken them to the library in a long time - I think they were only two months old the last time we were all there - but it's one we need to try again soon. Don't worry, we read, we just have lots of books!

Speaking of books, in the book Bringing up Bébé, the author talks about how it's assumed that French kids will understand the need for them to behave appropriately as it's explained to them. It seems like a sign of respect to see this potential, even if it means standing red-faced at the meat counter while my daughters shriek at each other. I rarely feel like a great mom at the end of any of our expeditions, but I know my girls will be better off for it. Besides, someone's got to show all those stores they need wider doors!