It’s been awhile! Almost a month since I posted a TWM. It’s been a pretty horrible month, to be honest. And not just because of this:
It was enough to make you want to snarf down too much coffee while viewing life with your crazy eyes that scream “survival mode!”
See what I mean?
But it’s almost February, so let’s move on and focus on the good stuff…
The Quotable Lucy (2 years):
Lucy (out of bed): “I need to tell Mom somethin’.”
Daniel: “Is it about the socks you put on your hands?”
Lucy: *looks down at sock hands* “Um…..yeth.”
I know that two is an age that makes people want to tear their hair out. For me that age is three. Three can make me want to pull the covers over my head and hide until four and a half comes around. But two…I LOVE two. Two is just hilarious. Two is when the awesome quirks of their little personalities really explode. For example, Lucy has recently become a lady of decided fashion. So, enjoy some fashion advice from Lucy.
Exhibit A:
Bubble skirt over a tutu paired with a fuzzy white jacket. Accessorize with an upside down sticker of Daisy Duck and a “Garth Vader” mask to make a striking ensemble.
Exhibit B:
At the breakfast table, one wants to be bold, but simple. A feathered headband from the dress up drawer is enough of a statement piece that no other clothing is required.
Exhibit C:
If mom is nursing your baby sister, it’s a good idea to sneak into her make up bag and slather your face with bronzer. Don’t let anyone give you a bath to remove your masterpiece. You look great!!!
These days, Lucy is just a nut. I can’t even handle her hilarity. But she’s still so quiet and shy in big groups. Snuggle bug! And she wrote her own little Christmas carol and y’all…it’s the sweetest:
Baby Jesus, Baby Jesus
S’eepin’ in his own bed, Baby Jesus
with da cow, Baby Jesus
and da lamb says BAA
and the cow says MOO
and they all got Christmas
*(quieter, with added serious tone)*: they all got Christmas…
The Quotable Benjamin (age 4):
Benjamin at the dentist:
“It’s a good thing you’re flossing my teeth, because we hardly EVER do it at home.”
Benjamin amazes me. He is a wild little boy and runs around the house on all fours like Gollum until I shove him into the outdoors to run his energy out. He NEVER STOPS (moving and talking) and pushes me to my limits (or past them) every day. But he’s also really cool and when he wants to be, he is incredibly sweet-natured. Look at his proud little face after Daddy helped him create his very own garden bed:
The Quotable Gwen (8 months):
Two weeks ago…
Us: You can’t walk yet, you’re only 7 months old.
Gwen : Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do!!!!!
Seriously, folks. In a month, Gwen started crawling, standing, and WALKING. Like actual steps. In a row. 7 or 8 of ’em. Across the room. WHAT?! And she got her first two teeth and is working on two more. WHAT?! I’m not convinced she knows she’s a baby. She seems hellbent on being “one of the gang” with big brother and sister. This one’s gonna give us a run for our money. But she’s soooooooo adorable and smiley and darling. (But that “I’m up for the day at 4:30am!” nonsense should immediately be remedied, little one.)
Coming Up in the Liturgical Year:
St. Brigid’s Day on Saturday and Candlemas on Sunday! And just in case you missed it, I posted a ton of liturgical year resources and links for the month of February. If you’re like me, you forget to plan ahead, you forget what your ideas were, and you can’t find any of the links that helped you the year before. So now they’re all in one place and I have no excuse not to pick out a couple of feasts days and celebrate! Ta da!
And speaking of the Christian Year, our real food liturgical year cookbook is on sale for almost 40% off this week (ebook version)! So grab it while you can and you’ll be all set with some ideas, recipes, and reflections for Lent and the rest of the year.
Links: (And my oh my, there’s some good ones!)
Good Clean Fun: The Theology of the Body in “Groundhog Day”: Through a Glass Brightly (Time to confess that I’ve never seen Groundhog Day.…but maybe I should fix that?)
Review of The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day: fountains of home (I’ve been meaning to read this book for ages and now I want to even more.)
How I almost forgot that people are more important than (important) stuff: Surviving Our Blessings
On raising Little Women (or Men): What we can learn from Marmee: Simple Homeschool (I had the very great pleasure of meeting Jamie at Allume last year and just can’t tell you how delightful she is. She is exactly the sort of person you wish lived next door and would invite you over for tea to talk about homeschooling for an afternoon.)
11 Reasons You Should Watch BBC’s Sherlock: Everything to Someone (Christie is right, as always)
the prayer of the (tired) mama of the sick little one: SortaCrunchy (Love this post from my sweet friend Megan. Parenting sick kiddos is so hard for me. Especially if I get sick, as well.)
22 things I learned in my first ten years of parenthood: Conversion Diary
Livin’ It Up, Anti-Lyceum Style: This Ain’t the Lyceum (If you don’t think this is the funniest post you’ve read in a LONG time, then…well…I just don’t know what to do with you.)
Book Love:
I’m reading Villette right now and although the anti-papist sentiments are kind of over the top, Bronte’s characters really are fascinating. Have you read it? What did you think?
What’re you reading lately? (And you can always check out my Reading Goals for 2014 link-up and see what lots of folks are reading this year.)
This n’ That:
You can find me this week talking about public breastfeeding, the Pope, and the culture of life over at Catholic Exchange.
And next Wednesday is the first google hangout for the Motherhood and Jane Austen book club (we’ll be discussing Pride and Prejudice!), and it would be so fun if you joined us!
I’m starting a monthly/bi-monthly newsletter to share more liturgical year ideas and chat about things I love. I’d be ever so pleased if you’d sign up for it on the right hand sidebar! Thank you kindly!
Wishing you all warmer weather and a lovely weekend!
Love,
Haley
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My 5 year old son is golluming his way back and forth accross the living room as I type and my 2 yr old daughter can frequently be found wearing only ballet tights and a crown, isn’t this a blessed crazy time? 🙂
Yes! B turns five next week and I’m pretty sure this is going to be the bestest year 🙂
I can’t believe how big Gwen is! She’s so adorable and I just can’t get past that hair. She has way more than my Lucy and she’s coming up on 2 years!
It’s going too fast!
SHUT UP ABOUT YOUR GARDEN BEDS. I am dying of envy. I can’t believe you can go outside in t-shirts and dig around in the dirt. I kind of hate you guys right now. Cabin fever is KILLING me right now, with crazy polar temps every day for weeks on end. UGH!
ANYWAYS . . . I agree that two is the best thing ever. I don’t have any experience with any ages beyond that, of course; but I am LOVING two. My little girls is just the funniest thing ever. I can’t believe how much she can say and do. She’s only been alive for two years! Yet she’s drawing and inventing and composing songs and making me laugh constantly. I love it. Sure, there’s the occasional incomprehensible tantrum; but all in all, I’m finding this such a fun age.
Now I’m off to read the post about Sherlock, since I was mega-obsessed with the show all month.
MOVE! How can anyone survive up there?! (Daniel and I discuss this at least once a week: “People like in the north…..WHY?!) I really can’t imagine and I assume that all my friends in snowy places must have superpowers to stay alive.
TWO! I just adore two so much. And all I can think about this morning is Sherlock.
Gahhh! She’s so tiny! That was my Noah though, he was walking by 8 months by himself. He’s so little that people seem even more surprised when they see him walking even though he’s 15 months now haha.
It is WEIRD to see her walking when she’s so little!
Love love love Lucy’s fashion sense, and your captions really complete the outfits! Fashion designer in training, that’s your Lucy.
Haha, she is indeed 🙂
Lucy’s section had me laughing out loud until my husband came to see what it was, and then he was laughing too! Adorable pictures.
I’m also in the middle of reading Villette, but I’m not that far into it. I’m trying to read more, and not just anything, but definitely more classics. That’s why I picked it up in the first place (that and I found it on sale at the bookstore). It’s hard though, when you don’t have a group reading them with you and you don’t have someone with which to discuss the book. I found some discussion questions online that I’m trying to keep in mind as I read it and I’m also taking it slow because I’m trying to soak it in, rather than just flying through it and losing a lot. I feel like the language is a bit hard for me if I read it fast. I’d offer my opinion on it, but I don’t think I’m quite far enough into it yet. I will say that I’m enjoying her imagery and the way it reads (even if it is hard for me). And you said it, her characters definitely are fascinating! I would look forward to hearing some thoughts on Villette if you care to post about it!
Oh, and my husband loved the Sherlock link you posted and enthusiastically agreed with the blogger about the point on bromances!
Thanks for posting! We’ve missed your miscellany posts! One of my favorite parts of TWM is that you post all these fantastic links to wonderful posts!
I have a hard time getting into long classics without a discussion group, too. I finished Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita a couple of months ago and I followed the plot but afterwards thought…..I have NO IDEA what this book is about.
All I can think about right now is Sherlock! Daniel and I are watching them on Monday nights on PBS’s website. Sooo good!
You know that Gwen is just punishing you for trying to will her out of crawling. 😀
I know, right?!
Not only am I amazed at Gwen’s early walking abilities, but also her ability to yell at you using complete sentences. Prodigy!
Love these links; I think they’re all the same ones I saved in my Feedly this week.
Such a smarty pants, isn’t she? We’re favorite links twinsies!
Yes! I have no idea why they call it the Terrible Twos instead of the Terrible Threes; I would fill my house with two-year-olds if I could!
I think the phrase “terrible twos” was coined by someone who had never met a three-year-old, haha.