Monday, May 21, 2012

T Minus 9 Days

When I realized how busy our May was going to be, I thought I'd be lucky to blog once a week.  So far, my luck has held and I've managed to eke out one spectacularly mediocre recap post per week.

I knew the day would come when even those low standards would be blown out of the water.   That day was this past Friday.  I tried all day to grab a minute to do some quick takes, and that minute never materialized.  Funny how I still cannot change the laws of physics after all these years of trying.

Thankfully, it's raining today and I can use the day to play catch-up at home.  Don't you just love it when the weather matches your schedule/mood perfectly?  I don't think it happens all that often, but today's the day.  I can concentrate on the inside of the house without feeling the pressure of wasting a gorgeous day indoors or not working out in the yard.

Today, I've gotten all the floors washed, several loads of laundry done, and I am almost finished the great drawer switch over to summer clothes.  I still have the menu to plan, but I feel like I got some things done this morning.

Plus, rainy days are good naps days for the little girls.  I just have to watch that I don't succumb to napping with them.

We kicked off the weekend on Friday with the May Procession at the kids' school.  I cannot tell you much I love May Procession.  I remember my elementary school's May Procession very well, and it was something I looked forward to each spring.

It's things like May Procession that make me so happy that I can send my kids to our parish school.  I know that our church has a May Procession for our parishioners, but it's in the evening and it has to compete with every other evening event on our calendar.  At school, they are a captive audience, so to speak.  There is something special about the children being able to leave school for half an hour to pray and honor the Blessed Mother before returning to their studies.

Plus, I get to go with them and hear almost 300 children singing "Queen of the May" in their clear voices.
If you can listen to kids sing this and not get misty, they you are stronger than me:

Our voices ascending, In harmony blending Oh! Thus may our hearts turn Dear Mother, to thee Oh! Thus shall we prove thee How truly we love thee How dark without Mary Life's journey would be O Mary! we crown thee with blossoms today Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May O Mary! we crown thee with blossoms today Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May O Virgin most tender Our homage we render Thy love and protection Sweet Mother, to win In danger defend us In sorrow befriend us And shield our hearts From contagion and sin





This is the only picture I could get of Sally.  She was very careful to follow her teacher's instructions to walk the whole way to church with her hands folded.  She barely even spared a glance for the little ones who were calling her name.

Fiver, on the other hand, was waving and chatting it up the whole way.



After working outside all day Saturday, we spent our Sunday afternoon at our local minor league ballpark.  It was our school's spirit day at the game, so we got some really nice seats for a reduced price.  The usual ticket price is not that expensive anyway, so it's not cost prohibitive of the whole family wants to go.

Our stadium is beautiful, and it's the home to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (the Phillies' Triple A affiliate).  We've seen some great baseball, and we've even seen some major league players out on the field if they were down rehabbing an injury.  

Sunday was incredibly hot, but there is just something fun about a baseball game (even though the Pigs lost).   Even the smallest girls were into it.  Mopsy was yelling "Charge!" and "Let's Go Pigs!", and Baby was dancing on my lap and clapping her hands.  

Coca-Cola Park.  That giant Coke bottle above the scoreboard shoots fireworks if one of the home team hits a home run.  Unfortunately, it was the opposing team that hit a grand slam on Sunday.  Arg.

Francie

Sally, simultaneously cheering for the Pigs and yelping about the hot seats

Baby was starting to lose some steam by this point.  

We only made it to the 7th inning stretch, but I'm amazed we made it that far.  The kids were wilting in the heat, but I am happy to say that no one got a sunburn.  It took a ridiculous amount of sunscreen, but my kids are still so white they are practically transparent.

We are now only a little over a week away from the end of the school year.  Technically the kids are finished on June 6th, but with all the snow days they never used this winter, they have quite a few days off between now and then.  Plus, they start with half days on May 31st, which is practically like a day off anyway.  

I haven't got any plans for when they are all here on top of each other, but I think that it can't be harder than last summer when we were all home and I had a newborn and a 14 month old, right?  

Maybe I had better start thinking up some plans anyway.  


3 comments:

  1. We finish next week. I'm kind of scared. Mostly about Lily not having Mother's Day Out. Those 10 hours a week are good for all of us.

    We're taking the kids to the Rangers AAA affiliate this summer. In Austin. In July. We are dumb.

    And I am increasingly frustrated that you live in PA and I live in TX. This is not good.

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  2. Annual summer play date some time? LOL, no pressure!!

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  3. Anonymous4:16 PM

    Such full days you have! All those pics make me melt, but especially the one of Sally. Such intensity.
    Lisa-Domestic Accident

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