Weekend Whirlwind

~ Birthday Wishes ~

Saturday was Dani's 14th birthday!  I never got around to posting her birthday post (shameful!) so it's going to be part of this bits-n-pieces post.  Sooooo...

HappyBirthdayDaniGirl!!

We love you so much and are extremely proud of the thoughtful, helpful and beautiful young lady you are today!  May God continue to bless you abundantly. 

I lost many of my pictures - I have to take a birthday shoot.  But I only like doing those outside; it's been very rainy here for the last 5 days. 

Photo shoot has been requested!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ First Confession ~

Sophia made her First Confession on Saturday.  She was so very excited.  We have always opted to take the kids ourselves instead of doing it with the parish's "retreat" - which is just a fancy word for all the kiddos making their First Confession :)  I think they do busy work (color) while waiting to make their First Confession - that's what I've been told. 

We currently only have one priest (our fabulous pastor) at our parish, thus the line was long - good, but long.  Father told everyone to say the Act of Contrition by themselves in line before entering the confessional to help speed things up a bit.  I thought this would've thrown Fia who is one for crossing all her t's and dotting all her i's - but surprisingly she was fine with it.  Come to find out, since it was her First Confession, Father let her say her Act of Contrition.  I thought that was so sweet of him.  So thoughtful, knowing she had prepared for this special day!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 ~ Visit from Chris ~

My brother was in town for a quick visit on Saturday from Houston.  He was here attending a Pediatric Cardiology convention.  He was published in the medical journal (to capitalize or not? - is it the or rather a medical journal?) last year (or maybe even in 2008, I can't recall) and he was chosen among many of the contributors to come speak at this conference.  I'm also unclear on the numbers but it was maybe close to a thousand who were published and then out of those they chose 10 - 20 to come speak.  Anyway, he was one of the few chosen.  At the beginning of his profession, he is proving to be quite the brilliant doctor.  We are so very proud of him! 

And no post about my brother would be complete without a picture of this sweet guy,

Can't wait to meet you Lil' Ben!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Celebration ~

And Sunday was a small celebration for Dani's b-day.  Nothing fancy - grandparents and some good friends came for dinner.  Paul made some (awesome) pizzas and I made some hockey pucks cheeseburgers chocolate chip softball cookies.  Dani wanted a cookie cake and Paul had the idea of making them softballs.  They turned out awful in my book - they were so very hard, you couldn't even cut them with a knife.  Seriously!  I baked them way too long.  I wanted to make sure they were done because they were so big - they didn't look like they were browning much.  Bad mistake.  You know they're awful when kids won't even eat them!  LOL! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Illness ~

Looks like we're on the brink of the sniffles 'round here.  Again.  Charlie and Joseph both woke up many times Monday night.  I worry about Charlie since he gets all asthma-like.  A bit unsettling for this mommy.  I suppose being out in the freezing cold last night for softball practice didn't help matters much.  Where in the world is the warm weather!!!!????  I'm done with winter!  Done.

Hope you had a nice weekend.