Monday, March 18, 2013

Seven Quick Takes

- 1 -

So yesterday we arrived at church without incident or crisis. Everyone presentable. All relationships intact. No one wailed, "I'm not getting a donut!" No one yelled, "How much longer?" The most notable comment was Ainsley whispering, "I wanna peace Amanda! I wanna peace Amanda!" after the handshake of peace was over, and she had missed our friend in the row behind us.

Please make note of this momentous achievement.

- 2 - 

We have an ongoing fight in the van. Okay, we have any number of ongoing fights in the van, but one of these makes me smile. John typically sits in the way back, Ainsley in the middle. They quarrel over who gets to sit next to Tim.

Tim is top flight as big brothers go -- kind, funny, willing to play cars far longer than Mom, always remembering who get dibs on Tim and being extra kind to the disconsolate one.

- 3 - 

One of the van wars is the perpetual fight over who rides shotgun. Now when I'm making cookies, Ainsley and John fight over who gets shotgun -- shotgun apparently being the five inches of counter-top closest to the wall. Do not ask me why those particular five inches are superior to the ones ten inches to the left. They just are.

Ainsley riding shot gun.

- 4 -

"Is there still  pirate treasure?" John asks me one morning, "Cause I'm going to find some."

- 5 -

When we learned last summer that John's eyesight wasn't up to snuff, I immediately panicked at the thought of trying to keep glasses on a four-year-old. Been there, done that with Tim. John is a bird of a different feather. He sleeps in them; he bathes in them.






















- 6 -


 John occasionally makes it out of the van at the morning drop-off without kissing me goodbye. Ainsley finds this nothing short of scandalous.

"Mama, when I'm in kindergarten," she tells me with sweet earnestness, "I'll always kiss you goodbye."

I plan to hold her to this.


- 7 -

Ainsley likes to play with John's spelling flash cards.

"Pah pah eye eye, pie,"she says, piecing the P, I, and E cards together.

"She read that," her doting father tells me with pride and amazement in his voice. "Did you hear that. She read that!"

"Um, yeah, well, the letters form a picture of a pie, honey," I tell him gently.

He's unconvinced. Ainsley then puts J-E-T together and says, "Air air air puh puh lane. Airplane!"


Don't burst Daddy's bubble. I'm a prodigy!
Head over to Jen's and add your Quick Takes.



Saturday, March 16, 2013

Parade Pictures for the Grandmas and the Aunts




Green

Cari is collecting photos featuring the color green. I mostly struck out on this one. Not much is green at the moment, but in a week or two all of Augusta will be colorful. 

Here's a green pirate:


And from the archives, here's a bald and somber Ainsley clearly enjoying her first Saint Patrick's Day:



Head over to Clan Donaldson and add your photos.




Thursday, March 14, 2013

All I Need to Hear

The kids are sitting around discussing their favorite people.

Kolbe: My favorite person is Jesus.

Ainsley: Mary.

John: Timmy!


Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Habemus Papem!

Taking the name of one of my favorite saints, we have:




Pope Francis I!



Come, Holy spirit!

Fill the hearts of your faithful.

Enkindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. 

And you shall renew the face of the earth.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

File This Under Ironic




"Mama," Ainsley comes wailing to me. "John called me a tattletale!"




Monday, March 11, 2013

Please Pray

Our dear friends lost their fifteen-year-old nephew and cousin yesterday. Nick was in an accident Saturday afternoon and died Sunday afternoon.