Triduum

I say this all the time, but I am all about tradition. Lucky for me, Catholicism is all about the tradition as well. This year, we added a Seder-esque meal on Holy Thursday. In the process, my girls became obsessed with matzah bread. I have swept up a whoooole lot of matzah crumbs in the last few days.

On Good Friday we made our traditional hot cross buns (and taught Colette the song while she waited desperately for them to bake and cool). We didn't make it to Good Friday services this year (different seasons, right? Hopefully next year), but we did do the Stations of the Cross at prayer time. Doing the stations are one of Anni's favorite things. It melts my heart every time we tell her we're going to pray them and her face lights up.

Then, of course, was our Holy Saturday tradition of dyeing eggs. One of our favorite people joined us, which is good since it took every extra hand available to keep a certain three-year-old from cracking every last egg. I mean, there are some definite cracks from the moment when she knocked over the container with every last dyed egg in it, but it could have been worse.

We had the prettiest eggs ever this year, thanks to my sister's visit (she brought five dozen eggs from their chickens with her, yum!)

Waiting is hard. Maybe that's the lesson in dyeing eggs on Holy Saturday.

Also, don't worry, Mlada was part of the fun as well. In between her less than lengthy naps, there were snuggles with our dear friend, and big smiles with big sister. (Every time Anni talks in her vicinity, the smiles emerge. Sisterly love!)

Anni's dragon egg, the last one to be finished, also won the coolest egg award. All kinds of fun crackles and layers of colors. I love having kids and getting to see all of their creations!

It's almost Easter! I hope your preparations have been lovely... there's so much beautiful anticipation around here tonight!

Lent.

The day before Ash Wednesday, I was all pumped. You know, because, I had great plans, but was still getting to revel in MardiGras. We made it to Mass before Daniel headed off to work (where Colette repeatedly, and in her very clear little voice, searched the congregation for Taw-we and Aunt Tinie). I, of course, was a total wuss about fasting for my first time in a few years (neither pregnant or nursing). But, I made it. 

This morning we got out our purple cloths for the prayer table, and the girls had a little too much fun cuddling the statue of Mary while I got the cloths on (thank goodness, no damage done). 

Then, after considering it last year and never getting around to setting it up, I managed to get a sacrifice jar all set up... only one day into Lent! Woo! The girls are mildly obsessed with it, which works in my favor, as they are, albeit briefly, excited about helping with little chores and helping each other.

Colette can't resist putting at least two in anytime she gets near the jar. It drives Anni crazy, but I think it's pretty adorable.

Daniel and I are trying to up our prayer game and start saying night prayer together, like we did when we were first dating and I was on Crossroads. The girls are giving up screen time, which means I'm giving up some quiet time in the afternoon. It's a good thing, but I think it's going to be as hard on me as it on them (is it bad to admit I like quiet time? I'm an introvert!) I'm also giving up sugar, which holy moly, I didn't think through. Here's to turning to God instead of chocolate on the rough days (she says as she longingly pictures her favorite chocolate bar). Here's to Lent, friends, may your sacrifices bring you closer to Christ.

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday is such a day of anticipation.  Sure, for the apostles, it was a day of crippling fear, but for us?  We know.

We know that Christ died for us yesterday, but we also know that tomorrow, tomorrow Christ rises again.

Tomorrow there is a celebration.

A feast.

Because Christ died and rose again.

 

For us.

Good Friday

Daniel and I feel a little guilty that we enjoy hot cross buns so much.  I think it's mostly that I only make them once a year, on Good Friday, and a little bit that we both just really like simple, sturdy, meals.  Anni declared them to be her favoritest food ever.  I am grateful we are nearing the end of our Lenten journey for the year, but glad for what a struggle it was.  Anni's joyous anticipation for Easter (both the celebration and treats, and that, as she puts it, "JESUS COMES BACK!") has been good for my soul, thirsting as it is for Christ. 

Lundi gras!

While mardi gras may be tomorrow, we went to a great pre-party tonight with Daniel's team at his boss' place. 

I love Daniel's team - he's technically part of a three-person web team, but they often team up with the digital campus on awesome projects.  Projects liiiike this sweet lenten one: lentsanity.  

Want help remembering not to eat meat on Fridays?  Don't worry, there's an app for that.  There are also reflections, an illustrated guide on lenten fasting and abstinence, and, well, the meat police video.  There's no really good way to explain that one, but you should watch.  Anyway, the digital campus and web team put in a lot of work helping with this project, so, please check it out! 

Anyway, good times, delicious food, kiddos chasing each other like mad, and sweet Colette way overtired by the end of the night. 

I wasn't paying enough attention and realized we missed a team member while she was playing with the babies... so, not a perfect photo, but every last one of them are awesome!

  

Just a little bit of everything...

Lest you think I am spending all my time on the organization challenge, be assured, I'm not naturally organized enough to spend  more than a few minutes a day cleaning out and then a fewish minutes once Anni is in bed dealing with it all.

Soon after we got home from our jaunt to Wichita, Anni realized she was kind of sick of having only mommy, and proceeded to cry great big, toddler screams as she lunged at the door when Daddy left for work.  Mommy is no substitute for Daddy, because Daddy makes up for the time he missed while we were gone by being full of energy and generally hilarious, something Mommy isn't the best at in these days of fatigue and general blah-ness.  Thank goodness for Daddy! 

She later imitated the laundry basket races with her baby... she thinks it's hilarious to see herself having fun on video!  (As she said, "'gain!  'gain!" as in, play it again!)

There was bed jumping that I couldn't watch for the most part; my heart nearly stopped every time she stepped even remotely close to the edge.

We had some friends over (and skipped a day of organizing for a day of frenzied scrubbing and cleaning of all of the places visitors could see).

Nonna came over, too, which was good, because Anni had been requesting various family members with fervor since we left.  (It tends to go something like this, "Tinie?  Tinie?  Uncle Tinie?  Dimmy!!  HI DIMMY!  Gramma?  Taweeeeeeee.  Nonna?  Papa?)  Since Nonna and Papa actually live nearby, she got some good cuddle time in with them both.  When she wouldn't eat dinner, brush her teeth or lie still to put jammies on?  Nonna was able to get her to do all of the above (and do them well)!  It was all very impressive.  I need some of the extra grandma sweetness she saves for her Nonna and Gramma!

And when my sweet friend Sarah came over to do crafty things and discuss art and beauty, Anni pulled out the cuddling again.  I've been surprised at how willing she was this week to go to people other than Daniel and I (like I said, just a wee sick of momma I think, until today, today she was thrilled with me again).

Oh!  And I guess we've officially entered into Lent at this point, but we celebrated Mardis Gras with a homemade pizza and some fun snacks.  Anni and Daniel were going to hang out with some friends ("Don Paul!  Don Paul!" was the name shouted throughout the house all day today.), but unfortunately, "Don Paul" wasn't feeling very well, so we had to drown that sorrow in making pizza.  Anni was quite adept at cheese sprinkling, and I slowly worked off the coat and boots she had had on in preparation for her play date without too much sadness.

Onto Lent!  I'm actually pretty excited for it, I think there's a sense of freedom in relearning self-control in areas that are difficult.  Happy Day, friends!

Lenten Sacrifice

It's finally Lent!  Maybe it's something in my design, but I crave the structure of Lent.  I admit, I'm really not good at changing my routine and how I do things, so this will be good for me.  We decided that as a family, we're only going to eat a single serving size of things (and by "as a family," I mean Daniel and I.  Anni can eat as much grub as she wants).   That is so hard for me.  I just like to eat.  Tonight when I measured out how much pasta a serving was, I realized I eat far more than a serving on a regular basis.  It is definitely a good lesson in self control and sacrifice for us.  I'm also working on integrating a deeper prayer life into my daily life as a mama.  That is a continual project :).  I planned on this being much more introspective than it is, but that's okay.