What's Up Wednesday?

 A lot has happened since I've checked in here but also not a lot at the same moment. 

Last week M face-planted on the sidewalk after school. She got to my office a bloody screaming mess. 

I thought she broke her nose and knocked out some teeth. She didn't. Just some good decent scrapes. 

But now a full week later she has healed very well! Her lip is back to normal and the tip of her nose. The bridge, under her nose and philtrum, still has some healing to do but she is much improved. 

I went to Wisconsin for my annual girl's trip and took very few pictures except my Magners that was on tap on the way up. 

And this picture off the sun porch. 

Spring has done that terrible thing where it was 80 last week then it got cold and snowy again. Now it's trending back up but still annoying and not yet warm. 

While I was gone the kids went to see the Mario movie. They really liked it. And now we sing the Peaches song all day. 

Husband had a birthday! 

We went out to dinner and had DQ Ice Cream Cake to celebrate. 

First off, these flowers are delightfully MN Vikings colors. And secondly, I just love their name. Frizzle Sizzle Lemonberry Pansy. 

Yesterday M had her first communion photo shoot. Because I know I am going to be BUSY that day and weekend and I want nice pictures. I can't wait to see them! (We decided to go ahead with the photo shoot and knew Photoshop could help fix her face.) 

Here's a selfie she took when we got home. You can see how her face has improved quite a bit! 

And that's what's going on with us! Busy weekend ahead with First Communion Retreat and the kid's show! 

Blue, Yellow, Red, Come Get Fed!

 Friday was the STEM fair! C's project was called Blue, Yellow, Red Come Get Fed: Which Color Bird Feeder Attracts the Most Birds.

He did a nice job on his project and we are very proud of him! 

We bought 3 identical bird feeders in three colors. He hypothesized blue would be the most popular because everyone talks about blue light from screens. 

Each feeder was filled with black oil sunflower seed and hung on the garage in a spot where squirrels could not get to them. 

He weighed them periodically and rotated them too. Blue actually was the most popular color but not by a ton... turns out birds just like to eat. 

But the project was fun because we got to watch birds and now we have a ton of birdseed for the season and some cheerful feeders!

I am not going to lie, I am not sad this project is over. It was a lot of work honestly. But hey, he got a good grade and all is well! 

The Longest Short Week

This was the longest short week right?! 

Well, it was for us. The next few weeks are a whirlwind over my way. But the weather is gorgeous for now and I am incredibly thankful for that. 

Monday was a day off for most of us. So we went to visit Husband at work. 

And we finally got to see the Arctic 3D movie we had promised for Spring Break. 

Later that evening we drove to visit some old blogger friends! Marie! (From Joy Beyond the Cross) And she was just as delightful as she was in 2015!

Bonus! The kids got on thick as thieves. M and K are going to be pen pals! Which I love. 

Tuesday M had her first soccer practice. 

C finished up his STEM fair project so we had to order all the pictures. Here's a preview. The fair is today so expect some pictures and a recap of his project soon. 

Wednesday was chalice painting day. For the past 28 years or something dramatic, the second graders paint a keepsake chalice for First Communion. I was not about to let that tradition die on my first year on staff! 

And it was a success. 46 chalices were painted. None broke when they were in my care. And now after they're glazed and fired I just have to get Father to bless them and they'll be ready for pickup! Well... actually one guy wasn't feeling well so he has to go to the pottery place and do his and then we will be all set. 

Yesterday was our staff retreat. The views couldn't be beaten. 

The company was fantastic. But I didn't think we were as productive as we could have been. 

And now it's Friday. This weekend is going to be a busy one but that's okay. 

Happy Easter!

Alleluia! Happy Easter my friends! 

Our weekend was spent well. 

Friday we babysat my coworker's little boy. The kids had a delightful time with him. 

On Saturday we spent the bulk of the day working on C's STEM fair project. But we still had time to dye eggs. 

We got the baskets all ready to roll after the kids went to bed and I streamed no fewer than 4 different Vigils. I am quite glad we didn't attend one in person this year for various reasons.

Husband took this picture of Mary seemingly holding our daffodils. 

Easter morning came and it was a beautiful day! 

We went to Mass. And we enjoyed it. 

We came home and celebrated some more. There was playing outside, snoozing, talking to family, eating a delicious meal together. 

Don't you worry, we had some of our traditional Bunny Butt Cookies too!

It was a delightful Easter. 

Here We Go

And we've made it. Tonight we begin the Triduum and I am so very thankful. 

The storms on Tuesday were not good. Lots of damage. Lots of hail and tornados. Look at the size of the hail at my old office. Which for the record is simply 3 miles north, almost in a perfectly straight line. 

That's not tiny. But it is shaped like a heart with a cross in it. This basically makes it holy week hail in my opinion. Thankfully, our home and vehicles were spared any major upsets in this round so for as crazy as the last week and a half have been... a power-knocking snowstorm into tornados and crazy thunderstorms two separate times... we were truly very lucky. 

I was able to spend some time with Jesus in Adoration this week. And how my heart needed that. 

M's second grade class made their traditional Last Supper mural. It's like the first true group project for these kids because it's 3 kids per disciple. (The other second grade class also creates the mural.) And they have to figure it out. What colors, facial expressions, etc. 

I am super biased but I think my girl's disciple is the absolute best one up there. 

The second grade also led Stations of the Cross on Tuesday afternoon. They were meant to be on Friday but of course the early out for the storms forced them to be rescheduled 

Today there are more holy week school activities to see. And tonight, we will go to Mass and sing the Gloria loudly. 

I will see you on the other side of Easter my friends. Blessed Triduum to you all! 

April Showers

So. The storms on Friday were pretty good and severe. There was even a 2-hour early out to make sure everyone was home and they closed after care. (That's how you know it's serious.) Luckily, we didn't sustain much damage. There were widespread tornados and the tornado warning was fairly lengthy, however. Lots of opportunities for prayer. 

I am not going to discount the fact that when we got home, I holy watered our big tree, the garage and the lawn things that wouldn't fit in the garage. I also hung a rosary on our front door as I went about preparing. (Which basically consisted of putting the external battery and some flashlights in the basement.) 

When all was said and done, the yard looked like this. But, no major damage, and for that I am thankful!

My parents were in town this past weekend too. I had very specifically told them to get to town early to beat both the blizzard they were having (They've gotten 98 inches of snow this year. 98. Not a typo.) and our severe weather. They did in fact beat the severe stuff and got to hang with us during all the warnings and fun. 

They also went to take C to get a new snail. I am pleased to introduce you to Sheldon. He is going to eat all the algae and gosh darn it has he done a bang-up job so far. He is like a little roomba in a shell let me tell you. 

And Waldo doesn't mind him one bit. 

And it's Holy Week. Which feels like a lot this year. Lent was very Lenty but also I can see all the good that came from it. 

Today we are expecting nearly identical storms to Fridays. I am hoping that we can skip the tornados this time. I am not holding my breath that M will have her first soccer practice though.