A week ago today

I was sailing around the Bahamas. I had no idea what day it was.  Time was measured in the space between ice cream cones and kisses from my daughters.  I wanna go back!

Ocean blue

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tea Party

Monday holiday tea party. The girls decked out in their fanciest necklaces.  Pudgy hands gently clutching delicate tea cups.  Fancy napkins.  Mini sandwiches with the crusts cut off--peanut butter and jelly ones and salmon with cream cheese.  Hot chocolate with marshmallows for dipping.  Giggles.  Sisters being sisters. Moments like these are for keeping.

Weekly church foibles

We were late to church this morning.  Embarrassingly so.  Cheeks McGoo was having none of the whole sit nicely and be quiet thing, so Dear Husband and I took turns standing with her in the entryway.  Catholics call this part of the church the narthex. Crazy word, huh? Fortunately, there are lots of families at the church we attend and so there are usually a bunch of stray parents and kids hanging out in the entryway. 

I stayed in the church with Bee for the second half of the Mass. I saw my Husband and Cheeks at the end of the very long line going up to communion.  Cheeks looked particularly animated.  I shrunk down in my seat and watched warily.

Cheeks had decided that all the people in line for communion looked much like a line of people waiting for a bus.  (She has a particular affinity for buses.)  "Bus! Bus! Bus!" she called.  My husband whispered to her, "We're not getting on a bus, but communion is kind of like a bus to God."  Well, that did it.  For the rest of the Mass Miss Cheeks was calling out for the bus, her bus, any bus so that we could please get on board.  Yep, we're that family.

We told the priest after church and he laughed and laughed.  Heaven help us.

Snow!

No real accumulation today, but big fat flakes drifted by my window all afternoon. At one point I thought I might just stop working and curl up by the window with a cup of tea in had, but decided that perhaps wouldn't go over so well with the boss.

I did make hot chocolate though.  And tonight I am going to dream of a future snow day at home with the girls. 

Following yonder star

This weekend we celebrated Epiphany.  Miss Bee was so excited to sing "We Three Kings" at church this morning and follow along in her eponymous book.

We had pumpkin soup for dinner and Irish brown bread and I baked an almond galette for a special dessert.

While dear husband finished the soup, the girls made paper crowns in honor of those intrepid kings.  I was feeling very domestic and happily sat with them as they decorated their crowns with minimal squabbling.

Dinner was less successful. Both the girls wanted to wear their crowns while they ate.  Miss Bee's crown was too small for her head, and so she ate with one hand on her head and the other clutching her soup spoon.  Cheeks' crown was too big, and it kept slipping down over her eyes and falling off, which caused a considerable amount of drama.

Cheeks refused to nap this afternoon and so was overtired at dinner. She refused the soup, ignored the bread, and pretty much just ate grapes.   We put her to bed before dessert.  Miss Bee, on the other hand, had seconds of everything.

Despite this evening's mixed success, I hope 2012 can be a year where we bring faith home to the girls.  Whether it's celebrating a feast day, praying as a family, or just encouraging kindness, I hope that this year we can walk alongside those three wise men.