Terribly TERRIFIC Twos

On Saturday, March 9th we celebrated Luke's 2nd birthday.  We summoned all Luke's grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins, and even gr-aunts and gr-uncles for the gathering.  It was no black tie affair...in fact, per the wishes of the birthday boy it was a pajama party.  The menu included a fresh fruit salad, apples and caramel, waffles, homefries, 4 different quiches (1. southwestern crustless 2. sausage and cheese 3. spinach, mushroom red pepper, onion and parmesan and 4. italian squash and zucchini) and, of course, BACON!

It was a marvelous afternoon and evening and I know my joy carried me through the whole next week with smiles.  I must admit that I feel a little overwhelmed though with the pressure of all the birthdays yet to come. YIKES!  Pete and I are going to have to sit down and work out some sort of strategy otherwise life is likely to  just turn into One. Big.  Party.  ;-)

Men by the grill monitoring the bacon.  Where else would you find strapping young lads?

Aunt Kate and Uncle Andrew even made the trip from Philadelphia and rocked out the theme with leopard print and some Grinch pj pants.

Glesses past and present

Great Grandma and Grandpa Francis with the birthday boy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Riding in the wagon as the twins took turns taking laps

The G-pas and other guests with some silly grins

Singing the song two times of course as is the Francis tradition.  Sadly, I did not do any practice run throughs with blowing out the candles thinking that Luke's experience of extinguishing the advent wreath candles was enough training.  Needless to say, a little spittle was added to the icing on the cake :-)  But to "take the cake" in the bad parenting category...being all wrapped up in the food prep and cake decorating I failed to make sure our imaging devices had sufficient power.  Digital camera battery- DEAD!.....Video camera battery- DEAD! wah-wah.  Thank God for Grandma Schafer and her camera!

Up close of the cake before the party.  It was a fun project.  I was ecstatic when I found that Pat Catan's was offering a cake decorating class the Monday before Luke's birthday...phew...just in time.  When I showed up for class I soon learned that the course spanned over 4 weeks.  Luckily I learned enough basics and had enough time to accomplish this sweetie.  Banana Cake with Vanilla Pudding filling.  Not a single slice left which I considered a major plus since I've been making other goodies to practice and do homework for the decorating class.

Even Sr. John-Mark from Arizona made an appearance!

Aunt Lisa and Aunt Debbie sure know how to make a Lukester happy...books....

and Thomas the Tank Engine!!!!! Luke was literally shuttering with excitement.  Unfortunately, Luke didn't understand the phrase "Thank you" until Monday, March 11th.  You better believe we've got one polite two year old on our hands with Pwease, Tankt You, quse me-pardn me, and even No tankt you (i.e. Mommy: Come here Luke. Let's put your pants on.  Luke: No tankt you [with a nod of his head and puppy dog eyes])

Grandma Ans-jsi hanging out with the boys after the party

Uncles Andy and Stevie, Aunt Tess and Grandma enjoying some cake

Mommy and her little "munties".  Curious George is Luke's other favorite character.  Adorned with a mischievous grin, Luke even told a woman at Walsh that his name was George after Mass yesterday.

Uncle Matt, Uncle Joe and Uncle Denny and some of the Neadings even stopped by amidst their busy activity schedule on a Saturday afternoon.  Thanks Uncle Joe and Aunt Denise for providing the Donut appetizers!

As you can see, Luke was not the only one whooped after the party...Dozing with Uncle Andy.

Roadtrip!

Pete scored a day off at Hoban on Friday, February 16th because they had a long day on Thursday for conferences.  Since I work on Sunday mornings we took Friday and Saturday to visit some friends and family in Columbus.  Here's the itinerary in retrospect.  We made it up as we went:

11:30 - 12 noon : Leave the Canton homestead
2:00pm - stopped at rest stop to enjoy pack tuna salad sandwiches, fresh fruit, hummus, cheese and crackers
2:20pm- arrived at Morse street Columbus
2:30pm - Investigated Pete's cousin Heather's house thoroughly from the outside as large fluffy snowflakes filled the air and we wrote an extensive note so we could be tracked down later
2:45 pm- ventured back to Keely's house to chat and play with her awesome stash of children's toys including jigsaw puzzles of Curious George and Thomas the Tank Engine (two of Luke's favorites)
5:30 pm- Packed up Keely and the boys to pick up my brother Andrew in his third year at Ohio State to go to dinner
6:00pm- Arrived at Ellie's (my friend from high school) house for a homecooked meal of mac'n cheese (with applesauce), tasty green beans and other goodies where we also got to visit with Ellie's brother Joe, his wife Kelly and their son Clark who is a few months younger than Luke.
8:30pm- Pete leaves to drop off Andrew at work and returns to unload the van
10:00pm- Pete leaves to bring Keely back home
10:45 pm- Pete done driving for the night and we call it a night!

Saturday, February 16th
Wake up, quick photo shoot, and breakfast at Ellie's
10:00am- Meet at Heather's house for grand tour, conversation and formal introduction to Alex.  We left with unexpected gifts of homemade wine and Luke snagged Heather's copy of Disney's: The Jungle Book. (We'll try to get that back to you soon Heather)
11:30am- Pick up Andy at his apartment and go to Adriatico's for Pete's favorite nostalgic pizza experience
1:00pm- Milk stop for Luke
1:30 pm - Pick up Keely and head to COSI for lots of fun (much more than I remember in my girl scout days)
4:30pm -Depart COSI (did I mention how totally awesome it was?!?!?)
5:30 pm- Mass at St. Brendan the Navigator church in Hilliard where our friend Bonnie works now.  Unfortunately we weren't able to meet up with her :-(
7:00pm- Dinner at El Vaquero
8:30 pm-  Drop off Keely, Ice stop for Andrew before dropping him off
9:00pm - Depart Ohio's capital
11:37pm- Arrive home at Spangler safely

We enjoyed the trip immensely.  The boys were excellent and we are likely to make the trip again before too long.  Hopefully we can catch up with Aunt Blanche and Uncle Al and Bonnie next time.

Sorry Ellie...I had to include it since it was the only picture I had of Auggie and Pete for the weekend.  Not to thrilled by my own expression but you all can get a glimpse of my new frames that I got in December of 2012.  My old glasses were from my sophomore year in high school!

Water jets in the ocean exhibit.  Not sure who had more fun: Luke or Uncle Andy?

Chair lift at COSI

Sheer excitement:  Luke was thrilled by the various exhibits that employed jet streams of air or water especially.  Did you know that the average speed of ketchup leaving the bottle is 25 mph?!?!?

Come Lord Jesus

I know my antiphon doesn't exactly match up with the liturgical season.  Here we are smack dab in the middle of Lent and I'm just now posting about Christmas.

I blame it on my husband.

Truth be told I actually received one of my Christmas gifts today.  I'll give him a little more credit though since he actually tried to surprise me with it last night but his plan didn't quite work.

As you know from a previous post, I made him two t-shirt quilts and pillow shams to fit the bill of our gold, frankincense and myrrh framework.

My gold gift was a mini greenhouse which we planted seeds in last weekend and already have some healthy young sprouts of broccoli and cabbage, a single sprout in each of the pea, parsley, and tomato rows, and a "no-show" as of yet from the peppers and the lavender.  In addition to that, I received the game DABBLE which as you might guess is a cousin to Scrabble.  Pete and I have played a couple of rounds and I totally whipped his batooski. ;-)

For my myrrh/homemade gift Pete composed another verse to add to the song he wrote that we danced to on our wedding day. Forever Starts Today is the title of the song, or at least the one I'll use for now since the alternate title includes the forbidden "A" word at this time of year.  He also wrote a fun pictogram story in the style of I Can't Said the Ant one of his favorite childhood reads.

The daunting task of the first diaper change of the day this morning was interrupted by the curious envelope with my name on it tucked underneath a frame above the changing table.  Nevermind that there was never a frame above the changing table before but what can I say, I'm not exactly the most observant in the a.m.  Utilizing one of his strong points yet again Pete wrote a lovely letter which directed my attention to my frankincense/spiritual gift:  A framed print of the Madonna of the Streets.  It's amazing how God works...I'm pretty sure my grandmother had the same picture hanging in her living room in Rootstown and probably at the other homes thereafter but I remember it there the most.

All in all we had a Gloria in Excelsius Deo holy-day season celebrating with family and friends and thanking God for the many blessings of 2012.

The Reason for the Season

Luke and Augustine in the tent from Aunt Katie and Uncle Andrew.  Luke LOVES his tent.  In fact, he enjoys loading it up with this, that, and the other thing and of course invites any visitors we may have to check it out too.  We use this to our advantage and threaten to dismantle it when he is misbehaving in which case he straightens up rather quickly.

Indoor basketball hoop from the Snyders that helps Luke get his extra jumps out.  He certainly has a lot of extra jumps!

Augustine with his tag blanket from Aunt Debbie, Uncle Matt, Jacob, Nick and Nate.

Ocean play station from Grandma Francis

Luke's Gold Gift

Stockings by the fireplace

Our very first Christmas tree.  I got the stockings ready but overall Pete handled most of the Christmas decorations.  I insist on having a "real" tree.  Although, after contemplating it a bit I struck a moral dilemma realizing that the tree was cut down and then disposed of...I'm not sure I can jive with the idea of chopping down trees but we don't exactly have the space to get a balled tree we can plant after the festivities...thoughts anyone?

Seasonal Snapshots

Might as well start with the seasonings...  Don't worry, the subjects do get better.

BEFORE: Cacophony in the cupboard

AFTER: Salty, spicy, seasoning sweet  melody.  It's amazing what a $5 organizational rack and turntable will do to a spice cupboard much in need of a makeover.  One of those taunting tasks on the "to do" list that I finally got around to sometime in November.

Cake for Luke's feast day-previously mentioned but not pictured.  Simple yellow layer cake from scratch with chocolate frosting (best luck I've had with frosting yet) , sprinkled with almonds and a little bit of cherries on top for color.

Praline pumpkin torte which I'd been wanting to try for a while but was given the perfect opportunity when Jen Jab and Fr. Lehnard stopped by for a visit.  Yes, those are raspberries on top.  Apparently the previous cake took all the cherries I had.  Apricot almond chicken, noodles, and broccoli was the prelude.

Luke's new ride and his many co-pilots after hanging the clothes out in late October and enjoying the sunshine while it lasted.  Lucky for Luke this activity is transferable to the basement where he enjoys a thorough spin and slide in the laundry basket through my legs, under the table, and with plenty of bumpy roads and sound effects.

Preparing the pile.

High knees through the leaves.  He was quite tentative in exploring this new medium as he walked gingerly through the outskirts of the pile.

Little man's preference to toss the leaves in the air rather than run or jump through them.

Wouldn't sit still for a photo shoot so I added a little tickling and extracted a silly grin.  Luke Francis 21 months. He is quite the character and has a new found interest in "buod-ders" (aka boogers).  Don't worry folks, for Luke the novelty is in talking about them not extracting or consuming them :-).  Recently, we've been working on "boy" and "girl".  He is far from mastering the concept but it's oodles of fun to hear him say "boy" and "dir-dle" which sounds an awful lot like "turtle" as he shrugs his shoulders.

"Tamra" investigation.  Only still shot I got from the whole batch.

Hey there bright eyes.  Augustine John at two months.  The eyes are still blue and his hair is still dark.  Doctor seems to think his eyes will stay blue but we'll see.  I'm leaning toward the prediction that his hair will stay dark which I'm sure daddy won't mind.

Two month tummy time training session for tiny tot #2. Now almost a month later he's getting in an intense workout as he kicks his legs and twists for a windup to roll over and Guess what?! Guess what?! Guess what?! .................................. Today (1/4/2013) he pulled the banana on his buzzy chair all by himself! Woot! Woot!

Seriously mom....now?!!?  Can't you wait until I turn to my better side???

Sleep sack and  hat made for Augustine by my Godmother and Aunt.  Thanks Aunt Karen!  Can you make these in adult sizes? :-)

Capturing the cozy.  Other notes that register on the cuteness scale include the giggles and squirms that Augustine exudes when we take an outfit off or put a new one on on the changing table.  He has a very many tickle spots.  Augustine watches Luke like a hawk and is affectionately known as "Dust- tin".  Just yesterday, Augustine was letting out some serious yelps as Daddy was finishing up with Luke on the potty.  Once Luke got his pants on he ran into the other room, looked at Augustine in his bouncy chair and said a quick "Hi!" in a higher pitch voice and Augustine immediately stopped fussing.  Too bad mommy and daddy's efforts aren't rewarded with such a quick result.

Augustine John Schafer two month official statistics. 13 lbs. 13 oz. 23.5 inches long.  Harmless blood blister on top of head that appeared between 1st and 2nd month will likely disappear before age four.  Survived administration of five vaccines: one oral and 2 in each leg handled expertly by a team of nurses followed instantaneously by an eruption of tears and a fire red face.

Luke and the homestead.  If you look closely you might be able to see Yute's boots.  An eligible title for a Dr. Seuss tale if you ask me.  Those boots have gotten a bit of wear including sled riding at Grandma and Grandpa Francis's.

Our very own frosty with a pumpkin stem nose, onion set eyes, and a shell for a mouth.  Frosty is a new found celebrity in our household due to the cartoon Christmas classic but probably more appreciated thanks to Aunt Mary Rita's gift of a snowman container that shelters "tandy!!" and "teets".

Luke adding a helping hand in penguin, camo, and plaid.

High knees again.  Consistent in his workout regimen I guess.

Much to Grandma Francis's disdain we do indeed still have pumpkins on our porch.  Someday I'll find something to do with them whether it's a splattery physics experiment or gently stirring them in with the other garden compost for adding nutrients to the earth and likely some random pumpkin vines.

Excuses Excuses

In addition to starting a new job and raising two boys under two years of age, half of November and practically all of December was swallowed up by sneaking around and constructing Pete's Christmas present. We have a three gift formula modeled after the gifts presented to the baby Jesus by the magi.

Gold:  frivolous or expensive gift fit for a king
Frankincense: something to be used for spiritual purposes
Myrrh: something homemade

Here's what I came up with...

Gold and gems of ministry quilt

Close-up of Blue Base gold gift

Frankincense: Service Quilt

Red quilt zoom

Sham Wows

 I pulled Pete's mom into the project in mid-November when she attempted to drop off  some of Pete's t-shirts that he was storing at her house since we got married by saying, "So, I hear you've been saving t-shirts to make quilts for your kids someday.  What do you say about making one for Pete?"  And so the adventure began.

I am quite the amateur when it comes to sewing.  I don't even have a machine of my own so I borrowed my mother's and proceeded with the guidance of a small book that Cathy bought about t-shirt quilts made simple.  After rifling through Pete's closet and remaining t-shirt collection at his parents we acquired some 24 ministry t-shirts  or so from various conferences, mission trips, retreats, or events.  The original plan was to make one queen size quilt.  I wish I would have had a photograph of Cathy's face when I said, "I think we might as well just make two."  There was a momentary silence than an exclamatory, "Two!?!?" followed by a nervous giggle that dissipated quickly when she realized I was serious.

The workdays to follow were driven by the ongoing struggle between the intrigue of possible beauty of the finished product and accomplishment and the devastation of blundering, beyond repair, the beloved archive of a comfortable wardrobe.  I only wish I would have kept a journal of the various episodes to document some of the drama.  At this point, however, I shall only document some of the highlights and lowlights that contributed to the rollercoaster experience.

In no particular order...

Lowlight #1-  Keeping secrets from my husband.   I mean, I definitely wanted him to be surprised but it was very difficult to conceal so many joys and sorrows and laughs and frustrations from the person I am one with.


Highlight #1 - Pete's mom describing the adrenaline rush and saying "I feel like monk" during one of our many secret meetings while an unsuspecting daddy was away earning a living.

Lowlight #2- Realizing that there was a tangle in the bobbin thread that was messing up the stitching after the top of the 1st quilt was nearly complete.
 
Highlight #2  -Grandpa Schafer as the stealthy Subway supplier- taking orders, running out for sandwiches, and seriously helping to leave no traces of evidence by smuggling out wrappers and other incriminating remnants to be discarded elsewhere.


Highlight #3  - Making the pillow shams ALL BY MY SELF.

Lowlight #3  -  Hearing Pete say upon opening the third and final gift, "No.... Not the orange shirt."  (He assured me later that he was just joking but I'm not entirely convinced)

Highlight # 4 -Aunt "Yinda's" expression and exclamation as she and I were moving the extra table back under the stairwell when the creak and clatter of footsteps above announced that Pete arrived home earlier than expected.

Highlight #5 -Getting to know Pete's sister Lisa's in-laws better while having the privilege of using an open arm quilting machine Ed's father got for his mother many years ago

Lowlight #4  -Hearing the news of the Newtown, CT school shooting while working on the quilting at the Snyders.

Lowlight #5  -Ironing.... although it's growing on me.

Highlight #6   -Finishing the quilts entirely on  Monday, December 17th. A whole 8 days before Christmas.

Lowlight #6   - Neglecting some of my wifely duties or postponing them to a later date to have more time to work on the quilts.

Highlight #7   - Pete mentioning on the way over to his parents' to open his gifts, "It sounds like everyone knows about this gift except for me and my dad" and me, unable to contain the laughter, "You think you're dad doesn't know about it!!!!????!!"

Lowlight #7  - All the miscellaneous threads and random straight pins that littered the floor after any given workday.

Lowlight #8   - Realizing after completing both quilt tops that we had completed "the easy part"

Highlight #8   - Luke's strawberry jam contribution to the display.


Highlight #9   -My mom needing her sewing machine back to construct my dad's "costume" for the Gospel choir concert days before the big party workday which included Aunt Linda coming from Medina.

Lowlight #9   - Cutting one of the larger square sets too small and needing to add extra fabric to correct the mistake

Highlight #10  - Meandering...the quilting pattern that I used that isn't really a pattern at all.

Highlight #11   - Taking advantage of Small business Saturday and getting a discount at A Quilters Haven

Lowlight #10/Highlight #12  - Hearing the skepticism and doubt of Aunt Linda's swimming friends as she relayed the saga and intentions of my project in addition to the fact that I have two young boys and succeeding regardless.

Highlight #13   - After intentionally wrapping the two quilts in different shaped packages to draw out the novelty and the "big reveal" Pete's dad says nonchalantly after the first quilt is opened, "Wait 'til you see the other one."

Highlight #14   - Spending quality time with family, united for a common cause.

Highlight #15    - the finished product(s) to bring comfort and warmth and suitable adornment for the boys' bunk beds someday.

Back to the Grind

I've drawn it out far too long I know.  Any suspense or anticipation has fizzled out I'm sure and finally posting this now will probably be rather anticlimactic. But I promised.


I have a job.



Pray for me.



The week after Thanksgiving I started working at Little Flower Catholic Parish.  It's actually the parish Pete grew up in and Grandma Schafer works there too as the sacristan.  For all those that are fans of "The Office"-  I am the Assistant TO THE Director of Religious Education and unlike Dwight am quite satisfied with the humble title.  Unfortunately, right now I am the Assistant to the DRE that doesn't exist.

When I first signed up for the gig it was rather exciting because I would be assisting our friend Bonnie who Pete knows from his college days at Ohio Dominican and I got to know when I started working in ministry in 2007.  I could work a MAXIMUM of 20 hours a week, pretty much set me own hours except for Sunday mornings when the Religious Ed classes are happening, and bring Augustine along since he is pretty much at the eat and sleep phase.  Since Cathy is already at the church for Mass in the mornings I bring Luke along and pass him off to Grandma and Grandpa for one "long day" a week and otherwise set the hours so that I leave once Pete gets home from work to watch the boys.

Less than a week before I was supposed to start Bonnie called me up to let me know that she got a new job and would be moving to Columbus- which was and is GREAT especially since Bonnie's parents, sisters and brother-in-laws, and growing number of nieces and nephews are all in Columbus.  Still, it's a little bittersweet since I wouldn't be working with Bonnie after all and her dedication and contribution from all her years a Little Flower will be missed.  Part of the conversation I had with Bonnie that day was that I could "opt out" since there would be quite a bit of change in the near future.  Scary as it may be,  Bonnie and I both agreed that God certainly had a plan in the making and it was beginning to unfold. So I decided to stick around and see how it all panned out.

As usual though, I am reminded  and humbled by the fact that God does not work on our time.  God works on God's time.  And so, this Sunday, January 6th Religious Education classes start back up at Little Flower Catholic Parish where there is still no DRE and I, the lowly Assistant to the DRE, am clocking in my hours, strictly monitored by my husband not to exceed twenty, and attempting to keep things functioning somewhat smoothly until a new DRE is hired.  I'm enjoying the work so far and it seems to fit rather nicely with family life with some minor adjustments like attending Mass on Saturday evening rather than Sunday morning, and instituting some crock pot meals.  But plain and simple, there is NO WAY that I could do all that is necessary in 20 hours a week and there is NO WAY that I am giving up more time away from my little men, Luke and Augustine, nor my big man Pete.

I'm managing a tiny bit of stress in wondering when a new DRE will be hired, who it will be and whether or not we will work well together- that is where  I  need your prayers.  But other intentions are welcome for the applicants, the selection process, and the parish.  And...it's not too late so if you know of someone that might be interested they can check out the job posting at  this link and scroll down to the bottom of the page for specifics or send me an email for more information.