Easter Reflection

I'm sure that when I started this draft I had some particular comments about the Easter season to make, some mini revelations to share, questions to ask, and responses to await.  Perhaps now that we've observed the  Ascension and the Risen Christ has been swept up into the clouds all is lost?  But wait!....there's still hope...Enter Holy Spirit!
I suppose then that I'll rely on the oft-forgot third person of the Trinity to guide the flow of this post.  Not until I was beyond college and more mature in my faith did I recognize and acknowledge the movement and reality of the Spirit.  It's not unlike the mischievous grins of young lads- innocent and free yet luring you in and screaming whispers of I know something you don't know!

Pete and I make a concerted effort to make Easter special.  After all, it is the high point of the Catholic liturgical year.  Despite the Easter bunny appearances, razzle-dazzle-me eggs, fake grass stuffed baskets, and bulging bins of pastel colored delectables I think it is fair to attest that Easter is less commercial than the wonderful, yet admittedly less important Christian feast of Christmas. 

On the flip-side, Christmas is a bit more easy to explain to the children.  I mean, it's Baby Jesus's birthday.  Explaining the journey of Mary and Joseph and the manger scene can be rather fun and entertaining with knocks on doors and animal noises.  The bright, shiny star will likely grab the attention of all- old/young, boy/girl, rich/poor, shepherd/king- much like it did in the gospel accounts.

Easter, though, is made most glorious in light of the challenge and brutality of Lent- oppression, starvation, temptation, condemnation, abandonment, betrayal, torture, and death.  Pain, suffering, and death are not particularly pleasant topics to explain to children.  I'm sure they can understand sadness and hurt but the concept of ceasing to exist, on the physical plane, is perplexing and even difficult to talk about among adults.

We prayed the Stations of the Cross regularly throughout Lent.  Luke and Augustine took part as well as I served as an interpreter/narrator.  This may have been a more valuable experience for me as Luke questioned, "But why do they want to hurt Jesus?"

"Because they are afraid of him."

"But why are they afraid of him?"

"Because they don't want him to have more power than them."

"Why do they want more power?  Why is his mommy crying?   Why do they take off his clothes? Why does Jesus bleed? Why do they put him in a big rock?

Conversations about death and dying with a three year old....hmmmm???  I was earlier challenged by similar scenes painted in the Children's Bible-  murderous story of brothers Cain and Abel,  the flood, Abraham standing over his son with a blade ready to sacrifice him to God, Pharoah's orders to drown baby boys that were of Hebrew descent...  Are these really appropriate stories to read to a child before bedtime?  The one page rendition typically launched us into a series of questions and answers that led to even more questions.  Let's just say I was relieved when we made it to the New Testament.

I resisted the urge to censor the stories or more simply skip pages.  After all, this is our faith. Our salvation history.  Our relationship with God is critical in the face of adversity, perhaps even moreso than when we experience the rainbows and olive branches.

I had started getting more comfortable as the questions and conversations about suffering and death continued through Lent...even welcoming the opportunity to further explore and meditate upon this very real and necessary part of life.  Influenced by Luke's optimism and light-heartedness, I can't help but giggle inside when he enthusiastically comments at various times while driving past cemetaries...

"Hey, mom!...That yoots yite a pretty dood place to be buried at!"

Not long after all this was settled in come the resounding Alleluias.  Glory to God!!!! He is Risen!!!!

And here come more questions....namely : HOW DOES HE COME BACK TO LIFE? BUT WHY?

This of course...is what Easter is all about.  Life after death. God's presence and love and  relationship with us that is out of this world, beyond human restrictions of time and space. Eternity. FOR-EV-VER!

I'm still working on formulating explanations of the resurrection and it gets even more sticky when we are on a midday stroll to the library and I perhaps mistakenly choose to point out the dead squirrel in the road to use it as a teachable moment about being careful, looking both ways, holding a hand, and following rules when near the road so we don't get squashed dead.  To which Luke responds,
"Well why doesn't the squirrel just come back to life?" 
"Come back to life?" I ask for clarification.
"Yeah. Like Jesus did."

Sigh.

I think I'll have to tackle more on the resurrection another day.  Now on to some lighter happenings of the Easter season.

We went with a carmel theme.  Our Lady of Mount Carmel prayer cards, and homemade Carmel Corn, Turtles, and Carmel apples with multiple toppings for gifts for our family.  Delicious!

Wrapped up all pretty with ribbon and labeled with tags made with the Cricut.

Adding a little sparkle.

Oh so pretty!

Snacking on, yes, sprinkles before the Easter Vigil.  The Vigil went rather well after the boys got over the initial disappointment that they ran out of candles to pass out to the congregation.  Luckily, some nice women sitting nearby allowed our boys to blow out their candles at the allotted time which resulted in happy and calm.

Augustine on Easter morning.  Perhaps a little sleepy after all the Holy Week festivities including the Easter Vigil. 

Luke putting the eggs all in one basket.

Large Francis family gathering.  Luke and Augustine are getting to be pros at the Easter egg hunt deal.

Getting ready for the go sign for the Schafer side egg hunt.

Schafer grandkids

Celebrating Pa-pa Schafer's birthday with some pie and ice cream.

Augustine getting buddy buddy with the birthday boy and helping himself.

Let the Games Begin!

Here! here! to the second wind! And praise God for wonderful men like my husband that allow mommy to take a four hour evening nap while tending to the children and finishing up dishes and laundry, getting an estimate on a new countertop and proceeding to scrub the walls prepping for paint.  I plan to assist shortly but am attempting to knock out this "must do" before baby #3's arrival. 

Make it worth it people!

Send in those guesses!

Provide us with some mild entertainment to offset the anticipation and angst of when this little booger is going to arrive!

I'm providing some pictorial evidence and written testimony for those that prefer to make informed guesses or draw reasonable conclusions.  However, all responses, regardless of color, race, gender, religion, age, randomness, or silliness will be considered.   On the other hand - the UPPER hand- remember that this is a family based forum and that we are talking about a human here.  A little PERSON.  A vulnerable child imbued with and deserving of dignity and respect from the moment of conception.  Now that we've established the rules and regulations, here's what we need from you.  Please submit your guesses in the comments or reply to the email in which I sent the link to the blog.  Depending on your mode of submission you may have to include your name (especially if you want to receive a prize).

Your guess should include:
A.) Baby's name (first and middle)
B.) Boy? or Girl? (Let's face it folks, given the names and trends of the times it's not as easy to distinguish male/female based on name choice)
C.) Proposed birthdate
D.) Weight and Length
E.) Any other tidbits, advice, or anecdotes you choose to add.

 Following are the "bump" pictures and some points for comparison. Despite popular thought, this pregnancy deal has not become "old hat" or "eh" (insert shoulder shrug here).  And I wouldn't say that we've neglected photo opportunities or attention to number three, but admittedly, have not been as consistent with sharing periodic updates so, alas, you will have to deal with the gushing out-pour of information.
 
The lovely photo at the onset of the post was to reveal my now, "not-so-new" do.  I got my ponytail lopped off the Monday of Holy Week after a comment from Pete over the weekend along the lines of "Wow, your hair is getting long." as my hair tickled his hands during a midwaist hug not too long before I had to make the transition to sideways hugs given the growing prominence of our child.  It turned out a little shorter than I originally intended but I wanted to make sure there were no questions asked regarding length for donation.  I only wish I would have had a video recording of Luke's reaction as I pulled the ten inch braid out of the bag once arriving home ;-) !!!  Alright, enough about me...well, sort of...baby and me are still QUITE attached!

#3 in Cinci

#3 at 24 weeks 5 days

We had our first ultrasound at 21 weeks and a follow-up at 25 weeks since they didn't get a good look at the spine because of baby's position at the first ultrasound.  The whole family came for the first ultrasound.  Luke was somewhat amused by the "movie" and Augustine exclaimed "Bay-bee!" once but mostly needed coaxed to sit still by concentrating on extracting fruit snacks from the package.  Luke insists that we are having a girl, "Be-tuzz I already have a brother."  Personally,  at the second ultrasound, just me, baby, and the tech,  I was getting some pretty strong vibes that we had boy #3 but at week 30 was probably leaning more toward girl.

Number three sits differently.  Lower it seems.  I've experienced much less heartburn and discomfort after meals but squatting down or putting on socks and shoes seems so much more difficult.  Maybe this means girl.  Maybe this means, this here thirty year old body is a little more stretched out third time around.

Three at thirty three

#3 at 33weeks

36 week mark for numero tres

Measurements seem to be "right on".  Official due date is June 30th. Net weight gain since first prenatal appointment equals 13.6 pounds.  Baby's heart rate has been around 147-150 consistently throughout when monitored at appointments but rested at 137 at my most recent appointment. (You know, for the whole 3 seconds they let you listen).  Baby moves A LOT and seems to have much more pokey elbows, knees, and butt than Luke and Augustine.  Particularly with Augustine I would feel him turn somersaults or shift completely from side to side.  This one seems to make pointed protrusions as a concentrated lump moves up, down, or across my belly.  This baby also likes to "tickle" me under my ribs or give me periodic jabs under the protective cage.

Pete says, "I'm stickin' with girl. I've got to be right one of these times."  Not necessarily buddy.

3rd shift with 3rd gift (36 weeks). After hours photo shoot with fading smile and drooping eyes not looking forward to yet more sanding.

Monday, June 9th marks the 37 week mark for baby #3.  I'm ready but the house is not.  Currently all of our living room furniture is smooshed into the center of the room.  We've spent the last two days sanding (UGH!) the walls and woodwork and hope to carefully and majestically slap some paint on for a new look soon. Soon. SOON!  We've already made a formidable transformation of the kitchen and have plans to revamp the two bedrooms on the main floor as well (Can we say, NESTING?!?!).  This brings with it alternating currents of cognition, "Baby, are you coming yet?"  and "Well, maybe you should wait a little longer." Followed by a burst of motivation to pick up the sanding block yet again.  (Did I mention that I HATE sanding?)

Some points for comparison and reminiscing of days gone by.

Augustine 34 weeks ; Luke 1.5 years

Augustine @ 39 weeks

Luke at 31 weeks

Luke on Valentine's day 2011 approx. 34 weeks

Ideally,  by my book, baby Schafer #3 will arrive sometime between June 14th and June 20th, but we all know that I'M NOT IN CHARGE.  I did, however, cut one of the two pineapples on the top of our fridge for dinner tonight and Pete has gotten into the habit of asking "Does this induce labor?" suspicious of my thoughts, actions, and deeds.

Family photo at the hotel pool

Summer reading session with the boys- Pete (aka Daddy-O or Uncle Pete) Luke, Augustine, and George. June 3rd 2014.

What's it gonna be?  Does the photo above foreshadow the future events and lap occupants of Mr. Schafer? Or will we be honored with a double "X" partner in crime to "balance out" our previous blessings?

Love Birds

Today is our four year wedding anniversary.  No big plans really.  Just peppering the day with reminiscent moments and nostalgic treats.  We are hoping to ship off Luke and Augustine for a good portion of the weekend so that we can do some major painting (basically the whole main floor of the house).  I might be starting the "nesting" phase already or it's obvious that even though painting isn't exactly easy with two little boys running around, it won't get easier by throwing a third child into the mix!  I'm on a bit of a roll today in finally getting some blogs published.  Hopefully there will be more coming soon and I don't overwhelm the readers.  It would, however, be lovely to hear from you out there.  Here's the agenda for this post. I'm most particularly interested in any feedback you have to offer on part "D".

A. Some photos from the wedding
B. Tribute to other lovebirds
C. Mothers' Day
D. Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds

                             A.

 vows and thereabouts

Exiting Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel as Mr. & Mrs.

Awwwwwwww

Brides and Bridegrooms

May 15th is quite the popular day.  Birthday shout out to our guests Scott and Christy and Happy Anniversary to Bill and Helen and Ed and Janet!

Forever Starts Today (Amen. Alleluia!)  The song Pete wrote for us to dance our "first dance".  It was wonderful yet awkward since it was 7 minutes long.  I was going to try and post the MP3 for you all but haven't figured it out yet.

Newlyweds and Oldlyweds

B. Pete and I feel especially blessed because our parents are still married and only married once. My parents celebrated their 32nd anniversary on March 20th and Pete and his siblings organized a big shindig for their parents' 45th anniversary who got married on April 26th.  We started the celebration at 11am Mass at Little Flower Parish where Pete grew up and his parents still attend.  We packed a "picnic" lunch then went to the Akron Rubber Ducks baseball game.  Then we all went to Matt and Debbie's for dinner, cake, and hanging out.  The Mr. and Mrs. we were honoring knew of the festivities but didn't realize the extent of the guest list.  Siblings and friends traveled from afar to join in the fun.  Thank you to everyone that helped honor Matt and Cathy and their commitment to God, the sacrament of marriage, and their family.

Our own party spot in section 1/2

The boys meet the duck

Good food.  Good company.  Good times!

The happy couple displaying the commemorative framed "card" and hopefully viewing this blog from their new laptop computer ;-)

C.  As a combined celebration of my mother-in-law's birthday and Mothers' Day.  We invited Grandma and Grandpa Schafer over for dinner last Friday.  We had nutty stuffed mushrooms, homemade onion breadsticks, a tossed salad, and baked ziti. In lieu of a birthday cake I made a strawberry rhubarb pie, which just so happens to be both mine and my mother-in-law's favorite.  Unfortunately, I have not had much luck with my strawberry-rhubarb pies "setting up" in the past.  They still taste delightful, if you ask me, but they are a mess to serve.  Although I had a HORRIBLE Thursday, the day before the dinner party, the pie seemed to be the only bright spot in the day.  It was a lovely sight coming out of the oven and I wish I would have taken a picture once it was sliced displaying a perfect cross-section devoid of drips.  Oh...and it tasted good too!

Strawberry Rhubarb pie

Still steaming

We did head over to Pete's folk's on Mothers' Day as well after spending a good portion of the day at my parents' for a turkey dinner.  Pete afforded me the opportunity to sleep in by tending to the boys on Sunday morning and making us all breakfast (which is NOT uncommon on weekends).  He also picked out a birdfeeder for our family and birdseed.  Luke was very excited about the gift and asked countless times about when we were going to hang it up.  We made the poor kid wait until Monday- over 24 hours after the present was unwrapped.  The feeder is a pretty basic house-shaped design but it was made from recycled materials in the U.S. of A.  It's nice to be able to share the benefits of "green" with the boys and helps them see the benefits of our recycling efforts.
We hung the birdfeeder in our lone dogwood tree in our front yard so the boys could observe it easily out the front window.  Here it is only Thursday and the vessel is empty.  We're not entirely sure who the primary recipient of the seedy treat was as we witnessed both aviary guests and ornery squirrels partaking of the feast.

D.  And finally, among our recent views from the public library's collection was Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. Have you seen it?  It made for an interesting discussion on one of our evening walks.  I might just tense up a little now if a bird flies overhead.  Any critics out there have any comments about the ending?
Do you suppose:
     a.) The love birds had anything to do with the whole ordeal?
     b.) The film is meant to be a social commentary on how women pick, peck, and attack others?
     c.) We ought to consider the plot of the movie a likely scenario if we fail to respect nature and other living creatures?
     d.) Bodega Bay is meant to be the only area subject to the plague/attack?  For what reason?

I'm interested to know what you think.  I suppose I ought to sign off and spend the rest of the night with my husband... Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit...
   

Gospel According to Luke

From the mouths of babes...  Just wanted to share some of those enlightening conversations/interactions with Mr. Luke Francis.  Hopefully,  I'll remember to recount some more instances as they occur.  Here's a start...

Sunday, August 3rd
Luke: Dad?  When you eat food do you get more energy and grow up more and more?
Pete: I think I am done growing up Luke.  I might grow a different way.
(brief pause- gears turning)
Luke: Are you growing down and down?

Thursday, June 13, 2014
After commending Luke on a job well done in puttingon his PJ's by himself only needing assistance with the buttons.
Luke: Uh, yeah. That's tuz I'm a-yergic
Me: Allergic to what?
Luke: I'm a-yergic to buttons.

Friday, June 6th, 2014
Pete pounding on the ceiling preparing for installation of new ceiling fan.
Luke:  Daddy, what are you doing?
Pete:  I'm trying to find a stud.
A little later Luke returns to say,  "I think you found one.  I hear it knocking back."


Saturday, May 10th, 2014 on the 35 minute ride home from a surprise birthday party for one of my friends Luke talked the entire way.  The last questions circulated around "How do they make cupholders?  How do they make cups?"  I had communicated the idea of using plastic and molds and the conversation continues...
Luke:  How do they make blankets?
Me: Blankets are made out of material and sown together.
Luke:  Mommy?  Did you make my blankets?
Me:  No. We bought your blankets.
L uke: But Mommy, you made Daddy's blankets right?
Me: Yes I made Daddy's blankets.
Luke: Who made my blankets.
Me: I don't know who made your blankets.  We bought them from the store.
Luke: But I know who made my blankets.
Me: Oh, yeah?  Who?
Luke: A Chinese person made my blankets.
I erupt into laughter.
Luke:  Daddy told me that.

...and as an encore.  My Uncle Kenny posted the following image a few days after the blanket conversation:

Early in Lent of 2014 as we were leaving our parish after Stations of the Cross  and our priest was congratulating us and inquiring about our new addition.
Msgr: What are you going to get? A boy or a girl?
Luke:  A sister.  I already have a brother.

Mid-February after returning from a weekend roadtrip to Maryland/DC via the turnpike.
Mom: Hearing, seeing, and smelling Luke as he raced throughout the main floor of the house- Luke, do you have gassers?
Luke:  with a shrug of his shoulders- They are just my rumble strips, mom.

Luke (2.5years): Mommy, why do you have a cross on your back?  (referring to the tattoo I got my sophomore year of college)
Me: Because I love Jesus.
Luke: But I don't like that cross there.
Me: slightly remorseful obviously not considering this conversation when I had the mark made-Well, I'm sorry Luke, but it is permanent.  I cannot get it off.
Luke: turning to run downstairs- Oh. Okay. I will go and get my eraser on my easel.
Luke: returning with eraser in hand rubbing it on my back-  It won't come off!


Luke (2.5 years) to UPS man making a delivery during Grandma Schafer's watch:  I want to be a trut driver when I det bid.
UPS man:  Don't drive a truck kid.  Go to college.
Luke (later in the day after much thoughtful consideration and audibly upset): But dramm-ma.  I don't wanna doe to tollege.  I want to drive a trut.
Sometime in the near future when Grandma Angie and Grandpa Steve were visiting and had heard of the account...
Grandma Angie: Luke, do you want to go to college when you grow up?
Luke (immediately enraged with big tears and red face): I don't want to doe to tollege!  I want to drive a trut! tantrum ensues for another 5 minutes

George in the Jungle

Enjoy the show.  It is nothing spectacular but you do get a glimpse of how these three cousins interact.  I've been watching my nephew George 2-3 days a week while my sister Tess and her husband are at work.  Tess is a preschool teacher so I started in September of 2013 and will get a break over the summer which will work well with the arrival of #3.  It's been interesting to see how the boys reacted to George's presence.  George Angelo was born on July 22nd 2013.  Yes it was the same day that Prince George made his debut as well, but Tess and Adam announced their baby's name first :-) !  Consequently that puts George at about the 10 month mark.  He is a strapping young lad.  I think he was a few ounces lighter than Augustine;s birthweight when he was born but he's not far behind Augustine now in terms of height and weight as you can see in the movie below.  George has been in the 97th to 100th percentile for his height all along.  He's a very active and strong little boy.  He is crafty.  What he can't get to by strategy he makes up for in brute force.

This morning when George arrived Luke and Augustine were still sleeping but George felt inclined to rouse them with an enchanting melody on the keys of the red piano.  These photos are from either February or March but George still entertains us on a regular basis.  His other favorite pastimes include opening the drawers of the end tables, retrieving and hiding toys under the couch, buzzing his lips and tracking down even the smallest piece of paper to hear it crinkle.  George tells us how it's all supposed to be with his long, emphatic chains of DA-DA-DA, NA-NA-NA, or MA-MA-MA while employing his pointer finger to add explanation and effect.  He produced a perfectly timed wave as his mom exited this morning and joins in cheers of joy with happy applause.  He's been enjoying a variety of solid food for the last 4 months or so despite the absence of teeth.  He progressed quickly from the sitting to crawling phase and was pulling himself up into standing position a week or two after he was crawling.  I'm sure that unassisted bipedal motion will be coming soon and I'm sure plenty of wily antics between him and his cousins will ensue.

One day I was feeling adventurous and took all the boys over to my grandparents in Rootstown.  My Aunt Margaret was in town with her son Marcos who was born in November.  These were the four youngest additions to the Francis clan until my cousin Jessica had her son Jaxson in March.

Sorry/ These pictures are surely out of order. At least I finally published the post after having it in my drafts since November.  I think this is the picture that I have of George at his youngest.

Below is my attempt to capture the afternoon stroll configuration for the fall when George was less active on his own- Schafer boys in the stroller and Geor\ge secured in the Moby. Nowadays George and Augustine get the double stroller and Luke tags along beside or helps me push while number three is "strapped in" by the comforting support of my belly band.  I get a lot of "You've got your hands full" comments as we traverse the neighborhood and particularly when we visit the library.  The fresh air and exercise does us all good and I figure it gives me practice for the days to come.

Augustine exhibited a little jealousy early on when I started watching George.  If I was holding George or feeding him his bottle, Augustine would get upset and want me to pick him up.  Of course if Luke noticed me with each of the little guys on opposite hips he would say, "Pick me up to mom!".  I managed the feat once or twice but it's totally out of the question these days with #3's occupancy.  For the most part, Luke was  oblivious to George at first and I had to make sure George was set up in a safe area out of the way of Luke's usual traffic pattern as he practiced his race car skills.  More recently though Luke will talk with George, play peek-a-boo, and sing him songs.  It's been fun to watch as the boys interact more playing follow the leader, exchanging hugs, playing ball, zooming cars, or climbing on the sack.

The photos above and below were taken November 26th 2013 putting Augustine at just over a year old, George at 4 months and Luke at two and a half.

Watch out world!  Who knows what kind of trouble these three are likely to get in to?!?!- and then we'll throw another little person into the mix!  Will these three dashing gentlemen be looking out for a little girl? Or will the fourth boy join the ranks?