Oh, baby!

Dante and Becky welcomed their first little one into the world late Monday night!

It does my heart more good than I can say to see these two so joyful with their son.

We here are just walking on clouds with happiness - We're so glad to finally meet Gabriel! And how fun that he's a boy! Beth said it best, as she so often does, when we told her the news Tuesday morning, "With all the girl power around here, I'm just shocked that it's actually a boy!"

It's a boy! Congratulations to the new parents, two of the coolest people I know.

This is even better than lilacs. :)

Chesterton and lilacs

I can't help but mention the lilacs again. I'm not by nature an exuberant kind of person, but I have been unreasonably, deliriously joyful these days and it is all due to the lilacs. They are so beautiful, and smell so much like heaven that I feel I can barely even stand it. They make everything good, if you can understand. Or maybe it's that they help me to feel the goodness that is already in everything, but often overlooked. In any case, all the sweet things in life are lately much, much sweeter.

My cousin Margie stopped by overnight, on her way to Ohio to see her family. It was great to see her - for one thing, I haven't had the chance to really talk to her in over 10 years, and she has two adorable kids I needed to get to know! For another thing, she has been living in Germany and she brought Milka! For anyone who has ever had Milka, no more needs to be said.

So between the lilacs and the family and the Milka, it's been a great morning.

After Margie left, I sat down to feed Lucy and flip through Gilbert Magazine while I drank my coffee. The coffee was better than usual, Lucy was cuter than she has ever been, and the magazine, while always great, was a delight. The subscription was a gift from my mom, and when I read this quote I laughed out loud. I've been devoted to CS Lewis for as long as I can remember, but I never knew much about Chesterton (other than that he wrote the Fr. Dowling mysteries, and I'm not a huge fan of mysteries.) Well, I'm finding myself succumbing to the charm of this man the more I read of him. He like a prior version of CS Lewis, only with more beer and impishness (and maybe a smidge more common sense, although I'm not really the one who could judge that.) So, here's my new favorite quote. Mom, I am sorry, but you have nobody but yourself to blame!

Nothing has contributed more to the impiety and inhumanity of our time than the exaggerated cult of cleanliness. The Pharisees had it; in the beginning they worshipped washing; and in the end they set about the slaying of God. GK Chesterton

It's comforting to know that I am not in danger of becoming a Pharisee!

It's spring!

Today was gearing up to just be......one of those days. I actually got almost 8 hours of sleep last night, but I still woke up feeling like I was trying to move underwater. Lucy dumped a bowl of soggy cereal (and lots of milk) all over herself and onto the floor. Later on, after bathing a milk-soaked Lucy, I discovered a tick on Abbie while rinsing her hair. After removing the tick (matches didn't work, but slathering the icky thing with Aloe made it retreat, thank goodness), re-washing Abbie's hair, getting everyone dressed and starting lunch, Abbie had a potty emergency and ended up wetting herself.......and me, as I crouched beside her pulling down her pants.



Just one of those days. But today it hardly mattered at all, because of this:

The lilacs have bloomed! I've opened all the windows, and the perfume from the lilacs has filled the entire house making it impossible to be grouchy, even when I'm soaked in toddler urine.

I had also been planning to post something about how these trees have impacted my appreciation of the Creator:

I have so many posts back-logged, though, that I don't think I'll get around to it. But they erupted into gorgeous white blooms the second the weather turned warmer, and later on they will sprout green leaves (they are already turning) and by early summer they will just look like standard trees. I've never before realized that there were trees that would blossom........for no reason. There is no fruit or anything, it's just a burst of beauty for no reason at all.

Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the LORD: for he cometh...

Lucy is one! How did that happen?

Lucy was grateful for her presents, but she says that what she really wanted was a little cousin for her birthday. Looking at the time stamp, I see there's still an hour and a half to make it happen; here's hoping! :)

(And yes, by the way. This really was the best picture I could get of this little gorp.)

Mulch

Our plans for the weekend just arrived.

Next weekend is probably booked, too.

I can't wait until the slave labor we've been cultivating finally matures enough to help out with this kind of stuff!

I'm not ashamed to shill for these people!

Coming soon to a Rite Aid or Costco near you! (That is, if you happen to live in the DC/VA area.)

If I had realized that they were going to just copy the synopsis of our story that I thought was just for filing purposes, I would have spent more time making it sound better.

In any case, if you happen to see this around then #1 - let me know! and #2 - drop a dollar in the cup. This hospital is doing good stuff.

p.s. Chris says that if he knew they were going to use this picture, he would have cut the grass!

My very favorite school paper by Beth so far

When I am 100

When I am 100 I will have white haire. I will have alot of rinckules. I will have a wheel chaire maybe. I will be in a retirede home. I might play hide and seek. I hope I will see my grand children alot. Wene my grand children come I will let them have ice cream and maybe crackers.

Elizabeth Mlinek