Just Three Years Ago

I love more than anything, Andrew. Thank you for being a wonderful husband and father. The Lord could not have blessed me with anything better than your love.

A Thrill a Minute

Quite an exciting day...

Cheap Thrills

• During my weekly grocery shop, I found chicken for 50 cents a pound!This week everything is going to taste like chicken at the Bremberg house.
• I had to go to the mall (horror of horrors) today to buy presents to celebrate the arrival of several new babies. Luckily for me, BabyGap was a having the mother of all sales...I bought $305 of beautiful baby stuff, but only paid $115!

Thrills and Spills

• As I was busily preparing dinner, Paul decided to ride his bike off into the sunset...and right down the basement stairs. No injuries that couldn't be mended with chocolate milk and Sesame Street.

The Thrill of Victory

• Paul said "dada" before he said "mama." Not so with Lucy - Mama came out on top with her little girl. Now Lucy has been babbling "mama" and "dada" for quite some time, but without much meaning. Today at lunch, I went to clean Lucy up, but was distracted by some request from Paul. When I finally returned to attend to Lucy, she looks right in my eyes, smiles, and distinctly says, "Mama!" The biggest thrill of the day!

Personal Encounter with Jesus Christ

Over at Et Tu, Jennifer, a recent convert from atheism to Catholicism, has a post asking folks to share their understanding of having a "personal encounter with Jesus Christ." I shared my dad's amazing experience in college. I know many of my friends and family have has some amazing experiences and thought some of you may be interested in sharing, too.

Perpetual Motion

Today during Mass one of the hymns had a refrain that went: "Like a child resting in its mother's arms so I rest in the Lord." Ironically, as the choir sang, my child (guess which one) was struggling furiously to escape my embrace. In fact, there was no "resting" during the entirety of the Mass. It seemed like Paul was trying to achieve perpetual motion - and doing well at it. What is it with him and trying to violate the laws of physics?

However, my dear little man once again provided me with a little spiritual insight. (How did I ever get along in my spiritual life without kids? Seriously. The Lord certainly knew what He was doing when He called me to motherhood.) I thought about the words of the hymn; I looked at my son. I'm afraid I am emphatically NOT like a child resting in the Lord. I'm much more like the toddler trying to attain perpetual motion. Between long lists of prayer intentions and thanksgivings and mental distractions, I realize I very rarely simply rest with the Lord in my prayer life.

And as a mother, I know those are the moments that matter most. While I love my son as I listen to his complaints, pick up his messes, play and chase him around endlessly, the moments I really wait for are those when he finally slows down and cuddles in my arms. It gives me a chance to tell him I love him and for us to experience that love together. I'm thinking those are the moments the Lord really waits for, too.

Making Mocktails

Okay, I was going to do a really fun post on the kids' feeding habits (that phrase sorta makes them sound like they're some type of animal being studied on Wild Kingdom - which, when I think about it, is not far from the truth some days!), but I have way too much to do today since I'm actually having a Girls Night Out tonight! (No, hell has not frozen over.)

A friend is having a baby soon so we are giving her a final celebration before her imminent retreat from the rest of civilization. Just some cocktails. Then the irony hit me...most of the women coming are pregnant...the rest are nursing. Maybe "cocktail hour" was a bad theme. I guess we're going to have a "mocktail" party.

MIA

The blogging has been light (ok, non-existence) the past week because I've been busy preparing for a talk I gave on JPII's Theology of the Body and contraception at my parish tonight. It went very well; I think the Lord was able to really speak to some of the folks there. Plus, it was a nice chance for me to re-read some of JPII's beautiful insights into sexuality (and Christopher West's exuberant Good News About Sex and Marriage). But I'm glad it's done, and I can get back to sharing the Adventures of Paul and Lucy with you all!

Truth Patrol

I always took the comments of other moms of young sons with a pinch of salt. When moms would say that their boys were "bouncing off the walls" or "climbing the walls," obviously they didn't literally mean exactly that.

Paul has set me straight. These moms are not exaggerating; they are making statements of fact. Paul has literally been bouncing off the walls...and the glass front door...and unsuccessfully trying to climb the walls the past few evenings. Why he has suddenly starting hurling himself wildly at doors and walls and couches and people and dogs is beyond me. It's like a small Tasmanian devil has been let loose in the house every night at six o'clock. As for the wall climbing, it would be really, really funny to watch him trying to find foot holds in the walls if he wasn't scuffing them up with his shoes.

Fighting Gravity

Paul has this toy giraffe that holds several blocks. You put the blocks in the "mouth" and then open a little door at the bottom of the giraffe to let them fall out. It makes friendly little musical noises as the blocks tumble out. Very cute.

Today Paul completely lost his temper with the giraffe. Apparently, Paul wanted the blocks to fly up the giraffe instead of down. As Paul tearfully struggled in his hopeless battle against the law of gravity, I couldn't help but laugh a little. It was so ridiculous to see this little guy cry and scream at the little blocks that just wouldn't go up.

Then I thought about how many times I cry and scream in my life at things just as ridiculous. The times when I truly think real joy will come from some material comfort...and then wonder at the dissatisfaction in my life. The times when I think some small sin is not worth battling against...and then am astonished when my spiritual life seems stagnant. Even the times when I believe fulfillment will come through other people, often wonderful people, but not the One who can truly fulfill me...and I cry with disappointment at the emptiness that remains.

I am just as silly as my little son struggling to make blocks fall upwards. I struggle against my Lord at every turn. In fact, I often turn to everything, before Him. But it is useless, like trying to fight gravity. Only in Christ can I find ultimate joy, fulfillment, rest. I know Paul will eventually learn he can't fight gravity. Hopefully, I will learn the same.

Abort mission, I repeat, abort mission!

So PBA was rather short-lived, though extremely eventful. After about 15 accidents running, Momma decided to put off this particular adventure for another day. Paul seems to have forgotten the whole fiasco already. Hopefully, this means our short misadventure into toilet training will leave no bad memories to purge before our next attempt.

PBA Update

The Score: M&M's = 1 vs. Accidents = 7

I don't think I bought enough underwear for Paul. We scrapped through the day with one pair to spare. Also, I may have taken out a whole forest with the amount of paper towels I used today.

Paul's Big Adventure

Today Paul and Momma embarked on their next big adventure - potty training! (Since we have two new doggies in the house, Momma didn't think a little more pee on the floor would make much of a difference.) We began our journey with an exciting trip to Target to purchase a "tiny potty," "choo-choo" underwear, and the always indispensable reward, M&Ms. Paul has been in underwear for 40 minutes. He has mastered the basic technique: underwear down, lid up, sit on potty, underwear up, lid down.

The Score: M&Ms = 0 vs. Accidents = 1

Welcome to the Dog Pound!

Two new additions to the Bremberg Household: Mac and Sadie, two beautiful and sweet Cavalier King Charles Spaniels! They officially belong to the Aunt Ruth, but Paul thinks they are his. The dogs think otherwise.