Elisabeth at 13

  As I write this I'm not sure which is stranger to me; that Elisabeth is a teenager or that it has been almost a year of Covid living.   A year ago when we celebrated her birthday we were in a state of watchful waiting; the pottery place where we had her party was still open and we were not yet wearing masks.  All that changed a week later.  So as I write this 'birthday update' the unknowable question is how much living through this pandemic has affected her growth and change over the past year.   I will be fascinated in the future to someday ask my kids what this year (or possibly two) was like for them.

  Elisabeth at 13 is:

1. Very creative; she loves sketching and will sometimes spend her recess time drawing this for her fellow students or teachers.  She also has a couple of drawing apps on her iPad she enjoys using.  She is interested in animations and wondering if that might be a career future for her.
2. She is becoming more adventurous with food and while she definitely still has her favorites now eats a wide range of things. Current favorites include Chai in the morning, corndogs for dinner, and Mochi for dessert.  Bonne Mamy introduced her to iced green tea much to great effect.  
3. She still loves Wings of Fire but is reading other series ~ currently Percy Jackson.  Mostly on the page or online, she loves dragons, Minecraft, and art.
4. Favorite shows include the new Netflix She-Ra, In the Deep, and Voltron.  Still not much for live-action shows, she is happy to join a family watch of the Great British Bake-Off.
5. When her school shifted to Distance Learning last March the kids stayed home for the rest of that school year but did reopen in September with social distancing and mask-wearing.  This was good news for Lisbeth who of my 3 most missed the structure of being in the classroom.  She is also starting to look at local high schools, thinking about where she might want to go once she finishes 8th grade next year.
6. She has definitely missed being able to easily see her friends and was very disappointed that her gymnastic gym closed permanently; overall she has weathered this very strange and stressful year very well. 

Giving Thanks for November Sacraments

   Ten years ago we hosted Thanksgiving at our house welcoming several members of our extended family because the following Sunday Liam received the Sacrament of Baptism.  This year we were just the five of us around the table, but again we were celebrating the following Sunday as one of our children received another Sacrament of the Church.  Elisabeth was sealed by the Spirit and completed the Sacraments of Initiation received Confirmation.  

Personalized masks from the faculty

Her sponsor; a long time family friend

         She selected Saint Elisabeth of Hungary as her Confirmation Saint, and we pray for her continued intercession for Lisbeth.   While a different celebration with most of our family watching via Youtube and congratulating Lisbeth by phone; blessings abound!!

Quick Takes #286: Some things about Elisabeth as a tween

   This has been the most wonderful year; she is the most perfect combination of elegant and goofy.

She re-discovered a love for gymnastics as well as exploring different types of music. 

All about Art and Math. Stuffies forever ~ llamas and corgis especially!!

1. Very creative; she loves sketching and will sometimes spend her recess time drawing things for other students including her sister's 1st grade classmates.  We have added a couple small cork boards to her room for mini creations.
2. She is becoming more adventurous with food and while she definitely still has her favorites now eats a wide range of things. Current favorites include Chai in the morning, corndogs for dinner and Mochi for dessert.  Bonne Mamy introduced her to iced green tea much to great effect.  
3. She still loves Wings of Fire but is reading other series (in part to prepare for Reading Olympics).  Mostly in the page or online she loves dragons, Minecraft, and art.
4. Stuffies: She continues to add her collection and while she has passed several forward I occasionally wonder how there is space for her in her loft bed; especially after she claimed a body pillow her dad had been gifted as her own.
5. The school she attends continues to eighth grade but many students did leave to attend other local middle schools. Those remaining seem committed to helping everyone have a great year. While her bestie is likely still her twin cousin; there have been a lot of texting about classes and music this year.  She decided to perform a solo at the school 's Variety Show to great support from her classmates. 
6. As she enters her last year as a tween, I'm so curious to see where it takes her. I'm aware that hormones will eventually add an unpredictability and angst to moods, until then I'm enjoying these days of learning, laughing and watching as she grows and matures.

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7 Quick Takes #276: Thinking about being Spring

1. Hello! Happy Spring! Weather-wise it is trying to be spring around here. No flowers yet but some shoots and buds can be seen; and I may be tempting fate but the snow shovels are back in the shed.
2. The warmer weather means we have pulled out the bikes! Liam having gotten a new taller bike has passed on his former to Caitlin and each are off to happy, if wobbly starts. Lisbeth has mostly been focused on mastering the caster board she received for Christmas. After consulting a couple of videos she got the knack and is having a blast.
3. Last weekend we traveled to N.J. to join in surprising Dr Daddy's uncle for his 80th birthday.  It was overall a great time with excellent food and a wonderful chance to catch-up with friends and family we don't get to see very often.  Given his St Patrick's Day birthday there was plenty of Soda Bread and Irish coffee to enjoy!!
4. In addition to prayers and remembrance; food wise we marked St Joseph's Day with pizza for the kids and kielbasa and peirogies for the grown-ups thereby covering both traditional nationalities. 
5. Last night we had the great pleasure of watching Lisbeth perform with the Archdiocesan Children's Choir; 5th-8th graders from all the local catholic schools are selected and perform together.  It was so nice to watch her enjoy the results of all their hard work and practicing this year.
6. This weekend Dr Daddy and I are presenting at Pre-Cana; please pray that the engage couples come with open hearts and minds to the information provided to them.
7. Have a wonderful weekend!

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Quick Takes #275: The difference a year makes!

1. Happy March! February was fun, busy, with enough snow for a couple of snow days and couple of memorable activities like taking the girls to Annapolis to see Snow White by the Maryland Ballet.
2. Later today we will be headed to Build.a.Bear to hopefully get Lisbeth a Light Fury and kick-off her birthday (How to train your Dragon) weekend which will of course include seeing the movie
3. Before I write these birthday posts I will look back on the previous post, and sometimes not much has changed except perhaps their favorite show.  Not this time; in the past year Lisbeth has grown so much. Literally ~ about 4 inches and figuratively in poise, maturity and ability to handle herself in difficult situations.
4. She received a box set of the first 5 books of the Wings of Fire series last birthday and has been inhaling the series (now 12 books & 2 graphic novel) ever since. While not my genre of choice it has been so fun watch her reading with such abandon.  Mythical creatures ~ particularly dragons are the current focus of much of her artwork.  
5. Some things have not changed ~ Math, Minecraft and Art continues to be her favorites things.  
6. It somehow feels very appropriate that my 1000th post on this blog is largely about little 9month old when I started this blog who has grown into such a lovely, bright, imaginative tween.  
7. Have a good weekend!! Please head over to Kelly's for more 7QT's!

Elisabeth at 10!

    While I'll admit to a fair amount of disbelief at the thought that Elisabeth is ten and that it has been a decade since that amazing little person was placed in my arms; but all of this is true and so herein find my sense of Lisbeth at ten.

  A person of big emotions, she is the most strong willed of the three but also the most concerned about what others think of her.   She has since she was very little processed out-loud and while she no longer speaks every thought; does still give me the fullest report of the day and want to discuss every nuance of plans.  Very creative; be it cooking, building, drawing or sculpting.  I often find her many ideas exhausting but love seeing all that she creates.  Prime example being the loft bed she designed and built with her dad last year.

  On the go much of the day prefers to leave reading for night up in her loft bed.  Most likely to be reading about animals especially mythical ones like dragons and sea serpents though wolves, and orcas interest her too. Sports wise gymnastics is top, but also enjoys swimming, playing basketball with her friends and backyard volleyball with me.

  Pokemon, Minecraft, and How to Train Your Dragon are the games of choice and what she is mostly likely playing/watching during screen time.  I've enjoyed watching Pokemon and Minecraft posters claim space on her bedroom walls, though a few Hello Kitty and Transformer wall stickers remain.  Her love of stuffies lives on ~ though leans more towards Squishmallows and Emoji-pillows currently.  And as of her birthday trip to Build-a-Bear she now has 3 Toothless (night fury from How to Train Your Dragon) stuffies!

 The rest of her birthday celebration included a trip to Friendly's, a Black Forest cake, and last night dinner at a favorite Chinese restaurant.  Still not an adventurous eater she has in the last year discovered a love for Chinese food, fried clams, and making desserts with shredded coconut.

Creating the perfect birthday sundae!

Happy Birthday Elisabeth! 

Thank you for all the light and laughter you bring!!

Quick Takes #230: Circle Game

1. Any Joni Mitchell fans reading? Me too, especially Circle Game and the song speaks perfectly of the week or even month I'm having. All good things (mostly) but knowing that times goes in one direction I'm wishing I could "drag my feet to slow the circles down".
2. Last weekend we did indeed put together Lisbeth's loft bed (give or take a ladder) ~ and she loves it and has great plans for how she is going to stencil and embellish it.  I thought my husband was crazy for wanting to build it himself and it was more work than either of us had anticipated but such is life and I do cherish those times when we tackle a project together and I imagine Lisbeth cherishes having a bed designed and built by her dad. (Holy run-on sentence!)
3. This week she also got her new glasses and suddenly looks much more grown-up and trendy.  
4. Earlier this week I dropped off the first tuition payment for Caitlin's Pre-K next year. Now this is a program we sought out and I am so excited that she got a spot; I am also wondering what it is going to be like to have her in school five days a week come September.  She is quite good at independent play but she is also a chatterbox and so will often find wherever I'm working and fill me in on whatever game she and usually her dolls are playing.
5. Earlier this month a beloved aunt of mine passed away and with losing my godfather a few months ago has me of course thinking about the giant wheel turning and those touchstone people of  that generation in my life departing the stage.
6. After several days of rain the sun is again shining and so I have great plans for planting and weeding this weekend as well as great hope that the Lily of the Valley in my yard will bloom for the first of May.
7. Promised Pictures:

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Quick Takes #229: It's Easter and Spring!

1. Sorry to go quiet ~ Lent was good but tough and spring was slow to come ~ and so winter blues caught up with me a bit.  However Lent does end and spring has sprung!!
2. We had a lovely Tridium and Easter filled with good weather, good friends, good music and lots of good food. One highlight being a friend who has moved away and is an amazing dessert maker surprised us all and came to Easter dinner and brought her amazing treats with her.
3. Spring catch-up: March was very weird weather wise and I was sad so I'm feeling a bit behind yard wise but the phlox was great, and the tulips and dogwood are currently in bloom so I'm headed to garden store today and will play catch-up this weekend.
4. In the category of late to the party but don't care: Parenthood!! For whatever reason never managed to watch first run but have now officially binge watched my first series on Netflix and Loved It!! And am now looking for suggestions for what to watch next?
5. Thanks to a good friend and Netflix my kids have discovered Voltron ~ and I'm quickly learning all about red, green and black lions.
6. Given the poor sight of both her parents it is not a surprise that this week we learned that Lisbeth needs glasses. At 9 she beats me by a year and I believe ties her father. We should have the glasses in about 2 weeks and photo documentation will of course happen.
7. Have a good weekend ~ we are hopefully assembling a loft bed ~ updates as warranted!

Please head over to Kelly's for more 7QT's.

Quick Takes #227: Turning 9 and other milestones

1. March is keeping us guessing weather wise with snow today after much of the week in the 50's and 60's!!
2. Elisabeth happily turned 9 and declared that she thinks that her last year in single digits will be a great one!  We celebrate her birthday weekend with cupcakes, the making of a Pikachu cake and a couple dinners.  She also celebrated with friends by going to Build a Bear and then having ice cream from Friendly's.
3. She is very creative; Legos and modeling clay are favorites and she will spend hours creating and building new and different things.  
4.  More adventurous with food and while she definitely has favorites now eats a wide variety of things. She still prefers vegetables raw but otherwise no longer require a lot of accommodating in meal planning. Some favorites include cheese, crackers, kielbasa, bacon and fish sticks.
5. She is  still working her way through all the Magic Treehouse books but is also starting to branch out and try different genres and different authors.  Her favorite subject is Math, though Science is a really close second.  Future career goals still include studying dinosaurs but perhaps working as an illustrator is coming up more and more. 
6. The other big excitement of the weekend was preparing for the building of the loft bed; hopefully this weekend.  In addition to painting and sanding many boards we also got Elisabeth's new mattress ready.
7. With Lisbeth getting a new bed we were finally able to pass her youth bed onto Caitlin who much to my surprise has only occasionally complained about still being in a crib and had never tried to get out on her own (her big sister began self-exit attempts at 18 months).  Her first week in her 'big girl' bed has gone very well with only getting a couple of times and always for legit bathroom visits.

Have a  wonderful weekend and please head over to Kelly's for more 7QT's

Quick Takes #226: Lent and Birthdays

1. Happy March! Blessed Lent!  No actual flowers here but many sprouts and buds about; but also betting we will get one more snow fall if past trends hold true.
2. Lent is off to a good start with me actually having the chance to talk with both Lisbeth and Liam about what they want to focus on in addition to what we are doing as a family.  I posted earlier about what books I've chosen for Lent; am particularly excited about how Bringing Home Lent has suggestions for personal and family activities.
3. Elisabeth is 9 today!! Am definitely planning a separate post celebrating all thing Lisbeth but had to give 'quick take' shout out to my Birthday Girl who made me a mom and filled my life with so much light and laughter.  You have a lot of dreams and I pray you "catch them all"!
4. Today is the feast day for Saint Katherine Drexel; happy name day to those celebrating!! Her mother house has been sold; am hoping to get up there one more time before it closes though I believe her remains are being moved locally to the Basilica in Philadelphia.
5. Posts to check out: Colleen is hosting a great giveaway and Jenny has an excellent post about leaning into Lent.
6. Group sourcing: Any recommendation for a timid reader who made the jump to chapter books with Magic Treehouse and it coming to the end of those?
7. Have a wonderful weekend and send up a prayer for us as we (hopefully) move Caitlin her 'big girl' bed!

The birthday girl at one!!

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Quick Takes #225:Tales of sanding and fruit loop necklaces

1. Crazy spring like weather this week which was in one sense so wonderful as it felt amazing to be able to go on bike rides and walks; and get some yard work done. I am however nervous for when winter comes rushing back and what that will mean for the plants starting to bud.
2. The great weather has made it easier to get a bunch of sanding done on all the wood for the Loft bed.  Not my favorite task but am hopefully improving my skills, and hopefully will start painting soon which I do enjoy though I'm sure by the end of painting all the parts and pieces I'll be happy to be done.
3. Liam and his classmates celebrated being a 100 days smarter!! Various activities included collecting a 100 of different items and necklaces containing 100 Fruit Loops!!
4. With Lent starting next week I really appreciated this post by Peanut Butter and Grace and all the wonderful suggestions for getting kids involved.
5. I've decided to give up reading fiction and so am trying hard to get Winter Garden finished cause it is wonderful!! I also really enjoyed my sister's latest even if it was steamier than my usual.
6. And I as I return now to my sanding duties I wish you a very good weekend!!
7. Photos of the week:

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The day my daughter taught me detachment

   A year ago January Elisabeth came home from school with a permission form for a hair donation drive girls in an upper grade (I believe 6th) was organizing.  I got a ruler to make sure she understood what 6-7 inches looked like but then signed the permission slip and was very excited and proud of her; I had donated myself in the past and plight of those battling cancer is close to my heart what with being married to a pediatric oncologist and all.

  However a week ago when Lisbeth brought home a similar form I was much more reluctant.  It had only been about 15 months since the previous donation and while her hair grows well it was definitely shorter then the first time.  I encouraged her to wait till next year and really worried that her hair would be too short; but she persisted and by doing so reminded me of the good that is done when we are generous with what we are given and worry less about what will be left.

Great definition of detachment in catholic spirituality found here