melted smoosh

dear Victoria, you are busy, busy, busy! crawling around the house, pulling up onto the dishwasher or your car seat or the bouncer, making a beeline for any scrap of paper you see on the floor so you can try to pop it into your mouth before you are intercepted, and babbling up a storm. you love to play with the caps for your bottles, sucking on the rim, rolling them on the ground, and turning them over and over in your little hands.  you wave probably fifty times a day, always with your right hand -- well, more specifically, your right arm. as soon as I lay you down on the changing table, you start waving vigorously at me. and if we say "hi!" to you, you immediately wave back. you haven't clapped spontaneously yet, but whenever I cover your hands with mine and help you clap, you giggle uproariously.  you eat just about everything we eat now, and so far you haven't had any reactions or strong dislikes (except for vegetable beef baby food, and who could blame you?). at

free Rita's Italian ice on the first day of spring! Elizabeth, at 2 years 4 months, is at such a hilarious age, mimicking what we do and say and continuing to develop her own personality. she has perfected the faces that make us laugh (dramatic side eye, shimmying her shoulders, and fake scowling). she is obsessed with baby dolls and insists on carrying around a collection of "fresh dipes" in a tote bag I have designated to corral all of them. she frequently asks for a "weep" (wipe) to use in her pretend diaper changes and we often hear her exclaim, "oh my goodness, baby! a big poop! wowie!"  we haven't officially started potty training yet, but she often will say "I meed go bathroom! I meed go potty!" and I'll obligingly set her on the toilet. she sits for a minute, nothing happens, and she tears off some toilet paper and washes her hands.  Cece made this somewhat premature certificate when we say our mealtime prayers at home or duri

1) James in town! my brother's job takes him all over the country, and he's been able to visit family members in Massachusetts and North Carolina while on work trips. finally, he had a job close to Pittsburgh and we were able to see him at the bookends of the trip. he was a trooper and came along to hang out at the library with me and the younger three during Greta's cheerleading practice after his flight landed in Pittsburgh. then he finished up his work a little earlier than expected and was able to spend the night here before his flight out!  this library has Magnatiles ... we are obsessed! 2) sisterly love. don't get me wrong -- there are plenty of squabbles at our house, usually between the two oldest, but each of them individually has such a sweet relationship with Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Victoria are starting to play more together too, although now that Victoria is on the move and interested in all of Elizabeth's toys, there's some jockeying going on the

Happy Easter Monday! we are officially into the Easter Octave, the eight days of feasting to celebrate the most important day on the church calendar. after the penitential season of Lent and the profound solemnity of the Triduum, we celebrate each day of this upcoming week with just as much joy as Easter Sunday itself (if not with quite so much sugar).  Sabrina took the girls to see the Easter bunny and Elizabeth was obsessed (although she didn't want to sit on his lap). she still talks about the Easter bunny and how he was "so cute!" fun at daycare during Lent this year, our whole family gave up sweets and we did pretty well with it overall. it's such a simple act that sometimes feels too trite, as if we should be striving for more and more complicated spiritual practices over the years. and in some ways that may be true, but especially with young kids involved, I think there is still so much to be gained from it. I also gave up Facebook; with so many ads and suggest