I had a really good discussion with Clare a couple of nights ago...about abortion.
One of our daily Rosary intentions is always, "for an end to abortion." So as I was tucking her in the other night, she asked, "Mommy, what's abortion?" I took a deep breath and figured that since she's been exposed to what it looks like with Tom's signs, it was time to explain it to her as best I could.
I told her that abortion is when a mommy has a baby in her tummy but she decides she doesn't want the baby, so she has a doctor take the baby out before it's ready to be born, and most of the time the baby dies. I explained that the pictures of bloody babies on Daddy's signs is what it looks like when the baby dies during an abortion, and how sad it makes Jesus and Mommy and Daddy that some people make this bad choice.
She said, "Oh, that makes me sad too. But are they bad people?" I said, "No. They're not bad people, but sometimes people make bad choices, so we have to pray for them."
I continued on to tell her that it makes us so sad when bad things happen to babies, that's why Daddy and Mr. Andrew (St. Hilaire) work so hard doing protests with their signs so that people won't be able to make this bad choice any more.
I told her that Mommy and Daddy and Jesus love our babies so much that we would never, ever make this choice, and we hope that other people don't either.
That was it. She understood completely. She now prays for an end to abortion, knowing in her little 3-year old heart that by praying and acting to end it, we can have an effect on the bad choices of other people and make Jesus happy.
So, for any of you out there wondering about the effects of graphic abortion imagery on small children, I would say that we don't need to complicate the issue. We just need to simply explain it to them in ways they can understand (and really, a picture of a bloody baby is not complicated to a kid) and reassure them that we love them, and Jesus loves them, and that we need to work hard to end such a bad thing.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Summer Fun
We've had lots of fun turning these
and these
into this (finished raspberry jam not pictured).
The kids thought it would be a good idea to wear my and Clare's chapel veils while watching Mass on EWTN the other day.
Our 2nd Annual Forest Park outing with Grandma, Steph, Ceci, Miss Lindsey, and John this week:
My lavender is going nuts in the front yard! I just had to bring some of it inside to enjoy.
and these
into this (finished raspberry jam not pictured).
The kids thought it would be a good idea to wear my and Clare's chapel veils while watching Mass on EWTN the other day.
Our 2nd Annual Forest Park outing with Grandma, Steph, Ceci, Miss Lindsey, and John this week:
My lavender is going nuts in the front yard! I just had to bring some of it inside to enjoy.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A couple pictures
Guess what color marker James ate. He's pretty proud of his accomplishments.
Our conversation tonight:
Tom: "Kids went down pretty easily. I think they're getting the hang of quieting down quicker with both of them in their room together."
Carrie: "You're right. I guess I hadn't noticed how much faster it was tonight."
(Both thinking this was a major victory for us as parents)
When I went in to our room to get myself ready for bed, this is what I saw:
Sneaky little monkeys crept in to our bed! No wonder they were so quiet. Oh well. At least they're sleeping, right? Still claiming victory for the parents.
Our conversation tonight:
Tom: "Kids went down pretty easily. I think they're getting the hang of quieting down quicker with both of them in their room together."
Carrie: "You're right. I guess I hadn't noticed how much faster it was tonight."
(Both thinking this was a major victory for us as parents)
When I went in to our room to get myself ready for bed, this is what I saw:
Sneaky little monkeys crept in to our bed! No wonder they were so quiet. Oh well. At least they're sleeping, right? Still claiming victory for the parents.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Ahmus visit WA!
Since we got married, we've managed to spend a week in the summer with Matt & Jenny and their family. This year, instead of us going to Sacramento (much to Tom's chagrin, as the weather here in WA was very un-summery), Matt, Jenny, and their kids came to us! Kids and parents all had a blast! Thanks, Ahmu family, for making it such a wonderful week for our family. We love you and miss you already.
Here are a few highlights from their time here...
Great Wolf Lodge
After the first afternoon playing at Great Wolf Lodge:
Painting on a rainy day
Playing at Point No Point beach on a beautiful afternoon
Lucy and James piling sand on each other's heads
How to make your kids sit in one spot not moving arms or legs for 30 minutes and have them think it's the coolest thing in the world
Story time with Aunt Jenny before bedtime
Here are a few highlights from their time here...
Great Wolf Lodge
After the first afternoon playing at Great Wolf Lodge:
Painting on a rainy day
Playing at Point No Point beach on a beautiful afternoon
Lucy and James piling sand on each other's heads
How to make your kids sit in one spot not moving arms or legs for 30 minutes and have them think it's the coolest thing in the world
Story time with Aunt Jenny before bedtime
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Random Quick Takes
1. I wore a chapel veil to Mass for the first time today. Aside from feeling a little self-conscious and attempting to keep James from ripping it off my head, I really liked it. I'd like to thank some of my local parish ladies for inspiring me to *finally* go ahead and do it. Joanna and Jen, thanks for the inspiration and the links to some great articles. To all my other Catholic friends and family, here and here are a couple of articles you may find interesting if you're at all contemplating donning a beautiful chapel veil of your own.
2. Speaking of Mass, today was HORRIBLE with our dear little James. Advice from others is totally welcome here. He was getting squirmy and loud so I took him out to the vestibule. He was squirmy and loud there too, and then started to scream bloody murder. So I took him outside (all the while holding him, mind you. We don't put him down at all if we have to take him out). He calmed down and then I went back inside. We did this a few times until I figured out that he WANTED to go outside, even if he was being held the whole time. It got so he would scream if I took him back inside the building at all. Finally I just decided that I was not going to reinforce the bad behavior by taking him outside when he screamed and I just let him pitch a fit in the back of the vestibule. He finally settled down and fell asleep - right before Communion - when he realized that I wasn't going outside and he wasn't getting down. I don't know what I ought to have done better. On the one hand, I know he was being disruptive for all the other people trying to hear Mass in the vestibule, but on the other, I don't want him to think that he gets to go outside whenever he pitches a fit. Argh. :/
3. We planted 5 blueberry bushes in our front yard last weekend. So excited to have our own crop here (probably won't get many until next year though) and because they have such beautiful Fall color. Thanks to my dad for his help and for bringing up the blueberry bush from my grandma's house!
4. We get to see the Beuschels in just a couple of weeks! A bunch of family will be coming in to town for Chris & Jackie's wedding weekend after next (and Ceci's First Holy Communion!) and we're so looking forward to spending time with family we haven't seen in so long.
5. Please pray for my sister-in-law Rebecca, who is in Mexico on a mission trip with Monique and some other consecrated ladies. She had a bit of trouble getting there, and I just pray that the craziness getting there doesn't overshadow what Our Lord has in store for her while she's there serving Him.
6. Hoping some Spring weather sticks around for a while -- I'm itching to get some herbs planted again, even though I know it's too early.
7. Counting down the weeks until my first girls' trip (NO KIDS) at the end of May! Yes, I know it's a month away, but it's just going to be so awesome to spend 5 whole days with dear friends and no dear little ones to chase after. :) Tom, you're a trooper. Thanks for being so great about letting me get away.
2. Speaking of Mass, today was HORRIBLE with our dear little James. Advice from others is totally welcome here. He was getting squirmy and loud so I took him out to the vestibule. He was squirmy and loud there too, and then started to scream bloody murder. So I took him outside (all the while holding him, mind you. We don't put him down at all if we have to take him out). He calmed down and then I went back inside. We did this a few times until I figured out that he WANTED to go outside, even if he was being held the whole time. It got so he would scream if I took him back inside the building at all. Finally I just decided that I was not going to reinforce the bad behavior by taking him outside when he screamed and I just let him pitch a fit in the back of the vestibule. He finally settled down and fell asleep - right before Communion - when he realized that I wasn't going outside and he wasn't getting down. I don't know what I ought to have done better. On the one hand, I know he was being disruptive for all the other people trying to hear Mass in the vestibule, but on the other, I don't want him to think that he gets to go outside whenever he pitches a fit. Argh. :/
3. We planted 5 blueberry bushes in our front yard last weekend. So excited to have our own crop here (probably won't get many until next year though) and because they have such beautiful Fall color. Thanks to my dad for his help and for bringing up the blueberry bush from my grandma's house!
4. We get to see the Beuschels in just a couple of weeks! A bunch of family will be coming in to town for Chris & Jackie's wedding weekend after next (and Ceci's First Holy Communion!) and we're so looking forward to spending time with family we haven't seen in so long.
5. Please pray for my sister-in-law Rebecca, who is in Mexico on a mission trip with Monique and some other consecrated ladies. She had a bit of trouble getting there, and I just pray that the craziness getting there doesn't overshadow what Our Lord has in store for her while she's there serving Him.
6. Hoping some Spring weather sticks around for a while -- I'm itching to get some herbs planted again, even though I know it's too early.
7. Counting down the weeks until my first girls' trip (NO KIDS) at the end of May! Yes, I know it's a month away, but it's just going to be so awesome to spend 5 whole days with dear friends and no dear little ones to chase after. :) Tom, you're a trooper. Thanks for being so great about letting me get away.
Friday, March 18, 2011
7 Quick Takes
1. I figured out this morning that my phone has a limit on how many times you can push the snooze button on the alarm: 7 times. Yes, that's right, folks! I attempted to snooze 8 times this morning. Alas, it didn't work, and I had to drag my bum out of bed. Lest you think I slept the day away, I still did manage to make it out of bed by 6:30, and my alarm only has a 5-minute snooze (pretty lousy, if you ask me). We've been having some sleep issues here with our sweet darling princess girl so Mommy's had a hard time getting out of bed in the mornings.
2. Me to Tacoma News Tribune customer service: "Um, hi, yeah, I have a problem with the delivery of my newspaper." Customer Service: "Oh, did we miss a delivery?" Me: "No, I've been getting my papers." Customer Service: "Were there pieces missing?" Me: "No, everything's fine with the paper, it's just that I wanted to ask if you could ask the paper carrier to try to hit my driveway if possible. For the past 3 days I've gone outside to see my newspaper in my flower bed where my crocuses and daffodils are trying to bloom, and he keeps crushing my flowers!" I'm sure they thought I was the dumbest person alive, and I'm sure the carrier really thinks he's hitting my driveway -- but maybe a little more focus on the 15 feet of pavement and a little less on the 2-foot width of flower bed would be nice.
3. I'm sporting a nice welt and bruise on my eye thanks to James's attempt to simultaneously climb in to my bed and hand me a hard-cover book to read to him. A little eyeshadow and it *almost* looks like part of my makeup routine.
4. With all the nuclear craziness in Japan the past week, we've been on standby, just waiting for Tom to go to Japan for 2 weeks - 1 month to help with efforts to monitor the environment and the people for detectable radiation. Thank goodness it looks like he won't have to go. At least not now, anyway. But, even though we're civilians, we've learned that with the Navy, things could be very different 5 minutes from now.
5. We finally have Tom home on a somewhat normal schedule now. For the past few weeks he was working 12 hours a day, first on swing shift, then on the back shift (6-6 through the night). Ugh. I *hate* it when he's on weird schedules, because it throws our whole family off. It's nice to have him back for a while. The back shift is the hardest, because I have to try to keep kids quiet while he sleeps during the day, and then he's gone for the most trying part of my day -- late afternoon/evening. I try (somewhat successfully) to have a good attitude and just be thankful that I have such a hard-working husband who takes good care of his family.
6. Clare and James's most recent favorite things: grapes. I literally can't bring them out until the end of a meal because once they spot those things there's no getting them to eat anything else. I guess it's a good problem to have.
7. On the menu for tonight: black bean and rice enchiladas. It's a great Friday meal, and one that every time we have, Tom says, "These are good, but they'd be so much better with some meat in them." I guess that's the point of making a little sacrifice, huh? :)
Happy Friday to everyone!
2. Me to Tacoma News Tribune customer service: "Um, hi, yeah, I have a problem with the delivery of my newspaper." Customer Service: "Oh, did we miss a delivery?" Me: "No, I've been getting my papers." Customer Service: "Were there pieces missing?" Me: "No, everything's fine with the paper, it's just that I wanted to ask if you could ask the paper carrier to try to hit my driveway if possible. For the past 3 days I've gone outside to see my newspaper in my flower bed where my crocuses and daffodils are trying to bloom, and he keeps crushing my flowers!" I'm sure they thought I was the dumbest person alive, and I'm sure the carrier really thinks he's hitting my driveway -- but maybe a little more focus on the 15 feet of pavement and a little less on the 2-foot width of flower bed would be nice.
3. I'm sporting a nice welt and bruise on my eye thanks to James's attempt to simultaneously climb in to my bed and hand me a hard-cover book to read to him. A little eyeshadow and it *almost* looks like part of my makeup routine.
4. With all the nuclear craziness in Japan the past week, we've been on standby, just waiting for Tom to go to Japan for 2 weeks - 1 month to help with efforts to monitor the environment and the people for detectable radiation. Thank goodness it looks like he won't have to go. At least not now, anyway. But, even though we're civilians, we've learned that with the Navy, things could be very different 5 minutes from now.
5. We finally have Tom home on a somewhat normal schedule now. For the past few weeks he was working 12 hours a day, first on swing shift, then on the back shift (6-6 through the night). Ugh. I *hate* it when he's on weird schedules, because it throws our whole family off. It's nice to have him back for a while. The back shift is the hardest, because I have to try to keep kids quiet while he sleeps during the day, and then he's gone for the most trying part of my day -- late afternoon/evening. I try (somewhat successfully) to have a good attitude and just be thankful that I have such a hard-working husband who takes good care of his family.
6. Clare and James's most recent favorite things: grapes. I literally can't bring them out until the end of a meal because once they spot those things there's no getting them to eat anything else. I guess it's a good problem to have.
7. On the menu for tonight: black bean and rice enchiladas. It's a great Friday meal, and one that every time we have, Tom says, "These are good, but they'd be so much better with some meat in them." I guess that's the point of making a little sacrifice, huh? :)
Happy Friday to everyone!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
A day in pictures
Smoke raises from Fukushima Daiichi power plant's Unit 1 in Okumamachi, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011
A large ship sits among rubble after it was hit by a tsunami in Kesennuma, northeastern Japan, on Saturday March 12, 2011
Japanese civilians climbing amidst the remains of their homes, following the 9.1 magnitute earthquake
President Obama enjoys 18 holes of golf, March 12, 2011
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