Such a sight as this...

How could a person not feel immensely blessed at the end of a day- regardless of how hard or trying or exhausting the day may have been- when they are able to look upon such a sight as this? I truly think one of the most precious, endearing things on earth to gaze upon is the innocence of a child/children asleep. Good night, my darlings... Sweet dreams! Tomorrow will bring new adventures, new mercies, new blessings. But for now, dream and slumber!
(Yes, L always looks like he has a smirk on his face when I take pictures of him sleeping!! I swear- he even sleeps with a smile on his face!!!! Who wouldn't love snuggling with this kid!? You can even see here why they got the nickname "The Buddies"!)

Introducing "Locks"...His Video Debut:

Can't leave her out!

I forgot to mention in my briefing of yesterday's historical event that our M-Bear also had her own little adventure at The Brick House salon. She made friends with the receptionist, Andi, who offered (pro bono!) to paint M's fingernails and toenails- whatever colors she wanted! Well! M-Bear took her offer very seriously and scrutinized over every color in the salon before deciding on red...and mauve...and midnight blue...and glitter green...and hot pink!! "A rainbow of colors!" she exclaimed proudly when showing me her selection! She got to sit in the special manicure chair and was the perfect client, oohing and aahing after each dip and spread of paint! At the end of her first official nail and toe painting session, she resolutely declared: "When I grow up I want to work at this barber shop with the girls and paint finger and toe nails!" Alright! We'll add that to the list of professions she's planning on!!

Before....and After!

A few more pix...

A few more pix of the new 'do...

The Story

Okay, so here's the story behind the locks....

About 6 months ago, back in Belleville, we were with the kids at a park. There was a darling little guy playing on the playground, and he had the most beautiful dredlocks. Papa and I looked at each other and smiled, later confirming that we both thought the dreds on the little guy at the park were just way too cool... and we tossed around the idea of doing dreds on our little guy, L. At the time, his hair was way too short to do anything of the sort, but as the months went on and we kept putting off haircuts, and his hair kept getting longer...and longer...and longer... we decided, hey, let's really look into this idea! One of Papa's coworkers has cool long dreds himself, and Papa asked him where he had them done. We were referred to Ron at The Brick House salon, and I stopped by one day to inquire if he'd be able/willing to do L's hair once it was long enough. He looked at his hair and said, "Sure, no problem... just come back when it's about twice as long." That was back in September. So, last week, after an old gentleman at church complimented on my 'three beautiful daughters" and some other people at Walmart referred to him as a "she", Papa decided that enough was enough! So, we confirmed with Ron that his hair was indeed long enough, and we made the appointment for this Wednesday, 10am.
Wednesday rolled along, and Mama, L, M, and C headed to the barber shop, with DVD player and movies in hand! It was quite a long day, to say the least!! His hair is sooo fine and sleek that Ron needed to do the dreds in very small sections so that they will 'lock up' or 'catch' more quickly over time. L was absolutely AMAZING! For those of you who have ever doubted our son's ability to sit still and be patient for long periods of time, how's this for proof: We didn't leave the barber shop until 6:00pm. That's right. We were there from 10am until 6pm. We did take a lunch break inbetween for about an hour, in which Mama also got some ice cream to help encourage L's patience. And for the very last hour, the movie player even ran out of battery power, so we got out good ol' pen and paper to draw pictures! Mama had to pull out all the tricks in the book for that last hour, and we had the receptionist in there, helping to entertain and pacify our little guy for the last several locks! At last, though, the last lock was done, and we headed home to unveil his new 'do to Papa...and all the rest of you here on the blog!
For those of you unfamiliar with dredlocks, you must know that this is an 'evolving' sort of hairdo. Over time, this look will drastically change and become what it is supposed to look like as the hair 'locks up' or 'catches'. It will definitely be an education in itself for us, too. But all we can say is, it is most definitely a very fitting 'do for our 'Crazy Man'. I truly don't think the pictures do it justice at all! We will be posting pictures over time so you can watch as the evolution of this 'do takes place!

Deep Thoughts by M-Bear

M: "Mama, why do we have to live here on Earth? Why can't God just let us live in Heaven right away?"

My attempt to answer today's deep thought from my little philosopher went something like this:
"Well, because each one of us has a very special job to do here on Earth before we're ready for Heaven and to get us ready for Heaven, and it's our job to figure out what that special job is and do our best to do it....like right now, your special job is to be the best daughter and sister that you can be and to pray for others who need your prayers."

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Every time we have these discussions, I am so challenged by the actual questions she asks, because I want to give her genuine answers... and it makes me contemplate the questions/answers myself long after the conversation is over! Do I really believe I have a special purpose/plan/job here on Earth? How seriously do I take this and how does this belief affect the way I live my day to day life? Phew! No wonder why Scripture says "...women will be saved through childbearing...if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” (I Timothy 2:15) My children sanctify me daily in so many ways- and not even just in the nitty gritty things of changing diapers and cleaning up messes! They challenge me to live out my faith genuinely because they are watching and learning, questioning and observing how Mama does it, how Mama lives it out. Thank you, Lord, for these precious souls that You make Yourself known to me through.

Every time I go forward for Communion and receive the Eucharist from Father, he first blesses each of the three kids and looks at each of them, saying to each, "I see You." Ooooh. Gives me goosebumps everytime! Yes, Jesus- you are there, in each of them! I pray I never forget this, and that you quickly remind me of this in the moments each day that I fail to see this, to see YOU in them!
One other thing Father shared with us was a story about when he was in elementary school and his teacher, a nun, talked one day about how God is everywhere. He looked up his sleeve, down his shirt, in his schoolbag, and finally when he got home, he said to his mother, "Sister said God is everywhere. Well, I want to touch Him." And his mother held out her arm towards him and said, "Here, touch me." That stuck with him forever, and it speaks so deeply to me about the reality of the presence of Christ right here, in my midst, in my own household- on my lap, for Heaven's sake! What a God! What Love! He leapt down from Heaven to walk on Earth and be in our midsts for a time, and now He comes to us in the mundane, the day to day, so we might be able to touch Him, to hold Him, to hug Him, to be loved by Him in a tangible way we can literally wrap our arms around.
..... Thanks, M, for your questions.... look at all the thoughts and emotions you stirred up in me from your own question!!

Meet the Irwins...

For kicks, and for those of you who are new to our blog, here's a little peak into the Irwin crew:

C....

Current Nicknames: "Sunshine", "Peanut"

This newest member to the Irwin clan, has brought immense joy and lightens up our house with her contagious, constant smiles! She is now 8 months old, and is priming her legs and sense of balance for taking her first steps (no steps quite yet- but she's just started to try standing without help these past couple days). Her daily entertainment? What else: M and L , who can make her laugh without much effort at all! She has been blessed with her Papa's bright blue eyes, and her big sister likes to call her "Mama's dark-skinned daughter", because she got the olive complexion from Mama's side, rather than the fair Irish skin from Papa!

L...

The Nickname that's stuck: "Crazy Man"

Our 100% total quintessential boy! He is at the same time our total snuggler and our total bruiser! He gives THE all-time best hugs ever, and somehow he can hang with 11 and 12 year olds one minute (completely holding his own, and I daresay sometimes even leading around the older boys!), and then love on his baby sister the next. This is the all-time cool brother that any kid would want to have! He does have the trademark Irish temper, coupled with being very sensitive, and can turn the faucet of big, plump tears on like no one else! He has mastered the very special art of making a stick appear anytime, anywhere, no matter where we are! His two favorite books are "I Stink" (about garbage trucks), and "Not a Stick".

M...

Her Consistent Nickname: "M-Bear"

Our quintessential girl, and the best first-born we could have asked for! She's a fantastic helper to Mama and also a very sensitive child, with a bit of the Irish temper, too. But this girl is our little philosopher and deep thinker! She is a glutton for stories, and has such a vivid imagination. She is a perfectionist, for better and worse, and she goes back and forth in contemplating whether she is going to be a nun, a doctor, a singer, a crocodile hunter, or a mama! She is our little prayer warrior, always praying for someone or something, and quite the prolife champion, praying daily 'for the babies, and that Obama would have a change of heart about abortion.' When not pondering the profound questions of life, she loves dressing up, dancing, drawing, pretending, and having tea time!

Papa...

His Nickname: For this blog, we'll give him the nickname "NC Ireland", being the proud Irishman and TarHeel fan he is! (and since he doesn't really have any nicknames to claim as his own!!)

A very proud Papa, a prosthetist and orthotist, a TarHeels basketball fan, a Boston Red Sox fan, a Catholic who loves his faith, a Buffalo NY native, someone who loves to kick back with a bag of chips and salsa in one hand and a Blue Moon or Guinness in the other and discuss/debate politics or the Church with friends, would love to work for the Church someday or as a missionary overseas...!

Mama...

Her Nickname: Amongst others, Papa calls her "Belle"

A stayhome, homeschoolin' Mama who adores her job, looks for opportunities to sing whenever she can, loves going to Mass and learning about the Faith and reading about the Saints, misses MN but loves the new friends she has made over the last few years in both Florida and Illinois along with the long-distance friendships in MN that have deepened over these past few years, loves midwives and homebirth, would love to live on a nice piece of land with huge magnificent trees and grow her own food, raise a few animals like chicken, goats, bees, etc and live off the land as much as possible....ah! Someday!, loves reading and writing and 'rithmatic (well, maybe not math so much !); wishes she could manage her time better to write more music, and loves kickin' back with a frappucino in hand and a good friend to talk with (or a Little One to snuggle with!)...!

You're My "Tootie-Pie"

L: "Mama, you're my tootie-pie, ya know."

(Listen carefully to hear Mama's heart melting.............)

Fitting Jesus in the Tabernacle....

M: "Mama, Papa- how does Jesus fit into the tabernacle? How does he fit into the bread and wine?"

Our little philosopher/theologian! And she really really thinks on these things often!

Papa: "Well, why don't we ask Father, since we're here at Church!"

M: "Okay! Perfect!"

We approached Father and she asked him her urgent questions.
Father has had wonderful ways of answering some of her other questions in the past ("What does Heaven look like? How come we can't see God with our eyes, like we can see each other? How can Jesus be in me, and in Church, and in other people all at the same time?"....), giving her (and me!) some wonderful answers to think about. But Father also has a way of answering questions with questions, too... which is what he did today:

Father: "Hmmmm. Very good question- what I want to know is how can Jesus fit inside YOU? and you (pointing to L), and your Mama and Papa and me? What do YOU think?"

M just looked at him, waiting patiently. He continued...

Father: "Looks like we have some very important questions to think about...why don't you think about those for a bit. I have to go and teach the Family Catechesis class right now..."

M was NOT happy with him!!!! She turned on her heel and looked about as angry as if he'd told her to scram!

M: "That's not a good answer!!!"

We smoothed things out a bit, but she sought out the visiting priest to ask him!!

Visiting Priest: "We don't squish Jesus to fit into the tabernacle or the bread and wine. Rather, it's like how our soul is in each of us- we don't see it, but it's there- God puts it there. And Jesus is the same- he lives inside us, too."

Well....that seemed to suffice her...at least for today!!