Day 1 of the trip

Stagecoach drivers

Hanging around

Reasons to celebrate

Five years ago, Bernadette was baptized. Forty-five years ago, Charlie and Betsy were married. Yesterday, we had not one but two excellent excuses to eat cake.

Of course

Isaiah and I were reading in the living room when Mara, freshly awake from her afternoon nap, came crawling in. Isaiah was amazed that she had opened the bedroom door, but I told him I had left it open. "Oh," he said, "so it was as easy as winking. Of course, that's old-timers' talk."

A boy and his sisters...and a mother who just doesn't know what to say anymore

About a week ago, Isaiah and Kateri were swinging side by side when Kateri pointed to her brother and said, "That's my boy. This is my boy, Mama."

"And are you his girl?"

"Yes."

Aw. Pretty cute.

But then.

Isaiah volunteered the following information: "Mama, Kateri is my favorite sister."

Of course, I told him never to say that when Bernadette was around because it would hurt her feelings. He gave his word.

Fast forward to this morning, when all three of them were swinging together.

Isaiah: "Guess what, Mama? I told Bernadette that Kateri is my favorite sister, and she wasn't upset at all!"

Mama: "But I'm upset that you said that to her."

Bernadette: "Isaiah, you shouldn't have told her that! It's OK, Mama. He said he rather likes me!"

Fine. I give up.

So much to keep track of

Last night I had to remove Mara from Bernadette's American Heritage Girls meeting for attempted crayon theft. She had fun crawling around and toddling a little in the wide open spaces of the next room. Toward the end of the meeting, Bernadette must have finished her project and decided that Mara had gone long enough without her sisterly vigilance, because through the wall I heard her say, "Well, I think I'd better go see what my toddler is up to."

Dilemma

Isaiah: "Mama, when I hold my breath, I don't like it. But when I breathe, I don't really like that, either."

Happy birthday Marilyn

Face paint

Two cuties

Faces

Anthology

In the car recently, the girls churned out an entire collection of short stories. Kateri: "Once upon a time. The end. Once upon a time. The end. Once upon a time. The end." Bernadette: "Once upon a time. The end." The publisher should be able to fit these, title page and all, onto one sheet

Swinging

Bernadette: "The wind is giving me a ride!"

Footwear check

Kateri: "I don't have any shoes on me. I only have some feet."

Mama: "Well, good. I'm glad you have some feet."

K: "I have some toes, too!"

Cake!

Flower girls

Mara's morning coffee

Isaiah is 7

Better than the answer in the book

Mama: "Why did Jesus leave us the gift of the Eucharist before He died?"

Bernadette: "Because He loves us so much that He doesn't want to leave our side."

Desperate times...

Kateri: "I am going to the jail."

Mama: "You are? What for?"

K: "For some food."

Reading

Pretty

The parasols from Grandma Anne happen to coordinate perfectly with the new dresses from Uncle Pete and Aunt Magda. (And, of course, the girls inside the dresses are just lovely, through and through.) Thank you, gift-givers!

Isaiah James and his St. James cake

Kateri and the moon

How to find room for a fourth child

Get creative with closet space.