Happy Bearthday to Me!

Yesterday, according to B, I turned old and decrepit. (He says that every year and amazingly, I'm only old and decrepit for 18 days, which is when he turns back to the same age as me.) I turned 36, so if you every want to know how old I am, I'm the same age as Earthday (nope, not as old as dirt, quite!).

It was a really nice day. We all had pancakes for breakfast (poor B has to make two different batches, as I can't have gluten). I got my presents after breakfast, as the boys couldn't wait and we were going to have a very busy day. L gave me two peony plants (var. Kansas!) that he picked out himself. M gave me a Last Avatar DVD and a computer Scrabble game. M and I both love the various anime cartoons and Scrabble, so they are really for both of us. (I can share!)

B gave me a camelback, a couple of DVDs, and a new obnoxious chartreuse bag/purse. I needed a bigger one as I am carrying a lot more stuff because of L's needs. The camelback is going to be great--that way I can ride for a long time and have plenty of water. Besides, it has a spot for my cell phone, my inhaler and other stuff. I won't have to carry all that in my pockets.

M had a soccer game (they lost--better now and have it over with) and we went to the Domain. We had a picnic lunch and went for a hike. L and M were both able to hike for 5 miles. I was most impressed. We also got the Bishop to bless our new wedding rings (mine were lost--I'll tell that story some other time). Later, the boys went to parents' night out and B and I went to dinner at Outback. We actually could sit at the bar to wait for a table. How novel!

So, now I'm 36. No one believes me.

Ch-ch-changes

We've had a few changes here.

L has his newest pair of socks--he is a big fan of new socks. These ones were knit from leftovers from a previous pair. (Sockotta yarn, in a 4X2 rib pattern on size 1 needles.) I want to buy some yarn to make socks for the two bigger boys because L has many more pairs than them. Of course, L has much smaller feet and I can squeeze a lot more socks out of the yarn I buy for him!



Another change, which I thought was obvious, but apparently was not, is that I had 3 or 4 inches cut off of my hair (hard to tell, as my hair is pretty curly). It's gone from an unruly mane of tangled waves to a not-as-much unruly set of loose curls. B likes it, I really like it, but surprisingly no one else seems to have noticed. I've decided to think that's because my new cut is so great and is so me that no one can tell. This picture shows my hair a bit--I'd just finished a bike ride so my hair is in pig tails and a bit messy. Yes, I wore my helmet. (Motto: It's better to look stupid than be stupid!)

A third change is we now are the proud owners of a high efficiency front-loading washing machine! Woohoo! Can't you just feel the excitement? The boys (all three of them) like to watch it go round and round. Having a window so you can see the laundry apparently is really exciting. I like it because there's a lot less water going into the septic tank, and the clothes are dryer when they go into the dryer, using a lot less electricity. That warms my environmentalist's heart. I'm not posting a picture of the washing machine, because that's just too pathetic, even for me!

Added later:
Ride report: New ride today. I tried out a new route. It's also hilly. Total mileage: 13.56, total time: 1 hour, 2 min., 5 sec. MPH somewhere in the neighborhood of 13.3 to 13.4. This route includes waiting at red lights, so I think that it went pretty well. No wheezing once off the bike, so my fitness level is increasing. I made it home and showered just as the thunder started. I had pretty good timing for a change.

Going, going, GONE!

What we did Saturday afternoon:

going,








going,












GONE!




L is learning to ride his bicycle, too.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from us!

We hope that your Easter was full of joy and Alleluias!













Easter morning, 2006. In front of our apple tree.

Maundy Thursday

Today starts the serious Holy Week events.

Tonight is the Maundy Thursday service. This is one of the most powerful (to me) services of the year. The part of the service that resonates with me is stripping the altar. There is something very powerful about taking every bit of celebratory material off of the altar and leaving the church in darkness and silence. Unfortunately, the two boys are not really able to sit through the service yet so I won't get to go this year.

Tomorrow is Good Friday. B has a mass of the pre-sanctified at 12:10 and then we are sharing a Good Friday service with the Lutherans.

Saturday is the Great Vigil of Easter. That service is starting at 11:00 pm and won't be over until 1:00 am.

Sunday will be the three usual services, but much more celebratory!

Anyway, the above is a short explanation of why we are going to be extremely busy for the next few days.

In other news,

M's last soccer game was a great success. He played goalie for three quarters and did very well. No one scored on him (or the other goalie, for that matter). He is certain he is going to be a fullback/backup goalie when he starts playing in middle school (which is still 2 years away, thank goodness). I'm really quite proud of him. He has improved so much every season.

L had a hematology appointment on Tuesday. He is doing okay--he seems to have gained about a pound since January (so maybe 6.5 ounces a month). Of course, hematology's scales don't count (according to the GI), so next month we will really see how he is growing. He has been sick too often this winter (last year was a fluke) and so we are investigating giving him IVIG or SCIG next winter. Right now, he has another cold, and he's complaining that his face, eyes, and head hurts. I think that he has a sinus infection. Poor kid.

He and I also were able to see some of B's relatives or as L likes to say "Cousins!" It was nice to see Aunt B and Uncle T, J & K and their 4 boys, and K and J and their four children, none of whom we are able to see very often. Grandma and Grandpa were also there and L loves to see them. After the appointment, we met all of the cousins and Grandpa at the zoo (the best bribe ever) and had a lot of fun with them.

I have tomorrow off from school--convenient, that. Today, I was able to ride again. (It's amazing how much it helps me cope.) I was much faster today. I went 12.54 miles, in 53 minutes 13 seconds, and at a speed of 14.1 mph. Much better than last week's ride. I also didn't spend another hour wheezing.

L will be home very soon from preschool, so I must go. I hope that the sun is shining for you!