Snow Day

All week long we've been preparing for snow and ice. Today was the day and what a bust. No Snow. My poor kids have been talking about building a snowman all week. Now their play date has been cancelled because mom doesn't drive on ice and they are stuck inside. Oh, to be like the mom next door who threw her kids outside by 8:30 this morning so they could check out the ice.

I decided to set up stations for the day to keep us from going crazy. Really, I can't take listening to Caillou any longer. Goose has decided he doesn't like "learning shows" anymore so instead he watches the most annoying show around. Somehow he managed to hit record without our knowledge so we have more than ten episodes with more popping up each day. And let me tell you, Caillou is the biggest baby around. This show explains the Baby Hulk's sudden inability to walk down the hall by himself. I really don't let my kids watch television very often, but I must admit with sick ones and me being super tired, I have allowed a bit more television than usual.

Today we are making a St. Brigid cross, reading on the couch, having a snack, doing a chore, having lunch, silent reading and puzzles. We'll end with popcorn and a family movie. Not bad, but still not the same as building as a snowman.

Here are some pictures from Wednesday. Squirt's surgery went well, and he should be able to actually breathe out of his nose soon. The doctor assures us that he will be fine after this surgery, but since this is the third surgery of this type, we're not convinced.

I often find Baby Z with toys surrounding her from the boys. The boys were really worried about Squirt and thought their animals would help him feel better.

We didn't make it to Mass on Wednesday to have our candles blessed so Lance did a blessing at home for us. No David LOVES his new candle. We, and by we I mean Lance and I, made candles over the weekend and I bought the cheesy ones at HEB for the kids. They were so excited about them!

All Saints Day

These are the crafts the little boys made for today. Each chose their own saint cards for their mats. I'm going to laminate them so we can keep them forever!

All Holy Men and Women, pray for us!

Our Lady of Lourdes

In honor of St. Bernadette's feast day, Friday afternoon a friend and I took our children to the Grotto at Our Lady of Lourdes parish off of 290. Oh My Gosh! This place was awesome! I'd seen a few pictures, and honestly, was a bit worried the place would be cheesy. I couldn't have been more thrilled with it, and the children loved it. The boys were a bit spastic that afternoon, but considering Goose had been in school all day and the others were in a car for most of the day, I guess their behavior was normal. The Grotto itself was stunning and had a small chapel inside. Of course, all the kids had to light a candle. It was almost like bedtime, the amount of people the kids were praying for just so they could light another candle. There is also an outdoor Stations of the Cross. Wish I'd known about this before now. Regardless, at each station the boys (or girls) correctly identified the Station and said a prayer. It was pretty sweet. And worth driving home in rush hour traffic. They are building what seems to be a beautiful new church there. I am already making plans to return soon! (And I know Kobra looks awful in his outfit. I guess it's time to change out "extra" clothes in the diaper bag.)

Look!!!

Celebrating their first mass together?

Our Group

Pretzel Making

Who knew that making pretzels was so flipping easy? I had wanted to make Hot Cross Buns today since that is traditional on Good Friday. I decided against it because the recipes seemed a bit tedious and most called for raisins. After reading that pretzels were traditionally only eaten during Lent, I decided to have them today before time ran out. I know we can still make them during the rest of the year, but I really wanted to talk about how people used to eat these from Ash Wednesday until Good Friday with the kids. The snack was a huge hit with everyone. After fasting most of the day, I think I went a bit crazy. The baby LOVED them! And the best part, it was soooo easy.

I am looking at the piece of dough I tossed on the floor.

My sous chef

Before

And After

Happy Boys