Holy Thursday Pilgrimage

Logan started a fun Holy Thursday tradition with Augustine two years ago. This year Lewis was old enough to be included!

In the evening on Holy Thursday Logan picks seven* churches around town. He and the boys write down an intention to pray for at each church. Then they drive to each church, visit the reposed altar, and pray for the intention they chose. We call it the Holy Thursday Pilgrimage.

It's a fun way to teach the boys about the Triduum, pray together, and enjoy a family tradition. 

Logan very cleverly made each boy a check list. They wrote down their intention for each church stop, and could check the box once their stop was complete. 

Both boys chose people to pray for. Logan had a sheet too, but we didn't take a photo because the new baby's name was on it. ;)

To make it work, I nap both the boys in the afternoon so they can stay up about two hours later than usual. They are usually gone about 1 1/2 hours on the pilgrimage. The boys LOVE it!

*Going to seven churches is a Catholic tradition dating back to the 1300s. 

Making Plans

Lynn: What should we do tonight?

Logan: I don't know. 

Lynn: I'll go play canasta with my mom. 

Logan: Lewis, do you want to go somewhere with me?

Lewis: Daddy. Take me Lulu's house. Me play. You home. Me done playing, you pick me up. 

Lynn: Lulu can't play tonight. 

Lewis: Um....Elsie house?

Lynn: No. She's in Arizona. 

Lewis: Um...Mimi house?

Lynn: Lisa lives too far away. 

Lewis: Me go Daddy. 

Big & Middle

I think this photo ^^^ is my best brother photo since this one...

Baby in me tummy

Guess who had a baby in his tummy all morning? Actually, he had about three by nap time. He kept telling Augustine and I "Me baby pop out!" and then we had to do all the things to take care of his old lady scarf, er, I mean baby. 

Meeting Maylee

We were perpetually sick for weeks when Maylee (NOT two syllables, all one word like "Bailey") was born so the boys finally got to meet her this week! It was a spontaneous play date...which are the best kind. Lewis likes babies, but Augustine is just head-over-heals for them. He will sit as long as the adults will let him with a baby in his arms. I was the same way as a kid. 

Two More Weeks

Thanks to Logan I have a handful of photos while pregnant with #3. This one is decent. 

The Right Balance

I'm currently, well, still working on how to organize toys. I absolutely love toys and watching my kids delight in them, but I also can't stand toys unless they are open ended and span many ages. 

My newest phase of this never-ending organizational task is creating a toy library. It's basically an effort to rotate toys and not have too many choices out at once. The boys can check something out of the toy library by checking a toy that's already out back in. Make sense? Then we don't have a million toys out, and some toys aren't seen for longer periods of time and become exciting again. 

I've been reading lots of organizational, simplifying, children's play kind of books the past few months, as well as observing my boy's play patterns, and finally it all seems to be coming together as I read Simplicity Parenting. 

A few examples: I grouped the kitchen, babies, and laundry toys all in one area creating a "house" and poof! It's all being played with again. 

I put the Duplos away for a while and now this week poof! They have been building daily. 

We did a little Easter art...which really has nothing to do with toys...but Lewis likes art and we don't do it very often because my energy is too low at 37.5 weeks pregnant. 

I also think the warmer days help. We are in the house less so we aren't constantly trying to think of something we haven't already done ten times over.