"I Feel So Old..."

Going to a Christmas program for little kids is always an experience, but going to one that features your own kids is a whole new experience.  Are they really that old?  Are we that old?

None the less, it was very fun to watch Joseph and Jameson as they performed in their pre-school Christmas program.  Please enjoy the experience with us!



Wishing you all a blessed season of Advent in preparation of a glorious Christmas!

Count Your Blessings

"We must not be blind to the fact that in these times of activity in which we live, demands are made upon us and obstacles rise so that certain modifications and a certain perfectioning become indispensable...aim unceasingly to become a soul of prayer.  Be humble, be simple, and bring joy to others."

- Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat

Superheroes! The Movie!

First Day of Preschool!

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Nelson Mandela

Madeleine is 2 (sort of)!

"What is needed for winning parents and children is to be busy about them, at their service from morning to night; to forget oneself and enter into what concerns the children, body and soul; to listen to them with interest; to console and to encourage them; finally to sacrifice for them everything except one's soul; and become for their sakes gentle, patient, indulgent...be humble, be simple, and bring joy to others."

St. Madeleine Sophie Barat

McNature: The Pictures

McNature: Day 4

Today is our last full day in the great outdoors.  Now, it has come to my attention, that some people don't think we are truly "roughing it" since we have internet access.  Well...let me inform those skeptical individuals that yes, we do have wifi, but it is such a weak signal that I can't download any podcasts, stream rad songs, or watch any YouTube clips.  I mean, come on!  Clearly  that defines "roughing it" in this day and age, right!?  It's almost like I have to go outside or talk to these other people living with me (who mysteriously keep calling me "Dad").

Highlights from today:

• Great breakfast with the Stimpsons, which led to pool time (and much splashing), then nap time, then (to beat the hot, hot, heat) a trip into town and get an ice cream treat.  We needed a lot of napkins to clean up the ice cream mess in the restaurant, but Katie promised to be cleaner next time.
• We then stopped by a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' spillway and looked at the museum and interactive displays within it.  Of course, by "looked at" I mean J+J managed to run around the entire area and push every talking display button in record time.  Did I mention we went here after the ice cream treat?  It was really neat, the boys seemed to be interested in all of the educational information taxidermy animals, but their favorite part was the gift shop and the box of pencils with the pirate skull, robot, and shark erasers...which had nothing to do with anything about the spillway (I think) - did I mention we went here after the ice cream treat?  Unfortunately, we ran out of time and could not see everything in the museum.  We showed up 15 minutes before they closed for the day (or so they claimed) - did I mention we went there...never mind.
• We had an awesome dinner, followed by some final pool time, and then our last opportunity to fish.  Dave cemented his legacy as the fisherman of the trip with his 16 1/2" bass he caught tonight.  Final fish total: Dave - 11, Chris - 8.  There Dave, now everyone knows.
• Finally, the evening ended with the adults testing their skills in "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"  3 out of 4, or 75% of us, passed the grade.  There Dave, Mr. Fish King, now everyone knows. 

Tomorrow consists of packing up and driving back home.  As long as we pack up three kids, we will be in good shape.  All in all, it really has been a wonderful trip, and we can't thank Patti and Dave enough for allowing us to share in these wonderful opportunities.  These are memories we will undoubtedly cherish for years.  I plan on getting pictures up from the trip at some point tomorrow.  I can't upload photos with this slow, archaic wireless signal because, you know, I am camping.

McNature: Day 3

What I am learning about fishing is when in doubt, exaggerate.  Day 3 of the great outdoors saw Dave and I leave early to try our luck with fishing out on the lake.  The idea is that we would catch our dinner.  The reality is that we had a higher chance of catching a cold in the sunny, hot weather than catching a fish to eat.  Not that we aren't great fishermen, of course.  We did catch fish, but they would have made the world's tiniest fish sticks.  However, this didn't stop the fish from growing in our memories and we talked about our experiences throughout the day ("I tell ya, it was about 3 feet long, with eyes as red as the fire that burned within its belly!").  None the less, it was a cool experience, and driving around the boat was fun.  Other highlights:

• While Daddy and Papa were gone in the morning, Mommy and Grandma took the kids to the park and pool.  Everyone had a great time, and judging by how hard people were napping when we came back into the camp, clearly everyone played hard.
• They boys did some more fishing in front of our cabin, but soon put their poles away for an even more exciting camping experience...rocks!  They spent most of the evening picking them up and placing them on everything around the campsite.  We spent most of the evening reminding them not to do that.
• The boys got to experience their first campfire and S'mores.  They seemed to enjoy them, although they were a little turned-off by the messiness of the snack (OCD?  Is that a bad thing?).  None the less, the boys seemed to really enjoy playing (with the rocks) by the fire.
• Finally, Katie and I got some time to sit out by the fire after the kids went to bed.  It was really nice, with a beautiful view of the water, along with good conversation with a pretty lady! 

McNature: Day 2

"Someone is out of their bed."  At 5:30am, these words are never exciting words for a parent to hear - no matter if they are said at home or on vacation.  None the less, this would be how our second day started here in the great outdoors.  I tried to preoccupy the boys enough (undoubtedly promising them gifts and privileges every parent swears they will never do) so I could try to catch some sleep on the couch, with visions of our second day adventures dancing in my head.

The highlights:

• We rented a boat this morning and took the boys and Madeleine on their first boat ride around the lake.  They loved it!  Well, I am assuming Madeleine enjoyed it.  When I asked her if she liked it, she grunted at me.  However, the boys enjoyed it so much that they staged a mini-mutiny and offered to drive the boat back to the marina while "Papa" and Daddy were swimming in a cove.  After bribing them with chocolate, they let me back in the boat.  Best part of this event...no sunburn (take THAT global warming)!
• The boys got more fishing in today.  Fishing stories (alert):  "Papa" got three fish (one in record time) and Katie supposedly caught a fish so big that she couldn't reel it in to the shore.  Her line just sat there, almost like the lure was stuck to something, like - I don't know - a big log on the bottom of the lake (or something).  Needless to say, we cut the line (and "The Big One") free.
• The boys got to do some swimming (see: floating in a tube) today.  Everyone had a lot of fun splashing, playing with toy airplanes, not peeing in the pool, and chasing Mommy - but enough about me.
• Finally, the evening ended for the adults with some campfire conversation and popcorn over the fire.  Awesome day!

P.S.  When asked what his favorite part of today was, Jameson replied, "Riding in the boat, the airplane, the spaceship, and the helicopter!"  If he keeps answering like that when we get back to Bloomington, people are going to think we just gave our kids the coolest vacation ever!

McNature: Day 1

Five days - pure nature!  We are taking our first vacation as a family of five...to the great outdoors!  Dave and Patti kindly invited us to go camping with them.  Some highlights from day one:

• On the drive down to the camp site, one of our 3-year-old passengers (let's call him J. McGraw) decided he didn't want to take a nap during the drive.  Instead, he felt like counting objects that passed by our car.  Here is how it went (for 10+ minutes), "16, 17, 18, 19...17!  16, 17, 18, 19...17!"   
• His brother (let's call him J. McGraw), then proceeded to sing the ABC's (A-Z thankfully), but a mini-civil war broke out when the other J. McGraw decided to sing the same song.  A passionate declaration for ownership of the song then followed.  Luckily, all was calm when Mom explained that everyone can sing the ABC's.
• The boys were able to try fishing for the first time today, and Joseph (warning: fish story ahead) almost caught his first fish!  As he was reeling his line back in to land, I saw a fish bite at his rubber lure.  The fish then let go, but came back and grabbed it.  Joseph's pole then began to bend, and his eyes got very wide.  I dropped my pole in excitement and ran over to him, screaming something like, "You got a fish!  You got a fish!"  Joseph, probably now more terrified of me running at him like a lunatic, dropped his pole...and (say it with me) the fish got away.
• Besides fishing, we got all of our gear unpacked in our cabin, had a tasty dinner of brats and sweet corn, and did some evening fishing - and this time - it was I that had the fish (say it with me) that got away (a bass - I saw it, I swear). 
• I took some pictures to document the first day of the trip, too.  I will post them when I have a better wireless connection (it is too slow to try it here).

All in all, a wonderful start to what should be a great time together as a family - stay tuned for more updates, and, don't forget, please pray for us! 

July

July is quickly coming to an end!  Which is fine - if you are talking about ending this "surface of the sun" heat-wave - but isn't so great in the context of less family time for school days.  Here are some photos from the past month, from our Super Twins to first dentist visits...and a pretty girl!  Enjoy!

Madeleine!

Today is St. Mary Magdalene's feast day.  Mary Magdalene was one of Christ's disciples and was present when He died, and according to St. Mark's account, she was the first to see the risen Lord.

This feast day is an extra special day for our family because Madeleine (say Mad-uh-lynn) is a form of Magdalene, meaning "woman from Magdala" - a village on the sea of Galilee.  It is also a form of "magnificant" in Ireland.  To celebrate, here is a one-month slide show of our beautiful girl.  Enjoy!

Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us!   

Birf-day!

What do you give two three-year-olds for their birthdays?  Memories!  They may not appreciate it now, but Katie and I will definitely cherish the opportunity we had in spending the boys' special day together as a whole family.

The Kings Of Rock

On the first day of summer, our family changed dramatically.  The greatest blessing with our early summer addition is that we now have the next couple of months to create, experience, and celebrate moments together...moments of wicked awesomeness like these...  

"Heavenly" Cookies

Grandma LaLa stayed with us for a couple of days and the boys had an opportunity to help her bake her infamous (within our family) chocolate chip cookies.

Just how good are these cookies?  Well, at our bedtime prayer tonight, when asked who they want to pray for, Joseph said, "Grandma LaLa...and more cookies."  Amen.

Fun Run?

In theory, it is supposed to be fun for the participating kids.  If this simple concept was not true, then the weekly event would not be monikered, "Fun Run for Kids."  Although, looking back, maybe it is fun for the kids.  Perhaps there is nothing but truth in the event's name.  No where in the name of the event is a designation for a subtitle, "Anxiety for Parents."  Although, this addition would be applicable - at least for this parent.

The weekly event is held at a local high school's track, and is hosted by the local running club.  The supposed idea is to get young kids (from ages one to whatever) out on the track and running - in designated age groups, e.g. 1-2 year olds, 3 year olds, and so forth.  Each group has an opportunity to go on the track and run a lap (or half a lap for the youngest group).  The idea seems harmless enough, and on a beautiful early Friday evening, it seemed like a good idea.  My boys like being outdoors.  They love to run (especially indoors and at other inconvenient moments) - so why not combine these two elements?  It seems like a simple math equation that should equal success!

When we arrived I was amazed at the sheer number of people...and the racing tags.  Racing tags!  You only get one tag for one side of the body, which is good, since the tags were practically wrap-arounds for my boys.  I couldn't imagine why we were getting these, although, a thought ran through my head, "Next time, dress the boys alike, have one start the race and hide near the 200 meter mark.  When Joseph gets there, have him roll off of the track and have Jameson pop up and finish!"  I could see my self in the winner's circle, wearing gold chains and holding a cigar, "What!?  #5913 wasn't my runner, it was #5914!  Do you see a difference!?"

After daydreaming, I then watched the younger age group run (the 1-2 year old group) and chuckled as parents (mostly dads) chased after their kids - in all directions - around the track.  Of course, these were the lucky ones as others were stuck carrying their suddenly immobile kid.  Was I worried?  Naaaaa...I have seen my boys run for hours,* and Lord knows when I need them to do something they suddenly find an extra gear of speed when running in the other direction.  What's the worse that could happen?  They need to walk?  So be it.  I might need to walk, too, and at least I will then have an excuse.

Our first problem was that we didn't get to the starting line on time.  I got confused as the moment neared, and before I realized what had happened, I saw a lot of anxious three year olds and their parents (dads) taking off on the track.  I grabbed Joseph and Jameson and weaved through the mass of sweaty, exhausted runners finishing from the first group (those were just the parents) and managed to catch up to the back of the pack.  "Here we go, " I thought as I let go of the boys' hands, anticipating a blur of color as each boy took off by me.  Here is what happened:

100 meters in the run, already far behind the field (because of me), and down goes a boy.  I helped him up, like any caring, nurturing parent would, "You okay?  Great!  Let's go catch those people!" and held my breath.  Both boys were back to their winning form until I heard the one word that could turn this "Fun" run into a "Done" run..."Mommy?"

The quivering tone told me everything I needed to know as I turned around and saw Joseph - no longer running - but standing 250 meters (more than half a lap) away from the finish line (and Mommy).  "No big deal," I thought as I went over and picked him up, "I can carry him a little bit and reason with him that the faster he gets to the finish, the faster he can see his mother's beautiful face.  We can do this."

"Mommy?!" This more panicked voice did not come from the boy in my arms.  I turned around to see my other son - also no longer running - now standing 240 meters (still more than half a lap) away from the finish line (and Mommy).  We stood in silence, Jameson's puppy dog eyes staring at my dumb-struck face, while Joseph, in my arms, pointed out the really tall lights in the stadium.   

Katie, a spectator to all of this (240 meters away), recalls this moment - with a little too much pleasure, for my taste - by saying there was a moment where I looked like I was going to take the boys and cut through the football field to the finish.  I assure you, there was a moment within this situation where I planned on cutting through the football field to the finish, but I refuse to say whether or not I was planning on bringing the boys with me.

None the less, I managed to coerce the boys to continue around the track - I am pretty sure I promised both of them soda, staying up until midnight, cell phones, and me doing their homework for their first 8 years of schooling. 

All in all, there was sweat, tears, and a little scrapping of a knee at this event.  Isn't that all you could ask for from a competitor in the "Fun Run for Kids?"  Now, about changing that name...

All that for a ribbon?

School's Out

Enjoying a drink while babysitting your little sister...

 

Hanging out in your sweet ride...

 

Gardening with the old man...

The signs of summer!

Madeleine Joan McGraw

Madeleine Joan was born on June 3rd at 5:30pm.  She was 7lbs 4oz and 19 inches long.  The fab five is doing well - thank you to everyone for the prayers and good thoughts!

Lost and Found

Bernie Loves Maripat

Please pray for the soul of my Aunt Maripat.  Maripat, your courage and strength, humor and warmth, along with your passion for Cleveland sports (and a certain former Browns quarterback) are forever impressed in my heart and my memories. 

"...May God enfold you in the mantle of His love."

Big "F," Little "f," What Begins With "F?"

The little guys use to have an issue pronouncing the hard "g."  Words like "bug" sounded like "b-uck."  On some words, they would only pronounce the first letter - words like "truck" might come out as "t-uck."

SO… imagine my pride reaction when, at the store a couple of weeks ago, they see a "Leap Frog" video.  At home, we call it - "The FROG Show."  The boys, in their excitement, start yelling at the top of their lungs for all around us to hear..."The F-(remember, they don't pronounce the "r" and they pronounce the hard "g" as an "uck") Show! The (see previous) Show! Daddy, wanna see the (you-know-what) Show!"

To see this amazing linguistic skill in action, check out this video documenting the boys' search for their missing puzzle piece - the elusive missing piece with the FROG face on it.



Disclaimer: Don't watch video with impressionable youth, elderly, clergy, or boss. 

Blast Off! The Movie

Best. Spring. Break. Ever.  Although the list of "To Do's" does not end (I mean, clearly that "Mirror Stage as Formative of the Function of I" article is not going to read itself), this break has allowed oneself the opportunity to spread the tasks over an entire week (i.e. Jameson sick Friday-Sunday - Joseph gets Monday-Thursday), leaving plenty of opportunities for family time (wiping noses notwithstanding) such as the carboard spaceship voyage.  Yes, this was rocket science. 

Every spaceship needs an awesome paint job.

Turbo-booster mechanisim check.

Checking the comfort of the steering wheel.

Making sure the transmitter works correctly.  The specific directions were to call Mommy and Daddy as soon as they reached the moon (or the mall - depending on where they were going that day).



Hoop Dreams

March Madness is a great time of year.  Even though my bracket is close to being busted, nothing can bust the hoop dreams of two gym rats...

It is...