Summer 2020 :: Our First Flight & Washington DC

I've asked our eldest daughter to share some of her recent adventures here on the blog. She'll be sharing one or two posts a week, as time allows. It'll be a great opportunity for her to learn how to blog and share some of what we've been up to at the same time! Thank you, "Twinkle Toes!" 

 

Last summer I traveled back east for a college visit (I'll share more about that soon) which provided the opportunity to visit cousins, go sightseeing, experience my first flight across the country with my younger brother, and more. 

 

         

It was so amazing to see the breathtaking views looking down from 30,000 feet up in the sky!

On the third day of our trip, my cousins, younger brother, and I explored Washington D.C. Most of the museums were closed due to covid but we were able to still see the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, Second Division Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the White House, Washington Monument, and the United States Capital.  

While we were at the Vietnam Memorial, we had the privilege to meet the Archbishop of Washington D.C. You can spot him (in plain clothes) in the middle of the picture above. 

  

 

Snuggles, who is studying about World War I this year, was so excited to see the familiar names on the monument and explained what the flaming sword symbolizes to his cousins and me. 

   

  

Having grown up on the other side of the country from our cousins, it was wonderful to spend time with their family and get to know them a little better!

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." - Leonardo da Vinci

Celebrating Candlemas

“Our lighted candles are a sign of the divine splendor of the one who came to expel the dark shadows of evil and to make the whole universe radiant with the brilliance of his eternal light. Our candles also show how bright our souls should be when we go to meet Christ.” 🕯

January was hard. I didn’t mean to disappear but it was one thing after the next and I’ve been too overwhelmed to spend time online... I think we can maybe see the light at the end of this round of challenges... I was finally able to make it to Mass last night for the first time in nearly a month, and then back for Mass again this afternoon which was followed by the blessing of throats! 

We arrived to the church 45 minutes early last night since our older girls are in the choir and had a pre-Mass practice... I loved overhearing our nine year old when he leaned over, while holding his Candlemas Candle with the drip plate, and whispered to his dad, “This looks just like the cookies we made this afternoon!”

Candlemas Cookies with Drip Plates

Traditionally called Candlemas, candles are blessed on this day (February 2nd) to help us remember the words of holy Simeon who called the babe in his arms, "A light to lighten the gentiles and the glory of your people, Israel." Luke 2: 32. 

 These Candlemas Cookies with Drip Plates are a fun way to celebrate this feast with children!

 

 

"All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle." ~ St. Francis of Assisi

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a most blessed Christmas season! 

Another Hobbit Birthday Party!

 

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hold, and that means comfort.”

We just celebrated a special little boy's 9th birthday with a family party based on one of his very favorite books: The Hobbit! His birthday was the second of our two pre-Christmas birthdays. He was actually due on Christmas day, just like his older sister two years before, as well as the baby I miscarried a couple years later, but he arrived a little early. I never have hit my due date with any of our babies... Anyway, despite Christmas preparations and his sister's birthday party a few days before (pictures hopefully coming soon), everything somehow fell into place at the last minute and he had such an amazing day! 

This isn't the first time this theme has been used in our home. Looking back, I can't believe how little everyone looks at our first Hobbit Birthday Party back in February of 2013... So much has changed in the past seven years - two more spunky little girls have joined our family and our move to a new home/state after living in our last home for over 18 years - and I can't help but reflect on how many more changes the next seven years will bring. 

Following that first Hobbit Birthday, we also had A Long Expected Party (Lord of the Rings themed) back in 2013 as well, and then a Bilbo Baggins Birthday in 2018 which I still haven't added to the blog. We reused the banner yet again in 2019 for a WWI Birthday too, incorporating a bit of Tolkien. Someday I sure hope to find the time to add the rest of our past birthday celebrations to the blog... In the meantime, in an effort to not fall even further behind, here are some of the pictures from our little guy's "An Unexpected Party" Hobbit Birthday! 

While my teens created a tree and hung up the banner and silhouette I had printed out, I got started on baking and decorating a cake and a few other things for the party. 

The birthday boy was so excited when he woke up in the morning. He had a quick breakfast, headed off to church for daily Mass, then came home for "Second Breakfast" of scrambled eggs and donut Rings!

One of his birthday gifts was his own Sting Sword which was immediately taken into battle. 

“Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.”

  

While the pot pies were baking we all headed outside for some target practice using one of his older sister's bows.  (We've used the bow for a Chronicles of Narnia Birthday Party in the past too.. So fun!) 

I printed out an image of Smaug that I found online onto six pieces of card stock, pieced it together, and then Sean attached it to the front of the archery target. 

 

 

“There are no safe paths in this part of the world. 

Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, 

and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.”

 

“My armor is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, 

my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, 

my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!”

"Never laugh at live dragons, Bilbo you fool!”

“I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone.'  I should think so — in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!”

These were some of my favorite pictures of the day. I love that our older children are all such good sports and will still willingly participate in family pictures with all their younger siblings! 

“But I don't think I ought to leave my friends like this, after all we have gone through together.”

Next we headed back inside for the birthday feast! Our 13 year old helped me come up with the menu based on the food items requested at the "Unexpected Party" and incorporating some other book details.

“There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

“Is it nice, my preciousss? Is it juicy? Is it scrumptiously crunchable?”

“Gandalf, dwarves, and Mr. Baggins! We are met together in the house of our friend and fellow conspirator, this most excellent and audacious hobbit–may the hair on his toes never fall out! 

All praise to his wine and ale!”

 

 

I wanted to try and make something a little different than our original Hobbit Hole Cake so I did a google search and ended up using this cake as inspiration. The older boys pulled out some of their minifigures from their display case to use as decorations. It was pretty easy to pull together and the birthday boy had fun rearranging the mini-figures throughout the day! 

In addition to the Sting Sword, he also received a couple lego sets, the Playmobil Medieval Tailor Shop and Group of Outlaws, and a darling gift from his Godparents. 

 

“May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.”

Scroll through all of our past Hobbit and Lord of the Rings posts here.