Eagles and Marshmallows {7s}

As Scoutmaster for the troop, Tim signs Zachary's completed Eagle Rank Application.

After four years in the making, Zachary's Eagle Project has been completed and his board of review will happen in the very near future.   Those who worried about him being 'too young' when he earned his Life Rank at age 12 (leave aside the fact that he had earned the rank, by the book, plain and simple) should be appeased that despite his jump start, Zachary will, like so many others, be awarded his Eagle Badge at about the same time he 'outgrows' his youth BSA uniform upon turning 18 on August 4th.  However his character growth and personal maturation during these years of persevering with his Eagle Project while staying active and involved with the troop have benefited him greatly.

Eagle project complete: carport at Sacred Heart Catholic Church rectory

 Weston, Peter, Sawyer and Joseph roast marshmallows.

Noteworthy in our corner of the globe {where warm evenings for pleasant outdoor gatherings are somewhat of a novelty, especially in spring} the boys enjoyed a marshmallow roast recently at Grandma Billie and Grandpa Cliff's house with visiting cousins.  S'mores followed a genuinely Polish feast cooked up by Cliff for the whole family.  The (under 6) cousins didn't exactly devour the sauerkraut and dumplings, but the rest of us feasted on the bacon filled delights.   Violet (5) enjoyed helping in the kitchen and setting the table, clearly a future hostess in the making (like her mama).

Aunt Bethany wraps Peter's 'good' ankle, injured in a hoop-shooting fest on our driveway.

One ankle in a walking cast, Peter severely injured the other ankle and required veterinary care as the pediatrician's office was closed.  Well, when your aunt and uncle are both vets, there's always the chance that their years of medical training will come in handy.  In this case, the expert wrapping by Aunt Bethany prevented further injury to the painful ankle and the double-vet diagnosis of a severe sprain or possible broken bone confirmed the fact that we needed to seek medical treatment the following day.  Thankfully, the x-ray (Peter's 3rd in as many weeks, all on ankles) ruled out a broken bone and put Peter on serious rest and recovery time with physical therapy for both ankles.  Crutches purchased, both ankles in supportive devices, Peter simply must allow his ankles to heal or risk chronic re-injuries.

With one Godson receiving his high school diploma, we spent a sunny Seattle afternoon at the Woodland Park Zoo with our Godson Samuel, his mom Aileen, and brothers Peter and Ryan.  The $50 entry cost (for 3 of us) was quite a hit, considering we only had a few hours there, but well worth it for the joy of spending time with Samuel and his family {priceless}!  Of course we could have saved the money and just enjoyed his delightful baby smile any old place, but the zoo did offer some outstanding opportunities for the older brothers to delight in the wonders of nature together and take turns riding in Sam's stroller when Sam was being cuddled. 

Samuel is all smiles with his God-brother Peter.

 Peek a boo at the zoo

Walking cast on one ankle, brace on the other, Peter's still half monkey.

Elevated to the role of acolyte, Joseph completed his initial training just in time to allow him to serve with Father Qui Thac before his departure to discern a call to monastic life in the footsteps of Saint Benedict.  Joseph looks sharp in his new alb, and like Zachary and the other acolytes, serves at the altar with great reverence and solemnity

Saying good bye to our pastor of the past 6 years, Father Qui Thac Nguyen, happened in waves, as each time we were with him was "the last" this and "the last" that.  Our final Saturday morning coffee after Latin Mass brought a great turn-out and lengthy sharing about the many ways Father Qui Thac has touched our lives and brought us closer to Jesus.  How he will be missed...

Father Christopher LaRocca, OCD, whom I have grown to love this year on my journeys as an aspirant to Carmel at St. Cecilia's in Stanwood on second Sundays, is being reassigned by his superior.  His new priestly mission will begin soon in Uganda, where the Carmelite parishes and schools will benefit from his dynamic leadership and by his life of profound personal holiness and prayerful ways.  Fr. Christopher's presence will be greatly missed in our OCDS community (and surely in the parish), but I trust our Lord will send a holy priest to continue assisting in the formation at the Carmelite Institute and in the St. Cecilia's parish. 

Now go take a trip over to Jen's Place!

A Thanksgiving to Remember {2011}

 7 things to remember about Thanksgiving 2011:

--- 1 ---

On our way to the epic Thanksgiving feast, we stopped off to meet 4-day old Samuel John, a treasure to behold.  His mom, Aileen and I have been friends since second grade, and his family is our family!  They welcomed us to meet their precious newborn and treated us to brownies and soda and even let us take turns holding Sam.  When I held up my camera for a quick snap-shot (or 10), Sam gave the slightest grin, so dear.  If only we lived closer to little Sam, I could fill an entire memory card!  God willing, we shall see him again for his baptism in a few weeks.

--- 2 ---

Our first stop at about the halfway mark between Bellingham and Tacoma was for Mass at North American Martyrs in Seattle.  This exceptional parish celebrates Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite, or the Tridentine Latin Mass.  Their pastor, Father Saguto, a holy priest, is from the The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) .  Tony required a bit of extra coaching and quieting during Mass, and the duty fell upon Tim, who was seated closest to him.  The twins spent the holiday with their momma; and although we missed them, their absence made attending this solemn, quiet Mass possible, and we held them close in our prayers.

--- 3 ---

My little brother, known for a serious life-long cat aversion (and allergy), now owns a cat.  Who could have seen this coming?  Being a cat person myself, I could not resist this fantastically photographic feline, perched on the kids' table welcoming guests.

--- 4 ---

For my little sister, Molly's family, Thanksgiving was also known as 'the day before O'Dea would beat Camas and advance to the state finals in AAA high school football'.  The nutritional boost from the big meal must have helped Niko and Mike and their teammates put Camas behind them on their march to the state title.  In preparation for their big game, the boys watched a few Thanksgiving football games on TV and kept their pie slice consumption down in the single digits.

--- 5 ---

Exactly ten years prior, Peter John inaugurated his new turkey deep fryer.  The thermometer was 100 degrees off, and that poor turkey emerged overly well done (charred).  Not known to suffer a loss lightly, Peter John insisted on deep frying again this year, rain or shine.  It poured!  Donning a full poncho and an umbrella, and double-wielding thermometers, Peter's tenacity paid off and the golden bird was a delight to behold and even better to eat.  A second (back-up) turkey, prepared by my mom in her oven only a few blocks from Peter's house, provided ample meat for all to take as left-overs.  Molly's mega mashed potatoes and Aunt Sue's stuffing balls rounded out an extravagant meal.  

--- 6 ---

Some people are born to entertain, and clearly Michelle and Peter John fit this category.  From the seasonal decorations to endless appetizers and table seating for all, their guests were given the royal  treatment.  The young cousins spent hours playing games like hide and seek, Nerf wars and 'force your way up to the top of the stairs', arriving at the dinner table sweaty and hungry.

--- 7 --- 

Thanksgiving officially behind us, yet our celebrating kept up for another 24 hours as Tim's brother's family was in town for the holiday.  Uncle Craig and Aunt Bethany (both veterinarians) brought vaccinations for our dogs and made a house call to administer the meds on Friday.  Afterward, a few carloads of us headed to visit Tim at work at our pawn shop.  Sawyer was in awe with the assorted motorcycle helmets on display.  Tim helped Sawyer try on each helmet in succession, and later helped Uncle Craig find a bike for Aunt Beth's Christmas present.  Another sumptuous turkey dinner at Grandma Billie and Grandpa Cliffs followed, with plenty of pie for everyone and then some!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Spectacular Saturday {Titlow Park & Pool}

Zac and his brothers and cousins, poolside at Titlow Park

Zac stretches out in the 200M butterfly

Decidely a day to enjoy outdoors, our first summer Saturday spent at Titlow Park with family and friends kicked off summer with style. Zachary's swim meet at Titlow's outdoor pool brought us close to our family and friends in Tacoma who joined us for picnic and playtime at the park. At our home away from home, we gathered to share a meal and visit in a shady gazebo; a few steps from the swim meet, surrounded by grassy fields, with views of the Puget Sound beyond the train tracks, right next to a playground.

Grandpa Pete with grandkids MacKenzie, Peter, Brendan, Jacob and Joseph

Days like this are to be cherished, even with the awkward moments like my enthusiastic greeting to Jacob with, "Hi Brandan!" How Jacob has grown! Now nearly as big as his big brother, Brendan, he caught me off guard. Nevermind the fact that I had already greeted Brendan. Jacob looked at me with a surprised, curious grin and vehemently declared, "I'm not Brendan!"

Cousin time at Titlow Park, Tacoma, WA

 Under the shade of a gazebo at Titlow Park, Grandma Patty, Niko and Mike enjoy memories of Christmas Eve.

• Trooper of the day award goes to Aunt Michelle, who came to join  us at the park despite the fact that she's on crutches following knee surgery.  With very limited parking, Titlow is not exactly crutch friendly, but Aunt Michelle trekked down to be with us for the day.  
• Biggest loss of the day goes to Uncle Peter's iphone, which splashed into his coffee mug as he pulled up to park at Titlow.  Not the first time this phone's taken a swim, we do hope it will make a full i-recovery.
• Best swimmer of the day goes to Zachary, who was also the only swimmer.
• Best dressed for the day goes to brothers Niko (17) and Mike (almost 16), who have a real sense of style (even if long sleeves seemed odd on such a warm, sunny day).

Climbing trees, throwing the football, chasing the soccer ball, wrestling on the grass, relaxing in the sun,watching trains and cheering for Zachary made for a wonderful Saturday at the park.  Our day at Titlow Park will long be remembered as a highlight of our 2011 summer.  And we have the pictures to prove it!

Funeral Plus {Silverdale Visit}

Violet, Sawyer, Weston, Peter & Joseph

Weston (1) the day after his first hair cut, with Peter (10)

Aunt Bridget with Weston (blink!)

Joseph and Violet cheer Sawyer & Peter, speeding on the plasma cars.

Joseph (12)

Violet (4), Weston (1) and Sawyer (3) with apples picked for them 

(but mostly fed to the horses)

Joseph, Peter and I travelled to Silverdale/Bremerton Thursday, where the funeral Mass for my cousins' grandpa, Edward M. Dougherty, was celebrated at Holy Trinity Catholic Church.  Grandpa Ed was known for his deep faith, as well as for his amazing garden, in which he grew pumpkins for us which were inscribed with our names.   May he rest in peace!

Along the route, we dropped off our two dogs, Rocky and Charlie at the Poulsbo Animal Clinic,
which is owned and operated by Tim's brother Craig & his wife, Bethany (DVMs).
We love having veterinarians in the family, and often trade their services for whatever they might like/want/need from one of our pawn shops.

What was supposed to be a quick stop en route for routine immunizations became something quite involved when the initial exam showed that Rocky had 3 teeth that needed removal.  Two were molars with decay (rare in dogs) and one was a broken canine with exposed pulp.  Lucky for Rocky, they were able to schedule the tooth extraction surgery that afternoon.

It was lucky for us, too ~ not only did the 'same day surgery' save us another trip (2-3 hour drive with ferry ride); but it allowed us to spend the afternoon playing with Violet, Sawyer and Weston while both Dr. Craig and Dr. Bethany were in surgery with Rocky.

The kids spent the oddly warm November afternoon outside zooming down the driveway on the plasma cars, climbing apple trees, feeding horses, and pushing the kids on their swing set.

What an unexpected pleasure, and quite a treat to spend a day with family, who made themselves totally available for us on our visit.   May we follow their example and always remember to make ourselves totally available to whomever may come to visit us!

Nanny for a day

Weston, 6 mos.

Sawyer, 2

Violet, 3

Weston, Violet & Sawyer

Today's my day to play nanny for my gorgeous nephews & niece.

Drs. Craig and Bethany have an open house celebrating one year as business owners of their vet clinic. 

So while they're away, we got to play outside in the sand-box and visit the chicken coop.

Peter's dog, Rocky, had a special surgery at their clinic yesterday, and is recovering nicely today.

Rocky wearing a cone and staying "mellow" for 2 weeks is going to be very interesting to say the least!

I filmed the surgery for Dr. Craig, and it's being shown (on a loop!) at the clinic during the open house.

A few people admitted to being too squeemish to watch, but some found it to be very interesting.

I told Craig he should post the video online for Scouts working on the Veterinary Medicine merit badge.

(Plus, being an Eagle Scout himself, he made sure to name each knot he tied during the suturing part of the surgery.)

I'll let you know if he posts it.

Until then, happy Saturday!

cousins

When Cousins Come to Visit

Having cousins come to visit is a great gift to our family.
Recently the youngest cousins came for another visit.

Packing up 3 kids ages 3 & under and driving 3+ hours with a ferry wait/ride... that's a job for the strong at heart!
We sure do appreciate Uncle Craig and Aunt Bethany's sacrifices to come to spend time with us.




Weston keeps growing and growing... hard to believe he's almost 6 months old!  He is alert and lively, and quick with his smiles and sounds.

Sawyer loves to play with Grandpa's Pinewood Derby track, sending all the various vehicles down over & over again.  He has a gentle sweetness and the most loving gaze... he's a heart-melter!

And Violet loves to play make-believe and use her imagination.  She spent about 20 minutes playing a game where she was "throwing" different things in my face!  I had a hard time keeping up with a new thing to "throw" back in her face each time!

Taking time to visit with cousins, and with family is such a gift to our children, and to us!