Dolly

Dolly

Yet another crummy picture, but too cute not to snap it in the moment. I was cleaning the baby dolls with clorox wipes and Molly put them all on the floor then lay down in the middle of them. (I did help her arrange them a little, so at least none were face down.) She has suddenly gottten attached to baby dolls and is forever carrying one or more around and handing them to me so I can carry them around. She seems very distressed if I don’t have a dolly in my hand when she does. Maybe she is hinting at something…

Turtle Yoga

Turtle yoga

Sorry for the bad picture, I wanted to catch this before he stopped. Our turtle, Perrywell (named by Lily), has been doing this weird thing where he climbs on the rock and sticks his back feet in the air. We call it turtle yoga.  We have wondered if he is cold and just trying to get completely out of the water.  He looks very serene when he does it though, so maybe he is just stretching.

Molly’s Fit

The cutest thing happened today.

I took something away from Molly (now 14 months) in the kitchen and she turned away from me and started a full on make-your-ears-bleed, scream that would make a banshee proud, fit. Her screaming lessened to plain crying after a few seconds and she saw that Lily was sitting at the table watching her.

Molly ran over and buried her face in Lily’s lap, giving her a big hug, then she ran off to go play, completely consoled.

Mexico Mission Appeal

For the last several years my older kids have gone on mission trips to Mexico with their youth group and school.  The trips are arranged and made under the guidance of Amor Ministries.  These trips have been life changing for Paisley, James, and Posy, giving them real experience with helping people and a real understanding of the poverty that some people live in.

On one of these Mexico mission trips, the group travels to Mexico, sleeps in tents, and spends their days building one to two houses for local families.  They eat and work next to the family and others in the community there, and they especially enjoy playing with the kids.

Here are some photos of Posy’s trip last year:

Framing the house
Posy's Mexico Pictures

Taking time with the kids – Posy likes to get the kids to teach them some Spanish.
Posy's Mexico Pictures

Filling in the walls
Posy's Mexico Pictures

The Family gets the keys to their new home
Posy's Mexico Pictures

Stocked with supplies
Posy's Mexico Pictures

This year, due to budget cuts in the church, the kids have to personally fund a larger part of their trip.  For Posy, this means coming up with $350 (which covers car travel, food, and her part of the building supplies) before the time of her trip in mid-February.

We need your help.  We will be holding a yard sale on the 22nd of January and could use your stuff to sell, or would love to have you stop by to shop.

Monetary donations are tax deductible and any amount will help.  Checks can be sent to:
Ss Simon and Jude Catherdral
6351 N 27th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85017

Please put Posy’s name on the memo line for the credit to go towards her Mexico Mission.

Finally, in her own words, here is the appeal that she wrote and was featured in our parish bulletin:

Last year I had the two of the most moving experiences in my life so far. These experiences were my first two Missions to Mexico with the Ss. Simon and Jude Youth Group. We built two houses in November (’09)and one in February (’10), for families in need, with Amor Ministries. I was nervous for my first mission last November, and I really did not know what to expect. But when I got there, even though the work was hard, I found it easy to work with a smile on my face, because I knew that I was using my own two hands to do the work of God. Then, on the next mission in February, as we were working on the house, the family from the November mission found us and came to say hello. The thing that I will never forget about this is that they still remembered my name. I wasn’t just the young high school girl that I am every other day of my life, who is not-so-good at math and decent at writing research papers. I was a girl who helped to change the life of a family; the life of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Finally I understand what it means to live out my faith and to show my faith through my actions. This year I am asking you to help my fellow teens and I as we go to Mexico once again. We all know that budgets are tight at the moment but every cent, every prayer, every donation is one that will be very appreciated.

Please consider supporting Posy for this mission!  Thank you!

Goodnight Sweet Princess

Goodnight sweet princess

This photo was taken in the dark, with my phone and then lightened up to be able to see Miss Molly, so it is certainly not meant to be a high quality picture. But who can resist such sleeping cuteness?

Molly is our first child to get attached to a blanket, and then at Christmas she added is a special little doggie from her godparents. Having these as her sleep and cuddle cues is so nice and such an easy way to calm her down. When she is tired she will often bring her blanket to me and throw it on my lap and put her arms up for me to pick her up. If she can’t find her blanket, she will come to me and sign “Blanket” and we will go find it together. Once we have blanket with us then she will ask (sign for) her doggie, and we are all set to nurse and go to sleep.

A New Project

We have conceded our crib. After all the recent recalls of drop sided cribs, I just couldn’t deny anymore that it was a potential death trap. Molly has never really slept in it anyway, although Tessa, Max, and Lily did. So Molly is stuck in a pack and play.

Jay decided to cut it apart so that it couldn’t be used again. (We didn’t want that whole *death trap* thing on our consciences.) And he discovered that it was made out of really nice wood with a great sound to it. So he is going to try to make a xylophone out of the slats… or at least that is his current plan. I’ll be sure to post a picture of the crib xylophone if he can do it!