Rainy day reading ☔️ 📚
Came downstairs to this pleasant sight.
Yes, Shecklet #3 is reading a comic (by Marvel) about Mother Teresa.
Tag: kids
Birthday 2020 🎂
The sun came out today. Kids decorated my bedroom door with streamers. Surprise delivery of strawberries for dipping from my godparents/aunt & uncle. Two in-person (safe) visits from friends who brought cards and gifts. Takeout for dinner. Butterfly necklace picked out by Shecklet #3 (given to me by all my kiddos to remember Astrid,) as well as a bike helmet, new sharpies, & a beautiful sweater that Jake selected. He also picked up a cake from the grocery store. Cards, texts, and other greetings from family and friends arrived throughout the day. I definitely felt loved!
All Souls Day 2020
We went to mass this morning to remember Astrid and hear her name read as part of the intentions during mass. Two of my girlfriends surprised us and joined us. Another friend sent me a photo of their family remembrance table where they pray for family and friends who have died. I am so grateful for the people who continue to pray for us and remember our sweet little girl.
Our parish gave us a candle with Astrid’s name on it after mass. I placed it alongside the Hope cross that my friend, Heidi, gave me after our miscarriage in 2009.
New photographer 📷
Shecklet #1 was given some really nice photography equipment by his grandpa. The manual has already been read through once and he’s taken each accessory out and examined them. He has taken a real interest in video (thanks to helping out at our church) so this seems like a great complimentary activity for him.
All Saints Day
November is a month when we remember our loved ones who have died. Trusting in God’s goodness, we believe our little girl is a saint in heaven and is waiting and praying for us until we can meet her again one day.
There’s a saying I’ve seen on the internet that has brought me comfort when I find myself missing Astrid.
“…and to think, the first thing she saw when her little eyes opened was the face of Jesus.” 💕
The ache of missing her doesn’t go away, but there is no sadness or worry about her being alone. I know she is in the best company possible and I look forward to joining her one day.
Halloween 2020 🎃
As with almost everything else 2020, Halloween is a bit different this year. The Shecklets did different activities today. (We opted to skip door to door trick-or-treating this year.)
Shecklet #2 did this with his friend:
Shecklet #1 and Shecklet #3 did this with Grandma & Grandpa:
And Shecklet #4 went trunk or treating at our church. Kids typically dress up as a saint for our parish’s annual All Saints Day party. This year, all on her own, #4 said she wanted to be St. Philomena in honor of her baby sister. I may or may not have gotten a little misty-eyed when she told me her plan.
Surprise Bitmoji Day
Once a week (on Wednesdays) the Shecklets have an independent learning day. Today is a “surprise” one for Shecklet #4, due to a substitute teacher shortage. Her teacher does an awesome job of setting the kids up to be successful and independent. I’ve seen #4 grow in in these areas in huge ways since the beginning of the school year.
This morning, she is working on a spooky house math assignment 🦇🌔⭐️🎃👻🏠
Priming
The girls requested a bed switch – they want the bunkbeds and want the boys to have the twin beds. That request set a large project in motion – purging and cleaning the room out, patching holes, and now priming the walls. I took the girls to Sherwin Williams this afternoon to pick out paint samples. The plan is to paint three walls white and one purple.
Both girls helped prime today, but I only snapped a photo of one. I’ll capture the other one next time.
