{SQT} Holy Week

1. Riding Horses

On Sunday, as a last birthday gift to Margaret, we took our children to see real horses in a working barn. It was so fun! Our daughter has been wishing to own a horse for the last year, so we told her that our homeowners' association won't allow it, but we could go ride a horse!

Margaret (7)

(Where is my cute pic of Mary?)

John (11)

Joseph (5)

2. He's Off to the Races

David is officially crawling at 7-1/2 months old. Here I thought he was "one of my youngest babies to crawl," but when I actually dug through my records of milestones, it turns out that four of his five siblings crawled earlier than this. So much for my memory!

Now David crawls around whatever room we are in, getting into trouble, teaching me that now we can't leave anything chokey on the floor again for the next year, and repeatedly going on seek-and-destroy missions to dump the piano binders on the ground and tear out the sheet music. While I am puttering about a room, cleaning or putting away laundry, he crawls after me and grabs my skirt every time I pause for a moment, communicating to me he wants me to pick him up!

3. Planting

I do extremely little gardening these days because my other duties take up my time, but I did take the children to the nursery a couple of weeks ago to select two dogwood saplings and this week we planted some Caladium bulbs around Mary's secluded, outdoor reading nook and some lilies at the front of the house.

4. Knitting

5. Scholastic Scenes

We've wrapped up school and plan to take next week off: it is much anticipated by all, including this teacher!

Doing her CTC Math supplementation

Speaking of school, please pray for me to discern the right decisions, as this is the time of year to sign up for everything due next fall. It fills up fast, and locally there are often waiting lists of a year or more. I'm trying to decide among what combination of two rigorous co-ops, online courses, and extracurricular activities we will do, and what I, as a mother of six, can manage successfully.

6. Miscellaneous Moments

Margaret (7) reading bedtime stories to the boys when Mama was too busy

David (7 months) asleep

Oldest and youngest

7. Outdoor Stations of the Cross

On Wednesday, we prayed the Stations of the Cross at the life-size statues outdoors at a local parish, along with half a dozen other families. Afterward, we drove to a local park with brown bag lunches for several hours of fun.

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Now we enter into the Easter Triduum: may we all try to remember the true meaning of these days, and why Jesus died on the cross for our sins and to open the gates of heaven.