Precious Penelope, Happy Second Birthday, Sweet Love!

Sweet Penny: Our girl. I call you over to tell you something as I say, "Pens, I have something to tell you." You run over, whispering your breathy voice in my ear, "I yuv you!" Then I say, "I love you!" And you say, "I yuv you!" Yes, you do. And yes, we love you. You are our little "weaver," the thread that makes our lives so full, full of questions, and overflowing with prayers. To this day, I am in awe of God's strength, His love, His "weaving," through the threads of our lives, the lives of our dear family, and the lives of our dear friends. You were in Mommy's tummy in later January, 2012, the same time when Mommy's godmother was fighting cancer throughout her body. I say, "fight," but really I meaning suffering, and in suffering, she did not fight that, she joined herself in union with God's will, and told me, "It's ok," as I cried with her on the phone, and as she prepared for her death. Little did I know then but Gaye Ellen, Mom's godmother, and Gaye's Mom Joann had looked through a baby book and enjoyed the name Penelope, which means "weaver." In Gaye's funeral Mass, Fr. Joe gave his homily about "The Weaver" (as Gaye had requested), and without knowing this, I had already been reflecting on a passage of Fulton Sheen's about the tapestry workers, and how our lives are like a tapestry. (I made you a picture with this quote as your gift tonight on your second birthday.)

WE love you. We are blessed to have you in our lives on this journey, which is not a destination, but a journey where we must never lose sight of where we are going and to Whom we are going no matter how "messy" our tapestry may look. You are our sweet and lively thread, carrying vibrancy through our family tapestry. Thank you for being the sweet one that bobbles down the steps in the morning; the precious little lips that sweetly call, "Bay-beb" (Caleb), or the adorable voice that says "Ummy, yesh?" when you want to know how we feel about a taste of something that you just shared with us or "Barta" (Marta.) You are precious. And we love you....BECAUSE. (Your song. :)

Your big sisters, great readers and bakers, made your cake last night---and are anxious to slather it with Dulce de Leche when they are finished with Spanish class. We love you, sweet Pens! We enjoyed yummy chicken salad sandwiches-- a Maddy favorite, along with avocado slices--your fave!, and cucumber wedges. Homemade little pizzas and blueberry lemonade are on deck for tonight's dinner fun.  This morning, we enjoyed Cinco Calabrazas with felt story board, dancing, and musical chairs, Spanish lesson in songs, slide show of your birthday in 2012, just after 1pm!

WE love sweet YOU!

Your siblings and Mom all had these things to say about you today, and why we appreciate you....


TO Be Continued....Because, life continues, and the bells of the monastery at home call. 

You are 1, Sweet Face.

Just this time, one year ago, Mom and you were in the last hour of labor as we worked together with Dad, right by our side, moving through the last stages before your entrance into this world. You are our little "weaver," which is exactly what Penelope means. You weave love and joy and happiness no matter where you go. We are glad that God sent you to earth and is allowing us to be a part of your life. You are precious and we love you. Happy first birthday, Penny!

Sweet You at 9 months old!

Dear Sweet Penelope,
You are 9 months old today and we celebrate you and the gift you are to us. You give us so much happiness and joy as each new day dawns and you awake. It is as if a baby is born in our home every day when you wake up. Everyone wants to get you, hold you, begin loving you again, and again, and again! What would we do without our sweet Pen-Pen? You are joyful, loving (you give the tightest squeezes as you crawl up mommy), you love to be spoken to and will oftentimes nuzzle in a bit closer for a kiss and a whisper in your little ears. You make such silly sounds and make us all laugh with your goofy smiles and adorable 7 teeth! You are one fast crawler, who now climbs the little step into the dining room! A girl on a mission: that is you, Pen-Pen! You love to stand and walk as you hold on to our fingers. Your squeaks when you laugh make us laugh too. Thank you, Lord, for this sweet girl of Yours. We are blessed to have her in our lives and in our care. We give You thanks and celebrate this day! (How sweet it was this evening and afternoon to see your biggest sister Maddy letting others know our joy today that you are 9 months old! We want to share all about you!) You are our little Picles!

St. Martha, pray for us that we too can be worthy of Jesus' promises. What a special feast day to be celebrating Miss Penelope's 9 months of life.

Happy 5 months, Sweet Penelope!

You are a smiling girl, a little laugher who giggles after tickles. You love to be held facing outward so you can see all that is happening in life before you, especially in your family with your siblings in-action. We love you and cannot even think back to times without you. You have always been a part of our family, as God created you to be.We are so happy you are here. We look back to the moment you became, once again, God's girl, through Baptism, on December 22, 2012. Why do we love you? Because. (Your song plays in the background.)

Penelope's Baptism Photo Shoot

Thanks to my kind and generous friend Miri, we have some beautiful shots of our Penny just hours before she received her first sacrament of Holy Baptism, on December 22, 2012. WE love you, sweet girl. One of your songs, Because,  is playing in the background. It describes your life to us so well. (This is a song Mimi says Great Gram Dolan loved. We love it too.)

One Sweet Seven-Week Penelope

(6 weeks 6 days, December 16, 2012)

(7 weeks old, December 17, 2012)

Sweet Penelope, you are 7 weeks old today and a most beautiful girl! I love how you love to just snuggle close. You are such a little lover and love to be loved. You receive so much affection from your Maddy, Pita, Little Caleb, and Dad and Mom. You light the room up when you enter in our arms. You really are a blessing to us. May you always follow Jesus' path for you, wherever He may lead you with Our Lady's hand in yours and St. Joseph as your protector. St. Irene, Servant of God Elisabeth Lesseur and Our Lady, the New Eve, pray for Penelope and us!