Out of the mouths of babes....and toddlers and adolescents

Sorry for being MIA . . . life is chaotic. Just a quick post about some of the cute moments in our house lately.

Kellyn has recently learned how to say "yeah" and "no". She is not shy about telling me "no" to diaper changes . . . and getting dressed . . . and eating breakfast . . .you get the picture. ;) I am not sure if I like the "no" phase. I have also come to realize she does not like transitions, which does makes our days pretty difficult as there are about 100 transitions each and every day. Why did I pray to grow in humility with her pregnancy?! ;)

Cavan is turning into such a delightful and adorable human being. ;) I am very excited to see how his vocabulary is growing each day as well. Two stories of note: 1) He and Kellyn were playing with their daddy in our living room the other night. Heath was pretending to be some sort of fierce animal, growling and grabbing for them as they ran out of arm's reach. At one point when Cavan was shrieking, he also exclaimed, "AAaahhh! Run for your lives!" Not sure what movie he heard that from, but it made me smile. 2) He has discovered what "tricks" or "kidding" is, so now he likes to hide things in his hands or his sleeves. He'll then say "come find it" and when the other party involved cannot, he proudly shows it off and says "I chyit'tcha!" (Translation: I tricked ya!)

My grandfather passed away last weekend. The memorial mass was this past Friday in Chicago. I will post more on the situation later, but as my younger sister Molly and I were driving back to Champaign, we had this interchange.
Molly: "Oh, look it's starting to rain."
Shan: "Yes, it is."
Molly: "That must be Papa cryin' . . . you know how they say the rain is when angels in heaven are crying?"
Shan: "Yeah, I've heard that."
Molly: "He must be soooo happy that he's finally there."

What I loved about this interchange is the image she conjured up for me of the sheer joy and utter happiness one will experience upon their arrival into heaven. I don't often stop to think of that aspect of it, but how beautiful . . . crying tears of joy when coming face to face with our Lord.

I didn't think that conversation was the appropriate time to start talking about Purgatory. So, I left it for what it was . . . a beautiful moment.

Miscellaneous

--Sorry for the absence; I've been highly unmotivated to blog lately for whatever reason.

--Our Marian CD is near completion! Last winter, my choirs at St. John's recorded a CD full of music in honor of Mary. I should be picking up the insert today, and they'll be ready to purchase. Shoot me an e-mail if you'd like a copy (satb98 [at] yahoo [dot] com); they really turned out well and for only ten bucks, they're a steal!

--Happy Birthday to Grandma Gale! She's turning 79 this year, and still very active for her age. I remember my friends being amazed in high school when I told them that she still bowled! Shannon and the kids are heading down this afternoon to see my folks and to be present for the annual birthday/hay-ride celebration they always host in October. I'll be staying home, as the brunt of my work responsibilities fall on the weekend. I'll get to come home for Thanksgiving . . .

--I'm still planning on finishing those homeschooling posts I've been promising. Again, I'm having trouble working up the courage to do them as they'll be a bit lengthy. Patience, my friends!

--As October winds down, please keep in mind that this is Respect Life month. Please pray for a greater respect for life in all its forms, from conception to a natural death. Shannon and I remarked about how ironic it is that this is also Breast Cancer Awareness month, yet no one wants to talk about the link between abortion and breast cancer. No, let's just be aware that there is a terrible disease called breast cancer and not try to eliminate all the activities that put women at a greater risk for it. (Sigh)

--Enjoy the remnants of summer weather before they're gone!

Cubs!

Ah, lovely October, when the leaves fall, the temperature drops, and the MLB playoffs begin! My beloved Cubs clinched the division last weekend and find themselves as one of the 8 teams that will continue their season for at least another week (hopefully more).

The history of the lovable losers is well-documented; needless to say, there has been much suffering for those who profess a love for the north-side club. I have fond memories of watching games with my Grandpa Gale; if I recall, he wasn't much of a Harry Caray fan so he would lower the volume on the TV and listen to the radio broadcast instead. : )

It's hard to believe that my grandfather never saw the Cubs win it all. I mean he lived into his 70's, so they sure had plenty of opportunities to bring one home before he passed. How was he to know as a young boy in the thirties, that 70+ years later we would all still be waiting for that cherished World Series ring. Geez, we've almost his the century mark since their last WS victory (1908); since that time, I believe that their National League rivals, the Cardinals, have won ten titles, and even their hated cross-town rivals, the White Sox have won a couple. Yikes.

Is this the year? Well, all things being even at this point, I guess they have a 12.5% chance, which is better than nothing. Their closer, Ryan Dempster, has been pretty shaky the last few weeks, so my optimism is somewhat tempered. The first game starts tonight, so I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Go Cubs!