Pheww!

A 'baby snake', or to you and me, a teeny little worm, found while 'sploring

Not a lot of time for blogging these days, as ever... but what a busy few weeks it's been.

Here's a quick whizz through what we've been up to:

Birthdays of Roo and little Toot

Big boy beginning school

Hospital stay and operation for Mama and the best welcome home (baby burying his head in my lap)

Diecast model show

Family of Mary conference in Kilmallock

Our Lady's birthday: cake and beads and biccies

Visit to Great Aunt's house

First ever pony ride for Roo and Poonch

St. Therese Novena: perfect timing

I'm thinking I should devote this blog to just novenas and washing! Here comes another novena, and this one's in honour of my favourite saint....

For the next few days, when I am conscious(!) I will be joining over 2900 Catholics to pray the St. Therese Novena!

You can sign up too for handy email reminders to get the the novena prayers here: St. Therese Novena

I'm going into hospital for an operation today. If you get a chance to remember me in your prayers, I'd be ever so grateful. :)

Prayers needed

On my way to Beddy-byes, quickly posting this link to Bonny's site.

It is linked to a novena to Archbishop Sheen....

..well, I do find it hard to resist a good ol' novena.

Another Richard Scarry Busytown-worthy crash

Today we visited our first model show. Something I might never have experienced if I hadn't been blessed with three little boys... well, actually four. Now I find myself craving a Massey Ferguson 35X. That's a little red tractor to you and me.

...help is on the way!

Fill our little world

When I was pregnant with Roo, our first child, there was a song playing on the radio by The Feeling which I really loved. It seemed to be the soundtrack to our last sprog-less holiday, a sun-filled trip to South West England. Every time I hear it now I think of that happy expectant time when we had no idea what was in store for us, but looked forward to it all the same.

I didn't realise at the time how prophetic the song would be in the case of Roo. He fills my days chocablock with talk, questions, amazing ponderings and busy doings while keeping me on my toes trying to think of activities to stop the dreaded, 'I'm boooooooorrrrrred'. Although, lately he has become more independent in 'making and doing' and I can't walk towards the bin with any form of cardboard without it being recommissioned by him into a superhero mask or sword for himself, his brothers or even his teddies. Now he has started school, his world has become a lot more full and interesting and subsequently our house is much quieter in his absence. Poonch, in particular, seems to be out of sorts when he is away. Please God this step will be the start of a happy, fruitful and 'fulfilling' time for Roo.

All in all, he is a very thoughtful, kind, helpful, sensitive, inquisitive, perceptive, sometimes maddening little chap and I thank God for him coming along to fill my little world right up.

Ta-dah!!! We have a winner!

I am delighted to announce that Sandra from Life Sublyme has won the book on St Joseph that I mentioned in the last post! She has a beautiful blog which is really worth visiting, in which she discusses her own battle with chronic illness (Lyme disease) and how her faith has helped her through the suffering.

Congratulations Sandra! Thank you for dropping by and I hope you enjoy the little book as much as I did.

1st Birthday Freebie!

I have been reading this little gem of a book in spare moments while waiting for the little Toot to drop off to sleep. It was one I picked up during our recent trip to Knock. After Mass in town this morning, I bought another one because I would love to share it with someone else!

So in honour of St Joseph and in thanksgiving for the impending first birthday of our youngest boy, who is named after him, I am going to give it away! If you would like to receive it, just leave a comment on this post before Sunday 21st August. Then if I get more than one reply, I will draw a name from a hat and publish who won in a new post as well as in a follow-up comment on this post. So when you comment, be sure to check the box that emails follow-up comments to your email address or check back to see if you are the lucky recipient! I will post it out to whoever wins. Good luck!

First Birthday surprise package

Guess who's trying to have two big announcements for his birthday?

Our littlest boy is very nearly one year old and is doing his utmost to be able to walk by then. I suppose when you have two noisy older brothers you have to try even harder to get people to notice you!

Any chance he gets lately he's been using anything solid to pull himself up into a standing position. But in the last few days he started to make tentative little sidesteps and today he was pushing a chair ahead of him as if it was a baby-walker! I think I have noticed a slight change in him on account of his increased mobility and viewpoint. He seems happier: I suppose life just got a lot more interesting!

I remember when I found out I was carrying a third boy being really curious about how he would turn out as his older brothers are so very different from each other. Would he be like one of them? Or different again? I suppose the answer is yes to both questions. Personality-wise, he is not quite as sunny as Poonch, but he seems less cautious than Roo is.

And of course, his interests are different, he seems more interested in physical feats: he squeals with delight as he sits on the ground and throws the ball, he likes to climb up the little red slide and from an early age he would strive to grasp objects within his (surprisingly long) reach so that he could examine them. On the other hand, talking isn't a priority for him: he doesn't really have any actual words yet, although he enjoys singing (a series of single short notes), loves pointing an imperious index finger at people and things and used to 'tell' me what he thought of his dinner each evening. He will give you a high five if you ask him and has a very cute floppy wave which the ladies love!

Everyone says he is the image of his Dad. He has recently got very adorable, whereas before he looked like a real Scroonk with dishevelled hair and bad skin that only we could love. But we sure do love our littlest boy. His older brothers are so affectionate towards him and protective too, especially his oldest brother, the little gent that he is. In turn, he gets endless entertainment from them and laughs at their antics that make me cross!

We are delighted you came along to join our mad little family. Happy Birthday little Toot!

Fota foties

Feeding time at the zoo: a sneaky peek into the feeding buggy on our annual Summer trip to Fota (yay)

... on the train (woohoo!)

It was a day of penpens, albeit slightly bored and dozey ones, above

and stripey bah-loo cardigans.

We had a great day, meeting old friends with their hands as 'full' as ours, eccentric second child and all. And I found a lovely, proper, newsagent full of magazines, newspapers and a lovely proper newsagent-y smell I haven't experienced for years.

If I was a Playmobil character...

...it would have to be this one! She is carrying her baby in a sling! She has her brown hair tied in a ponytail! She has very little regard for current fashion trends! And I just realised she's wearing red shoes too! Quite uncanny really.

Today's Gospel according to Roo:

Matthew 14: 22-33

Assumption Novena starts today

I am fond of the odd Novena. Any excuse really and off I go: at the very least, it's a good way of making sure I find time to pray each day. Nine days from now is the Feast of the Assumption, so in preparation for that great day (which last year was the Little Toot's due date), I will be one of more than 2800 Catholics praying the Assumption Novena through this novena website.

If you'd like to join in too, you can sign up for handy email reminders to get the the novena prayers here: Assumption Novena.

The lovely picture came from this website, which tells you a little more about the feast.

Every cloud...

Well, due to a misunderstanding, I had a bit of a disappointment this evening. It was supposed to involve this restaurant, my hubby, some friends and a meal I didn't have to cook. But at the last minute, with nobody to mind our bubs, it wasn't to be for me. Here I am in front of the TV on my own.

Never mind though, I'm actually fine about it! Those rosary beads I mentioned in a previous post arrived this morning, much to the delight of Roo and Poonch. They were so excited this evening when we got to use them for the first time! Thanks to my cancelled engagement, I could take my time and say our prayers without having to rush away. What a treat.

It was so cute to see them touching the lego brick beads, with Roo diligently counting them off as we prayed and read through their lovely rosary book. I gave him the choice of which Luminous mystery to pray and he was intrigued about Jesus turning the water into wine, so he decided on the Wedding at Cana. Poonch just loved the colour and Lego-ness of his beads and wanted to wear them around his neck all day, despite my opposition. I have been surprised and utterly enchanted by their sweet, endearing reaction to the rosary each evening. Thank you Lord for such precious and priceless moments.

No one does accidents quite like Richard Scarry does...

Quite an unexpectedly eventful day today. A few little mishaps along the way, but all ended ok, thank God. It started out as a mundane Saturday trip into town. The whole family went in to pootle round the market and round up school supplies for Roo.

On the way home though, it became apparent I had left my phone behind me somewhere. (Quel surprise, Rodney.) And on the way to retrieve it, the car stopped dead right on the busiest roundabout in the city. Lee put his back out trying to push the car single-handedly somewhere less accident-inducing. The car door handle broke as he tried to get back into the car. And then the rest of us sat stranded with me praying we wouldn’t be the cause of a Richard Scarry-worthy pile up while Lee set off looking for a petrol station. (Yes.... I know.) That led to a few hairy moments marvelling at how there aren't more accidents on the road, the way people drive. I think Guardian angels must be so busy just keeping people safe in their cars every day.

Anyway, thanks to Lee, we got moving again. Drama over. No harm done. And now I'd like to mention the highlights of today. The bits God drops in to help you through difficult times:

The thoughtful honest man who handed my phone in and the nice man in the car park who thought to phone Lee to tell me he had it.

The lovely people who stopped in a risky spot to see if we were alright or ‘to offer us a lift’ as Poonch put it.

The three little boys in the back as good as gold despite being variously in need of the toilet, a drink or a nap.

Roo suggesting we ‘ask God to help us’ and the relief saying a prayer out loud brought.

Offers of hugs from Poonch and Roo when I got a little broken-voiced from experiencing the kindness of strangers.

The little sparkle in Roo’s eyes when he saw himself in the mirror with his uniform on for the first time ever.

Watching Uncle Bee playing with the lads and their interaction (particularly little 11 month old Toot) with him.

I will probably never get the chance to thank the people that helped just by offering to help. But I would like to ask for a little prayer for them tonight. I hope they receive many blessings for the care they showed to us. Thank you.

Ever wondered why you wake at night?

Of course, sometimes there is a clear reason! For instance, when I wake up in the middle of the night, it's usually because one of the lads has woken me. But other than crying babies, do you ever wake up at night, seemingly for no reason? This morning I read one possible explanation, which I'll tell you about in a minute.

When one of the children is awake, it can lead to quite a long period of enforced wakefulness for me, back and forth until they nod off again. Praying during such a time helps to make it seem less frustrating and even useful. Certainly, I don't get much time or quiet to pray during the day.

I do try. Lately, I have started to say the Divine Mercy Chaplet with the lads at bedtime. As they are so young, I thought it would be easier to hold their attention than the rosary, although I might try to alternate it with one decade of the rosary every second night.

Not surprisingly, the thing they most enjoy seems to be counting the prayers off on the beads. So I have decided to get them their own beads. What a great excuse to buy some of these great Lego rosaries from Memento Moose's etsy page. Aren't they great? My boys are eagerly awaiting them in the post.

In contrast to the rainbow beads: handy for when you're in the jungle and don't want to stand out

And the reason for insomnia? Maybe someone needs your prayers urgently! Here's the extract from St Faustina's Diary that I read today:

"809 During the night, I was suddenly awakened and knew that some soul was asking me for prayer, and that it was in much need of prayer. Briefly, but with all my soul, I asked the Lord for grace for her.

810 The following afternoon, when I entered the ward, I saw someone dying, and learned that the agony had started during the night. When I verified it-it had been at the time when I had been asked for prayer. And just then, I heard a voice in my soul: Say the chaplet which I taught you. I ran to fetch my rosary and knelt down by the dying person and, with all the ardour of my soul, I began to say the chaplet. Suddenly the dying person opened her eyes and looked at me; I had not managed to finish the entire chaplet when she died, with extraordinary peace. I fervently asked the Lord to fulfill the promise He had given me for the recitation of the chaplet. The Lord gave me to know that the soul had been granted the grace He had promised me. That was the first soul to receive the benefit of the Lord's promise. I could feel the power of mercy envelop that soul.

811 When I entered my solitude, I heard these words: At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the indulgence is the same. When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God's anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the soul, and the very depths of My tender mercy are moved for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son.

Oh, if only everyone realized how great the Lord's mercy is and how much we all need that mercy, especially at that crucial hour!"

If you're not familiar with it, you can find the Chaplet and how to say it here.

Tall Ships, big dogs and small ones too

Continuing our whistle-stop tour of Southern Ireland, we arrived in Cappoquin to spend a night in Richmond House, somewhere we remembered fondly from our pre-sprog days. The house is as lovely as we found it before and our family room was memorable for the fact that Roo and Poonch slept peacefully and harmoniously together in the same bed. (Another memory is that of Poonch sitting regally in his potty surveying the carpark below from his lofty perch on the expansive bathroom windowsill.) A visit to Granny Daddy and her gift of a pair of cuddly plush puppies helped to tire them out, although we've had so much going these last few days that they have a cumulative tiredness at this stage.

Pictured above is by far the friendliest member of staff that we met at Richmond House. Make of that what you will. The lads were very taken with this big old bear of a dog: cuddly and quiet. And so was I.

The following morning, we drove off to Waterford to what turned into a glorious Summer's day to see the Tall Ships, or should that be, to queue up for various food items at numerous market stalls. The city was absolutely packed and we strolled around with the older lads in and out of the buggy and the Little Toot in the sling. In hindsight, we would all get much more out of it when we are able to climb on board the actual Tall Ships in a few years' time, please God. One of the more memorable things was a Sea Shanty group from Exmouth who wandered around singing a most stirring song.

Despite the fact that the lads are generally very well-behaved (do you think I would be biased, now really?), there has been the odd occasion when I haven't felt entirely, shall we say, loved by certain people we have come across on this holiday. They seem to have a pre-formed negative attitude towards children, even before they have crossed the restaurant or hotel threshold. Curiously enough, in some of these places we have been pretty much the only customers. I would have thought that in the country's current dire economic state that any customer at all would be treated like a long lost friend.

Sacred Heart Novena...

....starts today. Click here to join in on the Sacred Space website.