Welcome, Little Pearl #23!

The last time I was here, in mid-January, we were a few days away from having our oldest son and his family (including seven of our grandchildren!) arrive from Wisconsin to spend the last week of the month visiting us (and also the three brothers’ families who live near us in VA).  Grandchild #23, our youngest son’s second daughter, was due on Feb. 8, and we were planning to head to Nashville a few days ahead of that due date to be in place to help out and take care of their almost-2-year-old.  The timing between our firstborn's visit and our trip to our baby's house was going to be close, but it looked like it was going to work out perfectly.

We had a great week with our Wisconsin Pearls, including a family get-together with four of our boys and their wives and children, minus one D-I-L and two wee grandsons.  (We resorted to Chipotle catering, because Grammy was feeling a bit daunted by the prospect of cooking for almost 30 people, while simultaneously having nine people staying with us for the week!) 

Son #1 isn't a fan of showing his kids' faces on the Internet (which I totally respect), so those are the only two photos I'll share from that visit.  But I think they tell the story of how much these cousins enjoy each other's company--and how they can make fun happen wherever they happen to be, even in our relatively small house with its relatively small yard.

Our oldest son and his gang left VA to head back home on Jan. 29, and little #23's older sister had been born about a week past her due date, via induction, so we figured no problem—it seemed safe to believe that she was probably at least a week away from making her appearance.  The timing was going to be about as close to ideal as it could be.  We would get all the beds remade and the house cleaned up, pack our bags, and be ready to start our road trip to son #5’s house within a few days’ time, arriving well before baby.  Our plans were set.

But if you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans!  I woke up at 6:30 a.m. on the 30th to this text from our son (which he’d sent at about 2:30): 

“Looks like baby’s coming early.  _______ is about 5.5 cm dilated.”

Hoo boy!  We had already committed to watching son #3's youngest child that afternoon (thinking no way would our presence be needed in Nashville quite this soon!) while he and his wife were with one of their girls, who was scheduled to have an oral surgery procedure.  I texted son #5 to see if we should try to find a replacement to watch his little nephew so we could hit the road ASAP, but he assured us that his firstborn daughter was being well cared for by a beloved and trusted friend, so we could keep our plans in place and wait until the next day to make the drive.

Our sweet new granddaughter was born in the morning on Jan. 30, and bright and early on the 31st we were Nashville -bound, anxious to meet this latest gem to be added to our long and ever-lengthening string of Pearls! 

We have already been with this darling little family of four for over a week now, and we plan to stay for the baby’s Baptism after anticipated Mass on the 15th.  The next morning, we’ll head back home to VA.

It has been grand, and we are honored to have been asked to be the first on the scene to help out.

If you’re reading this, and your children are still little and gathered about you all the time in your house and sleeping safely under your roof every night, and you can’t imagine how in the world you’re going to fill your days when they’re all grown and gone…I’m here to tell you that when you make it to your "empty"-nesting years, you might find that you are even busier than you’ve ever been before.  I know that those child-rearing years of ours were incredibly busy and full, but truly, there is never a dull moment these days.  It’s different as a grandparent, of course; but it seems like it’s just about as physically and emotionally tiring as it ever was.  

And thank God for that! I can’t imagine how we got so lucky.

Okay, now for the requisite photo dump!

Our newest grandchild is a living doll, and we are so enjoying getting to know her.  Her big sister has adjusted remarkably well to having to share the limelight with a needy baby sibling.  And rest assured, she's still getting plenty of attention.

We FaceTimed with our middle son and his kids last night, and his 5-year-old daughter complained that she didn't like it when we were "out of town" (her words).  I guess she likes it much better when we're just a few towns away from her in VA and close enough to see her often, as we usually are.  How sweet it that?It's nice to be missed!  And we miss everyone back there, too.  But at the same time, it will be exceedingly difficult to say goodbye when we leave here on Sunday.  

The older I get, the more I realize that your heart can be in many places all at once.  And sometimes dividing it up so that it can do that is unspeakably painful. However, as that wise philosopher, Winnie the Pooh, said to his good friend Piglet: 

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

[Sniff]  That's enough for today, I think.  That'll do, Pig. That'll do. 

[Sigh] Yes, I've just jumped from using a WTP quote to a line from the movie "Babe."  Time to sign off before this post goes in all kinds of unplanned directions. Until next time, dear readers...

Our Annual October Trip to Wisconsin (2024 Edition)

I can't believe it's November already!  (Time for my monthly check-in at the blog...)

October was a busy month for us.  There was a trip to Wisconsin, for one thing.  It's a two-day trip, but my husband and I love taking long road trips together, so we didn't mind that a bit.  We were able to spend a week with our oldest son and his family, including seven children from age 13 down to not-quite-one.  Our boy has six daughters and one son, and they've been homeschooled since day one (our daughter-in-law is quite the rockstar homeschooler!).  They lived near us here in VA for about four years, and we miss them terribly, so it was a joy to spend time with them at their relatively new homestead out in the rural Midwest. Incredibly, they own about 20 acres, and have two large outbuildings. They garden and raise chickens, and our son has become a beekeeper.  Over time, they hope to add more animals to their place.

Our son's two-year-old daughter is a hoot (that age is so much fun!).  She's a devoted mama to her twin baby dolls, and even "nurses" them.  She is incredibly verbal and has some of the funniest sayings.  ("What the heck in the world?!" is our new go-to, after our sojourn in WI.)

We were able to celebrate our firstborn's 41st birthday with him before it was time to go. My husband and I also re-strung four American Girl dolls whose joints had gotten dangerously loose.  And my handy guy was able to help our boy with a DIY project: building a fire-proof platform on which to put the new wood-burning stove they just purchased for their great room.  (He is such a handyman, I tell you--our boys are lucky to have him!  He just helped son #4 in VA put new shutters on an upstairs window, and is currently helping son #3 get all the framing and electrical wiring/outlets done so that his basement can be refinished as a playroom for his five kids.)

Our four oldest granddaughters out in WI wondered why we couldn't just stay forever when the week was up and we finally had to head home; but we had three little ones' birthdays in a row back here in VA in late October (literally, three days in a row!), which means three cakes for Grammy to bake and decorate!  (I have the best job!)  Our home was calling us, so we sadly said our good-byes.  But we took with us some wonderful memories, which I can share in pictures.

No two babies were ever more loved!

Mommy has her baby carrier on, so of course...

A freezer full of chickens raised and prepared by our boy himself!  
(I would say "slaughtered," but when I used that term on our family text stream,
I was told that it was unnecessarily graphic!) The tomatoes are also home-grown.

Not only was the chicken "farm fresh"; the potatoes were planted and harvested
by one of our granddaughters!

Our son, with the chicken's heart.  He and a few of his kids think it's a
yummy treat.  [Insert barfing face emoji here!!] 

When she's not tending to her twin dolls, this little one likes to help in the
kitchen.  She is quite the little homemaker.

Learning at the kitchen table.  These identical twins are two of the loveliest
teenage girls you could ever meet.

Papa, doing what he does.

The kids made a scarecrow shortly before we left and seated him in a chair out in front of their house.  So this was one of the last things we saw as we pulled away: Steve, the scarecrow.  Along with the six oldest, who came out to wave us off.

It's hard having people you love so much living so far away.  But they are in such a good place for them, with a large and supportive Traditional Latin Mass and homeschooling community around them.  Their kids are busy with music lessons and activities, have lots of sweet friends, and are thriving.  Our daughter-in-law's folks are less than two hours away.  It's all good.  I wish our son and his wife could have stayed here near us in VA, but if they did, it is doubtful that they would be living their dream to the extent that they are.  And we are deeply grateful that despite the distance between us, we have been able to maintain such a close bond with those kiddos of theirs.  It's all good.  God is good, all the time.

I'll be back soon to do a Halloween re-cap.  I've never been a dyed-in-the-wool Halloween enthusiast; but since moving here, our house, with its perfect triick-or-treating neighborhood, has become a hub of Halloween fun for many Pearls in the area.  So I enjoy October 31 festivities more than I ever have before.  

For now, dear readers, Happy All Saints Day!  (It's also my sainted mother-in-law's birthday.  Thinking of you today, Mom, and missing you.)

So Much to Write About...I Can't Keep Up!

Hey there, 'member me?  LOL!

(No really, do y'all remember me?)

I used to post here pretty regularly, and now I drop in about once a month or so and dust off the old blog, all the while wondering, "Why am I still doing this again?"  

I know the answer to that question, actually: I want to archive as many family memories as I can, before my 65-year-old brain starts failing me and I don't remember what I had for breakfast today.  (Actually, that's easy, because I don't eat breakfast.  Or lunch either.  My husband and I really only have one meal a day, sometime in the afternoon--unless we're guests of friends or relatives.  But more about that some other time.)  So I want to keep this blog going, if possible...but yikes, if you think you're going to have more time for hobbies when your kids all grow up and leave you to start families of their own, I'm here to tell you that's not always the case.  It certainly isn't the case for me, anyway.

But I'll take a busy life, one so filled to the brim and overflowing with gobs of precious grandchildren that every other interest (except my husband, of course!) has to take a back seat.  I'm one lucky woman, and I remind myself of that fact every single day. 

So much catching up to do...but where to begin?  The last time I was here, summer wasn't even over yet. Since then, so much has happened.  Maybe the easiest way to tackle this is to start from our most recent family goings-on and work backwards through the month(s).  On that note:

My husband and I returned from a kind of epic road trip a couple of days ago.  If you come here often, you know that three of our five boys had settled down here in the same area of VA, and because of our decision to move south in 2017, we get to see them and their wives, and the 14 children they have between them, on a regular basis.  Our oldest lives out in WI now (most likely for good) and our youngest is located outside of Nashville (at least for the foreseeable future).  So we decided to visit both of those faraway boys and their families in one fell swoop, before winter weather sets in and makes travel difficult.  We first headed west to TN for a week, then north to WI for another week.  From WI, we drove back home to VA, with a stop in South Bend, IN on the way, to break up the trip and check on a rental house my husband and his siblings own out there.  We were gone about two-and-a-half weeks.  (We could have been gone for months, I believe; thank you, God, for children who actually like to spend time with their dear old Mom and Dad and are sad when we pull out of their driveways!)

Our week with our youngest son and his wife was delightful.  My husband was able to do a couple of minor projects for them (the last time we visited them, shortly after they bought their first house, he did a few major ones), but mostly the two of us just doted on our little granddaughter (grandchild #20), who is about as sweet and adorable as they come.  At a little over 7 months old, she is all pink-and-white skin, silky tufts of blond hair, big blue eyes, chubbiness with creases, breathy baby talk, heart-melting smiles, and giggles. We are besotted with that little one.

Our son's boss calls him "The Tall One."  He makes us look short, that's for sure.

My husband plays a game called "Stinky Toes" with all the grandbabies, and they love it.

Daddy's girl.

When we left TN, we drove north, stopping for the night at a hotel to break up the trip.  Once we got to our firstborn's WI home and had spent a few days catching up, we were able to do some painting and plumbing projects for him and his wife, who have bought a house out there that sits on 20 acres of land.  But mostly, we just enjoyed lots of time with their six children, whom we miss terribly now that they're so far away.  We had wonderful, hearty, home-cooked family dinners every night, sitting around the long pine farmhouse table our son made with his own two hands years ago.  And we were able to be there to celebrate his 40th birthday with him, which was very special.

It was fun watching our boy guide his four oldest girls, teaching them his secret methods for drawing amazing images using colored icings.  He has always been the birthday cake decorator in their house (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree--but in his case, the student has become the master!  The pictures on his cakes are more professional-looking than his mom's ever were).  Now he's passing on this skill to the next generation.

Tell me you know who Homestar Runner is.  (We wouldn't, if not for our
oldest son, who discovered him his Freshman year at Notre Dame.)

[Gulp!] I have a 40-year-old son.  Yes indeed, I do!   It seems like yesterday that I was pregnant with him, eagerly awaiting his birth and sewing things for his nursery.  I still have this little mobile that I made to hang over his crib. It's hanging in one of our guest rooms here at our house in VA.  I know it's not the best-looking mobile you'll ever see, but I am far too sentimental to get rid of it!

BTW, Our oldest son's wife is expecting baby #7 (grandchild #22) in about a month, so please keep them in your prayers, dear readers!

You know, I never had a problem with turning 40 myself.  But for some reason, our son turning that age kind of gave me a bit of a gut-punch. While my husband and I were driving back home, praying a Rosary together out loud in the car, my mind wandered and I found myself doing math.  Our triplet grandchildren recently turned 6.  And I thought, "How old will my boy be when those triplets turn 40?"  The answer, shockingly, was 74.  The answer was that he would be an old man.  My son, the sweet baby boy for whom I'd made that mobile not too long ago...someday, God willing, he would be even older than I am now.  Well, just thinking about that, my eyes welled up with tears and I was too choked up to say a few of my Rosary responses.

It's all good, though!  The circle of life and all!  As my father always used to say, when it came to getting older: it's better than the alternative.

Okay then, I'm going to stop here before I become too maudlin (am I too late for that?).  But I'll be back as soon as I can.  I need to chronicle the triplets' birthday celebration, for one thing!  Until then, God bless you!

Falling Behind and Playing Catch-Up, as Usual!

When it comes to keeping this blog up to date with what's been going on in the Pearl family, I'm currently falling way behind--which is par for the course these days (months, years, what-have-you). Some people are just so good at writing regularly, and so fun to follow (Colleen and Madeline, you two blogging champs come immediately to mind!), but others of us seem to suffer from a constant state of blogger's block.  In my case, it happens because there's too much happening, too quickly, and so much I want to write about that I don't know where to start. Kind of like when you have an extremely messy house and can't figure out which room needs cleaning the most.

I have too much that I want to say.  And so I choose to say nothing a lot of the time.

Excuses, excuses--right?

I never even got around to blogging about our road trip to Iowa a week after Easter, to visit with our much-missed oldest son and his family (who lived nearby here in VA for four-and-a-half years, then moved away a little over a year ago--and boy, do we ever miss them!!). We hadn't seen them since November 2022, so too much time had passed! We were able to be there for the First Holy Communion of our firstborn's #4 daughter, City Girl. It was so beautiful, taking place during a traditional Latin High Mass at their parish.  She wore one of the two dresses I made back in 2019 for her oldest (identical twin) sisters. 

These dresses have now become part of this family's tradition.  I made one with a lace Peter Pan collar and the other with a plain neck and an extra band of lace embellishment at the waist; I wanted them to be slightly different so the twins could choose the individual style they liked best.  Sister Little Gal wore the one with the collar for her First Holy Communion in 2021.  And City Girl picked the one without the collar.  So each dress has now been worn twice.  

I dream of these dresses, made with lots more love than skill, being worn years from now by great-granddaughters whom I may never meet (although I hope to!).  I dream that they become my favorite sort of thing: family heirlooms.

Anyway--

Aside from celebrating this beautiful sacrament, we were able to become friends with our one-year-old granddaughter, who really doesn't know us very well, now that we only get to visit with her family a couple of times a year.  (Did I give her a blog name yet?  I can't remember.  If not, I think I shall call her Little Lady.)  She has big blue eyes ("lollipop eyes," as one of her aunts described them) and is just about the most adorable little person imaginable. But she spent most of the week we were there studying her Papa and me with suspicion from a safe distance, head down, raising her eyes to peer at us.  She warmed up to Grammy first, allowing me to hold her as long as one of "her people" was close-by.  Papa finally became her best buddy when we had to babysit for her and her four-year-old brother towards the end of our stay, because the rest of the family was going to her twin sisters' play.  The two oldest girls had parts in the chorus of the musical "State Fair," which was put on by their homeschooling group.  My husband and I went to see the opening night show on Friday, then we stayed back to watch the two youngest siblings while everyone else went to the Saturday matinee--and that bonding time with those little ones was truly a gift.

These girls, at not quite 12, kind of tower over me now, so they must be slouching
in this picture.  (I've been slowing shrinking while they've been quickly growing!)

"State Fair" is just wonderful, with songs by Rogers & Hammerstein.  And it is especially fun because the story is set in Iowa.

It was hard to say goodbye when we left; but we were fortunate to have the opportunity to drive our son to the airport about five hours from his house, as it was on our route back home anyway; this saved him a commute to work by plane and gave us that precious extra time in the car to chat with him.  (We did solve all of the world's problems on that drive, and even had some good laughs as well.)

Aside from the goings-on out in the Midwest, there's also been a recent Baptism, of Pearl grandchild #20; but unfortunately we were unable to travel to Nashville to attend it.  Our daughter-in-law's parents were able to be there, however, which is special because this is their first grandchild.  I've yet to see pictures of that sweet little girl, the youngest of our grandchildren (for now, anyway!), receiving her first sacrament.  But I've been assured that they're coming!  

Let's see, what else?  How about some recent VA news? 

Last Sunday we had son #4 and his family over for an after-Mass brunch.  He and his wife are the parents of triplets, identical twin boys and a girl, aged 5, and a 3-year-old girl.  Those kiddos love to come and play in our basement playroom (I've got a post in my drafts folder with my deep musings about playrooms, actually; maybe it's time to edit it and get it posted!  I bet you're thinking, "That sounds fascinating!”). That same night, we had Sunday dinner over at son #2's house.  He and his wife Ginger have four boys, aged 2 to 7, and another baby on the way, due in mid-June. Ginger is a great cook, so we enjoyed a delicious meal of Pioneer Woman steak bites, rice, salad, and homemade brownies with ice cream.  We stayed way too late talking, which we have a tendency to do when it comes to our kids.  (Isn't life grand when you not only love, but sincerely like, your kids?!)

Yesterday, son #3 had a birthday, and we were able to celebrate it with him by bringing over one of his favorite meals and his favorite cinnamon coffee cake for dessert.  I'm a broken record, so I'll add that we stayed way too late talking with him and his Preciosa after the kids were in bed.   It's so worth it, though, even though it means we don't get home and in bed until midnight or after.  We'll sleep when we're dead!

I don't know what's gotten into me today.  I'm feeling a little silly.

Anyway, I'd have to say that 37 is looking pretty good on this middle son of ours.  He is surrounded by lots of noise and activity with his energetic brood, and surrounded even more by lots of love.

God is so good.  Life is so full, I can't even imagine having time to get bored.  And VA is so ridiculously mild and lovely in the spring.  Everything is blooming and I am in Heaven, as much as one can be in this earthly life.  

Father Mike always says, at the end of each episode of his Catechism in a Year podcast, "I'm praying for you.  Please pray for me!" Ditto that, dear readers.

Okay then, until next time...which will hopefully be pretty soon! 

Catching Up: Our Week+ with Our Baby's Baby

We had a family St. Patrick’s Day party at our house last night, and I love posting about Pearl holiday celebrations.  But I’m behind on my blogging (what’s new?!), and I wanted to first archive memories from our recent stay in Nashville, when we had the joy of meeting our 20th grandchild and helping our youngest son and his wife as they transitioned into their brand new roles of mommy and daddy.

On the 14th, we drove back home, after spending almost two weeks with our baby and HIS baby.  My husband and I were privileged to have arrived on the 2nd, just hours after our new little granddaughter's birth, and to meet her very shortly after she'd made her grand entrance into the world.

Papa and Grammy had a wonderful time while we were there, taking turns holding that precious tiny human when her tired parents needed to rest, taking pictures of her, and falling in love with her.  All babies are precious; but this one is particularly beautiful and sweet-tempered (says her besotted but totally unbiased grandmother!). 

Also, I did a good bit of cooking and cleaning, and my husband got a few of the kids’ "honey-do" items off the list--there always seem to be a number of them when you move into a new house!

Mending fences.

Building storage shelves for the garage.

 

We got to be there at the little one's first Mass, and then went out to brunch with her and her parents afterward.

It was tough to say goodbye, and in a perfect world this little family would live less than an hour from us, as our three middle sons and their families do.  This son and our firstborn (our "bookend boys") may be far away in miles, but they are always very close in our hearts.

As we drove off, our son ”waved at us through the trees” (or more correctly, through the townhouse units).  And if you want to know what that quote means, grab a hanky and read this old post, written back when he  graduated from Notre Dame in 2015.  It's one of my favorites.

Okay...I'm not crying, you're crying!  (LOL)

Next up:  St. Patrick’s Day party recap.  Hopefully coming soon!  

Call Me a Sentimental Old Fool

My husband and I are in a holding pattern right now, ready to hop in the car and head to Nashville as soon as we get the call that says our youngest son is about to become a daddy.

I was organizing a drawer in my kitchen this morning, one that has a bunch of random utensils and miscellaneous cooking gadgetry in it (everything from toothpicks to measuring cups and spoons to those little holders you put on the ends of ears of hot corn on the cob).  I think I was inspired by our middle son's wife, who is in the process of settling into their new house and has been fitting all of her pristine new kitchen drawers with organizational containers and dividers and such.  A place for everything, and everything in its place, if you will.  I was making a quiche and opened the drawer to get out some measuring spoons for the spices, and it was a bit of a mess in there.  So I sorted through everything until it made sense, and in the process what did I find but this stainless steel baby spoon that I'd totally forgotten I had.

It's not just ANY spoon, you see.  It's engraved with the name of the hospital where our youngest son was born, along with the year: 1993.  (1993 or yesterday?  Potato, po-tah-to.)

For 30 years--30 years!--I've held onto this spoon, a parting gift from the hospital where our last baby was born.  And I'm sure the reason I've done so is that I thought eventually, he would have babies of his own and they could use the spoon he used.  I haven't looked at it once in the six years we've lived in this VA house, and I'm just thrilled that I found it quite by accident today.

So that's going into my suitcase for this upcoming trip, obviously!

Another item I'm going to pack is a stuffed baby Simba that this same son of ours got for Christmas when he was two and a Lion King fanatic to the nth degree.  He wasn't a big stuffed animal guy, though (none of our boys were), so it looks like new after 28 years of languishing in a closet. I didn't ever pass it on to any of our little nieces and nephews, or even to our grandchildren, because I was saving it for him.  The day when he might need it for his own children always seemed so, so far into the future, but I was patient...and incredibly, that future is now!  

Maybe our new little granddaughter will love on this stuffed Simba fiercely enough that he will finally look his age!

Am I a sentimental old fool for holding onto so many mementos from our boys' childhood days?   Maybe.  You can call me that, I don't mind.  If the shoe fits and all that good stuff.