What I Loved About Last Week (3rd Edition)

Happy Easter Season to all!!  We're on a roll here - 3 weeks in a row!
Here's what I loved about last week (April 2-8, 2012):

1.Miracle of miracles.  After my rant last week, the bike riding w/ training wheels reached a fever pitch on Tuesday when it took us FORTY-FIVE minutes to ride home (it's like a 5 minute ride.)  Two blocks from home, I said, "that's it, the training wheels are coming off at home!"  We took them off, and what do you know, Ira can ride on two wheels without training wheels!

2. Getting over Strep Throat.  Yes, that means that we all (with the exception of Ira) had Strep Throat last week.  Andy's had it about a million times, but I'd never had it (thought maybe I was immune to it or something.)  Alas, I am not, nor is Ruby apparently.  Props to the antibiotics for working FAST.  And props to people who deal with Strep regularly - it is NO FUN!

3. Good Friday.  Ira was off school.  While Ruby napped (from noon until three o'clock oddly enough) Ira and I both decorated one of his Birthday cakes together and prayed the Stations of the Cross with a Stations Booklet that I'd made from materials from Holy Heroes' Lenten Adventure.  He was also FULL of questions (had to have been the Holy Spirit) about other faiths, masculinity and femininity, authority of the Catholic Church/the Pope, and martyrs.  Thanks to the Holy Spirit's help, I feel very good about the answers I was able to give him.  It made me hopeful that he will always feel comfortable asking me questions that he has about our beautiful faith.

4. Like I said, we decorated a cake for Ira's birthday party together.  Ira refers to himself as the ace of cakes now.  I would say he did a pretty bang up job (with some help), wouldn't you?

5. Rubyisms.  She has been full of good ones lately.  She calls green olives "blue grapes" and has recently started saying "Goo grief," "What in the Lord (world)" and "Eeee my dooness (goodness)"  She is just too funny!

6. Ira's Birthday Cake.  One of my proudest yet.  I did a gel transfer (1st time) and although I messed it up a little transfering it, I was able to fix my mistakes for the most part, and ended up with one of my "proudest" cakes.  I was really, really excited with how it turned out.

7. We hosted about 30 people at our house on Saturday morning/afternoon for Ira's birthday party (aliens from Toy Story theme).  The weather was beautiful, the company was great, and the party was a blast.  I just can't believe that our little boy is SIX!

The sandwiches we served "alien style"

Playing with his new kite from my parents

8. We had a beautiful Easter (albeit busy.)  We went to Easter Mass in the morning, then to Andy's folks' house, then to my parents' house.  Ruby didn't take a nap all Easter weekend, and *spoiler alert for next week* she took a FOUR hour nap on Monday.  Can I get a WOOT!  And the Easter Bunny did not disappoint as far as the "Sacrifice Jar."  Look at what our table looked like on Easter Morning!

I love how Ruby looks like she's getting ready to punch someone.  And Ira, well, the sun was in his eyes, what can I say?