7 Quick Takes in Which I Have Way Too Much to Say.

Ahhhh, how is it Friday already??  One good thing about not blogging much during the week is that I have plenty of material for this post!  Mwahahahahaha!

Joining up with Jen and away we gooooooooo...

1) The kids took tennis lessons this summer, despite their non-upper class preppiness.  Our town has a fabulous recreation department where the kids can do sports on the cheap and although they inherited their mother's lack of tennis skills, they still loved playing!  In the past 12 months, they have now played soccer, track, basketball, swimming, karate, and tennis.  Phew!

 Xander was just the cheerleader, suprisingly, they frown on 2 year olds taking lessons.

2)

So Wednesday was the Feast Day of St. Maximillian Kolbe, and I realized I've never written my story about him.  In case you don't know who Fr. Kolbe was, here's a short video about his life:

The man he stepped in and took the place of was named Francis Gajowniczek, and when I was around 12 years old, he came to our church on Cape Cod, to speak about his story.  After he was saved by St. Maximillian Kolbe, he dedicated his life to sharing the story of the saint. He told a priest that "so long as he ... has breath in his lungs, he would consider it his duty to tell people about the heroic act of love by Maximilian Kolbe."

At the time, my mom was instrumental in getting him to come to our church to speak, and being the hostess with the mostess, also offered for him to stay at our house.  He accepted!  So "Mr. G" as we called him, came to stay at our house with his second wife (after he made it through Auschwitz alive, he found out his wife and children had not) who was a hoot, and his interpreter, Peter, who I fell madly in love with as any hormonal boy-crazy 12 year old would for a guy who spoke a foreign language and looked good doing it.  

My mom called up our friend who was 100% polish and owned a restaurant to make some authentic polish dishes to eat for dinner, and Mr. G was so touched.  My parents' bedroom was on the first floor of our house, and because Mr. G was elderly and frail, my parents gave him their bed and slept upstairs in the guest room.  And do you know what my mom did as soon as we had said goodbye to our dear guests?  She pulled those sheets off the bed and saved them as some sort of relic of St. Maximillian Kolbe!

And that's my story.

3)

Today is officially my last day of summer.  I go back to full-time work next week.  I know, shed a tear for me.

I'm actually really blessed to only have to work part-time in the summer, and can stay home while Phil tutors so that our kids are always with one of us.  Then once we're both back to work full-time, the kids are in school (Xander will be in his final year with the nanny) and time will fly by until my vacation maternity leave in March!

Not totally untrue ;)

4)

Speaking of babies (aren't I always?  So annoying.)  I am trying to decide if I want to continue to use my awesome midwife for the birth of this baby.  I've used her for the past two labors and she is incredible, but offers no pain medication.  Or I can choose a doctor who will not offer me the same wonderful prenatal care and support but will actually call the anesthesiologist when I lose my mind and yell out "GIVE ME SOMETHING OR I'M GOING TO DIE!!!!"  Because I always do.

I've made a list of pros and cons to try and help me decide, but it's still unclear:

Midwife:	Pros	Cons
	Laid back approach to prenatal care	No drugs
	Catholic and supportive of our NFP, pro-life values
	Such a calm labor coach
	Completely all-natural approach to pregnancy and birth
	Can use jacuzzi during labor
	It will be Lent and I can make natural birth my Lenten sacrifice

Doctor:	Pros	Cons
	Gives drugs	More intensive prenatal care
		Does not have same values
		Comes in only to "catch" the baby
		More likely to use medical interventions
		If getting epidural - no jacuzzi plus the dreaded catheter
		I have FAST labors and might not get to hospital in time for epidural

Why is it still unclear? Because it basically it all comes down to the value placed on the goods.  And by goods I mean drugs.  And by drugs I mean sweet, sweet pain relief.  For the record, I've had three epidural deliveries (two good, one bad) and then two natural births (one awesome, one more traumatic). So you all decide for me, mkay?

5)

Phil took the kids to Patriots Training Camp this week, and they got to see Tom Brady and Tim Tebow.  From afar.

From very afar.

6)

Woosh, I'm running out of steam.  How about a video of Alexander saying part of his bedtime prayers?

Could you interpret?  That boy is thee sweetest!

7)

We're headed to the local beach today for what will be one of the last times this summer.

Flashback to Xander's first beach trip ever.  I think he was about 2 weeks old, and camera-shy and hungry!

I hope you all have some fun weekend plans!  See you on the flip side!