We’ve reached a wonderful day in our house, when I can sigh with relief and say, “I think we’re finally past THAT stage with Nicholas.” You know, the testing toddler stage that turns everything into a battle. Instead, we’ve passed into the goofball stage. So much so that today, Nicholas gets his very own post full of funnies. Or at least, cute-ies.
#1: in which he takes a Lego Mater, puts him on his dinner fork, and begins carrying him around the house. “It’s a forklift,” he explains.
#2 & 3: in which he’s picking up all the nuances of polite grownup interaction, such as:
“Mommy, how’s your Jazzercise?”
and
“Mommy how many calories do you have?”
#4: in which he comes out of preschool and starts with “Mommy, I like yoy hair. Mommy, I like yoy ears.” But then he hits the gold mine: “Mommy I like your eyeballs!” And there’s no going back.
#5: in which he comes over to check me over with the magnifying glass and concludes, “Yeah, you look a little strange.”
#6: in which he puts on a hand-knit baby cap made by my cousin when Alex was a baby and comes over to say, “Mommy, I’m the guy who shakes the trees!” (You get that, right? Maybe not. Maybe most of you have fake trees or go get them from a tree lot in the grocery store parking lot. But when you go cut down a Christmas tree from a tree farm, they shake the needles off it with a loud, gas-powered shaker.)
7: And although this can’t compare with the moments above, I have to conclude the day with this, due out in March 2013:
I think this is my favorite cover of all three of my books. I love the color. I’m a sucker for color. And although the subtitle says “Beatitudes,” that’s only the jumping-off point. This book connects the Beatitudes with things like the Ten Commandments, the fruits and gifts of the Spirit, and so on, and offers thoughts for both adults and kids–in fact, even more for the adults than for the kids–to help make these big, Sunday-morning kind of concepts connect concretely with feet-on-the-pavement real life. Because anyone who’s read more than a few of my posts knows I’m convinced that faith languishes when it is compartmentalized or not lived out in concrete action. But now I’m encroaching on what I have planned for Monday. In any case, you can read more about the book here.
Kathleen M. Basi 
You are blessed by Nicholas for sure! 🙂 I have one who does those same things and can’t wait for your book!
Thank you, Kristen! I’m really excited about this book, because the ordinary times of life are where faith flourishes or dies.
I loved your description of being an “Ordinary Time Person” on here once and although I am a total Advent person (how I have tried to be a Lent person to no avail) I love that idea and you are right both in saying that the little “o” ordinary times and the big “O” Ordinary Time are where faith flourishes or dies. I know people who take summer off from mass (one family at my parents’ old church told the Monsignor they needed a break…my father nearly lost it. A break? From GOD???). And we all so often focus on the suffering Christ, the dying and rising Christ and the birth that we forget the richness of his earthly ministry which is what Ordinary Time is all about. And it is easy to thank God when times are great and reach out when times are tough, but not so much in the hum-drum day to day. Which is why I am putting so much focus and emphasis on the Divine Office and this is right in line with that! So an amazing thank you for your hard work on it!
I love Dominic at age 4…well, he just turned 4…but anyway. He is so funny, and sensitive, but mostly funny. Cute post.
I may be wrong, but I don’t think boys EVER outgrow the goofball stage:-)
And wow, I love your book’s concept of finding and nurturing our faith during the “ordinary times”!
Good luck with your new book. It looks great!