The Wind by Robert Louis Stevenson

Wordless Wednesday..I Keep Forgetting to Mention...

Three Year Anniversary/One Year Anniversary

I realized a week or two ago that the three year anniversary of Anna's surgery had come and gone without my noticing.  It was October 20th.  It was also the one year anniversary of removing her feeding tube.

Her health was always such a huge focus of our lives....a constant issue every day in this house, constant specialist appointments and therapies, constant deliveries of medical supplies, constant hours wasted trying to deal with insurance.......

But the forgetting of this anniversary just shows how much things have changed.  Anna is the healthiest child in this house (not that the others are sickly, but we have allergy and asthma, vision issues etc).  She is still quite thin for her age, but which Salvucci child isn't???  But she maintains her curve on her own with absolutely no supplementation.....the first time in her life.  Her weight is checked by her pediatrician, not by specialists.  She is on no medication and receiving no therapy.  I can't remember the last time I made a trip to CHOP with Anna.

So, Deo Gratias that we are able to just pass these anniversaries unnoticed!!  Anna is a strong, full of life, little girl who loves to swim and to go to her dance class, to play with her siblings, and keep us all on our toes!

Martinmas

The Feast of St. Martin is traditionally a big feast marking the end of the growing season and the start of the harvest, the end of Autumn and the beginning of winter, and the end of the Octave of All Saints. It was celebrated in Europe like our Thanksgiving with large celebrations with food, bonfires, lanterns, and treats.

We try to have a very small, humble St. Martin celebration.

We made and lit some lanterns.  These are just mason jars with colored tissue paper glued to it.  Makes a beautiful stained glass effect once lit.

For a treat we made Martinshörnchen (St. Martin's Croissants).  Croissants are a semi-circle to remind us of the cloak he cut in half to save a beggar from the cold.  There is a traditional recipe here: martinshornchen recipe.  I used a can of crescent rolls because they are egg and dairy free that way.  I just brushed them with dairy free margarine and sprinkled some sugar before rolling them up.  Then brushed the tops with more margarine and a little sugar.  So easy and quite yummy!

And some simple St. Martin pictures to color in.  You can find the free printable here

this kid is hilarious

Buggy photo bomb??

don't let this smile fool you  ;)