It Is What It Is

I've decided it's high time to stop making excuses for how long it's been since I last blogged. Life is busy, I blog occasionally, and that is all. It is what it is. And I don't think anyone puts more of an expectation on me to update more frequently than...me. So, here's to a long, large post with a lot of new goodies since it's been awhile.

First up--and definitely most importantly!--if your discerning eyes can see it, there is a second pink line here:

That's right! We are excitedly awaiting the arrival of Baby Beier #2 in early November. Stay tuned for updates as things, God willing, progress.

Back in early March, we took at whirlwind trip (they all seem to be whirlwinds) to Kansas as my little bro', Ryan ("Frankie") was honored as a Senior manager at the Senior Night game for the Kansas Men's Basketball team. The night before the game, we had a little soiree (okay, not really that fancy, but it was fun nonetheless) for him, and presented him with this Highly Awesome Confection:

I think he liked the chocolate.

At said soiree, Moira got to have a picture with all of her great-grandparents at once! She is a lucky girl to have all four of her maternal great-grandparents alive and well.

We were also fortunate enough to be able to take a 4-generation picture, with the women on both of my parents' sides. This is, left to right, my mom, my Grandma O'Leary, Moira, Me, and my Grandma Davis. Lovely Ladies!

The next night was The Game. Against K-State, no less. And we DOMINATED. I absolutely loved this "Ryan Davis Fan Club" of his buddies in the stands, especially the head-on-a-stick. I was sitting a quarter of the way around the fieldhouse from them, much higher up in the rafters, and could see my brother's face bobbing in the crowd throughout the game. Thanks, Todd, Max and Company for making the game so special for Ryan! (So, the "Frankie" thing is a nickname he picked up from one of the assistant coaches, since that person thought it was his name. Then it stuck. You can read more about that here, on ESPN.com).

Looking distinguished.

My parents and Ryan, the middle three on the floor, during the presentation of the Seniors.

Well, I don't know if she'll grow up to be a big, tall basketball player (or a big, tall manager), but surely eating leaves and dirt has to count for something, right? Here is Moira on our daytrip to Chicago a few weeks ago, doing just that:

We decided on the day trip so that we could go visit my lovely friend, Bistra, who is pictured here with Moira. We had a lovely day together, just walking around in the 80 degree sunshine and enjoying Lake Michigan and the sights and sounds of spring.

Now we come to Easter. We had a breathtakingly beautiful Triduum at our parish, which is the Cathedral of our Diocese. Moira was (relatively) good during all those late and long liturgies, and then Sunday morning we really opened things up with a bang by having an all-out feast! And Ben, Ben himself, even carved the Roast Beast:

I have no idea why Moira looks all wet in this picture. My guess is Too Much Fun in the Highchair.

One final Easter tidbit to share...when we opened Moira's easter basket, sent by Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Nan, we found a delightful Easter book (don't know why it's upside down here and rightside up in my computer's photo library).

But the most notable part is on the back cover. I happened to notice that the book is written by someone named "Emily Tuttle" and illustrated by..."Moira MacLean". What's crazy is that this book was purchased before Moira was born...before we knew it was a girl...before we had ever picked a name...and now we own it!