4 years ago my folks had a bumber crop year of gaining two new grandchildren, Abigail and Andrew. 2 years ago they had a repeat year (the hard way) with Michael and Daniel. Next year will be another bumper crop year. Not only will Michelle and I be having our fifth child, but so will Alyssa and Tom! Their fifth child is due in May 2003. Who-hoo!
We had a nice weekend. The weather cooperated. Saturday afternoon we went to the Erickson's annual fall party/OctoberFest at their house in Hudson. The kids had a fun time running around, playing with other kids, eating from the potluck buffet, and seeing a bit of a bonfire. We couldn't stay long after the bonfire. The boys were still running around and it was getting too dark to track them. Claire took leaving early pretty hard. She was really looking forward to the bonfire aspect of the evening.
We met some more neighbors today. They have a daughter around Abby's age and a son a few months older than Michael and Daniel.
Today is a day of much prayer and celebration for the members of Opus Dei. The founder of Opus Dei, Msgr. JoseMaría Escrivá was canonized a saint. Today was the canonization Mass, tomorrow is a Mass of celebration. A huge swarm of members have descended upon Rome to witness this event. Several members I know from the local Boston area flew to Rome to see it.