Fall Memories Part 2: Halloween, All Saints

Trick or Treating with the homeschool group at a nursing home

Family baby shower for Mark and Rachel

Celebrating Baby Austin, and the Astros

All Saints Day at the farm

St. Joseph, Pope John Paul II, and St.  Margaret

Mr. Cutie in his stripes

Goddaughter Cecilia

Sunset at the farm

He loved the cows!

Halloween at the O family party

Gumball Machine, Astros player, Cinderella, 

Superman, a deer, and another Astros player

Superbaby!

Halloween with friends

The last few seconds of the Astros championship win!

All Saints fireplace

Visiting the cemetery

Our dear friend Kelly, always in our hearts

Hosted lovely prayer shower for my dear friend Veronica,

and her baby Mariana Faustina with Trisomy 18.

So many thoughtful gifts for Veronica and baby

Found some leaves at the baseball park

When daddy leaves for work :(

brothers loving the orthodontist office

A Nativity peg doll exchange. So fun!

She is always sneaking into my jewelry and makeup

My new piece of furniture; I've always wanted a cabinet in this spot, 

and now it can be our little family altar

May I never forget just how horrible the master closet can get!

Poor Peter does not like the new baby gate!

Sourdough bread class for a Mother Culture night

Loves talking to this Mary statue

The girls' ballet performance, I'll try to load the videos on here!

One Sunday after Goose's Acre brunch!

A Week to Remember, Halloween and All Saints 2016

This week will likely always be a busy and emotional one. First of all, we started with the girls' ballet performance last Friday, followed by two baseball games on Saturday, mass, a baptism, and an All Saints' Party on Sunday, and then Monday's Halloween festivities. Then we had the All Saints' Mass for the holy day on Tuesday and an eventful doctor appointment and hospital visit yesterday. Halloween was the anniversary of the passing of our friend Kelly, and today is the first anniversary of the passing of our friend Beverly.

I can't really put into words my feelings about all of this. I'll be 35wks along tomorrow and am hoping we make it another two weeks. But we had a little scare with the baby having a low heart rate on my ultrasound yesterday, so I had to go to the hospital for a few hours of monitoring. It looks as if he has the umbilical cord around his neck. We hope and pray that he untangles himself and we don't have any more excitement. I'll be going in for more frequent monitoring and will be pretty much on bed rest.

So I am counting on the Church Triumphant to pray me through these days. As we remember all the saints and all the poor souls, especially those close to us, we are reminded of our mortality. As I watched and listened to my baby boy's heartbeat, I was awestruck with just how fragile life is. I try to hug my little ones tighter, enjoy the little moments of reading books together, and just treasure these fleeting days. The kids truly had a wonderful time with all the festivities of this week and so I'll share the photos and focus on the JOY amidst some of the sadness and stress...

After their Dance with a Purpose ballet show

(video to come once it's loaded on YouTube)

They were excited to have so many friends come to watch!

All Saints' Day celebration at the O family farm

The big girls didn't dress up, but the little ones were St. George (knight), St. Benedict (forgot his monk's hood), and St. Elizabeth of Hungary (didn't want her photo taken!)

I didn't get many photos and my photographer-daughter bailed on me, so this is the only "game" photo I got of the Cupcake Walk.

Our little queen saint calmed down a little

In line for the big potluck meal

A beautiful sunset

Halloween Night!

We had two Paparazzi girls, Iron Man, Ant Man, and a little ballerina.

Before Trick or Treating with all their friends

A neighbor of our friends is a photographer and took these 3 great pics!

Chip Gillespie Photography

And my little hospital visit yesterday

(this is my bench of misery, remembering laboring here with SJ )

(I love soft ice, but don't like having to be in the hospital to get it!)

And now I'm hoping to have a less eventful next couple weeks, though I imagine that's a lofty ideal!

Halloween and All Saints' Day 2015

Halloween and All Saints' Day have proven to be a difficult time for our little group of homeschool families. Six years ago we lost our dear friend Kelly on Halloween, after a long battle with breast cancer. This year, Beverly was home on hospice care and I'd just seen her for the last time on the 30th. But her kids (and even her husband for a few minutes) still joined us for our annual Halloween party with chili and trick-or-treating.

Thomas was upset about not being able to find the plastic pumpkin bucket to hold his candy.

The girls all dressed in poodle skirts, after shopping together and sewing together in the days before. 

50s girls with Mike the Knight and Aragorn

We also prayed an All Saints Litany before eating. I thought it was interesting how our group was praying while some Halloween movie was playing in the yard of the neighbors across the street.

Some of the crew didn't make the first photo, so here they were after the candy-trading!

The All Saints Party had to be postponed several weeks due to rain. We ended up missing the big parade since we were running late, but I got a few photos of the kids.

Santa Lucia!


St. Philomena


St. Francis and St. Joseph

St. Martha's Cookie Decorating!


Dads hanging out


Saint Dymphna


The stone rosary station


Bowling

Thomas' favorite booth...CHESS!

Ellie with her friend C as St. Kateri


Hayride


This was some kind of game where they had to shake ping pong balls (7 deadly sins) out of a box on their back.


The big kids


Everyone ready to pray and eat!




Lovely moments out at the farm.