On a Cold and Rainy Friday...

Wear PJs all day long...

Get some painting done...

And then kids will want to paint...

And paint...

And paint...

Then find the box of dress-up clothes...

And invite your grandpa to come over and spend the night. He loves to play games!

My Silly Girls!

I've been having problems uploading videos recently. Let's see if this works. Here are the girls last night showing off Ellie's animal sounds :)



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Bed head

Who are "his companions"?

Yesterday was one of those memorials of a saint and martyr, Paul Miki, and his companions. I've always wondered about those "companions" who are honored on that day but not usually mentioned by name. I like to pray to "the companions", figuring they don't get many prayer requests! So today I looked up the names of the actual martyr companions. There were actually 25 of them who were crucified with St. Paul Miki in Japan on February 5, 1597 during a Christian persecution. They were converted to Christianity by the great Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier. Among them were were priests, brothers and laymen, Franciscans, Jesuits and members of the Secular Franciscan Order; there were catechists, doctors, simple artisans and servants, old men and innocent children—all united in a common faith and love for Jesus and his Church. Here are a few of them mentioned by name in an article I read:

Francis, a carpenter who was arrested while watching the executions and then crucified; Gabriel, the nineteen year old son of the Franciscan's porter; Leo Kinuya, a twenty-eight year old carpenter from Miyako; Diego Kisai (or Kizayemon), temporal coadjutor of the Jesuits; Joachim Sakakibara, cook for the Franciscans at Osaka; Peter Sukejiro, sent by a Jesuit priest to help the prisoners, who was then arrested; Cosmas Takeya from Owari, who had preached in Osaka; and Ventura from Miyako, who had been baptized by the Jesuits, gave up his Catholicism on the death of his father, became a bonze, and was brought back to the Church by the Franciscans. They were all canonized as the Martyrs of Japan in 1862.

At least 4000 technically suffered the fate of martyrdom in Japan over the years, with estimates as high as 35,000 or more. Most of these holy martyrs will remain nameless, including women and children who were killed off as family of any condemned person. May these holy martyrs inspire us to live holy lives, make us thankful for our freedoms, and pray for us to be saints one day too.

Homemaking Meme

Here goes:

1. Aprons – Y/N?
No, I think we finally got rid of our old ones from Cook Staff on the Aggie Awakening retreats. I'd like to find a pretty one someday

2. Baking – Favorite thing to bake:
Cakes and cookies with the girls

3. Clothesline – Y/N?
Nope, I love my washer and dryer!

4. Donuts – Have you ever made them?
I've made them with refrigerated biscuits before. But we usually like to go to good old Shipley's...a Texas chain that really has the best donuts ever!

5. Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day:
Dishes

6. Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
No, but I think my parents might pass theirs over sometime soon

7. Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
YES! It was Steven's first handyman project and I was so proud of him :-)

8. Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
Hmmm, blogs? Flylady? NFP message board?

9. Ironing – Love it or hate it?
Hate it! I'm trying to get better but am just thankful that no one has daily clothes that need regular ironing.

10. Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
Yep, one of the 2 kitchen drawers!

11. Kitchen: Design & Decorating?
Right now the kitchen has a whitish mauve color on the walls, rose-colored countertops, and white cabinets. I've always wanted a yellow kitchen, and all our plates, napkins, etc are in blue tones. So hopefully in a few years we'll remodel the kitchen (since hubby's company does flooring and countertops) with pale yellow walls, new white cabinets, and a light colored granite countertop.

12. Love: What is your favorite part of homemaking?
I'm really enjoying making our new house feel "homey", painting walls and decorating. I'm not real crazy about the everyday cleanup stuff, but I like when the house is clean and tidy.

13. Mop - Y/N?
No. I clean with a scrubber and dishtowel under my feet, and on my hands and knees for the bad parts.

14. Nylons - Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
I only wear tights, since I get so many snags in my hose. They go in the washing machine.

15. Oven - Do you use the window, or open the door to check?
Both

16. Pizza - What do you put on yours?
I never make it, but the girls and I like plain cheese. I also like chicken alfredo pizza.

17. Quiet - What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Surf the net or call a friend

18. Recipe card box - Y/N?
Yes

19. Style of house
Ranch

20. Tablecloths and napkins - Y/N?
Yes, but they don't match our current kitchen :-/ We still used the cloth napkins with guests the other night though.

21. Under the kitchen sink - Organized or toxic wasteland?
Organized. When hubby fixed the disposal, I put in shelf paper and made it look pretty.

22. Vacuum - How many times per week?
2 or 3

23. Wash - How many loads of laundry do you do a week?
1 or 2 each day

24. X's - Do you keep a daily list of things to do and cross them off?
Sometimes, especially at a busy time like now since we just moved

25. Yard - Who does what?
Not sure since we just moved in. Hubby will probably do most of that.

26. Zzz's - What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
Depends. Usually dinner dishes or a laundry load

I tag whoever is reading this and hasn't done it yet ;-)

Our Home is Blessed and Jesus was Here!

It was a beautiful Mass and we were blessed with the presence of our parents, a friend and her parents, and another family who are all good friends of Father Matthias. My friend's father played the guitar and she sang with her angelic voice. I made a crockpot of mac 'n cheese and all was well...

Before everything started:


Before blessing the house:


Blessing the candles:


Our Lord at our house!



And here are some pics of other rooms which are starting to feel like home, and are now blessed...

The living room from another angle


The girls' room, which was already painted and had other special touches from Lillian :)


Our bedroom


And 2 pics of the playroom

Jesus is coming to my house

TODAY! Thank you for the prayers, I am feeling back to myself and had some energy to shop and clean yesterday. There's still a lot to do today to get our house immaculate so that the King of Kings can take refuge here in physical form for a few minutes during the Mass :) But since He was born in a stable, I'm sure He will understand if things are not perfect. I'm going to try my hardest though! I'll also be requesting help from the saints, particularly St. Anthony right now as I can't find our camera! And St. Cecilia to help me choose some songs (any ideas, readers?).

Lord, prepare our hearts to receive You in the Most Blessed Sacrament and prepare our home to be a worthy place for your Holy Mass. May our children find sweet joy in Your Presence and may our lives be ever changed each time we receive you. We present ourselves, our family, and our possessions to You on this day of the Presentation, we ask that you would continue to purify us so that we can love you more, and we ask for you to allow your shining light to conquer the darkness of our sin. You who are the Light of the world, the King of Kings, and the Sweet Joy of our souls. Mary, Queen of our family, help us to always look to your Son and 'do whatever He tells us.' Amen.

The Strep Monster

invades again. Yep, now I have Strep Throat. I went to the doctor and got on antibiotics yesterday. The non-penicillin variety, mind you, because I tried that option about 2 weeks ago (when the girls had strep) but I broke out in a rash all over my face. No reaction so far to this antibiotic...just hoping I'll be back to normal tomorrow so I can get ready for the big Mass and House Blessing on Friday!

My Candlemas Priest

I don't think I'd ever heard of Candlemas before a week or two ago when I heard that a Candlemas Loveliness Fair would be happening over at Blessed Among Men. Maybe I'd heard of a feast where the Church blesses candles and families bring candles to have them blessed, but I don't think I'd ever participated in any such event.

Well this Friday, February 2nd is the Feast of the Presentation and the celebration of Candlemas. This is the beautiful Rosary Mystery which marks the Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple when Simeon prophesied that Mary's heart would be pierced. Ironically, I emailed a priest friend of ours last week to see if he'd be willing to come bless our new home sometime soon. He asked if we could do it this Friday and also agreed to say a Mass in our house!

We are truly blessed to have met dear Fr. Efiri Matthias at a Pro-Life event several years back. Though he hails from a land far away (Nigeria), and his skin is as black as night, he is most definitely a white shining light to us, a candle which burns brightly with the love of Christ and His Holy Mother.

In joy or in sorrow, he speaks of God, he encourages us and calls us throughout the year, and prays with us each time we say goodbye. I have saved my favorite message from him on our answering machine..."Holy Blair! Holy Steven! My angel guardian told me to call you..." And he left his priestly blessing there on the answering machine!

He baptized our Ellie at one week old, and humbly asked to hear our confessions before conferring the sacrament (A priest asked US to hear our confessions? How wonderful!). He has visited and blessed all of the places we've lived over the past years, and I am utterly giddy that he will come and bless our first house on the Feast of Candlemas, and offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the first time in our own home! We are truly blessed.

I have a lot to do to get ready for this Friday, including finding many, many candles to have burning and blessed that evening, getting all our beautiful artwork nailed on the walls, creating an altar, choosing music for the mass, lots of cleaning, and of course making sure I have the camera ready so I can share pictures with you all here on Saturday!

Here is our dear Fr. Matthias after Ellie's baptism with his shining smile!

Welcome home, Joshua!

I also wanted to send out a congrats to the first of our triplet nephews who was able to come home last night! We can't wait to meet you, Joshua, and pray that Cooper and Major will join you very soon!

Congratulations, Brice!

gMy little brother graduated from Navy Basic Training on Friday. We are so proud of him and excited to hear where he will be stationed! I am very thankful for men like Sean, Brice, Steven (hubby served in the US Army Reserves for 6 yrs), and so many other men and women who gladly serve this nation and provide our safety and freedom as well as the safety and freedom of so many others throughout the world. May God protect them until He calls them home.

+Capt. Sean Lyerly RIP+

This past Saturday, a friend we knew in college passed away in a helicopter crash in Iraq. Captain Sean Lyerly was in the Aggie Corps and Parson's Mounted Cavalry with Steven and on the SMYRT (St. Mary's Youth Retreat Team) with me. He leaves behind a wife and 3 year-old son. Please offer a prayer for his soul and for his family. He was a good Catholic, honorable soldier, and proud Aggie. I am so thankful that men like him are willing to make this great sacrifice for us to ensure our freedom and the freedom of other strangers throughout the world. Requiescat In Pace, Sean! You are a hero!

A few other pics

Here's the living room with some furniture, still minus pictures on the walls and crown molding. You can see the dropcloth and boxes hanging out :)


Playroom/homeschool room which are a mess! Still trying to figure out how to organize them and what cheery color I'd like to paint them:


And the entryway. Dh used drywall to do some texturing, since the wallpaper was ripped and we took it down (along with some of the wall, LOL). It'll be a brick red color when finished and the cream color of the fireplace on the bottom half.


Starting to feel like home!

Carpet

Steven wanted to share a couple pics of his big carpet project! Since he works for a flooring/counter company, he got a wonderful deal on some fantastic carpet. He was up almost all night on Saturday night pulling up carpet and putting in the pad himself. Then he had some workers come and help install on Sunday. They all did a wonderful job and our home almost looks brand new! Pictured are the "golden" living room (with fireplace half-painted) and the front living/dining rooms (which are now the playroom/homeschool rooms). Way to go, carpet guys!

Artwork

I've realized that one of the reasons I've been having trouble with prayer the past few weeks is that I have no images around to lift my heart to God. I do have a beautiful home, beautiful surroundings, and a beautiful family to remind me of His presence. But it's also easy for me to forget Him when I'm not glancing at artwork reflecting Him throughout the day.

We have a lot of religious pictures and statues...things we've collected over the years which could make our home appear to be a chapel! I sometimes wonder what my non-Catholic friends think when they come into our home and see our little family altar with Mary statue and candles.

I love to wake in the morning, get the girls settled with breakfast, and then spend some time relaxing on the sofa and meditating and journaling on His love while reading and looking at the artwork around me. Even a beautiful painting by my grandmother which isn't religious in nature helps to lift my heart and mind.

Some criticize Catholics' devotion in praying "to" (with) statues and pictures. But it's really no different than the photos I have throughout my house of family and friends. Religious images help me to remember Christ and those who followed him so fully (the saints), just as my framed photographs help me to recall the friends and family I hold so dear. Yesterday I put up our Christmas cards and pictures on the fireplace mantle and some framed photos on the bookshelf. It makes the place feel more like home and brings a smile to my face when I see the sweet childrens' smiles.

So I'm much looking forward to putting up some of our artwork, statues, crosses, and crucifixes throughout the house. In fact, I'm going to go unpack a box right now so that my MOST important family members can be viewed in honor!

Fun Outside!

Yesterday morning we spent a few hours outside, swinging in the backyard and then walking to our nearby park. It's great to have a big backyard and park so close by. And it was nice to have a little bit of semi-sunshine amidst these rainy January days. We're so thankful for our new home! God has truly blessed us.

Mary Clare on the tire swing


Ellie in the baby swing


Walking to the park...you can see our house in the background :)


Playing at the park, only a few blocks away. There's a pool even closer, which will be great for the summer! You can also see the estate neighborhood being built behind our neighborhood...very nice

Mary Clare's Birthday Party

About the paint, we decided to leave the "golden" color for the time being. We're painting the fireplace a lighter creamy version and I think it will look better when furniture is in. New carpet is coming in tomorrow and we'll slowly finish painting over the coming weeks and months. Thanks for your input, everyone!

We FINALLY celebrated Mary Clare's 4th birthday with all the family today; everyone was healthy, praise God! It was such a blessing to have everyone over to our new house. It was a Tea Party Birthday and as you can see, the cousins really enjoyed pouring grape juice into all the little teacups. Thankfully that carpet goes tomorrow ;-) It was a beautiful day even amidst the cold, rainy weather. No snow here in Texas, sadly.

We should have continuous internet starting Monday, so I'll be on a little more and post some pics as we move our furniture in. May you all have a beautiful week!

Enjoy the Process

Our new motto from our friend Enrique. When we're frustrated with wanting things to happen quickly, tired in the work, and ready for it all to be over, we remind ourselves to just "enjoy the process." I think it's a great motto for so many things, not to get bogged up in the details, but just enjoy the process that will one day result in a finished result!

I'm reminding myself of this today. I'm having doubts about the color we chose for the rather large living room. When we first started painting it looked pretty dark and "orangey" (we wanted tan), but we kept going with it and I even stayed up until 4am this morning finishing it up!

But I'm liking it less and less, instead of more. Steven describes it as "burnt orange" and we really don't like that connotation since it's the color of our college arch rival! He just told me we could repaint it, but I'm trying to decide if it's worth the effort, probably 5 or more hours of prep and painting. I can't believe I took off all the tape this morning (see it in the picture). Oh well, we'll update later on our decision but here is the room so far...you can see how it looks orangey in the 2nd picture :-/

Must remember, ENJOY THE PROCESS!!!

Pictures!

We have internet and camera dock...yippee!

Mary Clare on the morning of her birthday...you can see her Scarlet Fever-flushed face :-(


The girls playing in Aunt Jill's backyard


Playing with Enriquito at the hotel before they left overseas



Ellie in her striped jammies

Painting maniacs!

We did get to move in on Monday evening. But we didn't move furniture in yet since we're getting new carpet this weekend. We are painting maniacs! I wish I could post pics, hopefully soon. Our living room is tan and I think we're going to put up crown molding. This is so much fun; I feel like I'm on Trading Spaces, except that I'm doing the whole house, and I have 2 little girls who want to get into all the painting supplies!

Since we're all feeling well, our family will all come over to our vacant house this weekend so we can finally celebrate Mary Clare's 4th birthday. She's thrilled! Hopefully the Texas ice will be gone by then...

Okay, must figure out something for dinner since we have almost no food or cooking supplies here. Next week should be a fun week to slowly move in and relax in our new home, but for now...back to the brushes!!!

Not yet

Moving in, that is. Need to have a few things done before we move over. Looks like we're going to have to wait until Tuesday, hopefully, since tomorrow is a holiday. More waiting, but we're used to that!

We're so thankful that Ellie is better and hopefully my parents can put up with us another few days! The weather is finally cold and feeling like winter! Fun! Maybe we'll get to use our fireplace this week :)

Hope you all have a wonderful winter week!

"Do whatever he tells you"

Update: Ellie is doing much better! She was throwing up every 5 minutes for about 2 hours in the night but is feeling herself this morning, thanks be to God. Prayers would still be appreciated that she'll be feeling better and that we'll have a smooth transition to our new house tonight!!

The Gospel reading for today (Sunday) is the Wedding at Cana. Just what I need to hear, my special Gospel on a challenging day. It's 2:00 a.m. and Ellie has been throwing up for about 2 hours, horrible projectile vomiting. Please say a little prayer for her. Just when I think we're all well and moving forward into our new house and a new year, I'm once again faced with a little illness that leaves me anxious and unable to sleep.

I'm not sure what He is telling me through this. I just want my family to be well. My heart truly goes out to those with chronically or terminally ill children, and those who've lost children. I can hardly handle nighttime coughs, strep throat, or stomach bugs. I'm so thankful for my husband who has taken over since I get so nervous and sad watching my little girl suffer. I think she's doing a little better, I hope we can still get over to our house tomorrow and maybe to Mass.

Jesus, I only have "water" to offer you, my little sufferings of caring for sick children. Please turn it into beautiful "wine" and help me to see the fruits that come from it and not only the struggles. Sweet Mother of Sorrows, pray for me and show me how to be a better, calmer, more trusting mother. Amen.

Our triplet nephews...

are getting SO big! Check them out :) I can't wait to meet them in person. God is so very good in blessing our family with these precious souls. They still have a little while until they'll come home but I'm so happy to hear their progress and see their little faces.

Entering the Dream...

...tomorrow! Most of our things are already in our new garage, but the few things that we had for our temporary housing (thanks so much, Jill!) will move over tomorrow and we'll spend our first night in our new house!!! I am so excited! Last night I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking of all the fun things I want to do. We'll probably do a little painting and put in new carpet next week (perk from Steven's new job), so we won't bring all our furniture in for awhile. I'm just so anxious to get settled and finally enter into the "real" world, the dream we've had for so long.

I've watched those decorating shows on cable here at my parents' house for years, but have never felt able to do much since we were always in a temporary renting situation. But now I can! I was almost jumping up and down when Craig showed me the paint and painting supplies he left for us in the utility room! And Steven is probably going to get me some kind of electric sprayer. I'm going to be a painting maniac, watch out!

We're also so ready to settle...for the girls to feel secure in our own home, not driving back and forth between our home and family members' houses like we have for months. I think it will really help Ellie since she is extremely clingy right now. I can't even go to the bathroom without her! Mary Clare is thrilled to have Isabelle's lilac room and it's going to be lots of fun finding spots for all the toys and for our future homeschooling area. We moved some boxes today from my teaching days that had been in our friends' garage for about 5 years!

And praise God, everyone is well! My rash has gotten much better, so I didn't have to see a doctor. I still have some parts of my face that are red and itchy, but nothing like earlier in the week. Thanks for all the prayers! I'm thrilled to get to go to our new parish tomorrow evening and to start praying about our involvement. Because of Steven's work and school schedule, we really haven't been able to participate in many parish activities together. We're both very excited about that and looking forward to more weekends and evenings as a family. Steven has really enjoyed going out to Little Way Farm and checking on the cattle. It will be a relaxing place for us to venture to when we need a break from suburbia.

Okay, back to TLC and HGTV for a bit before bedtime. We had a special treat tonight when the girls both fell asleep on the way home from our evening activities. I'll miss my nights here at my parents' with cable (we don't have TV), and I'm a bit sad that we didn't get to spend the time with Steven's family I was hoping to because of illness. But most of all I'm THRILLED to be entering the dream...

(Thanks for listening to my gab. Hopefully I'll get pics up this week!)

Happy Homeowners!

We are officially homeowners! I'm so excited to move into our first house! We have been very blessed.

Rash is still around; I may see a doctor tomorrow. It comes and goes and we're wondering if it could be a food allergy. I'm weaning off the Benedryl :-/

Only sad part today was not getting to call the one friend I wanted to share our exciting news with, since she's settling into a new country! I know this time will be very fruitful for their beautiful family, but we sure miss them already :-(

Now I can finally send out our very belated Christmas/New Year's card/letter/picture to all our friends and family so they can have our new address!

Tomorrow's the Day!

At 3:00 p.m., the Hour of Divine Mercy, we should finally close on the house, God-willing! I probably won't believe it until the papers are signed. I can't believe we could be in our first home next week! Thankfully it won't be a big move, because we've already moved almost all our belongings into the garage there. It will probably be awhile before it feels like home and not the S family's house that we visit all the time! But it does have so many fun memories for them and for us, and I feel so blessed that in God's infinite plan he might have chosen us to have that beautiful house from that even more beautiful family. We will miss you guys, Lillian! But our door will always be open and we can't wait to come visit your gorgeous new home as well.

On another note, the girls and Steven are all back to normal. I've still got this rash on my face and I'm not sure where it's from. Hopefully this continuing medical saga will be discontinued very soon so we can enjoy our exciting week moving into our new home, and also finally celebrate sweet Mary Clare's 4th birthday with the family. Thanks for everyone's prayers, keep 'em coming! St. Joseph, pray for us!

Well, almost better...

...the girls are well at least. Mommy had an allergic reaction (probably from the antibiotic), Daddy has a bit of a tummy bug, and one poor little cousin has now gotten strep :-( Please offer a little prayer that no other family or friends get it, especially any who visit the triplets or any who are moving overseas today! Must rest up so we can get ready for our new house, God-willing! I can't upload my own pics but this is one my mom took from Christmas morning of the girls with their dollhouse, which they LOVE :-)

Feeling better :)

Went to mall, in-laws, mass, and a family concert last night. Enjoying a beautiful sunny day today birdwatching with BopBop. Hoping to close on the house this week (St. Joseph, pray for us!) and to attend a little day retreat tomorrow. About to go wish a farewell to our friends who are leaving overseas, but looking forward to an exciting new year! Hope it's a nice week for everyone!

Hopefully Week 2 will be better

Mary Clare celebrated her 4th birthday on Tuesday at the doctor office with strep throat + rash a.k.a. Scarlet Fever :( Doctor says it's no different than strep, just that it had a rash. She got a shot of penicillin and is already back to herself! Ellie had a day of vomiting, and a few days of feeling crummy, until we took her back to the doctor this morning...diagnosis: strep throat! So she's had the shot and will hopefully be feeling much better tomorrow.

We're relaxing here at my parents' tonight and still hoping for a closing on our house in the next few days. MC's birthday party will be on Saturday and maybe I'll get our Christmas cards out next week ;)

Our best friends are moving overseas next week, for about 3 years. I'm pretty sad about that. Their house is getting packed today. We'll really miss them :(

I'm looking forward to enjoying our time "in the city" next week with us all feeling better and getting to visit with our family and friends who live on that side of town. But it will really be nice to finally settle in our own house shortly. Can't wait! Have a great weekend and Happy Epiphany to all!

Settling in

Quick update from my in-laws' house :)
We did the big move in about 12 hours yesterday. We had wonderful help from our friends and family to get out of our duplex, unload stuff at our future home, and unload the rest at our temporary home. We're enjoying a somewhat quiet New Year's Eve (besides whining toddlers) and are looking forward to a few weeks here with family. Mary Clare turns 4 this week and we'll have her party next weekend. It should be a fun month of January and I'm filled with hope about our new year! May you each be blessed immensely in 2007! Happy New Year!!!

A New Year Begins

Merry Christmas to all! We have spent the past two weeks staying with family, enjoying a peaceful Christmas, getting adjusted to Steven's new job, and visiting with old friends. A big event tomorrow will cap it all off, and then Saturday we will move our belongings here (please pray for a peaceful move; I'm a little stressed about going back, packing, loading, cleaning, and unloading in 2 locations in one day!).

Then we will get to share a few weeks living in the neighborhood with many of Steven's family members, which will be a special treat. And it will also be a special retreat for me as we will not have continuous internet or TV (well, we don't have TV at home either, but I'm a bit addicted to HGTV and TLC here at my parents'!). So I won't be around much, but will hopefully still pop in and sometime soon post some of our Christmas pictures and videos.

We are filled with hope as we enter in to this new year. We are finally at the place we had so hoped for many years ago...with Steven finished with school, buying our first home, and our two beautiful daughters giving us new joys each day. This post on another blog described just how I feel in thinking back over the last 5.5 years. Five years ago we were on our belated honeymooon pilgrimage to Rome, also filled with hope (and somewhat naive) at what our life had in store. It would change drastically just after we came home as Steven started a new job in pro-life ministry and we found out Mary Clare was on the way.

On New Year's Eve looking out from that convent balcony where we stayed, in awe of the fireworks and the landscape of the Holy City, I could never have thought up what the next 5 years would bring. I remember talking to our friends on that trip, 3 other newlywed couples, about our futures. We are now all blessed with 3 children, though a few of our children wait for us in Heaven. It was a true gift for us to spend that first New Year's night in Rome, celebrating the Christmas season with the Universal Church, and receiving the blessing of our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II the Great.

And here I am 5 years later filled with that same hope. It's a different hope, a less naive hope, but a hope that is better grounded in that it rests only in the One who gives life. The Lord has given and has taken away, but blessed be His name! I pray that that little Babe in Bethlehem will touch our hearts on a much deeper level this year. That his love would pierce all the dark areas where we need him most. That he would reveal himself to our family and friends who we most want to be a part of this life of grace.

In these last few minutes of the Feast of the Holy Innocents, little martyrs during the massacre of baby boys in Bethlehem, I think on the sufferings of humanity, on the trials that have faced our friends and family over the past months. But I also read the Psalm response today that sums it up so beautifully. May I trust in its words. Here is the entire reading:

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8

R. (7) Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Had not the LORD been with us—
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Merry Christmas to our virtual friends from Steven, Blair, Mary Clare and Elizabeth!

Christmas Baking

Ellie enjoys eating icing off a spoon


Can you spot Mary Clare's cookie under all those sprinkles? Can anyone guess the shape?


Godmommy Veronica got Mary Clare an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas! She woke up and had to bake first thing the next morning! Thank you Veronica; what a great gift for my little sweet tooth! Here's her first cake:


At least none of these baking adventures were done at home :) Thanks Melissa, Leah, and Mom for hosting our baking activities!

Humble St. Joseph

Yesterday's Daily Mass gospel reading (Matt 1:18-25) was a beautiful one which described the account of the angel Gabriel's visit to Joseph. I read a reflection I got from my Daily Prayer with Regnum Christi emails that beautifully explained this Gospel and how we can live it out. I'll summarize these ways that touched my heart.

One, we can live out the Gospel by following St. Joseph's example of thinking the best of others. Instead of denouncing Mary publicly, he was prepared to let it drop quietly. Do I look down on others and criticize them in mind or in speech, or do I give them the benefit of the doubt? Two, by recognizing the importance of responding to a crisis in charity. Many times God waits to reveal his will, just as he waited to send the angel Gabriel, until our hearts are ready to follow him completely. Do I choose charity and wait in patience? And thirdly, realizing that Christ is counting on me to cooperate with him. St. Joseph's "yes" reminds us of Mary's "yes" and is almost like a second Annunciation which now allows Christ to have an earthly father and reputable lineage. Am I ready to say "yes" in the good times and the bad?

Eeesh, these are three things I really struggle with and need to take to prayer!

During this final week before Christmas, I also think on Joseph as a husband. On how he might have felt on those days leading up to the birth of the Lord and the physical circumstances surrounding the Nativity. I am reminded of my own "Joseph" who has worked so hard these past few years in work and school, so that he might provide for our own family. I think on the humble beginnings of our marriage, on the times we were left with hardly a penny, on our family who has helped support us these years, on my husband who has always been insistent that we be open to new life even during these times, and on the faith he has had that God will always provide for us. Coincidentally, yesterday was Steven's first day of work at his new job. In the timespan of two weeks he has graduated, helped get a cattle property going, started this new job, and will buy a house. A true example of St. Joseph to me! And a reminder of how God always provides.

This week I need to remember the importance of prayer as we prepare to celebrate the Birth of Our Lord. Since we are staying with family, it is much more difficult to have my morning quiet time, my Gospel reading, our family Advent wreath prayers, our Jesse Tree readings, and all our beautiful children's Christmas books that help us to remember Christ's love throughout the day. But we do have some very important opportunities with our family and friends to follow humble St. Joseph and find the best in others, act in charity, and say "yes" in all the little decisions for good throughout the day.

Humble St. Joseph, pray for us!

Heard from the backyard

"I'm making dirt cookies."
MC is outside in only underwear in the middle of December! That's when you know you're in Texas. I'm about to go throw them into the bath and attempt to put us all together for a dinner outing. Hubby bought some cattle today. And I thought I'd be seeing him more now that he doesn't work weekends, ha!

Also...a reminder to self: My house will not be clean again until the boxes and furniture are moved out. Don't even try!

New Blog Name

I decided to change my blog name once again! This scripture has always been the motto for our family and played a big part in our wedding Mass and reception. This year I feel especially called to imitate Mary more in my motherhood and learn to know her more in prayer. It is the motto in our family mission statement and was in the Gospel reading at our wedding Mass. I wish I could remember all the beautiful words Fr. Mike used in his homily that day.

The one part I remember was when he was describing the way that we are like those servants, bringing Christ mere water, all we have to offer. But he miraculously changes them into wine. In our marriage, we must do the same...giving him our meager offerings and allowing him to transform them into something beautiful. I have seen this already so much in the way he has continued to provide for our family's physical and spiritual needs. I know he will continue to provide throughout our life.

This is truly a time when I can see God's immense blessings in the physical aspect of our family. In our own little family as we enter into the "real world" and buy a home (we have a contract on Lillian's house!) and Steven starts his new job on Monday. In my family as several of my family members have been blessed with new employment including my brother who prepares to serve our nation in the Navy. In Steven's family with the gift of our new triplet nephews, his parents' new home, sister's new home, and a Christmas we will celebrate with the entire family present (his 6 siblings and children) .

God is very, very good. May we always seek to follow him as Our Lady requests.

The Not So Silent Night

Dancing girls, December 2006

Why I'm excited about buying our first house:

We will have a coat closet, not this:


And we will have a garage for these (which are in our master bedroom and closet):



Anxiously awaiting the day!

More Jesse Tree fun

My Jesse Tree fun continues! On quiet nights like these, with the girls and Steven fast asleep...a big bowl of popcorn, a tall glass of pink lemonade, live EWTN TV on the internet, some paintbrushes and a fun project make Blair very happy! But the boxes are still sitting by the front door :-/ Only one has been filled by Mary Clare with some books! Much to do over the next few days. Here are my latest Jesse Tree ornaments, my little "eggs"...