Pictures

House Mass with Moms and Kids...crazy! Ellie was rolling around the floor, and running around the room with a spoon in her mouth holding a stuffed animal and old cell phone. Father assured me he's used to chickens and dogs running through outside masses, so this was nothing! Mary Clare did really well sitting in the front row and watching everything. They were really excited to help get things ready for mass and took to Father very quickly! What a blessing to have him here, and to have him say mass in our house! WAY COOL!

The wonderful K family readers :)



Father Juan Diego with his newly trained Altar Boy!


Showing them his chalice (he was just ordained in May)


Helping in the kitchen with Steven and MC.


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And a few other pictures for your enjoyment :)

From the baptism we went to on Saturday, feast of St. Clare!
The newly baptized! Isn't she a little beauty?


What's a party without the cake?


Adorable Ellie in the Texas sun (it's really HOT now!)


And my growing belly ;) By the way, we think his name is going to be Peter, middle name still TBD!

Jesus is coming to our house, AGAIN!

It pays to have friends in high places ;)

I got a phone call last week that the Pope wanted to speak to me! Actually it was just our friend Brother Nathanael, CFR calling to see if we could host a priest from his Order during an overnight layover. Of course I said yes, and I will be honored to pick up Father Juan Diego at the airport tomorrow and share him with some friends tomorrow afternoon (if anyone lives nearby and didn't get my email, let me know because you're all welcome to come over and meet Father!).

I spoke with him tonight and found out that he won't have said mass before arriving, which means...WE WILL GET TO HAVE ANOTHER MASS IN OUR HOUSE TOMORROW! YAY! So once again, I am cleaning the house for Jesus and one of his holy priests. I'm so excited!

And while I'm on the subject of house cleaning, I thought I'd share some funny pictures from the other day when I was finding lots of out-of-place items around the house. It's a common occurrence, I'm sure in most homes with small children, but it makes me laugh nonetheless. I'm working, though, at trying to notice these items and pick them up before they take over a room of the house! It doesn't happen automatically so this is something I've got to teach myself.

Tonight I found a large cheese grater on our bedroom floor and picked up a thermometer off the living room floor with my toes (my toes are really agile!) and was reminded once again of how funny it is to find silly objects around the house! Then there was my missing wallet. It was gone for a couple days this week, and after searching the house and every other place we'd gone, I was about to call it quits and start canceling my cards. Then MC found it under the Pack N Play in one of the bedrooms where they've had a whole doll setup! Yesterday I couldn't locate her sandals as we were leaving for a baptism, when all of a sudden while about to back out of the driveway, she suggested I go look in the Dora car. There they were under the seat of the toy riding car in the playroom!

So here were some funny finds the other day...

Doll in the kitchen


Fruit snack wrappers in the playroom


And in the living room


A penny by the potty


A spoon under the coffee table


A broken birthday candle in the entryway


A plastic bowling ball in the master bathroom


And Doll City, where my wallet was found and which must move elsewhere so that Fr. Juan Diego is not surrounded by toys!

Of course...

You Belong in Summer

Energetic, creative, and very curious about the world... You're not going to let anything hold you back, especially a cold day. Whether you're chilling out at the beach or partying all night, you live for the warm weather.

What Season Are You?

I love the beach, the pool, the sunshine, the vacations...nothing holds me back from taking it all in during the fun, sunny summer! Since we aren't in a stage where we're able to vacation around the world, there will always be a Rick Steves' travel DVD near my computer, checked out from the library. I've been traveling around the world through Rick this summer!

Like it says, I'm very curious about the world...always love to meet new faces from new places and especially to stay in touch with them! Today at a baptism I met a couple whose families are from Poland. I was SO fascinated with them...their story, their switching to speaking Polish to each other in the middle of a sentence...too cool!

I love the summer and am glad to finally see the summer sun here in Texas and not rain every day!

h/t (what does that mean anyway?): Melissa and Kristen

When...

you don't have time to go to the neighborhood pool, your kids want to swim, AND they need a bath, try the bubble bath swimming pool!


And some more pictures...

I think they need a butterfly net. The girls are trying to catch the yellow butterfly (on the ground between them) with tupperware!


Ellie falls asleep standing up!


Wakeful Ellie (taken by MC)


And MC posing, the one time she actually wanted her picture taken!

Still in Shock...

that I am carrying...


one of this...


type of child in my womb!


Can't wait to meet him!
(Isn't my hubby cute? And can't you see some Ellie in that first shot?)
I just figured out how to work my scanner last week, so now I can post old pics, yay!
Have a great day, friends!

National Night Out

To quote my husband, "we must pay too much in taxes". I've never seen a neighborhood event like this...camel rides, a carousel, a mini-ferris wheel, rock climbing wall, little kiddie train, bungee jumper, giant blow-up slides, army helicopter, fire truck, food, sno-cones, popcorn, and more! We will be sure not to miss out on another neighborhood party (missed the Easter egg hunt and 4th of July activities)! We didn't meet any neighbors but did invite some friends to go with us who are looking at a house in the neighborhood. It was a fun night!

I didn't get many good pictures since it was getting dark, but here are a few...

The girls on the carousel (Ellie was terrified)


Ellie recovers from the carousel ride


The girls and I waiting to watch the helicopter to take off!


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Last week my mom's sister was visiting and we had a wonderful time! I wanted to add the cute pics for their enjoyment. Thanks, Aunt Marilyn, for a wonderful visit, for the girls' precious dresses, and for all the fun! Hope to see you again soon.

Girls and Aunt Marilyn


Sisters and Sisters

It's a...

BOY!!!



Here's our precious little son, his fist is over his face so it's kind of hard to see. But I didn't want to post the picture of his "third leg" as the doctor called it! All his organs and everything looked great!

We are all very excited, as we would've been either way. But it will be fun to have a boy and I'm sure Daddy is excited to finally have a fishing and hunting partner. And I know that Aunt Paige and Uncle Winn will be excited to pass along some boy things since they have so much...send it along, guys!

Thanks for everyone's prayers. It was really beautiful to see our baby go from a little "dot" with a heartbeat to a full body with arms and legs and 10 little toes! Thanks be to God!

How I knew that I wasn't cut out for Religious Life...

During Spring Break of my junior year in college, I attended what we Texas A&M Aggies call the "Nun Run". It's a road trip for young women to go and check out various convents to get a real feel for religious life. Our trip took us to Houston, New Orleans, a quick stop in Birmingham to EWTN, and for several days to Nashville.

Here is a picture of our stop in New Orleans with a beautiful nursing Order, the Sister Servants of Mary. They work especially with dying patients in a hospice apostolate. I'm in the middle on the front row.



Our last stop was in Nashville to visit the well-known "Nashville Dominicans", the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. They happened to be having a Come and See Retreat that weekend, so there were young ladies from all over the country, including the Aggies there. Their main convent was a huge mansion built in the mid-1800s. It felt like had gone back in time, sleeping and sitting on beautiful antique furniture and walking up a creaky wooden stairway.

We spent the mornings in prayer and hearing various talks on religious life, discernment, and that Dominican Order in particular. I had been getting rather tired and distracted during the talks and they had told us we could skip out on any of them if we needed to. So one morning I decided I was going to slip away after breakfast. While the other young ladies were hearing the talks, I decided to escape to the community bathroom and to have a relaxing bath in one of the antique claw-foot tubs! That way there would be one less person to wait in line during the regular hours to bathe.

I enjoyed my quiet time and went back to join the group for lunch. Only then did I realize that I not only missed some important talks, but I also missed the group picture! (See? No Blair to be seen below!)


I always burst into laughter when I tell that story, thinking about how hard it would have been for me to adjust to the disciplined life of a religious Sister. And yet, here I am leading a still disciplined life as a member of the lay movement Regnum Christi. I have been enjoying reading about the YFE (Youth and Family Encounter), which took place in Atlanta last weekend, particularly on Devin and Katie's blog.

Now this past weekend I was relaxing at the beach while over 4000 members and friends of Regnum Christi and the Legionaries of Christ were together encountering Christ and encouraging each other in their vocations. I pray that we might be able to attend this event in the future, because this time instead of laughing about missing parts of a convent retreat, I am reading the stories of the YFE in utter longing to have attended.

I still have a long way to go in my vocation as a wife and mother and in my life of prayer and charity. I pray that God might help me when my unorganized, undisciplined, lazy self gets in the way of my vocation. I pray for Religious Sisters who devote their lives to service of the Church and humanity, and for members of all ecclesial movements and new communities. And for each of the readers here in their own vocations, particularly wives and mothers, that we all might continually strive for holiness in all that we do and bring others to know, love and serve Our Lord Jesus Christ! His Kingdom Come!

Countdown...3-2-1

Monday we should find out if this little one is a boy or girl! Any guesses? Prayers appreciated for a good ultrasound, that baby will be healthy if it be God's will, and we'll all have a fun time watching him or her swim around. I'll update after the ultrasound!

The Loveliness of the Seashore

Well, I found out about this fair a little too late, but I'll share a bit about the loveliness of our trip to the seashore this weekend. Texas has been plagued with rain like no summer I can ever remember. Rarely a day goes by when not one shower falls some time during the day. It was no different on our first few days to the beach! But thankfully the rain had cleared we arrived to meet some family there on Thursday morning. Friday morning was another rainy day, but we did fit in a dip in the pool that afternoon. Saturday was spent back in town to stay at Aunt Jill's house for a little break. And Sunday back at the beach was the most gorgeous day, filled with sunshine and family, many hours at the pool, some nice sunburns, and a beautiful LifeTeen mass back home last night.

Something about the seashore always brings a smile to my face, and a peace in my heart. It's our most beloved of vacation spots, especially for young children who can be entertained for hours upon hours with sand and water! Add a nearby swimming pool for cooling off...and it's a true winner! Wish we were back there now...

Cousins get right to work in the sand!


Ellie back and forth to the water to fill up her little pail


Mary Clare enjoying her cousin's toy


The fam hanging out; Bop-Bop and two aunts were there that day. Notice the Texas beach tent in the background...only in TX!


Silly girls


My sweet sea princess!


Out to eat


Now that's a big chair!


Like a kid in a candy store!


"Surfing" in the pool


Sonic slushies to cool us off


And the nice view from the hotel room, lovely!


A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Aunt Jill who shared her vacation with us! She welcomed various members of the huge B family clan to her hotel throughout the week, sharing her room, pool, food, beach, and even letting us spend two nights at her house with "Cat"! I think you deserve another Best Aunt award, Jill!

For their Godmommy

Your Doha darlings yesterday :)


And to all, we'll be traveling to the beach again today for several days, so hopefully I'll be back to blogging Sunday or Monday! May we be blessed with beautiful weather! And may you all have a wonderful weekend!

"Brown Bear, Brown Bear"

(please excuse Mary Clare's nose issues in the background!)

Discoveries

-The Magic Eraser (or Wal-Mart's "Miracle" Eraser) cleans my vinyl kitchen floor! I've used a Magic Eraser in the past, but now I'm finding all sorts of things it will clean so much better than any sponge or scouring brush! Thanks to my friend Sarah for her advice on this!

-My house can hold 15 rowdy children ages 8 and under while the 5 moms have a 2 hr meeting about the preschool homeschool group, without anyone getting injured!

-A sheet made into a tent in the playroom makes for many hours of fun!


-Even girls need a train set!


-If your children play with kitchen toys and orange juice, your real sink will look like this (note cup stuck in disposal!)


-And a coffee table can make a nice altar for children to play Mass!

Uneventful Weekend

Thank you for all the well wishes on our Anniversary! We had a nice day, just the girls and us, playing at home, going to the pool and out to eat. I did make it to Confession that morning, although I couldn't figure out the code to the Adoration chapel, and felt really overwhelmed with just how huge our parish is! It was a beautiful experience, as always, of Christ's healing. I also found a church rummage sale on the way, where I bought the book "Brown Bear" and a train set for the girls and all their boy friends who come over to find only a few "boy" toys. I'll have to video Ellie reading Brown Bear; too cute!

We did have a little "date" last night to mass alone while my parents took the girls to the pool. It was so nice sitting still and quiet in the front row without worrying about what the girls were doing the whole time. I commented afterwards what a great homily it was and how it had been awhile since I'd heard a good homily...then commenting that it had been awhile since I'd heard a homily at all! Yes, it's hard to concentrate on mass with the young children, but as Catholics I am also thankful that the mass is about so much more than my ability to concentrate. There are graces and a truly miraculous encounter with Christ (in the Eucharist) that is much, much greater than I can ever fathom.

Teaching my children the importance of mass by going each week and explaining things to them, is my state in life right now and I am privileged to have this opportunity. I know many people can get frustrated in mass with children (including myself, Friday daily mass was one of those times!), but I try to find the joys and the blessings they bring to all of us...Ellie's little genuflection (kneeling before the tabernacle) each time we enter the pew, Mary Clare's sweet time of silent prayer as she kneels and folds her hands, Ellie's comments of "BELLS! JESUS!" at the Consecration, and Mary Clare's questions about the readings and what is going on. I pray that we are teaching them to love the mass and love Christ through our own lives.

Sitting in that little church in the Hill Country of Kyle, Texas six years ago we could have never imagined how our lives would change in the coming years. Lots of changes, lots of growth, lots of joys, lots of struggles, and lots of blessings have filled our days. And most especially these 3 little souls who dwell with us now but were only then a twinkle in our eyes and in the eyes of God.

Changing My Look

I was ready to put a family photo up at the top, which meant I had to wait until I had some time to use Photoshop at my parents' house. Tonight was the night! We usually come to relax over here on Fridays and it looks like my whole family has fallen asleep!

I can't seem to get the resolution looking quite right (it's pretty grainy when I post; not in Photoshop), but it will have to do for now!

We're moving to some blue tones, wonder if there's some blue in the future for the B family? Just over 2 weeks until (hopefully) we find out!

Have a great weekend everyone! OH, and I almost forgot...Happy Anniversary to us! Tomorrow (Saturday) marks 6 wonderful years of marriage! No plans yet; hopefully we'll have some sort of date to blog about later...

Ultrasound Dreams and Changing Plans

The nightmares about my upcoming ultrasound have begun.

Now I will say that at least this wasn't a nightmare about the life or health of my baby. But it was a dream I had last night with a horribly mean female doctor and nurse (not sure where my male doctor was). She did the ultrasound for a few minutes and then said that was all. "What about all the measurements and looking at organs," I asked her. She said that they usually don't do that but she would anyway and then had a rough time with the little mouse trying to measure. She told me nothing. I was in tears, and then realized I hadn't even found out if it was a boy or girl! I literally was crying and jumping up and down like I was having a toddler tantrum!

I woke up fairly quickly with a knot in my stomach now wondering if this is a sign that I need to switch doctors. But I've also woken up to a rainy, cloudy morning with my girls still sleeping at 8:30 (NICE!), and hoping the rain will die down enough to make our regular Friday outing to noon Daily Mass, lunch, my parents', and possibly their pool (doubtful on that one!).

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Nothing has quite gone as planned this week. Both Monday and Wednesday were supposed to start with meetings at my house. So I woke up to clean and prepare only to find out that we wouldn't have the meeting anyway. Tuesday was my big daylong planned trip to "Collegetown" which I thought would end with evening Confession and Mass. But that day ended up with driving home in the afternoon and preparing for the dinner with our Franciscan Friar friend! And yesterday was our planned pool outing with homeschool friends. We were all dressed in swimsuits, lathered in sunscreen, with lunch packed and bags ready to go. And then the thundering began. Then the rainstorm. So our friends came over here instead. But right before they arrived our power went out, only to return about 2 1/2 hrs later just after they rolled out of our driveway!

Oh, and I almost forgot how last Friday I was ready to leave for daily mass only to get a call from my OB's office that I had an infection which warranted antibiotics, which of course took over an hour to be ready for pickup. So much for the graces of the Eucharist! Hopefully this Friday I'll make it to receive them! And as I write about our week, I'll also note my hopes to visit the Adoration Chapel and attend Confession Saturday morning. We'll see if those plans come to fruition.

Flexibility is the name of the game with young children, so it doesn't affect me too much. Just makes me laugh when I look back at all my lofty plans! Kind of like when I think I know what God's will is asking of me, later to find my plan torn apart for a much more beautiful (yet usually challenging) plan God has laid for me. It can actually make things more enjoyable, sometimes, when things don't go as planned. But the hard part is when that involves some sort of Church group, Sacrament, or prayer commitment. It's hard for me to restructure those plans over and again. If I could just be more open to God's message through it...and remember that he is waiting for me at all times of the day and night...I must just take that step towards him for prayer...

"For what man knows God's counsel, or who can conceive what our LORD intends?
For the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans."
(Wisdom 9:13-14)