Salvete!

That's "hello" (to all) in Latin. One of my desires for Christmas break was to start a class we could teach at home & I chose Latin & I finally started today with the girls. The boys are away for the 2nd day at a baseball camp so I decided I'm not going to wait anymore. So, we might only get a couple of lessons in, but it was easy and the girls really loved it.

I wanted to put some Christmas pictures up, but for some reason my card reader is not "reading" so I can't get my pics onto the computer yet. I have plenty for another time though! We had a great (and exhausting) time but it was fun watching the kids. On Friday night, we all brought ornaments we had made or bought that reminded us of Riley and we presented them each to the Sorensen family on a special little tree that they can put up each year in his memory.
2 more gatherings to go, but we're looking forward to spending time with our families and just getting together to laugh and pig out on great food.

Oh, quote of the day, once again by Faith. Jason is "clearing" his throat this morning & hocks up a loogie. After he spits it out I hear Faith, "Was that a hairball, Daddy?"
Jason: Uh, yes
Faith: What kind of hairball?
Jason: A slimy one!

MMMMM!!!

'Tis the Season!

Santa visited St. Ed's school before the Christmas concert

(Ian was ready to be home in his bed before it even started!)

This Christmas really snuck up on me! With blizzards and snowfalls, much of our time has been spent keeping the walkways clean. This would probably take less time if we had a working snowblower. But for now, Jason's parents are more than generous enough to lend us theirs and Jason is more than willing to blow out anyone who needs it, so when he goes outside to move snow, he's usually out for a couple of hours.

With AJ's vision therapy 2 nights a week, and Wednesday commitments, concerts, classes, and a few meetings here and there, our "quiet" evenings together have been few and far between. I can only imagine how it will be when the kids are more active, and for now I am thankful that it's NOT like that yet. I'm SO not ready! So imagine my excitement when my hubby made a date night for us and surprised me with a trip to Jackpot Junction Casino to see Diamond Rio in concert. What a gift to see a group that brought back memories of our days of swing dancing and rodeos. What an even bigger gift that they sang Christmas music and also shared that they produced a contemporary Christian CD, which we LOVE! What a blessing to have something from our past come into our present that also shows a path and growth towards God.

This Christmas, I look forward to the time of just being around family and friends. It's difficult to not get caught up in the material aspect of "wanting", so our attempt this Advent season was to turn our want toward a desire to be closer to Christ and to become the best version of ourselves that He wills for us. It's a never-ending goal and the hope is that it continues to deepen and enrich our lives here on earth all for His glory and the good of others.

Well rested

I know we had lots of fun this weekend but we really wore out the baby. He usually takes a nap after lunch and sleeps for an hour or two. Today, he went to bed right after we got home from Mass at 9:00 and slept until 2:30 in the afternoon. Now that's some serious downtime!! Let's just say the house stayed clean and I was able to knock out a good chunk of a new book.

Pepe (and Pepita) LePew

Faith is continuing to keep us laughing to the point of tears...

We're sitting in the lunchroom with AJ & the cousins & Jason turns to Faith:

Jason: Faith, did you toot?? (He had to ask because he smelled something SBD*.)
Faith (sheepishly grinning): Nooooo
Jason: Are you sure??
Faith (chuckling): How did YOU know??

As we're getting on our coats and laughing about what she just said, she proceeds with this: "I had a bubble in my butt!"

To go along with this day, Ian's new word to exclaim is "pew pew!" which is accompanied by the wafting excessively of the arms.

**"SBD" (silent, but deadly) - a term commonly used to describe farts.

Another quote of the day...

Quote of the day based on what Faith saw this morning. Jason's mom & grandma were walking into Mass today & came to sit by us & I hear Faith say, "Here come 2 grandmas in a row!"

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. When the Angel Gabriel addresses her, "Hail, FULL OF GRACE, the Lord is with you", much is revealed to us. If we are full of grace, there is no room for sin. If there is no room for sin, but we are all born of the sin of Adam & Eve, how would she be full of grace? The truth is that the Lord chose her from the moment of her creation to be perfect and unblemished from original sin in order to be a vessel for His perfect Son to come into the world as we know it.

Even when studying the original Greek translation of this passage, the word used is kecharitomene. This word is used nowhere else in the Bible except in this instance to describe Mary. The following is from Catholic Answers:

"The grace given to Mary is at once permanent and of a unique kind. "Kecharitomene" is a perfect passive participle of "charitoo", meaning "to fill or endow with grace." Since this term is in the perfect tense, it indicates that Mary was graced in the past but with continuing effects in the present. So, the grace Mary enjoyed was not a result of the angel's visit. In fact, Catholics hold, it extended over the whole of her life, from conception onward. She was in a state of sanctifying grace from the first moment of her existence."

Even Mary struggled with all that the angel was revealing to her but assured her "for with God nothing will be impossible." (Luke 1:37) With that in mind, is it easier to come to know, understand and accept the truth that God reveals to us? Or should we throw out His truth given to us through His Word & Tradition and believe that a teaching as beautiful as this is irrelevant?

The moment Mary said "yes" to God is the changing point in our salvation history by allowing Christ to be conceived in her womb and to come into this world. If she would have said "no" by her own free will, as did Adam & Eve, the Incarnation would not have happened. Through man, sin entered the world, and in order to undo that, salvation had to come through man. Jesus came to save us, and he allowed a human being, a perfect one, to be a part of that...back then and forever.

Quote of the day

When Father Jeremy was over visiting, Ian wanted to play and of all things to bring to a priest to play with...a Barbie doll. Not to mention, a naked one. Can I say that none of my Barbies were ever without clothes, but now that they belong to my kids, I can't seem to encourage them to keep them dressed. So, needless to say, it makes Father squirm to be around a naked Barbie, let alone when his godson brings it to him to play with.

At the end of the night as Father is leaving, what else is laying in the toy room but 2 more naked Barbies. Father points to them and tells Jason & I, "Keep them naked Barbies away from my godson!" I laughed about it the rest of the night until I went to bed...it still makes me chuckle.

Ruffle some feathers...

I know this may get under some skin, but I am going to have to get this off my chest & sometimes the truth is hard to hear.

I see it everywhere...commercials, magazines and now on my facebook page! Birth control ads and even articles making light of sterilization. Does the world not understand the gift of fertility and how to understand how it was intended to be used?

Contraception is one of the biggest lies out there! First, it has nothing to do with control except that we give the control over to a little pill, implant, or shot...pretty much drugs. Then when our body reacts to these drugs in a way that we feel is "wrong" (which I should point out that a woman's cycle performing the way it should is NOT wrong, but it means that she's healthy and functioning the way she is intended to), then we are quick to call attorneys and find out who we can sue and get some money for wrongfully being duped into what the drugs are doing! Here's a thought...DON'T TAKE THEM! Hello! Are we not provided with science and a brain to understand it? Do they not come with a HUGE list of disclaimers and warnings? If your food had the same effects, would you bother putting it into your system? I think not!

Science & research has allowed us to study the human body, and for this example, a woman's fertility cycle, and allowed us to know what's going on in our bodies. This is not rocket science, people! Can you stick a thermometer in your mouth and record the number? Can you pay attention to your body? That's what NFP (Natural Family Planning) is! With proper knowledge of the proven science of it all and a little daily effort, we can all stop hormones from entering into our water supply!

One magazine stated, "we're not sure why, but for some reason boys and girls are developing earlier physically". Ummm, it HAS been proven that hormones, (and other drugs we take, for that matter), end up in our water supply and CANNOT be filtered out. (On a funny note...quote from Steven Colbert, "Wait, I'm drinking lady pee?!") So, for the last few decades since "the pill" has become so popular & other forms used, the people who choose not to put other things into their bodies have become a science experiment that is beyond our control.

We wonder why breast cancer is so prevalent...birth control is a major contributor! But of course they don't tell you that, but science and research has proved it. We need to quit being so naive about what we put into our bodies. We pay attention to our diet, what we put on our skin and what we can do to prolong our lives and be "healthy". We put more research into getting a new TV or computer, but we're quick to take something that most doctors call "normal" or "safe" only to realize later that it really isn't. The only thing that should stop a woman's monthly cycle is pregnancy and that by no means is abnormal. That could lead me into the whole subject of abortion and the lie that surrounds that, not to mention a bunch of other things we are exposed to, but I will step down from my soap box now and give you a chance to process and critique my post.

What I offer is the truth...what is from me is the sarcastic tone and forwardness of it all. ;)

Peace & Balance

There's a feeling of joy & delight when one accomplishes small tasks, such as getting the checkbook to balance, having a freshly mowed lawn or a sink with no dirty dishes in it.

Today I experienced it again when all of the socks in the laundry matched.

The eyes [don't] have it...

...well now they do! AJ now has reading glasses. After struggling with reading and getting him to read, we decided to take him in to have his eyes tested. We found out his left eye wasn't cooperating with the right eye. The optometrist discovered that he is far-sighted in his left eye and that required reading glasses.

He is so proud of the glasses he chose and there has been such an improvement in his reading as well as his willingness to read. He says the glasses make it much easier and that they "make the words bigger!"

He now has the responsibility of caring for them and making sure they come home with him and that he brings them to school each day & he is doing a tremendous job! Look how big he looks!

Something to question...

What is it about Malt-o-meal & oatmeal that make them nearly impossible to remove when dried onto tabletops and countertops & why don't they make paint out of it? I spend so much time trying to get the stuff off of the table, but one touch against a wall & the paint is gone! I don't get it...

Halloween

I'm only 2 weeks behind...

The girls were fairies - AJ was a lumberjack, but kind of looked like a hobo axe-murderer - Ian was a pirate (that was the costume AJ wore when he was that size).

This isn't a costume...

Jason is in the Knights of Columbus and this is the uniform of a 4th degree knight.

(Although he's missing a sword and white gloves...we'll have to get those.)

He assisted at the All Souls Day Memorial service on Nov 1st.

40 days

Last week ended the "40 days For Life" campaign and almost 700 babies were saved (that we know of)! Praise God! (I think that's how many kids are in the 2 schools in our town!) The stories of hearts converted to choose not to abort the innocent life within them are just heartwarming and give a feeling of hope and courage to continue to pray for all who are affected by abortion. Not only were lives changed that carried babies, it helped parents, grandparents, workers in clinics and those passing by on the street that saw people standing in peaceful groups of prayer.

Pope John Paul II was a shining example of defeating evil with love when his quiet prayers and honesty in love brought communism to its knees.

Although I was unable to pray at an abortion clinic location, (there are none in our area), I learned much about the power of love and prayers during the past 40 days. I have learned more that many times when I feel tempted to stoke the fire with fire, I instead need to ask for the grace to snuff it out in a loving manner. I can't tell you how much better I feel by receiving grace rather than just winning an arguement!

So, even if my focus these last 40 days was on changing hearts from a culture of death to a culture of life, I think I learned more about love and the power it has over evil. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to Advent and it's 40 days of preparation for Christmas! I wonder where prayer, fasting and almsgiving will take me during that time?

The good, the bad and the really ugly

So often I hear what I need at that moment when I am in prayer, and today is just another example of that. I really should have nothing to complain about but there are days I find myself grumbling about too many things. As I grow in my relationship with the Lord, I am comforted and disturbed to know that I will be harassed more and more by the Enemy and his army. Why comforted?? Because I know that it ultimately will draw me closer to God, just as it did for the saints before us and from reading the Book of Job...

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord!
We accept good things from God;
and should we not accept evil?" (Job 1:21b; 2:10b)

I have definitely had blessings and also things lost, and I have learned to be thankful for all of those experiences as I look back on them. In the same instance, as I learn to embrace the good things God is blessing me with, especially the healing of past wounds, I must know that I may be more under attack because there is one thing the devil does not want for us, and that's a loving, fruitful relationship with our Creator. I hope to grow so that rather than fear, or be irritated, or distracted by what the Enemy throws at me, I can know that I can look to God & have confidence that He will protect me; and that He allows some harassment to strengthen me so I can give the Glory to Him. Now I just have to continue to remember to discern whether I am being bothered or if I'm just being a grouch!

Quality time

Where has the time gone? I can tell you that I'm busy, but I can't tell you exactly what I am busy with other than everyday life. Last week did not have much going on (as far as the calendar goes), but with Jason gone one day, and the kids having 5 straight days without school, 3 birthday parties for 5 separate people, a few extra events and my brother and his new bride visiting the weekend, we had plenty to do!






So now, I am looking at my blog wondering why I don't have anything new posted and realizing that it is once again Friday and I don't feel as if I've accomplished anything new. Once the weekend comes and everyone is home all day, I am just attempting to keep peace and a somewhat sanely clean house.




Positively, the weather should be nice so the kids can play outside, and we can try to get to the football playoff game that will be here tomorrow afternoon. Bonus! Sunny game time and it's not late so I can take the kids without interfering in bedtime routines!

As for the "quality time" title of the post? It's been time with mostly extended family. Birthday parties make for time with cousins and lots of family we don't see very often. Quality time with my "baby" brother and his new bride when they came to stay the weekend. Time with the kids during MEA break, and lots of time for Ian to spend with is godfather.

Goodnight moon

The other night was one of the first nights that we were out late and Ian was still awake. As we were walking into the house, it was a clear, calm, beautiful night and the half moon was high above us. Ian's little arm and finger extended toward the bright object in the sky and asked the question, "uhh dat?" ("What's that?") I suddenly realized that it was probably the first time that he's really seen the moon in the darkness of the night, so we took a moment to take it all in.

He was in awe of the moon & soon realized that it had a "friend" in the sky with it...a very bright star. (I am assuming it's a star, but it's bright enough to be a planet.) So now, each night before he heads to bed, he peeks out the window at the top of the stairs that so conveniently displays the new marvels in his life that he excitedly points at and says, "noom! tar!" (That's "moon" and "star" in toddler language.) I've always enjoyed star gazing, and I love it even more that my kids find the simple joy in it as well. Now I just need to brush up on my astronomy!

Knuckles

Bishop LeVoir & Ian

This is what Ian did when we said good-bye to Bishop LeVoir. We didn't tell him to do it either...well, I did tell them to do it again so I could get a picture of it, but otherwise the gesture was on his own.

Rite of Institution of Acolyte

Jason went through the last step toward becoming a permanent deacon this past weekend. As an acolyte in the Church he now has more duties at the altar to assist priests and deacons during the Mass in order to get him more accustomed to doing those things when he becomes a deacon. It was an absolutely beautiful Mass with a glimpse of the very near future for our family. I have mixed emotions on what will be our "downhill road" toward ordination with only 1-1/2 years left. I know it seems like a long time, but any time I can get with this family of ours, I truly embrace and savor. The Grace I am gifted with on the weekends at Schoenstatt are something I treasure and don't necessarily look forward to letting go of as of right now. Now I know why they call it "formation" and I am so blessed that this program allows the wives to be a part of what will essentially change our lives and our family forever.

Flushed away

So, things have been a little crazy & it's hard to be on the computer to get all done that I want to, but here's a good one that I don't want to miss getting on the blog.

SuzyCat has her own little retreat area where she can get away from the kids if she needs to & that is accomplished by a baby gate conveniently placed in the doorway where her food, water, bed & litterbox are. I have it up just high enough so she can scoot under it & it also deters little bodies from crawling easily over it. But when they do decide to try to do that, it usually twists and comes down, and one day Faith pushed it down and failed to mention it to me. Busy with something, I hear the unfortunately familiar noise of kitty litter being tossed about. I peek toward the gate & see that it's down & immediately know what I am about to discover...Ian standing in a mess of kitty litter, and an overturned water and food dish. If you know anything about litter and food, they don't make a fun combo to clean up when they are wet. At least I had just cleaned the litter box, so it wasn't too nasty.

Here's where it gets even better. As I am grumpily cleaning up the mess, I hear Faith go into the bathroom & I didn't happen to hear her go out. We have had to keep the door shut because some little person has learned to open the lid & likes to "play" with the toilet. So far, I have witnessed a toothbrush and 2 dominoes go down before I could stop him. He's a quick little fart & he's really good at accurately swinging at the flusher!

So as I'm finishing cleaning up the kitty's room, I hear someone in the bathroom, but it's not the usual noises...there's some splashing going on, and that noise is also unfortunately familiar. I look to the door & there is Ian STANDING IN THE TOILET! Both feet, completely in and fully clothed and bending down to splash in it with his hands. Not a happy mommy! Someone asked me if I took a picture...not necessarily my first thought or gut instinct, but my mental picture is one that I can now smile and chuckle at, although I was totally not in that state of mind at that point in the day!

I am sure this will not be the last post on the adventures in toilet bowl land. What's even more ironic is that by the time I get him to stay away from the potty, it will be when I actually will want him to start getting used to using it! Go figure! Maybe if God calls us to have another one, we can start potty training when they're an infant. That's an amazing thing to witness!!

Embracing Fall

I have truly enjoyed this Fall season, and it's just begun! The trees on our block are filled with color and yet fabulously shed their leaves in the breeze. Yesterday they were flying everywhere & I felt like I was in one of those plexiglass boxes that has a bunch of money in it & there's a fan in the bottom blowing it all around. I couldn't help but smile knowing that in that moment that the gift blowing around was not money, but in the beauty of the day and God's grace.

I finally enjoyed raking up leaves and letting the kids jump all over in them and toss them up and fall into their smiling faces. Everyday they track in leaves on their clothes and in their hair, but I think of the hours they just spent making up games and activities around those piles of leaves.

Now if the mosquitos would just go away!! I am still pondering their existence & what's good about them...

Theology according to Ian

It's no mystery that children understand God more than adults because of their innocence and their unawareness of all the crap that goes on in the world. Unfortunately, most of us lose that innocent and simple knowledge of Christ and who He really is to us. It's a good thing that those little ones can teach us about that mystery in the simple things they do.

For example, when our kids were really small, they would see Father Jeremy, or any priests, during Mass in their vestments and point at them & say, "Jesus!"

Last night, Father came over to our house for Teen Talk and Ian was still awake so Father had a joy-filled time watching his godson run back and forth across the room kicking the ball. Ian equally loves to show off his talents as well. As Ian started to wear down, I asked him if he wanted to get a book to read to help him settle in. He ran to the books and came back with a book for Father to read...it was a children's bible...how fitting!

So as they looked at the book, Ian kept paging towards the back like he wanted to get through the book, but as they got toward the end, there were pictures of Jesus. He became focused on picture after picture of Jesus and pointed at them with his little finger & said, you guessed it, "J'sus", (he can't say the "e's" yet, let alone many other words yet, but he's getting there). Now here's the part that brings me to tears. Suddenly he turns around and with his finger points at Father and says, "J'sus".

The look on Father's face was priceless as he exclaimed, "Did you hear that?! Did you hear what he said?" (I did hear it, but until Father said it, I didn't think he actually said it.) "Did he say 'Jesus'?" I questioned. And it was at that moment that the tears welled up in my eyes as Father said, "You understand the mystery of the priesthood more than I do, Little One, and I'm a priest!"

I couldn't help but feel as though God had blessed us in that moment and let us experience the beauty and gift of what it is to be truly childlike in love and faith with our Creator. I am so excited to see what He has planned for the lives of these little ones He so graciously allowed into our lives to care for and raise to reflect His Goodness and Glory!

Splish, splash!

It seems that "SuzyCat" is becoming more adventurous and curious. This morning, Jason got up early to go work out and went into the bathroom to do his morning duty. As he stood there & started to pee, he heard the cat running from the kitchen. She proceeded to run right into the bathroom and came running up right between his legs and jumped, full speed, right into the toilet. Yes! while he was peeing! She quickly jumped out onto the bathroom rug...and again, yes! she was full of pee water.

Jason had to grab her, (and for you men, yes, he did stop mid-stream, and I know that's a deed worthy of praise right there!), and tossed her into the tub so she wouldn't continue to shake pee water around the bathroom and the house. He then had to give her a bath, something I don't think he's ever had to do before & something he said she didn't really like.

All praises to Jason for what he had to do this morning because of the darn cat! The good news is the cat is clean and so is the bathroom floor. I was also able to convince him to clean the toilet while he was on his knees in the bathroom & had cleaning products in his hands, so that's another plus to my day! Thank you, Jason & maybe I should thank "SuzyCat" for "helping" with the chores and giving us something to laugh at and blog about today!

Short & sweet

The other day when we were leaving church, our 3 year-old niece, Elena, was walking with us toward her van & asked us, "Did you walk to church?" What's funny is that they were parked in front of our house. What's funnier is that we live right across the street from the church.

Observations

When the kids spent the weekend with Jason's parents while we were on our diaconate retreat, they had a great time getting one-on-one time with just Grandma & Grandpa, something that doesn't happen very often for them. So gradually, we are hearing stories of things that happened that weekend. Here's one of our favorites...I think this is how it went.

Faith and Grandpa are in the kitchen...
Faith: Grandpa, why do your pants always look like that?
Grandpa: Like what, Faith?
Faith: Like you pooped in them!

If you know what Jim's pants look like, especially the farm pants, then you are probably rolling off your chair. If you don't know, then you'll just have to use your imagination. I laugh envisioning little Faith standing there staring at dad's rear end and wondering why his pants are so baggy and why it perplexes her little mind so much.

Brains matter

Summer is officially over for us & the 3 older kids have started school! AJ is in 2nd grade, Laney is in 1st grade and Faith is in preschool for 2 full days and 1 half day.

All are having a great time & for the most part being back on a schedule of using their brains. Today, we had to challenge them even more to use their brains, or the cat is going bye-bye. She has become the source of fighting, arguements and chaos when it comes to making everyone happy with their "time" with the cat. As much as we love having her, she has been a dividing factor rather than bringing about unity.

So, they have been warned and from here on out, it will become their decision as to whether the cat stays or goes based on their behaviors. I hope they succeed, because I like this cat!

Too early

You know it's too early when your kids get you up and the sun's not even up yet...and it's still summer!

You know it's too early when you get 5 loads of laundry done before 11 o'clock lunch because you started when your kids got you up.

You know it's too early when you eat breakfast and are hungry again by 8am.

You know it's too early when you feel like you need a nap at 10am because you've already been up for 5 hours.

My baby brother's married!

It's been about a month since the wedding, but I wanted to share some of the pictures from the big day. (Yes, I like the sepia setting on my camera!) I finally have some pictures of me with my family, not to mention a new cute one of me and my hubby! It was a fun weekend and a great part for me was not only watching the new couple having a great time, but also both of my moms having a great time together.

Strength in numbers

Every day last week for 3 hours each morning, we were part of a wonderful world called Vacation Bible School. Jason & I have been the directors for the St. Ed's VBS for the past 2 years and this year the idea was to combine with another church because they do the same VBS program usually around the same time, and another church asked to come as well. The event was a success!

First of all, the planning was so much easier and less stressful for the most part. It made it so much easier to have a few duties rather than the entire thing on our own. We held it at the other church because they are set up better for this sort of VBS than we are and since school is starting earlier this year, it would have been difficult at St. Ed's. Also, thankfully, they had air conditioning! It was a week of over 90 degree weather and tropical-like humidity. It would have been absolutely miserable at St. Ed's!

We estimated around 100 kids, and we had 123 signed up when all was said and done. Not to mention around 30 volunteers to help with teaching, snacks, crafts, games, and songs! There were also so many people that donated time or money or food and helped out with the fundraiser meal. We all had a great time celebrating God's Word & everlasting love for us as one Christian community, as it should be. (Did I mention that it was the Catholics & Lutherans, as well as all invited?)

By the end, we were completely exhausted but spiritually rejuvenated and excited about the fruits that are springing forth from it. Most of the neighborhood kids were there & one girl invited the girls to a new "bible club" get together in her back yard. It was cute and we look forward to continuing the ecumenical conversations with our fellow Christians and growing in our faiths together as we seek God's truth.

It's over...or is it??

The Minneota Mudhens season is officially over, with a successful but losing summer. Jason had a blast with the guys and having AJ tag along with him as the team's bat boy and I wonder if it's something they'll be able to let go of come next year. Jason had what I think is a great year, considering he's the oldest one on the team, other than the coach. He was just over .300 batting average, was 2nd in RBI's (I think he tied, though) and was one of only 3 players to get a home run this season, with that one being during the last game at his last at-bat. It was pretty cool. You can get more info from the team's website here.

AJ will especially miss his new mentor, Tyson, whom he calls "Ty-Ty". At one point this summer, I had threatened him with the "you-won't-be-able-to-go-to-the-game" incentive, at which he threw back, "That's OK, Mom. Ty-Ty won't be there anyways." Feeling bad for Daddy, I mentioned it to him & he just laughed & said he's not surprised. Tyson was constantly looking out for AJ, and their big thing was making sure that AJ had his "eye black" on to match.

The Myhre boys in their Mudhens attire.

Future "ace" for the Mudhens? Maybe Tyson will be playing when he's in his 30's so him and AJ can play together. Maybe he'll be a mentor to Tyson's kids...

I just had to have some pictures to remember how small he was during this all...

So, we'll see what happens when next season rolls around. Right now, Jason hasn't given a definite "yes" or "no" and just sort of playing the "Farve" card. So until we know more about where our path on this journey leads, we'll have to continue to discern where God is in the middle of it all and whether Jason feels he's being called to do it again. As much as I was ready for the season to end, I did enjoy watching him play ball again. Being a part of that has kicked him into high gear about taking care of himself and being healthy, and that's just one of the fruits of this whole experience that our family was a part of.

Breaking up is hard to do

Look at that face! Who could NOT fall in love with that?! After a week of cuddling and nurturing this little furry one, our hearts and wills were tested when a little girl came to the door claiming that this was the cat she lost a week ago. My first reaction..."How did she know that we found it?" Then, "What am I going to tell the kids? How are they going to take this news? Maybe we can find a way to convince her to let us keep it." As I racked my brain trying to decide what to do, I knew it in my heart that the best thing to do was to return her and do it lovingly and supportively.

I gathered up all that we had accumulated in a week, with a note for the mom, and walked sadly with the kids to help the girl carry kitty to her house and say our last good-byes. We approached a tough-looking, small apartment above one of the downtown businesses and felt in my mind that she may be going somewhere that may not necessarily be able to afford a cat, but I knew it wasn't my place to assume that and at that point I put it into God's hands and used it as a lesson for my children.

Laney took it especially hard, but she was strong and I told her that if we lost a pet and someone found it, we would hope that they would return it as well, and I told her that if God wanted us to have a cat, He would send one our way. We returned home to an emptiness that I didn't think I would feel after just a week, but there was a sense of a loss.

Much to our surprise, not much later, the little girl shows up again and says we can have the kitty back. She said her mom said they were moving soon and couldn't have a cat there. I was happy and confused. I wondered if my care note had struck the mom & she knew we were taking good care of this little kitten. Maybe it was our family gathered around this furball to say good-bye, or maybe it's just that they are moving.

I think of the story of Abraham and his son, Isaac and having to give up something you've grown so close to, because you know it is the right thing to do, no matter how much it hurts. In the end, we trusted God and why this happened, and just like Abraham, the outcome was filled with joy as well as being a learning experience. I know that it compares nothing to what he went through, but along the entire ordeal, I had to fight what I wanted verses what I knew was the right thing to do and it all ended up working out in the end.

Last week, that little girl was yelling mean things at my girls...today she spent the afternoon playing with them at our house. Maybe we did more than just give back a kitten...that's my hope anyways.

(Oh, we renamed her "SuzyCat" or "Susie", which is the name that the girl gave to her. AJ also liked it because that's the name of his guardian angel at school. We all decided we liked that better than "Cuddles", even though she still loves to cuddle.)

Room for one more...

No, we're not expecting, but there IS a new "baby" in the house. The other day while riding my bike, I came across a tiny voice in distress. I coaxed this little one out and decided to bring it home. Intending to take her to the farm, and partly knowing that wouldn't happen, I watched as our family fell in love with a little furry kitten we are currently calling "Cuddles". I will have pictures later, but for now you can know that she's really a cutie, that was the name Faith wanted to call her.

"Slidee downee"

That's what AJ said yesterday when I asked him to take the laundry basket downstairs for me. I'm pretty sure I said "no" several times, and he attempted to give it some trial runs by sending the basket down with things in it to see what happens. While I was distracted by talking to Jason's sister, Janice, who was over to use the computer, AJ proceeded to "slidee downee" the stairs. Of course that didn't end well and if you know what our stairway looks like, there's a wall at the bottom of it. So, when he came crusing down & when the basket hit the bottom of the stairs, it stopped, but Evil Kneievel didn't and smacked his head on the wall. Trying to be tough in front of his aunt, he exclaimed with a slight, painful smile, "Wow! That was fast!" The toughness lasted a second and then the adrenaline wore off and the tears came.

I don't know about you, but as much as I love them, it's really hard to be sympathetic when they deliberately disobey you. Enter spiritual lesson...it's a good thing that God is perfect and always merciful when we don't want to listen to him. Once again, a lesson learned for me, about God, through my children, to remind me that I am far from perfect, and that I need to step it up when it comes to giving to them what I expect from my heavenly Father.

Take Stock

It seems that I should maybe have some interest in buying stock in Band-aids. I know they don't cost much, but it sure seems like we go through a bunch! With one mastering walking, one learning to ride a bike without training wheels, another on wheels being adventurous (make that 2!), not to mention they inherited their parents' frequent clutziness. (Is that a word?) I have started not even bothering to put the box away so they stay within reach. I couldn't do that when they were smaller because every little bump then required one. They now realize that they are for bleeding owies and that they are best kept for those painful occasions. Come to think of it...maybe stock in neosporin isn't such a bad idea either!

Misadventures in camping

I really tried to get a blog on with videos, but for some reason, it's just not happening, so you'll just have to hear about our adventures in camping instead. It seems that we are 2 for 2 on the bad-weather-seek-shelter weekends that we have been on with our extended family. Good thing that both times we were well equipped with shelter and informative updates.

This weekend, we took the camper out for the first time in a while. I was pretty excited, although this was the first time since we had Ian & it's a little different in a camper with a little one who needs to be in a pack-n-play and who is a light sleeper. The portable crib takes up the space of a bed, so someone needed to sleep elsewhere. Jason said he would sleep in his parents tent & so AJ wanted to be there as well. What should have been a great night's sleep, wasn't. Although it was a perfect night to be sleeping under the stars in the open air, the air mattress kept him from sleeping well...or should I say, the deflated air mattress. Why is it that they only get a hole when you're away from home and outside?? My brother and his wife just used it when they came to our house & it has been put away since then.

So with the flat mattress, came a screaming 17 month old who decided at 4:30 am that he wanted to do nothing but cry and flail around. He was unconsolable and remained that way until everyone else on the campground was up and moving around. Needless to say, Jason & I took our turns napping that day.

Hoping for a better night, I put him to bed closer to his usual bedtime, only to be threatened by a severe thunderstorm warning that had us pushing to pack up and beat it home. We moved as fast as we could, but certain circumstances made it difficult to get it all out in time. We couldn't hook up very well, because Mom & Dad's tent was parked in front of the hitch & we didn't have time to move it. When I was lowering the canopy awning, the brace pulled off of the camper & would have made it impossible to move the camper without fixing it somehow.

The hail started coming and we yelled for everyone to get in the suburban...but I still had to get Ian out of the camper, who was sleeping soundly. I tried to open the door, but the broken awning hindered the door opening and I couldn't hold the awning post and open the door at the same time. By this time, the hail is falling sporadically but it's raining pretty hard. I get in and grab Ian, who is completely out. He continues to sleep as we buckle him in & attempt to get ahead of the storm, which we didn't. We were completely swallowed up by the storm and drove as quickly as we could to Ivanhoe, where family had a house for shelter. The rain was coming down so hard we could hardly see the road & the wind & hail were pounding on us. The sky was dark everywhere & the lightning made it even harder to see. I have to admit, I was worried we wouldn't make it to town.

So, at 10:30, we were able to go back to the campsite. Aside from some water in the camper, (did I mention that one of the sky domes on top came apart on our way to the campsite Friday?), everything was OK. Well, except for having a ton of giant ants in the sink from putting the marshmallow covered skewers in there. Ewww! Even Mom & Dad's tent was dry, even though the ground around it was soaking wet & the door was left open. (Not sure how that worked!!) We got everyone in beds and hoped for a good night's rest. We had that until 5am until Ian woke up again madder than a hornet. After trying all the tactics again, but quicker in sequence this time, nothing seemed to work. I finally just took his pajama top off to see what that would do & he instantly fell asleep in my arm next to me in bed. No way that just happened!! We were in complete disbelief but relieved and got at least one more hour of sleep in before we had to get up and get ready to go. Jason had a game that day, so we had to get moving to get ready for that, otherwise I think we could have easily slept another hour or two.

So, as much as I enjoy camping, I can say that for the work of it all, I don't know if I'll be ready for it again soon. At least not until we have a crazy weather free weekend or when Ian is out of his crib...have I mentioned that sometimes I feel like the Griswold's on vacation?

So I have been dealing with an EXTREMELY slow computer & it hasn't been very happy with me. So I have spent my "free time" trying to cure it's ailments. One scan I ran found over 1000 parasites...whatever that means, but it certainly doesn't sound like something that helps your computer! I think it's finally starting to feel better, so it's picture time! Here's what our summer has been so far...

Swimming pools & swing sets...











...ice cream!







...butt cracks :)



...and baseball bats... and that's just the highlights!

Uh oh!

Faith: "Momma, when the van dies, can we get a hot rod?"

Dirty Chickens

If you want to catch up on how Jason (and the team) are doing in town team baseball, you can check out their website at http://www.ballcharts.com/minneotamudhens. There are some great pictures on there, stats & a schedule of events.

The "tooth" & nothing but the "tooth"

This weekend while I was gone, AJ lost 2 teeth. Ian popped up 2 new ones. I tease AJ & said it was nice of him to give his teeth to his baby brother.

Today, they both had well-checks and had to get shots. Somehow, AJ got by the system in kindergarten & didn't get his last set of shots. The nurse at St. Ed's spotted it & so we had to get him up to date. Not a happy "almost 8" year-old! Today, everything that now hurts is "as bad as a shot". I'll let him complain (for today)...he did get 4 shots! Ian got 2 shots.

Both also are on amoxicillin for a cough they can't seem to kick. AJ had the yucky junk in the back of his throat. Ian had full ears.

It was cute to watch them walking in the waiting room. They are like twins, only 7 years apart. Even their little ears tip out the exact same way. They both can't get enough of football or baseball, or any sport that has anything to do with a ball I guess. Today they've both been pretty good at throwing tantrums as well...all a part of my virtuous training for patience!

Ventricular fibrillation...

Say that 3 times fast! So my week's been a little crazy...

Last Thursday morning, I got a call from my brother informing me that my 48 year-old stepmom went into cardiac arrest and was in a coma & on life support & they weren't sure if she was going to make it. She lives in Washington state now, so Jason did the legwork to get me on a flight to see her and it just happened to be the same one that my brothers were going to be on as well, so that was nice.

It's been a long road of recovery for her, but she's alive and physically, aside from being REALLY sore from them doing CPR and shocking her 13 times, she's doing great. Mentally, she's still showing signs of brain damage & that's mostly short-term memory. She doesn't seem to remember the things in her life that were causing her stress, so that's good, and as far as where she'll be, we don't know that yet. Each day she improves a little, and as long as she continues to do that, there's a chance she'll get back to her way of life. When she gets to a point where she levels off (mentally) then we will know how much care she will need and what will happen in the days to come. I am now at home, so I am calling for updates on her everyday. My youngest brother is still there with her until tomorrow & filling me in, so when he leaves, we will be trying our hardest to keep us constantly in her mind so she hopefully desires to come back home.

We have been blessed by the miracle of her survival & I pray for the outcome to be fruitful & pleasing to God. Keep her and our family in your prayers and that we will all be led to a closer life with Him.

Inadequate

Yesterday, I had the honor and privelege of accompanying Father Jeremy and the 8th grade girls from St. Edward School to visit the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus, a new religious order of Sisters in our diocese. I didn't have any expectations of them...I knew they would be kind and holy women, dedicated to loving Christ. I certainly didn't expect the feelings that I came away with!

To start off my story, I want to note that Father convinced me to bring Ian, who is now 15 months and into exploring, moving, and tantrums when he's not exploring and moving. I should have listened to that faint voice in the back of my head that said, "You'd enjoy your trip much more if you went without the baby!" But I gave into Father's request so he would be able to "play" with Ian & the Handmaids could as well.

So, the trip there was almost 2 hours, and Ian was good for the 1st hour & then even the 5 girls in the van couldn't keep him happy. He was just getting tired at this point, but was going to fight it as long as he could, and fight he continued to do!

We arrived at the convent in Searles (which is an absolutely beautiful little town!) and sat down to get acquainted with the sisters...Ian wanted to bang his cup on the table. Then we had Mass in the chapel. It was amazing & the Handmaids sang like angels...I stood in the hallway for the most part of it to keep Ian from disrupting the entire service.

Now, I realize that he's usually pretty good & that he's also at the age where sitting still gets tough. And at this point he was tired and getting hungry for something more than milk and animal crackers, but I was starting to resent that I didn't listen to that voice, especially when the rest of the visit seemed to entail being separated from all that was going on. By the time we had lunch, as I sat inside with a crabby baby, I was feeling like the babysitter and the busdriver. Pity party anyone?

As I felt my resentment level rise even further, I buckled Ian into his car seat & went for a drive to assist him in closing his eyes for a snooze. I think at that point God's grace began to come over me. As I drove around the "every-yard-perfectly-landscaped" town, I thought about the Handmaids and their presence in the community. "Do this town know what they have? If they do, does that reflect their pride in their clean little town?"

With Ian now asleep, I brought him inside and lay his exhausted little body down & tried to rest in the stillness myself. I peeked outside to see the Handmaids and the girls playing Ultimate Frisbee in the nearby baseball field. "Wow! They're really athletic! Aren't they hot running around in those habits?", I thought to myself. Longing to be a part of their fun, but realizing I can't stand the heat much less run around (3 ACL reconstruction surgeries...), I spend some time in the Presence of the Precious Body & Blood of Jesus in the tabernacle, and then I raid the large library to find a book I think God intended me to find.

After reading about Saints who suffered, I sense my resentment turn into an appreciation for the quiet time with the Lord in the midst of a holy home filled with positive energy and beautiful artwork. I feel a longing to fill my home with similar pieces...simple, yet elegant and Christian. I feel my resentment transition to what I know is my calling, and that's to sacrifice for my family. To be a quiet example. To show love in times of frustration and discomfort.

As our day with the Handmaids whittles away, they share a video entitled, "My vocation story" that they made about a woman explaining her discernment to sisterhood. I was moved to tears as she explained a love inside her growing for the Lord, as she described a love that a woman has for a man that can also be experienced for us all in Christ.

I suddenly feel a new emotion come over me that I didn't expect...an inadequacy to the Handmaids in how I carried myself, how I prayed, how I said things, and most of all, how I dedicated my life, heart, body & soul, to Christ. I suddenly understood why some people don't feel comfortable around practicing Christians...a feeling of inadequacy. At first, it made me feel guilty, and then confused and helpless as to what to do next, but now I am sure that the Lord will point me in the right direction, so that I do not continue to fall into the lie that anyone is inadequate in God's eyes, and that we all are meant to reflect His glory, just as the Handmaids did to me yesterday. Once again, my prayers for humility and strength are answered but not how I expected of course.

Happy birthday, Riley

Yesterday would have been Riley's 4th birthday, so our family thought it would be nice to get together to celebrate the day he was born. The day started out tough, but being surrounded by family sure is healing for the soul. The weather was perfect and after devouring 5 pizzas, we went out to Riley's gravesite with the cake and balloons to sing him "Happy Birthday". All of the cousins had a balloon to release into the sky to send up to Riley & it was truly touching and I think it's something we'll look forward to doing each year.

Our sister-in-law, Teresa, did an awesome job talking about Riley, so I want to share that with you here. And please feel free to continue keeping us in our prayers! It definitely helps and we still have days that get difficult. Thank you so much! God bless!

As many of you know, this has been a tough week for our family. On Tuesday evening, our lives were overturned when our 3 year-old nephew, Riley, was struck and killed by the hitch of the boat trailer in his yard. We are not exactly sure how it happened, but around suppertime that night, his family found him pinned under it. Our neighbor is a First Responder and his wife came over to alert me of an emergency involving a 3 year-old at my sister-in-law's house. I immediately made my way over there to a sight I never expected...paramedics doing CPR on a little body with distraught parents standing by. Jason's mom was there & informed me & I got on the phone to call as much family as I could, but first attempting to call Father Jeremy (whom I could not reach, but knew was home.)

When I had reached everyone & had more family there for Mom & the kids, I decided to run over to Father's house (2 blocks away) and get him for the emergency. He was able to deliver last rights to Riley in the ambulance as they continued to work on him. As family arrived, we just held each other & prayed for the best, but little Riley did not survive, which I now know is what his Mom knew from the moment she found him & started CPR on him.

It has been a long week, but a time of definite sorrow, pain, tears of suffering and of joy of celebration of his life. Our family was close, but has become even closer because of this & we have seen many blessings already come from this. God was working in Riley before we ever knew it and He will continue to work in and around us through this. We have felt His Grace through the prayers of family and friends in our community and everywhere. We have received consolation in the loving arms of our Savior, who through His Death & Resurrection promises us eternal life & the hope of seeing Riley again in perfect love.

We have celebrated Riley's life and the lives of those we spend time with and those that have reached out to us through contact, letters, cards, gifts of food or service or donations to Riley's family. As a member of the family, I thank you with my whole heart and encourage you to embrace your loved ones, forgive your enemies or those who have hurt you, learn from the past, celebrate today and live for tomorrow like you've never done before. We never know when our last moment may be, and although unfortunate, some suffering is necessary for us sometimes to realize how we are to meant to love and serve each other the way our Father intended when He loved and created us.

May God's Grace and Peace be upon you & bless you all! With hope & love from us all...

100!!

I've reached my 100th post! I don't know if it's really anything to celebrate, but I just thought it was neat to see that happen.

Jason bagged a turkey this year, not to be schooled by them again this year. He's been researching and watching countless turkey hunting shows as well as talking turkey with other avid gobbler-getters. I recall one of the last diaconate class weekends sitting with Deacon Mark at lunch & listening to his stories and strategies of "the love triangle" and "there's nothing a gobbler loves more than a good turkey fight!" You can imagine Jason's excitement when he called in his turkey and blasted a 20 pounder. It was good eats, too!

Think Spring!

I really love where we live because we truly get to appreciate the change in seasons. This has been an especially pleasant spring because the snow melted fairly quickly and we had nearly a month with no precipitation, so it was easy to let the kids out to play, knowing that there are no mud puddles to fall in! Up until the other day, we have been pretty scant on the bug population too, and that makes it even more enjoyable.

Faith's preschool class took a trip out to a local farm where 11 excited kids got to see bunnies, cats, goats (including babies born that morning), and cows. They experienced all of the wonderful new beginnings of spring and life and the smells that go with it.

"I feel a need...a need...for speed!"