A Fly-By Check-In

Because this week has been cah-razy!!!!


- Our house is almost all not-white

- Two oldest girls are doing Totus Tuus this week

- Oldest child is in Black Belt Camp

- Two youngest got to experience "going to the playground with mommy"

- I can never send my children to school because I've learned that I detest packing lunches, except for writing on their napkins....I love writing on their napkins.

- Garden is growing, slowly.

Biggest News of All:

Felicity has been discharged from physical therapy!  This is huge!  15 mos. and being discharged from all therapy?!?!?!  Praise God!!!!

Also, we saw the orthopedic surgeon who has been following her since birth and she was astonished with her progress.  To quote, "I would have never predicted this outcome, especially with the severe trauma at the beginning".  Sweet Felicity is doing amazingly well.  The only "issue" that she's going to be followed for now is a very slight high-tone to her right foot.  I mean, really?  That's hardly an issue.  We didn't know if she would live, and then when she did, we didn't know if she would be able to self-feed, roll, sit, crawl, walk, etc...  And here she is, growing and thriving and just bringing so much joy!  All children are gifts and miracles, but sometimes it takes an obvious miracle for us to see it. 

And on that, good night. 

Country Livin' Quote

"Aidan, stop chasing that mouse with the hoe and get in here for dinner!"

Bonus Quote of the Day:

"I sealed up the crack where the hornets were getting in and they are as mad as a....well, they're really mad!"

How's That Pie?

The littlest of our crew sure has me eating a lot of humble pie.  Here's the most recent. 

I hope ya'll will still like me after I tell you this, but I used to balk at "all those moms" who would buy (and presumably use) store-bought baby food.  *My* babies don't eat baby food.  The oldest had a few jars of the stuff, but I happily gave it all up pretty much for good with the rest.  Most of my babies went straight to soft table food. 

My little skinny, choke-and-gag-on-breastmilk baby is another story, naturally.  She loves the stuff.  Because of her intubation at birth her little throat just can't handle much more than pureed stuff.  She gets as much "regular" food as she wants (which is hardly any), and then her little belly gets full of the mushy stuff.

So now I'm the mom with the baby food in my shopping cart.  Yes, I could make my own, but that would mean I was making my family healthy meals to begin with.  I will be soon.  Really soon.  More on that later.  By the looks of the week, it will be much later. 

The MN Catholic Home Education Conference

Last Thursday we packed up the fam, headed down to our dear friends' house, and I prepared for a fun couple of days in St.Paul for the MN Catholic Home Education Conference.  The womenfolk took off on Friday afternoon and left the menfolk with the kidfolk.  I will admit that the ratio didn't seem quite fair.  We had 4 women: 2 babies.  They had 2 dads: 7 kids.  We smiled the entire drive!

I attended the conference two years ago, and regretted that because of Felicity's health last year I was unable to go.  She was a challenge this year.  I don't think I got to listen to one full talk, but I did get to walk around the campus of St.Thomas quite a bit and smile at other mom's who were wrestling bonding with their babies as well. 

The logistics of taking a mobile child to the conference prohibited me from taking any pictures (okay, so I'm a wimp), and I don't really have a lot to say about it.  I had a fantastic time.  I met her at the Bloggers' meeting.  I may or may not have made a fool of myself by telling her that I really came to the meeting because I just wanted to meet her.  Hopefully she was flattered and not just annoyed.  Truthfully though, I have followed "Minnesota Mom's" blog for some time and find her writing to be refreshing and inspiring.  She's a "step ahead" in this parenting/homeschooling journey and it's nice to have someone to look to for what our future may hold.  I could have told her that, but I ended up talking too much and saying things that never sound as eloquent when they come out of my mouth as they did when I was thinking them in my head.  Oh well.  There's always next year.

The weekend was fun and exhausting.  We stayed up way too late visiting, and the beds weren't exactly luxury (good enough for college kids), and then there was that whole baby not wanting to sleep thing.  It's a good thing I didn't expect the weekend to be super relaxing. 

I can't wait for the conference next year!  I hope to get the chance to meet some more people (maybe I won't be chasing a sweet toddler around), and make more connections with other families in our area!  Did you go?  Were you there?  Did I meet you? 

Hope and Light

                                                                 Meet Father Patrick.

                                                                      Meet Fr.Andy.

Both of these men are newly ordained Catholic priests.  We are blessed to share our Wedding Anniversary with what will now be Fr.Patrick's Priestly Ordination Anniversary.  We all entered our vocation on the same date, and that is spectacular. Fr.Andy is, unfortunately, not from our diocese, but was ordained in his diocese in Texas just a week prior to his good friend's and now brother priest, Fr.Patrick.

You see, these men bring us hope.  They are the faces of the future of our Catholic Faith. These young men have answered God's call with a "yes" and they are spreading the love of Jesus to whomever they meet.  These newly ordained men shine with a light that can only come from God. 

We were blessed to have them for dinner last night.  The kids, as you can imagine, loved having them here.  We love having these vibrant young men in our home to show our kids what their vocation looks like.  It entails a life of prayer and seriousness, but joy and fun is equally important.

In our diocese vocations are hurting.  They are hurting for several reasons, but hurting nonetheless.  Will you join us in praying for vocations?  Our diocese needs more men like these.

Growing up Together

Digital pics were just beginning so we opted for the "real deal".  So here's a picture of our "real deal" pic.

Who are these teenager-looking kids playing dress-up?  Do they have any idea what they are getting themselves into?  Any clue how God will work in their lives to challenge them, to shape and mold them?  Do they realize that those vows mean something?  That when they say, "For better or worse, in sickness or health, etc..." that "better" and "worse" will happen, that "sickness" and "health" will happen? 

One of the priests who walked along beside us during our "marriage prep" course said something that I will never forget.  He said he thought it was fitting that two people in love are really a little bit out of their minds.  Who, in their right mind, would agree to those vows?  Who would honestly say that they want to spend their entire lives with one another.  I also remember, at the ripe old age of 19, thinking that this priest must not really know what he was talking about.  Of course we knew what we were getting into.  Ha! 

We could never have known that after 12 years of marriage we would love each other more deeply than ever.  We could never have known that we would be blessed with 6 little souls, 5 of which we have the privilege of raising to know and love God.  If God had shown us the trials that would be set before us, would we have accepted?  Would we have known that the graces that we have been given would indeed be sufficient?

On June 3, 2000 we were two young kids madly in love.  12 years later we are still madly in love and sometimes think we are still kids.