Happy Halloween!!

I don't like Halloween. I think it's a lot of work to do in order for the kids to gather candy that I can later fight with them about not eating. But the kids like it. So we did it. Katie made all of the costumes for herself and Mary, Cecilia, and Clare. I caved and bought Josie a onesie. We had friends over for chili and bread and off they went. Jesse spent three afternoons carving awesome pumpkins. This was is for Brandon (Franciscan University of Steubenville). Brandon wasn't here this year. It was the first Halloween I haven't spent with him since he was born....but we made a pumpkin for him anyway.

Mary was Our Lady of Lourdes and Jackson was a ninja.

Sam was Iron Man (he borrowed the costume from a friend and, no, he's never seen the movie but the costume is pretty neat).
Cecilia was St. Bernadette.

Clare was St. Clare of Assisi and Katie was Blessed Mother Teresa

Clare kept saying "I had fun, I had fun" and this is about the biggest sucker she's ever seen.

Fun was had by all, I think. There is a ton of candy in this house. A TON.

Gratitude Sunday

The last week in October! I can't believe how fast it went!! Here's a few things that I'm grateful for this week...
For crafty girls - Katie made her own Halloween costume and came up with the ideas for the little girls too. Katie's friend, Abby, made Josie the beautiful blanket in the picture below!!

For Trader Joe's pumpkin cheesecake!! YUM!

For pumpkin carving fun (it takes two afternoons to do all of our pumpkins!!)

For Katie, Jackson, and Owen enjoying Matt Maher's concert last night!! (and for the pictures and tshirt they brought home for me!)

For healthy kids, sunny days, hot coffee, board games with Jesse, a nice anniversary, Hannah's Lifeteen Retreat being a success, good friends, supportive family, and so.much.more!!!

The Most Romantic Anniversary

There weren't any flowers or fancy gifts exchanged. No jewelry to mark the occasion. I'm not the gifty kind of girl and I can't be trusted with jewelry anyway. With a newborn to think of, one to get off to a Lifeteen Retreat, and several others in the mix what's an overtired couple to do to celebrate? This morning after getting some of the kids off to their Atrium class we headed to Planned Parenthood with the baby to pray. I thought the sign that Jesse and these other two men were standing by was ironic in a sad sort of way (for the babies whose lives have been lost here). The "choice" hardly seemed a choice to the girl being dragged in by her boyfriend while she cried and he shouted obscenities at us. (She came out 15 minutes later and had changed her mind, for now, please keep her in prayer.) The guard couldn't get enough of using every swear word in the book while insisting that all priests are child molesters and we were somehow out there, at Planned Parenthood, defending child molester priests. It's interesting how those with no defense turn to the lowest of the low that they hear on the main stream news. He also said that since God allows miscarriage He is a murderer. When I questioned him if he considered miscarriage the loss of a baby and, as such, the baby was alive to begin with he swore at us and brought up priests again. One lady came out and said she had donated $60 to Planned Parenthood in the name of 40 Days for Life. She was very proud of herself. And the saddest site was the girl that was rocking back and forth in her car after her abortion. She was bawling. I can't get that image out of my head. All this in the hour plus that we were there. God bless those that are on the frontlines daily.



After Planned Parenthood we picked up the kids and took them home for lunch. Then over to Grandma and Grandpa's so that we could catch the matinee showing of The Way. It was a fabulous movie and I can't recommend it enough. Even though this was my view (thanks to a fussy Josie I stood on the side of the theater but the two hours of standing was worth it!)

We retrieved the children from my mom's and took them home for dinner then got something for us to eat and one more stop to get the soccer snack for Sam's game tomorrow. Now it's bedtime and I'm sitting on the laundry room floor getting my thoughts down before they drift away and I forget. I am certain this is the best anniversary we've had yet even with the chaos. Bring on year number 17! With God's help marriage just keeps getting better and better!

10 Weeks Old!!

I'm not sure how it's possible but Josie is 10 weeks already!

My first colic baby (yes, I know I'm lucky!) and the first baby to prefer me right off the bat. It's made for an interesting (and sleepless)
10 weeks for me.

But who can resist such smiles?

And she's cooing now too which is a lovely sound.

When They Read Me Bedtime Stories

"Mommy, can I read to you?" Sam says at 9:15 p.m. after an extremely long day.  I am holding a screaming baby trying to get the last load of laundry in.  My instincts say to shout "NO!  I want this baby to sleep and I want a bowl of ice cream" but I looked into his brown eyes and I remembered Brandon at 6 years old and Hannah and all of these darn kids that are growing up WAY too fast for this mom.  So I pushed start on the washer, handed off the crying baby to daddy and sat with Sam and enjoyed the moment.


He read for a good long time and then he shut the book.  The look of satisfaction on his face was better than finishing the dishes or folding the laundry.  He put the book down and walked off ,in his footie pajamas, to bed.  And I'm grateful to God for that moment.

Gratitude Sunday

It was one of those weeks where I really had to try and make a conscious effort to be grateful. Some days I managed and others, well, I didn't do so well. Lack of sleep is taking it's toll on me and the first four days of the week were rainy, dark, and cold. I tried. I did. How could I be ungrateful when I've had so much bestowed on my life and I'm so undeserving? I don't know. I shouldn't be ungrateful but some days are hard and some days I just am. But here goes anyway....


For fabulous fall veggies and recipes online! Our produce delivery company has started a weekly menu planner complete with recipes and I am REALLY grateful for that. Easy, emailed to me, generates my shopping list, and keeps record of what I'm making on their site. Modern technology makes my job so much easier!!

For pumpkins (both the vegetables and the little girl kind), understanding husbands, friends that care, for the sunshine that FINALLY made it out on Saturday....

For final soccer games and silly pictures left on my camera, the new Casting Crowns album (it's really fabulous and uplifting!!), for finishing good books on my Kindle and starting new ones too, healthy kids, helpful parents, strangers that smile and give words of encouragement...

For Fall and fun and...

a trunk full of pumpkins (donated from a local real estate office!!!), texts from kids just to say "hi", visits from friends,
and so.much.more!!!

Josie Posie Two Months Old

It is really hard to believe it's been 2 months already!!
Josie still continues to bring so much joy to our lives
every day. Colic and all :)

And she's perfected the "are you looking at me?" face already.

I wake up next to her every morning and go to sleep next to her every night
and I praise God for this little soul. We couldn't ask for
anything more.