Lions and Tigers and Pizza...Oh my!

I have been wanting to take Rose Marie to the zoo for some time now and we were finally able to go this weekend. It was supposed to rain this Saturday, but I prayed to St. Francis and St. Scholastica and begged them for nice weather just long enough for us to get through the zoo. It worked! We had incredible weather for the morning and then the rain came in buckets that evening. Rose Marie LOVED the zoo! The monkeys were particularly fascinating as they were big show-offs. After the zoo we took her out for pizza, so I am fairly certain that Saturday was probably the greatest day of her whole life. As we sat there in the booth, eating our pizza, she told us about what she had seen. She ended her story with a last long bite of her beloved food, gave a very happy sigh and laid her little head happily on my shoulder. It really was a wonderful day!

1) These are big black bears. They were really playful and came right up to the glass. Rose was very impressed.

2) She wasn't too sure about the giraffe. They were not very polite or patient when she tried to feed them. :)

3) Penguins!!!

4) Daddy and Rose Marie feeding the goats. These weren't as messy or as rude as the giraffe, so she really enjoyed this one.

Should I be worried?

For some reason, it became necessary to dance on the stool and with the glasses when the music began. Not sure what to feel about this!

Contaminated Vaccines???

Hmmm.....seems a little fishy to me! I love how vague the Mereck representatives are in this case. I also think it is interesting that information like this is not in the news. People have to claim the Freedom of Information Act in order to be told about the contamination, related deaths, or other negative information. Very interesting. I also think it is about time that someone in the news quoted just how much money a single vaccine company is making in this business!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352563,00.html

A Night Out!

My husband and I were given the opportunity to attend Christendom College's 30th Anniversary Gala! I knew we were going to have a wonderful time, but I think we were both unprepared for the flood of memories that would fill that night. As we listened to the speeches and saw the pictures of the presentations, we remembered just how incredibly blest we were. It is such a unique College experience to be on a campus where the Eucharist truly is the center, not only of the campus, but of student life as a whole. I miss that time in my life where every class was God centered, conversations were always truth seeking, and relationships flourished because of the life we all shared. Sitting there as a wife and mother, I do not wish to go back to that time, but I can see so clearly how it prepared me for my vocation. It was a time in my life when prayer, frequent sacraments and living the good life were easy. Now, I have day-to-day challenges, but that peace and the relationship with God that was formed and solidified during my time at Christendom is my anchor and touchstone. The faith may not be so easy to live now, (now is the time for practicing St. Therese's "Little Way"), but it is there, strong in my daily life and I am so eternally grateful for that. Congratulations, Christendom College, on 30 wonderful years of Catholic Higher Education! Thank you for your faithfulness to Our Lord and His bride, the Church!!!

Pro-Life Benefit

Here is a clip of my brother's band, playing for a local pro-life benefit! He is the drummer! My siblings are both actively involved in a wonderful pro-life group that raises funds to aid in the fight against abortion. This particular clip was taken at a talent show put on by the whole pro-life group. It was a HUGE success! Congratulations! Keep up the wonderful work guys!!!

Official Due Date...

Thanksgiving may not include a fancy dinner for us, but it will include a new little person to join us next year at the table! Our official due date is now November 22, 2008! I can't wait! It was so exciting to meet with our midwife today and discuss what will be taking place over the next few weeks and months. She was so encouraging and very supportive. I was rather spoiled with my whole birth experience with Rose Marie, so I was worried about finding someone here who would be supportive of us trying to have another natural birth. Our midwife definitely seemed to be on the same page, which really put me at ease. Anyway, we will keep you posted and please keep us and our new little baby in your prayers!

Shake-The-Milk

Rose Marie has discovered one very exciting part of having a pregnant Mama. She gets to share in those occasional cravings with mommy! I cannot, will not, drink milk at this point. However, I do enjoy an occasional milkshake and on several evenings that has been the extent of my calorie intake for the day. She calls them, "Shake-The-Milks" and they are the highlight of her day when she has one.

She has further discovered that her Daddy makes the BEST Shake-The-Milks EVER. So he is now: Daddy, the person in the family who is way nicer than mommy, the comforter after that painful run-in with the wall, the one who lets her sit in the cool car cart at the grocery store, the one who lets her eat "chips with curls" (what you and I know as Fritos Honey Barbecue Flavor Twists) AND the best Shake-The-Milk maker in the whole wide world. How will I ever compete with that?!

Animals!!!

We have had such a wonderfully, relaxing weekend as a little family. Saturday morning Daddy treated his girls to a breakfast out. I have to say, it was so much fun to sit there and eat our meals and drink our coffee, while Rose Marie also munched away and drank her water and chatted happily about her week. Then we went for a walk in the warm morning sun. Finally, we made our way to the petting zoo! Rose Marie was sooo excited and it was such a joy to watch her. She was able to touch a sheep, a goat, bunnies, a pot belly pig, a horse and a newborn lamb. I was surprised how gentle she was with the bunnies and the lamb. She was fascinated to feel how prickly the pig was and then to find how amazingly soft the bunnies were. She has been talking about it ever since.

Today, in the Gospel she heard Father talk about the Shepherd and the Sheep...she started looking around, hoping that they were going to make an entrance. I will have to save that lesson for later, but for now, I was happy that she made the connection and was semi-listening!

I feel so blest by my little daughter and my wonderful husband! They bring me more happiness then I could have ever imagined. Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more!

Make-up Artist

I find myself being an observer of the budding career of a make-up artist. She has gone from playing with a blush brush, to giving Bud Bud a new hairstyle, and now she even applies her own eye-liner! Simply Stunning. She was feeling rather humble at the time and was objecting to having herself photographed by the paparrazzi.

Busy Easter!

Happy Easter!!! (Several weeks late!) I am so sorry that I have been absent again. I have thought about explaining our Easter in detail, but I have something else to discuss, so a brief explanation will have to suffice. We had a wonderful Easter full of prayer, family, Easter Egg hunts and "Waca" (chocolate), so we couldn't have asked for more.

God decided to give us a special Easter gift this year! Drumroll please..... Rose Marie is going to be a big sister!!!! We are having a baby!! We are so incredibly excited! Rose Marie has already put her order in. She wants a "girl baby," so I will see what I can do. :)

Thus, the reason for my being so absent. Mornings and sometimes whole days have been a bit slow going for me. I am very blest to not be feeling very sick, just nauseous and very tired. But it will pass, and it lets me know the baby is still doing well. I promise to keep you updated and please keep us in your prayers.