Happy Feast of the Archangels!

Rose Marie really enjoyed this simple cut and paste activity. We spent some time discussing the three angels, St. Raphael, St. Michael and St. Gabriel. She put these little angels together and then we added symbols to their robes, which are often associated with each one. St. Michael has the swords/spears, St. Gabriel was given the lilies and St. Raphael has the fish. St. Gabriel was Rose Marie's favorite. :)

Walking on the Beach

While on a recent family vacation, my ever romantic husband took me for a moonlit walk along the beach. The beauty of that walk was what I needed more than anything else, my husband knew it, and more importantly, God knew it. We stood there with the endless eternity of space above us, complete with the brightest stars shinning with all their might for their Creator. Before us was stretched the unfathomable depths of the ocean. I felt swept away by the beauty that was overwhelming my senses. It has been such a long time I have felt the closeness of God in the power of nature. I stood there being held in the arms of the man I am in love with surrounded, in a powerful way, by the beauty of God's creation. Thank you Lord, for that amazing reminder of how much I am loved by You!

Here are a few of my favorite photos from Beach Trip 2009!

1) Touching the sand for the first time...not to sure about that stuff.

2) Just us!

3) Two cute boys in the hot tub!

4) Inside the Lighthouse

5) Getting connected to the water. By the end of the trip, Sam really enjoyed the water. :)

6) Rose Marie and Mama!

7) "Hello!"

8) Wondering...

9) The little family...

My First Project!

For quite some time, I have been coveting the ribbon boards sold at Pottery Barn for Kids. I will go into that store and simply stare at them, wishing I had one for Rose Marie's room. I know she would love it. Finally, I was tired of dreaming and decided that I would not spend that ridiculous amount of money for a ribbon board, so I decided to make one myself. I had so much fun with this project and Rose Marie is thrilled! We are going on vacation soon and she can't wait to print of some photos of her very own and organize them on the board. Rose Marie chose the fabric she liked (pink of course) and I added a few touches of my own to make it special. Here it is!

1) The materials were: an artist's canvas, quilt batting, nails/tacks, fabric, ribbons (of course) and decorative brads.



2) Covering the canvas and batting:

3) The finished product!

The Squire and his...Spoon?

Samuel has become attached to a small blue spoon. This spoon, is now carried all over the house, all of the time. He uses it to bang on EVERYTHING. He hits the coffee table with it, the refrigerator, the Little People, his sister etc. Nap time is now tragic, solely because I do not allow him to sleep with his spoon. Upon awaking, it is the very first thing he looks for. We have come to the conclusion that perhaps it is sword. Maybe this is a boy thing. Whatever it is, I think is absolutely endearing, and hilarious.

Prayer (Again)

I feel as if this is a constant theme for my little blog, but it is something that is on my mind constantly.

With the fall approaching, we are beginning to do "school" in earnest these days. For me, the most important part of my children's education will be their religious formation. I have been feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of this task and my own inadequacies in the spiritual life. There is a large part of me that would rather procrastinate on the religious formation, until my own spiritual life is what it should be.

The reality is that it will never be what it "should" be until after this life. I am so imperfect in so many ways. But a wise mother once said to me, "God gave you these specific children, because He knew that you were the one, who would help lead them to Him. And, they are the ones, that you need, in order to bring you closer to God."

I think I feel guilty that I cannot seem to spend adequate time in quiet prayer. Sam is nursing less, and therefore my quiet, sitting down time is no longer there. I need to embrace, in a more ardent way, the ability to "pray without ceasing." I need to seek Our Lord in the faces of my children. I need to see Him in them as I wash their little faces and their little hands. I need to see His heart as they reach to me for comfort and love. I need to see myself as serving Him, in my little daily tasks such as food prep and laundry. I realize that this is very elementary, but it is something I am ashamed to say that I have lost sight of.

My prayer needs to be a constant looking for and at Our Lord through my daily tasks. I do need to find a way to get closer to Him. I need to accept the enormous task of trying to make Our Lord present to my children, all the while, trying to get closer to His Sacred Heart myself. This is my vocation.

Thank you Lord, for Your gentle reminders.

Watering the Plants...

Rose Marie to unsuspecting Samuel:

"You are such a big boy! You are growing, just like a plant! Maybe we should put you in the bath and water you!"

Mommy to herself: "Keep an eye on that one!"