Happy Feast Day!

On October 1, the Church celebrated the Feast Day of St. Therese. I have always had a special love and devotion to her. As a mother, I lean on the wisdom of St. Therese's Little Way, both for my own spirituality and for teaching my daughter about the faith.

This year, I was determined to try to keep this Feast Day in our own home. As it happened, Rose Marie woke up that morning with an awful cold, so I felt slightly discouraged. However, it turned out to be a blessing. She and I spent the good part of the morning setting up a special area in our home dedicated to St. Therese. Rose Marie poured her whole little being into making it special. We went to the store to find candles. When I asked her which color St. Therese would like, she carefully looked over the options and said, "Mama, St. Therese loves pink, she likes pink candles." So, pink it was! We went to chose three roses to give to St. Therese and of course, she chose pink again! The long and short of it was that, despite how sick she felt, she was determined to make the day special for Jesus' friend. In the midst of her efforts and preparations, she forgot about her cold. She filled the vase with water and arranged our three humble roses, she placed the candles next to St. Therese's picture and then stood back to admire her handiwork.

I realize that she does not understand the theology of St. Therese's Little Way, but I think her little heart knew it in a special way. She knows that Jesus is St. Therese's "best Friend," because she explained this fact to me several times throughout the day. The candles remained lit throughout the day and they would draw Rose Marie to the table, where she would gaze at the photo, make sure everything was in order, and she would quietly say, "St. Therese, pray for Rose Marie."

Yes, St. Therese, please pray for Rose Marie and for her Mommy.

Maybe we are doing something right.

While I was cooking dinner yesterday, Rose Marie was busy being "Mommy" to her baby doll. I was semi-aware of what she was doing while I was cooking. I knew that she was pretending to go grocery shopping, that they went to an imaginary park and that she was teaching her...something...although I am not sure what. But then she did something that halted me in the middle of my dinner preparations. She took dolly back to her bed, knelt down, helped dolly make the sign of the cross, asked her to thank Jesus for something and then proceeded to say the "Hail Mary" twice all the way through, and then tucked her "snug as bug," into bed. I was shocked! I am sure that Rose Marie and dolly's prayers warmed Our Lord's heart...(along with their mutual gratefulness for cookies) I know it meant the world to me. Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more!

Rainy Days

Today, is the kind of rainy day, that cups of hot chocolate, sweaters and socks, movies and cuddle time on the couch under a blanket, were made for. Based on the rather cloudy mood of a certain 2 year old in this house, who shall remain nameless, I think that those are the activities we will pursue for the rest of afternoon. It seems to me, that the above mentioned activities will cause the least amount of frustration and tears. Wish me luck!

7 Months!

Third trimester!! About 2 more months left to go! Hopefully we will get some more tummy shots for you soon. Thank you all for your prayers. The pregnancy is going so well! I feel better during this trimester than I did in the last. I am feeling more tired these days, but if that is all, I have no room for complaints. I do think this little person has a few surprises for us. He/she is far more active than Rose Marie was at this stage, so we may find ourselves more busy than we were with Rose Marie...but we shal see. :) Please keep the prayers coming! Pray especially for peace, mostly for me. I find myself feeling the need to prepare for the baby's coming rather frantically and I get stressed out by it, even though I still have lots of time. I need to slow down and enjoy this and be at peace.

Lack of words

I have been waiting to write this post, hoping that words would come to my mind to help me explain what I want to say. None have come. I suppose, there are those moments in life, that surpass expression with words. Meeting and talking to my husband's great-grandmother seems to be one of those moments for me.

How do you describe the feeling that a tiny, smiling 100 year old woman elicits as she walks into the room? What do you say when she gathers your husband to herself and sets him at her feet, touching him gently and asking him questions in only the way a great-grandmother could? What about that moment of understanding and seeming familiarity exchanged between your daughter of a mere two years of age as she chats happily to her great-great-grandmother? How do you describe the breathlessness that comes when she draws you to herself and she tells you that she is proud of you and that your husband, whom she has loved since he was a baby, is lucky to have you? What about the feeling of her hands on your tummy as she felt for her great-great grandchild? What do you say?

Tips for flying with a Toddler:

We just finished flying seven hours across the country with a 2 year old. I thought I might share a few pointers we learned along the way. First of all, our little one was FANTASTIC! She is quite the little traveler. Anyway, here a few things we tried that worked for us.

1) Lots of little snacks, but watch the sugar. We had fruit snacks and several different kinds of crackers in tiny packages that were a novelty.

2) Lots of water or milk...no juice! We watched one little 2 year old behind us have a complete meltdown after having several sippycups of some kind of juice. Trying to restrain a toddler on a sugar high is a pretty difficult task.

3) Bring your carseat on the plane! Jake was such a trooper with this. He brought it on each plane ride. Rose Marie just nestled right in and would usually fall asleep for the first hour or so on the plane. We didn't have to fight with her to stay in her seat, because she knows how the carseat works. I highly doubt we would have had such luck if she were in a regular airplane seat.

4) Disinfecting wipes! Airplane bathrooms, plus potty trained toddler...need I say more!

5) Let them have their own backpack. She took such ownership of her backpack and was always excited to carry it around the airports. I had packed it with new goodies that she hadn't seen before, so that added to the fun. :)

6) Travel size magnetic puzzles are AWESOME! And of course, crayons and new coloring books and little notepads (collected at Target's dollar spot!) were always a great way to make her feel productive.

7) Lastly, bring a sense of humor and adventure! They really pick up on your feelings, so be aware. Make sure you are having fun and laughing, and odds are they will too!

More Pictures!

1) Daddy showing how to move your legs, so that you can swing!

2) Doing it by herself!

3) "Working" on her new bed. She is practicing sewing.

4) More work.

5) My sister, brother and Rose Marie keeping my niece company.

6) Solving the problems of the world! :)

7) A Sunday morning picnic at Maymont.

8) The beach!!!

9) Us girls!