Happy New Year!!!!

Since I have been so negligent with this blog recently, I think this particular post will have to be done in "Quick Takes," format. :) So here we go, a whirlwind catch up on our lives since Advent.

1) Christmas was more than I could have wished for our little family this year, which is probably what is largely to blame for my silence. Silence. That was probably the word for our Christmas. Our hearts were full, our home was happy and we were very at peace. Jake was able to take almost a full week off from work, and I had made sure everything was ready beforehand. That final week before Christmas was spent mostly in pajamas, snacking on sugar cookies, drinking hot chocolate by the fire, re-reading favorite stories and wrapping Christmas presents. I felt so connected to my husband, and I always thrive when that is the case. :) We were so blest to be able to sit through the ENTIRE Christmas Mass! Yay! I was so proud of Samuel.

2) Speaking of sitting through Mass, that has been a HUGE recent blessing! I think we may have officially graduated to only leaving the Church for disciplinary issues, or potty breaks. Sam is actually very intrigued by what is going on at Mass and the closer we can sit to the front, the better he seems to behave ( I really hope I am not going to jinx us now!) This does not mean that our Mass experience is without many wiggles, stepping on of toes, putting runs in Mommy's nylons, or speaking loudly at inopportune times, but it is overall, much better than before! I just love being able to listen attentively to at least one reading, and sometimes all of them!

3) This year, I do not have any major resolutions. I am not on an anti-resolution crusade or anything, I just simply haven't made any. I may get to it at some point this month, and when I do, I'll let you know. :)

4) Last update thought...my little girl is growing up! I think this may have to wait and be a post all on its own. I feel like she has changed so much just since Christmas and I am not even sure how. She is so smart and opinionated. I love the conversations we have had recently. Yes, I think I will wait and post on these new Mommy/Daughter changes at a later time.

So that's a wrap! I know it has been short, but I do have a lot of other things to catch you up on and I promise I will! God bless and Happy New Year!

O Antiphons!

I LOVE being Catholic! The Advent Season for Catholics is so incredibly rich in tradition and symbolism. I am grateful that I have a lifetime to truly uncover the richness of this season, because I know that I still have so much to learn!

One of my favorite Christmas Hymns has always been, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." The verses of the song, echo the prophesies in the book of Isaiah that foretell of Christ's coming. I love that each verse ends with a joyful, "Gaude! Gaude!" (Rejoice! Rejoice!) because Emmanuel has truly come to the waiting Israel.

Over at Catholic Culture there is a good summary of what are known as the "O Antiphons," which are sung or prayed during the final days before Christmas. This year, I was finally able to make our own version of the "O Antiphon House." I have been wanting to do this or the past few years, I am incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to do it this year. So far, this has gone over much better than what I had expected! Rose and Sam LOVE this. It is a wonderful visual work that encourages great questions! Here are a few photos of what we have done:

1) Today we are on "O Oriens," which is why most of the boxes are already open. I used an unfinished photo frame and spray painted it gold (with a little glitter for sparkle) and then I found seven little cardboard boxes and spray painted them gold and glued them onto the frame. On the inside of each box, is the image for the day which corresponds to the Antiphon. Each box top has a wooden star painted gold, and on the underside of the lid, is a wooden letter that stands for the Antiphon. I punched a small hole in the top of each lid and attached a gold ribbon to it, so we could hang the box lids up after they were opened.



2) When the box is open for the day, there is a small "scroll" that has the prophesy and the Antiphon inside.

3) At the end, "ERO CRAS" will be spelled out which means, "Tomorrow I will come." This is what it will look like, after all of the boxes are opened:

Attention Toddler Age Girls:

I have in my keeping, the makings of a little man, who would be great husband material...that is if he doesn't feel called to the priesthood instead. :) Below is a list of his qualifications, which I think would make him an ideal candidate for a lifelong commitment:

1) Should you ever feel the need to watch how high the human person can launch himself from any object in your home...Sam is your man. Falling, or injuring himself is only part of the job and previous falls or injuries, will not dampen his spirit.

2) If you have ever wondered what may be lurking behind your toilet, in your toilet or under the stove...again, Sam is your man.

3) No woman likes to be left alone in her kitchen, and with Sam, you never will be. He is quite good at knife handling, dish washing and throwing anything left on the counter in the trash...even if it was about to be part of the meal, but who wants those unnecessary calories anyway.

4) Window washing, this is where his expertise truly shines. Windex is for wimps. Sam's tongue swiped across the window works wonders. This is a chore he loves to do, so you will never even have to add it to your "Honey-do" list.

5) Romance, every girl needs romance. Who could resist a footed pajama man, crawling into your lap and singing sweetly, "Baby its cold outside?" Yes, my heart melts every time he does this.

Ladies, what you are looking at is the whole package. I could list several other endearing qualities like his new found pizza sauce facial mask, or how he drives his cars on the bathroom door when inexplicably you have locked yourself in, but really I don't want to over do it.

I promise to keep you updated, as this wonderful little piece of masculinity continues to maturity. In a few years, you can send us your applications. :)

Pictures!

Yay! I finally have a few pictures on my computer! It has been a busy month already.

But before I get to this month, we ended last month by celebrating Samuel's 2nd birthday! I can hardly believe he is already two! Because his birthday fell the day after Thanksgiving this year, he ended up celebrating twice, because we were at both sets of grandparent's houses during the holiday. It was so much fun! Samuel was so blest to be surrounded by all of his family!

When we celebrated with my family, my heart felt so overwhelmed by happiness and memories. When Sam was born, I was lucky to have my Mom in the delivery room with me and the day after the birth, we were welcomed home by my entire family celebrating Thanksgiving dinner in our little apartment. It was so special this year to be with my Mom and my whole family, remembering how we had celebrated a different kind of Thanksgiving only two years ago. :) Happy Birthday to my manly little man, Samuel! I love you, Sam and all of the amazing adventures you bring into our lives.

1) Here is Sam's first cake that we took to the first party. :) I was so grateful that Sam recognized it as a train.


2) Sam and Daddy at his second party. I don't have any explanation for the look on Sam's little face. He was actually really happy and excited. :)

3) Sam's fire truck cake. He is obsessed with fire trucks these days and this cake in particular had him completely thrilled!

In these moments

In these moments, I am enjoying these things:

1) Waking up. At various stages in motherhood waking up can be challenging. For this moment, by that I mean today, I find it joyful. The mornings are truly full of joy these days. I wish I woke up in the morning with the same kind of vigorous excitement for the day that my children do. For now, I let them lead me to it.

2) Moments of silence. Again, at various times in motherhood, silence becomes a foreign word. In this moment, my children are becoming friends and that means there are more times when they are playing together happily, and I am left in silence. It is bittersweet. I am grateful to finally catch my breath, and in that same instance I miss their closeness. I remind myself that this is a VERY fleeting moment, so I try to enjoy it to the fullest!

3) Reading together. Samuel has discovered books! This means that the three of us can now cozy on the couch, or in Mommy's bed, for endless amounts of time reading the same stories over and over. I love it! He has very strong opinions for which books we should read at "his turn," and I love discovering what they are. I love that I have to constantly switch between ballerina stories and "truck books!" Sometimes I read a little slower than usual, just so I can savor that moment of two heads resting on my shoulders.

4) Rose Marie is learning to read! I love watching her eyes sparkle as she sounds out new words! I realize that tomorrow, she could loathe me for asking her to read out loud, but for today, she is thrilled, and so am I!

5) Samuel sings. He sings constantly. He sings from his crib, in the bathtub, while he is eating, while he is playing etc. I hope it means that his heart is joyful and happy.

6) Rose Marie dances...all the time! Between the singing and the dancing we are becoming quite the talented little family. I can't help but smile when Rose prances down the stairs with a purple headband crookedly perched on her head, pink butterfly wings balancing off her shoulders, a pink tu-tu almost resting at her waist, multi-colored bracelets to match her mis-matched socks, completing her attire with red sequined shoes. She then announces that she has a surprise for me and that I am invited to a very special ballet. It truly is special...every single time.

Snapshots from October :)

I have a few snapshots from last month, that I really wanted to share. Last month, was a full and happy month for our little family. Here a few of my favorites:

1) We celebrated our 5th Anniversary this year! My always romantic husband surprised me with an evening away, which was wonderful! This shot was actually taken the weekend before at our College's Homecoming celebration, but I love it!

2) Apple Picking! We went twice last month, which was such a treat! Apples are definitely a favorite in this house. I had wanted to use them to bake with, but they were eaten before I got the chance. :)

3) Myself and the kids, completed our first hike up at Skyline Drive together! I was so proud of Rose for happily making it the whole way on her own! We had so much fun that morning! They were both exhausted by the time nap time rolled around. :)

4) The pumpkin patch! This was one of my favorite years, because both of the kids had strong opinions on which pumpkins they wanted, and each one was absolutely perfect for them. They were so proud of them!

5) Pumpkin Carving! We were afraid that Sam's pumpkin might be too small to carve into, but Daddy patiently worked on it and was able to put a smile on that little pumpkin. :)

6) The Artist and the apprentice:

7) Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion:

Samuel's Vocabulary

A few years ago I did a post on Rose Marie's budding vocabulary.

Samuel has recently discovered his own voice, and I love it! He can now communicate clearly what he wants...most of the time. He has come up with a few words of his own that make us all laugh. Without further ado, here is a guide to Sam's word usage:

1) "Mine"= this is his own nickname for Rose Marie. She actually answers to it, but only when he says it. It is so endearing to hear him ask, "Where'd Mine go?" My favorite is hearing him yell for her if she wandered too far from him at the park, "MINE!!!" I think he actually means that she is his...she belongs to him and he is very possessive over his playmate. :)

2) "Mouth-Toot"= Burp. Very clever, if you ask me and it makes his Daddy very proud.

3) "Butt"= Bug

4) "Hop Butts"= Grasshoppers

5) "Trick-or-Treats"= Candy