I haven't updated in so long. So here are some quicktake/ updates that I also posted over on babyhomepages:

1. As you can imagine, Kate LOVES preschool. I really believe she could go everyday and be just fine. I am glad she's not, however, because I really enjoy the time we have at home together.

2. She also LOVES her friends and plays with them every single chance she has. Seriously, she plays with friends all the time. Often one friend will leave and she will ask to call up another.... I wonder where she gets that?

3. Luke is incredible talkative. He talks constantly and we don't mind one. single. bit.

4. Luke was just diagnosed with mild intermittent asthma. It seems that every time he gets a cold it develops into wheezing and a trip to urgent care or the ER. The bad news is that he has to have breathing treatments and inhaled steroids, the good news is (besides that we're getting it under control) that he will most likely grow out of it.

5. The kids really play together well. They also really know how to push each others buttons. Our days will often go from hugs and kisses to screaming at the top of (his) lungs.

6. Luke is kinda a screamer. OK, OK, so he really knows how to let it out "Tin Drum" style. That we don't like so much... nope, not so much.

7. Luke also seems to be a 12 hour of sleep/ day TOPS kind of guy.... which means that he's giving up naps. If he doesn't take a nap, he will sleep from about 7pm-7am. If he does take a nap, however, he will not go to sleep until about, oh, 10:30 or 11pm!!! It's a pick your poison type of situation.

8. We recently had a last minute, lovely trip back to the midwest where we saw so many friends and family. As pictures can attest it was great to see everyone and be there for the baptism of our new (and incredibly cute, I might add) nephew, Thomas Robert Frey! We also had a couple night with Aunt Terry and Uncle Tom in Minnesota - what a treat!

9. We're job hunting now. It looks like we'll be here through August and then, well, who knows where we'll be? We hope much closer to family. I know it's going to be tough for the kids, especially Kate, to move. She loves it here and never tires of telling us so!

10. Luke's 2nd birthday is coming up!!! He has already informed me that he either wants a train cake or a fireman cake. As you can probably guess, I'm excited and up for the challenge!

11. It really seems like everyone I know, really everyone is pregnant or has just had a baby. Really, I am not exaggerating, not even a little... I could list at least 15 people off the top of my head right now who are either pregnant or just had a baby (I won't because some of them have asked me not to say anything - the pregnant ones, not the ones who have just had babies, obviously ;) This is nice because 1) babies are awesome and 2) I have a lot of doula-ing opps coming my way!

12. Kate will often take my face in her hands and stroke it a bit and tell me, "mommy, I love you so much." It really melts my heart.... and it makes me want about 10 more kids. :) Today she told us that she is so happy to have our family. Yep Kate, it's true, we are lucky.

For some recent pics check us out here

Happy Feast of Saint Faustina!

Geez! There have been a great many excellent feast days lately, huh?

‎"I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls."

-- Divine Mercy (Jesus to Sr. Faustina)

Happy Feast of Saint Francis!

The prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

For more on Saint Francis read here and for a great project to do with the kids go here and here. Charlotte over at Waltzing Matilda is chalk full of wonderful and creative ways to celebrate the liturgical feasts with your kids. I was going to do the people cookies, but after a trip to the beach (by myself with the kids. there was a sand sculpture contest. i forgot my camera) and daddy working all weekend, I didn't get the cookie cutters. Sooo, we're going to have to settle with coloring a picture of St. Francis (Charlotte also draws coloring pages that she is willing to share with us) and some animal crackers and milk. Good enough for this year ;) Oh, and we are going to focus on the prayer as our evening prayer this month. Thanks for all the help Charlotte! I think you're pretty darn amazing (especially after seeing that pirate ship cake)! God bless ya! And have a very blessed and happy Feast of St. Francis! y'all!!

Happy Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux!

The rose project will have to wait because our little Luke is in and out of the doctor's office today with breathing treatments and a chest x-ray. He'll be OK, but he needs a little extra TLC. So, in the meantime, here's a quote from one of my favorite saints to ponder:

‎"Love consists in bearing w/ the faults of others, not being surprised at their weakness, in being edified by the smallest acts of virtue we see them practice" - St. Therese of Lisieux

I am also Pondering:

Moving all my blogging/ baby updates to this page. I have really loved babyhomepages for a lot of reasons, but this site is free and, at this point in our life, that is a very compelling reason. So far I've used this page mostly as a little journal where I write down thoughts (mostly spiritual) that I want to return to and I like having that space, but I guess I could consolidate. Some worries:

-I really like the "photo album" aspect of babyhomepages. I believe I would have to keep up this blog AND use some sort of site (i.e. picasa) to have the same effect?

-Another plus that builds on the last is that babyhomepages is one stop shopping, so to speak. I can upload photos, have the photo in album, relay stories, and have a guest book all in one place... Oh and I almost forgot, you can also buy prints from babyhomepages.

-Babyhomepages will send you a PDF of the entirety of your content for a minimal fee, which will then serve as my baby book/ memory book for the kids.

-I tried sites like picasa and (what's the name of that other one again?) and you can't upload multiple pics at a time... ughhh. Oh, and you only get a certain amount of space free and then have to start paying for it.

-Can you buy calendar/ albums/ prints from sites like picasa?

So, my question to you, dear readers ( I think there are about four of you ;), is how can I do all the things I listed above in an easy, one stop way with a blog. If I can't, I might just consider going with what we have for now (at least until we move). Also, do any of you like babyhomepages/ keep up with us through that site? Would any of you have a preference?

Ok, so, do any of you have any good advice/ info for me about this? I would really appreciate it and it would really help us make our decision over here. Thanks!

Today I am Pondering...

“This style of parenting drives us to our knees and so brings us closer to heaven. It forces us to die to self again and again to meet the needs of God’s little creatures. It’s immediately easier to shout and/or hit and abuse our authority to put out the fires of our day. We can stop the behavior through fear and punishment. But that doesn’t really require any heroic, saintly effort on our part, does it? Ultimately, it destroys the relationship with the child and it becomes for us the occasion of sin.”
Elizabeth Foss

Oh Lord give me the Grace! :)

St. Therese Novena

Five days ago I started praying this Novena for two special intentions. Before she died, St. Therese said, "My mission - to make God loved - will begin after my death, I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses." I've heard from others who have prayed this novena that they received a rose during or at the end of the Novena as a sign . I thought that I would receive something (even in the form of a drawing or a card), but I thought it would maybe be towards the end of the Novena or on her Feast Day, which is October 1st. Well, since I've been praying it, I have received roses twice! She is a beautiful saint in her "little way" and I look forward to celebrating her feast day with my kids on October 1st (not sure what we're going to do yet, maybe make roses and give them to others). If you would like to learn more about St. Therese, you can read about her here.