Winter Wonderland

We awoke this morning to a white covered world. A few inches of fresh snow fell through the night and it is BEAUTIFUL outside.

Our Favorite Novena

Saint Andrew Christmas Novena

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

Even though most novenas are prayed each day for 9 consecutives days, this novena is to begin on the feast of St. Andrew (November 30th) and, prayed 15 times each day, continues until Christmas. My children and I pray this novena together each evening throughout Advent as we prepare for our Lord's birth at Christmas. Every year we write our intentions in a special prayer book. It has been a blessing and encouragement to see how God has answered our prayers throughout the years.

REMEMBER WHO YOU BELONG TO!

As Christians we believe that we have been redeemed, ransomed, purchased by a great price. That price was the death of Christ on a cross. We belong to the King of Kings, and we are heirs to the Heaven.

Whenever my children and I part, my last words to them are always "Remember who you belong to!" I hope these few words serve to remind them of two things...

1. They are loved (loved so much that Christ went to the cross on their behalf)

2.Their behavior should reflect that which we believe and serve as a witness to others.

Not long ago I put the words in vinyl lettering next to a crucifix on the wall in my dining room. Now the kids and I see the words "Remember who you belong to" often throughout the day.

Days gone by...

I figured I could at least take a few posts to share some of what has happened in our lives over the past few months...

For starters.. every year, in October, my family gets together and heads to the Pine Tree Apple Orchard.

No one can pass up the carmel apples, not even little Laney.

A totem of kids!

Magdalene on James' shoulders. Lawrence on Myriah's. My great-niece Alayna on her mamma's shoulders (my niece Cora).

Unfortunately, I didn't charge my camera battery ahead of time. I was hoping for a lot more pictures. Oh well, such is life sometimes. And camera or not, we all had a very fun day.

My return!

I know. I have been neglecting my blog for quite some time. My apologies. I could list a variety of excuses: like the internet issues we had for awhile or the business of life that took priority. But, if truth be told, it's as simple as the longer I spent away from blogging, the harder it was to get back to it. Well, Madison celebrated her 14th birthday on the 14th and what better reason post!

Her favorite gift was a karaoke player. We were all well entertained. The young nieces especially enjoyed singing their pre-school songs and hearing their voices over the microphone. The adults had to take turns acting as referee, making sure each girl had the opportunity to showcase her talents!

Hope you had a wonderful "golden" birthday, my dear Madison! We all love you very much!

Birthday fun!

Family and friends!

(Yes, Myriah was here too. She is behind the camera)

Cupcakes (and ice cream)!

Waterballoons!

Games!

Gifts!

I love you, Teddy Bear! Happy Birthday!

Summer begins!

And we are off to a great start! The Minnesota Catholic Home school Conference was this past weekend. I always enjoy getting a couple days to visit with other "like-minded" moms, listen to the speakers, and, my favorite part, browse through the numerous books and curriculum ideas on display. It is nice to have the time set apart to think through our last school year and to make some decisions about what to accomplish in the next. And it is always fun to come home with a few new books to share with the kids.

Myriah took a few classes at the public high school this past year as well. Due to an incentive program that allows the students to miss the last day of the trimester if there attendance was good, Myriah was done with classes on Friday. So, last night I allowed to kids to start their summer vacation with a camp out, campfire, and smores. (the 2 extra girls are neighbors who joined in on the fun)

Along with the arrival of summer come the critters... some enjoyable, some not so enjoyable.

Here are a couple of are more enjoyable ones. The little redbelly snake (James named Junior) stayed with us in a little tank for a couple of days. He was actually pretty cute and fun to play with (yes, those are my fingers he is wrapped around) but the kids released him today. I am sure we will have plenty more snakes through out the summer. Not a one of my children are the least bit squeamish when it comes to snakes.

As of now, I am listening to the sound of the thunder and rain and enjoying the refreshing cool breeze floating through the window. A perfect opportunity to grab a cup of hot cocoa, a picture book, and a kid or two (or three, or four, or even five) and curl up for a good read. Off to go find a few of those kids...