Feast day of Saint Michael the Archangel

The is such an awesome picture... I love the images of Saint Michael being victorious over the enemy.

I especially appreciate days commemorating the guardian angels and archangels. Thank goodness for the reminders that we are certainly not alone.

And Saint Michael is my dear husband's namesake - it's a good one!

Alas, one of my favorite prayers:

"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray. And do though, O Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, by the Divine power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen."

The process begins...

of potty training that is.


Jude is now 25 months old and he is talking all the time about the potty and going 'poo-poo'. He is very aware and always informs me of his activity while he has a diaper on; I figure, why not try to make some process with potty training while he is thinking about it.

I am not expecting much, but, again, why not try - especially before the baby comes. He has now gone on the potty about a dozen times. And he is wearing big kid pants around the house. I must say, I love seeing him run around with his cherubim body!


After I took a picture of him facing forward, he immediately turned around and demanded "Another picture Momma!!". It was like he was taking mug shots.




And this last picture? Well, Faustina would not be left out of the picture taking fun. She insisted on a picture with her friend, Julien. Jude has been going around to everyone with this goofy stance and holding up this picture in front of his face and yelling, "Smile!".

Mr. Poirot

We can't get enough of him! Really, we are obsessed.

Hercule Poirot is the genius detective in the Agatha Christie books. The BBC movies are absolutely captivating and addicting. A good friend owns them all and we will be lost when we have eventually seen them all. I have never been a 'mystery' or 'detective' story person, but I must admit, I really love these movies! About 6 months ago we got rid of cable (best thing we'd done in awhile since 99.9% is junk) and so we are more creative in our movie/t.v. entertainment.

I go in waves of having knitting projects on hand. This one has proved to be frustrating as I have taken it out to redo portions of it when the first time it came out looking like a 1980's sweater with shoulder pads. At this point it is a little big for Faustina, but maybe by winter time it will be appropriate? We'll see. I still have finishing touches to put on it. I've tried to work on it during the Poirot movies - but they are too captivating! As the weather gets colder...I will have more and more 'indoors' time to work on such things.

2 Years today

Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we worship you, because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.


We miss you uncontrollably, Grandma! At the same time, I am so thankful for the presence you continue to be in our lives every day because of the Mother, Grandma, and friend you were.

Babies seen, babies unseen, babies everywhere

These past couple weeks I have had babies, babies, babies on the mind!

A week ago when I was at Adoration, I got into a conversation with the guy that comes the hour after me. Somehow we got on the topic of abortion and he gave me the book Unplanned to read which I had been wanting to read for awhile.

It is a great book! A quick read, I read it the very next day almost in one sitting. It is the story of a young woman who spends 8 years working for Planned Parenthood and how she becomes pro-life. It was good to hear Abby Johnson's explanation of her pro-choice thinking - she convinced herself she was helping women and trying to minimize abortions. In the end, when she saw an abortion happening on the ultrasound screen for the first time in her life, she left the clinic that she was in charge of and never came back. It is a story that is inspiring as she searches for truth and how God leads her every step. It had a big impact on me and there were some things that I needed to think about that the book providentially presented to me.

Over Labor Day weekend I volunteered at the Pro-life booth at the State Fair and it is fascinating to see people's reactions to the simple display of an ultrasound on the t.v. and to have parents come over and show their children the model displays of different babies while they are in the womb. Fascinating. I understand there is a great deal of history behind each individual and their beliefs, where they are coming from etc. But when you see ultrasounds, when a woman has children of her own, when she feels a baby move inside her, how can one possible decide to abort this little child? I know, it is one of the most controversial topics today, and it will be for the foreseeable future. It was a good experience and I would certainly volunteer again.

Also, we have a new little friend here as of last week - Baby Paul. He is very sweet and a content little guy. Faustina and Jude are loving having him around! Faustina, especially, is getting excited for December when her sibling will arrive. Jude continually gives my belly kisses and talks about the baby.


And I....am feeling a lot more pregnant! But I really cannot complain. I have felt so good this whole pregnancy, and although I am starting to slow down, I still have enough energy. This baby is kicking me like crazy and it is very fun to be carrying him/her. I no longer feel like I only have 2 kids in my house, I definitely have THREE children, I am just carrying the third one everywhere!

Stairs complete!

I am pleased to report that the stair project - around 3+ years in the making - is now complete!

I just have to pump a few more screws in each spindle and tighten. Otherwise, it's finally done. It is pleasing to see this project come to a close, and that it looks much like I envisioned three years ago.

Deo gratias!

Performances

Faustina does not sleep during her rest times anymore unless I lay down with her, which I am most often not able to do. So, I hear her choreographing many many songs and dances in her room. Today she was quite eager to show me her new 'performance' as she calls it. It is interesting to think where she comes up with this stuff, she never really hears Christian rock! But she is very excited about her dance and tap classes which start soon.

Exhaltation of the Cross novena

It is a special time of the year as I remember Labor Day 2009 to September 14th. During this time, my Mother was preparing to see God, and she truly was carrying a heavy cross! A tradition is falling into place to pray a Exaltation of the Holy Cross novena during these nine days leading up to the 14th. I am confident there is a special grace present for our family as we remember Grandma. Pray for us, Mom! - we need your intercession.

Here is the novena.

Here is the chaplet of the Way of the Cross.

The Autistic Eye

This video is pretty amazing. Last night we had friends over, one couple has a 13 year old autistic boy and another friend has her MA in psychology specializing in the area of disabled children. It is fascinating to try to understand autistic childrens' perspective and what is going on in their minds. So many many autistic individuals are incredibly talented and each one has their unique personality. One of our friends was sharing a story about a family she knows that had several children of their own and then adopted an autistic child. 2 years later they set out to find another autistic or child with down syndrome child they could care for and love. These individuals with disabilities must have a special place in God's kingdom. This Stephen Wiltshire flys over the city of Rome for an hour, and he is able to sketch the whole city in minute detail from memory. Unbelievable!