Weekend at the Cabin

This weekend we were fortunate to be able to spend time near Detroit Lakes with our friends the Toenjes'. They have a wonderfully peaceful 80 acres of land with a delightful cabin (more of a house).

Mike was able to discover the joy of ATVs. They really are fun!

We learned that Jude can have an uncanny resemblance to Chris Farley!

And we found that while Jude loves boat rides, Faustina is not quite so sure....

We had a great time and now it is back to the grind. The new school year is upon us and Mike is as busy as can be.

Ottawa

We spent 2 days exploring Ottawa which is the capital of Canada. It very much has a European feel to it. Most people are bilingual speaking French and English; everyone (in the downtown area) was busy, thin, and dressed up. It has a magnificent parliament which is the focal point of the downtown.We walked around a lot, Faustina had a bit of meltdown for awhile since she was tired; Jude slept in the backpack.

We stopped at a playground for awhile and there happened to be an Eastern Orthodox Church next to the park. We checked it out and talked to the priest for awhile. Orthodox churches always have such gorgeous icons and art work.


We ate at an Italian Trattoria in what is called the "Little Italy" area and it was spectacular. This place had homemade noodles and the whole bit. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Then we spent half a day at the Museum of Civilizations. It was just okay. They had a huge play area for kids. Mike and I are probably old fogies as we think that play stuff for kids can be...kind of lame. But it is suppose to be the best museum in Ottawa so we gave it a try. Mike helped Faustina build a boat in the craft area.

Back to our trip!

It is hard to believe that we went on our family road trip a month ago already!

A few nights ago we cleaned up our basement and put the computer down here so it feels like our house size has doubled! Not to mentioned that blogging is much easier which is why I am now motivated.

Our journey through Michigan's Upper Peninsula was enjoyable. It reminds me very much of the North Shore. We stopped at our absolute favorite restaurant in Michigan called Jeanne's Cafe. This food is amazing; it is one of those places that looks like a hole in the wall but it is a goldmine of food excellence! Everything is made from scratch - it really is gourmet cooking. Mike had a pasty (pronounced pass-tee)and I had my fish and chips. Their coleslaw is the best and their homemade pies are to die for.


We had a pizza dinner in Mackinaw and then walked around the tourist area for a few hours. We have grown fond of Mackinaw since we spent several days there last summer and enjoyed our time.

We got up early the next morning and headed north to Sault Ste. Marie on the border of Canada and Michigan. We arrived early in the morning, had a good breakfast at a local cafe and then found a wonderful orthodox mass at 8am. Afterward we headed over to a park across the street to relax for a bit. As I was cleaning out the car we chatted with a neighbor who lived there for forty years and we heard all about Sault Ste. Marie and the changes that have taken place over the years.

We ventured into Canada and we immediately knew we were in a different country. It had a different feel to it. The country side was vast and there was NOTHING in between small small towns. These small towns were few and very far between and a town could consist of 10 houses and one gas station. The U.S. has small towns but you usually don't drive more than 30 miles before you come to another town.

In the middle of the day we stopped in a bigger town that happened to be having an old car show. It was fun to see the vintage cars and we spent about 3 hours in a bar with the kids watching the championship World Cup game. Everyone in the bar took quite a liking to the kids. Faustina played with the pool table while we chatted with a woman drinking several Budlights, she used a cane, had a lazy eye and a missing tooth. It was quite an experience!


To pass time during our drive I read "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" aloud. We listened to music and several Catholic Lighthouse media cd's. We listened to one talk by Scott Hahn and were completely taken in by a new revelation (to us) about what Christ meant in the garden when he said, "Take this CUP from me". Hahn explained how in the Jewish passover there are four different times when a cup is passed around for all to drink from. During the Last Supper, Christ did not take a sip from the cup the fourth round. In the garden, when he was saying 'Take this cup from me' - he actually IS the cup as he knows he is on his way to sacrificing his life for humanity. Christ is the fourth cup since he is the sacrificial lamb. Anyway, Hahn obviously explains it much more clearly and it is fascinating.


Because we were so engrossed in this theological explanation, we did not fill up our gas tank during the evening and in Canada gas station close at 8pm on Sundays!! So around 11:30 am we were intensely praying a rosary (I kid you not) so that first of all we would not get stranded in the middle of NOWHERE and have bears come maul our car and secondly that we could find gas somewhere. I mean, we were fearing that the van would die in the middle of the highway in the pitch black where you can see your hand in front of your face - no exaggeration. We were denied at several locations and then at 12:30am as a last ditch effort we knocked on a house door by the highway in the country. After a few minutes an older man came out in his underwear (!) and was very friendly. He gave a us 1/2 tank of gas and we gave him all the cash we had on us (only $19.00!). Our prayers were heard and we made it into the outskirts of Ottawa around 3am and stayed at a Holiday Inn.

Faustina and Jude woke up in the morning and were as happy and could be; we could have used a few more hours of sleep!

Birthday boy with his cake

Tonight we celebrated Jude's birthday with family and friends. We enjoyed a Mexican meal with Mike's favorite enchiladas - Jude liked them too! He thoroughly enjoyed his chocolate birthday cake and a bath was in order directly afterward. As you can see, he had no reservations!

Our son on his first birthday

It was one year ago that our little boy was born; since Grandma Lee was here to greet Jude and he was born at home, his birth truly was a spectacular event.


What is there to say about Jude? These pictures explain his personality far better than I could ever attempt. It is hard to pick out pictures of him because he is so happy in all of them! Any time we look at him or say his name, he returns our attention with an enormous smile.


Our Jude is the most joyful and the most gentle little person I have known. Really! He is! We love him so much and are so proud of him.

His smile, his chubby legs, his round blue eyes, and his soft jolly belly just beg a person to hold him and cuddle him.

We love you Jude and may the Lord bless you this next year!

The rich man went away sad

I find that it is so easy to become 'comfortable' with all the possessions I am blessed with. Most of the time, my blessings seem to result in me wanting more! It is easy to be disappointed or sad if things to do not go my way. Today's gospel is the parable of Jesus asking the rich young man to sell his possessions; the rich man chose to keep his possessions instead of following Christ. I was struck by a reflection on this parable about the fact that the rich man went away sad.

"He became sad at exchanging the chance of eternal life for a handful of dust. He preferred to keep his dust, his wealth instead of choosing the imperishable gift offered by Christ. Sadness does a good deal of harm to the soul. Like a moth in clothing, or a maggot in wood, sorrow gnaws at the human heart, and predisposes one to evil. We have to react right away if at any time sadness should come over our soul: Delight your soul and comfort your heart, and remove sorrow far from you, for sorrow has destroyed many and there is no profit in it." - In Conversation With God

I love the hard core meditations - they say it like it is.

L.D.

Last Thursday, the kids and I were lucky enough to spend time with Uncle Travis as we rode down to Canon Falls to visit Grandpa at Servant Camp. Everyone loves Uncle Travis. He is so easy to talk to, the kids have a special attachment to him, and his dry, creative humor never fails to make a person laugh.

As Faustina was in the back seat telling us about life, directing us where to drive, and trying to take charge of Jude, Travis gave her the nickname L.D. - "The Little Dictator". Uncle Travis went on to give Faustina a history lesson as he strongly encouraged her not to be a dictator. Historically speaking, he explained, dictators do not fair very well. They rule for a short while, but since a dictator does not have 'his people' behind him, they are soon overthrown only to be marked as tyrants by history books.

Perhaps we all can be 'Little Dictators' at times, I am learning it can be quite a prominent characteristic at the age of 2!

Summer Book Seminar

For six consecutive weeks this summer, we hosted a book seminar with sophomore students from Saint Agnes School.

During the six sessions we read short works from the following authors:

Graham Greene
John Henry Cardinal Newman
G.K. Chesterton
T.S. Eliot

We spent the last three sessions reading C.S. Lewis' "Till We Have Faces" which is his finest novel. I have grown to love this book and it is one of my favorites. It touches upon the most important questions/issues that every human must face: suffering, love, God, faith, reason, loss, and beauty. Ultimately, the book is about conversion and possessing what I'd call beauty of soul. The book is in many ways like Job.

C.S. Lewis spent much of his life writing it and one can see that it is also a very personal work. In it is his own conversion from atheism, his brief relationship with Joy Davidman, his knowledge of history and myth, the tension between faith and reason, and his apologetic against the modern, skeptical mind.

It is a fascinating work. I'd recommend it to anyone: the agnostic, atheist, the Christian, the Jew... I've been thinking too that it's a great book for someone who has lost a loved one in the recent past or a person who is experiencing suffering.

So, go and get a copy like these "wise-idiots" did (that's what sopho-more means)!

Here's a picture of C.S. Lewis... in his bathrobe?

The monument is up

A little over a week ago, Mom's monument was put in place at Resurrection cemetery. It really is beautiful. I love the quote from Romans 8:28, and I especially love that Mom and Dad's name is written in Mom's handwriting. The monument has her signature. She had such gorgeous handwriting that it adds an artistic touch to the monument.

These pictures are from a week ago when I went out there with the kids, but this past Saturday morning we had a family and friends gathering at the cemetery to honor Mom and be together. There were about 25 people present; Grandma Saunders and Debbie Binde drove down to be with us which was very special. Grandpa bought helium balloons and the grandkids let them go. I lost it and spent much of the time in tears; I guess I was not totally surprised, it has been several months since I have had those emotions come out. I suppose it is a good and fine thing to happen. I miss her terribly and as I sit here the tears come very easily! I know it will always be the case that I miss her so much; people say that as time goes on, the tears become less and less. We'll see. It is quite peaceful out at Resurrection and I hope to go there frequently, especially now that the monument is here.

Very vogue

These shoes just crack me up. They are so cute and make Faustina look like a fashionable young woman. The funny thing about them is that they actually have a small heel which, of course, is so 'grown-up'. Auntie Kim gave them to her a few days ago and they are the hot item in the Adkins' household. Faustina slept in them for two nights and makes sure she always knows where they are. Pretty funny.

Another great internet tool

Anyone who loves books should check out "LibraryThing". This website is fantastic! It basically allows a person to have a very organized library catalog online. Enter in all of your books and keep track of your own personal library. In case of a disaster such as a flood or fire, a person would have a reliable record of the entire library. Also, you can find recommendations from people who read similar books to you, you can organize your books in several different ways, write reviews, lists of books you want to read, keep track of lending books out to friends, etc.

You are what you are read

"You are what you eat. You are what you do. You are who you hang out with. You are what you watch on t.v. and movies. You are what your priorities are. You are what you love. And You are what you read." It is just true. All these factors shape the person I am always evolving into. It is just human nature; it is the way God made us. I have been hearing it since I was a young girl, but the lesson reaches me in a new what as I get older, mature, and raise children.

Lately I have been reading novels written by Louis de Wohl about saints. These are not fact books about saints or even the saints' own writings which are filled with wisdom and insight; these are works of historical fiction which have totally captivated my imagination and bring me into different worlds and, as a result, change my current way of thinking. I have been shocked lately how reading about Catherine of Siena has changed little things in my daily life. Reading about who she was as a person has made me want to pray more, work harder around the house, refrain from any sort of gossip or wrong speech, serve others more, be a better wife and mother, and the list goes on. Usually, I find that I need to pray for grace for these things or work really hard at them; but as I have read this particular novel, my mind is filled with story after story of great works she did and as these thoughts are on my mind - I find myself, almost blindly, following her example.

Several months ago I read a book with a group of people which I ended up strongly disliking. I had a conversation with a friend about it and she was saying how she liked it because it shows human nature is fallen and it describes what sin looks like. I agree that some books (like The Brother Karamazov does this well) can pull this off; ultimately, I would argue, there needs to be hope and redemption of some sort that points the story toward truth. This book did not have that characteristic as it was only grey, confusing, and disturbing. I was bummed that I wasted time reading it when I could have been filling my mind with other great works. I often think of a young man at the college I went to that often wore a sweatshirt that said, "So many books, so little time" on it. He is right! And I want to make sure I read the good ones.

Our little girl with a fierce will

As Faustina grows and matures, her will continues to exert itself in big ways. She knows what she wants and she does not rest until she is either satisfied or silenced by her parents. She is persistent, adamant, and she is very aware...of everything .

A few days ago we were driving and as I turned left she starting yelling at me, "No, Mama. Stop! Stop! Go that way. Don't go this way. Go NORTH!" I had a difficult time quieting her and convincing her that I was going in the right direction. She is already a back seat driver.

Yesterday when one of our friends came over, she ran to do the door and she yelled, "Oh, Mama, Aidric is here! I must go see him!" She went out the front door only to return a few seconds to say, "Mama! Come! Now! You must come outside too! Now!" And she was yelling all these order at me.

This morning as I set breakfast in front of her she ate one bit and then said. "Mama, I am done. I will not eat any more." And then when I did not respond she started yelling, "Mama, I will not eat anymore!" And she was jumping up and down. I started laughing because it was such unnecessary behavior and unsolicited. She looked at me with a frown and and then started yelling. "No, Mama! Stop laughing! It is not funny!" Eventually, she started giggling (since I was laughing so much); she does have a sense of humor. :)

All these instances are quite telling to me because she initiates them and often I do little to encourage her stubborn bouts. It is almost as if she is simply trying to express and exert her will so that I know what she wants and I 'obey' her. It is fascinating how a little one's nature surfaces at such a young age.

Since I am reading a novel about St. Catherine of Siena who also had a will of steel, I am confident that the Lord can use this trait of Faustina's for his good!

Goodbye St. Paul, hello South Bend Indiana

We are excited for John, Mary and the kids to embark on their new stage in life as they move down to South Bend for John's new job position as headmaster at Trinity School; selfishly, we will miss them terribly!

We had a brunch at the Adkins' household on Sunday with everyone. We will all be together briefly tomorrow morning, and then John heads down to their new home. He will come back for Mary and the kids in a few weeks. Everything happened very quickly in the process of John accepting this new position and it hard to wrap my mind around the fact that we will be losing half the Lee family in St. Paul! The cliche is that 'You never know what a new day will bring.' Over the course of this past year, I have come to realize how true this is.

An architect in training?

Faustina ran up to me giddy with giggles and said,"Look, Mamma!" I built a castle for Jude!" She likes to live simply.

Second time is a charm...

And hopefully there is no need for a third time! Wednesday morning Jude had a second surgery on his left kidneys. It was the same procedure that he had done last fall. The doctor said it went well and we'll wait and see how things look in a month or so at his check up.


What else is new with Jude? A lot!!

Our poor little guy who is never (really, it is true!) crabby unless there is something terribly wrong has been writhing in pain as his first little tooth is popping through on the bottom. We are keeping tylenol close at hand! I must admit, I will miss his gum smile. :)

Faustina and I have also begun to call him "Mr. Squirmy" since he is no longer content to be held or stay in the exersaucer; he wants to be crawling and exploring every waking minute. I need to start keeping the floors cleaner now, or else he becomes my human sweeper. Not only is he crawling, but he is now pulling himself up on objects and standing!

And finally, our little dark haired wonder who has always had a full head of hair (the comb over and all) is turning blond. He is actually is very stylish as it looks like he has highlights!


I have said it before, but really, I can't get enough of this little guy - he is so wonderful!

Go, Twins!

Last night, the whole Lee family (we missed Aaron's family in Madison) went to a Twins game at the new stadium compliments Uncle Travis. I must say, the new stadium is very fun; our seats were way up top and you could everything quite nicely. Faustina had a terrific time as she just soaks those events up as she registers all the new experiences and people. She and Audrey are quite the pair. They are very amusing, to say the least.

July 2010 trip - Day 1

On Sunday we got home from our road trip up to Montreal, Canada. With Mike working at a school, our family is fortunate to often be able to take a longer summer trip. We had a great trip; the kids were wonderful in the car and we were able to relax and see many things. A few of our highlights are:
- exploring our new favorite city Montreal
- visiting 723,827 parks since that was always Faustina's choice of activity
- visiting beautiful churches in Montreal (these churches competed with the Churches in Rome, they were AMAZING)
- horse carriage rides
- eating at a terrific Italian restaurant in Ottawa
- walking around downtown Ottawa and checking out the parliament building and grounds
- listening to quality talks in the car from the Catholic Lighthouse Media CDs
- soaking in the country side during our car ride
- taking time for daily prayer times, something that doesn't always happen in our hectic life at home
- relaxing and doing whatever we want!

I'll post pictures from each of our days. Our first day of the trip we drove through Wisconsin and stopped at Nicolet National Park which was absolutely fantastic. We saw a black bear on our way into our camp site, so we made sure to not bring any food in the tent! Faustina was a big fan of our spagetti dinner and she fit right in with her lawn chair.

July 4th with the Lee family

Over the 4th the whole Lee clan was able to gather at Shell Lake in Northern Wisconsin for a camping weekend. Of course, our camera lost battery a few hours into the trip, so unfortunately we didn't get many pictures.

The kids had a fun time with cousins, Ruby is getting so big and is very very cute, and Henry and Liam were riding bikes all over the campsite. As always, we had gourmet food (camp style this time!) and it is fun to relax and chat with everyone.

Within a few minutes of our arrival Grandpa woke up from his nap and his back gave out on him completely. I must say, it actually was frightening, he was in so much pain. John and I took him into the local clinic and they gave him some medication to help relieve the pain. Grandpa spent the weekend in a cottage on the lake where he could be comfortable with his back. We missed him terribly; it will take awhile for him to be 100% again.

We missed Grandpa. And we missed Grandma. Grandma loved camping and she would have loved every minute of it being outdoors and with her grandchildren. As much as things do not always go our way, we continue to thank the Lord for all of our blessings.