Thanksgiving, last week already?

Where did the last week go? Where did this month go?

We had a good Thanksgiving 2011. A relaxing weekend and there are no complaints about spending time with family, friends and eating good food!










And, of course, we all went to the Water Park on Friday and then headed over to Uncle Travis' afterwards for pizza. The kids enjoy the water park more and more each year.

Our peanut butter boy

November 14th, 2011

Happy Birthday Travis! We love you! Thanks for being such a great brother and Uncle.

Dancing Queen

Here is Faustina in all her 3 year old glory. She is growing so fast and learning so rapidly, it is hard to process everything that is going on with her all the time!



Last night Mike and I went to the movie "Courageous" which we both thoroughly enjoyed. It has an excellent message about parenting, specifically directed at fathers, and it reflects on all sorts of different relationships between family and friends. It was fun to come home last night and after we put Jude to bed, Mike layed in bed with Faustina for at least an hour and they just 'talked'. They talked about all sorts of things - we couldn't believe it! It is so fun to see her mature, see how she responds to the loving attention of her Dad, hear what is on her mind, listen to her opinions (which are very very strong!) on all sort of different random topics ranging to what her favorite animals are and why, to all her friends and relationships to what she thinks about heaven to her looking forward to her "first holy community (translate communion)". Fascinating.

She is growing into quite the young lady and she helps Mom with things around the house and babies. She is cleaning up her room and messes around the house. She is changing clothes outfits about 100 times (if Mom would let her) and she loves her dance class. She can't wait for the baby to come and I am sure she will be a big help!

Paper dolls

In the winter of 2010 I made a 'Paper Dolls' quilt and gave it to one of Faustina's best friends, Belle. I learned a ton making it, it was very fun and I was thrilled with the results! It was the first time I had used the 'free lance' quilting needle and learned how to do my own designs and maneuver the quilt to produce the look I wanted. It is especially fun for kids because it is an interactive quilt. There are 9 dolls on the quilt and then there are clothes that the little girl can put on the dolls to dress them.



I made a second one more recently and Faustina was thoroughly enjoying playing with this quilt. I plan on making more, they are so fun for little girls! There is a pocket on the back to keep the clothes.

Mystery Baby #3

Well, I am most certainly in full fledged 'baby mode', and have been for the past several weeks. Although my due date is Christmas Day, I plan on being ready a few weeks early since Faustina and Jude came 2 weeks early. That gives me 4 more weeks.

Last weekend Mike and I were able to take a 'Baby Moon', I guess some people call it. We were able to take a whole day Saturday to hang out and do whatever we wanted and then stayed at a hotel nearby (compliments of Grandpa and Terry's anniversary gift - thank you!) It was wonderful!! Uncle Travis and Auntie Kim held down the fort here with the kids - these guys just hang on Travis and Kim they can't get enough of them.

Although the baby is not here yet, I officially feel the constant presence of our 3rd child. This baby is kicking me nonstop, I feel the tiny toes and fingers tickling, its elbow and knees are visibly sticking out all over the place. That part is very fun! And thankfully, I do continue to feel very good.

I am excited for Thanksgiving coming soon - this week I plan on making some lefse with Faustina. I, believe it or not!, am looking forward to a pretty snowfall. Advent starts in a few short weeks here. The seasons are in full effect and it is such a fun time of year. And then excitement of the baby grows every day! With this little one, I really will be surprised to find out the gender and we do not have names picked out still! As Faustina and Jude get older, mature, and we learn more of their personalities, it is so fun to imagine what personality #3 will be like.

Beautiful things

Every woman loves beautiful things. I know. But lately I have been obsessing over filling my eyes with images of beauty. It could be that I am in 'nesting mode' with the baby coming only weeks away from now and my belly seems to be growing daily. I want to do my best to get organized, cleaned up and be prepared. It could be that with little people running around the house creating chaos, any beauty quickly turns into...well, chaos. Or it could be this lovely time of year, probably my favorite, when the weather gets cooler and it is ideal to get a down blanket and cozy up with a cup of tea and a book, or a cup of tea to work on quilting. It is probably a combination of all of them.


I am especially prone to find things that I can create and give to people or hopefully hand down to kids as time goes on. I have found much inspiration lately! I'm not sure how much time or energy I'll have to be productive in the next few months, so sometimes flowers are all I need. :) These are from dear husband for my birthday and anniversary.

I am excited about this quilting book I received from my SIL. The quilts, material, inspiration are overwhelming! I'd like to imitate this purple one for Faustina and the patchwork blue and yellow looks like it could be for Jude.




I got this gorgeous yarn in the mail from my brother in Madison and can't wait to figure what to do with it.

I also am very excited about this wonderful cookbook I received from my SIL! It is one of those 'healthy' ones. But I love this stuff and I every so often need inspiration to get back on track with eating and preparing food the way I really want to for our family.


Cheers to fall time in MN! Thankfully, there still a good number of trees that are full of colorful leaves.

All Soul's Day sweets

Yesterday we celebrated All Saints Day, and today we commemorate and pray for All Souls in purgatory preparing to enter heaven. We made cookies this evening with the imprint of the cross to celebrate this feast day.

Scarves!

This is a fun video - for women. I always see women wear such cute scarves (especially here in MN) and wonder "What is the correct way to wrap a fancy scarf?!". Well, here are a few examples. I am newly inspired!

Celebrating birthdayS

Since there are 5 birthdays to celebrate in the span of 4 weeks here in October, today we spent the day with family eating good food and hanging out. Cossetta's pasta with meatballs was on the menu with bread, salad, and chocolate cake.

Cheers to all who are celebrating another year!

7 years ago to the DAY Mike's godson came and no one's life has been the same since! ;) Happy birthday to the Dominator!


And dear X-man...Can't get any more handsome than this birthday guy!

Blessed among women!

Here is Jude yesterday sitting with all the ladies. We had a lovely dinner with friends last night and Jude was certainly out numbered by the female gender. No worries, though, he holds his own. :)


Happy Feast Day yesterday (Oct. 28th) to our little boy!

Layers, layers, layers, and more layers

The books I have been reading the past 6 months have brought up a theme of new levels, depths, and proportions. I am finishing up St. Teresa of Avila's book "Interior Castle" in which she has 7 levels of the 'interior life'. I am loving this book because it really is about a soul and God - forget other people, what other people think, say or do, forget about cultural expectations and norms, stereotypes, etc. What really matters is one's interior life that no one else really even can know - except God, of course. Each level in St. Teresa's book brings more intimacy with God and gives a person freedom to live truth that is refreshing, to say the least.

I am reading C.S. Lewis' "The Great Divorce" in which he lays out an analogy to describe souls and their relationship to God depending on how each one lived its life here on earth. And, again, he describes in an amazing way the levels of intimacy to strive for which could bring one closer to heaven. It reminds me of highschool conversations that had a great impact on me while reading Dante's "Inferno" and his seven rings of sin that lead into Hell. There is a theme here!

This past summer the books I read and some I reread such as Mark Twain's "Joan of Arc", Edwin O'Connor's "The Edge of Sadness", "The Brothers Karamozov", and C.S. Lewis' "Till We Have Faces" all bring to the forefront the layers to life which unfold and how I can learn from them. It is absolutely fascinating to read a book at one point in life and then reread it 10 years later and take completely different lessons from it!

There are layers, and layers, and layers to unfold and to peel back. These authors are so full of truth, so full of wisdom that it is humbling to read such great works. These books show me how much there is to learn. There are always areas to improve in. There are always new things to learn about people even if I have known them for years and years - and there always will be! There, really, is an infinite amount to learn here on earth, and that is exciting!

These books truly are inspiring as I do my best to live each day, learn and move forward. Trying my best to raise children, be a wife, friend, family member, serve others and use any God-given talents can seem taxing, burdensome and only a struggle many days; but then again, stepping back and reading these great works of literature and seeing a story from beginning to end in its entirety give me a new perspective of hope and purpose. There is much work to be done!

Testosterone

5 boys
1 pair of twins
2 boys named Paul
2 3 month old babes
Under age of 2 1/2
happy boys

My Thursdays and Fridays.

In cahoots

These two.....are trouble! At least today that was the case. Do you see them laughing at me, with that gleam in their eyes?


Today I felt like the stepmother in the movie Parent Trap that the twin girls were so cruel to. These are a few of the things I encountered today when I was away from Faustina and Jude for under 5 minutes. The clue was when they are too quiet.

- coming downstairs to find a case of sprite cans having been thrown into our washing machine - which meant they climbed up to get the sprite. Luckily I caught them before they turned it on!

- Going into the bathroom to find both of them standing barefoot in our bathroom sink squeezing huge globs of toothpaste onto random tooth brushes and eating it! Jude, over course, with soaked pants from turning the faucet on.

- Faustina having brought a bag of apples outside to the front boulevard and both Faustina and Jude were chucking apples into the street and laughing hysterically

- going into our bedroom to find Jude standing on my dresser with a screw driver trying to screw a nail into the wall

These things all happened before I put them down for rest time around 1pm. During the course of the next 2 hours of rest time Jude soiled himself 3 different times while continuously 'escaping' from his crib - which meant climbing out and then Faustina opening the door of his room for him to get out. I found both of them sitting on Faustina's bed scheming. I probably put Jude back into his crib over 45 times today and half of the time with a spank. This is most certainly a new problem.

I did find myself laughing, however, at the end of the day as I looked out the window at them playing and they made a game of facing each other about 30 feet apart with their arms wide open and then running full speed at each other to give a hug and then falling down on the grass. They did that about 20 times. And at least that was pretty cute instead of naughty. If they are going to drive me crazy some days....at least they get along together as siblings doing it.....I don't know what was in the water today.

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

This is interesting and worth the 15 minutes. He was an impressive individual and he shares 3 lessons he learned in life: follow your heart, spend your life doing what you love, and remember every day of your life that you will soon die. And he did die at the early age of 56. Wow, did he do a lot in those few years.

Our Lady of the Rosary

"It could be said that each mystery of the rosary, carefully meditated, shed light on the mystery of man. 'Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you' (Ps 55:23). To pray the rosary is to hand over our burdens to the merciful hearts of Christ and his Mother. The rosary does indeed 'mark the rhythm of human life,' bringing it into harmony with the 'rhythm' of God's own life, in the joyful communion of the Holy Trinity, our life's destiny and deepest longing. Through the rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer."
-Blessed John Paul II

Soaking in the Fall

By far, this is my favorite time of year. I love the temperature, the fall colors, the smell in the air and it was always associated with the soccer season and new school year which are both exciting times.

Today we went to an apple orchard with some friends - this was our third time in the last few weeks and probably won't be our last. Today we did not even purchase any of the yummy honey crisp or sweet tango apples, we just took in the countryside, had a picnic and hung out. What more could one ask for? After the orchard, we drove through the Hastings, Afton, and St. Croix River areas just to enjoy the country side.

I am so so thankful we are having nice weather before colder weather and winter come!! Soaking in these last bits of warm temperature will last me through the cold months.

The Mississippi Blvd a few blocks from our place has also been the place where we have been spending mornings with the amazing colors and nice trails. Gotta love MN. Have not been taking many pictures the last few months. I guess it has been good to just take in some of the moments without 'having to get that picture!"