The BEST Things in Life Are FREE

Yup, that's how he often goes to sleep.

Some would say I am "spoiling" him...

I think I'm spoiling me!

The Day Was Warm but the Water Was COLD!!!

I FINALLY got to meet my best friend's new baby...

on May 31st (yeah, I know...I'm behind again!)

He is adorable!

Got a chance to hold him...

but best of all...

I managed to get him off to the Land of Nod!

We had a nice picnic and then wandered across the street ...

TO THE BEACH!!!

My kids are such beach bums...but little did I expect them...

TO GO IN THE WATER!!!

Thay had a blast...

Fishing....

Digging...

for sand crabs...

While we ladies just sat back and watched...

(thank goodness for Lovey...

He's the one who kept an eye on the munchkins!)

NICE DAY....AHHHHHH.

A MONTH???

I can't believe I have not posted for a MONTH!!!

In that time, we had Tillie's First Holy Communion party...

to which she actually wore the dress and veil (sans shoes).

We finished our Homeschool Co-op year...

and I was elected President for next year (ugh).

I offered to be one of the class "leaders" for

Vacation Bible School this year.

The girls got a four good riding lessons in...

We went to Chicagoland to attend my nephew's

High School Graduation...and

And Eagle Scout Ceremony...

(these are the scouts)

(these are FUTURE Scouts)

We Drove. ('nuf said).

Thank the Good Lord for DVD players in cars :)

It has been fun & crazy...

Hopefully, I will be able to post more often this month...

HA...this month is even busier!

Yikes!

First Holy Communion!

Tilly is my most sensitive child.

She frightens easily,

takes offense readily...

PANICS regularly.

We decided to prepare her for her

First Holy Communion

this year anyway.

She Wanted to receive Jesus

she just worries...

Well, today, May 1, 2009

at the 7:15 am Mass,

with NO fanfare or fancy dress...

SHE DID IT!!!



I am so absolutely proud of her.

It was hard

(maybe not as hard as the First Confession)

but, she went through with it.

I cried.

She is so sweet,

and now she has a better idea

of how Sweet Our Lord is too.

She plans to wear the fancy dress to Mass
on Sunday...our parish has a nice event
crowning the Blessed Mother
with all of the First Communicants in attendance.
We will have a party for her Sunday afternoon.
WHEW!!!

A Year of Fun and Frustration

This Photo has nothing to do with this post,

except that I love it...and especially those in it!

(Scooter the shepherd, Tilly & Snorkie the sheep!)

Today is my ONE YEAR

BLOG-A-VERSARY!

This has been a really interesting year.

I started out reading other blogs,

then commenting, then felt compelled to start my own.

I had great plans...SO many ideas,

posts being composed in my head most hours of the day.

It got crazy.

I had a post idea that I still haven't written,

that took over my waking and sleeping time...

It was about Humility...

I still can't write it...Someday, maybe.

Our family has run the gammut

from serious illness and injury...

Happiness of conceiving, sadness of miscarrying...

Finally losing MOST of the weight that I need to...

the fun of Scooter becoming a really good reader & Tilly

Reading Dr Seuss to Snorkie on a regular basis.

I have gotten some organizing done around here...

but not nearly enough...

I've spent HOURS reading other blogs

that I don't even have on my blog roll because

I have NO TIME to update the silly thing!

I wanted to say deep and interesting things...

about my life, my history, my Faith...

and some funny ones, too...

Mostly I seem to post about the kids...

but that is good for the In-Laws out of state!

So all in all-

it has been fun.

I can't promise more posts,

or more interesting thoughts,

or even humor that doesn't come from Snorkie...

But I do promise to keep trying.

and I promise to get one of those "follow" buttons

on my blog one of these days!

PAX CHRISTI

He Is Risen!

We had a GLORIOUS Easter Mass...

Entering the church to the organ and brass

sounds of Beethoven's Ode to Joy...

Beautiful vestments, our parish's lovely

statue of the Risen Christ in it's honored position...

I am not afraid to say that I had a hard time

singing...I was so choked up...

His sacrifice

For Me...

Oh, how wonderful is the Holy Mass!

After Mass, we HAD to try to get our annual

Easter Picture...

We decided to close the dining room drapes

for a backdrop...every other square inch of my walls

has Stuff on it...that just does not work well

behind a family photo...

Of course on the first one (bottom)

we didn't think to pull the shades down...oops)

I think they came our fairly well...

Somehow,

I like the more candid one that hubby snapped

without being in it...maybe it's because

Snorkie was giving me a hug!

Now, we get to CELEBRATE Easter

for 50 more days!!!

(Snorkie reminded me today that we could

buy donuts, since Lent is over!)
Happy Easter Everyone!

He Is Risen, Indeed!

Holy Week & Fasting

Holy Week is upon us...

I have found myself in the position of having

to abandon the fasting that I had planned

and executed so far during Lent...

for various reasons...

SO,

I've decided to take a RADICAL step.

I'm FASTING from

BLOGGING.

It may well be more difficult than

giving up sweets, or coffee, or even limiting

myself to "fasting bread".

I know that I learn so much from so many

of you wonderful bloggers out there,

but I have to do it.

I will catch up with you all...

(my reader will be rediculously full)

after Easter Sunday!

PAX CHRISTI

World's Shortest Fairy Tale

My Dad sent this to me a while ago...

those of you who read my

Very Short Fairy Tale post

might enjoy reading this one, too!


World's Shortest Fairy Tale...
Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl

'Will you marry me?'

The girl said, 'NO!'

The guy lived happily ever after

and rode motorcycles and went fishing

and hunting and skiing

and played golf a lot

and drank beer and scotch

and left the toilet seat up

and farted whenever he wanted!

THE END



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Good News, but Keep Praying!

Baby Patrick is improving by leaps and bounds...

His mom attributes his condition to all your prayers!

Mom's doc discharged her on Thursday, knowing

how much she needed to be with her baby.

He was out of the incubator, but still on oxygen,

plus many more issues...

Yesterday when his mom & dad went to see him

he was NO LONGER on oxygen,

and they had removed

the drainage line from his lungs!!!

Mom held him for THREE HOURS!!!

(She gave him up to Daddy for a little while.)

He cooed and cuddled and just wrapped those

two big adults around his tiny fingers!

They even got to change diapers!!!

It is so cute, how much the little things mean,

when you are in such a challenging situation.

Patrick Joseph is still on IV feeding...

We are praying that all the doctors agree to let him

have some of Mommy's milk...

she has plenty of bottles full, but would be

OVER THE MOON

if she had the chance to nurse him today!

The biggest question going forward is the question

of whether he has something called

Hirschsprung Disease...

It is a condition where the nerves that line the

large intestine are not functional, or missing...

This results in constipation, because the nerves are

what "move things along" down there.

It can involve a small or large length of bowel.

They took a biopsy and are awaiting results...

If it turns out to be Hirschsprung Disease,

they will probably have to do surgery...

In the meanwhile, the little guy decided to go

and start pooping all on his own!

We are praying for the least invasive

and disruptive situation.

Thank you for praying for this family

and for Patrick Joseph especially.

Please pray, as well for all the other babies in

NICU...at this hospital and many others...

It is heartbreaking to see such little babies

having such difficulties.

Keep up the good work!

Pray, Pray, Pray!

Urgent Prayer Request

Please pray for my best friend Anita and her new baby

who are both having tremendous difficulties.

Baby Patrick was born by emergency c-section

due to increasing toxemia.

He is about four weeks early, though just shy of 6#s.

He is having breathing and possibly bowel problems.

The worst part may be that he was transfered to a

different hospital than the one that Anita is in.

Pray that both their conditions are resolved

Quickly and Completely,

and that they are reunited very soon.

(she has only gotten to hold him for a

few minutes before thay transfered him).

Please add their names to any prayer lists you can.

This is her only child and she is beyond worried.

Thank you all & God Bless