Our Video Christmas Greeting to YOU!!

May God love you and 

bless you this Christmas season!  

And may you be His presence 

to those around you!

Christmas Ponderings

I'm sitting here less than two hours before the clock strikes midnight on Christmas Eve, sipping some apple cider.  No empty stockings hung here.  No Santa gifts to wake up in the morning.  You see - St. Nicholas already made a visit to our place a couple weeks ago on his feast day.  I'm glad he's just always paid his visit to our family early, so we can focus on Jesus and not have the crazy hustling and bustling that entails when it happens on Christmas morning.  To each his own, but I'm sure thankful for the peace our traditions allow for on the day we celebrate Jesus' birth.

Waking up to a winter wonderland brought so much joy to all of us.  This was actually our first snow of the season.  The littles all went out right away to play.  Big boys had to be shoved out and only because they had a reason to go out... 

(one of the many blessings of having lots of kiddos - so many hands to help!!)

Our poor kitties didn't like the first snow.  They kept darting in anytime the door was opened.  Goofy things!  Your home is outdoors!

We were able to celebrate Mass tonight in celebration of the Word becoming Flesh.  It was such a beautiful Mass and always so touching to remember why we celebrate Christmas.  Our Lord loves us so much to come as an infant.  A cute sweet adorable cooing baby.  We all love babies.  So it's easy to have joy when we think of Our Lord as a wee one.  But at the same time, we know the whole story.  We know *why* he came.  We receive the Body of Christ to feed and nourish us and love us and help us get to our Heavenly Home.  From the cradle to the grave.  He reigns and hopes and waits for us now.  May we all be blessed and gifted to spend all eternity with Him. 

At Mass tonight, we only had 3 young ones with us!!  It was so strange.  But a blessing indeed to share my children as they serve Our Lord and His Church.

Three served up on the altar...

Three beauties gave the gift of their voice...

We shall celebrate on.  For Christmas begins on Christmas Day and continues 12 days til Epiphany!  So, keep up your tree and decorations.  Keep singing those Christmas carols.  Keep the Christmas spirit alive and spread Jesus' love and presence to those around you. 

++Thank you, Jesus, for coming to live with us and guide us and love us.  Help us to return that love to back to you and to those in our lives.++

Aren't grandmas great?

Just a little brag and praising God moment...

**Last week, my mom sent home unfrosted sugar cookies and a tub of frosting for the kids to frost and decorate all on their own.  What a treat this was!!

**Neil's mom has taken in two groups of grandkids to her house recently to decorate cookies - the little boys first and the girls second.  (The big boys will get their turn soon!)

**My mom has also been a baking machine and baking cookies and coffee cakes and treating us 4 girls and all the grandkids with these homemade goodies for the last couple months.  She says she'll keep baking and filling up containers as long as we return them back to her.  I think we can handle that trade!

++Thank you, God, for the wonderful grandparents my children have!!  What a blessing they are!!++

8 is GREAT!!

We have a birthday today!!  An almost Christmas birthday - just four days away.  He's our little miracle baby ~ my scariest c-section yet.  Thanks be to God for his birth and these blessed 8 years with him!! 

In celebrating his 8th birthday, we wanted to share 8 things we love about him...

#1 ~ That he plays legos with me.  

#2 ~ He is so compassionate and caring.  

#3 ~ He plays with me and makes me giggle.  

#4 ~ He plays games with me 

#5 ~ He’s nice to me 

#6 ~ He’s a mischievous little angel 

#7 ~ He’s a mini-me

#8 ~ His creativeness with legos and how he's a little tinkerer and engineer   

And now a look back at this last year with our sweet Pookey...

++Thank you, Lord, for Pookey!!  Please bless him today on his birthday.  Help him feel your love. And please help him feel your presence all throughout the next year!!++

Wordless Wednesday: Our Dancing Sorcerer Mickey (from Fantasmic)

5 Years with this Little Beauty

We celebrated another birthday in our house last Thursday.  Neil was blessed enough to take off work so we could celebrate Rose on her special day.  Fun meals chosen by the birthday girl and a trip to the museum - time together all day as a family!  It couldn't have been better, other than the fact that we had a kid come down with a fever that evening and had to cancel our evening swimming plans.  But after a busy day running around, being home as a family was wonderful too!

So, what do we love about this sweetie?  We normally share the number of the years, but that would only be 5!  When I asked siblings, they all spouted off things, so I have to share more....

**Her Harry Potter scar (Melody)
**She plays legos with us (Pookey)
**She snuggles me and plays with me (Lady)
**She's my little Disney princess (Fone)
**She's a 16 year old stuck in a 5 year old body (Mario)
**Her big beautiful brown eyes (Ariel)
**She's snuggly and cute (Daddy)
**She plays with me (Yoda and Max)
**She is a fashionista (Ariel)
**Her bubbly personality and the joy that radiates from her so beautifully!  (Mommy)

Here's a look back at this past year with her....

 God bless you Rose over the next year ahead!!  May you feel His love and share His love with those around you!  We love you SO much!!  Happy happy happy birthday!!!!