7 quick takes - a week in review

Christmas is coming!!!  Only one more week!!

#1 - Last week we celebrated two Mexican feasts in our domestic church - Saint Juan Diego and Our Lady Guadalupe!!  Easy kid friendly Mexican food was served both days.  How great it is to be Catholic and having so many reasons to celebrate!!

++Saint Juan Diego and Our Lady Guadalupe, pray for us!!++

#2 - Neil and our big boys got to test out those cool new guns that Saint Nicholas brought them.  Fone was extra prepared and had 4, yes FOUR, pairs of pants on for cushion.  Such a goofey kid!!  I don't know who had more fun - the three of them running around the yard or the little kids and I on the inside running around from window to window to watch the air soft wars.  

#3 - We celebrated another special saint on Saturday and surprised the kids with our plans....  After Mass, we grabbed a bite to eat and had a "picnic" in the van and drove around our area to see all the beautiful Christmas lights.  Thank God for Facebook and my wonderful friends who offered all the suggestions on where to go.  Our favorites were a house that had a light show set to all the Frozen songs and another house that had hundreds of blow up decorations.  What a fun way to celebrate the patron of LIGHT!!

++Saint Lucy, pray for us!!++

#4 - The big girls and I treated ourselves to a fun brunch and show at a local dinner theater.  We went with a good friend and her two oldest daughters.  Twas the Night Before Christmas was showing and we were all happy with both the performance and the delicious food!  

#5 - Christmas caroling on Sunday in the town where I grew up!!  Neil took the 4 big kids out while I stayed back at the church hall with the 4 littles - you gotta do what works, eh?   Taking a toddler and a baby outside this time of year doesn't work too well, and Pookey and Mark were not too thrilled wandering around outside in the dark either.  After the caroling bunch was done, we all shared and enjoyed cookies and hot chocolate at the hall!!    (It was a jam-packed weekend of fun, family, food, and faith!!)

#6 - This beauty of ours celebrated her second Baptismal anniversary as well.  Keep shining His light sweet Rose!!  

#7 - Christmas is coming, right?  And we all know who that special day is about?  Santa?  NO!  (St. Nicholas comes to our house weeks earlier to allow the focus on Who it should be on Christmas). Me?  NO?  (It's definitely not about me, myself and I and what I get, although the Who is actually a gift for us all.  We don't buy our kids any Christmas gifts for THE Gift has already been given). It is about Our Heavenly Father sending Love down to us all to be with us in a very real way.  It is about a Baby who is the One who will save us all!  Ah yes, Jesus, the Messiah, born on Christmas Day - THE best gift of all!!  Still waiting and still preparing!!  It's almost here!!!

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7 quick takes - a little bit of this and a little bit of that

Lots of little bits around here, going here and going there, and enjoying our "at home" time when that pops up too!   Here's a peek at our week and all the things God has been doing in our life....

---#1---

Getting ready for baby in little bits.... we deep cleaned and moved around his, Doh- I mean "our", bedroom this weekend.  We got rid of a LOT of dust and have his sleeping quarters all ready to go.  Lots more on the list to do; but hey, we have a little over 2 weeks.  Plenty of time, right???

---#2---

Plugging away at school at the Young Family Academy....  We are in week 7 and have found a nice groove called whoever-is-the-loudest-and-asks-the-most-gets-mommy-first.  We're doing as good and as peaceful as we can when there is one only mom/teacher (who is moving very ...s...l...o...w....), 6 students of varying ages and curriculum, and a toddler who gets into everything she should not.  So, lots of little bits of momma going around to teach and love and correct and guide these young'uns!  Thank God these kids are patient and understanding and there is a lot more computer-based learning to get us through this busy year!  

---#3---

This sweet beauty just celebrated her 10th Baptismal Anniversary yesterday!   This quiet, little, meek girl is shouting out loud and clear that she is a "God Girl"!   Love her to pieces and the beautiful girl she is becoming each and every year!!!

---#4---

This same sweet Beauty also gets ate by bugs little by little each time she is outside.  There is something about her, Max, and myself that bugs (most probably skeeters) are attracted too.  I have half a dozen bites on my legs too, I just don't react like Melody does.  I took her in to the dr a couple days ago, because although she had her normal CrAzY reaction of redness and swelling, there was also a blister that formed at the bite mark.  It's looking much better now after a days of benadryl and itch creams.

---#5---

Pregnancy insomnia hits almost every night, so I take my sleep when I can get it - definitely in lots of little bits!!!  And as strange as it sounds, I actually get better sleep when da baby arrives.  

---#6---

Our oldest of our young'uns just moved up from a size 8 shoe to a size 10!  I was definitely wrong in assuming his feet had only grew a little. I was thinking he'd go up by only one shoe size, not skip an entire size!!!  Man, I felt terrible after that trip to the shoe store!!!  And how did he get so big so fast??!!!!  Enjoy and love your kiddos every little bit and chance that you get, because it is so true that they grow up "in the blink of an eye"!  

---#7---

As a busy momma of a large crew and the time and energy it takes to run a household and school in the midst of it all, I get little "me" time, and I'm perfectly fine and happy with that because of the grace and joy He sends when you live out your vocation to the best of your abilities.  That being said, I am extremely grateful and have used that "me" time wisely when it does happen- at my weekly prayer group.  We listen to each other, encourage each other, pray with each other, advise each other, and share with each other how God's presence has been seen and felt throughout our days.  These weekly gatherings and Christ-centered friendships are a true treasure!!! And who would have thought that I'd be having the sweetest little baby shower with baby #8 - thanks to these wonderful ladies loving and spoiling me?!!!

++Thank you, God, for your unending 

love and presence in all these little

 ways that add up to SO much!++

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Happy Baptismal Anniversary to Pookey!!

We celebrated Pookey's Baptismal Anniversary this past week...  

++ May God continue to bless him as he lets Christ's light shine through him each and every day!! ++