tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54419576258138641092024-03-13T11:07:57.660-07:00Normal ChaosAdventures with Babies, Toddlers, Tweens, Teens and BeyondMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.comBlogger762125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-60825940122550864672024-01-16T10:56:00.000-08:002024-01-16T10:56:34.752-08:00The Other Side of Christmas<p>The tree is down. Decorations are put away. Our lives slid back into a "normal" school routine. But instead of the usual mix of emotions that bubble up this time of year-sadness that this special time has ended and, at the same moment, relief to be back into a familiar routine- I find myself in a different place entirely. </p><p>Advent started for me in a focused and reflective way. The <a href="https://normalchaosforamultitaskmom.blogspot.com/2023/12/preparing-manger-of-our-heart.html" target="_blank">last blog post</a> that I wrote early in December, (but didn't post until the week before Christmas to coincide with its release on Catholicmom.com), represented the way I felt for the first half of Advent. (By the time I actually posted the blog, I was in a different emotional place entirely! I even struggled with the idea of actually sharing it.) By mid-December, my Advent had taken a sharp right turn from the road towards a newborn baby in a stable in Bethlehem, barreled down a bumpy, dirt road, and crashed into a barren desert that felt and appeared to be Lent! </p><p>The night of Gaudete Sunday was the beginning of an emotional tornado that began with Kate coming down with the flu that kept her out of school the entire week and sick for her birthday and continued with a medical procedure that went horribly wrong for Sarah. This tornado lasted through most of Christmas vacation as other family members succumbed to the flu, Peter struggled in his program, and Kate came down with pneumonia. Caring for normal illness and having to cancel or postpone family holiday plans was disappointing. Adding to that the worry for an adult child traumatically harmed through a medical procedure and trying to help her husband care for her and find the additional medical help she needed was incredibly difficult and heart wrenching. </p><p>And it was Christmas!!! It was important to me as a mom to make it as nice as it could be for the kids that lived with us and whoever was brave enough to visit, despite all the difficult circumstances we were dealing with. Although my list was simplified daily because we were in 'survival mode', I still received the Grace, and maybe some white knuckling, to pull off a much simplified version of my original Christmas plans. The stress and exhaustion took it's toll on me though, and Christmas night I spiked a fever that kept me couch bound for several days and low energy for even more. Not one of the projects that I had been planning to tackle when I had extended time during my "week off" between Christmas and New Year's ever happened!</p><p>Every day of the week leading up to Christmas through New Year's Eve felt like our life was a series of dumpster fires and I never knew each day which one I was going to need to run to and use my very inadequate fire extinguisher to try to calm the flames.</p><p>I'm still completely emotionally discombobulated and feel like I'm walking in a cloud of confusion trying to figure out exactly how I got here and trying to make sense of it all. I haven't gotten any great insight or even peace about everything. I'm just working hard on trying to calm my sensory system, focus on self care when I can, and slowly emerge out of survival mode. </p><p>I guess in sharing this Advent misadventure, I'm hoping that anyone that had their own difficult Advent and Christmas season won't feel so alone. If you didn't jump into this new year with a list of resolutions and hope for the months ahead, that's ok. Sometimes, life is really hard and just getting through the day is a pretty big accomplishment! Sometimes we just need some TLC and a little more time to recover emotionally before we are ready to move forward. </p><p>My entry into 2024 is a lot slower and more cautious than usual. It's just where I'm at. If you find yourself in a similar place, just know that it's ok. Sometimes life is all about baby steps. Maybe we can find encouragement in one of my favorite movie quotes from the movie Elizabethtown; </p><p style="text-align: center;">"All forward progress counts!" </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-15637361593700040212023-12-21T11:46:00.000-08:002023-12-21T11:46:53.284-08:00Preparing the Manger of our Heart<p style="text-align: center;"></p><br />I don't do well when I have too many options to choose from. For example, I try not to follow too many podcasts on my app. Otherwise, I waste a lot of the limited time I have to listen to podcasts just searching for an episode to listen to! Because of my time restraints, I listen to most of the podcasts I follow based on whether or not the episode sounds interesting and relevant to my life. There are only two podcasts that I play weekly without fail; Poco a Poco and Abiding Together.<p></p><p>The Abiding Together Podcast is doing an Advent book study on The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander. I wasn't planning on buying the book because I don't have a lot of bandwidth this Advent, and was just going to listen to Sr. Miriam, Heather Khym, and Michelle Benzinger's explanation and commentary. After taking in Week 1 of the study, I wrote down so many things that struck me that I hopped over to Amazon to grab my own copy!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>"Advent is the season of the secret. The secret of the growth of Christ, the Divine Love growing in silence."</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>-The Reed of God, pg 38</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">The word 'silence' had come up multiple times for me in the days leading up to Advent as I considered where God was asking me to focus for this special season. Thoughts of slowing down and entering into the silence of my heart to find Jesus there has really appealed to me. The week before Advent, the Poco a Poco podcast had discussed making our hearts a little Nazareth for Advent...'a place of beauty, simplicity, and stillness'. Fostering stillness and silence felt like an invitation that I wanted to accept, even though I wasn't sure exactly how it could work in the midst of the busiest season of the year. Just thinking about the words 'stillness' and 'silence' and the posture of waiting during Advent created a hush in my soul and opened a deeper place in my heart where I longed to connect with God and see where He might lead me.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Just days into Advent, I already felt like I was failing. All of the "to do's" of the season were looming, the unplanned was happening, some wounds were triggered, and 'stillness' and 'silence' seemed unattainable. I was doing too much striving and not enough abiding. While there are things in this busy season that need attention and some kind of plan, black and white thinking had me looking at Advent as a time I could be productive <i>or </i>as a time I could be meditative. I had it all wrong, it wasn't supposed to be the either/or situation I was making it out to be. </p><p style="text-align: left;">God knows my state in life. He knows I have a husband, children and grandchildren that need a lot of my time and attention. He knows I want to create memories and delightful moments for my family at this special time of year. He knows that I like to shop for thoughtful gifts and bake special treats. He knows how full my weeks are helping to care for my grandchildren and our kids still living at home. God isn't asking me to give that all up. He just wants me to make room for Him. God even helps me to make room for Him. He orders my life for me when I surrender it all to Him. When I put God first and surrender my schedule and 'to-do' list, I get to stay closely connected to God and everything that's important still get done with the bonus of maintaining a level of peace that I'm not capable of when doing "all the things" in my own power. It's a win, win, win!</p><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Emptiness is not a void, in the sense of a nameless, shapeless purposeless void. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>It's an openness to be filled." The Reed of God, pg 19</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">This quote made me think about the manger the night of Jesus' birth. The manger was empty but not purposeless. It was waiting to be filled with the most meaningful way. Its emptiness would be filled in the ultimate purpose any manger would ever have ... to hold the Son of God. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">What if our hearts became a manger for Jesus this Christmas? What would we need to declutter in order to make room for His arrival? Possibly even harder than making the space, is the wait to be filled. It's hard to be patient and not see that emptiness as a "void" that we have to fill. (And we are SO good at trying to fill ourselves! Food, alcohol, Netflix, social media scrolling, shopping- there are lots of ways to fill ourselves with all the things that don't truly satisfy our needs!) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What if we make room in our heart and wait for Jesus to come in the way that <i>He</i> wants to fill our hearts this year? We don't have long to wait. After all, it’s only a few more sleeps ‘til Christmas. No matter how 'well' or 'not well' we've lived this Advent, Jesus desires to come and fill the manger of our heart in whatever way we welcome Him in and receive Him. We still have time! Let's ask Jesus what we can let go of to declutter our hearts and for the grace to wait for Him and remember that "emptiness is not a void-it's an openness to be filled" ...by Him.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWb6tepKLhUWhPvlVtQCPoKD0jUTVKtNOHPS2mJuW66ybvZI8N5cRE11EnXOZD7dqD6iBmJ7TkfikYtYet5A7i7DEGAjBLNKis__B8rh8YsEKPLDnBxX5EK7KqEXhB9ot5T3UrVGhidMUxnz5LHtWO9xQDNx3UHGxBDY1VW4_6m5yK34LSOi_W2yhr/s4032/IMG_6309.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWb6tepKLhUWhPvlVtQCPoKD0jUTVKtNOHPS2mJuW66ybvZI8N5cRE11EnXOZD7dqD6iBmJ7TkfikYtYet5A7i7DEGAjBLNKis__B8rh8YsEKPLDnBxX5EK7KqEXhB9ot5T3UrVGhidMUxnz5LHtWO9xQDNx3UHGxBDY1VW4_6m5yK34LSOi_W2yhr/w300-h400/IMG_6309.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /></div>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-46674903813142644182023-11-21T06:24:00.000-08:002023-11-21T06:32:10.180-08:00A Momentary Pause Before the Chaos<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d4da9b55-7fff-1a91-6cd1-71253a37fe1e"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-d4da9b55-7fff-1a91-6cd1-71253a37fe1e"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />As moms, we are deep in the trenches of planning for the fast approaching holiday season.</span></span></span><p></p><p>Although I'm sure there are some exceptions, my own personal experience is that the moms of the family take on lots of extra planning and responsibility once we begin November. We moms usually add another hat to wear in mid Fall as we become the 'magic makers' of all the special celebrations and get togethers that start to fill our calendars. Creating the special moments around Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas takes a lot of thoughtfulness and planning. </p><p>I'm not always good at being honest with myself about what I'm feeling <i>capable</i> of creating versus what I think I <i>should</i> be able to handle. I would be willing to gamble that I'm not the only mom that struggles in this area. There are so many special holiday traditions that I want to incorporate into our family time during November, December and early January. I tend to start filling every available free moment on the calendar with holiday cheer, especially searching through cookbooks for some new holiday treats to add to my yearly favorites.</p><p>But before we jump into the holiday season with both feet, let's take a few minutes to pray and ask God the direction He wants our planning to take. I have to admit, that this is not usually my first train of thought...which is probably why I get stuck in the overwhelm in the first place!</p><p>Since every day is a fresh start with God, we can begin again today regardless of where we are at in our holiday planning. And I totally get the overwhelm...I've got a turkey in my fridge, a list for the next two days of recipes to bake and rooms that need cleaning, and Amazon stopping by my house a few times a week to deliver the gifts I've started buying in my yearly attempt to finish my Christmas shopping before Advent begins. But even if you have to hide out in the bathroom or the laundry room, take five minutes to ask yourself a few questions and prayerfully consider:</p><p style="text-align: left;">-What do you really want for your holiday season based on what your family dynamics are this year?If you are in a family season of overwhelm with lots of little kids you need to take that into account when you want to plan "all the things". One or two special things planned and executed well that create good memories is a better choice than overfull schedules every single weekend that leave everyone cranky, worn out, and frustrated. </p><p style="text-align: left;">-What has your family been going through this year? Have you experienced loss or are you working through trauma that is going to affect what you're capable of handling this year? How can you simplify things, put some traditions on hold for this year, and only focus on the traditions that are most important? Please consider asking for help from a family member or close friend if even the normal tasks are too much! (And please seek professional help if you're really struggling. A good, Catholic therapist can be life changing!) On a practical level, going shopping with a friend who understands what you're going through can make your list feel less burdensome. Give yourself permission to order desserts instead of baking. Do a potluck appetizer/dessert night instead of a big meal, or ask your guests to provide the side dishes and desserts. There are some years when you just <i>cannot</i> do it all...and that's ok. Usually it's our own perfectionistic expectations based on our Pinterest boards or friends' Instagram reels that drive us to give more than we are able. Some years "good enough" has to be our focus. </p><p style="text-align: left;">-What is the state of your emotional love tank? Don't just gloss over this question with a quick, "I'm fine." Be completely honest with yourself! What do you(mom) need right now? We are not meant to "white knuckle" and "get through" everything we think we <i>should</i> do for the holidays while we are held together with emotional duct tape! That never, ever ends well. (I've learned this lesson the hard way and on more than one occasion unfortunately.)</p><p style="text-align: left;">This special holiday time is a way to share and give love to the people in our life. If we try to give what we don't have, the love fades into the background and everything just becomes about checking each box on our to do list. <span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Even if we manage to do “all the things” we will end up feeling emptier than when we started. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-54954d29-7fff-bce7-7366-5df5ef530ea7"><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">I hope these suggestions will be helpful. Mostly, I write all this as a reminder to myself to stay focused on what's most important to me and to my family while accepting and recognizing my own limitations as we journey closer to Christmas and a brand new year. I need to accept God’s Grace in each and every moment and live authentically at whatever level my heart is able to give. This is a plea to myself to let God lead and trust the path He has me on, even if(when) I’m not able to accomplish all I would like to do in the next 6 weeks. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">I hope your journey through Advent is filled with trust, surrender, and everything you truly need. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p></span></div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxP8IkHSvKYH6dNkUb3fMiRnQcr_aH0evrFbcasAhFpeWnJ7WSQWLrV7iSIej9axGZrGFQX0E0yGfJP93VB0Aor1R0TYVYtrSPtNHBbCSU2NfWcUzvT8Fo25UWUSDuTfy3xakoaTaRObJvvbOcrOWqjNyAlEplXksrZLnvpHwLFXTGFrOGcjg81o6/s4032/IMG_5072.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxP8IkHSvKYH6dNkUb3fMiRnQcr_aH0evrFbcasAhFpeWnJ7WSQWLrV7iSIej9axGZrGFQX0E0yGfJP93VB0Aor1R0TYVYtrSPtNHBbCSU2NfWcUzvT8Fo25UWUSDuTfy3xakoaTaRObJvvbOcrOWqjNyAlEplXksrZLnvpHwLFXTGFrOGcjg81o6/w300-h400/IMG_5072.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was my artistic endeavor at a Thanksgiving/Advent/Christmas mash up!</td></tr></tbody></table>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-88069773592431180962023-10-23T09:11:00.001-07:002023-10-23T09:13:23.493-07:00We Must Decrease<p>One thing that I haven't yet managed to do in all my years of mothering is to slow down time to keep my kids from growing up so fast. With eight kids, I had lots of opportunities to try and figure out how to slow the growing process, but I have failed again and again. In fact, my youngest seems to be on fast forward in her journey to follow in her siblings (large) footsteps!</p><p>I've been a mom for over thirty years, and I have NO idea how that went by so quickly! I'm still so surprised at how the first few years seem like they will last forever and then you blink and your child is a teenager! One moment you're carrying them around on your hip everywhere and before you know it they walk out of their room one morning taller than you! How does that even happen?!? (If you have the answer please leave it in the comments. I've only got one more at home who is shorter than me and she measures herself against me every week, seemingly getting closer and closer each time!)</p><p>There's a lot of stretching and growing that happens ... and I'm not just talking about the kids. As moms, we have to do a lot of stretching and growing as our kids change and become more independent. After being completely reliant on us for their survival for several years, the pushing away to become their own person can be challenging for moms. Change doesn't always feel good, even when it is good.</p><p>I remember the first time my youngest son, Luke, just gave me a head nod instead of a hug leaving a school mass with his class. He had started middle school so it wasn't an unexpected response ... I had known for a while that I was on 'borrowed time'. I was grateful that seeing me up to that point evoked such an outwardly loving response from my outgoing youngest son. But I can't say that the head nod didn't hurt my heart that first time. That slight shift was a reminder to me that time is passing and changes are already starting on the not so long road to adulthood and independence. </p><p>While my nest isn't completely empty yet, (it's still half full ... or half empty ... depending on your point of view!), I'm certainly headed in that direction. My oldest four are out on their own; three of them are married and two of those have blessed us with grandchildren. So far the grandbaby count is four boys and one princess: twin 2.5 yo boys, another 2yo boy, a 4 month old girl, and a 6 week old boy. We are blessed that they live local and we see them multiple times a week when our house becomes a throwback to all the years we had babies and toddlers to care for. It gets quite chaotic with 5 kids under 3!</p><p>Last week, I read a blogpost from an empty nest mom reminding me that my parenting role as my kids get older is to become smaller. In the line of John the Baptist, "I must decrease". My role as a mom of young adults is much different than my role as mom when they were younger. It's that "change" word creeping in again. While there are certainly benefits to learning to let go- I no longer am responsible for things like worrying about getting a picky eater to consume more vegetables or being in charge of every child's day to day schedule(phew!)- it can also be a bit messy. Learning to keep your opinions to yourself unless asked can be a challenge. Learning to throw out your own ideas and suggestions and let your adult children decide what's best for them is humbling. Watching your adult children stretch and grow into spouses and parents and all the challenges those big changes bring isn't easy. </p><p>Sometimes there's a fine line between trying to help in a healthy way and being codependent and try to "save" them. As parents, we can stunt our adult children's growth and confidence if we step in and do too much in times of struggle, so creating healthy boundaries takes time and effort. But we don't have to worry too much about learning these skills...God always provides lots of opportunities in our day-to-day life to practice!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFk1Qtajqm0F9XQjchgKV3llFg7TnwOhq2hfUF-RZ9LVlqRgLaIUW2mhDTK06MwTl573WKBf0Qjhyphenhypheng55qcXOhgk35AvcqJcGfDo7GTkjSV4Kl8H1RBYqdJF4RvDyM_PDiovu8lla-SgCZ8n520zA9tOTUwp_J17z4meUgxnz0wKTchS7oYIDVY9veA/s1600/blogpiccharlieandclaire.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFk1Qtajqm0F9XQjchgKV3llFg7TnwOhq2hfUF-RZ9LVlqRgLaIUW2mhDTK06MwTl573WKBf0Qjhyphenhypheng55qcXOhgk35AvcqJcGfDo7GTkjSV4Kl8H1RBYqdJF4RvDyM_PDiovu8lla-SgCZ8n520zA9tOTUwp_J17z4meUgxnz0wKTchS7oYIDVY9veA/w400-h300/blogpiccharlieandclaire.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of the youngest..these are my two youngest granchildren:<br />Charlie (7 weeks) & Claire (4 months)<br />(I had to sneak in a pic of these two cuties!:)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-60272678520734927832023-09-20T12:14:00.005-07:002023-09-29T10:09:51.711-07:00Live Holy the Present Moment<p style="text-align: center;"><i> "In our individualistic, self-centered culture, even many of us Christians might focus more on what we want to do in life than seek how God wants us to serve him. We might come up with our amazing plans and then ask God to help us accomplish those goals we set for ourselves. Mary, however, was not like that. She models the virtue of devotion. She wanted to live her life serving not her own will but God's, pursuing not her own dreams but the Lord's. She surrendered her life to the Lord's plan. It was as if she woke up each morning and asked God, How do you want me to use my life this day to serve you?"(Dr. Edward Sri in The Art of Living, pg 209)</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: left;">I've been slowly reading Dr. Sri's book in adoration since our parish gave them out for Christmas. The paragraph I just shared is my favorite so far. It resonates with me. Why? Well, I feel like the concept of surrendering my life to God's plan and letting go of self-sufficiency and control has been a major focus for me this year.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I've spent the last year and a half working with a Catholic therapist to journey through the trauma my family has been living through over the last several years. So much of our time together has been spent focusing on living in the moment, tools to calm the fear and anxiety that kept me in a constant state of fight or flight, and trying to process through all the hard feelings of the past few years while also navigating the twists and turns of everyday life that often gets thrown at us. It's been a long, slow journey.</p><p style="text-align: left;">It's taken a lot of time, but I've finally reached a place where I have some better perspective and more moments of peace. As much as I pray that repentance, resolution and healing will happen one day, (and I pray a lot for that intention!), I've gotten more successful at keeping my focus on the present moment. I'm working hard to discern God's will for me daily in my life; especially the right balance between serving my family and being honest about my own needs.(which isn't an easy thing for me)</p><p style="text-align: left;">Difficult times in life are part of all our journeys. It's hard not to want to rush through the pain to get to the other side. Allowing God to set the pace of the journey isn't easy to do because, spoiler alert, His time table is usually very different from ours. So is His GPS...I would often prefer that circumstances in my life take a path that's very different than the one God has me on.</p><p style="text-align: left;">As much as I'd prefer to avoid the longer path, there are lessons that God wants me to learn on the journey. It's a time to learn patience and fortitude. Most of all, the hard journey is an opportunity to practice leaning in on God and to rely on His strength instead of our own. It's an opportunity to increase our trust in God, which I always find comes with lots of growing pains.</p><p style="text-align: left;">There are a lot of lessons to be learned in a longer journey-if we skip too quickly to the end we would miss out. Missing out doesn't seem so bad when the pain and grief we feel threated to drown us, or when God's promise that He can bring good out of any situation doesn't seem possible for our brokenness. But God provides along the way. He sends consolation through His Word. He sends His love through a text from a friend, a quote on your social media feed that gives you encouragement, a song that touches your heart, or a meaningful podcast or blogpost at just the right time. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>"It is the Lord who goes before you: he will be with you, </i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>he will not fail you or forsake you..." </i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Deuteronomy 31:8</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">Not running ahead of God in the journey is important...and a hard lesson to learn. In the past, God has shed a small amount of light on the direction I'm supposed to go and instead of taking one small step, I'm racing off like the gun just got fired at the starting block as I wave behind me saying, "Thanks, God, I've got this now!" </p><p style="text-align: left;">It never, ever ends well!</p><p style="text-align: left;">I've also had to work hard on not having a scarcity mindset. If God has provided the knowledge and the means for one small step, I need to wait and trust that He will provide for whatever my next step is supposed to be.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I think St. Gianna Molla's words are the goal:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>"As to the past, let us entrust it to God's Mercy,</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>the future to Divine Providence.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Our task is to live holy the present moment."</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">May Mary, who lived her life in God's Will at every moment, help us to know God's will for each step of our lives and encourage us along the journey.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPxfjLEbBklilNiBwTQSge0JzLoAp5izleSOtW4yu9B2S6PNuJUb6FjbsDQjyfSUG5fLVdyfw6YnN8qljhvGY1EDY-KjMsXJZEcFdXRvXbaJvQbgxssRihmZ-t9MTgEWa0L3deStEElSo_eNlzB5QgfItHuchnWyx8dHXGQAzrUYZl3ZTEughDc3y/s233/dirt%20road.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="233" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPxfjLEbBklilNiBwTQSge0JzLoAp5izleSOtW4yu9B2S6PNuJUb6FjbsDQjyfSUG5fLVdyfw6YnN8qljhvGY1EDY-KjMsXJZEcFdXRvXbaJvQbgxssRihmZ-t9MTgEWa0L3deStEElSo_eNlzB5QgfItHuchnWyx8dHXGQAzrUYZl3ZTEughDc3y/w400-h266/dirt%20road.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-62543377023552046802023-09-15T11:52:00.003-07:002023-09-15T11:52:41.465-07:00And You Yourself a Sword Shall Pierce<p>Today(September 19th) is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows. I've felt a connection to Our Lady of Sorrows for a long time. It started during the short life of our daughter, <a href="https://normalchaosforamultitaskmom.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-biggest-regret.html" target="_blank">Therese</a>. My emotions from losing a child found consolation and solace in Mary's life as a grieving Mother. In the last year, I've been focusing on and learning more about each of her sorrows. (It's actually part of a big writing project that I hope to share with you in the next few months!) </p><p>Even though I didn't plan on writing a blogpost today, I couldn't let the day go by without sharing a few thoughts...</p><p>I really wanted to go to Mass this morning and I planned my grocery store stops around it. I planned on going to a parish that I catch an occasional daily Mass at a couple of towns away. I got there early and I was happily surprised that there was Eucharistic Adoration. I got to pray the chaplet of the seven sorrows. When 9am came and Mass didn't start, I found out that that parish no longer has a morning mass on Fridays. (whomp, whomp!) So I listened to the readings and homily from EWTN's online Mass after the rest of my errands. Not the same...but better than nothing!</p><p>The priest focused much of his homily on Mary's posture, standing at the foot of her Son's cross. Mary was standing under the cross; a sign of strength and total unification with Jesus' suffering and death. Mary stood among all the hatred and ugliness of the loud, jeering crowd and the antagonizing soldiers. Mary stood as her son was tortured, mocked, and scorned. Mary's presence and posture was an outward affirmation to the "yes" she first spoke at the Annunciation, her "yes" at the painful words of Simeon's prophesy, her continual "yes" throughout Jesus' entire life, and ending with her most powerful "yes" as she stood at the foot of the cross watching her son being killed. </p><p>Mary stood at Jesus' cross to love Him, support Him, and console Him in any way she could. Mary did not despair as she stood at the most painful moment of her life. Mary's heart broke at the sight of her Son, but she still clung to hope. Mary trusted that God would bring good even out of the greatest and most painful tragedy.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">"We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose"</span></i>-Romans 8:28</p><p style="text-align: left;">Mary lived that scripture verse. In the darkest moment of her life, Mary held tightly onto hope and trusted God in the difficult circumstances of her life. She stood...eyes on the cross and her beloved Son. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows, Mary gives us an incredible example of how to keep our eyes on God and hold onto hope when we face trials and tragedies in our own lives. When we find ourselves standing with those we love that are suffering on their own personal crosses, we have the consolation that we do not stand alone. Mary stands with us helping to bear our burdens and the burdens of our family and friends. Mary understands our heartache and pain. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Today's feast is an opportunity to remember Mary's faith and strength. It's also a day to recall and honor the suffering she endured for all of us that was foretold at Jesus' Presentation in the Temple:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"And you yourself a sword shall pierce..."</span>-Luke2:35</p><p>May I make a suggestion to offer Mary a special prayer today to console her Immaculate Heart? Any prayer will be a beautiful spiritual flower offered to Mary with love...and what mama doesn't love to get a flower from her child?? (Even a dandelion!) If you would like to find out more about the chaplet to the seven sorrows, <a href="https://www.immaculee.com/pages/7-sorrows-rosary-prayer" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqgkrywaNsEx-1YRrImgZxQ57VtzQbUbFSULb9hkPXCgvvaJG4Q3nqYDx990zvSQC24TeprTjz21vzwDD68j2HJvyfMTCJjZgpuCe_mbYNUc180mO8Y5o8JvmZDMOdgTwnrSyd4zWN2eN6FNmxBkrsjLva5u4GMHQV8s8i6b6knvIRvAa2p_I8zIK/s3744/IMG_0982.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3744" data-original-width="2808" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqgkrywaNsEx-1YRrImgZxQ57VtzQbUbFSULb9hkPXCgvvaJG4Q3nqYDx990zvSQC24TeprTjz21vzwDD68j2HJvyfMTCJjZgpuCe_mbYNUc180mO8Y5o8JvmZDMOdgTwnrSyd4zWN2eN6FNmxBkrsjLva5u4GMHQV8s8i6b6knvIRvAa2p_I8zIK/w300-h400/IMG_0982.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went to Hershey, PA this summer and found <br />Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church nearby for Mass.<br />This was a beautiful prayer alcove in the church.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-40128630202123860392023-08-26T17:20:00.004-07:002023-08-27T16:39:38.478-07:00The Trouble with Transitions<p>August is a month of transition for many families. A new school year is either starting or getting ready to start. It's the frantic moments of making sure summer work is finished, school supplies are purchased, and new school shoes are sought out. I know that there are a range of mom emotions that accompany the impending start of school. Some moms can.not.wait for school to start and to get back into a consistent routine after filling a summer with activities to keep kids occupied and make memories. On the opposite extreme, some moms grieve as the end of summer approaches and their kids get ready to launch into another year of growing and changing.</p><p>(I tend to be the grieving mom...although there is a sense of peace in having a consistent routine. So maybe I fall just a little closer to the middle of the pendulum swing!)</p><p>Some years include transitions with a capital "T", aka milestone years. My youngest son will be in 8th grade this year and my baby girl, who is definitely not a baby, is entering middle school. They will be having a big transition year.</p><p>The biggest transition this year is happening to my son, Peter. Peter is severely affected by autism and turns 22 on the very last day of July. The town we live in does not have a program for kiddos with more severe special needs, so they have always funded Peter's participation in area collaborative programs. Peter has been in his current collaborative since he was 7. Collaboratives work differently than regular classrooms. Peter has had the same classroom and friends for several years at a time before he aged into another program within the collaborative. The teachers were different, but the kids mostly stayed the same. </p><p>The morning that I'm writing this, I attended the last IEP meeting for Peter. It was really just a formality. Less than a week after the meeting, Peter ages out as a student covered by the school system and his IEP means nothing anymore. We have been blessed to live in a town that has always helped us to take good care of Peter. We have not known the angst of stressful IEP meetings or having to fight for things that we felt our son needed. My husband and I decided long ago that, if we were going to move to a new home, it would have to be in the same town because of how well they have always provided for Peter. We know that this level of services, and the relative ease in order to get those services, is not everyone's experience. While caring for a child with special needs is never easy, not having to fight for what we felt he needed from the school system was a tremendous blessing that we are so appreciative of.</p><p>My level of emotion at the relatively short meeting surprised me. I'm not usually a "crier", but I couldn't stop the tears from sliding down my cheeks as different people spoke. I was able to relay my thanks to our SPED director and Peter's teacher as I planned, but it was with a quivering voice. The minute the call ended, I stopped trying to control the sadness and let my sobs out.</p><p>My tears happened for so many reasons. Peter's journey in the school system began as a 3 year old little guy with no language and is ending as a full grown 6 foot man who is able to communicate and care for at least some of his basic needs independently. It has been a long, often hard, road to get to this point. "Graduating" into adult services, where the care is <i>very </i>different, is a bit scary. No longer receiving his care through a place that felt safe is a big loss for us. Having to hear Peter articulate, "I'm graduating on Thursday. I'm going to miss my friends. I'm going to miss my teachers.", breaks my heart every time he says it. (Which is multiple times an hour. Peter repeats and perseverates on things in order to work through them.) </p><p>I wish I could save him from this heartache and make the transition easier, but I can't. Isn't that the plight of a mother's heart ... when "magic mommy kisses" no longer solve our kids' real life problems?</p><p>I know from experience that this build up to the ending is worse than starting the next step and getting used to our "new normal". It reminds me of when one of our sons went to grad school. I did most of my grieving in the weeks leading up to the change. Once he left, there was sadness but also an acceptance and readiness to move forward. I'm hoping that Peter's transition is the same.</p><p>Motherhood is always growing and stretching us in new ways. There is the literal stretching of growing a new little person in our body, the physical sacrifices of pregnancy and birth, and the exhaustion of sleepless nights and constant care. As children grow their needs change and the demands on our emotional and mental energy outweigh the physical demands, but it's still never easy. Those teenage years as they practice pushing off from us and attempting independence can be down right painful. That final push of independence can be as painful for us as all the pushing we did to bring them into the world.</p><p>The trouble with transitions is that they highlight the fact that we really aren't in control of anything. Transition means change is coming, whether we are ready and willing or not! While we can do 'all the things' to prepare to make a transition more smooth, the hardest thing to prepare is our hearts. It's much easier to check off a to-do list than to sit with the grief and the loss of the way our lives are shifting and the way our family will change. It's hard to step out from what is known and comfortable and start off on a new path that we aren't at all sure about. New paths don't mean things will be bad, but different is not easy to get used to. New paths stretch our trust muscles that God is going to work everything out and hold us as we travel this unknown land. </p><p>Transitions definitely highlight how much I like to imagine that I'm the one that's in the driver's seat. Change is an opportunity to work on surrender and cast off the cape of self-sufficiency that I'm inordinately attached to. Transitions are a reminder to myself that my children ultimately belong to God, that He has a plan for each of them, and that He loves them more than I ever could. </p><p>In the midst of change, let's hold on to St. Zelie, a fellow mom who can intercede for us in Heaven:</p><p style="text-align: center;">"The Good Lord does not do things by halves; </p><p style="text-align: center;">He always gives what we need. Let us then carry on bravely."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQjMD87i-T0q9vYOKxSMxH-bK2Vk5qU2-n9TitnJ-S6cjO2VC2C7_cY6ngvOjQuKd_dhQBEGnQGHih7ARoEgzoDquG08S0Fd8SmUac6ARKVT7onUSQTFzukv1NqjaDo-Ur3up9sVlrK-VX7ftyKaYvGtczoydYKI8Owz7WPHbfrv-ZggCthp_pJMB/s4032/IMG_0218%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQjMD87i-T0q9vYOKxSMxH-bK2Vk5qU2-n9TitnJ-S6cjO2VC2C7_cY6ngvOjQuKd_dhQBEGnQGHih7ARoEgzoDquG08S0Fd8SmUac6ARKVT7onUSQTFzukv1NqjaDo-Ur3up9sVlrK-VX7ftyKaYvGtczoydYKI8Owz7WPHbfrv-ZggCthp_pJMB/w300-h400/IMG_0218%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-75823011913512628262023-07-19T11:26:00.000-07:002023-07-19T11:26:03.890-07:00Finding Rest<p>I am blessed to belong to a Parish that has almost perpetual adoration. On Saturday mornings at 8am I have a scheduled hour. Every week, no matter how well I try to manage my time, I always end up running behind. I'm often hurrying up the church steps as the clock is chiming loudly, trying to make it to the top before it strikes the 8th ring. I feel like a backwards Cinderella every time it happens...she was running down the steps away from the prince while I'm running up the steps headed towards the King of Kings.</p><p>There's another area of life that makes me think of Cinderella. Remember the scene in the movie when all Cinderella wants to do is go to the ball? Her evil stepmother tells Cinderella that she can go but cunningly gives her a stipulation; only if your work is done and you have a proper dress to wear. The evil stepmother loads up Cinderella's to-do list to make it impossible for her to complete it all and alter her mother's old dress to be ready for the ball.</p><p>While I certainly don't have an evil stepmother or a fancy ball to attend, I often have an impossible to-do list. It's very easy for me to live unspoken stipulations that I have set for myself: "You can only have fun or relax once you get through this list." While on the surface that kind of thinking may sound like a way to create order and discipline in a busy, messy life, the reality is that it's the short cut to burnout. </p><p>As a mom, my to-do list is never really done. As quickly as I cross off one item from my list I find a couple more things that need attention. I'm sure you already know this, but kids are messy! They create dirty dishes and dirty laundry at an astonishing rate! And spoiler alert for moms not at this stage yet...grandchildren are messy too! </p><p>So how do we have a more healthy, balanced mindset when it comes to everything we feel that we need to accomplish without treating ourselves like the evil stepmother treated Cinderella? I think the first step is recognizing our inner thoughts and the way we talk to ourselves in our head. (Or sometimes out loud when we think no one else is around!) If I'm being honest, I don't treat myself very well most days. I can be a harsh taskmaster. I have a hard time relaxing when a lot of items on my list remain undone. Even when I do finally sit down at the end of the day, I find myself feeling lazy, incompetent and undeserving of rest. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>"Come to me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Take my yoke upon me and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; </i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>and you will find rest for yourself." Mt 11:28-29</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">This was the gospel at a recent weekend Mass and it always touches my heart. Why? Because I'm a mom (and a Grammy) always trying to make sure everyone feels loved and is fed well with a (somewhat) clean living environment. Most of the time, I feel like I'm not enough and I will never meet everyone's needs even at the expense of frequently ignoring the fact that I have needs of my own. There's a lot of "I's" in that sentence...and that's the whole problem.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">"I'm" not supposed to be the one doing it all. Regardless of how I feel, it doesn't all depend on me. When I'm feeling like I'm carrying the weight of my little world on my shoulders, it's because I'm trying to do God's job. That's an impossible notion! Yet, my self reliance and pride seem to guide me down that wrong path more often than I would like to admit. My internal GPS needs some recalculating!</p><p style="text-align: left;">Jesus says "come to me" and "learn from me". He doesn't expect or want me to do everything on my own. He wants to help carry my burdens. He wants me to surrender my to do list to His will. Jesus wants me to learn how to live from Him. What does He teach us through His word and His saints? He shows us the importance of times of work, times of prayer, times of camaraderie, and times of rest. We need His truth... not the "truth" we create in our own heads!</p><p style="text-align: left;">The truth is that we are loved and worthy without our list, without our perfectly clean home, without our perfectly altered ball gowns. Cinderella was meant for the prince even when she was in rags. and we are always claimed by our King regardless of the tasks left on our to do list. We cheat ourselves out of a deeper relationship with God and truly becoming who we are meant to be because we let other distractions that seem to give us order and control in life get in the way. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Try to spend a few minutes at some point today contemplating those areas where you feel overwhelmed. Are you bringing those areas to God and asking Him to guide you and help you carry the heavy load? Or are you white knuckling your way through, and losing a part of yourself in the process? Let's try to be open to the changes God might be asking from us. It's not easy, but remember His promise in Matthew:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>"I will give you rest."</i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPO-Swvdg6G5-Vo231fpaRdPjpB2Uv4aP19TDwFW6QKCgDCscrF0vu0vQ6J04oOxBEWSN7U2j70rLGurukDDHY8U1kqfzlMCSlWQNP1leHugJGnMwY8myeVw5rUrbQwAltMFC4--Va6axye96QIovYXvrr6oHyAstn917VRie--sjHyaeVpyLT9t4f/s1391/IMG_0179.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1391" data-original-width="1079" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPO-Swvdg6G5-Vo231fpaRdPjpB2Uv4aP19TDwFW6QKCgDCscrF0vu0vQ6J04oOxBEWSN7U2j70rLGurukDDHY8U1kqfzlMCSlWQNP1leHugJGnMwY8myeVw5rUrbQwAltMFC4--Va6axye96QIovYXvrr6oHyAstn917VRie--sjHyaeVpyLT9t4f/w310-h400/IMG_0179.jpeg" width="310" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kate from 2019...I miss when she liked to dress like a princess!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-42912272071515801752023-06-21T04:52:00.000-07:002023-06-21T04:52:08.961-07:00For the Mom Staring Down Summer Vacation<p>Summer vacation.</p><p>When you read those two words, what feelings start to bubble up in your heart? Excitement? Relief? Anxiety? A mix of lots of emotions?</p><p>While summer certainly has so much potential to spend extended time and make special memories with our kiddos, its also a time of change. The routines we've spent the last nine months working on and tweaking are ending. We are staring down the next ten-ish weeks of open time that needs to be planned and coordinated. That takes a lot of mental energy as we get ready to be bombarded by the daily question of, "So, Mom, what are we doing today?"</p><p>While we want to make great memories and enjoy this special time of year, we also need to keep our expectations realistic to ensure our sanity stays intact. We need to remember to pace ourselves. Having some sort of outline of what we would like the summer to look like with activities that are important to us and our family can help to avoid disappointment come mid-August that we didn't get to do what we had hoped to.</p><p>I think the first and most important step is taking into consideration what season of life you find yourself in. Moms with lots of littles will have a summer that looks very different from moms with school age kids. Not all good ideas will fit into your family life. You want to pick activities that set you up for success! When you find future activity ideas that aren't perfect for right now because of ages/circumstances, email yourself with "summer" in the subject line. Then you can pull them up next year easily! (I do the same thing when I find an idea for one of my kids for Christmas during the year. Otherwise, I would forget all about it!)</p><p>One of the things I started a few weeks ago was a "brainstorming list" that is on our fridge. Any idea I think of, my kids this of, or I see somewhere online gets put on the list. We are starting to figure out what fits into the calendar and the budget. They aren't all expensive activities or big adventures. Things like library visits, walking different local trails, trying out different beaches and playgrounds, sprinklers in the yard, game nights, s'mores nights, or sampling ice cream cones from different ice cream businesses don't cost much (or anything!) but add lots of fun!</p><p>We also have some day trip ideas...an inflatable park, a couple of museums, a drive-in movie theater. I'm working on planning a little road trip later in the summer, too. I think it will be to Hershey, PA and Gettysburg. (My 13-year-old loves history!) My husband enjoys watching the TV show <i>Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, </i>so we will attempt to find a couple of restaurants while we're away that Guy Fieri gave a thumbs-up to.</p><p>Setting up playdates for kids (and also for us moms) is always a favorite part of summer for my kids. Summer is also a perfect time to invite some friends over for a potluck dinner and let the kids all play while the grownups get to socialize. And don't forget to sprinkle in a few date nights with your spouse here or there, which can be a s simple as a walk around the neighborhood after it cools off or sitting by the fire after the kids go to sleep.</p><p>Make sure you create time for quiet and for slowing down and just being. Extra quiet reading with some fun books is something I'm looking forward to! (I already have some holds waiting for me at the library!) I will be adding in daily Mass a couple of days a week and doing a Bible study geared toward preteens/teens into our routine.</p><p>Pray for ideas...and just start listening and reading and googling. See what friends post on Facebook and Instagram. Encourage your kids to add their ideas when they come up with them.</p><p>Don't panic if you don't have a complete plan the first week of summer. That doesn't mean you're behind or that summer is ruined! (That's just perfectionism rearing its ugly head!) Use summer as an opportunity to strengthen your trust muscle by leaning into God and trusting Him to help you work out a plan, day by day and week by week, that's going to be best for your entire family.</p><p>And remember, sometimes plans need to change. Illness or a thunderstorm can wreak havoc on something your family was looking forward to. We are on week one of summer vacation and our plans have already been altered since we are caring for our almost 2 year old grandson while his new baby sister is spending some extended time in the NICU. And now our dog is sick so we have an unexpected vet visit that needs to be scheduled. #lifehappens</p><p>Sometimes kids (or moms) try to do too much in a week and we just need to punt an activity. Rest is important, too!</p><p>I would love to hear some of your favorite things to do and some of your summer wish list items. Sharing ideas is a blessing for everyone!</p><p>Happy Summer!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95uyDOljDL6P2_jEHfQiiNLDTfhsSo7DcHvuI0WqE0Yx8FRugtzGrWc6H_0elWO5x-b9nfI9UZWRdpleY88YQwYGOQaYcnF-hijZEfBFX9THooHQdWpyvclMDCsVB2bUshsS6duE1xWGCq5Fh-ByQmy8mkNRd-F73mt0aL5yVu24eI3VEvCnC8JlM/s4032/IMG_2947%20(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95uyDOljDL6P2_jEHfQiiNLDTfhsSo7DcHvuI0WqE0Yx8FRugtzGrWc6H_0elWO5x-b9nfI9UZWRdpleY88YQwYGOQaYcnF-hijZEfBFX9THooHQdWpyvclMDCsVB2bUshsS6duE1xWGCq5Fh-ByQmy8mkNRd-F73mt0aL5yVu24eI3VEvCnC8JlM/w400-h300/IMG_2947%20(1).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit: LovePeacePrayers.com</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-59511168768029451662023-06-07T12:18:00.002-07:002023-06-07T12:18:11.156-07:00It Has Not Happened To Me As I Expected<p>In the cycle of Mass readings, the first reading has been from the Book of Tobit the last few days. Each day that I've started the first reading, I feel a little bit of delight as I remember how much I like this particular Old Testament Book. It's not long...only 14 chapters total. I just really like the story and, spoiler alert, I especially love the happy ending.</p><p>The Book of Tobit is about, shockingly, a man named Tobit during the time of the Assyrian exile, and his wife and son, Tobias. Tobit became blind and is just waiting for death. He sends his son on a journey to get ten talents of silver that he had left in safe keeping with a far away relative. It ends up being a journey of faith and healing that Tobias takes, unknowingly, with St. Raphael. At the same time, it is also about one of Tobit's relatives named Sarah, who is a young woman that has been married seven times but a demon has killed each of her husbands on their wedding night before the marriage can be consummated. </p><p>Just a little light reading!! (Good thing I gave you that spoiler alert, right?!?)</p><p>Today's reading focused on 3:1-11,16-17. In these verses, both Tobit and Sarah in their respective cities(villages?) are feeling crushed by their individual crosses. Both pray...starting with proclaiming God's righteousness and begging for His Mercy. Both beg for death. They are both filled with so much pain that they see no other way out.</p><p>While our visiting priest went on to give what I'm sure was a very interesting homily focused on the Gospel of the day, my mind was just too drawn to the words of the first reading to think of anything but Tobit and Sarah. The emotion of their words just touched me deeply. Tobit and Sarah both poured their hearts out to God. They had been carrying such heavy crosses for quite a while. They felt tired and hopeless. They felt like there was nothing left for them. There was no future to hope for. They both felt like the only thing left for them was to pray for the end to come. In Tobit's words, "...For it is better for me to die than to see so much distress in my life and listen to such insults."(verse 6) And in Sarah's words, in verse 15: "...Why should I live? But if it be not pleasing to you to take my life, command that respect be shown to me and pity be taken upon me, and that I hear reproach no more."</p><p>In other words, I can't take anymore! Make the hurting stop.</p><p>While our crosses aren't the same as Tobit or Sarah's, how many times have we gotten to a place where we have poured our hearts out to God? How many times have we cried out with words that echoed "I can't take it anymore!" and "Please make it stop!" and "Please make it go away!"</p><p>I've certainly used those words. And while God might not always take the cross away, He does always show up and give me the grace to take the next step. His plan doesn't usually take the direct route I wish it did to the "finish line", but there are blessings to be found on the journey and even in an unexpected ending. </p><p>Tobias' journey was meant to fulfill Tobit's request to recover the talents he left in safe keeping, to provide for his family when Tobit's wish for death was realized. But Tobias' journey ended up being so much more. Because of St. Raphael's help, Tobias found what would cure his father. St. Raphael also led Tobias to Sarah, who "as his kin...have before all other men a hereditary claim to her."(Tobit 6:10) When Tobias questioned out of fear because rumors traveled fast back then, even without the existence of social media, St. Raphael, (still in disguise), told him how to pray to God and what to do to make the demon flee. Because those words were God's truth...and I'm sure it helped coming from an (unknown) angel, "When Tobias heard these things, he fell in love with her and yearned deeply for her.(6:17)</p><p>Doesn't that happen to us to sometimes? When God's truth breaks through our fears and takes hold of our mind and emotions in an unshakeable way? When we feel the "peace beyond all understanding"?(Philippians 4:7) That's pure grace.</p><p>Hope is vital but hard to hold onto, especially when living for an extended period of time with really hard circumstances. We can be beaten down so much, that it's impossible to see a different outcome than the one we fear. That's where Sarah was. The wedding night came and Sarah "began to weep".(7:17) Sarah's mother acknowledged her fear. "Be brave, my child; the Lord of heaven and earth grant you joy in place of this sorrow of yours. Be brave, my daughter."(7:18) Sarah's father certainly doubted:" But Rag'uel arose and went and dug a grave, with the thought, "Perhaps he too will die."(8:9) Rag'uel had a maid sneak in the room to see if Tobias was dead early the next morning so that he could bury him in secret. To Rag'uel's surprise, Tobias was alive, and he praised God!</p><p style="text-align: center;">"...Blessed are you, because you have made me glad. </p><p style="text-align: center;">It has not happened to me as I expected; </p><p style="text-align: center;">but you have treated us according to your great mercy...."(9:16)</p><p style="text-align: left;">"It has not happened to me as I expected;" That line stands out to me. It's hard to hope that good things will happen when other moments in life have been so painful. To be able to rejoice and thank God for a blessing you thought could never happen is a gift. When you're prepared for the worse, an unexpected blessing can bring so much healing to a soul that feels broken. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Despite all of the pain and trauma that Sarah and her family had been through, Rag'uel embraced the great surprise gift they had received. They trusted God to move forward in their lives, and he "ordered his servants to fill in the grave"(8:18). They let go of all the past pain and looked forward to building a life filled with blessings. Hope was given a place to grow in their hearts.</p><p style="text-align: left;">That's what God can do....He can surprise us and comfort us and heal us when things don't happen as we expect it. I need eyes to see that. Maybe you do to? Let's pray for each other and let Tobias' journey remind us all that God can restore even seemingly hopeless situations. </p><p style="text-align: left;">(And make sure to keep a lookout for angels in disguise along the way!)</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuSGUOe04KFCGbZ5x6YIVpcQ1a0A0_qyq5Z9lZN5ayjvXtCR4e3fe8VbzcdmRGavj5gsx7ieIJNjXztWOM2UK1FqvQxl3AcbIV-tiWkbjvsqBJpqtjWYt2avBo1gw7s_cmaQZ5XrzGSn5Y-sTs5_0ncVm77ZBDJaHdpjB2qz9HbxZZAoWulA4qYA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuSGUOe04KFCGbZ5x6YIVpcQ1a0A0_qyq5Z9lZN5ayjvXtCR4e3fe8VbzcdmRGavj5gsx7ieIJNjXztWOM2UK1FqvQxl3AcbIV-tiWkbjvsqBJpqtjWYt2avBo1gw7s_cmaQZ5XrzGSn5Y-sTs5_0ncVm77ZBDJaHdpjB2qz9HbxZZAoWulA4qYA=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-34898202192549086992023-05-17T19:08:00.000-07:002023-05-17T19:08:08.605-07:00A Heart of Wisdom<p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZAozkgkZooRJvU5tJj2HNvHNVAq_OgFM5UasT0CIop2hSebfRFc04NqZLLt4p2uF6-t0oM41lL9hEvLo3ylocEC-1MDJ7O6LGBf-OLBLCgDkTHg-Wll03FX2tAPPdQJjJwqkJ8iVA0YuQ-g5a7f1Nw-Wz1JQmVNMmqM7_1LTvdOMmxV25E_vvQ/s2871/heartofwisdompic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2871" data-original-width="2871" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZAozkgkZooRJvU5tJj2HNvHNVAq_OgFM5UasT0CIop2hSebfRFc04NqZLLt4p2uF6-t0oM41lL9hEvLo3ylocEC-1MDJ7O6LGBf-OLBLCgDkTHg-Wll03FX2tAPPdQJjJwqkJ8iVA0YuQ-g5a7f1Nw-Wz1JQmVNMmqM7_1LTvdOMmxV25E_vvQ/w400-h400/heartofwisdompic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit loveprayerspeace.com</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p>Motherhood is always a growing and stretching experience. As a wife, mom, and now grammy, I have a lot of things to juggle. I've been a mom for 30 years(which completely blows my mind when I think about how fast time has gone by!). Each season has brought, and continues to bring, its own set of joys and challenges. With eight children born over a span of 19 years, I've gotten to do each of these seasons many, many times. And I can honestly tell you that practice does not make perfect!</p><p>Each one of my kids is wired in a unique way with their own needs, strengths, and challenges. Some stages of development were incredibly easy with some of my kids, while with others it was a wailing and gnashing of teeth experience. Take potty training as an example. My first child was potty trained so easily at 2.5. Child number two at the same age looked at the potty and screamed, "NO!" Most of my crew were finally ready between 3 and 3.5. My youngest son could care less what we tried to bribe him with to use the potty and finally(!) was potty trained just days before he turned 4. Our son with severe autism wasn't fully potty trained until around the age of 8...but we were thrilled that he even reached that milestone! So different. And that's just one small stage of development!</p><p>We've had a lot of family changes over the last four years. Four college graduations, two grad-school graduations, three marriages, three grandsons, a granddaughter arriving next month, and another grandson arriving in August. My special needs son became an adult, which has meant lots of paperwork and a new road to navigate. Another child started college. My youngest son became and official teenager, and my baby girl is no longer a baby but the "pre-teeniest preteen" we have ever had.</p><p>Please click <a href="https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/a-heart-of-wisdom">here</a> to continue reading my blogpost at <a href="https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/a-heart-of-wisdom">catholicmom.com</a></p><p><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-31733671689541399622023-04-18T07:41:00.004-07:002023-04-18T07:47:25.554-07:00Carrying Each Other's Burdens<p> Last year, my family went through what I (unaffectionately) called <a href="http://normalchaosforamultitaskmom.blogspot.com/2022/05/welcome-to-second-lent.html" target="_blank">"Second Lent."</a> I remember that we had almost made it to Holy Week. The days were getting warmer. There was more daylight, which is always an amazing feeling after the long, dark days of winter in the Northeast! The hope of spring was starting to poke its way into my heart as winter and Lent were quickly drawing to a close.</p><p>That feeling lasted about 24 hours. Then, within the course of a week, two very hard, unexpected crosses showed up into our lives! </p><p>Please click the link to read the rest of my blogpost over at <a href="https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/carrying-each-others-burdens">Catholicmom</a>!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlKKZ8Z6tPB2H24wE43c7nPAuRswsiI9K5-Hl6rG64lOwcir_oIZ8EXj3qG8D7AlPRbkqg2sv_0FMeoXbdB_7r5Uj4i-dKOKlTIEAPItGfu-iq9IzZONxDHQR_UClqBB90lC884tQktOyuVitVpsAEBQwEzxx7phN5uBUofFN0sewGaQB1hCBCw/s1179/57D19878-93E9-4798-A0C5-AFA9C3E174F3.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1179" data-original-width="1179" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlKKZ8Z6tPB2H24wE43c7nPAuRswsiI9K5-Hl6rG64lOwcir_oIZ8EXj3qG8D7AlPRbkqg2sv_0FMeoXbdB_7r5Uj4i-dKOKlTIEAPItGfu-iq9IzZONxDHQR_UClqBB90lC884tQktOyuVitVpsAEBQwEzxx7phN5uBUofFN0sewGaQB1hCBCw/w400-h400/57D19878-93E9-4798-A0C5-AFA9C3E174F3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit: https://lovepeaceprayers.com/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-67797861076753992192023-03-21T18:31:00.002-07:002023-03-21T18:31:21.666-07:00He Sees Us<p> Lent creates a whole host of different emotions in my heart. It all depends on the year. Some years, I am feeling gung-ho and so ready to challenge myself to grow in all kinds of ways. Other years...not so much. This has been one of those "other years."</p><p>This year, I didn't even want to look at Lent. I feel like we've been doing Lent since November! Advent was so hard that my husband and I started calling it "<a href="http://normalchaosforamultitaskmom.blogspot.com/2023/01/isaiah-40-desert-wanderings-and.html">Lent-vent</a>." "Lent-vent" was followed up by a very hard time of <a href="http://normalchaosforamultitaskmom.blogspot.com/2023/02/love-them-to-end.html">grieving</a> at the unexpected loss of a friend. The night of my friend's funeral, the first of our family came down with the norovirus. It was such a rough virus for us and took more than a month to work its way through our family, accompanying us through Ash Wednesday.</p><p>There was no excitement over Lent arriving for me this year. There was only exhaustion and burnout. I mostly ignored the fact that Lent was coming because I had no extra emotional space for anything. After the stress of the last few months, I would have been happy to just hibernate for the entirety of Lent and wake up on Easter!</p><p>Maybe you can relate?</p><p>....Please <a href="https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/he-sees-us">click here</a> to finish reading my blog post on Catholicmom.com. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqk2l71uT2cRs03lvSLJ5uzt4_0_Y3RkEjXlTyVJRktMPchzxgv6m4RvURvTBbehCKUoLgXs61_QgWHVT00-6qXO0aheFDT80cYPUk0xBqphiFkXwZ6Gm_hjaEGlg6UdJeJLWJJZ3ZyTsqwwJzNkDSv5NWy1Jgkfl7ApzJcaZCkwb-WtFml035Q/s3737/image0%20(3).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2803" data-original-width="3737" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqk2l71uT2cRs03lvSLJ5uzt4_0_Y3RkEjXlTyVJRktMPchzxgv6m4RvURvTBbehCKUoLgXs61_QgWHVT00-6qXO0aheFDT80cYPUk0xBqphiFkXwZ6Gm_hjaEGlg6UdJeJLWJJZ3ZyTsqwwJzNkDSv5NWy1Jgkfl7ApzJcaZCkwb-WtFml035Q/w400-h300/image0%20(3).jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit: LovePeacePrayers.com<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-50869801900317523182023-02-09T18:02:00.001-08:002023-02-09T18:27:37.319-08:00Love Them To The End<p>Life changing moments often come when you least expect it. </p><p>There are times when life appears to be going along at a fairly controllable pace. Then something happens. In an instant, the fragility of life smacks you in the face and it becomes undeniably apparent that the control we seem to have is a complete illusion. </p><p>Several days after Christmas, our daughter-in-law's mom had a scheduled surgery to replace a heart valve. Liz's mom had no other health issues, was in an excellent hospital with an excellent doctor, and all expectations were for a successful, uncomplicated surgery with a full recovery. At first, everything supported those expectations. Patti went through the surgery with no problems. She spent a couple of days in the ICU as was planned and then went to a regular room on the cardiac floor. Patti was making great progress. </p><p>Until she wasn't. </p><p>The day her doctor talked about sending her home, Patti collapsed. Patti's recovery was hijacked by massive blood clots that traveled to her heart, lungs and brain. Instead of going home that day, Patti spent the next 10 days in the ICU as doctors tried to save her life. It was a nightmare rollercoaster ride for her family as each day would bring small moments of hopeful news followed by devastating realities as the damage to her heart and her brain continued to unfold. As more and more damage was discovered, it became obvious that Patti could not be healed this side of Heaven. Patti passed into Eternity on Saturday, January 14th surrounded by her loving husband and daughters, and several other members of her family that were so incredibly supportive during the entire devastating journey. </p><p>Patti was more than just my daughter-in-law's mom. Patti was also my friend. I've been blessed to know Patti for about 4 and a half years. Andrew and Liz had been dating for about 10 months when we got a chance to meet Patti, her husband, Chris, and Liz's sister, Tori. They came to Andrew's college graduation party and from the moment we met them, they felt like family. Liz's family is kind, faithful, and genuine. They fit right in with all our friends and it felt like we had known them for a long time, even though we had just met. When Andrew and Liz got engaged only a few months later, it truly felt that we were combining our whole families. It was an incredible blessing for all of us.</p><p>Those last ten days of Patti's life were incredibly painful for me. As a mom, my heart was just breaking for Liz and Tori and the grief they were carrying. As a wife, my heart ached for what Chris was facing. As a friend, I was grieving hard at the thought of Patti not being a part of my life. </p><p>Patti just had so much more life to live...especially with a little grandson that she <i>DELIGHTED</i> in and another grandbaby on the way. I cannot emphasize enough how much pure joy Patti felt at being a "Gramma". Patti lived her whole life for love of her family. You could see it in her body language, hear it in her voice, and feel it in the acts of love that she showed to all those she cared about. Patti loved with her whole heart and her family was everything. I saw it in the way she cared for her dying brother alongside her sisters. I saw it in the joy of being in the presence of her sisters and their love of each other. I heard it in the way she spoke with such love and happiness for her niece, all of her nephews and their wives and children. I saw it in the pure love and acceptance she had for her special needs nephew, Stephen. I saw it in the happiness she shared in at the weddings and receptions of my other son and daughter. Patti was just filled with life and joy. Everyone that knew her experienced it and were touched by it. </p><p>As the stress and bad news increased in the last week of Patti's life, I was blessed to be able to spend some extra time with Patti's family. I drove up to Patti and Chris' house a couple of times to spend part of the day with Xavier while everyone went to the hospital. As often happens in tragic situations, the desire to do something to help carry a loved one's burden was so strong. Just as strong was the helplessness of how little I could actually do. What I could do was be emotionally present-especially with the deep grief everyone was carrying, bring and prep food for dinner and for snacks when they had family and friends stop by, and do dishes and other simple tidying around the house.(Xavier was always enthusiastically encouraging me to vacuum the family room. Apparently that's his new favorite chore.:) It felt like so little, but it was a way to show how much I care for all of them and to lighten the burden they all carried in some very small way.</p><p>I was so grateful just be able to "do" something. I did find it really hard to be in Patti's home. There was a feeling of intruding in the sacred space of another woman's kitchen when I was rifling through drawers trying to find measuring spoons or a can opener. I know if she was there, any question would have been answered in seconds and the necessary tool pulled out of the proper place. Without that familiarity, I was left to search and apologize in my head to Patti for stepping into her domain. I know that Patti knows that I was just trying to love and care for her family as she would, but it still felt wrong.</p><p>The first day that I watched Xavier was the day that the family had a big meeting with all of Patti's different doctors who each gave a thorough report and their opinions on her prognosis. It was that day that the yo-yo of emotions started to settle as it became more apparent that, without a miracle, Patti was not going to survive. There was much grief, but there was a peace that descended on Patti's family that was completely missing when I arrived that morning. I held a sleeping Xavier when Chris texted me the details of that meeting. As they drove home, I sobbed. I cried for the loss they were all facing. I cried for the coming loss of my friend. I cried that I was sitting on Patti's couch, in her home, holding our precious, sleeping grandson. She should have been the one there enjoying that peaceful moment. I felt so much guilt over that. My heart was just breaking.</p><p>Even within all the grief and loss of those hard 10 days, there was even more love. There was an incredible outpouring of prayers from family and friends. There was a constant presence of support from family and friends at the hospital and at their home. Chris' sister, her husband, her daughter, one of her sons and his fiance were at the hospital multiple times. They all came to the house multiple times with food and the desire to spend time with Chris and the girls and show them as much support as they could. Two of Patti's sisters came to be with Liz's family as well, and many of her nephews and their families drove for hours to be at the wake and funeral of their beloved aunt. Chris' best friend, John, made many supportive visits. He and his wife, Nancy, even opened up their beautiful home to host the reception after the burial. The outpouring of love and generosity was awe inspiring. The support that carried Chris, Liz and Tori was faith in action. God's presence in the midst of heartache and tragedy was felt through the outpouring of love from so many family and friends. It reminded me of this quote from St. Teresa of Avila:</p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Christ has no body but yours,<br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;">No hands, no feet on earth but yours,<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yours are the eyes with which Christ looks old<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">His compassion on this world,<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good,<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yours are the eyes, you are His body.<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Christ has no body now but yours,<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">No hands, no feet on earth but yours,<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yours are the eyes with which he looks<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">compassion on this world.<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Christ has no body now on earth but yours."</span></div><p></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">— St. Teresa of Ávila</span></p><p>Through these very hard moments, I got to see the kind of man my son, Andrew, has become. The care and attention that he showed to his wife, his son, and his in-laws made both Jay and I so proud. Andrew and Liz temporarily moved into Chris and Patti's home to be as supportive as they could for Chris and Tori. Andrew was driving all of them back and forth to the hospital every, emotionally filled day. Most days, Andrew had Xavier with him and kept him occupied while everyone spent time with Patti and met with the doctors for updates. (And Xavier was such a source of consolation for his grandpa and auntie. At 18 months old, Xavier doesn't understand what's going on, so his happy smiles and hugs were a much needed balm to hurting hearts.) Andrew made sure everyone was drinking water and eating meals...especially his pregnant wife. But most importantly, he was incredibly emotionally present and supportive, not only to Liz, but also to both Chris and Tori. In one of the hardest moments of his young adult life, Andrew leaned in to his faith and that Grace helped him to support his family throughout the entire difficult time. Seeing his care for all of them just touched my heart. #proudmamamoment</p><p>I feel like I got to share in a "highlight reel" of Patti's life in some ways. I know that she certainly had crosses to carry in the time I have known her, but we got to share so many amazing memories. Watching the beautiful video that Chris and Tori put together for Patti's wake, I was brought back to one of the most joy-filled moments of both of our lives as Liz walked out of the bedroom in her wedding dress for the first time. I also saw the picture of us from the night Andrew and Liz announced that Xavier was on the way. I will never forget Patti's hands as she hurriedly tried to rip the wrapper off of the special fortune cookies Liz and Andrew had ordered or her voice as she asked/exclaimed to Liz, "Are you pregnant!?!?" as it slowly dawned on all of us that something really special was being announced. I will never forget the night that Liz went into labor and Patti and I spent the entire night going back and forth with Andrew and each other as we waited for the news that our grandchild had arrived and mama and baby were both ok. </p><p>I found myself feeling incredibly grateful to God for the gift that Patti was. I'm grateful that she and Chris were open to life and brought two beautiful, loving daughters into the world. I'm grateful that God chose their daughter and our son for each other and brought both of our families together. I'm grateful for all the wonderful moments we shared. I'm just so tremendously sad that there won't be more.</p><p>Patti's wake and funeral Mass were truly a celebration of a beautiful life filled with love. Though wrapped in deep grief, there were moments of just pure beauty that I will carry with me for a long time. I wish it wouldn't have been a completely inappropriate moment to take a picture, because watching Liz, Andrew and Liz's dad and sister walking up the church aisle behind the casket holding each other's hands linked in support for strength and love was just incredibly touching and beautiful. Their hearts were broken and hurting but their love for Patti and each other, while being lifted by the prayers of everyone present (and even those who weren't), gave them the strength to endure the hardest day of their lives. </p><p>Patti's pastor knew Patti and her family well. Fr. Larry gave a beautiful, tear inducing homily about the faithful, loving wife and mother Patti was. You could see that Patti's unexpected call home had really affected him. Three and a half years ago, Fr. Larry had concelebrated Andrew and Liz's wedding. He has an amazing voice, and I remember how excited Patti was that he agreed to sing the Ave Maria during the wedding ceremony. At the end of the funeral Mass, Fr. Larry walked off of the alter, stood right in front of Patti's casket, and sang that beautiful song just for her. I don't think there was a dry eye in the church, but it was so touching. It was just another example of how the love that Patti exuded in her life inspired everyone around her to love in return.</p><p>It seems so surreal that Patti is really gone. How can a person that was so full of life and love not be with us anymore? How can a person that is still so needed by her family not survive? Sometimes life just doesn't make sense. </p><p>Patti's death has affected me greatly. I know I'm blessed to have lived this long without facing the grief of losing a friend, but it's still really hard. Everything feels different. I feel like my perspective has shifted. How can you not be affected when someone close to you passes away and it highlights the finiteness of our existence in this life?</p><p>Patti's death has triggered a good amount of fear and anxiety that I've had to work through.(and am still working through...) Her death has also brought up a lot of questions to ponder; such as, How can I live my life more intentionally? What do I want to focus on at this point in my life? Are there things in different areas of my life that need to be changed or tweaked in order to live more intentionally? Do I have any real goals for this season of my life? What are steps I need to take to reach those goals?</p><p>Can you tell that I'm in the "mid-life crisis" zone of life? Or, as Matthew Kelly calls it, "mid-life opportunity."</p><p>Life is passing by so quickly. I don't want to waste it. The path is changing as we get older and our kids grow up and start lives of their own...I haven't figured out exactly which way my new path is heading. It's hard to feel lost...and it's uncomfortable. It's an opportunity to grow and to stretch, but it feels pretty torturous when you're stuck in the messy middle of change.</p><p>Though the path certainly doesn't feel very clear right now, my ultimate life goal is summed up in John 13:1. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: center;">"...Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, <br /></span><span style="text-align: center;">having loved his own who were in the world, <br /></span>he loved them to the end."</div><p>Love our own in this world and love them to the end....that's certainly what Patti did.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGCFLAg-63F_3fkV06wnc0-kLW8zv7YP6msVyE17CJh-0KZoX343M3ofgDRlbVjTBjU-kjkh9qsn5PM_kprUoW8hROaBL2B2I5_wdFzMv5-9-myXSCRIHJT7vheVhuMaUrVGnV431voHLt4Xkb85UQXFIIdElRGOUHrS273XhtNxoO7YE-lipCA/s2048/patti.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGCFLAg-63F_3fkV06wnc0-kLW8zv7YP6msVyE17CJh-0KZoX343M3ofgDRlbVjTBjU-kjkh9qsn5PM_kprUoW8hROaBL2B2I5_wdFzMv5-9-myXSCRIHJT7vheVhuMaUrVGnV431voHLt4Xkb85UQXFIIdElRGOUHrS273XhtNxoO7YE-lipCA/w400-h300/patti.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Tori, Chris, Patti and Liz celebrating with us at Sarah's wedding in August.<br />I can't believe we had to say goodbye to her just five months later....<br />I'm so grateful that Patti was a part of our lives.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-47475682057734142822023-01-22T14:36:00.000-08:002023-01-22T14:36:09.811-08:00Isaiah 40, Desert Wanderings, and Punctuation<p>During Advent, which honestly felt so much like Lent that Jay and I started calling it "Lentvent" and the "Lentiest Advent ever", there was a particular scripture that caught my eye. It really struck me and I spent the rest of Advent and the Christmas Season with it mulling around in my head. I wanted to write a blogpost about it before Christmas, which I started doing, but it felt clunky and I just had such little time to write that I never finished it. I considered that it might be something to ponder on my own, but I'm still thinking about it all these weeks later. And even though it's clearly no longer Advent..or Christmas...I think that it's still relevant. (Hopefully you do too!)</p><p>One particular line caught my eye from the reading of the day back in mid December. The structure of the sentence was actually different than I always thought it was. It made me think of this meme: </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgz4utWRIVFZpoPOqs5zFGQEYCp3Tn5Yir-j4TsaGlT46f-sJu-6H2v81XfcOkbtAHXi8XgCdZFCGRzRhrGwEe5l4xdLKngQVA4J5ghFYzqoPk5ULVw_rIiSNYMWVkWS5Qg5iUlwD8_bSNTrUYAjIiGGeoofTKcVZF1C3Kg-bBL85PVGJhpu4zyQg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="297" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgz4utWRIVFZpoPOqs5zFGQEYCp3Tn5Yir-j4TsaGlT46f-sJu-6H2v81XfcOkbtAHXi8XgCdZFCGRzRhrGwEe5l4xdLKngQVA4J5ghFYzqoPk5ULVw_rIiSNYMWVkWS5Qg5iUlwD8_bSNTrUYAjIiGGeoofTKcVZF1C3Kg-bBL85PVGJhpu4zyQg=w320-h400" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/540291286521991058/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">The scripture was from Isaiah 40:1...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"A voice cries, "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Make straight in the desert a highway for our God."</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">When I hear that verse read out loud, I always thought it went, "A voice cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord..." And it actually does in the Gospels, which I discovered as Advent went on.<span style="font-size: x-small;">(See Mt 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, and John 1:23) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Do you see the subtle difference in the comma placement? It just really jumped out at me when I read it. I've thought about it almost every day since then, mostly trying to figure out why this small punctuation change struck me so much. Here's what I've figured out so far.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The way I always heard the verse when it was read in the Gospel readings, "A voice cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord", always spoke of John the Baptist. He was the voice crying in the wilderness, (literally), for people to repent. As can happen when you hear a certain scripture verse over and over again, that one was easy to just gloss over. It was quickly dismissed from my head..."that's just the one about John the Baptist trying to get people ready for Jesus." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But seeing a simple comma placement changed all that.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When I read Isaiah 40:1-11, it made me think in a whole new way. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">"A voice cries, "<b>In the wilderness,</b> prepare the way of the Lord...." Isaiah 40:3</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(emphasis mine)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Let's start with the part of the sentence that I highlighted, "In the wilderness". We are supposed to prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness. What does that mean? When I see "wilderness" in the Bible, I automatically think of the Israelites wandering around in the desert wilderness for 40 years until they were able to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief and lack of trust in the God who freed them from slavery in Egypt. During Advent, I happened to be reading a book called <u>Just Rest </u>by Sonja Corbitt. The book is a a study about the spiritual lessons from the Israelites' Exodus and how to apply those lessons to our own desert, (or wilderness), areas that we have in our own lives. I highly recommend it. (Quick tangent: I got to hear Sonja at a Women's Conference in the Fall and she was amazing. She also has a podcast called the Bible Study Evangelista that I also love and would recommend checking out.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So what's our wilderness? Well, our wilderness is the broken places, the unhealed places, that we all have in our hearts. It's the areas in our lives where we struggle to trust God and where we rely on ourselves to get what we need because we think that's the only way we will be filled. Our wilderness is the places where we have put up walls around our hearts because life has been hard and we have believed the lie that only we can protect ourselves. Our wilderness is the broken family relationships, the broken friendships, the sins we struggle to let go of, the way of grief when we have lost someone that we love, the unhealed trauma and anything else that keeps us from living fully and authentically.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">"A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,</div><div style="text-align: center;">make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Isaiah 40:3 </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">These words of Isaiah are a direction for us. They are an encouragement. God knows what we are going through and He is coming to us. He wants to heal us, forgive us, and bless us. He wants to fill us with all that we need. We are not forgotten or abandoned. But we need to be open to Him. We need to "prepare the way" in our hearts to let Him in. We need to put down our defenses and our self sufficiency and all the unhealthy ways, (big and small), that we self protect and trust that He will come and take care of our needs. (And, wow, is that so NOT easy!!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That Isaiah verse reminds me of Hebrews 12:13. </div><div style="text-align: center;">"and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint </div><div style="text-align: center;">but rather be healed."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">How we act and react in times of hardship and pain can make us more predisposed to healing or make everything even harder for us in the long run. (I, unfortunately, have more experience with the latter.)\</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Because after we "prepare a way for the Lord", what happens next?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">"Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low;</div><div style="text-align: center;">the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And the glory of the lord shall be revealed..." Isaiah 40:4-5</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">God will take away the obstacles, He will heal our grief and brokenness. His Grace and Mercy will be apparent to us. But it will most likely happen in the desert, because in the desert, God is teaching us trust and reliance on Him and a whole slew of other lessons that aren't easy to learn in the moment but make us stronger, more loving people in the long run.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><br /></div><div>God wants us to bring our needs to Him, and then He wants us to trust Him to take care of them. He doesn't expect me to find my own way out of the wilderness...that's His job, not my job. My job is to remain open, to be patient, and to watch for Him. God always gives us the next step. It might take longer than we would like, it will most likely involve people we don't expect that help us along the way, and it might be a path that isn't our preference, but He will show us the way. Our job in the wilderness is to "prepare the way of the Lord", and that starts with the disposition of our hearts. </div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sonja says in <u>Just Rest</u>, "Needs are an invitation to experience God's love and provision, and to overcome our bondage to fear and bitterness." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I just automatically want to look at that word "need" and turn it into "needy", which is such a negative connotation. The world..and the devil...lie to us. They tell us that "I" can do it all and "I" can have it all and I..I..I..I..I. But we were made for a purpose and for <i>relationship</i> and yes, God gave us needs. And those needs are good and necessary because it lets each of us be a conduit of God's Grace and Love to our family, our friends, and even to strangers that God places in our path. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With age brings wisdom, (at least sometimes!), and I've learned more often than naught to realize when I'm stuck in the wilderness. Unfortunately, I still find myself wandering around my personal deserts complaining like the Israelites instead of relying on God and being in awe of all the ways that He provides for me every.single.day. I'm stuck looking at my circumstances, trying to figure out my own way out, and not preparing a way for God to have access to my heart and my problems. Reflecting on Isaiah 40 is helping me to lean into my desert experience and to wait on God. It's going to help build my "trust muscle" which, between you and me, needs a lot of work. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(Another important thing that I've learned is that I don't want to be stuck in my deserts longer than I have to be! I want to learn the lessons and get to the milk and honey...or maybe hot chocolate and cheesecake.) </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If I had to give a "cliff notes" version of what I've learned it's this: </div><div style="text-align: left;">less self reliance and more reliance on God.....</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">.....And, of course, that commas are very important!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-40566470476937218712022-11-28T12:33:00.000-08:002022-11-28T12:33:05.493-08:00Healing What is Hidden<p>I recently attended a funeral for my friend's dad. A funeral is always somber and emotional. Even though I didn't know my friend's dad, I still found myself tearing up as his grown children and the teenage and young adult grandchildren comforted each other. Loss is difficult, even when someone has had a long life. It's just so hard to say goodbye. </p><p>The Gospel reading the family chose was the story of Lazarus. Listening to it reminded me that I had written a blog post a while ago....it was June!!!...in my journal when I felt inspired in adoration. It never got onto my blog because I was waiting for the right timing and then I completely forgot about it until the funeral. When I went to try and find it in my journal, which I figured would take me a while, I opened up right to the page where it was written! I'm taking that as a "God wink" that the timing is now.:)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>"When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God, he who is coming into the world."(John 11:20-22)</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">Entering into Martha's grief, I feel the emotion in her words to Jesus. I hear the "Why, Lord?" I also see the trust. Martha knew and believed who Jesus was. Martha had hope in what Jesus could do in this life and, more importantly, she had the hope of eternal life.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I cry out "Why, Lord?" to God in really hard situations. Grief is so painful to go through. Avoiding grief doesn't work. Although our minds think that it's self preservation, stuffing our feelings just makes everything harder. Having to go through grief reminds me of one of my kids favorite children’s books, “We’re Going On a Bear Hunt”. Here's my spin on it:</p><p style="text-align: left;">“Uh Oh, Grief! We can’t go over it, we can’t go under it. Oh no, we have to go through it.”</p><p style="text-align: left;">I wrestle with the why in difficult life situations, especially in moments of great loss. I wrestle to understand and make sense of the pain. So did Martha. It had been four days since her brother had died. More than that since Mary and Martha had sent word to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” They had been living the fear, angst, and grief of loss. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Both Mary and Martha told Jesus at separate moments, “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died.”(Martha in verse 21 and Mary in verse 32.) Mary fell at Jesus’ feet weeping in grief as she said the words. I have done the same; weeping in adoration as my broken heart continued to break as I cried to Him, "If only You had not let this happen to us.”</p><p style="text-align: left;">And just as He felt with Mary in verse 33, Jesus’ heart is “moved in spirit and troubled” when we pour out our broken hearts before Him. Just as He asks Mary, “Where have you laid him?”, Jesus asks us in those moments that grief overwhelms us, “Where is your brokenness? Where are your dead places? Show me the places where you only see brokenness and despair.”</p><p style="text-align: left;">This Bible story doesn't end with Martha and Mary's grief. This is a story about God's plans being greater than our plans. This is a story of miracles and healing. When does healing happen? I think that there are three steps that Jesus shows us in the healing of Lazarus that we can ponder in our own lives.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>"Then Mary, when she came where Jesus was and saw him, fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled; and he said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see."</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">The first step towards healing is when we tell Jesus, “Come and see.” Martha and Mary brought Jesus to the source of their pain. We need to do the same. When we show Him where our hurts are and when we show Him where our brokenness is....that's when we open ourselves to the grace to start the journey towards healing. </p><p style="text-align: left;">What did Martha and Mary expect to happen at the tomb? Not the miracle of their brother being raised from the dead. They were too grief stricken. They thought all hope had passed. They thought that they missed out on the miracle that could have been..."Lord, if you had been here...". </p><p style="text-align: left;">But Jesus had another plan. He always has a plan. We often don't understand or "see it". We get trapped in our grief and stuck in everything that seems impossible and hopeless. We forget the words in Matthew 19:26; "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." That's the second step; Faith. Can we push past our limited vision and be open to possibility...especially impossibilities? Can we be open and vulnerable even it we don't have the answers or the final outcome all worked out? That's not easy!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb; it was a cave and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">Jesus says "Take away the stone" and Martha says, "Lord, there will be an odor." Martha could not see past the pain and loss. She saw no other possibility than the reality of the moment. It cost too much to hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. But Jesus knows and understands how much Martha is hurting, so He encourages Martha. "Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" I hear those words spoken with a tone of comfort and gentleness. I hope you can too.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Jesus encourages us to open our brokenness to Him. He encourages us to allow Him access to the areas in our life that are dead and seem hopeless. That's the third step. We have to "roll away the stone". We have to let down all of our modes of self protection-all the walls we've emotionally erected to try and keep the pain away. We need to step away from all the distractions that we try to avoid looking at and feeling our hurt and brokenness. We need to not be afraid of the "odor" of our festering wounds caused by others and by our own sins. We need to be willing to reopen the wound, because what is hidden cannot be healed. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Don't just skim over that last sentence. Say it slowly and let it sink in. </p><p style="text-align: center;">What is hidden cannot be healed.</p><p style="text-align: left;">This time of year is filled with lots of traditions, family and checking things off the endless lists to create special holiday moments. For many of us, this time of year also carries a lot of sadness and big emotions that we can often try to white knuckle through. Using sheer will to "get through" the holidays isn't good, and in the end just leaves us with more brokenness. It also steals our joy. Advent is the perfect time to let His light into the darkness of our hearts. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Where are your broken places? Where do you feel dead inside? Where have you lost hope? Bring Jesus to those places. Remove those heavy stones and see what Jesus' plan is. Let's all try to bring our brokenness to God, have faith(and patience) while we wait for Him to show us His plan, and roll away the stone around our hurts to give God access to bring true healing. </p><p style="text-align: center;">"<i>What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, </i><i>what God has prepared for those who love him." 1Cor 2:9</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-52245880387977743262022-10-24T04:39:00.000-07:002022-10-24T04:39:59.228-07:00Celebrating Love and Marriage<p> “Love between man and a woman cannot be built without sacrifices and self denial.”~John Paul II</p><p><br /></p><p>Monday, October 24th, is a big day for us. The 24th marks 30 years since Jay and I said “I do”. We started this wild and crazy journey together on shaky ground…young and in love and completely ignorant to living life as adults. While it’s true that “ignorance is bliss”, reality certainly crashes through soon enough and we both had lots of learning to do! </p><p>There was a big learning curve in those first few years. Learning to communicate with each other had its challenges. I had unrealistic expectations that Jay would understand my feelings and needs because….how could he not? It was so obvious! </p><p>Case in point, when our first son was just an infant, Jay had been at his college classes all day and then, shortly after he got home, was going to lift weights with a friend. He thought all was good because I hadn’t said otherwise. But in my head….I had convinced myself that he didn’t really love me anymore and didn’t want to be with us. So when poor Jay ran in from classes to change, he found a tearful wife who shared those worried thoughts. He was like a deer caught in the headlights! My fears were unfounded…(clearly, since I’m writing this blogpost;). But that moment was just the first of many over the years as we learned…and are still learning…how to communicate our needs. I’m still figuring out that men’s brains don’t work the same way our brains do, and being open and honest is important because they really have no clue what is going on in our minds!(Even after 30 years of marriage!) </p><p>Life is filled with so many different seasons, but the need to work on communication is something that has always continued to come around. Which makes sense because as life changes, our needs change, and how can we understand each other if we aren’t talking about how we are feeling? Unless our men finally get the ability to sense our subtle..(and sometimes not so subtle)… cues and learn to read our minds? Anyone have any luck with that? Me neither! So I guess we have to keep on talking about the real things on our heart…</p><p>Open and honest sharing is not always easy. Life gets busy. I might have something that’s bothering me but Jay’s really tired…so I decide to wait to address it. And the next night I’m really tired and don’t feel like dealing with it. And the next night one of our kids has needs that need to be met. It’s easy to push it all off until I finally just push the thoughts aside completely because “maybe it isn’t really that important anyway”. Except that it almost always is. By brushing it off, I’m actually keeping a part of my heart from my spouse and not giving him the opportunity to know me in that place. I’m also not allowing myself to be known in that vulnerable place and to be seen, acknowledged, validated and comforted. </p><p>You would think that after 30 years(!) I would have this communication thing down pat! Except I absolutely don’t. In fact, changes in life stages seem to highlight just how much we still have to work on and grow in as a couple…even in a good marriage. Life is so busy! We had so.many.years with babies and toddlers and lots of little kids to take care of. Then, for good measure, God gave us a couple of bonus babies to add to our crew. We had all the things most families have…lack of sleep, stomach bugs, school projects, years of sports practices and games. We have also had some big crosses like losing a child, raising a child with profound special needs, and having a fracture in our family. All of these seasons and struggles have brought their own challenges and highlighted the need to continue to connect as a couple. We have been blessed with a marriage that has survived all the statistics. We survived getting married very young, we survived after losing a child, and we have survived while raising a child with severe autism. Just one of these life situations has a high percentage of divorce…never mind all three! I know that it is lots and lots of Grace that has kept us together through all the storms we've endured and continue to endure in our marriage. </p><p>We are now entering a different stage of our marriage. We have only half of our children living under our roof. One is Peter, who is an adult but will always be with us and requires a whole different focus inplanning for his future as he ages and we age. Another is Ellen, who is also an adult and halfway through college and well on her way to being independent. Then there are Luke and Kate, who at 13 and almost 11 are very independent in their own ways. The dynamics of our family have changed greatly, and so have the conversations Jay and I have. We are trying to shift our focus to “smaller” family living.(I know 4 is still above average for many people, but for us it’s a lot smaller!) We want to concentrate on making memories for the kids still at home and “family vacations” don’t always mean traveling with our whole crazy crew. </p><p>There were lots of years that Jay and I struggled to spend time together as a couple. Now that our lives have shifted again, we need to make scheduling more regular “us” time a priority. It’s easy to just let the weeks pass by because they are so busy and full, but the day isn’t too far off that the kids’ schedules won’t fill our lives. We need to make sure that we have fun and meaningful connections as a couple now to help to keep our marriage strong and growing.</p><p>As our kids get older, the biggest change has definitely been for me. Over the years, Jay has coached little league teams for our older boys and, more recently, run youth groups for our teenagers and middle schoolers on a monthly basis for the past 11 years. I have always been the one at home taking care of little ones. Now things have shifted..at least a little. Right now, I'm taking care of my 18 month old twin grandsons three days a week. My days off give me some time to work on some personal growth amidst the many tasks of running a household. It's taken me several years to try and figure out what adventure God has for me to pursue in this new season of my life. It's hard to shift gears when more than two decades of my life had been spent carrying, birthing, nursing and nurturing babies and small children. </p><p>I still can’t believe that three whole decades have passed since we got married! That’s just such a long time! Most days I’m trying to figure out how I got this old and how fast life is going by. Nothing makes you face the truth to life going by and getting older more than your own children getting married and grandchildren being born! I could ignore the fact that I was getting older just fine until Andrew and Jon got married and before too long we were watching our grown kids having babies! I blinked and we were planning Sarah’s wedding and I am now completely steeped in the reality that time is passing faster than I would like it to. </p><p>This new season of life is growing and stretching me in new ways. It is teaching me to live in the moment and to be more present and attentive. Experiencing how much changes as my kids become adults and how fast it all goes makes me want to be more deliberate about how I live my life and spend my time. I also want to be more deliberate about spending time as a couple and setting goals and making plans for adventures, both big and small. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhubJknDw37_T9s_IUWvezB_bvfY_EHvBG67YgI7d0EzWhOK8U5LL75idGcUVv3frS2iKTCJ2YStwAXd3aOF6ciTVRi3u0oVnbGjla8WpanO_g520_A5FD0thBdZ19jLwtbQIicpaog9-kUdnB06gjFkgOqxH7DM6hWqigqK3nbgFTqOM90jV-5Gg/s480/69F21FC2-F6EE-4262-BB07-0F8EFE5ED664.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhubJknDw37_T9s_IUWvezB_bvfY_EHvBG67YgI7d0EzWhOK8U5LL75idGcUVv3frS2iKTCJ2YStwAXd3aOF6ciTVRi3u0oVnbGjla8WpanO_g520_A5FD0thBdZ19jLwtbQIicpaog9-kUdnB06gjFkgOqxH7DM6hWqigqK3nbgFTqOM90jV-5Gg/s320/69F21FC2-F6EE-4262-BB07-0F8EFE5ED664.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A selfie from our little 30th Anniversary adventure!</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">God willing, Jay and I still have lots of life to live together. Communication….and lots of Grace(!)…will be key as our life continues to shift and our family changes and grows. I think St. Zelie, St. Therese of Lisieux’s mom, says it best:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">“It is necessary that the heroic becomes daily, and the daily becomes heroic.”</p><p>May all of us have the Grace to live her message in our vocation of marriage!</p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-42098921516676490292022-09-14T10:38:00.006-07:002022-09-14T10:58:42.810-07:00The One Where We Gave Our Daughter Away<p>It's taken me over a month(!)...that seriously felt like it went by on warp speed...but I'm finally ready to share about Sarah's wedding day.:) It's very surreal that another one of our children has gotten married and started a life of their own!</p><p>How do you begin to sum up a day that is so much more than just the "play by play" moments. The road to giving our daughter away at the alter felt very different than either of our sons' weddings. It was a different level of emotion for both of us...but especially for Jay. All of our girls have always been very attached to Jay. "Daddy's little girl" is certainly a living phrase at our house. Sarah was the first to have her daddy wrapped around her little finger from the moment he saw her for the first time. Letting go has not been easy.</p><p>Sarah and Mike's wedding day was sunny, clear and VERY hot! It was right in the middle of those couple of weeks of extreme heat we had at the end of July/beginning of August. I made sure to get up early and get all the AC's in the house going strong to keep everyone comfortable!</p><p>Our day started early with the make-up artist arriving before 7am followed shortly after by the two hair stylists. The day had a real deja vu feeling for me....in the last 3 years both Liz and Marisa got ready for their weddings at our house. </p><p>Having those two experiences certainly helped with the timing of the day. As I kept an eye on keeping girls jumping into hair or make up chairs as soon as they were vacated, Jay helped to make a special breakfast to make sure no one got "hangry". (Especially the bride..it's a Hamel trait!) Breakfast consisted of fresh bagels made by Sarah's favorite local restaurant, Jay's special breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, linguica, apple chicken sausage, and fresh fruit. </p><p>Everything moved smoothly and before we knew it, everyone's hair and make up was done and wedding time was approaching. After a quick lunch/snack of sandwiches and fruit, it was time for everyone to get dressed and get ready to head to the church. Ellie and I helped Sarah to get dressed. It seems like just yesterday that the two of them would play dress up and hold pretend weddings with their Barbie dolls. I'm not exactly sure how we actually found ourselves with a daughter old enough to get married, but here we are.</p><p>While Sarah was getting dressed, Jay was helping get a cooler together with ice water for after the wedding.(because it was SO hot!) Sarah did not want to leave my bedroom until she was sure that Jay was in the living room so he would see her in her wedding dress first. All she cared about was his reaction. For one last moment, her Daddy was the only man Sarah had eyes for. As she walked out of the bedroom, her gaze locked with Jay's and she headed right towards him even as her whole bridal party ooh'd and aah'd. It’s definitely a moment engrained in my heart. #passthetissues</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2QPkNjW4HuwSDa7NKIEDD2qFF4Td7eXKWfcLO-rIp9Yl05quKHVeuE0ZZbdiELshKF-BcFboQEu2hzB6vS_kPAyYm-P6IkZPpL1VNYG6_X943I1lGrgBBREDAzWo1uJLgp2OYN6NnhqEZvaE3Q-fPLafsOXdxgTJ4--JdL4FuGadb4OTn9OfAA/s4032/3097C479-B68E-4AE1-8C4A-4589A2F9C8A7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2QPkNjW4HuwSDa7NKIEDD2qFF4Td7eXKWfcLO-rIp9Yl05quKHVeuE0ZZbdiELshKF-BcFboQEu2hzB6vS_kPAyYm-P6IkZPpL1VNYG6_X943I1lGrgBBREDAzWo1uJLgp2OYN6NnhqEZvaE3Q-fPLafsOXdxgTJ4--JdL4FuGadb4OTn9OfAA/w300-h400/3097C479-B68E-4AE1-8C4A-4589A2F9C8A7.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakHPgdCOg43dak3lxvBmu9lOlRkVCDgYRtfWkuFKCG9Yn6ar3jbEs1-G-YYkWaZLhWPD03RNGCaaCWLc2edRZ291Y1JyWVqpXWm28haE8OHEmqMWadzzfHGn9JRqDy9ApaglHI-UgWWPHvqMqSojV2NGJ6Lv2ZxMs7jELvdW21myJOFy-NZGGZQ/s4032/7C158E93-47BF-46BF-917F-EFD541CFDEDA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakHPgdCOg43dak3lxvBmu9lOlRkVCDgYRtfWkuFKCG9Yn6ar3jbEs1-G-YYkWaZLhWPD03RNGCaaCWLc2edRZ291Y1JyWVqpXWm28haE8OHEmqMWadzzfHGn9JRqDy9ApaglHI-UgWWPHvqMqSojV2NGJ6Lv2ZxMs7jELvdW21myJOFy-NZGGZQ/w300-h400/7C158E93-47BF-46BF-917F-EFD541CFDEDA.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>We all piled in the cars, headed to church, and it was "go" time! Jay did a very good job handing Sarah over to Mike after walking her down the aisle. I saw only a minor hesitation. (Which was a <i>big</i> improvement from the rehearsal the day before when Jay walked Sarah up the aisle and clearly paused when Fr. Ryan said to give Sarah's hand to Mike....I could see Jay fighting himself in his head! One of the bridesmaids whispered, "Mr. Hamel, you could always just pick Sarah up and run back down the aisle and out the door!" To which I answered, "Edilia, don't give him any ideas! He just might!")</p><p>The wedding itself went beautifully. The bride and groom were all smiles...and those smiles didn't leave their faces for the rest of the day. And just like that, we had a new Mr. and Mrs. in the family....but this time with a different last name.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSN3gTyP77VwMCLaRvSWDL0P61B6GPPQBXBnARP-XXJ4EGqyyVDZNJoVpwv-_KebKuP1HRII_uxy49hF8_Zmd8a0FSsx9_6OQ2gpaAIq2Bq7T-WmNjmvAsb6TcGCRM5k8qZFJGX4RjVrFZAlB0qr_inRV1sQrgEXmPima5GNxONdDqiA4ruTevGw/s1861/105E16D9-8136-4711-A121-B0B6E7F8F7CE.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1861" data-original-width="1396" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSN3gTyP77VwMCLaRvSWDL0P61B6GPPQBXBnARP-XXJ4EGqyyVDZNJoVpwv-_KebKuP1HRII_uxy49hF8_Zmd8a0FSsx9_6OQ2gpaAIq2Bq7T-WmNjmvAsb6TcGCRM5k8qZFJGX4RjVrFZAlB0qr_inRV1sQrgEXmPima5GNxONdDqiA4ruTevGw/w300-h400/105E16D9-8136-4711-A121-B0B6E7F8F7CE.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While everyone watches the bride walk down the aisle, I like to watch the groom's face. <br />And we were sitting in the perfect spot for a good shot:)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0k4H2UJagQeYz6QcHuRWufGkH5YwIVO_pgUkJdmStK0io-J7l894u7qcDOwmfoXPZEDh8S5iP1jfYXGh3YEtDAO29lWjAzwWNSLIWA7z0JyYPmZwzBs6J9QC_ZIzRwTlUSKBi_zRx2uIHPSnX949dwD9fEMZm9YKoZHRqh-Vr8rTuu90eUdPe-w/s4032/B632FA1A-5532-438D-B76B-9187349C986C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0k4H2UJagQeYz6QcHuRWufGkH5YwIVO_pgUkJdmStK0io-J7l894u7qcDOwmfoXPZEDh8S5iP1jfYXGh3YEtDAO29lWjAzwWNSLIWA7z0JyYPmZwzBs6J9QC_ZIzRwTlUSKBi_zRx2uIHPSnX949dwD9fEMZm9YKoZHRqh-Vr8rTuu90eUdPe-w/w300-h400/B632FA1A-5532-438D-B76B-9187349C986C.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3pzI5rjr8qXEwgj2MCB9H_79q_1Lra6eeSFriVeL-lQO6VLfmOu8zoc7cnr-v91ZWqsSLHMramI5y_MYgiDIKE8bh3f42xYegiwBvz5LwmCk5Vvx5lsKdszsuwW2auGdcsn7xkEJPy3b4QFaPCvqmKAww_IyHAQBEx_BxXjCmHgaJK5BPHdihQ/s4032/E8B4D04D-1492-481F-82AE-086DEED77774.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3pzI5rjr8qXEwgj2MCB9H_79q_1Lra6eeSFriVeL-lQO6VLfmOu8zoc7cnr-v91ZWqsSLHMramI5y_MYgiDIKE8bh3f42xYegiwBvz5LwmCk5Vvx5lsKdszsuwW2auGdcsn7xkEJPy3b4QFaPCvqmKAww_IyHAQBEx_BxXjCmHgaJK5BPHdihQ/w300-h400/E8B4D04D-1492-481F-82AE-086DEED77774.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The reception was lots of fun. Lots of beautiful pictures. Lots of dancing with family and friends. The bride and groom certainly have lots of amazing memories to last a lifetime! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4ab2_kkuJk-YZ_A7_Kb_WGWYYfxoX4qQwP-6JIhu-Tb7DW6H-nl9g2hjBBn5u9cQKcMEtlLJn1ScJl4_suYwpAX2lsF1LOqBrGcrkR26tLc0ycd3HyRvA4gXcmU1k-Hh2SEFpyvaDgrP3bPdcyxUkNaSblA-T88kdKvPh9de11TvfQk_hpCgsA/s4032/4D249897-961E-4124-A237-B411BF7AC9D1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4ab2_kkuJk-YZ_A7_Kb_WGWYYfxoX4qQwP-6JIhu-Tb7DW6H-nl9g2hjBBn5u9cQKcMEtlLJn1ScJl4_suYwpAX2lsF1LOqBrGcrkR26tLc0ycd3HyRvA4gXcmU1k-Hh2SEFpyvaDgrP3bPdcyxUkNaSblA-T88kdKvPh9de11TvfQk_hpCgsA/w300-h400/4D249897-961E-4124-A237-B411BF7AC9D1.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCX_UOWHsuZWJb9QeauCEv95F6D_6JQn-pB_zQ-5e7v_dZwUHnogwSJD8s5VZlBnRg9K6OZNI-o6e1dR4pidq9MPQg6Yl6yvvl2cILwvVu-ILTVRN2vhvzXOA8WTVxkbnTTwWT5j8rAReZsUWtU_V4KLObsn4MynHyD6GhpI8F0SXWiSSQ_EnJcg/s4032/6C815418-F521-4328-B7D8-E1C32449CA07.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCX_UOWHsuZWJb9QeauCEv95F6D_6JQn-pB_zQ-5e7v_dZwUHnogwSJD8s5VZlBnRg9K6OZNI-o6e1dR4pidq9MPQg6Yl6yvvl2cILwvVu-ILTVRN2vhvzXOA8WTVxkbnTTwWT5j8rAReZsUWtU_V4KLObsn4MynHyD6GhpI8F0SXWiSSQ_EnJcg/w300-h400/6C815418-F521-4328-B7D8-E1C32449CA07.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholbt7Y5L6zq4yl_LVPdp-ALu28Z6kAkyoPzLXff6P8oKLnAMzzpkF1YM91Lef0uRLbEyQMx25XZF5muTMKiPdPT1zTlncKqYr3PeMe9ULFvbUen-5Ru8NYxu0L8uVflzK-hfHCS-f_kv_v-P_mRRXeZQ35O5LF_QLwrlHw6zaWQuSb42YQHiW1A/s3088/43BB91DB-84B3-4430-89CD-B42F2EFBBCE7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="me and my girls" border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholbt7Y5L6zq4yl_LVPdp-ALu28Z6kAkyoPzLXff6P8oKLnAMzzpkF1YM91Lef0uRLbEyQMx25XZF5muTMKiPdPT1zTlncKqYr3PeMe9ULFvbUen-5Ru8NYxu0L8uVflzK-hfHCS-f_kv_v-P_mRRXeZQ35O5LF_QLwrlHw6zaWQuSb42YQHiW1A/w400-h300/43BB91DB-84B3-4430-89CD-B42F2EFBBCE7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me and my girls</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUEPIRFk2jvfhnAuLPoW1Q6Q7hNvHCx3_NlCXfR8k7xq4AxN6khoyxNPwDiiPBBQkpa25MUj59QGp2kEbZu_PSUGXPZatJWXfimiZLU76hc7Zjy7YMnL8Iv2GJX957oRowx0hQwoxhA280BT2kOVnkD5R9rn5P6XJAxqXDf3LsUsdoSVXl2g84Q/s4032/62A92D76-F591-44C3-9B06-CE3F7065E208.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUEPIRFk2jvfhnAuLPoW1Q6Q7hNvHCx3_NlCXfR8k7xq4AxN6khoyxNPwDiiPBBQkpa25MUj59QGp2kEbZu_PSUGXPZatJWXfimiZLU76hc7Zjy7YMnL8Iv2GJX957oRowx0hQwoxhA280BT2kOVnkD5R9rn5P6XJAxqXDf3LsUsdoSVXl2g84Q/w300-h400/62A92D76-F591-44C3-9B06-CE3F7065E208.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike's Mom and Dad</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AAOO2ggF-ZLcYbrvm1_t8Lm9m1Vz3QwMwVtGFz-UNLwepfxds-No1U0MwS2rtdWoDk1-z65GI2b0AAz9ph3-g7ApJ3Eb3GiCFTQ8kH8laKh7vTII2_83LNZILS0t1NhbY6Nh3G8UMzxFLlX9PzfJh0f5hBMimSXRpZohpctUavg4AR4_Z8Qtuw/s2809/80C2B02E-EB3A-424B-A9F1-A1F32C506CF1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2809" data-original-width="2107" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AAOO2ggF-ZLcYbrvm1_t8Lm9m1Vz3QwMwVtGFz-UNLwepfxds-No1U0MwS2rtdWoDk1-z65GI2b0AAz9ph3-g7ApJ3Eb3GiCFTQ8kH8laKh7vTII2_83LNZILS0t1NhbY6Nh3G8UMzxFLlX9PzfJh0f5hBMimSXRpZohpctUavg4AR4_Z8Qtuw/w300-h400/80C2B02E-EB3A-424B-A9F1-A1F32C506CF1.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-ROOLNGON73gdCJdvbEnalNGO8AMwo2qL9yzWh-CiahmzQDZKq756AMruJ_ZG_lmTM3lyHIsIkaMOysabTCbYv4DLdQ0HKKPMvRHe8JvlItt77FWi2iMzKnhFdW0wfSkv9WR_EmoDMRNQTyhPIHmOK72BokcJDtLUfA6ZUn-mCfiCbpG8pQWCg/s2938/82CFC7A2-0179-48DD-9E25-BB9866EA21E3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2938" data-original-width="2204" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-ROOLNGON73gdCJdvbEnalNGO8AMwo2qL9yzWh-CiahmzQDZKq756AMruJ_ZG_lmTM3lyHIsIkaMOysabTCbYv4DLdQ0HKKPMvRHe8JvlItt77FWi2iMzKnhFdW0wfSkv9WR_EmoDMRNQTyhPIHmOK72BokcJDtLUfA6ZUn-mCfiCbpG8pQWCg/w300-h400/82CFC7A2-0179-48DD-9E25-BB9866EA21E3.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQMabJ0uLoEMqVpETFK1oEoBipC5BPpF4nUezKGIjF6e4TYDwW0CiAjiE0VLEcOTAbZYgf3uRLm8-1kjdX6TWOVlbGtevj3uB_P3z_8f_6M7Uf8R1dpoeLlQo6_IftrX9kwlPmX2WB4ssf4k1qkEVCAsOFFDraW4YskSU-MDjc-akdqSeLDv4gg/s2681/114D465C-C3DB-4E45-BD62-DEAE4F73C691.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2681" data-original-width="2011" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQMabJ0uLoEMqVpETFK1oEoBipC5BPpF4nUezKGIjF6e4TYDwW0CiAjiE0VLEcOTAbZYgf3uRLm8-1kjdX6TWOVlbGtevj3uB_P3z_8f_6M7Uf8R1dpoeLlQo6_IftrX9kwlPmX2WB4ssf4k1qkEVCAsOFFDraW4YskSU-MDjc-akdqSeLDv4gg/w300-h400/114D465C-C3DB-4E45-BD62-DEAE4F73C691.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy/daughter dance:<br />They danced to Steven Curtis Chapman's "Dancing with Cinderella"<br />Sarah and Ellie used to play this song when they were younger to make Jay tear up!<br />If you need a good cathartic cry, <a href="https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=steven+curtis+chapman+dancing+with+cinderella&view=detail&mid=3B306EFF220AEA1FF74E3B306EFF220AEA1FF74E&FORM=VIRE0&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dsteven%2bcurtis%2bchapman%2bdancing%2bwith%2bcinderella%26cvid%3d56e841865e434dd6876a22aaed86b0be%26aqs%3dedge.2.69i57j0l8.9808j0j1%26pglt%3d41%26FORM%3dANNTA1%26PC%3dHCTS" target="_blank">click here</a> after you finish perusing the rest of the pictures:)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoXoQdv5XP-cUyCXcPfAduYJohS9P-mlhTNbOU6zraSVb4IFZyQsXXmP9dicAtdZAh_79gFTLO8K3QjyUO3-5eYjUT13MnFthtVWYw27SdHTzoPRY80kZT1FQ1x2A0rrtdbn6Q7Fi-A8BhVQv9SSymxHVNGPdM4YILAHIB1E_iVqEiZDmvUnCJA/s4032/BC3F0564-5822-4509-BE5C-1FFCCE1E7856.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoXoQdv5XP-cUyCXcPfAduYJohS9P-mlhTNbOU6zraSVb4IFZyQsXXmP9dicAtdZAh_79gFTLO8K3QjyUO3-5eYjUT13MnFthtVWYw27SdHTzoPRY80kZT1FQ1x2A0rrtdbn6Q7Fi-A8BhVQv9SSymxHVNGPdM4YILAHIB1E_iVqEiZDmvUnCJA/w300-h400/BC3F0564-5822-4509-BE5C-1FFCCE1E7856.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOO7NhgxAMpmmtW6_DOLOzdbCy-sa6PNsgjARZFtGt13JHmWgP0CbUOvAIlCAkqhkDw0dqIT9w4kkda1yj9zOWHJvPvIXag8E_bVAze8jvqEUYux8WA7CFZqdae8lIuDm4nMApvw7i1W7bNts46vJmNFfbCAZvHloHFuBrXZmk7NhJXFh8T84sVw/s3105/D0213ADC-B23C-46D6-A474-C47463825208.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2329" data-original-width="3105" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOO7NhgxAMpmmtW6_DOLOzdbCy-sa6PNsgjARZFtGt13JHmWgP0CbUOvAIlCAkqhkDw0dqIT9w4kkda1yj9zOWHJvPvIXag8E_bVAze8jvqEUYux8WA7CFZqdae8lIuDm4nMApvw7i1W7bNts46vJmNFfbCAZvHloHFuBrXZmk7NhJXFh8T84sVw/w400-h300/D0213ADC-B23C-46D6-A474-C47463825208.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbtlcY7JvHhHCSCk_MXYpFe34JDqLPksSo9mO4dzs1Hay-FYrNO1b0v2ahkKcsEK9qOaYAR3vqkeufAZagiBPjh8OEr-sryilzuGAZSJ5uIupqehvvyCR8YZDrmspJMosu1SINN56CEsM5ZVGnta3h-2CD7MZCor513_fTMImfBkw4PYQHSe6UQ/s4032/E42DF477-73BD-42A9-8912-C5676A3CD646.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbtlcY7JvHhHCSCk_MXYpFe34JDqLPksSo9mO4dzs1Hay-FYrNO1b0v2ahkKcsEK9qOaYAR3vqkeufAZagiBPjh8OEr-sryilzuGAZSJ5uIupqehvvyCR8YZDrmspJMosu1SINN56CEsM5ZVGnta3h-2CD7MZCor513_fTMImfBkw4PYQHSe6UQ/w300-h400/E42DF477-73BD-42A9-8912-C5676A3CD646.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaLqUyXqu_ZKadCJlQHpsxBbJUuLLuzMHh8u6QLB0dQL-XExhdRalYRYDOvYnuh74YmeuwZTtl4dAs-OvbSDTS2_LGprmZezuyDk3nISzOi7-u1ZZOr0PLzh6oKGEq32Tu2ci2zqwOb16MR5w_w6Ktr6gkwQauKICrIb8-8lQCSNmX1t-kKs0Zg/s4032/F3378CB6-C658-4A48-BE6F-1763E6E275D3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaLqUyXqu_ZKadCJlQHpsxBbJUuLLuzMHh8u6QLB0dQL-XExhdRalYRYDOvYnuh74YmeuwZTtl4dAs-OvbSDTS2_LGprmZezuyDk3nISzOi7-u1ZZOr0PLzh6oKGEq32Tu2ci2zqwOb16MR5w_w6Ktr6gkwQauKICrIb8-8lQCSNmX1t-kKs0Zg/w300-h400/F3378CB6-C658-4A48-BE6F-1763E6E275D3.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-70805785352994537052022-08-02T13:58:00.001-07:002022-08-02T13:58:22.916-07:00My Kindred Spirit Moment With A Turkey<p>Last week, as I was driving to do some errands, I passed a house where a turkey was walking back and forth frantically along the outside of one section of a chain link fence. The turkey would stop, peck at the fence, and then trot over to the other end of the same section and stop and peck there. It continued to walk back and forth, clearly very agitated, stopping and pecking over and over again. </p><p>In the less than 10 seconds it took me to drive by that particular house, I have to say that I felt a real connection to that poor, frazzled bird. Like we were kindred spirits. Seeing that poor turkey, and the deep compassion that welled up in me at its momentary plight, made me realize how very much I have been feeling just like it. I've been frantically "pecking" at a section of emotional "fence", getting more and more stressed as I continued to go back and forth over the same details of the situations that I feel "trapped" in right now. I can't seem to find the answer or the opening to move forward and find the peace I'm looking for. </p><p>I wish I had time to stop that day..(and the confidence that I wouldn't get my eyes pecked out by a stressed out turkey(!)...and that I had been able to convince that poor, frantic bird to walk just 16 more feet to the left. Then, that turkey would have found the end of the fence and a completely open space to easily head to wherever she(or he?) wanted to go. </p><p>I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about that 10 second moment over the last week. It's funny what God can use to speak to us. If I had to take a<i> gander</i> at what He was trying to tell me, it's that He wants me to stop panicking and stop trying to "peck" my own way through the circumstances in my life that seem impenetrable. I need to keep moving forward and trust that there's an opening that I just can't see from my current view.</p><p>Or, in in Cliff Notes version, stop being a turkey.;)</p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-34536633281548311202022-07-12T12:50:00.002-07:002022-07-12T12:50:50.346-07:00Countdown To Another Wedding<p>This might feel a little deja vu to my readers that have been around for a while...but we are planning another family wedding. This time it's our daughter, Sarah, preparing to walk down the aisle. It's very surreal to think that once we get to August, in the last three years, three of our children will have gotten married and given us three grandsons! </p><p>In another deja vu moment, Sarah's bridal shower, that was supposed to take place at the end of June, had to be postponed because Covid went through most of our house. Some of you will remember that Jon and Marisa had quite a few rescheduled and altered wedding <a href="http://normalchaosforamultitaskmom.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-new-wedding-planner.html" target="_blank">plans</a> back in 2020. It is so crazy that we are still dealing with it 2 years later!</p><p>Thankfully, the rescheduling was only a (frustrating) hiccup and "Take 2" of Sarah's shower happened this past weekend. The weather was amazing and so many people helped to make the day really special. It definitely took a village, but it all came together. Sarah was so excited leading up to the shower and she enjoyed every moment of the day! Once the shower ended, Sarah kept saying how happy she was and that her face hurt from smiling so much.:)</p><p>Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will share a bunch and let them speak for themselves.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Tk-6nllPEzr0nlMKQNxRwEWa9yAJ8QkoRh-tOkDdwDl-Mai6dnTCRhUXLJD8NhWF3satpJcXp_xhcCe-eoQr8T6z_weAmLNb050PCuqZ8QS9tk_u-YJHgvLRmdTi82RaDszQoEZl3dp2x8vBSJrsCHFn2kx_2_mWTjxnUKWWRkwT9W1FcOIcbg/s4032/3BE53FF2-4BD6-426F-9521-ECC14E659EA8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Tk-6nllPEzr0nlMKQNxRwEWa9yAJ8QkoRh-tOkDdwDl-Mai6dnTCRhUXLJD8NhWF3satpJcXp_xhcCe-eoQr8T6z_weAmLNb050PCuqZ8QS9tk_u-YJHgvLRmdTi82RaDszQoEZl3dp2x8vBSJrsCHFn2kx_2_mWTjxnUKWWRkwT9W1FcOIcbg/w300-h400/3BE53FF2-4BD6-426F-9521-ECC14E659EA8.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2645" data-original-width="3527" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwyJD9S06J0B_ZexhXpe62kmMi3ASjruzF6JZZNM_3dt1YCRnjUvmzqhmwJHdenZzAhIRARNvIjMWVwdujFVm0gn6LJtQspZBsaupgcVBBYiVnNmnNd9pqaM7DkvAdmEFa6QbToIm7LByY-x0LdX3SPYPDlabqs0Pd6GNNuHjrFWzDBqUrMINBMA/w400-h300/EA345EA8-9563-43EB-ADEB-E81BBF6B1828.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAoZYwDQeCjE91I__7-VZXl7XRbaGCwj4_7wpFbfGY9hfQsmVNEiNhYDHEG0-n8hw03Hc_OXhlgWDIA5S1SAWzaSmtK714seYL2eJXxT3oynHCO53iuRD4wiHTutPmxXj6X1j_rXKzCA1w8XIl8O0opCp6_PcGhVEcxdOnzMNOUkoDSDKv9SYHw/s4032/F36B5428-0471-47F6-8846-333081177B24.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAoZYwDQeCjE91I__7-VZXl7XRbaGCwj4_7wpFbfGY9hfQsmVNEiNhYDHEG0-n8hw03Hc_OXhlgWDIA5S1SAWzaSmtK714seYL2eJXxT3oynHCO53iuRD4wiHTutPmxXj6X1j_rXKzCA1w8XIl8O0opCp6_PcGhVEcxdOnzMNOUkoDSDKv9SYHw/w400-h300/F36B5428-0471-47F6-8846-333081177B24.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />We had a few party crashers...but they were so cute we let them stay;)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUD1HtdsPfKotkKpgUSWmgDkE8a2E6WrXOuqsq4AzM5LHmKHIs5_y_dWcj9wToSHOr9uUyl234JMHH2PxHuJ9DvmAwt_C5A1hybHGP9Ua5w0rD02HAqjNrLv2DCwRl15i6oHEsQvbJIpJ0AbS9iQxPAYbc-ToIun-s3ZWoHtkIeKOOkOvTlBTOmw/s4032/225A88BF-E03B-4D19-BBA8-6D6FF0AE109F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUD1HtdsPfKotkKpgUSWmgDkE8a2E6WrXOuqsq4AzM5LHmKHIs5_y_dWcj9wToSHOr9uUyl234JMHH2PxHuJ9DvmAwt_C5A1hybHGP9Ua5w0rD02HAqjNrLv2DCwRl15i6oHEsQvbJIpJ0AbS9iQxPAYbc-ToIun-s3ZWoHtkIeKOOkOvTlBTOmw/w300-h400/225A88BF-E03B-4D19-BBA8-6D6FF0AE109F.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ambrose</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Vy61ZzqCTx0HqZunMCHic9kWen4DGsXkZ8uHVc5wJeEI7BFy5w_lXPPJo_t61Q0PHq7oItDy2bXl6YTnb6GVRrLarBLFra2_cbD0a0pVfiLeMf3WuhrXgcQHoMVpIdOi7zs-jJS55eP_WjvbivFcOdCHIxt_4_BRnofTYxpDMBslCm-oxO-85w/s4032/811B649D-161A-4C55-99EB-929D7FC3ED0C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Vy61ZzqCTx0HqZunMCHic9kWen4DGsXkZ8uHVc5wJeEI7BFy5w_lXPPJo_t61Q0PHq7oItDy2bXl6YTnb6GVRrLarBLFra2_cbD0a0pVfiLeMf3WuhrXgcQHoMVpIdOi7zs-jJS55eP_WjvbivFcOdCHIxt_4_BRnofTYxpDMBslCm-oxO-85w/w300-h400/811B649D-161A-4C55-99EB-929D7FC3ED0C.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xavier</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NKcS11kr9TJOliHpBsF5YGvoxpcjN4_g-D8FxPofL_5zmUelVg4oe76jGycWbOTCu8L9PTquH2TUWwmT6EeXiYi-1wh_s-8Zxd-LiIgjmIE66YxZccXeczUtrJuq1mTYFCkNnv7X5XaGFFczHi99ZEJJOaON0aT7mzcpUyRNtlG9YecUABtxZw/s1080/Leo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NKcS11kr9TJOliHpBsF5YGvoxpcjN4_g-D8FxPofL_5zmUelVg4oe76jGycWbOTCu8L9PTquH2TUWwmT6EeXiYi-1wh_s-8Zxd-LiIgjmIE66YxZccXeczUtrJuq1mTYFCkNnv7X5XaGFFczHi99ZEJJOaON0aT7mzcpUyRNtlG9YecUABtxZw/w300-h400/Leo.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: left;">Thank-you so much to all of the family and friends that helped to make this such a special day for Sarah! </p><p><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-51391147245453500322022-05-04T14:44:00.001-07:002022-05-04T15:20:59.119-07:00Welcome to Second Lent!<p>My goal of blogging once a month flew out the proverbial window during Lent! As one of my friends likes to say, it was one of the “Lentiest Lents”. Ironically, the last blog post I <a href="http://normalchaosforamultitaskmom.blogspot.com/2022/02/no-more-just-surviving.html" target="_blank">wrote</a> in February was about trust and living in a way that was not just survival mode. And yet, during Lent, I found myself in that very spot for the majority of those very long 6 weeks. Or at least for about five of them! </p><p>The first week of Lent wasn’t bad. We had just gotten back from a nice vacation with my parents where we got to enjoy a lot of sunshine and warm weather. My absolute favorite time of year to go to Florida is February. That short month can seem VERY long in New England with the seemingly endless cold weather! Getting some sunshine, lots of time outside(without 6 layers), and seeing actual colors with all the trees, grass and flowers just does wonders for my mindset. It’s a great reminder that, even though it feels like it, winter will not last forever!</p><p>The beginning of Lent is a little exciting almost. It feels good to slow down and take an account of the areas you feel need some fine tuning…or a total overhaul! Lent is a great excuse to finally work on things I’ve been avoiding. I come up with my plan, trying to be prayerful about it to make sure it’s God’s plan too. Usually week one…which is really only a half a week since Lent starts on a Wednesday(!)… goes pretty well.</p><p>And then comes week two.</p><p>That’s when those “involuntary” sacrifices start. That’s when kids get sick, or the car breaks down, or any number of unplanned things rain down. Suddenly, it feels pretty overwhelming balancing those voluntary penance that sounded like such a good idea a week ago, with all of the “surprises”.</p><p>Our involuntary penances made life a real struggle for several weeks. It was overwhelming and hard to dig out of emotionally. It was rough. One morning, when we got to the “less than two weeks until Easter” mark, I had a different perspective. I actually had a moment where I felt a little hopeful. I noticed the longer days, more light, and warmer weather. I was tired and a little emotionally weary, but felt like things were settling down and heading in the right direction. I felt myself finally starting to look forward to Easter and celebrating with my family. </p><p>That lasted precisely 24 hours.</p><p>Then, we found out that Peter, our 20 year old son who is severely autistic, was going to need surgery that was going to mess up every.single.normal.routine in his life for at least 3-4 weeks. (Which also means it was going to mess up every.single.normal.routine in my life for 3-4 weeks! Which sounds so selfish when I see it written out, but I’m being transparent and real.)</p><p>It was like that scene in Nemo where Marlin and Dory are in the deep looking for the diver’s mask, and they see the light from the angler fish. Marlin says, “I’m feeling…happy. Which is a big deal for me!” And seconds later, they see the jaws of the big fish, and he says quickly, “Good feeling’s gone!” That was me finding out about Peter needing surgery!</p><p>First, there was numbness and shock. Jay and I just blankly stared at each other for several minutes. Then, we had lots of, “There must be some other way!” and “How is this even happening?” moments. When it was apparent that there was not, I felt angry. Really, really angry. The “What the heck, God? Did I really not have enough crosses that You felt I needed this???” kind of angry. Other miscellaneous rants, “Lent is almost over and now we have to start over?!?”, “How come we have to have a “Second Lent”??, I’m not a freaking Hobbit!!”, and the classic, “Do you even care about me a little?”. I even used one of St. Teresa of Avila’s famous quotes several times..”If this is the way you treat your friends, no wonder why you have so few!”. I was a hot mess. I was wallowing there for a few days. Confession finally helped even me out of the mess and to be somewhat functional again, but I was feeling pretty defeated emotionally.</p><p>Jay, though stressed, was much more rational. He decided to use FMLA time to help take care of Peter for three weeks.(Mostly to save his wife’s waning sanity.) Which was good, but I was still mad we had to go through it at all. Not very humble...but , again, I'm being real and transparent. </p><p>You would think that would be enough for a “Second Lent”. But, no. Like a ‘made for tv’ product…. “But wait, there’s more!”</p><p>On Monday of Holy Week, and five days after the news about Peter, Jay dropped off Josie at the vet to have a growth removed from her ear that was contributing to constant ear infections. When he arrived, Josie jumped across Jay when he opened the door. His finger got caught in her collar, and it broke in 5 places. He ended up in a full hand cast and, since he’s a physical therapist and needs to be able to catch people if they are falling as part of his job description, is out of work for at least six weeks. (And the kicker….they ended up not even being able to do the surgery on Josie…which is a whole other frustrating story/saga we are still working out. Did I ever mention that I never wanted a dog?!?)</p><p>Fast forward to today. Peter had surgery last Thursday. The surgery itself went well. Recovery is a struggle…it feels more like it’s been a month! Trying to keep him still is a monumental task. He’s (understandably) irritated and frustrated that he can’t do all his normal things. We have to constantly have eyes on him to remind him to not sit a certain way, to lay down and rest, to not pick up anything, etc. For Peter, the hardest part is missing his school routine. In the morning, when other kids are getting ready to head out to school, Peter is clearly more agitated and elevated. Heck...when he woke up from surgery, the first thing he said to me was, “I’m awake. Go to school now?” Poor guy!</p><p>My routine is certainly upside down. Everything is off and I can't really figure out how to adjust. I couldn't even really process Peter's upcoming surgery and all of a sudden Jay is home all the time. I love spending time with my husband, but having him home is a huge change. It all just feels so strange. With Peter now home constantly, and all the extra care he needs, I still haven’t figured out my “new temporary normal”. </p><p>I felt a certain kinship with St. Peter in the Gospel story from Sunday. (John 21:1-19) St. Peter was feeling pretty emotionally banged up and lost. His routine of the past three years had been completely uprooted. He was trying to find something to ground himself with..something that made sense, felt familiar, and that could soothe his tumultuous heart. For St. Peter, that was fishing. The line that really stuck out to me was right after they catch all the fish in verse 7. "That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea."</p><p>It wasn't Peter who recognized it was Jesus on the shore. It was John. Even though the <i>first</i> miracle of the fish happened in Peter's boat about three years prior(see Luke 5)....the miracle that convinced Peter(then Simon) to leave everything and follow Jesus in the first place(!)...the present situation didn't spark his memory. Peter did not connect the dots. I think he was just too lost in his pain and his confusion and his guilt. Peter didn't expect the Lord to show up that morning. Even when the Lord did visit, Peter's heart was so broken that he just couldn't see past it. Peter couldn't recognize Jesus. It took Peter's good friend to show him the Lord. </p><p>I think that happens to us too. Sometimes our hearts are so broken and discouraged that we can't even see Jesus moving in our lives. It takes our friends, family, and sometimes even professionals to help us see past our brokenness and recognize the way Jesus is working in our lives. Like St. Peter, we are stuck in our pain but desperate for healing. </p><p>I have to say that, despite all we've been going through, there have been a lot of "John's" in our life in the past few weeks. We have received gifts, cards, meals, encouraging texts, and most importantly, prayers. Even though I'm still not sure why we needed to go through "Second Lent", our friends and family have helped me to see Jesus in the midst of it.(Especially on the hardest days when giving up seemed preferable!)</p><p>There are lessons in the hardship, and pain will not be wasted. I just want to make sure I learn the lessons so I can avoid Lent Part III: The Musical!</p><p><br /></p><p>P.S. You have to love the way Peter responds to John's, "It is the Lord"...he throws his clothes back on and "sprang into the sea"! Peter knew he needed healing and peace, and when he finally recognized Jesus, Peter rushed to the source. I'm praying we can all do the same!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-65005844823879610592022-02-07T12:09:00.006-08:002022-02-07T12:09:50.372-08:00No More "Just Surviving"<p>A little over a week ago, Luke started talking to me about a school project that he had about a week to do. He told me he was “aiming to get at least an 80”. We talked about how that was too low of an expectation and he needs to aim for something higher than the lowest grade he hoped to get. It bothered me a little that Luke’s goal was so mediocre and that his focus was on doing “ok”. I want to make sure he isn’t looking at challenges from a place of lack. I want him to have confidence in himself and his ability to apply himself and get a good grade.</p><p>That conversation with Luke popped into my head when I was at daily Mass on Wednesday. Fr. Steve talked about the virtue of hope and he quoted a line from the Catechism: </p><p>"The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man" (CCC 1818). </p><p>It sounded kind of technical at first and I needed to think about it for a while. I knew there was some kind of connection God was trying to show me. Here's how my mind broke it down. Hopefully it makes sense to you because my mind can be a scary place! Sometimes, I think things make perfect sense in my head but when I try to relate it to Jay, he looks at me like he's wondering if he needs to be concerned.(or maybe call in a professional!)</p><p>So first I focused on this part of the quote: “The aspiration to happiness which God has placed in every man.” Then, I looked up the meaning of "aspiration". Here's what I found. <i>Aspiration</i>: A hope or ambition of achieving something. </p><p>So God has placed the hope of achieving happiness in every person. <i><b>The hope of achieving happiness</b></i>. Saying that line in my head made me feel like I was trying to turn some rusty gears that hadn't been used in a while. I'm not sure that I've really had the hope of achieving happiness in my heart for a while. Maybe even a long time. Hard seasons in life can do that to you. They beat you down and make you weary. Life becomes about trying to survive...even if it's just emotional survival. </p><p>We all have hard seasons in life. I’ve had several seasons that have been about surviving. <a href="https://normalchaosforamultitaskmom.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-biggest-regret.html">Losing a child</a>, struggling through many difficult years with a <a href="http://normalchaosforamultitaskmom.blogspot.com/search/label/Raising%20a%20Special%20Needs%20Child">special needs child</a>, and carrying our current heavy cross of working through an extremely difficult and painful family situation, has left me burned out and emotionally stretched thin over a large portion of my adult life. Not to mention the last two years navigating through a worldwide pandemic! </p><p>Maybe reading this brings to mind your own difficult times...or maybe you're struggling through a hard season right now? </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">You are not alone.</span></i></p><p>Let's add in a visual...</p><p>I think of life as being in the ocean. Some days, it's a fun day in the water. Some days, the waves are pretty big and we are able to jump and float at the right times to handle them. But <i><b>some</b></i> days(aka hard seasons)....those waves throw us around like a rag doll, dragging us underwater and throwing us against the sand as our arms and legs flail around trying to figure out which way is up. We choke on salt water, end up with lots of cuts and bruises, and drag ourselves back onto the beach completely exhausted, spent, and emotionally shaken. </p><p>Coming out of those difficult times leaves a person feeling pretty bruised and battered. It makes you feel beaten down and broken in many ways. Those hard times can make you feel vulnerable, afraid of more pain, and looking for ways to protect yourself. We end up erecting walls or barriers around our own hearts, and we don't even realize they are there. </p><p>If I’m being honest with myself, I’m not looking for or seeking happiness right now. My goal is just to be “ok”. But what does that even mean? Not hurting? Not falling apart? That my family isn’t in crisis? That my family is emotionally stable? “Ok” is small, and boring and limiting. "Ok" feels flat and numb. "Ok" is filled with walls and exhaustive micromanaging. "Ok" is survival mode…but it is not truly living. It is not life giving.</p><p>Aiming for "ok" shows a lack of hope. It shows a lack of trust. I am putting limits on God and what He can do in the hard places…in the broken places. I stopped aspiring for happiness at some point. I stopped believing that God can do big things…seemingly impossible things. I’ve slipped into a gray muted world where I’m just trying to survive and protect myself. Self protection does not allow us to pick and choose which emotions filter in. If I’m trying to block out pain, I’m also inadvertently blocking out hope, joy, and happiness. While that self protection might keep out some pain, it ends up causing even more.</p><p>I’m aiming for a ‘C’ level of existence….a mediocre existence. That’s certainly not the “abundant life” God calls us to aspire to.<span style="font-size: small;">(See John 10:10)</span></p><p>So how do I open my heart and reach higher? </p><p>My default is to try harder and do better. But it's not always about praying more or doing more or working harder on my faults. All of those things are good. But I can even make good things all about me...what<i> I</i> can do and accomplish. That's not trusting in God, stepping away from micromanaging, and just watching what <i>He</i> can do. Even good things can become unbalanced. Good aspirations can be twisted and used to pull us away from a relationship with God. </p><p>One of the books I’m reading is <u>Forty Weeks: An Ignatian Path to Christ with Sacred Story Prayer</u>. I’m in the beginning of the book where it tells the story of St Ignatius’s conversion story. St. Ignatius had a conversion from a very ‘me centered’ life to wanting to live a life for God. He got tripped up in the beginning. He became scrupulous about confession; saying the same things over and over...(even though he was no longer doing those "things")... because he never felt “he had gotten to the bottom of his immoral deeds”(p.35) A good practice, frequent confession, got twisted by the enemy and caused St. Ignatius a lot of psychological grief. It even pushed him to want to just give up the spiritual life completely…until St. Ignatius finally was open to the grace to realize that giving up was not an inspiration from God and that he was being led down the wrong path. St. Ignatius gave up reconfessing sins he had already been forgiven for and had moved away from in his life. Even more importantly, Ignatius gave up earning his own forgiveness. He realized his “destructive habit of reconfessing past sins was rooted in a pride to try and save himself. This pride forced him to his knees. On seeing this, he “awoke as if from a dream” and was given the grace to stop the habit.”(p.36) </p><p>St. Ignatius stopped trying to do God's job! </p><p>I am totally guilty of attempting to do God’s job at times. Surprise, surprise…it never ends well. It is a grace for God to show us those areas in our life that we are trying to micromanage Him. I feel pretty certain that God is using a homily and a conversation with Luke as a way to illuminate an area in my life that has gotten twisted and is in need of some attention. </p><p>Struggles with trust are nothing new to me. But every time this lack in my life comes up, it’s an opportunity to get a little closer to God and the truth of who He really is. It’s an opportunity to heal the twisted version of God that I perceive through my own brokenness. Healing will break down those walls I've built that don’t actually protect me in any way, and finally allow hope and joy and wonder in so I can truly live. </p><p>No more just surviving. It’s time to raise our expectations and see how God is going to transform and rebuild our broken places. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Instead of your shame you shall have a double portion, </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">instead of dishonor you shall rejoice in your lot; </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">therefore in your land you shall possess a double portion; </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">yours shall be everlasting joy.“ Isaiah 61:4;7</span></p><p><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-107649255616508192021-12-20T10:00:00.004-08:002022-05-04T15:22:55.105-07:00The Gift Of An Unexpected Connection<p> About two months ago, I was in my weekly Saturday morning adoration hour and I was struggling emotionally. One of the things I usually do during that hour is to say a prayer and open my Bible and read the passage that is in front of me. Sometimes, it feels like an "inspired flip"...other days, not so much.</p><p>On that particular Saturday, I flipped to the beginning of Mark Chapter 5, which is the story of the Gerasene demoniac. That reading didn't feel particularly comforting to my hurting heart. I didn't feel any real connection to it. Not that it's abnormal...it's not like every week I turn to a passage that feels like God is saying something just to me. Far from it. It's just that on that particular Saturday, I was <i>really</i> hoping for some guidance and consolation.</p><p>The next day, we were at Mass and the reading was from Mark 10: 46-52. It's the story of the blind beggar, Bartimaeus. You can imagine my surprise when our Pastor, Fr. Ryan, connected the story of the Gerasene demoniac during the homily! Fr. Ryan talked about how both stories happened in the same geographical area. The Gerasene demoniac story happened a while before Jesus healed Bartimaeus.</p><p>When Jesus went to the country of the Gerasenes and healed the demoniac, the people in the area asked him to leave. The demoniac begged to go with Jesus, but Jesus told him to ""Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and all men marveled."(Mark 5:19-20)</p><p>When Jesus goes back to that same area some time later, one man's story of being healed has changed everyone’s reaction. When Jesus arrives the second time, all kinds of people come out to see Him and ask for healing, which was such a different reception than the first visit. Because of the healed demoniac, Bartimaeus knew what Jesus could do. Bartimaeus had hope and faith that Jesus could heal him too.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><b>One person't story gave another person hope.</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">As Fr. Ryan preached, my mind was moving a million miles a minute! I was trying to absorb everything he was saying and, at the same time, my heart was being touched by so many different aspects of his homily. (Thankfully, I wrote it all in my journal later that day since it's taken me almost two months to blog about it!)</p><p style="text-align: left;">One thing that touched me deeply....</p><p style="text-align: left;">Fr. Ryan emphasized in his homily how "just one person was worth Jesus' time and energy". Jesus knew that the people in the town were going to be all freaked out and ask Him to leave. But Jesus still went. He even traveled through a great storm and scared the apostles to get there!<span style="font-size: x-small;">(see Mark 4:35-41)</span></p><p>I spent some time thinking about that demoniac...pre-healing. That man "lived among the tombs", "no one could subdue him", "chains he wrenched..shackles he broke", "night and day he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones". That poor man was a wreck. Everyone knew it and no one could do anything about it.</p><p>Then I thought about myself. How sometimes I'm a wreck. Maybe everyone doesn't know it...but Someone does. He sees my pain. He sees the way I cry out night and day. The way my fear and sadness and burdens bruise my soul. How no one is able to help me. That I feel alienated and alone.</p><p>And I realized that Jesus will come for me, too. That I'm important to Him. Even if it's only me. He sees me when I'm in incredible pain, brokenness, loneliness and emotional torment. </p><p>It doesn't stop there either. As He heals me, even if it's not instantaneous like is was for the demoniac, He will use my story to give another person hope.</p><p>Maybe you're hurting right now? Maybe you're crying out night and day? Maybe your fear and sadness and burdens bruise your soul? Maybe you feel no one can help you? Maybe you feel alienated and alone?</p><p>God comes for you. You are important to Him. Even if it's only you. He sees you when you're in incredible pain, brokenness, loneliness and emotional torment. And in time, when you are healed, He will use your story to give another person hope.</p><p>That Sunday, God even put an exclamation point to the hope and encouragement He had poured into me through Fr. Ryan's homily. As Luke and I were waiting in the car after Mass for the rest of our crew, Luke pointed out two birds that were on the truck next to us. I looked and saw two sparrows. One flew away, and the other stood there for a minute and just looked at me. Then it flew away, too. For the last 18 months, sparrows have been my little signal grace from God. It's His "wink" to me to remind me that I'm important to Him, that He cares for me, and that He hasn't forgotten me.</p><p> "Fear not..you are of more value than many sparrows."<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Matthew 10:31)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEojLSe1lMjngc65wqPHG5-pYeyY2xn-rpTUIsDYClDqBrN5Xf7x7QgF_xu-7QZyhEuESez9_SKALs5sEkPI0k6IBjd8LI_1lGYIFVXM4PTPCsg1gzOERj4snpKNu3FaKNZMUkVGJGZmrcPzIrjocMhWLOlGG3zX1aROBzVkqUxy29np6TpHT7pw=s320" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEojLSe1lMjngc65wqPHG5-pYeyY2xn-rpTUIsDYClDqBrN5Xf7x7QgF_xu-7QZyhEuESez9_SKALs5sEkPI0k6IBjd8LI_1lGYIFVXM4PTPCsg1gzOERj4snpKNu3FaKNZMUkVGJGZmrcPzIrjocMhWLOlGG3zX1aROBzVkqUxy29np6TpHT7pw=w400-h240" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><p></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-8965616424731169342021-08-27T14:29:00.004-07:002021-08-28T04:48:00.311-07:00Quick Takes and Catch Up<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OmPnhkcqeLNo547hz_ngMdl2N-cnOjHNFEUaP3mcUz_vUUTKBIvoWG7_9DSvG2jmfEI6zQhaGB0mVearie1g059yu7lX0lVDDe5NUa29VmI4ZBUuG_rZ1kpDwmGCk6SXaNvZF7kfRA/s1440/17E1B433-633B-472C-98FE-B3C607C80DAB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OmPnhkcqeLNo547hz_ngMdl2N-cnOjHNFEUaP3mcUz_vUUTKBIvoWG7_9DSvG2jmfEI6zQhaGB0mVearie1g059yu7lX0lVDDe5NUa29VmI4ZBUuG_rZ1kpDwmGCk6SXaNvZF7kfRA/s320/17E1B433-633B-472C-98FE-B3C607C80DAB.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /> It's been forever since I've written a blogpost...well, at least one I've officially typed up. I've "written" a dozen in my head over the past few months but just never gotten around to/took the time to actually sit down and type them out officially. There's a lot of reasons for that...the cop out would be to say I've been busy just riding the wave of life. And that's partially true....and for now it's the easiest reason. I'm praying on getting back into deeper posts, though I'm not quite there yet. <p></p><p>I thought a little catch up might help me ease back into the blogging waters.</p><p>I can't believe it's been three whole months since I posted! Lots of life has been lived and a new little person has been added to our family! I think I'll try to stick to (mostly) chronological order and go from there!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">1. Graduation(#1)</span></p><p>Ellie finished high school! As for many families, Covid wreaked some havoc in our lives and Ellie, Jay and I made the prayerful decision for Ellie not to return to Bishop Stang last fall. Instead, she was officially "homeschooled" but took classes through our local community college that fulfilled the rest of her high school credit needs and gave her credits for college. It wasn't a traditional way to do senior year, but it was the way that worked best for her. If we have learned anything over the 28 years that we have been parents, it's that what works for one child won't necessarily work for another. We have to be ready to zig and zag and let go of plans and expectations. Not an easy thing to do sometimes. </p><p>Even though finishing up her classes didn't have the fanfare and ceremony that accompanies a traditional senior year, Ellie did great and will be commuting to Bridgewater State University next week to study Business. Between some AP credits and her BCC classes from last year, she's starting as a Sophomore, which is exciting!</p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TRj4rdVCNEbwTTPYubMzj4goGn0BK5StBY5G8RNqdBsb86uaeMqE5_I8e9vJBLDU_aIUb2pLF8PFBBMU1hBDD9D0bBWhm5gFCJVLTqINmoKx-rNIQnEozv83oxcErcevwqa1HYD-Lw/s2048/1D15EF3A-6858-4D90-B606-0B73EA81AFA9.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ellie and Leo" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TRj4rdVCNEbwTTPYubMzj4goGn0BK5StBY5G8RNqdBsb86uaeMqE5_I8e9vJBLDU_aIUb2pLF8PFBBMU1hBDD9D0bBWhm5gFCJVLTqINmoKx-rNIQnEozv83oxcErcevwqa1HYD-Lw/w300-h400/1D15EF3A-6858-4D90-B606-0B73EA81AFA9.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ellie and Leo</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">2. A Much Needed Small Family Getaway</span></p><p>With all the chaos of 2020 and 2021, I was feeling a little desperate to just get away. By January/February last year, the usual winter isolation was so much harder to deal with as we were still dealing with masks and things shut down or just still so far from "normal". Being stuck inside because of the cold was even harder to deal with than other winters. I started looking daily at how inexpensive it would be to fly to Florida and sending Jay text messages about trips. But with the twins due in March, we didn't feel like it was the best decision to go away at that point. I really needed something tangible to look forward to, so we decided to plan a trip for mid June. But then, Liz's doctor told her that there was a possibility that her baby could arrive early depending on how well they were able to control her blood pressure issues, which fell at that mid June mark. Since I really needed to plan a trip away for my mental health, Jay and I decided to plan a trip for the third week of May. We took Peter, Luke and Kate out of school and flew to Disney for a week. We didn't tell them about it until 2 days before we left, because so many things have had to be postponed or canceled over the last year that I didn't want them to be disappointed.</p><p>Like most people travelling, we didn't share a lot about our trip. There has been a lot of "shaming" going on in social media for doing things that some consider "too risky" because of covid, so we had an old fashioned, non social media documented trip. Well, at least until now! ;) </p><p>It was a lot of fun! We stayed in hotels that most of us have never stayed in before. We did a split stay: 4 nights at the Polynesian and 3 nights at the Boardwalk. (I stayed at the Polynesian a couple of times as a little girl, and I also stayed there last October during another undocumented short trip that I took with just Jon and Peter that was a rescheduled graduation trip....originally planned for the day the world shut down in March, 2020!)</p><p>Luke and Kate loved the volcano pool at the the Polynesian! Since it was May, and hot(!), we spent a lot of time in the pool around our visits to the parks. Jay loved his stay at the Polynesian because of the close proximity of dole whip! lol We tried some new restaurants, ate at some of our favorites, tried new snacks, and I finally got a boba ball drink in Animal Kingdom. Our goal for the trip was for it to be life giving and child led. The last year has been a lot for everyone, Kate and Luke included, and with all the changes in our family Jay and I felt like the youngest have been short changed at times in the attention department. We've never taken them on a trip by themselves, and it was really nice to only divide our attention among 3 kids! Planning a trip for 5 people vs 12-14 is SO much easier!!! </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">3. Vaca Pics</span></p><p>Since #2 was more of a "long take" than a "quick take", pics get their own spot!:)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1w4uWtZr9KPOQvtofiRM2OgzGtyIFse3UeBXaUiqiO2Zv8KRFFrKQTyimEZsAzs3_462miC9PBK8UVDD1OQc402ui_12aTDRMhNZ0efbkulTYyZxhQbQOYa_K1NcB0L-MD0PLTpcG8w/s2048/7034E2C5-6599-4E4D-9F0D-4D68608F3E41.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1w4uWtZr9KPOQvtofiRM2OgzGtyIFse3UeBXaUiqiO2Zv8KRFFrKQTyimEZsAzs3_462miC9PBK8UVDD1OQc402ui_12aTDRMhNZ0efbkulTYyZxhQbQOYa_K1NcB0L-MD0PLTpcG8w/s320/7034E2C5-6599-4E4D-9F0D-4D68608F3E41.jpeg" width="320" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWlysfpKyuGbSGiLozMqa64YXsRT3OcHNnY-nx9AwpLBk7jgtLgpm2_9ExomKSMBFeZtUTmiSmT1uNzave6Bu5Y_f4G6xxcUbAeMdJOszu5d4DoNMb9lz8vDhDYyyEXwxv3PaJmpx4A/s2048/1B2540AD-03FD-4A67-BCF5-FA5E5F838F6A.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWlysfpKyuGbSGiLozMqa64YXsRT3OcHNnY-nx9AwpLBk7jgtLgpm2_9ExomKSMBFeZtUTmiSmT1uNzave6Bu5Y_f4G6xxcUbAeMdJOszu5d4DoNMb9lz8vDhDYyyEXwxv3PaJmpx4A/s320/1B2540AD-03FD-4A67-BCF5-FA5E5F838F6A.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luke driving by himself!</td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYr-XN9BRxutLGvfdC2XWuYwufsenPjJYeVqQFzTWwX86qg3bqOIrKQqe2OwpE0mLJP8hRBTgVkLpuvz3lMuDHNIxgN_N9NaezMirrP5_Mk1lyKXdS8akQiUEntP2nIZ_tajiofzrwA/s2048/3A0E286C-31B5-42EA-A594-6739E462031D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYr-XN9BRxutLGvfdC2XWuYwufsenPjJYeVqQFzTWwX86qg3bqOIrKQqe2OwpE0mLJP8hRBTgVkLpuvz3lMuDHNIxgN_N9NaezMirrP5_Mk1lyKXdS8akQiUEntP2nIZ_tajiofzrwA/s320/3A0E286C-31B5-42EA-A594-6739E462031D.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Napoli...one of our favorites! Especially Kate's!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDp2n98sKTlG3WLyG1CDgALZXIA2XDnzk48o8HCxJpCJS4hlMVvZUWBIbThy8h5UqCtq7INzqjrRm5Usxm10Z5kCfC1I0JTr57Sdgv7iMeXhtnNmmaUWFrclehzRIKUmpJrMYCefaFlw/s2048/3B197C41-A5B8-4A86-B2AF-2C5974EC1D45.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDp2n98sKTlG3WLyG1CDgALZXIA2XDnzk48o8HCxJpCJS4hlMVvZUWBIbThy8h5UqCtq7INzqjrRm5Usxm10Z5kCfC1I0JTr57Sdgv7iMeXhtnNmmaUWFrclehzRIKUmpJrMYCefaFlw/s320/3B197C41-A5B8-4A86-B2AF-2C5974EC1D45.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luke loving all thing Star Wars!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQz7ZEzV5X4vnZOJ3mzCAO-jknVwNMPfrPBWVaDnopx3VXFeC2LVwbETVWLWzWAle84Nk9wQlvowa2giOoP1r3T5DToK-HMCUcu7o3oZ-WjEoOHDv9jDSkiWbVnT4NoEFjBn04Pe1iBw/s2048/1B8F85EF-E9DF-47A2-A048-68ACBF5024B2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQz7ZEzV5X4vnZOJ3mzCAO-jknVwNMPfrPBWVaDnopx3VXFeC2LVwbETVWLWzWAle84Nk9wQlvowa2giOoP1r3T5DToK-HMCUcu7o3oZ-WjEoOHDv9jDSkiWbVnT4NoEFjBn04Pe1iBw/s320/1B8F85EF-E9DF-47A2-A048-68ACBF5024B2.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrey3s1h67bv7mt_-ZL7s82i69X5xjwLAnnvxiz6qJOKJ9MkRBm24xUjXnMZHzAPiMFnrFVaugyUqSXwnAAISokYzNFyIj8t5je2U0nlI6IFGixAVOjLK98JesSQWF330xg_Td3d2yw/s2048/3CAF2762-C62E-4EC9-A5A8-B02ADEA73A60.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrey3s1h67bv7mt_-ZL7s82i69X5xjwLAnnvxiz6qJOKJ9MkRBm24xUjXnMZHzAPiMFnrFVaugyUqSXwnAAISokYzNFyIj8t5je2U0nlI6IFGixAVOjLK98JesSQWF330xg_Td3d2yw/s320/3CAF2762-C62E-4EC9-A5A8-B02ADEA73A60.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kate getting a ride in Peter's wheelchair.<br />Peter wasn't hurt...it's just easier for us to keep<br />him from wandering off and getting lost in a crowd!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zV3ML2C2FquEjmkTIdw8eO33hFajHNkjoKzosACdOV0xj2IUa5rRKdBM9BASYiDJCaFTs4D4uWOC0Yz4D9eRqn7UUCDrMde0AbczI4HTkr1LAfst-JEet8zMh_ic9gnpnwkh5OmmTw/s2048/04AE5243-50BC-4944-B298-5D8D998A4995.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zV3ML2C2FquEjmkTIdw8eO33hFajHNkjoKzosACdOV0xj2IUa5rRKdBM9BASYiDJCaFTs4D4uWOC0Yz4D9eRqn7UUCDrMde0AbczI4HTkr1LAfst-JEet8zMh_ic9gnpnwkh5OmmTw/s320/04AE5243-50BC-4944-B298-5D8D998A4995.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jungle Cruise</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1HSwqVqMd8cU0Qo5Zq5jnQVeBMJOx9KhoVUiZKd8ZTfIu7fBc7wQUt86T43vZYtWoK_Y_MgQs7LXKWklQydTfK3Cslyt8R1IDe1k1NttipyBOxi28ws0zGLRjpKmmOCPBihmHN1xEA/s2048/7AE078A6-082E-4D33-98AA-4CDD923CD8C6.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1HSwqVqMd8cU0Qo5Zq5jnQVeBMJOx9KhoVUiZKd8ZTfIu7fBc7wQUt86T43vZYtWoK_Y_MgQs7LXKWklQydTfK3Cslyt8R1IDe1k1NttipyBOxi28ws0zGLRjpKmmOCPBihmHN1xEA/s320/7AE078A6-082E-4D33-98AA-4CDD923CD8C6.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yak and Yeti...such a good meal!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkON57Cy6OdNj0jZXqi8n-S6348ORN36cfzF_0xqysZkrUlc3syDAxbfYn1oEj3zdkCZ8if0wQC473fBcVc7yO146yEUwTFlFj2kvuDLOkiXQWBNVxLGPO1DPYvFE9lPnKEeXIByTZQ/s2048/9B46AD7F-EEEB-4456-AE9C-A3894EE31809.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkON57Cy6OdNj0jZXqi8n-S6348ORN36cfzF_0xqysZkrUlc3syDAxbfYn1oEj3zdkCZ8if0wQC473fBcVc7yO146yEUwTFlFj2kvuDLOkiXQWBNVxLGPO1DPYvFE9lPnKEeXIByTZQ/s320/9B46AD7F-EEEB-4456-AE9C-A3894EE31809.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mickey Pops! My favorite snack!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6dTAUeFTNNRVOWf3bs6lb9LB4sjzMcIbRZuBxRTjWu8_knLawEfCkb1OL-THQwm5DIplqTtQ-DlHHpTs6klvP18H5XhiMMjJS80t1nfAwSIghW-BEnx0pDe0FTAnim3N-BuuFqqlhA/s320/79D2EEB6-238B-452E-8A6F-CFED650E24E3.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Date night in!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6dTAUeFTNNRVOWf3bs6lb9LB4sjzMcIbRZuBxRTjWu8_knLawEfCkb1OL-THQwm5DIplqTtQ-DlHHpTs6klvP18H5XhiMMjJS80t1nfAwSIghW-BEnx0pDe0FTAnim3N-BuuFqqlhA/s2048/79D2EEB6-238B-452E-8A6F-CFED650E24E3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6dTAUeFTNNRVOWf3bs6lb9LB4sjzMcIbRZuBxRTjWu8_knLawEfCkb1OL-THQwm5DIplqTtQ-DlHHpTs6klvP18H5XhiMMjJS80t1nfAwSIghW-BEnx0pDe0FTAnim3N-BuuFqqlhA/s2048/79D2EEB6-238B-452E-8A6F-CFED650E24E3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3JwOvz00ODe9u-hjTgpPnBJSykd19udI6ndzGIE5o0Gyppdqu_NYRYV_MEioA0UiPZ8_6Icq2v30bhq5NAwNXUeI91lXb6ICQsK18jnfI6CeHDQ6tdIi_L6cSk_jGZ-IDwCzt_pbKA/s2048/9D1AA9CB-DAC8-454A-B542-5AF958221A56.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3JwOvz00ODe9u-hjTgpPnBJSykd19udI6ndzGIE5o0Gyppdqu_NYRYV_MEioA0UiPZ8_6Icq2v30bhq5NAwNXUeI91lXb6ICQsK18jnfI6CeHDQ6tdIi_L6cSk_jGZ-IDwCzt_pbKA/s320/9D1AA9CB-DAC8-454A-B542-5AF958221A56.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CXf2G_9GXEvy58TAajrsSx1A-zmASZvLD6vsLUngJDat8F3sz0FaB3wenef3E49CnrEIS91MTAHuE82dD0FDzS1rH-KqxCmYiRRk-Q63nLFs0UKzoSk5mDySK5UacQmzTi9U_hd0jw/s2048/B73EC868-B9AD-4E0E-9281-F74B56D35D49.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CXf2G_9GXEvy58TAajrsSx1A-zmASZvLD6vsLUngJDat8F3sz0FaB3wenef3E49CnrEIS91MTAHuE82dD0FDzS1rH-KqxCmYiRRk-Q63nLFs0UKzoSk5mDySK5UacQmzTi9U_hd0jw/s320/B73EC868-B9AD-4E0E-9281-F74B56D35D49.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toy Story Mania</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1TvR35-brRo0udlO_JV3OPC2pBVIUwriY-CloLqhnrsA7RfpMPAt3wTdNZPPKB7MMDbNbsP1NdAUYGsrYSFDrZTAkC0G1L-4X9nF1Acg5UQSimhdVASzNjd5hVbwtIy1QOgw8sYLWA/s2048/F4849AE2-126D-45BD-A5F8-6811F4E14ED0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1TvR35-brRo0udlO_JV3OPC2pBVIUwriY-CloLqhnrsA7RfpMPAt3wTdNZPPKB7MMDbNbsP1NdAUYGsrYSFDrZTAkC0G1L-4X9nF1Acg5UQSimhdVASzNjd5hVbwtIy1QOgw8sYLWA/s320/F4849AE2-126D-45BD-A5F8-6811F4E14ED0.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyTgFlBdMaAqSmq9hfCPGZeePj3L4bTAyXXwQRAqTzQOQGZb8-BTBATIHXmGCG1xG0Hasd_N5qmh0rJA560lf22eSlAL5kt_MDnVE3Otri35687rfFreoz0uF8c4NF0jQaAvGWPPZ3w/s2048/484A0668-1096-4E3D-ABA8-4D29B86A2DAA.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyTgFlBdMaAqSmq9hfCPGZeePj3L4bTAyXXwQRAqTzQOQGZb8-BTBATIHXmGCG1xG0Hasd_N5qmh0rJA560lf22eSlAL5kt_MDnVE3Otri35687rfFreoz0uF8c4NF0jQaAvGWPPZ3w/s320/484A0668-1096-4E3D-ABA8-4D29B86A2DAA.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pirate Luke...Aargh!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4h3OYjpecGjuVD9ictWcsadoZVhWQ-kSr6n4d4UfzhM2jXdoM6USwx4E4-w75JISRulw7sDhbVKipVn1_4b6PE4umLERagJ4-aCRgPPWW9jdxbhsIiBb36ZwMOB7v5o7gzx3PrylTA/s2048/C66CE78A-D49E-44CF-94A9-72291DFF5902.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4h3OYjpecGjuVD9ictWcsadoZVhWQ-kSr6n4d4UfzhM2jXdoM6USwx4E4-w75JISRulw7sDhbVKipVn1_4b6PE4umLERagJ4-aCRgPPWW9jdxbhsIiBb36ZwMOB7v5o7gzx3PrylTA/s320/C66CE78A-D49E-44CF-94A9-72291DFF5902.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rise of the Resistance...such a cool ride!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L1PY1l5ZX6IGbVhHEy1svO7iltBy0AjDvPlHjW8b-W4utSa-O5sYeW5qYMOdglSRfal1NkoTkSgfNDNo7zMOXQvXjU0SNY7VWs3icsiNoqnyk0CvlLhKEL4nQd_r9Hdrl4LHUqpkBw/s2048/CE7890B6-2773-49BC-B0A3-5B84A6F6E8D2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L1PY1l5ZX6IGbVhHEy1svO7iltBy0AjDvPlHjW8b-W4utSa-O5sYeW5qYMOdglSRfal1NkoTkSgfNDNo7zMOXQvXjU0SNY7VWs3icsiNoqnyk0CvlLhKEL4nQd_r9Hdrl4LHUqpkBw/s320/CE7890B6-2773-49BC-B0A3-5B84A6F6E8D2.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejTrkZMAGHt-AXAJ4zWoIqg25nLk0ubNSJrGGBiPPoqRpe0qUX60Ap5I4Ay9iHO7T7hJbOQ2czx-nigfi8UhrxuC68wSywV6j0bWRGlZqoGrUC4qj6CR56TH8RyNq3iK_RLtA3Mnl7w/s2048/CFC6AFC0-BD39-4BED-B5E1-D6132AC9D3BE.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejTrkZMAGHt-AXAJ4zWoIqg25nLk0ubNSJrGGBiPPoqRpe0qUX60Ap5I4Ay9iHO7T7hJbOQ2czx-nigfi8UhrxuC68wSywV6j0bWRGlZqoGrUC4qj6CR56TH8RyNq3iK_RLtA3Mnl7w/s320/CFC6AFC0-BD39-4BED-B5E1-D6132AC9D3BE.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter...sitting and snacking in his happy place!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlS4jUl6oeoozEcDDcFI2rwVtCVk7X-gPjzcpskJmGyRRJAdbxt6z7FMd57W5aphxeaNQTWfA267QnaC01IHJ8EC3fqiMa_K3ELjlSyB5m9zPNKHvibTQ9g-F-ws09gUfX-XFX1k_cA/s2048/D59DC0EE-B044-4DFA-B8AB-C1DC5B40A682.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlS4jUl6oeoozEcDDcFI2rwVtCVk7X-gPjzcpskJmGyRRJAdbxt6z7FMd57W5aphxeaNQTWfA267QnaC01IHJ8EC3fqiMa_K3ELjlSyB5m9zPNKHvibTQ9g-F-ws09gUfX-XFX1k_cA/s320/D59DC0EE-B044-4DFA-B8AB-C1DC5B40A682.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">4. Countdown To Grandbaby #3</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p><p>The month of June was a big countdown to Grandbaby #3. Liz wanted to be surprised about having a boy or a girl...much to Andrew's chagrin! Andrew would say, "Liz, you hate surprises! Why do you want to be surprised about one of the biggest moments of your life?!?" But Liz held firm, so we were all left to guess who this new little bundle would be. Liz did great through the end of her pregnancy, navigating a mild case of gestational diabetes and sacrificing all the fun foods and monitoring her blood sugars multiple times a day. </p><p><br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Evv-JW6geZKTcR1HxS6aK343ceyrj20iM4BHLF4B1F05T2n_EaY9Ibn7L8gMglXX6OSxN7ekxWRUxRZ-vgZlbSpnLMbXTKN-A4TS8NLfY-q5hDyF4Ecu_oInhp4z2zU27lmJd-Ka8A/s2048/5E48C2B1-A330-43AB-9FB5-837BD8317A14.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Evv-JW6geZKTcR1HxS6aK343ceyrj20iM4BHLF4B1F05T2n_EaY9Ibn7L8gMglXX6OSxN7ekxWRUxRZ-vgZlbSpnLMbXTKN-A4TS8NLfY-q5hDyF4Ecu_oInhp4z2zU27lmJd-Ka8A/s320/5E48C2B1-A330-43AB-9FB5-837BD8317A14.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took this the night before the scheduled induction.<br />Liz looked great!</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>We all held our breath as June came to an end. The doctors decided to induce the night of the 30th, but Liz went into labor on her own during the day. The process was long and tedious as first labors sometimes are. Liz did great with Andrew being so supportive by her side every minute and, at 5:35 am, Xavier Christopher made his debut! Xavier weight 6lbs 12oz and 20.5 inches long. Mom was healthy, baby was healthy and our family was blessed with another grandson! <p></p><p><br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENYeGDuR4XbvUamOwqF0f3HxSh-bDRvVKH2I6c9R3LXxIHqtzOMJ6fLgndmD3nOGikXGfnd-KSHXUCAy8xDBP1vMjhyphenhypheniElo71TJxIj_0cbwQG8Bkk9wpOQ29hqh8P4jmvr5IzSTq5hw/s2048/ABE01D26-7000-4DBE-90F6-4E8E71D31F71.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENYeGDuR4XbvUamOwqF0f3HxSh-bDRvVKH2I6c9R3LXxIHqtzOMJ6fLgndmD3nOGikXGfnd-KSHXUCAy8xDBP1vMjhyphenhypheniElo71TJxIj_0cbwQG8Bkk9wpOQ29hqh8P4jmvr5IzSTq5hw/s320/ABE01D26-7000-4DBE-90F6-4E8E71D31F71.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xavier Christopher</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSUsXUCIlDbyaPGgTEi_EBbR6_joAiSgb8d3zzZ1FbOqXci8NDRgyYvDikcmCxOzNQVy0GlKpgpQksk-0sUuD4e_DepBvhAuKFRB2IbqmOXLSk4fd7IQRyxIBWahKSjU5qFM_5Af-dA/s1032/03390325-B890-4CF6-BC47-6557974A74A1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="774" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSUsXUCIlDbyaPGgTEi_EBbR6_joAiSgb8d3zzZ1FbOqXci8NDRgyYvDikcmCxOzNQVy0GlKpgpQksk-0sUuD4e_DepBvhAuKFRB2IbqmOXLSk4fd7IQRyxIBWahKSjU5qFM_5Af-dA/s320/03390325-B890-4CF6-BC47-6557974A74A1.jpeg" width="240" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSUsXUCIlDbyaPGgTEi_EBbR6_joAiSgb8d3zzZ1FbOqXci8NDRgyYvDikcmCxOzNQVy0GlKpgpQksk-0sUuD4e_DepBvhAuKFRB2IbqmOXLSk4fd7IQRyxIBWahKSjU5qFM_5Af-dA/s1032/03390325-B890-4CF6-BC47-6557974A74A1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimjYFvENJLO8jX_drwdT9SBU4ez9S8LlQD3oL_6rnplY2oXC9VERXKL1PMbZaXxl6Zm6tSuRHgWNUl-qy6hnSe4ypBxOMSiis_Ls0cdGqPK_SeZVyNQmPRC7FGUV48ZWXdJyIq5K0bw/s2048/5BC19AAA-EA87-494A-A135-B8EFFA906113.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimjYFvENJLO8jX_drwdT9SBU4ez9S8LlQD3oL_6rnplY2oXC9VERXKL1PMbZaXxl6Zm6tSuRHgWNUl-qy6hnSe4ypBxOMSiis_Ls0cdGqPK_SeZVyNQmPRC7FGUV48ZWXdJyIq5K0bw/s320/5BC19AAA-EA87-494A-A135-B8EFFA906113.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Fun fact, Andrew is not only Kate's brother, but also her Godfather. They have a really special relationship and are very close. Andrew told Kate that she could be the first person in our family to know whether she had a niece or a nephew. So, even though I got very frequent labor updates through the night from Andrew, when the baby was born, Andrew called the house to tell Kate first! She stumbled out of bed when she heard the phone ring, because she knew that call was going to be for her! It was so sweet to see her so excited...and of Andrew to treat his little sister in such a special way.<p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5. Graduation #2</span></p><p>At the end of July, Sarah graduated from Bridgewater with a graduate degree in Speech Therapy. Sarah worked really hard in a very intense program and finally reached the end! The graduation ceremony was at Gilette Stadium. She is so glad to be finished. She got a job at a local private practice and really loves the kids she is working with. She's also loving getting a paycheck! Now she gets to do those fun adulting tasks like making a budget. She's getting married in September, 2022, so she has just over a year to do some saving. With the encouragement of her older brother, Jon, who has spent a lot of his free time in the last couple of years learning about investing and saving strategies based on the FIRE movement(Financial Indepedence:Retire Early), she also opened a Vanguard account. </p><p>Jon also writes a blog post about his experience as a college student to save money and now as a new husband and dad...(he's the one with the twins.) The name of his blog is Frugal Jon and you can check it out <a href="https://frugaljon.com/" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">6. Vacation Week...aka #momfail</span></p><p>Jay has to pick his summer vacation week in March every year. I had debated over two different weeks because of where Luke's birthday fell, but it turns out that the week I wrote on our calendar was <i>not </i>the same week that I gave to Jay to take off! We didn't find out about it until 3 days before his actual vacation started... I had written it down for the week after.</p><p>We had a weekend trip to the Vineyard planned that I thought was starting our vacation, but now turned out was going to be the end of our vacation and had to now be shortened a day because we had to be back on Sunday night. The biggest bummer was that we had planned a mini trip to Lego Land for Kate, Luke and Peter and they didn't have the same package for our actual week off. I moved the trip to Columbus Day weekend, but Kate and Luke were definitely disappointed. They handled it well, but Ugh:(. Not my best mom moment.</p><p>The week looked different than I thought it would, but it still went ok, and we were happy to have Jay home. The first weekend was spent celebrating Luke's 12th birthday...Laser Gate with some of his siblings and his favorite chicken pie for dinner...and saying goodbye to our Pastor who was being transferred. One day, we did an escape room with Ellie, Peter, Kate and Luke as well as lunch and shopping in Mashpee. That was a fun outing. Another day, Jay and I even got a few hours for a lunch date. It wasn't a complete fail, but it definitely felt a little flat...at least for me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDW4q2jAxAN2ckojYTD8-jQSv0sJ2L2VEbJandn6DwGWVy235JVUTOcIp9_uUvmYz00R636GSE5Ternzg3wr3Mt7TbAqK2moxGjH2ITdnY2ect12cHvd9iv8RCPZtsVmQOFaPIdfJ9Q/s2048/ACC384D3-7D08-4366-A97E-4EE0B78CCF4C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDW4q2jAxAN2ckojYTD8-jQSv0sJ2L2VEbJandn6DwGWVy235JVUTOcIp9_uUvmYz00R636GSE5Ternzg3wr3Mt7TbAqK2moxGjH2ITdnY2ect12cHvd9iv8RCPZtsVmQOFaPIdfJ9Q/w300-h400/ACC384D3-7D08-4366-A97E-4EE0B78CCF4C.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOW1HWTeuGNEBsW2rZECY5GrPkCPX2Z13scpituF3kPpAxUFw2RNMwHuh9hU3WRHns17M3XohANv1YwDy09HHifKcLlWFevWExckE56-K2Lar7zVgAuWcGu21VeyKrKlj2wghZgrSjPA/s2048/557C8C31-C29A-4C0E-9CEF-1CB99E662603.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOW1HWTeuGNEBsW2rZECY5GrPkCPX2Z13scpituF3kPpAxUFw2RNMwHuh9hU3WRHns17M3XohANv1YwDy09HHifKcLlWFevWExckE56-K2Lar7zVgAuWcGu21VeyKrKlj2wghZgrSjPA/w300-h400/557C8C31-C29A-4C0E-9CEF-1CB99E662603.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27YfbkZIfDOdWf1z-wYIuh7p4TNrsmDBCZqiLCOP9p0bZTQK5EQ4JDr1mhZ4vPo-xC6RyKk02kwd_BYA0pyvb4JN0BtJdgP5kROBnqXEY0DD11fvAX5d-PPW8Z-ifVbnO1Ede9UCzbw/s2048/406BF004-D955-466D-8DF1-7804C51F942C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27YfbkZIfDOdWf1z-wYIuh7p4TNrsmDBCZqiLCOP9p0bZTQK5EQ4JDr1mhZ4vPo-xC6RyKk02kwd_BYA0pyvb4JN0BtJdgP5kROBnqXEY0DD11fvAX5d-PPW8Z-ifVbnO1Ede9UCzbw/w300-h400/406BF004-D955-466D-8DF1-7804C51F942C.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ambrose and Leo enjoyed the carousel...the beach, not so much!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#7. The End...Of Summer That Is</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">We are less than a week away from school starting. This time of year is always bittersweet! (And hectic!) School supplies, finishing summer packets, checking to see what part of their uniforms fit/need to be replaced, and trying to squeeze in just a little more summer fun can be a tad bit overwhelming! While I like Fall weather, and I like routine, I'm not feeling ready to jump back into all the early morning lunch making and afternoon homework. (Except for Peter...he <i>needs</i> to go back to school! Special needs kiddos thrive on their routine, and having him home full time since 8/6 has burned me out. I'm ready for a break!) But with everyone else, return to school feels bittersweet. #honesttiredmom</p><p>Lots of changes are happening for me this Fall. I will be watching the twins three days a week while Marisa is at work. One of her aunts is going to do the other two days. It will be a big adjustment! They are SO cute! Also, quite a lot of work since there are two of them! I give Jon and Marisa lots of credit...especially with the night time wake ups. (That is definitely one part of having babies that I don't miss!) </p><p>Hopefully, we can figure out a routine that works pretty quickly. The boys and I have had a few "discussions" about going easy on Grammy since she's outnumbered!</p><p>To end on a completely positive, (and adorable) note, here are a few pics of our small gaggle of grandsons!</p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbyyMIdvPEEdg6PuGUZk96XTR6PPNM1S5hQzeBSPGm8Tyv2pGz03iaSPBUotiXe55qIi0FC1xRFxNVoPWyGLgz1_IYulCggljYmmthHs5-HX1-bDmK1lviJDy9b3JR150otphzas_Yg/s2048/5C811D9E-D04E-4B54-B1ED-EDE399CCA5DC.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbyyMIdvPEEdg6PuGUZk96XTR6PPNM1S5hQzeBSPGm8Tyv2pGz03iaSPBUotiXe55qIi0FC1xRFxNVoPWyGLgz1_IYulCggljYmmthHs5-HX1-bDmK1lviJDy9b3JR150otphzas_Yg/s320/5C811D9E-D04E-4B54-B1ED-EDE399CCA5DC.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_8jsbG6BDJYEaW9CL4tPVRA4fyOD7OzxKvEXq3x3XVlrAa6T-Zqn4SdWS2_BsrkYJqfwuwuvRyDFThT1C_-axNqXQaO9mGQ-2otcyTB9_4zAyygmVM4pLsT9RYpK1RkvCP9xXr01Fg/s2048/9E96D33C-1CFF-4E75-B88D-C7646353C7EF.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_8jsbG6BDJYEaW9CL4tPVRA4fyOD7OzxKvEXq3x3XVlrAa6T-Zqn4SdWS2_BsrkYJqfwuwuvRyDFThT1C_-axNqXQaO9mGQ-2otcyTB9_4zAyygmVM4pLsT9RYpK1RkvCP9xXr01Fg/s320/9E96D33C-1CFF-4E75-B88D-C7646353C7EF.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ambose</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4t5YifCNynln7BbfIJ48asLvTLUsYDwbPp0x57jWb_m3tIsHBRViUHCA1HTU80anin3RaE_Wc4WsDXbNpxPUtMN3KxGPkGKgXCg5ZbTa1Kc3Nkb2ybKysnURcUT4DEvkMUs3WdhRAA/s2048/21B5E988-1CE0-4E61-9035-5A13D76EEE65.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4t5YifCNynln7BbfIJ48asLvTLUsYDwbPp0x57jWb_m3tIsHBRViUHCA1HTU80anin3RaE_Wc4WsDXbNpxPUtMN3KxGPkGKgXCg5ZbTa1Kc3Nkb2ybKysnURcUT4DEvkMUs3WdhRAA/s320/21B5E988-1CE0-4E61-9035-5A13D76EEE65.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xavier</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCb1Gxm1lU5vp2nmfnm3jV8wIslY7vNXw4-XUzbE7CJ9xUsMUfQjkuSC89_dPrRTYOqPirYlobMl16rGJUoxgoDoKHIhc1mFFuc1rrEfR9CB921IN0BKpx1NP-SLInzqGQqVoyQTyqtw/s2048/38A5AC86-7AF7-4634-9F1C-9BEB4606649F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCb1Gxm1lU5vp2nmfnm3jV8wIslY7vNXw4-XUzbE7CJ9xUsMUfQjkuSC89_dPrRTYOqPirYlobMl16rGJUoxgoDoKHIhc1mFFuc1rrEfR9CB921IN0BKpx1NP-SLInzqGQqVoyQTyqtw/s320/38A5AC86-7AF7-4634-9F1C-9BEB4606649F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our three amigos</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvhYC_1Hf1sLCfVfSN9usDQ2SskudSrUqeTRdXka4bdlB1vESKS8CIgXT2VCHlLkCPZwQmO-chCgqhYz8WqBVIYl7rAljXHy-bbBuThcCiNkZJJxL3YXQOAIZpR7wub97rIUc9owYzw/s2048/778CED11-6765-4EA8-82CE-DD503F86BDBF.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvhYC_1Hf1sLCfVfSN9usDQ2SskudSrUqeTRdXka4bdlB1vESKS8CIgXT2VCHlLkCPZwQmO-chCgqhYz8WqBVIYl7rAljXHy-bbBuThcCiNkZJJxL3YXQOAIZpR7wub97rIUc9owYzw/s320/778CED11-6765-4EA8-82CE-DD503F86BDBF.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pupa and Xavier</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41JcnZfNOz1DPlRuwyqK0TNrQsiwtgQFPVH1sqtyxjIh3th53Bw_RVXxuSinSKQMq-2REvZogExiKACLV1o_KAr866J9hbEFFSKmWYv863NVgHzdNUMUDHUlaDJUP7P2GxR0QJIAEpg/s2048/AE495DBF-5077-419A-9EDB-B8DB30248AC9.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41JcnZfNOz1DPlRuwyqK0TNrQsiwtgQFPVH1sqtyxjIh3th53Bw_RVXxuSinSKQMq-2REvZogExiKACLV1o_KAr866J9hbEFFSKmWYv863NVgHzdNUMUDHUlaDJUP7P2GxR0QJIAEpg/s320/AE495DBF-5077-419A-9EDB-B8DB30248AC9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo and Ambrose</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREjcXgzmJqLQoCgToZQD4uGXUFJsKmXqUXWEiHLNIL7DrDK70eVfkZviWEbepRg9VF7YXOl3yGFNmXudXrE-HvOreSxPnG8GplJANr_442AqufRLMdUBYNHFAgaLHZXKfGEScDuNtZA/s2048/CB2099E7-374B-4185-8D89-4E9CF84C7947.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREjcXgzmJqLQoCgToZQD4uGXUFJsKmXqUXWEiHLNIL7DrDK70eVfkZviWEbepRg9VF7YXOl3yGFNmXudXrE-HvOreSxPnG8GplJANr_442AqufRLMdUBYNHFAgaLHZXKfGEScDuNtZA/s320/CB2099E7-374B-4185-8D89-4E9CF84C7947.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ambrose</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5y4-5n48rWj7JSFV4ccbVBA5ti8lEu0JiiFkNF8l7X3dq_r0QNLqlMa6eN9-po-twvBQ4IrrREg07k8Ns2OIlNd-zI8pkGLyRlV5uKgpBLxmO3QTyQOcQWWVZ12jJPxCcsQ8ZGDa1iw/s2048/DC53106D-D1A0-4AD9-B065-FF49FE62ACAA.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5y4-5n48rWj7JSFV4ccbVBA5ti8lEu0JiiFkNF8l7X3dq_r0QNLqlMa6eN9-po-twvBQ4IrrREg07k8Ns2OIlNd-zI8pkGLyRlV5uKgpBLxmO3QTyQOcQWWVZ12jJPxCcsQ8ZGDa1iw/s320/DC53106D-D1A0-4AD9-B065-FF49FE62ACAA.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xavier</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcFGkasWSEHzkTOpcpV9LA381cjui5pEc-Pu7LxjKuOvS4ugKgA-kO-BxqJNXn315RFRJ220rzVZRE-BX8wTxM8b6VistWAPQmSaEdz8dBNBtxFTZnmiZHVHZLQdU9KpcmgoJGZyhzA/s2048/F1A1CBA4-664E-47ED-84A2-E8459DF7238D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcFGkasWSEHzkTOpcpV9LA381cjui5pEc-Pu7LxjKuOvS4ugKgA-kO-BxqJNXn315RFRJ220rzVZRE-BX8wTxM8b6VistWAPQmSaEdz8dBNBtxFTZnmiZHVHZLQdU9KpcmgoJGZyhzA/w400-h300/F1A1CBA4-664E-47ED-84A2-E8459DF7238D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holding Xavier at home for the first time</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbWPOnRTUhSK8NopNEYqhMGJlgJ5lS35CUV7nYs1xJZwMbaQA2NyuRknJ8j11XWHr97WIUbyQZirm0TBEr0Kg3JAYpojtuhI77RBpm_X90VecMCT4IV1hyphenhyphen8pqaqEiWbza8tWind8MLA/s2048/F15C49CB-B347-4E3B-A08A-6049AC206615.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbWPOnRTUhSK8NopNEYqhMGJlgJ5lS35CUV7nYs1xJZwMbaQA2NyuRknJ8j11XWHr97WIUbyQZirm0TBEr0Kg3JAYpojtuhI77RBpm_X90VecMCT4IV1hyphenhyphen8pqaqEiWbza8tWind8MLA/w300-h400/F15C49CB-B347-4E3B-A08A-6049AC206615.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rE-PNf3I_s2D52v66fX_j3lXJAW1cL4XVjPqVEnvIANoiqSBqxEi8PJxvXba9QWyPoUNpbZkeGbQLi3Smsl1rcRfIbQk_tOTTitxaxf4eOAIBMNuY5f1DjVwXvNc_7zErMkI7YK_Ww/s2048/F708DC09-7E9A-40D0-9992-322E90A28FB7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rE-PNf3I_s2D52v66fX_j3lXJAW1cL4XVjPqVEnvIANoiqSBqxEi8PJxvXba9QWyPoUNpbZkeGbQLi3Smsl1rcRfIbQk_tOTTitxaxf4eOAIBMNuY5f1DjVwXvNc_7zErMkI7YK_Ww/w300-h400/F708DC09-7E9A-40D0-9992-322E90A28FB7.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xavier</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqlJFc-QJQ85U5GveUHfES9sjRiZoYWv0dCsxVYiihKbHaKNHhBriSFhNNW8eF4v8JPbGjY2TT3SOLoJ-29pJ2ZKi9_f8BVvOf0xqn7crqLLtpHgApP5vFe5VP10YYfD6uqU7T749mQ/s1440/54206F38-58A6-4714-B7B4-C5E3F4036916.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqlJFc-QJQ85U5GveUHfES9sjRiZoYWv0dCsxVYiihKbHaKNHhBriSFhNNW8eF4v8JPbGjY2TT3SOLoJ-29pJ2ZKi9_f8BVvOf0xqn7crqLLtpHgApP5vFe5VP10YYfD6uqU7T749mQ/w300-h400/54206F38-58A6-4714-B7B4-C5E3F4036916.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p>
Joining in with Kelly for Quick Takes! <a href="https://thisaintthelyceum.org/blog/"></a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441957625813864109.post-75426369611722722172021-05-20T03:51:00.000-07:002021-05-20T03:51:44.781-07:00The Adventures of Pupa and Grammy<p> I've had this blog post written in my head for several weeks, but I think about writing it when I'm holding babies and my arms are always too full to type. (Which is an amazing problem to have!)</p><p>It's been a little over 8 weeks since the twins made their grand entrance into the world after the longest induction process I have ever seen! Marisa went into the hospital on the morning of Thursday, March 18th. A medication was started to soften her cervix further. We all thought the boys would arrive on St. Joseph's feast day, but Friday came and Marisa needed more meds to continue the cervix softening process. We were all convinced that Saturday must be the day.....WRONG! The doctor determined that Marisa still wasn't ready for pitocin on Saturday am. It was a VERY long three days in the hospital for Marisa and Jon...and quite the emotional roller coaster to psyche yourself up for labor only to be put off day after day! Because of Covid rules, no one could visit her in labor and delivery. Jon could be with her, but he couldn't leave. And because Marisa was carrying twins, they wouldn't let her go home for a night and sleep in her own bed. </p><p>It was a loooong three days! (For the grandparents, too! It's hard not to worry and it's hard to be on the outside just receiving information and not able to do anything.)</p><p>Finally(!). around 3am Sunday morning, the doctor gave the green light for pitocin! Labor progressed slowly, (I repeat, slowly), the entire day! Marisa loved getting the epidural and declared that it was the best she felt since before she got pregnant! So clearly it worked well for her. </p><p>Finally(!!), about 8:30pm Marisa was 10cm and it was time to push. It was the longest 45 minutes of my life. It's so hard to wait to find out that everyone is ok! </p><p>And, FINALLY(!!!), at 9:17, Leo Jason was born! Leo was healthy, Marisa was good and, only 7 minutes later at 9:24, Ambrose Thomas joined his brother! </p><p>For the entire pregnancy, Ambrose was "Baby A" and Leo was "Baby B"....then, right before delivery, Leo snuck ahead of his brother and was born first! I think that's going to be a big part of his personality-a tease just like his daddy! Luke commented that Leo was going to hold it over Ambrose's head that he is the oldest. Then Kate, who has empathy for being the youngest child, said that when they play board games and the rules say that the youngest goes first, then Ambrose will have the upper hand!</p><p>Leo was 6lb 4oz and Ambrose was 6lbs 7oz....which are great sizes for twins! Marisa is glad they were born almost three weeks early! Both boys were 20 inches long.</p><p>Adjusting to life with twins has been challenging! Sleep deprivation with two babies is no joke! Thankfully, they have lots of people willing to hold babies so they can take naps. It's given us extra opportunities to snuggle the boys...which is an amazing experience.</p><p>Marisa and Jon are great parents! The boys are thriving. At their one month appointments, Ambrose was 9lbs and Leo was 8lbs 14oz. And they are definitely bigger than that now!</p><p>Now that they have hit the 8 week mark, you can see them starting to slip into more of a routine with sleeping and awake time. They are starting to be content to sit in their swing or bouncy seat for half an hour or more and they are starting to fall asleep without needing to be held all the time. (Marisa and Jon are very excited and hopeful! It's amazing what you're able to get done when you can use two hands!) They are looking forward to their sleep blocks to extend a little longer...which I'm sure will be soon at the rate they are growing! </p><p>Being a grandparent has been a joyful experience. There is just nothing like holding and snuggling a baby...and getting to hold and snuggle two babies is even more amazing! We are so blessed that they live close by and we get to see them frequently. Most week days since Jon went back to work, I get to spend some time with the boys so Marisa can shower and get ready for the day. Although, I don't think they will need me for that much longer now that the boys seem to be happy to be in their seat/swing for an extended period of time. But I'm sure that Marisa will still want a break...or a nap!...most days, so I shouldn't miss out on too many baby snuggles!</p><p>How many pics have we taken....too many to count! But here are some of my favorites:)</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOO2Y1k1bLOKSy3j9b4Zgj-8Xxb0tnhkdqsYPeoe0lnVMPKpXwXfXknuNGf1SQIFiEdBBKtVDqF9HZviN-Cse_ekcmwRa-IGVPs8by7WNKmV6El736pvHuWOA8B6XNlNuRxMXnidWqpQ/s2048/FB388D3D-6E6B-4465-A651-429AABEDBE2F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOO2Y1k1bLOKSy3j9b4Zgj-8Xxb0tnhkdqsYPeoe0lnVMPKpXwXfXknuNGf1SQIFiEdBBKtVDqF9HZviN-Cse_ekcmwRa-IGVPs8by7WNKmV6El736pvHuWOA8B6XNlNuRxMXnidWqpQ/s320/FB388D3D-6E6B-4465-A651-429AABEDBE2F.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7L1NO2z9zfcweJjGQgPKdKPVlg_7-2OTkrI_DX4ZqXjWYcGFZxQa7WiLzzSyeax0qcgKjejyjE12cvqA0swuJ-oQwKff_EbfUSKEmu0mYHFOg3VDxdlgX_E64SDmSCeqN-8T02IVNJA/s2048/F6BCB43F-599C-4F45-ACAD-BFD9FFF536E0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7L1NO2z9zfcweJjGQgPKdKPVlg_7-2OTkrI_DX4ZqXjWYcGFZxQa7WiLzzSyeax0qcgKjejyjE12cvqA0swuJ-oQwKff_EbfUSKEmu0mYHFOg3VDxdlgX_E64SDmSCeqN-8T02IVNJA/s320/F6BCB43F-599C-4F45-ACAD-BFD9FFF536E0.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdGT0hM2x70iTp7sxsHGM6f3yEaH5YmUAfBkfeT3iHzyB7G55_8DreJu5f4blhLa4k1Sm_KXxRw6Q9fywRDuTCO_645-9FvjrdGGdIQdIJz20zU-ijoftG_kZqI8rDG3JZstMh_e3hg/s2048/EC6A9676-8043-4C81-A7C6-8ED31FE4C8C4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdGT0hM2x70iTp7sxsHGM6f3yEaH5YmUAfBkfeT3iHzyB7G55_8DreJu5f4blhLa4k1Sm_KXxRw6Q9fywRDuTCO_645-9FvjrdGGdIQdIJz20zU-ijoftG_kZqI8rDG3JZstMh_e3hg/s320/EC6A9676-8043-4C81-A7C6-8ED31FE4C8C4.jpeg" /></a></div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span>Meeting these two bundles of joy for the first time!</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96hzCfmiBqKShdUMKe_J0g019Zpsiq8cQNxfJWJHzblNJ6LEEzK6unzv21xQp-ORUsFSG3Z4XGEDjqaqRGPez-8wAigbo9aPsJUgrJCli01YQLNtr_ZzADvDzLuayBpvgbgmC9CJsIQ/s2048/DA4F5647-B524-4F48-9304-B8AD471EAE40.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96hzCfmiBqKShdUMKe_J0g019Zpsiq8cQNxfJWJHzblNJ6LEEzK6unzv21xQp-ORUsFSG3Z4XGEDjqaqRGPez-8wAigbo9aPsJUgrJCli01YQLNtr_ZzADvDzLuayBpvgbgmC9CJsIQ/s320/DA4F5647-B524-4F48-9304-B8AD471EAE40.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmevJQgpu4YqsiMhY5IDmGtlwD7leY1Fa7GeqRnBILCUaVzRk88jTnTxv6beuSa0s2Wbwl7ZEPlDcdE8w_ksPMzTuvaCBsror6V3y_vN3gd8HGxK2M30hIDqcPw9sgN1J5jZLFxtXAaA/s2048/D3392FFD-4D1B-4465-8CD3-19111E7D78AE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmevJQgpu4YqsiMhY5IDmGtlwD7leY1Fa7GeqRnBILCUaVzRk88jTnTxv6beuSa0s2Wbwl7ZEPlDcdE8w_ksPMzTuvaCBsror6V3y_vN3gd8HGxK2M30hIDqcPw9sgN1J5jZLFxtXAaA/s320/D3392FFD-4D1B-4465-8CD3-19111E7D78AE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8KeiUrsVrQnMrmz-fE2qEyEVUwmnrX17WssX35srNSTO1h1hMkxpOZfhWOEhxskjqtlNsXtLngbiuNGIatOhr2KfbDUTwsQTDyscRNwnW2aM0r8RzxyMgDZ3WJYuFavKaMK229mN2g/s1334/B79F74F5-4E54-495F-A14E-1834082E6D03.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8KeiUrsVrQnMrmz-fE2qEyEVUwmnrX17WssX35srNSTO1h1hMkxpOZfhWOEhxskjqtlNsXtLngbiuNGIatOhr2KfbDUTwsQTDyscRNwnW2aM0r8RzxyMgDZ3WJYuFavKaMK229mN2g/s320/B79F74F5-4E54-495F-A14E-1834082E6D03.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ambrose</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZqmui6NEzmwppfIy594IVl3N07e_NM_N3wo4BPbNuL1edOBJ3L4rMRtFgoPIvbG5WwXHqaa0elM64-yKeW7qZw0xSE_RFecoZbtsyHryXWtVXaMiR5rCvV_rfnWTjXaPAGb2mJ3AWA/s2048/B13BF9A3-EF92-409F-A22E-372D377E9842.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZqmui6NEzmwppfIy594IVl3N07e_NM_N3wo4BPbNuL1edOBJ3L4rMRtFgoPIvbG5WwXHqaa0elM64-yKeW7qZw0xSE_RFecoZbtsyHryXWtVXaMiR5rCvV_rfnWTjXaPAGb2mJ3AWA/s320/B13BF9A3-EF92-409F-A22E-372D377E9842.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccy0vjpXZFG5JGblNYNh_H_yy7PwS-lmQi4tj3zMpcov5-SO3qmZX-kbPoDNe3qRgpNsKFeIcZtOvhln7vk1yXd6cl2d7R8VoAJBagVSAwAXn1Qd_e5H-YG7QtcivBPkD2bf1cXTTiQ/s2048/5403292E-6FB4-437C-B413-D683A43D4C6A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccy0vjpXZFG5JGblNYNh_H_yy7PwS-lmQi4tj3zMpcov5-SO3qmZX-kbPoDNe3qRgpNsKFeIcZtOvhln7vk1yXd6cl2d7R8VoAJBagVSAwAXn1Qd_e5H-YG7QtcivBPkD2bf1cXTTiQ/s320/5403292E-6FB4-437C-B413-D683A43D4C6A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmetO3rq9HgL6mlr7sWnOHXm5aWDNwTQKwxHPv0ymyAdkKqEGg3ZNEXce9R965FWJ1s0Vj3RkVtH0GDkjLC1_4mJK3aq5m7zsSoHgC9sMiPFnF7MFUfPmUqIXgw9TkaVflfNSXUm6i8A/s2048/071575A9-327F-4C11-8136-97D081AED2D1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmetO3rq9HgL6mlr7sWnOHXm5aWDNwTQKwxHPv0ymyAdkKqEGg3ZNEXce9R965FWJ1s0Vj3RkVtH0GDkjLC1_4mJK3aq5m7zsSoHgC9sMiPFnF7MFUfPmUqIXgw9TkaVflfNSXUm6i8A/s320/071575A9-327F-4C11-8136-97D081AED2D1.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJYA0ywkdqJplJzlX_DXr9DgTX9Q39e9gbYuJ1ZgyOzAfHjTCIWF7Cg4wzsX81YzeCJLaVn9jJEY5yG_BZwdwLZuwMm9myY4Gnw2szBJBCO-VPPfgLQ6eXGbSMbd15v1TTIN68soUYQ/s2048/8765CB50-CDF5-46AA-89E9-FC136C3C2D42.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJYA0ywkdqJplJzlX_DXr9DgTX9Q39e9gbYuJ1ZgyOzAfHjTCIWF7Cg4wzsX81YzeCJLaVn9jJEY5yG_BZwdwLZuwMm9myY4Gnw2szBJBCO-VPPfgLQ6eXGbSMbd15v1TTIN68soUYQ/s320/8765CB50-CDF5-46AA-89E9-FC136C3C2D42.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSJ8sAjZkR2m4GDz8R79oIAxwBvtWx9NCn3BZ-Sz7GGvMTXPfR3UotPIfFYyDzKm1MODBTmX9oKkKbW6Q390J1rQHW_n8KuS9UW-H6gNDev7Ks6qR29GgCo_F2DVZUmk1uVd5LsQb3A/s2048/4123C362-D833-41CD-8C01-61E70DE41500.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSJ8sAjZkR2m4GDz8R79oIAxwBvtWx9NCn3BZ-Sz7GGvMTXPfR3UotPIfFYyDzKm1MODBTmX9oKkKbW6Q390J1rQHW_n8KuS9UW-H6gNDev7Ks6qR29GgCo_F2DVZUmk1uVd5LsQb3A/s320/4123C362-D833-41CD-8C01-61E70DE41500.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IeYL0dly4V7QjtMTGdNjCa24HT8E_SDi6GgBUcfdaNEV0iNq3Naas_CUmIkwOfS_8YPlCUiV1m9z14DmOCYyYvYaNeIH3QBvjJFdw10KvPnqLDt7ht580pVlxBIIcsT6lwBzOPt1NQ/s2048/2238AB91-6216-4454-8CAB-E14D009EC3F2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IeYL0dly4V7QjtMTGdNjCa24HT8E_SDi6GgBUcfdaNEV0iNq3Naas_CUmIkwOfS_8YPlCUiV1m9z14DmOCYyYvYaNeIH3QBvjJFdw10KvPnqLDt7ht580pVlxBIIcsT6lwBzOPt1NQ/s320/2238AB91-6216-4454-8CAB-E14D009EC3F2.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLt4w4nPhY2aDWz89AmdaCQHSv-mYdJeAqDMt6E1X5SjEp3QCLHyjvCgtd4l8adkst-P8OxY5QWHvZ6SyZ8J0Pr6OgiAPoWUjxuXds7jhHT_PoHKhqaXOELlyvFkS3-gUdWdc2H2LxYw/s1280/464EE12F-0AAA-476F-808D-6EB61A12413C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLt4w4nPhY2aDWz89AmdaCQHSv-mYdJeAqDMt6E1X5SjEp3QCLHyjvCgtd4l8adkst-P8OxY5QWHvZ6SyZ8J0Pr6OgiAPoWUjxuXds7jhHT_PoHKhqaXOELlyvFkS3-gUdWdc2H2LxYw/s320/464EE12F-0AAA-476F-808D-6EB61A12413C.jpeg" /></a></div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Little Leo:)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95dd0zPiBRC7DT0hO821j3o4ItRwMU-Kt-0FWT_R1EB61ksrajKGIurGnYbr49GMLUYT1hQCt8liP-iJSjuToVzcG704HiPZM4zpiLr3X0NSazzzFZaIatT8pjQVW5i0tzH-3Caq4Bg/s2048/39A84DE0-E559-4547-A4FA-AE926200043B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95dd0zPiBRC7DT0hO821j3o4ItRwMU-Kt-0FWT_R1EB61ksrajKGIurGnYbr49GMLUYT1hQCt8liP-iJSjuToVzcG704HiPZM4zpiLr3X0NSazzzFZaIatT8pjQVW5i0tzH-3Caq4Bg/s320/39A84DE0-E559-4547-A4FA-AE926200043B.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJT9_M6pZFuUvLYArnwJps_1JjfG8xxCh8OdiMv55Ngo0FMPSBs0EglLtQYlaOXjKMxisV8-oKqiVENGKs1n2YzVf5m8mVpgecdXEIjJL_UbrSMyOJ3cUp_Y8rKJ1a9Oscc_xePAunw/s2048/8D75BBEB-DBBE-41C7-8388-5B02E0E8259D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJT9_M6pZFuUvLYArnwJps_1JjfG8xxCh8OdiMv55Ngo0FMPSBs0EglLtQYlaOXjKMxisV8-oKqiVENGKs1n2YzVf5m8mVpgecdXEIjJL_UbrSMyOJ3cUp_Y8rKJ1a9Oscc_xePAunw/w300-h400/8D75BBEB-DBBE-41C7-8388-5B02E0E8259D.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouHJZM1s4o3TY3vJOHrYp3T8WaqqLt_46lHmG4BBVUjo5eFuIK_4u_f2jDXsOQaaG-GwW8QhTvm2BiSD0G43uQOgayZvxSqvA7LHRpAZ90authmeaUPEvqeyZuTCrPJ_MnG_3DmnhZQ/s2048/5A98D610-D0B0-4E7B-98B7-67A6E4D7C5EA.jpeg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouHJZM1s4o3TY3vJOHrYp3T8WaqqLt_46lHmG4BBVUjo5eFuIK_4u_f2jDXsOQaaG-GwW8QhTvm2BiSD0G43uQOgayZvxSqvA7LHRpAZ90authmeaUPEvqeyZuTCrPJ_MnG_3DmnhZQ/w300-h400/5A98D610-D0B0-4E7B-98B7-67A6E4D7C5EA.jpeg" title="Ambrose(l) and Leo(r)" width="300" /></a></div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>(Ambrose is on the left, Leo on the right)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRGF3uT3ni5L8ykzZIMdnabQmpPHrY_MrTar61EryxaDx4WA3aDeGPxxSkoF8W3qyir7lhCd1J6_TF5Qi9b6VlzLHpg8En_yeM_f9EDgg5b7CVuwGdrHWfZRSn97CpuEkJ2bz8mE6XA/s2048/3A1BBB9D-84AB-4F36-9830-840059F23DED.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRGF3uT3ni5L8ykzZIMdnabQmpPHrY_MrTar61EryxaDx4WA3aDeGPxxSkoF8W3qyir7lhCd1J6_TF5Qi9b6VlzLHpg8En_yeM_f9EDgg5b7CVuwGdrHWfZRSn97CpuEkJ2bz8mE6XA/w300-h400/3A1BBB9D-84AB-4F36-9830-840059F23DED.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyQPvyfbzSQxk9IUrX_5_HPEp9H444v25KY275FOohSiQxg1yoNNWpv7Hin28cYEi0_490EmsBEjyrFhVD-7CppEydKaWmpPB0JEFOtdl6NjjUB4Yxjfs2tklVwTkZmGoPU3jY3pTrQ/s2048/2F10E11E-558F-49EE-9470-87BC4BE37D40.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyQPvyfbzSQxk9IUrX_5_HPEp9H444v25KY275FOohSiQxg1yoNNWpv7Hin28cYEi0_490EmsBEjyrFhVD-7CppEydKaWmpPB0JEFOtdl6NjjUB4Yxjfs2tklVwTkZmGoPU3jY3pTrQ/w400-h300/2F10E11E-558F-49EE-9470-87BC4BE37D40.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Jay and I are thoroughly enjoying our adventures as Pupa and Grammy!</p><p><br /></p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256284238173232487noreply@blogger.com0