First Holy Communion--Part II

Dressed and ready for pictures!

We got a rainy, dreary day, but were able to get one picture in the morning before sprinkles came!

(it did clear up later)

Excited sisters!

Good friends!

I love this picture, it reminds me of a bride rushing into the church!

She got to read the petitions.

We belong to a cluster of 3 parishes and the other 2 parishes have about 60 kids each who made their First Holy Communions. We are the smaller parish and only have a few kids each year. It's so nice!

Beautiful Rosary gift.

Grandma A. came from the cities.

(my mil, isn't she beautiful?)

Such a special day I hope she will always remember and always feel the same way each time she receives Jesus!

Thank you for all your prayers, it was truly a beautiful day!

First Holy Communion--Part I

This is part I, because I have so many pictures, I had to break them into 2 groups to show, and believe me, I'm only showing a few of the ton of pictures!

This is kind of the preparation and parts of the day and out of town guests pictures.

This is the breakfast we made the morning of.

They are those frozen little mini pancakes, of which none of my kids liked. They are used to homemade pancakes. They do look pretty though, don't they?

Here is Ballerina Rosie the night before, showing the price of beauty. I should have pictured the clock too, it was around 10 pm!

Our gift bag preparation, stamped, colored, filled and tied!

Treasures and kisses given to each guest!
This cookie cutter came just in time. (although, cookie decorator, I am not)

Brenna, my sister is her godmother.

So very special to have her here.

Father came and blessed all her gifts and visited a while, he had 6 more homes to visit!

"I'm so excited to see Noelle, I miss her so much, I feel like she's my sister!"

The much anticipated sleepover with Noelle and her family!

(they came from Fargo)

Yes, that would be my son always wanting to be goofy.

I was so excited to see Sarah, I miss her so much, I feel like she's my sister.

(I was agreeing with Ballerina Rosie)
The part II will be the "pretty picture" edition!

Not Wordless Wednesday-8 Months!

Sweetie Pie, 8 months, sitting up with 2 new top teeth!

Saturday someone asked me how old she was and as I was thinking (yes I have to think about it), Ballerina Rosie said "Mom, she's 8 months today!" I actually felt my heart ache. It aches right now, typing it! Fastest 8 months of my life.

First Communion pictures to come (sometime soon)

Popping In to Say Hello!

Hello!

First Communion prep has kept me busy this week, but Margaret's Church's novena

has beautifully put it all into perspective. We have loved this novena and Ballerina Rosie's favorite was the Lily of the Valleys. I'd hoped our Lily of the Valleys would have bloomed in time, but they are just popping up. I love how the novena worked on her virtues and helped her to think of these individually.

Little Sweetie Pie was a little fuss bucket this week! She is working on 4 top teeth. 2 have popped through, but look at this picture...poor baby! She'd only have mama holding her on that good old left shoulder. Until yesterday, she was back to normal, happy, sitting up, eating again, singing and laughing! She was so fussy this week, I started thinking her personality had changed or that maybe mine had with the lack of sleep. Times like these make me so very thankful that she's just so precious and such a gift to all of us.

Now, I'm off to finish laundry (haha, does that ever happen?), First Communion practice at the Church, last minute gifts at the local Catholic gift shop (Christine's sweet baby is being baptized next weekend), Sam's Club to pick up the cake and groceries, Confession, then to the normal grocery store for the rest, curlers to roll, baths to give, balloons to blow up, food to prep and prayers, oh so many prayers. All is offered up for the honor and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus, You are my All in All!
(You'll have to click on the song, as for some reason, I can't seem to put up You Tube videos anymore?!)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, I know we will!

For the Feast of St Mark

We will be celebrating First Holy Communion on April 25th, but it is also the feast of St Mark.

St Mark's symbol is the lion.
If I picture it, it's easy, we just used muffins, icing, chocolate chips and popcorn. The kids loved them! *this was from 2 years ago*
For the coloring sheets and other ideas, go to Catholic Icing.

Contentment

Mary Hannah taught herself how to ride a bike this past month. This picture shows her riding the little bike, but she has moved onto a bigger bike now. She rides around and around the house. It's really cute. She's so active. She can't wait every morning to get outside to start making her rounds.

Since Ballerina Rosie was 3 when she learned, I thought maybe Babycakes would like to learn now too, so she could ride like her big sisters (and brother).

So, I asked her "Babycakes, do you want to learn how to ride a bike, Mama can help you?"

Babycakes responded so matter of factly, "I already know how to ride bike." Me: "You do?"

Babycakes: "Yeah, you know the orange one with the roof on so I won't get rained on?"




I think I've learned this week from my littles.
I've learned that if they want to learn something, they will, on their own.
If they don't want to learn something new, they probably don't need to.

First Holy Communion Week!

Ballerina Rosie will be making her First Holy Communion this coming weekend! She's been asking and asking to "practice" with Neccos. (I always think of my good friend Sarah's mother when I think of these candies, she is the one who told me about them long ago.) We will practice because we all receive Communion on our tongues (she doesn't have to do like us, but I'm sure she will), so we will practice how to do this. We will also practice receiving in the hands, because the Church does allow this.

Socks purchased and ready to go!
(along with the dress and shoes!)

This book read together. (I cried in the end, it was so beautiful)
This is Margaret's novena we started on Friday, it is truly getting her ready heart and soul.
Our white theme, white cake ordered (Sam's Club), white balloons, plates, streamers, tablecloths.
I'm planning the menu, she wants turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, I'll add some other whites....cauliflower with dip (one of my favorites!), white buns, I'm planning on making either the First Communion cookies or cupcakes (I'll do muffins for breakfast) pictured on Catholic Icing

We've practiced the hair style (she's been planning this for a year now!)

This is my wedding veil, it's a little big, but she loves it! (and hey, the price is right)

Now, all I need to do is pray, clean, shop, clean....clean, clean.....

It's weird, these special, holy days, (like Baptisms) I get this need to clean and have the house, I don't know, ready for such holiness....

Windows washed...check

Screens washed...check

Fridge cleaned....check

I ask for your prayers for my sweet little Ballerina Rosie.

St Catherine, pray for her.

St Therese pray for her.

Hey Where Did (Wordless) Wednesday Go?

Tai Kwon Do edition

Divine Mercy Sunday!

My favorite day of the year!!! Divine Mercy Sunday!! This year Jedi did the novena and chaplet with me and it was wonderful!

We made Rice Krispie treats, (with chocolate chips put in right after krispies are mixed) and put them into a heart shaped pan. Then we used pull apart licorice for the "mercy" side and white frosting (put into a baggie, cut and squeezed out) for the "graces" side.

The words of Jesus to St Faustina:

My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy.

The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me even though its sins be as scarlet.
Complete forgiveness of sins...and all the divine floodgates are opened, floodgates holding all God's graces! How powerful is that? Starting new and fresh, with so much grace.

Last week I heard a speaker, Paul Regan, who travels all over the world speaking about Divine Mercy. He said some very interesting things. The one thing that stands out the most to me is you know that 100 year reign that God gave the devil? You know, Pope Leo XIII had this vision, in which he was in a mystical ecstasy for 12 minutes? The one where he received the prayer from God, St Michael the Archangel? Well, that was October 13th, 1884. That prayer is to help us fend off the devil, right? A sort of exorcism.

33 years to the exact date, and the exact time the last vision of Fatima happened, for 12 minutes, that was in 1917.

Paul Regan, the speaker, said this is only his theory, that the 100 year reign started on that date. After the last vision of Fatima, which would bring us to 2017 to be the end of that 100 year reign.

Now, I always stay away from anyone who is talking dates. I mean really, that's just scary and does not come from God. But there's no date, just a year and it really makes sense.

It just boils down to always being ready for whatever may come.

It's exciting really.

What are your thoughts?

Isn't that interesting?

We finally got everyone in Easter dresses (Jedi excluded) but it was not a good picture taking day. (even after bribing them with jelly beans...when can I get rid of the Easter candy?)

Sweetie Pie is sick this week, she can hardly breathe she's so stuffed up, poor baby.
I hate it when my babes are sick.
This is the "Don't stand by me" picture.

"But if you are going to take my picture anyway, I'll smile" picture.
Babycakes.

She's 3

Need I say more?

During Mass yesterday, after being sprinkled with holy water by Father who was sprinkling everyone up and down the isle, said, very concerned,

"Hey! His holy water is leaking!"

Gilad

I found this man, Gilad, last week and I love his workouts! As I mentioned before, we have a DVR with our Direct TV so, I've been taping his workouts, he's on some fitness channel. (notice I didn't say I've been doing the workouts) I did do one and my oh my, my abs hurt. didn't even know I had abs anymore. You can see him here.

They are only 30 minutes long, so I'm hoping to find that time in my day. Yesterday my only 2 goals were:

1. Get a load of laundry done

2. Somehow workout.

( I did a 1 mile Walk Away the Pounds DVD with Sweetie Pie rolling around in front of me, Babycakes beside me constantly trying to take the hand stretchy thingy, and was only interupted 5 times by the older kiddos )

I am convinced that my body could look like these people if I had TIME. Extra TIME, beyond everyone elses's same 24 hours in a day.

Let's Talk Lost!

I've been dying to talk about Lost with someone...anyone?

I've been very impressed with this season.

We got rid of our cable and signed up for Direct TV and along with that, comes a DVR, which I love! We can tape stuff without a tape. I can fast forward through the commercials, it's great.

Anyway...I am feeling "Lost fulfilled" each week. In the past years, I would always watch and be disappointed with more questions than answers and wishing more was accomplished.

I have so many theories going through my head, but last night's was really good and is really (I think) leading up to the finale. I did have questions though, why was Charlie so weird last night? I will be sad to see it end, although, it is also good.

Any theories out there?

Anyone want to talk "Lost"?

Happy Easter!!

Well, stay away from our house right now, as we have a 3rd little girl getting this awful cough, (getting worse by the minute) that seems to be spreading....This is what my kitchen looks like right now, tea and medicine.

It started Holy Saturday evening, I've had about 2-3 hours of sleep each night. Between feeding baby, and sitting up with each feverish, coughing child, I try to sleep! The cough in the middle of the night seems to last 3 hours each child and nothing helps except to sit up (preferably on mama) and sip warm tea each time they cough.
My poor little sick girlies! They were so excited to wear their Easter dresses....
We'll save them for Divine Mercy Sunday!

See my pretty flower band Kisteen?

Sick or not, the candy sure brought smiles as did the Easter egg hunt!

Resurrection Roll making, wrapping Jesus (the Marshmallow) in oils (butter) and spices (cinnamon and sugar) and putting Him in the tomb (the crescent roll)

SO easy and always such a hit on Easter morning!

Resurrection eggs to read and peek at, sacrifices rewarded and beautiful colored eggs!

OK, I'm going backward on this post....oh, well!

The girls are not smiling, because they are fighting right now about which egg should go in next!

We marble painted our crosses on Good Friday....

Watched tape 3 of Jesus of Nazareth....wow, The Passion is soooooo much better! It was good for the kiddos though, but they did keep saying, "wasn't Jesus more bloody than that?" I suppose, after our red marble painted crosses....

Soup (recipe here)

This time I added celery though, I love lots of veggies!

Homemade pretzels, hardly felt like fasting,

yummy pretzels and yummy soup!!
(Recipe here)

See my cute little Spring chick? I love Spring bonnets on babes!

We visited tiny little chicks at a friends home!

We combined Jessica's 2 Lenten Teas and had one on Thursday. (linked on her sidebar, I'm to pressed for time to link them now!) We did this at a friend's home. The kids loved it and can't wait to do the Easter Tea!
I hope you all had a wonderful Holy Week and Easter!

I'm off to take care of my little sickos...