Michaela at Four Weeks

'Tis the Season

I cannot believe that Miss Michaela Marie (my M&M girl) is 4 weeks old today!! My mom came over to watch the big girls today so I could go to mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with just Michaela. Listening to the readings and wonderful homily about how Mary was conceived without sin made me reflect even more holding a newborn on how Mary answered God's call to give birth to Jesus and is such a perfect example of Motherhood to follow and strive for! These last few weeks have been challenging with recovery, adjusting to a newborn again, keeping up with the two toddlers, a hubby working 12 hour shifts for a week, trying to keep house....and then with this time of year I always seem to get stressed anyways. I tend to be a bit OCD (ok, I know my family members are saying, a bit?) and like to be organized and have everything just so in my little world. Well, I am slowly learning that God probably gets lots of chuckles out of "our plans". So my advent activities and Christmas decorations and fun things I had wanted to do for this special time of year are not happening. And I am learning that that is OK and that next year will come and I can try again. Right now....the season for me is exactly what it is...my duties and responsibilities as a mother with all the nursing, changing diapers and constant care comes first. If I happen to get in a fun craft project or event then bonus points to us. I am learning that with each additional child not only do routines get changed and rearranged, but priorities do as well and so do my expectations of myself. I came across this poem the other day and truly enjoyed it...these baby moments and little times with my LITTLE ones are short and fleeting and I truly want to cherish them as long as I can. So especially today when we remember how perfect and immaculate our Blessed Mother is and a great example to model after and during this Christmas season when we remember how Mary said yes to conceiving and accepting the responsibility of being Jesus' mother....I too want to thank Jesus for my girls and say YES to my vocation as a mother and try to live it out as best and fully as I can. (And now the people in my life need to remind me of this Post when I get stressed out and overwhelmed!!)

BABIES DON'T KEEP

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullaby, rockabye, lullaby loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peek-a-boo

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew

And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo

But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo

Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullaby, rockaby lullaby loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

I'm a WINNER

For those of you who have not heard....Faith & Family is doing a week of daily giveaways...CHECK HERE for all the details and enter!! Yesterday I entered and today I got an email and saw on today's post that I won!!! The item I won made me smile too!! I have looked at this for a long time, and had my mom make several church bags for my girls and done our own. So not sure if I will hang onto this or give as a gift...but so excited...it is the Quiet Time Church Kit which retails for $30! We don't do coloring books or toys in church, but we do have the books and holy card rings. Totally recommend this or making your own like we did! Good Baptism Gift ideas especially when you can make the bags, ours our much smaller. Anyways....so check out the daily giveaway at Faith&Family and hope you can be a winner too!!

The REAL Santa

I had wanted to do a lot of the activity and cooking ideas from THIS GREAT SITE FOR SAINT NICHOLAS this year, but I was lucky enough to order some items and find new slippers! Next year.... Angelica LOVED discussing all about Saint Nicholas and has been calling him the REAL Santa ever since. That morning at mass she even included him in our after church prayers! She was so excited to go down for her nap so Saint Nicholas could come and find her slippers....we didn't do first thing in the morning this time as we get up really early to make 815 mass. Last year I started including a new Christmas book in their goodies so we can slowly build our collection.....and a holy card...and the goodies of course, but this year started the tradition of new slippers!! They were very excited and of course wanted to start eating the candy right away! Hope you were good and that Saint Nick brought you coins instead of coal!!!

Michaela's Treasures

Emma's Treasures
Angelica's Treasures

Tree Find 2009

Last Saturday we decided to brave the VERY cold and windy weather and head to Hubert's for our annual and now traditional tree hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. We bundled up the girlies and started our search...we actually ended up with the first tree we saw. So far we have stuck with the Douglas Firs, but interested in maybe trying a Noble one year. The girls had a blast, especially Emma who loved hiding behind all the trees..and Michaela who was all nice and cozy nestled inside the Moby. There were so many good pics I put most of them in the slide show but posted our favorites. Took a few video clips too....the last one makes me laugh when Angel asks to go to the house where we drink! She was referring to the farm's fun Cider House where you can go warm up afterwards and have some delicious and hot cider!! Angelica LOVED it!! So glad I have continued this tradition with our family...so special to be doing the same thing with them that I did when I was a kid!