Party, Party, PARTY!

Tis the season for lots of birthdays.  We have 4 nieces and 1 nephew with birthdays in the first part of the year. 

Connor, Julia and Sophie had a joint birthday party in February.  Connor had a Notre Dame theme.  When Brook found out, he told Connor he wouldn't come unless he had a Michigan cupcake for him.  Connor was very worried about this and asked Jaime to make Brook a Michigan cupcake.  Needless to say, there was no Michigan cupcake.  Brook still went.  ;)

 

Last weekend, Ruthie and Maria shared a birthday party!

 



 

Cool glasses, dude

 

Sunday, we celebrated my friend Heather's birthday.  Early last year, I was praying that God would help me meet young Christian women in the area.  Brook was out in the community meeting people, but, with working full-time, I really hadn't met many new friends in Grand Haven.  As a new mom, I was feeling a major void.  So, I prayed and then, (separately) signed up for Perpetual Adoration at our church.  There was a young woman who also shared my hour.  I'd see her at church with 3 little girls and we talked about getting together for a playdate.  Let's just say, the rest is history!  Isn't it funny how when we do something for God, He blesses us?  It just goes to show, He can never be outdone in generosity. 

For her birthday, we had a fun lunch out at a local restaurant with Heather, her hubby and another couple (the kids stayed behind with a babysitter).  Then, headed back to the house for a surprise party.  It was a great day! 

So blessed to have her in my life!

 



 

 

Max and his buddy, Lydia

Pope Party

After Pope Benedict resigned, Heather suggested we have a little "Pope Party" when the new pope was elected - you know, bring the big Church into the domestic church.  I love stuff like that, so I was in!  We were so excited when white smoke came pouring out of the Sistine Chapel.  The tradition of it all is just so rich.  Lots of texts and phone calls, wondering who it would be. 

When the new pope came out, I will admit, I was surprised.  I expected someone younger.  When his chosen name was announced, the tears came.  Francis . . . that is what we named our baby.  And so, I was instantly bonded with our new Holy Father.  As I began to learn about him and his simple way of life, I liked him even more.  There is something about someone who has money at his disposal, yet chooses to take public transportation and cook his own meals that is very likeable.  He now has the weight of the world's 1 billion Cahtolics on his shoulders and all of our messes; surely, a job no one would want!  We pray for him daily.  May God guide him and give him strength.

He was elected on March 13th.  Here are some pictures of Max - he was so happy with the news (b/c he surely knew what was going on.  Haha)

On Friday, we had our "Pope Party."  We planned to make foods native to Argentina and "Pope Hats" (or zucchettos).  The kids played, while the adults gabbed.  It was a fun evening!

The kids in their zucchettos 

(It only took about 10 takes and a bag of swedish fish to get them to cooperate

and this is the best we could do!  LOL)

 



I'm sure it must be hard for someone who isn't Catholic to understand the excitement we have when a new pope is elected.  A party for a new pope?  And from reading comments on-line, there is lots of misinformation out there.  We don't worhip the pope.  (We only worship God.)  We highly respect him, b/c we believe Jesus when he said "You are Peter and upon this rock, I will build my church."  Peter was our first pope and every pope since then has a direct lineage to Peter.  The deposits of faith (teachings of the Church) are preserved and passed down from pope to pope and he passes them on to the flock.  It's hard for most to understand, but it isn't the job of the pope to change those teachings based on societal norms of the time.  I mean, if you believe you got those teachings from our Lord, how can they be changed b/c society says they should be?  We also repect him, b/c he is our spiritual advisor, if you will - our "head" shepherd here on earth.  I've had 2 popes in my lifetime - John Paul II and Benedict XVI.  Both men were amazing shepherds.  I will always be bonded to Benedict, b/c he gave us our Papal blessing.  And then, there is JPII.  There are no words for this man and how wonderful he was.  From forgiving the man who tried to kill him to this great work to showing us how to suffer and die with dignity.  He said that St. Maximilian Kolbe was the greatest man of the 20th century.  I would say JPII was right up there with him! 

Vacation

Brook and I travelled to Florida at the end of January for a little vacation.  We needed to get away.  Haven't had a vacation - just the 2 of us - since 2009.  We used Orlando as our home base.  No Disney this time, although we did go to Downtown D!sney one evening for dinner.  It was unseasonably warm - mid 80s during the day - when we were there. SOOO wonderful!  I started getting excited for summer . . . then realized we had about 5 more months to wait.  ;-)  We took nice long walks each morning and did something different each day.  The first full day we were there, we went to this shrine, did some shopping at an outlet mall, laid by the pool, went to dinner at Joe's Cr@b and played at Dave & Bu$ter's in the evening. 

 

 

I had never eaten crab from the shell before.  I needed an adjustment from a chiropractor afterwards!  Haha!  Brook, on the other hand, was a pro!

 



 

The second day, we went over to Daytona Beach.  Brook stayed just north of there every year with his family while he was growing up.  It was fun to see where they used to camp and reminisce about playing on the beach for hours and eating pecan spins for breakfast.  Those are really great memories for him and I hope to do something just special and memorable with our family each year.  We walked on the beach, ate some good food and relaxed in the sun, soaking up some vitamin D. 

 

We splurged and rented a convertible.  YOLO, right?  Ha

 

 

The last full day, we went over to the gulf side.  We had dinner plans with my cousin, Phyllis; so, we decided to spend the day in Bradenton.  Again, more time in the sun and taking in the beautiful scenery.  We did a little shopping before dinner (outlet malls everywhere!) and then, met Phyllis and her fiance' Will.  We spent hours talking and catching up.  It was wonderful to meet Will and get to know him a little before their big day!  She asked if Max would be a ring bearer in their wedding.  It will be interesting to see if he can make it down the aisle! 

 

And then, it was time to come home.  It was the perfect amount of time for us.  Max stayed with my parents and Veronica and Brandon and did great!  And it was good for me to see that we could go away and Max would survive.  I am already planning our next trip.  ;-)

 

 

Rejuvinated

I just went back and was re-reading some of my old blog posts.  They made me chuckle - some at how my life has changed in 5 years (no more dollar beer nights at Griffin games!) and some at the pics of all the wonderful kiddos in my life.  I love this blog for the scrapbook it creates for us; yet, I have been really horrible at blogging lately.  I want to continue preserve memories and share stories/life happenings with friends and family near and far.  So, I am determined to do better in the future!!  Here's to a new start!

Big Shoes to Fill

One of his favorite things to do.  What a goofball!

Max at 19 Months

Well, I had originally started this at 18 months . . . I'm a little behind.  ;)  He is a solid boy!  Stats at his 18 month wellness visit:

Height:   33 1/2 inches  (82nd percentile)
Weight:  28lbs, 5oz  (90th percentile)

2T tops and 18 or 24 month bottoms. 

He loves to use eating utensils.  He was eating garlic bread the other night with a fork!  And he has to do everything himself.

A few days before Christmas, he got the flu - as in the respiratory flu.  Other than a lingering cough, he is fine now; but every time he gets sick, his taste buds seem to change.  This time, how he eats changed, too.  Instead of eating the entire grilled cheese, he leaves bits and pieces behind.  It's like this with almost everything.  Strange.  His food favorites right now seem to be (block) cheese and pretzels, muffins of any kind, sausage and various fruit.  He eats other things more as picking here and there.  Maybe eggs.  Maybe a carrot. The other night, he downed an enchilada like nobody's business, though.  Then, last night, he wouldn't touch the lasagna. 

He understands, "If you do X, you get Y" now.  Like, "One more bite and you can get down."  Or "If you want a snack, you have to pick up your toys."  It's a wonderful thing.

He loves anything to do with Dora or Diego.  Movies, TV shows, books, you name it.  He says, "Da Da Da" for Dora.

Speaking of speaking (haha), he FINALLY says, "Mommy!"  It's amazing, b/c it's clear as day, too.  Nothing better than hearing your child sqeal with delight "Mommy" when they see you.  He says, "Please, cheese, keys, potty, Brady, baby, grandpa and Grandma (in his own way), Jesus, change it (when handing us the remote - see below about who's in charge!)," as well as some others I'm sure I've forgotten.  He mimics lots of things we say.

The kid loves to dance. Anytime music comes on, especially his singing Elmo, he starts jumping around. When we were at my parents' recently, he pulled my dad off the couch to dance with him to a bear that sings "What Makes You Beaut!ful."  Watching my dad and Max jump around was quite funny!

I don't know if I've written about this in the past, but last April, I went part-time and work Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Brook still stays home with him on Tuesdays and, since September, he has gone to a friend of mine's on Thursdays.  It has worked out great!  She has a little girl who is the same age as Max and they get to learn how to share with each other.  :-) 

He continues to be strong-willed and we continue to teach him who's in charge.  ;-)  Somedays, it's a battle, but he's learning.  After going through everything we have over the last few months, I look at Max as my little miracle.  Being a parent stretches me more than anything else in life, but it's wonderful. 

Rejoice Always

I haven't been posting much, b/c shortly after my last post in October, I found out I was pregnant.  I actually found out October 25th, which is the same day I found out I was pregnant with Max!   We were so excited - another baby to love and a brother or sister for Max.  Around 6 weeks, I began getting nauseous, just like with Max.  Luckily, it wasn't quite as bad this time.  I was still able to somewhat function, which is highly necessary when having a rambunctious toddler!  :-)  At our 10.5 week pre-natal appt on December 14th, I expected to hear our new baby's heartbeat and post exciting news.  It just wasn't meant to be.  After not hearing the heartbeat with the Doppler, which is common at 10.5 weeks, I wanted an ultrasound.  I knew something was up.  We had easily heard Max's at 10.5 weeks.  Yes, this was a different pregnancy, but I didn't care.  As soon as the US started, I knew.  There was no heartbeat.  The tech told us our baby had died at 9.5 weeks.  She was so kind and even printed a picture for us to keep.  It's little things like that that mean so much.  I thought I was prepared for the news, but realized one can never prepare for such news.  It was heartbreaking. 

When I was pregnant with Max, I didn't want to get too attached "just in case."   I have a lot of regret because of that.  Before I got pregnant again, I told God if He let me get pregnant again, I would love the new baby with "reckless abandon."  (I remember specifically using those words.)  And I did.  I have absolutely no regrets.  It is very important for us to recognize this baby as a real person and not just a blob of cells.  He or she is just as much our child as Max is.  So,we named the baby Francis, after one of our favorite saints - St. Francis of Assisi, and take solace that we have a child in Heaven.  After all, isn't that our goal as Christian parents?  There is something so special about knowing we have a child waiting for us after we finish our earthly journey.  It makes Heaven so much more real.

Everyone handles miscarriage differently.  I haven't been shy in talking about it.  (Obviously, since I'm writing about it here.)  Sharing is helping me heal.  The love and support we have received from so many of our friends and family members has been overwhelming.  And it's almost as though I can feel their prayers.  The grace has been so tangible. 

So, here we are at the beginning of 2013 - How are we doing?  Well, the end of December really stunk for our family . . . miscarriage, respiratory flu, transmission going out in our vehicle, work stress.  It was a lot to handle all at once.  So, I was relieved to say good bye to 2012.  Our hearts still hurt for the loss of our baby, but I feel like the new year brought a clean slate and am trying to look forward to all the wonderful things this year will bring.  God has a plan and it's far better than anything I can imagine.  I HAVE to hold onto this.  Again, I know this strength and peace is coming from the multitude of prayers being offered up for us. 

Two of the scripture reading from Mass the Sunday after finding out we lost our baby . . . I almost lost it when they were read, but it's not a coincidence to me that they both talk about "rejoicing" and "being glad."  Even in our sorrow, we rejoice. 

"Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you
he has turned away your enemies;
the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
he will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals."
-Zep 3:14-18

"Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
-Phil 4:4-7