Undercover Brother -

Who do you think the joke was really on?

I love the violin - I hope that I would've at least stopped to enjoy the beauty of this soul-stirring concert!

h/t: Blair

Our Day in Pictures:

What Kayla did.....

What John Paul did...... [now that's what I'm talkin' about!]
What Joseph did......... [pretending to 'vacuum' with blocks]

What Hannah did..........

What I did....and a little of this..........

What Dani did............I also did a little of this............

and a little of this...........What Therese and Sophia did............
and we ended with this............

Note: if you don't have flour for pizza dough...don't try Kroger brand pancake mix, unless you like biscuit pizza. At least it was tasty and cheaper than 3 pizzas from Papa Johns!!

En Francais ~

This morning I was doing Sophia's hair. I put a French braid in it. Here is the little exchange between Sophia and Therese:

Sophia: [feeling the back of her head, speaking to me] Oh! You put a braid in my hair!

Me: Yes, it's a French braid.

Sophia: What's a French braid?

Therese: It makes you speak French!

Sophia: [saying in a "you're teasing" way] Therese.

Therese: See, you just spoke French! You said, "Therese"!

[Her name is the French pronunciation]

They are the Best!

I love my parents!

Aren't they just adorable?!

Again, this is one of my "cool" shots taken on Father's Day.

We are so very blessed to have them over for dinner every Sunday - okay, not *just* dinner :o) This is a gift my kids will always remember - the gift of knowing their grandparents. Really knowing them. Thank you God for this gift.

This is one of my favorites from the day!

No Way!

Well, it was bound to happen! I just can't believe it happened this soon!

I love you

and

Happy 40th birthday, Paul!!!

40? Really? 40? It's a good round number! I like it!

[and you're gonna do somethin' 'bout those sideburns?]

Wake me up before you GoGo....

Save the Males!!

Kathleen Parker, author of the book Save the Males was a guest on The World Over last Friday - although I saw it tonight. She was talking about her book and touching on some reasons why men and fatherhood are under attack in today's culture. She is right on! And she was very funny. Raymond said that it is a funny book. She said that the toughest chapter was the one on women in the military - especially since we're involved in a war. I really admire her courage and truth. I ordered my book and am anxiously awaiting it. I'll keep you posted!

Fun with Features

It's just amazing what you find out when you push different buttons on your digital camera and read some of the user's guide! I'm serious, y'all, I had no idea I had features such as B/W, sepia, panoramic shots, etc... This isn't even a new camera. We've had it for a couple years now. I've been so jealous of some bloggers beautiful shots that I've been complaining to my husband that it must be our camera! Or, I thought, I just didn't know how to use it.

Then yesterday I started "pushing buttons" and playing around with some features. That's when I took this shot. IT IS SO COOL. I was in bed reading through the user's guide and I actually hit Paul and said, "We have black and white on this thing. You never told me we had black and white!!!!!!!!" Claims he didn't know. I suppose I'll take his word :o)

So anyway here are some of the shots I took tonight after dinner. In case you're wondering....Kayla and Sophia were inside. Charlie and I were outside before the others. *And* there are probably more of Charlie because - well, honestly - the camera loves him!!! And so do I!

this is Paul after I *lovingly hit* him about the B/W finding! [he's gonna kill me for posting this!]

Well, Honey....does that make you miss 'em more? Or are you still figuring out a way to take the first picture off!?

From the Horse's Mouth ~

I received this in an email. It originates from LifeSiteNews.com:

Can Catholics Who Vote for Obama Still Receive Communion?
Editorial by John-Henry Westen

With an election in the United States looming, much is being made of the Catholic vote and what is moral for Catholics as they head to the voting booth. Pope Benedict XVI, just prior to his election to the pontificate, addressed the matter in a doctrinal note to the US Bishops Conference.

Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in his capacity as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, intervened in a debate among the US Bishops on the issue of denying communion to pro-abortion politicians in 2004. Simply put, Cardinal Ratzinger said in his letter, titled "Worthiness to receive Holy Communion", that obstinately pro-abortion Catholic politicians, after being duly instructed and warned, "must" be denied Communion.

That same document by the man who is now Pope, suggested in a nota bene at the conclusion of the document that Catholic citizens who vote for politicians who support abortion also make themselves unworthy to receive Communion. "A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate's permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia," he wrote.

The Cardinal added: "When a Catholic does not share a candidate's stand in favour of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.

"The key is that in order to vote for a pro-abortion politician and remain in good enough standing with Our Lord to be worthy to receive Him in Holy Communion, one must have "proportionate reasons". But what can be considered proportionate?

Could it be, as is often said, that because one candidate supports abortion and another, while being against abortion, supports a war effort or the death penalty, that that would be a "proportionate reason" to vote for the pro-abortion candidate over the anti-abortion one? Cardinal Ratzinger answers the question in his document.

"Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia," explained the document. "For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia."

One suggestion offered is that a Catholic may vote for a politician who supports abortion in very limited circumstances (for instance in cases of rape), if the only other viable candidate is one who supports abortion in most or all cases.

As Bishop Rene Henry Gracida, of Corpus Christi Texas, explained in September 2004: "Consider the case of a Catholic voter who must choose between three candidates: Kerry, who is completely for abortion on demand, Bush, who is in favor of very limited abortion, i.e., in favor of greatly restricting abortion and Peroutka, a candidate who is completely against abortion but who is universally recognized as being unelectable. The Catholic can vote for Peroutka, but that will probably only help ensure the election of Kerry. Therefore the Catholic voter has a proportionate reason to vote for Bush, since his vote might help to ensure the defeat of Kerry and might result in the saving of some innocent human lives."

Where does that logic come from? Pope John Paul II explained in his encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), when it is not possible to overturn or completely abrogate a pro-abortion law, an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and morality. This does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects."

Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput has proposed this definition of proportionate. "What is a 'proportionate' reason when it comes to the abortion issue?," he wrote in January 2008. "It's the kind of reason we will be able to explain, with a clean heart, to the victims of abortion when we meet them face to face in the next life - which we most certainly will. If we're confident that these victims will accept our motives as something more than an alibi, then we can proceed."

Precious ~

~ June 15, 2008 ~

Abundance of Thanks!

Taking some ideas from this creative lady, the kids each made an "I Love You Because..." card for the window-type frame for Paul's Father's Day gift. He absolutely loved it! They also got their dad a beta fish - which just happens to be the same colors as Paul's company's logo - for his new office in the basement. They gave him some good ideas for a name, but he came up with his own: "Invoice" -- :o)

Happy Father's Day!

A very happy Father's Day to the love of my life, Paul and my own father! May God bless you and your day!

St. Joseph - protect and guide all fathers as they stive to raise holy, faithful children.

Hot Spots and Thermometers

So, we took our 9yo golden, Hannah, to the vet yesterday because she had these yucky sores on the right side of her face. It started out - about 5/6 days ago - with one small abrasion that just got more infected [I sprayed some Bactine on it a few times ~ seemed caring :o)] Then yesterday morning I noticed that there was a second lesion. I knew that what I was - and wasn't - doing wasn't working!

I drove her, along with Kayla, Therese, Sophia and John Paul, to the vet's office. We got there around 1pm and the receptionist girl said they wouldn't have a doc in til 2pm - it was at this point when I thought: should've called to make an appointment! Let me add that this is the vet's office that we've been with for years....they are near our old neighborhood. So, anyway, we had an hour to kill.

"Well, there's a park near here that we could go to. The kids can play on the playground. It's ONLY 86degrees. Doable!" -- is what I was thinking as we started driving off. To go home would've been too far and time consuming...not to mention the gas!

So we got to the park. But dogs aren't allowed to be in the playground area. Understandable. Another one of my ideas: "Kayla, you can take Hannah around the track" -- I actually said this out loud!

So the three kids played on the playground and Kayla took off around the track....with Hannah....for whom going outside to go "potty" is her daily exercise! The track is 1/2 mile - Kayla came around the first time after approx. 35mins. Okay, I'm exaggerating - but it was A LONG TIME. When she came around I told her that they could just lay in the shade on the grass. "No, we're okay...." as she and Hannah proceeded to jog -- personally, I think she should've consulted with Hannah first, but whatever. [I might also add that Kayla's daily exercise is also going to the "potty" - although, not outside!]

The time was drawing near to head back to the vets. So, we did. Hannah panted the whole 1.5mi. to the office. Lovely breath.

We got to the office and Hannah got weighed and then we all went back to the examination room. That's where the "tech" guy did *his* thing. Keep in mind that Hannah is panting like the dickens the. entire. time.! "Let's get your temp, Hannah!!" he said with excitement. Hannah...not so excited - she doesn't think this is very polite. You should've seen the 3 little ones watching - yikes! [at least Hannah was sitting!] - I wanted to say, Happy Birthday John Paul!

The tech-guy goes over to the computer to enter the temperature as he says, "Has she been in the car or something? Cause her temp is 105! That is really high!!" --- "well, we just kind of ran her around a track for a mile in almost 90 weather," I said as I felt about this high and this bright!

Kayla and I were laughing to ourselves after he left the room. Kayla said that she was thinking that it probably wasn't the best time to be running Hannah....before her vet exam!!

He did tell us that the sores were called hot spots. Apparently they can start with some allergy or fleas or something. I'll stick with the "something". She doesn't have fleas and if she has allergies, she's never complained about them! LOL They shaved the infected side of her face and we got some spray to apply twice a day - which the vet said should take care of the hot spots. Cool. $100 for a shave and some Bactine!! LOL

Hannah's Good Side!

Therese was telling me something about her scabbed knee - how it was bothering her or something [ you know, I don't really listen to them, they're always rambling! LOL]. I told her that we could have them shave her leg and spray some stuff on it. She laughed one of those "stop it Mommy" laughs. Then I said: Do you want them to take your temperature!!!

Eh - they put up with me!

The Heart's Home -

Please pray for my sister Karen - as she is narrowing down her home as I type!
May St. Joseph be with you, guide you and speak to you!! [not like a one on one convo LOL!]

St. Therese...Pray for us
St. Joseph...Pray for us
St. Gabriel...Pray for us
and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel...Pray for us

Death of Tim Russert

Have mercy on his soul, Lord.

The Birthday Boy!

It's your birthday,

it's your birthday,

it's your birthday,

with a shout - hooray!

Happy Birthday, John Paul, Beautiful Love!

5!! What a cool age!

Right after this picture was taken, Charlie fell off the chair head first. John Paul felt awful, but all was fine! Good thing our kids have hard heads!

for your enjoyment......80's flashback with a twist

I'll need to redo this on the video camera. The digital camera automatically shut off in the middle of the show.

Feast of Saint Anthony ~

St. Anthony of Padua - Pray for Us!

He is typically depicted with a book and the Infant Child Jesus, to whom He miraculously appeared, and is commonly referred to today as the "finder of lost articles." Upon exhumation, some 336 years after his death, his body was found to be corrupted, yet his tongue was totally incorrupt, so perfect were the teachings that had been formed upon it.

My grandpa died 4.5yrs ago. His name is Anthony. So this is also in remembrance of him. John Paul - our first living son - was the last of our brood whom my grandpa met before he died. I always thought there was something special in that..... my grandpa LOVED children, esp the babies!

He and his wife - whom he married after my grandma died - were big in the pro-life movement. I believe he was even jailed once for his love of life in the womb. It brought such joy to his last days to meet John Paul who was only around 5mo old at the time - my granda died around 2 mo later. Plus the fact that John Paul's birthday is on St. Anthony's feast day - is a special *bonus* :o)

So, Grandpa, please pray for us all - as I pray for you. May the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Can You Relate?

Well, John Paul's birthday is in 5mins. - so I just went ahead and updated his age and Therese's [a little late on hers] on the blog. It just brought a tears to my eyes. They grow up so fast. We only have a few glimpses of years to form our children. And thank God, Thank God he has Blessed us with many souls. It is an honor. A complete honor.

God must have more confidence in me than I have in myself. Because it sure is hard. How do we really know if we're doing our best? Isn't there always room for improvement?

My prayer is that God give us the Matrimonial Graces to raise our children. So they will be prepared in this life to live and defend their greatest gift. Their Catholic Faith - the Blessed Sacrament.

A prayer in Mothers' Manual:

Mother most pure, from your very conception you were guarded from the least
stain of sin. Speak to your Divine Son with me now for the protection of my
children against dangers of soul. You know how greatly sin offends God and you
abhor it. You know, too, how horrible sin is because of all that your Divine Son
suffered on account of it. Ask Him now to defend my children from all dangers of
sin that threaten. Please ask Him to grant the protection of His grace, so that
grievous sin will not possess the soul of my children and prevent us from
sharing happiness together in Heaven!

Kayla's Art and My Ramblings

We got Kayla one of those drawing tablets for the computer this past Christmas. Here is a picture she's been working on for the last couple days. Strangely enough, she said, it turned out looking a lot like herself. I agree.

She's the artsie one in the family. She is so right-brained! Singer, actress, piano player, artist, writer -- she's an excellent writer. But more than her abilities in these areas, I love the way that people are drawn to her. They have always been drawn to her. Since she was just a little toddler. People have been captivated by her - personality and all.

I remember one time when we approached a visiting priest at the parish we were at - it was after Mass and he was giving families a blessing. When we went up - I want to say we *only* had 3 kids then - the priest blessed us and focused on Kayla. He said, "You're going to do something very special." He said something to the other kids as not to exclude them [probably to make Paul and I feel better :o)], but then went on about Kayla again...."but you...there's something very special about you. I can feel it." He said it with such certainty that it was a supernatural experience to me - it really touched me and I knew that God had a special plan for our oldest.

She's always been such a spiritual child. It's just something that she's always possessed. It's definitely nothing that I did. She's got such an amazing memory that I learn from her - especially when it comes to Church history, saints and such. But more than her knowledge is her love and patience. Even when she gets frustrated with her siblings, which is more times than not, her patience is amazing. I want to tap into her and syphon it out of her and into me. Just amazing patience.

I pray for my children all the time. But more prayers have been going out to my oldest dear recently, as she experiences life's firsts, and starts to spread her wings. Home is where the heart lies.

Alert: Water Babies

Health Advisory:
Read this article about giving babies too much water to drink.

A Catholic "Netflix" -

I just thought I'd throw this out there for those of you who may not know about this company, Faith and Family Flix. It works like Netflix or Blockbuster, but has wholesome family movies.

The Haunted Cathedral Trailer

The author is a homeschooling dad of 5 children and lives in my area. I just met him at our homeschool conference this past Saturday. I bought his first two books and have yet to delve into them. His third book is due to come out in July.

Twisted World

Let's take a looksie at CHANGE:

Thingamajiggy

When posting a new post what does the "quotation" mark thingamajiggy do?

How do you use the eraser and for what would you use it?

Milord, Milady -

Since John Paul and Therese's birthdays are only one week apart, we usually combine some festivities. Like last night...
We all went to Medieval Times. And we had a blast! They have castles in Buena Park, CA -Lyndhurst, NJ - Toronto, Canada - Kissimmee, FL - Myrtle Beach, SC - Schaumburg, IL, Baltimore, Dallas and here in ATL. It is extremely pricey. Luckily, for our family of 9, -- plus my sister, but minus Charlie -- they were running a special: one free child per paying adult. So that was helpful, to say the least!

Therese, since it was her birthday, was knighted - ahem ..... for a small price. She got her picture taken with the "king". She wasn't exactly thrilled with this experience. To put it mildly, she was scared to death. I walked up with her for support, but you can see from the photo that my presence didn't help much. At any rate, she got her photo along with a certificate giving her the title "Lady of the Realm".

You may be wondering if John Paul was knighted too. Well, if you remember this then you'll understand why he didn't! He's just not up for that sort of thing. :o)

You're crowned upon entering the castle - the crowns are different colors per party [more on that later] - and your party's picture is taken with the king and the princess. Once you enter the arena you're seated in the color coded seating which coincides with your crown - and this is the color knight you are cheering for. There are approximately 6 knights who compete in different competitions. And at the end there is jousting, sword fighting and finally, a winner!

Aunt Karen with the tired one!
Milady Sophia:

The kiddos got their picture with our Yellow Knight - who lost, by the way.