Best Birthday Present Ever

I have yet to go to the doctor's to confirm since I just found out last night, but according to First Response, we're pregnant!

Elizabeth's cake classes are going well. She has only had two classes and is progressing very well. And it looks like we've got another corned beef lover in the family. Caroline is playing w/ her new kitchen.

Conversation's With Beau

Beau has been learning a lot at school this week. With getting our first "brown" president of the United States and Martin Luther King, Jr day. He has been full of interesting comments. As the strange comment at the side of the screen shows. He really remembers everything that his teacher tells him. I had a little drink umbrella in the van and Beau wanted to use it in his drink "to celebrate Obama becoming president because he was born in Hawaii". He also was talking about the vice president. "Mom, did you know the vice president will become the president if someone sneaks up and shoots Obama." Yep, Beau I know and why do you know all these things.
Another thing he did was a worksheet for MLK, on it there was one question about whether MLK's dreams had come true. The next one was what Beau wished for his family in the future. Beau's answer was a trip to Canada (hmm, I didn't know that). The last question was what is his wish for the world. Beau's answer "to stop the war in Gaza". He wrote his "z" backwards but it was a good answer. He is always asking Ben questions when they talk about that war on the news it really bothers him because he doesn't understand it at all, does anybody really?
He is always thinking, he has been super creative this last week with both kin'x and bionicles, he is constantly doing, building, something.
Love to all,

Thank you one and all for my birthday greetings. Sarah asked what I wanted for my birthday, and I must admit that you all gave me the perfect gift. I got a call from each and everyone one of you and Bridget and Sean made me cry. Tears of joy, so they were good tears. Sarah also suggested I might want a job and I also mentioned a new house, not asking for too much do you think. Truthfully I am pretty at peace over our move. God is working at the details and will reveal them in His perfect time. It has been snowing here for 2 days and since your dad is sick, I have had a bit of time to do some reading ( I should be sewing, but that would make too much noise) anyway, Mary Rose has started a very thought provoking blog, and I also have been reading some of my Catholic publications of which I am sorry to say I do not read enough. St. Anthony press had a story about a couple whose son died at the age of 20. On the way to the hospital, not knowing what was wrong with him, they each had a vision of him accompanied by an angel and he said he was ok and at peace. The mom looked at the clock in the car and then told her husband what had happened. That is when he revealed he had had the same vision. Long story short, when they got to the hospital he was dead and had died exactly at the time as the mom saw on the car clock. This got me thinking - after I quit crying - about the many miracles I have experienced. God gave each of you as a very special gift to me and your dad and then HE made sure you were protected, because He has a special plan for each of you. Sarah fell down the basement steps and there is no way I should have been able to catch her, but I did. Sean swallowed a penny and I put my hand in his mouth and slid it up his throat. No way does my hand fit in a 8 month old babies mouth. I was told I would not be able to get pregnant at the time I conceived Bridget and she tried very hard to come early - thank goodness for the alcohol drip and the protection of her guardian angel. Then there is of course Ryan, who experimented with drugs and alcohol trying to fill the emptiness in his heart only to discover that he could fill it easily with God. Finally, you were all protected the day I fell asleep at the wheel of the van, only to wake up on a side road in Portage. It was Osterhouse and I have no idea how I got there. I was driving down Center and then woke up in the parked van on this side road. I thanked God instantly and continued on my way. No way did I tell anyone about this for a long time. I have seen Mary in the Body of Christ during one of my hours of Adoration and have spotted my own Guardian angel twice. Once standing at the side of my bed and once sitting in my parked van. Nothing special was going on either time, she was just doing her job. And I have been trying to do mine - to be a prayer warrier, to thank God for everything - good and bad - beacause we grow no matter the outcome, and to enjoy each and every gift God has given me. I thank God for the gifts of you children, your wonderful spouses and very special children, and of course for the love of your wonderful father. I have had a great birthday and everyday because you are all part of my life.

God Bless

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Mom,
I was going to send flowers, but then I found a great card that I made a while back, but you know me I never got it in the mail, so it may be a month or two or never late. I guess for now I'll just write you a birthday letter.
Mom, thanks for everything. There I'm done.
Really, you are always there, you always listen, you love and you care. There isn't any more I could ask of a mom and I would never choose any other mom in the world.

You have taught me what it means to die to self, and to do it over and over again. Thank you.

You have taught me how to be patient even when I'm tired or sick or grumpy or just plain fed up, over and over again you have taught me this. Thank you.

You have taught me that making mistakes is okay, it is learning from them that matters. Thank you.

You have taught me not always having the right answer or any answer is okay. Thank you.

You have taught me how to forgive, 70x7 times. Thank you.

You have taught me unconditional love. Thank you.

You have taught me grace. Thank you.

You have taught me surrender. Thank you.

You have taught me contentment in the here and now, not always but you try always. Thank you.

You have taught me how to be a mother. THANK YOU.

You have taught me how to be a sister. THANK YOU.

You have taught me how to be a daughter. THANK YOU.

You have taught me about God and His everlasting love, for this Thank you isn't big enough, the gratitude I have for you and Dad raising me with faith is unending.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Wish I was there to give you a hug, but my words are just going to have to span the distance.

I LOVE YOU!!!

Strange Quote of the Day

If you notice to the right or whereever I added a new caption. To change it just go to the customize, then layout then edit on the strange quote of the day box, delete what is there and add yours, or if it is still the same day just add it in. I know Liz has some for Caroline, like telling the old guy at the grocery store that she like broccoli for no apparent reason. If you don't have the required authorities to customize, let me know because I can fix that easily.
We're off to McDonalds for dinner, I know you are all jealous, the hockey program is having a fundraiser there tonight and Ben's grandma gave the kids gift cards for Christmas. So we are killing two birds with one stone. Mmmm can't wait.

So.....

...according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, Ryan and I are bound to have a boy if we conceive in the next 4 months. Go check it out; it's eerily accurate for my two girls!

Beau's First Book Report

Wagon Train Adventures
They traveled to California.
uncle charles died.
they had a little trouble.

HuH

Okay, seriously I named my kids four letter names, not difficult, so now Beau has shortened Anna's name to Ann, he call's her just Ann all the time while they are playing. The first few times she tried to correct him, but I sense she has given up. So it is Ann it is strange...will I even understand Beau?

Cry to Jesus

This morning I was listening to that song by Chris Rice and the line goes Cry to Jesus, Cry to Jesus, Cry to Jesus and live. Bella said, "See Daddy! It's okay to cry. I cry a lot and its okay." She does cry a lot but she is getting better especially now that we are in our school routine. Now when she cries I'm going to ask her if she is crying to Jesus.

Bella and Claire, Bama and PopPop

I wanted to thank Mom and Dad for such a great visit. Mom was able to cook with Bella and Claire. Bella wakes up and asks to watch the Food Network so it was a lot of fun for her to be able to make homemade mac n cheese, Coco Wheats, and especially the Christmas cookies. I love seeing the little ways that Bama and PopPop have influenced the girls. Claire was eating corn on the cob last night with handles screwed in the end. She held the handles and pretended she was rolling out dough and making cookies. I told Dad that one of Bella's favorite snacks is prentzels and cream cheese. She calls them prentzels just like i think Sarah did. At school they were having bagels and cream cheese and she said she did not want it. She got out her left over pretzels from lunch and said she wanted some cream cheese. The teacher told her she thought she didn't want any, but Bella said she only wanted the cream cheese to dip her prentzels. Silly Pop Pop is getting her started on weird snacks, but I love to see it.
Back to thanking Mom and Dad, it was great to get some things done around the house. The day after they got here, Dad helped me finish the swing set. He put up shelves in the garage and two closets the last two days he was here and fixed the kitchen sink. He also helped me put MR's elliptical together. Mom fixed Claire's blanket, made cookies, filled and sewed my bean bags, and had fun taking walks with the girls. I also have to thank Elizabeth and her mom for the bean bags. All in all, it was an excellent Christmas with Mom and Dad. I still really missed my siblings and hope that next year we can all have Christmas here. Bella just put my lion, Spike, on my chest. Remeber him?

I also wanted to share something that Bella has been saying since last year. We drive by the Superstition Mountains every day and she asked me a while back if I ever climbed them. I told her that Uncle Sean and I did climb them once. Well, last week she asked if I have ever been poked by a cactus. I told her that I only have ever stepped on one and it went through my shoe, but that Uncle Sean was coming down from our climb and he lost control of his momentum and almost impaled himself on a Sagauro cactus, but I caught him before he ran into the cactus. She said, "Ouch, that hurts my bottom!" That was a recent time when she said it, but she always says it when she sees someone bleeding or hurt or even pictures of the girls immediately after they were born. It is so funny the way she says it.

Question of the Day

We are driving home from school yesterday and Beau is talking a lot about kids at school and worrying about bullies on the bus (not that there is one, but what if there ever is one, and maybe he shouldn't ride the bus just in case-a movie he recently watched had a bully on the bus) and about friends on the playground.
It is silent for a few minutes (maybe seconds, but silence in the car is treasured so even small amounts seem large) and then he asks...
"Is it better to be dead?"
Huh, what, wait a minute, we were talking about normal random everyday things, where did this come from, how do I even begin to answer it.
My answer...
Well, it is good to go to heaven and if you are good on earth and love Jesus than that is where we will go when we die, but everyone here on earth will miss you.

Silence again...I'm really worried about what he might say next.
He says, "well you know when you get old you get all wrinkly and just don't look so good so maybe it is just better to die."
Huh, what, why are you thinking of these things, why does old people and how they look bother him so much and what do I say to that.
Anna interrupted with some random comment of her own and then we were at the mailbox and the gift cards from Uncle Fr. Richard came so conversation was over and averted.
I'm still not sure what to make of it...sometimes I think they think too much.
Love you all, Bridget

It is finally here. Epiphany and my letter.

OK, you guys, here it comes. No holds barred, in your face, Christmas letter stuff.

The only problem is I still don’t know what the heck to say, so you’ll have to wait a moment for the next sentence.










Hope that wasn’t too long. I think the reason I don’t have much to say is because things have been so stinkin’ good. Yeah, there have been some little things like a G&L here and there. Or trying to figure out what your Mom just said. Although after 34 years it is getting easier.

Oh, there was one little mishap last Christmas. I think we all know that Mary Rose was gracious enough to call me to work it out and she knows how thankful I am for that. And now that I think about it, it wasn’t such a little mishap. I did write a letter but it is still stuck away. It isn’t doing much good there but the phone call took care of things.

Once again this year the key work is “THANKFUL”. If I didn’t know God loves to hear it, I would be worried that he would be tired of hearing it.

My only wish for you all this year is that everyone grows closer to God and that everyone helps someone else grow closer to Him too. Someone in the family, someone outside of the family, it doesn’t matter. In a quiet way, in a direct way, it doesn’t matter. In a big way, in a little way, it doesn’t matter.

And the only thing I ask you for are your prayers. In particular for the move we have coming up. It will present us with a lot of little problems to deal with. I know we will manage but I feel for some reason that it will be one of our toughest hurdles in those 34 years.

I love all of my family .

Your wonderful, loving, bald, handsome, kind, gentle, and very humble, Dad.

Anna Missing Everyone

I miss you all, but I am glad school is starting.
I love you.
Anna

Today is the feast day of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American born saint. I liked the prayer that I found with this piece of information.

Lord God, You blessed Elizabeth Ann Seton with gifts of grace as a wife and mother, educator and foundress, so that she might spend her life in service to Your people. Through her example and prayers may we learn to express our love for You in love for one another. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son. Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever.

Amen

Going for #3...

Please pray for us! We hope to welcome Blaise Michael or Ava Grace into the brood this year.

The Story Behind the Bionicles

I wanted to get Beau typing and writing a little bit so I had him take pictures of his bionicles. Then we posted them on the blog so he could tell Uncle Sean and Uncle Ryan about them. I tried to encourage him to write more, but he thought his sentences were just fine and did not feel the need to further describe his pictures. He did a good job for his first try I think. He misspelled one word in the first one and I didn't fix it for him, but when he was spelling it again I did remind him of the drop the e rule when adding ing. Sorry, I just have a horrible time not fixing all his errors, I tried so hard and I didn't make him change the first one. Thus the reason I don't home school. We will try writing another blog by Beau again soon. Anna thinks she wants in on the action too, but is very unsure of the whole typing thing, so we shall see if she asks again.

Bionicle Stories by Beau

Levirvik and Lewa are battleing for power.


Carapar will crush you.

They are battling.

The toa nuvu have risen.

New Year's with the Boddies

We are getting old. Last night Aida and I mustered up every last bit of energy just to stay up with Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest to ring in the New Year. Richard and Ryan were out...long before the girls went to bed! We had a great New Year's with our Boddy Crew. Bella and Claire love them so much, and I still get a kick when they refer to any of them as "boddy". Bella is convinced that little Lukas is her brother....is she trying to hint at something??? Today, we had a Cornhole Tourney, and Aida and Ryan pretty much dominated all of us. I, of course, gave up my spot so I could catch the Rose Bowl game. Stephanie got pulled over on her way home cuz AZ passed a weird law about your license plate not being covered up. I think she flirted as she avoided getting the $150 ticket ;)! We just got home, and I'm still basking in the glory of the new shelves that Pop-Pop put up for us!! I LOVE THEM!

Wishing all of you a wonderful 2009. Rumor has it there are plans for Christmas in the desert? We hope that happens. In the meantime, please follow my other blog, onemotherssong; it is my mission for the New Year.
xo,
MR

Michigans New Years Eve

PopPop and Bama went to bed about 4 am, thank you Sean for the early morning airport pickup. We had unexpected company about 10:30, Bama was up in the shower but PopPop was sound asleep. Luckily Uncle Sean greated our guests, the O'Connors and we all had a nice visit. They left for a few hours, PopPop went back to bed and Bama paid bills. They returned for another quick visit, played a couple games and then got Carrie back to the Mother House before 5 o'clock. We had chicken lasgana for dinner and then celebrated Christmas with Caroline, Abiageal, Sean, Elizabeth, and Carol. We then went to the neighbors for a short visit to bring in the new year, made it home before midnight and then to bed. I have no idea what the New Year will bring, but a new house seems to be high on the list, hopefully a new job for Sean and Bama, and more time to visit with all my babies and grandbabies. Thanks for the great Holiday vacation to all of you. God has blessed us all and as our priest Fr. Mike challenged us at Mass today, share your blessings and put your trust in God. God Bless

Bama

What Did You Do?

Last night Ben and I stayed home with the kids, played some UNO, watched some TV, and really didn't ring in the New Year because we went to bed before midnight. The kids got to stay up until 10 and slept in until 8. Amazing!!!
We are looking forward to 2009 and all it holds.
Love to all,
Bridget

What did you all do?