"When we have our new baby next year..."

Just returned from some fun over at Ruth's - breakfast, dressing my Rosie doll, holding Luke, and watching the kids play including Luke!  I cut Rose out of this picture as she was screaming for the sunglasses, but Luke seemed to once again enjoy the attention - even the negative attention.  There was lots of activity going on with Mary and David loading animals up in a caravan moved by a tractor with 3 wagons behind - Rose would watch them and get an animal, then she would walk over to dig in the lego box that Simon was building from, then she would go into the bedroom with the kitty they had let in the house and bring out a blanket for Luke and hand it to mommy, who was feeding Luke to put it over him.  She was just very much taking it all in and involved with all that was going on! 

Now with sunglasses and purring kitty on grandma's lap... she is happy and sitting still for a bit.

Her mom shared with me that the kids are already talking about the baby that they will have next year.  With Rose and Luke just 18 months apart - it seems like it is an annual occurrence.  "The other night they were praying for our family - for Dad, mom, Simon, Mary, David, Rose, Luke, and the new baby next year.  Paul and I just looked at each other."  Luke is such a wonderful baby and so naturally fits in with the family.  Rose has taken to him with lots of LOVE!  We were discussing that her Creighton Model Family planning kind of failed this time - but I told Ruth that it what I love about it - God is in control and he wanted this precious little boy to be here in this family on the Journey of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT! 

 I know - it doesn't get much cuter!

Jesus, it is so wonderful when our families can be happy and fun together.  When we welcome all the new members with great happiness and contentment.  When we open ourselves to all those to come in and enjoy a while... come and laugh and marvel at the gift of LIFE and how wonderful it is when shared within an active, loving family of YOURS!  Yes, there are the tears and the arguments, but those are times that we are called to embrace and ask forgiveness and move on.  How we long to bring YOU into our home/domestic Church, and in that way find a small slice of heaven here on earth.  Jesus, we trust in YOU.  Amen and Hallelujah

Bless-bless, Barb

The kitty was purring long and loud, and Rose seemed to enjoy listening plus feel his soft ears - the kitty seemed to equally like it!

"Of course, being part of a family comes with responsibility.  Just as parents encourage their children to look out for and take care of each other, so too are we to watch out for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  You have a responsibility to push ourselves and each other to new heights of holiness, to our final home in heaven."  Matthew Leonard

Speaking about being responsible in a family - Pat called the 3 oldest around him before we left and told them to mind what their mother says and help clean up the mess when they are done playing... they wanted to know if Rose should help too... here is grandpa's answer to that

I think that Rose has grandpa around her finger.  She wanted to come home with us and both she and grandpa begged and begged - I don't know who is younger?!?

Today I discovered another fellow convert to Catholicism - Matthew Leonard...

"This truth struck me deeply at the Easter Vigil in 1998 when I was received into the Catholic Church... I realized I had become a part of the family of God in a new and deeper way through the sacraments.  Suddenly, I didn't feel quite so alone.  This was the biggest family reunion I had ever attended."

Danielle Rose singing Give and Take - the first song we heard her sing at NCYC in 2001 - this year she shared that she had performed in front of 23,000 at NCYC 2013!