Trying to heal my broken heart:

As I try to heal from our loss of Steven 

God continues to hold me in the palm of HIS hands...

He puts many cute faces in my path daily 

to remind me the importance of continue my work of being the best christian, 

wife, and mother I can be...

so I press on and wipe the tears from my eyes 

only to find a sweet child in front of me looking for the love of a mommy! 

Thank you Jesus for my husband, kids, 

and a huge community of people who pray 

and help us in many ways!

It was my son's fifth birthday 

and all my kids were home for a family dinner...

so of course we pulled out the camera 

to catch them all before some of them head off to college and life...

we had to catch my son in love after work...

but we still got him! 

Nothing like a Christmas picture 

when the kids are all tan!!!

MY GIRLS!!!

MY BOYS!!!

My son in love...surrounded by my beautiful daughters...

My oldest and her hubby!

Thank you Lord again for a great day...

a wonderful husband...and super kids...

please help me to continue to heal in soul 

and body help me grow closer to you each day 

and be a better wife and mother to my family!

Now if I could just get out of these maternity clothes!!!
THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Happy Feast of Epiphany/RIP daddy!!!

Happy Feast of Epiphany...do something fun today...Some coloring pages are here.

Ask the kings to bring you some gifts this New Year!

My New Year wishes:
1. For healing from my miscarriage
2. New baby
3. Self control: especially my mouth, keep quiet, be a better listener, and don't crush my kids with harsh words.



Also, 11 years ago my dear daddy went to be with the Lord. I remember it like it was yesterday. My sister and I were cuddling with him in his hospital bed saying the rosary and singing the divine mercy prayers. It was the closing of the Holy Doors by Pope John Paul II and the graces were pouring on my dad as well as me!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

MY FAVORITE THINGS:

YOU GOT TO CHECK OUT Karen on Itsy!!!

Love these shirts!!! I got my son in law a 1 and 1/2!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Shutterfly Christmas Cards:

The past couple of years we have used Shutterfly for Christmas cards and just recently for my daughters Wedding pictures and albums. They have been great and fast. I liked their books more than the ones I ordered from other companies. If you go here you will see Christmas Cards. We even have used them for calendars for the relatives. Last year our Shutterfly cards were our favorite and everyone loved them.

I feel like a kid in a candy shop just looking at all the possibilities for any family style or size. This year here are some of my favorites:

Isn't this so cute...you could really show off some cute pictures with this one!

I almost picked this...so fun!

Wow, this has great possibilities too!!!

This is classy and fun!!!

This is what we decided on:

Our Photo Gallery Christmas Card

Christmas cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Once you have an account, you can make photo calendars, photo books, and all sorts of cool gifts. We have had great success with giving calendars for gifts and I love having small photo books in my purse so I can brag about my kids.

I am grateful for Shutterfly who is giving 50 free cards to bloggers!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Check out our Christmas Card:

Our Photo Gallery Christmas Card

Design your Christmas cards at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Christmas Eve:

Lord, this is my last chance to prepare my heart for You

before we celebrate Your birthday tomorrow.

Help me keep my eyes on the true meaning of Your birth.

TODAY'S SCHEDULE:

8 MASS

9 Dad run

10 LAST DAY OF POSADAS

11 Decorate the tree!!! (our family tradition)

12 LUNCH WITH AUNT BETSY

2 GUESTS/GODPARENTS OVER

2-6 DAUGHTER WORKS

6 DINNER (seven seafood special- an Italian tradition) and

even thou we aren't Polish we put some hay under the tablecloth

7 ADVENT ANGEL KID SWAP

(my kids pick names late Nov and exchange gifts Christmas Eve)

8 Get Ready for bed

I was looking at past Christmas posts.

I loved this one.

Never too late for this link.

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Christmas Cards:

For those that know me...sending out Christmas photos are a must...I usually send out a photo with a piece of paper that has all of our yearly bio's in the shortest form possible.

I love getting everyone's Christmas picture and especially love the photo cards like the ones at Shutterfly.

We have a pantry full of cards we have received over the years. One of our kids and guests favorite things to do is to open up the pantry, pickup all the stuff that tumbled out, and bask at the photos.

Every year I dream of just ordering photo cards like these at shutterfly. These are some of my favorites:

Love the photo cards that you can fit so many pictures on...

Look at this classic photo, nothing beats black and white photo shots...


Do you think they could sit in for my family...look how sweet they look...

This is called, "Celebrate Family".

I just love the word CELEBRATE!!!

WISE MEN ROCK!!!

I love black and white backdrops

Finally....12 spots for my 12 kids!!!

Of course anything with a nativity...

the true reason for Christmas

is the all time favorite!

We have been very happy with Shutterfly in the past. Once you have an account, you can make photo calendars, photo books, and all sorts of cool gifts. We have had great success with giving calendars for gifts and I love having small photo books in my purse so I can brag about my kids.

I am grateful for Shutterfly who is giving 50 free cards to bloggers and my buddy Katie for posting about this deal!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

+MEDIEVAL TIMES JAN 10,2010+

A very generous friend from our church gave us 8 tickets to Medieval Times for Christmas. We had never been before and were unsure what to expect. It was a real enjoyable time. I would recommend it for families with elementary age kids. They suggest to go early, but I think it is just a ploy to get you to spend unnecessary money before the show. There really isn't a bad seat in the house so it doesn't really matter if you aren't first in line.

My eight and six year old had an amazing magical time

The older ones acted like they didn't...but, they did!!!

The food was great too!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

One of the BEST weekends ever!!!

For Christmas we wanted a gift that made a memory and not add to our very cluttered house. With seven winter birthday's gifts are a plenty. I laugh when I think back to a student at my old high school, who asked me when I went to talk at Career Day about being a "stay at home mom", if my kids got Christmas presents. HA!!! If they only knew...so this year my husband's brother and dad gave us a trip to Ocean City. We stayed at Fenwick Inn for a great $50 bucks a room. WE got three rooms for two nights.

It started out Friday morning when we went to 9am mass.

Then we picked up our oldest daughter and headed to Bethany Beach to pick out our beach house for the summer. We found one in about 2o min. and called to reserve our week.

We then headed to OC and played on the beach. It was so fun seeing the little guys run and jump in the sand. The teenagers lasted about 15min and decided to take the baby in the car.

2:00pm off to the hotel and to get settled. Then to the indoor pool and hot tub!!! Later get settled and dressed to go to Outback for dinner with the entire family!!! Thank God for gift cards. The kids are so excited to get to go to this "fancy" restaurant. All the kids order their food and the thirteen year old asks dad if she can get lobster tails and pay the difference:)

6:30pm back to hotel for a quick swim, charades, a visit from the generous uncle, and clone wars. Then to bed...what a great day!!!

Saturday morning:

The kids find the arcade in the hotel and the amazing vending machines...something they just dreamt about. Cereal in cups and back to the pool. We then meet the generous uncle, grandma, and the my husband's sister, husband, and four kids!!! (yeah, the cousins are here)

1pm Generous Uncle takes us to miniature golfing!!!


2:30pm Generous Uncle takes us to the Carousel Hotel for Ice skating. (most of my kids enjoy their first time ever ice skating!!!)


4:30pm back to hotel to get settled and wait for family friends.

6pm pizza party at Generous Uncle's friends deli. (he closed down to public just for us)

7:30pm to Generous Uncle's neighborhood club house for football playoff game party. (more food-ugh)

9:30pm back to hotel to try to get the little guys asleep. The bigger kids get to go to the pool with cousins and family friends.

10:30 Off to sleep, what a great day!!! To put it as my nephew said..."this is the best day of my life!"

Just when I thought this trip was too good to be true...2:30am my wonderful two year old wakes up and wouldn't go back to sleep till about 4:30.

8:30am wake up and Rob goes running. Then we all get up and clear out room to get ready to check out and get to 10am mass.

10am mass...just happen to bump into old friends at church who offer us their house for next winter Christmas trip...yeah!!!

11:15am brunch at the Clarion. Rainy day but our breakfast with reservations for 27 people with the view of the water and beach is wonderful. Such care from the waitress' is so terrific and kind.

1pm head home in the rain.

Thanks be to God for an amazing trip+

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

BABY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS:

MY FIRST THUMB SUCKER!!!???

THE LOVES OF MY LIFE!!!

MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM JESUS!!!

I got my Christmas wish...did you?

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

We Three Kings...

Love the Feast of Epiphany!!! We celebrate it with the Church on the closest Sunday and on the real feast Jan. 6th.

I will always remember the closing of the Holy Doors in 2001. That night my dear daddy went to be with the Lord. God rest his soul. Nine years, Dear Old Dad and boy do we miss you!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

CHRISTMAS GLUTTONY:

It is hard to be simple in our house this time of year. I try to hold back on the junk, but we have seven winter birthdays and I don't want the birthday kids to feel like they got jipped due to having a birthday near Christmas.

I just surveyed the loot to wrap for 12 kids to make sure all is even, and it sums up to a pile full of stuff...I even got sensible gifts this year...but, all in all, it is still more stuff!!! Then I head to check on the sleeping babes and kick the piles of junk off the floor. (where are we going to put the new junk?)

I head to bed only to read this meditation:

Live simply, so that others can simply live.

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

CREATING CHRISTMAS:

FOUND THESE SIX ARTICLES FROM FOCUS ON THE FAMILY. Thought they were good to share at this time+++

These are good also.

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Toy Review Tuesday...join in-Christmas ideas:

SNUGGIES

Since we need no more toys in this house and are starting our 7 winter birthdays...I always look for great ideas for Christmas and birthdays.

This idea has worked since our house is freezing!!!

Some kids just might be getting these for Christmas...(BJ's had them for $10)

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

HE REALLY DOES LOVE ME!!!

My son and his REALLY hot girlfriend:

My soon to be 16 year old really does love me...He won't shout it out on the roof tops, but thanks to Dad and his camera, here is a picture of me Christmas night sleeping in my sweet boys arms!!! A treasure I will keep forever!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Am I that mean?!?!

My kids got a Wii for Christmas from their uncle and grandparents...the best part of Christmas morning was watching them open it...and then all look at "the mean mom" to see if I was really going to let them keep it!!!

Look at those faces!!!

Come on...I am not that bad...and btw...it was pre approved, researched, and discussed for many hours!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+