Holiday Highlights

Well, hello! Yes, I'm still alive! I have a lot to share about the past few months. My last post was on November 15th, and now it's almost February!! That is cra-zy!

So welcome to my holiday catch-up post. I just went through all the pictures we took recently and it's going to be hard to not over-share! I'll try to keep it brief...

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We celebrated Andrew's 26th birthday:
We had a party with my parents and even busted out some huckleberry pie! I got him some nice gifts, but it's hard to compare with what I did for him last year - not sure how I will ever compete with that!

Thanksgiving:
We kept with our usual tradition of going to Bellingham. We had a lovely time with Andrew's family and even celebrated Mom's birthday while we were up there!

Bellingham Tree Cutting:
This is one of my treasured traditions. I have helped Andrew's parents select, cut, and decorate their Christmas tree every single year that we've known each other. Now it is a joy to see John and Peter helping with the decorating!

Funeral for Andrew's Uncle John:
Uncle John was Andrew's godfather and one of the men we named our John after. He passed away in mid-December and we decided to pack the car and head over the mountains to Kennewick for the funeral. It was so nice seeing a lot of extended family members and, most of all, celebrating the life of a great man! Andrew had the honor and privilege of being a pallbearer at the burial. Rest in peace, Uncle John!

My birthday/tree decorating:
I had a lovely birthday this year! Andrew took the boys out in the morning and I invited some of my friends over for a spa day. We all did pedicures and ate yummy food. It was a lot of fun! Then in the evening we had a family party and decorated our tree.

See if you can guess how old I am...

First tree in our new home!

Christmas:
We went to mass on Christmas Eve. Then my parents took the boys out to look at Christmas lights while Andrew and I went out to dinner. We tucked the boys in bed and finished setting up for Christmas morning. We had a cozy morning together in our jammies. Then we got ready and continued the celebration at my parents' home with Great-Grandpa and Uncle Aaron.

Family party at our house:
Around New Years, we hosted a "St.Hilaire" party. This was our biggest sit-down dinner so far in our new home. It worked out well and I'm glad the dining room is connected to the living room - so we can   use that space too if needed. We can't wait to host more parties!!

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Now that I'm caught up with the past, I'll soon be writing about what we are up to now! ;)

God Bless!

On Heaven... with a 3 year-old

This is a conversation that took place a couple weeks ago:

We were just about to sit down to breakfast when John got a really sad look on his face and, out of no where, managed to mumble, "I don't want to die!" We didn't quite hear him right: "You don't want to what??"

"I don't want to die!" He repeated. He had a look of sadness and terror in his eyes.

My heart went out to him! We sat at the table and started to eat while Andrew and I talked it over with him. We told him that everyone dies at sometime but if he is a really good person and loves Jesus, then he will go to heaven when he dies.

He told us he didn't want to be a good person - I think he was thinking that if he was a bad person then he wouldn't have to die. We explained that even bad people die, but if he is a good person then he will have eternal happiness with Jesus.

I could tell this gave him some consolation, but he was still concerned. "You need to have another boy, Mama," he told me.

"What, why?" I was confused.

"And name him John, OK?"

*Melting heart* I ran to him and sat him on my lap. "Awe honey! When you go to heaven, we will all be there together! We won't need another John because YOU are our John and we will be together with Jesus! And heaven is going to be such a happy place!"

I was surprised how long the conversation went on. We talked about a lot of different aspects of death and I don't remember all the details. But I do remember that we were talking about being buried when we die and that Jesus will raise us up. John told us that he wanted to put a door on his grave so that Jesus could open it. =)

I'm continually amazed that John already seems to understand that this life is not our destination...

Unworthy

John has been a real stinker the past few days. Refusing to clean up his toys, hitting, yelling, back talking, chewing with his mouth open, whining... It's been rough for me as a parent. 


At the same time, I've been preparing myself to celebrate Easter by stocking up on goodies for John's Easter basket. I've had the thought a few times lately: Why does John have to be so naughty? I don't really want to give him an Easter basket because he doesn't deserve one!


Last night, while praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet with Andrew, I remembered that Jesus died and rose from the dead for us - even though we are naughty all the time and are totally undeserving! 

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

John will definitely be getting his Easter basket.

Fr. Bryan Ochs!

Last Saturday we were able to witness Bryan Ochs' ordination to the priesthood. He is a good friend from the Newman Center at WWU. The ordination Mass was beautiful and we are filled with joy for Fr. Ochs!

 Praise God!

Easter!

Our busy Holy Saturday was followed by an even busier Easter Sunday! We got all spruced up for the 7:30am Mass. It was a wonderful celebration of Christ's Resurrection and Father Lappe's Homily was great!

We came home and told John that there was something special hidden for him. He found his Easter basket in the net of his new basketball hoop! He was very excited about it, even though he is not smiling in the pictures...

We changed clothes and loaded up my parents' car. Then we drove to Edmonds for our annual Launceford family brunch at the Pancake Haus (a tradition that has going for over 15 years!). We forgot John's bib at home, so it was a challenge keeping him clean while eating pancakes smothered in strawberries and whipped cream! Then we all headed to my Aunt and Uncle's house for more visiting and an egg hunt for John. The big kids hid the eggs for him and we all enjoyed watching John's innocent pleasure and excitement in finding the eggs.

After that we headed up to my other Aunt and Uncle's house in Mukilteo (on my dad's side of the family). John fell asleep right as we got there, so we left him in the car to finish his nap (that we were worried would never happen!). We had a nice visit with them and John woke up eventually and got to play with his 2nd cousin, Alice.

The next stop was at my brother's house in Seattle for dinner. On our way down I-5, a couple miles before our exit, I looked over to the car next to us and thought the driver looked familiar. He was looking at me too and I quickly realized that he was Father Qui-Thac - the priest who celebrated our wedding! Andrew called him and invited him to join us for dinner. He was on his way to Lacey for a retreat and accepted our offer! =) So we had a great dinner with our family, Fr. Qui-Thac, and our friend Andrew, who lives with my brother. We are still so amazed that we noticed Father on the freeway, and just in time to invite him for dinner! It was Divinely arranged! And thank you to Aaron for cooking a great meal!

We had such a great visit over dinner that we lost track of time and didn't leave until 9:30pm - which means John had another late night. But other than that, I thought our Easter was perfect!

Truest Demonstration of Faith

 Thy Will Be Done

There was an article that I read a couple of days ago in a newsletter that Samaritan Ministries (our health care) puts out every month. The story is about a man and his family who are part of our health sharing ministry. It was so moving that I had to share it with you! I cried a lot when I read it and John was so confused. I tried to explain to him that the words were sad, but he didn't get it. He kept wiping my tears.

Here is the beginning of the story, I really recommend reading the whole thing:

As I ran up to him, the first thing I noticed was the Bible. It was small, a pocket-sized book, in black leather. It had apparently been knocked out of his clothing when the car hit him, and had landed beside him in the snow, down off the shoulder of the road.

That was yesterday, a few minutes after 7 in the morning. It was frigid and there was accumulation and black ice and two cars had slid off the busy Interstate. He had stopped and gotten out to help. He had been on the way to work, with his son, and he saw the motorists who needed help and he stopped. Countless others of us drove on by. But he stopped... (Read the rest here)

 What really struck me was the description of the wife's prayer for her husband:

Then she knelt and began to pray.

She may have held his hand, she may have leaned in toward his head. As she spoke, I cast my eyes down and reverently listened. She addressed God. Whether she called him “Dear Lord” or “Heavenly Father” or something else, I can’t recall. But she addressed him, and then she thanked him. And she offered him praise. Her words were not words of pleading, they were words of praise and gratitude. And then she said something like, “If today you wish to call him home and take him from us – thy will be done.”

Thy will be done.

The line from the Lord’s Prayer. The hardest part of faith. At a moment when most of us would be begging God to give us what we want – to spare us our loved one – she asked the Lord to do his will, what he wanted. She trusted him, and had faith in him.

Where could there be a truer test or demonstration of faith than in the snow beside the broken and near lifeless body of your sweetheart and spouse? In that situation, there can be no pretense, no show, only the heartfelt honesty of a soul in direct communion with its Creator.

And in her moment of test, in her own Gethsemane, she literally prayed, like her Savior before her, not my will, but thine, be done.

But if it was not his time to die, if the Lord did not want to call him home, she asked for his life, for her and their children, and strength through the weeks of hospitalization and recovery.

After I read that part, I felt silly for crying. Here I am - a stranger - and I was crying as if this were my own husband. While she had the strength and conviction to ask for God's will to be done and that this whole situation add to the glory of God. I really hope and pray that God will give me the grace to act the same way when I face trials in my own life. This made me realize how much I have to learn about real sacrificial love.

When I read this portion of the story to Andrew he commented on how she was acting like Mary, our Blessed Mother, did during Christ's passion and death. Surely it was very heart-wrenching to watch her Son suffer so, but she knew it was for the glory of God and she desired to be submissive to His will.

This wife and mother is such a great example for me and I will always remember her story. If you didn't have a chance to read the whole story, her husband did die - and now she is a widow with eight children to care for. May Our Lord give her the strength and joy she needs to persevere in this life and be reunited with her beloved in Heaven.

Christmas 2010

Christmas morning was pretty magical. It was neat seeing John's excitement, though he definitely was not expecting all the gifts and treats. We got up early and went to the 8:15am Mass. We had to wake John up because he usually sleeps in until 9am (I know, I am one lucky mama!). The first video below is of John after we got him dressed for Mass. He wasn't sure what to make of all the presents under the tree.

After Mass we opened our gifts to each other and then went upstairs to be with my parents, brother, and grandpa. One of the best moments of the day was when we walked into my parent's house. Andrew and I were greeting my brother and mom, but John ran past us. He made a mad dash for the tree and fell half way there, only to quickly rise to his feet to continue his sprint. We thought he was just excited to see more presents, but he had his eye on a gift that was not wrapped. My parents got him a Strider bike! He grabbed the bike and swung his leg over the seat - as if he's known how to ride a bike his whole life. It was the cutest thing! His raw joy and excitement was contagious to all of us.

We all opened gifts to each other, ate yummy food, and played games together. Christmas was very special this year because we had an honored guest with us - my grandpa. He lives in Oregon, so I do not get to see him much. It was quite a treat to celebrate with him. He is known for his ability to recite long poems from memory, so listening to his recitations added to the perfection of our Christmas day this year.  

 

 

 

Video of John's Baptism Party

Happy Baptism Day, John!

On Monday, July 26th, we celebrated the day John was baptized! We had a small party, which included eating barbecued burgers, lighting John's baptismal candle and (of course) eating cake! It was a special day. I hope to make it a tradition in our family to celebrate the days of our baptisms.

John, may the Lord bless you abundantly during this next year of your life 

and may you grow closer to Him each day! We love you!

The cake

Singing - ♫ ♪ Happy baptismal day to you...♪ ♫

He sure enjoyed himself!

e5 Men

I'm blogging for the parish today:

I went to college at Western Washington University from 2003-2005. I followed my older brother there and from him I learned about the "Shalom Center" - which is now called the Newman Center - it was the Catholic Campus Ministry for the university. It was a vibrant community of young Catholics who were passionate about their rich faith.

During my first year, I went with a group of Catholics to see Fr. Corapi in Vancouver. Ironically enough, we happened to stay the night in the youth center of Fr. Lappe's old parish in Camas. On this weekend I learned a lot. Fr. Corapi was amazing - but what resonated with me the most was getting to know the fellow Catholics I traveled with - particularly the men. On the first night, before we went to bed, the men decided they wanted to pray for all the women in our group. So they formed a circle and faced outward, while the women made a larger circle around them and faced inward. The women rotated around and each man prayed for us individually. Each man poured out his heart in whispered prayers for our purity and our holiness.

Read more...

Toddler Mass Kit

I'm blogging over at our Parish today:

My son just turned one in May. He has been pretty good in Mass, but since he learned to crawl and now walk, my husband and I have had to spend a lot of time with him in the vestibule. Sometimes we wonder if we should even sit down in a pew at the beginning of Mass!

One of the gifts we gave him for his birthday was a bag for Mass. I found the items at various Catholic stores over the last few months. I wanted to make it really special and personalized, so I bought a denim bag at JoAnne Fabrics, and used this method to paint a Marian cross on it. I also embroydered his name on the front of the bag.

Read More...

Egg Wars 2010 - And the winner is..."

Today was the last day of Egg Wars.

In honor of it being the last competition, we took a video.

"Jesus" vs. "Grandma St.O"

Poor "Jesus." It's important to note the quotations around Jesus' name - because we all know that Jesus (with no quotations) is a huge winner because He conquered all sin! In light of this game, I am sure He is a Good Sport! =)

So we present to you - the winner of Egg Wars 2010... "Grandma St.O"

Good game, everyone!

He Has Risen!

"And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Behold, I have told you. '"
~ Matthew 28: 2-7

He has risen! Alleluia!

Happy Easter to you all!

7 Quick Takes ~ Vol. 16

Hosted at Conversion Diary

1. Night weening (This may be a "long" quick take): I haven't slept through the night for over ten months now... John still wakes up two, sometimes three or four, times each night to nurse. Each nursing session wouldn't really end. John would just fall asleep while suckling for who knows how long (I would fall asleep too). Needless to say, John has still been sleeping in our bed during the night. As of late, it has been getting a little crowded in our bed and John is becoming a wiggler. So Andrew and I decided it was time for John to be weened to his own bed to stop all this night nursing. We have a twin mattress on the floor next to my side of the bed and that's where John has been taking his naps. Now our goal is to have him spend his nights there as well! Boy has it been a long week! I think we just completed night #4 of the weening process (it's all a hazy, sleepy blur...). Two nights ago, I got close to no sleep. Even when John was asleep, I was up worrying about him (hey, give me a break, I have been sleeping right next to him his whole life!) or thinking about silly random things.

On to the good news: Last night John went to bed at 8pm and he did not nurse until 6am. That's ten hours!!! This is a huge FIRST for him! He did wake up for his regular nursing times but he is learning to go back to sleep with just some snuggles from Mommy. He still wasn't in his bed the whole night, but I see this as a step in the right direction! I am determined, no matter how much sleep I lose, that John will be in his own bed, and he won't need to be pacifying himself on me the whole night.

2. Fun with a box: Yesterday, my mom came in to watch John while I did some clean up around the house (Thank you, Mom!!) We received some hand-me-downs in this diaper box - which turned in the perfect car for John! He and Grandma had fun driving it all around the house:



3. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! Andrew's dad's birthday is today (and it is the feast day of his namesake - St. Joseph)! My New Years resolution was to send birthday cards to our close family members, but I have already failed on a couple. We missed sending out Jenna's card in January (sorry!), and now I have no time left to send Dad's card; though, I have been thinking about it all week (see #1 as my excuse for being absent minded!).

Dad, we love you and we hope you have a wonderful day! I will be praying for you this weekend (see # 7) and we can't wait to see you next weekend!

4. Fun with friends: John and I have been going on play dates with a mommy/son pair, Emily and James. John and James are only three months apart (James is older), so it is pretty fun to get the boys together. We are planning on going to the city pool every other week and the library on the alternate weeks. It's been great getting out and doing fun stuff with John and our friends! Last week we went to the pool. James had a blast - he was splashing all over the place! John had his legs wrapped around me like a koala bear and was shivering the whole time... maybe I shouldn't make his nighttime bath so jacuzzi-like!

5. Soup supper and conversion story: John and I helped host the soup supper at our church on Wednesday night. While we were there a couple from our parish gave their "witness talk" (testimony) to everyone there, as part of the Catholics Come Home campaign. They are both recent converts to the Catholic faith from Protestantism. The wife spoke about how they embraced the Church's teaching against contraception. She said that she was impressed to learn that before the 1930s, all Christian churches were against the use of contraception and that the Catholic Church is the sole remaining Church who has stayed firm in this teaching. At the time of their conversion, they already had four children and she felt like she couldn't handle any more. She prayed to Our Lord, telling Him that she couldn't handle more children - emotionally and physically. She felt God answer her prayer by saying "I know, but I can." She cried... I cried. It was beautiful! How true it is that in our humanity we can feel so overwhelmed and burdened, but if we place all our hope and trust in God, He will help us through any challenge we may face. Today, they have been blessed with six children and they are open to God's will in planning their family.

6. Pizza cutter (multi-use): Our pizza cutter has become my new best friend. When cutting up bite sized finger foods for John, using the pizza cutter is so quick and effortless! Right now he enjoys eating pieces of cheese, bread, carrots, and pancakes. I love not having to spend money on those expensive, made-for-baby finger foods!

7. Silent retreat: Today at 1:30pm, John and I will be heading down to Beaverton, OR for a silent retreat. It will be at Our Lady of Peace retreat center. I have been there several times and I am really looking forward to a weekend of contemplation. The last time we went, John was only about an inch big and he was nestled inside me, so he may be more of a distraction this time. Let's be honest... I'll be lucky if I get any contemplation or silence in this weekend!! But I am sure God will bless me for my effort to have some exclusive time with Him.

Catching up: Christmas Day - Happy Birthday, Jesus!

On Christmas day we got up early for the 8:15 Mass with my parents. John wore a suit that Uncle Lou and Aunt Jenna gave to him at his baby shower. The size is for a one-year-old, but it almost fits him now - so we couldn't resist! Then we came home and opened a few presents in our apartment.

Our first annual Christmas morning photo!

Oh goody- ribbons and paper!!

Then we went upstairs to join my parents and brother for some sausage souffle and presents.

John opening a gift from Uncle Aaron

And another gift from Uncle Aaron

One of his favorite gifts was the box that his new car seat came in!
Thanks Uncle Aaron - you're the best!


But the best present of all is having a wonderful daddy! "I love you Dad!"

~~~

The day after Christmas, we went to a party at my Uncle John and Aunt Karen's house. We got to see most of my family from my mom's side. All my cousins are growing up so fast! For some, this was the first time they met little Johnny! We all had a good time!

John with Great-Grandma!

John with Great-Aunt Leslie and Great-Grandma

And because Epiphany isn't until tomorrow,
I am still allowed to wish you all a Merry Christmas!