GO AIR FORCE!

Beat the Bears!

For My Brother...

...who is on his way "over there."

From our house to yours...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Definitely Traditional

You Are a Traditional Christmas Tree

For a good Christmas, you don't have to re-invent the wheel. You already have traditions, foods, and special things you bring out every year.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

Baby Got Back

Yes, this is a picture of my baby's rear end. That is not the point of the picture, though. The point is what she is doing in the picture. You see, she started crawling last month and since then her learning curve has skyrocketed. For those of you who have not been in my living room (oh wait, that's probably ALL of you reading this) this is a picture of our end table next to our couch. Underneath the table is a shelf that I would guess is about 3 inches off of the floor. Normally, until the in-laws arrived a couple of weeks ago, this shelf is stacked with old newspapers. I'm thinking I should have left them now. Today, when I looked up long enough from my mail, I wondered where Alexis had gone. Sure enough, she had crawled UP onto the shelf of the table and was heading for the wires "hidden" behind it. (This girl can smell a wire/cable in a 5 mile radius.) I was so shocked that I grabbed her out of there as quickly as I could. But the second time, I managed to get the camera and take a picture to send to my husband at work. (He informs me it is now the wallpaper on his computer.) Back in the living room and reading my mail again, I look up to see Alexis has crawled over to the stairs, not unusual as she likes to use the bottom stair to pull herself up to her knees. I look up from my mail again to see that she has now stood up using the bottom stair. This is a first on the stairs, but she has been pulling herself up for a few days. I smile and go back to my mail. I look up again to make sure I don't need to go rescue her from falling back on her bum, and what do I find? My darling daughter has CLIMBED TO THE NEXT STEP!!! ALL BY HERSELF!!! In complete disbelief, I run over to grab her before she falls off, so of course no picture. I pick up the phone to call my husband. He's out getting lunch. So I call my parents because I just have to share the news with someone and Isabel just doesn't understand why Mommy is so excited. I told my parents, I told my husband, and now I'm telling you. Who put my baby on hyperspeed? Needless to say, the gates are going back up TONIGHT!

Just Suggestions

Ingredients called for in recipes are just suggestions, right? I mean, who really puts tuna in a tuna casserole anyway?

I'm back...

and I've been tagged! Thanks Kristina!

Seven Facts You Don't Already Know about Me

Directions:
*Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
*Share 7 facts about yourself that you think most people don't know.
*Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
*Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


1. Purple is my favorite color!
2. I am horribly afraid of snakes. I'm serious. As in if you play a practical joke on me with said creature, I will probably punch you. That is, after I recover from fainting.
3. I have jumped out of an airplane...by myself...5 times. I highly recommend it.
4. I'm a crier. And I hate it, most of the time. I think most people, those who don't REALLY know me, think I'm on the tougher side. WRONG!
5. Unlike Kristina, I hate math. That's kind of ironic since one of the assignments I used to have that I probably was most recognized for, was about 90% math.
6. Despite what most people would say is a nice list of accomplishments, I'm not so sure of myself and what I have to offer. What can I say...I'm a work in progress.
7. I love to send greeting cards...for birthdays, anniversaries, etc...except I feel bad when I don't have anything extremely touching to say in them. I usually just sign our names and pray the receiver understands how much we care without the "right" words.

OK. Mission accomplished. So now I tag...
Building the Ark, Kate Wicker, Margaret Mary Myers, Minnesota Mom, Praying for Grace, SFO Mom, and The Willcox Family.

Have fun!

Before Becoming a Mommy...

...I did not realize that necessary bathtime equipment included wetsuits and back braces.

Why I'm Freaking Out

So yesterday's Reality Check was actually more of a pitiful attempt at asking for help/advice...You see, this weekend, Tom and I are leaving our children for A WHOLE WEEK! We are going to (of all places) Disney World for my mother's 50th birthday celebration. Fortunately, my in-laws are flying out to take care of the girls. My worries aren't because my in-laws are bad people, they are just Not the Mama (I love this post by Michelle). And it's not that I'm terribly worried about what they are going to do with the girls, (but let's be honest, I am) I'm just worried in general. Isabel has been away from me for multiple days before, once with each set of grandparents, but Tom was always close by (she traveled with him to a couple of classes). This time we will both be far, far away. Alexis has never been away from me for more than maybe 5 hours in her short life.

The biggest issue, by far, is how well is Alexis going to eat. I had been trying to freeze enough milk to make it through our trip, but due to some traveling and growth spurts, I'm going to fall just short. We bought some formula to cover the shortage, and she has taken 3 bottles well to make sure she's not allergic or anything. So now we just hope she does well taking a bottle (milk or formula) for every feeding. I also feel bad because she's in a phase of getting up more often than I would like at night. It's one thing for the Mama to have to get up at all kinds of crazy hours, but I feel bad about Tom's parents having to get up with her. I'm not too terribly worried about Isabel, as long as they keep her somewhat on schedule for naps and bed. She's pretty easy. And I also worry about the grandparents trying to do this all as visitors. They've only been here a handful of times.

So I guess what I am so pitifully trying to do, is ask for your advice on

a) handling my worries
b) best preparing the grandparents to make it as easy for them as possible. Any tips?

I'm not dumb. I know that Tom and I getting away is a good thing.

I know that his parents have taken care of kids before.

I know that Alexis will eat when she gets hungry.

I know that not everything, if anything, will be done "my way."

I know that God will take care of everything.

But sometimes my heart and my brain don't communicate so well. I am human after all. And more importantly, I'm a mom. And I will ALWAYS worry about my kids.

Reality Check Monday

How did you handle (mentally, emotionally) the first time you left your kids with someone else (read in-laws) while you went out of town?

Rated PG-13

I got an email from my husband while he was at work the other day. The title said "NOT for Isabel's eyes" so I'm thinking it has something to do with Christmas presents...Silly me. Why would I think that? That would mean my husband was thinking about something more than 5 minutes ahead of time. No, this is what he was talking about...
This cartoon actually says a lot about my husband's sense of humor. Hopefully, there won't be a reenactment at my house on Thursday!

Not THAT Kind of Yankee...

I was over at Building the Ark and came across this quiz . I took it twice, because there were a couple of questions I could have answered different ways. The first time I got 50%, Barely a Yankee and the second time I got 48%, Barely a Yankee, so it seems the changes didn't really matter. Go ahead and find out if you are a Dixie or a Yankee. GO SOX! (just emphasizing again, not THAT kind of Yankee).

Reality Check Monday

How do you get a decent workout with a 2 year old and a 7 month old in the winter?

I Think my Husband Was Involved

My husband is a HUGE martial arts fan. And every time we are in Waco, TX, he points out the Texas Ranger Museum. So obviously, he's into Chuck Norris. And he's been hearing me talk about Mike Huckabee a lot lately. And then I come across this political ad...My husband has to be involved somehow.

Jean over at Catholic Fire pretty much took the words right out of my mouth.

Before becoming a mommy...

...I never appreciated what a shower can do for your insides.

Catholic Carnival 145

Check out this week's Catholic Carnival at Adam's Ale.

And it begins

Last night there were a couple of firsts in our house. Alexis had her first "real" food. Of course as soon as I sat down and lifted that first spoonful, it all came rushing back to me. The sticky, runny rice cereal, the jars of gross smelling baby food, the mess...And what else should follow this lovely first than Alexis' first bath in the big girl tub? It was also the girls' first bath together. They had a blast splashing each other, although Tom was not as excited about the splashing. I got a really cute video, but needless to say, I won't be posting it on the web. I did send it to the grandparents and godparents though, and it will probably show up again in about twenty years when the suitors come around. Did I say twenty? I meant forty. And then just a few minutes ago, my darling husband lowered the crib mattress because my baby can now pull herself up on the side. It's all going so fast. (Yes, I'm getting a little sentimental here.) What's a mom to do?

Luckily...

...you don't have to stand next to a building to pray for the people inside of it.

Update: I just read this over at The Lady in the Pew and thought I would add the link to this post.

Still time...

I just read this at Catholic Mom and I had to post it since technically there's still 45 minutes left of this Veteran's Day Weekend (although, shouldn't every day be Veteran's Day?). Please pray for our veterans, those who have served, are serving, and those that have given the ultimate sacrifice.

Amen

So I know there are a lot of links below. These have been accumulating since I went to Colorado and are stories/posts that struck a chord with me (even if I can't remember what all of them are right now without rereading them). I really should write a little blurb letting you know about each one and possibly categorize them, but I probably shouldn't take the time for that right now. I'll just do a better job next week. Maybe this will give you some insight into what my brain waves look like, CRAZY and all over the place! Enjoy!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Holiday
What Would Richard Simmons Do?
A Few Cobwebs
Breastfeeding Against Cancer
Mom's Pyramid
Abortion Suffering and Chinese Widow
Archbishop Chaput Talks About Certain
Women You are Beautiful and Precious
Everything That Is Good Comes From God
Huckabee on Whether Mormons are Christian
Keeping the Big Picture In Mind
Supermom is Dead or at Least Napping
Politics of Poppycock
I Caught You
In Honor of Saints
Definition of Happiness
Send Christmas Greeting to Wounded Soldier
Morning Sickness
Real Life Love

Reality Check Monday

I admit it. I watch those celebrity "news" shows like Access Hollywood more than I should (although I am getting better about turning the tv off). And more than once, when they mention some "hot" club, I've wondered what it would be like to get into one of those places. Well, wonder no more. My friend posted this on her blog the other day and I think it says it all. Any other similar stories out there?

On Veteran's Day...

Thank you Grampop, Dad, Tom, Brian, Jess, Welo, Chet, Elaine, Travis, James, Tracy, Kristen, Josh, Bessie, Joann, Col. H., Joe, Nathan, Erika, Aaron, Summer, Khris, Jeff, Chris, MJ, Chris, Cris, Kristina, Tim, Jack, Uncle Jack, Uncle Steve, Spaz, Micaela, Matt, Tait, Nate, Ty, Joe, Brian, Bart, Leo, John, Zen, Great Grandpa, Ryan, Dave, Brooke, Robyn, Matt, Jen, Kevin, Ryan, Jamie, Kevin, John, Jon, Jay, Jeff, Casey, Jim, Ryan, Nokie, Nicki, Jesse, Kelly, Cliff, Dara, Erin, T, Gio, Alex, Jaclyn, Patrick, Janet, Bethany, Mike, Sam, Greg, Chrissy, Laura, Tom, Jason, Beth, Bethany, Kate, Derek, Nathan, Aaron, Tom, Tony, Mike, Pete, Richie, Ben, John, Shayne, John, Vanessa, Derek, John, Col. E., Lindsay, Paula, Malia, Tess, Jon, Col. T., Edie, Beth, Jen, Troy, Brian, Nick, Sarah, Brian, Dana, Derek, Mary E., Samantha, Chris, Paul, Scott, Travis, Kelli, Lisa, Tracy... and the countless others who have and are sacrificing to serve our country and protect our way of life.

Toy commercials

All of you good moms out there, this doesn't apply to you.

For the rest of us, however, is it just me, or am I up to my eye balls in new toy commercials? I know that Christmas is coming faster than I could ever be ready for, but oh my goodness!!! I guess I didn't notice last year as I spent the majority of my time hanging over my toilet.

Thoughts?

Rom 14:7-12 (emphasis mine)

Brothers and sisters:

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.

For if we live, we live for the Lord,

and if we die, we die for the Lord;

so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

For this is why Christ died and came to life,

that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Why then do you judge your brother or sister?

Or you, why do you look down on your brother or sister?

For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;

for it is written:

As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,

and every tongue shall give praise to God.

So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.

Today’s reading reminds me of an issue that has been coming up a lot in my life lately, separating the sinner from the sin. How do I effectively teach this concept to my daughters? How do we welcome people into our homes, but not their behavior, in order to not condone it or send mixed messages to our children? What of the friends who come to stay who live together out of wedlock? What of the family member who chooses to live a gay lifestyle? What of the loved one who greatly wrongs another family member? Where is the line between using our judgment to protect our family and not judging our fellow sinner?

Thoughts?

Going the Wrong Way

I know, I know…You are all thinking the new girl didn’t last long right? I apologize for my absence.

In case you missed it, 2 weeks ago there was a little game on tv. You know, Game 1 of the World Series. So as Coloradans (yes I looked that term up) were flocking to Boston, my family and I were traveling to Denver for my brother’s wedding. We proudly sported our Red Sox gear, but to our surprise and some disappointment, no one called us out on it when we arrived in Denver. Yes, we did get stared at a lot, but no one said anything to us except the guy at the rental car place who asked us cheerily who we were rooting for. We just smiled. Now I knew we wouldn’t get the same reaction as a Yankee fan would in Boston, but we were kind of hoping for something. Even as we payed every toll to the Rockies gear wearing toll collectors, we thought surely someone would say something. But no. So after expressing our disappointment at the lack of razzing to our friends and family throughout all the wedding festivities, the only thing we all could come up with was that Rockies fans were just so shocked and excited to be in the World Series, they just didn’t care. And then of course the Sox brought out their brooms and the Series was over.

I do have to say that this past Friday as I was entering a restaurant with my parents and daughters for dinner, a man held the door for me and then said, “I wouldn’t do this if you weren’t holding that baby.” I had my Red Sox hat on J So finally, someone had the guts to say something and he couldn’t believe that he was the first.

One more thing about the Red Sox, I’m sorry if you are sick of hearing about them. I have to give some credit to my daughters for their past couple of wins. You see, we moved to Boston in the summer of ’04, I was lucky enough to go to Game 5 of the ALCS against the Yankees, which is when I realized I was pregnant (another story to be told later), and then we went on to win that year after 86 years of the curse. Then my second daughter was born in the spring of 07 and now here we are, with another championship in the same year. So you see, although they may not have had everything to do with the wins, in my mind, they were the little extra something that made it all possible. GO SOX!!!

This picture was obviously taken earlier in the season, but gives a good idea of what I'm talking about.

Reality Check Monday

When was the last time you had a manicure/pedicure? How often do you get them?


*In this age of celebrity worship and living in excess, I've decided to post a thought or question each Monday to help us realize that what we see on tv is not the norm. We are not alone in not having it all together.

Amen

I Am Not the Enemy
Mass in Latin
Footprints Too
Harry Potter and Flash in the Pan
Because I Like to Torture Myself
Works of Mercy in Domestic Church
More Reasons to Have Kids
Yellow Roses and Parking Spots
Servanthood
Tomato Sauce and Sunshine

Crazy Woman

So there was this crazy woman at Mass today. She brought her 2 little girls with her. The older one started out ok, eating her snacks and coloring. Then the baby started fussing so the woman took her out of her carrier and tried to rock her every time she stood and bounce her on her knee when seated. Then the older girl started to act up. There was no one seated immediately in front, behind, or next to the family, much to the mother's relief since both of her children obviously had colds evidenced by the constant wiping of their noses by the poor woman. So with no one near them, the older girl decided to test her boundaries...exploring the pews in front and behind, climbing all over her mother who was still trying to comfort her baby, and asking for more envelopes to put in the offering baskets. And both of the girls decided that their voices should be heard like everyone else's who were singing, although the girls didn't choose to sing at the same time as the rest of the church. I think the final straw for this poor mother was when her oldest daughter stated loudly that "I POOPED" while everyone was so quiet as Father prepared the Eucharist. Not one time, mind you, but making the declaration several times. To add insult to injury, a woman a few pews in front turned to ask if she could help, thinking that a diaper change was necessary. Ahh, but the mother knew better...Anyways, the offering woman, kind as she was, had two little girls of her own, though slightly older I am guessing, and was quite obviously about to have another. This only made the embarassed mother feel worse. And one final twist of the knife, as the family was moving to the end of the pew in order to go receive the Eucharist, the mother stopped the older daughter, telling her she had to wait her turn and let the people in front go first. This is when the little girl dropped very dramatically back into the pew yelling "Father JOE!!!" as if our priest might save her from her horrible mother. So I ask that you please pray, and pray hard, for this poor, crazy woman.


Oh, wait...that's me!

GO SOX!!!

My Halloween Personality

What Your Halloween Habits Say About You

You're a friendly person, but not the life of the party. You like making someone else's day - and you'll dress up if you think of a really fun costume. You definitely think of yourself as someone who has a dark side. And part of having that dark side means not showing it. Your inner child is open minded, playful, and adventurous. You truly fear the dark side of humanity. You are a true misanthrope. You're logical, rational, and not easily effected. Not a lot scares you... especially when it comes to the paranormal. You are a traditionalist with most aspects of your life. You like your Halloween costume to be basic, well made, and conventional enough to wear another year.

What's" Your Halloween Personality?

Very Scary

So my third posting is a little soon for politics, I thought, but then I read this this afternoon. Now while I am very enthusiastic about my right and RESPONSIBILITY to vote, I have to admit that I find the whole election thing frustrating. Maybe it's because I feel that I don't know enough about all of the issues. Or maybe it's because I start to get interested in a candidate because of the few things I do know and/or understand about their stand on issues, and then I'm waiting for them to make me look like an idiot because of something I didn't know or correctly understand about them. Am I making any sense? I am trying very hard to stay up on this particular election with news coverage, visiting websites, and watching debates, but I also feel that candidates only put what they want you to see out there and we don't always get the whole story. And I don't know where to look to get the whole story. I'd love to have a good discussion on this, but those who are already stubbornly decided are usually difficult and annoying to talk to and those that aren't 100% decided are not confident enough to share their feelings (like me).

So here's the deal. For any of you reading this, post a comment with the name of the candidate you are currently supporting (I don't have a problem if you change your mind, that's kind of what this discussion is for) and 3 to 5 CONCISE reasons, any reasons, why you are in favor of said candidate. For example:
Candidate X: Pro-Life - great tax policy - has blonde hair - I know their brother

Keep it simple for those of us in the lowest common denominator of politics. I have a feeling we will be discussing specifics issues more in depth at a future time, hopefully not hair color, but you never know. Let's take baby steps here people. Let's also keep the passion to a minimum as this can be a very hot topic. I will respect everyone's opinion, even if you're wrong (ha!), as long as you are respectful as well. Happy debating!

Where did the blog title come from?

Lord, guide and guide the men who fly

Through the great spaces of the sky;

Be with them traversing the air

In darkening storms or sunshine fair.

Thou who dost keep with tender might

The balanced birds in all their flight,

Thou of the tempered winds, be near,

That, having Thee, they know no fear.

Control their minds with instinct fit

What time, adventuring, they quit

The firm security of land;

Grant steadfast eye and skillful hand.

Aloft in solitudes of space,

Uphold them with Thy saving grace.

O God, protect the men who fly

Through lonely ways beneath the sky.

These are the words to official hymn of the US Air Force. I know this because we used to sing it at the end of Mass at the Air Force Academy (only the first and fourth verses). Obviously it's geared toward pilots, which at one time I thought I was going to be (but that's another story). It apparently touched me so much that I had "Lord, Guard and Guide" engraved in my class ring. It just so neatly wrapped up what I constantly ask God. So when I was deciding to start this blog, I knew I needed to have a great name. I'm not all that witty so I was getting frustrated when I couldn't come up with something. There are so many great names of blogs out there. Then last night, as I was falling asleep, or was it while I was nursing my youngest, or maybe I was falling asleep nursing :) that it came to me. Lord, Guard and Guide... perfect. So here it is, and here I am. If you want a little more info on the song, look here. Of course you can always Google for more info.

Lord, guard my children from the evils of this world and guide them in all that they do. Guard the unborn and guide the hearts of those considering abortion. Guard what I write here from anything that is not Your will and guide me to share Your love with those that read my words.

Amen

Hello...

Well, here I go. My first post.

I first became familiar with the “blogosphere” after a friend of mine pointed me to this blog a couple of months ago. It’s hilaaarious! I was instantaneously hooked. I started clicking on her links and then links from those blogs and so on and so forth until here I am with almost 40 blogs that I check in on almost everyday. But surely I didn’t need to have a blog, right? I could just read others. That’s what I thought too. But I kept picturing all of the neat things I saw on other people’s blogs in one spot, my blog. So looong story short, I decided what the heck and here I am.

Hopefully this blog is an outlet, a learning tool, and a support system all in one. One of the things that hooked me on reading blogs is that there are actually other people like me out there in this great big world. Maybe I can give this “AHA” feeling to someone else. And I’m learning so much and I want to pass it on. I plan to post about a myriad of things (motherhood, religion, life in general) and since I’m not the greatest writer in the world and am no expert, I will probably use a lot of links and ask a lot of questions looking for great comments from those of you out there that may read this, if that ever happens. I’m not especially funny or smart, but I will put my heart into what I write.

As for comments on my posts, let’s keep it polite people. I enjoy a good debate, but I HATE confrontation and power tripping. Remember what your mama told you “If you don’t have anything nice to say…”

Let the adventure begin!