95th Birthday and 1st Piano Recital

Here are photos of two special events that we celebrated while we were in South Dakota this summer. My Grandma Russell celebrated her 95 birthday, surrounded by her beautiful great-grandchildren. We made the evening extra special by entertaining her with a piano recital. Piano has always been dear to my grandma because her mother was a piano teacher, and my grandma was quite a pianist herself. Apparently, she passed on some of those "virtuoso" genes :)

Edith Bernice Russell surrounded by many of her great-grandchildren:

Daniel, Matthew, Joseph, Michael,

Ryan, Elizabeth, and Dominic

The little pianists with their 1st recital trophies:
Matthew, Elizabeth, Joseph, and Michael

Good Medicine

Tonight we had some dear friends over for supper, followed by a fun (and wet) water balloon fight in the back yard! I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or the adults! It was such a delight for me to see my husband laugh and enjoy himself so much, and our boys were literally soaking it all in and grinning from ear to ear the whole time. Paul made it his mission to drench his innocent bride (OK, OK, I tried to get him first), and I honestly haven't laughed so hard in...gosh, I'm not sure how long. The verse that came to mind as the night came to a close was...

"A joyful heart is good medicine,

but a broken spirit dries up the bones."

(Proverbs 17:22)

Well, needless to say, our bones and clothes and hair and spirit were far from dry...we were soaked and full of joy! Thank you, Lord, for fun friends, summer nights, and water balloon fights. Amen.

Deep Thought Thursday #4

I recently watched Star Wars II with my older boys, and Yoda made a remark that I found to be truly profound the more I pondered it. The soon-to-be evil Emperor asks Yoda if he thinks a war is eminent. Yoda reflects a moment and then replies,

"The dark side of the Force clouds everything.

Impossible to see the future is."

As I read the headlines and listen to Christian and Catholic radio stations, I can't help but think that the "dark side of the Force" (aka Satan) is clouding our culture and the judgment of many of our leaders. How can our country possibly be condoning same-sex marriages, contraception that kills babies, and abortion as a fundamental right? And more recently, I've been reading about Obama's so-called health-care plan which would make abortions completely funded by taxpayers (that's you and me!). That truly makes me sick. A spiritual war is certainly being fought. As discouraged as I sometimes get, I find comfort knowing who my real Commander in Chief is...Jesus Christ. He will win in the end; I simply fear the casualties and the pain to occur before the battle is over. I will continue to pray for our country, our President, and all our US and foreign leaders. I will pray that ALL turn away from the dark side of the Force and turn to Christ, our hope and our salvation. May the Force be with you...the Force of Christ through His Holy Spirit!

~Deep thoughts by Jedi-Obi-wanna-be Maria :)

Our Baby is Three, How Can This Be!?

Our "baby" Dominic turned 3 this week, and what a party he had!!! All of his cousins from the Russell side of the family came to celebrate. We swam at the lake most of the day, followed by pizza, presents, and ice cream cake. What more could a kid (or an adult) ask for!? Dominic was overwhelmed with joy at all the trucks and trains he received. He happily allowed his brothers and cousins to help him open his presents, but wasn't so happy about sharing them once they were opened. I'd love any tips on teaching a toddler to share...truly, I'm all ears! I was hoping that once Dominic turned three the "terrible twos" would magically disappear. Unfortunately, that didn't happen...drat. All in all, he is a happy and sweet boy, but I have to admit there is A LOT of room for improvement. But I guess that could be said of all of us, right? :) When I tucked Dominic in for bed the night of his party, he laid in his pack-n-play for almost an hour singing "Happy Birthday" to each one of his new trucks and trains...it was precious! God is so gracious to give us so many sweet moments as parents to help us forgive and forget the not so sweet ones. Here's some photos capturing the sweetest moments of Dominic's special day...

Dominic was so intent on blowing out the candles that he stuck his chin right into the frosting!

Dominic's new train set sure made him smile!

Who knew a back-hoe-loader could make eyes sparkle like that?

Dominic also loved his new bubble gun...especially aiming it at Mommy!

My parents relaxing as they watch all their grandkids play.

I still remember my grandparents sitting in this same spot watching me, my brothers, and my cousins swimming when we were little...

where did the years go?

Sweet Conversation

Yesterday, I was playing upstairs with Dominic while Michael was quietly playing across the room by himself.

Out of the blue he asks, "Mommy, does everyone have to move away from their mommies someday?"

Surprised by the question, I relied, "Well, usually that's what happens when you become an adult...you move away from home and start a life of your own."

...a few minutes of silence...

"But, is it illegal to stay home with your mommy as an adult?" Michael asked.

Puzzled and amused, I replied, "No, honey, it's not illegal, and some people live with their parents even when they're adults."

...a few minutes of silence again...

"Were you sad when you left your mommy?" Michael asked.

"Yes," I replied, "a little bit, but I was also excited to go to college and get married someday...it was like a new adventure. But sometimes I got really homesick and I would call my mom and cry because I missed her."

"Did grandma cry too," Michael quickly asked.

"Sometimes." I replied. "I think she missed me too, but she was happy that I was growing up."

...more silence...

At this point, I could almost hear the wheels turning in his little brain, and I was dying to know what he was thinking, so I asked him, "Do you think you'll move away from home someday, or just live with mommy forever?"

"I'm not sure yet," was his wise reply.

"Well, I'm glad you'll get to live with me for many more years until you decide," I told him.

What a bittersweet conversation. I hope my boys always love me this much :)

Fireworks, Fish, and Family Fun

This 4th of July can be summed up by the words FIREWORKS, FISH, and FAMILY FUN! We celebrated the holiday in our hometown of Aberdeen, SD, and had a fun-filled weekend with my parents, my brother Mike, his wife Shawna, their daughter Elizabeth, Paul's brother Dann, his wife Rachel, and their kids Rowan and Kennedy. Most of the weekend was spent at Richmond Lake where my brother's family lives. Our boys and all their cousins had a blast in the lake, especially on the jet ski, as well as outside the lake catching lots of fish. We ended the evening watching other people's expensive fireworks and lighting a few cheap sparklers of our own. As I reflect upon the weekend, I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude...gratitude for my beautiful family and all the joy I saw on their faces, gratitude for my life and all the blessings I have been given, and gratitude for my freedom and the soldiers who continue to defend it so bravely and sacrificially. Mixed with the gratitude, though, is a deep sadness because I fear that our country has turned away from its Christian heritage in so many ways (as in the acceptance of abortion, homosexuality, and contraception). So along with praising and thanking God for all that He has given me, I am also praying for His mercy on our nation and that America would return to it's Christian roots so that God will keep His hand of blessing upon us.

"For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,

have mercy on us and on the whole world."

(from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy taught to Sister Faustina by Jesus in 1933)

Dominic looking dangerous and delighted with his sparkler.

Joseph very proud of his catch.Michael loved soaking up the sun on the slip-and-slide.

Paul and the boys with their new favorite toy.

Our Mary Garden

One of my favorite things about summer is seeing the flowers bloom around Our Blessed Mother statue next to our front porch. Last year I did some research about planting a Mary Garden, which has been a Catholic tradition for centuries of planting flowers and herbs that are beautifully symbolic of Mary. More than 30 flowers and herbs bear legends about Mary’s life. The Rose, for example, represents Mary's love and beauty, as well as her deep sorrow. Mary has long been called "The Mystical Rose," and the term rosary comes from the Latin word for roses and is meant to remind us that when praying the rosary we are offering to Mary a spiritual bouquet of roses. The Lily represents her immaculate purity, innocence, and virginity. The Lily-of-the-Valley is also called "Our Lady's Tears," for these flowers are said to have blossomed from Mary's tears for her Son as she stood at the foot of the cross. The Columbine flower is nicknamed "Our Lady's Shoes," for legend says that these beautiful flowers sprung up under Mary's feet as she went to visit Elizabeth. The Bleeding Heart plant is a reminder of Simeon's prophesy to Mary in the Bible that her heart would be pierced as she witnessed the passion and death of her Son, the Messiah. To learn more about the various flowers attributed to Mary, visit:
http://www.americancatholic.org/messenger/May2000/feature2.asp.

We have a deep love for Mary in our family, simply because she helps us love Jesus more deeply. That has always been God's role for her. She was chosen to bring Jesus into the world, and as the loving mother of us all, she is still striving to bring her children to Jesus, the Savior of the world. Her desire for everyone to know and love her Son is so great that she has been appearing all over the world (Lourdes, Fatima, Medjugorje, and even in the US) to people just like you and me, begging us to repent and receive Jesus into our hearts. She never seeks to draw attention to herself, simply to point us in the direction of her Son. Each time I walk by our Mary Garden, I am reminded to be more like her...more gentle, loving, submissive to God's will, pointing people to Jesus...and I find tremendous comfort knowing that she is interceding for my family and helping us become more like her Son. Here are a few photos of the flowers currently blossoming in our Mary Garden.

A pretty Poppy...

A Bleeding Heart blossom...

A Golden Lily...

One of our many rose bushes.