Super-Fast

The boys and I rode bikes to the park this evening, and Michael (who just learned how to ride bike this summer) asked me:

"Mom, do you think you could beat me in a bike race?"

I smiled (to myself) and said, "Boy, I'm not sure anymore because you sure are fast!"

Then he said, "Well, I know I could beat you going downhill, because I'm super-fast downhill!"

I just love the things kids say :)

Thank you, Lord, for these sweet moments with my children.

They truly get me through the day with a smile in my heart.

Amen.

Eventful Sunday Drive

After Mass this morning, we picked up some donuts (our usual tradition as long as the boys behaved well during the service), and we headed on Sunday drive to scope out some possible camping sites for this coming weekend. I gave each of the boys a donut in the backseat, and by the time I looked back again Dominic was nearly finished with his donut---but was wearing most of the chocolate! Thankfully, I had my camera along for just such a photogenic moment :) The other excitement on our trip was spotting a mama grizzly and her cub about 80 yards from our car!!! We saw them very near the spot that we were considering camping at this weekend...after which, I quickly vetoed that location for future camping! But it was exciting, nonetheless, and we now feel like true Montanans to have seen a grizzly in the wild (thankfully from the safety of our suburban). Sorry, no photos of the griz...they bolted as soon as we spotted them :(

Feast of St. Dominic

August 8th is the Feast of St. Dominic, a very special saint in our family because we have a little Dominic of our own, and we also have a strong devotion to the rosary which became popular due to St. Dominic. In the year 1214 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Dominic while he was praying for the conversion of sinners. Tradition has it that Mary handed St. Dominic a rosary and told him: "This is the weapon which the Blessed Trinity wants you to use to reform the world."

Our family tries to pray the rosary together each night around our bed, and on Fridays we started a fun tradition of praying ON the bed...which often results in Daddy falling asleep and the rest of us giggling in between the Hail Mary's! :) Praying a nightly rosary has truly become a beautiful tradition for us, even though some nights Dominic gets a bit distracting as he jumps on the bed or talks to his toys while the rest of us try to "meditate" on the mysteries of Jesus' life, passion, and resurrection! :) I sure hope Our Blessed Mother smiles at our feeble attempts at praying. I can't help but believe that the honest and innocent prayers of children are extremely powerful, and I hope that this tradition will be firmly rooted in our children's hearts so that they continue to pray the daily rosary long after they leave our home. Pope Pius XII once said, "There is no surer means of calling down God's blessings upon the family than the daily recitation of the rosary." Perhaps his words will inspire some of you readers to try praying a family rosary together. I know it can seem like an impossible task at first, especially if you have small children. When we started, we only did one decade for a few weeks, then gradually increased the number until we were finally praying 5 decades a night. We also found that it helps to let our older boys lead a decade and read aloud a little excerpt from a children's rosary book that explains each mystery. Actively involving them makes them feel so proud and also helps them to understand the rosary in a deeper way (it also helps them practice their reading skills at the same time!) :) It only takes about 20 minutes, but the blessings are innumerable!

Pope John Paul II also loved Mary and the rosary very much. JPII added the Luminous Mysteries to the traditional 15 mysteries and was often called the Marian Pope. One of his favorite sayings was "TOTUS TUUS," which is Latin for "Totally Yours," and he daily committed himself totally to Mary's care, knowing that she would always lead him perfectly to her Son and to true holiness. As JPII says, "To recite the rosary is nothing other than to contemplate the face of Christ with Mary." Imagine how our world would change if more people would take the time to pray the rosary and contemplate the face of Christ with Mary. Truly, the rosary could be the most powerful weapon to reform our families and the world if more Christians (Catholics and Protestants alike) would simply use it.

St. Dominic, pray for us!

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

Totus Tuus,
~Maria

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?