Hallelujah---it's Easter!!!

Do not abandon yourselves to despair.

We are the Easter people

and Hallelujah is our song!

~St. Pope John Paul II~

Happy Easter everyone!  How was your Lent?  I learned that the word "Lent" literally translates to the English word "Spring," which surprised me and almost made me laugh :)  Here in Montana, Lent rarely looks like Springtime, but rather we are typically buried in snow and longing for any signs of Spring.  And perhaps that is what Lent is supposed to be about...a longing for something, a longing for Spring, warmth, joy, forgiveness, new life in Christ!  Lent makes us long for Easter!  And not just for the secular things of Easter like candy and egg-hunts and great food, but the deep spiritual things of Easter, like the hope of heaven and the joy that Jesus takes away our sins!  That's why as Catholic, Christians, we really never should have room for despair--no matter how crappy life gets!  We are an Easter people, and Hallelujah should always be our song! 

I certainly awoke Easter morning with a Hallelujah in my heart, but it was a gentle Hallelujah song :}  Our family had a quiet and slightly "quarantined" Easter celebration.  A few of our kids were sick, but especially Joseph, who had been battling a nasty virus for a week and then it turned into pneumonia and an ear infection.  But despite the coughing that could be heard every few minutes in our house, we had a joyful Easter.  Mass at the Cathedral is always my favorite part.  Dominic got to altar serve for the Easter Mass (he was our only altar server who wasn't sick!), and he was given the special job of ringing the consecration bells, which brought such joy to my heart.

We did not get to have an outdoor egg hunt this year due to rain, but the kids had fun finding eggs throughout the house when we returned from Mass, and they also were super happy about their Easter baskets that they found on the table when they awoke.  I went a little bit overboard with sodas and sweets this year, but ironically what they liked the most was a tiny packet of baseball cards that they each received.  The rest of the day was spent trading cards and pouring over all the stats on the back of each card!  :)  Nathanael was so crazy about the baseball cards that he traded all of his candy away for more cards!  I'll have to remember to do more baseball cards next year and less sweets!  Much better for their teeth!  :)  But without further ado, here are some photos of a few of our Easter moments:

Thank you, God, for these handsome boys!

Isaiah studying his new baseball cards :)

Paul studying his coffee :)

Sweet Isaiah after Mass at the Cathedral.

The little boys literally "weighing" their Easter booty :)

Cute cooks in their aprons. :)

Paul grilled delicious tri-tip steaks for Easter.

Maria made the usual side dishes:  

green bean casserole, parmesan baked potatoes, marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes

Sweet and simple.

God is good.

Happy Easter!!!

And keep that Hallelujah song in your hearts all year long!!!

Happy Sweet 16, Michael Hollis!!!

Michael turned sweet 16 this week---how can this be!?  I still remember vividly being 8 months pregnant with Michael when his Navy pilot daddy got sent overseas to Iraq for a secret mission of an unknown length of time.  So I took little Joseph and my pregnant self to South Dakota to be with my parents "just in case" Paul didn't make it back in time for our baby's birth.  Thankfully, Paul made it back in time.  I was so happy and relieved that I went into labor the day he got off the plane!!!  Daddy was so jet-lagged that I tried to let him sleep while I labored with my mom, walking around her basement and praying the rosary together.  Apparently I let daddy sleep a little bit too long, because by the time I got to the hospital, I was too far progressed to get an epidural.  NOOOOOO! I was SOOOO bummed.  The labor and delivery were indeed painful, but the part that I remember the most was my placenta getting stuck---probably because Michael was born about 3 weeks early!  I won't go into details, but OUCH is all there really is to say about that!  Michael's sweet, angelic face and fuzzy red hair made every ounce of pain worth it though.  Truly.  Sweetest face in the world.  Notice I didn't say sweetest "temperament."  :)  Michael was (by far!) our fussiest child.  He cried all...the...time.  I had to wear him in a front carrier all...the...time.  But we persevered through those fussy baby years, and now we are persevering through the grumpy teenage years.  :)  "This too shall pass," older and wiser parents tell me, so I keep baking chocolate cookies to try to make him smile and talk to me while he dips his cookie in some milk, and I keep placing him within the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  I know he will always be safe there!  :)  I hope he knows that he will always be loved and that his momma will always be here with some fresh chocolate chip cookies whenever he needs me! :)

For Michael's birthday this year he invited three of his best buddies to hang out for a few hours.  They played lots of basketball and ate lots of food.  The perfect recipe for happy teenage boys! :)

Happy Birthday, Michael!

May God always bless you with holy friends,

well-groomed fields for playing baseball,

a comfy couch for watching Detroit Tigers games,

and a safe place within Jesus' Sacred Heart!

Daddy and I love you with all our hearts!!!

Monthly Medjugorje messages---perfect for Lent and Springtime!

Annual apparition message to Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo, March 18, 2019

"My children, as a mother, as the Queen of Peace, I am calling you to accept my Son so that He can grant you peace of soul - that He can grant you that which is just, which is good for you. My children, my Son knows you. He lived the life of man, and at the same time of God: a wondrous life-human flesh, divine Spirit. Therefore, my children, while my Son is looking at you with His eyes of God, He penetrates into your hearts. His tender, warm eyes are looking for Himself in your heart. My children, can He find Himself [there]? Accept Him, and then the moments of pain and suffering will become moments of tenderness. Accept Him, and you will have peace in [your] soul - you will spread it to all those around you - and this is what you now need the most. Heed me, my children. Pray for the shepherds, for those whose hands my Son has blessed. Thank you."


Monthly apparition message to Marija, March 25, 2019 

"Dear children! This is a time of grace. As nature renews itself for a new life, you also are called to conversion. Decide for God. Little children, you are empty and do not have joy, because you do not have God. Therefore pray until prayer becomes your life. In nature, seek God who created you, because nature speaks and fights for life and not for death. Wars are reigning in hearts and nations, because you do not have peace and you do not see, little children, a brother in your neighbor. Therefore return to God and to prayer. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Catching up!!!

I have certainly been neglecting my blog of late.  Hopefully I will get back into a weekly routine of blogging soon, but in the meantime, I'll just give a quick post to catch up on the random happenings in our household...

For starters, I never even posted our Christmas pictures!  Ooops!  This year we decided to brave the winter roads and head back to South Dakota for the holidays.  As always, it was wonderful.  There truly is "no place like home," and every time we go back it is like a retreat for me and a party for my boys.  My parents have a way of just taking care of everything and making things so relaxed and fun-filled.  Every time we go I make a mental note that this time I'm going to be more helpful so that my mom can sit back and relax, but every time we go, my mom has this Mary Poppins way of doing everything without anyone even noticing.  I really hope her "Mary Pippins-ness" is genetic and that those magical qualities start being exemplified in me someday :)  But for the time being, they seem hidden...deep deep down in my genetic coding...because just the idea of cleaning, cooking and menu planning stress me out!  :)  But I digress...  Here are a few photos of our fun stay with Grandma and Grandpa.  I'm mad at myself for not taking more photos, but again, being at my mom's house puts me in this lazy retreat-like daze and I forgot about all of the things I should be doing! :)

My sweet parents with my sweet boys on Christmas Day :)

Isaiah checking out his new LEGO set!

He's so proud that he can build sets all by himself now :)

Natey happy about his new Easton bat, and hoping he will be a big slugger this year!

Dominic and Isaiah finding the treasures in their stockings

Michael investigating his new fly fishing rod

A fun and relaxing Christmas morning opening presents at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

My teenagers playing cards with cousin Elizabeth and Grandma Theresa.

Many hours were spending playing cards around this table over Christmas break.

Somehow Grandma never tired of playing cards with my kids!

She is a saint in so many ways! :)

Grandpa Pat playing a serious card game against Dominic...

Everything is a competition with grandpa!  :)

Dominic wanted to help Grandpa snowblow after a South Dakota blizzard.

We ended up getting stuck at Grandma's house a couple of extra days due to blizzards!

The best place in the world to get snowed in!!!  :)

Another highlight this winter was Nathanael's first Reconciliation.  I can't believe he is old enough for the 2 big sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion this year, but he is and he is so happy about it!!!  It was so precious to take him to out beautiful church and see him in line to go to Confession.  I wish I could have gotten a better picture, but I don't think I will ever forget his sweet face, so nervous and excited, while he was waiting for his turn.  And then to see his big smile of relief and true JOY when he was done---what a gift to a Catholic mother's heart!  He got to light a candle when he was finished, and then I took him and his friend Stevie out for a treat to remind them that indeed, GOD'S MERCY IS SWEET!

A blurry but beautiful photo of Natey waiting in line for confession.

I was sitting far away on the other side of the church, but it warmed my heart to see him look at me as if he needed an encouraging look from his mommy before his big moment :)

A very happy Natey and Stevie as they celebrate the SWEETNESS of God's MERCY!

And last, but not least, this winter has been busy with basketball season for Joseph and Dominic.  This was Dominic's first year playing basketball and he LOVED it!  To be honest, Paul and I were more than a bit apprehensive about the whole thing due to Dominic's past year of struggling with panic attacks.  But he proved to himself and to us that he could handle the stress and aches and pains of playing a sport.  We are SOOO proud of him!!! It was so fun to watch him play because he was so fast and so intense.  One of the other parents who was watching one of the games quickly nicknamed him "the Ferrari" :)  He had one game in particular that I don't think he will ever forget because he was the hero of the game, scoring more than half of the total points scored.  I hope he continues to play in the coming years and that he always remains as humble as he is fast  :)  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of Dominic playing basketball this year.  I don't have a great telephoto lens, plus, he probably would have looked like a blurr since he is always moving so fast!  :)

Joseph also played basketball this year and had a fun season.  This year was only the 3rd year that our school has had a basketball team, so the high school team was not very competitive compared to many of the other teams we played.  Joseph's team only won one game, but they had tons of fun and put their hearts into every minute of every game.  Joseph's ball-handling and shooting skills improved dramatically this year and he usually scored a couple of baskets per game.  He was always easy to spot on the court with his hobbit-like curly hair.  :)  Again, I didn't get any good action photos of Joseph playing ball, but thankfully one of the parents with a great telephoto lens took a couple of pictures that I stole off of the school Facebook page :)

Joseph trying for a 3-pointer!

I can't remember if he made the shot or not,

but he sure had good form! :)

Joseph's team was thrilled to be able to play one game at the fancy Carroll College gym.

New Year Musings, Resolutions, and More...

Wow, we are already 26 days into a New Year!  I love the beginning of a new year because it feels like a fresh start, kind of like going to the Sacrament of Confession, where you walk out of the confessional with renewed hope, a clean slate, and a desire to start over and make things better.

This year I made the resolution to try to pray both the rosary and the chaplet of Divine Mercy sometime throughout the day, and also to exercise for at least 20 minutes per day.  I try to do the rosary first thing in the morning, usually with my children when I drive them into school, and the chaplet I reserve for the 3:00 hour (the hour Jesus Himself said was the hour of mercy when He opens His heart to pour special graces on those who ask for them in memory of the hour in which he died for us).  Again, I pray this with my children if I'm the one who picks them up from school, or I do it by myself at home if Joseph brings the kids home.  It truly warms my mother's heart that even when Joseph is the one who takes the kids to and from school, they are in the habit of  praying the rosary and the chaplet to begin and end their school day.  If that's the only good habit I've taught my kids, then that is enough for me! :)

The year 2019 has certainly started less tumultuous than 2018 began.  2018 was our year that turned upside down when our son Dominic went to the hospital for a bone infection and came out of the hospital with a serious case of PTSD and recurring panic attacks.  He is still in counseling to manage his anxiety and panic attacks.  He has healed tremendously---but not completely.  The panic attacks now are rare, but still very real.  Perhaps this will be his lifelong cross, but I am hopeful that 2019 will bring much hope and healing for him.  I humbly ask for your continued prayers for him and our family.

2019 will be a big year for Joseph as he starts to look into colleges, take ACT and SAT tests, apply for scholarships, and discern his future.  I ask for your prayers upon him as well.

I am confident that the saints we picked (or did they pick us?) this year will help us grow in holiness too, so that is a consolation and a blessing.  I love being Catholic and having this opportunity to have holy intercessors to help us in our daily lives.  Here are our saints for 2019:

• Paul:  St. Christopher Magallanes (one of the martyred priests during the Cristeros War in the 1920s)
• Maria:  St. John the Baptist
• Joseph:  St. Bartholomew (one of the disciples, also knows as Nathanael in the gospels)
• Michael:  St. Benjamin (deacon and martyr in Persia in the 400s)
• Dominic:  St. Cunegundes (holy empress of Rome who gave most of her wealth to the poor and became a nun after King Henry's death)
• Nathanael:  St. Bernardine of Siena (joyful and enthusiastic Franciscan preacher of the 1400s)
• Isaiah:  St. Saturninus (bishop of France and early martyr of the Church)

I also pick a word of the year for myself, using a randomized word search on the internet, and this year my word is:
CARE.  I do feel that God is calling me to reach out more to other people, to be the hands and feet of Christ and show His loving "care" to all those He places in my life.  I hope, with His grace, to do better at that this year.  Perhaps God also gave me this word to remind me of how much He cares for me, even when I fail over and over again.  I have always struggled with believing that God loves me unconditionally and isn't disappointed in me for my sins and imperfections.  So this year I will try to adopt St. Therese's spirituality of having childlike trust in God's fatherly love and His infinite mercy for me and for the whole world.

Lastly, some of you might be encouraged by the January message from Medjugorje, which I thought was a beautiful call to holiness and conversion for the whole world for the new year.  May it touch your heart and may you and I spread this message through our words and actions this year:


January 25, 2019 message to Marija, one of the visionaries in Medjugorje:

"Dear children! Today, as a mother, I am calling you to conversion. This time is for you, little children, a time of silence and prayer. Therefore, in the warmth of your heart, may a grain of hope and faith grow and you, little children, will from day to day feel the need to pray more. Your life will become orderly and responsible. You will comprehend, little children, that you are passing here on earth and you will feel the need to be closer to God, and with love you will witness the experience of your encounter with God, which you will share with others. I am with you and am praying for you but I cannot without your 'yes'. Thank you for having responded to my call."​​

"Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything..."

Happy Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe!!!  One of my favorite feast days, one of the most miraculous events in history!  Marian apparitions have a special place in my heart, for they show how much God truly loves us to send his own mother to appear to people with messages of hope and love to draw people back to God.  One of my greatest desires on this earth is to go visit all the apparition sites of Our Lady with my husband and my children.  I have been to Medjugorje twice, and my experiences there have taught me that drawing near to Mary brings me closer to Jesus.  My devotion to her brings me peace and helps me keep my eyes fixed on heaven (instead of the anxieties of this world, which is my natural tendency).  During the darkest times of my life, she has been as close as my own earthly mother, comforting me and helping me to get through life's challenges.  Somehow she always gently helps to untie the knots in my life.  I am so grateful to be Catholic and to have this devotion to Our Lady instilled so deeply in my heart. These words that she said to St. Juan Diego remind me of her loving intercesion throughout my life and give me renewed hope and courage to keep fighting the good fight (and asking for her help to do so) until I'm in heaven.  May these words spoken long ago by our loving mother comfort and inspire you too:

• She said to him:  "Am I not here who is your Mother?  Are you not under my protection?  Am I not your health?  Are you not happily within my fold?  What else do you wish?  Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything."

So, today (and every day), try to give all your worries and cares to Our Lady.  She will take care of them, so there is no need to grieve or be disturbed by anything!  Boy, did I need to be reminded of that this week!  I have been battling anxiety in a big way (and felt like I was losing the fight).  I have grumpy teenagers that I can't seem to make happy or connect with; I have an almost-teenager who is still battling panic attacks that I can't seem to fix; I have a project that is totally stressing me out; I am disappointed in myself for not making Advent more spiritual for our family; in general, I have felt like I have been totally failing in my vocation as wife and mother.  But perhaps it has been because I was trying to do it all on my own.  The rest of this week I will strive to ask for Our Lady's help and try to trust that she and her Son will truly take care of everything.

Here are some fun and miraculous facts about Our Lady of Guadalupe, Juan Diego, and the image on his tilma:

Our Lady of Guadalupe, 

Pray for us all!

Our Lady of Guadalupe Fact Page

• Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Saint Juan Diego on December 9, 10 and 12, 1531.
• The image is proven not to be painted by human hands; no natural or animal mineral colorings, or paint, are found on it
• The image has remained intact with all its original vibrancy for 475 years. The natural life span of a cloak made with fiber from the gave or maguey plant is only about 30 years.
• The image is a pictograph which could be read and understood by the Aztec Indians.
• On her rose garment is a topographical map of the location of her apparition.
• Our Lady appears as a beautiful young Indian maiden and Queen.
• She is wearing a blue-green mantle (the color worn by royalty) covered with stars.
• The stars signify she comes from heaven – the Queen of Heaven. The constellations are in the exact position as appeared before dawn on the morning of December 12, 1531.
• Her robe is colored rose or pale red and covered with Aztec flowers, symbolic of an Aztec princess.
• In the center of her robe, overlying her womb, is a four petal quincunx flower in the shape of a cross which is the sign of the Divine and the center of the cosmic order to the Aztec. The Virgin’s Baby, Jesus, is Divine and the new center of the universe.
• Her hands are joined in prayer and, therefore, she is not God but clearly there is one greater than she and she points her finger to the cross on her brooch.
• Her fur cuffs symbolize royalty.
• She wears a black maternity band signifying she is with Child.
• A black cross is on the brooch around her neck. This signifies she is a follower of the God of the Spanish Missionaries, Jesus Christ who died on the cross for all.
• She stands in front of the sun. The sun symbolizes the greatest Aztec god – Huitzilopochtli. She announces the God who is greater than their sun god.
• She stands on the moon. The crescent moon symbolized the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent moon god. She has clearly crushed and defeated him.
• The image depicts Revelation 12:1:  a woman clothed with the sun with the moon at her feet
• An angel with eagle’s wings supports the Mother of God. The eagle was the “bird of the sun.” Here the eagle is the servant of the Virgin. She holds her mantle in one hand and robe with the other, signifying the Son she bears is from both heaven and earth.
• To date the image cannot be explained by science.
• The image on the tilma was able to do what up to that time the missionaries were not able to do significantly. Namely, clearly explain Christianity to the Indian people. The proof is in the fact that after the apparitions, eight million natives of Mexico converted to Catholicism from 1531 to 1538.
• A doctor once heard a heartbeat coming from the image using a stethascope over the womb area.
• The eyes of the image have the refractory characteristics of human eyes, and they miraculously reflect the image of the witnesses present at its unveiling, including Juan Diego and the bishop.

Happy Belated Birthday Natey!!!

Natey turned 8 in November and had a blast with all the boys in his class at his party.  We had to postpone the party by a week because he had strep throat the week of his birthday...bummer.  But his party was well worth the wait.  He and his friends had a Nerf gun battle in the house (wild and crazy fun), and then I sent them outdoors to play "capture the flag" and to try out the zip line.  It was a bit chilly outside, but there was hot cocoa waiting for them when they came back indoors :)  His friends got him great gifts, they all ate a delicious Dairy Queen ice cream cake, and I'm pretty sure everyone went to bed happy and exhausted.  God is good, all the time, and I am so thankful He gave us this sweet and fun-loving birthday boy to bring so much joy to our family!!!

Natey and his buddy Robbie

Natey and his buddy John

Natey and his buddy Stevie

Natey and his buddy Matthias

Natey and his buddy Matthew

Natey and his buddy Jack

Natey and his buddy Jake

Cross-eyed Natey waiting to blow out his birthday candles :)

Happy Birthday Nathanael!!!

We love you more than all the Nerf darts ever fired

in the whole wide world!