Still Catching Up...The Fall Recap

We are already 2 weeks into the new year of 2021, but I still haven't posted our Fall pictures and news, so I'm going to try to "catch up" in one fell swoop and go backwards in time for this post.  Sorry if that's confusing! :)  So many things happened, it's hard to know where to start...  I guess school is the first thing that really happens in the Fall, so I'll start there since there were certainly big changes in that department of our lives... 

1)  NEW SCHOOLS:

All 5 our boys started new schools this year!  Joseph started his first year of college at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, which I already covered in a previous post.  But what I didn't cover yet is that all our other boys are attending new schools this year too.  Leaving St. Andrew School was perhaps the hardest decision we've had to make as a family.  St. Andrew was our school home ever since we moved to Helena in 2006.  Joseph started St. Andrews as a 1st grader and graduated from there last year.  Michael started there as a kindergartener and would have been a St. Andrew's graduate this year as a senior.  We assumed all of our kids would graduate from St. Andrews...but the last couple of years took us for a rollercoaster ride that caused us to re-evaluate what was best for our kids.  We spent months of prayerful discernment...praying countless rosaries, chaplets, and novenas...asking the Holy Spirit to guide us to God's holy will.  We did not receive any flashing neon signs, but after praying and pondering the pros and cons, we felt peace about trying a new path this year.  It would take many paragraphs to fully explain all of our reasons, but the shortest explanation would be that we felt that St. Andrew was not the best fit for each of our kids for different reasons.  We still strongly believe in Catholic education; in fact, Paul is still the president of the school board at St. Andrew's, but we really felt the Lord calling us to venture down a road that we never expected to be on...the road of public school education.  If you would have asked me 10 years ago (or even 1 year ago) if I would ever send my kids to public school, I would have given an emphatic "NO" as my answer.  I always used to shake my head and judge people who chose public school over a Catholic school education. And yet here I am, eating my humble pie, and feeling at peace about this path I never expected to be on. 

Michael is a senior and he really wanted his senior year to be different than the past few years at St. Andrews.  The last few years were not a great experience for him.  Academically, he was not challenged nor was he offered important classes that he needed at St. Andrews.  Socially, he only had 2 other classmates in his grade (not exactly a recipe for fun times).  He is now attending JHS in Boulder, MT, which is a small, rural high school nearby that offers him many more options for classes and friends.  In fact, a few of his baseball teammates attend the school and a couple of kids from St. Andrew transferred with Michael to JHS this year, which made the transition very easy.  He is much happier there and will have a senior year filled with great memories.

The youngest 3 boys are at a small, public school in Montana City, only about 3 minutes from our house, which has been a huge blessing.  All of their teachers have been wonderful, many of them are Christians, and the boys have quickly fit in and made great friends.  One of the biggest blessings that we have discovered at public school is the number of class options that are offered.  The boys are given fun, challenging activities in the gifted and talented program that they were selected to be in, and they have many practical classes that teach about career options and technology skills, which our small Catholic school did not offer.  Overall, it has been a very positive experience so far and we feel like we made the right decision for this year anyway.  We will see where God leads us next year.  Please say a prayer for God's protection and guidance for our family in this area.  Thank you!

2)  COVID19:

The only challenge we've experienced with school this year, is the same challenge that most schools across the country have faced---stupid Covid19.  The kids started the year with all 5 days in-person learning, which we were super happy about.  We were grateful that our schools were not doing what many other schools in the area were doing, which was 2 days in-person and 2 days remote (I don't think that would have been a good fit for our kids).  One inconvenience is that all the kids and the teachers have to wear masks all day, even at recess, but everyone seems to have adjusted fairly well to that.  To be honest, our family doesn't believe masks are necessary, nor do we think they significantly help curb the spread of Covid, but hopefully this mandate will be over with soon and we can all get back to seeing each others' smiling faces again :)  

The first few weeks of school went fine, but then in October we were told that Michael was a "close contact" of someone at his school with Covid, so he had to quarantine and do remote learning for a couple of weeks.  A week or so after that, Nathanael got sent home because he wasn't feeling well.  He had a sore throat, body aches, and a fever, so I took him in to get tested for Covid.  He tested positive, so we tested all of the other kids.  They all tested positive except for Dominic.  The doctors think Dominic's test was probably a false negative, because he did have a sore throat and a headache.  Michael's only symptom was an altered sense of smell...he didn't lose his sense of smell, but everything smelled different and terrible, and even after a couple of months he still has not regained his normal sense of smell.  The rest of us simply had a day or two of a slight headache and a scratchy throat.  Thankfully, it was incredibly mild for all of us.  I'm guessing we must have had a very mild strain of the virus---or perhaps we are just buff and tough (ha ha).  It truly was easier than most colds or flus we've ever had.  The only inconvenience was having to do remote learning and quarantining for 2 weeks.  I also feel bad because our 3 younger kids single-handedly caused 3 entire classes at their school to do remote learning for 2 weeks (causing many of the kids to miss trick-or-treating this year...ooops) :}  But there was nothing we could do to prevent that.  Apparently kids are considered contagious 2 days prior to the onset of symptoms, so all of their classmates were considered "close contacts" even though we didn't know our kids were sick yet.  The other big bummer was that as soon as my kids were finished with their quarantine and ready to head back to school, the entire school decided to shut down for 2 1/2 weeks because so many teachers ended up getting Covid.  So my kids ended up doing nearly 5 weeks of remote learning this Fall.  It was nice to sleep in and have a more relaxed school day, but I don't think the kids learned as well as in-person learning.  They were super happy to go back and see their friends when the remote-learning period was over.

3)  HARVESTING:

Much of our Fall was spent gathering the garden harvest, and picking chokecherries and cherries for Paul's homemade winemaking hobby.  I love working in the garden, and I love having my little helpers out there with me.  

4)  BEAR TRESPASSING

Another exciting event that happened this Fall was a visit from a bear...apparently he got the memo that it was "harvest time" and came to help.  We were able to watch him for an hour or more "harvesting" our chokecherries.  He would use all of his weight to pull down a chokecherry tree, and the simply lay on it while eating all the berries he could reach.  Then he would waddle over to another tree and start the routine over again.  He didn't mind a bit that we were watching and talking and taking pictures from a safe distance away. :)

5)  BIRTHDAY BOY TURNS 10!

Our sweet Nathanael with the dimpled chin turned 10 in November and simultaneously decided he wanted to be called "Nate" from now on instead of "Natey."  Apparently turning double digits is a major coming of age experience and he wanted to put all "childish" nicknames behind him :)  I still forget and call him Natey sometimes, but he doesn't mind too much :)  

We were able to have a small party with a few of his new friends from his new school, so it was great for me to get to know his classmates and their parents a little bit.  The boys had a blast doing all the typical boy things at a party like Nerf guns, zip lining, and capture the flag---oh, and eating of course!  Here are some photos:

Happy Birthday, Nathanael!!!

This year was a WILD RIDE,

but you handled it with calm and fun and faith.

May you always handle the crazy adventures in life that way,

and may you grow closer to God every year on your adventure through life.

We love you more than all the minutes you've played Minecraft or ever will play it! :)

Love, Mom and Dad

6)  THANKSGIVING ADVENTURE

Our kids were on quarantine during Thanksgiving break, so we decided to jump in the car and head to Arizona to visit Paul's mom.  It was so much fun and we are so glad we did it.  We were able to spend quality time with Grandma Jean, visit the amazing Sonoran Desert Museum, and did some hiking in the beautiful Arches National Park near Moab, UT.  Here are some photo highlights:

Paul and his momma taking a stroll on a nature trail near her house.

The boys at Arches National Park.

The boys were excellent hikers and we were honestly thankful to have our masks

because it was so cold in the morning that they kept our faces warm.

Probably the first and the last time I'll be thankful for the mask mandate :}

Sweet Isaiah by one of the many arches in the park.

Nathanael and Isaiah pretending to sleep in one of the cool rock formations.

The boys looking through a double arch.

Many places in the park are a bit dangerous,

so I was thankful that Michael was there to help take care of his little brothers :)

A cool picture of our shadows as I was taking a picture of an arch.

This is the famous "Delicate Arch" that is pictured on the Utah license plate.

Isaiah standing by a sign explaining the ancient Ute Indian petroglyph 

which can be seen behind him in the distance.

Totus Tuus,

~Maria

New Saints to Help us in 2021

Happy New Year!

I have no grand illusions that 2021 is going to be drastically different or less crazy than 2020, but I do have hope that this new year can still be full of blessings and ever draw my family nearer to the Lord.

  

One way our family tries to draw nearer to God at the start of each new year is to draw a saint name for each person in our family.  We can call upon our special saint to intercede for us throughout the year, and try to learn more about that saint and strive to emulate their virtues.  We had 2 families join us this year for a New Year's celebration, and they also drew saint names, so that was fun to share our tradition with them.  We first learned of this tradition from the diary of St. Faustina because her convent had the beautiful tradition of drawing saint names each year.  

Here is our list of saints for 2021:

Paul:  St. Therese of Lisieux (I have to admit I'm a bit jealous that he got St. Therese because she is one of my favorite saints, but I'm glad my husband gets the opportunity to befriend her in a special way this year.)

Maria:  St. Elizabeth of Portugal (This St. Elizabeth was the niece of the more famous St. Elizabeth of Hungary.  She was a very pious queen who was given the nickname "Peacemaker" because she helped prevent a couple of wars within her family and miraculously kept peace in her marriage even though her husband was a shmuck---ie: unfaithful and had many illegitimate children.  Legend says that her faithfulness and piety eventually brought about his conversion towards the end of his life.  I can already tell she is more saintly than I'll ever be because I would have left the shmuck long before that!  I am quite sure that I have drawn this saint before, so perhaps God knows I need her intercession... Maybe she will help me stop judging all the shmucks in this world and help bring about their conversion instead?) :)  :)  :)

Joseph:  St. Ignatius of Loyola (This saint seems perfect for Joseph since both Joseph and Ignatius are goal-driven men who suffered injuries that slowed them down, changed their plans, and helped them grow in holiness.  Ignatius wanted to be a renowned soldier but got so wounded in battle that he had to give up that dream and spent his recovery time reading about the saints.  This eventually led him to his true calling of starting a religious order called the Society of Jesus.  Joseph also suffered an injury his senior year of high school that drastically changed his plans, but God used it to help him grow in holiness.  May St. Ignatius help Joseph to always keep his eyes fixed on Jesus and to trust that God's plans are always better than our own.)

Michael:  St. Valerian (This saint was a very early martyr of the Church and may have been the husband of St. Cecelia.  Legend says that St. Cecelia did not want to get married because she wanted to live a life of chastity, but her parents forced her betrothal to Valerian.  On their wedding night, St. Cecelia told Valerian that God wanted her to remain a pure virgin and that God sent an angel to protect her virginity.  Valerian asked to see the angel, but she told him he wouldn't be able to see it unless he became a Christian.  So Valerian met with a priest who explained the Christian faith to him in such a powerful way that he asked to be baptized.  He was then able to see the angel next to his pure wife and they both took a vow of chastity.  A short time later they were both martyred, along with Valerian's brother Tiburtius.  The head Roman executioner named Maximus was converted by the faith of these two martyr brothers, and he was martyred as well.  I pray that St. Valerian helps Michael become stronger in his faith and able to bravely share his faith with others like Valerian did).

Dominic:  St. Gabriel the Archangel (May this angelic saint, who is the great messenger from God in the Bible, help my son Dominic to be holy and to spread the message of the Gospel in our world that needs that message more than ever!)

Nathanael:  St. Prisca (This is a saint that I had to research because I had never heard of her.  She is one of the very early child martyrs of the church.  She was likely born to a Christian family during the reign of Claudius II and bravely refused to renounce her Christianity as a teenager.  One legend says that she was taken to the arena to be killed by lions, but the lions simply licked her feet.  But sadly, they beheaded her after the failed assasination-by-lion-attempt.  Legend tells us that after her martyrdom a giant eagle protected her body from scavengers until Christians came to give her a proper Christian burial.  I pray that Nathanael learns to stand up for his Catholic faith in all circumstances just like St. Prisca.)

Isaiah:  Joan of Arc (This young French peasant girl, who had visions of St. Michael, St. Margaret, and St. Catherine, who bravely went into battle as a teenager because she felt it was God's holy will, and who was unjustly condemned to death, is certainly going to be a powerful intercessor for our youngest son!  Isaiah already has Joan's simple yet profound faith in God.  May he become a saint like her and meet her face to face someday.)

Blessings on your New Year, and let me know if you want me to draw a saint name for you :)

Totus Tuus,

~Maria

It's the most wonderful time of the year...Merry Christmas!!!

"It's the most wonderful time of the year," just like the old song goes.  There is so much to "WONDER" about when it comes to Christmas...  To wonder at God's plan to send His divine Son into the world as a tiny baby to save us.  To wonder at the humble beginnings of the King of Kings.  To wonder how it was that even the Holy Family had to undergo very hard times.  To wonder about how God uses hard times to bring about wonderful things.  That should give all of us great hope...that God is still in the business of doing wonderful things when times are hard, and I think everyone has gone through some hard times especially this past year.  So I hope you are also experiecing some wonderful things in the midst of it all, and especially this Christmas season.

Our Christmas was quiet, simple, and yes, wonderful.  Here are just a few photos of our Christmas...and someday I'll really update my blog and put all of the Fall pictures on here (but that probably won't happen until 2021) :}

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, not even a....
mouse CAT!

Isaiah was the first one up on Christmas morning...
the first one to find the treasures in his stocking!

The 3 youngest looking through their stockings.
All 3 got new Minecraft watches.

Happy about Christmas,
happy about candy!

After opening the stocking stuffers, we went to Christmas morning Mass at the Cathedral.
It was gorgeous and peaceful.
To be honest, I was a bit sad at how peaceful and empty it was...
There was hardly anyone at Mass due to Covid :(
I guess I should be grateful that we were even able to have Mass.
Some countries like Italy shut down all Masses due to Covid.
The old saying used use to be "Keep Christ in CHRISTmas."
But now we need to say keep Mass in ChristMAS!"

Paul and I took our masks off for a brief moment to get a picture.
We couldn't' easily get a picture of the boys because 2 of them were altar serving...

So thankfully I remembered to take a quick picture when we got home from Mass.

I think this ocelot was Isaiah's favorite gift,
but he also liked his new lizard LEGO set, his Minecraft watch,
his red, white, and blue baseball glove, and his new Garfield book :)

Here is Isaiah with his new PJs...

they say "Do not MOOSE with me!" :)

Nathanael with his new shark PJs and a new rattlesnake LEGO set.

This new Hover board was definitely Dominic's favorite gift!
I love the look on Nathanael's face too :)

Dominic with his new Minecraft shirt.
He has been happy playing extra Minecraft over Christmas break.
I wonder when the younger boys will outgrow Minecraft??? :)

Michael got a foosball table that he had to spend 3 hours setting up---oops :)
He also got to go on a road trip to Bozeman with Paul to pick out a pair of hiking boots.

Here is Joseph checking out Isaiah's new glove.
Joseph also got a new pair of hiking boots at REI in Bozeman the day after Christmas.
Ever since he got home from college, he has been adventuring out in the woods.
He and Michael did 2 back-country camping/skiing adventures already,
so new boots were the perfect gift for the older boys.

As for Paul and I, we just got each other some new clothes, went out on a special date a few days after Christmas, and we took the boys to a hot springs resort for one night of fun and relaxation.  Our biggest Christmas gift was having our whole family together again with Joseph home from college and being able go to Mass together and spend family time together.  Again, it reminds me of that same song...  "Hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near...It's the most wonderful time of the year!"  Yes, God is good, all the time---even during pandemics, even during major struggles.  We just need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the reason for the season!  I hope your Christmas season was blessed and that you keep your eyes fixed on Christ in the new year ahead!

Totus Tuus,

~Maria

Summer Summary (Part Three: Catfish, College, Countless Blessings!)

Here at last, the final installment of our summer photos!  Despite the Covid 19 pandemic going on during the summer of 2020, our family still managed to have a whole lot of fun.  This group of pictures shows the final month of our summer vacation and our final days with Joseph before he headed off to college in Ohio.  

Literally 2 days after Joseph and Michael ended their baseball season, we packed up the car to head to Aberdeen, South Dakota.  Packing the car was no small feat considering we had to pack everything needed for a 2 week vacation for a family of 7... PLUS everything Joseph needed for college!  

Every summer our kids love going to grandma and grandpa's house in South Dakota.  They love playing cards with grandma, fishing with grandpa, rediscovering Storybook Land, and having fun at the lake where Uncle Mike and Aunt Shawna live...  I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story :)

Michael reeled in a whopper of a catfish at Richmond Lake!

Not sure which is more wild, Michael's hair or this giant catfish :) 

A view from Uncle Mike's deck.

This is actually the house I grew up in and the neighbors are mostly the same,

so it's always neat to catch up with them every summer when we come home.

Joseph reeling in a big one that got eventually got away.

Michael having fun on the jet ski.

Joseph enjoying some peaceful moments fishing before the chaos of college begins.

Uncle Mike taking Nathanael for a ride.

Nathanael loves the water!

I love that sweet smile! :)

Grandma and Grandpa love watching all the action!

Isaiah so happy and proud to get a ride from his big brother "Joe-Joe" :)

Joseph is such a great big brother, and I bet he's going to miss these little guys while he's away at college.

Joseph and Michael enjoyed playing some indoor and outdoor games at Uncle Mike's 

(that is, in the rare moments when they weren't fishing).

The two of them have been practically inseparable for the past 17 years,

so it will be strange for them to be apart this year.

Many, many hours were spent fishing together...

Even Grandpa and Paul enjoyed some leisure time fishing on the dock 

(although I think Paul is actually texting instead of fishing) :)

While Grandpa took some of the boys fishing, 

Grandma and I took Dominic and Isaiah to Storybook Land.  

Kids are never too old for Storybook Land! :)

Dominic and Isaiah riding the roller coaster at Storybook Land.

It's only like a 10 second, herky-jerky ride, but kids still love it! :)

I love Isaiah's face...pure joy written all over it!

Dominic gets this ride spinning so fast it even makes spectators on the ground queasy.  

Best of buds at Storybook Land!

A llama taking a siesta at the Storybook Land zoo :)

Isaiah is not scared of the "talking trees" anymore!

He sure is growing up fast!

Joseph and Nathanael showing off some walleye that they caught with Grandpa.

After an amazing few days fishing and bonding with Grandma and Grandpa, Joseph packed up again and we started the LONG road trip to Franciscan University in Ohio--28 hours total one way.  We traveled through 9 states in the process:  MT, ND, SD, MN, WI, IL, IN, WV, and OH!!!  It was a very special road trip though---it was just Paul and I and Joseph, so we really got to talk and bond with our oldest son before sending him on his college adventure.  With Covid regulations, we weren't able to take the whole family---plus, the other boys definitely wanted to keep having fun with Grandma and Grandpa instead of spending 5 extra days in the car!

This is a special picture to me.

Joseph confidently venturing on his own into the great unknown,

with a bag of clothes, a backpack of school supplies, and his guitar :)

His dorm is called Trinity Hall and it's located on the very edge of campus,

sort of tucked away in the trees off the beaten path.

It has become his home away from home.

I am so very grateful that he loves it so far at Franciscan!

He has a great roommate and has made great friends with the guys in his dorm.

There's a chapel in his dorm with Jesus in the tabernacle, which really consoles my heart. :)

Even Joseph's RA is a huge consolation to me---he is the assistant baseball coach, a theology teacher, and even discerned the priesthood for a year.  I love knowing he is surrounded by good, holy people.

We arrived a day early to walk around the campus, and I honestly have to say that it felt so peaceful and holy.  I loved the small size of the campus.  I knew Joseph would feel at home here and be surrounded with such faith-filled people that it made it easier to leave him there, even though it is so far from home.

I am so happy that Joseph loves Franciscan so far.  He especially loves playing baseball with the team every day (except Wednesdays and Sundays).  He is a pitcher for the team, which was always his favorite position and his dream to pitch in college.  My heart just overflows with joy to know that my son is happy and thriving in college.  May God continue to bless him and guide him closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus!

Paul and I both shed some tears as we said our goodbyes to Joseph...

Knowing that you're leaving your child 28 hours away from home is HAAARRRD!

He can't just pop in and visit for the weekend...it would take an airplane or a 3 day road trip to get him home!  But we truly felt intense peace and joy that overshadowed our sadness at leaving him.

We were able to go to Mass with the President of Franciscan University (Father David Pavonka), 

and you could clearly tell he was on fire with the Holy Spirit and had tremendous love for the students at FUS.  We didn't get to celebrate Mass in this beautiful church pictured above (Christ the King Chapel).  Due to Covid, we had to have Mass in the huge auditorium with everyone sitting 6 feet apart wearing masks, but it was still a beautiful experience.  Joseph is able to go to this chapel or a number of other chapels on campus to visit Jesus anytime---what a gift!  I love the large San Damiano Cross, which is now a symbol for FUS, because it is the cross that St. Francis was praying in front of when Jesus spoke to him and gave him his commission to "go and rebuild My Church" way back in 1205.

My favorite chapel at Franciscan is the Portiuncula, 

which is designed to look like the small chapel that St. Francis rebuilt

when he received the call from God to "rebuild My Church."

There is a tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament exposed for people to do perpetual adoration inside.

I sure hope Joseph goes here often to pray and find peace when life gets stressful.

Before leaving the college, I was blessed to be able to pray and entrust our son to the Blessed Virgin Mary...  What great peace to know that my son is being taken care of by such a loving mother when his own mother is too far away to take care of him anymore :)

May Our Lady, the Queen of Peace, pray for Joseph and for all of us!

We could all use an little extra peace during these crazy times :)

Totus Tuus,

~Maria