The Car Ride

It's always amazing how quickly children can fall asleep.  Kolbe and Jozef had religious education this afternoon and on the way home (a 12 minute drive) the younger three all fell asleep in the car.

How sweet it was!

We're Back

We had a whirl-wind Thanksgiving where we visited family and friends throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Green Bay, had our family Christmas picture taken and traveled back to South Dakota.  All within 5 days.

We came home frazzled and tired, but happy to have spent the time with our friends and family.  

There's laundry to be done, trinkets and toys to sort out and put away, a truck that's been vacuumed (in 30 degree weather) and homeschooling to jump back into.  Not to mention beginning Advent!  

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!

An Appetite for Reading

The Bird's The Word

A little Thanksgiving baking.

Nutter Butter cookies, Fruit Roll-Ups, mini chocolate chips and a bit of white frosting. 

Gobble, gobble!

The finished bird.  Complete with Fruit Roll-Up feathers atop a chocolate cupcake.  I found the idea online.  We used spaghetti instead of toothpicks to hold up the feathers.

I am sure there are a few fans of Jerzy's baking skills out there.  Here's how his bird turned out. We call it a few feathers short a full tail.

The Best Brother

Jerzy came down the stairs this morning with an issue weighing heavily on his little shoulders:

Jerzy:  Mom?  Kolbe wants me to be his best brother but I am Marcel's best brother. 

Mom:  Well, they're both lucky because they both get to have you.   

Marcel:  C'mon Mom, Jerzy is total sweetness and I want him to be my best brother.  

Of all the problems in our lives, I'm thinking this is a good one to have.

Passing

It all started a few weeks ago.  Grandpa was sick in the hospital.  He has had a rough number of years, but this time felt different.  And we are here, in South Dakota, 10-hours away.

I never had a close relationship with my Grandpa.  However, I did want to travel to Michigan to support my Mom.  Sacrificing and learning to become a "self-gift" is one of this goals I have for myself and my family.

We decided to drive to Michigan and Nate would come back to SD to work for the week.  Each day I would help where I could and each night I tried to visit with Grandpa at the hospital.  We talked a bit and we prayed together.  In the end, I tried to remain in the background.  After all, another of my life-rules is that this life is not about me.  This time was about my Grandpa suffering and, God-willing going to heaven.  It was about those that truly loved and cared for this man taking this time to let him know.  It was about quietly praying for his soul.

At the end of the first week, Grandpa was still in the hospital and I had plans for Nate to drive us back to SD.  Then, Grandpa took a turn for the worse and we decided to stay one more day.  Then, in the early morning hours, he passed away.  My Mom felt blessed to be at the hospital with him and praying for him.

Then came time for funeral arrangements and stories about my Grandpa and the blessing he was to our family and simply being together.  It is amazing and unfortunate that death truly pulls people together.  Why don't we feel that pull at other times?  Why does it take a person passing from this world into the next in order for us to truly value those we love?

The visitation and funeral were very nice.  What a blessing it was to me to be at his funeral and truly pray for his soul.  What a beautiful thing a Catholic funeral is.

For some weeks prior to all of this I was planning to host a Halloween party.  However, every time I mentioned the party or sat down to begin filling out the invitations, something told me not to.  I never did write them out.  Now I know why.  I think God was preparing me in the beginning of October to let go of these passing things.  Rather He wanted me to go to Michigan to work and pray and love.  And, so I did.