Michaelmas

Today was the Feast of the Archangels.    It was traditionally a day for St. Michael, Michaelmas, but now we celebrate Gabriel and Raphael on September 29th as well.  We had a nice time coloring some pictures, reading stories about the angels, and making devil's food cake cupcakes and putting "St. Michael's sword" in them.  :)

We couldn't find the little plastic cocktail swords so we used bamboo knot picks from World Market instead.  I think they looked like swords.  :)   The boys were very dramatic and saying "aaaaahaaaa!" as they put them in.

Notice Tuck's football helmet in no way impeded his ability to smear chocolate all over his face.  No indeed!  :)

He has discovered football and wears that helmet all the time.  He, Daddy and Marc play in the front yard all the time now.  Tucker has a trick "spin move" to get away.  Sometimes he spins continually right into the end zone.  We call that the tornado.  :)

In totally unrelated news, we taught Marc's Sunday School class on Sunday because his teacher was out.   We are glad they are still at an age where they don't mind us teaching their friends.  :)

 After the lesson the teacher had left instructions for them to put on a play.  As soon as we suggested it they all jumped up, assigned parts, got costumes, rehearsed and did it great!  They obviously have a lot of practice at this.  This particular play was Noah's ark- Marky was God.  :)

A perfect day...

Today was just a wonderful, amazing day!  We got up early and went to Marc's 8:30 flag football game.  Then we came home and organized the summer/fall clothes and successfully transitioned 3 out of 4 children.  :)  Then we went to my one of my favorite places- the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacramaent-

There are many reasons to love the Shrine- the main being that it is a place of perpetual worship of God and is filled with peace and solace.  It's like being in a foreign country- there are acres and acres of nothing but rolling hills and mountains.  You hear the church bells, you hear the cloistered nuns singing heavenly tunes.  And of course, my sweet angel Michael is buried there- we visited him today.

Today was "Family Day" at the Shrine.  It is put on by some local Sisters and Brothers/Priests, not Mother Angelica's cloistered nuns.  They began the day with Mass, lunch, a healing service, games and songs, and family rosary before evening prayer.  It was so much fun.  The children had the best time and loved running around and laughing with the Sisters.  Tucker has been singing "I want to walk, walk, walk in the light...." ever since.

Charlie falls down more than any little guy I know.  We have to nurse injuries everywhere we go!

Marc doing a relay race-

Sissy always wants to go see the horses.  There were about five grazing in the middle of a big field and she said, "oh, I wish that little appaloosa would come over to me- he's my favorite" and he turned his head and ran to the gate to see her.  (I'd never heard the term appaloosa) :)  God's horses love Sissy.  :)

 

And she gave him her apple from the picnic basket-

Tucker and Charlie spontaneously prayed walking by a crucifix-

"We love you, Jesus"

Towards the end of the afternoon we all gathered to pray a rosary.  They had several big families come out carrying balloons representing the beads of the rosary with written prayer intentions attached to them (Catholics have large families- our little family of six seemed tiny!).  :)  Then they tied the ribbons together and after the prayer was over let them go-

It was truly magnificent to see our prayers ascend!  Everyone cheered!

 

Thank you, Lord, for this day of renewal!  We love You and Your Church!  Amen.

Friday

The army has the Green Berets- my home is guarded by the green t-shirts-

We have had a great week.  This weather is amazing!  We sit on the porch every day and read, read, read.  We've read all about ancient Egypt and the Rosetta stone and animal habitats and saints.  I love it!  We had a little celebration for today's saints- Cosmas and Damian.   There is a great story about them in Once Upon a Time Saints.

Equestrian girl and fruit bouquets

I got a few shots of Sissy when I picked her up from lessons today.  

And we have the sweetest neighboors ever.  They get sent food all the time and they almost always send it to us!  We loved this fruit bouquet!

Not even five minutes later..... :)

Sunday pics and Little Flowers

Here are a few pics from after church today-

Today we started back with Little Flowers.  This year we are learning the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit.  The girls are so sweet and precious.  I thank God so much for giving Julia such SWEET and kind friends.  We studied the life of St. Teresa of Avila.  She is a Doctor of the Church because of her extensive writings.  She is particularly known for her prayer life and great humility as well as her mystical experiences.

We talked about her prayer life and how prayer is about speaking and more importantly listening to God.

While the girls colored her image I read about her life from this book-

St. Teresa of Avila has many famous quotes-

"I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him."

"Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices."

"There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers."

“Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life, which is short and has to be lived by you alone; and there is only one Glory, which is eternal. If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing. “

"Christ has no body now, but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth, but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which
Christ looks compassion into the world.
Yours are the feet
with which Christ walks to do good.
Yours are the hands
with which Christ blesses the world."

And my very favorite quote is this poem/prayer that she wrote:

Majestic sovereign, timeless wisdom,
your kindness melts my hard, cold soul.

Handsome lover, selfless giver,
your beauty fills my dull, sad eyes.

I am yours, you made me.

I am yours, you called me.

I am yours, you saved me.

I am yours, you loved me.

I will never leave your presence.

Give me death, give me life.

Give me sickness, give me health.

Give me honor, give me shame.

Give me weakness, give me strength.

I will have whatever you give.

We talked about Who the Holy Spirit is and how we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit at baptism.  We talked about symbols of the Holy Spirit (dove, flame, etc) and what they remind us of.  We then talked about the gift of Wisdom and how its the first among the gifts.  We talked about Solomon and how he desired wisdom above all things and how wisdom is different from intelligence.   I read to them about the gift of Widom.  

When they completed their album pages they had cookies and water and then played Simon Says to help get to know each other (we have a few new girls).  

Such a sweet time with the most precious little girls!