Christmas Catch-up

It's happened again. I'm behind with the blog. I didn't have much time for blogging in GA. We spent a lot of time visiting with family. I don't like to spend time on the iPad blogging when there are people around whom we only see once or twice a year. Once we got home, we spent a few days sick with a stomach bug, and then I had so many pictures to go through that its taken me all week to be ready for a post. So, now I'm ready to catch up!

Visiting my Grandmother at her Assisted Living home

 

Everyone loved spending time with Baby Jude!

Baby Jude got plenty of kisses!

 

 

So cute in his Christmas shirt!

 

Time with family!

 

All the grandkids dressed up for Christmas Eve Mass!

 

The 8 of us after Christmas Eve Mass

 

 

 

Christmas morning! (Too early for camera flash, I guess)

 

 

 

 

Lots of stockings!

 

 

 

Baby Jude with the bear that his oldest cousin crocheted for him

 

Enjoying Christmas toys

 

Super cute in his new monkey hat!

On December 26, we all went to the Tellus Science museum in Cartersville.

Baby Jude happily wrapped on his mamma's back!

 

Digging for fossils

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uncle Robert thought the words "Touch this if You Dare!" And "Then lift" all referred to the fossil. The fossil is well stuck to the board, so no harm was done, but we did have a good laugh!

Cati celebrated her 10th birthday on New Years! She decided to bake and decorate her own cake this year. No complaints from me!

 

 

Cati's Godmother came to see us the day before we returned home. It was wonderful to see her! Due to illness, all of our plans to see other friends while in GA fell through :(

 

Also due to illness, we didn't get around to making Christmas cookies until this past Thursday and Friday! It was a lot of fun, and it was a good way to remember that it was still the Christmas season.

 

 

Chiara enjoyed the cookies much more than this picture implies

 

Please ignore the November calendar on the wall behind Maria. I have updated the calendar so that we are all ready for school tomorrow. :)

Maria was the only one to stick with the Christmas theme with her cookies

 

We had a great Christmas season (except for a few illnesses that were wide spread this year!) and I hope you did, too! Now we're ready to jump back into the routine tomorrow!

 

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Enjoying Vacation!

We survived the trip to GA! It was twelve hours of chatting, snacking, singing, fussing, and simple endurance. Maria and Cati always take the opportunity of isolation from all information sources to ask me all kinds of questions that I don't know the answers to: How did the U.S. flag develop? What was the South like after the Civil War? The Battle of Chattanooga! What was that? (Just a few samples.). Singing was the best cure for Giuseppe's fussiness, so we sang lots of Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, Itsy-bitsy Spider, and Are you Sleeping (in Italian and in rounds!).

Friday, we unpacked and rested. We enjoyed a good time playing outside. My parents have a nice big yard to run around and play and the weather is so nice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were supposed to visit with friends today, but unfortunately, we are starting to come down with an upper respiratory infection that my dad has had. Three of the kids started running fevers around bedtime last night. Hopefully, we will get over this in time for Christmas in a little more than a week.

But, everyone is still enjoying their day: Maria and Grandma are making doll clothes, Chiara is enjoying about her hundredth mandarin orange, Matteo and Cati are enjoying Garfield comics, Giuseppe is rummaging through one of Grandma's drawers, Elena's playing tea party, and Dany's getting ready to enjoy some hot wings and the Falcons game with my Dad. Now, I get to go join the fun!

Happy Gaudete Sunday, everyone!

 

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7 Quick Takes, vol. 6

--- 1 ---

It's definitely the pre-Christmas season. The kids are getting more hyper everyday! At least I've done this enough times to know what to expect. We've kinda been doing minimal schooling including math, Latin, history/science reading, and editing the kids's NaNoWriMo stories. We've been using the rest of our time to work on Christmas gifts. We mailed the ones for Italy this week!

--- 2 ---

Speaking of Christmas gifts, I'm really happy with the work the kids have put into their gifts! I can't help but to give a little sneak peak :)

 

--- 3 ---

Matteo's NaNoWriMo story is done and edited to his liking!

--- 4 ---

Cute baby picture of the week:

Giuseppe LOVES to play outside!

--- 5 ---

We had a great time this afternoon/evening at St. Vincent. We participated in a procession for Our Lady of Guadalupe (this feast isn't until next week, but since they are having finals next week, I guess it was best to combine this with the vigil of the feast of the Immaculate Conception). Then, we went to the Vigil Mass, which was mostly in Spanish. This was my first Spanish Mass, and it was very enjoyable. Then, they had a Mexican-themed dinner in the cafeteria. Everyone found something yummy to eat!

Preparing for the procession

 

--- 6 ---

We think that learning to square numbers in your head makes for an entertaining dinner activity.

--- 7 ---

We are looking forward to enjoying the Feast day tomorrow and continuing the prayerful preparations of the Advent season! I hope you are, too!

 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

 

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A Special Picture

This morning Elena drew a picture for Dany.

Elena's portrait of Dany

 

She said that it was a picture of him and that he had to bring it to Mass and show it to the priest. Good father that he is, Dany complied.

It so happened that there was a retired priest filling in for the regular one for the noon Mass today. This priest has a special story. He was once married with eight children. But, his wife died of Alzheimer's at an early age. After nursing her through the illness and raising their children, he went to the Bishop and offered the remaining years of his life as a priest. He quit his job as a computer programmer and went through the seminary. I don't know how long he's been ordained. I just know that right now he is retired from full-time ministry and fills in for priests around the diocese as needed.

Well, it was this priest who said Mass today, and Dany showed him Elena's picture since he knew he would appreciate the work of a little child. The priest even wrote a little note on her picture!

 

Sweet story, huh?

 

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Another Cati Creation

Cati loves to create, especially 3-D items. I intentionally keep old cardboard boxes around and plenty of tape! Here is something she made today.

 

It's a "house" for her dragon. She has quite a fascination with dragons right now. The main character of her NaNoWriMo story was a dragon and her favorite book series right now is How to Train Your Dragon. I love her active imagination and creativity!

 

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