We traveled nearly 3500 miles, visited lots of places and friend, got the stomach bug, and most importantly, played in snow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our trip started on Christmas night, we drove through the night to St. Louis, where we stopped and went to Mass with the Poor Clares of Belleville, Illiniois. A friend of Joshua’s from many years ago is a sister there and we were blessed with a short 5 minute visit with her, but it was wonderful and grace filled!

 

 

We then headed across the river to St. Louis,  stopping to see the Arch, we didn’t go up this time, but toured the museum below and got our National Parks Passport stamped. We’ve been up to the top of the Arch before, when Karol was just over a year old. He didn’t believe us and I know now if we went up, he’d freak out and not in a good way.

 

 

 

After the Arch we headed over to the Cathedral of St. Louis. Wow, just wow. If you haven’t been, I recommend going, it’s beautiful!

After our trip to the Cathedral, we headed back across the river to visit the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George and another sister Joshua has known for a long time. Let me just tell you, Margaret was in nun heaven!

That evening we headed to Columbia, Missouri, where we spent the night and well, pretty much crashed from our very long day of traveling.

 

 

The next morning we were ready to head to Iowa, but first we needed to stop and make good food choices at 1030 in the morning. (We also picked up some White Castles for my Uncle Mike who, sadly, doesn’t live near one.)

 

 

We headed north to Iowa, and stopped in the small town of Leon, where my father’s parents are buried. I am sure they loved that their great-grand children were playing in snow for the first time, near the foot of their graves. This is also where Benedict faceplanted in the snow, as he has no idea how to walk in the stuff.

The weather was warm that day, in the 40s, and the snow was melting, so we didn’t really need coats, just long sleeves.

That night we spent with friends we know who live in Des Moines and stayed up late, drank wine, discussed our faith, prayed together, laughed together, talked about natural foods, and contemplated a move to Des Moines.

The next day, we went to lunch at my cousin’s house where we were able to catch up with a good chunk of my Iowa family. Then we headed to to my uncle’s house for dinner with him, my aunt, and another cousin. Of course, I never think to take pictures, but the memories are sweet.

The next morning we went to Mass with our friends and then hit the road for La Crosse, Wisconsin and the Logues!

 

 

This is what the weather was like the entire time we were in La Crosse and I loved it!

 

 

Scholastica loved it too, as you can see, she didn’t feel she needed much in the way of clothes.

 

 

New Year’s Eve, half of the Facefamily were down for the count, with the Providence Plague (thanks, Andrea) so Joshua stayed with those kids while I headed to the Logue New Year’s Eve party. This is us getting ready to sing the Te Deum, shortly before midnight.

 

 

Here is a view from the apartment we stayed it, it was beautiful. La Crosse has bluffs, so there were lots of hills and the Mississippi River goes right through the city as well, it’s in the picture somewhere. I’d move to La Crosse if I could, it was that awesome.

 

 

Martin and Karol playing battleship together and acting like they’ve never been apart!

 

 

This is how Andrea spent most of the time while we were there. No, she was just recovering from a late night, early Mass, and someone throwing up during that Mass.

Once we recovered from the plague, it was time to hit the road. Our next stop was the Far West Suburbs of Chicago…

 

Home of this stuff. I will be ordering it on line. It is awesome, spicy, and delicious.

 

 

We also celebrated Karol’s 8th birthday with our friend Kelly. She made him a cake and let the kids decorate it.

The next morning we were to head to Indiana and spend the day and night, then go to Mass, however the Polar Vortex was coming, so we had to adapt our plans a little bit.

 

We went to Lafayette, spent time with Karol’s godmother, and Caecilia’s godparents, then headed to Mass.  I miss St. Boniface. After Mass we headed to Joshua’s sister’s house for dinner, ate, then at 10pm hit the road for Michigan, to get ahead of the Storm.

We hit some snow and the normally five hour drive took nearly seven. Then we almost hit a herd of deer standing in the middle of M53, just two miles north of my parents house. Our guardian angels watched over us that day.

We made it though, got the kids in the house, then went back to sleep for a few more hours.

 

 

Over the next day or so, the temps dropped below zero and the windchills were -35 at times. The kids went out for 15 minutes though, and had a great time.

 

The snow in spots were up to their hips (and as of right now, it is 2.5 feet deep with another close to foot coming this week for them!)

 

 

The van, covered in snow. The neighbor from across the street was snowblowing the neighborhood!

 

Margaret isn’t too sure about the cold and spent a lot of time warming up. Because of the cold and the snow, school was cancelled for three days while we were there, so we weren’t able to see my other sisters much, as they were snowed in or the roads were too bad to get out and go to them, but we were able to visit for a few moments with most everyone.

 

Then we ate some food, lots of food. In this picture, Karol is eating a taco shell full of lettuce, like a small sized salad amount of lettuce. He sure does like his veggies.

 

 

After leaving Michigan, we headed south and drove through Marion, Ohio, where Caecilia was born and baptized. We were able to stop in the church for a few moments to pray and then headed on our way to see this guy:

 

Margaret’s godfather hosted us at his rectory, for dinner and games.

 

 

And let me tell you, this pizza was fantastic. I want more now. Right now.

 

 

Our last night of vacation was spent in Columbus, Ohio, with good friends, good conversation, and good food.

We also had one final stop, at the Pontifical College Josephinum to see our seminarian friend, then we headed home.

While on our trip, Scholastica cut her first tooth, Karol turned 8 and Margaret turned 7, I got to see the place where I met Joshua for the first time, nearly 11 years ago. We got to visit the place we were married (and where two of our kids were baptized) and spend a lot of time talking with family and friends. It was a long trip, two and a half weeks, but I’d get back in the van today to do it all over again! (Perhaps next time without the Plague.)

1. Yesterday, in case you missed it., yesterday was the last day of the reign of Pope Benedict XVI. I don’t think anyone could have missed it, but in the event that you did, here is a nice link with images of the last moments. 
2. I’ve been trying to come up with ideas for quick, yet healthy snacks for the kids (and for me). I made these for the Scout pack meeting on Tuesday, and found them to be pretty darn good, so they will be added to the mix of snacks for us. I doubled the recipe, the used store bought whole wheat flour, because I have some that needs to be used up and only used a cup of oats, because  I used whole oats. They turned out very well and received rave reviews from everyone who ate them. I came across this recipe this morning and hope to make them soon!
3. Have you ever had a week of non-success in the kitchen? I did last week, so this week, when my rye bread, cookies, pretzels, and on the fly spaghetti sauce turned out well this week, I was thrilled. My spaghetti sauce was made yesterday, with meat, something I seldom do. I forgot to thaw out hamburger and kept putting it off. Then it was 430 and I didn’t have anything started yet. Crud. I ended up taking a packet of ground beef, putting it in a saucepan, pouring a can of pureed tomatoes on top, adding chopped onions and peppers, and some seasonings. I put the lid on the pan, then came back every 10 minutes or so to stir and to chop up the meat. In the end, it turned out wonderfully! I used elbow noodles in place of regular spaghetti noodles and it for some reason, it was just a joy to eat dinner last night.
4. Margaret knows how to read, now. Last night, during Compline, she read the reading all on her own (well with a little help from me with a word or two.)
5. Karol lost his first tooth yesterday! He is seven and I thought he’d never lose a tooth, now he has and he looks quite different already! (Well when he smiles anyway.) He was very confused this morning as to why he had two quarters under his pillow this morning.
6. The pinewood derby is this weekend. There was supposed to be a camp out, but because of all the rain (nearly 9 inches here!)  the camp out was cancelled, but the derby will still happen on Saturday. Karol and Joshua have been working hard on the car and making it look nice. The car is awesome and I can’t wait to see it race!
7. The Wings are on television this weekend! With the nifty antenna Joshua made for me, I’ll be able to watch it again. Then we are having dinner with friends after. I am looking forward to a nice Sunday.

 

1. The time of the baby is drawing near! We have settled on baby names as well and have godparents! The baby naming took a bit of time, and since we are convinced we are having a girl, I figured we needed a solid boys name as well, because I just know if we don’t we will have a boy. If found out in the discussion of names that Joshua wasn’t sold completely on the middle name for a girl, so we discussed that and changed it. They are solid names, I promise and no, we don’t share before the birth.
2. I’ve had hives since Wednesday. There isn’t much I can do for them, except monitor them and take allergy medication if they get annoying. They aren’t too bad this morning, but if I stand for too long, they flare up on my legs. I imagine that is because of blood moving there? Who knows. All I know is that I want them to go away and I’m not very good at offering up all over pain. 🙁
3. The items I ordered from Target and Amazon are either here or on their way. I also ordered a few more supplies for the birth, mostly post birth things we will need.
4. I had an appointment with my midwife on Monday and all is well. The baby’s heart rate is around 130, my blood pressure is good, and everything else looks wonderful! Now if these hives would just go away.
5. I’ve posted before about my nursing issues, that I don’t produce milk, and I have to supplement. I joined an online support group, mainly for help in using the Lact-Aid I bought, but I’ve found the women to be very helpful. I long ago moved on from the sorrow of not being able to fully nurse my babies, but sometimes it is nice to hear from other women who have had this problem. We are 99.9% sure I have this. It is rare, thankfully, but something that even lactation consultants aren’t really aware of.
6. Is anyone else having sticker shock at the gas pump? Between loss of the Social Security tax holiday and the increase in gas prices, our budget is pretty tight. I am thankful for Joshua’s job and for the side work I do for his company as well. I am also thankful for Impressus Art, because even if it doesn’t make us rich, it provides when we need it. (And shameless plug, if you know a seminarian who is being ordained this year, or know a couple who is getting married, we do holy cards, invitation, and programs.)
7. In less than a week, we will be saying our final goodbyes to Pope Benedict XVI. Today, on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, let us pray for our Holy Father and for the yet unknown, future Pope.

Long live the Pope! His praises sound again and yet again:
His rule is over space and time; His throne the hearts of men:
All hail! The Shepherd King of Rome, The theme of loving song:
Let all the earth his glory sing, And heav’n the strain prolong.
Let all the earth his glory sing, And heav’n the strain prolong.

Beleaguered by the foes of earth,  Beset by hosts of hell,
He guards the loyal flock of Christ, A watchful sentinel:
And yet, amid the din and strife, The clash of mace and sword,
He bears alone the shepherds staff, This champion of the Lord,
He bears alone the shepherds staff, This champion of the Lord.

His signet is the Fisherman’s; No sceptre does he bear;
In meek and lowly majesty He rules from Peter’s Chair:
And yet from ev’ry tribe and tongue, From clime and zone,
Three hundred million voices sing, The glory of his throne,
Three hundred million voices sing, The glory of his throne,

Then raise the chant, with heart and voice, in church and school and home:
“Long live the Shepherd of the Flock! Long live the Pope of Rome!”
Almighty Father, bless his work, Protect him in his ways,
Receive his pray’rs, fulfil his hopes and grant him “length of days,”
Receive his pray’rs, fulfil his hopes and grant him “length of days.”

 

For more 7 Quick Takes, check out Jennifer’s blog.

 

1. I’m back, I think I can do this! 🙂

2. The birth kit stuff has arrived as well as my Lact-Aid (two days after I placed the orders!!) I haven’t actually opened the Lact-Aid yet, but I have pretty much figured out how to put it together, thanks to youtube. The other day I was thinking this baby doesn’t feel like he/she is coming anytime soon, but last night, there was a lot of moving as the baby reminded me that time for his/her debut was nearing. I am sure the baby has dropped as I’ve increased my trips to the bathroom.

3. Tomorrow we have a planned trip to Target, to pick up odds and ends for the baby and the house. Margaret needs yard shoes again. The girl is so quiet about her needs, she didn’t tell me that her yard work shoes are missing the top. I don’t know how it happened, but noticed it last weekend, so they need to be replaced.

4. I washed a load of diapers last night. To be honest, Benedict is mostly potty trained, so this chore is done very rarely now. Somehow, though, a crayon got into the load. Let me tell you, that was fun to find in the dryer this morning. Thankfully it was just the diapers and a few covers and not Joshua’s work clothes, which were the load before. I got most of the crayon cleaned out though.

On the bright side of all of this, the diapers were the last load I needed to wash and all the laundry is done and folded. Well, insofar as the laundry is “done”.

5. Tonight we are going to Mass, then staying for stations and confession. There is a chance for adoration as well, but I am not sure if we will be able to stay for much of that, because of the little ones. My goal this Lent is to make a Holy Hour with the two older kids. My prayer intentions for this evening will be for our Holy Father.

6. Have I mentioned that we bought more chickens? We ordered 15 baby chicks and they’ve been camping out in the toy room since January. We lost one yesterday, just a bit sickly, and died during the evening. Karol was sad, but part of the reason we have chickens is to help the kids learn about life and death. One of our outdoor chickens was not accounted for one day last week when and did not make it back in the coop. Sadly we found that on the next morning, the victim of a wild animal. So we are down to 9 layers and a rooster, plus the ones in the house.

7. I blogged about this giveaway yesterday, check it out!

For more 7 Quick Takes, check out Jennifer’s blog.

1. Hey, lookie me, I’m trying this out.

2. I am now 34 weeks along (we think) and am preparing for the arrival of this little one. For me it means pulling out the bin of newborn boy and newborn girl clothes and keeping them close at hand, making sure the homebirth supplies are here and accounted for, and trying not to freak out over the idea of labor. I will also be needing to wash the newborn diapers and reorganize the changing table. We are going to move that to the hallway upstairs then put the cradle in our room. I have also realized that we will need a naptime place for NewBaby, so I will set the pack n play up in the office, so I can be close at hand, but the baby can be safe from loving siblings.

3. Speaking of new baby, as I’ve discussed in previous posts, I do not produce enough milk to feed my babies. I’ve been reviewing my options this this baby and have decided to go with a different supplementing system this time around. I am also blessed with a milk donor as well. This will make our dependence on formula less, which is good, both because of the benefits of breastmilk as well as the cost benefit of not having to buy formula.

4. This Sunday we are (finally) having our Fish Taco cook off with Joshua’s boss. We’ve only had this idea for nearly two years now and planned a few times, only to have something come up.  I plan on winning, but I will tell you that my attention will be elsewhere as the Wings are on national television this Sunday and I have priorities people*. Hockey will almost always win out. 😉 No, I have a plan, I won’t cook the fish until we get to their house, I will make the tortillas during one intermission and roll them out and cook them during the next intermission. The sauce can be made ahead of time, so I am good there. I’ll let you know how it all turns out.

*Joshua is building an antenna for me, so I can watch the game, as we don’t actually get any channels on our computer/television.

5. This morning Joshua asked me if I was finally able to get to sleep. I went to bed at a decent hour (1030) but tossed and turned for a good part of the night. If it wasn’t just needing to roll over (which now requires being somewhat awake to do), it was itchy feet and legs, or the need to visit the bathroom. Any suggestions on itchy feet and legs in pregnancy?

6. When we were sick in January, I did all sorts of research on supplements and how to make our diet healthier without breaking the bank. Since I do almost all the cooking at home and we use the best ingredients for our budget, I was thinking vitamins. We started with adding vitamin D3, and I started taking a pro-biotic as well. We seem to be doing well, but mostly I am happy to say I’ve not missed a single day of popping my vitamins. I have also added red raspberry leaf and a calcium-magnesium supplement as well. The kids have done a great job of adapting to taking their vitamin and take it with no problems. I’ve actually had to tell Benedict no a few times when he asks for seconds!

7. Our co-op order is due on Monday. I love the co-op we use to get our wheat and grains. $40 for a 50 pound bag of organic hard white wheat? Yes, ma’am! That will last me about four months and that $40 is what I would probably spend on flour at the store in the same time period. Each quarter we add something else to our order, aside from the wheat. Last quarter it was oats, corn (for cornmeal), and beans. This time, we will order brown rice, yogurt starter, and probably kefir grains.

For more 7 Quick Takes, check out Jennifer’s blog.