Morning Date

My friend Mandi and I went to the zoo today with our kiddos, minus one for each of us.  It was so nice to have some adult convo while the kids played and ran, or strolled in my case.  I loved talking about our family, husbands, kids, and our struggles as moms and as daughters of Christ.  It reminded me as Mandi was sharing with me her daily prayer routine, that I might be able to find a litttttle more time for prayers, novenas, mass and Rosary. 

Yesterday, a priest told me during confession that as mothers, we are the root of our home.....great, a huge ugly white thing, even tho at the present momento i feel like that.  haha....what he mean't isss that my moods, reactions, prayer life, service.....everything I do at home or away from home affects my family directly and I keep us rooted in Christ.  I can bring peace or I can bring negativity and conflict.  Its my choice.  My selfish choices always affect 3 other people at least.  

So this is my new task, to remember I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! 

Also, our 1st school picture.  He is such a ham and I am the proud mama with a key chain picture.  I even like to show people at the check out how cute my little boy is, while they are smiling at baby Gianna.....so anyway, yes I am one of those mommies:)!

And my sweet baby girl, who never cries, sleeps through the night, and is just a joy all the time. 

What just happened......

MASS
So my hubby is now in charge of projecting the music for the Lifeteen mass up on a screen in the church.  This is so great, but now it is just me, and sometimes my mom with the 2 kids during mass. Yesterday, Cross International was visiting, and we had a guest priest.  He was making lots of jokes, and everyone was laughing.  Including my 3 year old, who would hear everyone else laughing and then start laughing himself (louder than the entire congregation combined) and would keep laughing beyond the time the obvious polite laughter had died down.  This happened about 4 times in a row, and shhhh JG, we are all done laughing, was not working.  As I hold a baby in one hand, and try to calm my 3 year old with the other, mass respectfully continues on. 
Then, St. Frances Cabrini School has been AWESOME! JG at 3 knows about 10 prayers by heart, mass responses, and is learning so much each day.  I really cannot believe how much they get done with that many PreK kids, and keep their sanity.  The Our Father, comes up, JG with a huge smile grabs hands and begins praying.  Well, he doesnt talk as fast as adults, so he is about 4-5 words behind, bellowing the Our Father (again louder than the entire congregation combined).  I smile to myself, and know that Jesus is smiling too, even if everyone is staring at us in church. 
Whew, I have to go home and reread the readings because I only caught part, but my kids are going to mass every Sunday, which is whats important.
Sorry for all of you who we distract, but we are trying to keep our kids under wraps......
Exhausted as I may be, I know there are graces flowing down to us, now one day maybe mass will be relaxing where I can sit and just clothes my eyes and pray....
maybe in 10 years :)