Mommy & Daughter Hair Day

My hair has grown very long these days.  I was determined to keep it long.  Actually, I like it long.  But then Helena came to visit, and she said that I needed some style.  I started to have a difficult time with that....but why?  I was starting to become too attached to my long hair.  Well, it was time to let it go then!  Therefore, we made a fun day of it.  Magdalene needed her hair cut as well so we had a fun day!

Helena and I were amazed by how easy it was for Magdalene to get her hair cut.

The hair stylist asked us which one would like to go first, and before we knew it, Magdalene ran to the swivel chair to get her hair cut.  We mentioned she would get a princess hair cut, and she was beaming!

 "Goodbye hair!"  She actually said this while the lady was cutting her hair.

 What a cutie!  If you know the American Girl Dolls, my sister and I believe Magdalene looks a lot like Kit.

Mommy and Magdalene sharing our first haircut together.  I love spending time with you, Magdalene.  You may be growing fast, but more importantly, you are growing into the such a kind and loving little girl.

Breakfast....and Baby Mena Joins Us!!

We made some special treats for the feast of St. Nicholas.  Daddy showed Magdalene and Tobias how he used to eat those treats as a breakfast cereal.  The kids were excited!  We called the treats Crispy Crosses.  

 Now Philomena  didn't get a chance to eat Crispy Crosses, but she did enjoy eating some bananas.

 Don't mind the paint peeling in the background.  I decided to take that paint off, because it always chips!  Now I'm going to use a chalkboard paint so the kids can do something fun in the kitchen while I cook.

Yes, you are absolutely adorable!!!

Vavo's Box of Fun Clothes!

We have three models showing the wonderful treasures Vavo sent us.  We thank you tremendously!  Mommy and Daddy love all the fun things to wear.

All Saint's Day 2013

Just another day in the Jacobs household....well....not quite.  It's not just another day, but a holy and fun day for our family!  We first started off our day by attending Mass in Winona.  The children loved the singing!  

Magdalene was told three hints as to who her saint would be that day.  We wanted her to be interested in learning about the special saint so we picked a queen.  "Magdalene, your saint was a queen."  She beamed and got really excited.  Later on in the morning after Mass, she received her second clue.  "Magdalene, your saint was kind and generous.  She gave food to the people."  Her last clue was, "Magdalene, your saint was a mommy."   I won't tell you just yet who she was.  Imagine a picture of her below holding a basket of food.  (We forgot the basket at home so it's not in the pictures).  

Normally, I just like to help plan the outfits and make sure everyone is set to go for All Saint's Day, but I decided to be a bit creative this year.  

Here's a clue:  I was a mother of four children.  There's a famous picture of this saint holding her child with a white bonnet.  I tried to look as Italian as I could be in this picture.  I didn't even put makeup on to be as authentic as I could be.  How brutal.....

I also have a doctor's instrument in Philomena's hand.  Who am I?

It's so nice to have a brother who actually wears cassocks.  Jordan's costume this year was easy to get!

Here's Tobias!  We wanted to include his fabulous outfit my Dad got him so we came up with this.

Okay....any guesses.  I just wanted to make sure you had time to guess.

Magdalene portrayed St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
I was St. Gianna Molla.
Jordan was St. Francis Xavier, and Tobias was a Blessed Thomas Tsugi.

We hope you had a blessed All Saint's Day.  

Our Little Blessings

This past week has been filled with so many emotions.   Jordan and I were faced with what many parents can face....the illness of a child.  It's not something we want to face very often, but we depended on each other for love, support, and reminded each other of our faith. 

God's holy will be done.  Not our will but Yours.  

Tobias and Magdalene missed each other greatly.  It's not often I can get a photo of the three of them.  Magdalene wanted Philomena to lay next to her, and then Tobias came over and wanted some love too.  How sweet!  

Our three greatest treasures

Deo Gratias!

Well...2012 ended with Jordan and I contracting the flu within hours of each other.  I thought it was still part of my morning sickness with Philomena, but when Jordan started to get sick we knew it was something more.  We have never really had to deal with sick children until 2013 hit.  Oh wow....we have learned that we are definitely not in control.  Coughs, colds, IV fluids...oh my!  And yet through it all, we thank God for all He has given us.  Why would we thank God when we are sick?  God is all-knowing and all-loving.  Thank you dear Lord for our times of trial this year.  We may not know the reason for these trials, but we do thank you for giving us the fortitude to endure them.

Tobias has had to endure more medical interventions than our other children.  He was placed in the NICU as a baby, and this past week, we had to rush him to the hospital.  He has been wheezing on and off the past week..  He was checked out and seemed to have been improving.  Over the weekend, his wheezing came back.  He woke up in the middle of the night, and we had to rush him to the hospital.  Jordan drove, Magdalene was chattering like usual (keep in mind this is 5 in the morning), Philomena is sleeping (Thank you, Jesus!), and I was holding Tobias while he had a difficult time breathing.  We didn't follow the precautions of car seats on this drive.  We thought he would be able to breathe better if I held him.  

We were scared.  This was Tobias' third wheezing episode within a few months, and now he is struggling to breathe.  Jordan got us safely and quickly to the hospital, and they started an IV and ran a chest x-ray.  The hospital felt that Convenant would be a better fit for Tobias.  

Jordan was laying next to Tobias on his bed helping him while I tended to the other two.  When we heard that Tobias would need to transfer to Covenant, we resigned to God's holy will.  Tobias is only 21 months old, and he has been on now two ambulance rides.  We were not allowed to ride in the back with him so I started to panic in my mind.  Oh no....he's going to cry and it's going to make him labor in his breathing.  I caught sight of some Thomas the Train engine stickers in the room, and placed them on his car seat.  The ambulance crew strapped his car seat on the stretcher (whatever it is), and then Jordan and I said to Tobias, "Oh Tobias, you are going on a train ride.  It's so exciting."  He seemed to be excited.  "Look!  Now we're going through the tunnel.  Yeah!"  He seemed to be so distracted by this "train ride" that we took off immediately to meet up with him.  The crew said he was so delightful, and he seemed to be pretty excited during the ride.  Thank you, Jesus!

When we arrived at the hospital, the nurse was wearing a Dora and Boots shirt.  Oh wow, that made his day.  They were so kind to Tobias.   We weren't sure how long he would have to stay, but the doctor said be prepared for a week.  We knew we didn't have any options as to who would stay with Tobias during the night.  I had to tend to Philomena, and I couldn't meet both Tobias' needs and Philomena's by myself.  Jordan was the primary caretaker of Tobias, and he did a wonderful job.  He truly is my hero!  

I would visit with Jordan most of the day, and then head back to provide normalcy for Magdalene.  Deo Gratias!  Now Tobias is home with us.  The doctor explained to us that it was some kind of virus.  Virus.  You know what....I really, really dislike that word.   

One thing does trouble us.  One of the respiratory therapists mentioned that her daughter has been suffering from wheezing bouts for two years now.  Is that Tobias' future?  He has already had three wheezing episodes.  We do not know, but we will place our trust in God and He will help us tend to Tobias' needs.   

Let's just say...it was so good to cuddle with my little man.  Oh, how I missed him.  And it was nice to hug my husband, my hero.  

Here is a trip down memory lane with Tobias:  

"Hi!  It's my first time Christmas caroling!"

First Thanksgiving

Standing up...and he still makes that expression!

Little Brother & Big Sister

Tobias in womb

Tobias in the hospital

"Hi baby!"

Tobias and Daddy

Tobias' home away from home

Showing Sissy all the cool toys in the play room.

"Thanks.  I'll drive."