Moving Mena!

Favorite Liners of the Week

There are times I wish I could just write every cute moment that happens, but I have resigned myself that that would be impossible.  I will try to capture weekly highlights so I can reread this blog one day and remember those precious moments.

Tobias just sang Silent Night to me.  He has a beautiful voice.  I definitely teared up when he was done singing to me.

Now on to a funny moment with Tobias early in the morning.

Me: Tobias, don't you want to take your pjs off?
T: No.
Me. Are you going to wear them all day?
T: I'm wearing them alllllll dayyyy. 

Well, I guess that lightens my laundry load for the day. 

Dancing Philomena!

Here is some amusement for your day.  The kids love listening to Christmas music all year long, but I thought we would retire the music for Lent.  Here is baby Philomena showing her dance moves to the music.  Too funny!

  Philomena loves balloons!

 Thank you, Mommy! I love to play with balloons!

 She hasn't popped one yet....

 Sisters:  Best Friends Forever

 The Jacobs Trio:  Tobias (2), Philomena (9 months), and Magdalene (3)

Can I sleep in your bed with you?

         Yes, but I want to warn you.  I'm not easy to sleep with....I might kick you or move around a lot. (Sounds a lot like her Tia Brenda/Madrinha.  I lost a great deal of sleep sharing a bed with her.  Hehe)

I think I will sleep in my mommy and daddy's room instead!

St. Philomena Mission: A Beautiful, Country Church

When I first started attending Mass in Iowa with Jordan,  it took me some time to get used to worshiping in a convention room.  It took place twice a month in the Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.  Then a couple of years ago, there was an opportunity to buy a small country church in Bremer, Iowa.  Now St. Philomena looks like a Catholic Church!  Deo Gratias!  I cried tears of joy when I first caught sight of the tabernacle.  

Novena of Holy Communions

First, thank you to Helena and Brenda for giving us the booklet on Novena of Holy Communions.  Wow!  Since Jordan and I are not able to receive Holy Communion nine days in a row, we have instead been offering nine consecutive Sundays to grow in a particular virtue.

Patience.

Patience.

Patience.

I thought I was a patient person before I had children.  Wrong.  Terribly wrong.

Helena saw me the most during my teaching years.  I had some students with very difficult personalities.  Imagine twelve through fourteen year olds all day long coming in your classroom.  Boys and girls grouped together.  The last thing they wanted to do sometimes was learn about subjects and predicates.  But we made it through together, and I thought to myself, "You got this patience thing, Christina.  Motherhood should be easy compared to teaching."  Wrong again.

I sit down to rock Philomena to sleep.  Tobias takes the opportunity to look at me, and then I know trouble is going to begin.  Here are his options:

1.  Knock down Sissy's blocks.
2.  Climbs in an area that he shouldn't be climbing.
3.  Demands for a snack.

The list could go on.  Then I start to wonder how in the world I will be able to put Philomena to sleep.  I remember I just need to be patient, plan accordingly so I have a free 15 minutes, and remember he just wants my attention sometimes.

"There is nothing that Jesus desires more than that you receive Him in Holy Communion very often--every day, if possible.  When He gave us the Eucharist the night before He died, He pleaded, 'Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.'  Therefore, no prayer can be more effective than that said after Holy Communion when Jesus is present  in your heart as God and Man, as your Best Friend, ready to listen to you and to help you with the many graces He wishes to grant you."  (A Novena of Holy Communions"  Fr. Lovasik)

We thought that patience and meekness go hand in hand so we have been praying to grow in these particular virtues.

I can definitely see growth in both Jordan and I with being more patient with each other and with the children.

Thank you again dear sisters for this wonderful gift!  

Video

.https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10104552120720404&l=6324884017930509359


Okay so I had to share this.  Facebook composed a video for the users to celebrate 10 years.  I have been on facebook since 2005.  If you click the link above, that is the video they made for me.  It got me a bit teary eyed.....so I had to share!

For me it was symbolic to see pictures of my years of teaching, visiting Fatima, Portugal, and my family before I got married.  My trip to Spain and Portugal definitely impacted me, and not too much later, I became a traditional Catholic.  Enjoy!

Reading Corner

I think I have way too many ideas and not enough corners in our home to fulfill them.  I am trying to form a more Montesorri approach to education for the children, but it takes a lot of space to do that!  So for now, I formed a reading corner in the bedroom so they can have a defined, quiet reading space.  Well...it was a hit with both of them!  Tobias immediately sat in the princess chair and starting reading, and Magdalene loved the pillows on the floor for her reading time.  

We pray you are all well!  We miss you tremendously.  I hope this blog makes you feel apart of our lives more.  They may have not met some of you, but they see pictures of you and pray for you.  

Just in case some of you have been wondering about my new life with a fake tooth, well, here's the update.  Last week was definitely a shock.  I didn't expect the pain to be that intense and to last that long.  I wasn't taking pain medication to keep the milk safe for Philomena.  After all that Tobias has endured, I am very cautious about what I am putting in my body (and the family).  But the earaches have finally stopped.  Thank the Lord!  My partial denture doesn't fit well right now so I will be heading back to get it fixed.  I have been walking around the house toothless, and honestly, I am just laughing about it now.  I pray that someone doesn't randomly knock on my door, or they will get a little scared.  I fit the tooth in my mouth just for Mass this past Sunday, and it worked.  It's odd to wear one, but I am sure I will get used to it.  Thank you for your prayers during this whole ordeal.  I feel like I resemble my father a bit more now....that I am toothless.  hehe.  Love you, Pai!