Someone special turns 9 tomorrow!

Greenfield Village

Mikey, Isabel and I made our first of many trips this summer to Greenfield Village. There were very few people there and we actually had the whole carousel to ourselves. Isabel was very excited to get to ride on the cat. We had a picnic lunch by the pond where there were dozens of painted turtles sunning. Mikey absolutely LOVED the train. Isabel was like an old lady covered up in her blanket riding the train. We got to see a bald eagle flying over by the farm. It swooped down real low and caught our attention then circled high up over the village for a long time.

Geocaching

We finally started doing some geocaching again both yesterday and today. Isabel and I along with Hannah and Owen found one yesterday with their new GPS. It was quite muddy and so Isabel vowed never to do it again. This morning we spent some time in Miller Woods looking around for a new geocache but came up empty. This is a great time of year to go. No leaves on the tree yet to obscure the satellite signals and no bugs yet. At home we discovered a pair of Mallard ducks living in the back yard. The female appears to be nesting near our statue of Mary which would be great for us but considering all the cats that come in our backyard it may not be a good spot.
Mikey enjoyed watching them cut down this 35 year old tree(yes we counted)and watching them burn the wildflower garden at McClumpha park last week.

Meat Pies

The girls have been "helping" Grandma Paula make meat pies and cheese only pies too. It is an all day event for Grandma and we really appreciate it!They never taste quite as good as they do when they are fresh from the oven.

Day off

The girls had the day off school and I had the day off work so we spent the day with friends from school.

Happy 81st Birthday to Pope Benedict

Isabel is perking back to life after a long winter hibernation. She is starting to get some color in her skin and more energy. She is always trying to make deals, "I'll eat really well for 2 days if you take me to Marvin's!"
It is difficult to describe the look on Mikey's face when he looks at the various yard tools in the garage. He will just stare at the lawn mower, edger, weed whacker, etc... in awe... The same way someone might look at a beautiful work of art or a pretty sunset. So far he has only sampled the leaf blower and he just knows that the really good stuff is yet to come.
He loves to watch me shave or get dressed and help me in any way he can. He is part parrot and part monkey. He will repeat what he hears and imitate what he sees. He is like my "mini me". He always pays close attention to anything new, remembers any person, place or thing he has already seen.

Only Human?

You have probably heard or even used the expression “I’m only human” casually, without even thinking about it. Well despite our many faults, there is nothing that could be further from the truth. The Lord who made the Heavens and the Earth, all that is seen and unseen, all that exists everywhere in the universe, all that has ever existed and will exist, made you and me. He became human in Jesus and willingly laid down His life for us, each and every one of us. Jesus was obedient to His parents, Mary and Joseph. His love for each and every one of us is more than we could ever imagine despite all our faults. Each of us has unimaginable worth and dignity. He made you and I above all else, even the Angels in Heaven, He made Mary, a human, Queen of Heaven. To God the Father, there is NOTHING more important than each and every one of us…
The Angles and Saints in Heaven REJOICE over the soul of even just one of us. God made us to be in communion with Him for all eternity. He knows each one of us individually and thirsts to be with us here on Earth and in Heaven.

So remember that when you look at other person, remember that they are not only human, but they are your brother or sister in Christ and a son or daughter of the living God.

We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.

-Pope Benedict XVI

Assortment of Updates

I attended the 6th Annual Catholic Men's Conference at U of D on Saturday with some friends. This was our fifth year going and it is always a very uplifting and edifying experience. Leigh and I went out to lunch on Sunday, which we don't do very often. Grandma Paula makes such great food but it is nice to eat out and have a nice quiet meal. Grandma Paula has given Mikey a few haircuts so he looks more like a boy now. Isabel had her Kindergarten testing and was accepted. Some days she really looks forward to it and then other days not so much. Maria will get to be her Mass buddy. The girls both got their 3rd quarter report cards and both did extremely well. We are SO proud of them. Mrs. Blausey said, "Maria is doing an awesome job. She sets an excellent example for her classmates to follow. Maria is a beautiful child, inside and out!". Looks like some more decent weather coming our way this week. The girls have Wednesday off for teacher in service as well as Friday in honor of Pope Benedict's visit to America. Leigh Anne has been working a lot of extra hours from home while she can and "banking" them so that she can have a long time off with our new baby. I did not get many photos this past week so I am posting some old video clips. COSI museum in Toledo closed permanently at the end of 2007. It was one of the best children's hands on museums I have ever been to outside of the museums in Chicago.

Some video clips from COSI.

Here is one from October of 2006 when my cousin MiguelAngel came from Spain and we went to Niagra Falls.

Think Spring

Looks like it is going to be a beautiful weekend weather wise. Thanks again to Grandma Rose and Grandpa Bob for the books, stickers and other assortments they sent the kids. At the Spiritus Sanctus auction last night, one of the bigger items was dinner with Fr John Ricardo at the Sisters of Mary motherhouse and it went for $7,500! 1 family from each of the SSA schools paid that so $15,000 for our school. The auction is the single largest fundraiser and largest source of revenue for the school besides tuition.

Good day sunshine

It really felt like Spring today. In fact, we got some spring cleaning done in the back yard. We hit the library, spent a few hours playing at a few different parks, picked up the girls and came home and everyone helped clean up. Mikey hasn't lost any of his interest in all thing electrical. We bounced around on the trampoline too. It still works!

April Fools

Carmen's 1st grade class made a trip to the Leslie Science & Nature Center in Ann Arbor this morning. It's a nature preserve with about 50 acres of woods and many rescued birds. They had been studying birds at school so it was neat to see many birds there including a Bald Eagle, several owls, hawks and falcons. The battery in my camera died so I only got a few photos. It was supposed to be in the upper 50's but the wind made it feel like December. Fortunately it did not rain. Most of the time we were indoors but we also walked the trails to do a little bird watching. They also did a few other projects indoors and outdoors. Despite her many layers of jackets, Isabel was freezing but Mikey had a great time although he cried so hard at the end when he had to return his binoculars!!