"Motherhood always establishes a unique and unrepeatable relationship between two people: between mother and child and between child and mother. Even when the same woman is the mother of many children, her personal relationship with each one of them is the very essence of motherhood. For each child is generated in a unique and unrepeatable way. And this is true for both the mother and the child. -Blessed John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater

Such a Sweet Lullaby

To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others. -Blessed John Paul II

~~ 

I like to sing. Especially during those sweet times that I am able to lull my little ones to sleep during their nap times or bed times. With my oldest son, Joseph, I would always sing Hail Mary, Gentle Woman. He now tries to sing with me before his nap time. He knows the first couple words and it is the sweetest thing hearing him hum along with me before I leave him to take his afternoon nap. 

Now, with my sweet Eli, we have a new song to sing. A song, like Hail Mary, Gentle Woman, that is special to my husband and I. It's The Servant Song. I'm sure those in the Catholic community have heard it before. I once learned how to play this song on the guitar for my husband for one of his birthdays with the help of a dear friend. Haha, but if you asked me to play it again, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I was able to learn it for that one day, which ultimately didn't matter since I cried halfway through! But, here we are now with our second born, Eli. Singing this song with your children in mind will really warm your heart. I know it does mine each time I sing it to him. The words are so kind and close to a mother's heart for her children. 

I'll leave you with the sweet lyrics that I love sharing with my youngest. I hope these words will always be a prayer for my youngest and my whole family. A prayer that will encourage our hearts to always serve each other. 

~~ 

The Servant Song 

Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you? 

Pray that I might have the grace to let you be my servant, too. 

We are pilgrims on a journey, we are trav’lers on the road.

We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you in the night time of your fear.

I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping, when you laugh I'll laugh with you.

I will share your joy and sorrow, till we've seen this journey through.

When we sing to god in heaven, we shall find such harmony,

born of all we've known together of Christ's love and agony.

Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you?

Pray that I might have the grace to let you be my servant, too.

Happy Due Date, Sweet P

Happiest due date, to our Sweet P. We love you and are so excited to see and hold you! To know if you are a boy or a girl! To call and know you by name! For you to meet your big brother and for your big brother to meet you! For you to meet us! To bring you home! To snuggle with you! To shower you with kisses and love! For you to meet your grandparents, uncles, aunts, and so many more who are anxious to know and meet you!

Sweetest one, we are ready when you are. We're praying. We have been praying. We love you dearly, and are so thankful for the gift of you.

For a stalk to grow or a flower to open there must be time that cannot be forced; nine months must go by for the birth of a human child; to write a book or compose music often years must be dedicated to patient research ...To find the mystery there must be patience, interior purification, silence, waiting....-Blessed John Paul II

St. John Bosco, pray for us.
St. Gianna Beretta Molla, pray for us.
St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for us.
St. Gerard Majella, pray for us.
Blessed John Paul II, pray for us.
Dearest Holy Family, pray for us.

"As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live." -Blessed John Paul II

Early Days

My precious Sweet P,

We knew...we just knew that you were with us from the very beginning, which was such a gift and blessing. It just so happened that you were probably very newly conceived during our trip for Uncle A and Uncle Godfather's graduation back at the end of May. Your presence with us explained why Mama wasn't feeling well throughout the weekend. During the drive I would credit my nausea or fatigue to the windy roads and all that we were doing that weekend, but in the back of my mind I thought it may have been because of you.

The following weekend (a week after your conception), at the very start of your life, Daddy, Mama, and Big brother went down to the valley and made a quick stop in Corpus on our way back home during the weekend. A main reason we were making the trip south was because our friend was being ordained a priest and we did not want to miss such an amazing time in his life. Honestly, Sweet P, that weekend was filled with such gift because of our dear friend. His ordination was one of the most beautiful events we have witnessed to date filled with such amazing Grace and Goodness, and we were so happy to share it with you and Bigfoot.

After Fr. Andy's amazing ordination, he gave his first blessings. We all waited in line anxiously to be blessed by our friend, the newly ordained priest. As he was giving us our blessing, we mentioned to him that you were with us, and he included you in that beautiful experience. Sweet one you have been blessed in a special way, as have Daddy, Mama, and Seph, and for that we will always be grateful to Fr. Andy.

Words really cannot express the overwhelming beauty that we saw that weekend, but we are so grateful that our hearts were there to witness Our Lord's goodness, joy, and love through our dear friend. Fr. Andy was glowing. He was radiating a peace that made me shed tears of joy. I thank God for picking such an amazing servant. So grateful that we were able to be at the first Mass he presided over (again, no words can express the goodness and joy that flowed). And finally, I am so thankful to God for sharing Fr. Andy with our little family.

Dearest Sweet P, your early days were a gift. Thank you for joining us when you did. Thank you for sharing the signs that you did with Mama, so that she could know you were with us. And, thank you for being so sweet!

Love,
mama

PS Sweet one, I'll try to recap our pregnancy thus far on a week to week to do. I marked it all in our calendar, so I just need to sit down and get to it :)

~~~

"The priestly vocation is essentially a call to sanctity, in the form that derives from the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  Sanctity is intimacy with God; it is the imitation of Christ, poor, chaste and humble; it is unreserved love for souls and self-giving to their true good; it is love for the church which is holy and wants us to be holy, because such is the mission that Christ has entrusted to it.  Each one of you must be holy also in order to help your brothers pursue their vocation to sanctity." -Blessed John Paul ll (Rome, Italy, October 9, 1984)

"Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought." -Blessed John Paul II

Our Bigfoot had a Birthday

Soon after our busy graduation weekend back in May, our sweet Bigfoot blessed us with a whole year and we celebrated at a local splash pad! We had such a great time and were so thankful for all the family and friends that came out to celebrate our precious son's year of life.

The birthday boy enjoyed the splash pad a few times previous so we thought this place would be a perfect spot for some good birthday times. End result: we were right!

Below are GeekMan and one of Bigfoot's Grandpa's. Grandpa and Yaya traveled quite a way, as did, Grandpa Ram and Nana, and Grandpa Wooley and Nonna; uncles and their beautiful ladies as well as Bigfoot's Great Aunt and Uncle! Lots of love from all over this great state!

Family pic with the P side of the fam.

Uncle Godfather and beautiful Amy.

Great Aunt and Uncle!

A baseball cake for our little one that loves his baseball bat and ball.

The A family. Grandpa Wooley and Nonna, Uncle A and his beautiful girlfriend with their little Bigfoot.

Bigfoot with two very special women that love him.

Bigfoot with Auntie Red. They love each other so much! Bigfoot was thrilled to have Auntie Red around!

Nana and Bigfoot playing around at the splash pad.

Grandpa Ram and Uncle Godfather with Bigfoot. So many loved ones all in one place!!

Bigfoot with his Godfather.

Our sweet little one had such a great time surrounded by so many that love him and that he loves. Great memories that we are so grateful for.

Happy Birthday, my little love. We look forward to the years to come! You have blessed us with such an amazing first year filled with so much goodness and we could not be more grateful to you for that!

XOXOXO,
Daddy, Mama, and Sweet P

"Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven, the only one goal of our labors." -St. Therese of Lisieux

Family, become what you are…the family has the mission to guard, reveal, and communicate love, and this is a living reflection of and a real sharing in God’s love for humanity and the love of Christ the Lord for the Church His bride. -Blessed John Paul II

The family, as the fundamental and essential educating community, isthe privileged means for transmitting the religious and cultural valueswhich help the person to acquire his or her own identity. Founded onlove and open to the gift of life, the family contains in itself thevery future of society; its most special task is to contributeeffectively to a future of peace. -Blessed John Paul ll

Prayer can truly change your life. For it turns your attention awayfrom yourself and directs your mind and your heart toward the Lord. -Blessed John Paul ll

God made us for joy. God is joy, and the joy of living reflects theoriginal joy that God felt in creating us. -Blessed John Paul ll

To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and thechildren. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way,the servant of the others. -Blessed John Paul ll

There is no place for selfishness and no place for fear! Do not beafraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when loverequires sacrifice. -Blessed John Paul ll

(via catholicanswers)