Zoo trip 2008

We try to take an end of the year trip every year, we started this as a couple and we're on year 8 now. It's definitely a tradition by now :) We used to make them overnights, but we decided to simplify this year since we've traveled so much these last 2 months. We went to the Cameron Park zoo and had a wildly good time. ;) We found a Greek Mom and Pop restaurant and had a picnic at the zoo, and then made a stop for ice cream afterwards. The sun was shining all day and it was gorgeous weather. Milo napped beautifully in the stroller and both kids took a snooze on the way home (it has been 1 week FYI since Dominic took an afternoon nap!) We loved watching the elephants, I stood mesmerized in front of them and had to be pulled away. Among the new acquaintances we met today were hairy scorpions, a nice variety of slithery snakes, and the most amusing white-handed gibbon apes. God's creation never ceases to amaze me, and inspire my imagination. How creative God is, and how wonderful that we humans are the pinnacle of His handiwork! Anyways, all musings aside, go to the Cameron Park Zoo if you haven't! It's lovely. So well-maintained, easy to get around in, and far away from the hustle and bustle. Very affordable as well, kids 3 and under are free!

Merry Christmas!

We're back online now, after our Kucios celebration with Bronius' family and also our stay with my family for Christmas, and we had a wonderful and blessed time together. Bronius' family however, is still jet-setting in Cancun as we speak, and have yet to return. :) We are looking forward to seeing them at the end of this week. We feel so rested, and really eager to greet the new year with all of our hopes, dreams and prayers. In the meantime, we're trying to find ways to continue celebrating the remaining days of Christmas in our home. May the blessings of Christmas continue to bring joy and hope to your days!

Here are just a few pictures....



Me admiring the incredible painting Bronius made for me...an interpretation of the Luncheon of the Boating party by Renoir in the style of Marc Chagall.



A family picture of the Motekaitis side, missing two siblings and their families, at Senele's house (Bronius' Mom).












My Dad with Milo at their home.

















Uncle Steve helps Dominic get suited up as a knight.















Dominic with Aunt Les' new puppy Howie.

















Dominic doing a dinosaur dig at the Museum of Natural Science.

Home is where the hearth is

We have all been enjoying the roasty, toasty fireplace this month! Granted, it's back to 70 degrees today, but tomorrow we may see snow again, you never know!

I can't believe Christmas Eve is tomorrow. The Advent season is always so busy that it always seems to go so fast, so we're trying to slow things down and let peace find us in our hearts. The waiting has been so long, and the time for rejoicing is so near. I pray that the anticipation of the birth of our Savior will bring light, warmth and encouragement to our hearts as we approach Christmas! The peace of Christ be with us all!

Christmas Caroling

We went door to door with neighbors to Christmas carol tonight. Yup, our family DEFINITELY isn't afraid of looking weird. ;) Some neighbors were surprised and some neighbors surprised US with treats. We had a great time spreading Christmas cheer!

Bread pudding

I made a bunch of butter and jelly sandwiches and had cut them in shapes for Dominic's school Christmas party, and I didn't even think about what to do with the crusts. My ever resourceful husband left a bunch of recipes up for me to see in the morning on the kitchen lap top for bread pudding. Brilliant man! So I got straight to work! I had never made it before, and I was pleased with how it came out. I added pomegranate seeds to give it a little punch and a festive appearance, but it did not turn out very sweet. And I didn't prepare any vanilla sauce with it. So I'd recommend if you try this recipe and you prefer sweetness, then prepare a sauce to serve it with or add more sugar. This is turning out to be an EXCELLENT breakfast.

This recipe yielded two dishes for me, so bring one to a neighbor :) I think we'll make this for breakfast on Christmas day, it's just so warm and yummy. Okay I'm going on and on. This is actually modified from the food networks recipe for peanut butter and jelly bread pudding, which didn't appeal to me, so I left out the pb and j. I'd include a real picture instead of the food network's one, but mine is half eaten already... ;)



Ingredients

* 4 cups whole milk
* 6 large eggs, at room temperature
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 8 cups coarsely chopped bread crust, from 1 (20-ounce) loaf white bread (or the same amount of day-old bread)
* any fruit on hand, preferably dried fruit. Bakers chocolate works well too!
* Unsalted butter, for greasing pan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 13 by-9-inch baking pan.

Put 2 cups milk, the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl, then whisk in the remaining 2 cups milk. Stir in the bread and set aside to soak for about 10 minutes. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking pan. Place spoonfuls of your favorite fruits or ingredients into the bread mixture, pushing them in a bit with your spoon. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the pudding is browned, puffed, and a little firm. Let cool. Cut into squares to serve.

Dessert Night and Ornament Exchange

With ever busy schedules, our little playgroup does not see each other very often these days. But we were sure to make time for the important things in life tonight - good company, and dessert! This was a desperately needed night out for me and I had a great time ladies! I am thankful for the good friends which bless my life, pictured here, and not pictured here!

No-sew fleece poncho

I LIKE the sound of that! Ideally, I'd love to crochet or knit one, but I have not yet acquired those skills. Cutting fleece however, I have mastered. A good friend put this notion into my head and now I will not stop until I have a poncho! Even if it means I have to make it (oh dear!) Professionally sewn ponchos retail at $150-$250, although some are on sale at certain sites and I found some cute stuff on etsy.com. But I just can't let myself spend any more money this month!!! The weather has not been cold enough to consider something like this until recently, and now I desperately need something to just drape over Milo when we're going from here to there and don't feel like lugging the stroller around. I'm going to give this a go, and I'll post about it if it works!

Here are some sites with info if you'd like to try!

Gypsy Mama

Magic City Singers

The launch

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ........ PACI LAUNCH!

By George, we did it! We said that we would do it and indeed we did! (for all you My Fair Lady fans) We tied up Dominic's pacifiers to a cluster of balloons and let them go out into the wild blue yonder, yesterday! Unfortunately, we did not account for the wind, and Bronius tried to warn me that because we launched from our backyard, that we would not see the balloons for very long, with all the houses obstructing our view. We had barely let go of the balloons and the wind whisked them away and they went careening in the opposite direction! We chased them to the front of the house and watched them bobbing over the roof tops....gaining plenty of speed, but hardly any height, so if you see some balloons in a nearby tree...........

To celebrate, Dominic got to watch his first big kid movie with popcorn and cocoa with us, Wall E, and he LOVED it. Fantastic film, I highly recommend it. Dominic had a little trouble falling asleep last night...he wasn't asking for his paci, but he just played and sang and talked in his bed...for two hours. So I had to go in and remind him that everything was fine, that it was really exciting that this was his first night in 3.5 years to fall asleep without his paci, and what a big boy he was, and it seemed to do the trick! Congratulations DOMINIC!!!!!!!!!! :)

Just a really long footnote about why it has taken us so long to get rid of the paci. that sounds like a long list of excuses and probably is: Dominic has been using his paci at naptime and bedtime and we've just been lazy about helping him say goodbye to it...he hasn't really needed or wanted them for SOME time, but after getting a new baby brother, a new bed and room, then starting school, we didn't want to shock his little system with too much adjustment. And then we had so much trouble with Milo's sleep, and we were scared we'd have trouble with Dominic's sleep if we took the paci away too, and that scared us out of our minds, and then both of them were sick for so long, and then we took a big road trip and the paci helped him be content the ENTIRE time - and yada yada yada. Finally I became decisive and realized this would go on forever and so we quit cold turkey yesterday. I must say, I'm relieved to see that the world has not stopped! :)

MORE!

Flurries!

We're having our own little winter wonderland over here in Texas! It's so magical! However, I am glad we do not have to deal with this regularly. My parents shoveled their share of snow for years in Wisconsin, and apparently, it does get old (hence our move to sunny South Florida). But not here, not now! :)

Meanwhile, I'm on day 3 at home with a baby with an ear infection and a 3 year old with bronchitis, so, I suppose it's a good day to be indoors. We're eating warm goodies and re-discovering fun, old toys to keep the day interesting! I'm off to make a hot meal for our favorite dinner guest, Daddy. Please pray that the kids feel better soon!

Fave reads for Christmas (2008)

Here is what we've been enjoying this month so far, I thought I'd share! We really love Leo Lionni, he's definitely the author of the month around here!


The Christmas Star - Marcus Pfister
B is for Bethlehem - Isabel Wilner
St. Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend - Julie Stiegemeyer
The Little Drummer Boy - Ezra Jack Keats
The 12 Days of Christmas - Jan Brett
On The Night You Were Born - Nancy Tillman
Frederick - Leo Lionni
Inch By Inch - Leo Lionni
Matthew's Dream - Leo Lionni
Castles, Caves and Honeycombs - Linda Ashman
Christmas Around the World- Emily Kelley

Milo is seven months old!

Baby Milo is 7 months old today! Here are some bits about what he is up to these days...

Eating - Milo nurses about 6-7 times a day, and I try to give him some solid food for lunch or dinner. He's still being acquainted with solids, he is very interested in real food though!

Sleeping - Milo gets 2 naps each day, and 3 if one of them was short. He sleeps about an hour in the morning and about 2-2.5 in the afternoon. He goes to bed at 7 pm, and wakes around 10 for a feeding, and then sleeps till 6 am. I never thought I'd be so excited to wake up at 6 am! Anything's better than 4! ;)

Playing - Milo loves to grab spoons and he forcefully pulls cups out of people's hands. He thinks every glass of water in the world was poured just for him. It's really cute. He tries to grab our food, he really wants to eat the real stuff! He LOVES when people sing to him, and clapping hands, he gets so excited about that.

Milestones - Milo is sitting all by himself...mostly. He still tumbles, and rolls, but I have been surrounding him with pillows. And he is very happy with this arrangement. He is free to see all that is going on and grab what he wants to play with at will. Dominic loves interacting with him in this new way now! Milo has two bottom teeth, and I suspect some top ones are trying to emerge.

Personality - I'm still getting to know Milo, and maybe it's the stage he's in, but it seems he wants to be held, yet doesn't want to be held, simultaneously. It's very tricky to figure out what he wants sometimes, like laughing and crying at the same exact time. He is becoming quite squirmy too! I am wondering where our cuddly moments have gone already! He is a smiley baby who really enjoys attention. He's a good sport about having to be on the go, and I try to temper that with one-on-one time with him while big brother is at school.

Stats: still haven't been for his 6 month vaccinations, but I'm hoping to be scheduled for those next week and I'll have stats then!

Advent 2008

I am still catching my breath from our vacation, trying to unpack and get this household up to speed again, so I haven't had a chance yet to mark the beginning of Advent on our blog here! I am trying not to get too excited and run in too many directions at once, but there is so much I want to do with Dominic now that he is older and can participate in our traditions and probably appreciate them more! I am going to work on a Jesse Tree with him this week, and I'm including a little description here of the traditions behind the Advent season and the wreath for anyone who may be interested. This is taken from a blog that I absolutely adore and visit frequently to be inspired! www.showerofroses.blogspot.com. Now I'm off to think up some ornament ideas for the Jesse tree :)

Blessings of peace and joy to you and yours as we welcome the Advent season, and create a sacred space for the birth of the Savior of the World in our hearts and homes!


The Advent Wreath


I love the tradition of the Advent wreath. It so totally packed with symbolism! It is such a great way to teach the children even more about God, Christ and the Christmas season.

The round shape stands for God's eternity. Like God, it has no beginning and no end.

The greens used to make the wreath are EVERgreen, and therefore unchanging, just like God.

The four candles symbolize the four centuries that man waited for the coming of our Savior.

Three of the candles are purple since Advent is a time of penance. It was because of our sinfulness that we needed a Savior, and so we must prepare ourselves through sacrifice and penance during Advent for Christ's coming at Christmas. However, we know that Christ HAS and IS coming again, and so our penance is a joyful one! We are joyfully anticipating and preparing ourselves for the celebration of Christmas, as well as Christ's second coming. Therefore, one candle is pink to represent our joy.

On the first Sunday of Advent we light one purple candle. On the second Sunday of Advent, two purple candles are lit. On the third Sunday of Advent, which is called "Gaudete Sunday", we light the pink candle since "Gaudete" means "let us rejoice!" And then, on the fourth (and final) Sunday of Advent, all four candles are lit. The gradual lighting of the candles is a visible sign for us. We can see the light growing brighter the closer we get to birth of Christ, who IS the light of the world!


Each Sunday of Advent, we pray as a family at the dinner table around our wreath and sing O Come Emmanuel.

Prayers taken from "The Little Handbook of Prayers."

The First Week
Bestir, O Lord, Thy might, we pray Thee and come; That, defended by Thee, we may deserve rescue from approaching dangers brought on by our sins, and being set free by Thee, obtain our salvation. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.

The Second Week
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of Thine only-begotten Son, that through His coming we may be worthy to serve Thee with purified minds. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.

The Third Week
Incline Thine ear to our prayers, O Lord, we beseech Thee; and make bright the darkness of our minds by the grace of Thy visitation. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.

The Fourth Week
Bestir, O Lord, Thy might, we beseech Thee, and come; and with great power come to our aid, that, by the help of Thy grace, that sins may be hastened by Thy merciful forgiveness. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.

Destin Slideshow

Back from the Emerald Coast

Well after months of packing and planning, we are back from our Emerald Coast Thanksgiving vacation. I still can't believe we pulled it off! I really thought I might chicken out of the 11 hour drive. My WONDERFUL HUSBAND did 99.9% of the driving, and was a champ about the whole thing. And since we're throwing around inaccurate percentages, I stayed awake with him for at least 80% of the trip! (mostly because I couldn't recline my seat due to Milo's carseat being behind me). We drove through the night on the way down (insane, don't recommend it, but we got there in record time, in time to see the sun rising over the gulf and just as Whataburger opened up so we could grab breakfast tacos). The kids slept most of the way, save for the moments we pulled into gas stations and we were all blinded by the lights. Milo stirred on and off because he had a dry cough, poor baby, but it was an uneventful drive, thank goodness!

We arrived in Destin and settled in to this fantastic beach house that was three stories high, and for ONCE everyone had their own rooms, which was nice for Uncle Steve who always ends up on a random couch without any blankets when we all get together. Once everyone arrived, we got out to the beach as much as possible, and thanks to our little golf cart, we made several trips over each day, and amassed several piles of sand from our shoes at the front door as a result. ;) Sarah and Josh made amazing fresh, healthy, hearty and organic meals for us around the clock, and we all took turns with housework, so it really felt like a vacation! We played tennis, board games and watched movies, and had family prayer, and it just felt like old times. I am so thankful for this time we all had together. We all REALLY needed to get away from our busy schedules and just enjoy life.

The kids slept REALLY well, considering all the madness. Dominic always started out in someone else's bed and we would move him down to our room to sleep with Milo once we were going to bed, and that worked out well. We all coslept in a King bed and I really treasure those memories most of all. I was anxious about how that part would go, thinking no one would get good sleep, but it really went well. Dominic and Milo slept in between us and would often wake up at 6:30 and just play quietly until we woke up at 7 in between us. Those are such sweet memories for me!

It was a fast trip, and thanks to my CHAMPION marathon driver husband, we are home safe and sound, as are everyone else. I am so thankful we got to do this, I hope we can turn this into a tradition now that I know I can survive an 11 hr car trip with kids! :)