Happy Halloween (Moo!)

Happy Halloween from our little cow. He had so much fun trick-or-treating tonight!

Homestudy Approved

Hallelujah!! We are (finally) homestudy approved!! We got the paperwork this week. Once we turn in our photo album and letter, we will officially be on the waiting list. Now the praying and waiting can begin. :)

St. Jude, pray for us.

Fabulous Weekend

I had a fabulous birthday weekend, thanks to my sweet husband who really spoiled me. He ran out Saturday morning to pick up some yummy Panera treats and also came back with a bouquet of beautiful flowers. When I woke up I found a card with a very sweet note from him. Am I the only one who keeps every single card/note/letter from their hubby?? It's pretty clear that "Words of Affirmation" is one of my primary love languages. (If you haven't read this book about love languages, you definitely should get it!!) My hubby made sure that I had a relaxing day by taking care of the dishes and diapers all day long. I was in heaven. :)

My gift this year is the new iPhone 4S - it should be arriving very soon. I'm so excited!

My dear friend/college roommate happened to be in town from North Carolina. She treated me to lunch and it was so wonderful to catch up with her. My hubby and I spent the evening watching the USC vs. Notre Dame game and I'm happy to report that I got my birthday wish (a USC victory!) My hubby had picked up my favorite dessert - Coldstone Ice Cream Cupcakes - so we celebrated with those.

We continued to have a lovely and relaxing day on Sunday. We had PF Changs for dinner that night. It was so wonderful to not do any cooking, cleaning or grocery shopping all weekend long. We also got to taste my husband's home-brewed beer for the first time. It was delicious!

Don't worry, we didn't let Tommy drink any:


Tommy wearing his USC jersey:

Quick Takes

(1) I made these Apple Bars yesterday and they were super yummy! Extra bonus, it made my house smell delicious. Just one of the many joys of fall.

(2) Tomorrow is my birthday! I've already received some sweet cards and gifts in the mail which is fun. I love hearing from all my friends and family. (Thank you Facebook for reminding everyone - ha ha.) While I don't have any big party plans like I did when I turned 30, I'm looking forward to a fun and relaxing weekend at home.

(3) Two other big events are taking place tomorrow. As I already mentioned, it's the first ever Feast of Blessed John Paul II. Secondly - and perhaps not as important - it is the USC vs. Notre Dame game. For the first time in awhile ND is predicted to win, so it should be a good game. My parents, brother and sister-in-law all traveled to South Bend for the game. I wish I could be there with them!

(4) One of the trips I'm taking next month is for my 10-year college reunion. I'm on the planning committee and I'm really looking forward to seeing some old friends. It's taking place during Homecoming weekend, so I'm also excited about going to the football game.

(5) Nothing new to report with my cycles. I am still taking post-peak HCG injections each month and I will see Dr. S again in January. At this point, I don't know what else to do regarding my fertility, so I mostly try not to think about it. I trust that it's all in the Lord's hands, but it's starting to feel like we will never conceive.

(6) We are still waiting on our adoption agency to send us the completed Homestudy report. I feel like this has been the slowest process ever! Granted, I am probably the most impatient person ever. Apparently the woman in charge is on maternity leave (ironic?) so someone else is taking over her duties. It's been a week since I last heard from the SW and I gave in and emailed her yesterday. Once we approve of the completed report, we will turn in our letter and photo album and officially be back on the waiting list.

(7) Has anyone started their Christmas shopping? I would like to get a jump-start so that I am not overwhelmed during the holidays. We will be traveling quite a bit in November and December, and we'll be shipping most of our gifts. Any tips for shopping online and finding good deals?

October 22

I couldn't believe it when I learned this week that Blessed John Paul II's feast day is October 22 - my birthday!! I guess this decision was made in April around the time of his beatification, but I never heard or read about it. That date was chosen because it is the date he became Pope (in 1978.)

As you might have noticed, I'm a huge nerd when it comes to saints, feast days and the liturgical calendar. I love praying novenas that lead up to saint's feast days - especially the ones I admire most or have a strong devotion to. JP2 is no exception.

For most of my life, JP2 was the only pope I knew. I took for granted just how special he was - his intelligence, holiness and charisma. It was in grad school that I really learned more about him and truly fell in love with him. Most especially his teachings on the Theology of the Body.

I studied theology at the Pope John Paul II Institute - founded by the pope himself. In 1980 JP2 decided to establish theological centers devoted to the study of the Church's teachings on marriage and family. He was going to announce this during his Wednesday audience on May 13, 1981 - but that was the fateful day of the assassination attempt. Thankfully he survived that famous shooting and was able to establish the Institute the following year. There are twelve locations around the world that are dedicated to this mission, including one here in DC. You can follow this link for more information if you are interested.

It just so happens that I was studying at the Institute in 2005 when Blessed John Paul II died. I will never forget that day or the day when Pope Benedict was elected. It was such a joy to experience these momentous occasions with my professors and classmates. If you've ever spent time at Catholic University (where we took classes) you know that it feels like a mini-Vatican around there.

During our pilgrimage to Lourdes/Rome in the spring of 2010 we visited JP2's tomb and I was completely overwhelmed. My hubby and I were able to stay and pray at his grave for awhile. It was such a powerful experience.

I still can't believe that his feast day is on my birthday! I feel honored (which is silly) but in some way I feel a more special connection to him because of it.

Blessed John Paul II - pray for us.

By the way, I know a special little guy who shares my same birthday... GIMH's sweet boy Ethan who turns two this weekend! :)

Pumpkin Patch

Saturday was a gorgeous fall day around here and we had a lovely time at the pumpkin patch!








Hard to believe this is what our little pumpkin looked like last year. I love that we are starting to have annual traditions.

New Park

The park near our house has been renovating the playground all summer long and it finally opened last weekend. Tommy and I checked it out today and it's amazing! It's mostly geared towards older kids, but they also have a nice tots area. It was the perfect way to spend the afternoon on a gorgeous fall day.

On the Farm

Tommy and I visited a farm last Friday with our friends and he absolutely loved it!





I've never seen Tommy move so fast as when he was chasing this tractor!