Yeah, that's how we roll...

I love this picture of John-Paul and Maggie in the car on the 8 hour drive to visit Nana & Gramps. John-Paul gets carsick, so our doctor advised that he sit as close to the front as possible and wear sunglasses. Maggie gets hungry, of course, so John-Paul is also the designated baby-feeder. Here he is feeding her puffs while wearing my shades...too cool for school!

Christmas Season 2008:

Another one bites the dust...

Impact-Site-Verification: -10791198

So, we're still visiting my in laws and the day after we arrived, Maggie and Eamon started puking. Then yesterday, Phil and Andrew began vomiting. Last night, Phil's sister and father came down with it as well.

So now it's just me, John-Paul and my mother-in-law who are fighting off this vicious beast. I really hope we don't get it because we are supposed to drive back the 9 hours tomorrow.

Uggh, if there's anything worse than having a stomach bug, it's having a stomach bug in the car...Please pray for us!

Where's Colleen?

On Facebook. Come join me! (Colleen Sweeney Martin)

Wish granted

We are visiting my in-laws this week, and today we went to Mass at their newly rebuilt church (it had been destroyed in a fire). When we entered the beautiful Church, I told the boys that you can make a wish the first time you visit a new church.

John-Paul wished he could be Santa, and Andrew wished that the poor people could have stuff. (What a difference in personalities!)

Anyway, during the Mass, the boy's Aunt gave John-Paul a dollar to put in the collection basket, and told Andrew that she would give him a dollar to put in the poor box after Mass. Andrew was so excited that his wish had come true...he could now give money to the poor!!!

My FAVORITE day of the year!

Yup, today is my all-time favorite day of the year; Christmas Eve! I told John-Paul (5) that this morning, and he was shocked. His little mind could not understand how anyone could like Christmas Eve better than Christmas Day. Come on, Mom, we get PRESENTS on Christmas Day!

While I do love getting, and more importantly, giving presents, after all the Christmas morning hoopla...that's it, it's over. And we have to wait a whole year to experience it again. It's a little depressing, actually...kinda reminds me of the morning after my senior prom. I had done so much work preparing (buying the dress, eating right and exercising to look good in said dress, waiting for the cutest guy in school to ask me, getting my hair done, etc.) and when it was over, I realized I would never go to my senior prom again. It was done, kaput, finito.

At least with Christmas, we get to experience it every year, and the preparation for Jesus' birth is the most exciting part. We pray our Advent prayers, go to Confession to prepare our Souls, the house gets cleaned and decorated, holiday candles are almost constantly burning, and I am thinking of all the people in my life that I love and figuring out the perfect gifts to get them. ANd let's not take for granted how easy it is to turn a child's sour mood into a good one by reminding them who's watching! (We actually say that Jesus is watching, and He's friends with St. Nick!)

It is this anticipation of Christmas that fills me with warmth and happiness, and today is the culmination of all that. Sure, there is still work to be done...presents to be wrapped and Jesus' birthday cake to be made, but I will do it joyfully and try not to take for granted every special moment that occurs in the meantime. Because, with the holiday stress and hustle & bustle, we MUST remember the true meaning of Christmas...that unto us a Child is Born, God made Man, a King and Savior for the world, so that we could enter the Kingdom of Heaven for all Eternity.

Wow, how lucky are we to receive the Greatest Gift of all!! Merry Christmas to you and your families...

Last Week's Workouts

I've heard that writing down exactly what you eat and how much you exercise has been proven to help you lose weight. I'm gonna try to keep a food journal on my own, and make this my weekly exercise journal.

So, without further ado, last week's workouts totaled:

Ran - 14.5 miles
Walked uphill - 3.5 miles
Cardio Kickbox class - 2 hour-long classes
Abs - 3 sessions
Upper Body Weights - 2 sessions