Monday, January 26, 2009

The Catholic Knowledge Bowl

Oh my goodness! We came in 2nd place! I have to throw in that we tied for 1st place, but we missed the tiebreaker question. I think we were all still in shock from realizing that we actually tied for 1st place?!?

For those of you who didn't know, our homeschool group formed a team of 4 homeschooling moms and decided to enter the 2nd Annual Catholic Knowledge Bowl. We were Team #6 (out of 15) and we were called "Leaders of Little Hearts," sponsored by the Immaculate Heart Homeschoolers. We studied (individually) but mostly did it for FUN and to LEARN. The Knowledge Bowl was held yesterday on Sunday, January 25th from 1:30 - 4:30 PM at Holy Family Parish in Victoria.

Our final score was 142 out of 150, not including the tiebreaker question that we missed. Once they post the questions from the competition, I'll post those here so you can see what your Catholic IQ is!

From left to right: Me (Jennifer), Heather, Denise, and Marie

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The meaning of Gianna's name

Several people have asked how we came up with the name "Gianna." What a better time to share this than today, January 22nd? Today is the annual March For Life, a march by those who oppose the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision to legalize abortion in the United States.

Well, as all of our friends and family know, we are Catholic. Very Catholic. We believe and profess everything the Catholic Church believes and teaches. We love our faith. We love the very church Jesus Christ established to pass on the truths that He taught.

Along with a love for Christ's Church, we also have a love for the many saints who have lived lives worthy of remembering and honoring. Saint Gianna is one such saint. She is known as the "pro-life" saint. She is the saint we ask to intercede for us when we pray for an end to abortion...when we pray for God's endless mercy upon those mothers and fathers suffering from the effects of an abortion.

Gianna Beretta Molla was pregnant with her fourth child when it was discovered that she had a fibroma, a benign tumor, on her uterine wall. It was suggested that she undergo a surgery that would involve aborting the growing baby inside of her, of which she immediately declined. Instead, she chose surgery that would remove only the tumor, still very aware of the risks involved in this delicate surgery – both to her and to her unborn child. She pleaded with the surgeon to save the life of the child she was carrying, and entrusted herself to prayer and Providence. She was able to carry her baby to term, at which point she was ready to give her life in order to save her child. She is quoted as saying, "If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child - I insist on it. Save him." On Good Friday, Gianna entered the hospital, and the following morning of April 21, 1962, a lovely, healthy baby daughter, Gianna Emanuela, was born. But the mother had developed a fatal infection - septic peritonitis. (Modern antibiotics most likely would have saved her.) The inflammation caused immense suffering during her final week on earth. In the midst of her terrible pain, Gianna called to her own mother, Maria, who had died in 1942 – and she prayed. On the morning of April 28, amid unspeakable pain and after repeated exclamations of “Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you," the mother died. She was 39 years old. The tiny infant, Gianna Emanuela, was exactly one week old.

*For more information and for references, click here:
Saint Gianna Parish
Saint Gianna -- A Model for Mothers


"The canonization of Saint Gianna is the first of its kind. Many mothers have been beatified for their heroic virtues but they entered religious life after becoming widowed. In St. Gianna’s case, the very condition of her being a spouse and mother is being exalted and highlighted. St. Gianna is the first canonized woman physician and professional who was also a “working mom”."
(http://www.saintgianna.org/sainthood.htm)

For those of you interested in the language origin and meaning of the name, "Gianna," it is Italian, with it's origin being Hebrew, which means "God is gracious." It also means "Gift of God." And for everyone who knows our story and journey with Isaac, you certainly know how appropriate the name "Gianna" is for our precious gift (on loan) from God. Our baby girl, Gianna's, middle name is "Faith." It is quite obvious why we chose this name. After enduring the pregnancy with Isaac and then with Gianna so soon after, it required an incredible amount of faith to believe we would actually get to take home a healthy baby girl. We thank God for His gift of Saint Gianna's life and beautiful example of love and sacrifice. We thank Saint Gianna Beretta Molla for the many ways she shared the love of Christ with others so that we may strive for sainthood as she so willingly and successfully did. And we thank God, through His beloved Son, for His Gracious Gift of a child to take home and raise to love and serve Him. With all that said, "Gianna" is not a only a very pretty name for a baby, a little girl, and a lady, but there is much meaning behind it for us as well.

May God bless each of you on this day when we remember that our mothers chose life for us. Please continue to pray for the mothers who find that decision difficult to make.

Jennifer and family


In Memory of
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
1922-1962

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Check out this amazing video!

Click here to view this awesome pro-life video about our new President!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Gianna's 6 month portraits

Here are the actual portraits, scanned in. It's just much better quality, even though my scanner picks up a lot of "extra" spots and smudges. It's a dinosaur...bought it 8 or 9 years ago, but hey-it still works!

Gianna's 6 month proofs

These are some of the cutest she has ever taken! Of course, don't babies just get cuter and cuter. Just when I think, "this is the best stage," Gianna does something so adorable that I change my mind and say, "No, this is the best stage!"

Friday, December 12, 2008

Gianna's 5 month portraits

Gianna's 5 month proofs



Well, we are back to the 8th of the month. At least for December anyway! Included in these pictures are some of both Sydney and Gianna wearing their Christmas dresses made by their Mimi.
Click here to see all of them!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

"The Unborn Child"

I just came across this poem in a recent issue of The Catholic Lighthouse, a publication of the Victoria Diocese.

"The Unborn Child"

The experts tell us to speak to the child,
while it is still in it’s mother’s womb.
They tell us to say different things,
and then feel how the baby will move.
They say that if we read to the child,
each and every day,
the baby will learn faster,
than children whose parents had nothing to say.
Some parents will play them music by Bach,
in hopes that the child will grow up in a conductor’s box.
For it’s said what the child hears before it is born,
will help him in school as he goes along.
The unborn child knows of his parents’ love,
from the moment of conception,
– a gift from above.
Now that it’s been established,
that the unborn can hear,
let me tell you something that should bring you to tears.
Think about all the unborn,
still in their mother’s wombs,
in silence they live,
there are no tunes.
There are no tapes playing,
so they can get smart,
but what they do hear tears at their hearts.
Their mothers are angry,
and saying they don’t care,
they want the baby aborted,
they have nothing to share.
That little bitty baby,
holding on with all its might,
knows that its mother is planning to take away its life.
If she could only listen to what her baby would say,
she surely would hear it screaming,
please don’t take my life away.
I want to be born,
just like any other baby;
please, please change your mind,
don’t even consider maybe.
I want to be born,
and see what life has to give,
if you would only do one thing;
please just let me live.
How can you even consider about taking away my life,
don’t you know that this will haunt you,
for the rest of your life?
So please dear mommy,
help me,
don’t end my life today.
I am a gift from heaven,
And in your womb I want to stay.

Donated by Gene Adamek of St. Mary Parish in Victoria
to The Gabriel Project, an alternative to abortion.


Somthing to ponder...
Imagine a crazy man running into the newborn wing of a hospital and murdering all of the babies in the nursery. He would be convicted of many counts of murder, no doubt. Yet, every single one of those babies could have been killed by their very own mother just a day or two prior and no one would be convicted of murder. And yet there are people out there that still defend the right to choose death for children. I pray for them as much as I pray for the unwanted babies and their parents...

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Sydney's drawing of Isaac



Sydney drew this picture of her brother, Isaac, this morning after having an "Isaac moment." This is how we refer to the times when we talk about him and sometimes cry together. Keep in mind that these are only the times that we actually share our thoughts...not a day goes by that we don't think of him. Anyway, she told me he got a tooth today (notice the "dot" in his mouth) and if you notice the stars and cloud, well, according to her, that depicts "Heaven." Also, for those of you who held Isaac, came to the funeral, watched the DVD I made and/or have seen photos of him, you would know that his eyes were closed, of course, but also that his mouth was open. Children are so intuitive in their artwork...

Friday, November 21, 2008

Support Our Troops!

And pray for them, too...

Here are a few easy ways for you to support the men and women serving our country.

1. Click here to send a card (sponsored by Xerox)

2. UPDATE: Click here for more information!
When doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get. When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington D.C. 20307-5001

So.....do this instead!

3. Go to AnySoldier.com

Well Said...

Well, you all know how passionate I am on the topic of abortion. So many people are quick to defend "the choice," but remain silent when it comes to defending and promoting life. Well, one thing is certain, I will never ever be made to feel guilty for defending the unborn...the helpless...the defenseless...the innocent...

That being said, here is one way to describe what an abortion is like...don't worry, this is not graphic.

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said: "Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 yr. old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together."

So the doctor said: "Ok, and what do you want me to do?"

She said: "I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this."

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: "I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you, too."

She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued: "You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms."

The lady was horrified and said: "No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!" "I agree," the doctor replied. "But you seemed to be ok with it, so I thought maybe this was the best solution."

The doctor smiled, realizing he had made his point. He convinced the mom there is no difference in killing a child already born and one still in the womb. The crime is the same!

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I dedicated you" (Jeremiah 1:5)

On a more personal note, there were a few people who actually questioned our decision to carry our precious baby boy, Isaac, to term last year. Knowing he would die anyway, they didn't understand why we decided to keep him alive so long...in other words...allow him to live. You know...they felt as though we should just end the suffering...I simply explained to them that if their child were diagnosed with a fatal illness or disease, would they just end his life early? Wouldn't they want to spend as much time as they had left on earth to love him? Comfort him? Pray for him?

Here are some infamous words from the late Mother Theresa...
"But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child - a direct killing of the innocent child - murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?"

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Gianna's 4 month portraits

Gianna's 4 month proofs

Well, yesterday was the first time ever that I had Gianna's portraits taken on a day other than the 8th. Remember that I never strayed away from that date with Sydney... I am either getting more laid back (which is highly likely, considering Gianna's wonderful disposition) or becoming more and more practical, one of the two. Note here that we made two separate trips to Victoria last week - once on Tuesday for Mark's birthday and again on Friday for First Friday Mass at St. Mary's and Confessions at the Incarnate Word & Blessed Sacrament Convent. And then yesterday, was Gianna's 4-month checkup at the Doctor and I just couldn't see the point in making a special trip to Victoria on Saturday just for pictures (which I take every month). So, my frugality and practicality kicked in and we took her 4-month portraits on the 11th and not the 8th.

Click here to see the proofs...we don't yet have the portraits.

Gianna's 3 month portraits

These were taken on October 8th...




Gianna's 2 month portraits

I am a little behind in posting these - these were taken on September 8th...she has changed so much in 2 months!

More to come...


Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Fallen tree limb...

This tree limb fell this morning (11/11/08), just as Mark was walking out the back door. We were all in the car waiting on him. The ironic thing was that I was the last one out the door, we had already backed half-way down the driveway, when Mark realized he had forgotten his wedding ring and Aggie ring. So, he pulled back up and went inside. (This forgetting something and going back inside is always me, NOT him!) It was at the exact moment when he was walking out the door that it fell right before his eyes.

This is so scary, because this is exactly where Sydney likes to play when she is outside. You can see her swingset nearby... I took a picture of her standing next to the limb (below) so you could see just how enormous this thing is. And what's so strange is that it is not a dead branch (well, I guess it is now!), so, it is very solid and heavy. As I'm sure you know, this could have killed her, or at the very least, injured her badly, had it fallen on top of her. Thankfully, it did not. But it leaves us to wonder, what was God trying to tell us? We aren't sure, but we offered up prayers of thanksgiving that it did not fall while she was out there playing. And we are still thanking Him...

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Know what you are voting for!

This is copied and pasted straight from The Bible Christian Society's website (Thank you, John Martignoni!)...please take the time to read and then pray.


I would like to ask you to ponder a few questions that I believe get to the heart of what is at stake in this election, and hopefully make it crystal clear what you are voting for this Tuesday, regardless of how you vote:

1) If Adolf Hitler said that electing Barack Obama would result in the gassing of more than one million Jews per year, could you still vote for Obama, in “good conscience,” even if you agreed with his position on the economy, the war, welfare, education, and so on?

2) If the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan said that electing Barack Obama would result in the lynching of more than one million blacks per year, could you still vote for Obama, in “good conscience,” even if you agreed with his position on the economy, the war, welfare, education, and so on?

Now, I want to be clear in that I am not comparing Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler or to the Grand Wizard of the KKK. The point I am making with these two questions is this: If someone who has knowledge of, and a vested interest in, the gassing of Jews, or the lynching of blacks, says that the policies instituted by another person will result in the killing of millions of Jews and blacks…do you think they might know about that of which they speak?

Which leads me to my third question: 3) If the abortion industry said that electing Barack Obama would result in the killing of more than one million unborn babies per year, could you still vote for Obama, in “good conscience,” even if you agreed with his position on the economy, the war, welfare, education, and so on?

And, guess what? The abortion industry has said just that. The abortion industry has stated that the restrictions that a majority of states have put on abortion – parental consent laws, 24-hour and 48-hour waiting periods, informed consent laws – have all worked to reduce the number of abortions by a few hundred thousand per year over the last several years. Plus, the abortion industry has further stated that the lack of federal funding for abortions has “forced” women to carry more than a million pregnancies per year to term. In other words, more than one million babies per year are being born, that wouldn’t be born, if we had federal funding for abortions.

Now, Barack Obama has vowed to do two things that are relevant to these questions. He has vowed to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which will eliminate all of the restrictions on abortion that have been enacted by the states; and, he has vowed to repeal the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment currently prohibits federal funding of abortion. In other words, Barack Obama has promised to do the very things that the abortion industry has stated will result in a million or more additional abortions per year.

So, if you answered, “No,” to the first two questions above, then to be morally consistent, you should answer, “No,” to the third question. But, there are any number of people who call themselves “Catholic,” who have no problem answering, “Yes,” to the third question. How can that be?

How can one not vote for a man if they know his policies would end up killing a million or more Jews per year, or killing a million or more blacks a year; but they can vote for that man even if they know his policies will kill an additional million or more unborn babies each year?

I’ll tell you how: Catholics, or any one else, who would not vote for Barack Obama if he was going to institute policies that would kill Jews or blacks, but they are more than willing to vote for Barack Obama knowing that he will institute policies that will indeed kill unborn babies, have de-sensitized themselves to what an abortion actually is. They speak of killing babies in terms of a woman’s “right to choose,” or a “woman’s reproductive freedom,” but they never think of abortion in terms of a baby getting sliced into pieces which are then removed, piece-by-bloody-piece, from their mother’s womb. They never think of abortion in terms of a baby being literally burned to death through saline poisoning within its mother’s womb and then being expelled from its mother’s womb by induced labor.

That is why I challenge anyone who plans to vote for Obama, but especially those who call themselves Catholic, to go to this website - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6152070479992487290 and view this short video on what an abortion actually is. If you’re going to vote for a man whose policies will result in the killing of an additional one million human beings, then by golly have the moral responsibility to take a good long look at what it is your vote will allow to happen.

And, if you cannot bring yourself to look at this video, because something in your gut is telling you that what you will see will be too horrible for you to stomach, and will cause you to lose sleep at night, then how in the name of all that is holy, can you vote for a man who is promising to visit this horror upon a million or more babies each year?!

If you do not watch this video, yet you go on and vote for Barack Obama, then I call you a coward and a hypocrite and I ask you what, pray tell, will you say to the Creator of Life when you stand before His Judgment Seat with the blood of millions of unborn babies dripping from your hands? Will you say, “I didn’t know?” Or, will you say, “But I was worried about my tax bill?” May God indeed have mercy on your souls.

Now, if you are all in favor of increasing the number of abortions in this country; or if you don’t believe in God and that God will have the last say in regards to the horror of abortion; or if you believe the killing of millions of unborn children is just one issue among many that you need to consider…well, it is clear that you need to vote for Senator Obama and I am happy to offer this newsletter as an informational source that will help you to solidify your vote.

Please pray for God’s will to be done in this election on Tuesday, and may God have mercy on us, every one!

Trunk or Treat '08

Well, this year's Trunk or Treat had a smaller number of participants, due to All Hallow's Eve falling on a Friday (high school football game) night, but we had a bigger turnout of trunk-or-treaters than last year. We ran out of candy! In case you don't know what Trunk or Treat is, it is a way for trick-or-treaters to learn what Halloween is really about. It is held in the church parking lot, with each participant's car parked in a semi-circle with the trunks facing inwards. Each car is decorated in the theme of a saint. We each have a poster beside our car with our saint's name, the years they lived (to know what century it was), their feast day, and what they are the patron saint of. We also try to dress up either as the saint or in the theme of what the saint's patronage is. It is not only a cool and fun way to evangelize, but also very educational for us, too, because when you choose a saint, you end up learning a whole lot about their life and how they became a saint in the first place. For example, since our family chose St. Gertrude of Nevilles, the patron saint of cats, my oldest daughter was a cat and my baby girl a kitten. I, of course, was dressed up as St. Gertrude, who happened to be a nun. We still give away candy, but we try to add a Saintly twist to it. For the "treats", we handed out Kit Kats and I made labels to go on the back side of each package that said, "KIT KAT...Keep It True…Keep All Traditions...
All Hallow’s Eve – the night before All Saints Day...Saint Gertrude…Pray for us."


Sydney was a cat. She wore a black shirt, black tights, black socks & black shoes that we already had. The headband (ears), bow (collar) & tail were $4 at Wal-Mart!


Gianna was a kitten (this was Sydney's costume when she was a baby...5 years ago)

One of my really close friends is Baptist, and they actually started having Trunk or Treat at their church a few years ago, where they passed out Christian tracts, along with their candy. A fellow Catholic friend of mine and I attended their Trunk or Treat - that's where we got the idea from. I did a little research online and found that a lot of churches are starting to do this. While it can be a fun "social" event for everyone, we both agreed that it was still missing something. We loved the idea of incorporating the Saints into the celebration. We also wanted a place for our own children to go that didn't give them nightmares at night, after seeing so many scary and gory costumes and decorations. Now, I should mention here that many saints were martyred and died horrible and very gruesome deaths. For example, Saint Lawrence, the patron saint of cooks, was placed on a gridiron to be roasted over a slow fire. At some point, he said, "You may turn my body over; it is roasted enough on that side." See what I mean about learning something?! We have actually had a Saint Lawrence at our Trunk or Treat for the past two years who cooked/grilled hot dogs, nachos, etc. for everyone to eat. Here are a few pictures I took of some of the other saints and their trunks.


Saint Veronica & Saint Gertrude (me)


Saint Longinus (the soldier who pierced the side of Jesus)

Saint Godric (a greedy pirate until he learned about Jesus)


This was too cute not to share...ever seen a nun nursing a baby?!?!

Friday, October 31, 2008

Redeeming Halloween


I really only wanted to use this blog for family updates on us, but I haven't taken the time to set up a separate blogspot for topics such as this. So, until then, I will post here. Besides, I haven't posted anything here at all in a really long time. Happy All Hallow's Eve!!!

Did you know? Hallow is a synonym for "holy" (as in the Lord’s Prayer – also, saints and holy places are referred to as "hallowed”) and e’en is a contraction of "evening." The word Halloween itself is a shortened form of "All Hallows Eve," the day before All Saints Day, or All Hallow’s Day.
Did you know? Until the 9th century, the Church celebrated the feast of All Saints on May 13th, during the season of joy after the Resurrection. This is the light in which we see all the faithful who have died, especially those whose witness to Christ is an inspiration. In 835, the date was deliberately changed to November 1 to Christianize the existing pagan time for remembering the dead—to bring light to the darkness, and hope to the most basic of human fears. In about 1048, November 2 was designated as the date to commemorate and pray for all the departed souls in Purgatory, the Feast of All Souls. Praying for the dead and offering sacrifice for them dates all the way back to Jewish customs as part of their belief in the resurrection of the dead. See 2 Maccabees 12:44-46 and 1 Peter 3:19.
Did you know? The feasts of All Saints and All Souls fall back to back to express the Christian belief of the "Communion of Saints." The Communion of Saints is the union of all the faithful on earth (the Church militant), the saints in Heaven (the Church Triumphant) and the Poor Souls in Purgatory (the Church suffering), with Christ as the Head. They are bound together by a supernatural bond, and can help one another. The Church Militant (those on earth still engaged in the struggle to save their souls) can venerate the Church Triumphant, and those saints can intercede with God for those still on earth. Both the faithful on earth and the saints in heaven can pray for the souls in Purgatory. During these two days we see the Communion of Saints really in action! So, do we "worship" or "adore" our beloved saints, as some non-Catholics think? Not at all. We honor them and learn from their example; adoration belongs to God alone. When we ask the saints to pray for us, it’s the same way we might ask a good friend to pray. See 1 Corinthians 12 and Hebrews 12:1.
Did you know? In the 16th century at the time of the Reformation, most Protestants discarded both the doctrine of the communion of saints and the practice of praying for the dead. So for those who don’t value devotion to the saints, All Hallows Eve has become "hollow" instead of "hallow," the vigil of an empty feast day. The purpose behind it has been lost—like celebrating Christmas Eve but not Christmas Day! Take away the saints, and our attempt to remember and honor them, and all that is left is a day full of .…nothing.
There is a better way! Despite losing its true meaning, Halloween has grown into a major secular holiday in American culture. We, as Catholics, can “redeem” Hallowe’en. Instead of sending our children out as devils and vampires, let us emphasize the saints, whose nearly forgotten feast day is the reason for Halloween. When properly understood and celebrated, this holiday can provide a way for us to not only deepen our own faith, but it can also be an opportunity for us to evangelize and face up to the differences that still divide Catholics and Protestants. Together we can honor the saints, pray for the Pour Souls and prepare ourselves spiritually for two great feast days of the Catholic Church. Let us make use of this opportunity as a moment of grace and as a teaching lesson. Let us use it to help us become the saints we are each called to be.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Some pics of Gianna

Big sis and little sis
Str...e...t...ch!
1st time swimming After church one day
Of course, Mommy's hand is in the way! Daddy's wiskers hurt!
As stated on my onesie, I am NOT grumpy, just tired!

My first bottle...I know it doesn't look like it in this picture, but I love it when Daddy holds me!So cute!