Happy Early Thanksgiving

We are leaving Saturday morning to go to Kentucky for Thanksgiving and won't be back for a week... so I wanted to leave any visitor that stop by a special Thanksgiving message. It’s not often I forward emails but recently I received a GREAT one and forwarded on to all the moms that I know and love. Each of of the Moms I sent it to have inspired me in one way or another.

And although I have not met any of my blogger friends, I think you will also enjoy this following message if you are a mom or perhaps it will remind you of your own mother. This comes at the perfect time too of Thanksgiving and it was a great motivation for me to “keep on keepin’ on!” I really needed to hear/read this!

Happy Early Thanksgiving & Love to all of you from Kentucky,
~Bonnie

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I know it’s long, but all of you moms need to read this!

I'm invisible. It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible!

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more:

Can you fix this?

Can you tie this?

Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being.

I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?'

I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?'

I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going ... she's going ... she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devoured - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

(1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

(2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

(3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

(4) The passion of their building was fuelled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.'

And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

God Bless You as you build your Cathedrals! (Author Unknown)

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PS - I did a little searching and even found some photos to add from our local Cathedral! :)

Vacation Photos Part 2

Photos Part II.

Here are some of our touring Savannah photos we took. My friend Tricia took us down to River Street and tried her best to get us good parking but all the ramps down to the river were closed for construction so poor babies had a very bump, bumpity ride in the stroller on the stoned street. Here in the photo of me and Knucklehead they look smooth... but trust me they are not even close to being level!!! But according to my friend they were loaded on ships to equal out the weight and brought into the city. Then as they loaded the ships with weight they got rid of the rocks and they used them to pave the streets.

Here is a photo of Daddy with the babies. The grass was so pretty and very green. Aaaaaahhhh to see that beautiful Spanish moss dripping form the Live Oaks again :) Made me wish we lived in Georgia again! and of course while Dad was loading and unloading the stroller and car seats each time we got out Big sister loved playing with the Spanish moss - shaking it like a pom-pom :)

Here is a photo of our oldest (right) with our friends' youngest son, Trip 18months. He and Knucklehead had fun sitting in the "way back" of the vehicle.

And we couldn't leave downtown until we had visited St. John the Baptist Cathedral. Tricia stayed in the car with the twins while big sister, David and I went in for a look. It was my first time to go in although we passed by it when we were in Savannah for St. Patty's a few years back. David, however, actually had attended a mass service there once before... way back in 1999 when he was going thru RCIA to become Catholic. I missed it at that time b/c I was in KY with my mom during her battle of cancer.

For some better photos and more info visit their website. http://www.savannahcathedral.org/ Their Baptism fount is beautiful! The photo doesn't show the detail as well as in person but each tile was about the size of my pinkie fingernail.

Of course we stopped to light a candle and say a prayer in thanksgiving of the family we have become!!! Grateful is such an inadequate word for what I felt when I said my prayer. It still brings tears to my eyes to recall that just four years ago that David and I, were at such a different place than we are now.
For months we did this following mass each week - praying that we may become worthy to be parents of a child that God would create for us if it be in His plan for our lives. Many prayers offered up during that time and intersessions from Mary and her mother St. Anne (who was childless many years too) and many other saints..... and to think we went form being childless the first 7 years of our marriage to having 3 kids within just three years! :) Praise Be to God!

....and of course hearing Knucklehead say her Hail Mary prayer in her little voice after she lit her candle... aaaahhh, what a great memory! I am so glad we took the time to visit the Cathedral that day!!!
...and when we got back to the car, Tricia was having some fun with the babies letting them entertain one another playing footsie and blowing raspberries at each other :) Milk-man on the right and stretchy sister on the left. :)

to be continued tomorrow night...

Love from Texas!!! ~Bonnie

Photos from our Savannah Vacation

Below are a few photos from our trip to Savannah to visit the Melvin Family. We had a great time... I didn't get to take any photos of us in Charleston b/c my battery went dead and I could never remember where I had packed the charger for it in the 5 suitcases that we had!?$@##?!

I bought a disposable for our visit to the Aquarium and Fort Sumter but haven't developed them yet.

.....and now that we have been home a week - I STILL HAVEN"T FOUND THE CHARGER! :P and that stinks b/c we leave Saturday for our trip home to Kentucky for Thanksgiving and it isn't an item you can buy in stores. :(

so enjoy these photos they may be the last for a while.

Here's Big Sister with her Dora backpack and carry on.

in Atlanta she spotted these "water stops" and was so excited that they had one just her size that she could "drink out of with her feet on the floor." .....only bad part is that she wanted to stop at every one she saw and we only had a 42 minute layover and had to walk fast to make it just in time to our next concourse and gate.

Both of the babies did great on the plane! I prayed that their little ears wouldn't hurt and thankfully they had no problems. Of course Daddy sat behind us and he and I traded them off for plenty of momma-milk :) Above is a photo of me and milk-man waiting to get off the plane.

Our friends had the perfect set up for Knucklehead! She loved sleeping in this blow up sleeping bag. ......however that phone jack on the wall is another story! Amazing how entertained she was by it while trying to doze off each night? but there wasn't anywhere else to put her bed in our guest room. We also had two pack-n-play beds in there with our queen bed... so we were a little limited on space.

Here is our Godson singing "We're the kids of America" to the babies. :) He is quite the performer! Of course he had an excited audience that kicked and squealed for more!

See that mauve recliner in the background? - That is where I slept every night. My cold I got just before we left got worse while we were there and I didn't want to chance keeping my husband and three kids up all night if I slept in their room.... and actually sleeping sitting up helped keep me from coughing as much. But I still coughed a LOT :(

this is all I can post Blogger is not letting me upload anymore so I will make another post. ~Bonnie

Our FIRST Family Vacation!

Yep, that’s right, after 10 years of marriage (3 years as parents) we are finally going on our first EVER family vacation! Of course we have traveled with our 3 year old many times… both car and plane but does it really count as vacation if the end destination every time is to our parent’s homes?

This week, we’ll be visiting our best “Couple” friends who live in Savannah, GA. It’s been 2.5 years since we seen them. We first met J&T just after we married and moved to GA the first time in 1998. W-O-W we have almost known them for TEN years and through several moves of both them and us – well, more us moving than them… we have remained in touch and friends!!! (Thank you internet and free cell phone long distance!!!) :P

We choose the week of Halloween to visit with them because ever since their boys were born, David and I have always been right there in the-smack-dab-middle-of-every-major-holiday at their home!!! For many years before we had kids, we had “nephews”!! We’ve even been known to listen for the phone to ring early Christmas morning to get the “come quick alert” and we jump up and go in our PJ’s to see the kids as they explored and discovered what Santa had left for them! Those were some of the good ‘ole days for sure! Of course, that was when each of us lived in connecting neighborhoods and we could get there in less than 2 minutes!

After we had Knucklehead, we even spent our first family Halloween with them at their new home just after they had moved to Savannah. So this year being the twins’ “first” Halloween, I cant’ think of anywhere else I rather be! We’re looking forward to meeting our 3rd nephew who turned 1 in May this year and they can’t wait to meet Milk Man and Stretchy Sister!

So, I’ll be back in a week – until then… HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Love from Savannah, Georgia! :)
~bonnie

Above photo of Knucklehead today at her Preschool Class’ Costume Party. She got the Coolest Costume Award! :P ..... and then these two cutie-pies were just too "Toot!"

post something from over the weekend

Here are some photos taken over the weekend of the kids and also of some gently used shoes that I found each priced under $3/pair!!!

Love from Texas!! ~bonnie

4 months already???

Today the babies had their 4 month check up. In the photo above I didn't notice until just now that they are holding each other's hands - as if to say, "We can be brave together for our shots!" ;)


Baby girl, who we are still calling STRETCH - weighed 11 pounds 2.5 ounces. Her head measured 38 cm and when placed on the exam table stretched out for her measuring which was so cute.... she is 22 and 3/4" long.


Baby Boy, who we are still calling MILK MAN - weighed 11 pounds 14.5 ounces which surprised us b/c to us he feel much more heavier than sister... but the scales were in ballance and that's what they said... however they measure them naked and I noticed he had a very full diaper when I took it off so he was "empty" in my opinion and that is what made the difference. LOL :) His head was also 38 cm but appears larger when you look at him... and he measured to be a quarter inch shorter than sister - 22 and 1/2" long.


Has it been 4 months already?? Gosh time really flies when you are trying to convince yourself that you are having fun! LOL

Although those first 6 weeks were KILLER and actually the first 3 months were the hardest of my mommy career - it has actually improved and not so hard now.

But magicly it seems, things got a little easier around the third month, and as a result life has become more fun. The babies smile all the time and so cheerful. Both of them are really good at rolling over which big sister loves b/c that means they are down on the floor more now and she loves to lay with them and read books to them.

The Mondello Family made the twins both matching blankets with fish on them - they are really colorful. At first we were using on e downstairs in the computer room so they could have tummy time by me at the computer and one in Knukelhead's room b/c she likes to pretend we are at Story time while I read books to her...

Anyway, Big Sister also likes to pretend that that the fish blanket is the ocean and that the twins are turtles (since their heads sort of look turtleish sticking up....) which all this pretending is cute and all.... except for when she wants to remove the table part off of her kitchen set that Isabella gave her and turn it upside down and ride on it b/c it is her "Surf Board!"

And try convincing a 3 year old not to do it on the blanket where the babies are and here is the logic you will get...


"No the carpet part is not the ocean!"

"Knukelhead you can't ride the table upside down on the blanket - that is too close to the babies and I don't want you to tip it over and fall and fall on them. You are TOO Close."


"MOMMA, I can't ride my Surf Board on the sand... put the babies on the sand..." :P

....(rolleyes)....haaaa....deep breath - "OK, but they have to lay on a blanket so they don't get sand all in their hands" (aka hair and other gross stuff that you don't see hidden in carpet)

so I go get a quilt my mother made for me and lay down - and all of a sudden Big sister has a fit!!!


"NO, No! They don't want to be on the sand the turtles, (twins) want to be in the ocean too! They need to swim - GO get the other Ocean Blanket from my room!!!"


So what is a momma to do? Go get the 2nd ocean and put in on the floor on the other side of the room so Big sister can surf on her pretend surf board and the twins, uham, I mean turtles can practice swimming (rolling over and scooting and pushing up.)

Just like in real life when turtles hatch from their eggs, I had to keep tossing them back into their ocean -on their blanket when they scooted off into the sand... LOL :P

....and that is just brief description of 10 minutes from my life as a Stay@Home Mommy! :) I am so grateful to have a husband who insisted I stay at home with our children and be the one to experience them growing up. Thank you honey for having confidence and faith in me and for your support for making it all possible!



~Love from Texas!

Photos of the kids in their PJ's!

Hey Everyone, We hope all of our friends and family are enjoying our new blog website. I was informed that a couple of you are having a hard time seeing the photos?? If so, shoot us an email and let us know. Maybe I can email them to you instead? Otherwise, this is still the best way to keep everyone updated and show off our growing children....

Throughout our 10 years of marriage and many moves, we have many friends across about a dozen states! :) Thanks to all of you for keeping in touch with us! The following pics were taken a couple weeks ago – it is so difficult to pose 3 kids and get them to all look at the camera at the same time! I have a new respect for photographers!!! How do you like Little Brother's night cap? I am 98% sure this was a sleeper of Anthony’s that Tracie in GA sent to us. The gown Little Sister is wearing was given to Knucklehead when she was a baby from my friend Lisa B. from Monsanto!

We will be visiting Savannah, GA for a week at the end of October and spending 10 days in KY for Thanksgiving Holiday so hopefully we can see a lot of you during our visits!

Love from Texas!

Thanks to the technology of digital cameras I can take lots of photos and not have to worry about wasting film. However, I took nearly 50 photos in 10 minutes and this is the ONLY one of Knucklehead Big Sister not making a silly face. Too bad it isn't a smile, but I will take what I can get.

OK, perhaps we will never know what exactly was so funny that little sister is snickering about… perhaps she was planning to let off one of her famous “clear the room” stink bombs! LOL .... and it appears she gave a warning to brother b/c he is plugging his nose!
In the next photo it appears that her stink bomb was a success….. "Yeah, I did it!!" says sister and little brother thinks it is funny too! ....he thinks to himself.... "thanks for the warning, but poor mom never saw it coming."

So often strangers say they look identical – when in fact they have each looked so differently since day one, but in the next two photo I guess they do sort of look alike – it is rare that I see them looking so much like each other. Perhaps it was the same expression on their faces with their eyes opened so wide???

When Big Sister was behind the camera they couldn't’t take their eyes off her – in above photo they look scared that she may fall on them… whoa!
Hope you all enjoyed the photos!

~Love from Texas!

Sunday - My favorite day of the week!

Here we are last Sunday... September 16th... not at our home church but at the neighboring town's church - St. Anthony's Cathedral. I'm holding "Stretch" and my husband is holding "Milk Jug" and Knucklehead is in front of us holding "her" bulletin.

After mass was over many friendly people came up to greet us and one lady offered to take our photo. She actually asked if I mind if she take our photo with her camera that she carries with her and that "one day" when she saw us next, she would give us a copy. We explained to her that it was rare for us to attend mass there, b/c we live in the neighboring town and chances were that the twins may be much older the next time she saw us... however, she still insisted and wanted to take our photo with her camera and agreed to take another using our camera. And I am so glad she did! It is rare of us to get a family photo and where better to take one than here at the Cathederal! :)

Why were we not at our church you wonder???? We missed it! Actually, it was only 20 minuites shy of the time we usually leave the house and not everyone was out of bed yet! I won't name any names... but it wasn't like I was near being ready to go either... It would be a miracle to make it to our church's service at 10:30am so we headed over to the church next door for their 12:00..... Yes NOON!

I'll admit we have been late to mass more times in the past 3 months than we have in the past 3 years combined... and I'm talking LATE - like during the first reading late!!! Most people will turn and look the other way and pretend not to notice us trying hard to be polite b/c of our recent family growth... but I really don't like being late!

Lucky for us, we do have a backup plan as my husband calls it - the Noon Mass at the Cathedral. Although it is a nice place to worship and I love the friendlyness of the people, it really just isn't the same. If we miss mass at our home church, it makes it 2 weeks between seeing our friends... and not to mention getting a later start only sets us back for the whole day! We went out to eat afterwards, and didn't get home until nearly 4pm!!! We had very slow service at Red Lobster aka "the crab house" as Knucklehead calls it..... lucky for us the twins slept majority of the meal and no one required breast feeding so I was free to enjoy my snow crab legs - which are a hands on - kind-of-meal!

Oh, and since this post is on the topic of "Photos taken at church" I will end with a few others taken of us... the first one was taken of the kids during Father Michael's welcome reception following mass I think during June - about the time of the babies being just 3 weeks old!!! It's hard to believe they were once this small!!!!!

Sunday, June 23, 2007

Here we are - our FIRST ever family photo with the twins - and our FIRST time to take them to church - Sunday June 9th - they are only 6 days old in the photo below.

Easter 2006

Christmas 2006