![Halloween Photo Recap]()
by Catherine | Nov 1, 2014 | Family
What a great, great first Halloween in Lincoln we had!
Before heading out for trick-or-treating, we took a few pictures in front of the fireplace:
- Sully, Mikey, and Lambie
- That little Mikey was moving so quickly that he was blurry in most of our pictures from the evening!
- Everyone happily got into character for the pictures. Walt loved roaring like a monster, Harry happily imitated Walt, and Jane sweetly curtsied whenever we popped out the camera.
After the pictures in front of the fireplace, we put out a bowl of candy on the front stoop and headed out…
- One of our favorite neighbor girls and babysitters, Carly, had made the kids adorable treat bags! She even made a bundle of dog biscuits for Monty! Love that girl. 🙂
- We were able to snag a quick pic with some of our favorite neighbor boys, too. It’s so much fun to be surrounded by so many great, young families!
- I had to snap a picture of the way the cuties looked on their way up to the door, so I ran ahead to get this shot. I love how Jane escorted little Harry up the steps! Walter (aka “Wal-turtle”) slowly made his way to the door in his own time!
- Waiting for more of our neighbor friends to come to the door. Trick-or-treating is a different experience when you and the kids know everyone coming to the door by name. It was so fun going house to house, hearing the kids say, “Okay, now, let’s go to __________’s house!”
At one point while we were trick-or-treating up the block, Walt started pointing at our house and complaining, “They’re taking our candy!” We thought he was just being greedy, so we reassured him, “No, honey, they’re supposed to take the candy!” Maybe we should have been paying closer attention, because this is what we found on our return home:
- NADA. No candy. No bowl. NO NOTHING! Kids, I wouldn’t have cared if you had taken all of the candy, but THE BOWL?! Granted, it was only a $2 plastic WalMart bowl, but STILL!
We weren’t going to let that dampen our spirits! We headed inside so that the kids could warm up and transition to sleepy time. We put on a movie and told the kids they could each pick out one treat from their bags.
- Walt thoroughly enjoyed his Milky Way
- Another group shot after the candy set in
- We were pushin’ it, but we thought we’d try to get another shot of Sully & Mikey. Mikey wasn’t feelin’ it.
- Kinda better?
- I’ll settle for the cute wrestling on the ground instead!
We had a few stragglers that came by while we were putting the kids to bed. I told them to be on the lookout for a green candy bowl, and they were sincerely outraged on our behalf that someone would steal our candy bowl. Their cute little indignation softened the blow from the neighborhood thugs! After I gave them their candy, one of the Elsas (who else?) peeked over my shoulder and said in her 7-year-old voice, “You have a beautiful house! Happy Halloween!” Elsa got extra candy.
Even though he was on call, Philip didn’t have to go in to the hospital. We turned out the lights, watched one of our favorite new shows (PBS The Paradise), and called it a night.
I hope you had an equally fabulous Halloween!
![Preschool Halloween Parties]()
by Catherine | Oct 30, 2014 | Family
Jane and Walt’s preschool classes had their Halloween parties this week. The cuteness was killin’ me! All of those little preschoolers running into school in their costumes…it was too much!
This year, Jane is Lambie from the show Doc McStuffins this year. I love her cute little costume! So soft and cuddly!
Lambie is 4!
Walking in to preschool
Sweet big sister Jane opened up her treat bag the second we got home from preschool, and she started divvying out the goods to her little brothers. “Here, Walt, this one’s for you! Oh, Harry, you better not have that one. You’ll probably choke! Here, you can have the bag to tear up! You like to tear things up, don’t you?” She’s such a sweetie to those brothers!
Walt (aka “Sully” from Monsters Inc.) had his preschool Halloween party this morning. He was PUMPED! “I’m gonna roar at everyone!”
Snacktime at the Halloween party
Decorating treat bags. The sweet moms in charge of the Halloween party let Jane decorate some paper with stickers, too. So fun!
Watching the fun with Jane & Harry while Walt’s buddies played games
Jane stayed busy with the stickers
So proud of her creations! Harry wanted to escape and play with the big kids soooooo badly!
Thumbs up, Sully!
Closing out the party with story time
Now that the school parties are over, we’re anxiously awaiting Halloween so that we can go trick-or-treating! The kids CAN’T WAIT to visit all of our neighbors’ houses!
![Creighton’s Cacophony for Social Justice]()
by Catherine | Oct 28, 2014 | Faith
Creighton University, a Catholic institution, has decided to begin extending benefits to same-sex spouses of university employees. The proponents of this move are painting it as a civil rights victory, a matter of social justice, and a win for progress.
Kate Howard of the Omaha World Herald interviewed and quoted professors from Creighton’s theology department for her column on Creighton’s decision. I think these lines illustrate Creighton’s view on the matter:
Gail Risch, an adjunct faculty member who teaches the theology of Christian marriage at Creighton, said offering benefits is not a conflict with church teachings because it’s not a theological issue.
“Providing benefits is clearly a matter of respecting the dignity of the person, and the dignity of a person is not based on one’s sexual orientation,” Risch said.
Of course the same-sex attracted have dignity! Everyone has dignity! The Catholic Church has no interest in assigning or removing dignity because it has no power to do so. Instead, the Catholic Church is saying that those in same-sex relationships are not married. It follows then that those who are not married in the eyes of the Church should not receive marriage benefits from Catholic institutions.
Today, so-called “same-sex marriage” is illegal in Nebraska, and Creighton aims to extend marriage benefits to university employees’ spouses who have attempted marriage in states where “same-sex marriage” is legal. Even if “same-sex marriage” became legalized everywhere, this would not change Catholic Teaching on marriage. In the future event the government would try to force Catholic institutions to provide marriage benefits to same-sex couples, Catholic institutions would have a moral obligation to disobey the government. Providing marriage benefits to same-sex couples amounts to what we call “material cooperation with evil.” In other words, the Church would be providing money to something that the Church finds morally wrong. It is a great scandal to the Catholic Church that Creighton’s president, Rev. Timothy Lannon, S.J., has decided to disobey Archbishop George J. Lucas’ wishes that Creighton uphold the Church’s definition of marriage by extension of the University’s marriage benefits policy.
- Rev. Timothy Lannon, S.J. President of Creighton University
We should be wary when we see a Catholic institution go rogue in the name of “social justice.” Catholic Teaching and social justice are not at odds with one another. As Archbishop Lucas points out, a Catholic institution of higher education should be a pioneer in uniting the two together. Instead, Creighton is choosing to pit social justice against the Catholic Church, demonizing the Church’s teaching on marriage and the faithful who uphold it. Below is Archbishop George J. Lucas’ response to Rev. Timothy Lannon’s decision:
“I am disappointed in Father Lannon’s announcement that Creighton University will extend healthcare benefits to same-sex spouses of employees who have attempted marriage in states where this practice is legal. I disagree with the decision. Despite Father Lannon’s claim that this is not a statement of approval of same-sex marriages, this is precisely the message that the University is giving. I am dismayed that the recommendation of the University Benefits Committee is thought to supersede divine law regarding marriage. There is no tension between Catholic teaching and social justice. Both are grounded in the same truths about the nature of the human person, the complementarity of man and woman and the meaning of human life and love. When we experience tension in ensuring respect and just treatment for all persons, including those with same-sex attraction, we have a right to expect a Catholic university to help us see a just path forward, rooted in faith and founded on the rich Catholic intellectual tradition. Creighton has failed to fulfill this expectation in this expansion of benefits.” (Emphasis mine.)
Thank you, Archbishop Lucas, for upholding Church Teaching and for serving as a steadfast shepherd.
![Creighton's Cacophony for Social Justice]()
by Catherine | Oct 28, 2014 | Faith
Creighton University, a Catholic institution, has decided to begin extending benefits to same-sex spouses of university employees. The proponents of this move are painting it as a civil rights victory, a matter of social justice, and a win for progress.
Kate Howard of the Omaha World Herald interviewed and quoted professors from Creighton’s theology department for her column on Creighton’s decision. I think these lines illustrate Creighton’s view on the matter:
Gail Risch, an adjunct faculty member who teaches the theology of Christian marriage at Creighton, said offering benefits is not a conflict with church teachings because it’s not a theological issue.
“Providing benefits is clearly a matter of respecting the dignity of the person, and the dignity of a person is not based on one’s sexual orientation,” Risch said.
Of course the same-sex attracted have dignity! Everyone has dignity! The Catholic Church has no interest in assigning or removing dignity because it has no power to do so. Instead, the Catholic Church is saying that those in same-sex relationships are not married. It follows then that those who are not married in the eyes of the Church should not receive marriage benefits from Catholic institutions.
Today, so-called “same-sex marriage” is illegal in Nebraska, and Creighton aims to extend marriage benefits to university employees’ spouses who have attempted marriage in states where “same-sex marriage” is legal. Even if “same-sex marriage” became legalized everywhere, this would not change Catholic Teaching on marriage. In the future event the government would try to force Catholic institutions to provide marriage benefits to same-sex couples, Catholic institutions would have a moral obligation to disobey the government. Providing marriage benefits to same-sex couples amounts to what we call “material cooperation with evil.” In other words, the Church would be providing money to something that the Church finds morally wrong. It is a great scandal to the Catholic Church that Creighton’s president, Rev. Timothy Lannon, S.J., has decided to disobey Archbishop George J. Lucas’ wishes that Creighton uphold the Church’s definition of marriage by extension of the University’s marriage benefits policy.
- Rev. Timothy Lannon, S.J. President of Creighton University
We should be wary when we see a Catholic institution go rogue in the name of “social justice.” Catholic Teaching and social justice are not at odds with one another. As Archbishop Lucas points out, a Catholic institution of higher education should be a pioneer in uniting the two together. Instead, Creighton is choosing to pit social justice against the Catholic Church, demonizing the Church’s teaching on marriage and the faithful who uphold it. Below is Archbishop George J. Lucas’ response to Rev. Timothy Lannon’s decision:
“I am disappointed in Father Lannon’s announcement that Creighton University will extend healthcare benefits to same-sex spouses of employees who have attempted marriage in states where this practice is legal. I disagree with the decision. Despite Father Lannon’s claim that this is not a statement of approval of same-sex marriages, this is precisely the message that the University is giving. I am dismayed that the recommendation of the University Benefits Committee is thought to supersede divine law regarding marriage. There is no tension between Catholic teaching and social justice. Both are grounded in the same truths about the nature of the human person, the complementarity of man and woman and the meaning of human life and love. When we experience tension in ensuring respect and just treatment for all persons, including those with same-sex attraction, we have a right to expect a Catholic university to help us see a just path forward, rooted in faith and founded on the rich Catholic intellectual tradition. Creighton has failed to fulfill this expectation in this expansion of benefits.” (Emphasis mine.)
Thank you, Archbishop Lucas, for upholding Church Teaching and for serving as a steadfast shepherd.
by Catherine | Oct 27, 2014 | Faith
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| Put It To Work |
It’s another Monday morning, so it’s time for Put It To Work, our weekly opportunity to swap prayer intentions. As I wrote last week, the goal is to actively unite our intentions to the cross for one another, putting the prayer intentions “to work”–especially in times of suffering (no matter how small).
My intentions this week:
- That Brittany Maynard will change her decision to end her life on November 1
- That our GodTeens will come to know and love Jesus
- That Jane and Walt’s second go around with swimming lessons goes well
- That I will keep working on patience with kids & words of affirmation toward Philip
What about you? What prayer intentions can I start “putting to work” for you this week? I’ll add them to my prayer journal and bring them with me to my prayer time throughout the week.
Thank you for praying for us! You’re in my prayers this week, too!
