![Stuffed Animal Surgery]()
by Catherine | Dec 1, 2011 | Family
Janie loves her stuffed animals, but sometimes all of that love translates into wear and tear on the toys. Poor “Doggy” and Minnie Mouse got a big holes in their tummies and heads, and their stuffing was coming out.
Fortunately, we have an in-house doctor who could help. Dr. Phil came to the rescue, and he got a chance to practice his suturing skills–with a needle and thread!
Check out Dr. Phil in action. I love how he always sticks his lips out when he’s working on something or thinking really hard. I’ve noticed that Janie does that, too.
Janie’s thrilled that Doggy and Minnie Mouse both made a full recovery after her surgery. No more stuffing falling out for them!
You know you’re married to a pediatric resident when he uses his suturing skills to repair your child’s stuffed animal.
Another time you know you’re married to a pediatric resident: Your Advent calendar marker is a tongue depressor with Pooh stickers on the end.
I know you’re green with envy! I mean, really, who doesn’t want a tongue depressor marker on their Advent calendar?
![Cleaning the Silverware]()
by Catherine | Nov 30, 2011 | Family
I don’t know about you and your family, but doing the most time-consuming or tedious tasks together seems to bring out the best stories. After everyone finished their pie and birthday cake on Thanksgiving, I was putting away the silverware with my mom in the dining room. As we dried each piece before putting it back into the storage box, Mom told me a great story.
Of course, it started with Mom’s obligatory, “I’ve probably already told you this story, so tell me if you’ve heard it before…” When I was younger, I was a brat and would brush off the stories I had heard several times before. I’m so embarrassed to admit that I would even interrupt Mom and tell her, “Yes, I know that one” or try to finish her sentences. Now that I am a little older, I’m learning that hearing the story each time will be different because we’ve both changed since the last time we heard them, and the questions I ask might bring out different details I have never heard before. Hearing my mom’s story on Thanksgiving as a married woman had much more meaning than the last time I heard it in junior high.
When my parents got married, Grandma told Mom to register for silver. It was a gorgeous pattern, but unfortunately, they received only a single fork. When my dad’s birthday rolled around five months after they got married, Mom wanted to buy Dad a nice gift. She didn’t feel right spending a lot of money because they didn’t have much, and “it wasn’t just my money; it was our money.”
So, Mom decided to take the single silver fork and try to return it to Younker’s. They wanted to give Mom store credit, but she said that the gift she had in mind wasn’t in their store. Younker’s obliged and gave Mom money for the silver fork.
With the money she received for the fork, Mom purchased a Crucifix for Dad. “He would have been so mad if I had spent that much money on anything else.” Mom smiled and said, “I think it really meant a lot to him that I did that.”
The Crucifix, similar to this one, still hangs in their bedroom.
When they could afford it several years later, Mom and Dad bought a full set of silverware in the original pattern they had registered for. Mom says, “Each time I get the silverware out, I think of that fork and your dad’s first birthday after we were married.”
![Uncle Matt Came For Dinner!]()
by Catherine | Nov 11, 2011 | Family
Tonight was the highlight of Janie’s week because my younger brother Matthew (aka “Uncle Matt”) came over for dinner!
Janie usually takes a few minutes to warm up to people when she hasn’t seem them for awhile or if she’s meeting them for the first time. No warming up necessary with Uncle Matt, though! Janie jumped into his arms the second he walked in the front door and had a big smile on her face when he carried her off.
Janie had a ball asking Uncle Matt to chase her around the house, playing peek-a-boo, showing off her knowledge of animal noises, and pointing to the body parts that she’s learned.
As the “baby” of our large family, Matthew has a lot of experience as an uncle, and he’s definitely a natural. Here’s a sampling of the fun Janie has had with her Uncle Matt in the past.
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| “Airplane,” January 2010 |
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| Easter 2010 |
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| Family Birthday Party, August 2011 |
After looking at those pictures, it’s pretty obvious how much fun those two have together! To top off a great visit, Uncle Matt read Janie and Walt a bedtime story in the nursery. How cute are the three of them all cuddled up together?!
We love you, Uncle Matt!
![What's this blog about?]()
by Catherine | Nov 8, 2011 | Everything Else, Faith, Family, Marriage, The Homefront
First, why in the world did I call the blog “Hallelujah Is My Song”? This is a reference to Blessed Pope John Paul II’s quote:
“Do not abandon yourselves to despair.
We are the Easter people, and hallelujah is our song.”
Blessed Pope John Paul II was an important presence in my relationship with my husband from the first days. (I’ll write a future blog post about his impact on our early relationship.) I chose this quote because, well, it’s easy to forget the joy we should have in the Resurrection despite any suffering we might experience now. It’s my Catholic version of “Don’t worry. Be happy!”
This is a blog dedicated to documenting the everyday occurrences in our “domestic church” with our daughter, Janie (20 months), our son, Walt (5 months), and our dog, Monty (2 years). I used to teach high school Spanish. Now, I’m a stay-at-home mother to our two beautiful children. My husband, Philip, is a pediatric resident.
Here’s our latest family pic from Halloween.
I love how both of the babies (Walt the monkey and Jane aka Elmo) are giggling.
In addition to writing about our family and what we’re up to, I will post about my interests which include: anything and everything related to Catholicism, cooking, home organizing, education, crafts, reading, and keeping up with current events. I’m sure I’ll come up with more as time goes on! If I’m organized enough, maybe I’ll figure out a way to categorize my posts.
I hope to use this blog as a creative outlet and an opportunity to network with other people who are passionate about the same things I am. Here’s to hoping that I can stay dedicated to this blog and not let it fall by the wayside. Third time’s a charm, right?
Better go! Jane’s emptying the pantry and just ran off with the vanilla extract bottle! Stay tuned for more…
![What’s this blog about?]()
by Catherine | Nov 8, 2011 | Everything Else, Faith, Family, Marriage, The Homefront
First, why in the world did I call the blog “Hallelujah Is My Song”? This is a reference to Blessed Pope John Paul II’s quote:
“Do not abandon yourselves to despair.
We are the Easter people, and hallelujah is our song.”
Blessed Pope John Paul II was an important presence in my relationship with my husband from the first days. (I’ll write a future blog post about his impact on our early relationship.) I chose this quote because, well, it’s easy to forget the joy we should have in the Resurrection despite any suffering we might experience now. It’s my Catholic version of “Don’t worry. Be happy!”
This is a blog dedicated to documenting the everyday occurrences in our “domestic church” with our daughter, Janie (20 months), our son, Walt (5 months), and our dog, Monty (2 years). I used to teach high school Spanish. Now, I’m a stay-at-home mother to our two beautiful children. My husband, Philip, is a pediatric resident.
Here’s our latest family pic from Halloween.
I love how both of the babies (Walt the monkey and Jane aka Elmo) are giggling.
In addition to writing about our family and what we’re up to, I will post about my interests which include: anything and everything related to Catholicism, cooking, home organizing, education, crafts, reading, and keeping up with current events. I’m sure I’ll come up with more as time goes on! If I’m organized enough, maybe I’ll figure out a way to categorize my posts.
I hope to use this blog as a creative outlet and an opportunity to network with other people who are passionate about the same things I am. Here’s to hoping that I can stay dedicated to this blog and not let it fall by the wayside. Third time’s a charm, right?
Better go! Jane’s emptying the pantry and just ran off with the vanilla extract bottle! Stay tuned for more…
