November Birthdays

November is the kick-off of the holiday season for us. It begins with Twitter's birthday. He's finally in the double-digits -- turning a big whopping 10 years old! Yay!!!

We celebrated quietly at home with the family.  
Here he is feasting with his cousins.

And here's the feast!  He wanted L & L Barbecue.
No cooking?!  Who can resist that birthday request?

As for gifts ... Twitter's birthday wish list included a hoodie...

....check! (Thanks Auntie N.)

                                          New shoes ....

...check! (Thanks again, Auntie N!)
 
Legos ...

...check, again!(actually, he got a gift card to the Lego Store-thanks, Auntie C!)

But his biggest wish was for a BB gun ... 

.... CHECK! CHECK! CHECK!!!!  (Thanks, Dad!) 

This gift was a quite the surprise for him since his previous requests for one always received Mom and Dad's adamant "no's."

Ten cents in a dime ..

Ten pigs in a pen..
Ten decades in a century ..
Ten Hail Mary's in a rosary decade ..
Ten candles on the brownie cake!!! :)

 

Happy Birthday, Twitter!

Two weeks later -- Angel's turn!  

She celebrated her 8th by sharing a party 
with cousin D who celebrated his big 12!

Angel displayed her typically "reserved" happy upon receiving gifts.  
Nana & Auntie N  updated her wardrobe. 










Auntie C. juiced up her day with a Jamba Juice card.

 Big Brother brought out the BIG guns to produce a BIG smile!  

Well, it wasn't a really big gun .. just a bb gun .. but it was pink!

 Thanks, Big Brother!

The celebrating continued the next night .. pizza pie for dinner .. 

s'mores pizza cake for dessert!

And then there were more gifts -- stashed in a new birthday back pack.

Stars .. to help her think about Heaven before going to sleep.

A yo-yo, because Mom just knew it would bring a smile to her face!

A watch -- because she's learning to tell the time on a face clock!

Mula from Grandma A!

A new raincoat & gloves to coordinate with her back pack!

Eight GREAT years with our ANGEL!

...and Thanksgiving is just around the corner ...

All Saint's Eve

This Hallowe'en we went to a friend's house for a night of festivities. 

It being All Hallow's Eve the kids were dressed as Saints to remember God's holy ones.

Coco dressed as St. Cecelia, patroness of music. We thought this was very apt considering Coco's love of music. She gave her little speech with confidence, proudly declaring, "I am the patroness of music and I play the harp," before flouncing off the stage.

Little Man dressed up as Noah.  He's not exactly a Saint, but still a holy one of God. Edna and Meemz added to the drama by literally dressing up as his background.

Noah and his Ark

"..And God set a rainbow in the sky."

Angel, having read a story about St. Rose of Lima, dressed as the first Saint of the Americas.

Twitter was Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio. 

This young Mexican martyr was only thirteen years old when he was brutally killed for the Faith.

                   In addition to the Parade of Saints, there were games to play and lots of candy to bag.  .

   The main attraction of night, at least for the younger set, 

was the tree-house featuring a swing and zip-line.

All Holy Angels & Saints .. Ora pro nobis!

The Family that Prays Together .....

 This weekend, Dad took the kids to the Bay Area to join in the San Francisco Family Rosary Crusade.

They joined more than 1000 pilgrims at the Civic Center Plaza who gathered to pray 

the rosary together, asking God to bless our country, our community, and our families. 

The organizers had fashioned their crusade after the Rosary Rally 

held by Fr. Patrick Peyton back in October of 1961.

 

As you can see above, it was a monumental prayer gathering -- more than 500,000 Catholics and non-Catholics in Golden Gate Park -- including the governor of California and the city's mayor.

This weekend's gathering fell far short of the organizer's expectations as far as crowd size,

and did not include any political dignitaries... 

... but our family was grateful, nonetheless, for the opportunity to unite our voices with others, 

particularly invoking the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, 

praying for a return to Christian values in our country.

 The family agreed that one of the highlights of the gathering was seeing so many women religious.
Thank God for their witness and their faithfulness.

 We ask our Loving God to hear our appeals

 and we offer them through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Mother.