Bless us, oh Lord, and these thy gifts ...

Rogation Days 2012

The prayer we say before meals is but a brief acknowledgement that everything we have, have ever had, will ever have, comes from God.  HIS bounty is endless. So we recently took part in a liturgical celebration at a dairy farm to show our gratitude.  Dairy farm?

Well, Rogation Days, as the Catholic encyclopedia explains it, are three days of prayer before Ascension Day instituted by the Church to appease God's anger at man's transgressions, to ask protection in calamities, and to obtain a good and bountiful harvest.  Cows .. milk .. butter .. bread .. harvest -- connection? 
Anyway, this is a beautiful tradition that begins with a procession while chanting the Litany of the Saints ...

Twitter was one of the servers.

Fr. S and big Joe

CoCo prayed along sometimes but mostly kicked up the dust in her cowgirl boots.

Fr. S blessed the field with incense and sprinkled holy water, imploring God to be generous, not just with His provisions for us, but most especially, with His mercy.

Then it was back to the farmhouse ... 

 

 

 

... and mass celebrated outside under a tent ...

... followed by a potluck featuring fresh ground hamburgers (thank you, cows!)

The kids got to play ...

and mingle with their friends.

But as you can see on Little Man's face, he wasn't feeling well. We took leave early, missing out on a tour of the farm and a chance to pet the animals. 

 

 

On the way out we swung past the milking machines ..  giving thanks, once again, to God for His gifts.

 

 

We give you thanks, Almighty God, for these and all thy benefits.  

You who livest and reignest forever and ever.

Rodeo Roundup    

Little Man's penchant for all things cowboy got a boost recently ...

A sweet young mom recently invited us to the rodeo in her hometown of Plymouth.

Can you say "Giddy-Up!"?

It was our first time going to the rodeo ...

and the cowboys AND cowgirls were amazing -- 

particularly because they were ONLY IN HIGH SCHOOL!

These teenagers impressed us with their riding...

roping...

and round up skills ...

And talk about TRUE GRIT:

You couldn't help but cringe watching them get tossed around like rag dolls.But oh, the admiration!  What these kids were able to do showed hard work, determination, perseverance, courage -- all the stuff that built this country! Gotta love it!

And the kids ... 

They had a great time, of course! 

Fun on the Farm ...

 A while back we went on a play date field trip to a friend's home farm out in the country.  

They have at least two acres, nine kids, lots of laundry...

and during our visit ...

a pen of new piglets PLUS some precious little peeps!

Little Man and CoCo had a great time handling their new feathered friends (scientific observation, right?)

Not sure if the little critters enjoyed our company ...

But we had a great time!

Now back to the books ... sigh ...

A Big Day for Little Man

Our Little Man is not so little anymore...or at least his age isn't. He's still a pint-sized bucket of mischief and fun. We celebrated his sixth birthday a couple weeks ago and got up some big fun for this little mister.At his request, Mom the older girls planned a cowboy and Indian party.

Our little cowboy got himself into big trouble accidentally locking himself to a chair with Dad's handcuffs. He dragged the chair around trying to pick the lock with anything he could find sat patiently waiting for Dad and the keys to get home and deliver him from bondage.
After this little escapade, our guests began to arrive. Entertainment for the night included bb gun shooting in the back and making dream catchers and Indian headdresses.

Annie Oakley Jr. shows up the boys with her shooting skills.

Angel and her friends make dream catchers and headdresses.

The food-decorating skills of Meemz and Edna are decidedly opposite. While Meemz can make outstanding and delicious looking cakes like this....

Edna's tend to end up looking well, not as pretty....

Looks aside, both desserts were wolfed down by Indians and cowboys alike. After we sang Happy Birthday, that is. 

When everyone had had their fill, we proceeded to gift opening. The little cowboy made away like a bandit with the generous gifts from friends and family. 

 

He got a phone call from Grandma and Aunty in the middle of gift opening which induced big smiles.

 

 One of his favorite gifts was a pair of real cowboy boots to complete his cowboy get-up.

 In addition to his boots he received Lincoln Logs, puzzles, guns, a snow disc, horse and wagon action figures, books, shoes and clothes. A big thank you to all the family and friends!

Happy 6th Birthday, Little Man!