6TH GRADE PETER PAN PROJECT

SAVANNAH AND HER BEST FREIND BETH

TRULY PROUD OF THEIR "PETER PAN" 6TH GRADE PROJECT

THEY CREATED A SECTION OF THIS MOST FAMOUS PLACE CALLED

"NEVERLAND"

They worked so hard and did such a great job on it!  An A+ indeed!

And.....of course, it doesn't hurt that they were forced to spend many hours together completing it!

Best friends make school so much fun!

FAUSTIAN ACADEMY AWARDS NIGHT

Everything Good in us, is Him

FAUSTINA AWARDS NIGHT

Madison, Savannah, and Nicholas,
Daddy and I are truly joyful that you had such a great year at school!  I fervently prayed that our Lord would help you to be happy at your new school and pleaded with my wonderful Jesus, asking Him if He would so generously fill in any educational holes left by my imperfect homeschooling and affected further by my being sick....but even with all of those stresses going on in our family, Man I wouldn't trade even one day of our homeschooling.

His unworthy daughter fell at the Beautiful Feet of her Most Holy Father begging and pleading for His help
(not sure how it would go)
And you know what He so mercifully did.....He answered each of my unworthy petitions with immense love and greatness! And for that, I am so grateful!!

My Sweethearts, you truly shined this year.  Daddy and I were so humbled at the Awards Night, when each of you won a very special award:

I don't want you to ever forget what an incredible night it was for you with all of your friends and teachers, so I wanted to save these pictures for you to look back on when you are bigger (maybe even showing your children some day)

Everything good in us, is Him and I see Him shining through each of you, everyday!

THE AWARDS PRESENTATION 

Lower School

 Nicholas received an award for his outstanding work ethic
(way to work so diligently...Buddy)

 Savannah received an award for Excellence in the virtue of cheerfulness and dedication
(My Little Cheerful Sunshine)

High School

Madison won the Excellence in Virtues award for the 9th grade
(I have always called you, My Old Soul)

Madison also received an award for her outstanding Shakespearian performance, as Nick Bottom from a Mid Summer Night's Dream

Extra Blessings

Then just because Jesus loves to shower His Children with more blessings than we could ever understand (He continues to amaze me time and time again)

Savannah was voted by her classmates, "Student of the Year" for 6th grade

AND

Madison was voted by her classmates, "Student of the Year" for 9th grade

Madison's special plaque

Savannah"s special plaque

These are enormous honors and how grateful we felt to have our children be blessed in this way.  What amazing Graces Bestowed on you, in this year of great change for our family!

 I am delighted at His Goodness.

Madison, Savannah, and Nicholas,
I want to pass on so much to you, among these is the Modesty to always remember that...
Everything in us that is good, is Him.  He chose to be Glorified through you tonight, my children, and for that, I am so amazingly thankful!

So many in the world have forgotten Who is Perfect Love and where all Goodness and Perfection comes from....We are beautifully and wonderfully made into His Likeness, formed in His Hands.  He delights in doing good things though us, if we allow Him to work freely in our lives

Thank You for an incredible year, Dear Father.....and thank You also for this much needed summer, where we can spend some time together as a family 

SUMMER BREAK.....BOY DID I MISS THEM

I believe that I was called to homeschool my children.  But, I was more importantly, designed to please my Dear Lord Jesus in whatever He desires, above all.  

To make sure that I never become too attached to my crosses, sometimes Christ Jesus, takes one of them away from me, as I can so easily forget, that it was never mine to begin with.  

JESUS CALLED OUR FAMILY TO SCHOOL

My crosses (suffering and sacrifices) are tools that God uses to transform me from an ordinary and tarnished stone, to a stunning and polished gem (it can be quite a process)  How could I possibly embrace a cross without it being totally centered on our Precious Lord?  He is the one Who died on that Cross to save me from my sins!
But, amazingly enough, sometimes even my sufferings can take on a life of their own and I cling to them (trying to be faithful) but forgetting that I am at the Foot of The Cross.....and in all of my distraction, failing to look up and see Who Stands Before Me (Christ Himself)

Carrying my crosses, without Christ, are worthless!

A number of years ago, I had a wonderful friend named Jenny, who after much discernment, decided to put her kids into school after having homeschooled them since they were little. She told me that our Lord was asking her to "Sacrifice....the Sacrifice"  Wow, that was so powerful to me!  Without even realizing it at that time, Jesus (through Jenny) was gently preparing me for this same calling that I would receive many years later.

(By The Way....Our Homeschool's name was St. Maria Faustina Catholic Academy)
 With a special devotion to the Divine Mercy
Yes....He is THAT Amazingly-Facinatingly-Unbelievabley Awesome All of the time and will be forever!

St. Maria Faustina....This humble and holy Nun is one of my favorite saints.  She is an incredible example of a true Christian Witness!  I dream of growing in holiness as she did.  She was so devout, determined and disciplined!  She rarely took her eyes off of Christ for even one moment


JESUS IN ALL OF HIS AWESOMENESS, AS MY PERFECT FATHER, TOOK THE DECISION TO PUT THE KIDS INTO SCHOOL OUT OF MY HANDS

Jesus totally blessed me by taking this "to school" or "not to school" choice out of my hands, as He showed me that I was unable to school the kids even though I desired it.

Honestly, until the moment that His Sweet Breath first whispered the idea of regular school into my heart, I had never planned on putting the children into school.  Both Jeremy and I loved our kids being schooled at home.

But, I had been quite sick and now blessed with our new little baby Isaac.  Jesus so gently made it very clear that homeschooling was no longer in His Perfect Will for our family and now He was opening up a new season in our family life.

Oh my Dear Jesus, you know how I continuously second and third guess myself, always doubting my choices.  You totally showered Your daughter, "Fearful Little Lamb" with this special gift of Clarity

JESUS BLESSED US WITH FAUSTINA ACADEMY

Faustina Academy.....Devoted to the Divine Mercy

Seriously......I am still in awe that Jesus Christ is THAT good to me.....a school named the same as our homeschool and devoted to the Divine Mercy too

I love our holy school, but I DO miss them so much from the time that they leave, until they are home in my arms again.
Isaac and I play and snuggle at home and each day I always have many things that need to be done while my kids are away at school, but my every thought, as I get my "daily stuff" finished, are with my 3 kids, as they are not with me.
Isaac and I count down the hours, until it is time for me (us) to see them again.  Isaac's eyes light up as Madison Savannah and Nicholas run through the door.  They too, are so delighted to see Isaac and hold him.  Sounds a little silly, but it is true.
Jesus took this sacrifice, that I cleaved to, and replaced
 it with a Trust in Him to take care of these little ones, to whom He has entrusted to me!!

"Jesus, I Trust In You"

I love the school that my children are in, so I know that my sadness is not a fear of them being away from me, but truly a mother's longing to have her precious darlings with her always.

SUMMER BREAK IS FINALLY HERE!

A little Chick-fil-a to celebrate the last day of finals!
As you will notice, Nicholas is no longer in his school uniform.  This child actually wears his athletic clothes UNDER his school pants, shirt and tie.....Doesn't seem comfortable to me, but I guess that any way of getting out of his uniform 10 seconds faster, must be worth hours of heat and bulkiness!

 Just the high school girls
(Gemma, Claire, and Madison)

The Classic "in the middle of a drink" picture (along with a side of "deer in the headlights")
I love it

So tonight, Madison and her 9th grade class planned to go to dinner and a movie together to celebrate the end of FINALS!!  This class is so great.....we are truly blessed!

GETTING READY
I was taking the 3 teen girls to Southlake Town Square to drop them off to meet the rest of their class. About 2 hours before we were supposed to leave, I went into Madison's room to remind the girls, who I thought were just hanging out,  that we had to leave at 5:30pm, so they needed to start getting ready in about an hour.......
Well,  to my surprise, the "Night Out Preparations" were already underway!  I walked into a room smelling of flattening irons and nail polish!  Gotta love teenage girls......how could I have even thought that they needed a reminder to begin primping for this most important evening with friends?

AT THE MOVIES 

So I drop the girls off at Snuffers to meet the class for dinner before the movie
4 of the boys came RUNNING full speed from across the street when the girls exited my car.....oh to be a teen again......so much energy and zeal for life!!


They had a really great time!  Madison just loves these kids and I could not have hand picked a nicer group

The "middles" with their teachers on the last day of school

Nicholas and Mrs Duniskoski (his 4th grade teacher)

Savannah and Miss Bradford (her 6th grade teacher)

Thank you, Jesus for this school and for these kids and for Your absolute Faithfulness to Your children

DADDY AND ME (SEFLIES OF THE 80'S)

MY DADDY

"80'S SELFIE"

This is what "selfies" looked like in 1986

TODAY MY DADDY LEARNED WHAT A "SELFIE" IS IN 2015

Me and my Daddy.....People always say that we look just alike

As we watched TV together on the couch, he fell asleep holding onto my hand

Daddy and daughter "hand sandwich"

My hand has been held by his for as long as I can remember

My Daddy's hand has:

 *Lead me through a crowded place

*Pulled me out of the street.......just in time

*Held onto mine tightly when I had to get a shot at the doctors AND during the 4th of July parade, when the firetrucks sounded their sirens

*Tickled my palm as he tried to make me giggle in church (mom always gave the "furrowed brow-side look" to make him stop)

*Squeezed mine, signaling for me to "be quiet"

*Gently petted mine, as I cried of a broken heart

*Sweated nervously, in mine, as he walked me down the isle

*But most importantly....My Daddy's hands held mine tightly every time he prayed with me

Just thinking about my daddy's hands makes me feel safe.

When I close my eyes, I can perfectly envision what his hands look like....the way his knuckles are shaped, what his fingernails look like.....

I know that the day our Most Amazing and Awesome God Created hands, He must have had Daddies and Daughters in mind

I wanted to take this picture of our hands today because I never want to forget what his hands felt like and how our hands looked holding onto each others......

But, you know, when I sometimes worry about forgetting.... I must stop myself and realize that I don't think that there is even a chance, that I ever could

I had to end this thought with the classic "sleeping selfie".
I am fake sleeping but he is REALLY asleep

I love you Dad

FAUSTINA ACADEMY'S PRODUCTION OF SHAKESPEARE'S "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM"

Madison was in her high school play this evening.  Wow, it was a great production.  Madison played the part of the comic relief, "Nick Bottom/Pyramus".  Her character actually wears a donkey mask through 1/2 of the play.  Madison really played her part well.  She kept the audience laughing again and again.  She really had a great time!  She was pretty nervous before the performance, but once my sweet girl entered the stage, she BECAME "Pyramus"!  I was so happy to see her truly shine as she graced the stage!
She really enjoyed all of the kids in the play with her.  It is just a great group of friends!

Here are some pics of the performance....Some of these pics, my friend, Amanda took.  I didn't have a great seat for pics because we had to sit further back with Isaac.  Being only 14 months old, he has very limited theater manners

 Madison as "Nick Bottom"

Madison, after she turns into "Pyramus" (the donkey)

After watching my Madison tonight, you would never believe me if I told you that she was such a timid and shy little one NOT so long ago.

She is truly a beautiful butterfly

What an amazing and unforgettable night for Madison and for the Faustina Academy High School performers

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

(Mom and dad at mom's birthday lunch today)

It's my sweet mom's birthday today and I just love her so much!!

Mom, you have literally known me longer than anyone. Thank you for giving me life, for always taking care of me, for always worrying about me, and for raising me in such a loving home.

You and Daddy gave me my most valuable gift of all....teaching me about Christ and how to truly Love and serve Him...how to pray and how to be a true disciple of His, through my precious Catholic faith. 

Thank you for being my mom. I couldn't imagine life without you. 

 You always question whether I still need you, mom. well, I assure you that I am a daughter, who desperately needs her mother....for now and for always.

I love you mom

love kerry ann

FAUSTINA ACADEMY FIELD DAY

FIELD DAY

Madison, Savannah, and Nicholas dressed and ready for Field day at school!  You can see what team color they are by their different T shirts......and by the way.....that creepy little blue man is Nicholas!  He is going all out this year to show his 4th grade team spirit!  My kids are so much fun!  What a great day they will have!  Only one more week of school until I get to have them ALL SUMMER to myself.  I cannot wait!

Thank you, Lord Jesus for this amazing Christ- Centered school that you blessed us with.  My little ones did SO GOOD this year at school.  Thank you for being with them and Jeremy and I, every step of the way.  You are my Creator, my Savior, and my Every Breath.  Help our family to always follow You as You are guiding us safely Home!  Thank you so much for my amazing husband and children.  They are my heart's delight

FAUSTINA BAND CONCERT

NICHOLAS IS A TOTAL ROCK STAR

 I was blessed to see my sweet Nicholas perform this morning in the Faustina Band Concert. He is such a great and CUTE little drummer, I can barely stand it!  Here is a snippet of video and a couple of pics.  

He has had so much fun in band this year.

I was videoing Nick playing and unfortunately got a phone call from a telemarketer in the middle of the song, so needless to say, the call interrupted my video...

Ugh...I guess telemarketers are just doing their job, right?.....But it just happened to be a VERY INCONVENIENT time for a phone call!!

I was not at a great angle because Isaac and I had to sit close to the door in case I needed to walk outside with him

GETTING THE MUSIC READY

ROCKIN OUT TO A GREAT SONG....HE DID SUCH AN EXCELLENT JOB

I LOVE YOU MY LITTLE DRUMMER BOY

MOTHER'S DAY 2015

MOTHERS DAY
Nicholas carefully placed each of these rosebuds around the statue of Our Lady with the upmost gentleness, as the peddles were beginning to fall off of them.
These were the roses given to me by my love, Jeremy to celebrate me getting better

Lord, I pray that I am even just a tiny bit like Your beautiful mother
I Can't think of a better example of a mother, who patience, true charity and faith radiate from her entire being.....Lord, that I may emulate her example of complete and total self-giving motherly Love

I try and live by Mary's example as a Mother (as well as an authentic servant of Christ).....She is just so beautifully meek and humble, as in holy Scripture, she is always thoughtfully, patient, as well as silently pondering things in her Immaculate Heart....I am not very Graceful at my "silent pondering" yet (working on it).

BEING A MOM
I absolutely LOVE being a mom!  It is all I ever really wanted to be!  Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of marrying a super handsome and nice boy and being a mommy and having LOTS of kids!   Is that a lofty list or what!!

Well, Jesus blessed me with that super handsome and NICE boy, Jeremy, who turned out to be more than my heart could have ever desired.......and
WE WERE BLESSED WITH 4 AMAZING KIDS

Dearest, Madison, Savannah, Nicholas, and Isaac,

My vocation as your mother is the reason why I am even a little bit self-less.  You 4 children have taught me true patience, total charity and the tenacious love of allowing my heart to literally walk around outside of my body! That is what it means to be your mommy. (I heard that description of motherhood at a retreat and it is SO TRUE)  When you are joyful, I am joyful, but when you are hurting,  mommy is hurting so deeply, I literally die inside when I see you in pain!!

I never really understood what love was until I became your mommy.  I never really understood how much Jesus could love me, until I became your mommy.  I love you all SO MUCH, that if Jesus loves me even a fraction as much as I love you, then I would be forever blessed beyond what I will ever understand!!  But you know what.....Jesus loves me (you too) a trillion times more than we could ever love another and He loves with a Perfect Love, where my love (even as strong as it is) is human and imperfect.  Being your mommy, truly makes me a better version on myself

More about Christ's Perfect Love for us.....

Wow....we are so blessed to be loved so Perfectly and so Purely all of the time no matter what!  How could we ever worry about worldly things when the Creator of the world is our Father and is watching over us, loving us and thinking about each one of us every second!  He IS in fact that Awesome!!  He is "Who Is"  He is "The Alpha and the Omega", He is "Everything and More"

MY KIDS MADE ME FEEL SO SPECIAL TODAY

(Flowers and cards from my babies)

 Savannah's "Top 8" reasons why she loves that I am her mommy...Mother's Day Card

 Nicholas' "Top 4" reasons why he loves that I am his mommy...Mother's Day Card

Madison's Mother's Day Card for me

My Mother's Day breakfast in bed...a homemade breakfast sandwich, heart-shaped hash browns (with cheese), a couple of powdered donuts and my favorite White Mocha (Jeremy had to drive in the pouring rain to pick it up this morning)
I am a super spoiled mommy-princess today

Madison, Savannah, Nicholas, and Isaac,
Daddy and my love for you children is so incredibly strong and we will love you no matter what you do, forever and always!!

Thank you for celebrating me and my mommy-hood today!  Being your mommy brings me a lifetime of joy!

I love you Madison, Savannah Nicholas, and Isaac 

IT'S A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY INDEED

FAUSTINA HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS BANQUET

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS BANQUET

I cannot believe that Madison has almost completed her Freshman year of high school!  ALSO, I cannot believe that one of my kids will actually be driving this summer!  Yikes...time is flying by faster than I can keep up!

Madison had her high school Sports Banquet this evening at Faustina Academy.  Her Cheer coach (Coach Halisky) as well as her Track Coach (Coach Bernard) had such sweet things to say about my kind, smily and energetic daughter!  She has truly blossomed into such a vivacious joy-filled butterfly, starting out as quite a timid and shy, fragile little girl, back in kindergarten.  No one would believe me for a second if I told them that she used to be so shy!

Madison officially lettered in both Cheerleading and Track.....What a hugely exciting evening for all of us!  

Have I mentioned how much Madison LOVES her high school!

We love you, Madison and are so honored to be your mom and dad