GMAC at the Dentist

Inch, Rose and I had our biannual dentist appointment last week. Our dentist suggested GMAC just watch this time to prepare her for her first dental appointment. It was Rose's turn first GMAC sat in my lap, watch carefully, and asked lots of question. When Rose was done with her cleaning, the hygienist, asked GMAC if she wants a practice appointment. She hopped into Rose's lap and really enjoyed it.

Rose was a bit nervous here

Happy 10th Birthday Mystical Rose!!

Top Ten things we love about you

1. Your love for Jesus in the Eucharist.
   
2. Your love of family and friends.
3. You are sweet, innocent and beautiful
4. Your smile, and how it brightens everyone's day.
5. We love how caring your are towards your little sister, and that you include her in games even when your friends are over.
6. Your love for reading and drawing.
   
7. Even at 10 you love to sleep on our bed any chance you get.
8. How you love to surprise us when we are gone from the house by cleaning up, just to make us happy.
9. You get along with just about everyone.
10. Last but not least, your courage for enduring all the medical stuff you've had to go through, and not a peep when you have to get your blood drawn.
    

Saintly

U was dressed as St. Thomas the Apostle, for the All Saints day party. He looks taller and older. Miss him lots.

Rose dressed as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta for an All Saints day with the Sister Servants of the Lord. GMAC was going to dress as Mamma Mary, but she was sick :(

Padre Pio

Today is Padre Pio's feast day. The first time I heard of him was back in 2000 when we lived in Turkey. One of the Italian priest we knew in Turkey actually witnessed Padre Pio bi-locate!
He was Canonization June 16, 2002, so his very first feast day was September 23rd 2002. This is was also the day we discovered that Mistical Rose had cancer. We asked Pader Pio to pray for her her. We are very blessed that she is still alive, healthy and strong. Praise GOD!

"Every Holy Mass, heard with devotion, produces in our souls marvelous effects, abundant spiritual and material graces which we, ourselves, do not know...It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!" Padre Pio

Locks of Love

Today Mystical Rose donated her hair to Locks of Love

This is the second time she has done this. We are very proud of her!

Before

After

Mistical Rose's Birthday Party

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Old Friends

For the last 16 years we have moved about once every 2-4 years. It's been fun and we have made many friends along the way. A few of those friends we really connected with and have kept in touch with for many years. Email and phone calls are usually the norm. This week we were blessed enough to get a visit from our really good friends that we met when we lived in Turkey. They are also the Godparents of Mystical Rose and Godmother to GMAC. We had such a wonderful time, we miss them already.

Rose with her Godparents

GMAC with her Godmom

Watching Roses' game

Daddy & I

My dad and I have been reading this book, and we just finished it! It's about 4 kids that go to an island and meet 2 other kids who who go there every summer. They have a lot of adventure, some of it is with retired and friendly pirates. The thing I like the most is the kids imagination. The plot is really good also. Thanks daddy for reading it with me every night.
--Mystical Rose

Sadie

Oct 4th is the feast of St. Francis and we want to share a story. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals, knowing this Rose used to ask him for prayers for a dog. Often she she would pray while holding a little toy dog. The toy was nothing special just something that came in a Happy Meal. Rose would always ask God for a dog just like the toy.
Right before we moved to MD a friend told us about an ad in the base paper for a Miniature Schnauzer. We decided to take a look because this breed is good for people with allergies (like Inch). It was only after we brought the dog home that Inch pointed out that our new dog , Sadie, looked just like Rose's toy!

G-MAC holding Rose's toy

The real Sadie when we first met her

Rose and the two Sadies

Rose, Sadie and Dad when we first got her

St. Therese of Lisieux

Today is the feast of St Therese of Lisieux. She is one of my favorite saints. My mom used to tell us many stories about her when we were little, and I used to want to be just like her. You can read more about her on the link above. What a great hero to look up to. She is one on Mystical Roses' favorite also.

September 23rd, 2002

Rose, just weeks before diagnosis.
We used to play with her tummy and say you are finally gaining weight! little did we know.....

Seven years ago yesterday, we heard the words that no parent wants to hear " Your daughter has a tumor." Rose was under two years old and was diagnosed with cancer in both her kidneys. We had just moved state side from Turkey a month prior to that. We had tried hard to get orders to Italy but those fell through. As disappointed as we were that we didn't get to stay oversees, God had a better place in mind for us. He send us back to the states where there was a top notch children's hospital, He always knows best! After 2 surgeries and 5 months of chemo,we are blessed to say she is in good health. Although I wouldn't wish to go through this again, I am grateful because we grew closer to Our Lord as an outcome. We offered up so much of her suffering for conversion of souls. We are very grateful that God send many people our way to help us in our time of need.

On another note, September 23, 2002 was Padre Pio's first feast day! When we lived in Turkey we meet a priest who witnessed Padre Pio bilocate! It was through him we heard of Padre Pio, so I did ask the good Padre for prayers for Rose. I didn't realize the significance of this date until a couple of years later.
--Mallu Mom

Joyfully serving the Lord

Back in the spring Rose was invited by a friend to go to Oratory with the Sister Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara. Oratory is (In Roses own words) " a place to have fun and hang out with sisters and learn awesome stuff about God!! the sisters play lots of games with us too"

My first time there I recognized one of the sisters from our parish, she was part of what our family called "the pajama crew" We would see her and some of her friends at Mass every Saturday morning, sometimes in their PJs! We thought that it was amazing that a group of teen girls would choose to be at Mass early Saturday morning. Sister Porte Caeli as she is now known professed her first vows yesterday along with 7 other young women. The sisters faces were so filled with radiant joy that it was beautiful to witness. We felt blessed be a part of the celebration.

Rose really liked the fact that the sister received a crown of flowers, along with their new blue veils.


-- Mallu Mom & Mystical Rose

PS another one of the "the pajama crew" recently joined a cloistered Dominican order.
Please keep them in your prayers

Mystical Rose and Sister Porte Caeli after mass

Quality Time

Mistical Rose and I had some quality time at the arts and crafts center on post; we worked on painting some ceramics. It was fun and relaxing.

Rose picke out a "piggy bank"..... well a "locker bank"!

Look at that concentration!

Just the gals

The end product; she did a terrific job!

Family Day at Camp

Yesterday was Family Day at Scout Camp. The boys got to show is around their campsite and we watched the Troops compete in a bunch of games in and around the pool. Every year they have a theme for the games, this year it was Mardi Gras.

yep those are the boys under the masks!

look closely, you can see Inch just missing pushing out the greased watermelon out of the pool.
Most of the boys are 2-3 years older than him

U and 3 others scouts had to make a human canoe and race other troops. The won their first heat and came in third in the finals

After the games we watched the formal retreat ceremony. This camp has a unique tradition of respecting the Flag with a retreat and pass and review. It is really cool. The marching isn't exactly done with military precision but not bad for a bunch of tired sweaty kids.

Lining up with all of the other troops

Marching begins

Well they are "kinda" in step ;-)

After retreat the family ate dinner togetherand everyone got ready for the final campfire. This is where all of the campers are recognised for all of their accomplishments for the week. The Order of the Arrow also puts on a really cool show. The OA is the national honor society for Boy Scouts. It uses American- Indian styled traditions and ceremonies. The boys are elected by the peers for best exemplifying the ideals of Scouting. This was the first year that the boys went to camp as "Arrowmen" so they were able to participate in the pageant. As we were walking to the campfire all of the boys in the padgeant lined our path.

Inch playing the of the indian brave very seriously

"U" had a little harder time composing himself

The braves walk into the campfire "U" is the far one centered in the picture

Inch played the part of the storyteller

This was G-MACs first year visiting camp and Mallu and Rose last visited two years ago. In the past I have either gone to camp with the boys as an abult leader or come for the games and stayed the night. This was the first year that I was just a visiting parent, it was kinda nice! No pressure no responsibilities.

"U" was really happy to see his family, Especially G-MAC

As one of the leaders Inch had a tent all to himself

Rose Eating with her big brother

Daddy and Me

Well it really has been a busy week for us. Lots of things that we wanted to post about but just never did.

The boys have been gone to camp for the last week and I have taken this time to really pour a lot of attention into Mystical Rose. Usually the boys, especially Inch, get the lions share of the attention because ....well they are just bigger and louder. Its not that we just ignore Rose but she has such a giving soul that she really thinks of others needs a lot. Well this week we were able to go to the pool almost every day (notice how dark we have both gotten) and I have been able to read to her a good deal from a story that we started months ago. But while it has been a very nice week. We were all just commenting at lunch yesterday how much we all miss the boys.

--Crucian Dad