Catholic Schools Week

This week our parish is celebrating Catholic Schools Week. Today before Mass, one student from each class, pre-school through twelfth grade, processed down the aisle and stood in front of the alter representing their grade.

Martin was chosen for his class! For the last few days he has been thinking about what he was going to wear. He's been dying to wear the school uniform, which won't happen until next year. At one point he thought he needed to wear an alter server's alb.

He practiced during school last Thursday and a bit before Mass today. Unfortunately, The Logues couldn't get the time straight and arrived thirty minutes before we were suppose to be there (better early than late?).

So I snapped this quick picture while we waited for everyone else to arrive to church.

Happy Catholic Schools Week!

9 Months!

She is crawling faster than the speed of light.

All Things Marty

It seems like recently Helen has been getting more air time on this blog. So this post is entirely dedicated to my son and his most recent accomplishments.

He's swimming! Martin loves to go swimming. Two summers ago, when he first came home, he was a little skeptical about the pool. I'll never forget what he said the first time he saw it - "It looks like a big shower!" He only stayed in the shallow end and refused to put his head under water. Now, it's all he wants to do. So, part of his Christmas present was to take swimming lessons.




He's saving! Thank you, Mr. Deal for another excellent Christmas present! Because of you, Martin is taking on extra jobs around the house to save for Tap Shoes; something he has been begging to own.



He's reading! Because of a great recommendation, Martin is now reading simple sentences! (Thanks again, Kati!) We just started working on this last Saturday and he is flying through the lessons. He is eager to learn to read and this has worked out perfectly.

Plastic Food

I loved playing with plastic food when I was younger.
And now, so do my kids.
This is what happens when you mix two kids with a plastic mushroom
and a plastic hot dog.
(Try not to be distracted by my husbands shoes, which should be in the closet
and not in the middle of the living room floor.)

THIRTY!

Today is Brian's 30th birthday!

Below are thirty reasons why I love my husband.

30. He makes sure we have everything we need.
29. He is forgiving.
28. He isn't afraid to speak up.
27. He is the smartest guy I know.
26. He teaches our family how to pray.
25. He loves my family, even when they can be a handful.
24. He loves to wrestle with Martin.
23. He's not afraid to change Helen's diaper, even when it's scary.
22. He is proud of his son, daughter, and wife.
21. He thinks he's funnier than I am.
20. He is a good example to our kids.
19. He looks good in a suit.
18. He works hard for his family.
17. He is the better dancer. (It's true!)
16. He always eats his french fries first.
15. He is better at getting Helen to sleep.
14. He takes his wedding vows seriously.
13. He is handsome.
12. He is true to his word.
11. He loves to cook.
10. He is much better at directions.
9. He is a closet Outkast fan.
8. He tolerates watching Little House on the Prairie.
7. He loves to read.
6. He is honest.
5. He loves taking Martin to school.
4. He knows how to shoot a gun.
3. He (generally) has good taste in movies.
2. He is passionate about his career.


And the number one reason why I love my husband.....


1. He loves God and it shows in everything he does.


Happy Birthday, Brian! (Finally, we share the same decade.)

My [New] Favorite Things

In the last week, I have discovered three of the most glorious things ever produced by human hands. I have no idea how I have survived 32 years on this planet without them.



1. Nutella... I can literally eat this stuff by the jar. And I have. I have been spreading it on everything - toast, English muffins, bananas, or I've been eating straight with a spoon. I'm probably going to have to get a part-time job to pay for my Nutella addiction.




2. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers... These little gems really are magical. I have scrubbed everything in my house from floor to ceiling using these; probably to the point of erasing our house off the map. I have no idea how these little miracles work, but I love them.



3. Little House on the Prairie... I rented the first season from the library without any expectations of actually liking the show. And now, Martin & I are hooked! We watch two or three episodes a day. I love how life seemed so much simpler then, and how Charles Ingalls always seems to be in the right place at the right time.



Do have any recent discoveries?

Moments in Time

(Picture taken by Marie K - preschool.)
At Martin's college graduation, I know this picture will come to mind.
My son, age 4 years.
He just finished a puzzle, all by himself.
Satisfaction written all over his face.

On Helen's wedding day, I know this picture will come to mind.

My daughter, age 8 months.
Dancing with her Daddy.
And both of them loving every minute of it.

Martin ver Magnusson

For as long as I have know Martin, he has had one obsession - strength.

This kid will eat anything if it makes him stronger. I could put a plate piled high with spinach in front of him and he would eat it, as long as it makes him stronger. Once he saw a Sun-Maid raisin commercial and he was eating raisins and grapes for weeks because he heard they would make him stronger. He drinks glass after glass of water because he learned is body is mostly made up of water. He drinks two or three glasses of milk a day because it makes his bones stronger. He won't go to sleep at night if he has forgotten to take his vitamin because his vitamin keeps him healthy and strong.

His obsession with strength doesn't stop with food or vitamins. He is constantly jumping rope, running in place, or doing sit-ups. One time I found him with his feet on the couch, his body angled, and his hands on the floor doing push-ups. Martin asked for dumbbells so he can workout. I explained to him it's not safe for a four year old to lift weights. The very next day, I found him using soup cans to pump some iron.

So you can imagine his excitement when we watched The World's Strongest Man Competition on television over the weekend. His eyes where glued to the t.v. as he watched these huge men test their strength, power, and endurance by pulling big trucks or tossing heavy kegs.

And now his fascination with strength is even more intense. Yesterday, when it was time for dinner, I found Martin bench pressing the chair in the computer room. After which, he flexed his arm to show me his bicep muscle. I keep several blankets in a large basket in the living room, which has turned into what Martin uses to do curls.

There has never been an Ethiopian competing for the title of World's Strongest Man, but I bet in time my son will be out demonstrating his incredible feats of strength.

Magnus ver Magnusson
Four Time WSM Champion
1991, 1994, 1995, 1996

Ten Years Have Got Behind You

Can you believe it's already 2011?

I remember New Years 2000 like it was yesterday. I was working my first finance job at a local credit union in Valparaiso, Indiana. Y2K paranoia was in full swing, and on New Year's Eve I stayed late printing out bank statements and balances in case the world imploded.

This memory got me thinking about the last ten years. It is amazing to see the impact of the last decade and how the many accomplishments and milestones helped shape me into the person I am today. Life really can go in any direction. I am thankful mine went this way.

Here are some highlights:

2000 - I moved out of my parent's house and headed down to IU Main Campus in Bloomington, Indiana to finish by bachelors degree.

2001- I interned at the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan during the summer. I made $6 an hour working on Wall Street. Once classes began again, I moved back to Bloomington and started working for Monroe County Bank. This was also the year I met Brian.

2002- Early in the year, Brian & I started dating. I also started attending Mass with him and realized the importance of putting God first. In September, I started taking RCIA classes to join the Church.

2003- This was a big year. In the spring, I was baptized and confirmed Catholic. Weeks later Brian & I graduated college together. A few months later I had a great opportunity to spend 10 days in Shanghai, China. In July when I returned, Brian asked me to marry him! (I said yes, by the way.)

2004- In March Brian & I were married. I moved to Ohio and started working for Fifth Third Bank. We were starting our life together!

2005- We made the move from Northern Ohio to Central Ohio into Marion. I started working for The Ohio State Bank. We started traveling around the states and by far, my favorite trip that year was to Boston.

2006- We did even more traveling. We were lucky enough to have a wonderful time in the Florida Keys for New Years.

2007- This year had many ups and downs. We had the terrible experience of two miscarriages. We also fell in love with and bought our first house. This is also the year Sheldon moved in with us.

2008- Our hearts were opened to adoption. We spent the next 6 months completing paperwork to adopt a little boy from Ethiopia.

2009- In March we received the greatest phone call. Thirteen weeks later we traveled to Ethiopia to bring home Martin Muse. Exactly four weeks later, the doctor called to confirm we were having a baby!

2010- In April we were blessed with the arrival of little Helen Clare. I also left Corporate America to stay home full time to raise our family.


So here we are. The start of the New Year. I can't wait to see what happens next!