And there were three

...generations.
Our little circle of life: Mary's, Mimi's, and Pita's hands together.

Please Join Us

Please join us in this novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe in the remaining days leading up to Pita's Baptism, Friday, August 1, 2008.

"Am I not here, who am your Mother?"

First Day

Dearest Lady of Guadalupe, fruitful Mother of holiness, teach me your ways of gentleness and strength. Hear my humble prayer offered with heartfelt confidence to beg this favor......
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Second Day

O Mary, conceived without sin, I come to your throne of grace to share the fervent devotion of your faithful Mexican children who call to you under the glorious Aztec title of Guadalupe. Obtain for me a lively faith to do your Son’s holy will always: May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Third Day

O Mary, whose Immaculate Heart was pierced by seven swords of grief, help me to walk valiantly amid the sharp thorns strewn across my pathway. Obtain for me the strength to be a true imitator of you. This I ask you, my dear Mother.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Fourth Day

Dearest Mother of Guadalupe, I beg you for a fortified will to imitate your divine Son’s charity, to always seek the good of others in need. Grant me this, I humbly ask of you.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Fifth Day

O most holy Mother, I beg you to obtain for me pardon of all my sins, abundant graces to serve your Son more faithfully from now on, and lastly, the grace to praise Him with you forever in heaven.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Sixth Day

Mary, Mother of vocations, multiply priestly vocations and fill the earth with religious houses which will be light and warmth for the world, safety in stormy nights. Beg your Son to send us many priests and religious. This we ask of you, O Mother.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Seventh Day

O Lady of Guadalupe, we beg you that parents live a holy life and educate their children in a Christian manner; that children obey and follow the directions of their parents; that all members of the family pray and worship together. This we ask of you, O Mother.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Eighth Day

With my heart full of the most sincere veneration, I prostrate myself before you, O Mother, to ask you to obtain for me the grace to fulfill the duties of my state in life with faithfulness and constancy.
Our father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Ninth Day

O God, You have been pleased to bestow upon us unceasing favors by having placed us under the special protection of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. Grant us, your humble servants, who rejoice in honoring her today upon earth, the happiness of seeing her face to face in heaven.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Happy Feast Day, Madge!

Today is Maddy's patron saint's feast day. July 22 is the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene. Please keep Maddy in your prayers that she may always do God's will. St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us that we too may be worthy of the promises of Christ.
Prayer to St. Mary Magdalene
St. Mary Magdalene, woman of many sins, who by conversion became the beloved of Jesus, thank you for your witness that Jesus forgives through the miracle of love.
You, who already possess eternal happiness in His glorious presence, please intercede for me, so that someday I may share in the same everlasting joy. Amen.

Mimi (Grandma Mahler) is in town!

Happy Birthday, Madge!

Today my little girl turns two. It's incredible. One day she's a wee, swaddled babe lying my in my arms; the next, she's running through our home and jumping up on me. Happy Birthday, Madeleine!

One of the positive externalities of a newborn on siblings is special time with dad. I can say that my two weeks of paternity leave presented a great opportunity to bond with Madge. We did everything together and I enjoyed every minute of it. My favorite Madge memory took place the night of July 2. For as long as I can remember, whenever Maddy would wake up in the middle of the night, she would instinctively call for "mom". (In my defense, I suppose moms can typically provide something dads can't.) Anyhow, since Mary was still at the hospital that night, I was at home alone with Maddy. Madge woke up and started calling for me. "Daddy!" Tears welled up as I rocked my little girl back to sleep.

I'm now the proud dad to both Madge and Pita. I look forward to many experiences (and subsequently, forging memories) with Pita. Right now, however, I want to celebrate and recognize Maddy's two years of life, along with the joy and love that she has brought to us. Thank you, God, for the gift of Madge. I hope that we can be the best parents possible for her. Maddy, we love you. Happy Birthday.

Can you ever kiss a baby too much?

3 Years

Three years and two little girls later, we celebrate the anniversary of our wedding day. On July 2nd, 2008 we celebrated our third wedding anniversary. It was a very different anniversary than any before, as this one was spent in a hospital room. Neither one of us could have been more ecstatic to be celebrating there, since such a hospital stay was due to Pita's birth. God is good. Caleb had stayed the night following Pita's afternoon birth--July 1st-- with Maddy at our house and then drove out to the hospital the next day. He walked through the door with Madge, a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers, and our wicker picnic basket filled with nice treats. What a beautiful surprise!Thank you, Caleb, for making our anniversary so special and creative, considering our circumstances. Thank you for three years of good times. I love you and look forward to so many years ahead.

Our Nuptial Blessing:
May God bless you, hold and keep you. May God's mercy shine on you. Guide your work and guard your resting. Make your love forever new.
May God join your hopeful spirits. Fill your hearts with truth and courage. Trust to share both joy and tears. Teach love to your children's children. Make your household learn to witness living faith through all your years.
May God bless you, hold and keep you. May God's mercy shine on you. Guide your work and guard your resting. Make your love forever new.
May God make your home a refuge where you warmly welcome strangers, and the lowly find a place. Make your caring kind and patient, help you meet the needs of neighbors. Finding Christ in every face.
May God bless you, hold and keep you. May God's mercy shine on you. Guide your work and guard your resting. Make your love forever new.

Our Wedding Song: Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor by Juanes
Translated in English: I Am Nothing Without Your Love
English Translation (below):
As we weather while the time passes us by, it begins to appear that in the end our hurt outweighs the years.
And so I desire to spend my years together with you, my eternal love, together with my family, together with my friends...
I am worth nothing, I have nothing, if I don't have the best: your love and companionship in my heart.
Better a year late than a decade without you. It's worth it to finally have my heart replete.
Hence I always want to be conscious of your steadfast love, be we near or far from the end.
I am worth nothing, I have nothing, if I don't have the best: your love and companionship in my heart.
Come, my love...
I feel weak when I am without you, and I become strong when you are here. Without you I don't know what it's like to live. My life is a tunnel without light. I want to spend more time with you, take back the moments I have lost, and conquer the immense fear of death so as to experience eternity with you.
I am worth nothing, I have nothing, if I don't have the best: your love and companionship in my heart.
Hence I always want to be conscious of your steadfast love, be we near or far from the end.
I am worth nothing, I have nothing, if I don't have the best: your love and companionship in my heart.
~Poetic translation by CO

Welcome, Beautiful Girl. We've Been Anxious to Meet You.

On July 1st, 2008 at 1:55pm, EDT, our beautiful second daughter was born. Our lives have been forever changed by Guadalupe "Pita" Belen Maria. Named after Our Lady of Guadalupe, you will be called "Pita" which means "little Guadalupe" (Guadalupita) in Spanish; a common custom in Mexico to shorten the name. Your second name is also Spanish, and translated in English it stands for Bethlehem. May the Christ child who blesses the little town of Bethlehem always reside in your heart and create a spirit of poverty in you always. Your third name is a form of Mary. Your sister began the tradition when we gave her her third name of Mary. Now both of you have Mary or some form of Mary as part of your middle names. Our Blessed Mother will always be near you. We love you, sweet girl. You have blessed our lives in so many ways and made your big sister Maddy such a happy sibling. As you can tell from all of her hugs, kisses, and chit-chat to you, she thinks you are heaven-sent. You bring us joy, so much joy. God has blessed us with your existence, and we did nothing to deserve you. Your life humbles us and makes us turn to God in awe for His merciful goodness and kindness. May Jesus guide you on your life journey. May Our Lady of Guadalupe wrap a tilma of purity and love around you. May you always know the love of Daddy and Mommy and your sister Madeleine. We love you dearly. We give you thanks, Almighty God, for these and all of your benefits. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
It's hard to believe that only a couple of weeks ago, I was sitting with you beneath my heart, as I listened to this song, and could only think of you.
Here's to you, Sweets.

We love you and miss you...

January 16, 1923-June 26, 2007
Please pray for us, Gram, as we continue to pray for you and to you. Eternal rest grant unto Gram's soul, O Lord, and let the perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

Unless you become like little children...

On Saturday morning Caleb was making breakfast with Maddy, and when I came out breakfast was nearly finished and ready to eat. We have a crucifix right next to the front door, and Maddy, ready to go for breakfast, was kneeling before it to say prayers and then eat. This is what we saw when we walked around the corner. And I thought I was teaching her something? What sweet and innocent souls.

CDC Claims Recommended Vaccine Schedule "Flexible"

An article today from CNN may show a seismic shift in public health and perception. I don't anticipate any mainstream media outlet advocating a full-blown anti-vaccine position in the near future. However, the fact that the article is encouraging parents to (1) think for themselves, (2) advocate for their children, and (3) advocate for flexibility in the vaccine schedule is a huge step in the right direction. These are qualities in all good parents despite one's opinion on vaccines. A small hurrah.

Our Little Beauty Queen

Sweet Girl

This morning Madge was awake at 4am and hungry for toast. Just before she ate, we were saying prayers before she ate her early breakfast, and although it was a little dark in the room and the stillness of the night seemed to still be upon us, she went and knelt down in front of the crucifix to tell Jesus "thanks" for her tasty toast. You are our sweet girl. We love you and all of your little ways, Madge.

Happy Father's Day!

Today we wish you, Caleb, a Happy Father's Day. Madge and OLF are truly blessed to have you, a Dad that takes such an active role in his little ones' lives. I am blessed to have such a good spouse and role model as a co-pilot on this incredible parental journey. Thank you for all that you do for us: your hard work here and at the office, all of your daily sacrifices for us and for others. You teach me on a daily basis how to do better.

Happy Father's Day to our Dads. We love you both and thank God for your yeses on so many levels. We also thank God for the lives of our Grandpas,those now deceased and Grandpa D. living and well. Without your lives, we would not be able to give thanks for our blessings today.