Advent Blessing

I am constantly amazed and humbled by the goodness and greatness of our God! Once again our family has been been blessed with a new little soul to love, guide and give glory to God! Yes, we are expecting baby #3. Baby Pohlmeier is expected to arrive around June 9, so that makes me about 14 weeks into the pregnancy. I am very thankful to be finished with my first trimester, and hoping for a renewal of energy in the coming weeks! However, with two toddlers in the house that might not happen!

One of my favorite memories of my previous pregnancies, has been experiencing the Advent Season while pregnant. There are so many parallels between pregnancy and Advent, and being pregnant during Advent has always been a deep spiritual experience for me. A few weeks ago a priest from our diocese gave a wonderful homily discussing the similarities between Advent and pregnancy. He has graciously allowed me to share his homily here, as it puts into words much more eloquently than me the beautiful connections between Advent and pregnancy! Enjoy!

Ultrasound @ 10 weeks

Holiday Baking

We are very excited to be celebrating this Advent and Christmas Season in our first home. It is also the first year that Isaac has had any idea about what is going on, and he is actually anticipating Christmas! Clare on the other-hand is basically clueless.

One tradition that I started for our family is weekly holiday baking. Once a week we plan on gathering as a family, listening to some classic holiday tunes, and baking some delicious treats. Last night we had our first baking night where we made Holiday Kiss Cookies. Issac and Clare both enjoyed helping mommy and daddy prepare these scrumptious treats.

Setting up





Isaac helping add ingredients.





Clare licking the peanut butter spoon!



Isaac mixing the dough!





Rolling the dough into balls



Isaac and mommy





Jason, trying to be cute and funny, took pictures through the window of our "storybook Christmas."







The finished product



Enjoying a cookie, hot chocolate, and a holiday video

December Calendar

Just in case you want to know what we are up to this month, here is our family calendar! We are going to be very busy, but I am so excited to do so many fun things as a family!

Priceless

Clare didn't quite get what she wanted one day, and so she proceeded to show us that she meant business by throwing a fit in the mud! Girls are so precious!

Our Little Kicker!

Isaac's soccer season ended last Saturday with a medal ceremony and party. Isaac had so much fun, and we are very proud of how hard he worked and listened during the season! Way to go #14!

Flying High!

This is what happens when mommy isn't home!

Frugal Fridays!

Now is a really good time to stock up on your baking and cooking essentials. Grocery stores and places like Walmart tend mark down baking and cooking staples during the holiday season. When you combine in-store promotions and coupons you can walk away with some really great deals.

Examples of Items to Stock-up on:

1. evaporated milk
2. canned pumpkin
3. chocolate chips
4. spices
5. sugar
6. flour
7. butter

I love to bake, so I can really fill up my pantry for a great price this time of year! Happy Shopping!

Marriage Matters Thursdays!

Marriage is beautiful! I am so thankful for the gift my spouse is to me, and I am thankful for his love, and that our love is grounded in Christ. Yesterday, when a difficult situation arose, I realized just how much I rely on his love and support to uphold me when I am weak. Not only did I feel an outpouring of his love and support, but he was my silent prayer warrior. He was constantly interceding for me, praying that God would give us all the graces we needed to face whatever challenge we were to meet. I am so grateful for my spouse's support, and am again amazed by the beauty of the vocation of marriage!

Motherhood Monday!

I have posted before about how I believe that it is the little things in motherhood that will lead me to Heaven. For the past two weeks I have been undertaking the daunting task of potty training my 3 year old, Isaac. I have to say I am very thankful for the outpouring of graces that God gave me during this task, especially for the extra patience and kindness when times got tough! I have to admit though that the whole process was much easier than I expected, and Isaac was such a trooper through it all! I am so proud that Isaac is potty-trained now, and I am so thankful to God for helping us both through the process!

Frugal Fridays!

Here in Little Rock we have several museums that we find interesting. One that is particularly nice for the kids is the Museum of Discovery. The museum has a great learning and play area for kids that encourages them to explore new ideas and concepts through imagination play. What I like even better about the museum is that the second Sunday of every month they offer free admission to everyone, so the kids get enjoy an afternoon of fun for FREE! This is something that we try to do every month as a family. It would be worth taking some time to research and see if any of the museums in your area offer a similar deal! You can't beat a free day of fun!

Halloween 2009

Halloween 2009 was a hit for our family. This was the first year that Isaac really understood the concept, and boy did he love collecting candy! On Friday, the kids and I went trick or treating to some of the local businesses in town. The kids really enjoyed seeing everyone in costume. On Saturday we went to a local Trunk and Treat. There they were able to enjoy horse rides, carnival games and inflatables, all while collecting a bag full of candy. We ended the evening by making the loop around our neighborhood. In the end, I think we ended up with enough candy to last until Spring!

All Souls Day

Today is a day to pray for those who have gone before us. Take some time to pray as a family for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. Throughout the month of November our family will be remembering all of our departed loved ones.

May the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace, Amen.

Entertainment by Isaac

Isaac wanted to share some of the little songs he has been singing! Enjoy!

Gray Squirrel

Five Little Pumpkins

Soft and Loud

Open and Shut Them

What an October!

This month was exceptionally busy for our entire family. Between out of town guests and illness hitting the family, it seems like we have barely had a moment to spare. I am looking forward to things slowing down, but I have a feeling that won't come until after the holiday season! Anyways, since I haven't been blogging much lately I thought I would post some highlights of what we have been up to.

Visit with Nana
We all had a wonderful visit with my mom. It is always wonderful getting to spend time with her! We can't wait to see the whole Wiedenmann family at Christmas!

Visit with Grandma and Grandpa Pohlmeier
Grandma and Grandpa Pohlmeier came for a visit at the beginning of October hoping to come watch one of Isaac's soccer games. Unfortunately, the rain caused the game to be canceled. That didn't stop the kids from having a great visit though! They always love being spoiled with love and attention!

Visit with Uncle Erik
Uncle Erik stayed with us for a couple days while he had some continuing education in Little Rock. During his visit Isaac informed us what a priest really does all day!

Visit with Clare's Godmother
We were so blessed to be able to host Katie and Sean Keys at our home for four days! Clare had a great time with her Godmother and enjoyed all of the extra loving and cuddling. We enjoyed some beautiful weather, and were able to show them the highlights of Little Rock. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful role-model of Catholic womanhood for Clare to follow. We love you Katie and had a wonderful visit with you and Sean!

And finally at the end of the day this is what it looks like at the Pohlmeier house...