I visited the kids' Level I Atrium classroom last year (read up on Catechesis of the Good Shepherd here if you're curious) and was inspired to create our own little prayer area for the kids where they could have a little quiet devotion time whenever they wanted. Over the years we've accumulated quite a lot of icons, statues, prayer cards, and other things that don't always get used on a regular basis.

Peter, Age 2

Peter is two today! I don't think I've ever known a toddler who was quite so excited for a birthday - I think because the twins' birthday excitement coincided with his birthday, he really started to understand what exactly it all meant... For weeks he's been saying, "Peter ONE! On bir-day, be TWO!!!" and today when he woke up, while it took a little convincing, he realized that finally he is two! "Yestuhday Peter ONE. And now, Peter TWO!!!"

Elizabeth and Mary Claire: Age 4

The internet has been killing me at home, but by golly, it's working right now so I'm gonna try to throw a birthday post out there real quick before it cuts out again!

My Sunday Best, Vol. 29: Comedy of Errors

Oh, these last weeks of pregnancy...

I'll be 39 weeks on Tuesday. I've never gone more than 5 days past my due date so hopefully we'll have baby news to share some time after Thanksgiving. But until then, it seems that all my body wants to do is catch every. single. stinking. cold. that seems to be floating around in the general vicinity.

NOBODY ELSE IS GETTING SICK. JUST ME.

This tends to happen to me at the end of every pregnancy - my body's so busy growing another human that my immune system shuts down and I'm a mess until the baby's born, at which point immediate relief is present! But until then, I'm hanging in there, sneezes and all.

My Very Grown-Up Christmas List {7 Quick Takes + a Giveaway!}

You know you're a grown-up when you start thinking about kitchen appliances and cleaning supplies when it comes to Christmas shopping...

And since I kind of had Christmas in July when I got my Instant Pot (which is incredible and bound to go on sale on Black Friday, so keep your eyes peeled!), I don't have a ton of big-ticket items on my list, buuuuut I've definitely been thinking about the following things: