Sunday of Rejoicing!

Today is Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday of rejoicing, aka the day the priest wears pink and we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath.

Because it's the day of rejoicing I won't tell you about the unpleasant events of the week - like how the stomach virus tore through the University and our home; how many times I cleaned up puke on the couch, beds, pillow pets, floor and clothes & how many loads of laundry I did; how we lost the iPhone we use as a white noise machine for the baby to sleep; how the toilet became clogged after the throw-up bowl had been emptied into it; how we found the phone - in the clogged toilet beneath the vomit; how many bathroom accidents we had and how many more loads of laundry I did after the sickness passed and we were back to potty training; how after one accident, before I could grab another pull-up, Ellie stood up and continued peeing and I told her we don't do that and she responded, "I'm a dog, I go where I want." No, because it's Gaudete Sunday, I will not tell you about that stuff ;)

Instead, I'll fill you in on some of the joyful Advent happenings here. 

Ellie loves watching these short daily Advent videos from HolyHeroes.com. Every day she opens a chocolate from her Advent calendar and asks to watch the video. I'm pretty sure she thinks she's FaceTiming with the children in the video...

Francis likes watching too! (Yes, he's holding his tau necklace blessed by Pope Francis). I'm sure he wouldn't move from that spot on the table...

Yeah right! He began full on crawling this week, and trying to stand up and climb over any barrier I put in his way. 

Inspired by her Holy Hero friends, Brian and Ellie made our Jesse Tree this year. She was very excited to go in the woods and find her tree with Daddy. 

She was also very excited to go to the Christmas tree farm in the next town over. Here's the tree she picked...

Here's how tall it is... 

So here's the tree she's actually getting (and she's not happy about it)...

We said goodbye to the students this week and that was/is super sad - I can't believe they're gone and they will be so missed! And we're saying goodbye to some of the faculty and staff that were only here for the semester, which is also sad and hard to imagine this place without them. But to send them off and to celebrate this day of REJOICING we had a big celebration with Mass, food, and talent show! Brian and Ellie kicked off the talent show with their medley of "I Believe I Can Fly/The Wheels on the Bus."

On this day of rejoicing, we give thanks for our many blessings - for the wonderful first semester we've had in beautiful Austria with the most amazing people, and most of all for our hope and joy found in Jesus Christ!

So now that we're halfway through Advent - we'll keep watch, the Lord is now nigh and close at hand! Rejoice!!