Country Store & Advent Angels

Kim and MiMi dragged me out to the 'Country Store' today (seriously, I went kicking and screaming...).  I can't even tell you what town we were in, but I can tell you that it is the most deceiving little store.  From the outside, it looks like satan has left his mark like a dog would leave its mark on a tree.  On the inside, it has been touched by grace and is heaven on earth.  After leaving and spending money I swore I wouldn't spend, the outside was suddenly looking up-and I mean that in a literal sense; it no longer looked as though the roof was about to hit the ground at any second.

Julian refused to nap this afternoon which really isn't much of a surprise anymore.  So when mom and I took him to evening mass tonight, he slept through more than half of it.  Throughout advent, we were assigned a family to pray for each day.  After mass tonight we had dinner in the social hall and a chance to meet our 'advent angel' that we prayed for.  This is the second year in a row that we have done this, and also the second year in a row that my advent angel wasn't there.  We still had a great time as Julian was fully refreshed after his nap (and after two full plates of spaghetti, a breadstick, and God only knows how many brownies my mom snuck him).  He danced to the children's choir while they sang songs like 'O Come All Ye Faithful' (not very upbeat, but good enough for J!), 'Go Tell It On The Mountain', and his favorite, 'Joy To The World'.  I officially saw the first signs of my baby boy becoming a Ladies Man tonight as he danced, waved, hugged, and batted his eyes at every single woman he could get to pay attention to him in the social hall.  Daddy would be so proud!