Our New Baby + Alexios Stavros

+ Our latest Miracle/ Baby Alexios + Sleeping Peacefully. What ag HUGE blessing. We all fall more in love with him EVERY DAY! +GLory to God! Chirst is Risen! +

+ I was born to Precious Treasure!!! +

+  Christos Anesti!  Today is a very very special day. My mom was born today. Yes! The day after my father was born. I always remember my mom loving to tell about this miracle, when people would ask when they were born. My mom always smiles, but when she tells this story, she smiles even more, and her eyes would open up real wide ~ with her long, beautiful lashes, and say… “yes, George and I were born within hours of one another…” ~ they were even born the same year. We have already been blessed with two wonderful visits from my mom and dad this year. The pictures above are from a walk around Jamaica Pond on a glorious winter, sunny, snow covered day. Everything in sight was covered with snow, but it was warm enough to walk! Everything on and around the pond was glistening so brilliantly and brightly…it was the kind of beauty that you can hardly find words to describe.  Mom helps me to organize everything and order or go out and FIND the things that are missing from our home and our life.  When she arrives in our home, she immediately starts making little lists, of the things we need to replace or that we have lost... to stock our cupboards and our lives!  ~ that is for everyone...  for the kitchen, for me...  all the way down to the new babe!  Her kind, thoughtful, gentle heart and way, have blessed all of us SO much.  She loves us and takes care of our hearts and our needs in EVERY WAY possible!!!  My precious mother also takes care of her heart and soul, to the Glory of God. When she was here to help and love and be with us after Alexios' birth... it was right before Holy Week, and she and dad TOTALLY took advantage of going to all the INCREDIBLE services which Holy Cross offers!  She was in the chapel day and night, especially as Holy Week began, and even before... for Lazarus Saturday. Her soul was so moved, she would come home and tell me all about each and every part of the services! (The decorated icons, the sermons, the chanting, the seminarians... the many priests and deacons in the alter, her confession ~ which she ran to,  with a blessed priest she's become very close to,  and she was SO very blessed by...) She finally told me at the end of her week her, "Georgia, you know how most people live at home, and then go to church~ sometimes... well, I think I have decided I want to LIVE IN CHURCH, and visit home ~ sometimes!!!" Glory to God, for all things. She is certainly my mom! I FEEL THE EXACT SAME WAY!!! Mom went back home to be in Missoula for the rest of Holy Week, and helped to chant there, especially on Holy Saturday, when she led the chanting for the ENTIRE service.   A dear friend of ours who was at the service called us and said she was so greatly touched by mom's chanting and how she had led that service, how she had chanted, how her heart and faith and eyes ~ were was shining so beautifully, and our friend was SO greatly touched by her.... she said, " WOW, Georgia, DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU WERE TRULY BORN, TO PRECIOUS TREASURE?" "Yes," I said, "unworthy as I am." Thank you, Lord, for this precious treasure. Mumgoo, HAPPY BIRTHDAY. God grant you MANY years. We love you with all of our hearts.

 + Philip, Georgia, Kyranna, Alexandra, Kassiani, Nikolia, Markos, Georgie and Alexios +

George Joy is Contagious! Happy Birthday + DAD/PAPOU!! We LOVE you!!!

George  Joy  is  Contagious!

Christ is Risen! This morning, Georgie came to my bed at his usual 6:35am...  and today, being my FATHER, George's birthday, I wanted to write about a HUGE realization I have had lately, in the early mornings with my Georgie.  I have mini vigils with Alexios, as he drinks milk a bit in the nights... in these first couple months of his life.  We wake up to drink milk and pray together. +  This makes Georgie's EXTREMELY early morning visits...  a little tiring/shocking  ~ at times...  Sometimes I want to turn to Philip and tell him that it is much too early for Georgie to be waking up... and he certainly will need to go back to sleep.  BUT, I can not.  Georgie has SO MUCH JOY in the morning, he can HARDLY contain himself!!! He is not the least bit tired.   He is EVEN more joyful now that he gets to wake up and see his baby brother in our room, or right next to me.  How miraculously appropriate that this little one was named after his Papou George, my father!!  I realized one day that my Georgie is EXACTLY like my father, George, who I believe is THE MOST JOYOUS person I have EVER known in my life...    This joy is CONTAGIOUS!  I don't remember one morning in my entire life, waking up, seeing my father, George ~ anything but full of LOVE, JOY, OPTIMISM, PATIENCE, FAITH, an OPEN HEART, ENERGETIC, EXCITEMENT about the day to come and how it will unfold, PEACEFUL, KIND, GENTLE, TRUST...  and suddenly, I realize, MY DEAR FATHER, whose BIRTHDAY we are celebrating today, has taught me the FRUITS of the HOLY SPIRIT, since the day I was born...  and I continue to give thanks to our precious Lord and His Most Holy Mother, the Panayia, for the greatest gift any little girl, growing up, could have ever been given.  I love you with all of my heart, Yeorgikoula, my daddy ~ Joyous, Happy Birthday to you!!!  God grant you many years, filled with joy, faith, love, long-suffering, healing...  and all that you have been to me  and so many of us for 42 years of my life!!!  with so much love in Christ ~ your little bird +

Count it all joy

The Tablets of Our Hearts

Last night, when i was tucking Georgie in bed... he and I noticed that something was in his pillow.... we both searched inside the pillow case, and found a pink toy car. Hmmmmmm, i thought, isn't this interesting. He then went to sleep, after lots of hugs and kisses and crosses, and our exchanging "Christ is Risen!" in a number of different lanuages...(his favorite at this time is Christu Un Gel! Vertet Un Gel! - Albanian) This morning, after cuddling with me next to Alexios (our usual routine)... and exchanging out Christ is Risens once again, he popped up and looked and said, "Where's my pink car?" and he RAN into his room to find it. Isn't this how we should be with Christ, with Panayia, with our guradian angels! ~RUNNING to them in the morning as soon as we wake, tucking our prayer ropes in our pillow cases, or on our wrist to continuously remind us to be in prayer... to think of what the Lord would do, what the Panayia would do, before all we say and all we do... May Christ or true God, His Most Holy Mother, our guardian angels, and all the Saints, and their wisdom and guidance... continually be written on the the Tablets of Our Hearts...

"Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man." -Proverbs 3:3-4

This morning Georgie was holding our little baby, and he excitedly looked at me and said, " Mommy, he slid down my legs like a sled!" :) then, he started touching the baby's face, and i asked him to not touch his face and Georgie replied, " but i LOVE his cheeks!!!" This was sooo precious coming from a 3 year old with the most delicious cheeks which we've all been feasting on since the day he was born... and will continue to! :)

Kassiani starring in Charlotte's Web!

Kassiani  played the part of Wilbur in Charlotte's Web, the Musical, which Junior PALS performed this past Thurs., Fri., and Sat. May 8-10, 2008, at 7pm at Lincoln School, Brookline, MA.  It was wonderful!  We are sooooo proud of our Kassiani.  She completely blew us all away!!! We can see that she has a real love and talent for acting, performing, and singing!  Bravo, Kassiani!