Jon and Kelly and Crew

Since, as you have probably guessed, I'm in “grandchild mode” at the moment, take a look at these four beautiful kiddos — Audrey (5), Monica (3), Blaise (2), and Max (6 months) — the sons and daughters of our oldest son, Jonathon, and his wonderful wife, Kelly. They live about half an hour away from us, so we are very blessed to be able to see all of them frequently.

An Update From the Little House on the Prairie

Our lovely daughter Bridget and her husband, Al, who live on a cattle ranch in beautiful western South Dakota, recently informed us that they are expecting their second baby, due in mid-May. Their firstborn son, the righteous dude Patrick Alexander Trask, is growing and bulking up pretty fast, and so when the new baby comes along, he'll probably seem like the Hulk by comparison. This one on the way is the sixth grandchild for Nancy and me — one of what we hope will be a “great cloud of witnesses” who will surround us in the contentment of our old age.

Another Madrid-Family Wedding Coming Up Soon

Nancy and I are absolutely delighted that our son Timothy recently got engaged to the lovely Nina Pezzutti, and they'll be getting married on February 14, 2009, at our parish, St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Columbus, Ohio. Tim and Nina met and fell in love last fall — of all places, after Mass at St. Pat's. That's also where Tim proposed to Nina, so it's very fitting that they'll celebrate the sacrament of holy matrimony there, as well.

The more Nancy and I have gotten to know Nina, the more we love her and look forward to her becoming a Madrid. The beauty part about it is that her family is from Columbus, too, and she and Tim will be living about half an hour from our home. And you know what that means. Once the pitter patter of little feet starts up in their house (which, judging from typical Madrid history, will not take very long), we'll be able to enjoy even more grandchildren up close and personal. Thanks be to God!

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

My wife just showed me the online trailer for this new movie, and it looks quite good. We plan to go see it with our older children (i.e., those who are still at home. Our oldest five are grown and out on their own). 

It's the story of a young German boy whose father is in the Army during WWII. Not far from their house, he discovers a concentration camp and then meets and befriends — through the barbed wire — one of its denizens: a Jewish boy his own age. 

Hello, Everyone and Father Bud.

Mi gran amigo, Father Bud, has been saying some extravagantly nice things about me over on his site (he is prone to exaggeration), but he won't let me (or anyone else, for that matter) comment in response. So, this first post is intended to say “Thanks, Father!” for his many kindnesses, large and small, seen and unseen. May God reward him.