June JPEG Jamboree!

Truly, the month of June flew by so fast that I didn't have time to keep up with my blogging. So, I guess I'll just try to catch up all at once by giving a play-by-play of our fun in a series of photos. We spent two glorious weeks on vacation in South Dakota getting pampered by my parents. Just like Dorothy says, "There's no place like home," and even though South Dakota may not sound like a vacationer's paradise, it truly feels like paradise whenever we visit. All three of my brothers and their families came for a quick little reunion, so that made the trip extra special this summer. I feel so blessed to have such a fun-loving, easy-going family and the most incredible parents on the planet. What a joy for me to watch my children make such precious memories with their aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. I'm thankful to have captured some of those memories on camera so that we can treasure them for years and years to come...

Grandma and Grandpa surrounded by all their kids and grandkids

Thumbs up to the best vacation ever!

Grandma's lap is the best place to be


We took many-a-trip to the magical Storybook Land



Dominic loved conquering all the parks in town!



Uncle Jon is the best coloring companion!

Joseph and Michael proudly showing off their recital trophies

Paul and Joseph ready to race

Joseph and Michael taking bumper boats very seriously

Holy Carp!

Grandpa took the boys walley fishing at Waubey Lake and got them hooked on fishing for life

It doesn't get any better than this....

Grandma, can we come back next summer?

To all the Father's in my Life...

This photo displays the gift I gave to my husband this year for Father's Day, and the verse on it (Isaiah 30:15) truly embodies all the fathers in my life: Paul--the father of my children, Patrick--my own father, and Hollis--my father-in-law who is now in heaven. All three of these men are such holy, amazing men, and I feel so blessed to have had such loving fathers in my life, who truly mirror the character of the Heavenly Father.

• Thank you, Paul, for becoming the father of our children that I always dreamed of. You are a humble and strong spiritual leader for our boys; you are the best Tickle Monster, Squisher, Rifle Instructor, Aviator Guru, and All-Around-Outdoorsy-Dad in the world; and every year I see the admiration in our boys' eyes for you grow. They want to be just like you when they grow up, and I hope and pray that they do.
• Thank you, Dad, for loving me, protecting me, teaching me, and raising me so well. Even as an adult, I still look at you like you hung the moon, I crave your approval which you always give so readily, and I am forever grateful for the faith you gave me through your quiet, yet strong example. I am so happy that our boys get to have you for their grandpa and experience all the priceless memories that you gave to me and my brothers, like fishing, exploring nature, and of course, perpetual teasing :)
• And thank you, Hollis, for being a "True Gentleman" in every sense of the title and passing on your good looks ;), virtuous character, and solid faith to my husband. We miss you very much, but we know that you are watching over our family from above, and that is an enormous comfort and blessing.

Happy Father's Day!

P.S. For Father's Day, my husband took all three of the boys hiking up a mountain, so as I type this in the peace and quiet of my home it sort of feels more like Mother's Day :)

This week is my 17th week of pregnancy! My nausea has subsided almost completely, and I am feeling our little one kick and squirm many times throughout the day--yay! This pregnancy seems to be going so quickly (although I probably would not have said that during my days of extreme nausea), and the reality that in 5 months I will be holding a baby in my arms (God-willing) is frightening and thrilling all at the same time. I am so curious whether we are having a boy or a girl, wondering what temperament the baby will have, how the boys will adjust to a new sibling, how I will adjust to being the mother of four, etc, etc, etc. At least I will know the answer to one of those musings soon. My big ultrasound, which will hopefully be able to determine the baby's gender, is in less than a month (July 13th to be exact).

Although I know it sounds silly, I am already starting to worry about the labor and delivery of this baby. You'd think that after giving birth to 3 children already I'd feel completely prepared and at ease, but for some reason my anxiety increases with each delivery. Perhaps it's because I KNOW what it's going to be like, what things can go wrong, how bad it will hurt... Perhaps it's because I haven't done this in so long and I truly feel like I've forgotten all the birthing techniques and pain management tips I once had memorized... Perhaps it's because I remember that all the birth plans I had so diligently written in my previous pregnancies never happened the way I had planned, which still bums me out and reminds me of how little control I truly have over the whole process. Anyway, I know I need to start praying more, trusting more, and simply giving thanks more for this gift in my womb who, once I am holding in my arms, will make me forget about the pain of delivery, or which birthing technique I used or forgot to use, or that my birth plan once again got thrown out the window due to some factor out of my control. In other words, I need to let go of the past, be thankful for the present and trust God for the future. Sounds easy...I'll get right on that :)