Brave Sir Dominic's Belated Birthday Blog

Summer was so filled with fun that I am very late in posting these photos of Dominic's 8th birthday party which was way back in July!  Dominic had such a grand time at his party that he just couldn't stop smiling for days!  He chose a "Knight and Dragons" theme, and I was able to find some fun backyard games that played upon that theme...

The first game was:  "Rescue the Princess."  It was very similar to the popular game called "Capture the Flag," but instead of questing for the opponent's flag, the participants try to get by a fire-breathing dragon (whose fire is in the form of water from a squirt gun) to rescue the princess on the other side of the yard.  Dominic's friends all took turns being the dragon and the damsel in distress, which made both boys and girls very happy indeed!

The next game was for the noble knights and fair maidens to practice their swordsmanship by trying to keep a balloon suspended in the air using a toy sword (or a princess wand, if desired).  Those who kept their balloon afloat without it hitting the ground received some candy for a prize.

The last game was an archery tournament where all the contestants tried to hit a dangerous dragon with an arrow.

This game was quickly followed by demolishing the dragon pinata and happily collecting all the candy held within his greedy stomach.

It was a grand party for a very grand and noble young knight!

Happy Belated Birthday, Brave Sir Dominic!

At age 8, you continue to be such boisterous and sweet boy.

You have not outgrown your love of snuggling and giving hugs and kisses.

Your joy and curiosity bubble from your mouth in constant chatter,

a joy that is contagious and endearing.

You have become a huge helper this year,

ever-vigilant at keeping your younger brothers safe and happy.

I love you more than all the bricks on a castle,

all the scales on a dragon,

and all the weapons in the grandest armory!

May you continue to grow in holiness, wisdom, and chivalry

with each passing year!

Our Family Tree in Photos

Our family...
(I feel slightly outnumbered!)

Our extended family on Maria's side, 

gathered together to celebrate Mom and Dad's 50th Anniversary in Custer, SD...

Maria with Mom and Dad and her 3 older brothers...

Just us...

still learning how to love, 

still striving to guide each other towards heaven...

All these pictures prove that indeed we are blessed,

and we have so much to thank our Heavenly Father for!

"We will tell the generations to come

the praiseworthy and mighty deeds of the Lord,

the wonders that he performed...

that they too might put their trust in God

and not forget his works

but keep his commandments."

Psalm 78:4-8

(P.S. A big thanks to Jenni Hahn for taking such lovely pictures

and making the picture-taking experience a joy rather than a stress!)

All Because Two People Fell in Love...

This summer my parents' celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.  What an accomplishment in today's day in age!  50 years ago they went to Custer State Park for their honeymoon, so it seemed only fitting to celebrate their big anniversary at the same location.  Not sure if it was like a "second honeymoon" or not since they were surrounded by all their crazy kids and grandkids, but we could all tell that mom and dad were beaming with happiness!

Many special memories were made during our week together.  Hundreds of photos were taken.  I'll try to just pick out a few of the best and use them to give a summary of our wonderful week together...

My parents rented a spacious, gorgeous cabin for all of our families to stay at...

Mom and Dad were so happy having us all together

and reminiscing about old times...

They also did lots of dancing to Don Williams,

still their favorite singer after all these many years together...

He sure does have some great love songs that seemed written just for them...

My mom had more than one handsome partner to dance with...

We gave mom and dad gifts from the heart;

this one is a photobook of memories through the years...

This gift is a family photo puzzle for them to work on together...

Of course, we had to go see the "Great Faces" on Mt. Rushmore...

We did lots of little hikes...

and lots of laughing along the way...

All of the cousins loved touching reptiles at Reptile Gardens...

Dominic's favorite was the giant yellow python!

He thinks Grandma Theresa should get one for a pet :)

The giant tortoises seemed as ancient as the dinosaurs!

We also saw wildlife along the road...

and wildlife IN the road!

These donkeys are nicknamed the "begging burros" :)

We also made a trip to Bear Country USA, 

a highlight for the whole crew...

It was surreal to see giant bears surrounding us,

and even crossing the road in front of us!

But the best part was the baby bears,

who were so playful and just plain adorable...

They climbed the trees like it was as easy as walking,

and would even play-fight high up in the branches!

It was so cute to watch them wrestle,

and made you want to take one home as a cuddly pet!

Bear Country not only had bears,

but fox, mountain lions, big horn sheep, and many other animals.

In the evenings, we enjoyed hanging out around the campfire,

and eating smores, of course!

The kids had a blast catching and collecting fireflies for hours every night!

During the day there was plenty of time for outdoor pastimes like bocce ball...

More hiking...

Card playing...

...and LOTS of eating...

(good thing we had a big table for our big crew!)

...thanks to our 3 great chefs for the week!

Thanks, Steve, Mike and Jon!

We love you, Mom and Dad!

Thanks for the great anniversary celebration together!

We pray you have many, many more anniversary together!!!

P.S.  We were also blessed to have a professional photographer come take some family photos, but I'll save those pictures for another post coming soon!  :)