Happy Belated Birthdays

Dominic celebrated his 9th birthday in July while we were in South Dakota.  It was a rare treat to be able to celebrate with grandma, grandpa, Uncle Mike, Aunt Shawna, and cousin Elizabeth.  Dominic was going through a LEGO-craze at the time (still is), so nearly every single present was LEGO related.  I think he built 15 LEGO sets in a matter of 2 days!

Happy Birthday my beautiful Dominic!

You truly are a master builder--so talented and so creative!

What I love most about you is your super-sized, sensitive heart.

I also love your freckles, your hugs, and your non-stop stories :)

Your kind heart and your huge smile make others feel so loved.

I am so proud of the big brother that you are--

you always take time to play with your little siblings even though you are such a big kid now.

Your deep love of the Eucharist consoles my heart and Jesus' heart,
and I pray your love and enthusiasm for receiving Jesus just keeps on growing!

I know you will set the world on fire with your love of the Lord:

there is no greater gift you could give your mother.

I thank you and I love you more than all the LEGOs ever made in the world!

Make a wish!

LEGOs you say?

Wish granted:

Joseph turned 14 on September 10th.  Literally, he was born the day before 9/11, which was bizarre to watch such horrible news from my hospital bed while holding a bundle of pure joy in my arms.  It astounds me that I have a 14 year old.  My first baby is now a teenager taller than me; how can this be?  We took him out to his favorite restaurant for his birthday--Chili's--and he is so proud to order off of the adult menu now :)  For gifts, he received a "Lord of the Rings" violin book, "The Philosophy of Tolkien" by Peter Kreeft, "Tolkein's Sacramental Vision" by Craig Bernthal, and some hunting clothes so that he can help fill our freezer with elk or deer meat.  With his own birthday money he bought a new fishing pole and a very nice baseball glove.  He didn't want a big party for his birthday; rather, he simply wanted to go mountain biking with a few buddies.  They had a blast conquering the trails, and then biked into town to have ice cream at the Big Dipper.  

Happy Birthday, Joseph!

I watch you grow in wisdom and stature before my eyes,

and yet I still love you like a sweet newborn in my arms.

I couldn't be more proud of the young man you are becoming:

calm, confident (yet humble), kind, introspective, intelligent, musical, and holy.

It is pure joy to watch you play baseball, to hear you play violin or piano, 

and to see you having fun fishing, biking, and other "guy" stuff with your awesome friends.

God has gifted you with so many talents that I'm not sure how you will choose which ones to use,

but I know you will use them to glorify God---and that's what matters.

Thank you for being such a great help and example to your younger siblings.

Being the eldest child is a tough position to fill, but you fill it so very well.

I love you more than the number of pitches you will ever throw,
or the number of fish you will ever catch!