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 :)

10 Years Ago Today...

We exchanged vows and became one...

Maria got "welcomed" into the Navy with a sword-swat to the toosh...




We were ordered to kiss before passing the swords...

and to live happily ever after.

After 10 years of marriage, I truly believe we are living out that order PDG (pretty darn good). Not every day has been happy, of course. There have been blessings as well as challenges, joys mixed with sorrows, and twists and turns that we never expected, but we would certainly do it all over again, and we're praying for many more years to journey towards Christ together!

"I love you, Paul. Thanks for loving me so faithfully (and patiently) for these 10 years and for leading me towards Christ every day. I know without a doubt that you are the man I was meant to marry, and I am so glad that I said "Yes" to you when you proposed on that little island in Maine :) May our next 10 years be filled with even more blessings than the first!

Happy Anniversary!"

Thirty Something...

Today I turned 31, and I'm thrilled! I'm sure one of these years I won't be so happy to grow older, but for now it's fun. Perhaps I'm just longing for the day when I'll stop getting carded every time I have an adult beverage :) My family spoiled me today and my heart feels full to the brim tonight (despite the cold that I'm fighting). My husband let me sleep in while he took care of the kiddos this morning, and then he surprised me with breakfast in bed...what a treat! The boys gave me a very sweet card and a bag of "Bliss" dark chocolates...they truly are pure bliss! Paul wowed me with his good taste by purchasing an awesome purse (in my favorite colors), along with a stainless steel water bottle (also in my favorite color)---so now I'll fit right in with the granola-ish locals...cool! :) After being showered with gifts, I got booted out the door to go our for lunch all by myself (sweet tranquility), and then I went scrapbooking for a few hours (tranquility + productivity = double sweet). We ended the day by getting homemade icecream at the carousel. It was the perfect birthday (minus the stinkin cold) :} Here's a picture of a few of the gifts I received and the precious Birthday note from my tender-hearted Michael.

(FYI: the MacGyver series is a fun gift from a friend of mine who heard that I was in love with Richard Dean Anderson, I mean the show, back when I was in junior high. Now my boys will get to experience the action and be inspired to make bombs out of bubble gum and a paper clip :)

Hello Second Trimester!!!

It's been awhile since I have written, so I'll try to catch everyone up on the happenings in our house over the past couple of weeks...

First, I am happy to announce that I am officially in my second trimester of pregnancy!!! I know that I'm only one third of the way there to holding our precious baby, but I'm simply going to rejoice in the present. This week I pulled out my box of maternity clothes that has been in storage for FOUR years (craziness!), and I'm eager to start showing off my growing belly! :) I'm also eager for this "All-Day-Queasiness" to subside...hopefully ASAP...it's getting old...really...really...old (of course I'm saying that with all the joyfulness I can muster). :}

Another exciting event was the May Crowning Mass at the boys' school, followed by an All School Picnic and Talent Show. Joseph and his 2nd grade classmates were very proud because they were allowed to wear their 1st Communion outfits and be in charge of the Bible readings, the prayer intentions, presenting the gifts for the alter, and crowning Mary with a garland of flowers. After the 2nd graders crowned Mary, the entire school presented flowers at Mary's feet as well. It was a gorgeous ceremony and a beautiful way to honor Jesus' mother (our spiritual mother) during this month of May when everyone honors their mothers in some special way. The School Picnic was also delightful because the school is such a close-knit community; everyone knows one another and loves to have the opportunity to chat and spend time together. And, of course, the Talent Show is always an entertaining event to finish the day with laughter and fun. The performances ranged from electric guitar solos to hula hooping to Irish dancing to a trio playing recorders. Joseph's class performed a little skit called "Froggie Went A-Courting", and Michael's class did a very beautiful rendition of the Contemporary Christian song "I can Only Imagine," complete with sign language (which I think it brought a tear to a few eyes in the audience). Here are a few photos of the day's festivities:

Our Lady after her Coronation

Joseph's class waiting to lead the procession for Mass

Michael's class practicing their song for the Talent Show

And last, but certainly not least, my husband also had some excitement this week while he was at work. The single engine Cessna that he was flying had an engine failure and my husband had to do an emergency landing in a farmer's field! I am so thankful that Paul is such an excellent pilot AND that he has an excellent guardian angel! We truly are counting our blessings this week. Things could have turned out much differently, which is frightening to even think about. The whole event was a good reminder to make sure our souls are ready at all times to meet our Lord, and to make sure we are showering those we love with all the love we have every day because our days our numbered. Thank You, God, for giving us more days to shower love upon Paul, my very best friend, and the very best daddy in the world to our boys. Our family may not know what the future holds, but at least we know Who holds the future and we trust in You. Amen.

Chiara Luce Badano

A friend of mine recently shared with me the story of this beautiful, modern-day saint from Italy named Chiara Luce Badano. If you need a dose of inspiration today, please read her story. It really spoke to my heart.

http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/2883