who needs Disney World?

We just returned from a fun-filled vacation to South Dakota to visit our family.  Our kids reacquainted themselves with their cousins, we got spoiled by my mom's home-cooking, we spent lots of time at my brother Mike's house at the lake having fun in the sun, the older boys had a blast catching walleye with grandpa, I was blessed to spend some time with dear friends, and Paul and I were even able to steal away for a date night. We are realizing that now that we are a family of 7, it simply isn't feasible to take a summer vacation to places like Disney World, Hawaii, or Europe like some other families do.  But the more I think about it, the more I believe that spending time with family doing simple pleasures like fishing, swimming, and playing board games is more fulfilling, for we are creating memories and special relationships that will last a lifetime.  God is training my heart to be thankful for simple blessings rather than wishing my life away wanting things I can't have or things that would ultimately draw my heart away from the things that really matter: faith, family, and friendships.

So here's a plethora of pictures to give you an idea of the fun we had, fun that beats Disney World by far in my opinion:

All the cousins proudly showing off their trophies after their incredible piano recital performances.

 

 

Our boys at Storybook Land in Aberdeen, SD.

They are my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

 

 

Our boys riding the train at Storybook Land with Grandma Theresa, Grandpa Pat, Uncle Jon, Aunt Debbie, and cousin Evan.

 

 

My parents who are still happily married, and they were so happy to have all of their kids and grand kids together for the 4th of July.  Next summer we will all be together again to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary!

 

 

Paul and I were able to spend some quality time together talking, relaxing, and reconnecting our hearts. 

 

 

I had fun using my new telephoto lens at the zoo at Storybook Land.

 

 

I love photography, but I honestly have no idea what I'm doing.  Someday I'd love to take a photography class so that I can improve my skills.

 

 

The kids playing games on the iPad with their cousin Evan during a moment of down-time.

 

 

Nathanael loved spending time with Grandma Theresa putting together puzzles,

and the older boys kept grandma very busy playing cards and board games.

 

 

 

One of the highlights for the older boys was a quick trip to Minneapolis to attend a Twins baseball game and to visit their Minnesota relatives (Grandma Jean, Grandpa Dick, Uncle Dann, Aunt Rachel, and cousins Rowan, Kennedy, and Hollis).

 

 

Dominic's favorite activity was swimming and catching frogs at Richmond Lake.

 

 

Michael's favorite activity was catching fish.  He rarely took a break from fishing to swim!

 

 

Joseph looking very cool with the carp he caught.

It's bittersweet to realize how old and mature he is becoming.

 

 

Nathanael thought he was a "cool-guy" riding the jet ski with daddy.

 

 

Joseph and Michael with C-R-A-Z-Y hair after their jet ski ride.

I am so blessed to have boys that love each other so much!

 

 

Nathanael and Grandpa Pat (on the blanket) loved taking their afternoon naps in the sun.

 

 

Nathanael wasn't too crazy about playing in the water, but he loved playing on the beach.

 

 

Uncle Steve, who is still a great slalom water-skier, teaching Joseph how to ski for the first time.

 

 

Nathanael looking like a little pyromaniac!

He loved the 4th of July fireworks!

 

 

Big brother Joseph helping Dominic shoot bottle rockets.

Not sure how safe this was, but it sure made for a beautiful shot.

 

 

Summer vacations in SD are AWESOME!

Who needs Disney World anyway?

Angel Baby

Isaiah is 2 months old already, and I think it's safe to say that his temperament is pretty much established, and the verdict is...he's an "Angel Baby!"  Praise the Lord!  Perhaps God knew what I could handle! :)  This little guy has been so mellow and easy, which makes me so thankful.  He eats every four hours during the day, and at night he is already sleeping 5 hours or more at a stretch.  Twice he has slept for 8 hours!!!  I am trying to follow a relaxed schedule of:  eat, awake-time, and then sleep.  I learned this approach from the great parenting book, "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer."  The book also recommends not nursing your baby to sleep so that he learns to soothe himself to sleep, which, in theory, is supposed to help babies sleep through the night much sooner.  It has been working great so far.  When he gets fussy and tired, I usually put him in the Baby Bjorn, and he falls asleep while I'm going about my normal routine.  Then I put him in his crib for his nap.  He does have one fussy period right before he goes to bed for the night (we jokingly call this "Happy Hour"), which I think is simply from being over-tired and over-stimulated by the activities during the day.  All of the other boys were fussy in the evening too, so this seems normal and fairly easy to handle (especially when Paul takes this shift and lets me go shower and go to bed early...he is a great daddy!)   I feel so much peace and confidence now that Isaiah has eased into a routine, and the anxiety I had about having 5 children is dissipating by the day.  I truly see the evidence that God provides all the grace that I need when I need it.  All I need to do is trust and thank Him, and yet so often I fail at those two things...sigh.  But that's OK because I know marriage and motherhood will give me plenty of opportunities to practice!  :}

 

I also love this 2-month milestone because Isaiah has started to smile and coo, which is so adorable and makes all the sacrifices of motherhood so worth it.  When he's awake, I love to just smile and talk to him, waiting for him to give me a big gummy smile back and listen to his sweet stories that begin and end with the word "a-goo."  :)  How can every single cooing sound be just as cute as the one before and listening to it never gets old?  We are on vacation visiting my parents in South Dakota, and it has been so sweet watching Isaiah melt Grandma and Grandpa's hearts with his smiles and coos.  Isaiah is also doted upon by his older brothers, his cousins, and his aunts and uncles, who love trying to make him smile and tell his a-goo stories.  What a blessing babies are to the whole family! 

 

 



Well, it's time to go enjoy some more fun in the sun while we're on vacation!  As you can tell, Isaiah loves getting his R-and-R too!  May your summer be filled with rest, sun, smiles, and blessings too!

At The Cemetery

A few times a year our family makes a trip to the cemetery.  We go to visit the tombstone of our child Sebastian who died when I was 13 weeks pregnant, and to remember all three of our babies waiting for us in heaven.  We bring flowers and pinwheels.  We say a prayer together, asking for the intercession of our little saints to help us love God better and hoping that one day we will all be together in heaven.  One of my favorite parts in the book "Heaven is for Real," is when the young boy who went to heaven saw his sister that he never knew he had.  She was a sister that his mother had miscarried.   The little boy described his sister so beautifully, and it fills my heart with longing to see what my children in heaven will look like.  Will one of them be a little girl?  Will one have curly hair like their daddy had, or red like mine?

My children, both in heaven and on earth, have taught me so much about death and the purpose of life.  When we go to the cemetery, I tend to get lost in grief.  My boys, however, do not.  After we pray together, they run off and play.  According to them, there is life to be lived and football to be played, even in a cemetery.  At first that used to bother me.  I'd want them to grieve with me and be a little more sombre.  But, actually, I think my children have it all right and I all wrong.  Why should we be sombre?  Sebastian, Christian, and Frances are celebrating with Christ.  They've finished the race and won the prize; those of us still left on earth have not.  We still have some running to do, and we must run as if to win.  If we sit in our grief and bitterly wish life was different we may find that we have forfeited the prize of heaven in the end.  Life must go on for those of us still here on earth.  A joyful life of service and glorying the Lord so that we can celebrate in heaven one day too.  Getting lost in grief is losing opportunities to love God and others.  My children love God better playing football than I do sitting in despair.  These are the thoughts that passed through my mind as I sat on a bench in the cemetery...  I sat nursing my new baby, sitting near my buried babies, and watching my grown-up babies play football with their daddy.  It felt a bit odd, and perhaps we looked a bit strange, but hopefully it was somehow pleasing to the Lord.  After all, this is our family, this is real life, and life must go on.  So many bittersweet lessons have I learned at the cemetery...

Thank you, Jesus, for all of my children--those with you and those still with me--who are guiding my heart daily closer to Yours.  Please give my little saints a big hug for me today.

 

Isaiah's Big Day

On the beautiful Feast of Corpus Christi, June 2nd, our sweet child Isaiah Jesse was baptized into the family of Christ.  He behaved like an angel, sleeping through the whole ceremony (except for one brief moment when he awoke just long enough to yawn at Deacon Bob).  His special godparents, my brother Mike and his wife Shawna, were able to make the trip to Montana for Isaiah's special day.  We were also surrounded by our dearest friends and my mom.  Joseph and Michael were given the special priveledge to assist Deacon Bob during the baptism since they are altar boys.  They looked so grown-up in their white albs, but I still remember holding them in my arms as tiny babies for their baptisms years ago.  Paul commented after the ceremony that this was the first baptism that I let him hold our baby for the event.  So apparently I must be lightening up on my control issues...  Having 5 kids will do that.  :)

 

The little kids always love playing near the baptismal font filled with holy water.  Perhaps if we let them swim in it, they would be holier and more obedient for the rest of the summer!  :) 

 

Lessons From the Birds

On our front door there hangs a welcome wreath...  Apparently it looked very welcoming....

...because this is what I found hiding in it a few weeks ago.

 

Five sage-speckled eggs.  

 

 

They belonged to a gorgeous pair of house finches.  The proud papa was adorned with a sunset-red head.  He would sit in a nearby pine tree, singing to his mate while keeping diligent watch for danger.  The mama, clad in camouflage tones of grey and brown, would chat with him constantly from her warm nest, waiting for her babies to crack their way to freedom through those tiny little eggs.   I wondered how a bird could possibly emerge from those little shells.  I was so eager to see them hatch.  I lugged our little step ladder out to that wreath to check the nest daily.  We tried not to use the front door as much as possible, but occasionally we forgot that we had guests living there.  On one such occasion the mama bird found her way into our living room.  My outdoorsy husband, more accustomed to shooting animals than rescuing them, became "the Bird Whisperer" as he gently cupped the scared little mother in his gloved hands and set her free into the night air. I hoped and prayed that she was alright and would return to her nest to warm her eggs so that they would hatch. 

 

 A few days later I was delighted to behold this beautiful sight.  Perhaps "beautiful" is the wrong adjective.  They were more like "adorably ugly!"  Eyes glued shut.  Sparse, scraggly wisps of hair rather than anything that resembled feathers.  Too weak to even lift their heads...

 

It was so sweet to watch them grow stronger every day...

 



For the first week of their lives, I never heard them make a sound.  I guess I thought that baby birds would be noisy, constantly chirping at their parents to demand food.  But instead I found that these babies were silent, blind, and completely trusted that if they opened their mouths, they would be fed.  What an example of blind faith!  How I wish I had more of it!  Instead, I find myself loudly whining to God and wondering whether or not He hears or will answer me in the way I wish Him to.  Deep down I am a selfish brat and it humbles me to admit it.  This picture will always remind me to have more blind, bird-like faith...  To simply open my mouth and taste God's goodness that He so faithfully brings to me each day.

Each day that I climbed that little ladder to peek at these adorably ugly birds I was amazed at how quickly they were growing.  Their pale pink skin turned dark within a day or two.  Their wisps of hair rapidly turned into feathers.  Their blind eyes began to see...

 

 

This is the last picture I was able to take of these fuzzy, feathery friends of mine.  I thought that I had many more days or even weeks to spend with them, taking their photos and watching them grow.  But the next day they were gone.  At first I was worried that something terrible happened to them.  I wondered if a neighborhood cat had somehow raided the nest.  And then I looked at the pine tree next to our porch.  And there they were, flying from tree to tree along with their slightly larger parents, singing happily.  Within two weeks their blind faith had given them the strength to fly. 

 

These feathered friends were a gift from God and taught me so much.  I pray for the grace to have such blind faith and trust, for therein lies true joy and the strength to soar where God wills me to fly.