Happy Birthday to our "Baby"

Our "baby" turned 3 on April 26th and it was a sweet and simple celebration.  On his actual birth date we couldn't have a big celebration because Isaiah's big brothers had baseball that night.  So, we ate a quick supper, followed by Birthday cupcakes, and rushed out the door to baseball.  But a few days later we tried to redeem his birthday by taking him to the carousel for a few rides on his favorite animals, followed by some yummy ice cream, and we let the birthday boy pick a toy from the gift shop.  He chose an adorable stuffed animal mountain goat that we named "Rocky."  :)  He was as happy as a birthday boy could be.

Dear Sweet Isaiah,

Mommy loves the little man that you are turning out to be.

You are silly and snuggly and each morning when I hear your little feet my heart leaps for joy.

You are such a blessing to our family because you make us all laugh and smile

(which we need because many of us tend to get too serious around here).

I love how you say "rabbit" and "river", because it sounds like "hobbit" and "ribber." :)

Thank you for protecting me from all the bad guys like Darth Vader and pretend poisonous snakes.

Part of me wants you to stay 3 years old forever,

but the larger part of me wants you to grow up and set this world on fire for love of Jesus!

Love through Jesus and Mary, 

your Mommy forever

House pictures---finally!

+JMJ+

I finally have house photos to show you!

...But I need to start off by telling you that I struggle a bit with even posting these pictures because I feel embarrassed--even slightly guilty--by how beautiful the home is.  It is so much more than we deserve and even more than we had ever hoped for!  The other day I shared with a friend my feelings of "guilt" over having such a wonderful house, and she reminded me not to feel guilty, but rather to focus on being thankful to God for such a blessing, otherwise I'm not truly embracing the gift He has given us.  She reminded me what an ideal house and location this is for a large family with 5 adventurous boys. I know she is right... God has given us a wonderful gift, and now we are called to be thankful and use our gift to serve and glorify Him.  But I'm scrupulous and vain and I worry too much about what others think.  So, that being said, I hope no one will look at these photos and think that I'm bragging or that my family is overly-wealthy, and I certainly hope that these pictures don't make anyone feel jealous in any way...  That would totally make is sad.  My only reason for sharing these photos is to point to God's goodness and to remind people to trust in the Lord and He truly will grant the desires of your heart--perhaps even more than your own desires because He knows what you truly need and desire more than you do!  The gift of this home has reminded me that life is filled with both sorrows and joys, but that God is good all the time (which means we should praise Him all the time).  Someone might need to remind me of that truth when the next storm of life hits and causes the giddiness over our new home to wear off.  :}

Anyway, in all humility and gratitude, let the tour begin...

One of my favorite things about our house is how it is so tucked away in the trees.  For the past 16 years of our married life, Paul and I have lived in town in busy subdivisions--from our tiny house on a California Navy base, to our last home a block away from a busy (and loud) railroad crossing--which makes this serene setting something that we will never take for granted.  We share our driveway with one other house, but we are at the very end of the road and we cannot really even seen another house from our front porch.  We never thought it would be possible to find a house so secluded after looking and looking for 2 years.  Being nestled in these trees makes me feel like I am surrounded by God's love, safely tucked away in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Thank You, Jesus!  

This is the front entrance.  It is a very welcoming entrance, and I hope people will always feel loved and welcomed when they walk through those doors--we want this to be the kind of house our friends will just want to hang out at and feel relaxed and joyful when they come visit.  As you walk in, you can go to the right to find the living room, go straight to find the kitchen, or go upstairs to find the boys' rooms.   Although I didn't get a picture of it, the door that you see closed in the picture is a mudroom that leads to the garage.  I can' tell you how excited we are to have a mudroom!  Few of the houses we looked at had a real mudroom, and it is such a blessing with a family of 5 boys!  Thank You, Jesus!

This is the view from the kitchen which shows this unique and beautiful hutch which hold all of our dishes because the kitchen doesn't really have any cupboards.  At first we thought it was really weird that the kitchen had no upper cupboards, but we have grown to really like this hutch and it gives us plenty of room for all of our dishes.  Thank You, Jesus!

Here is our kitchen (which never looks this clean and lovely on a day-to-day basis--this is totally staged!)  My favorite part about the kitchen is the old cookstove which belonged to my grandparents on the farm back in Selby, SD.  We feel so blessed to have it and to know that if the electricity went out for an extended period of time, we would still be able to cook food and stay warm huddled around this beautiful heirloom.  Thank You, Jesus!

The view from our kitchen window is one of my favorite things about this house.  I love looking at the aspens and watching the deer meander on by almost daily.  Thank You, Jesus!

This little nook above the stove in the kitchen is another treasure for me.  It holds our statue from Medjugorje, blessed rocks from Apparition Hill, and the roses from my wedding bouquet (or at least the ones that have miraculously survived for almost 16 years).  These treasures are constant reminders of Our Lady's motherly love and guidance throughout my whole life.  Thank you, Jesus AND Mary!

This is the formal dining room, and to be honest, we didn't know what to do with it at first.  We've never had a formal dining room, and we never really wanted one--it just seemed too fancy for us.  We thought about using it for our computer room or piano room at first.  But it just seemed too formal for anything but a dining room, so that's what it became, and now we love it.  What I like most is the pictures of Jesus on one wall and Mary on the other wall--a reminder that they are always guests at our table each time we have a meal together.  Thank You, Jesus!

Here is another formal room that we didn't really know what to do with.  It's the formal living room, and really the only thing it gets used for is folding laundry--seriously.  I dump my laundry on the couch and then stack all the folded clothes on the coffee table :)  But I also use it when I host rosary group with a couple of my girlfriends, so it is starting to become a special place too.  Thank You, Jesus!

Here is the "other" living room--the one that we use the most.   We absolutely love the wood fireplace--my husband especially!  I am so grateful for a husband who takes his role of provider and protector so seriously, and it was very important to him that we find a house with a wood stove just in case we lose electricity during the winter.  God knew the desires of Paul's heart and found him a home with a wood stove (plus, 7 acres of land to get firewood if needed!)  Thank You, Jesus!

This is our master bedroom (or perhaps I should say "Our Cat's master bedroom," for she sleeps in there all day long!)  Again, this room is bigger and fancier than we needed, but we are choosing to be grateful.  I feel blessed every time my husband and I kneel at the foot of our bed and look at the crucifix as we pray our night prayers.  There is also a big picture of the Divine Mercy image on our wall that reminds us to trust in Jesus's mercy and love no matter what is going on in our lives, and to strive to be loving and merciful to others too (especially our spouse!) :}  Thank you, Jesus!

Upstairs there are two bedrooms where all 5 of the boys sleep.  Their rooms are connected by a Jack and Jill bathroom, which is just perfect.  This is Joseph and Michael's room, and they each have their own desk for doing homework.  Joseph spends quite a bit more time doing homework, so we gave him the desk with the better view :)  And what a gorgeous view it is...he can see our pond with the little waterfall, as well as acres of beautiful trees.  Thank You, Jesus!

Here is another view of the big boys' room showing their bunk beds.  I'm glad all the boys have to share rooms because it promotes closeness and self-lessness.  I love listening to the boys talk and banter every night as they fall asleep.  Thank You, Jesus!

This is the 3 little boys' room.  Right before we moved into this house, some generous friends offered us this bunk bed set, which was a huge blessing because we didn't have enough beds for the boys.  We were especially thankful for the big drawers underneath the bottom bunk because we only had one dresser for all 5 boys!  Thank You, Jesus!

This is where Dominic sleeps on the far side of the little boys' room.  We wanted him to feel a little bit more independent and have more privileges than his 2 little brothers, so we put his bed on the other side of the room so that he could stay up later than they did.  We actually tried putting him in the big boys' room at first, but we quickly found that he wasn't getting quite enough sleep because the big boys stay up so late doing homework.  But this location turned out to be ideal.  Thank You, Jesus!

This is the spare bedroom in the basement.   It is great for anyone who comes to visit us because they basically have an entire floor to themselves, with a bathroom/shower right across the hallway.  So, please come visit us...it's ready and waiting just for you!  :)  Thank You, Jesus!

One of the things we love most about the house is the HUGE basement, which is basically a 3-room-recreation area.  This room holds all the toys.  Thank You, Jesus!

This room holds the couch and TV/entertainment center...  I am thrilled that it is big enough for us to have some other families come over to watch a movie together, or even for me to do an aerobics video (don't imagine it unless you want a good laugh!)  Thank You, Jesus!

But the best part about the basement is what lies behind the couch...

...A PING PONG TABLE!  We just got it this week, and we are having so much fun with it already!  Paul and I both grew up with ping pong tables at our houses, so we both have very fond family memories of playing with our family and friends.  Which is why it was a dream for both of us to someday have a ping pong table in our home.  This is the first home that we've owned that has enough room for a ping pong table---yet another desire of our hearts fulfilled.  Thank You, Jesus!

Again, please know that the invitation is open for you to come visit us at our new home! As you can see there is plenty of room and plenty of opportunities for fun!  It is the least we can do for helping us to pray as we searched for the home God was planning for us.  May God bless each of you even MORE ABUNDANTLY than He has blessed us!

EASTER JOYS

Did you know that it's still Easter?  Which means that these pictures aren't getting posted late at all! :) I had forgotten how long the Easter season is...  It lasts until Pentecost, which is a full 50 days of celebrating the foundation of our faith---that Christ died for our sins, rose from the dead, and opened the gates of Heaven to all who believe in Him!  Alleluia!

I was pondering the other day how this 50-day-long-celebration is yet another example of just how much God loves us and lavishes graces upon us--especially after we have faithfully endured a period of hardship...  Let me try to explain.  Lent, for example, often seems like an extremely long 40 days.  40 long days of giving up some of the things that we are the most attached to--like coffee, electronics, fast food, soda, sweets, alcohol, etc--all to remind us of what Jesus gave up for us:  His life, in the most painful way possible!  But after we have faithfully fasted from those things for 40 days, the good Lord rewards us with--not 40--but 50 days of celebrating and feasting and focusing on JOY--and the joy seems all the more real and precious after the period of fasting and suffering.  Boy, after giving up coffee for 40 days, I am savoring each sweet cup that I have been having since then!  :)  That seems to be a pervasive theme with the Lord--that after periods of intense suffering, there always comes a sweet reward that makes the suffering so worthwhile.  I can think of many examples of this in my own life:

• the severe nausea, discomfort and labor pains of pregnancy which led to 5 beautiful babies in my arms  
• a deep wound in my marriage that seemed hopeless to repair, but it eventually led to a deeper love and joy that I never imagined possible
• the stress and disappointment of looking for a new house and feeling like the right one was no where to be found (ever), and then being blessed with one that far exceeded our hopes and expectations

Lent and Easter follow that same theme.  They are beautiful reminders for us to persevere and trust in God during the hard (Lenten) times in life because He always comes through and blesses us with an unexpected miracle (Easter), providing just what we need, at just the right time.  He is so full of love and mercy that I am just in awe of Him (this year especially).  I feel like my love for Him and my trust in Him has grown so much---thank you, Lord!  I hope your Easter has been filled with many joys and that the Lord has stretched your heart and increased your love and trust in Him too!

Here are some photos to bring you even more Easter JOY!!!

A very happy Nathanael on our first Easter Egg Hunt around our property

Isaiah loved every minute of the Egg hunt...

each egg was like a new treasure.

How I wish I kept that same childlike wonder with every treasure God gives me each day!

Real men carry Easter baskets 

--and look good doing it :)

We have a special tradition of doing our Easter Egg Hunt with some dear friends who have 6 kids.

This is our son Nathanael hunting for eggs with Margaret and Grace.

Our big boys (Joseph and Michael) hid the eggs all long the trail that surrounds our property.  It was such a joy to watch the little kids hunt for the eggs in such beautiful wilderness.

A rare moment that I am so glad I captured on camera:

this is Nathanael gladly giving away some of his eggs to his friend Grace.

SO SWEET!

I called it "an Easter Miracle!" :)

My friend Lisa walking the trail with her son Martin in her arms.

I am so blessed to have a friend like her.

She has taught me so much about what being a true Catholic, Christian woman is!

May God bless her and her family abundantly for their faith-filled example!

Margaret getting ready to eat the treasures that she found :)

I pray that you know just how much you are treasured by God this Easter!

He died for you.

He loves you.

All He wants is your love and trust in return.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Springtime in the Rockies!

We awoke this morning to this view out our back door...  So beautiful, and it seems to happen every Springtime.  We will have a couple of week of gorgeous, warm weather, followed by a surprising cold-snap with snow.  Last week I actually got a sun-burn from raking out in the yard, and now today I will have to pull out my snow shovel!    Here are some pictures of the kids having fun in the sun--snow!  :)

I feel so blessed to have this beautiful view at our new house,

and these precious boys to make me smile all day.

God is so good--snow or shine--all the time!

Another TEENAGER!

Wowser!  We now have 2 teenagers in our house!  I don't look old enough to have teenagers--but I'm starting to feel old enough :}  Michael turned thirteen on April 3rd, and he was so excited to invite a few of his best buddies over to our new house to celebrate.  Honestly, I think it was the easiest birthday party I have ever hosted.  The boys just ran around the 7 acres of our property playing "capture the rag," tossing horseshoes, chasing wild turkeys, and completely entertaining themselves :)  Paul grilled some hot dogs for supper, and all I was responsible for was the cake---which I bought from Dairy Queen, so even that was easy.   I feel like every day we see more ways that this new home is such a blessing for our family--even better than we had hoped for.  What a blessing to have this beautiful outdoor space for our boys and their friends to play and get exercise and discover the joys of nature!  I hope the Lord doesn't get tired of us thanking Him.

Here are Michael and his friends after their game of "Capture the Rag."

As you can see by the smile on his face and the rag around his neck, 

Michael's team captured the rag first and won :)

This Detroit Tigers clock was Michael's favorite gift, 

given to him by one of his favorite friends from school--Jared.

"Thank you, Heavenly Father, for this new home and for our newest teenager!  Thank You for all of Michael's gifts that he brings to our family:  his joyful energy, the way he takes care of his younger siblings, his willingness to do chores, and his passion for nature, school, and sports.  Please bless Michael with all the graces he needs to grow closer to You, to discern his true vocation, and to set this world on fire with Your love!"

peep-peep-peep

"Peep-peep-peep" is the sweet sound we've been hearing nearly all day long ever since we purchased our first set of baby chicks right around Easter time.  They are so adorable--the perfect symbol of the new life of Spring and the new life we have in Christ!  

We were introduced to the idea of raising chickens last summer when we rented a house out-of-town whose owner asked us to take care of his chickens.  We liked the fresh eggs so much that we decided to start our own little hen house when we moved to our new home.  We brought 5 Buff Orpington hens with us from the rental property, and then purchased 10 Red Star chicks to expand our chicken family.  Thankfully, the location of our new house is ideal for raising chickens.  We are out-of-town with a secluded 7 acres of land---perfect for chickens to roam (and boys to explore)!  

Paul and the boys did a beautiful job turning a little shed on the property into a cozy coop for our hens.  It was a lot of work digging holes for the posts, putting up the fence, building nest boxes and roosting bars, etc...  Paul's attention to detail was superb!  He created a little hen door that opens and closes by pulling on a string from the outside of the coop, and he also made a hinged door on the nesting boxes on the outside of the coop so that we really don't ever have to go inside the coop at all!  It's great to avoid getting poop on our shoes!  

We are having so much fun learning how to be amateur farmers!  We really have no idea what we are doing, but Google and some good friends are teaching us as we go.  It feels so good to be on the path towards being more self-sufficient, and we think it will be great for the kids to take on some more outdoor responsibilities to make them enjoy nature more than their silly electronics games (we sure hope that will be the case anyway) :)

I hope you enjoy the pictures of the whole process--from coop to chicks--in reverse order :)

Even the deer came to inspect the new coop!

I'm guessing that they were disappointed with how well it was constructed, 

which prevented them from stealing any of the chicken feed :)

latest Medjugorje Message...

Here is the latest message from Our Blessed Mother to the visionary Mirjana in Medjugorje.  These words seemed perfect for Divine Mercy weekend, and also perfect for my heart today.  May they touch your heart deeply, like healing balm, and bring you ever closer to Jesus' merciful heart this weekend.


April 2, 2016 Message to Mirjana

"Dear children, do not have hearts that are hard, closed and filled with fear. Permit my motherly love to illuminate them and fill them with love and hope; so that, as a mother, I may soothe your pains because I know them, I experienced them. Pain elevates and is the greatest prayer. My Son, in a special way, loves those who suffer pains. He sent me to soothe them for you and bring hope. Trust in Him. I know that it is difficult for you because you see more and more darkness around you. My children, it is necessary to break it by prayer and love. The one who prays and loves is not afraid, he has hope and a merciful love, he sees the light and sees my Son. As my apostles, I call you to keep trying to be an example of merciful love and hope. Always pray anew for all the more love because merciful love brings light which breaks every darkness - it brings my Son. Do not be afraid, you are not alone, I am with you. I implore you to pray for your shepherds that at every moment they may have love, that they may work for my Son with love - through Him and in memory of Him. Thank you."