This year I again had no time to write out and send Christmas cards. I thought of friends near and far those I see all the time and those who I haven’t seen in years and are fortunate to still be 20 years old in my eyes. This year, I did buy the cards and really did plan to write them out, but it seems like there is just never enough time and so I again sent not a one.
And so, as 2014 comes to an end, I thought I’d share some of my favorite memories from the past year and hope that you know that I will be thinking of you and praying for you again in the year ahead. I hope you enjoy my glance through 2014 and join me for 2015 and all that the Father allows to touch our lives.
Winter 2014
George & Noah on the ski life – The boys’ first time skiing was Winter 2013-14.
And along with that new skiing experience we took some good falls. Luckily, this was the worst of it!
You never know what you’ll see at our house. On this day, I found Noah & Kaleb hunting our cat. Notice the helmets (my kitchen bowls) and weapons (spoons and spatulas). This is one of the reasons I gave up my old rule of no guns in the house.When my boys started biting their fruit role us into pistols, I decided to scrap the no gun rule and teach them gun safety instead. I’ve been thankful for that decision and the decision to educate myself on gun safety ever since.
Spring 2014
2014 was a great year sports wise for my boys! Some are more athletic while some are more into the fun!
2014 was also a big year for school events: the older guys didn’t mind missing some school for Kaleb’s nursery school graduation.If you could celebrate at any restaurant in town, wouldn’t you pick Subway too? I guess you would if you were 11! Noah’s elementary school graduation!At a school ceremony on this night, Troy was surprised with a nice scholarship and guaranteed admission based on his high SAT scores to one of his top colleges where he hopes to pursue chemical engineering.As a reformed gun-phobe, I cannot say enough good things about this program.
Summer 2014
Summer 2014 sent us on trips all over the place, which is fun but means a lot of time in the car. To save money, we tent camped and got in touch with nature! God makes some beautiful creations, doesn’t He?George and Noah to their first Boy Scout sleep away camp experience thanks to an anonymous donor who I will pray for again tonight. Here Kaleb greets George after a week at environmental camp, a trip he won for sportsmanship during a local fishing contest.A lot of time in the car and kids happy to be reunited!Of course not all the time in the car was harmonious. At least here, most of the boys are sleeping. Ahhh…blessed is the Mother who has sleeping children for long car rides!Animated conversations… Love these moments!Kaleb too cool in his shades on vacation with the ENTIRE family! Up to 150 of us have gone some years.Action shots – Run and dive!Nothing like a good movie…unless it’s cuddling with the brothers……or having them teach you a new game!Birthday ice cream treat with my boy!Birthday party at the park. How can 5 years have passed so quickly???
Kaleb begins soccer. Life would be easier if I raised couch potatoes, but it wouldn’t be as much fun!Apple picking!Noah is always taking goofy pictures of himself – and of everything else too!Pumpkin picking, and Kaleb picked this for me!The first day of kindergarten! YIKES!
George and me – Did you see these goofy kids??? I guess there are so many reasons I don’t do Christmas card photos! Time may be one, but getting 5 boys to sit for pictures is something totally different! There’s always more to see. Hope you join us in 2015!
Invisible tears stung my eyelids; a hot dull knot clenched in my belly. How come I always say the wrong thing? How could I forget something so important? Why did I do that? I wish I were more like her. How many ways can I put myself down?
Thoughts of Valentine’s Day fills our heads with images of frilly pink hearts, chocolate covered strawberries, fluffy teddy bears, and of course, the cute bottomed cupid aiming his bow and arrow at a man and woman who, when pierced, magically, perfectly, eternally fall into blissful love. We snicker at the image of cupid and know reality…
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Catholic dating after divorce and annulment. Even the thought of dating after a divorce or annulment is enough to cause shudders in the lives of those who understand what that truly means, and yet there comes a time in the lives of most divorced Catholics to ask whether or not to begin dating again. Pressure from society, even from…
It was Saint Joseph’s Day at Kaleb’s nursery school, a day to honor all the good dads out there, a day to study Saint Joseph, the patron saint of fathers, and to pray that all fathers emulate the values of this dearly beloved saint. But when I first heard of Saint Joseph’s Day, I wanted…
Dear Dads, Let me start out by telling you how loved you are. You are loved, beautiful, priceless, precious, powerful, and irreplaceable. Society makes a point of telling women of their worth, of their inner and outer beauty, but I’m not sure you Dads hear that often enough about yourselves. For that I am truly sorry….
