Wedding Love

When I found out that Noah was going to have a little sister, I dreamed of the protective relationship I hoped they would have... Noah taking care of his little sister, doting on her, and teaching her things.  But on any given day, those words would not define their relationship!  As a matter of fact, I would guess that on most days, they  fight and argue with each other approximately 75% of the time! 


But every once in a while, I see that special bond that I had hoped for.... Noah being the protective and admiring big brother; leading the way for his younger, more vulnerable sister.  

{Wedding Rehearsal Dinner}

And about a month ago, I got to see that special relationship during a wedding.  Emily was asked to be the flower girl and Noah, the ring bearer, in the wedding of a family friend.  In the presence of mostly all adults, Noah and Emily turned to each other for support, camaraderie, and fun!

Not only did they look precious, they acted precious!  

It was one of the days when I was so proud of my children.... proud of how cute the looked, of how well they behaved, of how respectful they were, and of how evident their love for each other truly is!

It makes my heart smile when I see the two of them loving each other... relying on each other during times of uncertainty and just having fun with each other!


And they both LOVED the wedding.  They loved everything about it...  their fancy clothes, their wedding duties, the bubbles, and most of all... the wedding dance!

As much as I loved watching them dance together, I loved this even more...

It was such a good day.  A great wedding day.  A day that I, quite simply, LOVED!

Proof that Life is Miraculous

When does human life begin?


I believe that it begins at the very moment of conception.


Today, there all kinds of arguments and verbal gymnastics that people use to try and define life as starting at some point other than the moment of conception.  And the reason people want to define life as starting at some other point is to justify many moral issues related to human reproduction.  


I could list all kinds of scientific arguments and quotes from genetic experts to support the fact that life begins at the very moment of conception... when 23 chromosomes of the male combine with 23 chromosomes of the female to form a brand new, 46 chromosome individual, that will never again be repeated.


But instead of showing you those facts and quotes, I will show you this...

This is a (very crumbled up and sideways - sorry!) sonogram of our baby.  It was done at barely 6 weeks gestation; which is really only a week or so after we discovered the pregnancy.  Statistics show that many women don't even know they are pregnant at 6 weeks gestation!  


It was so early that the sonogram technician told us the baby was only the size of a grain of rice.  




And that "grain of rice" sized baby had a beating heart... a tiny flickering beating heart that we saw on that black and white screen!


I didn't need any proof to know that life is miraculous, from the very moment of conception, but my verbal reaction to seeing that tiny beating heart in something so incredibly tiny was...


"Well, that's just proof that life is a miracle!"

Only in Early Pregnancy...

Would I allow this to happen...

My little "orphan child" is wearing shorts that are falling off of her combined with Molly's size 12 month top!  It barely covers her belly button!  Her hair is uncombed, her teeth unbrushed, and she has a blue/red combination Gatorade mustache!  

It gets worse...

Her Daddy took her shopping like this today...

and I didn't stop him!

As I said, only in early pregnancy do I feel so bad that I forfeit all of my own rules about not allowing my children to look like orphans in public!

Oh well... at least she made me laugh!

Time To Tell

It's been a strange few weeks.


Vance and I have felt the need to keep private some news we received.


It's not bad news.


It's actually good, happy news.


Yet we still felt the pressure, and desire, to not share it.


And the reason for our timidity in sharing has started to annoy me.


Really annoy me!


And so the time has come.


The time to tell of the good, happy news received nearly a month ago...








We have been blessed with a fourth baby! 

We were a tad bit surprised, yet happy, to learn this news.  


But for some reason, we felt like others would not share, nor understand, our happiness.  


Why did we (and to a certain extent, still do) feel that way?


~ Perhaps it's because we already have three children.  A number that already exceeds the 
    standard 2.3 average in our country.
~ Perhaps it's because those who know us well know we live a chaotic and busy life.
~ Perhaps it's because of our advanced age.
~ Perhaps it's because Molly is so young.
~ Perhaps it's because I can't "get it together" with the children I already have.
~ Perhaps it's because I haven't slept through the night in many years.
~ Perhaps it's because we are Catholic and a certain negative stereotype tends to relate to  
   large Catholic families.


Or maybe it is a combination of all of those reasons.  


These negative feelings were somewhat confirmed when the first question my OB asked me  this week was...


"So did you plan this one?"


I can't say for certain, but somehow I don't imagine he would've said that if I were pregnant for the first, or even the second, time!


And then there was the reaction from several family members.... silence, absolutely no acknowledgement whatsoever in response to our exciting revelation.


Hurtful as these reactions may have been, unfortunately, I think they are a testament to the way society, at large, views children.  The more you have, the more burdened you are.  Financially burdened or socially burdened or both.  And the more children you have, the more crazy the parents are who choose to take on those so-called burdens!


I don't hold that view.  In fact, I hold one that is in direct opposition to it.


My view is that the more children you have, the more blessed you are!  And the more opportunity you have for learning to become selfless.  There is nothing quite like raising children that transforms you from being self-centered to being selfless... if you allow it.


So let me answer the question that I know people want to ask, even if they don't have the guts (like my OB) to ask it!


Yes, we planned this pregnancy!


No, it was not an accident!


No, our NFP (Natural Family Planning) didn't fail!


Yes, we are excited!


Admittedly, we are slightly terrified as well.  But the excitement far outweighs the fear.


And all of those reasons I listed for why we worried about people's reactions are, in fact, true. 


~ We do already have 3 children.  More than the national average.  More than either of us 
    had in our own families.
~ Our life is busy and messy and chaotic.  All the time.
~ We are getting old.  At least for child bearing.
~ Molly is barely a year old and we are just starting to get the hang of her sleeping habits.  
   Kind of!
~ I don't have it together.  I just realize that I never will.  And I've also realized that it's 
   not a requirement for good parenting!
~ I haven't slept through the night in many years.  In fact, with the exception of about 6 
   months, I have been pregnant or nursing for seven straight years!  Which means I really 
   haven't slept well in seven years!
~ We are Catholic and we do practice Natural Family Planning.  It works for us.  And 
    as I've mentioned here and here, it has worked to change my heart towards the number 
    of  children I wanted.


So given all of those truths, one might reasonably question whether or not we are able to handle another child.


The truth is, it doesn't matter what we, or anyone else thinks about the subject.


The only thing I need to know is that God thinks we can handle it.  It is His plan.  I'm certain of it because we did nothing to stand in His way.  


So I may be old, sleep deprived, out of shape, frazzled, and stressed, but if God thinks I can handle another baby and has chosen to bless us with one, then I feel confident we can handle it!

"Children are a heritage from the LORD, 
offspring a reward from him. 

 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior 

   are children born in one’s youth. 

 Blessed is the man 

   whose quiver is full of them."

Psalm 127: 3-5

A Par-TEE for Noah

This post is long overdue... as in about 4 months overdue!

Noah turned SIX on March 9th.  It's almost too much for me to wrap my mind around... my little boy being older than the number of fingers he can show me on just one hand!  But he did, indeed, turn six!  

Four years ago, for his 2nd birthday, he was given a DVD called SportyBaby Golf.  It was a part animated/part real video that teaches toddlers the basics of the game of golf.  At the time, Noah had no idea that his Daddy has a passion and a talent for the game of golf.  He just really loved "Turner the Tiger", the golfing "star" of the DVD, and he started to watch that video every.single.day!  And we soon learned that not only did he seem to have an innate passion for the game of golf, he had talent too!  

Noah started playing 9 - 18 holes of golf with his Daddy when he was just a tiny two year old.  He knew the terminology, the rules, and how to swing a club properly!  And now, at the age of six, golf remains his most favorite sport, pastime, and love!  

And so we celebrated his sixth birthday with a Par-TEE fit for golfers of all skill levels! Every year, I think "that was my favorite party to plan..."  This year was no exception!  As you can see from the million pictures, I had quite a bit of fun planning this party for my little SIX YEAR old golfer!

There was golf decor everywhere... balls, tees, pennants, and lots of GREEN!  Even the table coverings were Astroturf... golf greens!

We had ice cream, cupcakes and golf ball cake pops (holes in one) for the yummies...

We had lots of fun games planned complete with a Leader board to show the results...

We played "Pin the Ball on the Green", had Putting Contests, Golf Ball Relays, and an outdoor home made miniature golf course....

Prizes (bubble pennants) for the Winners...

And while we ate cake and ice cream, the kids tried to guess how many golf tees and golf balls were in the table decorations!

The kids braved the unseasonably cold weather and an unexpected visit by a HAWK to finish the games!

And last but not least, there were party favors!  I painted each guests name on a green water bottle filled with green and white gum balls!

Noah had a great time and the Par-TEE was a big success!

And just to make me happy, right before bedtime, my little birthday golfer finally put on his visor!

Happy 6th Birthday, sweet boy!  

I love making you smile!