13 years ago today we were blessed when we held you in our arms for the first time.  Here you are with Daddy and Mommy when you were just 2 weeks old.


You were 6 lbs, 1 oz., so very tiny, but big enough to fill our hearts and home with love and wonder!  I remember being admitted into the hospital 2 weeks prior to your due date because of preeclampsia. To make a long story short, I was able to labor on my own without being induced and in about 6 hours with no epidural, you went from your dark, peaceful home into this bright, big world!  Your Daddy and I had tears of joy when we saw you for the first time!

I remember crying myself to sleep one afternoon soon after we got home from the hospital because you were so tiny and I was struggling to get you to latch on so I could nurse  you.  Your Daddy woke me from my nap to tell me that he had made a phone call to our local La Leche League and made an appointment for us to see a consultant.  I remember the feeling of gratitude and relief after our appointment because I was soon able to nurse you.  I remember thinking that you have a wonderful Daddy and I have a supportive and loving husband.

I remember when we were celebrating your first Christmas when you were 7 months old.  The outfit you are wearing in the photo below has been worn by all your siblings too to celebrate their first Christmas.  Nowadays you are more into what's wrapped in the wrapping paper vs. just laughing at the funny sounds paper can make, like you did as a baby... :) 


I remember when I borrowed a watermelon print dress from a friend just so I could take pictures of you beside a watermelon and eating a watermelon with me while my belly was getting as big as a watermelon carrying your sibling. (that's alot of repetition there!)  I wanted the matching watermelon (there's that word again!) dress too so I could make the adorable page for you in your scrapbook....


 






I remember that even as a little girl you loved learning about our Catholic faith.  I remember for your First Holy Communion five years ago, we went and took a picture at the same church that I received my First Holy Communion.  I remember thinking "Wow! You really do look like me!"


















I remember that you loved and continue to love our family traditions and how you light up our lives with your smile and sweet personality and talents each day. 

What a busy weekend we have had celebrating your birthday, watching your brother play in a local soccer tournament, and today we celebrated the birthday of the Church for Pentecost Sunday as we hurried to Mass after your brother's last soccer game this morning.
 



You had fun Friday night as you played miniature golf and arcade games with some friends and then came home and had a cookie cake that I made and decorated.  The cookie cake recipe was delicious and can be found HERE.  I smoothed the "putting green grass" on the cake using the easy paper towel method that I used on your skate cake last year.  
Happy Birthday to our beautiful TEENAGER inside and out!  I can't believe we have a teen in our family!  :)  We love you and wish you a blessed 13th birthday! 

 "The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral-a dwelling place for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body...Even the angels have not been given such a grace! What is more glorious than this - to be a mother." 
-Joseph Cardinal Mindsze

Today has been a blessed day so far!  My parents came to Mass with us this morning at our parish and then we ate a pancake breakfast at our church.  We took some pictures after Mass in the prayer garden to remember this special day!  

Happy Mothers' Day to ALL mothers (our Blessed Mother, Queen of Heaven, biological, adoptive, foster, step-mothers, grandmothers, Godmothers, spiritual mothers) and especially to my Mom and Mother-in-Law!

Life is getting a bit busy as I am now 26 weeks pregnant and reality is setting in that soon our family will welcome a new baby into our home!  I'm trying to find enough time and energy to prepare for the wee one and continue homeschooling and think about next year's curriculum.

Part of the busyness is also finding ways for our family to eat healthier, which is a lifelong goal for sure!

I love eating salads and preparing salads for my family.  I stumbled upon a homemade raspberry vinaigrette recipe from All You magazine, July 2012 edition that I want to share.  I wanted to try it out because I was tired of paying for the vinaigrette dressings at the store. It's really quite tasty and delicious!  Along with this dressing, I love putting various veggies on my salad, along with cut up strawberries and sprinkle various types of sweetened granola cereal on top.  Lately, I've been using the Pumpkin Flax Granola cereal from Costco to top my salads.  Yum! :)

Here's the FRESH RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE recipe:

Prep: 5 min.
Yield: 3/4 cup
Cost per serving: 49 cents

1/2 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup canola oil

Place raspberries in a bowl and crush with a fork.  Whisk in remaining ingredients until will blended. (I used my Vitamix blender to make the mixture smoother.) Cover and chill.  Whisk just before using. 

Enjoy!

This week I'm linking up with Lisa's Recipe Link at Home to 4 Kiddos where others link up to share their recipes also:

I first became a fan of the talented Catholic mothers and authors,  Patti Armstrong and Theresa Thomas, when I wrote a review HERE for their first book titled, Stories for the Homeschool Heart.

Fast forward a few years and these ladies have teamed up once again to continue to fill our hearts, minds, souls, families, and bookshelves with an endless supply of wisdom, faith, honesty and life-affirming beauty.

I had the incredible honor and privilege to read their soon-to-be released book, Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories for Everyday Families. Like their first book, this project includes many contributors as they each tell their stories of how God opened their hearts to become bigger and better than they could ever have imagined.

I sat down one quiet evening while my husband took my four children out and read Big Hearted...all.in.one.sitting!  Yes, it was that good!

I knew I was about to read a treasure as soon as I read Armstrong's and Thomas' words in their introduction:  "The families in this book are just like ours, and probably just like yours, too. The similarity is not necessarily the outer details-every family is unique; it's the goal of striving to put God first, of trying to love well."   That line drew me in immediately and I couldn't wait to see how Big Hearted would inspire me to love my family even more!

In the 22 different stories that were collected from various authors, I enjoyed not only peeking into another family's life filled with triumphs and struggles, but I went away from each story inspired to apply their life lessons into my own family's life.

I enjoyed reading the story contributions from Armstrong and Thomas themselves as they made me smile and grateful for my own little answered prayers and miracles that God has given my family. 

I loved how each contributor in Big Hearted spoke from their hearts and their real and transparent feelings came through with many of their struggles. What a blessing it is to know that I can relate to parts of families' stories without knowing them personally! I realized with each story that no family is perfect, including mine, but each family in the story was perfectly blessed by being open to God's will and ways. I found myself anxiously turning each page as I smiled, chuckled, sobbed and was in awe not knowing how each family's real life adventure would end by the last line.

As a busy mom of four children and one due in early August 2013, I find it difficult to find time to read for pleasure. However, Big Hearted not only had stories to keep my attention, but their short lengths kept me wanting to read the next story until I finished the book.

I love the fact that Big Hearted is a great book for moms and dads that have big responsibilities and often find it challenging to get a little time for themselves.  But, since you don't necessarily have to read the book cover to cover since each story has its on plot and lesson, you will easily be able to read one or two stories at a time when you get 5 or 10 minutes and want to be blessed knowing how God works in big ways in others' hearts.

I encourage all families to read Big Hearted  because while all our families are special and unique, we can all be inspired to put God and love first. 

Big Hearted would make a great Mother's Day gift or a gift for someone you know that wants to be inspired to read the blessings and miracles that can come from having a generous heart!

Be sure to visit and "Like" Big Hearted Families Facebook page for even more ways to be encouraged to put God first and "love well!"  

If interested, you can pre-order Big Hearted today, and until 
May 1,  receive 15% off the retail price!  Phone orders only. Click HERE to read a full description.