A Slice of Smith Life: May 2017

To my firstborn who made me a Mommy for the first time,

17 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 a few weeks old. You were so little and Daddy and Mommy were soooooo young! :)

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.

We remember when you were and will always be Daddy's little girl and Dad will never forget his first Father's Day in 2000 when he held you lovingly in his arms and gave you a sweet kiss in the backyard in our "old, old house"...

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 you were this little with your sweet bow in your hair...

I remember your 1st birthday when we had a "Ladybug" themed party and I made these ladybug cakes with a friend to celebrate your big day!

I remember when I was 17 weeks pregnant with your brother (although we didn't know if you were a big sister to a brother or sister at the time), and I held you on my first Mother's Day 2001 (the first Mother's Day with you outside of my womb) as you modeled your cute outfit with a hat with your adorable smile that lit up a room...

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 taking this special photo capturing special memories. Here you are with Nana and me. 3 generations!

I remember how you loved peeking into the (pink) bassinet looking at your baby brother sleeping. You were just 17 months old when he was born. You loved taking care of your little brother and still do! And now you take care of your little sisters too!

I remember how you loved to dance so much that you would stand in front of the oven and stare at your reflection while you made all your graceful ballerina moves.

I remember when you went to Mass in this sunflower dress and hat the Sunday before your first sister was born in June 2004.

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

I remember that even as a little girl you loved learning about our Catholic faith. I remember for your First Holy Communion in 2008, 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 when we celebrated your 10th birthday with an ice cream cone castle cake and played lots of games with friends in the backyard.

I will always remember how you have grown to love soccer and contribute so much to your homeschool soccer team with all your hard work and talent.

Speaking of soccer, this past season with the homeschool soccer league you received the Defensive Player Award from your coach and you were selected as an All Conference player in the homeschool soccer tournament. Here you are with one of your sisters. I will always remember how hard you played this past season contributing so much to your team as a defensive player!

This past year I remember when you got your license!

For your 16th birthday celebration our family will remember you going to see Captain America Civil War with Dad, sister and some friends. I made you a Captain America pizza and ice cream cake with an Oreo crust , birthday cake ice cream and homemade whipped cream topped with strawberries, blueberries and marshmallows. Pinterest is a life-saver!

Your God-fearing heart and sweet smile light up the room! We love you and we are proud of the beautiful young lady you are becoming each day!

One of our birthday traditions is that the birthday child gets to pick a "sweet cereal". So my kids have sweet cereals 5 times a year since the birthday child, of course shares their cereal choice with their siblings. :)

Happy 17th birthday to our beautiful young lady, inside and out!

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Our Lady of Fatima: 100th Anniversary and Canonization of 2 New Saints!

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May 13, 2017 was an exciting day in our Church's history! It was the 100th Anniversary of when Our Lady of Fatima first appeared to 3 shepherd children, Lucia Santos, Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto. It's also the day that 2 of the children, Francisco and Jacinta, were the youngest non-martyrs to be canonized. This is the miracle that led to the Fatima children's canonization.

On May 13, 1917, our Blessed Mother appeared in Fatima, Portugal to these young children and then each month on the 13th of the month, until October 13, 1917, Mary continued to appear with messages of hope, penance and conversion.

We had a beautiful day celebrating this historic day!

On the morning of May 13th, I set our kitchen table with the following:

"100" chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing
Cupcake toppers that I made with a black and white image of the 3 children and then an image with Our Lady of Fatima with the children
a printable 3D "Our Lady of Fatima" that I purchased from Catholic Icing
Our Lady of Fatima Shining Light Doll
a page opened up to history about Our Lady of Fatima from the book Visions of Mary
a spinning sun fruit platter that I made in honor of the miracle of the sun that happened on October 13, 1917

We ate the cupcakes after lunch when we got back from a Rosary rally at a local park with other Catholics from different parishes in our area.

At 12 noon we met at a local park, had a procession, sang and prayed the rosary in honor of Our Lady of Fatima. We sang and prayed the rosary at certain verses and mysteries in English and then in Spanish since many of the Spanish community attended.

The rally started with a cold, overcast day and the rain started so everyone had umbrellas, but then as we started singing and praying the rain stopped and the sun started peeking through the clouds like a Fatima on May 13, 1917!

On my wish list is the book Fatima Mysteries: Mary's Message to the Modern Age that is lying on the table next to Our Lady of Fatima.