Oof! I know these are the days I am going to look back on and miss, but these are also the days that require the most of me. Every ounce of energy at all hours of the day. To sheer exhaustion or to my breaking point. No matter how many children you may have the vocation of motherhood is one of sacrifice. Sleepless nights, stretch marks and cold dinners. A call to love more than we knew we were ever capable of. A call to model joy and patience even when it seems to be running thin. Writing at CatholicMom today reflecting on this very topic. These are the days when the true meaning of sacrifice is found. Loving ... view the post
Five Years
Five years ago today we landed on U.S. soil with the most beautiful (handsome) boys!! From the first picture I saw of them, their big brown eyes instantaneously melted my heart and there was no turning back. The tugging on my heart was so strong that even when all seemed lost and everything appeared against us, we had hope. Hope that is only rooted in faith and complete trust in God's divine providence. A hope that can only come about after being brought to my knees again and again. After copious tears and sleepless nights as I thought about my sons, oceans away and the longing to hold them. A love so fierce ... view the post
Christmastime
Merry Christmas!! The season always seems to be here and gone before I even realize it. Trees are already out on the curb and lights turned off. While we are still in the octave of Christmas, the season is fleating. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day came and went and our long anticipated stay with family was over all too quickly. When I went to bed on Christmas night I was reflecting on how fast the time went, wondering if I really entered into the mystery. Was I fully present at Christmas Eve Mass or just distracted by the circus that Mass can usually become with 5 children. Have I allowed Christmas to transform ... view the post
To Have Faith
This weekend these two turn 10 years old and 2 months old!! They are my bookends and it melts my heart to see the immense love Kolbe has for Briella. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone!! So many emotions in just one picture. It feels like just yesterday I was in the hospital giving birth yet somehow two months have disappeared. If only the last two months of pregnancy would go by that quickly and the first two months of life be frozen in time. Five years ago I was blowing out candles on a birthday cake at our adoption shower for a son I had never met, but who had already won my heart! Five candles for ... view the post
October Arrivals
In addition to growing a baby the past nine months I have also been working on co-authoring a book for nine months. Both our sweet baby Briella and the book Nursery of Heaven made their arrival within a week of each other. Both gifts from God and an answer to prayer! Nursery of Heaven: Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Infant Loss in the Lives of the Saints and Today's Parents is now available for purchase on amazon! To learn more visit contemplativeheartpress.com. Several months before starting to write the book I had been praying that God would open a door for me to share about my miscarriages. My heart had a desire ... view the post