The Best Is Yet To Come

We just arrived back home after a great and much needed vacation. I have so much to share, so many beautiful photos of the littles and to say my I have come so far.......

Happy 6th Birthday to My Sweet William

I can remember the day he was born July 21, 2004, it is so fresh in my mind, the day my Will took the world by storm. I can remember waking up early to get to the hospital, the precipice of the sunrise just before me. I remember what I wore and the picture Daddy took of me before we left the house. Little did I know the amount of joy this boy would bring us.

This little guy is truly the happiest soul I know. It is always half full baby, he loves to live. He loves fiercely and the one he loves the most is Kate. He is her biggest fan. Will is the adorable kid who doesn't know a stranger, he has lots of friends and can hang with the older crowd too. He is just a cool little kid to have around.

I am SO thankful for Will. He was the most beautiful newborn baby I have ever seen with his perfect skin and dark hair and long lashes (seriously he was born with them). But more importantly than looks you have been a lovely little soul that God has blessed our entire family with, so Happy Birthday Will we all love you so very, very much!!!!









I cannot wait to see how it all turns out. You are going to do something big.

We are off to enjoy our family vacation down in Florida. When we return Will gets his pirate birthday party! Stay tuned.

Make Friendship a Fine Art

Last night a group of us girls got together to celebrate my birthday. We went to my favorite little local restaurant. When I say local, I mean local, we can all walk there. It was a nice, relaxing evening spent with dear friends. While some I have known longer than others but I am so enjoying welcoming the new friendships.



Friendship-the emotions or conduct of friends. I used to throw that noun around, my friend so and so....What a mistake. Friend is not at all the casual term that it had become in my vocabulary. It is easy to be a friend when things are going great and all is right in your world. But when things get ugly or too sad or tough it can be difficult to be a friend and for that matter difficult to receive friendship. I have to admit for whatever the reason, too busy, a little shy, selfish I haven't always put my best foot forward.

This is one of the microscopic changes I can feel. Because of Kate, I am a better friend, I crave those friendships in a way I never did before. I really want to genuinely invest in my friends and their families. Maybe it is because when shown love in the deepest, darkest, ugliest moments of ones life something begins. In my saddest moment my friends where there and they knew how to act and what to say and when they really didn't know what to do they faked it. I love my friends, I thank God for giving me these friends and for the friends he will bring me in the future. They all have lovely beautiful children who are already being good friends to my boys and I know in the future my boys are going to need a few GOOD buddies. Life is tough.

So here is to my friends. Thank you for everything; for hauling my kids places they needed to be but I couldn't do it, for cooking dinner for my family when I was unable, for having the boys over for countless playdates, keeping me up on things I "needed to know"-like homework due tomorrow, for showering Kate with sweet presents and welcoming her into this world better than I could(at the time), for helping me believe it is going to be okay and mostly for sticking by me in this most trying time. All I can say is one big heart felt thanks. I can only hope to be just as good of friend to each of you as you all have been to me.

On a side note the whole Mariemont community has shown my family great love. This is why we chose to live here, great people.


I am in the upper right. I am noticing it is time to drop the rest of this baby weight.



These are the lovely & fun gifts I received last night. I love my little set of sweet bowls, I can't wait to use them, my dishtowel looks darling hanging in my kitchen and the boys thought the slippers were hilarious....and comfortable. Thank you everyone.


Here is Kate sporting her darling green patent leather/pleather driving mocs I scored at Target for $5! Don't they look so cute.




This is my rag tag crew this morning as we wait for their haircuts. Their chlorine filled tresses were in dire need of a cut! After 4 haircuts in a row needless to say no one was in the mood for an "after" picture. So you'll have to trust me when I say they looked pretty cute. Oh how I love my stair step boys......


When it's all said and done, at the end of the day I have much to be thankful for. I have a husband who loves me, four beautiful boys, a lovely little girl and friends....friends......friends......

My gift

Here it is, my birthday gift, the only gift I really wanted. Especially since "they" said I most likely wouldn't get in time for my birthday.






Kate is sitting. All be it for short intervels but she is sitting unsupported!
It's not my favorite picture. She is working really hard & excited hence the drool.















Not a lot to say. It was a good weekend, filled with lots of things kids love to do. Hoping to add to their little libraries in their head filed away under sweet memories.

The Birthday Gift

Today is the 4th of July and I cannot help but contemplate my life a year ago. I love this holiday for several reasons. First, the celebration of our nation's independence, second I love red, white and blue and dressing the kids up all patriotic get me excited and proud to be an American, third my birthday. Which is actually the 5th so it always has felt like a pre-party and grand lead up to my special day.

This will be a difficult birthday, as a year ago I would have never imagined all that has taken place. I never thought my pregnant belly would be carrying a daughter and I never dreamed she would have the extra special magic chromosome. At this very moment of reflection it seems so bittersweet and even a little cruel. But I love her and as I am stretched and twisted in ways I never thought possible I know everything will be okay, I WILL be so much better for this. As much as I don't want to see it sometimes I see the small, microscopic changes in myself and all of these little changes will add up to a much better person in the end.

What gives me hope is my boys. They love Kate. I can't even do it justice, how they love her. I see it in their eyes, they way they look at her, care for her, the way they hold her, the way the talk about her ALL the time. They way they tell me their life is so much better because of Kate. My son Jack told me the best day in his life was when Kate was born. I just fell to pieces because as of now it was my worst. They are showing me and this will change there is going to be a day that I will cherish that day and all the good it has brought me. If the only reason God gave me Kate was to make my boys better men. I take it, every time. This life is not all about me and I hold onto the truth that in heaven, for all of eternity, Kate will be made perfect and whole. Life on earth is but a short timereally eternity is forever. Forever I will have the daughter I thought I was "cheated" out of having here on earth.

Okay okay, I already feel better.

We started off our holiday weekend with a trip to Eden Park where the boys rode & rode their scooters around the pond and took turns maneuvering our RC boat until the sun went down.







Then out of bed we jumped, scrambled to make it to a local parade. The boys enjoyed themselves, ate candy like nobody's business on their recently "cleaned" teeth.




Can you get the picture? This is typical. All of them want to hold Kate and she is constantly surrounded by her brothers. Oh how they lover her.....


I spy Owen, Cameron, Jack, Will and a snow cone float. The biggest hit of the parade. They pass out snow cones.


And our weekend is only half over, it's not even the 4th yet!


Stay tuned to find out my birthday gift!