Gangs all Here...

~We may not have it all together, but together we have it all~

Let me start by saying my husband and I had it all figured out (when we were young and thought we had full control of our lives), we would have one more child after the twins. Kevin would tell me as I held our daughter, "Enjoy it, she will be the last baby till we have grandkids."  He has said it 2 more times, before we decided to completely surrender to God's will in our lives. We don't know the future or the number of children God will send our way.  Each time another child is born into our marriage, we feel like we couldn't imagine life without this little person in our family. We just can't live without them.  Would never want to live without them.  They are the greatest achievement of our marriage and a testimony to our walk with Christ. Our children, they are on loan.  They do not belong to us.  We know this, but it doesn't make them any less revered and loved.  They are the absolute focus and heart of our family.  We have 5 total, but cheated a little with the twin teens: B and Q.

The twins aren't too much alike unless they finish each others sentences (it happens frequently).   As you can see they are fraternal twins and Q (in the pink shirt) is 5 minutes older and never lets B (green shirt- you already figured that by your superior deductive reasoning) forget!! 

Baby B- and Baby A respectively...14 years later. 

Often referred to as my twin titans!!  They are awesome!!

Next the princess and lone girl, I.  She is the apple of our eye and has just the right amount of Sass, Smarts and Sweetness.  She has so many talents and gets away with (next to) murder at times, as girls often do.  She begs for a sister.  She is the kindest person I know.  And I will be the first to tell you that it has nothing to do with anything I have done.  She is completely her own person and truly a treasure! 

Three months after meeting Pope Benedict in Rome and getting his papal blessing in our wedding attire..D was conceived.  We believe the blessing helped immensely.  He is completely and utterly himself.  He is rough, and sweet (sparingly), and so darn smart; he really keeps us all on our toes.  This kid was born for something HUGE!! Not sure just what yet.  Could be the WWF, Could be the cure to cancer; but in the meantime we will just be sure to treasure his ....unique D-ness.

And the littlest Hunt our Baby Angel, N.  He is pretty much awesome, we love him up.  At this stage (1) he is a momma's boy. But he growls and wrestles with the boys, and really wants to keep up with his older brother.  As you can see my children have their Daddy's beautiful big eyes, and their momma's heart and soul!  The love of our lives....  

Last but NOT least....THE MAN of the house.  It is the smallest pic (he is camera shy) but takes up the most room in my heart...my Hunk-a-Burnin'-Love and Love of My Life..  He is the rock of our family, He is funny and wonderful.  I really did win the husband lottery. He is a KEEPER!!!

 

"As far as anyone knows, we are a normal family!"

I saw the above plaque at my friend T's house the other day and I will steal it for I feel it encompasses the richness of family life.  We all have our inadequacies and our unique-style; so any other description will fall short.

Couple to Couple League. Great Resource for NFP

Why do Catholics Choose NFP

NFP Testimony

More Resources - One More Soul

NFP Online Fertility Charting 

Why do you have so many kids?  You know how that happens, right?  You are pregnant, AGAIN!, Are you crazy?  Just a few of the utterances I have gotten from my own family, friends and total strangers at the store.  We are Catholic and embrace our churches teachings on contraception.   We wouldn't change a thing, the blessings God has trusted us with are worth every inconvenience! 

Art at the Abby

 

We recently stumbled upon an invitation in our Sunday Bulletin for a Kid's Art Retreat at the Abby of St. Walburga in Virginia Dale, CO.  I had been meaning to visit for some time. The kids of course chided their complaints when I told them about the adventure, they thanked me the next day (even the teenagers).  It was a huge success!

We arrived early to hear the Benedictine Nuns in full habit singing the Psalms in their Southwest style chapel.  They sing all 150 throughout each week, I was told by Sister Maria Josepha, a really fun spunky nun, who professed missing summer dresses during the hot day as we were shuttling art supplies. I am betting she and the other Contemplative Benedictine Nuns have endured much more in sacrifice for Love of Christ. 

Our visit was full of fun surprises!  The kids made wonderful clay multi-dimensional figures, and learned a lot about how the working Ranch ran equipped with: Grass-Fed Belted Galloway Cattle, 3 Llama's, a few dogs, an "Awesome Garden" (my teen son's description), Green Grassy Meadows full of Alfalfa Hay and a beautiful setting only God could manifest.  They witnessed a nun riding a tractor, and a Llama named Diablo (this was HilaRRilous to them!), one boy tried out his dad's Fire Rescue moves by picking up a girl that was injured by a rock and carrying her the rest of the hike.  They had a great time, my kids were complimented for being very respectful and the term "gentleman" was even used (always a good day for a parent- I may still be beaming).  My one and only daughter was amazed.  She thought "nuns only prayed."  They got a chuckle out of this, and I pondered it later thinking her only input on Nun's lifestyle comes from Mother Angelica, on EWTN, or a movie about a Saint.  So seeing a working ranch run by Nuns was quite the eye opening experience for her.

I intend to go back again soon, next time for a retreat, an over-nighter, complete with breakfast and dinner.  I missed the stations of the cross, on the hill above the guest facility. I look forward to singing the psalms and seeing that beautiful valley full of gorgeous 360 views.  A little piece of Heaven here on Earth.  Thanks so much for a great experience for my kiddos, maybe it has sparked a vocation for one of them?

We still have a few questions for them:  Do they kill the rattle snakes they encounter?  Do they kill flies?  We were sure the commandment "thou shall not kill" didn't pertain to these creatures. 

Upcoming Events and Retreats at the Abby

St.Walburga

We also visited another Nothern Colorado Gem- The Red Feather Lakes, a few of the above pics are from our visit to this tiny town, that is adorable.  There are plenty of lake and Rocky Mountain views to soak up.  It's food for the soul, I am convinced!

Red Feather Lakes, CO