Another year here and gone. It is hard to believe, they seem to fly by. I feel more so now that my childhood has faded further and further into the distance and I now have four children of my very own. Hours run into days and soon weeks have just passed by, and yes I make a valiant effort to tuck away those little moments that make my heart smile, but often I look back wondering how much life I have missed as the moments race on.

Some moments of 2013 were hard, I had some health concerns, and I have to admit I felt hopeless at times in the not knowing phase. I felt robbed of the phase of bliss when you have a newborn and all the amazing time to be spent loving up on her. My mind was occupied with thoughts and worry that I wish I did not endure, and sadness took over more times than I’d like to count. All in all, surgery was the answer and thankfully Everything turned out ok. Even in this time I managed to focus on my amazing children and family. Emerson completed our family, making us a family of 6 and I couldn’t be more content and happy about that. She entered the world and slipped right into our lives and hearts as if she’d always been here.

Our days are filled with chaos, but that chaos is beautiful in its own right because it is filled with love. There is a lot of laughter and joy in this house. Those moments make the most difficult moments (tantrums, sibling fighting, meltdowns) easier to get through. Life is not always perfect, but our life is pretty amazing, and I am grateful and blessed.

Here are some of my favorites from 2013….
Our family snowman!

And…welcome to our family Emerson (Emi) Lyn…You complete us!
First photo as a family of 6!








































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And another year is through…I cannot believe how fast this past year went! Reflecting on the year, there were ups and there were downs. One of the greatest moments of my year was giving birth for the final time to Emerson…she definitely completes our family. The year definitely had a lot of great moments, moments of love and joy in our family, milestones, big and small memories made. The year had a lot of struggle for me as well….with the cancer scare, months of worry and fear, but thankfully I am healthy and it was just a bump in the road. I am thankful for all that I have in my life, and even in times of struggle, wouldn’t change a thing.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year. This past week we have had a lot of germs in this house, each one of us sick in some way or another, but the Christmas spirit is what carried us through, there was no shortage of joy and excitement.
We celebrate with family, friends, and had many moments of just being a family of 6 at home!
Going to see Santa at the mall! A picture of my babies before hand.
My girls!

a few days of down time before all the craziness, leads to some amazing time spent with each other. This is what I walked into one day…sisterly love.

Christmas Eve, at my mothers house following Christmas Mass!
Generations of Women!
My mom and me, and my oldest son! So thankful!
Me and my love!

Christmas Morning!!!!
These four are all I wanted for Christmas! I am one lucky momma.

Goodbye 2013…Welcome 2014. Here is to a wonderful, exciting year ahead!

Gearing up for Christmas….The kids are so excited. We have has a run of pink eye and sore throats here, causing a couple of my babies to miss some school. Carter at least had the chance to go to school on Friday before break, I had the chance to celebrate the holiday’s with his class for his party! My sister was nice enough to come watch the other three so I could enjoy some time with just carter at his party! I didn’t even bring my camera, which is unlike me, but I was completely present and enjoying my time with my little man!

Happy 10 Months old Emi…I cannot believe we are only two months away from your first birthday! I love you to pieces my precious baby girl!

I cannot believe the next post will be to conclude this year. It went by so fast. last year at this time I was awaiting the arrival of baby 4…Emerson…and just like that a new year is almost upon us! Stay tuned for some of our Christmas pictures!!!!

Brrrr…baby it is COLD outside. We got slammed this past weekend with snow. The upside is that the kids LOVE it, and it forced me to have a Saturday off as clients didn’t want to travel to get their hair done, and also forced us to do absolutely NOTHING all weekend (when does that happen…never over here), but the downside is it is messy and cold.

The kids love to sled down the hills around our house….for them it is big enough to enjoy for awhile, hopefully this year we will get them out to some bigger hills for some sledding. I remember doing this with my parents when it was snowy out! Amazing how those memories stick the most…the day to day childhood experiences. They are just as special as the big stuff!

The joys of childhood! I strive to give my kids the little and big in life…and let them make their own memories. I hope they hold onto these precious memories. I love watching them, the joy and excitement melts my heart!

This last week we also had Preston’s Holiday Concert. He sang his heart out, and made us so proud! I am so amazed at how much this little boy has grown this year. I love you Preston!

Christmas countdown….with only a couple weeks before Christmas the excitement among the kids is growing. We recently decorated the Christmas tree. I am amazed at how disinterested Emerson was with the whole thing. I thought for sure she would be grabbing at the tree and ornaments. The kids all participated, which made my heart happy! It is chaos, but I love doing it with them. A few ornaments were broken in the process, but it is up, and looks fabulous.

Three of the four in front of our Christmas tree! They truly enjoyed decorating the tree this year!!!!

Emerson, putting something in her mouth as usual…Her part in decorating for the holidays!

Christmas is a time of year to celebrate Jesus and all that he has done for us. I am truly thankful. I feel blessed beyond words!

Happy Thanksgiving! This holiday is my favorite holiday. Not that I do not enjoy Christmas, but Thanksgiving is about being thankful and recognizing all those things in our life of which we are thankful for. It is about spending time with family and enjoying good food too!

I am truly thankful for all that I have in my life. I could not imagine my life any other way than the way it is! I have all I want and need with my husband and four beautiful and healthy children. My mother, stepfather and sisters support us, and it is a blessing to have them around. I feel blessed to be so close to them. I love my job, and love that I can be home with the kids and part time too. I am blessed with a beautiful home, food on the table, clothes on our back, and good health. Life is good!

My little pilgrim. A not so happy Layla at her school party! She has been struggling with school, it makes my heart break. I pray it will pass, just as it did for the previous two.

Me and my beautiful mother. Without her I don’t know where I would be. She has always supported me, been my rock and my best friend! I am truly thankful for her and our bond.

My amazing husband. Such an amazing man, husband and father. His unconditional love amazes me everyday. I am so blessed to have him in my life!

I am thankful for the bond and love between my babies!

I can hardly believe that the year is winding down. Its even harder to believe that Emerson is 9 months old.

My sweet Emerson, you are growing and changing so fast! Your little personality is shining through and you bring so much joy to this family. I can’t imagine my days without you, for you complete our family. Your siblings still just adore you, which makes my heart so happy. You love to be with them, crawl to find them and play right along side. Your fit right in. You let us know when you want to be heard, you let me know when you need a snuggle and you have the sweetest smile. I adore you my baby girl. I love you more than you will ever know…Forever and Always..PROMISE.

I had to post this picture because it is important that I remember the little things about these amazing days. This blue ring is what makes you happy. It is part of the stackable rings, rainbow color, and no matter how we mix them or present them to you, you will always grab the BLUE ring!!! You crawl with it, hold it, have it next to you during meal times, put it in your mouth, along with what seems like everything these days, you love this ring!

Last week we went to PA to visit Tim’s family. The trip is a long one for the kids, and I to be totally honest with you, and because of that and my job we don’t get to travel there as much as we’d like. This trip was nice, it was packed with family gatherings. The kids really enjoyed seeing their cousins! I love watching the bonds grow stronger each time we are in each other’s company!

A family is a little world created by love!

November is here, which means the leaves are falling, cold temperatures are sneaking up on us, and cleanup for the winter is upon us! The kids love the leaves….piles and piles of leaves to throw, to jump in, to help us be reminded of our childhood!

My four babies!!!!
Layla in the leaves.
Emerson’s first time in the leaves. Couldn’t get her too close, she puts everything in her mouth!
Carter jumping in the leaves.

The months are flying by, Emerson is approaching 9 months and changing by the day. she is a joy to be around. She is showing more and more of her own personality too, it is a joy to see!

I love you my sweet Emerson. You complete our family, you made my heart grow, and I adore you!