Once upon a time...13 years ago

May 1998.  Once upon a time in a land not far away,  there lived a young lad by the name of Juan.  He was a handsome fellow with great calf muscles and a dynamic smile. But, he desired to meet his one true wuv. 

Awkward toe turn indicates he was lonely and lost without me.

Then one day, a fair and plain country girl was spotted out on his parents driveway doing gymnastics with his sisters.

Spotting fair and plain country girl. (Not the actual picture)

Fair and plain country girl doing gymnastics in this picture.

Married May 19, 2001.  From the moment we met on that May day, we were inseparable.  We were raised identical to each other.  John is the second of eight children.  I am the second of ten children.  He had a crush on Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables.  I had a crush on Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables.  I mean, could our interests be any more similar??

I did know John was the one for me before I ever met him.  I met his family first and got to know his little sisters.  They raved and raved about John.  I remember his youngest sister saying that everything was better when John was home.  Be still my heart!  He was passionate about the Pro-Life cause. 

March 2002.  God gave us Dominic 10 months after we were married.  Dominic has always been the child I dreamed about when I had thought about having children.  The minute my eyes met his eyes for the first time, I couldn't wait to have another baby!  I experienced a joy like I never known before.

 April 2004. We then welcomed our first daughter, Lillie.  I had waited for this moment since I was a little girl.  My mother always told me that she came alive when I was born.  She loved having many daughters and so do I!

2005.  When Lillie was 7 months old, Dominic randomly mentioned during morning prayer that he wanted to pray for Mama's new baby.  Hmmmm?  We found out we were expecting our third child.  Joseph Benedict Labre Boever died six short weeks later.  We were able to see his little body and buried him at Clear Creek Monastery in Oklahoma.

November 2005. The very next month, we found out we were expecting Rose.  Rose was gentle from the moment I found out about her  She was gentle in the womb and has stayed that way her whole life.

June 2007.  ZELLIE.  For a brief stint, we lived in York, NE while John commuted to Lincoln.  We first learned of Zellie's existence in that little house in York, NE.  We were elated especially because my father was living his last days on this earth.  I loved telling him about new babies.  When I told him we were expecting Zellie, he said, "Oh, Thank you for telling me that today. That is my favorite kind of news.  I needed that today."  He never met Zellie as he died a couple weeks later, but after she was born I vividly remember having her alone with me the first time in my room and showing her to him even though he wasn't there in person.

May 2008.  We lost our baby, Margaret, to a miscarriage. 

March 2009.  My wonderful Vianney.  Happiness.  Perfection.  Easy.  Sweet.  Cheerful.  Low-maintenance.  Lovely.  I could go on and on about her. She was the most perfect addition to our family.  What a precious child she always has been to us.

September 2009:  We lost our baby, Francis, to an early miscarriage.

July 2010.  God gave us Clairvaux.  She is tiny and mighty.  She brings to our family much laughter with her antics of trying to be like her older sisters, but her additional role of parenting little Damaris.  She still always wants to hold Kapaun.

April 2012.  Our little Damaris.  She is still heavily babied in our family.  The older girls dote and dote on her like she hasn't learned to walk.  She, too, brings to our family so much laughter with her exploding vocabulary and destructive ways.  She is equal parts dramatic and equal parts precious that I could well up with tears several times during the day.  I miss her at night when we put her to bed.

September 2013.  God gave to our marriage a second son.  After six girls in a row, Kapaun's birth was a day we will always remember.  Out of all of John and I's memories, nothing will ever beat what we have experienced in the delivery room together.  

John said he knew I was the girl for him because I wanted a lot of children.  I knew he was the one for me because he wanted a lot of children.  My mom knew he was the one for me before we met.

This picture would have been more descriptive if it were blank.  Thirteen years ago, it was just John and I.  This fascinates me because now there are all these other people that God gave us and what will their lives be?  In thirteen more years, who will be in the picture then?  Funny to think about. 

It was fun for me to look through each picture and marvel at each addition.  In my head, we just had Dominic so how in the world are we at the point in our lives with a soon-to-be 7th grader next fall.  Life is precious.  Time is precious.