Monday, June 2, 2014

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.

26 comments :

  1. About 2/3 of the way through this post, it was all I could do to keep from scrolling to the bottom in search of a pregnancy announcement! Not yet, eh?

    Your family is so beautiful. The first few photos of John and you are a riot!

    I didn't realize your sweet baby, lost just months before my Margaret was born was Margaret as well! It's so interesting to learn something new about a dear friend through her blog :).

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  2. Happy belated anniversary. You are so blessed as a family and our family is blessed by yours.

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  3. Beautiful! Isn't it amazing?!?! GOd is so good, and so wonderful! I can't WAIT to see how the next 13 years play out. ;)

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  4. Your father would be so very proud of your family and of you. Look what you will give back to God when you meet Him face to face-- all of those beautiful souls. Good job, Gilbert and Anne!

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  5. So lovely! I enjoy seeing your beautiful family and reading about your faith.

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  6. Long time reader, first time commenter. I cried while reading this! What a beautiful testimony of your lives together. I too was hoping for a pregnancy announcement! I love hearing about new babies and rejoicing in the blessing of life. Looks like you have so much to rejoice in already though! Many blessings to you and yours on this day of celebration.

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  7. I love the way you did this post visually - and gives us a glimpse into how you got to this amazing crew - one at a time! God is good :)

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  8. This was so beautiful! Lindsay you are a true inspiration and your family truly reflects the beauty of God!

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  9. what a beautiful family of growth!

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  10. This is so beautiful, Lindsay. God bless you and your family!

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  11. This is perfect timing with Pope Francis' comments today about having fruitful marriages! You have a really beautiful family!

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  12. Such a beautiful family and story!

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  13. This photo series is wonderful! I love the comment/idea about looking at your current family picture and "wondering" who will be in it in 13 years - what a great thought! And I love that your baby is buried at Clear Creek - we discovered them years ago through a fundraising campaign mailer and have been supporting them ever since. Our goal is to get out that way someday and actually visit.

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  14. Thank you for such a wonderful post of your family and the past 13 years! I have been following your blog for awhile and just love it and your family! You give such inspiration to us mommas who are struggling to have a Godly disposition daily with our vocation. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

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  15. Love that I have gotten to hear all those pregnancy calls from you!!! You are a beautiful and fun family to know ;)

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  16. LOVE this! I live near Clear Creek Monastery in Oklahoma... Do you connections here? I love following your blog. You are truly an inspiration!

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    1. We do! My uncle is Brother Martin, the cook! How fun for you to live near them! Fr. Bethel and Fr. Andersen baptized two of our children while we lived in Tahlequah for about four years.

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    2. Oh my word. I lived in Tahlequah. I think I remember your family maybe? When did you live there? I need to go visit the monastery soon... I will think of you and say a prayer when I am there!

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  17. Great pictures! You have a beautiful family

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  18. I don't remember if this is my first comment or not! But this post surely deserves to be the one I'm first commenting on! I'm a random reader from TX and your blog truly inspires me and lightens my days! I love how you manage to write, send the right message and don't be preachy at the same time! What a beautiful family! Precious souls! Happy anniversary. I had tears in my eyes reading this! And can I just say you look great and fit?? I'm sure you hear that a lot!

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  19. What a creative way to share the last 13 years with us! I enjoy reading your blog and eagerly await your next pregnancy announcement!

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  20. I love your blog, Lindsay! Thank you for sharing. It is such an inspiration as my husband and I start our family. Seven months ago, I was in the delivery room with our son, and told my husband that we needed another one. We are excited for when God blesses us with number 2! Thank you for blogging your family life for all to see. It is such an encouragement, although I am sure it can be a challenge when you have so many souls to tend!

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