The Long List of What's New:

Y'all ready for this?

So, the last time I wrote we were living in a tiny 2 bedroom apartment far away from the husband's work, sharing one car, and I mostly never drove it. That has all changed, friends. All because of this guy right here:

 

Well, both this guy and the Child he's holding, that is. St. Joseph is amazing, and I attribute our current wonderful living situation to asking him to help a girl out. We now live closer to Joey's work, closer to our church, and I get the car most days of the week, while the Mister takes public transit. AND it's a three bedroom, roomy, wonderful townhouse, which we are renting from friends of ours. We couldn't be happier here!

The children are growing up so fast, it's hard to keep up! Julian is a sweet, smart, sensitive, story-telling, Lego-loving 5 year old who loves all things Ninjago, Star Wars, Thundercats, and the occasional Super Hero. He has also made up hero/villain worlds about which he will talk to you at length, and these story lines are fantastically imaginative. I will say, though, that they sound vaguely like a combination of some or all of the above fantasy worlds. We'll let his accidental plagiarism slide for now! ;)

Then there's Ignatius. He is a joyful, quick-tempered, strong, athletic, good-humored, adorably cuddly almost 3 year old boy. He is all boy, that Ignatius. He loves everything Julian loves, especially running around and acting out the scenarios Julian proposes. He loves to scale trees and climb all over his parents. His mother is not the biggest fan of this long-living habit of his, and his father thinks it's great and equates it to a free back massage. ???

Together, they are the best of friends and also the most savage enemies. They are a very emotional duo, and react quickly to any and all slight teasing remarks or negative promptings. They make up as quickly as Mommy makes them, though, and move onward the charming way most boys seem to do. My current favorite pictures of the two of them are these ones. They sum up all that I love about them as brothers:

I mustn't forget another person in the lineup, and that is of our angel baby we named Francis Mary. I only knew I was pregnant for 6 days before our baby went safely to the arms of our Father in Heaven (March 30th of 2015), but those 6 days were such happy days. You see, we were "all systems go" for another child for 6 months before Francis Mary came into our lives, and news of being with child was truly a welcome happening. 

These are pictures taken the days prior to miscarrying. We never told the kids about the pregnancy, but still shared the joy by making special memories like taking goofy pictures on our webcam with mommy.

 

It was right before Holy Week -- the week prior to Easter -- that I miscarried, and living through Our Loss and Heaven's Gain at this time of year was especially transforming. There is so much I could say about it all, but if I were to sum it up in one sentence it would be this: I learned that God loves us, and although He allows sad things to happen in our lives we are given the grace to see meaning through the sadness when we look at life through the lenses of faith, hope, and love. God's grace has carried us through this, and we now have greater reason to find joy in living our lives day-to-day. As I look back and ponder where God has led this family of ours I see the kind, gentle hand of God ever-present and ever-loving. Now with a saint in Heaven I call my child, I ask that child to pray for us and help us -- his mom, dad, and brothers -- on our way to the Eternal Kingdom. 

Overall, we are full of great wonder at our little and incredible life, and thank God every day for the blessings He has given us: we who are most unworthy of our amazing calling.

Easter 2015.