When we sacrament, you can bet there will be a party. Luke's First Communion was a MAJOR cause for celebration. After the big day, we hosted friends and family back at the house. I think there were 30-ish?! A few weeks ago, I shared an Instagram Live about how I prepare for parties and how I believe anyone can be a hostess. It's true! I do! But the main message is this: don't let the size of your house, your ...

Clare will forever, and always, be my Vacation Bible School baby. I was three days into leading the week at our parish, when we had an unexpected surprise. It was a full month before my due date, but after coming home to take a quick nap, my water broke. Actually, I thought I just needed to go to the bathroom - about five times in one hour - and that's when I knew something was up. Her birth story is ...

I've always written birthday letters to the kids, so when a priest friend of ours suggested I write myself one last year, I did. And I loved it. So here we go again... With every passing year, I'm more grateful for all the little moments. Perhaps it's because the preciousness of life becomes more acute and I become more aware. Either way, through all the good and the bad, I sought gratitude. We have a sign in our office that ...

Boy, the insanity of May really crept up on me. I should know better by now. But, with two first communions, an eighth grade graduation, junior-senior prom, two birthdays and the birth of our niece in the last three weeks, I've *just barely* kept my head above water. Anna-Laura turned 13 on Wednesday, but since we celebrate birthdays your whole month, this letter is still right on time, yes? Here goes. Dear Anna-Laura, You're a teenager. In my mind, you're ...

I'm not sure my heart was ever, truly, prepared for the beauty of Luke's first communion day. Now that I've had a few weeks to process it all, I'll do my best to capture it in words. You can bet there will be lots of photos, too. Today, I'll share the joy of the sacrament and later this week, you'll get all the party details. A few days before the big weekend, Luke and I trotted up to the church ...

If I'm being honest, it feels like we've had Gianna a lot longer than four years. She is the sunshine in our house. I remember her birth with the sweetest and tenderest of memories. She healed us, in so, so many ways. Today, I'll share the annual birthday letter. Let's get to it. Oh, and if you're one for birth videos (the sweet kind!) then I hope you'll love this one as much as I do (video at the bottom). ...