Hey everyone! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written a blog post. I’ve honestly been so consumed with motherhood I haven’t had a chance to even think about writing. But, today was the first chance I’ve had to think about it, and I’ve missed writing! So here I am! 

Wow! An update…life with four is so fulfilling/overwhelming. Three of the four kiddos are in school, and I’m able to get some alone time in with Jack. I’m really soaking up these moments, because it does go SO fast. Crazy to think we have a third grader, first grader, preschooler, and Jack, who’s ALMOST 2! 

The kids are each dipping their toes into all types of sports. I love this approach and love seeing their passions develop. Ella Rose is ironically enjoying gymnastics (being a gymnast myself, I’ve surprisingly not pushed this one at all… believe it or not!) but of course she’s gravitating towards it. She’s so excited to have recently made the team, and I’m so proud of her. It suits her determined personality! She’s also enjoying soccer and tennis. She’s given basketball a fair try and is also going to do volleyball. The school sports start in third grade at our school so she’s enjoying some new sports. She’s an avid reader and school is still her thing! I love seeing her work so hard. She has matured so much this year and is a pleasure to be around. She’s so good with Jack and is an extremely loyal friend. I’m so proud of the young lady she’s becoming.

Owen…oh my energetic boy! Owen greatly enjoys all sports- especially, soccer and baseball. Brendan coached Owen’s baseball team, which was really fun to watch… And they definitely bonded over that! He also did a season of flag football and enjoyed it. His excitement for celebrations is contagious and he’s doing so well academically in first grade. I’m so proud of him and his strides with reading. He’s reading on his own now and his teacher loves him. He loves to tease his siblings, but I’m hoping this is just a phase… because he really has a big heart and can be so sweet. One of his greatest hobbies, is that he loves to draw. He does these youtube how to draw videos, and greatly enjoys that. He drew his entire class Christmas drawings and was so proud of that! I love seeing his passion for his artwork grow. He also really enjoyed his first NOTRE DAME game this fall, and he can’t wait to get back into soccer and baseball this spring. He’s a ball full of energy from the minute he springs out of bed (early riser) til he hits his pillow. I could use some of his energy! HA!

Onto our sweet Arabelle, miss independent! She’s feisty and holds her own among this rowdy family. I’ll never forget how she potty trained herself when Jack was born….this just describes her perfectly! She used to be very shy in school…however, she has completely blossomed this past year and is loving it. She has a fun pack of friends in her class and they love having playdates. She really enjoys her dance class with her friends, and is enjoying gymnastics and swimming. She learned to write her name this past year and can swim on her own now! She’s really fun to be around and is always content! She and Jack are best buds, and they love playing together when the others are at school. Their favorite thing to do is to fill his crib with all of their pillows and stuffies and snuggle in them. I hope they always stay close.

Jack- my fun, lovable Jack! He’s the favorite of the fam and the kids all adore him. He’s super fun right now because he repeats everything and loves to be a jokester. He’s talking up a storm and loves Mickey and Elmo. He loves to name everyone in the family each day, a few times a day. He’s catching on very quickly to things his siblings do daily and loves to mimic them. His new thing is counting! He can count to almost 20! I figured this out by counting with him one day and he could make it to 14 on his own, I was shocked. He loves puzzles, stacking, and shape sorters. My favorite thing he does is group hugs with us, and when he points to Owen’s bed yelling, “snuggle!” He’s just the sweetest little guy. He’s also HUGE haha! I have no idea where that comes from (maybe Brendan’s side his mom mentioned, but definitely not mine)!

A little recap since I haven’t written in forever…When Jack was born, Owen was dying for a brother, he was THRILLED when we told him he had a brother. I’ll never forget, the day we brought him home from the hospital, Owen sat and held him ALL day long (maybe six hours straight) and only got up to use the restroom. It’s moments like these that fill my heart. Being a parent brings along such a rich feeling inside. I’ll also cherish the alone time I had with Jack in the hospital. Due to covid restrictions, I could only have Brendan visit, and for some reason the checkins with the nurses/staff weren’t so often, so I really got to soak in those sweet newborns snuggles with no distractions AT ALL. It was a time I will always remember and hold close to my heart. 

We have been busy living life as a family of SIX. I’m not going to lie, four kids has been a challenge for me. I feel like I’m running on a treadmill, on the highest speed most days. I’m praying it gets easier, and I’m hopeful it will, but it won’t slow me down :-).

We continue to see our families in the summer and at Christmas. We love traveling to see them, and also love when they come to visit and get a glimpse of our life here in CO. Over the past two years, we celebrated my brother’s wedding as well as Jack’s Baptism. Both were so special and fun gatherings with family. We especially cherish our time with Grandparents, after some major health concerns rose to our attention these past few years. We soak in every moment, and never take time with them for granted. 

We’re ambitious with travel plans and have some fun trips planned in the near future. I told the kids life’s about experiences not things. So, for their birthdays this year we’re trying something new. I told them they could pick one present and then they pick an experience. For Ella Rose, we luckily, got tickets to the Taylor Swift concert (I stood in line/online for 8 hours to get them!) and for Owen, he’d love to do a Cardinals/Rockies game. We’ve made some fun trips to Florida. We LOVED Rosemary Beach and our trip to Disney World. Similarly, we thoroughly enjoyed our annual tradition of our stay at the Broadmoor hotel before summer ends. We can’t wait to go back!

Grandparents are very excited to come in for Ella Rosie’s sacraments this spring. She will make her First Communion and her Confirmation (yes, Confirmation, they do it in third grade here!). We have been preparing for these each month, and her spirituality that she has developed on her own is truly inspiring. She makes me and Brendan better Catholics. It’s so powerful to watch her faith grow like this!  

One of my favorite experiences this past fall was our book signing with my Dad! My Dad and I had a lot of fun writing a Children’s book together. We were finally able to do a proper book launch together, and we had such a great turnout. We had the best time selling our book to friends and people at Barnes and Noble. We had a blast! Thanks to everyone who came by! We hope to do more signings now that things have opened up since covid. Remember you can buy a copy in my bio on insta or on the book tab right here! 

Thanks for reading everyone! Happy New Year!!!