Gianna's 5 month portraits

Gianna's 5 month proofs

Well, we are back to the 8th of the month. At least for December anyway! Included in these pictures are some of both Sydney and Gianna wearing their Christmas dresses made by their Mimi.

Click here to see all of them!

"The Unborn Child"

I just came across this poem in a recent issue of The Catholic Lighthouse, a publication of the Victoria Diocese.

"The Unborn Child"

The experts tell us to speak to the child,
while it is still in it’s mother’s womb.
They tell us to say different things,
and then feel how the baby will move.
They say that if we read to the child,
each and every day,
the baby will learn faster,
than children whose parents had nothing to say.
Some parents will play them music by Bach,
in hopes that the child will grow up in a conductor’s box.
For it’s said what the child hears before it is born,
will help him in school as he goes along.
The unborn child knows of his parents’ love,
from the moment of conception,
– a gift from above.
Now that it’s been established,
that the unborn can hear,
let me tell you something that should bring you to tears.
Think about all the unborn,
still in their mother’s wombs,
in silence they live,
there are no tunes.
There are no tapes playing,
so they can get smart,
but what they do hear tears at their hearts.
Their mothers are angry,
and saying they don’t care,
they want the baby aborted,
they have nothing to share.
That little bitty baby,
holding on with all its might,
knows that its mother is planning to take away its life.
If she could only listen to what her baby would say,
she surely would hear it screaming,
please don’t take my life away.
I want to be born,
just like any other baby;
please, please change your mind,
don’t even consider maybe.
I want to be born,
and see what life has to give,
if you would only do one thing;
please just let me live.
How can you even consider about taking away my life,
don’t you know that this will haunt you,
for the rest of your life?
So please dear mommy,
help me,
don’t end my life today.
I am a gift from heaven,
And in your womb I want to stay.

Donated by Gene Adamek of St. Mary Parish in Victoria
to The Gabriel Project, an alternative to abortion.

Somthing to ponder...
Imagine a crazy man running into the newborn wing of a hospital and murdering all of the babies in the nursery. He would be convicted of many counts of murder, no doubt. Yet, every single one of those babies could have been killed by their very own mother just a day or two prior and no one would be convicted of murder. And yet there are people out there that still defend the right to choose death for children. I pray for them as much as I pray for the unwanted babies and their parents...

Sydney's drawing of Isaac

Sydney drew this picture of her brother, Isaac, this morning after having an "Isaac moment." This is how we refer to the times when we talk about him and sometimes cry together. Keep in mind that these are only the times that we actually share our thoughts...not a day goes by that we don't think of him. Anyway, she told me he got a tooth today (notice the "dot" in his mouth) and if you notice the stars and cloud, well, according to her, that depicts "Heaven." Also, for those of you who held Isaac, came to the funeral, watched the DVD I made and/or have seen photos of him, you would know that his eyes were closed, of course, but also that his mouth was open. Children are so intuitive in their artwork...

Support Our Troops!

And pray for them, too...

Here are a few easy ways for you to support the men and women serving our country.

1. Click here to send a card (sponsored by Xerox)

2. UPDATE: Click here for more information!
When doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get. When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington D.C. 20307-5001

So.....do this instead!

3. Go to AnySoldier.com

Well Said...

Well, you all know how passionate I am on the topic of abortion. So many people are quick to defend "the choice," but remain silent when it comes to defending and promoting life. Well, one thing is certain, I will never ever be made to feel guilty for defending the unborn...the helpless...the defenseless...the innocent...

That being said, here is one way to describe what an abortion is like...don't worry, this is not graphic.

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said: "Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 yr. old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together."

So the doctor said: "Ok, and what do you want me to do?"

She said: "I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this."

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: "I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you, too."

She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued: "You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms."

The lady was horrified and said: "No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!" "I agree," the doctor replied. "But you seemed to be ok with it, so I thought maybe this was the best solution."

The doctor smiled, realizing he had made his point. He convinced the mom there is no difference in killing a child already born and one still in the womb. The crime is the same!

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I dedicated you" (Jeremiah 1:5)

On a more personal note, there were a few people who actually questioned our decision to carry our precious baby boy, Isaac, to term last year. Knowing he would die anyway, they didn't understand why we decided to keep him alive so long...in other words...allow him to live. You know...they felt as though we should just end the suffering...I simply explained to them that if their child were diagnosed with a fatal illness or disease, would they just end his life early? Wouldn't they want to spend as much time as they had left on earth to love him? Comfort him? Pray for him?

Here are some infamous words from the late Mother Theresa...
"But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child - a direct killing of the innocent child - murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?"

Gianna's 4 month portraits

Gianna's 4 month proofs

Well, yesterday was the first time ever that I had Gianna's portraits taken on a day other than the 8th. Remember that I never strayed away from that date with Sydney... I am either getting more laid back (which is highly likely, considering Gianna's wonderful disposition) or becoming more and more practical, one of the two. Note here that we made two separate trips to Victoria last week - once on Tuesday for Mark's birthday and again on Friday for First Friday Mass at St. Mary's and Confessions at the Incarnate Word & Blessed Sacrament Convent. And then yesterday, was Gianna's 4-month checkup at the Doctor and I just couldn't see the point in making a special trip to Victoria on Saturday just for pictures (which I take every month). So, my frugality and practicality kicked in and we took her 4-month portraits on the 11th and not the 8th.

Click here to see the proofs...we don't yet have the portraits.

Gianna's 3 month portraits

These were taken on October 8th...

Gianna's 2 month portraits

I am a little behind in posting these - these were taken on September 8th...she has changed so much in 2 months!

More to come...

Fallen tree limb...

This tree limb fell this morning (11/11/08), just as Mark was walking out the back door. We were all in the car waiting on him. The ironic thing was that I was the last one out the door, we had already backed half-way down the driveway, when Mark realized he had forgotten his wedding ring and Aggie ring. So, he pulled back up and went inside. (This forgetting something and going back inside is always me, NOT him!) It was at the exact moment when he was walking out the door that it fell right before his eyes.

This is so scary, because this is exactly where Sydney likes to play when she is outside. You can see her swingset nearby... I took a picture of her standing next to the limb (below) so you could see just how enormous this thing is. And what's so strange is that it is not a dead branch (well, I guess it is now!), so, it is very solid and heavy. As I'm sure you know, this could have killed her, or at the very least, injured her badly, had it fallen on top of her. Thankfully, it did not. But it leaves us to wonder, what was God trying to tell us? We aren't sure, but we offered up prayers of thanksgiving that it did not fall while she was out there playing. And we are still thanking Him...

Know what you are voting for!

This is copied and pasted straight from The Bible Christian Society's website (Thank you, John Martignoni!)...please take the time to read and then pray.


I would like to ask you to ponder a few questions that I believe get to the heart of what is at stake in this election, and hopefully make it crystal clear what you are voting for this Tuesday, regardless of how you vote:

1) If Adolf Hitler said that electing Barack Obama would result in the gassing of more than one million Jews per year, could you still vote for Obama, in “good conscience,” even if you agreed with his position on the economy, the war, welfare, education, and so on?

2) If the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan said that electing Barack Obama would result in the lynching of more than one million blacks per year, could you still vote for Obama, in “good conscience,” even if you agreed with his position on the economy, the war, welfare, education, and so on?

Now, I want to be clear in that I am not comparing Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler or to the Grand Wizard of the KKK. The point I am making with these two questions is this: If someone who has knowledge of, and a vested interest in, the gassing of Jews, or the lynching of blacks, says that the policies instituted by another person will result in the killing of millions of Jews and blacks…do you think they might know about that of which they speak?

Which leads me to my third question: 3) If the abortion industry said that electing Barack Obama would result in the killing of more than one million unborn babies per year, could you still vote for Obama, in “good conscience,” even if you agreed with his position on the economy, the war, welfare, education, and so on?

And, guess what? The abortion industry has said just that. The abortion industry has stated that the restrictions that a majority of states have put on abortion – parental consent laws, 24-hour and 48-hour waiting periods, informed consent laws – have all worked to reduce the number of abortions by a few hundred thousand per year over the last several years. Plus, the abortion industry has further stated that the lack of federal funding for abortions has “forced” women to carry more than a million pregnancies per year to term. In other words, more than one million babies per year are being born, that wouldn’t be born, if we had federal funding for abortions.

Now, Barack Obama has vowed to do two things that are relevant to these questions. He has vowed to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which will eliminate all of the restrictions on abortion that have been enacted by the states; and, he has vowed to repeal the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment currently prohibits federal funding of abortion. In other words, Barack Obama has promised to do the very things that the abortion industry has stated will result in a million or more additional abortions per year.

So, if you answered, “No,” to the first two questions above, then to be morally consistent, you should answer, “No,” to the third question. But, there are any number of people who call themselves “Catholic,” who have no problem answering, “Yes,” to the third question. How can that be?

How can one not vote for a man if they know his policies would end up killing a million or more Jews per year, or killing a million or more blacks a year; but they can vote for that man even if they know his policies will kill an additional million or more unborn babies each year?

I’ll tell you how: Catholics, or any one else, who would not vote for Barack Obama if he was going to institute policies that would kill Jews or blacks, but they are more than willing to vote for Barack Obama knowing that he will institute policies that will indeed kill unborn babies, have de-sensitized themselves to what an abortion actually is. They speak of killing babies in terms of a woman’s “right to choose,” or a “woman’s reproductive freedom,” but they never think of abortion in terms of a baby getting sliced into pieces which are then removed, piece-by-bloody-piece, from their mother’s womb. They never think of abortion in terms of a baby being literally burned to death through saline poisoning within its mother’s womb and then being expelled from its mother’s womb by induced labor.

That is why I challenge anyone who plans to vote for Obama, but especially those who call themselves Catholic, to go to this website - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6152070479992487290 and view this short video on what an abortion actually is. If you’re going to vote for a man whose policies will result in the killing of an additional one million human beings, then by golly have the moral responsibility to take a good long look at what it is your vote will allow to happen.

And, if you cannot bring yourself to look at this video, because something in your gut is telling you that what you will see will be too horrible for you to stomach, and will cause you to lose sleep at night, then how in the name of all that is holy, can you vote for a man who is promising to visit this horror upon a million or more babies each year?!

If you do not watch this video, yet you go on and vote for Barack Obama, then I call you a coward and a hypocrite and I ask you what, pray tell, will you say to the Creator of Life when you stand before His Judgment Seat with the blood of millions of unborn babies dripping from your hands? Will you say, “I didn’t know?” Or, will you say, “But I was worried about my tax bill?” May God indeed have mercy on your souls.

Now, if you are all in favor of increasing the number of abortions in this country; or if you don’t believe in God and that God will have the last say in regards to the horror of abortion; or if you believe the killing of millions of unborn children is just one issue among many that you need to consider…well, it is clear that you need to vote for Senator Obama and I am happy to offer this newsletter as an informational source that will help you to solidify your vote.

Please pray for God’s will to be done in this election on Tuesday, and may God have mercy on us, every one!

Trunk or Treat '08

Well, this year's Trunk or Treat had a smaller number of participants, due to All Hallow's Eve falling on a Friday (high school football game) night, but we had a bigger turnout of trunk-or-treaters than last year. We ran out of candy! In case you don't know what Trunk or Treat is, it is a way for trick-or-treaters to learn what Halloween is really about. It is held in the church parking lot, with each participant's car parked in a semi-circle with the trunks facing inwards. Each car is decorated in the theme of a saint. We each have a poster beside our car with our saint's name, the years they lived (to know what century it was), their feast day, and what they are the patron saint of. We also try to dress up either as the saint or in the theme of what the saint's patronage is. It is not only a cool and fun way to evangelize, but also very educational for us, too, because when you choose a saint, you end up learning a whole lot about their life and how they became a saint in the first place. For example, since our family chose St. Gertrude of Nevilles, the patron saint of cats, my oldest daughter was a cat and my baby girl a kitten. I, of course, was dressed up as St. Gertrude, who happened to be a nun. We still give away candy, but we try to add a Saintly twist to it. For the "treats", we handed out Kit Kats and I made labels to go on the back side of each package that said, "KIT KAT...Keep It True…Keep All Traditions...
All Hallow’s Eve – the night before All Saints Day...Saint Gertrude…Pray for us."

Sydney was a cat. She wore a black shirt, black tights, black socks & black shoes that we already had. The headband (ears), bow (collar) & tail were $4 at Wal-Mart!

Gianna was a kitten (this was Sydney's costume when she was a baby...5 years ago)

One of my really close friends is Baptist, and they actually started having Trunk or Treat at their church a few years ago, where they passed out Christian tracts, along with their candy. A fellow Catholic friend of mine and I attended their Trunk or Treat - that's where we got the idea from. I did a little research online and found that a lot of churches are starting to do this. While it can be a fun "social" event for everyone, we both agreed that it was still missing something. We loved the idea of incorporating the Saints into the celebration. We also wanted a place for our own children to go that didn't give them nightmares at night, after seeing so many scary and gory costumes and decorations. Now, I should mention here that many saints were martyred and died horrible and very gruesome deaths. For example, Saint Lawrence, the patron saint of cooks, was placed on a gridiron to be roasted over a slow fire. At some point, he said, "You may turn my body over; it is roasted enough on that side." See what I mean about learning something?! We have actually had a Saint Lawrence at our Trunk or Treat for the past two years who cooked/grilled hot dogs, nachos, etc. for everyone to eat. Here are a few pictures I took of some of the other saints and their trunks.

Saint Veronica & Saint Gertrude (me)


Saint Longinus (the soldier who pierced the side of Jesus)

Saint Godric (a greedy pirate until he learned about Jesus)

This was too cute not to share...ever seen a nun nursing a baby?!?!

Redeeming Halloween

I really only wanted to use this blog for family updates on us, but I haven't taken the time to set up a separate blogspot for topics such as this. So, until then, I will post here. Besides, I haven't posted anything here at all in a really long time. Happy All Hallow's Eve!!!

Did you know? Hallow is a synonym for "holy" (as in the Lord’s Prayer – also, saints and holy places are referred to as "hallowed”) and e’en is a contraction of "evening." The word Halloween itself is a shortened form of "All Hallows Eve," the day before All Saints Day, or All Hallow’s Day.
Did you know? Until the 9th century, the Church celebrated the feast of All Saints on May 13th, during the season of joy after the Resurrection. This is the light in which we see all the faithful who have died, especially those whose witness to Christ is an inspiration. In 835, the date was deliberately changed to November 1 to Christianize the existing pagan time for remembering the dead—to bring light to the darkness, and hope to the most basic of human fears. In about 1048, November 2 was designated as the date to commemorate and pray for all the departed souls in Purgatory, the Feast of All Souls. Praying for the dead and offering sacrifice for them dates all the way back to Jewish customs as part of their belief in the resurrection of the dead. See 2 Maccabees 12:44-46 and 1 Peter 3:19.
Did you know? The feasts of All Saints and All Souls fall back to back to express the Christian belief of the "Communion of Saints." The Communion of Saints is the union of all the faithful on earth (the Church militant), the saints in Heaven (the Church Triumphant) and the Poor Souls in Purgatory (the Church suffering), with Christ as the Head. They are bound together by a supernatural bond, and can help one another. The Church Militant (those on earth still engaged in the struggle to save their souls) can venerate the Church Triumphant, and those saints can intercede with God for those still on earth. Both the faithful on earth and the saints in heaven can pray for the souls in Purgatory. During these two days we see the Communion of Saints really in action! So, do we "worship" or "adore" our beloved saints, as some non-Catholics think? Not at all. We honor them and learn from their example; adoration belongs to God alone. When we ask the saints to pray for us, it’s the same way we might ask a good friend to pray. See 1 Corinthians 12 and Hebrews 12:1.
Did you know? In the 16th century at the time of the Reformation, most Protestants discarded both the doctrine of the communion of saints and the practice of praying for the dead. So for those who don’t value devotion to the saints, All Hallows Eve has become "hollow" instead of "hallow," the vigil of an empty feast day. The purpose behind it has been lost—like celebrating Christmas Eve but not Christmas Day! Take away the saints, and our attempt to remember and honor them, and all that is left is a day full of .…nothing.
There is a better way! Despite losing its true meaning, Halloween has grown into a major secular holiday in American culture. We, as Catholics, can “redeem” Hallowe’en. Instead of sending our children out as devils and vampires, let us emphasize the saints, whose nearly forgotten feast day is the reason for Halloween. When properly understood and celebrated, this holiday can provide a way for us to not only deepen our own faith, but it can also be an opportunity for us to evangelize and face up to the differences that still divide Catholics and Protestants. Together we can honor the saints, pray for the Pour Souls and prepare ourselves spiritually for two great feast days of the Catholic Church. Let us make use of this opportunity as a moment of grace and as a teaching lesson. Let us use it to help us become the saints we are each called to be.

Some pics of Gianna

Big sis and little sis

Str...e...t...ch!
1st time swimming After church one day
Of course, Mommy's hand is in the way! Daddy's wiskers hurt!

As stated on my onesie, I am NOT grumpy, just tired!

My first bottle...I know it doesn't look like it in this picture, but I love it when Daddy holds me!So cute!

Gianna's Birth Story

Ok, so it's been almost 3 months since the day Gianna was born. But I can still remember it very clearly, as if it were yesterday. Let's start with the due date...July 10th or 11th. Well, 7/11 would have been a cool date. And I was actually thinking it would be more like the 12th. But, since we were not charting anything, there really was no way to know for sure. But it's like my mom always says, "when the apple's ripe, it will fall from the tree."

Well, I woke up Tuesday morning on July 8th, at around 3:30 AM to go to the bathroom (nature's way of preparing you for those middle-of-the-night feedings, I always say). Then I went back to bed and fell asleep. Well, about 45 minutes later, I woke up suddenly and RAN to the bathroom (about 3 paces from my bedside) thinking I had to go again. But I really didn't feel like I had to; instead I just felt like it was coming out - a VERY distinctly different "feeling!" So, there I sat on the potty, just trying to process everything. The fact that I had just gone, and couldn't possibly need to go again, the fact that it seemed like I just went again (hope that's not TMI!), etc. I had so much thinking to do while sitting there that I decided to turn on the light. Now, I need to mention that I NEVER turn on the bathroom light in the middle of the night...(we do have a nightlight in there, though, so it's not completely dark). I don't want it to wake me up completely and I don't want to wake up Mark, either. The light shines right into our room and onto our bed at night. Anyway, by turning on the light, this, of course, woke Mark up. He slowly opens his eyes, just enough to squint a little, raises his drowsy head, and looks at me...looks over at the clock...then back at me. I just look at him, look down, then back at him. We sat there staring at one another for what seemed like several minutes. Finally, he asked me what's going on? I said, "I'm not sure." I mean, who sits on the potty and doesn't know what's going on?!?! Well, after a while of looking at each other and trying to figure out what was going on, I decided to go back to bed. Before doing that, though, I decided to put down a waterproof pad on the bed, just to be safe. Well, while looking for one, it happened again. And again. And again. Finally, Mark got up and I took a shower and got dressed. I sent him to the store at around 4:45 AM to buy 'something' and when he got back at around 5:00 AM it was still happening, though now, accompanied with pain each time. So, he decided to get us some breakfast at Whataburger...while I called my sister and she called my mom to come over to stay with Sydney. Mom got there around 6:00 AM. Mark loaded up my bag and pillow and birthing ball. Mom helped me get in the car and Mark comes out there and brings me back inside, reminding me that we needed to start "timing" these contractions, since our original plan was to stay home as long as possible, at least until the contractions are 5 minutes apart. Time, shmime! I agreed, but as bad as they were getting, I was no longer in a mood to be any kind of reasonable! So, he timed like 2, when I started feeling nauseas and having hot flashes. I remember this when I was in labor with Sydney. I was dilated to about an "8" when that happened. Finally, I said, "Look, honey, I am going to the hospital right now, even if I have to drive myself!" By the way, this "unreasonable" sort of attitude is a very good indicator of active labor. So, he agreed. We left around 6:30 AM. The trip to Victoria seems a blur to me now. It seems like it went really fast, though at the time, probably seemed to take forever!

We arrived there a shade after 7:00 AM. We were able to go straight up to the Women's Pavilion and not go through ER. Believe me, I would have just stood outside in labor, waiting for the doors to open before I would have gone to ER! Anyway, I had to keep stopping along the way and lean on Mark with my eyes closed. Then I walked as fast as I could walk when I was able. The elevator ride was weird. I had a contraction while riding it and could barely get out when it stopped on the 2nd floor. Mark kind of drug me out of there and once I was, I leaned on the wall and that contraction seemed like forever! I went to the nurse's station, and they sent me to triage. Unlike my first labor with Sydney, Mark wasn't allowed in this time. So, I had to change into a gown, provide a urine sample, etc. all on my own! I finally made it to a bed and when they examined me, I was dilated to a 7!!! You should have seen their faces. They were like, "oh goodness, we don't have much time here..." It didn't take long for them to wheel me out (bed and all) to a private room. I remember seeing Mark standing outside, holding my purse and all I could do was hold up 7 fingers. I think his jaw hit the floor. (I guess he was thinking we were going back home to "time" contractions or something).

Once in my room, my nurse started entering information into the computer. She was asking me all sorts of questions. Try answering questions while you are in labor! It's not easy! But she was very patient with me; she quietly waited until each contraction was over for me to answer the questions. WHERE WAS MARK?? All these nurses kept coming in and out of the room, setting things up and getting things ready. Mark came in and set down my bags. He got his phone out to start calling family to let them know what was going on when I asked, "Where is the CD player, headphones and CD?" More questions. Questions that Mark would know the answer to. WHERE WAS MARK? Finally, my relaxation music! Then it came time for the nurse to insert the needle for the IV. Stick after stick... Ouch! WHERE WAS MARK?? Finally, I have my pillow! But, "where is my birthing ball??" Ok, my left hand and arm are done for. She moves to my right hand. I close my eyes and listen intently to my music and try to breathe without my labor coach. Haven't seen him by my side since we were in bed last night... Finally, he appears out of nowhere. Finally, I have someone to dig my claws into while the nurse is trying to find a vein...any vein. Poor nurse - try inserting a needle into the vein of a woman in labor! I don't think I had a single contraction with just Mark in the room. There was always at least 1 nurse in there doing something to me or asking me something. By now, it was around 8:00 AM and the nurse finally had a second to check me. I was now an "8." So, I'm really feeling the pain now. The nurse asked me if I wanted anything for pain. I couldn't quite answer her, but I mouthed the word "NO" to Mark, indicating that he should be the one to finally answer a question. His exact words were, "Heck no! We're already at an "8!" We're practically almost there!" Notice how he said, "we..." The nurse looked right at me and said, "Well, YOU just let me know if YOU decide you want something for the pain." WHERE IS MY BIRTHING BALL?!?! That was my game plan for minimizing my pain. That hard, flat bed is just no help for natural labor... But, it was already 8:30 AM and the nurse decided to check me again. I was now an "8 1/2." I really wanted my birthing ball. I know it was all in my head, but I still think my pain would have virtually gone away and my labor would have progressed faster. Faster? You mean this wasn't fast enough??? At around 8:45 AM, my doctor comes in. She was on call during the night and had come in to check on everyone before she headed to the office. She came to check on me and wanted to check me before she left. As she was checking me, she asked me if I felt pressure and then proceeded to tell me to push, only she said it in such a way that was confusing to me. I didn't think she really meant PUSH?!?! Turns out, she did. And a few minutes later, little baby Gianna was born!

Gianna's 1 month portraits

This is something I did throughout Sydney's first year...I took her to Sears to have her portraits taken each month on the actual day of her birthday - the 8th...so, every month on the 8th, from June 2003 to June 2004, we packed up and drove 20+ miles to the Victoria mall. Gianna, too, was born on the 8th (July). So, my goal is to do the same...each month on the 8th. Well, I know I can handle the monthly trip; we'll just see if I can manage the 8th each time. I have often wondered...what if they had been born on a more challenging number? Like the 25th - would I really want to spend Christmas day going to Victoria to have their portraits made?! I seem to have lucked out with the # 8 twice, though, and so far, I am 1 for 12 this time around.

I will try to post Gianna's portraits each month; however, I will always be a month behind (by the time the pictures come in, and I am able to scan and upload them).

Oh, and Gianna's poor little face was all broken out with baby acne in these pictures. When she was baptized, just one week prior, her skin was flawless. Of course, since I wanted to have her portraits taken of her in her beautiful Baptismal gown, she broke out just a few days before the 8th! It is just about gone now, which is good, because we have her 2 month pictures scheduled for today, September 8th!

Sydney lost her first tooth!

Sydney just turned 5 on June 8th, so this is a little early to already be losing her baby teeth, and a little bittersweet too, I might add. This picture was taken the day AFTER I pulled one of her two loose bottom teeth...on August 27th. I forgot to take a picture of her holding the tooth BEFORE the tooth fairy came, so it was a little late for that...

Sydney's 1st day of school!

Well, not really. We have already been homeschooling for a year and a half, but I had to have "official" first day of school pictures. I have pictures like this from my first day of school...with my dad, my mom, etc. And since Sydney is technically in Kindergarten this year (based on her age - 5), we did what we would have done had we sent her to public school. Can you believe the dress she is wearing is one of the dresses I wore when I was in Kindergarten, back in 1979?!

By the way, THIS is the reason I have not had any time to post any pictures of our family until now. Homeschooling is very much worth it, but it does take up a lot of my time!