Crawler with a Permit

So Gloria has come a long way in her ability to get places. We feel she is just on the verge of some controlled crawling so we thought we would show you what she is capable of.
Here she is, our little star!





Here is the link for a video of her.

Shout Hooray!

Birthday time!
We had a record number of people in our house, especially little people (12 under 4) a real riot.

Gloria Had a great time with her cousins in the pool today. It seems as though June has marked the beginning of the real heat.

We enjoyed good company and food at the breakfast the Branch put on for Memorial Day.

I'm pretty excited about the great Birthday gifts I got, I think Gloria is too. A sweet trailer for our bike so the little bubba can tagalong this Summer. Patrick took me out to dinner for spicy noodles and Thor, Paul and Sarah blessed us with TWO nights out baby free and this adorable teapot pictured here with the Hippo journal Susan gave me, I love that I can now be thought of when all things hippo are near, they really are the best animal. Also here is the family of Beanie Babies that Patrick found to represent us. The St. Patrick one is him, the British one is me and the American one is Glory, because that is actually the bear's name. I thought it was cute. Thanks for making me feel so loved everyone! My Momma also sent me a gift certificate for a massage, HEAVEN. I have the best family ever. I just had to add that third picture, she looks so fat and awesome, what joy she brings to us!

We had a wonderful time this week celebrating my Birthday as well as Memorial day.

We also got to celebrate Vincent Price's 100th Birthday. We went to a showing of Thriller and Edward Scissor Hands in Forest Park. Vincent was born in St. Louis on May 28 1911.

Our Week Off, Goodbyes and Hellos

It's been a special week for us. Patrick finished his semester last week and we were looking forward to spending some quality time as a family and hoping for some good weather. I feel we accomplished our goals.

Gloria turned 5 months decided she doesn't like food. This is the look she gave me when I put the tiniest piece if poptart crust in her mouth.

We gained a greater appreciation for our past by visiting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential library.


Our visit was made complete by a stop at the Pink Elephant Antique Mall and Twisty Cone. Gloria was especially skeptical of the Harley Davidson Giant. I love that she is forming these opinions so early.

We enjoyed the beauty of Spring at the Botanical Gardens with our friends.





In addition, we learned more about life by attending an infant funeral. A friend of ours, Shante, lost her baby when she went into unstoppable labor at 5 1/2 months.

I've learned a lot about myself from this experience and for this reason I am grateful for it. Every soul is precious and God is mindful of each one. I believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ which makes this experience no less painful but eternally more hopeful. I am learning how to feel things differently. Maybe it has to do with being a Mom, maybe it's just how life is, but I find myself recognizing the value of emotion in a way I have not appreciated before.

Patrick begins class again on Monday and I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited to get back to a regular schedule. I think Gloria also misses the rhythm of non-vacation weeks. Everyday she shows us a little bit more of her sparkling, happy personality. She is so fun.

1 Month of Glory!

We have enjoyed so many little moments the last month it is hard to believe. Patrick will be going back to school on Tuesday. We were excited to introduce Gloria to her Grandpapa and Oma this week. Look how she's grown. Happy Birthday Mike we love you!