Since discovering that cakes made with applesauce instead of oil are pretty tasty (and the opposite of dry,) Shecklet #2 asked if he could bake a cake today. He chose strawberry, made two rounds, put a layer of strawberry rhubarb jam between and frosted it with marshmallow vanilla frosting. Pretty tasty, I have to say! He made his godmother, Michelle, proud! 🍓🍰
My SIL, (Jake’s youngest sister,) is having her first baby. She is due in September with a little boy. The Shecklets are excited to have a new cousin 💙
I found a photo from the baby shower that Jake’s sisters threw me a little over 13 years ago…amazing how much happens in a little over a decade.
We spent the day at Nissedalen with over 40 family members. The weather was fantastic, the food was tasty, and the memories we made were plentiful. I love that my kids get to experience the gift of having a large extended family. There’s always someone to talk to, play with, or laugh alongside. And to think – this is just a portion of the family!
One thing that I enjoyed watching (this year especially,) was the way that Jake’s younger cousins (who are now all adults) have taken an interest in showing my kids how to do certain things – helping them ski, how to safely use a gun at the shooting range, as well as taking the time to talk with them and ask about their interests.
Here are the rest of the photos from Cousins’ Day and the shooting range the day before.
Jake’s cousin, Jess, let the guys ride up north with her on Friday AM. I followed the next day with the girls.
It’s a day past the last day of school, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate the start of summer vacation! 😎 The kids always request Cherry Berry to cap off a year of hard work.
The cold and rain couldn’t take the joy out of today – Shecklet #3’s First Communion day!
Her godfather drove up from St. Louis to concelebrate her First Communion mass and presented her and her classmates with the Precious Blood. It was a gift to have him with us to celebrate this special day!
It’s been a long time since we had both godparents with us at the same time.
After mass, we returned to our house for brunch, cake and ice cream. My friends and mother-in-law were a big help in the kitchen, which was greatly appreciated 💗
We hated to see him go, but his trip to MN was a quick one. He wasn’t even in MN for 24 hours! We made sure to capture our usual two photo poses – regular and crazy!
The last photo we have of us was right before I was wheeled back for surgery. I’m happy to have a new one of the three of us together.
The first communicant received some very special cards and gifts today, including a book, her own Bible, and her great grandma Sheck’s rosary – she used it during her bedtime prayers tonight. ❤️
God bless you, sweet girl! Jesus loves you and so do we!
Thirteen years ago, this guy became the first Shecklet! We are incredibly proud of the young man he is becoming!
He requested chicken fettuccine alfredo for dinner tonight, followed by an angel food cake. (He lit his own candles this year 🎂.)
He’s around 5’7″ now – taller than a few aunties and getting close to looking me eye-to-eye!
Happy birthday to this guy!
His parents came up and went to lunch with us and brought a cake for dessert. The umbrella will come in handy at the kids’ track meets and at the cabin this summer. 🏃♀️ ☂ 🏃
We celebrated the birthday of our friends’ daughter this afternoon. Pizza, cake & ice cream and TWO piñatas! Breaking open the piñata and collecting candy is always a thrill for the kids. Thankfully the weather was nice enough for us to be outside.
Shecklets 2, 3, & 4 are participating in track this spring. However, today’s meet was cancelled due to impending crummy weather. (It never came our way – the rain and cold stayed to the south.) The track cancellation meant that I could take Shecklet #4 to FMSC to pack meals with a few other kindergartners from other classrooms at her school. It was fun to go with just her – and as you can see from the smile on her face, she enjoyed volunteering – just like her siblings do!
Our Saints Yes! group volunteered at Feed My Starving Children this morning. It’s always time well spent, but also doubles as a great morning with my boys. Our group packed 26 boxes of the total for the session!
The boys want to go back after Easter – and the girls want to go along as well. I’m looking forward to making that happen. This organization in particular makes it easy for families to actively engage their kids in something life changing for other kids. I think that’s part of why we love volunteering there so much.