The Hebert Story

Saturday, May 26, 2012

4 Months Old!

Mary is officially 4 months old as of this past week, so I thought I'd reminisce a little and look at what all the kids looked like at the same age. Notice any similarities? :)

Damien--August 2009

Blaise--December 2010

Mary--May 2012

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

It's been fun watching the boys as they get a little older, because they are really starting to interact and enjoy each other's company. This should be an interesting and busy summer, as they work on getting into everything together...

And Mary's starting to get active to fit into the mix, too...

"...Make Disciples of All the Nations..."

"... baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit..." Matthew 28:19.
On Sunday, May 6th, our little Mary was baptized into the Church. Despite crazy severe thunderstorms during Mass and her actual baptism, Mary glowed like an angel the entire time.

Mary being baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Proud parents with Mary Clare.

Mary's godparents, James and Stacy, and our priest, Fr. John, with us after the baptism. The boys were there, but not able to stay still for a photo...

Our little angel in her baptismal outfit.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

My Little Lambs

In the book, Making Peace with Motherhood...and Creating a Better You, by Heidi Bratton, a sentence in the intro has stuck with me for quite some time. It says, "If God has given you a child, entrusted you with the care of one of his precious lambs, then motherhood is a part of living up to your full potential as a woman" (p. xi).

My favorite part is remembering that my children are God's "precious lambs". Whenever I'm struggling through the difficult, and often mundane, tasks of motherhood, or when I'm frustrated by my children, I remember to look at them as the pure, precious children they are in God's eyes. Another quote from the same book along this line: "God chose me to mother these specific children. He chose me to tend to them, to water them, to feed them, and in doing so to glorify God" (p. 18). This thought brings so much hope and peace to my heart, when at times it is easy to feel like a failure.

It's also interesting to think about motherhood as living up to a woman's full potential, especially in a society that puts so much weight on careers, individual goals, money, and "gender equality". Motherhood in today's culture is anything but living to one's full potential, and is often postponed or even avoided for the "benefit" of the woman. I enjoy my job as a nurse, and there is no doubt that I have learned so much about the human experience through working with hundreds of patients in a hospital the past six years. However, nothing has changed my heart and my worldview more than becoming a mother. Maybe this is scary for some; they don't want to enter a land of unknown and are happy to live in the comfort of what they know. However, there is no way I would ever begin to realize my capabilities before becoming a mother. Without motherhood being a part of who I am, I realize it would be impossible for me to live up to, or even fathom, what my full potential is. I am so thankful that God has chosen me to shepherd my little lambs.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Damien is 3!

Damien celebrated his 3rd birthday on April 21st! We can't believe how quickly the past 3 years have gone and how quickly Damien has grown. We had a little party with just family on April 14th, and were blessed with beautiful weather (the kids could wear shorts!). That was pretty amusing considering there were snow flurries when Andy and I were driving to the hospital when I was in labor with Damien. Now that Damien is 3, he has started early childhood through the school district to help him with his speech. He has a playgroup for 1.5 hours two days a week, and one-on-one speech therapy for 30 minutes two days a week. So far, Damien loves school and wearing his little backpack! Below are some photos from Damien's birthday party.

Some of the party guests! Grandpa, Grammy, Grandma, and Great Grandpa (Bapa) and Great Grandma (Nana)

My big 3 year old!

Great Grandpa and Damien checking out the flashlight!

Blaise is ready to party!

Right after Damien blew out his candles! (He tried some frosting!)

An action shot! Damien, cousin Camella, Grandpa, and Blaise

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

St. Giuseppe (Joseph) Moscati

Last week, after watching daily Mass on EWTN (per Damien's request to watch "Church"), I left the TV on in the background while I played with the boys. A movie came on, which I noticed had subtitles, but I wasn't really interested in it since the boys were keeping me busy. Well, at some point, despite the subtitles, I was drawn in to the movie. I soon found out the movie was about a saint I had never even heard of before--St. Giuseppe Moscati (also known as St. Joseph Moscati in English). (I am now a little surprised I hadn't heard of him due to the fact that he is relatively "modern-day"--canonized October 25th, 1987 by JPII--and in the medical profession, which brings particular interest to me).

The movie is called St. Giuseppe Moscati: Doctor to the Poor (link is to the DVD available at Amazon.com). The movie does contain some fiction, just so you are aware. However, I was surprisingly inspired and moved by this movie, and I have found a special love for this saint through the little bit of research I have done on him since seeing the movie. So, I hope others will take the time to see the movie and/or read a little about this saint as well. I don't think you'll be disappointed, and you may even find the desire to better yourself due to your knowledge of the life of St. Giuseppe Moscati.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Happy Easter!

Our family had a busy and fun Easter weekend. The boys had their first Easter egg hunt at America's Best on Saturday (Mary came too!), and the family enjoyed Mass and time with both sides of the family on Easter Sunday. Below are a few photo highlights.

America's Best Easter Egg Hunt: