"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."
New Years Eve! (Blue Moon tonight.)
This year we are staying home and having a nice dinner. All our children are bathed and in their jammies - me too. Tommy just got home (with roses that he gave me for putting up with him for another year) and he is putting steak on the grill. It's 11 degrees outside, but nothing stops him from grilling. I've got the shrimp chilling in the kitchen.
Resolutions. First, I'd like to keep de-cluttering our home. Clutter equals stress. I want to be surrounded by things that mean something to me, things that are special. Second, I want to have more time to enjoy my husband and children. I spend so much time doing laundry, cleaning the house, and worrying about other "messes." Third, I want to finally do something creative and meaningful with my photos. I have many and lots of ideas, but they just sit there.
A year from now I will have to check back and see if I kept these.
At midnight I will give thanks for my family and friends. I hope that 2010 will be filled with happiness, good health for all, and many joyful moments. May the new year be kind and gentle to us.
Will there be any new Shermies this year? Ha! I told Tommy about a new Bench Dream. In this dream there was a little dark haired girl struggling to get on the bench. I'm not sure if she had trouble with her legs or if it was because I (and Tom) kind of struggle with "family planning." Not sure what to do. I want to accept the children God blesses us with. I just pray we are also given the ability to take care of them the best we can.
Good-bye 2009. The best part was giving birth to Jacob Edward. He fits right into our family. He is a handsome little boy. Loves to smile, and eat!
I love my husband, he is my best friend. I love our 7 children, they are amazing and are symbols of how much Tom and I love each other. We just need to keep our faith strong and trust in God.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Christmas
"For unto us a child is born"
Christmas Eve. We got dressed up and went to mass in the afternoon. Ethan sang in the choir. Our girls put on their fancy dresses and our boys put on their nice shirts and slacks. My husband looked very handsome in his suit. I brought my camera this year. Perfect opportunity for a picture of our children. They're all dressed up and the church is filled with beautiful flowers.
After mass we did our "night out." Every Christmas Eve we go out to a restaurant for dinner. It's a treat for our children. This year we ended up at Cheeseburger in Paradise - there aren't many restaurants open on Christmas Eve after 5:00. It was very good. I do love that place. Can I just mention that I find it kind of annoying that a tip is added automatically to our bill at restaurants. Can you really count little children? I can see a "party" of 8 adults being automatically charged, but we're a couple with children. Doesn't really make sense to me.
After, we went home and made some reindeer food, got out the cookies we had made for Santa, and tracked Santa's sleigh on the internet. Everyone got ready for bed and Tom read a few Christmas books including 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. A nice, peaceful evening.
Christmas Day! Yay! Happy Birthday Jesus. And something I noticed - you get "Christmas" when you put my name with my hubby's name. CHRISTine&thoMAS :o)
Our son Ethan was the first one up - at 2:50am! A Christmas Story was playing nonstop on tv so he had something to entertain him while he waited. Rachel was up at 4:00am. She came into our room to wake up daddy. He sent her back to bed. A couple hours later we were greeted by our oldest boys with cups of coffee. After we finished one cup, we headed downstairs to very excited children - and one sleeping child. I don't know what time Leah got up, but she was already napping on the couch.
Less than an hour later, 7 children were busy playing with their new toys.
Later, we got dressed and went to my sister's home for dinner with her family and our parents. It was very nice. Our children love to hang-out with their cousins.
By the time we left, the ground was covered with snow. I like snow, but don't like driving in it. To fit everyone, Tom and I have to drive separate cars. There was one moment that scared me while driving home. Tom was in front of me at a stop sign. My brake was to the floor and I wasn't stopping. I laid on my horn to signal Tom to move forward. Thankfully, he did. I "crawled" the rest of the way home.
The next day it snowed - all day. Our children had fun playing in the backyard and we got back to baking cookies. We ended the day with pizza and the movie The Sound of Music. Our children enjoyed watching a movie about another family with 7 children - and we all enjoyed singing along to the music.
On Sunday we ran some errands, including running to Goodwill to drop off donations of clothes and toys, then we went to evening mass. There was a lady in front of us that was there with her 3 sons. After mass she came up to me and told me she came from a family with 11 children. She enjoyed seeing our family. I love when people come up to us after mass. Church is one place we don't seem so "different" being a big family. I especially love when people come up and tell us how well-behaved our children are. It's nice to hear.
This morning Tom had to go back to work. Wait. I've been working on saying "get to..." instead of "have to..." So I should say: This morning Tom got to go back to work -- because we are thankful.
Children and I have been doing laundry (because I "get to" do laundry), reading many many books, doing homework (I personally wish they didn't have homework over break. It's "break") and cleaning up toys. There are Nerf Darts all over our home!
Now I "get to" make dinner for my family. Something warm. Then maybe a good movie together.
It's been a wonderful Christmas, filled with wonderful moments.
Christmas Eve. We got dressed up and went to mass in the afternoon. Ethan sang in the choir. Our girls put on their fancy dresses and our boys put on their nice shirts and slacks. My husband looked very handsome in his suit. I brought my camera this year. Perfect opportunity for a picture of our children. They're all dressed up and the church is filled with beautiful flowers.
After mass we did our "night out." Every Christmas Eve we go out to a restaurant for dinner. It's a treat for our children. This year we ended up at Cheeseburger in Paradise - there aren't many restaurants open on Christmas Eve after 5:00. It was very good. I do love that place. Can I just mention that I find it kind of annoying that a tip is added automatically to our bill at restaurants. Can you really count little children? I can see a "party" of 8 adults being automatically charged, but we're a couple with children. Doesn't really make sense to me.
After, we went home and made some reindeer food, got out the cookies we had made for Santa, and tracked Santa's sleigh on the internet. Everyone got ready for bed and Tom read a few Christmas books including 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. A nice, peaceful evening.
Christmas Day! Yay! Happy Birthday Jesus. And something I noticed - you get "Christmas" when you put my name with my hubby's name. CHRISTine&thoMAS :o)
Our son Ethan was the first one up - at 2:50am! A Christmas Story was playing nonstop on tv so he had something to entertain him while he waited. Rachel was up at 4:00am. She came into our room to wake up daddy. He sent her back to bed. A couple hours later we were greeted by our oldest boys with cups of coffee. After we finished one cup, we headed downstairs to very excited children - and one sleeping child. I don't know what time Leah got up, but she was already napping on the couch.
Less than an hour later, 7 children were busy playing with their new toys.
Later, we got dressed and went to my sister's home for dinner with her family and our parents. It was very nice. Our children love to hang-out with their cousins.
By the time we left, the ground was covered with snow. I like snow, but don't like driving in it. To fit everyone, Tom and I have to drive separate cars. There was one moment that scared me while driving home. Tom was in front of me at a stop sign. My brake was to the floor and I wasn't stopping. I laid on my horn to signal Tom to move forward. Thankfully, he did. I "crawled" the rest of the way home.
The next day it snowed - all day. Our children had fun playing in the backyard and we got back to baking cookies. We ended the day with pizza and the movie The Sound of Music. Our children enjoyed watching a movie about another family with 7 children - and we all enjoyed singing along to the music.
On Sunday we ran some errands, including running to Goodwill to drop off donations of clothes and toys, then we went to evening mass. There was a lady in front of us that was there with her 3 sons. After mass she came up to me and told me she came from a family with 11 children. She enjoyed seeing our family. I love when people come up to us after mass. Church is one place we don't seem so "different" being a big family. I especially love when people come up and tell us how well-behaved our children are. It's nice to hear.
This morning Tom had to go back to work. Wait. I've been working on saying "get to..." instead of "have to..." So I should say: This morning Tom got to go back to work -- because we are thankful.
Children and I have been doing laundry (because I "get to" do laundry), reading many many books, doing homework (I personally wish they didn't have homework over break. It's "break") and cleaning up toys. There are Nerf Darts all over our home!
Now I "get to" make dinner for my family. Something warm. Then maybe a good movie together.
It's been a wonderful Christmas, filled with wonderful moments.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Caroling
"God bless us, Everyone"
The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is to sing outloud for all to hear. (Don't you love Elf?)
Last night was amazing. A group of us came together to surprise a family who lives in the same subdivision I do. Their incredible, beautiful 6 yr old son has cancer. His name is Carter. When I first heard about Carter, I prayed. My family prayed - we still do. I read his father's blog every time he adds to it. You can tell that he has a very strong faith. His writings are wonderful.
At the beginning of this school year I heard that Carter's mother was going to join our church's Young Mother's Bible Study group. I was very happy that she was going to join. We are a great group - very supportive of each other. I had the pleasure of finally meeting the mother that I have had in my prayers. I also finally got to meet Carter a few weeks ago. He came down to Children's Liturgy on a Sunday I happened to be one of the "teachers" for. He looked at me and asked me if I was the one that brought him downstairs (he is in a wheelchair) and I said No, but I would stay next to him. He reached over and grabbed for my hand. I held his hand and at that moment gave thanks to God for letting me be there at that moment and finally meeting this amazing little boy. When Children's was done, I stood with Carter and waited with him. A few of my children were downstairs with us and so I introduced them to Carter. They were also very thankful for getting to meet the little boy we pray for at night.
So, back to the surprise...At one of our Bible Study meetings one of the ladies brought up caroling - another suggested doing it for Carter and his family. From there, it took off. Fliers were made and me, my son Brandon, and four others went around the entire subdivision and put the fliers in every single home's mailbox. We went back to one of the lady's homes and went over what songs to sing. Phone calls were made, emails were sent, and the news spread quickly. Yay Bible Girls! We anticipated a huge group. My husband went and made 500 copies of the song sheet. I don't think I've ever been so excited about the night of December 23rd before.
Last night the weather decided not to cooperate. It was miserable out. It was icy, wet, and windy - but that didn't stop a big group of us, including Santa Claus himself. There was a fire truck, police cars, and an ambulance with their lights flashing. There was a photographer there from one of the newspapers too. Santa led the way as we all walked to Carter's home singing Rudolph. Carter and his family were very surprised. We sang for about 30 minutes - which included singing The Chipmunk Song twice (Carter's favorite) and then we headed home. Once home, we laid out our soaked clothes and made hot chocolate. Then I went on Facebook and read that Carter and family were interviewed by a news reporter and were going to be on the 10:00 news. Today one of the radio stations called Carter's mom and interviewed her. There are going to be many more people out there that know about this beautiful little boy and his family, which hopefully means more donations towards their medical bills (who needs to worry about stuff like that) and definitely more prayers. This would be a great time for one of God's gracious miracles.
Today we are getting ready to go to Christmas Eve mass. Our son Ethan is in the children's choir. We will have to arrive 1 hour before mass - we'd have to anyways to get a seat for all of us together.
Tonight we will make more cookies, read some Christmas books, eat a special dinner together, put reindeer food out, and track Santa on the internet.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.
The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is to sing outloud for all to hear. (Don't you love Elf?)
Last night was amazing. A group of us came together to surprise a family who lives in the same subdivision I do. Their incredible, beautiful 6 yr old son has cancer. His name is Carter. When I first heard about Carter, I prayed. My family prayed - we still do. I read his father's blog every time he adds to it. You can tell that he has a very strong faith. His writings are wonderful.
At the beginning of this school year I heard that Carter's mother was going to join our church's Young Mother's Bible Study group. I was very happy that she was going to join. We are a great group - very supportive of each other. I had the pleasure of finally meeting the mother that I have had in my prayers. I also finally got to meet Carter a few weeks ago. He came down to Children's Liturgy on a Sunday I happened to be one of the "teachers" for. He looked at me and asked me if I was the one that brought him downstairs (he is in a wheelchair) and I said No, but I would stay next to him. He reached over and grabbed for my hand. I held his hand and at that moment gave thanks to God for letting me be there at that moment and finally meeting this amazing little boy. When Children's was done, I stood with Carter and waited with him. A few of my children were downstairs with us and so I introduced them to Carter. They were also very thankful for getting to meet the little boy we pray for at night.
So, back to the surprise...At one of our Bible Study meetings one of the ladies brought up caroling - another suggested doing it for Carter and his family. From there, it took off. Fliers were made and me, my son Brandon, and four others went around the entire subdivision and put the fliers in every single home's mailbox. We went back to one of the lady's homes and went over what songs to sing. Phone calls were made, emails were sent, and the news spread quickly. Yay Bible Girls! We anticipated a huge group. My husband went and made 500 copies of the song sheet. I don't think I've ever been so excited about the night of December 23rd before.
Last night the weather decided not to cooperate. It was miserable out. It was icy, wet, and windy - but that didn't stop a big group of us, including Santa Claus himself. There was a fire truck, police cars, and an ambulance with their lights flashing. There was a photographer there from one of the newspapers too. Santa led the way as we all walked to Carter's home singing Rudolph. Carter and his family were very surprised. We sang for about 30 minutes - which included singing The Chipmunk Song twice (Carter's favorite) and then we headed home. Once home, we laid out our soaked clothes and made hot chocolate. Then I went on Facebook and read that Carter and family were interviewed by a news reporter and were going to be on the 10:00 news. Today one of the radio stations called Carter's mom and interviewed her. There are going to be many more people out there that know about this beautiful little boy and his family, which hopefully means more donations towards their medical bills (who needs to worry about stuff like that) and definitely more prayers. This would be a great time for one of God's gracious miracles.
Today we are getting ready to go to Christmas Eve mass. Our son Ethan is in the children's choir. We will have to arrive 1 hour before mass - we'd have to anyways to get a seat for all of us together.
Tonight we will make more cookies, read some Christmas books, eat a special dinner together, put reindeer food out, and track Santa on the internet.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Another Week
"Christmas - it's all about The Gift"
Holding my newest child, Jacob. He is so precious. I love how his little head fits right into my hand. I love his little ears perfectly formed. I love how his little feet caress my arm when I hold him. Amazing. Beautiful.
Saturday was Noah's First Reconciliation. I had gone to confession at my Bible Study, so Tom took the boys. Fr. Steve told Tom that Noah did very well and nailed the Act of Contrition prayer. I'm impressed. I still read from a card or let the priest say it when I go. Noah has inspired me to learn the prayer.
On Sunday, we took our children's picture for our Christmas card and we got our Christmas tree decorated. It is filled with Tom's Trains, Brandon's Tonka's, Ethan's Snoopys, Noah's Arks, and our daughters' Barbies. Somewhere there is a shopping bag with a little Pooh Bear for Jacob's first Christmas. Hopefully I find it before Christmas Day. After we were done decorating the tree on Sunday, we did our Advent candles. Tom and our children sat at the table (Brandon laid on the floor next to them.) Tom lit the 3 candles. I stood and read a story from the Bible. For every day of Advent, there was a little part of the story of Jesus. After each reading everyone was to respond Come Lord Jesus Come - and they did. It was a very special family moment. I was so proud of our children. They listened and participated very nicely. We treated everyone to ice cream before going to bed.
Monday, Jacob cried every time I put him down. By Tuesday, I was worried. He has had a cough for awhile, but acted fine. Brandon stayed home because his throat hurt, so I left the girls with him and took Jacob to the pediatrician. When I got there, Jacob was smiling and cooing and just happy as can be. Little stinker. Everything looked and sounded fine - which I am happy thankful for. Peace of mind is worth the co-pay.
Last night Sarah woke me up around 3:00am. She was whining her sister Leah's name - but then she coughed and it was that ugly barking noise. Croup. I jumped out of bed and Sarah and I spent the next hour in the bathroom. I ran the hot water - it seemed to take forever to get the steam to fill the room. She was breathing fine, but kept coughing that horrible sound. I've been through this many times before, so I tried to stay calm. I am a huge believer in the power of prayer. I decided to pray the rosary - using my 10 fingers. It kept me calm and let me focus on Sarah's breathing. After I was done, we were able to comfortably leave the bathroom and go to me and Tom's bed. I took my holy water out of Jacob's cradle and blessed Sarah with it. She smiled at me and tightly hugged my arm. Good mommy.
Today, Sarah is still coughing, but acting ok. She did give me a little scare. After my "school crew" left, I noticed Leah had left her Flintstone vitamin next to her juice cup. I went into the next room and was soon followed by Sarah. She had Leah's cup in her hand. I immediately thought "Uh Oh!" I asked Sarah if she had eaten Leah's vitamin. She smiled and nodded her head. She is 2 and only supposed to have 1/2 a vitamin. Now she had had 1 & 1/2. I decided to Google it to see if I should panic. Let me just say - Never look up anything medical on the internet. Everything that came up was scary. I called my pediatrician's office and left a message. The nurse called me and we calculated Sarah's weight and the amount of Iron she took. She was well within the "safe" zone. Thank goodness. Later, when Leah's bus was coming, I went to get my boots on and found a wet Flintstone vitamin on the floor. Sarah had put it in her mouth, but hadn't eaten it. I showed it to Sarah, and again she just smiled. I think her first smile when I asked her about the vitamin wasn't to "soften me up" but was her saying " This could be fun. How crazy can I make mommy?"
Well, the girls went upstairs to play dress-up and they accidentally closed the gate. They are now trapped upstairs and yelling for me - which has woken up little Jakey. Guess I should go let them out and then I will snuggle with Jacob. Did I mention how much I love how my babies smell? So sweet! Maybe my girlies would like to take a nap while I rest with Jacob and get a little Jacob Aromatherapy :o) Ok, that sounds a little weird, but just snuggling with him and taking in his scent is very relaxing to me. It's that special bond between mommy and baby.
Holding my newest child, Jacob. He is so precious. I love how his little head fits right into my hand. I love his little ears perfectly formed. I love how his little feet caress my arm when I hold him. Amazing. Beautiful.
Saturday was Noah's First Reconciliation. I had gone to confession at my Bible Study, so Tom took the boys. Fr. Steve told Tom that Noah did very well and nailed the Act of Contrition prayer. I'm impressed. I still read from a card or let the priest say it when I go. Noah has inspired me to learn the prayer.
On Sunday, we took our children's picture for our Christmas card and we got our Christmas tree decorated. It is filled with Tom's Trains, Brandon's Tonka's, Ethan's Snoopys, Noah's Arks, and our daughters' Barbies. Somewhere there is a shopping bag with a little Pooh Bear for Jacob's first Christmas. Hopefully I find it before Christmas Day. After we were done decorating the tree on Sunday, we did our Advent candles. Tom and our children sat at the table (Brandon laid on the floor next to them.) Tom lit the 3 candles. I stood and read a story from the Bible. For every day of Advent, there was a little part of the story of Jesus. After each reading everyone was to respond Come Lord Jesus Come - and they did. It was a very special family moment. I was so proud of our children. They listened and participated very nicely. We treated everyone to ice cream before going to bed.
Monday, Jacob cried every time I put him down. By Tuesday, I was worried. He has had a cough for awhile, but acted fine. Brandon stayed home because his throat hurt, so I left the girls with him and took Jacob to the pediatrician. When I got there, Jacob was smiling and cooing and just happy as can be. Little stinker. Everything looked and sounded fine - which I am happy thankful for. Peace of mind is worth the co-pay.
Last night Sarah woke me up around 3:00am. She was whining her sister Leah's name - but then she coughed and it was that ugly barking noise. Croup. I jumped out of bed and Sarah and I spent the next hour in the bathroom. I ran the hot water - it seemed to take forever to get the steam to fill the room. She was breathing fine, but kept coughing that horrible sound. I've been through this many times before, so I tried to stay calm. I am a huge believer in the power of prayer. I decided to pray the rosary - using my 10 fingers. It kept me calm and let me focus on Sarah's breathing. After I was done, we were able to comfortably leave the bathroom and go to me and Tom's bed. I took my holy water out of Jacob's cradle and blessed Sarah with it. She smiled at me and tightly hugged my arm. Good mommy.
Today, Sarah is still coughing, but acting ok. She did give me a little scare. After my "school crew" left, I noticed Leah had left her Flintstone vitamin next to her juice cup. I went into the next room and was soon followed by Sarah. She had Leah's cup in her hand. I immediately thought "Uh Oh!" I asked Sarah if she had eaten Leah's vitamin. She smiled and nodded her head. She is 2 and only supposed to have 1/2 a vitamin. Now she had had 1 & 1/2. I decided to Google it to see if I should panic. Let me just say - Never look up anything medical on the internet. Everything that came up was scary. I called my pediatrician's office and left a message. The nurse called me and we calculated Sarah's weight and the amount of Iron she took. She was well within the "safe" zone. Thank goodness. Later, when Leah's bus was coming, I went to get my boots on and found a wet Flintstone vitamin on the floor. Sarah had put it in her mouth, but hadn't eaten it. I showed it to Sarah, and again she just smiled. I think her first smile when I asked her about the vitamin wasn't to "soften me up" but was her saying " This could be fun. How crazy can I make mommy?"
Well, the girls went upstairs to play dress-up and they accidentally closed the gate. They are now trapped upstairs and yelling for me - which has woken up little Jakey. Guess I should go let them out and then I will snuggle with Jacob. Did I mention how much I love how my babies smell? So sweet! Maybe my girlies would like to take a nap while I rest with Jacob and get a little Jacob Aromatherapy :o) Ok, that sounds a little weird, but just snuggling with him and taking in his scent is very relaxing to me. It's that special bond between mommy and baby.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
One Year Ago
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord," plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
One year ago today I took a pregnancy test. I remember being very surprised by the result. I was supposed to have minor surgery later that week. I'm not sure why I did the test. I really had no reason to think I was pregnant. I wasn't "late" or feeling different, I just had this feeling that I should make sure that it was safe to have the surgery. At first there wasn't a line - then slowly there was a very faint line. I put the test on the floor and covered it up with a magazine. Somehow that was going to make the line disappear right? I came out of the bathroom crying and shaking. Tom quickly asked me what was wrong. He was very concerned. I could barely get the words out. We were both nervous and surprised. Tom went outside to shovel the snow and when he came back in we just hugged.
Now a year later, I can't imagine life without little Jacob. He is such a blessing. Sweet baby. He looks at me with such love in his eyes - as if he recognizes me. I am so excited to have another son to raise. As always, God knew what was best for me and Tom and our family.
Today is the day Mary heard from the Angel, Gabriel that she would be the mother of God's son. After mass tonight there will be special prayers for babies - just like last year. I am looking forward to going - if the weather lets me. We have a bunch of snow today and we're going to get more. My children are hoping to stay home tomorrow from school. Good thing I bought some hot cocoa and marshmallows :o) Snow days are fun days if you don't have to go out. I enjoy having everyone home and spending the day watching movies, listening to music, and playing games together. Plus, our Christmas tree is up, but there aren't any ornaments on it yet. Decorating our tree would be a nice way to spend the day.
One year ago today I took a pregnancy test. I remember being very surprised by the result. I was supposed to have minor surgery later that week. I'm not sure why I did the test. I really had no reason to think I was pregnant. I wasn't "late" or feeling different, I just had this feeling that I should make sure that it was safe to have the surgery. At first there wasn't a line - then slowly there was a very faint line. I put the test on the floor and covered it up with a magazine. Somehow that was going to make the line disappear right? I came out of the bathroom crying and shaking. Tom quickly asked me what was wrong. He was very concerned. I could barely get the words out. We were both nervous and surprised. Tom went outside to shovel the snow and when he came back in we just hugged.
Now a year later, I can't imagine life without little Jacob. He is such a blessing. Sweet baby. He looks at me with such love in his eyes - as if he recognizes me. I am so excited to have another son to raise. As always, God knew what was best for me and Tom and our family.
Today is the day Mary heard from the Angel, Gabriel that she would be the mother of God's son. After mass tonight there will be special prayers for babies - just like last year. I am looking forward to going - if the weather lets me. We have a bunch of snow today and we're going to get more. My children are hoping to stay home tomorrow from school. Good thing I bought some hot cocoa and marshmallows :o) Snow days are fun days if you don't have to go out. I enjoy having everyone home and spending the day watching movies, listening to music, and playing games together. Plus, our Christmas tree is up, but there aren't any ornaments on it yet. Decorating our tree would be a nice way to spend the day.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Give Thanks
"Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel."
Where did November go? I can't believe it's December - and still in the 50's outside. Woo Hoo! I am not a cold weather person. I'm not looking forward to driving in snow.
Thanksgiving. Had a wonderful day with my family. Tommy got up and made everyone a wonderful breakfast so that we could eat dinner a little later this year. We played Christmas music and looked through the ads for the next day. (The weekend before, we put out Christmas lights and decorations.) Tom's mom came over for dinner and we all said what we were thankful for. I am very thankful for my family and that everyone is healthy. I am thankful that my hubby has a good job, we have a home, warm beds, food, clothes,...There are evenings when I'll curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and watch a good show and be thankful. Many nights after tucking everyone safely into their beds, I smile and say "thank you." My life is filled with many blessings. I can have a cup of tea whenever I want. I can take a hot shower everyday. I can go to my kitchen and eat something when I'm hungry. I can put on a sweater or turn the heat up when I'm cold. I can dress our children in clean clothes. I can get them medicine when they're sick. I can give them "juicy" when they're thirsty. We have so much to be thankful for.
Black Friday. Tom and I got up at 4:00am and left for shopping. Jacob came too. We had a wonderful time spending the day together. Plus, it's the one day we give ourselves permission to buy "toys." We shopped for about 12 hours - and thankfully we are done. We went home to eat some leftovers - we had doubled all the sides this year and bought a 20 lb turkey - leftovers were nearly gone when we got home. Our children can eat!
The next day we went to church for Saturday evening mass because our van was still "full." It was nice out, so the 9 of us walked to church. I don't know why we don't do that more often. It was actually very nice - and a lot less stressful then trying to get everyone into 2 cars. Plus, it let our children get some energy out before sitting through mass.
Sunday we got a lot done around here. We moved the baby crib out of the girls' room and into the boys' room. Ethan was pretty excited that Jacob was moving in. Now we just have to get Leah excited about moving into one of the top bunks and Sarah excited about moving into a big girl bed on the bottom bunk. Right now Sarah sleeps on a crib mattress on our bedroom floor. Of course, when she saw her crib in the boys' room she got upset and cried that it was her bed. She hasn't slept in it for weeks - I thought she would happily pass it on to her baby brother. I guess change is hard for everyone though. I'm not looking forward to taking Jacob out of the cradle next to me and into his crib. He sleeps through the night, but I still like the comfort of having him right there - I still check on him during the night. The rest of the day was spent trying to clean and rearrange the 2 bedrooms so that we can bring the girls' dolls upstairs for them to play with - and to get the dolls out of our Family Room so we can put up the Christmas tree.
The next day, our son Noah turned 8 years old! He brought treats to school and I took Leah, Sarah, and Jacob to his school to surprise him for lunch. We brought Wendy's! Love the Frosty! A mother I met a few years ago at Ethan's baseball game was there too. I forgot that we both had boys born on the same day and that they were in the same class this year. She brought Wendy's too. It was nice to sit with another adult and chat during lunch. I really do love going to my children's schools for lunch. I know a lot of the other children at the schools. I love hearing "Hey Noah's mom!" or one of my other children's names :o) For Noah's birthday this year, we got him a Nintendo DSi. His siblings want them / have them so we thought he might. He loves it! We usually either have a party or buy a "bigger" gift. Noah's birthday is right around Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it's easier to get him the bigger gift and let him do something special with 1 friend or family. This year, Tom took him to a Chicago Wolves hockey game. They went last weekend. Noah had a great time! We are now a family of Wolves fans. Noah got a bobble head, a shirt, and a hat. Tom said when they would tell the crowd to make some noise, Noah was the loudest! Everyone around them would look and smile at him. Sounds perfect for Noah. He even had a popcorn fight with one of Tom's co-worker friends.
Today I am trying to play catch-up with our home. Laundry is piled everywhere, items we are going to donate are in bags and boxes all over, and just the everyday things need to be done. So much that has to be done - and so much I'd rather be doing, like Christmas cards, Christmas letters, wrapping, decorating,...My friends and I have a Christmas magnet we'd like to sell for charity, but looks like that'll be on hold until next Christmas. We'll do it. And someday I'll get around to doing the "crafty" things that I'd like to do. I keep putting it on hold to be Mom. That's ok. The right time will come. A year ago I thought was the right time. I had plans, but little did I know that God had a different plan. We would have another son to love and to be thankful for. Another blessing in my life. "Thank you."
Where did November go? I can't believe it's December - and still in the 50's outside. Woo Hoo! I am not a cold weather person. I'm not looking forward to driving in snow.
Thanksgiving. Had a wonderful day with my family. Tommy got up and made everyone a wonderful breakfast so that we could eat dinner a little later this year. We played Christmas music and looked through the ads for the next day. (The weekend before, we put out Christmas lights and decorations.) Tom's mom came over for dinner and we all said what we were thankful for. I am very thankful for my family and that everyone is healthy. I am thankful that my hubby has a good job, we have a home, warm beds, food, clothes,...There are evenings when I'll curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and watch a good show and be thankful. Many nights after tucking everyone safely into their beds, I smile and say "thank you." My life is filled with many blessings. I can have a cup of tea whenever I want. I can take a hot shower everyday. I can go to my kitchen and eat something when I'm hungry. I can put on a sweater or turn the heat up when I'm cold. I can dress our children in clean clothes. I can get them medicine when they're sick. I can give them "juicy" when they're thirsty. We have so much to be thankful for.
Black Friday. Tom and I got up at 4:00am and left for shopping. Jacob came too. We had a wonderful time spending the day together. Plus, it's the one day we give ourselves permission to buy "toys." We shopped for about 12 hours - and thankfully we are done. We went home to eat some leftovers - we had doubled all the sides this year and bought a 20 lb turkey - leftovers were nearly gone when we got home. Our children can eat!
The next day we went to church for Saturday evening mass because our van was still "full." It was nice out, so the 9 of us walked to church. I don't know why we don't do that more often. It was actually very nice - and a lot less stressful then trying to get everyone into 2 cars. Plus, it let our children get some energy out before sitting through mass.
Sunday we got a lot done around here. We moved the baby crib out of the girls' room and into the boys' room. Ethan was pretty excited that Jacob was moving in. Now we just have to get Leah excited about moving into one of the top bunks and Sarah excited about moving into a big girl bed on the bottom bunk. Right now Sarah sleeps on a crib mattress on our bedroom floor. Of course, when she saw her crib in the boys' room she got upset and cried that it was her bed. She hasn't slept in it for weeks - I thought she would happily pass it on to her baby brother. I guess change is hard for everyone though. I'm not looking forward to taking Jacob out of the cradle next to me and into his crib. He sleeps through the night, but I still like the comfort of having him right there - I still check on him during the night. The rest of the day was spent trying to clean and rearrange the 2 bedrooms so that we can bring the girls' dolls upstairs for them to play with - and to get the dolls out of our Family Room so we can put up the Christmas tree.
The next day, our son Noah turned 8 years old! He brought treats to school and I took Leah, Sarah, and Jacob to his school to surprise him for lunch. We brought Wendy's! Love the Frosty! A mother I met a few years ago at Ethan's baseball game was there too. I forgot that we both had boys born on the same day and that they were in the same class this year. She brought Wendy's too. It was nice to sit with another adult and chat during lunch. I really do love going to my children's schools for lunch. I know a lot of the other children at the schools. I love hearing "Hey Noah's mom!" or one of my other children's names :o) For Noah's birthday this year, we got him a Nintendo DSi. His siblings want them / have them so we thought he might. He loves it! We usually either have a party or buy a "bigger" gift. Noah's birthday is right around Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it's easier to get him the bigger gift and let him do something special with 1 friend or family. This year, Tom took him to a Chicago Wolves hockey game. They went last weekend. Noah had a great time! We are now a family of Wolves fans. Noah got a bobble head, a shirt, and a hat. Tom said when they would tell the crowd to make some noise, Noah was the loudest! Everyone around them would look and smile at him. Sounds perfect for Noah. He even had a popcorn fight with one of Tom's co-worker friends.
Today I am trying to play catch-up with our home. Laundry is piled everywhere, items we are going to donate are in bags and boxes all over, and just the everyday things need to be done. So much that has to be done - and so much I'd rather be doing, like Christmas cards, Christmas letters, wrapping, decorating,...My friends and I have a Christmas magnet we'd like to sell for charity, but looks like that'll be on hold until next Christmas. We'll do it. And someday I'll get around to doing the "crafty" things that I'd like to do. I keep putting it on hold to be Mom. That's ok. The right time will come. A year ago I thought was the right time. I had plans, but little did I know that God had a different plan. We would have another son to love and to be thankful for. Another blessing in my life. "Thank you."
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