"Home is where you can say anything you like, because nobody listens to you anyway."
Good Morning...It definitely is an unfamiliar morning.
Our 2 oldest sons are at camp this week. We drove them to Ingleside on Fathers Day. I truly miss them. Not only because it's nice to have a built-in babysitter when I need or want to run out somewhere, but because they are an important part of my day.
Brandon was very excited. He really enjoys Tourettes camp. This is his 3rd summer there. He was a little upset last week because he thought he might have to go back on his medication. His meds make him so tired and he puts on a lot of weight too. He started rubbing his tongue across his teeth - and couldn't stop, even when it hurt and started bleeding. He took one of his pills and slept an extra 4 hours that morning. So he is at camp without his pills. He doesn't want to be so tired that he can't enjoy camp. He is doing whatever he can to control this "tic" on his own.
Ethan was a little nervous about camp. I think he'll make great friendships and have so much fun that the week is going to fly by for him. It will be nice for him to talk to others that understand more about OCD. I can talk to him about it, but I think it'll help him to talk to someone more his age too.
Campers and Counselors come from all over the world for this camp. England, Australia,... I find it amazing that we live less than an hour away. What a blessing. I hope our children continue to go and enjoy the camp and end up working there someday.
Last night there was a tornado warning where their camp is. I'm the type that believes that "no news is good news" so I'm going to believe that they are fine. I stayed glued to my laptop until the warning was over. I prayed while I watched the little red spot on the map move away from them.
The other part that makes this a different type of morning - Jakey is sleeping. In his crib. Since the day he was born (10 months, 3 days ago) he has slept with me at some point during the night. Not last night. Did I wake up with a smile on my face thankful for the full night sleep? No. I had to quickly get up and check to see if he was ok. Which he was. Which he still is. Still sleeping in his crib right now.
Jakey is now pulling himself up to standing, shaking his head no and "bobbling" it up and down for yes. He is eating mostly table food that we cut up into teeny tiny pieces. Those who know me know that I am a little freaked out about choking. Brandon, our oldest, choked on a grape when he was about 4 years old. To this day, I do not allow grapes in my home. My friends joke about how my children treat grapes like "drugs" when they come to their home and see them. They let out a surprised "You have grapes?!" And then gobble them up.
So I have 2 Noah quotes for this week. The day before the boys went to camp we attempted the impossible. A family photo. We got a picture with all 9 of us, but since Sarah was "in charge" we didn't get one with just our children. Sarah wouldn't let go of Daddy. But that gave us a different idea. We got a picture of Tom with our 3 daughters and one with me and our 4 sons. That worked. Of course, we had to do a little bribing to keep everyone smiling. We agreed to take them out to eat. This is very rare. Our children used to love going to Old Country Buffet - and with picky children, it's a great place. So we took them there after. It's changed a bit - for the better. And really wasn't as expensive as we had feared it would be. At one point Tom kept calling our son Ethan "Noah." I said (while pointing to each child and in a somewhat joking manner) "Tom I don't understand why you do that. Ethan looks like an Ethan and Noah looks like a Noah." Then Noah pointed at Brandon and said "And Brandon looks like an idiot." Ok. Not nice, but quick for an 8 yr old. A little later our children were eating their desserts and Ethan said "Is it hot in here?" Noah quickly said "No. It's just me." Where does he get this? Must be from being the 3rd boy.
Well, it's getting familiar again. Cats are meowing to be fed, Sarah needs a diaper change, dog needs to go out, children are hungry, and there is a request for Dora to be put on.
But first, I feel the need to go peek in on Jakey again :o)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Being "Mom"
"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born."
It's been awhile. School is out - let the fun begin! Well, we will once the sickies go away. A few achey tummies, a couple of sick tummies too. And Baby Jakey has Roseola. For 5 days he had a high fever, then it went away and the next day he broke out in a rash. Once the doctor couldn't find anything to cause the high fever, I had a feeling we'd be seeing the rash. Not a big surprise.
It is nice to have our happy little boy again. Jacob is back to giving big "hi" and "bye" waves, kisses, and clapping his hands. Jakey can even pull himself to standing now. I think he wants to keep up with his siblings. I must say, this little boy is going to be well taken care of. He has brothers that love every little thing he does - and sisters that want to hold him and play with him all the time. At church, during peace, we all kiss each other. Now Jacob will give kisses too. He sits in my arms and just keeps making kissy sounds with his mouth while looking around. It's pretty adorable and makes our children laugh. I am excited to have another little boy to raise.
The same day that Tom and I celebrated our 15th Anniversary (Wow!), Brandon graduated from 8th grade. Woo Hoo! I tried not to think too much about Brandon graduating, but once he walked into the gym for the ceremony, I cried. Mommy got teary. Time has just flown by! Where did my little baby B go? He's so big! Taller than me! Amazing. I remember when he was about 18 months old. We were eating in a Baker's Square. An older couple came by and commented on how cute B was then looked at me and told me to treasure every moment because it goes by so fast. They were right. And I do treasure every moment of each child. I also treasure the wonderful man that shares these moments with me.
Today we took our children to the pool. After, Tom took our boys to shower and get dressed in one room while I took our girls to another. Standing there with my 3 daughters - I was just hit by the moment. Wow. I have 3 daughters. They were all saying different things to me, but the one thing in common was that they were all calling me "Mommy." There are 7 people in my life who call me "mom." When I stop to think about that, it just amazes me. It is wonderful.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I have many ideas. I love to be creative - and I always have a new idea to share. Someday I'd like to do something with one or more of my ideas. Hopefully I will. Sometimes when I get frustrated with not having the time to do my "own"thing - I just remind myself that right now my "job" is to be a mother. The nice thing is, at this time, our children would love to grow up and work together. They talk about us all living near each other and possibly having a family business. Being their mother, I would love that too. Maybe that's one benefit of 9 people in a 3 bedroom house. You learn to love being really close :o)
It's been awhile. School is out - let the fun begin! Well, we will once the sickies go away. A few achey tummies, a couple of sick tummies too. And Baby Jakey has Roseola. For 5 days he had a high fever, then it went away and the next day he broke out in a rash. Once the doctor couldn't find anything to cause the high fever, I had a feeling we'd be seeing the rash. Not a big surprise.
It is nice to have our happy little boy again. Jacob is back to giving big "hi" and "bye" waves, kisses, and clapping his hands. Jakey can even pull himself to standing now. I think he wants to keep up with his siblings. I must say, this little boy is going to be well taken care of. He has brothers that love every little thing he does - and sisters that want to hold him and play with him all the time. At church, during peace, we all kiss each other. Now Jacob will give kisses too. He sits in my arms and just keeps making kissy sounds with his mouth while looking around. It's pretty adorable and makes our children laugh. I am excited to have another little boy to raise.
The same day that Tom and I celebrated our 15th Anniversary (Wow!), Brandon graduated from 8th grade. Woo Hoo! I tried not to think too much about Brandon graduating, but once he walked into the gym for the ceremony, I cried. Mommy got teary. Time has just flown by! Where did my little baby B go? He's so big! Taller than me! Amazing. I remember when he was about 18 months old. We were eating in a Baker's Square. An older couple came by and commented on how cute B was then looked at me and told me to treasure every moment because it goes by so fast. They were right. And I do treasure every moment of each child. I also treasure the wonderful man that shares these moments with me.
Today we took our children to the pool. After, Tom took our boys to shower and get dressed in one room while I took our girls to another. Standing there with my 3 daughters - I was just hit by the moment. Wow. I have 3 daughters. They were all saying different things to me, but the one thing in common was that they were all calling me "Mommy." There are 7 people in my life who call me "mom." When I stop to think about that, it just amazes me. It is wonderful.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I have many ideas. I love to be creative - and I always have a new idea to share. Someday I'd like to do something with one or more of my ideas. Hopefully I will. Sometimes when I get frustrated with not having the time to do my "own"thing - I just remind myself that right now my "job" is to be a mother. The nice thing is, at this time, our children would love to grow up and work together. They talk about us all living near each other and possibly having a family business. Being their mother, I would love that too. Maybe that's one benefit of 9 people in a 3 bedroom house. You learn to love being really close :o)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Last Week of School
"A sunbeam to warm you. A moonbeam to charm you. A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you."
Last week of school! Summer is coming! Brandon is celebrating the end of 8th grade at Six Flags today with his class.
Where is the wind now that I want it? It is so hot outside! And our children had me stay outside all weekend. Our yard looked like a water park yesterday. We had sprinklers, pools, water guns, and water toys all over. It was nice to just hang out. We had plans that we canceled - a couple of questionable tummy aches - it's nice to be able to just let everyone run around outside together. After we put our children to bed, (And watched Bret Michael's win Celebrity Apprentice!!!) Tom and I sat outside and had a drink. It was nice. Relaxing. We just sat and looked at the stars. Tried to pretend like we knew what we were looking at :o) Dippers, Orion's Belt, and other Constellations,...No clue.
Last week was Carter's wake and funeral. I was blessed to be a part of it. Bible Girls took care of the food and drink at the wake. Over 1000 people came. People (including my husband and our son Ethan) waited for over 2 hours outside. It was touching to see all the people. It got cold as the day went on, but thankfully the rain stayed away. My friend and BG, Betsy came up with the idea of taking coffee outside to the people in line. I immediately thought - what a great idea! - so she and I went out. I brought out the coffee and Betsy brought the cookies. We were pretty popular out there. Soon our friend and BG, Ana joined us too. People really appreciated a hot cup of coffee and I honestly thought - Carter would want this.
My friend and neighbor came to my house the next day and watched our 2 little ones that aren't in school so Tom and I could go to the funeral together. I cried, I even laughed a few times. The eulogy was amazing. The gentleman that did it, did it so well! He spoke as if Carter was saying it. What a wonderful little boy! Very sweet, very caring, lots of fun. At the cemetary they passed out cards that had the song from "Greatest American Hero" on it. (Believe it or not I'm walking on air. I never thought I could feel so free. Flying away on a wing and a prayer. Who could it be? Believe it or not it's just me.) They also played a song a lady wrote about Carter. I had it in my head for the next couple days. Beautiful. Then we all let go of blue balloons. My friend and neighbor said she could picture Carter with his arms open, catching all the balloons.
On Friday, Ethan tried out for his first Musical. He made it! Woo Hoo! So proud of him. It takes courage to try out. He had to go in and read a few lines then sing a short solo. He is going to be in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. One of my favorites! I saw it with Tommy a few years ago. Donny Osmond! He signed my playbill after the show. It was awesome :o) Ethan then went to his first dance that night. He had fun. Great day for Eepy!
Today is the last Monday of the school year! I have one home with a tummy ache. Noah just didn't feel well this morning. He has a fun day planned at school tomorrow, so I told him to stay home and rest today.
He's upstairs watching a movie while Sarah and I watch Dora and Jacob naps.
Jacob is 9 months old! He is still "army" crawling. He can sit up on his own and can stand up while holding on to something. He waves hello and good-bye and claps his hands. I love this age! It's all about being cute. And he does it well.
Last week of school! Summer is coming! Brandon is celebrating the end of 8th grade at Six Flags today with his class.
Where is the wind now that I want it? It is so hot outside! And our children had me stay outside all weekend. Our yard looked like a water park yesterday. We had sprinklers, pools, water guns, and water toys all over. It was nice to just hang out. We had plans that we canceled - a couple of questionable tummy aches - it's nice to be able to just let everyone run around outside together. After we put our children to bed, (And watched Bret Michael's win Celebrity Apprentice!!!) Tom and I sat outside and had a drink. It was nice. Relaxing. We just sat and looked at the stars. Tried to pretend like we knew what we were looking at :o) Dippers, Orion's Belt, and other Constellations,...No clue.
Last week was Carter's wake and funeral. I was blessed to be a part of it. Bible Girls took care of the food and drink at the wake. Over 1000 people came. People (including my husband and our son Ethan) waited for over 2 hours outside. It was touching to see all the people. It got cold as the day went on, but thankfully the rain stayed away. My friend and BG, Betsy came up with the idea of taking coffee outside to the people in line. I immediately thought - what a great idea! - so she and I went out. I brought out the coffee and Betsy brought the cookies. We were pretty popular out there. Soon our friend and BG, Ana joined us too. People really appreciated a hot cup of coffee and I honestly thought - Carter would want this.
My friend and neighbor came to my house the next day and watched our 2 little ones that aren't in school so Tom and I could go to the funeral together. I cried, I even laughed a few times. The eulogy was amazing. The gentleman that did it, did it so well! He spoke as if Carter was saying it. What a wonderful little boy! Very sweet, very caring, lots of fun. At the cemetary they passed out cards that had the song from "Greatest American Hero" on it. (Believe it or not I'm walking on air. I never thought I could feel so free. Flying away on a wing and a prayer. Who could it be? Believe it or not it's just me.) They also played a song a lady wrote about Carter. I had it in my head for the next couple days. Beautiful. Then we all let go of blue balloons. My friend and neighbor said she could picture Carter with his arms open, catching all the balloons.
On Friday, Ethan tried out for his first Musical. He made it! Woo Hoo! So proud of him. It takes courage to try out. He had to go in and read a few lines then sing a short solo. He is going to be in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. One of my favorites! I saw it with Tommy a few years ago. Donny Osmond! He signed my playbill after the show. It was awesome :o) Ethan then went to his first dance that night. He had fun. Great day for Eepy!
Today is the last Monday of the school year! I have one home with a tummy ache. Noah just didn't feel well this morning. He has a fun day planned at school tomorrow, so I told him to stay home and rest today.
He's upstairs watching a movie while Sarah and I watch Dora and Jacob naps.
Jacob is 9 months old! He is still "army" crawling. He can sit up on his own and can stand up while holding on to something. He waves hello and good-bye and claps his hands. I love this age! It's all about being cute. And he does it well.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Carter
"While we try to teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about."
Today I woke up to the news that 6 year old Carter Kettner had gone to be in the arms of God. My day stopped. I tried to write something to his mother, but couldn't find the right words. I woke up my children and got them ready for school. I hugged each of them a little tighter, a little longer. They noticed.
The first time I saw Carter's mother was when she drove by my house in a truck and stopped to chat with my neighbor. She seemed like a lot of fun. I remember thinking "I would like to get to know her." But the next time I heard her name was when news of her son came out. I prayed for their family, sent a small gift to their home, and tied blue ribbons around my 2 trees. (Blue - Carter's favorite color. Ribbons - to show hope.) I have gotten to know Carter's momma through church and a Mother's Bible Study. I have been able to do a few things for their family through our group. For this, I am thankful.
I am so honored to know this family. God knew the right parents for Carter. They show so much love, care, and faith. I know God must be very proud of them. They have shared Carter with so many people. They have so many people praying and spreading hope. They have kept their faith strong. May God continue to give them strength.
Today I woke up to the news that 6 year old Carter Kettner had gone to be in the arms of God. My day stopped. I tried to write something to his mother, but couldn't find the right words. I woke up my children and got them ready for school. I hugged each of them a little tighter, a little longer. They noticed.
The first time I saw Carter's mother was when she drove by my house in a truck and stopped to chat with my neighbor. She seemed like a lot of fun. I remember thinking "I would like to get to know her." But the next time I heard her name was when news of her son came out. I prayed for their family, sent a small gift to their home, and tied blue ribbons around my 2 trees. (Blue - Carter's favorite color. Ribbons - to show hope.) I have gotten to know Carter's momma through church and a Mother's Bible Study. I have been able to do a few things for their family through our group. For this, I am thankful.
I am so honored to know this family. God knew the right parents for Carter. They show so much love, care, and faith. I know God must be very proud of them. They have shared Carter with so many people. They have so many people praying and spreading hope. They have kept their faith strong. May God continue to give them strength.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Our Boys
"The spirit is there in every boy; it has to be discovered and brought to light."
Jakey is really getting around these days. He "army" crawls everywhere and picks up everything along the way. I am constantly vacuuming and grabbing toys and paper off the floor. He sits up and plays with his toys. He is a very happy little boy. Always smiling and waving to people. I love when we're out in public and someone says "hi" to him. He'll be sitting there sucking his 2 fingers and when someone says "hi" he'll take his fingers out, smile, and wave - a big wave! His hand open and his arm swaying back and forth. Very cute. I think it kind of surprises people - makes them smile and laugh.
My parents were here to visit and to help us celebrate our 3rd son's First Communion. Noah looked very handsome and proud in his shirt and tie. We had a nice little get together with family at our home after the blessed event. Now Noah just has to remember to receive the Body of Christ at mass. He keeps forgetting to put his hands out - he keeps them folded and he gets a blessing then I need to whisper that he receives.
Brandon our oldest has gone to Tourettes Camp the last 2 summers. This year we are selling chocolate bars to raise money to send him. Chocolates sell very fast around here. I sold 90+ the first day. I'm now waiting for another shipment so we can try to raise more money. If we sell enough we might send our 2nd son to camp too. He used to have an eye tic, but it went away. Now, he is showing signs of OCD. We talked to his doctor about it. Right now it's pretty mild. Ethan just comes to me and we talk about it. OCD can be part of TS - so can ADD.
ADD is something Noah shows signs of. He also has some tics that come and go. Right now his tic is to "slap" himself when he does something "wrong" or just makes a mistake. He told his Neurologist that when he is sent to his room for a time out, he has to slap himself hard. That breaks my heart. His doctor has diagnosed him with a tic disorder. Tom and I are pretty sure he has / will have TS like Brandon. At least Noah has the best role model for having TS in Brandon. Brandon is very positive and doesn't let it stop him from doing anything. He likes to explain it to people and even says he is happy he has it.
Brandon is also raising money to go on our Church's Youth Group Mission Trip this summer. He'll be going to Michigan to help people who need it. I don't know how I'm going to handle Brandon being gone for 2 weeks, but I think it is going to be a great experience for him.
Today Ethan went to school dressed like Elvis. They are doing a Wax Museum at his school later this week and today he had to give a speech as the person he picked. Sarah (2 yrs old) asked Ethan why he looked so cute today :o) I blowed dried his hair with gel. I wonder if he'll want to continue styling his hair this way. On Friday he'll be going to the Jr. High School to have lunch. He is excited to go to Jr. High next year. I think Brandon is excited to go to High School. I'm a little sad that they won't be in the same school. They will be in a few years when they're a Freshman and Senior. That should be fun / interesting.
Jakey is really getting around these days. He "army" crawls everywhere and picks up everything along the way. I am constantly vacuuming and grabbing toys and paper off the floor. He sits up and plays with his toys. He is a very happy little boy. Always smiling and waving to people. I love when we're out in public and someone says "hi" to him. He'll be sitting there sucking his 2 fingers and when someone says "hi" he'll take his fingers out, smile, and wave - a big wave! His hand open and his arm swaying back and forth. Very cute. I think it kind of surprises people - makes them smile and laugh.
My parents were here to visit and to help us celebrate our 3rd son's First Communion. Noah looked very handsome and proud in his shirt and tie. We had a nice little get together with family at our home after the blessed event. Now Noah just has to remember to receive the Body of Christ at mass. He keeps forgetting to put his hands out - he keeps them folded and he gets a blessing then I need to whisper that he receives.
Brandon our oldest has gone to Tourettes Camp the last 2 summers. This year we are selling chocolate bars to raise money to send him. Chocolates sell very fast around here. I sold 90+ the first day. I'm now waiting for another shipment so we can try to raise more money. If we sell enough we might send our 2nd son to camp too. He used to have an eye tic, but it went away. Now, he is showing signs of OCD. We talked to his doctor about it. Right now it's pretty mild. Ethan just comes to me and we talk about it. OCD can be part of TS - so can ADD.
ADD is something Noah shows signs of. He also has some tics that come and go. Right now his tic is to "slap" himself when he does something "wrong" or just makes a mistake. He told his Neurologist that when he is sent to his room for a time out, he has to slap himself hard. That breaks my heart. His doctor has diagnosed him with a tic disorder. Tom and I are pretty sure he has / will have TS like Brandon. At least Noah has the best role model for having TS in Brandon. Brandon is very positive and doesn't let it stop him from doing anything. He likes to explain it to people and even says he is happy he has it.
Brandon is also raising money to go on our Church's Youth Group Mission Trip this summer. He'll be going to Michigan to help people who need it. I don't know how I'm going to handle Brandon being gone for 2 weeks, but I think it is going to be a great experience for him.
Today Ethan went to school dressed like Elvis. They are doing a Wax Museum at his school later this week and today he had to give a speech as the person he picked. Sarah (2 yrs old) asked Ethan why he looked so cute today :o) I blowed dried his hair with gel. I wonder if he'll want to continue styling his hair this way. On Friday he'll be going to the Jr. High School to have lunch. He is excited to go to Jr. High next year. I think Brandon is excited to go to High School. I'm a little sad that they won't be in the same school. They will be in a few years when they're a Freshman and Senior. That should be fun / interesting.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Hope & Prayers
"God understands our prayers even when we can't find the words to say them."
Today we are praying for our friends. We are praying for a miracle. We are praying for comfort and strength. As a mother, knowing another mother is hurting, I can only pray, hope, and cry today. I wish I could do more.
Today we are praying for our friends. We are praying for a miracle. We are praying for comfort and strength. As a mother, knowing another mother is hurting, I can only pray, hope, and cry today. I wish I could do more.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Easter
"Spring is filled with so many gifts from God."
Last week was Spring Break and Easter. The week went by way too fast! At least we were blessed with beautiful weather. Our children enjoyed a few days of playing outdoors and I got to enjoy sitting outside with my friends too.
A week from today wasn't so fun. I woke up with a terrible migraine. I took some medicine, my sweet boys brought me some coffee, I handed my oldest son our baby, went to the bathroom and got "sick" several times, emailed my hubby, then laid down. All I remember was crying and praying that the pain would go away. I fell asleep. When I woke up I thought - Oh my gosh it must be about 10:00am! I looked at the clock, it was 3:30pm!! Ethan came upstairs to see how I was doing. What wonderful children I have. Wonderful family. Wonderful neighbors. The older children watched the younger ones. They said Daddy called every 2 hours to check up on them. Each of my neighbors called too - one even sent down her teenage daughter to help Brandon with taking care of Jacob and the younger ones.
Well, of course this migraine has sparked curiosity. I always get migraines when I'm pregnant. I took advantage of this on April 1st by posting as my status on Facebook -- Guess What? A few "fell for it" before one person figured out that it was an April Fools Joke. I believe I have a few friends who would like me to be the one to keep filling their "baby needs." A few also told me that I should be careful with what I joke about :o)I guess so. I'm still wondering if I should really go buy a test...
Thursday, we took all 7 children to the mall to see The Easter Bunny. Brandon was thrilled - Ha! He told me that every year I tell him just one more picture - then I have a baby and make him go be in just one more. He was a good sport. He complained about it all the way up to the bunny, but then held Sarah and had a wonderful smile on his face for the picture. He is so good to his mommy.
On Good Friday we had our Easter Egg Hunt in the cul-de-sac. What a beautiful day! We had a big turn out as usual. So much fun. We have all the children get together for a picture then let them loose. The eggs are gone within a few minutes. It's great seeing them all run around with big smiles. Then they all sit in little groups to open up their eggs, eat a few pieces, and trade others. After, a few of us families stayed outside to share breakfast. Everyone brought something and Tommy pulled out the grill. We had donuts, cinnamon rolls, egg casserole, french toast casserole, grilled potatoes and grilled veggies - lots of coffee, juice, and milk. Very yummy! (No meat - Friday and we have a couple of vegetarians.) That night we went to church to watch the youth group do the Shadows of the Stations of the Cross. Well done. The Stations are so powerful. I was proud to see our older children pay attention. (Ethan was in the balcony, in the choir.)
On Saturday we just hung out at home. Grandma Pat came over later in the afternoon and watched baby Jacob while Tom and I took our other 6 to the indoor swimming pool. We met our neighbor there with 3 of her children. I enjoyed watching them all play together. Our 3 older boys spent the entire time together. Sarah got daddy to take her into the kiddie pool. She went down the little slide for the first time and learned that it was a lot of fun. She and Leah and their friend Ellie had a great time. Rachel hung out with me in the warm pool and practiced her swimming. She left me for a little while to go down the big slide and to play with her sisters in the kiddie pool, but mostly we got to have a nice little time together.
Next morning was Easter. Our children got up and ran downstairs. I thought they would have gone right for their baskets, but when I went down to get some coffee, they were all sitting and waiting. Then they looked at all their candy and the Chipmunks 2nd movie that The Bunny brought. They watched the movie right away and then we got ready for mass. Ethan was in the choir so we had to be there 30 minutes early. That was a good thing. Our church was very crowded at this mass. And our family needs to get a long pew all to ourselves :o) Grandma Pat met us at church too. Our children looked very nice all dressed up. Jakey had on a sweet little baby blue vest with a white shirt and cream colored pants. I brought my camera so we could get some nice children-family pictures by the lillies on the altar. And it was again beautiful outside so we got some more pictures in our front yard of all of us.
Tommy got the grill out again. (Love the grill!) We had a very nice Easter dinner together. Everyone sat nicely - once we got settled at the table. We had on some nice Christian Music that my mother and father had sent to me. While I was feeding Jakey in his highchair, I noticed his first tooth had finally broken through. His bottom right. Yay Jakey! Then all of our children got up and started putting their fingers in his mouth to feel the tooth. He would bite down and they would scream and he would laugh. It was pretty cute.
When dinner was done and cleaned up, our children reminded us that we never did color our eggs. So we did. We got out the newspaper and everyone got to do a couple of eggs. That stuff really is messy. I bought a "glitter" kit and a "tie-dye" kit. I think I should just get plain color kits and stickers :o)
Yesterday, Monday, was back to school day. Only Leah was excited. She missed her teacher. Noah had spent the night coughing and getting "sick" from it, so I let him stay home and rest. Last night I went to Eucharistic Adoration at our church. Love that time I have with Jesus. (My son tells me I'm turning into Grandma :o) Maybe so.) I had a lot to think about and to pray about.
Today is Tuesday. I had our 3 older boys take showers this morning and I bathed our 3 girls. After I sent them off to school, I remembered that today was Picture Day for Leah. Ugh. I sent her with wet hair and a long sleeve t-shirt. Oh well. She had on black leggings with a black skirt that she insisted on wearing. I'm so glad she did. The skirt probably saved the outfit. And I'm glad I didn't do my usual braid or ponytail when her hair is wet. When she got home she showed me how she smiled. She told me that someone brushed her hair and that she stood with her arms crossed - that covered up the little stain on her white shirt :o) I'm sure her picture will look adorable. At least I didn't spend the morning stressing out about her hair and outfit. Brandon's kindergarten picture is still my favorite school picture. I forgot it was picture day and he had on a hooded sweatshirt. He looked so "natural" so "Brandon" in the picture. I loved it - still love it!
Last week was Spring Break and Easter. The week went by way too fast! At least we were blessed with beautiful weather. Our children enjoyed a few days of playing outdoors and I got to enjoy sitting outside with my friends too.
A week from today wasn't so fun. I woke up with a terrible migraine. I took some medicine, my sweet boys brought me some coffee, I handed my oldest son our baby, went to the bathroom and got "sick" several times, emailed my hubby, then laid down. All I remember was crying and praying that the pain would go away. I fell asleep. When I woke up I thought - Oh my gosh it must be about 10:00am! I looked at the clock, it was 3:30pm!! Ethan came upstairs to see how I was doing. What wonderful children I have. Wonderful family. Wonderful neighbors. The older children watched the younger ones. They said Daddy called every 2 hours to check up on them. Each of my neighbors called too - one even sent down her teenage daughter to help Brandon with taking care of Jacob and the younger ones.
Well, of course this migraine has sparked curiosity. I always get migraines when I'm pregnant. I took advantage of this on April 1st by posting as my status on Facebook -- Guess What? A few "fell for it" before one person figured out that it was an April Fools Joke. I believe I have a few friends who would like me to be the one to keep filling their "baby needs." A few also told me that I should be careful with what I joke about :o)I guess so. I'm still wondering if I should really go buy a test...
Thursday, we took all 7 children to the mall to see The Easter Bunny. Brandon was thrilled - Ha! He told me that every year I tell him just one more picture - then I have a baby and make him go be in just one more. He was a good sport. He complained about it all the way up to the bunny, but then held Sarah and had a wonderful smile on his face for the picture. He is so good to his mommy.
On Good Friday we had our Easter Egg Hunt in the cul-de-sac. What a beautiful day! We had a big turn out as usual. So much fun. We have all the children get together for a picture then let them loose. The eggs are gone within a few minutes. It's great seeing them all run around with big smiles. Then they all sit in little groups to open up their eggs, eat a few pieces, and trade others. After, a few of us families stayed outside to share breakfast. Everyone brought something and Tommy pulled out the grill. We had donuts, cinnamon rolls, egg casserole, french toast casserole, grilled potatoes and grilled veggies - lots of coffee, juice, and milk. Very yummy! (No meat - Friday and we have a couple of vegetarians.) That night we went to church to watch the youth group do the Shadows of the Stations of the Cross. Well done. The Stations are so powerful. I was proud to see our older children pay attention. (Ethan was in the balcony, in the choir.)
On Saturday we just hung out at home. Grandma Pat came over later in the afternoon and watched baby Jacob while Tom and I took our other 6 to the indoor swimming pool. We met our neighbor there with 3 of her children. I enjoyed watching them all play together. Our 3 older boys spent the entire time together. Sarah got daddy to take her into the kiddie pool. She went down the little slide for the first time and learned that it was a lot of fun. She and Leah and their friend Ellie had a great time. Rachel hung out with me in the warm pool and practiced her swimming. She left me for a little while to go down the big slide and to play with her sisters in the kiddie pool, but mostly we got to have a nice little time together.
Next morning was Easter. Our children got up and ran downstairs. I thought they would have gone right for their baskets, but when I went down to get some coffee, they were all sitting and waiting. Then they looked at all their candy and the Chipmunks 2nd movie that The Bunny brought. They watched the movie right away and then we got ready for mass. Ethan was in the choir so we had to be there 30 minutes early. That was a good thing. Our church was very crowded at this mass. And our family needs to get a long pew all to ourselves :o) Grandma Pat met us at church too. Our children looked very nice all dressed up. Jakey had on a sweet little baby blue vest with a white shirt and cream colored pants. I brought my camera so we could get some nice children-family pictures by the lillies on the altar. And it was again beautiful outside so we got some more pictures in our front yard of all of us.
Tommy got the grill out again. (Love the grill!) We had a very nice Easter dinner together. Everyone sat nicely - once we got settled at the table. We had on some nice Christian Music that my mother and father had sent to me. While I was feeding Jakey in his highchair, I noticed his first tooth had finally broken through. His bottom right. Yay Jakey! Then all of our children got up and started putting their fingers in his mouth to feel the tooth. He would bite down and they would scream and he would laugh. It was pretty cute.
When dinner was done and cleaned up, our children reminded us that we never did color our eggs. So we did. We got out the newspaper and everyone got to do a couple of eggs. That stuff really is messy. I bought a "glitter" kit and a "tie-dye" kit. I think I should just get plain color kits and stickers :o)
Yesterday, Monday, was back to school day. Only Leah was excited. She missed her teacher. Noah had spent the night coughing and getting "sick" from it, so I let him stay home and rest. Last night I went to Eucharistic Adoration at our church. Love that time I have with Jesus. (My son tells me I'm turning into Grandma :o) Maybe so.) I had a lot to think about and to pray about.
Today is Tuesday. I had our 3 older boys take showers this morning and I bathed our 3 girls. After I sent them off to school, I remembered that today was Picture Day for Leah. Ugh. I sent her with wet hair and a long sleeve t-shirt. Oh well. She had on black leggings with a black skirt that she insisted on wearing. I'm so glad she did. The skirt probably saved the outfit. And I'm glad I didn't do my usual braid or ponytail when her hair is wet. When she got home she showed me how she smiled. She told me that someone brushed her hair and that she stood with her arms crossed - that covered up the little stain on her white shirt :o) I'm sure her picture will look adorable. At least I didn't spend the morning stressing out about her hair and outfit. Brandon's kindergarten picture is still my favorite school picture. I forgot it was picture day and he had on a hooded sweatshirt. He looked so "natural" so "Brandon" in the picture. I loved it - still love it!
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