Well...Lent is less than 24 hours old and I already feel like I've been on a roller coaster with my emotions. (I really don't like roller coasters! I'm more of a lazy river in the water park kind of gal!)
I've felt like my emotions are a pot of soup that someone turned the heat up too high on and I'm just bubbling and spurting all over the place!
And I'm not even sure why I feel that way!?!
Welcome to Lent...guess I have 40 days to figure it out!
Tonight we got news from opposite extremes of the happiness spectrum. The difficult news is that someone close to us has a struggling marriage that is escalating to the next stage. It's breaking my heart for the pain they are both going through.......Prayers would be much appreciated.
An hour later, I remembered that the night before, a woman from our parish who also works for one of the colleges that Andrew applied to mentioned how great it was that he had gotten a merit scholarship.
A merit scholarship? He had gotten an acceptance package but never mentioned anything about a scholarship to that university.
Well, I forgot about it by the time I got home. Tonight I remembered and went to find his acceptance folder. Sure enough, on the second sheet of paper behind his acceptance letter was the letter explaining the scholarship!
This particular school is our local state university. In all honesty, it's his back-up school, but there was always a good chance he would actually go there without an incredible aid package from one of the other two schools.
Anyway...the scholarship was for $8000(!!!!!) and it's just under $12000 per year for commuters. It's a guaranteed 4 year scholarship as long as he remains full time and keeps a 3.0 or better GPA!
Jay and I were floored! Andrew is at work so I could only send him a long text over the news!
Andrew is still waiting to hear from the other two schools he applied to. Then Andrew will have to discern where the best place for him will be. (In fact, I have to upload our tax info onto the FAFSA worksheet tonight since I just got it back today....and upload the tax info for the high school kids' financial aid....and finish paying the bills....and finish writing thank-you cards. I am just drowning in paperwork right now!)
This is great news. We are very proud of Andrew!
Like I said before...what a roller coaster. It's only 7pm, but I'm spent and ready for bed!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Ready, Set, Lent
Welcome to Fat Tuesday!
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent. Every year, Lent is an opportunity to work on some bad habits and attempt toresuscitate re-energize my prayer life.
What I want to do for Lent has been on my mind the last few weeks when I realized it was right around the corner. I have been praying about the areas I need to work on. I wanted to have a plan set up so that it would be something I could make into a routine and, hopefully, be consistent with!
Fr. Landry had a really good article in the Anchor this week that addressed Lenten sacrifices. His suggestion was to choose 3 things to sacrifice based on the categories of faith, fasting and almsgiving.
I have just spent 15 minutes searching for the newspaper so that I don't misquote something. I couldn't find it where I left it. Since I had encouraged my teenagers to read it I started visiting their rooms to ask if they had it. Andrew said it was in the family room. I thought to myself, "Great! He read it." Proud mama moment....not quite. Andrew said, "Yeah, I think I threw it at someone this afternoon. It's probably on the floor somewhere."
Just great!
Anyway, as I was saying; faith, fasting and almsgiving. I am a terrible pray-er. Too little sleep and hardly ever a quiet moment any time in the day or night with the age ranges of our kids makes focused prayer challenging for sure! Then I feel guilty that I didn't take time to pray in a more structured purposeful way.
I pray lots of interjectory prayers during the day..."Jesus help me!"(to have patience and not scream at this toddler whose whining is driving me crazy)...."God have mercy on me!"(and inspire this teenager to do what he's supposed to do without me having to lose it on him)..."God be with me"(and help me not to burn this dinner while the phone is ringing, the baby is clingy, the toddler is needy, and everything needs to be ready in 10 minutes or certain kids won't be able to eat before their practices!)
I just don't seem to have the focus...or the quiet(!)...to pray in a deeper way and be more open to receiving the direction and guidance I really need.
In my experience, if I don't get at least the occasional quiet time to soak in His peace, I don't have a whole lot to give to all those He has placed in my care. Frequent, quick prayers are important. But, they are like drips from a leaky faucet on a sponge. You're not going to get much out of the sponge when someone squeezes it.
However, if you spend purposeful quiet time with God, it's like submersing the sponge in a pool! There is lots of excess to share with anyone around you who needs it!
It's been on my heart for several weeks now to ask my mother-in-law to come and watch the little ones for an hour or two each week. Since Kate is now much better about being left behind for short periods of time, I'm hoping to get some adoration time each week so that I can soak in God's grace and peace so that I can be a more loving, patient, peaceful version of me!
Lent seems like a good time to start that habit.
Another area in the prayer category that I want to work on is saying a daily rosary consistently...preferably as a family. Colleen Martin over at Martin Family Moments wrote something about her parent's tradition with the family rosary that made sense to me. Every night, they would announce they were saying the rosary and invite the kids to join in. For me, that idea took some of the pressure of confrontation off of me since we have one child who has some struggles when it comes to praying and faith and the thought of family prayer made me cringe because I didn't want to deal with negative comments and attitude. I know it was a weakness in me not wanting to deal with it, but some battles that you can't win and will just push people away, just aren't worth fighting. (At least on the outside...I know that God is using my prayers to work on him on the inside!)
For the last two nights that's what I've done. Like Jay said, "Praying the rosary with our crew is not going to transport us into the 7th mansion of prayer!"(A little St. Teresa of Avilla reference) Kate and Luke are not at the ages where they will sit still quietlyat all for very long. But praying together is important. We used to do it when the older kids were younger, and Lent is a good time to try to get back into a good habit!
I also want to intentionally sit down and read my Bible for just a few minutes a day. I need every opportunity I can to be open to Him speaking to me so that I can stay on the right road and encourage my kids to do the same!
The fasting piece is always a struggle for me. I know that I have some issues with food that I am working through...slowly...and I'm sure Lent will give me many opportunities to bring my struggles to God. More on that in future posts!
Fr. Landry had a few good ideas in this area as well. He suggested only drinking water during Lent, giving up condiments on food(salt, pepper, sugar, butter, ketchup, salad dressing), and not eating between meals. He also suggested fasting from television and replacing that time with Scripture and spiritual reading. (I've noticed that once the little ones are in bed I am too quick to put on re-runs of Everybody Loves Raymond and mindlessly watch 3 episodes until the little ones start fussing(I birth terrible sleepers!). Cutting back on that will give me some extra quiet and the time to catch up on the reading for the three groups I am a part of...a Bible study, book club, and our parish's Women of Grace.....without kids crawling all over me.(As long as I don't just fall asleep after a couple of pages!)
In terms of almsgiving, this is an area that Jay and I will have to spend some discussion time on over Lent. I know that as long as we are open, God will be sending opportunities for us to share our time, talent and treasure with the people He places in our path. I already have a few ideas about the general direction God is leading us in, so it will be interesting to see how it all develops.
Fr. Landry said, "To become holy is the purpose of the hold season of Lent, but it will achieve its purpose only if we go "all in."" I feel like some of his ideas are a good fit for me and the areas that I want to work on at this point in time.
Lent will definitely be a marathon for me...not a sprint!
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent. Every year, Lent is an opportunity to work on some bad habits and attempt to
What I want to do for Lent has been on my mind the last few weeks when I realized it was right around the corner. I have been praying about the areas I need to work on. I wanted to have a plan set up so that it would be something I could make into a routine and, hopefully, be consistent with!
Fr. Landry had a really good article in the Anchor this week that addressed Lenten sacrifices. His suggestion was to choose 3 things to sacrifice based on the categories of faith, fasting and almsgiving.
I have just spent 15 minutes searching for the newspaper so that I don't misquote something. I couldn't find it where I left it. Since I had encouraged my teenagers to read it I started visiting their rooms to ask if they had it. Andrew said it was in the family room. I thought to myself, "Great! He read it." Proud mama moment....not quite. Andrew said, "Yeah, I think I threw it at someone this afternoon. It's probably on the floor somewhere."
Just great!
Anyway, as I was saying; faith, fasting and almsgiving. I am a terrible pray-er. Too little sleep and hardly ever a quiet moment any time in the day or night with the age ranges of our kids makes focused prayer challenging for sure! Then I feel guilty that I didn't take time to pray in a more structured purposeful way.
I pray lots of interjectory prayers during the day..."Jesus help me!"(to have patience and not scream at this toddler whose whining is driving me crazy)...."God have mercy on me!"(and inspire this teenager to do what he's supposed to do without me having to lose it on him)..."God be with me"(and help me not to burn this dinner while the phone is ringing, the baby is clingy, the toddler is needy, and everything needs to be ready in 10 minutes or certain kids won't be able to eat before their practices!)
I just don't seem to have the focus...or the quiet(!)...to pray in a deeper way and be more open to receiving the direction and guidance I really need.
In my experience, if I don't get at least the occasional quiet time to soak in His peace, I don't have a whole lot to give to all those He has placed in my care. Frequent, quick prayers are important. But, they are like drips from a leaky faucet on a sponge. You're not going to get much out of the sponge when someone squeezes it.
However, if you spend purposeful quiet time with God, it's like submersing the sponge in a pool! There is lots of excess to share with anyone around you who needs it!
It's been on my heart for several weeks now to ask my mother-in-law to come and watch the little ones for an hour or two each week. Since Kate is now much better about being left behind for short periods of time, I'm hoping to get some adoration time each week so that I can soak in God's grace and peace so that I can be a more loving, patient, peaceful version of me!
Lent seems like a good time to start that habit.
Another area in the prayer category that I want to work on is saying a daily rosary consistently...preferably as a family. Colleen Martin over at Martin Family Moments wrote something about her parent's tradition with the family rosary that made sense to me. Every night, they would announce they were saying the rosary and invite the kids to join in. For me, that idea took some of the pressure of confrontation off of me since we have one child who has some struggles when it comes to praying and faith and the thought of family prayer made me cringe because I didn't want to deal with negative comments and attitude. I know it was a weakness in me not wanting to deal with it, but some battles that you can't win and will just push people away, just aren't worth fighting. (At least on the outside...I know that God is using my prayers to work on him on the inside!)
For the last two nights that's what I've done. Like Jay said, "Praying the rosary with our crew is not going to transport us into the 7th mansion of prayer!"(A little St. Teresa of Avilla reference) Kate and Luke are not at the ages where they will sit still quietly
I also want to intentionally sit down and read my Bible for just a few minutes a day. I need every opportunity I can to be open to Him speaking to me so that I can stay on the right road and encourage my kids to do the same!
The fasting piece is always a struggle for me. I know that I have some issues with food that I am working through...slowly...and I'm sure Lent will give me many opportunities to bring my struggles to God. More on that in future posts!
Fr. Landry had a few good ideas in this area as well. He suggested only drinking water during Lent, giving up condiments on food(salt, pepper, sugar, butter, ketchup, salad dressing), and not eating between meals. He also suggested fasting from television and replacing that time with Scripture and spiritual reading. (I've noticed that once the little ones are in bed I am too quick to put on re-runs of Everybody Loves Raymond and mindlessly watch 3 episodes until the little ones start fussing(I birth terrible sleepers!). Cutting back on that will give me some extra quiet and the time to catch up on the reading for the three groups I am a part of...a Bible study, book club, and our parish's Women of Grace.....without kids crawling all over me.(As long as I don't just fall asleep after a couple of pages!)
In terms of almsgiving, this is an area that Jay and I will have to spend some discussion time on over Lent. I know that as long as we are open, God will be sending opportunities for us to share our time, talent and treasure with the people He places in our path. I already have a few ideas about the general direction God is leading us in, so it will be interesting to see how it all develops.
Fr. Landry said, "To become holy is the purpose of the hold season of Lent, but it will achieve its purpose only if we go "all in."" I feel like some of his ideas are a good fit for me and the areas that I want to work on at this point in time.
Lent will definitely be a marathon for me...not a sprint!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Weathering the Weather!
What a crazy couple of days it has been. This winter storm...dubbed Nemo (I have no idea why)...dumped lots of snow on us. Around 22 inches I'm told by my children, who spent several hours with Jay digging us, my parents, and a neighbor out yesterday.
The storm started on Friday morning with some light snow that increased during the day with gusting winds and heavy snow all.night.long! We lost power Friday night around 9pm. Last night around 7, we finally got our power back after losing it for almost 48 hours! (We had just finished a (most of the) family rosary with the specific intention of regaining power, too! Maybe we should have prayed a rosary last night!lol)
Thankfully, Jay had decided it was a good idea for us to purchase a generator after we were without power for over a day when Hurricane Sandy visited us this fall. I'm so glad he did! Without power, and heat, we would have had to relocate! Not easy for a family of 10!
Even with the generator, the last 48 hours had its challenging moments! I was grateful that the 10 of us were home and safe together. But....the 10 of us were home and safe together. In a confined place...all together!
I can honestly say that, except for a couple of minor moments, everyone got along really well together. There were lots of board games played. Bezzerwizzer was the favorite of the weekend. Luke twisted Jon and Andrew's arms to play legos with him...haha. Not really:) The older boys actually came up with a lego game on their own and had to keep Luke from destroying their creations!(Love it!)
Kate enjoyed all the extra attention from everyone being home and oohing and aahing over every cute thing she did. She does lots of cute things! They also got to hear her say a new word for the first time..'baby'. She pointed to the baby on the diaper box turned block storage box in our family room and said 'baby' which sounded more like 'bay beeeee'. Then she said it another 2 dozen times because everyone smiled and cheered when she said it:)
We had to be inventive so that we didn't over stress the generator. For instance, we could run the sump pump(a necessity), the heat, the fridge and a light/tv in the family room and the microwave. That mostly got us by.
We got a nice break on Saturday night when my parents found an open Chinese Restaurant and ordered some takeout. We went over to their house, which had only their family room running with a generator, to eat dinner and watch some family movies from 2006 and 2008. Then, we ended the night watching 'The Fantastic Mr. Fox'. It is one of the kids favorite movies.
Sunday morning after church when the power was still not on, we got adventurous and shut off the heat in order to try the stove. The generator was working hard so we shut off the refrigerator for a while, too. After pancakes, sausage and bacon were made and I cooked hamburger and onions to throw in the crockpot to make a spaghetti sauce, we put on the dishwasher! Oh, happy day! After the dishwasher ran, we put the heat and the fridge back on.
Then we looked at the laundry room. One load of whites, 1 1/2 loads of colors, and a load of towels! (And I had done every bit of laundry through Friday evening planning for losing power, too!)
There was another glitch to the laundry besides the lack of power. Yes, that is the washing machine door against the wall! Not a pleasant surprise! We knew we were going to have to replace it soon....just not today! So, we did what we always do....we Gorilla Taped it on! It worked! Short term fix until I can order and get in a new door this week, but at least I can still do laundry!
I'm thinking I will send the Gorilla Tape Company a pic with the door taped on...maybe they will pay me to promote their product:)
We shut off the generator while we were sleeping at night. After cranking up the heat to 72, we would head to bed around 11:30. Jay would wake up at 5 to restart the generator to get heat in the house. The temperatures dipped to a very chilly 52 degrees each night! Then, he spent half and hour sweeping up the water down cellar from the sump pump being off all night:(...we live in an area with a very high water table!
I feel like I did really well through Saturday with the power situation. On Sunday, I felt a little testy. I had to work really hard at moments not to become unglued. I was definitely feeling the extra stress.
I got out of the house with the older kids on Sunday afternoon. We went out to eat with my parents for a late lunch/early supper. It was funny how there would be power and restaurants open on one block but not on the next.
I swung by the grocery store on the way home. It was eerie inside. Lots of things picked over. Absolutely no bread. The freezer sections were completely blocked off. People looked really tired.
Here are some outside pics I took on Sunday morning....
So...that's the story of how we weathered the blizzard of 2013!
For all you snow lovers....I hope that satisfied you!
As for me......I'm more than ready for spring!
The storm started on Friday morning with some light snow that increased during the day with gusting winds and heavy snow all.night.long! We lost power Friday night around 9pm. Last night around 7, we finally got our power back after losing it for almost 48 hours! (We had just finished a (most of the) family rosary with the specific intention of regaining power, too! Maybe we should have prayed a rosary last night!lol)
Thankfully, Jay had decided it was a good idea for us to purchase a generator after we were without power for over a day when Hurricane Sandy visited us this fall. I'm so glad he did! Without power, and heat, we would have had to relocate! Not easy for a family of 10!
Even with the generator, the last 48 hours had its challenging moments! I was grateful that the 10 of us were home and safe together. But....the 10 of us were home and safe together. In a confined place...all together!
I can honestly say that, except for a couple of minor moments, everyone got along really well together. There were lots of board games played. Bezzerwizzer was the favorite of the weekend. Luke twisted Jon and Andrew's arms to play legos with him...haha. Not really:) The older boys actually came up with a lego game on their own and had to keep Luke from destroying their creations!(Love it!)
Kate enjoyed all the extra attention from everyone being home and oohing and aahing over every cute thing she did. She does lots of cute things! They also got to hear her say a new word for the first time..'baby'. She pointed to the baby on the diaper box turned block storage box in our family room and said 'baby' which sounded more like 'bay beeeee'. Then she said it another 2 dozen times because everyone smiled and cheered when she said it:)
We had to be inventive so that we didn't over stress the generator. For instance, we could run the sump pump(a necessity), the heat, the fridge and a light/tv in the family room and the microwave. That mostly got us by.
We got a nice break on Saturday night when my parents found an open Chinese Restaurant and ordered some takeout. We went over to their house, which had only their family room running with a generator, to eat dinner and watch some family movies from 2006 and 2008. Then, we ended the night watching 'The Fantastic Mr. Fox'. It is one of the kids favorite movies.
Sunday morning after church when the power was still not on, we got adventurous and shut off the heat in order to try the stove. The generator was working hard so we shut off the refrigerator for a while, too. After pancakes, sausage and bacon were made and I cooked hamburger and onions to throw in the crockpot to make a spaghetti sauce, we put on the dishwasher! Oh, happy day! After the dishwasher ran, we put the heat and the fridge back on.
I'm thinking I will send the Gorilla Tape Company a pic with the door taped on...maybe they will pay me to promote their product:)
We shut off the generator while we were sleeping at night. After cranking up the heat to 72, we would head to bed around 11:30. Jay would wake up at 5 to restart the generator to get heat in the house. The temperatures dipped to a very chilly 52 degrees each night! Then, he spent half and hour sweeping up the water down cellar from the sump pump being off all night:(...we live in an area with a very high water table!
I feel like I did really well through Saturday with the power situation. On Sunday, I felt a little testy. I had to work really hard at moments not to become unglued. I was definitely feeling the extra stress.
I got out of the house with the older kids on Sunday afternoon. We went out to eat with my parents for a late lunch/early supper. It was funny how there would be power and restaurants open on one block but not on the next.
I swung by the grocery store on the way home. It was eerie inside. Lots of things picked over. Absolutely no bread. The freezer sections were completely blocked off. People looked really tired.
Here are some outside pics I took on Sunday morning....
Above is a pic of our empty mail box post...below is our mailbox:( A plowing casualty!
Thankfully, Jay was able to fix it!
Our trusty generator! I think it needs a name!
So...that's the story of how we weathered the blizzard of 2013!
For all you snow lovers....I hope that satisfied you!
As for me......I'm more than ready for spring!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Let it Snow....But Just a Little, Please!
We're in the midst of what could be, according to the weathermen, quite a blizzard.
I, for one, am not a fan!
I am all for 6-8 inches of snow and a snow day for my excited children! A weekend with a predicted 18" of snow and the chance of no power....not so much!
It has made me feel antsy and insecure. Did I get enough food? Plan ahead enough? Does Peter have enough things to eat?
I'm feeling inadequate for sure!
So, this morning I dragged myself out of bed after yet another relatively sleepless night. (Gotta love new molars!) I threw on clothes, brushed my teeth, dragged Sarah out of bed, changed Kate's diaper(I figured that she was warmer in footie jammies!) and put her coat on and off we went to brave the grocery store!
Coming over the hill near the store, I noticed the already full parking lot...and it was only 8am!
Once we got in the store, I methodically tackled my list. Sarah took care of the deli, which was a huge time saver! We were in and out in about an hour, which really wasn't bad.
I felt a lot better once it was done. Now I know my kids won't go hungry this weekend!
The kids brought in the groceries and helped to put them away. I made chicken pot pie soup, Peter's chicken and rice dish, and some chocolate chip cookies.
I also did 3 loads of laundry so that I wouldn't have to worry if the power goes out.
It felt like a full day before 1 o'clock!
I just hate feeling so unsettled.
Jay broke down and bought a generator several weeks ago before the last snow storm that did not live up to the hype.(Those are my favorite kind;) I'm definitely grateful to have it! Having no heat and a little one makes me a little crazy. I'm still praying we won't have to use it...but with 60 knot winds predicted for several hours I'm not holding my breath!
I'm trying my best to focus on the positives! I'm thankful that Jay was done with work by 1:30 and home safely. I'm grateful that the governor put a driving ban in place so that Andrew couldn't go to work at 4. I'm grateful that my kids have been getting along...at least so far. Jon made up a cool lego game that Andrew, Sarah, and Ellie joined in on. I got a couple of great pics but I was forbidden to put them on my blog....they said nothing about my facebook page, though!:)
Luke and Kate are thrilled to have their daddy home. It has been a busy week with basketball games and practices so Jay has been out most nights. All this time together...broken up with shoveling breaks(!)...will be a very good thing.
I, for one, am not a fan!
I am all for 6-8 inches of snow and a snow day for my excited children! A weekend with a predicted 18" of snow and the chance of no power....not so much!
It has made me feel antsy and insecure. Did I get enough food? Plan ahead enough? Does Peter have enough things to eat?
I'm feeling inadequate for sure!
So, this morning I dragged myself out of bed after yet another relatively sleepless night. (Gotta love new molars!) I threw on clothes, brushed my teeth, dragged Sarah out of bed, changed Kate's diaper(I figured that she was warmer in footie jammies!) and put her coat on and off we went to brave the grocery store!
Coming over the hill near the store, I noticed the already full parking lot...and it was only 8am!
Once we got in the store, I methodically tackled my list. Sarah took care of the deli, which was a huge time saver! We were in and out in about an hour, which really wasn't bad.
I felt a lot better once it was done. Now I know my kids won't go hungry this weekend!
The kids brought in the groceries and helped to put them away. I made chicken pot pie soup, Peter's chicken and rice dish, and some chocolate chip cookies.
I also did 3 loads of laundry so that I wouldn't have to worry if the power goes out.
It felt like a full day before 1 o'clock!
I just hate feeling so unsettled.
Jay broke down and bought a generator several weeks ago before the last snow storm that did not live up to the hype.(Those are my favorite kind;) I'm definitely grateful to have it! Having no heat and a little one makes me a little crazy. I'm still praying we won't have to use it...but with 60 knot winds predicted for several hours I'm not holding my breath!
I'm trying my best to focus on the positives! I'm thankful that Jay was done with work by 1:30 and home safely. I'm grateful that the governor put a driving ban in place so that Andrew couldn't go to work at 4. I'm grateful that my kids have been getting along...at least so far. Jon made up a cool lego game that Andrew, Sarah, and Ellie joined in on. I got a couple of great pics but I was forbidden to put them on my blog....they said nothing about my facebook page, though!:)
Luke and Kate are thrilled to have their daddy home. It has been a busy week with basketball games and practices so Jay has been out most nights. All this time together...broken up with shoveling breaks(!)...will be a very good thing.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Another Adult in the House!
I'm continuing my walk down Memory Lane today!
Today is Michael's 20th birthday and Andrew's 18th birthday! Since I used yesterday's post to talk about Mike, today will be about Andrew! (They already share a birthday...I didn't want them to have to share a blog post, too!:)
Andrew came bursting into our lives at a whopping 9lbs. 8oz. He has been the biggest of our babies so far! And, he had a big head! All you moms will appreciate that! When Andrew was being born, his head came out and the nurse said, "Wow, he has a big head!" My thought was, "Great...couldn't you have waited to say that until the rest of him was out!"
As a baby, the best way to describe Andrew was...."ornery". Poor Andrew had colic. He was the only one of our babies to struggle with this.(Thank God!) Everyone loved to hold and feed Andrew until it was time to burp him. Then he was a hot potato because no one wanted to deal with the projectile spit up that followed!
Andrew liked to be carried around on our hips facing out and walking all.day.long! He was a terrible napper(only 15 min to a half hour once or twice a day) but thankfully slept well at night. Poor Mike, who turned 2 the day Andrew was born, used to point to the bassinet and say, "Put baby away!"
Andrew outgrew his tummy troubles. He was a go getter. Andrew would drag himself across the floor when he was 4 months old....skipped crawling entirely...pulled up to standing at 6 months....and took his first step the day he turned 7 months old. By 81/2 months he was running!
Andrew was a challenging toddler. He did not like loud noises, or crowds of any kind! (Kind of Divine Irony, don't you think, that he was born into our family! I always said he would have made a great only child!)
Andrew was very smart and had an incredible memory! At 3, he would ask us to spell words for him, like elephant and giraffe(his favorite animals). He would ask, we would spell it, he would repeat it, and it was locked in! Forever! (He doesn't get that from me for sure!)
We figured out that he had taught himself to read when he was 4 when we were driving somewhere and he started to read the side of a milk truck next to us on the road. "Hood...Great Taste..." We tested him on the carton of orange juice when we got home, and sure enough, he could read!
When he was little his favorite books were The King, the Mouse, and the Cheese, because he loved elephants, and 4,000 things Everyone Should Know.
Andrew's passion as a pre-schooler was dinosaurs. He knew all about every kind. He would quiz us on dinosaur facts and get angry when we got the wrong answer because he thought we were teasing him. I mean, really, I have no idea if T-Rex and another dino that I can't even pronounce lived in the same era!
The best Andrew story happened when he was 5 and we were in Disney World with my parents. Andrew was talking to Jay and my brother-in-law, Matt, over lunch about a prehistoric mammal named the Dinotherium, which is, according to Andrew, an early relative of the elephant and the first mammal with hair. Jay and Matt were listening to him but not 100% believing what he was saying. Since this was before cell phones with google, we just continued on with our day.
At one of the rides that afternoon, The Universe of Energy, that takes you back in time to the dinosaurs and then brings you back to the present while highlighting certain developments, the Dinotherium was actually mentioned, with all the facts that Andrew had told us at lunch! Jay and Matt looked at each other with their mouths open...and Andrew looked at them with an enormous grin, nodding his head!
Andrew had a very close relationship with his sisters when they were babies. Sarah called him, "My Enew". So sweet.
Andrew with Sarah as a newborn..and 4 years later!
Of course...once they hit around 4 and sing all the time, he isn't quite as fond of them! It's not easy being sensory defensive to sound!
Ironically, Andrew's teenage years were much easier! I joke that he had a phase that lasted until he was 13! A lot of that was our fault because, if we had more understanding about sensory issues when he was younger, we could have helped create an atmosphere that would have given him the breaks he needed!
As a senior only a few months away from college, Andrew is a well balanced young man. He is involved in church and school and sports and extracurricular activities, and a job at a local grocery store. He has a special connection to the Pro-life movement and is president of the Pro-life Club at school. (He has always loved babies and has certainly had some experience with them! He is Kate's godfather, too:)
Andrew met his (very pretty) girlfriend a year and a half ago at a retreat put on by our Diocese, Pro-life Boot Camp. She goes to Andrew's high school's rival school. I am so impressed with the way they respect each other and their faith values! (I am SO glad that my kids have, at least so far, made such better decisions than I did at their ages!)
I am amazed at the changes over the last 2 years that I've seen in Andrew. He has truly come out of his shell to participate in, and sometimes even lead, groups and activities that are way out of his comfort zone! He has really applied himself at school, and we have had many really good conversations!
One really positive thing about the teenage years is watching and sharing in their growing up experience! It's so rewarding to have them share what they are thinking and feeling when they, at least occasionally, let you into their world!
Happy Birthday, Andrew! We are so proud of the young man that you are becoming!
(Linking up with Our Mother's Daughters)
Today is Michael's 20th birthday and Andrew's 18th birthday! Since I used yesterday's post to talk about Mike, today will be about Andrew! (They already share a birthday...I didn't want them to have to share a blog post, too!:)
Andrew came bursting into our lives at a whopping 9lbs. 8oz. He has been the biggest of our babies so far! And, he had a big head! All you moms will appreciate that! When Andrew was being born, his head came out and the nurse said, "Wow, he has a big head!" My thought was, "Great...couldn't you have waited to say that until the rest of him was out!"
As a baby, the best way to describe Andrew was...."ornery". Poor Andrew had colic. He was the only one of our babies to struggle with this.(Thank God!) Everyone loved to hold and feed Andrew until it was time to burp him. Then he was a hot potato because no one wanted to deal with the projectile spit up that followed!
Andrew liked to be carried around on our hips facing out and walking all.day.long! He was a terrible napper(only 15 min to a half hour once or twice a day) but thankfully slept well at night. Poor Mike, who turned 2 the day Andrew was born, used to point to the bassinet and say, "Put baby away!"
Mike and Andrew did love each other!
Andrew outgrew his tummy troubles. He was a go getter. Andrew would drag himself across the floor when he was 4 months old....skipped crawling entirely...pulled up to standing at 6 months....and took his first step the day he turned 7 months old. By 81/2 months he was running!
Andrew was a challenging toddler. He did not like loud noises, or crowds of any kind! (Kind of Divine Irony, don't you think, that he was born into our family! I always said he would have made a great only child!)
Andrew was very smart and had an incredible memory! At 3, he would ask us to spell words for him, like elephant and giraffe(his favorite animals). He would ask, we would spell it, he would repeat it, and it was locked in! Forever! (He doesn't get that from me for sure!)
We figured out that he had taught himself to read when he was 4 when we were driving somewhere and he started to read the side of a milk truck next to us on the road. "Hood...Great Taste..." We tested him on the carton of orange juice when we got home, and sure enough, he could read!
When he was little his favorite books were The King, the Mouse, and the Cheese, because he loved elephants, and 4,000 things Everyone Should Know.
Andrew's passion as a pre-schooler was dinosaurs. He knew all about every kind. He would quiz us on dinosaur facts and get angry when we got the wrong answer because he thought we were teasing him. I mean, really, I have no idea if T-Rex and another dino that I can't even pronounce lived in the same era!
(Andrew's 1st day of pre-school....which he hated! One day he told me, "Mommy, I don't need to go to school. I already know how to stand in line!)
At one of the rides that afternoon, The Universe of Energy, that takes you back in time to the dinosaurs and then brings you back to the present while highlighting certain developments, the Dinotherium was actually mentioned, with all the facts that Andrew had told us at lunch! Jay and Matt looked at each other with their mouths open...and Andrew looked at them with an enormous grin, nodding his head!
Andrew had a very close relationship with his sisters when they were babies. Sarah called him, "My Enew". So sweet.
Of course...once they hit around 4 and sing all the time, he isn't quite as fond of them! It's not easy being sensory defensive to sound!
Ironically, Andrew's teenage years were much easier! I joke that he had a phase that lasted until he was 13! A lot of that was our fault because, if we had more understanding about sensory issues when he was younger, we could have helped create an atmosphere that would have given him the breaks he needed!
Andrew is a history buff!
(He has a fun side! He is incredibly witty, too!)
Andrew met his (very pretty) girlfriend a year and a half ago at a retreat put on by our Diocese, Pro-life Boot Camp. She goes to Andrew's high school's rival school. I am so impressed with the way they respect each other and their faith values! (I am SO glad that my kids have, at least so far, made such better decisions than I did at their ages!)
I am amazed at the changes over the last 2 years that I've seen in Andrew. He has truly come out of his shell to participate in, and sometimes even lead, groups and activities that are way out of his comfort zone! He has really applied himself at school, and we have had many really good conversations!
One really positive thing about the teenage years is watching and sharing in their growing up experience! It's so rewarding to have them share what they are thinking and feeling when they, at least occasionally, let you into their world!
Happy Birthday, Andrew! We are so proud of the young man that you are becoming!
(Linking up with Our Mother's Daughters)
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Birthdays!
I'm feeling a little nostalgic this week. February is the month of birthdays for our three oldest sons. In fact, Mike and Andrew were born on the same day.(7th) It was not planned....babies come when they want!
Since Mike was only 2 when Andrew was born, he didn't really understand which day was his birthday. He thought it was pretty great when I came home with a baby and he had a birthday party with his grandparents and aunties and got lots of presents! (The best memory from that day was mid-party when I looked around for a moment and couldn't find Mike. He was standing in the kitchen with a spoon eating the icing off of his cake!)
Michael was always a very happy, easy going little boy. He was a pretty easy baby. Since he was the first grandchild on both sides of our families, and was blessed to have all four sets of his great-grandparents still alive, Mike got lots and lots of love and attention!
Mike was a late talker since all he had to do was grunt and point and he had everyone at his beck and call! He was my easiest potty trainer(the only easy one!). Mike was a mama's boy...in the good sense...and he loved to cuddle and snuggle with me. When he snuggled, he would always twist and twirl strands of my hair, especially when he was tired.
Mike has a sensitive and thoughtful side that has acted like a groundhog in winter during his teenage years. But it's still there....especially when he interacts with our friends' children. We even get to enjoy the "happy Mike" side every now and again....and we look forward to the days when the teenage angst of "finding himself" gives way to the confident man I know he will become. (And oh how I pray that day comes soon when the "not so happy Mike" is around!)
Seriously, though, Mike is turning into a young adult that we are very proud of. He works hard, does great at school, and has a strong commitment to family and traditions. I cannot believe that he will be 20 on Thursday...no longer a teenager. He is making a step into a new phase of life in a year that will be filled with change as he graduates from the community college he has attended for two years and moves onto a 4 year college to finish his degree. (Right now he is working to become a high school history teacher and wants to coach basketball, too.) He wants to go away to college, but not too far so he can still join in on family time whenever he wants.
All good change...for him and for us! This will be our first adventure into parenting a young adult. It's a very strange feeling considering that we weren't even young adults when he was born! This is uncharted territory for sure!
It's not easy being the guinea pig child. We hit some pretty hard bumps as a family over the years that affected Mike a lot, too. He was 5 when Therese was born and died, and the only one of his brothers to really remember her. I will never, ever forget his face when he came out of the bedroom that morning, half asleep and stumbling a little into the bathroom with a goofy grin when he saw all his grandparents and his aunt and us sitting in the living room. I followed him into the bathroom and told him that Therese had gone to heaven. His little legs just crumpled and I slid down next to him on the floor as he started to cry. He looked up at me and said, "But I wanted to see her grow up." And I started to cry, and said, "Me, too."
Such a sad thing for a little boy to have to try to understand.
When Peter was diagnosed with Autism, Mike was 10 1/2. That was a really dark, difficult, and stressful time for our family, too. I know that Mike still struggles with the "why" of having lost a sister and having a brother so affected by autism. I wish that we could go back and get more help for the kids to help them work through their feelings of having a special needs sibling. At the time, we were just trying to survive. Being the oldest, Mike took on a more responsible role than most kids his age had to. I know that God is already bringing good out of the challenges of having Peter in our family, and I know that someday God will heal whatever grief Mike holds in his heart.
I still wish we would have done more to help him back then. But, I figure that if God gave us the crosses, then He will give us the grace to grow from them, too. He knows that we were just trying to emotionally survive back then, too.
I can't believe that our oldest sons are so grown up! They are perched on the edge of the nest ready to jump! Occasionally, there are days when I am ready to shove them out(!), but mostly I am in no hurry to have my baby birds...even my 6'4" baby bird....leave the nest. Knowing that they are safe and sound and all under our roof gives me a special sense of peace every night. It just "feels right". I will definitely miss that!
I mean...where did the time go? What happened to moments like this....
...when my hair was that color naturally!
And this.....
.....goofy grins and Beanie Babies! They would spend hours every day creating a Beanie Babies zoo all over their bedroom! And look at those little feet! If they sat next to each other on a couch today...they definitely couldn't squeeze onto a chair(!)...you would be viewing size 14, 12, and 14 feet! Not so cute anymore! (I wonder if I could convince them to pose for me!?!)
Happy (almost) 20th birthday, Michael! We love you very much!
(Sorry you have to share it with your brother!)
Since Mike was only 2 when Andrew was born, he didn't really understand which day was his birthday. He thought it was pretty great when I came home with a baby and he had a birthday party with his grandparents and aunties and got lots of presents! (The best memory from that day was mid-party when I looked around for a moment and couldn't find Mike. He was standing in the kitchen with a spoon eating the icing off of his cake!)
Michael was always a very happy, easy going little boy. He was a pretty easy baby. Since he was the first grandchild on both sides of our families, and was blessed to have all four sets of his great-grandparents still alive, Mike got lots and lots of love and attention!
Michael's Baptism
Playtime!
Mike's first Christmas
Mike was a late talker since all he had to do was grunt and point and he had everyone at his beck and call! He was my easiest potty trainer(the only easy one!). Mike was a mama's boy...in the good sense...and he loved to cuddle and snuggle with me. When he snuggled, he would always twist and twirl strands of my hair, especially when he was tired.
Mike is a great older sibling and loves his younger brothers and sisters!(Most of the time!)
Mike has a sensitive and thoughtful side that has acted like a groundhog in winter during his teenage years. But it's still there....especially when he interacts with our friends' children. We even get to enjoy the "happy Mike" side every now and again....and we look forward to the days when the teenage angst of "finding himself" gives way to the confident man I know he will become. (And oh how I pray that day comes soon when the "not so happy Mike" is around!)
Seriously, though, Mike is turning into a young adult that we are very proud of. He works hard, does great at school, and has a strong commitment to family and traditions. I cannot believe that he will be 20 on Thursday...no longer a teenager. He is making a step into a new phase of life in a year that will be filled with change as he graduates from the community college he has attended for two years and moves onto a 4 year college to finish his degree. (Right now he is working to become a high school history teacher and wants to coach basketball, too.) He wants to go away to college, but not too far so he can still join in on family time whenever he wants.
All good change...for him and for us! This will be our first adventure into parenting a young adult. It's a very strange feeling considering that we weren't even young adults when he was born! This is uncharted territory for sure!
It's not easy being the guinea pig child. We hit some pretty hard bumps as a family over the years that affected Mike a lot, too. He was 5 when Therese was born and died, and the only one of his brothers to really remember her. I will never, ever forget his face when he came out of the bedroom that morning, half asleep and stumbling a little into the bathroom with a goofy grin when he saw all his grandparents and his aunt and us sitting in the living room. I followed him into the bathroom and told him that Therese had gone to heaven. His little legs just crumpled and I slid down next to him on the floor as he started to cry. He looked up at me and said, "But I wanted to see her grow up." And I started to cry, and said, "Me, too."
Such a sad thing for a little boy to have to try to understand.
When Peter was diagnosed with Autism, Mike was 10 1/2. That was a really dark, difficult, and stressful time for our family, too. I know that Mike still struggles with the "why" of having lost a sister and having a brother so affected by autism. I wish that we could go back and get more help for the kids to help them work through their feelings of having a special needs sibling. At the time, we were just trying to survive. Being the oldest, Mike took on a more responsible role than most kids his age had to. I know that God is already bringing good out of the challenges of having Peter in our family, and I know that someday God will heal whatever grief Mike holds in his heart.
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.
I can't believe that our oldest sons are so grown up! They are perched on the edge of the nest ready to jump! Occasionally, there are days when I am ready to shove them out(!), but mostly I am in no hurry to have my baby birds...even my 6'4" baby bird....leave the nest. Knowing that they are safe and sound and all under our roof gives me a special sense of peace every night. It just "feels right". I will definitely miss that!
I mean...where did the time go? What happened to moments like this....
And this.....
Happy (almost) 20th birthday, Michael! We love you very much!
(Sorry you have to share it with your brother!)
Sunday, February 3, 2013
A Special Milestone
This weekend was great!
Saturday was a very full day! Most of us started with Mass to celebrate the 5 first Saturday's devotion. After a few minutes to chat with friends, we arrived back home to start cleaning for a very special celebration on Sunday......Peter's First Communion!
This is an extra special moment in our lives because Peter is reaching a milestone that we weren't sure he would get to for a very long time. We had been working with him on and off for the last year to try and prepare him to receive his first communion. Some days he seemed to 'get it' and other days not so much.
Last weekend at Mass, he was being very vocal about the Eucharist during the consecration. Jay and I both felt it was a sign that he was ready. After Mass, three other people mentioned the same thing to us. After a quick meeting with our Pastor, we planned for Peter to receive First Communion.
Peter has been very excited to receive communion. He is also very excited that we were having a little party afterwards and Jay's mom was making him cake!
Peter did a great job! Many people had tears in their eyes as they watched Peter receive the Eucharist for the very first time...mom included! I'm so grateful that he is ready, and I'm excited for the new graces it will bring into his life!
Reaching milestones is extra special for a child like Peter. We are more appreciative of the 'neurotypical' milestones he reaches...even when those milestones are reached several years later than his siblings. We are grateful that he is reaching them at all!
It gives me(and Jay) so much encouragement and hope to see Peter moving forward!
Saturday was a very full day! Most of us started with Mass to celebrate the 5 first Saturday's devotion. After a few minutes to chat with friends, we arrived back home to start cleaning for a very special celebration on Sunday......Peter's First Communion!
This is an extra special moment in our lives because Peter is reaching a milestone that we weren't sure he would get to for a very long time. We had been working with him on and off for the last year to try and prepare him to receive his first communion. Some days he seemed to 'get it' and other days not so much.
Last weekend at Mass, he was being very vocal about the Eucharist during the consecration. Jay and I both felt it was a sign that he was ready. After Mass, three other people mentioned the same thing to us. After a quick meeting with our Pastor, we planned for Peter to receive First Communion.
Peter has been very excited to receive communion. He is also very excited that we were having a little party afterwards and Jay's mom was making him cake!
Peter did a great job! Many people had tears in their eyes as they watched Peter receive the Eucharist for the very first time...mom included! I'm so grateful that he is ready, and I'm excited for the new graces it will bring into his life!
Reaching milestones is extra special for a child like Peter. We are more appreciative of the 'neurotypical' milestones he reaches...even when those milestones are reached several years later than his siblings. We are grateful that he is reaching them at all!
It gives me(and Jay) so much encouragement and hope to see Peter moving forward!
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