Catch Up...Sort Of

It always amazes me how fast weekends go by....even when we get an extra day!

It was great having everyone under the same roof...at least when they were all actually here!  I think we could make up some great math word problems:

If Jon is out with his girlfriend from a to b, 

and Andrew is out with his friend from c to d,

and Mike needs to work on his paper from e to f,

and Jay, Luke and Kate all fall asleep on the couch at 8,

at what 10 minute interval can mom experience family time with all her children?

OK...that is partly an exaggeration, but not completely!  I had all these possible ideas in my head for "family time" but I did need to work around friends, a girlfriend, homework time, a youth group meeting, a pizza tour in Boston for Andrew and Jay, and, of course, bed time!  

In the end, there were pockets of 'small group' family time, and our one 'whole family' apple picking outing late Sunday morning.  The apple picking was fine, don't get me wrong.  It's just with the kids getting older, there isn't the same level of enthusiasm that used to be there.  This was the first year that I had to tell them we needed more apples...they used to pick so much I worried that I didn't bring enough money to pay for it all!

(It didn't help that Luke spent most of the time taste testing the apples either!)

It made me feel sad....because it's a reminder about how things are changing.  I want so badly to have special family time and make more memories all together because I see the writing on the wall as clear as day:

"THESE CHILDREN ARE GROWING UP AND OUT!  THERE ISN'T MUCH TIME LEFT!"

What seems silly to some of the older boys, has so much meaning for me.  Being all together, making memories, having traditions is so important because we are at a point when the boys are splitting off and making their own memories with friends and, before too long, they could find "the one" and start families of their own.  And while that is normal and will be exciting and a huge blessing for our family as a whole, it will change the way our family looks forever.  

I guess I'm just not quite ready to let go of our "little" family filled with children that aren't quite so little anymore!

Idk...maybe I just put too much pressure on myself, but for a while now, I just feel like I need to soak all these family times in and try to create opportunities to make as many family memories as I can.  It's not easy with so many different ages, personalities, and tolerances for each other!  The lack of time, the difficulty of coordinating so many different schedules, and the frequently present lack of funds, makes planning family time incredibly difficult!

Yet, the words from Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Cinderella" keep popping in my head....

"'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight, 

And she'll be gone."

And, even though my sons might read this and say, "What the heck, Mom!  That's a song about a girl!", the same sentiments hold true for sons.  (And just so you know, Jay cannot listen to that song without tearing up!  He probably teared up just reading those 2 lines!  We are seriously going to need to tranquilize him when the girls get married!)

So, as you can see, I might be a tad emotional right now.  I've also been having really weird dreams lately so I'm a little sleep deprived.  And, writing this at 11:17 pm is probably not the best choice...but sometimes it's the only quiet time I get!

Anyway...change is hard is all I'm sayin'.  It makes me want to just keep Luke and Kate little forever!  (maybe that will make me feel better when they end up in my bed any minute!)

 I promise the weekend wasn't just full of emotional blubbering!(only the occasional moment!:)  I took lots of pictures this week and have happy/funny things to share with you!  I will upload them all soon!  

This week is just busy, busy, busy!

Hooray for Long Weekends!

Long weekends are the best!  I love going to bed on Sunday knowing that we get to do it all again on Monday!

1.  Everybody's Coming Home!

With a long weekend, both my 'away at college' sons will be home.  I'm looking forward to some family time.  Of course, it won't be a weekend full of family time because the older kids have plans with their friends, too!  But, it's always nice to have everyone sleeping under the same roof...even if it is only for a couple of nights.

2.  Trying to Plan

There are so many things I would love to squeeze in this weekend!  Unfortunately, I have things to schedule around.  Jon is planning a get together here with his friends Saturday night.  The Patriots game is on Sunday afternoon.  There's a youth group meeting on Sunday night.  On Monday, Jay and Andrew are going on the Boston Pizza Tour. (This is Andrew's VERY belated high school graduation present!...I know *horrible parent alert!*)

So....I don't know how much I will actually do outside the house this weekend!  I know that we are planning to go for our yearly apple picking/tractor ride/pumpkin picking outing on Sunday once the older kids get back from breakfast with my grandfather.  That means there will be apple pies and crisps being made Sunday afternoon!

I'm thinking about doing a big corn maize with whoever is around on Monday.  I have to see what the interest level is for the older kids first.  Whatever we do, I hope it's something outside because I love this time of year!

3. Surprise Package

The other day, Jon was complaining that our house is "the most boring on the block" when it comes to Halloween decorations.  That doesn't phase me...I'm not into Halloween.  I like Fall decorations:)

Well, yesterday Jon asked if he got a package.  I thought he meant his girlfriend was sending him something but it turns out Jon ordered something online.  Well...it was waiting for me when I get home today....

 ....Peter is very excited about it!

4.-7. Field Trip Fun

Today I chaperoned Luke's field trip to a local farm.  Luke and his cousin, Brayden, are in the same class.  It's great because they are best buddies...and it makes for good photo ops!

...When I can get them to actually look at the camera at the same time!!!

Kate had a rough night last night...she was overtired so she woke up quite a few times.  She was super clingy and grumpy this am.  The plan had been to leave her with our babysitter, but I was afraid it wouldn't go well so I brought her with me.

Luke pretending to be a farmer and driving the "hay tractor"

 They have different kinds of farm animals....Kate's favorites were the baby goats..

Brayden with my friend Laura's son, Josh.
The three of them play Transformers together most recesses:)

Love these two little guys!

I hope your weekend is filled with family and sunshine!

Out of My Comfort Zone!

I'm happy to report that Peter's stomach virus was very short-lived!  His fever was gone by Monday afternoon and he was completely better on Tuesday.  Of course, I kept him home, but he was eating anything and everything....making up for lost time, I guess!

Yesterday afternoon, my friend Laura and I set up a table with our principal's help at Ellie's school to try and get more sign-ups for the Momnipotent book study we are planning on running for moms at the school.  This whole thing is way outside my comfort zone!  Doing a small book club made out of close friends in my living room is one thing....trying to run it on a larger scale with more components is quite another!

But, ever since I read the book Momnipotent by Danielle Bean over the summer with 6 other women and a gaggle of children running around(seriously there were about 20 kids age 13 and under!), I couldn't shake the thought that it would be a great book to read with a larger group of moms that could use some encouragement and a faith boost!  It wasn't my intention to run anything big.  I thought I would just be that idea person that handed off to another woman more qualified to run it!

Sometimes, though, God has other plans!

I was so glad that Laura could go with me yesterday.  I knew setting up the table so women could see the book and the people running it was a good idea(plus I brought cookies...nothing wrong with some tasty bribery;)!  But, when I was heading over to set up, the fear gripped me with thoughts of, "What if no one even talks to me...I'll just be standing behind a table in a crowd of parents feeling like a guppy in a fish bowl!"  My prayer and focus from the beginning has been that if God wants this book club to run, then He will provide the women that are meant to be there.  I just have to do my part to invite and help get the word out.  Of course, that focus feels much better when I'm behind a computer screen drafting an insert for the Friday folder and not in the middle of a crowd!

I'm happy to say that Laura and I spoke to quite a few women.  Some were interested but had schedule conflicts, distance issues, or babysitter woes.  We did get 5 extra women to sign up which brought the total to 12....and that doesn't count my "little book club" friends who are participating as small group leaders!

I think 12 is a great number to start...and maybe we will get a few more women who are on the fence before it starts next week.  Our principal, who is super supportive and even joining in herself(!), is going to order a few extra books/journals just in case.  The line from Field of Dreams, changed slightly to fit this situation keeps floating through my head,
"If you buy the books, they will come."

lol...I need more sleep!

That's all the excitement for today!  Now I'm off to prep dinner, finish folding laundry, fill the dishwasher, and "encourage" kids to start doing some clean up!  You know....all the normal 'mom stuff'!

What a Way to Start the Week!

Mondays never feel like the most exciting day of the week....unless it's a long weekend!(I'm looking forward to next weekend's Columbus Day Holiday!:)

This morning was quite the introduction to the week!  Peter woke up at 5am asking for a glass of water.  He was wide awake and wanted to lay on the couch, so I let him and went back to lay down with Kate and Luke who had both woken up when I got up to help Peter.

Well, 15 minutes later I heard Peter dry heaving.:(  He vomited twice....but thankfully didn't have much in his stomach.  Thinking back to yesterday, he didn't really eat a whole lot all day so his stomach was probably bothering him then.

I set Peter up on the couch with his pillow and a sheet and a cartoon to watch.  I always feel so bad for the kids when they feel lousy!

I helped Luke get ready for school.  While I was helping him get dressed, I found a tic in his arm!:(

What a way to start the day...and all before 8am!

Peter napped most of the morning and I have to say that I was dragging!  I was also trying to keep my anxiety at a manageable level!  (Last winter and spring was filled with more than our fair share of illness for our family, so someone getting sick was making me panic!  I have been hoping for an easier year, so a stomach bug in early October is not making me feel hopeful!) I was trying to keep Kate quiet,too, so that Peter could nap and she was very happy to have a playmate and came up with numerous games to keep us occupied.

As bumpy as the  morning started out, spending some one-on-one time with my little girl that is growing up with lightning speed right before my eyes was a blessing, too.  Since her brother was sick, we just hung out.  My to-do list got thrown out the window....and we just spent time together.  That part is a blessing.

It's these everyday moments that I want to remember(sans illness preferably!).....

....Just watching her play....

....watching her chubby toddler cheeks....

....the way she concentrates.....

....the way her hair frames her face....

....her sweet little voice....

....just the everyday nothing moments...

....of Kate being Kate...

....even when her sassy side kicks in!

I've been through the toddler stage more than half a dozen times before, but every child is different and brings their own share of joy and challenge to the process.  Even though I think that I have appreciated Luke and Kate's littleness in a special way after having older kids that grew up way too fast(!), it is still catching me off guard a little at how fast time is going.  

For today, I get to take care of my under-the-weather son and spend time with my little girl. 

When I consider it with a different focus, it's not such a bad way to start the week off after all! 

Quick Take Friday

It's Quick Take Friday once again!

Another quick week, jumping into a new month, and looking forward to a productive weekend...life is just flying by!

As I mentioned on Monday, I'm doing a little bit of a two week wrap up since I never got to Quick Take Friday last week!

1:  Park Time

This week's weather has been awful!  Lots of rain and dreary days!  (It makes me extra sleepy!) But last Monday was beautiful, and I surprised Luke when I picked him up at school with a trip to the park with a picnic lunch.

Since we went at lunchtime we actually had the place to ourselves!  We did lots of pretend play as Transformers since that is Luke's obsession of the moment!

2. Volleyball

I finally got a chance to go to one of Sarah's volleyball games!  Jay has been to all the home games and some of the local away games.  I'm still adjusting to all my teenagers(aka babysitters) being away or busy!

On my way to the game, I hit lots of traffic, every red light(my specialty!), and........

Goose Crossing!

Only in my town would cars stop for Geese!  Those two were the stragglers!

But....I made it in time.(Which was good since she forgot her knee pads at home that morning!)  I got her to pose for 10 seconds for a quick picture!

Sarah plays J.V. and they have yet to win a game...but she is learning a lot!(and thankfully her hips haven't given her too much trouble!  #Growthplateissues!)

3:  The Papa Gino's Incident

Speaking of Sarah in her uniform....

Last week Jay went to one of Sarah's games.  After the game, campus ministry was having a movie night and Sarah really wanted to stay.  She hadn't eaten, so Jay took Sarah for a quick slice(or 2) of pizza at the local Papa Ginos.  

While they were there, Sarah went into the beverage case to get a water.  Jay happened to spot a teenage boy in the vicinity whose eyes followed her to the case and gave her the once over as she reached into the case to grab her drink.

Well....anyone that knows Jay can imagine how that went!  

So...Jay is staring at this teenager who happens to look back and sees Dad's fiery glaze boring into him!  Jay's chest puffed out and he stepped behind Sarah blocking her view from the boy until they left the restaurant.  Whenever Sarah moved...Jay moved!

I told Sarah she was lucky that he didn't start beating his chest and yelling like a gorilla!

That poor girl will never have a date between her father and brothers!

 #4:  Speaking of sports/games

Jon played the humans vs. zombies game at his college last week.  Everyone that signs up, except for one lone zombie, is a human.  Humans wear a bandana on their arm outside their clothes...zombies wear them on their heads.  Anytime the "humans" are not in a class or building, they are fair game to be tagged by zombies.  If the humans are being chased and throw a balled up pair of socks at the zombie, it "stuns" them for 10 minutes so the human can get away.(Humans can also use nerf guns, too, but only after 6pm)

There were around 100 kids that played the game.  So, there were lots of paranoid students walking around that week trying not to get tagged.  By Thursday night, there were only around 20 humans left when they were given a special "mission" to find 3 balls hidden on the campus.  Jon, who was still a human at that point, actually had one of the balls in his hand when he was tagged.

Because he had one of the balls in his hand when tagged, he became a "super zombie".  (Meaning it would take 5 sock hits/nerf gun hits to stun him.)  

At first, he was really disappointed that he got tagged.  Until he got his first human early the next morning on his way to class!  I think he enjoyed being the hunter!  Since the game ended on Friday, Jon wasn't a zombie for long!

Zombie morning!

5:  New Doctor

My pcp moved out of the area, so I was faced with the dreaded task of finding a new doctor!  I met her yesterday and, at least so far, am super happy!  She is younger, has an infant and a toddler, loves kids and wants a large family, and is very kind.  

She thought it was great that I had a big family.(I left one practice years ago bc one of the NP's was openly derogatory at the number of kids we had and that I wasn't interested in using artificial birth control...and that was when I only had 4 kids!)

In fact, my new doctor even asked me if I was hoping to have more kids!  (Not in my plans....although my crazy husband would jump at the chance!  Hopefully, God likes me better!;)

6:  Luke's Suit

Jay's sister, Julie is getting married in 22 days!(as I've mentioned)  Two weeks ago, I shared the pics of Sarah and Ellie in their bridesmaid dresses.  On Monday night, Jay went to get sized for a tux and took Luke to be sized for a suit.  Luke is Julie's godson and is going to escort the flower girl down the aisle. (I'm really hoping that goes well!)

I asked Luke if he tried a suit on and he said, "Yes, it was black.  And the guy liked Legos when he was little, too!"

It's all about the toys!  Good thing he's cute!

#7:  Double Date!

My friend, Colleen, is giving a new babysitter a dry run.  So, while her son and Ellie are at youth group, us four adults are going to head out for a quick dinner!  Jay and I haven't been on a date in a loooong time!  So this should be fun!

Have a great weekend!

TBT...Fall Style

I'm a little late to the game, but it's still an hour and a half until Friday!  I can still sneak in a Throw Back Thursday pic!

This picture is Fall themed....taken at our local apple orchard before our annual apple picking excursion.

I'm pretty sure I used this picture on our Christmas cards that year.  This picture was taken in the Fall of 2008.  This is when we only had six children!  Little did we know that about 2 months later, we would find out about a little surprise that God had in store for us!(a.k.a. Luke, who would arrive 9 months later in 8/09)

Six years doesn't seem like a long time, but it sure makes a difference when you have children!  Sometimes I wish I could go back in time, just for a few minutes, to soak up those moments!  When kids are young, it feels like time goes by so slow.  And then one day, you realize just how much time has passed and you wish everything could just slow down!  (I haven't figured out a way to do that, yet!)

One of the blessings of having Luke and Kate is that we appreciate the every day moments more.  I'm more inclined to take each day in and savor it.  After all, their 6 ft.+ brothers in college were just  playing farm with their Fisher Price animals and making a zoo in their bedroom with their Beanie Babies...or so it seems.  

Okay...back to the present!  I've got to get myself to bed because morning comes early...and my middle of the night visitors never disappoint me!(insert eye roll here!)  

But, you know what, I don't mind it completely!  I have the inside knowledge that it won't last forever!  (At least I think it won't....Luke certainly is pushing the boundaries on just about every "record" in our house!  Longest to potty train, longest to sleep through the night, longest to sleep independently!)

I just keep telling myself that he certainly won't be in my bed when he's a teenager! 

So, good news, Honey!  I can guarantee that we will have our bedroom back to ourselves in no more than 7 years!.........Just in time for the grandchildren to start arriving!;)

Welcome, October!

Happy October, everyone!

October is one of my favorite months!(December is my other favorite!)

I just love the cooler weather that October typically brings.  That crisp Fall air that feels so good when you put on a comfy sweatshirt or sweater!  I love the apple picking we will do this month, the football Sundays....(but I did not like this week's football Monday!  Let's hope the Patriots can turn things around!), the beautiful leaves changing, our anniversary, and a bunch of great saint celebrations this month, too.

Today is one of the Church's heavy hitters, St. Therese of Lisieux.  St. Therese has a special place in our heart because our daughter, Therese, was conceived on her feast day after I had prayed to St. Therese for a baby girl.  Even though our Therese only lived a short time, I know that there were many special graces given to us during her short life through her namesake's intercession.

Tomorrow is the day we celebrate our Guardian Angels...and there are a few angels in particular in our family that must work some serious overtime!  Sarah in particular has always been drawn to the Guardian Angel Prayer, and now we are trying to teach Luke the prayer, too.

October 4th is St. Francis of Assisi's special day. 

Three big days just in the first week!  It sets the tone for this month that always brings a little extra happiness to my heart!

This year, there's a special family event happening at the end of October.  My sil, Julie, and her fiance, Tom, are getting married!  The countdown is on...24 days left until the new Mr. and Mrs. will take their vows!  

So exciting!

In other news, I'm working with Ellie and Luke's school principal to put together a book club for moms.  We are going to go through the Momnipotent study by Danielle Bean.  

What does Momnipotent mean you may ask?

Mom-nip-o-tent: (adj)

1. Possessing a certain special array of gifts, given by God and lived out in particular through the vocation of motherhood, that blesses the family and the world.
2. Having the ability to find lost socks, make dinner, break up fights, soothe tears, answer upwards of 1000 questions per day, and wipe noses like a ninja.

I read Momnipotent with my book club over the summer.  It was an easy read because it had short chapters and was very easy to relate to! 

When we picked it up this summer, I kept thinking what a great book it would be for a large group.  Us moms need some encouragement and a better perspective every once in a while.  (Of course, the time talking to other grown ups helps immensely, too!)

When I shared the book with our principal, who is also a mother of several school age children, she agreed and now I am on an adventure!  

Getting moms to take time out of their busy lives to focus on themselves is no easy task!  Hopefully, the letters being sent out inviting moms to join us will touch some hearts...and some gentle(or not so gentle!) nudges by the Holy Spirit will get moms to sign up!:)

We will see!  

I have to do some nudging myself!  Little did my book club friends know that when we happily read the book this summer, with all of our cherubs hurtling themselves around us, that I would be trying to enlist them to be small group leaders come Fall!  

Life is certainly never dull!  

Enjoy the first day of October....and keep your eyes peeled for roses from Heaven!:)