5 Minute Friday

I'm trying something new today!  It's a 5 Minute Friday "Flash Mob".  I write for 5 minutes on a one word prompt that is provided without pre-planning or trying to be all perfect.(Like that happens any other day anyway!...lol)  Jon is timing me...so here goes nothing!
Today's Word of the Day:

CHANGE:

I tend to not like change...I can deal with change if my favorite ice cream flavor is out and I have to choose another....that's about it!

Change feels like I have guzzled 3 large DD coffees at once....all jittery and crawling out of my skin and there's nothing I can do about it.

I wrestle and wrestle with change...with the occasional tantrums and frustration when I realize that denying change will happen is a futile effort.

Even good change is hard and requires extra energy and time...and usually money.  All of which we tend to be short of.

The only real change I like is buying new furniture or new clothes for my family...and occasionally for myself depending on how I'm doing with the body image demons that day!  But that takes money, too.(refer to last paragraph...)

I can do all things with God's grace...but sometimes I forget to ask.
STOP....5 minutes are up!

Also hooking up with Paloma @

Thankful Thursday

~Today I am thankful for a beautiful, sunny day.
~I am thankful for the love of my family and the inspiration of my friends.
~I am thankful for a loving, faithful  husband who is also my best friend.
~I am thankful for my children.
~I am thankful for my home.
~I am thankful that somehow we always make it through the week financially...even on the weeks there is                  more week than money!
~I am thankful that God always provides, especially when things don't go as we planned it.
~I'm thankful my husband is not a perfectionist and does not have OCD because I would be in SO much trouble as a house cleaner!
~I'm thankful that I am not the one in control, because God's plans are always better than mine.(Even when it doesn't seem that way at first...)
~I'm thankful for the chance to have another day to love and serve my family better and more fully.(Or at least try to!)

Timeout!

And today there are two.....two munchkins left at home that is.  Everyone is back at school except Mike, but he's working.  So, Kate and Luke are my companions today.

After everyone else left this morning, I shut off the tv.  Kate was nursing and Luke was playing with his trains on the floor.  Except for his occasional toddler chatter, it was so quiet!

Honestly, it was delightful!  I miss my other kids and love having them home...but a break from all the chaos is really nice, too.

Luke and I read for a little while, then he helped me switch a laundry load and we headed outside.  Kate loves crawling around outside!  Luke wanted to play in the dirt and "make roads" with his trucks.(surprise, surprise!)  We pretended to be excavators and tow trucks, and then we ran around the yard several times at Luke's suggestion.

It amazes me that Luke has such a great imagination and understands so many different concepts already.  He wanted me to chase him and when I was almost ready to grab him he called, "time out" with a giant grin.  Then, after a 10 second pause, he yelled "time in" and took off running again.

It surprised me that he understood that concept as a newbie 3 year old!

It also reminded me of Jon.  Jon was a little older...probably 5 or 6.  Jon used to be a sore loser so he would make up his own rules in games that worked to his advantage.  For example, one day he was playing baseball in the yard with Mike, Andrew, and my dad.  Jon hit the ball and my dad was just about to tag him with the ball when Jon yelled out, "Timeout!  This is a "no tag zone!","and he gestured with his hand to include the area all around him.  It was funny!

When Luke yelled "timeout!"  it brought me back to all those years ago!  It's funny how a similarity can transport you so quickly back to the past!

And So It Continues....

Two more kids off to school today.  Peter started his program and Andrew started his first day of senior year!  Yikes!  How did that happen?

I can't help thinking about Andrew's first year of school.  Andrew went to preschool at our parish school.  To say that he was excited about school would be a lie.  Andrew was a quiet and more introverted kid.  We always called him our little professor...very smart and serious.  When Andrew started wearing glasses when he was 6, it just completed the nickname:)

He did not enjoy noise.....at all.(Kind of ironic that God put him in our family, huh?!?)  The first day of school, Andrew's seat was at a table with a set of triplets.  They were all crying.  Loudly.  Poor Andrew was overwhelmed.

Andrew had a great teacher and a nice class, but he did not enjoy preschool.  He never cried about going.  But he always walked into school looking like he was walking into prison.  It was so sad.

Halfway through the year, Andrew's teacher had a baby and was out for 2 months.  That was hard on Andrew, too.

I remember walking Andrew to class one day during the winter.  He told me he didn't want to go to school.  I told him he had to go to school to learn.  "I can learn from books," came the answer from the child that taught himself to read.

I told Andrew he needed his teachers.  Andrew answered, "You can be my teacher, Mommy.  Besides, I already know how to stand in line!"

...out of the mouths of babes:)

Thankfully, Andrew does not feel the same way about high school as he did about pre-school.  Andrew is still quiet and serious....but he has grown tremendously in his involvement in school and church groups and activities.  

I can't believe he is a senior!  I'm so not ready to do this again!

And So It Begins....

Today is the end of summer vacation for Sarah and Ellen.  Andrew and Peter start tomorrow and Jon starts Wednesday.  Mike has a slightly longer reprieve since he starts after Labor Day.

The morning definitely has that Fall feel, though by lunchtime it will feel like a warm summer day.

Reaching this day leaves me with some sadness.  Sarah starts her first day of the last year of middle school.  I am definitely in denial about that.  Ellie is excited about 4th grade and seeing all of her friends again.  I will miss having my girls home, though.  Lukie will miss his playmates.....he calls them "my girls", too.  Luke loves his big sisters!

Tonight, Kate said "da da" for the first time.  Actually....she said it for the first, second, third and fourth time...and each time it was directed only to Jay.

"Da da" melted!

A much needed boost to a tough day for Jay.  His newest little girl has him as wrapped as Ellie and Sarah:)

Summer Moments

I think I'm cherishing this weekend more than I have any other weekend this summer.  Because it's the last weekend before school starts I want every moment to soak in and last as long as it can.

This afternoon, Jay and I took Peter, Ellie, Kate and Luke in the pool.  It is such the perfect day here today! Jay was making a whirlpool with Ellie and Luke, Peter was playing on the swings, and I was sitting on the edge with my feet in the water with Kate on my lap.  I was just soaking in the sunshine and enjoying our backyard.  You know....one of those peaceful moments when you are just thankful to be present and alive and full of joy.

As I sat there trying to absorb every moment  of our time together I considered....did I do enough of this "just being" and living in the moment this summer.  It just felt so good!

I asked Jay, "Did we have enough of these moments this summer?  Did we take enough time to "just be" and enjoy the special moments of summer and this particular time in each of our kids' lives?"

Why is it, as moms, that we always wonder if we did, or are, enough?  Were there enough happy moments, or enough time together, or did everyone feel enough love?

Or maybe that's just me!?!

Jay's answer to my question?  "We had a great summer!  You are a really good mom."  (Awww...what a good husband!:)

Maybe it felt so complete and special because it's the last weekend.  Maybe since there is no pressure for "what do we do later" or "needing to plan more" that it was easier to "just be".

Whatever the reason, I am grateful for today and our time together.

Seeing summer come to an end is definitely bittersweet!

We Made It To Friday....Barely!

Friday...Friday...We made it to Friday!

It has felt like such.a.long.week!  Tough to come off of a vacation week and dive into the get ready for school, high school sports begin, a last minute pool party for Ellie and all the other craziness that goes on in a house with 8 kids!

For a little added craziness, Jay woke me up this morning telling me that Andrew hurt his wrist playing two hand touch football last night with his friends.  It turns out that Andrew tripped and fell on his wrist, but it wasn't bothering him all that much when he got home last night.  He retreated to his room without telling us about the incident.  At 1am the pain woke him up.  He tried icing it for a while but woke Jay up around 2 because it hurt so much.  Jay, who is also a physical therapist, gave him ibuprofin and wrapped it in an Ace bandage.  Jay's guess was that it was broken.

After 2 hours in the orthopedist office late this morning, his guess was confirmed.  Andrew had a "partial fracture" in his right wrist...and yes, he is right handed....and, yes, school does start next week so hopefully it will heal quickly because he will be doing a lot of note writing this year.(And his handwriting is tough enough to read with his dominant hand!)

The good news is that he can still run cross country with the splint on.  Cross Country is Andrew's favorite sport so we are SO relieved that he will not miss any of it.  Especially since this is his senior year!

Oh boy, this week has been challenging!  It isn't quite over yet, either, since I have a meeting at the girls' school tonight.

I'm looking forward to a not so crazy weekend(at least so far), with a good mix of socializing and quiet time! Hoping for a nice day Sunday to head to the beach for a while, and maybe a trip to our favorite local ice cream shop, to celebrate the last day of summer for Sarah and Ellie before they start school on Monday.

Hope you all have a great weekend, too!