Hooray, It's the Weekend!

I am so excited to arrive at the weekend!  I am soooo looking forward to some down time!

Here's the weekly wrap up...it's been a crazy one!

1.  Me Time

I have been trying to make exercise a more regular part of my life!  I'm also using the Livestrong app to keep an eye on my calorie intake.  I did well for two weeks then backslid a little last week.  This week I was re-determined with my goal to lose some weight before my sil's wedding in six weeks.  I made up all the ground this week that I lost last week so I'm heading in the right direction!

2.  Teeth

Luke is completely fine after his adventures at the oral surgeon on Tuesday!  No more pain!  He was very excited that the tooth fairy visited our house...and I was very excited that it didn't take a week for the tooth fairy to remember to visit our house!

3.  Summer's Last Hurrah

After last week's hot and steamy weather that had the kids feeling like they were being cooked in their classrooms(!), this week brought some beautiful, comfortable sunshine!  Even though it was freezing, Luke still wanted to go in the pool!  (And, of course, whatever Luke wants to do Kate wants to do!) 

I think we will be closing it up this weekend.....  

To our pool:  Thanks for the summer of 2014 memories!  

4.  New Fridge!

Our new fridge, dubbed "the water fridge" by Kate and Luke, arrived yesterday!  It is really big...the delivery guys had to remove our front door and the doors of the fridge to get it in!  I fit all of our fridge items it it with two half shelves to spare!  The real test will be on grocery shopping day!  Hopefully, I will no longer dread trying to figure out how to stuff all our groceries in the fridge!  Ahh...freedom!  (Hey, when you're a SAHM, it's the little things that count!)

Look at all that extra room!

5.  Minor Remodel

With the addition of our new fridge comes some design issues that Jay and I need to conquer.  We need to figure out what type of cabinets will look best around the fridge so it looks like it is part of the kitchen...not just a giant fridge on the wall!  Our former fridge was built into a wall, so Jay is going to turn the empty space into a pantry closet for some much needed space!(Yay!)

 We also need to figure out how we want to extend the island so that the kitchen will feel like one big space...(a garbage cabinet is part of that design!  I.can't.wait!)...but that means we will also need new counter tops.  That will have to wait for tax return season.(Hopefully!)  The lighting will also need to be changed and the plan is also to add a couple of windows for some much needed nature light. Whew....lots on the to do list.  It's going to be a slightly dragged out process.....but hopefully not too long!(famous last words, right!?!)  

6.  Independent Sleeping...Maybe?

So, if you've been around my blog you know that my kiddos are not the best sleepers!(huge understatement!)  Well, lately we have started a bedtime routine with Luke to get him more independent.  After potty and teeth brushing, one of us reads him a book in his "bed"(a mattress on the floor next to our bed), and then he falls asleep by himself in the room.  Luke has done a great job with this...never coming out to wheedle more time!  He had still been waking up around 11...not really awake but crying and disoriented.  Whenever I tried to help him settle, he would just cry off and on in that half awake state for an hour until I just gave up and brought him into my bed.(I'm just desperate for sleep---any sleep---and for him not to wake up the whole house!)

Well....the last two nights he hasn't done the 'half awake fuss' until after midnight and both times I gave him water and he went right back to sleep in his 'bed'.  The first night he slept until 5 and then crawled up into bed with me and went back to sleep until 6:30.  Last night he only lasted in his bed until 3...but that's still progress!  Here's to hoping a "normal" sleep pattern is on the horizon!

7.  Figuring It Out(I Hope)

In case you missed it, last weekend I wrote an emotional post about working through the complex emotions of kids growing up and changing called The Art of Letting Go.  With three young men on the verge of adulthood and close to living independently, it's not always easy figuring out the new ways we relate....(or to let go of the old ways!)  I'm grateful to still have my little ones that are always ready to snuggle...at least for now!  Of course, by the time Luke and Kate aren't interested in spending time cuddling with me, I bet I will have grandbabies to snuggle!

  

#benefitsofhavingalargefamily

Have a great weekend!

Adventures in Oral Surgery Land!

Today was an up and early day...Luke had a really bad cavity in one of his teeth and needed to have it removed by the oral surgeon.  I have been prepping him for a week on what to expect and what to do.(Drink the medicine, watch cartoons, open your mouth for the dentist, and sit still so he can wiggle your 'sleeping tooth' out.)

I was a little stressed.  Thankfully, Jay was able to come with me for the appointment.  Luke really did a great job.  He drank all the medicine even though he clearly didn't like it.  (After each of the 20 little sips it took for him to finish it he made a very funny face and shook his head...but he never complained!)

Watching the meds take effect was comical.  He just started sliding around with a super goofy smile on his face.  To say he was relaxed was an understatement!  It worked, though, because the doctor didn't need to use the nitrous(which saved us $110...thank-you, Luke!)  Luke was super cooperative, barely complained except for the moment the tooth came out(bc there were all kinds of hands holding him in one place, not from pain!), and was a real trooper!

Jay had to carry him to the car.(Another great reason he was there!)  Luke was still so loopy that he couldn't sit up straight in his booster seat.  I sat next to him on the way home and helped to hold him up while Jay drove.

Luke was so upset on the way home.  Poor little guy was all confused over the way the meds made him feel.  He kept crying that we were going home because he didn't think the doctor had taken out his tooth!

Some of the funnier moments:

While sitting against me with his head on my arm in the car:
Luke:  You're not even my mom!
Me:  Of course I am, silly.
Luke:  No, I can't even see you!
Me:(moving forward so he could see my face) It's me!
Luke: Oh

I had a roll of paper towels in my lap on the way home for the drool/blood/tears/fear of vomit...
Luke: Why do you have three legs?

When Jay brought Luke in the house:
Luke: Daddy, why do you have three eyes?

While Luke was resting watching the Lego Movie:
Luke:(giggling) Look, Mommy, there are two Emmets!
(that happened multiple times during the first 2/3 of the movie!)

I should have video taped it and showed it to him when his was a teenager...
"And this is why you shouldn't drink too much alcohol or do drugs!"

By the time the Lego Movie was over, Luke could walk on his own without falling down! (Ahh...progress!:)

He had a perfectly normal afternoon with lots of time in the sandbox and even a lunch treat from Pa.
Luke is showing everyone the tooth...cavity and all!

Here's hoping for a nice, boring rest of the week!

Weekend Wrap Up

Why is it that weekends always go by so darn fast!

If you got a chance to read my post from Saturday, you already know that my weekend started with lots of emotion!  (Everyone needs a good cry now and again, right?)

On Sunday, the girls sans Ellie, because she was a little under the weather, went to my sister-in-law's bridal shower.  It all went very smoothly and everyone had a good time.  My sister-in-law, Julie, looked so happy!  My mother-in-law did a wonderful job putting it all together!  The cake and decorations were all homemade by her and looked beautiful.  It was nice to meet Julie's future in-laws, who were all very nice and extremely happy themselves to be welcoming Julie into their family.

Sunday was also the opening game of football season for the Patriots.  As I've mentioned in the past, our house is pretty full of Patriot fan-atics!  In fact, my mother-in-law is the biggest fan out of everyone so I was pretty shocked that Julie's shower was planned for a Sunday!  (Turns out that she didn't check the game schedule before she booked the hall.  When Julie started opening her gifts, my mil jokingly called out, "Hurry up, 15 minutes until kick-off!";)  

Unfortunately, at least the second half of the Pat's game would have been good to miss.  They played terrible in the second half and ended up losing...which always puts a small dark cloud over the men in my family!

Jay had some extra frustration when he decided to fix the leaky kitchen sink while I was gone to the shower.  It's one of those things that should be a quick fix but always ends up taking more time then you think.  It didn't help that the new part he picked up at Home Depot looked the same but wasn't quite right.:(  He got it put (mostly) back together, and hopefully we can get the right part this week to completely stop the leak....but it's better then before at least!

The day ended well...dinner, then a walk for Jay and I together, and just all sitting on the couch watching Wipeout.

I think if there was a do-over, Jay would have just left the sink dripping!
(I'm sure Tom Brady wishes he could have a do-over, too!;)

On the bright side, we are getting a new fridge this week!  My parents very generously offered to buy us one...I think they felt bad that half of our fridge is held together by duct tape and really way too small for all the groceries we buy.  So our 21 cu.ft. capacity fridge is being replaced by a 31.6 cu ft. capacity fridge with a bottom freezer and french doors.  I.can't.wait!

Luke's favorite part is that it's a "water fridge"!

Putting in a bigger fridge means changing around the kitchen and dining room.  (There are always projects happening around our house!)  I will get some before and after pics to share later in the week once the fridge arrives....and once I clean the house so I won't be embarrassed to show you the before and after pics!

Happy Monday!

The Art of Letting Go

Entering into the stage of young adulthood is a really challenging time for parents.  It's not easy to see your kids grow up in a lot of ways.  Decisions become bigger, consequences can be life-altering, and having less and less control takes a lot of getting used to.  Letting go....praying and hoping they make good choices....learning when to give advice and when to just listen(and bite your tongue!)...it's all kind of emotionally exhausting.

After all, we have spent our whole lives loving, protecting, and raising these children that God has given to us.  All those long days and sleepless nights and worries over whether they were eating the right way, doing well in school, had the right friends, (and so on because the list is probably endless) all of a sudden have a shelf life!  Those little ones with tiny fingers and toes are now as tall as, or bigger than us!

These new young adults, so excited to jump into their quickly expanding lives full of seemingly endless possibilities, can't seem to understand why us parents aren't as quick to show excitement about all this impending change!  I know that it's hard for me to balance the joy to see my children turning into young men and women with the ache in my heart over what their growing up and out means for me.

Right now, it's Jon who has jumped with both feet into his post high-school life.  Starting college, working, meeting new friends, joining different clubs, thinking about doing a semester abroad in Germany(it's so far away with so much turmoil happening in the world!).....lots of new opportunities that are happening at lightning speed!  I am excited to see what plans God has for his life.  (Mike and Andrew's, too!)  But, it's a challenge to embrace all the change and realize that we have reached a point of no return with our three oldest children....and Sarah's not far behind.  (Oh, Lord, please give us strength!)

Mom's spend so much time carrying our children and being there to guard them as they learn to navigate the world on their own.  Being sidelined to the role as cheerleader is not an easy transition.

You may wonder, Jon, why it seems that it's so hard for me to "let go".

Well, that's because to us....

You will always be that baby that I pulled close to me as you gave your first cry and I said, "It's ok.  Mommy's here.", as tears threatened to roll down your father's face.

You will always be that toddler with the mischievous look in your eye making your older brothers scream as you toddled away with their toy cow.

You will always be that little boy that crawled into bed and twirled my hair while you went back to sleep.

You will always be that little two year old with a sweet voice so full of happiness after a two days away from you after the birth of your first sister as you found me sleeping in my bed, "Mama you home!".

You will always be that little boy that gently touched my cheeks and said softly, "Mama I want you be happy.", as I grieved 14 days later when that sister went home to God.

You will always be the snuggler.....quick to hug.....the full of energy child that was quick to love and quicker to tease.

You will always be the boy that hated to lose so much that you made up your own rules mid-game.

You will always be the boy that I spent several sleepless nights with because of the pain of a broken collar bone.

You will always be the preteen that was always chatting with friends....serving so reverently at the alter....and not afraid to show and share a faith that is as much a part of you as we are.

You will always be the teenager that was ....driving around in the 'Bishi'... obsessed with pizza from Riccardi's....filled with big dreams to travel...and always trying to coordinate get togethers because you could never spend too much time with your friends

When you look in the mirror and see the confident, outgoing, handsome young man that you have become.....

.....know that when I see you the image is layered.

I am so proud of the confident, outgoing, handsome young man that I clearly see.  But....my heart sees the newborn, the infant, the toddler, the pre-schooler, the elementary school boy, the pre-teen, and the teenager all at the same time.

That's why it's so hard for moms and dads to let go.....

We will continue to love, support and pray for you.  We will all work through the changes and learn to adjust to the new ways we will relate to each other as you keep spreading your wings and make your world broader and wider as you begin all the adventures God has in store for you.

We are figuring out all the changes just like you are!

I know that part of the definition of successful parenting is working ourselves out of a job.  I just can't say that I'm enjoying it all that much right now.  Change is hard!

But....watching my sons growing into independent, successful young men is priceless.

(Just remember, boys, that even though you might not need me much as time goes on, I still need you!)


(Thank God for girlfriends to share a drink with!  Bring on the wine coolers...well, cooler....my friends all know I'm a cheap date!  I have no alcohol tolerance after all those years being pregnant and nursing!)

Sooo Glad It's Friday!

So....here we are at Friday again!  That went by fast!  Joining up with Jen bc it's the Friday thing to do!

#1:  School For All

Well....almost.  Kate is still with me and I'm in no rush for her to be anywhere else!  

Luke started pre-school this week and Jon started at UMass so everyone that is supposed to be in school has begun!  If you didn't catch the cute pics of Luke on his first day, (yeah, I know I'm biased!), click on over and check them out.:)

It's been quiet mornings here with just the two of us and I'm enjoying the time.  I don't think I will ever catch up on all the cleaning/organizing I am behind on....but I'm trying!  

#2:  Reasons To Clean

I started on our bedroom because sooner or later this month we will probably be doing some room switcheroos to try and figure out the best combos for sleeping.  Ten bucks Luke and Kate still end up in my bed for the next several months...or years:/....but we are trying!

(do you see a theme developing out of nowhere!)

#3: Ch..Ch..Changes

(stolen from my friend, Colleen)

There's been a lot of that around here lately.  Mike and Andrew have, so far, been adjusting well to school and life on their own.  I have gotten almost daily texts from both of them...and a few phone calls from Mike.  I'm glad they are doing well.

And to anyone who was wondering, I did not need the tissues when I dropped off Andrew.  My heart was a little heavy and there were some tears in my eyes, but that's where they stayed.  (That may have been because of the texts Jon kept sending Jay while we were helping Andrew settle in, "Has mom started crying yet?"....or that Andrew whispered to Jay as we were leaving, "Text me when mom starts crying!"  It triggered my competitive side!)

#4:  On the Subject of Change....

Sarah had early am volleyball practice on the morning Andrew moved to Assumption.  He was sleeping when she was ready to leave so I told her to go wake him up to say goodbye.  She came out of the room crying a little but had to head out to practice.  A few minutes after Sarah left, Andrew walked out sleepily from his room...

Me: You made your sister cry.

Andrew:  Yeah, she almost made me cry, too...waking me up so early.

Ugh...boys. So much for sentiment!    

#5:  New Family Dynamics

With Andrew and Mike both gone, things feel a lot different around here.  The positives are that we can slurp and sing all we want without irritating Andrew. And the little kids don't have to worry about being quiet if Mike's in one of his "why do little kids have to be so loud" moods. :)  

But it feels really strange around here.  Jon has been out a lot, too, between school, friends, and clubs with a little karate thrown in!  I don't think that Jon is loving the changes too much either, though.  As much as he has always grown up in the shadow of two older brothers that are so close in age, having them gone leaves a lot of emptiness around here.  I don't think he's loving being the oldest child in the house....(it has popped the bubble of all those times his brothers drove him crazy and he dreamed of being the oldest!)

Sarah feels a little lost with all her big brothers gone/or busy.  I think she's feeling a little left behind....although she is pretty busy herself with a challenging school schedule and volleyball practice/games!

Actually, I'm the biggest loser since I've lost all my helpers in one fell swoop!

#6:  Surgery Success

Thanks for all of the prayers for my mom!  She had knee replacement surgery on Tuesday and is doing fabulous!  She has very little pain, even without the painkillers!  She was doing so well that she came home a day early and very much enjoyed sleeping in her own bed.  Hospitals are no place to rest! (That's why, whenever I have a baby, one of the first things I say after he/she is born is "Start the clock, I'm leaving in 24 hours!")

#7:  Hanging Out

Luke, Kate and I were just hanging out yesterday afternoon.  They were playing and being cute, which was great since I was feeling kind of lousy.  I had that urge to grab the camera and take some of those everyday shots of little ones whose faces are changing right before my eyes!  Here's my favorite.....

I'm thinking this one might have to go on canvas for our picture wall!  My baby is growing up!  It's just not right how fast they grow!

I hope you have a great weekend full of lots of everyday moments!

The Last First Day!

Today was the grand finale of over a week of first days of school for our family!  Luke started pre-school today.  It felt a little anticlimactic after all of the craziness of last week's first days, including moving Andrew and Mike into college over the weekend.(more on that later in the week)

After all, Luke's only a mile down the road for 3 hours every weekday morning!  After having kids move out for the whole semester, it feels like small potatoes!

Luke had mixed emotions about going back to school.  One minute he would be really excited and want to to "go to pre school right now!".....and other times he would say he wanted to just stay home because he would miss me.  Aww...

(So glad I'm writing this down so that when he's a teenager and wants nothing to do with me I can remember it wasn't always that way!)


For now...he's still my little boy!

Here he is all ready for school with a nice haircut courtesy of Pa!

Kate wanted in on the action!

Kate loving her brother:)

Luke with my nephew Brayden...they are in the same class this year:)

 ...Of course, they can be quite the handful together!  This picture probably catches their personalities a little better!  Silly, mischievous smiles and darting eyes!

Giving each other a high 5...
of course, Luke got in trouble for talking to Brayden within 5 minutes of being in the classroom!

I'm happy to report that, at pick up time, they both got good reports from the teacher.  (They aren't sitting at the same table together in the class, which is a good thing!)

In other exciting news...

My mom had knee replacement surgery this morning.  Everything went well, thank you, God!  She will now begin the road to recovery and therapy to get that knee ready to run!  Well...walk.  My sister is the only runner in my family!

Thanks to everyone for the prayers!

Welcome to September!

(Although outside it feels like the middle of a July heat wave and all the kids are baking in their classrooms!)  Well, at least it will give us one last hurrah for the pool before we close it up until next summer!

Wow that went by fast!

A Week of Firsts

Quick Take Friday....I apologize in advance if it sounds a little whiny!  I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now!

1. New Beginnings

This week, Ellie started middle school on Monday, Peter on Tuesday and Sarah on Wednesday.  Sarah made the J.V. volleyball team so she has practice every day and I've been working out a car pool with a couple of other moms.  It's been overwhelming getting these three started and making sure the kids starting next week have everything they need!

2. Moving Away

The next child up is Andrew.  Saturday am we will be making the drive to deliver him to Assumption.  I think he has everything he needs.  (Special thanks to my mom and dad for helping with Andrew and Mike's school supplies and Sarah's books!)  

Andrew is looking forward to school.  I'm nervous for him...but I'm sure he will settle in and do great.  I'm sad for myself...one more baby bird spreading their wings in the process of leaving the nest.  It's a very bittersweet feeling watching them grow and step out into new adventures while stepping out of the home we have spent years trying to nurture them in! 

Change is hard....but it's all good. 

(That will be my mantra as I cry on the way home from Assumption tomorrow!) 

3.  More Moving Away

On Monday, I will be helping Mike move into Assumption.  Jay and I were both supposed to do it until his boss reminded him yesterday that Monday is his holiday to work.  Grr!   August was a rough month with way too much planned on the weekends for Jay and the older kids and not much summer fun for me and the littles left behind.  Last weekend, Jay had to work, too.:( So, even though we are making 2 trips to Worcester, I was really looking forward to a long weekend.  Sigh.....

I think it will be less emotional to move Mike in since I've already done it last year.  He's in apartment style living this year, which he is looking forward to.  I should be able to say a quick hello at least to Andrew, too.  Then, they will be on their own until family weekend at the end of September when we plan on visiting them.

4.  Also On Monday....

Jon has freshman orientation on Monday and Tuesday.  He is excited to start his new adventure!  I'm glad he will be close to home, even though he will be busy and not around much!

5.  Another First Day

Luke starts pre-school on Tuesday morning.  Just this week he has finally started to get a little excited for school.  That's a positive!  He's still going to do half days.  I'm hoping this extra year in pre-school, which we decided he needed since he is a very young 5 and only makes the cut off by a couple of weeks, will give him the time he needs to mature a little more and better able to handle the work load next year in kindergarten!

6.  Surgery

On Tuesday, my mom is having knee replacement surgery.  This is adding a little extra chaos to the already chaotic two weeks of new school year and sports schedules!  If you could say a prayer that the surgery goes well and the recovery is as quick and as painless as possible I would appreciate it!

7.  He Said

Andrew:  Someday, If I'm excessively rich, I'm going to buy a herd of goats.  All of them will be fainting goats except for one screaming goat.  This way, the screaming goat will startle the fainting goats and they will all fall down!

Jon and Sarah:  hahaha....you know that's 'going on the blog'.

Andrew: Put it on the blog...I don't care.:)

....and so I did!

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone!:)