Frank's fast fact:

Now preparing for preschool, this little guy is just FULL of fabulous factoids.
Today he blurted this out of nowhere:

"Jesus definitely does not pee his pants anymore!"

(but apparently did at some point?)
I'm still snickering.

I'm tellin ya, he's so full of it...'Frank's Fast Fact' may become a regular "column" in this here blog.

a letter to my angel

My dear little Cy,
It's hard to believe you'd be two already! In many ways it seems like just yesterday...
It's true that time does heal, but it certainly doesn't let us forget. Yesterday you were heavy on my mind. God slipped you into my thoughts several times throughout the day...what a gift. Your big brother John was filling out his paper "All About Me" in his religion class and on the part where he had to write how many people are in his family...he wrote 14. He always counts you. Sometimes when I see or hear him counting you it makes me feel uncomfortable, like there's something I need to explain. I'm sorry if you know that. He's so right, and I'm wrong. I realize that now. Because you do count baby boy! Forever will there be a place in my heart for you just as sure as there's a place for your eleven brothers and sisters here with me. There is joy in being assured that some day I will get to know you better...in heaven, when we're both with Jesus. I hope he's keeping you good company...I'm sure he is. And Grandma Alice too. I bet she loves knowing you and being Grandma to you there...it's important for you to be there for her too, cause I bet she misses lovin on all her grandbabies.
Yesterday afternoon as your other Grandma and I were moving furniture and cleaning, we moved the angel statue from on top the tv over the the fireplace. It looks so good there now. Grandma asked where the pretty angel came from and I said your name..."It was for Cy." Just like that I said your name...not in prayer, like usual...but in conversation. And saying it like that felt good...and real...and painful too. All that hurt of losing you came back. But that's okay, so I was so glad to remember that you're still there for me. My little boy. I love you. And I thank God for the gift of you, even though I never got to unwrap it. The gift of holding you will wait. And oh what a gift that will be someday. We must be patient though... I have all these gifts here who need their mama too.
In the mean time...I love you. Say hi to Grandma, and Jesus, and all our friends there.
I love you Cy,
Mom

prayers to st. joseph

Okay, so I'm pretty sure I failed to mention that over the summer we stuck one of these in our yard...

(sorry 'bout that. It seems I really let things slip here on the blog.)

Anyhow. This morning I got the call from the realtor's office that someone wanted to come thru today. (Yay!! WOoohoo! Cartwheels, Bring on the buyers!) And then reality set in as I scanned the kitchen counter top full of school papers, walls covered with "homeschool" art projects, tv room pouring with toys. And that was just what I could see while I stood sipping coffee in my jammies chatting with the receptionist on the other end of the phone. Oh my. "Today?! Seriously? Ummm...yes, that'd be great."

Needless to say, a cold beer and a pizza ordered out (to eat at my parents...cause we had to be out of our house at dinner time) tasted Damn good this evening!

It was a mad dash of picking up, dusting, and doing anything we could to make our lovely little home sparkle. I tell ya. Whew...I'm exhausted. I'm praying (as often as I can think of him) to our Dear Saint Joseph for his intercession on the sale of this humble abode...soon. Not lovin' the last minute scramble to get ready for "showings." Would love your prayers with us on this. God Bless!

s.p.d.

(Can you tell that John got a cell phone...and we're texting more?! I'm all about abbreviations, and shortened phrases. s.p.d. That's my lingo for school picture day.)

See the young'ns here at home want to be doing all the same cool stuff that the big kids do at school, so today they fancied up (i.e. washed the lunch off their face without my nagging) and begged for a home-school picture day. (Okay...I don't really home-school...I won't even pretend to be equipped to know how to do that...but we call coloring, and cutting/pasting, and sorting skittles by color into little cups "homeschool." And everyone's happy.)

So anyways...kids wanted home-school pictures. 'Cept there's one problem...I stink at photography...and my camera stinks even worse than me. So it went something like this...

lets see...that's my big foot and Anne's tiny too-cute toesies. Apparently not as well balanced as I first thought...

oh, but this is a little better...or at least it would have been if my camera took the picture when I pressed the God-forsaken button. What's with the seven minute delay?!

there's that dang delay again! Get back here Annie!!!!

"What do you mean the sun's in your eyes?!"

Work with me, Frank!

Yep...go ahead...eat that mulch...I can wait. (probably need a little more fiber in your diet anyway.) No really...it's okay. AhhhhhH!!!!!!!!

Aaarggghhh. The frustration of it all. Seriously.

Okay, luckily...not so seriously.

We regrouped...laughed a little...and came out with some good ones. Maybe not school yearbook worthy...but perfectly imperfect for this (not-so) homeschoolin' momma of many!

There's my Frank-o! (hold the ketchup, heavy on the CHEESE!)

And Rose...what's not to love about that laugh (and the thumb-suckin' gap in her teeth! Yumm!)

Oh, and Princess Lucy...why yes...she would LOVE to have your vote for Prom Queen!





This belly laughter is priceless...better than any posed smile I nearly hurt myself trying to capture! Love you Annie!!!

and of course...every class needs a couple of clowns...pictures are so much better when we're "dressed up" for them!

first day of school pics

(better late than never, right?!)

Sam (5th gr.), Emma & Alice (6th gr.), Grace (3rd), Mary & John (2nd), Charlie (kind.)

In just a couple weeks Frank and Rose will head off to preschool.

Meeting up with some of the neighbor kids to head off for their first day.

(Rosie was the only young one to venture out in her pajamas to see them off.)

Later that same day, the rest of the crew posed with Charlie just before we walked with him for his first day of afternoon kindergarden.

sunday night laundry scramble

I mentioned last week that I'm taking a "hands off" laundry approach to our quieter school days in an attempt to fully enjoy time with these little ones. Yep, that was just silly. Don't get me wrong, our days at home without the "big kids" has been dreamy...games, puzzles, snuggly books, bike rides, all the good stuff!! But after a few days of school, a crazy-busy weekend of football, shopping, extended-family dinner, late night campfires with 'smores, church, and hiking at Brukner Nature Center...I'm reminded this evening by 4 young ladies that...
"Mom!!! Tomorrow's picture day! What are we supposed to wear?!" (the boys could've cared less...actually they hoped I'd forget.)

Oh Lord. Help me.

So it's midnight, and I'm just wrapping up laundry. Fortunately, I've kept the washer/dryer running daily. It's just the fold/put-away piece of the equasion that I'd been neglecting. It's all done now, though.

This week, in addition to coloring and shape-sorting, I'll be teaching home-ec/laundry education in our tiny tot home school. No more waiting till there are mounds to put away. Mama needs her beauty sleep.

g'night all. and God Bless!

so BUSTED!

(and lovin' it!)

"Who me? (innocently holding her little foot up) It wasn't me mom!"

as school begins...

I'm attempting to make blogging routine again. But, as you know I'm a little out of practice, so bare with me. For now I'll give you a "yes...what she said!" post. Why reinvent the wheel?!

As I scanned a couple of my favorite reads this morning, I came across this post written by G~ at her Momastery blog. She writes a thousand times more eloquently than I ever could...and shared this most awesome post about recognizing our kids treasures/gifts that MUST be read/shared by as many as possible.

AMEN, I say to her. AMEN!

Please take the couple minutes to read it...grab a few tissues first...it's beee-ute-i-iful!

BTS

That's Back To School...back to business...back to alarm clocks, and homework, and snack-packing, gym shoe reminders, milk money, lunch accounts, practice schedules and other after-school where-a-bouts, clothes picked out and lined up before bed...oh, and bedtimes for heaven sakes! Bedtimes...before dark. Oh, the horror!

Admittedly though, despite the necessary evils that come with it...we're genuinely excited about the start of a new school year. I feel "accomplished" when I'm dressed and coffee'd up before 7:30. I can't say that was true...EVER...during the summer months. Early bird is just not in my nature. But its a good change. The kids were ready to bust out the front door this morning, and greet the neighbors who were gathering outside for first-day pictures. All of them excited to meet their new teachers, and sniff fresh notebooks...and sharpen pencils...and place that first doodle on their crisp folders.

A new beginning. An ending too. Funny how life keeps us moving along...ready or not. Now seven backpacks lined up on the window seat in the kitchen. Seven. SEVEN! That makes me pause and count again. Yep. Seven. That's just 4 left at home...for a couple more weeks until Frank and Rose line their backpacks up for the start of preschool. Oi.

What will Lucy and Anne and I do those quiet afternoons? (lots of folks ask me...) With all that quiet? What will we do? "Soak it up!" I say. Hopefully with lots of books, and snuggles, and games, and whatever it is we can do to enjoy these days ahead. We will talk and dance and laugh and sing...I hope EVERYDAY! Cause just yesterday...there were only two backpacks lined up...and now there are SEVEN, soon to be NINE. And I don't want to blink...I want to enter this "quiet" school year with my eyes wide open...hands far removed from the temptations of laundry and dishes...and SOAK UP those couple hours of quiet with my babies here at home. In all the hustle and bustle of our daily life, I've come to be certain of a couple things...God's love for me is everlasting...and time is not. Make the most of each. (oh...and no diaper is truly leak-proof, no matter what the label claims.) Of these things I can be sure.

Happy back-to-school year everyone! Soak it up, and God Bless!