"...And the view I love the most,
Is my front porch looking in." ~Lonestar

So to get beyond the stinky weather...I'll tell you about what's been going on inside.

Our youngest pumpkin is trying to walk. Anne's been cruising around furniture for awhile now. Suddenly that's not enough, as she attempts to brave walking on her own. She's taken 2 or 3 steps unassisted a handful of times now. I love holding her little hand in mine and walking laps around the kitchen. Sometimes she's so full of herself, head high--nose in the air, she can't help but fall down giggling. Too cute. And growing too fast. Can't believe she's turning one next week already!

And our oldest...well, I failed to mention that she broke her thumb last week when she toppled out of the swing in our backyard. Without any fanfare. No witnesses, barely any sympathy. Poor thing. We brushed it off for a couple days as "just badly bruised/sprained" but took her in for an x-ray, and found it to be broken. Fortunately she didn't need it "set" or require any surgery. I took her to Dayton for a cast, and will recheck after 3 weeks. She inspires me with the way she gets along so well. She's still managing to practice guitar and flute (despite her casted "hitch-hiker" thumb and forearm.) She hasn't stopped helping brush and style little sisters' hair. Her quiet perserverance and strength is humbling. And so not me. She must get that from her dad's side...a lot like her grandma I think...she get's her "grace" from me.

Frank started packing up his things the other day in preparation for the move. He asked for one box. I checked in later after he was done working. There I found only four items...his green stuffed lizard, stuffed Mickey Mouse, baseball cap, and a snuggly blanket. The most treasured items for this little 5 year old. Makes me want to squeeze him some more.
The girls in this house didn't pack quite so lightly. (I'll have to sort through their boxes later.)

For now, I'm being paged back to the kitchen table, where the kids at home are crafting their way through another rainy fall day. Papers, stencils, scissors, crayons, glue sticks. Life is good.

without looking out my window...

I can assure you, it's really "pouring" here. It started to trickle about a month ago, when we signed a contract to sell our house. A nice sweet mist of a rain that filled us with excitement...oh, we all grabbed our umbrellas and golashes and danced! Singing in the rain, for sure!
And then the boxes were being dropped off, and deadlines were being set, and home inspections, and home repairs, and the fear that our kids are going to "break" someone else's home as we continue to live in it. Had to take our boots off, and park the umbrellas in the tub to dry...playtime was over. Now we watch from the window...as it continues to rain.
Oh, and the dryer broke...6 months after warranty. (crack of thunder/shot of lightening.) We're making due for a few weeks until the part comes in...still raining...the ducks are loving this!
And there are estimates to obtain...from insurance, to work at the new place...many phone calls and meetings...getting tired of dashing in and out of the rain.
Appraisals, and title searches, and "amounts your expected to pay," and many other businessy things that go with the blessings of a new home. The storms are keeping me up at night. And needless to say, I'm finding it hard to stay "present" for much...including this blog.
On top of everything going on...a good friend invited me to her bible study. She knows better than anyone that I've got NO TIME for it what.so.ever. And that's exactly why, I think, that she invited me anyway. Because, in the middle of this crazy storm, she's reminding me to focus and be present for the One who is going to carry me through it all. Thank you good friend for reminding me of that. This is such a temporary stage in our lives. A beautifully wonderful blessing...to be able to purchase and make this new home "our" home. God is so good. And in all the pitching/sorting/boxing/donating/cleaning/organizing/hanging clothes on the line again/scheduling/money shifting/praying/exhaustion...I can be certain that God is leading me. If I listen, and let him.

"The joy of the Lord is my strength" ~Nehemiah 8:10

May my days, my actions, my reactions be pleasing to the Lord that he gives me the strength to get through this crazy storm.

Duck (Tape) for Dinner?!

John and Annie and I are usually the last to leave the dinner table. It's a few minutes of converation time we enjoy, as we continue to toss little Anne a crumb or two from someone's plate. Tonight was no different, except as we lingered a little longer than the rest, Lucy passed through and proceeded to stick a 6 inch strip of duck tape to the top of Annie's head. Just like that. No explanation...no fuss...just stuck duck tape on her head.
And then she tried to pull it off.
Except it was stuck to Anne's fluffy blonde locks...and it wouldn't budge.
Uh, oh.
Poor Lucy recognized immediately that she'd done something very wrong...and as John and I just stared like deer in headlights...Lucy began to slowly pucker, and tear up, and soon sobbed for what she'd just done.
Anne was oblivious as she continued to munch on potatoes and warm apples.
But Lucy was sorry....very sorry...
And I didn't know whether to laugh or cry for the sad little Lucy, wishing she could take it all back.
Too sweet...
and OMG! So honery! Who sticks duck tape in hair?!
Luckily it pulled off fairly easily with only minimal hair loss...and a few yelps from little Anne...who was bothered for only a moment...and then resumed munching.

Seriously? Duck tape?!

retreat info.

I'm working on adding tabs at the top of the blog...added a new one "Hear here" where I've included information on the upcoming women's retreat at Maria Stein with a link beneath the picture for registration information on the Spiritual Center's website. (thanks for asking about it.) Go ahead...click around. I may try to add new tabs for all sorts of things now that I seem to have it figured out.

***oh, and just to be very clear...I'm so grateful for your excitement/anticipation of this event...but really I can take no credit for any of it...some really incredible women have been working/brainstorming this for years, and I'm humbled to have been asked to have some small part in it. Lets help bring their beautiful plans to fruition and STORM the place;) Go on now, check it out and register...

this little light of mine...

Okay, so for some reason, I find it embarrasing to tell people that I'm going to be speaking out in public. And yet...sharing stories about this crazy God-given life of mine is exactly what I feel called to do. But (I tell myself) what if I invite you, and you think it stinks, or I bomb? Fear of failing, or worse, fear of looking like an idiot, I think is a little trick the devil plays on us...keeps us from doing what we're told. He dangles the "idiot" card in front of me all the time, and sometimes it's worked. So...as I've said before (and haven't taken my own advice), it's time to move beyond the fear and take a leap of faith...and invite you all in, one step closer to the real me...the one who has to blow her nose in front of crowd of forty sometimes...(thanks for the stockpile of tissues ladies, I still have plenty!) and let you know where we can meet up and figure out, together, how to keep God at the heart of our day-to-day.

Last night I had the privelige of speaking with a group of 35-40 women (thankfully, most of whom carry kleenex) at New Bremen Coffee Co. & Books. It was a wonderful evening of DELICIOUS food & great company. I had the opportunity to share a bit about myself and what I do here (or attempt to do) on the blog, and also talked about the "juggling acts" we women try to perform to keep the household running smoothly. Thank you to everyone who made me feel so welcome, and warm & fuzzy. And thanks to Shelly (who runs an awesome little shop there) for organizing last nights "Evening of Inspiration." I left feeling truly inspired! (oh, and also felt a twinge of baby fever thanks to that snuggly little bundle of pink in the back...oh so tiny, precious miracle. Does that feeling ever go away? Oi vey)

Anyhow...after speaking with a women's group in Burketsville a couple years back, I was invited to be a speaker for a women's mini-retreat at Maria Stein Retreat Center. That plan is now coming to fruition. And I'm inviting each and every one of you to share with me in that event. It's a real leap of faith for me to ask this of you...I'm usually the one being asked, and then I hide quietly till I'm on...hoping that I don't look like an idiot. Well guess what? I might look like an idiot...but that's okay. The title of the evening's event suits me (and the fact that I might fail) quite well...Hope you can join me on November 4th for an evening exploring our calling to be the "Perfectly Imperfect Woman." (and stay thru the 5th to enjoy all that is being offered!)

Looks to be an amazing way to kick off the advent season...I know it's difficult to read. Just e-mail me or contact me via comments and I'll e-mail you a better copy if you're interested.

bright starts.

It's not even 10am yet.

6 kids breakfasted and off to Mass and school.
5 more...well...we've done much!

We've had several rounds of breakfast, showered, washed a load of sheets (which will be out on the line soon), set up a train in the basement, completed our first course on Warrior Ninja training--homeschool style (that's gonna hurt later,) rescued Annie from a near miss with a ping-pong ball (who the heck plays ping-pong around here?!) recovered pajamas stuck on the ceiling fan (no one knows how that happened), finished a pot of coffee (thanks to Grandma who stopped by after mass), talked with a phone solicitor and are now officially a Nielson family! Woooohoooooooo!
Who needs the lotto?! We've got it all baby!

...and it's not even 10am yet.

Just another manic monday...

(Oh, woe. Wish it was Sunday. Oh, woe. Cause that's my funday. ~the Bangles, circa 1986)

Nope, It's monday.
As if I need to state that.
I guess, when I say "It's monday" you can all read into that...my kitchen cupboard is buried, there's not enough coffee in the world, laundry is backed up into next week, and we're all a little...tired. You can also read, it's hard getting dressed, I need a shower but I'm too lazy to take one, I feel like baking, but won't muster up the energy for it, probably because I also know that I'm missing at least one key ingredient to ANYTHING I'd want to make. It always feels like we're out of everything (interesting) to eat on Monday's too.

Oh, and it's Monday after the 'fest...so just multiply everything I just wrote to the Nth degree (times infinity.)

Except, the sun's shining. That makes it all a little better.

Oh, and there was a dude here from the bank, doing an appraisal. So that motivated me to get things spiffied up just a bit. That's good. Good to be motivated, and good to remember that we're moving soon...and when I think about the new house, I get a little giddy. It's very exciting!

And then I get to smiling about what a fun weekend we just had. It was COLD! But that didn't keep us from enjoying it all. There was family time...dancing and singing at the gazebo, and running our first "family" fun run. (All 13 of us participated in the 1 mile fun run Sunday. I pushed Annie in the stroller...and she beat me. Darnit!) And more dancing, and parade watching, and more singing. And we had some adult time too...dancing and singing, and chatting with friends we don't see often enough. Oh, and drinking a bit of draft beer from milk jugs...just crazy!

It was all quite enjoyable. Makes me feel very blessed, indeed. But...tired. And so we're not doing much today...but recovering. And by that I mean...letting the washer/dryer do all the work, while I save the folding for tomorrow. And enjoying the swingset outside, and the wagon, and building with blocks, and playing board games. And just letting it be Monday.

Ein Prosit! (Cheers!) to a quiet, blessed Monday all!

signing off for a weekend of this...

Have to thank Deb who posted this video clip on Facebook today. Too cute. The music has us all dancing a polka around the kitchen table in anticipation of the fest. Have a safe weekend everyone!

Frank's wise words

It's been awhile since I've added words of wisdom from the five year old Frankie.
Tonight he had a gem. As we sat around the table before bed, snarfing down Dad's birthday cake, one of the kids wondered out loud, "Hey, where are dad's presents?" (as if they just magically appear all by themselves.)
Frank chimed in without hesitation "My present is my heart."

Isn't it though.

Happy 43rd Birthday John, love of my life. What an abundance of gifts for you this birthday, and always...surrounded by those that love you the most.

bloggin on busy

I hope that the theme of "busy" doesn't consume every blog post to come...I'm sorry if it seems that way. It's just that my mind is wrapped around the upcoming move, making even my "normal" days seem well, busy.

Here's my example for yesterday, "tweet style."

8:00 kids off to school
10:30 mom teaches religion
11:30 Charlie off to kindergarden
12:30 Frank & Rose off to preschool
1:00 home inspection...the rest of us out on the streets for the afternoon.
3:00 pick up Frank, Rose & cousin Beth
3:15 pick up the school kids and rally at Grandma's
3:30 Alice & Emma book club
4:00 Emma piano
--Mom & John's glasses ready for pick-up in St. Henry before 5.
5:00 home inspection over, back home for quick dinner
6:30 Alice and Emma (and mom) 6th grade movie night for religion classes
6:30 Sam & John conquest boys club
10:00 fall into bed without blogging again.

sorry friends.

and B.T.W.

We had a lovely little time at camp. The first full day was beautiful as we explored the art of campfire cooking, launched some water rockets, went horseback riding, even enjoyed an evening campfire loaded with fun songs and skits. (I even had the opportunity to embarass them a bit, when I participated in the Balderdash games with the other parent chaperones...they didn't know there mom was such a story teller...nor that I could dance the Macarena with the best of them!)

With day two came the rain...lots of rain...but it didn't dampen our spirits. We still learned how to handle a compass in our orienteering class (yes you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!), and worked on teambuilding skills.

There was plenty of hot coffee in the mess hall after a long night on a wafer thin mattress...so all was right with the world! Not ever going to complain about the fact that I didn't have to cook or clean for a full 24 hours. Yippee Ki-Yay!

watching the ball drop

(And it's not even New Years Rockin' Eve!)

Life is moving at the speed of light here. There are not enough lines on my calendar to keep track of everything in a day. Between the kids activities (football manager, piano lessons, guitar lessons, choir, junior book clubs, Little Flowers girls club, Conquest boys club, football fundamentals, homework times infinity, and on and on...and those are just the kids obligations. Throw in parent meetings for 2nd graders preparing for First Penance, teaching 2nd grade religion classes, volunteering at various kids' activities, and now meetings, packing and deadlines related to upcoming move...and my head is SPINNING) For the first time in a long time (maybe since I had 4 in diapers) I feel like all those balls I'm juggling are getting a little wonky, and I'm watching them all start to drop...in sl-ooowwww---motion. It's a little unsettling to say the least. I'm torn between trying to keep them in the air, or just letting them drop and start over, trying to get a better handle the next time around...change my footing a bit. I mean...trying to juggle a handful of tennis balls, a bowling pin, and chainsaw is just overkill right. Who am I trying to impress?!
Anyways. I'm trying desperately to shift my focus; adjust my "perspectacles" if you will. Because if I squint a bit and see past the juggling act, just beyond those stage lights that seem to be blinding me right now, I realize the One who believes in me, who gives me strength, is right there front and center. And if I keep my eyes fixed on Him, the balls disappear a bit, and things become easier to handle. The work becomes a labor of love, to please Him.
Trying desperately to offer all this chaos up, and get through these crazy busy days with a joyful heart...so grateful for all these blessings.
Peace to you all.


1 Chronicles 16:11
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

happy trails...

(only for a couple days.)

So, my 6th grade girls are off to Camp Wilson tomorrow for an overnight class trip. It's the whole out-doorsy, horseback riding, sleeping in bunks, can't pack enough mosquito repellent, team building, kinda bonding experience. They are PUMPED up! Sleeping bags and pillows are packed up in garbage bags, ready to carry up a steep hill to their cabins...it's the kind of stuff that keeps kids awake all night just pondering the wonders of it all.
Not the holiday spa thing moms dream of by any means. But guess what! This mom is packed to go along. See, not too many moms signed up to chaperone this one (I know, GASP, right?!) So the girls, worried that the trip might be cancelled, barrelled home and begged me...insisting that since "Mom, you don't do anything anyway!" I had all the time in the world to go. (Alright, I thought. Let me put down my crossword, and bonbons, and read the paperwork.) Shoot. Seriously?!

Yep, so this mama's packin' up my bedroll and boots, and headin' out for some cabin camraderie with the wee young'ns. Should make for some mighty fine bondin' with my baby girls. (And if I get the chance to embarass them a bit in front of their friends, all the better.)

You all know how I need my beauty sleep...pray for us.

Dear Annie-Banannie,

My Dearest Annie,
I should have known that as the youngest of 11 you would have to come up with some new stunts all your own. I just didn't think it would be so early. And to think...you just started saying "Uh, Oh" yesterday. It should have been a clue you were gearing up for something big. You see when I handed you my cell phone yesterday at the Cross Country meet...I expected you would hold it, press a few buttons, maybe call someone on my contacts list and drool at them a bit (perhaps order us up some supper?!) I'm okay with that. What I didn't expect was that you'd switch it from ring tone (which happens to be very loud and annoying and easy to locate from far away) to VIBRATE, and then chuck it out into the path of runners. Never to be located again. Or so I thought. After several attempts at ringing for it, and scouring the grounds for the bright red, obnoxiously loud phone...we went home empty handed. Defeated. Reminding myself that next time I shall bring along for you an inexpensive toy...which wouldn't keep you nearly as entertained. I love you Anne. You little booger, you.

"Uh, Oh!" indeed.

Love, Mom (or Dadadadada! as you so prefer to call me.)

ps: thank you to the sweet high school girl who called us from the shelter after the meet to let us know she found our phone, and that we had a LOT of missed calls. God Bless you!

cookies

Because it's fall...
and because baking is how I destress...
and well, I can always find something to be stressed about...
oh...and who doesn't like easy cookies?!

Thanks to my neighbor gal, Terry for this new favorite...

Seriously Simple Snickerdoodles

1 box (dry) white cake mix (she said it would be good with a yellow mix too.)
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil

Hand mix, spoon into balls and top with cinnamon/sugar.

Bake 350 degrees for 8-11 minutes. Voila. Beautiful, simple, delicious!
(I know some of you doubters out there will think flavor will be sacrificed in the simplicity...I assure you it will not! Fluffy, yummy, perfect cookies. Nobody will know how easy this is...'cept the two of us.)

Cake mixes are on sale in town this week. No need to thank me. I'm happy to help out.

thoughts to begin the week.

First and foremost, it's Monday...and that means the weekend has left it's mark on our home. There are toys scattered, my kitchen countertop is buried, and laundry is stacked high once again. It was a very nice weekend, from Friday night football (which regardless of the outcome, puts us in a fun, spirit-filled, easy-weekend kind of mood) to our annual block party...which epitomizes good clean family fun!
But, as I said before it's Monday, and it's gray and raining, my work is spread out before me, it's a crazy busy week, oh...and how could I not be consumed by the fact that there is a move ahead of us...and I have a TON to do. (of course I'm not doing anything...just thinking about it for now...and stressing.) So I'll have a cup of coffee, switch the laundry around in the machines, and visit with you here. (can you say procrastinate?!)

This is the prayer that's getting me through right now. It's taped to my bedroom mirror, always. But sometimes I forget to check the mirror...as evidenced by the way I look disheveled most days. Oh well. St. Therese is sending me her roses in the form of this prayer...it's her feast day very soon...not a wonder then I should be thinking of her and this prayer. (God's smiling...cause I'm so sharp...not.)


May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you
are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite
possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing,
dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

Have a blessed week everyone!

Oh, and a side note...thank you for all the offers of boxes...I had no idea you all were such box-accumulating people! I've responded privately to a couple of you...to the rest, I say thank you VERY much, but I think we'll be covered now. You are all so kind.

boxes anyone?

It appears as though a move is in our future.

Thank you for all your prayers and positive thoughts.

We got the good news last night that a contract has in fact been signed.
Wooooohoooooooo!

Now we wait on banks, and inspections, and other necessary paperwork...and while we wait...we might be wise to start...start...start...paaaackkkking. Oh my good Lord, what did I pray for?!

As you might imagine, there is a TON of accumulated stuff for the 13 people living in this home. Looks as though it's time to begin trashing/donating/sorting, and yes....packing. Uggh.

Seriously, boxes anyone?

By the way, immediately after getting the news, we dug up our sweet St. Joe and he now resides in a place of honor (no, not the fridge door...too difficult to hang him there), the mantle of course. Thank you St. Joseph for your generous intercession on our behalf!

real estate business.

Buying & selling houses.

It's not about houses at all.

Nope. That's too simple.

In fact, it's about people.
People with dreams...dreams of a better life or perhaps a just a different life. A life that allows our family to grow and spread out, or a life that recognizes we don't need all the space we used to. For some maybe it's the reality that our budget cannot bare the same lifestyle it used to, or others that our budget now allows for more.
It's the kind of dreaming that allows us to imagine our own furniture perfectly placed in someone else's living room. We can imagine where we'll sit for our morning coffee, where we'll drop our shoes at the end of the day, who gets the biggest closet. We have it all thought out.
But we must be patient. Uggh.
It's so much about feelings too. Feelings of excitement, and nervousness. Feelings that can be hurt, crushed even. So we dare not to hope too much, and yet we do hope. And we pray, and we lose some sleep. Even though we are MOST certain that God has our back. It will all work itself out in it's own good time. But we are human...and we have deadlines, and timeframes, and contract negotiations. And it's hard to work God into all that. I mean really... does He get all that?!
Yes Jamie. Yes. He gets it.
He's good at being patient. He's been so patient with me. He gets what I'm going through.
And if it works out I will praise him.
And if it doesn't work out I'm gonna praise him too.
Cause he probably spared me from some other heartbreak I'm not even capable of realizing, or perhaps, dare I hope...that he has something even greater waiting right around the corner.
I will try to be patient.
And I will trust.
It's just not gonna be easy...nothing truly great ever really is, though, is it?

made me smile.

This couple just makes my day...so pleasant and adorable in the way they struggle to take a darn web-photo. (and the Mr's ad-lib singing is so much my style!) Just wanna squeeze 'em! Thanks mom, for sharing!

shout out to the peeps (whoop, whoop!)

"I will bless the Lord at all times,
Praise shall always be on my lips.
My soul shall glory in the Lord,
For he has been so good to me!"

Yep...one of those mornings...can't help but feel loved, and all sing-songy, hummin' around as I sip my cup o' joe! I had the most wonderful evening with some Ft. Loramie moms last night who had invited me to come speak on the topic of raising kids with good character. (For those of you who know my kids, you can stop snickering! I added a waiver...Lord know's I'm no expert on that subject!)
Today, I'm left feeling humbled and blessed by their hospitality, generous spirits, and honesty. It was a beautiful evening of open conversation and candid sharing, even after I finished my "prepared" speech. As I told my hubs when I got home...I felt as though God was physically present...sitting there in one of the open chairs, smiling on us all. (Of course, supportive hubs just smiled and nodded with pride. I love that guy!)

Thank you ladies for inviting me in to your lives, for opening your hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit. May you all be truly blessed!

~Yes, this is my "shout out" to you all, whom I met for the first time last evening, and yet you have followed here for some time. (my hands in the air, givin' ya a "whoop, whoop." ) Love ya ladies!

Just the two of us....

Look at those cutie pies!

We'll be married 17 years in December and looking better than ever, I think.

We were fortunate enough to have our picture taken in a photo booth at our nephew's wedding this past weekend. What a hoot! A photo booth at a wedding! How fun it was for all of us...especially the kiddos!

Anyways, had to share.

where were you?

My mom tells me she can remember exactly what she was doing the day President Kennedy was assasinated.

I recall I was in jr high...staying in during lunch working on an art project when I heard news that the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all 7 passengers.

On the morning of September 11, 2001 I was home with my 3 babies. Alice and Emma sat munching breakfast in their highchairs, while I spooned oatmeal at little Sam as he sat in his bouncy seat on the kitchen table. Mom called and told me to flip on the news, and together we watched in disbelief as the second plane crashed into the twin towers.

Still etched on my brain, like it was only yesterday.

Offering prayers for healing, forgiveness, peace.

life

Sorry I was absent from the blog again yesterday. It seems I had so much to share, and yet couldn't find the words to process what I needed to say. I'm still not entirely sure I'm ready.

I love my jobs. The one God chose for me, and the one I chose for myself. They are so entirely different, and yet connected and similar all at the same time. Parallel might be a good word.

At home, I'm surrounded by LIFE...young, vibrant, energetic, optimistic and hopefilled little ones. Fearless and carefree and trusting because they've not yet experienced real pain or disappointment, or heartbreak, or loss of any kind. And yet, completely dependent on John and I to provide and care for them. It's refreshing and exhausting all at once. I love these lives and the fullness they bring to mine.

At work, the lives that touch mine are ones who've seen a lifetime of love and loss. Their spirits are strong even when their physical selves are tired and failing. They have experienced joys and sorrows. Their eyes are filled with the wisdom that comes with knowing real love and loss. They have watched their children grow, and some have even seen their children pass from this world before them. While many remain active and strong in service to others, many more have become dependent on others to care for them. I love these lives and the fullness they bring to mine.

On Thursday, I was asked to accompany a woman and her husband to her first consultation with an oncologist. I won't go into great detail, but the news was the worst. No cure. Inoperable. Only treatments for comfort measures. And things are moving fast. Time is short. It was a tough pill to swallow. (In case I've never said it before, Cancer sucks.)
And as we sat for the long car ride home, mostly in silence, I couldn't help but think what a difficult journey lay ahead of them. Her simple words still ring in my ears, "I'm not afraid of dying, I just worry about all I'm leaving behind."

Over these last couple days, I'm left with so many thoughts resonating...the value of life at all stages. My heart aching for this couple, as husband learns to become caregiver for his up-until-now independent wife. I think about the uncertainties in our own lives here, and while we all know earth is just our trial, it's all we know. It's comfortable, and familiar, and our most treasured gifts...our peeps...are right here. And yet, we have to live our lives ready to let go. No clinging. Because clinging makes it harder when we get those words...if we're gifted to recieve those words...because most of us won't get a "final notice."
I don't know. Is recieving the news that you have a short amount of time to live a gift? That's been swimming in my head too. How much would those words change what's important in our lives, change what we're clinging to, and more importantly change what we're willing to let go of?

Regardless, they thanked me incessantly for going to the appointment with them. I am the one feeling incredibly grateful, humbled, privelaged. Truly, when our lives connect like this, and we can feel love and compassion, we are living in that moment the way God wants us to. We are in fact one body. And to feel each other's pain is feeling Christ's pain. Denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following him.

May you feel the blessings of a life truly lived.

and then there were two

These are my babies. Yes...babies. All growin' up, wanting to be big kids, headin' out the door to preschool today. And yet in my mind...these are the babies of the family. My other kids seemed so much older at this same age (if that makes any sense?!)

Anyhow. Just as planned, I scooted them out, chauffeured them around the block to "Jackie's" for their first day of preschool. And when we got home, Lucy and Anne and I danced in the rain around the driveway to get the mail. And it was a bittersweet dance. Mostly I wanted to cry a little bit...but Lucy was so darned excited to have me all to herself (as soon as Anne got to nappin' as scheduled, which couldn't come fast enough as far as Lucy was concerned.) And I was happy to be home with my little girls too. So we danced. And when we walked into the house, I sighed "Doesn't it seem quiet."
And Lucy laughed, "Nope...I can hear the refrigerator."
And for the first time in a long time, I could hear the refrigerator too. And I thought, man! It is quiet!
Anne took her usual afternoon nap, just after a bottle and some playtime on the floor. And afterwards Lucy and I played "home school" with special time on the computer...checking out games on Nick Jr. and Disney Jr. websites. A rare (very rare) treat. We colored, and did crafts, and even read some stories. And in no time at all, we were picking up my babies, I mean big kids, from preschool.
And I learned in 30 seconds, more than I've ever heard about any of the other 7 kids' preschool experiences combined. Ever. That Rose can talk! About songs, and dancing, and friends, and puzzles, and clean-up time, and on and on and on. All the while Frank just grinned from ear-to-ear, throwing in a hearty "Yep" or "Yuh-huh!" from time to time. All is right with their world...now I've just got to get "okay" with mine...with just my two babies here at home.

Frank's fast fact:

More life lessons from the five year old with widsom beyond his years. Well, okay...he's five. That much is true.

Overheard yesterday while roasting hotdogs over an open fire:
Frank shares with older brother Charlie that "It's true, if you eat a
hotdog with ashes on it, you'll poop fire for sure!"

recipe box

I mentioned yesterday that I was trying out a new recipe for Zucchini Brownies, and got a request to share if they were any good.
To be entirely honest though, I must comment that while these "brownies" are delicious, they will not get eaten here. For one, it makes a ginormous batch (recipe recommends a jelly roll pan...I split them into a 9x13 and 8x8.) Okay...ginormous is typically not a problem when talking chocolate, however: Problem number two, is that these by our definition of the word, are not (gooey, fudgey, chocolatey) brownies, rather...a supermoist springy chocolate cake. Most definitely CAKE. And when you have a hankerin' for brownies, CAKE just won't do. And finally...we don't eat our own kind...that is...the kids here won't eat nuts. I thought this would work to my advantage, but doggonit, I was cravin' brownies!
Tonight I tried to serve it up as cake with ice cream for dinner...nobody would have it, cause they recognized it immediately as last night's failed brownies.
My point...do yourself a favor, and call it CHOCOLATE (ZUCCHINI) NUT CAKE from the get-go, and you will not be disappointed!
The recipe:

Chocolate Zucchini Nut Cake
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup nuts
Preheat oven to 350. In large mixing bowl, beat together eggs, oil and sugar. In a seperate medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cocoa. Add to egg mixture. Then add vanilla, zucchini and nuts. Mix all together and spread onto greased 10x15 jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Can be frosted, but also good plain. (Or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup)

laborin' away....

Cooler weather today!
Oh, I love the autumn feel to the air today...temps in the 6o's and cool breezes forcing us to dress in layers again. We started a backyard fire this morning...burning some old lumber as we clean out the garage and work in the yard. Of course there's plenty more wood back on the wood pile to keep it going all day. We'll be roasting some hotdogs for lunch, and definitely 'smores later today. Chili's cooking on the stove for supper this evening, zucchini brownies (a new recipe) in the oven. Even kids are laborin' away...working to build a bicycle ramp from old wood they snagged from the garage. Bicycle tires are being repaired. Summer pool toys and squirt guns being packed away in the garage attic for another year. Neighbor kids wandering in to help as well.

What a perfect end to the summer. Though I suspect we'll have a few heat waves yet to come. Nothing like digging for shorts when temps spike to the near-90's in early october. Boooo.Bring on more of this fall feelin'Have a blessed labor day everyone!

God Bless Dad!

...at the center of several projects to help the kids...including replacing blown bike tubes, building a skate ramp (pray for us), organizing garage toys, keeping the bonfire going with wood he's got the boys tearing apart with hand saws (really, pray for us!) and plans to mow the yard yet (or perhaps convince one of the older kids to do so.)

No rest for the weary this Labor Day.

led by the Spirit

Was cleaning/sorting through some paperwork last evening in preparation for my 2nd grade religion class when this prayer just found me.

"Dear God,
Today as I reflect on what's ahead for me I ask for your guidance to make decisions that bring me closer to you.
Help me to know your voice and believe in the power of your gifts in me.
I trust that you will lead me amidst the uncertainties of life.
Give me the courage to follow you today as you lead me to tomorrow.
Amen."

I never ceased to be amazed at how clearly the Holy Spirit speaks to us when our hearts are open...and we're paying attention. I think I spent the last year oblivious...but suddenly, it's as if I'm being bombarded with thoughts/suggestions/words that are certainly not my own. And although a bit overwhelming and even frightening at times...I just have to keep listening, try to sort them out, and roll with it.
I've had the privelage of being invited to speak with FOUR women's groups in surrounding areas over the next couple months. FOUR. What in the world was I thinking to say Yes to them all?! It's that "keeping the heart/mind open, and rolling with it" thing. It's either gonna get me in big trouble, or please the Lord. Hopefully the latter. I know He's working to give me the words...just have to start putting it all into neat little categories and planning for these upcoming talks. Prayers would be greatly appreciated...the one above seemed a perfect find in light of the anxiety I'm beginning to feel about what I agreed to.

Lord Help me, and Thank you God.

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!

theme for the day: constance

It's not at all unusual for me to throw out a "theme for the day" at mealtime here, just to stir things up a bit. Yesterday's lunch was "stick foods." We had corndogs, pretzel sticks, and strawberries served up on toothpicks. Of course we had popsicles for dessert.

Apparently our good Lord likes theme days as well.

Today's theme: "constance." I don't think that's a word used too often anymore...but it was stamped on my brain all day long as the Holy Spirit continued to show me examples.

The word first crept in on my drive to work this morning. After a long sleepless night, with a feverish/restless baby Anne, I sat drinking my coffee, numb and praying for the strength/energy to do a good job today. For only an instant, I'd wished away the sleepless night...wishing I was better prepared for the day ahead of me. And then I was overcome with tears at how grateful I felt for just such a night. Shame on me for wanting to wish it away! Oh, with busy days of what sometimes seem mundane household duties ...the infrequent opportunity to snuggle all night with a baby that's growing much too quickly is truly a blessing indeed. The day will come too soon, when she will depend on me no longer. And then my tears increased to imagine a day when there are children in this house no longer. Who will need me? What will I do then? You see in all the chaos now, and the quiet that is to come; as our duties change through the years, leaving us uncertain of what's to come; I am reminded of God's constance. His steadfastness. His faithfulness. His love for me never changes. And whether I acknowledge Him or not, He is there. Waiting for me. Loving me. Always. Without fail. He is the strength and energy that gets me through a beautifully busy day. He is within me as I care for those who need me most...at home, at work. Constance.

There are four nurses pitching in to cover hours for a full-time nurse gone-a-traveling with her husband to Alaska for the month. I'm one of them. Four women, trying to fill the huge shoes of an amazing nurse, who's constance and quality of care for our residents are top-notch! It's not a terribly difficult job, but there is something about the continuity and compassion she brings to the office. She sets the bar high. Anyhow, as I struggled through e-mails and caught up on notes and requests for the last week, I missed her terribly. And was reminded once again: constance.
Yes Lord, I'm listening. I know You are too. Thank you for the gentle reminders.

Okay, so I recognize...just as I struggle to make a fruit work on "stick day" (strawberries and toothpicks), God also gets a little clever. As my mom was heading out the door after watching the kids for me all day, she mentioned that she wouldn't be over for coffee tomorrow morning.
"Whatcha got going on?" I asked.
"Not, much. Going out for the day with Connie."
(of course~my Godmother~her given name: Constance.)



Psalm 136
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

raspberries.

She's been giving us the raspberries for months.
Yesterday...we gave them back.

After squeezing the life out of them...

And sucking on them a bit...drooling and dribbling of course....

Ooooooh....sour...

...and sweet....

...SHE LOVES THEM!!!!

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

I love library books.
And backyard baseball before the breakfast dishes are even cleared.
I love naked-toes.
And grass-stained feet.
Freeze pops.
Tents made with blankets and pins on the clothesline.
Kids riding bikes and "meeting up" instead of calling.
Piggy tails and sweaty necks.
Sand in the bathtub after a day at the beach.
noon-time picnics in our backyard.
juicy pink watermelon...though my kids don't know about spitting the seeds. They were raised in the "seedless" era.
blackened grilled hotdogs...who needs a bun?!
pitch and catch
babies on blankets in the grass under a shady tree
I love quiet evenings...early backyard campfires.
(with or without marshmallows....though WITH is better.)
Chasing lightning bugs, and capturing them in a peanut butter jar overnight.
Evening breezes and snuggle blankets with popcorn on the back patio.
The hum of a box fan bringing cool night air.
The feeling that we can do anything, go anywhere, at the drop of a hat...but choose instead to be right here...enjoying our own backyard.
living a busy crazy life, at a snails pace, and finding God in it all...through the eyes of our children.

God is good.

celebrating good health

(More to the point...celebrating one healthy kidney!)

You see, this little guy was born with a condition called sumthin' sumthin' blah blah blah...kidney disease. (Okay, so I do remember the whole name, but we'll call it MCDK disease for short.) Anywhoooo... we follow up with a specialist every year to keep an eye on the "bad" kidney, which has slowly been shriveling up into nothingness since birth. Now, it's officially gone. No more yucky Left kidney. Just one healthy "beautiful" (yes that's a direct quote from our good doc!) kidney remaining, and functioning perfectly.

No more follow-ups...no more worries about that business.

So we celebrated good health; celebrated one perfectly healthy beautiful kidney the best way we knew how....with a fun lunch.

The two of us stopped by a Chipotle on the way home (we were first-timers) and toasted good news with a burrito the size of John's head!

Cheers!
No lookin' back baby!
~neither of us were sadly disappointed to learn that kick-boxing, cage-fighting, and ATV riding (among other things we're not likely to try) are off limits to keep the "good" kidney safe. We can live with that.

...and lest I not forget. Praise God! And many thanks to the Blessed Mother for her kindness and intercession.

"Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."

8 months

Today, she cries when I walk out of the room...
In a few years, she'll be begging for some alone time.

Like clock-work, that whole 8 month=seperation anxiety has kicked in. She can go from laughing to tears in a heartbeat as I step out of her line of sight, and right back to giggling when she spots me again. It's almost comical, except that those crocodile tears just rip my heart right out of my chest. Oh, sheee's goooooood.

Oh, and new this week...Annie's STANDING! That little turkey is pulling herself up to ev-ry-thing! Her first successful attempt, was to the back door...checking out pretty flowers? or trying to escape? Hard to say...I'll choose to believe she's just interested in the pink pretties.

reality bytes.

Not every day is a summer-fun-adventure. In reality, some days I'm pleased to have everyone dressed, teeth brushed, and beds made by mid-morning. Shooooot, seriously... Dressed and teeth brushed. For this reason, I try to have a mental list of small jobs that I can accomplish during a naptime, or rare "quiet" time, just to feel as if I've moved mountains.

Today's mission: clean out the van's glove box.

You see, last week while trekking Tawawa Park one of the kids stubbed a toe and needed a bandaid. Surely I must have a bandaid somewhere in my van, right? Right?! I tore the entire contents of the glove box apart looking for a bandaid and found every useless thing, but no bandaid. Let's see...there were cassette tapes (too bad our van doesn't play cassettes.) There was a phone charger cord, from the OLD phone. Lots of christmas cd's, torn envelopes with grocery lists jotted down, even zoo maps and other stuff of which I have no use for.

No bandaid. No napkin. No tissue. The only useful item seemed to be the garage door opener...which doesn't help with a stubbed toe.

So, today I will spend 30 seconds with a garbage bag and another minute or so stocking a small Ziploc container with some bandaids, wipes, tissues, etc and overhaul our glove box. Major endeavor? Certainly not. But it will feel good to get 'er done, and that can provide a sense of accomplishment great enough to have me ready to take on the world! (or at least my little corner of it.) Baby steps...changing the world for the better...one mini-mess at a time.

Have a great day everyone!

thank you Lord...

For that threat of rain showers today.
It's okay if they don't come, but you see, we had our tents out last night for a little backyard camping...and our good Lord knows I need my beauty sleep. So "Thank you Lord." for gray skies and the need to take down the tents...I couldn't bare another night of camping.
One night of giggling and talking and tossing and turning and giggling some more and middle of the night treks into the house for bathroom breaks and worrying about kids wandering or sleepwalking or worse, strangers finding us vulnerable...all those silly things that go through my head. And I didn't even venture into the tent! Only the 6 oldest braved the backyard. The younger four "camped" with sleeping bags on the living room floor, while Anne and Dad and I sacked out in our own beds. Of course I didn't sleep much. The first few hours I sat up "policing" for shananigans. They all collapsed shortly after midnight. The rest of the night I spent tossing in bed, constantly getting up to peek out the window and make sure all was well. Uggh. I'm not ready for kids to be growing up, doing big kid things.

I do love the novelty of camping though...especially campfires with 'smores and silly stories, and songs. We always have a faux broomstick "microphone" for everyone to take turn entertaining the rest of us. And of course neighbor kids join us for after dark games like "ghost in the graveyard", "wolf" and "German spotlight". I don't know the rules to most of these games, but that's okay the rules change as needed. Just run and hide, and wait for some one to find you. And scream loud, cause the neighbors LOVE that.

We've had several of these campfire nights already this summer (sans the tents, thank goodness).

We've had a good share of lot's of other fun things too (in addition to the full schedule of baseball, softball, swim team, library reading club, etc.)

In fact, our summer is off to a fabulous start! Well...mostly...if you skip the first day of summer break, when Samuel needed a few stitches on his thumb. Bike wreck. Minor in the grand scheme of things, but kept him from baseball for 10 days. Big bummer! (right, Sam?)
He had to wear that crazy splint for a week or so to keep him from bending his thumb and tearing it open again. Nice.

Sunday, I took the oldest half over to the Starlite drive-in on St Rte 127. Of course we packed our popcorn, and sleeping bags for the cool evening! It was awesome! (We saw Diary of a Whimpy Kid followed by Soul Surfer...I highly recommend that second one!) Oh, and can you say "VALUE!" It's just $4 for adults, and kids 12 and under are FREE! Wooohoooo!

~nice face Mary~

Yesterday we headed over to Lake Loramie State Park for a little picnic and play time at the beach. Okay, so it's no white sand, clear blue ocean...but it's a nice (very clean!) little beach, and we were practically the only ones there to enjoy. It was Annie's first lake adventure, and she LOVED it!

We could spend a whole day just building sand castles and rivers and moats!

Baby Annie...in her little swimming suit...LOVE the rolls poking through that little cut-out in the side and strap hanging off the shoulder...Yes, she is ALL THAT!

Oh, this is my Goddaughter...Jamie. (I think she's a perfect 10!) She graduated high school this year, and my brother and parents and I drove down to Tennessee for the event! So proud of her! (and so grateful to John for holding down the fort for the quick bit I was gone!)





We all managed to squeeze in a daytrip to Ft. Wayne zoo last weekend. I don't think we've been there as a family in a couple years, so that was very nice. Lucy's favorite part (or at least the part she keeps talking about) are the trashcans that are shaped like various animals. Her favorite was the elephant trash-can. Umm. Hello?! Did we not see REAL animals there?! Apparently they weren't as interesting.

I unplugged the cable in the basement this week. Wow, has that been NICE! There's still the occasional quiet tv time in the family room, but for the most part it's been pure playtime. I love it!

We've picniced at several local parks in the past couple weeks, including Tawawa park in Sidney (love to wade in the stream there, and climb the "big rock") and Coldwater park, which is just a gem! I remember going there as a kid...and some of the same playground equipment is still there, like the giant swirly slide...but now much more!

Oh...time just moves so fast! We're trying to soak in as much of it as we can...making memories to last. Today, I'm grateful for those gray skies, playdough playing, Nerf wars in the basement, and quiet reading on unmade beds upstairs. Oh, and while I've managed to squeeze in a few more veggies than usual this week, I'm grateful that Grace's favorite barbecue chips were on sale this week...that sounds good for lunch today.

Peace to you all!

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
V. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

my summer to-do list

For me, summer is much like the New Years. It seems a good time to regroup, reconsider what's important, and resolve to make good with the gift of time and energy that summer brings.
Just like New Years though, I tend to overthink, and underdo.

Here's what's been rolling around in my brain for the coming months...

1.Enjoy as much outdoor time as humanly possible...parks, pools, lakes, walks & bikerides & running, backyard games, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, you name it! This only makes sense after the long winter.

2.Serve more veggies, and insist that someone starts eating them. (How depressing is it that I actually worry about this as a "summer priority?" But, sadly this is how my mom-mind works.) Somewhere over the last year or so, we seem to have become okay with the notion that potato chips count as a vegetable. And while, sometimes that's okay...it can't be a meal-time staple anymore. Or can it???

3.Organize my recipes...torn from magazines, written on old napkins or homework papers, index cards with spills and icky-stickies from Lord-only-knows-what all tossed haphazardly into a folder. Not conducive to good cooking. (Where's that recipe for Broccoli Fondue when I need it?!)This is actually something I'm hoping the girls will help me with. On rainy days. (refer back to #1)

4. Pray more. Maybe even on a picnic blanket...in the backyard...with popcorn. What the heck...Jesus was an outdoorsy type, right? (Again, referring back to #1.)

5. Unplug the tv. I'm so OVER it, and want the kids to be too. (back to #1...am I getting redundant?)

6. In general, lighten up. Physically, emotionally, spiritually...and see it reflected back in my family.

Yep. That sounds like a good start. Now to squeeze that in between swim team, baseball, softball, piano and guitar commitments. We should be set to get started by mid-July. Well...we'll have to see about the veggie thing. Baby steps.

in case I forget to remember...

Days are blowing by at lightning speed.

I try not to blink...and yet I find myself waking up in the morning and wondering who stole those days away. Those days when there were only babies, or only toddlers in this house. Now there are 'tweens... wonderful and awkward all at once as we all adapt to changes that "growing up" brings.

Anyhow, with each new stage of Anne's baby-hood, I can't believe how much I forgot to remember ten times before.

I love the workings of her tiny hands. Amazing. Those tiny matchstick-size fingers working to pick up a cheerio, only to drop it just before it hits her lips. Mesmerizing.
I love when she stops just to stare at them too. Busy grasping a toy, or reaching out, when her eyes lock-in on the hands...and just stare intently as she wiggles chubby fingers back and forth. Truly a miracle of creation.
I love the way she sucks air and squeals when she hears my voice first thing in the morning...or when she sees me sneak from around a corner into the room.
I love when her rice cereal hangs on her toothless gums and appears as if she's wearing baby dentures at breakfast...just a glimpse of what it might look for her to have a full set of teeth someday. Funny.
I love the fine fuzz of hair on her naked shoulders.
I love the way her toes grip my upper lip when I kiss the bottoms of her soft padded feet.
I love the way she likes to sit on my forearm, her back against my belly, my other arm holding her belly from falling forward...all the while kicking her legs wildly as if dangling them off the edge of a dock into the water.
I love bathtime...because she does too. Splashing wildly and giggling outloud in the water. Fussing only when it's time to get out. My little fish.
I love the way her ear leaves a perfect imprint on my arm for long after she's done nursing...like angel kisses, a reminder of our special bond.
I love wrinkled-nose, squinty-eyed silly faces.
I love those first days of learning to crawl, when everything goes backwards, and legs find themselves wedged under couches...and she gets so frustrated. But she's learning and growing.
I love how the other kids melt like butta' around her...even grumpy brothers can't bare to walk by you without a hug, or silly face, or tickle. Babies shine with Christ's light.
I love how she can fall asleep on Daddy's shoulder at the drop of a hat...though she's never done that for me. He's had that "touch" with all of the kids...perhaps God's gift to Daddys.
I love the end of the day, when I nurse her into a sleepy little coma in my arms, and she smiles with eyes squinty closed. Because everything in that moment is right with the world. And in that moment she reminds me how much God loves me...and how good He is.
I love the way she makes my heart weaker, and stronger all at once...prepared to love more, and hurt more.
I love you Anne. Uniquely. And yet in the same way I've loved each of your siblings before you.
This time though...I'm writing it down, so I don't forget to remember.