T's Birthday Party

This just proves how busy we've been and how much of a slacker I've been. The party was the first weekend of March and I am just now posting pictures. We invited three families to come and celebrate with us. T again chose a Star Wars theme for his cakes. I think he will always be a Star Wars geek like his daddy. LOL.

This was our little man, D, when he was turning 7 months old the day of the party. He is such a good baby you hardly know he's around most days. He only fusses when he is hungry or tired. We have been so blessed!

Grampa was able to come over the following weekend to celebrate with us. He brought T a very special gift: a remote control helicopter just lilke Daddy's. As you can tell in the picture, T was very happy. It is even his favorite color: blue. Happy 10th Birthday!

More Christmas Celebrations

Some of our other Christmas celebrations with Grandpa, Nana, Aunt Olivia, and Ma and Pa.

Latest Happenings

So much has been happening and I haven't been able to keep up. One reason is that our computer is still not cooperating with our camera. I am having a very difficult time transferring our pictures to our computer, which in turn, makes it very hard to update this blog. For those waiting on pins and needles to see what we've been up to lately (Joe!), I apologize.

In chronological order, here is what has happened lately...

We celebrated Dear Hubby's 38th birthday and Father's Day. His favorite color is orange, so we made him a very bright orange, chocolate layered cake with 38 hearts all over it. As a combo birthday and Father's Day gift, we bought him a fire pit so that he can burn up all those assorted limb that he keep falling down. It also make a good way to roast marshmallows with the kids. We've already spent a couple of nights out by the fire pit, as if it were a campfire. It also came in very handy when about two days later a very large limb was knocked down in thunder storm. We have since been burning it bit by bit.

Again this year the three oldest kids participated in a two week long theatre workshop. They performed the play "Aladdin". Though they all had rather small parts this time, they really enjoyed themselves. How could you not love this play? The movie was so good that you just couldn't go wrong! I especially loved listening to the kids practice the songs at home and while we drove everywhere in the car. We listened to them so much that by the time the performance rolled around, even the two little girls had the songs memorized.
Grandpa came for another visit and gave M her birthday gifts. She was so happy to receive a CD player and a copy of Tangled. She loves them both so much. It has been really cute how she tells the other kids that they are going to be having music class and so they should go to her room to listen on her boom-box. One day shortly after receiving the CD player, they all decided to spend three hours straight singing and dancing to their kid music. It was a nice break for me, as well. I finally had to call them down for supper and they were all so disappointed that I had broken up their dance party!

I took the kids blueberry picking for the first time. I remember doing this as a kid with my mom and thought it was about time I let my kids experience it for themselves. They all thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Especially E who only sat in the stroller and ate whatever anyone would give him. He was in seventh heaven.

On Friday of that week, we had planned on going swimming at a local state park, but happened to be early and decided to check out the nature center. I am so glad we did. We walked up just as a Pond Life demonstration and activity was beginning. The Naturalist on duty invited us to join them and the kids had a blast learning about the pond life cycle, exploring life around their pond, and even making their own pond life viewer out of a coffee can. We later went swimming with their Aunt Olivia and Nana, but I think the highlight of the day was that science activity!

T's Birthday visit with Grandpa

We had nice weather for early March and it allowed us to play outside with Grandpa when he came to visit for T's Birthday. The kids enjoyed throwing the football around and climbing all over Grandpa. Sometimes they mistake him for a jungle jim or monkey bars.

Grandpa's visit for the Girl's Birthdays

It has been one crazy month. I haven't updated the blog in a LONG time! I'll try to play catch-up with my next few posts.

Here are the pictures from celebrating C and B's birthdays with Grandpa. The girls loved their gifts, as usual. E loved riding on Grandpa's back. It has become one of E's favorite things to do. The older kids really seem to enjoy it, too. Good exercise for everyone, I guess.

First Confession, Christmas with Grandpa, and the Cookie Exchange

C made her first Confession last Saturday. She was very excited and happy after she received her second Sacrament. C can hardly wait until she receives Jesus in the Holy Eucharist sometime in May or early June. This picture doesn't do her smile justice. She was beaming with joy.


Last Sunday, we celebrated Christmas really early with Grandpa. The pictures say it all.

On the following Monday, I attended a cookie exchange with some of the other home school moms in my support group. T and M helped me make the Alpine Brownie biscotti. (We call these kitchen lessons "Domestic Challenges". Who needs Home-Ec in highschool when you've already had it as an 8 and 10 yr. old?)
It was wonderful, as were all the cookies at the party. It was really a neat night with all the ladies, but the show was stolen by the little girls. We had five lovely little baby girls in attendance that night. Two of them were my twin god daughters. I just love the picture of the girls having a "gab session". Sort of similar to the adult women, huh?

They Have Her Eyes

R with her twin baby dolls. She is really loving on them lately. I don't know if she likes them so much because Grandpa gave them to her, or if it is because I have twin God daughters that we see frequently at Mass. All I know is that she isn't sharing them as much as I'd expected. At least they are cute and as R noticed, they have her eyes. Thanks grandpa for the birthday baby dolls. She loves them.

First Friday and Grandpa's Visit

Wow, I've been slacking and slow about getting pictures up. Sorry. Here is one from our First Friday activities for November. We celebrated All Saints Day and All Souls Day by dressing up as saints and having a "Name that Saint" game. It was a lot of fun and everyone learned a thing or two about these holy heroes of the Faith. Don't they all look so cute? I was amazed at some of the great costumes. We also played Saints' Bingo.

The rest of these pictures of Grandpa coming for a visit to celebrate R's 3rd Birthday. She received twin baby dolls and was very happy. It was such a nice day out that we were able to play outside with Grandpa. The kids were all so very happy to have Grandpa come for a visit. B even was able to ride a two-wheeled bike for a little while with the help of Daddy. :)