Pheasant Soup, Anyone?

You know your husband is a hunter when he purchases you a shotgun for your 42nd birthday. Here we are, ready for our romantic bird hunting date.

When Dad Does the Buzz Cut

One of the perks of having Dad cut your hair: You get to goof off with a temporary (very temporary) mohawk.

Little Mary

On All Saints Day, our kids dress up as their favorite saints for our annual party. Therese wanted to be "Holy Mary" this year, so her big siblings spent one October afternoon trying on various costumes that might suit the purpose. Here is the sweet result. All that's missing is the halo...

Running Leones

I am still trying to get caught up on blog posting. The photos in this post are accompanied by green grass and shorts-wearing children. For the record, it's twenty degrees outside as I type this, and we've already had snow. Let's just say, I'm a solid month behind in the Leone family updates.

Recently, our homeschool group, thanks to one very energetic mom, organized a cross country race for our students. What follows are pics of the kids before and during the race and--in the case of William--as he crossed the finish line.

A word about my boy, William: He's a runner! How did we not realize sooner that this would be his forte, his love? After all, he spends seemingly every moment of free time running in circles to music in the family room. This is a boy who's on the move always, every second of the day, if we let him.

The cross country race was something totally new to all of our kids. I was very impressed with them. Anna Marie, Kathleen, William, and Andrew all finished (some with smiles on their faces, some not). But William... He came across the finish line in utter glee, with nary a shadow of pain or exhaustion. He crossed the finish line wanting to run more! Can I tell you how this mother's heart sang at seeing William find something he absolutely loves? Check out the photo of him as he nears the finish...

Rally!

After a significant hiatus in blog-writing, during which time a new President was elected to lead our nation, I am posting our McCain-Palin rally photos. In October, the kids and I, together with our pal Grace, met up with friends in Waukesha and attended the McCain-Palin rally. The rally itself was one of the most reported rallies of the campaign, due to the energy of the crowd. Never in my life have I been so excited and energized at an event. The experience, particularly for the kids, was tremendous.

While waiting the two hours in line before getting into the sports complex, the kids met up with friends in line. They played cards in the parking lot and enjoyed viewing the many homemade signs. From the number of children present, it appeared that many adults felt the rally was a field-trip worthy civics lesson.

After the rally, we were able to get up close and personal with Sarah Palin. The kids got her autograph, while I stood on tippy folding chairs trying to snap the photos of her. A real thrill!

Now that Obama has been elected, we've taken down our McCain-Palin signs and our McCain-Palin bumper stickers, and we will respect Mr. Obama. Meanwhile, we will pray, every day, that Mr. Obama realizes the importance of leading this country with God at the helm, protecting first and foremost, the sanctity of every human life, no matter the stage, no matter the disability. We pray that Mr. Obama, who has shown that skin color is not an impediment to success and high office in our country, likewise comes to realize that size, age, and the stage of human development should not dictate whether a person has a right to live. As the kids like to quote Dr. Suess, "A person's a person, no matter how small."