Sisterly Love

There is napping. (Yes, we do have beds in this house.)

And there is playing. Lucia is catching up with Marguerite (seated) size-wise!

A Couple O' Cuties

It's just fascinating to watch Marguerite and Lucia, our two closest-in-age children. What an amazing gift their birthmother gave to them in ensuring they would be raised together. What a gift they are to us!

Marguerite loves to "read" to Lucia.

Some Ash Wednesday snuggling. (You didn't think that was a bruise on Marguerite's head, did you? ;)

Sleeping beauties 

These two have such fun together.

She's Ours, All Ours!

Beautiful Lucia became a part of our family—legally and forever—at our finalization hearing on January 4th, 2012. The finalization removed Lucia's birth surname and replaced it with Leone. What an important and happy day in our family! We love you, Lucia, and we are so glad you are officially ours now.

Sadly, we managed to forget the camera in the car and did not have time to head back down to retrieve it. Aaagh! Our finalization photos are, therefore, less-than-ideal phone photos, snapped by the bailiff. Nevertheless, they capture the moment, and they include our good judge. Too bad Lucia did not want to lift her head for the photos!

Family Prayer

Family rosary.

One of the best parts of the day.

I love that the little girls are learning to pray in right in the laps of their big sisters.

Anna Marie and Marguerite (holding not only a rosary, but an ice stick to soothe a pinched finger)

Kathleen and Lucia

Lucia with her rosary

Sisters, Sisters...

...there were never such devoted sisters...

Sisterly love

Cuties (bald spot and messy floor, notwithstanding)

Awww! These two really do have fun together.

NOT Doing It All

There are those who ask "how I do it all" with seven kids and homeschooling and the various projects I place upon myself. The truth of the matter is that I don't. I come up far short in so many areas. I should devote more time to my husband, I should devote more time to prayer, I should come up with more time to simply play with the kids... and in  a not-so-important area, I could devote more time to blogging—since this blog is my version of our family scrapbook.  I print the blog in book form at the end of each year, and I put a wee bit o' pressure on myself to keep it up. Since one of my last posts had do with Christmas, I've fallen far short.

So... In traditional Elizabeth-fashion, I will now spend this weekend catching up on January through April posts. (I did spend my entire Saturday until now cleaning our basement top to bottom.) One of these days, I'll be regular about my family blogging. In my dreams.

Meanwhile, I"m on a mission to cut a few non-essentials out of our crazy-run-around-schedule...

Peek-a-Boo!

When Marguerite and Lucia's birthmother made the decision to keep these two sisters together, she made an inspired choice. These two little girls bring such joy to one another. It's a blast watching the two of them interact.

Here they are, perched in a laundry basket, on a weekday morning, caught in an impromptu game of peek-a-boo. I came upon this scene and was compelled to start snapping photos.

Where's Marguerite, Lucia?

Peek-a-Boo!

Marguerite entertains herself as much as Lucia.

Time Alone with Marguerite

On a Saturday in November, a rare treat befell me: I had a couple hours alone with Marguerite. Just the two of us. 

Joe had taken all but the two littlest kids out for some (birthday-for-me!) shopping. I had a very quiet house, with only a baby and a toddler on the premises. When little Lucia went down for a nap and was safely nestled in her crib, Marguerite and I decided to head out on a little walk around our property. What a great time! We talked (toddler talk though it may have been), and we laughed. Marguerite tried to repeat every word I said.

It's easy to forget how important the one-on-one time is with each child. With a big family, I have to consciously create that time. With my oldest daughters, it might be something as simple as sitting on the edge of their beds and quietly chatting with them in those few moments before we all head to sleep. Last week, I was able to slip away for to a coffee shop for a half hour with my oldest daughter. I will always cherish these times. I love the hubbub and merriment of the big-family dynamic, but the one-on-one times are precious and needed too. 

October Photo Recap

I've been a bit under the weather lately and haven't had much extra time to spare for anything but sleeping. Nevertheless, I have every intention of keeping this blog better updated than over the past few months, so I'll be posting a series of photos that speak for themselves.

The boys study magnetism (see iron filing activity) in science class.

William and Andrew have some friends over to play backyard football. (Joe even comes home from work early to get in on the action.) 

Sacked out, watching the Packer game. A Sunday tradition at our house.

Kathleen makes some very festive Halloween-themed cookies.

Dodging Cars

Zipping down the road on the way to five-year-old Therese's "Junior Saints" class yesterday, this is our discussion.

     Therese:    "Are we going to be late, Mommy?"

     Mom:        "I hope not, but we're not going to be early today."

     Therese:    "I don't want to be late, Mommy."

     Mom:        "I"m doing my best, Therese."

     Therese, shouting now: "Go speeding, Mommy! Go, speeding!"

     Mom:        "Honey, I don't want to get a speeding ticket. Besides it's not very safe to 'go speeding.'"

     Therese:    "We'll be fine, Mommy. Just dodge all the cars!"

     Mom:        "Did you just say 'dodge all the cars'?"

     Therese:    "Yep!"

Well, okay then.


Next time I If I ever get pulled over for speeding, I'll try to mitigate the penalty with the ol' "dodging cars" plea.

Therese

The Little Red Fan

Once upon a time, a little red desktop fan sat on the shelf at a local Target.

With every visit to Target, a little boy named Andrew would beg his mother to buy the little red fan for his bedroom.

With each visit, little Andrew would leave Target disappointed, knowing his bedroom would not bask in the stirring breezes of that tiny desktop fan.

Oh, it's not that we don't have central air. We do.

It's not that it's a steamy time of year. It's not.

It's merely the coolness factor of a personal red fan for a seven-year-old boy.

That coolness factor led to unflattering begging behavior with each Target shopping trip.

And then, Red Fan Day dawned. No one knew yet that it was Red Fan Day, but the stars were aligning just so.

On what was anticipated to be just another ordinary shopping trip, young Andrew entered Target with his mother, plodding along beside her as she bought socks and underwear for Big Brother, acne wash for the household Teens, and cat food for the Nellie the Cat.

Nearing the red fan aisle, Andrew made a sudden dart for his treasure. Toting the red fan behind his mother, the badgering began:

"Mom, can you buy this red fan for me, please?"

"No, Andrew, we've been through this already. We're not buying a fan."

"Please, Mom? I'll put it in my room, on my nightstand. It won't be in the way."

"No, Andrew. We don't need a fan." [Mom proceeds to push cart toward the other end of the store.]

"Please, Mom, please?"

"No, Andrew."

[Long pause. By now, Mother and Son are on a completely different end of the store... far from red fan aisle, with Andrew still traipsing behind Mother, fan in-hand.]

"Mom, listen. I'll clean my room if you buy me this fan."

[Eh?]

"Mom, I'll clean my room, AND I'll clean the whole basement.

[What?]

"Wait a minute. I'll clean my whole room, AND I'll clean the whole basement. AND I'll clean out the van for you—if you buy me this fan."

[Excuse me? Cart slows.]

With all the earnestness a seven-year-old can muster,
"Okay Mom, I will actually work for you for three hours today—if you buy me this fan."

[WHOA. Cart slows. Mother's ears are way-perked-up.]

"No, no, Mom, actually...listen... I would work for you for A WHOLE YEAR—if you would just buy me this red fan."

[Cart comes to a sudden stop. Mother's feet come to rest. Mother wheels around for a discreet glance at the price tag on the little red fan. Clearance marked: $1.67. Angels start singing.]

In the blink of an eye, Little Red Fan had a new destiny, indeed a whole new identity. It was now the bedroom-cleaning, basement-cleaning, van-cleaning, work-for-a-whole year fan.

The little red fan found a temporary home in a shopping cart, took an adventurous romp down a check-out conveyor belt, and found its way that afternoon to the nightstand of a little boy named Andrew.

Mother never spent $1.67 so well.

Son felt like he'd never made a better deal.

Andrew's bedroom, and the family basement and van never looked so good.

There are deals.  And then there are deals.  This was a DEAL.

Just don't ask about the insanity-provoking rattling sound coming from that little red investment.

You KNOW you'd work a year for this fan...

Aunt Margaret & Uncle Tony Pay a Visit

It's always a festive day when Aunt Margaret and Uncle Tony visit.  With no children of their own, Margaret and Tony have dubbed themselves the favorite aunt and uncle. Indeed, the kids are entertained to no end when Margaret and Tony are anywhere in the vicinity.  It's usually chess, Uno, or puzzles with Uncle Tony and primo baby playtime with Aunt Margaret.

Aunt Margaret gets primo baby-holding time.

Uncle Tony & Andrew duke it out in a game of chess.

Watch out, Uncle Tony!

Lucia basks in the glow of Aunt Margaret & Uncle Tony's visit.

Sisters

We always figured Marguerite and Lucia would develop a special bond. We just never imagined we see it so early. 

Upon awaking, Marguerite's first activity is to peek into Lucia's bassinet and make sure she is "awake, awake!" 

While we change Lucia's morning diaper, Marguerite strokes her face. 

If Lucia is fussy, Marguerite takes her own pacifier out of her mouth and puts it in Lucia's mouth.  (No, we do not encourage the pacifier swap, but it happens.)

If Lucia is crying for long, Marguerite runs to her side, exclaiming, "Don't kye, Cheetah! Don't kye!" 

These two have a bond that is intense and something to behold. How blessed we all are to be able to watch them grow up together, these two beautiful girls.

April Fool's in August

Kathleen decided to play a trick on the younger kids.

She served up a delicious breakfast of "eggs and toast."

The boys and Therese were temporarily fooled.

Look closely.

The yolk is a peach. The white is yogurt. The toast is pound cake.

While they figured out the pound cake right away, they were pretty stumped on the egg—trying to figure out why it looked "so big."

A great way to start off a summer morning, thanks to crafty Kathleen.

Be Still My Beating Heart

When the kids decide to work, they can do a great job.

The "great job" part is not always predictable, and the emphasis is on can. But my heart races pitter-pat when it happens.

I've been known to bribe. (Act all surprised now.)

So bring on the joyful workers. (Because we're always joyful around here. Yeah. Uh-huh.)

Handsome car detailers.

Beautiful laundry folder.

The War Against Evil

Our kids are big fans of the Narnia series, a fact that is evident in much of their play. On a recent weekend, the kids set up this impressive display of animals prepared to wage war against one another. 

In a classic C.S. Lewis re-enactment, the battle below depicts the good animals against the evil animals. (See if you can pick out the "evil" side.)

The whole battle scene...

The good.

The bad.

An Ode to My Hubby

Joe and I get buried in the daily grind of school and work and parenting and to-do lists. And it's not often, certainly not often enough, that I reflect on Joe and the many reasons I am so happy I married him.

With our sixteenth anniversary quickly approaching, it seems only appropriate that I thank Joe for all the things he does—for me, for our children, and for our family as a whole.

• Joe mows the lawn. Always. I've never mowed the lawn in all the years we've been married. He often has one of the kids on the tractor with him, just because they like being with him.
• Joe takes out the garbage. Always. Unless he's out of town, Joe always manages the garbage. No easy feat with our long driveway.
• Joe plows the driveway. It's Joe's thing. He plows, he shovels. Bless his heart.
• Joe plunges toilets. We have toilet cloggers in this house, and Joe always takes on these icky jobs.
• Joe fixes kids' toys. The pile of toys-to-fix might get big on his desk, but he always gets to the toys and makes them well.
• Joe does Cub Scouts with William. I've never been to a meeting. It's a Dad-William thing. How cool is that? Lucky boy, that William.
• Joe picks up the slack when I have a migraine. Fortunately, the migraines are much fewer than they used to be, but when one comes on, watch out. I'm out of commission.
• Joe leads us in family prayers in the evening, and often helps put the kids to bed.
• Joe attends Knights of Divine Mercy and St. Thomas More Society meetings, making him a better man, and setting a faithful example for all of us.
• Joe gets in there and plays with the kids—really plays with them. Board games, baseball, volleyball, target shooting activities, bonfire stories, science experiments, model construction, and general rough-housing.
• Joe attends music recitals and sports events and does a whole lot of driving to and from extracurricular activities.
• Joe cut out regular golf-playing years ago to spend more time with the family. What a guy!
• Joe works all week and then enjoys cooking on the weekends—so much so, that my cooking duties are fairly limited to weekdays. 
• Joe takes the time to teach our children. Although he does not do the regular, formal instruction in our homeschool, he is the impromptu dinner-table educator. Conversations with Dad around the dinner-table usually involve science or history. He engages the kids and makes them better people.
• Joe makes tough decisions and has even turned down lucrative client opportunities which were not compatible with his faith.
• Joe's a tough-love kind of dad, and while he might ruffle some kiddie feathers, the kids always know what's right and wrong, thanks to Joe.
• Joe puts his wife, his kids, and his Catholic faith first. The examples of this are innumerable. He is my hero. I don't know what I'd do without him.

I didn't touch on everything. How could I? Love, and the service and devotion that comes with love, cannot be boiled down to a tidy little list. This list is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the amazing Joe.

I love you, Joe! Happy (almost) sixteenth anniversary!

Here we are, sixteen years ago.

Joe, doing his thing, plowing our big ol' driveway.

Chillin'

It happens every year over the holidays...

I fall hopelessly behind, barely stay on top of the laundry (who am I kidding—I slide right off that laundry mountain), pull out frozen pizza with ever-increasing frequency, and run myself ragged getting from one holiday event to the next from Christmas straight through Epiphany.

It's all good, really it is. I wouldn't have it any other way. We have a great time over the holidays, and who really cares if the laundry suffers and the meals are weak? (Okay, I care, and it makes me edgy, but we're not going there.)

In any event, I clearly need to build in a solid minute or two a day for unwinding during the holidays. Yes, every mom needs a minute or two to herself, don'tcha think?

Perhaps I should take my cues from Therese and Marguerite, two girls who clearly know how to put up their feet.

Scenes from Grandma's House, the Night of the Funeral

A few scenes from Mom's / Grandma's house after the funeral and the luncheon...

She would have loved the hubbub and all the grandchildren making merry...

Cousins Kathleen (hidden, at piano), Madeline (at piano), and Zoe (on guitar) play—and sing—Feliz Navidad.

Three cousins, making music together.

Relaxing and reminiscing about Mom/Grandma, after a series of long, emotional days. 

Andrew and a Leone family friend.

Aunt Margaret and Uncle Jeff play with Therese.

Joe makes a little music for Marguerite. 

Marguerite gets to know Oakley, under the watchful eye of Uncle Tony.

Aunt Margaret shows Marguerite how to pet Oakley.