Halloween 2008

Here is the Leone gang, getting ready to head out for an evening of trick-or-treating. A merry band of clowns and good Mother Teresa...

Alliterative Agitations

Our alliterative daughters, Anna Marie and Kathleen, came up with the following statement, amidst much laughter, a couple nights ago.

Priscilla had a pretty, painful, poopy, peaceful, prissy, pleasant, pity-party where she porked on pieces of pie, pancakes, peppermints, pumpkins, pistachios, peanuts, pink pomegranates, plum pudding, purple peaches, parsley, pears, pickles, picalilli, and pasties and pacified her parents, Parliament, pigs, policemen, Packers, pagans, Peter Rabbit, Padre Pio, painters, Pakistanis, patriotic politicians, paleontologists, paleogeographers, Palestinians, Panamanians, a plump parrot, and poetic Portuguese penpals who packed into her palace in Paradise.

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."

Here's Where it Gets Political

This independent-voting, pro-life family has been so energized by the Republican's platform this year and the selection of common-sense, Washington-outsider Sarah Palin for the Republican ticket. As residents of a battleground state, we've understood the importance of volunteering our time, and we've busied ourselves putting up signs on our rural property, and making telephone calls for McCain-Palin. We're praying for a good outcome for our country on November 4th.

And what of the kids? They're pretty much McCain-Palin movers and shakers right along with us. They've been to the rallies and have talked the talk... More on that soon...

Part of the Family

The chickens have become part of the family.

If Therese had any say, they'd be in her crib with her at night.

Apple Plukkin'

Fall means our annual outing to Eplegaarden where you pluk (not pluck) apples in traditional Norwegian fashion. Uff da!

A few shots of the day...

Budding Geniuses Can't Stop Studying

Back in the school day routine at the Leone house... Ahhhhh, the rhythm of school days, the structure of a schedule, and the peace and solitude that a house of studying Leones brings. [giggle snort]

Reality: A typical day around here involves teaching kids, changing diapers, reading to the kids, settling disputes, giving quizzes, separating trouble-makers, and starting interesting discussions only to wind up in a none-too-calm voice lecturing that "silence is golden." ahem.

All in a day in the Leone family homeschool.

Chunky Toddler Cuteness

Holy Innocents Academy:First Day of School '08-'09

The first day of school was met with mixes reviews. Some of the kids were thrilled. Others, not so much.

For the obligatory First Day of School Photo, I asked the kids to each grab the book or curriculum resource about which they were most excited for the new school year. I think Therese just wants to learn to write! :)

Reaping the Harvest

The Leone kids get busy harvesting, preparing, and eating the cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes. (Therese would prefer not to share those tomatoes.)

Chocolate & Balloons Smooth Out the Bumps

When you end up with eight stitches on your birthday and have to forego the cross country team as a result, there is nothing like chocolate and balloons to put a smile on the face. Thanks, Grace, for the goodies!

Handsome Fella

Our "family photographer," Claudia Daniel, snapped these fun shots of William. Is he a charmer, or what?

Annie-Fan Turns 12 and gets stitches!

Whoa! One year away from teen-dom. Our oldest has turned 12. (This actually happened two months ago. I'm a little behind on the blog.)

This birthday will go down in memory: It was the STITCHES birthday. Yes, Anna Marie managed to slice open two toes (rotary cutter fell onto her foot while she was reaching onto an upper shelf for craft supplies) on her birthday morning -- not fifteen minutes after her friend, Heather, had arrived to celebrate the day with her. Needless to say, Anna Marie and Heather, together with Kathleen, spent a good portion of Anna Marie's birthday in the ER. Unpleasant, to say the least. However, the good ER ladies, upon finding out that it was Anna Marie's birthday, brought the girls popcorn and popsicles to try to make the atmosphere a little more festive. Anna Marie came home with eight stitches.

Despite the medical fiasco, all was well by evening, and John and Claudia Daniel came over to celebrate Anna Marie's twelve years with us. We had a towering inferno on Anna Marie's own homemade lemon tart, and hot-sauce-lovin' Anna Marie especially enjoyed the Tabasco-themed gifts...

International Night

An energetic mom in our homeschool group recently put together an "International Night" for Holy Family Homeschoolers. We had a fine time enjoying the foods and displays from a multitude of countries.

The Leones chose to do a Greece booth. Why Greece, you ask? One word: baklava!

Omelette? Fritatta? Creme Brulee?

Our diet is higher in protein than ever these days, thanks to our prolific egg layers. Eight hens are providing us with six to eight per day. We're whipping up the omelettes, the fritattas, and the desserts with gusto. Nothing like farm-fresh eggs, especially when they're from your own mini version of a farm.

Grammy

In July, we were faced with the difficult prospect of moving Grammy, my grandmother, to a new home--one that could accommodate her advancing Alzheimer's. After about six weeks of searching for the perfect place and finding that all the good places were filled, a spot at one of our desired locations opened up. We are very pleased with Grammy's new home and the care she receives there. Sadly, she doesn't know us by name anymore, and we have to remind her we're family, but she sure does love our visits. We are her only family in-state, so we visit her regularly and make sure she knows how much she is loved.