June

This is my neighbor June.  She is well into her 80’s, but most days Spring through Fall, she rides her bike gracefully up and down our street.  Her pace is swift.  If she catches your eye, she will take one hand off her handlebars for a giant wave and smile as if you are her longest lost friend.  I am creeping along behind her in my van because she doesn’t hear well, and has no idea I’m behind her.  I don’t want to startle her.  

When I grow up, I want to be just like June.

Through the Storm

In the course of 3 weeks, my nephew had ACL reconstruction, Spike had a major bladder surgery and my dad had his hip replaced.  I was in Indianapolis with Spike for a week.  My husband and parents held down the fort here until my dad’s surgery when my husband took over as solo pilot.  Dad and Spike ended up coming home from separate hospitals on the same day.  It’s been wild.

All are on the mend with, of course, some ups and downs, but we’re generally headed in the right direction.  

We’ve had so many prayers, meals, love and support - I am humbled and forever grateful.  It’s hard to admit the need for help.  But I’m so glad I was encouraged to accept the offers we received.  What a blessing.  

One very sweet outcome of all of this was the joy in having family togetherness.  Because our house is designed for accessibility, my parents moved in here after dad’s surgery.  We absolutely loved having them here.  They just left a little while ago, and we’re adjusting to their absence.  Fortunately, they’re only driving 45 minutes away.  Also, my brother and sister were around for support, which was another fun perk.  

The top picture is Spike one day after surgery.  The bottom picture shows a result of my general brain-fuzziness and the chaos of the past couple weeks.  I messed up Crash’s basketball schedule, so he missed his game yesterday.  He loves basketball so much, and I felt just terrible about it. So....  I compensated with a trip to the pet store.  We were just going to look, but you can see from the above picture (taken in our kitchen) how that turned out.  Meet our sweet little Beta fish named ‘zupa.’  

By and large, the storm of surgeries and survival mode are clearing away, slowly but surely.  We see light peeking through the clouds.  We’re so grateful for the shelter of prayers, love and support from so many.  God is good. 

Friends Forever

The friendship we have with these people is one of the greatest blessings of our lives.  When we have a whole weekend to catch up, it’s a treasure.  

When the Little Things are a Big Deal

When you’re on the autism spectrum, little things can become a really big deal. Take, for instance, tolerating goggles.  

Crash has been in multiple swimming programs for several years.  He has never been able to handle the sensation of wearing goggles.  We’ve tried over and over again without success.  It’s not a huge deal for him to swim without them, but I did believe that putting his face in the water could be more pleasant for him with his eyes protected. So, periodically we’ve been giving it a try.  

Last Monday, we put them on and he kept them on.  He took them off part way through, but this was a huge success in my book.  

So many things we’ve taken for granted with our other kids are major accomplishments for this little guy: putting on his own pants, getting into his booster seat on his own, putting away his toothbrush...  It’s not lost on me that slowing down and noticing all these seemingly small movements toward independence is a blessing.  We are grateful for you, Little Man.  

He and Spike are able to swim at the same time in the same program, which I LOVE.  Here they are:

Trick or Treat

Well, I got a picture of 1/5 kids in their Halloween costumes!  Could have been worse!  You know you’ve entered a new phase of parenting when 4/5 kids are doing their own thing, and it’s just you and your littlest walking the neighborhood on All Hallow’s Eve.  Little man has a fascination with lizards right now, hence his costume choice.  

Another sign that you’ve crossed a proverbial bridge is that a couple kids went to All Saints Day mass by themselves because it didn’t work with their schedules to attend with the rest of us.  😳 

I love seeing growth and development in my children, it just takes me a minute (or decade) to get my mind around these things...

Have a blessed feast of All Souls!! Praying for our departed friends and family today...

A Click and a Prayer

I clicked 'submit.'

For 17 years, we've watched you grow, learn, make mistakes, correct yourself, accept guidance, follow your own path.  We made an early decision that your education would be home-based.  You thrived, reading voraciously, spending countless hours exploring nature, orchestrating plays and shows and writing your own scripts, generally exuding joy at the life you were fortunate enough to be living...  We gave you an option to attend a small private high school, but you have loved identifying yourself as a homeschooler.  You adamantly chose to stay at home.

Submit a counselor report.  Tell us how this student stands out from others.

Is that even a fair question for a parent?  Yet, I attempt to summarize in 40 to 1000 words what your childhood has been, what potential I see for  you as a student, a professional, a human being.

It's funny, really, that I list your class size as 1.  Your GPA is the top GPA for your class (another question we must answer).  You are the majority, the minority, the best, the worst.  How do we summarize what you are to our family, our parish, your friends, the world?

So I type.  I wonder if we've done enough.  With any outside teacher we've hired, you've excelled.  That should give us confidence, I suppose, as we forge ahead with these college applications.  I have confidence in you, my child.  I see your God-given talents and the way you make the best of them.  I hope you can trust in Him who has given you much.

It's daunting, following a call to home educate and now writing it all down for someone else to evaluate.  Have we said enough?  Too much?  Can you see, dear admissions personnel, the soul behind the grades and course descriptions?

So we submit, to the best of our ability, a picture of who this child is.  And we trust that the One who created her will guide her path as he has directed ours throughout this parenting journey.  Have we heeded the call?

We fill out the forms, click the necessary boxes, and pray.

Brotherly Bond

When our youngest son was born, Kid118 was elated to have a little brother.  At age 4, this cherished little brother received an autism spectrum diagnosis.  Of course, a label only meant that we could begin accessing therapies to help him with the areas in which he struggled.  Day to day life and our interactions with our sweet little man were largely unaltered...  

The big brother pictured above has a unique ability to communicate with our littlest son.  When he struggled to engage with other kids, big brother could always connect with him in a pretend world of ‘bad guys.’    

This year, Kid118 attends a small conservatory and is gone from home all day long.  Crash misses him fiercely, asking repeatedly where he is and when he will be back.  It’s been quite an adjustment.  

We were at the pumpkin patch the other day, and I was encouraging little Crash to hold hands with his brother in the parking lot.  He was either not understanding my instructions or not interested in doing what I asked...  Big brother offered, “Young boy, place thy hand thus,” reaching out his hand.  Crash immediately placed his hand in his and walked safely to the van.  They speak a unique language, those two...

Kid118 sometimes mentions that perhaps he and Crash will grow up and join a the same religious order.  Imagining that possibility makes this mama’s heart happy.  

Pumpkins make me happy

Saturday brought beautiful weather and a couple of unexpected free hours for apple and pumpkin picking!!!  Hands down my favorite activity of the fall, a trip to the orchard with the kids  is an annual tradition.  Spike had a bad cough and stayed home to watch football - a real sacrifice😉.  

So far, we’ve enjoyed two rounds of gluten-free apple crisp made from our haul of Jonathons.  

I’m dreaming of tilling a big section of our yard for a pumpkin patch.  In my dream, this garden would weed itself and attract zero squash bugs.  

 

I'm back

So, blogging.  I thought you were a thing of my past.  But after nearly a year of separation, I'm ready to come back to you.

Having readers is nice.  It's fun to connect with people and receive feedback from near and far.  However, the reality is that this space serves as a family journal of sorts.  Posts on F*cebook and Insta fade into cyber-oblivion with no hope of retrieval.  Here, we can look back, even print a hard copy of the moments I happened to deem noteworthy.  It's a valuable endeavor even if the only readers live in the very house from which I currently type.

And, creative outlet is a healthy, necessary part of life.  This is mine.

So, here and now I recommit to writing a little bit each week, maybe more often, about thoughts on our family life, hopes and dreams, funny stories and basic news from our homestead.

For starters, let me just say that certain realities are hitting us full force at the moment:  Life and death, for instance, as our parents age (and we, too) and health fails.

Our oldest child is now a senior in high school.  St. Therese is one of her patrons, and I realized today that this could be the last time she celebrates this occasion with us at home.  (Let me note for the record that our feast day parties are not elaborate - usually a special dessert and an extra prayer.  No one need assume that over-achievement is happening.)

I sat in a preschool event last spring with our youngest and noticed all the young moms sans makeup and sporting sweats and ponytails while jugging babies, toddlers, preschoolers, strollers, sippy cups.  I noticed myself, relatively put together (as much as is possible for me) with my 13-year-old son as my sidekick along with my (at the time) 5-year-old.  My hands were free.  I realized I had crossed a bridge.  I had become the mother of big kids.

So, life marches on, and this little space on the world wide web allows me to capture glimpses for posterity.

Feel free to read along.

Some things to Remember...

...today, Yo-yo said the funniest thing: Mom, you should be really proud of me because I was vegetarian for one whole day!  And you thought I would give up...

...all my kids (except possibly Crash who hasn't learned to appreciate them yet) were thrilled to receive new Adventures in Odyssey CD's for Christmas.  Ages 16 - 10, and theiy're not too cool to enjoy these family favorites.  

...My dad ventured out for a walk with just himself, Spike and Crash from our hotel in Chicago this past weekend.  Had I known about it, I would have been nervous, but they did great.

...since Christmas break, Crash has been going to school without a helper.  He's doing really well.  I'm so grateful for this lovely, play-centered program and his patient teachers.  

...at the CCD Christmas program at church, Crash sang with his class in front of all the parents.  He stood where he was supposed to. He sang the songs.  He didn't run off.  It was awesome!!  

...the 3 serious ballet dancers in the house went to Chicago for auditions this weekend, 2 for the first time.  It is hard to go into these places with such major competition.  They all did it and came out smiling.  Who cares what the results might be.  

...A couple weeks ago, Yoyo took it upon herself to make minestrone and salad for dinner.  She did the whole thing start to finish, and even added just enough of her own ingredient (hot sauce) to add flare.  It was delicious.  So proud.

...Joy has really stepped up her time management skills this year.  She is juggling a bunch of difficult courses, preparing for the SAT, staying involved at church, choreographing a piece in the Student Choreography Showcase, and by and large, holding it all together.  I think she might be about ready for college.  *sniff*

...we have mice living in our van.  They destroyed a computer in one of the seats. It's been all cleaned out now, but gross!  We are never eating in there ever again.  Mark my words.  

...Best mis-pronunciation to date:  Instead of 'Swiss tuna grill,' Crash says, 'Twist Cinna-girl.'  ❤️

... And, lest I forget, another classic is 'skip-daddy' for 'spaghetti.'

June-July

So it seems that once per month posts is about all I can manage... and now I've slipped to every other month...  But, give up on blogging I will not!!  So, here's a summary of June and July, which I can hardly believe are already in the past.  It's been a full summer.  Most of the season's bucket list items have been checked off - vacation, camps, 4H fair, swimming, garden (fail) - and now it's time to get in gear for the school year.  The goal is to begin on Monday.  Joy has one more week of ballet intensive, and we're sneaking in one more week at the beach, but school books are traveling with us.  Grades 11, 8, 7, 5 and pre-K, we're ready for you! 

Swimming Lessons

Playing in the sprinkler



basketball every day, everywhere

grateful for our hot tub

crash loves to swing. 

trips to our local zoo, which we LOVE

at home on the 4th of July

cousin sleepovers and the world's largest slushies.  we're on our way to the dentist office here, I kid you not.

Amazing youth conference at Franciscan U. 

Same conference, different day.  Joy and my godson Josh

Canoe camp!  This is a photo of a slideshow... 

our favorite county park. 

crash is over his annoyance with pond water.

outdoor concert featuring our babysitter's band!

4H fair with our buddy Frankie

at the completion of another ballet intensive.  these kids work HARD.

Spike turned 15 (what!??) and threw out the first pitch at our local minor league game to commemorate the occasion.

Receiving trophies for reserve champion projects at the 4H fair. Yo-yo is particularly enthralled with her first ever trophy. 

posing with her projects

Zoo trip with our little cousin who spent a week with us for the first time!  Yay, Sam!!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

July 1, 1967, my mom and dad tied the knot.  They are not big fans of parties, so we opted instead for a week with our family in the mountains of Tennessee.  We also sent them to see Hamilton (the musical) in Chicago in January.  50 years...  what a wonderful occasion to celebrate.  3 kids and 10 grandkids later, they are going strong and setting a continued example of love and sacrifice to all of us.  Love to you, Mom and Dad!! 

Grandma, Pada, and grandkids minus 1

We 'climbed mountains'

bad picture... but we were able to goof around on the golf course every evening!  the kids were in heaven.

More hikers.

The waterparks!! 

Best of all - QT with cousins

Shopping in the artist colony

And a major highlight - the Dixie Stampede!! 

May

My baby turned 5.

Joy and 2 of her sweet friends attended the homeschool prom.  They opted to stop for coffee in lieu of 20 extra minutes of fixing their hair. ❤️

Our ballet school's Spring Concert featured Snow White.  It was stunningly beautiful.

One of our favorite field trips is a local bison ranch.  This year there were 40 babies in the herd.  So much fun.

After 7 previous attempts, the kids finally earned a people's choice award in our annual Homeschool World Geography Fair.

Our sweet goddaughter made her first Holy Communion.  Beautiful day.

Kid118 earned a merit award in a statewide art contest.   Here he is with our dear art teacher who faithfully teaches her lovely classes for homeschoolers.

Crash loves being outside in the warmer weather.  Photo cred: Joy.

May is the month for field trips!  This time... Conner Prairie!

My niece's dance recital!

Sisters and dance moms forever

And...  we had an unexpected visit with cousins!!!   Doesn't get any better than that.