Something New

I added a little something to my blog page...  You can see it above.  I wish I could get it centered, but alas, no luck on that so far...   Have a great day!!

Smoky Mountains part 2

Reciting the Junior Park Ranger pledge.

Felicity and Julia taking a little rest break in the National Park.

Smoky Mountains

Not bad for a self-portrait.

Here are a few highlights of our trip to Tennessee last week.  It really was a good time with my side of the family.  The fall colors were slightly beyond peak, but still gorgeous. 

Cousins (missing the little guys), Grandma and Pada, and Aunt Emily

Close encounters with taxidermy.

The pied piper.

Love this sweet picture of Lucy and my sister.

Baby Luke with the Lupinator.

Near the peak.

Receiving Junior Park Ranger certificates.  They had to work for these.

Somehow I didn't get many pictures of my brother's family.  I also completely failed to capture any shots of the waterpark.  I'm sure Pada will come through to help me out with that....

We returned Friday and have hit the ground running with a full schedule of activites and appointments this week.  I'm reasonably confident that we'll get unpacked by Christmas.  

Trick or Treat

 Since we'll be out of town for Halloween, we decided to visit our zoo's 'spooky' event today to give everybody a chance to dress up.  These costumes turned out pretty well considering they were put together in about 15 minutes (including construction of Victor's hat by Lucy). 

The ballerina.  Not sure what's up with that sassy pose.

The cowgirl in my old hat.  Sometimes hoarding has its benefits.

Robin Hood.  He made the weapons himself.

Steelers fan dressed as a Colts player.  If I had a quarter for every person to whom he explained that today...

'Tis the season...

...for coughs and stuffy noses and kids passing bugs back and forth between siblings and friends (and grown-ups, too!). 

...for 10 catalogs in the mail per day!!  Just the thing to encourage materialism in every single member of your household!  They are pretty fun to look at though, I must admit...

...for Christmas decor in every store.  I walked into the mall with my eldest son the other day, and he quipped, 'Hey mom, Merry Christmas!'  Pretty funny for a little dude whose jokes are usually ter.ri.ble. 

...to really enjoy wearing sweaters.  It's a lovely day when it's sunny but cool, and all you need is one extra layer to keep the chill out. 

...to take a nice vacation.  Well, maybe not exactly, but we're doing it anyway!!  My brother and his wife are moving overseas soon (sniff, sniff), so we're making a family voyage to Tennessee to spend some extra time with my siblings and parents. 

...for pumpkins, and lots of them.  I LOVE pumpkins, don't know why.  They make me happy with their funny shapes and cheerful color!!  We tried our hand at a pumpkin patch this summer, but our yield was limited (ie. one small pumpkin).  No matter!!  We made our annual trip to my favorite pumpkin patch and came home with more orange than we really needed.  Then the farmers who live behind us donated a few more!!  i am in gourd heaven. 

...for bedtime.  Daddy's working nights, but I'm sure my kids will be perfectly cooperative about going to sleep...  as usual...   haha. 

Happy Fall!

Sunday Recap

After muscling through Sunday School and Mass today (poor Daddy has been working nights and was running on about 1 hour of sleep), a couple of unnamed grownups in this house crashed in separate rooms for afternoon naps (not that we would have minded being in the same room!  It just didn't happen that way).  We both have good excuses, mind you, and I was in the living room in case of disaster...  There weren't any, fortunately, except for excessive TV-watching while I slept... 
Even after the monster nap I managed to sneak in, I was still moving slowly from the couch, so Victor, age 6, took it upon himself to fix dinner.  God bless him.  Here was the menu:
-leftover pancakes (warmed up by himself in the microwave)
-sweet pickles
-apple slices (cut by big sister, whom he recruited for the task)
-crackers

A pretty well-rounded meal for a first grader, don't you think?  I was quite proud of him.  He even set the table all by himself. 

Then, I had another visit from the 'grown up' named 'Jewel', and this time it was for her baby's one-year birthday party.  After I complimented her on the cake, she explained, "Oh, actually, her grandmother made it!"  Telling!!!  Thanks, Grandma, for all the birthday cakes you've helped me with over the years!!  At least one little person is paying attention!!

After I revived a bit and was feverishly lesson and meal-planning, Jewel transformed into a princess in need of a tea party.  I acquiesced as I thought she was happy playing by herself.

  "Madame, wouldn't you like to try some tea?" was the next request.  I put my type-A tendencies aside for a few minutes and sat down for a little sugar water and crackers.

 "Oh, could you please help me?  Sometimes I get it a little too full..." the princess asked ever-so-politely.  The teacups are tiny and require lots of refilling.  So, again, my to-do list was pushed aside.  All for a good cause. 

Happy Sunday!  Have a great week!

A Decade of Lucy



Walking at 10 months

  This child has been vocal, headstrong, and determined from the second she was born (no exaggeration).  She broke us into parenting with the force of a hurricane. 

 This has made for some interesting developmental phases along the way, but throughout her life, she's balanced her willful personality with sweetness, affection, and a strong sense of humor.

One of my favorite pictures with Uncle Phil at age 2.

 Dear Lucy, we are very proud of the young lady of virtue you are becoming.  We've seen you stand up for what is right, even when that's difficult.  Your big smile and fun-loving nature shine.

Tomorrow you turn 10.  It's a bit hard for me to believe.  I feel so blessed to be your mom.  You are such a help to me, and your siblings admire you so much!!  My prayer for you on your birthday is that you continue to grow in your faith, remaining true and developing more into the person God created you to be.  Have a great day, Loops!!!