R is 3

it's hard to believe that my little baby boy is 3! 

we had a joint party for the boys this year. it was sports themed. we have a nearby rec center that does birthday parties. it came with a coach and a party room.

coach derek took the kids downstairs to the gym and played games with them for 1.5 hours and brought them back up for cake & presents.

the big kids were able to stay on the other side of the gym and play volleyball or basketball and do their own thing so they didn't over run the littles.

it was a win win for all.

 sar made such a fun cake. it looked like a regular beautiful white baseball cake from the outside, but when you cut into it, little chocolate sports balls rolled out. such a fun surprise. we couldn't keep little hands out of the pictures... they kept swiping.

 coach derek in action.

these two did a pretty good job sharing their birthday. they definitely felt like the stars of the show.

chocolate balls!

 blowing out the candles.....

on to the presents, there were a lot of fun trucks and super heroes. the babies found lots of fun little spots to stuff themselves into.

p really liked the batman mask. he wore it the whole time.

                                                                                                       




















happy birthday boys!!!

15

my schmoopie and I celebrated 15 years of marriage yesterday.

15 years. that sounds like a really long time to me. it can't have already been 15 years.

because that would make us old.

and we are barely in our 20's. right???

it really does seem to go by in a flash.

time is crazy.

we had a lovely dinner & decided we had better go pick up our almost 13 yr. old {what!$&&$))????} and take her to a concert that she needed to attend for school. we dropped her off at the symphony and walked over to the basilica in which we were married...

15 years ago.

we said some prayers of thanksgiving together. in awe of the crazy-chaotic yet wonderfully blessed life we live everyday.

and then we tried to take some nice photos but that didn't quite work out.

mamas day

i so enjoyed mother's day this year. as do i enjoy these little angels i am lucky enough to raise. they showered me with homemade cards full of tissue paper flowers, glitter and their very best handwriting. i was spoiled with a delicious breakfast in bed. i was even surprised with a recited poem from little S. she was so cute with her missing teeth & recited it to me several times.

my mama came over to eat the enormous breakfast paully made, complete with banana nutella crepes. {heaven on earth}

after mass, my mama, sissy & i went out for lunch & had pedicures.

then we headed over to my sisters house for a big family dinner. we (the ladies) took the kids to the park while the boys made dinner.

it was a little hot & the irrigation scents were making us a little queasy... but it was fun to go for a walk & wear the kids out.

overall i would say that it was as close to perfect as a day could get.

little S

my little s has had a little transformation that she is quite excited about. all of her sisters lost their front teeth when they were 5. she has been waiting patiently and it finally happened.

a big toothless smile.

yay for her.
boo for me.

da boys

i love this picture my D took of the little boys.

hard to believe they will be 3 this week!!!

things are better

ok ok. things are looking up now. the whole sick kid thing can really bring a mama down.

but alas, thank god, everyone healed and we are all better.

first things first....

this special boy

had a birthday.

i won't say how old... but boy are our cakes getting brighter and brighter.

this little boy is really needing to be kept busy. he is really looking forward to preschool in the fall.

he is going to love it.

a yummy coffee date with mom....

unfortunately a little time out at the library.... someone wasn't using library etiquette....

and this little smooch was begging me to let her do locks of love. it's just that i personally loved her locks so much. i postponed as long as i could... hoping she would forget... but no.
she couldn't wait to get those beautiful piggy tails chopped off.

and i have to say, she didn't regret it for a second. she felt like a free woman. she looked in the mirror and said...

"i love it!"

looks like i'm not the only one excited about cloth diapering....

harumph

i feel kinda low.

as in i don't feel good.

i feel very large, but all i find myself eating are handfuls of chocolate chips.

we just got a call from school.

3rd welter down.

actually little S is on the fence and i went in today too & got a perscription.

back to the pediatrician for the 3rd time this week.

so actually there are only 2 healthy welters left and they are of the male variety.

no one has it as bad as S did.

i hate that in-between sick period. i don't like giving the kids meds unless they really really need it.

but i also don't like sickness spreading thru our house. and i don't like them being "kind of" down for weeks.

blah.

i am completely obsessed with cloth diapers.

it's pretty much all i think about.

people are talking to me, but all i'm thinking about is washing, sunning, colors, snap or hook & loop, brands, sales... etc.

i even started putting them on my cabbage patch dolls and making the kids take turns changing them.

i think i've completely gone off the deep end.

i still have 2 months to go.

this could get bad.

i'm thinking of biting all my nails off.

having long nails is overrated.

now i'm always worried about scratching the kids or breaking a nail.

it's just an added stress i don't need.

the kids are back in soccer.

they love it.

some of my beloved salt water sandals are broken.

i sent in pictures and a letter to the company.

i'm hoping for a result like in the movie summer school.

speaking of peanut butter, i made these the other day and i really like them.

jr. high styles

things i can't stop thinking about....

why is baby stuff so cute?

indy & me

i forgot to post about a fun quick getaway i had with my mommy back in january.

it was so fun.

i love visiting with my grandma, my auntie & my great-aunties.

i just love the wisdom and life stories i hear when talking to them.

the questions are so funny.

i heard things like...

so do you color your hair? how are all your kids doing in school? do they have stuff wrong with them or do they do ok? 

questions that just crack me up when coming from good 80+ year old hearts who raised their children in such a different generation but have great grandchildren in this generation. i can imagine it is so different.

i love that my mom puts on martini parties for my gram and her sisters. they all look forward to it. they put on lipstick and smoke cigarettes. and no one is allowed to make any comments about the smoking.

especially since some of them only have one lung.

i love the love they have for their aging spouses. and the way they get through their days as their bodies and minds are so different. 

i truly love it.

i love all the stories my grandma tells me. her memories, her thoughts, her insights.

i love it when she gets sassy.

my grandma spoiled me with her cooking & attention.

how many 35 yr olds have their 85 yr old grandmas making meals for them.

i just love her.

we went to cemeteries, antique stores, lunches & lots of drives

i love looking at all the old homes and buildings there.

my mom stopped to talk to this guy selling brooms on the corner. she swore she could remember him being there for as long as she can remember back.

well that was the case. he said he had been selling brooms on that corner for 60 years.

can you believe that?

she bought one.

my mom & i headed out late one night to hear my friend's band play.

they were surprised.

i love them.

going on these trips makes me realize how fast time goes

and how important it is to enjoy life.

soak up the good times and get through the bad.

as my grandma always says....

"we are all on our own journey. better make it good"

we were waiting for a table to eat. i was really hungry and grumpy. these girls were drinking beer and being silly. i was threatening them with  posting facebook pictures.

 my mom and her broom.

 this place was amazing.

one of the amazing breakfasts i stuffed in my face.

sick baby

my poor little eldest baby is sick.

she has had a big year this year and is almost done.

she had a huge school transition.

montessori to traditional.

planting gardens, making bread, discerning cloud patterns & no homework

to

uniforms, tests, grades, pressure & 5 hours of grueling homework a night

she has handled it pretty well in my opinion.

we are so proud of all her hard work.

with this intense schedule and kids not wanting to miss school even when they are sick

with the fear of getting too far behind....

she has been sick more times this year than she has ever been in her life.

several ear infections, coughs, colds, etc.

now she has walking pneumonia.

she is doing fine, resting & taking antibiotics.

she missed a few days of school to recover.

i am just so proud of this brave girl.

she has learned so much this year and worked so hard.

i love the smart, hardworking, lovely, beautiful inside & out

lady she is becoming.

easter 2013

we had an Easter miracle right off the bat Easter morning

the first picture ever, i believe,

of all of my children looking up and smiling for a picture.

i couldn't believe it!

here are all the cousins...well almost. immediate cousins anyway. we were waiting for 2 more to show up before we let them loose in the backyard for the egg hunt.

i like how the boys have their hands so nicely around eachother.

right before they started punching one another

not the best picture... the natives were getting a  little restless.... but they are all there
really anxious to be done with pictures.

they had 158 eggs to find. not sure if anyone tallied up the results. but everyone seemed pleased with their findings.

we almost made it to church in the morning w/out S pulling out some old tights. she loves wearing tights even tho it was getting really hot. of course they had holes in them but i guess it was a good idea cause that dress was a little short apparently.