Catherine quick pic - 2 weeks old

Happy 6th Birthday, Jacob!

December 12 marked our little (well not so little) Jacob turning six. He's full of energy and really enjoying kindergarten. If you locked him in a room with nothing but Legos and Mom's chocolate chip cookies, he'd probably be happy there for years (well, you could probably make it even better with some bacon or sausage). Those 3 foods are definitely tops with him. We had breakfast for dinner as was his choice along with decorated cookie cake with a ninja mask on it (definite Ninjago fan). We know Jacob can be strong willed at times, but he has a sweet heart and genuinely cares for people - especially his sisters. He mentioned to me this week, after Leyton & Nathaniel planned what treat to leave for Santa, that he thinks we should leave a bag of carrots for the reindeers with a note telling who they're for. I thought that was thoughtful of him to consider the reindeer! He also enjoys reading books and being read to which is always fun time with him. He has a cute smile and a sweet laugh and we couldn't love him more. He's definitely grown a lot in the past year or so - he's basically the same size as his older brothers! We love you Jacob!

Catherine's 10 day check up

Just a brief note on the visit to the doctor today. So at 10 days old, Catherine was 7lb 15oz and 19 inches (so a 1/2 inch shorter than birth - for whatever that's worth). She is doing well; has overcome her jaundice on her own, which is very nice. I sure hope she doesn't grow too quickly! It's fun to enjoy all the stages, but I know they aren't this little for long!

A few more pictures...

Pictures of Catherine - November 29, 2011

Conversation with the Girls

Leah on Sunday when getting ready to go to the store with Patrick:
"I know where Patrick is. He's getting a new pair of socks."
"You know what? Patrick is cute."

Anne on Sunday during the same time frame:
"Dad, are you ready to go?" Dad said, "I'm almost ready." (or something like that)
"OH, grrreat!"

Anne when asking for her second dose of vitamins for the day:
"Dad, can I have my vitamins?" Dad said, "You already had yours today."
"OH, POOEY!"

They just crack me up!

Catherine Rachel Robinson

So, the answer to my last post question...Tuesday, November 29, 2011. At 6:02am, we welcomed our family's newest member. What a delight. Catherine was born in a hurry and was a healthy 7lb 11oz, 19.5 inches long. She has been said to look like each of her siblings, so I guess that means she's related and definitely one of the bunch, yet truly her own self with her own look. She's healthy and happy, just getting a few extra pokes in the heel to make sure her bilirubin doesn't go too high. All six of the kids have had some level of jaundice. Why should she miss that?

The kids all adore her and so do Patrick and I. Leyton & Nathaniel have both said already they can't imagine what it was like anymore before she was born. Last week I was really feeling overwhelmed in a good way about just how blessed I feel. Thank you, God. I really don't know how or why we have been so blessed with these six wonderful healthy children, but I tell you, it really is just amazing. It's also just so interesting how we started with the three boys and then evened it out with three girls. I sure wouldn't change a thing with any of them.

The labor was pretty quick. I worked Monday night and got home at my usual, around 11pm. I went to bed at around midnight and then woke again around 4am feeling a little odd. Patrick woke up & asked if I was ok. I said, "I'm not sure." His reply, "OK, let's go." He cracks me up. But, we did call Uncle Robert & Aunt Beth to ask for some coverage at the house. We left the house sometime around 5am or so and got to the labor & delivery floor at the hospital around 5:30am. At that point with my first check, I was 5 1/2 cm dilated. The pace and the pain picked up, though, and it wasn't long before we were really just hoping a doctor would walk into the room. I found out later that the doctor was literally running down the hall to get to my room. I'm glad she made it! I know she wasn't in the room even 1 minute before we met our little Catherine. Patrick stayed for about 10-15 minutes after and then we figured, well, he better get on with the day - get home to get the kids ready for school. So I called home to tell the kids about their new sister & Patrick was home soon after to help them with their day.

I have to say my recovery has been going very well. I felt good and didn't have much pain after, just some cramping primarily with nursing, but as to be expected. We do have Grandma Donna here helping with the chores, which is very nice. And, we have had many generous offers for dinners so we haven't had to cook much. All very nice!

We are so thankful for this wonderful blessing and look forward to this new change in our lives. It's amazing how things just fall into place.

Which day will it be?

Just wondering when we get the joy of meeting baby #6. Two weeks to go (or maybe less...time will tell). I feel good, not anxious, but just excited. Thanks to some strong nesting instincts and help from Grandma Donna & Grandpa Jerry, we whittled down my to-do list around the house. Not much more that I hoped to have done before the big day. Patrick is still working on the garage so we can park in there again - that'll be nice as it's starting to cool off! And he's also working on the basement storage - we've cleared out quite a bit and look forward to it all being in better order. The kids rooms are all settled & finished, so that's also a relief.

From the physical standpoint, baby's head is down & I'm 3cm as of today - not the start of labor, but at least things are heading that direction!

Soon and very soon...

Leah the runner - a Second Hand Story

Yesterday, Beth, Robert, & Mya kindly let Leyton, Nathaniel, Leah, & Anne come over to play while I took Jacob to a birthday party. They were all excited to go play at Mya's house. So Beth told me today that they went over to the high school track and they ran a lap or two. Apparently as Leah approached the finish line of her second lap (which she'd pretty much ran the whole way), the bystanding family members started to cheer for her. Beth said you could tell a very obvious look with Leah that she was really kicking it up a knotch - that the cheering really got her going. She buckled down and ran in an all out sprint. I wish I could have been there to see it.

Then back at the house, Beth said Leah was running circles in the yard. She ran around Robert and came to report, "Beth, I just ran around your husband!" Then she ran off again saying, "I'm going to go run around Mya's dad."

I tell you, she is a free spirit. It doesn't at all surprise me, but I would have loved to have seen it!

To top it off, we all got invited to stay for Chicken Pot Pie dinner which was enjoyed by all - especially me since I got a night off cooking when Patrick was out of town already! Thanks, Beth, Robert, & Mya!

Anne's commentary

Lately Anne has been big on possessive pronouns...she's always talking about what is hers and such....

About Leah: "This is my sister."

As we approach the house: "This is my house."

Around mom: "This is my mom."

About shoes, etc.: "These are my shoes (shirt, etc.)"

Just a funny little girl. She & Leah are sure becoming closer & closer pals. We've actually moved them into a room together and I think they'll really enjoy being together. They've moved into the boys' old room - which has fittingly gone from orange room/blue bathroom to a nice pink room/purple bathroom. One thing about Leah with the new room was that when the bathroom wasn't quite finished, she went in while Patrick was working on it. She looked around and said, "The bathroom is purple; well, it's mostly purple, but a little bit blue, but that's ok."

Patrick told her that he'd definitely finish the touching up and that it would be all purple and she said, "OK." I just thought it was so cute that she was clearly acknowledging how the color wasn't quite done, but she was just fine with that.

Happy Halloween! 2011

Well the weather was beautiful this year for Halloween. We spent some time at a neighbor's house for dinner & snacks before heading out to trick or treat with them. It was a lot of fun. The kids did great - more walking this year than last, but still were content to head home before 8pm - which was great since we had school the next day! Everyone got a good dose of candy. Probably one of my favorite things was how Leah wanted to really give out candy at home. When we arrived home, she sat on the steps with the big bowl of candy and was "waiting for customers." Then when someone came, she would give them their candy, then return to the steps to wait for the next "customer." She did tire out, though, but we knew she was really hoping for more people to come. We let her lay on the couch and wait for a few more customers. It was just the cutest thing seeing her so excited about it. We didn't have a uniform theme this year, but that gets a bit challenging with more & more people to plan! As far as all the jack-o-lanterns, we probably had 8-10. The kids had drawn faces on all of them and Dear-ol-Dad carved them all - probably about 4+ hours on Sunday. The carving was followed by him making pumpkin soup, toasted seeds, pumpkin bread, and later pumpkin pie. We had PLENTY-o-pumkin! Great job, Patrick!

Soccer Pictures 2011

Leyton & Nathaniel played soccer on one team, 4 on 4, and then Jacob played his first season this fall, 3 on 3. They had a lot of fun. Everyone had goals (even though we don't keep score), they were all pleased with the season. It is neat seeing the older boys actually start really playing these games! I must say, though, that Blue Valley Soccer Complex is enough to drive me crazy on the weekends - it gets very busy and hard to get in and out of. Yikes. Just so many people all over! But, so goes the way of soccer around here. Basketball starts at the beginning of December and all three boys are going to do that as well. Should be fun!

I wasn't able to get a picture of Leah at the games, but Anne sure is a cute cheerleader!

Fall Fun in the Leaves!

Every year since Leyton & Nathaniel were about 20 months, I've managed to at least take a few pictures of the kids in the leaves. I think this year is probably fewer than I typically get, but still managed a few. We have plenty with this yard given our nice, huge, leaf filled oak trees in the back plus plenty of other trees and such. I enjoy them most of the year, but the leaves sure are a lot of work! We get a pretty good carpet multiple times per season. Oh well, all ways to enjoy the beauty of every season, right?

Pumpkin Patch 2011

We made it to the pumpkin patch in October and we went to the one out in Gardner this time. Amazing to me that it costs $10 per person to get in, and that doesn't include any pumpkins. Sor for our 7, the coupons were very helpful! And, we did, however rack up some pumpkins - about 21 including some small ones. Each kid picked about 4 and Leah wanted to bring one home for the new baby. The weather was beautiful and we all had a great time.

Happy 4th Birthday, Leah!

So Leah turned 4 back on Oct. 11. Now I'm almost a month late on this update. She had a nice day. For the Sunday before, Grandma Sally & Grandpa Dan, the Lee family, and Aunt Stacy and her friend Jim were able to join us for Leah's birthday dinner. For the second year in a row, Leah chose chili for her dinner. She sure loves chili! We had white chicken chili & "regular" chili. Leah is a very sweet four year-old. Her imagination is out of this world and you never know what she's going to say when she comes in the room. She loves to play school and pretends to be her teachers. She loves playing babies and she and Anne are becoming very close. They are frequently on a mission together and it is so cute seeing these two little girls so close. She really enjoys preschool and lately, she's wanted to eat lunch there, so we do that about once a week in the cafeteria and also get to catch up with the big brothers. She is probably out best eater, truly, and would probably win the award for "best dinner eater" most nights of the week. Hard to believe she's four! We sure love her.

How can I be so far behind?

Well, I truly need to get caught up on blogging and my pictures. I knew I hadn't posted anything in a long time, but I was amused to see that my last post - more than 1 1/2 months ago - was about working on pictures...I'm pretty sure I haven't worked on them since then! Just the daily life and other projects have really kept me busy! But, progress is happening, so that's good.

Other things we have been up to...
-the basement project - should have the final inspection this Wednesday! Then we can start rearranging the kids' rooms. The most recent progress - cabinets & counters in during the past couple weeks, speakers are in the ceiling, and the last few safety items taken care of
- different car - done - I'm now the proud driver of a Ford 12 passenger van! I kind of joke about it, but it is comfortable and really gives us a good amount of space. The kids absolutely love it and it will be nice to have some extra seats. I will say, though, that never in my life 10 years ago or earlier did I think I'd ever own one. I think we'll get a lot of great use out of it.
- this weekend I balanced my checkbook for the months of June, 2011-present! WOW, I had some catching up to do!
- then there's the usual stuff - soccer practice, games, homework, routine laundry, errands, cleaning, working, etc.
- finally started working a bit on potential baby names! That's the most recent thing that got promoted to the top of the list. 34 weeks - I guess we should come up with something!

Other things I'd like to work on:
- getting all the kids situated so we can figure out which room we'll put the baby in (and whether that involves another room being painted or not).
- cleaning out the garage so we can park in there again - still have some basement project equipment there.
- take a breather from the projects to just sit in anticipation of meeting our new little person!
-actually getting my picture work done along with my annual family photo album for 2010 (which hasn't been started).

I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting, but for the moment, these are the thoughts on my mind! I feel a bit sad about any great memories that I may have failed to record lately, but will just hope they come back to me! Just been a busy time around here!

Family Pictures

So, I've been working on some new pictures of the kids. I haven't finished, but at least wanted to post one of the most recent, from just this week Wednesday.

In the midst of things going on, I have found myself flying through this period of anticipation looking forward to December 7(ish) when we'll get to welcome the newest Robinson. This past Wednesday marked 26 weeks already. The baby is doing great and I can't complain about much. Leah's eyes light up at the thought of another sister, but we'll see...either way we look forward to meeting another blessing...hard to imagine - the 1/2 dozen!

Verses to Support How We "Do Everything"

1 Corinthians 10: 31

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God."

1 Peter 4: 8-11

"Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Colossians 3: 15-17

"And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Ephesians 2: 8-10

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.

Do Everything...

So I've not been the most regular on updating about everything going on in the Robinson household. I have found the month of August to have been gone in a blink. It started with the fun trip to the fair in Washington and the stay with Grandma Donna & Grandpa Jerry (still planning to put some memories & pictures in on that). Then we came back to getting ready for school. In addition, a big frenzy on the work in the basement was going on. In the past 6 weeks or so, the drywall, taping, painting, and flooring has been done. We are now down to basically doors, trim, and waiting for the cabinets. Feels good, but wow, it has been a bit exhausting. School is off to a good start, all the kids are enjoying it and the routine is falling into place.

Last week seemed especially exhausting with finalizing the choices on the flooring and then trying to keep the house in somewhat reasonable order & the kids occupied while Patrick, Grandpa, and Uncle Robert worked in the basement. We appreciate the help so much! By the time Friday rolled around, I was very tired and feeling a bit like I couldn't keep up with all of it as I was heading to work for my Friday evening shift. But then, in the midst of me trying to "Do everything" I needed to do, I heard a message TWICE on that day, on the radio. I heard this song for the first time that day, and I heard it on the way to work AND on the way home. God has such an interesting way of getting messages to us, and on that day, reminding me of the purpose of the tasks I do each day and where I should devote the effort. I thought it was such a great song and the first verse of course got my attention as I see it as part of my daily routine! If you haven't heard it, give it a try...

It is by Steven Curtis Chapman - he has several songs I really like. This one ranks very high, as does his song Cinderella, that literally brings tears to my eyes when I hear it and think of Patrick and our little girls...

"Do Everything" by Steven Curtis Chapman (You have to scroll down a bit & there's a video to click on there)

"Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman

Neat Catholic Family Story

Very neat story about a Catholic family and neat that the Washington Post kept the evidence in the story of the family's ever present faith! Wow, and to think, no multiple births! Really must be God's plan that this was even physically possible for them!

How a D.C. area family with 11 children, ages 12 through 1, makes it work - The Washington Post

First Day of School 8-18-11

What a great day! I can't believe how much older the kids seem even after the first day. I think especially Leah - WOW - in preschool. So hard to believe. She just looks older to me now. She really enjoyed her first day (even though it was only for one hour). Jacob did great going to his first day of kindergarten. He's very familiar with the room as Leyton & Nathaniel were in the same room for kindergarten, with the same teacher; and Leyton was also there for 1st grade with Mrs. Hensler again. Nathaniel even showed him around a bit, "You can hang your backpack over there, where ever you want." Jacob sure is growing up, too. He said he had a lot of fun and would be going back tomorrow. And then my big boys...second grade, really? It is so hard to believe?! I'm like a broken record, but how can they seem to change just so quickly? I'm very proud of all of them and look forward to a great year. My little Anne was a champ today following everyone around and tagging along with the drop offs & pickups. What a great little gal. Good thing I have more time at home with her! My oh my...

Lunch Conversation with Anne

When asking Anne what she'd like for lunch, lately some of the responses I've gotten have been:

"Hot hog" (hot dog)

"boney" (bologna)

"oh nice" (when she gets what she wants)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Anne!

Happy Birthday to our sweet baby girl! What a great day to celebrate Anne. I still remember how I spent July 4, 2009, not having any idea that we'd meet this precious firecracker the very next day! Always with a smile, she's growing so much and carrying on great conversations with all of us. I continue to know God has a plan in saving her for number 5 because she is completely a professional at going with the flow since she has done that since day one. She's so much of her own person, too, and our family for sure wouldn't be the same without her. She has a great relationship with her siblings as they love to entertain her and in return, she can always make them laugh, too, with her cute antics. She loves babies (that's good), Dora and company, riding her trike, playing with phones and on the computer, wearing sunglasses and her sister's shoes, and being read to. She's very loving, a bit stingy with her kisses, but never with her smiles.

We had a nice day with her and the Lees joined us for her birthday dinner of homemade pizza, salad, fruit salad, and of course cake and ice cream. Dora cake for sure this time around.

She's so much fun and we couldn't love her more. We love you sweet Anne!

Anne's New Shoes

So Anne has been refusing to wear shoes lately and whenever I'd put them on, she'd say, "Owie, off." I really didn't think about it too much. She'd pretty much wear sandals on occasion that looked like they fit fine and she always loves to wear Leah's shoes. But, in effort to haver her have shoes on more regularly, I took her to get some new shoes. I ended up with a 1/2 size bigger and a wide shoe and I have to say, I think she loves them. We got them on Saturday and tonight is the first night she hasn't worn them to bed! She actually wanted to, but I told her we could leave them off & put them on in the morning. She said that would be ok. I even snuck a picture of her the other night because I thought it was just too cute.

A New Friend at Swimming Lessons

Leah had two other children in her swim lesson class this time around. There was a little boy and a little girl. Leah told me she made a new friend there and her name was "Cake." Hmm, I thought. "Well, do you think her name was Kate?" And Leah said, "No, Mom, her name was Cake." OK, then I just went on with a smile. Leah was sure of the little girl's name.

A few days later, her brothers decided to give her a bit of trouble about it. Luckily, she didn't take offense, but just stuck to her story. The boys had wondered if her name was Chocolate Cake or White Cake, etc. Boys, boys. But like I said, Leah stuck to it and said, "No, her name was just Cake."

Our Little Hostess and the Play Date

On Friday, Mya's Grandma Kathleen was out of town, so we got to have Mya come play for the morning. I think she had fun. Anne sure was cute playing with her. She'd bring her toys, kiss her gently on the shoulder, and give her hugs. As usual, Mya just watches and gets her eyes and ears full of activity with our lively family. I was proud to say there wasn't even a teeny cry or whimper from her while she was here. Not that she ever really makes noise, but she seemed happy the whole time. We all had fun.

Deanna Rose 2011

We finally made it to Deanna Rose in June. The weather was sunny and only 80 degrees, so we thought we'd take advantage of the cooler day. We had a great time. A couple new additions there were the General Store and the Ice Cream Parlor. We also visited Ben's Bank a couple times, but we'd done that last year, too. It was lots of fun. I was surprised just how much Anne enjoyed feeding the baby goats a bottle. I thought she'd be afraid, but she wasn't the least bit afraid. Always a fun field trip!

Here's a quick comparison of Miss Leah from 2010 (on the left) to 2011 (right). She's grown!

Swimming Lesson Observer

Anne did a great job being patient while the kids had their lessons. She did feel a bit deprived since she didn't get to take part this time, but she hung in there and looked cute for me.

June is gone...

So a month has gone by and it sure was fun filled and busy. We wrapped up vacation bible school and two weeks of swim lessons, so July will be a bit slower paced. The big boys have 3 baseball games left, and other than that, we get to make our own schedule. Leyton is debating some tennis lessons and Nathaniel is debating more swim lessons. We'll see. We've been swimming a lot and I'm sure that will continue. The last couple days are giving us a real taste of summer as we've been up near 100 degrees and very sunny. I'm just hoping the rest of summer doesn't go by too quickly! I know the 4th of July always brings thoughts of the impending return to school in August, but we'll make the most of it!

Boil Water Order

So from yesterday morning until this afternoon, Johnson County was under a boil water order due to a water main break. Interesting that I really didn't even know about it until Patrick called home to tell me. If he hadn't, we'd have gone about our day like normal I suppose. I did have to work last night and before I left, I boiled a great big pot of water. Today, Leah had a story to tell about it..."Mom, last night I tried boiled water and it was GOOD! It was in the fridge for a long time and it was really good, I really liked it." Now that really cracked me up, as if boiled water would result in something other than water. Let's just hope she doesn't routinely want boiled water now! Ha.

I love you...

"to 'nafivity' ---and beyond!" My sweet words to hear from Leah at night. The kids & I have migrated from our "I love you more"'s to this. Each of the kids says it a little different, but Leah's is pretty sweet. It's one of those things I want to remember just like that - before she learns the right way to say it, which if you haven't figured out, is "infinity and beyond!" Nathaniel has his own way of saying it, too, and he'll always ask me, "Mom, do you like how I say it? Is it my own way of saying it?" It sure is and I love hearing it every way they say it.

Anne's working on it, but for now we get, "ook" (book), "un mor" (one more), then when you tell her you love her, she says "more-more-more", followed by "bye." Sure love her, too.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

Baseball is off to a great start. Leyton & Nathaniel are playing their first year of pitching machine and it has been great fun for all of us. Nathaniel really likes catching, and Leyton enjoys pretty much anywhere. They both are making great progress. We've all been playing in the back field a lot, too...the whole family. It's so much fun. The games are fun, too, and we all go and enjoy them. Jacob has three classmates that are usually there as their big brothers are playing, too. You know, it's that nostalgia associated with coming home later in the evening with a crusty kind of dust film on top of sweat from those summer evenings at a baseball game. Interestingly, they had a game last Saturday in 98 degree heat at 4pm, and not a single kid complained about it. Truly showed they were just out there having fun.

Nice Morning Greeting

These cute little girls sure made me smile in the morning. Cute sisters; they are really enjoying one another. Anne's face will light up and she'll say, "Lu-lu!"

Memorial Day Weekend Trip

For Memorial Day weekend, I took the kids to see Grandma Donna & Grandpa Jerry. We had a great time visiting and finding fun things to do. Patrick stayed home to get some projects done - the long awaited painting of our master bathroom & bedroom. It's been a work in progress since we moved in almost two years ago! It really looks nice and I love the colors. Just need to finish putting our room back together. He worked hard while we were gone!

So, while we were gone... On Sunday, we went to the Science Center in St. Louis and the kids had a great time checking out the mummy and all the hands on stuff, but I think their favorite was definitely the experiments/demonstrations. They had ones called, "Energy out of control" (they made a fire tornado using a mesh trash can, record player, tuna can, alcohol, and a lighter), "Boiling Hot, Boiling Cold" (used a lot of dry ice & fun stuff), and "CO2 where are you" (info on recycling & impact of us and cars on CO2 type stuff). They wanted to watch all of them. It really was a fun time. Then on Monday, Leyton & Nathaniel got to go fishing with Grandpa & Uncle Ben. It was their first fishing trip and they caught a combined 13 fish! It was a special time. That afternoon, I took the kids to the park to play and there was an American Legion baseball game going on, so we also watched that for a while. They boys really liked watching the baseball game. It's so fun watching them get so interested in sports these days. On Tuesday, we came back home and brought Grandma back with us so she could watch Mya for a few days.

The kids were really excited to go and I know the way the trip went, it won't be long before they'll be ready to go again - they're always ready to go there! And don't forget - plenty of dessert to keep your heart content! Thanks, Grandma & Grandpa for all the fun & great hospitality!

Back-tracking to Mothers Day & my birthday

So I didn't want to totally leave out the wonderful celebrations we had in May for Mothers Day and my birthday. Patrick sure made them special. Mothers Day was sure a busy weekend. We decided to make a trip to TX to watch our godson Nicholas make his First Communion. On Friday night at 6pm we decided to go and we left at 7pm. We arrived at the hotel at 3am, got everyone back to sleep by 4am, and headed to Mass at 10:30. We had a nice day visiting with the Grahams and the kids could have all played for days. I got to check out the infamous Ikea so loved by many, and before we knew it, it was 6pm on Saturday. That's when we decided to head back home to KS. We made it home around 2:30am and that was the start of Mothers Day. We went to Mass followed by brunch at Barbara's with Natalie, Stacy & Jon, Greg, & Grandma Sally & Grandpa Dan. After that, it was back home to settle in a bit before Patrick started making a wonderful dinner for all of us. I'm sure I've said it before, but it always sinks in that I don't need any kind of gift on days like that because the kids giving me the opportunity to be their mom is all the gift I need. They all made the day so nice. Each of the kids did make me a little something, though, and I loved everything.

That same week I got to celebrate again for my birthday! Another nice day. I had the day off work so I had lunch with the boys at school and Patrick came home from work early to make another great dinner. The kids got to have their once-a-year cake for breakfast, too, since we started doing that on Mom's birthday. A fun treat. It sure made for a very special week.

Mikey Needleman Band - New Video

Check out the boys' new music video! His band does a great job and he is a great teacher for the school. Just scroll down and you'll see where you can play the video for "All For You."

Leah's Injured Knee

Leah: "Mom, I hurt my knee."
Me: "Are you ok? What happened?"
Leah: "Well, I hurt my knee; not the one on my leg, but the one on my arm."
Me: "Do you mean your elbow?"
Leah: "Yeah, I hurt it."

Reading to Anne

Anne really loves being read to. All the kids do, but lately it's been fun to enjoy just how much Anne likes it these days. Before nap, before bedtime, any other time you can, she'll sit & listen & enjoy books. At naptime & bedtime, she'll say, "One more, 'kay?"...over & over again. Sweet. And I love how the boys enjoy reading to her. Nathaniel especially has been wanting to read to her. She'll just lay down and listen. I came across this picture from a few months ago of Nathaniel reading to her. Just a cute picture of the two of them. Hard to believe she's going to be 2 in less than 2 months!

Have I Been Slacking?

Whew, it's been a while since I've written anything. I better get on that. I guess I've been slacking...oh wait, no I haven't, I'm pretty sure I've been busy enough. Let's see, what've we had - a trip to TX, Mothers Day, my birthday, heading into the last few days of school, first baseball game, Patrick very busy with work, hmm, that's to name a few things. I need to get some updates done. But not tonight, just too tired from working today. Maybe tomorrow. I need to get my brain remembering all of what's been going on.

Happy Easter 2011!

We had a wonderful Easter celebration with family. On Saturday evening, we celebrated Mya's first birthday. The kids really enjoyed their cousin's party. An extra special treat was that Uncle Ben was able to come visit for the weekend. It was so nice to have him here with us & to be with family. We went to Mass Sunday morning followed by a very quick egg hunt at home. Then went to Uncle Robert & Aunt Beth's for lunch with Ben, Grandma Donna, Grandpa Jerry, and us. The kids were excited to get a bit more candy and some clothes from the Easter Bunny there. Then it was on to Grandma Sally & Grandpa Dan's for a visit with the Robinsons...and another egg hunt. It was a wonderful day.

Happy Easter 2011!

April 24, 2011: what a wonderful day to celebrate the Resurrection!

Glorious Day by Casting Crowns has been on my mind.

Destin, FL 2011

Random beach times. The kids all had so much fun for so many hours!

Leyton, Nathaniel, Leah, and I went on a dolphin tour in the gulf. It was great and we saw a lot of dolphins! The kids got to drive the boat and the one ship in the pictures was Nathaniel's favorite...don't know if it's legible, but it says "Nathaniel Bowditch" on it.

Just some scenery from the dolphin tour. The dunes were beautiful! And many are just natural and protected, which keeps them so nice!