Shhh! It's a surprise!

Anne, Catherine, Luke, and I went to Costco today.  It is one of the few stores I still go to.  If it's not at Costco, I don't usually pick it up anywhere.  But, today I did buy a shirt, pants, and jacket type thing to wear when walking/jogging in the cold.  I said to Anne, "Anne, maybe you guys could wrap up these clothes for me and give them to me for a Christmas present."  I wanted them, just don't really NEED them, so I figured they could give them to me.  Her response was priceless since I'd just picked them out and put them in the cart and in all seriousness she said, "OK, Mom, but I'm NOT going to tell you because presents are supposed to be a SURPRISE!"

Current Favorite Album

I've really liked Matt Maher's music for a while, but this album "All the People said Amen" has been awesome to listen to.  If I had to pick favorites, I would say "Adoration", "Lord I Need You", and then our family favorite is probably "Hold Us Together" as the kids all know it and sing it.  Definitely worth a listen.

Who is that?

New dress, brushed hair, who could that be???

Luke: 10 weeks

So he does deserve more pictures, so maybe a collage of some past weeks will come.  But for now, here's the little guy.  He's doing great.  I'm cautiously optimistic, but he's had a few great nights sleeping lately...like more than 6 hours!  I've never had a baby do that even once this early, so we will see if it sticks.  He stayed home for Halloween and if anyone asks what he was for Halloween, my answer: "cute."  

Happy Halloween!

Fun times tonight.  Mom & Luke stayed home, Dad & the rest of the crew hit the streets for a while.  WAY too much candy.  Happy kids.

Fun day at Legoland Discovery

We took advantage of the day off school to head here on Monday.  Perfect that it was pretty much empty! The kids had a great time.  We followed it up with a late lunch at Fritz's.

Happy 6th birthday, Leah!

So I know I need to post other kids' past birthdays, but why get further behind. Leah had been waiting for her birthday to come for about 364 days!  I think she had a great day.  She wanted olive pizza and cookie cake to eat, so that was easy enough.  She also wanted more dry erase markers, "teacher pens", and a rainbow loom, and among other great things, she has received some of her top picks.  Thanks everyone.  She is doing well in kindergarten and really enjoys reading, playing soccer, and playing school.  Kindergarten has been a big adjustment and does tire her out.  She is a big helper at home and loves to draw and write (we go through LOTS of paper).    She will carry on quite the conversation and has an imagination out of this world. We sure love her and can't believe how she's sure seeming more grown up!

Who are these growing up kids?

Looking good to me.  Can't believe how much older they look in these pictures!

First big night

So we moved the crib back to Luke's room tonight.  It will be his first night sleeping in there instead of in our room.  I've never made a habit of having a baby in our room, yet tonight it seems just.too.quiet. In my room.  Hopefully I can sleep...oh wait, that's why we moved him since we thought we were waking each other with any little noises.  Sure love that little guy!  

Our Seventh Heaven

Whoa check this out - they're all looking & reasonably happy (except for our wonderful newest addition - Luke Joseph, but he's not unhappy and we can still see him).

And what, who's that?  Mom made it into a picture?!  Who has the camera?  Thanks, Daddy, for taking one for us.  Sure loving this crew!

A broken pot?

You may see a broken pot, but I see a broken heart!  On a school day just before Mother's Day, I was picking up the kids from school.  Leah was walking, so slowly, focusing very closely on a bag she was carrying, with two hands at all times, and with both eyes on the bag.  She made it to the van and got in.  She said it was a surprise and that I shouldn't look.  It was my gift she had made for me.  She brought it home and was keeping it safe for Mother's Day.  She did a great job!  She and Anne had also made a gift for me at home and they had put in carefully up on the mantle in the family room to wait for the special day.  

Well, it may have been Friday afternoon or Saturday when Leah decided she wanted the gift bag from school to also be on the mantle.  She reached as high as she could to push it onto the ledge, and in an instant, I heard crying.  She came running, full of tears, to tell me that she had dropped the bag and it fell on the bricks and the gift had broken.  She was so sad that I almost cried!  She was so proud of her creation and so sad that it broke.  Poor girl.  

After a lot of hugs and reassurance, she felt better about the accident and knew I would love the gift no matter what.  I told her I would glue it all back together, no problem.  That made her happy, too.  So this week, we spent some time planting other flowers.  She planted hers all by herself so that we would have the empty pot to glue back together.  I'm sure she'll help take good care of it this summer!  The cute little gift came with this poem:

"My fingers are the petals.

My thumbprint is the seed.

Put them both together - 

A flower made by me!"

The pot has little finger and thumbprints.  Most definitely a happy Mother's Day for this mom!

Spring Sports in full "Swing"

We had a nice break from practices and now we're back to practice 3 nights a week and typically a game at least one night a week.  It sure is noticeable when that change happens.  But, the kids are having fun and it's enjoyable to watch them.  Hard to believe we have just two weeks of school left!  YEAH!  We are all excited - Mom included!  Leyton & Nathaniel have had 2 baseball games already, Jacob is winding down on soccer games and his baseball games will start in the next couple weeks.  It is fun to watch and really see the difference each year.  These third graders are playing more and more like a real baseball game!  They are both having lots of fun and doing well - making good defensive plays and both hitting the ball.  My competitive nature still makes me want to say more than a mom should, but I think I am doing alright.  Sure is something about enjoying baseball games on nice days!

"...For Once"

I almost had to wonder recently whether I had a teenager in my house.  It was a Saturday evening and the kids were getting ready for bed.  We talked about what time we'd go to Mass on Sunday morning - we basically go to 9am ALL the time unless there's something odd going on.  The boys, especially Leyton, are starting to stay up a little later and sleep in more.  So that evening, I think Leyton must have been tired because I mentioned the idea of 9am Mass and he said, "Oh, sometime can we just sleep in FOR ONCE?"  Funny kid.

One of My Favorite Things

Anne is so joyful all the time and she is just so much fun to be around.  She has a simplicity to her that I love watching at her age.  She knows what she likes and she knows what routine she's used to.  She will typically ask what is planned for the following day and whether I have work, Atrium, or whether her dad & brothers will be home or at work & school.  I have to say, though, that one of my favorite parts lately is seeing the joy in her of having her siblings all home.

If she realizes it's the weekend and her brothers & dad will be home, she is SO excited.  She really loves to have those boys around her.  And they, too, are very happy with her.  Each of them plays with her in their own way and it is so fun to watch.  Lately, she has even wanted to have her bedtime books read to her by Leyton instead of me. She wants Leyton to lay by her.  Jacob is so good at imaginary play with her no matter what the topic of the moment is.  Nathaniel will talk so gently to her and get her anything she needs.  She just seems so happy with all of them.  It's as if that's what makes her day complete.  Don't get me wrong, she really enjoys playing with Leah & Catherine, too.  She & Leah are upstairs right now playing dentist.  I can hear them taking turns calling the next "patient" and they also needed napkins to unfold and put on their shirts like they do at the dentist.

Watching these siblings is so much fun.  If getting to enjoy watching my children with each other is the reward for sweeping the kitchen floor twenty times a day and mopping up milk spills over and over, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Advice from a 3 year old girl

This morning I was loading the dishwasher after we took the boys to school.  The girls were sitting at the table.  Leah told me she was going to paint Anne's nails.  They sat and discussed their color options.  The next thing I heard Anne say was, "You can NEVER go wrong with PINK!"  With her tone and inflection, it was the cutest thing.

Happy Easter!

What a beautiful Easter!  We had a wonderful time with family.  Grandma Donna & Grandpa Jerry came and stayed with us for the weekend and we all loved having them.  They and the Lees joined us for Easter lunch at Aunt Stacy's with the Robinsons.  We went to the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening again and the kids really enjoyed it.  They did really well and especially enjoy the Liturgy of the Light (just makes mom & dad slightly nervous to have the kids all holding their open flames!).  I tried to catch some photos, but as you can see, the only possible group photos didn't even catch everyone in the shot.  Oh well.  It's tough sometimes to catch them all at once!

Dedicated basketball player

Things We Say

we have sure been in the basketball spirit lately. It has made the girls act more like cheerleaders. Leah has been saying that she wants to be a cheerleader in college and asks if that's ok. I've said, "We'll, I don't know. Let's just wait and see. (Aka highly doubtful, but I won't crush your thoughts today)" then the next part has a preface...the boys have asked what I would give them if they make it in the NBA. They have asked if I would give them $100. Well, I figure that's a pretty good deal. I've even said I'd give the, $500. They obviously haven't thought about that the last thing they'd need if they ever get to the NBA is $500 from dear old mom. But, it makes for a fun conversation. So then back to Leah. She asks abut being an NBA cheerleader. "Mom. If I be an NBA cheerleader, will you give me $100?" I reply, "Sure." I then have another child running off blissfully at the idea of a little cash that will never materialize under the current agreements.

After all of this talk, Anne calls out, "Mom, when I grow up, can I be a Princess?" ... And this is with a little grin and big eyes and much expression.

The other interesting comment comes from Catherine and Jacob. She's really been chatting up a storm. I'm sure she has her mind running and we are all left to wonder what the babbling means. It seems very intentional. I recently heard her say what I thought was, "hi." Jacob, however, disagreed. Thanks to his reading and English teachers (I should tell them, too), Jacob said, "No, Mom. She said 'oi', you know, the vowel diphthong." Oh, pardon me, how could I have misunderstood. What a funny guy (although her was quite serious).

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

So on Tuesday of this week, I packed away all the winter snow gear and gloves, hats, etc.  And what do you know?  It snowed more today and may this weekend.  Yikes.  I am ready for spring!!!  We had a couple of heavy snow storms in mid-late February I guess it was and the kids really enjoyed playing in it.  I think Anne enjoyed it the most actually.  We even got Catherine out there, which was lots of fun.  I think we had about 10 inches one time and then the next storm was more (and the first wasn't gone yet).  The kids had 4 or 5 days off school and I enjoyed a break from the routine of running around as much.  Sometimes it's nice to have a good reason to just not go anywhere (and enjoy that no one is sick, either!).  We were home and played and they actually are past the phase of bundling up for 5 minutes then coming back in.  What a nice treat for everyone!  They would stay out longer this year.  The surprise was that there was no interest at all in sledding.  Oh well.  One other funny thing was that after the snow was here a few days, I shoveled the patio and wouldn't you know, we had kids out shooting baskets with the snow piles to catch the loose balls.  It worked out pretty well.

Happy 1st Birthday, Catherine!

A year seems to go by more and more quickly.  And with my lack of time to note things on here, I fear I'll forget some of the cute things we've had happen or all the little cute things Catherine is saying these days.  She is really saying a lot these days.  She'll say, "-Eah" for Leah, "Hanks" for thanks, and when she wants something & I've said no, she'll say, "peez?"  It is so much fun when you don't expect her to respond and then she does with a fitting comment.  Her highest frequency word is probably, "NO!"  I can't say how it really sounds, but it actually has quite a bit of inflection and sounds enforcing.  She most often says it when others are really showing their "love" to her in ways that she maybe doesn't prefer.  But, she's a great baby.  She sure looks a lot like Leah did.  Hard to believe that she's heading toward 16 months already.  She's a good sleeper, loves to mosey around the house and see what everyone is doing, likes to look at books, and loves sitting in the little rocking chairs we have around.  She is another blessing - we feel overwhelmingly blessed in this house.  How did we get so lucky?   

Hmm, birthdays..

So now that I've finally noticed I have all the birthdays up & thought - there we go, 1, 3, 5, 7, & 2 x 9.  But then I realized - I haven't posted the "1".  Sorry, Catherine.  I'll get that up soon.

The girls on their recent "wedding day"

Little girls.  So much fun to catch their little moments.  We had some flowers recently and they decided to dress with heels on and carry flowers around and say that it was their wedding day.  Precious girls.

Happy 9th Birthday, Leyton & Nathaniel!

Unbelievably these little twin baby boys turned 9 somehow this year!  They sure have grown.  They are becoming very nice young boys.  Nathaniel enjoys reading, basketball, baseball, Legos, cap guns, listening to music, and helping Dad.  Leyton enjoys basketball, Legos, Wii, studying and reading (well, just kidding about the studying and reading), and listening to music.  Leyton LOVES seeing Catherine each day.  He can't wait for her to wake up in the morning and always spends extra minutes after school visiting with her.  They both really help out with their younger siblings.  Nathaniel will read to Anne and this morning he was doing puzzles with her.  He has such a gentle way of talking to her and it is sweet to hear.  It is crazy that they will soon be headed to 4th grade.  KU, Miami Heat, and St. Louis Cardinals are easily their favorite teams to follow.  They both work hard at school and are very responsible about getting their homework done pretty much on their own - a new change in this household!  We are very blessed to have such nice young boys and this year will be another fun year to see how our oldest boys grow and change.

Happy 7th Birthday, Jacob!

Bummer for him, he was home sick!  He actually missed four of five days of school the week of his birthday!  We knew he felt pretty sick, though, because he didn't even get out of bed or really worry about his special day.  The biggest concern was whether he'd get his full size bag of Skittles from the school office for his birthday.  Once he was assured he could get it when he went back, then he was just fine.  Never did I plan to post this so late, but I'm really starting to doubt my ability to keep up with blogging these days.  I guess I can say I'm "living in the moment."  But, Mr. Jacob turned 7 in December and he is basically the same size as his big brothers.  He's really grown a lot lately.  He sometimes gets mistaken as a twin as he & Leyton resemble each other more than Leyton & Nathaniel do.  He is doing great in first grade and sometimes it's easy to forget his actual age.  Luckily, he reminds us with his silly 7 year old boy actions.  He still loves his Legos, enjoys the Wii when he gets a chance to play (limited around here), and is a great reader.  I would say his favorite books to read are his saint books.  I'm sure he knows a lot more saint facts than his parents with the variety he reads about.  I have enjoyed getting to spend time with him at school, too, when his class comes to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd each week.  His favorite sport is basketball followed by baseball.  He still keeps his silly grin and a good level of mischief.  One of his other favorite things is playing with his siblings.  On any given day, he'll pair off with a different one of them and they'll go on their way to play.  I love to see his relationships with each of them.  Genuine and sweet, and sure doesn't keep his feelings to himself.  We love you, Jacob!


I am trying to upload a picture, but at this moment am fearing that since he was sick, that I didn't even get one?!  I'll post it if I find it.  Otherwise, here's one of him with Catherine from a little later.

Happy 5th Birthday, Leah!

We celebrated Leah's 5th birthday in October.  As she is older for her class, she is also one of the tallest.  She is head and shoulders among some of her classmates.  We've also figured out she's kind of an "old soul."  She looks forward to being a mom and seems to really enjoy being a teacher when she's playing in her room.  She's picked up on reading pretty well for her age and is also a very imaginative girl.  It is not surprising at a party with adults and children that she wants to hang out with the adults.  She's a playful girl at home, but still sticks pretty close when venturing out.  She does like to be in charge, which is sometimes a good thing and other times leads to a few tears.  She plays dolls, does TONS of paper crafts, has become quite a little helper around the house, and a great big sister for Anne & Catherine.  We love you, Leah!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Anne!

Why not celebrate her at her half birthday this month, too?  Well, we also celebrated her on her actual birthday, of course.  Little Anne turned 3 in July, and I am sure the word I think of most when I think of Anne is JOY.  She is just the perfect example of a joyful little girl.  You can often watch her prance around the house dancing to her own tune or requesting I turn on music for her to dance.  She loves to wear dresses every day, whether they are in season or not.  She is very playful and loves to do puzzles, dance, play Legos, Play-doh, and many types of imaginary play.  She enjoys Dora and Minnie Mouse quite a bit.  She and Leah are becoming closer friends and it is very fun to watch them interact.  It is clear that Anne really looks up to her big sister.  Her brothers are always looking out for her, too.  I cherish the time I get to have with Anne every day.  She will mostly consider herself a "big girl" except when the idea of school comes up.  Then she says, "I'll stay with you, Mom, 'cause I'm just a little girl, right Mommy?"  Sure love her!

Happy Birthday to...

...well, all my children.  It seems I missed posts for all of their birthdays except I caught Catherine's first.  SO, time to catch up.  We'll get Anne, then Leah, Jacob, Leyton, & Nathaniel.  We are into our odd year of ages.  Anne turned 3 in July, Leah 5 in October, Jacob 7 in December, and Leyton & Nathaniel 9 this month!  Wow.