Gladdest Hours

Girls In Leaves & A Daybook Entry

We took the annual picture of the girls in autumn leaves last weekend.  We skipped last year for some reason. But, rallied this year!  Here is the same picture from 2006 and from 2007.

Jacqueline isn't too sure what's going on here:

My little close-ones....Dorothy Jo (6) and Erika (7) are a mere 15 months apart. 

 

 


 

 

And, a quick Daybook Entry just for fun!

• Outside my window.......black. Nighttime!
• I am thinking.......about my Thanksgiving menu and paint colors for the "new room"!!!! 
• I am thankful for.......my mom who made another fleece outfit for Madeleine, so now all 5 girls have fleece skirts with matching vests!
• From the learning room......finishing up a few notebook pages, and playing some Math games.   Thanksgiving picture books.  Advent and Christmas books are starting to trickle in.  Squirrels and Mushrooms.  Madeleine is planning our Christ the King celebration on Sunday. 
• From the kitchen......venison stew for dinner tomorrow. Cranberry walnut bread for breakfast.
• I am wearing......black corduroy skirt, cream sweater, lavender shirt, black vest, and my new black boots.  It's all about layering around here.
• I am creating......lots of lists!   I'm definitely in list-mode.  Also creating.....centerpiece for Thanksgiving, advent prayers, confession folders, and a new votive candle advent wreath, late fall scavenger hunt.
• I am going......to bed in about an hour. 
• I am reading.......Parenting with Love and Logic, Catechism of Mental Prayer, The Wonder of Girls, and Kristin Lavransdatter: The Bridal Wreath.
• I am hoping......to call my mom tomorrow. 
• I am hearing........blissful silence and the bread machine.
• Around the house......Clint and Bob are movin' right along on finishing the garage.  I'm so extremely excited to have some more living space!  Shelves, tables, sitting areas, excellent lighting, electrical outlets on the floor, wall sconces, my own desk!!!  I'm swooning just THINKING about it! Such luxuries! 
• One of my favorite things...Pete's goatee and Jacqueline turning the pages and "reading" Hush: A Thai Lullabye
• A few plans for the rest of the week.....Get outside tomorrow for a walk, girl's choir practice on Thursday,  our 10-year-wedding anniversary on Friday!!!!!!  Purging and cleaning over the weekend----prep for Thanksgiving and Advent.   Celebrate Dorothy Jo's 6th birthday on Sunday evening.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

I know I'm about 2 weeks late!  But, oh well!

Chores

One of my favorite subjects!  LOL!  When people pose the question: "What are your hobbies?"  I'm always so tempted to respond, "Broth and Chores!"   LOL!  But, I'm sure nobody would think it's funny, so I just include it in my interior monologue and move on :-)

I love reading other people's chore lists for their kids, so I thought I'd post ours up here simply because.....well, it's fun!  The updated chore chart/packs went up in August, and the girls are doing well, for the most part.  *wink*  It's mostly an exercise of my patience, kindness and focusing on their efforts and making myself available to help, re-direct, and remind :-)  

Madeleine, Age 8 – Morning

1. Get dressed
2. Fold Pajamas
3. Put ladder away
4. Unload Dishwasher
5. Brush Teeth
6. Wash Face
7. Brush Hair-put it up
8. Tidy bedroom
9. Make bed
10. Change Hand Towel
11. Weekly Job (below)

• Monday: Wipe Bathroom Floor
• Tuesday:Change Pillowcases
• Wed: Straighten Armoire, Clean Bathroom Sink
• Thur: Put-away basket
• Tidy & Sweep Porch
• Friday: Dust Buster, Clean Microwave

  
  Erika, Age 7 – Morning

1. Get dressed
2. Fold Pajamas
3. Brush Hair–have mom put it up
4. Make Bed
5. Tidy bedroom
6. Brush Teeth
7. Laundry down
8. Change Garbage in BR
9. Tidy Dining Rm Table
10. Turn on Dehumidifier
11. Put Cell phone in Mom's purse
12. Weekly Job (below)
    

•  Monday: Put-away-basket, Clean-out Van
• Tuesday: Change pillowcase
• Wed: Dust Buster, Straighten Napkin Basket
• Thursday: Wipe Bathroom Floor, Shake Bathroom Rug
• Friday: Straighten Armoire  

  
  Dorothy Jo, Age 5.5 – Morning

1. Get dressed
2. Fold Pajamas
3. Brush Hair – have mom put it up
4. Make Bed
5. Tidy Bedroom
6. Brush Teeth
7. Change Kitchen Towels
8. Tidy Crib
9. Tidy Night Stand
10. Weekly Job (below)
11. Set breakfast table

•  Monday: Sort Hair Bobs
• Tuesday: Wipe Basement Steps
• Wednesday: Bring in Milk
• Thursday: Dust Window Sills
• Friday: Wipe Bathroom Countertop

  Caroline, Age 3.5 ~ Morning - 

1. Get dressed w/Mom helping
2. Put PJs away
3. Straighten Bed
4. Brush Teeth
5. Hang up Bathroom Rug
6. Pick up Shoes around house & put in Shoe-Places
7. Set breakfast table w/ Dorothy Jo
8. Throw Daddy's newspaper in recycle bin

********************************

After Breakfast: 

• Madeleine - Clean Floor (sweep and/or wipe), Make Bread in breadmaker, Laundry Check
• Erika - wipe off table, laundry check
• Dorothy Jo - Clear dishes, laundry check
• Caroline - push in chairs 
• Mom - clean up baby, quick-clean kitchen

********************************

After Lunch: 

• Madeleine - Load Dishwasher, Wipe Table, Laundry Check, Fold Laundry
• Erika - Sweep/Clean Floor, Empty Dishwasher, Laundry Check, Fold Laundry  
• Dorothy Jo - Swiffer Living Room, Fold Laundry
• Caroline - Fill water bottles
• Mom - clean up baby, put food away, wipe counters  

*********************************

Madeleine (age 8) – Evening

1. Laundry Check
2. Weekly Job (below)
3. Plug in Cell Phone
4. Tidy Front Drawers
5. Sweep Living Room
6. Pajamas on
7. Tidy Changing Room
8. Brush Teeth
9. Floss Teeth
10. Wash Face & Hands
11. Brush Hair

• Monday: Vacuum
• Tuesday: Shake Kitchen Rug
• Wednesday: Vacuum Laundry Room
• Thursday: Garbage Out
• Friday: Tidy Upstairs Pantry

Erika (age 7) – Evening

1. Laundry Check
2. Weekly Job (below)
3. Fold Couch Blankets
4. Straighten Jackets on Hooks
5. Pajamas on
6. Tidy Changing Room
7. Brush Teeth
8. Floss Teeth
9. Wash Face & Hands
10. Brush Hair

• Monday: Shake Bedroom Rugs
• Tuesday: Sweep Kitchen Floor
• Wed: Wipe Laundry Room, Vacuum upstairs
• Thursday: Dust, TV Stand
• Friday: Tidy Basement Pantry 

  Dorothy Jo (age 5.5) – Evening

1. Put Away Shoes
2. Push in all Chairs
3. Weekly Job (below)
4. Pajamas on
5. Tidy Changing Room
6. Brush Teeth
7. Floss Teeth

• Monday: Check Toilet Paper Supply
  
• Tues: Wipe Kitchen Sink Floor
• Wed: Sort Marker Turnabout
• Thursday: Check Toilet Paper Supply, Wipe Kitchen Cupboards
• Friday: Swiffer Mom &Dad's closet

Of course, no Chore-post of mine would be complete without referencing  my favorite Chore-Resource:  The Maxwell's Managers of Their Chores!!
 

Bike Riding for Pre-Schoolers 101

Somewhere in Seattle, WA is a man who saved our backs.  Literally.  About four years ago Pete took the girls to a park on a Saturday morning so that I could do my 1-hour-whirlwind-house-cleaning.  (I don't do that anymore, btw.  Now, when he leaves the house with them, I do something that doesn't involve being on my feet.)  But, I digress....

While he was at the park, he started talking to another dad who was teaching his 3 yo how to ride a bike. His process was so ingenius that I couldn't believe we had never heard of it.   Surely we were the only parents on the face of the early who hadn't heard of this!  THIS is what should be on the evening news!  THIS is what should go in those crazy-well-baby/child-mailings that I get from our beloved governor that cost tons of tax dollars, that say brilliant things like, "Your child will become more mobile, so pay attention and don't let them touch the stove."    

But, so far, of the people that I've told about this, and I HAVE told lots (I get kind of "excited" and a bit "over-exuberant" about some things :)   NO ONE realizes HOW EASY it actually can be to teach a child how to ride a 2-wheel-bike!  They can basically teach themselves with a few easy changes to the traditional process.

Now, let me preface this by saying, I'm usually not a fan for "pushing to learn things early."  I'm definitely on the "better late than early" spectrum of things.  But this is different....especially for younger children with older siblings who want to do what the olders are doing and keep up and play their games. And, no matter WHEN you teach a child to ride a bike, you are cutting your horrible-bending-over-back-wrenching-time down to about 5 minutes!!!   And for those of us approaching our 40's and 50's who don't have children old enough to take over bike-duty, this is GREAT! 

****************BIKE RIDING FOR PRE-SCHOOLERS 101 *****************

Somewhere between the ages of 2.5 and 4, a child can go from scooter/tricycle/other to a COASTER BIKE.  COASTER BIKES are simply a 2-wheel-bike, in a super-small size (usually a 12" wheel/tire) that: 

• has no pedals 
• is low enough to the ground to feel secure
• has the seat moved very low so feet can touch the ground easily

They sell "real coaster bikes" in all the specialty bike shops for $200-400 dollars...(give me a break)...OR, you can go to KMart and buy a regular 12" bike for $30, remove the pedals, and lower the seat.  OR....our favorite is to keep an eye out for free 12" bikes that people are trying to get rid of at the end of their driveways on the weekends, and remove the pedals.  Here is our COASTER BIKE: 

Pete just took the pedals off and lowered the seat.  The idea is that the child is learning that feeling of BALANCE long before they have to pedal.  One thing at a time.  Balance now.  Pedal later.  Right now they can self-teach themselves to balance by first getting on the bike, touching their feet to the ground and just pushing themselves along.  As they become more confident and their balance gets better, they lift their feet more often and for longer periods of time and basically "ride" their bike....just without the pedals.  It also helps if there is a slight hill for them to ride on, so that they get the feeling of going quicker and gliding.....they just naturally lift their feet.  Voila!  Caroline started riding her COASTER BIKE last spring right before her third birthday.  Here she is cruising around the driveway: 

In the woods: 

Coasting along after going down the slight hill on our neighbor's driveway: 

  

This is highly superior to riding a 2-wheel-bike with training wheels for two reasons: 

• It's WAY MORE FUN!!!!!  Training wheels are boring and slow and tippy!  Yuck!
• Training wheels don't teach them to BALANCE, which is what riding a bike is all about!  

OK, so once they get really good on their COASTER BIKE, there are 2 options: 

1. Put the pedals back on the COASTER BIKE.  Not our preferred option.   What if you put the pedals back on and Johnny isn't ready to ride with pedals on?  Then you have to take them back off!  According to Pete, putting pedals on and off is a pain, so we don't do this. Plus, EVERYONE loves the coaster bike, so it's never NOT being used.  
2. Get another 12" bike, leave the pedals on, no training wheels.   This is what we do.  So, we have two 12" bikes around here at all times.  

When you and/or they think they are ready, you help them learn how to rotate the pedals and walk/run along side them for about FIVE MINUTES!!!!!!  If they're ready, that's all you'll have to do!  

About 2 weeks ago, Pete spent 5 minutes with Caroline who is 3.5 years old, and she HAD IT!  

Dorothy Jo was just shy of age 4 when she rode on her own, and Pete remembers Dorothy Jo doing the same thing.....FIVE MINUTES and she was riding on her own.  

More pics of Caroline a couple weeks ago: 

 

 

Novice Bike-Riders also need to watch out for Mini-Pedestrians!  Where's the Crossing Guard???  Hmmmph...she must be busy taking pictures.

This is such a great way for a child to learn how to ride a bike at their own pace!  They are completely in charge of this process with a bit of gentle help of a parent at the beginning of each stage.  They can practice on their own, gaining more and more confidence.  Balance learned on the COASTER BIKE is key!

And, no back aches for the elderly parents.  :)  

The People That You Meet When You're Walkin' Down the Street

One day in October 2002, after baby #2-Erika was born, we were taking a family walk and passed a house about a block from ours where a VERY pregnant lady was unloading her car.  We waved and said a quick "Hello!"  and my interior monologue went something like "Ooohhhh, another MOM!!!!  with a new BABY!!!!  I wonder if this is her first?  I wonder if she stays at home?  I wonder if she's fun!  She smiled....yes, I'll bet she's fun!  Maybe someday I'll meet her."  

Fast forward 6 months to Spring 2003.  I'm out strolling the neighborhood, trying to ward off nausea (2 months pregnant) with my 2-year-old and 7-month-old, getting some exercise (back in the days when I was actually concerned about getting exercise), wishing Pete would get home so I could throw up in peace and take a nap.  I see the same house with the door wide open.  

With nothing better to do with my time, I enter the yard with my double stroller and knock.  A VERY tall man appears and I say something stupid like, "Oh, hi!  My name is Suzanne and I remember seeing your wife when she was pregnant, and thought we'd have children the same age.  We live up the street, and thought I'd stop in and introduce myself."  He stared.  Now that I know him, it seems very natural that he would stare, but at the time, of course, I wanted to cross my eyes at him and jump up and down in a very immature way and make googly-eyes. LOL!    

He mentioned that his wife wasn't there and he was feeding "Amy."  I peeked in and saw Amy sitting in her high chair with food all over her face.  Yep...that was her.  The baby in utero.  Now out-of-utero.  

I babbled something about the name of my husband and this was Madeleine, she's 2 and Erika, she's Amy's age....2 months older.  I didn't mention that I was due in November.....I was sure he didn't need this piece of information to decipher that I was pretty much a lunatic, and he did NOT want his wife hanging out with me.  I left my name and phone number with him and said good-bye.  Poor guy.   I don't think he was used to strange women showing up on his doorstep leaving their name and phone number.  

Well, lo and behold......"Judy" called a few days later and we met a few days after that.  Which led to my next-door-neighbor-and-practically-sister-Julee to meet Judy.  Which led to our husbands meeting, which led to home improvement project-help and BBQs.  All while our babies were playing together and growing......and so were our families........ which led to neighborhood parties, lots of play time for the kiddos, and lots more pregnancies (on my part), an adoption (on Judy's part) and more neighborhood friends.  

Julee and Judy were a HUGE part of my early-mommy-days.  Hanging out on dreary Seattle afternoons, watching the girls play, and chatting with each other about absolutely everything.  I don't know WHAT I would've done without them.   They kicked it into gear when I was down and out.....little babies galore, pregnant, and with Pete out of town...they fed us, ran errands, cleaned up my kitchen, folded laundry, watched the girls.  Every little bit helped, and for that......I will be eternally grateful.  

Judy and Keith moved to Houston temporarily about a year ago for Keith's job.  But, they come back with their 2 girls to visit his parents, and the neighborhood too!  So, last night we gathered together to celebrate their visit, the beautiful Seattle weather and Keith's birthday!!!  The girls played for HOURS outside and didn't want it to end.  I am so grateful for our amazing neighbors, and for Judy and Julee, who shared those amazing early years of motherhood with me!  

Judy and Keith are on the left.  Then me and Pete.  My mom in the middle.  Julee and John.  Robin and Reiner.  Nope, not a boy in the bunch!  Not only do WE only make one "model"....but so does my neighborhood.  

The girls made all kinds of decorations and signs for the occasion.  Here is the one hanging by the entry way to the deck: 

And, no BBQ would be complete without a "Picture Pole":

Happy Father's Day, Pete!

It takes a BIG MAN to handle all these LITTLE GIRLS~

There are A LOT of kisses to receive~ 

Big muscles are needed to manage all the tickling~

A snuggly lap is a must~

Encouraging words to accompany the kisses from all sides: 

Big shoulders and arms to hug and be hugged~

Sturdy legs to stand against when you can't quite do it on your own~

I think he's handling it quite well, don't you?  

************************************************

The love of my life, sharing the joy of my Gladdest Hours~

Happy Father's Day, Pete!

Tulip Fest

The end of April, the girls and I trekked up north to the Annual Skagit Valley Tulip Fest.  

Ten years ago, Pete and I attended the Tulip Fest together; it was one of our VERY FIRST DATES!   How romantic we must have been; frolicking around the carpet of tulips and daffodils.  We OBVIOUSLY had a very good time, as we decided to get married a mere 2 months later!  

Now, here we are, carrying on the tradition, with a few more wee-ones to enjoy the magnificent site!  (Click for montage)

 
Tulip Fest 2009

The trip is QUITE a bit different these days!  :)

A Peaceful Morning Hike

Well, not exactly.   :)     The seven of us ventured out to Discovery Park for a 3-mile-hike to the beach yesterday morning.  A test run to help us plan our hikes for this summer!!!  

And, they're off (bitty baby Jacqueline was in the backpack):

The girls did GREAT, and we're looking forward to more weekend hikes as the weather gets nicer.  I'm not pregnant, nor am I post-partum.  We MUST take advantage of this.  :)

We saw many signs of spring, which Madeleine's photography clearly shows: 

Spring is here:

After being perplexed about the tree, we arrived at the beach and had lunch.  

Daddy's little beach combers: 

Mommy and the babes:  

 

Some very important discussion going on: 

 

Group photo taken by the seventh person to comment on our family size and the all-girl-factor:

Caroline: 

 

Dorothy Jo: 

 

This is why I don't pay for gymnastics lessons: 

Our troop of monkeys on our way back UP the millions of stairs and hills: 

After all that and a few granola bars, we headed for home, but not before stalking Meredith, Violet and Sean-Paul .  We just couldn't be in the Henning's neck-of-the-woods without a quick pop-by.  And, of course, we found them AT THE LIBRARY!  :)  

Sunday, we went to 9:00 Mass and then came home and had  Resurrection Rolls.   

Pete and I watched half of The Courageous Heart of Irene Sendler  from Hallmark.  We'll watch the other half when we don't have to get up so early in the morning.  

Alleluia!

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!       ~Exultet

Easter blessings from our family to yours!

Caroline Turns Three Years Old

Happy Birthday to Caroline Marie!

Daddy with the Birthday-Girl and her Sisters:

Balloons from the Aunties: 

And, kisses from Daddy ~

Godfather-Uncle Doug and Grammy:

You're Never Too Young To Multi-Task

Especially when you are a first-born daughter.  

Madeleine is a pro at the mere age of seven-and-a-half.  She can give directions to the toddler, take a beverage pitcher out of the fridge, and hold the baby.....all while giving me a completely detailed account of her morning at Bowling.  

She's my right-hand-gal!

Crazy Uncle Ivan

My brother visited us this weekend.  He flew in from San Diego on Thursday night, and leaves Monday morning.  That's probably about all he can take of this three-ring-circus, being a swingin' bachelor, who has a bit of a quieter home life than what he experiences here. 

He is number two, in our line-up of siblings.  In other words he was the victim of my hours playing "school" where I was the teacher and he was the student.  I'm sure he loved every moment of it. <<wink>>

We went beachcombing, watched fireworks (absent of screams of terror this year!), relaxed at the house, and went to a minor-league baseball game.  Unlce Ivan also made his famous Chinese food for us on Saturday night. 

When he visited three years ago, there were only three nieces.  Now, there are FIVE:

Here we are at the Everett Aquasox game:

And, of course, we had to put the baby in the arms of the bachelor, swoon a bit, and then take pictures:

Toothless in Seattle

Proud, Toothless Madeleine - Age 7

Lots of Bedrooms. Yeah. Right.

My mother called a couple weeks ago and told me about a conversation she had with a woman after Mass at coffee-n-donuts.  My mom mentioned that her oldest daughter (me) was almost due with  her fifth baby. 

"Fifth baby!  Oh my!  They must have a very big house!"  she exclaimed.

"No not really, just average, I suppose," my mom said.

"Well, then they must have lots of bedrooms!"   

"Bedrooms?" questioned my mother.  "Oh no.....all the children are in one bedroom." 

"One bedroom? How do you do that?  It must be a very large bedroom," she said.

My mom likes to shock people, so of course, she let it all out.  "No, not large at all.  10 x 13’.  And, well….they have two sets of bunk beds and a crib in that room. And, to tell you the truth, most of the time there are actually a couple of beds empty."

The woman apparently couldn’t wrap her mind around that one, as the conversation ended right then and there. 

Next time my mom will be prepared.  I’m considering sending her this photo which says it all:

Look closely.  That's THREE heads you see.  And, it ain't in a twin bed!  IT'S IN THE CRIB, for crying out loud!!!!!!  The 7, 5, and 2-year-old (Madeleine, Erika and Caroline) SLEEPING IN THE CRIB together!   

Good thing we went through all that work to set up those TWO sets of bunk beds. 

Three empty beds!  Good grief. 

Daddy's Territory

"Why are leaves green?"  and "Where does oil come from?"  were two questions posed to me before the clock struck 8:00 am.  Golly.  Photosynthesis and Oil Refinement.  NOT two subjects that a pregnant mother of four should have to explain before her morning cup of coffee or tea and a bit of nourishment. 

I attempted the photosynthesis explanation during breakfast, and then left the oil discussion and explanation to my beloved. 

Little did I know he would take it so seriously.  Out came the photo albums, the maps, the globe, and paper and pen.  And, of course out came the infamous 8x10 framed picture of his oil rig that hangs in "his" basement bathroom.  Yes, that's right.  You read that correctly.  I am married to a man who has a picture of an Alaskan oil rig that he worked on for 3 months every year for 3 years in his twenties.  It is one of my favorite things to tease him about. 

It was also one of the things Uncle Scott laughed about when we first got married.  Chuckling he says to me, "Soooooo....whadya think of Pete's choice in framed pictures?" 

And, to Pete, "Dude, do you actually think she's going to KEEP that picture up there after she moves in here?"   

Here is the Gladdest Hours Crew learning everything you always wanted to know about OIL on a lovely Saturday morning:

Everytime I walked by, I got the smug little look from him that said, "See??? Aren't you sorry you mocked me? Some home-educating mom you are!  Underestimating the value of a framed oil rig photo." 

I just smiled and continued mashing my avocadoes.  And, then sat on the couch for a few minutes of reading while my little geologists were occupied.   

Note Madeleine learning about drilling oil in her First Communion dress and gloves.

I, personally, couldn't believe how many questions they had.  This all stemmed from the oil truck that came to fill our oil tank the other day, and the very nice oil-company-man who was very friendly and happy to see four little smiling faces run out to him, jabbering away.  I guess it was his lucky day.

Here is Daddy after a day's work in those days:

 

36.5 Weeks & Feelin' Groovy

Just kidding, of course.  I'm not quite feelin' groovy, but I certainly can't complain.

I'm actually not as completely incapacitated as I was with Caroline's (#4) pregnancy at this point. There are probably three reasons for this:

1. I'm about 30 lbs. lighter than I was at 36 weeks with Caroline.
2. I am completely wrapped-up with my compression hose and belly/back belt.  These items have made such a big difference.  I haven't had to visit the chiropractor (no sciatic pain!!) or foot doctor, which is a minor miracle. 
3. The girls are TWO YEARS OLDER and are a much bigger help this time around.  They are 7,  5.5,  4, and 2.   As opposed to 5,  3.5,  and 2.  They run downstairs to get food from the pantry, clean bathrooms, empty the dishwasher, put groceries away, do laundry, etc.  We don't have "just littles" anymore, and it is SUCH A BIG HELP for this slow-moving, lumbering mama! 

Due date is April 29, but I've never made it to 40 weeks. Caroline was 8 days early, and each delivery seems to get earlier and earlier. 

The countdown continues..... 

Happy Birthday, Madeleine!

We celebrated Madeleine's 7th birthday Saturday at a restaurant, which was a new experience for us.  The girls thought it mighty funny that we had ice cream instead of cake.   

No birthday cake?  Well, not exactly.  Thursday, Madeleine made some cupcakes for her Little Flower Group which met on Friday, her birthday.  Friday was also the day the anticipated balloon bouquet arrived from Auntie Gina (Pete's sister) and Uncle Victor.  It was a ladybug theme and was one of the best-ever!

   

The Neverending Spelling Bee

Two of my favorite movies from the past couple of years are about Spelling Bees: Spellbound and Akeelah and the Bee.

So, you can imagine my delight last year when the girls were fascinated watching their Signing Time "friend," Leah win her spelling bee .  Her mother explains why this was such a Miracle!    Ever since, we have random, spontaneous spelling bees at our dwelling. 

Here is an excerpt from one a few weeks ago:

Madeleine (6.5): Erika, how to spell "John"?        (NO, that is not a type-O....they always say "How to spell" instead of "How do you spell"....we don't know why, and we think it's funny, so we don't say anything.) 

Erika (5):  May I please have a definition?

Madeleine:  The tall, skinny man with glasses who lives next door.  The mailman.  Mrs. Bergstrom's husband who lives across the street.  And, my godfather who is also tall. 

Erika:  Jon.  J-O-N.  Jon.

Madeleine: Correct.  You may please be seated. 

Wow! Four definitions for John.  I didn't realize how many Johns we knew.  And, she thought of them SO FAST.  The girl can't draw a circle to save her life....but, BOY can she verbally articulate, describe and pratter!

And, it's so hard to not burst out laughing when the question "May I please have a definition?" is posed. 

Probably, my greatest accomplishment of 2008.....

.....next to giving birth to my fifth baby girl.  But that hasn't happened yet, so this is definitely my greatest accomplishment SO FAR, this year!  (I wonder what my college professors would think about this fact?  LOL!) 

We have succeeded in getting FIVE car seats / booster seats in a 1999 Dodge Caravan!  The "old" minivans are much narrower than the newer ones, so this is really a big deal!  Plus, by the time most people have 5 children, usually at least ONE or TWO of them are OUT OF CAR SEATS!      

I keep waiting for 20/20 to knock on my door and interview us, but it hasn't happened, so I'll blog about it instead. 

These were the previous car seats:

The three on the right have all expired, so they have taken the infamous ride to the dump, never to be seen again. 

Here is the obligatory photo of car seats with owners in the sitting position: 

Enough with the old!  Onward!  I was very nervous the day these appeared on my doorstep:

If the contents of these boxes didn't work, then I would:

1. never leave the house again without breaking the law or....
2. spend the last 3 months of my pregnancy looking for a larger vehicle.  (And, I would've tried to rally my dear-sweet-husband for a 12-passenger-van, which would've taken much more than three months.) 

The contents of these all-important boxes were two Sunshine Radian 65 car seats, thanks to LisaD from from this 4Real thread.  By far, the most narrow car seat on the market.  The Radian is 12" across the base and 17" at the shoulder area.  It holds a child in a 5-point-harness 5 lbs. - 65 lbs., and 53" tall.  This is NOT a booster.  It's for older/heavier children to be in a 5-point-harness, basically for the rest of their lives, lol.   

Then, we purchased a Graco Turbobooster, which is a fairly narrow booster.  16" at the base.  We have 49" plastic to plastic in the back seat of the van.  After much time, sweat, muscle, and a bit of cursing, Pete installed these successfully, while I stood around and did nothing prayed to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes. 

It actually worked:

Look at that.  A beautiful sight.  Not an INCH to spare. 

From left to right in the backseat:
22 lbs. 2-year-old - Radian
36 lbs. 4-year-old - Radian
40 lbs. 5.5-year-old - Graco TurboBooster with a car seat belt extender from the Dodge
dealership.

The seat belt extender (thanks, Nicole-"humanaevitae") pulls the female seat belt out about 6 inches, which makes it possible to buckle in the booster on the far right, otherwise this wouldn't work, as you wouldn't be able to get your hand down there to fasten the seat belt, since we have not even a millimeter of extra space.  I can get my hands in there, but not Pete, and not the child.  The verdict is still out on whether or not it's safe to have the buckle nearer the pelvis like this; I've had differing opinions from car-seat-techs.  Hopefully, we won't have to use it all the time, but it's there just in case. 

Then in the middle seat we have:

• Infant car seat behind the driver
• Booster seat for the 48 lbs. 7-year-old

Happy Birthday, Pete!  You just received $400 worth of car seats for your birthday!  And, you have succeeded in avoiding purchasing another vehicle for at least another couple of years!   Yes, yes....a glorious 46th birthday present indeed. 

He Has Risen, As He Said, ALLELUIA!

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad!

We attended an absolutely beautiful Mass yesterday morning.  Our neighbors, John, Julee and Jemma attended and sat next to us, which resulted in all three older girls immediately moving to sit next to them, which left me......(gasp!) childless during Mass, since Caroline stays with Pete, as there is hardly any LAP left on me these days.  Needless to say, I was a complete puddle of joyful tears by the end of the procession and was never even able to sing one single note of "Jesus Christ is Risen Today."  It's probably a good thing that I'm usually keeping tabs on little ones and am distracted, or Pete would never go to Mass with me if I bawled like that all the time! 

We had ten amazing altar servers, lots of incense, beautiful flowers, wonderful instruments and the beautiful choir singing the Mass of Sts. Peter and Paul.  The most glorious day in our liturgical year and it showed!   

We came home in the pouring rain, when Pete pronounced that "this is just drizzle."  So, we proceeded with the annual egg hunt in our yard.  Here is Caroline (2), Erika (5), Dorothy Jo (4), Jemma (6), and Madeleine (7):   

Obviously they could care less what the weather is like!    

Then we had brunch and the rest of the day whizzed right past.  We read some of our Easter books,  did our Resurrection presentation/play and ate some candy!  Oh yes, and I did lots of laundry from a couple of accidents the night before.   

If you have a few minutes and want to swoon, Diane is busy posting beautiful pictures from Assumption Grotto's (Detroit) Holy Week on Te Deum laudemus :

• Holy Week 2008
• Here are the posts from last year's Holy Week 2007

Happy Easter and Joyeuses Pâques!  May the Resurrection of Our Lord bring you much hope and joy during these fifty days of Easter! 

Daddy's Great Life

Conversation Prologue:   Uncle Scott is a college buddy of Pete's, and "Uncle Doug" is how Pete and I were originally introduced.   They are not family-uncles.  Uncle Doug is commonly referred to in our neighborhood as Super-Babysitter, as he comes over a couple times a year to babysit the girls, he's very tall and has things amazingly under control. 

Neither of them have ever been married, and evidently this is a great mystery that merits discussion when you are a "Gladdest Girl."  A couple weeks ago, I was able to jot down the following conversation:   

"Mom, how come Uncle Scott and Uncle Doug aren't married?  Don't they want a great life with a bunch of kids like Daddy?" (They think quite highly of themselves, don't they?  LOL)

(Even though the question was posed to me, I never uttered a syllable during all of this.)   

"Maybe they don't have anywhere to put a mom and lots of kids."

"No, both of them have HUGE houses!  Remember all those rooms that have NOTHING in them?  All those blank rooms in their houses! "   

"Maybe it's because they don't want to get up early to go to Mass on Sunday."

"Well, Mom says Uncle Doug goes to 8:30 Mass at St. John's, and that's early. And Uncle Scott doesn't go to church."

"Maybe that's why nobody will marry him, cuz he doesn't go to church."

"No....there are lots of people who are married who don't go to church." 

"I KNOW!  Maybe it's because they don't have any money to buy food!  Remember Uncle Doug's refrigerator and how it only had ketchup in it....nothing else?  Not even any milk! And, Uncle Scott always comes over HERE to eat with us, and whenever we go to HIS house, people always bring stuff." 

"Yeah!!  That's it!  They can't get married cuz they don't have any money for food to feed a mommy and lots of babies."

"But, they have jobs.....I wonder why they don't have any money for food?" 

"Maybe they spent all their money on their big blank houses, and they don't have any left over for food."   

"I know.....maybe we could start saving some of OUR money for them, THEN they could get married and have kids and have a great life!"

"Just like Daddy!"

"Yeah.....Just like Daddy!!!!"

Whoops and hollers could be heard throughout the land.   If these two wonderful friends of ours only knew that their pasts were being analyzed and their futures being thoughtfully planned out by three girls under the age of seven.

And, then there's the "Daddy's Great Life" phrase that has provided me with much mileage the past few weeks. 

Much mileage.

TWO!

Yesterday, March 1, was Caroline's second birthday. 

Happy birthday Boopy! You are the sweetest, cutest, little munchkin ever.

Of course, a birthday would NOT be complete without a bunch of sisters gathering closely 'round showing you how it's done:

Nor would it be complete without kisses from daddy:

And, smiles with Grammy Anne:

Good Ting I'm Pwegnant!

Dorothy Jo (age 4) :  "Boy, Mom....since Cawaline tuns TWO today, she's not a BABY!!!  Good ting you're pwegnant and almost ready to have anodder one, udderwise we would have NO BABY in the house anymorwa!"

Yep, good "ting!"  We are the house of continual babies.  So far.....never without a baby.  Oftentimes, even with TWO babies, if you follow Dorothy Jo's definition of "baby."  And, girl-babies to boot!   You like babies specifically dressed in pink?  Just come on over!  Even if we haven't kept in touch lately, your chances are high that there will be a female baby in the house....somewhere.

See, Bridget? You're not the only one who's "pathetic." 

This also goes to show that mommies and 4-year-olds think alike when it comes to the definition of "baby." 

Placentas are Neat

All the girls were present at Caroline's birth and hopefully, they'll see  this sister be born too. 

As my tummy gets larger and we start talking more about the nitty-gritty of another sister entering the world, some funny conversations are inevitably going to take place.    Such as this one between Madeleine (6) and me:

Madeleine: "Mom, too bad you didn't keep all of our placentas from when we were born.  After this baby, we'd have FIVE of them!  We could keep them in a jar, label them with our initials: M,E,D,C, and 'whatever this baby's name is' and we could compare them.  We could see which one was the thickest, the longest, the reddest, the heaviest.  All that.  Wouldn't that be GREAT? I wonder if the biggest baby had the biggest placenta?" 

Me: "Hmmmm, you're right.  That would be neat.  You know, the midwives ask us if we want to keep the placentas, but we have decided not to. 

Madeleine, in a very astonisted tone: "Really?  WHY NOT?"   

Me: "Well, I don't know.  Daddy wasn't really too excited about it, and......."

Madeleine: "He WASN'T????!!!!  Whoa!  Oh my gosh, he's CRAAAAZY! Placentas are SO NEAT!" 

I looked over where Pete was sitting.  He was shaking his head, burying it in his hands.  Later he commented, "Okay, this hands-on-science-real-life-experiences-thing is getting a bit out of control.  She's going to be a midwife by the time she's twelve." 

Poor guy.  First it was NFP, then natural childbirth and midwives, then breastfeeding, then home education.  Now, it's placentas.   

Tummy Pics & Car Seat Babblings

To my dad and brothers: Don't worry......there are no pictures with me in Angelina Jolie-style-maternity-clothing.  Or any pics resembling Demi Moore!  No need to "close your eyes." 

4 months, 5 months, and the current 6-month-picture from last weekend (red):

We're doing a lot of GROWING over here on this side of the country.  I wish my daughters OUT OF THE WOMB would get the growing bug.    Did you know that our 23-month-old BARELY tips the scale at 22 lbs?   The 1-year-old neighbor boy weighs 5 lbs. more than her!    And, Erika is five-and-a-half-years-old and is only 37 lbs.  She's not even out of a 5-point-harness yet.

Speaking of car seats, Pete and I are quite proud of ourselves.  We have figured out (theoretically anyway) how to get 5 car seats in our '99 Caravan.  We spent about 3 hours on this little exercise in logic and precise measuring over Christmas Vacation.   My brain ached.  But, I think we got it.  I'm ordering a few things this week and then we'll see how the best laid car seat plans of the Gallus Family pan out in real life instead of just on paper.   You should SEE that piece of paper, by the way.  It looks like a Russian spy code or something.  I almost took a picture of it to post, but decided that was a bit ridiculous.  I made a copy, though, and put it in our family binder.   The title is:   Proposed Car Seat Configuration 2008-2010.   Go ahead.....laugh!  I did. 

Is there a Patron Saint of Car Seats?  I think not.  Perhaps I should just stick with the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes.

Because You Can Never Have Too Many Pictures of Little Girls In Matching Ponchos and Hats

A beautiful Mass was celebrated for the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord!  We were all able to attend since the pink eye that has been running through the family seemed to be subsiding. 

Looking at the Cradle that was used for "Cradle-Rocking" at the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass:

At the Creche:

Going for a walk after Mass:

A bit of running after Mass, as they suddenly remember that there are DONUTS in the house:

Not exactly keeping up, but trying really hard:

 

"Wait!  Come back!   We have to take a picture with Grama Charlotte!"

My mom and I made these ponchos (4 of them: I have one too, of course.....LOL!) in August 2005, when the girls were 4, 3, and 2. So this is the third year we've worn them.  I just keep making a bigger one for Madeleine when another girl arrives, and they get passed on down the line.  Although, if she calls me FAT one more time, I'm considering discontinuing her family-poncho-wearing-privileges.  I bought some more red fleece yesterday to make yet another one for next year!

How To Boost A Mother's Ego

Madeleine  (age 6):  Mom, which do you like better, your glasses or your contacts? 

Me:   Oh, I don't know.  They're both different.  My glasses are easier to put on and more convenient. But I can see a bit better and I think I LOOK better in my contacts. 

Madeleine:  Really?  Hmmmm....I think I like your glasses better.

Me:  Oh?  How come? 

Madeleine:  Because they cover up your face.

Gee, thanks.   And, if that wasn't enough, about 2 hours later there was this conversation: 

Madeleine:  Erika, how to spell "fat"? 

Erika (age 5):  "a - t"

Madeleine:  No, that's "at."  I said, "fffffat.  Like 'Mom is fat.'"

So, now I'm fat AND I have a face that needs to be covered up.

My Mother Arrives Today

Whoo-hoo!    She'll be here for two-and-a-half weeks to make her grand contribution to this quickly growing family and household.  Everyone is very excited about this.

Pete adores her.  She thinks Pete is the most wonderful man to walk the earth since St. Francis. 

She is hysterically funny and goofy, and the girls LOVE spending time with her.  She loves them.

She is a sixty-something lady who works like a 30-year-old.   She loves to clean, scrub, sort, organize and empty the dishwasher.

Need I say more?

 

Things We Do For A Bit of Peace And Quiet From the Toddler

This bought us a good 20 minutes or so of read-aloud time: 

Getting back to the regularily-scheduled-program will prove challenging and funny, I'm sure, in oh-so-many ways.   

Books in 2007

I kept track of books we all read this year.  I used to do this during high school, college and in my early 20's, then stopped.  I can't find those lists....grrrrr.   I'd LOVE to have them. 

I can see from my list that I obviously needed a break from reading non-fiction: how-to's about parenting, home education, home management and political books....which have dominated my bookshelves over the past several years.  I returned to simply reading for pleasure and devouring book after book.  In a way, I thank Elena for this.  Her blog reminded me of some of my old interests and she had a few recommendations (along with her own books, of course) and voila! 

These are in no particular order, except the first four were my absolute favorites and plan on reading them again someday.

Suzanne - 2007

• In This House of Brede, Godden
• Madame Royale, Vidal
• Trianon, Vidal
• Katherine, Seton
• Dragonwyck, Seton
• Green Darkness, Seton
• A Miracle for St. Cecilia’s, Valentine
• A Woman Clothed with the Sun, Delaney
• First Fruits of Prayer
• Montessori in the Classroom, Polk
• Royal Road to Fotheringay, Plaidy
• St. Philomena: the wonderworker, O’Sullivan
• Talking to Fireflies, Shrinking the Moon: Nature Activities for all Ages
• The Cure of Ars: the priest who out-talked the devil, Lomask
• The Story of Saint John Vianney, Windeatt
• The King’s Pleasure, Nora Lofts
• The Lost King of France, Cadbury
• The Scarlet Pimpernel, Orczy
• True Devotion to Mary, de Montfort
• Real Learning, Foss (re-read)
• Look Back All The Green Valley, Chapell
• Anne of Green Gables (re-read)
• Saint Margaret Mary, Windeatt
• Pauline Jaricot, Windeatt
• Siblings Without Rivalry
• Light on Snow, Shreve
• Broken and Blessed: A Life Story, Adamkiewicz

Read-Alouds with the Girls (part of 2006-2007)

• James and the Giant Peach
• Kirsten’s Surprise
• Mr. Popper's Penguins
• Little House in the Big Woods
• Little House on the Prairie
• On The Banks of Plum Creek
• Raggedy Ann
• Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
• The Little Flower, Windeatt
• Pippi Longstocking
• The Courage of Sarah Noble
• All-of-a-kind Family
• All-of-a-kind Family Downtown
• Old Mother West Wind
• Happy Little Family, Caudill
• Holly and Ivy, Godden

Started, but didn’t finish:

• A Bear Called Paddington
• There’s an Owl in the Shower
• Blessed Imelda

Pete – Lots of baseball books this year and the usual history and war reading:

• Guadacanal, Hoyt
• Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in his Time
• The Last Commissioner: A Baseball Valentine
• The Teammates, Halbertstam
• Three Years Among the Camanches, Nelson Lee
• With These Hands, L’Amour
• The Queen’s Man, Penman
• Last Days of Summer, Kluger
• Clemente: the Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero, Maraniss
• Culture Warrior, O’Reilly
• The Cure of Ars: the priest who out-talked the devil, Lomask

This year, I plan on reading a few from Elena's lists of Novels with Catholic Spirituality and British and American Catholic Novelists.

Happy Reading in 2008!

Bringing in the New Year

On New Year's Eve, we have a fondue dinner. 

• One pot of cheese fondue for bread and veggies. 
• One pot of fondue bourgignon for meat. 

Let us not forget the beloved sparkling cider that disappears before my very eyes.   This year, I changed from the typical cheese fondue with Gruyere and Emmanthaler to a plain ol' Cheddar fondue.  Everyone prefered it, 'cept me.  Oh well.....someday I'll get my beloved "real" fondue back.  And someday, when little people  acquire a bit of self-control, we'll be daring and branch out into chocolate fondue for dessert. 

After dinner we played Yahtzee and then the girls went to bed.  We proceeded to watch a movie. 

I had a few fondue parties before I got married.  They were SO FUN!   A month after our wedding on New Year's Eve, we had a fondue dinner party, and another the following year with Madeleine as an 8-month-old.  After that, it became strictly a family affair for obvious reasons.  We sit around the "coffee table" in the living room because everyone needs to be close to the pots.  The girls really look forward to it.

Here is part of the spread from last year:

Of course, if you LOSE YOUR FOOD in the fondue pot, a kiss is in order.  There's a lot of kissin' around here:

 

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

We wish you a shower of love, joy and laughter to fill your homes during the celebration of the birth of Baby Jesus. 

Love,

Pete, Suzanne, Madeleine, Erika, Dorothy Jo and Caroline

Be Ye Like Little Children

"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."  Mat 18:3

Yes.  This is true in so many ways.  This is one of the bible verses that enters so often into my mind when pride, anger, lack of faith, etc. rear their ugly heads. 

The other day, however, it entered into my mind for a different reason, and it made me laugh hysterically. 

Be Ye Like Little Children.  I wish I could become like a child, and it didn't bother me to have my tights falling down.  Look at her.  She's absolutely oblivious. 

Our Weekend in Leavenworth, WA

We made our annual December trek to the Cascade mountains to our favorite Christmas town of Leavenworth.  Four years ago, Pete had to see a customer in a nearby town of Wenatchee on a Friday afternoon, so we devised a plan to go with him and stay overnight to experience a day or two of the infamous town of Leavenworth in December.  Madeleine was 3, Erika was 2 and Dorothy Jo had just turned 1.  I must have been out of my mind.   

It's been an annual trip ever since.  There is snow (usually) for sledding and a sleigh ride, a beautiful Christmas Lighting ceremony, carolers, lots of Christmas music at the gazebo, St. Nicholas, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, street vendors with roasted chestnuts, bratwurst, and apple cider.    The Church of the Nazarene puts on a wonderful Living Nativity play each year proceded by a lantern parade following the Three Wise Men to the stage.  Pete also appreciates the good, German beer!    This year they had open-mike for the children to sing Christmas songs, and the girls got to do the Chicken Dance FOUR times, led by the Town Crier!   Our three days are packed with fun in the Bavarian tradition!  Oyez!!!

Leavenworth was a very prosperous boom town in the early 1900's with the railroad, the sawmill and agriculture fueling it.  In 1822 the railroad was re-routed and then the great depression hit, leaving Leavenworth with a very bad economy through the war, and in the 50's and 60's.  In the late-sixties, the town decided to adopt a Bavarian theme and remodel their buildings.  Over the next 10 years, the town was transformed, all with private money.  Their gamble and efforts paid off, as it now is a major family destination year-round.  Read more about Leavenworth History here. 

Good Morning America selected Leavenworth as their "Light up the Holidays Special" which was live a couple weeks ago.   The Travel Channel was filming this weekend.  They were at our sleigh ride endroit, and they filmed the kids doing the Chicken Dance.   

What's so wonderful about the celebration at Leavenworth is that they are VERY clear that this is not a HOLIDAY celebration.....it is definitely CHRISTMAS in this town and they are NOT apologetic about it.  There is a pastor leading the 3 blocks of people in prayer each evening before the town lighting ceremony.  Saint Nicholas is a bishop, and the Christmas carols are clearly traditional and Christian.  The focus on the town's activities for the December weekends center around the Living Nativity Play, after which they hand out bibles. 

Here is my first-ever-photo-montage:

Merry Christmas from Leavenworth!

It's a......

GEEEEEEEL ! 

For those of you who don't speak "four-year-old-eze"  that would be....GIRL!

Yep.  A Girl!  (of course!)  Pete used to be famous for climbing mountains and how much he could bench.  Now he's famous because he's going to have FIVE DAUGHTERS. 

We all went to the ultrasound on Thursday, except Caroline....she got to stay home with Grammy Anne and smear a St. Nicholas Chocolate Gold Coin all over her face.   

Everyone was sitting at my feet during the ultrasound watching the screen, Erika and Dorothy Jo on Pete's knees and Madeleine sitting on another chair.  About 15 minutes into it, the ultrasound tech said, "OK, I have a good view here.  Are you SURE you want to know?" 

A very loud "Yeeeessss!" was heard.  She turned around to look at them and said, "Oh, well, let's see....hmmmm.....I see 3 little GIRLS here...."

Dorothy Jo and Madeleine chimed in, each trying to out-talk the other "...and there's one more at home!  She's just too little to come here.  So, there's really FOUR girls in our family!" 

"Oh? Four!" she said, feigning surprise, as she already knew that.  "Well, it looks like there is going to be ONE MORE GIRL!" 

Loud cheers went up from the peanut gallery, while Pete chuckled to himself and grinned. 

"Now we will be JUST like All-of-a-Kind Family!" exclaimed Madeleine.

Erika added, "Except we have different names and we are Catholic and not Jewish!"

(Nevermind the fact that they lived in New York city one hundred years ago.)

Debates immediately ensued about what this little baby's name would be.

And, my favorite quote from the past couple of days took place while the girls were telling one of the neighbors that it was a girl. "Nope, there's no little boys in our family YET!"

Girls, girls, girls! 

It's Snowing!

And the neighborhood girls were VERY busy today!

Eight Years of Marital Bliss

Last week was our 8th anniversary!  We celebrated by going out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants.  You know.....the kind of restaurant where your husband wouldn't be full had he not eaten part of your food!  It was THAT kind of restaurant.  Truly a culinary experience, and a very wonderful and quiet two hours of uninterrupted dining and conversation. 

We are so grateful to our annual-anniversary-babysitter, Moira! 

And then we made our annual Christmas trip to the Polish Pottery Store. Thanks to our other Super-Babysitter, Doug.

I figured now would be a good time to post a few pictures from our FIRST VACATION EVER together!  Well, that's not entirely true.  We spent 3 days in a cabin in the Cascade mountains for our honeymoon.  And, then there was our one-and-only back-packing trip on the Washington coast for 5 days over Memorial Day weekend a few months after we got married.  At the time, I considered that a vacation.  Now I would not.  After that trip, it was all about child-bearing, and "vacations" were never mentioned again. 

Until, Pete's job required him to go on a cruise in September, spouses invited.   "Hmmmm, a cruise?" I said.  "Well, THAT could be relaxing.  Give me a pair of sunglasses, my Vera Bradley bag and a few books, and I could go on a cruise."  However, there was that small detail of figuring out how to secure childcare for four small children 6 and under for six days.  Details, details.  So we committed back in February.   And, then of course, like everything in our lives over the past 8 eight years, these grand plans were pleasantly altered by the "first trimester."   I went anyway, and I felt surprisingly good.  Probably had something to do with the fact that there was food readily accessible 24-hours a day, that I didn't have to prepare and I could sleep A LOT and whenever I wanted! 

We flew to Galveston, then took a 3-day-cruise to Cozumel, Mexico and back.   The girls did great.  Our six "babysitters" are still alive, and a couple of them have offered to watch the girls again, so it must not have been THAT bad.

Here we are at the beach in Cozumel:

The company that sponsored this trip is based in Oklahoma.  There were customers of theirs (about 200 plus spouses) from all over the U.S. and the world, but many of them were from the South.  We were DEFINITELY the whitest people there.  We aren't much for sun; which is why we like the Pacific Northwest so much!

Here is my husband with his new sombrero, which he just HAD to have:

There were other pictures from the ship, but they were taken by the cruise staff and are not on my camera.  Here is the last picture from our trip:

 

Home again!  Home again!  Jiggedy-jig!

Beef. It's what's for dinner.

One of Pete's favorite dinner topics is talking about from what animal our dinner came.   He is determined to have daughters who think nothing of seeing a bloody,slaughtered deer on a back patio or who think hunting, guns and eating meat is normal.  Something that you actually have to "work at" if you live anywhere near Seattle. 

Here is one of many examples of conversations that have stemmed from this tangent of childhood education:

Madeleine (age,6):   Mom, this is beef, right? 

Me:   Yes. Beef.

Madeleine:   Beef is dead cow, right?

Me:   Right. 

Madeleine:   Erika, will you please pass the dead cow? 

Dorothy Jo's 4th Birthday

You know you live in the Pacific Northwest when your 3-year-old requests Thai food for her 4th birthday dinner. 

Here is our very proud birthday girl, giddy with excitement that she is FOUR:

The very much anticipated balloons from Auntie Gina and Uncle Victor:

And, what would a birthday be without a bit of sisterly love?

Dorothy Jo is named after Pete's maternal grandmother and his sister (her middle name).  We were either naming her Dorothy Johanna or Johanna Dorothy.  We went with Dorothy Johanna because we just liked "Dorothy Jo" so much.   She is probably the only female under the age of 80 to be named Dorothy.  It gets lots of raised eyebrows and "Excuse me?" 

Dorothy Jo is the only girl in our family to have a bit of "meat" on her (besides me, of course) and Pete claims she is just like a teddy bear when she crawls into bed with us in the morning.  He is used to the bony, sharp little elbows and knees of her sisters.   

Because she is only 15 months younger than Erika and 2.5 years younger than Madeleine, she naturally thinks she can do whatever they can, and most of the time, she can!  She is more like them this week, as we finally set up the second set of bunk beds in the bedroom.  No more toddler bed for Do Jo! 

She has her own space, her own shelves, and her own doll!

Happy Birthday, Dorothy Jo!

   

Laughing in the Leaves - Ha, ha, he!

My mother exclaimed when she saw this, "I wonder what's going to be sitting on the other side of Caroline next year!" 

Me too, Mom.  Me too. 

When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy,
And the dimpling stream runs laughing by;
When the air does laugh with our merry wit,
And the green hill laughs with the noise of it;

When the meadows laugh with lively green,
And the grasshopper laughs in the merry scene,
When Madeleine, Erika and Dorothy
With their sweet round mouths sing "Ha, ha he!"

When the painted birds laugh in the shade,
Where our table with cherries and nuts is spread:
Come live, and be merry, and join with me,
To sing the sweet chorus of "Ha, ha, he!"

~Laughing Song, by William Blake

Last year's picture is practically the same!  I better come up with something new next year.

Because we are all about COLOR over here

Martha Stewart would be proud.  (Of this ONE TINY PIECE of my house.....definitely NOT of the whole house, in general.  Decorating is NOT one of my talents.)

The conversation that followed the presentation of this coloring project went something like this:

Erika (age 5) :  Mom, can I have MORE of this paper? 

Me:  Uhhhh, you mean more scratch paper?  (leading question....hoping to avoid the inevitable)

Erika: No, more of the paper with the notes on it.   

Me: Sure, I guess so. 

Add "Make copies of Moonlight Sonata" to To-Do-List and try not to laugh too hard or roll my eyes continuously. 

Refridgerator Decorations: Then and Now

Before I was married, the front of my fridge was covered with a few quotes, bible verses, pictures of family and gourmet food.  And, let us not forget the pictures of muscle-laden, female triathletes and body-builders to keep me motivated at 4:30 am when I headed out for my morning workout, to the gym or pool.  What a life of lunacy I lived. 

Oh wait.  I STILL live a life of lunacy, *grin*..... just in a very different way and for very different reasons. 

Two weeks ago, we took down my bike trainer in the basement.  I needed the space for ironing, my fabric stash and my ever-growing collection of illustrated Christmas picture books.  Let's be truthful, I hadn't ridden that crazy thing for at least 3 years. 

And, so much for gourmet food these days.  I'm lucky to cut a few things up and get them on the table.   

There are still a few quotes and bible verses (thankfully SOME things never change).  Included now are some great pics of my incredibly handsome husband and those little blond people that I gave birth to (because I don't see them nearly enough during the day :)  Checklists to keep me somewhat on-track.  And, LOTS of artwork from the above mentioned blondies.   

Before I forget the stimulus for this ridiculous and reminiscent blog post, I give you this:

   

Triathletes and body-builders will never grace my fridge again, but I have a feeling My Little Ponies will be making their appearance quite often in the next few years.   

They are MUCH, MUCH cuter!  :)   

Too Many Naps

Tap, tap, tap.  I look to my right.  It's Dorothy Jo, our exasperated and persistent three-and-a-half-year-old. 

"Mom, wake up!  Dat's yu TIRD nap today!  I'm FWEEE and I can count! Dat's too many naps! You haffa get up!"

Happy Birthday to the Ol' Grizzly Bear!

It's my dad's birthday!  October 16. He is 72.  I'm sure he won't see this today, as he's usually busy this time of year with food preservation, hunting or fishing matters!

I have started several posts about my father over the past year and there is just so much to say that I never finish them or just can't do him justice.  They all seem so inadequate.   

In this picture, you see Caroline staring at Grampa Gord, the enigma that he is.  She just captures what everyone thinks of my dad.  Complete awe!

Pete summed it up pretty well last summer after spending a few hours with him at the Gun Show.  "Your dad is fascinating!  He is just so interested in everything."   Oh yes....give my father a subject and he already knows about it or WANTS to know! Fascinating!

Happy Birthday, Dad! 

Thank you!

Thank you so much for your well wishes, congratulations and prayers!   The girls wanted me to read all the comments to them; they just beamed all the way through them!

I am feeling OK.  Not great. But, not actually horrible and out-of-commission.  Nausea, tired, and backaches.  But, every first trimester seems to get easier.  The end harder.  Maybe by the time I have baby number TEN, I won't have ANY nausea or throwing up at all!!!! 

It's survival-mode, things whittled down to just the essentials, and Pete picks up A LOT of the slack.  The girls are two years older this time, which means they can do more to help.  I've been able to take myself out of the laundry-equation for the most part, which is a huge help.  They get their own breakfast, albeit not as nutritious as usual.  Food is simple and easy.   I actually made something (from scratch) for the first time in about a month.  That's one advantage to the kids being so young......I can get away with easy-nonsense-food.

Nine weeks along.  Due the end of April. 

Complete Joy and Excitement

How to transform your living room from this:

To this:

• Off to Dairy Queen? No.
• No rationing of Halloween candy this year? No.
• Uncle Nick is coming to visit? We're going on an airplane again? Daddy is coming home a day early? No, No, and No. 

Just announce to your four little girls that there is a teeny-tiny BABY growing inside Mommy's tummy and they are going to have a new sibling!

And, THAT is how you get complete joy, excitement, hugs, kisses, screams of delight, and 3-foot-lateral jumps from the six-and-under crowd. 

Without a doubt, one of my "Gladdest Hours."

Where is Thumbkin?

There is just something oh-so-cute about a three-and-a-half-year-old standing in a corner of the yard all by herself, singing and doing the finger-play for "Where is Thumbkin?"

So sweet.

(What IS that string tied to the Apple Tree?  Who knows.)

Happy Birthday Erika!

Erika turned FIVE last week!   Just for fun, here are pictures from her 4th birthday.

Erika is our sweet little girl.   Never one for excess words or demanding attention.  She is a very meticulous helper and an independent and focused learner.  She is always thinking of others, even asking for chocolate frosting on HER birthday cake because she knows it's Daddy's favorite.  She has vivid recollections and decriptions of her dreams, a sense of order, numbers, nature, and patterns.   

We went to "Mrs. Christianson's house the other night for dinner.  Tracy told the girls to pick out one of her beautiful, framed portraits to take home.  Each of them chose a different image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  They are so beautiful! 

On this night, Erika came out of her room, after having been tucked in for over 30 minutes, with a rapturous smile on her face.  She quietly stood behind me and tapped softly on my shoulder. 

"Mom, look how I'm smiling.  I'm so happy because I'm lying next to my picture of Mary and she's just looking at me and I'm looking at her, even in the dark.  That's all we've been doing since you tucked us in.  Just looking at each other.  I was going to say a Hail Mary, but she told me to just be silent, so I did.  I'm so happy to just look at her. I'm going back to bed to be with her some more." 

Sigh.

Made me tear-up just a tad.   

Three Cheers for Low Tide!

We met the Rodabaugh Clan at the Beach on Tuesday, as it was low tide.  Low tide just BEGS us to an early morning out the door with some banana bread, grapes and oranges for brunch, and a pail and shovel for everyone!

Here are some of the beach-combers (Caroline even gets into the action, in the bottom left):

Then, it's on to a bit of team work:

While the "babies" of each family relax:

And some rock-climbing to finish off the morning:

   

A New Way to Begin Mass

The Altar is prepared.  Dorothy Jo (3) and Erika (5) are in the hallway with the Candle and Crucifix waiting for the procession music.  Madeleine (6) is bopping around pretending to light the candles and setting up the CD.  (Because she is the oldest,  she can apparently be the Sacristan, Priest, Usher, Altar Server and Choir Director all at the same time.) 

She then moves over to "the other side" (where the choir supposedly would be) and says in a very loud voice, "Would everyone kindly silence their cell phones?   The opening hymn is number 516 in the Red Hymnal."  She then runs to the CD, turns it on, and runs to the Procession Line.

Yes, indeed. That's PRECISELY how it goes.

I do as I'm told

We were out inspecting the neighbor's wonderful array of spider webs filled with drops of dew.  They did indeed have a lot.  Erika (5) was especially excited.  "Stay right here, Mom, and make sure Caroline (1.5) doesn't poke the dew drops.  I'll be right back with the camera." 

I have to admit, I WAS a bit excited to hear, "Stay right here."  Usually it's "Come here!" or some variation or plea for help, requiring me to use my legs and heart.   

So, I took my job as spiderweb-with-dew-protector very seriously in the somewhat supine position.   As stated in the title, I do as I'm told:

I laughed out loud when I saw this, as I was doing my evening duty of deleting most of the crazy pictures that the kids take throughout the day.   I wonder what the neighbors thought. 

In any case, I did my job and Erika was able to take a few pictures.

 

Here is the above-mentioned spiderweb-destroyer off to dismantle other things since I was doing such a good job:

Meanwhile, back at the ranch......

Obviously our dollies don't understand the Charlotte Mason quote   "Why be indoors when you can rightly be without."

Nature study at our house. 

Coming soon......our new Outdoor Nature Shelves!  I'm so excited about this I can hardly contain myself.