Nutcracker Demo Day

It was a long day for me, but super fun for Claire. She was able to perform the 'Party Scene Dance' for three different groups of children~ The Children's Receiving Home, Shriner's Hospital, and for another group of young dancers.

The costumes they wear for the demos are not the costumes they wear for the shows, so it's fun for the girls to get to wear different pretty dresses. Claire with partner Connor.

Claire and Michelina.

Cute shot of all of the girls in Cast C.

Lining up to get ready to go 'onstage'.

Dancing! A good lesson in learning to dance in smaller spaces.

Oops...looks like the same shot. I added that by accident.

The artistic director gives a bit of history about the Nutcracker ballet and shares some of the secrets of the magic tricks from the 'Party Scene'. Claire got to assist for this part.

And what comes out of the hat?????

A candy cane!!!! Claire had a great time and wishes there were other demo days. It's easy for us home schoolers, but all of the other children have to (or get to) have the day off from school!! So only one demo day for each cast is scheduled. It was a long day for parents....9-3pm, but totally worth it.

PS Mom, I got ten hours of sleep last night and feel like a million today! Matt is going with me to my doctor's appt. today which is good...otherwise, I'm taking it easy.

Ultrasound Results

Matt was able to accompany me to the ultrasound appointment this morning. The technology today is amazing and we were able to count fingers and see all of the body parts so clearly! We came home with about twenty ultra sound photos. Yes, we found out we are having a GIRL! Wow! It's been ten years since we had a baby girl in the house. Claire cried with happiness when she found out. She has been praying for a sister for many years now. I'm happy she will experience the sister relationship. On our way home from the appointment, I stopped at the library to check out a baby name book! We had a boy's name picked out. We will have fun picking out a girl's name now :) Thank you for all of your insightful and thoughtful comments on my last post. I appreciate your input and your prayers! **************************************************** {Belly shot photo (19weeks 4 days) taken by Matt this morning before heading out the door to our appointment}

Gently Venting

WHAT YOU SHOULDN'T SAY TO A PREGNANT MOTHER OF ONE GIRL AND (GASP) FIVE BOYS (IN FRONT OF HER CHILDREN)!!!!!

1) I know just what you are going through, you poor thing....it will get easier. 2) At least you have one girl. 3) You must have a lot of broken things/furniture in your house. 4) I hope this next baby is a girl. 5) Your poor daughter. 6) What do you do with all these boys???? AND****** If we do find out the gender of this baby on Monday and you ask me what we are having and I reply, "A boy!" (I know you won't be able to help it if your face drops but please try and look happy and say something like, "Awesome" or "Great" or "How fun!" Please don't be sad or disappointed for us or Claire. Remember, we are ecstatic!!!! ************************** Yes, I'm a bit sensitive regarding this topic, because I have gotten a lot of comments lately from strangers and friends as my belly expands...... ******************************** I know some of you have been praying that we have another girl, but I could really use the prayers that go like this, "Lord, grant Laura and the baby a safe and healthy delivery." I don't even pray for a healthy baby (is that wrong???) because I just want a baby that is alive and I want to make it through the delivery too....a healthy baby would be icing on the cake, but we already love and adore this baby whether he/she is healthy or not. ************************************ We are working on lists of names right now. It's proving to be quite a challenge. ******************************* I'm not writing this to anyone in particular, just for myself.....a way of venting....I wonder if any of you have had comments said to you that have seemed totally inappropriate.

Tis the Season....Already???

It has been a mellow week around here. My favorite. We stayed in except for dance and spent most of our time schooling. I also put the beginning of our car emergency kit together...something that should have been in place years ago. It contains the basics...water bottles, granola bars, flashlight, towels, wipes, TP etc...

I have also been doing more research on stockpiling food, which I find very interesting. It's funny that one can actually 'do research' on this topic, but, believe me, there is a lot to consider when setting up the system that works best for you and your family. I simply organized my pantry better and made a list of basic meals that we love and that are easy to prepare and am stocking the items to make those. Maybe I am feeling a bit of the nesting instinct already and want to have a stocked pantry and freezer before I have this baby. I keep telling myself that I need to start preparing extra dinners at night so I can freeze them. Now, I just need to do it :)

I have two more Christmas gifts to order and then I'm finished with Christmas shopping. The children and I also came up with our 'traditions list' so I know what are the most important things to include on the calendar starting the first Sunday of Advent. The traditions are very simple and include watching our favorite Christmas movies, having hot chocolate at night with a candy cane, decorating sugar cookies, celebrating St. Nicholas and Santa Lucia feast days etc..etc...

I'm feeling pretty good heading into the Advent and Christmas season at this point. I want to be able to enjoy everything as much as possible even in the midst of all of the busyness. I plan to not step into a store (aside from grocery and drug stores) in the next two months. This weekend is the last weekend that Matt will have off until January. His longest work 'week' is ten days in a row in the first part of December. His busy season is my busy season, but that is our life, and feeling prepared (even if I am actually not) helps me. I have about ten lists going right now and those lists comfort me :)

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{photos above~ The four loaves of french bread we made on Tuesday were an afternoon snack warm from the oven with butter on Tuesday afternoon, for dipping into our soup Tuesday night, made into cinnamon toast on Wed. morning with scrambled eggs and garlic bread for dinner Wed. night. I love this recipe.}

It's DEFINITELY Fall!

There was a thick carpet of leaves on our lawn and driveway this morning and Matt is working all weekend, so it was time for everyone to lend a hand. "Many hands make light work."

We had three rakers, two sweepers, and one 'messer upper of the piles of leaves'.

Everyone is getting great exercise and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Even Jack has a rake that is just his size.

Here is a little cutie that wants so much to help too!

And here is his big opportunity.

He is picking up leaves to toss into our green bin....

...a good attempt...even if only about two leaves actually make it in. It's all about practice and working together :)

Does it feel like Fall where you are???

They Came!

Dark photo...but much excitement because dance bags and warm ups finally arrived...just in time for the cooling weather. These are what all of the Ambassadors get to/have to wear for dance events like competitions and performances. They look pretty sharp!

Dancing Girls

Claire and M are in the same classes at their dance studio. They are also both party girls in the Nutcracker....so they dance together a lot! M came over the other day and after putting hair up in buns, they did some dancing....

...in the bathroom.

These two have very similar bodies and are almost exactly the same size.

It's fun to have dancing friends over for the day.

New Look

Andrew had to have three teeth pulled on Tuesday to get ready for the braces that were put on Wednesday. Then, Wednesday night at dance class, one of his braces popped off. Not good. So, this morning we made another trip to the orthodontist to reapply and fix the brace and wire. And...so it begins....

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Other around the house news~

• I am just getting Matthew to sleep now. He is fighting naps. I'm not ready for him to go 'napless'.
• Part of our History lesson today was an assignment for the children to create their own Kingdom with all of the details. Andrew's is quite elaborate. He loves this kind of stuff.
• M is over to hang out with us today as her sister is back in the hospital for chemo round #9 and no children are allowed to visit under the age of fourteen during flu season. Claire is excited to have M here to play board games with. Right now they are playing Payday.
• Patrick is reading some new library books and the other boys are playing Legos.
• I hosted my MOMS group Bible study here last night. It was a wonderful night, but right as my guests started arriving, the apple crisp that I had in the oven started overflowing....so we had the nice smell of burning apple juice and smoke filling the rooms for a short while. Thankfully, Matt came to my rescue and opened doors and windows for me. It was unfortunate (for me) to start the evening that way, but all went smoothly and the apple crisp (which was actually an apple 'soft') was delicious warm with vanilla ice cream, so all was not lost!! :)
• I can't believe we will soon be decorating for Christmas! Can you??? Matt is getting busier at work. He has been bringing home his 'big white binder' and lots of paperwork each night. Before he left for work today though, he told me we would finish watching the movie we started two nights ago. I get too tuckered out at night these days and have a difficult time staying up so late (10pm). I would love to snuggle down at 8:30, but force myself to stay up a bit longer.
• Have a great afternoon! I'm off to tidy the kitchen and correct some school work. I might just have to make some hot chocolate too :)

Friends

Two of my friends and their children came over yesterday for a little get together. There were fifteen children here under the age of twelve. The boys pretty much created with Legos the entire time. The photo above shows how they situated themselves for building fun.

The girls played in Claire's room. Above you can see the log cabin fire (lamp with train track 'logs') that they used to keep warm during the blizzard.

Always quality doll playing too!

The girls sat in the kitchen to eat. Oops...I see Matthew in there with the girls :)

Here are the boys.

Claire wanted to celebrate Jamie's birthday with a little party. Jamie is the doll wearing the blue dress.

Claire created this 'pin the bow on Jamie's head' game for the other dolls to play at the party. Clever girl.

Nutcracker Photo Day

Claire loves the party girl dress she gets to wear.

This is the first time she gets to try on her costume...bloomers, hoop skirt and all.

Parents aren't allowed in the 'dressing area' so I did my best with taking photos.

Claire with partner, Connor.

Happy girl!

Dressing like this is soooooo Claire.

Here are Patrick (far left) and Luke (far right) and some of the other Mother Ginger children. The red couple was missing :( The boys look just like the girls here, but Luke and Patrick are actually wearing shorts, not skirts.

Luke with his partner.

Patrick with his partner. Too cute!

Halloween Night

Everyone in costume. From left to right we have Zorro, Prince Charming, Princess Giselle, Hulk, Pirate, and a Skeleton Creation with cape (Jack was very specific about his costume :)

We were out for about an hour and the children got an excellent supply of candy!

It's a HUGE deal to sort and compare and trade candy.

We let the kids have fun with this for about 30 min. last night and then candy was dumped out again this morning.

Matthew was exhausted. This photo shows that he just kind of 'zoned out' and, like a robot, slowly put M&M's in his mouth one by one.

Friday Dance Photos

It was so cute when the Dance Director's daughter walked into the studio dressed as Batgirl. She and Jack looked adorable as a crime fighting duo.

Matthew wanted to join in the dress up fun. He is the Hulk wearing a costume that is about five times too big :)

Here are some of the children from Jack's class.

With their teacher.

Since I had my camera with me, I got a couple of shots of Luke and Patrick in their stretch class.

(Photos aren't great through the glass).

On the agenda for today~

Matt already took the boys into Sac for Nutcracker rehearsal. The moment they get home, Claire and I will drive back to Sac for Nutcracker Party photos. This will be the first time Claire gets to try on her costume with hair (curls)! She woke up this morning with an 'excited tummy'. The middle of the day will be chore time and finishing up costumes for tonight. We will go to Mass at 5pm and then home for chili and cornbread before heading out to get treats.

Tomorrow starts with Nutcracker photos in the morning for the little boys and then back to Sac for a 2 1/2 hour rehearsal for Claire. Fun, busy weekend. Matt reminded me this morning that we choose this busy-ness voluntarily. Yes. What would we do if we didn't have all of these children and dance????? We have to spend our time and money on something, right???

Pumpkin Carving Fun (Lots of Photos)

These are the pumpkins that Michelle grew in her garden and gave to us. Aren't they wonderful?? Thank you again, Michelle!

This is the beginning of "the process". First, everyone gets their pumpkins out to admire them. Then, the scratch paper comes out to practice drawing designs/faces etc...

Once the design has been determined, the child draws with a ball point pen on their pumpkin.

It was all on Matt this year for the carving. Last year Matt worked crazy hours before and on Halloween, so the carving was left to me. As my Mom always says, I manage to 'rise to the occasion' when I need to, but carving several pumpkins isn't really my favorite occasion to rise to. In our house this is the Daddy job :)

Matt definitely has a system for carving and having several 'want to be carvers' hanging all around. Each child does have to help scrape out the insides of their pumpkins, but Matt (and Andrew) do the carving. The step in between is what Matt refers to as 'stand by' :)

I kept busy taking photos and doing a little Christmas sewing.

And here are all of the proud pumpkin carving creators.

Carving pumpkins made us all want pumpkin pies! Matt happily offered to take all of the children to the grocery store to purchase evaporated milk and whipping cream. (We used canned pumpkin in case anyone was wondering).

Andrew stayed with me. We partnered in the kitchen....he started making the pies and I started on dinner. We tried a new recipe called Sweet and Sour Popcorn Chicken. It was a hit.

This was the first time that Andrew made a pie crust from start to finish.

I took a few photos because I think it's so cute to see a twelve year old using his hands to create in the kitchen :) Andrew of course, thought it was silly for me to take photos of him....but I have to document stuff like this!!!!!

Our dinner.

The dessert.

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Today, a friend came over to talk about home schooling. She has twin two year olds and is starting to think about schooling options and had some questions for me. It was such a nice visit. I enjoy talking/sharing about home schooling now that I have been doing it for eight years. I can't believe it has been that long. Each year is better than the one before and, at this point, we are planning to home school through high school. It seems very normal and natural to us and we love our family life so much....we love that our older children have relationships with our youngest ones....but, like I mentioned to a few Moms recently, home schooling is a sacrifice. It is not easy. It is a lifestyle choice and the rewards are AMAZING! But, if you are going to home school you actually have to be HOME! Was that a shocker??? :) Your home will not be clean all day, if you want/need time to yourself~ you have to plan it....your child's education is now your responsibility etc..etc...etc....

My favorite Bible verse that I share with all Moms that are considering home schooling or who are currently home schooling but feeling challenged is~

"Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

Think about how beautiful this is....do not grow WEARY....we shall reap OUR HARVEST....but we cannot GIVE UP. I love this verse so much.

Wow, that was a bit of a tangent, but I guess I wanted to share that :)

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Right now Andrew is making a cardboard sword and dagger for Luke and Patrick's costume, I just ate two pieces of pumpkin pie (I figured the baby needed his/her own :) and then it's History lesson time with the kids. We leave for dance in just over an hour. Jack gets to wear a costume to his class today. He will dress as Batman. He is very excited. I will try and get photos to post tomorrow. Hope you are all having an excellent Friday afternoon!

I CAN'T KEEP THEM OUT OF THE KITCHEN!

Jack and Matthew are my constant kitchen helpers. Jack really is a pro at biscuits now and he wanted to do all he could to help Matthew master the cutting and placing of biscuits on the tray.

They are quite a 'flour-y' pair.

I simply stood back and took photos and let them do their thing.

I love my cute baker boys :)

WAAAAAAYYYYYYYY TOO MUCH FUN!

Claire got invited to a birthday party yesterday morning and the party is.....TODAY! It was kind of a last minute thing, but she gets to go to a ballet (Peter and the Wolf) and it's also a slumber party. Guess who is pretty thrilled???

Well, we needed a gift and you know how much Claire and I like to get crafty when we can. We tossed around a few ideas and finally came up with an "American Girl Halloween Party in a box" gift idea. I love to sew felt food and came up with these American Girl size sugar cookies. We made a pumpkin, ghost, candy corn, and two sugar cookies with orange icing and black sprinkles. Claire made a darling Halloween garland with pumpkins and bats on an orange string. It is so cute and I didn't snap a photo.

Here you can see the orange lap mat (or place mat) and black napkin.

We also came up with little black masks for the girls to feel really festive at their party.

These cookies are simply made with two pieces of felt sandwiched with some cotton stuffing and hand stitched around the edges with embroidery floss. The 'sprinkles' and ghost's eyes are black beads. So simple and such a fun little project. I will be busy as I have some special requests now for a "Halloween Party" for Claire's dolls and larger size cookies for our own little play kitchen too.

Here you can see how we packaged the goodies. In the bag on the right, you can see the garland that Claire made. She also made the Jack-O-lanterns for the tags and a home made birthday card. Too cute! We had fun coming up with this gift and having our special Mother-Daughter time in the process :)

Dolls and Home Made Play doh

All of the dolls and accessories ended up in the living room for some quality house playing fun. Jack is dressing Jordan which is a Cabbage Patch Kid from my childhood.

Jamie is eating a fried egg with bacon.

And, even Andrew made a short appearance to help assemble the doll tent.

Later in the day, we made some play doh. Everyone gathered around the island and played for almost two hours (I think). I don't believe you are ever too old to play with play doh.

Matthew in the pink floral apron (again).

Jack rolling out some dough for cookies.

Andrew mentioned something about brain dissection.....

Good, honest, using imaginations kind of fun.

Homemade Montessori Activities

Just a short post as I only have a few minutes before Matt and the oldest children walk in the door (from dance). The four little boys and I ate our beans over cornbread, which sounds so boring, but when topped with cheese, sour cream, and good salsa, it is one of our favorite meals. Matt and the kids love it. In fact, when Luke found out what we were having for dinner, he exclaimed, "That's one of my favorite meals." Of course I prepare the beans myself (not from a can) and make the cornbread from scratch which I hope adds to the goodness :)

I can now hear the boys playing "hard" in the living room as I type this. They are happy. So am I.

The other day I needed something more for Matthew to do while I schooled with the older children. I googled a few things and finally came up with my own version of some Montessori activities. In the above photos, Matthew is matching same color objects on top of their matching 'color mat'.

These photos show Matthew matching an object with a photo of that same object.

Each activity is cleaned up when finished and stored in it's own little basket. I also did a rhyming objects activity....train-plane, rock-block, hat-rat, star-car...etc... Matthew isn't quite ready for the matching game on his own so Jack helps him with that.

Our 24 Hour Vacation

It was gorgeous weather in Monterey when we arrived on Saturday afternoon. The above photo is taken from our B&B.

Here is our room. Isn't it the sweetest???

We had a casual lunch at Bubba Gump's and I forced poor Matt to humor me with a photo with him and his 'Shrimp Heaven' dish. Matt got a card and the 'clapping birthday song' sung to him here. Fun :) For dinner that night we had a very nice time at The Fish Hopper. It's one of our favorite restaurants~ located right on the water, dim lighting, soft music, excellent food and superb wait staff. We took our time. I think we were at the restaurant for three hours. It was sooooo nice.

Oh, and one of the best things about this B&B is getting breakfast in bed. Again, delicious and such a luxury (for us :)

We attended San Carlos Cathedral for Mass on Sunday morning. We had never been before. It is a beautiful church.

And here are some photos of the interior.

After Mass, we drove into Carmel and got to go to about six art galleries before it was time to head home. What a wonderful and relaxing time we had together.

Book Giveaway on Owlhaven Blog

Hi I'm writing this post to tell you about a giveaway that Mary from Owlhaven is having on her blog right now (this month). She is giving away some copies of her book, Family Feasts for $75 a Week. I really want to win this giveaway. Both of her books are on my wish list because she is the mother of TEN children and I know I could get some awesome tips from her experience as a mom of many. Head on over to check out the giveaway and her blog!!!

Special Birthday

Matt turns forty years old today!

He is a remarkable man, a model father, and an incredible husband to me!!! Our little family celebrated with a cake and cards on Monday since Matt was off that day (and he has to work late today :( He is such a hands on Dad...very involved in our home life.

Matthew is obsessed with hair. Usually he has to have 'Mommy hair' or 'Claire hair' when he drinks his cup, but while listening to Daddy read a story, even 'Daddy hair' will do.

We are able to leave the children with my parents this weekend and have some time away in Monterey/Carmel to celebrate Matt's special birthday. Usually, our only time alone as a couple is our twice yearly trips to Monterey, so we really look forward to those little getaways.

Wishing you a very happy birthday and a most fabulous year! We love you so much!!!

HOW WE FILL OUR DAYS

Yesterday afternoon the children decorated sugar cookies. Jack couldn't wait for this activity and I felt in the mood too, so it was a good day. I may not feel up to this again this month. It's kind of a process ya know??

Oh, but the time and concentration decorating each cookie just how you envision it....Jack even requested red sprinkles to make "blood".

Everyone took part in the process. I think Andrew decorated one or two cookies too.

More from the kitchen~

I tried a new french bread recipe and it is my favorite bread recipe so far. Very happy.

Matt works with a woman that has very generously been sharing her home grown garden goods with us. This is the last we will receive this year. She also surprised the kids with large, beautiful pumpkins~ one for each of them! I am going to make some marinara sauce with the tomatoes, and I have been offering carrots and sliced cucumbers every day at lunchtime. Thank you Michelle!!

Yes, I'm feeling pretty much back to normal. I'm back in the kitchen, baking and cooking again. It feels really good :) Here are some fudge brownies I made last Sunday. Matt and the kids liked them. Me, not so much.

More shots of how we fill our days..... Andrew having Bible time.

Claire enjoying afternoon reading.

Jack is getting to be a big boy. Now, he can do this 100 piece puzzle all by himself. He was very pleased.

Jack also has a new job. He is in charge of setting the table now. Here he is getting napkins out and putting them inside the napkin rings before putting them on the table.

A little sewing activity last week....some yarn and tulle/netting stuff. Once again, the simple things.

The train is played with almost daily. Jack and Matthew are good playmates.

Here is Claire leading a geography lesson. This was not part of our official lesson plan, but done all on their own. (Aren't maps so fun and beautiful?? I actually have a thing for maps).

Andrew and Luke reading. I loved how they were positioned.

Oh, boy! We were in for a treat last night as the boys put on a show for us. That's all I can say. Words can't describe it. I am soooooo enjoying my children and as they are getting older, it is so rewarding to be surprised every. single. day. with something new and funny and CLASSIC!!!

Yeah, they were in full effect!

More Dance Photos

Here are some photos I took last week before we headed out the door to the dance studio. A professional photographer was scheduled to take photos of all the Ambassador students.

I didn't get individual shots of Luke and Patrick, but they are so cute together...and I don't think it bothered them too much.

I know...I know...Claire is such a camera hog!!! I guess I just needed to balance all of the black with some pink! :)

More of the ballet boys~

Happy Dancers!

Pumpkin Person Craft

It had been awhile since I organized a craft for the children. I was feeling guilty about it too. I thought this pumpkin person would be the perfect activity for Jack (5), but when the other children saw it, they all wanted to make one. I got the idea for this either in a class that I took while earning my teaching credential or from another teacher that I student taught with...I can't really remember. In any case, it is not my creation.

I traced the pieces needed, but let my children cut, fold, and glue everything together. Pick out a nice pumpkin book to read aloud during craft time. We chose Pumpkin Moonshine by Tasha Tudor.

Oh, and here are all the pieces you will need~

• pumpkin stem
• pumpkin body
• "mitten hand" x2
• "boot foot" x2
• black arm strip x2
• black leg strip x2

(I guess I should have posted that photo first).

The arm and leg strips need to be accordion folded.

And finally, everyone creates the Jack O-lantern face they want!

Here they are displayed on our dining room wall. Very festive! We love Autumn :)

Photo Album

This is where you buy the tickets to ride the train (under the dining room table). Claire will sell you the tickets (clock posted on the left and destinations posted on the right).

Matthew likes to play train too.

Hand your ticket to Jack to board the train and then it's time to go!!

Jack is the engineer :)

We made tostadas the other night. Such a simple meal, but so tasty. We made the beans from dry pintos and did the hand made tortillas which we all think are much better than store bought. Claire helped me roll the tortillas. She is a natural in the kitchen.

Finished tostada.

I forget what Matthew wanted when I snapped this photo, but I remember loving his little hands positioned so perfectly as he asks Daddy for a piece.

We were given some lemons and I wasn't prepared to use them right away, but I didn't want them to go to waste either. Claire was my helper again and got the rind and juice organized to freeze for future lemon bars, lemon noodles or whatever else... When she was juicing the lemons, she told me she felt just like Laura helping Ma in Little House on the Prairie :)

I put Andrew to work in the kitchen too (this was a different day). He helped with home made crescent rolls. They were pretty good, but not good enough to make again.

Jack and Patrick were in charge of rolling them up. They did a great job. (I can't believe I didn't take a photo of them in action :(

We are starting to get the chilly mornings. Here are Jack and Matthew "waking up slowly" in our bed....and Yes, they are watching a show on our little TV.

Jack gave himself a school assignment. He color coded some of his crayons.

Here is Claire with her 'party child' partner, Connor.

Here is just a glimpse of them during rehearsal. Claire is in the navy leotard closest to facing the camera.

Claire and Connor in the front left.

Home Life

I wish I was posting every day, but it feels like our days are filled with the same things~ the same food, the same routine, the same school subjects, dance each afternoon etc.. that I don't feel there is anything post worthy. I know that my Mom would tell me that they love hearing all of the everyday, simple things anyway. So, here is a post filled with more of those things. (Above: the kids are playing Bug Bingo)

One day this week, everyone combined efforts to build a blanket fort. (Jill, if you are reading this, notice more laundry UNfolded on the couch :) Claire usually seems to 'take charge' for these types of creations and the boys (the younger boys, that is) just kind of follow her lead and advice on the best way to do this. Andrew has graduated from the fort building at this point.

Luke and Patrick are showing us the inside of the fort. Patrick is in the second story bedroom area!

I remember the other night when I was sitting on the couch watching Matthew playing with Mr. Potato Head. Matt was at work, the other children were all in their rooms, most likely playing Legos and/or reading. It was quiet. It was nice. I loved just watching Matthew's fingers and hands work. My mind was thinking about how I need to appreciate this stage that Matthew is in right now. I usually do a pretty good job of enjoying and relishing each stage that my children are going through, but realized that I am also guilty of assuming that each of my children (or at least the boys) would all go through the same stages. Not true. It seems that Jack and Matthew are not going through the 'dress up' stage (to my great sadness) with the same gusto that Luke and Patrick went through it. They were ALWAYS in dress ups or just in their underwear with their capes. I naturally assumed that Jack would do the same and then Matthew....

Andrew had so many funny/cute sayings when he was younger. My quote book is mostly filled with Andrew and Jack funny quotes. Now, Jack is getting older and their aren't so many of those 'quote treasures' filling up my quote book. I wonder if Matthew will have funny sayings??? We will see.

I guess the real beauty in all of this, for me, is that my children are NOT the same, and they each bring the fun qualities to certain ages and phases that are unique to their personalities, gifts, and talents. It also means that specific struggles that were challenging with some of our children, we don't necessarily have to deal with with ALL of our children. That's a good thing too :)

Another scene from the week~ a daycare center. All of the babies are having their naps, including Matthew!

Matt is off today and is currently giving the boys their haircuts. I will do a History lesson with the older children in a few minutes and we leave the house at 2:45pm for our longest dance day. It looks like we will have only a few more days of hot weather and then it starts to cool down where we are. I'm looking forward to that. I still wake up each morning feeling sick with that yucky taste in my mouth. I'm used to feeling this way now, but I would like to feel normal again. I can't even remember what that feels like. I have to get fitted for those "special support hose" for my varicose veins (not fun). Yes, they are getting worse with each pregnancy. I just always remind myself that my body will be dust in the end anyway and having great legs is WAAAAY overrated, RIGHT???!!!! Besides, to me it is SO TOTALLY WORTH IT to have another baby and give up wearing shorts for the rest of my days.

Claire's first 'party girl' rehearsal went so well. Her partner is adorable and really sweet. It is a great looking cast. Their were lots of laughs too. I guess Mr. Cunningham (the artistic director/choreographer) talks them through the dance, and amid all of the ballet terms like pique, arabesque, and soutenu, he throws out some funny sayings. Claire's favorite from the other night was when he tells the girls (in a funny voice) to, "Pose behind your boy, pose behind your boy!"

Luke and Patrick have their first rehearsal tomorrow morning. Exciting!

Nutcracker Auditions

We were not going to audition for the Nutcracker this year because I thought we had enough on our plate, but then I went into crazy Mom mode and double checked out schedules and figured we could, in fact, do it all!! So we literally decided last week to go to the auditions. They took place over the weekend. The photo above shows part of the crowd.

Claire auditioned for a 'party girl' and made it. Here she is with her friend, Nicole. As you can see they were numbers 103 and 105 and they were just about in the middle of the line to so there were a lot of girls this year. Parents are not allowed in the building so we (Moms and Dads) waited outside visiting for about three hours until they were over.

Patrick and Luke both auditioned for 'Mother Ginger Children' and also made it! I asked Patrick what he liked about auditions and he said, "I liked that there was a TV with a movie playing." Um, that wasn't what I thought he would say. Then he told me that he was happy to be a Mother Ginger child because he gets to dance!

Claire (in pink) with Michelina at their first rehearsal that took place last night. They found out what cast they are in, who their partners are, and we got to match hair color and order their wigs (the big, bouncy curls) which was fun. Claire's partner is named Connor. He takes dance class too. They look great together.

******Updated to add********* Andrew was too tall to audition this year for 'party boy' and the only other part for a boy of his height is soldier which didn't interest him, so he will have a break this year from performing in the Nutcracker.

Busy Friday

Friday's are our busiest dance days. All five children have classes and they all start at different times and end at different times. Usually it will work out so that I only have to stay an hour at the studio. Jack's class starts at 3:15, then Luke and Patrick have a class that starts at 3:30, while Andrew and Claire's starts at 4pm. Jack is finished at 4:15 and then I can head home. Matt will head to the dance studio after work to be on pick up duty. Patrick's class ends at 5:45, Luke at 6pm and Andrew and Claire at 6:30pm Whew!! The photo above and below show what typically will happen during 2:30 and 2:50pm on Friday's. Two loads of laundry have been folded, but not put away and a video is on so that I have everyone in one place so I can take care of all of the last minute things that need to be done before heading out the door to practice.

Claire needs hair in a "slick ballet bun", every one needs to take their turn in the bathroom, water bottles filled, Matthew potty and shoes on, pack the "Mommy bag" and make sure everyone has all dance shoes packed in their bags. And then, we are ready to load up the car and head to class.

Jack waiting to start his tap/ballet combo class.

Jack and two of the girls in his class. He is the only boy in his class. He really enjoyed today's class and can't wait to go back. Waiting a WHOLE WEEK is torture!!!

Luke and Patrick both had their stretching class, ballet class, and rehearsal class. They do a great job and people often think they are twins.

Here is Ms. Susan, the costume mistress, helping the juniors get into their costumes for rehearsal class.

I'm not really sure I was supposed to be in the room, but quickly got these two shots. That is Claire on the far right hand side. Andrew is on the left and Grace and Michelina between them.

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Anyway, I am feeling much better and am so thankful for that (so is Matt :). Thank you again for all of the really nice comments you left on my "News" post.

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I am very ready for Fall...actually I think I'm ready for Winter. We were up to 100 degrees again today. This is when I miss living on the coast (and I don't even miss the beach). I only want some good FOG, some lovely GREY days, some rain.

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Have a great weekend (no matter what the weather)!!!!!

It's Just Like Her...

... to come up with an idea and then to create it. This time, Claire wanted to make a paper doll of sorts but used felt instead.

May I introduce Beth. She has some cotton ball stuffing in her middle and

two dresses to choose from. Claire used felt, fabric, beads and a button to create and embellish Beth's clothes.

News

I haven't posted hardly at all this last month because I was so morning sick. I was literally in bed most of the time. I didn't want to share our happy news until after our first doctor's appointment (which was this morning). Everything at this point looks great! We had an ultrasound and saw our little baby. I'm only about nine weeks along so the baby will be born the first week in April. We will have another C-section and I don't have the exact date this early on :) We are thrilled beyond words and are in awe that we are so fortunate again to be blessed by God and give birth to another soul for eternity!!!

Another Year Older

We had a nice birthday celebration at home for Luke! He picked donuts for breakfast and everyone was pretty happy about that :)

The really special thing Luke wanted to do on his birthday was play Monopoly together as a family. He requested pizza for dinner and so we ate it picnic style in the living room while watching his new movie ~ Prince Caspian.

Claire made his birthday cake for him...chocolate cake with chocolate frosting with mint chip ice cream.

Happy 9th Birthday to our Lukie!!!!

New School Year

This is how Jack came to the table yesterday at lunchtime.

We officially started the 2009/2010 school year on Monday. We always ease into the school year, having fun with organizing pencil boxes, and making new tabs and covers for the children's binders ( you can get a peek of Jack's binder in the photos) on the first day. All of the children are using Saxon for math this year. We are using Story of the World for History again, starting Latin this year with Prima Latina, science is Chemistry for Andrew and Easy Science 4 Kids for the others. For Religion, Andrew and Claire are using Schuster's Bible History, Faith and Life(4) for Luke and Patrick and the Baltimore Catechism for everyone along with some apologetics. For Grammar, Spelling, Writing, and Penmanship we are using a mix of Seton, CHC, Rod&Staff, and Writing Strands workbooks. We tend to be a workbook schooling family. I have tried to be more creative and do a little unschooling over the last year or two, but educating our children in the classical approach is a better fit for us. I think it's also more conducive to schooling with a number of children. Many subjects can be worked on independently, which has to happen, oftentimes, while I work individually with one child. Our children seem to be self motivated, which helps, and they learn discipline which we believe is an important life lesson.

I haven't been taking photos lately, but did find these on my camera.

Andrew had some fun setting up his own doll house scene again, this time involving several different weapons.

(No dollhouse people got hurt while creating these scenes :)

I hope all of you have a "Patrick" in your life!!!

(The other morning Matt was making pancakes for breakfast).

Me: "Isn't Dad a master at pancakes?"

Patrick (7): "He is, but so are you."

Me: "Mommy isn't really a master at anything."

Patrick: "I know what you are the master at...the master at being a mom!" (And then my heart melted :)

Special Things This Week for the Little Boys (while the big kids are with my parents)

It was dollar night at Baskin Robbins so we all got an ice cream together last night.

I just had to get these cute ice cream faces!

There has been a lot of Bob the Builder cartoon watching, thanks to our library.

Jack gets hot chocolate in the mornings with his breakfast.

And some nice long 'playing baths'. I toss in some plastic bowls, measuring cups, and plastic animals and the boys play until the water is cold.Usually, baths are speedy and there are no toys. We are mean parents. I'm sorry, but usually we are bathing four boys and we are tired at night, so the process is less than fun for them.

But, sometimes we are nice and this is one of those times :)

Last Weekend

We drove to my parents house to drop off our four oldest children (for the week) and to celebrate my Mom's birthday.

We found my old Barbie stuff. Do any of you remember the blow up furniture??? Claire was pretty excited to see all of the Barbie clothes I had (most of which my Mom sewed) and the cute little accessories.

The children got in a game of Payday.

Patrick and Matthew together.

Jack having fun digging in the dirt.

Eating Pringles and listening to Gampy.

Everyone surrounding Lily.

Matt slicing the tri-tip.

I made a birthday tart instead of cake for Mom. She is 64 years young! Her big gift was an iPod from John and Ana. She is now a grooving grandma!!

The "new" living room. (My parents just finished remodeling their home).

After mass on Sunday, we were able to visit with Claire's godparents/our very good friends, the K's.

The weather was perfect so we got to hang outside. Jack, Mimi, and Little Girl (their dog).

Drew baked some super moist brownies which everyone enjoyed!

Beautiful Claire.

Andy playing with Matthew.

Matthew really liked being with the dog.

Doesn't that snake look realistic???

Lovely mother and daughter.

Mimi and Andy, we had so much fun spending the afternoon with you and the kids. I don't know how Connor escaped my camera....maybe the Golf Tournament had something to do with it :)