Simple, Ordinary Lives

St. Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

Our morning started off with a walk/run for Matt and I (our Valentine date :)

and some pancakes.....made extra special by Matt with whipped cream and sprinkles!

Home made (by Matt and I) Valentine cards were on the table in every one's place this morning.

And that is all to our Valentine's celebration. Very simple, as usual.

Blogging has taken a back seat to everything else happening in our lives.

There has been more than usual going on....

This last weekend, the children had a two day dance competition held at UC Davis.

All did very well and had tons of fun....but I hope to do a separate post about that on the dancing blog....stay tuned.

Matthew and Sarah had some fun building with blocks today, so I thought I would share some cute photos of that.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

It's fun to give little treats to the ones we love, isn't it?

Paris~ Days 3 and 4

2012-02-05T08:36:00.000-08:00

Yes, this first picture just looks black....but it is actually a photo of the incorrupt body of St. Vincent de Paul. We went specifically to visit the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Laboure at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, but it was closed most of January and would only reopen the day we were leaving. A disappointment, but we did get to visit the church where St. Vincent de Paul's body is on display, which was beautiful.

Next, we were off to The Jacquemart-Andre Museum. I highly, highly recommend it! It was everything that Versailles (to us) was not.

It was the home of a very wealthy Parisian couple (Nelie and Edouard) that were brought together by their shared passion for art.

The mansion is gorgeous, and while very large, has an intimate feel because one is walking through an actual home and it was decorated how it would have been when they were living there.

Photos were not allowed, but I took two before I knew that.

We listened to the audio guide provided to hear the wonderful story of the couple, and learn about the decor and art collection of the home.

The home contains works from the French school of the 18th century: Fragonard, Boucher, Vigee-Lebrun, Chardin etc...

Also included were works of Flemish and Dutch masters (Rembrandt, Van Dyck),

English painting, and Italian Renaissance (Mantegna, Botticelli, Bellini etc..)

Afterward, we ate in the actual dining room of the home, which is now a tea room/restaurant.

The meals were a bit on the fancy side for us....so I think it would have been better for us to have had tea and dessert instead. My pasta (above) had crayfish, sun dried tomatoes, feta and was good, but too much of a good thing for me :)

Here is a group of musicians playing in one of the tunnels of the metro station.

It was common to have individuals singing or playing an instrument for everyone riding on the metro.

What a treat (as they were good!).

One of the highlights for each of us was our cooking class.

We took the dinner class offered at La Cuisine Paris on Friday night.

Very fun atmosphere.

Casual.

No stress.

Lots of laughs.

(and deep concentration :)

First, we chopped the vegetables (parsnip, carrot, potato, Jerusalem artichoke, pumpkin)....

Claire was the veggie mixer.

Next, we had to prepare our quail....yes, we each had our own and had to remove the innards and everything. We even had to pull a few little feathers stuck to the body.

Andrew and Mark browning the birds before we finished cooking them in the oven.

This was served with bread and wine.

We also learned to make Mousse au Chocolat for dessert. The real stuff, Baby!

Bon Appetite!

Our chef is a native Texan (I had to ask him if it was difficult for him to not say y'all ?) He said it was :)

He is married to a French woman, has lived in Paris for four years, and speaks fluent French.

The cooking classes are taught in English.

The other 'students' were a couple from Los Angeles, and a Polish Couple that lives full time in Paris.

Our final day in Paris, we started off by visiting the church that was the very first parish on Paris' right bank of the Seine. It was built in the 6th century. It is called Saint-Gervais.

It has not been a parish church since 1975. The Monastic Community of Jerusalem was founded at that time and now they hold daily liturgy there as well as daily prayers (morning, noon, and night) and anyone in the city is welcome to join them. We will have to do that on our next trip to Paris!

The monks and nuns of Jerusalem "strive to put prayer in the city and to carry the city in their prayer".

Because I find this very interesting, I will share a little about the mission and vocation of the Monastic Community of Jerusalem.

"First and foremost they are city dwellers, because urbanization is without a doubt on of the most important developments of modern times. They rent their housing, as do most people today, in order to avoid the risks of becoming too settled and of accumulating property. They are wage earners, but work only part-time earning their living in a way which expresses both solidarity and challenge to the work place and which keeps them from the desire to succeed on an economic or social level.....Their Rule of Life calls them to love, prayer, work, hospitality, and silence; it calls them to be chaste, poor, obedient, humble, and joyful, all while living in the heart of the world, in the heart of the city, in the Church, as the sons and daughters of Jerusalem. They bear the name "Jerusalem" because Jerusalem is the patron of all cities. There Christ lived, died, and rose to new life. The Church was founded there; the first Christian communities were born there. It is a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. It is also the symbol of our hope in heaven, our ultimate destiny."

Andrew was pretty excited, because this was the day we spent at the Army Museum/Napoleon's Tomb.

The ancient section with all of the armor and weapons was the most fascinating to me personally.

I had zero expectations here, but I'm happy to report that I found it most interesting. Three hours was long enough, though.

Andrew could have spent all day there. He thought it was "Awesome".

Claire would have been happy spending only 5min. there :)

It was nice to do a few things on everyones wish list. It made for a well rounded trip....and life is all about compromise.

Oh, there just happened to be a car show of some sort happening next to the museum.

We had to get a few shots of the sports cars to show the little boys when we got home.

Many of the photos we took in the WWI and WWII wing didn't turn out :(

Andrew really enjoyed these areas....Claire did too, as she has read some historical fiction and non-fiction books about this time period like The Diary of Anne Frank.

Andrew purchased a very nice book about all of the armor at the museum. He is fascinated with anything medieval.

We were all intrigued with these doll size soldiers~each dressed in detailed period costumes.

The grand finale of our trip was mass at Notre Dame!

Here is a beautiful shot of the Christmas tree in front of the cathedral. Loved this.

Here is the large, elaborate creche....

....and here you can see the three wise men too.

We were able to go to confession before mass. They had a few priests available for confession with signs outside their door (the rooms are glass, so you can see people, but they are sound proof :)! that indicated what languages the priests spoke. The priest we went to spoke French, English, and Italian.

Of course the mass was in French~ with the most beautiful singing in the world!

The beauty of the universal church is that we know exactly what is going on no matter what language the priest if speaking! The mass is the same in every country of the world :)

Walking to our hotel that night, we passed the ice skating rink and watch the skaters and the people for a few minutes.

We were up at 4am the next morning to fly back home.

It was a fun, full week away. We packed a lot in, but in a good way.

We all kept a journal...which will help keep the memories alive, especially for Andrew and Claire.

I can't wait to go back.

My Mom asked me if I didn't want to go someplace new? I have been fortunate to travel a teensy bit so far (Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, Italy....Boston, Chicago, Vermont, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Washington, Oregon....Disneyland :)) and yes, there are a few other places on my wish list.....but I enjoy Paris so much. It is excellent. So, yes I still want to go back there.

It's just like a favorite restaurant that one goes to again and again....you enjoy the atmosphere, the food, you know you won't be disappointed....it may be expensive....but you pay for~ and receive quality!

Au revoir Paris!

Paris~ Days 1 and 2

2012-02-02T06:57:00.000-08:00

We took the fast train (TGV) from Geneva to Paris Wednesday morning. It took four hours. By the time we ate lunch and checked into our hotel, it was later afternoon. I felt awful....sick and dizzy. I told Matt I needed to go to bed. He was worried. Believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was go to bed at two in the afternoon our first day in Paris!!!

I put ear plugs in, prayed that I wouldn't be sick on vacation, and instantly fell asleep.

Matt took Andrew and Claire on a little adventure around the neighborhood where we were staying (Marais). He took them for ice cream (photo above) and did some shopping and people watching. Paris is THE BEST city in the world for people watching (my opinion).

They came to the hotel to get me. We were off to the Louvre.

I didn't know how I would make it. But I did. It's called placing one foot in front of the other and willing oneself to do it!

I only took a few photos at the Louvre....and all of them were blurry.

I am sharing the best of the bunch here.

This was the "Andrew section". He wanted to see all of the Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities.

I can't remember what these were....but it was one of my clear photos...so it's included here :)

Mummy's are cool.

It got to where I was super dizzy and it was dinner time, so we ate at the Louvre cafe. Baguette sandwiches, juice, and chocolate tarts were our delicious dinner.

After eating, I felt much better. We were off again to see Mona Lisa and some of the other French and Italian paintings. Claire was feeling 'out of it' by this time and she and I had to sit down and wait about 30min longer for Matt and Andrew to meet us. We headed back to the hotel after that. We spent three hours at the Louvre.

I was so hopeful that I would sleep (finally) through the night. But, no. For the record, I never slept an entire night on our vacation. My body doesn't do well with the time change. I woke each night at about 1:30am. On a couple of nights, I fell back asleep until about 4am. Claire was also affected. She and I are very similar. Poor thing. Matt and Andrew didn't have any problems at all.

Our first morning in Paris. Breakfast was just delivered to Andrew and Claire's room.

Andrew and Claire had a room with two twin beds. They are just pushed together, but each have their own bedding. In Europe (at least in Switzerland and France) most of the beds are twins. If you sleep on a 'double bed', it is comprised of two twins pushed together (although, Matt and I had a regular double bed). Interesting.

This is a corner of our room.

Our bed. I love our tiny, charming, French room!!!

Here is our breakfast :) I poured myself some hot chocolate before I could take a photo. I was so impatient. One of the things I love most in this world is staying at a bed and breakfast and eating breakfast in bed. It is the ultimate treat!

Our first stop for the day was Versailles. Matt and I didn't see Versailles on our previous Paris trip and several people were "shocked". They told us we simply had to see it.

It does look mighty impressive.

Chapel at Versailles.

It was essentially a lot of big rooms filled with paintings, marble, gold and other "fanciness".

I was impressed, but not how I thought. It was not a highlight for us. Not worth the time and money to see.....and tons of people everywhere.

In tomorrow's post you will see a Parisian Mansion that we enjoyed much more than Versailles. One that we would highly recommend :)

According to Rick Steves, one should expect to stay 8+ hours at Versailles. Two to three is good enough.

Next on our itinerary was the Eiffel Tower!!! This was Claire's 'must do'.

Thank goodness we didn't stay at Versailles all day, because it worked out perfectly for us to eat lunch on the Eiffel Tower!! Whoo Hoo! This was not our original plan, mind you. It was so perfect, though. We actually climbed up all 700 steps to the second level of the Eiffel Tower. The very top was closed to everyone for refurbishment. There was such a long line to take the elevator up, so I asked the woman how many steps we would be climbing....she answered me in her very beautiful French accent, "There are 700 stairs, but it is very easy."

Um...I wouldn't say very easy...pant...pant...pant.....

But, we did it. Eating lunch on the Eiffel Tower by the window with a gorgeous view was a DEFINITE HIGHLIGHT for us. I highly, highly recommend this to all of you. The lunch was not expensive....it was typical lunch fare pricing.

Above photo taken while sitting at our table looking out.

Another view from the Tower.

We decided to hop on the Batobus, which is similar to a bus/taxi, but on the Seine River.

You can use it to hop on and off at eight different locations around Paris. New experience and since we did this a few times, we skipped having a "real" boat ride on the Seine (which was part of our itinerary....I'm so proud of myself for being flexible :)

We got off at the Musee d'Orsay stop.

Here is a shot taken just outside the museum. No photos allowed inside.

This museum was a dream come true for me. I couldn't believe that I was actually standing there looking at such famous works of art by some of the worlds greatest artists (as far as Impressionism and Post Impressionism goes). I remember having tears of joy in my eyes. I was moved. If you are an art lover, you must add this to your list of museums to see. Wow!

Andrew's not into Impressionism like his mother, but he found out that he loves sculptures and was quite taken with Rodin. In fact we tried to add the Rodin Museum to our schedule, but ran out of time to do it this trip. I told Andrew that just means he will have to make it back to Paris in the future :)

This is Paris to me....

I love the beautiful buildings everywhere. I could vacation in Paris and just look at the outside of the buildings!!!!! Seriously. I love the history, the beauty, the Seine. It is really a feast for the eyes and delicious food everywhere.

I'm ready to go back.

Do you want to come with me?

Switzerland~ Day 3

2012-02-01T05:35:00.000-08:00

This was more of a mellow day for us....which was very enjoyable....

We started off the day with a long walk along the quai.

Becky and sleeping Anna joined us :)

It's a beautiful walk with the lovely views in every direction!

Looking at the above photo.....one can see Switzerland on the left and France on the right and the body of water is Lake Geneva.

Our walk brought us into downtown Montreux where we spent a few hours window shopping and then splurged and ate lunch at the Zurcher Tea Room.

Please click on the link (blue letters that say Zurcher Tea Room) to see photos of the restaurant. It is very beautiful and since we didn't take any photos of our own..... :(

Mom, if you scroll down, you will see the glass counter where all of the pastries and desserts are presented. This was a special place where Becky and I (as teenagers) picked out desserts on occasion (in the wonderful year of 1987)! So, it was extra special for me to take Andrew and Claire there!

I had a fabulous meal of salmon, ratatouille, and rosti. Matt had a chicken and mushroom soup, and Andrew and Claire each had the quiche with a salad. We had to have hot chocolate too (since it was so cold out) and a dessert to complete our experience!

Our afternoon plans to take the train up to Rochers de Naye were ruined as it was raining/snowing on the mountain which meant the trains couldn't run. Very disappointing, but we had a lovely afternoon hanging out with Becky and her family.

Andrew and Claire also went to the local library for an extra little outing. The English section was small, but it was interesting to check it out.

We actually had pizza for dinner (horror of horrors, I know :)

We watched Sam and Anna while Becky and Steve had a date night.

There was a pizza place directly across from the apartment, so we could easily walk over and purchase the pizzas (and Fanta)!!!!

We all took showers, did a load of laundry, and packed our suitcases to get ready for our early morning TGV ride into Paris!

Becky and Steve~

Thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality. We enjoyed our 'deep conversations' (you know what I mean :), the delicious food (especially the Fondue, Raclette, and the Double Cream over macaroons with berries). That is my new favorite dessert. Not kidding! I will have to go to Whole Foods to see if they carry the special 'double cream'. I need it!

Thank you for the fabulous memories!

Switzerland~ Day 2

2012-01-31T05:28:00.000-08:00

Our second day in Switzerland was really beautiful, fun, and COLD! (Actually everyday we were there in Switzerland and Paris was super duper chilly....brrrrrr)

This was the day we traveled by train to Gruyere.

Touring the Gruyere Cheese Factory was a highlight for us.

I don't know why I didn't take more photos.....I hope you enjoy the few that I did take.

(Claire will also be doing vacation posts on her AG blog that includes different photos than I am including here).

After the cheese factory, we walked a short distance up the hill to visit Chateau de Gruyeres.

Notice the snow toward the top of the photo? So pretty.

I can't believe we didn't take photos of the castle interior, but we enjoyed the views so much.....so that is what we photographed. In Switzerland, one is constantly surrounded by gorgeous views.

The landscape is breathtaking.

The photo above was taken from the castle courtyard (second floor).

Next on our list was the Cailler Chocolate Factory Tour!!!!

We were saving the best for last.....

Here you can see The Tasting Room!!!!!!

Notice all of the chocolates....milk, dark, white, with all different fillings~ out for us to sample. We could have as many as we wanted and take as long as we "needed". This was a definite highlight for the children. Matt and I thought it was "cool" too :)

It was evening by the time we reached Montreux again.

Becky and Steve spoiled us with Champagne and Raclette (very Swiss) for dinner! I was in heaven! Claire and Andrew loved the Raclette too. I was so tempted to purchase a Raclette grill because I think they are so fun and quite an interesting way to enjoy a delicious meal. I'm soooooo upset that I didn't take a photo of us enjoying our Raclette dinner.

Bonjour! Switzerland~Day 1

2012-01-30T14:49:00.000-08:00

There was much excitement and anticipation before the trip.

Here are Andrew and Claire waiting to board the airplane.

On the plane....the first leg of the journey!

We were on a big (757) plane from New Jersey to Geneva (the second leg of the journey).

Becky was gracious and picked us up from the airport. She brought chocolate croissants for us for breakfast :)

From the airport, we went directly to this funicular (see next photo).

Here is the 'funi' that we rode straight up the hill to a little town called Glion.

We went to Mass there in the cutest church ever. There were about forty people in attendance at the 10:30am Mass.

(photo taken from inside the funicular)

(Here are the tracks of the funicular on the hillside.

We took this photo from the quai a couple of days later).

After Mass, we walked back to the apartment and had a traditional Swiss lunch~ bread, cheese, sausage, and fruit. I love all of the different cheeses....Andrew and Claire were a little picky with regards to cheese...but they tried everything!

Here is the view from the apartment (photos taken from the balcony).

(View to the right)

(View straight ahead~ the mountains you see are France)

(View to the left~the gorgeous mountains are called Dents du Midi)

Following lunch, we walked to Chateau de Chillon. It is the famous castle made even more popular by Lord Byron's poem called 'The Prisoner of Chillon'.

(The Castle is built right at the edge of Lake Geneva).

(photo~ relics, scapular and other religious articles that were a few hundred years old)

Dinner for our first night in Switzerland was Fondue.

(photo of Matt and Claire cutting up the baguette for dinner)

It was sooooo delicious, especially paired with a most excellent wine that complimented the Fondue perfectly. Becky, if you are reading this, please leave a comment and tell me the name of the wine and the two cheeses used for Fondue....I can't remember :(

Good night!

We took over the children's room at the apartment.

It was so fun going to bed at night and waking up early (super early, thanks to jet lag :) and quietly visiting and laughing together.....Andrew and Claire said it was just like a slumber party. I agree. It was an extra fun experience.

Hello! Hello!

2012-01-18T16:41:00.000-08:00

Boring photo, I know.

But, I have not taken a photo this week (except of Claire and that one will be on her blog).

I actually took this photo last week when I made these yummy granola bars. That are totally fab and healthy and filling and easy to make!!!!

What more could a mom of many ask for? :)

Seriously, I have made four batches of these granola bars and they are a super snack for the kids to have before heading to dance in the afternoons. I got the recipe HERE.

I have been very busy getting everything checked off of my huge list before we leave on our vacation on Friday. Two days!

I meet with our ES (for our charter school) tomorrow morning so I had to have my learning record all typed up by today.

Then, I have been trying to clean my house like a crazy woman (mostly because my sister/brother-in-law will be staying at our house for a few days when we are gone and I don't want them to "gag on the grodiness" around here......

I am caught up on laundry and am in the middle of packing the seven bags that I am in charge of (Andrew and Claire can pack their own after I made them write all items down on a checklist :)

I have to write the itinerary/ notes/ directions etc...down for my sister/brother-in-law because they are helping us a ton by hanging out with Luke and Patrick and getting them to/from dance classes and special rehearsals over the weekend!

Anyway, it has been great having so much on my to do list because time has flown and now I can actually get excited about our trip!!!!!!

I don't know how I will survive the plane ride. I'm afraid of boredom. I'm not used to sitting down for so long.....I think I have ADD by the way. I'm always moving.

OK. This is a post of me completely rambling.

I'm now off to finish packing and tidy up the kitchen. Matt jokingly "ordered" me to get pizza for dinner. He knows I have been stressed out doing a million things. I told him I could really do potato corn chowder....but that was met with laughter.....he wasn't up for that tonight.

Sometimes, Daddy's just want pizza for dinner too. Pizza is good. Pizza is easy. I like Pizza.

I pick up the dancers at 7pm and will get some pizza.

Please know that we will be gone until Jan. 30.

I will hopefully have some fun photos of our trip to share with all of you at that time.

We are super excited and so grateful for everyone who is making this trip possible for us!

A HUGE thank you to my parents (watching the five children for nine days!!!!!!!), Becky and Jeff(watching Luke and Patrick for the weekend and driving them to/from the dance studio about 10 times~not joking), and to Becky and Steve (our hosts in Switzerland).

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

See you in a couple of weeks!

A VERY SPECIAL HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISH FOR MY WONDERFUL FATHER-IN-LAW TODAY!!!!!!!

Sweet Claire is THIRTEEN!

2012-01-13T00:18:00.000-08:00

We had a really nice day celebrating Claire's birthday!

Matt had the day off~ which was so special according to Claire.

It was an AG (American Girl) day......the dolls were part of the table decor as well :)

Home made cinnamon rolls and grapefruit for breakfast.

Opening presents after breakfast.

Watching 'Felicity' (AG movie) and eating lunch (grilled cheese, chips, oranges).

Getting ready to blow out candles on her peach dump cake!

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

Our day was spent hanging at home. We played a complete game of Balderdash and played with the AG girls. We had tacos for dinner and Claire, Andrew, Matt and I watched 'The Help' after the other children went to bed. It was special for Claire to watch her first "real" PG-13 movie. Such a great movie......we were all moved to tears....I cried the first time I saw it.....I cried again tonight.

Happy Birthday to our precious, precious Claire!

You bring us incredible joy!

You are a mature young woman, yet you know how to be goofy/silly too!

You enjoy life and are always looking to learn new things. You are an avid reader. I love to watch you dance..... You have a 'can do' attitude and a beautiful smile. When you smile, your eyes sparkle and your inner beauty shines forth.

I'm so happy to have you for a daughter.

When Daddy was reading an article online the other night about groups of people that win the lottery multiple times, I told him that we have won the lottery SEVEN times!!!!!!!........God's lottery!

Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

This is going to be a great year for you!

Attention Celeste :)

2012-01-09T17:30:00.000-08:00

Hi Celeste,

I'm finally getting back to you.....the paint color on our living room walls is~
'Pewter Tray' made by Behr (from Home Depot).

I hope this helps you.
Laura

Fun Weekend

2012-01-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

We spent about an hour and a half at the Crocker Art Museum.

It is a really nice museum in our area with an impressive collection.

It is the perfect size to make a 'quick tour' with the family, but would be even better for Matt and I to enjoy as a date including lunch at the cafe :)

Some of the children's observations~

Andrew~ "I liked that even if two artists painted a similar subject, each one painted it in a different light and angle so that each painting was unique. I mostly like ones of landscapes."

Claire~ "I didn't really care for the portraits. I find them boring. I prefer landscapes with flowers because there is a lot of color. I like it when an artist uses colors in their work that I would never think to use like green for sand on a beach..."

Luke~ "I didn't really care for the Impressionist paintings....I like the paintings that look like a picture, especially the ones where there was lots of action. Two of my favorites were the running horses and the burning village.....I like action packed adventure paintings!"

(Luke wondered why there were never men nudes, only women).

Patrick~ "I like paintings that have mountains and water in them. I like how they sometimes have mist in them to make it seem real...like I'm really there."

Jack~ "I like most of the landscapes. I liked how some parts of the painting looked like light was shining and other parts of the painting were in shadows."

The rest of the afternoon we played games.....there were a few rounds of Rack-O and Mille Bornes.

On Sunday night Matt and I were able to go out to a fancy restaurant (locally owned) with Jen and Dom (sister and brother-in-law) and we enjoyed ourselves immensely! The food was some of the best I have ever had, the atmosphere was charming (old house converted into a restaurant) and our waiter was awesome! He wasn't 'over-the-top trying to be guy smiley'....he wasn't 'fake polite'. He was subtle and professional and that really added to our enjoyable dining experience.

I had salmon over butternut squash ravioli with some green beans. Matt had the New York Steak in a peppercorn sauce. We shared two appetizers (chicken in phyllo and the cheese plate) and some fabulous desserts (creme brulee and flour less chocolate cake). It certainly was a special evening out and we were celebrating Jen and Dom's 19th wedding anniversary too!

I hope you had a nice weekend!

Hello!

2012-01-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

Sarah can feed herself pretty well. Of course, she likes to do everything by herself! That's the phase she is in.

Today was a good day. Matt was home with us because he works overnight tonight for inventory.

We had pancakes for breakfast and then did school as usual. Luke had dance rehearsal from 1-3 and during that time we took Andrew to Capezio to get new black tights/leggings and ballet shoes. He needs black tights for modern class and ballet shoes that will be spray painted for a dance costume.

The kids enjoyed playing outside in the afternoon....scooters, bikes etc...

I did the usual house chores, but gave extra attention to the living room which needed a major dusting. I folded two loads of laundry and have another one waiting for me.

Dinner was our home made 'hot pockets' as I was too short on cheese for the usual pizzas.....the kids were happier with the hot pockets!

We have a full weekend planned~

Crocker Art Museum tomorrow and another dance rehearsal for Andrew in the afternoon.

Sunday we get to go out to a fancy restaurant with Matt's stepsister and her husband.

The cousins will get to hang out together while the grownups have a nice evening out!!!!

Do you have anything special planned this weekend?

New Year's Eve Birthday!

2011-12-31T21:19:00.000-08:00

Patrick chose "Bionicle Fire Flame" theme for his birthday!

Hence, the Bionicles (Lego figures) positioned around the table in various poses and the 'fire colors' (red, orange, yellow).

Breakfast of Krispy Kreme donuts (I'm not personally a fan of these at all. I don't understand why most people consider these superior to regular donut shop donuts).

We continued the tradition of opening presents/cards at breakfast :)

Mac and Cheese and orange slices was the lunch request. It fit in nicely with the 'flame colors' :)

Dinner was pizza. Dessert was white cake with chocolate frosting and Gold Medal Ribbon ice cream.

Two movies were watched today (Bionicle: The Legend Reborn and Despicable Me) and there was lots of DS game playing. We also had a family monopoly game that lasted about 90min.

All in all, I think it was a fun day for Packy!

I'm totally being the Mom here...but he is the cutest and sweetest 10 year old I know!

Happy Birthday, Patrick!

Happy New Year to all of you!!!!!

I'm (Finally) Posting Christmas Morning Photos!

2011-12-30T21:43:00.000-08:00

Sarah has her first ponytail!!!!!!!!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-29T14:57:00.000-08:00

Macy's closes early on Christmas Eve!

We had a friend over for a Salmon dinner.

After dinner, we headed out to look at Christmas lights!

Then, it was home to have dessert. We always sing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus. The above photo shows us singing and then the children helping to blow out the candles.

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

I was so happy to have lunch with my dear friend from high school that I hadn't seen in TEN years!!!!

(Heather, I can't wait to do it again!!!)

Turns out she lives fifteen minutes away and we didn't know it!!

Anyway, Sarah got sick Tuesday night.....so I was dealing with a sick and vomiting child for the last two days and we had plans with our out of town friends for yesterday that we had to cancel.....SO UPSETTING!

Sarah is better today and I just got home from running a couple of errands trying to get stuff for Patrick's birthday celebration in two days :)

We took the Christmas decorations down and I get such a unique energy from cleaning up and getting ready/organized for the new year!

Do you?

Photos from Dec. 18th

2011-12-26T08:40:00.000-08:00

Claire was an "only child" for the evening (which she loved)!

We all dressed up to attend the Nutcracker and watch the boys perform.

In between the shows, we have to feed the boys. They only have 30min. so I bring a sack lunch for them to gobble up.

It's always great fun to watch one's children on stage :)

We also enjoyed dinner at P. F. Chang's.

After the show, we headed home for our Christmas celebration with my parents.

My camera battery died, so these are the only shots from our get together.

We had a pizza dinner and opened presents.

It was a lovely day.

2011-12-23T11:04:00.000-08:00

It's been fabulous so far.....I have The Nutcracker and dinner out to look forward to :)

(We look like we just rolled out of bed because we did! Photos were taken at breakfast).

Wednesday Evening

2011-12-21T19:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Everyone,

In thirteen minutes dinner will be ready, but I don't expect my husband and dancers to be home for about 25minutes.....so I didn't time that so well, did I?
At least we are having somewhat of a nicer meal, at least for us. Nights have been so crazy, it has been a challenge just getting pasta, breakfast burritos, or even quesadillas on the table. Sheesh! Tonight, we are having lemon chicken, a rice side dish, and peas.

Tonight is the night we are going to watch 'It's a Wonderful Life'~ a Christmas tradition in our home. Today was our last day of school and last day of dance classes, so tonight marks the beginning of Christmas vacation for us!! Very exciting!

Tomorrow, the three boys have two Nutcracker performances and two more performances on Friday. That means they will be at the theater from 12:30pm until 9pm. Long days, but they CANNOT WAIT.

Not much else going on here.....I have my two calendars (wall and planner) to update, I have to work on our vacation itinerary, practice packing our suitcases, write some thank you notes, and order some more home schooling books for the children!

We are ready for Christmas!
Have a good night~

Love, Laura :)

Faces of Sarah

2011-12-17T20:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm surviving the craziness around here.....just like I'm sure you are surviving the craziness in your life too :)

Tomorrow, the boys have their first Nutcracker shows (1pm and 5pm). My parents are driving up to see the first show. Matt, Claire, and I will see the second show. We can hardly wait. It was such a nice surprise when we found out Matt had the Sunday before Christmas (tomorrow) off. He will be able to see two Nutcracker performances this season. Last year, when Claire was Clara, he only got to see the show one time. ONE TIME! It's a bummer they don't sell DVD's of the performance. Our memories are the only way we can 'see' the shows again and again.

Memories are powerful things!

That's why we always want good ones!

I have a sink full of dishes and a floor that needs a good mopping....in fact the whole house seems to need a good cleaning. I want the house to be clean, but I feel so tired right now. I'm gonna have to pull myself up by my bootstraps....wha? where did that voice come from?

However you say it, I need to muster up the energy to get busy and do some cleaning. Oh, but I'm supposed to watch a movie with Andrew in a few minutes. I'm getting Sarah down to sleep and the middle children are at a "game party" so Andrew and I were going to watch Mission Impossible II together. He hasn't seen it before.

I guess this is a good excuse to skip the house cleaning tonight.

Movie watching with teenage son vs. mopping and laundry????

We are going for the good memories....so I think it is a movie night.

I will have to cram (like in college) and clean in the morning!

Good night :)

Nana and Grandpa Come to Visit!

2011-12-16T09:52:00.000-08:00

Sarah sat with Grandpa for a long time, very content.

We sure had a wonderful visit yesterday when Matt's parents came for the day.

We had some quality time together~ talking, laughing, playing games, eating lunch....

The boys also had a great science lesson, as Grandpa helped to fix one of our TV plugs.

Nana and Sarah playing a game together ;)

The children got to open Christmas gifts from Nana and Grandpa. They each got a new game and Target gift certificates to purchase some items of their choice. The games were a HUGE hit (so were the gift cards). Some were played while Nana and Grandpa were still here....more were played late into the night last night, and as soon as the kids woke up this morning they were, you guessed it, playing more games!!!!!

Ed and Donna,

We enjoyed our time with you so much. Thank you for making the trek up to see us and hang out.

Thank you for the wonderful new games! I played 'Spot It' with Luke, Patrick, and Jack this morning (and lost). So fun!

Hopefully, we can get together more often now that you are both retired :)

Love, Laura

This time of year...

2011-12-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

(Patrick holding Sarah)

(This post shows some of the 'other' faces of Sarah)

(Story time)

(Sarah just waking up from a nap)

(Trying to smile with some rumpled hair~ do you see it sticking out over her ear?)

(Again, trying to smile)

(Claire made Sarah this hair ribbon with flower)

Andrew and Claire each had a friend over on Saturday night (siblings Noah and Nicole)

Claire and Nicole played American Girl Dolls (Nicole has five AG dolls). They had so much fun together and even made their first stop motion video with the dolls.

All of the boys love it when Noah comes over. Andrew and Noah had some time hanging out without the little ones, but the next day they all made another 'battle video' together. This is always a huge hit and screams everything BOY!

This week is a busy one....but is filled with all of the things we love!

~Tomorrow night is the Community Christmas Performance

~My in-laws are coming for a visit on Thursday. I also have a dessert date with my girlfriend that is moving, as well as dance classes and theater rehearsal for Luke and Patrick that night.

~Friday I have to take Luke and Andrew to get new ballet shoes/tights at Capezio and then I have to have a main dish, salad, bread, and 40 bottles of water to take to the children's Christmas party at their dance studio! Thankfully I finished all of the 'secret santa' gift buying yesterday! They will exchange gifts at the party.

~ Saturday the children have a 'Game Night Party' from 4-9:30pm at their good friends house as well as a dance rehearsal that day.

~ Sunday my parents are here with us to visit and watch THE NUTCRACKER!!! There are two Nutcracker performances on Sunday....my parents will go to the first show and Matt, Claire, and I will go to the evening show. Then, we will have a celebration dinner/treat that night.

Lots to look forward to during this happy, busy time of year!!!!!

****PS Claire is having a giveaway on her blog. If you have a daughter that likes AG, then pop on over and leave her a comment to be entered into the giveaway!

Good Morning

2011-12-07T05:46:00.000-08:00

Matthew wrote a letter to his neighbor friend :)

Sarah likes to help me make the waffle batter.

(and the famous~ 'Sarah pose face' for the camera')

I got up at 5am this morning. Even on these days when I make it out of bed way before anyone else......I can't get myself to run anymore. It is too dark and cold for me. I guess I'm a wimp.

I did think about running this morning, though. I thought it would feel so good.....but not good enough. Ugh.

I had a number of emails to answer, so I got right to that (and now I'm posting to the blog).

Matt doesn't go into work until 4pm today because Macy's is open until midnight....which means Matt doesn't get home until 1am.

He is a night owl though. So, it is easier for him to stay up later. It's just a bummer when he has to work late and then be at the store at 6am, like he did yesterday.

Matt will give the boys haircuts today and he will help watch Sarah while I finish typing up the learning record for each child for our Charter school. It is usually about ten pages long, so it takes a bit of time. Things always take infinitely more time when there is a one year old in the house :)

I actually painted my finger nails the other night, so I would have "happy typing fingers"! How's that for some motivation?!

All is well in our busy home. Everyone is happy and healthy.

Happy Wednesday!

Jack loses a tooth and other stuff...

2011-12-04T09:51:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like losing your first tooth!

Yay! for Jack. He has been waiting a long time (it seems) for his little tooth to pop out.

He couldn't wait to put it under his pillow and get a little cash :)

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

Matt has been working many hours lately. Poor guy had to work until midnight last night, then we got up bright and early to attend 7:30am Mass so Matt could get to work by 9am this morning. He works six days a week with extended hours for managers during this busy retail time. Rather than complain, it is good to remember that he has a good job with good benefits. Rather than get upset because he has to work on Sundays....I focus on the fact that we have a beautiful Catholic Church just down the street with several Masses on Sundays, so we are always able to attend Mass together as a family. I'm thankful that Matt embraces his role as provider for the family. His work ethic is a wonderful example to me and to our children.

We only have one Nutcracker rehearsal today. It will be at the theater, which means we are close to show time! We are in Cast C this year, so our shows actually don't start until Dec. 18. Time is flying by and I can't wait to see our three boys perform!

Last night I decided (spur of the moment) to stop at Blockbuster on our way home from Nutcracker rehearsal. I rented The Smurfs for the children to watch. They were so excited! It's the little things in this household that make a difference.....

They watched half of the movie last night and are finishing up the second half right now.

I hear lots of laughter.....I think it must be filled with silliness.

I watched about 30min of it last night, but couldn't really hang with it after that point :)

Happy Sunday!

Christmas Decorating

2011-12-02T10:36:00.000-08:00

Oops...the lights at the very top of our tree aren't working. Matt and Andrew are trying to fix them.

Matthew and Sarah riding in the "train" to the North Pole!

"Choo Choo," says Matthew.

Yesterday, the children all "helped" Matt put up our outside Christmas lights.

It's starting to look festive around here.

Have you decorated for Christmas?

Random Photos

2011-12-01T15:17:00.000-08:00

Sarah and Claire reading side by side.
(I know you are sick of seeing Sarah in the same pink sweater post after post....but it is my favorite....and it fits her so well..... :)

Luke vacuuming the dining room rug....a chore that he has to do three times per week.

Matthew playing with toys in the waiting room at the dentist. Six children had dentist appointments over Thanksgiving week.

Matthew does a great job. He lays perfectly still and opens his mouth big like a lion!

No cavities for anyone. Hip Hip Hooray!

We are experiencing quite a Fall.....it has been very windy lately with leaves swirling everywhere.

Matt and the children are outside (at the moment) putting up the Christmas lights. I helped for a little while, but it's too chilly out there for me.

Christmas decorating photos to follow in the next day or so.

I cannot believe it is December already!

Happy Advent Everyone!

Hi Heather!!!!

2011-11-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

Heather,

It was so great to hear from you!!! Thank you!

I don't do Facebook and when you leave a comment for me on my blog, it doesn't give me an email to respond to......so if you are reading this, please send me an email at momtosix(at)rocketmail(dot)com

I would love to catch up with you :)

Laura

Our Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T13:08:00.000-08:00

Here are Claire and Sarah sharing an ipod on the drive to Gam and Gamp's house.

(Gammy and Claire)

We were able to have a double Thanksgiving celebration this year. We had a delicious dinner at my parents house the day before Thanksgiving.

(Gampy and Luke)

My Dad barbecued the turkey this year. It was fabulous!

Oldest child holding youngest child :)

Sarah playing with magnets.

Family shot. Wow! I guess I'm shrinking :)

(Baby Penny)

We spent Wednesday night at my parents house and then drove to Matt's Dad and Step Mom's house for another delicious, traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

We had so much fun visiting with all of our family that I only took a handful of photos :(

(Matt visiting with Steve, Heidi, and Aunt Rose)

(Group visiting in the kitchen)

Claire holding Sarah.....

......preparing to give Aunt Jen a smooch :)

Hope you all had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!!!!

2011-11-15T09:58:00.000-08:00

Someone was sitting so nicely and quietly, reading her board books.

Then she heard the click from my camera and had to get up right away to pose.

Matt has only one weekend day off for the month of November and it was this last Saturday. How fortunate that it was a perfect Fall day and he was able to enjoy playing with all five of his sons!

They all raked the leaves together and then there was some bike riding followed by several games of Poison, basketball, and soccer.

I can't believe next week is Thanksgiving! Wow! I have most of my Christmas shopping finished and gifts wrapped. I'm in the middle of addressing my Christmas card envelopes, so I feel pretty good at this point. I know for myself, if I feel in the mood to do something Christmas related, I have to seize the moment and do it!

We have had a productive morning around here. The house is tidy, we have been schooling for over two hours, the second load of laundry is in the washer and I have my art project ready for the children today.

What have you been doing?

Everyday Photos and Vacation Plans

2011-11-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

Sarah~ wearing her "pretty pretties" and trying her best to look pretty!

Yes, she climbed onto the kitchen island (while I was standing right here, putting out the cheese/crackers/pretzels)....then instead of telling her 'No' and removing her, I grabbed my camera! Not good, but I'm being honest.

Matthew was delighted to discover a Duplo computer game for his age group....now he gets to play a game 'just like the big kids' as he would say :)

This morning, Andrew and Claire worked together to make scones for breakfast. Matt doesn't go into work until 11am this morning, so we had a nice morning and breakfast together! Since the children dance pretty late most nights, it works out for us to at least eat breakfast together!

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

Somehow it all worked out for us to plan a little trip to Montreux, Switzerland and Paris, France! There were so many factors to consider that I really didn't think it would be possible.....

Matt and I were thinking about going by ourselves this year as my close friend Becky and her family are living abroad this year in Montreux (near Geneva). Matt and I got to talking and thought it would be really fabulous if we could take Andrew and Claire along. {I first went to Europe when I was fourteen (and stayed for six weeks with Becky and her parents) and even though I was young, I remember feeling

like a different person....I learned more about myself traveling in a foreign country, tried new foods, studied French, walked to mass on Sundays in Switzerland by myself (it was only a short walk), learned about how other people do things, the beauty of other cultures and new scenery.....getting a first hand look at history....like standing in the Colosseum in Rome....one doesn't forget moments like that}.

Anyway, Andrew and Claire are getting older and they won't want to do things with us (probably) for much longer. They also help out a lot being the oldest in a large family. Just last week, the two of them prepared chicken pot pie from scratch for dinner because I was in Sacramento for a 2 1/2 hour Nutcracker rehearsal with Luke and Patrick right at dinner time! They help out in countless ways and we thought this would be a nice week of memories for the four of us. Yes, we will only be gone about a week. We only have time and money for a week :)

We will fly into Geneva and stay with our friends for a few days and then we will take the fast train into Paris and stay a few more days there. Then, we fly out of Paris.

Sarah was weaned two months ago and my parents graciously offered to watch our other five children while we are away.

We are so thankful that they are young, healthy, and more than willing to spend time caring for their grandchildren!

We are also fortunate that Matt had some frequent flyer miles to use to get free plane tickets for Andrew and Claire!!!!!

Since we could never afford to travel with our large family, we realized that we need to make ourselves smaller, which is doable, and possible, if we stick to our budget and save all we can for trips like this. I even canceled Netflix a few months ago in anticipation of this trip (even $20 per month for six months adds up :)

So, this time we take Andrew and Claire.....and maybe in four years, we can go someplace with Luke and Patrick....and so on.

We are having fun planning our time away. Andrew and Claire have been learning French using Rosetta Stone. Claire also checked out some books on France and Switzerland from the library. She has finished her report on France and is now working on her report on Switzerland. We are tying this into home schooling as much as possible and I'm sincerely hoping that Andrew and Claire will learn and grow even from only a short time in Europe.

Each of the children chose some specific things they want to do and see, and we will try to accommodate everyones wishes.

I'm looking forward to the memory making, of course.

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

*****HAPPY VETERANS DAY!!!!!!!*****
Our flag is out! Hope yours is too!

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

Hello on Wednesday Night :)

2011-11-09T19:34:00.000-08:00

Here are the only shots I had on my camera.......the morning goodbye ritual when Matt leaves for work.

Everyone gives Daddy a hug and most of the children bless Matt by making a small cross outline on his forehead with their finger. Then, some or all of us walk to the laundry room and wave to him as he backs out of the garage.

Luke created this Santa out of Legos to enter in the 'Lego Holiday Contest'.

****

Claire has pretty much taken ownership of my camera. She is loving this whole blog experience :)

Video Friday

2011-11-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

Introducing Claire's Blog

2011-11-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

Claire started her own blog. It is called "Claire's American Girl Dolls". It would be great if you could take a moment to visit! She has done a wonderful job so far, and has taken all of the photos herself!
Click HERE to visit her blog. I will have a link to her blog on my sidebar as well.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

A number of my Protestant friends don't celebrate Halloween and some of my Catholic friends have asked my advice on whether to 'observe' Halloween or not. There were a number of years we didn't "celebrate" Halloween either mostly because I heard a talk at our church and the speaker was a Catholic woman whom I respected.....and she told of all the horrors of Halloween and how we shouldn't be a part of what goes takes place on October 31 each year etc...etc... Fast forward several years and you will find our front yard decorated with big webs and spiders...Jack-O-Lanterns and skeletons. For those of you curious why we celebrate Halloween or wondering what you should do.....here is an article written by our Pastor just last week that I think answers those questions.

Halloween: What to Do?

Many Christian churches regard Halloween as a dark day of satanic rituals and try to replace it with things like "Harvest Festival." Of course, harvest festivals have their roots in paganism as well. As a parent of a child and as a Christian, how should we handle this national celebration?

First we should be clear as to what Halloween is. It is derived from "All Hallows" which is a celebration of the saints. In fact, Halloween occurs on the evening before All Saints Day. As a Holy Day of obligation, All Saints day liturgies begin the night before or evening before the actual day. In the Jewish faith, our roots, the day begins at nightfall. We follow this tradition for Holy Days of Obligation so as to provide the opportunity for the Vigil Masses.

Over the centuries, this celebration of all saints in heaven has yielded the tradition of Halloween. We can understand how it is associated with the dead as it began as a celebration of All Saints which is followed the next day by All Souls. These are celebrations of the dead who have been glorified in heaven and for those who are in purgatory but, by definition, headed for heaven.

While we still celebrate All Saints in the Church, the tradition of Halloween has become a national celebration, giving children and adults alike the opportunity to step out of their normal approach to the world and to be something different and fun. In that there is no harm. I do not see a problem with children dressing up as heroes and having a night of fantasy inspired fun. We are not prohibited from the celebration of Trick-or-Treat and are fine to call Halloween what it is, Halloween.

Make sure to take the family to Mass on All Saints Day which is obligatory and, if possible, on All Souls Day as well. There they will learn of the hope we find for our dead in Jesus Christ.

Satanic themes need to be avoided. Angels are better than witches and warlocks. Superheroes or friendly entertainment characters are best for children.

We don't have to avoid Halloween or call it something else. We just need to make sure the kids know their faith and avoid glamorizing anything satanic or evil. Also, don't make it an excuse for behavior you would otherwise avoid. Dressed up or not, you are still yourself and responsible for your actions. Make it a fun event and remind everyone that the true celebration is the next day, at Church where we honor the god who has taken the sting out of death with His granting of everlasting life.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Steven

Jack as a Hobbit and Patrick as a Ring Wraith (Black Rider) from the movie, Lord of the Rings.

Luke as The Gladiator! (Andrew designed and constructed this costume).

Claire as Juliet from the ballet, Romeo & Juliet

Matthew as a Jedi.

All of the managers at Macy's had to dress up today as well.

Here is Matt as St. Nicholas.....he was referred to as Father Christmas, Pere Noel, A Christmas priest..etc...do you like the cotton ball beard and hair????

We enjoyed making the costumes this year. It was quite a group effort....Andrew and Claire made Patrick, Luke, and Jack's costumes....Claire and I made Matt's costume. We had so much fun.

Happy Halloween!!!

No New Photos

2011-10-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

Hello!

It's Tuesday already.

I haven't posted because I haven't had the time nor have we done anything worth noting here on the blog.

It's the same every day.

Our days fly by and it feels like I accomplish nothing.

But, I know a lot is getting done.

Today is more of the same.....meals, chores, schooling, dancing, Nutcracker rehearsals etc....

I have already made a batch of apple sauce, prepared a green salad, and washed my asparagus to prep for our dinner tonight. I leave the house at 3:20pm this afternoon and won't return home until 6:45pm. It's a challenge making dinner when I'm not home at all during that time! This is what working women across the nation have to deal with every night!!!!!

Matt works late today, so he did a History lesson (Civil War) with the kids while I was working in the kitchen. It's almost time to think about lunch....and then snack time before we leave for dance this afternoon....I spend a lot of time in the kitchen :)

That's all for now. Everyone is happy and healthy in our home. What more could I ask for?

Not Much to Report from Our House

2011-10-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a common scene.....Matt reading aloud to the children on one of his days off. Like a magnet, everyone is drawn to him.

I was busy in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner when I noticed Sarah helping herself to the salad remnants. She had moved the chair over to the counter and was minding her own business~ busy nibbling on carrots, red bell peppers and lettuce. She wanted me to mind my own business too :)

In an attempt to eat more "power foods".....we purchased some brussel sprouts from Machados in Auburn. I never knew brussel sprouts grew on these huge stalks. Andrew and Claire were the only children that actually liked them, but everyone at least tried one.

Happy Birthday Matt!!!!

2011-10-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Today is Matt's 42nd birthday!!!!!

He works until 10pm tonight and I was gone this morning (getting 100 lbs. of apples for $30~ THANK YOU TANYA!!!!) so we celebrated yesterday.

Breakfast was home made cinnamon rolls and dinner was Papa Murphy's pizza. Cake was a marbled yellow/chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (none of it home made). With children's busy schedules and parent's busy schedules.....we have to do the best we can.

The children made a wonderful banner for Matt and special cards for him. He also got some nice gifts from family members. I think he had a wonderful day.

Do you think the Star Wars tablecloth added a nice touch??? I thought so too!
I love this man!!!!!!!
:)

Play Kitchen

2011-10-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

Sarah is actually getting old enough to play with some toys. I was able to snap some action shots of her playing with the kitchen while I was preparing dinner this evening.

I leave in 30min. to pick up three children from dance and then back at 8pm to get Andrew.

I made pizza for dinner.

Monday Update

2011-10-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

Busy times....busy children....busy parents.....

I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon (just a checkup), Claire has a private pointe lesson with Mr. C, and four children have their regular dance classes this afternoon.

I also meet with the costume coordinator at the dance studio to learn what I need to work on for the Tap Club costumes.....something simple I can do at home.

I am one of the 'costume moms' this year, so I'm able to help out in a small way.

It's raining here today. Matt is off. He has been doing paperwork for Macy's and household paperwork (paying bills, ordering new checks etc...). Matt is now checking on the children and making sure everyone is on track for their schooling. It is very quiet in the house, which is a rarity.

The house is very tidy....dishes are all washed, laundry is finished for the day, carpets were all vacuumed and we know what we are having for dinner (tacos).

Happy Monday!

Another Video

2011-10-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

So, this video thing is much easier for me....as I don't have to wait until I have the time to type (which is impossible to do with the little ones). I have to warn you~ the video today contains loud chaos :) We are keeping it real.

Test Video

2011-10-05T10:39:00.001-07:00

School Stuff

2011-10-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the Constitution reports we did a couple of weeks ago.

Now that we are with a public school, we had to do some sort of lesson/project/report on the Constitution for Constitution Day.

We chose to create a lap book.

The front cover shows what our flag looked like in 1787.

The next page showed a picture of the Framers of the Constitution and then a coloring page of Independence Hall.

The following page had a small picture of the Constitution with the words~ "the supreme law of the United States of America"....each of the children had to write out the Preamble and then we had four star pages that read, "The Bill of Rights guarantees Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of the Press".

There was also a word find.

Luke and Claire's lap book had a few extras.....like a Q&A section about the Framers of the Constitution,

a foldout about Amendments,

and a two page quiz! Luke only missed one :)

Matthew and Sarah having a picnic with their stuffy friends.

*We are having a good day.

*We ran to the Capezio store to get new ballet shoes for the four oldest children.

*Everyone is finishing school assignments right now.

*I have to read some History to the middle four.

*Sarah just fell asleep about two minutes ago.

*I'm boiling chicken with carrots, celery, and onion to make a broth for dinner tonight.

*Matt is off today and is outside making sure all of our pipes are clear if it rains tomorrow...

*I'm going to try and observe some of the children in dance classes today and snap a few photos....I don't think I have done that yet this year.

Gampy Party

2011-10-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

So, I like to have themes for birthday parties.....and the more I thought about my Dad's birthday, the more I realized his party theme had to be 'Gampy'.

We all dressed in the 'Gampy uniform' which is a white T-shirt and jeans!

*My niece Lily happily playing*

*cousin hug*

*Watching you tube videos*

My brother brought up his fryer and made THE most delicious onion rings!!!!

There was a lot of just hanging out time too.....Gampy reading to Sarah.

Our gift to my Dad was putting together a "Gampy-isms" skit.

Creme Brulee was the birthday dessert. We sang Happy Birthday and then toasted/told Gampy what we loved best about him.

We had fun throwing the party and I think Gampy enjoyed his celebration!

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!!!!

Highlights

2011-10-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

Good morning,

I'm writing this on Saturday morning. Most of the family is still asleep so I thought I would do a little post for this blog.

The weather here is finally cooling down.....today will be in the 70's. I'm thankful for that.

Thank you for all of your comments on my last post! I was so happy to 'hear' from everyone!

Sounds like we all know what it's like to be pulled in many directions, but to carry on despite that.

My parents and brother and niece come into town this morning. We are celebrating my Dad's birthday today with an intimate party....the theme of which will be "Gampy".

Yesterday, I was able to go out to lunch to celebrate my friend Maureen's birthday. She is a total foodie~ so we went to La Provence which is a beautiful French restaurant. It was wonderful....the ambiance, the food, the company :)

I would like to do that more often.....I felt 'alive' in a different way. I think the fact that I dressed up a little (meaning not jeans :), had some adult conversation, and enjoyed delicious food prepared by someone else was really a special treat for me.

Highlights~

Andrew: was invited by Mr. C to rehearse with some of the older dancers....he is one of three teenage boys (the only teenage boys at NCDC) and four girls practicing the grand pas de deux from Don Quixote. He partnered with Tessa....full lifts, supported turns, ponches, promenades etc.... He is loving it!

Claire: if you ask Claire what the highlight in her life is right now, she will answer, "Dance". She is enjoying some extra pointe work with Mr. C. She has two private lessons a month working en pointe.

She also loves her Confirmation class with Fr. McNeely.

Luke: Playing and rehearsing for the part of Fritz in the upcoming Nutcracker show! Our children are in Cast C this year which means we have shows the week before Christmas, including two shows on Dec. 23!

Patrick: Is thrilled to be a party boy in the Nutcracker this year! Patrick has also been bitten by the 'reading bug'. I still can't believe it when I see him with his head in a book! He is currently reading the Sugar Creek Gang series.....and is reading about a book a day!

Jack: wants to grow his hair out like his older brothers! He plays a spider in his tap class. The two boys are spiders and the girls in the class are Little Miss Muffets. Too Cute!

Matthew: he tells me the highlights in his life are playing games and playing with Jack.

Sarah: still working on learning new words, exploring every nook and cranny in this house, coloring everywhere, including markers on the skin (notice above photo with marker on her face:) A lady at church came up to us after Mass a few weeks ago and told us she really looked Chinese...then said, "but that is very vogue now". Wow. Couldn't believe it. I mean, we agree with what she said, just couldn't believe she actually said it to us.

Happy Saturday Everyone!

PS~ The whole family is awake and eating breakfast now. Ed, do you remember when you used to knock on your children's bedroom door and say, "Time to roust out little creepers, it's 9 o'clock."

One Day at a Time

2011-09-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

Claire enjoying a root beer float in a tea cup.

Matthew working with Do-A-Dots.

Sarah keeping him company.

Everyone watching You Tube ballet variations.

Our littlest ballerina "reading" Pointe magazine.....

...and wearing her ballet shoes (Claire's old pair).

*********

So I will simply come out and say that life has been busy and stressful around here. Not scary stressful, just big busy family stressful. I am barely keeping up. Life is taking us all on a ride at the moment. Is there something I would change or do differently?

No.

So, I am focusing on one day at a time. I can't plan too much in advance because each day requires most of my energy. I'm happy I can get three meals fixed and served and packaged snacks have to do right now. Bulk size crackers and granola bars are good. Huge tubs of peanut butter and big blocks of cheese are also good.

Andrew added two more ballet classes (three more hours) to his weekly schedule, which is awesome for him, but tonight he doesn't finish class until 9pm. Bummer he doesn't drive yet :)

Andrew also joined the high school youth group (Life Teen) at a local Catholic Church (not our home parish, but another one about 20min. away).

It was one of those things where Matt and I 'forced' him to attend and as soon as he got into the car after the first night, he asked, "Can I come back next week?"

Sometimes parents have to make decisions for their children....

Matt and I are really tired of parents that we know that are constantly saying, "Well, (child's name) really wants to do this or that, or (child's name) doesn't want this or that".......and the parents allow their children to say, do, read, watch whatever their children "really want" just because they want it!

Matt and I actually tell our children 'NO' on a regular basis and 'force' them to do things they don't like....

I guess I'm one of the MEAN MOMS.

I'll end this post with a Matthew quote~

The other morning Matthew walked into the kitchen and said, "The bone in my eye is really hurting!"

Hope you all have a great day!

for ol dad

2011-09-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

All of these photos were taken by Claire, who witnessed the great 'escape artist'.

Sarah starts out in her high chair with a five point harness, plus we use a cloth diaper pin to attach the two straps together.....but she can still wiggle her way out!

"Is anyone looking at me?"

"Oops..I've been spotted!"

"I'm free!"

"Messy, but free."

2011-09-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

New Post up at the Raising Dancers Blog
Click HERE.

Summer Morning Photos

2011-09-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Sarah was on a mission this morning with her wagon!

It was such a nice, cool morning.

After our breakfast, while the children started school, Matt and I went outside to watch Sarah and have some visiting time (Matt works late again today).

Sometimes I complain about a retailers work schedule, but having Matt home in the mornings is nice and the fact that he has options/flexibility with his schedule is especially helpful when the kids dance schedules get crazy....speaking of which...today is the first day of dance and the kids are bursting with excitement AND

this Saturday and Sunday are Nutcracker auditions AND this Saturday is also the start of Confirmation classes for Claire and Luke!!!!

I was so thankful that Matt switched his Saturday early (for a late) so he could help me out. It just isn't possible for me to be in two places at once, although I'm working really hard at accomplishing that :)

Our full life demands that we follow a daily schedule/routine and so far, we are keeping up with the house, school, and everyone seems happy and healthy. Let's see what happens after we layer on dance and rehearsal schedules in Sacramento.

I'll keep you posted.

Random Bits

2011-09-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

There have been lots of Chess games played around here lately.

It didn't go over too well when Claire finally beat Andrew!

Andrew set up a work station in his room and rigged up a book holder out of Legos.
Do you like the pen behind the ear? I do :)

I am always impressed with his creative abilities.

I spy Sarah's wet footprints on our bathroom towel.

Sarah has a nap time routine that works for her and I.

I lay her down in our bed at 1pm each day and she gets to take her one special book to read (right side up or upside down :) and in a few minutes she is asleep for (usually) two hours.

This is how she fell asleep the other day. I tried to pull the book from her hands, but she woke up and gave me a look that said, "Don't you dare take my book away from me!"

Here we are learning French as a family with the Rosetta Stone program.

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

Happy Labor Day!

Matt was excited to not set the alarm for this morning (he works late today) and then Sarah woke up while it was still dark and was crying.....she usually sleep in until 7:30 or even 8am. But not today.

I thought I might as well get up and do a new post on my long forgotten blog.

We were invited over to our neighbors house for a BBQ today. Everyone brings their own meat and a potluck dish to share.

We are going over to say hi, but are not staying to eat.

Matt has to work and I am actually schooling with the kids today. We have to do a study/project on the Constitution for our school, South Sutter and I want to get a head start on that. I decided to have the children make lap books on the Constitution.

Tomorrow is the first day of dance and the children can. not. wait.

Have a nice Holiday!

Luke's Birthday!

2011-08-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

Luke turns 11 next week, but because Matt has a crazy busy week at work, we needed to celebrate it yesterday!

A couple of months ago Luke decided he wanted an Angel (as in Angel Corella) birthday party!

Great idea I thought, but how do I decorate for an Angel party?

Luke also told me he wanted vibrant colors like orange, yellow, and purple. I told him he could pick two colors. He chose purple and yellow.

Anyway, I decided we could print some images of Angel off of the Internet and at least glue them to our paper cups. I knew name tags would be cute too, and Claire made those for us.

Above you can see the table scene at breakfast. Luke chose Safeway muffins for breakfast, Kraft macaroni and cheese for lunch and pizza for dinner.

Each name tag and cup had a different image of Angel

This was a special card I made for Luke with a photo of Angel (wearing the costume and performing Luke's favorite variation from Le Corsaire) and then Luke's photo on the right.

Luke opened some cards and a present~ 'Ladder ball' from my parents.

Setting up the game.

We had fun playing this as a family later in the evening.

Luke wanted Creme Brulee for his special birthday treat!

We can't believe that eleven years ago Luke was born with a broken femur and now we are celebrating his birthday and he has a broken wrist!

Luke, we love your sense of humor and your great smile!

We are thrilled with your passion for dance. You have set amazing goals for yourself and we are sure you will accomplish them!

You are a fabulous dancer....just like your role model, Angel!!!!

Keep up the good work.

2011-08-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Sarah did a face plant onto the hardwood floor and there was lots of blood.....but she is fine now.

This guy was in our backyard and so we heard talk about the spider all day long!

The kids are practicing dance right now.....they had a good productive school morning so far. Sarah is sitting in her high chair next to me eating her lunch. The weaning is going very well. I am only nursing her at night now.

Matt and I went to a matinee showing of 'The Help' yesterday. I read the book and loved it. The movie was very well done and I highly recommend it.

Hope you are having a good day!

Home Schooling Post

2011-08-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

Claire helping Patrick with Saxon Math. This is the first year Patrick will use Saxon (I use Math-U-See for grades K-3), so Claire is showing him the ropes about setting up his math notebook.

Luke with his green cast. He is still able to write, but it is a bit messy :)

Andrew starting his freshman year (can't believe it!!!!) with Saxon Algebra 2.

Matthew has some workbooks that he loves to work in....he is learning how to write his numbers, dot to dots, coloring in the lines, and writing his name.

Jack working in his Math-U-See workbook.

I think I mentioned before that we are going with a public charter school called South Sutter. We were assigned the perfect Educational Specialist (ES) for our family. I couldn't believe it when she called to 'introduce' herself and it turns out she is the mother of seven also, almost the exact same ages as our children. We also know a lot of the same families from Santa Cruz too. Very cool!

I know there are a few home schooling families that read this blog and if you are one of them, I encourage you to click on the following link. It includes beautiful words and beautiful photos about home schooling from the blog, A Holy Experience.

The post I want to share with you is titled~

WHY WOULD ANYONE BE CRAZY ENOUGH TO HOME SCHOOL?

Of course, my personal opinion is "why would anyone be crazy enough NOT to home school"?

No, I realize home schooling is not the 'path' for everyone. It is difficult, it is a challenge, it is exhausting and frustrating, and IT IS A SACRIFICE.....but all of the most beautiful and rewarding things in this life are.

One of the greatest challenges for me is that we are living with imperfect people and the imperfections (most especially mine) are extremely evident. I don't like that. I have often said to the children that I would be or at least seem like a nicer, more patient, more gentle, kinder... Mom if they only saw me in the morning before they raced out the door (to attend a brick and mortar school) and then for a half hour in the afternoon when I picked them up from school, fed them a snack, and then drove them to dance. When they arrived home between 6-7pm I would be so happy to see them and I would want to talk about their day with the biggest smile on my face.

I wouldn't even have the time to lose my patience or fuss about anything at all.

When you have only a small amount of time to spend with someone, you want it to be quality!

{We are all about quality around here, but quantity is good too.....it means that I am always available to my children.}

Sadly, my children see all of my faults on a daily basis (which is humbling for me). There are many opportunities throughout the day to apologize and ask for forgiveness and those are real life lessons (for them and me).

*BUT*

The point is not for me to seem like an awesome mother.

What is the point?

The point is to treasure family relationships, to teach our children to love and serve one another, to teach the values and morals that Matt and I find very important, to raise polite, positive children. Our goals go way beyond these.... and for us to reach our goals, it seemed that the best way to do that would be to be with our children and learn together in our home. Time will tell, but so far, for our family, this has been a win-win situation.....and our children love it. Really.

Another wise woman that home schooled four children (who are now adults having children of their own) writes at the blog, My Summer Notebook.

One of her recent blog posts was on home schooling. Matt and I agree with most everything she said. Read it HERE. It is excellent and she is a gifted writer.

~Here are some famous people who were home schooled~

Thomas Edison

Ben Franklin

CS Lewis

Abraham Lincoln

George Washington

Abigail Adams

Albert Einstein

George Patton

Mozart

Hans Christian Anderson

just to name a few.....

Quick Update

2011-08-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

I guess the best way to keep up with the blog is to write little updates when I get a spare moment!

Right now it is 3:15 pm and I just finished washing a sink full of dishes.

I got a big box of baking apples from my parents last weekend and I'm making applesauce right this very minute. It smells like Fall with the cooked apples and cinnamon! Love it!

Sarah is down for a nap. I am in the process of weaning her (ouch-y for me) but I'm happy to tell you that she put herself down for a nap today without crying!!!!! I usually nurse her to sleep or she falls asleep in the car....so this is a big deal.

Andrew went to the Orthodontist yesterday and came home with rubber bands on both sides of his mouth. He will wear them at all times day and night (except while eating and brushing his teeth). He also mentioned that the Orthodontist said he was missing two teeth on the bottom and that they weren't able to close those gaps.

What???? I knew that he has had several bottom teeth pulled in the past....so I called his dentist to see which teeth had been pulled and was told that tooth number LR3 had indeed been pulled and that was one that Andrew was "missing". I was NOT happy. The doctor's office called me back and said that they confirmed that the tooth they pulled was Andrew's baby tooth.

The receptionist told me she would call the Orthodontist to see what was going on, because their X-rays showed that Andrew's teeth were still there, just under the gums still.

Long story short~ the Orthodontist called to apologize for the big mix up. He was mistaken.....don't ask me how......but Andrew does have all of his teeth! They are just a little late coming in.

In the middle of the debacle, I asked Matt what he was going to do about this and he said, "Honey, you are carrying the torch on this one. I'm just going to help steer you in the right direction." I was pretty fired up at the time :)

Okay...that's all the news for now.

Birthday Celebration

2011-08-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

We had a birthday party for my Mom last weekend.

My brother and his family were able to join us which was really fun.

Every one spent the night here at our house which made the celebration last even longer.

The theme for the party was "Sweets for the Sweet" as my Mom has quite a sweet tooth and she is a sweet person.

Here is my Dad with Luke and Jack.

Even my parents joined in the fun~ taking part in the pool races that we always enjoy.

Poor Luke fractured his wrist~ so no swimming for him.

These photos are a bit blurry because my camera isn't fixed yet. I did my best in Manual mode.

School is off to a good start!

2011-08-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos that I never posted from a few weeks ago.

Matt and I getting ready for our pool races :)

And the two Matthews soaking up the sun.

***********

Our first day of school was yesterday. We have most of our curriculum and will be getting more tomorrow (I think). So far~ so good.

I am loving some of our new book choices and I am loving our new schedule.

School starts at 8:30am and the kids work until 10:30am. Then it's dance practice/stretch time for an hour followed by lunch and quiet personal time. As soon as I get Sarah and Matthew down for naps (around 1pm), I work with the older children doing anything from History, Science, dictation or reading.

******

It's Friday night for us (Matt is off tomorrow) so I have to make this short and sweet.

I am off to tuck little ones into bed and then spend some time with my Sweetie :)

Back from Vacation

2011-08-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here we are packed and ready to roll. Sarah is crying and cried for most of the three hour car ride.

The good news is that we had some quality visiting time with all of Matt's family, the weather was perfect, we enjoyed delicious food and lots of laughs.

The downside was that my camera was not working. I was only able to take a handful of photos.

Matt and I tried everything to get the camera to work.

We will have to send it in to get repaired.

The above photos showed the house we stayed in. The first house photo was taken from the second story (our bedroom) looking down on the main living area.

As always, breakfast and lunch is for each family to do on their own. Dinners are always shared with everyone at different houses each night.

The highlight of the trip was seeing our children interact with their cousins. It's wonderful to see the children getting along so well and enjoying each other's company. There were thirteen children ages fourteen and under.

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

We are home now and getting caught up on laundry, cleaning the house, restocking the fridge etc...

I have another busy week. We are getting together with friends and then preparing to have my family over this weekend.

School starts Monday, so I'm trying to prep for that as well. Sarah is not letting me get a lot accomplished, though. That little stinker.

That's all for now.

Guess Who Had Fun with a Blue Marker?

2011-07-31T07:16:00.000-07:00

Sarah is capable of holding a marker the correct way and 'writing' squiggle lines along a piece of paper quite nicely, but the other day, it was just too tempting~ and here you can see that marker on the hands was great fun!

Blue is very becoming :)

This is the face she gives me when I say, "Smile!"

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

Yesterday was the last day of Summer Intensive for my dancing children. They had a great two weeks and are sad it is over. Claire said it so eloquently, "The worst torture in the world is not having dance classes for a month!" Then Luke chimed in with, "No, the worst torture would be no classes for a year!"

The break will be good for all of us. I was driving back and forth to the studio four times per day during the Intensive, but I have nothing better to do anyway, right??? :) (Actually, Matt drove a lot of the time when he was off or worked late/early).

Of course now they have to continue to practice and stretch so their bodies stay in good shape when the new dance year starts up in September.

Meanwhile, we have company coming over the beginning of this week, and I have to grocery shop and do laundry and pack all of our stuff for our family reunion/vacation this week too.

Then, we start school Aug. 15. We are going with a public charter school this year and I'm excited about it.

I will do a home schooling post in the next few days in case anyone is interested in what we plan to do this year curriculum wise.

Matt worked overnight last night for an inventory project, which means he has today off....well, he will sleep in a bit (I hope) and then he will be tired....but he will be here :)

I think Matt wants to work in the backyard a bit this afternoon as he told me yesterday that it looked like a dump! I don't think it looks that bad, but it could use a little attention.

So, it feels like Summer is over just. like. that. The 'lazy' days are behind us. Bummer. I'm not great with 'lazy' days anyway. It feels good to start writing out the new school schedule. I'm all about the schedule!

Do you like schedules/routine?

An AG Post

2011-07-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

One day last week Claire and her friend Nicole got to play American Girl (AG) dolls.

Both girls have four dolls each and they love to collect accessories for their girls.

On this visit, the girls decided to have a doll fashion show. Can you see the adorable trophy in the photo above that Nicole created out of paper???? I love it when children use their imaginations and create!!!!

The prizes were a trophy, a ribbon, and a plaque.

Lots of time was spent getting outfits ready and hair dos finished.

Here is a runway shot.

This is Chrissa and she won the award for 'Best Hair'.

Claire has recently been working on her AG dolls 'house' and she has made a bunch of cute things by hand. We want to take a video and post it on You Tube soon. I will let you know if we do that.

2011-07-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

These two have a special bond....I think it's gonna be hard on both of them when Andrew leaves in a few (short) years. Notice how they like to dress alike too :)

Sarah in the 'Lego mix'

So, I gave Andrew and Claire an assignment. They needed to prepare dinner from start to finish on their own.

Claire prepared some garlic and herb pasta for us, served it with a green salad, and made lemon cake mix cookies for dessert.

The following night, Andrew decided to make a Tuna casserole (but not the usual one with egg noodles). He served frozen green beans on the side, and decided scooping ice cream into bowls for dessert was yummy enough. It was.

These were really simple meals, but they were delicious and they were successful. Life skills are important.

In Andrew's spare time, he created this remote control Lego creature.

It is a completely original design by Andrew and I think it's pretty amazing.

I could never do something like this. My brain doesn't work this way!!!

Sarah has a difficult time accepting that she is only one! Most days she thinks she is four, or nine, or twelve!!!! She isn't happy unless she is doing what her siblings are doing!

2011-07-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

I ended up going for a run later in the day yesterday, but could only run about half of my usual course when I had to stop. I thought it had to do with the heat, since I usually run at 6:30 in the morning...when it is still pleasantly cool. I ended up walking/slowly jogging to get back home.

I felt "out of it"for the rest of the day...it was especially bad when we were swimming at our friends house in the afternoon. Each minute seemed like an eternity. I could barely drive home at 5pm and as soon as we got in the door, I had to go to bed. I was burning up with a fever all night. I felt terrible. Thankfully, Andrew and Claire and the other children worked together to make and serve dinner (quesadillas and cherries) and dessert (brownies and watermelon) and completely clean the house for me. Matt was home at 8pm and everyone had already taken showers and brushed their teeth. It's times like these that I am happy we have a regular routine around here!

I woke up this morning feeling much better, but not great. You know how it is when you can move around at half speed getting just the very basic of tasks accomplished. That's me right now. I have a long to do list, but that list will have to keep growing for today. Sometimes we moms have to take some time to slow down and tend to our own needs.....and rest.

Friends Came Over

2011-07-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

Annina and Michelina (friends from dance) came over last week to swim and hang out.

After swimming, everyone had snacks and played games.

Andrew and Annina played Scrabble~ and let me just say that Annina is AMAZING at it! I mean she can use up all of her tiles for the 50 bonus points several times in one game!!!!! She has literally played hundreds of Scrabble games with her Dad and it shows.

Nonetheless, Andrew had great fun playing and learning a few tricks during the game.

Scattergories is really popular at our house at the moment, so that is what everyone else played....

even Matt :)

***********

I want to thank everyone that commented on my last post. I appreciate the support.

***********

Okay, yesterday was the first day of Summer Intensive! I figured out that I only need to make four trips to NCDC during the coarse of the day and not five.

My friend borrowed my camera and took tons of photos, so I actually need to wait until after Friday to post some photos here on my blog.

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

My ES will be here any minute. We have a meeting today to discuss curriculum for the next school year (which starts Aug. 15)!!!!!! Can't believe how full and fun our lives are right now. I wouldn't change a thing!

2011-07-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

I wish I had patience.
I wish I didn't yell.
I wish I was a better mother.

I did say, "I'm sorry."

But I still feel sad.

Tomorrow is another day.....but I can't take back what I said today.

Totally Random Photos from this Week

2011-07-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning breakfast was scrambled eggs and pancakes which uses twenty eggs! But, we did have some leftovers.

Claire and Luke playing Cribbage.

Sarah with her book basket.

Matthew can finally "swim" in the pool...meaning he doesn't hold onto the edge of the pool for dear life. He still has to wear his floaties at all times.

Quiet evening play time.

More game playing.....this time it's Scattergories.

Look who is trying to get in on the fun! Sarah is a fast climber!!!

This photo was taken when I was gone the other day.

Matt told me to check the camera for the photos he took of Sarah. This is what I found. She looks pretty cute in a red bandanna :)

Bath Time Photos

2011-07-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

***I have a new post up at our other blog, Raising Dancers. Go check it out. ***

2011-07-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

Our days seem to be filled with all of the chores, big and small, that need doing in regards to the upkeep of things.

Yesterday, I cleaned and vacuumed both of our cars and then Matt and the boys washed them. This was done first thing in the morning before it was too hot.

Matt also got a haircut and we had to run two errands~ to Target for diapers, wipes, and new swim floaties for Matthew, then to Sports Authority for Luke's slip on Adidas sandals.

Matthew had fun playing with Playmobile in the afternoon while I read out loud from Stuart Little.

We are missing Andrew, Claire, Patrick, and Jack so much. I think a full week away is too long for us that stay behind :(

I know they are having tons of fun hanging out with their grandparents and Uncle John and Aunt Ana and we can't wait to hear all of the details of their vacation!

The At-Home Vacation

2011-07-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well, we are enjoying our time this week especially with Matt off for three days in a row! Very rare. He will go back to work tomorrow.

It is so nice when he is home, but our schedule/routine is always so different. Somehow, the house gets and stays messier with him home....hhmmmm..... :)

So, the other day Luke says to me, "Can I do the dishes? I've never done the dishes before."

I replied with a hearty, "Yes, yes you may do the dishes (thinking to myself~what kind of mother doesn't have her children do dishes??? and why does he want to do them???) He washed them all and told me he wanted to wash dishes again sometime. Have I mentioned before that Andrew loves to wash dishes also. He will often ask me if he can? So thankful for that.

Nothing like getting them started early on video games (said in a totally sarcastic voice).

Sarah and I got up early this morning and this is where she wanted to hang out a bit. She doesn't see why she can't play Agricola too.

We had a late game last night and were too tired/lazy to clean up after ourselves....vacations are great.....

The other half of my kitchen has stayed super clean. I didn't have to cook for the last two night thanks to dinner out at Red Robin (Luke's special request). We did NOT like it and will not go back again. It is a chain restaurant (not a fan of chains anyway, but Roseville is full of them). We had Sushi last night and it was excellent! Luke doesn't like seaweed, so I made grilled cheese sandwiches for he, Matthew, and Sarah.

I seriously love preparing meals for my family, but having a break and a tidy kitchen is AWESOME too~ every once in a while :)

I don't have a photo of Matthew to post today, but I can tell you he is having a very difficult time with the other children away. Last night there were lots of tears.

This morning I told Matthew that I didn't want him to cry tonight, that we were picking up the other kids in two days and that it's nice for them to have a fun time with Gam and Gamp. He looked at me and said, "Mom, I have to tell you something. When people go away, I cry."

********

Another Matthew quote ~

Matthew held up a black hair pin (that he found in the boys room) and said, "Mommy, someone put their bun in Andrew's carpet."

Friends Come to Visit

2011-07-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here is Becky holding Sarah (left) and Anna (right).

Our friends, Becky and Steve (and their children Sam and Anna) came to hang with us for a few days last week. They are kind of making the rounds to visit everyone because they will be living in Switzerland for the next year! It was the first time we met two month old Anna and she was an absolute delight. Claire and I could not get enough of her. She is such a happy, content baby. And SO CUTE!

Claire holding a sleeping Anna.

This is the 'brown photo' :) Matthew and Sam were good little playmates. The favorite toys were farm animals, cars, and train tracks!

Sam is only 2 1/2 but talks up a storm and is very polite. He always says please and thank you! I was very impressed with that. He also puts himself to bed.....he will say, "I think I am ready for bed now." I think this happened around 7:30pm. Remarkable.

Steve only stayed one night as he had a conference in San Diego, but Beck and I had some long, and very interesting discussions. Beck knows me inside and out. She knows all of my flaws and we can be very frank with each other and still remain friends. I think it is good to have someone in your life like that. I'm fortunate.

2011-07-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

(These were seriously the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made)

(Matthew playing 'kitchen' one night last week)

(Sarah fell asleep after nursing...I am not nursing her in the photo).

(Andrew, Claire, and Luke got to see Billy Elliot in San Francisco. Yes, the language is "very spicy")!

(One of the kids took this photo of me holding Sarah while texting).

We are at or over 100* today and have already been in the pool for a nice swim. Sarah is not afraid of the water at all, which is good and bad.

Sarah is sitting next to me at the kitchen table as I write this. She is snacking on some turkey and cheese bits.

Earlier today I went through another box of hand me down clothes from my niece and actually found two pairs of shorts and two summer tops (the rest of the clothes were for cold weather). Yay! for "new" clothes for Sarah.

Our 'vacation at home' week has started out pretty well, although we miss the other kids sooooooo much. Luke describes the house as very different and very quiet. He says he is excited about this week, but wouldn't like every day to be like this. He is very relieved that he is not an only child. I have learned a few new things about Luke. He doesn't like to bake and he doesn't really like eating pasta.

2011-07-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

(Mr. C lifting Luke)

(and Claire)

Mr. C came over for dinner a few nights ago and it was great fun for the kids to have him swim, play games, and do some lifts in the pool with them. It was also his first time playing Foosball, so the kids were able to teach him a thing or two :)

We had a casual BBQ and hung out for the night....watched a dance documentary and enjoyed checking out some games on Mr. C's iPhone (above photo).

Last night was the last of the dance shows for the end of the year. Luke, Patrick, and Jack performed and all of them did a great job!

It was also the end of the year party, which the kids enjoyed. It was the last time they will see some of their classmates as two will not be returning next year. Very sad.

Tomorrow, Andrew, Claire, Patrick, and Jack will be heading to my parent's house for the week. Luke is going to stay here and play 'only child' with Matt and I. Matthew and Sarah will be with us, but when they are napping and at night when they are put to bed early, it will be solo time for Luke. Matt and I are looking forward to this. It is fun for us to relish time with our children one on one!

Luke and Matthew have each made lists of things they would like to do this week~

Luke's List

1) go out to Red Robin (we have never been there)

2) watch a special movie at night while having a Sushi picnic in the living room

3) go out for Yogurt

4) go swimming

5) have a great time

Matthew's List

1) play Hero Factory

2) play Cootie Bug

3) go to park and have a picnic

4)watch movies

I'm sure we can do most of these things. It will be a vacation for me with less laundry and dishes :)

2011-06-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

(Erin and Andrew the evening before Erin left for New York)

Hello hello!

I can't believe it's raining today. I would rather not go out in the rain, but I had to drop off some library books and run to the grocery store to grab a few things (almost a full shopping cart). Our friends are coming to stay with us for the next three days. I'm looking forward to hanging out and meeting their new baby, Anna.

The kids and I just finished a 'gourmet' dinner~ grilled cheese and peaches.

Matt is working late and we all love a good grilled cheese sandwich.

As I type this, Claire is reading Little Women and Andrew is reading Education of a Wandering Man. The little boys are playing with Sarah.

(I don't know why I took the above photo. It shows Matt scooping ice cream after dinner as children are taking turns showering. I know that much because I see two wet heads. It is obviously not a posed shot, but very typical of what night time looks like around here :)

I wanted to include the above photo because it shows our newly painted island!

I mentioned before how I was really getting tired of brown everywhere in my home...brown floor, brown cupboards, brown furniture.....

We don't have any money to spend on home improvements so we had to get creative. What could we do that would cost very little, but update the look of our house? After we painted the kitchen table and chairs black, Matt finally decided that our kitchen island would look great painted too (I already thought that it would, but Matt wasn't ready to do it...he knows how long "little" projects like this take :)

I did NOT pressure him, I promise.

He said to me (on his own) that the island would look good and he wanted to paint it. Yippee!!

So, he finished that project about two weeks ago and we are very pleased with the look. (We purchased the knobs in a value pack of ten from Home Depot~ they match the appliances).

Okay. I need to close now as Sarah just found me and she wants to nurse.

Saturday Update

2011-06-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

I decided to make play doh the other day as Sarah wants to do more. She is very good at "reading her books" and being read to....she can stack six blocks on top of each other over and over again, she follows several 'commands', she is starting to color, but I wanted her to have something new and fun to discover. Rolling and pushing and squeezing and pulling play doh is great fun for little hands and improves fine motor skills.

Can you tell that she was concentrating and having fun?

Matthew had fun too.

We also had two sets of friends over for some pool time.

Swimming, Foosball, snacks and Popsicles.....what more could children want?

The little boys are outside swimming right now too. The older children are performing in their last dance show of the day. They had six (yes SIX!) shows today....which means they had a ton of fun, but will be tired and hungry when Matt picks them up in an hour. We have food ready for them and then we will have ice cream with toppings (what we call 'make your own Coldstone') to celebrate with them and a job well done!

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

Random Summer Shots

2011-06-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

Nothing says Summer like burgers off the grill with Rootbeer floats :)

I like to make french fries.....so easy....just bake the potatoes in olive oil with garlic and S&P. Toss in fresh rosemary if you have it.

Love this shot of Luke kissing Sarah.

I find it works out really well to work on a blog post while preparing dinner. Now that we have this new nifty laptop, I can open a can, stir some sauce, chop some veggies.....and in between all of that~ I can load a photo, write a bit, add another photo, etc....very handy!

Right now, the four oldest are at dance. Matthew is sound asleep. We had friends over to swim for a few hours and he is tuckered out. Jack is helping me with Sarah....he just got out some colored puzzle blocks for her to play with, and I am making a triple batch of my great grandmother's spaghetti sauce.

We finished watching Lark Rise to Candleford (BBC series) last night and are very sad it is over. Please netflix it if you enjoy period pieces. This one was very well done, and we grew to love the characters. Margaret and Thomas Brown were my favorites....and wise old Queenie.

Matt and I love a good period piece, but so do our children. The beauty of watching a series (this one lasted four seasons) is that we can enjoy watching it together as a family. Even Jack loved watching. Matthew was too young.

Tonight we begin watching Lord of the Rings. I have never watched the entire trilogy, only bits and pieces here and there. Andrew is such a fan of LOTR that I figured it was time I gave them my undivided attention. So, the kids get home from dance at 7:30pm, we will eat dinner (spaghetti and salad), prayer time, showers/brush teeth, and then Matt and I will start our movie. We may pop some popcorn for a snack. Looking forward to our 'date night'.

Are you watching any good movies/series at the moment?

Do you have any to recommend to us?

Father's Day

2011-06-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

I think Matt enjoyed his Father's day celebration. It was simple. We stayed home all day together.

Matt's request for breakfast was home made cinnamon rolls and smoothies. Lunch was turkey sandwiches on special rolls and for dinner we had chicken fajitas.

I can' believe I forgot to take a photo of the awesome poster/card the children made for him.

His gifts included some running shorts, shirt, socks and a kitchen blowtorch for making Creme Brulee whenever his heart desires!!!! (I make it~he torches)

At dinner, we all offered little toasts and speeches to the TWO special fathers in our house. Yes, Andrew is Sarah's godfather, so we toasted him as well :)

Baby Ballerina

2011-06-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

I COULD NOT resist this adorable pink tutu swim suit when I saw it at Target.

I put Sarah in it for the first time and went a little photo crazy.

These were my favorites.

It's Monday morning at 9:15am.

I went for a short run at 6:30am. It was already hot outside. We had left over cinnamon rolls (I made them for Father's day) and smoothies for breakfast.

Everyone did their morning chores quickly so we could start another game of Agricola.

We played a game last night and now we are all in the Agricola mood! It really feels like summer....swimming, eating out in the backyard, no school, the heat, eating watermelon and fresh juicy blueberries daily......

I have a ton of photos to go through and post. Hopefully, I will get to those later this afternoon.

Have a great, summer day!

Summer

2011-06-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

We are finally enjoying summer weather~ perfect for swimming!

Although, last week you can see that I was still wearing a sweatshirt in the mornings. Here is a shot that Claire took of me doing the dishes after breakfast. This is typical. Everyone wants to hang out in the kitchen and chat with me. Luke was watching me wash, Andrew was unloading the dishwasher...and I like to include these non posed shots of a moment in time.

Sarah found some play things in the pantry cupboard.

"Mom, I heard you clicking away with your camera...so I'm giving you a big smile!"

Luke and Claire are the 'artists' in the house. They, more than anyone else will get out their sketch/paint books and get lost in creating. They are both very particular about how their 'station' is set up.

Sarah is at the age where she is observing and trying to copy everything we do. I was dusting the living room and gave her a dust rag too. She knew just what to do.

See the blurry action shot? She was going for it!

Andrew's favorite spot to read. One can find him here often :)

Sunday afternoon play time/movie time......messy living room.

Tidy living room.

Delicious lunch with good friends.

I was thinking last weekend about how we love to hang out and relax together (on the weekends)....when we don't have school or dance and our days are open to do whatever we want...be it playing board games together, reading a book aloud together or each reading our own book or magazine, tidying up the backyard (two people sweeping, one pulling weeds, one with the water can.....baking a new dessert, even watching a movie and munching on popcorn in our living room....organizing drawers and closets in bedrooms (yes, the children actually like it when I help them with this because they like order).

So many families have to go someplace on the weekends....they have to fill up that time and get out of the house. They don't seem to be content to just be....at home together. Why is that?

I think the more you go out, the more you want to. It almost seems like torture to many families nowadays to have to stay at home.

They have to go to the movies as a family and then out to eat.....they have to hang out at the mall all day and eat there.....seriously...Matt tells me about all of the families that make the mall their outing for the weekend.....that just makes me want to poke my eyeballs out.....where is the next fair or carnival?....at least there is the big flea market!....how about miniature golfing?......these are not bad things. But all of the time???? Seriously?

Speaking of children growing up needing and expecting entertainment at every waking hour. It is a disservice to children (I believe) to always have them on the go.

Let's try to 'be still' with out children. Let's try and sit with them~ do a puzzle, bake a treat, color in a coloring book next to them and listen to what they want to talk about (it's enlightening). If you have a daughter, paint your toe nails together.....you don't need to go out to a salon for a mani/pedi session (and shopping and lunch) to have quality time together.

I certainly love to go out with my family and we are looking forward to taking the children to the zoo and possibly a museum or two over the summer, but we don't go every weekend (or every day that Matt has off).

Do you? Look at your calendar and see if you have stayed at home at least one weekend out of the last four? What do you like to do with your family at home??

2011-06-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

Dad,
How are you today? I'm writing this especially for you because I don't want you to check my blog and not see a new post.
It is nearly 10pm. I had a busy day.....which is pretty much how I can sum up all of my days :)
I got up at 6:15am and got a run in. The weather is so perfect for running at that time of day.
I arrived home at 7am and started preparing Oatmeal Chocolate Chip muffins for breakfast. No one was up until 7:15 or so. Matthew was the first one to greet me, so drowsy looking. He always wants me to hold him when he first wakes up. He sat on my lap facing me and he put his warm, soft cheek against mine. I always want to stop time at moments like those. Seriously, how great is it to be a Mom and have each of your children get up and make their way into the kitchen to be with you???? Well, that and they are hungry and want to see what they will be eating for breakfast :) Matt and Sarah slept in a bit, but everyone was up by 7:45am....a true summer morning.
We all worked on our morning chores after breakfast. Andrew actually pulled the huge weeds that were taking over our side yard. Did you notice them the last time you were here??? I swept the back patio. I know Matt can use the blower....but sometimes I just like to sweep. Matt and Andrew spent about an hour this morning painting the last of the kitchen chairs black. The table and two of the chairs is already in the kitchen. I think they look great. I'm very happy that Matt takes his time and is so methodical when it comes to little home improvement projects.
I quickly ran to the library to drop off and pick up a couple of books that I had on hold and then I started to prepare lunch at 11:30am so that Matt would have time to eat before he got ready for work.
After lunch, there was kitchen cleanup and some laundry that needed attention from me.
While the kids swam, Sarah and I hung out in the shade....she was happy playing with the broom and a little ball. I only let the kids swim for an hour because they had dance this afternoon and swimming takes a lot out of them.
As you can see, it was a very typical, mellow day for us. No real news. Just the simple and ordinary activities that fill up our days.
I'm tired now...so....goodnight.
Only five more days until Mom is home with you!
Love, Laura

Simple, Ordinary Lives

St. Valentine's Day!

Paris~ Days 3 and 4

Paris~ Days 1 and 2

Switzerland~ Day 3

Switzerland~ Day 2

Bonjour! Switzerland~Day 1

Hello! Hello!

Sweet Claire is THIRTEEN!

Attention Celeste :)

Fun Weekend

Hello!

New Year's Eve Birthday!

I'm (Finally) Posting Christmas Morning Photos!

Christmas Eve

Photos from Dec. 18th

Wednesday Evening

Faces of Sarah

Nana and Grandpa Come to Visit!

This time of year...

Good Morning

Jack loses a tooth and other stuff...

Christmas Decorating

Random Photos

Hi Heather!!!!

Our Thanksgiving

Everyday Photos and Vacation Plans

Hello on Wednesday Night :)

Video Friday

Introducing Claire's Blog

Halloween 2011

No New Photos

Not Much to Report from Our House

Happy Birthday Matt!!!!

Play Kitchen

Monday Update

Another Video

Test Video

School Stuff

Gampy Party

Highlights

One Day at a Time

for ol dad

Summer Morning Photos

Random Bits

Luke's Birthday!

Home Schooling Post

Quick Update

Birthday Celebration

School is off to a good start!

Back from Vacation

Guess Who Had Fun with a Blue Marker?

*An AG Post*

Friends Came Over

Totally Random Photos from this Week

Bath Time Photos

The At-Home Vacation

Friends Come to Visit

Saturday Update

Random Summer Shots

Father's Day

Baby Ballerina

Summer

An AG Post