Enthusiastic Greetings

One of the great benefits of living in this crazy household is being welcomed home with excitement. For example, when Posy came home from work this morning, Gus exclaimed, “Posy, you’re back!!” And ran to give her a huge hug.

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And then he moved in to steal her tea…

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The kids actually greet anyone they know with this enthusiasm. Having a bad day? Come to our house and everyone will be happy to see you.

July Daybook

A daybook style post from the whole family:

Outside my window… the pool needs more water, the grass is dead, and the pool towels need to be washed.

I am thinking…  Max is thinking about how to make an interesting Lego space ship.

I am thankful… for this chaos.

In the kitchen… someone will eventually have to load the dishwasher. Who will it be?

I am wearing… Molly is wearing one of Tessa’s shirts that she has turned into a dress for the third day in a row.

I am creating… there is a lot of coloring going on here these days. The picture below was colored by Lily (left picture) and Molly (right picture) at the same time with no fighting!
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I am going… a little crazy with cabin fever. I long for the ability to take a walk after dinner, or take the kids to the park to run off some steam.

I am wondering… Tessa is wondering why her ear wasn’t hurting earlier last night. (She woke up with swimmer’s ear.) She is also wondering when she can have a friend over.

I am reading… The Wizard of Oz aloud to the kids. They are loving it and begging for more chapters every night. Ben just finished the Hunger Games Trilogy, and Tessa is reading Ender’s Game. Have to get ready for the movies this fall!

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I am hoping… for a miracle with a particular school waiting list.

I am looking forward to… Jay coming home from work.

I am learning… Molly is learning more letters almost every day. She is also trying to teach Gus how to spell her name, even though he can’t even say his own.

Around the house… Ben is playing a video game that the kids probably shouldn’t watch. Gus is playing with Fisher Price Little People, Lily and Molly, when asked what they were doing, replied, “Um, … stuff.” (It looks like it involves scissors.) Oh my, now they have a stapler too…

I am pondering… Jay is pondering the business, as we transition over to a different set up, he is under a lot of stress.

I am praying for… Posy, who is in South Africa building a home on a mission trip.

A favorite quote for today… from Ben: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” -Dr. Seuss

One of my favorite things… my morning coffee while doing my bible study. I wish I could stay in that moment all day long.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Deal with the overdue library books, take the kids swimming every day, school supply shopping, take Ben to get his driving permit, find some cheap (and cool) ways to get the kids out of the house.

A peek into my day… before breakfast:

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Hello 2013!

I’ve been neglecting this blog for a good long time, so I’m just going to jump right back in here and share a little about the few whose pictures I could grab today.

Tessa is getting busier by the day, she’s 10 (and three quarters!) and is such a joy. She helps around the house, cares for her siblings, reads and discusses books, enjoys fun movies, and even lets a little of the pre-teen surliness come through at times. She played volleyball this fall and was recently accepted to her school’s Honors Choir.
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Max is a busy Lego fiend! When he is not masterminding a new lego creation, he is playing Lego Lord of the Rings on xBox. He’s recently become a pro at foosball, and loves to stay up late reading. He turned 8 at Christmas and is feeling much more grown up now.
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Molly is three, which is the same this as saying that she is at the advanced level of being two. She is a feisty thing, willing to beat up either Lily or Max to get what she wants. She is a regular on the time-out bench. But when she turns on the charm, she is the sweetest little girl you ever met. She loves just as fiercely as she plays. She is smart as a whip too, Lily is teaching her how to sound out words and she recognizes most numbers.
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Lily is 5 and sweet as can be. She has a tender heart and gets her feelings hurt easily. She is reading now and loves to write letters to people. She wants desperately to play piano like her big siblings. Lily has lots of friends and is always busy playing with her dolls.
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Gus is trouble on wheels, only without the wheels. He is 14 months old and has figured out that if he makes a mess in one place, I have to clean it up and then he is free to get into something bigger in another place. If the dishwasher is open, he goes straight for the knives, if the bathroom door is open, he goes straight for the toilet, if the bunk bed ladder is left out, he climbs straight to the top. He eats lego bricks, throws food on the floor, and can melt your heart with one hippo-toothed smile. He loves to be held, even at his staggering 25 pounds. He knows lots of sign language but the only words he really uses are hot, turtle, and NO. He takes two twenty minute naps a day and wakes up almost every hour at night. And I still think he is the cutest, snuggliest baby boy ever.
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Ben is 15 and getting a little bored with family life. He gets a little stir crazy at times even though he likes to have fun here with us. Old enough for big, complicated chores, he gets leaned on a little too much, but I am so grateful for his help. He’s in his third year of Latin and is always working on his music – at least when he isn’t watching netflix or playing xBox. He always has some fascinating new facts to share with us.
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Paisley has been around the house more over the holidays and it has been nice to have her. She’s working full time (and then some!) at Lancome and that keeps her hopping! Today she grabbed a nap on the couch, yesterday she took the younger kids to the park for more than an hour!
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James is 20 and still living at home. He’s working hard at a few jobs.  Right now he is working the sound for masses at our church and playing a few gigs around town. He recently got a truck and is enjoying having a little freedom without having to ask for rides.

Posy is 17 and in the middle of her senior year of high school. She is always busy. She volunteers with the youth group, works at Cousin’s subs on the weekend, and is trying to keep her grades up and apply for colleges.

Jay and I are just trying to keep everyone fed and clothed and out of trouble! This crew keeps us hopping!  Happy New Year!

 

A New School Year

I had so dreaded the summer.  We weren’t going to go anywhere, and my husband was going to be out of town a lot, so I was facing cabin fever with not much help with the little kids.  But oh my, was it different than I anticipated!  I set a flexible schedule for our days, with some planned time out of the house.  I structured my mornings around coffee and bible study and threw in a little exercise for good measure, and darn if it wasn’t about the best summer I have had yet.

 

And now it is over.  Back to school for most, first time to school for Lily, and days at home with just two babies for me.

 

Our transition into school was a bit tough this year. It was dragged out for three weeks.  The first week one school started.  The second week the other two schools started, but one had half days all week.  The third week all three schools were on normal schedules, but there were school meetings almost every night.  Now we should be on normal school time and we are adjusting as unsmoothly as we normally do.  The house is a mess, the toddlers are crabby, and the calendar changes faster than I can let everyone know.

 

Anyway, here is a brief update on the crew:

-Paisley: Working for Lancome and loving it!  She visits at least once a week just to spend some time with us.

-James: Working at Cousins Subs, running sound for masses at church, and playing music around town.  He’s a busy guy these days and he seems to be thriving.

– Posy: A senior this year!  She scaled back her work hours at Cousins Subs to the weekends so she can focus on her studies and college applications. She’s driving a long distance to school each day and still finding time to spend with the little girls for combing hair and doing nails.

– Ben: A Freshman in the same school as Posy.  He is thriving in his 3rd year of Latin, interested in his studies and facebook.

– Tessa: 5th grade sweetheart.  She can’t really be called one of the “Littles” any more in our household.  She is shouldering more responsibility around here and made the volleyball team at school.

– Max: 2nd grade!  Max would play piano 24 hours a day if we let him, stopping only for a break to watch America’s Funniest Home Videos.

– Lily: Kindergarten girl!  Lily is loving school and seems to be doing very well there.  Since she turns 5 this month, she will attend kindergarten at her preschool this year and then kindergarten at the older kids’ school next year.  I think it will work very well.

– Molly: Every bit a 2 year old.  Molly is still the family firecracker.  Most prone to scream in both happiness and distress, she lets you know how she feels.  She misses Lily and loves to “help” me around the house.

– Gus: 10 months, still not sleeping.  Gus is walking well and starting to pick up a word or two and some baby signs.  He doesn’t use them frequently though, so you always find yourself asking, “Did he just say…. ?”  He’s also huge (for a Groft baby), weighing in at 22 lbs.  We joke that God made him big to protect him from Molly, who only outweighs him by about 3 pounds and loves to sit on him.

– Jay: is working hard at both jobs, and praying for cooler weather.

And I am just trying to stay one step ahead of this crew and their needs, their meals, and their mess.

 

So Happy New (School) Year!  I hope it will be just as blessed as the summer was!

A Friday in the Life: one picture an hour (or so)

Today I am going to try to take a picture or two each hour and give a snapshot of the whole day.  Forgive the pictures, please, most are just quick shots with my phone.

7am. Coffee and kindle. Yes, I really do have that much cream in my coffee, it’s not just a trick of the light.

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8am. Kids playing in the family room I cleaned last night. It’s so much easier to play when the floor isn’t a minefield!

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9am. Finish the great backpack hunt, laundry is moving along, Now kids are on to Kinectimals.

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9:30. What’s this wet stuff falling from the sky? And in the daytime too!

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10am. Still raining! Lily’s turn on xBox. Molly following Posy around.

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11am. Posy leaves for work, the desert rats play in puddles!

12pm. James plays piano. Peanut butter sandwiches for everyone.

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1pm. Tessa reads the kids a pre-nap book while I nurse Gus to sleep.

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2pm. Molly’s still napping. The kids are taking turns with Gus while I fix and arrange the bookshelves.

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3pm. Sew buttons on two pair of James’s pants. Then off we go to Costco!

4pm. Finally made it to the store. Settled on Safeway since it took us a full 45 minutes just to get shoes, go potty and get out the door. Thus, there is no picture for 3pm. But by 4, we were busy at the store. I forgot ice, as usual.

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5pm. Gus naps while I make dinner.

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6pm. Dinner is done, time to clean up and get ready for company!

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7pm. Molly has been coughing that tell tale cough all day and has been prone to melt downs. Time for a breathing treatment while she plays on my kindle.

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8pm. Swim time.

9pm. Saved the best for last!  Friends are here and the music is flowing freely. We finish up with Mumford and Sons done by Jay and sons. Jay and max are on the piano, Ben on mandolin, and James on guitar.  Poor video quality, I know, but hang in there after the first minute and the sound gets a little better (and Molly stops drumming.)

Jay and Sons play Mumford and Sons

 

Clumsy Jesus

During Holy Week, the 8th grade class at our parish school puts on a dramatic presentation of the Stations of the Cross.  It is beautifully done, and a nice way to bring the children into the Triduum.  At the stations when Jesus falls, they drop the cross very loudly and dramatically.  They definitely got Molly’s attention with the loud, sharp noise.  In the weeks following Easter, Molly would often point out that “Jesus always falls.  It hurts.”

A few weeks ago, Posy was headed out to the 11am mass by herself.  Molly wanted to go with her.  So this loving big sister brought her 2 year old sibling to mass with her (on purpose!).  Molly fell asleep during the mass and Posy let her lay down on the pew.  At one point, a nearby parishioner let a kneeler fall, making a loud noise.  Molly sat up and asked, groggily, “Did Jesus fall?”

Happy New Year 2012!

The new year began for me with picking up kids from the family New Year Party.  But then came sleep in a toasty bed.

New Year Morning

In the real morning (not just counting when the clock turns to AM) I found the little ones (mostly) happily coloring and keeping (mostly) quiet while the older kids slept in.

Around the lunch table, we toasted the new year with sparkling cider and a “Please, let it be better than 2011!” and everyone shared their resolutions.

Molly: Nurse
Lily: Say a Hail Mary Every Day
Max: Be more careful to be neat in his seat work at school
Tessa: Pray a decade of the Rosary every day
Ben: Run more
Posy: Get a job
James: Purposeful practice of his music, eat healthier
Jay: Go on a date night once per week (I like that one!), keep his truck cleaner
Me: Read 12 books (1 per month – or more if possible), and blog more

Last year I tried the Picture a Day challenge and didn’t last very long with it.  This year I am trying a more modest approach with a goal of 2 picture based blog posts per week.  I think that will be much more doable.

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Happy Birthday, Posy!  I can’t believe you are really 16 years old.   You have gone from a fussy baby, to a rambunctious toddler, to a creative, thoughtful, amazing young woman.  You are quiet and watchful one moment, taking in everything around you, and wild and crazy the next, keeping everyone around you laughing.  You are going places, my little girl.  The world is your oyster.