Little Things

Sarah loooooooooves cursive. She also loves labeling things.

The marriage of Sarah's two great loves.

 We've been doing a whole lotta art up in the PI (Pernot Institute). Nonna swooped in and helped a mother out with some supplies for these pajama+antibiotic days.

"This is my new friend. He is so cute. He likes me."

Busy little fingers.

I hesitate to put this picture on the blog for two reasons.
1. I never want to remember the house being so filthy as it is.
2. I realllllly don't want to remember the botch haircut I administered to Thomas.
(Matt held him down last night so I could fix it. Tommy looks like a Dandy now.)

Ok. This face is so smooshy. I know I have posted about 400 pictures of Koala looking like this but, C'MON! It doesn't get any chubbier than that!
 Also, every time I get my camera out he says, "Take my picto! I smile good!

Finished products.
Nathan is giving his bird a kiss.
Thomas is trying to hold his paper puppet up higher than Joseph's puppet.
Joseph is trying to hide his face so he doesn't close his eyes when the flash goes off.

"Yeah, but Joseph, if you hide your face then it doesn't matter if you close you eyes for the picture because I can't see you anyway."

"Ok, Mom. I will show one eye."
 

Sarah and Rambo.
I love headbands.

I make Esther wear this snowsuit and I am thoroughly grieving that she is outgrowing it.
The people at church audibly chuckle when we walk in with our little reindeer. And while I don't make her don this suit for pure comic effect, it does lighten the mood after having to stuff the children in the car and hurryhurryHURRY into Mass.
 

Boo and his "balogie" (balogna,bagel,balogna)
Ewwwww gross.

Helping Mom with the mountain of laundry.

Tom, always the Dandy.



Ok, maybe not always.

I love this.

Sarah has been allowing me to brush her hair and try new things. It has been my dream to have this time with her. We both love playing beauty parlor.



Eyes open.
Smiling.
Want to remember.

Funny kids.

 

Look who's sitting up!

 

The Call to "Retreat"

Sent this e-mail to a dear, dear friend this morning. Someone I knew wouldn't judge the state of my brain at 6 in the morning.

 

 "I have strep and something "itis" with my nose or throat or something or another. All I know is that I begged Matt to run to the pharmacy as quickly as possible to pick up my antibiotics before I diiiiiiiiiiiieddddddddddddddd of pain and agony and all the good things that I should complain about when I have had FIVE (count them, 5) natural labor and deliveries. I am going to go complain about this on the blog now. Just so everyone starts feeling really bad for me and making me chicken noodle soup. "

 

So here I am.

 

I thought of it. Sinusitis. Whatever that means. All I know is that my face and all the parts under my skull feel like they are the hippo from Fantasia trying to fit into that silly little tutu. Crammed and stuffed and busting out all over the place.

There it is.

 

Anyway. That hippo is happy, which is weird. I am not happy yet, but will be after I blog about the babies...

and after I eat the chicken noodle soup that Matt's mom (mind reader and saint that she is) already delivered for:

1. breakfast

2. lunch

3. dinner

Because I want to get healthy. Fast. And if a little bit of soup helps get me a little better then a LOT of soup will get me a LOT better. Do not argue with a sick Momma's judgement.

Marilyn, if you are reading this, you know what good patients nurses make.

 

Back to the real deal.

Sarah "borrowed" my camera when I was too "busy being sick" to take pictures.

Playdoh creations.



Sarah's artistic rendition of my brother Steve.
Made completely out of hair things and bangles.



We had a few car troubles this past weekend.
But Matt was still able to give Sarah a smile as he brushed up some parts.

 We spent a great deal of time in pajamas this weekend, and missed church and a birthday party because of our fantastic ability to infect people.

 

But now, as I look at these, I am reminded that we had quite a few laughs. There were some peaceful moments too. This was, most definitely, God's call for our family to retreat.
Feeling grateful, better already, and am no longer in need of pity or chicken noodle soup.
Thanks for the therapy!
 

 

A Peek at the Week

 

Daddy is tired. Let's all jump on him.

Pink Eye. Day 2 of Antibiotics.
Brave Boo.

Thomas' camera skills.

Favorite pair of Sarah's jeans got a new patch.

Avoiding schoolwork at all costs.

"I only like people who feed me."- Esther P.

"I da WING BAYO!"- Nathan P.
(ring bearer)

Double Duty

Math

Spelling

Fine Arts

Star Student.

All Types of Wonderful

Tom reminded me that I have a picture of him, taken sometime near his 2nd birthday, with Nathan in the exact same bouncy seat.

 

Click Here: He Is Right!

 

 

Then there is Nathan.

Oh, Nathan.

 

One LUCKY reader will receive a BRAND NEW (to you) CHILD(!) if they can guess what in the pants Nathan is trying to do/be. 

I have been doing a lot of "laying the baby down and letting her cry it out". How is it working?

Quite frankly, it's not.

The girl has got some serious tenacity.

And some older siblings who like to sneak in and give her toys during her nap when I am not looking.

We took the children to Friendly's last night as a celebration for a job well done in school. I know it is Lent. I know we didn't even get the grades back yet. We were seizing the moment and letting the children know that, in the midst of all this change, we appreciate how hard they have been working.

 

It was delightful. They were perfect. It was our first time out with all five kids at a restaurant. The waitress was sweet and the children used their manners. During dinner it was relatively quiet, as I had starved them for a full 30 minutes before we left for the restaurant...in the hopes that they would eat when we sat down instead of the usual mayhem that ensues at our dinner table at home. 

 

I thought we would escape without incident, but then came the SUNDAES. Joseph ordered the ice cream that resembled a monster. We have been teaching him that monsters are not real and have been practicing coping mechanisms to use when he is afraid...which is alot!

Well, the waitress brought out Joseph's Monster Sundae, and he quickly brought it within inches of his face and said, "So SWWWWEEEEET!" and laid a big kiss on the monster's face.

He devoured his ice cream in less time than it took Thomas to eat the 3 M&Ms on top of his Happy Face sundae.

 Then, my Joseph picked up his silver sundae dish in both hands and raised it above his head, closed his eyes and began to sing:

"AAAAAAAAA-MENNNNNNNN"

"Look MOM, I'M A PRIEST!!!!"

 

Daddy's Valentines