A Stove, the Solar System and Sickies

Our old stove kicked the bucket.

 I didn't know this until recent events, but I love myself some appliances!

I was as giddy as the children when our new stove was delivered. I was so grateful that the men who delivered it were fathers themselves. They allowed us to help!

First Meal on the new stove.

Best part of a new appliance?
The Box.

We are learning all about about the Solar System at The PI.

I must not have paid attention when I was in school, because I am learning so much!

I printed out the names of the planets on some stickers and asked the children to put them in order.

ON PAPER.

 

That didn't happen.

  Bad things happen when I assign work and leave the room to change Esther and lay her down for a nap.

Saturn was Joseph's idea. Brilliant boy. Ball inside a stackable baby ring.

"I'm so bright!"

Sensory ball, ball pit ball, rubber ducky, and Angry Bird.
In order of proximity to the sun.

 

And now an update on our health.

I will look back someday (please God) and say "Wow! I am so glad we are out of THAT stage!"

Pink eye, round 3, is just finishing up. Matt is in week 2 of his shingles. Some of the children have temperatures from who-in-the-world knows what. Esther is trying to push those two bottom teeth through. I think we are on the upswing, but I will not say it outloud.

We have spent so much time in isolation and confined to the house. It was a great relief to open the windows of out infirmary and get outside during Easter weekend for some fresh air.

 

"Sure, I like these eggs. But I like being up all night waaaaaaaaay more."



Mom won't let us have our egg hunt until we smile as fake as possible for this picture.
All four fake smiles.
Love it.

Get Ready...



Get Set...

GO!

 

Child Literacy

 

Dear Dad,

You are the best Dada in the world because you let us have sleepovers. I am so happy that mom found a man like you.

Love, Sarah

 

Sarah is soooo right. We won't talk about the logistics of her not actually being able to exist without me finding a man like Matt...or just finding Matt. And her terminology strikes me as, ummmmm, strange. "Found a man like you"? Hmmmmm...maybe I should monitor her musical selection more closely.

 

But, let's be honest: I married up. Waaaaaaaaay up. And the children realize this. And they are grateful.

 

That, my friends, is a picture of our house. Matt (pictured holding Esther) and I are standing at the bottom of our stairs and I am calling out "Sleepover!"

 

Nathan is saying "Weeeee!" as he hurtles his body down a flight of stairs. (It looks like I may be in the process of catching him, which is good.)

 That is Thomas at the top of the steps, chucking his blankets down for the party.

 

Sarah and Joseph are upstairs in the bedrooms, getting ready. Look carefully at those beds. From left to right they are: Sarah's bed, Esther's cage, Nate's car bed, and the boys' bunk beds. Sarah is an artist.

 

Also, this.

 Joseph's adjective exercise. Matt says that people are going to start to wonder about us.

Who is he kidding? I am starting to wonder about us...

 

Also, this.

Thomas is working hard. We've come a long way since last year and the mis-identification of all the letters in the alphabet being one angry bird or another.

 

 

 And, last but not least, a shout-out to the not quite as literate Pernots.

 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

 

Laughing

I left Matt for two hours with the children last week. I had a pretty rough day and was looking forward to some peace and quiet. Less than an hour into my night out, I got a text message from Matt.

"I fixed the toilet."

And, how did he manage to do that while he watched the kids? I can barely get a drink of water during the day!!!

I stared at the picture mail.

 What in the world? Is that fishing line, a swivel and a bobber?

Yes, it is.

Fishing season cannot come quickly enough.

When I arrived home, there was a tackle box, not a tool box, in my bathroom.

Oh Matt...

Esther is teething. Everything goes in her mouth.
The pediatrician asked Joseph how he got his pink eye. Joseph said, "Esther eats me."
It's true.

Our family on a bike ride- by Sarah
(I love that I dressed up for the occasion. Maybe the children really don't notice my usual uniform of black yoga pants.)

Bad cell phone picture, but this is our pediatrician's office. I have never taken five children to be checked out at the same time. Glad I did, though. We all came away with a diagnosis and prescription.

They are all playing with that tiny little circle of railroad track.

Esther has been spending too much time with Nathan.

 Ok. Tommy came to me with the camera and asked if we could take a picture together. Absolutely! Smile, ok?

 NO NO NO! Smile!

 THOMAS! I thought you wanted a nice picture?!

 Fine! I'm just gonna kiss you then!

 

"That's really what I wanted, Mommy."

 

 

Laundry

There are two boys in that pile of clothes.
They didn't mean to be naughty. They "just needed to jump", says Tom.
 

HABEMUS PAPAM!

We have been doing some "smoke watching" over here.

It is not only a spiritual experience for our family, but the selection of a new pope has historical significance as well. It made me so happy that my children were able to witness this awesome event.

We jumped up and down with joy when we saw that white smoke!

 And cuddled in front of the television to see who it might be...

God Bless Pope Francis!

And We Regress

I took some pictures off my old camera yesterday. Why yesterday?

Well, because I just found my old camera yesterday.

"Hurray!" I cried as I rushed to jam the SD card in the compy. "I'll bet there are fantastic pictures of really memorable times...moments that will make me weep with nostalgia."

 

The first picture appears on my computer screen.

 

"AGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" I scream.

I did, in fact, cry. But only because it looks like Nathan is in so much pain...like his face was actually so heavy that it hurt him.

He is crying on the inside, "Please stop feeding me."

Anyway. New story.

Joseph has been pretty sensitive lately. He has been getting crazy-stressed about oodles of things. Major regression has been going on 'round here. I blame it on the sickness, but we still have to adjust for Buzz. We have removed as many stressors as we can and have really been trying to focus on happy things. 

I had set Joseph up with a Frosty the Snowman (safe, I thought) coloring book and crayons and I was doing all sorts of important things yesterday when I heard him whine/moan something about aliens. I didn't pay much attention as I continued to do whatever it was that I was trying to do so very hard without stopping. (Oh, I remember. Esther started solids recently. I was changing a diaper. A diaper that decided to explode in my hands and up my arms while my notatallsquirmy baby tried to run a marathon.) Right. So I yell into the other room, "There's no such thing as aliens. You are fine. Take a deep breath. Keep on coloring and I will be right there." He continued to repeat the word "alien" over and over and over again, getting louder and louder. I finished up with the Hot Mess and went in to see what he was so stressed out about.

He is smiling but was, in fact, terrified.

What the...?!?

Last night, Joseph had more nightmares.

 

 

But Then...

And Suddenly...

Without Warning...

All the children decided to jump on the regression bandwagon...and tried to, simultaneously, climb into Esther's infant car seat.

 

 

 

 

Quotes

Sarah, after being bed-ridden with her virus for 36 seconds: "I wish Dad were home. This house is boring without him."

Esther literally laughs out loud when any of her siblings fall down or get hurt. She gets her cruel sense of humor from her mother, who got it from her mother, who got it from her mother...
It's a curse.

When referring to his inability to produce anything during potty training, Nathan says,"The toilet is broked. It won't work."

 

 When wrestling with Daddy, one of the children got really worked up and threw a shoe. It hit Matt in the head. We stopped the horse play and had a discussion about playing too rough. The two older children both stated, remorsefully, that it made people and God very sad when they get hurt.

So I asked Thomas, "Tommy, how do you feel when someone gets hurt?"

Without missing a beat, Thomas said, "I feel like I wanna make a GeoTrax (train) layout!"

When I told Matt about an invitation for all seven of us to visit and stay with my brother and his wife in VA, he responded, "Wait. Why would we do that to them? Don't we like them?"

 

When Sarah and I were talking about this blog and how I printed it into a keepsake book, she said, "It's ok that you don't write like Laura Ingalls Wilder. I am sure that SOME people will read your book."

 

When we were talking about saints and patrons the other day, Joseph said, "When I die and go to Heaven, I will be St. Joseph, patron saint of Star Wars."