Worth Remembering

There are many images in my mind that I know won't remain. Maybe one day I will read this and remember:

Mary Catherine spinning around with a giant sparkler. Joyous, beautiful, on the cusp of womanhood.

Three boys running races outside the window, laughing together.

John Henry and Thalia playing a tough game of chess together.

John snuggled with his sons pouring over a Naval aircraft book.

Blaise seeing his siblings faces and cracking into a wide smile.

Thaddeus making the weird dinosaur noise, and Blaise belly laughing.

The 4 younger children having a conversation about how much they love Mary Catherine when she calls them "baby" and "honey".

Baby in my arms. Baby mouth on my face. Baby fingers in my hair.


I wish I could hold onto these moments, and keep them safe from time. Like that song that they did on the muppets "If I could save Time in a Bottle" As I recall there were some explosions in the Muppet versions, but with 4 sons, that's appropriate too.

Newspaper Announcement

Read it--if you can!

Try to Get the Gifts Early

When I was 12 I REALLY wanted the Radio Shack remote control Lambourgini. When a wraped box appeared under the tree that looked the right size, I measured it.

Next time I was at Radio Shack I measured the Lambourgini box. :) I got my car!

So yesterday I was doing some more gift measuring. This involved going to this blog and reading up about fetal heart rates. I have tried to do this before, but had never gotten the information about it being accurate early, not late, in pregnancy. Baby's heart rate yesterday was 133. But most babies this age have a heart rate around there.

So I called my sweet midwife and asked her to tell me the heart rate our first 3 or 4 visits. 160. 160. 160.

After I was done squeeling in delight I said "Now I'll really need some time to adjust if baby has a scrotum!"

HAHAHA!!

Trying to get it early--but I still have to wait for the baby.

Innocence

Scene 1:

7 year old Boy: Mom I want to French kiss you.

[leans forward and kisses my shocked face, once on each cheek]

Mom: Thanks sweetie.

Scene 2:
5 year old [upon seeing the kiss at the end of the new Nancy Drew movie]:
Well! That's not PG!

Games

I have entered a new phase of mothering. The enjoyable evening of board game playing. I have always been one to play. From Mary Catherine's babyhood John and I have both encouraged everything from wrestling, to hide and seek, to monkey in the middle.

But board games are different.

We got the two little boys to bed tonight, did 45 min of dishes, and cracked open our new Scrabble game--thanks Cioce Anne! John Henry was paired with me. Thalia was impressively independent most of the time. Mary Catherine was a word shark, grabbing the double letter scores all over the place. It was so fun! We talked about different letter and word combinations, strategy, and the difference between vowels and consonants.

It is good for me to realize that, at the end of a FULL week, mere hours after being sure that all these children were out to drive me NUTS, I had a genuinely enjoyable time being with these individuals. I really like them, their ideas, their blossoming personalities.

There are still dishes to do(the greasy pots), the floors are not picked-up, the boots are ready to be tripped over by the door, but I have had fun with my babies so here is all aright.

They Say Stupid in Hell

Thaddeus has been saying "stupid" a lot. Not the worst, but not the best either. I have given him "funny" as an alternative. Usually he is using the word in the context of a strange behavior or object. E.G. "That plate of carrots looks stupid."

In discussing these words thaddeus asked "Do they say stupid in heaven?"

A quick check of my vast theologic knowledge bring me to no--stupid is not used in heaven. Since heaven is a place of perfection, and no wanting or sin, there is no use for the word stupid there. I tell Thaddeus as much.

"Can you say funny in heaven?"
"Yes, you can say funny in heaven."

A few days later I was with John and Thaddeus. Bringing the mail over to the table I said "This card is funny!"
Tadeu's quick response was "Yeah. Cause if it's stupid you go to hell."

ummm. Let me splain honey.

Tub Wars

Three Boys. Three Boats. One Tub.

#1: I'm France. You're Canada.
#2: No. I'm France, cause France was once the Most Powerful Navy. You're Canada.
#3: Ga. Da! [splash!]
#2: Now we start the cannons.
#1: I got you! I got you! Canada wins!
#2: It's a submarine now. France has powerful submarines. I get you with a torpedo!
#3: Splash splash splash!
Mom: I think we're done boys.

Dance Recital

Yes--Thaddeus was the ONLY BOY in all the classes. And a very cute on too! Mary Catherine begins to show the grace of a Little Woman. Thalia is her own exuberant self! There is no audio on the video clips. What kind of contraption do you experienced bloggers use for video? My digital camera doesn't have audio--but it does have video.
That's Thalia chasse-ing towards us in the middle. That is Arveragus looking in the camera.

Mary Catherine is in the center back of the graceful armed girls.

Photo Essay--Shaved

Day at Play

When a Mamma is feeling not-so-motivated,
and some school-aged homeschoolers are feeling the same.
When the pre-schooler's energy is disturbingly elevated,
And the sky, for once, does NOT look like rain,

Then just for a lark,
Go to the park,
You'll salvage the day,
with a swing and some play!

Quotes of the Day

Thaddeus: O-Merica O-merica God shed his face on thee!

John Henry: (when sister is picking on him too much) Thalia's ignoring me!

Thalia: Can I count your money. I love counting money!

Arveragus:
I know I'm all boogery, but at least I'm cheerful about it. I do really need to give you a big boogery hug and opened mouthed kiss.

Foiled!

Baby on Meds

Arveragus went to the doctor yesterday. We figured out why he had been feverish and fussy and wheezey. Two ear infections and bronchitis. Now, if you know me you know that I'm cautious about antibitics. Give me garlic, honey, and cider vinegar for health! BUT. . .when baby is getting worse and worse my slogan is. . .THANK GOD FOR PENICILLIN!!! Arveragus seems to almost enjoy his twice daily pink coctail.

The Day the Firemen Came--by Arveragus

First-crawl into the bathroom, shut the door and open a drawer. Start crying. Open more drawers. Cry some more. Listen to mom talking to you through the door. Listen to Mom on the phone. Gratefully receive a pacifier squeezed through the door by big sister. Cry some more. The PRESTO--you get a big firetruck in the parking lot!


The Firemen will use a kitchen knife to shut the drawers and release you.

Thanks Firemen--see you next time!
(ed note: John is out buying drawer locks right now!)

Whose birthday is it anyway!?

I will be the kind of mother who calls her children the hour they were born to gush "30 years ago right now I was holding your sweet body to my chest. . . !" So far today I have indulged in kissing my boys' face all over and remembering how thrilled I was six years ago to be holding my beautiful son. We knew he was John Henry (and not Thaddeus) because he was so big a strong, with a neck like a football player. A happy baby--who only cried during diaper changes. That year for lent we made a calendar that was labeled "Walking the path to Calvary with Jesus". For every day of lent we had a little purple John Henry footprint. I saved one in his baby book. I also remember Mary Catherine (6) carrying him in her doll sling. Now he's working on reading, reciting poetry, and yearning for little league to begin (oops--gotta sign-up!). What a gift we were given with this boy!

Oh Thalia!

"Mom, can you sing this song with me so it'll be more. . . aggressive?"

"In 1965 Lee surrendered at Mathematics."

Imagine the song "Edelweiss" (Sound of Music). In Falsetto. Getting kind of jazzy, kind of Neville Brothers. For 15 min straight.

"Form a circle!" Little boys come running to the living room to hold hands and dance in a circle with Thalia.

" I got 3 new members for the Coming Club!" (or the dinosaur club, or raise money for the poor club, or the store club, or the craft club)