Wednesday, June 29, 2016

7QTs - Big Pillows, Helpers, Cute Drawings

Here we go... 




---1---


Because everyone needs a pair of glow in the dark glasses from their sister's end of year bucket!

---2---


A's not quite sold on the pool but I did finally get him in. I got him a few reusable swim diapers because the disposables do the exact same thing and I'm the washing machine is rinsing bathing suits every other day around here. I need to try the mesh wrap that a friend loaned me but I'm not much of a wrapper - I 'get' the buckle carriers :  )

Also the pool put down these rubber restaurant mats in one of the corners of the pool deck and it is the perfect spot to put him down when either of us needs a break. 

---3---


R is having a rocking time in the pool and getting a bit more confident swimming - though I am not 100% sure she'll make it to swimming 6 and under this season - which is totally fine, I mean come on she's 4. Offer stands for racing bathing suit when she does though!

---4---


M would love to claim ignorant on how to help with the laundry and I'll admit sometimes it is way easier to let her lounge about and be cute. However, she can in fact sort the clothes from the PJs and put them in baskets. Sometimes it takes a little prodding and it is BOUND to take FOREVER but I usually have so much wash to do on Saturdays that it doesn't matter how long she takes! Then getting R and/or E to inside them out is long, drawn out screaming match waiting to happen!


---5---



R's version of our family is awesome. I love the way she draws her people


---6---


There was a sextuplet pillow that fell into M's bowl early one morning and she got a few other doubles so I snuck it out and put it back in the box for E to find because I knew she'd freak out.

---7---

Well it has taken forever to get this post cranked out so I'm going to stop while I'm ahead. I have a few more pics from last week that I'll add to the next post.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

First Swim Meet of 2016

Welp the first swim meet of the summer is in the books...


Love her!

Ready for Pup Squad

Thinking about jumping in 

And she's off

A fun lap!

Papa and M barely squeaked in to see R race - but they did. It was crazy hot so M and A went home with Papa. R was given the choice but stayed and I think she wished she went on home because I heard a lot of - I'm boreds and I'm hungrys. 

E was up swimming 6 and under freestyle

Freestyle is the last event so she had a long wait to swim. I told her to swim another stroke or two so she wouldn't be so bored next week. She was way nervous about doing the one.



Thank you screenshots from the video I took


There were 3 other girls swimming in the first heat (and only) heat with her. She finished fourth. She raced over to the score table to find out how she did. When she realized she didn't get that blue ribbon  I think she was bummed. But we were all really excited for her and we had fun in the sweltering heat cheering everyone on. 



They paused for a moment during Sno Ball eating to give me this

Friday, June 17, 2016

7QTs - Summer Daze

Summer mugginess, hotness, stuffness




---1---


Summer is in full swing here. E skipped town with the class pet from kindergarten and made a leash out of pipe cleaner and has been dragging Fidget around despite my pleas that it might hurt his neck. I am pretty sure she misses all her friends because when we pray, she prays for them and she gets really mad when she cannot remember everyone from her class. 

---2---


Workbook season is in full swing. E loves her workbook and always has to check them out when we go to Sams. I did take out the answer keys in the back of hers because she's a sneaky one. R is not nearly as 'into' her workbook and I have to set aside a few pages for her to do otherwise she won't do them. There is some sort of completion prize at the end - Legos, marker set something... but only if they are done to my liking. 

I have found that cutting the top corners of the pages I 'approve' helps keep things moving so they don't focus on the monster number of pages. 

---3---

Tough life at the pool.


The girls had swim lessons and swim team (not M on the latter) for the past two weeks. Somehow they got the teacher giving them a popsicle after the lesson and I told her she was starting something - I don't know if she believed me. : ) 


Wet hair means braids around here. M got (quite possibly) her first braid ever last week. Its hard to believe that last year the big girls had braids 3 times the length of the ones they have now


I took the girls to their swim practice one night and got caught up in a conversation. They said they were tired of the pool once it was over and they played so they headed to the little playground. R braved one bar of the monkey bars and then they got involved in a 4 square game with some (a little) older kids who were very patient with them since they have no idea how to play


E is swimming (and swam last night) with the 6 and unders aka not with the coaches walking the kids down the lane. So I made good on getting her a 'racing' bathing suit - that was the motivation prize. The team one was $55? And hardly anyone has it so we found one with the team colors for $15 and she thinks she something else. She 'tried it out' at the practice before the meet - just to be sure it fit - and she definitely walked a little taller that day. Now the pink goggles remain on the counter for when (and if) she gets a first place in an event. 

The 'racing' suit and goggles offer/prize/motivator is in effect for R too and I think if she wanted to, she could swim 6 and under this year if she put her mind to it - but the ball is in her court the goggles are on her head.

---4---


The TV has been on the classical music stations more often than not to accommodate the random ballet recitals that occur. 


E announced she wanted to do ballet in the fall and we told her that would mean no soccer, which she was okay with. Then we brought up that it was much more expensive than soccer so we'd have to 'see about it' (hello $50/month!). She told us that we could take money out of her piggy bank to pay for it which kind of made me want to cry because it was that important to her.


But the jury remains out because she returned to the soccer side of things this week so I have no idea what she really wants to do and how we'd swing dance if she really wanted to do it. 

---5---


M dotes on A. It is so cute. She begs to hold him at some of the most inopportune times so when we can take a moment and make it happen she always wants me to take a pic : ) 


---6---


M's stocking... I had a good little stitching session the other night and I hope to have some more. I am tired of doing this one I want to hurry up and finish but that does not seem like it will happen anytime soon. 

---7---

Bubbles + a toddler + a baby







Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Wisdom from an Old Priest



We recently went to the Ordination Anniversary Mass for a priest here in town. He's got a great story. First he was ordained an Episcopal priest (was married, had kids etc). Then stuff happened in that church and he (and his wife) decided they could no longer be Episcopal so they jointed the Catholic church - after 25 years of being a priest. He was received into the Catholic church but his priesthood did not transfer - if you will. So he petitioned the local bishop for ordination - who then sought permission from the Pope. It is kind of not normal to be an ex-Episcopal priest asking to be ordained so best to clear it with Rome, right? 

Yeah. Rules are rules and I happen to play by them. 

So TEN YEARS later the bishop got the go ahead for ordination. 

Fast forward 25 years and here we are, sitting in the same church he was ordained in. Just to do the math, if he had stayed Episcopal he would be celebrating 60 years of ordination to the priesthood. So yeah, he's in his 80s and still serving Mass quite often and presently he is in Montana doing what he loves best - serving the mission parishes in the middle of nowhere. Kid you not. 

Okay so what's the point. Fr. Turner has been around. He's seen a lot. He's heard a lot (of confessions). He probably knows what he is talking about. Anyways, during his homily at his anniversary Mass he was going on about stuff (per my usual perception of all things homily) so I tried to focus on one 'take home truth' as the one of the deacons (not mine) at our church likes to say. One line. One sentence. One thing that really sticks with you. Here was my take home truth from Fr. Turner's 25th Anniversary Mass:

You should always discern the Will of God in your life, even during the hard times. Especially during the hard times. 

Spot on, no? Well you can let me know what you think... or not. But it stuck with me. 


This was the recessional. I'd never sung it before but I really like it. 'Faith of our fathers, holy faith! We will be true to thee till death.' 

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

7QTs - School, Summer, Parties

We made it through the end of the school year... 





--- 1 ---

The preschool year would not be complete without the end of year party: 




R had fun running wild with her friends and playing a few games


And she got her summertime fun bucket which she and E and M unloaded on multiple occasions but I think we finally emptied it for good. 


---2---

Then it was the end of year preschool program; she and her whole class were a big ball of nerves for the Christmas program but they were calmer and louder and more into this time.  


This might as well serve as hew last day of school pic so here's the first one:


Sigh


---3---

Following our muddy Memorial Day Weekend, E has her AHG award/advancement:


She was the only Pathfinder in the troop this year 


She's excited to be a Tenderheart next year because she'll get to start earning badges - she is very interested in the Needlecraft one already!  

---4---

M has been telling me forever that she wants her book bag to match one of her friend's so when LL Bean had 10% off I jumped on it because they pretty much never discount anything too much and the one time I waited until it was for real on sale - they sold out! But they offer free shipping so I can 'feel better' about only 10% discount


She had no idea what it was


So happy to be matching 


And she's off and she'll have her own first day pic in 3 months!


---5---

Last day of school for E pic: 


I really do tell her daily that I miss her front teeth

And now for the first day of school pic:


Oh you know just missing an entire family member!
And their hair was so short!


---6---

The last hoo-rah was the kindergarten graduation. I didn't graduate from kindergarten so I'm not going to get into the ins and outs of making a big deal about it... I'll just roll with it


The kids did a little program with a songs - it was way cute and E has been practicing her lines for weeks



Apparently we have a future dentist in the house - a kids one (I was told today)


Yay cake!


Papa was able to make it from work!

---7---

Beginning of the summer


Wouldn't be complete without freeze pops from the pool 


See you on the flip side of the summer, book bags....