Friday, September 30, 2016

New Activities... New Adventures

In the span of 4 days we all went to the games/meets for the girls activities for the fall.

E started us off with a swim meet last week. Of course she swam summer league and that was all fine and great but the year-round is a bit different. First, the 6 and unders are not their own category of swimmers so E was swimming in the 8 and under age group. 


To start things off she swam in the medley relay... Nothing like starting off with something you've never done (there aren't relays in our summer league). She did great and has since declared she really likes doing relays. 


I didn't really see too much of her on Saturday because you know - R + M + A = locos. And Lee was timing in one of the lanes which I think he'll be a perma-timer for all swim meets he goes to in the future because A. awesome view B. it helps pass the time 


Let's see on Saturday she swam the 50 Back and the 25 Free and the 100 Free because she'd likely get DQed on breast and fly (but she doesn't know that part). Back is her favorite and after the 100 Free (4 laps) she repeated asked me why I signed her up for it. I was proud of her swimming 4 laps and having a good attitude even though the other girls finished well ahead of her (she did still end up with a ribbon for that event). 


Then Sunday was the second half of the meet thanks to Saturday evening Mass and Grammy coming to watch the gang of three - oh and the meet was held at our pool so we weren't driving across the world to get there. 


That whole diving thing could use some... ahem.... improving? : ) I showed her this pic and she says she's working on it!


Sunday I timed in the end lane that did not have too much traffic so I got to sneak away to watch her finish the 50 Free. Then she did the 100 IM which was was ADAMANT about doing so I signed her up for it. She did get DQ thanks to a touchless wall turn BUT she has no idea she was DQed so we'll just let her bask in her IM glory because really... she was swimming against 7 and 8 yr olds. Last she did the 25 back and did quite well. 

All in all check the done it and like it box. 

Then Monday... The thought of the 3 yr old soccer game and I might have secretly made a face like this:


Because 3 yr old soccer? At 6:15? When kids should be eating dinner and going to bed? Yeah... 

Anyhow the little penguins got it together. And did quite well. The spectators for the two teams outnumbered the players like 10 to 1. Which is fine because 3 yr old soccer is a hilarious cluster of kids running down the field, coupled with a few kids crying and another few geologists searching out rocks. 


So M scored not one but two goals in her first game. We were shocked because E didn't score her first goal until she was 4 and R has yet to score a goal in her 3 seasons of soccer. So M who is not even 3 had a cheering crowd of people twice her age (Hi Lemus' and Crockett's) did not disappoint. Anyhow we owe her a trip to the ice cream shop which we didn't do that night because Papa had Bible Study and me plus 4 kids at ice cream = HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA. 

Finally tee-ball...


Love the pink socks : ) R had a blast playing in the dirt in the infield when the MuckDogs were fielding. Try getting 4, 5 and 6 yr olds to focus on fielding at 7 at night. It is comical. Some of the kids were way more into than other - again totally great. 


R loved batting. I think she was out on her first bat up but she doesn't really understand the rules quite well so when she was sent back to the dugout, it didn't phase her. 


She did make it around the bases the other 2 times I think. I was on third base directing kids home and one little boy ran in a huge loop to get to third - it was awesome. 

Overall, tee-ball was a success. I'll admit I don't love it BUT #offeritup : ) #itsnotaboutme

Friday, September 23, 2016

7QTs - Rain & Babies

We survived the week thanks to the monsoon of the month...





---1---

The rain kept our schedule in check this week... 


I let them run in the rain Monday before lunch. No umbrellas or rainboots necessary. 


No soccer game on Monday.

No tee ball game on Tuesday.

No tee ball practice on Wednesday.

#easypeasyweek

---2---

Yay preschool art!


And she's taking more initiative to get her work done.... Still working on that summer workbook because someone has a very short temper when things aren't perfect


My hippie child... 


She wore this pink hairband to school and then it broke... She still thinks I'm going to fix it with tape. But she LOVED just putting it on and wearing it around. I think St. Nikolas might be bringing so plastic hand bands because I cannot imagine her without them! Her teacher asked if she was THAT quiet at home... That would be a negative : ) 

---3---

M has been wandering out of bed and was banished to her crib for one night this week.... 


She didn't have her soccer game so... We will see what Monday holds


---4---

Let's discuss how cute he is...


Okay that's not necessary. 


Think he's happy?


WRONG... so wrong. He has kind of been the crabbiest of patties the past few days which means he may be getting teeth? He was a pretty miserable kid in August when he was getting teeth. 


And he likes to eat books... Just for the record

---5---

AHG is in full swing and E and R went on an excursion to the bird park last weekend


E is climbing to new heights... Literally


Rock walling it up after swim practice


E has an art project that was way over my math/science brain so I called in one of her cousins for reinforcements. E got this butterfly book for a project last year and she STUDIES it. Moths and butterflies... she's into them. I think this is the Blue Night something or other. I'm sure she'll correct me when I ask her and she could tell me if this is the male or the female and where it can be found living. 

---6---

Links of interest: 


---7---


Babies abound... I found out that at least 2 families we know are having babies in 2017! So exciting. Tis the season, right? 

Well speaking of that, and I think I've said it before BUT... seriously, seriously. The topic/question of when is baby K #5 coming next is indirectly hinted at or directly, to the tune of - ARE YOU PREGNANT YET? - comes up probably at least 3 times a week. 

To all the people who support our procreative activities... thank you. In a world where we should have stopped having babies 3 babies ago, we appreciate your encouragement. Promise we'll let the cat out of the bag when there's one to let out. So keep on asking/hoping/praying and I'll keep on giving you the standard canned response... It is not in our hands and it is not on our time. Mysteries abound when you are open to life. 

Saturday, September 17, 2016

7QTs - Cicadas, Loony Tunes, Playgrounds

Possibly the craziest week to date or maybe just of the fall...






---1---

Let's just recap the crazy from the past week just for good measure. 

Monday - M's soccer practice which E came and helped me (because getting soccer balls out of the net is SUPER complicated for 3 yr olds). Shoot back to school for HSA meeting and present on our Annual Fund drive which I am co-chairing (many hats I tell you), load up the crew and do the bedtime thing at about 7:45 sola because Monday is... Bible Study for Papa

Tuesday - (probably my easiest day) - Papa and E take dinner to the gym/swim practice  lies... that's what they usually do. Skip swim practice because of the mock meet later this week and do vespers for the Exaltation of the Cross (behavior was so so so terrible and A screamed screamed screamed) AHG only after family dinner. I get the run down on what they did but I think E was way more fascinated by the scissor edge designs she cut out on her paper than what they actually were working on

I'll throw this in from last week (because I'm that behind but I certainly don't want to forget how this played out) so we stayed for school Mass for the Nativity of the Mother of God. It was either A. stay for school Mass (Papa was deaconing) or B. drive to Raleigh that evening for Liturgy. I picked option A and stand firmly by it even though A was a loony tune, M wanted to chat-it-up and R (thanks to a small village of mom friends - THANK YOU) made it through. I was so so so so so so so so so ready to go but then there was cake (because what's a birthday without cake?) so we stayed for that and M LOST IT when she didn't get any blue icing. Did I mention I was ready to go? Finally we loaded up and went to preschool a mere 2.5 hours tardy. 

Wednesday - Papa and E to gym/swim practice. Me and the three littles get dinner organized and in the cooler then we load up and head to soccer practice for M (I moved up the Monday practice to make the HSA meeting so and that only worked for half the team so I said what the heck and had another practice which was good for the other half of the team plus we have our first game soon!), Papa and E show up at the park and I pass of dinner and R and A. Then R has tee ball (in the same complex) so I pick up E and A AND find out I somehow left the hummus part of dinner in the frig #winning but I did pack the knife for it so I totally dropped that ball : ( but the kids HATE the white bean hummus I got, so it was probably better. Anyhow, we get home and it is PJ, teeth and homework time... Then Papa and R roll in from tee ball 

This is also from last week. The littles and I found the lifesaver-of-a-playground that is right by swim practice. Papa has had some crazy work afternoons so taking E to practice has not been an option. There are swings in this park and a playset A likes to climb on and a massive one that R loves and M is scared of the slide. It is awesome because we are outside and spending time together : ) 

Thursday - Lunch with Nani (yay! because making time for friends is getting increasingly challenging), gather E from school, stop at grocery to get drinks for swim meet, go to library - try not to clear out the Rainbow Fairies books (E noted that she's 'into the sports fairies right now), go back to work for a minute, feed A an insanely late lunch, quiz E on spelling words Tiasday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday, go to mock swim meet. A was a WRECK. Screaming, crying, sadness most of the time, he did enjoy several bouts on the lobby floor and tried to figure out how to unplug the soda machine. Go to social after the meet. I met some parents. E met some friends which is so good because she told me she was worried kids are going 'to make fun of her' because she was 6 and swimming with 7 and 8 year old (meaning.... she knows she's not going to be the fastest)

---2---

Okay that was a lot so I'll try and be less wordy... 


E is soaking up first grade. The transition from half day preK to K last year was hard for her I think, especially in the beginning. This year it just seems easier because she knows the drill with spelling and a page or so of HW. She is super into doing AR and she is so into the Rainbow Fairies. She is already is planning on getting a fairy book when she gets to her 10 pt mark. She ran downstairs last night to show Lee and I which one - Skylar the Fireworks Fairy - from the index of one of the books we got at the library. UPDATE - Skylar book is on the way...

---3---


R is loving loving loving preK. She is still super shy and quiet (that's because she saves it all for us and of recent has had several SCREAMING fits in the van on the ride home from school. This week I made her get out of the van and walk home it was so bad - we were in our neighborhood : ) I usually get a Happy-Buck report each day. Kids earn Happy Bucks for good manners and good work and they can cash them in at the treasure box


This is R seriously pondering drinking the olive juice... It was so funny to watch her think about it and see if there was just one more olive left for the eating and then put it to her lips and then finally she passed. 


Last year R was known for going upstairs to play Legos and then wouldn't come down for hours. She was really good about playing by herself. Now I think she misses having E and friends around. But I do catch her enjoying time to herself and I think I could watch her swing on the swing for hours. She is so happy and peaceful and carefree. 


---4---

M is pretty much a rockstar...



Her vocabulary as exploded since school started and she is loving up every minute of the 2 yr old class. I get a report every day and apparently Whizzy likes to eat her nack and she is NOT friends with any of the kids who wear diapers (which is quite a few since it is a younger group of 2s). 


She loves to read the Bear books. It reminds me of E so much. E was reciting those books when she was 2 and I think if M was read to as much as E was #thirdkidprobs then she'd probably be reciting them as well. 


MagnaTiles... 


So great and she cannot get enough of them. She's convinced she needs another pack or two to make her castles bigger

---5---

A is still crazy as usual. Just in the last day he seems to not be a screaming lunatic when he's around me (which I REALLY appreciate)




I was betting he'd be walking by his birthday (which is about 2.5 seconds away) but I think I'm retracting that bet. 

---6---


Lee/FDJ (I feel slightly more inclined to use the Papa Deacon name when referring to church stuff) is getting more involved at the school this year. Last year there was some paperwork that needed some attention but this year he's in the trenches and at the pulpit. Now this is cool...



A few weeks ago the gospel was the wine skins. (You cannot put new wine in old wine skins). So I asked him how he planned on explaining this idea to 10 yr olds (just to average out the age of his audience). He was open to discussion (which is awesome because we figured balloons was out of the question and he needed something visual soo....)<3 about="" an="" and="" around="" at="" balloons="" because="" better.="" bill.="" but="" can="" cicada="" didn="" exoskeltons.="" fit="" grossly="" have="" house="" huge="" i="" idea="" it="" kids="" last="" like="" my="" of="" opinion="" p="" parents="" really="" relate="" remember="" so="" some="" something="" soooooo...="" t="" tend="" that="" the="" there="" things="" think="" time="" to="" tossed="" visual="" we="" were="">

Cicada exoskeltons? Wine skins? 

The cicadas cannot be put back into their exoskeletons and wine cannot be put back into their wine skins. 

BAM!

Now how he actually tied it together I don't know but Nani came through with some exoskeletons for the visual aspect and that's about all I know. 

---7---

A fresh calendar just waiting for the markings...




This week is bound to be wild and crazy with the first soccer game and first tee ball game and first swim meet next weekend with the normal crazy and an added day off of school and HSA committee meeting we are in for a treat!

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

The Waning Days of Summer

Oh summer... 


Before the pool closed for the summer we went a few more times. It seemed that as soon as swim team ended at the end of July we kind of cut ties with the pool. But the threat of it closing motivated us a few more times



We actually went on the last day - Labor Day - with some friends and the girls are still talking about it because all the popsicles were free because you know that won't keep over the winter : ) 
"Mama, wasn't it so cool. Everything was free!!!"


We have some fall sports action and I was convinced that R was totally into tee ball but now I'm not as sure. I mean she enjoys it but I think she would be fine not doing it too. One day she'll let us know...


We are enjoying afternoons outside - with all the gnats and vicious ants


A has discovered the little red car and LOVES it and has been plotting how it tip it over while inside of it but he has yet to succeed : ) 

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

7QTs - Carrot Cake, High Dives and Soggy Fish

School talk, birthday talk, talk talk...




---1---

We went over to my parents to celebrate my birthday early because it was smack dab in the middle of one heck of a crazy week a normal week 

E unsure of the cream cheese frosting 

Beer can chicken and if you think that looks good you should have seen the homemade Chinese dumplings that we had for lunch!

The cake was awesome. 

I requested carrot cake and of course Grammy came through. The girls were SO AGAINST CARROT CAKE that I heard about everyday for at least 10 days leading up to this day. 

E/R/M - You know you aren't having chocolate cake for your birthday
Me - Yes I know
E/R/M - Why/
Me - I just wanted carrot cake this year
E/R/M - I don't like carrot cake! I'm not going to eat it
Me - Okay, there will be more for me

Well I least I have trained them well in their love for chocolate. 


Grammy totally caved and made some cupcakes with chocolate frosting because I certainly wouldn't have... take it or leave it. #meanestmomever R did try some carrot cake and liked it. E of course wouldn't touch it


---2---

So then it was the day before E's school started sooooo.....


We have some super great friends who took E to the pool for the morning to spend the last day of summer vacation doing what she has been asking to do since June... Go off the high dive (at a pool we swim against). Our pool doesn't have diving boards so this was kind of a big deal plus she didn't have to hang out at work with me (which she did do the week prior because some little boy in the house decided he needed to have free reign and that can't happen at one of the places I work). So E and A swapped places and while I'm sure she enjoyed Frozen (she could be heard singing Let it Go a floor away) and Star Wars, I know the pool and friends was way funner than spending the morning holed up in the conference room. 


Then the 3 yr old Penguins convened the season opening practice. I have a theory about coaching 3 yr olds. Teaching passing/sharing is pretty pointless. Just getting the kids going to the correct goal and not using their hands is about all that can possibly be expected of 3 yr olds plus the games are just comical. Anyhow, M isn't quite 3 yet but E and R both opted out of soccer and I couldn't bear not coaching so M was recruited to play for the 3s. 

She's actually surprisingly 'into it' seems to like it but we'll see what in the world happens at our first game in a few weeks. 


Finally on the eve of 1st grade, E spent her last night with the class pet she took care of for the summer. Fidget was wrapped in her nice pink hairband for the night and hung out with Olaf. I was quite convinced E would shed some tears over Fidget and she asked me to give him back to her K teacher.... I think she knows he'll be around next year when R gets to petsit Fidget. 


Speaking of K... I almost had a small breakdown when R tried E's uniform on for size. Yes that is her in the pic... I don't know where E is.

The long story is, this new priest at a church close by asked to have a parent from the school speak after each Mass about our school and how great it is. Well someone asked me to do it? And I passed that buck right onto Lee because HELLO Alumni-Parent-Deacon. So we got E and R dressed in uniform and headed down to Saturday evening Mass. Slash I think it was the first time Lee has ever not served as a deacon plus all the crazies kids were there which again is a totally novelty for him. (This parish has a very active deacon and there was a 50th anniversary celebration for a Jesuit priest plus a visiting priest from Rome so the altar was overflowing with clergy so... to the pews papa-deacon) So I think A made it to about the Gospel and then I had him out during the homilies (oh and the Mass was bilingual : ) Then I passed A off to Papa who was privileged to stay out in the narthex with A for the most of the rest of Mass (I could hear him wailing during the quiet parts). Then there was one more reflection on Jesuit life/education and then Lee got his 15 minutes of fame with E and R but he really kept it to about 90 seconds because Mass was tipping the 87 minutes mark (#notlying) 

ANYWAY, I am very grateful that this priest is a promotor and advocate for Catholic education and he wants the local Catholic school to have a presence at his parish. Very promising. Next time, I hope we can actually speak because he seems awesome. 

---3---

And then the first day of school happened. But this is what my kitchen looked like after getting everyone out the door 10 minutes early for obligatory first day pics:


Pretty sure I could use someone to come through my kitchen every morning 


Because it is logistically impossible to clean up breakfast dishes, pack snacks/lunches and facilitate getting people dressed as well as teeth and hair brushed. It is a pressure cooker of things that require a certain amount of time and attention and well something has to give and usually it is le kitchen. 

---4---

This guy...


I've been trying to get a pic of A's teeth for awhile now and he not being terribly cooperative in the matter. The kid has 6 teeth now. They have been working him hard since the beginning of August and he has been pretty moody and sad about them all coming in at one time 

I'm not sure why I bother with a bib for him...


But I know he likes using it because first he'll let milk dribble out of his mouth and then he'll eat some goldfish and get all the salt off of them and then spit them out and let the fish marinate in the milk for a few minutes and then he'll grab a fistfull of soggy fish and stuff them in his mouth. 

Promise. 

It happens more often than you think for it not to be a well hatched plan on his part. 

---5---

RANDOs for the week....


We walked the track while E was at swim practice. For the first 35 min it was R and M in the stroller and A in the carrier but then I let the crazies loose and hopefully they didn't bother too many people because staying in the lines is not something they are great at : ) 

#thisisgross

Buy 3 products get $10 for the school? multiple by four (per receipt) = 


And overloaded cart with nowhere for A to sit. Plus he was being crabby anyway so he didn't want to. 

---6---

This is how my birthday was spent (after school and work):


I got to go for a swim while E was at her swim practice. Then we shot over to the back to school ice cream social and then R had tee ball. Pretty much sums up my life as a mom but I happen to have zero problems with that. 

---7---

The day after the craziness of my actual birthday Lee and I went out to dinner



To one of our favorite restaurants that we actually haven't been to since Valentines Day (the service was pretty terrible but this time is was back to normal). It was so good and I'm glad I didn't try talking him out of the 25 minute drive over there