Seize the May

I was talking to several friends the past few days and reflecting on the next several weeks ahead. The month of May is a busy month for most I know - end of year EVERYTHING at school, spring sports, the beginning of summer and sprinkle in a birthday or two and Mother's Day and BAM your schedule can be filled to the BRIM. On top of that for me/us, Lee is not very available/present because pool season is in full swing. Thus, much of the rigmarole of May fall to MOI. 

It is kind of a grit-and-get-through-it month. It is also a month I'd in theory like to just skip because it is alot. But in my reflections and conversations, if I were to bury my head in the couch and not seize the month of May, I think I'll miss out on a whole lot. The soccer games. The birthday girl. The celebrations. The accomplishments. All because I don't have the right outlook and frame of mind. 

So the motto for May 2019 is, Embrace May and Don't Wish it Away. 

Here's to being present in May and not just rushing through it to throw the kids in bed. Here's to later than normal bedtimes and a stricter meal planning schedule. Here's to driving in many directions and being grateful for the opportunity to go to five hundred million things. Here's to Sundays and spending them with Papa. 

Here's to loving these kids - plus the two not pictured 

and teaching them what it means to be present for each other. 

May, you are going to be a busy month but we will embrace all you have in store.

7QTs - SuperHeros, Our Ladys, Third Wheelz

Linking up with Kelly and co... 

---1---

I likely owe some explanation about the blogging silence (no not pregnant because isn't that what the first assumption is). I think I mentioned a few weeks ago Lee has diverticulitis and it is not clearing up in a timely fashion so he (and I on occasion) have been going to the doctor (or ER!) at least once a week for the past 5 weeks. It is exhausting. It is expensive. And I'm praying that next week after another (different from CT scan) test we will have more answers and hopefully an action plan to get him back to normal. 

Aside from that, work has been busy enough to the point I need to log on and finish in the night or get a head start in the morning hence the blog takes an unfortunate turn to the back burner. 

Fear not, I have decided to restart and blog - only about 3 happy and stressful days of last week because totally catching up would take too long.  

---2---

To kick off an already knowingly stress-filled evening we headed over to our favorite pumpkin patch to take C's obligatory pumpkin pick. All the kids have worn this costume on their first Halloween and I wasn't about to end that streak even though it was Halloween. 

It was pretty go-go-go because there were other things to do like carve the pumpkin but we got a good one and that's about all I care about. I do feel bad because there were animals there that A would have LOVED to chat it up with them but we were moving. Next year hopefully I'll remember and we can go there before 2 hours before it shuts down for the season

I took a fall pic because I'm a glutton for punishment. And it was a flop. I really don't love any of them plus E has no business wearing that bow soooooooo..... Kibbe kids be warned you had best step up your game come family photo session (yes I finally took the plunge and have a date set) plus Christmas card pics. 

---3---

I love this picture so much..

It pretty much defines A. Love my boys : ) 

E told Papa she wanted letters on the pumpkin... He said no. She lost it. I interpreted... Her OCD shines because the letters are the first letters of the characters they dressed up as. The S and P are in the mouth... I PROMISE!

Dremel drill for pumpkin carving for the win

Pretty much the coolest papa EVER 

Pumpkin Guts! Lee refused to allow seed roasting... 

Next year I really would like to make an effort to 1. get to the pumpkins a few days before the pumpkin patch closes and 2. have a pumpkin carving family contest

I need to buy some of those pumpkin reusable candles things from Amazon... Like right now!

---4---

And I present...

Wonder Woman, Bat Boy, Super Girl, Poison Ivy, Bat Girl... I need a book with a halfway decent storyline so my kids can learn who they dressed up as

I'll tip my mothering hat on this one... I dumped Papa and the walkers off on the next street over around 6 pm. C and I met up with them as we all cut through back to our street - the other street was much better in the Halloweening department

Duh-na-duh-na-duh-na-duh-na-nanananana - BATMAN!

In a neighbors yard!

Thanks for our neighbors for taking a group shot!

The looters!

A had no idea what was going on most of the time but knew something was up. He went back and forth between riding in the stroller between houses and not letting me help him with his candy bag

So much to say about this... I need a soapbox

Sorting the loot!

---5---

Lee insisted I take a pic of the taco salad he made for dinner... 

That would have cost at least $12 in a restaurant.

R got the taco all over her school uniform and I contended with that this morning which was super annoying... I guess that's my own fault for only having the exact number of polo shirts she needs for school!

Bleach is in order this weekend

---6---

The day after Halloween is All Saints Day which can be a little hairy for Catholic school moms. Two costumes in 15 hours and there's lots of hype surrounding both. Plus the sugar high from the night before and the pressure on the day of.. 

Guesses? Anyone? 

Our Lady of the Snows and Our Lady of Guadalupe 

E was super pumped about her costume because Our Lady of the Snows is the PERFECT Elsa match up. We didn't tell anyone about it It would probably be helpful to see the snowflake on the front of her dress - anyone got a good icon of her St. Nick can bring? R is Our Lady of Guadalupe. I totally could have stepped up my game on the dress but I didn't because $20 for another dress? 

When she got home from school and read through her saint-a-grams E announced she is going to be Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) for All Saints Day 2018, I was like HOLD UP!!!!!!!!

You cannot plan your costume for 364 and 8 hours in advance.

Send Saint Teresa costume ideas and links my way

---7---

A day late (really) and a dollar short (not really) we celebrated our 9th anniversary. 

With C of course 

We had a great time and we talked about where the time had gone - and how the Holy Spirit has worked through us - and where time will be going - and where in the world the Holy Spirit will be leading us. Here's to 99 more!

Halloween and All Saints Day Weekend

I probably should have reversed that title since that is the order that we celebrated them in... 

Safety pins ready for any last minute Saint Day costume pinning at school

(because needle and thread aren't my forte!) 

We actually left the house EARLY so E could get dressed at school

#smallmiracles

A view of my front seat... you should have seen in yesterday full of stuff!

I present to you... St. Margaret of Scotland

The cape (from across the pond) 

St. Margaret and her court!

The cape almost got nixed the night before because its an adult cape and was huge but E insisted...

The next day was Halloween - we have a handful of houses in our neighborhood that pass out candy so we go around with our friends... Before that though I survived 2 shopping trips, we played 2 soccer games, had lunch with Jibbe and Grandpa Joe and Uncle Kev, AND we went to a birthday party... Toss in a couple loads of laundry and Papa working ALL DAY on prepping for the church fundraiser and the extra hour of sleep didn't really seem very extra. 

A - robot, M - a cow, E - St. Margaret of Scotland, R - Elsa

I could have sworn E was going to be Elsa but she insisted on St. Margaret

M enjoying her ride

The princesses... It turns out we went out a bit late so it was much darker than we'd like. 

A was not the happiest camper and it wasn't just because of his costume

One last pic... 

Please appreciate the cuteness of A's costume

And one more for good measure!

M counting her loot - and thinking she's in just as good of shape as her sisters

Happy!

Success!

The next day was not All Saints Day for us - It was actually the feast of St. Cosmos and Damien. All Saints is a different day on the eastern calendar. It was also our anniversary. It was also a big church fundraiser. So what better day to try my hand at taking all the kids to church... by myself. 

It actually wasn't bad. A slept through the whole thing and really didn't even wake up until the final blessing. M continued in her normal silly stuff and E and R did pretty well. 

Then we headed to the fundraiser. Saw Papa. Got some to go plates. Ate lunch at Grammy's and blasted home. Upon arrival the weekend had totally caught up with me and I just sat in a chair for 2 hours. 

Papa got home. We ate dinner. Put the little people in bed. And we toasted to 7 times 70 more years with champagne and Halloween candy. 

7QTs - Horses, Baseball and Soccer

Same old, same new... 

--- 1 ---

E was invited to a birthday party that was at a horse stable.... Aside from being super excited about the party there was much anticipation about...

WHY ARE THEY SO AFRAID OF TINY LITTLE DOGS???

Anyhow, riding horse was a hit and I will never understand the minds of my kids but I guess that goes with the parenting territory?

--- 2 ---

After such a great neighborhood gathering the night before we were supposed to have an end of summer pool party but the weather wasn't fantastic so we relocated to our house and just had a grandparental gathering : )

The girls and I made Rice Cream Pie... 

The crust materials

That's all the ice cream???

Deep in discussion over puzzle piece location 

The kids cannot get enough Berenstein Bears... Mama and Papa can so who better to read it than Jibbe

E and Grammy reading The Name Jar - it came up on Amazon when I bought a book for E's homework and she ended up really liking it

So good : ) 

--- 3 ---

E finished her second Kindergarten workbook - I think it was Brain Quest or something like that - and it was just over 300 pages. She's been working on it all summer and this is what she picked out for completing it: 

There was much thought put into this purchase. She ALMOST left it and was going to put the prize $$$ on a gift card so she could save up for a bigger set BUT you know how it is being 5.

She surprisingly did the bulk of it by herself. She still likes to skip a step or part of a step here and there and I'm wondering if that didn't happen this time. As you can see we had to 'engineer' the plane a bit taller in the middle (note the bottom of the nose and top of the tail have gaps) because the people did not fit in the cabin area. Well whatever... she has been playing with it and she was going to bring it for show-and-tell Friday but then we are getting off the exit for school and I hear "I forgot my show-and-tell"

A. Opps... forgot to check the calendar
B. Exactly right, you forgot it. Don't point the finger at me (though I do like to give a general reminder)
C. Can you find something in the van to bring? Haha... yes of course! Have you seen our van?

This was what the van looked like on Wednesday morning after we had church on Tuesday night and then we stopped for dinner and didn't waltz in the door until oh... say 9:50

--- 4 ---

Now if Saturday birthday party and neighborhood gathering and Sunday church and family cookout weren't enough... Monday was Labor Day and we (sans M who got to hang out with Jibbe) trekked out to a baseball game with some families from church. 

So stinkin' cute in the oversized hat

Waiting... Not so patiently for the gates to open

Big hat + big chair

Lee and I were quite impressed how much of the game they actually sat and watched

No baseball game would be complete without cotton candy (gag!)

Silly sisters

So terrified of the mascot : ) 

So we had a blast of a weekend which made getting in the groove for Tuesday's regularly scheduled school madness just that much more hard to get back to. 

--- 5 ---

See what I mean... 

R is very attentive to Olaf's nap time spot

You think it is hard being a snowman? Try being 3!

--- 6 ---

This is worthy of it's own post... 

R headed off to 3 yr old class... More pics on that later

--- 7 ---

And lastly... but not least-ly...

Soccer started this week. Practice was good until 2 of the 3 kids - that would be our kids - left the field in tears... Bets as to which one (ehem... the eldest). Also it was the first practice so it was a little crazier than usual. Fortunately Papa was there to corral in M for the bulk of practice but there are several other younger siblings on the team so she is in good company. 

Now how do you go about explaining being aggressive but not being mean about it to a 5 yr old? PLEASE... insight. E continues to be frustrated as she wants to score goals but so does every other kid out there - except for R who was messing with her shoes during our scrimmage : )