All Saints Day 2015

E goes to Catholic School so there are certain things that are super fun about being Catholic that the school she goes to embraces.

Yesterday for example all the pets - real and not as real - got blessed. We'll tip our hats to St. Francis for that.

Pink bunny for the blessing

Oh the skepticism over live animals

Well then there's All Saints Day - the day after Halloween. Nothing scary just celebrating good Christian people - martyrs, defenders of the Faith, wonderful role models and examples - that we can and should learn more about so that we can follow in their footsteps living Christ-centered lives.

So the project/assignment is this... Dress up as a saint or biblical figure.

Easy right? Yeah!

Except E loves to push the envelope a little further and make it interesting - which I wouldn't want it any other way BUT with bebe #4 and general craziness in the last part of the month (more on that once it happens) a break from the crazy would be awesome.

We talked about it and you could be Mary (Jesus' mama) or Queen Esther or St. Elizabeth - John the Baptist's mama or St. Helen (helped find the true Cross) or St. Mary of Egypt (we have her icon in the chapel) - fantastic conversion story - or Mother Teresa or anyone? Thats' a decent options list, no?

No. Of course not. I told her we'd look at costume ideas online (the visual decision maker) - since this is not something I'm throwing together the night before - because that would be stressful and terrible.

Catholic Icing has great ideas but not enough pics for the 5 yr old.

Catholic All Year was perfect because there's a hundred million saint costume ideas all on one page.

So we scroll through once and we talk about them and the saints a little but I don't know them all because, there's about 1000001 saints right?

Well one of them catches her eye. Why? I have no idea. But ever since she saw this costume - which I am no seamstress - I cannot recreate a plaid queen dress and Amazon doesn't have homemade dresses like that. She wants to be....

St. Margaret of Scotland.

Saint who of where?

If this icon happens to be brought by St. Nicholas in a few months it wouldn't surprise me : ) 

Yeah. I definitely had to look her up.

ANYHOW... after I got a little background and knew that trying to persuade her out of it was nearly impossible we are rolling with it. Probably just as random as the Saint Generator. We are embracing St. Margaret of Scotland for this All Saints Day and I'm actually kind of glad I get to learn a thing or two about a saint I've never heard of.

Now if I could only find a medal of St. Margaret of Scotland (that I like and is not INSANELY expensive) so that E can remember this All Saints Day I'd be golden but I'm still working on it.

The costume is NOTHING like the one E saw from the website which is fine with me and her because $20 later on Amazon I think we can rock out turn-of-the-millennia queen pretty well plus I did get one accessory so there will be NO QUESTION where she hails from. Is it over the top? Maybe. But is it great? I think so. What does Papa think? He might need some convincing : ) Shoes might be an issue but I'll probably call - wear your regular school shoes and then put this baby to bed.

Pics to come when it is the day to dress up because I won't want to spoil the surprise!

PS - All Saints Day is November 1st - which is on a Sunday this year so they are celebrating it at school early. Plus November 1st happens to be a certain anniversary of some certain people. Seven years??? Here's to 7x70 more!

Book Worms

Since no news is no news in baby-land here's what we did over the weekend.

We got the girls library cards. I am so embarrassed to admit it that E's first library book check out experience was at school a few weeks ago. We have a GREAT stash of hand me down books plus all three girls have consumed some number of board books so we are can be rough and tough on the books we have plus ordering a book or two on Amazon seems way easier than going to the library.

BUT BUT BUT.... They love looking at books and being read to and reading and 'reading' to each other so off to the library it was...

I DID NOT GET THEM DRESSED!

They got to pick out a reasonable 3 books a piece

Their choices weren't terribly surprising...

E - 3 Berenstain books - LIKE I NEED TO READ ANOTHER BERENSTAIN BEARS BOOK! and the only one I actually wanted to read - BB and the Green Monster - was not on the shelf #itsnotaboutme

R - 1 Berenstain and 2 Cliffords

M - 2 Cliffords and Corduroy - Corduroy is so great

They were kind of loud in the library as they weren't too familiar with library etiquette but we were the only ones there so it was okay. Plus they are 5, 3 and 1 they can only be so quiet, right? Also, the library is RIGHT on the way to school so we can drop the books off easily. I'm just hoping they don't get 'missing' behind or under a bed : ) 

7QTs - No baby, just checking in

No baby... So I have no real excuse for not posting so here's to catching up!

--- 1 ---

Just to start things out on a baby note... 

Most creative announcement ever...

Yes

If this mama had a blog I'd read it but for now we are just FB friends

--- 2 ---

In other bebe related news...

Last week I was up two nights in a row from the tune of 1:00-5:15 and 2:00-4:30

Just getting my brain in baby mode I guess. One morning after being up with a coughing M and a bad-dreaming E, and trying to go back to sleep - which wasn't happening - I just turned on the coffee pot and started the day in the 3 o'clock hr. Then I proceeded to fall asleep on the couch after half a cup of coffee...

--- 3 ---

Let's discuss how much these girls love their papa...

ANYTHING to spend time with him

R was never much of the riding type but I think M's going to take E's spot on Papa's lap for mowing sessions

--- 4 ---

Back in the day... at our old house, Lee and Jibbe used to keep up a pretty massive garden. Well we moved, got busier, and really don't have a super sunny spot for a garden so two weeks ago we hit up the Farmers Market for some corn.

Maybe a little more than some.. 

 

I think it was 70 ears

Now there will be 'good corn' for Thanksgiving's corn pudding. And if you don't know what corn pudding is then you are missing out. I didn't know what it was until Lee and I met and it is hands down fantastic and is a huge hit among people (my side of the family's Thanksgiving dinner) who only get it once a year!

 

The girls were a great help. I think this might have been the day E fell off her gymnastics swing after helping so that was a bit dramatic and probably really really really hurt but she's no worse for the wear.

--- 5 ---

Soccer is going swimmingly... Our first game was canceled. I canceled practice last night because of rain and our game this weekend has already been canceled...

 

M's been holding the fort down with Papa during practice

 

Though she loves to put on R's sweaty shoes as soon as we walk in the door

And she gets super mad when she finds out we've already been to soccer.. The life of an almost 2 yr old. Hopefully she'll forgive us when we bring home this new baby... though I am guessing M is going to win Helper of the Year

--- 6 ---

My mind is blown... 

So tiny!

Last weekend after several afternoons and evenings of contraction (but nothing serious) Lee kinda was like... Are you ready for this baby? 

So I dragged out the newborn box full of everything green and yellow. Found the bottles and the pump and the tiniest onesies. Washed everything so it smelled nice for baby. Packed a bag. Figured out the infant carseat I have might be more worn out than I thought - I (and Lee) cannot get the darn thing LATCHed or belted into the van tight - it is highly disappointing because these new infant carriers are super massive and weigh a ton. That's one thing that remains floating out there is what to do about that situation : ( 

Lee painted the bedroom and we are getting the rocker/ottoman (thanks Craigslist find from 3.5 years ago) recovered. It is probably my single favorite to sit and nurse a baby and it was in DESPERATE need of some TLC

--- 7 ---

I'll leave you on a rainy note from LAST week which will give you a clue about THIS week as the rain keeps on coming but it seems as if the hurricane is not...

Oh to be 3 again!

7QTs - Crafting Wins, Show-and-Tells, and Fantastic Fridays

Busy-ness abounds... 

--- 1 ---

We have been adjusting to life with nightly homework. Seriously it is only a page or two of letters and numbers plus one crafty thing a week. Very manageable but I'm not here to debate the necessity of homework in Kindergarten

One afternoon though E did a noticeably poor job on a page and I seriously erased a good 2/3 of the page and had her redo it. I think she was a bit mad at me but sloppy work now means sloppy work later.

And you know what, when she had to do the same page of numbers a week later how do you think that quality was the FIRST time around?

Let's just say that lesson was learned in one go. Let's hope she doesn't forget it : )

In other #homeworkwins

I went to get E's first couple sets of sight words laminated - mainly because the notecards I bought at Target (Target brand) were as thin as paper. I know I need these to hold up for at least this school year and hopefully R and M (and new bebe!) will have the same Kindergarten teacher so we could conceivably use these for several years. Plus the cost of laminating them was not terrible and it saved me the hassle of in-home-laminating aka stacking 3 cards together (yep they were that flimsy) and taping them with clear Duct Tape. 

Oh and if you missed the latest post on just how crafty our family is... check it out

Though I think this might further my point:

E had to do some quick coloring and gluing this week and of course we are down to the DREGS of the glue and I kept banging the bottle up-side-down on the table WILLING that glue to come out and it would so after enough banging, I finally stuck my finger in the bottle and got that glue out myself! Just for the record E wanted to do it but I wouldn't let her - imagine that! - but she did put the pieces in place. 

--- 2 ---

In other random news, E and I mailed off our hair donation one day after school. That PO trip took place after we detoured to the warehouse to visit Nani (and I had to stop for work). I LOVE working for a small company where I can take my kid(s) when necessary. E got to see (and smell) the dried tobacco, watch an 18-wheeler get loaded, check out some different farm equipment and see the fertilizer that I sell. It was a mini-field trip!

I wished I had let her help me package it up but it didn't really dawn on me until later. 

--- 3 ---

We have had some FANTASTIC weather lately and we've been outside as much as our schedule will allow

Yay for longsleeve tops and shorts on the bottom!

I will say that getting people dressed in the morning - or at least approving or advising on dress - is tough when it is 45 degrees when we leave the house. Low 50s for the prayer line at school. 60s for preschool drop-off and 80s for most of the day. It seems excessive to bring a coat everyday thus the van is littered with coats for those 'just in case' mornings. 

--- 4 ---

E had a really busy week... 

Which included giving American Heritage Girls a try, soccer and a dress down day at school. She was so excited about her dress down day, I woke her up and the FIRST thing she said was - Mama today is dress down day! Yay for Papa going to the HSA meeting which earned her that. She wore her most colorful dress and bow and she even slept in the bow so we had to do a swap the next morning.

For show and tell she had to bring in 5 small items and of course the infamous Legos had to go. I might have said a quick prayer that they make it to school in tact.  

--- 5 ---

R had her first show and tell EVER and guess what she brought.... 

She had talked about bringing in one acorn but Olaf was the final answer!

R and M enjoyed an evening together while Papa was a AHG with E

I think the squirrels could entertain the girls just as much as Curious George and the squirrels are way more interactive!

--- 6 ---

Little Miss M... 

She's in a super cute stage and she knows it

And she's got a mind and attitude of her own : ) 

--- 7 ---

Yesterday was such a peaceful, unscheduled afternoon and evening. The girls played outside. They FINALLY got to play with their friend from next door. We ate pizza. They got to watch a show and they went to bed. It was a calm end to a wild week...

That's all folks!

T-Minus 21 Days...

It is always hard for me to wrap my mind around a new baby's arrival. I remember with E thinking okay this is reading happening but I couldn't really envision what life would be like (during or) post-L&D because I haven't ever done this before.

And I believe I suffer from the same syndrome each time.

I don't have any idea what life will look like in 21 or 28 days or somewhere in between because we are just living life to the fullest everyday - whether it is school or church or soccer or eating meals or reading books or cleaning up or sitting outside or spending time with family and friends - we just soak it up. Sure there are some not-so-great parts. Of course I yell at the kids more than I should but that's not what is remembered.

Take for example a few nights ago, Papa was at his Bible Study so the girls and I hovered around the couch and we each got to pick out a book (including me). Sure I could have said one and done book and gotten everyone in bed 35 minutes sooner but sometimes (most times) a little breaking of the rules and extending of bedtimes might just be worth. Though I will say last night we had a similar situation and story time got nixed because the girls were exhausted from soccer practice plus R did not nap one second yesterday afternoon plus E is just generally needing more sleep (as she melted down earlier over 'not being able to cut out her cat' homework). 

SO... where does all this leave bebe #4.

Honestly I have no idea.

Will our world be changed? Yes - and for the better.
Will we survive? - Of course - we've done new baby before

But I just don't know what it will look like.

Having been induced with #3 at 41 weeks there was no great race to the hospital (except that false alarm) - no sense of - Oh my goodness I'm having the bebe on the side of the road. So I'm more than a bit anxious to see how labor pans out and hopefully in a hospital room as peacefully as labor can go : )

Then there's the whole boy/girl thing. Really, really. Lee and I both have written off this baby being a boy - which is fine, right? I mean a boy would be the only surprise for me at this point - which I guess we like surprises since we did not find out boy/girl 17 weeks ago.

No need for this color, right?

I'm kind of disappointed in Lands End color this season. We already have a pink, yellow and purple and when M was born they had this great orange color (fall bebe) but then there was purple so purple it was. I think this baby will have this silver-ish color unless something new (either color or gender: ) comes up between now and a month. 

Side note, the medium totes are fantastic diaper bags/ thrown everything into this bag for a day - I'm not paid to say that but if you are looking for a good baby gift for someone who doesn't like their current diaper bag - hook a mama up with one - with the zipper top

And what the heck about the names? I can say I really like both sets of names that we have picked -  I couldn't say I was 100% on board with M's name at this point when I was pregnant with her. I agreed to it of course but then I got to thinking about it and I would have changed it on the spot in the delivery room. BUT, now I love it and I think it definitely fits her. For this baby, the girl name could be an easy pick/guess and I think people will 'get it'/see it - it is fairly predictable. The boy name on the other hand (which we won't be needing anyway, right? : ) I think people are going to think ??? really. Really??? Very Catholic. Very Biblical but - how'd you get that. There is a family tie to it so that makes me happy but again not going to need it so what difference does it make?

Well that's what happens when you try two other obvious boy names on for size with previous pregnancies... my all-time favorite boy name is actually second on the list and if there were to be a delivery room switch up I'd advocate for it but Lee would advocate for name number one so this is why we seal the name deal before it is worth getting into an emotional argument over : )

So we will come home (our prayer is always for a happy and healthy baby) and then life will begin. The girls will have to go to school. Papa will have Bible Study. There will be soccer games and practices. There will be homework. There will be eating. There will be playing. There will be arguments over things I will never understand. Everything is the same but different with a new person tossed into the mix.

I will go ahead and put this out there - there are two big events in October that I will be missing out on because of this baby's arrival:

1. A friend's ordination. We happened (I'm sure not by chance) to meet at World Youth Day in Germany 10 years ago. I had just really started getting into the eastern Catholic side of the Church and the group I was with was a very western Latin Mass group. When I told the leader I was exploring the East they said, Oh you have to meet 'Joe from England'. Well I did and 10 years later - after he came to our wedding and spent a Christmas with our family - he will be ordained in a few weeks. Can I tell you how bummed that I cannot travel to Ohio for that? (I suppose I could but I'm not one to play with fire)

2. A friend's wedding. This wedding goes down as wedding #2 in the history of weddings I missed because of babies. Now this is Lee's best friend. He's E's godfather. So yeah... He is kind of important in our family. (I missed E's godmother's wedding when I was pregnant with her and in hindsight I totally should have gone - so yeah important peeps). Could I travel with a 2 week old to the wedding? Maybe if it wasn't a plane trip or a 13 hr car ride away. I am quite sure my mental health could be damaged if I went though. Who knows if this baby will be a good sleeper or a not good sleeper.  A need-to-be-walked or a need-to-be-swung bebe? Plus the logistics of taking a newborn somewhere added onto the impending cold season in which the germ-a-phob in me rears its head and needs to sanitize everything.

So my thoughts are swirling. I'm wondering if we can just delay this whole labor thing until about 2016 but I'm quite sure that won't happen. I'm thrilled at the thought of running again. I cannot tell you how badly I just want to shoot off and jog a couple miles. I am ready to not be pregnant and there are implications (like a newborn) that have to be reckoned with.

I asked Lee if he thought we should put the infant carrier in the car - his response? - in a few weeks. Then I reminded him that 'in a few weeks' might just be a little too late : )

Crafty McCrafters

I'll just throw it out there that I am not an overly crafty person. I'm not creative by any means and if I'm going to do a craft I need CLEAR direction. 

Crafting with kids... not my thing either. Why? It is generally messy with a side of sticky glue. Not my activity BUT... preschool homework project definitely broke me into the crafting with kids thing so I'm up for a good craft here and there. Plus I'm one to take one for the team... though maybe just maybe Papa will have to oversee a crafting assignment and you'd better believe that will be properly documented : )

E LOVES crafty homework so this was totally up her alley...

It began with reading Chrysanthemum and the Name Jar (thanks Amazon for that suggestion as E liked that one over the book that went along with the assignment/what they read in class). Reading a book or two with a craft helps me get focused and I'm always up for a {short} book.

If you have a young child read the Name Jar. It is really neat and you'll probably have to Google how to pronounce the main character's name. : )

Okay... back to the homework

No paintbrush? No paint dish... No problem. We improvise around here (and add to supply list later)

We had gone to Hobby Lobby to get some supplies a few days before. R got some stuff too because crafty homework is in her near future too. Seriously didn't dawn on me that we didn't have a paintbrush or a spot to dip paint... Blame bebe #4

I vetoed the neon paint pack but E still went with yellow background : ) 

Olaf help with EVERYTHING around here... 

Onto the decoration part!

Seeing that she is in kindergarten I really wanted to ***try*** to stay out of the bulk of the craft. For the name I had her write each letter and then I made it outlined/bolded so there would be space for the decorations. 

The starting point... 

Gorilla gun WILL NOT take the place of the blasted glue gun

I own a glue gun. I had seen it the day before upstairs when we were organizing. E and I go up the afternoon before the project is due to get the supplies and the glue gun. 

No glue gun. ^10000 because I looked

Enter gorilla glue. 

Terrible. 

It wouldn't bind the felt to the paper or the pom-poms either. 

E - Why don't you ask Papa where it is? 

Me - He won't know

{send several frantic texts to borrow a glue gun because a good part of this HAS to be done BEFORE soccer practice}

Attempt to use Elmers... better than nothing

So excited to use the glitter glue completely un-helped

Well it turns out that Papa knew EXACTLY where the glue gun was and HE put it in a box of storage stuff in the dormer next to the craft table. #grrrrrrr

So here's what she came up with... the pasta and the lentils just came out of the pantry after dinner because I was too tired and she was too cranky to get involved in searching for stuff outside (like the sandy A). 

The stamps (background decoration) were something she had been begging to do the night before so the morning of when everything was dry I told her she could stamp away once she was ready to go. Not a huge fan of them but I am letting her own the project so whatever!

Now for E's all-time craziest craft homework... let's not forget that pink turkey!