This life?  It’s awesome.

Truth?  It’s not always great.  It has it’s moments when I’m madly texting a friend about something one of the kids did.  Or I’m apologizing to Lance for something I did.  Or I’m pouting because he pissed me off and I’m waiting for his apology.  Life, it’s not always fun.  But really it is great.  I’m blessed beyond words and hope to always be thankful.

This year has been another reminder of just how fast time goes by.  Those old women who remind you to enjoy every second, I don’t get annoyed with them at all.  It literally goes by so fast.  I am very aware of this fact.  I live it.

So in no certain order, these are some things that have happened lately that I never want to forget.

Mason teaching Marianna to write an R.  Mari turned 4 in December.  I’ve been a huge proponent of teaching writing at about 4 1/2 for the past two kids, with this one, I’m pushing things as far out as I can.  But one day, she came to me and showed me a few letters.  I decided I better try and teach the correct form if she was going to write.  Of course, she wants to write her name.  She always came to me to write her R’s.  One day she showed me her own R.   And then she went to the drawing board and wrote a ton of them.  She told me Mason taught her how to write them.  That Mason has a quick temper and is highly sensitive, but he may just be my sweetest, most giving and patient child.

The Friday before the Rockets’ season ended, they played the Spurs.  I took Mason to the game while Lance stayed home and watched with the rest of the family.  It was a tough loss.  At the end of the game, I got a call from a highly emotional Mari.  I could’t understand a word she said.  Turns out she was crying over Josh Smith and his play.  She cried for over 20 minutes and couldn’t be consoled.  My daughter, my four year old daughter, cried over sports!  I feel like a failure as a parent most of the time.  But this?  I feel like I won the lottery with this kid.

Speaking of Rockets and Mari, last week she was wearing her new playoffs shirt at swim club.  Some kid said he liked the Rockets.  He totally caught her attention until he tried to tell her something about her team.  What he said was factually incorrect, and she knew that.  And she couldn’t let it slide.  She basically got into an argument with this kid.  She didn’t back down one bit.  Which makes me happy too.

All of Easter.  I have a post in the works, which may or may not ever get published…so a note here about how amazing my kids were and how I hope the days of the Triduum remain etched in their memories like they will for me.  I didn’t grow up attending these masses, and how I wish we had.  They are beautiful, long masses.  Very long, but worth it.  A visual feast for kids.  And so much is answered in these masses, the priesthood, the Eucharist, etc.  It’s a reminder of what Easter is about and our faith.  And the kids are just so good, from Squirt and Goose serving during Holy Thursday mass and Good Friday to the other three just behaving.  The prayers at the Grotto, the pretzels and Squirt coming out of his room to have one with us.  I just love it.  Attending Holy Saturday mass with my mom, checking the score to the Final Four game during that long mass and finding out Kentucky lost.  My mom and I staying up until 4 am for who knows what reason except I guess to spend some time together.  Just sharing Easter with my family the next day.  It was a wonderful celebration after a tough, but ultimately rewarding Lent. And the floor…that dirty floor that showed we really celebrated.

Speaking of Easter, about the sweetest thing was Squirt asking me on Good Friday if he was getting a basket.  Such a random question, but in my mind it was kind of dumb.  Of course, he was getting basket.  In fact, I was pretty excited about his basket.  It’s not always easy getting him gifts and I am not fan of giving cash (neither are my parents so we’re always trying to come up with actual ideas for him), but I found some good stuff.  Plus, this child loves peeps and Reeces eggs.  And dark chocolate.  It was one I was excited about presenting.  On Sunday morning as we were leaving, he pointed out his basket to my mom, excited!  Still grateful at almost 20.

Marianna and the passion.  You could say my kids know Bible stories and saint stories pretty well.  There are kids who know more, but they can hold their own.  The week after Easter, Marianna was pretty obsessed with the Passion and resurrection.  She marched into the gym one day talking all about it.  She told her care giver just all about those soldiers and Judas taking the money, the heavy cross and the death.  But that we didn’t have to be sad because Jesus won.  We all won.  To here her little voice tell it, well, it makes a mom proud and if I cried, I might over this.

I did want to cry when Mason prayed for my friend Greg the other night at dinner.  Greg lost his partner Ray.  And while Mason doesn’t know who Ray was to Greg other than someone very important and his best friend, he knows enough to realize he is very unhappy.  And so at dinner he said he wanted to pray and prayed for Greg.  What followed was a heartfelt, meaningful prayer for a dear friend.  It reminded me of when the kids used to pray at dinner for Ray.  They faithfully prayed for Ray during some of his worst moments with cancer.  I am so humbled that he thought to pray for my friend, that he knew that prayer would help.

Snax is playing baseball. He’s in coach pitch and is a decent little hitter.  However, his first at bat of the season he struck out.  He was pissed, and when the umpire said three strikes, he yelled, “that wasn’t a strike, didn’t you see he hit me with the ball?!”  Oh that kid.  He is so fucking real.  There is just no other way to say it.

I am so shamed to admit that my kids have horrid taste in music.  Their choice of music- Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift.  Where did I go wrong?  I can admit that certain pop songs can be catchy, but seriously, their taste sucks.  I don’t have XM in the car so there is a lot of switching that goes on while I am driving.  I’ve starting going back to old rock.  Which is fine, I used to love Rock- 101 and 96.5..those used to be rock stations!  The other day I had turned on some random station and Scorpions were playing…Rock you like a hurricane.  And Alec asked “is this the kind of rock you used to like?”  It was, I love,  love, loved the Scorpions!  So now every time we drive and a rock song is on, he asks if I used to like it.  It’s sweet, and honestly, I love that he wants to know.

I am constantly going through closets and toys.  Trying to find clothes to donate, pass onto the next boy and basically minimize.  It’s never ending.  And just when I think I’m done with boy clothes, Snax says that one little phrase, “Mari can have them.”  How can I donate something when he just wants his sister to share?  This girl is a girly girl.  She is all about her clothes.  And she has a few people who love to spoil her with new clothes.  But she’s also tough and can hang with the boys.  Yesterday, BH had her dressed as bumblebee.  It used to be his costume, but fit her perfectly.  So when I went to have her put it away, she kept it in her room.  She lovingly wears Snax’s hand me downs.  I love that he thinks of her, and she isn’t too fussy to wear his old clothes.

Snax has always walked to his own beat.  With a nickname that my friends use as well as teachers who have yet to have him in class yet, this kid has a reputation.  When the entire family is out, listeners always want to meet Snax.  This is my kid with a twinkle in his eye.  A loving, sweet boy who loves his sister a lot.  They fight like an old married couple.  He has the best cheeks and when I say, “cheek”, he immediately runs over and nuzzles me.  Best thing ever.  He also constantly asks me who I think is better.  It used to be about football teams, now it’s about basketball players and teams.  He wakes up and first thing he asks is who won the game.  I constantly catch him on the computer.  Not playing games, but looking up scores.  It has taken me by surprise, but I love it.  We used to say Alec would be the GM of the family, but it may just be Snax.  This kid knows sports and is really good at math.

Squirt got a car last December.  This child loves cars.  It sucks for him because Lance and I have no interest in or knowledge of cars.  He tries to teach his little brothers and some info sinks in, but probably not as much as he wants.  Yesterday, I looked out the window and all five kids were outside cleaning Squirt’s car.  All helping and having a blast.  It makes me so happy seeing my kids play together.

My deepest desire is kids who are close one day.  My brother has been there for me countless times.  I can’t imagine not having him to talk to over the years.  I have friends with relationships like I have and others who never talk to their siblings.   They love their siblings, they just don’t talk.  I don’t get that.  As a parent, I wonder what I can do to make sure they are all close.  I’m not sure there is a magic solution.  But when I see them all together doing something, I think it will happen.  Or when Mari tells me she wants a family day and Drake and Daddy have to come, I realize they will also make it happen.  It’s usually just me and the four younger kids on excursions due to Lance and Drake’s schedules.  But after listening to Mari, I’ve decided to make sure and have weekends like the last two where even the almost 20 year old spends time with all of us.  It’s just making the plan and letting everyone know.  Because they all have a blast, from the oldest to the youngest.

It’s Sunday and the Rockets play tonight.  Every kid in this house is ready for the game.  You know, parenting is so hard most of the time.  If not for times like these, I might give up.