For whatever reason, my kids don’t get invited to a lot of birthday parties.  When my niece was Goose’s age, she had a party almost every weekend.  Or so it seemed.  I was kind of worried once Goose started school that that would be the case with us.  For the past two school years, he has been invited to three parties each year.  Very manageable.  This weekend, the kids have been invited to three parties.  None of which Lance and I can take them to because we will be gone.  Lance wants to know how we got so lucky.   Since birthdays don’t change, I wonder if I will be getting trips each year this weekend.

No David’s grudge against the gym continues.  This morning, he told me he would rather get a shot and go to Mass than go to the gym.  When neither were an option, he screamed louder than normal.  The ladies at the gym might be getting a bit tired of this routine.

My mom just arrived to take care of the kids.  The amount of luggage she brought implies a much longer stay than is required of her.  It makes me think of my friend Shea who just built a game room.  She only put in a half bath.  That way it was clear that nobody could move in with them.

Season 4 of Breaking Bad is starting soon.  Despite promising Lance I would start watching this show, I haven’t made it past the third episode.  Can I just skip the first three seasons and start with this one?

Last week we took my dad to Samba Grille for dinner.  I highly recommend this restaurant.  Everyone enjoyed their meal quite a bit.  They have a lunch menu that I plan on trying very soon.  It would be perfect for date night, dinner with friends, JUST GO.  I so want this place to make it!

For Today…June 22, 2011

Outside my window…it’s raining.  FINALLY.  Oh glorious rain how we have missed you.  I admit you put a cramp in my plans for the day, but I have already rescheduled lunch for cupcakes, so all is good.  This morning, the Baby Hulk  came up with words to describe the weather.  He is so smart.

I am listening to…Lance teach the boys how to jump.  Yes, jump.  I teach the kids to read, write, count to 100 and so much more and he teaches them to jump.  This is why you need two parents.  Every kid needs a parent that is fun.  I wish I was that parent.

I am excited about…this weekend.  Lance and I are celebrating our anniversary.  Alone.  I am extremely hesitant to leave my kids alone.  Visiting grandparents for the week?  Never.  Weekend sleepovers?  Never.  I blame my parents for my feelings on the matter because we never left home to stay with relatives, and quite frankly, I don’t think I missed out.  I loved being with my family.  But my mother has reminded me over and over how lucky I am that my husband wants to spend time with me.  I know that, I just miss them so much.  So a couple of times a year, we leave the boys and take time for us.  And my parents have an amazing time with the kids.  And despite the fact that they never sent us away, I know they wish I would send the kids to stay with them.  They love them so much.  And because they love them so much, I trust them and will enjoy a weekend with my husband.  I promise to enjoy the time away and not call too much.  Besides, like my dad says, mom never answers the phone!

I am wearing…black workout shorts and a Longhorn t-shirt.  And they aren’t sweaty yet.  Going to the gym later so that Lance can watch No David while I workout.

I am so grateful… for my parents, for many reasons, but right now for the help they provide to us.

I am praying…for patience.  Oh how I need to work on this one.  And gentleness.  That’s a hard one for me, maybe even harder than patience because I don’t think I’m naturally a gentle person.  I’m kind of loud to begin with, you know what I mean?  I love my kids so much and if you read this blog with any regularity, you know I want them around all the time.   I don’t dread summers, I hate the school year, don’t understand why Squirt would stay at work for three extra hours and so on.  That said, I’m not really a patient person.  Or a gentle one.  And who wants an impatient, sighing mom?  Not my kids.  So for them, I continue to work with the help of this little book, Small Steps for Catholic Mothers.

I am reading…Under the Banner of Heaven.  I am almost halfway through with the book and have at various times thought about putting it down.  The author is just so anti-Mormon. I finally skimmed the end of the book, and if I read correctly, the author isn’t a Christian.  I seem to remember reading something about there “might be a God”.  I could be very wrong on that.  Whatever his beliefs are, he is no fan of the religion.  And that is fine.  I just know I have no desire for this guy to EVER write a book about the Catholic Church.  I’m not saying that all books about specific religions have to be written by people from that religion, I just think someone’s bias needs to stay out.  I do know that I now have a million questions about the Mormon religion which  means I have an email to write to my Mormon friend so we can get together to discuss.

I am creating…lists of summer fun for the kids and school plans for the Fall.

From the learning rooms…so I said we weren’t really doing school this summer.  Just reading and narrating books, working on handwriting and some math drills to keep up.  We have yet to finish one book, no narrations and no math work.  To keep myself upbeat and calm, I took out the calendar to show we needed to get serious.  And they kind of were.

One of my favorite things…a friend who wants to homeschool as much as me, but isn’t.  This means I have another person to talk about school with who understands exactly where I’m coming from.  (Although we certainly talk about much more than school, things like working out and margaritas!)  She has two kids who are the same age as Goose and the Baby Hulk.  We are averaging about two playdates a week with them.  Tomorrow we’re hitting the Art Museum to show the kids some Modern Art, we’ll come home and make our own art with them.  Yesterday we went to Miller’s Outdoor Theatre with them.  Afterwards we had lunch on the playground, the boys played nonstop and saw several animals.  They came home and were excited, maybe too strong a word, to write in their nature journals.  I am hoping tomorrow goes well, and I don’t end up with paint all over the house!

A bird for nature study

I wonder if the bird is scared of No David.

The momma

To live the liturgy…we are having Super Saints this summer.  Yay!   We were supposed to have company yesterday, but that was cancelled at the last minute so we missed this week, but we’re on next week.   I think the boys really need this as much as me.  It keeps us tuned into the church so much better.

On keeping home…I have discovered a new trick Squirt can do.  Clean the bathtub.  SO excited about this one.  I hate cleaning the bathtub.  And really, he is the only one who uses the hall tub so it makes sense for him to clean it.  Plus, he is stronger than me and does a much better job than me. I have been trying to have the other kids start some small chores.  I am of the mindset that I like things clean and little ones don’t clean the way I want.  Why have them clean only to clean up again?  But I understand the need to have them learn.  So we are starting slowly, like cleaning off the table after breakfast and lunch.

From the kitchen…it’s one of those bad weeks.  Lance made a brisket on Sunday that was amazing.  I am content to eat leftovers all week.  The rest of the family isn’t.  I only have one more day to plan a meal, then it’s my mom’s problem to feed them something.  Did I just type that?  Sorry mom!

On being fit and happy…I think I have to admit two things.  I am over 40.  I was really skinny before I got pregnant with Baby Z.  I might never get that skinny again, esp if I continue to eat sweets every day.  I am cheap and don’t want to buy new clothes.  That’s more than two.  And there’s another…I am slightly vain about my weight.  I want to be skinny and fit into my old clothes.  My birthday is coming up and I would rather ask for a GC to  Lakeshore Learning than a GC to a clothing store.  How am I supposed to reconcile all of this? Not sure that I can do anything except get over myself.  Or stop eating so much.  Thank God I like to workout.

A few plans for the week…

• dinner with Jessica before she leaves for Spain
• Museum of Fine Arts and art lesson
• Cupcakes with Chelsea
• time with my amazing husband

A picture thought I am sharing…

It’s been a while since I’ve posted pictures of my girl.  She is so sweet.

This kid has yet to show the same intellectual skills of Goose or the Baby Hulk, but he is definitely smart.

Evidence:

He has his own room.  Not the new BABY GIRL, but the boy who would fit in great with his brothers.  He managed to keep everyone else up so late during the week, we finally had to put him in another room.   By himself.

BUT he refuses to fall asleep so every night he cons Lance into sleeping on the floor next to his bed.  Lance holds his hand while No David squawks nonstop.  Generally, Lance falls asleep before No David does.  Tonight, he even had a pillow and blanket ready for Lance.

The other day he wanted more food and told Lance he would “be his best friend” if he shared.  How can you turn down that offer?

Since the end of the school year, he has decided he hates the gym.  HATES IT.  I have no idea why, but every day when we go, he starts screaming and crying.  Yes, I leave him there.  He cries for at least fifteen more minutes before settling on the floor, refusing to play.  Does this make me sad?  Yes.  BUT…I watch my kids 100% of the time with the exception of my hour at the gym.  I need this time.  I would go early in the morning, but Lance is on the air.  So hopefully, this phase will be over soon.  (It is much better than the BH who cried almost daily for three years at the gym.)  Until then, he keeps it real with his excuses for not going to the gym.  On the way to the gym this morning, he told me he was sick to his stomach and couldn’t go.  So I told him to get out of the car and puke.  He actually tried.

He even offered to have Luc come babysit while I go to the gym.  Interesting since he screams when she comes over too.

On a regular basis, he tells Lance to stay at work.  And more often than not, when we come home and Lance’s car is here, he starts screaming because he doesn’t want him home.

This kid is so cute and smart in a way that makes me so proud.  I can’t wait (kind of) to see what he comes up with in high school.

It takes a lot to be a good father. I am blessed to have two men who unselfishly give their all time and time again. Thank you dad for always being there for me and showing me what a father is. Thank you Lance for raising these kids with me. They are lucky to have you as a father. I love you both.

Six months. Half a year I have had the joy of holding my sweet baby girl in my arms.

This is the time that I am supposed to start getting sad. My little sunshine is no longer a tiny infant. Despite falling on the small side, she doesn’t look small, sound small and is soaring in new ways every day. My little girl is rolling all over the place, grabbing things and scooting around. She is on her way to crawling. Yes, there is a part of me that is a bit sad that time is moving so very fast. But every day that I wake up to my sweet girl is a gift. And I am smart enough to recognize it. (Finally.)

I was reading a birth story tonight, and the mom commented that it usually takes a few days to fall in love with her babies and feel connected to them. This is a pretty common feeling after birth for many moms, but not for us.

Little girl, we were connected from the beginning. Your dad will say I didn’t think you were sweet and that’s not true. What I said is that you were fussy and had to be held and sleep in bed with us for two months. Then all of a sudden, you were a dream.

My dream come true. The dream I never knew I had. I promise, I never dreamt of little girls, I was more than content with your brothers and was sad to be leaving that special club of all boys. But God knew. He knew what would make our hearts and home complete. He knew what I needed. You have such a special place in my heart, I can’t even describe it.

The smiles you give me each day make me melt. I have convinced myself that we will never have the typical drama that mothers and daughters have. I realize that life won’t always be easy, but I can guarantee you can probably convince me of anything if you keep smiling the way you do.

My sweet girl, as I look back on six months, I have nothing but joy inside. There hasn’t been a moment where I wasn’t grateful for you. I think everyone in this family feels this way too. Thinking back on your birth, some might think a C-section isn’t so glamourous. But your birth story is. The love that surrounded you from the minute you were born to thirty minutes later in the recovery room (a room that was to have only two visitors not ten) with your whole family: brothers, grandparents, an uncle, your Godmother and two special girls…that is your story. The story of a girl born to more love than most ever have in life. I pray you always feel our love. I love you, my sweet, baby girl!

If only everyday were a break dancing marathon in my house.  I would never raise my voice, roll my eyes or complain that no one listens to me.

Times like this make every middle of the night wake up call worthwhile.

Squirt has been teaching the boys to break dance.  Yes, break dance.  He even thinks that the Baby Hulk has a calling.  No idea what he saw in the BH because I didn’t see any talent to exploit.  No David.   Now he is another story.  We have got to figure out a way to make money off this kid.

I know people hate videos of other people’s kids.  Heck, I barely watch videos and they are mine.  BUT this video is priceless.  Yes, I wanted to tell the others to get the eff off the dance floor so No David could strut his stuff.  If you are too bored, FF to minute 3:30 and just wait.  No David’s moves are too smooth.

On his way to his first day of work.

Squirt, good luck today.  I promise we won’t embarrass you while you are working.   I pray that you are this excited about all your jobs in life.  (Not to be negative, but I doubt it.)

Today I took the kids to Miller’s Outdoor Theater with a friend and her two kids.  It was great, the boys took their nature journals just in case we “saw some nature”.  We saw the performance, had lunch and the boys played in the fountains.  Even Goose, the one who is always nervous about stuff like that ran through the fountains with youthful abandon.  It was an awesome site to watch the boys run around with friends and just be boys.  Afterwards, we came home and they wrote a narration about their day.

He really is this cool, most of the time.

Just playing in the rocks.

Searching for tadpoles, I think.

Not sure what he found.

But my post isn’t about today, it’s about tomorrow.  Here is the plan:

workout
make copies for Super Saints
go to Super Saints
lunch and pump, (doesn’t that sound interesting?)
movie with the twins
swimming with Em and the kids
Chick Fil A
pass out

The End.

In cruising blogs late in the night, I came across an idea that I liked:  planning for an intentional summer.  With all my griping about time slipping away, I knew this was something I needed.  I don’t want to arrive in mid-August and wonder what we did all summer.  While I’m all for taking it easy, I want the summer to be more than the kids watching television while I’m on the computer.

The problem is that I don’t want to create a to-do list.  My entire life is a to-do list.  That’s my personality.  Generally, I like it that way.  With that said, an intentional summer does not include a list of things to check off at the end of the day or week.

In an effort to embrace the fact that I don’t have anything that I need to do each week, here are some ideas of things I can do with the children and Lance.

Pick berries
Miller’s Outdoor Theatre
Watch a Sunset from Galveston
Watch a Sunrise from Galveston
Watch the midnight showing of HP with Squirt
See friends
Learn to play chess with Goose
Play BeyBlades with the boys
Super Saints
Bake with the boys
Have game night on Mondays
Matinee with the kids
Draw with sidewalk chalk
Art projects
Visit Museums
Go to Austin and New Braunfels
Ride the metro
Read
Pottery place
Monkey Joes
Paint my chick picture
Make brunch
See movies with Lance
Go to Mass during the week
Sort through the kids’ clothes
Find things to donate
Family playdates
Dinners with Lance
Read some more

First week of summer vacation is done.  And I will admit it, I’m already manic.  I have been looking at the calendar to schedule play dates and lunches, and the entire summer has already passed me.  With the school aged boys being home for less than three full months and Baby Z growing bigger and bigger, I am trying my hardest to embrace the here and now.   It isn’t working. Maybe I have an unhealthy attachment to my kids, I don’t know.  I do know that I just like them around.

The more I read about homeschooling the more depressed I become about sending the kids back to school.  I realize that the books I am reading are written by people who are considered pioneers in home education.  They are experts, so to speak, on the topic and have done all the research on different methods and have proven that in their homes, at least, home education is extremely successful.  I get that.  I am not those women, what they do in their homes might not work for me for a variety of reasons, least of which is that I am not a saint.  Or close to one.  That said, why aren’t we doing more for our children?  Why am I having to supplement at home?   How can I ever create a love of learning with the textbook style learning provided at these schools?  While studying with Squirt for World History, I kept asking him if he was enjoying what he was learning.  Of course, he didn’t.  Why would he?  How can you learn World History from  textbook?  Yes, maybe he will grow to love History in college, but why should he have to wait until then?  Isn’t his education important NOW?  So very frustrated.  Maybe I need to stop reading about home education.

My OB moved today.  With that announcement, I can almost promise we won’t have anymore children.  I can’t imagine having another child without her as my doctor.

Almost.

Goose earned a trophy today.  From Chess camp.  Yesterday, I received an email from the director of the camp saying he was taking a Pawn test.  I had no clue what that meant.  This week he was a nerd.  In a few weeks, we’ll even it out and send him to basketball camp.

Squirt starts his first job next Wednesday.  He is so excited.  I remember feeling the same way when I was fifteen.  There is nothing like earning your own money when you are a teenager.  While I am a bit of a daddy’s girl, I am very proud that I worked while in high school.  My jobs included cleaning an office building and teaching piano.  Looking back that seems slightly strange for a daddy’s girl, but I worked without complaining.  At least, that’s how I remember it.

One more…we went to lunch with the crew from Apedonkey this week.  Four adults, six children, six and under, two of which have shown to have some conduct issues.  They were all perfect.  (No David’s small fit with the fork so does not count as a problem.)  I can’t promise such good behavior from that crowd in the future.