Going for a new look...

Stephen got glasses.  He was going for the "smart nerdy" look.
I think he's successful.

Marianna also got new glasses.  We were going for the
"hopefully these will stay on her head" look. 
Not quite as successful, I'm afraid.

And Joseph is adding to his facial hair on a daily basis.

Matthew decided to trade glasses with Marianna.
Goofy kids!

What to do when there's a blizzard and your family of 13 is out of bread?

 

I made bread from scratch without a bread machine and it was a success!

 

 

Now I'm afraid the expectations for fresh bread on a regular basis

 may cramp my cross-stitching time.

Making New Friends Out of Old Friends

Neither sleet nor snow kept Debbi and Jeff from making a visit this past weekend.  I mean that literally.  Their 11 hour trip from MI turned into 14 hours, after travelling through a snow storm with a 20 semi pile up on I-94 that made national headlines.

 

I think Johnny figures we re-celebrated his birthday.  He hasn't really ever known his godparents, since the last time we saw them was when he was 6 months old. He was overjoyed to make some wonderful memories with them.

 

The guys went out ice fishing, then we had a fish fry.

Some rousing games of Nerts with little kid partners.

 

Went to Winter Worship for our parish cluster and met the new bishop.

(The littles just walked right up and introduced themselves right when

we got there.  Sorry no picture...it was crazy, busy.)

 

Then back home for some serious, late night, big kid Nerts.

(They had to stand up because it got so competitive.)

Stephen exhibited his speed and agility at card handling...

to win the game. (Notice- I was originally playing, but Joseph subbed

for me.  We needed someone to document the drama with a few pictures!)

Johnny proudly posing with his "favorite" godparents.

 

I think they're a perfect fit for him.  Don't you?

We're in to gaming...

and lately it's not even the electronic kind. 

 Yep, that's right.

We've rolled out the Monopoly and Apples to Apples,

even thrown in a little Uno.

The "big" un-boardgame guys are getting in on the fun, as well.

 

 

Stephen tried helping Matthew dig his way out of debt, but to no avail.

Joe took no prisoners in this game.

 

Timothy's response after losing at Monopoly,"Why play a game where

 I have no money, when I already have no money in real life?"

 



Here's the Apples to Apples crew, with Johnny making sure

everyone's playing fair.

Do you see what I see?

Big kids gone sledding....let's watch!

Snack Time

We've tried shaking things up a bit around here, lately.

How about a little non-nutritious snacking?

Say...indoor marshmallow roasting?

Or a little-people-pudding-party?

Try saying that one real fast, 3x in a row!!

All photo credits go to Therese...

and here's the evidence of the aforementioned photographer.

Clare at the piano...

 

This picture was taken to remind me to blog a momentous occasion.

 

Last night, Clare played piano at our 8PM Mass!

 

Finally, after months of saying "I really need to call the woman who plays piano at Church...",

 

or  "We need to get the sheet music for the Mass settings..."

 

or  "I should introduce her to Marie (previously mentioned music whiz)".

 

FINALLY, despite her procrastinating mama, she had an opportunity to play.

 

Next, she thinks she might like to cantor. 

 

You go, Girl!

We cleaned and rearranged bedrooms

 

Found these pictures from over the Christmas break...

 

We moved furniture and deep cleaned. 

Notice the clean part didn't last long in the girls' room.

 

Obviously, neither room looks like this anymore.

Maybe that's why I enjoyed looking at the evidence

that we DID clean, once upon a time.

 





Baby Cuteness

Except he's not really a baby much anymore.  He's tackled the stairs, standing for short periods by himself, walking behind a push toy and lugging a sippy cup around. Where'd our baby go?

 

Look what happens when a brother...

 

 

...or a sister get a hold of him.

 



What a delightful guy!  He is doted upon by all of his siblings.  He totally keeps us hopping and screams when trying to get attention, thereby receiving the nickname "Frazgul"(as in Lord of the Rings Nazgul fame).

Here he is hanging out with his favorite "toys".  After all, what baby doesn't love pots and pans?

Who needs it anyway?

My kids think clothes hangers are highly over-rated.

A Happy Birthday for Johnny!

Johnny turned 8 yesterday. 

 He has been counting down the days to Bday since before Christmas!

Imagine his disappointment, when he discovered that we weren't having any guests over to celebrate.

This is what happens when  your godparents live a few states away and your

 Mom and Grandma get their wires crossed.

 

Bummer!

 

So we sort of turned the whole day into a party.

Starting with everyone helping to make the cheesecakes...

 

Yay!  One made it into the oven without disaster striking.

 

 

This one is supposed to be baked in a water bath. (More on that later.)

 

Had plenty of help with the clean up.

 

 

Poor Francis was stuck with a cracker.

 

 

Then Dan made it home from Mens' Group in time to see Johnny open

his presents.  (Here's your gift, Grandma and Grandpa, straight from Amazon.

Didn't even bother to wrap it...the birthday boy didn't care.)

Hobbit Lego Game

 

It was a huge hit...they played it all afternoon (and still at it this morning).

Which gave me some time to head down to the fish house with Dan and hang out

in the quiet on the lake.  (Translation...we were too cheap to go anywhere

for our anniversary.  Ice fishing = free celebratory get-away.) 

 

23 years and counting!

 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, they made iced tea to take the celebration to new heights of FUN...

and we finished off the day with Rich Man Tacos (translation - taco meat with no beans) and

two kinds of cheesecake, which barely survived my fishing expedition. 

 Forgot it in its water bath.  No worries...only slightly soggy!

But the birthday boy was none the wiser,

so we're declaring this birthday a success.

 

Happy 8th Birthday, John Paul Benedict!