January Days

 

Clare is nearly finished with her CNA course.

Thanks for the DumDum's, Grandpa Jerry!

Francis desperately wants to be like his Daddy.

A little study of the bones for Anatomy class.

A sparkling clean dustpan...who washes these?

I DO... after I found Francis LICKING it.

That's about enough to make a mom lose her lunch.

He just seems so sweet and innocent in pictures.

The morning bribe...chocolate chips in his pink teacup.

 

Everybody get outside...the temp is above zero.

Beautiful, belated Christmas gift from a friend.

First I caught him trying to drink the water from the vase,

then he tried to eat the rose.

The January thaw saw some pretty anxious kiddos

riding bikes...

even though it requires boots and mittens...

and hats.

The only smart one of the bunch!

Shh!  Francis is getting a new mower for his birthday.

These have seen better days!

Today marked the end of an era at our house.

This broken wheel on the crib made it just a little easier to

move Francis into the bed with his brothers.

 

 

It's been in steady use for the past 23 years.

As Timothy says, "That's a good, long run."

From Auntie June's Puzzle Book...

How do you make a clock mad?

You tick it off.

or how about

What do excess calories turn into?

A weight lifter.

an even better one

Why the lady didn't buy the swimsuit...

Hindsight!

 

(I'm sorry to have to post this but if you truly want to experience

life around here, it's imperative that you be exposed to

the 12-14 year old boy humor that we are forced to listen to

at all hours of the day.

And just think, there's an entire book

of these to share!)
I'm throwing in a cute kid pic just to make it worth reading this post today.

Clare's Confirmation

I promised myself I would post these pictures as soon as possible, so here you go...

We decorated each table with a few "Gifts of the Holy Spirit" boxes filled with Dove

chocolates and dove confetti.

Clare asked me to braid her hair.

Before Mass, Joe K. entertained the littles with Go Fish.

Table #2...and the joy of trying to keep small fry out of the candy begins.

Table #3...Clare chose Agnes for her confirmation name.

We arrived 45 minutes early to get the back of the Cathedral.

(This is what happens when they confirm candidates from nine parishes at the same Mass.)

Beautiful, sunny day outside and we're stuck here for hours.

(They'd never say that... but I'm pretty sure Johnny's thinking about

fishing at the time of this picture.)

Big guys sat behind us.  See!  The very back of St. Mary's Cathedral!

Needless to say, this was it for pictures at church.  We had a friend with an awesome

camera take a few which we'll get at a later date.

 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there was food...

 

and more food...

 

and the "Newly Confirmed" with her Sponsor.

 

Who also happens to be Fran Man's Godmother so we had to get a pic.

(Not that he was happy about it or anything!)

Then there were presents...

even Marianna got gifts.

(Late Christmas gift from her Godfather. 

Father Greg insisted they were his presents but Marianna

wasn't convinced.)

 

The hat is reversible and says "I'm a Hoot!" on one side and "Big Cheese"

on the other (very appropriate)!

 

And Papa Joe never forgets to give a noisy tractor, as well.

Johnny had to be the first to try it out.

 

The party ran pretty late.  We kicked the last revelers out at 10:15PM

(and that wasn't even the teen crowd!)

 

A final remnant of the day...

 

 

 

Johnny's Big Day

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate John Paul's 9th birthday!

 

It was extra special in his eyes because around here birthday invites are for grandparents and godparents.  Johnny's godparents live in MI and one set of grandparents (usually) bask in the AZ sun at this time of year. 

But this year he entertained all of the grandparents and an extra-fun family, as well!

(You know who you are!)

What can I say?  We really know how to pack'em in.

We even invited the local looney's.

Whew, there he is.  I thought he was lost in the crowd.

Of course, Monday inevitably rolls around and it's

time for the thank you notes.

By far, the most sought after gift, is the Bop It.

(These two claim to have the high score but there are rumblings of unethical play.)

 

And they're not the only ones vying for playing time!



Back to the Grind

After all of the celebrating, we had a hard time getting back to everyday life.

Here's what we've been up to...

Making bread with little kids.

Everybody takes a turn at kneading.

Francis likes to watch the big brother in action.

The lake is a little city this winter. 

The most fish houses we've ever had at one time.

I think our "private" lake is disappearing.

Remnants of New Year's Day.

We went bowling the night before, kids had a blast!

OK, that didn't last long.

Meet Fran Man the Destroyer.

We're all about Little House on the Prairie around here.

Started the series at the beginning of the school year

 (3rd time around for this home school Mama),

it always brings out the bonnets and dress up clothes.

Sad, sad gingerbread house.

The littles kept eating the gumballs.

Now the chickens are finishing off this Christmas treat.

The Organizer...must sort all dirty dishes before washing.

MUST!

 

The living room has been converted to a train depot.

Must use entire room.

MUST!

We are waiting impatiently for your return to the frozen tundra.

Can't wait to see you this weekend!