Just a Quick Hello . . .

We had a bad episode with the XBox right before dinner tonight.  Willy and I sure do curse the day good old Santa brought that box into this house.  Damn Santa.

 

It's been brewing for a while now but Sir T and K have been battling it out for time on the machine.  It's totally my fault.  I knew about a year ago that I should BAN that machine from our house but I didn't.  I loved watching Sir T have a blast with his friends online.  Now that Sir K is starting to find his game, it's been a constant struggle.  Willy and I have been seriously thinking of banning ALL electronics in the house.  I'm not going to lie that scares me a bit (remember my addiction to Candy Crush).   We are leaving on vacation soon and the poor electronics will have to stay at home and entertain themselves.  Hopefully time away will heal all wounds.

 

The girls are great.  About a week ago I put the blow-up mattress on the floor in our bedroom and all 4 of them have been having a slumber party every night.  I love to sit in the dark and just listen to them interact.  Those are the most precious moments for me. 

My Plate Is Full

I don't know if it's because of all the end of school year activities, work being SO hectic or just the insanity that is my life but this has been such a fast-paced week for me.   I hope you are as ready for the weekend as I am.

In other news . . .

Sir T finished up tryouts for soccer last Monday.  So now it's a waiting game to see if he makes the team.  I'm not at all worried.  If I had to be concerned AT ALL it would be that he gets moved up to the A team.  I only say that because I love everyone on the B team and we are really (parents included) settling into a good relationship/friendship with everyone.    We should know something today or tomorrow.  In other Sir T news, he finished up his SOL testing as well so now it's just coasting into the final days of 5th grade for him.  On a funny note, I think I mentioned that we purchased a little ride on lawn mower for him a week or so ago.  Well Willy put it together and off he went.  Well almost.  See there is a mechanism in the seat that cuts the motor off if he were to jump off.  Guess what?  He doesn't weigh enough to trigger the mechanism.  So I taught him how to ride while he was sitting on my lap.  Sadly, I meet (exceed) the weight requirement :(  I'm sure he didn't feel cool as a cucumber riding around the yard on mommy's lap.  Hopefully, Willy can disconnect the trigger and he can mow without me.  I will say it was fun tooling around on that thing.

Sir K is all excited about his African Market Day at school on Friday.  It's where the second graders open a market and peddle their wares.  Sir K and I designed necklaces.  I took him over to Joanne's Fabrics last night and he picked out a beautiful piece of fabric to cover his table, a jewelry display carousal and some supplies to make an open/closed sign.  We did a test run last night and the family came through his shop and we practiced purchasing items.  He was on cloud nine. 

Lady E is ready for her bridging ceremony on Monday.  I attached all her badges, pressed her vest and she's ready to go.  The mommies are putting together a little after party consisting of popsicles and cookies.  The whole family is attending the grand event.  It should be a really nice ceremony.

Lady A is doing great.  She for some reason has taken a liking to sleeping on the floor.  I think I mentioned this a time or two but little Ms. A doesn't like to go to bed at night.  She loves to tinker around the house after everyone has gone to bed.  She reads, she plays dolls, she ipads-it, etc.  For some reason though, if you set her up on the floor with a sleeping bag and a pillow she tends to fall asleep a little earlier.  Hey, whatever it takes, right?

Willy went down to Florida for his niece's graduation from high school this past weekend.  We struggled with trying to figure out a way to get all 6 of us down there but it just didn't work.  I actually think it was a good thing.  Whenever we get together with Willy's parents we always have the kids around and it's mass chaos.  I love the fact that Willy got to spend some quality time with his parents (and sister) without all the distractions. 

While he was away, the kids and I had a blast.  We had 3 soccer games to play but the rest of the time was spent at the pool and basically doing NOTHING.  It turned out to be real quality time with my babies.  Looking forward, we have Father's Day, Willy's birthday, Sir T's surgery, Lady E's birthday, last day of school and a trip to Hershey for a soccer tournament on our plate.  I'm stuffed just thinking about it.  Enjoy the rest of the week and have a terrific weekend.  

Thursday Tidbits

The last week and a half has been such a blur for me.  We had Sir K's First Communion which was such a blessing.  He took the Sacrament VERY seriously.  He was very concerned after the rehearsal last Thursday night about the sipping of the wine part.  After we left the rehearsal he asked me if he could drink a bottle of wine when we got home to prepare himself for the taste of it.  Kids say the darnest things.  I think I have mentioned this before but Sir K is probably one of the niciest people you will ever meet.  After Mass, he went around and told all the girls that they were beautiful in their dresses.  It was so sweet to see him in his suit working the ladies.  Willy and I are so proud of him and who he is becoming.

After Mass, we headed over to the Marriott Westfields for brunch.  The brunch was spectacular.  The grandparents loved it.  We presented Sir K with a few gifts (his first official Bible and some hot wheels cars - perfect combination don't you think?)  We also seized the opportunity to celebrate Sir T's birthday which was last week.  All in all it couldn't have been MORE perfect.   These moments are what it's all about.  Such joy!!!

In other news . . .

Sir T's soccer team is on a roll.  We have won 2 games straight.  We are definitely not all about the wins but we have been "NOT" winning for so long, it's nice to enjoy a few wins.  This weekend we are travelling to St. Mary's County for a game.  Should be interesting.  Word on the street is this team is fast and big.  Wish us luck. 

Sir K finished up with First Communion and now is pumped for an upcoming trip to Hershey Park, PA.  Like me, this is one of his favorite places in the world.  We have been going to Hershey now for years but we always go in the winter time (for Breakfast With Santa) so this will be our first "official" visit to the amusement park.  He is over the moon with excitement.

Lady E is doing fantastic.  I had to give her a big pat on the back this morning.  This week has been a little hectic with all the Teacher Appreciation activities going on.  With 4 kids, it's quite a full time job to keep track of what kid needs what each day.  This morning when I woke Lady E up and said don't forget it's wear blue day for your teacher (it's her favorite color), she said (and I quote) "got it covered mom".  She reaches under her pillow and pulls out an adorable blue top with little blue shoes.  She said when I mentioned it to her last week, she put the outfit under her pillow so she wouldn't forget.  I LOVE THIS GIRL.

Lady A is as happy as ever.  She is also participating in Teacher Appreciation Week.  They have a schedule for us and each day we bring something nice for her teachers.  She strayed a bit this morning.  Instead of taking cute school supplies for each of her teachers she wanted to take a small back of potato chips for each of them.  We didn't fight her.  Nothing says I appreciate you more than a bag of chips.

Willy is doing fine.  He's participating in a 7 mile race this weekend with a cousin of his.  We have a few local soccer games and then the FAR AWAY game.  The construction is almost completed.  The team told us this morning that 98% of the job will be done by tomorrow afternoon.  They plan on returning a few times next week to finish up the punch list.  We are very pleased with the results. 

That's about it.  I hope you are cruising through your week with ease.  Until next time . . .

Thursday Tidbits

 

Today is a BIG day at the ToddlerTown.  Sir T is turning 11.  Whenever we have a birthday in the house, I always go back to my "Cast of Caricatures" tab (see above) and re-read what I wrote about each member of the family.  I must have done a good job with my descriptions because I always love what I wrote.  Here is what I wrote about Sir T (almost 2 years ago):

 

SIR T

 

Sir T holds the coveted spot of first born and he takes this job very seriously. Weighing in at 7 lbs 2 ounces, he entered this world with an aura of complete tranquility. When I first saw him not a sound came from his mouth just a loving stare and a look that said “glad to be here”. He has been the proverbial perfect son (in our eyes). He’s really smart (but he's humble about it); he loves soccer (and he’s good at it); he loves to cuddle (works for me); and he loves spending time with his family (almost to a fault). Our nickname for him is Old Soul. He spends way too much time assessing situations instead of having fun; he worries about things that he shouldn’t worry about; and he loves the History and Military Channel. He amazes me every day and the twinkle in his crystal blue eyes melts my heart.

  

We don't have a lot planned for him.  With the house all under construction, we are just doing a family thing this year.  I feel a tad on the guilty side.  Sir T has ALWAYS had infamous blowout birthday parties.  I feel like I'm not doing enough.  Of course, we started out with a donut breakfast and a huge mommy birthday hug as he went off to school today.  I'm planning on dropping off cupcakes for his class (and hopefully they will sing happy birthday to him) and I'll work up a surprise for after school (thank goodness I'm teleworking today and have "some" freedom to make something happen tonight).  

I love this young man SO much.  He has far exceeded all my hopes and dreams and I can't wait to watch his life play out from a front row seat (God willing). 

I love you Sir T and all that you are. 

 

Thursday Tidings

This is a tree Sir T and I saw on our walk

through the neighborhood this morning.  Beautiful.

 

Boy is it gorgeous here in Virginia.  I haven't had a chill in days.  Last night I sat out on our patio and just soaked it in.   The kids are spending a lot of time out in the backyard this week which is fantastic.  Lots of laughter and good times.

 

In other news . . .

 

I pulled Sir T out of school early today for a doctor's appointment.  Since we had a few hours before the appointment, we took a walk around the neighborhood together.  He even held my hand.  It is so hard with four of them to get a one-on-one moment SO I cherished it completely.  He even thanked me at the end and said he had a good time.  MENTAL NOTE:  Try and get more one-on-one time with the kids.

 

Sir K and Lady E are so cute together.  Everyone thinks they are twins since they are only about 14 months apart.  I love watching them play together.  It's beautiful really.  Don't get me wrong, they have their moments but the last few days have been awesome to watch.

 

Lady A is also enjoying the nice weather.  She is outside from the second she gets home until basically bedtime.  She is definitely sleeping better too.    Thank you weather for that.

 

The construction is going great.  Phase II starts on Monday.  Phase II is the destruction of almost every single interior wall on the top level.  This will be the true test.  The granite comes tomorrow and the boy's bathroom will be complete (I think).  We are still really happy with the progress.

 

Everyone has soccer practice tonight so it's going to be a lot of running around.  Oh well, at least it's beautiful outside.

 

I hope you are happy, healthy and enjoying life.  Remember to count your blessings and I'll catch up with you soon.