food – Page 18 – I only have 5 minutes

Uncategorized / October 31, 2014

All Saints Party

We opted to try something different on October 31st this year. Our new parish holds an All Saints party with a hot dog dinner, games for the kids, entertainment (this year it was a juggler) and the option to also bring home candy. With temperatures dipping low, the added bonus of the event being indoors was great. We had two shepherds, St. Gianna (a doctor) and a monkey from Noah’s ark. The kids had a lot of fun and Shecklet #3 was also an assistant for one of the juggler’s tricks.

Uncategorized / September 1, 2014

Happy birthday to my dad!

My parents have had a little project going on this summer. That seems to be a theme in their lives the last several years. When they take something on, they’re all in. Their latest project is no different. They took down the deck on the back of their house earlier in the summer and have been working on the rebuild during almost every “free” moment in their schedules. My dad has put in countless hours measuring, cutting, lifting, leveling, and nailing while my mom has been a staining maniac. Together, they make quite the team. Jake and Tony have also pitched in to help, which I know has also been a huge help.

The reason I mention all of this is because my dad’s birthday was August 12th, but we just celebrated together, today. We all gathered together for dinner on Labor Day and my mom figured today was as good of a day as any to pull out the cake she had frozen along with ice cream. My dad loves German Chocolate, so the kids loaded on the candles and we sang “Happy Birthday” to the man we love to call Dad/Papa.

Uncategorized / August 2, 2014

Cracker muncher

Next time I have to get past the screaming that will likely ensue by taking just taking the box of open crackers away from the toddler BEFORE driving home from Nana & Papa’s house.

Commence car seat clean-up at 10:30 pm.

Uncategorized / July 29, 2014

Corn on the cob

Shecklet #4 enjoyed her first piece of corn on the cob tonight!

Uncategorized / July 27, 2014

Yogurt face

Shecklet #4 insists on feeding herself. This is the aftermath of today’s lunch 🙂

Uncategorized / June 28, 2014

Saturday trip to The Range

Growing up, it always felt like I had two grandmas on my dad’s side. My Grandma Fran was a twin, which made us the recipients of double the love, homemade bread, and prayers.

We were able to make a trip up to see my Great Aunt Helen (and introduce her to Shecklet #4) today. Jake and I got to spend almost 2 hours with her, listening to stories about the early years of her marriage and motherhood. Meanwhile, my dad’s cousins, Mary & Helen, were kind enough to keep the Shecklets entertained – such a gift!

After visiting Auntie Helen, we called and left a message for my Aunt Ann and Uncle Gene to see if they wanted to meet us for dinner. After attempting to decode the message we left, (apparently the background noise of the wind made the message nearly impossible to understand) my uncle called back and invited us to their house for dinner. We had a great time catching up and eating together as a family!

I am so thankful for this day and the memories we made!

Uncategorized / May 15, 2014

Happy 8th birthday, Shecklet #1!

Happy birthday, Shecklet #1!

Can you believe you’ve been around the sun 8 times?!? Your dad pointed that out this morning at breakfast. I can remember your birthday like it was yesterday. I know I say this every year, but you are growing up so fast! In the past year you’ve figured out how to ride your bike, ride your scooter, jump rope, read, add, subtract, and write in sentences. And your drawing has become so much more detailed. Your love of art and science is evident in almost everything you choose to do and you have enjoyed the Mad Science classes you’ve taken at school as extra-curricular activities.

You have a fun summer ahead! Golf camp, Play-Net, VBS, and maybe a trip to visit cousins. Lots of new memories to create! I’m excited to see what the coming year has in store for you!

XOXO

Mom

Here are the 2014 responses to the annual birthday questions:

What is your favorite color? Red
What is your favorite toy? iPad
What is your favorite fruit? Apple & Blueberries
What is your favorite TV show? Arthur (on PBS Kids)
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? sandwiches
What is your favorite outfit? shorts
What is your favorite game? Mancala
What is your favorite snack? Cheetos
What is your favorite animal? Giraffe
What is your favorite song? “Ants Go Marching” (not the DMB version 🙂 )
What is your favorite book? Geronimo Stilton books
Who is your best friend? Max (from the bus in the afternoon)
What is your favorite cereal? Life (It’s what you had for breakfast this morning.)
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Jump rope
What is your favorite drink? Lemonade
What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Monkeys
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? cereal
What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Mac-n-cheese
What do you want to be when you grow up? Teacher
What is your favorite movie? Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs

Uncategorized / April 20, 2014

Easter 2014

Easter morning came early for us this year. In order to make it to mass on time (7:30 am) with all six of us dressed in our Easter finery, my alarm went off just a tad before 5:30 am. I longed to hit the snooze button just one more time (I had already pressed it 4 times) but I manged to get myself out of bed to start the day. The kids were wonderfully chipper and got ready without incident. If there’s one perk to attending the “early” mass on Easter, it’s being able to arrive at the church 10 minutes prior to mass beginning and still get a front row pew. And we had all the space we needed, which comes in handy now that Shecklet #4 is a wiggler/mover.

After mass, the kids searched for their Easter baskets and were treated to some new duds, flip-flops, gum, Holy Heroes cd’s and a few chalk activities for the driveway.

A little while later, we packed up and headed to Jake’s grandparents’ house to have brunch with family and friends. The weather was gorgeous – we couldn’t have asked for a nicer day.

Once we returned home, we let the older kids break out the sidewalk chalk paint. (We have yet to bust open the new box of chalk. I don’t know who is more excited – me or the kids!)

I was hoping to snap a few more photos today, but instead chose to just enjoy the moment and conversations taking place around me. I did capture a few pictures of relatives we don’t get to see very often as well as one of Lincoln with Uncle Mark. They were sporting similar hair styles 🙂

Uncategorized / March 23, 2014

Little #2 turns 6!

Happy birthday to our Little #2!

You have to use 2 hands to show how old you are now! Your dad and I are so proud of the young boy you have become. Your laugh is contagious, your wit is quick, and your love for your siblings makes my heart so thankful for the opportunity to see you interact with them.

Kindergarten is an adventure you have met head-on. I am impressed with your ability to grasp concepts and master skills in math and reading. Keep up the hard work and never stop learning.

Some of your favorite books include The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Geronimo Stilton Scholastic books, and any Lego Scholastic book. You like to ride your bike, shoot Nerf guns, play an occasional video game, cook with me in the kitchen, and give your baby sister hugs. (You are so sweet to her!)

For your birthday, you asked for a castle cake (and wanted me to copy Cackleford Castle from one of the Geronimo Stilton books we read. I gave it my best shot and you were very excited. Your second cake (yes, you had two birthday cakes for your party) was a two-tiered, tye-die cake that turned out amazingly well. You helped frost that one and topped it off with about three inches of green spray frosting. Needless to say, you had quite the sugar high after your party!

We had friends and family join us for cake and ice cream (and presents) before heading to the Brunswick Zone. You wanted to play laser tag, but when the party goers got there, the laser tag room was closed due to someone getting sick. Bowling and arcade games were the replacement activities and everyone had a good time.

You rated your birthday a “10” on a scale of 1-10, so I think you had a great day!

We love you to the moon and back, buddy!

Mom & Dad

Here are your responses to the questions I ask you each year on your birthday:

What is your favorite color? Green
What is your favorite toy? Spy Gear (birthday gift from us, which included spy goggles, darts, noise distraction balls, and motion sensors)
What is your favorite fruit? Peaches
What is your favorite TV show? Electric Company
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Pizza and Mac-n-cheese
What is your favorite outfit? Shorts
What is your favorite game? Jenga
What is your favorite snack? Fruit by the Foot
What is your favorite animal? Snake, Stingray, Lion, Cheetah
What is your favorite song? Monster (by Eminem/Rhianna) And then you broke into song, “I’m friends with a monster that’s under my bed.” You’re super interested in monsters, and the difference between good/evil. That said, it’s not surprising that you’ve picked up on the refrain of this song as we’ve flipped through the radio stations in the car.
What is your favorite book? The Hobbit
Who is your best friend? Jack & Isaac (from school)
What is your favorite cereal? Cap’n Crunch – the peanut butter kind
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Shoot the pretend bow & arrow that Grandma has.
What is your favorite drink? OJ and soda pop & Sierra Mist (I don’t think you know that Sierra Mist is soda pop 🙂
What is your favorite holiday? Christmas & Halloween
What do you like to take to bed with you at night? “Myself 🙂 and my monkey”
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Pancakes, waffles & Cap’n Crunch (we rarely buy Cap’n Crunch, so it’s a treat for you when we do.)
What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pizza
What do you want to be when you grow up? “An ice cream man so I can eat all of the ice cream!”
What is your favorite movie? The Lego Movie

Uncategorized / March 15, 2014

My “little” brother’s birthday

Tony’s wife, Kristin, planned a surprise birthday party for him this year. We gathered a week earlier than his actual birthday and filled their townhouse with 11 adults, 8 kids, and 1 dog. The kids had a blast decorating the place and practicing using their noise makers before Kristin’s brother brought Tony to the party. We had homemade soup, an assortment of breads and fruit, and cake, cupcakes and ice cream for dessert. It was a fun excuse to get the entire family together to celebrate my favorite brother!