Summer growth spurts
The Shecklets served as my test subjects prior to taking couple and family photos at my parents’ house today. They all grew so much over the summer!
Tag: weekend
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.
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!
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 🙂
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!
The Lego Movie
Jake has been extra busy at work, so his time with the kids has been limited. With the temps so low and snow piles so high, he opted to take the Big 3 Littles to a movie this afternoon.
It’s Little #3’s first experience in a movie theater.
He texted me these pictures and said, “They’re so excited, they won’t let go of their tickets.”
Birthday Party #1 for #4
Little #4 had no problem with her birthday cake. In fact, looking at photos from her siblings’ first birthdays, she was clearly the cleanest after she was done. The boys were probably at a disadvantage since their frosting was chocolate… 
She took handfuls of cake with such skill and intention, she has clearly been watching her older siblings over the last 12 months. We had a ton of fun with family and friends who were able to join us for cupcakes and ice cream.
Happy 1st birthday, sweetheart! We love you!
Ham and Gorgonzola Pizza
Little #2 likes to pick out dinner ideas from the cookbook he gave me for Christmas last year. Tonight he helped prepare our meal.
Fall trip to the orchard
We took a trip to Jake’s parents’ house today and were able to enjoy the beautiful weather! The kids got to trick-or-treat at Grandma and Grandpa’s house and then we headed to the apple orchard where my mother-in-law works ever fall. The older three Littles loved checking out the animals, climbing the hay bales, playing on the wooden train, going for a tractor ride and navigating the corn maze. Little #4 wasn’t very enthralled with taking group photos with her siblings, but we tried.
Trunk or Treat!
One of the local high schools hosted a fun afternoon event for kids. The high schoolers decorated the trunks of their cars, had activities for the kids and handed out candy to the Littles. I have been asked if we can go again next year…and we just finished 10 minutes ago 🙂