William's First Communion

What a special gift on Mother's Day weekend to celebrate a First Communion! 

We were so excited to be able to share in the joy with my nephew, Robert.  He is the youngest of my sister's 4 boys.  Big day!

 

The Mass was beautiful.  My Tommy's sister-in-law led the young people's choir at the Mass, they sang my favorite "Oh God, Beyond All Praising" which caused me to cry (as usual.  "We'll triumph through our sorrows, and rise to bless you still.  To marvel at your beauty....").  It was lovely. 

  

I am a picture taker.  I take lots, and when it is a special day for my family, I start to worry.  I worry about the food, the photos, the clothes....yes, I worry about silly things.  We were running late before Mass, and didn't take pictures as much as I would have liked.  I started to worry during Mass that we needed propane to cook the meat after, and I made the mistake of sending Tommy home with 2 kids.  Our family split up, and there was no chance of taking any pictures at church.  Okay, we take them at the house. 

 

Well, no, that didn't happen either.  The grill wasn't working, so off came the suits for playtime, firing up the coals.  So things moved along, and we didn't do all that I hoped for.  But we did get some really important ones:

 

William and his Godfather Uncle Paul.

My girls.

His Godmother Aunt Jenn.

Grandma (with her heart doing much better) and Grandpa.

And Mani and Papa.

 

Everyone else.  

 

Not one of all my kids, or the family.  I was trying to "let it go" and not worry so much, but it was eating me up.  I just wanted my family (or my chickens, as my mom would say) in one photo.  Just one. 

Now, really I should laugh.  I should.  I shouldn't be such a worry wart.  The party was lovely, we had family together, and lots of leftovers.  But I like things just so, and I asked just one thing for Mother's Day.  And I got it.  Tired faces, not as nice outfits, but they (sort of) did it for me.

Our sweet friends came to our rescue before Mass, and we managed a little something.  It made the celebration of William's SECOND Communion just as special!  Tommy was the Eucharistic Minister at Mass and made sure he was on our side for William.  We were all smiling, and in truth, that is what it is ALL about!

Christmas Photos (Of course!)

It was a wonderful Christmas!  We were so blessed with plenty of family time, and relaxation. We went to early Mass on Christmas, and the kids still were smiling and happy to open gifts after taking pictures!  William still has trouble with the flash, but we got a pretty good family photo.  And, this is my Christmas morning photo dump.  Because that is what we all want to see.  The joy of each face.  And how well my crew cleans up.







Second grade gifts are some of my favorites.  I love things that the kids make at school.

Patrick loved his new jacket for school, and though the weather was quite warm, he was determined to wear it as much as possible.  Warmest Christmas I can remember, as we went out in shorts later that day!





I tried my hand at making a gift.  It's not perfect, by any means, but I think Emma will love having it on her wall.  She chose the fabric. 



This note came from Patrick, in a gift of chocolate popcorn, paid for by himself.  My children NEVER write me note like this, but especially the almost teenager!  I blubbed quite a bit when I saw this. 

I love this photo.  The aftermath, the silence, the joy. 

Oh Christmas Tree!

You know how often God provides?  Every.single.time.

Our pre-lit Christmas tree has been less than willing to light up each year, without much coaxing.  We were gifted a new to us artificial tree, 9 feet high!  In our two-story living room, it fits in perfectly!  Tommy provided new lights for the tree, that change from white to color.  It is awesome!  I like the mixture of the colors and white, but Tommy is a white light fan.  So, we compromise!  We let it change!  I promise I will share photos of the tree at all stages.  It is neat to see! 

I love the "trimming of the tree" time in our home.  My little elves are just so sweet and helpful! 

Can you see how tall the tree is, compared to Tommy?  He is even on his toes to fill in the gaps with ornaments!  As my friend Lisa said, the line from the Advent Carol "People Look East" says to make your house fair as you are able.  With 5 kids, I take that line very literally!

And Lucy enjoyed the ones that had a bell.  She got into the Jingle Bell spirit. 

Saint Nicholas Cookies

 

Saint Nicholas weekend came so quickly this year, and I do love how each time we do it, a child steps up to try something new.  James was more ready to cut cookies, especially the candy cane, or "J" for Jesus and James.

Daddy is the best roller, and I need to make a double batch next year, as the rolling and the cutting goes so quickly! 

We had participation from all the (able-bodied) children.  Even the oldest one who prefers to sit in the corner and read, or play card games.  It is photo documented!  Patrick came to help!

Monday Mumblings

Tommy's family got all together at the beginning of July.  We had a week of family fun, including a trip to Busch Gardens.  Tommy's brother and family came in from Korea for a visit, and Emma was thrilled to share her room with the 3 girls.  It was a whirlwind of fun, and we all went to bed super late, ate too much, and talked until the wee hours of the morning. 

It was awesome. 
Lucy loved all the extra attention. 

 

James loved meeting his Godfather and playing with him. 

William was thrilled with the twins who are just a year older than him and he stuck to them like glue.

  We also had a lot of photos for the shutterbug, and for the calendar.  We managed a family photo since not everyone will make the wedding in the fall.  Everyone is so happy to contribute.  ;)

Happy Easter 2015!