new camera

Okay, so I am now used to this new camera, but it is keeping me from being lazy! The memory card sucks as it doesn't hold but a dozen or so pics before being "full." This kept me from taking some pics last night for pumpkin carving night...my attempts at trying to get the kids to paint them failed! I'll try to get more pics of the kids and their pumpkins tonight after the older two get home from school.

The week in Review...

(image on right is Katherine and her aunt Julie after her "La Traviata" performance...I tried to post this lower, but it kept coming up here!)

Things were busy around here for this family of 8 this week! On Monday, Stephen has scouts at 6:30...Paul is now an assistant Webelos I leader as the women already were exerting control, so he just fills in and runs things when they let him ; ) He and Stephen hauled all of our broken bikes down to the meeting and the boys spent Monday night fixing all our bikes. Paul laughingly says, "next week we will all meet at my house and we will work on your carpentry and plumbing skills!" He is currently selling popcorn, so if anyone wants any, just let me know!
Tuesday meant Megan got to perform for her middle school's homecoming football game. Her school joined in the Presidential Physical Fitness program, so everyone has to have a PE. Megan chose "Cheer Dance Aerobics." It has turned out to be all cheer and no dance and no aerobics! Anyway, all the girls from the classes got to perform during halftime. I wanted to download the video Paul took, but it was so blurry you could barely make out anything, sorry! I must say that my previous objections to anything "cheer" have tempered. Megan was a natural and did very well!
Wednesday Lauren rushed thru her schoolwork, so she wouldn't be late for a playdate with her friend M.G. They live near us and if you look at previous postings, they took ballet together last year.
Thursday meant gymnastics for Lauren and Rebecca. They are both loving it (well, Lauren doesn't like having to sit still during the instruction portion). The others got lucky and got to attend the high school's fall festival. Games, prizes and Karoake were enjoyed by everyone. Paul said Katie and Megan both sang Celine Dion songs and when Megan sang, all the middle school cheerleaders stood behind her doing "moves" and voicing backup...what I wouldnt' have given to see that! I think Megan finally had a "I really am good and special" moment...I'm glad as I don't think she gets enough of those from her peers.
Friday was a true blessing for me. A friend invited me in for her cesarean, to help her in any way that she or her husband needed. I hope I did what they needed, for I truly felt blessed to once again be a part of the birth of a new creation! Paul had the day off and everyone was at his mercy for the whole day, LOL!
Friday night, Paul took Katherine to her homecoming football game where her choir sang the National Anthem. The football team won 42 to 14 so it apparently was a good game. Afterwards, the choir hosted the homecoming dance and karoake party. I was a little panicked when Paul came home without her and annouced that he left Katie at the school to go to the dance, but he told me to back off as he sat with her and all her friends at the game and they were all good kids. They were all going as a group. PLUS, I found out later that their homecoming is NOTHING like what it was when I was growing up. Apparently, the only formal here is the Prom. Everyone at homecoming was just in jeans and tshirts/sweatshirts. Not a big deal. She sang "Concrete Angel" at the karoake party after the dance. Her friend video taped her and is supposed to upload it to youtube...I'll let you know when it is on there.
We spent yesterday going door to door with Stephen selling popcorn, yardwork, and then to top it all off, Paul went with Katherine and his dad to the opera. His sister Julie is one of the singers and they performed, "La Traviata." Katherine loved it!

Well, daddy certainly has spent a lot of time with the kids this month. Hopefully that will fill them thru the busy delivery months that lie ahead. It is always hard for the kids and me not to see him from Nov. to January. Now for my day of rest....

Sorry, I have to brag!!!!!!!!

Katherine came running in today after school...so excited! She thrust a paper in my hand and before I could even read it she is gushing out info...She got a perfect score on the Biology/Science section of the SATP (subject area testing...don't know what significance this is...) and then was the highest scorer for the Math section (she'd only missed three)! Yeah! She also got straight A's.
Now, for my "down to earth" time...Megan failed science....but all other classes she passed comfortably..no D's.

Katherine on piano

I'm including a bit of Katherine's musical talents for you to hear and see:

Birthing a watermelon

For all of you who don't follow The Office...they had a hilarious birth simulation that one must see and subsequently laugh hysterically...and yes, it is a bit "off."
http://www.hulu.com/watch/39647/the-office-baby-shower#s-p1-so-i0

Little Pig

We are all just ROTFLOL over this! My sister sent some cheap masks and the kids have really loved playing with them...here is Kimmy in a Little Pig rendition.... (ee-no is "Please don't" in two year old language).

Got It!

I managed to get the Lauren video to work right...just 10 seconds, but since family doesn't live anywhere near here, I thought it would be nice for them to see her...

Oh crap!

I was just rechecking my blog to make sure the set up came up right and I clicked on Katherine's picture....only to notice in the background, thru the blinds...a very naked Kimberly and Lauren playing in the dog's water bowl...I think this will NOT be listed as a major porn site, but oh my, the things I DON'T notice when I am taking pics!

Katherine..."Mom, what are you doing?"

I got a new camera and I am so excited! I am still trying to figure it out, but Katherine unknowingly was my first subject...this thing has so many buttons, I didn't know what I was hitting! She will not be happy with me for sharing this photo! I tried to also record a short video of Lauren making her pizza for dinner, but for some reason I couldn't get the sound to transfer...I have to work on that. She is heading out tomorrow to sit in on a short rehearsal of her aunt getting ready to perform the opera, "La Traviata."

Busy Fall break!

Busy, busy, busy!!! Friday we dashed about town, visiting, finishing laundry, cleaning and packing. Saturday morning we headed out to Jeff Busby park for an overnight camping trip! It was a bit of a drive (little over 2 hours) but all we had to pay for was gas...no fee for camping sites! We got all set up, went on a nature walk, ate dinner and then headed out to the Rainwater Observatory/Planetarium in French Camp. It was about 15 minutes away from our campsite. The kids had to endure a bit of boring lecture on what NASA hopes to accomplish in the next 100 years, but then the kids and adults were given the opportunity to roam thru the building looking at meteorites,tons of gemstones and other interesting models and artifacts. There was also this curious blue substance called 'aerogel'...never heard of it before in my life. (When we came home I googled it...the www shows loads of info and cool pics, check it out!)

After purusing the barn, we headed outside. The scientist in charge had a light pointer that went clear into space...that got the kids' more attention than just about anything. To have someone point out the constellations and North Star was very education for me at least! We also got to peer thru telescopes set up around the landscape...one aimed at the moon, one at Jupiter (a few children, who shall remain unnamed lost interest at this point and I had to remove them from the scene). This I might add was all FREE!
After that "fun" (or I would call torture for a 7 and 2 year old) we came back to the campsite to roast marshmallows, keep Kimberly out of the fire and then retire for the evening into our respective tents (girls tent vs. the boys tent). Kimberly awoke in the middle of the night wanting her bed and blankie, but then fell back into a deep slumber within 5 to 10 minutes. We just went for one night as a "test" and it worked out well. Next time we just need to find a campsite that had more amenities for little ones, like a sandbox and playground....
We arrived back home a little after noon on Sunday and spent the afternoon cleaning up and then heading to Mass that night. We were surprised to see so many people we knew! It was nice to chat and catch up with everyone!

Monday I enforced school...even for those who "go to school"and a little shopping. I picked up a few new board games for the kids and they must have played scrabble over and over again for about an hour or two before the Creativity Co-op people showed. We get together with some other families in town and pool our creative resources. I teach about an aspect of art, or an artist and then we start in on a project to support what we learned. We do this for about 55 minutes, then switch to the next mom who teaches a 10 minute segment on Creative movement and then switch to our Creative writing mom who leads us in a subject related to the art and gets the kids brains thinking of writing! I must say I feel embarrassed at how good the other moms did and how lousy I was! I feel like a hermit that is just starting to get out into public again and I feel a bit uneasy and awkward right now. Since I was covering the beginning of art starting with the Greeks, Cari taught a little on Greek Mythology and got the kids to create their own myths...it was super! Becca won't share hers with me as she was still in the drawing phase, but Lauren, who was really struggling with the creative aspect (the cattail is a cattail....)I encouraged with some bits and pieces of info and she managed to draw it out to a full blown myth. Her fine motor skills aren't caught up with her brain yet though, so I am probably going to have to play secretary as she tells me what to write. Stephen's piece was very detailed, but I didn't catch the gist of it, other than he was explaining how ant hills came to be. I'll probably submit copies of those as they become available.

Tuesday we decided to catch the "free after 1pm" deal at the Pink Palace and then swooped down on Paul's sister, Julie for a quick, "hello!" Now it is Wednesday and I think everyone is exhausted. I am hoping tomorrow that I don't have to go anywhere!!! Katherine and Megan had to go back to classes today, but I did end up getting Megan as she was crying with a sore throat and slight fever. I think she is fine though, so I am sending her back tomorrow. My homeschoolers had to stay busy with work as well...no breaks for the weary!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for keeping up with our busy life! Pictures will be forthcoming when I get the film developed....a new digital camera is on the way though!

Life is back to normal

I am well again, but I feel I've lost 6 weeks of my life! In my attempt to get caught up on everything today, I got done with nothing....isn't that how it always goes.
One bright thing that happened yesterday, is my 2yr old took my face in her hands, smoothed my hair back and said, "you're bootiful." Made my day!

Today, I was privy to a unusual sight, Paul pausing from the computer long enough to engage in a educated discussion with Stephen over exploration and the importance of which country sent who where...When asked, "where was Genoa?" Stephen replied, "Italy." Dad, "good...now where is Italy?" Stephen, "Isn't it that continent above Africa?" Dad, "okay, can you be more specific...and remember it they sailed, right, didn't walk." Stephen, "Well, I think they had to have walked, otherwise how would they have gotten on their ship?" He said this totally seriously....I however was trying hard not to laugh and Paul was getting frustrated as he thought Stephen was trying to be a class clown...Praytell, how can you be a class clown with only two kids in the room????? This is why mommy teaches and daddy works....he just doesn't have the patience for it....gotta love 'em anyway (although today i am just calling him the convenient sperm donor...it's been a bad day)!