The kids are all home today, and sleeping in. Katherine has a housekeeping job to go to today. The family is friends of ours who are trying to help her out. Katherine received an opportunity to attend some clinics in Florida at two Universities in February. The whole Advanced Choir is going and since 15 people couldn't make it, they opened it up to the next level down, which includes Katherine. The trip is actually pretty reasonable at $330 and they will also visit Universal Studios and go to the Blue Man group concert. She will not be able to participate with the competition portions of the trip. I told her she could go if she could raise some of the money. So she babysat all day yesterday and today she cleans house for a family who is out of town, so they can come home to a clean house!
We found out yesterday that Megan just may pass the sixth grade. She called when her last final was over and said to come and pick her up. I guess the kids that can, go home when they are done. Anyway, two of her teachers were in the hall and commented about how she has really turned it around and is doing very well now. We are so relieved! It seems like she always takes until January to kick into gear, I don't know what it is about her. She's always been like that. She came home and helped with some chores and took care of Kimberly so I could finally get back to schooling Becca and Lauren (see yesterday mornings event). Kimberly is so cranky since her two year molars are coming in that I've hardly been able to set her down.
Tuesday was show off night at Rebecca's gymnastics...I didn't get to go due to the cranky one, but Paul took Katherine and Lauren with him to watch. She came home with an "Achievement award" and it was gorgeous! I'll have to get a picture of her holding it for the blog. Big difference between this gym and our last. You had to pay extra for all the medals, ribbons and show off nights. Here the fees are higher, but you don't pay any extra for any of these sorts of events and she is welcome to come back and work out with the team or other groups any time she wants.
Well, I need to get to the store this morning, but I will get around to those pictures I promised before the end of the day!

You know it's NOT time for potty training, when...

Here is the toddler, diaperless on the counter
Munching on loaves that were gifts for the neighbors.
Now comes the mom,
Whose been busy schooling
The two others at home
While this one was snoozing.
To her dismay mom came upon this scene,
Caught Kimberly red handed
And she had to clean.
The foil, the counters and even the floor
Urine was aplenty,
the diaper, discarded,
was over by the door.
But Kimberly seemed clueless,
She was happy and content,
to fill her belly with mommy's presents!

Time flies...

As I sat back and watched the bus pick up Stephen from the end of the driveway, I am reminded of my day on school buses. I always swore up and down that my children would never ride buses after what I endured on them, but here I am kissing my kids goodbye and sending them out into this dangerous world. I know I can't shelter them forever. As a midwife I saw plenty of newlyweds who lived their entire lives sheltered and protected from "the real world." Their abilities to cope with struggle, hardship and pain amazed me. They weren't "tainted" or beaten down by life. You could truly see God in their eyes and hearts.
Our kids aren't quite as demure and quiet, so I know their time is coming. We have to arm them with knowledge and love of God. Our kids are to be soldiers for The Kingdom, not the quiet servants working in the shadows. This is already apparent in our dealings with the schools thus far.
Our children have been very prayerful since beginning school. Even when we get to bed late due to evening activity outside of the home, reports, studying or homework, they never miss their prayers. I am the lazy one. I am the one who gets to be giddy I am so tired and I just crash into bed! I have been chastised by one priest and this constantly sits in my mind and eats away at me until I summon up some energy to climb the steps to bless each of my children before climbing back into bed.
Stephen, my future priest or prophet, we aren't sure admitted that his night trauma had ended. Ever since we blessed his room, placed a rosary next to his bed and looked the other way when he acquired my scapular for himself, he has stopped being awakened in the middle of the night by evil spirits. He has been tormented since he was little and we just thought he was having bad dreams until I met someone very special who shared with me that these may not be nightmares at all, but evil spirits tormenting his soul when he is at his most vulnerable. The devil is actively seeking out our children...as anyone can plainly see by watching the news. Stephen did finally tell us just a few months ago that he didn't think they were dreams at all.
Last week, while he was playing he casually mentioned how he gets pictures in his head of things that haven't happened yet...all the time. He didn't know all the right words, but Paul and I got the idea. I asked him what he meant (we were sitting on the floor putting together blocks, not even sitting eye to eye). He talked about getting pictures in his head about camping with dad and seeing some rocks..very descriptively told me what they looked like and how they were laying on the ground, then two weeks later he did in fact go camping with dad and saw the same thing "from the picture in my head." I would love to know what else he sees!
He seems to also have a great appreciation for what sin is and what it does to our Lord. He comes home in tears when he hears the name of the Lord cast in vain, lying, etc. We offer prayers for his friends who persecute him and call him names (funny he still calls them friends even when they are teasing him or picking on him), as well as teachers, the principal and others who he hears committing sin. When I made a comment about this to Paul out loud, Katherine commented that she prays all day long because of what she hears at her high school. So for as much as I feel like a failure as a good Catholic wife and mother, sometimes I get glimmers that I did something right :)
Well, this posting was a lot longer than I anticipated, so I'd better cut out so I can get ready for school. A tornado looks like it blasted thru my house and I am not a good thinker if I have to sit in chaos!
Christmas letters go out this week!
Kris

'Tis the Season

The kids schools are all busy with holiday activity. I don't think the south has gotten the info that religion in schools is a no, no! I love it!
Megan's Band Christmas concert on Monday, her Christmas music concert tonight and her class's rendition of Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" sometime next week are wonderful reminders of the magic of Christmas. Katherine has a Christmas concert on Thursday night and Stephen had "Santa's workshop" yesterday to shop for his family and friends. He also had a Christmas concert scheduled for next Monday, but he really didn't want to miss Scouts again. He is loving being a part of this large dynamic group and was very disappointed when we made him attend Megan's concert instead of going to scouts. Megan of course loved all the fuss over HER!
Katherine had her first "boy asking her out" last week. As she is telling me about it all, I felt so sorry for the boy...she has no qualms about telling people exactly how she feels about something. I told her she had to realize that he probably has been wanting to ask her out for a long time, but was too shy (he actually had someone ask her for him) and didn't know how to approach her. I know she has strong beliefs about dating (she wants to wait for courtship) but she just was so blunt that I am afraid it really hurt his feelings. I need to check with her to make sure this issue got smoothed out. He was the cousin of one of the girls she eats lunch with. Apparently he has been admiring her from afar; doesn't have a class with her and otherwise didn't know her : )
Yesterday, we got a phone call from the principal at Stephen's school. According to her, he told a child to go to hell, although I could hear Stephen in the background protest that wasn't what he said. Upon further discussion we realized he told a student he was "going to go to hell." When we talked to Stephen after he came home, he explained that this other student was telling tall tales and wouldn't stop lying. I guess he has my button for lies and blew up at this student. Paul was very good about talking to him about how to deflect tall tales and make another person look foolish. Sometimes he is so very good at connecting with Stephen. My attempts seemed to just upset him more, so I am glad Paul was home in the afternoon to handle this! Paul did get called in to fly at 3am this morning. He isn't as busy as he has been in the past few years, so it is nice that he is home more.
Well, I promised Becca that we would get up early and get schoolwork started so we can make some Christmas cookies this afternoon...better scoot!
Many blessings to you and yours!
Kris

Skating Party

The day started out harmless enough yesterday. As the domestic help was sick and unable to make it on Friday, the family had to scrub the house down. The kids rebelled (as usual) and at one point begged me "to divorce daddy because he was so mean!" I informed them that I don't think God would consider divorce valid because Daddy insisted the kids rooms be cleaned and vacuumed! The drama queen, Megan, thought the world would end...until...
Stephen announced he was done with cleaning his room, the den, emptying the dishwasher, taking out the trash and vacuuming two rooms. He was ready to go to his skating party!
"WHAT SKATING PARTY????" was the buzz around the house. I told everyone that if they finished they could choose to go to the Boy scouts skating party OR the Christmas Parade in Olde Towne.
The house was a-buzz with noise and flurry as the rest of the kids ran about getting the living room, dining room, classroom, kitchen and their bedrooms all cleaned, so they too could announce they could go skating. I think after three hours of complaining the final flurry only took them 15 minutes! Why couldn't they have done that the first time?!?!?!
The skating party was a lot of fun, despite the bumps and bruises. All but Kimberly got to skate and three kids even won a skating game of sharks and got free cokes for it (oh, great!).
They had some climbing tubes and Kimberly and Lauren had a lot of fun playing in those. Lauren had to take a break from skating every now and then to save her poor tooshie from extensive damage!
We came home and had a big pot of beef barley soup, rolls and salad...of course all but Stephen finished theirs and had seconds. I just love finishing up my large meals with soups. Now that I've learned how to make them it really stretches the groceries.
Rebecca spent the night with her friend Stevie Layne. The girls get along very well and I am glad to see Becca making friends. It isn't easy for someone as initially shy as she is. My hopes for her cousin to be around more so they could have a great friendship has not panned out, so I am glad there are others in the neighborhood who have filled that void. I think just about everyone in the family has managed to find really good friends in the neighborhood, most of them even on our street. It is such a breath of fresh air to be living someplace that isn't clickish and everyone just accepts everyone for who they are! Shreveport was so bad about that. We lived there ten years and only had a few friends that really were there for us, and not all the kids had good friends. Two did and it was a painful move for them (still is), but they are slowly adjusting.
Well, it is Sunday now and I hear rain hitting the sunroof; looks cold and rainy out. Better go fix a big batch of oatmeal to warm my troops up!
Have a blessed day!

Terrifying toes

I forgot to share with you Kimberly's #1 fear...my sister's toes! We don't know why, but one day I happened to point "your auntie's shoeless toes" with the pretty nail polish. Kimmie FREAKED! She started screaming and running away from her, scrambling up me as fast as she could. We all thought it was just hilarious; the look of terror on Kimmie's face was hysterical.
Now that my sister is gone, so has the fear of toes disappeared....