Precious Moments at Wee Hours of the Night

I just got Kolbe to bed!!!

He 's afraid to go to sleep by himself because he's afraid of "the witch." Normally, he goes to bed with one of the girls or I lie down with him until he falls asleep. But tonight he was extra afraid (and awake due to a late nap). So he hung around while Craig and I packed toys and books.

As I was packing books he got excited over seeing some old favorites. So, I took a break and read him the Ginger Bread Boy and some others as well. I've read this book to him a hundred times and tonight he asked me, "Why do they want to get the Gingerbread Boy?" I told him the Gingerbread Boy was a cookie and since they liked eating cookies they wanted to catch him.

Kolbe: "But the Gingerbread Boy isn't a cookie! SEE!! He's a little boy. Why they want to be so mean for him?"

I went back and showed him the pictures of the lady making the Gingerbread boy and that he was a cookie. I think he got it.

During the day I'm so busy with the older ones that he causes trouble or ends up waiting hours for my promised reading session with him. Tonight we got caught up. As always he told me I was beautiful in the middle of the book The Three Little Pigs (another favorite of his). He then told me: "I love you mommy! I think you beautiful! I like girls! I think they beautiful too!"

GOOD!! I was glad to hear that! Tomorrow morning I'm going to start with Kolbe and read him several of his favorite books. I'm glad he stayed up late tonight.

What's Worse .......

the anticipation before Halloween or the sugar rush afterwards?? My kids have been bugging me for the past hour if they could start trick or treating. We haven't eaten dinner yet!! Its still daylight!!

"So? Can we go?" they say.

Here's our SCARY Halloween pumpkin!!





BOO!!!

Halloween preparation

We just got home from Taekwondo and our Halloween traditions have begun. Right now the kids are carving the pumpkin with Craig. Isabelle and Anna are taking turns playing scary music on the piano (minor chords) to add to the atmosphere. I'm about to go bake the pumpkin seeds.














Here are the kids in their Halloween costumes.

I need to get them in their saint costumes again. I forgot my digital camera for the All Saint's Party and took pictures with a disposable. So they probably won't be developed for another year or so!!! ;-) Go to Blair's to see pictures from the All Saint's Day party.


**Please excuse Kolbe's attire (or lack there of!!). This is normal for him (yes, I know, BAD MOM!!)

Blogging for Motivation

Well, I'm really needing to convert the schoolroom and playroom back into formal dining and living rooms to get the house ready for sell. And since I haven't even started, I thought I would blog about it and announce to the world my goal. I'm hoping this will keep me accountable and help me accomplish this dreaded task!!! So here are pics of my schoolroom. Hopefully, I will have pics of a formal dining room in a few days!!!

Design Center Haze

WOW!!! There was so much to choose from at the design center. Craig and I were there all day and both got what we wanted. I was eyeing the Silestone countertops (mine will be Brazilian Brown). Craig added on all his inset lights and eyeballs. He must have gotten over 20 of them suckers!!! At the very end he even said, "Let me also add 4 lights in the garage." Both the lady and I said, "REALLY??" Craig started laughing and said of course not.

Craig also got me an intercom system so I can save my voice!! It was lots of fun. I feel like we're building our dream home!! I still can't believe it!

We took our mother (my mil, but she's like my mom) to see the lot and model home. The kids had a blast on the lot. We stayed out there for an hour and they had fun playing adventure among the trees and looking for rocks. My mother was the rock expert and told them which ones were precious and which ones were useless. They even found a "dinosuar tooth" and "dinosaur footprints." I'm glad they liked the rocks because only the front of the house comes with sod!!!

We then went to pick up some Bill Millers (BBQ). The kids are playing baseball in the back with Craig. Can't wait to move back!! Weekends should be about visiting with friends and family!!! If you've seen the movie Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek, think of the scene where the whole family is together eating and talking outside. That's what we're coming back to!!! Except I didn't design our house to look like that!!!

See ya!!

She's a walkin'

Catherine has officially become a toddler! We're visiting the folks (AGAIN) and to their delight she's walking all over the place. And unplugging the television set (during her grandma's fave shows), emptying trashcans, knocking over statues, and walking into glass doors!! ROFL!! Actually, grandma walked into the screen door!!

We're going tomorrow to pick out fixtures and upgrades for the house. We're going in there strong. I figure the new house in our hometown is enough of an upgrade. I don't need any fancy faucets (at least I don't think so).

I finished the kids' saint costumes 2 days ago. Isabelle must have changed her mind at least 3 times. Here's the run down:

Isabelle - Mother Theresa
Anna - St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Sophia - St. Therese
Kolbe - St. George (although he thinks he's Edmund from Chronicles of Narnia since he gets to wear a cape, helmet, armor and sport a sword)
Catherine - Baby Mary (although she's not being very cooperative in keeping anything on!!)

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!

Angel Pin

Yesterday was Isabelle's CCD class. Craig teaches her class. This year Craig's co-teacher started an incentive program (to try to get the kids to answer questions) where they get a heart coupon for every question answered and paragraph read. Needless to say, Isabelle racked up hearts immediately. In fact, one of her classmates even asked her how she knew so much!!!

Well, the co-teacher had told the children she would have little items they could buy with their coupons but hadn't bought them. Yesterday she finally brought some things and Isabelle was able to purchase an angel pin.

When she got home she gave me this pin. I asked her where she got it from and she said, "Oh, I bought it with my heart coupons. The card with the pin said 'Angels are those who watch over you and take care of you,' so here's the pin. You're like my angel."

I was speechless. Of all my children, Isabelle and I are the most alike and tend to have the most conflicts. I really felt loved! Now to go start school. I'm wearing the pin to remind me to act angelic!! Isabelle noticed this morning I was wearing it and was all smiles!! Have a great day!!!

* Today did not feel like a Monday! What a great day!!

If Craig were showing the house ......



"Notice the new AC...." said Craig,


"and the new electrical box. I had the house completely rewired and grounded."



"This 3 car garage is less than 5 years. Lots of space for cars and tools and storage. Also, my office is in the back complete with AC, phone connection and electricity."



"This is the furnace and media filter."



"Finally, the ATTIC!!! Its got structural integrity!!"



* Wife comment: In his zeal to get rid of all unnecessary wires and debris, Craig cut this wire which actually belonged to our ADT system!! He has since fixed it and me and the children are safe again!!

** Not to imply that this isn't a safe neighborhood. It is VERY safe!! I just have an overactive imagination when Craig is gone!! Hence the alarm system!!

Our House

Here are some outside pictures of our home. I thought I'd share them with you. We're really going to miss it when it sells. We've put alot of work into it. Too bad I don't have any before pictures. There was absolutely NO LANDSCAPING when we bought her. ENJOY!!



MEET THE NEIGHBORHOOD!





This is our back yard. This patio has held LOTS of skating shows and tricyle races!







Another view of the front.



Pictures of the inside to come!!

Birth of a Hummingbird

Here's a cool website with over 20 pictures showing the birth of a hummingbird. We just finished viewing them and my kids couldn't believe how small they were. ENJOY!!

JOKE OF THE DAY

What keys cannot be used to open lockers?

(answer in comments)

*This is taken from Isabelle's math today.
We use Singapore Math and LOVE it!!

Mars and Venus

So now that we've committed to moving we are trying to polish up the old gal before we put her on the market. We hope to put her up for sale in about 3 weeks . Afterall, isn't this when most people look for houses, right before the holidays??

We have until June to sell her. After that we get to have a double mortgage. We'd rather be out of a home before the new one is built than stuck with two payments ...YIKES!!

So yesterday began our masterplan to start getting her ready. Craig went to Home Depot (only a few blocks away, the new house is going to be miles away) to pick up paint, supplies and ...PLYWOOD!?!

I thought we were going to start with the kitchen but he spent all evening in the attic!! He was cleaning it out (didn't even know it was dirty) and nailing plywood down. Craig and I think so differently!! I think of the aesthetic side of things while he's just practical.

I figure no one's going to want to buy a house with an out-dated looking kitchen. But Craig thinks no one wants one with an attic that looks old and dirty??? And now that I think of it, EVERY house we've ever looked at (and there have been millions, it was a favorite past-time in grad school when we knew we couldn't afford one) he's always gone up into the attic. I don't know what he's looking for. Ask your hubbies about this one because it has me baffled. When I ask him he just says (being a man of few words), "I want it to look good."

Little notes

As I was cleaning up the kitchen tonight I found this little note written by Anna:

I Dot wut to Be a FBI
I wut to Be a vet.
and I wut to Hav a Dog. Thank you.
Good-By!

Gosh, I'm out of touch with my 6 yo. I had no clue she was even considering being an FBI!!

WE DID IT!!

We have started the process in building a new home in San Antonio!!! This past weekend we went and picked a lot and signed the papers to start our house.

I will be VERY busy trying to get this house ready for sale. I need to make it look normal instead of home to a homeschooling family of five. This means I need to turn the classroom back into a formal dining room. Change the playroom back into a formal living room. Change the baby's dressing area back into a vanity. And the baby's closet back into a "His" closet. We also have to paint over all the walls and doors since handwriting practice seems to have taken place everywhere except on paper!!!

See what children do to you!! They rob you of a formal living and dining room and vanity area!!! We did leave the kitchen as is since they seem to like eating!! Except we're going to spruce it up and make it the way I always wanted it. By the time we're done its going to look like we were never here!!!


I'm going to miss it here BUT I'm sooooooooo excited!!!! We'll be closer to family. Both my parents and Craig's leave within 10 mins. of each other!!

In fact, on Saturday and Sunday night I stayed out on my mother-in-law's porch talking with her until midnight!!! I so love those talks!! Now I can see her and my mom whenever I want!!!

Also, I went somewhere I hadn't gone in over 10 years. I went to my old church's prayer meeting. I used to attend my church's prayer meetings in high school and college. Basically, the meetings consist of LOTS of singing, praying, scripture readings, testimonies and the like. The funny thing is that when I used to go in high school, I was the only young one. I mean, EVERYONE else had to have been in their 60's. The group was large and vibrant and even though I stuck out, I loved it!!!! I've really missed it. The group even sang at our wedding.

Well, when I went last night, I took Isabelle, Anna and Sophia. They made me so proud. They weren't afraid to sing and clap and wave their hands (yes, its charismatic). And most importantly, they weren't afraid of the old people. They were the same crowd except they've aged sooo much. It brought tears to my eyes. Bill was pushing a walker. Deacon Longorio was slower, more wrinkled and soft spoken. They were all there!!! And many were missing too. :-(

Their testimonies were simple thanksgivings. Marie (who must be in her late 70's and still taking care of her mother!!!) was thankful for her "air bags" that kept her bones from breaking when she fell down the stairs onto her bottom.

I really have missed this group. I used to play flute with the choir. I was 15 years old and the same age as most of their grandchildren. I don't know why I went (there was a young teen's group too) but I did every Sunday.

I can't wait to start going back. I can't wait to move closer to family!!! I can't wait until the Pooka comes and cleans and packs up my house overnight!!!

Busy Week

Well, the retreat was a blast!! The kids went canoeing, played ball games, roasted marhmellows, and cried when it was time to leave. They really enjoyed being around so many kids.

I really enjoyed being around so many Catholic families!! Too bad it isn't possible to grab all the people I love and put them in one neighborhood!! This includes all my blogging friends!!!

We got back Sunday and then left to visit family on Monday!! We returned Tuesday at midnight. Wednesday we took the day off from school to clean the house!!! It was a lesson in home management. The girls passed with straight A's. All I can say about Kolbe is that he needs a LOT of work in learning how to pick up. I better hurry up. I've got about 20 + years to teach him so his future wife (or fellow priest???) don't hate me!!

Thursday we went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. We go there once a month with a Catholic group to take classes, visit special exhibits and see an IMAX movie. Yesterday we went to visit the butterflies and Isabelle and Anna attended one class. We also got to see a planaterium show about Saturn. Isabelle and Anna look forward to museum days. The only thing is we have to get up at the crack of dawn to make the 45 minute drive down there. While they take classes I walk arond the museum with Kolbe, Sophia and Catherine. Next month we get to go to the Benjamin Franklin exhibit!! Perfect timing with our history!!

Today is Friday and we're heading out of town AGAIN!! We're leaving in a few hours to go visit family. I can't get into too much detail about why we're going but God willing I will come back with happy news!!! Pray for us!!!! For a safe drive and happy outcome!!!

Our Family Animal

Forgive me readers! Its been a week since my last posting .... (kinda like confession!!)

Nothing out of the ordinary has happened lately. I know, I know I can blog about the ordinary. But I'd much rather be funny than boring. So here's what happened last night.

We're getting ready to go on a family retreat. As part of the theme, each family is supposed to bring a map of their favorite vacation spot and an animal that most identifies their family. Well, we were brainstorming over which animal to pick. At first the kids were saying animals like dog, cat, horse, dinosaur, etc. Just your regular run-of-the mill animals. Not that there's anything wrong with them but I wanted to be a little more original and wanted the animal to capture the spirit of our family.

So I got on my soapbox and told the kids:

"Look, think about our unique family qualities. Let's find an animal most like us. We homeschool. You guys like to jump around and act crazy!! We love each other and like being around each other! There's alot of us. Think about our family and then think about an animal like us."

All was quiet and crickets could be heard ..... until Isabelle blurted out:

"I know the perfect animal!!!! A RABBIT!!! They have 30 babies a month!! They're just like us with lots of kids and we jump around like them!!"

Then all the girls started squeeling about being a rabbit, and how cute and soft and white they were!! I just sat there mortified! There was NO WAY I was attending a retreat (Catholic or not) and saying "We're Rabbits!!!

Craig was on the sofa just laughing because I knew he was reading my mind. Isabelle is so innocent still and doesn't know about the birds and the bees ... and the rabbits.

So, ever so gently I said, "Hmmmmm, can we think of any other animals??" hoping that a better one would come up.

Anna then said, "I know! How about lions? Because the mommy lion takes care of her babies all the time while the dad is away all the time and daddy is always gone with his travelling." Another chorus of yeahs was sounded.

This time Craig had the horrified look! Poor Craig. I couldn't help laughing. I wouldn't mind being a lion so long as I wasn't a rabbitt. I think he felt otherwise. So I finally stepped in and told them my suggestion.

"What about a kangaroo. The kangaroo nurses her baby, keeps it in a "sling" and they like to jump around. That sounds like us!"

Thankfully they liked the idea and so we are going as kangaroos .. not rabbits or lions!!

Orange Belts

I am now the proud mother of two orange belts. Isabelle and Anna tested last Wednesday for their orange belts and passed!! I am so proud of them. They have been working hard on their forms almost every day. I'm actually enjoying this new activity of theirs. I really thought I would miss the ballet but I haven't. Sophia and Kolbe are also enjoying Taekwondo.

Pictures coming soon!