everyday Ann

living the ordinary seeing the extraordinary

Surviving the Drive

1.  This week Aaron had to be in to work earlier than usual, so I was in charge of doing both drop off and pick up for school. I am used to being pick up mom, we have it down to a science, easy peasy. Being drop off mom is an entirely different beast. Credit to all of you mothers who do it every single day while loading up little ones to boot. Getting four bodies clothed, fed and in the van on time before I am fully awake is an accomplishment.

2.  Navigating the whole drop off scene caused me a crazy amount of anxiety. The principal is smiling while aggressively waving me through to keep driving even though I am in the drop off lane. All I know is I am supposed to stop at an orange cone to leave the boys out, but there are 8 orange cones. What do I do? Keep driving through in circles or choose not to follow the traffic signal and stop at a random orange cone hoping a smile and wave will cover the damage.

3.  Lessons learned from drop off. Go with your instinct. Just pick a cone and sound like a military sergeant ordering children out of the van while side swiping them with a kiss. Getting five hours of sleep for five nights in a row leaves one in a delusional state and craving chocolate. Waking up early and getting all bodies fed and dressed before 7:45am including myself gives me a lot more time in the day. I don’t know if I have ever set foot in a grocery store before 8:30am until this week.

4.  I am attempting to pick out a paint color for the two bathrooms and laundry room. Looking for something neutral enough, but still with some color. Lesson learned the bright colors that I originally went with eight years ago have not stood the test of time and need to go. This time around I am on the search for a color that I will still love five years from now. Grey is the new beige, but I think I need more of a greige.

5.  Aaron gave me the Magnolia Table Cookbook for Mother’s Day. I didn’t even know one existed, so I was beyond excited to receive it! (I am pretty sure he has elves who help him with his shopping.) Looking forward to diving in and making some new recipes. What I love is the recipes call for common ingredients and nothing fancy that I need to buy at a specialty store. Good hearty home cooked meals. I am especially looking forward to the breakfast section, love me some good brunch after church on Sunday.

6.  I was recently gifted with an Instant-Pot and am attempting my first meals with it. By the looks it is rather intimidating, large in size, so many buttons, timers, vent don’t vent. Gave a quick read through of the user’s guide and hoping to wing it enough so something turns out. Last night shredded beef sandwiches, yummo!!

7.  Any Blue Bloods fans out there?? If so, you want to make sure to catch last Friday night’s episode. The moment we have been waiting years for, literally years.  SPOILER……….Jamie and Eddie finally a match!!!!! My heart is at rest until next season.

Happy weekend!! Visit Kelly for more.

The Things They Say

They always manage to keep it light-hearted around here and me laughing out loud from their cuteness. Grace is now verbal enough to join the ranks and also things she is older than her brothers, two going on ten. She is a little mother hen, picking up after everyone and keeping all of her brothers in line.

Clapping her hands
Grace: Come here Caden!
And attempts to pick up all 21 pounds of him with her 26 pound frame.

Hearing Caden fussing in his crib.
G: I will get him Mom.

Seeing some of Aaron’s clothes lying on the floor in a pile, Grace picks it up and looks at it.
G: Did daddy pee?

Lying on the floor next to Caden and touching his hand.
G: Tag, your it!

Digging through my makeup drawer and putting on some lipstick and then proceeding to hand me a red one.
G: Here mom, try this one.

G: Oh Kolbe, he is a boss baby.

Playing Church and Ethan was really getting into his homily.
E: Jesus wants you to say yes. He doesn’t want you to say no. He wants you to say yes. If you say no, don’t worry Jesus will come with his Shepherd’s staff and wring your neck and bring you right back with the other sheep.

E: Mom, I have a surprise for you!!
Me: Oh, what is it?
E: I am praying for twin sisters!

Kolbe: Mom, we need to have more babies. Everyone at school is having babies and we need to catch up to them so we can drive one of those really big vans.

Aaron: Uh-oh mom just gave you the look.
K: Yeah, that’s her stern look.

K: We have a new virtue this week.
Me: Oh really, what is it?
K: Magnanimity.
Me: What does it mean?
K: I have no idea, but it is a reeeally big word!

Gazing at himself in the mirror.
K: I look pretty fancy in this suit. It looks like I should be getting married or something!

Weekend of Firsts

This past weekend was a whirlwind and I am needing some major sleep therapy and a way to get rid of this cold-allergy combo plaguing me, but I am incredibly grateful for the joy and love of Jesus that we experienced.

The most important, Kolbe received Jesus for the first time in the Holy Eucharist. He was beyond excited about the day and couldn’t sleep the night before having been thinking about it all night. Right before Communion he leaned over to me, Mom I have the hiccups, He then told me that as soon as he received Jesus they were gone. I could not be more proud of this young man and look forward to what God is going to do in his life.

As I mentioned previously he had specific orders about his cake and while I thought it turned out beautifully, he was not pleased with it being a silver chalice instead of gold. The disappointment must have not lasted too long as he didn’t want any of the chalice cut into, but preserved for all eternity.

First haircut for my little man. I was in denial of the fact that he was in need of a trim, but his bangs kept falling in his face everytime he was on the ground crawling around. My Grandma did my first bang trim at six months, so since my Mom was in town she gave Caden a little trim. Rat tail is forever gone and my baby is so grown up.

And just for fun, first time feeding a giraffe. The new favorite animal at the zoo.

Snowmagedon

We are half way through April. May will be here before we know it. By the looks of what I see out the window I think we are still in January, January 98th to be exact. It’s official we live in Narnia, always winter and never spring. I am not sure if we will ever thaw out or see summer for that matter!

This weekend we got hit with the second largest snowstorm in our area’s history with 21 inches of snow. No exaggeration, the last time these parts saw that kind of blizzard was 1888. Everything was shutdown, churches were even cancelling services.

We managed to be that crazy family and go Saturday evening to Mass hoping we could make it up our road which had yet to be plowed out. I hid in my coat as the neighbors out shoveling watched us attempt to get out of our driveway three times. I was so excited when we made it to the main road that I began hip-hooraying and hollering that I managed to scare both Grace and Caden with my excitement in which they both began screaming with tears.

I am not the least bit amused by mother nature’s humor and tricks. At least the kids are enjoying having another day off of school. I am becoming more and more convinced that flying south for the winter sounds like a really wonderful amazing idea.

Merry Easter!

We are still partying like it’s Easter (or trying to) during this Easter Octave despite travelers fatigue, snow storms and stomach bugs. The weather is deceiving leading one to believe perhaps it’s Christmas we are celebrating.

Everyone survived the long seven hour car ride to my parents for Easter and did surprisingly well. I am so grateful we made the trek! I treasure the time we have with my family since we don’t see them often and my mom’s Easter dinner was AMAZING! We will be doing the kids’ individual Easter baskets this weekend, since Grandma had lots of goodies for them including a fun Easter egg hunt despite having to be indoors.

While most people are posting beautiful pictures of flowers blooming and beginning to enjoy spring, my children are enjoying building snow forts and days off of school because of a lovely snowstorm resulting in 10 inches earlier this week. It is currently snowing again as I look out my window. In December I would say, oh the snowfall is so beautiful, but in April not so much. I am beginning to think we live in Narnia where it is always winter and never spring.

We survived the entire winter with absolutely no sickness in the house, so come March we all stop taking elderberry syrup only to result in Grace and I getting hit with a nasty stomach bug the past few days. I am grateful it didn’t rear its ugly head until after we made it home from our Easter travels and that so far only two out of six are knocked down.

Between Grace’s doses of tylenol to keep her fever down and bouts of throwing up, she is jumping off the couch and singing Alleluia as often as she can. The good news, He is still Risen!! That is a promise to hold on to and a reason to celebrate and be joyful even on our most difficult days.

“We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!” – St. John Paul II