weekend review

baby sleeping 10 hrs. thru the night -
i think due to the massive amount of avocado/guacamole he had the night before.
the kids loved seeing him sleeping in his crib in the morning with his bum up in the air :)
yes, those are flowered sheets (haven't found the boy ones i must have somewhere!)

 followed by morning cuteness...

saturday morning was glorious outside.
mowing was done and then we spent hours outside...
trampoline routines were choreographed, baby swing was put up, swimming was done.

followed by showers outside - we had one installed last year about this time -
the kids love it. don't think any of us even showered inside last summer (minus chris).
and a picnic lunch to top off our outdoor enjoyment in the backyard.

 

later that evening we ran into uncle kev after mass.

and chris and i were able to meet up with a dear friend who was in town & her hubby.

we had so much to catch up on, i didn't even think to take a picture.

sunday brought morning walk/training wheel free bike ride to g & g's for breakfast.
and a day full of projects, errands, and family dinner at great grandpa's house.
we are soaking up these days that we can be outdoors before the heat of the summer!

8th grade football champs and SOM

back in the fall the 8th graders won the catholic school 8th gr. flag football tournament.
i missed a bunch of their games since i had just had darrel and it was blazen hot.
but, i made it to (i think, if i recall correctly) all of the tournament games.

such a fun group of kids and parents, hard to believe they won't all be together next yr.
i will miss seeing them all, it is so hard to believe they will be graduating soon.
andrew has commented all year on how he will miss them next year-
and how he does not want them to graduate...they really are a great group.

it has been rumored for years that the p.e. teacher is retiring.
he has been there since we were in grade school.
and he has been wanting to win this tourney before he retires...so they pulled it off for him.

and this first born of mine was voted student of the month this week by his peers.
for the skill of listening, both in class and as a friend.
which made me realize that being a good listener is really important in life -

because there is nothing worse than having a conversation and realize the other person

isn't really listening to what you are saying!!

yes, we are quite proud of this boy - way to go lc! :)

st. patrick's day 2014

the school the kids attend is run by and order of nuns from ireland, so it's a big day.
a carnival is held every year during the second half of the school day.
so of course the kids get free dress if they wear green- here's our quick morn pic...

each grade is in charge of a game or food and it is an afternoon full of fun.
usually it is a bit warm, but this year it was the perfect temperature for being outside.
ella snatched up the babe as soon as i arrived at school...

the kindergarten booth is the cake walk (they get twinkies, ding-dongs, etc..)
i worked it this year - it was so fun to see kids from all grades coming over to it.
here are some of my cuties participating in the fun.

always such a fun day and so wonderful the school celebrates the culture of its founders.
can't believe it's christopher's last one as a student there.
really hit me last week as i was filling out the registration forms for next year -
and the school put three in our packet instead of four!

happy birthday, hubby - a day late

had this all ready to post yesterday...
happy birthday today to my wonderful husband and awesome father to our children.
we appreciate so much your hard work and dedication to our family.
lots of love to you especially on your special day, and everyday too.

singing to the birthday man on st. patrick's day at great grandpa darrel's house.
hope to get caught up soon on all the other birthdays we've had around here lately.

john john - student of the month

finally sat down to blog today and was so excited to see i had photos all set up for a post.
yay, saves me some time so hopefully i can do this quick - (monday to-do list is waiting!)

little john received the student of the month award back in october.
he was so surprised by it at the morning assembly - he looked a little nervous up there :)
our amazing principal went right up to him to whisper some sweet words into his ear.

his teacher had let us know, so chris and i were both there to congratulate him.
my dear friend michelle didn't see me so she grabbed some close ups for me (below).
we had a good laugh as i didn't recognize her from the back and wondered who she was :)

so proud of this little guy as he has really outdone himself in the classroom.
and so glad the school recognizes the kids for their achievements in this way -
of course he loved the party he got to attend with ice cream and fun activities.

here are the student council kids going down the line giving the kids high 5's.
i cannot believe how fast this year is going by-
hoping to somehow catch up soon on more of the happenings we've had around here.

happy valentine's day

i have been making these breakfast fruit cups on feb. 14th for the last couple years.
these shots are actually from last year, it was so much darker and colder last year.
i always look forward to this day - a good excuse to show those i love just how much i do.

fresh seasonal berries sprinkled with raw sugar, with milk/cream, and whipped cream.
such an easy but fun and special treat.
we actually make these quite often, but use these special heart cups only on v-day.
shortly after i had darrel, christopher made them for everyone before they woke up :)

this is the one holiday (besides t-giving) that i set the table with placemats and such.
i started this a few years ago, see here, and here for past celebrations.
last year we were in the middle of our major plumbing problem-
i didn't know if i would get to it, but did last minute - it really doesn't take much.
i always enjoy making the table look pretty for everyone, they all look forward to it too.

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grandparents tend to swing by to deliver some goodies and fun treats.

grandma has made these adorable cookies the last couple years,

and nani made the lovely 'amor' heart last year.

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last year chris and i had a wonderful lunch downtown while all the kids were in school.

i was newly pregnant with baby d at the time.

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hope to post some pics of this valentine's day soon :) - and not a year later again!

and would love to somehow add more time to the day so that i can blog more often :)

first smiles

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so, i started this post months ago and now it seems like ancient history.

but here is the first picture i got of darrel smiling - 

i remember we were all laying around him in the living room watching him smile.

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all my kids have been super expressive on the changing table.

they coo, and smile, and let out their sweet baby talk - 

i have so many fond memories of all them really communicating on the changing table.

here is baby d acting quite hilarious on the changing table...

at first little d was mainly a morning smiler.

we all looked (and still do) forward to it every morning- happy, happy, happy...

we all just love laying with him in the mornings (and after nap time) -

those smiles just light up our whole world each day.

now he smiles all the time, and it continues to melt our hearts every single time.

he sure knows how to make us happy, this little guy is a real sweetheart.

i took this last picture a couple of weeks ago-

there was an amazing shot i got after it, huge smile showing his adorable teeth.

i hadn't taken any pictures of him smiling in awhile and it was seriously darling.

then, i accidentally deleted it off my phone.

i called chris in a panic to see if i could get it back.

well, sadly it is long gone but that image of him is forever ingrained in my mind.

as chris said, there will be many smiling pics to come :)