Not Another Knock Knock Joke Please!!!

Okay, my 4 year old and 2 year old have discovered the fine art of telling knock-knock jokes, and I use the word "joke" very loosely. The 2 year-old has especially learned how to turn literally any sentence into a knock-knock joke. That's because his jokes make absolutely no sense. One of his favorites is:
"Knock-knock"
"Who's there?"
"Daddy"
"Daddy who?"
"Daddy go to work?"
He knows how to get a laugh though as he orders me to say "haha" after each joke. I think he has forgotten how to speak in a normal conversation!! Sometimes after I can't take it any longer I will tell him no more jokes. He then tells them to himself complete with the haha at the end. I figure this should be worth at least a little time off of purgatory for me, don't you think?!

Harvest Hayride

We went on a hayride at a local park with our homeschooling group. It was a beautiful night and the weather was quite warm for November. Luckily the rain held off as it was pouring earlier in the day! All the kids loved the hayride. What is it about a tractor that fascinates little boys so much?! N. would crack up anytime the wagon jerked a little or went over a bump. He has such a great grin!

Afterwards we sat around a campfire for a couple

of hours roasting hot dogs and making smores.

The older kids in the group were great about watching over the little ones. They played games like Duck, Duck, Goose (L. insisted!), Red Rover, Red Rover; and flashlight tag. I love watching these teenage boys and girls think nothing about scooping up a toddler or holding a little one's hand as they help them run in the dark.

You hear lots of negative things about teens these days, but it is so refreshing to see that disrespect and laziness are not "just how kids are today." The kids in our group are always so polite, so quick to lend a hand, and truly seem to enjoy being with their families. A definite advantage to homeschooling in my opinion!! (Not that children who aren't homeschooled can't be polite and respectful, I just think it's harder for them because they experience more negative peer pressure.)

All Saint's Day Gathering

On All Saint's Day we went to the Latin Mass and then had a picnic lunch with our homeschooling friends. It was such a beautiful day with the temperatures in the high 60's. The scenary was amazing as the trees were at their peak.

There were also quite a few trees that were just perfect for the kids to climb.

Father B. said Mass, and then joined us for lunch. It was so nice to sit and relax with friends, truly taking in the many gifts God has blessed us with. What a wonderful way to spend this Holy Day of Obligation!

Little Saints in the Making

We had our second annual All Saint's Day party with our homeschooling group again this year. It was so much fun, and the kids really enjoyed dressing up as saints. L. was St. George, and K. was the dragon he slays. (Poor K., but I happened to have a dragon costume, and Mommy doesn't sew very well!) N. was St. Joseph. They played a variation of musical chairs called "musical saints" as well as Saint Bingo. They also just enjoyed running around with all the kids and eating lots of leftover Halloween candy!

Halloween Happenings

Well, just like last year L. anxiously awaited Halloween night. Last year he was so excited to go trick-or-treating, however, as soon as he stepped out of the house and saw a little boy dressed as Spiderman he was done. He was so afraid he wanted to go home immediately. This year he has been talking about Halloween for quite a long time, and he decided he wanted to be Spiderman. I think it was his way of conquering his fears. We talked about how other children would be wearing costumes just like him and how it would be dark, but we would have a flashlight etc. etc. etc. . So the big evening finally arrived and...after one house it was back to the safety of the living room with Daddy!!

N. and K. continued on with Mommy and had a great time! Little K. was so cute saying "Happy Olloween" at each house we went to. N. did a great job walking up the driveways and choosing the candy he wanted. He remembered from last year that if he grabbed a whole fist full of candy instead of just one, almost everyone would say

"Oh he can keep it all, that's fine!" The little stinker, he doesn't even eat candy!

Well, we had a fun night and L. is already talking about what he is going to dress up as next year ("because I'll be brave next year, Mommy")!

Pumpkin Carving

Cleaning out the goop-eewww!

We had our friends over the other day. There are six kids in their family, so it was a busy (and loud!) day with 8 little ones running around! N. was at school, so he missed out on the fun. We carved pumpkins and the kids spent the day playing together. We had a really fun day together!

Babies praying for Babies

Our family, along with several other homeschooling families stood on the side of a busy road to help increase the awareness of the evil of abortion. We stood quietly on the roadside holding signs that say "Abortion kills Children," or "Face it, Abortion Kills." My children have gone to these peaceful prayer rallies many times. While they don't understand what abortion truly is (how do you explain to a 4 year old that some women will kill their own babies?!) they know that we are praying that all babies will have the opportunity to be born healthy and happy.

My husband V. even made the paper! Here is what he said in the article: "People like my son and [fellow demonstrator] J.'s brother, who died two weeks ago with Down’s Syndrome, even though they have birth defects, add value to the world. The pro-life movement isn't about taking away a woman's right to choose, it's about respecting all life and understanding that everyone has value as a human being. Sometimes things come into your life that are difficult but in reality are blessings."

I pray that as people drive by and see the faces of these precious children they will realize the horrific act of killing unborn babies. Perhaps one of the over 1 million babies that were killed this past year would have been the one to discover the cure for autism. Perhaps one of those children would have been your child or grandchild's spouse, or perhaps the child would have been a clerk in your grocery store. It really doesn't matter what these children would have accomplished because each one is a child of God. Each soul has a right to dignity, and a right to life.

Please pray that there will be an end to abortion.

Striving for a Simpler Life

There's something about clothes hanging out on a line to dry that I just love! I know I am strange, but maybe others feel this way too. Doesn't it feel like life just gets too crazy sometimes? We are always rushing from one activity to another, and we don't find the time to enjoy the moment. I read a quote somewhere that said having a simpler life does not mean things are simpler for you. Yes, it takes more work to hang clothes on a line then to toss them in the dryer, but it forces me to slow down a little. Please understand me, I don't always hang my clothes, but I do try to do it if I can. It is more work, especially when my little darlings pull all the clothes off the line onto the ground! (That happened a couple of weeks ago! I was not too happy!) That being said, I'm off to fold lots of laundry, as I was lazy last night and got behind!

A modern Donna Reed?!

Well, K. may not be donning white pearls and high heels while vacuuming, but I think blue pearls in your underwear is a pretty good look too!

N. participates in Special Olympics

N. loves horse back riding, and earlier this month was able to participate in Equestrian Special Olympics. He participated in 2 events: assisted walking and steping over poles.

Here is N. receiving his 5th place ribbon and his 4th place ribbon.

Future Hockey Stars?!

Some of our friend's kids love to play street hockey. L. and K. have watched this and have become quite intrigued by it. Since neither one of them knows how to skate, they hold on to each other to "skate" around the patio. I found them playing hockey today using a tinkertoy and a toy shovel as their hockey sticks! While they may not be great hockey players, they certainly are resourceful!!

It's not an ipod but...

We don't have an ipod in our house, but our kids don't mind. They have a record player that plays 45's, and they love listening to their Golden Books on it. The sound quality is terrible, it is scratchy and the speed never seems to be quite right. The voices on the records are always just a little too fast, or a little too slow! But that's okay, because I remember loving these when I was little, and I'm so happy my kids love them too!!

8 Wonderful Years

I can't believe our N. turned 8 this past August. Even though my other children's birthdays all make me reminiscent of the milestones they have reached, I must say that N.'s birthday is always a bit more emotional for me. This is because we didn't think N. would ever have a birthday. When he was born with a rare chromosomal disorder, the doctor asked us if we were religious people. When we said yes, of course, he suggested we have N. baptized immediately. This is never a good thing to hear hours after giving birth to your child. The chaplain was called and he baptized N. with just my husband, myself, the nurse, and a nun present. N. was then taken to the local children's hospital for more intensive care. N. was born without an anal opening (something I quite frankly had never even heard of before!) and required surgery at 1 day old. We quickly learned this was just the beginning of a very difficult time for N. The next day, we were told N.s heart needed to be repaired. As our children's hospital did not have a cardiac surgeon at the time, N. had to be mercy flighted to an out-of-state hospital. We followed him there in our van. God was so good to us and gave N. the best doctors we could hope for. N.s heart is doing great now, and we expect no further complications with it-Praise God!!

That first year was definitely tough with an average of 3 doctor's appointments a week for various things, plus 12 therapy sessions a week for OT,PT,Speech, and vision. Looking back, I'm not sure how we got through it, but I know that it was Jesus giving us that strength and faith that this is all part of His plan. During that first year I wrote a little book for Noah because I was worried about how I would handle the "Why did God make me this way?" question someday. I called it God's Little Miracle. The story starts off with St. Peter being sad and worrying to God that people are not praying very much anymore. God responds by telling St. Peter not to worry because he is sending a very special baby to Earth that will bring many people closer to Him with all their prayers for this little baby.

To this day I am amazed how many people say that they pray for N. and our family. N. has a way of touching others and drawing them to prayer. God is good isn't He? I am so proud of my little guy that even though he can't say a word, his life says so much.

Beatiful Sunset

We saw a gorgeous sunset while on vacation. Just another example of God's handiwork. L. likes to say that Jesus is a good painter!

Nothing Like a Day at the Beach

This August we went back home and visited family and friends. It was so nice to see everyone as it has been over a year since we made it back. One of the highlights of the trip was taking the boys to Lake Ontario. They had so much fun walking along the water. Daddy showed them how to skip stones. It was so great to see them so excited and awestruck about the beauty that God has made. N. really loved the sound of the waves and smiled the whole time we were there. The boys took off their shoes and shirts and splashed in the cool water. They started off doing a good job keeping their shorts dry, but quickly became soaked! Oh the fun of simple pleasures!

Cookie Thief

While visiting with my family little K. decided that if one cookie is good, more is better! He likes the cream filling in the Oreos and all of a sudden there were a pile of half eaten Oreos on the table. He was caught red handed! Busted!

A Day at the Farm

We went to a local farm with our homeschooling group. We had such a nice time! We actually got to go twice because it rained the first time, so they gave us a raindate for the following week. The kids had a blast riding peddle karts, feeding baby goats, and playing in a shed full of wheat and toy tractors.

Happy Birthday, Mama Mary!

To honor Our blessed Mother's birthday, the boys made her a card, and of course we had to have cupcakes!

L. is riding a two-wheeler

I am so proud of L.! After practicing over the summer he can now ride a two-wheeler by himself. I was so happy for him when he finally learned how to balance, plus I was happy for me that I don't have to run down the street holding on to the back of his bike anymore! Go L.!

1st Day of School

Well, we have officially started our first year of homeschooling as L. is now in kindergarten! L. was very excited, although he quickly realized that kindergarten isn't that different from preschool! I like having a set curriculum because it keeps me on task. We are following a more set routine this year, although it is still pretty laid-back. It is only kindergarten after all!

N. is in third grade now! He seems to like it. He is doing so great with his walking. He got a new walker over the summer, and now he is cruising all around.