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.