Thing 1 and Thing 2

Today is Jesse's birthday. We had a very fun and full day of eating out, a hike (the kids and Jesse went but Mary and I did not), a party, and just general "hanging out". It was great! Jesse has been wanting Sammy and Mary Therese to have the Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirts for a while (purchased at Baby Bliss of Northville of course ;) ) but Mary hasn't really been a "thing 2" so I resisted. Well, Mary is really getting into EVERYTHING now so is officially a "thing 2" now. So they wore them to daddy's party. Jesse received a webkinz for his birthday from the McInnis family :D

I've no words of *wisdom* tonight. My favorite time of year is upon us. September through February is my favorite with October/November being my very favorite. :)

Have a blessed day and thanks for reading!

Our Hearts Are Restless Until They Rest in Thee, Lord

The Feast of St. Augustine was August 28. St. Augustine is one of my favorite Saints. I enjoy the Saints who sinned so greatly against God and still found refuge in Him. So much refuge that they were Sainted. It gives me hope. Each day I awaken and say at lest one Hail Mary before I put my feet on the floor. Each day I hope to make better than the last. By 10 a.m I've screamed at one kid and silently said "I don't like you" to another (note - I do not say this out loud usually ). At the end of each day I attempt an examination of conscience. I usually fail pretty badly. However, it's saints like Saint Augustine that give me hope. Tomorrow is another day. The quote above is a favorite of mine. A year or so ago I read a book called The Temperament God Gave You by Art and Laraine Bennett. It was an excellent book and gave great insight into my temperament as well as Jesse and the kid's. My temperament is labeled as "melancholic". It couldn't be more right on. It is said that the melancholic so longs for heaven that everything else in life falls short. I often long for heaven, mostly to be in the loving arms of Jesus. I'm certain I don't deserve to be there but oh how I pray I will be, someday. I long for it so much some days that I forget the arms of Jesus surround me. Each hug I get from my children, my husband, my family, and friends. A simple smile from a stranger. All of those things represent a hug from Jesus. Still, I can't help but long for the day the shortcomings of my human nature will be gone. My fears of rejection vanished into the air.

I'm not a theologian (though I hope I'm raising some) so I do not know what St. Augustine meant literally when he said "our hearts are restless until they rest in thee, Lord". I do know that for me, my heart will be restless until I meet the eyes of Jesus and His Father says "well done good and faithful servant". Until then I will wait and begin each day with a prayer.

Husbands and Housework

It's not Father's Day but I feel prompted to post about this subject due to this article : http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-08-28-housework_N.htm In my opinion this article is an absolute joke. Talk about an agenda. Where did this come from? Some kind of anti marriage movement I imagine. Haven't had time to research yet. Basically the article states that if you're married your husband will do less than if you just live together. I think it's ridiculous to assume that a man will respect a woman MORE (I believe helping out and doing things around the house and with the kids is respect for your wife) if you are not married is just silly! And to advertise such is just wrong! When Jesse is home he is very active in our household. He plays with the kids, changes diapers, does dishes, cooks, and does other household chores. My dad always did that too. I view that as respect for your spouse. Men (or women) that do not try to make life more enjoyable and easier for their spouse needs a lesson in what a relationship really is. My children are also incredibly helpful, part because they see what their dad and I do to help eachother. We're a team. A team that's not made somehow "less" because we said "I do". Saying "I do" means we are committed no matter what. There have surely been times when Jesse has done *less* than I have around the house or with the kids. The same can be said for me. Especially when I'm pregnant. Usually, though, we do a pretty good job of being a team.

Anyway - that was on my mind so I had to post about it. Now off to make lunch for the hungry kiddos!

Have a blessed day!

Drama Camp and Summer Days

The girls were in drama camp last week at the Village Theater across from our house. Colleen's girls, Caitlyn and Hailey, were also in it. They received a nice boquet of flowers (complete with the much anticipated chocolate lab webkinz) after the show. The Denjas came over and had a fun swim in the kiddie pool on the deck. The water was freezing but they had an awesome time!

Mikey was so happy to be one of the "big kids" in the pool. He only got pushed over a few times. ;) In other news - we're still gearing up for the new school year. The kids are squeezing in their last few play dates before the new schedule begins. We've got a field trip this week and next to start the school year off.

Alright - off to retrieve my free iced mocha from McDonald's (shame on me, I know) :)

Have a blessed day!

A Few Pictures I Couldn't Resist Posting

Sammy and Meghan at Greenfield Village last week. Friends Forever. :)
Mary Therese sporting her new Zutano dress and Robeez shoes.
More Mary Therese showing off her cuteness. She weighed in at 17 lbs 10 oz at her six month check up. That's all breast milk, baby (and a couple bites of ice cream and a noodle).
The kids enjoying the new chalkboard paint wall in our (now) art room. Daddy and Brandon (and Hannah and Owen) worked hard last weekend to paint two rooms! It looks great! Thanks guys! It was a Mother's Day gift for me. :)

Everything I need to know I haven't learned yet or have I?

My emotions have run rampid lately so bear with me. ;) Gearing up for the new school year has me stressed beyond belief. Who knew how many books I'd need to school five kids? I keep ordering. It's unreal! An organized homeschooling mom would know exactly what she needs and only pay shipping once. That is not me, unfortunately. I keep thinking I have everything and then need more. Anyway - Owen has already asked if we could start school soon so he could finish soon, LOL. Gotta love him. Really we don't start until September 10.

I recently received and email from a girl I went to high school with. She was my best friend for many years. I don't think much about high school as it wasn't that great of an experience for me. I try to block it out, I guess. It seems like it was only yesterday and I still have dreams about the first day of school. I've even dreamed that I was STILL in high school even though I am 33 and have seven children! I was trying to figure out how I could get to my homework and take care of the kids, LOL! That's a shame.

Jesse turns 35 next week. He couldn't care less so I'm having his midlife crisis without him. Is it a midlife crisis at 35? I guess that's not really midlife. When is midlife? Anyway - I remember when he turned 21. Again it seems like only yesterday. Who'd of guessed he would end up the father of 7 kids (so far) ? Not me, or him, LOL.

Due to recent events with items made in China I've been doing more thinking about what we own. I think everything (or close to it) that we own was made in China. I always thought if I bought higher end things they wouldn't be but after checking labels and websites I see how very wrong I was. I wonder how I could have been so wrong. I'm embaressed at my ignorance. It makes me wonder what is real and certain in this life. That leads me to the comfort of knowing that God's love for us is real and certain. It's not something I need to keep ordering like school books, or fearing like being back in high school, or having a crisis over like my husband turning 35. I don't have to worry where it was made. God's love is the ONLY thing we can truly count on. As I struggle through this life trying to keep on top of things I often feel as though I am not good enough. Not good enough for the parents I have, the friends I have, my kids, my husband. I don't appreciate enough, I nag too much, focus on the bad. It never fails that it's God's love that puts me back in focus, where I need to be. No matter how many times I screw up He's always there. I pray for that comfort for everyone. Without it we have nothing.

So everything I need to know is wrapped up in God. Learning it and knowing it are easy. Remembering it when I really need to, now that is what I pray for.

The Zoo

We went to the Toledo Zoo with Jesse's work on Saturday. The kids had an awesome time! It was a bit on the hot side for Mary Therese and I but we did OK. We are so fortunate to be able to do things like that for free (Jesse's work paid for it). It was a nice family activity. The Toledo Zoo has always been a favorite zoo of mine and it's even nicer now. The new Africa Exhibit is really cool. It's also a very clean zoo and family friendly.


Here's Jackson with the hippo. What a great picture! And the penguins.

Still getting ready for the new school year around here. I was ordering more books last night and Jesse was saying "didn't you get them all yet?" Nope, not yet. With five kids schooling next year the book lists keep growing!

Summer is winding down for us. Hannah and Katie will attend drama camp in a couple of weeks. They are excited about it. Other than that I'm just scrambling to organize stuff, books, and schedules in preparation for the fall.

Mary Therese is getting into everything! She scoots all over. I even relented and bought a gate that permanently attaches to the wall. I've never felt the need to do that before but I do now. It will keep Mary and Sammy in one spot when I'm schooling the kids in the front room.

That's about it from here. Thanks for reading and God bless your day!

Summer On the Beach

I'm taking a short break from the family to check in at the local market where the internet is available. We're having a GREAT time on vacation. The kids love the beach and all the other fun stuff we've been doing. We went to an awesome children's museum in St. Joseph yesterday. They had a live reptile exhibit (darn, I missed it) but the kids LOVED it! I've been overdosing on coffee, LOL, but the extended hours (kids are up past 10:30 every night) are leaving me dragging. Grandma and Grandpa are keeping up well, though, LOL. That's about it for now. I should get back to Mary Therese before she needs to nurse again.

God Bless your day!