Friday Funnies

Rose:
"I know you have to keep praying for things, but I have been praying for ice powers every day and God still hasn't given them to me."
Says the girl who desperately wants Elsa's life from Frozen.  She wears her Elsa dress every moment that we are home and I don't think I have heard any music except the Frozen soundtrack for an entire month per her request.

Ava:
"I'm thankful for my muscles."
Each evening after family prayers, we ask the girls what they are thankful for and that was Ava's response one night.

Madeline:
"She has brains on her legs that hurt."
Madeline explaining to Ella why I was wearing tights one day (and she meant veins, of course :).

Ella:
"I can't how!"
Meaning, "I don't know how" when I asked her to do something one day.

HAPPY Friday!

Toothpaste Tornado

I bought two new tubes of kids' toothpaste at the grocery today.  A certain two year-old, who shall remain nameless, decided to paint the bathroom and herself with those two new tubes while I was reading a book to the "big" girls.

Maybe she wants to be a smurf

The culprit in her big girl panties

Not too sorry about painting her masterpiece

Don't be fooled by the severity of the mess.  The other side of the toilet and the floor were covered with toothpaste, as well as a bagful of bath toys.  Paul said, "Quick, get the camera so we can laugh about this later."  I was not laughing as I scrubbed the floor, toilet, sink, and child 25 weeks pregnant.

After I cleaned her up, I put her to bed and she started crying saying she didn't brush her teeth.  I thought "yeah, you put toothpaste on everything but your toothbrush."  I simply told her too bad because I was not letting her anywhere close to that sticky blue glue again tonight.  Motherhood at its finest!

Friday Funnies

Rose:
"I don't have any cavities, I just have a hole in my tooth."
Rose happily explained to me after her last visit to Dr. Uncle Alex.

Rose decorated Grandma Joy and Grandpa Ken's living room for them

Ava:
"He broke up that job and got a new one."
Ava trying to say that Paul left his old job for a new one.

Ninja Girls

Madeline:
"I didn't see my arm hitting her."
Madeline's defense: insisting that hitting Ava today was an accident.

Ella:
"Thanks, Dad!  You are awesome!"
Ella's response to Paul after he gave her a piece of cake.

And here is a video of Ella singing "Do you want to build a snowman?" from the new Disney movie Frozen:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2As81rWjW_FcmRSbHBSemNwRzQ/edit?usp=sharing

(if you highlight the link above and right click, there should be an option that says 'Go to...(this link)' or you can copy and paste the link in a new browser.)  Sorry Blogger would not let me upload the video any other way.

HAPPY Friday!

Motherhood

I was reading a few other blogs today and I realized how "perfect" everyone's life can seem when just a few tidbits are recorded here and there.  I am not sure how my blog comes across, but those who know me well, hopefully know that my life is far from fairy-tale!  I simply use my blog to record some of my favorite memories as kind of a scrapbook to look back on in years to come.

My blog is also a way for me to focus on the good in my life when other things seem to be falling apart.  Unfortunately I am not a very sentimental person.  I wish I was, really.  I seem to skip over some of those precious moments that I know I will miss in the future.  I have to make a conscience effort to see those small moments in each day and not just shift in survival mode.  Because like every mother, we have good days and we have bad days.  There are days when I can't wait for Paul to come home because I am so done with the kids that day.  There are days where there is mess after mess after mess and I am overwhelmed with trying to get everything in order.  There are sibling fights, arguing over having to do schoolwork, ungratefulness, fighting to get them to clean up, and so on and so on.  But I don't want to focus on those difficult moments.  I don't need to remind myself that parenting is hard, but I do need help sometimes remembering the good.

I admit I am in a unique stage of motherhood right now though.  I kind of feel like I am living on easy street (physically) compared to the last few years.  I don't have an infant right now (at least not for the next 4 months or so!), I don't have any in diapers at the moment (Hallelujah!), my girls play very well together (at least half the time ;), and they are all fairly independent.  I also have a few who are old enough to help now with things like: buckling Ella, doing kitchen chores, carrying in groceries, getting themselves dressed, etc.  It is such a change from those days when I had only toddlers and babies and it was all on me.  I was often that mother in the checkout line with a cart full of groceries and screaming children.  Now I am that mother with four little girls running up and down aisles, pulling things off the shelves ;)

But just like every phase of parenthood, I know this phase will pass, so I am trying to savor every moment of this little dose of "freedom" before little boy Klinker arrives and I am back at square one!

Parenthood is a journey at every stage and it's something we are all constantly trying to figure out.  I do love being a mother and wouldn't trade my time with my children for anything.  I just pray that I can be the best mother I can be each day and help my children get to Heaven.

“We find dignity in our work, in raising a family, in participating in the life of the Father’s creation.”                                                          -Leonard Foley

Ava's 6th Birthday

Ava turned 6 on January 12.  We happened to be in Carmel a couple days before her birthday, so we had a small (well not really that small :)
celebration with the Titus family.

Chocolate eclair pudding cake...oh, so yummy!

The sweet birthday girl

Her real birthday fell on a Sunday, so after mass and a friend's birthday party, I surprised her by taking her to Build-A-Bear Workshop.  Every time we pass the Build-A-Bear store, my girls beg to go in there.  They talk about what it might be like inside.  Of all my girls though, Ava is the one that LOVES baby dolls and stuffed animals.  She has since she was 9 months old.  I knew this was a gift she would really appreciate!

Ava pushing the pedal to stuff the bear

Ava "fluffing" her bear at the bathing station

Picking out one outfit for her new bear

Dressing her bear

Typing her bear's birth certificate

Ava with "Lovey" her new panda bear

We planned to have her party the Friday after her birthday, but had to postpone until Sunday because of snow.  We ended up having a rainbow-themed birthday party with four of her closest friends.  They did a few crafts, ate cake, and had fun just playing together.

Ava's Rainbow cake

The surprise is on the inside!

First Craft: Painting doilies to glue on canvas bags

The rainbow painted doilies

Second Craft: Making gumball necklaces

The party girls with their gumball necklaces...best part is, they're edible!

Striking a pose

Game: Pin the cloud on the rainbow

Gift bags/buckets

Ava has such a sweet nature.  She is a little mother, always looking out for her little sisters.  She can be stubborn when it comes to discipline, but is often the one giving in when her sisters want their way.  She has a natural smile and a goofy nature, always making people laugh.  

I have a feeling she is going to be a big help when baby boy Klinker arrives!

Happy Birthday sweet Ava Bave!

Friday Funnies

Rose:
"It's not a Barbie, it's a Bar-boy." Rose said referring to a Ken doll.

Ava:
We were talking about St. Anthony of Egypt today and I was quizzing the girls about what he was.  Ava said, "a crab."  Rose said, "No, a lobster."  He was a hermit.

Madeline:
Ava was trying on a puffy vest and Madeline said, "a life-jacket!"

Ella:
"I looked everything!" (meaning everywhere)

HAPPY Friday!!!

The 12th Day of Christmas

To celebrate the Epiphany, I wanted to do something special for dinner.  I found the idea for a 12 days of Christmas dinner party on the Shower of Roses website (http://showerofroses.blogspot.com/2013/01/Twelve-Days-Christmas-Party.html) and decided to give it a try.  On the website, she not only came up with a menu item for each of the 12 days of Christmas symbols, but she explains the Catholic aspects of the faith that each symbol represents.

I took some food ideas from the website and altered a few based on what I could find at the grocery and what the girls would eat.  

Here is what I came up with...some are a stretch, I know.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Represents Jesus Christ on the cross

Since I already made a fruit salad for 9 ladies dancing which included pears, 

I just used that for the partridge in a pear tree.

Two Turtle Doves

Represents the 2 Testaments of the bible (the old and new)

Dove chocolates for the two turtle doves.

Three French Hens

Represents the 3 gifts of the Magi (or the 3 virtues: faith, hope, & love)

Cooked chicken for the three French hens.

Four Calling Birds

Represents the 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John

I forgot to get food for this one, so I said that since we have four little girls, 

they could represent the 4 calling birds :)

Five Golden Rings

Represents the first 5 books of the bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Onion rings for the five golden rings.

Six Geese-a-laying

Represents the 6 days of creation

Deviled eggs and hard-boiled eggs for six geese a-laying.

Seven Swans-a-Swimming

Represents the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Seven layer salad for the seven swans a-swimming.

Eights Maid-a-Milking

Represents the 8 Beatitudes

Milk to drink for eight maids a-milking.

Nine Ladies Dancing

Represents 9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit

A nine fruits salad for nine ladies dancing.

Ten Lords-a-Leaping

Represents the 10 Commandments

Roman numerals written with icing on graham crackers to look like the ten commandments for ten lords a-leaping.

Eleven Pipers Piping

Represents the 11 faithful apostles

Pretzel rods for eleven pipers piping.

12 Drummers Drumming

Represents the 12 points of the Apostles Creed

Corn dogs (to look like drumsticks) for the twelve drummers drumming.

For dessert, we made a funfetti cake to look like a jeweled crown, just like my mom used to make when I was growing up.

The Kings Cake

After dinner, the girls put on their crowns and capes and carried the kings to the manger scene.

I would post the video of the procession with us singing, but I do not want to hurt your ears ;)

Our four little kings in their homemade crowns.

Epiphany Gifts

Prayer journals, pens, rosary bracelets, lip gloss, and candy (of course)

Our Christmas decorations are still up, not only because Paul is out of town for the week, but because I can't seem to part with the Christmas lights.  I wish I could keep them up for months.  The Christmas season always seems to go too quickly.