Home Sweet Heart

What a handsome bunch!

Happy 19th Birthday Ginny!

We love you and miss you lots!

 

The things they say ~ Lucy

"Mommy when I get big, I am going to be a mommy!

When you get little, you are going to be a Lucy!"

Some of the big day

So many of you have asked for news and photos of Megan and Andrew's wedding.  The wedding truly was an awesome, glorious event!  I'm still feeling that awe and wonder of all the blessings we experienced that day!  My thoughts and memories are many ... That goes for photos too!  There are so many and we have a lot of gathering to do.  We (my family) have all agreed to wait and post pictures of the bride and groom after they return from their honeymoon.  Here are a few to share.

 

Billy and Lucy

 

Some of Megan and Andrew's nephews!

 

Father of the bride dance

 

Jesse and Billy

 

Virginia swinging!

 

Catie's maid of honor toast

 

The nieces (some!)

 

Send off!

A Class Act

Ohio State's tribute to the U.S. Naval Academy at their football season opener this Saturday.  Awesome!

Let's get the facts straight ...

Does the Catholic Church support the Obama healthcare plan?

My sweet girl is 14 today!

Happy Birthday Vicky!

My "One More Time"

Four years ago, it hit me hard that my youngest was almost four.  Life just didn't seem right without a baby around.  I just didn't feel like I was "done".  My husband insisted that surely after nine kids, our house was full.  Hmmm ... how could I tell him that my feelings were telling me something different?  Yes, I knew we had our hands full.  Yes, I knew he would be 50 in three years.  And yes, I knew I was 43.  Yet, none of that concerned me.

So, I turned to prayer.

Just one more time, Lord, to feel a baby kicking inside of me.

Just one more time, Lord, to anticipate a baby's arrival.

Just one more time, Lord, to see the tears in my husband's eyes when he becomes a father once again.

Just one more time, Lord, to see the older children welcome a new one into our home.

Just one more time, Lord, to feel that soft skin at my breast.

Just one more time Lord to hold those little fingers in my hand.

Just one more time, Lord, to hear the cooing of satisfaction as I hold a baby in my arms.

Just one more time, Lord, for that first smile.

Just one more time, Lord, to cuddle on the bed with the baby for an afternoon nap.

Just one more time, Lord, to bring a new life into the world!

I prayed and by the grace of God, we welcomed our daughter, Lucy Elizabeth, into our family three years ago today!

We are so thankful for all those "one more times" and look forward to the many more "one more times".

Happy Birthday Lucy-lu!  We love you lots!

It's wedding time!

We've been anticipating and talking about this for a long time.  August 29th always seemed so far away, but now it is here ... Megan and Andrew's wedding!  The next couple of days are a flurry of activity, making sure I've got everything in place.

... Pick up Catie's maid of honor dress at the bridal store.

... Make sure Ginny has her ride to the airport arranged from college.

... Pray that Billy gets the okay from the Academy to take leave early on Friday.

... Find brown belts for the boys suits ... forgot that black won't work with khaki.

... Put the finishing touches on Catie's maid of honor toast.

... Need jewelry for my dress.  My fashion consultant (Jesse) tells me that the jewelry I picked out will not do.

... Also need to rethink my shoes.

... Practice dancing with my non-dancing husband.  Ginny promised to give him lessons Friday night, when she arrives home.

... Make sure I have three pairs of matching dress socks for the boys.

... Get Catie a manicure appointment.  Her nails need help ... a week of mixing food coloring into frosting at the bakery, has done a number on them.  After all, the maid of honor needs to be glowing for the bride.

... Go over wedding etiquette with the younger children.

... Charge the camera battery.

... Get Lucy's first haircut.

... Confirm Catie's ride to Winchester for Friday.

... Get Lucy's dress shoes ... her feet grew a lot over the summer. 

... Make sure Chuck's suit is in order.

... Plan a birthday party for Lucy who turns three tomorrow!

... Remind Billy to double check that he has all of his uniform with him before he leaves the Academy.

... Buy a new movie camera ... our's broke.

... Do the girls have stockings and slips for their dresses?  I forgot that detail!  Hope they remembered.

... Double check our hotel reservations.

Time to go tackle the list!

A New Phase of Mothering

 I remember one evening standing at the kitchen sink hearing the shower running above me, realizing that it was Catie taking a shower.  Joy filled my mind over the fact that I now had a child who could shower on her own!  Might seem silly to some, but for a mother of six at the time (eight and under), it was a monumental moment.  Catie's new found independence of being able to wash up at night, on her own, meant that my bedtime routine for the children was more flexible and would require less time. 

My how things have changed since then!  No, I am not rejoicing over the fact that I now have eight out of ten children who can shower on their own!  I'm realizing that my older children are becoming so much more independent, faster than I ever imagined.  I'm realizing that life is changing ... my life and our family life. 

In the midst of all this maturing and new growing independence, I still have my younger set of kids.  Figuring out how to parent them along with their older siblings is a new world for me ... it is unexplored territory. 

I was the oldest of six so I had a great deal of family life education watching and helping my parents and later single mom (my father passed away when I was sixteen) raise my siblings.  Diaper changing, bathing, feeding, cooking, cleaning, etc. all came naturally for me as a new mom because I had grown up doing it.

But I was the first to leave home for college and then the first to get married.  I did not watch my mom raise my teenage and college-age siblings with my younger siblings; and later, new baby sister.  (My mother remarried and had a baby girl!)  So juggling diapers and temper tantrums along with phone calls from college, teenage talks at night, etc. is all new to me.  I have no experience there.

This is a new stage of parenting for me.  I'm learning each day and praying for the grace to do this well.

I want to be available for my older kids when they call home.  And I want to be there for my teenagers when they want to talk.  Yet, I also want to be there to cuddle with my seven year old when he needs "mommy time".  I want to have time to take those walks around the neighborhood with them.  I want to be able to pack up a picnic lunch and head for the park at the spur of the moment.  I want to give my younger set the childhood that their older siblings had.

Realistically though I know that their childhood will be different.  That isn't a bad thing.  It's just a different thing.  My younger kids will have the benefit of things their older siblings never had ... like an older brother to take them fishing or treat them to an ice cream ... like an older sister to paint their nails and play dress-up with ... like and older sibling to read them a bedtime story ... like an older sister to go visit at college and sleep in her dorm. 

So, this change is good.  It's just different.  I'm learning to manage it and enjoy it!  Pray for me!