Perspective

Grandma Raleen:  Where did you get that cup Philip?
Philip:  Oh, me and Daddy went on an adventure yesterday to the hospital and I get it there.

I guess anything where you get Daddy all to yourself, watch the entire Curious George movie, get a cup, an engineer hat, a railroad football and a super cool multicolored crayon, and drink hot chocolate counts as an adventure.  Stitches involved?  That's just details.
But really Kid, next time just ask.  We'll plan an adventure sans stitches.

Kink in the Armor

Although we call Philip the Tank it turns out his armor is not invincible.  A large Rubbermaid tub full of dress up clothes with a small, not even sharp crack attacked and got the better of Philip.  To the tune of four hours in the emergency room and seven stitches.

That leaves only Samuel and Thomas without major medical bills this year.  Don't get any ideas big boys!

At Home Today

A teething snotty, getting his ears checked later this morning baby, a upset tummy girl and a little boy with seven stitches.  Fun.

Taking Matters Into His Own Hands

Someone's mother was taking too long to get dinner on the table.

So someone solved the problem himself!

Habitat

Thomas made this humpback whale ocean habitat for school.

I think he did a nice job!

Growing Up

Check out Philip's work here!

He wanted to draw Lewis and got frustrated so I showed him how I would draw Lewis.  Two eyes, a nose, a mouth, a circle for his head, arms, legs and hair.  Philip added lots of fingers too.  And he copied the letters for Lewis's name as I showed him how to make them.  It also says Philip at the bottom but he wrote it right to left.  I've forgotten what the circle and the line at the very bottom are.  Very impressive!

Some More Progress

Just in time for some cold winter weather our siding finally got put up!  The guy who did it matched it really well to the old siding.  If you are right up close you can see the difference but in these pictures you can't tell the new from the old.  I'm really excited to put candles in those four big, new front windows for Christmas but it's too soon for that. (And my candles are buried in the garage and digging them out may take some work...)

Basement Campout

After a Major Cleanup Day around the house the kids got to camp out in the basement.  Jeremy built them a insulation castle.  Only Samuel and Thomas made it all night.  Philip ended up not feeling well and camping out in the bathroom instead and Julia got cold so she switched to her nice warm bed.

See the new framing?  Jeremy had a framing party a few weekends back and many wonderful wives donated their husbands for the morning.  Thanks everyone!  Hopefully soon the insulation castle will be depleted and the insulation will be on the walls instead.
Also if you could please say a prayer for Jeremy.  He has a test next week to see if maybe we've finally found what is causing his sinus trouble.  Thanks!

Nine Months

Nicholas was 10 months yesterday but we had his 9 month well baby check just last week.  Here's how he compares to the others at this age:

Samuel:  21 lbs 10 oz, 28 inches

Thomas:  23 lbs 1 oz, 29 inches

Julia: 20 lbs 8 oz, 27 ¾ in

Philip:  21 lbs 9 oz, 28 ¾ in

Nicholas:  22 lbs 13 oz, 29 inches

We have a trend going.  Thomas and Nicholas are always similar at the top, Samuel and Philip are always similar in the middle,and Julia brings up the rear by herself.  Interesting.

He's been walking for 5 weeks already!  He started the week before he turned 9 months old the stinker.  Samuel also walked at 9 months, Julia and Philip at 10 and Thomas at 11.  And I think I just realized I don't have a video of Nicholas walking yet.  Shoot.  Guess it's one of the hazards of being number five.

Here they all are: 

Julia, Nicholas, Samuel, Thomas and Philip

Fall Portraits

It was a beautiful fall day so I took the opportunity to snap some nice pictures of the kiddos.  I wasn't planning ahead so they are all just in their after school clothes. (The weeds and burn pile are such nice fall colors, I think they make good backgrounds even though they're weeds and rejected logs...)  I'll save the best ones for the Christmas card.  :)

 

Filed Under Things I Never Thought I'd Say

"Don't use your mouth to flush the toilet!  That's gross!"

Self Portrait of the guilty party.

Stripes

Thomas seems to have missed out on this outfit.

Samuel

 Philip

Nicholas

Not looking so similar in this one.....

Four Little Stinkers

Samuel was only a month old for his 1st Halloween so he didn't really dress up but everyone else has been this skunk for their 1st Halloween!

Nicholas

 Philip

 Julia

 Thomas

Happy Halloween

Philip slept through pumpkin carving and so did Nicholas (praise Jesus!) which made pumpkin carving not so bad.  I had good intentions of carving Philip's with him later but we didn't get to it.  I like the Frankenpumpkin anyway.

 I forgot to snap a picture of them all together due to the difficulty getting Samuel's on and off.  Jeremy made his, I attached ears to a head band for Julia and made Thomas's creature power suit.

Halloween 2013
Julia-cat, Samuel-Lego minifigure, Thomas-Martin from PBS's WildKratts, Philip-John Deere policeman (note the JD hat, this is what makes the policeman specifically JD), and Nicholas squeezed into the skunk outfit after all!

Better Than TV

The dryer

 The siding guy

 Oh and for me too.  Watching this cute boy is way better than TV!

Saint Celebrations

We went to a saint celebration at the convent where two of my old college roommates live and had a ball as usual.  I find it so peaceful and easy to pray in their chapel.  I love taking my children there so they don't think a convent is some weird place where only the holiest dare to go.  Normal ladies live there- they are striving to be holy just like the rest of us, except they have chosen to dedicate their lives to God as His brides.  A beautiful vocation!

Here we are with "my" sisters.

Samuel's class did an All Saints Day presentation after Mass on Thursday.  They dressed up as their patrons so Samuel Joseph went as St. Joseph.  He thought it would have been cool to dress Nicholas up as Baby Jesus since Joseph is often depicted carrying the Infant.  Nicholas vetoed so lilies and a hammer were sufficient.  :)

 I love Catholic Schools!