The Six Pack

by Joseph, age 5 (Looks like Mommy might need to go on a diet!)

It's a snow day, and the boys are excited to be out of school!  I'm not that excited.  It's not that I don't love spending quality time with them; it's just that being cooped up all day in the house with five boys and one mommy is not exactly quality time.  Steve made it to work, and we could have made it to school, but oh well... Later today we'll bundle up and go outside for some snow fun!  (David couldn't wait): It's time for a few overdue pictures. Just two days ago the weather was perfect, and we were outside playing without coats!  The wind had blown several tumbleweeds from the field behind our house onto our front porch, and Joseph and Sammy made a fortress out of them! Zachy loves playing outside and showing you he's "ONE"! Sammy was just too cozy to stay awake... So much brother love!     I told you about these boys' appetites!     Zachy is really getting "into" the new riding/walking toy Grandma and Papa got him for...

Every evening just before bedtime, we come together as a family for a story and evening prayers. Prayer time has always been a real struggle for us, and gets more challenging the bigger our family grows. But I hope that God understands our intent, and no matter how "imperfect" our supplication may be, I know that He listens especially to the prayers of children. We recite several of our favorite prayers every night, and lately we have been trying really hard to get through a decade of the rosary (it doesn't always happen.) But the boys' favorite part during bedtime prayers is when we offer up our special intentions. It is their opportunity to tell God what, in particular, is on their minds, and also a chance for them to stretch out the evening just a little bit longer before we send them off to bed! I thought I would share this special time from our prayers tonight: Daddy: "Now, who has a special intention?" Zachary: Says nothing, but pops up from nur...

The sights, sounds, and smells of our house have been, um, less than pleasant the past few days. Friday afternoon Joseph and Samuel both started vomiting, and I have never been more appreciative of the carpet steam cleaner I received for Mother's Day a couple years ago. After a few "episodes," Sammy's tummy eventually settled down and he collapsed into a deep sleep. Poor little Joseph, however, continued retching long after his tummy was empty. The bug made its way to the other end of his GI tract, and at one point he was sitting on the potty, leaning over to vomit into a bucket I held for him. When Zachary awoke from his nap, I realized I was dealing with far more than I could handle, and I called Steve and pleaded for him not to work late. By 7 p.m. Joseph was still having dry heaves every 5-10 minutes, and was looking dehydrated and very weak. I called his doctor, who prescribed a suppository to help settle his cramping stomach. By the time I returned from...

By now you may have noticed that Zachary's CarePages have been "fixed" and we can again embed photos, videos, etc. in the posts. For several months, I have been posting identical content on the CarePages as well as our Five Little Blessings (http://fivelittleboys.blogspot.com/) site. But now that both sites are working as they should, we are returning Zachy's CarePage to its original intent--that is, to provide updates on Zachary's heart condition, hospitalizations, doctor checkups, and his general health and development. Our blog site will continue to include all the fun and frustration that comes with raising a family of five boys, in addition to our updates on Zachary. There are also a few extra bells, whistles, and links to add a bit of "flair." No sign-in is required for the Blogspot site, and if you would like notification when a new update is posted, a couple different options are available. If you would like an email update delivered to ...

Our sweet little Sammy J. turns three years old today! I remember so vividly the events of that snowy day three short years ago... I'll spare the details, but suffice it to say, our whopping nine pound Sammy was the easiest delivery of them all! Sammy was a big, FAT baby who loved his binkies. Wait a minute--he's still a binky boy! We thought he had kicked the habit, but as soon as Zachary started crawling and dropping his "num-nums" everywhere, Sammy the Swiper fell off his wagon. Steve says we need to get him on a twelve step program... Wednesday birthdays are not a lot of fun, so we celebrated on Sunday. Samuel's family and godparents came over and we had a decorate-your-own-cupcake party. It was loads of fun, and the best part? I didn't have to frost a cake! We felt so blessed that Samuel's godfather, John, was able to be here with us this year. As some of you know, John had a terrible accident last April and suffered a near-fatal brain inju...

David is at that difficult age when it's just so hard to strike a natural-looking smile for the camera. He was very nervous at his portrait sitting, so we opted for the "serious" look instead of the cheesy "try-too-hard" smile. I was stunned with how old he looks in these pictures. Stand back, girls! He's still too young! Click here for more!

Most of us know the story of Jack and his magic beans. Now our Davy has a story of his own. Yesterday afternoon I got a call. "St. Elizabeth Ann Seton" the caller ID said. Deep breath... I always get a little nervous when I see the school is calling. "Michelle," the school nurse began... "Mr. David came to my office." Great. I should have expected, I told myself. We had been on a healthy streak, and it was about to end. She continued. "He stuck a bead in his ear, and I'm afraid if I try to get it out, I'll only push it further in." I have heard of these stories. In fact, my nephew once stuck a dried corn kernel up his nose. Days later when he finally sneezed it out, it was nice and soft. But he was only crawling--not in second grade . "David, why did you stick a bead in your ear?" I insisted upon arriving at school. "I don't know. And it's not a bead--it's a bean! " Oh, well, I guess that cha...

Last night as I was nursing Zachary to sleep, I started thinking back on all the quirky ways my babies have cuddled and been soothed to sleep over the years. I'm not a big proponent of the "let them cry it out" method, though I understand it works quite well for many families. I would rather enjoy this short time they are babies with them in my arms as they peacefully drift off to sleep. I know it's considered a "bad habit," but nursing my babies to sleep has been the practice in our family. There is just no better way I could imagine to settle them in for the night, safe and secure in Mommy's arms, with a tummy full of sweet warm milk. And when they finally nod off to dreamland, with a bit of milk trickling down their chin, Steve and I can't help but laugh at their groggy little faces and call them "milk drunk." Of course, each child had his own spin on this nightly ritual, though all would prefer not to hunker down in their crib. Zac...

Happy New Year! Oh, how we have enjoyed our Christmas break! The last couple of weeks have been relaxing ... a term I wouldn't use to describe our typical day. Steve has been home for two weeks on company furlough and vacation, so he was there to keep me from losing all sanity, which commonly occurs during winter and summer breaks. We kicked off the holiday by attending Christmas Eve mass with extended family. The snow had started falling earlier that day, and by the time we left for church we were up against a full-blown blizzard. Steve's sister had come all the way from Miami to visit for the holiday, and needless to say she wasn't quite prepared for the weather! My parents, siblings, and their families came over to our house after mass for lasagna, pizza, and lots and lots of gift opening. It was certainly a much nicer celebration than Christmas Eve last year , which we spent without our big boys in a cheap hotel In the Middle of Nowhere, Illinois with nothing but...