The Six Pack

Dearest Joseph, Today we celebrate six years... six years since that day we first saw your beautiful face. Six years ago today, we missed our Memorial Day barbeque on account of you...  You took your time making your appearance, and when you did, you greeted us face up!   And it seems you have been smiling ever since... Everyone called you the "happy baby."  We called you "laid back."  After all, with two older brothers, you have to roll with the punches! Now I know where Zachy gets his booger-picking : You were always delighted with the simplest things. You made the perfect little brother... ...and took the "big brother" job very seriously. But you were always uniquely you . Always sweet. And sometimes sassy! Willing to take on just about anything. And, at least most of the time, just as happy as can be. Here's to many more years of your contagious smile. WE LOVE YOU, JOSEPH! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Friday was the boys' first day of summer vacation, a day I have been looking forward to for a long time!  OK, OK... I have long been dreading it, too.  Afterall, if you can't keep five little boys busy, CHAOS ensues!  But I have been mulling this over for several months, and I'm ready.  We only have four short weeks before our family is separated for Zachy's surgery, so I'm prepared to make the most of our summer until then.  A few things are different this summer from summers past: 1- We don't have a (little) baby who needs to nurse every two hours. 2- Sammy is potty-trained.  Only one in diapers now! 3- I'm not pregnant. That means I have plenty of energy and a higher tolerance for heat. 4- I'm posting the daily agenda on a whiteboard so the boys will know what to expect from day to day. 5- NO GAMING is allowed in the morning:  no computer, no video games until afternoon.  Otherwise, the boys are too preoccupied to get ready and eat breakfast, w...

You probably already knew that my husband is an engineer.  He can't help it... his brain was wired that way at birth.  And I love him anyway. You probably didn't know, however, that he holds several U.S. patents, and many more still pending. These patents are unique "inventions" that have to do with the data storage business (in his previous job) and, more recently, flight dynamics (at Cessna.) So if you really have nothing more exciting to do today, you can read up on his inventions and all that mumbo-jumbo on this website. And know, that while his thought process is often structured  like this: his big heart takes over when he comes home from work.  I love you, honey!

Wasn't that just yesterday Alex buttoned up his little plaid school shirt for the first time? Yesterday he buttoned it up for the very last time ever , and I have to admit it was a sentimental moment for me.  In the fifth grade next year, Alex will wear a plain white polo (though I really doubt it will be WHITE when he returns home.)  And those years that he looked forward to for so long--those years he would finally be "big" enough to go to school and wear a plaid uniform--those years will be behind him.  I don't know how or why this happened so quickly! And so today, as Alex slipped on his "spirit" tee for his last school day, I kissed my fourth-grade little boy one last time.  This afternoon, it will be a fifth-grade young man who walks through our door.

Ugh... we have been incredibly busy this month of May so our updates are few and far between.  And June will fly by even faster--I'm sure--as the boys will be home from school and we'll be getting ready for Zachary's third surgery at the end of the month.  My stomach is really starting to churn over the thought of putting him through that again.  I have been having dreams about being back up in the hospital and handing our sweet baby off to the surgical team.  And being separated from my bigger boys for several weeks again....  I can't bear the thought!  I worry about Zachy, I worry about Sammy, Joseph, David, and Alex, and I feel totally out of control.  Please keep Zachary and our family in your prayers especially over the coming weeks.  Pass the word along... your prayers and support have gotten us this far, and they can get us through yet another grueling hospital stay. Zachy has another idea that will get him the best possible care while he's...

Here it finally is... part II of our couple weeks of fun and celebration . As you might remember, we claimed success on our road trip for my brother's wedding . We returned home on Sunday, only to leave again for downtown to watch the long-awaited Walking With Dinosaurs live arena show. We paid a pretty penny for the tickets, but let me just say that it was well worth the money. The boys and their parents were mystified, and this is one family outing we won't soon forget! The following Saturday, David received his First Holy Communion .  Part of the reason it has taken me so long to write this post is because I wanted to make sure I took the time to explain the importance of this event.  In our Catholic faith, Communion is not merely a symbol or remembrance of Jesus' Last Supper.  We believe that when we receive Holy Communion, or the Eucharist (which is Greek for "thanksgiving,") we receive not bread and wine, but the true body, blood, soul, and divinity...

It was not too easy for me to come up with something you may not already know about Baby Zach.  Many of you have been following his story since the day he was born , or even before !  And I try to be very diligent about updating his every accomplishment--something I wish I had done with all five of my little Blessings. But perhaps you don't know, maybe because at this age it's a bit "taboo"-- that Zachary still nurses!  Yes, even at 17 months, Zachy shows no intention of weaning.  And at this point, neither does Mommy.  Now don't you worry... I'm not posting pictures in this update! All my older children were weaned shortly after they turned one.  David nursed the longest, until he was 15 1/2 months old.  So why, might you ask, don't we kick the habit?  Well, why not?  Perhaps I continue to nurse him because it is the best way I can find to soothe him, to let me hold and baby him just a little longer despite his emerging independence.  ...

Zachary loves containers of all types.  He loves opening and shutting, opening and shutting them.  He loves taking off the lids and and putting them back on... off, on, on, off.  And if there are contents in the containers, even better! I should have known better this morning when I saw him walking around with these: Man on a mission! Then later this afternoon, after a big shopping trip, I was a little preoccupied putting away the groceries. Zachy was minding himself, happily playing... in THIS: Such determination!  I guess he wanted a second bath today... Apparently sometimes moms never learn.

From our family (plus a couple little nephews) to yours, Happy Mother's Day!

Did you know how much Joseph loves to clean?  As we were getting ready for David's party last week, Joseph insisted on helping with the bathroom. I had to hide the Clorox from him, and warn him about splashing out during the toilet bowl scouring.  He was smart enough, though, to decide he didn't want to clean behind the toilet, as he himself knows how aiming is sometimes a problem! As luck would have it, though, cleaning is not the same as decluttering.  And Joseph is not the least bit interested in the latter! In fact, his bedroom usually looks something like this: So, while he has never been "tidy," it seems his love of cleaning was instilled long ago. (Amazing how much he looks like Zachary!) So I'll continue to encourage the good habits, and we'll work on the other.  And maybe when he gets a little older, he'll earn the privilege of squirting Clorox.