Where have we been?

Gee, there haven't been any new posts in over a week. Maybe they went away for Fall Break. Well, no. Evidently, Disney loses some of its fun and mystique when you grow up in Florida, and the kids don't know what they are missing yet, so we haven't made "that" trip yet. Someday.

No, we have been home. I don't have pictures yet, but I will add them soon. Where should I start? How about LAST October? I was pregnant with Mary, and we had decided we weren't going to be moving any time soon, so we talked Jack into switching rooms with the girls. He had the blue room with the big closet, and if we were going to have two and eventually three girls in one bedroom, we needed to rearrange things a little. So Jack agreed (he is good about compromising). What did we promise him though? Well, it SEEMED simple enough. He wanted to still have a blue bedroom with a navy blue ceiling and glow-in-the-dark stars on it. We thought that seemed reasonable. The room was white and needed a new paint job anyway. Oh, and the girls decided they wanted to pick out a new color for their new room too while we were at it. So I took the kids to Lowe's and they picked out paint. Light blue with navy for Jack and pink for the girls (I know, how stereotypical, but I told them they could pick!). This was October of 2007. Well, we finished soccer, started basketball and along came Mary.

In AUGUST of THIS year, my brother painted the girls' room. It looks great. Then he got a job and no longer had time to do Jack's room. So Bryan and I started talking about Fall Break. We came to the conclusion that there was so much going on during break, we should just put in for vacation and see if we can get some projects done.

Here's where I will have pictures :). We got the family room organized (for now - it's like shoveling in a snow storm with four children). Bryan found the computer desk - this in itself was an amazing accomplishment! Bryan started priming the front door and trim. He's fighting the weather on this one and it was a late addition to the list. I decided a couple weeks ago that it needed done and started it and well, Bryan gets to finish it. He got the deck clean. Now, hopefully we will have a warm up so it can get stained too. We're still working on Jack's social studies project - a poster about the election due Tuesday. UGH, but we have the legwork finished. Jack took all his notes and now just has to transfer them and cut and glue the information onto the poster and pick out pictures tomorrow. And the biggie - Jack's room is BLUE! We didn't get the ceiling done, but we both think we can do it next weekend (in between Cub Scouts, basketball, birthday parties, work and family get-togethers!). Where there's a will, there's a way, right? The big part, Bryan got the room started, but I finished the first coat and did the second by myself! I have discovered I like to paint :). (No, I'm not looking for any outside work at the moment!) This is the first painting Bryan and I have done in all the years we've owned our own home! I will be on the lookout for new curtains as the blue we picked doesn't quite match the walls (who knew different shades of blue could clash?). I am looking forward to putting his room back together tomorrow and getting all the pictures in both rooms hung up. Wow, no more paint cans in the hallway! I told Bryan to watch out - he's going to start coming home to different colored walls :)!

So all we did was work away our vacation? Well, not completely. Bryan went to the Purdue game on Saturday. Jack and Grace had their final soccer games Saturday too. Just in time for the freezing weather. Grace scored three goals. Jack scored two, and his team won against an undefeated team. How about that?!? Best of all, they had fun and their teams worked really well together. A coach's dream come true. We went to our friend's graduation party. She finished her Master's degree just in time to have her first baby. And we went to Lafayette to visit Melanie and eat at Arni's, which is always fun and yummy. So I think it was a fun break too. Today, Jack, Grace, Bryan and I (with Mary helping, of course) even play some Wii before bedtime. I think we'll chalk it up as a success :).

Need a hug?

Ever feel like writing (typing) but don't what to write about? I suppose I could go into the craziness of right now - work, bible studies, cub scouts, daisies, soccer, basketball, story hours, etc. Although RIGHT now is nice. The house is very quiet. Jack, Grace and Katie are at school. Mary is nursing. The dogs are sleeping and Daisy is off doing her cat thing. I had big plans for my hour while Mary slept. I was going to get the whole house cleaned. Well, at least on the surface :). I do realize it won't be CLEAN until all the children have moved out, and I won't trade them for one millisecond of clean. Mary woke up though. At this moment, this is what I needed. The closeness of the baby while she is still a baby. I'll blink and she'll be at school too.
Katie climbed onto my lap as we went through the dropoff line at school today. She doesn't do that every day anymore. Sometimes she wants to be the big girl who goes out her own door. Miss Independent. But today she climbed up. She snuggled into me just for a minute. Oh did I need that little cuddle from my Cuddlebug! I asked her if she could please stay little, but she said, "No, I need to go to school now." She's right, of course, she needs to go to school. To learn and to grow up and become the person God has made her to be. She did say she could schedule me in this afternoon before I leave for work. I'll take it and remember the next time I want to reschedule in order to get some chore finished that if I don't make the time, that's exactly what she'll learn - that cuddling isn't as important as cleaning or whatever other activity we have going on, and there isn't a one that actually is more important than growing and living as a family serving God!

Last night we got home late from Cub Scouts. As I was tucking the girls into bed, Katie said, "I don't need Grace's light on now. I know Jesus is here with me. He's in my heart."

They say you can't keep a good man down...

Well, one week and one day after surgery, Dad is going for walks. Actually, he started Saturday, the day after he got home from the hospital. He went 3.5 miles today! I am amazed!

Surgery and prayer

As many know, my dad had surgery on Monday. We have been gearing up for this day for a month now. He is at Rush in Chicago. Mom and Bryan spent the long day on Monday waiting during surgery, waiting during recovery and watching him try to sleep once in his room. Mom spent yesterday trying to help him sleep yet drink enough and feed him. Mom, I'm going to embarass you now - just a warning! It was so sweet last night when Mom called and said, "I GOT to feed Dad today" like it was an honor to do this for him. Is that love or what?!? He has a long recovery ahead of him with physical therapy and restrictions, but he made it through surgery, and I think all the prayers had to do with that!


The kids got in the car after school yesterday, and Jack talked about how his class prayed for Grandpa during Mass. Oh yeah, that would be another reason they go to St. Mary's! This morning on the way to school I started our morning prayers the way we always do, and Grace spoke up. She asked God to pray for Grandpa in his recovery and for Grandma as she drives to Chicago (in her Grace voice - this just melted my heart!). Jack then asked God to watch over Grandma Mumaugh and Auntie Shirley and Grandma Johnsen as they drive to Grandparents' Day because of the rain. They are learning!!! Thank you, God!!



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