June (Part One)

June was so busy that I have to break it up into two posts! I don't have much time to blog these days, but I like to at least post these monthly posts to remember why I don't have time to blog! :) These days go so fast but each and every one are full of memories. I don't want to forget them. I don't want the kids to forget them. So here they are. Our months in a nutshell.

End of T-Ball

 

In June, Mr. Funny played his very last t-ball game. Not just for the season, but forever! He'll move on to coach pitch next year. It was quite amazing how much he matured since last year. No more playing in the dirt! He had his head in the game the whole time. He loves baseball and will tell you it's his favorite sport. 

It's A Girl!

 

On June 11th, I had a sonogram and found out that the sweet baby growing inside me is a little girl. :) We're so excited that Little Miss Sunshine will have a playmate.

Solemnity Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The feast of the Sacred Heart is a big deal around here. We started the morning off with Sacred Heart pancakes. The kids made colored pictures of Jesus and ate heart gummies. They made cards for Jesus and we went to visit Him at the Adoration chapel. We ate a yummy picnic outside for lunch. They watched a cartoon about St. Margaret Mary & Jesus' message to her to spread devotion to His Sacred Heart. We ate dinner and went to Mass. Then came home for strawberry rhubarb pie. 

Father's Day

 

  

On the Saturday before Father's Day, my parents and brother came over to our house to celebrate father's Day. We had a nice relaxing time. We grilled and hung out. Then on Sunday, we went to Mike's parents house after Mass. The boys took turns inside Pop-pop's race car. 

Garry's Birthday

Garry and Kelly came over on Garry's birthday so we could give him a proper birthday celebration of homemade cards from the kids and a yummy icebox cake made by Kelly. 

Flag Football

Shortly after t-ball wrapped up, Mr. Funny started flag football. The team is coached by a young man whose family goes to our church. In fact, his older brother (or maybe younger?) was just ordained a priest! Mr. Funny has really enjoyed spending time with all these guys. They work really hard! Perfect for my high energy boy. :) At the end of each practice, they all kneel down and say a prayer. Mr. Funny is in the front row, all the way to the left, on the top picture. Red shirt, navy blue shorts.

May

My parents sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Teacher Appreciation Day. They do this every year and it always comes at the perfect time. Right at the end of the school year when I need a little more motivation to get things done. :)

We celebrated Mike's birthday. It was kept very simple this year. Mostly because that's how he prefers things. But also because we thought he was going to Rome with his Mom so he didn't really need a big celebration at home. (Which was really just an excuse for me because I was so tired and nauseous). But he ended up not being able to go because of work. He makes a lot of sacrifices for our family. I am so blessed to have him. I love my husband. :)

He requested anything but cake and agreed to a big chocolate chip cookie. But it had to be homemade and not bought at the grocery store. I made the cookie and piped "Happy Birthday Mike". Little Miss Chatterbox decorated it. She loooooves to use sprinkles. :)

He had a softball game that night so we made dinner easy by ordering pizza. His other request? To come home, relax, watch some basketball, and drink some beer. I don't think it could have been any easier for me. Did I mention I love my husband? ;)

Then came Mother's Day weekend. We spent Saturday with my parents and had a lovely time at Meadowlark Park. It is so beautiful there. Lots of inspiration for my home garden! (Lots of "Maybe one day"...)

My Mom got the kids adorable outfits. They all looked so cute!

I especially loved the children's area they had there. It was put together with logs but it was so sweet! This is one of the things that I would like to have in our backyard one day.

The kids had a little tea party with Uncle Ju.

We tried to get a picture of all the kids with Grammy and Grandpa, but they were pretty tired by then.

My Mom took the kids to a ceramics class where the three older kids painted me these beautiful vases. Don't they look nice on my kitchen window? I will cherish them always.

On Sunday we went to visit Mike's paternal grandmother. "Grandma Shaffer" as the kids call her. She is so awesome. I always enjoy getting to spend time with her.

And this little guy. He's got those big squishy cheeks and those gorgeous blue eyes. I love this baby!

We celebrated Mike's birthday while we were there too. His Grandma was so excited to have an opportunity to use her lighter. She was having a hard time getting it to work and someone asked her if she wanted them to do it. She said, "No! I've been wanting to use this thing!" She's a hoot.

The next weekend was Confirmation. One of Mike's sweet cousins asked me to be her sponsor. It was such an honor!

Then came another birthday celebration. For Kanga. One of Little Miss Chatterbox's stuffed animals. Chatterbox asked me if she could have a party for her, cake and all. Her jaw dropped when I said yes. It's nice to say yes once in awhile. Chatterbox made the cake all by herself. From start to finish. There was no frosting because Chatterbox doesn't like frosting. The cake was delicious and both boys asked Chatterbox if she would make their birthday cakes for them. She was SO proud. So was I. :)

Even Chatterbox's friend from Australia came for the party. Her name is Kayla Waya. (She's a made-up friend but we love to have her over because Chatterbox does a great Australian accent)

We had a lot of rain in May. Which caused a lot of gnats to be around. After spending a day outside, we discovered that Little Miss Sunshine is allergic to their bites, just like I was when I was a kid. Her ear was incredibly swollen. But she was a trooper and didn't seemed bothered by it at all. We called it "Damian Ear" because it reminded us of Saint Damian of Molokai. A holy man who dedicated his life to taking care of the lepers in Molokai and ended up getting leprosy himself. The leprosy disfigured him, causing one of his ears to be bigger than the other. One of the kids just walked by, saw this picture, and said, "There's (Little Miss Sunshine) when she had Damian Ear." Yep. Sorry, Damian. I hope we're not being disrespectful. But this will always be remembered as "Damian Ear".

All of a sudden, it was Memorial Day Weekend. So we spent a day at Grammy and Grandpa's house. My big girl got to do one of her favorite things. Swim. Her favorite swimming partner??

 Anni, the dog. I'm pretty sure they would both spend the entire day in the pool if they could.











Chatterbox likes to think that her and Anni have a lot in common. They both have dark hair, they both love to swim, and according to her they both love cantaloupe.

The kids discovered that if their hands are wet, they can hold bubbles. A pretty awesome discovery!

On Pentecost, we celebrated at Mike's parent's house. We had our traditional Pentecost food. Buffalo chicken, 12 fruit salad, and 7 layered dip. Plus a cake which always symbolizes the 12 apostles and Mother Mary and the Holy Spirit in some way. I don't know why, but this is the only picture I got.

Before we knew it, it was May 31st. The very last day of May. In the Catholic Church, May is dedicated to Mary. She is the daughter of God, the Mother of Jesus, and the spouse of the Holy Spirit. No other human can top that! ;) We believe that when she was assumed  into Heaven, she was crowned the Queen of Heaven, to sit next to her Son, the King of Heaven. In the traditional calendar, May 31st celebrates the Queenship of Mary. So the kids and I had a mini celebration in her honor. We ate grilled Rosemary chicken kabobs and had blue punch with our meal.

                     After dinner we sang hymns, said prayers and had our own mini coronation.

Then we ate Strawberry Creme Pie for dessert. The strawberries sticking up in a circle were supposed to make the pie look like a crown. Chatterbox said it was a "masterpiece". haha. Mike missed it all because he was playing a double header. But the kids loved it and it was a great way to end the month of May.

Time to take a deep breath and dive into June (which is already proving to be very busy)!  I've got one month before I plan to start the new school year with the kids. Good thing I already ordered all their school books. Now I just need to finish transforming the basement into our school room. More on that later! Pax.

Just Smile

After dinner, a migraine suddenly appeared. This has been happening quite often. Usually more so on rainy days. I did as much as I could to clean up but then started to feel like I was going to vomit, so I went into my bedroom to lie down.

As long as I don't move a muscle, keep my eyes closed, and breath very, very slowly, I should be able to get through this without actually needing to run to the toilet.

Just then, I heard Little Miss Sunshine. "Mama! Mama! Mama? Where are you?"


Please, Mike, please. Hear her calling for me and get her before she comes in here.

Nope. I see her poke her little head in the door. After seeing she found me, a smile lights up her face. "Mama!" And she runs over to me. I smiled back, even though smiling seemed a very big task at the moment. "Hi, (Little Miss Sunshine). Mommy doesn't feel well so let's be very quiet." I realize that talking makes it very hard to keep down the vomit so I add 'do not talk' to my mental list of what to do to get through this. Sunshine climbed onto the bed and tried to get comfortable. She decided in order to do this, she needed to climb on top of me and jump up and down. I moved her off and laid her down next to me. She got right back up and laid on top of me with her head on my face. I hear Mr. Funny in the hallway so I call for him.
"Yes, Mom?"
Remembering my rule of not speaking, I tried to use sign language. I signaled "Dad" to him. He looked puzzled and asked, "What are you doing?" Oh, yeah. Only Little Miss Chatterbox has memorized most of the signs we've learned. I decide one word would be okay. "Dad".
"Are you looking for Dad?"
I nod my head.
"Oh, he's sleeping on the couch." My sweet boy noticed his little sister jumping all over me and asked, "Are you feeling sick?" I nod my head again. "Is (Little Miss Sunshine) keeping you awake?" I nod again. He runs out of the room.

Is he getting Mike?


Nope. He runs back in with a bottle of milk for Sunshine. He gives it to her and she climbs off me to lie on the bed and drink her milk peacefully. I smile at him because I know how much he loves to see me smile. A mother's smile can move mountains when it comes to her children. I knew a smile was all he needed and he would know how much I appreciated his gesture. He smiled his big beautiful smile back at me. "Can I lay with you too? I'll be really quiet." How could I say no after he saved me from the jumping toddler? I nod. In Mr. Funny fashion, he climbs onto the edge of the mattress and jumps over me and Sunshine, shaking the whole bed.

I should have locked the door.


Just as things start to get quiet again, in walks Mr. Tickle. He sees the three of us in my bed and very softly climbs in with us. I'm guessing he went to lie next to Funny but I'm not really sure because he is so gentle and quiet. I thank God for giving me at least one gentle, quiet child. I hear Mr. funny making light saber noises. I try to block it out and concentrate on my breathing, hoping that will help me. The pounding in my head gets worse and worse but I somehow manage to start drifting off.
In bursts Little Miss Chatterbox. "What's everyone doing in here?"
"Mom's sick", explains Funny.
"Oh. Well, I want to lay with you guys too." She climbs into the bed and plops herself right between the boys.
"Ow! Get off me!" screeches Mr. Funny.
"No. Just move over."
"I was here first!"
"Too bad. I'm older than you. Move."

I began to get impatient. I was wondering towards despair. All of a sudden, I couldn't take this headache and nausea anymore. I had enough! Why does this pregnancy have to be so difficult? I'm so sick of being sick! I wanted to scream and tell them all to get out. All I want is some peace and quiet so I can get rid of this stupid headache. Why do they have to come in here and bother me?

Chatterbox won the argument as usual and Mr. Funny got squished up against the wall. After realizing she couldn't see the doodle pad she was using because the room was dark, she asked Funny to switch spots with her so she could be next to the window. He quickly agreed and they switch. She opens up my curtains, letting in the deadly light from outside. If you've ever had a migraine, you understand what I mean. I manage to muster, "Too much light".
"Oh, sorry." She shuts the curtains but then thinks out loud, "How am I going to see what I'm doing? If only there were batteries in this thing." The doodle pad comes with a built-in light.
"I know!" says Mr. Funny. "It takes the same size batteries as my light saber. I could let you borrow them if you'd like."
"Thanks, (Mr. Funny)! Will you get them for me?"


"Sure". Funny gets off the bed and runs to get a screwdriver and his light saber. He comes back in record time. He goes towards my light switch and is about to turn it on when I hear Mr. Tickle say, "No, (Mr. Funny)! Don't turn on that light. It will hurt Mom's head." God bless that child.
"C'mon, (Funny). Let's fix them in my room." Chatterbox and Funny exit the room. I hear Mike eating cookies in the kitchen. So does Little Miss Sunshine. "Daddy!" She climbs off the bed. Mr. Tickle scoots closer to me, taking Little Miss Sunshine's spot. This is the most sought-after spot and I know he's loving this chance to have me all to himself. I put my arm around him and pull him closer. He kisses me on the cheek and whispers, "I love you, Mom. You're the best Mom ever." I decide this calls for breaking the rules and I decide to speak. "I love you too, buddy." I smile at him and he gives me the loveliest, happiest smile back.


I think about Mr. Funny and how thoughtful it was of him to get a bottle for Sunshine and then sacrifice his light saber batteries for Chatterbox. And then even put them in for her! I thought about how sweet Tickle was to look after me with the lights and to give me his soft little kisses. I remembered the thoughts I had just a few minutes ago and how I wished the kids would stop "bothering" me. My heart quickly filled with guilt. I realized how blessed I am to be their Mother. How blessed I am to be the one whom they always want to be around. What a gift! They aren't trying to annoy me. They just want to be with me, sick or not, because I'm their Mama. Because they love me through and through. Because they look for moments where they can do something to make me smile because to them, my smile means the world to them. I cherished this revelation and finally fell asleep. A few minutes later, I woke up. Tickle was still next to me and Funny and Chatterbox next to him. Chatterbox had the doodle pad with the light on it working and I notice the light making huge shadows on the wall. Chatterbox was putting on a shadow puppet show for the boys and they were greatly enjoying it. I was thankful for the entertainment that allowed me to sleep a few minutes. I didn't let the kids know I was awake and watched a bit of the show. Chatterbox had the boys laughing as she usually does. My heart warmed to watch them. What a blessing each of these children are. I thought about the little one growing inside me, causing me all this sickness and pain. I put my hand on my belly and thought, You are so worth it. They are all so worth it. All the times that they can be a "bother". All the times I might wish to have things my way but can't. All the times I have to sacrifice whatever it is to give to the kids instead. They are worth it and more. They are forming me into the kind of person God wants me to be. With each child, I become less selfish, more loving. Sure, I still have my moments. But I know they are here to teach me. And I am thankful for the grace to notice those moments and see those lessons when they come. And I try to always remember to smile.

(Pictures from our 2012 visit to Emmitsburg, MD.)