Red, White, and Blue

Happy Memorial Day!

May

I'm almost too late to post this, but since it's still May, I'm going to do it!  I guess everyone knows that the month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Mother.  A few years ago I found a beautiful brown toned statue of Mary at a garden store.  It has since turned almost white.  I placed it on a slab of rock that was in our forest and we cleared out a little place in the woods to make a small shrine.

This year we had a few extra petunias leftover from our window box and I let the kids plant them in pots for Mary.

I can see this statue from all of the back windows of my house, which means I see her as I close my bedroom window at night and as I open the back living room shades in the morning.  In the moonlight, in the early morning sun, she looks so beautiful.

While I don't have an "official" "Mary garden", because the forest is so shaded and it is hard to grow flowers, we do have a huge swath of "Lily-of-the-Valley" that just happen to grow wild in our forest.  I planted "Marigolds" around our garden this year.  We have a couple "Bleeding hearts" along a border of our home.  I try to use these plants named in honor of Mary to help foster a love and devotion to her in myself and my children. 

I love May.  I love the end of the school year and the promise of summer.  There really is a great sense of peace that comes at the end of a long year of hard work and effort to teach and learn together.  Now our tasks will turn elsewhere.   As my kids turn to the outdoors to play, I start making lists to attend to all of those details put on hold while school was in session.

We start a new rhythm to our days where many hours of schoolwork are now open and free.  I need this free space.  I need the peace of having nothing, really, to do.  And I want to keep this peace throughout the summer.  So, in May, we turn to Mary, Queen of Peace, and receive the gifts of grace that we need from her loving and Immaculate heart.

AN 8TH BIRTHDAY

Rosie is the third of four girls, number 6 in our family of 9.  She has five brothers: three older, two younger.  It's hard to get more "middle" than Rosie.  

I guess people say middle children get lost in the shuffle.  Rosie is much more often in the midst of the action.  She is rarely left out, whether she's playing up or down, with older siblings or younger, with brothers or with sisters.  She's pretty quick to snatch the spot next to Mom on the couch or jump in the car to run errands.  It seems that Rosie is right in the heart of the family.

She is usually playing with someone, and she doesn't like to be bored.  She has a very loud laugh and she loves to laugh.

ballet performance with Eowyn

A little bit like Bilbo, Rosie is up for anything!  Bilbo bought her a fishing pole for her birthday this year, because he likes to let others in on his favorite pastime.  And because he and Rosie are good friends.  I love how siblings will play together and don't segregate like boys and girls tend to in school.

chicks at Aunt Buffy's farm

 Galadriel and Rosie make up dances on a daily basis, and dance for me before bedtime.  Believe me, it's entertaining!  While Galadriel is a "tween", she gets to have as much fun as she wants with Rosie, playing paper dolls or with the neighborhood girls.  I'm so glad she has Rosie to keep her young and sweet.  I love how siblings help each other do that.

puppies at Aunt Ann's

Rosie has the prettiest blue eyes, and I have six children with blue eyes.  I didn't say hers were prettier than her siblings, they are just the prettiest!

Did I mention she has dimples?

"Two-headed monster" with Legolas

 She is fun and silly

 she loves her sisters

 and her brothers

Sam loves her a lot, and everyone wants Sam to love them!  Rosie's just lovable.

This year Rosie has read over 15 "Nate the Great" and a bunch of "Magic Tree House" books.  She's really getting to be a good little reader!  She's also awesome at getting her school work done for me, and she always wants to start with math!  What an answer to prayer!

Rosie really was an answer to prayer!  I couldn't wait for her to come, and when she did, she was perfect!

Each of her 8 years have been a blessing to us all!

Happy Birthday, Rosie!

Overheard

We had a thunderstorm this morning.  The storm had passed and Bilbo asked if he could sit on the front porch and work on his fishing stuff.

My husband said he could unless he heard any thunder.  I added "It wouldn't be great to hold a long metal rod in a thunderstorm."

Bilbo walked away and shouted over his shoulder: "They're fiberglass!"

I stand corrected.

Overheard

I was looking for summer clothes on-line with Eowyn.  I saw a dress that I liked for her, but she did not like it.

"Do you like that one?" she asked.

"Yes" I said.

"Then you can buy it for someone else" she replied.

And that was that.  No shopping today.

Belated Birthday for Bilbo

 Last month Bilbo turned Ten!  I failed to get a post up for him because I've been super busy with things like ballet performances and trying to finish the school year while tackling seasonal projects like changing over the clothes!  Can I get a collective groan from all mothers on the changing over of seasonal clothing?!  At least I have 9 pairs of boots, snowpants and winter coats (not to mention the hats and gloves) out of my foyer!!  But back to Bilbo, this post is about him!

Bilbo was my first blonde-haired blue-eyed boy.  That sort of set him apart from the get-go.

 While he plays baseball (and football and basketball and golf) along with his big brothers, Bilbo has always had a little extra flair!  He likes to bake.  We've had more cookie sales (and lemonade stands) than I can count.

 He is an entrepreneur, earning money to fund all of his wide array of interests and hobbies.  Remember this?

  The sign reads "If you want a ride, just ask us."  Bilbo was the mastermind behind the "piggyback riding business".  He also dog sits.  He loves dogs!



Last summer he and Galadriel bought a tandem bike together.

 With his extra cash he bought first this kite:

and subsequently quite a few others.  One of them is tangled high up in our tree.  I'm not sure how long it will be there, but it's florescent orange and in the front yard.  Our neighbors are patient, bless them.

This year, after much pestering persistence, he convinced his dad to buy him a kayak for his birthday!    

We were driving the other day and he said "Dad, the only other thing we need is a boat."  My husband replied that he was alone on that one, it was something he'd have to do as an adult.  Bilbo responded "Why not? It's just like driving a car."  I don't even know how to comment on that one.

He's an avid fisherman, 

 and he likes to support that hobby with all of the gear.  On his wishlist is some sort of a bass tracker electronic device...and a remote control boat that catches bass...of course, there are limits to what I'm willing to allow, and there are lessons to be learned about "gimmicks":).  But he's definitely intrigued by it all!

(this would be a fishing backpack that holds tackle boxes)

 Oh yes, and he has his turtle named Harry.

He also was so intrigued by his sisters learning the piano that he started in on lessons at Christmastime and had his first performance this past March.  He constantly reminds me that he would quit piano in an instant if I'd let him take tuba lessons!

Reeses are his favorite candy, so I made him a Reeses cake:

Basically, I just try to keep up with this boy and all of his enthusiasm.  We sure do love him!  Happy birthday Bilbo!

From the April storm of 2018!

Galadriel, ballerina

It's important for me to let you know that we really haven't "done" ballet.  My girls took 2 or 3 years when they were young from a home schooling mom, who was actually a really good teacher.  But we quit, as I quit many many things, when I would feel overwhelmed after the addition of a new child to our family.

We started up again several years back at a Protestant church venue, which again, was good in many ways, but turned out to be too much of a church "ministry" for me to feel comfortable with, as a Catholic.  Once again, I was relieved to have an easier schedule.  Another year went by.  But I always remembered the joy my girls would return home from ballet with.  Really, they'd come home late and dance and laugh in their room as I tried to hush them and get them to bed.

Last year Galadriel played basketball at the local Catholic school, and had fun, but also ran into some situations that were typical "school stuff", and good lessons, but not awesome.

I ran into a couple of friends who told me about a new (to me) dance school, and one friend really encouraged me to sign up.  I signed up my three youngest girls.

At Christmas, I was ready to say the first semester was all we were going to do this year.  But Galadriel opened her heart to me.  She said it was a dream of hers to be in a performance.

I told her we simply could not do both basketball and ballet.  She thought about it very seriously, and she determined that she really wanted to dance!

She said it was a life goal of hers to get en pointe.  She begged and pleaded and agreed that it would be the only thing she would do.

Galadriel was pre-pointe and was very challenged to keep up after being out of ballet for so long.  She practiced and worked hard, and loved every minute.

The week before the performance we got a letter in the mail saying that Galadriel had graduated to the next class.  She needed to buy her pointe shoes before next season, and they recommended a class this summer.

As I watched Galadriel on the evening of her performance, I wept.  It's true, I'm an incurable cryer.  But still.  I was so proud of her.

 Galadriel is a girl who works with determination to reach her goals.  They don't always come easily for her.  As a mother, it is my joy to help her develop her talents.  She makes it so worth it.

So now you have it: my three ballerinas!

Congratulations Galadriel!