Happy Birthday Michael!

Michael's 6th birthday was a little spread out this year. The only thing he wanted to do was go to a rock climbing gym *with Kali*, but Aunt Mel and I and the rock climbing gym sessions have yet to align in our schedules, so that is still in the works.

The week of Michael's birthday Grandma and Grandpa had planned to spend a few days in Branson with Olivia, and invited Michael along for a birthday trip. He thought it over a bit and decided he was ready to go on a trip without me and he had a ton of fun. Far and away his favorite part was the Dixie Stampede, a dinner show that involves horses, but he said he also liked the swimming pool and water slide. Then when we met Grandma and Grandpa on their drive home to pick up Michael, it took me twenty full minutes to convince him to buckle into his seat in the van, and even at that point I had to peel him off of me and enact some serious ninja moves to get him buckled in and escape to the driver's seat before he could reattach his hug. Maybe six isn't so so old afterall.

So rock climbing has yet to happen and his birthday trip was before his actual birthday and Daddy was out of town on his actual birthday, but we did make and enjoy some ice cream on the actual day. Catherine was in charge of the candles.

The next day we went shopping because Michael had some birthday money from Mamo and Papa and I thought he would enjoy browsing and picking out just what he wanted. I'll give you one guess what it was. Hint: his favorite part of the trip was the horse show and we've read the horse books he got from Gigi at least two hundred times.

Yep, he saw this little horse and snatched it right up. He also chose a baby horse and a cow.

Right after we left that store, we went next door to get summer shoes for the girls and they observed Michael having so much fun playing with his horses and cow while they were trying on shoes that they begged me to stop back in the first store so they could get their own horses with their own money. So now we have a well stocked farm and farm play has occupied many hours around here.

Hopefully we will get to the climbing gym soon and have lots more pictures of birthday fun!

Springtime Village

Well, the heater just turned on but in spite of the cold nights this week, we are welcoming Spring with open arms around here! Grandma and Olivia met us at Purina Farms to enjoy the sunshine and their Springtime Village. We managed to enjoy ourselves and the animals without any allergy episodes from Catherine, so the day was a success.

We were there during the week of Spring Break for many of the area schools, so it was pretty packed, but Catherine and Michael waited patiently until they made their way to the front of the crowd for a try at milking a cow. Mary, Gussie, and Olivia declined.

Tractor rides, kettle corn, and snow pants. Have I told you about the boys and their snow pants? Ever since they realized how similar snow pants are to work man cover alls, they never take them off. They have seriously gotten dressed in their snow pants every day since November. It's their standard "playing outside" attire, and it often spills over into places not our front yard. We are going to have to find them some normal overalls so they don't sweat to death this summer.

Tractors pushing around corn. They could have done this all day.

Edie dancing on a table. Nothing to see here.

The barn loft has a series of tunnels. Big kids disappear into a tunnel, Edie disappears into a tunnel, pleased with herself, as usual. It was Michael's turn to follow her through the tunnels this time.

This picture is just so very much Edie Bug.

The girls waited in line for a very, very long time for the coveted activity of the day: fancy face paint!

Side Note: When we got home and Catherine looked at her face paint more closely, she discovered that the face painter had failed to put the eye shadow portion of her face paint design on, even though Mary got blue eye shadow as part of her design. So we used our at-home face paints and I added the eye shadow part into the existing design. Then something clicked that I am surprised didn't click quite a long time ago: Face Paint As Makeup! And for a week straight they used their face paint to explore what they called "American Idol Makeup". Apparently they know what American Idol Makeup looks like because they saw American Idol (or a commercial for American Idol) on tv at Grandma's house for five seconds. In case you were wondering, American Idol Makeup done with face paint looks something like this:

I think after a while they realized keeping makeup looking nice takes a lot of work, and they gave up the effort.

Video Break - I love you!

Yes, yes... I'm supposed to be getting pictures together for all of those events I've failed to blog in the last month. But videos are easy as I have no means by which to edit them.

A while ago -- who knows how long really -- I started telling Edie "I love you" with a high, exaggerated "you" at the end because it was one of the first things that made her laugh. Eventually she started mimicking the tone (not the words) and she came up with adding the pointer finger on her own. Just watch the video.

Mary's First Communion

I have at least half a dozen recent events that need blogging, and hopefully they start showing up here as I sort through the pictures. I know Mary will be looking for it, so I finished her First Communion pictures first!

Mary has been taking a class for the past school year in preparation, learning lots of specifics about what the Church teaches and believes. Since the kids are generally 7 or 8 when they first start taking communion, they are old enough to make their own decisions about if and how they will receive the sacrament, so we do our best to make sure they know just what the Eucharist is so that they are making an informed choice about participating. I've helped to teach the class at church the years that Catherine and Mary were in them, and while I know for sure that I have no interest in being a full time teacher of eighteen 2nd graders, it was really fun to be involved with the kids and help them prepare.

Church was very much packed and I didn't get my camera out during Mass, but the kids did great and everything went perfectly! We did take some pictures afterwards.

The whole class and teachers! I have no idea how my little friend L. in there sneaked behind the girl in the front row - I checked very carefully before clicking to make sure everyone was visible! Knowing him and pictures, he did it on purpose. But it was a nice try!

Maybe we should switch the girls to a dress that has at least as much lace as Daddy's surplice.

And the whole family. Three not looking at the camera and two making somewhat strange faces... again, nice try. :)

Grandma and Grandpa and Gigi and Papa made the trip down for church, but somehow I only have a picture of Gigi. (Are you sensing the "nice try" theme here? I don't know where my brain is lately.)

Mary wore the same dress that Catherine wore for her 1st Communion. (It turns out the dress Catherine chose is both beautiful and perfect for handing down, as it has a lace-up piece in the back that helps it to fit many sizes!) It might have been a little long, but with shoes was *exactly* floor length, which Mary loved.

Hi Mary! You look beautiful. And old. How are you so old?

Two amazing sisters.

Did anyone notice that my not oldest daughter is almost eight? This is all flying by quite in a rush.

We had lots more friends and family over for a dinner celebration that evening, but it didn't even occur to me to locate my camera during the entirety of Mary's Mexican Feast, so... no pictures of that but Mary had a wonderful time and enjoyed everyone's company. Thank you all for helping us celebrate!

The Babywearing Gallery

Edie is 16 months old now, but it is still rare that a day goes by without me wearing her at some point. I don't normally have a lot of pictures of us because, well, we're on the other side of the camera. And even when I do have pictures, I generally just share them with a small group of babywearing enthusiasts who actually care about looking at baby wraps a lot.

But for some reason I managed to get a collection of pictures of Edie being wrapped up and adorable over the last couple weeks, so here they are. Anytime anyone asks how I survive working, homeschooling, and cooking with five kids, this is part of the answer: Wrap Naps. Because I seriously do not have the time or patience to spend 45 minutes getting a baby or toddler down for a nap in a crib, especialy if there is any chance they are going to wake up in less time than it took me to get them down. It is just easier on my brain to wrap them up and go on with the day. Plus now I have the strongest shoulders ever.

And every time I walk by a mirror, I see sleepy baby lips.

Wrap nap commences in 3... 2... 1...

Out.

Different day, same result.

Back nap smooshie face.

Oh, and the little hand that slips down after she falls asleep. I love that little hand.

Of course, Edie isn't *always* sleeping when I carry her. Sometimes she rubs my nose.

Or just hangs out (notice the lack of hitting siblings, spilling anything, swiping anything off a table, coloring on anything or anyone, eating anything not food, climbing up or falling down anything, or escaping out any doors).

Ok, sometimes she grabs my face, but it isn't the worst thing.

It's usually snuggling. (And stone dinosaurs?)

And recently, kisses on the nose.

So yes, I will happily carry her for 16 more years. I mean months.