Sunday, April 5, 2015

Four Years Going on Fourteen

Today our sweet Gianna turned four years old.
 "It says Happy Birthday, Gianna from....ummmm.....I don't know.  I can't read."
(It was from Grandpa and Grandma Gebes.)
 From Brech
 (found these secondhand and at a great price)
 From Rex
 From Kiara
 From Brigid
From Cormac (secondhand bargain)
 From Mom and Dad
 From Mom and Dad
 From Mom and Dad (amazing secondhand find)
 From Mom and Dad
 From Mom and Dad
From Blase 
 From Stephen
 From Mom and Dad
 (All three were great deals at the secondhand store.  I washed them and she got to pick one to wear to church. Nothing like getting your Easter dress, secondhand and for your birthday.  Win, win for Mom.)
 From Bella, Jenna, Aunt Mauri, and Uncle Peter (THANKS!!!)
 What a lucky lady!
 Her little lamb cake.



 The boys were not thrilled that they had to have cake on Cinderella cake.  Their one consolation was that they were eating "lamb's butt" cake.  Or as some were calling it "Ramsbottom".
 A birthday phone call from her Bestgen grandparents.  This was her finding out that Grandma has a present waiting for her in South Dakota.
This was Gianna deciding that she was done talking on the phone because she wanted to watch a movie.  She decided that mid-sentence.

We love you very much, Miss Gianna!  Stay sweet, stay adorable!!

Coloring Eggs and Fingertips

 Cardboard - check
Dye - check
Paper towels - check
Boys - check
 Girls - check
 Almost falling asleep since it was 10 PM - check
 Eggs - check
 Purple egg for Brigid
 Pink egg for Kiara

 Umm, not quite the smile I was looking for, Brech Earl.



Only two eggs were harmed during the evening.

No picture of this year's "Amazing-all-the-Colors-Mixed-Together" egg.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Where Have We Been?

We have been busy.

We have been sick.

We have been working.

The boys started piano lessons again.  This time Cormac and Brech decided they wanted to join Blase and Rex.  Stephen had no interest in having to practice. ha ha  They are doing well, though we haven't had much time to practice.

Darren took Cormac, Rex, Brech, and Gianna for an extended weekend trip to the ranch.  They had a great time.  I made Brech promise me he'd come home. "Brech, you are so cute and Aunt Courtney loves you so much that she might ask you to stay with her forever.  Promise me you will come home 'cause I'll miss you if you don't come back to me."  "I promise, Mom."  First thing out of his mouth at 10 PM when they got home - "See, Mom, I came home."  Gianna's thrill of the weekend was getting to feed the bucket calves.  

Not that many days after Darren and the kids returned we started in on the week of frustration.  Everyone, except Rex who started it two weeks beforehand, took a turn puking and sitting on the toilet for hours.  The carpet cleaner saw a lot of action, as did the washing machine.  The worst day was probably Monday because that was the day that it decided to hit both Darren and I at the same time.  Long day.  Then that afternoon it started in Blase.  The three most capable people, out for the next two days. Thankfully the twins had already had their run-in and were recovered.  I am not sure how we would have been able to handle it if the twins were sick as well.

School has been going slow, but steady.  The kids have four scheduled weeks of school left.  I am certain that Blase and Stephen will need to work into the summer, if not through most of the summer on their math and science.  The other kids are doing great.  Brech could probably finish in 3 hours if I let him just work on his books.  I probably should find something else for him to do, but he is kind of burnt out on school right now.  I suppose the rest of the school days could just be watching school movies and doing fun things, like P.E. outside and nature studying as he runs by.

The kids are all back in swimming for the last session of this school year.  We have missed two session, one because of the SD trip and one because of the puking.  I am sure they will enjoy getting back in the water on Monday.  Cormac has been bumped up to the deep end, though he freaks out every time.  He is capable of swimming there, but he thinks he is going to sink to the bottom and freezes up.  His teacher has been working with him to get past that fear.  I have to say that watching him in the water gives me more panic feelings than he probably gets.  Nothing like fearing the water and panicking just because you hear your kid freaking out.  I've had to remind myself to breathe, relax and remember that I am not in the water.

So that is why I haven't posted lately.  I am sure you didn't want to see us while we were sick.  I'm sure a picture of the boys working on school would not be worth a blog post either.  Thus sums up our lives during the last part of March.

I do hope your Holy Week was full of blessings.  We had a quiet Holy Week and for that I am grateful.  

Three Going on Four

Today is the last day this sweetheart is three.
 She's off to the store with her dad to get a birthday cake. (No one ever wants me to make them a homemade cake anymore.  Sniff, sniff.)  She is looking for a chocolate Olaf cake with rings and flowers.  Ummm, good luck Dad.  I hope she can settle for something less specific.
 Mom, that's enough pictures of me.
Never, Gianna, never!!!

She giggled all the way out the door.  I just want to squeeze her and tell her not to grow up. Stay little, stay cute, stay sweet.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

St. Patrick's Day Before

We had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day party on the vigil of St. Patrick's Day.  That's Monday for those who don't know what a vigil is.  ;-) 
 Gianna was in heaven with her pretty braid that Sarabeana (Sara Ray) did for her.

 Vodka jello shots....YUMMY!
 The booze corner.
 Kiara took a shine to Nate (Sara's husband).
 There was a moment or two of bonding and then Daddy came back into the room.
 The meal - thanks to Darren for the homemade artisan bread and Nate for bringing the smoked pork.  I made the rest.  I have to say that the cabbage was especially good this year and the corned beef was just the right tenderness.  We all done good!  ;-)
 The traditional (non-alcohol) rainbow for the kids, both big and little.
 Just. can't. stay....awake.  She was going....
 this one was gone!
 The lovely Miss Mary and Nate.  I really wish I had been thinking and took pictures of all our guests.  There was Miss Jenna, Miss Lindsey and Rowe, Miss Anna, Miss Hannah, Nate and Sara Ray, and all of us of course.
 Nate doin' his wife's nail art.
 Love that expression, Sara!
`Gianna's pretty nails that Sara painted for her.