7 Quick Takes :: A Birthday Party and Pony Rides!

— 1 —

Last Saturday my niece turned three years old!  I still haven't gotten around to posting the pictures I took at our fun trip to the pumpkin patch last fall during "C" week, but my sweet little niece fell in love with riding the ponies so my brother surprised her, and all the kiddos, with pony rides on her birthday!  She loved the pony rides just as much as she did last year.  

— 2 —

Bud, however, was not at all sure what to think of the pony... 

... he wasn't sure what to think of the lady leading the pony either.  I don't think he trusted either one.

Note:  Since a friend asked on facebook, I thought I'd share the link to my new favorite denim skirt, which I'm wearing in the above picture.  I purchased it during a 30% off sale with an extra 20% off coupon, so it was only $27.  It is so comfortable!   *Update:  All sizes were available last night when I posted the link, but now it looks like they only have one size left. 

— 3 —

The girls and Snuggles all loved taking turns riding...

And the big boys?  Well, they had no intention of riding the poor little pony until Aunt Meagan told them that they could either ride the pony, or clean the driveway after the party!  They choose to ride the pony.  Captain later told me, while laughing, that when he got on the lady said, "I don't need to buckle you, if you don't want me to."

— 4 —

Party Cowboy hats!  The kids loved getting to wear their daddy's old hats from his college days. 

— 5 —

We had a hard time deciding on a gift for my niece, but after the suggestion from a friend we decided on a Lady Bug Nightlight.  Our children have these in their bedrooms and were excited to give one to their cousin too! 

— 6 —

  It rained on and off all afternoon, but every time it stopped the kids headed back outside to play.


— 7 —

The party ended with a few very loud fireworks and sparklers, much to the delight of the birthday girl...

... but once again Bud was very concerned! 

He was very thankful to his big brother for keeping him safe during all that noise! :)

 For additional Quick Takes this week, visit Camp Patton.

Christmas Eve in Pictures

My Christmas Daybook

Outside my window... 
It has been cold, rainy, and cloudy, but the kids have been enjoying playing inside with all their new toys, including the little set of stacking sun blocks that they received as an O Antiphon gift this year!

As you can see, all blocks make excellent cellphones! 

"Hi Dada!"

I am thinking...        
about how quickly the past year flew by... How did our baby turn one already?!  He continues to bring so much joy to our family!

Bud was waiting for Rose to push the button on one of our musical ornaments.  

Each time she did he would sit up and start bouncing (dancing).  It was so cute! 

I am thankful... 
that my sister JoAnn was willing to babysit so we could take the oldest two on an "Unexpected Journey" to see The Hobbit!

I was also very thankful that David (my youngest brother) and I were able to get in to the movie too!
David and I were going to meet Sean and the boys at the theatre, since they (JoAnn & David) were running a little late getting to our house, and when we got to the theater the line was so long and the last tickets sold to the people in line a couple groups in front of us...  They told us sorry and I got out of line and called home - to give my sister a hard time! ;)  Anyways, I went back to the ticket booth to ask if I could at least go inside to tell my husband (who was going to try and save seats for us) that we wouldn't be joining them.   She asked how many there were of us and when I told her "just us two" she said that there were only two seats in the whole theater left and they probably weren't together, or anywhere near my husband.   She said we could go in and see, and come back and purchase the tickets.   The theater was PACKED, but an usher walked over to us and directed us to the two seats, which were right next to my family!!!

Note: Had Sean and I previewed the movie we probably wouldn't have taken the boys, but thankfully they had finished listening to the book and knew what to expect.   They absolutely LOVED the movie and are still telling us that it wasn't "too scary" for them!  

Kevin (18), David (16), Mary (20), Jessica (old), and JoAnn (20)

After the movie I went on another unexpected journey (after coming back home to nurse the baby and get him to bed) - this time to the bowling alley with my four youngest siblings and some of their friends.   It was so much fun, even if it made me feel really old! ;)

Learning all the time... 
As much as I am enjoying our Christmas break, I am starting to look forward to getting back to our school work and normal routines next week.  We still have quite a few things that I would like to complete before the end of our 2nd quarter on January 25th!

Celebrating the liturgical year... 
I meant to share about this lovely set of Ornaments for the 12 Days of Christmas before Christmas, but just never had a chance.  I love that they focus on the faith filled meaning behind each of the gifts in "The 12 Days of Christmas" song.  Perhaps consider ordering a set now, to have ready for next Christmas!  They tie in nicely to our 12 Days of Christmas Lap Book.

From the kitchen... 
Chiquita, (my sister) Julianna, and I all worked on this Gingerbread Nativity on Christmas Eve, while Rascal made his own Gingerbread creation.



Snuggles, Twinkle Toes, and Rose also assembled houses, but they are still waiting to be decorated. With all of our company and getting ready for Midnight Mass, finishing the gingerbread houses wasn't hight on the list of things to do this year! Maybe we will get back to them, maybe not...

I am working on... 
sorting through my pictures from Christmas Day, rather slowly!  I haven't wanted to "waste" any of this glorious Christmas break in front of the computer.   I will have plenty of time to catch up on emails and blogging next week, when my husband is away on training...

I am creating... 
not much at the moment, but I do have plans for the new Knit and Weave Loom Kit that Sean gave me for Christmas! Just as soon as I can pick up some yarn from the craft store.

I am going... 
to miss having the twins in town! Mary left today and is headed back to Texas, and JoAnn left a couple days ago to get back to work and college.   I think I need to plan a couple trips to visit them!

I am hoping... 
that I am not allergic to our cat... Our kids love him so and (as much as he drives me crazy) I would hate to have to get rid of him.  I am still waiting for my referral to the allergist, but I had another allergic reaction late last night (for no apparent reason, after brushing my teeth and drinking a glass of water).  Thankfully I had some Zyrtec on hand this time.

I am praying... 
with the help of my beautiful new prayerbook - Mother Love!  Originally published in 1888, it was just republished by Angelus Press.

I am reading... 
A Darcy Christmas and the various books by Karen Witemeyer.  I've also been flipping through my new 2013 Day Planner!  My dear Mother-in-Law sends me a new copy every year and it is my favorite.  I use it for planning out all of our feast day celebrations and it sits next to my computer for easy reference!

Pondering these words...
spoken by Bishop Cramer which I read in my copy of Mother Love:

"O, that we could proclaim throughout the whole world and impress deeply upon the heart of every mother the words: PRAY! Pray incessantly!  Pray earnestly and fervently for your children."

I am listening...  
The boys have been having so much fun assembling all their new lego sets while listening to hours and hours of The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring!  (The unabridged versions narrated by Rob Inglis are excellent! Thank you for the recommendations!)

By the end of Christmas Day the boys had finished listening to The Hobbit and building The Hobbit Home (we decided not to save it and switched it out with a different set to save for February) and Barrel Escape among other things!

Around the house... 
lots of kiddos in new Christmas Pajamas... Christmas morning just gets better every year!

One of my favorite things...  
This gorgeous St. Francis Tenner, which I gave to my mom for Christmas, was made by Barbara.  My mom loved it so much that she said she'd like to order Tenners for each of her children for their birthdays this year.  That's a lot of Tenners! ;)

Do visit Barbara's Etsy Store!  She has such beautiful creations for sale... My children will each be receiving one of her Embroidered Scapulars in their Easter Baskets this coming March!  Yes, I have already been thinking ahead to Lent and Easter! :/

This week's plans...

Monday :: New Year's Eve Party

Tuesday :: New Year's Day and Mass (Holy Day of Obligation)
Wednesday - Thursday :: Enjoy the rest of our Christmas Break
Friday :: Mass and Brunch with Father C.
Saturday :: Attend the Vigil Mass and take down our Christmas tree...  (Unless I want to figure out how to do it myself this year!) Our Nativity Sets will remain out until February 2nd - Candlemas Day.
Sunday :: Celebrate Epiphany; Sean leaves in the early morning for another training session... He will be gone for three weeks.  Please keep us in your prayers!

A little peek at my day...

Headed to the pizza parlor (a couple days after Christmas) to visit with relatives from out of state...

(And wearing my favorite new neck warmer! Thank you Jacqui! I love it, and what a fun surprise!!)  

My Daybook :: Oct 30, 2012

Outside my window... 
I hear the leaf blower as my husband cleans up the yard for our party tomorrow night!

I am thinking...        
about everything that still needs to be done... So much (that I'd like) to do and so little time!   (And yet here I am sitting at the computer... Everyone needs a break every once in awhile, right?)

I am thankful... 
that we were able to squeeze in a trip to the pumpkin patch this past weekend.   It was a whirlwind of activities all weekend long, but we had a blast!

Learning all the time & Celebrating the liturgical year... We have a light school week this week, as we wrap up our first quarter, so we can focus on celebrating the liturgical year.  We'll be learning lots about the saints, attending mass on Thursday for the feast of All Saints, and the boys will be serving Mass at the Cemetery as always for the Feast of All Souls.

From the kitchen... 
dinner is simmering in the crock pot, Chicken with Marinara and Artichoke Hearts to serve over spaghetti with Parmesan Cheese, Dinner Rolls, and Salad.   After dinner I am going to start the Pumpkin Cupcakes for tomorrow!

I am working on... 
carving this year's Saint-O-Lanterns!  After going to the Pumpkin Patch on Sunday with four of my siblings, aunt, uncle, sister-in-law, and niece, we headed over to my brother Brian's house to eat dinner and carve pumpkins!   Since we weren't at home, and there were aunts and uncles to visit with, my kids weren't nearly as focused on carving this year so we only completed three. I have one more all ready to carve and Snuggles and I are hoping to finish it tonight after dinner.

While we were working on our Saint-O-Lanterns my brother cracked me up with his "Pumpkin Head Tiki Torch!"  While the tiki torch pumpkin was totally creepy, I loved his carving of a candle for his daughter!  I'll be back to post pictures of our completed carvings later. 

I am creating... 
a couple games and a banner for our All Hallows' Eve / All Saints' Party!

I am going... 
to try and get back to answering emails soon!   It has been awhile and I am really really behind (some have been waiting a year or more).   I do read every email, but it is impossible for me to respond to them all, as much as I do try.   (Often times I am reading on my cellphone and have to wait until I'm on the computer to respond.)  FYI:  I usually work on answering comments on the blog first, followed by Facebook, emails from friends and family, and then other emails are usually last.

I am hoping... 
for the Hadley's! We attended the 5th Annual Harvest of Hope Dinner, an annual fundraiser for the Hadley Hope Fund, this past Saturday night.  Here is an update on their beautiful family and a few pictures from the dinner.

2012 Hadley Hope Dinner © Marc Salvatore

Bud, me and my sister-in-law Meagan (You can also see my Dad just over Meagan's shoulder)   © Marc Salvatore

Kristin & Ann-Marie (dear friends that I grew up with, Kristin was my Confirmation sponsor and is Rascal's Godmother and Ann-Marie was one of my bridesmaids), Amy (who is losing weight like crazy and looking amazing) and Me (not looking my best!) :)
© Marc Salvatore 

I am praying... 
for those affected by Hurricane Sandy, for the soul of Barbara Curtis, for my sister-in-law Melissa who will be delivering another baby soon, for my little sister Jamie Jo who just celebrated her anniversary and birthday yesterday and the day before, and for Emily!  Oh, and that it doesn't rain here tomorrow night!

I am (still) reading... 
the saint quotes and short paragraphs that my children have come up with to share with everyone tomorrow evening.   I will have an extra treat for any of the children that come dressed as a saint or biblical character and have something to share with everyone.   (A short paragraph, quote, or even just a coloring page for the little ones.)

Pondering these words...
spoken by St. Joan of Arc, which Chiquita found (all on her own) in her copy of The Pocket Daring Book for Girls and is planning on sharing at our party tomorrow:

"One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying."

I am listening...  
to Prince Caspian, as we continue working our way through the 7 Volume Unabridged Audio Set of The Chronicles of Narnia.

Around the house... 
I've done over 20 loads of laundry yesterday and today and am almost caught up!  I've also sorted through half the kids clothing, boxing up everything that is too small and pulling out all the summer clothes.  What was I thinking starting this project before our All Hallows' Eve party?

One of my favorite things...  
pictures at the Pumpkin Patch! I will be posting this year's soon.

This week's plans...

• Lego Robotics Classes for the older boys (Tues & Thurs)
• All Hallows' Eve Party
• Mass on All Saints Day, Tutor in the Afternoon
• Annual Mass at the Cemetery for the Feast of All Souls 

A little peek at my day...

Captain lost his very last baby tooth last night! {sniff, sniff} Considering that his orthodontist wanted to have it pulled if it didn't fall out within a month, the tooth fairy left an extra fun surprise for all his extra work on getting it out {6 lego mini figures packages}... Apparently "the tooth fairy is much better than mom at picking out mini figures!!" We had a very excited boy this morning!