Another Fun Day With Our Chromosome Cousins!!!

KJ, Alex, Nick, Aidan, Teresa, Molly Grace, Eileen, Bridget, MaryEllen, Megan, Erin, and Moira. Whew! That's a lot of kids on one couch!

Memorial Day Parade

Margaret, Molly Grace and Aidan

Emmett

The Little Ones Go Hunting...

...for toads! They found several yesterday. A couple made their way into the house, but after learning that they couldn't be indoor pets, I'm pretty sure they made it back out. Let's just hope they are all out of Aidan's pockets before his pants go through the wash.

The Pirates Have Performed

For the third year in a row, Bridget and Teresa have participated in a home school drama club for young girls. Two high school girls generously give of their time to direct this little group. This year the title of the play was Peggy the Pint-Sized and Polly the Pipsqueak - Their Quest for Bigness. It was adorable. The play is about two small pirates who want to be big pirates. We discover, by the end of the play, that the pipsqueaks are fearless and make up for their small size with their wit and big hearts. They work to save the veteran pirates from captivity. It included scenes with a sea monster, mermaid and game show host. It was funny and heartwarming all at the same time, and the girls did a fantastic job. I wish I had the whole thing on film, but pictures will have to do. Bridget played the parts of Captain Sludge, a pirate and Oceanna, the mermaid. Teresa played Polly the Pipsqueak.

Bridget as Oceanna

The whole cast including our directors, Kathleen and Sarah

Argh!!!!!!!!!

The Ice Cream Truck

You know it's almost summer when you first hear the sound of the ice cream truck maneuvering through the neighborhood. Although, it's not the nice soft bell ringing sound that I remember as a kid. Rather, it's a glaring, loud, blown-out speaker sound that plays Pop Goes the Weasel over and over and over....The first time the ice cream man comes around it's a lot of fun. The kids come running, I fork over the money and everyone gets a nice treat. They eat snow cones, rocket pops and drumsticks galore. The ice cream man then thinks he hit the jackpot because of the many kids on our cul-de-sac, which means that he'll be back. And back again. Over the next few weeks we politely decline the ice cream treats a few times, and another time I allow the little kids to use their own money in their piggy banks to buy treats so that they realize that money doesn't grow on trees. But then it all starts to get a bit more interesting. Last week Teresa asked if she could get an ice cream from the truck. I answered that she couldn't because for one, the ice cream man wasn't even in the neighborhood, or even within a mile radius. (Did I mention that the "song" was loud?) She replied, "That's OK Mom, I have his business card. I can give him a call and he'll be here within a half hour." What?! Since when do ice cream men give eight year olds business cards? I checked it out and sure enough, in her little pink sparkly purse was a very important business card. LOL. You can't say that Mr. Ice Cream Man lacks marketing skills. Interesting to say the least.

Here are a few pics of the very first tastes of summer...

Solo Dress!

In the world of Irish dancing, each school has their own school dress. The school constume is like a signature to identify a particular dancer with a particular school. Our school has a beautiful school dress, as you have seen in previous photos. In addition to the school dress, each dancer has the opportunity to qualify for a solo costume. While each dance school is a little different, most require the dancer to reach a certain level of dancing before she can qualify for this one-of-a kind dress. There are no two dresses alike anywhere on the planet, and at one time most all of these dresses were made in Ireland, hand embroidered with scenes from the Book of Kells. Today, thankfully, you also have the option of buying a used dress closer to home. The benefit of going this route is you don't necessarily have to sell your first-born to afford a beautiful dress.

Two weeks ago we told Moira that she could start shopping for a used solo dress. She has been excited about getting her solo dress since she was just starting out, at the age of five. It took her one week to find the perfect dress. First, she eliminated all the dresses that were out of our price range. Second, she eliminated the dresses that wouldn't fit her. Finally, she eliminated all the dresses that didn't have at least some green in them (what can I say, she's a Packer fan right down to the core). With no hesitation, she claimed that she found the perfect dress. Even the measurements seemed perfect. The dress is coming from AZ but we soon discovered, through conversations with the seller, that green and gold are in their family blood too....they are Packer fans! That cinched the deal for Moira. We are anxiously awaiting its arrival, later this week. Say a prayer that it fits so she can wear it to her spring recital!

Another Great Heart Check-Up For Erin!

Did you ever think that a large scar could be beautiful? I'm not sure I would have before Sept. 19th of last year. Today was Erin's heart check-up at the cardiologist office. After she had been thouroughly checked out and we were assured that her heart was still working perfectly, I was able to chat with the cardiologist about lighter issues. She called this the "fun" visit. As we were chatting, she commented on how nicely Erin's scar had healed. As she studied it, she said she wished there could be a way to avoid the scar, but that was just impossible (I have long ago picked up on that fact that she is a perfectionist. Fine by me...I'll take a perfectionist cardiologist any day). I explained to her how I thought Erin's scar was beautiful, a true work of art. I will always be thankful for that scar. Where would we be today if it weren't for the perfectionism of the cardiologist, and the God-given skill of the heart surgeon who left a three inch scar on Erin's chest? For us, it is a reminder of the day our little Happy got a new heart, and through that, the rest of our hearts grew a little closer to God. What a beautiful scar!




Erin's next scheduled cardiac appointment is in one year. Now that's music to my ears!!!