Halloween Preview

Seamus is breaking tradition. Every baby in our family has, up until Seamus, been a cute little pumpkin for their first Halloween. Isn't a pumpkin just the perfect costume for a baby?  But no, not this year. Is Seamus going to be a cute bunny? No. Is he going to wear our ladybug or bumble bee costume? Nope again. Instead, he is going to be........




Darth Vadar (and yes, my older kids talked me into it)

Aidan has a Job

Aidan has been a little busy this fall.  We have ACORNS like you wouldn't believe here!  (Ahem, he works for the real acorns, not that ACORN lol).  Lots and lots of acorns.  By gathering them, he earns 25 cents per pound.  Here's his latest stash...

This load weighed exactly 8 lbs 6 oz.  (Of course with that weight my brain automatically thinks of Eileen who weighed that same amount at birth).  So, he earned some loot.  I wonder if we should've given him overtime pay when he spilled the entire bag on our bathroom floor and had to gather them all up again? 

Fall Pictures

Merry Christmas to me, two months early. I had been wanting a new camera since my old one is on its last leg. And since I came across a really good deal (Canon has a great Loyalty Program, FYI, allowing you to give back your old broken camera, or film camera that you don't use, in exchange for a highly discounted refurbished new camera. Very good deals. Check it out if you have an old Canon. Since the deals vary, depending on what they have available each month, it may not be a good fit, but it was for me. Anyway.....)

So, of course, I needed some guinea pigs to test out my new camera.


This little piggy was very cooperative. Like his cousin, Owen, he often has a perpetual surprised look, as is seen in the second picture. Take that look, exaggerate it by about 10 times, and you'll have Owen (as a baby, that is :). Seamus is also quick to smile.


Bridget was a great guinea pig too! Thanks Bridge.
Here's Teresa, wishing I would be done with the pictures so she could quickly get back to her play...


Seamus, squeaky clean after his bath...

And then there's Erin. We finally got a break from the continuous rain, so I dressed her in her cute Halloween outfit (thanks Godparents!!!) and took her outside to get some pictures. Taking her picture is an experience. She really cracks me up! She has so many unpredictable expressions, and yet she is always game for more.

Distraction technique....she is a master at this.
This one would have been perfect! She was signing "leaf", but I cut it off...
The pondering look....
When I say, "say cheese", this is what I get...(if you had sound effects, you'd hear an exaggerated "cheeeeeeese"...)
She found the wet leaves at her feet much more interesting...
More distraction...."look a deer!". LOL...
Signing "tree"...
And after all that.....here are my two favorites! (the first one is the end of "peek a boo" and in the second one she is signing "leaf")

Famous Seamus!

A few months ago we had the opportunity to be a small part of a wonderful new video put out by The Power of Life. The video gives us a beautiful glimpse into the lives of three holy priest and how they were called to the priesthood. We personally know two of the three priests and are so very thankful for their vocations. Being the Year of the Priesthood I am sure this effort will be just one of many graces sent by God to bless our lives.

As you'll see in the film, there is an adorable little baby boy being baptized, if I do say so myself :). Right about 6:35 into the film, little Famous Seamus makes his debut, along with the rest of our family. (Of course this was a reenactment because Seamus was already officially baptized in July).

Enjoy the film and pass it on! And don't forget to pray for our wonderful priests who serve us so tirelessly. They are awesome!

Who Knew...

...that a sneeze was SO funny!?!


Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com


(Credit goes to Molly Grace for this laugh!)

Cute Chubby Fingers Hard at Work

I hope I don't ever forget her cute chubby fingers. They remind me of little starfish. Two weeks ago, these little fingers could not quite master the task of putting cheerios, just so, on the shallow holes in the book.....but today, they can!

Ohio Trip

Last weekend Moira and Eileen had a great opportunity to travel to Steubenville, Ohio with Grandma and Grandpa D. They had such a great time! Of course visiting Tim, Suzy, Aileen, Joe and Mara, along with the rest of the Heusel gang, was the highlight! Thank you Tim and Suzy for everything, they really loved their visit. They also were able to spend some time at Franciscian University of Steubenville (FUS), getting a little taste of campus life, where Moira has her heart set on attending. She was thrilled to visit her friend Lauren, a freshman at FUS. Of course having an opportunity to hear the band Scythian for homecoming weekend was an additional bonus! Grandma and Grandpa D, thank you so much!!!


Lots and lots of driving...and Moira made sure to protect herself from sun glare!
Eileen
The girls at FUS


Yes, you can be sure....they were there :)

Aidan and the Beanstalk

Aidan's latest science experiment, growing beans, was a success. He learned all about how a simple bean seed can sprout and grow into a bean stalk. He was particularly amazed at how the bean needed moisture and light, but no soil, to grow. All the bean's food is stored right inside the bean. Imagine that...no dirt needed!He was even more perplexed when I told him that even HE did not need dirt to grow. Nope, not needed, but life sure is a lot more fun for an eight year old boy when dirt is somehow involved in his adventures.

Here are his science notebook drawings, showing his experiment...

Pencils...

There are many great mysteries in life we will never understand. One of the most profound for this family must surely be....the disappearance of pencils! Seriously. Where do they go?!? I must have bought three dozen since September. I'll take the sock fairy over the pencil fairy any day.

Just this morning, a frustrated Molly Grace says, "Mom, somebody stoled my pencil again!"

I found one lone pencil in the bottom of her bin and handed it to her.

Still frustrated, she said, "But somebody bit the eraser off this one".

Well, that somebody is no mystery. That would be our spunky two year old who not only bites the erasers off our pencils but has also been known to practice her new found throwing-things-in the-trash-can skill. She has mastered that one. Hmmm, I think she must be getting a kick-back from the pencil fairy!

The Bundle in the Basket

"I cannot believe they left me in this basket!"

"I wonder when somebody is going to notice me?!"

"They didn't even give me toys to play with! In fact, I'm laying, er, I mean, lying on them (ya, I hear those grammar rules all the time, I'm starting to pick up on them)"

"Well, this blanket is kind of nice and soft. I could play with it."

"I kind of like it in here!"


I think Bridget took these pictures of Seamus. Babies in baskets are just ALWAYS cute, aren't they?!

Oh...and on a side note...Mr. La Cucaracha (yes, that is one of his nicknames, poor guy) had his four month check up yesterday. He is TALL. Over 98% for height. Where did that come from?! Weight and noggin are only 25%. Everything checked out great. He's doing very well :)

"Bye-Bye Mama "

No, I am not going anywhere.

These words are, to the best of our memory, Erin's first sentence, which she said yesterday! (The kids claim that she says "my baby" all the time, but I pointed out that those words are not a true sentence LOL). I had been working with Erin for awhile now on getting her to say, "Bye-bye______ " (fill in the blank). She can say all our names (in her own cute way), several single words and she can sign about 75 words, but she has not been able to put a second word after the bye-bye. Stringing two words together does not come as easily or as early for a child with Down syndrome. However, it has been adorable watching her try! She'd say "bye bye" while signing "mama". She'll say, "Bye-ma", or "Dadab", while waving to her dad, combining the two words. Yesterday, as I was heading out the door, she said, "Bye-bye Mama", as clear as day, as though she had said it forever. Yeah Erin!!!

Wow, It's October!

Not only is October a very beautiful month here in Wisconsin, but did you know it is also both Respect Life month and Down Syndrome Awareness month? And, isn't it even more lovely that October 1st is, as my Catholic friends know, the feast day of our much loved Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux? She teaches us how we can love God in our own little ways, as children do. (These little ways are much more difficult to do on a regular basis, but they sure add up to big ways!) I think she is a wonderful patron saint for my little Erin to emulate.

As for Down Syndrome Awareness month, specifically, there are some great sources on the web, and on my sidebar, for learning more. If you have any questions about Down syndrome, or Erin, feel free to ask away and I will be more than happy to answer questions. If I do not know the answer, it would be my pleasure to look it up. Honestly, I love researching and talking about Down syndrome, so I do hope I get as least one question :)

I would just like to bring one issue into greater awareness, and that would be, conveniently, combining the respect life and Down syndrome pieces together. After all, if we cannot respect the right to life of an individual with Down syndrome, there is not much point in offering further awarness. In our country, 90% of parent who receive a prenatal diagnosis abort their child with Down syndrome. There are many factors that play a role in that startling statistic. It is my prayer that ALL life, born and unborn, will be seen as precious, respected and protected. And from a more personal perspective, it is my prayer that those blessed with an extra chromosome will be valued and not singled out for termination simply because of their genetic make-up. That is called eugenics. I pray that other parents will experience the honor and joy that Mike and I have, when parenting a child with special needs. St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn, pray for us!

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. Mt 18:1-5,10