Creating Costumes {Wizard of Oz}

Teresa sure does make the best tree I've ever seen :)

Father-Daughter Dance

I'm not sure what they're looking at?

Smallest turnout yet!  Mike has only three of his six daughters!

Glamor shot of MGD

Glamor shot of Teresa

Happy Birthday, Teresa!

Well, lately is seems the only post to the blog are Happy Birthday posts! True, partly because I lost my camera charger and hadn't been able to find a replacement. So I went a long time without using my camera, and since this blog is mostly a photo journal blog, that means it was terribly neglected. Just as I was about to order a new battery charger online....Saint Anthony came through. Found the charger - yay!

So, another birthday...This time Teresa turned 13! And sadly, I have no pictures of her actual birthday because of the above mentioned problem. The good news is she has a little party planned for this Thursday (she wanted to do a party when cousin Aileen was in town), and we'll take lots of pics then.

Her favorite gift was a One Direction CD. Like it or not, the family has now heard the album oodles of times. She likes it so much, she decided to try to self teach herself the songs on the piano.

And so she did just that, using You Tube videos! Can you believe they have You Tube videos for everything?! Crazy. She searched for the song she wanted and found a close up video of someone's hands playing the tune.

She watched and watched, then numbered some keys to help guide her. Bridget helped too.

After an hour or two we could recognize the song really well! Who needs lessons when you have You Tube! (I'm Kidding!)

Happy birthday, Teresa! We love you dearly, even though you play the same cd over and over again, driving us all a bit crazy!!!

Happy Birthday Molly Grace!!!

On November 20th, our sweet Molly Grace turned 8!  She is quickly becoming a "big kid".  In fact, I cannot remember the last time we referred to her as one of the  "little ones".

Molly Grace is such a joy!  She has a sensitive heart.  She is easy to please and easy to offend, all at the same time.  She is in second grade and enjoys her school work.  She loves to play dress-up and perform in plays with her sisters and neighbor friends.  She especially loves to spend time with her cousin, Margaret, at every opportunity!  They are as close as sisters could ever be. She has joined her older sisters in the ranks of Irish dancers and seems to have a natural talent for jigs and reels.

Molly Grace never ever goes to bed without giving her parents each a hug, followed by "Sleep good, I love you, God bless you".  Yep...every single night! 

Molly Grace with cousin and best friend, Margaret

I remember the night before Molly Grace was born. Mike and I went to Margareta's to have some Mexican food (I was desperate to try anything, spicy food included, to induce labor). Just as I went to bed late that night, I felt the first contraction.  Because my labors are marathons, I didn't get to the hospital till late the next afternoon.  She was born shortly after arrival!

Kids' birthdays are as much celebration for the mom, as for the child, aren't they?  Here I go, reminiscing, on our special day...

Molly Grace's birth was a breeze...truly, a piece of cake.  I can honestly say I felt no pain...(thank you epidural!).  Seamus was the only other child who had as easy of a birth (Erin was a close third).  Interestingly, while Molly Grace and Seamus' birth was super easy, they were my most challenging babies. We have often said that Molly Grace stopped crying when she turned two.  LOL  Yes, she was a particularly fussy baby, and most of the time life was not going the way she pleased.  She cried, a lot.

But here she is, eight years later, as sweet as sweet can be!  She is growing up and she loves life!

Molly Grace wanted an old cell phone (that doesn't work) for her birthday.

Thank you Best Buy!  Cost:  FREE

Molly Grace has always had what we call an adorable Boston accent.  She does not say her "r"s.  Someday soon she will, but for now, we enjoy her charming "accent". It adds to her adowable chaaam!


For Molly Grace's party, all the Green Bay cousins came over to celebrate.  Bridget, Teresa and cousin Colleen put together a little treasure hunt, which was a blast!  They wrote the following riddle clue, which Molly Grace had to figure out.  It led everyone all throughout the house.

Clue 1:  

Welcome to the Treasure Hunt Game!  

Find the clues, and seven presents you'll gain!  

The game has begun,

This is clue one!

Now go to the fragile glass,

That jingles when you walk past.

The first present was found in the hutch with jiggly glass doors

Clue 2

Good for you!

This is clue two!

When you're hot from the sun, where do you play?

At the pool of course, so go down there today!

Present two was found hiding inside the pool table

Clue 3

This is clue three,

Way to go!  Yippee!

Since it is dry, 

She can fly!

The walls are torn down

So no water can be found.

This clue led Molly Grace to the upstairs bathroom (it is "dry" and the walls are "torn down" because we are replacing the tile in the bathtub)

Clue 4

Great job!  You score!

This is clue four!

Call it a fridge if you dare

But if you look hard, clue five is in there (and a chair)

This clue led to a chair on our sun-porch (our natural fridge in the wintertime)

Clue 5

You're looking alive!

This is clue five!

Go to the stairs and walk up five, and down two, then down three

Look to your left, who do you see?

This clue led to the pictures we have hanging in our stairway (the 6th clue was hiding behind her own picture hanging and the present was hiding behind a mega pack of toilet paper, sitting in the hallway LOL) 

Clue 6

You're getting through this in a kick!

This is clue six!

What is the fairy who collects the teeth?

Where does she go when you're asleep?

Molly Grace found the final present (the sixth fairy doll) under her own pillow. 

It was a lot of fun!  Thank you, Bridget, Teresa and Colleen for organizing such a fun treasure hunt!  One more special note I want to mention.......as kids of all ages ran though the house finding clues and presents, Erin couldn't keep up, even though she was SO in on the fun.  Cousin Conal, without being told, picked her up and carried her around on his back, making sure she could see all that was happening.  What a great kid!  She is so happy to have such awesome cousins!

After the treasure hunt, we all had cake, which Eileen custom made for Molly Grace. What a great birthday.  We love you Molly Grace!!! (Nice smile, Erin)

School

One reason this blog has been neglected is because school has kept us very, very busy this year!  I'm not sure why the dynamics seem to be different than other years. I thought, mistakenly, that with one kid in college, we would have a slightly less demanding schedule.  I was wrong.  Perhaps it's because all the kids are getting older, or that this mix of grades is a challenge.  Or perhaps it is that one student struggles with dyslexia, or that Erin is 4.5 and needs more of my time as I prepare her for kindergarten.  Or perhaps it is that our two year old is a particular challenge and likes to get into everyone's business.  Or perhaps I should repeat that last phrase, for clarity and emphasis.....or perhaps it is that our two year old is a particular challenge and likes to get into everyone's business. If I took a family vote, I'm pretty sure what the consensus would reveal.  Just saying.  Good thing he's cute!


Here's Teresa, hard at work with a chemistry experiment.  And thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Delaney for giving this science kit to the kids!

 (See what I mean about getting into everyone's business?  Case in point!)

 Thanks for not blowing up the sun porch, my dear!

Poor Teresa!

Teresa was excited to try out cross country for the first time this fall. Her first day was also her last day, thanks to a fall which ended in a nasty cut needing six stitches. Since the season is very short and her stitches stay in two weeks....that makes the end of her CC debut. Maybe next year, Teresa!

Teresa, just before her stitches

Sometimes there are just no words!

Times like this, pictures speak much louder than words. I have no idea who or what these characters are, but whenever Teresa and Molly Grace get together with their neighbor friends, Morgan and Lauren, they come up with something interesting. Summer is quickly coming to and end but at least the girls can say they've had plenty of creative play...

Happy 12th Birthday Teresa!

Teresa, you make us so happy! What a blessing you are! We love you!

Teresa with Grandma McKillen

Mismatched Socks

Collecting mismatched socks is a very common activity around here. Who in their right mind wants to sort through dozens of socks, unless they want to work on taking time off purgatory? It IS a good job for kids between the ages of about 5 and 8, but then, they are not always in their right mind :). I wish I could say that I have a cute little basket that sits atop my dryer, collecting mismatched socks. Ha ha. In reality, it's more like a full-sized laundry basket! Every once in a while, I throw the whole batch of mismatched socks in the trash. Talk about liberating! I just love to do that. In the meantime, in between washings, we just do our best at finding our matched socks. In this house, if you are over age four, you are on your own. Good luck. Thankfully, we do okay, on most days, because we have learned where to find all the best sock hiding places. Other days we might find the right colors....and that is good enough. Once in a great while, you may find that your socks actually DO match, as long as you are standing next to another sibling with similar mismatched socks. Together, they really do make a great pair!

Moms - By Teresa

When I got on the computer, I saw this little poem on the desk that Teresa wrote. I thought it was cute! Here it is:

Moms are wonderful
Moms are great
My mom is better than chocolate cake
Mom helps me learn
Mom helps me laugh
Out of stars I would give her five and a half
My mom's filled with love
From her heart to her toes
If she had any more
She would explode
My mom helps me when I feel the worst
And that is why my mom comes first

By Teresa Delaney - Age 11

Today's Physics Lesson...

 As if they didn't have enough planned school lessons!  Here they go, devising their own physics lesson.

Teresa, Aidan and Molly Grace decided it was high time we had a swing in the front yard.  I suppose they tried tying the rope in the tree first, but when that didn't work, they devised this contraption...



It worked!  I'm not sure how much fun it was to stand in thetrash can but at least Aidan had fun.

And lil Seamus was watching with envy from the house....

Werewolf by Day

There is a new blockbuster homevideo thriller coming out this month called Werewolf by Day. It is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat; you won't want to miss this one!!! It is from Breresan Productions (ok, in others words, it is a movie by Bridget, Teresa, Theresa N.(a friend) and Aidan). Bridget loves to make movies; I have shared a few on our blog before, I think. And just to tease you.....here is the trailer (be sure to turn your speakers on):

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Ten Commandments

I thought I'd post some of Teresa's hard work before filing it away for the year.

The Ten Commandments - By God

Retold  and Illustrated by Teresa

Finally....A Day Without Rain!

Not that it stopped them from playing outside....

Happy Birthday Teresa!!!

Teresa turned 11 years old yesterday, June 25th.  Isn't it great that she has her birthday on Jesus' half birthday?!  We always remember on Teresa's birthday that we have exactly six months until Christmas.

Teresa, you are such a joy to our family!  We love how you always make us smile with your bright personality.  God has blessed you so much.  We love you dearly!  Happy Birthday!!!


Teresa wanted to make her own cake for her birthday...so she did!  Here is her strawberry cheesecake.  The two little candles that make her eleven are kind of pathetic, but it's all we had to work with.  I always forget to buy the candles we need!

Smile for the camera!

Erin just learned how to blow out candles and Teresa was so kind to let her give it a try.  Here she is waiting...

Birthday parties are so much fun!

Here's Teresa giving Erin a lesson on how to blow out candles...

And just because we need more cuteness in this post, here's little Seamus who thinks birthday parties are pretty awesome too...