Double Stuff

Whenever I send Mike to the grocery store with a list he always gets two of whatever I ask for.  It's just his thing.  He always says, "It'll get used".  Yep, he's got that right.

Two Ketchups...

Two jumbo rolls of toilet paper (well, I think he actually bought three of these).....(on a side note...he once ran into Ted Thompson in the toilet paper isle and they had a discussion on the best deal.  Don't ever say that Mike didn't give TT advice!  LOL)

Etc...

Etc...

And if he does not get two, he gets the largest quantity available, such as the 500 paper plates...

And lucky for Erin, who thinks pretzels are one of God's greatest creations, he got a bag almost as big as her!

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday....whatever you want to call it, is here!  For Catholics that means it is the last day for rich sweet-type food before we typically give it up for Lent (except Sundays).  We usually make sure we have a nice big dessert on this day...which reminds me, I need to get to the store to provide that treat!

Wow, I haven't blogged since the the Father-Daughter dance.  I guess we've just been busy.  We are trying to cover a lot of ground with school which makes for long days.  Also, Moira started driver training, which meets every day for three weeks.  Yesterday we were running late to get her there and her dad had to tell her..."Moira, do NOT drive the way I am right now." Oh dear. Additionally, Irish dance is starting to pick up....the girls are adding in little extra practices, getting ready for St. Patrick Day performances.  We already have three performance dates on the calendar and I'm sure there will be more.  Let's see...Moira, Eileen and Bridget are also taking ballroom dance lessons this month.  They will be ready to do the Tango, Mambo or Salsa at their uncle Patrick and Anna's wedding!  Molly Grace started a little class called Little Flowers, which focuses on the virtues of the saints. We are still working on Eileen, Bridget and Teresa's bedroom, doing lots of painting.  It is almost done. Erin will be having her very last therapy session with the Birth to 3 program.  So she's our little graduate....almost three years old!  I am often asked by other moms who have kids with Down syndrome how she is doing developmentally.  Well, she is doing just beautifully. (This must be a whole different post, but I promise I will post some of her many signs and now WORDS that she is saying.  It is all so much fun to see her so eager to learn). And last but not least....little famous Seamus is crawling and getting teeth.  We are also working in his insomnia issues.  This child does not need as much sleep as his parents.  Oy yoy yoy! (Or however you spell it!) I guess February has been a busy month.

Last Friday and Saturday we had a visit from one of our favorite friends.  Father Eric (Seamus' Godfather), happened to come to town to give a talk, so we had the pleasure of his company for a nice visit.  We always look forward to his visits.  After a nice dinner and a rosary, we got down to business doing what the kids enjoy most:  playing Hide the Kid.  No, we do not play Hide n Seek, but rather, Hide the Kid.  Father will help hide a kid anywhere in the house and the other kids must find that kid.  And I mean anywhere. Ha!  For all the moms reading this, you know what that means?  Yes, it means I have to clean everywhere, even under beds and in closets :) LOL.  Actually, I should have, but didn't.  Thankfully, Father Eric knows us well; he graciously looks the other way at our messes.  The kids love this game and all the wonderful stories that Father tells them each time he is here.  Yes, a treat indeed. He is a treasure!  Then to top it off, we had Grandma and Grandpa D here for the remainder of the weekend.  We hadn't seen them since Christmas, so it was extra nice.

Here's a little Hide the Kid in action....

Molly Grace on our top shelf of the mud closet...

And Aidan on the top shelf of a book case....

Father-Daughter Dance

The Valentine's Father-Daughter Dance was last night!  Mike was the proud father of five dancing daughters (Erin is still too young).  Fun fun fun!

And the boys at home with Erin and Mom......

Did I Mention Seamus Was Strong?

He went from commando crawling to carrying Erin around on his back. LOL.

Of course I'm just kidding. I have no idea who took this photo, but I thought it was funny.

Our Little Artist

Dear Erin,

Your mom and dad are very, very happy that you have taken such a liking to coloring.  We are thrilled that you have found a little niche for yourself, and you are really very talented!

We are proud that you can now hold the crayon, pencil, marker (sometimes the permanent kind) or pen in the proper way!

We warmly welcome that fact that you enjoy coloring for hours each day, making lovely works of art.  It does wonders for your fine-motor develepment.  Trust us, we very much want to encourage you in your endeavours! 

But there is only one tiny problem.....you seem to forget WHERE to color.  Remember, we color on PAPER, not walls, refrigerators, cabinets or toys :).  For as much as your beautiful works of art warm our hearts, please, please stop coloring on our stuff.  And one more thing...when you are coloring on a wall, and we call from the other room for you to stop, please do so.  You are caught, red-handed!  Rather than coloring faster and faster, so as to make the most damage in the moments it takes for us to get to you to remove the writing device out of your sticky little paw, just stop.  And no giggling; it only makes matters worse. 

Thank you,

Your Loving Parents (who do not like their new pastime of scrubbing walls)

PS.  I am off to remove this...

And this....

And this......

Seamus is on the Move!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I think Seamus' commando style moves are going to be short-lived. He is now rocking on his hands and knees. And our lives are about to change....He is very driven and fast! :)

Minick and Simpson

Thank you to cousins Erin and Mark for reminding me, in the comments section, about a talent we have right in our own extended family!  I'd like to share their site.  My two aunts, Polly and Laurie, are very talented.  Polly specializes in rug hooking and Laurie specialized in quilting.  Their designs and products are amazing!  Check it out at their site:

http://www.minickandsimpson.com/

Those January Birthdays....Eileen and Bridget!

Both Eileen and Bridget have January birthdays and they seem to come up so quickly after Christmas!  This year we were traveling home from Michigan on Eileen's birthday so we celebrated on Saturday.  She is 15!!! Bridget will be turning 13 on the 22nd.  It's the year for her to get her ears pierced, so we'll do that on Friday.  And then we'll have three teenagers in the house!  Happy Birthday girls, we love you very much!!!

Since Eileen and Bridget share a bedroom, they are getting a room makeover for their birthdays.  How fun!  We will start with a new paint color then new comforters, sheets, curtain rods and curtains.  It's time to get started on it.  I'll try to post a picture when we are done.

Michigan Travels

Have I mentioned before how much Seamus hates to ride in the car? I don't think I have. Basically, I would say eight out of ten times we take him anywhere in the car, he cries. I am not talking about just a little fussing, but actual screaming. The screaming turns into gasping which turns into vomiting. As you can imagine, we have avoided long trips. For those of you who know Seamus, you know that he is a very happy, smiley little guy most of the time. It is just in the car that this very unpleasant behavior rears its ugly head.  As for the two out of ten times, or so, that he does not scream as if he is being tortured, well...I have no answer. We have not found a common denominator for those peaceful moments, so I guess I'll chalk it up to luck.  The screaming must just be in the paternal genes :).

As we contemplated the Michigan trip, which is a nine hour drive, our biggest obstacle and concern was Seamus' travel screaming. So we strategized and spent a lot of money prayed that all would work out. First, we bought a new car seat that allowed Seamus to sit upright more than his original infant seat which he so distained. Second, we filled a diaper bag with lots of interesting baby toys that he hadn't seen in a while. (When those failed, we resorted to odd objects in the car to keep his interest, such as cup lids, rubber bands, hair headbands, water bottles, floor cookies (just kidding), maps, Taco Bell hot sauce (unopened)...you get the idea).  And third, for the big guns, we bought a duel portable DVD player. I should note that we have made it through sixteen years of parenting and seven kids without the need for a portable DVD player.  For Seamus, we didn't bat an eye...we knew it was either try the DVD player or not go. Why a duel system? Because we figured if we had one for Seamus in the middle seat and Erin didn't have one in the back seat, it would only promote her screaming, which would defeat the purpose of getting the thing in the first place. (As it turned out, Erin was content either way.  She is our role-model passenger.  Hopefully she'll rub off on her little brother soon!). Our final strategy consisted of filling our DVD case with the most annoying toddler-friendly DVDs we could find. We overdosed on Wiggles, Barney, Bob the Builder, Signing Time (which I do like) and Kipper the Dog. (Kipper the Dog was actually a commercial that came before a Wiggles DVD, and it was his favorite! Who knew?! Imagine Moira and Eileen sitting in the middle seat next to Seamus, rewinding the Kipper commercial six dozen times. That will give you an idea of our lovely ride to Michigan. (Trust me, Kipper is better than screaming.)

We thought we'd start out our journey with some quiet car time, then bring out the toys.  We had planned to save the "big guns" (that would be the new DVD player) for when he really needed it...when his screaming became serious.

The big guns came out before we left the driveway.  Seriously.

And.......................it worked!!!  Here is Seamus, still smiling, around Chicago.

Saved by the big guns!!!

As I mentioned in my earlier post, we spend the day on Tuesday with family, which was wonderful.  After the funeral the kids had the opportunity to spend a little time with their cousins at the hotel pool -  a real treat!

Molly Grace

Cousins...(Colleen, Bridget, Emmett, Teresa, Molly Grace and Aidan)

Grandma M and Seamus

My Uncle's Funeral

It has been a while since I've blogged!  Don't worry, it is not for lack of activity or bordom.  Nope, not in this house!

We took a long over-due trip to Michigan for my Uncle Pat's funeral.  Pat passed away shortly after it was discovered that he had cancer.  The Funeral Mass was a beautiful testimony to his life, which he lived so generously.  He will be missed by many....as was evident by the large crowds that gathered for his funeral. 

May eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.  And let perpetual light shine upon him.  May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen!

As is always the case with family funerals, there is the benefit of seeing family you may not have seen in a while.  This was the case for us (it had been years!) and it was sooooo nice to see my dad's side of the family again.  I saw all of my aunts and uncles and many of my cousins.  I saw cousins Mark and Kate and met their lovely spouses, Erin and Bryce.  Kate and Bryce's two kiddos, Mason and Casey are adorable! Really, it was just so great to meet up with them again.  My only regret is that it has been so long since we've seen them and, somehow, we missed both of their weddings.  We'll have to make sure we connect more frequently in the future.  It was also great to see cousin Jeff and his three great kids!  Again, I wish we could connect more....but it is hard when we all live a distance away.  A planned reunion would be nice, that way we could get a date on the calendar and just make it work! 

Ok, I have one more regret....I didn't get any pictures of our extended family at the gathering on Tuesday after the funeral!!!  Sigh.