Halloween FUN!!

I am certainly not the mom who diligently works for weeks making the perfect costumes for her kids... not one of my talents. (I can sew on buttons, and that is about the extent of my sewing skills. )So, today in my usual last minute-pull things together mode, we successfully created 7 costumes for our 7 kids...... Here is a pix of them. I thought they turned out just fine, and the kids had a blast! (Mommy thought the trek through several streets with toddler and baby, in the dark with hundreds of other people wasn't necessarily the greatest thing to do, but would do it again in a heartbeat to see the joy on the kids' faces)...

CHOOSE LIFE

If you haven't watched this yet, now is the time.... We really need to pray for this country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kri8G-lGYfg&eurl=http://www.cwod2.com/Member/cwodfun/MB/MB.cfm?TopicID=2905&action=view&Threaded=1&Letter=p

Lessons from an 8 year old boy...

Last night was my night to go out with my 8 year old son, Sam. On our way we were observing all of the election signs in people's yards.. The conversation went something like this:

S: Well, why can't we vote for Obama? I am going to vote for Obama. (I am sure he said this to see what kind of reaction he would get... he knows we are voting for McCain)

Me: Well, if you really want to know, he believes it is okay for a woman to have an abortion (a word Sam has previously heard, but probably not grasped).

S: What is abortion, Mom?

M: (Yikes, can I really go here? Idon't think I have a choice at this point..) When a Mommy gets pregnant and decides she doesn't want the baby, she can kill it while it is in her belly.

S: What??!!!!?????!~!!!!!!!????

M: Silence for moment....or two..

S: But why wouldn't a Mom want her baby? That doesn't make any sense.........

"That doesn't make any sense... that doesn't make any sense..Why wouldn't a Mom want her baby?.... that doesn't make any sense.... " Those words spent the night reverberating in my head..... Even I, as a prolife mother/woman/Catholic, might not have always taken those words to heart. Right now as I ponder the prospect of my next pregnancy, sometimes I feel afraid and have actually secretly (or not so secretly) hoped that I was 'done' now......... but after hearing Sam's words last night, I found myself in tears looking at my beautiful children... none of them were planned, none were expected, some were real surprises, but ALL of them are the most cherished, loved, adorable, awesome, full of life, full of love, extra fantabulous people ever. How could a Mom not want her baby? Impossible. If she knew him/her, she would be in love instantly. Please let us pray for our country, our President (present and future), our families, and all those women who haven't - or won't - give their children a chance.

10 K today!!

Dan and I ran the Greasy Gooney 10k today. My very first 10k... When we got out of the car this morning, the wind was very strong and the rain was blasting sideways at us... my initial inclination was to wait in the car while Dan foolishly ran the race alone... but, since I can't stand being 'left out', I decided to stick it out. We ran a good, but VERY wet, race. We finished in just over 54 minutes, which is under a 9 minute mile (very good for us!!). There should be a picture of us finishing together. If I can get it from the race director, I will post it.. but BEWARE.. we were VERY wet and yucky. Also, there were several others from St. Johns running as well. It was a fun morning for all of us, despite the rain.. (Here we are after finishing (wet, very wet) with Ron Occhiogrosso and Holly Bouchie.. Heidi DeLaFleur ran too, but was already on her way home to a hot shower when the pix was taken.. )

Hindsight is 20/20...

Back to more serious things....... David. Well, it is funny how things go. I always make my mind up immediately about how I think things should be, and can't imagine them otherwise...then I ask for Dan's opinion and I get a totally different perspective. I really do think that, hindsight being 20/20, David would've been SO much better off had we started him a year behind where we did. Well, since he has been at the school for 2 years now, we don't really have the luxury of putting him wherever we please....... I thought for sure I could 'save' him by pulling him out and homeschooling, tutoring for a year, and then putting him right back into 5th grade again.... it wouldn't seem like a failure, really.... I think (after much discussion/pondering/etc) that we might actually be doing him a disservice by bringing him home. I am sure it would help him academically to tutor here for a year, and then do 5th grade again...... but I think we would be perpetuating some really bad habits he has. We are thinking his main 'problems' are not that he isn't able to do the work, but that he happens to be one of the most unorganized people we have met. His papers are always oozing out of his folders and desk, he loses books and school work, he often forgets to bring important things (assignments due TOMORROW) home.. etc. It is very frustrating for me (as a parent who wants to help him excel) when he doesn't even bring home the things he needs help with. SIGH........ anyway, we will meet with his teacher next Tuesday, and we will see if the 3 of us can come up with a good plan. IF we decide that he should be a grade behind though, I will let him finish out this year, and bring him home for next year. Then, I will start him in sixth grade following that........ who knows. I am sure this plan will change again too... :)

My BABY is ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe how time flies! Just to think that one year ago today, I was in labor!! argh... but look at what we got.... our sweet angel baby Chelsea!

She sure did enjoy that chocolate cake!! (made from scratch, btw, by her big sister Mary!!!)

Trying times......

Ever since putting my kids in school 2 1/2 years ago, I have wondered if I put David in a grade level too high.... he has a late summer birthday, and boys tend to need a little extra time to develop... I guess I just feel like he isn't 'thriving' like he should be in school. Oh, if I could turn back time, this would be a lot simpler... but since when has life been simple?? So, we will hopefully be going in to discuss him with his teacher to see if he has any input... My thought is to pull him out and homeschool this year, but then put him 'back' into 5th grade again next year. It wouldn't be like he failed a grade, but more like he took a break to be tutored............... I don't know! Time to pray about it and see where God wants us......

A 'blessed' day...

Shew... back from our run after a very LOOONG day, which began at 4am this morning.. We had such a great time! It was a totally different experience than Akron though... let me explain... first of all, when we were going to line up at the starting line with the other 17,000 runners, we meet up with Fr. Hathaway!!! We couldn't believe it. If we had been looking for him, we never would have been able to find him in that crowd. He was running the relay with 3 other priests, getting sponsors to earn money for the pregnancy center. He was running the first 6 mile leg. We ran about the same pace as he did, so we all ran together for the first 5 miles of the race. What a fun and unexpected experience that was! It was so great to see him, and what a treat to get to run with him!! So, we were off to a good start, having Father's blessing before the race began. We thought this was surely to be 'our' race.. we would make our long sought after goal. Father ran off at the 5 mile marker to 'sprint' in to finish his 6 mile leg. Dan and I continued on at our steady 10min/mile pace. We were cruising along, feeling good, loving Baltimore... the harbor, Fort McHenry, the water, the ships, the nice neighborhoods and parks, the poor neighborhoods with all the little kids coming out to give us high 5s...It was going well.
Around mile 16, I noticed that Dan was slowing a bit, and he didn't look like he felt very good. He had gotten a cramp (don't really know what caused it.. too much sugar at one of the stops where he had half a banana and a gatorade..?).. so now he was trying to continue running with a 'knife' jabbing his right side. In the past, we have experienced finishing marathons together and separately, and there was really no comparison... I knew that no matter how long it took us to finish, it would be so worth it to finish together again. So, off we went. I told him to try to walk it out. If he could get rid of it, he could make up the time (or some of it..), but if he continued, it would mean lots of pain. It seemed, though, that every time the pain would subside a little bit, he would try to start back up too soon (that insatiable desire to get ahead..), and then he'd be wincing in pain... so on we trecked. I will admit it was rather enjoyable for me...... Our bodies were trained to go faster, so without the cramp, I felt great (Sorry Dan. I actually did pray for God to let me take on some or all of your pain, but He chose not to...). I really liked the slower pace. So there we went.. we walked some, we ran some. We persevered to the end, slowly but surely. In the end we finished a little over 5 hours. Quite a bit slower than our intended goal, but the feeling at the end was not defeat, but the great satisfaction of having done something so big together. That was worth way more than beating our 'goal' time.
At first, true to character, the 'value' of my run would have been in my ending time. I couldn't understand how our 'blessed' run could be going so awry........ but finally after all the miles were underfoot, I realized that the blessing was in our time together.. and our experience of the run.. not in the 'beating of a goal'. So there you have it. God brought us Father Hathaway this morning to bless us, He gave us healthy bodies to run, He gave us the perfect fall weather, and He gave us eachother. What a blessing this day was...

Here we go again..

Tomorrow is the big day in Baltimore... I am excited to have an experience like I did in my first marathon in Baltimore... it went so well. I am also a bit apprehensive that I will experience the 'wall' again like I did in Akron. Ah well.. it will be what it is. Atleast I get a day out with my hubby! There lies the 'bright side'!!

YELP

We are 2 days out from our big race in Baltimore!!!!!!!! 26.2 miles this Saturday! Say a prayer for us that things are a little better than they were 2 weeks ago!! We can do this!!

Yikes...

Just realized I am never here.............. anyway, too busy living my life to blog about it... I guess the only 'big' news this week is that I pulled my Gussy out of Kindergarten............ he was just way overwhelmed, and I could tell behaviorally that he just wasn't hacking the long days, work schedule, etc. He just made it in under the age cut, so he was the youngest, and I guess I had thought he was ready.......... BUT, he wasn't... so I am bringing him home and we will (more successfully) try next year. I am really happy to see him being his 'good old self' again. So sweet! And John is happy for his playmate to return!!

15 Glorious Years....

It is hard to believe that 15 years have passed since our wedding day...... all the 'dates' of stolen time alone, all the miles run, a trip to Ireland, and Niagara Falls, all the pregnancies, all the kids, bottles of wine shared, movies watched together, kisses and hugs, crazy car rides with the kids, holidays, evenings by the fire, late night talks, surprises of flowers for no reason, sick kids, tears, laughter, family reunions, music played together, good times and bad........... I am truly the most blessed woman on earth. Dan is the most wonderful husband anyone could ask for.. I still can't believe God gave him to me. I can't wait to see what the next 15 years has in store for us... as long as we are in it together.

Marathon Pictures!

Can't believe I am actually posting this.... but if you want to see pix of me and Dan at the marathon, you can go to www.akronmarathon.org. Click on runphotos, and type in bib #2355. There you have it. (Do you see me 'dusting' that lady at the finish line??:) The pictures where we are on a road surrounded by trees is the 'big hill', and we are still smiling.......