Happy Birthday Katie!

Katie turned 10 this weekend. Double digits are a big deal around here. Your first ID card, your first time getting an allowance.

Katie is a tremendous help around here and is becoming a beautiful young lady. Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday Gabe

Gabe turned 7 today. He begged for a birthday party this year so we had some friends over for lunch yesterday. No, we don't do parties other than for sacraments for many, many reasons but he asked so many times that I figured there must be a reason for it. Hot dogs, cupcakes, playing in the back yard. The boys was very happy.

Today he took us all out for dinner, shared cookies with everyone (he's a rather nice kid), and bought a remote control car with his birthday money.

Something tells me he had a great day.  Happy birthday kid. Hope you have a wonderful year.

Happy Birthday Alan

Happy birthday to Alan. We've kind of been spreading out his celebration over a few days. Yesterday we went to the movies, today we had his cake, and this weekend we'll have his dinner. The kids made him a fleece Air Force blanket. Great time had by all.

Happy Birthday, Kieran!

Kieran turned 12 today.  Seems rather hard to believe. I mean 12 is just so serious.

He planned out his birthday several weeks in advance. Orders were put in for breakfast pizza, pizza pockets for lunch, Applebees for dinner, and banana cream pie instead of cake. I hesitate to admit that I bought frozen pies rather than make them because our day was just a wee bit busy.

We went ice skating and everyone had the day off from school.

Happy birthday Kieran. You are a blessing to our family.

Happy Birthday Ellie!

Ellie turned 3 today. We celebrated with her cake and dinner yesterday.  Today we all went to the play museum. Everyone had a great time. Our spunky 3-year-old also decided to cut off even more of her hair sometime before we went for family pictures on Sunday afternoon. I swear that girl is never going to have a decent amount of hair.

Happy birthday Gracie Girl!

Happy Birthday Katie!

Miss Kathleen turned 9 yesterday.  Which means Alan has officially been in the Air Force for 9 and 1/2 years and I've been driving the big green van for 9 years. 9 years ago the roof of the house suffered damage from a hurricane and Alan flipped out insisting  I pack up the kids and evacuate for the only hurricane out of the 4 that hit us that year that was a big fat nothing. Yes, it was a momentous year that year. (Have I ever mentioned that those months before and right after Katie was born were, um, super fun for me to manage alone.)

Alan insisted we call Katie Kathleen at first. I spent 2 months telling everyone her name was Kathleen. Then he came home and said nope, she's a Katie.  Funny how those things happen.

This year we went to the waterpark to celebrate on Monday (because that is the cheap ticket day right now). I have pictures but  they are on the other computer which is fighting with me right now so they'll have to wait. Dad had to work out of town yesterday and all weekend so we'll have to put off her birthday dinner until our schedules collide somehow.  Katie made her own birthday cake yesterday and let Robert help her. I felt a tad guilty until Alan pointed out that she wanted to do it herself so it's not like she was forced to because no one else would make one.

Happy birthday little lady. Hope you had a wonderful day.

Happy Birthday Gabe!

Gabe just celebrated his 6th birthday. He took us all out for dinner on Thursday (because getting a table for 11 on a Friday night often requires more than a short wait). On Friday, he helped Dad make his cake and he requested spinach tortellini soup for dinner. I have to say there is something magical about the smell of onions and garlic cooking filling the house. And something magical about a 6-year-old who requests anything with the word spinach in it for his birthday dinner.

 He received some pretty awesome presents this year. A catapult from Uncle Matt (which Sean learned it was best NOT to launch in the dining room) and  LEGO set from his cousins.  (Yes, we keep birthdays small around here just in case you haven't noticed.)  We'll work on fixing up the backyard sandbox later this week.

Happy birthday little man. I hope you had a wonderful day.

Happy Birthday Liam!

Today Liam turned 10.  This a big milestone. Not only do you hit double digits, you get an allowance (and a few more chores) and an ID card (once your parents take care of it).

His birthday started with the end of the boys' campout. In other words, he woke up totally soaked.  It's been raining a wee little bit.  We would have gone out to get his birthday gift but instead Dad required a visit to urgent care so we'll take care of that tomorrow after his birthday lunch out.  Granted, he has been kept totally happy with the box full of duct tape he got from his Grandparents and a LEGO game from his cousins.  He was even nice enough to share. Katie made a cake for him, Ellie tried to eat half of it, and Sean covered the damage with orange frosting.  Yup, it's been a typical birthday around here.

Happy Birthday Bryan

Today Bryan turns 16.  Such a huge milestone it seems.  We let him know last night that he will actually be allowed to get a permit this year. We weren't quite sure on that for this year because, well, we live in the wonderful nanny state of NY where everything is way more expensive and complicated than it needs to be. So Bryan was a bit thrilled with that news and has been studying the DMV guidebook today.

We have been incredibly blessed with our oldest son.  Even when we ask a lot of him, he always steps up and helps us all out.  His younger siblings look up to him quite a bit.  He's incredibly responsible, helpful, and usually even cheerful.  He's making parenting teens a delightful experience.  Love you Bryan. I hope your day has been a good one.

Happy Birthday Abby!

Happy Birthday to our brand new 7-year-old.  Of course, I am a day late again as usual.  Most of Abby's gifts will be arriving later this week but she did receive a wonderful snake in the mail.  And  she picked out a wonderful cake at the store this year.

Happy Birthday Robert

The littlest boy in the house turned 4 yesterday. These kids really need to stop growing up on me. Just for a little while. I'm really not ready for it. He helped his biggest brother make his cake this year and seems to have had a great time. He says he was born "in the March for Life" and won't listen when we try to correct him so I guess we should just enjoy the little oddities while they last.  He also says he doesn't know his numbers but he does know his planets.  apparently we have priorities around here.

Happy birthday Mr. Robert!

Happy Birthday Kieran!

Kieran turned 11 on Wednesday.  Yes, this post is a wee bit late because I was waiting until I pulled the pictures off the camera.  I've been running a bit behind on most things lately.

 Kieran is rather focused on trying to be different than everyone else lately.  I suppose that sometimes happens when you are part of such a large crowd. So he requested a pie rather than a birthday cake.  He also made sure to pick a restaurant for his dinner out that no one had chosen before.  He's currently taking fencing lessons (a birthday gift) and is thoroughly enjoying them.  Alan says he is picking up on things very quickly.

Here's hoping you had a wonderful day buddy.

Happy Birthday Ellie!

Ellie turns 2 today.  Currently several of her siblings are arguing over who will get to make her birthday cake.  This pretty much illustrates exactly what her role is around here. She's the one everyone wants to spoil and take care of and fight over.  Right now I am currently fighting a battle with her older siblings trying to convince them that it is not necessary to spoil her so darn much.  As cute as she is, I can see the attitude becoming an issue if it is not reigned in soon.

I can safely say that Ellie loves her baby dolls.  She is often seen carrying one or two of them around the house.  She still seems to think that the diapers somehow go on the dolls' heads but we're working on that one.

She also loves her brother Robert.  I've watched her climb into his lap and just walk up to him and hug him. The two of them rather remind me of Katie and Liam at the same age.  Which just slightly worries me.

Her favorite book is Wrapping Paper Romp and she will ask you to read it over and over and over again.  The other day she brought the book to Gabe to read to her.  Gabe did his best considering he has not yet mastered reading.  He told her he would read it to her silently.  After flipping through the pages, he handed the book back and informed her he was done.  Ellie was not amused and looked at the boy like he had two heads. Clearly he did not understand the read to me request.

I will admit that I consider Ellie's happy temperament and laid back personality to be the result of having so many wonderful siblings around.  To be completely honest, I have spent most of the past two years being slightly or not so slightly emotionally burned out.  About the time she was born, I was still dealing with a wee bit of a mental breakdown due to life and family.  Once I finally started getting back on my feet we were knocked over by a miscarriage and then the pregnancy.  But luckily for Ellie, when Mom was not available to pick her up and carry her around and dote on her, she always had a sibling standing by who was more than willing to rock her to sleep and toss her in a baby carrier and spoil her slightly rotten.  She may not have always had a parent taking care of her but she has always had more than enough love and care.  We've found ourselves pointing out to the older boys that she likely views them as another adult type person in her life.  Yes, Mom and Dad are special but those big boys get just as many hugs and smiles and she runs to hang on them when they come home.  I hope they all realize what a special relationship they have together.

Anyway, happy birthday to Miss Ellie.  You truly hold a special place in our family.

Fencing Lessons

Kieran has been asking for fencing lessons for years.  He tolerates karate but has even asked if we could afford fencing lessons if he stopped taking karate.  For many reasons, fencing simply does not fit into our budget or family plans. I refuse to fill our schedule up with individual classes/lessons for just for one child.  I'd rather spend more time at home and not drive everyone crazy.  Family time is a greater priority.  Plus most of the fencing lessons are on the other side of Rochester and they are very expensive. So they never were considered.  However, the other day I was flipping through a catalog we received for some local recreation programs and found an introductory fencing class for elementary kids.  It is just a 6-week session and was still out of our budget in general but his grandparents are chipping in on the classes for a birthday present. When we split the cost in half, it almost brought it down to the level we normally spend on birthdays.  Since Kieran has been wanting fencing lessons for so long, I decided I was willing to spend just a little more than usual. 

Alan took him to the first session last night. We did not tell him where he was going to keep it a surprise.  The kid was beyond thrilled.  Just judging from the grin on his face when he arrived home last night, I think we can safely say he is thrilled with his birthday present.  Yes, I know his birthday is in December but the class is now.  I think he won't mind no presents on his actual birthday because this experience is much better than a new toy.

Happy Birthday Katie!

Katie turned 8 today.  It seems rather amazing that she is quite that big.  In many ways, she acts so much older.  Any time Ellie cries at night, Katie is right there taking care of her before we have a chance to get into their room. I walked in the other night and found Katie doing the half-asleep baby carry trying to bring her sister into her bed so she'd stop fussing.  The two of them are wonderful together.

I do believe Katie had a great day today, even with the massive bumps in the road.  She tested for her orange belt today.  Helped her older brother make her birthday cake (which frankly looked awful because apparently we were not in a following directions kind of mood today but it tasted great).  Sean managed to lock my keys in the house as we were trying to leave to head out for her birthday dinner so Alan had to come home to rescue us. This meant that by the time we made it to the restaurant, they were rather busy and we had to wait for a seat.  And if you've ever had to wait for a table for 11, you know that the wait is never a short one.

I do believe our little lady had a wonderful day. I can't quite believe how much she has changed over the past few years.  Happy birthday, Katie.

Happy Birthday Gabe!

Happy birthday to Gabe who turned 5 on Thursday.  He helped his older brother make his cake and took us all out to dinner.  He says it was his best birthday ever.  Happy birthday little man.

Happy Birthday Liam!

Liam turned 9 on Friday.  He's a kid who knows how to celebrate in style.  We went to Buffalo Wild Wings and came home to a Heath Bar cake (made by Sean).  We had our family birthday celebration a day early because we hosted a camp out for the older boys in our homeschooling group on Liam's actual birthday. Which worked out wonderfully for Liam since it meant an amazingly great time on his birthday.

This year Liam has truly grown and is now in charge of most building projects around the house.  He's been known to take it upon himself to fix a loose porch step and put together book shelves.  I see great things in his future as long as we continue to make an effort to find ways to harness his natural interests and give him ways to use them rather than trying to discourage his creative side.  Happy birthday kid.

Happy Birthday Bryan and Sean

We recently celebrated two more birthdays.  Sean turned 13 and Bryan will soon be 15.  This means we have entered a new stage of parenting.  We not only have children in the house, we also have young adults.  There is a big difference in parenting with these older children.  No, I'm not really a fan of the teenager label.  To me that label is just an excuse for allowing people to act immaturely and shirk growing responsibilities.  It's been an interesting ride so far and I'm rather enjoying it.  I'm proud to say we have two young  men who are almost always willing to help out and help to keep things running smoothly around here.  Most of the time.

This year the boys treated us to dinner at Olive Garden.  Since Sean's meal ended up coming out late, we were also given a free dessert.  Everyone behaved wonderfully (as we've come to expect because no one wants to spend the meal sitting in the van with a grumpy parent) and the boys have enough money left over to take their grandparents out to dinner next week.

Happy birthday to two of my favorite guys.  Hope you had a wonderful time.

Happy Birthday Abby!

Abby turned 6!  We celebrated her birthday a day early so that her older brothers would not miss out on the fun (they insisted honestly).  Abby treated us all to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings where they made an awesome looking birthday crown just for her.

Then we came home for cake and ice cream.  Abby asked for ice cream in cones but I told her we just can't do that with cake. Instead I offered to make the cake in the ice cream cones and top it with ice cream.  She loved that idea.  Something a bit different and kind of fun.

Abby got a brand new doll and some new kitchen toys.  May I say that I am so glad we don't do birthday parties for the kids every single year (or ever at the moment).  I can't imagine how overwhelming it must be for a kid to have so much stuff to open and find a home for and I've seen many parents who simply sell each years' toys at a garage sale every year so I have to question other families spending the money on the toys anyway.  But I am rambling.

Anyway, Abby was very happy and seemed to have a great day.  Two of her brothers made LEGO creations for her and her sister made her a beautiful card.  She picked out monkey bread for breakfast and spicy pizza for lunch. 

Here's looking forward to another great year with a wonderful little girl.

Happy Birthday Robert!

Robert is now 3.  For the next few weeks, we have a 3, 4, and 5-year-old in the house. Pretty darn cool if you ask me.

We celebrated Robert's birthday a day early.  All of the older kids were told to just pretend Tuesday was his birthday and Robert never knew the difference.  Younger children are so much fun.  Robert treated us all to dinner at Applebee's, then we came home for cake and ice cream.  

Robert is very much into trains at the moment so he was very happy with his presents.  Three new Thomas trains, 2 hats, and a few small trains that were on his cake.  He also received an outside climbing toy from his grandparents and a basketball net that hooks onto the back of his bedroom door.  The kid was very happy. 

After listening to the folks at Applebee's sing happy birthday to him after dinner, he joined us all in singing for him at home.  "Happy Birthday to Me!"  Here's to another wonderful year with a wonderful little boy.