New Normal

I am now, officially, a former home school mom.  Our tenacious one joined her sister at school this year.  They ride the bus so my mornings and afternoons have gained at least 40 minutes each of not sitting in the truck fighting traffic. This afternoon the consensus was that the bus driver is awesome.

One hurdle cleared. 

Now our middle-schooler needs to make a forever friend.  I have it on good authority that seventh grade is the year to do this.  

The college boys are still home but they sleep in, so my mornings are amazingly quiet.  No more audiobooks running almost nonstop throughout the day (unless it's one I've chosen). 

Two or three afternoons a week I get to watch this cutie.  This is GigiMim, grand baby #2.  She is 3 months old and has been known to take three-hour long afternoon naps.  Lucky grandma.  During one of those naps I may or may not have slept the entire time she did.  (It was amazing.)  

Our oldest grandchild (I call him Bubby) became a big brother this summer.  Here he watches over his baby brother while also watching either Wild Kratts or Daniel Tiger.  I told their mom before she knows it they'll be sharing a show and a bowl of popcorn! 

In October, I will have all three kiddos.  Everyone tends to freak out a little when I say that.  Not only have I done this before (I'm a pro) but it will only be for two hours, 1 or 2 days a week depending on Caitlyn's work schedule.  My Bubby is a great helper so I'm sure we will be fine. 

I have also embarked on a new adventure.  You'll have to come back for more blog updates since I'm not quite ready to go public with it yet.  

Please send up a prayer for our tenacious one.  It's going to be quite a transition for her, but she is up for the challenge. 

www.centeredinchrist1.blogspot.com

Holy Quiet, Batman!!

For the first time, in I cannot even tell you how long,  the house is silent.

It is empty except for me and two rodents (hamsters) who live upstairs in Hannah's room.

Our tenacious one is shadowing at the local Catholic middle school. She is registered there for next year for 7th grade and wanted to see how it would feel to actually be there.

She is shadowing with a 7th grader whose family I've known for years, though she has never met this particular member of the family.  She did exclaim upon first seeing her, however,  "You were Mary Poppins!!"  I think they will get along famously.

I have many things to do today:

• iron
• do homework for Bible school
• pick up Wayne's pants from the cleaners
• shop for a requested item for one of the kids
• fill out paperwork 
• make a mammogram appointment (ugh)
• think of something to make for supper and make it

The only thing I really want to do is take an uninterrupted nap.  

This is my procrastination from that, while I have a cup of coffee and enjoy the peace. 

Around 3 o'clock all will return to normal when I go get Hannah from school, drop her off to watch Max while I get our shadower from choir practice, and eventually actually watch Max for two hours.  Thankfully, there will be no homework to conquer. 

This could be the new normal come August though.  Unless God throws me a curve ball and offers something amazing to keep me busy while all the kids are in school once again. 

www.centeredinchrist1.blogspot.com

Baby Boom

We're having a baby boom in our family and neighborhood.

Twenty-six years ago, on one block of our street, there were seven babies born within six months of each other. I was one of the moms who gave birth that year. We got a write-up in the local paper with a photo of the moms and babies.  It was pretty fun.

Well, there seems to be another baby boom happening, only this time  it a grandma boom.

Our grandson Max is a big brother,

and will find out in July if he has a sister or a brother.

He now has a girl cousin as well who is due in May,

and is a 2nd cousin to another girl cousin due in April.

My sister will be a grandma for the first time and my parents will be great-grandparents four times over.

Several friends from church and from my Lay Dominican group are expecting either a first or subsequent grandchild.

Life is never boring and we look forward to greeting these little ones who will keep us young.


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Wedding Bells #3 (or #5 if you count nephews)

We had quite the October.  Three awesome things happened in quick succession.

On the 14th, Josh received his plane assignment (KC-10).  He is now in California learning how to fly it!  Wayne and I got to go to Oklahoma for "drop night" which is what they call it when the pilots find out to which plane they have been assigned.

The plan all year was to go back to Oklahoma for graduation on the 28th.  Turns out we had another equally important event, closer to home, that required our attention; the wedding of our third oldest daughter, Erin.

Erin told her long-time boyfriend, Rob, that she did not want an engagement ring; she wanted an engagement house.  In February, he found and purchased a house.

It is a cute, little, perfect-for-two ranch close to both of their jobs. (More on that in a minute). 

I knew something more was up when Erin came in to the kitchen one evening when I was cooking supper, and draped her arm over the back of the stove so I had a nice view of a new Claddagh ring adorning her finger.  I casually said, "Oh, pretty. Where did you get that?" And she casually answered, "Rob got it for me, to replace the one I lost at the gym."  Okay...

She asked a couple of times during the spring what Josh's graduation date was.  I had no idea at the time, so I couldn't give her an answer.  Unbeknownst to us, she needed to pick a wedding date to give to the church.  Turns out, they picked Josh's graduation day. 

More events should have (and did) clue me in.  She started deep cleaning her room and throwing/giving away a lot of her belongings.  She went to the attic and took items from her college apartment over to Rob's house.

Still no announcement.  I figured they would give us at least 6 months notice since that is what the church needed. 

Then one day in mid-September they told us they were, indeed, engaged.  And, the wedding was in October!!! on the 28th.   No wonder Caitlyn and Amanda were trying really hard to get plane tickets to Oklahoma for Josh's graduation. 

Thankfully, we were prepared with their engagement gift: 

Green robes for Erin's Irish side. 

Because of a house purchase, and Erin finishing school with an internship she had to pay to do, instead of getting paid to do, the wedding was small.  Very small.

This was all of us (plus the priest, Fr. Ken, and niece Paige who took photos for us).

They are planning a renewal of their vows and a reception for next year near their anniversary when, hopefully, Josh and Amanda will be able to attend. 

The ring, it turns out, was the wedding ring. Rob has a Claddagh ring as well. 

Now, about their jobs.  Rob's move already put him close to his job.  When Erin graduated, her new job turned out to be 8 minutes from the new house.  She only had to commute for one month after graduation before the wedding, but she was already used to it, because the hospital where she did her internship hired her (she is a Registered Dietitian).  Connecting the God-dots is always fun.  

The last fun thing that happened in October?  Our first married, second-oldest daughter, Caitlyn and her hubby, Jimmy surprised us with this little onesie. 

Life is good! 

www.centeredinchrist1.blogspot.com

Carrying Your Secret

Can I keep a secret?  You bet I can.

The thing is, I don't just keep a secret, I carry it.

I carry it in my heart, so that I can pray about it.

I carry it on my shoulders; sometimes causing them to ache.

I carry it in my face, and I find that sometimes it takes a lot of effort to smile around it.

I carry it in my words.  Or lack there of; because I don't want to blow it and give away your secret.

I carry in my head where it takes up brain space and thought processes.

I carry it always, just waiting for the moment when it is no longer a secret.

Waiting for the moment I can rejoice in sharing your joy, or finally being able to tell someone what I've been praying about and how the prayers were answered.

Some secrets are fun to keep and carry: surprise parties, baby-on-the-way.

Some secrets are more difficult: family issues, illness, relationship crises.

So, if  I sometimes appear down,  or lost in thought, or short with my words or temper, be patient with me.  I may have something I'm carrying that I cannot share at the moment.

Can I tell you a secret?  I don't like secrets! 

Progress or About That Kitchen

For those of you who have been following our kitchen re-do, I have progress to report.


Remember our "before" hole-in-the-wall-that-used-to-be-a-closet?

After many hours of "measure twice, cut once" dry wall installation, mudding, priming, painting, adding an electrical outlet  and much more time measuring and hammering and drilling,  I am pleased to report:  

we have a space for our fridge and a new cabinet!!!  

There is a tiny bit of new floor that has to be stained,  an even tinier spot on the wall that needs a dab of paint, the outlet needs to be hooked up to the main electrical box and then we can put the fridge back in the kitchen. 

I'm looking forward to that since it's been in the family room for about 2 years! 

Stay tuned.  

www.centeredinchrist1.blogspot.com

Bragging Rights!

Thirty-three years ago we said "I do" and, wow, did God have plans for us. All the glory goes to Him, though I do claim some bragging rights as mom.  We have been blessed with 11 children, (9 on earth and 2 we're waiting to meet in Heaven) and, so far, 1 grandson.  

Before I start my bragging about their accomplishments, I have to start with the type of people they are: funny, smart (brilliant?), helpful, loving, and kind are words that comes to mind.  They truly care about and love to spend time with each other. That caring spills out into the world as they take on the vocations God has assigned them.  

Our eldest daughter, Liz, is a psychologist who specializes in Selective Mutism. She and her hubby, Jim made us grandparents.  

This is Max who shall remain anonymous. Trust me, he's a cutie! He is now mobile and quite a capable walker.

Caitlyn is a nurse whose specializations are in-patient comfort care/hospice and in-patient chemotherapy.  This is one nurse whose 'eves' are never boring!
She brought Jimmy into the family for us.

Erin and Amanda are only next to each other in this photo, not in the actual line-up.  Erin is so close to being a Registered Dietitian she can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  In four weeks, school will be done and she can get to work doing what she loves; helping people get healthy.

Amanda is still at the beginning of her studies for her Physical Therapy degree.  Two and a half years, though, and we'll have a doctor in the house!

 

Josh is in the Air Force.  Besides being a mechanical engineer, he is about to graduation from flight school. We are hoping when he is assigned his plane and base that he will be much closer to home.   (His spot in the lineup is actually between Erin and Amanda)

Michael is our artist. He works for Wayne (doing accounting) while taking classes toward his degree in graphic design. 

Joe is our most recent high school graduate.  He is off to college in the fall, in the honors program, working toward his anthropology degree with a focus in ancient cultures and archeology.

This is such a typical photo of our two youngest, Hannah and our tenacious one.  They are "besties".   Hannah is a sophomore and "Boliv" is going into 6th grade. (She's too young for the internet so shall remain unnamed.) 






Life is good and just keeps getting better. Can't wait to see what the future holds.  :-)




#amillionformegan

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