A Month of Thankful: Day 17

The dishwasher is FIXED!!!

Late this summer, the side arm of our dishwasher started to break.  We nursed it along because frankly, I didn't have time to sit at home waiting for the repair guy.  Two weeks ago, it gave up the ghost and there was nothing left to do but wave the white calendar page in surrender.

We have always had good luck with Sears repair services.  This time...not so much.  We were given an "appointment" of "Wednesday 11/14, from 8 until 5."  Joy.  

So I took the kids to school early, so I could hopefully be back by 8.  I pulled in my driveway at 8:03.  There was a note on our door "Sorry we missed you!  Call to reschedule."  I was LIVID.   Really?  

So I called Sears at 8:05 to express my displeasure.  The tag that was on the kitchen door was timestamped 8:00.  Firstly, if you knock on my back door (where there is no bell) and the kitchen door is shut, odds are good nobody will hear you.  (Ask my husband -- he has often texted me, "Open the kitchen door!" while standing at it.)  Secondly, it takes almost 2 minutes to get out of my driveway, so he couldn't have been her more than 60 seconds!  I know I wasn't here at *exactly* 8:00, but for the half-harted attempt of the tech, I could have easily been here and "missed" him.  The service rep apologized, and assured me they'd have the tech call me and then send him back, since it was within minutes  - so I settled in to wait...and wait...by 5:20, nobody came back, nor did I get a phone call.

So I called Sears back...and got a not-so-helpful rep, with an attitude and a complete unwillingness to take responsibility for the situation.  Finally, I said I wanted a supervisor.  In a snide voice, she said I'd have to wait on hold -- I said I'd wait.  After several minutes, she came back on the line with a "message from the supervisor."  I said I wasn't playing whisper down the lane, and I wanted to be connected with a supervisor IMMEDIATELY.  The answer was "I'll have to put you back on hold."  Ok, then...bring on the muzak.

In hindsight, I do feel bad for the lady who next picked up the phone.  I was not the most pleasant person at the start.  First thing I asked if she was a supervisor -- she wasn't.  Grr.  She did explain that she was the intermediate step...I warned her, "OK, I'll complain to you, too, but understand you're neither what I asked for nor was told."  I pointed out I had waited 10 days for the service call to start with, had rearranged several appointments, taken my kids to (and paid for) both before and after care at school, etc.  I was given a NINE hour window, and this guy could not have been here more than 90 seconds.  I was promised he'd come back since it was only moments since he had left -- and it didn't happen.  I was not happy.   In the end, Connie turned out to be the nicest person of the day.  She actually apologized for the issue, and said the tech should have been there at least 5 minutes (and found a door with a doorbell).  She offered me a $50 gift card for our aggravation.  Not really what I wanted -- I wanted my dishwasher working -- but hey, I'm not stupid.  Yes, I'll accept it.  She also found a schedule slot to have the tech come back as soon as Friday.  We already had two duPont appointments (one made 9 months ago!) so that wasn't going to work, so she found us a Saturday tech.  OK, then.

So our buddy Randy appeared on our (kitchen) doorstep this afternoon.  (He's been here before...as awesome as our Kenmore dishwasher is, I don't think ANY top rack is meant to be used as a monkeybar...)  He had it fixed in about 12 minutes -- less time than I had been on hold waiting for Connie to come on the line.  I'm not happy about having spend two days of my life waiting for somebody to (not) show up,  but $50 covers the costs for the kids, and let's face it, at some point, somebody will need pants or socks or something.

Tonight I went to make myself a cup of coffee, and get a packet of Sweet & Low out of the cabinet.  When I opened the door, an (unopened) bottle of balsamic vinegar fell out and the bottle shattered.  Vinegar dripped behind the door and then all over the inside of our "Tupperware cabinet," and we had a sinkful of containers that now needed to be washed.  I'm extra thankful the dishwasher has both racks functioning again!!

A Month of Thankful: Day 16

Luke is old enough to babysit.

Today Luke had a short day (12:45 dismissal). After picking him up, we came home to hang out until I had to go back for the other kids at 2:30. Having him stay home with the little boys meant I was able to avoid having to find their shoes, drag them out in the cold, and wrestle them into their carseats. I left them huddled together in the big chair, and when I came back they had not budged.

Watching Luke play Minecraft

I'm thankful I can leave him in charge for a little while.

A Month of Thankful: Day 15

My Mother-In-Law and Her Washer

About six weeks ago, my washer started sounding "off balance."  (Maybe it was just trying to be like the rest of us?)  I was hoping it would get better and knock itself back into alignment, but it didn't.  Two weeks ago, I called Sears to have somebody come out (yay Extended Warranty!). In the meantime, it started leaking.  Guess it wanted to make sure the tech had something to really look for?  But that meant my washer was useless - without the seal on the front loader, you just have a big mess on the floor and a load of still-dirty clothes. 

My mother-in-law offered to let us use her washer until the tech came yesterday, and Neal started toting laundry back and forth.  Seven people times four days without a washer = not good. We got caught up and hoped the service tech would have us back in business by last night.

Eh...not so much.  Apparently, there is enough going on in there that Mr. Tech Man said it was a good thing we had a warranty, because if we didn't, he would tell us to go shopping.  He was ordering the parts for us, and we could expect UPS to drop off three or four "large" boxes.  He also asked we empty the laundry room as much as possible -- he and a colleague would need the space to take apart and rebuild the washer.  With Thanksgiving in there, the parts won't be here for probably 2 weeks.  They'll be back in December to fix it.

Uh oh.

The leaking is from the seal being shaken loose.  The tech said we could still use it, as long as it wasn't dumping tons of water on the floor.  The last time we tried to wash, it took six towels made  sopping wet to mop up the worst of it.  His response: "Yeah, well...probably shouldn't use it, then..."

So we are back to taking stuff back and forth, and Super Mimie is helping move it through so we don't have to run back down every hour.

See how it's open. And EMPTY??  Not good.

I'll be thankful when our washer is back in business, but tonight, I'm thankful Mimie will share hers.

A Month of Thankful: Day 14

Bedtime.

 A picture's worth a thousand words, come see what others are (not) saying at these 

Wordless Wednesday link-ups.

A Month of Thankful: Day 13

Seeing the sunset from the hospital parking lot and not an inpatient room.

Celia and the "little" boys had appointments with the GI today. I was able to schedule them for the same day, but Damien was a 1:00 appointment and the other two at 3:20 and 4:00.

After Damien's appointment, we had a little while to hang out, so we opted to find a snack in the cafeteria. I hadn't realized that the service was recently revamped and the grill now stays open until 3:00 instead of 2. Jude got French fries, Celia had a club soda, and Damien some applesauce. We did some homework, too.

By the time we were done, it was after 5. After being in windowless areas since early afternoon, it was startling to look out the door and see darkness.

As we left, I glanced over and saw the last of the sun's light. Tired as we were, and dreading the trek home, I've seen enough sunsets from inside a hospital room window that I am thankful that tonight's sunset was seen from the walk to the car.

A Month of Thankful: Day 12

Construction Paper Turkeys.

I always picked up a package or two of construction paper during the back-to-school supply frenzy.  There's always a poster project that needs some brightening up, and having it already in the house makes things easier than having to run out at the last minute.  Having it in the house already saved us an extra errand this weekend after I did lesson plans for this week and next.

Today, Jude made a "Thankful Heart" Turkey.  He is thankful for Celia, Dad, Mom and Jude.

I originally had cut an extra turkey out for Damien.  He spent most of the morning trying to copy Jude and cutting paper, so I thought he would enjoy a turn with the glue bottle.  When I cut out Jude's turkey pieces, I cut a second set for him.  In the end, he laid down for his nap before we got to arts-and-crafts time, so I just put it to the side, thinking he could make his tomorrow.

Then Luke came home and said he needed to write a Haiku for Language Arts homework; topic:  something in nature.  It had to be written on a visual of the topic - ie, if you wrote it about snow, it had to be on a snowflake, etc.  Luke didn't know what to do, so I suggested - how about a turkey?  A few recuts to make it appear a little less "preschool," and voila!  A turkey that's practically a phoenix! 

Oh, and the haiku? 

The wild turkey struts
His tail feathers spreading wide
Marching tall and proud.

A Month of Thankful: Day 11

Hair.

This time last year, my Mom was diagnosed with cancer - non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. A year ago today, my youngest nephew was born.  My brothers and I ran from hospital to hospital, visiting Mom and visiting Mark.

By Christmas,  had doctors had put her on some serious chemo.  As in "blow-her-immune-system-into-another-galaxy" chemo.  Obvious side effect: hair loss.  We joked about her wigs -- she had the best "hair" of all of us, with no fuss. The hardest part of getting her hair to co-operate was deciding which wig to wear.  We teased and asked how formal of an occasion was something -- was she planning to wear her "everyday" hair, her "dressy" hair, or her "party" hair? 

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Mom at Luke's graduation - with her "formal" hair.

A year later, she's doing awesome. The chemo worked (thank God!) and she's getting back to "normal."  Her hair is also growing back in.

Today was Mark's first birthday and party.  When Luke went to say goodbye to Mom, they were standing nose-to-nose.  When we looked closer, we realized he is the same height as her body.

5 months later...

But in our family, you don't cross the threshold into "not a kid anymore" until you are taller than Grammy's hair.  He still has a couple inches to go.  I'm thankful he's still "little," but even happier that he's shorter than Mom's *hair* and not her wig.

A Month of Thankful: Day 10

Internet. 

I think "why" I'm thankful for the internet is pretty obvious.  But the best thing about the internet -- it's how Neal and I met (LONG before online dating was popular) and got this whole party started. 

But then there's all the other stuff since then-- keeping in contact with friends, being able to look up anything (from homework to drug ingredients), LOLCats and Angry Birds...

As Matthew put it tonight, "Home is where the Wifi is." 

A Month of Thankful: Day 9

That it's the weekend!

That seems such a simple thing.  But it's also Neal's off weekend, so it means after I sleep until 7 (instead of 5:30 or 6), I have two extra hands to help get things accomplished.  We're looking forward to farm season ending shortly (he only has one more Saturday to work!) and vacation at Thanksgiving, so among the things  need to do is make lists to pack and check on food & tubey gear supplies.

Also to cram in:

-lesson plans for Jude for the next 10 days, plus anything to take on vacation (to work on while the big kids do school work)

-haircuts for the bigger kids

-a haiku project for Luke

-a science project for Matthew

-a birthday party for our nephew (Happy First, Little Dude!)

and plenty of other household stuff.

I think we're going to be just as busy as during the week.  But I'm still grateful -- did you see the part about sleeping in until 7?   Bring on the weekend!!

A Month of Thankful: Day 8

Edgarton Christian Academy.

 “They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.”

—	Isaiah 40:31 (NABRE)

If a year ago you had told me by this fall we would be in a new school -- not "new to us" but "new to the planet" I'd have laughed in your face. We planned to be at Notre Dame for a long time, and God laughed and said "Ha!"  And here we are...two months into a new school year and in a new school.  This is a school that WANTS to exist.  We aren't here because we've been around forever -- we are here because a group of parents said, "THIS is the kind of education we want for our kids, and we're going to make it happen." This is a school where Celia and Matthew WANT to go every day.  They are thrilled to join activities; they are disappointed the day is over when they go home.

Ten months ago, I would have said it was impossible.  SIX months ago, it still seemed little more than a hope and a prayer.  But I am so proud to be part of this new school family.  The kids are thrilled to be there.  We still have a little forgiving to do (PLEASE don't ask Celia how she likes her new school, unless you REALLY want to know!) but that takes time -- we're only human.

Tonight, I'm thankful my children are in a school where they are loved.  

A Month of Thankful: Day 7

Ham

Celia and Damien's favorite food, and the one item I can make and feed all 7 people in the house with at one time.

A Month of Thankful: Day 6

The right to vote.

It makes me happy to see the kids' schools participating in elections.  It has no effect on the world at large, of course, but teaches them that voting is a responsibility.  Matthew and Celia learned that you can't just pick a candidate because of a sound bite; it's important to research what each person stands for and make an informed decision.  Luke's school had a mock election, and they even permitted write-in candidates, just like out in the real booths.  (Congrats to his Spanish teacher, who captured a sizeable 4% of the vote as a write in!)

Today I took Jude and Damien with me to the polls.  Jude was proud to help me cast my vote. Here he is after we finished at our polling place.

Thumbs up -- we voted!  Did YOU??

We all complain about the political ads.  Frankly, I can think of a billion better things to have spent over a billion dollars on besides TV ads and killing trees for mailings. (And yes, I factor these into my decision.)  But there are so many places where people do not get any information on their leaders -- or any say in them.  Less than a century ago, women were not allowed to vote, so I take the job of choosing officials seriously.

As I sit and watch the returns come in, I'm thankful that I was able to cast my vote today.  

A Month of Thankful: Day 5

A husband who likes to drive.

I hate driving.  I drive because I have to.  When I went to take my driver's test, it was "Pass the test, or give two weeks notice at work."  I was getting married and moving to New Jersey in exactly two weeks, and if I didn't pass, I'd have no way to get to work.  Since then, I have driven probably over 100,000 miles.  If I didn't drive, nothing would get done -- kids wouldn't get to school or activities, or the hospital.  We'd often be pretty short on groceries, too.

My husband, on the other hand, is a Driver.   He will drive anywhere.  He'd rather not drive in traffic (who likes to?) but he is GOOD at it.  The words "Rush Hour" strike fear into my soul.  He just shrugs.  I am getting better, but still need half a mile to change lanes.  He can size up a spot and be in it faster than I can even think "Do I want to move over?"  I know a lot comes from his job (he can  reverse and park a tractor trailer arrow-straight) and practice, but some people just are drivers (like him) and some are not (like me). 

Today I drove through three counties picking up and delivering donations for victims of Hurricane Sandy, and turned around to go back out and follow him to the car dealership (his car needed a new part) to bring him home.  I  happily handed my keys over for the reverse trek, thankful he was willing to get us back home.  (And he even detoured through a drive through so I didn't have to cook! Yes, he's awesome.) 

On the road again...

A Month of Thankful: Day 4

Celia and Damien's Tubeys

Never in my life did I expect to be thankful for feeding tubes. Tubeys never were something we anticipated; my mother taught me to always read the fine print before you signed your name, and tubes were not on the forms anywhere. Nonetheless, I feel much like the original Mrs. Noah - who probably didn't sign up for everything in pairs, either. We have two shipments of gear every month, two bags of formula to prepare every morning, two tubes to keep track of when they need replacing, and two pumps taking turns beeping at odd hours of the night. We have even been lucky enough to have two kinds of tubes for each child! The "Tubey Buddies" even have a new joint nickname: The Twobeys.

Sure, it's been rocky at times. And "Put a feeding tube down my kid's nose" never was on my bucket list. It's a handy skill to have, I guess -- it's never a bad thing to learn something new. I never expected to have a conversation with people across the world about the merits of one brand of g-tube button versus another. If you want to know the difference between an AMT mini and a MIC-KEY and a balloonless Bard, I'm your gal. Just don't ask me to remember to pick something up at the grocery store--my mind can't retain the useful stuff.

All kidding aside, these two tubes have kept my babies alive when they just physically could not consume enough nutrition. Having the tubes has kept us out of the ER many times, because we can run fluids slowly when they are sick and not depend on them being willing to drink.

Having the tubes has allowed them to be normal kids. Sure, each often has a backpack loaded with pump and formula, but they can do just about anything their brothers do. Their brothers can chase them to play tag and beg for freedom, instead of a parent chasing the with a cup of formula begging "Just one more gulp."

The tubes have expanded my circle of friends. There are a number of dear people that I have been blessed with because of our journey - Cristi, Meg, Amanda, Amy. They have offered their love and support when things were rough. When we first started the process to have Celia's tube placed, I only knew one other mom with tube experience. Ahuva talked me off the proverbial ledge more than once, saying no, it's not "normal" but once you get the hang of it, it's YOUR normal. And she was right - tubes have become so much a part of our normal that when Celia recently heard a pump beeping, she popped her backpack off to investigate -- and it turned out to be the child's pump a row over beeping. When Damien got his first NG tube, the other kids wanted to know when he was going to get a "real" tube - a tummy tube like Celia's. Once he had his "real" tube, we started counting down until he got the "good" button-style tube.

Some kids drink with straws in their mouths. Mine now drink with them in their tummies. They are growing and thriving and doing things they would not be able to do without their tubes. So tonight, I'm grateful for tubeys.

NG, Round 2

With the "Good Real Tubey"

A Month of Thankful: Day 3

We survived Hurricane Sandy unscathed.

I'm thankful we weathered Sandy with almost no damage. We lost a few shingles from our roof, but it's nothing that a plain old storm couldn't have done. What saved us was we were in the path of the eye - the calm part. The center of the eye passed less than 700 feet from our home.

 The white diagonal line is the center of Sandy's "eye."  The yellow and white lines intersect 0.13 miles, or 686.4 feet from my kitchen table.   (Thanks to my brother- and sister-in-law for sharing the photo and information with us.  I think I am very glad I did not know this until well after the storm had passed.)



Last night, we watched the NBC concert and saw the utter destruction in northern NJ and New York. Watching the video of the devastation was almost overwhelming. 


The family of one of Celia's classmates lives on Long Island and their community has lost everything. Today we are going through what we have and sharing. It's nowhere near enough to put a dent in what they need, but every bit helps.  The first request was for food, blankets, and baby items.  Celia asked if she could share her toys, and then went through her toys and found a few that she wanted to give to the other kids.  Matthew and Jude are sharing some of their allergy-friendly foods, in case there is somebody allergic to what other people send. Celia and Matthew will have a Dress Down Day at Edgarton on Wednesday, with a $5 "cover charge." I told them I'd pay for the Dress Down, but if they'd like to give money themselves, they could.  Both of them said they wanted to give more, and Luke asked if he could donate, too.

Tonight, I'm grateful that we were so fortunate, and praying for those who were not as lucky. 

A Month of Thankful: Day 2

My Grandparents.

Today is the Feast of All Souls, a day to remember all those who have died but aren't yet in Heaven. (We celebrated those who are in Heaven yesterday, with the Feast of All Saints.)  While I have one living grandparent (technically, Mom Mom Woody is my husband's grandmother, but since she's never treated me any differently than any other grandchild, I'm claiming her), the rest have all passed away.  I know none were perfect, so I'm fully expecting they're settled into Purgatory for a bit.  (If I know the grandmothers correctly, I bet they will be there a while.  They were wonderful, good-hearted ladies, but took the idea of "Screeching up to the pearly gates saying, 'Wow, what a ride!" to heart long before anybody designed a meme for it.)  But I think what made them human is what made them so endearing to me, and makes me miss them.

Gram & Matthew October 2001

This is my Gram (with baby Matthew).  Her real name was Madeleine, but everyone called her Midge.  At only 5'4" with her hair, the nickname fit her much more comfortably.  You knew you were approaching "Adult" status if you were taller than her hair, although I think as we grew, she kept teasing it higher in self defense.  She was my mom's mother. Thankfully, I have tons of memories of her.  She came every week (sometimes two nights) for dinner and "Girl's Night Out" with my mom. They went and played Bingo, usually at St. Bart's in Philadelphia. You knew you were in for a good dinner if it was your turn to sit next to her -- it meant you were likely going to get a pass on having to finish your veggies.  She came with my family to Disney World one time when my mom asked her to join us.  THAT was the epitome of "What a mother will do..." Despite her "have suitcase, will travel" philosphy -- she never passed up a Senior Citizen trip -- she was petrified of flying.  Many years later, my parents and my children were sitting in the same spot on Main Street waiting for a parade, and I couldn't help but cry -- I could see myself and my gram sitting there so many years before.   She fell victim to ovarian cancer and died in 2005.  She had the most warped, wicked sense of humor, and so many times my mother and I have been talking about something and said, "Oh, if only your Gram was here, she'd be laughing so hard..."

Grammy & Poppy, Christmas 1977

Mom's father, Poppy, died when I was four years old.  I was so young and have so few memories of him, that I'm not sure if they're really my own, or what I was told of him.  One that I was told of was when he took my mother to be Baptized. He and Gram decided to name their little girl "Dale," but were stopped by the priest because it wasn't a "Saint's Name."  My grandfather panicked -- he could NOT bring this baby home without her being Christened.  (At the time, Mothers did not attend the Baptisms.  I think in that moment he may have feared for his own life when his wife found out the Christening was off more than he was worried for his daughter's soul.)  My great grandmother saved the day -- she said "Name the baby after her mother."  So my mother was christened "Madeleine Dale," starting a family tradition of "two first names, no middle."  My father then named us in the same manner, and Neal and I named our kids the same.   We say "Two firsts is Poppy's way of messing with peoples heads long after he's been gone." 

Neal, Meg & Celia - 1997

This is Neal's Grandmother, Mom Mom Cel.  She's the "Original" Celia Falciani, the namesake for three more generations, including our daughter. Like Mom Mom Woody, she never treated me any differently than her other granddaughters.  She was a lady who told things how she saw them.  She was a preacher's daughter, but that didn't stop her from enjoying a game of cards. She also didn't take kindly to people who played "nice" because she was a little old lady.  Give her an inch, and she'd mop the floor with you.   Our Celia reminds me of her in spirit  - she does nothing by halves, and yes, give an inch and you're done for.

Pop Pop Falciani ("Pop Pop Vince") & Baby Luke, 1998

Neal's grandfather was a shrewd businessman.  He also didn't suffer fools easily.  (I see a lot of him in his son and grandson.)   Often Neal would go up to help him at the motel he owned, and be drawn into a long conversation about the stock market.  Watching stocks and guessing where they'd go was his hobby.  A sad thing from his and Mom Mom's life is they did not get along well -- I think they were too much alike.  However, that didn't stop him from caring for her.  Though they lived apart for many years, and he may have often grumbled about her, he always saw that she was cared for.  Others may disagree, but I think he loved her to the end despite not liking her; the man I saw next to her casket was as shaken as any other widower.   I didn't think he could ever die -- he had two heart attacks that nearly killed him just after Neal and I started dating, and we weren't sure he'd be around to attend our wedding. Not only was he there for our wedding, but also the christening of three babies.   It was hard to believe that death could take him, but he took sick while visiting his daughter Celia in Florida, and died there. My last living grandfather, he was buried the day before Thanksgiving 2005.

Mom Mom & Pop Pop Woody, Meg & Neal, 1997

Charlotte and Thomas Woodward are also Neal's grandparents.  Charlotte, or Mom Mom Woody, just turned 96 a few weeks ago.  She had a stroke a few years ago, and scared the life out of all of us, but she's doing well and celebrated her 96th birthday last month.  She told me so many stories - of when she was a child, growing up the daughter of a haberdasher, and of when she was a young woman and singing with Jan Savitt & the Top Hatters on the radio back in the late 1930s, and lots of good ones about my husband as a child.  She was a country doctor's wife -- her first husband, Dr. Benjamin Broselow,  was the only doctor in this area for miles. She was at his side when helped found the local hospital (that we can say we have a good relationship with their current ER team).   Pop Pop Broselow died when Neal was a toddler, and she met and married Pop Pop Woody several years later. (Prior to her remarriage, she was just Mom Mom, and got renamed "Mom Mom Woody" to go with "Pop Pop Woody.")  Woody loved to tell stories (he was an Irishman, after all!).  He was one of the men who stormed the Normandy beaches in WWII, and told great stories of being in the service.  He was also a doctor (a psychiatrist), and loved medicine so much that he practiced long after most doctors would have retired. Pop Pop Woody died in 2000, and was the first grandparent that I was close (and really, the first man I remember as a grandfather) to to die.  It still stings.

Grandpop Shade, c. 1942

My paternal grandfather, William W. Shade.  Handsome in his Air Force uniform, huh?  Explains why after less than a week of courting, he and my grandmother married.  I never really knew him personally, as he died just a few months before I was born, but in a way I do -- in the ethics and knowledge of my own father.  Grandpop owned a grocery store, and my dad learned how to bag groceries "properly" at an early age.  I learned by watching Dad, and to this day want to scream when someone packs a grocery bag the "wrong" way.  (This probably is why I don't like grocery shopping -- bagging is a lost art.)  He expected all of his children to be capable of anything - from laundry to mechanics - regardless of gender.  Definitely a man ahead of his time. 

Grandmom Shade & Meg, Christmas 1977

This is my dad's mom, Marie.  Our family's relationship was very rocky -- and as an adult, I can understand.  Grandmom Shade had bipolar disorder, and it was very difficult for her to control.  The first time I learned of this I was eight years old and home sick from school. My mother unwrapped our Nativity set while I was camped on the couch, and I saw the box had her address on it.  When I asked why we hardly saw her (as opposed to my Gram), Mom told me it was because she was sick and sometimes hard to be around.  I have memories of her from when I was a teen - she used to sew doll clothes as a hobby and let me make an outfit one time.  I have two beaded and well-loved Christmas ornaments that she made.  They mean as much to me as the brightest star.  I think she loved everyone as much as she could, and the balls remind me that love isn't perfect and bedraggled is just as beautiful.

Mom Mom Leonard, 1977

I can't forget one last special lady.  An "honorary" grandmother, this is Mom Mom Leonard.  Officially my cousin's grandmother, she was a wonderful, fun lady.  She had a shore house in Rehoboth Beach, DE and I have many fond memories of times spent there.  

Today, I'm thankful for all of my grandparents, no matter how I acquired them.  

A Month of Thankful: Day 1

Not only am I thankful for my kids, but that they do generally get along well. Sure, they bicker, but they really do look out for each other and keep each other company.

Sharing fries

Helping each other out

Big ones reading to littlies

Bathtime

Playing together

Doing physical therapy (Luke and Damien) together

Afternoon Tea

 

Hugs goodnight.

No matter how much they drive me crazy, I'm thankful for my babies:  Angel, Zilla, Princess, Joodleboy, and Wubster.

What are you thankful for? 

The penitent child

Celia's been having a bit of a struggle to behave lately.  I think the reasons range from "needs her meds adjusted to help with hyper/impulsive" to plain old "tween angst."

Today we got a phone call saying there had been a bit of an argument that turned into a fight.  I have zero faults with the school -- from all accounts, things were handled rapidly and appropriately.  (And there is a little girl who is being kept inside tomorrow at lunch, which means she can't swing from the monkey bars.  I think that will hurt her more than anything else.)  When she came out of school, she didn't even speak, which is so unlike her - usually she comes out talking sixty miles a minute.  She knew she was in Trouble. 

We made her write apology notes to the teachers and child involved.  She wrote rough drafts and then labored over good penmanship final copies, and I really believe she is truly sorry.  Hopefully this won't happen again.  But I needed to share the notes -- they just are too sweet.    

 
This one was written to the teacher that split them up...

And this one to her friend. (For the record, Celia apparently got a good whack on the arm, so all I can (secretly) say is "Good for LaHannah").

An apology to the principal...

 This one, I had to fight to not laugh over.  I'll leave the seat change up to the teacher's discretion, but this note she wrote completely unprompted.  

I have my doubts that quiet children around her will make her quiet, but if Mrs. Mulutzie wants to try it...well, hey, anything short of crazy glue is OK by me! 

Why do I have a suspicion that our "easy" years with her are behind us? 

 

Leaping into the future.

First, thank you to everyone who has prayed, sent letters, or just wished us well during the last month.  This has been a really, really difficult and uncertain time, and without your support, we wouldn't have managed.  

It seems appropriate to share today that we are finally ready to "leap" into a new future.  I am thrilled to say that all three of the big kids are finally enrolled in new schools for 2012-13.  

After a lot of work on the school's part, the Diocese of Camden has determined that Sacred Heart High School will remain open.   Luke registered as part of the Class of 2016 on Saturday.  He will take the general scholarship/placement exam on March 10, and we will be making arrangements for him to take the proper testing for Math and Foreign Language.  Based on the curriculum at Notre Dame, he should be able to test out of Algebra I and Spanish I, so he will take the exams in June and see where he scores. If he could skip those classes, that would be great, because it will free up spaces in future years for a wider choice of electives.  He had the opportunity to sign up for activities as well, and has opted to join the Choir, the Good Samaritan and Drama clubs, and the Forensics (debate) team.  He's a little uncertain if he'll like Forensics, but is willing to give it a try and see how it works out. Honestly, though -- if there ever was an activity where Luke would excel...it's debate!!

Unfortunately, Notre Dame did not receive a reprieve.  The Diocese determined that they were going to keep to their original plan, despite the very strong presentations that the Notre Dame School Board presented.   Because of our school family's commitment to keeping the children together, they voted to create an independent Christian academy.  Thanks to the hard work of the new Board, we now have a new home for Celia and Matthew.  They will be attending Edgarton Christian Academy this fall.  Last night was the first opportunity to enroll students, and the response was overwhelming.  Based on the parents I saw at the information/registration meeting last night, at least half of each child's class has already registered for ECA.We found out that ECA will continue with an Advanced Math program like Notre Dame's. Matthew is very glad to be able to continue with it. Math is one of his favorite subjects, and he was really unhappy to discover the other school we looked at did not have a similar program.  He was disappointed to learn that would mean basically repeating this year's math program, so being able to continue moving forward is great news to him.  Celia has decided that she is willing to go to ECA because there is a 2-piece uniform option that will comfortably accommodate her tube; she was not impressed that our other alternative was "jumpers only."  I laugh to think that it's "the wardrobe" that makes a difference to her, but can definitely see the practical consideration she was giving the clothing options.

We're all still a little nervous, but we're finally excited and hopeful for the future.  Luke set his sights on Sacred Heart three years ago, so I'm happy he is able to follow his dreams.  Celia and Matthew are happy to be with their friends.  I know not all will choose to make the transition, and am certain there will be new friends to make as well, but I am definitely reassured that they are going into a place where, despite so many changes, will still have so much stability.  We are still planning to homeschool Jude -- you can follow his progress and catch up on what Damien is doing  at Adventures with Jude (and Damien) -- and will likely opt to use a homeschool option for CCD with Matthew and Celia.  While Neal and I are pleased with the schools overall, we are definitely happy to see the tears give way to excitement, and glad that everyone is finally looking forward to September. Fall will bring an adjustment for all of us, but I am sure it's going to be great future for everyone. 

Then and Now

Luke needed to turn in two pictures for the school yearbook. The 8th graders are asked to submit two lookalike photos for a section called "Then and Now".  The idea is to pick a photo from when kiddo was little, and then re-create it as closely as possible so everyone can see how much they've grown.  Luke's photos:

Then - November 2002.  Just over 4 years old and barely two months into preschool,  he is sitting with Henrietta who is about 3 months old.  She and her brother were new to our household; Luke named them Toby and Henrietta after his favorite things on earth -- Thomas the Tank Engine trains. Toby was a Tram Engine and Henrietta his coach.

Now - January 2012. He's 13 1/2 and heading to high school.  Henrietta and Toby turned 9 last fall, and the beloved trains have been handed down to his little brothers.  (That doesn't stop him from playing with them, though -- now he builds "Thomas set-ups" for them.)