I don't grab my camera enough these days. The days are filled to the brim with lessons and needs and I often miss these personal childhood moments...the ones that are just their own. Oh my sweet Eleanor Rose is such a fun little girl. She is just so different from her Annie K and Mary C, she is just herself. I was watching the Jedi princess slay her dragon as she sweetly sang her slaying song. Oh this girl, if she knew how much of my heart she has. So often I find myself lost in her big brown sparkly eyes completely forgetting that she is talking to me, just transfixed by her genuine gaze.

Car Ride Convo

 Car rides seem to bring out very interesting conversations:

After doing our checks, Ellie asked if I was older than Daddy. (A topic that seems to totally and completely astonish our children) After confirming, yet again, that indeed I am just a bit older, Annie pipped up from the back row.

"Yeah, that's why Mommy is going to die first."

(Avery was in shotgun and his shocked expression was priceless."

Avery to Annie, "Not necessarily."

Ellie before the conversation was overtaken by older siblings explanations, "Yeah, Daddy will die first because he is taller."

Avery's face was even more aghast and he choked out to me, "Well I guess you're pretty safe because soon you'll have two sons taller than you."

The secret to a long life-live shortly.

L E

This little clever girl figured out how to write her name.

L E

Yup, that's right little one. 

She has since learned how to spell it, and goodness Goodness how I wish I had one of her pictures with her first spelling on it.

Friday Photo Favorites

This Happened!

We have a teenager!!!!

Ellie The Elephant

Do you see her eye? That red popped blood vessel? It looked much worst in real life.

This happened because her doggy ears where not quite as she would have liked and there wasn't enough time to fix them before we needed to leave for an appointment, which happened to be a 40 minute drive...She protested her unfinished state the entire way there and so vocally that it popped a blood vessel. 

Parenthood is full of surprises even into the sixth child.

Her spirit animal could not be better as Elephants are known for the ability to remember and their persistence. 

Friday Photo Favorites

Snuggle Bugs

Well Said

Tuesday I was lecturing the children before dinner about obedience and the need to improve ours in the house. The lecture was too long and too much at the end of a very frazzled day. When it was over Eleanor in her most serious, disappointed voice while shaking her little fist exclaimed, "Guys, we did not save the day!"

Friday Photo Favorites

Oh how I love patterns and numbers. Thank you Avila for being the perfecting our little family. 

CONSTANCE CONTRAIRE

"Avila stuck out her tongue! Hee hee, like I do when something is really hard, like traditional dance."

Getting up next to me and sighing in a rather dramatic way so I ask, "What's wrong? Do your shoes hurt?" (Because they were too small, but she insisted.)

Looking at me as if I am complete disbelief that her mother could be so simple minded, "Your shoes can't hurt."

"Yes, you're right, do your feet hurt?"

"Noooo, my foot hurts."

About every other day there is huge battle about buckling up in the van, she insist that only I can do it and it becomes a huge battle of wills between, well everyone. After Mass recently she was insisting her way and I was not going to give in because crawl two rows back while being nine months pregnant was not happening. After several minutes of back and forth I sternly said she must buckle up!

To which she replied, "NEVER!" in such a Hollywood fashion that the entire van erupted in laughter and tears. Needless to say she did not appreciate our reaction. 

It's 34 degrees outside and Gia told her to put a jacket on before going outside and in the most inconsequential way responded, "OK, whatever." (There was no disrespect, just um okay I'll do that.)

Eleanor is so very, very Constance...she talks all the time. So one night while we are cuddling and I am fighting the head bobs, I make those, "uh huh, and oh really, and is that so" remarks and then she says, "Mommy, I'm not talking to you, I'm just talking." Relieved I rolled over and fell asleep with her rehashing her day with the most patience guardian angel of all time.

"I am not going to be a human being, I am going to be a horse. That way I am not a sister or a daughter." Told to me after she and Annie had a fight. 

Eleanor is our little conundrum, She is 80, 16 and 3 all at once. She is super sweet and unintentionally sassy, and shy and bold. She is always hot, and wears dresses, unless its bedtime and then it's no pj's at all. More tears have been shed this winter over outer wear than all tears combined in our household over clothes. She used to insisted on a bow to bed as well, but has out grown that and no is very intentional on how her is to be fixed, but you only get one shot so make it count. 

Somehow even though she is so stinken stubborn and makes for really long days, I find myself chuckling and just loving her and her ways all the more. 

Friday Photo Favorites

Sisters!

Halloween-y

Two day's before Halloween and some little ones where expressing, continuously, our lack of Halloween preparedness. So a pumpkin for everyone and craving tools in hand these amazing kids (and Daddy) whipped out some pretty spectacular pumpkins. In 2 hours and 15 minutes we accomplished 7 jack-o-lanterns and dinner! 

Always listening

We are currently fostering four kittens with the intention of keeping one or two or three or please no don't go there.

Our efforts to get them acquainted with the outside failed miserably. They scurried to the shop, no biggie, but then they found a golden hiding spot-the engine to the van. Well, the first time I easily extracted two kittens after much pleading with St. Francis to not let me pop the hood to find bloody cats. No blood just scared little critters and all was well and I thought that was that. 

Well, two days later and we need to go and I beg Philip to check the engine before we back out...three!

After thirty minutes and many frustrated words and broom pokes that last cat came out and was caught, that cat ran back into the engine as Philip was backing out so there were words about the intelligence of this creature.

So just before we get to Gia and Poppy's, thirty minutes late Eleanor ask, "Mommee-a, Super Cute was in the engine?"

"Yes"

"And when a cat's in the engines that's why they're an idiot?"

Absolutely.

Hello-ween

My Goodness, it's been awhile!

Life has been crazy-crazy good, crazy hard, crazy disheartening, crazy busy. 

Yes, I know, "This too shall pass." 

And, "In a few years all this will seem like a lifetime ago."

However, it's not a few years at the moment, at the moment it is right now and right now is crazy. 

With the new school year we took the bold approach to join two more co-ops making it a total of three. All day Tuesday and Wednesday are filled with wonderful classes and even better people and then once a month we meet for a really fun Geography co-op. All is so much fun, but really taxing on the daily home school schedule. Which translate into studies taking place up until 5:00 and then after dinner most nights and still not enough time. 

Whenever I complain about the lack of time two teachings ring in my ears. First when the sisters complained to St. Mother Teresa about lack of time and she replied with adding an hour of adoration to their schedule and the passage in the Screwtape Letters about how easy it is to make the temptee believe he is in charge of his day and forget the entire day is a gift from God. How quickly we plan and forget to be thankful. Unfortunately, even as I am reminded of these two prodding I still find myself in the same state at the end of day. I know an hour of adoration is not feasible at this point in my vocation, however a few moments of intentional prayer is.

Well, that was not exactly what I had planned on typing, actually I planned on typing very little and just sharing a few Halloween pictures, so onto the pictures...

 

Oldest and youngest

Averykin

Always the antagonist.

The long long time ago crew.

Our Little Angel

She wanted a blue princess dress to be a Blue Princess.

And finally the best dressed award this year goes to, Fly Ballerina Unikitty!

I did not get a group picture so maybe we can do it later. (That will never happen)

Today is an off day of school to celebrate my favorite feast day.

All You Holy Men and Women Pray for Us!

Manic Monday

Reminder

Here is a friendly reminder that the person staying home with the children needs to be thanked today. That person deals with a great deal of bodily fluids, every. single. day.

Go ahead and thank them and buy them some dark chocolate. 

Manic Monday

Sharing her poem with Grandma Driver.

Friday Photo Favorites

Horsing Around

Sing-Song

It's nine o'clock and there has already been three outfit changes and of promise of many more. Her first request almost every single day is for me to turn on the Ballet music, however this request is also almost always sung with arms gently outstretched like a perfect three year old ballerina. Most request are sung and if the reply is sung back it is always heeded. She also decompresses and processes her day by song alone in her bedroom, however her voice carries so we all know what was the best part of the day and what troubled her the most. She is just so very much fun! Right now we are best friends, in her mind and I love it. She ask me daily to jump on the trampoline with her and to play house, I am the kid.

Her favorite sayings, "Wait a minute, wait a minute.'

"Actually..."

"Wait, where are my sisters?"

"I'm the ABC"

This one is because after reading The Penderwicks, we picked up the phase OAP/OAB (oldest available Penderwick/Blaxton) who is left in charge of a situation. Oh my goodness what an honor to be the OAB for those that are not usually left in charge. So now Eleanor will help me set the table and declare herself the "ABC"

Friday Photo Favorites

What an honor. How blessed our children are having a Fruncle on each side.

At the end of May we witnessed Fr. Stephen Blaxton's ordination. How very, very blessed to be rearing our children in the midst of faith lived daily. 

I remember so keenly my older sister coming and staying with me the first eight days after being initiated into motherhood. Her gift of self was overwhelming and not fully recognized to the actual degree until later. She sat with me as I learned to navigate the ends and outs of early motherhood. Her sitting across from me as we both nursed our little ones was so very much like her bestowing her blessing on me, saying, "you can do this, it will be the hardest thing you will ever do, but you can do this. We traveled this road before and it will be traveled again, come along you are not alone in your vocation." 

As my brother is not Fr. Stephen's brother biologically, they are part of a bigger, deeper brotherhood of Christ. There have been priest before and there will be priest after these two, and they all will travel the vocational road all the same, and they are not alone. 

Introducing

Nox and Luna.

Yes, we have arrived at "what in the world" stage of life. They really are very sweet and also very happy to not spend anytime with us as well, in true cat fashion. They have made mornings so much more pleasant as most grumpiness is defused by cat cuddles.