Fainting

As we're sitting down to start our reading lesson...
Thomas: "I'm about to faint!"
I look at him with a puzzled look.
Thomas: "Mom, what does faint mean...?"

at the comic book store

I took Cecilia and Thomas to a party at a comic book store last weekend.  They enjoyed looking at some original artwork, as well as the food and a couple books I chose.  They were the hit of the party, of course (especially thanks to Thomas' Star Wars Lego t-shirt).

Lunch with Kiddos

Cecilia: Whose birthday is coming up next? Oh yeah, Grandmemere. What do you think she'd like. (She's looking through her kid's cookbook.)

Me: Eliana, remember Grandmemere? She has animals where she lives: bunnies, birds, fish. She's in a wheelchair. Do you remember her?

Thomas: I know. What about a power chair!

Me: A power chair? Well, I think they're pretty expensive.

Thomas: No, mom, they're not . It doesn't cost a penny out of pocket! Really, it doesn't. And it goes anywhere you want to go!

Me (to myself): Have I been letting them watch too much Price is Right? Hmmm... Really, these kiddos crack me up! I love my job.

Such a Boy

Cecilia: Has your grandmother already died?

Me: Yes.

Cecilia: Was she my great-grandmother?

Me: Yes.

Cecilia: I remember her because I've seen pictures.

Thomas: What did she look like?

Cecilia: She had white curly hair. Her face was kind of round.

Thomas: Oh, so if her head fell off, it would roll?

Hmmm.... well, I guess so. He certainly thinks differently than I do. I guess it's a boy thing?

Halloween

Here are the kiddos before heading out to trick-or-treat in Londonderry. I'd say these photos show the kids' personalities pretty well. Thomas is a very serious Jedi (he takes his Star Wars very seriously). Eliana just laughs and smiles all the time; she's also a goofy monkey. Cecilia is very dramatic and insisted on striking this pose. Their personalities are all very distinct. I'm eager to see how Anna will fit into the mix (although I'm enjoying the cuddly baby phase right now--her big smiles are just melting me).

The weather was unseasonably warm for NH--70 degrees! It was great. Anna was a skeleton, but I don't think we got a picture of her. She didn't actually go out with us on this day.

Babies on the Brain

We've all had babies on our mind around here lately... hmmm, I wonder why. Even Eliana has been obsessed with babies. I wonder if she actually understands; it almost seems as though she does. She loves seeing other babies, pointing to my belly and exclaiming "baby!" and showing me where the new baby will do "nonny". Cecilia and Thomas are both so excited. Today we looked through their old baby pictures to post for the blog. First is Cecilia, then Thomas, then Eliana. I wonder what this new little one will look like! Anyone want to make some guesses?

Kiddos on the Couch

Here's a cute pictures of the kiddos on the couch. They were watching a Baby Einstein video. I realized a little while ago that I had not shown Eliana any videos and the older kids always loved the Baby Einstein videos and their music. We put one on and it was a hit (although Eliana still doesn't have a very long attention span). Thomas was lounging. I absolutely love watching the kids interact together. In this picture, I love that Eliana and Cecilia werelooking at each other during some part of the video they were excited about. They are all so loving towards each other; it's beautiful.

The Weekend

The weekend in Belmont was so much fun for so many reasons. The kids all had a blast and played really well together. They were able to run around the house playing games, play wiffle ball, swim in the lake, and enjoy s'mores by the fire. Fr. Hugh Vincent brought a big bag of meat and we went to the local farm stand a couple times. We ate very well all weekend :) Then, after the kids went to bed, the grown-ups got to visit and catch up (and watch the 80's radio channel on the tv). It was really one of the most relaxing, wonderful vacations I've ever had! Here are some pics.

The Godfather

Fr. Hugh Vincent is Cecilia and Thomas's godfather. They get to see him about once a year. This year, Father suggested that we meet up with the Kennedys up in Belmont. Matthew's parents were gracious enough to share the house with us for a long weekend. It was wonderfully relaxing and fun. Here are some pictures of the kids with Fr. Hugh Vincent.

First Day of School

Here are the photos from our first day of school. I also included the pile of books we used on the first day (not the complete pile). Cecilia is now doing 1st grade school work, Thomas is doing some preschool work, and Eliana didn't want to be left out either. She was working on her scribbling :) We have officially finished our first week (4 day week) and all is going very well so far. Let's hope it continues this way! Both the big kids are very proud of the work they're doing, which is fun to see.

Concord Market Days

We took the kids to Concord Market Days. They had fun, although we got caught in a rain storm pretty far away from our car. Thomas had a dragonfly painted on his arm and Cecilia got two butterflies on her cheeks. The highlight was the balloon man, though... until Thomas's sword popped. Very tragic.

Cicerone Party

Here are some fun pictures from the Cicerone party last weekend. Eliana just adores her brother and sister (and they adore her in return); I love the picture of her and Thomas eating cake. I really love the outdoor pictures too--especially Eliana's big grin while she's hanging from the tree.

I was noticing recently that Cecilia hasn't been in a lot of pictures when we're out at social events. She was painfully shy from ages 2-4 and now she has hit the other extreme. If there are any children at any event we go to, we won't see her unless she needs something or the party's over. (She's also a goofball.) At least she's having fun!

Waiting

Here's a cute shot of Thomas and Eliana waiting on a bench while I was checking out at Old Navy.

More Houston

We went to a pool party at the Rossens on our last night in Houston. The Koennings were there too and all our kids had a blast playing together (9 in total). They had a great pool out back. I got to see Amanda and Dawn, whom I haven't seen since our last trip to Houston 3 years ago. We all worked at Texas Right to Life at the same time and enjoyed regular trips to Lupe Tortillas :) (not sure why they put the big pregnant girl in the middle...)

Weekend in Austin

We left Houston for Memorial Day weekend to visit with Mark & family in Austin. The cousins especially liked splashing around the water fountains.

Houston Trip, Day 2

On Day 2, we headed to the Houston Zoo, which was so fun for the kids. We met the Hill family there, so the grown-ups got to visit while the kids checked out the animals. They especially loved the giraffes, elephants, and the reptile house. We got to watch them bathe (hose down) and elephant. Then, while we were in the reptile house, one of the zoo keepers came in and threw a whole bunny (no longer alive) into the boa constrictor's cage. The kids all went crazy and then were fascinated watching.

After the zoo, the Hills went home and we took the kids to the train, which was great. For $2.75, you get to ride the train all around Hermann Park (at least a 15 minute ride). We all loved it. Eliana was a riot. Whenever we stopped, she wanted to stand up in her seat. As soon as the train started moving again, though, she instinctively knew she should sit down.