Trouble - With A Capital P.

You read about the Tree-Climbing Incident.

Well, it's not just trees.

He'll climb anything.  He loves to climb up along the outside of the staircase and pretend he's "fixing" the ceiling with his toy tools.

He recently discovered (through observation) that Regina's closet can be scaled.  Now he climbs up to that shelf and throws all the stuff down to the floor whenever we forget to latch the door.

Notice how they threw down all those dresses to make room for their acrobatics.

Sleep Tight.

This is what I woke up to one morning.  It's no wonder Andy is always tired!

Still with the blankie and the fingers...

Swim Season 2016.

Theresa, Natalie, and Noelle all joined the swim team for the winter session.  Theresa loves swimming, and although the twins could swim before, they now know all the basic strokes.  Natalie learned how to dive off the blocks, Noelle improved her diving, and they both learned the underwater flip turn.

Minor Mishap.

A couple of weeks ago, I backed into a tree branch and busted out the rear access window.  

The bad news:  $1300 in damages.

The good news:  We got to drive a 2016 loaded Dodge Durango while the repairs were being made!

Happy Easter!

Holy Week was, as usual, relentlessly busy.  Holy Thursday is always crazy because we celebrate the Passover with a Christian Seder meal (complete with lamb and matzo) before we go the the Mass of the Last Supper.

We usually dye eggs between 12 and 3 on Good Friday, but I always felt funny about it since it's not a quiet, somber activity.  So this year Andy and the kids made their Easter Bread on Friday morning, and most of the hours between twelve and three o'clock were spent reading the Passion, praying a rosary, and coloring pages of Passion scenes.  Then at three o'clock we went to a communion service, and watched the stations at seven.

Holy Saturday we dyed Easter Eggs, and Sarah made it in time to color a few.  

Andy's parents always host dinner on Saturday night, and three out of the four boys made it in.  The cousins always have fun reconnecting!  Andy and Conor had roles in the Vigil Mass, but the rest of us hung out at Pap and Mam's until it was time to go home, set out the Easter baskets, and go to bed.

Sunday morning, the kids were up at five a. m.  because they were so excited to check out their Easter surprises.

This year the girls loaded each others' baskets with more presents than I got them.  I had to rearrange everything just to find room to put my surprises!  

Then we prepared and delivered dinner for 36 shut-ins, because the soup kitchen was not open this week.  After that we went to a Tridentine Mass with a bunch of friends, and had a pot luck afterward.

They Drive Me Up A Tree.

Last week we had some beautiful weather, so I sent the kids outside to play.  Philip and Regina went outside first, and I expected that they would just stay in the yard until the older girls joined them.  But they had been out for only a few minutes when I got a Feeling...not a Bad Feeling, just a Feeling, so I told the twins to hurry out to check on the kids.

Fifteen seconds later, one of the twins galloped back down the sidewalk, burst through the door, and exclaimed, "Philip's in the tree!"

He had seen one of his sisters use a short ladder to get into the swinging tree out back, so of course he tried it himself at the next opportunity.  Poor Regina - she was torn between wanting to go get help, and not wanting to leave him by himself up the tree.  Thankfully his guardian angel came to get somebody!

The harbinger of bad news took a camera back with her to document the event, whilst the other twin stayed close by with a steadying hand.  The tree is only about five feet off the ground.

He's such a little stinker.

After we extracted him from the tree (and hid the ladder), it was time for a photo shoot.

Natalie

Regina & Noelle

Playground Fun.

Today was such a beautiful spring-like day that we cut the schoolwork short and went out to enjoy it!    I even saw numerous large flocks of geese heading north again!

Gina (5) being pretty.

Gina being normal.

Philip (2) absolutely loved his first ride on the seesaw.

Course Mom had to do all the pushing, or else he'd be stuck 5 feet off the ground.

Noelle (top) and Natalie, 9 yrs old.