School is soooooo COOL

The first day was August 20th. Mary Claire is now in 3rd grade and Frankie is a bonified 1st grader. He's no longer on the bottom rung. He knows the names of most of the staff, he's got the lunch routine down (complete with charming a lunch lady) and is aware of which teachers are lax on recess duty, and which ones think climbing UP a slide is for some reason dangerous. So full of importance was Frankie, on that first day. He had a leg up in the world.

I've come a long way myself. No tears, no self-doubt or second-guessing. Just darn happy to see them off. The end-of-summer scuffles between the two were getting to be more that I could handle at times.

The bus comes at 7:15am. No bother... it's NEVER too early to get a couple kids out the door.




Michael started Kindergarten this year so we met him at the bus stop.

and their off.....

The house is so quiet now. Molly's adjusting to her new status as an only child for nearly 9 hours every day. She gets a bit clingy, like I'll disappear next if she doesn't keep an eye on me. At least one of us is watching the other.

Summer Fun comes along....

The trip to the Lake and the beautiful weather since has us outside every day!

Mary Claire and her ice cream.

Frankie & Alyssa at the Lake. The "point" where the campfires take place.

The kids at the Waterpark on the way home.

Mary Claire at the Lake

Molly & the ice cream part one and two....

Frank & Noelle, looking smashing with nearly the same hair cut. As Noelle holds a long piece of grass in the photo...you know, for effect.

Frank with his signature sneaky grin. As adorable as ever....

That's all for now. Busy Busy summer. I'm sure to have more photos to share soon.

Frankies 6 !!

Frankie turned six earlier this month. All of his (first) cousins (on my side) showed up for hot dogs and ice cream cake! It was a nice day outside. Thank the Lord above, because all of the kids inside is like a recipe for the perfect headache. But we were on the patio and it was lovely.


Frankie blows out a grill lighter, as his mom purchased everything needed for the party and assumed she had some birthday candles. There were none to be found. He didn't seem to mind.

my silly smallish someone....

My Molly is at a very fun silly age. Making faces, acting "cutesie", posing silly, and just running around constantly. She's difficult to catch these days. Here's some Miss Molly from the past month.....

In her party dress on Mary Claire's communion day. Then she's taking off below... this is the view you usually have of Molly when playing outside... "catch me if you can"

Posing for the camera as she knows when she looks "pretty". Put anything in her hair or on her head... tell her she looks "boo-ti-ful" or pretty and she'll give you a big cheesy pose.

A trip to see Gramma Glynn and aunt Peggy. She got to play with her cousin baby Jack (above) and Gracie. As well as baby Jack & Gracie's toys. She got those sunglasses that day and they were a big hit. She knew they were "pretty".

At Frankie & Mary's school after the Kindergarten play. She poses for me above, then takes off!

Fun little Molly plans to run me in circles on our family vacation, coming soon. We'll post pictures of fun at the Lake after we get home and mom has time to recover from vacation!

Mother's Day 2008

A happy morning!

I woke up to find a garden fountain from my dear husband and babies. As well as a hand-made crown and necklace from Mary Claire and Frankie. A very happy morning. Jason then worked the rest of the day, but this blog is a place to show off. I will keep my personal feelings about that bottled up (for now) :)

First Holy Communion

Mary Claire received her First Holy Communion on May 4th.

It was a beautiful day. We held a reception at our house with many family and friends in attendance. Mary looked especially pretty and everything went smoothly.

Baptism

Frankie & Molly were Baptised Sunday March 30th at St Joseph's Church. We wanted to do it small and quiet, considering how long we had put it off. With Mary Claire making her First Holy Communion next month, this was something we had neglected far too long.

Joining us were our parents, our kids, their sponsors, and the sponsor families.

Here's a photo tour of the day...

My babies all dressed up. Followed by Frankie with his Godparents and his Baptism.

Frankie with Annie & Mike his new Godparents. Below he negotiates his next sleep-over.

MOLLY'S TURN!

Godmothers Allie, Stephani, & Tina hold Molly as she is Baptised.

She SCREAMED her way through it.

Parents and Godparents hold the candle above her as she receives a special blessing.

Happy again and posing with her "fairy" Godmothers.

A quick family picture taken at Oak Ridge, where we enjoyed a

very nice lunch with everyone who attended.

It was a very nice day and Molly behaved like an angel in Church and during mass. We had a bit of trouble chasing the little devil out of her but she did surprisingly well for her age. Frankie was "nervous" all morning. But when the time came, he put his trust in his aunt Annie (Jason's sister) and uncle Mike (whom he has formed a strong attachment) and leaned back with a seriousness appropriate to the occasion. It was a bit surprising and yet he made us proud, handling the whole thing like such a big boy. He even managed to behave with restraint at lunch to eat and visit and enjoy himself.

So now my youngsters are all devoted to God and The Church. Watch for your invitation ... we'll celebrate again next month as Mary Claire receives her First Holy Communion. We're planning a party at our house following the service on Sunday, May 4th. Please save the date!