Here are some of the conversations and comments I hear on a daily basis. Enjoy!

"Every time I feel a little buzz on my foot." - Emma, referring to how her feet feel in her boots...I think.


"I am going to cut your nose."
- Emma, when she was mad at me. I still have my nose, in case you were wondering.

"You are a trash can!"-Emma
said to me, once again...she did apologize after i burst into tears.

Me: who will help me clean up?
E: I'll do it
K: Me too
E: Me three
K: Me four
E: No your 3 and I am 4
K: oh Yeah
E: Wait your two
K: oh Yeah!
E: And then I ll be five and you'll be three And then I'll be 6 and then one day you will be 6
K: I am not sick, I happy!"

"Every time my lips dry out, I make them wet again." - Emma

"Two boys in class threw up today. One threw up, then another boy saw him and threw up too. One had green throw up and the other one had orange."
-Emma,
was this necessary for me to share? Nope, not at all, but I figured since I had to hear it, someone else should too...

"Don't take my burgers."
-Kolbe, as I was trying to wipe his nose. Gross

"I need towel on my neck!!"
- Kolbe, towel needed to clean off the chocolate pudding, of course.

"I think I need to take your coins from your wallet to fill my piggy bank up." - Emma

"Kolbe's diaper is so stinky I think that is why Joshua is crying."
-Emma
I don't think that is true, but that is why I was crying....

"I just found a snail shell! I am going to go put it in my snail collection."-Emma
Snail collection????

"Your eyes look spooky."-Emma
It's very humbling to have your daughter comment on the dark circles under your eyes...

Dan was teaching Kolbe how to play basketball.
Emma: "I want to be the middler."
Dan:you mean play center?
Emma: Yeah, wait, no I want to be the man in the middle who holds the ball up.
Dan: Oh you mean the referee?
I like "middler" better...

I have to add a quote from my almost two year old nephew, Joe. He walked over to me grabbed my hand and with a serious face said:
"Stand up."
And stand up I did. Will the real Slim Shady...

And my favorite:
"Oh, you're right, mommy."
-Kolbe
YES. I. AM.

Have I mentioned that I am so excited for Emma to wear a uniform to school next year?! Every morning we battle about what she picks out to wear. I have finally given in a little, as long as she passes the modesty test, she is good to go.

Here are a few Emma originals:

So here she is wearing her tinker bell pjs with a skirt on top and note her neon socks that don't match...quite lovely.



Here is Emma in one of my t-shirts with one of hers on top. Add some leggings and boots and she is ready to go. Don't forget the bear hat that Uncle Alex purchased for her all the way from Austria. And yes, she really did wear the hat to school.





My favorite part of this ensemble is the little red jacket that she wore when she was 18 months old...



And finally here she is ready to take on the rainy day- complete with jacket and boots. She has on a pink shirt with a white v-neck on top and turquoise leggings to complete the outfit.


Yes, there are days where I really want to control her and make her wear an outfit that actually matches... or fits her, but I have to keep reminding myself that she is 4 years old and it just doesn't matter. She is so full of life and I love that she is confidant in who she is. I pray that she always stays that way. Thank you, Lord, for our little fashionista in the making and for all of the joy that she brings to our lives!

I am one of those people that has to arrive places 10 minutes early. Well, this is nearly impossible once you have babies. There is always something that happens right as we are heading out the door, whether it is a dirty diaper, a missing shoe, a lost doll that just has to come with us, or my keys have been misplaced. I have had to come to terms with not always being early or even on time.
Today was Emma's Thanksgiving feast at her preschool and all I had to bring was a bag of chips, Fritos to be exact. Those are Emma's favorite and that is what she volunteered to bring. So Fritos I had to get.
I had Joshua ready to go in his carseat by 10. I had an hour to get to the grocery store, go home, unload, and get to Emma's party. All I had to do was get Kolbe dressed.

And that's when I lost control of my situation. I was at the mercy of a constipated two year old who would not get dressed until his problem was solved... So I sat down on the floor next to the babe in the carseat and waited. I knew all of my years of cheerleading would come in handy one day as I began rooting for my son. "T-D, we want a touchdown." "S-I-N-K, Sink it!" And so on...
At 10:39 he was done, meanwhile I had taken crying Joshua out of carseat, fed him one more time and cleaned up the spit up on my pants. So I quickly changed his diaper and we were leaving the the driveway at 10:43. I had just enough time to run in the store with both boys and buy a bag of chips. Imagine the pain and torture I felt while being in the store knowing that I didn't have enough time to buy anything else that I needed. So frustrating. We finally made it to Emma's school at 11:04. And seeing the smile on her face when we walked in with her chips made the previous hour so worth it.


So to sum this little post up:
I am thankful for humbling experiences and for moments that remind me that I am not in control- but God is.
I am thankful for the joy my children bring to my life.
And I am thankful for Dan's leftover piece of cheesecake that I just devoured- sorry sweetie... ;)
Happy Thanksgiving!

On Thursday, November 8, my grandmother, Bernadette "Chubby" McAleer, passed away. She was the loving wife of Joe McAleer (you can read about him here) and mother of 7 children, 20 grandchildren, and 33 great-grandchildren. Over the past few days I have been reflecting on her life and what she taught us all. I believe her greatest gift to this world was the way she lived out her vocation as a wife and mother. Her vocation was her path to Heaven. Grandmommie grew up and continued to live her life as a devout Catholic. She went to Catholic school and then said "yes" to the boy next door (literally), who was the love of her life.

They both said yes to life and God's will for them by welcoming seven children into the world. She spent the rest of her life cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, giving hugs and kisses, and sharing laughter and tears with her family. She prayed often and always offered up any suffering up to God. She had a strong devotion to Our Lady and to the Eucharist.
During her final days, she had her children by her side. Early Thursday morning, around 2 am, her children were called to come say their good-byes. She was showing all of the signs that her time had come. After they all kissed her, they went into the other room, made some coffee, and prayed, reminisced and laughed together as they waited. Around 5 am, the nurse went to update them and told them that all of her color was back and that their voices and the sound of their laughter were keeping her here. After all, she was and forever will be their mother. Her life's work was raising them and then supporting them as they had families of their own. For the rest of the day, her children quietly prayed and at 1:58 p.m., right after they finished a Divine Mercy Chaplet, Grandmommie took her final breath. And then, simultaneously, her children applauded her. Her life was beautiful and so was her death.
Grandmommie's life was simple, but full of love. She was and will continue to be a role model for me, especially as I continue my path as a wife and mother. I am sure there were many hardships and I know she wasn't perfect, none of us are. But I know that if she fell, she got back up and when her time to leave this earth came, she was ready. The story of her death also reminded me of what is important in this life. There is that old saying, "You can't take it with you." At the end of her life she had given away most of her possessions and what she had left was the love and support of her children, their spouses, her grandchildren, their spouses, and her great-grandchildren.

She and Grandpa gave us many gifts. They were full of life and knew how to have fun. They gave of themselves and were generous beyond measure. The best gift, however, is knowing that they are now both up in Heaven praying for all of us. Blessed John Paul II said, "Do not be afraid to become saints." I am so grateful they weren't afraid and I pray that my family will live the same way.

A few thoughts of this tired mother...

1. Babies do not get the whole time change thing. Good morning, Joshua, at 5:15. And then we were out of coffee. Hello, Monday!

2. This morning I got in a clothes battle with my 4 year old daughter. Seriously?? She changed outfits three times and what she finally decided on was a dress that is now too short. Then I had to bring up the whole modesty issue. And I still was without coffee. I finally won the battle- but the war is not over.

3. Yesterday, between the two boys, I changed 7 stinky, dirty diapers. That is just wrong. Potty training the two year old begins...tomorrow.

4. I am working on decorating the kids bathroom. Right now the walls are white, the frames on the wall are crooked, and yesterday I was motivated to come up with a game plan. Here is a sneak peak of one of one of my paintings for the room:

Have I mentioned how much our family loves Peter Pan? ;)

5. Dan was gone the whole weekend, working at a retreat. He is taking most of the day off today. Hooray! Oh happy day.

6. Does it bother anyone else that most stores don't open until 10? I have been up since 5 and I can't run the errands that are on my list until 10. By the time 10 rolls around, we are going to be ready for naps or lunch or something. Craziness.

6. Confession: After I took Emma to school, I did go pick up some Starbucks coffee...which I happily enjoying now. hello, Monday!

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em...