In Summery: September & October...

September:
We started home school.  Everyone is eager to teach and to learn in September!  Soccer was still going on, and the season was a success.  The boys were blessed with a FANTASTIC coach.  They improved so much, and learned so many new skills.  They had practice twice/week, and games on Saturdays.  Surprisingly, soccer is pretty competitive at this age!  Henry scored one goal and therefore deemed the season a success.  Sean did not score, but he did not play much offense.  He was the go-to goalie guy, and saved many a game for us!  I can't tell you how many complements we received on his determination and raw talent.  Since I am already bragging, I will add this photo....it is of Sean heading the ball.  He did it multiple times after seeing it on TV!

William in action:

We took a trip to Bethlehem, PA, where my brother lives, to go to a Celtic festival.  It was fun, and the boys especially loved the Highland Games (throwing rocks and poles and stuff) and fried foods.  The bands were awesome and the downtown area was like a mini Seattle.  I am doing family photos there next year.  

We went to a farm that was hosting a free Fall festival for my birthday- it was very hot, but tons of fun for the whole family (see photo), just the way I like to spend my birthday.

I just found this photo of me multitasking just after feeding a baby

And here is a little video that I came across from back when we could just plop the babies down somewhere and they didn't move...

OCTOBER:

Josh took a "work" trip to San Francisco for a week.  While he did attend a few workshops here and there, he was able to spend some quality time with one of his close, child-hood friends, Doug.  Doug was a fantastic tour guide, and Josh really liked the city.  I am so happy that he was able to go, and have a great time, it was one of his highlights of last year.

Remember that garden we attempted in our back yard?  Well, we were slightly successful, especially if you count planting mint, which apparently takes over your entire garden and some of your yard.  It sure made our garden look green, and our yard smell good, but we will pot it next Spring.

Bulldogs Live Here

It's tough to watch Gonzaga games here.  Most games start at 11pm, which is past everyone's bed time. This season, however, we've taken advantage of having a DVR and taping the games that are on TV.  Then we let the boys watch the game the next day.  Sean and Henry have loved it, now know just about every starter's first and last name, as well as their number, and get into every play.  If body english and bouncing up and down can influence a game you're watching on TV, then we have a serious stake in this year's great season.

A month or so ago, a bench player for Gonzaga got some press for his air guitar after the team would make a three pointer.

This had a profound effect on Sean, and his version has become a staple move after winning a board game, beating his older brother wrestling, or winning in Wii.  It was funny for a while, but has reached a level of ridiculousness....which is still funny.  Now, it's not uncommon to see this after each bite of dinner Sean successfully eats or after finishing his favorite cereal....

The picture really doesn't do it justice.....wiggling fingers and tongue....makes us laugh every time.


On another Gonzaga note...they recently lost a close game to Butler on a last second shot.  We were up to it live...well, Jen woke up for the final 30 seconds...but the kids watched the taped version the next day.  We video taped them watching the last 20 seconds or so.  It was sadder than I thought it would be, but a great example of how invested our kids are in Gonzaga (and Nebraska on football days).  Enjoy.....

Guest Blogger:  Big Daddy

Another Birthday- still living in last year....

Late December, back in 2012, Henry turned 7!  Once again, it amazes me how quickly a year goes by.  My very first baby is seven!  I have many memories of when I was seven, and so it is weird to have a child an age that I can remember being.  Since Henry drew the short straw of being the "trial and error child" (AKA firstborn), each year of his life is a new adventure for us.  Some special things about our seven year old...
1.  He is desperately seeking to find a purposeful sense of humor- often times this renders him to be annoying, or results in a punishment, but once in awhile he successfully has us rolling.
2.  We are able to joke with him more- for example, he recently asked Josh if he had knowledge of a particular subject to which Josh replied obnoxiously, "I know, that's EEEEZZZZY, that's EEEEEZZZZY, I know, that's EEEEZZZY, SOOOO EEEEZZZZZY."  I asked the boys who Dad sounded like, and Henry burst out in a genuine laugh, grabbed his stomach while bending over and said, "I know, it's me, I do that."  ....and we all laughed.
3.  Henry has still retained some child-like innocence and will occasionally verbalize his precious thoughts...

"Mom, can we take other peoples' grace?"

He speaks very legalistically...a response of his to any sort of statement from somebody would frequently be, "True."  And, he often begins his conversations with, "Secondly...."

4.  Being a bit older, he can really appreciate the twins' milestones with Josh and I which inspires us to tell him stories of his younger years, and he LOVES this.  He enjoys looking at his baby album, and asks all sorts of questions about each one.  I love this, it is fun for us to remember and share fond memories of ours with him.

5.  Henry may deny it, but he is quite the little book worm, and I often find him reading the Bible or about the Saints, which makes my heart happy.
6.  Every now and then, Henry comes to me and tells me that he is making a sacrifice, like not riding his bike, or eating candy, etc just because he loves God.  He has no idea, but he inspires me.
7.  Henry is a HUGE help around here.  He sometimes comes to me and says, "Mom, what can I do to help?"  Be still my heart....as I try not to pass out, I thank him for his offer, and tell him that very question is one of the best questions he can ever ask a girl!  

We celebrated his birthday with a few of his friends at the bowling alley, and he was showered with love, and attention the whole day.

The next day we went to the ice skating rink to celebrate one of our little friends' birthdays.  It was the first time ice skating for the boys, and boy were they surprised!  Despite our warnings, they assumed they would be fantastic ice skaters, but after their first fall, about 1/2 inch into the rink, they had the looks of utter disbelief on their faces!  After a little pep talk, they dusted themselves off, and headed out again.  The rink had little "walkers" for kids, which helped a ton, and gave them a little success.  We survived the outing and they were pretty proud of their progress.  Unfortunately for me, the rink did not have skates that fit Josh, so I had to lace up and channel my inner Dorothy Hamill and get out there with the boys.  It had been years since I skated, and it brought back many fun childhood memories, but it was no easy task keeping three boys upright on the ice- I was tired!

Boy Talk...

Yesterday as the kids and I were all crammed in the laundry room bundling up for P.E. class, the following conversation took place:

Me: pew, somebody stinks

Sean: Sorry.  (I hear a very muffled) I arted...

Me Thinking: "did one of my precious innocent children say the 'F' word?  Where in the world would he have heard that???"

Me:  you did what?

Sean: I hearted.

Me: you HHHHHarted?

Sean: Yeah, it is like a toot, but your bottom doesn't make a noise, it just squirts out stink.

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, this left me wondering how the boys would react to a valentine that said, "I Heart You"???  Oh yes, they would die thinking it was the funniest thing they had ever seen, because that is right where their little boy senses of humor are at.  And, if any of you get such a message from any one of them, now you know what kind of love they are sending your way...

5 and Loving it (and I know, because he has been five for a long time now, since, like, last year)

Yes, we are jumping all the way back to August...
Sean's fifth birthday was celebrated multiple times this year which was a lot of fun, especially for him.  We were in Washington on his actual birthday, so prior to leaving, he opened all of the presents that had come in the mail, and he had a few days to enjoy them before we left.
Then, while in Washington, we spent his birthday with TONS of family and friends at an amusement park.  He was beaming the whole day...until the end.  Sean was pretty excited to try the big rides with Josh and Henry, but after his first "big" roller coaster, he spent the remainder of his time with me and the younger ones.  I am so proud of him for trying the big coasters, even though Josh had to hang onto him on one coaster because he started to sink under the seat and safety bar...maybe just a wee bit too small for that particular one!  The day was heading toward perfection, when "The curse of the Conways vacationing in WA" struck, affecting the birthday boy himself.  After hours of rides and playing at the water park, I took the four younger ones back to the kiddy area while Josh and Henry rode one last thrill ride before heading home.  You would probably think we were taking the safe option, but apparently the kiddy play area is not exempt from injury....while playing in a tree house, Sean and his pal had a head on collision.  She (yes, she) came out unscathed, but the birthday boy ended up being the proverbial "other guy"...bleeding profusely from his mouth, and his front upper teeth were all movable and rearranged something ugly.  Good thing I know a guy (we actually had our pick of any of the three dentists in the group, but since Josh is both Dad and dentist, I thought I'd just kill two birds with one stone)....I sent Josh a text telling him we needed a dentist.  And that, was the end of the amusement park, and the beginning of the dilemma to pull, or not to pull?

Even if you can't read X-rays, you can probably notice the fractures, as well as the gigantic permanent teeth that will erupt in the near future, and they might just take over Sean's whole face!

...We pulled (after a couple of days), and the birthday boy was thrilled that the Tooth Fairy, who was extraordinarily generous considering the circumstances,  found him at Papa's house.

 

(Before pulling) The next night we had a pizza and cake party at the lake house with 16 of his cousins and the rest of the Casey Clan showering him with attention.  He had a blast, and he loved his Spider Man cake.

Lastly, after getting home from vacation, he opened his big present from the family....a mini Foosball table.  It has been a ton of family fun for all of us.  He is also enjoying the privilege of chewing gum, a milestone that we reserve for the fifth birthday!  Lastly, I have to share a little story that explains this boy very well....
One afternoon after playing with football with his buddies, Henry announced to me that Sean had eaten a whole apple slice!  Yes, he is still an extremely picky eater, and since this was a first for him, I had to inquire further:  "Are you kidding me?!!  How?!! Why?!!"  In which Henry explained, "well, Paul told him that if he ate it, then he could be the captain of the football team today."  Thank you, Paul!

Our Favorite Things About Sean Michael:
William- I yike to pway bugs wif sean
Henry- My favorite things about Sean are that he is my brother and I love him.  He is always willing to help me with stuff and I like to play football with him.
Mom- Where do I begin?  Sean is an impressive little guy.  He is special for so many reasons- he is by far our most physical and active child (I finally had to threaten a punishment if he didn't stop "chest bumping" me every time he walked by me- which actually made me chuckle that he did that, but those unexpected bumps while holding a baby almost caused some accidents), and he is obviously very talented with sports.  Sean is a perfectionist (which I can easily relate to) and challenges himself to meet his self-made goals.  He has a very healthy competitive nature, and is most often a humble winner and gracious loser.  Sean frequently plays the "peace-maker" role with his brothers- meaning he usually offers to do what ever it takes to make everyone happy, and he has accumulated a wide range of friends- he can adapt his play to include the young, as well as hold his own with older kids.  This boy is one-of-a-kind great child.  I love you, Sean Michael!
Dad - My little athlete. You never cease to amaze me with your coordination, desire, and love for all things sports. How it's possible for someone to never stop bouncing from waking to bedtime and never get tired (though often quite sweaty) is beyond me.  You are the human version of the Energizer Bunny.  You compassion and selflessness, in spite of your desire to compete and win, are inspiring. You are my little Mighty Mouse.  I can't wait to see what the next 5 years bring.
Babies via Mom- we love how he makes us laugh by jumping up and down, he is so darn funny

December

What a wonderful month of December we had!  Last years scenario (months of living in a mouse-infested base hotel, without our belongings, in a new place, and me growing baby twins) felt a little more like Lent than Advent, so we made the most of our Advent season this year.  It wasn't too difficult  to put a little more effort into our spiritual activities, since last years Advent preparations consisted of me reading the book Unbroken in order to get me through the last week in that hotel.  I am already setting lofty goals for next year's Advent, because there is always room for improvement- right?,  so I am thinking something along the lines of decorating the house with purple and a splash of pink EVERYWHERE!!  I think that will be a great way to make these boys sufferrrrrrr help us enter into spirit of the season even more.
Okay, back to this year....we did all sorts of activities for advent, and celebrated numerous feasts, and then we broke down and started decorating the house for Christmas after Gaudete Sunday.  It was William's year to place the star on the tree.  He was excited and all smiles....

....until actually placing the star required more hands-free-elevation than he was comfortable with...

 ...so Henry willingly did the honors

Here is William leading us in our Advent prayers at dinner time one evening.  We were instructed to respond with "Holy Mary Mother of God" after William said, "goose".  He relished his leadership role, but unfortunately his time to shine was abruptly cut short...

I barely finished Ben & Sam's stocking in time! 

My brother and his friend, Helen, met up with us at Christmas Eve Mass and spent the holiday with us.  We loved having them join us and help eat some of the gigantic amount of food I made.  

Oh yes, I am still getting the kids matching the PJ's for Baby Jesus!!  Please don't tell them that they will hate that I did this to them some day- I am going to keep this going as long as I can.  I wish I had a better picture of the boys (non-blurry) from Christmas Eve, but I suppose I can get one since we are keeping the kids and the PJ's.

Christmas morning.  The babies had already tumbled down the stairs (kidding)...

Fireworks are illegal here, so Josh built a bottle rocket launcher for the boys and neighborhood kids to ring in the New Year...

If this is the first little project the Conway boys come up this year, I can only imagine what is in store for me for the remainder 364 days of 2013....pray for me!

On the night of the 6th, we did an Epiphany Blessing on our home.  The prayer was beautiful as we blessed each room in our home, but Henry and Sean could not let flying water (sprinkling of holy water) go untouched.  Once again, a competition erupted- this time it consisted of who could intercept the most holy water during the sprinklings.  Needless to say, they both came out a little damp, and hopefully slightly more reminded of their Baptisms- which will probably result in a more fervent commitment to reject sin, and a deeper more profound spiritual life????  I hope.

Have a Blessed and Holy Christmas and safe and joy filled 2013!

P.S. Are you tired of the background to all of my pictures being sterile white, yet scuffed walls?  Me too.  I hope to do something about it soon.  Maybe I will just paint it purple with an accent wall of pink, and then I will be all set for next Advent:)

My Life

Do you ever feel like a commercial could possibly sum up your life?  Not me, until I saw this little gem from Honda.  I am pretty sure the managers at the dealership were taking notes when we last had our oil changed on our Odyssey, because they made a nice little video about ME and OUR FAMILY, right down to the fine details of twin babies, chaos, and projectiles.  Enjoy!