Friday Quick Takes (on Saturday night)

After a short leave of absence, I am back on the computer joining Jen at Conversion Diary for Friday Quick Takes...

1.  We took a quick driving trip to Ohio to visit my sister and her family.  Although 11 driving hours each way with five children isn't the first thing I think of when I ponder fun things to do, but our time with them was totally worth all of those hours in the car.  The kids actually did very well in the car, so I really can't complain.  We decided to leave on Thursday after Josh got home from work, and just drive a couple of hours to "take the edge off" of the long journey.  Well, Josh and I got sucked into our book on tape (I'll get to that), before we knew it, it was 11:30pm and we had four sleeping children.  So, by the time we got checked into our hotel room, it was as if the kids had just had a really great power nap, and they were ready to par-tay!  Annnnd, because I am a minimalist, and knew my sweet sister had a second pack-in-play waiting for us at her house, I thought, "how bad can it be for the twins to share a pack-in-play for one night?"  I concluded that anything can be done for one night, and it would be foolish to waste car space on a second baby bed for a short night of sleep.  Oh boy was I wrong!  If you add up all of the factors against Josh and I getting any sleep that night- hotel, long & late power nap for kids, all seven of us crammed in a small hotel room, twin one-year-olds, etc...I really don't think that second cage-bed would have made much difference, but I tell you, I was cursing all things beds that night while AWAKE pretty much the whole d#$*^ night.

2.  With large quantities of coffee in our systems (mine and Josh's), the journey continued the next day without a hitch.  After arriving at my sisters, we were well taken care of, and we had a second baby bed!!  We hardly saw the three older boys the whole time because they were busy playing indoors and outdoors with their cousins.  They had the time of their lives, and begged us to stay in Ohio.  Their request was tempting, but since going AWOL is frowned upon, we denied their requests and journeyed home.  Plus, my sister needed to get her house back in order after the twins had rearranged everything.

3.  Speaking of the twins, we had the extra eight arms that we have been wishing for ever since they were born!  Ahhh, it was so nice to have a team of willing and capable helpers to give Josh and I a break from digging them out or off of various places.

4.  So, the highlight of our trip, and really the main reason for the journey, was to witness Abe and Jude's First Holy Communion.  It was beautiful, and they were the most handsome boys of the whole crowd.  My sister hosted a fantastic celebration afterward- good food, good fun and good company.
On this trip we confirmed that Ben LOVES animals.  We were able to spend some time with my sister's in-laws, whose house is the location of all of  their farm animals.  They have a cow and goats, and Ben was in awe of them all, and we almost couldn't prey his little fingers off of the fence to leave.  Ben also loved her dog and cat (at her house) and would squat down to talk to the dog as often as he could.  Sam, on the other hand, has a deep fear of dogs, but by the end of our trip would actually walk passed the sleeping dog to get to whatever he needed.

5.  So, that book on tape was, the book Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand.  I can't recommend it enough.  I actually read it back when... I was pregnant with the twins, living in the mouse-infested hotel for almost four months, after being without our belongings for five months, at which point the housing company told us it would be "yet another week" until our house was ready...and it got me through that last week of waiting.  It actually only took me a short time to read it, but that book really put my "hard times" in perspective, and all of a sudden I felt like I was in Disneyland compared to what the main character suffered through.  It is a true story, and is definitely one of the best books I have ever read, and Josh would agree that it is one of the top reads of the hand full of books he has read.
Thank you Schmiesing Family for hosting a bunch of sleep deprived, and loud, crazy Conways.  We always feel so welcome in your home, and it is so nice to visit a place that we are merely adding to the noise and fun, not creating it!  Also, thanks for the virus you sent us home with:)

6.  Hooray, we finished school for the summer!  The local schools do not finish until almost the end of June, so we will have a nice month of enjoying local amenities before the crowds hit.  To celebrate our hard work, the family went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse.  I have to say that our wild brood is usually very well behaved at restaurants, but this was not one of our better experiences- it was a combination of us and the restaurant both having an "off" night that made the evening a disappointment- some of the highlights were Henry cutting his finger with a steak knife while attempting to cut a peanut, and Ben throwing a plate on the floor which shattered loud enough to grab the attention of the entire place.

7.  Unrelated to anything else, Josh was given a day off of work yesterday as a "family day" which is just an excuse for a four day weekend, but we'll take it!  He signed us up for an invitation for a few military and their families for VIP status at the filming of the Today Show down on the shore for the Today Show's concert series featuring the band Fun.  As tempting as it was, I declined to attend with the three younger boys, so he and Henry and Sean left the house at 4:30am in morning and drove to the shore.  They had a blast and had front row standing for the boys' first concert.  The four of us stay-behinders enjoyed seeing them multiple times on TV.  William would wave and say, "Hi Dad!"  And then disappointingly say, "Why isn't he waving at me."

7 Quick Takes

Once again, joining the group for Friday Quick Takes, hosted by Grace....

Out of the mouth of babes....

1.  We took a family outing to one of our favorite locations, Costco, and after sampling multiple very sugar-filled samples and some shopping-boredom set in, the big boys began to get a little restless and started viewing the store as a giant jungle gym.  After Josh reminded Henry of proper store behavior, Henry responded with, "It seems like you are trying to take all of my fun away."

2.  Shortly after putting the older three boys to bed, Henry came down stairs and told us he wasn't able to sleep because there was something stinky in his room.  He was sent back to bed.  Shortly thereafter, William came down stairs.  When asked why he was down stairs, William replied, "Because I am stinky."

3.  In base housing, they do not offer garbage service, so we have to dispose of our own garbage at  centrally located dumpsters.  Josh asked the boys if anyone wanted to come with him for a "dump run"
William excitedly volunteered and asked, "Can I wear duck feet?"
Josh: Duck feet?
William: Oh, I mean bear feet

4.  Sean has been writing letters to anyone and everyone he knows lately, including myself.  I was enjoying reading this sweet letter from my boy who eats, breaths and sleeps sports, and then I saw the last line....

Although at times this may be true, next week in school, we will add the word "best" to his spelling list.

5. While Henry is reading a story to Sean and Will.....
Henry: "Sean, can you hold my water bottle for me?  Secondly, don't get your mouth germs on it."
Sean: "Sure.  Secondly, I tooted."

6.    The other day at lunch, after correcting William's verbal behavior multiple times, I finally said, "William, hush up!"  Without hesitation, he responded, "I hush down."

7.  This last one is from my babe, with a capital B....
I can't remember exactly how Josh and I got on the topic, but somehow I stated that I would not use the adjective "charismatic" to describe his personality.  After seeing disappointment on his face, I desperately tried to dig myself out of that hole by quickly saying that I have never really been attracted to "charismatic" people, and then went on to name a few people who I would describe as charismatic, and how I find them annoying or shallow.  I was still in the hole when I changed my approach by showering him with praises about how everyone loves the "strong, silent" type of man, which he totally is.  The damage was done, but my-perfect-in-every-way husband, has a great sense of humor, and sends me this text when our conversation was abruptly interrupted by a tired baby...

Go Big Red!

I'm hijacking Jen's blog to share THE highlight from the Red-White game yesterday.   For those who don't bleed Scarlet and Cream, the Nebraska spring game was yesterday....the final, big, scrimmage at the end of spring practice. Over 61,000 fans in attendance and, for the first time, thousands watching the TV broadcast, got to share an experience that goes well beyond football.  Enjoy....

7 Quick Takes

Catching up through Quick Takes...

--- 1 ---

So recently the boys were playing wildly in the house, which is totally normal and safe.  But all of a sudden I realized the house was quiet, which is anything but normal and safe, so I set out to investigate...which led me to the laundry room to find Henry and Sean hiding in the washer and dryer with the doors closed!  OH MY GOODNESS, I nearly had a heart attack!  That incident led to yet another rule in our home which forbids any hiding in appliances of any kind.

--- 2 ---

We fell victim to the gastroenteritis bug earlier in March, and forgetting that one son had yet to experience it, I made green waffles before Mass on St. Patrick's Day.

Shortly after Mass, this boy declared he did not feel well, and took off for the bathroom.  The poor kid did his best, but as Josh so accurately described the damage, "it looks like a leprechaun was slaughtered in here."  I spend my sabbath scrubbing that bathroom from floor to ceiling.  The good news is I knew exactly where I needed to clean, the bad news is that it triggered the OCD cleaner in me when I had to practically dismantle the whole toilet lid to get in every green nook and cranny.

--- 3 ---

Henry finished up a semester of art class.  He had a great time, and made some (in my unbiased motherly opinion) real masterpieces.  Here are some of his pottery pieces: a mug, bowl and "snack plate" (unpictured)

--- 4 ---

We often worry about William's ability to handle any sort of confrontation, or really, just life in general....after an altercation broke out in the back row of the van (where the three oldest sit) one boy was instructed to apologize to Will, to which Will replied, "if anyone thes (says) thorry (sorry) to me, I will hit them."  Another little concern of ours comes when we play an innocent little game of "Tell Me a Story" in which you look at a sweet little picture and make a story about it.  Whenever William is using his imagination, he somehow always works in a "jack knife" or "jail" into the story.  Recently, Josh said, "Don't you think it is kind of scary that Will looks good in black."

--- 5 ---

The Conway Crew did not take Gonzaga's ugly loss very well at all.  I will spare you the mourning and wailing details, because honestly, it still hurts.  But I will share a few little post-trauma details: Henry ran into the bathroom (about 20 min after the boys found out Gonzaga lost) while Josh was showering to inform his father, "Dad, Sean says he HATES Gonzaga, and he is going to get all of his Gonzaga stuff and my Gonzaga stuff and throw it in the garbage."
When we were leaving for Mass the morning after the game, we noticed something on the windshield-  A few of our kind neighbors had signed a sympathy card for our family.  Nothing like the love and support of good people when you are down, even if it was more of a joke while they were under the influence.

--- 6 ---

We were finally responsible enough to open bank accounts for the boys.  The lady who helped us was more than kind, patient, and helpful to the boys.  She genuinely answered each one of Henry's questions as to how the bank works, exactly which date to put on his deposit slips, where her desk decorations came from, etc, etc, etc.  She took her time with each boy, and let them count their money for her, and she even laughed without judgement when William, who 99% of the time is contrary just to be contrary, was arguing with his brother about what day it was and shouted his only form of proof to (incorrectly) defend his case for the whole bank to hear, "MY UNDERWEAR DOES NOT SAY TUESDAY."

--- 7 ---

Josh and I attended a fantastic one day marriage retreat.  To Josh's relief, it was more lecture from an excellent speaker, rather than all of the "fluffy" talk and discussion that you might normally encounter on a marriage retreat.  The speaker did a great job of quickly explaining many complex philosophical and theological, and controversial topics related to marriage.  His first talk started off with The Creation Story from Genesis, and how God had designed man, woman and marriage. He went on to explain how complementary man and woman are, and how Eve was the perfect companion for Adam (unlike the animals),  and how before the Fall, they were able to understand and communicate so easily by gazing into each others' eyes, and....well, that was when Josh leaned over and whispered, "So, I think he is saying we should do a lot less talking."

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Happy Easter!

 

7 Quick Takes- Catholic and Basketball is how we roll

My first ever time joining the 7 Quick Take Crew...

1.  Habemus Papam!  We are super excited about our new Pope, Francis.  I have to admit, I knew nothing about him, but I fell in love with him immediately, and I am very impressed with what I have learned about him.  The boys and I were able to watch all of the events on Wednesday live, and we were jumping, screaming and celebrating as if we were in St. Peter's square.  It was funny, because one of the neighbor boys was outside looking in our front window watching us go crazy when we saw the smoke, and he just started jumping up and down with us-  I guess it looked like we were having a great time, and we were.  I really hope the boys remember this amazing event.

2.  Like many other homeschool families, we had taken a leave of absence from our normal studies to put together some papal lap books inspired by Jessica.  This project was painfully crafty for me, but it ended up being tons of fun, and we learned a lot about the conclave and all things Pope.  Henry, Sean & William thoroughly enjoyed using the forbidden scissors for this project. We only had minor destruction- one shirt cut up and a few important papers shredded, and fortunately no haircuts this time.

3.  I have to keep reminding myself that Lent is not over.  After Wednesday's celebrating and excitement, I had almost forgotten we still have a few more weeks to go before the season of celebrating starts.

4.  The other night after dinner, Henry decided to say a "spinning rosary" which is apparently saying the rosary while spinning in circles- he always has to add some sort of thrill element to everything.  Why didn't I stop this, you ask?  Well, I think I was so enamored by the fact that my seven year old son decided to pray the rosary on his own while I did the post-dinner clean-up that I completely ignored the fact that he had just eaten and was spinning in circles.  Well, he was about half way through the first decade when I was rubbing his back with his head was buried in the toilet.  Honestly, I am impressed he made it as far into the rosary as he did before his stomach gave out on him.

5.  Basketball season is over for Henry and Sean.  They both had a great season.  Henry was much more confident on offense this year, scoring quite a few baskets, and utilized the jab step Papa taught him last Spring.  Sean would announce before each game that he would do a "trick"- one game it was a reverse hook shot (he was very mad that he had missed it), or shooting a three pointer, and another was dribbling between his legs at the top of the key- which got the whole crowd laughing and cheering.  He certainly does not lack confidence when it comes to sports.

6.  Do you remember last years March Madness?  Well, the madness has already started..the boys cannot wait until selection Sunday so they can get started on their brackets.  Our home has been infected with Zag fever, and we have it bad.  Can you believe the GONZAGA BULLDOGS are ranked #1!!  We have been able to DVR most of their games so the boys could watch, and my dad sent some playing cards of the team, so the boys are well educated on their favorite team.
I was finishing up a call with my brother when Josh walked in the door from work.  He asked who I was talking to, and I said, "Kelly."  Henry immediately jumped up and said, "Kelly Olynyk???!!!" (a star Gonzaga player).  "No, your UNCLE Kelly."

William fell asleep during a GU game holding David Stockton's card

7.  And number seven.....Josh recently told me that he has decided to take RCIA classes, and join the Catholic Church!!  I, of course, cried when he told me, and again almost every time I have shared the news with others.  All I am going to say is, if you ever have a special intention near and dear to your heart, the 54 day rosary novena will not let you down.  With Henry receiving his First Holy Communion, and now Josh, we are going to be celebrating a whole lot of sacraments next year!

Come join the Quick Take Fun

IT'S A TWIN PARTY!

I am not usually into throwing a party for the 1st birthday, but for some reason, I just had to do it for Ben & Sam, but honestly it was probably more for Josh & I!  Actually, we kept it simple, fun and we absolutely doted on our youngest little boys.

Thank you, Papi & Grandma!

We invited a few neighbors:

Our theme was "TWINS" and the decor was blue & green.  For some reason, I have always associated Ben with green, and Sam with blue so we spewed green and blue all over the house with a banner, balloons, and party supplies.   Most everyone dressed as a twin- Josh and I didn't get to finish our "twin outfit" but we were dressed as "Fertility Doctors" hee, hee!
We had food for the adults, and fun, simple food for kids-which included teddy bear shaped sandwiches that turned out a little funny looking:)  And of course, there were blue and green cupcakes and the twins got their own cake (in their prescribed color)!  We have never had much luck in the baby getting all messy devouring their cake, but these two did a fair job.  Whenever we onlookers erupted in laughter or cheers, they looked at us like we were crazy!  Just so you are not confused when looking at the pictures, after Sam had had enough of his cake, Ben requested it, so he enjoyed a little blue on top of his green.

A few disappointments aside from no pictures of the decor, our media entertainment (a LOOOONG slide show of pictures of the babies' first year) would not play on our TV, so we had to view it on the computer which was not in an easily viewable area.  And the other....while all in attendance had a great time together celebrating Ben & Sam's big day, the babies themselves did not care for all of the loud strangers in their home!  Apparently, they can be a bit shy, and I think they were happy when the party was over, and it was back to their usual, and comfortable chaotic surroundings.
I had meant to take a picture of Josh and I giving each other a "high-five" to commemorate not only our survival of the first year with twins, but because we really, truly embraced the past year which helped us not just survive, but ENJOY it!  God is Good.
I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me. 
Philippians 4:13