Journal: Disappointed

Outside: FINALLY....Spring has arrived!!
Vacation: Didn't happen. The night before we were to leave, the van died on the way home from Mass....was that some kind of message?? Apparently so, our mechanic wasn't open for 2 days and then after it was fixed.... the next day, the price to replace the fuel pump was even more than we had saved up for the vacation.
We were planning on spending 3 nights in Colorado Springs, we hoped to go to Garden of the Gods, Focus on the Family bookstore, Poor Richard's and It'z Pizza and a few local parks. Oh well, as it turned out, the weather for our drive home would have been treacherous. The hardest thing about it was looking at the kids right after coasting to a side street to try and restart the van and telling them we probably won't be able to go to Colorado. Eli hung his head and I could see streams of tears sliding down his cheeks, he tried to wipe them away so I wouldn't see, but it about broke my heart. He's my fellow vacation adventurer, we both LOVE to travel...probably more than we should;)

The Kids: Noah is starting his own Nerf repair company....it won't be super profitable, but I hope he learns some accounting, budgeting, advertising, and entrepreneurial skills.

Jonah: will be graduating from 8th grade and starting high school next year....at home.

Hannah: has been raking in the money for doing online research studies...she's made over $200 in the last year.
 
Eli: We couldn't really afford to have too many fun splurges since the van repairs were so much, but we took the kids out to eat....which is rare. We went to Hometown Buffet on Thursday night which happens to be Kid's Night, they give out balloons and cotton candy. I told Eli to grab a plate and help himself, and he asked me what he could have and I told him anything he wanted, you should have seen his face....he was so happy he started hopping up and down and giggling. I whispered to Don that alone was worth the $57.

Gregory: Has been Mr. grumpy pants, I think he must be harvesting his upper chompers.

My Birthday: I must be some kind of super athlete or something, because, while nursing Gregory, I sprained my neck....my Physical Therapist, called it an "acute sprain", isn't that the sweetest?? I tell you what, it hurts. That is to date, the strangest birthday I have had.

Don's Sleep: Don has been kind of wandering around in a daze from lack of sleep, so the Dr. had him do a home sleep study and guess what??? He has sleep apnea, so he will be fitted for a c-pap machine next week, hopefully, we will ALL get a better night's sleep. It has been confirmed, we are o.l.d.

In the Kitchen: nothing exciting...Don and I have been enjoying Mocha Frappe's.

Praying: For Bishop Jackels and his new appointment and for our future Bishop, for the people of Boston and Texas, for my SIL, for Noah who will be confirmed in May. We received our annual traveling image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, if we would have been on vacation, we would have had to pass her to the next family on the list. I was able to take the blessed image to a friend's house to pray the rosary with her for her mother who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

Finding Joy:  in God's providence...even though we didn't get to go on vacation, we were so thankful, the van died before we left...and now it's fixed, our blooming few flowers in the front yard, in my family...for better and worse;)

Photo Panel

Here is the photo panel I ordered online of Gregory's 6 month photos. I love that it's sturdy and unbreakable...which is a necessity in a house with 7 children!!

Gregory's 6 Month Picture

Gregory George Rohr 6 Months on April 10th

I don't have a scanner, so I had to take a picture of the picture. There were so many sweet pictures, but we opted for the promotional package only, from Portrait Innovations and later at home, I ordered a photo panel of a different pose online.

 I wish the background wasn't so pink, but I love the pose....especially the praying hands.

Journal: Shirley Temple

Outside my window: partly cloudy, it's been hard having any kind of clothing organization, with winter and summer-like springtime temps bouncing back and forth. Out the back window, we had our dead Birch tree cut down, such a relief!! Some of the large limbs were falling, so the kids were banned from using the backyard until it was safe again.

In the kitchen: Discovering salmon patties, the kids love them and I love they are getting some great Omega nutrients. Dying eggs and our egg shaped sugar cookies...YUM!!

Crafting: We paid Noah and Jonah to strip the wallpaper and paint the little boys room. It's now sporting a black and khaki neutral decor.

The kids: Noah: somehow strained his neck while doing math and can hardly turn his head! He must get his talents of self-injury from me!

Jonah: is loving the Bible mini epic series(History Channel) we purchased for them as an Easter gift. He has been comparing the episodes with the Bible.




Shirley then

 

Shirley more recently

Hannah: has been into Shirley Temple since reading, Heidi and Rebecca of Sunnybrook farm and then watching the movies on youtube. She found some paperdolls I had purchased years ago in storage and has been spending a great deal of time with them. I purchased a few books off of thriftbooks about Shirley Temple, she is(still alive at 85 years) an amazing person who served as US ambassador for 2 countries and was the Chief of Protocol. Wow!

Eli: along with the other kids, adores his baby brother and is convinced he can talk...Gregory babbles Mama, and Buh-buh(brother...of course!)

Benny: I downloaded a Looney Tunes phonics program that he absolutely loves and it's helping him with his reading. I highly recommend it!

Charlie: was eagerly anticipating Easter and asked me everyday, "How many more days till Easter?" He came up to me the other day and said, " Somebody better be a policeman when they grow up, because I'm going to be a robber when I grow up." I said, "Charlie, being a robber is a big sin." He said, "I know, Mom, I'm actually just going to wear the costume."

Photos to share:

Enjoying the nice weather.




Taking the high chair for test run.

 

Gregory: is growing and changing so much, he will have his first set of pics taken on Friday at Portrait Innovations.

Thinking/Praying about: balancing time for our immediate family and serving others/volunteering commitments. Continue to pray for family members who are suffering so much, Pope Francis, Bishop Jackels intentions...seems like the one for more moisture is being heard, Praise God!

Finding joy: in the Resurrection of our Lord...Alleluia!! In gathering together with family and friends, in anticipation of our impending family trip, savoring the french mints Don bought me for Easter, relishing the sweet comfort of holding a sleeping baby and bitter sweetly watching my older children grow up and up and up!