7QT: Last day of September

It's Friday!  Here we goooo with Kelly and crew...

1)

My littlest man is 6 weeks old today!  What?!?!?!  He enjoys dining with mom, long walks with mom, burping with mom, and naps in the bassinet (you thought I was going to say with mom, didn't ya?).  We try to raise independent sleepers in this house :)

And he smiles! We love him so.

2)

For Eamon's Double Digit birthday, Phil took him and "the chosen few" to a trampoline park.  I stayed home with Maggie (she had a soccer game), Declan and Brendan and got lunch ready for their return.

The sun's in their eyes, but white background, soooo you win some, you lose some.

They had a blast!  Phil took lots of blurry videos of the fun, but nothing with quality good enough to repost ( and y'all know my quality standards are already extraordinarily low).  When they came home, they made their own pizzas:

Opened presents:

Eamon got an Amazon gift card, a Blitz ball, and that tshirt he says he's gonna wear A LOT :)

And made some wishes on a chocolate oreo cake.  

Then we sent them outside to burn off some of that sugar.  

3)

On his actual birthday, I asked him how it felt to be TEN before he went off to school, and he said, "Well I'm not ten yet".  He was born at 6:30 am, and it was 6:20 am.  Such a perfectionist!  For dinner I made him spaghetti and meatballs and we ate the other half of the cake pictured above. 

He got some more presents, including dollah dollah bills y'all (from Gammy and Grandpa, always the perfect gift!), soccer sandals, a Powerade water bottle (their requests always make me laugh) and a Dude Perfect tshirt (I didn't know what Dude Perfect was, but they do pretty cool sports stunts on YouTube, look them up!).  He didn't think he was getting any presents from us because the party was his present, but when your shy, sweet, holy son only asks to invite 2 friends for his "big friend birthday party", you can't help but want to spoil him rotten.  He's a keeper, that one.

This little dude is pretty perfect, such a wonderful son, always smiling and eager to please, and he's still gung-ho about becoming a priest.  He is loving soccer season right now.  Because of his fall birthday, he plays for a U12 team, and looks so tiny on the field!  But he's got skills, and begs to go to the big boys' U15 practices, so he ends up at four 1.5 hour practices every week.  No wonder he's so skinny!

4)

Thank you for your advice on the high cholesterol results I got back.  I never knew pregnancy/nursing could raise cholesterol, and I am going to my OB this afternoon for my 6 week checkup so I can talk about it more with him.  Besides, my morning oatmeal has been delicious, and I've added fish oil to my life.  So even if it's not dangerously high for too long, I'm hoping to get my normal levels lower.  Genetics are a bummer.

5)

In hopes of not losing the rest of my thin hair, I have started taking this collagen.  Even if it can't help my hopeless mop, it has 11 grams of protein in a 2 TBS serving, so I just throw some in my oatmeal and start the day off right!  I always try to have a healthy and filling breakfast because who knows what the rest of the day will bring!  Usually chips and chocolate.  

6) 

Inspired by Ana, I dusted off my 30 Day Shred DVD and have been working out with J and the girls.  I actually did 9 consecutive days at Level 1 and then couldn't fit in the tenth day.  Urgh.  You're supposed to do each of the three levels for ten days, but I'll just start up again today with Level 2 and hope I survive.  Once I memorize the routine, I just do it while I watch tv and time myself on my phone.  It's much faster that way (done in 18 minutes - no talking or downtime in between moves) and more flexible.  

7)

Look how beautiful our fish tank looks!

I took out the fish, then everything else out of the tank (threw away the plants) and scrubbed it, refilled it, added a turtle (hi Myrtle!) and a tree, changed the filter, and voila!  Let's see how long it lasts :)

And now I'm off to continue baking for this weekend.  So far I have one of the Baptism cakes and four chocolate chip pumpkin breads completed.  Only two more cakes and four dozen cookies to go!

It smells like heaven in here!  Have a wonderful baking, football watching OCTOBER weekend everybody!

7QT on a Sunny September Day

Joining Kelly on this gorgeous Friday...

1)

Eamon is turning ten on Monday!  My third baby to hit double digits, crazy!  When our kids turn 10 they get a special birthday - either a party with friends (we always do family parties otherwise) or a bigger-than-usual gift.  JP and Andrew both chose the gift route and got kindles and accessories.  Eamon is choosing the party with friends.  He wants to go to an indoor trampoline park and when I asked him for a list of friends to invite, he said "My siblings, my cousin Tommy, and Brad (a 7th grader he looks up to)."  That was it!  He is so sweet, he basically just wants his family there and I didn't think Brad would want to go to a 4th grader's bday party, but he's such a great kid and he said yes.  Eamon is thrilled.  It's all going down this Saturday.

2)

Allllllll week I have been trying to get both Declan and Brendan down for a nap at the same time, with no luck.  Today I finally did it and of course I'm too excited to sleep.  Urgh!  Hence, blogging.  Then cake making for the almost ten year old.

3)

Our fish tank is gross.  The water gets green so fast, and we have real plants in there that were supposed to help with keeping it clean, and a sucky fish who supposedly eats the algae to keep it clean, but we are as kermit as it gets in there.  It's not easy being green.  Poor Phil, who was adamantly opposed to the fish tank in the first place (it was a spontaneous purchase by the kids in a moment of weakness for me) has cleaned it out so many times since we got it.  It'll look good for a few days then start going green again.  What do we need to do to have a crystal clear tank??

4)

Someone on my IG feed recommended getting these jeans from Target, and said they run big so size down.  I took her advice and ordered two sizes smaller than I would normally to try and fit this postpartum body.  They came and were still a little loose in the waist.  They are a size six...What!?!?  If you're someone who wants to feel good based on the size jeans they wear, then these are your new bffs.  (You know we all do it).

You keep thinking you're a size 6, Mom :)

5)

So you know how I like to pretend that I'm pretty healthy?  I mostly eat pretty well and I love to exercise (especially in my new sneakers!). I get as much sleep as my schedule allows and I take my vitamins and drink all the water.  But somehow, my body is turning on me.  First I had the gestational diabetes, and when I went last week for a followup checkup, they discovered that although my blood sugar levels were fine, I have super high LDL numbers.  I told the Nurse Practitioner that my Dad has high cholesterol, and she said "Well, as of today, so do you."  I guess the LDL should be below 100 and mine was 198.  Eeeeekkkk!  It's never been above 100 before, so I think something else is going on...thyroid perhaps?  I'm seeing the OB for my 6 week checkup in a week and I'll ask him to run some more tests.  In the meantime it's all oatmeal and egg whites in this joint.  Is 37 the new 73?

6)

Have you guys been watching the new TV shows?  We enjoyed Kevin James' new one (just big fans of his comedy from The King of Queens days) and loved Designated Survivor with Jack Bauer Kiefer Sutherland, and finally really loved This Is Us.  That first episode was so good (after the initial opening shot.  Don't say I didn't warn you!)

7)

In case you ever wondered what life with six boys is like, it's a little bit of this:

Sweet kisses for "Mamma Mary"

and a whole lot of this:

Real booger included

And on that note (pun intended), have a wonderful booger-free weekend everybody!

Exercise: Before and After

Before:

I'm so tired

This house is a mess

The baby is so fussy

I just yelled at Declan for accidentally spilling my coffee

I'm a horrible mother

Time to change a poopy diaper

I really need to clean these walls

Kids are so rough on a house

I wish I had a housecleaner

And a nanny

And a cook

And a chauffeur

Being at home can be so lonely

But I don't want to be social either

I have to plan for the Baptism party...and shop...and bake...and clean

So much to do, no energy to do it

None of my clothes fit, guess it's maternity shorts yet again

How many poopy diapers can one baby make?

It's not even 9 am yet??

Help me Jesus!

Force myself to get dressed and ready for a walk.  Put Declan in stroller with some snacks and strap on Brendan in the carrier and head out.

After:

What a beautiful sunny day

I am so lucky to live in a nice and safe area

God created this world so beautifully

Declan is such a good boy in the stroller

Brendan is napping

All of my kids are healthy

My body is amazing...all these babies and I am strong and healthy

I should make the family a nice dinner tonight

I love my husband and kids so much

I am blessed beyond belief

It'll be nice to see everyone at the Baptism

Who cares what I wear?  It's not about me anyway, my baby is receiving a Sacrament!

I'm going to make myself a nutritious lunch today

And sit down and enjoy it

Wow its already lunch time!

Today has been awesome

I bet I can tidy up this house in 20 minutes, I'll do at the next nap time.  No big deal.

I have everything I need

I have everything I want

Thank you Jesus for this life

Exercise: Turning this mom's bad mood into a good attitude since 2002.

He Said, She Said

Looking in Andrew's backpack...

Phil: Andrew, why do you have two deodorants in your backpack?

Andrew: Because the middle school teachers say we stink.

Phil: But why TWO?

Andrew: I like to put on both to make sure I smell really good!

#obviously

~

After reading Green Eggs and Ham for the hundredth time:

Xander: Oh I get it now! I know why he finally likes green eggs and ham.

Phil: Why?

Xander: Because he ate them on a boat, and the salt from the water got on them, and salt makes eggs taste good!

#whydidntithinkofthat

JP got hurt two days in a row at school, both times by basketballs being thrown at him:

Me: What's going on?  Who's throwing basketballs at you?  Who should I beat up?

JP: No, Mom, it's just the sixth grade girls trying to get my attention.

Me: Why?

JP: Because they all have crushes on me.

#duh

~

Upon seeing some freshly baked cookies:

Xander: Yes, you can have a cookie!

Me: Huh?

Xander: Yes, you can have a cookie!  Now you say that in your voice to me.

#smartcookie

~

Discussing NFP options for the future:

Me: We can try the Marquette Model again...

Phil: That's how we got Brendan.

Me: Well, we can just have a Josephite marriage until we're fifty.

Phil: Sounds fun.  

Me: Or we could just get really ugly and find each other repulsive.

Phil: (Quietly singing as he walks away) "We're not gonna make it..."

#newthemesong

Driving in the car with the three eldest boys...

JP: (seeing a dead skunk in the road) Eeeeeewwwwww, skunk.

Eamon: (thinking JP had smelled the skunk) It's probably just your pits, JP. 

#goodguess

Recalling the time at school when the water got turned off due to a leak:

Xander: And then Mrs. S came to the cafeteria and said the water was back on and the bathrooms were working again, and I said "Woohoo, let's party!" but I should have said "Woohoo, let's POTTY!"

#missedopportunity

Declan: I Superman!

#nope

Life, Lately

Wow, life is big and busy yet small and slow right now.  My day seems slow and dare I say, boring-in-a-good-way, since giving birth.  I'm at home on maternity leave for 6ish weeks and it's just me, Declan, and "Baby Brendan" (always gotta say Baby in the official name according to the resident toddler).  Then everybody else comes home and we're busy til bedtime.

People always want to know how the former baby is dealing with the new baby, and Declan is killing it.  There's absolutely no jealousy, lots of helping hands, and he is relishing his new title of Big Brother.  Big Brother gets to eat lollipops and play outside and wear new sneakers, all the things that little babies can't do.  

Poor little babies ;)

Declan's pooping spot.  But don't ask him if he's pooping, or you will get a very angrily yelled "No I NOT!!!"

The big boys...

...that would be them, have soccer all the time.  Fine, not all the time, but with practices Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs, and games on Sunday, it feels like it!  Maggie and Xander have games on Saturdays (they are in two different leagues) and their practice schedules are to be announced. 

He doesn't hate it as much as last year.  #winning

 Having a newborn at the start of fall soccer season wasn't my best plan.  Oh wait, I didn't plan it :)

School began on the baby's due date (thank God he was a few days early!) and we now have:

An 8th Grader

A 6th Grader

A 4th Grader

A 3rd Grader

And a Kindergartner

2016-2017

I am very thankful that these five are all at the same Catholic school for the last year.  Next year, JP will be at our Catholic high school (where Phil and I work) and Declan will be in preschool with the rest of them.  One out, one in.  Once maternity vacation ends for me, Declan and Brendan will be going to a home daycare of one of my very best friends (hi Michelle!).  We are lucky to have a great place to send them to be faux mothered while I'm at work.  I will miss being with their little faces and bodies all the time though :(

Moving on to way less important things.

In order to feel productive, I have been napping waaaaaaay less than a postpartum mom should, and cleaning out dressers instead.

Baby Brendan was helping me clean and organize.

It just feels so good to get rid of kid's clothes.  The five school age kids all wear uniforms anyway, so how many t-shirts does a uniformed kid need?  The answer is ten.  Two jeans.  Six shorts.  Etc, etc, etc.

They all come home from school and want to hold Baby Brendan.  Of course I make them wash their hands/take a shower/change their clothes first because I'm growing increasingly neurotic about germs the more children I have.  More kids = more puke to clean.

So this is big news...

See that construction and those cute construction workers?  Well, we live in a two family house, and my parents are moving in downstairs!  They sold their house and are remodeling the entire downstairs before they move in for good.  We're all so excited!  My Dad is grateful that his hearing loss will come in handy when they live below our family of nine :)  Trust me, there's plenty of times when I wish I could just lower the volume on my invisible hearing aid too.

Seemingly overnight, the weather went from this:

...to this:

 And just like McDonald's, dadadadada I'm loving it!  The littles are awake, so see ya later!