Week in Review: This One's for the Kids

Let's do this by child, youngest to oldest.

Brendan (age 5) has been taking swim lessons and has no fear.  "Mom, the other kids in my class were too scared to jump off the diving board, so I said that I would go first." He's the type of kid that is confident yet humble, and can totally relax his body in the water and take instruction well.  He certainly does not get that from me, I am tense and like a lead weight in the water.  Brendan is loving Kindergarten and reading like crazy.  This morning he asked me (again) if he can get a trumpet when he gets older and I replied (again) that "we shall see", hoping that dream will die soon.  He likes to pray for the souls in purgatory since most people forget about them, has taken to saying "yes mom" and "yes dad" right away when we ask him to do something, and is generally the best little guy ever.

Declan (age 7) runs to greet me at the car door when I pull in from work each day.  On this day, he had been boxing with his big brothers on the trampoline.  He would live outside if he could!  Declan is taking swim lessons right now, and unfortunately has my nervousness around water, but is making huge strides with each session.  We heard a homily recently where the Deacon talked about how he and his siblings used to always hug their parents and say "I love you from the bottom of my heart", and wouldn't you know that Declan instituted that practice from that moment on.  Multiple times a day, we get bear hugs as he looks into our eyes and utters those words, what a sweetheart.  He really appreciates the little things in life and is so grateful, so you betcha the leprechaun had to turn the milk green for Declan to find yesterday.

Xander (age 10) started Competitive Swim this season, and even though he fought me on it, he likes it now.  He is practicing for his first in-person piano competition next month.  He's competed for the last two years, but they have been virtual due to the pandemic.  His category is "Piano Advanced Non-Classical 10 Piano Jazz, Rags, Blues" after deciding he wasn't quite ready to compete with the classical song he's ben learning this year.  The accordion is also gathering some dust until after the piano competition.  Xander is very excited to get braces soon, now that all of his baby teeth have fallen out.  He continues to keep everyone around him in stitches with his quick wit.

Maggie (age 14) competed virtually in the Regional Science Fair after winning first at the school level, and came in Second Place!  Her face when we found out she won, such a mix of embarrassment and pride:

I think this means she goes on to States next?  Maggie is finishing up volleyball at the beginning of April and has started running more to get in shape for track.  She is striving to be Valedictorian of her 8th grade class and just really puts her all into everything she does.  Next up is mastering a pretty and delicious layer cake, which seems to elude us both.  Our family just wouldn't run as smoothly without this girl.

Eamon (age 15) and seen in the photo with Maggie, excited for her win, just had his first job interview and got the job working at the same ice cream shop as his big bros this summer.  He already works at the grocery store, but never had to interview for that one.  Eamon is working on his 9th grade science fair project about how smell affects taste and all I know is that there's a lot of juice and nose plugs involved.  He has decided not to play tennis this year in order to be more available at the ice cream shop when it opens later this month, which I think is a very responsible decision.  Eamon gets straight A's, accompanies Phil and I to Adoration each week and tries his hardest at everything.  He is funny and always up to play a game and generally so easy to have around.

Andrew (age 17) is somewhere in that photo with his friends when they all went skiing last weekend.  As a mom, I always felt guilty that my kids couldn't have opportunities other kids had, like skiing, because we just couldn't afford it.  And then they grow up and get those opportunities with friends and family and it goes to show that God provides!  Andrew just signed up for three AP classes for next year, which surprised us because he is a quiet and hard-working good student, and I think he has really come into his own this year.  It helps that he wants to be in classes with his friends, and his friends are smart.  He is looking forward to working again at the ice cream shop and having cash in his pocket.  Andrew set up a March Madness competition for our family and has been eagerly following the games and scoring our brackets, as well as the brackets of students at school as part of a Junior fundraiser.  He is organized and puts himself to bed early and works out daily and is a very disciplined young man with a sarcastic humor that I appreciate.

John-Paul (age 19) is home this week for Spring Break and went and got a haircut like a good boy (he's in the gray sweater in front of the fridge) and is dressed in a shirt and tie because he had just come from working at the grocery store.  We had a fun St. Patty's Day dinner with some family and a priest downstairs at my parent's last night.  First we sang, then we prayed the rosary, then we feasted on Shepherd's Pie, salad, Irish bread and a Guinness Chocolate Cake.

But back to JP.  Before he came home from college, we told Eamon to mention at the grocery store that JP would be home and available to work this week.  They put JP on the schedule Monday through Friday for 8-9 hours each day!  He was not too thrilled with us, but he will appreciate that money when he heads back to Franciscan.  Besides, what else would he be doing while we are all at school and work each day (she typed trying to assuage her guilt)?  

*story time*

On Wednesday, he went on his lunch break and bought some sushi and headed to the break room when a woman collapsed in front of him.  He said he dropped his sushi on the ground, yelled out "I'm an EMT" and rolled her on her side and pulled her tongue from the back of her mouth.  She had a seizure and he could see she couldn't breathe before he moved her tongue.  Then she breathed and spit blood (she had bit her tongue) and it got on JP's sweater and shirt.  He said she was even crying blood.  JP said he was rubbing her back and talking to her when two ER nurses who happened to be in the store ran over and said "We got this" as they eyed the teenage grocery store worker, thinking he didn't know anything.  Ha!  When the ambulance came, JP left the scene and got a fist bump from his manager.  See?  If he hadn't been put on the schedule for so many hours, who knows what would have happened to that woman?  There, now I feel much less guilty.  

JP is working so hard this semester at Franciscan, with a really difficult course load including three science classes each with a lab.  He is thinking about adding a Chemistry minor to his Biology major, as he loves chemistry and it just makes sense to him.  He found out this week that he was accepted to go to Austria next semester (some kids got on wait list) and we are praying that it will happen.  The pandemic taught us to plan but be prepared to be disappointed, and what's happening in the Ukraine is no different.  I hope he gets to go travel abroad and have the best time in his life, he deserves it.

Good thing I only have seven kids, because that was a lot!  Have a wonderful weekend everybody, don't forget to break your Lenten fasts to celebrate Saint Joseph tomorrow!!