12 on Holy Thursday

Declan Kolbe turned 12 years old on Holy Thursday this year, which was much better than the Good Friday birthdays he's had in the past!  

#6 turns #12

He woke up, told me he felt a little taller, and found some nice gifts from his siblings.  Siblings love to buy each other candy:

We stopped for donuts on the way to school, and Declan said he was "feeling a plain glazed donut" so that's what the birthday boy received.  On their birthday, the kids get to dress down at school, which is much appreciated by uniform wearers.  We gave Declan a new shirt of his favorite soccer player to wear, and he wanted to pose like Messi:

He served at Stations of the Cross at school:

And chose chicken parm for dinner, which Phil and I were happy to make:

Birthday tulips for me :)

Time for presents!  Gammy got Declan some cool soccer crocs...

...which we realized fit her feet as well!

We bought him an Owala water bottle that he wanted:

Then sent him on a scavenger hunt with 12 clues to find his big gift:

(Video courtesy of Maggie)

Cake time!  the birthday boy wanted a vanilla sheet cake with chocolate frosting, and what the birthday boy wants, the birthday boy gets!  Especially when he is the sweetest, most grateful, kindest little guy I know.

Xander was feeling sick and had to miss the party, but Declan still had some siblings to celebrate with in person and on facetime with his big brothers, who promised a gift is coming in the mail!

Nana and Gramps also sent a gift in the mail, a silver crucifix necklace that Declan was super excited to get.  The bonus was that Deacon Gramps blessed it already!  

Declan, we love you so much!  When we went around the table at dinner, each saying "one nice thing" about you as is our birthday tradition, we had to stop ourselves from saying ten things each.  You are a joy.  You have been the so easy and so adorable since you were born.  I would (and still could) stare at your cute face all day.  You share so nicely with all and are a great friend to your buddies, always putting others first.  You were thrilled to lose your last baby tooth so that you can get braces soon.  You love all things sports and outdoors, and we cannot get you to gain weight because you are always on the go!  You love to play catch with Dad and come on dog walks with us so you can talk our ears off without anyone else interrupting.  You are certainly a yapper at home, though those who don't have the privilege of knowing you think you are shy.  You are growing in confidence and getting less anxious as you do.  You have had to struggle with misophonia but I can see how hard you try to not react as you mature each year.  You love our faith and always try to do the right thing so you can get to Heaven one day.  You thank us a million times for any small gift or favor you receive, and are the first to jump up and help when we ask.  Declan means "full of goodness" and "man of prayer" and you were certainly named perfectly.  It is an honor to know you and grow you and we thank God for you everyday.  Happy birthday Declan Kolbe!!

Week in Review: One Thing Leads to Another & Kentucky Concerts & Answered Prayers

Happy Friday!

April Fool's ;)

It's only Wednesday but I figured I better get this week's post written out before the Holy Week activities start.

Last Friday night, Declan and Brendan participated in the Living Stations at our church.  There was one scene that had both Joseph (Declan) and Simeon (Brendan):

The next day we went to the Palm Sunday vigil, and I thought our church looked so nice and tastefully decorated:

Remember how Phil has been painting the baseboards and trim in our house?  Welp, as these things go, once that job was done, the doors looked a little dull and dingy, so those were his next project.  Luckily we still have a couple of kids he can Tom Sawyer into helping:

Week in Review: Birthday Queen, Cardio Queen and Things Inbetween

Happy Friday!

Yesterday was my mom's 88th birthday and we went to get our nails did to celebrate the birthday girl:

Declan's card was so sweet: "Dear Gammy, Happy Birthday!  You have the best smile and laugh and you always bring me joy when I see you."

Declan and Brendan tried an introductory Jiu Jitsu class this week.  Before we left, Maggie called out encouragingly "Go jitsu some jiu's!" and we just shook our heads.  

Declan, who could benefit from the confidence-building, decided against it and Brendan, who is built like a brick, wants to take the lessons.  Methinks it's mostly because he's excited to get a mouthguard and an athletic cup, eww.

Easter is Coming - Hop to It

Reposted from last year for a little Easter gift-spiration :)

I learned a long time ago to throw all of the Easter Basket goodies into one laundry basket instead of making individual baskets.  It means you can give shared gifts and buy bigger bags of candy and I use it as an excuse to get a new laundry basket (and get rid of an old cracked one) each year!

Paint by Sticker Book - such a great boredom buster that's not messy!

The Action Bible - the way my kids pored over this graphic Bible was intense

2025 Guinness World Records - we get the updated book each year

2025 Year in Sports - to give kids more "Did you know..." info

Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac - a certain someone will love getting this

Human Anatomy Coloring Book - for the nursing students and med school students in your life

Set of Markers + a Sketch Book

Kit Kat Bunnies - I've never seen a bunny version of a Kit Kat!

Warheads Chewy Bunnies

Reese's Eggs

Dove Chocolate Bunny

Cadbury Mini Eggs (Phil prefers the Dark Chocolate variation)

My favorite mints

Action Bible Guess it Game - a great car game

Window Herb Garden - Spring is the perfect time to get those herbs growing

Kids Electric Toothbrushes - to compensate for all the extra sugar ;)

New Water Bottle - always immediately loved

Bubbles - no matter the age, these get put to good use

Sidewalk Chalk - for the budding artist

Flower Hair Clips - so cute!

Saint bracelets - my boys love wearing bracelets like these

Anything you are hopping hoping to see in your Easter laundry basket?

Week in Review: Gaelic and Garlic and Lessons in Humility

Happy Friday and Happy First Day of Spring!

This is my favorite week of Lent every year, when we get two cheat days for St. Patrick and St. Joseph!  

Our kids are both Gaelic and Garlic so it's fun to celebrate our heritage (mostly through food).  We had chicken tenders and a green salad and potatoes for the Irish side and then Chicken Vodka Pasta with salad and rolls for the Italian side.

Maggie got the kids Shamrock Shakes on St. Patty's Day and they had Snickers ice cream bars for St. Joe while Phil and I indulged in my new favorite ice cream, Coffee Biscoff Swirl.  It's dangerously delicious, and will be having a permanent home on our menu. 

We took the youngest three boys to get Passport Cards just in case we want to cross any boarders anytime in the next five years.  We get them passports in high school or college, to make sure that they can study abroad when the time comes, but until then the cards should work just fine.  They wanted to feed the ducks seagulls after.

I had another gym folly the other day, when I realized that I forgot a towel for the shower and found a hand towel in my car to use instead.  It reminded me of my mom's honeymoon story when she thought the bathmat was a towel and came out of the bathroom, wondering why it was so small.  Pretty sure my dad didn't mind the mixup.

If you've ever wanted to grow in humility, may I suggest having lots of kids?  Case in point, Andrew went on a mission trip where he led retreats and was a great example of a Catholic college kid...and then came home and had to go to court to take a Distracted Driver Safety Course after getting pulled over while looking at his phone to get his friend's location.  He's lucky that was the only result and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PUT DOWN THE PHONE. (A lesson to all of us, if we're honest)

In medical news, both Phil and I scored A+ on our yearly skin checks.  Then I had my annual mammogram, and everything looked good, thanks be to God.  Phil recently got a CPAP machine after having been disgnosed with moderate sleep apnea, and he is struggling to get used to it.  I think some of the struggle is admitting that he needs it in the first place, and the other part is the actual physical discomfort.  As his light-sleeping-bed-partner-for-life, I am very happy with the quiet nights!

Declan had his last two basketball games this week, which means that all sports have come to an end for the school year!  This cutie patootie young and short CYO team won exactly zero games this season.  We might try indoor futsal next winter instead :)

We did it guys!  Volleyball, cross country, soccer, swim, winter track, and basketball are over.  No spring sports this year because between sacraments (Phil's the DRE at our parish) and getting the ice cream shop ready, we can't handle it.  Know thyself.  The kids will still run some races and work out at the gym to stay in shape, but nothing official.  Xander is so lucky to have a dad and four older siblings who can help him at the gym:

My personal favorite weight machine

 And that's a wrap from the last week of winter, though today still feels like it - brr!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend :)

Andrew's Mission Trip THANK YOU

Hi everyone!

My mission trip to Loretto Catholic School in Douglas, Arizona has just concluded, and I wanted to follow up and update you all on what happened over the past week. First of all, thank you to everyone who supported this mission through financial donations and through your prayers. I would not have been able to experience this without your help. Please know that I have been praying for all of you over the past few months and especially throughout this past week.

As the week went on, I kept thinking about how I would never truly be able to put this mission trip into words because of the joy it brought me, but I will do my best. During the week, we spent time with the kids in their classes and at recess, led a retreat for each grade, went on two beautiful hikes, led a holy hour for the entire school and their parents, and organized a youth group night for the middle school and high school students in the area, along with many other activities.

The kids I spent the week with truly opened my eyes to so many amazing things and helped me grow in my faith in such a short time. They are clearly so in love with the Lord and have such childlike wonder in everything they do. Seeing that in person was incredible. It can sometimes feel rare to see kids living their faith so openly today, and it gave me a lot of hope for the future.

One of my biggest takeaways from the week was the joy that comes from serving others. For the first time in my life, I was able to spend an entire week focusing on others without needing to think about myself. There was so much grace in that experience. Sharing the love of Christ with others is so important, and it is something I will continue to challenge myself to do.

I am incredibly grateful to have experienced this mission, and I am so thankful for all of you who made it possible. Please continue to keep the Loretto School community in your prayers so that the good work happening there may continue.

Love,

   Andrew