That's What He Said: Father's Day Edition

Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful dads!  My kids are so lucky to have Phil as their father, just as I was lucky to have my dad.  In honor of him, I'd like to share some of his Dad-isms...

"There's no maid that lives here." 

- to get us to help clean the house/stop expecting our mom to clean up after us.

"You would be right, but you could be dead right." 

- teaching us how to drive defensively because even if we had the right of way, we could still end up in an accident if we weren't aware of what the other driver was doing.

"What happened to the other two points?" 

- commenting on a 98% grade on a test.

"It's just as easy to fall in love with a rich man than a poor man" 

- trying to help his four daughters pick a financially good catch.

"You make a better door than a window, even though you are a pane"

- dad jokes, amiright?

"Marriage is hard enough without adding that to the mix" 

- encouraging his children to marry someone from the same faith.

"The squeaky wheel gets the grease" 

- teaching us to speak up for what's right.

"She says more than her prayers" 

- spoken about anyone who talks a lot.

"Your mother could run an army" 

- while completing a Honey Do list.

"How am I supposed to soar like an eagle when I'm surrounded by a bunch of turkeys?" 

- meaning, keep up or get out.

"What's for disaster" 

- spoken after dinner every night, he called dessert "disaster".

"Come on Lady Di!" 

- yelled to one of his daughters who was dawdling, usually me.

"Whoosy Whatsy" 

- in reference to anybody whose name he forgot, which happens quite a bit.

"Don't waste the day away" 

- spoken if we slept in.

"It's only borrowed" 

- responding to a compliment on his talent, meaning it's a gift from God and not about him.

"Can you help me find..." 

- asked of random strangers in the grocery store as he shows them his list so that they will become his personal shopper for free.

Happy Father's Day to the best Irish dad who taught his six children the value of an education he never had, showed them how to work hard to achieve goals, had the perfect blend of humility and pride, gave us the witness of a faithful, holy man who loved his wife and kids more than anything.  Dad, you certainly set the bar high and we are so blessed to have you in our lives.  Thank you for all that you have given to us, and I hope we have many more years with your love and laughter in our lives.

Thursday Tidbits: A Surgery, Some Recipes, and Almost Summer

Today is the last day of school for the rest of the Martin kiddos.  JP finished college back in May, Maggie graduated 8th grade on June 4, and Brendan graduated Kindergarten on June 10.  Andrew and Eamon have their last day of high school finals, and Alexander and Declan have a half day for their last day in 5th and 2nd grades.  To say it's a busy time of year is an understatement and google calendar is my bestie.  Let's go through my phone photos and see what we captured...

Declan's adenoid surgery went great!  He went to Boston Children's Hospital and the surgeon said his adenoids were HUGE and this surgery should definitely help him breathe through his nose and stop snoring.  His roommates were happy to hear that ;)

Maggie was recognized as a Top Ten high school placement exam winner at the high school where she will be attending next year.  She is our second child to do this, following in JP's footsteps, and it means she gets an extra nice laptop for high school since they win $1000.  It pays to be a nerd! :)

Andrew (left) and his buddy with the high school mascot...

And Eamon (blue crocs) with some other freshman and Sparty.

My Baby's Kindergarten Graduation

Alternatively titled: It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Because I thought I would be really upset for this day to come...my baby is graduating from Kindergarten...and yet, I was just so happy for his big day and so thankful for this school and all he's learned and the ways that he has grown, that I forgot to be sad.

A trip down memory lane of our other Kindergarten grads...

JP - 2009

Andrew - 2011

Eamon - 2013

Maggie - 2014

Xander - 2017

Declan - 2020

Brendan - 2022

Eamon Chooses Joseph

Eamon was confirmed last night and chose the name Joseph, so may I present Eamon Philip Joseph Martin:

He looks so much like my Sweeney side of the family that I'm glad we gave him a Very Irish Name :)

I don't want to embarrass Eamon here, but this young man is very special when it comes to his faith life.  He's a totally normal kid who plays soccer and basketball, loves spikeball and frisbee, works a lot at the ice cream store, puts his all into school, and is friends with everyone.  But beneath all of that there is a holiness that shines through and doesn't go unnoticed.

Maggie Graduates Eighth Grade

Our middle child, our only girl, graduated from 8th grade this weekend and is ready to set the world on fire.

The Baccalaureate Mass was beautiful. Maggie did the first reading and her friend Robby gave his salutatorian speech at the end, all about faith.  Then the graduates walk down to the school for the last time...

Week in Review: Medical Update, Moon Landings, and Marinara is not a Type of Pasta

Happy first Friday in June!  

1)

Let me start with an update about Phil's blood clots.  He followed up with his doctor, who also thinks it's weird that this happened to him.  He wants Phil to see a hematologist and get blood work done to figure out if he has a genetic condition, but I think he needs to wait until he's off the blood thinners to do some of the testing.  He recommended that Phil wear compression socks, then pulled up his own pant leg to show him his.  I guess lots of people who work on their feet wear them every day, so Phil will be joining them!  Otherwise, his leg is still very sore and swollen and he walks with a limp.  These things just take time to go away.

2)

In Second Grade, the kids have a Wax Museum where they dress up as someone famous, create a poster in class, and memorize a speech to recite as people push their button.  Declan chose to be Neil Armstrong, and practiced his speech a lot to be able to memorize minute details of his life.  He did a wonderful job and if anyone's looking for an astronaut costume, this one was great!  I'm still not convinced we really landed on the moon at all, but that's a conspiracy theory for another day :)