Happy 6th Birthday Bubba !

March 18th is "the boy's" 6th birthday ! It is so hard to believe that my little man is growing up so fast! He has grown so much since the 10 lb 10 oz, 22 1/2 in baby boy I gave birth to, ok so maybe he hasn't grown all that much, he was HUGE ! He is such a great little guy, still loves to snuggle and is super sweet, but he is such a big boy at the same time. He is a funny little boy and always knows how to make his mama smile. He has his father's sense of humor and is so adventurous ! He is incredibly intelligent and just an all around great kid ! As he gets older his personality is really starting to come out and often I will catch a glimpse of the man he will become ! I am so excited to be entering this next phase of his childhood, but a wee bit sad that soon he will be taller than me. These years are flying by, and "the boy" has me wrapped around his finger, maybe it is because he is my only son, or maybe it is because we almost lost him, but I will take whatever snuggles and kisses he will give. I know that one day he will be too cool for me, and I will look back and wonder what happened to my mama's boy. I look forward to him growing up and getting to see the incredible man that he becomes, just not too soon please.

Aodhan - I love you with all of my heart. You will always have a special place in mama's heart, You are my Bubba, my little man, my changeling, my snuggle monster ! I love you more than you will ever know ! Happy 6th Birthday !!

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IRISH TO THE CORE !

It has been oh so long since I have blogged ! It has been a fairly busy couple of months around here, but I must blog over the excitement that I have been feeling this week !!! IT is MARCH !!! I am not sure if most people get as excited as I do when the calendar page turns to March - but it is a month of pure joy for me ! The Irish in me comes out big time !!! I can't begin to describe the feelings I get as I pull out the old St. Pats decor ! Decorating for St. Patrick's day means so many things to me ~ it is a reminder that warmer weather is within sight, that soon Corned Beef and Cabbage aromas will fill the house, that I will be baking Irish Soda bread non stop, that celtic music will soon fill the house, and that my little "changeling" will soon celebrate a birthday (it is so hard to believe that Aodhan will be 6). Maybe I should give a little background into the term "changeling" Aodhan was born on March 18Th - It is believed in Ireland that babies born on the 18Th were supposed to be born the previous day, but were replaced with a mischievous leprechaun child, and that those babies are destined to give their parents nothing but grief - Now, I have found much joy in my little guy, but I must say he is the most mischievous of the lot, he has provided me with much worry and while it has changed (due to his father shaving his head) he used to have this incredible mop of red curly leprechaunesque hair (yes I made up that word) - I was convinced that he would live up to this old wives tale ! My wonderful husband also celebrates a March birthday (1 week later on the 25Th ) ! I am so excited about all that is in store for our family over the next month ! So I will leave you with a traditional Irish blessing or two !


May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you



May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Winter Wonderland !

Over the weekend the kids and I went to my Aunt's farm in Indiana - The snow started to fall on Sunday night and continued through the night, the snow in the country is so much more beautiful than it is here in the city ! We had a great time playing in the snow - hope you enjoy the pictures !

Thanks

As I sit here typing this - I can't believe that it is the day before Thanksgiving! Where has the time gone? Before I know it Christmas will be upon us and gone ! So I am making a decision right now to enjoy the next month ! I am going to be intentional about trying to make the most of every moment ! I want to take it all in before it is gone - I do not want to spend another New Year's Day wondering where the holidays went- and how I seemed to have missed them !

I am starting today - On the eve of Thanksgiving - I have so many blessings to be incredibly thankful for. Lately, I have been taking many of them for granted - I have complained quite a bit, and acted in a not so nice manner to many people around me, mostly my husband, so I apologize to all that I have treated like crap and pray that you can forgive me. I will not dwell any longer on my negativity, but instead I will focus on the many things that I have to be thankful for.

I have the most amazing husband, wonderful children, and an extended family that is insane but awesome, I have some of the greatest friends a girl could ask for, I have been blessed more than I deserve and I am so grateful for all that I have.

I hope that I can truly slow down and enjoy this holiday season - the kids are growing so fast - when they look back I don't want them to feel rushed, I want for them to say that they truly had some amazing holidays with their families and
friends!

This New Year when I sit back and reflect on all that happened over the course of the next month or so, I want to remember the smiles, the laughter, even the tears, I want to remember snuggling up under a blanket with 3 kids on my lap, watching Christmas movies, I want to remember the smell of all of the baking, and the taste of the hot chocolate, I want to remember the sounds of the holiday music that fills not only my home but my heart. This year I want to look back and think to myself - wow, I really am thankful for that incredible month, where everything was just a little closer to perfect!

Concern

Most of you who know my husband - know that Jim is not the most serious person in the world - heck, he may just be the least serious person I know. He is full of jokes and incredibly optimistic, quite the contrast to his pessimistic wife, but somehow we make things work! It is all of his quirks and personality that make it so easy to tell when something is bothering him ! He has been quite different lately - quiet, and almost withdrawn - there is something big on his mind - and while he is quite amazing when it comes to pulling me out of my funk - I can not say the same ! I struggle to know how to be what he needs - I so desperately want to wrap my arms around him and make everything all better. Yesterday was Jim's dads birthday and while I pride myself on knowing dates - somehow this escaped me (maybe it was the incredible amount of pain I was in after spending 8 hours at the ER till 5am, or maybe it was the 6 kids running and screaming, or maybe it was just my own selfishness) There is no excuse, I messed up !And while I know that his dad's birthday was hard on him, I know that he is continuing to have a hard time right now with the approaching holidays - this is the first major event to have come and gone without his dad and my heart breaks for him right now. I have been where he is and know the deep sadness that can fill your heart during the holidays when you have to spend them without someone who belongs with you. I really want to be the support that Jim turns to, I want to be the rock for him that he has been for me so many times. I love my husband more than I could ever put into words and never want to see him hurt, but I feel like this is a pain that I will never be able to take away. Jim and I used to joke when we first started dating that we wished it was possible just wish away each other's prior hurts ( we both had somewhat rough childhoods ) Right now I find myself wishing that I could take this away, that I could wave a magic wand and all of the hurt would be gone, or at least that I would have been a better wife, that I would have been more intentional about us visiting his dad while he was still here, but neither of these things are possible. I need to move forward and be there for my husband, I hope and pray that Jim can talk to someone even if it is not me, and that he can find comfort in his family and in the Lord. It seems as if the last few months have been rough for our small group (everyone seems to be mourning the loss of a loved one ) Recently my friend Becky (who lost her mom a year ago) posted a blog that has helped me to view death a little differently, yes it really hurts but imagine being there to celebrate your birthday with the Lord - or even being in the Lord's presence on a daily basis ! I hope that Jim can be comforted knowing that his father is in a better place, no longer in pain and that he can take comfort knowing that he has a wife here who is willing to do anything to ease his pain.

Happy 9th Birthday Mackenzie Maura !

Nine whole years have passed since I gave birth to an amazing little girl. The fact that Mackenzie just celebrated her 9th birthday makes me feel old, I was a whopping 19 years old when she was born. She has come a long way from the 5lb 5oz 17 inch baby that spent 2 weeks in the NICU. She has brought so much joy and happiness to my life and is such an amazing girl, I can't wait to see the woman that she grows into, but as I reflect on the last nine years - I want so badly for her to stay "my baby". She really makes Jim and I proud to be her parents ! Happy Birthday Princess - you are my life and I would be nothing without you !!! Here are a few pictures of Mackenzie through out the years !

Updates and a Triumphant Return !

First of all I want to thank all of you for your words of encouragement and prayer, these last few weeks have been insane (that may be an understatement). Well, this week has been MUCH MUCH better !!! Aodhan's surgery went well, but we struggled for a week with a fever (close to 104 degrees ) that we could not seem to get to break. Well this week has been much better, no sign of fever, and other than Aodhan being a little more tired than usual, he is pretty much back to normal. Jim had been having some issues at work, that have resolved (at least for this week ) He has been home before sunset all week, though not much before, but hey it is better than the 9-10 pm nights we had been having, although I know as I am typing this he will get one of those late crappy calls tonight just to prove me wrong. We also were dealing with some car issues, that with a little help, Jim was able to take care of, so our van is back up and running !!! It has been a pretty amazing week, and I must say I am feeling much better about life in general ! I feel as if everywhere I turn I am seeing God's blessings, not just in my family, but in several other people's lives as well !

So, with the week going just about as well as could be expected, Family Fun Day made its triumphant return yesterday (for those of you who do not know what that means I have an older post that will explain all of the awesome details) !!!! Jim needed to be in Chicago to meet with his lawyer for a traffic matter at 5pm, so what better excuse would I need than that to spend the day in the city I LOVE !!!!! We gathered the kids up early yesterday morning, ate a very unhealthy breakfast in the car, and headed to our hometown!!! Jim was unable to get his voter's registration changed before the deadline, so we began the day with a short stop for Jim to vote early !!!! I know this may not seem like family fun to some people, but in our house, it is not an option - You have to vote!!! It was awesome to show the kids just how important it is ! Jim and I had a great political discussion in the car on the way to the city and explained some of the process and details to the kids - I feel like we are pretty open and honest with them on the issues ! When we arrived at the polling place, Jim took the kids with him and walked them through the entire process (even Keiran was excited afterward, and Aodhan decided to announce to the entire poling place who Dad voted for, while Mackenzie who understood a little more the process of casting your ballot secretly, tried to refute what her brother was telling the world, thinking this would trick everyone into not knowing who he voted for ! ) It was awesome to watch and to begin to instill in them a sense of civic responsibility !

After voting, we headed to Navy Pier, to the Chicago Children's Museum - the kids had an amazing time - and so did Jim and I! Although, it was much too rainy to walk around outside on the pier and the ferris wheel was shut down because of the weather we still had a great time. We then headed to one of the kids favorite places to eat in the city, Rainforest Cafe! We had a great early dinner (and found out that on Wednesdays the kids eat for 1.99 - which made dinner that much more enjoyable ! Jim talked to his lawyer and we headed home, just in time for StuCo small groups.

It was a pretty amazing day, and has been a wonderful week thus far (minus the migraine that I have been fighting through for the last few days), I am praying that the storm is over and that this can start to be what most of my weeks are like - I know that there will be rough days, but I just can't take them one after another ! I NEED more weeks like this !