Family Party

We went to a family party with all of Aragorn's family. No sooner we walked into the door Pippin had an accident with the shrimp cocktail sauce.... don't ask....

The tables were set beautifully.

Poppy and her cousin

All 30 grandbabies! This makes our children 1/3 of them :)

UPDATE- Make that 20 grandbabies, we are 1/2 of them!

Sure, I can count....

Poppy discovers she was not the only baby in the world.

It was a very hard lesson to learn.

Pop 'n Poppy

Are boys always first to the table?

Bilbo discovered the dessert table. Though he didn't quite get why salt and pepper aren't good on cookies.... til he tried it...

Siesta at the Fiesta

Chickens

We've got 22 new laying hens.

They'll go into the henhouse after dark. Apparently this keeps them from bickering.... or something.

Intrigued

Happy Birthday Frodo

Happy Birthday Frodo! The big double digits!

I am infamous for the inability to decorate or even frost cakes. So I am delighted that my children like to decorate. This cake we shall call a polka dot theme.

Thanks to all those who gave him gifts. Frodo has always been one to greatly treasure each gift, no matter what it is.

I found this picture on the camera and I have no idea what Rosie is dreaming of or who took it!

The boys have spent an ample amount of time with our wonderful priests in recent weeks. The other night I overheard this conversation about setting the table the night before for breakfast because that is what the priests do. Of course it only happened once but it DID happen!

Look who is sitting up all by herself!

Dolls

I want one! Are these dolls not the absolute cutest things? Of course $100 for a 3 inch doll probably won't make it on my priority list. Check them out! I have to confess that I still like dolls.... alot....

Tidbits

Galadriel is doing pretty well and making alot of progress since the Brain Surgery. Currently she goes to physical therapy once a week and then has to do her homework for the week. The purpose is to further strengthen her right side. It's a rather painful process and she isn't thrilled with it but for now it's yet another thing for her to endure. There have been many good accomplishments according to the physical therapist.
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She is reading and doing a little writing. She is off the hook for long division for a while which I believe secretly thrills her. If you saw her on a street reading a book you'd never know there was a problem If she was looking straight at you, you'd know she had an issue with her left eyelid which still droops (effect from the surgery itself) however it seems to be able to open up a little more gradually. She has an appt. with an ophthalmologist at the end of January. She still sees double sometimes but it doesn't seem to keep her from reading which is a favorite pasttime.


Rosie cheeks can only mean teeth are coming.....
.... I'm so not excited.

The Three Stooges, Curly, Larry and Moe. I think Aragorn is secretly pleased but he won't admit it. I saw him grin during their antics.

Guess who graduated from cradle to crib. *Sniff*, she's hardly a baby any more.

Here is typical Eowyn. Always seen with a book in her hand.

I have had more than on comment that I can get a group picture with 10 children fairly well. However, I am incapable of capturing a 2 year old in a brand new toddler bed.

He was only a little excited.

I was caught a little off-guard and startled as I walked into my laundry room to find a goat in the garden.... eating my rose bushes. Naturally the first thing I thought of was "better get the camera"

I returned to find not two....

.... but three goats.

Sam gave Bilbo a bath and "did" his hair. Yes, this is Bilbo without his curls. Obviously this just proves we curl each and every lock by hand.... truly, you have no idea how many people ask if I "did" his hair.

As we are waiting for Poppy's first tooth, Eleanor lost her 2 top teeth within a few days of each other.

Congratulations to Eleanor for making her First Confession! I cannot imagine that listening to a First Confession could be anything other than humorous. I got the joy of practicing with her and I had a hard time keeping a straight face.... ok, so I didn't actually keep a straight face.

40 Trash Bag Challenge

Someone who posted a comment in a previous post included a blog link so I perused the blog for funsies and ran across this 40 Trash Bag Challenge. The idea is 40 large black bags of stuff out the door in 8 weeks. This put me in a state of gasping for air laughter. From Dec 19-22 we filled 2 entire dumpsters full of said trash bags.....well over 40 bags.... I'm not bragging, I'm blushing!

(thank you again to you know who all!)

One of Those Days

Since it turned out to be one of those days, you know, one of those days when you run over a log first thing in the morning on your way to Mass but haven't even gotten out of your driveway yet, anyway, I decided in my spare time... haha... to look at a few of my favorite blogs to take my mind off things. And thanks to the Bonny Blue House, I have to pass this computer game along, Super Text Twist . I'm so not a computer game person but I promise you will forget you had any troubles at all once you get started. I'm going all out here and graduating from computer solitaire to Super Text Twist. I'm getting up there in the computer world. I feel so high tech and computer savvy.

Novena for Sam and James

Jan 12-20

Please join us as we pray for 2 young boys from our area who will be going to study in Spain for the semester... or more :)

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Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and grace. You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or air, consoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners. I beg you, assist me in all my needs and in all the sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on his travels. Because you are the medicine of God," I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities of my soul and the ills that afflict my body. *
I especially ask of you the favor that (God may hold both James and Samuel in His arms while they travel to and from Spain and during their stay as they live and learn at SLS this semester) and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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St. Raphael, of the glorious seven who stand before the throne of Him who lives and reigns, Angel of health, the Lord has filled your hand with balm from heaven to soothe or cure our pains. Heal or cure the victim of disease. And guide our steps when doubtful of our ways.

A Little Gem

A local friend of mine asked if I knew of any place on-line that offers the TLM readings of the day. I had been wanting to find such a source as well so this gave me the opportunity to ask around. Being that I seem to know all the wealth-of-information people on the planet I was directed to a great site that I wanted to share.

Per Ipsum

Sorry to all my Spanish friends, it only comes in English and French :)
Select the language.
It will go to the Latin Mass readings of the day!
To top it off......... you can "subscribe" on the left hand side of the page and it will email you the readings of the day, you just fill in which days of the week you'd like.

I was tickled to death to find this little Gem. (Thanks Missy!)

Poppy and more Poppy

Galadriel continues to improve pretty amazingly well. Still lots of headaches, though hopefully it is more due to this cold than something that will be ever lasting. And still lots to work on. I think she is secretly glad she is given a break from long division.... Last night the van died. And today I got a very funny call from Aragorn that he needed a ride because 2 tires on the car blew. A ride. I really am all for going back to horse and buggy. The bright side is that we don't have a dishwasher so that can't break!

Aragorn got another deer. This big ol' buck is for the gyro factory.

This is his 2nd biggest deer. I guess that is suppose to be exciting.

I have heard many say that later babies have no baby pictures. Apparently not enough people have a 10th baby..................

This is the toofus doofus face. Usually preceeds the eruption of a baby tooth. Still no sign of one, but believe me, I'm in no rush.

Sometimes even a 9th baby can get in the picture.

Everyone enjoys watching a 10th baby.

Poppy did roll over exactly on her 4 month birthday. But I didn't have the camera at the time to capture that classic "What on earth just happened to me" expression.

After outgrowing the hoohobber we got an exersaucer thing. No, we aren't the type to keep them in one all day long but it does come in handy now and then. It is much harder for a 2, 3 and 5 year old to step on a baby in one of these contraptions.

Poppy did seem to enjoy this.

But apparently there is always a need to take a break from all the wild stuff and suck one's thumb for a time.