Every now and then in the interest of freezing time I like to record what everyone is up to. Here goes. 

Tess is on a cutting and pasting tear.  She spent one morning happily cutting out all the food pictures from an old Better Homes and Gardens issue and assembling her favorites on a paper plate.  She has had hours of fun with a Kumon cut and paste book too.  Kumon has been a hit all around.  She plowed through the Easy Addition and is heading for the next.  We went ahead and started the 100 Easy Lessons book.  

She is the quickest study we have had since the biggest boys learned to read.  It seems when you have two children right after each other who are very tight the younger one just follows along learning what the older does. 

On that note, Abbie Rose is very busy mirroring whatever the others are up to. (And is it just me or does that tiny turtle neck and headband make her look much more like a little girl than a baby girl? sigh. ) Best part for me is that she is happy to do that for a loooong time.  She writes on the chalkboard, works puzzles, and is determined to beat the Perfection timer.  (Perfection being another Montessori-ish game) I will add here that little girls are not little boys.  If you have those instead, don't be surprised if they aren't sitting serenely like that all morning.  If yours are like my B, they are more likely found working like this….

Brendan has all sorts of good ideas like this one. <g>  I don't much care if he stands on his head during lessons.  We actually did have one who was regularly hanging upside down during her phonics lessons at that age.  Whatever works. We don't sweat the small stuff and a little slapstick goes a long way. ; ) 

Speaking of work – the little three have been diving in to more real life practical life work.  Drying dishes, setting the table, feeding the dogs. They really like doing big people jobs and I think they are actually more careful than some of the big people.

What else?  Oh we discovered the DK Eyewitness science DVDs.  Abbie wants you know the Butterfly episode is gross because why?  Because the butterflies poop.  Now you know. I think they were actually laying eggs but she isn't budging.

Aidan is his own man doing his own activities.  The lone non-dancer, seen here at dinner with his football friends.  And that is a-ok too. It means he and I got to spend the weekend together just us, carving pumpkins and playing scrabble because…

(Moira on L, Alannah 4th from L with their team dance groups)  

(Moira on L)

… all but he and I and Abbie went to the Netherlands last week for a feis.  That included Brendan who joined the Irish dance studio this past month.  Moira cleaned up, placing out of all her soft shoe dances.  Spending your evenings step dancing til you drop while celtic jigs blast from your room pays off it seems. <g>  We are rearranging the extra curricular schedule to free up more resources for dance.  Productive, smiling kids are worth the investment.

Their Christmas lists are filled with dance shoes, dance magazines, and dance videos.  It's pretty funny listening to Brendan shaking his head and scolding Michael Flatley through the tv for not keeping his arms at his sides.  "The judges would REALLY not like that mom!"

This is their life lately.  Dance, learn, play, drive, laugh, work, pray, sleep.  It is good to be along for this ride. 

The 2011 Fall sports season is officially over.  Brendan had his last game yesterday.  It's been a loooong couple months factoring in six kids in four sports, two out of country trips for Dad, two weeks in the hospital for me, and one broken arm on a boy.  But by golly, they finished strong despite it all.  

Brendan played soccer and played well, though admittedly his first love is football.  Since he is too little for the league here he did this instead and we would love to see him continue.  

And yes, his mama had him play the last game in hat and mittens.  It's darned chilly lately! Didn't slow them down any.  Finished with a win. : )  

Dear friends, many of you know something of the crisis we have faced this month.  I am writing here to explain a bit. 

Two weeks ago I walked into the kitchen on a sunny morning to make my husband coffee.  We sat and talked like we do each morning before work. He left as usual and I woke up the children.   All very normal things for what began as a very normal morning. 

However, in short order my health deteriorated and I found myself in the ICU with inexplicable pancreatitis. (ie no gallstones, no alcohol use ever, nothing typical) There was initial recovery, however a grave error on the staff's part led to a more dire relapse leaving me in worse shape yet, hence the protracted stay there. 

It has been a rough patch so say the least.  But I have returned home again and am holding my own at this point.  There are problems, but I am grateful.  I am here, for starters.  My father, who coincidentally died at this same age of an eerily similar episode, was not so lucky.  The children have stayed the course at home in my absence.  The big kids rallied.  They sweetly and capably helped the house routine to chug along and the littles have been well cared for and happily busy every day. (Montessori ipad apps, I heart you)  Friends have reached out from across town and across the ocean and have assured us of fervent prayers.

Mostly I am grateful for this man who took off work to juggle the children's schedules and keep things afloat here.  He bought groceries, put in hair bows, talked with big kids who worried. Every day he made his way up to the hospital, climbed into that bed next to me, carefully wrapped up my broken body and told me over and over that I was still beautiful – though I tell you with certainty I was not that. He advocated for me with doctors and met every need of mine he possibly could with great gentleness.  

We don't really know what the long term prognosis is.  But that 'longterm' is still an option is enough today.  We are home together.  We will do this. 

Thank you for your concern and the love sent this way.  Please understand my correspondence is very limited at the moment, but I read and treasure your mail. It has helped me through some trying hours.  You bless me.  

I will be back when I can.