Cora's First Communion

Cora Clare 

Cora had her first communion on April 28, 2019.  She was very very upset prior to this day about having to wear this dress (that Minette, Brittany, Megan, and Marissa all wore) and I wasn't sure how it would go.  But that day she decided to make the best of it (like Cora always does) and she was sweet as can be and oh so proud of herself!  We are proud of her too.  She worked through a workbook with Gil and I and learned all about the Eucharist (thanksgiving!).  We had it at Briar Cliff again like Jude's.  And after she had made chocolate chip cookies that she passed out to our family.  All grandparents came plus the Picks and Alissa and twins.  Thanks Baby Bryn for waiting a little while to be born so Grandma and Grandpa Ridenour could be there!

The kids...

the family

Body of Christ!

MY birthday!

So I was thinking recently that I always post about the kids' birthdays, but never about my own!  I turned 37 a few weeks ago and as I was thinking back on my past birthdays I couldn't remember much about any of them...sad face!  I actually really love birthdays because it is about celebrating a person's life just for the sake of their life!  Not for anything they accomplished or anything they can do or have done.  Just for being them.  So anyway, I am going to try to start recording my birthday and even Gil's birthday (even though he hates his birthday!) and maybe even other important days like Easter that I just did or Mother's Day coming up or most important:  OUR ANNIVERSARY!

So let's go!  Like I said, 37 this year.  I recently commented to some friends that we are almost 40 and I immediately took it back.  WE ARE NOT ALMOST 40!  But the thing is I have been looking forward to 40 ever since I realized that the older I get the more myself I am and the more I don't care so much what other people think.  And I am looking forward to living into that more and more.  Anyhoo, back to my birthday.  It was a crazy week and a crazy weekend.  My birthday fell on a Saturday and Gil had a Briar Cliff event that morning plus probably field work that night and then Cora's first communion (oooh another big event!) was the next day.  Also, my cousin Tori's MS walk was in Sioux City that morning too.  So we decided to do the Briar Cliff service project together and take Jude and Cora along too.  We had to get up extra early, but it was so worth it because we spent about two hours learning about hunger and packing meals for an organization called Mercy Meals.  It was a great thing to do as a family and so good for the kids to learn about hunger and living conditions in other parts of the world.  It ended up being a cold rainy and windy morning so the MS walk actually got cancelled.  Plus no field work...which meant a trip to Target!!!  I did have Gil and Jude and Cora with me, so that put a damper on it (my husband with me in a store makes me nervous!), but I did end up finding a cute pair of jeans plus a new shirt and cardigan.  Then we grabbed some Chick-fil-A on the way home and had the rest of the afternoon to relax at home together.  I think I made Gil watch an episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisle with me that night.  I started it the night before when Gil was somewhere...???  Oh yes, the night before he had a mass at Briar Cliff for the president's inauguration and then he took Jude to see Avengers: End Game for his birthday present.  They had a blast.  Anyway I started watching this new show on my free month of Amazon Prime and it is awesome!  By the creator of Gilmore Girls, need I say more?!?!

So that was 37.  Not too shabby!

Oh, I have no pictures.  No one takes a picture of you opening your zero presents or eating your non-existent cake on your 37th birthday:(  However, Gil got me a beautiful plant for the planter, my mom and dad got me some spending cash for the trip to San Diego I just went on, and John and Carolyn got me a Target gift card.  Thanks all!  Oh, and we had root beer floats that night.  Yum!

Easter

For Easter this year we celebrated on Saturday night at my mom and dad's.  It was another gorgeous day and we were outside most of the time.  I made my first batch of Deviled Eggs and I am proud to say they were a success!  Easter morning we went to church in Laurel and then had a brunch at home.  That afternoon we dyed Easter eggs, watched Mary Poppins Returns, went on a bike ride, and a 4-wheeler ride as a family.  Then we had some BBQ chicken out on the deck and more outside time.  Such a nice weekend...until Monday was rainy and cold!  

Thomas just wants the candy!

Mikey found one!

Cora filled her bucket

Luke found something yummy!

getting some big brother help

Hail, Hail, the gang's all here!

New twinning outfits from grandma

new cups for the kitchen, and bubbles and candy

the kids, boy's new shirts from Grandma Lori

After church Mom's mandatory photo

I went to San Diego!!!

So I went to California (San Diego) for the first time ever for six days and six nights (April 10-16) with six (including myself) college friends.  I cannot even believe that actually happened.  Ashley (the doctor!) got us hooked up with a place to stay and some wheels to drive and got the ball rolling on the whole idea.  Valerie and Kelly and I flew out of Omaha together and met Ashley (from Tennessee), Amy (from Rapid City), and Anna (from New Ulm, MN) there.  We had a fabulous house situated between the Pacific and Mission Bay.  We went whale watching (saw some giant Fin whales), kayaking at La Jolla, sight-seeing at Mt. Soledad and the Sunset Cliffs, to Old Town, and to Coronado Island.  Most of all we enjoyed the ocean and each other's company. And the weather really is as amazing as you think it is!  What a blessing to have these friendships in my life all these years.

watching the sunset

well said

in Old Town

first morning

in Old Town

Mt. Soledad

Coronado Island "gold" sand!

first morning together

at the Pier

selfie time!

Jude...DOUBLE DIGETS!

My baby turned 10!  How can this be!?!  2009-2019...wow!  Well I got back from my San Diego trip on the 16th, so I tried to prepare a little ahead of time and got his presents all ordered and his sign for the door made.  The 18th fell on the Thursday before Easter so they had an early out from school.  We were able to drive to Wayne and pick up Eli Hansen for a sleepover that night.  The boys played nerf guns, trampoline, basketball, destroyed the piñata, ate pizza, watched Ralph Breaks the Internet, and played some Nintendo Switch.  Friday morning they went fishing for a while with not much luck.  That afternoon after dropping Eli off we stopped at the Concord park for a long time.  It was a beautiful day!!!  We have had a lot of those lately.  For his birthday we got him an Avengers Endgame Lego, Gil is going to take him to see that movie tonight, and a Mario shirt and a Cabbage Patch doll (he was the only one who didn't have one yet!).

Jude, you are all the things your birthday door sign says you are!  Most of all you are YOU and we thank God for you.  It has been so fun to see you grow and change and learn these past ten years...maybe not ALL fun, but definitely all JOY!  You are our experimental child (just like dad and I both were in our families), so sorry that we mess up and expect more than we should sometimes.  Thank you for being patient with us..."patience is a virtue!"  Some of my favorite things about you are your love of reading (dad and I have that too!), love for creating, love for humor, and general enthusiasm.  I love that you are a good communicator and have so many interests.  I love that you are playing basketball and baseball.  I like to watch you play and improve.  I am happy you are going to try camp for the first time this summer.  I love that you are doing 4-H.  And I love that you are 10!  I know I feel that these years go by too fast, but they have been good and we have done them, every one, every day, together.  Thankful and grateful and joyful.  

Love you so much biggest boy!

And sorry, not sorry for the overload of pictures.

Birthday morning

presents!

Mario Boys

All 5

birthday streamers

basketball time

cake time...that's a lot of candles!

putting 'em to work

retro Mario

You are good

And then you were 10...

Lukey is 4!!!!!!!

We had another birthday in the house!  This one is always a long time coming because it is soooooo hard for little brother to wait 20 WHOLE days after Mikey's birthday until HIS!  But it finally came.  And after a lot of practice learning that he is three, now he's four!  He already knows it though and is ready to tell all who will listen.  He also has the four fingers down pat.  When you turn four a lot of things change.  Like now you are taller, you know so many more things, maybe you can take down a brother you couldn't before (maybe!?), and you can for sure pour your own milk on your cereal...????

We celebrated this year a day before since his birthday landed on a Monday and Gil is nowhere to be seen on a Monday.  Instead we had Grandma and Grandpa Koester and Grandma and Grandpa Erwin over for some cake and ice cream and presents on Sunday afternoon.  And since the wind came and blew the snow all around and winter decided to start in February we didn't even get to church that morning.  But we were glad we still got to have our party with the Blue Yoshi cake and some Mario Kart and new toys and lots of candy too.

Luke, you are such a special little boy.  You are sweet and sincere and curious and friendly and love playing "combine" and outside and Legos and keeping up with the bigger kids!  Your big dark brown eyes and long lashes get me every time!  You love getting out of bed to get one more drink or ask one more question or to say, "See ya in the morning!"  You love crawling into bed with me at 6am and getting a few snuggles.  You still love your nap most days, but ALWAYS ask if I can lay with you.  Sometimes I do and I always cherish that time.  You love reading books with me.  Dr. Seuss and Berenstain Bears are favorites.  You love Wild Kratts on the iPad and playing endlessly with cars and building forts and doing all the things.  You have a great sniffer and often say. "What smeeellls?"  You live life with happiness and smiles and gusto.  I admire you Lukey!  You add so much to our family.  We love you and are proud of you!

Mikey turned 6!

So kid number 3 turned 6 last week.  How is that possible?  Man I can (too) clearly remember the panicked drive to the hospital that cold February morning.  And then Michael Johnnie was here, just like that!  And now he is Mikey in the middle, what a perfect place for this blond-haired spunky boy.  

For his birthday we had Trix and a few presents at breakfast.  He got a police parachute Lego, a sea turtle stuffed animal, and a puzzle he can draw his own picture on.  That afternoon I worked hard on the Mario Kart cake!  For supper we had pancakes and strawberries and bacon (his choice) and some birthday cake and ice cream.  We also had our septic tank pumped during supper which made it a little less appetizing...but that is another story...stupid septic issues!  After supper Mikey got to open his last gift from us, a new 20" wheeled bike!!!  It has been too cold to ride it, but I know it will be getting many miles put on it this summer!  Mikey also got $20 in a card from Grandma and Grandpa Ridenour, a pull-ball Lego racer from the Herricks, and a toy chainsaw and a t-shirt from Grandma and Grandpa Koester who came over the next night for a visit.  

Mikey has really changed over the past year I think.  He is becoming such a sweet, caring boy.  Some of his "difficult-ness" of his younger days is waning (thank goodness?!?!).  He loves school and telling tales of his day with great earnest.  He gets along well with his friends and is very good with his baby brother, Thomas.  He plays great with Luke and/or Cora and sometimes even Jude...sometimes not...but when all goes well it is wonderful!  Mikey is hesitant to try new things and craves regularity and routine.  New situations still throw him for a loop sometimes, but we are learning that about him which helps everyone (I think he gets this from his mama:)!  He is learning to read and do simple math problems.  He loves listening to books, building and playing with Legos, riding his bike (Cora taught him at the end of the summer!), helping dad with anything outside or farm/animal-related (wearing his new belt and pliers holder!), he is a GREAT eater even though it doesn't show at all on his tall skinny frame, and he of course loves playing iPad and Nintendo, especially Mario Kart!

We love you Mikey in the middle!