7 Quick Takes Friday

~~1~~
Mary Clare got glasses! Did I ever share that? The prescription is so mild that I'm not sure they do much good. They're just for reading, but sometimes she just likes to wear them for fun.

Are you wondering what she's holding here????

~~2~~
Meet our new family member, Kirby the vacuum! We are so funny about big purchases like this. We research and scour the online classifieds for days. Finally we opted to buy a used Kirby, heeding the advice of Lillian, who knows well what kind of heavy-duty cleaning machinery we need over here! Looking at the above bag of junk that came out of our carpet, I think it's working pretty well. We just need to work on keeping our floors picked up of big toys and such, so we can actually use Kirby!


~~3~~
Here's Thomas, Thomas, and Thomas! Steven's Dad is Thomas Richard, Sr. His brother is Thomas Richard, Jr. And then there's our little Tommy, Thomas William! He is named after some wonderful men!


~~4~~
Last weekend was another First Holy Communion Mass and celebration for our niece Paris. Doesn't she look like a little princess? The girls were thrilled to share in her special day!


As were some of the boy cousins (our boys were asleep during this photo)!

and hopefully none of those smiles were JUST based on the fact that we were at a dessert place and they were all about to pick a special cupcake!

~~5~~
The bees.
They seem to be doing well. They mind their own business. If you go near them you will only see a few flying in and out of the hive. No one has gotten stung yet, except Steven who stung himself on a dead bee! He says they are nice, tame, domesticated bees :) You can see the sacs on the sides carrying pollen on the one bee in the photo.


~~6~~
Mother's Day!
We had a nice Sunday. We attended the local church where our friends took this photo. Then we went to brunch with my parents. Later in the day I got to grocery shop ALONE while my family picked up the house. Then the girls and I went to a ballet production that evening. A blessed day!

My gift will be forthcoming in the purchase of a new (used) refrigerator. Ours is dying a slow death and we really need more space for food and a working ice maker. Water in the door is a priority too, so the kids can actually get their own drink of ice water without having to climb on the counter to get ice from a tray and water from a faucet! Please offer a little prayer that we will find the right (cheap) fridge close by, and soon? Thanks!

My sweet kids have also been working for weeks on some project for me in the garage office. Now they are saying it might not be ready until my birthday (in February)! I can't wait to see what they are creating!

~~7~~
Life is a bit crazy right now. I'm still in awe that we have 4 kids. Time is flying by so fast! I can't seem to keep up with cleaning, bills, or even feeding people on time. Honestly many days I lay down to nurse Tommy and just want to hide under the covers and take a break from the madness! The boys are very needy. Thomas is cutting his 2nd tooth and is screaming day and night. Steven is mischievous as usual, and days like today I spend a lot of effort trying to teach him to be kind to other children. The girls are finishing up their schoolwork, but are quite creative in the messes that are happening around the house, like a coloring project on the kitchen table, which has been there for a few days. I think I need to do a big "clean sweep," especially with the toys as we prepare for summer and, more importantly, as we prepare to have a CRAWLING BABY very soon! I am SO not ready for that yet. Lots of work to do!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And now, to rest for a few hours before the crazy morning of swim team and t-ball and a Saturday afternoon work day for Daddy.

See more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary!