The Week in Pictures

I bring to you a visual view of our week:

Yes, this is Shadow, our dear pupper.  He is sitting on the bed, my elder daughter nearby, snapping pictures of him and texting them to me.  He is anxiously awaiting my arrival in these pictures, gazing out the window in hopes of a glimpse of his dearly beloved mommy.  Seriously, NOBODY loves me like this dog does.  She reported that he wouldn't give her any attention, so intent was he on watching for me to get home.  #theycallitpuppylove

One of the buses that took my two eldest children to DC for the March for Life. They kids have reported they are exhausted but had an amazing day.  Last year they came home full of faith-inspiring stories about their experiences at the March, and I can't wait to hear about this year's trip.  What a blessing to be able to attend such an event!  Tonight they are settling in for a comfy (!) night's sleep on a church floor, with hopes of visiting the Smithsonian tomorrow.  However, as midnight approaches and the government shutdown looms, the Smithsonian may be but a dream.  #can'teveryonegetalong?

This shirt.  Oh my.  My middle son has become OBSESSED with lacrosse, and I got him this shirt for Christmas.  It cracked me up and was one of my favorite gifts I gave this year.  This sentiment sums up his feelings completely!

#schoolisimportant #butlacrosseisimportanter

My littlest daughter received a blank book for Christmas and she has slowly begun writing her very own story. This is the first page:  

Once upon a time, there was a family.  This particular family loves to laugh.  

Oh how I love it!  She drew each of us carefully and it looks like Mommy and Daddy are ready for a fancy night out on the town!  I love that of all the things she could have written, she chose to write about how we all love to laugh. 

#thefamilywholaughstogetherstaystogether

(I don't know why hashtags have overtaken me tonight.  I NEVER (categorically, on principle) use them on social media.  But sometimes, while blogging, I like a good hashtag now and then.) #inablogtheyrehilarious

#onsocialmediatheyreannoying

Hidden Agenda

The week before Christmas, my eldest daughter and her friends planned a "Friendsmas" lunch during their high school lunch hour.  They were each planning to bring in something to share and have a potluck of sorts (genius, I think - and it was a great success!).

A few days before the lunch, the kids were talking about what they were going to bring.  My daughter said, "I have all my stuff hidden in our garage fridge, ready to go".

One of her friends said, "What? Why do you have it hidden??"

Another of her friends (one with 6 siblings) said, "So no one takes it before she needs it!"

Yes.  In high school, both of my children have found friends who get their lives.  In a big family, you can't leave special food out and expect it will still be there the next time you look!  They both have several friends who really understand their home life -- the volume level, the hand-me-downs, the chaos, the constant sharing, the apparent food shortage, and the effort it takes to leave the house with everyone.

The conversation between my daughter and her friends made me smile.  All family sizes are unique, and it warms my heart to know that my children have found some friends with whom they can celebrate (and commiserate with!) their many siblings.  Having only one sister myself, even I can't fully understand how it feels to have lots of siblings and the joys and frustrations that brings.  I'm glad they've found some friends with which to share those feelings.

Big families = lots of laundry, lots of noise, lots of love. . .and also lots of hidden food! 

Christmas Vacation

Today wrapped up a whirlwind Christmas break.  At the start, we worshiped on Christmas Eve and Day as a family, and opened gifts together at the crack of dawn Christmas Day (my husband is such a good sport about that early wake up time, considering he doesn't get to bed until well after midnight on Christmas Eve!).  After we had our family time, we headed to Florida for a Christmas break vacation.  Here are a few highlights:

• The purpose of the trip south was to take a cruise with my parents and my sister and her family for my parents' 50th anniversary.  Before the ship sailed out, we decided to hit Disney and Universal to (to quote my husband) "do it now while we're down there, so we'll never have to do it again".  Although the exhausting theme park vacations are not his choice (he's more of a  National Parks kind of guy), we all had a wonderful time.  We laughed and laughed and laughed together during the trip.  It was wonderful family time.
• The weather in Florida was a bit chilly (although substantially better than it was at home, we heard). By the last day at Universal, the "real feel" was 37 degrees!  We had on winter coats and gloves, but the upside to the less-than-amazing weather was that the lines were significantly shorter, and the kids got to ride several rides multiple times.
• My 11-year-old is a Harry Potter fan (to put it mildly), as are my oldest two children.  My son had saved his money to buy a wand, and was thrilled to pieces when he was chosen for the coveted wand ceremony.  We all were so excited for him (and I admit I had tears in my eyes) as the HP guy (I'm sure he has a technical HP title, but I have no idea what it is) tried out several wands until the correct want chose him -- with lots of sound and light effects.  Our son was beyond elated to have the experience, and went around Universal the next two days using the wand on the interactive store windows.  He guarded the wand with his life (that is possibly not an understatement), and wouldn't let anyone else come near it.  It was wonderful to see him so excited.
• At Disney, my husband offered to let my eldest daughter and I go to Epcot by ourselves.  Yes, he took the other four kids to Hollywood Studios to enjoy those shows and rides, and my girl and I walked 11 miles and took in all the countries in Epcot. 
• After Disney and Universal, we met up with our family and boarded the cruise ship. I had had some apprehension about sailing (re: my severe hatred of expansion bridges and large bodies of water), but I knew my fears were silly and all would be fine.  We had a great reunion and got settled in, and then the ship took off. . .into very, very choppy waters.  There was a lot of wind, and the sailing was rough.  I was struggling to balance my nerves with what I knew to be true --that we were safe.  Several of our family members were quite seasick, but none of the adults were worried. . .except me.  When we sat down to our formal dinner that night, one of the prep stations right by our table (and some shelving units in the kitchen) crashed down loudly during one particularly tumultuous wave.  One of my kids asked me if we were going to drown, and I had to put on a brave face and assure the child that we were perfectly safe.  Over the next 24 hours, I ate little and prayed continually.  By the next afternoon, my anxiety had subsided and I felt more like myself (and was able to enjoy all the cruise food!!).  
• We had a wonderful time all together on the cruise, and had many opportunities to celebrate my mom and dad.  We got to talk, laugh and simply be together, which is hard to come by as everyone is pulled in many directions.

It was a wonderful break, full of family, food and fun.  Tonight as we are settling in, getting ready for work and school tomorrow, I am reflecting on the many blessings we were gifted through our time together.  I am grateful for the example of marriage my parents have shown to us in their 50 years, and I am grateful for the gift of family.