Circle of Friends

Friends.  We all have them.  Childhood friends, casual acquaintances, close friends.  Some are part of our daily lives and others we may only see or hear from occasionally.  We meet and make friends in various ways:  school, work, parties, playgroups, and kids' activities.  I have friends that I have met in all of those traditional ways.  But I also have a group of very special friends that I met on the Internet.  Before you begin to think I'm a few cards shy of a full deck, let me explain further.  When I was pregnant with A, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  In doing some online research, I stumbled on a website called babycenter.  In addition to the diabetes info I sought, I also found a group called January 2006 babies.  I began visiting the site frequently and eventually began posting on a thread titled Moms of Many.  All of the moms posting on this thread had three or more kids.  There were ten of us that posted on a regular basis and we clicked right away.  eventually we formed a private group page on another website and the rest is history.  We've been a group for five years now and I count these nine women among my nearest and dearest friends.  We live in nine different states, have a variety of backgrounds, political views, and parenting approaches.  We have 42 children between us, 41 with us and one angel in heaven.  It shouldn't work, but it does.  Each of us bring something unique to our group and I can not imagine not having the  Moms of Many in my life.  Over the years we've given each other support, love, friendship, and  a lot of laughs.  We've laughed together, cried together, and gossiped together.  I've had the pleasure of meeting all but three of these women in person.   Someday we would like to have a big meet up so we can all meet in person at last.  We go back and forth on whether we should include husbands and children or just have it be us girls.  Either way, I know it will be great.  But until then, J, E, L, A, S, C, H, M, and Z, I count you girls and your friendship among the biggest blessings in my life.  Love you all!


I also want to add that in addition to the nine fantastic ladies I mention above, I have also made other wonderful friends online.  While it's true that while on babycenter, I made the strongest connection with the Moms of Many, there are other ladies that I consider friends a well.  While I have only met one in person, I still consider them friends and will always remember our Jan 06 babycenter days with fondness.  (For those wondering, babycenter changed its format a few years back and just never recovered the charm of the old board.)

He MadeThe Team!

Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows J is into baseball in a big way.  He dreams of a career in the big leagues and has been working hard towards his goal of moving on from Little League to the next level, which is the high school team.  He tried out this week and I am proud to report he made the team!  The list was posted before school this morning and he called me about ten minutes after I dropped him off.  His voice held excitement and a tinge of disbelief as well.  I don't think it had quite sunk in yet.  without shame I will admit that I cried after I hung up the phone.  I'm just so proud of him.  So congratulations J on achieving the next step toward your dream!

Happy Birthday To My Sassy Girl

A is five years old today.  As I listened to her chattering away at the breakfast table while I frosted cupcakes for her class,  I wondered where five years have gone.   Has it really been five years since this beautiful, sometimes sweet, sometimes sassy little girl came into our lives?  A is fiercely independent, sometimes stubbornly so.  She is frequently too sassy for words and is always up to something.  She is a wonderful mix of tomboy and girly girl, playing baseball in the front yard one minute and with her Barbies the next.  She makes everyday sparkle in her own unique way.  Happy Birthday my precious girl.  I can't wait to see what the years to come hold.

  Two weeks old


  Always into something
  Her second Christmas




  Fourth Birthday




  In Maui this past summer

It's Been A While, I Know

Sorry for the long lapse since my last post.  The holidays kept me pretty busy and the blog was not high on the priority list for a while.  Now that things have returned to normal, I hope to get back to posting with some regularity.  I also hope everyone had a great holiday with their faimilies!

Our Christmas Celebration Starts Tomorrow

I am sitting here tonight on the eve of one of my favorite events of the Christmas season, the annual Christmas Pageant put on by the students at our small catholic school.  Every child in the school participates, from pre-k up to 8th grade.  It is a classic telling of the Nativity, beautiful in its simplicity.  We have beautiful costumes generously sewn by the mother of one of our students many years ago.  Our music teacher does a wonderful job with the choir and the pageant songs are some of my favorite of the advent season.  The pageant is directed by our 8th grade teacher and she, too, does a wonderful job. 

This year N is a magi attendant and A makes her pageant debut as a star.  She is excited but also a bit nervous.    For the first time ever, J will be sitting in the audience.  He's looking forward to seeing the pageant from the perspective of an audience member.  After tomorrow's morning and evening performances I will have seen the pageant a total of 22 times and counting.  By the time A graduates the 8th grade that number will rise to 40.  And that doesn't count the various rehearsals I've assisted with.  Yet I love it more every year.  For me, it is the true beginning of our Christmas celebration.

Path of Faith

Today J received the Sacrament of Confirmation.  This a big milestone that marks his full acceptance of the path of faith we set him on as a tiny baby.  As I watched him process into the church, I was overwhelmed once again by the fact that my little boy is in fact, a young man, who is growing up faster than my heart wants to allow.   In my heart he is still the baby who smiled through his baptism.  The little boy who loved to read "Eyeore Loses His Tail" over and over again.  The four year old who proclaimed his new baby brother "pretty cool."  The second grader who, after receiving his First Holy Communion, wondered why Jesus couldn't taste like the M&M's Sr. Kathleen had them practice with.   The ten year old who wanted a second brother, only to fall head over heels for his baby sister the second he set eyes on her.  All of these memories hold a special place in my heart.  Today new memories found their place.  J, being annointed with oil and pledging his faith.  The smile on his face as he caught my eye.  The pride in his smile when he had his picture taken with Father Chris.  The pride I felt knowing that J has a strong foundation of faith and love to build his life on.   All of these moments will take their permanent place in my heart so that I can revisit them long after today has passed.

 

A Milestone Birthday and a Day of Reflection

N is ten years old today.  Has it really been ten years since this lovable bundle of energy and quirkiness came screaming into our lives?  According to the calendar it has been.  Ten wonderful years  filled with laughter, amazement, pride,and sometimes a little aggravation.  This kid has in turn over the years amazed me with his razor sharp brain, exhausted me with his bottomless well of energy, and completely taken over my heart.  We'll spend today celebrating N and thanking God for giving us this amazing boy to raise.

Yet as I bake his birthday cake this morning,(chocolate, with mint cream cheese frosting) I can't help but remember N's first birthday and how that day forever changed the lives of every American.  My sweet baby was a year old the day of the terrorist attacks on America.  What should have been a day of joyous celebration passed in a fog of shock, grief, and fear in front of the television.  In the years since N was old enough to be aware of what happened on September 11, 2001, we say a special prayer together for those lost that day.  He asks questions and talks about his feelings regarding the attacks.  He wonders why the attacks had to happen on his birthday or why they had to happen at all.  He wonders if it's okay to celebrate on a day that will be forever be associated with sadness and tragedy.  I tell him the same thing I've told him since he was old enough to understand.  His birth is meant to be celebrated and appreciated.  And that while we celebrate September 11, 2000, we keep in our hearts and never forget all those lost on September 11, 2001.