The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Merry Christmas!

It is the time of the year with much jingle belling and parties for hosting. A time to be of good cheer and we have plenty of that in our house this time of year. We spent the weeks preceding Christmas making gingerbread houses, decorating, baking cookies, and shopping and wrapping presents. We love hosting Christmas Eve for the extended family and each year it has gotten smoother and more enjoyable. Since we have done this for the past years, we have a good sense of what needs to get done, and everyone pitches in.

We have been taking the cousin picture before the party starts so the kids all come dressed in their finest. They know the routine and are patient as we wrangle the littlest ones. Then the rest of the family arrives and the feasting begins. Every family brings a dish so we always have a good variety.

Next it is time for the cousins to exchange gifts. We used to exchange by family group and the family with the youngest child got to go first. William was looking forward to this since they had little Ellie, but we decided that we would have one child go at a time and after they opened then they would hand their gift to the cousin they got a gift. We let William be the first to go. The system worked really well and moved quickly filling my living room with smiling kids.

Then it was the adults turn. We gathered trash and the kids all scattered to play in other rooms of the house. A pile of gifts collected in the center of the living room floor and the adults took seats on the parameter. Numbers were drawn and picking and stealing began. This year a set of Dr. Who Tardis lights made the rounds and happily landed with someone in our family. Emma is deciding where they should be hung.

As family started to head out we prepared to go to Mass with Will and Heather's family and this year Cousin Steven joined us. Mass with the Jauquets and hanging out with Steven have become part of our Christmas Eve tradition. Later that evening we gathered in front of the tree and opened the Kehrman family gifts and the ornaments. Megan wasn't feeling well so she was very lowkey as we opened. Everyone gets excited to hang their new ornaments on the tree. Johanna was really into opening the presents and had fun tearing paper off her gifts. She wanted to open and play with her cupcake set immediately. It had been a long day and she didn't get a nap but she was running on adrenaline and played nicely. Until she didn't, so we said prayers and said good night.

Christmas morning had a wonderful easy pace, opening gifts and discovering goodies in stockings. Then the Christmas pickle search. Bridget found it this year. We shared cinnamon rolls, eggs and sausage. Bridget got an extra cinnamon roll as the prize for finding the pickle. Everyone settled into playing and enjoying each other and their gifts but Megan was feeling even worse than the night before and her throat was really hurting. So Jim took her to the urgent care center.  I made food for Christmas dinner while Hanna napped and everyone else played. 2 hours later Jim and Megan came home, it wasn't strep but it was a bad virus.  We headed to Will and Heather's that night for a relaxed dinner, then Uncle Will made us all sing for our dessert. We were assigned numbers for the 12 days of Christmas. It was a lot of fun. Megan spent most of the evening in their big love seat, while the rest of the girls played with their cousins and Jim and I visited.

We spent 2 wonderful days in honor of the birth of Christ with family and His glad tidings in our hearts.

Happy 8th Bridget!

Our sweet checked baby turned eight years old.. Our family would not be the same without her. She joined us just a few days before Christmas with more help than she needed. Neither she nor I needed pitocin but that is what we got and so my Bridget came out faster than she should. Bridget arrived strong and healthy. The only adverse effect of the unneeded intervention were bruises on her checks. Her checks are still one of her notable features, but as she gets bigger they are slimming down a little. Her face is starting to look a little older, with gentle eyes and a genuine smile.

Bridget is such a delight and as timid or shy as she sometimes seems, she is rather forthright. This school year she has dealt with a friend that is an A type personality and can be controlling of the way games or conversations go. It makes Bridget upset when her ideas are disregarded. Instead of shying away from the situation Bridget made a plan and spoke with each girl involved and explained that her feelings were hurt. Bridget handled it so well, there was no drama, and the situation improved. Bridget is a powerful force, who can be very passionate. There have been many occasions where Bridget has removed herself and has observed from the sidelines. I have realized over the years that this allows her to assess situations and make good decisions. She has been sharpening her power of discernment and I have a feeling that it will serve her well through her whole life.

18 months

We are blessed to be stewards of her life and blessed to have her lighten our daily family interactions. Bridget is our early riser, she used to burst through her door the moment she woke, but this past year she has learned to let herself wake up a little and come out sure of her surroundings and self. One of the things she asked for and received this birthday was an alarm clock so she can look at the time and make a decision based on good information. 

3 years old- Easter 2010

Bridget makes me smile very day. She plays well by herself and is so good with her Johanna. Hanna makes a special point to call Bridget her friend and asks for Bridget to play with her. Megan and Bridget work together to create imaginary worlds using tiny toys all over their floor. Bridget is also very capable and does things well before we ever had her sisters do them independently. This amazing girl makes her own lunch every day, she has chores everyday and she is naturally kind.

5th Birthday

For her birthday she requested pancakes, bacon and eggs so we all had an early breakfast before Emma went to school.  Bridget had her holiday sing along at school that day so Jim took some time from work and joined her at school. I left work early and we were all back home with plenty of time to celebrate Bridget and give her gifts. Bridget's biggest request this year was for technology. She was hoping for a hand me down DS game unit so she was thrilled to receive a brand new all her own Nook HD. I mean really thrilled.

The world is lucky to have Bridget and I am lucky to call her my daughter.

Baptismal Day for Ellie

The Christian community welcomes you with great joy. In its name I claim you for Christ our Savior by the sign of his cross. I now trace the cross on your forehead.

The sweet little darling that arrived just a short time ago was baptized and sealed for Christ on 12-13-14. I promised to help her parents in their duty as Christian parents and I joined them to trace the cross on her forehead. I also got to hold her during the Blessing of the Baptismal Waters. That was such a treat. The beautiful Ellie gazed serenely at my face as my Dad prayed over the waters, and Erik her Godfather stood by my shoulder. I felt surrounded by grace and a sense of peace, even as Johanna fussed for me a few feet away. Hanna was in Jim's capable hands, which allowed me to gaze back at this little gift. Ellie was calm and trusting, a beautiful reflection of her parent's care.  The kids all gathered round the huge font and we all watched in awe as Dad dunked Elizabeth 3 times into the water. Will quickly scooped his little girl up and then lifted her for the congregation to welcome.

The Catholic Rite of Baptism has many beautiful parts and I especially love the blessings for the parents.

God the Father, through his Son, the Virgin Mary’s child, 

has brought joy to all Christian mothers, 

as they see the hope of eternal life shine on their children. 

May he bless the mother of this child. 

She now thanks God for the gift of her child. 

May she be one with her 

in thanking him for ever in heaven, 

in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 Amen.

God is the giver of all life, human and divine. 

May he bless the father of this child. 

He and his wife will be the first teachers of their child in the ways of faith. 

May they be also the best of teachers, 

bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do, 

in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen.

It is such a joy to welcome this special little one into our Christian family and I am happy to support Will and Heather in their Christian duties. 

Sacrament # 2 for Bridget

Bridget with her new cross from Aunt Heather

On December 6, 2014 Bridget Rose made her First Reconciliation. She was anxious about it whenever I worked with her on the home preparation. What to confess?, Will she remember the prayers?, Should she kneel behind the screen or go face to face?, etc...

But when the day came and our family filled a pew, she settled in. Bridget was so excited when Aunt Heather, her Godmother, came to be with her. And we were all excited to see baby Ellie again. Our parish does a prayer service and includes the wonderful song written by a parent years ago, about Zacchaeus. Bridget really likes the song and looked forward to it since workshop 2 weeks earlier. Then it is a matter of getting in line and waiting for a priest. Bridget was unsure who to go to but settled on Fr. Warren who is the new associate at our parish. We stood in line in front of the alter as he was seated on the alter to hear confessions. Bridget was chatty and after 20 minutes or so, she marched up to meet him with a huge grin. She had such an air of confidence and joy that Father responded with a huge grin back. Bridget came back after her confession and was all smiles.

The rest of the family took advantage of the sacrament as well. Emma was the last of the family to go and as we were walking out of the church Bridget asked her "Do you feel light? I feel light. I feel like I could fly." She soaked up the grace of the Sacrament in a very real way.

Busy at School

High School is full of milestones and Emma hit one of them at the beginning of November. She received her class ring. The class of 2016 is a big one (400+), but only a small portion of the class members participate, so it was an intimate ceremony of about 50 Juniors and their families. Emma got dressed up and found her place in line to process into the auditorium. They called her name, she walked through a giant ring to the center of the stage and turned her ring stone up. There wan't must to the ceremony but it was fun and then we had cake. Hitting these milestones are nods to the bigger processionals to come.

Then a few weeks later we went to the auditorium for another ceremony. This one felt more important, a recognition of an accomplishment. Emma was inducted into the National Honor Society.  It took an essay, an application, 2 years of excellent grades, many service hours and leadership activities with signatures to verify them all. Emma has an amazing GPA and a ridiculously high QPA. We are proud of her and I hope she is proud of herself.

This past week was also American Education week so I took the opportunity to visit the girl's classrooms on multiple days.

Thursday I went to the middle school to visit Rachael's 8th grade class. It happened to be lunch time so I joined her in the library. She ate her lunch as she tended to her library duties, then we went to her science class together where I got to see her in action doing a lab, complete with a beaker, bunson burner and goggles. It was fun to see her in action.

Then I went to the elementary school where I visited Megan's reading class. Since I was there Megan and her group got to present her project on a famous naturalist, Theodore Roosevelt. She and 2 friends put together a scrapbook on his life and interests. She spoke clearly and proudly. The scrapbook turned out great.

Friday morning I headed back to the elementary school to visit Bridget's 2nd grade classroom. She had been working on a persuasive project where her turkey dressed up as a peacock. She had to write an essay from the turkey's point of view trying to convince us that he was a peacock and we should not eat him. It was fun to work with her on her essay and she was happy to have me there.

It is their happy faces, the truly happy, proud, and important faces that make me thrive. I love these girls and I am so proud of them.

End of the soccer season

Our weekly schedule is shifting out of soccer mode, just in time to switch to holiday mode.

Our girls all had soccer tournaments this past Saturday. Bridget's game was first so we all started there to cheer her on. I left mid game to deliver Megan to her field and Emma and Rachael to theirs.

It was a cold day but sunny.

Bridget's game went to overtime and her pink team played hard to pull off a win. They advanced to the Finals.

Megan's blue team celebrated their season with a pizza party earlier in the week and were ready for the tournament. Megan's game was a close one against the pink team and ended with a lose 0-1. Megan was sad but then cheered up because it meant she could go to her friends house to work on a school project.

Emma and Rachael's game was also very close, went to overtime and then penalty kicks. Johanna and I were at the game and poor Hanna was over all of the field time and cried through the last 20 minutes. In the third round of penalty kicks Emma and Rachael both took shots. Em was nervous and didn't put much on the ball, but Rachael surprised herself and her team by getting it in the net. Their pink team lost by one penalty point. It was intense and despite losing they left feeling proud for playing such a good game. I was proud of them too.  They went straight to a team pizza party.

Bridget's team meet back on the field for the Final game in the afternoon. They lost in regulation time but took home 2nd place in the league. Her team headed to a pizza party after the game.

It was a good season all around, and we are happy for the team play, fresh air and physical activity.

Johanna turns 2!

(To the tune of "Oh my darling Clementine")

"Oh Johanna, Oh Johanna,
How I love my Hanna Faith.
I love my little Hanna and I want to kiss her face."

We sing this pretty much every day and each time she presents her face to me for a big kiss. I love this and I love her.

Our Johanna is two years old. and she is a delightful little girl. She loves to play with her small characters: little people, plastic animals, Bridget's calico critters and polly pockets, and Megan's giraffes. Johanna is a big fan of the laptop and the games on our phones, luckily I have found some great toddler apps for her to play. Hanna loves wooden puzzles, especially her animals and letter puzzles. She dumps them out and adroitly rotates and flips pieces to find the right fit. But by far her favorite activity is reading books. Lots and lots of books. She is so lucky to have so many readers available to her to satisfy her desire for a story. She will sit for book after book and then ask for more. Hanna's vocabulary is growing rapidly. She and I go to the library once a week for story time and we get a few new books. We can't stay very long looking for books because Hanna has a tendency to take off running. We are working on "staying with Mama"

We celebrated Hanna's birthday, Ben's birthday and Lilian's birthday with the family, back in early October. So on Hanna's actual birthday we kept the fun in house. Hanna was the first to wake up on Sunday but she was happily playing in her crib, so instead of going to her directly, Jim and I rounded up the sisters and we went into her room signing Happy Birthday. She cried a little and then I opened up her curtain and she cried that it was too bright. Hanna usually wakes up in a good mood and this was definitely not the case on her birthday. She did settle down after a few minutes and then she was happy for the attention. She had a hard time at Mass, but was really excited to get to eat a doughnut after church. We came home and she got to open her presents.

I'm Two!

She really liked this. She tore through the clothes but as soon as she got to the puzzle that PawPaw made her, she singled in on dumping it out and putting it together. She got it all together and we were going to move to the next gift but she dumped it out and started again. She loved it and didn't have any trouble with rotating pieces and getting the right color for the right spot. We gave her some Frozen figures and she wanted those opened immediately.

We had soccer games to go to so we packed and split up. It was chilly and windy and Hanna got fussy, by the afternoon she was really not herself . It was becoming more obvious that she was getting a cold. She got a nap and a dinner of her favorite pasta with red sauce followed by cake and singing so it worked out to be a very good day.

Happy 2nd Birthday Johanna!

Halloween 2014

The Hallowed Eve 2014

Emma's Rapunzel under the lanterns

About the costumes:
Emma - She and her friends were getting together but all decided that they were past trick or treating. She did however have a Halloween Art Honor Society event so she and her friend Tori did face paint for the Avatar and Zuko. Emma was Zuko. She was Hanna's trick or treat buddy before going to Julia's party and herded little Olaf up and down stairs, negotiating with Hanna to put the candy in the bucket by feeding her one skittle.

Rachael - Months ago Rachael decided that she wanted to be car dealership inflatable guy. It took a lot of "figure it out as you go" but she and I turned 2 collapsible hampers, plastic table cloth and a lot of duck tape into a really fun costume that Rachael named Senior Amigo.

Rachael's Dementor/Patronos pumpkin

Megan - Wasn't sure what she wanted to be but when costumes came together for her younger sisters, she embraced being Elsa from Frozen. We had a light blue dress and I made a cape out of blue tulle that I embellished with snowflake made of glitter. Then we took her white heel and using duck tape turned them into something befitting a snow queen.

Megan's Kitty Cat

Bridget - Originally wanted to be Olaf, but we pulled out existing pieces and discovered a dance recital dress that was perfect for Anna from Frozen that was just her size. I turned the recital dress backwards and used duck tape to make the design on Bridget's front, then using raspberry felt I sewed a cape. I also used black felt to sew booth covers and added the design in glitter glue. Two braids and some hair spray completed the look. Bridge was super sweet at the school parade and was thrilled to have her little snowman to walk with her.

Bridget's Anna crown

Johanna- She loves the Frozen characters so after it was determined that Bridge would be Anna it made great sense for Hanna to be Olaf. I found a white women's fleece, cut off the arms and had the base for Olaf. I used the arms to sew an Olaf hat using felt for the face and carrot nose. The fleece body got some stuffing and elastic plus felt for buttons. A big bonus was the costumes warmth. Hanna loved being Olaf and was happy to stay in costume for the school parade and trick or treating. Hanna was thrilled to walk around the school circle with Megan and then with Bridget. And that night she went with the crowd, under Emma's guidance for Treat or treating.

The Brink's joined us and a huge pose of neighbors to go together from house to house. It is a great bunch and we had fun together. Rachael went to a friend's party this year, so we missed her enthusiasm, but I know that she had a fantastic time. Life is good.