Time to get reacquainted with the old blog, I think. Here’s some of what I haven’t been blogging in the last four months.
This year (as in, school year) has been really good. I think, more than ever since I’ve had littles, I feel like I’ve hit my stride. I know full well that all this can change at any moment, with any sick kid or change in routine, but for now, we are all really enjoying our schedule.
Dominic loves school, which is no surprise. Like every 7 year old boy, he’ll tell you his favorite thing about school is “recess,” unless I can convince him to say “music” to make his mom happy. 
He began piano lessons at the beginning of the school year. He had to be dragged to lessons for the first month, but now we can’t keep him off the piano! My life-long dream of making music with my children was fulfilled when we played a duet in his mini-recital at a nursing home. Trying so hard not to be the stage mom, but it’s just in my blood!
He loves football and can tell you the final score of every Husker game this year and jersey numbers of many of the players. Jackson and D can play football in the front yard for hours at a time.
Jackson and Patrick began kindergarten this year. Patrick is a little bit of an enigma in this house. He is cool with playing a game by himself, even when the rest of the family is playing together. He likes to watch football, but isn’t as obsessed as his brothers. Surprisingly, he has been begging us to join wrestling this year, so we decided to let him try it out. He has a very generous heart. He’ll often offer to clean up his and Jackson’s room so Jackson can play longer. He appreciates order and will spend a good chunk of time organizing and folding clothes in his drawers. He loves surprising me with handmade cards or gifts or cleaning a room without being asked.
Patrick likes to be first at everything he does. He is almost always the first one done eating at meals and we’ve been told that he usually is done first with any work in his classroom.
Jackson is our turtle with a crazy cute smile. He likes to take his time and is not concerned about what anyone else is doing. He loves playing football with D.
Yesterday, they played a whole game, including four quarters of play and even a half-time show. They two boys sat in chairs and talked out all the upcoming bowl games and their predictions. He’s quite athletic and has a very long attention span for watching sports for a five year old.
Like Patrick, he is doing well learning to read. He is very helpful and loves to be in the kitchen. He made an entire batch of brownies all by himself this week. Jackson likes to sing and has a very sweet little voice.
Leo is our wild child. He has the craziest expressions and can tell the most dramatic stories. He uses lots of hand gestures whenever he talks and he does not have an indoor voice.
Leo wears his heart on his sleeve and lives very excited or loudly upset. He’s the little one, always trying to keep up with his big brothers. He turned four in November, and he loves preschool and enjoys spending time with just me and Lucy during the day.
He likes playing games and anything involving swords or throwing things. Leo is also our snuggliest kiddo. He always wants lots of hugs and kisses and like to sit on Luke’s and my lap.
Lucy is our sweet, sweet little girl. She turned one in October and began walking all over around 14 months. We love watching her toddle around. She can say “mama,” “dada,” “up,” “Thank you,” and she jabbers all. the. time. She also has a very unsettling high pitched scream that she uses to get whatever she wants.
She’s a pretty picky eater and we can never guess if she’ll gobble down her dinner, or angrily throw it on the floor.
With her top two teeth almost all the way in, she has a crazy cute smile and many silly faces that make everyone in the family laugh.
She’s getting into everything now and no game, book, toy, or left-over food on the floor is safe from Lucy-zilla.
And if you made it the end of all that….we are also excited to welcome our 6th baby in June. We are about 17 weeks along. Pregnancy always makes me feel like I don’t want to do anything (thus my total absence from the blogging world) but I’ve felt very good—surprisingly good—all pregnancy. That has been a real gift! The kiddos are all so excited and we just feel very blessed!
Looking forward to the blessings of a new year!
