Thanksgiving

This year we hosted our first Thanksgiving in our home. The torch was passed from my mom to me and we enjoyed creating both old and new traditions with our family. We were joined by Mom Mom and Pop Pop, the Grogan crew, and from the other side- Nana, Grandpa, Uncles Michael and Brad and Madison. Aunt Sara and Mom Mom pitched in with the feast and everything was delicious. One new memory we made and hope to repeat was the First Annual Turkey Day Bowl! All the guys met at the football field in the morning for a frigid, muddy match up. Everyone both older and little had a great time! With the amount of testosterone in this family this is sure to be a sign of fun years ahead :-)
We finished the day with fun kids crafts, yummy desserts, karaoke, and lots of laughter. As generations leave and new ones are born it is bittersweet to see how traditions evolve, change, and fade away. We smile as we think of the memories and we feel so blessed to know there are so many more ahead of us.

*Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever*

This Morning

Aaron began calling for his morning bottle at 6:15. Time after time I use the baby (whoever the baby has been at that time) as my excuse for not waking early like I know I should. If 'the baby' would wake at a convenient time I could just stay up, rather than 4:30 waking and I fall back asleep for a short time that makes me feel more tired & grumpy.........yes, excuses. But today my sweet baby boy arose at the 'perfect time'. I laid back in bed contemplating how much I would enjoy a quiet time with coffee and reading, if only I wasn't so tired......more excuses.
And as I was excusing my laziness in my mind, my husbands alarm went off and I watched how diligently he roused himself, with no annoyance or frustrations with the day ahead. I have never seen anyone face each task with such steadfastness. Everything he does is intentional, committed, faithful. He is who I want to be. My hero.

Little Einsteins

The Science Center in Baltimore is always a fun experience. This year we were able to purchase a family membership and we are hoping to make monthly visits :-) The children are at great ages to really learn & explore there. I hope to make these adventures a big part of our homeschool.
Savannah was terrified of the dinosaurs on her first visit but the second time she decided she is not scared and she will scare them away with her growl!
Nathan really enjoys the space exhibits and spent some of his hard earned hoarded allowance on a set of astronaut figures. Ben also enjoys the dinos and loves the hands-on materials there. Cameron seems to like the physical science activities best. Aiden loves everything he can follow his big brothers into :-) Baby Aaron is not left out of the fun either! He has a good old time sitting in dino footprints, splashing in the water tables and just running around!
I think I love these activities more than they do, It is so precious to watch them laugh, learn, and explore.

Ordinary Days

So many mornings start like this- baby's diaper leaked, Savannah is clinging to my leg, Aiden is getting into his brother's legos, big boys are wrestling instead of starting school, Brendan left a huge mess. And all I want is to finish my coffee. I think of all that needs to be accomplished and tell myself there is no way I will get it all done and today is hopeless.
Fast forward to 5oclock. Dinner is ready to be served, the house is in order, school is complete, laundry put away, and the children are quiet and getting along. I even have a quiet moment with coffee- decaf this time!

It always works out. The impossible never really is. And the endless day is gone in the blink of an eye. God made all things possible- He isnt too busy for the mundane details in our lives. These ordinary moments are tomorrow's extraordinary memories.

Science Fun!

Enjoying a fun day at the Science Center :-)

You are ONE Bubbaloo!!

Sweet baby Aaron turned one on February 11th. I can not believe how quickly this year passed by :-( I worry that Aaron wasn't held enough or given enough of my attention and I feel a lot of sadness over our need to feed him formula but in reality our precious grand finale is happy, healthy, energetic, active, babbling, laughing, running and overall absolutely perfect!! He is constantly on the go and chasing after his siblings, he has yet to find a food he doesn't like and he has a beautiful smile full of teeth. Aaron is an absolute joy in our family and is loved and adored by all! He is always laughing and easy going except when it is time to get dressed or strapped in his car seat. He is also definitely not a fan of shoes! Aaron's trademark is how he likes to suck his thumb or bottle and rub his ear at the same time- this cuteness always makes us smile.
We are so thankful that God blessed us with sweet baby Aaron. He is the light of all of our lives!

Cheesy Eggs on Toast with fruit

I'd like to document what it takes to feed our little army- how we are able to stretch some things pretty far and other things that we can not. Here is a typical weekday breakfast at our house.

Cheesy Eggs on Toast with Fruit for the 6 children at home each day takes 10 eggs, 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, 9 pieces of whole wheat toast, and whatever fruit we have on hand. Our breakfast fruit is usually banana but this breakfast was made on a Thursday when we are typically low on produce before Friday's grocery trip.

A protein/whole grain combo is the best way to keep the kiddos well nourished through our school morning, and we serve fruit and/or veggies with every meal.

Mom should write more...

Every day so many thoughts go through my head. So many moments should be preserved. So many prayers are answered. And many new worries emerge. And every day I think to myself that I should be recording these things. I should write. To process my own thoughts. To document my children's milestones, to preserve our memories. Some days I think I should write as a way to scrapbook, other days I think I should write as a way to encourage wives and mothers- particularly my daughter and future daughters in law. Some days I think I have this wife/mom/homemaker thing all figured out- I can do it all! The schedule goes perfectly, the children are clean, calm and smiling, and I am fully dressed including hair, make up and accessories. Woo-hoo! Hubby calls me a rock star and I feel like one. Then in the next instant somebody pees their pants. While I am cleaning that up another little person approaches me hot with a fever and there are 2 boys who appear to be fighting a death match in their bedroom. The phone rings and it is my son's teacher calling about his behavior. And dinner is burned. So much for being a rock star. But even in these moments I am blessed. I know that God is using these chaotic times to grow and refine my heart and my soul. So even though in the moment I would probably be in tears or dreaming of a glass of wine, when the moment passes I am thankful for the lessons learned and the memories that we will laugh about as we look back on our family's story.