With Mar-Mar and Be-Bob in town it worked out to have Rose’s baptism today. Megan and Mike Thibodeau are his godparents. She was baptized by Deacon Jim after 4:30 Mass. She cooperated well.
Rose’s Baptism
Andrew’s 12th Birthday
Today we celebrated Andrew’s 12th birthday! The oldest of our kids, it is almost the hardest to believe how old he is. I imagine that could change as Rose gets older.
Mar-Mar and Be-Bob made it to town this weekend to catch some soccer games, celebrate some birthdays, and we also managed to squeeze in Rose’s baptism. Overall if was a very busy, fun weekend.
Andrew at 12 continues to love life. He has had a new friend, Will, move in down the street and they have been having a lot of fun together. For his birthday he also received a hatchet and an archery set and he has been enjoying taking advantage of the outdoors. His typical day has him waking around 8 (usually with my help). He reads, stumbles around, eats breakfast, and gets ready for the day. He does a good job with his school work, attacking anything I can put in front of him. He still enjoys Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and many graphic novels and comics. This fall he is playing on a Northwest Soccer team again and he is loving it (all the kids are, in fact). He is on the same team as Ian, with his old coach, Drew. He still tends to stay up late, going to bed later than me and Susan with some frequency.
Favorite Song: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favorite Color: Orange
Favorite Food: Skyline
Favorite Band: ColdPlay
Favorite Book: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows
Scheel’s Demo Day
Mar-Mar & Be-Bob Visit
Mar-Mar and Be-Bob came to visit over the weekend. There was a lot of hanging out at the house and a few outings.
Mar-Mar & BeBob Visit
Thanksgiving in Cincinnati
This past week we headed to Cincinnati for the week. I went to work for a few days and then it was on to Thanksgiving festivities. It was a good, busy visit. We arrived Saturday night and got settled in. On Sunday we headed to church with Mar-mar and then hung out around the house. Monday night was dinner at the Caf at Xavier and then we headed to a Men’s basketball game. Both are always highlights.
Tuesday night we had dinner with the Romans and then the Herrels on Wednesday. Thursday was Thanksgiving breakfast, dinner with my parents and the Donleys, and then we watched The Sound of Music. On Friday Lucia and I went for a hike with Be-Bob, Jill, and Madelyn while Susan and the kids hit Ikea. Dinner was the traditional Friday night LaRosa’s.
Trip to Cincinnati
This past weekend we went to Cincinnati so I could work for a few days and also to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary.
As usual, it was a fun, busy trip. I had to work Thursday and Friday. On Thursday the rest of the family went to the zoo with my mom, Jill, Elsie, and Madelyn. In the evening we went to the Lumenocity dress rehearsal. On Friday I left work early and we headed to the museum center for a couple of hours of exploring. Saturday morning we met Will and the girls downtown to play and we all met up at Mar-Mar and Be-Bob’s for dinner. Sunday we had brunch with my newly-ordained cousin Bill and his friend from church. Monday I had to work in the morning and then it was time for the drive home.
One other important thing to note about this trip is that Lucia was awesome in the car. She did really well, especially since when we traveled in June she did not enjoy it.
Tulip Time
Yesterday we attended our first Tulip Time in Pella, IA. Mar-Mar and Be-Bob met us there en route to Des Moines for Mari’s First Communion. We also met our friend Anne, who lives in Pella. The kids loved it and can’t wait to go back next year.
Cincinnati Visit
This older kids and I headed to Cincinnati last week to visit family and so I could hit some meetings at work. The kids stayed with Mar-Mar during the day while I went to work. A quick recap:
Tuesday: Leave Des Moines at 9:45. Meet my family at Skyline in Monfort Heights at 7:15.
Wednesday: I leave for work. The kids go to the aquarium with Mar-Mar, Holly, Henry, and Elsie. I go to Tom & Chee for lunch with Simon; the kids go to a different Tom & Chee with their clan. My parents drive to kids to Xavier. We eat dinner in the caf, have to leave early because of a fire alarm, and then go to the Xavier vs Georgetown basketball game, where Xavier goes from 17 points down 5 minutes into the second half to winning by 13.
Thursday: I go to work. The kids hang out at the house all day. The Donley’s and Beinkempers meet up for dinner.
Friday: I don’t go into work until lunch time. The kids hang out with Mar-Mar. We go to Holly’s for dinner, where we are joined by my family, Ruth Ann, and the Herrels, including new baby Leah, who is still new to us. Also on Friday I learn that there is snow moving in on Saturday, so I decide to delay departure by a day.
Saturday: We spent the day hanging out at my parents. The kids went sledding and played in the creek. The Donleys and Beinkempers came over for dinner. We played Apples to Apples.
Good times.
Lucia’s Baptism
Today we celebrated Lucia’s baptism. Mary and Casey, her Godparents, were in town from Kansas City. Mar-Mar and BeBob were also in from Cincinnati. Lucia cooperated very well and took the entire event very seriously, as she usually does.
Mar-Mar and BeBob Visit
Mar-Mar and BeBob are in town for the weekend to help us celebrate Lucia’s baptism. It is super-hot, so we have a pretty laid-back schedule.
Mari’s 8th Birthday
Today we celebrated Mari’s 8th birthday. After spending the day at the zoo we met at Skyline for dinner and then headed back to Mar-Mar & B-Bob’s for some cake and ice cream.
Mari continues to blossom into a wonderful young lady. She is a great help around the house and is very helpful with Lucia. She usually wakes up for the day at around 7:30 or 8 and heads to bed around 9. She is usually a little more tired than the others. She is headed into 2nd grade next year and participates well in school. She is always up for any activity. her favorite color is pink. Her favorite food is Skyline. She does not have a favorite song, but she does like the song Firework by Katy Perry.