Passover Seder 2011

Tommy's ready for the Seder...he knows his best buddy's family is coming to celebrate with us!

Here is our table ready for the Seder with the symbolic elements at each place. We didn't put out the four cups (each!) of wine/grape juice per person until we actually started the ceremony and everyone (all 7 kids age nine and under, 10 adults) was seated...a bit concerned about wine/purple grape juice stains on the carpet. Can you believe there wasn't a one?!?!
Fun using my Gramma's pretty things for the ceremony.
Sally Johnson was so sweet to come a few hours early to help arrange, organize, set-up and cook with me. Her presence was sooooo helpful (and calming!) She is SUCH a sweet heart! I am so thankful she wanted to help!
The actual meal turned out to be yummy. We served grilled lamb and chicken (for the kids), mashed potatoes, tzimmes (traditional Jewish dish with carrots, sweet potatoes, oj, honey), spinach salad, pineapple, charoset (an apple nut mixture used as part of the Seder ceremony but also yummy to serve during the meal) and, of course, Matzah (NO bread...can't have any yeast in the house!) Sally made a banana pudding dessert for us at Fletcher's request (she had made it when Noah was born and he has been wanting it again since then!) I had the desire and all the supplies to make Matzah ball soup as an addition to our meal to try and keep to traditional Jewish fare, but....time ran out! So, that will probably be our meal (and cooking lesson for the kids!) this week during Passover. I'm looking forward to it!

Paris' Missing Two Front Teeth

We love seeing her precious front toothless smile!Paris LOVES her brother, Noah! She is SO sweet to him. He is one lucky kiddo...his siblings adore him! Tommy often says, "Mom, him do this me! (and then Tommy grins at me showing me how Noah smiled at him. Apparently, Tommy doesn't "know" the word smile...he just shows me a smile to tell me what Noah "does" to him!) So cute!

Paris and Noah right before church on April 10, 2011:
Tommy is all serious business before heading out to church this Sunday:
Tommy told me today that he was ready to poop in the potty. I have to say I had my doubts that it would actually come to pass...literally...because he's been trying to use his potty for pooping for MANY weeks now. He had his normal great morning with wearing underwear all day, and he's been sleeping through the night with just jammies on for a couple months. He still cheers for himself to us each morning that his jammies are dry and, "Me pee potty!" We still make a big deal with verbal praise for his pee pee in the toilet but the treats have long stopped for that feat. The trouble with TeeTom comes after that sweet afternoon nap that I so look forward to...but dread the after nap poop clean-up that inevitably comes along with it! He and Fletcher have always been sooo predictable in their bodies' daily "rhythms." Tommy just couldn't muster up the discipline to go sit on the potty after waking up from his nap. I am very thankful he never laid in bed and went potty in his underwear. Yay, that he at least climbed down from the top bunk and "hid" somewhere in his room or the playroom before pooping. BUT, today was THE day!!! He was serious. He did go poop in his little potty for the third time ever!!! Praise God!!!!!! I didn't have to wash out poopy underwear today! Yippie for me!

Sarah's Latest Art Pieces

Her Polar Bear (February 2011):

Her watercolor guitar (March 2011):
Her acrylic Cherry Blossoms started and finished on April 12, 2011:
Sarah sure is having fun with her Monart art lessons! She asked me today if she could turn her bedroom into her own art studio...uhhh, no. :)

What I do want to remember...

How Tommy asks as we are driving down Parker Road, "Us go home now?" Yes, buddy, we are going home. "Us play monkeys?" (meaning, "Can we play monkeys when we get home, Mom?") When I say, "Yes, you can play monkeys when we get home, bud." I hear from the bench behind me, "Yay!! Pairwis, us play monkeys, Yes!" Ohhh, these are the things I want to remember.

Tommy in an ultra-serious (very rare, indeed!) stance as a football toting astronaut. He loves his new dress-up, although his expression doesn't show it!
This astronaut apparently rides space shuttles and horses! Nice boots, bud!

What I don't mind forgetting is that this precious, dress-up loving three year old has been pooping in his underwear for three weeks straight. I have had to clean poop-filled underwear daily for weeks on end. I've never put him in pull-ups, and we've not gone back to diapers because he's three; he GETS it...he just has some phobia/fear about pooping in the potty....I dunno. He pees just great. I think he's had like two accidents ever type thing with the pee-pee potty training. He has only pooped in the potty a few times and other than those times, he's gone right in his underwear like it is a diaper! Argh! YUCK! I have a strong feeling that I'm the idiot here. My "Mommy stubbornness" might be losing on this battle. All I know is that I'm NOT winning...I'm still cleaning poopy underwear and poopy three year old legs after many weeks!

Charlie and Sarah's trip to VA, April 2011

Sarah is Chuck's first grandchild and Poppy's first great-grandchild.

Sarah loved the attention of her VA family!
The cherry blossoms in D.C. were in full-bloom. LUCKY, Sarah and Charlie!!
Sarah was excited to get to see the White House and Air and Space Museum again after a couple years since the last time. She was even more thrilled to get to go to the National Art Gallery for the first time in her life. She saw SO many amazing works from the best of the best including Renoir, Degas, Cassatt, Van Gogh, Picasso, Cezanne, and even a Da Vinci painting, too. It was super fun that we had just studied many of these painters and read some great books about them before her trip. We highly recommend the story books about famous artists by Laurence Anholt who has a great series on different Impressionist painters.

Colgan Brothers in stripe shirts, March 2011

The boys are semi-matching in their stripe polos and khaki pants. I try to get a quick picture as we head out to church. Is it possible to get all the boys looking at the same time? Maybe...
Yes!

Tuckered Tommy

Tee-Tom couldn't keep his eyes open a second longer after a refreshing hike in Roxborough Park. The kids had fun making a silly video mimicing one they love on YouTube called "Nature Walk" with a Chris Farley type character.