Our May Before Maggie

 Magdalene is scheduled to join us via C-Section tomorrow, so one of today's tasks is to get the blog up-to-date.

That way I can get Maggie's face on here ASAP without skipping any other pics I've taken.

So...with that goal in mind: Here is our May "Before Maggie"!

So far our May has had some art projects:

T finally got a new bike!

Hector tried to be a puppy once in awhile.

Patrick almost caught up to David height-wise!

And we successfully completed our Annual Librande Backyard Clean-Up Day!

It was desperately needed.

And...now the blog is ready for Magdalene Rose!

Love, Us.

Our April

 The kids and I definitely filled up our days in April in order to both not miss dad too much and to make the time of waiting for Maggie go quickly.

Here are some of our main events from the month:

T entered a Photo contest:

And she won!

We successfully prayed the Divine Mercy Novena, and I led the sung Chaplet for the parish on the Divine Mercy Sunday.

David made Hector a cardboard box car.

We all enjoyed a canvas painting outing on post... that is, until Hector had a Level 10 tantrum that cut our stay short.

Speaking of needing naps... we took lots of those.

I spent a LOT of time reorganizing areas and cataloguing the library... and other small home maintenance.

There was also Princess snuggles. She needed them. She maybe missed dad more than anyone else.

We did our standardized testing, and it went really well!

 We have successfully added Daily Mass into our lives a few days a week, which has led to needing some creative punishments on the drive home after kids think the "short Masses" are simply play time.

And finally, Hector is still cute... and EV still loves slugs and worms.

Love, Us.

The Weeks Before Dad Left and Easter

 We got very short notice that Joe would be deploying at Easter, so late March was a bit hectic. 

Here are the new pictures that I did take.

First, some super cute drawings from the kids. Romeo specifically has become quite the drawer. He could literally sit for hours with (colored) pens and paper and be completely content.

T has done a bit of in-home babysitting for a neighbor girl. EV and Hector have loved the extra playmate.

Joe's historic sharing of the Belgian motto of "Big Barns, Little Houses" has made its mark in the Army. Check out what one of his friends influenced his soldiers to have as their motto!

Speaking of the Army, our (current) biggest and littlest did a bit of dress-up that I caught on camera.

Dad instituted a new way to both have the kids work-out and provide an easy way for mom to punish transgressions while dad is away: Moving weights from one side of the garage to the other... over and over. I LOVE it!

Dad took the big kids out for a last hoorah at Five Guys.

And he had several story times and drawing battles with the whole crew.

Meanwhile...Spring officially sprang!

Dad said goodbye to his current cohorts

And then it was EASTER!

And then dad left. 

I guess that is what we signed up for, though.

We'll get through this.

Alleluia!

Love, Us.