Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Merry Christmas!

From all of us to all of you...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

David, Kimberly, Joshua, Rebecca, Christina, and Gabriel

Monday, November 29, 2010

Thanksgiving Highlights

I love Thanksgiving.  Just love it.  Probably because I grew up overseas for so many years, and we didn't have family to celebrate with.  That all certainly changed once I married David.  When we gather for Thanksgiving at my SIL's house, there are usually 15 kids, ages 14-3, and about the same number of adults.  So it is crazy fun, and it took me a while to get used to the controlled chaos, but now...I just watch the proceedings and enjoy it all.

I thought I would make a list this of this year's highlights.

2.  Seeing David's Grandpa at my MIL's house Wednesday night.  He flew in from Phoenix to be with us for Thanksgiving.  He's 93 years old, and he stays busy going to the senior's center every day and quilting.  Yes...quilting.  Grandma Lanphear made a Christmas quilt for every one of my kids, and Grandpa has taken over since she passed away in 2006.  He's made one for our new baby due in February and gave it to me that night.  Awesome.

3.  Chatting and helping the rest of the ladies get the Thanksgiving meal on the table.  We always have 20 pound plus turkey (and a ham this year), dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, maybe a green vegetable, and at least 3 different desserts.  Honestly, all I did was whisk the gravy and make scalloped corn because nearly everything else was ready by the time we arrived.  This year's feast was exceptionally good.  Our Rebecca got in line with the rest of the kids for desserts.  She ate it so fast, she got back in line and was able to get seconds before the grownups started.  Man...she's good.  ;-)

4.  Friday we had our first chili "cook off" between my BIL Peter and myself.  It is admittedly fun to tease Peter...he can talk smack, and I can dish back out to him.  Anyways, he's a pretty darn good cook.  So we both made a batch of chili and cornbread, and the family gathered again at Peter and Stephanie's house to eat and vote on their favorite.  My chili got 11 votes...I win!!!

5.  I loved watching my kids play with their cousins.  Mary, Rebecca, Christina, Sofia and Abby were holed up in Mary's room for hours, doing goodness knows what.  Nick and Joshua played on the computer together and argued over the TV remote (of course).  Gabriel, John, and Daniel were completely engrossed in the train set for most of the weekend, or joined the bigger boys (Adam, Andrew, George, and Joey) playing outside, or wacking each other with nerf swords.  At one point, the Twister game was pulled out, and I sat on the couch laughing at their moves...it was so funny!

     My MIL insistes on a picture of all the grandkids every year.  And every year, the sofa gets a bit more crowded.  Here's a pic of everyone...we are missing Ben (he lives in Boston with David's sister and our BIL).
 
Back row:  Adam, Andrew, Grandpa, Joshua, Grandma, George, Mary, Abby, and Rebecca
Front row:  Nick, Sofia, Joey, Daniel, Gabriel, John, Great Grandpa, and Christina

6.  David and I when over to our friend Rachel's house, where we also met up with Jim.  Both are old friends' of David's from high schools, but I've been dubbed "the 4th Muskeeter" since I married David.  We stayed up until past midnight, talking, laughing, and drinking spiked tea (except me of course).  I begged both of them to please come visit us here in Houston soon. 

7.  We headed back home on Saturday, stopping at a Braum's for lunch.  Gabriel pitched a FIT when David tried to get him to share a double scoop ice cream cup with Christina.  Well, he was having none of it, he wanted his own.  I guess it was a good thing we did...Christina ate ALL of her ice cream.  I was sure she wouldn't be able to finish it, but she did.  And Gabriel got his cup all to himself.  I can't blame him. ;-)

8.  And finally, coming home and unloading the van...we always come back with 3x more stuff than we left with because the family will give us their Christmas presents for us.  In addition, this time we had a used bike from my niece Abby that was just the right size for Rebecca...yeah! 

Now all my chittlins have been fed pizza, bathed, and put to bed.  Ahh...time for me to upack my stuff and go to bed.  This momma is worn out! 

I hope everyone had a great holiday, and ate themselves silly. We sure did! ;-)

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Gem of the Week

A friend posted this on Facebook today...and I just really liked it.

"Faith is what gets you started. Hope is what keeps you going. Love is what brings you to the end."

~ Mother Angelica ~


Friday, October 8, 2010

What I Know About Bullying


I read this article this morning.  And I had to hold back tears. 

There are kids who are committing suicide because they were bullied at school. 

Granted...I'm not an expert on the subject.  I don't know all the details...you can't trust the news to report a story with absolute truth.

Some people may think these kids were wimps and didn't know how to stand up for themselves.  Maybe so...but I can tell you firsthand; kids who bully are acting out because they are not getting what they need from home, namely proper parental guidance, good role models, and lessons in how to treat others with kindness.  They are not being taught that making fun of others is a terrible thing to do, and has lasting consequences. 

If you don't believe me...read this blog post.  It's long, but it's brutally honest. 


What's going on with kids who are bullied?  Anyone know?  I'll start.  I happen to have plenty of experience on the subject. 

My Dad was in the military, so we moved every 2 years.  Now, that's not so bad when you're young, and friends are made easily especially when you're in military schools overseas.  Everyone else is an Army brat too.  You all have that common bond, and friendships are there, but not deep, because you know you'll be moving in no time. 

By the time I was in 6th grade, I'd lived in 3 countries and gone to 4 different schools.  Sometimes it was hard, but I was hanging in there.  I was teased some, but it wasn't too bad.  My parents told me to, "just ignore it, and they'll stop."  Unfortunately, it didn't stop.  I realized this harsh reality when I was twelve. 

Two boys in my 6th grade class decided I would be their target for the year.  They relentlessly called me names, threw spitwads at me, blocked me from the bathroom, etc.  One of the boys took a rubber band and staple and sent it flying across the room.  It hit me in the face, right above my left eye.  I had to go to the school nurse, who carefully pulled it out of my eyelid.  I know my Dad made a visit to the principal, and the bullying nearly stopped after that.  And that kid?  Oh, he just got a slap on the wrist, probably because his Dad was the librarian (yes...really, he was). 

Little did I know there would be more things for me to worry about than a staple. 

In 7th grade, my Dad moved us to Hawaii.  We lived in a tiny Army community just outside Hickam Air Force Base on Oahu.  I'll bet you're thinking...WOW.  Living in paradise...and the beach right outside our back door!  What could be better?

Um..no.  It was not paradise.  At all.  In fact, Hawaii was my least favorite place we lived in.  Why? 

For starters, my parents had heard the public schools were awful.  So they did what they thought was best, and enrolled me in Catholic school.  I thought it would be great.  Wrong.

I need to back up just a bit and tell you what I looked like back then.  I was a very runty child.  I recall going to the pediatrician when I was 10.  I weighed 50 pounds and was 50 inches tall.  Yep...that's it.  I was wearing thick ugly glasses because my eyesight was poor.  By 7th grade, there were braces on my very crooked teeth.  I had stick-straight, dark brown hair with bands cut straight across.  I was also a very late bloomer.  The uniform shorts were too big, even the smallest size my mom could buy.  And because the uniform blouse was white, everyone could tell, (particularly the girls) that I still didn't wear a bra in 7th grade. 

So...I didn't like myself much.  Okay, I really didn't like myself at all.  I knew I didn't look like most girls my age.  I was always the shortest kid, and all the other kids at the Catholic school had know each other since kindergarten.  The cliques had been establised for years, and needless to say, I wasn't allowed into any of them.  My parents did the best they could, but they had pretty high standards, and I didn't always measure up to their expectations.  My Father wanted me to stay strong and ignore the teasing.  My Mother wanted me to be super smart, and become a prodigy in piano.  I failed in all those departments, and my Mom didn't hide her disappointment.  So I felt like a failure. 

Pretty soon, the boys were teasing me every day.  The girls were worse.  They made fun of bra-less me.  I knew they were always whispering behind my back.  Wanting to fit in, I tried to be nice, and even laugh at the taunting.  Of course, that was pointless.  I even tried out for the girls basketball team, becuase I wanted to belong so badly.  I am sure I wasn't but 52 inches tall, so the coach told me, "Maybe next year." 

I didn't tell my parents anything.  By now, my mom was very sick (years later, we learned she'd had a very bad flare-up of hepatitis), and she was practically bedridden for months.  My Dad's assignment was stressful, and I knew he wouldn't be able to do anything.  So I stayed quiet.  One day, the teasing was so bad, I came home crying.  My Dad took one look at me, and promptly went to the principal.  The principal was a nun, who was sympathetic, but powerless to do anything.  She probably didn't want to lose any students by talking to wealthy, tuition-paying parents. 

By now, my parents decided the money they were dishing out for me (and my 2 siblings) wasn't worth it.  We were enrolled in public school the following year. 

Eighth grade turned out to be the worse year of my life. 

In Hawaii, you are either a local or a "haole."  Being a military brat, I was automatically labed a "haole, " because I was not a native, and also because I was part Asian.  Many locals have deep, discrimating feelings against Asians, because they believe they've bought up their island land for commercial/retail development.  I was smart, and had a few friends at the new middle school, but the bullying was much worse. 

I learned very quickly to stay out of certain bathrooms around campus.  Gangs of boys and girls would hang out in there, ready to shove any luckless student into the toilets.  So I'd hold it for hours until PE class when I could go.  By then, everyone had to go too-- we knew it was safer in the gym restrooms.  I also didn't sit on certain benches in the courtyards, because the students gangs had claimed most of them.  The one time I did, my girlfriend and I were shoved off.  One assistant principal witnessed the whole thing, and when I asked him why he didn't do anything, he said, "Just stay out of the way, and leave them alone."  Excuse me?  Since when was sitting on a bench in the courtyard a crime? 

Additionally, my backpack was stolen twice and tossed over the 2nd story balcony into a mud puddle, my food thrown in my lap during lunch, and my chair taken away during class.  When I told my parents, they just told me to ignore the bulies or stay away from them.  Pretty soon, I went to school with a stomache every day, but I also knew no amount of begging to stay home would work.  So I just curled up into a ever smaller ball, and stayed quiet. 

But school wasn't actually the worse part.  The bus ride after school was the worst.  My Mom was still very ill, and couldn't pick us up from school, and the bus route wouldn't take us all the way home.  So my sister and I rode the bus from school to the base library on Hickam AFB, and we'd wait there until my Dad finished work and could take us home. 

Every day after school, no matter where I was in line, I wasn't allowed to get on the bus until the very end.  Both the boys and the girls shoved whoever they wanted to the back of the line.  I gave up after the first few days of school and just waited at the end to avoid a fight.  But it didn't stop there.  Nobody would let me sit next to them.  Nobody.  It was probably a good 20 minute drive to the base library, and I'd stand up the whole way.

One day, one of the particularly mean girls unzipped my backpack all the way open.  Out spilled the contents, pencils, pens, books...everything.  I tried to pick up the items, but the girls kicked my belongings all over the bus, and the boys stepped on the rest, refusing to let me get them.  We finally stopped at the library, and the bus driver yelled at the kids to stop it.  I was able to quickly grab most of my things, and got off the bus.  My sister and I made it into the library, I asked the librarian to use the phone, and called my Dad.  I hadn't cried one tear up until now, but I'll never forget the sympathetic looks the librarian gave me while I sobbed my heart out. 

Dad told me to hang on, and he'd be there as soon as he could.  The next day, he went to the principal's office and demanded action.  He was a military officer, and he wouldn't take bull from anyone.  After that, the bus driver made sure to leave one seat free for my sister and I right behind him on the bus.  We were relieved, and even more relieved when we moved from Hawaii to Georgia. 

Looking back on it now, I learned a LOT in eight grade.  For whatever reason, my mother refused to get me a training bra, but she did get a cami for me to wear under my shirts.  I guess the girls thought I wasn't paying attention in the locker room, but man...I heard all kinds of things in there.  I know you know what I'm talking about.  My Mom didn't tell me anything about the opposite sex, how I would develop, nothing.  So I quietly digested information, and filed it away in my brain for later. 

Maybe it was a good thing I was so ignorant.  Thanks to what I heard and very dire warnings from my Mom, ( who instilled unecessary fear in me) I didn't date anyone seriously until my senior year of college.  That man turned out to be my husband, and I thank God every day for him. 

Back to my story.  I ended up going to 2 different high schools.  The first one was a fine arts magnet school in downtown August Georgia.  I LOVED it there.  Everyone had a talent; I played in orchestra and sang in the girls chorus.  I was teased a little, but by now, I'd learned a few smart comebacks, and it wasn't mean teasing, it was things like, "Hey, don't you know how to tune your own violin?"  I was happy, had a few good friends, and I wasn't a scholar or a violin prodigy, but there was a feeling of belonging. 

We had to move toward the end of my junior year to El Paso, Texas, (yes, I was devasted) and the high school was vastly different.  I went from a class of 68 to over 700 students.  Again, I was confronted with mean girls and long established cliques, but I buckled down on my schoolwork and played violin in the orchestra like mad.  I didn't fit in, but I wasn't a total reject either--I made a couple of friends.  I knew deep down nobody really cared about me, but I held on to the fact I was going to college in a year, and wouldn't have to tolerate the harassement for long. 

Going to college 700 miles away was amazing.  Having moved so many times, I knew it was an opportunity to start all over again and meet new people.  I soon had a supportive circle of friends at the Catholic church I attended.  And I was never harassed, teased, or bullied after that. 

Now, I don't worry about myself.  I worry about my kids.  I am seriously considering homeschooling my girls through middle school.  (Our oldest son needs the structure and routine of school with his ADHD). Nearly every woman I've talked to has said the same thing:

"Middle school was HELL.  Absolute HELL."

Enough said, right?  I can't even think about putting my girls through 1/4 of what I went through.  Sure, every school nowadays has anti-bullying policies.  But I honestly don't believe them or trust them.  David usually has a "Oh, don't worry about that" approach, but he has listened to me.  I'm already praying Joshua will not be teased or bullied in middle school.  I'm starting to think (but not necessarily approve) of David's idea--if Joshua is bullied at school, he'll teach him how to throw a punch or two if or when it becomes intolerable.  Of course we do NOT condone violence in our house, but I truly believe bullies cannot be ignored.  They will keep at it...they don't stop, and the school is usually powerless to do anything. 

It goes back to what I said at the beginning of this post:  Bullies need love and attention too...if they're not getting it from home, they will seek attention and take out their feelings out in other, negative ways.  It's hard to look at it from the other side, but when I think about all those mean girls...I know they didn't have a loving home environment.  My parents may not have been supportive and understanding when I needed it most, but they did teach me right from wrong.  As a mother now, I will not let my kids call each other names, tease their siblings, or pick on others.  And trying to tolerate that kind of behavior does not make a kid tough, it only makes them feel smaller than small.  That is not what our faith teaches us.  And it really doesn't matter what faith you are...a fundamental lesson of life all children should learn is this:

"Treat others the way you would want to be treated."  The Golden Rule.  How I wish it was a reality, that every child followed this simple statement. 

Well, this soapbox has gone on long enough.  Sadly, I am sure there will be more kids who hurting so much, they will end their own life to stop the pain.  I don't know if I was just lucky or my guardian angel was working overtime for many years.  I pray kids who need postive reinforcement will get it, so they in turn will become kinder, more gentle human beings, instead of hurting others. 

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

A Little Bit of Everything

Lately, I've had a hard time coming up with something to blog about.  I think it's because I've had random thought about all sorts of things.  Usually, I am pretty focused and organized, but lately, my brain had not wanted to cooperate.  (It might have something to do with the fact I'm pregnant ;-).  Nevertheless, here's my attempt to put thoughts into words.

1.  Reactions from people who find out we're having baby #5 have been mostly positive.  Thankfully, only a couple of comments have been downright awful.  I was at Walmart with Rebecca pricing out glasses for her, and the woman next to us said,

"So, is she (Rebecca) the oldest?"

I replied, "No, she's the second out of 4, and we have one on the way."

The woman said, shaking her head, "I'm so sorry." 

I said, "Why are you sorry?  I'm not sorry!" 

I didn't have time to really think about those words until later.  And then I bristled...and I prayed to God to help me let go of my anger.  Why does our society feel sorry for people with big familes anyway?  Why are kids such a bad thing?  What is UP with people? 

Sigh...I'll leave it at that.  Otherwise, I'll be on a soapbox for a while.

2.  We've been trying to crack down on discipline in our house.  It really fell by the wayside over the summer when I was feeling miserable during the first trimester.  So far, David and I are really learning to work together, enforce the rules, and praise positive behavior.  The only child showing resistance is Rebecca.  She tries to negotiate over everything, and it requires the patience of a saint to talk to her.  One minute she is kind, helpful, and so attentive to others, and the next, she is ROARING with anger.  We both agree she's really smart, and staying one step ahead of her is a challenge.  It can be fun though.  For example, I had this conversation with her last week when she offered to clean the master bathroom.

REBECCA:  "Mommy, I'll clean the bathroom, but it will cost you."

ME:  "Okay, I'll pay you 5 dollars."

REBECCA:  "That's it!?  I want 10 bucks!"
ME:  "All right...I'll give you 3 dollars." 

REBECCA:  "But...that's less than 5!"

ME (smiling):  "Well, take it or leave it."

REBECCA (gruglingly):  Okay

She doesn't know it, but I walked away from that one saying to myself, "Yes, I WON!"  But I tell you, she not only cleaned my bathroom, but her bathroom as well, and did a very good job.  So despite her brain and her tongue, our daughter is really a blessing.  And a workout!

3.  I'm teaching Christina's 1st grade homeschool formation class this year, and so far, I'm having the BEST time.  I just LOVE IT.  I love being around these sweet little kids, who are eager to learn more about their faith, and it just makes my day to listen to them read, color their pictures, answer questions, etc.  I am so thankful to have this opportunity to spend time with our younger daughter.  I've always felt like she gets a bit lost in the shuffle in our family, and being her formation teacher gives me some precious time with her. 

4.  Since school started, I've had to really remind Joshua to write more neatly.  I am sure his teacher is wondering how we can ever read this kid's papers.  I wish Joshua could just type out everything...but he has to do some writing.  He also has a hard time explaining his work, especially when a test question requires a written answer...and I just don't know how to help him.  If you ask him orally, he can reel off the answer, no problem.  But writing out his thoughts...man it's tough for him.  I am praying we can help him some way!

5.  David is trying his darndest to get the study nook finished.  I've been putting up pictures on Facebook, but I haven't taken pics of the cabinets...I will do that as soon as he clears off all the tools up there.  He's currently working on the countertops, which will be large, 18x18 stone tiles.  Believe it or not, it was cheaper to go that route than corian or laminate.  I will be so glad when this room is done!

6.  Let's see...what else have I been thinking about?  Oh yes...five kids.  Whew...five kids.  Can I really do this?  I'm nearly halfway throught this pregnancy already...which I can hardly believe.  But I am excited too.  And funny thing is, I was worried the first few weeks.  We had that garge sale two years ago, and I let nearly all the baby things go.  But kind friends have offered a car seat, a crib mattress, etc.  I even found a perfectly good infant tub in the neighbor's trash pile this week, and snapped it up.  Every offer has been like a gift from God...proof that He does provide!
     Then I was thinking...where is the baby going to go?  We converted the nursery to David's study 2 years ago...and now we have to rearrange big, heavy office furniture to make room for the crib.  Thankfully the room is quite large, so it's won't be too bad. 
     And finally, at one point, I told David, "What about my mother's ring?  Will we be able to put another stone in it?"  My darling hubby said not to worry...if we couldn't get another stone put in, we'd just get a new setting.  He continues to be so attentive to taking care of me during this pregnancy...I am one lucky girl, let me tell you. 

Well, I think that's it.  I think...

I told you my thoughts were random.  ;-).  Maybe slightly overboard.  But hopefully not completely crazy. 

Friday, September 3, 2010

2010 Reisinger Road Trip

I am finally feeling up to blogging again...yeah!  In case you missed my news, we are expecting a baby in February.  Yes, that would be baby #5.  Yes, I was sicker than sick the first trimester.  But I survived our 2 week road trip to Wisconsin and back without throwing up, praise God.

So...this will be a long post, but our trip was really fun, exhausting, and the kids had a blast.  Unlike our road trip in 2008, we went north, with our final destination being Green Lake Wisconsin for the 2010 CCL Convention. 

We left on a Sunday morning and headed for Springfield, Missouri.  We had dinner that night at Lamberts, a restaurant famous for throwing their dinner rolls clear across the dining room.  And boy, they're HOT too...I had to drop mine as soon as I caught it.  We had to wait over an hour for a table; it was so crowded, but the food was great, and the portions were huge.  David and I had our chicken-friend steak brought to us in big skillets instead of a plate. 

Next day, we drove a short distance to Mansfield to vist the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum.  Rebecca has been reading the "Little House" books for nearly a year now, and I loved reading them myself at her age.  We toured the house Almanzo built for Laura, the muesum, and of course, the gift shop.  Rebecca was impressed to see many artifacts and pictures in the muesum, including Pa's fiddler, and the quilt Laura made as a little girl. 

I only took a couple of pictures outside, as no inside pics were allowed.

After a picnic lunch, we headed to St. Louis.  We had gotten rooms at the Crowne Plaza downtown through Hotwire.  Now the hotel was in a great location...we were 2 blocks from the Arch, and they had a pool on the roof.  But it took 45 minutes to check in!  There was a ball game that night (the Cardinals vs. the Houston Astros, for which we tried to get tickets to but couldn't), and at least once conference at the hotel that week.  But they did serve free drinks, wine, and beer to everyone in line. 

Then they tried to put us in a smoking room.  I said no way...it could cause Christina to have an asthma attack!  So they upgrade us at no charge to a king suite...David and I got a king bed in a separate room (which was great for me to take naps), the boys slept on the floor, and the girls got a pull-out couch.  So despite the glitches, we were very comfortable.  We had dinner that night at The Old Spaghetti Factory with Ben, a friend of David's from high school, and one of the ushers at our wedding. 

Christina got a birthday treat and a song after dinner.  I can't believe she's 6 now. 

Tuesday morning we walked to the Arch with plans to go all the way to the top.  I didn't realize the tourist center was underground, and you had to take a tiny elevator to go up.  I played around with the camera and got some great shots of the monument.  It seems a simple thing...an arch, but once you actually get close, it's quite impressive. 

Once underground, there was one of the elevators you could sit in and try out.  I'm sure it was there to give visitors an idea of how small it was...'cause let me tell you, it was tiny.  Each one holds 5 people, but they let all of us go together with Gabriel in David's lap.  If you're clastrophobic, I highly discourage you from getting in. 

We'd bought our tickets online ahead of time to save us time, and they line you up in front of one of 8 elevators.  The doors are barely 4 feet high; they are not lined up next to each other, but are constructed in a staircase fashion to follow the angle of the arch. 

Gabriel was a little nervous...but only fussed on the way up, and was enthralled once we got to the top. 

The viewing area at the top has very small windows, and it's not flat...duh...you're at the top of an arch, right?  But the view...wow...pretty amazing! 

I hope y'all don't mind me taking pics of your posterier...LOL!

Tuesday afternoon we hit the St. Louis Science Center.  It cost $9 to park, but admission was free...great for a family of six.  It doesn't look like much from the outside, but was really fun inside.  We spent nearly 4 hours there, and only got pics with our phones because we left the camera in the car.  Oh well.  I think one of the best exhibits was a science show.  The presenter (who was quite good and entertaining) talked about Newton's law of gravity.  They demonstrated this by dropping different objects from the top floor of the building (which was 4 stories high) over a balcony.  Needless to say, the kids thought that was cool. 

Rebecca volunteered to catch a water ballon dropped from the top floor.  She was wearing a rain coat, but still got a bit wet. 

After a late lunch, we headed back to hotel.  David and the kids hit the rooftop pool, but Momma took a much-needed nap.  Ahh...nothing like having a king-sized bed all to yourself.   

We took a risk after reading some online reviews and tried a local pizza joint for dinner.  Stallone's was a tiny, hole-in-the-wall place, but the pizza was amazing!  They reminded me a lot of our favorite local joint, Pizza Zone.  At both places, they treat you like family and the owners themselves are making the pies with fresh dough.  If you're ever in St. Louis, try Stallones' you will not be disappointed.  

Another reason why we picked Stallone's was it's proximity to Ted Drewe's.  I'd heard about this place many times, and was not about to pass up a chance to try some frozen custard.  So after stuffing ourselves with pizza, we headed just a few streets over and had dessert.  And yeah...it was awesome.  Now that we were REALLY full, we went back to the hotel and collapsed into bed. 

Wednesday we toured the Cathedral Basillica of St. Louis.  David loves to visit major cathedrals whenever we travel.  I think it's also good to show the kids how the physical church is different from place to place, but the Mass itself is always the same.  We had an excellent tour guide, who pointed out the mosaics, marble colums, and just the artistry itself.  Here's a few pictures from my iphone, which really doesn't do it justice.

After daily Mass (in very snug pews) we had lunch on the church grounds...it was hot, but bearable in the shade.  We sure were hoping for cooler weather the further north we went, but talk about a heat wave in the Midwest.  Except for the lower humidity, it was as hot as Houston! 

That afternoon, we hit the road for Chicago.  First stop, our hotel.  We apparently got a room in one of the biggest shopping areas in town.  Seriously, it makes the Willowbrook area here look minute.  But it also meant plenty of restaurants to choose from, and we found a Walgreens easily (I needed some TUMS).  

The first night, we meet up with David's Aunt Sue, his cousins Becky and Eric and their little boy Jacob for dinner at Olive Garden.  Jacob was nearly the same age as Gabriel, but he took to Rebecca within minutes and pretty soon, they were sitting next to each other, talking up a storm.  We had a lovely time catching up, but eventually I gave David that look that said "Please let's go before the kids melt down."  So far on our trip, the kids were behaving fairly well, but they were really tired.  They'd been getting up early despite not going to sleep past 10 PM every night.  So we got back to the hotel and the kids were in bed in record time, me included. ;-) 

Thursday we went to the Brookfield Zoo with Becky, Eric, and Jacob.  Both Becky and Eric had season passes, so we all were able to get in free.  Yeah!  The zoo had a nice layout, and it was crowded, but not overly so.  We saw lions, and tigers, and bears...oh my!  But oh my...I don't know why I didn't take hardly any pictures!  The zoo also had a new bear exhibit, including a HUGE polar bear.  The dolphin exhibit was cute...we caught the last few minutes of the show. 

But there were a couple of places for some group photo ops. 

The zoo allows food to be brought in, so we had lunch in a nice, shady area next to a big playground.  We'd brought our own lunch, but our kids loved Becky's offerings of cheetos, fruit and homemade cookies.  It's always a tad embarassing when you kids eat someone else's food, isn't it?  Becky highly encouraged sharing though. ;-). 

We finally called it quits mid afternoon, said our goodbyes, and headed back to the hotel to rest up a bit before dinner that night.  One of my friends from high school suggested Giordano's for their deep dish, Chicago style pizza. So we went, and it was very good. The kids had thin-crust pizza, and thank goodness David and I ordered a small...it was so thick and dense, there was no way we would have been able to finish anything bigger.

Friday we hit one of Joshua's requested attractions... LEGOLAND!

Here's the city of Chicago in minature, made entirely out of Legos. 

I honestly thought the girls wouldn't enjoy LEGOLAND as much as Joshua, but they had a blast.  There was a short water ride, which the kids insisted on doing...twice, we took a "tour" of how Legos were made, watched a 4D animated cartoon, and built a minature replica of the Sears tower with Legos. 

In between these exhibits, there were plenty of photo ops, all made with Legos. 

The last bit we did was an indoor ride, adjacent to building centers (where you could help yourself to bins of Legos and make whatever you wanted), plus a large playground.  Gabriel was happily engrossed with the slide while David took the kids on the ride.  Christina didn't want to go at first, but as with almost everything, she changed her mind, and Dad went with her.  And of course, she loved it. 

We had dinner that night at Aunt Becky's house, with the rest of the fam and some excellent fried chicken from a local restaurant. The kids were all over Aunt Becky's 2 dogs...great big huskies, who were friendly as anything and kept begging for bits of chicken.

Sunday we drove into downtown Chicago to visit the Sears Tower.  (I know, I know, it's known as the Willis Tower now, but none of the locals will call it anything other than it's former name, and I don't want to case any grief on my own blog, okay?)  David thought it would not be too crowded on a Sunday morning, and he was right.  The kids were impressed at how fast the elevator was...I think we were going up 10 floors per second.  Again we'd bought our tickets in advance online, and in no time at all, we were on the skydeck of the tower, 110 stories up. 

It was cloudy and misty that morning, but the view was nonetheless impressive. 

The glass balconies were obviously, very popular.  I was not the only one trying to get pictures either.

Gabriel was not happy about the glass balcony...but it didn't phase the other kids at all.  Okay...so I didn't go out there either...I was trying to get pictures people!

Luckily for us, it didn't start raining until we got back down to street level.  David and Joshua took off to get the van for us ladies since we'd parked a few blocks away.  Thanks boys!

We then headed up to Green Lake, Wisconsin for the CCL Convention.  Two years ago, the convention was in Ashville, North Carolina at Ridgecrest Conference Center.  David said we had to stop at Lake Michigan for lunch, only to find we had to climb over the huge concrete boulders on the lake shore (to stop erosion), and there was no public restroom in sight.  But the view was pretty, and there were tons of birds and dragonflies...I mean thousands of 'em.  I tried not to be cranky, but by the time we left, my need to go (along with the girls) was acute, and it took 2 different stops at 2 gas stations before we found a restroom.  When a pregnant woman has to go, it means, "now!" ;-)

After an easy, 2 hour drive, we arrived at Green Lake Convention Center.  Such a pretty place!

We checked in, found our cabin, and got settled in before heading to the dining room for dinner.  There was a meeting for parents about childcare after dinner, which I went to with my sister-in-law Stephanie before heading back to the cabin to help David get the kids into bed.

Our first night, unfortunately was not pleasant.  The average temps in Wisconsin are usually in the low 80's during the day and mid 60's at night.  But the current heat wave had not only pushed the highs into the 90's, but the humidity was higher as well.  And our cabin was non-airconditioned.  My SIL and BIL had reserved a campsite for their air-conditioned camper.  But our kids took a long time to go to sleep, even afer David made a late-night run for small fans for everyone, plus an additional, larger fan provided by the conference center.  I slept fine with a fan blowing over me, but I have to say the mattresses were awful...thin, and I could feel the springs underneath me.  Overall, I felt the $70 for the cabin was overpriced, especially since the bathroom was tiny and dingy, and the cabin inself was not very clean.  But we made the best of it the first two nights.

We enjoyed all the talks, workshops, and fellowship with other CCL Teaching and Promotor Couples.  It's really great to be amongst other large families as well.  By now, I wasn't having any anxiety about being pregnant, since I talked to many other moms with 4 or more kids.  You can say I got plenty of "large family therapy!" 

The kids were in childcare for most of the day.  They had a VBS format for the older 2 kids, and they were with their cousins Mary, Nick, Daniel and John, so they had plenty of time to hang out together.  I was really tired though, and I didn't take hardly any pictures.  The only ones worth posting are from the family dance Tuesday night.  Joshua wouldn't have anything to do with a dance, so he stayed back with me and Gabriel, and Stephanie offered to take the girls.  They had a really good time.  David went to Confession, but came back and I went to the dance later on to watch the fun. 

By now, we were staying with our friends John and Kerrie, who are also from Houston.  They found out we were staying in one of the cabins, and offered us room in their rental cottage.  Turns out they had originally reserved a cabin just a stone's throw from ours.  After one night, they refused to stay there anymore though...it was supposed to be air-conditioned (but wasn't), there were no screens on the windows upstairs (so Kerrie was too afraid to open the windows with her baby present), and worst of all, there were critter droppings and ants everywhere (which Kerrie was especially upset about, b/c her kids have major allergies and she was cooking all their food herself during the convention). 

Kerrie and John talked to the conference staff, and they were upgraded to a HUGE, lakeside rental cottage, with 5 bedrooms, each with its own bath.  They were only using 2 of the bedrooms, so they offered us the remaining 3 bedrooms.  When Kerrie found out I was pregnant, she told me to "please come, you need air-conditioning and a comfy bed!"  Honestly, I didn't needed any more convincing, so David and I packed up our things and spend the remaining 2 nights of the conference with Kerrie, John, and their 4 kids (who BTW are as cute as buttons).  We were much more comfortable, the cottage had a huge living room, and plenty of space to spread out.  We all had twin beds, and I slept so well, several people told me the next morning, "you look so nice and rested today!'  (I hope I looked at least halfway decent the previous days). 

One of the best things about going to the Convention is talking to Vicki Braun and Marilyn Shannon.  Vicki is the Project Manager at CCL, and she is also extremely knowledgable about good nutrition.  So I always have a question or two for her.  Pinning her down long enough is another story...I finally just had to grab her after breakfast one day.  But after consulting with her, she thinks I need more vitamin A, so I am going to try buying range-free eggs from a local co-op.  She says they're the best source for vitamin A. 

I also was able to ask Marilyn Shannon, author of Fertility, Cycles, and Nutrition a few troubleshooting questions about menstrual cycles and breastfeeding.  Even though I consider myself an "expert" having breastfed 3 out of our 4 kids, I still always like to learn as much as possible.  In addtion to presenting a workshop, Marilyn also hosts "Dorm Talks" at every convention.  Mostly women (and a few hardy husbands), gather in the evenings and we just talk about anything and everything...babies, breastfeeding, cycle issues, vitamins, etc.  It's always fun and really informative. 

The last day of the conference, we found out the 2012 Convention would be in Colorado Springs, Colorado...whoo hoo!  I sure hope the weather will be COOL over there! 

After 4 days of the Convention, we drove back south on Friday to stay with David's relative, Uncle Tim in Racine.  Uncle Tim used to work for Johnson and Wax, so we had sent him a list of cleaning products, which he could buy for us at a significant discount at the company store.  So there were 8 boxes of products waiting for us in his basement!  But I'd packed carefully for our 2 week trip; David loaded the boxes in the luggage shell on top of the van, and there was still room for the duffel bags.  No problem! 

Speaking of the basement, Uncle Time thought it was hilarious when the kids asked him right away if they could see it.  We'd told the kids what a basement was, but they just didn't quite understand...after all, there are no basements here in Houston (or Texas for that matter) because of the heavy clay content in the soil.  So Uncle Tim gave them a tour, and the kids thought it was "awesome." 

The first day there, Uncle Tim loaded up his boat, and took us out to Browns Lake.  He took the kids in two shifts out, and the older ones went fishing.  I didn't go...pregnancy nausea + motion sickness = major misery for me, so I stayed back with Gabriel.  David took the camera though, and the kids caught dozens (literally) of fish, which they released back into the water. 

Uncle Tim was such a trooper keeping up with everyone...he even let the kids have a turn driving the boat.  Here's Christina...I hope nobody told him that Christina is one mean driver with the little Hummer we have at home!

 Watcha doin' Daniel?  ;-)

Here's Johnny! (and David with Gabriel)

After fishing, the kids came back to shore.  It was getting late, but they REALLY wanted to go tubing.  So Joshua, Rebecca, Christina, Nick, and Mary went back out with David and Uncle Tim for more fun on the water. 

In the meantime, the rest of us headed back to Uncle Tim's to get dinner and feed the younger kiddos.  The others didn't get back until after 8 PM, and boy, were they hungry.  I don't know about my niece and nephews, but our kids fell asleep pretty quicky that night.  I think we especially wore out Uncle Tim...he sat down with a drink after putting up the boat, and didn't get back up again for several hours! 
Friday, Uncle Tim took us out to a local splash fountain, and then to North Beach on Lake Michigan.  We spent the morning getting wet...

burying various victims in the sand...

and watching the catamaran boats.  We didn't see too much at first because they were a good distance away, plus there was fog out on the lake, but eventually the boats came in to dock.  Quite a sight!

After the beach and a late lunch, I took a nap along with Gabriel and John while David took the older kids out to the Jelly Belly Factory.  Of course, I had to sample everyone's bag of goodies when they came back. ;-).  David got a sample of lemon-lime ones for me...thanks honey!

We took off very early (6:00 AM) the next morning to start the drive back home, and headed for Little Rock, Arkansas.  It was a very long day, over 11 hours of driving.  The kids managed, but Rebecca was awfully cranky by the time we got to the hotel.  I'm sure it was because she was just so tired from the activities of the previous 2 days.  But our room was very comfortable, and the continental breakfast the next morning was the best we'd had during our entire trip. 

Sunday, the last day of our trip, we drove another 7 hours and got home about 4:30 that afternoon.  The kids said it felt like we'd been gone forever.  Gabriel seemed to perk up once we were a few miles from home and recognized where he was.  I was ready to sleep in my own bed again, let me tell you. ;-)

It was a few days before the kids readjusted to being back home, but we got nearly everything unloaded, unpacked, and put away within a few days.  Despite doing 6 loads of laundry during our trip, I spend nearly a week doing more laundry and getting it all put away.  Thank goodness the kids were home to help...they willingly folded and put their clothes away, in exhange for computer/TV time.

Whew...I think that's all folks.  What a trip!  And in two years, we get to do it again!  Yee haw!