Micah's 6!

Missing a picture from when he was 2, but here's one from the rest of his birthdays.

First Day of School 2015!

We've an 8th grader, 4th grader, and two 1st graders this year. Here's to a good year!

Peace and quiet-at a price.

If you're looking to make some serious money, might I suggest making equipment for the video systems in vehicles? Apparently parents-including us- will pay top dollar to enjoy the radio while their kids watch a movie on a road trip. We had to buy 4 new sets of headphones and a new remote, but it's been a peaceful ride so far. (Elijah has the one set that hadn't managed to get destroyed-he wasn't left out.) Here's to a long life for this set, we have a lot of traveling in our future!

Almost 3?

It's hard to believe this little guy is almost 3! The last time our youngest was 3 was in 2004. In other words, Jonah is the only one who made it to 3 without being displaced. (Actually, Noah turned 3 two weeks before Selah was born. But since she was already on the way it doesn't really count.) While it's nice having the increased freedom that comes with no baby in the house, it's hard not to miss having a baby around. We're enjoying it at the moment as we drive though, I can promise that!

Pig races at the county fair!

What's more country??

For God and Country

Big news for the Wilhelm family today- Mom got a job! Well, sort of. She joined the Air Force again, this time as a Reservist. I'll try to answer the FAQs...

WHY?

 Because it's that missing piece I couldn't shake. I've got my God. I've got my husband. I've got 5 kids. I've got a Master's degree. And what I still want is the Air Force. After 14 years of praying and searching...it never went away, and it became possible. 

Do you have to go to Basic training again?
No. That'd be a deal breaker because it would be way too hard for the family. 8.5 weeks and basically no contact would be crazy for us. Thankfully, there isn't money to send people to Basic who've already been. I just have to go to tech school.

Why didn't you get a commission and become an officer?
It's complicated. The most basic answer is that in the military mental health field, a Master's isn't good enough, I need my PhD.  That may happen in the future. 

Why didn't you become a different kind of officer? 

The AF Reserve has limited need for officers these days. And there's a million people wanting those spots. They're looking for those with skills I don't have- like pilots and doctors. I'm not above being enlisted again.

Will you be a linguist again?
Sadly, no. The training is almost 2 years. Our family can't be apart for that long. I'll be doing medical logistics. It's a 5 week technical school in Texas. And I'll be going there late Fall. Which, yes, means mom gets a vacation in a warm climate and Dad's in charge!

Will you deploy?
Well...I definitely could. And should I want to, it would be easy to. But usually, there are enough volunteers that no one HAS to deploy. Obviously, that all depends on the needs of the AF. Right now we're in a time period with lower levels of deployed troops. That can change at any time. The great news is that Reserve deployments are way shorter than Active Duty ones. 

Are you trying to get yourself killed?

No. I am not. But I do realize that could happen. Of course, riding in a car, changing a tire, flying in a plane, crossing a road, mowing the lawn...those can all get you killed as well. And in Detroit, you can get killed ordering food at McDonald's. I'll skip McDonald's and accept the risk of the Air Force.

What about homeschooling?
At this point, this should not affect our ability to homeschool the kids. That may change if I'm deployed. We'll deal with that as it comes.

What do the kids and Bryan think?
The kids are pretty excited. They have a positive view of our military and serving our country. Bryan thought I was crazy for a long time, but he's finally realized this is just what I need. He thinks it'll be great for our family.

What does this really mean?
The bottom line is, I'll go to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio one weekend a month. I will also have to do 2 weeks of annual training each year. If needed, I can be activated by the Air Force. If I choose, there are usually extra training opportunities and other assignments that need filled-those are optional. Otherwise, I am just committed to those requirements of one weekend a month and two weeks a year. It's really less than the average part-time job. (Pays less than one, too, but...)

I've been blessed with a supportive family and network of friends for whom I'm extremely grateful. I'm eager to see where this new chapter takes us.

Need a babysitter?

I'm not sure I'd recommend this one. (Look under her for the baby.)

A cold stone treat!

Bryan and I recently went to cold stone for a date night and saw sorbet. We got excited at the prospect of being able to take the kids out for ice cream locally! So as a reward for cleaning the basement, we went out for ice cream last night. Unfortunately, they only had one flavor of sorbet and Noah couldn't have it. He handled it well and the other kids loved it. I think they use the term sorbet loosely, as it was"pink champagne" flavored and tasted like melted nerds, in my opinion. (Bryan said pink flavor ice popsicle.) Either way, that's basically colored and flavored sugar water...not fruit.

And as you can see, Elijah ate every bite. Probably because there was no fruit in it!

Give a boy a box...

And he can play all day!

Back to the races!

The kids always love the results of basement cleaning. So much room to make plasma car tracks!

When it rains, it pours.

As we began dealing with wet things from the basement, we had the additional surprise of a dryer with no heat. Luckily, it was the coil and we were able to get a new one locally Monday morning and get back in business.

Spring 2015 basement flood!

Round 3 of flooded basement. We should be good at this by now! This is day 3 of cleaning, and we are almost done. What a nightmare.

This is why

Thus sweet, happy face is why I let him have that extra 30 minutes sleeping with his mama. He's happy and well-rested. And ready to take the afternoon!

Chicago!!

Such a beautiful city. We were blessed to spend a few hours in it, on our way home from Wisconsin.

Successful launch!

Now he must successfully take his ship and dock it in outerspace.

So big!

It's amazing how big Elijah is getting- he'll be 3 before the summer is out!

And he's loving life now that he can do anything anyone else around him does! Don't tell him he's too little, he'll tell you "No. Me big now!" And then he'll prove it.

Astronaut Selah

Never to be outdone by her little brother, she's claiming land for America as well!

Astronaut Micah

Claiming land for America!

Adler Planetarium

Kids areas at museums are the best thing ever.

Unless you're an adult who wants to see the rest of the museum. Then they're awful because it's almost impossible to convince the kids to leave! And the Adler Planetarium had a great kids area. They could have stayed for hours.

Making history!

At the planetarium in Chicago, the kids were able to land on the moon and make history.

Field Museum

We stopped at the field museum in Chicago yesterday-mostly because the aquarium was going to cost us $172!! The field museum was free, along with the planetarium, because we have a membership to another science center. The ASTC is wonderful, in my opinion!

Here's Elijah pretending he's a turtle.

Popcorn cooking pueblo style!

The kids were checking out a pueblo and the corn storage. And then decided to try to cook it to make popcorn. Sadly, it didn't work.

A-mining we will go!

We saw this hat at every gift shop we went to over the weekend. The pic was rushed and therefore blurry, but Elijah just loved the hat. Always fun to convince a 2 year old repeatedly that he really doesn't need something he desperately wants!

Chicago was FUN...

And tiring, it seems. Lots of walking and little legs make for tired kids!

Happens every time...

Elijah always wakes up screaming for mommy when he takes a nap (which isn't that common because he becomes difficult to put to bed at night.) And if I lie down with him when he's awake and upset, he immediately goes back to sleep. The only issue is, it's a light sleep and I can't leave or he'll wake up. I never know what is best, making Mr Grumpy get up so I can do something, or letting him get some more shut eye, which always results in a much happier camper. Today, I'm obviously letting him sleep and catching up on the blog a bit.

Swimming in Milwaukee

I have to say, the kids did 3 months of swim lessons with Goldfish swim schools (thanks to funds from a local homeschooling partnership) and I'm thrilled with the results. Normally, having all 5 kids in the pool by myself is nerve wracking. Today, while I'm still a bit paranoid, they're all doing excellent and having a blast. WHILE I LIFEGUARD. That's definitely the best part, because the water is COLD!

(Note: Elijah has not done lessons, but Jonah can touch through the whole pool and is happy to entertain him.)

Mommy, hold this.

Mommy: PLEASE?
Elijah: Please!
Mommy: sure.
Elijah, standing up on the chair: mommy, watch this!
Mommy: absolutely not! Sit down!

Didn't see that one coming.

Big brothers are the best!

Who else will help a 2 year old "ride" a bike??

Behind zipper#1

You might find 3 tooth brushes.

Never fear, There's toothpaste as well. And baby blankets, pjs, a change of clothes, a notepad, and a pencil-among other things.

Selah's taken to carrying bags all the time lately-and they're never empty.

All she wants to do is...

Be a mom. Can you tell?

Roasting takes too long.

Besides, the package says great for snacking.

Campfires with Selah

They are always interesting. Sometimes because she badges to wear more marshmallow than she eats. Others because she wears a helmet and backpack to roast the marshmallows. And still others because she wears a baby peeking out of her scrubs.

Then there's the times where she does all three...

New flag

My mother's day gift was installed this weekend. Bryan diligently worked until he could get all 3 screws in. It took him a few hours, and a good 10 battery changes. I greatly appreciated the hard work and perseverance. And Jonah's enthusiasm in putting the flag up!

Sweet as a ...pretzel?

The Capuchins were selling baked goods after Mass on Sunday. And Selah's godfather searched out a treat that didn't have dairy for her-and then bought it for her. She claims they are fantastically delicious. I'll admit, they are pretty good...

Thank you, Welch's!

Micah was downright giddy when we found these at the store. Two new choices with no store in them!!

Bug watching

The little 3 went out to watch the garbage truck this morning. The truck came and went, but they didn't come back in. A quick peek at the porch camera revealed bug watching. (Elijah was with them, but stepped out of the shot before I snapped the picture. )

Hey, that's my spot!

Daddy and the older boys went camping. Someone decided it was going to storm and got Elijah all worked up. (I don't know where they got their Intel.) So, he gets to sleep with Mommy, and Selah and Micah are camping on Mommy's floor. Except that's MOMMY'S pillow. Hmm... Probably best to let sleeping babies sleep.

I eat it, Mommy?

Mom- Yes, you can eat it, buddy.

Elijah- YAY! Say blessing, Mommy?

Mom- What? NO! You have to eat dinner before you can eat dessert! I meant you CAN eat it, not MAY eat it!

Elijah- All right. Eat dinner, Mommy?

All that, and he didn't even like it.

Heartbroken

It's a Saturday morning at 8 am and Micah is heartbroken. His mom said she couldn't make tuna noodle casserole for breakfast.

General Lafayette is in the house...

And he's taking advantage of modern weaponry.

Is there anything better than a box??

It's big enough it's really like a play pen, they cannot get out!

Maybe their entertainment in captivity will last long enough that I can install without help or hindrance...

"When you do a crime...

It's generally not a good idea to write your name on it." -Jonah

She was sent to time out. And she was "nervous." I believe she meant ANGRY.

Guess that child...

He claims his brother told him to. And I guess he can't think for himself. But then, everyone does it at some point.

It's Noah, by the way. Mostly evidenced by the sweater sleeves over his hands.

Sunny and 39°??

This is what sunny and 39° on March 9th looks like in Michigan. The little kids are outside playing and the boys are outside doing school. I'd join them if there wasn't so much laundry in need of folding. After this remarkably LONG, COLD winter, we are all so thrilled for some Sun and 30s!

But Mommy, PLEEEEAAASE! !

Mom: you guys want to go for a little drive? Just around the neighborhood? (I need to check on an issue we are having in the van.)
Selah: YES! But actually, can I ride me
My bike instead? 
Mom: it's 7 degrees outside!  No!
Selah: But Mommy, pleeeeaaaase??
Mom: I'm sorry.  I know you're sick of being inside, but you'll have to ride in the car.

We are so over winter here, it isn't even funny. 

Fencing is a spectator sport.

They snuck around the wall and found a seat, because who can resist watching kids fence??

Super E!

Elijah's not one to be left out, and I'm sure that it can be hard being the youngest of 5. So he must wear goggles while the other kids are at swim lessons (and any other time he finds a pair or thinks about it.) He doesn't at all mind that they're pink and light teal.  And he absolutely loves this car.  So this is how he spends his time as the swim school, goggles on, crusting around on his grilling car. And before classes start, his big brother is happy to give him some gas. 
(Side note, in his mind, the monkey slippers are shoes.  And if you've ever tried to reason with a 2 year old, you know how futile that is. He gets a lot of compliments and smiles, especially from the older folks.)

Green slime to drink?

Today's tea time was tea-less and spinach-filled as we made green slime smoothies.  Nothing warms the heart of a mother of a multiple-food-allergies-picky-eater-child more than watching him suck down a smoothie full of spinach. Love the green mustache!

Bye bye now, Mom?

Well, the temp is all the way up to 8°F. I'm not sure I can say it's too cold anymore-even if it still is awfully cold!

Best friends

Micah, singing: selah you're my best friend!  You'll never be my worst friend, ever again!

Selah, singing: Mikey is my best friend.   I love him so very, very much. He is very smart and kind. And so am I.  When we work together, we get something cool!

~Sarah