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.