We are blessed to share our family update with wonderful family and friends. May the joy of Christ’s birth bring you hope and peace throughout the year!
Christina (17) is busy with visiting colleges and planning out the future years of her life. Her choice is to major in forensic science, and she has narrowed down her school search. Highlights for her this year include breaking her leg on the first day of skiing, learning to walk again, sleeping in, and incessantly checking the mail for letters from colleges.
Vianney (16) still constantly reminds everyone how hot she is despite the cooler weather outside. She enjoys swing dancing, scaring people while they play the piano, complaining more than Christina when her leg was broken, learning how to drive, beating her father on the “bonus round” at the gym, and taking numerous showers a day.
Kephas (13) still manages to miss most of the family jokes which results in long, drawn-out explanations. However, he still finds time to point out the literal meanings in every sentence. He has also discovered all the places you can be barred entry for carrying a pocketknife. He spends all his free time playing legos, carving wood, and feeding the neighbors’ non-existent dog with Patrick.
Patrick (12) has an affinity for flashlights, pocket knives, and time keeping. He will never be anywhere unprotected as he carries around 3 knives on his belt and believes wearing a watch while washing dishes makes him look cool. His pleasures are building legos, wood carving, and informing the family just how long we have waited in line at an amusement park.
Majella (10) can laugh at the drop of a hat and finds humor in everything, even at inappropriate times. She is eager to grow up and complains about why she can’t wear makeup or do other older stuff yet. Her pasttimes include stuffing books into both of the vans, asking the same question over and over in hopes the answer will change and strategically planning out her meals to maximize her sugar intake.
Alexander (8) continues to be rough on everything and even amazes the dentist that he can wear out his sealants in record time. His bravery is clear as he has courageously protected the family by walking behind our exterminator with a plastic knife to make sure he doesn’t steal anything. His amusements are giving himself a haircut, forgetting to empty his pockets from his laundry, wrestling with his siblings, and crying after wrestling with his siblings.
Jael (7) has found sharing finances with her twin can have confusing outcomes, especially when they buy objects from each other. She has fun playing dress-up and being creative with her sisters. She delights herself with cooking, making sure her purse is stocked full with her many scented lotions and chap sticks, and satisfying her curious mind by breaking things to find out how they work.
Gemma (7) spends her time making cards for any occasion and doing crafts with Jael. She too is very thankful to have a twin and doesn’t mind sharing everything: including her money. Her recreations are making sure she always has something in her hair, saving her last bite of treat for her mom, and revealing mysteries to the family (for example: sucking on certain chocolates long enough will magically turn them into a nut).
Nathanael (3) enjoys mimicking his older siblings and learning new phrases. He believes anything told to him is merely a suggestion and politely responds “No, thank you,” to direct commands. He also enjoys assigning songs to his siblings based on the tune, eating cheese nightly, making Ronan laugh, and startling his parents in the middle of the night with bright lights and loud noises.
Ronan (1) is our little fireball. He demands constant supervision as he wanders the house looking for anything non-edible to eat or to search for fragile items that are not safely locked up out of his reach. He likes screaming at grocery stores, screaming at restaurants, and screaming at the house.
Robert has started a new endeavor this year: agreeing with his wife. His hobbies include never remembering to empty out his coffee grounds from his K-cups, being oblivious when others are loudly calling his name, constantly complaining about which hangars are used to hang up his clothes and keeping up with his motto of “Yell first, don’t ask questions later,” when disciplining the kids.
Veronica is reeling from amazement that Robert actually likes her ideas. She finally made a big leap of getting rid of her clothes from college days although she still kept the high school era. She spends her time running the teen club for the homeschool group, asking for technology help from her kids, and forgetting to keep her phone on when she is out.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
St. William Xystys, Pray for us!