Here are all of my favorite pictures from the month of August. We have really been enjoying the outdoor activities of summer and can't believe how fast it's flown by.
Just a little family update: Ryan/Daddy has been keeping busy with his new position on the Price to Win team at CACI, working long hours but still making time for daily Mass and working out at the company gym. He's also involved in a Catholic Men's group, as well as Opus Dei, and is learning krav maga, a street-fighting sort of method of self-defense (think Jason Bourne and Sherlock Holmes movies style fighting). He's picking it up quickly and he and the other guys in his Catholic men's group enjoy punching and kicking each other and just getting out a lot of male aggression once a week. I didn't think he could get any more manly or tough, but I think he might just be!
I have been busy at home with 4 little ones, working out and dieting to lose the baby weight, entertaining dinner guests here and there, hosting play dates for the kids, and getting back into the Mookies business again. I'm excited and ready to start up homeschooling again, with Cecilia in Kindergarden and Ryan Jr. in pre-school. I'm sure Lucy will be an enthusiastic student as well since she loves to do whatever her siblings are doing. I'm guessing her focus will be in Play-doh and mess making.
Cecilia is becoming so grown up, and on Thursday will have her Orientation Day for Aquinas Learning, her once a week school program designed to be in conjunction with homeschooling the other 4 days a week. She will be there all day on Thursdays throughout the school year, making new friends and learning with a classical curriculum. Although she will be shy at first, I know that she will love it and I'm so glad for a program that fits so nicely with our homeschooling philosophy (although I'm not glad about the mandatory volunteering I'll have to do at the school!). She's had fun this summer playing outside a lot (especially coloring with chalk and picking flowers) and is very responsible around the house with her chores as well as taking care of her younger siblings.
Ryan Jr. continues to entertain us with his passionate personality and love for all things Superman, Spiderman, and Indiana Jones. He also continues to impress us with his ability to make a plethora of facial expressions which he LOVES to practice in front of the mirror. He is our bravest at the pool, and loves swimming with Daddy, jumping into the pool, and looking under water with his goggles. He has also become interested in art and crafts and writing lately, and likes to color with Cecilia but especially to color in pictures either Daddy or Mommy draws for him. Usually he requests a picture of himself doing various activities, such as "draw me as Superman!" or "draw me riding a shark!" or, my own personal favorite, "draw me throwing a bunny!" He is also the embodiment of a "mama's boy" and every night at prayer time he says "Please Jesus help me to be good, help me not to kick, or spit, or bite, and I wuv Mom so much, I cozy on the couch with her and I rub her arm, and I wuv her. Amen."
Lucy, our big girl 2 year old, is so much fun. She is our toughest child, and rolls with all the punches. She still doesn't talk yet, but somehow is able to communicate perfectly with us using her words "Dit" and "Dat." She likes to get herself dressed in the morning and at night (just don't try to help her), and always picks out her own clothes. Her favorite- dresses! She is so independent, we never cease to be amazed by her. She's also very loving and maternal towards both her baby dolls and her baby brother James.
James is now coming close to 4 months old, and I cannot believe it. He is such a joy! He loves to be held by his mother but when I have to put him down, his siblings all rush to entertain him, so he's always got a lot to look at and listen to, and he likes it that way. He doesn't like the car, and he has never ever once fallen asleep when not in someone's arms. He is our biggest baby yet and his rolls are so soft and kissable. He laughs and smiles all the time, and we are all so in love with him.
We miss you all and are looking forward to coming to visit you in FL soon, hopefully for Thanksgiving. In the meantime please keep posting pictures and updates on the blog because we love to see them- especially those of you not on Facebook! We hope that you are all well and that you had a great Labor Day weekend.
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