Fall Fishing

This weekend we took a fall outing to Hornings Hideout, our favorite fishing spot :) The fish were picky this time around, and Marin caught the one and only fish of our day. Max got a new Spiderman fishing pole for his birthday, so all the kids had been using that in the backyard to practice their casting. They all got lots of good casts, but only one keeper :) Lots of beautiful sunshine, blue skies and family time - what's not to love about that?!!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big and Little

Holding hands :)

Back to School 2012!

Oh man, another monumental year for us... Marin starting all-day first grade, and Madeline starting kindergarten! Both girls excited and about to blow their tops with the wiggles, waiting for the "big day" to arrive. Both girls giving their Mommy a hard time about being driven to/from school on the first day. Anxious to ride that magical schoolbus :) I only made them wait a single day, geeeeesh. I might have said something like "Pleeeeease don't rob me of my Mommy Joy, let me drive you just on the first day so I can take pictures and cry like all the other proud and excited Moms". How could they argue with THAT? But despite all our debating on the subject, I do love their enthusiasm and willingness to try out a little bit of independence.

 

The faces, oh the faces! I know I'm clogging up this blogpost with repetetive pictures, but it's just funny to me all the different emotions they were posing for the camera (excited, really excited, the "learning" face, funny, really funny, it goes on and on)... I do love to see the JOY in my kids hearts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First bus ride - TOGETHER! :)

 

 

 

Waiting for Maddie's first bus ride home, without sis! :) She did awesome... Max just chillin' and cruising the streets while we wait.

 

 

 

 

 

And last but not least - a thoughtful gift for me from Kyle. Our "back to school" week felt totally harried and insane for me, mostly because we had a plan to tag-team our way through all the various places to be and "firsts" for the girls, all the while juggling a newborn's schedule and a wiley three year old boy. However you know how plans go (!), I had to quickly adjust when Kyle got very sick and was flat on his back in bed for the entire week. There were several things I wanted to do, memories I wanted to make for the new schoolgirls, traditions I wanted to keep or start. Some of that had to just go out the window in lieu of just getting where we needed to be and keeping everyone on track with the basics. I admit I was stressed, and feeling disappointed that I wasn't able to accomplish all my desires for the week. 

 

Here's the truth though - the kids did great, they had a great week, I was able to hold it together without melting down (most of the time, ha!), and God did hear my constant prayer that He would help me keep the family together when my own strength failed me.

 

Then after it was all said and done, my dear husband (who STILL now isn't all the way better, as I write this) brings me flowers to say "thank you, I know it was a hard week, I know you had to bust your rearsies, you did a great job"... It really meant a lot to me, and he was the one sick in bed! Love that man.

 

 

Qualities of a woman-in-the-making

Already a multi-tasking professional...

 

Summer Birthday Bonanza

It's been the month of birthdays in the Corrigan household, and we even found a way to add a third child to the summer birthday calendar :) This year, with the new baby, we decided to pare down our festivities and just have a Labor Day family party to celebrate Max, Madeline (and Marcus!)... Even at that, we have a big family! It was tons of fun, and we thoroughly enjoyed my sister's family who stayed the weekend with us (who, by the way were complete lifesavers helping us with the kids while we scrambled to get everything in order), and all of Kyle's family (including Uncle Brian from Texas, and his special guest Alyssa). What a huge treat for us to have all these special people in our home to celebrate family and toast the end of summer.

 

This year's birthday cakes, as requested by the birthday kids:

~ Kyle made Max a Husky Football cake

~ I made Maddie a ballet slipper cake, complete with satin ribbons (of course it includes something soft!)

 

Love our sweet kids, and the chance to celebrate each year they grow a little older.

 

 

 

 

Nana & Poppy and all their kids!

 

 

 

Nana & all the ladies:

 

Corrigan, party of six :)

 

 

Maddie's new BFF: Alyssa really made an impression on my second-born... I've always thought Maddie has a radar for special people, it goes back to her perceptive nature and thoughtful "noticing" personality trait. It was really sweet to see them become friends!

 

 

Cousins are special

Our kids are so blessed with cousins... Here are a couple recent pictures of the whole crew together! Let me also just list off a few of the reasons they are each so special to my kids:

 

Jake: plays guitar with Max and models how to be a studly musician

 

Casey: plays ball with Max and models how to be a studly athlete

 

Megan: expert cuddler of Marcus, and generous giver of trinkets to Madeline (I think Maddie always manages to come away from gatherings with something of Megan's!)

 

Katelyn: close in age to Marin & Maddie, so both girls look up to her as someone "just ahead" of them in school and activities. Often we use the phrase "Katelyn is doing this now, soon you will!" - whether it be potty training, school, swimming lessons :) It is GOOD to have someone just ahead of you in life!

 

Joshua: always finding adventure, which really makes Marin light up - she loves the excitement and creativity he always brings when they play

 

Annalise: girly-girl through and through, but also a kindred spirit with her fellow three year old cousin Max - I think he would wear dresses and have tea just to be with her!

 

We love our cousins!!

 

 

 

Cuddle Buddies

It's so funny to me... Kyle has been saying for weeks now, that he just can't quite figure out the quirks of little Marcus. With the other kids, he quickly became an expert on how they liked to be swaddled, burped, held, soothed... Often I was the one at my wits end with a fussy baby, having tried everything, and Kyle would swoop in and find that magic position to calm them. But this time around, he feels like Marcus is still somewhat of a mystery to him.

 

So... when those special moments do happen, where Kyle is able to find the magic again, I just have to pull out my camera and remind Kyle that he still has it :)

 

My favorite is the one where M is laying tummy down on K's chest (Washington t-shirt). Sooooo sweet!!

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 5th Birthday Madeline Marie

My sweet little Madeline Marie turned five! Wow this girl keeps surprising me, with her typical quiet and reserved moments, now contrasted with her newer brave, dramatic and go-getter ones! She is really growing, and you can see it in her willingness to try new things (ahem - KINDERGARTEN! she is a rock star! More pictures later on this fabulous feat...)

 

I love her sweet face, her warm and genuine hugs, her words of affirmation and her thoughtful mind that absorbs and considers things more than most kids her age. She is just our little sweetie. Happy birthday to my Maddie-girl...

 

Birthday cereal: Lucky Charms

Birthday dessert: Ladybug cake

 

Favorite gifts: "American Girl" doll from Nana & Grandpa (it's a different brand, but she is convinced it's the real thing), a real Bible from Ma & Pa, a gold dollar coin from Marin (these are real treasures, and only the tooth fairy brings them, so it was a big generosity for her sis to give her one since Maddie has not collected any yet) and a tetherball pole sponsored by Nana & Poppy and built by dear ol' Dad. Actually, she is a real "gifty" person, so each gift she received could honestly be her favorite, she got several special items of clothing as well, some neat crafty things, and each one truly made her feel special and filled up her love tank.

 

Believe me when I say - if you ever happen to give Madeline a gift, EVER in her life, she will never forget it, in fact years later she may still be referring to the item as being from you. She has an incredible memory, and gifts in particular make an imprint on her heart and mind.

 

 

 

 

Max's outings with Nana

My mom came to visit recently, and it was absolutely perfect timing. Just before school began, I was way behind on all my millions of errands. I wasn't really prepared for a colicky baby who doesn't tolerate carseats or being in public very well, so I had really been avoiding outings with the kids. My mom's arrival was a breath of fresh air on so many levels, and it really blessed me to have her here to help with the kids, help with me, help with cooking, etc... Somehow picture taking was minimal (who knows why with four kids to chase around!?!?), but we did happen to get two snapshots of Max during his special Nana outings. First was Nana teaching him how to fertilize roses, the second was an ice cream date :) Don't feel bad for the girls, they also had plenty of spoiling and special attention too! And Marcus was in hog heaven being held every spare minute. All that sweet baby boy needs is a pair of arms to cuddle him and he's happy :) Thanks Mom for coming for the week!

 

 

 

Girl(s) in Swimming

So... both girls initially opted for swimming lessons this summer... However Madeline changed her mind the week before, and made it extremely clear that there was no way she was touching a single toe into the pool this year. I know my daughter pretty well, and sometimes it is just not worth the battle if she is not ready for something. I'll save the "have to" arguments for things like school :) So Marin had a blast, and the remaining family members enjoyed watching her... Slushies for everyone to celebrate a fabulous session for big sis.

 

PS. Guess who is now "ready" and will be doing fall lessons? Good thing our pool gives full refunds up until the day classes start :)

 

 

 

 



Back to School Haircuts

Before and after back-to-school haircuts! :)

before

after