Blaise's First Year Blazes By

Oh my poor fifth born! It's November and I haven't yet posted about your FIRST BIRTHDAY!! 

I promise you, my dear Blaiser, that you are loved just as much as your siblings! We dote on you, we adore you... I just have less time to write about it is all. Please don't be mad. 

On September 6, 2017, Blaise Lawrence Yantes turned one year old! He was the first of my children to walk before their first birthday, and he hasn't stopped moving since. He is a sports lover; he was throwing and bouncing balls before he took his first step. He pushes a hockey stick around in front of him wherever he goes, and he is learning to kick a soccer ball. There's not a sport in existence he won't try. 

The other main love of his life is fruit! So instead of opting for a store-bought, thickly frosted, artificially dyed sugar bomb like I did for Edith's first birthday, I went the way of fruit and cream on angel food... mmmmm, his tastes are much more similar to mine. Blaise devoured the fruit, but it took him awhile to discover how amazing the cake was. Once he did, there was no stopping him!

Then it was time to open presents. Realizing this was Blaise's first gift opening experience, his siblings graciously offered to help him with his wrapping paper. It took him awhile to get beyond the fun, brightly colored, crinkly paper, but he was pleasantly surprised to discover what the bags held! He got a couple of puzzles, a book (appropriately titled "Ball"), and... his very favorite...

A brand new playground bouncy ball! 

 

I have a feeling we may start finding this ball in his bed one of these days. Who needs stuffed animals when you have a green alien bouncy ball?

Blaise, my little man, I hope you know how much you are loved! Every morning you have four siblings (and two parents) who just can't wait to see you! You are a joy to be around, you keep us in stitches with your antics. You aren't about to let yourself be forgotten; you have discovered your vocal chords and you intend to use them. But even though you're a bit loud, and a bit of a bruiser, often your big siblings would rather be beat up on by you than hugged by me. You are their little treasure, and mine too. I love watching you grow, I love your mischievous grin, I love your independent spirit, and I love your snuggles. Thanks for being YOU, Mr. Blaise!

Family and Friends on the Fourth

Two months have already passed since our epic trip to North Dakota for the Fourth of July. Lots has changed- a new auntie has been added to our family, a new friend has been born, a beard has been lost... but I still need to pause and back up to that weekend among great friends and family before I move forward!

We are grateful that Patrick and Anne went to school so near Ryan and Maggie, because we could make just one drive and see eight amazing people! The first day we were there, Patrick and Anne generously offered to babysit all the kids so we could go out on a double date for possibly the first time ever. What a treat! Ryan and Maggie took us to a delicious spot for dinner in downtown Bismarck and we go to catch up without the interruptions from so many little voices... and Pat and Anne survived the evening. Good sign, good sign. 

Audrey and Edith fell in love with Mara and adopted her as their big sister. They were never far from her side the whole weekend, imitating her mannerisms and asking her opinion on every matter under the sun. She is a big deal in their book!

 

We kept ourselves busy during this visit, making two trips to two different lakes, visiting a fish hatchery (fascinating!), swimming at the public pool, watching a parade, watching fireworks, getting ice cream, and just being together. I'm exhausted thinking about it, but I'd do it again in a second.

We were well-fed throughout the week with amazing breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Maggie was Superwoman, keeping everything running smoothly even when pregnant! Patrick and Anne joined us for as many meals as they could, and Audrey and I even got to go flower girl dress hunting with Anne and find the dress Audrey would wear less than two months later for the big day!

As always, the visit went too quickly and it was soon time to return home. Edith still talks about her friends "The Rells", and we can't wait to see them again!

Renting kayaks at the lake

Feeding the fish at the hatchery

Soon-to-be-Auntie Anne painting nails on the Fourth

Red, white, and blue!

 Buddies

 

Our sweet Godson, Kieran

Halfway Done

A friend pointed out a terrifying thought to me; as of December 25, Max is halfway done with his childhood! In another nine years, he will be a legal adult, able to vote... and drive... and... leave. Oh dear, my mommy heart is not ready for that, not at all.

He has been maturing at a breakneck pace; each day he surprises me with new insights and new behaviors. Recently, after trying to come to an agreement with his brother about what game to play, he came to me and informed me, "Mom, sometimes when you really want to do one thing and someone else really wants to do something else, it's better to come up with a third thing to do. That way, you both don't get to do your first choice, but you get to do something together!" We had a good chat about compromise and cooperation, and while he's still working on a full understanding of those concepts, he seems wiser every day.

As he grows, his powers of observation have matured as well. In the past, he hasn't had much time to stop and notice how his behavior affects others. His brain and body just moved so fast that he was a bit oblivious to surrounding circumstances. Recently his ability to empathize has sprung up seemingly out of nowhere! When all the other kids are yelling at me for one reason or another, Max can sense when I'm about to boil over and often will begin trying to call off his siblings. If I have to remove myself from the room so I don't lose it, he's the first to come find me and snuggle next to me to apologize, even if he was not the reason for my frustration.

He has always been terribly affectionate; I know that the quickest way to his heart is to snuggle with him on the couch under a soft blanket. No matter what has happened between us, no matter what I've made him do (or not let him do), he will simply melt into my arms. I am so thankful that this has yet to show any signs of waning. I don't know what I would do if someday Max didn't want to be hugged. I wouldn't recognize him!

And thankfully, he still has that joie de vivre and unbounded curiosity that make him who he is. I have often thought that I'm thankful it's Max who has a Christmas birthday. He doesn't feel overshadowed by the holiday, in his mind it's the more the merrier! More celebrating, more food, more presents for everyone, more decorations, more chaos, more attention, more excitement! As you can see, he insisted on dressing up like an elf for the day.

This little man has been such a blessing to me. I hope to take time and sit back to soak in his last year of single digits! His first decade will be done before I know it!

 

The Little Minecraft Party That Could

Three years ago, my sons discovered Minecraft. For awhile it eclipsed everything else in their lives; every waking thought was about creepers, diamonds, farming, mining, and building. I'm not saying that the game is bad in itself... in fact, it is very creative. But it took over and drove me absolutely bonkers. But over the years I have implemented some major changes in their Minecraft intake, and I'm happy to say that it has turned from obsession to one interest among many.

For Max's 7th birthday, he wanted a Minecraft birthday party. Since his birthday is on Christmas, and we were traveling, I totally dropped the ball and didn't plan any party at all. The next year, he and Lucian requested a joint Minecraft party... and again I totally failed to plan a party. Holidays, more traveling, winter, blah blah blah. Lots of excuses. First I thought I'd plan it for January, near Lucian's birthday, but we took two large trips in January and it just plain didn't happen.

Feburary? That's not too far from birthday season. But now there was morning sickness to contend with. No party.

March... still sick. No party. I told the kids we would try for a Minecraft Spring party.

April... May...  running out of excuses, but life just seemed so busy! I couldn't find the energy to make it a priority.

Finally at the end of May, I sent out an email to a few friends with a possible date for a party. Amazingly, everyone was able to make it! I got to work on the cake (the number one priority in my boys' minds), bought a bunch of food, and planned a few silly Minecraft-related games.

The day of the party arrived and the boys were ecstatic! They decorated the house with Minecraft themed drawings, they set up all of the games, and they both dressed up as Steve (the main character in the game). Their friends came with their families, and it was actually fun and fairly relaxing, even for me! There was a pinata, Pin-the-Sword-on-Steve, and Enderman Tag. There was Lava to drink, themed snacks, and The Cake. My normally impossible-to-please eldest son told me that the cake was absolutely perfect. I can die happy now.

Max was so excited, he had to capture the making of the cake

My cake

A Minecraft cake... see the resemblance??

I'm pretty sure the kids had a good time too, snacking and running around and snacking some more. And now, after what seems like years, the party that has been hanging over my head is in the past, checked off as complete! No more worrying about when the Minecraft Party will finally happen, it happened! And it was a blast. 

Lava to drink, redstone (strawberries), experience orbs (green grapes)  and much more!

Blest Assurance

What joy the blest assurance gives,

I know that my redeemer lives!

We had a beautiful Holy Week as a family this year, starting with our participation in the Palm Sunday procession for the first time at St. Joseph's! This year the kids showed a very strong desire to join in, and while processing down the center aisle is neither Paul's nor my preferred way of entering the church, we took one for the team and let the kids wave their palms to their heart's content, along with about half of the congregation. And it really was beautiful! Besides having to constantly remind the kids to keep their palms out of the hair of the people in front of us, Mass went surprisingly smoothly. After Mass, we had the cousins over for brunch, and the kids had a grand old time together! 

Monday was a day filled with joy! On Sunday evening, Max and I had sat together in our room and gone through an examination of conscience in preparation for his first Reconciliation Monday evening. It is so beautiful seeing our Catholic faith through the eyes of a child. He felt nothing but joy at the prospect of going to confession. He felt sorrow for his sins, yes, but he was simply bubbling with excitement when the time came near to head to church! The Good Shepherd program, through which we're doing our sacrament prep, sets up a mini-retreat for parents and their kids to walk through individually before getting in line. We lit candles, read about baptism and our white garment, prayed with scripture, and discussed the important moment to come. Then we joined the line and waited, Max with a big grin... and me quietly shivering with nerves for him. I don't know why I was nervous, he sure wasn't! He entered the confessional and I waited for a few minutes. Then the door burst open and he practically skipped out of the room! He ran up to me and said, "Mom! I feel like I could FLY!" I am lucky I was able to hold it together and not turn instantly into a blubbering mess. He went to the adoration chapel to pray while I confessed, and then we walked together back to the great room. He was invited to light a candle with his name on it in gold wax, while I prayed over him. Then we floated home to tell Dad and his siblings all about the experience. "Dad, do you feel like you could fly? Mom, do you feel like you could fly? How long am I going to feel like I could fly??" It was a good day.

On Wednesday, Edith and I visited the doctor for her well-child and my 16-week appointment. I got to hear a healthy heartbeat while Edith sat quietly in a chair glaring at my doctor. In the late afternoon I taught Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, presenting the work of the Last Supper. It was such a beautiful experience to proclaim the story to the children the day before Holy Thursday. Every week I feel the Holy Spirit working in that space, and that day was no exception!

If preparing for Holy Thursday was spirit-filled and prayerful, the actual celebration of Holy Thursday was anything but. A 7pm Mass with our children is an invitation to terrible behavior. Paul and I took turns with Edith in the back of the church, while the three kids were antsy and squirmy in the pews for the whole nearly two hours. I have come to expect that this it the most difficult Mass of the year, and yet we continue to go.... I keep praying that some year it will get easier! It is one of my favorite liturgies; someday I will actually get to pray.

On Good Friday we attended Living Stations of the Cross at another parish. A close friend of mine sang, and the presentation was beautifully moving. I found myself staring at the ceiling for most of the hour to keep the tears from pouring down. The kids were engaged and extremely well behaved. Thank you, God for that blessing!

Holy Saturday was a quiet day at home, preparing and waiting, baking bread, transforming our crown and changing our prayer table. The kids had some trouble settling down for the evening, but once they were quiet we set up their Easter baskets for them to find in the morning. Then we crashed after a long, but wonderful, week of preparation.

At 7:00 in the morning, Paul and I got ourselves up and began to prepare for Mass. Edith woke up a few minutes later, and we sent her in to wake up the other kids. She attacked their beds as we yelled "Alleluia!" It didn't take long for all of them to be up and bouncing on their beds. They ran downstairs and discovered their Easter baskets. After perusing the goodies, they had some breakfast and got ready for Mass. My parents met us at 9:00 Mass, and I am so thankful to them! I got to pray more at Easter Mass than I have in about as long as I can remember... because they graciously allowed all four kids to pile on and around them for the whole time. 

After Mass, we went back to our house for an Easter Egg hunt and a small brunch, my mom gave the kids a photo book of pictures from our Florida trip, and we took a few family pictures. Then we packed it up and drove to my grandparents' condo for the Easter Feast! It was such a laid-back, fun day with family. We ate and played some games, the kids got to hunt for some surprises and eat WAY too much candy. Edith took a power nap, thanks to my dad's persistence in walking her until she fell asleep. I actually had to wake her up after 5pm, to make sure she would actually go to bed that night!

We didn't head home until nearly bedtime, and once home we lit a whole row of candles (why have just one? It's Easter!) and sang our Easter hymn! After 40 days of O Sacred Head Surrounded, it was a joy and relief to finally sing "He lives, He lives, who once was dead. He lives, my everlasting Head!"  

 

Happy Easter!

A Bushel and a Peck

Traditions, traditions! What is there to write about the apple orchard that I haven't already written? With our whirlwind summer and fall, we still made it a priority to visit our orchard, and this time even Uncle Tony and cousin Isaac could join us! Sadly, Alexander wasn't well so the rest of the family stayed home. But our kids loved being able to share the fun with their cousin this year! Apple cider donuts, a wagon ride, lots of picking and tasting and examining to find the best apples to fill our bag. My dad built his apple towers again, and the kids got a huge kick out of his "pine-apple" tree. Then they wandered the rows and ate a bite or two of a countless number of apples. They know well by now that the orchard is the one place I won't lecture them about wasting food. 

We rode the wagon back to the lodge, and the kids got a quick ride on the kiddie wagon. The sunflower maze was a sad sight this year, but that didn't stop the kids from running and hiding amidst the tall, dead stalks for a good half hour! Lunch was followed by a visit to the animals, and then we left to make our traditional stop at the Big Yellow Barn for a candy treat. This building... there is pretty much nothing I like about it, but the kids think it's heaven! Row after crowded row of candy treats, and each year- only once a year- they get to enter and pick a treat from Grandma and Grandpa. It's a ridiculous place, and the contrast between its chaos and the peace of the orchard struck me especially hard this year. Oh the things we do for our children!

Surprisingly I only made one apple pie and one apple crisp with our take this year. The rest were munched down as snacks before I could blink an eye! I guess four kids who love apples will burn through a peck pretty darn quick. Maybe we'll spring for two next year? 

All in all, it was a fun, successful, exhausting day... I wouldn't change a thing!

 I love these two photos next to each other!

Cousins, and good buddies