Family – Page 6 – Seven Friarys

Halloween

Published on November 1, 2017 by 7friarysLeave a comment

Halloween was so fun this year!! Beckett has been telling me for weeks what his plan was: “knock door, tick teat, candy”. It pretty much went just like that. He did such a good job! He walked the entire night and didn’t let anyone help carry his candy bag (learning young). He just dragged it along behind him when it got too heavy. He had such a great time and we all had a blast watching him. I also have to add that Lucy is an AMAZING big sister. She was so patient with his little legs! Helping him up and down stairs and encouraging him to say thank you and Happy Halloween. This was a night that I’ll remember for many, many years.

Halloween Tradition

Published on October 30, 2017 by 7friarysLeave a comment

I realized last night that Halloween was only 2 nights away and we hadn’t carved our pumpkins yet. When one of my older daughters (who shall remain nameless) asked what was up for the night I told her that we were planning on turning on Halloween music and carving pumpkins. She rolled her eyes and said, “yeah, not really feeling it.” Ha! Gotta love teenagers. I told her that it was fine and she didn’t have to participate if she didn’t want to. I actually didn’t expect any of the older girls to want to do it this year. But, I’m a sucker for family traditions and I want to make sure that Lucy and Beckett get everything out of their childhood that the older girls got.

Lucy was sick yesterday and spent the morning on the couch watching home movies. It made me realize how important these traditions are because time is flying by so quick. It’s great to know that the traditions we started in our old house with three little girls are things we still do today.

By the time we put the newspaper on the kitchen table and put the Monster Mash on the stereo all five of my kids were gathered around our kitchen table. I have to admit that I LOVE the fact that my kids (and husband) are also suckers for family traditions.

When we finished with the pumpkin we baked the seeds and watched Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. The kids were less enthusiastic about that one. Ha!!

Just Wait

Published on October 24, 2017 by 7friarys2 Comments

“Just wait”, they would say to Jon whenever we told people that we were expecting our third and fourth daughters. “Just wait until they’re all teenagers”. “You poor thing”. “Your poor husband”. “Hopefully the next one will be a boy”, they would say. People can be so dumb, so insensitive. Especially since they would say this in front of me. A WOMAN!! Our third baby girl is 15. Our first is 21! I’ve been parenting teenage girls for 8 years now and I LOVE IT! I even had three teenage daughters at once. They’re good girls, all of them!! Sweet, kind, caring, helpful. Fun to hang out with and talk to. They’ve never given me any trouble! I can count on one hand how many times they’ve each given me an attitude. They don’t get into any trouble, and if they do then they’re pretty good at hiding it, so I’m going to go ahead and give them props for that, too! I feel blessed to be a mom of 4 girls. I’m on the couch right now, sick. (Probably just a 24 hour thing.) Three of my girls are home with me right now. Chloe made dinner while Megan and Lucy entertained Beckett and cleaned up the kitchen. While putting Lucy’s laundry away this morning, Emma kept me company and made Lu’s bed. I didn’t ask any of them to do anything. They all took over and did what needed to be done to help me out. So the next time I see a pregnant woman who is carrying a baby girl I’m going to go out of my way to tell her how lucky she is.

Life Lately

Published on October 23, 2017 by 7friarys1 Comment

Busy! That’s the only way to describe life in the Friary house these days. I have 2200 pictures on my phone because I am desperately trying to capture everything because if I don’t I’ll forget.

We celebrated Beck’s 2nd birthday with a construction theme party

We went shopping for our Halloween costumes and crafts.

We’ve been working on senior pictures

We had senior night

We’ve been spending an insane amount of time outside because the weather has been fantastic!!

Jon’s been spending all of his free time putting in hardwood floors

And a few more photos just because

October is flying by!!

This Moment

Published on October 3, 2017 by 7friarysLeave a comment

This was my view from the kitchen this morning while I was busy getting everyone ready for the day. They sat snuggled under blankets while watching Nickelodeon. Beckett usually gets up an hour before Lucy and has his banana while watching Mickey Mouse but today he actually slept in!!

Little moments like these are the ones I always want to remember.

This Moment

Published on September 30, 2017 by 7friarysLeave a comment

I think the terrible twos hit about a week and a half early. This little monkey has been throwing temper tantrums all week long! Is it a boy thing? I don’t remember the girls throwing massive tantrums like this. Well, Chloe did a few times but it was short lived (fingers crossed B gets over it quick, too). Last night when we were leaving the football game Beckett had a full blown meltdown. He didn’t have a nap, it was an hour past his bedtime and it was freezing! As I was walking out an old man laughed and said “boy, you have your hands full (probably also noticing the gaggle of children walking with me). I just smiled,because tantrums don’t really bother me all that much and said to him “better full than empty”. I try not to take any of these fleeting moments for granted. Three years from now both Megan and Chloe will be in college. I’m sure Emma will be out of the house by then too. My house will seem so quiet with only the little ones here.

I will forever take the temper tantrums over a quiet, boring house!

As I rocked Beckett to sleep tonight and his little body melted into mine, I sat and listened to him breathe in the quiet. All the tantrums of the day were quickly forgotten and I just thanked God for sending me another sweet little baby so late in life.

Five Things From This Week

Published on September 8, 2017September 8, 2017 by 7friarys2 Comments

1) School mornings. I kinda like them. As long as I get up when I’m supposed to and take the time the night before to prepare for the next day I actually enjoy our busy mornings

2) Beckett in a toy store

Hahaha!!

3) Football season has begun!!

4) I’m seriously enjoying being home with Beckett SOOOO much!! I LOVE having all of these older girls around (my bff’s). That mother/daughter bond is amazing, ya’ll. But being able to do this mommy thing all over again, this time with a little boy is pretty dang amazing!! I look forward to our weekly Target trips. It’s the mommy/baby hang out and I love that I’m still part of that “crew”.

Ugh!! He’s gonna grow up too 😭

5) At the beginning of the summer we told the girls to each pick a place they want to vacation to next summer and do a presentation convincing Jon and I why we should pick their destination. They had all summer to work on it and had to present it to us on Labor Day. Two of the four girls worked hard on it. Two didn’t, so we won’t be visiting Amsterdam or Iceland next summer. HA! Lucy picked the Aulani resort in Hawaii. She worked so hard on it all summer! She is so stinkin cute!!

We told them that we would announce our vacation plans on New Years. Fingers crossed, Lucy!!

Apple Picking

Published on September 4, 2017 by 7friarysLeave a comment

Now that September is here I am ready for all things fall!! Jon and I took the kids (well, 4 of them) apple picking on Saturday morning

Once Megan got out of work we took a ride out to Newburyport to go to the Riverfest. They Might be Giants was the closing band ( we got there with only 2 hours left of the festival).

Loved having everyone together to close out our summer. Happy unofficial start to fall!!

Maine

Published on August 31, 2017 by 7friarysLeave a comment

We took Megan and her friend up to Maine to look at UNE. Normally Jon is the one to take the girls on these college tours but we decided this time to make it a family affair. Ha! Sorry, Megs! I’m sure Marina loved a big ole family road trip with the Friary’s.

I’ll admit, I wanted to go because I wanted to spend a few hours up in Portland. We missed going up to Maine this summer and I think we were all craving donuts from Holy Donuts

Marina’s cousin just opened an organic cosmetic shop so we stopped in there because the girls had ordered some cheer makeup

Super cute shop! And, I love stores that have things to entertain kids while you shop!

We stopped at this place called Flatbreads for lunch and it was probably the best pizza we’ve ever had! Will definitely remember that place for next summer

It was a fun way to end our summer vacation. I’m not ready for all of the college hoopla that we’ll be going through over the next year but as much as I try, I can’t slow down time.

I’m just thankful that I have this little guy who makes me feel young 😊

August Little Things

Published on August 25, 2017 by 7friarysLeave a comment

I’m just going to give up trying to keep up over here this month. I’m hoping that once September comes and everyone is back to school, I’ll be able to keep track of this busy life a little better. Fingers crossed. In the meantime, I have to post some of our August photos over here because it was a GOOD month.