missing in action

I apologize to everyone who checks in on our blog from time to time. I have been very remiss from recent post or keeping things up to date in general. Life here is busy with work, keeping up with Champ and maintaining our sanity. We have been blessed by recent visits of all of the grandparents and we enjoyed both their stays a great deal. Thank you for making the trip. I only have a minute, but also wanted to have an updated picture of the growing man. This is from this weekend. The wind was blowing steady so his blond hair is everywhere.

when it rains...

This week it's poured. Champ has had a runny nose and visited the pediatrician on Monday. Diagnoses... sinus and ear infection, augmenten. I went to the ENT with a terrible sinus headache, but I could still breath, I too had a sinus infection, augmenten to the rescue again. Jeff is helping us both mend and things are headed that way. The weather is gorgeous so hopefully a run is in order for this evening.

geaux, (well in texas) go tigers

So we, the parents, attended our first open house, SVDP Tigers. I was really impressed but nervous at the same time. We attended the open house for the school at our church parish. The parish has 4000 registered families and a school for 500 students. This works out to 50 children K through 8th with a slightly smaller pre-K4.

The school was great. They started with a welcome from the principal followed by a video. The first segment of the video was dedicated to the spritual development of the children. Their religious education inclules a weekly school mass, amazing! (We had mass weekly but it was just a daily mass. The size of our school vs. the size of the Church prevented school masses too frequently.) This mass is said consistenly by the same priest aimed at the kids.

The video went on to list all of the school activies and extra-curricular activities for the children. Because the school is so small, there are no "cuts" on athletic teams. All of the girls can be cheerleaders and all of the boys football players, if they so wish. I admit seeing a football team fielded with just 25 boys must be histerical.

The tour then followed. We were escorted through the school by two current 8th grade girls. It was a tour nararated by two streams of conciounesses filled with "like, oh my God", "totally cool" and "it's soooo fun". It was a complete brain dump and really funny.

The school also boasts 100% acceptance into the Catholic High Schools and Public Magnent High Scools. This is good because I do hope Champ's education will not stop at the 8th grade.

At the end of the tour we spoke with the head of admissions where she said they usually had 40-50 applications for 32 pre-K spots and 50 application for kindergarten...for the remaining 18 spots. That's the scary part. Of corse sibilings get first admittance. The first child is always the hardest to get in. So I will say my prayers, sign my weekly checks to the Church and hope that Champ gets in.

Yes, I am admittedly high strung. Once Champ is in, then i relax. He is free to be who he is and do what he wants. the joys of being a parent...

yes, he's 17 months but...

I just registered for his future school open house (God willing). He won't even be admitted until 2011 for pre-K. It's a Catholic School with only 500 students in the middle of the 4th largest city in the country. I will have to see what building I will have to donate to get him in.

I must apologize for the lack of posts. There will be some to come soon with pictures from Christmas and such.

And I promise to get more frequent in my posts.

mass with children, a new expirience every week

Jeff and I have always attended mass as a family, for the past year that has included one more. Champ is at the age where he doesn't sit still for long, doesn't understand when to "talk" and so forth. Mass has become a bit of physical and mental gymnastics. First we try to formulate small, quiet distractions that will keep him entertained while seated. There is only so much you can do with books, a string of Mardi Gras beads and so forth. Then as he squirms the physicality comes in as it takes all you have to keep him from flying over the pew into the people in front of you, or darting into the aisle.

Well last night he added a new complexity, an upset stomach. Poor Champ began emptying his stomach right in the middle of the Eucharistic prayer. All over all three of us. (As children get bigger, everything about them gets bigger.) I tried my best to wipe everything down with wet wipes and Jeff took him to the bathroom. After signaling the usher that our pew needed attention after mass, I found Jeff and Champ huddled in the back of Church. Poor Jeff was frustrated that we live in a very large affluent parish and they failed to stock the bathroom with hand towels. We don't usually skip out of Church following communion, but we figured God understands. Champ was taken home, stripped, and washed from head to toe.

As an update, he didn't have a good evening, but woke up this morning thirsty and hungry. He is keeping down water and Cheerios so food will be re-introduced slowly.

every day...adventure.

flag on the play

Happy Halloween to everyone. This post is a day late, but many know why. Yesterday was one of those days where all of the balls I am juggling fell squarely on my head.

I woke up with a swollen eye...pink eye. So I spent my day getting an appointment, seeing the doctor and getting that fixed. On top of the eye, I am battling a cold. ugh. I am supposed to be on a plane right now to New Orleans, but I am here on the couch. A combination of the contagious eye, inability to wear contacts and going offshore just fell apart. The silver lining on the cloud, is that I am here with my boys for extra days.

Now for the real reason everyone checks our site, the Champ. This year's halloween costume was inspired by last year's. I again made the costume myself and I am improving. Last year I made the costume the morning of Halloween, this year the night before...small steps, but forward steps none the less.

For a reminder, last year Champ made the perfect football.


This year, he again remained in the football theme, but as a referee. He was the only referee in his whole school. The setting for the pictures is the school courtyard. Last week all of the children were given pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on the ground and make wishes. Following their afternoon nap, the yard was filled with magic pumpkins that their wishes had brought. So Champ is sitting in the "magic" pumpkin patch.



This is the trick-or-treating picture from school. All of the children were loaded up and escorted through the building for goodies. Champ liked the fruit chews.

I have to admit, my goal will be that he always has as unique of a costume at this year. This week Jeff even began thinking of his costume for next year...it will likely only get more unique from here.

too much to do...to little time

Being a working parent, I think the above will be my mantra for the next several years. I now have to prioritize the lists, just do what is possible and beg forgiveness on the rest.

So it's been a long time since I have updated the blog. Many first going on in the Courville household, Champ's first steps, first words and so forth. Champ is becoming more and more expressive and can still capture my heart with the warmest hug. Now he can just beam a smile from across the room and waddle up and throw his arms around my neck. That pretty much fixes anything that is wrong in the world.