Days with the Dorans

I love that the kids still want to do these types of things!! My mom heart is full!  

Well, it looks like Easter is going to look different this year. And... We aren't going to be able to go on our trip to Myrtle Beach (now Covid is making me mad... I was OK to take off a couple weeks but.... grrrr) To lighten up the mood and get in the spirit, we decided to paint the window to make it look like stained glass- and BOOM instant church window, right? Time to set the fab four to work! Sean was the first to bail, and then Z but the Bigs did finish and then randomly they all decided to hang out on the stairs. I guess it is the best place to view their masterpiece!  

 Halloween snuck up on me~ well actually it didn't... I knew it was coming but still had no idea how we were going to fit things in with our nutty schedules! October 30th and we had no pumpkins, no painted window, nothing! I was out and can't tell you how excited I was to see my kiddos starting on the window painting. This was super late into October but I hadn't had any time to get things done. I got the paint but wasn't there to supervise. Love that they got started on their own. They worked on the outline first and then carved pumpkins and went back to fill it in with the orange paint. My heart was full that they wanted to do this. I know they feel tired like I do. And so our window is painted (though I didn't take any final pictures- mom fail), our pumpkins are gutted and carved, and the pumpkin seeds are roasting. This mom may have failed, but the one thing in life she has done right is making four amazing kids! Love you guys!!!

Time is going by and the kids are getting older! Painting the windows has changed. I know I sit back and watch them but finding a time when they're all together lately has been tough. They did the outlines together (the important part) but Joe was the one who painted the pumpkins orange on a later date. He also was the one who cleaned the window and I didn't get a single picture of the finished project OR the artists together in front of it... Ugh. Next year I'll be better. I hope. #MomFail

October means it's time to paint the window! I remember back when the kiddos were really little and I would paint the black outline of the pumpkins and then their little hands would paint in the orange (what a mess it was but what fun!!). I love that I can go on this blog and click "window painting" and see how they've grown over the years! The torch has been COMPLETELY passed to the kids now. They do the outline one day and then they finished up with the orange. With our nutty schedule this project went over a few days but it's so nice to be all together and I'm glad they waited for a time when everyone could participate. Joe did the big middle pumpkin and everyone else did stuff around it. I was shocked there was no fighting and everyone seemed to get along (which seems rare as of late... Joe has gotten out of his 'moody teen' stage and Ali has officially entered it)~ but at least we have moments of this... Next year, maybe it'll b...

It was that time of year again... As soon as October rolls in, it's time to get out the paints and work on the window. Joe wasn't going to paint, but I was glad he did. He and Seany worked on a window together. Our painting stretched across two days this year. They spent one day doing the outline and then the next painting in the orange. It was fun and I loved looking back at old pictures and remembering back when we first started this tradition. I ran out of paint too so didn't paint my witch (at all) this year. The kids were disappointed but I have felt so busy it was nice to have one less thing to worry about. Marty was sweet. He loves being where we are so he sat in a chair and watched the kids. I was going to take a picture of him but of course Seany came over to say hello (and photo-bomb).

 October means "Window Painting" time!! This is the first year that I did absolutely NOTHING with the front window (outside of snapping some pictures of it)! Joe and Al were in charge of the outlines and actually did really well with it.  I was a bit surprised that the Littles didn't want to do this part, but they didn't... After the black outline was done and dried, it was time to make the pumpkins orange!  The kids did a great job!  Sean was so excited and I couldn't help but think back on past years when we've done this! It's been so much fun tracking the windows over the years and I love that I can sit back with my camera and sip some wine while they paint.  I laugh because I remember in the past smoothing out some of the orange on the pumpkins.  Ali is her mother's daughter and did that part for me without my suggesting it.  They keep telling me it's time to paint my witch on the front door (and I will... as soon as I FIND time.....

I love fall! I love everything about it!  I love the smell of burning leaves. I know it's horrible, but I am one of those people who sees smoke from a bon fire and rolls the windows down and takes a huge inhale!  I love the colors, the cool air, sweaters and scarves, the crunch of leaves beneath my feet... and I LOVE October!! So we actually got our Halloween costumes last month and I am so excited about them.  The kids went with the theme thing again!  (YEAH!!) Now that it is officially October though, it was time for us to decorate! Decorating obviously meant PAINTING!  We busted out the tempera poster paints and the Bigs got to work on the black outline of pumpkins.  We then took a break while it dried and then were back to color them in!  Sean lasted all of three minutes and then was back off to ride his bike! The other three did a great job and I just love hanging back and watching them work and listening to their conversations. ...

 I'm a bit behind in my journaling (aka blogging).  It was the beginning of October that the kids came up from the basement with the tempera paints and brushes!  They know that in our house, October means they get to paint on the window!  We began this tradition when we moved into our house (I stole the idea from my mom who used to paint one of our windows at Christmas time).  This was the first year that I let the KIDS do ALL the work!  In the past, I've done the black outline of the pumpkins and they painted them (so they had a lot of fun, but it still looked good).  I admit that I can be a bit OCD and want things to look 'my' way so I was proud of my 'letting go' this year.  Ali and her brothers learned that when they do the black outline they have to w-a-i-t a l-o-n-g time (at least to them it felt long) before painting the other colors.  Ali took the opportunity to write in a 'book of spells'.  The kids did well deciding w...