Happy Thanksgiving News from the Ryans

My daughter and her fiance as of November 22! 

Introducing the Bryan Clan: Part III....finally

        I am just a little embarrassed (but only a little....) that I introduced all of my kids individually, two at a time.....way back last November when we started the blog........but that I never did get around to putting the finishing touches on the last two kids......and publishing them.

 

Just as a recap and to see what I am even referring to........you can discover Introducing the Bryan Clan here.......and then there was Introducing the Bryan Clan, Part II

 

 

So, it is with great relief, to get this post published and off of my do-to list.....which is long enough as it is!!!  Welcome to Part III.......

 

 

Here are the two youngest boys.......who are a year older than when I wrote these intros......

 

Since these were originally written last Fall……rather than update them up to this point, I will leave them as is…….for the sake of the original time period and memories……

 

 

Kid #5

 

     If I have one child I can define as “all boy,” this child is it.  Garrett was born in 1997.  He was the only baby who arrived past his due date....and that by 11 days.  Actually, that was quite a blessing as I came down with pneumonia on his due date. Ugh....and my lungs have never been the same since..... His hair was quite long at birth.  He was stingy with his first smiles......not committing to frequent smiling till well after 12 weeks of age.  But once he got into the habit of smiling, his grin became the object of perfect strangers’ admiration.  He still has the best smile in the family.  While the girls were only about 17 pounds at 1 year of age, this little man was 17 pounds at 3 months.  He had gained about a pound a week!  This made him the chunkiest of the babies.....actually, this made him our only chunk.  His hair grew longer fast, and after an evening shift on New Year’s Day, I crawled into my bed to cuddle with my 9 month old....only to find his hair had been buzzed.  Quite the shock. : )

 

 

     Garrett has always been brave, strong and interested in “buttons.”  From the time he could crawl, he would reach for anything that had buttons or involved batteries or any kind of engineering.  Nothing has changed.  This kid is constantly figuring out how things work. His siblings now ask him to fix anything and everything.  Even though he does not have the experience, he still is capable of fixing almost anything.  Where does that come from???? Now that Garrett is in his teens, it is a challenge for this mom for whom the homeschooling life of low-exposure-to-electronics-media is a virtue.  : )  He and I are currently struggling to find a balance that pleases both of us.  Hope that we can find it soon!

 

 

     He is tall, quite muscular for his age, and enjoys playing sports.  He is particularly good at soccer and does well with basketball and snowboarding/skiing as well.  He has played baseball for years, but does not enjoy it.  He has rarely had a coach who knew how to coach the sport and the group of kids he has grown with in baseball have not been the most pleasant to hang out with in the dugout.  Plus, I think that since he is fond of moving, baseball does not quite have enough movement for his preferences.  He usually shines on the other teams.  Because our community is small, he ran out of soccer when he reached the age of 14 years.  There are not enough players to support a high school team and a U-16 or U-19 team.  It breaks my heart that he does not have a team with which to play right now, at least in the fall.  He was invited to play with the U-19 team for spring soccer and did quite well with the group which is made up of mostly players from the local high school team which has won the championship for the last six years.  This is where I like to use the quote:  “The public schools in the US have a monopoly on sports for kids aged 14-18 years.”  Grrrrrr.  Please whisper a prayer---we have homeschool friends who are trying to convince the local high school to allow Garrett and other homeschooled kids to play on their sports teams.  Their soccer coach has coached Garrett in U-12 and watched him through U-14 and is definitely willing to allow him on the team.......hopefully the school administration will allow it!  (September 2012 update:  They would not. We had to sign him up with the Independent Study program through the local high school so that he could play for the team......) These friends are working to get Garrett on so that in the future their little homeschool soccer stars can play, too! Oh......and please offer another prayer for this coach’s young wife...... she has cancer and is currently going through treatment.  They have two little girls under age 8. (September 2012 update:  She is through the treatment and is now in remission.) Garrett plays sports hard and for real.  He gives it everything.  He was born this way......and why my husband thinks he might do well as a soldier. It also means that we have injuries.  This is how I became an “expert” onconcussions.  We are currently trying to heal his back so he can play his final year with our charter school’s basketball team. One more prayer for that, too, please??? (September 2012 update:  He did play, but back has still been giving trouble….but not enough that he will not play soccer.  Actually, he thinks all of the stretching at soccer practice has helped!))

 

 

     Garrett is just getting into literature on his own.  After finishing his first full novel, he said: This is probably the best book ever written.  He was referring to Treasure Island.  Right now he is reading his way through The Count of Monte Cristo.  He is currently in 8th grade and we are picking up the speed and a deeper quality of his academic work. (September 2012 update:  He is currently in ninth grade and we never did pick up the amount of work in 8^th grade that we needed to……sigh)  For a boy who likes to move and do and explore......schoolwork is a bit of a chore.  I really appreciate what he is giving this year for his education.  He is coming to the understanding that he needs to own his learning, a bit of an uncomfortable lesson, but we are making progress.  High school should be fun.  : )  (September 2012 update:  We are still learning this lesson.)

 

      My son actually has a “fan club.”  Garrett is considered a hard worker and there are many people after him for his services.  Seems he is frequently earning money somehow.  In fact, I am writing this little essay while sitting in our local library while he rakes up acorns, leaves and pesky crabapples for an older woman.  Every man and woman he works for appreciates his work ethics and his abilities.  Since he could not play soccer this year, I allowed him to be a referee.  He quickly became a favorite of the person in charge.  I totally expected that to happen.  He made some good money, too!

      A couple of extra facts:  he is good in the kitchen.......his homemade pizzas are delicious.  He plays the piano, like the rest of the kids......and has nice style.  He is very social, loving to hang out with people. He is a credible ballroom dancer.  His sisters very much enjoy dancing with him, and one of them even partnered with him for a Tango for her high school graduation performance. November 2012 update: He played well on the High School soccer team as a freshman, eventually getting to start many of the games ........and he has made the JV basketball team, and expects to have a lot of starting time.  One of rare freshmen who get to be in advanced drama at the local high school, Garrett played the role of Ferdinand in The Tempest earlier in this month.

 

 



     Garrett likes to find any reason to get out of the house.  He blames me.......for “taking him on so many awesome adventures that he can never be satisfied just being at home”.  Ah......more challenge.  J  I know I mentioned his smile earlier, but his hair is also the best hair in the family.  Thick brown hair…….the kind that we all love to run our fingers through.  His love language is touch.  It is a great thing to have a teenage boy who does not mind hugs.....and he even tolerates me kissing his head......when I can reach it!  I just love this kid!

 

Kid #6

 

     Malachy, whom I am fond of calling “my wee fella” or “my little man,” was born 4.5 years after Kid #5.  I had finally lost the last baby weight and was in great shape physically (the only time ever in my life I was strong) when I discovered that I was pregnant with him.  I had intended to stay in shape during this pregnancy, but that was not to be.  I have never had “morning sickness,” but “sleeping sickness” and I were close companions with every pregnancy. Thus, I spent my time sleeping, not exercising. By the time I had become pregnant with my little man, Willa and I had known each other, via phone and internet, for almost two years.  In fact, we actually met in person for the first time when I was about 17 weeks along.  It was a long pregnancy with much uterine contracting, but thankfully no cervical change.  Without going into the full-version of Malachy’s birth story at this time, let me just say that providentially God provided someone to watch over my other offspring when I went into the hospital to give birth to this wee fella: Willa and her six kids!  More on that in another post……   : )  I would like to share his name story someday, too.

 

 

     The blessing of Malachy into our family was immediately noted.  Until his arrival, I had not realized how “self-centered” his five older siblings had become as a group.  His presence gave them the opportunity to put the baby and his needs first, themselves second.  I strongly believe that having this baby at this time in their lives taught them better than in any other way, how to be in service of others.  It started with the pregnancy since I spent much time in the horizontal position. Of course, they adored their little brother.  Who wouldn’t love someone so cute!  He was our first real blondie, and our second with blue eyes.  His blond hair grew so fast, that you could actually see it growing….and it stuck straight up!  They taught him sign language, dressed him in ballet costumes, and danced and sang with him, and for him, with great constancy.  The older siblings definitely appreciated the great audience the little man provided.

 

     Speaking of music, Malachy obviously recognized lullabies he had heard in utero, specifically Michael Card.  Music has always made him happy.  At six months of age, he was heard humming a recognizable tune.  Adorable.  At age five, he was humming the Queen of the Night’s aria from Mozart’s Magic Flute……which he had really only heard once about six months before!  He hums incessantly.  Cute----but occasionally annoying. In fact, as I sit here writing this….…he is humming….of course.  His music tastes run the whole span of genre…….Frank Sinatra, The Four Seasons, Elvis Presley, classical, opera, fifties, Broadway tunes……he thrives on music. He always has music in his head.  He dances to music we cannot hear.

 

 

 

     He was attracted to the piano as soon as he could reach it.  His oldest sister began piano lessons with him when he was 4 years old.  According his current piano instructor, Malachy has the most musicality of my offspring.  She has to work hard to satiate his appetite for more music to play.  I love that I do not need to make him practice, a particularly good thing considering I never remember to make anyone practice. 
 

 

     Malachy also seems to have a talent with sports…….particularly soccer.  This last season he was on a team without much experience, and he was able to merge as a leader.  That was fun to watch. He also plays baseball….he moved up to minors a year early so he could start working on his skills, instead of being stifled by tee ball.  He is a good little player.  This is his papa’s favorite sport…….so we especially look forward to baseball season every year.  Malachy has an amazing ability to throw a ball exactly where he wants it to go.  Amazing. I believe he was born with this ability.  The very first time he threw a ball….…at about five months of age……he threw it right to me….and he did it over and over again. And he has never lost his aim.  It was scary when the rubber swords went whizzing right past our ears…..usually unexpectedly.  Thank God they were only toys!  He is doing a lot of pitching for his Spring 2012 team….and is pretty accurate.  (September 2012 update:  He also was able to pitch for the All-Star team….they used him as their “closer.”  His father has continued to pitch with him almost every week so that he does not lose his touch.)  We sure enjoy watching him.

 

 

 

 

       Basketball is another favorite sport……until lately, he has only played in a short clinic once a year, with age-mates.  Last year he was able to attend two other clinics, and has been allowed to practice with his older brother’s charter school team.  He could not play in games because he was too young, but it will prepare him for next year when he can play on the team.  Due to practicing with an awesome coach and with kids older and better, learning real plays, not just drills……he is a much better player for his clinic this year.  I love watching him play.  Taking a place on our charter school’s elementary track team, he won overall in the events.  Malachy learned to ski at a young age and progressed quickly…….this kid is a natural athlete. His father and I are so enjoying the sports-boon this little guy is bringing to our later parenting years.

 

       Oh!  I just had another flashback about Malachy as a baby…….within a week of learning to walk, about age ten months, he started jumping down the hallway.  Real jumping!  The kind that the child development books said he would not be able to do very well till he was two. Yep.  A natural-born athlete.  J

 

      Malachy has other talents as well.  He is good little artist and loves crafts of all kinds. He and older sister Sarah, Kid #3, sometimes play art-stuff together.  I will often strew art materials……and secretly observe the two of them digging in……they are so easily inspired.  In fact, I “strew” stuff all of the time for this boy.  Ever since he was little, I lay out math, art, copywork, picture books, audio-books and more……just before I go to bed…..and in the morning, I watch him stretch, look around….and when his eyes alight on the strewed materials…….he goes for it!  Love it.

 

     Malachy is the youngest of six---so he has always had seven parents. ; )  While he is definitely a kid, he is surrounded by a household of adults.  His manners, his vocabulary, and his perspectives definitely reflect this.  Because his social network consists mainly of this group, his activities mirror theirs.  When he was seven, and his older siblings took ballroom dance classes, he joined them.  Now at age ten, Malachy is quite the little dancer.  Give him any music and he can identify the dance and throw in some nice improvisation with all the steps he seems capable of remembering. He often grabs me for a dance when the music inspires to him move…..since I am such an Unnatural Dancer…….he drops me quick….since I just can’t “get it.”  Poor Me…the only UNdancer in the family.  All the girls…from young to old, from siblings to strangers…..love to dance with him.  He SO gets it. (September 2012 update:  Just this week the ballroom dance instructors have invited him to join their classes for middle school students as their assistants. )

 

     In the last year, another talent has emerged from this little guy.  Before he had any formal writing instruction beyond copywork, he and his best friend began writing Tragedies. Oh, my!  They are hilarious.  Now that he has had one semester’s worth of writing instruction in an organized writing class led by his oldest sister, with the Institute for Excellence in Writing course, his writing is flourishing.  He LOVES doing his assignments.  I am so thrilled…..especially because his reading skills are not as advanced as his writing skills.  Who knew you did not need to know how to read well to write!  I just know that when his reading skills really take off….he will be the best lover of the reading worlds.  He will so enjoy exploring the world of books.

 

     This kid loves to cook.  His specialty is pies.  How cute is that, to have a specialty of pies by age ten?

     Malachy is great little playmate.......he plays well with all ages, both genders, developmentally disabled.....he has a great heart to accept people where it is best for them.....and play at whatever speed works best for that person. A great quality.
 

     I suppose I should wrap up this boy’s short story……..I think his bio is longer than his siblings who have lived longer lives.  When he was born, my plan was to have a “babymoon” that I stretched out for as long as was possible….just in case he was my last baby.  With that attitude, I believe our “babymoon” lasted well into his fifth year of life. That was so sweet. His primary love language is touch…..like three of his siblings…….and his very close secondary love language is quality time.  One way that he enjoys spending quality time with people is by playing games.  He is quite the gamester…….any kind of games.  If no one will play, he will play by himself.  Monopoly……Risk….cards. This is in imitation of his paternal grandfather.  : ) (haha.....as I finally finish up this post and then read this last sentence....he and his best friend just woke up five minutes ago and are already playing cards....)

 

     We look forward to spending the next decade of his life with him.  Sweet boy…….who does not go to bed till he has hugged each person in the house……..not because he loves them so much…..but because it keeps him up longer.  ; )

 

 

Thanks for humoring me, while I introduce these great kids.......

 

 

 

 

Blessings,

 

            Chari

Just who am I blogging for????

I spoke with Willa about this last spring.......for whom am *I* writing???  Me?  My posterity? An audience?

     And then one day........it hit me...... I just want to blog for me.....the way I always have.......like in my original blog, Our Hearts' Haven.  I blogged there to share.....if anyone looked.  But it really was all about me keeping the memories.....and letting my 91 year old grandma in our lives.  I barely blogged there......at the most, a few times a month. I really wanted to blog more.  Sharing a blog with Willa has made me more attentive to actually getting words (or hundreds of photos ;) ) to the computer, instead of just in my head.  I appreciate that. The number of posts in my drafts folders just keeps growing and growing.......and growing. Possibly a bit overwhelmingly so.  No.  Not possibly.  Definitely.



     With Blogger's new way of looking at your list of posts on the dashboard, it actually shows the number of times a post has been viewed.  Somehow in the old way of looking at stats, it did not bother me, the low numbers of viewing,.....but seeing just a 1 or a 5 next to a post touched me....it made me realize that it does not matter when no one reads my posts.  It was an affirmation for me....this blog really is, for me, a place to keep memories of these years of our lives......whatever that may be:  living our lives, homeschooling or literature thoughts, tons of nature photographs, prayerful times, spiritual enrichment, moments of discovery..........

      For my family, these years also happen to include Willa and her family, either by phone conversations, social media or real-life visits.  Sharing a blog seems like an excellent way to preserve those memories as well. I am thrilled to share this space with my friend.


      Just recently, I was looking for a specific post at Our Hearts' Haven.  I never did get to that post...... as I had run out of time........distracted by reading other posts for about 30 minutes. I found that reading that blog truly was a "walk down memory lane" and I am so pleased to realize that I have been keeping a family journal......even if it is only a virtual one......even if it is spotty at times. I often regret my lack of keeping a family journal so this was such a relief to discover.  Phew.....I do have some memories........somewhere.


     Edgar left a comment on a Strewing post.  After visiting his wonderful, simple and pretty blog, it reminded me of how I have always blogged......all five years of it......sharing my thoughts and the beauty around me.....and the memories we make with our loved ones.  I loved that.  It was the journal I rarely recorded my life in.  I think for me, I will keep that in mind while I write. I still want to produce all of our plans for the blog, and even though some of them seem like they are being written for an audience, I really am just going to keep thinking of this as an online journal.......one I am loving sharing with my dearest friend.

      A funny thing is.........that I have no ego about whether our blog gets read far and wide, or is popular.  I really am okay with just writing into the air  :)...or, my journal, if you will.  And if my pride ever starts to get involved, I squelch it......... because I want to just have it be an offering, to God really.  He is the AIR, I guess.  :) 


     But........after ten years of trying to figure it out........I think we have finally discovered that one of my primary Love Languages is Words of Affirmation (regardless of my kids' opinion.......Willa and I have hashed it out of me, finally  :).... )........and when someone takes the time to leave a comment here......or even just become a stat for having read the post, I feeled "loved".  I get those warm and fuzzy feelings.  :)    ......I just want you, the "audience" to know how much your comments and views are appreciated.  I have already made a handful of new friends through this blog......a blessing, indeed.  :)


    So, the bottom line: my writings on this blog are just for me and my posterity......and apparently Willa's as well......since we are here together.  I know that sometimes I will write to an "audience", but ultimately, I am going to stay focused on me, mine, Willa, hers, and God.  I am going to bask in any comments we receive......because that makes me feel loved.  I am going to ignore any lack of comments and attention, because ultimately........this is just my not so private-life-journal.  :)


Just thinking out loud.....and looking for clarity in taking the time to blog.....

Blessings!

            Chari

....hope I make some sense.......  :)

We are officially Versatile Bloggers!

Erin at Seven Little Australians and Counting awarded us with a Versatile Blogger Award!

Thank you so very much, Erin!  

Here are the rules:

• Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.
• Tell your readers 7 things about yourself.
• Give this award to 15 recently discovered bloggers.
• Contact those bloggers and let them in on the news.

Since there are two of us running the blog we thought it might be fun to list 7 random things we have found that we both have in common:  There are way more than seven, but these are some we came up with:

1. We both grew up in families that moved a lot, so we attended many different schools.  Chari's travels were mostly in California, while Willa's family moved from Boston to Maryland  to Oklahoma to Arizona to Alaska to Switzerland. 
2. We were both first-borns of three in our families.   Chari was the oldest of three girls and Willa was the only daughter with two younger brothers. 
3. We both gave ourselves a "living books" education without even knowing what that was.   We read as much literature as we could get our hands on -- as CS Lewis said of his own reading boyhood, "some books suitable for children and some most decidedly not."  We both did nature study, kept copybooks, and loved the fine arts.  Consequently when we first discovered Charlotte Mason education, we both "recognized" it as what we had wanted for ourselves when we were growing up.   
4. We married in the same year.... 1985.  
5. We both married Catholics, and we both converted to Catholicism -- Chari before she married, and Willa a few years afterwards. 
6. We both went to Ireland and at very close to the same time!   Chari was pregnant with her oldest, now 23, and Willa's second-born, also 23, was just a few weeks old when she went.  
7. Both of us had children born with rare and unexpected medical conditions.   For that reason, when Aidan was transported to UCSF hospital in California for his liver transplant, in 1999, Willa and Aidan almost overlapped with Chari and her daughter, who had just left the hospital after heart surgery.  

All these things happened before we actually met in person. 

Now for the 15 recently discovered bloggers.  Since Chari and Willa are longtime bloggers who have just started this particular blog, we are still in the process of collecting our TUAR reading list.  We both have favorite blogs and have many favorites in common, but haven't really gotten together on what blogs represent our shared  identity.  Here are a few and hopefully we will add more over time either in this post or in future ones. 

1.  In House: A Homemaking Journal.    Michele is co-designer of Mater Amabilis and also runs Family Centered Press.  We have known Michele online since even before we met each other.   This blog is about simple things to do with homemaking and is so refreshing to the spirit to read.   
2. Sparrow Tree Square:  Thoughts on Literature, Learning and Life.  By a grown homeschooler who started an online seasonal literature anthology when she was only a teenager.   The archives are available if you look at the links on the blog.   Very sweet, and very literature-based. 
3. Moments with Mother Culture.  Karen Andreola's blog.    She doesn't post often but when she does it is nice to read.
4. My Summer Notebook.  This is a beautiful blog by Susan who formerly blogged at High Desert Home.   Unfortunately, she is not going to be posting on either blog anymore, but we are still linking to it, because it is a treasure trove of wisdom.  She has homeschooled several children who are now grown and having children of their own.  
5. The Catholic Young Woman.   Willa's daughter's blog.   She has several contributors and the posts are targeted towards yes, young Catholic women from teens to young adults.   
6. Love Notes for Teens.    A Year of Encouragement from Mom.  By our friend Angie.  

More to come later,

Willa & Chari

Introducing the Ryan Clan......

Chari still has two children left to write about, but in the meantime I will slip in a quick introduction of my own clan.

The whole family (I'm the one taking the picture)

So, what should I say about my family? Since there are nine of us, anything I write will end up long, but Chari and I thought we would go ahead and introduce our casts of characters so that if you get mixed up by all the names in future, you can go back and look it up. Don't worry, there won't be a test on this!

My family is an eclectic mix of Scottish, Irish, Dutch and Danish, in about that order. My maternal grandparents were both immigrants from Scotland to Quebec, Canada. My husband Kevin’s paternal grandparents were both Irish, though not quite so recently off the boat as mine. Our children can definitely call themselves Gaelic without too much stretching of the truth, and temperamentally they are quite Celtic, too.

Me and Paddy

We have seven living children (we lost twin boys halfway to term, and another one early in our marriage). They range in age from almost 9 up to 25. Several of my kids are decided introverts -- thinkers, imaginative, intense and reserved, but with a strong sense of humor. The other ones have grown up in such an introvert family culture, with two parents who value quiet and peace, that they think they are that way too, even when they aren’t : ). Oh yes, and six of them are boys, which leaves the role of princess to my only daughter.

My oldest son, Liam Mayo, (middle name is a family name from Kevin's side) was born two days before our first wedding anniversary.  He's 25 now, which means his dad and I have been married for 26 years.

He was a quiet, grave, thoughtful baby, always looking at the sky. His first sight of a full moon at age 15 months filled him with awe, and I could keep him amused for several minutes by letting him yank the pull chain of our attic light to turn the light off and on.

Sean, Liam and Kieron

He grew up to be a quiet, thoughtful young man. He went to Thomas Aquinas College (his first choice and the only college he seriously applied to). He graduated in 2009 and has been working as a computer game programmer, first in his father’s home business, later for a small company in Oregon, where he lives now. For fun he reads and writes science fiction, composes music, and plays the classical guitar, as well as plays video games with his brothers and sometimes, concocts recipes in the kitchen.

Brendan, Sean and Liam at the University of Oregon game

My second, Brendan Calder, (his middle name is a family name from my side) was quite different from his brother. He was one of those kids who gets fascinated with a topic and embarks on immersion learning about them. As a child he probably also had some sensory integration issues, though these were not regularly diagnosed back then. It made him ultra-sensitive to noises and textures and tastes and any changes in his routine. In preschool he taught himself to count to 1000 by looking at the page numbering of a huge Chronicle of the 20th Century that we had around the house. He loved learning about volcanoes, space shuttles, reptiles, and insects in turn. He was one of the reasons I started homeschooling, because he was so obviously marching to a different drummer, and he was one of the reasons I dropped a standard workbook curriculum and moved more towards “real books” and learning units.

In high school he wrote a complete novel and devoured every book in our library system about the giant sequoia and other local trees. Homeschooling helped resolve many of his sensory difficulties naturally, and the others he has learned to cope with. He is now attending community college and plans to transfer into a four-year university.

Liam, Kieron, Kevin (dad), Brendan, and Sean

Next is my only daughter, Clare Francis. She and Brendan were 20 months apart in age and grew up almost like twins. Sometimes it seemed like they lived in a rich imaginary world of their own and only came out once in a while to take a deep breath (or get a snack, though often the snacks were incorporated into their imaginary games too). Clare was very inventive and always had some project going on, whether founding and peopling an orphanage using her little toy animals as inhabitants, or starting a newspaper (to which her brothers contributed or else wrote their own).

Clare and Brendan with a non-imaginary friend!

As she got older she asked to be involved in more outside-home activities than her brothers had wanted, and she took English riding and Irish dancing lessons, learned to be somewhat comfortable with a piano, guitar and violin, got involved in an American Girls club and a Little Flowers club, sang in the church choir, and got quite good at sewing her own dresses using my old Kenmore.

Clare and Paddy

Clare is now in her junior year at Thomas Aquinas College where she is thriving. She runs a couple of blogs in her spare time. I hope I can get her to contribute occasionally to this blog.

Sean Timothy is the next child. He was the first one in our family to get involved seriously, as opposed to just for fun, in team sports and quickly showed real athletic talent. His favorite sport is football (I remember my brother telling me with bemusement, “Sean just asked me what my 16th favorite football team is!”). Since California has no provision for varsity athletics for homeschoolers, Sean chose to go to public school for his freshman and sophomore year. In his junior year he did home study for a term and now is in Oregon for his senior year of high school.

Sean and Clare

Kieron Thomas, my 5th child, is good-natured and very quick to learn. Especially now that the older ones are gone, I am often asking him to help out, figure out, or find something around the house because he is almost always pleased to be asked and is very good about getting results. He is homeschooling using our own homemade curriculum which we tweak according to the individual child. He is in his second year of high school this year. He seems headed towards following in the footsteps of his Dad and brother Liam and becoming a computer programmer, though at this point he wants to keep his options open.

Kieron, Clare and Liam

Aidan Michael, our 6th, surprised us by being born very ill -- in fact in almost complete liver failure -- and needing an organ transplant before he was four months old. His story is here. He had a stroke in the early, difficult days after his transplant, so he is moderately cognitively delayed. He is 12 now and learning to read a little. He loves to write funny stories about the adventures of our coolers (I help him with spelling and sometimes he dictates the stories to me to type). He is a natural poet and loves to make up jingles and interesting phrases. He is also a natural planner and organizer who always knows what is going on that day and what to do to prepare for it.

Sean and Aidan

For several years after the Ryans met the Bryans, there were six in each family  The Six Bryans and Six Ryans!  But then, our youngest, Patrick Gabriel. came along.

Paddy had the same birth condition as Aidan. More about that here. My pregnancy with him was an anxious one and a journey of faith, but God blessed us greatly with our little one, who is named after the angel of the Annunciation. His due date was Christmas Eve but he was induced 3 weeks early due to fetal distress. He is now almost 9. He was my only child to learn to read before I taught him -- at age 3 he was picking out words and soon after that he was reading on his own. Recent favorite reads have been Alice in Wonderland, Five Children and It, Pinocchio, and the Narnia Chronicles.   His all time childhood favorites so far are probably Winnie the Pooh and the Green Forest stories of Thornton Burgess. 

Aidan and Paddy

So there you have the basics. Of course, if I wrote everything there was to write, it would take a book!  

Our family patron is St Therese the Little Flower.
Of course, we have lots of saints we love, but she was our particular friend during Aidan's illness. I was born on her feast day in the traditional calendar (October 3), and Aidan had his transplant on her new feast day, October 1. Clare chose her name for her confirmation name. St Therese is also the patroness of our diocese.

Other family favorites are St John the Evangelist, St Francis of Assisi, St Dominic Savio, St Michael the Archangel, St Francis de Sales, St John Bosco, St Anthony of Padua, Blessed John Henry Newman, St Thomas Aquinas, and the list, of course, could go on and on, as we are always finding new friends and connections among the "cloud of witnesses"!

Blessings,

Willa

Introducing the Bryan Clan....Part II

     Okay......I have here the next pair of Bryan kids........both girls.......

     When the second of these two was born.....it felt like I was still caring for the same baby......sometimes I panicked when I saw that her chest scar was gone...but, do read on.....so this will make more sense......

Kid #3       

     I went into labor with Sarah, now 18 years old, exactly one year to the day that I had experienced my only miscarriage (at nine weeks……and because I miscarried on St. Valentine’s day, we named the little fella Valentine).  She has always felt a special relationship to her barely older sibling….especially because she never would have been here if it was not for that loss….plus, their birth days are only a day apart (plus the year).  She is fond of begging his intercession.  Born at home in 1990, we had two sweet days with our wee lass before the midwife discovered a heart murmur that sent us down to San Francisco for three weeks of medical care, including open-heart surgery to rebuild and repair a rare congenital heart defect.  She has an inner beauty to match her lovely outer beauty.....even at birth.......the NICU nurses noticed her specialness immediately. I think it was her large, gorgeous cat eyes.

Sarah Elizabeth

     Sarah recovered well and grew as expected, into a sweet cuddly girl.  She cuddled with everyone she met.  My husband used to call her a “male magnet” because males of all ages seemed attracted to her beautiful soul.  I had several older men offer to be her “adopted grandfather” they adored her so much. As they were perfect strangers, we did not go there.   : ) As a little girl, Sarah was a sweet delight......singing and dancing all the day long.  She has a very active imagination.  She is extremely creative.  Her ability to draw is the best in the family.......though her youngest brother seems to be following in her wake.  Arts and crafts have always been among her forte.

     When she was five years old, Sarah asked Mrs. Westrick, who was babysitting the kids while I went to a week-long class, if the older lady would “cut her some bangs”.  Of course the woman said:  “No!  Your mother would never forgive me if I did that without her knowledge!”  Well, later that day, Sarah took it upon herself to cut her own bangs.  She made a perfect cut!  She was quite cute with her new hairdo. That was the beginning of her hair expertise.  Her sisters and friends turn their hair over to her quite frequently, trusting Sarah’s natural ability to bring their hair to beautiful presentation.

     About half-way through her life, Sarah became more quiet and contemplative and no longer cuddling with every stranger.  : )  That was quite a surprise, and somewhat of a relief.

     Sarah has many special gifts.  Besides everything artsy, she is amazing in the kitchen.  Her father loves to have her work by his side, cooking and creating.  She enjoys acting. She is an excellent dancer. For her senior project last year, she envisioned a formal gown......drew a picture of it from her mind.......and with her mentor nearby, sewed the beautiful gown. I was so proud of her. She has a special way with fashion.  In fact, as I think about it, Sarah approaches everything in life as if it is art. I love that about her. 

Sarah in the gown she designed and sewed

     Sarah has big dreams......and one of her dreams includes travel.  Last year, she was able to complete her junior and senior years in one so that she could graduate a year early and spend her last year of schooling as an exchange student.  In August, she flew to Europe where she is spending a year in Austria, living with host families, learning their culture, making life-long friends and becoming fluent in German.  I am sure this classical music-loving and ballroom dance-loving girl is especially going to enjoy Vienna.  I am not jealous.  Okay, that’s a fib.  : )

     Sarah’s primary love language is “words of affirmation” and her secondary is probably “acts of service.”  Sometimes someone will get out all of the ingredients they need to make something the next morning only to find that Miss Acts-of-Service has put it all away in her effort to do service.  : )  Gotta love my girl. 

     I really miss her.  I want her to have an amazing year in Austria…….but I cannot wait to see behold her beautiful face again!

Kid #4

     My youngest lass was born at home, in the room in which she now resides, on May 5th, 1995. I consider her birth my favorite.  Born just 6 minutes after the midwife arrived, she was my tiniest at 6 lbs, 6oz.  She is still the smallest...at age 16, Her Petiteness is just under five foot.  An adorable girl with big brown eyes, she is named Maddelyn Claire, for my mother-in-law, Marilyn Claire, who had died shortly after my husband and I were married.  I love my sweet girl’s name.  And so does she.  Sometimes I call her by the Latin translation that she was baptised by:  Madelena Clarum.  Simply beautiful.

Maddelyn Claire

      From the age of two weeks, we were surprised to find that she could take note of any time that her parents were not the ones holding her.  Eventually, we would find that “change” of any kind was not part of her preferences.  This made for a challenging toddlerhood....especially when it came to getting dressed, brushing teeth or in relation to placemats.......but oh, was she cute!  I loved dressing her up!  She made for the cutest baby pictures with her sweet smile.

     Age five was a good year for Miss Maddelyn as she began to learn to adapt to the changes life brings us daily. She loved to play with her older siblings.  She was (and is) definitely a girly girl......so she and her sisters had lovely times.  We discovered she could play the piano before she had even started lessons.......and so at this age, began formal lessons.  She is a wonderful pianist and works hard at practicing.  We so enjoy her musicianship. 

playing at the May, 2011 recital

     Maddelyn is a great little actress who has had several great roles.  My favorite is when she played Brigetta in a full-Broadway version of The Sound of Music.  She wowed us the following year taking on Alice in a two-person Alice In Wonderland play.  Even in small roles, she seems to be a memorable character, according to audiences.  Maddelyn is the one of my six who learned to read the earliest....and at a young age became a great Dickens fan.  One of her life goals is to own a complete and matching set of Dickens’ works.  She is a voracious reader and plugs away diligently at many difficult books.  She is an astute student, focusing well on her studies.....especially enjoying the history……a common theme around here.  I appreciate her ability to self-educate.  I do believe that if we allow her to stay home, self-educating at her pace and her own choice of topics.....she would stay here forever.  : )

      Maddelyn is a wonderful companion to her older sisters.  She is a great little knitter.  She loves words....reading them, twisting them, playing with them, arguing with them.  She loves her cups of tea.  She loves to read.  She is a smart little cookie and has great questions.....many of which I am unable to answer.  Her love language is touch so she will be found cuddling a couple of times a day, with someone.  Her personality is very strongly set on literalness and justice.

     One of my most favorite recent memories of Maddelyn is of our visit to Hawaii.  We made wonderful discoveries and memories.  She and her sister Sarah were perfect traveling companions, to myself and each other. I will always treasure those lovely warm and adventurous days. 

Maddelyn & Sarah in Hawaii, June 2011

...before they cut their hair short......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

....and the final two kids will follow soon......



Blessings,

              Chari