Happy Birthday Damien!

Due to the fact that Damien's birthday is on New Year's Eve, he seems to get the short end of the stick sometimes. This is not to say that the effort to celebrate him is not 100%- it is just that having a birthday party surrounded by all of your family and friends can prove to be difficult. People want to go to New Year's Eve parties. They like to go away for the weekend and take advantage of the long weekend. This is all understandable and Damien certainly gets it.

As if having your birthday on New Year's Eve isn't enough distraction- this year, Damien's birthday was the weekend of our big move! Since people were going to be coming to our neck of the woods to help us move, I figured it would be a great time to have a family/friend birthday party for him. We moved the day before his actual birthday and most of our close family and friends were here to help us out (which we appreciate more than they know and will never forget their amazing efforts!). We moved from about 10:00 am until 5:15 p.m. and then headed over to a great restaurant in downtown Willow Glen. I am so thankful that we decided to have the dinner at a local restaurant as the move took a bit longer than we had originally thought. Dinner reservations were at 5:30 p.m. and we, or should I say the guys took the last box out of the UHaul at 5:15 p.m. We all made it to dinner for a much needed respite from the move but also happy to finally be celebrating Damien!

Dinner was great. I say this a million times on my blog, but it feels so wonderful to be surrounded by family and friends. To look around the table and see all those people who love and care for Damien was kind of emotional. It is moments like these where you see true love and dedication to friendship. We had a delicious dinner and toasted to Damien while also thanking everyone for their efforts earlier in the day. That night we had our first house guests as Marlene, Sierrah, and Alexander spent the night in our new home! It was really fun because all the cousins had a giant sleepover in the living room. They don't get to see their cousins from Oregon that often, but it was so nice to see all of them hang out together and bond.

The following morning, Damien's actual birthday, he had to work a little bit. Being that the Internet was not yet connected at our new house- he had to go into the office and then occasionally go to the Starbucks across the street to check his email. Once he had finished work in the morning, we opened gifts and then headed to a great little local breakfast place. Since Sierrah's birthday was only 4 days later, we also celebrated with her and toasted the two birthday kids at breakfast. Afterwards, much to Michael and Claire's dismay, Marlene and their cousins went back north. Once the kids got over their sadness, we realized that it was the first time our little family was alone in our new house. Boxes everywhere, messes left and right- but our house felt like our home. We relaxed for the majority of the day and then had dinner at home with Heather that night. We had cake, party poppers and celebrated the New Year early so we could put our exhausted kids to bed. The funny thing was that we didn't have our television moved over here yet. I can't remember the last time we rung in the New Year without watching the ball drop. Knowing this was the case, Damien and I got all the kids down and then just sat and talked for a few hours in our new living room. We reflected on the last year and all the changes (new baby, new school, new house) and felt blessed to be where we are in our lives. Having Damien's birthday in our new house was a great way to kick off our new life here. We hope there are many new beginnings, many celebrations, and many wonderful memories made within the walls of our new home. It was a great year for Damien and we look forward to reflecting next year on what another 365 days will bring.

11 Months Already?

So, here I am again writing a monthly update for Matthew. In the beginning, it felt as if it took forever for a month to pass to write an update. Yet as Matthew gets bigger and more independent, I feel that time is just slipping by! 11 months. WOW! One little month until I don't categorize his age by months. He'll be one year old. That makes me crazy! This little guy who has taken over our hearts is growing like a weed and learning so many new things each and every day.

December is a busy month in of itself. Matthew's month was really dictated by the holiday celebrations and holiday travel. On the road, meeting new people, having new experiences is what propelled Matthew to have a big month with mobility and a jump in his personality. Matthew has turned into a babbling machine. Da da da, ma ma ma, do do do, duh duh duh, ohhhhhh, and num num num are some of the more common sounds to come out of his mouth. The exciting news of the month is that Matthew has said his first word! Anyone that knows me or has spent time around me knows that I call food 'num nums'. I will ask Matthew, "Do you want some more num nums?" and he knows what I am talking about. So when we were up at my parent's house, this num num business (coupled with the fact that Matthew is an eating- or should I say num num machine) caught on. He started seeing food and saying num num. He would say this over and over until we gave him the food which I think is awesome!! This month he also started calling me na na. These are just small reminders that this quiet little guy is waking up in the vocalization department and now were are going to start hearing what is on his mind!

Some physical changes this month is that he got his first haircut this month (as I mentioned in a previous blog). He is also continuing to grow thicker and chubbier. When we took him into the doctor when he had a double ear infection he weighed in at 25lbs. 2 oz. I am going to start weaning him from breastfeeding this month and I really hope he has no trouble switching to cow's milk. (Something tells me this won't be a problem!) For some reason Matthew's hands have been looking bigger to me. On the contrary, his cute little feet continue to be on the skinny side. It is so cute to look at the rolls melting off his legs next to his sweet little ankles and feet! Matthew has been showing a preference to his left hand. The only person in our family that is a lefty is Damien and he is truly hoping to have that in common with his little guy.

We have been patiently waiting for Matthew to become mobile. There was certainly no pressure as I have my hands full keeping after the three kids as it was! But much to our delight, Matthew is moving and moving quickly. Around mid December, he finally started crawling. Within a few weeks he was crawling quickly, crawling up and down a few stairs, and pulling himself up to a stand on anything he could get his hands on. Can you say danger? He is actually pretty cautious, but the minute you go ahead and trust him to stand on his own, he falls and hurts himself. So we are in full blown 'Matthew Watch' but enjoying seeing him navigate around the house!

No teeth this month, but lots of drool (par for the course). He still has 4 teeth and I don't see anymore that are trying to work their way in. Because he is finally rid of the teething discomfort, he is pretty much always in a happy mood. His personality is shining through and we love it! He totally knows when something is funny and even laughs at it even if no one else does. He loves being held by me or Damien and chasing the other two kiddos around the house. He laughs and laughs and thinks they are the coolest. Michael and Claire seem to have grown to appreciate Matthew in a different way. Instead of thinking Matthew is so cute; they tend to see him as a pal, someone who can really take part in their lives. As a mother, this is so rewarding. One thing that has changed is that now that Matthew is mobile, he has started getting into their stuff. Michael is really into legos. He will spend hours building and setting them up only for 'Matthew the Destroyer' to come and ruin it in one fell swoop. Claire has also been upset because she sets these little Disney Princess figurines up so methodically on her vanity. Each and every little figure has its place and Matthew comes in and in less than five seconds, they have been flung onto the floor. While they do get upset, Michael and Claire have grown to be more tolerant of their little brother.


So that is pretty much how Matthew is doing now that he is 11 months. While he is continuing to grow and change, so has his environment. This month we moved into a new house and he is now sharing a room with his big brother. The verdict on that- so far so good. Also packed into this month, Matthew loved celebrating his first ever Christmas. All in all, it was a busy yet memorable month for our big guy. Having two older kids reminds me daily to enjoy Matthew in all of his little splendor. This phase, while exhausting at times, doesn't last long and I want to look back on his babyhood and know I cherished each and everything I could.

Matthew, you continue to make me laugh, you make me giggle when I hear you breathing out of your mouth when you concentrate, you amaze me with the amount of Gerber snacks you can shove into your tiny mouth without choking, you make me feel so blessed when I see your sweet face when you sleep, and you make my heart skip a beat when I see the way you capture the hearts of your brother and sister. You have graced us all with your presence and I thank you for being such a wonderful son. It has almost been one year! I cannot believe it when I think back to the day I first saw your sweet chubby face. I love you buddy and thank you for all you have given to me over the past 11 months. As I start planning your first birthday, a twinge of sadness comes over me. But when I think of all the happiness and fullness your first year brought to me, that sadness drifts away and I am left with the vision of your sweet smile, dimple and all. 11 months Matthew, wow. Thanks buddy. You make all of us so so happy.

Christmas Vacation

So much happened over our 'Christmas Break' that I am not sure where to begin. Because Damien and my families live in different states, we have to flip-flop holidays and this year, we were slated to be with my family. We planned our 10-day trip and it was a bit stressful due to us getting the keys to our new house the night before we left, prepping our old house for an open house when we were gone and packing all 5 of us for Christmas as well as gathering all the gifts I had purchased for family and friends. Even though there were minutes, okay hours, where I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown, we did indeed make it up there. It was such a relief to have the travel behind us and to know that for the next 10 days, our one goal was to spend time with my family and have a whole lot of fun!

The first thing on the agenda was seeing my parents' new house! We have seen their extensive remodel in stages over the last 9 months, but I was anxious to see it now that it was 95% complete. Walking into the house was so surreal. Once I made it up the stairs into the great room, I couldn't believe my eyes and actually got a little dizzy from being so disoriented. It is still the same house, but it is SO different. I am so happy for them. For so many years, they found a way to make ends meet and make their 5 children happy. Now it is their turn to live the good life and have a home where their kids can bring their kids and we can all be together as a family.

Due to the fact that I am a giant home body, we spent the first few days sipping coffee, chatting, and staying in our PJs until noon. My mom made sugar cookie dough before we came up there and then she and her grand kids decorated the cookies to leave for Santa. Matthew thoroughly enjoyed paling around with Kyle. He was really captivated by the sounds and movements he made and within the first few days, started mimicking him. Knowing that Christmas is such a busy time, I relished the quiet days and enjoyed getting more familiar with my parent's house.

I did a lot of my Christmas shopping before we flew up to my parents as well as an enormous amount online (shipped to my Mom's). I was so happy I only had about three people left to shop for. Shopping was more complicated this year with Matthew. My two older kids are shopping pros and navigate the mall well. Matthew on the other hand, didn't care what sales Nordstrom was having. He'll learn in due time! We shopped a little bit but mostly enjoyed the carolers, holiday decorations, and the coffee shops that are on every corner up there. At night, we returned to the same outdoor mall to take a ride on the Christmas train and get Matthew, Michael, and Kyle's haircut. We followed that with dinner at an Indian restaurant. A little side note here . . . When Michael was born in Paris, Damien took me to an Indian restaurant. I was, let's say . . . less than thrilled. Indian food and I didn't go together, or so I thought. The experience at that restaurant changed me forever and now I welcome the chance to go to any Indian restaurant and try a few new things. My sisters had never tried Indian food before and naturally were a bit reluctant. Although they weren't wowed by the experience, I know that it opened them up to the possibility of trying it again.

The following night, Jill took Claire to a Christmas party at a friend's house while Damien, Michael, Matthew, and I went to Gina's new apartment. In September, Gina bought a great apartment and is now a homeowner! I could hardly wait to see her place and when I did- it didn't disappoint. It was so comfortable, well decorated, and just perfect for her. For a house warming gift, I bought her The Joy of Cooking and I thought it would be fitting for us to make a meal from it so we would always remember our first dinner and also so Gina could see how to make a new dish! We had a lot of fun! Gina and I were busy in the kitchen while the boys roamed her place and watched The Wizard of Oz on television. Dinner turned out delicious and we really had a nice time. I am so proud of her and the way she has focused her life and taken care of herself. Gina buying a house was just another reminder that we are all getting older, but thankfully- we are all getting older together.

That evening, I noticed that Matthew was a little warm. I got that sick feeling in my stomach that he was going to have a fever. My suspicions became a reality in the middle of the night. Poor Matthew was sick. Sick right before Christmas. Isn't that the way it always happens, though? Kids never get sick at a convenient time. But Christmas? Oh, man. We were in for it. We woke up the next morning, medicated Matthew and went to church with my whole family. At this point, his fever was low-grade but he had 'sick eyes'. I can always tell if my kids are sick by their eyes, and Matthew's eyes told me he was fighting some kind of sickness. But with babies, you can't tell if they are fevering from teething or from something else. So we went on and hoped for the best. Mass was wonderful and we were all getting ready to leave when I noticed that Kyle was spitting up. I told Jill and as she was turning him around to check it out, he threw up all over the place. Three or four times everywhere. Poor baby. My whole family did damage control as this happened when everyone was trying to get by us to leave the church (of course). Jill swept Kyle out to the car and we all hoped that he was just overfed and not sick.

Between tending to Matthew and Kyle (who we kept separate from each other in the hopes of not spreading anything), the rest of that day was pretty much shot. It was the 23rd of December and tomorrow was Christmas Eve Day. We hoped the two would get better so we could have a healthy Christmas. The next day, Matthew actually seemed a bit better. He still a low grade fever, but he seemed to have more energy- perhaps brightness in his eyes. We all carried on and got ready for Christmas Eve Mass. The kids looked adorable in their outfits. Damien and I managed to get ready as well and made it to Mass on time. Christmas Eve dinner is always at my Aunt Carol's house. It is a big traditional Italian dinner loaded with tons of seafood, pasta, calzones, breads, and salads. It is phenomenal and I look forward to it so much! All was going well and dinner was almost ready. I noticed Claire looking a little frazzled. When she saw me, she darted over to me and said she thought she had to throw up. I thought maybe she had too many gummy bears (which are a staple on Christmas Eve). But she said she didn't eat that many. After a few minutes with her in the bathroom, Claire proved to be right in how she felt. She got sick. Now what? We couldn't keep her there and expose everyone to the stomach flu. Obviously, Kyle had it the day before and now Claire had it. It turns out that a child at the Christmas party two nights before had the stomach flu, hence Kyle and Claire getting sick. Damien offered to take Claire back to my parent's house and let me, Michael, and Matthew stay and enjoy the rest of the night. (Note that Gina offered first to take Claire home, but Damien felt that she should stay and enjoy herself. Just wanted to put that in, Ween.)

The rest of the night was really nice. Santa came and visited and Michael and Matthew (obviously Michael more than Matthew) loved seeing Santa. It is always the true highlight of the night and it didn't disappoint. I was sad that Claire and Damien weren't there for that part, but I thought it was the right call to make to take her home. We left shortly after Santa did and joined them back at home and gave Claire all her presents. She had tons of energy when we got home and gave us all hope that she wasn't going to be barfing all night long! The kids put out the cookies for Santa and Claire made sure to leave carrots for the reindeer. Sometime between the time we went to sleep and woke up the next morning, Santa and all of his little helpers managed to get 11 stockings filled with goodies. What a guy!

Matthew happened to have a horrible night of sleep and I was awakened on the sofa upstairs by Damien telling me that the kids wanted to look in their stockings. I quickly rallied and up the stairs they came with excitement. Claire asked Santa for a Hannah Montana doll, a Snow White Costume, and Butterfly Boots. Michael on the other hand, took a more open approach and said, "Santa knows what I want so I don't need to ask for anything. He already knows." I am sure that this made Santa a bit nervous to figure out all the things Michael would want for Christmas. It was too late to worry now. The kids were ripping into their stockings and enjoying their gifts. Traditionally in my family, we look in our stockings and mingle for a little bit until the coffee is made and everyone has made their way into the living room. Then, one by one we open up the gifts we all got each other and have a very relaxing Christmas morning.

Once we were finally done opening gifts we looked out the window and it was snowing. We were having a White Christmas!!! It hasn't snowed up there on Christmas since 1996 and what luck we had to have snow this year! This was Damien, Michael, Claire, and Matthew's first White Christmas and they were going berserk! It was really cool and we all went outside and enjoyed the snow and it's beauty. We were all getting ready to head up to my Uncle's house where we celebrate Christmas with my Dad's family when that blasted stomach flu took hold of my Dad. So with my Dad in spirit, we headed out for more celebrating.

Christmas with my Dad's side of the family is always wonderful. Again, it is an Italian Christmas in that we have pasta, meatballs, brigole (spelling?), and good bread for our Christmas feast. When Damien knew he was going to marry me, an Italian, he had no idea that his Christmas' with my family would be inundated with pasta, etc. He is a good sport though and we thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food, the wonderful conversations, the hilarious game play (My Uncle Bob always has some game planned for the day) and so much more. All was going well until my sister Laura felt like she had to throw up. Luckily, she made it to the bathroom and as the song goes . . . Bum Bum Bum Another One Bites the Dust. Dang that stomach flu! That pretty much put an end to our lovely celebration there and we headed back to the house. Poor Matthew was still fevering and on top of that, we were all scared that we would be the next victim of the Holiday Heaves.

Things quieted down on Christmas night. We put the kids to bed and then Gina, Natalie, my Mom, Damien, and I played a fantastic game called Mad Gab. Seriously, if you want to laugh so hard your stomach hurts- then buy this game. It is a game where teams work together to decipher groups of unrelated words into real phrases before time runs out. For example, Eye Mull Of Mush Sheen. Say it over and over until you figure it out. It will seriously leave you wanting more. We have played it a lot and the laughter was exactly what we needed that night.

So, Christmas played out a little differently than we had planned. But when it was all said and done, it was memorable none the less. And in case you were wondering . . . Matthew's 4 day fever? A double ear infection we had diagnosed the next day at a clinic. Sickness is never convenient and we know that when it starts, you just better put your head down and keep moving forward. Merry Christmas to all. Russ, where's the Tylenol?

Matthew's First Haircut

I loved that Matthew was a baldish baby. He had just enough hair that if you rubbed your cheek against his soft head, it felt like peach fuzz. Matthew's hair was really short for a long time but once he hit 6 months, it really started to grow. As it grew, we were able to finally see what color hair he had! I would call Matthew a blond baby. However, there is no denying that there is a little strawberry in there too! It is darling and I have loved watching his hair grow in.

Matthew is almost 11 months. He is still a baby but we can't ignore the tufts of hair that are growing over his ears. The hair on his forehead is almost in his eyes and he is starting to get a mini-mullet in the back by his neck. I have tried to ignore these things, but the word Haircut Haircut keeps replaying itself over in my mind. We didn't give Michael his first haircut until he was about 20 months old. He was shaggy but we couldn't bring ourselves to cut it. Claire got her first haircut when she was 4 but girls are so different with hair. When she was a baby and her hair started getting too long, I just put it back with a clip. Easy solution all around.

No matter how we justified Matthew's growing hair, we knew he needed a haircut. So, when we went up to Washington for Christmas, I told myself to just get it done. My sister Jill made appointments for Michael, Matthew and her son Kyle, and the plan was in place. Kyle went first and was a great patient. Matthew was up next and I must admit, he was a bit apprehensive. He wasn't crying- he just knew something was going on. This fear went totally away when Jill gave Matthew a lollipop. He thought he was so cool and there was no drama after that! All in all, the haircut was no big deal. He looked so cute once he was sheared and Damien and I both felt confident that we made the right call. He does look more grown up with his new do, but he is almost 1 year old and really is a big boy. While I loved the his long floppy hair, I equally love this new haircut.

Our New House

Just over four years ago, we were looking to buy our first home. For a while, it seemed as though we would never find the 'right' place! Being as I stay home with the kids, I wanted a home where we would have room to move around during the day, a place to sit as a family for dinner, and a house that would serve as a place of peace and comfort- where family and friends always felt welcome. When we walked into the house on Huddersfield, I just knew it was the right house.

Seriously, I love that house. I love the flow from the front room to the kitchen. I love how every square inch of that house is useful (okay- minus the wet bar). It was perfect . . . when the kids were small. We moved in there when they were 1 and 2 years old. Little babies that didn't need much room. But as they grew, the house seemed to shrink. Especially the back patio that seemed so spacious when we first bought the house. As the years passed and I watched the kids play in the patio from my kitchen window- I realized that we were growing out of our house. And with the addition of Matthew, things only got more congested. We managed to survive there for many months after Matthew was born. But with Damien having his home office in our bedroom, coupled with Matthew's crib being in our bedroom, we soon realized that we needed a change!

Once we started searching, it didn't take us long to find a new place which is perhaps the perfect fit for our ever-growing family. While I report this as exciting news, it also brings some sadness as now I write about our first house in the past tense. It was our house, but now we have a new one. It's like they say, Out with the Old- In with the New. While I understand that this new house is a wonderful move for our family, I will miss our old house dearly. Within those walls, our life as a family blossomed. There was so much happiness, so much growth, so many memories that will stay with us forever. I know that our house doesn't have feelings- but I feel bad that we left it. It was so good to us, so perfect for us at the time. I can't explain why I feel this way but I guess the best way to properly describe it is that our old house was weaved into nearly every memory we made there. It was definitely part of our everyday life. In the same way you are sad to see an old car go, I too, am sad to say goodbye to our old house. I know that with each passing day, I will grow more attached to this new house. It is with this faith that I push forward and try to let go. The kids have adjusted well but they were a little sad to go back the other evening and see it empty. With change comes a lot of adjustment. We are working hard on this and are really seeing and experiencing the potential of our new house!

When we were finally given the keys to the new house, it felt good. It made the idea of buying a new house a true reality. Even though we didn't have any furniture in the house, I insisted that we order pizza and have a meal as a family in our new home. With new keys in hand, we ordered Round Table Pizza and ate on the floor of the new dining room. This was our first step toward a new life and served as our first memory in our new house. It took some of my silly sadness away and provided me with the confidence that we made the right choice. Change is hard, but so is life. So Long, Huddersfield. Welcome, A New Life for our Family of Five.

Cousin Christmas

Every year the cousins on Damien's side of the family get together to spend time with one another, decorate cookies, and exchange presents. It has been aptly named 'Cousin Christmas' and I know my kids look forward to it every year. As two of the cousins are living abroad, this year's Cousin Christmas was a bit smaller but still very fun! Lani had made personalized aprons for all of the kids and all of them had chef's hats, too. It was adorable. She also bought each child their own baking kit to make the cookies. Marlene stocked the kitchen with anything you could possibly use to decorate a cookie and had a few gag gifts as well. We started out by frosting and decorating cookies. There is so much prep that goes into this but it always cracks me up that the kid's attention span for decorating (especially the boys) is like five minutes. I looked around the table and the boys were gone which left me, Lani, and Claire at the table. Matthew was there too, but he really didn't have a choice in the matter! We decorated our little hearts out and quickly got the hint that the kids were done and then got ready for lunch!

This year, we celebrated 'Cousin Christmas' at Damien's parent's house and it was nice for us because we also used the weekend as an early Christmas with them. We are spending Christmas in Washington with my family this year and we wanted to make sure that we were able to get together with his parents and properly celebrate! We all ate lunch together and then exchanged gifts. It was really neat to see the kids running about and playing with each other's new toys. It is really sweet the way that Seamus and Michael play together because Seamus is really patient and caring with Michael. There is a 5 year age difference between the two boys, but you really wouldn't know it as they tend to get along together really well.

We spent most of Saturday just milling about house with the family and enjoying great conversations and updates on each other's lives. Seamus spent the night at Mark and Marlene's house and the kids had a blast having a giant sleep over in the front room. It was nice for us too as the cottage was a little less crowded that night! Sunday morning, we went to Mass and then relaxed some more. One new member of the family is a turkey that Damien's parents adopted. Yes- a turkey. I will admit that it was pretty cool to see it walking around and Matthew thought it was amazing! If you gobble at it, it gobbles back. This provided the kids with some hysterical laughter and a competition to see who would make it gobble the most. In the picture above, Michael was bringing his finger to the window and then the turkey would try and peck it- only to peck the glass. Of course this is all great, but come summertime when the turkey actually pecks one of the kids (and I'm sure it will happen)- it probably won't be so funny!

We had a great time at Cousin Christmas 2007. Having Matthew there was a wonderful addition and just added to the excitement of the day. I am so thankful that there is such a loving family that surrounds my kids. It is days like today when I thank God for all of my blessings- big and small. Cousin Christmas was a great celebration and helped us get just a little more excited for Christmas!!!

A New Tradition?

The holidays have hit and with it comes a myriad of events and traditions. We started off a jam-packed holiday weekend by attending a Holiday Boutique at Michael's school. We had SO much fun! There were a large number of vendors selling holiday items, a great cafe where we were served by the 6th graders of the school, and an opportunity to take a picture with Santa Claus. It was really cute because Matthew knows who Santa is- or at least what he looks like. He spotted Santa across the room and his arms and legs went wild! All three kids happily went over to Santa and began talking to him. I was very curious how Matthew would react to him. Matthew is a very friendly, smiley guy. However, I wasn't sure how he would take to Santa. Michael and Claire sat on Santa's lap and I got Matthew out of the stroller to put him on his lap, too. He smiled at Santa and was happy until he realized that I had walked away. He started frowning at me and then burst into tears. I would like to say I felt bad for him, but it is kind of cute to see your baby crying with Santa. I guess in a way- it's a right of passage. All in all, it was a really fun event to attend and we were so glad we went.

After we returned home from the Boutique, we had to follow through with the promise we made to the kids to make our gingerbread house. Damien and I have made a gingerbread house every year since we got married (we are officially dorks) and have enjoyed continuing the tradition with the kids. One thing that I love about Damien is that he shares my love for the little things. Yes, putting together a gingerbread house can be a pain staking process, but these types of things make the holidays special for me. The kids were really excited and jumped right into it! All was going well, until we realized that the roof was sliding down! Dang it! We pulled the roof pieces off and I suddenly remembered a tip I saw on the Martha Stewart show (laugh if you want, but you'll be happy I shared this tip with you). She recommends decorating the roof pieces first and letting them completely dry before you put them on the house. If you do it this way, you aren't pushing and putting pressure on the roof while applying the candy while it is trying to dry. After the kids each decorated a roof top and we let it dry, we put the house together and thankfully, it stayed together! The gingerbread house was beautiful when they finished and it was interesting to see the different roofs and appreciate their creative differences.

A few years ago (before there ever was a Matthew) we ventured downtown to take part in our city's fantastic Holiday Parade. The parade is nationally renowned and is one of the Top 25 Parades in the country. We loved watching it and the kids really enjoyed it. The only hard part was waking the kids up early to make it down there with enough time to park and find a place to watch it! Ever since we attended the parade a few years ago, I have been thinking that it would be neat to stay in a hotel the night before the parade and then wake up and walk to the parade route. I was going to surprise the whole family and spring the trip on them last minute but knowing how unpredictable our life is these days, I instead clued Damien in on my idea. He loved it! I researched some rates for downtown hotels and found out that there was actually a 'Parade Rate' at one of the best hotels! Done and done! Our plan was in place.

After finishing the gingerbread house, we told the kids that they needed to pack their suitcases because we were going to stay at a hotel for a Christmas adventure. Naturally, they love this kind of stuff. After we were all packed, we loaded into the car and headed to our destination. The hotel was lovely and totally decked out in holiday splendor. The kids were beaming with excitement and full of wonder at our latest adventure. Included in the 'Parade Rate', was an Executive Suite on one of the top floors of the hotel, appetizer and dessert hours in the executive conference room, a buffet breakfast in the morning, and discounts at local restaurants for dinner. We were all set and ready to start what would be a very memorable night!

Heather met us at the hotel and we bundled all the kiddos up to go out on the town. First stop was dinner so we went to a great little place downtown for burgers and milkshakes. Afterwards, we headed a few blocks to a wonderful holiday display called, Christmas in the Park. There are numerous character displays, hundreds of lit Christmas trees, carnival rides for the kids, ice skating, and so much more. Matthew was in awe of it all. Michael and Claire have been to this many times but thoroughly enjoyed weaving through the maze of trees and enjoying some delicious Mexican Hot Chocolate. There were carolers, snow, cotton candy, and Damien's favorite- churros. We had a blast! The only crimp in our plan was that the day before, Matthew was diagnosed with having an ear infection. It was so cold out at night. Despite my best efforts to keep him bundled up, he was getting really cold. Matthew and I split from the group and went back to the hotel to warm up. In the meantime, Damien and Heather took the kids on all the rides and stayed out to enjoy the holiday celebration. When they came back later that night, the kids were truly satisfied with their experience and Damien and Heather were thrilled to be in a nice, warm room! Heather headed home and planned to meet us the next morning for the parade.

We all got in our jammies and cuddled on Claire's bed on the floor. As our family continues to grow, it makes staying in a hotel room a little more cramped- but certainly more fun. We laughed and got a little too rowdy and had to try and calm the kids down. Might I add that it is hard to do when they are pumped full of sugar!

We woke up early and got dressed, and headed to breakfast. We filled up our tummies and then returned to our room to again bundle up! Heather joined us and we headed down to the parade route. One really neat part of the parade was that Damien's cousin, Megan, was going to be performing with her Irish Dancing group. It kind of gave us a purpose to really watch the parade so we would spot her as she passed by. We found a great spot along one of the streets and waited for the parade to begin. Before we knew it, we were entertained by giant balloons, marching bands, floats, Star Wars characters (Michael was so happy), and so much more. It was a lot of work to coordinate the whole weekend, but to see my kids having so much fun made all the extra work worth it.

The parade was winding down and Matthew was melting down. Would you know that just as we were about to throw in the towel- Megan's Irish Dancing group passed in front of us? We yelled for her and thankfully, she saw us and waved back! What was even cooler was that Damien's Aunt Monica was walking with Megan's dance team in the parade! She saw us as well, and then their family sought us out afterward and we all got to catch up with each other! We saw them a few weeks ago for dinner and Claire thought that Megan was the coolest. So you can only imagine the thrill it was for Claire to see Megan after the parade.

We headed back to the hotel and just enjoyed the afternoon there as checkout wasn't until 3pm. Matthew napped, the kids nibbled on some food, and Damien watched the 49er game. It was an amazing and busy weekend but so worth the effort. One of the greatest parts of having children for me is to expose them to the sights and sounds around them. I hold all the Christmas memories from my childhood in my heart and want to give my kids what my parents gave to me. Whether that is bringing them to get Santa Pictures, taking them to a holiday parade, trimming the tree, or setting up the Nativity Scene. What you do together as a family strengthens your bond together, but also strengthens your faith. I have said this a million times, but I feel so blessed to have these three very different- but very amazing children in my life. I want to pay attention to the little things, to make things special for them, and continue to build a strong sense of togetherness and foster the importance of family. I thank my parents for making all the extra effort to foster my faith in God and in my family. During the Christmas season, we can't lose sight of this. Instead, we need to ground ourselves and realize the real gift of the season is taking care of what means the very most to you.