Matthew Turns 3

Well, it happened. My little Matthew turned three. I can't believe it! What a big boy my little guy is. He was so excited for his birthday this year. In fact, for the past 365 days- he has been telling people about his eventual birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. He really gets it now and it is so cute! If he did something new physically (like hopping on one foot)- I would ask him where he learned to do that. He would respond, "I learned on my birthday". In fact- most everything he does, he claims to have learned it on his birthday! It is really hilarious. This year, it was hard for him to understand that he was having two parties. First, a small party with family and then on his actual birthday- we would celebrate with him at Chuck E. Cheese. It took some explaining but eventually he got it. I, for one, was having a hard time understanding how this beautiful little boy, my baby, was turning three years old. Time is flying by so quickly now and I want to hold onto this sweet, innocent, young Matthew and make him stay this way forever!

It was fun having four kids this year on Matthew's birthday. The more the merrier! Emily loved the balloons and Matthew loved having her there! Matthew certainly felt cool on his BIG day! He picked a Cars theme for his cake and picked a Spiderman pinata. I was going to tell him he should stay with one theme but then I realized I was a bit crazy and realized he should get whatever he wants!! We had a really nice time at his party. It was super low key and just nice to catch up with everyone while celebrating our Goosey!

On Matthew's actual birthday (after watching Michael and Claire's basketball games at the gym) we all went to Chuck E. Cheese's for some fun and birthday celebrating! My Mom and Natalie were in town (they are going to watch the kids while Damien and I go to Jamaica) so they were able to celebrate with us! Damien's brother Mark and our nephew Brennan also joined us and we all had so much fun! Matthew as in ALL his glory. With a cup of tokens in hand and a pocket full of prize tickets- he ran around the restaurant like he owned it! He ate pizza, saw the Chuckster, got his cotton candy (it had to be pink) and won a bunch of little prizes when he turned in his tickets. Matthew had a great time and that is all we wanted for our little man.

A sign that he is getting older happened on the ride home when he asked me, "Mom, can I go to sleep in the car?" "Of course!" I responded. I swear, no more than thirty seconds later he was completely zonked out! When he was little, I had to BEG him to go to bed and walk him around in circles for what seemed like hours! And now he asks me go to sleep? I am LOVING Matthew being three!

Matthew is such a great kiddo. He is happy, smart, ridiculously funny, sensitive, inquisitive, sarcastic, loving, passionate, and a huge part of the happiness of our family. This has been a big year for him. Matthew went from being the baby of the family to meeting the new baby of the family. He handled the transition so well and I just love him so much. He is starting to really play an active roll in the family and fits in with the already established family dynamics. He is a great brother to his three siblings and a fantastic son to us. We are all so blessed to have him in our lives and hope he has an amazing year ahead of him. This is his last year home with me full time. Next year, he will start preschool (only two mornings a week) and start creating a life for himself outside of my care. While this saddens me greatly, I am excited to share my little boy with the world. Lord knows he brightens our days and I can't wait to see how he brightens the world one day at a time. Happy 3rd Birthday Matthew! I hope you learned a lot on your birthday this year!!!

Swinging Away!

Don't you just love lazy days when you can wander on over to the park and just watch your kids play for hours? (Okay, maybe more like an hour. I get too antsy if it is longer than that!) I wish this happened more- or I guess I wish I made it more of a priority. We have the most amazing park across the street. Seriously, it is like a five minute walk and we need to go there more! Well, today I got motivated and let a few items on my 'To Do List' remain unchecked so I could take the two little ones to the park. At first, I had Emily in the stroller and we were just watching Matthew run around, climbing, jumping, and sliding down the slides. Then in donned on me that Emily could certainly sit in a swing and have some fun!

Emily loved it! She didn't even know what to do with herself! She laughed and screamed and laughed some more and I just enjoyed it so much. She is getting so much bigger and it is nice that know that we can go places where she can interact and get in on some of the fun action (not just watch her siblings do it). What was cute was watching Matthew's reaction to realizing Emily was in the swing! He ran over as fast as he could and wanted to swing with her pronto! Then Emily started laughing at Matthew swinging next to her and they were just a couple of kiddos cracking up! Love it.

Matthew didn't get to go to the park much last year due to his very pregnant Mommy. It is such a thrill for me to be healthy and able to take him places without worrying. He loved all of the little tunnels, tubes, slides, and swings and as I mentioned above- loved playing with Emily. They are too cute together. Now he asks me every day if we can go to the park and while I don't think it will be a daily event- I do want to make taking them to the park a priority because before I know it- this precious time will be gone. Here's hoping for more sunny days and a lot more park time!

Cheetah's Basketball

I am loving this season of basketball! It has been so fun to go to the gym each weekend and watch the kids play. Because I am not coaching Michael's team- I can just relax and watch him move around the court. He has really surprised me this season. He is so intense, so composed, so perceptive, so explosive and is just having the best time out there! Michael and his team have been doing great, too! My favorite thing to watch Michael do is steal a pass. He just sits there and plays coy and then when the offense player throws a pass to another player- he just pounces on it and gets the steal! Off to the races he goes to the other end of the court for a layup! It is great to watch. He is so good on defense and hustle plays. He never stops moving and is just fantastic out there. Aaahhhh. I am loving this!

At first, Michael was upset that his team name was the Cheetahs. I think his frustration was in direct reference to the girls singing group, The Cheetah Girls. Once I told him that I didn't see the connection between basketball and music groups, he decided he was okay with "The Cheetahs" even though the team name sounded a little girlie to him. He has one classmate on his team and the rest are just other 1st and 2nd grade boys from the area. He does play against a lot of his classmates which is fun for him. I am so proud of Michael and sometimes when he is sprinting around the court, diving for balls- my mind rolls back to the image of him as a tiny, sick baby in an incubator. How great God is for helping Michael fully recover from his tough beginnings to make him healthy and strong enough to kick some behind on the basketball court! Go Michael, go!

Lady Lions Basketball

I was really excited for Claire when she decided she wanted to play basketball this Winter. I found out that a lot of her classmates were going to play and it seemed as though this season was going to be a great first season for Claire! A few days after I signed her up, a few of the Moms of Claire's friends came up and asked me if I would coach the team. "Um, I have a five month old and three other kids. I don't think this is my year!" I told them. Then they offered to watch my kids during every practice and fill in where they were needed and I took a few nights to think about it. One practice a week and one game a week. It sounded crazy but after Damien and I talked about it for a while- we decided to commit to it! Claire was just beside herself that I was going to coach her. She was just so happy and wanted to start working on things right away!

It turns out that all but one of the ten kids on Claire's team (Lady Lions) are in her class. It has been a great platform to learn more about basketball but it has also been a great chance for the girls to get to know and trust each other more. This is all ten of the kids first time playing basketball so it has been interesting to coach them and figure out the right way to lay a foundation so that they can learn and be successful. Claire and I are having so much fun out there together. While I don't put much emphasis on scoring- just trying your hardest out there, I was so happy when Claire scored her first basket! She made it and then looked to me with the biggest smile! It was a great moment shared by Mommy and Claire. What I am most thankful for is getting a little push to go ahead and coach. I didn't think I had the time or the energy but it has been a great source of happiness and satisfaction for us both. Our team is doing great but more importantly- Claire and I are making memories together. Damien has been able to coach a couple of Michael's teams and now I am happy to not be pregnant and healthy enough to give Claire what she deserves, too! Go Lady Lions!!!

Sissies

I am seriously loving seeing Claire and Emily together. I never had a brother- just four sisters so any picture of me and my sisters growing up looks something like this! I found these matching sweaters the other day and had to get them. Total impulse buy. Oh- life is good. Life is good.

Emily is so fond of Claire. The minute Emily sees Claire when she comes home from school- she freaks out. Legs kicking, arms flailing, and a smile so big that Claire just melts! Claire is also really good at taking care of Emily when I need a minute or two to make dinner or take care of something.

Looking back on my last pregnancy- I realize how ridiculously bad I wanted a girl. Somehow in the moment, I convinced myself that having another boy would have been okay (and it would have) but now I know how badly I wanted a little girl. Partially for me but mainly for Claire so she could take pictures like these and always know that she will have a sister and friend for life. I know firsthand how strong sisterhood is and I am so thrilled these two will have each other through so many special moments in their lives.

Emily is 7 Months Old!

This is getting ridiculous. Seven months already? I just don't believe it! It is just crazy. But I guess I have to just accept that my little girlie is growing older. It is just hard because she is most probably my last baby and I know that as she turns another month older- I have to say goodbye to another monthly milestone. I am sure I will look back later on in life and realize that it wasn't nearly as big a deal as I made it out to be, but in the meantime I still mourn the months passing.

Okay, now that the sappy stuff is out of the way- let's talk about Emily! Emily is seriously getting so big. She already weighs a whopping 22 pounds! Chunky monkey! She has really grown a lot in terms of her physical development, too. She is sitting independently and really doesn't fall over. She started picking up toys and transferring them from hand to hand. She will roll all over the room (still no crawling yet). She loves to jump in her bouncy exosaucer. She has started to hold things and bang them when you ask her to bang them. She enjoys playing with toys in her high chair. And lastly, she has become completely fascinated with her siblings and is completely entertained just watching them run around the house.

We have had an extremely busy month. With Christmas, New Years, Damien's birthday, and school- Emily has been shuffled in and out of her car seat and has been SO incredibly good. Her disposition is so calm. I think she has the best temperament of all of my kids at this age as she is just happy to be around people and observe. She is definitely not high maintenance-thank goodness. Emily is really starting to be a part of our world. She knows when to laugh, she knows how to make a cranky face, she knows how to tell me she is hungry by panting, she will listen to me when I tell her I am coming and calm down. Life has gotten a lot easier in terms of the care I give her.

Emily had a great Christmas. She loved the sounds and the lights and just loved being along for the ride on the numerous activities and events we drug her to. This month she really became aware of the words I am speaking. If I tell her that Daddy is coming, she looks all around for him. If I mention the names of her siblings, she searches them out. She understands num nums (food), ba ba (bottle), and pluggie (pacifier). Oh, yes. Life is getting a teeny tiny bit easier for this mother of four! Emily has really enjoyed eating this month. Not only does she love the two meals of fruits/vegetables she gets but she is loving being able to eat little snacks. It has been helpful for me too, to be able to reach back in the car and pop a little treat in her mouth. Makes for a more enjoyable car ride! Her chubby rolls are ridiculous. Her thighs are so deliciously chubby I can't stop from squeezing them! It doesn't hurt that she is extremely ticklish. If you so much as touch her feet- she cracks up. If you squeeze her calf a little bit she will burst out laughing! One thing she has in common with Michael is that when she starts to laugh- she shoves her fist in her mouth. It is too funny! We are still waiting for her hair to grow to officially give her a hair color. It is definitely not as blond as Matthew's and we are thinking it might be more like Clairey's. Only time will tell.

To sum it all up, I love my darling little baby. She gives me the best smiles, she loves to look in my eyes, she loves to hold onto my necklace, she rubs her face on mine just to let me know she needs me. I love it all. Those bright blue eyes just melt my heart and I can't stop myself from thinking what she is going to look like when she gets a bit older. At times I think she looks a little like Michael, other times I swear she is a carbon copy of Claire- only for me to get a glimpse of Matthew which then completely confuses me. We called Matthew 'The Hybrid' but perhaps Emily will be the one who will fuse all of my children's looks together. Whatever the case- we are in love with this baby. Happy Seven Month Birthday Emilini!!!
*We started calling Emily Emilina and then Matthew changed it to Emilini, pronounced Emiyini.

A New Kind of TIME OUT

We love to have fun with our kids. Not only is it fun to have fun, but it is so funny to watch the kids' reactions to their parents being a little crazy! Matthew is at a great age. I say this with the confidence that very very soon- he will start to become sassier and have attitude. So I choose to enjoy each and every last minute of his sweet demeanor and love him up! When Michael and Claire are at school- Matthew is king of the castle. No one bugs him, he really doesn't have to share, he can play with Michael and Claire's toys that they forbid him to play with the night before. Our house is a wonderland of sorts for Matthew during the day. He misses Michael and Claire so much but he is smart and knows to make the most of his time home without them!

Damien has been playing this game lately where he puts Matthew on top of the fridge. Before you worry about him falling, please note that Matthew is an extremely cautious kid (and Damien is very close to him even though the picture doesn't show it). Once up on his perch, Matthew nervously laughs because he can't figure out if he should squeal with delight that Daddy put him up there or if he should cry from the fear that is about to overtake him. Either way you look at it, I think it is so funny when Damien throws him up there. Recently (and don't call CPS) Damien has been jokingly putting Emily up there to get a reaction out of Matthew. Now he doesn't leave her there but Matthew just loves it. Emily is so sharp it is scary. The girl knows what is going on. She doesn't miss a beat and cranes her neck ALL DAY LONG to see what is going on around her. She watches Daddy put Matthew on the refrigerator and gets excited. So when Damien put her up there- I swear she knew that she was cool. It was so funny. We are just having a blast with the kids. This really isn't a significant post but I know I will forget these sweet and funny times as the kids get older.

Goodbye 2009

I want to take just one minute to remind myself how incredibly blessed I am. As we head into a new year, 2010- I leave behind so many wonderful accomplishments, blessings, and memories in 2009. What a great year 2009 was for me and my family. 2009 held so much promise, so much change for me. It was challenging but rewarding. It was bright but also dim at times. It was another year spent journeying down a path that was not marked- but rather unpredictable and rugged. At times I wanted to give up on my journey. Other times I found my journey to be remarkably focused, empowering, and amazing.

My heart grew another size bigger this past year in order to make room for all of the love I have for my newest little girl Emily. It also swelled in size watching my other three beautiful children's hearts grow with love for her, too. I became stronger this year- the strongest I have been in my entire life. I strengthened my relationship with God and I know that He will always be there for me in good times and in bad. I fell more deeply in love with my husband who yet again found a way to successfully balance his career, pregnant wife, and four children. I am more thankful than ever for the health of us all. Knowing everything that could have gone wrong with all four pregnancies and the way it might have impacted the lives of my children and me - I cannot be anything but thankful to God for blessing us and making us whole.

I am so honored to be the Mommy of my four babies who continue to amaze me with their adaptability and understanding. This year, although wonderful at times, presented challenges to them too and they were beyond amazing. I am also so happy to be a part of the lives of so many of our family and friends who during the past year picked us up and helped us on our way to the eventual birth of baby Emily. Without so many of you- we would have struggled and I am so grateful to have connected with such amazing people who knew what we needed before we even had to ask.

I feel so satisfied with my life. I feel a sense of completion with our family. I see a future that is bright and I see a year of exploration and adventure now that we are all healthy. I see soccer games, homework, dentist appointments, vacations, early mornings, late nights, and a home filled with love and laughter. For more than eight years now- I have been growing babies. Now I am excited to raise them. I pray for God to continue to watch over us and give us the strength we will need to get through life's obstacles in the coming year.

So that's it. One good minute of reflection. What a great year. I will miss it.

Goodbye 2009. Thanks for everything.

Damien's Official Birthday Party!

Damien always complains that I somehow manage to turn my birthday into a Birthday Week. I tell him that it takes a lot of work and commitment to stretch the birthday spoiling out that long! Well guess what folks? Damien did it. He managed to have a Birthday Week and now I don't think he will ever settle again for one measly day of pampering again! It all started when we celebrated his birthday at my Mom and Dad's house on the last night of our trip. He got cake, gifts, and attention sprinkled all over him. Then we flew back to San Jose and relaxed for a few days before we celebrated his actual birthday by breakfasting, bowling, and chinese dinnering. Wasn't that enough? NO, shouted Damien. Okay, he didn't really shout it but you could see that he liked this 'birthday attention' thing. Well, as sad as it is- today commenced his official Birthday Week. And might I add that is was a really, really good week.

We planned to have a very small friend/family birthday party at our house today. Lucky for us all- a lot of family and a few friends were actually able to come! When the numbers were small, I decided that I would make a really good birthday dinner for my hubby and make another giant attempt at pampering him to the fullest. Then the numbers for the party grew and grew and I knew this 'pampering' for Damien was going to get a lot more work! I wanted to make him a dinner he would love so I made him Pulled Pork Sandwiches (it was actually chicken but pork sounds more official), Baked Beans, Cornbread, and Coleslaw. I tried a few new recipes and was so happy with all of them. A definite win-win situation. We even ended his party with a Hostess Chocodile Cake (chocodiles are chocolate covered twinkies and are really hard to find)! Damien was so pleased with it all and that was all I was hoping for!

We had a nice night with his family. It is always nice to get together where we can relax and just catch up with one another. I remember Damien's birthday last year. It was the day after my cerclage procedure when I was pregnant with Emily and there was just so much going on at the time. I can't believe we even managed to get people together last year. This year it brought me such intense joy to see Damien holding his little Emily. The two of them are really bonded and seeing them together makes me so happy. It's amazing how much your life can change over the course of a year. For our family, one more year made us a bigger, stronger, happier, healthier and more faith and family centered.

It is hard for many to imagine having a birthday on New Years Eve but I find that although it is logistically challenging- it is a perfect day for Damien to turn one year older, be officially one year wiser, and as he watches the world close the book on the past 365 days, he too closes a book on another year of his very blessed life. Happy Birthday Damien. Here's to another 365 glorious days with you and our beautiful babies.