Bathtime For Babies

My parents and my sisters Gina and Laura flew down for Michael's First Communion weekend. We are already having so much fun and preparing for Michael's BIG day tomorrow! My Mom loves to bathe my kids and let's be serious here . . . I love it, too! Less work for me, more fun for her and her babies! I tend to throw the two littlest kids in the bath and then let them play for about fifteen minutes. My Mom lets them soak and have fun which they love in comparison to my quickie bath. And before I forget- did I mention that Michael and Claire now shower by themselves? How nice is that! Instead of having to physically bathe all four I instead say to them, 'Go take a shower' . . . and they do it! Victory!!!

Nonna, Matthew and Emily had so much fun splishing and splashing! I appreciate her help so much, especially on the eve of a big party! We are preparing to have my family and Damien's family over after the first communion so after bath time it was food prep time. Hopefully we'll get a lot done tonight so there will be less work to do in the morning!

Claire's Parent Pictionary

Look closely at this drawing. No- closer. Can you tell who these characters are? Claire LOVES her whiteboard. Both her Auntie Gina and Aunt Jocelyn bought her one for her birthday and she just loves them! She will spend an hour in her room just drawing, erasing, then redrawing pictures. She loves to play school with it and also writes messages to her family. Today, this particular picture caught my eye and I had to probe Claire further to find out who these decorative characters were! The last thing you want to do when your child draws a picture is incorrectly guess who it is. In the past, my kids have gotten so disappointed when I couldn't decipher who they had drawn. So now I try and be extra cautious before guessing.

Hmmm. This one was hard. I had to ask a few questions. On my first guess, I correctly guessed that the guy in blue was BATMAN! Ha! Claire draws so many things so beautifully and it was funny to see her attempt something that wasn't so girlie. Damien and I were just biting our cheeks and holding our stomachs when we found out it was indeed, Batman. The second picture did stump me. Lucky for me- Damien had gone through the guessing game with Claire before I came in so he gave me a clue! 'Look closely at his chest,' he said. Damien didn't want to give the me an obvious clue because then Claire would pick up on it and be disappointed. I was staring at this green character's chest- going through all the green characters I could think of. I thought of the Green Goblin but didn't think Claire would've drawn him. Then I saw the diamond shape on the characters chest. 'SUPERMAN,' I shouted! Claire smiled so big and said 'Yes!'. Thank goodness I got that one right! I don't think she has drawn a superhero before so this was so funny to me and Damien. I especially love that these characters have big princess sleeves!!! I hope she leaves this drawing up on her wall for a while. Every time I pass it- it makes me smile!

***Claire added Spiderman this afternoon and some new quotes. Had to include the new picture. Superman is saying, "I have other work to do besides know that a bee has a stinger!"
Batman says, "I have other work to do besides kill a fly!" And Spiderman is saying, "I have other work to do besides look at a littlest pet shop on a real web!" If you look at the picture closely, there is a Littlest Pet shop figure on her drawing.

My Girls

Claire's Mother's Day Tea

I was so excited to be able to join sweet Clairey at her school for a Mother's Day Tea. These parties are few and far between and I wouldn't have thought of missing it. Last year when I went to Michael's Mother's Day Tea- I was huge and pregnant. What a nice change to be able to go the tea and enjoy without any heavy stress on me. Claire got to dress up for the day and didn't have to wear her uniform. She was just beaming when I showed up to her classroom. She escorted me down the hall and pointed to a flower on the wall that she had drawn for me alongside the rest of her classmates. The kids got to choose three words that best describe their Mom. I love having Claire as my daughter because her three words sent my head spinning with happiness. Hers read like this- My Mom Is: GLAMOROUS (Really, Claire? You see me in sweats and sporty clothes all day long and you still think I am glamorous? I love you even more than I did one second ago!) LOVING (So glad you feel that way Claire. It is what matters most to me!) INCREDIBLE (Claire, you had me at glamorous and now you call me incredible. Well, thank you. You make me so happy!)

After those three descriptive words, I could have gone home and the morning would have already been worth it. But no! Now we got to sit with our child at their desk and talk for a little bit. She handed me a flower she made out of tissue paper and a real rose, too! It was just the sweetest morning. I had coffee, Claire had tea. We ate fruit, muffins, and donuts and it was just a pleasure to be alone with Claire for a few minutes and enjoy her company.

Before I forget, Claire did something hilarious at the Tea. There was kind of a break in the action and I saw Claire get out her whiteboard. I thought nothing of it until I heard other Moms laughing. I looked at Claire and she was holding up her whiteboard for all to see with the message MY MOM LIKES TO GO ON FACEBOOK on it. I am sure I turned red but I thought it was funny. Claire's teacher came over and whispered, 'I saw what Claire wrote!' Lovely Claire. Just lovely.

By the time we were finished with our tea- I felt so wonderful and so loved. Thank you Claire for the amazing morning. I will never forget it!

Matthew's 1st Trip to the Dentist

Would you believe that Matthew walked happily into the dentist's office without any hesitation? We were all in the waiting room and I though he might get scared when they called his name but as soon as he heard 'Matthew Swendsen'- he bounded up from his seat and left . . . without saying goodbye! Michael and Claire needed me for everything. They needed to know I was there to help them through the process. Matthew, who is so confident and secure because of his awesome older siblings example- feels so much more grounded in these types of situations. He was excited to go the dentist for the first time. I sensed little apprehension from him- instead he was excited to try something new and do something that Michael and Claire are big enough to do. And while I am not surprised that he didn't say goodbye before he went to go get his teeth cleaned for the first time, I have to admit I was a little sad because my beautiful little Matthew is growing up!

After his exam, I was able to go back and see him lying in the dentist's chair in all his glory. He looked hysterical! The glasses, the gloves . . . it was just too much! He got a great report and his teeth looked fantastic! Funny story- later that evening I asked Michael and Claire if they wore gloves during their exam. I found it odd that Matthew was wearing them. Maybe it was for sanitation, but I didn't get it. They said they didn't wear any. Hmmmm. So, I asked Matthew why he was wearing the gloves and he "I just asked the yady if I could wear some, too!" This kid will not be denied!!!


All the kids had great check ups. We did decide that Claire needs to get her front tooth pulled and the dentist was wonderful with her and calmed her nerves! I will post more on the tooth extraction later but for now- she is okay with it! This picture of Matthew and Emily was in waiting area of the dentist's office. I just think it is so funny! And the great part was that Emily was enjoying the ride! Matthew was on his way to get a price check on the butterball turkey he found! So . . . great news from the dentist and a successful outing for the Swendsen kids. Whew. Only six more months until we do this again!

BIG Sister Strikes Again!

Claire, you are so lucky to have such a cooperative brother. Matthew loves the attention you give him and feels so special that you include him in so much of what you do. Claire, do you know that when you dress Matthew up you are just giving me priceless photo opportunities that I will use to embarrass your brother as he grows older? (Not really but it will be good to have them!) I know that you are excited for Emily to grow bigger so that you can dress her up, too. I wonder though, if you will be in a new phase and not be interested in dressing up your siblings by the time she is three. I guess only time will tell. In the meantime, Matthew still loves being your model and feels oh so manly in your striped dress, pink sunglasses, cool owl necklace, jeweled bracelet, and heels. I love that you never give me warning when you two are playing dress up and that I will just turn around while making dinner to see one of the greatest sights ever! I hope you two remain this close forever and while I am sure there will come a day when Matthew refuses to wear a dress, maybe you two will find other ways to keep me on my toes. Until then, I will have my camera ready!

Matthew's Ships

You know how sometimes when you look at something so much- you don't see it anymore? Maybe the fingerprints on the walls or the spot on the carpet? Sometimes when you know it is there- you just don't see it. Well, I am sure I have fingerprints on the walls and I know there are more than a few spots on the carpets but something that is always around my house are Matthew's ships. They come in all shapes and sizes. What is a ship? No, it's not the kind that sets sail on the open seas but instead a Lego creation that is currently the center of Matthew's life. Although he is only three, Matthew has the dexterity and an abundance of patience to build 'ships' out of Lego's. Basically, he will take some kind of Lego base (i.e. a Lego boat or a large flat Lego rectangle) and start loading the 'ship' with his Lego guys. Each guy (and we have at least thirty) is carefully and meaningfully placed on the ship. Sometimes when they break and I try and put the guys back on the ship, Matthew will bark at me and tell me I put them in the wrong place. These guys have specific places and specific helmets in Matthew's creative world. The other day, I asked Matthew what his 'guys' names were. On that particular day their names were Goose, Goosey, Goose, Goose, and Goosey. (One of Matthew's nicknames is Goose- hence the names.) A few days later, I asked him what the names of some of his 'guys' were on another ship and she said, "Poodie, Daddy, Toodie, Doodie, and Snoodie." He said it so confidently that I just confidently nodded back to him with my approval. Where does he get these names? What about Fred, Bill, Mike, Tom?

One thing Matthew has in common with Claire is his ability to play independently with his toys. Both Matthew and Claire like to play with smallish toys and build imaginary worlds around them. For Claire, it is her Littlest Pet Shop toys and for Matthew- it is Legos and his chubby Star Wars guys. Michael, who I adore, never played like this. Instead- he spent most of his days practically attached to my ankles asking me to play with him. I pleaded with him to just go and play but he likes to be around adults. He still does, too! Finally, the Nintendo DS has kept his attention but he never really got into toy sets. I am loving Matthew's imagination and think it is cool that he has created his own little world with his Legos. I know that one day he will abandon these Legos but for the time being- I am going to enjoy seeing him fly Poodie and Toodie, and Goose around the house!

The Magic River

We love our new house. By new, I mean two and a half years old. The kids still miss our old house but I imagine that if we went back now and actually tried to live there- they would definitely prefer our new house. They were so little back then and I think they thought the house was bigger than it actually is! The funny thing about our big move is that our new house is only about a half of a mile from our old house. I like it because we are still in the same area which holds a lot of the memories from raising Michael and Claire. One of the memory-holding places is a running trail that is right between our old house and our new house. When we lived in the old house, we took Michael and Claire on the trail a lot. We'd go for walks during the day, as they got older we would take them so they could ride their bikes, and on the hot summer nights it was a great relief to go on the trail to escape our hot hot house.

The other day when Michael and Claire were in school, it dawned on me that I had never taken Matthew and Emily for a walk on the running trail! I loaded them up and off we went! Matthew had 101 questions about the trail which follows the creek. In order to quell the questioning- I told him that we were going to the Magic River. That totally did the trick and he was mystified! (Every time we drive by it he yells 'There's the Magic River!') They loved the walk and I realized I need to do this more often- especially since the weather is so nice now! We walked the trails, Emily was completely enthralled with the birds (birds are her absolute favorite thing in the world right now), while Matthew searched for Pirate Markings (spray paint on the trail which I told him meant pirates had been in the area). We had a really nice walk and ended the outing at this sweet little park that was recently built near our old house. Even though I am two times as busy as I was when Michael and Claire were little, I need to remember to give Matthew and Emily these experiences, too!

Claire's Classic Artwork

I looooovvvvveeee this painting! Claire brought this home from school and was very excited and proud of it! I had to bite my lip when she showed it to me! The imperfect part of it make it so much more perfect in my eyes!

Peek-a-Boo!

Emily is picking so much up from her brothers and sister. I didn't teach her how to play peek-a-boo but apparently one of her siblings did! I was sitting in the backyard with her and she kept peeking her head from the top of the slide to the bottom of the slide when I finally figured out that she is playing peek-a-boo! Hilarious! She is into SO much more than her siblings were at this age. She is attempting to do dangerous things that make me crazy but I know that she is just trying to do what they're doing! Oh Emily, please slow down. You are growing up too fast!

Vegas Part Deux

Yes, its true! The Sacco girls visited Vegas for the second time! We had such a fun time. It was a chance to catch up with my sisters and Mom, relax, and just not worry about anything but myself. It was wonderful! It all started when Gina had to be in Las Vegas for work and offered up her room to all the sisters and my Mom if we wanted to stay in Vegas for free. Hmmm. Let me think. Free room at the Venetian for two nights? Okay! I had never stayed at the Venetian so I was excited to be able to check it out! I really liked the hotel. Beautiful frescoes on the ceilings, lots of Venetian flare, and pretty good food. I must say, however, that Caesars is still my favorite. My sisters and Mom agreed.

We really did a lot of nothing, which in my opinion- is the best way to go in Vegas. We had no schedule to adhere to, no reservations to shows or dinner, just free days to come and go as we pleased and we did just that! We spent a lot of time at the gorgeous pool (although it was so jam packed we had to lay on chairs way away from the pool), we walked and explored the strip, I held a boa constrictor (if you know me, you know that this is a sign of the apocalypse), shopped, ate at some great restaurants (my Mom loved her bone marrow flan . . . I swear I am not lying), and we just enjoyed hanging out and laughing until our stomachs hurt. It was nice to get away for the weekend, clear my head, hear my own thoughts, shower and get all dressed up (without rushing), and do what I wanted to do. Can't wait until we do it again! PS- How great does my Mom look?

Claire's Fairytale

Oh, how I just love this story! Claire and her classmates were given the assignment of writing a fairytale. All of the writing and storytelling was done in school so by the time I saw it- it was just like it is here. I am blown away at her seven year old imagination. I love how cohesive the story is and I just adore the illustrations! I seriously can't wait to see who Claire becomes. She is so smart, so creative, so sensitive, and obviously gets life's lesson on how to be a good friend. I can't wait to see her write her own life story someday and I am just certain that she will live happily ever after!

Michael Turns NINE!!!!!!

I think it is so hard for your oldest to turn a year older. When my other kids have a birthday, I have an easier time embracing the fact that they are older but when Michael has a birthday- his age just has me flabbergasted! How can he be nine? How can I have been a mother for nine years? Funny, Michael had a hard time believing he was turning nine, too! He was also completely in shock that this was his last single digit birthday. Next year, 10 will be a BIG year for him (and us). I wanted to do something special for him today so I made him what he loves the most! A ridiculously HUGE, four layer chocolate monster cake (complete with chocolate chips on the bottom). When Michael came home from school and saw the giant chocolate cake- he laughed so hard that he eventually had tears in his eyes. I knew he would love it. I know the way to this nine year olds heart!

Today was a school day so most of his birthday was spent at school with his friends. Matthew, Emily and I went to the store and Matthew begged and pleaded to get this Sponge Bob balloon for Michael. "I know he will yove it, Mom! He yoves Sponge Bob!", Matthew chanted repeatedly through every aisle. I gave in and we got it for him. Matthew could hardly wait for Michael to get home from school. When Matthew gave it to Michael- Michael gave Matthew a more than satisfying reaction which I could tell melted Matthew's heart. I love these boys. Claire also planned ahead and got Michael a soccer ball. He had kicked his other one over the fence and has been sad about it ever since. It was Claire's idea to buy him the ball and she wanted to use her own money. I thought is was so sweet she was thinking of him and opted to buy the ball for her to give to him. She could hardly wait for the moment he would open it!

We opened presents next and it was so funny. Well, it was funny to me and Damien because we had a trick up our sleeves. See, we got Michael two Pokemon Nintendo DS games which were not cheap. The problem? Michael lost his DS four days prior to his birthday which meant that at this point, the games (and our money) was a waste. Michael and I searched the house many times over in the days preceeding his birthday. I spent hours looking for the small red rectangle contraption but we couldn't find it. Before Michael and Claire got home, I told Damien I HAD to find it. We lifted the couches, I searched in cupboards, and them miraculously- I FOUND IT! (It was under the table beneath the television.) Why I didn't find it before- I don't know. But the important thing is that I found it and Michael would be so happy! Once the kids got home from school, we opened gifts. Michael wanted an 18 inch yoga ball (okay??), the Pokemon games, and a new soccer ball. What Michael didn't know was that I wrapped the Nintendo DS and it was the last present I was going to give him. It was hard to see him open the Pokemon games because he was so excited he got them, then he remembered the sad fact that he had no DS to play them on. He almost cried and I almost ruined the surprise but I decided to wait it out and make him open the last gift. Then came the BIG moment! I had wrapped it in several layers of wrapping to delay the inevitable happiness that would take over my video-crazed son. He ripped, and unwrapped and then the moment came and he was shocked into silence. Then he leaped (and I do not exaggerate here) into the air and started screaming at the top of his lungs while dancing! It was pretty awesome.

We had some family over for dinner and Michael requested that I make these really Spicy Szechwan Prawns (my Mom's recipe). Surprised and thrilled with his choice (at least it wasn't Mac n' Cheese) I got to work and had a yummy dinner of Szechwan prawns and cashew chicken prepared for everyone! It turned out great and Michael loved it. Then came time for dessert (Michael's favorite meal of the day) and he was more than ready to dig into his giant cake! It was a great day. A day to reflect on the amazing things my Michael has accomplished and the obstacles he has overcome. Nine years ago today, our worlds changed. We became parents, my sisters became aunties, my parents became grandparents for the first time, Damien's family gained another grandson, nephew, and cousin, and the world was blessed with a miracle that would bond hearts across the world. We continue to thank God for blessing us with Michael, for blessing Michael with good health, and for renewing our faith in a God that has a plan for us all. Happy 9th Birthday Michael. It's double-digits from here, buddy . . .

Emily = 10 Months

Emily's development is really ramping up. How do I not know all of her tricks? She is learning them so quickly, it seems. All of the sudden, she will open the cupboard, crawl in there and grab a bowl like she has done it a million times before. I think it is her first time doing that trick- but who knows? Maybe when I am tending to the other kids, she is having a heyday in the kitchen! For all I know, maybe she is in there right now poaching some pears in brandy to go on top of a salad that she is making for dinner tonight! Maybe I feel like I am missing her firsts because she is the fourth child and I am busier than ever before. Maybe she is just good at her first time tricks because she sits around all day and watches five other people do them! Maybe she studies us and then has a leg up when it comes to something new! Whatever the case- there is NO holding this beauty down. She is off to the races and looking cute while doing it!

Emily, Emmy, Emilini earned a new nickname this month. And no, it doesn't start with an E. By being a dare devil, a thrill seeker, and a general rule breaker- Emily earned the name 'Little Houdini' this month. Michael is currently reading a biography on Harry Houdini for a presentation next month so there is a lot of Houdini talk around here. One night at dinner, Emily kept standing up in her highchair. Seriously? I sat her down and then put the seat belt on her and told her to stay sitting down for Mommy. Like an inchworm, she used her shoulder blades for some leverage and inched out of the seat belt and stood up! You need to know that I have used the same highchair for all four of my kids and not once did any of my kids stand up in it. The tray really tucks them in tightly and they have had a hard time standing up. Frustrated that she escaped the waist level seat belt, I got out the shoulder straps and harnessed her into the seat. First time using those shoulder straps in nine years. What does she do? She starts gripping the back of the seat with her shoulders, swaying side to side, does a little hip action to propel her upward and PRESTO! Emily has evaded the last step safety precaution in the highchair. Awesome. Michael and Claire thought this was hysterical. And when I say hysterical, I mean they literally fell out of their chairs laughing. Their sister was challenging Mommy and winning! Then they started saying 'Little Houdini' and laughing harder. Soon, there was a song that accompanied her rule breaking behavior and it goes a little something like this. Little Houdini, Little Houdini, Little Houdini, She Likes to Get Hurt! I have to admit. It is a catchy little song and we do sing it often. Oh, Emily. You are crazy!

Emily is all over the house these days. Crawling, cruising, you name it. And you know what her favorite pastime is . . . putting anything and everything she can into her mouth. I have been really frustrated with this because I can't turn my back on her for a minute! I thought it would be interesting to gather everything she put in her mouth in a three hour period. So without further adieu- here they are! One ball of foil, one black Connect Four piece, one small pink rubber seal, one twig, one jagged rock, one small green rubber frog, one piece of bark, and finally- one small green rubber turtle. All of this while I was doing my best to watch her and get some work done around the house! My kids have so many little toys and no matter how much I ask them to clean up or put them away- Emily finds them and apparently NEEDS to taste them. Geez.

A few cute things she is doing these days is imitating sounds such as Uh-Oh, Ba-Ba (bottle), Mama (me!), and the P sound (birdies). She is learning so much from everyone around her and is just exploding in so many different developmental areas. She loves to play with teeny tiny things. Her fine motor is really good and she can manipulate the smallest of things in her fingers. She loves to take a napkin or Kleenex and tear it into little tiny pieces. She also loves it when she can get to a container of baby wipes and pulls each and everyone out and onto the floor. At least it keeps her in one place for a while!

Emily is just a joy. Seriously- she is such an easy baby. So happy, so content, so even tempered, so at peace. Don't get me wrong- this little girlie is intense but overall, she is pretty darn content! We love you little Emily and can't believe you are inching so close to a year. My sweet girl. I love you so much.

Michael's 9th Soccer Birthday!

Okay, this is getting a little out of hand. Up until this point, we have given our kids the option on who to invite to their birthday. If they want, they may invite the whole class or select a few special people to celebrate their birthday with them. My kids have always chosen to invite the whole class! The way I look it at is- there are only so many years that they can do this. Why not invite all the boys or all the girls? It does make for an insane party- but the kids always have fun and it is a great way for the boys/girls to get together outside of school for some fun and bonding opportunities. That being said- Michael celebrated his 9th birthday with 37 boys. Oh, and Claire was there, too. We had the party at a local indoor soccer facility and they just had the best time! They scrimmaged for a while, played a few tag games, had a goal scoring contest (Michael won!) and then we had some snacks and cake! There was so much energy sitting at the table that I could hardly wait to send them back into the enclosed soccer field and let them run around! Holy testosterone!

I wish I could post more pictures of them playing soccer but the lighting was so bad that all the pictures came out too dark. I did get a cute one of Matthew and Emily who enjoyed some peace and quiet at the party table as the boys and Claire ran around! Matthew did run around with them (even wore a jersey) but it became too much of a risk as he was nearly trampled two or three times. Michael was so happy to have all his friends surrounding him on his BIG DAY! I can't believe he growing up so quickly and I am happy that we could give him the opportunity to create such amazing memories with us and his friends. Love you Michael!

Swendsen Cousin Picnic

As I write this, there are eleven grandkids in Damien's family. Six boys and five girls. Any event we have as a family has a lot of little people running around- spreading their energy amongst every corner of every home. We were fortunate enough to have nine of the grandkids together (oh, and two of my sister-in-laws) for a lazy afternoon BBQ at our house. It was so fun to see all the kids running around together. Age wise, they are spread pretty consistently and evenly and everyone has someone to play with- which is nice. The night was really great! The kids were pretty well behaved and had so much fun plopping down on a blanket outside for some yummy dinner. I have to laugh when I look at the nine of them on this blanket. I had no idea that the blanket was divided boys/girls! That's just too funny!

It is crazy to see all of these kids growing up so fast! I remember my nephew, Seamus (pictured with Michael), when he was little. We didn't have kids so we spent a lot of time with him and just loved him to pieces! Now to see him hanging around with Michael is just surreal. Michael loves him so much and as you can tell by the picture, feels awfully cool when he is with him. I asked Michael to smile in the picture and all I could get out of him was this 'cool guy' smirk! Time sure is passing quickly and seeing all of these kids together is just another gentle reminder to slow down and enjoy these days- no matter how crazy they are sometimes.

Jelly Belly Factory

Originally, we had planned on having some fun after Easter. The kids were now officially on Spring Break and we weren't going to let Claire's flu keep us down! All the other kids seemed fine (no signs of the retched flu) so we decided to push onward from the hotel and go on a mystery trip! I have always wanted to go to the Jelly Belly factory. From Sonoma, it was a short forty-five minute drive so we decided that today was the day to go! The kids napped on the way over there which was great. It gave Damien and I some time to reconvene and shake our heads at the pukey disaster the day before. Before we knew it- we had arrived at the Mecca of all things jelly! The kids were so excited! We noticed that there were a lot of people there. In fact, there was a long line that snaked out the front door and around the building. What? This wasn't good. Emily was still sleeping so I sent Damien to find out what the line was for. Turns out- it was for a tour of the factory . . . which, of course, was why we were there! Damien asked someone how long the line would take to make it to the front and they told him an hour and a half. Great. Not so wonderful of an idea to come to the factory during Spring Break!

We decided to wait it out. We were already there and inside the factory were a lot of fun activities. The kids snacked on jelly belly shaped pizza and chicken nuggets, shopped at the discount candy store (the candy was so cheap) and we also tried out a lot of flavors in the taste test zone. I wasn't too happy when Michael told me to taste a coconut jelly belly only to find out that he tricked me into tasting a Bernie Bott's jelly bean which was the flavor of Baby Wipes! Yuck! Before we knew it, we made it to the front of the line and took the tour. It was so interesting and so much fun! The kids thought is was amazing to see how the jelly belly's were made and to top it off- we all got a bag of free jelly belly's at the end! We had an amazing time, however, I'm not sure I would do it again as it is more of a one-time-experience type of adventure. We bought a two pound bag of Belly Flops (jelly bellys that didn't quite make the grade) and snacked on those on the way home. Lots of candy to eat and no throw up to deal with. Things are looking good for us!

Our Easter Story

Okay, so here goes. All my kids are dressed and looking fabulous. Seriously- I was thinking to myself, 'Dang, you are good! Look at what you've done! Kids are dressed, we are packed to leave, and we are on time!' That was the last positive thought for the next twelve hours or so. Just before we are going to leave, Claire starts telling me she doesn't feel well. Uh huh. This happens often with her as she has a really sensitive reaction to feeling full or feeling like she might throw up. Knowing that the clock is ticking, I am asking her to please get in the car. She wouldn't budge. "I'm not going. You can't make me! I am going to throw up!" she kept pleading. "Claire, we are going. There is no discussion around this. I will get a ziplock bag so that if you throw up, you'll be okay," I added. Once I got her into the car, I grabbed the entire box of gallon ziplock bags (just in case). We made it about fifteen minutes before she threw up. I thought maybe she ate too much candy but no. Poor Claire barfed every ten minutes or so THE WHOLE 2 HOUR RIDE to the hotel. I felt so bad for her. Michael and Matthew were gagging over the sound of her barfing and I think I threatened them to stop or else! (I had NO idea what 'else' meant but it worked!) Her hair was curled, she had a matching white bow in her hair like her baby sister, and her dressed was freshly pressed and beautiful. Claire, however, was a ghost. A pale ghost who wanted to be ANYWHERE but trapped in a car barfing, flanked by her annoying brothers who laughed and gagged every time she threw up. Honestly, it was a nightmare. Poor Claire.

We got to the hotel and I made a beeline to the front desk and checked in. I ran back out to the car (in heels, mind you) and got Claire and lead her up to our room. She looked so sick, so weak, and so miserable. Stomach flu on Easter? Really? Obviously, we weren't going to the brunch. We got all our bags out of the car and packed into our room. Damien took Michael, Matthew, and Emily to the brunch and I changed out of my dress and climbed into bed with my Clairey. This was not fun.


Damien insisted I go to the brunch for a few minutes so I reluctantly got dressed in my now crumpled dress and headed downstairs. Emily was so happy to see me. I said hello to a lot of family and friends but basically plunked down at our table and sulked with a smile on. You know, this is always the way crazy things happen! It's like life almost waits for things to pick up speed before it hurls a nasty virus or terrible situation at you. We were stuck. She was too sick to drive home, we couldn't get our money back on the room, and I was sickened with the thought of this pukey mess going through all the kids- one by one.


To further complicate things, we had planned to celebrate Michael's birthday that afternoon in the hotel . . . by the pool. It was pouring down rain, Claire was barfing, and I had a cooler of cold drinks and appetizers for a party that seemed doomed. I didn't want to infect anyone else. This 'sucker of a virus' is so stinkin' contagious and I didn't want to pass it on to anyone! Our solution was to have the party in another room. We ordered pizza and Damien brought the cooler to his parents room and everyone packed in there for Michael's celebration. Yeah, no pictures of that. I was helping Claire who was just a mess.

Once the party was over- Michael, Matthew, and Emily took a bath in the spa tub. They loved it! I did feel bad for Claire but she was not getting off the couch anytime soon. We tried to make the best of the crazy situation. It was tough. You try having six people in a hotel room while trying to quarantine a sick child. Oh, and one of the six people is a crawl happy baby who loves her sister. Anytime we turned our back- Emily was heading Claire's way. I prayed for the time to pass so we could just all try and attempt to sleep. But the thought of Claire barfing all night and waking everyone else was making me feel a bit depressed.

Lo and behold, we all had a great night of sleep. Claire woke up a COMPLETELY different person. She had energy, an appetite, color in her face, and a renewed spirit. Isn't it crazy how the stomach flu can just enter some one's body and shake the living heck out of it- only to leave 24 hours later? So weird. I checked my other kids to see if any of them looked sick and they all looked good. Claire didn't get to take a bath in the spa tub, but she did get to spend some quality cuddle time with her two younger siblings!

We were so thankful that Damien's parents were so supportive, understanding, and helpful during this stressful time. Before we checked out that day, we spent some time in their room and enjoyed one another's company. We barely got to see them the day before so we needed to catch up and relax a bit. Of course, Michael found a basket full of chocolate and ate most of it and Emily spent the entire time trying to eat unidentified objects off of the floor. Never a dull moment!

Looking back on Easter morning, I wish I would've trusted Claire's intuition a little more. Would it have changed the outcome of the day? I don't know. But I feel bad when I think about this little sick girl, crammed into a dress in the way back of a mini-van, barfing over and over into ziplock bags to the amusement of her brothers. You know, I am SO HAPPY I got their pictures taken before Easter this year. We didn't get one picture of them together in their outfits on Easter. I guess it pays to be organized. Mental note to take the pictures before the event every year! Happy Easter Everyone!