Las Vegas!!!

We got home from San Diego and had just over twenty-four hours to wash all of the clothes and pack for a two week trip to Washington. Saying that it was nothing short of insane would be a lie! Damien's parents came down to help us for the day and by seven o'clock the next morning- we were in a cab headed for the San Jose airport. We landed in Seattle safely and got ready to transition once again but this time it would just be me and Damien transitioning for a kid-free four day trip to Vegas! My Mom had agreed to watch the kids so we could get away and celebrate our eleven year anniversary together! Done and done.

We landed in Vegas around nine at night after a delay at the Seattle airport. I sat next to a very (overly) talkative man named Tony who told me stories about how he had worked with the mafia and been a bouncer in Vegas. Here Damien and I were trying to have a nice flight and this guy wouldn't leave us alone! We did find it comical and managed to watch The Hangover on the two hour flight despite his interruptions)! When we checked in at Caesar's Palace, we made friends with the woman at the front desk and she gave us an upgrade and a $75 dining voucher at the hotel! Not a bad way to start the trip! The temperature at 11:00 p.m. was 105 degrees. It was going to be a scorcher!

We had no plans in Vegas except to do as we pleased and have a great time! We ate at great restaurants, we walked through all the different casinos, we relaxed poolside, we gambled a little bit (think nickel slots and the occasional red/black on the roulette table), we people watched, we shopped, relaxed, danced and just had so much fun hanging out with one another. I love Damien when we are around the kids but when we are alone, I see a different side of him. I see the free spirited, hilarious, and fun guy I fell in love with (not that he's not like that with the kids- but you catch my drift). I am so happy we make time to get away. It's so good for us!

On our last night, our anniversary, we saw the show Beatles Love. We absolutely loved it. I especially loved when they played Blackbird and Something. Afterwards, we dined at Bobby Flay's restaurant Mesa Grill which was OUTSTANDING! The next morning we left and were ready to get back to the kids. However, if you asked us today if we would go back right now to Vegas- the answer would be a resounding YES!!!! I am so glad I got to get away with my best friend. Until next time . . . because there will be a next time!

Adios, San Diego

Oh, San Diego. You didn't disappoint. We had an amazing time here. Some of our best times were spent at your more popular attractions but many of the best moments happened in the hotel room, the many many car rides, or over a meal. We just had an amazing time . . . and for that- we thank you!

We loved the daily breakfasts at the hotel and especially loved bringing Michael and Claire breakfast in bed.










We cracked up when we thought we lost Emily in our own room only to find out that she found an amazing hiding spot beneath the television. Needless to say, it was the prime hideout for all the kids for the four nights we spent at the hotel!

We loved being by the water and seeing the waves, boats, and birds move about. The views were incredible.


We loved being able to bond with the kids and had fun the few times we split off boys and girls. We had boy bonding and girl bonding and it was nothing short of perfect.


I loved seeing Matthew enjoy the zoo so much. He really loved those animals. It warmed my heart to see him so concerned about them. (Even though he thought they smelled like poop.)

Michael, Michael. I loved seeing you enjoy the outdoors. I loved witnessing you thrill seek at the parks. I loved seeing you splash in the ocean. I am amazed at how many churros you can eat! You are so much like daddy. We are so blessed to have you in our lives!

I loved seeing Claire so happy and healed from her surgery which was just two weeks ago. She is just so amazing. I couldn't be more proud of my girl.

We were thrilled that Matthew was able to do his 'Lego Face' in Legoland. There is no better place for this face but here! (For those of you that don't know what he is doing- he is recreating the faces of the itty bitty Lego guys we have at home.) This kid is hilarious. He's the best! (That's our secret phrase. You're the Best!)

My Emily. I am so happy she is with us and that we can show her the great big world. I loved watching her dip her chubby toes in the Pacific Ocean, take in the sights of the Mojave Desert, see so many cool parks in San Diego and I loved watching her fall in love with the flamingos. We also LOVED watching her go up and down the hotel elevator. Pure comedy! I am one lucky Mommy!

Thank You San Diego!

Legoland

Truth be told . . . we really wanted to come down to San Diego to go to Legoland and from there- the vacation formed itself around it. We have heard that after the age of nine or so- Legoland can seem a little trivial to kids. When you consider that Michael is nine and Claire is eight and that a ticket into Legoland is a whopping $67 for adults and $57 for kids- we wanted to go when the kids would actually enjoy it. I still can't believe how much costs to go there! Moving on!
The weather was a bit overcast today which was actually ideal as it had been warm the prior two days. We figured we would be there most of the day so the more comfortable the weather, the more comfortable the experience! We knew nothing about this park so when we got the brochure which detailed the rides and attractions- we were clueless. We decided to just go to the right and work our way around the park.
Now, I must admit that as much as I think my kids are great and well behaved- the wheels were falling off the truck. After three days of unstructured chaos, we (i.e. my beautiful limit pushing children) were being a little bit bossy and full of attitude. Damien and I tried to take this in stride but there were a tough few hours in the afternoon. Lots of time outs and missed opportunities. Luckily, we did overcome the drama and managed to have an amazing day.

Emily loved going a few rides and believe it or not- she actually got scared! Yes, the fearless child was scared! Michael loved the Bionicles and the Lego sculptures of the Star Wars characters. Claire had a great time exploring but when I asked her what her favorite thing was, she just shrugged her shoulders and said, 'It was a lot of fun but kinda isn't my thing.' I appreciate her honesty and kind of agree with her! Matthew loved the Egyptian themed area of the park and he too, loved the Star Wars Legos.
My two oldest kids are gradually getting older and hitting to a new level. Sometimes it's hard to realize they are at a place where they can be more independent but it is times like this where pushing the limits feels okay. We let Michael and Claire go in lines together without us, where we couldn't see them. We just stood at the exit and waited for them to come off of the rides. I know, I am a weenie. I don't like to lose sight of my kids and neither does Damien. So this was huge! In fact, they waited for forty-five minutes in a line by themselves! I held Emily who napped in my arms while Damien chased Matthew around. They loved the independence and learned a lot about the buddy system. They were successful in line, loved the robot arm ride and felt confident in the success of their independence.


Being in Legoland and witnessing the masterpieces that the talented Lego artists made was pretty remarkable. For instance, this dragon was in my sight for the entire time we waited for Michael and Claire to get off of their ride and it never dawned on me that it was made of Legos! How awesome is this? If you really pay attention when you are in the park, it is amazing to see the itty bitty Legos that surround you!
We ended our day at Legoland in the miniature city area where many popular cityscapes are detailed in amazing fashion! You just can't believe that these cityscapes are made out of Legos!!! Here is the family (sans me) in front of the San Francisco cityscape. It is so cool and astonishing. Because my kids are familiar with San Francisco, they could appreciate the artful presentation. It was a great way to end our day and we were really happy we made it down to San Diego to experience this great park!

San Diego Zoo

Nine hours of driving, countless hours spent in the car, and planning the most fun San Diego trip my kids could want. Yes, that is what we've been up to lately. We wanted to take the kids to the San Diego Zoo because everyone is always talking about it! It's the Best Zoo in the World, I've heard for years. And what does my darling Matthew have to say about it? "It smells like poop." Yes, that's right. He thinks it smells like poop. I didn't catch one whiff of poop all day. I think it's in his head but regardless, if I heard him say 'Dis place smells yike poop' one more time I was going to go crazy. You know, while I write this- I think it is hilarious. Yet, while trying to keep all my kids contained while sweating in the heat- it wasn't that funny. Okay, a little funny.

Our hotel was right in the middle of most of the attractions we wanted to see. A short fifteen minute ride to the zoo and we were ready to go! I couldn't believe the crowds at the zoo. Apparently everyone knows how amazing this place is! The big draw for us (mostly Claire) was that the San Diego Zoo has Pandas. PANDAS!!! Claire's favorite animal! She was so excited to see them! Because the zoo is so massive, we first took a tram ride around the zoo to get a bird's eye view of all it had to offer.

While Damien and the kids waited in line, I walked Emily around (who was screaming because she was so overly tired) until she fell asleep. I tried to ignore the handfuls of people staring at me because she was crying so hard. Don't people know what a overly tired, over stretched baby looks like? I was just happy that after twenty minutes of walking (fighting her trying to get out of my arms) she went to bed. My goodness! She then slept through the whole tram ride which allowed me the chance to enjoy the sights instead of fighting a toddler on a moving tram. We got to see polar bears playing in the water (it was so cool!) and I loved seeing the kids marvel at the unique animals all around the zoo.

Once we were done on the tram, we started the long walk through the park. To be honest, the massive nature of this park is a little intimidating. Especially when you consider that Damien and I needed to drag all four of the kids with us! There is so much more to this zoo than animals. The kids competed in a bean bag throw which was hosted by monkeys, there were really awesome gift shops and places where the kids could let loose a bit and get out of the sun, and we also rode a gondola across the middle of the zoo (Emily tried to jump out)! In addition to all of the amazing animals, we were definitely happy and getting our money's worth!

I think one of the hardest parts of the day was getting to all the exhibits that the kids really wanted to see. Matthew wanted to see the elephants but Michael was getting impatient because he had waited long to see the rhinoceros. Emily seriously loved the flamingos and would get so angry when we would pry her away from them. And lastly was Claire who waited until the end of our day to see the pandas. Apparently, everyone else waited until the same moment to see the pandas because when we walked up to the front of the exhibit, someone told us we had to get in line . . . way . . .back . . .there. The line seemed like it went forever. I considered just forgetting about the pandas and getting out of there but I knew that Claire would NEVER forgive me. So I hopped in line with Emily and Damien took the kids on a search for ICEEs. Here comes the good news and the bad news. First the bad news. Damien and the kids came back discouraged because there were no ICEEs to be found. The good news, the line went much faster than we knew it and finally the pandas were in sight!

Ahhh, the pandas. In one of the above pictures you can see a panda perched right above Claire and Michael's head. They were beautiful and it was surreal to these beautiful animals in person! They were even eating bamboo! The strange part of the exhibit was that it was a silent exhibit. You couldn't talk to one another or take pictures (uh oh)! I didn't need to talk with Claire to see that she was in heaven. It was a long day today but I am so happy we all got to share in this experience. Everyone got to see their favorite animals, we didn't lose anyone during the seven hour excursion, we eventually found ICEEs (although they didn't come with lids on them due to the future environmental risks . . . but I ask . . . do you know the risks associated with giving kids huge ICEEs without lids???), we saw everything there was to see, and we were all pretty darn happy at the end of the day! My favorite picture of the day? This one with Claire and Matthew in front of this panda mural. Claire really wanted a picture with this mural and she wanted it by herself. At the last minute, Matthew photo hopped and she was just beside herself! So, we took another picture and 'you know who' snuck in at the last minute. My little photo hopper. Before I print it for Claire, I'll have to use a little photoshop! The joy of having a little brother!

Coronado Island

After exhausting ourselves in Old Town San Diego, we ventured over to Coronado Island. To get over there, you have to drive over a super high white bridge which makes your stomach drop a bit. You can only imagine how freaked out our kids were at being so high up! It didn't help that Damien and I told the kids that your stomach drops on the way down like when you're on a roller coaster!

Once we settled into town, we immediately went down to Hotel Del Coronado. What a gorgeous hotel! Damien and I stayed there twice before we had kids. It is set right on the ocean and has wonderful food and hotel atmosphere. The kids couldn't wait to go into the ocean! Immediately, Michael and Claire went straight in. It is shallow for a long time so they were thinking they were pretty cool to walk far out into the waves. Matthew loved splashing around and chasing seagulls. Emily was once again having fun without the slightest hint of fear (or drowning). For the first time, Michael and Claire understood the concept of body surfing. It was so funny to watch them giggle and then wipeout! Emily never flinched at the waves splashing against her sweet chubby belly. She loved everything to do with the beach. At times, Matthew was frustrated he couldn't go out farther with his older siblings but he still managed to have tons of fun closer to shore.

We played in the waves and sparkly sand (there is a mineral in the sand in Coronado which makes it look like there are little diamonds everywhere) for an hour or so until we dried off and went to church in a sweet, quaint church in downtown Coronado. It was a beautiful mass. Emily and Matthew fell asleep about five minutes into Mass so it was a nice break for Damien and me.

We were all pretty tired after a very full day but we decided to stay in Coronado for dinner and some window shopping. We found a great seafood restaurant which took a little too long to get the food out but was well worth the wait. Long story short- we had a great time on Coronado Island and look forward to visiting with the kids again. Maybe even staying at the Del Coronado!

Old Town San Diego

Old Town San Diego is so much fun. Pre-kids, Damien and I went to San Diego a few times and always loved exploring and experiencing Old Town. It's not like there is tons of hype going on- it is just a relaxed, interesting, and an awesome place to go! You can walk around for hours, explore some fun shops, eat great food, and learn a little about California's history, too!

The kids were all in really good spirits after our night in the roach motel (there weren't roaches but it was nasty). We were all refreshed and ready to explore! The weather today couldn't have been more beautiful. Sunny skies with an occasional cloud overhead to keep us comfortable. The kids were loving Old Town! Cactus everywhere, cannons exploding, people wearing old time costumes, face painting, churros galore (Damien has a serious weakness), the music from mariachi bands, festive dancers- they were so happy!

The kids were immediately drawn to a woman under a tent who was rubbing clothes on a board. They seriously had no idea what she was doing! They learned all about washboards and couldn't fathom that this is the way people used to wash clothes! Next, they went to another tent and were able to write a letter using a fountain pen. They had to dip and write repeatedly and it was so cool to see them learn how to do it!

We ate lunch at a fabulous outdoor restaurant while Emily slept. It was a nice break for me and we certainly ate like kings! From our table, we could watch these beautiful Mexican dancers perform and we were all captivated by them. I had a moment of guilt where thought, 'What if I hadn't given the kids this experience because I was afraid of a nine hour car ride with Emily?'. We were so glad we came and Emily was way better than we thought she would be in the car.

We stayed in Old Town for about three hours before we decided to pack up and head out for Coronado Island where we planned to swim in the ocean and catch Saturday night Mass. The three older kids cried when we left and we vowed to bring them back one day. They were all exhausted which explained the tears- but I also know they had a blast and experienced a lot of new things for the first time in their lives. We'll be back one day for sure.

San Diego Road Trip

Does looking at Emily's face make you want to take a long car ride with her? Damien has been talking for the past few months about taking a road trip to San Diego. As much as I love San Diego (and I really do)- the idea of a nine hour drive in a car with all four kids made me a little nervous. Could we do it? Of course. Might it be a total disaster? It's very probable. Might it be a great trip and worth every minute? I was hoping so.

Early in the morning, we went to Claire's 2 week post-op with her ENT. We got great news that she was completely healed! Claire's clearance was all we needed in order to take this crazy trip and we got it! The car was already packed and my mind was stabilized for take off. There was no turning back now. Our neighbor had given us a great hint on how to drive south without hitting any of the Los Angeles traffic. This was great for us because we were scheduled to go right through it at rush hour if we didn't have his secret route! If we kept driving and didn't have to sit in traffic- I was all for it! I rode in the backseat with Emily for most of the ride. Her car temperament is directly proportional to the exciting mini Ringling Brother's Circus I am performing before her. My strategy for her was to have a big bag full of toys, interesting little items, and books that she could look at to occupy her time. I would only show her a new toy if she really needed to be distracted. I also packed a plethora of food (i.e. junk) to help pacify the kids (okay, me too).

We had movies playing, junk food consuming, circus performing, and all was going well. The only thing Matthew objected to was the foul smell the cow farms produced. We call this one farm off of I-5 Cow Heaven. You can just not imagine how many cows are on this ranch! Seriously- you can't! When we went by farms, he always put his hand in front of his face and whined, which of course cracked everyone else in the car up! We stopped a few times on the way to San Diego to eat and stretch and we might have stopped at a Marshall's for Mommy to get a bathing suit since she forgot hers. Hmmm. Forgetting your swimsuit for a four day trip at the beach? Not good. After a few stops and only a couple of minor meltdowns in the car, we made it. I think it took us a little over nine hours to get to our hotel or motel, or place that wasn't what we thought it was going to be! But nonetheless, we made it!

This picture was taken somewhere on our journey. The Mojave Desert! Isn't it so pretty! We stopped for a pee break and snapped a few shots! It looked just like many of the scenes from Pixar's movie, Cars. Okay, back to the nasty hotel. We booked our hotel late and wouldn't you know that Comicon (comic covention) was in town? Great! There were literally two rooms left in the city and we managed to snag one of them. The woman at San Diego's city center said it was a nice hotel but when we got there, it was terrible. So here is the scenario. It was now 9:30 p.m. at night. Kids were exhausted and were all wiped from a long drive. It was completely dark and nighttime had surely set it. Did we try and find a new hotel at this hour knowing that the city was so ridiculously overbooked or just try it out? We tried it out and in the morning, Damien was able to get us out of our reservation and get us a room at the Holiday Inn Express. Thank goodness! It was a rough night and we were so happy to be changing hotels! (Keyword=plunger.) Once the morning hit, we were all encouraged that this trip was going to be awesome! Let the fun begin . . . but in a different hotel!

California Cousins

Doctors orders following Claire's surgery were to stay in town for two weeks after her tonsillectomy. It was kind of a bummer as we had planned on taking a few impromptu trips during this time but we made the best of it! My sister-in-law Lani was going to be in town and wanted to stop in with her three kids and spend the afternoon with us! Sounded good to me! They brought some treats for Claire and were happy to see her up and moving. Seamus, Megan, and Caitlin are growing big so fast. It's so evident when we get the kids together that they are all getting older way too quickly. They are not babies anymore! We need to make time to get these kids together more often. In a short four years Seamus will be going to college!

I love all the pictures I took today. I especially love this one as it looks like they are in some sort of prison lineup. It sure shows everyone's position in the family! The oldest kids are in the back and standing tall and the babies of the family are sitting on the ground and just taking it in. Matthew, who thinks he belongs in the older group, stood where HE thinks he belongs- but gave away his age with the goofy face!

All the kids enjoyed the day by having water fights, throwing water balloons, and playing in the beautiful sunshine. The kids played so well together that the adults actually had time to catch up with each other! It was certainly an added bonus! I think I actually ate a whole Togo's sandwich without any disruptions! Can this day get any better?

We have also been hanging out with two of our other favorite cousins Brennan and Gabe! Mark and Jocelyn's boys are a lot of fun and the kids have loved playing with them now that they are back in the States! We have been barbecuing a lot, spending a lot of time with each other and loving the non-structure that summer brings. Matthew and Gabe are a funny duo and I am sure they will be getting a lot of laughs in the future!

Claire's Recovery

It's been a few days since Claire had her surgery. I must admit- the recovery wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It could be that the horror recovery stories I've heard are from people that exaggerated a bit or maybe Claire is just a Rock Star Patient! I'd like to think it had everything to do with Claire. Once we left the hospital, she was much happier. Still in pain, but happy to be rid of the IV, dim lights, and that overall sick feeling in her stomach. Jocelyn had come and picked up Michael and Matthew earlier in the day and brought them to her house and Ali and Heather had taken care of Emily all morning. It was nice to have a quiet house to take care of Claire and worry only about her needs as opposed to the needs of all four kids. She was awesome. Her brothers had each purchased her a new DVD so she had movies to watch and so many people sent her fun games, books, and projects to keep her occupied. She cozied up on the couch and just relaxed.

Claire followed the doctors orders regarding clear liquids on day #1 and soft items on day #2 but she was really getting hungry. I had made meatloaf and couldn't help but sneak her a few bites. She was so happy I shared! We managed her pain with both Tylenol and Tylenol with Codeine. She took the codeine the first two days but then refused it. I am not kidding when I say she was a perfect patient (and a tough one, too)! We will have a 2 week follow-up with her ENT to make sure everything is healing well but as of today, she is doing great. Thank you to all our friends and family for the phone calls, treats for Claire, and the prayers. We love you all and couldn't have done it without your help!

Claire Gets Her Tonsils Removed

There was an emotional lead up to this day. No one more than Claire wanted these nasty tonsils out! Yet, she knew the process would be hard and who in their right might would want to go through that? Of course, none of us wanted her to have to suffer but all of us wanted to her be rid of the complications these tonsils/adenoids posed. We had to be at the hospital at the early hour of seven. Thankfully, Aunt Ali stayed the night so we could slip out of the house unnoticed and get Claire to the hospital on time. She was teary when I woke her up. I suspect she had been awake for a while and the nerves had gotten the best of her. My poor Claire. I just wanted to be done with this already.

Claire, Scruffy, Daddy, and I got in the car and headed to Good Samaritan hospital where the out-patient procedure would be performed. We checked her in no problem and were immediately called back. This is when it became real for Claire. Heavy feet, stiff body, tears welling up in her eyes . . . she realized she was in a real hospital and was actually going to get surgery. I talked her through it. It's going to be okay. I won't leave you . . . became the mantra of the morning. Hesitantly, she changed into a gown that clearly was not made for a tall seven year old like Claire- but it worked. It had Ronald McDonald and his gang on the front. It seemed odd to have Ronald and his friends on there and Damien and I laughed when she only recognized Ronald. That dated us big time!

The nurse started taking Claire's vitals and surprisingly- Claire was running a fever of 100.2. Great. I didn't have a good feeling about this. The nurse called the anesthesiologist to ask what he thought of her fever. After a short phone call, she let us know that they would go ahead with the surgery because a true fever starts at 100.4. Okay, we dodged that bullet. Claire didn't seem warm to me at all and wasn't acting sick so I was a little confused but tried not to get too nervous. If they cancelled the surgery I was going to be so upset! The nurse started talking about the procedure to us in front of Claire. She tried to speak over Claire and use words Claire might not understand but I knew Claire was digesting everything. She spoke about the IV, the cutting, the scabbing, and all sorts of stuff and I knew Claire was going to freak! Claire then leaned over and told me she was going to get sick. 'I think I'm going to barf!' were the exact words and she was right. Within minutes, she did throw up. I was pretty darn confident that nervousness caused the barf but the nurse wasn't so sure. 100.2 fever and barfing? Another call to the anesthesiologist and doctor to see if we should proceed. Dude. My blood pressure was going through the roof!

The doctor came in and we chatted to see if we should go through with the surgery. They wanted to make sure surgery was the right thing to do before they gave her the happy juice which would help Claire relax, reduce anxiety and also have some amnesia inducing effects. THANK GOD, the doctor felt that Claire was just anxious (as did I) and that her fever and subsequent puking was all a part of it. Surgery would go on as scheduled! They gave her the magic potion and Claire swore she didn't feel anything. Then she started smiling and laughing at absolutely nothing. Love it! The nurse bent over and told her, "It's time to go into surgery and you can say goodbye to your Mom and Dad before we wheel you back." She leaned over and gave us a kiss. I braced for the painful separation. But there wasn't one. Instead, they unlocked her bed and wheeled her away. Claire turned around once and waved and then rolled away smiling and never looked back at us. How great is that medicine?

We waited in the waiting room and said a few prayers for our sweet girl. I knew that this was a routine surgery and also knew that I had been through far worse surgical procedures with Michael- but it never feels good to know that one of your babies is in surgery. After about forty minutes, they came and told us she was out of surgery and in recovery. They said they would come and get us when she tried to wake up. Not five minutes later did they come out and say she needed us. I couldn't wait to see her. She looked pretty good. The only hard thing was that darned anesthesia. It really did a number on her. Her lips were swollen from the procedure and her throat was really sore. It wasn't sore from the tonsillectomy but instead from the breathing tube that they inserted during surgery. She was crying off and on and it was really hard to comfort her because she really didn't know where she was. I hated seeing her so confused and in pain but I tried to stay grounded and know that this was only temporary. After about half an hour, she had a popsicle and started to come around. From this point on, she got better and better and after a little over and hour- she was ready to go home. Thank goodness she made it through the procedure. Now all she needs to do is heal. I am so happy that is behind us and I think Claire is, too.

**They took her temperature during surgery and it was 98.1 Isn't it crazy how nervousness made her temperature spike?