On Top of the World! Okay, the Fridge.

Our house can be a little strange at times.  While we seem to be a very normal family, we do very crazy things over here!  One of those things is sitting on top of the fridge.  You should see the look on other people's faces when my kids ask to sit up there.  I know they are wondering if they should smile along with us or go in the bathroom and call CPS.  Either way, we're crazy and we're kinda okay with it!

The 'sitting on top of the fridge' thing started when we remodeled our kitchen.  Damien put Michael and Claire up there and they thought it was sooooo funny.  Well, Matthew and Emily watched them for years and have now followed their lead!  When Matthew was younger, he as a bit hesitant.  Now he loves it!  Emily prefers to sit on the fridge more than she prefers to sit on a chair.  Either way, the whole family has fun with it!  On this particular occasion, the kids were getting ready for bed.  Hence, Emily's diaper.  Hey, I have an idea.  Let's rile the kids up before we put them down for the night.  Yahoo!!!

There is always an adult standing by in case we have a jumper.  So far, no one has been injured performing this complicated, yet stupid stunt.  All small kids, cousins, and small adults (clearly from neither of our gene pools) are welcome to take a ride on the Swendsen fridge.  Giddy Up!

Claire Turns TEN!!!!!

I seriously can't believe that Clairey is TEN!  Wow.  My little girl is growing up!  Claire was so happy to wake up today and be double digits old!  A new outfit (it was free dress at school), a sausage sandwich from Starbucks, and some fun birthday treats and the day was destined to be awesome!  She had a great birthday at school and loved opening her gifts at home.  She is into The Hunger Games and clothes now so it was fun to shop for her. We shared a birthday dinner at Willow Street Pizza with E, Papa, Mark, Jocelyn, Brennan, Gabe, Heavenly, and Pascale.  We ended her double digit day with funfetti cupcakes with pink frosting, as requested.

Claire is such a wonderful daughter.  I love her personality, I love her sense of humor, I love her sweet face, and I love the fact that she cares so deeply for her siblings and extended family.  Claire loves to be silly and goofy.  I love that!  She isn't worried if she not doing the things that some perceive as cool- she just wants to be herself!  What more could I want from her?  She loves peace signs which is ironic because really, she does keep the peace around here!

Claire is hilarious!  Honestly, she is so funny.  We will be eating dinner and she will just suddenly start talking in a funny voice, and pretend she is talking to someone who isn't there.  Something like, "Isn't that right, Myrtle!"  And then she does that fully body laugh that shows all of her teeth, makes her shoulders bounce up and down, and then throws her head back with such delight!  Oh, my Clairey.

Claire is so responsible!  I always know that Claire is on top of her school work and I know that if I need any help at home, she is there for me.  She loves to play with her siblings and has saved me on many occasions when I just need a break from the kids!  She will play games with them, read them stories, or just hold them while they watch a show.  What would I do without her?

Claire loves her sports!  She loves to play soccer, basketball, and volleyball.  She loves competing and loves to go to practices and games where she can be with her friends!  She loves it all.  She always gives 110% and never gives up.  What a girl!

Claire is ten.  We can't believe it.  She is truly a gift from God.  I remember being pregnant with her and thinking that I wanted her to be a boy.  I thought, "I already have a boy, yep- I'm a boy mom through and through."  And then I remember the doctor announcing that she was A GIRL!  My heart sank and the second I laid eyes on her sweet, chubby face- I knew she was going to be my girl forever.  I could never have dreamed that I would love her so much.  I still love her sweet face.  I will love and kiss on her forever.  Double digits today?  Yes.  My daughter?  Forever.

Happiest of Birthdays Clairey!  We hope that your TENTH year is your best year yet!

Swendsen September Birthdays

Last I counted, there are 31 people in Damien's immediate family.  That's a lot of people to celebrate!  Throw in everyone's busy schedules and you can see that getting everyone together for each and every person's birthday is next to impossible!  That's why we decided to have a September birthday party at our house!  Today we were going to celebrate Haripal, Seamus and Claire!

We loosely incorporated a Western theme to spice up the party a bit!  We had a picture of an outhouse on the front door (yes, we are that classy), Lani made awesome themed cakes, kids were wearing bandannas, Marlene and Mark made an awesome 'WANTED' poster of the birthday trio, the food was straight from a country cookbook and miraculously- we were all in attendance! 

It was fun to have all the aunts and uncles, all the cousins, E and Papa, and everyone else together that makes up Damien's BIG family!  We laughed over good food, watched as each birthday person opened their gifts, and enjoyed the time spent together as a family.

Claire was in heaven with all of her awesome gifts!  She really wanted the Hunger Games DVD and loved that E and Papa gave her 50- $1 dollar bills!  Claire had so much fun today and felt the birthday love, for sure.

Seamus cracks me up.  I have always loved him for his sense of humor and sense of style.  He is at that age where cash makes the perfect gift!  Most everyone gave him just that but we had to get him something funny on the side.  He is really into socks these days so we got him a mustard colored pair of mid-calf socks with mustaches all over them.  He absolutely loved them!

Haripal loved the cowboy boot cake the Lani made him!  He grubbed on all the food, smiled sweetly as he always does, and enjoyed seeing all the awesome gifts people got him!  We went in with Mark and Jocelyn and got him a new bean bag to sit in!  We know it will be comfy for him and he will enjoy the option to sit somewhere else! 

All in all, the party was awesome.  It is great when everyone can come together to celebrate!  Happy birthday to the wild western birthday cowboys and cowgirl.  Haripal, Seamus, and Claire- we love you!

Claire's 10th Birthday Party

This year, we had a hard time trying to come up with a creative birthday party for Claire.  We have pretty much outlawed big slumber parties (see Claire's last birthday party) but we wanted to come up with something fun for our soon to be ten year old!  After much deliberation, Claire decided to take her friends to a celebrity soccer match hosted by Brandi Chastain!

The event was held at San Jose Municipal Stadium (where the San Jose Giants play).  The day was absolutely gorgeous and Claire was more than excited to see her friends!  The plan was . . . how do you say it . . . crazy.  Most of the girls met at our house, but then some of them met us at the stadium.  In some state of delirium, I thought that taking nine girls to this all day party by myself was a good idea.  I'm still trying to figure out how made that decision.  It's not that they are rowdy girls or misbehaved- it's just that having to take all nine with me everywhere I went was hard.  If one had to use the restroom- we all went.  Plus, there were so many people there that I must have counted to nine a million times.  1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 . . . got em! 

The weather today was gorgeous and hot.  We had great seats on the bleachers with a great view of the game.  Claire sat in the middle of her friends and ate up all the attention, as she should.  It was fun to see San Jose Sharks players, World Cup soccer players, Kristi Yamaguchi, Brandi Chastain and others play a fun game of soccer all in the name of charity!

Once the game was over- we went down on the field and met some of the players.  A lot of the celebrities were signing autographs and the girls were just star struck!  Most of Claire's friends play soccer so meeting Brandi was just amazing for them!  I had told her ahead of time we were coming for Claire's birthday and she told me she was going to give Claire a birthday shout out during the game.  Although she forgot to say it, Claire still felt really cool that she knew who she was!

Part of the sell for the celebrity soccer match was the Disney concert afterward.  A few Disney stars performed which made Claire and her friends swoon.  First up was a performer named Damien who is from the show The Next Big Thing.  I didn't have a clue who he was but the girls sure did!  He threw Claire a bracelet from the stage and we were laughing because on the bracelet was the name Damien with hearts.  She felt the need to clarify that this bracelet did not mean she had a crush on her Dad.  Too funny. 

And then Shane from Good Luck Charlie came on stage.  Oh . . . my . . . goodness!  My ear drums were aching within minutes of his first song!  All the girls at the event were going absolutely crazy!  Screaming and screaming and screaming like girls their age do!  It was so awesome to see them enjoying themselves and making an awesome memory!  If I was a girl their age in the front row of a concert, I would have died!

Part of my awesome planning was not realizing that I didn't have room in my car to take home nine girls.  Seriously, I must have had a head cold the day I planned this party.  Thankfully, Damien saved the day by coming to the stadium and driving a group of girls home in his car.  Before we knew it- we were all home and all the girls had been picked up from the party.  And there sat Clairey.  A little sunkissed from a fun day in the sun, ears still ringing from all music, her voice tired from screaming, but the a look of sweet happiness written all over her face.

I know she had a great day.  It was just what Damien and I wanted for her.  She felt loved, special, important and holy smokes- she is turning ten!  Happiest of birthdays, Claire.  We love you and can't believe you are almost ten years old!  But for now- will cherish the next five days when you are our little nine year.  Five more days until double digits!

"I Am Claire Swendsen"

"I Am"

I am a 9 year old girl who has 5 other family members.
I wonder what job I will have when I am older.
I hear laughs when one of my classmates makes a joke.
I see my nice friends every day when we have school.
I want a certain movie when I turn 10 this year.
I am a 9 year old girl who has 5 other family members.

I pretend sometimes that I'm stuck forever at school.
I feel my soft blanket at night.
I touch paper and pencils most of the day.
I worry that someday my little sister might be hurt.
I cry when I am told something sad.
I am a 9 year old girl who has 5 other family members.

I understand math very well in school.
I say, "Hi!" when I see my friends.
I dream about adventure.
I try to do my best in school.
I hope that I have a great future.
I am a 9 year old girl who has 5 other family members.

-Claire Swendsen

Saint Matthew's Day

What?  What's that you say?  Are you asking me if two of my kids have their Saint Days in the same week?  The answer is yes!  Just two days apart are the Saint Days of Emily and Matthew.  Matthew was so excited for his day, especially after watching Emily celebrate two days before!

Matthew was much more patient than Emily was about his Saint Day.  He had me mark it on his calendar so he knew exactly when his big day would be here!  Today at school, the kids had free dress.  He wanted to know if it was free dress for the school because it was Saint Matthew's Day!  He was a bit upset to learn that it was not free dress for his namesake, but rather Western Day at school.  He reminded me that Saint Matthew wouldn't wear Western things.  He's got a point there.

When the older two got home from school, Matthew went to work opening his gifts from Grandpa!  He was absolutely freaking out when he opened his new Sponge Bob Lego set!  He has wanted that so bad!  Grandpa also gave him some Skylanders and a little Angry Birds figure.  I don't think Matthew knew what to say after opening his gifts.  He was literally in shock!

Because the hamburger cake was such a hit, Matthew wanted to try and top it!  He picked out a pizza cake.  Yep, pizza cake.  Olives, sauce, cheese, peppers, pepperoni- it was all on there.  So appetizing, right?  Safeway is really knocking themselves out these days!  When I think of Saint Matthew, I think of pizza.  Don't you?  A little slice of heaven!

Matthew felt truly special today.  Thank you Grandpa for an amazing day for my little guy.  Happy Saint Matthew's Day, Matthew!  You are truly the sweetest little Matthew we know!

Saint Emily's Day

Emily could not wait for Saint Emily's Day to get here.  To be honest, neither could we.  Not only does this special day have spiritual meaning and significance- it also meant that Emily would finally stop talking about it!  How many days until St. Emily's Day?  Mom, is it St. Emily's day today?  It really is so sweet that she was looking forward to her special day.  Well, sweet Emily . . . today is your day!

She could hardly wait for the kids to get home from school so she could open her gifts from Grandpa.  I caught her sneaking over to the gifts a few times.  She tried to peek into the wrapping paper as I walked in the room and shockingly exclaimed, "I am just looking.  I'm not peeking.  I swear!"  Since it is her day, I chose to believe her!  (Plus, she has a broken arm which has totally softened me.)

Grandpa was with us via FaceTime which was really cool.  He watched as she opened her new Cupcake game, her Barbie bath toy, some princess lipstick, and playdough toys.  She was absolutely floored by all her new treats from Grandpa!

While she was in love with her new treats, her anticipation of cake time couldn't hold a candle to her new gifts.  See, about a year ago- Grandpa told the kids that on their Saint Days, they could pick out whatever dessert they wanted!  It used to be that the kids always got a Baskin and Robbins cake, but times have changed.

Emily has been eyeing this hamburger cake at Safeway for weeks.  She was sure this was going to be her Saint cake so we went ahead and pre-ordered the hamburger cake with Saint Emily's Day on the top.  Can you imagine the thoughts of the baker that came in early this morning to make cakes?  "So you want me to make the hamburger cake with Saint Emily's Day written on top of the sesame seeds?"  Only Emily.

Little Miss Emily got her wish.  That cake made her smile as wide as I have ever seen her smile.  All together we sang Happy Saint Emily's Day to her and you could tell that she was breathing in all the attention and love.  Thank you Grandpa for continuing to make my kids feel so special by creating the perfect combination of love, happiness, and faith.   Happy Saint Emily's Day, Emmy!!

Michael Plays St. Chris Flag Football

Our general rule of thumb, pertaining to the kids and their activities, is that they should only be involved in one sport per trimester.  That rule has worked pretty well thus far but we are finding ourselves in a bit of a pinch when the kids want to do more.  After feeling overloaded last year, both Michael and Claire dropped Girl/Boy Scouts.  We support them in all that they do, but if it is going to be an activity that you don't love or don't want to go to- we don't want to waste any one's time!  Any one activity that any of us participate in affects the whole family so we just want to make sure it is worth it!  

This Fall, Michael really wanted to play soccer.  Yet only a few weeks into it- he expressed interest in playing Flag Football for St. Christopher, too!  Sports at St. Chris start in 5th grade.  Being that most of the boys in Michael's class were doing both soccer and flag football- we agreed to let him do both.  We knew that St. Chris football practices and games would all be during the week.  They would play other local Catholic schools which meant not a lot of travel, either.  Also, no weekend commitment.  It seemed doable so we signed Michael up!

The flag football teams are comprised of 5th/6th graders and 7th/8th graders.  Michael was really looking forward to playing and once again- being with his friends.  He has played flag football before but this was much more intense, which he liked.  He was coached by Lang Tibbils who is a family friend of ours.  Throughout the entire season- Michael learned a lot, scored a couple of touchdowns, and got a lot of sacks.  Michael absolutely loves playing defense (like in soccer) and rushing the quarterback.

It is really fun watching him play.  Once again, we spend good family time bonding on the sidelines and enjoying the sunshine.  We can't wait to watch Michael next year when he is a 6th grader in the league!  We are proud of you, Michael!  Go #34!

An Appropriate Wish

After unloading the groceries, Emily noticed that one of the green apples we had purchased had not one- but TWO stickers on it.  She proclaimed that it was indeed a lucky apple!  "Can I eat that apple?" she asked.  "Of course.  But first, let me wash it, take both stickers off, and then you can make a wish!" I said.  She closed her eyes and focused on this very important wish.  Then, she opened her eyes and said, "I'm ready!"  A few minutes passed and she asked me if I wanted to know what she had wished for.  I know it goes against the wishing rules to share your wish but I was super curious what her three year old mind wished for.  "I'd love to know what you wished for!" I told her.  She smiled really big, took a big breath and told me that her wish came true.  "So what did you wish for?" I eagerly asked her.  She plain and simply answered, "An apple!"

Do Two Lefts Make It Right?

Today, Emily asked if she could wear two different colored flip flops.  Let's just be real here for a moment.  My list of To-Dos is huge.  The last thing I really care about is what shoes Emily wears.  If I have all four kids dressed for school, if I manage to make my ponytail look fresh and clean . . . again, and if we are scheduled to be on time- my morning worries are few.

I really haven't let the kids wear two different shoes before but we all know that a lot of my standards are watered down by now.   So when I saw Emily with both a pink and purple flip flop I thought, 'Why Not??'.  We ran a lot of errands today.  Every time I caught a glimpse of her flip flops, I smiled.   Those chubby little strong legs, loving the warmth of the sunshine and the freedom to wear different colored shoes really made me happy.

Fast forward seven hours.  The day had calmed down.  We had brought the kids to school, went to the grocery store, picked up Matthew from school, went to Target, napped, drove Claire to practice, picked up Michael from practice and as we were walking in from our last errand of the day, I saw it.  She wore two left footed flip flops . . . all . . . day . . . long.  I could have died.  I wanted to immediately blame Emily but I knew that I was at fault!  Her poor aching feet!  I wonder if people looked at her while we were shopping and thought, "What Mom lets her child wear two different colored flip flops and on the wrong feet, to boot?"  I can only imagine half of her right foot hanging off the flip flop all day.

The name of these Nuts says it all!

Listen.  I am not going to beat myself up over this one.  I checked her feet and there was no sign of rubbing or bad wear and tear.  This little slip up is just a clear indicator of how busy we are, coupled with the fact that Emily loves to wear her shoes on the wrong feet!  It drives me nuts but apparently, it doesn't phase her!  I know there will be a lot of these little hiccups along the way but if I don't choose to embrace them and after the fact, laugh a little, I will be taking myself WAY too seriously.  Anyone have the 'Mother of the Year Award' that they're willing to loan me for a few days?  I definitely deserve it after this one.  And the great part, my fellow Mom friends, one of you will be deserving it soon, too.  Let's just pass the award along and share the love! 

Emily's Soccer Team- Make Believe

Emily might tell you that she plays soccer.  If you were in our house on a Saturday morning, you would see her scrambling to get her shin guards on, her water bottle filled, her soccer ball packed in the car, and her soccer shoes on (her soccer shoes are her pink running shoes).  You would see her telling me that she needs a good breakfast because she needs a lot energy when she is on the field.  You might think that she is actually on a real soccer team.  Let me give you some advice.  Go with it.  Under no circumstances are you to tell her that she isn't on a team or that she isn't playing real soccer.  She is on a team and is playing real soccer (do you hear me?)!

Emily is so motivated to do whatever it is that her siblings do.  I have told her over and over that she will have to wait until Kindergarten to play sports but she says that she won't wait that long!  Instead of focusing what she doesn't have (a team) she does whatever she can to feel like she has whatever the other kids have. Hence the shin guards, water bottle, cheering section, and attention.

When we show up to one of the kids' games, she will take her soccer ball and run the length of the field with her ball about ten times.  No joke.  She runs right by the sideline and dribbles (very well, I might add) back and forth until the referee blows the whistle for the game to start!  She draws a lot of attention from the fans of both teams because it's kind of bizarre to see a three year old run and dribble so well.  Just being honest.  And she does all this while wearing her cast which draws a lot of laughs, too.  There's no holding this girl down!

Then, she pesters both of us- asking when she can go back and dribble on the field.  When the half time whistle blows- she is like a little bullet and is back to dribbling and shooting on goal.  When the game is in progress, she asks us to throw her balls so she can head them and is just non-stop working on soccer.  So, who says she is not on a soccer team?  Really, she probably runs as much as if she were on a team, she is asking to work on new skills (heading, pulling the ball back with her foot), and gets a lot of loud cheers and encouragement from the fans during the game.

Oh, Emily.  You are something else.  I am really not sure how we are going to hold you off until Kindergarten.  You are ready.  You are willing to do the work.  You are amazing!  Keep up the good work and in a short three years- you will begin your sports journey, too.  Until then, I am going to make sure you have shin guards, water bottles, and soccer balls to pacify your love of the game.  Go, Emmy, Go!