Sisters

Just look at these two girlies! To think that last year, Claire didn't have a sister. She was so determined I was pregnant with her sister but we just didn't know. And look at her. This year she got what she wanted so badly. We are all so happy for Clairey and happy for Emily that she has such a loving sister who feels so completed now. After we snapped the Christmas picture, Claire asked if she could take some with Emily. How happy I was to do that for her (and of course me, too) and they turned out so cute! You can see the love Claire has for Emily shine through. Sure this is Emily's first Christmas, but I think Claire is more excited that it is Claire's first Christmas with a sister! I will treasure these pictures and hope you enjoy them, too.

Brothers

I am loving my boys. They really are so good to each other. For the past few years, Matthew was really too young to pal around with Michael. It is only in the past few months that Matthew has been a good playmate to Michael and it has been fun watching their brotherhood blossom. Of course, they bug each other- but for the most part they do great. What a blessing it is that we have two boys and two girls. Although the kids came in boy/girl age pairs- they all have a playmate which is just awesome. I couldn't be happier. Some of the fun things Michael and Matthew like to do these days are play with these short little Star Wars figures (Matthew calls them Chubby Star Wars), they like to play 'Matthew Mean' where Matthew chases Michael and Claire with an axe while wearing a military helmet he calls his 'turtle hat', they love to play 'Hallway Soccer', Matthew loves to watch Michael play Nintendo DS and the Game Cube, they play Bakugan together, and love to be in the backyard kicking or shooting the ball together. It is so great to see them bonding.

I wonder what kind of relationship they will have as they grow older? They are 5 3/4 years apart in age. I know that that gap seems significant now- but we all know that as we grow older the age barriers all fade away. Will they eventually look more alike? Will Matthew continue to idolize Michael? Will Michael still think Matthew is cool in a couple of years? I just want to breathe in these two little guys who make me so incredibly happy. I never had a brother(s). Raising Michael and Matthew has let me get a glimpse of the 'other side' and it has opened my eyes to a whole other world. I love you two!

Christmas Card Pictures

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Yes, yes, yes. Beyond the religious meaning of Christmas (which is of course most important) comes a lot of little preparations for the season. The first for me every year is getting a tree. Then of course you need to decorate it. Once that is done, I take a deep breath for about five seconds before I move my mind to the next item on the list. Next, are Christmas card pictures. Okay. I prepare as much as I can. I buy their outfits as soon as they come out in the catalog and also scout out and purchase Christmas cards before November even hits. Call me crazy but if I do it this way- the outfits and cards themselves do not bother me. Now the Christmas picture. Yes. This is where the drama begins.

When I think back to my childhood Christmas picture- I think of pure torture. Being one of five girls, it took the perfect storm for all of us to be looking at the camera at the same time. We didn't have digital cameras back then so my Mom would shoot like five rolls before the photo shoot was over. When we got them developed, there was seriously always only one picture that would work. The rest were littered with kids looking the wrong way, looking at their sister, laying on the ground, eyes closed, some crying, and some of us had our fingers in their noses and/or pants. I will name NO names here. But now that I am older, I am so glad my Mom an Dad went through that craziness so we have those pictures to look at now.

This year, things actually went pretty smoothly. Damien was out of town and I would have loved his help- but I also knew that if I did it fast, it wouldn't be that bad! All in all, it went really well. Sure there were some high energy moments where I was telling them to just 'sit and smile' but I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the photo shoot. The picture on the top of this blog is our 2009 Christmas Card picture. While I LOVE this picture of my kids- there were some honorable mentions I just had to share. So without further adieu- here they are in no particular order!

I asked Michael and Claire to pose for me to see if the shot would be a good one and wanted to check the lighting. So far- so good. We have smiles.

This is probably shot #13 or so. Claire is 'over smiling' or you might want to call it 'forced hysterical laughter'. Yeah. This one isn't going to work. Plus- Emily is about to fall out of the chair.

We are starting to have more significant problems but surprisingly- the boys are holding it together! Emily is slumped to the side and Claire wants to help her. Still haven't gotten a good shot yet!

Matthew is fading fast. Poor guy. He is in the awkward smile phase anyway so I am trying desperately to make him smile. Man, if you could have been in the room. I was saying things like 'Oh, man! A bird just pooped on my head!'. Yeah. Still not working. This is when having Damien there would've helped. He is the one who has things 'poop on my head' so they look at the camera. He has also been known to do a few Do'h like Homer Simpson which gets a good natural chuckle from the kids.

Seriously? Really? I am starting to doubt the success of my venture. But I must press on. Michael, my little love. He will give one or two natural smiles then falls victim to what I like to call 'cement cheeks' where he can't seem to move his face anymore. It gets caught in this 'smilish pose' but also looks like he might be sleeping with his eyes open. And Matthew, or goose as we like to call him, is totally in the squinty eyed smile phase. I love it though and it was the smile he used in the Christmas Card Picture!

Cement cheeks and squinty eyes strike again!

Almost had it- but alas, Matthew needed to check if Claire was smiling.

Turns out, I got my Christmas Card Picture a few shots back and the kids are DONE with this process. Kudos to Michael and his cheeks for hanging in there. And where the heck is Emily? Merry Christmas to all and to all a good picture.

Nutcracker

Every year we head north to Walnut Creek to see Damien's Mom perform in the Nutracker. She narrates the story on stage amongst the King Mouse and Clara and the kids get such a kick out of it! The performance is so incredibly kid friendly. It is only one hour long but so well done. We always get all dressed up and love cozying into our seats in the auditorium to watch the show.

Just when we thought is was going to be like every other year, Emily went and got a virus. She was on day #3 of a fever and we thought for sure she would be healthy enough but she just couldn't kick it in time. So I stayed back with her as Damien, Heather, and the kids ventured north. They reported that it was as good as ever and Matthew especially, felt the magic of the show this year. It is fun to see the kids faces as they see their "E" (what they call Damien's Mom) up on stage. Right around Matthew's age all of my kids have worried about E up there. They don't want her to get hurt by the King Mouse who wields a sword and always freak out when the final curtain is drawn. I think they think the curtain swallows her up or something. Once the curtain is drawn, they start to cry worrying about E and don't fully calm until they see her and verify that she is unscathed. We love this performance and it is a very important part of our Christmas season. And while I am truly disappointed I couldn't go, I am glad the rest of the family went so the kids could enjoy their E to the fullest!

O Christmas Tree

I love our Christmas tree this year. It is the first time we have abandoned the tradition of buying Douglas Fir trees and went for a Noble Fir. It didn't happen on purpose but I couldn't be happier with our choice. For one, Noble Fir trees have much more stable branches so you can hang a lot more ornaments and they don't fall off. The other thing I am loving is that it doesn't shed it's needles. After having it for only a few days, I can honestly say that Douglas Fir trees for the Swendsen family are a thing of the past!

It wasn't our intention to stray from tradition, there just weren't any good Douglas trees in the Christmas tree lot at the kids' school. Damien suggested we come back the next night when they would get another shipment and I shot him the "What the heck are you thinking- we have all four kids bundled up and standing in a tree lot at eight o'clock at night- we are getting a tree and we are getting it now" look. He really appreciated that one. Turns out, the guy running the lot said he would give us a deal on a Noble Fir. I was hesitant at first until I saw this gorgeous, fat, beautiful tree and that was that.

We put the kids to bed and then Damien and I strung the lights and the ribbon and prepped for some serious decorating for the next morning. The kids love decorating the tree. They love hearing the stories surrounding the different ornaments. They loved our 'First Year of Marriage' ornament, they all loved their 'My First Christmas' ornaments, and they loved these ornaments that I made for all of them on their first Christmases. Each of my kids had an ornament with their handprint and a picture of them on their first Christmas. I cherish these ornaments the most and they make me so happy when I look at them. I made Emily's before we decorated and it was awesome to see the four handprint ornaments shining amongst the others. Matthew is loving the tree so much. He cannot get over that we have a tree in our house. I love having the lights of the tree on so if they aren't, I always say, 'I wish there was a little elf who could turn the Christmas tree on'. This year, that little elf is Matthew who goes and turns it on first thing in the morning. I am looking forward to many a night- sitting in my big cozy chair staring at the lights. Let the holidays begin!

Dream Spa

I was exhausted the day after Thanksgiving. Dishes were done, house was amazingly cleaned up, but I was thrashed. Damien, too for that matter. We hung in a lot of the day and just vegged out. A great party, but now we were two parents with no energy for our four energy-filled kids. Uh-oh. Michael and Claire love to make forts in the front room. They pull these two big chairs I have together and drape them with blankets. Then they get every stuffed animal in the house and just play imaginary games in their new fort. Matthew loves when they do this but they get annoyed with him because he basically destroys whatever they are creating! Well, Damien plopped down in one of these chairs and they basically piled everything on top of him and called it "The Dream Spa". Claire came in the kitchen and asked if I would make her a cup of hot apple cider and then she gave it to her Daddy, unbeknownst to me! He looked so comfy and actually stayed in the 'spa' for about half of an hour.

I got Emily to sleep in the crib and came out to the front room and plopped down on the couch. I was totally fine to not be in the Dream Spa, as I was just as relaxed where I was. But it was only a matter of time before the 'spa' came my way. At first I resisted but then I realized how heavenly this spa really was. The weight and warmth the blankets and animals provided was amazing. I stayed under this majesty for an hour until I had to get up to get my darling girl. The kids loved that they could 'play' with us and we enjoyed it just the same! And the best part . . . they cleaned up the mess!

Thanksgiving 2009

We are thankful for many things this year. The first being our new baby girl who brightens our world. We are also thankful for our health. Four high risk pregnancies and four healthy babies. Whew. How truly thankful we are for that! We are so truly thankful for our families who support us in our lives and keep us centered in a life of togetherness and faith. We are thankful for our friends keep us laughing and busy. We are thankful for the gift of life and thank God today for the many blessings he has given our very thankful family!

We offered to host Thanksgiving this year and were thrilled to be taken up on our offer! Although stressful at times, I do love to throw a big party. Of course this year, the crazy factor was trying to throw a good party while taking care of three big kids and a five month old. But what the heck! You gotta push the limits sometimes to get what you want. Damien's family is huge. Twenty-eight people just with parents, siblings, spouses, and children. On top of that, we were happy to be able to host Marlene's (Damien's Mom) sister, husband and their children and grandchildren. That brought our 'little thankful group' up to a whopping thirty-five. Sprinkle a last minute add-on of one of Damien's second cousins, his wife and their three month old baby and that brought us up to thirty-eight!

At first, we thought it was going to be logistically complicated to have that many people- but after renting a few tables and thirty-eight chairs, we all nuzzled into the living room quite comfortably. We wanted people to feel happy, comfortable, and at ease and I think we accomplished that. In order to plan this even successfully, I had a lot of things that I wanted to be completed before Thanksgiving actually arrived. One of those was getting the tables completely set with plates, silverware, and glasses the day before the event. I also did as much food prep as I possibly could the day before so that I was stressed as little as possible on Thanksgiving. (A big tip from my Mom.)

Luckily, I had a lot of people offering to help with the food. The problem was that aside from my sister-in-law (who cooked a turkey for the party)- everyone else lives about two hours away and prepared dishes don't hold that well for that long. I cooked a 23 lbs. turkey along with Jocelyn and Damien's mom brought down two cooked turkey breasts. Heather brought over all the ingredients for the sweet potatoes, Marlene also brought an array of desserts and rolls for dinner, Lani brought four delicious pumpkin pies and Hellie's (Damien's grandma) famous cranberry relish, and the rest was prepared here! We always have too much food but I always think it is better to have too much than to stress because you have too little. And let's be frank here. Who doesn't like Thanksgiving leftovers????

It was a great party. Everyone seemed very comfortable and the vibe was just really good. Getting enough food cooked my my kitchen to feed a good thirty-five people was a challenge but I think we achieved our goal. The turkeys were a piece of cake. It was the mashed potatoes, stuffing, peas, gravy, and sweet potatoes that were a challenge because they all required a lot of manual labor and it was hard to figure out how to keep them all hot and time it correctly. I have five burners on my stove and they were all being used but think about how long it would take to boil potatoes, then mash them, and then boil three stock pots of water again in order to prep the stuffing and peas. I didn't think about how long it takes to boil huge pots of water. But I think we did the best we could and no one complained. All in all it was a wonderful night and I don't regret a thing. We flip flop years for Thanksgiving so I am looking forward to next year when I can help my Mom in the kitchen rather than have to be the one in charge. Then I hope we get to host again the year after that when my life will be a little bit more sane and I will forget about the absolute craziness that went into planning this years festivities! Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I am so very thankful for each and every one of you.

Warning: Will Not Be Denied!

Okay, so everyone knows that Matthew wants to be a bigger kid than he already is. Michael and Claire represent pure coolness to him and that is why he emulates so much of what they do! If they do it- he will try and do it. I am convinced that is why he potty trained himself so early! I also think it is why his language is so advanced and his sense of humor is so darn funny! Well- he has been having a little bit of a hard time with his bigger siblings playing sports. He wants to play so bad but is still just a little too little. If Matthew were my only child- he would be playing some kind of silly sport right now (sad, but true). But because my practice and game schedule is so busy right now- he'll have to wait a little bit to play on a team! When it is time for Michael and Claire to go to soccer practice- Matthew frantically searches for his soccer ball and proclaims, "I have to go to my practice, too!" He even calls these Nike sneakers my Mom bought him 'his soccer shoes'. He just wants to be like them so bad! We take him to their practices a lot and he will tell me, "Bye, Mom. I have soccer practice!" It is so hilarious!












Well, we took Michael and Claire out to lunch after their soccer tournament and once we had finished eating, we decided to take a few pictures of them with their trophies and medals. Once I had snapped a few different shots, he came over and said, 'Take a picture of me, too Mom!"- and so I did. Then he thought to himself and said, "Take a picture of my back." I had no idea why he wanted me to do this so I asked him. "Take a picture of my back like you take of Michael and Claire!" he told me matter of factly. OH MY GOSH! This kids is unbelieveable! He will not be denied anything that Michael and Claire have or do. So- I proceeded to take a picture of . . . his back. We were cracking up so bad at the restaurant. My parents were still with us and it was just hilarious to all of us! I had to post about this because it is these kinds of little silly stories that I don't want to forget and the fact that I have the pictures to document it- makes it even better!

Silly Fight

At times, there can be a lot of fighting at our house. Mostly it is fighting between Michael and Claire but lately- Matthew has learned the 'skill of fighting' and has joined in on the chaos. I really don't let my kids get away with hitting/pushing/slapping. I have found that in the long run- it is best to stay on top of this and not make idle threats I don't intend to follow up on. We have a rule in the house. Don't use your hands. I am sure some of you are laughing at me and that is okay. I laugh at myself sometimes, too. I have found that by repeating this phrase to my kids- I can cover a lot of my expectations with it. It gives me something to fall back on. I let the kids know that I value them telling me about a problem rather that smacking someone in the hope of solving it. Sometimes I feel like a broken record but you know what? It works! Do Michael and Claire still fighton a daily basis? Sure. Does Matthew run around here weilding a foam axe while hitting people randomly? Yes (but only while wearing his 'turtle hat'). I realize that they are kids and are going to hit but what I want them to know is that if they choose to hit- they will get in trouble. It least gives me a little buffer around here.

We do love a good fight around here, though. There is a lot of competivite juice in this house and when we get the chance to fight fairly and for fun- we pretty much go all out! Damien, Michael, and Claire all had cans of silly string and they prepared to go to war in the backyard. As usual, Damien was totally game for this while I opted out to stay inside with the two little guys. Someone had to do it :) It was so funny to watch them spray each other down out there. There were a few rules. Rule #1- Claire wanted to make sure it was clear that she and Daddy could spray each other, but that Michael was not allowed to get her. No surprise there. Rule #2- No spraying anyone in the face. Claire broke this rule in this picture. Rule #3- Michael then stated that Claire could not spray him. So basically it was everyone get Damien and their plan seemed to work.

They had so much fun out there and it was good for everyone to let loose a little and have some fun. Michael was the one who bought the silly string at the Dollar Store with money from his piggy bank and had the whole idea of fighting. He was awfully proud of himself for accomplishing his goal! Watching the string fly and my two oldest kids laughing hysterically as Damien wiped the string out of his eyes, hair, and other parts was so much fun. You have to stop and enjoy life or it just passes you by. Thank you Michael for thinking of such a fun activity and reminding me what really matters most.

Soccer Tourney

Michael and Claire have had such a great time playing soccer this fall. Both of their teams have been really successful and we are so lucky that they both have coaches who have helped them to become better soccer players while also making sure they were having fun! At the end of the season was a tournament that both Michael and Claire were really looking forward to! Neither of their divisions kept standings or scores during the season so they were kind of excited to compete and have it count!

Of course, this just happened to take place on the weekend when my parents were scheduled to visit! I know that my parents would want to see them play but i was afraid it was going to be a little bit of overkill! They each had two games on Saturday and two games each on Sunday. Throw in my soccer game on Sunday morning and Damien's basketball game on Sunday night and we were looking at a grand total of ten games in two days! Crazy! The tournament was better than I could have imagined. Both kids LOVED it! Claire was thrilled that Nonna and Grandpa got to see her score a goal and Michael was on fire on defense shutting people down to the applause of my parents. It was awesome! Damien's parents, who were in the area for my party later in the day, got to see a game, too! It was a crazy weekend of soccer but so much fun.

Michael's team who was undefeated all year lost 1-0 in the championship game. The boys were in great spirits though and were proud of their effort. Claire's team finished third and they too had a blast. I am so glad we chose to participate in the tournament. For two days there was a competitive buzz in the air and although it was crazy to play so many games in such a short period of time- my kids played their hearts out and were so proud to show off their hardware.

My Birthday (The 34th Edition)

I am never one to shy away from my birthday. I don't need a lot of fuss- but it is a lot of fun to think that there is a day approaching that is all about me! Seeing that these days I am basically doing everything I can to keep our household running- I don't have a lot of time to think about me. A real treat happened a few days before my birthday when Damien asked me to look at the calendar to see what we had going on that day. I looked and written in Damien's handwriting was Lisa In-Spa. Oh, yes! He had booked an hour-long massage and a mani/pedi. What was wonderful about the surprise of it all is that if he told me that I should book an appointment- I probably wouldn't have done it. But the plan was all set in place by my wonderful hubby who knew JUST what I needed. The massage was unbelievable. I hadn't had one since before I was pregnant with Emily so there were a lot of kinks to work out. And I loved my nails, too. So pretty and polished!


My parents planned to fly down the weekend of my birthday and I was so excited. I love having them here. We had a lot of fun just hanging around the house and playing with the kids. My two eldest kids had a soccer tourney the whole weekend so when we weren't relaxing at home- we were at the soccer fields. More on that later. On my actual birthday, it felt weird to say I was thirty-four. Man, it gets weirder and weirder to say how old I am as I get older! It's not like I feel old- because I don't. It's just that I can't believe I am moving through my life so quickly! I suppose that if I am shocked that my kids are growing up so fast- I might want to realize that I am growing up fast with them!!!

Damien and the kids gave me the sweetest gifts. I am really such a lucky girl to have such fantastic kids and a thoughtful husband. I love the joy on the kids faces when they give me gifts. They stare so intently at my face just waiting for my reactions. So sweet. I loved that this was my first birthday with four children, too. I just kept looking at Emily and thinking that last year on my birthday- I saw her heartbeat for the first time. It is so crazy to think what can happen over the course of a year. To celebrate my birthday in style, we all went out to dinner at Bucca Di Beppo. We went there last year too and it is just such a great place for a big group to have fun, eat good food, and be able to socialize while keeping the kids in control. We had the 'Pope Room' this year and I only wish I had a picture of the nineteen people that sat at this giant round table with the Pope's head in the middle of the lazy susan.

My birthday was everything I wanted it to be- and more. A big thank you to everyone who thought of me, sent me a message, gave me a call, and those that were able to make it to my party. I am lucky to have so many people in my life that love me.

Emily is 5 Months Old!

Chubba, chubba, chubba. I am loving this happy chubby baby! Emily is so much fun. She just brightens our days and is such a wonderful addition to our family. I couldn't imagine life without her. Her disposition is so peaceful, happy, and just overall satisfied. She brings such joy to me and Damien but makes her siblings giggle over the silly, happy things she does. I really can't believe she is five months old- yet at the same time I really feel like she is getting older.

This month, Emily has started to crack up. No seriously- she is laughing all the time. She likes to be startled a little bit. For some reason, this always brings on laughter. If you just stare at her for a few seconds and then make a funny mouth noise, she will startle and then crack up! Emily loves when Daddy tickles her! (Mommy is not the 'tickler' in this house.) Daddy has always been the one to tickle the kids until I swear they are going to pass out. I am always the one saying, 'Stop it!' The boys love to be tickled. When I stop Damien, they will ask for more. Claire is like me, she doesn't like being tickled, either. Right now, Emily doesn't seem to mind it. She lets Damien tickle under her arms, on her belly, under the neck, on the back, on the legs and feet. Emily's favorite thing is when Damien takes her hands and then puts them on the top of his head then drags her hands down over his face. She thinks that is so funny! What is not funny is when she gets hiccups from laughing. All of my kids did this. When the hiccups come- the fun is over and with each hiccup, they spit up all over the place! She is now so much more aware of what we are doing. If I start to laugh or smile- she will do the same. Also, if I speak in a really sad voice or say, "Ohhhhhh", she will give me big lip.

Physically, Emily is rolling. Well, kind of rolling. If you put her on her back- she will flip instantly onto her tummy. The funny thing is- she won't roll from her tummy to her back, which is the easier of the two rolls! She is doing some pivoting when she is on her tummy and reaches out and bats at toys. She also tried the exosaucer this month and loves it! Emily has really wanted to start to bear weight on her chubby legs. It is cute to see her try and stand for only for a few seconds, then land like an adorable lump in my lap. She is also babbling a lot more this month and those darned two bottom teeth are trying to make their debut. I am sure we have a good three or four weeks of fun teething ahead waiting for those to break through. Fun stuff! In the meantime, I love when babies drool. Claire was my drooling queen as a baby. Emily is right up there, though and we'll have to wait and see if she steals the throne from her big sister. Claire actually didn't get ANY teeth until she was nine months old. I don't think Emily even has a shot at that. I can already see the faint white lines beneath her shiny yet swollen gums.

At five months, Emily weighs a healthy nineteen pounds! I love a big, chubby baby! The thighs with ten rolls on them, the rolls right before the wrist meets the hand, the double chin, the big belly, the cheeks! I could seriously go on forever! My sisters and I were all chubby and my Mom LOVED it so I think we are all partial to the big rollie pollie baby. I would've loved her if she was not chubby, but in the meantime, I love squeezin' her rolls!!!! She will go in at six months for a check up to get more precise measurements so I'll have to wait for a month to see her stats as compared to the other kids. She still has very little hair (none of the others had much hair and neither did I as a baby). I am anxious to get a little clip in there but I bet it will be another two months or so. Her eyes are still a breathtaking blue and I think she will keep them! Matthew and Claire both started with blue and went green/hazel. I read in Claire's baby book that at this age, Claire had a ring of brown and yellow around the pupil and this is definitely not the case with Emily. I know Michael will be happy to include her in the 'blue eye club' in our house. Then it would be Blue Eyes- 3, Green Eyes- 2, and Brown Eyes- 1. Hey, I am happy to be their brown eyed girl!

All of the kids are able to play more with Emily these days since she is really reacting and interacting. Matthew and Emily have nice quiet playing time when the older two are in school. They all make sure to include her in things and bring her toys/objects that they think she will like. The bigger kids are asking to hold her more and Matthew does this hilarious impression (I think it is me) when he talks to her. He gets this silly voice and says, "Hi, Emily. Hi." He drags out each syllable and it make us all laugh!

No food yet for my chubby girl. I have always waited until six months so I expect I will do the same. She is obviously not going hungry. Matthew still proclaims that all Emily can eat is milk and carrot cake. I have no idea where he got that but it is hysterical! In a nutshell, Emily is amazing. She is a good baby with an awesome temperament, she is napping like a champ during the day, she does pretty well at night, she isn't a whiner, she is smiley and just makes all of us so happy. I try and think what it would be like if we hadn't chosen to have another baby and I just can't! She evens the playing field (three boys, three girls) which makes Claire so happy, and she helps me to remember to not sweat the small stuff and to enjoy not only her growth, but the growth of my other children. It really goes by all too fast. I am trying to slow down and savor it all. Yet, if I forget- I have my blog, my Diary of Motherhood which should help me when I want to peak back into the life of mothering small babies when my children grow older.

Will it get easier as they all get bigger and require less of me? I am sure of it. But right now, I choose to breathe it all it. The spit up, the diapers, the the sleepless nights, potty training, banana peeling, hair combing, shoe tying, and so much more. I know that someday- my kids will require none of this from me. I will be dealing with curfews, boyfriends, girlfriends, driver's permits, and midterms. And while I know that I will enjoy mothering them through those things too, I choose to live life to the fullest and be present for this amazing part of my mothering journey. It will pass too quickly. It is passing too quickly. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a diaper to change.

O-R-E-O

I know that I gush a lot on here about how funny Matthew is, but I just can't help it! It is his sense of humor, the way he knows how to deliver a punch line at the age of two, the one eyebrow raised glance towards me that sends me swirling into hysterical laughter. THE KID IS JUST FUNNY! He has these knock knock jokes he says that are far beyond his comprehension level. He really has no idea what it means, but he knows it makes people laugh. He also watches Michael and Claire and will turn their funny episodes into something all of his own. For instance, Michael was doing on of those games where you fold a piece of paper in fours and then fours again so that you can move your fingers in it to reveal different colors or numbers. Michael was going through this with Damien and then asked him to pick a number. Matthew then listened to Claire tell a story about how Auntie Nannie used to close her hands and tell the kids that she had a surprise for them in there. When the kids would open it- she would say "LOVE" and hug them. Matthew digested all of this and went to Damien minutes later with his hands closed like he would have imagined Auntie Nannie's to be. He said to Damien, "Open my gate". (We still don't know where 'gate' came from but Damien opened his hands, anyway.) Then Matthew shouted "LOVE". As quickly as he finished this part of his trick he then told Damien to "Pick a number". (Damien picked 4.) Then he shouted "FOUR" and looked to all of us for approval! He was so proud of himself and went around the table having us open 'his gate' over and over and over. Weird but hilarious.

Sometimes it is the way Matthew goes about things that make me laugh. Matthew felt so cool after Claire's soccer game when the person bringing treats had an extra treat for him. He waited all the way home to open his Oreos and I left him alone for a bit while I tended to Emily. I came back about five minutes later and this is what I found. A crazy little guy, un-sticking Oreo halves, scraping the creme off of one side, laying them all down on the carpet, waiting for a reaction. And he was so cool about it. Once he saw that we were all laughing at him, he started doing it with attitude and the rest is all hysterical history. Man, I love this boy. He lightens the mood often with his wit while continually filling my heart with tremendous amounts of love. I CANNOT wait to see who and what this little guy turns out to be. It is going to be a funny, funny ride.

Congrats! You Win . . . Antibiotics For A Year!

Poor Emily. The day after Halloween, I could tell something was bothering her. Sure enough, her burning hot little hand brushed against my face in the middle of the night and I knew she had a fever. I gave her Tylenol and hoped that she was just teething. However, I knew that it wasn't that. She was too miserable. Too 'bugged' by something. I let it go on for about thirty-six hours hoping it would get better but it didn't. She just got worse and I was not a happy Mommy anymore. My little girl was sick and I had to get to the bottom of this!

I called my pediatrician the next morning and told them Emily's situation and they told me to come in the office in an hour. When I was getting her dressed- I thought to myself that maybe it would be a good idea to get a urine sample JUST in case she had another UTI. So I fashioned my homemade 'pee catcher' out of band aids and a Ziploc again and got enough to be tested in the office. When Emily's doctor checked her out- nothing seemed to be wrong with her. Her ears were good, throat good, everything was good. Then he tested her urine and wouldn't you know- the UTI is back. Ugh. Part of me was relieved to have a good reason for her fever/sickness and I was happy it wasn't a virus that was going to spread throughout my whole house. But another UTI? I thought we were over that! First her hospitalization from it, then the procedure at the hospital to show us nothing was formed wrong but still- this darned UTI keeps coming back. Basically, my doctor told me that because the infection just won't stay away- Emily will have to be on antibiotics for up to a year. Can you believe it? I mean, things could be SOOO much worse. But a year of antibiotics? Man, that is a long time!

Once she was on antibiotics for just over twenty-four hours, she started to feel better. I, of course, was exhausted after the Halloween push and then having to deal with a sick baby on top of that for three days. After coming off a pregnancy where I wished and willed my body to 'just give me another week' of growing the baby in my tummy- I feel a bit silly for complaining about such a minor issue. I know how bad Emily could have had it if she had come early and then I would've laughed at the Mom who worried about antibiotics for a year. I think it is amazing how I can worry about this after all I went through with Michael. I felt so desperate for him to just live and then eight years later, I am all upset about her continuing infection. Funny how life changes, huh? All in all, it will be okay. All of the things that could have gone wrong with this certain condition, didn't. So I will try and be thankful that all I have to do is remember to give her the antibiotics when I give my other kids their vitamins. Maybe you can help me remember!