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!

EASTER Morning

I am writing about our Easter in two separate posts. This post is the fluffy optimistic post that every Easter morning should be like! We asked, okay begged, the kids to sleep in a little bit before coming out of their rooms to see if the Easter Bunny had come. Ya, that was a giant FAIL! At about 6:30 a.m. I heard footsteps towards the front room. My eyelids were still burning from a fitful night of little sleep with Emily (teething is the worst!). But I wanted to see them check out their baskets so I willed myself up to take in the festivities.

This is really the first year that Matthew felt the anticipation of the Easter Bunny's arrival. He had a hard time falling asleep- poor guy! When he walked into the front room and saw his overflowing basket- he started shrieking! He was just so happy with the candy, his new 'handles' (Matthew for sandals), and hysterically- the Easter Grass in his basket. You gotta love this kid! "There's grass in my basket!" he kept saying! Michael was also happy with his loot. He started popping chocolate at the tender hour of seven but it really isn't a big deal, especially because chocolate runs through his veins anyway. He too, loved all his treats and I think it took all of five minutes before he holed up with his candy in a corner and played his DS.

My girls. I love them. Clairey as usual was just so happy! She loves to get baskets, bags, or any receptacle full of little treasures. She loves to inspect each and every one and just glows with happiness. She got some 'handles' too and a new little decorative egg to hang in her room. She was really in good spirits and I was happy to see her so at peace. I did have to tell her to slow down on the candy because she loves it so much! Don't we all remember how sick you feel after you eat that much candy in the morning?

Emily was just as wide eyed as usual. She was captivated by the new pink Disney Princess ball that the Easter Bunny brought her! The Easter Bunny did put grass in her basket. I bet the Easter Bunny wondered whether or not that was a good idea. Clearly, he/she decided to give it to her and is probably regretting that decision now. I wonder how much plastic Easter Grass I will find in her diaper later today? I also was flying around the room picking up stray jelly beans. Everywhere I turned, there were choking hazards. The kids kept leaving their baskets everywhere and she would get into them. I wonder if I will find a few jelly beans in there, too!

Of course, after all of the fun of Easter morning comes the major pandemonium that ensues when you try and get four kids all dressed up and looking nice in Easter clothes. I posted pictures before of the kids in their Easter outfits and I was excited to get them all dressed up in them again. Today, we are going up north to the Sonoma Fairmont Mission Inn where Damien's parents host around 100 people for Brunch. It takes about two hours to drive up there so we had to make sure we were staying on time while trying to pack, curl hair, iron shirts, etc. The great news . . . we left on time and made it just as promised to the Easter Brunch. The bad news . . . well- why don't you just wait and read my next post!

How To Catch An Easter Bunny

Claire has cornered the market on Easter Bunny catching. If you want to capture the Easter Bunny- just follow Claire's easy steps!

Do you know how to catch an Easter Bunny?

First, go get a net.

Second, trap the bunny with the net.

Third, trap the bunny in a cage.

Trap the bunny in a medal cage.

Now do you know how to catch a Easter Bunny?

Easter Egg-a-thon

I realized that for the past two years- we haven't dyed Easter eggs. Seriously- what kind of a Mother am I? I know what kind of a Mother I was last year- a super pregnant, on-the-couch Mom. As for the year before . . . I have no excuse. This year I knew we HAD to color eggs. Michael and Claire were really excited about it but Matthew was so confused about what we were going to do!

As I was boiling the eggs- he wondered if I was going to crack them and then have a colorful egg scramble. My sweet Matthew. Claire was my little helper and helped me get the newspaper laid out on the table and helped me add the colored tablets to the water and vinegar. Did you know you don't add vinegar to the pink color? So glad I read the package on that one! The kids had an absolute blast dying the eggs. They tried different strategies and watched one another to get some motivation for their next blank canvas (or shell). Matthew stuck mostly to green which I liked and he was super proud of himself!

Clairey was more artistic and went for the marbled or layered look. They tried writing on the egg with the clear crayon but it didn't work well with the light colored eggs. Claire was in her element. She loves projects. Any kind of project, really. She just focuses and sees what she can create and I love that about her. Claire has an abundance of patience when it comes to drawing, painting, and apparently, egg dying. I don't remember being so patient. I fact- I know I wasn't. She was very proud of her Easter Egg efforts and I loved it!

Oh, Michael. He is so in his own element when it comes to being creative. I am trying to hold onto so many different art projects/drawings he does because they are classic and depict exactly what his interests and likes are these days. If you look closely at his egg, he wrote MARIO on it. He often focuses his attention to Mario who is the main character in a lot of his Nintendo DS games. He did make a Luigi egg, too which was pretty funny! Leave it to Michael to make a Luigi and Mario egg but no Michael egg!

We had a great time dying eggs and I need to make sure I make these types of experiences a priority! I love my kids and love to see the things they create when they have the creative opportunity. To think that next year- Emily will have her fingers dyed with coloring is too much! How are these kids growing so quickly? And why, oh why haven't I gotten Matthew's hair cut???

A Crazy Day In San Francisco

Our adventure started when I got an email informing me that you could get $3.99 tickets to the San Francisco Giants game. $3.99? That would be a cheap night out for our family and also a lot of fun! The kids didn't have school today so we took it easy in the morning. By noon, we were all packed and ready to have a fun-filled day in the City. The weather, unfortunately- hadn't been the greatest lately. We were crossing our fingers and hoping that we would get favorable weather. We drove through a lot of rain on the forty-five minute drive to San Francisco. Damien and I didn't talk about it because, really- what was the point? We were now committed to this journey and we needed to hope for the best!


We parked near Pier 39 which is a popular stretch of shops and attractions on the San Francisco waterfront. We had a lot of time to kill because the baseball game didn't start until 7:30 p.m. As we left the parking garage, we were immediately hit with this cold, misty, annoying rain. There was no way of escaping it! The wind was blowing it sideways, it was also hitting us from the top. Basically- it was miserable. We popped in and out of the little stores looking for some respite from the dampness and just hoped that it would get better. No such luck. The last step before throwing in the towel was to eat lunch at Boudin and try and figure out a plan. Surely the game would be cancelled if this rain kept up! Damien and I were not too happy. The kids didn't seem to mind the dysfunction of it all. They inhaled their bread bowls full of fresh clam chowder and were having the best time!

Basically, Damien and I knew we had to make a decision. Either suck it up and hope for the weather to turn or go home. After taking a few minutes to gaze at the famous sea lions on the wharf while listening to our kids laughing and having a good time- we decided to tough it out and hope for the best. We walked for about ten minutes and noticed the rain was lightening. And then it stopped and there wasn't even a cloud in the blue San Francisco sky! Who would've thought things would clear up so quickly! We ended up walking down the waterfront- showing the kids some fun spots and places where Damien and I had fun memories. We told the kids about the 'Bush Man' who sits on the sidewalk behind a garbage can and pretends to be a bush- only to shake the bush at you as you walk by. The funniest part is standing across the street and laughing at people getting scared. Michael really wanted to be scared by the Bush Man. "But, you already know he is there! How can you get scared?" He shrieked, "Please?????" Claire, Michael, and I walked across the street and I told them we had to be really good actors so that he wouldn't be on to us. It was hysterical! Michael and Claire were great and they both got legitimately scared because well, it's scary!

After walking the waterfront, we sauntered on over to Ghirardelli for some sweet treats before the game. It was awesome! The kids got a giant hot fudge sundae and Damien and I split a banana split. The kids were just so happy to be eating this yumminess! Since we were quite far from our car now- Damien suggested he and Matthew walk back to the car and come pick up me, Michael, Claire, and Emily at Ghirardelli. Sounded like a great plan. They left to get the car and the kids and I walked out in front to take in the sights. Everything was normal until we heard people screaming. I thought I heard someone say that a homeless man was peeing on a wall so I disregarded the non-stop screaming and turned my kids in the opposite direction. Then I asked someone what all the commotion was about. This nice guys says, "Oh. Nicolas Cage is over there." What? Seriously? My family is obsessed with him! Then his movies started coming to mind: Moonstruck (my mom and sister's favorite), Honeymoon in Vegas (an absolute fav of mine), Family Man . . . and the list went on and on. I grabbed Claire and Michael's hand and pressed forward through the huge crowd. And then we were right there. Right in front of him. I was trying to tell Michael and Claire who he was but I decided to just tell them he was a HUGE movie star. Claire was starstruck immediately. Michael was more interested in the free chocolate we got from Ghirardelli. Nicolas Cage agreed to take a picture with us so I pushed Claire his way and tried to get Michael to go but he was trying to unwrap his chocolate. And then I took the picture that had Damien in disbelief when he saw it as he picked us up moments later, the picture that sent my Mom and sisters into hysterical screams, the picture that had Damien's family cracking up, and the picture that Claire is more than happy to show you as she feels she has some kind of movie star status, now. You can't buy moments like this!!!

We ventured over to AT&T park to get ready to watch some San Francisco Giants baseball. The kids were totally excited and kept talking about how they were going to catch foul balls. Um, yeah. Good luck with that one! We got there before the game started ad settled into the left field bleacher seats and had a great time. Damien spoiled them with way too many treats but you gotta splurge sometimes! Emily took an hour long nap which was great because I could actually relax and enjoy my kids and the game. The most hilarious and memorable part of the game was during the seventh inning stretch. We were singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame and right before the line, Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks- Damien handed Claire a box of Cracker Jacks. Then we looked up and Claire was on the Jumbotron for a good ten seconds! She was going crazy! First Nicolas Cage- then this??? It was her day. Michael felt burned that he didn't get in the picture with the movie star or on the Jumbotron so he started jumping around with the cracker jacks hoping to get on the screen, too. No cigar. We didn't think we would stay for the whole game but the entire nine innings lasted just under two hours! The kids got some great free SF Giants backpacks and we all grabbed some Cracker Jacks for the ride home.

We had a crazy day. There is no question about that. However, Damien and I are always up for the crazy option. Sometimes when we push the limits- we create some pretty amazing memories. We just take life one day at a time and seize the opportunity to have fun- no matter how crazy it sounds. I am so happy we didn't go home. I am glad that we stuck around to experience this day and I know the kids are happy, too.

Easter Pictures 2010

Here are the Easter pictures we had taken this year.

I love this picture! Emily is manhandling Matthew's hair, Claire is cracking up because she knows what is happening, Matthew is still smiling through the pain, Emily's face is hysterical, and Michael is just grinning and bearing it to get through the shoot!

I promised them candy if they did well.

Classic dysfunctional shot!!!

Wasn't a huge fan of the black background once we saw the pictures. I love Emily in this picture! All pink ruffles and smiles! All the other kids did a great job, too! To have all four of them looking at the camera and smiling is a miracle in itself!

Another cute shot. Claire really wanted to have matching dresses with Emily. Just had to go pink for the girls! Claire's worn blue on Easter for the past two years so the boys could wear pink for one year! I actually like the pink ties on the boys. However, when I dressed them at the studio Michael did say, "You want me to wear a pink tie?"

Love, love, love my kiddos. They all look adorable but something
about Matthew's face just makes me smile. There was a fight before every picture over who got to hold Emily. If you scroll over the pictures- you'll notice whoever is holding Emily is very happy!

The Winner!
Loved all the smiles and missing teeth, Emily is animated but up to no good (as we saw in picture #1), and this picture is more candid and less forced and I love it!!! The photo shoot was a huge success!