San Diego Zoo

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coronado Island

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

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

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

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

Old Town San Diego

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

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

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

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

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

San Diego Road Trip

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

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

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

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

California Cousins

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

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

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

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

Claire's Recovery

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

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

Claire Gets Her Tonsils Removed

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

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

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

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

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

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

Santa Cruz

Knowing that we were days away from Claire's surgery- we decided to take a light hearted trip down to Santa Cruz. Damien's sister, Ali, goes to school at UC Santa Cruz so we were excited that she was going to be able to meet us at the Boardwalk! We woke up to sunny, beautiful skies here in San Jose, loaded the car up, and headed south. We were blasting Beach Boys tunes and having a lot of fun in the car until we hit a pretty substantial (and unusual) bit of traffic before we started over the hill towards the ocean. Despite the frustrating fact that we weren't moving and dealing with Emily's growing frustration that the car was not rocking her to sleep for her morning nap- we pressed on in good spirits.

After about twenty-five minutes, the traffic thinned out and we were cruising! We got there in no time, found some great parking, packed our stroller full with towels and other beachy things, and headed to the Boardwalk. It was a little chilly. Hmmm. Hadn't thought about that when I packed for the day at home. Didn't bring any sweatshirts for the kids but I did bring swimsuits! Brilliant. Perhaps I should check the forecast next time. OR, maybe I could rely on good weather in July!!!! Either way, we were not going to turn back now!

I kept hoping that the cloud cover would burn off, but I was out of luck. It was still warm out but it just was a touch too breezy to not have a little jacket. We didn't let any of this bother us and had such a great time with Ali! Emily absolutely loved all of the sounds and the sights. She thought it was hysterical when her siblings were on the rides and even managed to have a two hour nap in my tired aching arms. Matthew definitely had the 'cool guy' thing going on today. I think Matthew loves that he isn't the baby anymore. He got to go on rides by himself and do things that Emily couldn't. He loved riding the Pepsi truck ride, the boats, and the tiny whales. Michael and Claire were quite the pair today. They rode some of the thrill seeking rides (one rollercoaster with Auntie Ali) and both of them reminded me so much of my own childhood. I loved riding rides that scared the heck out of me! They seem to have that same need for speed! The best part of the day was when they rode the pirate ship. You know, the one that rocks back and forth making your stomach drop! Well, last summer in Seattle- Claire came off this ride crying. She hated it! Michael thought it was the greatest ride ever! Well, this summer Michael begged Claire to go and hesitantly- she did. I will say NO MORE than the fact that there was a complete role reversal on this ride. Damien and I were dying!

The last thing we did today was go down to the beach. We decided to leave the swimsuits in the swim bag (a little too cold) and instead opted to just get our feet wet. Everyone had a great time. Emily "I have NO fear" Swendsen tried to sprint out into the ocean and drown herself constantly. The other three kids jumped, frolicked, and just had so much fun. It was great . . . until the walk back to the car through the sand. Emily, who thought she could walk without holding our hands in the sand, couldn't. So I picked her up and carried her. Damien was carrying our over-packed stroller which obviously couldn't roll through the dense sand. Michael and Claire were kicking sand on each other and on other unamused beach goers despite requests NOT TO DO THAT from Mommy! And lastly, Matthew was trying to chase them down and was upset they wouldn't slow down for him. This, my friends, was juggling kids to the max! We couldn't afford one more problem at this moment. But God tested us as Matthew fell face first into the sand and although he was okay, he rubbed his eyes with his wet sandy hands and packed a huge amount of sand into his eyes. It looked horrible (I had quick visions that the ER was in our future) and he was screaming so bad I almost started crying myself. I kept thinking how incredibly painful that must be! What to do? Well, I yelled at Damien to drop the stroller and gave him Emily. I trapped Matthew between my legs and began to flush out as much sand as I could with water all the while trying to hold Matthew still and keep him from rubbing his eyes again! It was horrible. All I will say is that it took about ten minutes to get him to stop crying and get the visible sand out. Torturous. Seriously bad. I have never wanted to just get to the car so quickly. Deep breath . . . Once we all were strapped into the car and calm after the sand incident, we decided to go to a great Tiki restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz. It was the perfect end to a busy day and although it was nuts at times, I can't wait to go back again!

Prepping for Surgery

Some unsolved mysteries involving Claire were recently solved. Thank you God! Mystery #1. During Claire's Kindergarten year, she was the first one up in our house. Uniform on, shoes tied, smile on her face and ready to start the day with tons of positive energy. This past school year (1st grade), Claire has hard to wake in the morning. Groggy, tired, hard to get moving. It certainly wasn't the Claire I knew but I dismissed it and blamed it on her being less excited for school. Mystery #2. Claire is a very smart little girl. She has a very vast range of vocabulary and has a lot of profound things to say. The downside? She is hard to understand. When she was a toddler and began talking, she was what we lovingly called mush mouth. Every word kind of ran into the next making it hard to understand her. I keep waiting for her speech to be clearer- but up to now, no such luck. Mystery #3. Claire is a pretty quiet sleeper. No teeth grinding like her brothers, just a bathroom break in the middle of the night. So why all of the sudden did I start hearing her snore all night long? And it's not that cute little snoring you see in cartoons, it is the 'sawing logs' kind of snoring that made me feel so bad for her! She didn't have a cold, no sore throat, and when questioned- she never said she had any pain. Mystery #4. Swallowing. Claire is an eater (a girl after my own heart) but she has the hardest time swallowing her food quickly. The only way I can describe it was that when she swallowed she had a little hitch/movement she would do about four times to get the food down.

I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, 'Hello, Lisa. She needs her tonsils taken out!' It is more clear to me now more than ever. But when you are juggling the needs of four kids and trying to keep a household running, sometimes things aren't as obvious as them seem. I never sat down and thought about Mysteries 1-4 as a group, I instead worked with each issue separately and tried to figure out what was wrong. Well, once I looked in her throat after her snoring became outrageous- I saw the GIANT tonsils in her throat. To the pediatrician we went! No infection, just a referral to a great ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist) and a subtle hint that she would probably need surgery. Oh, my heart hurt. The puzzle fit together for me in that moment. The lack of sleep (due to the tonsils obstructing her airway and causing sleep apnea), the garbled speech (huge balloons in her throat preventing her from making clear sounds), the snoring, and the issue of swallowing. Poor, poor, Clairey!

It wasn't a surprise to us when Dr. Arnstein suggested we go ahead with surgery. He told us she would need her tonsils and adenoids removed. He said that on a range of 1-4, her tonsils were about a 3.8. NOT GOOD! We made an appointment to have surgery during summer vacation and felt good that we were going to get those nasty tonsils/adenoids taken out! One of the things we needed to do was get a blood draw within the a week of surgery. Not a hard thing for an adult, really. But for a child, the idea of putting a needle in your arm to extract blood is horrible! I talked Claire through it in the days leading up to the blood draw and Michael (who has had blood taken before) assured her that even though it sounded painful- it wasn't. So when the morning came, I drug all four kids to the clinic and braced for a tortuous experience. Claire brought her doggy named Scruffy with her and I think that totally helped. She was so nervous and to be honest- so was I. When we were called back and I saw the little room I had to bring all four kidsand a stroller into and then try my hardest to keep Claire calm and help her through the experience I thought we were doomed. Luckily, all the kids behaved and Claire- with the help of her awesome big brother and Mommy was a perfect patient. Whew. I was so glad that was over. Now we will just count down the days until surgery. I know it will be hard for her but to get rid of all four of her issues due to the tonsils will be wonderful! Don't you just love these before and after pictures? I love the after picture because she looks so incredibly relieved and happy!

Emily Is Walking!

Before Emily took her first step, I thought to myself, 'There is no way that tiny little human being is going to stand upright and walk.' I just didn't think it was possible! She's just too small to walk! I remember thinking this before my other kids walked. It is such a HUGE developmental milestone to walk. The difference between crawling and walking is so big! When a baby crawls, it reminds you constantly that they are a baby. But when your baby walks, he/she is doing something that you do, too! You don't see many adults crawling around but you do see them walking. Learning to walk puts you in the 'non-baby' club and I just can't believe Emily joined us.

She started to stand up independently a long time ago. She has been cruising the furniture for a few months so we knew walking was on it's way. Plus, she wants to be just like her big sister and brothers so I knew she wouldn't take long! She took her first step on May 24th . . . to her Daddy. Damien, Emily and I were in our bedroom and I stood her up and told her to walk to Daddy. Sure enough- she threw one of her chubby legs forward and walked! And it took off from there! Soon she was linking step after step and before we flew up to Washington- her step record was seven. Then she walked seventeen steps for her Grandpa as part of her birthday present for him. Since then, she has been off to the races and I am exhausted trying to keep her safe! I can't even get a step count because she links so many steps together now. Walking, walking, walking and trying to run, too. She doesn't fall much but when she does- she usually just shakes it off and acts like nothing happened! She is definitely a tough little girl! Emily is now a mover and a shaker and I am a lot busier. Let the chasing commence!

4th of July Pool Pictures

What a great day we had at the Gullotta's house today! Great food, tons of swim time, lots of family, and adorable pictures! What an amazing day! Once again, Happy 4th!

4th of July Weekend

It was a very busy but very fun Fourth of July weekend! We headed up north to Healdsburg to spend the weekend celebrating Damien's Dad's 60th birthday as well as celebrate our Nation's birthday!

With a lot on tap, we packed up and prepared to have a lot of fun! The kids were really excited to be with their Papa on his birthday. They loved the fact that the party was themed with cupcakes! Apparently, Mark's grandmother used to call him cupcake when he was little so it was a little nod to her. I don't know if my kids understood the true symbolism or not. I am pretty sure they were just really excited to eat a lot of the gourmet cupcakes Auntie Lani was going to bring!

Mark's birthday was an absolute blast. Marlene (party extraordinaire) had a bouncy house water slide in the front yard for the kids, a cotton candy maker, and a cupcake pinata all ready for us to enjoy. All of my kids loved it and ran around all day until they passed out later that night.

On the morning of the 4th, our little family enjoyed Mass in the morning and then prepped to head over to Sonoma to attend a great 4th of July bash held by Lani's in-laws. We've gone to this party many times before and the kids were begging to go this time, too. They have a great pool with a slide and we always have so much fun there! Getting my kids dressed this morning in their red, white, and blue gave me great satisfaction. Last year, we were so bogged down with trying to learn how to juggle four kids schedules let alone coordinating outfits! This summer, we are much lighter and more free now that we have all adjusted to our new life with four kids. Claire just adored the fact that she and Emily had matching outfits. Michael and Matthew wondered why theirs weren't matching, too! Whoops. After mass, we spent the morning relaxing with Damien's parents in their backyard while eating a delicious breakfast from downtown. It was a beautiful sunny morning and to think we had a great afternoon and early evening ahead made the day even better. Happy 4th of July everyone!