Matthew's Bowling Birthday Party!

Matthew is turning FIVE tomorrow!  To celebrate- we invited a small group of friends and family to come to Matthew's Bowling Party!  Matthew has been asking for a bowling party since his Peter Pan party was over last year.  I knew I had to do it!  After looking at a few places, we opted to have it at 300 San Jose which is a really nice and fun alley! 

We decided that we were going to only invite family as he would still recovering from his surgery.  Luckily we did because apparently bowling isn't as cheap as I remember it to be!  Small, shmall.  We still had 28 people there!  Matthew was on cloud nine today.  For the past month- he has been asking how many days there were until his party.  It go so repetitive that I just made a special calendar for him so he didn't have to ask ninety times a day!

We started his party at 11:00 a.m. which was awesome because we had the whole place to ourselves!  We had all ten kids bowling on two lanes and they really had a great time.  There were different skill levels and different strategies- but it all worked out in the end!  The adults got to bowl on the lane next to the kids and I think that everyone had a great time!!!

For lunch, the kids had pizza and soda (what else would you eat at a bowling alley) and all ten of them signed a real souvenir bowling pin for Matthew.  I know that this made him feel really special.  Bowling themed cupcakes followed and before we knew it- the party was over! 

I was really happy that my parents were able to be in town for his BIG day!  They certainly enjoyed themselves and the kids loved having them there.  We were just as thrilled to be surrounded by so many people from Damien's family.  We are so lucky to have such amazing people in our life!

We came back to the house for 'The Opening of the Gifts' and Matthew was overwhelmed by all the cool stuff he received from people who love him more than he even knows.  It was awesome.  Less than a week before- Matthew had gotten his tonsils out.  What a tough kid to go through all of that!  He deserved the very best and I hope that is exactly what he feels he got.  We love you Matthew and can't wait for your actual birthday tomorrow!!

A Prom Party

We were invited to our good friends' Amy and Melissa's 35th Birthday Party tonight.  The best part about the entire thing (other than being able to see our great friends) was that it was a Prom Themed party!  These types of expereinces are few and far between as adults.  As adolescents- we went to so many dances and parties.  It seemed like it was always time to look for a new dress or get creative to ask someone to a dance.

Damien and I were really looking forward to the chance to be creative with our outfits!  We had lofty plans that included scouring the local vintage thrift shops and finding outfits that would knock it out of the park!  Unfortunately, life took center stage and we were scrambling last minute for outfits!  I took the three younger kids to Goodwill in an effort to find anything that would work.  We walked back to the dress rack and would you know that Claire found the dress of the century! 

"Mom!  I found it!  I hope you can fit in this dress!" she said.  I looked over and it was hideous.  Perfect!!!  It fit great and I knew that we were set for the dance.  My parents were in town and offered to watch the kids for the evening.  Gina was also here.  She was proactive at the drug store earlier and bought me a really tight barrel curling iron.  It was also hideous.  Perfect!  I put my hair half up and secured it with a metalic pink scrunchie.  Oh yeah.  Things were shaping up now!  Add a nice pair of panty hose (seriously, I haven't worn panty hose in like ten years) and I was ready to go!

Damien opted for a Zack Morris look from Saved By The Bell. I loved that show and loved Zack Morris so the look really worked for me!  Ha!  The outfits at the party were awesome!  People really went all out.  I have to give the Best Dressed award to our friend Eileen Brinker.  She actually wore her prom dress from high school and she is seven months pregnant!  Her dress was  made of stretchy material and was covered with blue sequins.  Her prom picture with her husband was hilarious!!!!  The party was so well done.  The minute you walked in- you got your prom picture taken with your partner.  It was perfect!  Complete with the white pillars and metallic streamers in the background.  The party was equiped with a DJ, a dance floor, and was catered by this delicious restaurant. 

We had the best time and it was a fantastic reminder to live young!  You are never too old to troll the vintage shops for a hideously perfect costume!  Happy Birthday to my good girl friends!!

Toopid

Today as I was trying to do one of a million things I needed to do in order to walk out the door, Emily took issue with me. 

"Mom, you are so toopid because you are so mean!"

I was startled by this seemingly advanced and rude comment.  I looked back at her sternly and said, 'What did you say?"

"I said you are not toopid because you are so awesome."

How did she switch that around so quickly?  Isn't she only two and a half years old?  Part of me wanted to say "Great job thinking on your feet like that!"  Another part of me wanted to say "You are grounded for the next sixteen years."  Emily is such a dynamically amazing little girl.  What do I mean by that?  I mean she is a loving, sassy, two-going-on-twelve, beautiful, determined, quick witted, always present in the moment, fun little girl.  All these qualities together make up my Emily and I wouldn't change her if I could.  Well, maybe I would take the word toopid out of her vocabulary but I love the challenge of hearing her saying it, correcting her- all the while trying not to laugh.

49er Fever

My husband is a huge San Francisco 49er fan.  His devotion to his team is just as strong now as it was when I met him back in college.  I loved that he loved a sports team!  Being that I am very sports minded- it gave us an immediate common ground and provided us with many fun Sunday's in front of the television.  In the beginning, we used to drive up to Millbrae, California to watch the 49er games with Damien's grandmother, Hellie.  The memories I have with her are priceless.  Damien loved his Hellie.  I will never forget how special their relationship was and I know that a lot of Damien's love for the 49ers has to do with her.

For the past oh, I don't know- ten years the Niners have been pretty terrible.  Instead of the awesome Steve Young filled Sundays I remembered in the late 90s, we have watched inconsistent and unsuccessful attempts at success.  It has been painful to say the least.  And my husband, God love him, has NEVER given up on them.  He watches every play of every game.  Even during the seasons when 'Wide' Richey was kicking and in the last several disappointing seasons with Alex Smith.  While he has been watching them get creamed, I have been watching the kids.  I always think that if I am going to watch the kids for three hours on a Sunday, at least it could be for a winning team.

Bring on the 2011-2012 season!  A new coaching change with Jim Harbaugh, new confidence in key players, and the 49ers found a way to win!  Yahoo!  Our Sundays are happy again!  This season was awesome.  Sundays were a day full of excitement again.  Our kids have really started to watch the game and understand the rules.  It reminds me of learning the game while sitting next to my Dad when I was younger.  I remember asking about a million questions because it is a really confusing game.  My Dad answered every question I had and didn't make me feel stupid about it. 

Screen Grab from the Monday Night Game!

Damien's brother Ryan was able to pull a few strings and got Damien on the field for one of the games.  Can you say dream come true?  It was a Monday night football game and Damien even got on television!  My phone started ringing off the hook after all of my friends saw Damien just outside the end zone after a HUGE 49er play.  I know he will never forget that experience!

Damien Rockin' his vintage 49er gear.  Yes, those really are Jerry Rice's pants.

The Niners made it to the playoffs this year and won the NFC West Championship!  It was so awesome!  Four lead changes in the last four minutes on the road to victory.  It was my kids' first time really getting into a football game.  Imagine how excited we all were for the NFC Championship game.  If we just won this last game- we would be going to the Superbowl! 

Claire in her CRAZY 49er gear.  Look at Sweetie Pie's tongue! 

We went over to Mark and Jocelyn's house for the BIG game.  All of Hellie's favorite football food dishes were proudly on display.  Damien brought over Hellie's Hellie Bear Cookie Jar for good luck and Damien also dug out some of his old forty-niner gear.  Michael and Claire were so nervous for the game.  I loved that they actually cared!

Monday Night Football

Turns out, the 49ers didn't bring their A game tonight.  It was rough.  We had chances all the way up the end- but they never panned out.  By the end, three out of my four kids were crying with disappointment.  No Superbowl for the 49ers but luckily, we really can look forward to a great season next year!

The Infamous Hellie Bear Cookie Jar

Matthew Gets His Tonsils Out!

I had decided in the weeks leading up to Matthew's surgery that I wasn't going to tell him was what going to happen to him.  I knew that if I gave him too much information- he would just have increased anxiety over it.  Before Claire had her tonsillectomy, I told her what was going to happen because she was old enough to handle it.  Matthew is too young and I thought that it would just be too scary for my little man.  Lucky I didn't- because we had to reschedule the surgery twice because he got sick with a terrible cough.

Fast forward to this morning.  We woke up at 6:15 a.m. in order to get to the hospital by 7:00 a.m.  I wanted him to sleep to the very last minute so I actually put him to bed in the clothes he was going to wear to surgery.  Through the darkness, I tiptoed into Matthew's room and quietly lifted him out of his deep sleep.  As we got into the hallway he asked me, "Mom- where are we going?"  I looked at his confused face and told him that after much searching- Mommy had found someone who was going to fix his mouth so it wouldn't bother him anymore.  He was satisfied with this answer and never asked another question.  It was almost like he didn't care what they had to do to fix his mouth, he just wanted it fixed.

We arrived at the Children's Surgery Center  of Good Samaritan Hospital right on time.  They brought Matthew back right away and he just went with the flow.  This was such a blessing for me and Damien.  The fact that he wasn't scared or apprehensive made the whole process so much easier.  It validated my decision to only tell him what HE wanted to know rather than telling him everything.  Matthew colored and basically just enjoyed the attention. 

About fifteen minutes before Matthew was wheeled back- they had him drink a dreadfully awful tasting medicine.  While it tastes disgusting- it is a miracle drug.  Like we experienced with Claire- this drug helps the kids get relaxed and also has amnesia like qualities.  That's right.  Matthew doesn't remember a single thing after he took that medicine.  Good thing I have amazing videos of him when he was completely loopy!  I would put it on YouTube but it would probably make it's way to Tosh.o or become some kind of Internet sensation!

Matthew was in surgery for a little under an hour.  We had great confidence in Dr. Arnstein and knew that although this was going to be a tough day for Matthew- his life would be so much better!  Once he was in recovery, they let us go back and watch him sleep off the medicine.  Matthew looked so peaceful as he slept.  I couldn't help but feel bad for him.  Poor guy.  It wasn't his fault that his tonsils decided to grow like they were on steroids!  They had put in an IV while he was under general anesthesia and I knew he was going to hate that it was in his hand when he woke up.

Slowly but surely- Matthew began to wake up.  He had no idea where he was or what was going on.  The nurse suggested that maybe I should hold Matthew instead of making him stay in the hospital bed.  Sure enough- that did the trick.  He was calm with me and it warmed my heart to know that he felt safe in my arms.  After an hour in the recovery room, Matthew was begging to go home through his tears.  He attempted to eat a popsicle, had a few drinks of apple juice, and we were outta there!  Dr. Arnstein said that his tonsils were definitely a huge problem.  However, the adenoids that he removed in addition to the tonsils?  The doctor said they were ridiculously large and said that his quality of life will be so much better now!

When we got back home, Gina had things all under control.  Matthew snuggled into some blankets on the couch, I forced tons of clear fluids down his swollen sore throat, and Damien and I breathed a huge relief that it was over.  Matthew had tons of visitors throughout the day and was spoiled with popsicles, balloons, coloring books, DS games, and ice cream.  He is a lucky guy to be loved so much by so many people!  For me, the highlight of the day came at naptime.  I put Emily to bed in her crib and Matthew, with his big green eyes, asked me if he could cuddle with me during his nap.  I was exhausted after the long day and nothing sounded better than being with my sweet little boy and holding him as he drifted to sleep.

Matthew- we are so happy that you are sleeping better, that you are speaking more clearly, that you can eat without struggling to get food past those darn tonsils, that you are more rested and clear headed, and that you once again showed us how strong, brave, and sweet you really are.  Enjoy those popsicles and ice cream.  You've earned every lick!

Michael NJB- Red Warriors

Michael switched basketball leagues this year so he could have a more competitive and high energy basketball experience.  Granted it was triple the cost- he seems to be getting triple the fun!  The other league we used to play in had so many strict rules that it was hard for Michael to truly get a feel for a real flow of basketball.  He is flourishing in this league while also being challenged at the same time!

His league this year is full of third and fourth graders.  It is not as easy as it has been in the past which is a good reminder for Michael that he needs to be constantly working on his game.  He enjoys the challenge and the experience has been both humbling and a way for Michael to dig deep and build up some more confidence.  I am so proud of how hard he has been working.

Michael played point guard last year on his team but this year has been playing more of a 2 guard.  This has been new to him and sometimes frustrating but it forced him to look at the game from a new vantage point.  Now he loves it!  They are playing by real basketball rules this year.  No over looking a double dribble or a travel.  Michael might have also learned that you really only get 5 fouls when he might have fouled out in the third quarter.  I will neither confirm nor deny this.  Michael is valued by his teammates and has made some clutch plays this year!  When my parents were down here- they were able to watch Michael play.  The game they watched went into overtime and Michael made a tricky and important assist to the guy who scored the game winning basket at the buzzer!  It was definitely a thrilling moment for him and I was happy that my parents were there to witness it!

Overall, Michael has been having a blast.  I am happy to see him so happy.  I won't push my kids into sports any more than they want to go and Michael is indicating that he is enjoying the ride so far.  Go Michael!  You're doing great!!!

Welcome Sweetie Pie

For all you non-believers, it is true.  We adopted a kitty today!  Meet Sweetie Pie!  The kids are bouncing off the walls with excitement.  It has been a long time coming and they have been so wonderfully patient.  I was able to contact an agency who adopts out little kittens.  Apparently- it is not the kitten season and we have had a hard time finding one.  One phone call to the woman letting her know we were interested in adopting a kitty and we had an at home appointment to meet Sweetie Pie. 

Ellen Wunder, who has been taking care of Sweetie Pie and her brothers, brought the kitty over to see how she liked us.  It was apparent that Sweetie Pie was in heaven with the kids.  After an hour of play (and many pathetic looks from my kids letting me know that if I didn't adopt her they would never speak to me again) we let the lady know that we would love to keep her!

The kids were going crazy!  It was better than any birthday, Christmas, Disneyland reveal I have ever witnessed.  They were just so happy.  For months, my kids have talked about naming their future kitty, Kevin.  Well, that name flew out the window when they saw how cute she was and they decided to her name before adoption which was Sweetie Pie.

So far, so good!  I was nervous to get a pet because I am so busy trying to keep up with my kids already!  Sweetie Pie really has been great.  She hasn't torn into anything but we have realized that she loves paper.  That means unrolling the toilet paper from the roll, finding napkins and paper towels, and loving the newspaper. 

Sweetie Pie doesn't bite or scratch, either.  And this is saying a lot when you watch Emily pick her up and carry her everywhere.  We caught Emily trapping her in her Dora Kitchen already.  Should be an exciting ride!  One other thing, Sweetie Pie loves to lick Michael's hair.  I am guessing she misses her brothers.  She probably groomed them from time to time.  Looks like Sweetie Pie is Michael's new hair stylist!  Sweetie Pie is adorable and I am happy and proud to say that we all love her!

15 Years of Dating

I just want to say that tonight, my sweet husband took me out to dinner to celebrate the fact that it was fifteen years ago today that we went on our first official date.  I am so lucky to be married to someone who appreciates the little things like I do.  We had a wonderful night talking about the good old days of dating.  I even wore red just like I did on our first date.  Fifteen years ago- neither of us could have dreamed up the life we are living now.  To say we are both blessed would be an understatement.  What a wonderful night to once again realize the true gifts in our lives.  Love you, Damien!

Heather's Birthday

The fact that both Damien and I are from such big families means that there are lots of celebrations to be had!  Tonight, we had my sister-in-law Heather over for a birthday dinner.  I had offered to make her whatever she wanted and wasn't surprised when she requested teriyaki salmon, parmesan risotto and my Nana's chocolate/yellow cake.  It was such a nice dinner and I was happy to make it for her.  Ali, Heavenly, Pascale, Gabe and Brennan joined us for the celebration!

Aside from the regular birthday singing and gift opening, there were lots of kids running around which was great because it left the adults at the table to talk and catch up!  Heather is so special to our family.  Over the years, she has spent so much time with us and has taken such a vested interest in our kids.  Her involvement, love, and overall kindness toward me and the kids will never be forgotten!

We wish you a happiest birthday, Heather!  May the year ahead bring you everything you could ever wish for!

School Projects

I have been through my fare share of parenting woes.  I thought that raising little kids was hard but I take it back.  Raising school aged kids with HUGE projects that can dramatically affect their grade is the pits.  It is so hard because you don't want to do it for them!  If I have a deadline for something, I can't get it out of my head and if I let the project linger long enough- I will get completely stressed out.  Well- that's not how Michael operates.  It doesn't seem to stress him one bit.  I am constantly saying, 'Hey- I think you should work on a page or two of your project.'  He is as cool as a cucumber and doesn't seem to get stressed by impending due dates.  I don't get it.  Is he not stressed because he knows when it comes down to it that I won't let him fail?  Does he know that the later he postpones his project- the more I will probably assist him?  Don't answer either of those.  I just figured out the answer.

No one was harmed in the staging of this picture :)

So, the question is this:  How much should you help your child with their projects?  I want to set a good example for him and show him that he should try his very best at all times.  I also want him to know that the thoughts and ideas for these projects should be generated mostly by him.  It's hard to step back sometimes and give full responsibility to him with these projects.  However, after writing this blog- I realize that is exactly what I need to do for him to realize that it is HIS responsibility.  Michael truly is a phenomenal student.  Perhaps I underestimate the fact that he can do all of this on his own.  After all, I am not sitting by him throughout his school day when he is consistently successful.  He does it without me there!  Ah, the joys of parenting.  Much like our children in school- we are constantly learning, too.

Uniformity

What two year old goes into her brother's drawers, finds both pieces of his basketball uniform, puts them on correctly, and then prances into the kitchen like nothing is going on?  This girl!  Emily- you are unbelieveable!  (And for the record- I think she looks WAY more like a baller with both her legs in one short hole.)

Darth Toasted

Last year, Mark and Jocelyn gave Damien a toaster for his birthday.  Not just any kind of toaster, though.  A toaster that burns the face of Darth Vader into the bread!  Cool, right?  Well, kid amnesia attacked both Matthew and Emily (they saw this a year ago and actually ate the toast, too) yesterday morning when they stumbled upon the toaster while rummaging through my cabinets.  Emily pointed out that it read Star Wars but neither remembered what the toaster did.  So this morning, they got the surprise of their lives (again) when they saw their toast and realized it was a little on the dark side (for those of you that know that I am not a Star Wars fan, you realize how awesome that little joke is)!  They were beside themselves.  Matthew didn't want me to smear butter on it, either.  He didn't want to ruin Darth's face.  Emily thought that the toast was the coolest thing she had ever seen!  She then demanded that I smear peanut butter and jelly all over Darth Vader's face because, well- Darth tastes better with a little Skippy Super Chunk.

Another Year Passes

Damien and I were reflecting the other day about the passage of time.  We talked about the never ending days when we dated.  How there never seemed an appropriate time to end the night.  We could talk and just spend time with each other well into the night.  Literally, there were moments when time stood still as the two of us fell deeper in love and realized we truly had a future together.  Those minutes, hours, days, weeks, and years were priceless.

We talked about the passage of time when we were first married.  That first wonderful year where could call each other husband and wife!  Figuring out how to live with one another, how to balance our new life together and loving that neither of us had to go home at the end of the night.  We needed to really learn to live with a forever partner.  How to best respect, love, involve, and coexist with the one person who you vowed to be with forever.  We will never forget that year and the way we lovingly launched into married life.

As life became more complicated, time seemed to slow down.  The minutes in Paris, seemed like hours.  We couldn't seem to pass the time no matter how we tried . . . unless we were sitting next to our beautiful Michael.  I swear- I would look into his incubator, sing to him, rub his tiny precious hand, and three hours would have passed.  Time with our little man was painless.  It was the time we spent away from him that stood still.

Adding Claire to our life confused life's time passage.  We were so busy that time really did fly by!  Don't get me wrong- I spent many an hour wondering if I was going to even survive it but that time of my life was truly a blur.  There was a lot to do in not a lot of time.  I remember keeping a journal of my daily activities.  It was truly such a miracle to see that each day was better than the next.  With the help of God and the occasional Elmo video- we survived the first year of two children.

By the time Matthew came along, life was fairly calm.  The time was manageable.  He was born and transitioned into our house really smoothly.  In terms of time, I just really needed to make sure I managed it well.  Michael and Claire needed to be at school by a certain time so time wasn't so subjective anymore.  Time was something that had more definition than before.  With three kiddos, I also needed to learn to manage my time better.  I didn't have as much free time anymore.  I also had to let go of some of the things that were important to me before.  Laundry could wait, dishes could sit in the sink overnight without consequence.  My kids were of utmost importance and my time was best spent with them.

Father time laughed at me when Emily was born.  And to clarify, it was a belly laugh.  It was almost like he said, 'Good luck balancing all of that!'  He was right.  I really could have used a personal assistant.  I needed someone to manage my calendar, cook the meals, do the laundry, play games with the kids, pack lunches, and shop for my nightly bon bons that I would eat while watching The Real Housewives of Orange County.  For the first several months, time was something I couldn't even grasp.  Looking back- it was laughable.  Come to think of it, I am not sure there is a Mom out there who could survive those first few months with four kids without experiencing true moments of absolute insanity.  But like they say, 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.'  Well, needless to say, Damien and I are really really buff.

Today, time is pretty good to us.  Maybe we have become Master Time Managers or something.  Who knows?  I look at our weekly calendar and it really should give me anxiety or at least make me do some deep Lamaze breathing.  Together, Damien and I manage to make it all work with little sweat.  It's just what we do.  I can't even remember what life used to be like!  Our time these days is spent shuffling the kids around town to school, sports, and other various activities.  And would you believe that these days we even have some time for ourselves? 

The passage of time is a mysterious thing.  I have no idea how it's been eighteen years since I graduated from high school.  Worse than that- how is it that my oldest child is ten and half years old?  All of this reminds me to live in the moment.  The brisk passage of time is a sober reminder that we won't remember it all in the end, no matter how hard we try.  There were moments during my kids' infancy that I willed myself to remember the very moment I was experiencing.  The smell, the feel, the true infancy of it all.  Even though I tried to burn those particular moments into my brain- I don't remember them.  What I do know is that I was present for my kids. When I look at my children's faces- I know that I've kissed the heck out of their cheeks since the moment they were born.  I loved them every moment I could and valued my time home with them.  I don't want to regret anything, especially when it comes to my kids. 

2011, I bid you farewell.  Thanks for the many blessings, the challenges you forced me to overcome, and the cramp in my hand from writing out the many activities we had each and every week.  Thank you for the moments of solice I was able to steal when I least expected them, for the way you slowed down so we could enjoy the view and for the times you sped up when life seemed a little too unbearable.  Life, with all it's twists and turns, is an amazing ride.  I am so blessed to have such wonderful children and an unbelievable husband with me to pass the time- no matter the speed.  Our life is so good.  2011, you've done us well.