Let There Be Light!

I need a full twenty-four hours to recuperate from Thanksgiving.  I allow myself to take a much needed deep breath before I am ready to ramp up and let the Christmas spirit into the house!  Damien is always thrilled when I start putting up decorations.  His excitement level is about the same as when he goes to the dentist.  Basically, he kind of dreads two things.  1.  Putting the lights on the house.  2.  Patiently stringing what he considers a ridiculous amount of lights on our Christmas tree.  What can I say?  I love the lights!!!

I have mentioned many times in previous posts that my Dad loathed putting up the lights on our house.  He hated standing on a ladder that was seriously twenty feet high (and not safe at all!).  He didn't hate it as much as I did, though.  Apparently, being the oldest automatically got me the job of steadying the ladder as my Dad precariously perched on what looked like tiny metal spindles from my angle.  I always worried that I wouldn't steady it enough and I would cause the biggest Christmas lighting catastrophe one could imagine.  Even with that being said- I have such fond memories of his dedication to getting the lights on the highest peak of our house.  Our house always looked awesome and I thought my Dad was so cool for risking his life for the nighttime glow of Christmas cheer. 

Damien knows of my affinity for Christmas lights and he does a great job of stringing them perfectly on our house.  I love him for it and grin ear to ear every time I see them throughout the season.  This year, he got both Matthew and Claire to help him out.  Michael would have helped had he not been fully immersed in a very important match of XBox FIFA '11.  Just wanted to write this so he knew where he was years from now when he reads this post and notices his absence in the pictures.  It was so cute to see the kids helping their Dad out.  It brings back feelings of nostalgia for me and I hope that in years to come, they remember how important their work was!  It is truly the Christmas season and now that the house is aglow- I can enjoy it to the fullest!  Thanks Damien!
  

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

We are in town every other year for Thanksgiving.  When we are in town, we generally host Thanksgiving for Damien's family!  It is a huge undertaking- but one we do with love and a lot of prep work!  I have always loved Thanksgiving.  Since I can remember, my Mom and Dad have hosted Thanksgiving.  I always took delight in watching my Grandma, Nana, and Mom in the kitchen working feverishly to prepare an amazing feast.  The smells of garlic, fresh herbs, a roasting turkey filled the air and got us all excited for the big event.

It is such a 180 degree change to now be hosting myself.  It is an honor, a big responsibility, but so rewarding.  We had thirty one people for dinner and were so happy that we were able to fit everyone comfortably in the front room.  Sometimes, hosting a party will get you in gear to do some odd jobs around the house.  We have been wanting to re-do our front room for years now.  It was just never a priority!  After much research and me smiling as big as I possibly could at Damien AT ALL TIMES, we did it and now I am in love with the room.  We refaced the brick fireplace with marble and had custom built-ins installed.  I just love, love, love the way it turned out!

I always set the tables for big events the night before (a tip from my Mom).  This enabled me to be able to sit with a cup of coffee Thanksgiving morning and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with my kids.  We all just love it.  We especially love seeing the Rockettes and the kids can't wait to see Santa at the end!  It was a peaceful morning which was just what I needed.  Gina had spent the night so she took part in the lounging around.

When people ask me what it feels like to host Thanksgiving for this many people, I describe it like this.  All is well.  Things are in their place.  Turkey is in the oven.  However, it feels like you are swirling in a tornado from about an hour before the guests come until the minute they leave.  Do I love it?  Yes.  Is it crazy.  Yes.  Anyone who puts this holiday on (or hosts Christmas dinner) will agree with me.  As I said before, luckily the process is so rewarding.

The San Francisco 49ers were on this evening starting at 5:00 p.m. so we had to work the meal around that.  We had a really fun game 'Battle of the Brothers' (The Harborough brothers who are head coaches played each other) where you pick three squares in a grid of 100 to see if you can predict the scores of all the quarters of the game.  We also had a silly white elephant/raffle at the end of the night where everyone receives something Christmas themed and to represent the changing of the holiday.  At times, we were serenaded by Damien's cousin John F. and Kyle on the piano.  I think we were all jealous of their skills!

The food was great and I appreciated every one's help in the kitchen!  And I have to mention my clean up crew who worked themselves to the bone to make sure that things were back to normal as soon as the guests left.  I am pretty sure Gina was doing dishes for at least two hours straight, right?  So . . . thank you to everyone who came to celebrate, who helped in the kitchen, and who helped me restore my home after the chaos.   I couldn't have done it without you guys!  Can't wait to host Thanksgiving again!

Thanksgiving

Be Thankful.  Be Grateful.  Reflect on your Blessings.  Love all that is around You. 

For weeks, I have been stock piling the necessary ingredients for tonight's amazing Thanksgiving Dinner.  Planning, moving furniture, paying attention to the smallest of details.  While I know that I am putting on a dinner tonight for thirty-one people, I try and stay grounded and realize that what I am thankful for surrounds me as I type.  I am thankful for all of you.  One by one, you make a difference in my life and make me the greatest version of myself.  Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Matthew's Preschool Thanksgiving Feast

Yes, today I attended the fifth Thanksgiving Feast at Ballard Montessori.  You would think I would be getting tired of it but that is completely opposite of how I feel.  Somehow- going into it with an expectation of what will happen and being able to focus solely on Matthew's involvement with it provides me with the best of both worlds.

Michael and Claire were so happy that they were going to come to the Feast today!  They were let out of school yesterday so they were happy they could come and support Matthew while also being able to say hello to a lot of familiar faces from their past.  Each child at the school either gets to wear a pilgrim hat or a Native American headdress.  On the car ride over, Claire griped that she was a pilgrim both years at Ballard.  Michael didn't have any idea what he wore.  Classic. 

When we got there, Matthew saw us and immediately put his mouth in the shape of an O.  This is what he does when he is excited/nervous.  I hope I never forget that he used to do this.  We all admired his feathers and let him show us around the playground.  After some time playing we all filled up plates with delicious turkey, stuffing, macaroni and cheese (this is traditional, right?), mashed potatoes, and pumpkin bread.  The kids absolutely love Thanksgiving Dinner so they were in heaven.

As I watched Matthew run around amongst the kids- it dawned on my that this was his last Feast here at Ballard.  Somehow, throughout all the hustle and bustle our life brings, I failed to realize that my little Matthew is going to go to Kindergarten next year at St. Christopher School.  It will be a fantastic step in his journey of life but it is one more BIG stepping stone to becoming older than I could have ever imagined him to be.  Where has the time gone?  How do I stop it?  Happy Thanksgiving Matthew!  Thanks so much for letting us share in your special celebration.

Michael and Claire Are Thankful

As Thanksgiving draws near, we are reminded of those things in our lives for which we are thankful.  I loved getting these two projects home from Michael and Claire's classes.  I am so proud of my kids and thankful for the love in their hearts.

"I am thankful for my Mom and Dad and all the folks who sit around the table, give thanks to the Lord above for the fact that we are able to have the food and shelter we all need to survive, and have the love of family that makes it good to be alive."                         -Michael Swendsen


"There are three wonderful things in my life that I am very thankful to have.  First, I am very thankful for St. Christopher because it gives me a good education.  It also helps me to be a better Catholic.  Secondly, the next think I am thankful for is my family because they accept me for who I am.  They help me when I struggle with things and I'll always love them in return.  The last thing I am most thankful for is the sport of soccer because it makes me stay fit and stay in shape.  Also it makes me super competitive.  There are the three things that I thank God for."                            -Claire Swendsen

Appropriate Shopping Attire

Someone might have put this outfit together all by themselves.  Someone might have even worn it throughout their Mom's shopping trip at the craft store.  Someone might have wondered why people kept saying cute comments to a little boy wearing a helmet through aisles of paper and embellishments.  I really love that certain someone.

A Dad, His Sons, and Yosemite

Back in July for his Dad's birthday, Mark Jr. gave his Dad a mystery trip.  A gift of time.  Well the time came to go do something wonderful and Mark decided to take his Dad to Yosemite.  The original plan, as I understand it, was to try and get all the brothers to go there with their Dad.  Unfortunately, Ryan couldn't go but Damien was able to find the time mid-week to accompany Mark Sr. and Mark Jr. on this amazing adventure.

The plan was to relax and take in all the beauty Yosemite had to offer.  They stayed at the Ahwahnee Hotel and just had a wonderful time.  They took a few long walks, admired the majestic views, ate delicious food, and above all- spent priceless time together.  Seeing these pictures made me happy.  I am glad that Damien's Dad had the chance to get away with his boys.  What a  memorable trip.

My Birthday!

For the last few years, we have taken our extended family out to dinner at Buca di Beppos for my birthday.  Something about family style ordering, a giant circular table that can fit twenty, and a place so loud and crazy- kids' screams and bad restaurant behavior is overlooked.  Party time!

We had a bit smaller group this year because my little nephew Gabe got sick and Jocelyn had to stay home with him.  I was so happy that Gina, Heather, Ali, Papa, Mark and Brennan could join us.  It was really a fun night.

I got to thinking about birthday wishes.  In the past I have wished for a multitude of different things.  But I decided that there is really only one thing that I want to wish for for the rest of my life.  Health.  Health for me, for my family, for my friends.  Thank you for all of the birthday wishes.  I am blessed for sure and love having you all in my life.

Turning 36

Look at the first gift I got on my birthday!  Do you see those beautiful flowers in Matthew's hand?  He picked them yesterday at Claire's soccer game and put them in his pocket.  He was so sad when he went back to his pocket this morning to get my birthday present and found them wilted.  I assured him they were the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen.  How could I not be in a great mood today after receiving a gift so magnificent?

Today I turn 36.  I love the number because it is an even number.  I don't like the number because it officially tips me toward 40.  I could have gone to a lot of places mentally when considering this but I decided to stay in the positive.  What is there to feel bad about?  I am in a good place.  Maybe a few more wrinkles and sore joints but I am doing well!  If 36 feels this good, bring it on!  It's true what they say.  Age is just a number.  I have younger friends that live much older than they are.  I also have friends who are older who act like they are super young.  I guess you just have to know who you are deep down inside and live your life to the fullest. 

One thing I say to myself (quietly in my head so people don't think I talk to myself) is 'You are given one life to live.  What are you going to do with yours?'  For some reason this quote gets me out of bed in the morning.  It gets me to play games with my kids when I have a mountain of laundry to do.  It gets me to the gym when I want to make excuses because the truth is- Mommy has to take care of herself, too.  It keeps me grounded.  I am blessed with the life I lead and I have a clear vision of what I want to do with it.  This dream of mine isn't complete.  It unfolds more and more everyday and just when I think it is the most beautiful life I could ever imagine, part of it blooms and I sit and bask in its beauty.

I am not sure how people view me at this age.  It is easier for me to look inward and tell you how I feel rather than tell you what I think others think of me.  I feel very capable.  I still feel like I can do it all and haven't stopped trying.  Sometimes, I feel like I am still the same girl I was in college.  It was only the other day that I realized I started college eighteen years ago.  That blows me away! 

Maybe it's because that is where I met Damien and not much has changed between the two of us.  We are still silly, love to have fun, and enjoy each other's company.  While I am still so much of the same girl- I also know how different I have become as well.  I am so much more confident now.  I know what I deserve in life, have a real sense of personal worth and awareness, and won't quit until I feel like I get the most out of things. 

I feel like I am at a great place as a Mom.  No more carrying around babies all day.  Instead I get to share things with them that really make a difference.  I mean, what if Michael didn't learn the right way to do the centipede across the room?  What if I didn't show Claire the effectiveness of double sticky tape as compared to glue?  What if Matthew never learned from his Mommy that you can get unlimited free guys while playing Super Mario Brothers on level 3-1.  And how would Emily survive if she didn't know that Wheat Thins are best enjoyed when dipped in chive cream cheese?  Do you see where I am going here?  These are major gems of knowledge that I am passing on to the next generation!  I am at a place in my life where from time to time- I actually have time to think.  Time to reflect on my blessings and time to get organized for the future.  The stress has lessened for me in many ways and I think I finally got my groove back.

My 36th year is going to be great.  I can just feel it.  I am hopeful that for the first time in 10 1/2 years, I will rid my life of diapers.  While I will miss my life with little babies- I yearn to stretch out and grow with my children!  I see so many wonderful changes ahead that give me the strength I need to push forward.  Life is good.  Life is so so good.  I read somewhere that Moms (no matter how hard they try not to be) are always worrying.  Worrying about pregnancy, then newborns, then toddlers, then kids, then kids with projects and homework with pressing due dates, then teenagers who finally experience the beginnings of freedom and independent decision making, then college students who for the first time learn to live life on their own. 

Then comes the day where you worry where life will take you.  What do you do when you don't have to launder the uniforms for school the next morning?  What will it be like when I don't have to make lunches anymore?  What will happen when all this chaos goes away and I am left to reflect on the amazing and crazy years of raising these beautiful kids?  It is this realization that makes me embrace the madness. 

Sometimes Damien and I have to laugh when we go to bed only to find matchbox cars, mini storm troopers, littlest pet shops, and bakugans in our sheets.  You have to laugh and live in the moment.  I know one day life will be predictable.  The kids will be gone.  The toys will remain in their place.  These truly are the days to remember.

Thirty six years of life.  Twelve years of marriage.  Ten and half years of being a Mom.  My life is what God intended it to be and I couldn't be happier.  Thank you to all of those that wished me well today.  I am blessed for having you in my life.  To my parents, thank you for the example.  I try each and every day to be as good to my kids as you were to me.  To my sisters, thank you for being my best friends.  Without you all- I would be lost.  And lastly, to my husband and kids- thank you for giving me the life I always wanted.  What more could a girl ask for?  Our ride at times is bumpy, sometimes we have to navigate through uncharted territory, but the beautiful scenic route we are taking through life continues to leave me breathless.  I love you all.

Soccer, Football and Nonna and Grandpa

My parents came into town for the weekend, like they do most years around my birthday.  We had a packed sports schedule waiting for them!  My parents love going to every possible sporting event my kids have.  It is something I love about them!  They put the same amount of enthusiasm into my kids' sports that they put in when we were kids.  In total, we had seven games and two practices waiting patiently for them!
This weekend was Claire's soccer jamboree.  In years past, both Michael and Claire both played in the jamboree but much to our dismay- Michael's age level decided not to participate.  We were sad for him and them immediately glad that we weren't going to have an even more insane weekend!

My parents flew in on Thursday evening and we were so happy to see them!  The kids were already asleep so the four of us sat in our front room and talked until way too late!  The next day, we were up early to get the kids to school!  My Mom happily rode the morning carpool with me, which I completely loved.  Once the kids were off to school, we went on our usual trip to Walmart.  Yes- that's right.  Every time my Mom comes down here- we take great joy in going to Walmart to buy things we don't need.  I cannot explain it but we love it.  Please don't tell our husbands.  Thanks.

On Friday night, the girls (minus Emily) went to go get pedicures while Damien and my Dad got the kids dressed for my birthday dinner.  We all met at Mio Vicino near Santa Clara University and enjoyed an amazing dinner together.  It is such delicious Italian food.  We all agreed that the winning entree choice went to my Dad who ordered Gorganzola Gnocci which was out of this world!  I will be going back there and getting it again . . . when I am not dieting.

On Saturday after many cups of coffee, we were ready to jump into our hectic schedule when we heard a knock on the door.  It was Gina!  Gina had flown into San Francisco after a two week vacation in Madrid, Spain.  We didn't think she would come down because she was so jet lagged.  But here she was and my parents were thrilled!  We threw her in the car with us and headed to Claire's game. For the  past years two, Claire's team has come in second and third in the jamboree.  They really were focused and wanted to win soooo bad!  After a tough battle, they won their first game!  Then we cruised to another field to watch Michael's team dominate their opponent.  The whole time we were at these games, my Dad was smiling.  I loved it and loved hearing his strategies and suggestions on what skills to work on with my kids.  After that- we returned again to Claire's game where they won their second game!  Woo hoo!  They were so excited!

We went to Mass Saturday night and then woke again on Sunday to more sports!  Claire's team won their first game and advanced to the championship later in the afternoon.  The championship game was thrilling.  Claire was tired and so were her teammates.  You could tell that the busy weekend had taken a toll on them.  After being scored on for the first time in the tournament, Claire's team gathered all their energy and surged ahead to win!  The California Girls won the Tournament!  My parents were beyond happy to see their sweet Clairey accept her trophy and celebrate!  And I just love that they are in the background of the team picture (which was not planned).

On the other side of town, Michael played two flag football games and did great!  It was a busy weekend but one that was completely suited for my parents.  They love their grand kids and love watching them play their little hearts out.  We love having them all to ourselves and making incredible memories.  Thanks Mom and Dad for coming down.  It was an awesome weekend!