Where's Emily?

Emily is always in the middle of the action.  She WILL NOT be denied anything that her siblings are able to do!  Today was Claire's end of the year Girl Scout meeting but Emily thought that it was for her.  Enjoy the next three pictures of Claire and her Girl Scout friends but look at the little two year old that tried to upstage the next three photos.

Claire is posing while Emily is far left.

Can you spot Emily?  She's almost there . . .

Ahhhh.  Emily can rest now.  She's in the shot.

Spring Fling

After rushing over to the St. Christopher gym from Matthew's preschool, we settled into our seats to watch Michael and Claire's Spring Fling.  This is the school's spring music program and it is always done so well.  Mrs. Carey, the music teacher, is so incredibly talented.  She doesn't forget any detail and the kids are always so well rehearsed.

I came into this performance a little emotional as I knew that this was Michael's last.  Once you are in fifth grade, you still have music class, you just don't perform in the programs.  The Spring Fling was hosted by Michael's class so in addition to his performance, he had a pretty substantial speaking part.  He had been practicing his lines for weeks as they were not allowed to use notecards to recite their lines. 

The theme of the program was Broadway.  All eight classes (double grades 1st thru 4th) performed songs from Broadway which I thought was so cool!  Michael's class performed You Can't Stop the Beat from Hairspray.  Michael continued his streak of animated performances as he sang and did all the hand motions for his song.  I couldn't take my eyes off of him.  He was amazing!  Thankfully, his song was upbeat so I didn't dwell long on the fact that this was his last performance.  I thought Michael looked so handsome and mature today.  The boys wore white polo shirts and handmade paper ties which looked adorable.  He really is growing up and I find that when embrace it, it is less painful than dwelling on it.  Oh, being a Mom is hard sometimes.

Claire's class sang a song from Wicked called For Good.  I had heard her sing it a little bit around the house but took it in for the first time when they sang it at the performance.  My goodness, I wasn't prepared for the tears that ran down my face the entire song.  My little Claire was back row center, enrobed in a witches cape made from a black garbage bag and wore a cute little witches hat on her head.  I love Broadway and am surprised that I haven't seen Wicked yet.  I really was hearing this song for the first time and what a beautiful song it was.  A few verses completely took my breath away as I watched my sweet Claire sing them.

-Because I knew you, I have been changed for good. 

-So much of me, is made of what I learned from you.

-You'll be with me like handprint on my heart. 

-I do believe I have been changed for the better.  Because I knew you, I've been changed for good.

I feel so blessed to have my children in a school where they value music so much.  My kids have always raved about Mrs. Carey and anytime I have seen them sing, I have been so incredibly impressed.  Michael, it has been a pleasure watching you perform over the past five years.  I am so sad to see an end to your performances in school but I am so happy that I get to keep rocking out to tunes with you in the kitchen!  Claire, you absolutely slayed me today with your performance.  I hope that over the summer we can learn to play the song on the piano and sing this together!  

Matthew Graduates from Preschool

Matthew had his last day of preschool today.  As expected, it was a bittersweet day for us.  We are so happy for our Matthew.  He had such a great two years here at Ballard Montessori.  He entered preschool a new big brother, who had a lot of growing and confidence building to do.  Matthew is now leaving a bright, intelligent, confident, and amazing kid who got this whole 'preschool thing' down.

On the last day of school, there is always a super fun barbeque.  Just like the Parent Tea Party, this was our sixth end of the year barbeque.  One thing about being the experienced family is that we know the drill.  If you don't get there right when it starts, plan on standing in line for two hours to get your kid's face painted!

We were first in line for the face painter and the balloon artist.  The tricky thing about this morning was that we needed to attend the barbeque at 10:00 a.m. and then get to Michael and Claire's school for their Spring Fling performance at 11:00 a.m.  Time management was key! 

Matthew opted to have his face painted like The Hulk.  I loved it because for me, this came out of left field!  The artist did such a great job on his face and honestly, it fit him perfectly!  Emily, as predicted, asked for a rainbow which is her favorite thing these days. 

We said goodbye to Miss Ellen, Miss Elina, and Miss Peggy and thanked them from the bottom of our hearts for the very important time and attention they gave to our son.  We will have a year break from Ballard until Emily starts her preschool career there.  Matthew seemed ready to graduate.  No tears or sadness about moving on to a new school, just a little bit of sadness for having to leave his good friends.  Luke has been one of Matthew's best friends and Matthew is really sad to know they won't be in the same class together again.  And then there is Connor Feathers who Matthew thinks is awesome, not because of the friendship they have, but because he rides to school on the back of his Dad's motorcycle. 

Thank you Ballard Montessori for another successful preschool education given to one of my children.  Matthew is more than ready for Kindergarten because of the hard work, dedication, individual attention and love you showed to our little guy.  As we left the school Matthew said to me, "Goodbye Ballard and hello St. Christopher Kindergarten!"  How right he is!!!

Hurricane Emily

For all of the chaos, laughter, craziness, amazingness, activity, obstinance, obedience, over capability, outsmarting, and fun that Emily brings . . . she sure is sweet and peaceful when she sleeps.  Baby Adele is always by her side holding her little bunny friend named Floppily.  Sweet dreams, my little girl.

Matthew Pan

Today is the second to the last day of preschool for Matthew.  To make the final week fun, the school has made the last few days themed with something that the kids would enjoy.  Today, the kids were supposed to wear 'Their Favorite Character'  to school.  I don't think that Peter Pan is his favorite character but Matthew is partial to him because he wore this costume on his 4th birthday (which in his mind will go down in infamy).  It also might have something to do with the fact that it hangs front and center in his closet but Matthew only saves it for special occasions!

Matthew looked adorable as we pulled up to school.  The costume made him look so young and impressionable.  He was a bit embarrassed to walk out to the playground in his costume- but softened when he saw Iron Man, Spidey, The Hulk, and Disney Princesses running amok.  I can't believe how fast he is growing up.  Kinda symbolic that he wore a costume today of a boy that never wants to grow up.  And if Matthew decides that he never wants to grow up, that is fine with me.

Why so GROUCHO?

Daddy's Little Helper

Emily has been really needy today.  All day long we have heard her say, "Hold me!"  Damien was playing with her outside and blowing bubbles.  After about ten minutes, he wanted to come inside and wash his hands.  "Hold me!", Emily begged.  So . . . Damien picked her up to go and wash his hands.  Would she let him put her down?  Heck no!  I walked in the bathroom and saw the two of them together and starting cracking up.  Velcro Emily to the rescue!  It's going to be a LONG day.

SCU BBQ

We get a lot of invitations to fun events at Santa Clara University, but we don't end up going to as many as we would like because we are busy!  However, we were able to squeeze this one in and we are so happy we did!  I have to remember to invite all of our friends next year because it is a really fun event for kids and adults!

It cost us only $50 for all six of us to attend!  The event started with a Mass held outside in the Alumni Gardens.  It was a beautiful day and such a nice Mass.  After Mass there was a delicious barbecue, three bouncy houses for the kids to go in, face painting, henna tattoos, a balloon artist, and soccer goals and basketball hoops for the kids to shoot on.  It was even a bonus to have the kids chat with Brandi Chastain (former SCU soccer player and USA Gold Medal winner) as our kids played together.  Claire, in particular, was happy to chat with her.  I know her from college and chat with her when I see her- and the kids have met her many times before.  However, this was the first time they have talked with her since they finally understood who she is and what she means to USA soccer. 

Matthew and Emily both got Henna tattoos on their arms and loved it!  All the kids got balloon animals, too.  Michael asked the guy if he could make him a bunch of sausages.  The artist looked puzzled and said, "In all my years of making balloons, you are the first to request sausages."  That is my Michael! 

The girls both wanted to get their faces painted and they looked so beautiful!  The face painter did such a great job and the girls loved that they looked similar but just enough different! 

Matthew asked the face painter to paint his face like the Santa Clara Bronco.  Oh my goodness.  It was just too much!  Yes, he looked like a Bronco.  But when I looked at him and tried to take him seriously, I just couldn't do it.  Every time he changed his facial expression, both Damien and I wanted to laugh hysterically.  The best was after he had a small crying fit.  He was crying but really trying hard to not let tears stream down his face.  So there he sat blinking over and over and over but eventually, two tear streaks were formed from his eyes to his chin.  It made him look even more adorable, if that's possible!

What a wonderful day, a great event, and another opportunity to open our children's eyes to all the beauty that Santa Clara University holds.

Auntie Heather Graduates!

We are so proud and happy for Auntie Heather today!  She just graduated college from San Francisco State University!  This has been a long road for Heather.  There was a time she didn't think that she was going to go back and get her degree.  But through her own perseverance, through lots of hard work, she did it!!!

Damien, with the rest of his siblings, went to watch Heather graduate at her school.  It was a hot day and I was happy the plan was just to send the siblings.  The kids would have been miserable!  I waited until later in the afternoon to load up the kids and head up to San Francisco to meet at the restaurant where we were going to have a party for her!

The drive was pleasant and we were there early enough to help Marlene set up.  The kids were great!  When Heather arrived, she was absolutely beaming!!!  You could just see that she was so incredibly happy and proud of herself.  One by one, the restaurant filled up with people who loved her and were there to celebrate her!

It was a wonderful day for not only Heather, but for the people who loved her and have watched her on her journey towards getting her degree.  We couldn't be happier for her and wish her the very best in her future!

Matthew's Parent Tea Party

Matthew could hardly wait for today to get here!  For weeks (and I am not exaggerating) he has asked me, "How many more days until my Parent Tea Party?"  I knew that for Matthew, this day would be more important than the day he graduated from preschool.  You can only imagine the absolute joy that was strewn across my sweet five year old's face today.  The day was here, finally!

I had arranged to drop Emily off at Jocelyn's house this morning so that the tea party could be all about Matthew.  I knew he would just love having Damien and my focus only on him!  We brought our tea cups, and prepared to experience our sixth Parent Tea Party at Ballard Montessori.

The first thing the kids do is line up in front of the parents and sing songs that they have been practicing.  Luckily, Matthew was lined up right in front of us so we could really see him!  Matthew looked so handsome.  He was a little embarrassed to be in front of so many people, but who wouldn't be?

They started singing and Matthew looked straight at the ground.  It was as if he just needed a few seconds to get his bearings before he could actually look up and make eye contact!  They started out with my favorite song, Bazooka Zooka Bubblegum!  They continued with a few other songs, which all had hand movements and my heart was just bursting with pride over my big, big boy.

After the musical performance, the kids went back with their teachers to make some plates of food for their parents.  Matthew was really excited to serve Damien some of the brownies that had made the day before.  We also had some fruit and muffins with our tea.

After we ate, Matthew presented us with a beautifully planted flower in a flower pot he decorated especially for us!  He also gave us a picture of himself, framed with popsicle sticks, with shells glued all around the sides.  Is there anything better than getting a gift that your child makes with you in mind?

We had such a wonderful time with Matthew today.  Hard to believe that he will graduating in just a few short weeks.  Matthew is growing up so fast but I truly feel that we are enjoying his ride.  Thank you Matthew for an amazing tea party today.  We love you more than you know.

Happy Mother's Day

I am blessed.  I know that today is a day to celebrate me, but I can't help but want to thank four beautiful little kids, one amazing husband, two amazing grandmothers, and my amazing Mom for teaching, inspiring, and helping me to be the best Mom I can be. 

I woke up to my four beautiful children wanting to crawl into bed with me.  It was the first time that I really felt as though I had a lot of kids!  My bed, which used to fit all six of us moderately comfortable, seemed to overflow with my kids in it!  They have grown so much!  I literally thought to myself, Wow.  It's happening.  They are growing up.  I quickly shook the sadness away because I didn't want to waste a second of this day worrying about the inevitable.

They gave me some gifts which were really wonderful.  I loved the things they made in school for me!  Claire decorated a pillow and slipped a picture of herself in it for me.  Michael made an awesome bookmark where his body was cut from a picture of him reaching up toward the sky, laminated, and then attached to a piece of ribbon.  The bookmark gives the illusion that Michael is trying to hang onto the string of the bookmark.  Not sure if this makes sense, but I loved it!

The kids each bought me gift cards so we can go out on a date.  I always love seeing where they want to go to dinner with me!  (Michael IHOP, Claire Chili's, Matthew CPK, Emily Starbucks).  Damien spoiled me with some cute things but absolutely melted my heart when he brought in the iPad to show me a video montage he made of the past year.  Last year he made a video and put it to music with Celine Dion.  Emily seriously watches the video at least five times a week.  This year, he made the video to a song from Bette Midler but due to copyright protection, I can't upload it to YouTube to show you.  I absolutely adore it!

We had gone to Mass the night before which was nice because we were able to have a lazy morning this morning.  At Mass, they asked us to bring up the gifts which was my first unexpected Mother's Day gift.  I loved walking up the aisle, following my four beautiful children to the altar.  It was a really spiritual and special moment for me. 

We headed to Healdsburg today to celebrate with Damien's family.  We grabbed Gina half way through the drive and brought her with us.  It was a wonderful celebration!  Marlene orchestrated a cute Mother's Day presentation from all the kids.  They each had a line to speak to the group about mothers and it sure was special to see them all up there and nervous to deliver their memorized lines! 

After brunch, the kids swam in the pool with their cousins until it was time to go.  Lucky for us, my kids had a day off the next day which rocked!  No need to rush back home!  We started heading south and realized that the traffic was really slow.  We decided to pull off at the outlet malls to do some shopping and let the traffic thin out a bit.  Twist my arm.  Once we shopped the kids to death, we decided to get some dinner before hitting the road. 

We ended up at a great restaurant that had a little bit of everything.  It was there that it dawned on me that I had not gotten a picture taken with me and my kids all day long!  So we all gathered together between the moose heads on the wall and the video games in the background to capture the moment!  It was classic.  Emily was freaked out by the animal heads but eventually wanted Gina to put her on her shoulders until she could get a better look! 

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mothers I know!  Happy Mother's Day to my Mom who continues to inspire me to be better in all that I do.  Mom, you are my Mom, my friend, and my idol.  I am so incredibly lucky to have you in my life.  Happy Mother's Day to my Grandmothers who are amazing examples of strength, beauty, and the perfect balance of softness and being firm.   Happy Mother's Day to my Mother-in-Law and thank you for giving birth to the love of my life. 

Claire drew this picture of me at the restaurant. 
A picture of her hero. 
I love it.

Happy Mother's Day to my friends and family who have graced me with nieces and nephews and given my children some of their best friends.  And Happy Mother's Day to some of the most amazing people in my life who are not yet Mothers- but mother my children in a way that melts my heart.  Today is a day to celebrate all of those who believe in the very best in children, who teach them amazing lessons in life, and empower them to be their very best.  Much love to you all.