Matthew's Dream Come True

We normally take the kids out for lunch or a special treat on their first and last day of school.  It was no surprise to us that Matthew chose Chuck E. Cheese's.  We have found a CEC that is close to us and also really clean.  The crowds are always small which makes the experience much more bareable.  Matthew got out of school at noon and we headed straight over.  Would you believe that when we walked in we were the only ones there?  That's right!  To make it even better, Chuck E. Cheese was standing in the entrance and took Matthew by the hand and played tons of games with him!  He even gave him the tokens to play with!  It was awesome.  Emily was completely freaked out and glued to Damien's hip so she didn't join in on the fun but Matthew lived it up! 

The Chuckster probably played with Matthew for about ten minutes.  Matthew tried to play it cool but he kept looking at us and grinning ear to ear.  It was awesome!  We have a great video of the whole thing which Matthew asks to watch often.  My kids have always loved Chuck E. Cheese's.  I love it too as long as it isn't a complete mad house.  I think this was the absolutely perfect end to Matthew's first day of school!

Matthew Starts Preschool

Now that Michael and Claire have been in school for a few weeks, it feels right that Matthew goes back to school, too.  Although he doesn't really want to go to school (he doesn't want me to leave him there), he wants to do the 'big kid' thing and go to school like his two older siblings!  It really made me emotional to think that next year we will be transitioning Matthew to Kindergarten.  This is his last year in preschool before he makes the big jump to St. Christopher School.  I want him to have a fun year at this amazing preschool and enjoy being little. 

I want him to fingerpaint, have circle time, enjoy his class guinea pigs named Thelma and Louise.  I want him to build confidence, find his voice, and express himself in any way he wants to.  I want him to feel no pressure at all.  That pressure awaits him in the coming years.  I want him to enjoy going to school for only three hours, three days a week and then come home to me so we can be together.  This time is so precious.  So, so precious. 

The orientation went really well.  He was sad that he wasn't going to be taught by Miss Naheed this year but liked the idea of being taught my Miss Ellen who was Claire's preschool teacher.  Matthew is looking forward to sharing his experience with Claire and comparing notes.  I really think because his sister had Miss Ellen that Matthew thinks he has special privileges.  He is so funny.

Matthew's friend, Luke, will join him for another year!  How great is it to have a built-in friend in your class!  They both went to orientation together and helped each other with the classroom supply scavenger hunt.  This year is going to be a blast.  (Don't you just love the look on their faces?  First day of school for sure!)

Today, Matthew woke up with so much energy.  It's his first official day of school!  Hooray!  I had to make sure I was really organized so that I could get Matthew to school on time!  Matthew will attend school this year on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.  Michael and Claire need to be to school by 8:15 a.m. so I need to make sure that on MWF, I am on my game!

In true Emily fashion, Emily thought the morning was all about her.  She pranced around the playground and even asked me to take a few pictures of her.  She also walked up to Matthew's old and new teachers and said 'hello'.  Emily was oozing confidence and pretending she was going to go to school, too!  Not so fast!

Matthew was excitedly hesitant as the minutes ticked closer to the bell ringing.  He loves school, he just hates when we have to say goodbye.  It happened all last year and I assume that it will happen this year as well.  He tells me all the time not to go.  Please stay.  My.Heart.Breaks.  I cherish these difficult goodbyes.  One day, they won't be so difficult.  Right now, the tears that run down Matthew's cheeks while he pretends not to cry are priceless.  He just wants to be with his Mommy.  It can't get much better for me than this.

Between drop off and pick up, I worked out.  My timing was a little off so I showed up a little sweaty.  Whoops!  When I picked him up, he ran back into the classroom to get something he had apparently worked really hard on.  Out came my handsome little guy with a beautiful necklace made of Cheerios.  And do you know who he gave it to?  ME!!!  How lucky am I?

We all love you Matthew and are so proud of you!  We hope you have a great, last year of preschool.  You're the best, buddy.

Expressions: By Emily Swendsen

Emily has a lot to say about all of us these days.  She is trying to express herself by thinking of things on her own while also repeating things that she has heard others say (and sometimes when I hear things come out her mouth I about die).  Here are a few of her gems:

Oh, I love you Mommy.
Mommy, you're the best.
Mommy, you're a butterfly.
Mommy, you're stupid.
Mommy, you're mean.
Mommy, why you do that?
You rat!
You ear wax!
It's okay I say 'Oh My God'? (when she knows it's not)
Mommy, you so happy.
Hum ear (come here- with arms extended)
Who farted? (which is her 99% of the time)
You poo poo head!
Na-na-na-na-na.
Why I can't be you? (when I am allowed to do things she isn't)
Never!
Can I lick the tomb (spoon)?
If I am on the phone, she will say, "Hi?  Hello?" if she wants to talk to whoever I am talking to!
You farted head.
She also thinks it is funny to call me 'Sarah'.  "Your name is Sarah!", followed by insane laughter.

She is pictured here wearing her 'kitty ears'.  I really think that these 'kitty ears' are appropriate these days.  What do you think?  Emily is so ridiculously dynamic and I love everything about this little girl!

Little Whispers

Damien, Matthew, Emily and I were in the kitchen eating lunch.  Damien walked up behind me, put his hands over my ears and told the kids, "I love your Mom so much!  Don't tell her, though.  Now watch, I am going to kiss her cheek!"  Then he kissed my cheek.  Once Damien uncovered my ears- I asked them, "What did Dad say?"  They both looked at me conflicted (because Daddy said not to tell me).  Then Damien said, "I was just kidding.  You can tell her."  So, I asked them again what he had said.  Emily and Matthew looked at each other for a few seconds and then Emily looked at me with a straight face and whispered, "Dad say you're toopid (stupid)."  We both erupted in laughter, although we didn't want Emily to see we were laughing.  She is too much.

Mirror Image

Damien took this picture of the kids in the driveway in Truckee.  All of the adults were in the house cleaning and packing while the kids piled in our minivan for some fun.  I can't imagine what fun they could have had in there but I remember as a kid thinking even the most mundane of things could be fun!  When Damien approached them, he asked what they were doing.  Claire and Michael answered, "We're playing Mom and Dad!"  It wasn't until I looked more closely at this picture that I started to laugh uncontrollably.  Claire is obviously playing the 'Mom Role' in the passenger with coffee in hand while Michael is nailing the 'Dad Role' in the driver's seat.  Absolutely hilarious. 

Labor Day Weekend in Truckee

The kids had Monday off for the Labor Day weekend so we wanted to do something fun!  Mark and Jocelyn were heading to their cabin so we decided to join them!  Their cabin is in a sweet town called Truckee which is just north of Lake Tahoe.  We went this past winter for Damien's birthday and the kids have been so eager to return!

Damien was on a road trip in Rhode Island and flew back into San Jose at 11:30 a.m. on Friday morning while the two older kids got out of school at 12:30 p.m.  I had the car all packed up and ready to go so that when they got home, they would just have to change and we could start the four hour drive!  Things were going according to plan (can you tell that this is only temporary) and we left right on time!  The drive started out really smoothly.  Kids were occupied by a movie and Damien and I actually had time to talk!  Go figure.  This went on for about a little over an hour before we stopped.  And I mean stopped.

Damien had asked me to look at the map on my phone to see which way was best to go.  We had a few options and I chose what looked best at the time, or so I thought.  When we hit Interstate 80, we were in a huge traffic jam.  It looked like a parking lot.  We didn't move more than the length of a football field for over 40 minutes.  Not good.  I was 'map girl' and I had made a bad choice.  Damien tried to keep it light in the car but I was not so happy with this mess.  The kids were starting to act up, the daylight was fading before out eyes, and we were stuck!  We couldn't even take an exit because we weren't moving enough! 

After being stuck on the freeway for about the total of an hour completely stopped, we managed to wiggle our way to the far right lane and take the next exit.  My smart husband found a route that parallelled the freeway and brought us far enough north to get back on I-80 and miss whatever problem was clogging the freeway.  Phew.  We thought the traffic nightmare was behind us but little did we know, there was more ahead.

We stopped at In-n-Out to stretch our legs and eat some yummy food!  At this point- we were feeling good.  Smooth sailing for the next one and half hours and we would be in Truckee.  We got on the road again and found out that on a three day weekend where most northern Californians are going to Tahoe for the weekend, someone decided to narrow the highway going through the mountains into one lane.  Really?  Construction on a holiday weekend?  The nightmarish drive continued.  After a long, difficult, seven hour drive- we made it. 

It was past the kids bedtime when we arrived, but we had to let them play for while with their cousins.  This gave us time to hang out and decompress, too!  The next morning, the kids were up and ready to go exploring.  No television first thing in the morning- they wanted to eat some cereal and go outside.  I loved this!  Claire and Matthew immediately came up with the idea to gather the many, many, many huge pine cones in the area into one place.  They continued to do this all weekend and at some point, everyone got in on the action!  They called it 'The Pine Cone Kingdom'.

They also loved hopping from log to log on pieces of a tree that was cut down sometime in the last year.  Emily, of course, had no fear. . . to a fault.  If we weren't standing there watching her every move- she would have broken a limb (hers, not the tree's) for sure.  Matthew was more hesitant which is so Matthew.  He has always been more calculated and cautious!  He wasn't 100% sure he could jump the two feet between logs so he wanted help!  Good boy!  By the end of the trip, he did gain a lot more confidence!

Later that afternoon- we went to Mark and Jocelyn's pool.  They pay dues every year to be able to belong to this great pool which is so perfect for the kids!  It has a diving board, it is really big, and it even has a separate shallow pool which is awesome for little ones!  The kids couldn't wait for the diving board.  Claire loved practicing her running dive, while Michael preferred to see how big of a splash he could make with a cannon ball.  Matthew loved doing what he called 'crazy jumps' while Emily tried to see how many times she could be warned from the lifeguard to a) not run on the pool deck, b) not run on the diving board, and c) to jump out from the diving board so that she wouldn't hit her head.  Would you know she was the only one that had to take a life guard sanctioned time out?  Oh, Emily.

We ate dinner that evening at a fabulous restaurant which was set high in the mountains and over looked downtown Truckee.  The weather was so warm and clear which certainly made the view that much more beautiful!  We dined on calamari (which all of the kids loved) and other Italian dishes that pleased everyone!

The next day, we went to the Truckee river to do some wading/swimming!  Mark knew of a great spot where the kids could wade in the river safely without having to be too worried about the current.  (However, we were on our toes because Emily + current = no bueno.)  It was cold!!!  It took a few seconds for the kids to get used to the temperature but as soon as they were numb, they were ready for some fun!  There were crawdads swimming in the water, small little tiny fish, and days before Mark, Jocelyn, and their boys even saw a water snake.  This is course had me on edge but I tried to put mind over matter and not worry . . . too much!

There was a huge rock in the middle of the river which became holy grail of sorts to the kids.  They had to get out there and experience it!  I stayed on shore with Emily but everyone else was out on the rock at one time!  It looked like a lot of fun!  We splashed around for a while longer and then went onto our next water activity.  Damien dropped me back at their cabin so I could put Emily down for a nap while everyone else went swimming, again! 

We had such a great time in Truckee.  Things couldn't have gone better.  Some of the highlights were: a fun game night of Taboo and Pictionary with the adults, straightening Emily's hair, catching grasshoppers, playing football in the cul-de-sac, seeing Emily sleep two nights successfully in a Cars toddler bed, and so much more. We thank Mark and Jocelyn for opening their house to us.  We had a blast!

Matthew and Gabe's Putt Putt Playdate

Matthew has taken control of his own destiny.  Maybe he got tired of me pushing off his requests, maybe he just felt like taking control- whatever the reason, Matthew designed his own playdate with his cousin, Gabe.  It all started when Gabe was over one day playing with Matthew.  The two of them got to talking and then later informed me that they were going golfing.  They didn't ask if they could go, or even see if we might drive them there . . . they were just going to go 'sometime next week'.

Jocelyn and I thought this was pretty funny.  Matthew apparently organized his own playdate and we were all just going to go along with it!  Now that Michael and Claire are in school- it makes little outings like this a bit easier.  Of course, Emily was thrilled to be able to join us but we just had to tell her beforehand that under NO CIRCUMSTANCES was she to go in the water hazards.  Last time we were there, she kept trying to 'swim' in the water.  Not good.  She promised she wouldn't go in the water and I was curious to see how strong her word was!  If you look at the next picture, you will see that next time- we will have to have her promise to not go in the water hazards AND not climb in the mini houses at hole #9 and prevent everyone from being able to golf that hole.  Moving on.

Heavenly and Baby Pascale were able to join us which was awesome!  Pascale didn't golf, but rather slept the entire time in her Mommy's front pack.  The boys (and Emily) whizzed through the 18 hole course.  I think it took them just over 20 minutes to 'complete' it.  (Completing the course means hitting the ball really quickly two or three times, maybe picking the ball up with your hand and putting it in the hole, and then sprinting to the next hole.)  So, since this awesome mini golf place had two sets of 18 hole courses, we tried the other one!  Again, about twenty minutes later they were done!

They had the best time!  Laughing, running, occasionally hitting a golf ball.  It was awesome.  At one point, Matthew turned to Gabe and said, "Are you happy you came on my play date?"  Classic.  Afterward, we headed to the food court at the mall across the street (only the best for our kiddos) and had a nice leisurely lunch and listened to the boys talk about what playdate they were going to have next!  If only life was this easy!

**Editor's comment:  Please note that Matthew wore his Fast Shoes, not to be confused with saddle shoes because they are definitely not the same thing!  He says the reason he is so good at golfing is because of his shoes.  I should do some research and see if Tiger Woods wore saddle shoes with slouchy sweat shorts and a spider t-shirt.  Matthew might be onto something!

Read-A-Palooza

There was a day when I hoped that my kids would be readers.  Well I need to worry no more!  My kids LOVE to read!  They do read a lot of books throughout the school year, but this summer could have been called Read-A-Palooza!  Claire and Michael have been slowly chipping away at the Harry Potter series.  This 'chipping away' turned into an avalanche of reading about the boy wizard!  I love seeing them so completely enthralled with these books!  I find them both curled up in corners, snuggled under Claire's bed with flashlights, and up early in the morning with their books!  I love to hear them talk to each other about where they are in the books and have such enthusiasm for what might come next!

Matthew and Emily obviously can't read but I do make a real effort to take them to the book store so they can explore different book/subjects. We always read a handful of books which they absolutely love.  Daddy reads to all the kids every night before bed so they hear books read aloud a lot!  I hope they can learn from their big brother and sister that reading can be a lot of fun!!!

Full Circle Moment

Matthew was practically glowing after finishing his basketball project.  My little four year old was bursting with confidence and so satisfied at a job well done.  The Popsicle man had come by minutes earlier and all the kids had gotten a cool refreshing treat to cap off the day.  Matthew and I sat down on the warm concrete and had a deep chat as the sun continued to set on this beautiful day. 

Matthew:  "Mom, you're really good at basketball!"
Mommy:  "Thanks, buddy.  You know, I had to practice a lot in order to get better at basketball!"
Matthew:  "Did you practice in the dark, too?"
Mommy:  "Well, Grandpa put lights in the backyard so that I could practice at night if I wanted to."
Matthew:  "Grandpa is cool!"
Mommy:  "My Dad is cool!  When I was a kid, he would come and rebound for me just like I did for you!"
Matthew:  "Did you practice in the rain?"
Mommy:  "Actually, I did.  A lot!"
Matthew:  "Didn't you get wet and cold?"
Mommy:  "I did!  But I really loved basketball and wanted to be the best I could be!"
Matthew:  "Did Nonna and Grandpa make food for you to eat after you practiced so much?"
Mommy:  laughing a little, "Nonna did.  She is a great cook and took great care of me!"
Matthew:  "That's really nice"
Mommy:  "I know!"

There was about a minute pause as Matthew was deep in thought.  He kept wrinkling his forehead while simultaneously eating his sno-cone.

Matthew:  "So, Mom.  I was thinking . . . I want to be just like you."
Mommy:  "Matthew, that makes my heart so happy!"
Another few seconds of concentrated silence.
Matthew:  "Can boys play basketball in college, too?  I would love to play basketball at Santa Clara University."

I was stunned by what he had just said.  Could men play sports in college?  I thought about that for a second.  Here was my beautiful four year old son asking me if he might have the opportunity to do what I did!  It was in this moment that I realized what a strong female role model I must be for my children.  So much so- that Matthew wished that men could have the same privileges as women!  What a full circle moment.  One generation before me- women were fighting for the right to play sports.  Now, two generations later- my son asks if men have the same opportunities as women.  Times have changed and I am so thrilled to have raised my children with a sense of equality and empowerment.

Mommy:  "Of course you can play at Santa Clara!  You can do anything you set your mind to."
Matthew:  "Yay!"

And that was it.  A moment I won't soon forget.  I moment that made me feel so blessed for my amazing journey through life.  A moment that reminded me to help guide and encourage my own children on their journeys, as well.  Life is precious.  Thank you Matthew for our talk tonight.  I will rebound for you anytime. 

Nothing But Net

Matthew is becoming more and more interested in sports lately.  I know it probably has a lot to do with the vast exposure he gets from his older siblings.  He loves soccer, basketball, and baseball!  He loves to go and battle Michael in soccer in the backyard and is constantly asking Damien to pitch to him, too!  Matthew has caught the sports fever and I love it!

The other day when we were out by the basketball court, it dawned on me that Matthew never shoots on our big hoop.  He will shoot on the two smaller hoops we have, but I had never seen him attempt a shot on the big hoop (which is adjustable).  I asked him if he had ever made a hoop on the big basket and he said "No!"  I told him that was about to change!  "Alright Matthew.  Shoot it up high, buddy!", I said.  He told me he couldn't do it.  "Yes, you can!  Just shoot it up and out!", I encouraged him.  Sure enough, he set his feet and shot it up and out.  SWISH!  By the look of amazement on Matthew's face, you would have thought it was Christmas morning!  "My first big boy basket!", he cheered!  It was awesome.

Matthew caught basketball fever in that very moment.  He got a focused look on his face and stayed outside shooting hoops for two hours.  When I put him to bed that night- he asked me, "Can I go outside and shoot hoops when I wake up in the morning?"  It was adorable.

The next day, he asked me to draw a line around the hoop so he could put x's on it where he made baskets.  I thought he was going to draw BIG x's but he was drawing these teeny weeny x's which I thought would make this project last forever!  I tried to convince him to make them bigger, but he was dead set in keeping it the way it was!  It took him all day to finish putting x's around the chalk-drawn arch.  After his last basket, we counted the x's he/we had drawn and realized that he had shot and made 70 baskets!  Matthew rocks!

Matthew loves projects.  If you give him a math workbook, he will sit and focus until he completes it.  He attacked this 'basketball project' the same way.  Determined, focused, and unwilling to stop until he had reached his goal!  We all couldn't believe what he had done.  Claire, Michael, Damien, Emily, and I cheered him on and were so proud of his accomplishment!

Go Matthew, Go!

Big Sister Clairey

Claire has been loving carrying the two little kids lately.  The other day, she screamed for me to come in her room.  It sounded like something was extremely urgent!  I came running into her room expecting that someone might have lost a limb or was unconscious.  Then, I saw this.  Claire was carrying both Emily and Matthew at the same time and wanted me to see it!  The trouble was, her grip was slipping and she desperately wanted to share this moment with me!  I was so happy to have witnessed this insanity!  I absolutely love the priceless look on all of their faces!  They all knew they were slipping and to think they held on so I could snap this picture is awesome!  Love these little kids.

The Farm with Friends

Today, we went to Emma Prusch Farm with our great friends!  We were so lucky to be able to find a time where my friend, Karen and her kiddos Luke and Brinn could join us for a playdate!  Hanging out with them is so much fun.  Both of her kids are the same genders and ages of my two younger kids.  This makes things so easy as everyone has a playmate with similar interests!

We got there a little early so we let the kids run all over the huge patches of grass and play on the really cool play structure.  The little girls were so enamored with the sweet little chicks, hens, and roosters walking freely on the property.  The boys were more interested in chasing them and seeing if they could make them fly.  Go figure! 

Once the petting zoo/farm house was open, the kids were giddy with excitement.  First, they wanted to see the goats and pigs.  This was soon followed by four small voices saying, "Ewwww!  They're stinky!  Look at their poop!  Look at all the flies!".  Then we moved on to the cows where Matthew confidently lectured the other kids about how this particular brown cow makes chocolate milk- not white milk. 

We then went to the petting zoo area where you can see peacocks, geese, and some more exotic birds.  I am just going to come out and say that this isn't my favorite place to be.  I am not a fan of birds, more specifically hungry three foot tall geese,  pecking at my legs or feet.  I also, have no ability to shut off my screaming reflex which  when being bitten- which might startle my kids.  I'm sure you know where I'm going with this.

There is a gumball machine in the petting zoo area where you can get a handful of bird feed for 25 cents.  We happened to have a ton of quarters so the kids got to feed the birds for a long time!  This made the birds kind of aggressive by the end.  They knew we were going to be giving them one heck of a breakfast!  So, naturally- the mean geese started honking and biting us!  They started nibbling on the kids hands and biting my toes while I was trying to take some cute pictures of the kids!  Naturally, I let out a few yelps and then declared this feeding experience over!

We ended the excursion by watching the kids climb on old tractors and argue over who got to sit in the driver's seat.  Karen and I couldn't help but just laugh.  What else were we going to do?  We loved meeting our amazing friends out for a midweek playdate.  We are already planning on what we should do next!

Do I Need More Reasons to Love My Kids?

We have been going on nightly walks lately.  It's a good way to escape the heat while also stretching our legs and getting some exercise!  Tonight, Michael wanted to wear sunglasses.  Clearly, it had a ripple effect.  At first it frustrated me because it delayed our departure, but in the end- it was amazing.  I love these kiddos!

Please note Matthew's extra awesome glasses selection.  He wondered why the glasses he picked had ear warmers.  Thank you, thank you very much.