On Top of the World?

Yes, Matthew and Emily still like us to let them sit on top of the refrigerator.  Totally normal in our house.  Emily will tell you to leave her there and walk away, Matthew will start shaking if you take one step backward.  So similar, so different.  Michael and Claire beg to go up there but we think they might tip it or break the door, and we're sticking to it!  Now let's hope they aren't up there when we aren't looking!

Michael Can Write

Michael does a lot things well.  One of them is writing.  He feels so deeply, sees things for what they are, and can piece all of this together with beautiful words.  I love getting his work home from school.  He just gets what's most important in life.  God, Family, Love, and Togetherness.  I loved reading this, Michael.

Gabe's 4th Birthday

The kids were so excited to hear that their cousin, Gabe, was having his 4th birthday party at a gymnastics place!  Claire actually has taken several sessions here before so we knew just what to expect!  Michael has been crazy busy these days.  He could only stay for an hour before he had to leave and go to his flag football game.  The rest of us got to stay and join in on all the fun!

I didn't take many pictures, which I am regretting now, but the ones I did take reflect what fun this party held!  Gabe was the special birthday boy and got to lead all the kids in awesome exercises!  They used the giant rainbow parachute, walked on balance beams, jumped on huge trampolines, danced to music, jumped into a huge pit full of foam blocks, swung on the bars, and even got to have pizza and ice cream cake at the end.  What wasn't to love?  I loved that Emily and the rest of the kids could get out their aggression in a safe environment.  Do you think I could put a foam pit in my front room?

We love Gabe so much.  He and Matthew are only ten months apart in age and they have so much in common and really enjoy playing with one another.  Emily is like the sister Gabe never wanted :)  She follows him and bugs him constantly.  However, when it comes down to it- I know Gabe loves her a lot.  Both our kids and Mark and Jocelyn's kids are all within eight years of each other so everyone has a playmate when they need one.  Gabe is such a funny, loving, sensitive, and awesome kiddo!  It's no wonder my kids always want to be around him!  Happy Birthday Gabe!  May this be your best year yet!

Bye Bye Bottles

I had been thinking a lot lately about getting Emily off the bottle.  I am not one of those people who thinks kids need to be off the bottle and on a sippy cup by the time they are one.  I think you do what you need to do and however you do it, is fine.  Emily was only using a bottle to go to bed at nap time and bedtime.  I would hold her in my arms and watch television and she would drink her bottle and fall asleep.  That worked . . . for a while.  Then, she started playing with the bottle.  Her normal twenty minutes bedtime routine suddenly was over and hour.  For this busy Mom, that wasn't going to work. 

I was kind of worried about how I would take them away.  I thought of all the ways I could do it without it having to be traumatic to her but I just couldn't figure out a way.  Then it happened.  We had a moment alone in the kitchen and I just asked her if she was done with her bottles.  I asked her if Claire used a bottle and she said no.  I told her what a big girl Claire was.  She thought for a second and said, "Mom, I'm done with my bottles now." I looked at her in disbelief for a moment but then thought that I better keep the momentum going. I got out a bag and one by one she put the bottles and nipples in the bag and then threw them away in the garbage.  JUST LIKE THAT.  I couldn't believe it.  We are bottle free in this house!

I was worried that maybe this brave act would cause her fits when I went to put her to bed that night, but there was not a word spoken about the bottles.  Emily is amazing.  Once she was alseep, I started packing the kids' lunch in the kitchen when a wave of sadness came over me.  That's it.  No more bottles.  Then images of me feeding all of my kids bottles flashed before my eyes.  As much as I was ready to get rid of the bottles forever, I will miss the tender moments when I fed my kids.  Because we are quite certain we are done having kids, this was the end of something that had been a constant for the past ten years.  It is a good thing for Emily to give up the bottle.  She certainly was ready if she gave them up on her own.  I will hold my head high and move forward with her because I don't want to miss a single second of Emily's (or any of my kids') journey.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween has felt like it was four months long.  Between decorating the house, watching the kids waiver between costumes, finding the costumes, going to numerous Halloween parties at different schools, and then finally trick-or-treating- we squeezed every last ounce of fun out of the Halloween season!

It has taken a few years for me to find tune the Halloween decorations on the outside of our house.  Finally, after much tweaking and plenty of help and input from the kids, we got it right!  They have titled our house, The Spider House.  I stretch webs across the majority of the street facing portion of our house.  Last year I found these awesome huge black feathery spiders.  They are perfect.  I purchased about five more this year and we were able to hang them every few feet to make our house look spooky.  They hang on elastic so they bounce and move in the wind.  I love watching people walk by and point to the spiders.  The kids love it, too! (Of course, I do not have a picture.)

Costumes were a big part of our daily discussions this October.  Matthew was firm since the first day we talked about costumes that he wanted to be WOLVERINE!  After flipping through costume magazines and looking for a costume that would show off Emily's svelte figure, we decided on a cute BUMBLEBEE costume!  At first, Claire thought she wanted to be the Queen of Hearts- but after shopping at Spirit Halloween store, she was confident that she wanted to be 1/2 ANGEL 1/2 DEVIL.  Michael's choice didn't come easily.  He was conflicted because he not only wanted a cool costume but he wanted a funny costume.  We looked and looked and looked.  Nothing.  Auntie Nannie even sent Michael an email with hilarious ideas, but they weren't right according to Michael.  It got down to the wire and I told him that by the end of the day, he needed to pick a costume.  After much discussion, Michael decided on SHAGGY!  He told me that he would be Shaggy, if I would be Velma.  Deal.

The first Halloween party we had was at Matthew's school.  Only, he didn't wear his costume to school on Halloween but on the Friday before Halloween (school's choice).  Matthew and Emily got dressed up and enjoyed the fun projects, Halloween themed lunch, and the Halloween parade.  Matthew was feeling cool.  He was so happy that he was the only Wolverine at this school!  Emily could have cared less if there were other bumblebees there.  She felt like she was on stage during the parade, stopping every few feet to throw her bumblebee leg out and wave.  It was hilarious.

All was going well until we gathered after the parade for some lunch.  I looked at Damien and asked if he knew where Emily was.  Nope.  There were so many kids at the school that day.  I was calm and looked for her bumblebee stripes.  Nothing.  After about two minutes of searching, panic set in.  I told Damien to check the other classrooms and I went to the exit to see if she had left the school.  The bad thoughts were going through my head at this point.  When I came back in the school, Damien told me he had found her.  Where was my little lady?  Sitting in another teacher's classroom, singing songs in circle time, with a room full of people she had never met.  Yep, that's my Emily!

Halloween fell on a Monday this year and the kids were excited to start the week off with a bang!  We had to get up extra early in order to get everyone in their costumes, make up on, hair done, teeth brushed and on time.  It was a little chaotic to say the least!  Michael and Claire had a Halloween parade fifteen minutes after their school day started so I just hung out with the two little kids until the parade started!  All sixteen classes at their school parade around the parking lot and weave throughout the classrooms of their friends.  It is quite the sight to see so many kids in such amazing costumes!  Michael and Claire both looked great.  They seemed happy and confident in their choices and I am happy to report, Michael got many laughs (which was his goal).

That evening, we had a Halloween gathering over at our house.  Mark (Fred), Jocelyn (Daphne), Brennan, Gabe, Heather, Chris, and Ali (Mad Hatter) joined us this year!  Everyone looked great!  Brennan was the Black Spiderman and Gabe was a ninja.  The rest of us?  Once Michael had decided to be Shaggy and I went with Velma, Mark and Jocelyn decided to be Fred and Daphne.  Damien, for good measure, dressed as Old Man Whithers and said all night, "I would've gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids!"  I must say, we looked pretty awesome!

We had some yummy food before we ventured out for some trick-or-treating.  All the kids loved going from house to house for some sugary sweets!  I went around the block with Emily, and then returned home to give out candy to our trick-or-treaters.  We get so many kids here!  I love it!  Afterward we had caramel apples, played with dry ice, and ate more candy than you can imagine.

After a long but fun Halloween season- we took off our costumes, turned off the porch light, and counted our candy in the family room.  Just the six of us.  It was a great Halloween.  We truly are blessed.

Great Pumpkin Night!

I surprised the kids again with a Great Pumpkin night.  All the lights out, pillows and blankets from all over the house, hot cocoa, and pumpkin cookies.  I love this night with my kids.  It's so special to have our very own traditions.  Happy Halloween everyone!

Up, Up, and Away

Just the other day, Emily and Matthew got helium balloons from a birthday party.  They were so happy as they walked out from the party with their new treasures.  They ran in circles and found it fascinating that their balloon, which was tied on their wrist, followed them in complete unison.  In typical fashion, I had plenty of errands to run after the party so Matthew and Emily rode with me from destination to destination with their balloons.  I listened as they giggled in the car when their balloon would sneak free from their grasp, only to reel it back in by it's long string.  This happened over and over on the ride and I found it so adorable.

After our last errand, we pulled into Safeway to get a few groceries.  I told them to be careful and hold onto their strings as I opened the side doors to the car.  They wanted to bring their balloons into shop with us and I thought, Why not?  You only live once.  They got plenty of comments from other customers about how cute they looked.  They ate up every last compliment!

As I unloaded the groceries into the back of the car, I could hear the two of them talking about something- but I couldn't make it out.  I came around the side of the car to strap Matthew in when he said, "Mom, we're ready to let our balloons go."  I reminded him that once he let go, there was no getting his balloon back.  He nodded and moved to the opening in the car.  "Mom, can I make a wish first?" Matthew said.  "Of course you can," I responded.

Matthew looked at the sky and thought about his wish.  Then he readied himself to let go of his balloon.  "I wish that Mommy and Daddy had never met."  And just like that- he let go of his balloon.  I stood there in disbelief.  Why would he wish for that?  I didn't want to spoil the moment for him.  He and Emily were cracking up while watching the balloon whip to the left, then the right.  Once the balloon was gone, I asked Matthew why he would wish for that.  He responded, "Because then I could have met you first and married you before you married Dad."  My heart melted.  Seriously, melted.  Matthew stood there searching the sky for his balloon and all I could do was reach for him and hug him as tight as I could. 

In the middle of my heart melting moment, Emily tugged on me and said that she wanted to let go of her balloon.  She didn't need anything from me.  Instead, she nudged me out of the way and let go of her balloon.  Then she screamed, "I want to marry Daddy!"  I loved it.  Taking a hint from her brother, she took the marriage route with her wish, too.  It was a wonderful moment we all shared in the Safeway parking lot.  I promise you that I will NEVER forget this moment.  It was too sweet.  It was too unexpected.  It was the very best thing I could have ever expected to hear.  I just love my kids so much.

Funny Sayings: October Edition

Emily's Latest and Greatest:


















*** "I love Pirate's Booties!" (instead of Pirate Booty the snack)
*** "Oh gross!  Snakes!"  (when she saw a guy in Home Depot with dread locks)
*** Me:  "Emily, what do you want to drink?"
       Emily:  "Water, juice, and guacamole."
*** "Bobble bobble!" (the sound a turkey makes)
*** "Can I have some numi?"  (money)
*** "Ow Ow!!!"  (the sound she makes for an owl)
*** "ALOOTIN!"  (this is what she shouts at birds and squirrels.  shoryuken is a word shouted in the game Street Fighter.  apparently- she overheard this phrase when Michael or Damien where playing and now shouts it all the time!)
*** Watthew (yes, she calls her brother Matthew, Watthew)
*** Taytentine (frankenstein)
*** Taptain Hoot (captain hook)

Matthew's Latest and Greatest:


















*** Pina Koala (piña colada)
*** "Mom, can you make an Officer's Course?"  (obstacle course)
*** Snicks (snickers)
*** Monocoly (monopoly)
***Aster  (after) 
***He says the movie title, Shrek For Aster Aster  (Shrek Forever After)

These are just a few funnies to that get me through the day!

Playing at the Park

Sometimes life gets so busy that I don't get to do the things that I want to do.  It's usually the quieter things that matter more but don't make it on the calendar.  Today, after completing a few at home tasks- I realized that I had been putting off taking Matthew and Emily to the park.  Before I could talk myself out of it or realize I had something I had to do at home- we headed out the door for some fun.  Of course, Matthew had to wear his Spiderman glove.  Who knew if he was going to need to utilize his super powers.

We didn't bring a stroller, instead we went on foot and explored every plant, insect, and piece of garbage on the way.  They loved it.  Should have brought my antibacterial.  At the park across the street, there is a brand new play structure.  We were so happy to try it out and I am happy to report- that the kids LOVED it!  Matthew loved climbing the rock wall and pushed many of his own limits along the way!

I tried to take a few pictures of the kids but didn't get as many as I would have liked because every time I went to snap a picture, Emily was trying to jump off the seven foot ledge!  I love these little guys.  I love them even more when they are on the ground!  I need to do this more with them.  And I will.

Cookies with Nonna

My Mom is so great with planning fun activities for my kids.  Sometimes I am not as patient or as forward thinking as I want to be.  I am hoping that as the kids get a little older (okay, just Emily) I will have more time to be creative.  My Mom loves making sugar cookies with the kids.  She always makes the dough the day before we fly up there and then patiently rolls out the dough and makes adorable sugar cookies with them.  They absolutely love it.

I love making cookies but for some reason, I think making sugar cookies is just too much work.  Making the dough, chilling the dough, rolling it out, trying to make sure the cookies don't stick.  I sound like Scrooge but honestly, sugar cookies and I aren't friends.  Maybe in the coming year, we will get along better but for now- I'll let my Mom handle it!

Of course, she had tinted it orange for the Halloween season and had all of her Halloween cookie cutters ready to go!  She had the kids make cookies in waves according to their ages so that they were not all at the counter fighting at the same time!  What a smart Nonna!

Emily loved it.  She loves this sort of thing.  She loved that she was a big enough girl to do it on her own and she really enjoyed walking the tray with Nonna to the oven where she was able to watch her cookies bake through the window in the oven.

Matthew was totally into it.  He liked cutting them out with the cookie cutters but loved even more the process of painstakingly hand placing the sprinkles on the cookie.  I have to give him major points for detail!

Claire has always loved the domestic activities Nonna sets out for her.  Like a pro, she cut and decorated her cookies with ease!

Michael loved making the cookies but was more excited to eat them!  That is so totally Michael.  He is and will always be a cookie monster and my Mom loves this about him!

Kyle, Morganday, and Tiernan also make cookies with Nonna!  When all the kids' cookies were baked, they were all poured a tall glass of milk where they sat and ate their latest spooky creations! 

Thanks Nonna for making this so much fun for all of the kids!

Kyle's 5th Birthday at Remlinger Farms

We were so excited to fly up to Nonna and Grandpa's house.  We wanted to hang out with the family, but we also wanted to be there to celebrate Kyle's 5th birthday with him!  We weren't able to be there on his actual birthday, but we were going to be in town when he had his birthday party at Remlinger Farms! 

My kids were really excited to go there.  We have been there many times over the years to have fun on the rides, trains, and to even pick raspberries for homemade raspberry jam!  This visit, the Halloween area of the farm would be open, too!  We were worried that we were going to get drenched, but lucky for us- the rain stopped literally as we got there!  Just family was coming today.  My little family, my Mom and Dad, Jake and his kids Morganday and Tiernan, Jill and Kyle, and Natalie and Laura.  This was going to be one awesome party!

We were so happy to see our Kyle.  We all love him so much.  He was grinning ear to ear because he knew that it was his special day!  We were led to a little corral where there were birthday decorations, pizza, salad, drinks, and cake waiting for us!  Jill and Jake got all the kids unlimited access to all the rides and the kids could hardly eat they were so excited!

Once they had some pizza, we released them for some fun.  They immediately went to the hay maze where they played tag and tried to hide from one another.  Right next to the maze was a hay trampoline.  The haystacks were stacked about four feet tall and the kids got to jump off them onto an area completely covered in hay.  It was so fun to watch them fly through the air and jump around.  I was preoccupied by watching my little two year old leap from the hay and stick the landing  . . . over and over and over.   I was sure that a bone break was coming, but she avoided injury all together!

There were roller coasters, a petting farm, bouncy houses, a giant tee pee, a course where you got to race your friends with giant tricycles (how much fun is that?), rides that made you super dizzy (thanks Nat for taking the kids on that repeatedly), rock climbing walls, and more subdued rides for the little kids.  It was so much fun and a perfect way to celebrate Kyle turning five!  Jill wanted to keep the balloons that they staff gave Kyle.  My Dad carried them around the farm and within minutes, he was tagged as Carl Fredricksen from the movie, Up.  It was hilarious!  We also got quite a few laughs surrounding the last brown bouncy house.  I can't even go into it.

To end the celebration, we all took a ride on the train that circles the farm and enjoyed the scenery.  Emily kept telling everyone that it smelled like poop.  Lovely.  Kyle is such an amazing little guy.  I really feel a deep connection to him and love spending time with him.  All of our kids loved being with him but Matthew felt especially lucky to spend the whole day with his cousin.  Emily adores Kyle.  Kyle calls her 'His Baby' and has called her that since she was born.  Michael and Claire think Kyle is super cool and so funny. 

Happy 5th Birthday Kyle!  We all love you so much!!!