Dreaming of a Bubbly Christmas

You would think since the kids were up to at least 1:30 a.m., they would have slept in this morning.  Yah.  Not so much.  I don't blame them!  We are at Nonna and Grandpa's and there is lots of fun to be had!  Naturally, the boys were outside rough housing while the girls stayed in and played in the sink.  Yep- played in the sink.  My parents have a faucet on one of their kitchen sinks that starts and stops when you tap it.  Emily is OBSESSED!  No sooner would she walk in the kitchen, would she be pushing one of their bar stools over to the sink to tap, tap, tap away!

Because my Mom is the best, she let Emily and Claire have a lot of fun with it.  Emily got to squirt dish soap in the water and splash around.  When the sink was full of suds- Nonna, Claire, and Emily started playing Santa by putting bubble beards on their faces!  Pretty funny if you ask me!

The big event happened when Nonna let Emily do some dishes.  I am quite confident the boys wouldn't have been interested in this fun activity.  My girls on the other hand, loved it.  We don't have a lot planned for the next few days other than relaxing and enjoying the days leading up until Christmas.  And I have to admit- for the first time in a while, I actually feel relaxed.

Airport Snafu

Since we fly every holiday season, we know that the airports can be a mess.  We generally see long lines full of anxious fliers who have a plethora of bags bursting at the seams.  Sometimes the lines for check-in and security have been nightmarishly long and other times, it's a ghost town.  We weren't sure what was in store for us so we decided to play it safe and arrive at the airport two hours prior to our flight.  We generally take a taxi cab to the airport because it just too crazy to switch carseats, plan ahead, and we'd rather not burden anyone. 

Just before we were supposed to leave for the airport, I decided to look online at our flight status.  Just as the screen popped up on my computer the phone rang letting me know the cab was here.  I looked carefully at the screen and saw our flight was two hours delayed.  Awesome.  Cab was already here, flight is not going to take off anytime soon.  We decided to go ahead and go to the airport and hope for a gate or plan change.  Our flight was supposed to take off at 6:45 p.m. which would have gotten us into Seattle at 8:50 p.m.  Now we were looking to land around 11:00 p.m. in Seattle.  Awesome.

To spare you the details, we spent a total of 5 1/2 hours in the airport before our flight even took off!  It was miserable!  We tried to eat a long dinner to pass the time but that only burned an hour.  As you can imagine, our evening was not like we planned.  We ended up landing in Seattle at 12:15 a.m.  Yep, that is how we started our holiday.  None of the kids even napped on the plane and they didn't get to bed at my Mom and Dad's until 1:30 a.m.  Thank goodness we got here safely.  This crazy holiday season just got a whole lot more crazy!  Let the madness begin!

Claire's Advent Preparation

Prepare

By:  Claire Swendsen

It's very important that I prepare my heart during the Advent season.  First, I will do more favors such as washing the dishes, cleaning my room, making dinner for my family and so on.  Second, thinking of others and not myself is something else I will do and will especially do it at night when I am saying my prayer.  Lastly, trying to bring Food for Friends (a charity at the kids school) is the last thing I will do and I will try to bring at least three things a week to give.  These ideas will help my light shine to get ready for Christmas.

Michael's Creative Writing

A Snowy Day

By:  Michael Swendsen

When I visit Tahoe I feel the chilly winter breeze sting my skin while I tiredly pull the sled up the white hill.  I set the sled on the hill's edge and sit down and lean forward.  I feel the snow fly at my face as I go down.  I sigh with exhaustion as I take off and step inside the cabin.  I plop my feet (which feel like ice) in front of the fire, and I sip delicious warm hot chocolate.  My salivary glands were rapidly increasing my saliva in my mouth.  When I finished my hot chocolate I went outside and had a snowball fight and I got a snowball in the face!  I was flabbergasted by the powerful performance of the terrifying sting of the frigid ball of ice.  I think Tahoe is a winter wonderland!  The End!

(I love all of the descriptive words Michael used.  It cracks me up that he used the word flabbergasted!  It makes me proud to get home work like this and to know that he did it without my help.  Michael was able to string all of this together all on his own!  Maybe I should take a step back when he does his homework!)

Michael and Claire's Christmas Program

Michael and Claire's Christmas program is always a beautiful show.  The music teacher at the school does a seamless job in preparing these kids and making sure the Christmas spirit shines through and through.  The kids are always assigned a certain color to wear and look so adorable as they perform their songs.  I dressed Matthew and Emily up and headed over to the early showing (there are always showings at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.).  Both Michael and Claire saw us come in and instantly lit up!  Matthew and Emily acted as though Michael and Claire were movie stars.  It was so cute.

Just as the show was about to begin, I looked at the 5th thru 8th graders sitting in the church.  Then in donned on me that only grades 1 through 4 perform in the program.  I let out a desperate gasp.  This was Michael's last year in the show.  Literally, tears came to my eyes.  How had this happened?  How was it that I didn't realize this was his last year?  How was it that he went from a little first grader to the oldest performing fourth grader?  I made a note to be extra mindful of the day's performance as it would be his last.  They are growing up too fast.  Way too fast.

Claire's class was up first.  They did great!  Claire's class performed a few songs but the one I loved the most was Silent Night.  These kids all have such sweet angelic voices.  It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear them.  Claire was excited this year because she was asked to sing the harmony in the song.  My whole family loves to sing and I have been trying to train Claire to hear harmony since she was little.  She did so well!  I couldn't have been more proud of my little girl.  Michael's class sang O Come All Ye Faithful.  Just like Claire's class- they were so sweet.  As the kids get older, they also get more confident.  Michael was as comfortable as can be singing on the altar of the church.  He kept looking over at us and winking.  Gotta love that kiddo! 

At the end of the performance, all eight classes (grades 1-4 all have two classes) got together on the altar to sing a beautiful song about how we are all a part of the Christmas story and reflected about how much it lifts their hearts and their spirit.  More tears.  I am such a mess during programs like this.  After they were done, Principal Anne Ivie came up to tell the kids what a great job they did.  Then for the first time in the five years I have watched the performance, she told them that she had a special surprise for them. 

The double doors in the back of the church opened and there he was!  We heard bells and then saw Santa Claus!  The cheers were much like those in The Polar Express.  The belief was all around us as their cheers and squeals reverberated off the church walls and literally sent chills through us all.  It was such an amazing experience.  One I will not soon forget.  Santa came down the center aisle toward all of the kids.  He told them that they did a great job and that not one child at the school was on the naughty list.  Then at the end, he gave each and every one of them a candy cane.  It was so cool.  Even Matthew and Emily- who were paralysed by the sight of Santa and the cheers from the kids, got candy canes. 

The next day, the kids both had parties in their classrooms and had a blast!  Claire even had a Girl Scout outing at an ice skating rink after school.  Tonight, we leave for Seattle and will celebrate Christmas up with my family.  I could not be more in the Christmas spirit than I am right now.

Ball Kids at SCU Hoops Game

I still have a lot of pride in Santa Clara.  They haven't been doing so hot in the Women's Basketball department, but I still want to support them in any way I can!  Each year, we have the whole team, coaching staff, and practice players over for a big Italian dinner.  I try and sponsor them and donate where I am able.  I also try and go to a few games a year!  Not only is it good for me, but it is a great experience for my kids!

They were offered the opportunity to be Ball Kids a few times this season.  I was even able to open it up to a few of Claire's friends!  The SCU team gives each child a t-shirt, trains them on their expected duties (chasing balls, wiping up sweat, helping the refs), and gives them seats right behind the basket for an awesome court side experience!  My kids absolutely LOVE IT!

By the end of the game, all the kids had cameos on the jumbo tron dancing and yes, chest bumping.  It was a proud moment for me.  We've been working on chest bumping for years :)
When the game was over, all four of the kids got their t-shirts signed by the players.  How lucky are they to have such positive role models in their life?  We all had a lot of fun and I know the kids are already looking forward to when they get to do it again!

Matthew's Tonsils

It was a short year and a half ago that we had Claire's tonsils removed.  I can still recall the symptoms that led me to believe that she had a problem.  The snoring at night, the sleep apnea, the decrease in appetite and eating, the emotional breakdowns throughout the day, the sleep walking, and the difficulty in her waking up in the morning.  Well, it is like deja vu over here.  Matthew has been exhibiting the same symptoms.  I took him to Dr. Arnstein (our ENT) and sure enough- little guy has to get his tonsils and adnoids removed.  Ugh.

I am happy that there is a fix for these problems.  This is only temporary.  I miss the Matthew that woke up clear and happy in the mornings.  Not groggy and dazed.  Matthew used to be one of my best eaters at the dinner table.  Now we hear, 'How many more bites until I am done?'.  Poor guy breaks down in tears at least five to six times a day.  ALL BECAUSE OF THOSE STINKIN' TONSILS AND ADENOIDS!  When it comes down to it, Matthew has terrible sleep at night which attributes to most of these negative side effects.  He can't breathe right because there are things in his mouth/throat obstructing his airway.  He can't swallow easily because he has to find a way to pass the food past those enlarged tonsils! 

Things will soon change for the better for Matthew.  We have scheduled the surgery for mid January and I honestly can't wait until it is over so he can have some relief.  I had to take him today to go and get his blood drawn.  Not an easy thing to convince a four year old to do.  He was so brave.  No tears, he trusted me fully that it wouldn't hurt and that it just looks a lot more scary than it is!   Mondo the Monkey was with him the whole time for support.  Man, that Monkey has seen it all!  I am proud of my little guy.  This isn't going to be a fun process to get them out- but life will be SOOOOO much better for him once all of this is over.  Tonsils and Adenoids . . . this is no joke.  We're coming for you soon!  Adios amigos.

Santa Visits Matthew at School

Every year, Santa comes to Ballard Montessori to visit all the kids and bring them a wrapped book!  Matthew was really looking forward to this!  I decided not to bring Emily to this part of Matthew's Christmas party.  While I love Emily to pieces- she has a way of stealing Matthew's thunder sometimes and I wanted to make sure this experience was all his.  Lucky for me, I have an amazing friend who was there to take pictures for me!  Thank you Karen!

Santa brought Matthew the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  He was ecstatic!  Karen got some great shots of my sweet little guy receiving his gift from Santa.  Emily and I joined the party once the arts and crafts were over.  Matthew was so happy to see us and share the gift Santa brought him!  We had a nice little lunch with his classmates and then headed home. 

Once home, Matthew said he wanted to write a note in the cover of his book.  In his sweet handwriting it read:  Santa gave me this book.  Matthew 2011.  I keep all of our Christmas books in a special spot next to the fireplace during the holidays.  He was so happy to place his book next to the others.  What a special time of year this is.  Amidst all of the hustle and bustle- these moments carry me through. 

Claire Goes Caroling

Claire is loving her Girl Scout troop this year.  She is loving it so much- I am wondering why I didn't sign her up for it sooner!  Not only does she get to spend great quality time with her friends- she also gets to help the community and do things that make a difference in the world!  Today, Claire and her troop went to a retirement center and sang Christmas carols to the residents. 

One of Claire's friend's Grandmother is a resident there so they also got to talk with her and see what her daily life is like.  On top of the carols, they also distributed hand crafted ornaments that the girls had created at their last meeting.  Claire was so happy to be able to spread some holiday cheer to these amazing people.  I was happy to see that she is out in the community making people's lives a little brighter.

Letters to Santa

I am always excited to see what my kids want Santa to bring them each year.  We are going to be in Washington this Christmas so I hope that Santa remembers that it will be really hard to bring home gifts that are too big! 

I have to crown Claire "Queen of the Christmas Letter" this year because she took it very seriously.  Once the toy catalog came in the mail from Target and Toys R Us, Claire got to work!  There was a lot of stuff on her list!  Despite all of her requests- Claire really just wanted a digital camera.  She wants an Angry Birds board game, a Barbie Nail Printer ($200, recycled from last years list, hard to find, etc.), games for the XBox Kinect, a few other North Pole friendly items.  At least it wasn't like last year when she asked for a new sister and a kitty.  Hmmm.

Emily was a minimalist this year.  She only wanted two things. 1. Dora the Explorer Talking Kitchen  2.  Gum. (P.S.  The Grinch's heart grew two sizes after that kiss!)

Michael really didn't get into the list writing mood this year.  However, it is clear that he wants a digital camera, an MP3 player, a Messi jersey, and a pocket television.  Okie Dokie!  This should be a good, technology-filled year for him!

Matthew wanted a Nintendo DS Holding Mario.  No- Mario does not come with a DS.  And no, it is not a DS charger either.  It is merely a $40,  twelve inch tall, plastic standing Mario- arms extended that just HOLDS a DS.  Seriously, I need to go into plastic doll marketing.  Matthew has also asked for Kirby and Harry Potter DS games.

Every year, I like to take the little kids to Macy's where they have this big, beautiful red desk where you can write a letter to Santa and then mail it.  I don't know why- but I think it is so whimsical.  Perhaps I get more out of it than they do- but I think they love it.  In the past few years, Matthew has doodled on the postcard to Santa.  This year, my heart almost melted when I saw that he was able to write a letter all on his own!  Emily wrote four different postcards.  By write, I mean scribbled all over the place.  Hey- that is how she rolls these days!

I am so excited for the Christmas season ahead.  The magic is all around us.  The kids are in full belief.  The bells are ringing.  Santa will be here in only sixteen days!!

Bliss

I am pretty sure that when Claire said she wanted a sister, she was referring to having moments like this.  Claire takes such great care of Emily without me ever having to ask.  Tonight, I walked into the front room and Claire was reading to Emily in front of the tree.  She had about ten books in her lap and just wanted to spend time with her little sister.   They make me so happy.  This bond is what I wanted for each of them.  I am so glad that they have each other and I truly look forward to watching these two maneuver through life together.

Soccer Season is Over

Michael had his end of the year soccer party tonight.  He liked getting together with all of his friends again.  There were a lot of wild boys in one small pizza place, that was for sure!  They had a blast.  This is probably the last time Michael will be coached by Coach Sean Richards.  He has been phenomenal.  Truly phenomenal.  Michael has learned so much from him and has developed not only as a soccer player- but as a young man, too.  A lot of lessons are learned on the field and Coach Sean is great at teaching them on all kinds of different levels.  Tonight, Coach Sean spoke of Michael and what he loved about him.  He wanted Michael to know how important he was in their defensive line.  He told Michael that he admired the fact that Michael never gives up on the ball or a play.  "You're just a really good kid.  Not much more I can say than that.  You are a great player and I wish you the best in whatever you do." Sean said.  I could see Michael taking all of this in.  Positive role models are so important to kids.  I feel so blessed that Coach Sean has taken Michael under his wing for the past three years.   We are surely going to miss him.

E's Nutcracker 2011

We LOVE going to the Nutcracker!  Logistically, it is a little tough because it is in Walnut Creek.  With traffic, the drive can be over an hour!  The kids got home from school at 3:30 p.m. and by 4:00 p.m. we were dressed, had already taken our Christmas picture, and were off to the play!  We were so happy that this year Uncle Keith was able to come with us!  What a treat!

The drive was pretty good.  A lot of traffic and a bad route chosen by our trusty navigation system. Lovely.  We were able to meet up with E and Papa in their hotel for a few minutes before E had to head to the theater for the show!  Then we met with my dear friend Eileen and her girls at this great restaurant called Skipolini's.  I think this was the third time we were able to go to the Nutcracker with Eileen and her girls.  It is a special treat for me to see her and share this fun night with her and her beautiful daughters!

We got to the show with plenty of time to say hello to the rest of the family who was there to support E and enjoy the production.  No sooner did the lights go down did the King Mouse make his entrance from the back of the theater.  He walked right by Emily who was sitting in an aisle seat.  She couldn't believe it!  Next out came E to narrate the show and before I could even prepare to silence Emily, she let out a high pitched E!!!!  It was a little embarrassing but I knew E heard her and loved it.  The show was wonderful, as usual.

All the kids couldn't wait to see E after the show and had roses in their little hands for her.  While they do love their E very much, while she is performing the Nutcracker- she is as good as a celebrity!  Emily was happy to see E, but she was more concerned about the King Mouse!  On stage- he was hurt in a battle scene and Emily just wanted to make sure the King Mouse was okay!  She obsessed about the mouse all night.  Even making a joke well beyond her age and saying, "What do you think is the King Mouse's favorite dessert?   Cheesecake!" 

The next morning, Emily made me call E to once again ask how the King Mouse was feeling.  E told Emily that she called at just the right time!  Emily couldn't believe that at the moment of our phone call- E was having coffee with the King Mouse in the lobby of her hotel.  I cannot begin to explain how many times she has told people that the King Mouse loves coffee.  This is just too good to be true.  What a great night.  We are already looking forward to next year.

Christmas Card Picture

The pressure leading up to the official 'Christmas Card Photoshoot' can be a little much.  It's one thing to get all of the kids outfits that coordinate.  It's another for them to cooperate fully in the picture taking process.  When I think of a photo shoot- I imagine fans blowing my hair to make it look like I am in action, while I wear the latest in couture fashion, dripping in diamonds as my agent asks if there is anything else I need.  Reality check.  I actually am not in a studio in upstate New York but rather in my living room with four pairs of unhappy eyes peering through me.  Right.  It's a Christmas Photo Shoot with four ansty kids and one Mom who just wants a good shot worthy of the front of a Christmas Card.

I am so thankful that I have two kids that I know will get it right.  If you can't tell- I take a lot of pictures of my kids.  At this point- Michael and Claire are pros at smiling.  My Mom still will not forget the time Michael was arguing with Matthew when I said 'Smile for a picture!'.  Michael, in a robotic fashion, morphed from angry to the perfect smile pose long enough for me to snap a few shots and then resumed the bickering he was doing prior to my request.  She couldn't believe it. 

We were scheduled to go to E's Nutcracker performace tonight.  I got all the kids in their Christmas outfits and thought why not try and get the Christmas Card Picture?  I herded them all into the living room and when they realized it was the dreaded photo shoot, they practically came undone.  "Listen.  This can be done in a matter of minutes.  Just look at the camera and smile.  Don't look at each other, just look at me and smile."  They seemed to get it. 

I started snapping and was literally crying inside.  Had I finally made it to the place where they all understand that all they need to do is look at the camera and smile?  Did I finally make it?  This year they did.  They were awesome.  Here are some of the best shots that I got:

The Official
2011 Christmas Card Picture

An Adorable Shot of My Babies.
 I didn't pick this one for the card because
I wanted something a little less forced.

My Boys



This was the worst picture that
they took.  Not too bad compared
to previous years!



My Girls

Perfect Pascale

My kids love their newest cousin Pascale.  Now that Auntie Heavenly is living in the South Bay, we get to see more of her and her sweet little girl!  We were lucky enough to have them both over for dinner tonight and of course the highlight for everyone was Pascale.  Emily loves to share all of her blankets and toys (she will bring out all twenty blankets I have folded under her crib), Emily also loves to sit in Pascale's car seat which seeing a big kid like Emily in there is hilarious, Michael and Claire love to hold Pascale and love the responsibility of caring for her, while Matthew loves to make her laugh or laugh hysterically when other people make Pascale laugh.  Bottom line- no love is lost when Pascale is around.  She is a sweet, beautiful, alert, funny little girl who has a bright future full of love with the six of us . . . even if she continues to pull our noses.

Our Christmas Tree

Putting up the tree is a lot of work, but when it is dressed and lit. . . there is nothing like it.  The kids were so excited to go tree shopping.  Earlier in the afternoon- we contemplated getting the tree before the kids got home but it was a good idea we didn't do that.  When we mentioned this to the kids- they were totally offended!  We all piled in the car and headed to the luxury tree farm at Home Depot.  Yep.  We went to Home Depot because after three years of buying very expensive trees at the kids' school tree lot- we were done.

Once at the 'farm' the kids let loose and were playing tag and diving into piles of trees.  They had so much fun and I was happy that we waited for them to get the tree.  After agreeing on a beautiful Noble Fir, we strapped it to the top of the car and went home to decorate!  Emily was very worried about having a tree on top of our car.  She asked every few seconds, "It still on there?"

By the time we got home, brought the tree in from outside, got it in the stand, and put on the lights (all activities not involving the kids)- it was late.  I had envisioned hot cocoa for the kids and a wonderfully jolly atmosphere- but after Emily thought it would be a great idea to pour a pitcher of water down the hardwood hallway (while Matthew egged her on), after hearing about four glass ornaments break in three minutes, after one 2 year old accidentally launched herself into the tree, and after two tired parents deemed themselves out of patience- our tree trimming was condensed to quick fifteen minutes.  But boy did it look pretty.  A pretty fifteen minute miracle.

After the kids had brushed their teeth and were getting ready for bed- I walked into the front room to find Matthew and Emily sitting together in front of the tree.  It was so beautiful.  So much wonder, so much belief, so much love, so much to look forward to this Christmas season.  Our house is finally ready for Christmas and Damien and I are ready for bed!