Merry Christmas!!

We all had a wonderful Christmas this year.  A little crazy but so much fun.  I was remarking to my Mother-in Law that Christmas just passes too fast for me. It seems like I blink my eyes and it is over.  She reminded me that this happens with any major event (weddings, babies being born, etc.)  The actual event passes all too quickly. It is in the preparation that we must take enjoyment.  My mother in Law is very "matter-of fact."  I am glad that we all got to have fun in the time before Christmas and did not have to do any major shopping or preparation at the last minute.  I always like to get my trees up early and have my shopping done before it really gets into December.  That way we have time to really enjoy the season and all the stuff that goes along with it. 

Yes, I did write "trees" above.  I am a Christmas tree lover. Always have been.  We now get two. One big tree in the living room for my stuff.  I have a collection of  angel ornaments that I have collected through the years which I love to put on my tree. After the kids came along,  they started making ornaments and getting ornaments as gifts from the grandparents.  What started as me buying a teeny tree for Tony, now has grown into an (almost) full sized tree of their own each year.  Next year, I have to get them a bigger one.  We could not fit all of the hand-made beauty on it this year.  No fake trees either.  We like the real things.  We have a fun time teasing our friends who have fake trees.  I know...it is a sick thing to do, but we can't help ourselves. We call it "going over to the dark side"  when one of our previous real tree friends get a fake tree.  Our trees start getting that real sweet piney smell into about the third week. New Years Day, we say adios to my beautiful (dead) trees.

Merry Christmas to all of you!!  I hope you had lots of Joy and Peace and were able to see the wonder of Christmas through the eyes of a child this year. I truly did and I will write about it in a few days so I do not forget the moment, it was the best.   

PS....  If you read this, please leave me a comment to what kind of tree YOU have. We promise we won't tease, even if you have gone over to the dark side. LOL!!! 

Gotcha Day Number Three

Nicky and Cousin Ashley.
Don't be alarmed...Michael did not get in a fight, he got hit in the nose with a baseball.  Yes, his poor nose is broken.  He thinks it is cool.  Michael will be going to college next year on a baseball scholarship.  Not sure where yet.  We are way proud of him, even with his bent nose. Click on the picture and you can see all the spectacular colors of his black and purple eye.  You can also see just how much this kid eats.  This was his first plate, he was just getting started.
The Pelmeni were stuffed with ground beef and onion and garlic. Sour Cream goes on top. YUMMY!!!
Sunday was Nicky's Gotcha Day Celebration. A fun time was had by all.  We cooked up some Russian Food and Celebrated the 3rd Anniversary of bringing our little man home.  The Pelmeni were divine this year. The kids all helped to make them. We also had Russian Salad and Roast Beef in Sour Cream.  We added Hot Fudge Chocolate Cakes for Dessert, not Russian, but delicious.  It is always fun to do this.  Nicky still has no idea of what it is truly all about, but he enjoyed getting to pick out the guest list (his favorite uncle and cousins) and telling everyone it was his Gotcha Day.  He got to eat on the special red plate. Do you all have a red plate? If not you should try to get one.  All of my kids love it when it is their turn to use the red plate.   BTW...we are having a big storm here in CA.  The wind is whipping and it is about 45 degrees outside. Off and on rain. What the heck?  I am freezing.  I have not worn my flip flops in 3 days.  Not a happy camper, here.  Ugg Boots are my friend!! 

Christmas Card Fiasco

In my ongoing quest to save money, I attempted to take my own Christmas Card Photo this year.  It was a complete disaster.  I made my kids put on their Christmas outfits, and report to the backyard.  I took a bunch of photos which all pretty much stink. First of all, my kids except one, take after me and are not very photogenic.  Second, my camera is horrible.  Third, the kids were grumpy and un-cooperative.  This is a sample of what I got.  I think I am going to use a shot I took in Kauai last summer and be done with it.  

Our Thanksgiving

These two pictures below are the way the weekend started. The above pictures are how the weekend ended. Below.... the girls going nuts, look at Claire's evil face. They were dancing like crazy women inside our motorhome. Note the filthy clothes and we had only been there a few hours.  The boys after an airsoft war.  Another note of filthy clothes on boys.  Don't they look horrible?  Like a band of some kind of outdoor criminals.


Best plans....did not actually pan out the way we had planned but fabulous all the same.  We had planned to go camping with our friends as we do every Thanksgiving.  I spent the week before the holiday shopping , gathering winter clothes and packing the motorhome with feast fixin's   and tons of junk food for an army of hungry campers.  When we go camping, I let the kids eat all kinds of stuff we never have at home (think pop-tarts, peppermint oreos, pringles chips- you get the picture)  We drive six hours, set up camp, play for awhile, just long enough to coat the motorhome,  kids and dog completely in dirt.  We finally settle in for the night and the rain starts falling.  It rained all night and into the morning.  That dirt I was talking about was now mud.  Did I want to spend 3 more days with 4 kids and a dog covered in mud?  No thank you!!!  We were out of there.  Our friends stayed and went up the hill to Mammoth Mountain for snowboarding.  Not us, we headed home.  6 hours of driving and one flat tire later we were back in our own driveway.  

The girls and I were able to spend the entire Thanksgiving day cooking and getting ready for our own Thanksgiving Feast.  We just hung out at home with the 6 of us and had a spectacular day. Not the crazy picnic-table Thanksgiving the kids are used to, but a great family day.  

We made all the good stuff and enjoyed a great meal, the food was even HOT!!  Claire set the big table in the dining room and made it look really beautiful.  It was so much fun.  During dinner, we all talked about the many blessings we have as a family.  I absolutely loved it, except that now I have a ton of junk food left and guess who is home eating it?  The kids actually packed pop-tarts in their lunches this week for snack.  They are so happy. 

Yum!!

We went to Mass tonite.  We usually do not go on Saturday nights.  A very quiet Mass, not the spot for 4 kids who are hungry, tired, out of sorts, not used to this routine. We usually go on Sundays with most of the other families.  Well, for those of you who are not used to this kind of thing.... During Mass, we all go to the altar to receive the Body and Blood of Christ.  Kids who have not yet received their First Holy Communion or those from different faiths, still go to the table with their hands crossed  across their chests to receive a blessing.  Nick (and Sophie) know to do this.  Tonite, I was directly behind Nick as he received his blessing and I received the Sacrament....Nick, who hates to feel like he is missing anything said in a very loud voice "YUM!!!" as I received the Body.  Oh my! It hit me like a ton of bricks!  This kid is voicing what we should all feel. That feeling that we are getting something special, something we have been waiting for. YUM!!  Something delicious. Something spectacular. This communion that we have been waiting all week to enjoy.  I love these lightbulb moments!  Happy Thanksgiving!!

7 Random Motherhood Facts (or more)

There was an interesting challenge over at One Mother's Day,  Since Nick and I are home sick today, I have time to play along.  It is a twist on the 7 random things about me idea.  This challenge is more interesting for me to write about. I am even twisting it a little more and only writing about childbirth stuff. Here goes:  There are way more, but these are what quickly came to the top of my stuffed up head. 

1.  My first child was born at 35 weeks.  My water was leaking so I was admitted into the hospital, they spent a whole day trying to get contractions to stop, then the next day starting them up again.  I had no idea what I was doing.  The whole thing was a nightmare and I have blocked most of it from my mind.  Tony was whisked off to the NICU at another hospital while I stayed at the hospital where I delivered. I think the whole thing was a medical screw-up and could have been prevented.  I did not get to see him until the next day.  It totally sucked. He stayed in the NICU for 4 days.  I stayed there during the days, but had to go home at night. I was a mess.

2.  I had (of course, since they gave him a bottle in the NICU) issues nursing him.  I refused to give up and finally had him nursing exclusively after a few months.  This was no easy feat.  I went for a few months with no sleep and no help.  My darling husband was inviting people over for dinner right and left, to show off the new baby and thinking I should be the perfect hostess.  He had no idea of what was going on.  He is somewhat clueless. (i still love him)

3.  I could not wait to get pregnant and have another baby. I had to talk my husband into it.  He gave in quite easily.

4.  My husband did not want to find out the gender of the next baby.  I found out anyway.  My friend accidentally told him the same day. oops! 

5.  My second birth was pretty painless. Lots of drugs. I had no idea I could do it without any. Claire came out all scrunchy looking.  She nursed like a champ.  I finally cut her off when she was 18 months old.  That was mean.  I still had no idea what I was doing. I guess Big dad is not the only one who could be labeled clueless at this time.

6.  I could not wait to get pregnant again and have baby #3. I really had to do some serious convincing with my husband.  He did not give in as easily this time.  I really think he was shocked when the time came and I told him we were expecting again. At this point my medical chart contained the words "advanced maternal age" 

7.  Sophie was born in 2 hours with no drugs. I arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am, had her wrapped up and nursing by 9:30 am. I wanted to go home at about noon, but they would not let me.  I should have had a home birth.  I guess I really did know what I was doing.  She started sitting at 4 months and walking at 8 months-no joke.  

(supposed to be 7 things but I'm not done)

8. Could not wait to have another kid, looked toward adoption.  We always wanted to adopt. It took a few months, maybe more to finally convince my husband that this was not a crazy idea.  He finally gave in, and was on board for another adventure.

9.  We asked for the referral of a child between the ages of 1-3.  We thought since we were "older"  we would get an older child.  We were overjoyed at the referral of a baby.  He was a super-cute baby, too.  He nursed from a bottle sitting with me holding him in the same rocking chair where I nursed everyone else.  He had his beloved "ba-ba" until he was 3.5 years old.  I was letting him make up for lost time.  I knew what I was doing.

10.  I guess we should have started earlier.  I would love to have a bunch more kids.  I am still in the convincing my husband for another adoption stage, which, this time has proved to be many times more difficult than ever before.  I do not think I am making any progress. What do you think will happen?

Back from State Finals

We are back from State Finals and our gymnast did not do as well as we thought she could have.  Big Dad has a great perspective on all of this which I will share at a later date, but i think he is right on.  Our entire team was off, but it has been a weird week. As many of you know, we had a small fire at our gym last Monday which in itself was not huge, but activated the sprinkler system.  All of our equipment and floors were soaked and ruined.  We will most likely be displaced for workout space for at least 2 months.  On the bright side, another semi-local gym has opened their doors to us and has allowed our team girls to work out there.  Not a small thing, as we are a huge team of rambunctious and unsocialized wild girls who happen to be exceptional gymnasts (also great singers) Anyone heard 7 nine-year old girls belting the song "Super-Girl" for 9 miles in a closed car?  Good Times!! We carpool now!  Honestly I am not complaining.  It is true joy for me to see my daughter having so much fun.  She loves her team, she loves what she is doing, she is so happy.  Worth it!! 

Need I Say More?

Very Fun-Filled Days

We have been having a lot of exciting things going on in the last few weeks. I will share some highlights.  We still have more fun coming up with Nicky's birthday coming on Friday. Tony's last Football Game and our last visit from the Social Worker both on Saturday.  We will have our final Gymnastic Competition the following weekend, then Basketball will start.  WooHoo! 

We stepped out on Halloween Night with the Neighborhood Gang.  I got a little irritated at the older ones because they "ditched" Big Daddy, Nicholas and me.  We apparently were not moving with their lightening speeds and they wanted to hang with their friends and not their parents or their three-year old brother who happened to be dressed as a skunk.  Luckily there were a lot of other parents supervising the mayhem.  We finally met up and collected the bunch of them.  They got SOOO much candy.
Tony celebrated his birthday with a few of his buddies.  Big Dad and Curtis took them all bowling then back to the house for a BBQ.  I wondered how B-Dad was going to handle all of the boys.  He is not used to that kind of thing.  Guess who happened to be bowling in the lane next to the boys? Their School Principal!!! He just happened to be there bowling with his son. HA HA HA! Dad and Curtis got to enjoy themselves while the boys acted like perfect angels.  Big Dad always comes out smelling like a rose.

This is the pile of laundry that I happened to be left with after the busy weekend.  This pile extends up to the second floor.  Can anyone guess what I was doing all day on Monday?
Our Gymnast had her big Sectionals Meet.  She qualified for State Finals by the seat of her leotard.  Not the best effort on her part.  She did make her goal of qualification for the next meet. I know it sounds like I am less than impressed and I am being one of those crazy Sports-Moms, but you know as a parent when your child is not giving it their all.  For whatever reason, she lacked that spark she needed to get the scores she is capable of making. She just works too hard throughout the year for her not to bring out her best "game" at an event of this magnitude. I am sure she will put forth her best effort for State.  The girls on her team are so darn cute.  They love to ham it up for the cameras.  

Two Things

First, please go visit little Miss Zoey Grace at her blog "Little Wonders"  Zoey and her family can use all of the love, prayers and support that they can get right now.  Her button is to the left.  Just click on it to get you there.

Second, The Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree Project is in full swing. It is their biggest fundraiser of the year. Click on the RR button to the left then go to the Angel Tree.  Wait until you see the precious faces of the babies that are all waiting for families.  Our little Angel Liza is all the way at the bottom on the last row.  

Attachment

This is Nicholas on his first day of Pre-school this September.  Such a Big Boy!!

These are the first photos we ever saw of Nicholas, we think he was about 11 months old here.  These were unofficial referral photos sent to us by our agency.  Did we want him? "OH YEAH!! We want him! Are you kidding me? "Look at those eyes!!  Look at that smile!  I took pictures of these with my digital camera since all we had were prints.  Check out the beautiful lady who works in the baby house.  Isn't she gorgeous?

We are nearing our 3 year "Gotcha Day" for Nicholas.  It is so hard to believe that it has already been three years.  It seems impossible that it was 3 years ago that we first met him.  In ways it seems like yesterday and in other ways it seems as if he has always been with us.  I know that when he is not with me, I feel like something, a piece of me is missing.  Maybe it is because he is the baby of the family or maybe it is because he has the kind of disposition that warrants me to always know where he is and what he is doing. 

Our attachment and bonding has been fairly textbook for a kid who was institutionalized for the first 13 months of his life.  He bonded to us easily, but there have been and probably always will be bumps in the road.  He still will run off in a crowd without looking back.  He did this just last weekend at a birthday party at an extremely over crowded and noisy indoor playground.  The other kids his age were sticking to their mom's like glue.  Not Nick, he was off and running.  I could not even find him at one point.  I knew he could not get out of the building but it is still an uneasy feeling.  He is fearless and does crazy stuff for an almost 4-year old.

He still exhibits indiscriminate affection.  He will go with anyone at all.  Most people think it is so cute,  "He is so out-going and lovable." I still think he could leave and move into a whole new family without missing us at all.  I hope I am exaggerating, but it still breaks my heart to think about.  He talks to anyone and everyone, will go up and ask to share food or drink with total strangers and sit down and play with any kid no matter the age. Most people have no idea that this is all typical of a kid with some kind of attachment issue.      

We still struggle with direct eye-contact at times.  He will look away if he is at all feeling stressed or like he is in trouble.  He still bonks his head into the wall or slaps himself in the head if he has to go on a time-out.  This happens very rarely anymore, but it does happen, even after three years.  

I do not want to sound like he has not made progress.  He has made SO MUCH progress.  He is huggy and affectionate.  He snuggles and kisses without being asked.  He loves to fall asleep with me in our big bed. He prefers to be with me as opposed to most anyone else, except maybe Grandpa Donut or his God-Brother Sean who is 13.  He tells me he loves me and my favorite line which I hear almost daily... "I very like you and you are my best friend."  He lights up when his siblings arrive home from school.  He wants his daddy when mom won't let him have a cookie before dinner.  He actually came to me the other day asking for a band-aid.  He had a little scab on his foot that he scratched off.  It was bleeding a little bit.  He came to me for help.  Usually when he gets hurt, he just deals with it, himself.  He will have "owies" that I never know how they happened.  He actually wanted me to clean his foot this time and put a band aid on it.  Amazing!!! Monumental, in fact.  He loves us---I know that, but we still struggle with his little quirks that I know are related to his attachment or lack thereof.  We love him for who he is....he is fine.  He is ours.  He is the bomb!!!  

Three years, I can't believe it.  Wait until you hear about the Russian Feast I prepare for The Gotcha Day Festivities!!  YUMMY!!

Six Random Things About Me

My bloggy friend Tammy tagged me.  It happened awhile ago, but I am just getting around to it. I feel quite honored.  Seeing as I am taking a break from blogging and hardly anyone reads my blog anyhow, I thought I would do it.  Just for fun. 

Here are six random things about me in no particular order:

1.  I have a serious potato chip addiction.  I love them.  I would eat them every day of my life.  I could eat an entire bag of Ruffles if I wanted to.  I especially love Ruffles with onion dip or cottage cheese....yes, I dip them in cottage cheese, wierd? I think not.

2.  I have next to no computer skills.  Since I have been home raising kids and out of the work force for almost 12 years, I have not had the chance to learn them. Even when I was working (teaching elementary school) we never used computers.  It is a miracle that I even figured out how to do this blog.  My sister has to help me with my camera every time she comes for a visit. Pathetic-huh? 

3.  I hate going to the movies.  I have probably only seen 3 movies in the theatre in the last 5 years.  They were all kid movies, and I had no choice but to go. UGH!!

4.  I will not gladly share my burrito or my sandwich.  I absolutely love burritos, especially from the yummy Mexican markets we have around here.  I also adore deli-sandwiches. DO NOT ask me for a bite of either one of these items.  I will gladly share any other meal or dessert with anyone who asks.  My husband always asks to take a bite--just to annoy me. 

5.  I wear flip-flops every single day.  Even in the rain, which makes everyone laugh.  I rarely wear shoes unless I am hiking.  I once in awhile will wear boots to church.  I have at least 15 pairs of flip-flops in all different colors.  

6.  I love going to my kids sporting events.  I absolutely love it.  I never (hardly ever) miss anyone's event.  I always get excited and nervous right before.  I have spent hundreds maybe thousands of hours watching my kids play sports.  FUN!!!!

That's it!!!  6 silly things.  

Taking a Break!!

Here is a photo of the Squid-Eaters saying Goodbye!! (actually I think they were grinding down a bunch of Killer Shrimp)  

I actually set up this blog because I wanted to document our second adoption.  I really thought that it was going to take place.  I had such high hopes.  Now that it seems that my dream will not become a reality, I think I will take a break from writing for awhile.  Our day to day life is not all that exciting.  

I will still continue to check my favorite blogs daily, I am addicted.  I will rejoice with those of you in the process of bringing kids home from faraway lands.  

I am feeling very depressed and sorry for myself---boo hoo!

I am incredibly thankful for the children I have been blessed with and will continue to try to be the best mom I can be.  So for now....Adios!

My Scientist

I cannot remember if this is normal 3 year old behavior or not, but Nicholas is consumed with spraying, squirting and dumping out any sort of "product" that he can get his hands on.  The second I turn around he is looking for something to dump out.  This has included but is not limited to; sunscreens of all types, lotion, shampoo, any type of bath stuff, hair gel, playdough and glue. Those are all I can remember but I am sure that there are more. 

One day I left him in the tub splashing around with his toys, while I answered the phone. Before anyone gets hot and bothered about turning around with a 3 year old in the tub, this is a kid who swims like a Russian Michael Phelps. He goes all around our pool, off the diving board, swims to the bottom of the deep end as often as he is allowed.  It is quite safe to leave him in 6 inches of water in the tub for a minute.  When I returned...he had squirted an entire bottle of baby lotion into a bucket I use to rinse the kids hair. He was adding some green shampoo to to the concoction and was mixing it with a bath toy.  Lovely!!  Last night we were outside barbequing and he sprayed an entire can of sunscreen all over the patio in little globs.  He had also used the sunscreen to spray onto the side of the counter and stuck a little toy onto it. Apparently he has come to the scientific conclusion that sunscreen can also be used as glue.  

He once squirted an entire large bottle of Elmer's glue all over the kids desks downstairs in the playroom.  He then stuck all kinds of paper onto that.  The playroom has double french doors with glass panes that separate it from the family room.  He locked the doors from the inside so we could watch him "at work," but not get in to stop him.  He just looked at us and smiled. 

What is up with all of this spraying and squirting?  Do all three year olds do this?  I have tried to explain to him that this stuff is expensive and he is wasting things that our family needs. Besides, he is making a huge mess that he has to help clean up.  None of this has deterred his obsession to squirt.  Any thoughts?  I may have a chemist on my hands.  Or just a really curious kid?    

My Dream Job

Since I have been in a funk lately, I have been thinking about all of the things I would like to do if I could have a "Dream Job." I really love the job I have now, but a girl can dream....right.

Second only to being a Mom to LOTS of kids, I know 4 seems like a lot, but I really would like a few more, just to make it more interesting.  Here is the Job I came up with:

Adoption Specialist: (I made up this job title-Doesn't it sound important?)

I would like to help families and orphans to find each other.  I would like to work for an agency part time from home while my kids were in school.  I would like to be the one who answers the phone when a PAP makes that first call and says, "I think our hearts might be open to adopting a child. Can you help us?"  I would love to show encouragement and support.  For example, "You can do this!  Let me show you how."  "What is an Apostille?  I know that word is not in the dictionary...I know what it is, I can help you." The wording for a notary?  No problem...my friend Christy helped me with that one...I can e-mail it to you."  So it goes....

I would like to make a trip or two each year with said adoption agency to visit the orphanages we were serving.  I would like to review post-placement reports of families whose adoptions were complete.  I would like to learn more about the inner-workings of International Adoption.  I would like to be an advocate for parents who feel like adopting a child from abroad is too daunting of a task.

I would not ask to be paid much more than to cover expenses such as phone and travel.

What do you think?  Is there anyone out there hiring for this position?  Well....it never hurts to ask.  I said it would be my DREAM job.

What Now???

I must admit that I have been in a funk these past few days.  I am pretty sure this is nothing new and I get in a funk for the first few weeks of school every year. I just do not remember it being this bad.  I think that I am mourning the end of summer, vacations being over and the loss of spending a lot of fun and crazy time with my kids.  I miss staying up late and getting up late.  I miss hanging out with the kids and watching TV in our jammies.  I miss planning the day ahead and doing fun things together.  We are not very productive during the summer, but we sure enjoy it.  

I dropped Nick at pre-school for his first day last Wednesday and it really made me sad.  I lingered around and watched him through the window.  I had such a hard time leaving.  Nick, on the other hand, was happy as can be, he has missed his little friends and his teachers.  It was a long morning for me.  I ran some errands and treated myself to a pedicure.  I was so happy to pick him up when 12:00 finally rolled around.  I was just so darn excited to see him.  What a weird feeling, having 3 and a half hours to myself.  I guess I will just have to get used to it.  I have plenty of things I should be doing with that 3 hours....I just have not made myself do them, exercise, cleaning, organizing photos, etc. etc. All of the things that sound so productive and that I have been putting off for the last 10 years could surely take up a mere 9 hours a week.  

The other kids are settling in nicely to the routines of 1st, 4th and 5th grades.  There is a little more homework for the older 2 and Claire stays at school for an extra hour.  They seem to have it all figured out.  They come home and get started on their homework right away.  I do not need to even say anything.  I think they want to get their homework done and over with so they can get to their sports.  Sophie has been wanting to hang out more with her school friends since they have been spending more time together during school hours.  The little girls are always trying to arrange "playdates."  Even Nicholas is now going over to the neighbor's house to play with his buddy, or his buddy will come here to play.  The pool fence is down, he is swimming like a little champ.    

I guess what I am so reluctant to admit is that my kids are growing up and away.  They do not need me as much anymore.  I think I am just trying to find my new place.  The fact that they are independent and well-adjusted must mean that I am doing something correctly--right?  I still feel gloomy and un-needed.  I think I am the one who is the most reluctant to get a new schedule in place.  I am the one that resists change.   I need a kick in the pants!!

My discussions (pleas) with my husband to start another adoption have fallen on deaf ears.  He is just not ready.  I think that is another root of my sadness.  He has at times, told me that he will consider another adoption.  Other times, like last night, he is not open to even discussing it.  I do not know what my best course of action should be at this point.  We will have a visit from the Social Worker soon for Nick's last post-placement report.  I think I will try to keep my mouth shut about adoption until we need to get that report written up and sent off to Russia for the last time.  That is our very last piece of paperwork to do.  His adoption will be entirely complete. 

I can imagine that most people who read this little "boo-hoo" session would say that I need to 

GET A LIFE.  In reality I have a life.  It is centered around being a wife and a mother.  Being a wife and mother has been my identity for the last 11 years.  Now, my identity needs to be changed up a bit, maybe just a little tweak.  I have no doubt that I eventually will find my way. I still have a few interests.  I am pretty sure I still possess a few skills besides changing diapers and making up funny songs.  I can organize a mean car-pool schedule,  juggle 4 kids with multiple sports and extra-curriculars. I know a lot about international adoption, probably more than anyone would ever believe.  I have everyone's vaccinations (including doggy's) up to date. I can cook a gourmet meal and organize a top-notch birthday party, I can plan a perfect vacation, I can hold a position on the PTA.  Heck....I think I may be qualified to run for vice president. Alas, I am nowhere as cute as Sarah Palin, and I have not attempted being governor of California, though most people in our state might rather have me than Arnold, he is not very popular right now.  I do find politics interesting. 

What this all leads to is:  Change is in the air for me.  I am not sure what that will mean exactly, but it is the direction in which my mind is headed.  I am open to any and all suggestions.  

P.S.  This may all change tomorrow, maybe my peri-menopausal hormones are just acting up.   

A Few Memories of our Kauai Trip

Just a few of my favorite shots of our trip.  I think this was my favorite vacation ever.  The kids were great, we got to do a lot of fun things, the weather was nice, Big Dad seemed to really enjoy himself and just hanging out with the kids.  What an awesome way to end the summer. 

Dad and Sophie heading out to surf near Poipu Beach.  There is a little reef break right out in front of the Kiahuna Plantation.  They had such a great time.  Dad was able to stand in a shallow part of the water and push her so she could catch the waves.  Tony was out there paddling around on his boogie board and was able to help tow her back out around the breaking waves and other surfers. The board was giant so it was hard for her to maneuver on her own. It was a true team effort.   

Nick playing in the sand at my favorite, Tunnels Beach. We snorkeled and swam here.  I think it is the most beautiful beach I have ever visited.  There is a huge reef that is home to tons of tropical fish.  Last time we even saw turtles here, but not this year.  Sophie was our little snorkle-girl this time.  She was able to go out really far with no problem at all. I was impressed.  She loved it, too. 

The 3 oldest at Kalapaki Beach. Tony, Claire and Marty all surfed at this beach, too. Tony and Marty also did a lot of body-boarding this year.  Tony is starting to enjoy it as much as surfing.  He can do a lot of pretty cool tricks in the waves. He flips the board over and does a barrel roll or does a 360 while riding the wave.  

Our beautiful baby girl.  I love this photo because she still looks like a baby with chubby cheeks.  We bought the girls flower leis at dinner one night.  Can you see how tired she looks?  

My boys. I absolutely love this picture. Tony and Marty are watching a really great surfer way out in the water.  The waves were really big that evening. Nick is checking out a sea turtle in the rocks below.  The turtle was huge. I think he freaked Nick out a bit. The turtle kept sticking his head out of the water and looking around. He was pretty awesome.  I would have taken a photo of him, but he looked like a giant rock. 

First Day of School

It is the day Tony and I have been dreading.  Even the weather was bad.  It was drizzling a little bit. We are all still a bit jet-lagged but we made it in time.  The girls were excited but Tony made his typical "face."  Nick goes back to pre-school 3 mornings starting next week.  

I made this today while the kiddies were at school. I enjoyed putting a police hat on myself. I do feel like a warden at times.  I also liked the chef hat and briefcase combo for Marty.  I know...  I have far too much time on my hands.

I would far rather be spending my time putting together an adoption dossier, but we are not there.....yet.

OLYMPICS CRAZY!!!

WE ARE CELEBRATING TONITE !!!!  Team USA and Mommy's favorite, Nastia Liukin, winning the GOLD in All-Around.  We made Chinese Food and had a great time eating.  Sophie and I made: Dumplings (Costco) Broccoli and Beef, and  Sweet and Sour Shrimp, both from Emeril Lagasse (TV Food) We even made decorations, a little cheesy, but a yellow plastic lid was as close as we could get to a Gold medal.  Sorry Shawn, but all we had for a Silver was a beige top and it looked completely disrespectful.  We kept telling Nick that he and Nastia were from Russia and we were so proud. He has absolutely no idea what we were talking about, he just wanted to eat the "potstickers," his alltime favorite.  We love celebrating this crazy stuff. Gymnastics and Russia both hold dear spots in our hearts. So...Let's eat Chinese... (food!)  

Fun at the Beach

We spent all last week at the beach.  Here are some highlights.  Sophie finally got it. She is surfing now...just like the rest of them.  She is the one in the ponytails.  How about Nick in his board shorts and pajama top?  He rolled out of bed and onto the beach.  What a life these kids have!!!! Even Luna joined in on the fun.

Happy Birthday Claire!!

We celebrated our gymnast's 9th Birthday this weekend.  I cannot believe that she is 9 years old.

She wanted to have her team over for a swim and pizza party It was so much fun.  

Boys and Their Toys

This is what my boys do in the summertime while I think they are getting ready for bed.  Apparently the "old" gameboy has been passed down to the little brother. BUSTED!!!

Moto' Homies Do Zion

It all started about 10 years ago.  I was a new "stay-at-home" mom.  I had recently had my first son, and converted to Catholicism.  My old friends were still working full-time and had no kids.  I decided to call the Church and see if they had any kind of Moms Group where I could meet other moms and have like-minded ladies to hang out with.  Unbeknownst to me another mom had recently made the same phone call to the Church looking for the same exact group (which we were both told did not exist) You know where this is leading......

I finally met this mom (after I completely forgot to even show up the first meeting the Church had set up for us, thank goodness she understood.) We became fast friends, we had kids the same ages, we both love to cook, we both wanted more kids, our husbands liked each other....the list goes on and on. We ended up starting the first ever Moms Group at our Parish.  This particular group went strong for a number of years and had almost 100 members at one point.  As our kids got older and were off to elementary school, we (the core bunch) stopped meeting formally, though we still see each other all of the time.  The Parish Moms Group is still going strong, but if I attended I would not know a soul.  Those of us who started the group have remained friends and still see each other often.  

Our kids have grown up together and are like siblings. We have gone through and supported each other through a variety of life events.  That first mom I mentioned above and her husband are Nick's proud Godparents.  

Fast Forward to 2008. The only really organized event that we all still do together is go on a week's vacation each summer and sometimes over the New Year Holiday.  We all have acquired RV's of some sort and enjoy camping together.  We plan all of the dinners around nightly themes and have tons of fun activities for the kiddies. The parents pretty much sit around and watch the kids run wild, play games, cook fabulous meals and eat.  We have been to many places in California and have even ventured to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.  This year we traveled to Zion National Park in Utah.  We had 7 families.  A grand total of 18 kids between the ages of 13 and 3.   We call our group The Moto'Homies.  Cute name-huh?? My Gymnast thought of it, she won the contest.  Some of our members can't stand the name, but they have to live with it for awhile because we made T-shirts last summer.  I think it is a hysterical name.  

Here are some photos of our trip to Zion last week.   We finished out the week stopping for a night in Las Vegas so 4 of us girls could have a night on the town to celebrate my friend's birthday.  The dads stayed in the blazing heat in the RV Resort with the kids.  It was a nice break and us moms had a blast. The last photo is the Birthday Girl and some of the little girls checking out the Limo that took us to "The Strip" this was her birthday surprise from us.