With the kids out of school, it now truly feels like summer. Last Friday, I spent the day with Schuyler while the other 2 enjoyed their last day at the Montessori with their friends. Schuyler wasn't up for a run but instead chose to roller blade along side ahead of me. We went 3.4 miles or so. She is so good on the trails, slowing down to look back periodically and knows all the places to wait while I catch up or stop and look for cars. She was in full gear, elbow pads, wrist pads, knee pads and helmet with her MP3 player in tow. She is good little rollerblader but we were not without incident. As we were close to the end of our jaunt, I see her stumble on the skates and fall forward, MP3 player flying. I go sprinting to her and see her crying. She looks up and says, "My MP3 player, where is it? Is it broken". I assure her that it's fine and I'm much more concerned about her. She continues, "If it's broke, I want to save my money for another one". I reply, "Honey, if it's broke, Mom and Dad will by you a new one." Isn't funny how kids think sometimes. She did have a minor injury. Of all places on her hip, a big strawberry and a bruise that was initially small but has now morphed into a large, colorful bruise.
The girls have easily adjusted to the new routine of being at home but Eli is a bit slower. He doesn't understand the days of the week, Monday, Tuesday, Wed.... so he has always differentiated by "school day" and "stay at home day". Now everyday is a "stay at home day". His new terms are now a "Sam (our nanny) day" or "a mom and dad day". Seems to be working for now. We are all enjoying our nanny. She has started the kids reading program by a trip to the public library, gone to the zoo followed by a picnic at Sunken Gardens, gone swimming and a bike ride to the elementary school. I need to incorporate a little more arts and crafts but this is exactly what I wanted for the kids = )
Eli is in a "testing" phase. He uses the words stupid and poopy which we do not allow. Let me rephrase, poopy is reserved as a bathroom word and stupid is not allowed at all. He also thinks it's hysterical to spit. So, we are dealing with these not so pleasant behaviors. And the beat goes on..... and the beat goes on....
The past 2 nights Schuyler, who has ALWAYS been our excellent sleeper, has been extremely scared and had difficulties falling asleep. Well, last night we found out why and it has to do with a TV show she watched. Schuyler is very good at choosing "age appropriate" shows. She stays away from violence, profanity, etc... and in general knows the channels we consider acceptable. So, I guess you could say we have a joint monitoring system. Anyway, she found a show about incredible survival stories on National Geographic, Discover Channel, History or something of this nature. I sat down with her to watch the top 3 and kind of wondered in my head if this was something she could handle. They truly are amazing stories of human triumph and perseverance. For example, Beck Weathers who was left for dead on Mt. Everest, the 1972 Uruguayan Air Force plane that crashed in the Andes that was carrying a rugby team and family, Steven Callahan who was lost at sea for 2.5 months, or Aron Ralston who was trapped in a canyon and had to amputate his own arm. Point being, while I think this show was educational I think it has her scenario spinning in her head, something I'm sure she gets from her mother. In fact, she had DVR'ed the show but now asked that it be deleted, which I will happily do so she can sleep peacefully.
And for more off the wall information, I have an inflamed eye. I had been waking up with my eyes matted shut and very blood shot. A shower and allergy eye drops seemed to relieve most of the symptoms but the corner of my right eyes continued to be irritated and itchy. I then noticed a small, clear like pimple on my eye. Apparently, scar tissue under my eye, from a high school basketball injury, is inflamed. We're trying OTC drops but may need to resort to steroid drops if it does not go away. Oh the joys = )
There you have it, folks, our weekly ramblings.
Miss Mack graduated from Kindergarten last Friday with her other 2 classmates. Yes, a giant class of 3. I have to admit that I am a bit old fashioned and still believe that small numbers are best. However, there were many reasons behind our decision to send Mack to the Montessori for kindergarten and we had to weigh the pros and cons. In the end it was the right decision for her. Mack, we are so proud of you and all that you have accomplished in your 1st year of school. I'm astounded by so many things... your reading ability, word recognition, spelling, math facts, leadership, awareness of community and so much more. Mr. Tim actually introduced you to multiplication and division! It was wonderful to watch you have your moment on the stage, with a look of pride shining on your face. I have so many hopes and wishes for you.
I hope that your enthusiasm for school continues for many years to come.
I wish you continued success in the classroom.
I hope you hold close and nurture the friendships you have made and look forward to ones you will make.
I hope that you'll have many more talented teachers just like Mr. Tim.
I love your confidence and hope it will follow you to elementary school.
Mack was so excited to walk off the stage with her diploma in hand and her graduate t-shirt in her bag that she almost forgot give Ms. Ann a hug!
All the kids preformed songs. There were 2, one designed for the primary children and a second for the toddler children. Ms Mack delightfully participated in both. However, Eman was not the least bit interested, choosing to instead stand up and down, up and down, lie on his stomach with his head on his chin and just smile with his mischievous grin. Each child is so unique and I can see we'll have a whole new set of challenges and opportunities with him = )
Our plans for memorial day seemed to be in a constant state of flux. Mark ended up wording Saturday a.m. so the kids and I ran errands, went to the park, and got Schuyler's hair cut. After their naps, we thought we make good use of the family pool passes so the kids and I went swimming and left Dad at home to do yard work. Sunday, we left bright and early to head for Hastings since both sides of Mark's family were in town. We had a great time. Eli became good friends with his 2nd cousin Grady and we enjoyed visiting family out at Mark's aunt and uncle's farm. There was lots of 4-wheeler fun to be had by all. Eli, who last year was very timid, was quite the opposite this year, with his white hair flying in the wind, a perma-smile on his face and shouting "Wooooo hooooo" every time they raced past the front porch. Completely unplanned and unprepared, the kids spent the night with Gma and Gpa in Hastings, borrowing some of cousin Justin's old t-shirts that were going to be donated to Good Will as PJs. This allowed me the rare opportunity to get some projects done as I usually have little helpers or I'm up at midnight!
The school year comes to an end today for Miss Schuyler. I'm excited to pick her up. They had a hard day of watching Peter Pan = ) It is also play date week. Schuyler had her good friend over yesterday since she'll be spending most of the summer with her mother down in KS. Mack's play date is tonight since tomorrow will be her last day at the Montessori. Eli will return in the fall but he is wanting a play date as well but that will have to wait for some other week.
I'm trying not to freak out as I prepare the house for a nanny (and myself). This is forcing me to become organized, something I have always struggled with. So, here's to the beginning of summer.
The "active" participant in the performance.
Proceed with caution. There are uneditted pictures below. (GASP!). Mack receiving her diploma.
The hug she almost forgot.
Still trying to catch my blog up with real life. The weekend of May 15th and 16th was a busy one. For Mack, it marked 9 months or so worth of dance classes that she religiously attended. The big finale, the recital! Friday, was dress rehearsal, which was a huge success, and she even flattered me with a few pictures. Saturday was the recital but also Schuyler's last soccer game. This was a hard one for our family. Originally, I thought we could attend both but I had wrote down the act time incorrectly. Mack's performance was in the 2nd act, 3-4pm so she would perform approx at 3:30, which was when Schuyler's game started. I knew Mack would be heart broken if her mommy wasn't waiting for her backstage with flowers at the end of her act so this meant I wouldn't be able to attend and help coach Schuyler's game. Coincidentally, our head coach also had a daughter preforming in the same act so he wouldn't be able to attend either. This upset Schuyler so we decided Mark would leave right after Mack's performance. Problem solved. Unfortunately, when the kids out number the parents, there will be times when someone is going solo. As for the performance, I noticed Mack was a step off and was glancing at her teacher quite a bit, which is completely unlike her. She was spot on in the rehearsal. Well, when we got backstage, the room mother, who is Mark's co-worker, came up and said Mack had cut herself pretty bad just before they were to go on and almost didn't make it on the stage. They had to quickly scrounge up band-aids. Yes, plural. She bled through the first one and used a second one on top. We're still not sure what happened, she never fell and they can only guess that there was something sharp on the banister. The room mom said Mack cried a lot and she was going to tell Daddy how proud she was of her. I'm just so thankful that she made it on stage, she would have been so devastated and I would have been sad for her. It was a little while later when she asked, "Mom, could you hear my crying?" = )
Mack had been wanting her hair cut but we kept it long for the performance. So, Sunday we went and cut 3 inches off. It looks so much better! This would also be when Eli picked up a bottle of nail polish and dropped it on the floor, shattering in pieces in a heap or orange mess. Oops!
The girls had a dentist appt this week. Miss Mack will have to continue to wait for a loose tooth. Every other day, and in some instances every day, she says she has a loose tooth or is asking me to check and see. She is watching her friends loose teeth and so badly wants one of her own. Schuye was early to loose teeth and it looks like Mack will be on the opposite end of the spectrum. The dentist said maybe in a year or when she is 7 = ( She also has the very early beginnings of a cavity, due to how tight her teeth are. Nothing to worry about but we'll need to make sure she flosses. Schuyler has fantastic teeth but there are some concerns about tongue thrust and her tonsils. We worked with her school speech pathologist to correct the speech issues associated with tongue thrust. However, when she swallows, she continues to push her tongue forward instead of towards the roof of the mouth. Over time, this can cause dental problems. I'm not sure if we're going to address the issue now or continue to see how her mouth grows. Her tonsils continue to be enlarged and we were hoping her allergy medicine would have alleviated this. She also suffers from bad breath, which can be due to the tonsils. I've spoke with our pediatrician and were going to monitor this over the next few weeks. Sheesh, this raising kids thing is hard down to the very details.
Okay, I know I was going to elaborate on the Appletini. See, while Mark was golfing, I took the liberty of painting Eli's room. Well, the appletini was too yellow for him so we have spent many a day trying to figure out what the right color of green is. I really think green is one of the toughest colors to pick. There is yellow green, grey green, blue green, earth green, etc... Finding just the right hue has been time consuming to say the least. But, it was time for the nursery to go. No bear border and no more grey walls. I have pics so hopefully you'll see the before, the interim where we tested color after color, and the final. Well, the final isn't final yet b/c it's not done.
The day came. What day you wonder. The day where Schuyler asked her dad if he could just give her a kiss in the car before dropping her off at school. We've talked her out of it and are holding on a little longer = ) We know the days are numbered.
Decorations from the party, see previous post.
This post will be devoted entirely to Schuyler's bday and bday party and it's going to be a lengthy one!
Her birthday fell on Tuesday night, which is Mack's dance night and always a bit hectic. Schuyler wanted a picnic on the back porch so that's what the kiddos did. We had cheese steak philly's, with green beans and some kind of fruit. She was able to quickly open presents before we shuffled Mack off, MP3 player, ruffled buttercream tank top and for the finale, Mark and I signed her up for the Husker Soccer Camp. It's 4 solid days of camp down at the university with the head women's soccer coach, the assistants, and players. She is stoked! It also requires sign-off from the Dr. to attend. Had it not been for this, I would have never realized I missed her 7 year well child check-up! Sheesh. LPS was closed on Friday and by pure luck, I was able to get an appt from a cancellation. Yeah! Schuyler remains at the 90th percentile for height and 80th percentile for weight. Had I been more attentive, I would have made her wash up her dirty knees and elbows. Oh well, I was more embarrassed when the resident Dr. asked what she had for breakfast and she said nothing. Seriously. Dad forget to give her something and Grandma must not have known. In Dad's defense, Schuyler is self-sufficient and usually makes her breakfast, cereal or oatmeal, as well as her siblings.
That afternoon we were able to finish cleaning and make decorations. Here theme was Rock Star and guess what we found... a karaoke machine!! More on that in a minute. For decorations we did pink and gold balloons. We made a glitter disco ball, which was hung in the middle of the stage, once our living room, 3 tissue balls, 2 pink and 1 silver. For thank you's we compiled some of Schuye's favorite songs onto CDs as well as some rock star sunglasses. Food consisted of Pizza Hut pizza and cheese sticks and some fruit kabobs we made along with lemonade to drink. Let's not forget the cake... a microphone. I used Martha Stewart's yellow cake recipe and my usual frosting. It was not my best piece of art but the kids loved it and I would highly recommend the recipe!!
The party itself went well. It took the kids time to warm up the karoake machine and some never did but that was okay b/c we also had soccer going in the backyard = ) The karoake machine had 2 microphones, hooked up to the TV so you could see the words nice and big and 2 speakers. The most popular songs were Girls Just Want to Have Fun and All Star (from Shrek). We also had colored hair spray going on... yellow, orange, black, silver and glitter. This year, Schuyler asked that in lieu of gifts her friends consider a donation to the new penguin exhibit at the Lincoln Zoo =)
All the family was able to attend her soccer game on Saturday and it was like having her own cheering section. Afterwards we grilled at our house and had ice cream cake.
I interviewed her the other night. I do this periodically and record it and then compare to previous years. It's fun.
Favorite Color: Yellow. I also like red, blue and white. (Her favorite color has never changed since her first interview at 2 1/2!!)
Favorite Food: pizza. (It used to be strawberries)
Favorite Sport: Soccer (that one is a no-brainer)
Favorite Book: Mia Hamm. (then I asked her series) Magic Treehouse series
Favorite Song: Boom Boom Pow (the Black Eyed Peas)
Favorite Team: Nebraska and Kansas (where did Kansas come from?)
Favorite Movie: Kick like a girl (don't ask)
Favorite Animal: Dog (used to be penguin)
What do you want to be when you grow up? - Soccer Coach or Soccer player (used to be teacher)
This next one is new and her response was hilarious
Where do you most want to go for vacation?: South Carolina (South Caroling? I ask) Oh wait, I mean North Carolina (me - what's in N. Carolina?) The Tarheels, where Mia Hamm lives. (me - oh honey, she just went to college there, I don't think she lives there any more) Well, I want to go where ever she lives now so I can meet her.
Schuyler, we are so proud to be your parents and we're in total shock that your 8! You're the first born, our leader, smart, sensitive, kind hearted, loving, giving, caring, talented and absolutely precious. You are, and will always be our little miss sunshine.
Just one more thing. Mrs Gourdie came over to me as I was waiting for the bell to ring to announce the end of your school day. She said, "I want you to know something that your daughter did. Today, during P.E. she helped the girls, showed them how to do things and was patient in teaching them. It meant everything to those girls. She could have been doing a number of other things or hanging out with her friends. I'm so proud of her and I told her that. I just wanted to pass it on to you". See, Mrs. Gourdie works with 2 girls in Schuyler's class who have Downs Syndrome, referred to as the girls above. I can't tell you how much this warms my heart.
Next week, who likes Appletini? I do, but it might not be in the way one would guess = )
Enjoying her new MP3 player.
I have come to realize that my kids can be extremely thoughtful when they want to be and I need to recount a few things from Mother's Day before I forget!
My girls created a Mother's Day song and even choreographed a dance to it! They sent me on a scavenger hunt in the basement to find the many cards they had created. There were handprints, cute little sayings and one where they each created lists of the things they were thankful for. They do see the little things I do, like make lunches for them every night before I go to bed and do the laundry, etc...
Schuyler went to the extra trouble of having members of her soccer team sign a poster for me at school. I wondered what she and her little friend were doing after school when I picked her up on Friday. They were huddled around a paper and I even asked if it was a Mother's Day present and they both quickly answered, one with a yes the other with a no. I knew they were up to something but wasn't going to press the issue!
And my husband, we'll, he's pretty thoughtful, too! I told him NOT to buy anything as my running shoes were a gift to myself. So, in my card I found coupons. Or, some might call them gift cards...
Husband makes the kids lunches (good for up to 5 punches)
Husband knocks off one of the honey do's.
Husband watches kids so mother get girls night out.
Husband cleans whole house.
You get the idea. Pretty awesome.
I still need to recount the bday and post pics. Honestly, I don't have a lot of pics. See, with 9 kids plus our 3 and only 2 adults, we had our hands full. I'm also learning a few things about myself. As much as I want to capture and record memories I would rather have my daughter remember me as participating in the activities and not constantly lurking with the camera. So, when I was summoned to play soccer in the backyard or come sing a little karaoke, that's what I did.
Speaking of soccer, Schuyler survived her back to back, double header this week. She's on a scoring streak. She scored the teams only goals this weekend (4 in total). Last week the score was 8 to something and she had 6 of the goals! Mack was a bit out of it at last weeks game but had a good showing this week and scored a goal herself.
Back to my to-do list!
Party preparations are underway for Miss S, who will be 8!! We came up with several ideas and she decided on a Rock 'N' Roll theme. She personally picked out the paper and stickers so we could do homemade bday invites. They turned out very cute as well as being a great activity for the kids and an opportunity for my scrapbook tools to come out of storage! Note to self, next time make sure I have 2 tape dispensers or what ever they are called. One simply did not cut it for our assembly line of 3 kids. She is inviting 9 kids. She wanted 10 while Mark and I preferred 8, our general rule is 1 child per year old, so we compromised on 9. It was very hard for her to make the list but finally cut it down to 7 girls and 2 boys. Mark and I were encouraging her for a girls party, simply for the purpose of planning activities, but I loved her logic in picking friends that were close to her, regardless of sex. This is just another example of her personality and I LOVE it. In her words, if 2 of my good friends are boys, why shouldn't they be included?!
Running has become infectious in our house and it has spread to Schuyler and Mack. It amazes me how the mother's emotions/actions/etc... permeates the whole house! In this instance, it's a good thing. I'm still hovering around 2-3 miles 3 to 4 times/week. My first race will be June 5th where I will run the 5K. Maybe 10K if I can get to where I need to be. Schuyler runs a good distance, probably 1 1/2 to 2 miles. It's a slow jog pace for me and we usually walk a small portion in the middle. Mack just started and I need to work with her. She doesn't understand the concept of "pace" so she sets out in sprint mode and we don't get very far. However, she appears to have a more natural ability for running and I think with a little help, she could be quite the runner, that is if she wants to be. I also splurged on a new pair of shoes. The good people at The Lincoln Running Company set me up with a pair of Saucony's, something new and different as I've been a die-hard Asics fan for quite a number of years. They watch you walk barefoot and based on that, choose 3 or so pairs to try on. So far, I'm very pleased!
To celebrate earth day, or in our case it was more like earth week, we did a number of bike rides. Instead of driving to get the younger kids from school, Schuyler and I biked. I'm sure we looked like quite the site as I strapped Mack's bike into the bike trailer and off we went to get them. It's so nice to have Mack on her own set of wheels leaving me with only 1 kiddo to haul around! We also have been enjoying the trails. It was just late summer last year or early fall when Mack kicked the training wheels so this has been her first experience away from the comforts of our block. She is a bit of a gawker and often veers onto the other lane of the trail. She also does not seem to like anyone within 5 feet of her. It scares me to think ahead to the days when we'll have to teach her to drive!! Eli is our greeting committee. He politely tells everyone hello and comments on dogs he likes, even though they are most likely past by the time he gets the comment out.
Later this week or next week I hope to post bday pics.
was forever ago, it seems I have a lot of catching up to do. As some of you may know, Mark was out of town for the last week of March. The day before he was to leave, Sunday, Schuyler comes down with the stomach flu, just as Mark and I are going to bed. It looks like another night down in the basement. It's a rough night for her and my stomach has a not so pleasant feeling in it. I keep forcing positive thoughts through my head convinced they will make what I know is inevitable stop. However, in the morning it's very obvious it's my turn at the porcelain. I'm so thankful to have such awesome family. My dad was kind enough to take the other 2 to school for me. And, that night, he picked them up for me, made dinner for them, and got them bathed and in bed so I could rest and try to function again. Now, Tuesday is here and I've been looking forward to my annual photography seminar. My MIL comes to town and watches the kids for me, getting them fed, to dance and to bed. My last bit of help came Friday from my mom. Since I had unexpectedly missed a day of work due to sickness, I was behind on a very large project at work. She was able to watch the kids Friday so I could work. My family means everything to me and I strongly agree with the quote, "It takes a village to raise a child". I'm blessed to have a village full of wonderful people.
So, Easter comes, which means it's time for Easter egg dying. If allowed, I know the girls would easily die 4 to 5 dozen eggs. No joke! The kids awoke to a backyard FULL of Easter eggs. That bunny, he is pretty sneaky! Oh, and poor Eli got sick the night before Easter. Luckily, it was only a one time incident due to who knows what!
The best part of spring is soccer. I love the fact that I have a daughter who is so into soccer, maybe even two daughters. I remember the long days of winter when Schuyler could be found in the backyard with her snow pants, boots and a foot of snow trying to play soccer. I think she eats and breathes it. Everyday at recess she can be found on the soccer field, often where she is the lone girl. I know she gets made fun of sometimes for it, she's told me. The thing with her is she's strong. She's always marched to the beat of her own drum and I hope this NEVER changes. We've talked how some people might be jealous, especially the boys. She knows if she loves something so much and it's in her dreams to pursue it. These obstacles are not road blocks but opportunities to overcome and became even better. Pretty big stuff for an almost 8 year old. As for her games, she won the first one 8-0, scoring 3 goals, and won the second game 6-2 with 2 goals. We've had several people come up to us and comment on her skills, etc...
Mack's team has 11 kids on it. Which, in my opinion is WAY too many, especially for micro soccer where there is only 4 on the field. So, I'm problem solving on what to do with this. In the limited she did play she managed to score a goal. Though, at times, it seems she was more interested in how she looked when she was playing.
Inspired by his sisters, I think Eman is ready to join the soccer fun. He has been trying on Schuyler's soccer socks and shoes and was down right made when we wouldn't let him where the shoes to Mack's game, forget the fact they are 7-8 sizes too big and have pink on them. He really is a character. The other day he was parading around the house stark naked with the socks pulled up to his thighs and his sisters shoes clonking on the floor. And, what is it with boys thinking they can drop drawers outside? Last night, I was pruning the rose bush and I turn around to find my son peeing off the ledge of my neighbor's driveway. I quickly go stand in front of him in hopes that it will block the view of the neighbors across the street. I'm so bad, as I'm scolding him telling him he needs to go inside I was laughing hysterically in my head.
Mark's golf season started last Friday with the Master's. It's just a matter of time before I'm a golf widow for the summer!
As for me, I'm training. I have decided I want to run a 10K sometime this year. Reasons why: It's on my bucket list, we are done having a family, the kids are getting a little more responsible and easy, and I'm not getting any younger. So, I'm up to 2 miles but have a long way to go. On a funny note, Schuyler recently got new athletic shoes and she chose Asics, like her mommy. Well, she is up to a size 5, which is not far from my size 7 1/2 or 8. I leave the house when the kids are in bed and keep everything dark so I don't disturb anyone. Anyway, I mistakenly grabbed her shoes = )
Wow, now that I'm done writing my chapter, here are a few pics...
