Return to Blogging

I have sat down to update this blog so many times over the past few months, but somehow found it too overwhelming to tackle.  We had such a great summer and did so many fun things together as a family and at some point I will have to document them all - or at least a few.  But for now, let me start with something simple - something to ease myself back into blogging.

The First Day of School 2012!!

I have been anticipating this school year ever since Abby was in Kindergarten.  It's true.  Way back then, we had just moved into this neighborhood and I was pregnant with Peter.  I remember thinking as I sent little Abby off to Kindergarten, that when she was in sixth grade, this little baby inside me would just be Abby's age and would be starting Kindergarten himself.  

Foolishly, at the time, that seemed like a lifetime away.  But, here I am what feels like five minutes later, with Abby in 6th grade, Isaac in 4th grade, Henry in 2nd, and that little baby, Peter, is in Kindergarten.  Crazy.

The first day of school arrived with its unique blend of nervousness and excitement.  The kids had carefully picked out their outfits and had loaded their backpacks and they were ready to start a new year.  

Technically, Peter wouldn't start school for another week, but here are 

my four babies who all attend the same school. I love it!

Here's my darling sixth grade girl.  

Ready for 4th grade!

How is this little peanut already a 2nd grader!?

The kids were able to meet up with their friends at the neighborhood breakfast which always seems to calm the nerves.  I love seeing these cute kids reunited and ready to face the year together.

Isaac and our neighbor.  These boys logged a lot of hours together this summer - legos, swimming, basketball camp.  Isaac loves having a friend next door!

Abby and her cute friends.  

I refuse to acknowledge that these girls will be in Junior High next year.

Walking to school hand-in-hand.

Henry and his 5th grade buddy Jake, make their way to school.

These three had a great first day of school.  They all came home happy about their teachers, excited about the kids in their classes, and totally enthusiastic about doing homework.  (Well, at least for the first day.)

Peter and Lucy didn't start school for another week and man alive, was that a long week.  Everyday they would ask how much longer until they got to start school and everyday, they were unhappy with my answer.  Those two younger kids were ready to get in on the action.

Oh, I love these two kids!

Peter spent the morning of his first day feeling a little nervous.  He wasn't very hungry and had so many questions about how the day would go. "What kind of things will my teacher have me do?" he asked.  "How will I know where I'm supposed to go?"  "Who am I going to sit by?"  I assured him that he would be fine;  his teacher is so nice and there are so many great kids in his class.  I promised he would have a great day.  By the time we were ready to go, Peter was excited and ready to get to school.  

Look at the enthusiasm on those faces!

After school, Peter walked home with Abby, Isaac, and Henry and when he got here, he burst through the door with a huge smile on his face and ran straight for me to give me a huge hug.  "Today was awesome!  Kindergarten is GREAT!" he said with more enthusiasm than I know how to type.

Lucy had a great first day of preschool - although when I went to pick her up the only thing I could think was that she is way too small and has way too little hair to be in preschool.  

I am excited for this year for my kids.  They all seem so happy with their teachers and they have great friends in their classes.  They are all involved in activities they seem to love and enthusiastic about.  And as for me, now that Peter is in kindergarten and Lucy is in preschool, for the first time since the day Abby was born, I have two afternoons a week all to myself.

At least until March....

Performances

Last week our family was inundated with performances.  In fact, Lucy was the only one not involved in the performing arts.

Peter had his preschool performance on Tuesday.  For months, he had been singing his songs as he went through the house, and when the day came, he was so excited for us to see him perform.  When I woke him up in the morning and told him we needed to get ready for Kindermusik, he said he wasn't sure if we had time for Kindermusik because we had his performance that night  - at 8:00.  I assured him we could do both.

Peter was proud and a little reserved as he made his grand entrance.

 It was a little hard to hear most of the kids sing, because one girl sang, yelled at the top of her lungs. 

 I tried to think it was cute.

I loved it when the kids sang, "Proud to be an American."

Peter's performance came at the end of crazy day with all the kids needing to be different places at once.  I loved ending my day watching my cute boy perform and it made me more than a little sad to think that this was his last preschool performance.  I am NOT ready for Peter to start kindergarten in the fall.  But, as he often reminds me, "at least you get Lucy for like six more years, or something."

Anyway, on Thursday and Friday of the same week, Abby and Isaac performed in their school's production of "Beauty and the Beast."  This was a play that they had been working on, two mornings a week before school, ever since October.  It was nothing short of fabulous.  

Isaac played the part of a villager.  He was adorable up on stage singing praises to Gaston, doing push-ups as part of a dance number, grabbing a plunger to use for a weapon as the villagers went after the beast, and fighting with the silverware and plates in the final scene at the castle.  

My own little villager - the most darling one on the stage.

Abby had a roll as a "Silly Girl;" you know those girls who flirt with and fawn over Gaston.  She was absolutely adorable in her roll, and while I have never known her to fawn over any boy (yet), she was very convincing up on stage.  

Abby conspiring with another Silly Girl.

Giving her dreamiest expression - far left.

Although Henry didn't get to be up on stage, (it was only for 3rd - 6th graders) all the kids in the school were taught a dance routine to "Be Our Guest." Then, in the middle of the performance all the students who were spread throughout the audience, did a sort of flash mob dance and performed along with the kids on stage.  Henry loved being part of it, if only from the audience and it was great to see so many students in the audience participating.  Henry's class also helped make masks for the wolves in the forest to wear.  He was so proud of his contribution.

As I mentioned, Lucy was the only one not involved in a performance last week - but that doesn't mean she didn't try.  All throughout the play on Thursday and Friday, Lucy stood in the aisles and danced along with the musical numbers.  Then, as the play progressed, she would walk up the aisle toward the stage.  At first it was just a couple of feet and then she would come back to our seats, but by the end of the play, she gathered her courage and went right up to the stage.

Lucy makes her way to the stage and tries to get Abby's attention.

Finally gets noticed by Abby.

Makes a run for it back to the seats.

I'm sure Lucy is already counting down the days until she can be up on stage.  She is already a little performer.

Anyway, the play was awesome and I loved every minute of it.  At the end of the night, the teacher who directed it and spent thousands of hours putting it all together (without extra pay), stood on the stage and talked about the importance of the arts in the lives of children.  I got really emotional as I was filled with gratitude for the experiences my kids have with the arts.  I am so grateful my kids go to a public school that emphasizes the arts in so many ways and I am grateful for teachers who work hard to make a difference in the lives of their students.  I know that the opportunities my kids are having, will last with them always.

I loved this past week seeing all my kids involved in various performances.  I loved the work that went into preparing for their performances and I loved the excitement and satisfaction they all felt when they were done.  Congratulations to all of you cuties

Henry's First Birthday (Party)

Because Henry and Isaac have birthdays only five days apart from each other, all the birthday party excuses I outlined in my last post about Isaac, also apply to Henry's birthday.  Henry just turned seven, and like Isaac, he's never had a birthday party either.

So a few weeks ago when I agreed to let Isaac have his first birthday party, I immediately knew I had signed up to throw a party for each of my kids this year.  Earlier in the week, when I saw that a perfect day had been forecasted for Saturday, I knew that that was the day to host Henry's party. Lucky for us, the forecasters were right, and Saturday was the most amazing day imaginable.

Henry had a hard time narrowing down his guest list, so we ended up having a party with 14 of the cutest seven-year-olds you have ever seen.  

Andrew and I (after perusing the internet thoroughly) thought up some fun games for the kids to play.  We had a game with a parachute and bouncy-balls.  There was an Orea eating competition.  There was a game in which the kids had to use a straw to make a face with M&Ms.  There was a race using a straw to blow a cup down the table and for the grand finale, there was a water balloon toss.

We assumed these games would take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to get through.  What we didn't take into account was the boy who just wanted to hang out in the tree house, or the girls who didn't want to compete against the boys or the boy who had a peanut allergy and couldn't take part in the M&Ms game.  

All I know is that we were somewhat shocked (and dismayed) when 20 minutes after the games started, the kids were done.  We still had an hour and half before the party ended and we had pretty much burned through all our tricks.   

Luckily for us, it was a hot day and all it took was turning on the hose to keep the kids entertained for the remainder of the party.  There was jumping on the tramp while someone sprayed them with the hose, filling up more water balloons, and then there was this hilarious girl who just kept filling up the silver bowl and dumping it on her head.  

We also had a raucous game of Red Rover.  Yes, as a family, we enjoy sponsoring games and activities that are banned by public schools everywhere.  

Finally it was time to open presents and eat brownie sundaes.  When Isaac saw how many presents Henry got from inviting fourteen friends, he was really disappointed with himself for having only invited five friends to his birthday party.  Live and learn, Isaac.

Andrew ate all the brownie edges before Henry even blew out the candles. 

Anyway, it was a fun afternoon.  Henry invited such a cute group of kids and we loved having them all at our house.  

Most of all, we love our Henry.  He brings so much joy and laughter to our family.  The day before his birthday, his hair was getting shaggy and I asked if I could please trim it a little.  Well, one thing led to another and given my poor haircutting skills, poor Henry ended up with a buzz (which he had specifically said he DID NOT want.)  I felt really bad, but Henry took it all in stride and forgave me for ruining his long locks of hair.

Henry is a great boy.  He works hard in school and is learning Spanish so well.  He loves to sing and has some great dance moves.  He has so many friends (as evidenced in the picture above) and his siblings adore him.  Everyday, I am grateful that this boy is part of our family.

Happy Birthday Henry-boy!  You will always be my Minnesota Sun, and I love you!

Henry's Birthday at the Beach

While we were in California, Henry celebrated his 6th birthday.

  

Henry is by far my sleepiest child.  It was even hard for him to wake up  - on his birthday - at the beach.

(wow.)

The beach house kitchen was all decorated and there were presents to open. 

What a great way to start a birthday!

It was a little bit cloudy and cool on the day of his birthday, so instead of spending the day at the beach, Henry decided he wanted to go the Santa Barbara Zoo.  I have never been a fan of zoos - at least of Hogle Zoo - but I love the Santa Barbara Zoo.  There are great animals, lots of green grass and trees, and you can even see the ocean from the zoo.  Does it get better than that?

We had a great time walking through the zoo seeing all the animals.  The kids loved feeding the giraffes and we loved watching the gorillas pace around their "home."

Aunt Laura found this monkey running around the zoo and we decided to keep him and name him Peter.

It was such a fun day celebrating Henry's birthday.  He is such a great boy and we love having him in our family.  Here are a few of the things we love about Henry.

1. You are a great brother.  I especially love the way you take care of Lucy.  You are always looking out for her, keeping her safe and making sure she is part of the action.

(At the zoo, all the kids were sliding down a hill on cardboard.  Lucy couldn't figure out how to do it, 

so Henry went over and helped her go down.  He is such a thoughtful brother.)

2. You love being around people and are a good friend to others.  People love being around you.

3.  You are very creative in finding ways to stay busy.

4.  You love to snuggle and cuddle with Mom.

5.  You always want "one more kiss" before you go to sleep at night.

6.  You want to do what is right.   When you do something wrong it makes you so sad and you try to do better.

7.  You are very choosy about what you wear - although if you could, you would wear soccer shorts and a grubby t-shirt every day and night.  (Preferably the same shorts and t-shirt day and night.)

8.  You are a great reader.  You have worked so hard this year to get better at reading and you have gotten so good.  I love listening to you read.

9.  You are so funny.  You always make people with the things you say and do.

10.  You are my Minnesota son, my 10-pound baby, my brown-eyed boy and I love you so!

I just don't know how you have gone from this:

to this:

Just slow it down from now on, will you?

The New Barber in Town

Of all our children, Henry has always been the most mischievous.  There are several posts on this blog detailing his adventures that have kept us on our toes and scratching our heads.  For the most part, over the past year or so, it has appeared that Henry has outgrown this phase.  He has found new outlets for his creativity and energy.  We may have even breathed a sigh of relief....

Until earlier this week.

A couple of weeks ago, Henry's kindergarten teacher slipped on some ice and broke her arm.  (Coincidently, she did the same thing two years ago when she was Isaac's teacher.) Anyway, the arm required surgery and she has been out of school for the past two weeks.  I have no doubt that the substitute is a good teacher and does her best to maintain order in the classroom, but as we all know, when a substitute is there, mayhem tends to rule the classroom.

Henry has always had a buzz.  With his cowlick, it's the only hair style we have been able to make work on him.  However, the other day, he came home from school with a new "do."

See that short little section front and center on his head?  Well apparently, while the teacher wasn't looking, Henry and two girls he sits by, thought it would be fun to cut their hair.  WHAT?  Henry was unfazed by what he had done until Andrew told him he looked bald - and then he started bawling.

I can only hope the girls fared better in their attempts than Henry did - and I can only hope that Henry's teacher comes back soon before he and his little friends get any other ideas.  

Oh, that Henry.  I never know what he'll come up with next.  Luckily for him, he has those big brown eyes that tend to melt his mom's heart in a hurry.  I sure love this boy.

Strawberry and Cheetos. A Fall Classic.

Last week Isaac and Henry were too sick to go to school, but not too sick to go fishing.  Sounds a little bit like Huck Finn if you ask me.  

Seriously, I had just called the school, early enough that I wouldn't have to talk to anyone, and left a message saying that the boys would be missing school for a family event out of town with their grandpa.  This was all true, Elizabeth's dad (Grandpa) invited us fishing on a pontoon boat (family event) up at Strawberry reservoir (well out of town).   

Not long after making the phone call we had to stop the car so Isaac could get out and throw-up on the side of the road, much like Henry had the night before.   Why didn't I just call the school and tell them the basic facts, that both boys were sick, and would miss school.  We wouldn't want this stomach virus going to other kids, even though that's probably where we got it.  We wanted to keep this within our family.  Plus, puking over the side of a fishing boat is quite common.  I've read "The Perfect Storm" and have seen an episode of "The Deadliest Catch".  

It was a great early start.  The morning sun was impressive shining on the back side of Mt Timpanogus.  It looked like the perfect day.

As we approached the lake, we dropped down into a cloud that filled the valley.  It was 22 degrees but we were prepared for the cold.  We headed out onto the lake with zero visability, in no particular direction, hopefully towards the fish.  

Henry was bundled up and optimistic.  It seemed no one was on the lake but then we came upon this lone fisherman who appeared to be posing for a gear catalog or a motivational poster entitled "Persistence" or "Determination" or "Lose Yourself in Dense Fog".

I looked over to find Henry comatose on the bench.  I guess he figured he'd wake up when the sun burned through.  

Seriously, he slept in this position for over TWO hours.

Then came the fish.  Last time we went fishing, it was more about just enjoying the scenery, the time in the canoe with my son and my father in law, but this time, we caught fish.  We also re-lived one of Elizabeth's favorite childhood memories: fishing at Strawberry with her dad and licking cheetos residue off her fingers all afternoon.  This time, no paddling, great company, cheetos, and a surplus of willing 18 inch long cut throat trout.   And then the sun burned through.  What a sick day.  I've read fishing t-shirts and bumper stickers about this kind of a day.  Now I get it.

Jon, and his brother Steve reeled these in at the same time.  Steve's would not hold still for the picture and tried to bite his finger off, which is why he cannot stop laughing.

Henry chose a special white lure and sure enough, together we caught one.  He loved reeling it in and was very proud of his lure selection.  Here is his fish, just as grandpa was about to throw it back it flipped out of his hands for the picture.

Isaac was very patient, and had endured our last fishless day, never getting frustrated.   He was casting great and having a great time and knew his time would come.  His first one somehow broke the line just as we got it close to the boat.  Finally he yelled out, "got one" and sure enough, reeled in a beauty all on his own.  He was pretty happy.

It was beautiful sunny day and will have to become a November tradition

First Day of Kindergarten

Today Henry started Kindergarten and ended what has officially been the longest week of his life.   From the minute Abby and Isaac started school, he has been counting down the days until he could join them.

And so, I present: Henry, on his first day of Kindergarten.

Look at that confidence.  Look at that swagger.  Look at that adorable cowlick.  This boy was excited and ready to get started.

Right up until it was time to actually get started.  And then he got a little nervous.

He wasn't sure where to hang his back pack.  And he gave his "homework" to the wrong teacher.  And he accidentally walked into the wrong classroom.  Needless to say, he was a little shaken - but definitely not deterred.

Once he got into the right classroom, saw a few friends and found his name on a desk, he was officially ready to start Kindergarten.

I made the mistake of calling Henry 'My Kindergarten Baby' today and he was quick to remind me that he is now a big boy.  As I watched him settle into his classroom I realized that he was right.  I can't quite figure out where the past five-and-a-half years have gone, but somehow my Minnesota son has turned into a big boy.  (I didn't feel it was necessary to tell him that he'll always be my baby.)

Anyway, Henry had a great day at school.  There were lots of fun friends, plenty of recess time and best of all, he got to walk home with Abby and Isaac.  What could be better than that?

The only downside of the day is that now Peter begins what will officially be the longest week of his life.  He's already counting down the days until preschool starts.  (Oh, and counting down the days until Christmas - but that's another story.)

Two cute brothers say good-bye.  Man I love these boys.

Happy Birthday to Henry

Last week Henry turned five.

It was a greatly anticipated event.

For weeks, before his birthday, Henry would come up to me and say, "I just can't believe it."

"Believe what?", I would ask.

"I just can't believe I am going to be five!"

I feel the same way.

It is hard to believe that my "tiny" Minnesota son/sun, is already five-years-old and is getting ready to start Kindergarten in the fall.

My pregnancy with Henry was the hardest of all five.  For the first four (plus) months, I was sick, sick, sick.  And for the last four (plus) months, I was HUGE, HUGE, HUGE.

My doctor could tell I was carrying a big baby and I had excess amniotic fluid - so I really was huge, and I kept being tested for gestational diabetes (which I never had, but was always right on the cusp.)  Andrew was in his second year of residency, which was ridiculously busy, and we were in Minnesota, far from home and family.  It was definitely a rough nine months.

(Two days before Henry was born and the only thing that fit me were Andrew's XL scrubs.)

But, when the blessed day finally arrived, my delivery was easy.  Henry made his arrival weighing 10 lbs 6 oz and was healthy and handsome - even from the beginning.  Henry was the easiest baby ever - he was so sweet and peaceful and calm.  He made the transition to three kids a breeze.  I will always be grateful to him for that.

For the past two (plus) years Henry bas been a source of entertainment and comic relief.

Henry seems to be out growing his mischievous phase, (knock on wood) but still keeps us amused with funny things he says and with the things he remembers.

Last week, the day before his birthday, our family went for a walk and Henry rode his bike.  The final 100 feet of our walk, were up a steep hill that leads to our house.  Henry rode his bike all the way up the hill without stopping.  When we got home, I told Henry how impressed I was that he'd been able to make it all the way up the hill.

Henry looked at me and said, "See Mom, you were wrong."

Confused, I asked, "What was I wrong about."

Henry said, "When we were eating taco soup, you said if I didn't take five more bites, I wouldn't be strong enough to ride my bike this summer.  I only ate THREE bites, and I was strong enough to ride my  bike up the hill."

I thought about what he said, and started laughing when I realized it had been at least TWO MONTHS since we'd had taco soup for dinner.  He'd been thinking about that for a long time, and when he got the chance, he proved me wrong.  (Should I be nervous?)

Anyway, I love my five-year-old Henry.  I love his enthusiasm for reading and for words.  I love to hear him sing - especially"How Firm a Foundation" and the song from "Land Before Time." I love the way he takes care of Lucy and makes sure she is safe and protected.  I love my conversations with Henry which give me a glance at the way he sees the world.  I love that he daily finds me flowers and blossoms to wear behind my ear.  I love to watch Peter and Henry play together - and when Henry calls to Peter, "C'mon Buddy!"  I love his sense of humor and how thoughtful and sensitive he is.  Henry is a great boy.

Our family is so lucky to have this sweet, funny, stubborn boy.  Happy Birthday Henry-boy.  We love you!!