New Year

Hi all. I know it has been way too long. In an attempt to document the things our kids say and do I am posting another blog full of Dominisms and Nico cuteness.

The age of Star Wars has begun at our house. The boys all have light sabers, they have a Star Wars video game they love to play, they have seen some of the classic star wars movies as well as some of the new ones as well. They play light saber battle all the time. During one such battle Anthony and Dom come bounding into the family room and I hear Dom say" I'm going to pay you for this!" If you could have seen the serious look on his face it would have cracked you up even more. We use that one alot now.

Nico has turned into such a little talker these days. He is stringing two and three words together and the simple fact that he can communicate his wants and desires more easily makes my life so much nicer! But he is a little comic that is for sure. One of his new favorite things to do is to get one of his brothers' Buzz Lightyear toys (it is like a big action figure) and lay him down on one of our end tables. Then he goes and gets a package of diapers and brings them to the table all the while chanting "ucky biaper" which of course means "yucky diaper" which is what we say when we change him. Then he proceeds to try and put a diaper on Buzz. One of the cutest things he does now is how he answers pretty much any question. When he asks for more of anything he says "More drink, ok" and then shakes his head up and down. If he really wants to emphasize his desire he adds a "yeah" with the head nod.

Rather than being cute Anthony just amazes us with the things he knows. He can name every dinosaur and pronounce the names accurately. Not only that, he can READ all the names. He has several dinosaur books and I have to ask for his help in pronouncing the names when I read it to him. He knows more about the dinosaurs than most people and wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up. He is such a little sponge and it is so cool to watch him learn.

More cuteness from the kids

I shared an adorable story about Dominic last time, but not to be outdone, my other two boys are just as adorable. I am constantly amazed at how my children think, how they see the world, and in turn how they choose to express what they think and see. Their filter is so thin or small or whatever that they call it like they see it, for better or worse. Luckily, most of the time it is for the better.

As most of you know it has been very stormy in our part of the world. This is of course uncommon and things like wind and rain are actually strange things for my kids to see. While driving home one day this week with Anthony he made one of the most beautiful comments about the wind. I told him to look at the trees outside, how they were moving from the wind, and his response was "it looks like the trees are dancing." I thought, what a beautiful concept. I mean, we can dance and sing with joy about our creation, so why can't creation do the same?!!! It just made my heart so full to realize that Anthony sees the world as a whole, we are all part of God's creation and even a tree can dance.

Even sweet Nicolas shows his tender side once in a while. Each morning we go through a ritual where everyone who is leaving (daddy and Anthony usually) waits at the door for hugs and kisses from those staying behind. Nicolas really loves this part of the day and will give two or three to each to each person before he is done. Today it had been about an hour since anyone had left and he walks up to me and signs "more" with his hands and then leans in for a kiss. He just needed one more. So sweet. I hope these stories remind you that even the trees can dance and there is no such thing as too many kisses.

Why kids are awesome

OK, so it is raining in San Diego today. It is raining lots of places today, but when it rains in SoCal it is as if we are experiencing the great flood. People forget how to drive, we have no rain gear whatsoever, I will admit to wearing flip flops to the store this morning. I soon changed into my boots. Anyway, needless to say, when it rains things get strange, and people get mean and grumpy. This was the first day that Anthony went to school in the rain which meant a host of things would be different. Living in CA means that much of the school day activities take place outside; lunch, PE, snack, etc. So, all of that was different today. However, the toughest part of the day was getting there to pick Anthony up. I got there early so I could park closer to the school, and even then it is quite a trek to the door. Kinderarteners require a parent to meet them at the door, which means, there were plenty of parents waiting in their warm cars while all the kindergarten parents were getting drenched. Anyway, I got there early, parked, and Dominic, Nicolas and I waited in the warm car until the last minute. The rain was POURING, and it was windy which meant an umbrella was basically useless. The puddles were brutal. There was no way to stay even a little bit dry. So, as I am running through the downpour, getting drenched from top to bottom, I look back to see if Dom is following me closely. He has the umbrella. Everyone around is screaming, complaining, running as fast as they can to get inside, but not Dom. Dom is laughing his brains out because the wind keeps catching the umbrella and pulling him backwards. He could care less that he shoes and pants are soaked through, that mommy and Nico are drenched. He is enjoying the moment and finding the joy even in the rain. So Nico and I stopped and laughed along with him, we only got slightly more soaked, and then the bell rang.

What a weekend

It was a whirlwind to say the least, but David and Ashley's wedding in Arizona was a wonderful celebration that we were so lucky to be part of. Anthony and Dominic were the ring bearers and while they were far from being the stars of the weekend, they did a fantastic job and I think they actually had a good time too!!!! As if a 6 year old and 4 year old wearing tuxedos wasn't cute enough, the bride made them Bride and Groom bears at Build a Bear Workshop that they carried down the aisle. And to top THAT cuteness off, they got the boys Spiderman and Batman outfits for the bears for after the wedding. They carried those bears around all night and have not put them down since. And the funny thing is, they got to keep the bride and groom outfits and they have loved dressing them up as either bride and groom or Spiderman and Batman. So adorable!!!!

So, the festivities started off on Friday at the rehearsal, which we barely made it into town for, but we got there. The dinner was held at Dave and Busters which, if you have never heard of it or been there, is like Chuck E Cheese's for adults. They have video games and bowling and it was perfect for the kids AND adults. The boy's got to wear their costumes and cousin Kelly and Auntie Gloria were so sweet and brought them trick or treat bags full of goodies! So much better than going trick or treating.

Saturday was a busy day. We had to go get the tuxes in the morning and make sure the boys ( and Joe and I) were ready to get to the hotel where the weddding was being held by 1:30 for pictures. It was a mad dash at the end, but we made it. After that it was a whirlwind of photos, meeting the rest of the family, getting seated, and finally, the wedding! It was beautiful to say the least. The boys did so great, and not just in the actual wedding. They were so grown up and sweet the entire day. The few times they started to whine at daddy (he was in charge of them) he would just tell the wedding coordinator to ask them to do what they needed to and they did it without question.

During dinner there was still much cuteness to be had. One of the starter courses was lobster ravioli, which we didn't think any of the kids would like, but Anthony wanted to try it, and one bite in his exact words were "this has an amazing taste." Dom and Nico weren't as impressed, but perhaps their tastes aren't as mature yet. They did get chicken fingers and mac n cheese for their main course rather than filet mignon that the other guests were served. They ate very nicely and really enjoyed the mini creme brulee's that were served as pre-dessert desserts. They mingled and drew to pass the time and Nico even took a little nap. Dom had had enough at about 7 and grandma Janis was able to put him to sleep for a little while. Anthony was ready to go home about that same time but refused to lay down. He also refused to take off his jacket almost the entire night, he kept saying he wanted to look really handsome and he could only do that if he was wearing his entire tuxedo. So cute. They were both so excited about gettine dressed up it really made it easy. I was a little worried they wouldn't want to wear their "monkey suits", but once they were in them at the tux place they both kept saying how handsome they looked and they didn't want to take them off.

Of course, not to be outdone by the older boys, Nico and Gavin also wore tuxes and were so adorable! I did post photos on a web album so hopefully you all got that email, there were just too many for the blog, it takes a long time to upload them here.

It was a wonderful weekend and we felt so lucky to be a part of it. DAvid and Ashley have an incredible group of family and friends surrounding them as they begin this new journey together. It was so great to see everyone and meet the newest members of our clan!!! Can't wait until next time.

Love you all,

Emily

More fall fun

I feel as though I have missed out on most of October. We have had something going on almost every weekend and we are coming up on a family wedding in which the two older boys will be ring bearers. But, this doesn't mean we haven't had our share of fall fun, or haven't gotten into the Halloween spirit. Last night we carved pumpkins and had a great time. I should say that daddy carved the pumpkin while the boys helped a little and mommy watched. It was really cute, at one point Nicolas kept wanting to put all the pumpkin insides back into the pumpkin. Such a little cleaner. And when he did take stuff out he made the funniest face, like he grossed out or something. So cute. I don't have any photos of the pumpkin yet, but those will come. Also, I added some photos on Nico wearing his Batman backpack. So cute. If you put even one toy in it he practically falls over, but he loves to wear it, especially in the mornings after Anthony leaves for school wearing his backpack.

Enjoy!

It's official....

we have entered the terrible two's, and the frantic fours, and the surly sixes. I feel as though all three of my children have been possessed by some sort of attitude monster. I was expecting it with Nicolas, just not so dramatically. One day his fits were simply laying on the floor in silence and the next they are full blown screaming tantrums. The hardest part about the two's is that you never know when one of these nuclear explosion tantrums will erupt. It could stem from not getting food as soon as he is buckled into his high chair, it might start when one of his brothers takes a toy away from him, or it might come out of nowhere, no signs whatsoever to warn us that a tsunami of screaming and writhing on the floor is about to ensue. But, having done this twice before we are slightly more prepared for this attitude problem.

That brings up to out frantic four year old and surly six year old. We all know Dom is high energy, takes after daddy as a child, so I have been told. However, these last few months have brought out a totally new, and not very nice, side of him. He is usually our snuggly love-bug, but lately he has just been ornery and grumpy, and when he is not either of those two things he is running around like a chicken with his head cut off, no rhyme or reason to his craziness. I guess most kids this age are a bit bi-polar, they just have a hard time monitoring their emotions. I think part of his emotions stem from Anthony starting school and losing his best friend for most of the day. He is so social and let't be honest, Nico isn't the best playmate, at least not yet. I do my best, but apparently I am not nearly as cool as Anthony either, so we have a lot of moping around, throwing toys, and just wanting to be a couch potato. I realize this too shall pass, but mostly I just feel bad for him. I wish with all my heart we could put him in preschool, but with all that is going on we just can't justify that expense right now.

As for our surly six year old. Well, again, totally normal. I guess these things go in even year increments, so hopefully next year I will have three lovely, well-behaved children living in my house. Hey, a mom can dream, right? Anyway, Anthony, what can I say? He has experienced a lot of change in these last few months, moving, starting kindergarten, getting glasses. The poor kid has a reason to be on edge. But for the most part he has handled it all in stride, but man, when his emotions flare up, watch out! I don't know anyone else in this house who has that problem (I say tongue in cheek, my cheek, my very emotional cheek.) Part of it is just being exhausted at the end of the day. He was still taking naps most days during the summer so being at school all day really takes it out of him. He is also an introvert like me so while he loves school and has a great time there, when he gets home all he wants is some alone time, but instead he has two little brothers vieing for his attention and it drives him a little nuts. So when we ask him to do something simple, like wash up for dinner, he loses it sometimes. He either bursts into tears or gets really angry. He is learning to deal with his emotions better, but I can't blame the kid for being confused and tired.

Needles to say, we are deep in the throes of child rearing at its ugliest, but at the same time it makes those precious moments all that more wonderful. Like when my baby comes up and kisses me for no reason, no prompting at all, or when he chases Anthony down to get a good bye hug before he leaves for school. I see glimpses, albeit small at the moment, of who they truly are, the sweet, sensitive spirit of Anthony, the hilarious imaginative way Dominic's brain works, and our little teddy bear Nicolas. I must remember to cherish these times for while they are challenging and exhausting, they go by all too quickly. I don't want to take a single un-prompted kiss or tantrum for granted because it is all part of the story of our family, a story in which I am overjoyed to be playing a part.

Fall fun

Well, at least for the time being th weather in San Diego is coordinating with what my idea of fall is, cool and breezy. This weekend was simply beautiful here so we took advantage and spent most of our time enjoying local festivities as well as the beach. Grandma Janis and Grandpa Gene are renting a condo in Oceanside right on the water for a couple months so we are enjoying have a "beach house" to go to when we need a break.

We of course had to do the obligatory pumpkin patch trip with the kids to pick out pumpkins, pet some goats, ride some rides, and give Joe terrible allergies. It wouldn't be Halloween time without a hay-induced allergy attack. We did have fun, though. Then we spent Sunday at the "beach house" playing on the beach and enjoying hamburgers on the grill. I will say this about San Diego, it sure is nice to be able to play in the ocean even in October!! The kids had such a great time. The big boys walked with daddy and Grandpa all the way down to the pier, onto the pier, and back, a good couple miles total.

Now it is Monday and we are back to the old routine of getting up early for school, trying to find things for Nicolas and Dominic to do during the day, and getting all my stuff done before I have to pick Anthony up from school. But it is nice to have a routine, I will say that.

Enjoy the pics.