Pumpkins and Ice Cream

Today was one of those days that I am not exactly sure how we are going to make it in say 5 years when all the kids are in activities.  I have said it a million times, but I could easily have 10 babies, but 4 kids may kill me.  Don't get me wrong it is a lot of fun, but when lunch is a quick smoothie at 3:30pm, because you realize you haven't eaten yet, you know you have been busy.

After a trip to Wegman's to get the weeks groceries, Logan, Leah and I went to Logan's class field trip. It was at a great farm in Chantilly.  We got to ride on hayride, that went through a swamp, pick pumpkins, ride big slides, roast marshmallows, see animals and do lots of running around and playing.  It was a great time!

Temper tantrum because I went on the slide with her.

That was followed by rushing home to get there before the school bus.  I got stuck at every red light and pulled up to the house just as Evan was walking up the driveway.  We did some homework then got back in the car to pick up Colin from the school.  He is starting a math club called Math Olympiad, where he will compete against other schools and learn different strategies to solve problems.  He seemed to enjoy his first day.

Then it was home for more homework, I got dinner together and put Leah down for a short nap, since she hadn't had one yet.  Then we woke her up to drop Colin off at Football practice, then came home and finished making dinner.  Dennis got home just in time to finish feeding the kids and I went to Colin's practice to take him with his team to Dairy Queen.  The coaches promised a couple weeks ago to take them, their treat, because of how hard they have been working.  The kids were so excited to get ice cream and we completely took over the Dairy Queen tonight.  Colin even tried to convince me to give him the $10 I owe him so he could get seconds.  Of course I said no, which he wasn't too happy about.

The CEO

I always wondered what a daughter who has 3 older brothers would be like.  Would she be a dancer like me? Would she love all things girly…makeup and jewelry and dresses.  Or would she take after her brothers and be tough and enjoy sports?  I am still not sure about what sport she will like, but Leah loves jewelry.  Anything that resembles necklaces goes around the neck.  She loves to climb up on my bathroom counter and sit in my sink and play with my make up while I am in the shower.  And she loves to say, "So pretty" when she wears a dress or fancy shoes.  Oh and she loves to sing too!  She closes her eyes and is very dramatic when she does it. I have to admit, I LOVE this!

Well, in case you think she is all girl.  Leah is my first child to be a climber.  She gets up on the kitchen table constantly, it doesn't matter how many times I say no.   She gets into things too.  She is also tough.  She is not afraid to say "No".  A lot.  She stands up for herself.  She is stubborn.  She knows what she wants and she makes sure you know it too.  She is sassy and sweet and spunky and stubborn and many other things.

She is independent, which seems to be a theme with many of my kids.  Every time I take the boys to Religious Education class Leah wants to walk, not be carried, and she runs in ahead me with her cute little strut like she owns the place.  In fact, a dad there has now started calling her, "The CEO", because she is so independent.  He will see her taking off and say, "there is the future CEO again".

Temper tantrums all the time!

Leah likes things done on her terms.  I think she will say "No" only because you want her to say "Yes".  For example, at night when Dennis wants to put her to bed she will say, "No, Mommy".  Meaning she wants me to do it, not Dennis.  Then when he wants to give her a kiss she says "No, Mommy"again.  But, as soon as we close her bedroom door she starts crying for a kiss from Daddy.  We discovered if Dennis says, "No kiss" then she will cry for a kiss from him.  She wants the opposite of what we say!  I have a feeling this will be a ongoing theme in her childhood.

There are worst things then being independent and I am extremely proud of how tough and independent she is.  Even though it makes for some battles of wills at times, it is a good trait.  I was painfully shy as a child, so I admire how social and confident she is.  I hope she never looses that fire and spunk, but keeps her sweetness as well, and if she ends up a CEO one day, I certainly wouldn't complain!

By the way, the picture above is her eating from my plate.  She will eat anything as long as it is on someone else's plate…Kale, Red Onion, avocado, etc…  Just another example of her being her own little person!

Making the Adjustment…

Just wanted to give a quick update…

Colin has worked hard at football and impressed the coaches with his knowledge of the play book and now starts as Tight End on Offense and Line Backer on Defense! I am so proud of him for working hard and earning the starting positions.  His team is now 5-0, so that helps his enthusiasm for the game too!  They played this past weekend at a high school stadium and it was so fun to watch from the bleachers.  The weather was perfect and it was a great day.  Colin played the entire game!  Evan didn't have a game this weekend, so we were able to all be at Colin's game together, which was also a nice treat!

Found this in Colin's backpack and thought it was awesome!

Evan is doing fantastic at baseball.  It is so neat to watch his growth each season.  He has gotten some great outs.  His last game, he caught a pop fly at 3rd base and was able to throw the ball all the way to first too.  I am so impressed with his development.  He is also gaining confidence in his own abilities which is always nice to see as a parent.  Evan takes things very personally if he strikes out or gets out at a base.  But, he is working on not crying, staying strong, and not getting down on himself too much and for that I am very proud.  It is a work in progress.

Logan is going to 3 day 3 hr preschool at a great preschool we found.  They are fantastic, but I do wish their program was longer then 3 hrs.  We could have sent him to 5 days, but the cost was higher then we want to spend with only having one income coming in.  He is enjoying it and asks every night if he has school tomorrow.  He is also enjoying going to a play group I joined with other kids born the same year as him.  We have his play group every Tuesday morning and a playgroup for Leah on Wednesday mornings and he enjoys both.  I am enjoying meeting some other Moms as I don't have any friends here in NOVA yet.

Leah, I will write more on next time.  But, she is doing well too.  Her language is crazy, she is able to really get across what she wants.  She takes great naps most days and is overall pretty easy even though she is very independent.

School is going ok for the older boys.  Overall, this school system, while good, is not at the same level as their school in Indiana.  They are finding it kind of easy and thus a bit boring.  They also find PE boring, I guess in VA it is more about exercise and less about fun.  Both boys are having to repeat math because they were a grade level ahead in Indiana and Loudon County Schools doesn't offer that.  Their teachers are trying to make it more challenging for them and I know they are in a top group but it is still easy.  

Colin is having a tough adjustment because he was in a full time gifted program in Indiana, where every single subject was accelerated and that isn't offered here.  I feel like he has had to take a huge step backwards and I am having major Mom guilt over it. He is currently being tested for their gifted program which is a once a week pull out program.  He would go to another school once a week.  It is completely different though, it is not academic based it is more critical thinking, so not sure if he will get in to that or not.  I don't think he is as much gifted in his higher level thinking as he is just a quick learner and needs a more advanced academic program.  Also, it isn't based just on test scores but also relies on a parent questionnaire and teacher recommendation, so not sure what they are looking for.  

While I love Ashburn, it is new and clean, people are friendly, there are lots of kids and everything is 5 minutes from me, I do have regrets that we couldn't find a house in Fairfax County.  I wish we had put education higher on our priority list and even though I love having a back yard, maybe we should have compromised that?  Colin really needs the challenge and I worry he is not getting that.  I think my other kids will be fine and probably excel in this school system.  But, I worry Colin won't reach his full potential.  

Luckily, both kids seem to like their teachers.  Colin has a male teacher, Mr. Mihalik, and seems to be enjoying that.  Evan has Ms. Nevius a more nurturing grandmother type, which is a perfect match for him, since he needs someone who is patient and can help boost his self esteem while still being structured.  I am very happy so far with the teachers they have.  The principal (not sure if I mentioned this already but he was principal of the year for the Washington area a couple years ago), is also fantastic.

We are happy to be back in VA, but it is an adjustment as all moves are.  I think Dennis is actually the most excited to be here.  He grew up in NOVA and it feels like home for him.  For me, having grown up overseas a lot and only really being in NOVA for my senior year of high school (as well as a few years when I was younger), I don't have as many fond memories, in fact that was the worst year of my life.  So, it doesn't feel like home to me.  I don't have friendships here.  My only hold to the area is my family.  Dennis is reestablishing old friendships and is loving being back here and that is nice to see.

I  actually think Richmond having lived there 12 years (the most in one place), would probably feel most like home for me.  We would have moved there if he had found a job there and I really think it is a great place to live.  I struggle with the cost of living here.  I am a frugal person.  I have spent hours on the computer trying to find the best deals for furniture.  I refuse to spend a lot of furniture that kids will ruin anyway.  And, I am not comfortable with how much money we spent on a home.  I am already thinking about the day our kids move out and we downsize. 

But, there are perks too… I love that my family is close by and my parents offer to babysit without being asked, like they did recently for my birthday.  We don't ask people to babysit very much, because we don't like to burden people, so if someone calls us (like my Mom called Dennis) and offers to babysit it means so much.   I also love that my kids are being raised near their cousins and they are becoming best friends.  And I love that Dennis is happier with his job.  I have said before there is no perfect place to live, but it does feel nice to know we have settled somewhere and hopefully will raise our kids in this home for a long time.

Ladies Trip to NYC.

My Mom is part of a jazzercise class.  Every year a bus takes them to NYC and they spend a weekend shopping, going to shows and of course eating.  Well, this year, my Mom had a wedding to go to the weekend of the annual jazzercise trip.  Not wanting to miss out on NYC this year, she asked us as soon as she got the wedding invitation if we would be up for another ladies trip to NYC.  Of course, we all jumped at the opportunity.  So, this weekend, my three sisters, my sister in law (Fanchon), myself and my Mom spent the weekend in NYC.

Friday, we drove up (well all except Fanchon who flew from SC to meet us and Holly who was already in NYC for work).  We were chatting so much that suddenly Julie, who was driving, says, "Guys, I didn't want to say anything, but we just totally averted a disaster.  I have 5 miles left of gas and I have been stressing the last 15 minutes because there were no exits with a gas station.  I finally found one!".  Well, we were barely back on the road when suddenly Julie says, "Is that noise my car?".  Sure enough we pull over on the highway and we have a flat tire!!!

Carol calls AAA, but in the meantime we decide to attempt to change the tire ourselves, not knowing how long AAA will take.  The spare was under the car and none of us knew how to get it down.  So, I pull out the manual, read it and get the spare down.  Then Julie and Carol, change the tire.  It didn't go quite this smooth, the car collapsed at one point thanks to soft ground.  But, the point is, it got done.  Julie was literally tightening the last bolt as AAA pulled up and announced we did a great job.  We all remember well a summer years and years ago in Ocean City where my Dad took the opportunity of a flat tire to teach all of us how to change it.  I have to admit, I couldn't remember how to do it all that well.  But, luckily my sisters did.  I joked that I was the brains and they were the braun, for reading a manual I could do!

Anyway, we had to get a new tire put on and then get back on the road, but still made it to NYC in time to get dressed for dinner, walk around a bit and then head to dinner and then a show.  We saw Kinky Boots and it was great!  After the show we went to a favorite of ours, Ellen's Stardust diner.  It is just a diner, nothing too special food wise.  But, the waiters and waitresses all sing.  It is so fun!

In fact, we love it so much we had breakfast there Saturday and Sunday too!!  I probably shouldn't admit that.  It is kind of embarrassing to go to a city with literally thousands of restaurants and go to the same one 3 times, but we love the atmosphere.  Eating while watching super talented people is just so fun.  Saturday we also went to the spa for facials and massages, found a hole in the wall thai restaurant which was awesome, did a little shopping, saw the 9-11 memorial (very amazing) and had dinner in Little Italy.  It was a great day!

I am so lucky to have a family who enjoys spending time with each other and who makes it a priority.  And, they are easy.  It isn't an effort.  We all really get a long.  The fact that David's wife, Fanchon, wants to spend her weekend with us shows this too.  It was a great weekend, but as always coming home to my babies was really nice too!

Evan Little League, Team Grasshoppers

Evan is doing Rookie level little league fall baseball this year.  His team is the Grasshoppers.  There was only a couple practices and now it is just games Tuesday and Saturdays.  He has been doing great and enjoys it like always.  Dennis is working late most of this week, so it was just me and the 4 kids at his Tuesday game.  But, I finally managed to remember to bring the good camera and get some pictures…

Today was also the start of play groups for Logan and Leah.  I joined a local Moms Club to meet other moms and find fun things to do with the little ones.  On tuesdays we will have play groups with Logans age kids at someone's house or a park and Wednesday it is the same for Leah's age.  The kids had a lot of fun today doing that.

Colin's First Season of Tackle Football….

This year Colin has been doing tackle football.  Tackle football takes kids sports to a whole other level. People always ask me how I get everything done with multiple kids in sports.  Well, up until this year it was fairly easy.  Colin and Evan would each have 1 1 hr practice and then 1 1 hr game and that was it for the week.  Well, actually it was a bit more then that because Evan also did Tae Kwan Do during the week, but, regardless, the sports haven't been too demanding.

Well, this year Colin wanted to try tackle football.  Evan also wanted to try it, but because he has now had 2 concussions (1 this summer put him in the hospital overnight because of a skull fracture), we decided he has to wait at least a year, if not longer.  Anyway, tackle football had practices 5 days a week for 2 hours a day through August.  And this is for 3rd and 4th graders!  Now that school has started it, it is "only" 3 90 minute practices a week plus the almost 2 hr game (and 1 hr practice before game).  Colin wasn't so sure about football at first.  It was A LOT of conditioning.  These kids were running hills, doing plank workouts, pushups and other drills non stop.  He is started to like it more now that they are playing games, but I am not sure if he is as passionate about it as soccer.  The jury is still out.

Another, difference with Football has been that you stay on the same team from 3rd to 4th grade, so some of the kids have already been on the team.  That put Colin at a disadvantage as far as what position he was going to do and game play time.  Which brings up another difference…they don't rotate positions hardly at all.  They had their mind on who was going to be QB and RB before the season started and they have continued to be those positions.  Other sports we have done have been all about fair playing time and rotating the kids at just about every position.  So, again, this sport is completely different.  Colin has enjoyed playing mostly defense.  He has spent time at LB, safety, and Defensive Tackle, but he also has done a little TE and CB.  He usually doesn't start, but because of a couple kids out this week, he did get to start on defense.

This year he plays on the Hornets.  Today, he won his 4th game to be the only undefeated team in the league…they are off to a great start of the season!

This was also my birthday weekend.  We hadn't planned on doing anything special, but my Mom called Dennis about a week ago and asked if we wanted her to watch the kids so we could go out.  Never one to turn down some help, we said yes.  We had a great sushi dinner and saw a movie and Dennis got me a really nice bag for fall.  I was also excited to get a sewing basket with supplies and a gift card to get some sewing lessons from my Mom in Law and Robert.  I have been wanting to learn to sew, so I was pretty excited about that!

Tonight, we went out for dinner for my Mom's 65th birthday.  She requested for her birthday we go for an adults only dinner with her children and son in laws, and we had a great time at a nice italian restaurant, while my cousin Vicki babysat for us.  It was such a fun weekend!!!  Oh and we also celebrated Miranda's birthday with her at a sewing place.  Colin, Evan and I went and had fun learning how to sew little bags.

I didn't post pics of Evan's game because Dennis and I had to split up and he went to Evan's while I went to Colin's.  That is how it has been every game, because their games overlap.  I will post some of Evan after his Tuesday game.

Cuttting Myself Some Slack.

So, I just posted the last 4 or so posts that have been sitting on my computer for 9 months!  I never posted them because I had intended to fill in the gaps between them with other posts.  Unfortunately, life happened and I had to put the blog aside to focus on my family.  The perfectionist side of me wants to go back and post pictures and talk about what we have been up to, but I am so behind at this point that the thought of that is too overwhelming.  So, I plan on cutting myself some slack and at some point posting one post full of pictures of some of the highlights of the last 9 months and calling it a day.  Hopefully, I never get that behind again.
My mom has said if she was having kids in todays day, she never would have had 5 kids.  The truth is lives today are busy.  Football is 5 days a week at 9 years old!  Baseball is multiple days a week, then there is Religious Education and tons of homework.   We are officially in survival mode. We are just trying to get through the day without forgetting anything major, making sure our kids are dressed and fed and in bed at a decent hour.  I know that we have offended some people by not calling enough, but besides the fact that Dennis and I hate talking on the phone (we rarely talk even to each other), we have been so stressed out and busy.  All our energy and time at this point has to go to our kids, because at the end of the day they are our priority and we want to be sure that we are spending enough time with them.  Dennis doesn't usually get home until almost 7, then he is eating dinner and meeting us at whatever sport we have, then we are rushing home to get the kids to bed.  By 8 or 8:30 we are exhausted and the last thing we want to do is pick up the phone.
This last year has been especially stressful.  Moving and finding a new job are on the top of lists of stressful life events and Dennis had to experience both, while still raising 4 kids.  He didn't know if he was going to be getting a new job or not for a few months.  Our lives were in limbo not knowing if we were still going to be in Indiana or not and if we were moving, then when that would happen.  Then he moved back to VA, and I was left with all 4 kids trying to juggle homework and packing and activities on my own.  Meanwhile, he was juggling the stress of a brand new job and trying to find a house. His job, while he enjoys it so much more is stressful, and his career is demanding. Then we moved and we have been busy with unpacking and decorating and getting kids into sports and schools and looking for preschools.  We are both exhausted and still have a mile long to do list.
So, if the dishes don't get done every night, if my wood floors still haven't been cleaned (yes I really need a maid, but can't rationalize the cost), if we haven't talked to friends or family in months, if the front of our house still needs landscaping, oh well.  We are cutting ourselves some slack and we hope others will too.  Our kids are happy and that is what is most important.
And we fully realize that our lives are only going to get busier so we are trying to embrace the crazy.  Hopefully, we will also get a few moments as a couple to actually talk to each other each day.  And hopefully if anyone is feeling like we aren't calling enough, they will understand how much we have going on and won't be offended.   Pick up the phone and call us instead or better yet, invite yourselves over!
And in case I sound very negative, I don't mean to be.  I am enjoying every moment of being a parent.  It is crazy but I love going to all their practices and I don't want to miss a single thing.  It is the busiest, but the best days of our lives.