the graduate

The last thing that I have time for is a blog post, but I'm so enamored by the images captured tonight of Finn at his kindergarten graduation that I just had to write.  I have hours of laundry left anyway, before heading to the airport and a much anticipated weekend in Asheville, NC with Mike. 

Montessori Children's Garden just plain does it right.  What a special experience they gave our kids tonight, in perfect weather, sitting in their kid-sized chairs on the lawn.  Each of the twelve graduates were talked about in detail, with their teachers telling all the guests what makes each one of them so special.  Then, the kids got a chance to speak as well, telling us all their favorites about school at MCG.  I cannot express how much I love this school and the amazing staff members who grace its halls.

Finn and his "A" last name were up first and Miss Teresa talked about how his excitement for school has grown so much over the last two years and how creative he is.  Then she ended, with Finn's permission, with a story about his most recent Mother's Day letter to me.  Really, let's allow the letter to speak for itself.

As you might have guessed, Finn's "ferret" comparison was a killer and we all laughed out loud.  Never in my life would I have thought my son would find me similar to a rodent that requires de-skunking, but hey, I'll wear it with pride because I'm sure he means it in the nicest possible six-year-old way.  After graduation, a few moms that I didn't know even asked, "Are you the Ferret Mom?" 

"Yes, yes I am," I proudly replied.  What a hoot this kid is!

So here are some pictures of our little graduate, who was blessed enough to have a crowd there in his honor to cheer him on, and to whom, I know, only great things will come! Love you like crazy little dude!

Check out last year's Mother's Day Letter - he's growing up!!

...fourteen...

How time flies!  It was a slightly less rainy day 14 years ago when this lucky girl married Superman at the Little White Church on the County Line with everyone we love squeezed in tightly around us.  It's unimaginable that it could possibly be 14 years later, but it is, and we've got the three kids, three houses, four dogs, numerous vehicles, multiple careers, umpteen trials and tribulations and countless blessings to prove it.  Happy, happy anniversary to the man of my dreams.

By the way, that's same man who signed his last name in the card he gave me this morning!  (Just in case I didn't know....)  Oh, how I love him so!!

alone

I am a sucker for milestones.

It's been ten years since I was alone all day and even then I spent my days commuting to the city and working hard. Times have surely changed and as I dropped my (gulp) last KINDERGARTNER off at his first day of school today, I couldn't help but tear up. Believe me, I want the peace and time to grow my business, but I will miss them and all their sweet silliness beyond words. For weeks I've been feeling a bit like I'm standing on the edge of some great unknown, armed with only the information that I must jump, soon. This morning I jumped.

So as the last little birdie leaves my nest for the majority of his waking hours, I forge ahead into another of life's phases, excited about the future and oh so grateful that together, Mike and I made it work. Somehow, without delving too deep into debt and exhaustion, our efforts and will allowed me to be at home with these wonderful little beings that I doubt I deserve. Today, I just feel blessed. And that, as they say, is that.

In hindsight, I'm thinking the timing of all this is just a bit off. Maybe my whole world shouldn't be flipping over on the eve of the monumental birthday I'm about to experience.

And then again, maybe the timing is perfect!

all good things must end

Maybe it's the fact that, until now, our lives have been full of tutus and hair-do's and all things girly, but whatever the reason, the end of Finn's first baseball season is sad for both Mike and me. As things wrapped up last night, our team of Flying Squirrels lingered about. I'm betting that most of us parents knew we had experienced something really special in the last six weeks as we watched our little guys (and gals) morph from distracted and clueless, to kids that pay attention and know the rules (within reason, of course!)

We were the last to leave the baseball park, us Flying Squirrels. That says a lot when you consider that eight full teams and all their fans were there along with us. Our little men and women happily bounded off the diamond, proudly wearing their medals and bouncing with excitement toward whatever lies ahead. And us change-resistant adults seemed to long for it to last just a little longer, to watch a few more baseball bloopers while they're so young and silly, to keep them at this bobble-head in a batting helmet stage for a bit more.

No such luck, he's growing up. But boy has this season been fun!

our natural

Yes, there have been many amazing parenting moments that have whirred past me during the last nearly 10 years. The arrival of much anticipated bundles of joy, us never once knowing their genders, can never ever be topped. But something strange and untraveled is occurring this summer of 2011, and it most definitely makes the highlight role.

The arrival of baseball in our lives has added a whole new dimension to our existence. No longer does he flop and sprawl on bleachers, creating cars from paper cups and dust bunnies just waiting for his sisters to finally finish whatever it is that they're doing. Gone are the one-sided days of Finn cheering on Logan and Riley from the sidelines. Nope, the times, they have changed.

Now, our little man frets over rain cancellations and strike outs. He learns new rules unimaginable to him just days ago. He makes friends in the outfield while scrambling after a wayward throw. He, and every one of his teammates, hits the ball, forgets to run, forgets to drop the bat and stops to remove the batting helmet - every single time - while parents and coaches happily shout reminders from beyond. He has one hand in glove and one in his pocket, while he chews his over-sized gum. And our baseball player loves every minute.

We have never been so amused. Look for the Flying Squirrels in a town near you!!

security breach

What it shocker it was a few weeks ago when Logan approached me right before leaving for school to announce that two neighborhood friends had told her that Santa was not real. She started her conversation by saying, "Mom, you know all the things that I believe in?" That question threw me for a bit of a loop, but she soon added,"Like Santa and the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny?" I chuckled that this is the sum total of what my nine year old believes in.

She quickly told the story of two little gals who informed her that, even though I would tell her differently, her parents really are those things. They even went so far as to try to convince her by adding, "Our Moms are who told us!"

I stood, stunned, waiting for a direct question, to which I instantly decided that I would not answer with a lie. It never came. Instead, Logan said,"Mom, I just asked them to please stop saying these things to me. I said that I'm just not ready for this to be over for me yet."

Sadness rushed over me. In her heart of hearts, she knows, but she's mature enough to know that she's not ready to know. I did not confirm or deny for now, but I fear her days are numbered. Still, she's making a big push for both an iPod Touch and a Nook for Christmas this year. When I say that those are two expensive gifts and that she can't ask for both, she says, "But Mom, Santa won't mind how much it costs!"

What a tangled web we weave!

all RILED up!

Holy cow are we excited for Riley, who was selected this week to join our gym's USAG team next year and will begin practicing with them 7.5 hours a week starting in June. She has worked so hard all year and is turning out to be a killer little athlete. I am living vicariously through her as my closest thing to "athlete" is my cheerleading days. Oh, and of course, INSANITY!

Riley's new gym status comes with overwhelming responsibilities for us all, but she is so totally thrilled that we'd do almost anything to make it a reality for her. It will be a stretch for sure, but worth every bit of stretching. As the youngest member of the team, I have no doubt that there's lots of work ahead. I also have no doubt that Riley's up to the challenge.

Congratulations Riley Elizabeth Anderson, how very proud of you we are! Here's to all the good things to come!

First Place All Around!!!

February 7th marked one of those moments in life that just don’t come along very often. As we shuffled Riley off to her first-ever gymnastics competition, it never even dawned on us that she, the only kindergartner on the team, would place. Months earlier, we painfully forked over the extra dough required for GIJO (Greater Illinois Junior Olympics) to give Riley an idea of what competition is, and the opportunity to see if this is something she really wants to do. All we hoped for was a good experience for her.

Man did we get it. She rocked! She did awesome as the first child to compete on vault as soon as the meet started and her 9.0 totally got her fans juices flowing. Grandmom and Granddad, Nana and Tony and Grammy and Jim were all there to watch with Daddy, Logan, Finn and me. Riley even invited our good friends, the Marienthals – I think she must have known that she was going to give us a show!

As soon as she completed floor, her third event, I figured I’d tally up the scores. She had the second highest scores on vault and beam, so I wondered if she might be in the running for anything. I think I went into some kind of shock when I realized that she was neck in neck with two other girls, with one event left. When she put up an awesome vault and her 9.3 was displayed, I knew.

This was the craziest thing ever. I am not a nutty gym mom. I don’t sit there gossiping about other kids or pay for private lessons. I really just want Riley to have fun and as long as she’s having fun, we’ll make it happen for her. But I have to say I lost all my faculties when I realized my pipsqueak daughter, who turned only 6 one week before the meet, took all around first place for 6 to 8 year olds at her level. This must be what it feels like to win the lottery or something. I know that’s totally over the top, but it’s true!

I turned to Mike and whispered what I thought just happened, and he couldn’t even comprehend initially. By the time the news got around to her other fans in the crowd, most of us were crying. And ten minutes later when the scores were tallied and the trophies awarded, a very shocked pipsqueak was called to the top of the podium to accept her trophy for the Sweetheart Classic. For real, it was one of the most exciting moments of my life.

I’m sure it was for Riley, too, but she’s so reserved you’d never know. Three days later she told me in confidence that it was pretty awesome, but that was the extent of her outpouring. From the moment we arrived home that day, she continues to practice and perfect, but doesn’t talk about it much. It’s no big deal to her you see – she just loves it!

Super at SIX!

All day on Saturday I thought about how, six years ago, I labored away under the guise that I'd actually deliver a baby on January 3oth. I couldn't have been more wrong. I didn't even start pushing until 5 am on the 31st, only to be ushered in for c-section number two at around 8:30 am. It was with utter relief that gave up hopes of VBAC success. I'm sure most moms don't feel this way in a c-section, but it was so nice to have something happening after all those hours of pushing that it seemed the baby was ready to come out in seconds. At 9:05 they announced, "I see wide shoulders!!" And then, "It's a girl!" I knew it all along.

The best part about Riley's delivery was naming her. Not even in our top three choices, she told me her name the very first second that I saw her. I instantly wondered what Mike would say since it wasn't on the short list. But she told Mike, too. We both said it at the same time. It was magic!

And magic is what it has always been with this strong-willed, sweet, old soul, athletic girl of ours. Riley doesn't demand much; she's officially low maintenance, unless you're expecting her to walk on her feet like the rest of us. From about eighteen months, she's been upside down in yoga positions. It changed to somersaults and then cartwheels and then walkovers and now handsprings. She watches TV while hanging upside down from our ottoman. If we're watching TV, it's through her round-offing legs. She never tires and never gives up on a new skill until she's got it. She has a physical determination beyond my imagination.

She couldn't be more easy going and seems to have this adult like understanding that if she accepts us saying "no" occasionally, we'll want to say "yes" more often. She understands other things too, like what kind of day it's been, why she should make healthy food choices, that this might not be the best time to ask for something, what might be the real reason someone feels bad. It's funny, but she really is an old soul. I love this about her because it's so unique, but also because her "roll with it" attitude makes being her mom a breeze!

She's so smart, but seems to have a special aptitude for math. She likes the challenge and is constantly trying to do Logan's homework. She's reading great and couldn't have more raves from her teachers. To quote a dear friend, "smart girls rock!" She loves her friends and classmates, strives so hard to impress her teachers, and even has a secret crush on a pal at school. His mom recently told me of a conversation they had about Riley.

She said to her son, "Riley's so nice and she's really pretty!"

Her son said, "Yeah, but she tackles me every single day!" (Guess she's got to learn to tame that athletic prowess!)

Lastly, this amazing girl of ours is sensitive, too. She'll never tell you, but she needs everyone a lot. She revels in the traditions of a kissing hand before she jumps the school bus or goes to bed. She can't sleep without certain stuffed animals and a good old tucking in. She is a wonderful big sister to Finn and adores Logan while maintaining her own identity. She keeps lots in, but I'm proud to say she lets me see that secret stuff - and I hope she never stops. She is really the coolest little chic I know and I can't imagine the world without her.

So as this cool chickadee turns six, I'm in shock, I'm in love, I'm full of pride. This little Riley is my girl, my daughter. Happy Birthday Riley!

Marbles

It’s funny how much trouble a couple marbles can cause. The other day, Finn and a neighbor were outside throwing a silver marble around. Somehow, Riley got into the mix and took the marble to try it out. The neighbor, proud marble owner, became instantly angry and proceeded to start calling Riley names like “dummy” and “meany”. His dad jumped right on it and told him to stop, but he persisted in his argument that Riley was a dummy.

All of a sudden, Finn turned sixteen before my eyes and hurdled to Riley’s defense. From his tiny three-year old body he belted out, “NO SHE IS NOT! RILEY IS NOT A DUMMY!”

It was so cute that the dad and I couldn’t help but chuckle as I told Finn it was okay and that we were handling it.

“No it’s not okay! He is saying my sister is a dummy and meany and she is NOT!” He exclaimed.

I think the shock of Finn’s involvement was the catalyst to ending the whole minor offense and everyone quickly went back to playing, as kids do.

Ten minutes later, Finn chucked our neighbor’s silver marble over the fence and into the brush, never to be found again.

Fast forward about five hours. Just as we are ready to leave to pick up the girls from school, Finn emerges from upstairs saying something about the marble in his tummy.

Ugh.

This is another marble that has been showing up in odd places around the house for the last week and apparently, it seemed like a good idea to put it in his mouth. And swish it around. And he sucked it right in.

After a quick call to the doctor and realizing that there was no imminent danger, we settled into the fact that we will now be scoping out bathroom visits for the emergence of a turquoise blue flattened out glass marble, you know, the kind you put in the bottom of vases. Ugh again.

So for as much as I thought my little man had grown up early that morning, I’m thinking not so much.

Still, here are the pictures from yesterday - the day I brought my last baby to the first day of preschool. He loved it.

Fall Forward

It was a great summer, but school is back in session now and fall routines are underway. As I scope out crock pot recipes (the only option other than frozen pizzas due to afterschool activities) and purchase white boards and three-tiered wall filers to try and keep myself organized, I wonder how people do this with any more kids. To top it off, my feast or famine career is in feast mode. This is, of course, what I’ve been working for, but with my sitter back to school, there’s just no time and other plans will have to be made. Soon.

In the midst of it all, I’ve so enjoyed my solo time with Finn. His ultra-cute three-ness was lost a bit in the shuffle of his sisters and the thirty-some other neighborhood kids this summer. I’d forgotten how great it is to just have one little pal to bum around, jump on the trampoline and run errands with. It truly seems like utter simplicity.

So, as the girls move up and on and hit the books, Finn and I will enjoy our two hours of slow-it-down living each day, until school starts for him next Wednesday. And I’ll run around like a chicken with my head cut off for the other twenty-two.

Here are some shots of the girls’ soaking wet first days of school.

Lift Off

After much consideration, I bit the bullet and said “yes” to Logan regarding a plane trip to North Carolina and a week of unadulterated one-on-one with Grandmom and Granddad. Like the most confident child in the world, she never felt an instant of hesitation as she sped along the moving walkways and led the pre-boarders down the ramp to the plane. I’m pretty sure she didn’t even turn around to hug me, I just squeezed her uncontrollably from behind and she pulled forward and away.

The wonderful folks right next to us commented on my emotional display by saying, “She’s fine mom! It’s you we’re all worried about!”

Seriously, as I sat waiting and watching for the plane to taxi away from me with my first baby balanced in the wings, I felt like I was having an out of body experience. Was I really allowing this to happen? What mother, in her right mind, would even consider doing this? Horrid foreshadowing of mass tragedies filled my mind as I forced myself to stay put; to let her go in spite of me.

As I waited for word that Logan’s plane was air bound, I flashed back to the day of her delivery. During our long labor, my mom said something that becomes truer every day that I’m a mom. She said, “I always thought that the birth of my babies was bittersweet.”

“What are you talking about?” I barked. What could be better than having this little being on the outside??

“Well,” she said, “When they’re on the inside, they’re all yours. You have so many dreams and wishes for them and it’s easy to protect them. But the moment they leave your body, it’s all about letting go – a little more each day.”

I may have mentioned this before in another post, but all I can say is that I’ve never understood any better than at this moment. I was so proud of Logan for her brave, confident and adventurous spirit; I was so glad to have been able to provide her with this awesome life experience; but I didn’t want to let her go at all.

She landed safely in loving arms. She is having the time of her life. We’ll arrive Saturday and other than the birth of my kids, I’ve never been so excited to see someone in my life.

It's a wrap!

The end of May and beginning of June have brought a ton of events our way. Here are just a few shots from the big doings in our neck of the woods….

Finn's 3rd Birthday

Riley and her soccer coach!

Mommy and Daughter Brownie Tea

Off to Kindergarten!

On to Second Grade..... summer officially begins!

So what's on the docket now? Summer is already packed with loads of fun: our annual trip to North Carolina (Logan is heading out a week early for some sailing and alone time with Grandmom and Granddad), gymnastics and pool time, baseball games and block parties and Girl Scout camp and even Great America. Most of all I'm looking forward to a different routine for a few months... we need it!

Joyride

It’s true that all good things must come to an end. This weekend, we said goodbye a symbol of a time in life that has surely passed us by. I was not surprised at how sad I was to see Mike’s Mustang go on Friday afternoon. I am sure that I have no idea how upset Mike really is about it. Right now, his little white convertible is making its way across the country to be put on a ship and will find its new home across the ocean. It will arrive somewhere in the Czech Republic of all places; a far cry from Oswego. And it’s a good thing. Mike did not need to pass it in the neighborhood on the way to soccer practice in his seatbelt-equipped vehicle of necessity.

We actually sold the car back in early February, but the purchaser was not able to arrange transportation until now. So we waited and grimaced as the weather grew warmer and more convertible-worthy. Of course we said farewell on the first perfect top-down day of 2009. So it goes.

We made sure we savored our last moments with Mike’s baby and loaded up the kids for a joyride around the hood. This was the first and last time we’d all been in it together and the kids were crazy excited. There is nothing like the rush of adrenaline and freedom felt in a convertible classic car, sans seatbelts, music blaring. We hit the road for a hell of a ride.
In those moments I looked around and saw fifteen plus years had gone by in a flash. There is more gray on the head of the man next to me, and I now call him a man instead of a guy. (His muscles are the same size though.) In the back are three people that didn’t even exist when I first rode in this gem, first was allowed to drive this beautiful vehicle or wash it - one towel for “big water”, another for the rest. (I remember once being afraid to tell Mike I had used fabric softener on the drying rags for fear it might affect the Mustang’s paint!) We brought our first Christmas tree home with the top down, furnished our first home with garage sale finds toted home in the Mustang and rode along Florida coastline not nearly enough times in this car. I am sad to see it go.

And as we left it on a car trailer in the Wal-Mart parking lot, Mike just said, “Let’s go, let’s go!” He couldn’t stand to look. But I had to. I cried as I watched it sit among Infinities and Volvos, all going across the sea and wondered what adventures might be ahead for Mike’s Mustang and what might lie ahead for us, too. What a ride it's been already.