Rachael turns Nine

Rachael's birthday felt a lot like the day of her birth 9 years ago. Cold and windy but wonderful. We greeted Rachael with breakfast in bed in the family tradition that she started for the rest of us years earlier. We went as a family to the harbor and spent the day at the Science Center. They had a Divinci exhibit which we enjoyed. It was crisp and clear as we headed off to dinner. Rae chose Pizzeria Uno's. In the bathroom after dinner she told me that she really didn't want singing for her dessert because people would stare at her. She was anxious when I told her that it was already set up. She got through the attention just fine and enjoyed the birthday dessert. We opened gifts at home. Jim and I continued the Christmas gift of a Nintendo DS by adding accessories. Rachael was gracious all day.

  I have been reflecting on our 2nd baby since her recent birthday and I feel honored to have been called to raise her. She is so multifaceted that our parenting job is challenging and yet I can see her with an amazing story to add to God's works. Rachael can be so angry and so tender, so thoughtful and so impulsive...(last week she cut off her eyelashes with a toenail clipper)...  and so completely delightful. I have come to realize that she has many fears and many insecurities but that I have the honor of making her feel comforted and secure. The amazing thing is that I can physically see it happen on a regular basis. Rachael will look small, holding her Speckles in both hands just under her nose as she realizes she has to go into her dark bedroom. I get to say I'll walk in with her and she looks a little larger. I stand by her bed as she climbs up her ladder to her loft bed. I get on a chair myself so we are at eye level and I touch her fleece covered shoulder. I kiss her and hug her and she visually looks more confident. Rae snuggles in and grabs a book with a calm smile. What a job a have! I treasure being her Mom.

Christmas

Christmas 2009

We love Christmas and I am so glad we decided years a go to host a Christmas Eve open house each year. Hosting keeps me motivated to clean up the regular mess in the house and Christmas somehow seems to have it's rightful importance when we put in the extra effort to prepare. We invite all of my siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and of course my parents and happily most people were able to come. It was a very full house with 19 kids and 18 adults. The kids all know the routine and head to the basement to play when they arrive. Our girls love having everyone over. The kids all come up to eat and of course to open gifts. The kids all trade names for the gift exchange. This year we had them all open the gifts at the same time. It took less time and was lower stress, but I still have no idea which cousin gave which gift to my girls. For a 2nd year we adults participated in a Yankee gift exchange, complete with gag gifts and the stealing of  more appealing ones.

With the party over we relaxed, had a light dinner and then went to Christmas Eve Mass. We got there with no time to spare and discovered a packed parking lot made even worse by the huge snow piles. We drove right out of the parking lot and back home and instead went to a later Mass. Holiday Masses always feel so weird, because despite attending every week we only recognize a handful of people. The rest of the regular 9AM crowd are on their own holiday schedule. It reminds me how big our parish really is. Bridget received a tiny plastic set of the Holy Family for her birthday and spent Mass playing with the figures. The girls were all excited when we came home to open and hang the new Christmas ornaments. Bridget and Megan were very concerned about the cookies and beer for Santa this year. Santa was not disappointed.

Christmas morning was beautiful, each girl was surprised by what they received and happy. We gave modest gifts but there was no disappointment. Rachael had taken the time to make or buy gifts for each of us and reveled in the joy of giving. Emma stitched small things for each sister and gave them with love. We all enjoyed the spirit of the day. At one point Jim and I stood smiling at them, "This is good".

Our kids don't need stuff. It is the sharing of important times and unimportant moments with family and friends that they treasure. After Christmas, Jim and I were discussing our cramped house and both of us are looking forward to a time that we have a space that is more conducive to these gatherings. We are thinking, looking and considering what our living options are. Ideas of maybe renovating this house, maybe moving, and most recently the idea of building a home are in my head. For now it will stay in my head and we'll pray about the right direction to go.

Bridgie Rose turns 3

We got 21 inches of snow over the weekend so our plans have shifted in celebrating Bridgie's 3rd birthday. Jim and I were really looking forward to both being off and enjoying our little girl by herself. But those 21 inches resulted in another day off of school so the day was our typical juggling of 4. Jim and I got up early to make pancakes. The cookie cutters were still out from the 56 dozen cookies the girls and baked over the weekend and Jim came up with the idea to make Bridget's pancakes into snowmen, snowflakes, and presents. The girls woke up and we could hear a commotion in the bedroom. Megan was trying to keep Bridget in bed, and Bridget was now crying. We arrived singing and carrying her breakfast. The tears were quickly replaced with a huge smile. She loved the cards her sisters made for her, their gifts and the shaped pancakes.

After eating we let Bridget open her gifts from Colorado and from us. Then it was time to play. Bridget now has her own 18 inch doll so she was able to join her big sisters in the basement and really be a part of the elaborate world they created for the dolls. It is an apartment under the table complete with Christmas decorations, bathroom and multiple beds.

We all went shopping together for the food for our Christmas Eve party then after lunch the girls and I went out together to build a snowman. The powder we received over the weekend was now perfect for packing. This was the first snowman Bridget helped build and she really wanted it to be a girl. She asked if we had a flower to put on. I know there is something around here somewhere and I hope to find it before the snowoman melts. They took advantage of the huge plowed piles of snow by the road and began making castles. Emma made steps and a slide, while Rachael worked on a bathtub in her hill. They were having so much fun they did not want to come back in.

We went to see the new Disney movie "Princess and the Frog". It was really good but sadly I think the part that made the biggest impact on Bridge was the scary vodoo guy. She keeps talking about him. Emma and Rachael were both surprised that they really liked the new princess movie. We had dinner out before heading home.

Throughout the day we all kept saying happy birthday, and Bridget just kept grinning. She had a happy day surrounded by her whole family. She's 3 and amazing.

Champions all around

Over the weekend of  Nov 21st and 22nd, Rachael participated in the u9 (under age 9) soccer tournament. The 2 previous weekends resulted in rained out games and this was the last opportunity to have a team declared winner.  Rachael is part of team Brazil. It was a single elimination tournament so I was worried to miss the first game while I was with Megan at dance class. Meg and I arrived at the field just in time to see a triumphant team Brazil leaving the field. The second game was at 3 that afternoon. For both of these games they put Rachael in as the goalie during the 2nd half. She was great and took the coaches instruction well and stayed back by the goal when needed. We all cheered them on to another win. This win meant we would be playing in the final game for the championship.

 

Rachael was really excited to be playing in the final game especially because they knew both teams would be getting trophies. Rae had a bowling birthday party for a very good friend of hers on Sunday afternoon that was to end at 2. Her game was also at 2 so we picked her up early from the party in order to get to the game on time.

When we arrived at the field all of the Brazil girls were putting on yellow and black face paint and sprayed their hair neon yellow to match their uniforms. I snuck over to the team side of the field to take pictures as the coach was giving his pregame pep talk. Coach Ed told them to go have fun, that he was proud of them, and that the result of the game didn't matter. The girls were so ready and despite the complete lack of pressure from the coach they wanted to win. Rachael was the 2nd half goalie again. Team England had a number of larger girls on defense who could really kick the ball but Rae's team Brazil dominated the field and were on attack the majority of the game, but never scored. The energy on and off the field was palable. We played 2 rounds of overtime and the score was still 0-0. All of the parents on the sidelines were dreading this event because it means the games goes to penalty kicks. I kept thinking oh please don't put my kid in goal. It was just more pressure than I thought would be healthy for her.

Everyone was anxious about penalty kicks because it puts a lot of pressure on the girls as individuals and a huge amount of pressure on the goalies. Rachael was chosen to be the goalie for our team and this made my stomach move up into my throat. She looked so small and scared but also incredibly brave as she got set for the first kick.  For some reason they placed the ball really close to the goal instead of on the penalty line so the odds were good most of the 5 shots would go in. Rachael was in goal first and England scored. We scored and this continued back and forth till it was tied 3-3. Rachael gave a great effort on each shot but the 4th went in. The parents were all on their feet and everyone was very encouraging. Brazil's 4th kick missed. So England was up 4-3. If they scored again we would lose. Rachael got in goal again and my heart was racing. England kicked and Rachael stretched to her left, it bobbled a little but she trapped it. It was an awesome save! We went wild. I was so proud of her! Our last kicker was one of Rachael's good friends and it was up to her to tie it up. She scored we all breathed again. Still tied, the refs got ready for another round of penalty kicks.

Our coach spoke up and yelled out to just call it a tie. The parents all cheered. He conferred with the other coach and the refs and they agreed. We were all thrilled with this outcome and the girls were so relieved. As they huddled after the game Coach Ed said after Rachael made that great save he didn't want anyone else to shoot on her. They all played like champions, the tension and stress was too much for 7&8 year olds. Our team got the 2nd place trophies but coach said he is mailing them each a 1st place trophy because they were all winners. It was a wonderful outcome. We were all impressed with our coaches' sportsmanship. He just didn't want any of the girls on either team to feel like they lost. The girls all felt like champions.

Irish Festival

Last weekend was the Irish Festival and with our busy schedules we didn't think we would be able to squeeeze it in. But Friday night Emma's horse back riding trip with scouts was canceled due to rain  so right after work we drove up to Timonium. We got there just as it started so it wasn't crowded. We saw the opening ceremony with bagpipes and the anthems sung by our governor. We ate dinner while we watched Irish dancing.  Megan and Bridget were inspired by the music and bounced along to the tune. We checked out the vendors and then went to the kids area. On Friday night all of the kid's activites were free so they got to do many inflatable obtacles courses, crafts, and mini golf. Bridget was not comfortable in the bouncers so she watched the big sisters run arround and spent more time making crafts. Rachael and Emma would "verse" each other (as Rachael says it) in the obstacle course and Rachael won the majority of them. I think this really surprised her.

We were about to leave but got drawn into the living history section. The girls really enjoyed the muskets and swords especially when the historians let them handle the weapons and showed them some moves. It was startling to see Emma and Rae both holding 18th century swords and shields. We also spent a lot of time watching a mordern day artisan making wool yarn. Megan and Bridget loved the spinning wheel and Rachael was fasinated by the woman who was knitting a scarf. The girls asked lots of intelligent questions like : "do you use special needles to make different peices of clothes?" I think they are beginning to love these things as much as I do. Yeah! We ended the night by sharing Irish whiskey truffel chocolate. Yum.

Halloween 2009

Our family looks forward to Halloween every year. The girls think about costume ideas all year long and they are anxious to decorate our house. Some of our neighbors have elaborate decorations, including graveyards, mummies, and spiderwebs. I remember spending hours as a kid making decorations (gravestones and spiderwebs included) for my parent's house but I am reluctant to turn our yard into anything too spooky now.  We did put up ghost and pumpkin lights around the door and huge spider webs on the bushes and porch. It is the inside that becomes very festive. I have been saving the kids holiday creations and have emassed a huge collection of handmade spiders and pumpkins and the like.

On Friday Emma wore her The Money you could be Saving costume to school. Rae and Meg brought theirs and put them on after lunch. I took off early and met up with Bridget and Ms. Lacey at school for the parade. I helped in the classrooms and then we watched the parade at elementary school. Bridget and I then helped at the parties and Bridget was treated to goodies by Rae and then again by Megan when we went to kindergarten.

When we got home Emma was flying high after a day full of postive comments about her costume. I must admit I too felt great having my work be a hit for Emma. At lunch she said her Principal sought her out becasue he had been hearing about her costume all morning and then got on the mic to say "I've got a feeling somebody's watching me".

That night Megan was invited to a halloween party at a classmates house. Megan and I went to that together. It was a huge party of adults and kids and she had a wonderful time.

We split up on the morning of Halloween to attend the simultanious activities. Emma had 2 field hockey games that morning. Recently she became very passionate about the sport and really wanted to be a part of some scoring. I've never seen her sprint or stay on a ball like she did this weekend. After each game she wanted to play and try again. Megan had dance class and Rachael had a soccer game. Rae was goalie for 1/2 of the game and was full boar the whole time. Forget the net, she was determined that no one was even going to come into her box. Anytime the other team came near she would run up, but stayed within the penalty box where she could use her hands, and she would scoop up the ball even if feet were kicking around her.

After the morning of sports we came back to the house and I worked on the wet leaves. Megan got a book and practiced her reading in a tree, and Bridget rolled around in the really dirty leaves. Jim meanwhile worked with Emma and Rachael to scoop out pumpkins and carve safely.

The Brinks came over to join us for trick or treating. I was putting hot curlers in Rachael and Bridget's hair when they arrived. Rachael had requested to do curls in her hair for the jedi costume and Bridgie thought fancy princess hair was a great idea. Emma was going to join her friends for trick or treating like last year, but first would stay with us and visit our neighbors. Once the curls were ready and the spray glitter was in Megan and Emma's hair, it was time for pictures. They were so patient with me and my multiple shots.

We visited the neighbors on our street first and then Jim walked Emma to her friends house so she could hang out with friends. It was really humid and I was beginning to regret the umbrella and the raincoat that I carrying. We went from house to house practicing halloween manners and collecting candy. Jedi Rachael kept Princess Bridget company took her hand and said "This way, my Lady". JoJo was a lot of fun to have a along, he is very articulate and focused. At one house his focus turned to the toys on the floor in the living room. He walked right in and picked up toys. I was the closest adult so I had to go in after him. I told him we had to go and he responded "I want to play trucks". It was a bit awkward but we got out and had a big laugh. Jim joined us just in time to hear the story.

A few houses latter the rain began to fall, just a drizzle, so we opened the umbrellas and continued. We took a short break on someones step to enjoy a piece of candy. Once Bridget had the taste of chocolate it was hard to keep her out of her container. The rain got steadier and the temperatures started to drop. Poor Megan was looking cold and rather wet in her fairy costume so we did more walking than trick or treating and headed back.

It was then time for candy. The chill disappeared as we sorted and went through the candy and of course ate some too. The Brink's brought us cookies so we shared those. The kids played and Rachael built a Smarties tower. Then time for PJ's. They were tired and fell asleep fast. I went out to join Emma at her friend's house for their party. Emma was having a great time so I joined the Moms in the kitchen. We got a huge laugh when we realized we were each a decade older than the other. 36, 46, and 56 all with 11 year old daughters. It is nice to get along so well and have so much in common without age being part of the equation. I did kind of like being the youngest though.

Pumpkins and sports

Our fall sports season is coming to end soon. Emma's Field hockey team had it's last regular season game on Sunday. She has really learned a lot this year and we have been really impressed with her willingness to get in there. Her team has lost all but one game, that was a tie, and some were loses by a large margin. Despite this dismal record, the coaches and girls stayed upbeat each game, cheering each other on. This Sunday's game even got the bleachers excited as Emma twice took the ball down the field. She controlled the ball and took it half the length of the field past multiple defenders. We were really proud of how she played. Next is a tournament of 3 games this coming weekend.

Team Brazil's season is coming to a close with only a few games left to play. Rachael has really enjoyed the season and her teammates. The games have been pretty evenly matched. This year Rachael has been focused on the game and even had a few scoring chances. After her game on Saturday we went up to the elementary school for their fall festival. The girls enjoyed all of the carnival games. Emma walked around with Bridget at the beginning doing games and winning plastic Halloween stuff. Rachael would up winning a whole hand of green plastic witch fingers. Quite a hit. Meg and Rae went through the Haunted Hall together and both decided it wasn't that scary.

That evening Rae, Meg and I went to a Girl Scout campfire. It was raining so we were under a pavilion and the fire outside didn't last long but everyone participated eagerly in the songs and enjoyed the smores.

Jim and Megan went on her first kindergarten field trip to a farm. The rain caused the first attempt to be canceled so we were really happy it was a beautiful fall day. There were lots and lots of kids and Jim asked her is she wanted to walk around with anyone. She replied "I want to walk around with you." They spent time petting animals, doing a hay ride and picking pumpkins.

Every one's Halloween costume is ready except for Emma's. Bridget is going to be princes Aurora, "the pink one" as she calls her. Jim went shopping with her and bought her pink sparkly shoes. She LOVES them! Megan will be a fairy from the Tinkerbell movie. Rachael took a long time to decide and multiple trips to stores but is very happy with her choice of Star Wars Jedi. Emma's costume is a work in progress. She is going to be The Money You Could be Saving with Geico. I loved this idea and tried to clam credit for the idea myself but it was Jim's. It took a while for me to work out how to do it and I am still working on assembling the pieces. Em is really excited about it and so am I. I'll be sure to post pictures.

The fall is so beautiful here. Our trees are turning amazing hues and dropping their leaves. This weekend I discovered that all of the girls had gone outside and at Rachael's inspiration were all trying to catch the leaves as they were falling. It rained all last night but I hope it dries out really nicely so they can rake and play and rake again. We have a blast with the leaves every year.

The Kindergartner

The season has changed to Fall and it has brought with it the new world of school for Megan. She has eased into the new routine of all day kindergarten and is enjoying the challenges. She has internalized the goal of learning to read and she is enjoying the new skills she has already picked up. I have been watchful these last few years and am determined to head off any learning disabilities early if they appear. The reason I say this is because Megan exhibits many of the same struggles in reading that Emma did. It took us 4 years to get Emma to a point where she could fly and I am hopeful we won't waste any time with any of the others.


Megan has happily embarked on this task of reading and is currently outside in the clubhouse going over her sight word books as I type. She is memorizing and retaining a lot and glows with pride as she reads to us. So far so good. I am proud of the excitement with which she approaches school.


She has recently become obsessed with making her own "books" and is singlehandedly taking down the rainforests. If I don't reign her in she'll use 20 sheets of paper, draw a few marks on each sheet and then staple them together. She has now created dozens of these "books". I cut her book production off and told her that she now needs to go back and write on or draw real pictures in her existing books before she can create more.


Kindergarten has meant lots of new friends and I am eager to go in for Halloween so I can put faces to the names. It sounds like she is making a wide group of friends. I have been a little surprised that the majority of the kids she talks about are boys. The first few weeks of school she kept talking about a boy, Crum. The name seemed odd to me and I recalled one boy I met on the first day named Graham and asked if that is who she meant. Yup! I guess graham crackers and crumbs have a strong association for her.


Being the 3rd girl means that Megan doesn't get to have a lot of firsts. But last week Megan became the first in our family to become a Daisy girl scout. Daisies is for kindergarten and 1st grade girls. She was so eager to be a scout and be able to participate in the activities she has seem Em and Rae take part in. So on Tuesday the five of us went to witness her Investiture ceremony. In the week leading up the the ceremony Megan shadowed me at home until I finished sewing the patches that she earned this summer at GS camp onto her uniform, and I got it ready in plenty of time. Meg played with the new tunic throughout the ceremony and couldn't wait to put her new pins on.


She is taking dance class this year. This class is with the same program as the one from last year but it runs the whole year and adds Jazz dance to the Tap and Ballet skills. It is only a rec program but she loves it and I have been impressed with her poise.


The down side of all day kindergarten is that she is more tired and way more whiny but hopefully she will grow out of this and maybe less daylight hours will help her get better rest. Kindergarten has also coincided with her first lost tooth and a 2nd should fall out soon. That means my curly headed girl has an adult tooth. It is a long road to adulthood but it has already begun... in Kindergarten.

Our Eleven year old and our Baby Big Girl

As Emma's birthday and the start of middle school approached, we decided that it would be a good time to make some bedrooms changes. Bridget has had her own room since she was born as did each sister, until a baby arrived. We aren't expecting but we are noticing Emma's desire for privacy. It is hard in our small house to get privacy, so we decided that Emma should move into the little bedroom and be on her own. this meant each of the girls would change beds. All of the girls loved this idea. Rachael looked forward to the better desk half and being in the loft on her own. Megan was excited to acquire a desk and be on the top bunk. Bridget was over-joyed to sharing a room with her big sisters and to get a big girl bed. Emma was eager to make the little bedroom her own and have her own space.

Our goal was to get Emma into her room before the first day of school, and this meant a lot of moving and clearing out. I started the process and became overwhelmed when I realized this meant all of the baby stuff would now not have a home. The changing table will go to yard sale, the crib back to storage, the diapers into the closet and the diaper pail into the bathroom. My glider and ottoman are still in the middle of the living room as we haven't figured out where to put it. Some of my Pooh collection went to storage and some to the shelves in the living room. I purged the baby bottles, burp clothes, sheets, and baby blankets, saving the special things but donating the rest. It was just so much stuff that Bridget is quickly not needing.

Bridget is potty training and some days stays mostly dry. Other days, when I am not on top of putting her on the potty regularly, she goes through pull-ups like diapers. I plan to put more effort to this potty training thing now that school has started and my attention can be focused more on her. Bridget is on the big girl fence. she wants to be a big girl but also wants to be babied. She'll talk baby talk sometimes, and refuse to do things she is capable of doing, when she is on the baby side of the fence. Conversely she demands to do things on her own, has many opinions, and wants to do as her big sisters do. She has taken to completely ignoring directions especially if it is "come here". Jim and I spend a lot of time taking her by the hand and making her "come here" with the addition of "yes Mama" (or Papa). Bridgie can be exhausting but also a delight. Her favorite word right now is "Actually". Jim was playing around with her and planted a kiss on her nose, she looked at him and said "Actually, kiss my check". She also uses it to correct our instructions. "Bridget it is time for dinner" will result in "Actually I am playing" from Bridge. It takes a lot of vigilance to keep her on our track.

In this transition to big girl hood, Bridget's reaction to her crib caught me off guard. We got Bridge's things moved to Megan's old bed and she was very excited. Then we were emptying the room so we could paint it and Jim took down the crib. Bridge saw this and was beside herself. "Put it back" "I want my crib back" "No Dada". I hadn't seen it coming, she was so sad. she adjusted quickly and hasn't mentioned it since the day it came down. I realized that with Em and Rae the crib never came down, and with Meg she stayed in the same room. I guess that made it easier to move to the big bed. the harder part for me was the painting over the stripes. I talked Emma into keeping the thin white and thin tan stripes but paint over the yellow, green and blue with her selection of "mermaid treasure", a rich turquoise. I spent a lot of time taping the stripes, but 10 minutes into painting the turquoise, the tape came loose and the stripes were ruined. This was hard for me. I guess I was attached to the stripes, it was the last part of the baby's room. In the end the room's large wall was turquoise as was part of the facing wall. The wall with the door and the one with the window remained tan. The paint is great but would have been to much on all 4 walls.

That night was the night before school started, so we cleaned up early and switched to backpack mode. Emma slept in the basement so the fumes wouldn't get to her. Since then we have been slowly getting her room together.

We had a sleepover birthday party on Labor day weekend to celebrate Emma turning 11. I decided that after 10, it was no more themey or location parties. Instead it is about hanging out with friends. So the party was very low-key until Emma and her friends got a hold of the microphone and sang Taylor Swift songs in intentionally awful voices. They had a blast. Emma asked for an apple pie instead of a cake so that is what we had. This year marked a change in gifts as well. She received clothes from friends instead of toys and from us she received an MP3 player. The teen years are coming fast. We also had a family birthday party and Emma was eager to get a decorated cake. Our refrigerator froze up, so being in the kitchen was a challenge but we came up with a cake that had music on it and it said 'Happy Birthday Zynski". Zynski is a nickname Jim coined and frequently is said as Emmazynski. She really likes it.

Emma's new bed arrived 1 1/2 weeks after she moved into the room, but with that a new desk and shelves the room is coming together. Somehow her sisters wind up in there frequently, and for the most part I don't think Emma minds.

It could have been worse

On Sunday night I was doing Emma's laundry and stayed up to move it to the dryer since she needed her gym uniform in the morning. When I opened the laundry room door, to take care of this last chore before I got in bed, I stepped into a lake of water. No water was running so I woke Jim up and we got to work suctioning up the water. I was running the washer and dishwasher at the same time and there was a clog somewhere. It all backed up and emptied out of the basement shower drain onto the floor. As we are doing cleanup, Megan appears on the basement steps, yelling over the noise of the shop-vac, to say Bridget was on the floor crying. Megan, my monitor, comes to the rescue again.



I left Jim in the basement and went to help Bridget, and tuck Meg back in. Bridget was on the floor and crying very hard but she was also very sleepy. I wasn't sure if it was night terrors or if she was hurt. She had a hard time settling down and complained of her leg hurting, her finger hurting, her cheek hurting and her shoulder. It was all unclear except "don't touch me". After a while Jim came up and laid down with Bridget and I went back to get more water out of our basement carpet. Bridge woke up a few times that night and I began to suspect she broke her collarbone. Her arm didn't hurt at all but if I lifted her by putting my hand under the armpits or she used her arm to prop her body up, she screamed. Around 5 AM I concluded we would be making a trip to the ER. She fell back to sleep and I knew broken collarbones weren't life threatening, plus I knew they don't cast them so I let her sleep. Jim got the girls prepped for school as I got ready to go with Bridget. Bridget was exhausted and nervous anytime someone needed to move her. "Be gentle" she said as I carried her out to the van. Rachael had woken up that morning disagreeable but asked where Bridget was. I explained she was in the van because I was taking her to the hospital and Rachael's whole demeanor changed. Rachael came out and gave her a gentle kiss and spoke in a sweet reassuring voice. She is a great big sister. I had come back into the house because when I tried to open the van door the electric locks wouldn't work. The van's battery was dead. Jim and I both laughed. It was the only thing to do. As we hooked up the jumper cables Bridget sat in her booster seat complaining that she couldn't see because the hood was up. Jim jumped the van and got us on our way.



Bridget didn't like the idea of going to the hospital but she cooperated as I carried her in and checked in. St. Agnes was quick to see us and all of the staff was helpful and kind. There were other children and it made Bridget very anxious when she heard anyone crying. I pulled out the books that Jim had packed and it was a great distraction. An escort came with an over sized wheelchair to bring Bridge for an x-ray. She grabbed onto me and I asked if I could carry her instead. She was relieved and very interested in her bones as we discussed taking a picture of the inside where her bones were. Doing the x-ray was the worst part. Bridgie was scared to lay on the table and it hurt to lay her back on the x-ray board and sit her up again. After they took 2 views I pried her fingers of the sheets and carried her back. They confirmed that it was a broken collar bone, put a sling on and home we headed. She and I were both exhausted so after a "kid's show" we both napped for 2 hours. Bridget cried in pain when she woke up because she tried to sit up using her left side. Instead of the the sling at night Jim came up with the idea to use a ace bandage to secure her upper arm to her side. This was easy to sleep with and prevented her from using it.



Bridget isn't in pain unless she puts pressure on the bone or bangs it and luckily that isn't happening often. The first day she struggled to get out of a sitting position, so I found her scooting around the house on her bottom. Jim and I both showed her some techniques to get off the floor and she isn't scooting anymore. We have to help her climb in and out of seats but for the most part she is independent and in a good mood.



The basement carpet is still not all the way dry and now smells and our refrigerator is freezing up again for the 3rd time this month but most importantly Bridget will heal.

PS We recently moved Bridget into a big girl bed. I'll have to backtrack and tell you about that in a different blog. We are adding a railing to the bed so this doesn't happen again.

With Cousins

Our girls have seen a lot of their cousins in the past few weeks, and are ready for more. Back in August, which seems so far ago, on a Thursday Jim headed off to Vegas for a bachelor party extended weekend. Eric, being the best man, was on the trip too. Becky still had to work so her kids stayed later than normal and we had them for dinner. My girls loved having dinner with their cousins. Eric had a business trip right when he got back from Vegas, so we repeated the dinner date on Tuesday. That same day my sister in law Heather was coming to spend time with our oldest nephew Anthony so her 2 little ones joined me, the girls, and Shumakers for a few hours. It was so much fun to have them. My girls love the little cousins. Rachael and Megan were disappointed that they would be at girl scout camp and miss the visit. Ben and Lilly chased after each other and over each other, while Bridget entertained them with toys.

Mary and Ed were going away for the night that Sturday before the arrival of their newest baby and asked if Katherine could spend the night at our house. The oldest 3 of their kids where headed off to my other siblings' houses. 2 of the boys were staying with the Arbutus Jauquets so I called them and asked if Sophia would like to spend the night with the girls at our house. A general redistribution of kids took place and we had 2 extra girls in our house for the night. It was the first sleep over for Katherine and Sophia, and it was the first time Megan got to participate in a sleepover at our house. Bridget was very excited about having her cousins over and wanted to "sleep over" too. I think Jim was glad to have a poker invitation and headed out after everyone was settled. Emma went off to a sleepover at a friends house. It was me and the little girls so we lined them all up in sleeping bags in the basement, ate popcorn and watched a movie. We had a great time. Bridget couldn't settle down after lights out, so I whisked her off to her crib. It was a successful first sleepover and a great way to spend time with our nieces.

The whole family got together on Labor day to celebrate birthdays, including Emma's 11th, at Will and Heather's house. All 16 of the cousins eased in and out of the house, basement and family room through the conversations of us adults. It is such a blessing to have this tribe as a central grounding force for our girls.

And just this past week the newest member was born to the tribe. Mary and Ed welcomed Teresa Annunziata on 9/10. Katherine spent the morning with us. It was hard for me to hand over the phone to Katherine when Ed called from the hospital. Katherine was very excited the baby was a girl. Ed's mom picked her up in the afternoon. All of the big brothers were buckled in, so I packed them snacks and off they went to the hospital to see little Teresa. I was eager to meet her myself and to see Mary so that night after bedtime I went to the hospital. Becky was there as well so we visited and enjoyed our newborn member of the family.

Heather and I headed over together to Mary and Ed's to help get the final baby things ready before she came home. Heather than came over to our house and rounded up our girls. Jim and I had a wedding to attend that night, and Will and Heather volunteered to take the girls for the night. Megan got nervous and cried that she didn't want to go but when it was time she was the first packed, the first dressed, and the first out the door. Bridget enjoyed packing her things including her baby doll that is now named baby Teresa. Jim and I had a fabulous time at the wedding and were able to relax with out the worry of rushing home to return a babysitter by a certain time.

When we picked the girls up on Sunday they were all comfortably playing and had stories to share. Rachael found a tree and had climbed 35 ft up (Will's estimate). Plus she had discovered a few stuffed animals that Speckles got along great with. Emma is a great baby tender and kept her eye on Lily. I am sure Emma did as much holding as Lily would allow. Will said that Bridget was their walking comic relief the whole time. They got a big kick out of her. Heather shared that Megan, who slept in William's room, kept coming out after being tucked in, to pass on William's needs to his parents. This made me laugh as she plays the same role at home. It is always Megan that appears by my bed in the middle of the night to let me know who is sick or is in needs of my help. Meg does this well. She is clear headed and to the point. All of the girls had a blast staying with their Aunt, Uncle and cousins and we were so grateful for the night out.

We and our girls are so blessed.

Three Cuts

The 3rd time was the charm for Emma. In August we all got hair cuts. I let Emma talk to the hair dresser but also confered with her. Emma wound up with a stylish cut but not what she wanted. She was able to donate 6 or 7 inches of hair. The next day Emma was heading up to PA for the weeked to celebrate Maura's birthday. Maura is my long time friend MarySue's daughter. That morning Emma kept asking for me to just cut it short. I agreed but only with the condition that we take her back when she came home to get a professional to fix it properly. I was still cutting it when the Hess's arrived to pick her up. We drove up to PA on Sunday to attend the party and bring Em home. I could not stop looking at her. It is such a drastic change but a really great look for her. The same hair dresser did a good job recutting her hair. It is such a change that when we visited the elementary school and then middle school, most of her friends and teachers didn't recognize her at first. My challenge now is to get her to keep it from covering one of her eyes.

Back to School

This past week the 3 big girls started a new school year. Each of them were ready to see friends, have a structured day, and learn new things. Megan had been going to Westchester over the past few years and was eager to attend herself. The Thursday before school started they had a social so we could meet the teachers and see the classrooms. Emma really wanted to go back to WES and see her teachers and friends so she joined Megan and Rachael at the elementary school for the social. It was comforting to begin to get a feel for thier year. We dropped Meg and Rae off at home and then Emma and I went to the middle school. We got to walk through her schedule and meet all of her teachers. It was a good thing she also got a chance to try her locker combination. She and I both felt better after spending some time in the school. I realized that I have been concerned about middle school, because I just didn't have much information.


The first day meant that Emma had to get up at 6:30, which is 2 hours earlier than she normally got up. She saw a dress when we were shopping that we bought. When we came home Emma came running over to me holding the tag. The dress was designed by Taylor Swift and life just couldn't have gotten better at that point. Emma did great about getting up this week and has been good about getting through the copious amount of homework each day. Emma and Molly, our neighbor, ride the bus together and came home full of horror at the language the kids on the bus used. I am glad Emma abhors the language but I am very displeased that she will be exposed to it regularly. I am not ready for her innocence to be lost. Emma hasn't stopped talking since middle school started. She is so full of new experiences that the only place they have to go is out of her mouth. She is loving it.


Rachael doesn't have to get on the bus until 8:45 but she is regularly up before Emma. Rachael spent 1st and 2nd grade with the same teacher and classmates, but this year only 5 of her former classmates are in her 3rd grade. Rachael will also have to change classes this year and is in GT classes, so she is getting adjusted. Getting her focused enough to get things accomplished each morning without following her around is a challenge and I am grateful that we have a good amount of time. Rachael has started back with having night terrors and sleepwalking. I know that this change takes its toll on her and I am proud that she seems to be maturing in how she is handling it. There haven't been out of control outbursts or hitting, and I am hopeful for 3rd grade.


Kindergarten began with a modified schedule, so Megan got to ease into the year. It meant a crazy work schedule for me but it was great to get to go in for her first day, as well as drop her off and pick her up the other days. In the classroom Megan participated well and was very upbeat. She was really excited to ride the bus on Friday and have a whole day. She has also recognized her loss of time with her cousins and free play. She told me that she was sad because she wouldn't see baby Benjamin and she was sad because she wouldn't get to play as much. She is right on both counts, but she also has so many great new adventures that I know she is looking forward to.



Now Jim and I need to get a handle on the sports, religious ed and scout schedules. This may never happen. In the mean time Bridget is turning into a big girl and yet is still a little one.

More from the Beach

One of the things on which we all agree as being a highlight of our vacation was the evening we went to the fishing pier in Folly Beach. We walked to the center of town in search of ice cream. As we neared the end of Center St. I could sense some fear from the girls that their sweet tooth might not get satisfied. Megan spotted a multicolored cone in the distance and we headed straight for it. After each of us made our selection we went out to find somewhere to eat. The wind off the ocean was strong and the girl's long hair wound up in the ice cream. Mine included. There were lots of giggles. Bridget had a cup so she had the opportunity to savor hers while the wind and heat forced the rest of us to eat quickly. Grandma couldn't help but laugh as a huge chunk of chocolate blew off my ice cream. Jim walked the girls over to the beach showers to rinse off what they could.

We went up to the pier and were greeted with a color filled sky. Emma, Rachael, Megan, and Bridget all loved the ocean scented wind. Rachael hopped up on one of the seats, put her arms out and leaned into the wind. She had a great peaceful smile. Em and Megs climbed on seats as well to experience the sensation. PawPaw got a great shot of their profiles with his camera. We took our time walking to the end and saw some people fishing. Rachael was eagerly watching and hoping to see someone reel something in, but there wasn't much action. The grandparents were looking tired, : ) as well as the kids so after a stop at a souvenir shop we headed back in the dark to our condo.

We were drawn to the area because of it's history, so we decided to take a trip into Charleston and visit Fort Sumter. It was the location of the first shot of the Civil War, and despite hearing that over and over I wonder if the girls retained it. We try to include history and a sense of how we and our country have gotten to where we are, as we raise them. Having never been to the area we made some decisions that turned the visit to Fort Sumter into an all day affair, and although it didn't go as planned and the humidity was intense everyone was in good moods. We took a boat ride out to the Fort and we let them sit on the steps at the front of the boat enjoying the wind and view.

 
Jim was great and let me listen to the Park Ranger's talk as he walked the grounds with the kids. Grandma Kate and PawPaw were always nearby lending a hand or spending time with one girl or another. Rachael became enamored with a small cannon and had to show it to me and get a picture before we went. We stayed in Charleston for dinner and walked around downtown before heading back.

Grandma Kate and PawPaw offered to watch the kids one evening and gave us a chance to go out. Jim and I went back to Charleston and took a carriage ride around the city and then we enjoyed a relaxed seafood dinner. It was a nice treat. Back at the condo the girls and grandparents grilled dinner and went to the pool.

I also got a chance to spend an afternoon with Mom and tour Boone Hall plantation. The grounds were beautiful and we took a tour around the property. We toured the plantation house as well but as it was the 3rd or 4th on the property and not very old, I was much more impressed with the original brick slave buildings. In each building they depicted different scenes of slave life and chronicled to fight to abolish slavery and gain civil rights. On our trip to Fort Sumter I had gotten the feeling after reading the displays that there was still some kind of attempt to explain slavery. On the plantation though, slavery was shown for what it was. I am so grateful to have gotten the time with my Mother-in-law. It is a very different experience doing this kind of thing without kids, no being responsible for who needs to use the bathroom, or eat, or nap plus getting to read and listen and learn.

Jim did also get a chance to relax without the kids. One evening he walked down to a tiny local brewpub and spent hours talking with the owners and patrons while sampling local brews. We even made a point to bring some beer home.