Halloween Fun 2009

Though I am a tad late in posting, we did have a wonderful Halloween this year. It was relatively easy to make decisions on costumes. Quinn is obsessed with Curious George and once my friend Kate mentioned she picked up a monkey costume at Old Navy for her little guy, that decision and search was done. Caroline had a little harder time deciding. From looking for a hamburger costume to mentioning as we searched for a novel idea, "I suppose you just want me to be a princess again this year," (yeah because I just adore all things princess and girly like!), I stumbled upon a website my friend Lara had told me about: www.chasingfireflies.com and discovered the most adorable bumblebee costume. Both kids looked adorable (though I know I'm biased) and Josh even took part in the fun by dressing as The Man with the Yellow Hat from the wonderful Margret and H.A. Rey series of Curious George books. (Quinn was in complete adoration when Josh first put on his costume, running up to him in astonishment and delight). We visited with Grammy and "Tete" (aka Aunt Vicky) before heading off for trick or treating with Nolan, Alicia, and Charles in Mimi and Yaya's neighborhood. It was fun to see Caroline be less hesitant at heading up to the door to shout "trick or treat" and see Quinn toddle along behind her saying it with a slight delay. It was also amusing to see Quinn lift his banana treat bag to strangers on the sidewalk and quietly say "trick or treat" completely unaware that they were out trick or treating with their families. A great time was had by all!

Caroline's 6th Birthday Celebration!

Caroline officially turns six years old tomorrow, October 19th. We enjoyed a fun-filled birthday celebration with her this weekend. On Saturday, I took Caroline and her friend and classmate, Emilia Pirkl, to Fired Up in downtown Racine to paint some pottery. Aunt Alicia joined us and it was a great way to celebrate turning six!



Today we had a family celebration complete with pizza, cake and ice cream. Caroline insisted on having the guests (all family members) wear nametags. Apparently, she remembered last year's fairy party and how I had created homemade nametags for all the girls and wanted to re-create the scene. She enjoyed meeting her newest cousin, Logan Michael, who is not yet two weeks old and playing with all her cousins, young and old. With each present she opened I reminisced about past birthdays, from her first when I ordered a huge "number one" cake and she got her first taste of cake to her fairy themed party last year. Seems unreal that she is six years old already. Where does the time go?

I Did It!

I ran my first 8K this weekend in the Briggs and Al's Run/Walk for Children's Hospital. The starting line was right at 12th and Wisconsin on the Marquette campus so it was fun to start at a place where I have many memories. And I finished in 47 minutes, 6 seconds! Not bad for my first 8K. Next goal: the 10 mile Lighthouse Run next year!

Clare--races

Playing Catch-Up!

I cannot believe I have procrastinated so long in writing a post! For everyone that knows me I am not usually one to procrastinate, however life keeps on hopping and sometimes it seems I can barely keep up.

Josh officially graduated at the end of September, completing all the prerequisites for his MBA and I could not be more proud of him. It was quite a feat considering he works full-time and travels throughout the state during the week and has two children vying for his constant attention. But he did it and I know he is happy to put all the hard work behind him. To celebrate we took the kids to our favorite Friday night dinner spot, Salute's, in downtown Racine where I presented him with a Scavenger Hunt game to find his gift--a table saw. Now on to a new hobby--woodworking!

Caroline is really excelling in kindergarten. She is reading first reader books with very little help and constantly writing new words and making up her own stories complete with text and illustrations. Of course, most of the text doesn't make much sense as she links words she knows how to write in no discernible order, but the illustrations usually give a clue as to her intent. She has made several new friends and is more than happy to provide every detail to each second she spends at school. (This is my nice way of saying she talks incessantly!).

Quinn is thriving. He is talking more and more and repeats everything we say. He is still the most mellow kid and will entertain himself readily. He continues to be extremely loving and gives hugs and kisses no matter where or what he is doing. At gymnastics class, his favorite activity involves jumping on the trampoline. I usually sit on a nearby mat and watch, but Quinn isn't content to just jump, he has to come and give me a hug and kiss and say "bye Momma" in between jumping. It is truly the sweetest thing and I relish every hug and kiss! He loves going to see Bill, his barber, and now waits in the chair for Bill to call his name, then sits in the chair by himself glancing at me every now and then to see if I am proudly watching him. And of course I am! My little boy is growing up!

I am still working two mornings a week and for the past four months have been mentoring one of the Clinical Fellowship candidates. I also have been training for the past two months for the 8K Briggs and Al's Run to be held on the Marquette campus tomorrow. Life feels very fulfilled these days. But being busy never felt so good!

Exploring Wind Point Lighthouse and Beach

Yesterday we decided to try and take a tour of the Wind Point Lighthouse. Unfortunately, children need to be at least six years of age and since Caroline is one month shy of six, we decided to forego the actual lighthouse and explore the grounds. Caroline collected rocks, Quinn threw rocks into Lake Michigan and Daddy attempted to skip rocks across the water. I enjoyed taking many photos on the picturesque waterfront. It was a wonderful way to cherish one of our last days of summer.

Kindergarten Begins!

We achieved a major milestone this week. On Monday, Caroline had her first day as a kindergartner at St. Edward's. This week she is learning all the rules one must know to survive kindergarten and so far she has only come home with sticker notes for having good days . . . no naughty notes yet. She has enjoyed music class, art class, and gym class. She went to her first all school mass which Yaya, Quinn and I also attended. It was so strange to sit behind all the students since I remember all too well when I was in school sitting through mass not once a week, but every day on school days. She really seems more than ready for kindergarten and enjoys telling me all the details of her day. I am enjoying it as well . . . full days at school mean Quinn and I get to enjoy valuable one on one time together. And kindergarten is a valuable time for Caroline as well . . . as the saying goes "Everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten!"

Take Pleasure in the Small Things

Having children really makes you appreciate the small things in life. Children delight in eating an ice cream cone, seeing boats on Lake Michigan, waving to firefighters, taking a bubble bath. Josh and I remind ourselves every day that this is why we decided to have children. It is such an amazing reward to see the pure delight in your child's eyes when they discover what they can do; whether tying a shoe or climbing a ladder to go down a slide. We delight in the wonderment they experience seeing a polar bear swim in water right before their eyes. Or riding on an animal on a carousel. I always try and make each and every day count for my kids. We can dance to music or take a walk and play "I Spy". We can visit the zoo or try a new park. We can walk along the beach and search for rocks to collect. We can collect acorns in our backyard. We can color and laugh. Every day presents a new day to experience new things. The things we take for granted as adults can bring us such joy when we see our children experience it for the first time. And that is why it is so important to live each and every day to the fullest. Do I sound slightly emotional in this post? Probably. One week from tonight Caroline will have her backpack packed, her lunch made, and her clothes ready. The next day will be her first day at kindergarten. I remember my own kindergarten experience very well. I look back at pictures of myself at that age and am astounded I have a child who will be a kindergartener. I am excited and nervous at the same time. Tonight she and I looked at pictures of her as a newborn. Was she really that small once? We all were. And we have grown and had children of our own. I don't think I'll cry next Monday though I can't be certain. I am ready for this next step. And I will continue to appreciate the small things each and every day.