Falling without grace

We decided to try something new today: ice skating. Daddy and I have not ice skated in more than 15 years, but we can't let that stop us from letting the kids try something new.

After everything is said and done, I found out that I should never step in the Ice ever again, daddy's back hurt from holding on to the kids, Big M leaned after falling many times, K did very well after untold her some things, J was very unsure and kept holding on to Daddy, Little m was fearless.

Football has begun

Big M has added to Football to his sports repertoire, and so the chauffeur mom & dad has opened for the year.

After 2 1/2 hours of practice on the first day, he said it was FUN! 

the birds and the bees and a conversation about love

Daddy and I knew that the birds and the bees talk must happen, though we never discussed when. A few weeks ago, a conversation occurred that told us we are actually pretty late. 

Big M: Daddy, if I have 2 tamed wolves (in a computer game called Minecraft) were to breed, would the baby be a tamed wolf also.

Daddy: What do you know about breeding?

Big M: Well you and Mommy  bred and made me!

Oh boy. Daddy and I discussed and I knew for a fact that most books started much younger than 8 years old, and yes, we're much too late. Thankfully, some friends recommended books and Daddy bought them straight away.

The books were broken down into ages, starting from age 4, then age 8 and older, and 10 and older. The one for age 4 alone showed a lot of pictures and information. The age 8 one, well... we know he has to know these things, but woooweeee!

We told Big M we got the books and we explained that we needed to read them together, and then discuss. He was fine with it. The next day, when we came down for breakfast, Big M was already down and said he is almost done with the book. WHAT?!  We're not quite prepared for that fact, but be that as it may, we are willing to answer questions. And there were questions. They didn't come all once though, they trickled down over 2-3 days.

Some amusing questions that I addressed myself, were:

"Do you have to take your underwear for that?"

"How many times do people have to have sex before they make a baby?

"Do you and Daddy have sex everyday?"

Daddy was not yet home when these questions came, so I answered them all in all seriousness. I have told Daddy that no matter what the questions were, we would address them. So I did. The conversation became hushed, as Big M new his sisters shouldn't know about these things yet. So we cuddled in the couch and I talked, and talked, and talked. In the back of my mind, I thought I'd better insert what the purpose is of sex so I managed to squeeze in diseases and religion to our discussion. I must say, it was a great conversation. 

I was able to emphasize that sex is something very special between 2 people who love each other. I was able to use our marriage as an example, and that the parents of friends that hew knew are "banana split".  Big M was very receptive, and his maturity was astounding. 

On a different day, he asked Daddy why some people we know have been married several times. Daddy was not quite as experienced toning down his thinking to suit an 8 year old, so he said "when you're older you would understand." With our boy, this is not a sufficient answer. If his questions are to be satisfied and not to be asked repeatedly, he needs satisfactory answers. So Daddy and I together addressed the idea of love. I told Big M that love is like planting a seed (he is quite a nature lover so I knew he would understand this). The seed needs work in order to grow and be healthy. He cannot put a seed down and leave it alone and expect it to be a nice healthy tree when he checks on it months later.  We told him that it must be watered, the soil must be tended to, the weeds pulled, and it needs constant attention in order to grow. Some people go into marriage not aware of such hard work and when the seed doesn't grow, and start to die, it becomes too late for it to thrive and some people give up. He understands this for now, and what he doesn't understand I'm sure he would ask us about months or  years later.

Daddy and I told him that though Mommy and Daddy have been married a very long time, we still need to work. We fight (and yes, the kids have seen us fight) and yell, but they also see us make up and hug. Big M said we do fight but it's not common. 

This is a lot of talk, but whatever he does or doesn't understand just yet, we know we're laying out a pretty good ground work. Big M knows that should he have any questions at all that we would do our best to answer them all. Now we need just need to do this exact same thing 3 more times.

first dentist visit for little m

After being to the dentist 4x 6 months months, and then once last week, it is finally Little M's turn yesterday.  It was his first visit and he was of course a pro. He knew where to go, what to do, and where to find the treasure chest when he was done. Excellent first visit!

drawing

This is an important picture because for the first time Little M is coloring/drawing on purpose. Before this day, he held the crayon very lightly and made faint lines. This was earlier this week when I printed Noah's Ark coloring pages for each of the kids so we could read the story. Since then, whenever the girls sat down to color, Little M is also there doodling away.

On a different, but related note. This little monkey has been waking up way too early. Every day he wakes up at 5:30. Since we're too sleepy to get up then, we just let him walk around our room, which then leads to us discovering a little 2-year old naked (no diapers) sometimes eating lotion. Last night, Daddy and I decided to put him to bed an hour and half later in hopes that he would wake up later. So this morning, he decided to wake up at 5am instead. Really?

the unforgettable white stuff

Firsts are always harder on the moms

We started the day bright and early at 6:30 today. A lot of firsts happened today; Big M's first day of 1st Grade, K and J's first day of Pre-K, and Little M's 1st day at Mother's Day Out.
Big M was a little apprehensive because he thinks 1st Grade will be very hard. His teacher told him that his Kindergarten teacher wouldn't have advanced him to 1st Grade if she didn't think he could do the work. But no worries. The first words out of his mouth when I picked him up was, "First grade is FUN!"
J was also worried and kept telling Daddy and I that she didn't want to be in Pre-K. But as soon as I dropped them her and K off and found that all their friends were there, they barely had time to kiss me good-bye.
Little M's day went well, too. He didn't know what was going on so he didn't even cry. When I said good-bye and snuck out, he looked out the door and stayed there by the door for a few minutes. I felt strange not having him with me this long but I restrained myself well, I think. I called to check on him 2 hrs after I dropped him off and was told that he only fussed once during diaper change. He also cried when I picked him up because he couldn't free himself from the teacher carrying him to me fast enough. His teachers love him and said he was a keeper. He ate well, was the first one to nap and did not fuss at all. 
I didn't accomplish very much being alone because of all things I could be doing, I went and bought groceries. It ate up much of my time! But I think I chose to do this unconsciously because the grocery store was only 5 minutes away from the school. It allowed me to be close by but still be productive. But I do have to plan my Mondays a lot better next time.
Overall everything went well today. I just can't believe how big my kids have gotten.

(J in orange, K in Pink.)

Barnum 200

On the last evening that the circus was going to be in the Dallas area, Daddy reminded me that the 3 older kids had been asking to go to the circus since they first heard it was in town a couple of months ago. We've been so busy this summer that we just couldn't fit it in the schedule. So here it is, minus Daddy and Little M. We didn't think Little M would be calm enough to endure the entire show and Daddy wasn't brave enough to take all 3. So here I am with my 3 monkeys. Brave, huh?

So I bought the tickets the night before, and it totaled $130 without any discounts. Big M did get a free voucher ticket but unfortunately it was only valid on a weekday. But being the savvy mommy that I am, I found some promo codes online and reduced our tickets to $60!! I decided not to tell them where we were going though until we got to the entrance arena where they were selling the program (for $12!!)

At the arena entrance right after Big M figured out what we were going to see. Look at that big smile! (K is in pink, J is in blue.)

This is the all access pre-show right at the floor. Big M volunteered when they asked for one. It was a lot of fun.












All 3 were in awe of the circus which was priceless! J kept saying, "whoa! How did they do that!" It was most fortunate that we got our tickets at a bargain price because it was highway robbery inside.
Here's what I spent:

• $12 - 1 program
• $12 - cotton candy with souvenir hat
• $36 - 3 snow cones with souvenir cups
• $9 - 3 hot dogs
• $6 - 2 bottled water
• $3 - popcorn

We bought the snow cones at the end of the snow which meant they had to eat it before we could go back to the car. Apparently, when the who is over, they want you out of the building. Pronto. They shooed us away from the lobby area, so we went to the bathroom so I could get them to potty before we headed home. But even then we took too long and was shooed away from there. They needed to get ready for the next show.

Overall, it was a fun experience. This was a first for all of them and I enjoyed watching them ooh and ahh and everything.

Little M's first time in his own room

During the week of the 4th of July, after family left, we went ahead and moved Little M to his own room. Note that the room has some girly murals that were done by the previous owner of the house. We decided to leave it as it is and only paint the room when Little M is a bit older.

Little M loved the fact that he could run around, but didn't like the fact that he couldn't leave the room when he wanted to. After a day, he also figured out how to expertly open the doors (no thanks to the lever-kind door knobs we have). The room provides a great place for him to play and not get into his big brother's Lego or his sisters little toys. It also allows me to take a nap (on the inflatable on the floor) when he doesn't want to. The problem with this is he gets to do doing naughty things like stick his fingers up my nostrils or tap my forehead over and over again. 

The great thing is that it only took him one night to adjust. He now sleeps through the night. Halleluiah!



Oh yeah, on another day I tried to catch up on sleep in his room I saw this when I opened my eyes. My 15-month old baby using a chair to open the door so he could escape. We are wondering how long it'll take him before he figures out to move the chair out of the way.

First haircut

Little M had his first haircut today. It was surprisingly easy. Just a few pass of the clipper in the back and a couple of clips with the scissors in the front and it was done. He is very handsome.

the thrill of something new

Little M road on the Big Red Car, which was originally his big brother's. It was exciting to watch his awe when he moved the car himself and then he did it on purpose. He loved it! His sisters were inside with Daddy so I was able to spend this little time with him.

first time at chick-fil-a

I took the girls to school today for their class picture (they don't normally go to school on Tuesdays). When we were done, they didn't want to go home yet so I took them to Chick-Fil-A. They ran around, giggled, played. Little M enjoyed it, too. He wanted to climb up with his sisters but couldn't quite reach his knee over.

And here he is when he finally climbed up the wrong end of the slide with the help of his sisters. We ate when we were done and Little M used his first straw. He is such a big boy!

It's time for playareas

K and J met new friends today. Twin friends. For a change they're the ones who couldn't tell their friends apart. We went to a story time in the mall and then to the play area. They played with other kids and then I saw them playing/guiding younger kids. They both gravitate towards young kids. They will make great babysitters one day.

Little M also had fun. He crawled, climbed and walked around. He didn't even mind that some bigger kids knocked him down sometimes. He absolutely enjoyed it even if I did have to restrain him a few times. It's hard to be in 2 places at the same time - keeping the girls from doing something they shouldn't and keeping. Little M from being trampled. I think I might have to bring him there alone one day.

As of today, Little M continues to walk more and more steps by himself. This also means he is practicing a new found skill of pushing his rigid little body in order to escape my hold and get down.

fearless girls

The local mall had a kiddie festival for a couple of weeks so we decided to bring the kids. This is Big M's second time but the girl's first. It is a lot of fun for them to be able to go on the rides on their own. The only thing is, I don't remember it being this expensive. But that's what happens when you multiply everything by 3. They're not even 4 years old yet and they were tall enough to ride on their own, and that they did.

This thing looked pretty scary to me, but they both wanted to ride it. The metal bar that holds the rider in is much too big for them. I had to repeatedly tell them not to move and not to wiggle. Thank goodness they listened.
(K in yellow in the foreground)

This is a flying ride. I explained that when they push the bar forward, the helicopter would go high up, and when they pull it, they will go down. I don't think I did a good job explaining because as soon as they pushed it, they pulled it right back. Either that or one wants to go up and the other wants to go down.
(J in white, K in yellow)

I don't have a picture of Big M since he was an elusive animal. During part of the fun, he and Daddy had to separate off so he could ride more fun rides. Little M just watched everyone had fun. I'm sure he'll have his fun in a couple of years.

off to the botanical garden

We finally had our first outing here in TX during the spring break. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the beautiful flowers and fairy castles. K, J and Little M also had their first bus ride. There were so many people at the botanical garden we had to park 4 blocks away and had to be shuttled in.

It was a little windy.

The sun came out so everyone put on their squinty face. Little M loves the feel of the grass in his hands.
(K in pink, J in yellow)

J & K in the Little Mermaid's castle.
The do love each other...sometimes.

In Alladin's Castle.

Beauty & The Beast's Castle

Being silly.

As we were about to leave, Big M found a butterfly struggling in a bird's mouth. He chased the birds away  and the bird dropped the injured butterfly. The butterfly's wings were so damaged it couldn't fly anymore. Big M took it and set it down on the grass to talk and comfort it.

goodbye, training wheels!

I learned to bike at a ripe old age of 14. The fear of getting hurt prevented me from learning a few years prior. But a week before I was to leave the Philippines to reside in America, I decided I must learn. And I did. At 6 years old, Big M is already older than when most kids learn to bike, so we had to start soon! I certainly didn't want him to learn when I did.

When Big M turned 6 weeks ago, I thought it's as good a time as any to use the bike without training wheels. We had to buy a new one that day (his bike prior is a motorcycle-looking one that was too heavy and too tall). I tried to get a Walmart employee to take the training wheels off but they said I had leave the bike and someone will call me when it was done. Screw that! I brought it home and took them off my self. Then Big M and I, and Little M went to the park.

I looked for a spot on the trail with a very tiny decline, set Little M's stroller to the side and gave Big M a tiny push. To my surprise he stared pedaling and he was off! He panicked when he thought he was going to fall in a ditch so he tried to hop off the bike. He hit his stomach on the handle, which couldn't have felt good. But we and I were so excited, he brushed it off. After that, every push was a success. Forty minutes into our session and he was able to start without my help and was biking a very long distance. At this time I was running after him while pushing Little M. I must have looked like a fool chasing a 6yr old on a bike. :)

Big M said the "rocket bike" (the work rocket is printed on the bike) made him learn very fast. I told him, "No, Buddy. It was all you!"

definitely ready for school

I slept late preparing backpacks, lunches, packing extra clothes for 3 kids the other night. Yesterday was the girls' first day of preschool. We dropped Curious George off first, and on their school. There is a carpool system, so I don't need to get off the car, but being that it's their first day, I went in and dropped them off. The girls immediately took to all the toys in the room which allowed me to chat a little bit with their teacher. After 10 minutes or so, I said the mantra we've been reciting all weekend long to prepare them for this day. "Katie is going to school, Jojo is going to school. Mommy has to say bye-bye! Then Mommy comes back to get you after your nap. " The two of them nodded, until I get to the "Mommy has to say bye-bye" to which, Thing 2 made a little pout. But seeing Thing 1 be all smiles helped her erase the frown. I walked out, then disappeared.

Of course I wasn't going to leave the building just yet. :) I went to the front, chatted with the assistant director and then headed back to the classroom to peak to see how the girls were doing. They were playing happily, so then I left.

I went to Target, bought the girls clothes. As I was about to leave, it was raining cats and dogs, so I went to get iced coffee and watched the rain fall. It was quiet. aaaah. :) Got home, got the master bath in order, did some home business and waited until I had to pick them up. Then I got an email from their teacher as to how their day went. Thing 1 ate well, and slept without a problem. Thing 2 didn't eat very much and was wide awake. She then asked the teacher what why Thing 1 was asleep and so she had to explain that it was because she was tired and it was time to rest. ;)

At the carpool pick up, I found myself very excited to see them again. They were all smiles. Thing 2 was in a daze, having been woken up after only 15 minutes of nap (she apparently finally fell asleep). Thing 1 was beaming. I asked if they had fun and they both responded, "uh huh!". It was a shorter nap than usual, since they usually napped from 1-3pm, but it was enough.

Today, I had to dropped a form off at their school. I left then in car, but as we were pulling out to leave, Thing 1 said, "No home, Mommy! School!" She can't wait to go back to school.

All in all, the day went well. There was not a single tear. Thing 2 even stayed dry and went to use the toilet. I had her in pull-ups but packed only undies. But they never had to change her since she stayed dry.

It was a good day for the girls.

first day in a new pre-k

Curious Goerge's class start at 8:30. I wanted to be there by 8am today so I had to wake everyone up at 7. While it doesn't sound like a big deal, it's a little early for them. On their own, they don't start waking up until 7:15 to 7:30. So this morning, all we had time for is change clothes and take breakfast with us. We made it out at 7:40 and the GPS said we'd get there by 8. When we got to our exit, there was a police blockage. I exited off the next exit but when we got to the same street, it was closed on the other end. Great. I had to fiddle with the GPS on the go, and didn't think I did it right. By 8:20, we were circling around the school. I knew we were close, but just don't know how to get there. I called the school, but the director was no help. She only knew the way she takes everyday. Gee, thanks. Finally, I drove around and around and got there by 8:30. Our drive should be much shorter once we move to the rental house in a week.

Both of Curious George's teachers are asian. One is half Filipino and half Chinese (though mostly Filipino) and the other is Chinese, I think. They're pretty friendly. They have a field trip to the local library today, so it would be Curious George's first field trip. After chit-chatting with the teachers, we said our goodbyes. I told the boy I'd pick him up later. He asked if I would pick him up after lunch. I said no, I would be picking him up way later, after their nap and more school stuff. To that he replied, "NAP? They take naps?" Yuppers. The girls begged to stay. They find school fun. Unfortunately, we'll have to delay a bit longer for financial reasons...unless Daddy finally wins the lottery.

I forgot write an update on Curious George's liver test. I got a call from the pediatrician on Tuesday saying that his liver functions are normal. Test showed he's had mono before and that something about the test is elevated and he wants a stool sample. I was too elated about the fact that there is nothing wrong with his liver that it took a moment to sink in that I would have to collect poop. Ick. It's not as much yucky, being that I'm still changing 2 poopie butts, but how to collect it? Thanks to a couple of mamas that gave me ideas.

Daddy and I are a little stumped that we had no idea that Curious George has had mono. I Googled mono on kids and said that it's easy to miss because of the cold symptoms, but the fatigue is usually unmistakable because it takes little kids about 2-4 weeks to get over it. There were several weeks in N.C. when it didn't seem to matter that he had a nap everyday, he was still tired all the time. It could have been then. We'll never know. At least now we know. Having had mono himself, Daddy said we'd have to look out for it because once you've had mono, you never get rid of it.

A new preschool and haircut for everyone!

The first order of business for the day was to visit a preschool. I called several places, and narrowed the place to just one. We visited a Primrose school and ultimately ended up signing Curious George up. He loved the place, and based on what the teachers told me, it is exactly where he should be on his knowledge development. They have computers in the room, they are working on writing, math and reading. Everyone of which he is already working on. It's not a cheap school, but they let Curious George in for 3 full days a week. After being in schools that didn't cater to his abilities for the past year, we are more than happy to get him back in to something that will challenge him. Besides, he's off to public school this fall and then we'll only have to think about the twins in preschool.

I told Curious George he could start on Monday, but he insisted on starting immediately. Thankfully, they allowed him to start this Friday.

The girls also loved the toddler classroom. They wanted to join right in, but unfortunately, we need to offset the cost by delaying their start by a few more months.

Then we went to get a haircut for Curious George. I found a place for kids that was close by and it turned out to be an excellent place. He was super excited and before leaving the place, he already asked when he could go back. :) The good thing is, it's only about 5 miles from our rental house! (which we will be moving into next week)

He got to pick which vehicle chair he wanted to sit on, and a choice of movie to watch. I love this haircut! He looks so handsome and ready for his new school.

Then it was Thing 2's turn. She was excited to get on the police car, but shed a few tears when the woman started cutting her hair. But after a few minutes, she was happy again.

All happy!

Thing 1 was last. She protested at first. She also chose the police car and both she and Thing 2 watched Cinderella.

They only got a 2 inch trim. I really wanted their hair shorter because it's getting harder to take care of, but I mentioned to the lady that Daddy wanted them left long. So she insisted on only taking 2 inches off. They look great and it was a pleasant first hair cut for them. The woman even gave me locks of their hair. Awwww.

Then it was time to go back to the apartment after a long morning. Dallas is intimidating with all the over pass highway interchanges. Everytime I go back to the apartment, I miss a turn! Thankfully, with a GPS, I will always find my way back. But this is why, as if the actual interchange isn't crazy enough, take a look at the GPS!

Curious George's first blood work

Late this afternoon, I rushed the kids to the hospital where LabCorp is in order to do Curious George's blood work up. I met Daddy there, since we know it was going to be difficult for Curious George. I helped Curious George, while Daddy took care of the girls.

I didn't tell Curious George what we're there for until I pulled in the hospital parking lot. "Why are we at the hospital?", Curious George asked. "Matty, we're here to make sure you're not sick. I need you to be brave." I told him. At that he started his whining, "I don't want a shot!"

I couldn't even get him in through the door when the called him in. And when we finally made it in, I sat him on my lap and the tech made me hold his arms down. With all the crying and a little trashing, I was afraid something bad was going to happen. I urged him not to thrash around or it would hurt more, which he thankfully listened to. I told him not to look at it, but with my hands occupied holding his arms, I couldn't make him not look. Then he started screaming, "When is it going to be done?"

The tech had to "fish" for the vein, which of course resulted in a quarter sized bruise. But at least he didn't have to pull the needle out and re-poke him. Finally, when it was said and done, we made him choose where we would eat for dinner and told him he could get any toy he wanted at the store.

Before we left the hospital, which happened to be a Children's Hospital, we let them play around and watch the fountains.

That's Daddy in the middle, looking like he's ready to pass out.

Thing 2 tries to climb up the elephant.

With a little help, she makes it!

Daddy rides with Thing 1. Daddy said that after he helps her up, she wants to promptly get back down saying, "Too big, Daddy."

The 3 stoogies trying to climb up the same elephant.

We won't know the result of the blood work until late this week.