Two + Two = Us

Dementia and Dad

2024-06-18T16:21:00.007-05:00

Since Father's day has just happened, I've been thinking a lot about my dad, dementia, and the circumstances that have led us to where we are today.

After mom passed away, my constant hope and prayer was that my dad wouldn't become a statistic. I had read somewhere that if an older man's wife dies first, the man will most likely follow within three years. Of course, I tried just now to find the actual percentage and can't find it, but I did come across many articles about the Widowhood Effect. Basically, I was worried that I would lose my dad soon after I lost my mom.

And I did. No, my dad has not passed away. But he is most definitely not the same jovial dad that I have fond memories of from my childhood. At first, I thought it was just grief. Depression. And the fact that he just didn't know how to be independent after having mom to rely on for so many years. It started off with forgetting simple things, like where the knives are located (in front of him on the kitchen counter, as always) or how to operate the same microwave we've had for years. And then his feet-shuffling continued to worsen, and he started to go to physical therapy. He also just generally seemed moody, and quite frankly very unpleasant to be around - again, not the same man that I remember so fondly.

During this time, he also took several trips on his own - to Michigan for a few months to be with his sister, and then twice to the Philippines. His return back home was always rocky, as he continued to worsen in terms of his general attitude towards us and also his forgetfulness and ability to walk well. He had started using a cane, in addition to PT, which slowly transitioned to a walker. While in the Philippines during that last trip, he was diagnosed with Parkinsonism and later, here, dementia. He started going to memory care day services a few times a week to socialize and interact with others in his same situation, and he absolutely loved it. He also had a few Filipina women that we would rotate using on other days because we took away his car keys but wanted him to still be able to go to church, get his cigarettes, and just have people around.

For a while, everything was a fine status quo. It wasn't the best, but we were making it work. But there was something about this year that started the ball rolling into something that I couldn't control and didn't know what to do.

Around the middle of January, his physical therapist (who specializes with helping people with Parkinson's symptoms) told us that there simply wasn't any improvement and that there just wasn't anything more that she could do for him. And he started falling. A lot. He always fell some, but now it seemed like it was every single day. Somehow nothing that ever warranted a 911 call or hospital stay, but it got to the point where we didn't trust him being home alone. Not only because of the falling, but also because he was smoking a lot. We installed cameras everywhere on the lower level and also upped the amount of at-home care he was getting from the Filipina help because we had noticed him trying to smoke in the house when we weren't looking, and we were worried he'd forget he was smoking and burn down the home. Add to that, he just didn't have anything to say to us when we'd get home, and it all just started to sting.

We had originally planned a Florida beach trip for our March spring break, but I knew my dad could not handle a trip to the beach in his current state. However, I also knew that I wanted to do something fun for my daughter's 13th birthday and, to be perfectly honest, I just needed a getaway myself. So we all trekked to California for the week, where we got to spend time with my Uncle Joseph (dad's brother) and his wife Auntie Lita who graciously offered to keep my dad for a few days so that we could traipse to Big Bear for a little respite.

I think that trip was a godsend for all of us, and I thank God every day that we went. Uncle Joseph and Auntie Lita helped me to see that there really just is no way that I can do this on my own. They saw first-hand his immobility and dementia (he fell every single day there - once breaking a vase, could never remember where he was nor could find the bathroom the whole week he was there) and lack of kindness to his own family. In fact, they were making the push to let him go to the Philippines even though I had my own reservations of him being so far away.

Dad with Uncle Joseph and Auntie Lita

But, alas, God always knows what he's doing.

Those weeks after California and all of April were so, so hard. My own health was acting up - I lost my voice for over a month and had crazy coughing fits that lasted weeks. Not something ideal for a second-grade teacher. Additionally, the kids were insanely busy - not only with school, but Felicity with lacrosse, Xavier with the school musical, and both with forensics and their instruments. Dad, too, was having a hard time. He continued to fall regularly. Once, when we were trying to help him up, his response was "I don't know why you care. Just bury me already." Not something you ever want to hear your loved one say. Cameras showed that he also fell at night, a few times to the point where he couldn't get back up and spent the majority of the evening on the floor. So we started sleeping on the couch downstairs just to be close by in case it were to happen again.

None of this was long-term sustainable by any means. So, I started thinking about what Uncle Joseph and Auntie Lita had said, and I started asking around about what it would look like for dad to move back to the Philippines. My Auntie Florence and Uncle Ruben have recently retired to Baguio, and they offered to house my dad with in-home care and even researched nursing facilities there should his health continue to worsen. I thought that maybe I would be spending my summer settling him in the Philippines and was working on figuring out how that would all unfold.

I was stressed beyond belief. It got to the point where I was constantly reviewing my family's busy schedules to make sure that everyone was accounted for and that someone was home with dad at all times. This was not an easy task, given all of the activities the kids had committed to and Justin's crazy work schedule. I was starting to get to my wit's end. I also realized that I knew for sure that I didn't want dad in the Philippines just yet because I knew that if he left, I probably would never see him again. But I did not know what the answer should be - in-home full-time home health? A memory care facility?

So my gracious principal told me to take a few days off of school to figure out my own plan (and also hope to heal my voice/coughing while I was away). I was hoping to make home health work because, like many people, I did not feel right about "sticking my dad in a home." After making some calls, though, I realized that between his Filipina caregiver during the day and having someone come at night was just over-the-top expensive. I thought about quitting my job to take care of dad, but that didn't really make sense because my own paycheck goes towards my own family's needs.

I started asking around about assisted living and memory care residences. Some of them I immediately knew were not the right fit. Some were downright depressing, a few were way out of our price range, and one didn't have any openings but still wanted us to tour anyway. I had ultimately narrowed it down to two choices: one that was highly raved about by friends with personal experience but was located about a half hour away and one that got very good online reviews, looked fantastic on the tour, and was 1.5 miles away. After agonizing, praying, and discussing with various friends and family, we went with the one that was the closest - three and a half minutes, as Felicity timed it once on her phone.

Now the problem was broaching the subject with dad. I decided I needed to do it on my own, as I didn't want the kids or Justin around for him to get mad at or blame if he got upset. So one night, when it was just dad and me eating dinner, I summoned up the courage to bring it up. I had a whole spiel lined up about how it was in his best interest, we can't look after him all the time, his doctors had wanted this, he falls too often - but after the initial few sentences, he basically said, "Okay, sounds good. When?" I was shocked....and hopeful that his dementia-brain would remember that conversation. Fast-forward a few days later when we happened to drive by the place and I reminded him that that's where he would be staying starting in a few weeks. His comment, again, was jovial - "Oh, wow! That's so close to the house!"

We continued to move forward, as planned. Naturally, my emotions were going through the roof, especially as move-in day approached. Is this really the right thing? Will dad be ok? Am I being selfish? Is this a cop-out? After all, we had the Bungalolo newly made for him to live with us. The guilt was sky-high.

Then it was move-in day. As you can imagine, I was crazy-stressed about how this would all play out. He had actually been to the residence before for a pre-assessment and all went well, but this was obviously very different. They were busy when we arrived, so we were told to wait in the lobby for the nurse to come take care of us. Dad immediately sensed something was up. Even though we had discussed him moving here, actually being there really through him for a loop. He started getting very loud and defensive, yelling at me that we need to go home, that he would never live here, and that he wanted to leave. He called me a terrible daughter. And then he'd get distracted because he saw the bright animated images on the nearby TV as Dora the Explorer was being aired and he became quiet. But when a commercial came on, he'd notice again where he was, ask me what was going on, and then yell at me again. The brutal cycle continued: him forgetting, him remembering and yelling, until finally (what seemed like hours but was probably more like 10 minutes) the nurse came to take us back.

Like a switch, dad was back to his amicable self, joking around with the nurse. We showed him his new room that I had set up to include pictures of his family, furniture we found on Facebook Marketplace, and some clothes and other necessities. He immediately pointed out that he could see our hill from his window and was pleased with how close we were. We all chatted for a while - the nurse had a few questions to ask, and all was going well. Then it was time for lunch. I was surprised my dad wanted to go since we had just had breakfast at Cracker Barrel beforehand, but we all walked to the dining area and he immediately started chatting with all of the people there - nurses and other residents alike. I decided to take this opportunity to make my exit - promising him that I'll be back, reminding him how close we are, and telling him I'll check in daily. He didn't even hear me, he was too busy talking to the person next to him. What a relief.

Located just down the hill from our house!

Garden area

It has now been over a month since that move-in day, and he continues to thrive there. We visit every day and take him out at least once a week. The nurses and caregivers say that he makes everyone laugh and he's engaged in all of the activities they do. One of his favorite things there is to sing karaoke to Elvis. One of the nurses has even told me that she's been doing this for over 10 years, and he's been her favorite male resident (I guess many of them are crochety, lol, but my dad is always so pleasant). His falls have minimalized because they check on him every hour at night and someone is nearby always.

Taken from one of the nurses, lol. Despite his face, they said he had a blast!

The sad thing to me is that, because of his disease, he can't tell me all of the great things that he does because he just simply can't remember. He doesn't remember the singing or the crafts or even what he ate just minutes before I arrive. He doesn't remember when he goes to PT or OT or when the volunteer from church brings him weekly communion. Nothing sticks anymore. Even names are getting forgotten, as he sometimes calls me one of his siblings names- or my own children, he'll call by his nephew/niece's names. He doesn't remember that I've taken him to church or where/what he did on our outings.

I can see, then, how easy it would be to just "stick him in a home and leave him there." But I refuse to do so. Because even though he doesn't remember what we do after the fact, he still enjoys things "in the moment." So I will still visit every day, even if it is just to pop in to say hi. We will still take him to Mass every week and go out to meals. My kids will still have a relationship with their Lolo because I, too, want to teach them that being in a memory care facility does not change the core of who he is and who we are to him.

Xavier loves visiting his Lolo

In fact, I can already see that this experience is shaping my own children into being more empathetic and caring citizens, especially to the elderly. Felicity had a quick bond with one of the residents from the beginning and realized one day that she hadn't seen her in a while. When she asked the nurses where she was and found out that she had passed away, Lissie was inconsolable for hours. It reminded her of her Lola, made her realize that all of these people she sees now will pass away one day, and she was also crying for her Lolo. But the experience just helped her to see that everyone can use a little love, care, and kindness, regardless of age.

We had halo-halo, Filipino food, and karaoke after church one day.

So I guess the point to my story is that I don't want to hide from my decision anymore. Sure, there will always be people who disagree with me. In fact, I would've disagreed with myself if I hadn't been living through it and seen just what an impossible situation I had been in. But now, I don't think of moving my dad as being a "cop-out" anymore, but a necessity.

I also believe in my heart that God had led me to this stage. God brought us to California in March to plant that seed that we can't do it ourselves. God also amazingly allowed California to be the last time my dad smoked a cigarette, which is also a key reason why we could even think about allowing my dad to be in a residence where smoking isn't allowed. God opened up doors to show me my options, and He made sure that the closest facility was also the one that would be the best fit for us. God helped my dad have a great experience there and is also allowing my own core family to breathe better knowing that my dad is safe. It also has allowed us all to have a better relationship with my dad again. He's happy to see us and catch up with us and talk with us, which was way different from when we were at home and he was so unhappy with everyone and generally unpleasant to be around, not asking about us or caring about our days.

Moving my dad doesn't mean that I don't love him In fact, in many ways, it shows that I truly do.

I will, always and forever, be a daddy's girl.

This has been hanging in our garage for decades.

The last three and a half years in review

2024-06-13T13:51:00.002-05:00

Time sure flies when you're having fun! With a relatively free summer continuing to procrastinate doing some DIY home improvement projects, I found myself wanting to write. And so here I am, a whole three and a half years after my last blog post in 2020.

Our latest family photo outside the Schermerhorn Center,
before seeing E.T. with the Nashville Symphony.

So, a brief recap of us:

Me. I'm still teaching second grade at the same school and loving it. It's hard to imagine doing anything else. I'm in a good groove and I'm pretty decent at it, hence being named an Educator of the Week last year. Still into running, sort of - I'm trying to get back into it despite working full-time and being the primary chauffeur of busy kiddos - but I managed to squeeze in two half marathons in these three years! I'm also still big into planning various adventures and keeping myself entertained and busy.
Justin. He's still doing his pharmacist thing. He's also always looking to leave his present job but is worried that the grass (and pay) won't be greener on the other side. He continues to enjoy babying his car and being dragged into my crazy ideas. He's also been a saint when it comes to helping with my dad, but more on that in a future post.
Felicity. Yes, she goes by her full name now, for what I can safely assume is her own right of passage into growing up. She decided she was too cool to be at the same school as me last year, so she is now at the all-girls' school just seven minutes down the road. To be honest, it's been the best experience for her. She's made some fantastic friends and she has thrived in a more stringent academic environment. She still is incredible with her cello, having been asked several times into the Honors Recital for the Middle Tennessee Suzuki Association. She also plays volleyball and lacrosse. It's hard to believe she's a year away from high school.
Xavier. This boy is turning into an incredible young man. He has not a shy bone in his body, having landed some great roles in his school musicals (Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast, Jr. and Pinnochio in Shrek, Jr. to name a few!) and is a force to be reckoned with in forensics, where he has written some fantastic speeches for original oratory - namely on the history of roller coasters and also the benefits of YouTube! He plays the violin and basketball. He also can't decide between being a priest or a radiologist. Good thing he's only going into seventh grade and has plenty of time to discern!

That'll do it for us! Also, in the last 3.5 years we've gone on a few notable adventures:

July 2021 in Florida. Our summer vacay that year was in Sandestin, where the highlight was a dolphin cruise/snorkel experience.

June 2022 in the Philippines. We spent almost a month in the Philippines, primarily in Manila, Baguio, and Bicol. The kids got to meet many new-to-them family members and see some pretty awesome sights and, of course, eat some pretty amazing food!

The kids got to meet my mom's side of the family in Bicol.

One of the highlights of our trip, even though I got stuck several times.

Poolside at the Peninsula Hotel

Getting back to our roots in Baguio, haha

Trying her hand at surfing

July 2023 in Michigan. We had a big family reunion for a few graduation parties and a baby shower. We also went up north to Mackinac Island and Traverse City for a stretch, which was so much fun!

Family Reunion Cousin Time!

Sleeping Bear Dunes

My favorite thing was Mackinac at night and the quiet clip-clop of the horses.

They forged their own souvenier knives!
March 2024 in California. We decided to head west for Spring Break this year, seeing our west coast family and also getting in another ski trip in Big Bear.

Spending quality time with dad's brother and his wife, our most gracious hosts in Dana Point

Skiing

Notice I'm not there. On purpose, haha.

You can't do L.A. without a trip to Universal!

2020 Recap and 2021 WotY

2020-12-29T11:35:00.002-06:00

It's been a year since my last blog. Because, well, it's been.a.year.

In that last blog, I recapped 2019 and looked ahead to 2020 with the word "Family" as the one that would guide me through.

And, true to its word, Family - my dad, my husband, my children, but also my aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who are so close that they are practically Family - did guide me through what ended up being an overall not-so-very merry 2020.

I had big hopes for this year. My extended family was going to suprise my parents by coming for Easter and their 40th wedding anniversary. X was making his First Communion. We were going on a month-long trip to the Philippines over the summer, where my parents would help show my kids their heritage. I was finally moving back to teaching second grade and a classroom I helped design. All was going to be awesome.

And then it wasn't. Yes, I know that everyone had a pretty terrible 2020 due to COVID and quarantine. If I'm being totally honest, though, I actually didn't mind most of the shutdown. We are a family that is usually on-the-go....planning our next vacation or road trip. This quarantine helped us appreciate life in the home more and helped us realize that there's lots of pleasure to be had in just being present. The kids mastered their cooking skills (mom even showed them how to make some favorite Filipino dishes), and I tried my hand at bread baking. (Months later, I'm still trying to get that quarantine weight under control. Even though we made a point to exercise daily, the calorie intake definitely wasn't proportional!) We enjoyed more Family time - played lots of board games, read tons of books, did lots of crafting, and worked on some "quaran-tets".

Game nights became the new norm.

What's more socially distant than camping?

We made it a point to exercise daily. Family bike rides were always a fave.

To prepare for First Communion, I created a VBS at home. We ended up having a blast!

So.much.cooking.and.baking!

We did Family Camp at Widji - one of the best experiences, even despite Justin's foot injury.

Chocolate babka

I'm not saying that the quarantine didn't have its challenges, of course. For a while, Justin slept on an air mattress, had his own designated bathroom, and kept as much distance from us as possible since we were concerned about exposing my mom. There was a weekend where the stress got too much for all of us and we ended up camping out at a friend's house who had been spending their quarantine in Florida. And how can we forget the element of virtual school? Teaching virtually was something to get used to and was definitely not ideal, and having two elementary-aged children who also were doing their lessons online made things more than just a little tricky, but we made the most of it and actually started to not mind it much at all.

COVID definitely helped fill the year with lots of disappointments. The suprise Easter/Anniversary party never happened. Xavier's First Communion was twice postponed, and he was very upset that it was not the big celebratory event with lots of family and friends that it was the year before when Lissie made hers. (It was still a beautiful occasion, but it had to be just the core four of us since we wanted my parents to stay home due to COVID concerns.) Our big trip to the Philippines was cancelled. Going back to school in the fall was exciting but different in that I had to change rooms twice (first grade to second grade then to the music room to help allow for social distancing) and add in all of the other safety precautions to the standard curriculum.

My parents' Easter-versary was a much lower-key event than we originally planned.

Xavier's First Communion

But what I will remember most about 2020 is that this was the year I lost my mom. She had battled cancer for three years, and she did it so effortlessy that most of the time I failed to see its effects on her. Even to the end when she was weak and obviously in pain, she always exuded strength. She truly suffered silently, and as I said in my eulogy - I now see how Jesus endured his agony on the cross. It was all about Faith and the knowledge that there would be pain-free glory in the resurrection and the world to come.

Of course it doesn't make me miss her any less, though. Life without her has not been easy. We may not have been the type to always say "I love you" but we confided in each other always, and I looked for her input in just about everything. The "firsts" without her have been difficult - my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas. 2021 will be my first full year without her, and thinking about it that way makes it near impossible to move forward.

Which is why my 2021 WotY is Strength.

Because yes, while life without my mom sometimes seems unbearable, it's definitely not un-doable - I just need to find Strength to carry on.
Because while I want to wallow in self-pity and do nothing but watch Netflix or read, I need to find Strength to move past it and focus on my Family First.
Because, quite literally, I need to incorporate more intensive exercise and Strength-training into my life because, well, COVID (and stress) weight gain have gotten the best of me.
Because, in 2021, my ultimate priorities are to Strengthen my spirit, mind, body, and character.
Because of this quote from Proverbs 31:25:

So, bring it on, 2021. Let's see what you got. I'm ready for you.

But, before I do, here are some of my bright lights of 2020.

Xavier made his First Reconciliation!
(This was just practice.)

Before COVID, our church had a trivia night.

Our team was The Sharpest Crayons in the Box.

Again, pre-COVID, we had X to ourselves for a weekend

so we took him on a mini-staycation at the Drury.

Pre-COVID, post-tornado: We helped sort donations for Gideon's Army.

Our last hurrah before the shutdown.

We made it to Destin for spring break literally moments before the world turned upside down.

Family hikes and waterfalls. And ice cream, of course.

Chihuly at Cheekwood

Wilderness at the Smokies before school started

Spa Day tradition with the best.girls.ever.

We started school in-person and stayed that way for an entire semester!

I was also nominated as a Classroom Hero.

My cousins came down for my mom's funeral and we shared a toast honoring her and my grandmother.

Lissie took it upon herself to make masks and scrunchies out of her uniform for donations to St. Jude Children's Hospital. She raised almost $1,000 for her cause.

We spent Fall Break in Michigan, and the family time was much needed!

New car and a road trip to Atlanta!

2020 = the year of Cosmas

A little bit of merry in an overall un-merry year.

Year End Recap and My 2020 Word of the Year

2019-12-31T21:26:00.002-06:00

Well, we did it! Just a few more hours left in 2019, and we're getting ready to ring in not just a new year - but a new decade! This year, the kids are determined to stay up until midnight to ring in the new year. Last year they fell asleep at 11:50, so we'll see. So far, we've spent the day riding bikes, making an elaborate feast (braised short ribs, brussels sprouts, lobster and shrimp pasta) and ginataan, playing games, and watching movies. We'll see how long they last!

I tried my hand at a Word of the Year in 2019, and it really helped me stay focused on what I wanted to achieve. My word was Memories, and I really do feel that I had done my best in creating a year full of moments to remember.

Our big Christmas gift of 2018 was in the form of monthly letters that included family experiences - some big, some small - for us to enjoy. My kids loved them all so much that they begged us to do it again next year....something that I gladly obliged!

Here are some of our "big" family moments of the year (with a link to the corresponding post):

January: Chattanooga trip and Lissie's First Reconciliation
February: Symphony outing and Louisville trip

March: St. Louis trip

April: Week-long staycation during a home renovation project

May: Lissie's First Communion and family bike rides

June: Smokies getaway and Chicago Anniversary

July: Myrtle Beach

August and September: Atlanta trip and camping

October and November: Gulf Shores and camping

December: Cincinnati and Christmas

My 2020 Word of the Year is similar. My word is Family. Why? 2020 is the year we are planning our big trip to the Philippines to introduce the kiddos to their heritage and meet relatives they've never even known. 2020 may also bring the wedding of Lissie's godfather (date hasn't been determined, though). I want my kids to know their family - not just me and Justin or even Lolo and Lola, but the huge extended family that I know and don't get to reconnect with often. And, with the continuation of our monthly family experiences, we will continue to make the memories that I also long to create!

Happy Happy New Year!

December 2019

2019-12-31T20:49:00.000-06:00

December, as always, is a busy one. This year, the majority of tour time was spent with basketball practices and games and Santa sightings. Mom spent some time in the hospital for an inpatient chemo treatment which left her weak for a good chunk of the month. The kids were good about letting her heal, but it was difficult to see their Lola struggle. Luckily she regained her energy in time for the holidays, though!

Xavier's patron saint's feast day! We celebrated with extra prayers and a pokemon cupcake.

Feast of St. Nick! He forgot to put treats in their shoes they left out by their bedroom,
but he sneakily snuck into the garage instead!

Santa visit at a gingerbread party. X had requested a multiplication book.

Their results of the gingerbread party!

The Franklin Christmas parade.

Visit with Santa at our church St. Nick breakfast.

Lissie's first basketball victory!

Dicken's Christmas Festival

Xavier ended his Fall Basketball Season - can't wait for the Winter session next month!

They insisted that I keep the tradition alive: matching homemade PJs to wear on Christmas Eve!

The season of giving - helping me donate some items for the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital Holiday House

Donating leftovers from school parties to Nashville Rescue Mission

Our "big" family experience was a trip to Cincinnati to visit with old friends. We had so much fun catching up with friends who just moved back from a stint in Germany, learning how to play gaga ball, and then checking out the zoo lights with some other friends who moved from Nashville to Cincy in tow, as well. Unfortunately, I could see that Xavier was slowly fading....only to spike a huge fever overnight which cut our visit short. We quickly stopped at Xavier University for his obligatory picture before heading back home with a pitstop to the pediatrician who confirmed a case of the flu. Since we are actively always trying to keep mom as healthy as possible, we decided to dose up on Tamiflu and get a hotel close to home to get the contagious germy germs out of the way and for Xavier to heal up in time for Christmas. Thankfully with Tamiflu and our previously administered flu shots, he was up and at them in just a few days and we had a wonderful family Christmas.

We stayed at an awesome hotel that had a fabulous pool!

Can't go to Cincy without a visit to IKEA!

Our friends had leftover snow!

Despite not seeing each other for a couple of years, they hit it off again right off the bat!

So many children!

Mesmerized by the zoo lights!

Skyline Chili - yum!

Obligatory Xavier shot

Confirmed flu - poor kid.

After our unexpected hotel stay, we only had one more day to get ready for the Christmas festivities. The bulk of the cooking fell on me this year, as mom hasn't felt up for doing much in the kitchen. Luckily Lissie was a willing helper in the kitchen!

Dessert made!

On Christmas Eve, we made our gingerbread village and cookies for Santa. We opted to not go to Christmas Eve Mass (although Justin did play the violin at our church service) as we wanted to go as a family when Xavier was totally fever-free.

Health mask didn't stop him!

Our feast of lasagna, ham, salmon, and calamari.

Santa came!

A school set for her American Girl doll!

New kindles!

Christmas Dinner: Brussels sproutes, prime rib, daddy's mac and cheese, and leftover ham and salmon

We didn't have time earlier in the month to do our surprise Christmas light adventure, so we did it on Christmas!

After the Christmas festivities, we continued to enjoy our break with Xavier's half birthday, Lolo's birthday, a trip to the zoo, bike rides, and a trip to the Frist Art Museum. Thank goodness for a mild winter so far!

Xavier's half birthday! Working through his multiplication book that he requested from Santa.

We didn't see the Zooluminations at night, but they were still super cool during the day!

Happy birthday, Lolo!

I wanted to check out the Eric Carle exhibit at the Frist since I'm going on a field trip in February, and they were willing helpers!

Helping make the New Year's ginataan with Lola.

Despite our "busy-ness," December was full of lots of family memories. And for that, of course, I'm always grateful. It was a great last month of the year!

October and November 2019

2019-11-27T20:11:00.001-06:00

Whoo-hoo! I succeeded in my goal of updating the blog over Thanksgiving break! So what if I cheated and wrote less and wrote two months in each post....it'll still serve its purpose for me to look back on later, right?

October started with a few playdates and festivals, trips to the park, sleepovers, and a wedding to mark the beginning of Fall Break. I also managed a full day at the spa before a trip to Gulf Shores with seven other families - 30 people in all - for a memorable weekend!

We donated $1,000 from September's Meatball Night to Gilda's Club!

Trader Joe's opens near school and we've already been at least 5 times!

One of his favorite things to do is read the Liturgy of the Hours with Lola

We also celebrated Trunk or Treat, Fall Fest, and a lowkey Halloween this month!

We had a Harry Potter theme for Trunk or Treat

Fall Fest was such a success that we even had a double rainbow!

And Lissie won at the cakewalk, so we had Sweet 16 brownies for breakfast - yum!

We opted out of trick-or-treating on Halloween because of the cold temps with the promise of going all out next year (hey, it's on a Saturday!)

November started with All Saints Day, of course. And the third grade traditionally dresses up as saints at Mass.

Lissie chose St. Veronica because she was a timid person who became brave to help Jesus.

With the proud Lola

Lissie also lectored at a school Mass. For such a shy girl, she did amazing!

This month was a little more hectic since our school days started to get busier with the start of basketball. There isn't a school night that we get home before 6, and often times it's even later than that!

Two nights a week, he exercises with me on the greenway while we wait for Lissie to get out of basketball.

As such, I've tried to make our weekends a little lighter to compensate. We did do our annual camping trip with our church friends, which was always a great time! Other than that, aside from some gatherings with friends and basketball games, we've made it a point to just relax to gear up for our busy weeks.

Celebrating his first win in three seasons of basketball!

Trying to decipher Lola's cursive to make zucchini bread.

Even our Thanksgiving break is thankfully uneventful. With my parents in California and Justin working the weekend, we opted to not even cook for the holiday! I'm excited to be spending the time hanging out with the kids, watching movies on Disney Plus, and catching up on my crafting and blogging.

Since my parents were in Cali, Xavier's godmother stepped in as proxy for GrandPal's Day.

And since my parents weren't there, I treated them to Sitar afterwards!

Homemade PJs are the best!

Thanksgiving Dinner!

It's hard to believe that 2019 is winding down. I've loved our year of memories, and the kids have already requested that we do more experiences next year in lieu of toys for Christmas. I agree, kids, I definitely agree!

But it's still fun to look at the Amazon catalog. haha!

August and September 2019

2019-11-27T18:44:00.000-06:00

My goal is to get all caught up with the blog by the end of Thanksgiving Break, so here goes nothing.

August and September brought the end of summer, the beginning of the school year, and lots of fun memories!

We paid a semi-impromptu visit to Lissie's godfamily in Atlanta just before school started. On our way down, we stopped at a tasty dim sum restaurant on the recommendation from some of my mom's good friends. That first day, we also enjoyed a trip to the botanical gardens and a tasty Mexican dinner on the recommendation from other friends who used to live in the area. Saturday was spent hanging out with Amy and her family - we even ventured on the freezing Chattahoochie to go tubing! We always love spending time with them that we even made a plan to go camping with them the next month!

Nuevo Cantina Loredo with my favorite people.

The start of school, as always, was a whirlwind. Lissie started third, Xavier started second, and I stayed in first.

With some of the fabulous third-grade moms who helped pull off an amazing Welcome Back picnic for the school!

Yet, even with all of the back to school activities, we still managed to go to the Williamson County Fair, albeit just for a little bit before the downpour began. I did feel bad since the kids spent their own money on their unlimited ride wristband that I compromised and told them that we could go back next year on my dime.

At least we got our annual photo before the rain!

We still had time for other adventures like bike rides to an old one-room schoolhouse, a trip to a friend of a friend of a friend's alpaca farm and some end-of-summer pool trips. The most fun was venturing out to a waterfall swimming hole over Labor Day weekend and stopping at a hole-in-the-wall Filipino restaurant nearby.

Halo-Halo!

Switching gears to September where our weekends were filled with cross country meets galore.

Probably the only two kids to celebrate a cross-country meet with a flu shot from their dad!

We also had our camping trip with Lissie's godfamily, which was probably the main highlight of the month.

We also went to Cheekwood Harvest to enjoy the scarecrows before I let our membership lapse, had fun at the Father Ryan Homecoming game with friends, a birthday date night, and hosted another successful meatball night to benefit the Gilda's Club in honor of their Lola!

Phew! What a whirlwind of a few months!

July 2019

2019-10-09T10:02:00.000-05:00

Summer may seem like it was eons away (although the weather still feels like it!), but one of my Fall Break goals was to update the blog with all of our monthly memories. I don't think I'll get through all of my missing months (as always, we've got a lot of fun packed into one week!), but I can at least do one!

Just as a side note, I finally caught up on the new season of This is Us, and there was one episode where the mother is having a flashback to the summer where her kids are in 7th grade. The parents force a family fun day, and the kids were not excited about it at all. The mom keeps thinking back to when the kids were even younger when pool days and family fun days were the norm. It made me sad to think that, yes, one day it will be inevitable that my kiddos won't want to spend time with me anymore. It made me teary to think that our pool days and random road trips won't be so fun for them anymore. But, you know what? All the more reason to live it up and enjoy it while I can. That's why 2019 is the year of Memories....because too soon that's all this is going to be!

Oh, July. That time in the summer where I can still feel freedom, but my mind starts drifting back to the reality of a new school year looming quicker than I'd like. Thankfully, this month was riddled with fun and excitement and, of course, lots of adventures!

Two of the weeks in July were spent at camps. They did another round of Totus Tuus, which was made even sweeter because we were able to spend time afterwards exploring different treat joints in Nashville - we tried a cookie dough bakery, a cookie bakery, and of course had to have some Bobbie's! They also did a week at Widji, of course - Lissie at ranch camp, and Xavier did his traditional day camp where he received the coveted Widji coin for the third straight year in a row.

post-Totus Tuus cookie dough!

July was also the month of our big family vacation. We spent a week in Myrtle Beach at the same spot we had gone 4 years prior when Justin had his first ear infection. This time around was not much better for Justin, as we spent part of the trip going to two middle-of-the-night trips to ERs and an ophthalmologist where he was diagnosed with a bilateral corneal abrasion that put him out of commission for the majority of the trip! Needless to say, Justin is done with Myrtle Beach! We did, though, manage to have some fun without him - eating all the good eats, mini golfing, Pirate Adventure-ing, and of course beach-ing!

Quality time with Lolo and Lola

Unfortunately, Justin missed out on Pirate Adventure. It was an amazing dinner show!

He was finally feeling better in time to indulge in our seafood dinner!

Mini-golf!

While the rest of us had a blast, Justin says never again Ocean Boulevard!

We were home for not even a week when we decided - at just about the last minute - that we were going to drive up to Michigan for a whirlwind weekend for my cousin's wedding shower. We left Justin at home because he was working (seriously, July was not his best month) and trecked the 8-ish hours up to Ann Arbor, stopping for dinner of course at Skyline Chili en route. The next day we went to Mass, checked out Zingerman's, found a fun park, and enjoyed some quality family time with the people we love. The next day, we woke up crazy early and made two pitstops - one to IKEA and another to the Louisville Zoo - before ultimately making our way home.

With just a few of my bajillion cousins!

The toilet paper groom

The toilet paper bride

I love my family!

Stopped by the zoo on the way home!

In between all of these adventures, we found time to spend with friends at the pool, the Farmer's Market, Tenessee State Museum, and Bicentennial splashpad, a canoeing trip, spa day (for me!), eat ube ice cream, celebrate cow appreciation day, and take trips to Cheekwood and the zoo!

Whew, July! What a month!

June 2019

2019-08-09T22:46:00.001-05:00

Rare non-selfie family photo

I'm so far behind on documenting my memories because we've been so busy having fun making memories to be documented! This summer has flown by and school starts as soon as I blink, so I made it a personal goal to at least document one month of summer before it's all completely over.

People often ask me how I find the time and energy to be on-the-go with the kids, and I always say it's because I know time will fly, and I want to make the most of my time with them for as long as they'll let me. Right now, they actually WANT to hang out with me and go places and do things with me. In a few years, that may not be the case. But at least we'll have the memories....and hopefully these moments will help foster a positive relationship for when they reach those treacherous middle-school and teenage years. At least, I can hope....right?

So, June. Wow, that seems so long ago when summer just started and felt like it would last forever. We took a trip to the Smokies, where we had planned to spend time hiking to waterfalls and go-karting, but there was always a threat of storms so we ended up staying at the resort most of the time. Luckily, rain wasn't really an issue and we were able to soak in the rays and enjoy the outdoor pool and activities - something we rarely get to do since we usually go in the off-season. The kids and Justin enjoyed the slides, while I was completely content kicking back in the lazy river or lounging poolside with my books.

We opted to try this super sketchy but amazingly reviewed hole-in-the-wall diner in a gas station.
It was actually quite tasty!

The best lazy river I've ever been on.

Aren't these guys the best?
Awaiting a tasty meal at Mama's Farmhouse

Hot Tubbin'

One of the timeshare perks was a photo with this bear. Weird, but ok.

We drove past a sign for a Dolly Parton statue. So we had to stop and pay tribute since we opted not to go to Dollywood this trip.

They made me go on the brand new SkyBridge - the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the U.S. Clearly I was super thrilled.

But the view was awesome!

But then I had to do this to get down.....eep!

June also marked our 10th wedding anniversary, and we opted to celebrate in Chicago sans kiddos. It was not quite a relaxing vacation but it was so nice to have the time to spend with Justin doing all we wanted to do!

Typical tourists at Cloud Gate

Managed to score seats at the Chef's Table at Girl and the Goat for our anniversary!

Their signature dish: Goat Empanadas. Umm, YUM!

They even comped us a free dessert for our special occasion!

Post dinner at Navy Pier

Chicago day 2: We opted for culture.
First stop: Art Institute

Second Stop: Sushi!

Third Stop: Hamilton!

Day Three: More Touristy Photos after a day of shopping and Field Museum

Did a 360 Tour. Totally touristy.

Can't do Chicago without going on an Architectural Boat Tour. We opted for the sunset/fireworks one.

And you definitely can't do Chicago without getting deep dish pizza! We opted for Lou Malnati's.

Chicago Day Four: After Mass at the cathedral we had to have brunch at the Grand Lux before more shopping and heading home

Introduced Justin to the best beignets outside of New Orleans. A treat I've dreamed about since my first experience years ago on a girls' trip to Chicago!

He approves!

Other June happenings included Xavier's birthday of course, a round of VBS for the kids, and lots of pool and play time!

First Friday Art Crawl!

We love VBS, St. Philip-style!

Post VBS picnic and playdate.

Doesn't summer = ice cream?

And swimming?

And biking?

We rode our bikes to BrentFest and were treated to ice cream with Lolo and Lola.

Summer = hiking

And more ice cream

And pool-ing with friends

Boy, do I love summer!

Dear Xavier - Age 7

2019-07-11T21:55:00.000-05:00

Dear Xavier,

Seven! Can you believe it? Another year older and another year wiser. And, yes, you are most definitely wise and inquisitive. You ask thoughtful, challenging questions and truly want to know more about everything. As both your teacher and your mom, there have been countless times where I've thought you weren't listening but then you'd come right back at me with a thought-provoking comment or question that makes me realize that you not only were paying attention, but you were trying to wrap sense around it in your head.

You are also so very kind and generous. You always want to pray for the homeless and homebound, and often you want to bring a ziplock bag of your allowance money to donate to the poor or the church. You also are eager to share. If Lolo gives you a snack, you immediately give some to your sister (something that is not often reciprocated, haha). You are also quick to lend books to friends and give all your classmates cards and pictures just because.

Math still comes way easier to you than reading. You've already mastered many of your multiplication facts on your own just because you're interested. I'm working on them with your sister, but you've taken it on yourself to know them, too. Your brain is wired way differently than mine, though, because when I ask you to explain how you arrive at an answer, you've gone a completely different way than I would get to it.

You also have an uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere - on the floor by the stairs, in hallways, camped out in front of our bedroom, etc. I've been meaning to make an album of all the crazy places you've fallen asleep! We joke that you're just like Lolo!

Don't know why you woke up early then got your chair to camp out in front of our room just to snooze some more!

I won't lie, though. You definitely have the ability to drive me crazy. Everything's always a joke or funny to you, and it's hard to get you to concentrate or be serious about things like practicing your violin. Even when we reprimand you on something, you try to weasel your way out with your charm or a silly act. And when it comes to remembering where you put things like water bottles or lunch boxes or library books, you quickly turn into Forgetful Jones. I don't even know how much allowance money you've given back to me to offset the cost of such lost items!

But, alas, all of these things make you you. And for that, I love you. You've come pretty far in your seven years. I look back at those pictures from before and it all seems so hazy and far away. I miss holding a little tiny you. I miss your scratchy voice from those toddler years. I miss it all, but I'm also so excited to see what comes next because I'm convinced that you're going to continue to do incredible things with yourself and I can't wait to see what it is!

Love,
Mommy

P.S. This was the first time in several years that we weren't traveling for your birthday. We had promised you a birthday party, but then you said you were content just celebrating it small with our family. The night before we went to Uncle Julio's for a yummy dinner and chocolate pinata since daddy had to work during your actual birthday dinner. And the day you turned 7 was spent doing everything you wanted - Mass, brunch at Ruby Sunshine, a family bike ride, trip to Above All trampoline park, time spent playing at home with your new birthday gifts, and a Filipino birthday dinner made by Lola. Not a bad birthday, kid!

Ruby Sunshine brunch

Lola's egg rolls, palabok, and butterfly shrimp

Xavier's 7-year-old Interview:

Xavier's likes from the past year:

running
swimming
playing the violin
school - particularly math and gym
butternut squash lasagna
cooking
sleepovers
bowling
road trips
legos and magnatiles
sleep
My Weird School book series
basketball

Xavier's dislikes from the past year:

asparagus and Brussels sprouts
reading
losing allowance money when he loses his things
when big sis leaves him out

A few random Xavier pictures at age 6:

The year you lost your first three teeth

The year I was your teacher

Gym teacher for the day!

Lolo's helper in the garden

Basketball is still your favored sport!

What a handsome boy!

May 2019

2019-06-18T21:14:00.000-05:00

May's letter didn't promise too much more than what was already scheduled in a jam-packed month (First Communion, Justin's b-day, and end-of-the-school-year festivities!), but it did also mention family bike rides and movie nights. As a result, May was filled with LOTS of amazing memories!

Of course, Lissie's First Communion was huge on our May calendar. We had family and friends coming from all over the place to celebrate her big day! She wore my own First Communion dress that was handmade from the Philippines. She completed the ensemble with a mantilla that my mom got her when she was in Fatima, a headpiece that I wore when I got married, and earrings and a bracelet that are heirlooms from both sets of her great-grandmothers.

My mom prayed for this moment - to witness her granddaughter receive Jesus for the first time.

Pretty Lissie

After Mass, we celebrated in style with a special Sushi Train luncheon. (I really wanted to go to a Mexican restaurant since the big event happened to be on Cinco de Mayo, but apparently Mexican restaurants do not typically accommodate for large reservations on this holiday. Who knew?)

One of her favorite gifts was a paper doll saint collection from her godmother!

Lissie's godfather and family had traveled from Michigan, and we convinced them to stay an extra night. As such, Lissie and Xavier (who begrudgingly had already ruined their Perfect Attendance record earlier in the year when X got sick during school and I wasn't about to make an extra trip to pick Lissie up later) were more than eager to play hooky from school to spend time with their family (unfortunately, though, while Justin and I still had to work, haha).

Soooo excited to have a dog in our lives, even if it was just for a weekend!

Toby!!!!

Playing hooky and having bubble tea with Auntie Cat

They showed them the Parthenon

Ninong Chris with Lissie

Since the kids had the family during the day, we got to hang out with them at night - Hot Chicken and Sushi!

May also brought with it the school's May Crowning of Mary. This year, eighth graders and second graders processed in, and Lissie was chosen to bring up the crown. It was super sweet and special!

May also brought us Justin's birthday. He had to work, but we made sure he had his favorites for dinner when he came home. We also celebrated a little belated when I got him tickets to Nashville Symphony's Harry Potter night - so fun! The kids were a little sad that they weren't invited, but Justin showed them the first Harry Potter movie at home as a celebration for finishing the first book.

Making dad's famous mac and cheese for dad on his birthday

Yum!

Date Night!

For Justin's birthday, he got himself a new bike. Then I got a little jealous because, well, it just is no fun to try running to catch up with three bikes! So, naturally, I ended up getting one myself and we've already gone on many adventures exploring different trails and new places.

Lastly, May brought with it the end of the school year. Both kids had amazing years and have grown and learned so much. Xavier and I even survived being together in the classroom and, surprisingly, it is an experience we were both sad to have end. In the end, both kids were presented with special awards: Xavier received a Best Effort award for the quarter, and Lissie not only received the Best Citizenship award for the quarter but also the EagleSTRONG award - the one that students and teachers vote on for exemplifying the best qualities of a St. Ann student. They both worked so hard this year, and I am so proud of who they are becoming.

Field Day fun with one of her BFFs

First Grade end-of-the-year bash at the Nature Center

Charlie's Angels at the second grade end-of-the-year picnic at Arrington Vineyards

And, of course, now that it's summer, the Bucket List festivities have already begun. Here are some other pics to round out our May:

We celebrated Mother's Day a little early since Mom was in Italy during the actual day.

And while they were in Italy, the kids were in charge of watering the plants. As you can see, they did a great job. Haha.

The kids did a fun Shoney's 5K.

Our Bucket List 2019

Nothing says summer like a party in a pickup.

Justin took the boys to see Detective Pokemon, so naturally the girls got a pedicure.

Halo-halo!

$1 movies!

The zoo!

The Nashville "beach"

And, of course, the pool!

As always, it was another busy month. And now it's June - and, well, summer always brings out the best sort of crazy in us! Stay tuned.....

April 2019

2019-05-12T18:39:00.000-05:00

This month was, well, unexpectedly quite crazy. It didn't start off that way, though. In fact, the monthly letter touted a low-key month - the first month of 2019 where we didn't have a trip planned - with the only "big" things being Easter and a family movie outing. Sounds beautifully serene, right? Ha! In retrospect, I should have known better - this family does not do "low-key" very well....but the promises of memories made definitely came through!

This month was a month of festivals and egg hunts. We made it to our first Franklin Art Crawl of 2019, and it was hands-down one of our favorites. The kids had a blast chatting with local artists and magicians, listening to awesome live music, and eating all.of.the.snacks. We even won some art at a silent auction to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation because the kids wanted the Disney painting to put up as a reminder of their Disney Cruise.

One of the salons had hair glitter! L was thrilled, while X was enjoying the snacks. Ha!

I love how the artists take time to talk to the kids!

Watching the kids play the violins as inspiration for their own musical journey

We won art at the silent auction!

We also ventured to a few special events in our town this month - we rode our bikes about 6 miles to two different family events, an Arbor Day celebration and a Fun Day at the Y - and the next weekend went to the Brentwood 50th Birthday Parade.

Justin also took the kids to our church egg hunt, as well.

Since we became Cheekwood members again this year, we decided that we would attempt the Spring Art Hop Easter event rain or shine. Luckily, it didn't rain but the mud and icky forecast drew others away, so we had the place almost to ourselves and the kids scored big with crafts, live music, and more Easter Eggs than their baskets could carry!

Easter at home was a small event this year - of course, we dyed our eggs and had our own Egg Hunt with the golden egg prizes - but with Justin working this year, we decided to just have a small feast at home for dinner when he came home.

I really love this picture - how X is hard at work, and how L is patiently waiting her turn while reading her book.

Making an Easter Basket cake with the grandparents

Easter Basket Goodies!

We forgot to get family pics in our Easter Best, so we stopped by Walgreens to get one with Daddy at work.

Xavier was so sad that he didn't find the Golden Egg at our home egg hunt...

...but big sis shared her findings. Love her sweet heart!

We went on an afternoon hike at Radnor to enjoy the beautiful Easter Sunday!

We also spent some time in service to others as we volunteered with friends at the Dismas House. Xavier had been wanting to go back for a while, and he picked who he wanted to join us, and we made it possible thanks to his big heart!

Ah, and then the crazy came. We knew we were going to do some renovations at the end of April - putting in hardwood floors in the entire upstairs where all of the bedrooms are. Our contractor promised us that while they would work for about a week, we wouldn't be displaced until the last weekend. Sounds great, right? Justin and I had planned a short camping weekend as a special (and inexpensive!) treat for the kids. Well, the workers came and tried to move every.single.thing the first day they came! Luckily I was able to bargain with them to get us one more night in our bedrooms, but we did end up displaced - not just for a weekend, but for over a week! We scrambled to pack everything up and find a not-so-expensive-yet-not-so-shady hotel (we did have some very generous friends offer to put us up, but please - nobody really wants a family of four crazies living with them, haha). We resigned to hotel hopping because last-minute prices for hotels the weekend of big events in Nashville (the NFL draft, marathon, Main Street Festival, to name a few) was through.the.roof.

Even though we were going crazy with this "staycation" we did our best to make it fun for the kids. Even though we still had school and work, we made it a point to go to the pool as often as we could and enjoy the hot breakfasts in the mornings and the warm cookies in the lobby each afternoon. I must admit, I also enjoyed the benefits of daily maid and towel service, too. Haha. We even were able to finagle staying in the same hotel the whole week instead of picking up and moving like we had originally thought. It was an adventure, for sure, but the kids were such troopers and we made it work.

And, look, our hardwood floors look amazing!

The end of April also was a busy one with the KidsRock Marathon and Lola's birthday celebration to cap off the month. Throw in a family trip to the zoo where we somehow got lucky enough to go behind the scenes to feed the tapirs for World Tapir Day and a postponed Easter Egg Dive in the mix, as well!

Feeding the tapirs!!!

Happy Birthday, Lola!!

So, yes, April was unexpectedly a bit crazy and not-so-low-key at all. There's always May, though, right? (Ha!)

March 2019

2019-04-08T19:53:00.000-05:00

Perhaps it's simply because I'm getting older or maybe it's because I'm being conscious of documenting our monthly happenings, but Time seems to definitely by moving faster than I can keep up! How is it that March came and went quicker than I could blink?!? It was a fun month for sure, what with Lissie's birthday happenings and Spring Break thrown in the mix. It wasn't dull in the least!

Most of Lissie's birthday festivities have been documented in a previous post. It was a wonderfully low-key weekend filled with all of her favorite things. The only downfall was when, at the end of the evening, she noticed that little brother purposefully destroyed her awesome Lego village she had been working on and she ended her first night of being 8 crying the most tears she has ever cried before (and so did X after being punished probably a little too harshly with no TV for the remainder of Lent and a spanking). But, alas, such apparently is the life of having a little sibling (something that Justin nor I really had experience with), and it was a lesson for all of us!

The big gift, though, for the month of March was yet another road trip. This time it was a Spring Break trip to St. Louis! Justin and I hadn't been in ages (and not together), and after a little crowd-sourcing on social media and talking to friends who have been recently, we decided to check it out. Who knew how family-friendly STL is??? So many free(!) and neat places to go to, and other awesome places that were must-dos according to friends. We stayed in one of our favorite hotel chains (when we don't want to use up our timeshare points), The Drury. Who can beat their breakfast, popcorn, indoor/outdoor pool, and kickback happy hour?

On our way to St. Louis, we stopped by Metropolis to help out Superman.

We got to St. Louis in time for evening Mass at the beautiful Basilica of St. Louis.

The grandest church they have been to by far. They were amazed!

After Mass and browsing the church for a while, we went back to our hotel for dinner/drinks and our first of many nights at the pool/hot tub!

Every night I was warm in the hot tub while they froze in the indoor/outdoor pool.

Our first full day was spent at the zoo. Their zoo beats our zoo (and all we've been to) by a long shot - primarily because it was free(!) but also because of all of the incredible animals we could see!

After the zoo, we decided to check out the nearby Turtle Playground on a recommendation from a friend - a must-do since Xavier loves turtles, but fun was had by all of us!

After we were all turtled-out, we decided to splurge on some treats at Crown Candy Kitchen. Even at 3 in the afternoon, there was a long wait for a table, so we decided on a to-go order of shakes, sundaes, and some chili just for the sake of it. Yum!

Our next day was spent at the City Museum, which the kids were excited about because they had heard of the ten-story slide. I was not as enthused by that as I was with the Beatnik Bob's cafe inside, complete with local brews and vintage arcade games. The City Museum is not so much "museum" as it is an amazingly orchestrated children's playhouse. It.was.spectacular. Even I was impressed with all of its glory, and I didn't even want to partake in many of the tunnels, hidden passageways, and slides! The roof wasn't open, but the outdoor section they did have available was impressive enough. Even today, the kids still talk about this place daily. In order to get them out the door, I had to promise them that we would come back. One day. Haha.

We stayed there most of the day - so much so that we totally forgot to eat lunch and ended up eating a super late (3:00!) lunch at Dewey's Pizza. Yet another win, thanks to recommendations from friends!

Our last day was spent heading to the Arch, of course! This was a memorable experience, if nothing else but because it was where X managed to get himself lost (totally his fault - Justin told him to stop, but he kept moving. Next thing we hear a child wailing, and I think "that stinks for that kid" only to realize that I recognized the wail and found Xavier bawling to a park ranger. What irritated me, though, about this was that the ranger gave him a special badge to get him to stop crying, which essentially rewarded his lack of listening skills!). The Arch was pretty neat, and it offered some pretty cool views of the city.

Reunited with my "lost" boy.

The imp managed to get a prize for his lack of listening.

Afterwards, we had lunch at Fitz's Soda Shop. They had projected an hour-long wait, but we managed to quickly score awesome seats at the bar - up-close to all of the float-making action and the bottle factory. Best last meal in St. Louis!

After a yummy lunch, we split two floats (they were able to do separate cups), but we really could've just split one- they were ginormously delicious!

Afterwards, I wanted to check out the Science Center before heading homeward, but the kids begged for one last trip to Turtle Playground - and the idea of letting them run off all that sugar was pretty appealing. So, alas, that's our trip to STL in a nutshell!

Oh, and let's not forget that I've turned into my mother's daughter. Not only did we go to the Basilica that first day, but we also took quick visits to some other religious happenings as well: the old St. Louis Cathedral (where we happened upon daily Mass and decided to stay), and Our Lady of Snows where they had a replica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Lourdes.

The kids loved every moment of our time in St. Louis, and I know we'll be back again. The zoo and the City Museum are definitely on our must-do-again list, but I also want to check out the Magic House and a few other places as well. It's definitely a quick getaway with lots of fun for the family, and I can't wait to go back!

To round out our March, here are a few pics of other fun happenings:

Matching spring dresses! I hope she'll always think I have good style to want to wear the same clothes, haha.

Spring: the season of outdoor fun!

Introduced them to Ticket to Ride.

First picnic of the season - this one at Cheekwood in Bloom. We have since had probably a dozen more, haha.

Nashville Zoo fun with friends!

Arrington Vineyard picnic!

L cooked a tasty chicken parmesan.

X grilled some yummy chicken kabobs.

April is definitely much more low-key - at least in the fact that for the first month this year, we don't have a road trip in store! But, as the kids know, there's still no end to all of the fun family times to be had.

2019 - the year of memories. For sure!

Dear Lissie - Age Eight

2019-03-09T20:31:00.001-06:00

Her first Waffle House experience, age 8

Dear sweet Lissie,

I just reread the letter that I wrote on your last birthday, and it's pretty identical to what I want to write today.

You simply amaze me. You are generous and kindhearted (you and your brother spearheaded another fundraiser this year to donate a cow to a family through Catholic Charities, and you always want to do all you can for the area homeless). You are so, so, smart. Written expression comes so naturally to you (well, you are your mother's daughter), and your teacher always tells me how much you go above and beyond what is expected of you - including doing extra, more challenging work just for fun. You are talented (despite having three different cello instructors in the last year and a half, you have shown amazing growth!) and silly (your favorite school day ever is when you were introduced to the book I Need a New Butt, haha). Basically, you are beautiful in every possible way -inside, outside, and everywhere in between.

It's no secret that I claim you as the "easy" child. Everything about you has always been a breeze. My pregnancy with you was thankfully uneventful. Your scheduled c-section delivery was easy-peasy. You were easy to sleep-train, potty-train, all-sorts-of-train. Even today, as we went to Target to use up a few of your birthday gift cards, you did a cost-analysis of everything you thought you wanted before ultimately deciding to not spend anything and to save it all for another day (I mean, what eight-year-old has the foresight to do that?!?) You are a model child all the way around. That's not to say that you don't have your moments of course!

I am proud of who you are and of the bright young lady you are becoming. I want you to know that no matter what, I will be your cheerleader every step of the way.

Love always,
Mommy

Lissie's likes from this past year:

Books, books, books! Your nose is always in them. You can't be in the car, even on the shortest of rides, without a book in your hand. Your current faves are the Little House on the Prairie series, the Who Was? books, and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid graphic novels.
Road trips and vacations
Dollywood
Swimming
Sleepovers
Grilled cheese and chicken nuggets and anything that has sugar in it
Riding your bike
Trampoline Parks

Lissie's dislikes:

When brother is being a pest
When plans go awry
Talking to people you don't know
Most vegetables and meats (my once-easy eater is turning pickier and pickier....)

Lissie's Birthday Interview Video:

Here's how we spent your 8th birthday: You have been intrigued with Waffle House for a while (I honestly don't know why), so I finally agreed to let you go on your birthday after Mass. We attempted to go to Target (see above letter for how that went, haha) before going to Above All to jump to our heart's content. After getting slushies at Sonic, we went home so you could get started on your new ginormous Lego kit on your new ginormous Lego table. We also played some games before your specially requested birthday dinner: Lola's pancit and egg rolls, egg drop soup, and butterfly shrimp. And, of course, ice cream cake for dessert! We even had the pleasure of having your friend come over in time for evening festivities! Not a bad birthday, especially considering that in just a few months you'll have more celebrating when you make your First Communion!

One of the only requested items you had for your birthday.

So of course we splurged and also got you a new Lego table and set

So much fun at Above All!

Life!

All her birthday requests for dinner!

8 Going on 18. You actually told us to hold off on your birthday cake until you finished texting your friend.

Finally, cake!!

Happy birthday, sweet girl!

Chilling with a few of her new e-books

And, lastly, here are some of my favorite pics to sum up the year you were 7:

Probably my favorite shot of the year.

Belle at the Ball on our Disney Cruise

Typical summer moment

This pic has always made me smile. I call it Pensive at the Pool

Pretty girl with her pretty face paint

I love me our mommy and me dates

The year you fell off your bike and got stitches

Documenting that you once requested that we dress alike

The year you made your First Reconciliation

Brave girl fighting your fears to perform at the school Talent Show

When I was 8, this pen is what I wanted. So of course, I had to give you one.

How many girls can you pile in a car?
If this is a premonition to the teenage years, oh, boy...

Daddy surprised you with lunch and took a selfie with the majority of your class, haha

February 2019

2019-03-04T21:18:00.000-06:00

Remember my 2019 Word of the Year, Memories, and my goal to do at least a blog post a month to help me chronicle these memories? Well, it's hard to believe that now it's time to officially document the month of February! Two months done....time flies when you're keeping busy and having fun!

Yes, I know that February is the shortest month of the year.....but still, it came and went faster than ever! The kids and I thought the month would feel so long because we would be missing Lolo and Lola (as they spent the majority of the month abroad in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Thailand), but we tried our best to stay active and busy so it would go by more quickly!

This month's letter promised two events. The first one, on a smaller scale, was spending the day in downtown Nashville. I had gotten the kids tickets to the Nashville Symphony's special family event, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Missing Music. It was even better than I anticipated! We got there early to partake in the crafts and musical petting zoo (the kids tried their hand at the harp, flute, and a few other fun instruments!) before the show. Shortly after the actual performance began, I got worried because I could see my kids (mainly Xavier) start to get that glazed look of boredom. But right when that happened,the conductor made it more interesting and interactive! Someone had stolen the cellists' music, and they called Sherlock Holmes to investigate! It was, overall, extremely witty and entertaining, and the music, of course, was phenomenal. We all enjoyed it. Afterwards, we headed across the street to the GooGoo Shop to get some treats and another restaurant to grab a pizza for lunch. We had so much fun hanging out downtown!

The next event was a road trip! We went with our good friends to Louisville for a night during Winter Break. We checked out the Kentucky Science Center (which was quite amazing!), as well as a nearby chocolate shop on a friend's recommendation. We stayed at an airbnb where the kiddos played, jumped, and had a great time. When bedtime came, the adults had our own little fun with some yummy carryout and a rousing round of Cards Against Humanity. The next day, we ate a fabulous brunch (strawberry cheesecake French toast!!!) before heading to a trampoline park (it was, unfortunately, too cold to do any of the other fun Louisville-ness that we had intended) and then home. It was a quick getaway, but we all had the best time hanging out with our friends and exploring somewhere new.

Introduced them to Mad Libs (and my fun 80s pen!) on the drive up.

The fun chocolate shop with amazing bourbon truffles (as well as the kid treats shown here, haha).

Our airbnb had a lot to offer for kid entertainment, including this fun trampoline.

How many kids can you fit in a slumberpod?

Hot chocolate cheers!

I love how they love each other!

Of course we needed a horse pic while in Louisville!

Here are pics of a few more fun February moments:

Went to a party at the Skate Center and was reminded of my 90s childhood.

X spent two days out of school sick.
By the end, you could tell he was definitely on the mend.....

Until he went back to school and crashed on the floor, backpack and all, while I was cleaning up our classroom.

X really grew in his basketball skills this year!

Lolo and Lola are back, bearing goodies of course!

Sweet sweet hugs - we missed them!

First grade celebrated the 120th day of school with a fashion show.
We wore matching shirts saying "I survived the 120th Day of School.....and so did my mom/son!"

L graduated to yet another bigger bike!

Bring on March and all of the memories it has to offer (ahem, Spring Break!)......

January 2019

2019-02-03T12:14:00.000-06:00

As mentioned in my previous post, Justin and I are making a concerted effort this year to make memories with our children. Each month, we have planned family adventures - some big, some small - to give our kids the gift of family, memories, and quality time with each other.

January's letter promised a fun road trip to Chattanooga to visit the Creative Discovery Museum with some friends. For the last few years, we've been getting together with the same group of friends over MLK weekend. Even though Lissie's godmother wasn't able to make it at the last minute, we had a fabulous time with a few of our other favorite people! We road tripped for the day, had fun tag-team parenting (the gals got drinks while the dads watched the kids and then we swapped - ingenious move, that one!), and Lissie wouldn't let us leave without a trip to the carousel and our favorite ice cream parlor.

Cheers!

Overall, the entire month January was filled with lots of great memories. Xavier started basketball, Lissie made her First Reconciliation. We ate a LOT of Mexican food. We celebrated Catholic Schools Week, and the kids auditioned and performed in the school Variety Show. Here are some pics of a few of our January happenings.

January 1st - perfect time to see Mary Poppins and eat a tub of popcorn bigger than your face!

Lissie tried her hand prepping and making her first monthly dinner!

Both kids received 2nd quarter awards
(Perfect Attendance for both as well as Best Effort for Felicity),
so we celebrated with a special brunch!

January 2019: the month of way too many margaritas and Mexican food

She wanted to wear matching outfits to Mass one day!

Preparing for her First Confession with Fr. Fye

We even got a dusting of snow - but not enough for school to close.
(Just enough to terrify me.)

Bowling with her girl scout uniform, haha.

So proud of his strike!
(this pic was before he realized he was still losing, haha).

Post-First Reconciliation happiness!

X started basketball. He's actually not that bad!

We ran the Zoo Run Run with the school's Running Club!

We got to run by some of the animals, including these flamingos!

Both kids were part of the school's Living Rosary as part of CSW.

Lissie went on a field trip to visit the Sisters of Mercy.
She came home saying she wouldn't mind being a sister, just one that's better dressed!

February's letter also promises some fun adventures - can't wait!

2019 Word of the Year

2019-01-07T21:47:00.000-06:00

It seems to be the thing to do now. Instead of making a resolution, you find a word. A word to live by for the next 365 days.

Okay, I'll bite this year. It's something that's been on my mind. In fact, I just finished my Christmas post in which I wrote about making the most of these Christmases because I want them forever ingrained in my family's memories.

So, that's my word. Memories.

Justin and I decided that this year, instead of giving the kids tangible gifts for Christmas (we left that to Santa), we wanted to give them the gifts of memories. Of experiences. Of quality family moments throughout the year.

And so, on the first of each month in 2019, the kids will receive an envelope with a new memory-in-the-making - a fun experience (some big, some small) that we will endeavor together.

The reason for this is two-fold. My kids don't need STUFF. We're rarely home anyway to play with our toys, and the kids are mostly content with books and the games and activities we do already have. What the kids DO need - what we all need - is our family fostering our relationship as best as we can, and what better way to do that then with memorable experiences?

They actually received a bonus envelope - their first envelope was on Christmas (please, it would be torture to make them wait until January 1st to get their gift!). They received a letter explaining our gift. In the envelope was also a DVD collection of family-friendly holiday movies (we ended up binging on Elf and then Christmas Story) and some movie passes and a bowling gift certificate to use over our Christmas vacation. We ended up watching Mary Poppins Returns together on New Year's Day, but time got away from us and we'll go bowling sometime soon.

Started 2019 with a tub of popcorn the size of their faces.

Because I want my kids to remember these memories, I also intend to blog about each month's activities. It's why I started this blog in the first place - to be able to look back and remember moments.

So here goes. Happy New Year! 2019, I'm looking forward to it!

All things Christmas-y 2018

2019-01-07T21:21:00.000-06:00

Alas, another Christmas season has come and gone. And, as usual, it was a busy one. Some wonder why our holiday schedule is always so jampacked. At my visit to my doctor (who's children are grown) last week, he said it best: Christmas just isn't the same once the kids are older. Sure, it's still Christmas, but the magic isn't quite there anymore.

And, that's exactly why every year we live it up. We prepare like crazy for Jesus' birthday and do our festive traditions like gingerbread houses and cookies and Christmas lights and everything else because I want my kids to remember this magical time when they are older. I, too, want the memories of these Christmases to look back on when they grow up and would rather spend their time with their own friends or electronics because you never know when it will be the last one until it's too late.

It was, of course, getting increasingly more difficult to find the time to do everything we wanted know that we're all at work and school full-time. We had to strategically plan when we did things based on crowds and work and after school activities. In fact, Justin and I stared at our calendar for quite a while trying to figure out when to go to Cheekwood's Holiday Lights because he was adamant he didn't want to go on a weekend (too many people around so he wouldn't be able to get good pictures) and between his work schedule, my after school obligations, and the kids' extra-curricular activities, it left us with just one day - a Tuesday that just happened to be ridiculously bitterly cold. We surprised the kids by taking them to dinner and heading to Cheekwood, and while it was mostly a good time, I could tell the kids were getting tired and cold and starting to get cranky so that by the time we saw Santa, he reminded the kids (well, really Xavier) how important it is to listen to their parents because Santa only comes to well-behaved boys and girls. We did get some pretty amazing shots, though. Thanks, Justin!

Of course, we did our service projects to help others in need. My class at school raised donations for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, and we dropped the items off one day after school. Lissie and Xavier also helped me with one of my favorite holiday traditions - filling up Christmas baskets for the area needy. They were such amazing helpers, willing to do whatever was needed to make sure the baskets were filled with goodies and staples so those less fortunate can have a decent holiday.

We also filled our festivities with a trip to Dollywood to use up the last of our seasons passes, seeing Cirque Holidaze with the family, surprising the kids with hot cocoa and a trip to see Christmas lights, our Christmas baking, and more. We did Christmas Eve Mass and a Filipino dinner. Christmas Day was lazy, with our crockpot breakfast casserole to enjoy once the excitement of presents wore off and we spent the remainder of the day playing with our new toys and watching movies.

Decorating the tree - and finally getting an ornament that has Xavier's name on it
(something he has wanted for YEARS)

Holiday tradition of making their Christmas PJs -

my favorite pair yet!

It's not bedtime! It's time for hot cocoa and Christmas lights!

We jetted out of school and to the Smokies the next day!

Hot-tubbing in the Wilderness at the Smokies

Cirque Holidaze!

Christmas cookies!

My eager helpers

Christmas cookies, Jesus' birthday cake, and tiramisu pie

The Christmas Eve drama of Lolo washing Xavier's tooth down the drain...
but the tooth fairy still visited, along with St. Nick!

She claims this is her favorite gift - a loom that wasn't even on her wishlist.
Santa truly does know best!

Surprise Christmas gift!

And, ultimately, we did end up with all of that Christmas magic that we were anticipating. For that, I am grateful because nothing, absolutely nothing, is better than these memories that we can cherish forever.

Family photo after Christmas Eve Mass

So many Santa sightings, it was hard to keep count! Here are a few pics with the jolly man in red:

Gingerbread party Santa

Santa in the Smokies

I don't even remember where this Santa was from, haha.

Santa was at the Y!

Lastly, I end with this - it's not the best, but it's the best they had at the time of filming. Lissie and Xavier's first duet: Jingle Bells.

Happy birthday, Jesus. Merry Christmas!

A Family Thanksgiving 2018

2018-11-25T20:20:00.001-06:00

Ever since my family moved to Tennessee in 1990, I have always loved Thanksgiving. Growing up, it usually meant that my Michigan family would come visit - under the premise of seeing us, but we all knew that my Uncle Paul also wanted to get in that one last round of golf thanks to the "warm" Nashville weather. I have lots of memories as a middle-schooler and high-schooler going Black Friday shopping with my aunts and cousins, getting primarily anything I wanted since we saw each other so infrequently. I specifically remember scoring a fabulous pair of Doc Marten boots from an aunt when I was a teen and thinking that I was super cool, haha. Oh, man, and there was also that one Thanksgiving when Justin was introduced to most of my extended family - including my grandmother, the matriarch (and Felicity's namesake) - and she totally made me cry when she basically wanted to tell me all about the birds and the bees, as we walked around Opry Mills, nonetheless. Good grief.

But my absolute favorite Thanksgiving occurred later when I was a little older, maybe even post-college but when I was still living in DC. Justin and I both came down for the holiday, along with a huge gathering of aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was the year of Texas Hold' Em. Uncle Paul, still in his prime, taught us all how to play, and we stayed up for hours winning, losing, laughing, and just having the best time. It really was the.BEST.

In the years that followed, we lost our dear Uncle Paul and Uncle Tommy. The cousins, of course, all got older and now have our own lives and families. Thanksgiving felt different. There were a few years in the mix when my cousin Tim came down since he was in college in Louisville, but even that didn't last long. Most of the time, Thanksgiving was a super low-key event with just us and my parents, some times even lower than low-key when Justin would be working the holiday.

This year, though, the tables turned. We decided to go up to Michigan for a change primarily because we had found out that my Uncle Cay's interment ceremony would be that weekend, but also because we hadn't been up in ages. We drove up Wednesday afternoon since Justin had to work that day and arrived at Auntie Florence's at 3:30am. After getting a few hours of rest, we woke up on Thanksgiving morning to go to Mass and have a Filipino breakfast back at the house. The rest of the day was happily quite lazy with naps, games, and a hybrid Filipino-American Thanksgiving dinner with all of my favorites! On Friday, we checked out Frankenmuth - Bronner's Winter Wonderland and Zehnder's for lunch - before we headed back to Rochester Hills to see Christmas lights and play more games. The kids learned a family favorite, Spoons. We also played lots of Uno and a few other card games, too. And, once we put the kids to bed, we channeled Uncle Paul and relived the "glory days" and played Texas Hold 'Em.

Xavier's late-night car reading while Lissie is late-night car sleeping.

They were so excited to wake up and see snow! A (sorta) white Thanksgiving!

A Filipino Thanksgiving, for sure:
Dinuguan, pancit, turkey, chicken wings, potatoes, corn caserole, and gravy.

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the pies....
and suman and empanadas, haha.

Kare-kare - yum!

At the Silent Night replica chapel in Frankenmuth

Posing with a 500 lb. brick of cheese at Cheese Haus in Frankenmuth

One of many reflective moments that I caught Xavier in throughout the weekend.

The Gingerbread Train at Royal Park Hotel -

a concoction that Chris helped create!

With the cousins

A rousing game of Spoons

Saturday we trekked to Flint, my birthplace. We drove through the city, showing Lissie and Xavier the places that were important during my first five years of life. It is crazy how a city can change. It truly was unrecognizable, and it made me grateful for how God worked his life plan for us to move to Tennessee. We ended at the cemetery, where we visited my sister, my cousin, Uncle Tommy, Uncle Paul, and said our last goodbyes to Uncle Cay. As sad as the occasion was, it was good to see family members whom I haven't seen in ages. It truly was a reminder that life is short, and family is important. In fact, some of them are quite insistent that we make another trip back up at Christmas time. Whew! We'll see....

Meeting my cousin Tim's newest addition, sweet sweet Sunny.

With cousin Liza

Anyway, after going to vigil Mass on Saturday evening, we went out for pho (again channeling Uncle Paul who introduced us to this tasty Vietnamese soup years ago) before heading back to Rochester for one last night. We played another round of kid-friendly games before whisking them up to bed. However, this night was not as easy - they cried so many tears, knowing that we would be leaving bright and early the next morning to head back to reality. Eventually, of course, they calmed down and went to bed so that Texas Hold 'Em, Round Two could commence. As always, with my dad in the mix, it made for lots of entertainment and good times.

Silly Auntie Cat and Xavier

Pho!

We woke up early today, Sunday, to make the 8+ hour drive back home. Thankfully, the kids are good travelers and only got antsy during the last stretch. We made it home safely in the late afternoon, with time for me to unpack, start laundry, write this blog, and procrastinate reality just a tiny bit longer.

I guess the point of this post is, of course, a recap of events so I can remember and reminisce later. But also I just wanted to briefly write about my gratitude. During this Thanksgiving, I had much to be grateful for. First and foremost, for my family - our livelihood and health; for my extended Michigan family - for their hospitality and love; for my faith; for the gift of life. And, of course, for all of the food. My tummy will be full for weeks to come, I'm sure.

It absolutely was a happy, happy Thanksgiving.

P.S. And here are some pics of one of the greatest dogs around, Toby! A dog who can run on the treadmill, ring a bell to signal to go out, and understand way more words than any of my dogs ever did, it's no wonder that Lissie and Xavier kept singing "All I Want for Christmas is a To-o-by!"

Halloween 2018

2018-10-31T20:36:00.000-05:00

Given that the weekend prior to today was one of our busiest weekends to date, I already warned the kids that we were going to have a low-key actual Halloween. But, as is pretty typical with us, it was still celebrated in style!

Aside from all of the fall-ish activities that have been done already, the Halloween festivities really began the Friday before with our church Trunk or Treat. We decided to have a trunk this year, and as per usual for Justin, he went all out. It had been a while since we had done a theme, and since the Disney Cruise had been on our minds, we decided to go with that. Xavier originally wanted to be Goofy or Donald, but (unlike Justin) I wasn't about to put any effort into making costumes, so we went easy with Mickey. And, while Lissie has a trunk full of Disney princess costumes, she had her mind set on Minnie. I lucked out and already had a Snow White costume in my stash, and Justin was (easily) convinced to be my Prince Charming. He spent upwards to a week crafting and designing his ship, and even I was starting to get a little irritated with his focus on details when I still had a laundry (literally, laundry) list of things to do during his off time! But, I must admit, that his efforts did draw a pretty amazing cruise ship and was a hit of Trunk or Treat (which had to be held indoors because of the wet and icky weather).

Saturday morning, we donned our costumes yet again (although Lissie did a costume change and wanted to be a witch like her friends) to head to my favorite festival - Franklin's PumpkinFest. I love it because the weather is usually pretty decent and it's all free! The kids could bounce, pony, ferris wheel, and maze all for nothing! We even got our picture in the newspaper!

I found my Disney friends!

After coming back home to rest for a bit, we all put on our costumes one more time for a costume birthday party! And, while that was the end of the costumes, Sunday continued to be busy with yet another birthday party followed by our neighborhood picnic.

So, as you can see, because of all of the events of the weekend, I was not keen on dressing up AGAIN and having a big to-do - especially with Justin working nights AND having to be up and at 'em bright and early for not just school, but a Holy Day Mass! And, while Lissie was a little upset because she was the only one in her class not trick-or-treating on actual Halloween, I did manage to make it worth her while.

After school, we (finally) painted our pumpkins (please, I'm not about to carve them!). The kids watched "It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and took advantage of the 50 cent corn dogs from Sonic for dinner. We made pumpkin rice krispie treats, and I let them raid their already overflowing (hence another reason why I was not interested in trick or treating!) candy buckets. Even better, they were still in bed by 7:30, and I still get a chance to catch up on the latest "This is Us" before a decent bedtime for myself. Win-win for all!

She made a black cat!

He opted for a poop emoji turned poop ball (seriously, boys!)

Happy Halloween!

Fall Break 2018

2018-10-15T20:15:00.002-05:00

Fall Break 2018 can be summed up in one word: friends. When we were recapping all of the fun we had during the vacation, Lissie came to the realization that we hung out with friends every single day. What can you say - you get by with a little help from your friends! (You could also sum up the break with two words :wooden bridges. Somehow we found bridges everywhere on our outdoorsy break and had to have pictures at all of them!)

We started the Break with the annual camping trip with church friends. It was the first time in a long time that rain didn't hinder any part of the camping experience! The kids enjoyed creek playing, pumpkin patching, and s'moresing. And I enjoyed hiking and hanging out by the campfire. Win-win for all!

The best sleep I've gotten in ages!

We spent one day at the movies watching Smallfoot and eating all.of.the.candy. We burned the energy off by riding bikes and hiking at a nearby park.

Another day we went to the zoo and rode all of the rides and petted kangaroos.

Then we realized that Lissie's godfamily was coming to town and we managed to squeeze in a hike and brunch before we drove to the Smokies to round out our break.

As always, we started the trip with BBQ at Bennett's. The next day we got to Dollywood bright and early and stayed until just before it closed. Lissie was finally tall enough to ride the big rides (much to the chagrin of slightly shorter little brother), and she loved every minute of it. The Pumpkin LumiNights exhibit was pretty neat, too.

I love this picture. Lissie was the photographer who caught us not quite ready at all. Haha.

We spent Saturday lounging at the waterpark. It was a bit of a bummer that the indoor slides were closed to maintenance, but that didn't stop us from having fun at the wave pool and hot tub. We even ventured outside for a bit, where X enjoyed the waterslides but Lissie was pouty because she realized she was only big enough to do the "cool slides" if she is wearing shoes. We ended Saturday by inviting our friends to our place for dinner, movie (for the kids), and a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity for the grownups.

Luckily the weather held out for us to enjoy a hike to Laurel Falls. We stopped at the Sugarland Visitor Center on our way out and, on a whim, decided to follow the nearby trail to Cataract Falls, as well. It made for a long day and even longer trip home, but it was a great way to round out the trip!

Now it's back to reality. School's back in session, but it's a good thing we all love being at school! However, it's not stopping me from counting the days to the next time we're back in the Smokies. Christmas Break will be here before we know it!

Meatball Fundraiser 2018

2018-10-11T08:48:00.001-05:00

It had been over a year since our last Meatball Fundraiser, which benefited the Nashville Rescue Mission. The kids had been asking to do more, but life has been so crazy and busy that there just hadn't been any time.

Then, at Mass over the summer, a visiting priest gave a homily about a charity that helps needy families around the world. There were brochures in the aisles that Xavier started perusing through, and he was very intrigued by the idea of purchasing chicks to give to the needy so that they can make money by selling eggs. He even gave me some of his piggy bank money so he could help.

I started researching this organization, and it spiraled into finding all sorts of wonderful charities that do similar endeavors. The kids started to get really fascinated by the idea of purchasing a cow for a family and wanted to do all they could do get $300 to do so.

Hence Meatball Night 2018. We opened up the fire pit, grilled hot dogs and hamburgers (and had meatballs, of course), and then invited guests to bring the rest potluck style. We invited friends, encouraged their children to donate even something small, put up signs at the workroom at school, and did chores to raise extra money.

After Meatball night, we were about $40 short of getting a cow. And, believe me, I was torn. Should they "settle" for goats and chickens? Should I pay the difference so they could get a cow? What lesson do I want them to learn from this? However, some last minute donations came in and we not only were able to purchase the cow, but we had enough left over to make a small additional donation to CRS!

I am so grateful to see so many people pool together so that we could do this. My kids ended up learning a valuable lesson: even if everyone just gives a little, when you put it together, it really adds up! They learned the gift of generosity and of giving. Even now, the kids pray nightly for "the family who now has a cow."

For this, I thank you!

Summer 2018 - a belated recap

2018-10-11T08:33:00.000-05:00

Summer is the best. No rush to do anything. Lazy days in the hot sun at the pool reading all.of.the.books. Binge-watching TV shows that I hadn't been able to watch over the school year.

Wait. That was pre-kids.

Summer post-kids is a lot more crazy. Who knew how many kinds of camps there are and "must-dos" out there? And their bucket list was a mile long.

The kids came with me for a couple of weeks to Camp CDS, where I had fun teaching the Monkey Class. I didn't snap some pics, but they had fun eating snow cones from the Kona Ice truck and watching an animal show from the traveling Nashville Zoo while they were there.

They also did a week of Vacation Bible School and a week of Totus Tuus - both super cheap and amazingly awesome. I would recommend Totus Tuus to anyone who listens, as I am still very impressed with all they had learned during this program!

They also did two rounds of Camp Widjiwagan - one of which was Ranch Camp for Lissie. (I had originally signed them up for just one week but after realizing I was switching grades in the fall, I knew I needed time in the classroom to get fully prepared for the new school year - and you just can't do that adequately with two kids in tow.) I love how they love Widji, and I love how both of the kids earned the cherished "widji coin" for their camping leadership awesomeness.

We took a few road trips - an overnight trip to Memphis to visit the (incredible) zoo, IKEA, and our favorite sushi restaurant; another day trip to Memphis to actually buy the items I wanted from IKEA (long story, haha); a trip to go on a waterfall hike.

Sushi buffet on our second trip to Memphis, haha.

Between all of the weeks of camp, our Disney vacation and other road trips, lazy time spent lounging at the pool wasn't as often as I would've liked, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Other random summer pics:

Found the time to get in a good trail hike/run

Checking off bowling from the bucket list.

Downtown date night!

First Friday - Mass and Art Crawl

Xavier became a chef - creating his own concoction that he named Chickabooleh

Girl's Day Out: seeing Waitress with mom

Then having a craving for pie, so we had it for dinner.

Lolo and Lola took the kids to their parish picnic, where X caught a fish

The summer of Beverly Cleary

A trip to the Nashville "beach"

He better love his teacher, seeing as his teacher is me!

Disney Cruise 2018

2018-10-08T10:21:00.000-05:00

My parents love cruises. Justin and I love cruises. We knew our foodie kiddos would probably love cruises. And, so, Lolo and Lola in typical over-the-top fashion, decided a Disney Cruise would be a perfect Christmas gift - with a departure date in June on my wedding anniversary and occurring during Xavier's sixth birthday.

We decided to fly to Orlando a few days earlier to enjoy the same lovely resort we stayed at the last time we did Disney. We had to wake up at the crack of dawn (3am!) to make it to our early morning flight, but that didn't stop the kids from jumping straight into the pool before going to a sushi buffet dinner for Father's Day! We had so much fun just lounging at the pool and relaxing in the lazy rivers. We went to Disney Springs for a bit and Justin and I even managed to sneak away for a day to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios since they had made some pretty amazing additions to it since we were there in 2014. We even splurged on the Fast Passes to avoid the lines and ended up staying all day to get the most out of it!

You can't even tell they woke up at 3am!

Father's Day 2018 - drove forever to find the BEST sushi buffet EVER

The gals with the Lego Friends at Disney Springs

Disney Springs - World of Coke sampling

They had never had Coke ever, so a vacation and coke sampling seemed the best time to start.

We were hoping to see Incredibles 2 on the ship!

Fascinated by the Lego roller coaster at the Lego store.

Lego Races

Harry Potter World!

Butterbeer!

And then embarkation day FINALLY arrived. I had told the kids the morning would be filled with lots of waiting - driving to the airport and waiting for our shuttle service to take us to the port then waiting at the port until getting the go-ahead to board the ship. I think I was antsier than they were, though! When we finally arrived at the port, we were greeted to one of the longest lines I had ever seen - and I immediately groaned with frustration since we had already been waiting most of the morning. However, in typical Disney Awesomeness, the line moved so quickly and we were onboard the ship in no time at all! Even now, Xavier and Lissie remind me not to get frustrated in long lines because they might be fast-moving like on the Disney Cruise!

That was just the beginning of the Amazing Disney Experience. As we boarded the ship, we were greeted to much fanfare as our name was announced on the speakers while we walked in on a red carpet with cheering from various Disney characters and employees. Our room wasn't quite ready, so we had our first awesome (buffet, of course) lunch and then changed into our swimsuits to enjoy the waterslides and movies by the pool while the crowds were low.

When we finally received access to our room, I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't adjoining with my parents' like we had originally thought. I was looking forward to connecting our balconies to make one bigger one and, let's be honest, the idea of leaving the kids with the parents while Justin and I went back out in the evening was a perk I had been looking forward to. But, as it turned out, it wasn't so bad after all. We were always exhausted at the end of the day anyway, and my parents were just a couple of doors away for us to harass them as needed. Haha.

Those rooms, though! I had never been in a more spacious cruise ship stateroom. We had a balcony. The kids had their own little section with bunkbeds and a lightup sky at night. We even had two bathrooms (one with a tub, one with a toilet, but both with sinks), which made getting ready easy-breasy. If there wasn't so much other stuff to do, I wouldn't have minded being in our room more!

That first day ended with a Welcome Aboard party, our first really cool live Disney performance, a celebratory Anniversary dinner for me and Justin, and the kids spending some time in the kids-only zone (one of the best parts about the trip was being able to drop them off at the play place, where they had GPS bands so they could be spotted wherever they were and could run around and just be kids!).

Happy Anniversary to us!

First of many soft-serve cones!

Leave it to this guy to be shirtless while dancing at a kids-zone party.

Couldn't stay up for the muster station drill.

Happy Anniversary!

When we arrived at Castaway Cay that first day, we snorkeled and bike rode around the island, and of course spent time in the water and sand. That night, we watched an amazing live show of Beauty and the Beast before yet another fabulous dinner.

Land!

Wearing her Belle dress since we were going to watch Beauty and the Beast

Couldn't hang for the show

The next day, we landed in Nassau, but we opted not to get off the ship (I had been there before and I really just wanted to take advantage of all the ship had to offer while the crowds were low). We were first in line to ride the AquaDuck (the best waterslide ever), and rode it about a gazillion times before the lines started getting long. We mini-golfed and spent more time at the pool, letting the kids hang out in the Kids-Only spot while Justin and I found peace in the Adults-Only section. That night was the ever-anticipated Pirates Night where Justin unveiled his coveted Hook costumes - he was Rufio, Xavier Thudbut, Lissie Tinkerbell, and me Captain Hook. It ended with fireworks, and it was of course, a pretty amazing show.

Lissie just happened upon Minnie and Goofy going on a jog!

Saturday, we were back at Castaway Cay. Justin and I were one of the first to get off the ship because we had signed up for the Disney 5K around the island. It was hot and crazy and slow, but definitely a fun experience - with Goofy running with us, too! Afterwards, the kids met up with us and we hung out together before letting them go to the kids-only portion of the island because Justin and I had heard that the food and peacefulness of Serenity Bay (the adults only section) was amazing. Back aboard the ship, we were able to watch the newly-released Incredibles 2 in 3D. Justin likes to quip that it was the most expensive free movie ticket ever, haha. One last yummy dinner and then a Farewell Party with the Disney characters, during which the kids bawled like babies when they realized that it was time to say goodbye. I admit that I, too, was pretty upset by it all and immediately started plotting in my head ways to get back on a Disney ship.

He got a special birthday dessert since his birthday was the last day.

On Sunday, we just had time to finish packing before breakfast before it was time to leave the ship. We drove back to the airport where, again, we waited for ever before finally making our way back home.

We splurged and purchased a photo package so the kids could get their pictures/autographs with the Disney characters. This ended up being an adventure in and of itself when we got home to discover that half of our photos were missing and we got someone else's pics instead. However, it (sort of) worked itself out and we still have the memories to cherish forever:

It was, for sure, the best family vacation ever. Grateful that my parents were there to share in the fun and the memories (and the expenses, haha). The food was incredible, all of the restaurants were amazing, the shows were typical Disney-awesome, and the soft-serve ice cream was literally endless. I would recommend a Disney Cruise to anyone who wants a Disney experience but doesn't want to deal with walking through all of the parks. Having done both, I would definitely do the cruise over Disney World in a heartbeat.

I'm still trying to figure out how to swing another Disney cruise in the future, but alas. The world is so big, and there's still so much to see. Who knows where our next adventure will be.....

Dear Xavier - Age 6

2018-06-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

Dear Xavier,

How can one child be so kind and so sweet, yet so exhausting and exasperating all at the same time? You keep us on our toes all the time, and life is always an adventure with you. I wouldn't have it any other way!

You are so thoughtful and considerate - even requesting vanilla ice cream to go with your birthday cake because you wanted Lolo to enjoy it (since all he eats is vanilla, and you knew he wouldn't care for a chocolate cake). You also know that I like your stuffed animal FooFoo, and many times I find her waiting on my bed because you want me to snuggle with her at night.

Yet, at the same time, you have your too-often moments where I wonder if your hearing needs to be checked because I'm unsure whether or not you are listening. Or you push my buttons just a little too far to see what you can get away with. And, I know that most of the time it's because you're my little free spirit jokester who just wants to have a good time, but we still need a lot of work on knowing when it's appropriate to be goofy and when it's not.

But what a year! You graduated from kindergarten with flying colors! You're a great reader, but math is definitely your forte. Your teacher often says that you're always eager to learn and participate and are a sweet friend. You even got a Best Effort award for all of your hard work! You've also been busy with lots of extra-curricular activities throughout the year - cross-country, basketball, swimming, and most recently violin lessons. And, apparently, you are also quite the Ladies' Man - having won the hearts of many of your girl classmates. Sigh.

You are also Lolo's special buddy, which is no surprise because you are pretty much his little duplicate. You love to joke around together, wrestle, eat snacks, and play bowling on the Wii. Like Lolo, you've never met a stranger, you can nap just about anywhere and at any time, and you can make people laugh in no time.

As always, you always manage to have the best birthday experiences. One of the perks in having a summer birthday is that it's easy to plan special vacations around your big day. This year, we spent time in Orlando and went on a Disney cruise just a few days before you turned six. Lucky duck!

But, wow, it's hard to believe you are now six. Time sure flies when you're always on your toes! I can't wait to see what this next year will bring - it's bound to be an exciting one with you!

Stay sweet, kid. Always. I love you.

Love,
Mommy

Favorite things from this past year:

wii
tacos, burgers, hot dogs
swimming
watching TV
playing the violin
hanging out with sister
board games
sleeping

Least favorite things from this past year:

getting in trouble
when things are difficult or don't come easily
asparagus
getting woken up from naps

And, of course, your birthday video:

Some random pictures from the year:

He wants to be a "farmisist" like daddy

Always the cowboy boots, even at an Easter egg dive at the pool.

Reading to his animals.

Sharing FooFoo

He created a recipe, Chikaboola, and made it!