Fall Fun

It's been a fun and busy fall in Virginia! We have enjoyed school, soccer, ballet and beautiful fall days. I am officially living with Todd and his kids while we still wait and hope that my house on Kipper Turn will sell. (Yes, that was a giant sigh you heard!) It's a busy and happy life with 5 kids one week and 2 kids the next - always an adjustment and always an adventure. The boys (Enzo 10, Westin 7, and Tate 6) played soccer this fall. We fanagled to get Westin and Tate on the same team and they did fantastic! Scored lots of goals, learned to dribble the ball and work as a team. They were both very sad when it ended. Enzo played on a more competitive level being a few years older and I think we all enjoyed the change of pace Enzo's games offered. Let's just say it's a bigger field, and there's a little more strategy involved other than trying to keep the kids spread out away from the ball. All three boys made "Todd's Honor Roll" with stellar report cards. They are Pokemon bandits and are constantly playing, trading, and training although Todd and I can't understand any of what they are talking about. We just smile and nod and know that they're having fun. They love to play outside, typical boys, and Tate learned to ride a two-wheeler finally!

I decided it was time to let Avarie have a chance to try something out too. She and Ava take ballet once a week and are too cute! I'm not quite sure how much the are learning, but they do enjoy going and we will be treated to a recital in June. They are both doing fantastic at school. They love playing make believe, puppies and kitties, coloring and legos. They are too funny and we often call them Frick n Frack, or when they're having a little hen party in the bathroom I call them Ethel and Margaret because they have this secret little language like little old ladies.

I'm still teaching preschool at Greenwood Country Day School and I am teaching the 4's class again this year. I have 18 students and they are a delight. I'm working more this year, staying through nap every day which is both a positive and negative some days. I enjoy having the time to work in my classroom and get planning done, but feel bad that Avarie can't get a good long nap in her own bed. Oh well, we are adjusting and I feel so fortunate to have a good job with great benefits in that I get to have Avarie right next door. Other than work, being a mom takes the top priority. I am still selling on eBay, walking 3 or more miles a day, cooking and baking. Todd and I love to go out and try new restaurants. We recently ate a a tiny restaurant called Mezzanine that was delicious!!! He and some guys in the neighborhood are playing in a band (he was a drummer in a successful local band a while back) and they have played at a couple parties in the neighborhood. I enjoy that they practice in Todd's basement because it's fun to have live music underneath the kitchen while you do Sunday chores.

All in all, it's been a great fall and we are anxious to head into winter - hoping for some snow like last year!

All I want for Christmas...

(2nd summer post still to come. This was just too cute not to post out of order.)

Ah, Avarie, and her endless joy in the most simple of activities. She has been playing with boxes for months now and plays everything from vet, to dog carrier, to cat breeder, to McDonald's worker. She and Ava play for HOURS with all sorts of random boxes. So count this post as one for me to remember the simple days with her, sweet and happy, innocently playing with whatever she can find to fit her game.

All I want for Christmas is that sweet little girl in those boxes, to stay sweet and little for as long as possible. All she wants for Christmas is some more boxes!

Summa Summa Summa

Whew! So I hear that Thursday is the first day of Fall? Really?!?! Well, I suppose I better get a little summer update on here then.

I see that my last post was from June 11, which is exactly one week before Tate's last day of kindergarten, and 8 days before Tate and Avarie left for the summer. Tate had a great kindergarten year, and Avarie grew up so much during her 2 year old preschool year. They were excited to spend the summer with their dad in Colorado, a little nervous about being away from mommy that long, but excited just the same. The end of preschool for me, the end of school for Tate, a birthday visit from my dad, and just life in general didn't give me much time to get upset before they left. (Although I'm sure Todd would say that I shed my fair share of tears.) At any rate, we met Derek in DC on June 18 and the kids flew back with him in time for Father's Day.
The first week was torture, to say the least. I remember Monday morning waking up early to go for my morning walk, and coming back to Todd's expecting a kitchen full of hungry kids, just like every other day. Kids smiling and happy that I am a morning person and am happy to cater to them for breakfast. I walked in and it was silent. No kids. Not mine. Not his. Just quiet. I know there are lots of moms (and dads) who ache for a break, just a day of peace and quiet. I know that I have my moments where I need space, but I have never been a mom who wants to get away from my kids. So, a morning of silence in what is usually a noisy, happy kitchen was painful. I cried immediately. Todd was so sweet, and I knew that I would make it through the summer, and tried to remind myself that this was a chance to take some time for me. Things I didn't expect to be difficult were awful - laundry, grocery shopping, going all the places I usually take my kids in the summer.
Fortunately, I chose to work quite a bit this summer while my kids were away. So, those quiet mornings were quickly filled with hurried hugs and coffee handoffs as I headed to work at 7:30am. At work, I got to get my kid fix with all the sweet faces of summer day care. I also got to get lots of time with Todd's kids every other week, and got a chance to do some fun summer things with them - spend afternoons at the pool, go to the library, outings to Whole Foods, and more. Todd spoiled me ROTTEN with dinners and evenings out to restaurants I'd never been to, concerts, long lazy weekends at the pool and more! We really enjoyed our time together, and he was so sweet waiting up for me to talk to my kids every night. I couldn't believe how fast the days flew by and before I knew it, it was mid-July and Todd and I were headed to Colorado to see the kids.
We got to spend a fun evening with my best college buddies, their husbands and kids. We laughed til we cried, as usual. Ally and Angie and I still know how to wrangle the kids, keep our guys on their toes and have a good time. My life is so much sweeter with friends like them!
My dad picked us up in Denver and drove us all the way back to Ridgway so we could enjoy time with Papa and Nana too. We got an unexpected surprise to join us in Ridgway - Heather broke her leg and needed some help and R&R so she and baby Boden spend the week with us too. Ridgway was great - a chance to soak up every minute with my kids, a chance for Todd to get to know my family, and a chance to enjoy gorgeous Colorado summer in the mountains. We spent a day in Silverton, drove to Telluride, swam in the hot springs, saw lots of wildlife and farm life, and just enjoyed the company. I couldn't have asked for a better place to spend the week. Good food, good wine, lots of smiles!
*sigh* That's only half...

Milestones

I celebrated my 32nd birthday Monday and I have been reflecting on the many milestones in my life in the last year. It's funny to even see the number 32 because I swear I don't feel a day over 26. Why 26, which is the age I jokingly tell people when they ask how old I am, of all the ages I've been, why 26? I realized I definitely still feel like I'm in my 20's but I can't go back before 25 because that's when Tate was born, and his birth making me a mom is such a big part of my life that I most certainly cannot possibly feel younger than when he has been a part of my life. There are certainly things about my life that feel younger than 26, but "mommy" became a part of me and it's not going anywhere EVER. I still love to do all the things I did at 26 - exercise daily, eat yummy food, have drinks with friends and family, blast the music in the car with the sunroof open (and maybe sing, sometimes), learn new things, be a teacher, read smut, shop, savor each season but count down to the next, sit in the sun, SMILE. Maybe it's that all these things are a part of me and that isn't going to change year to year, but this year has been different to put it mildly and if there was ever a year for change, this was it. But all those things remained constant, with a few happy additions, and a few sad deletions, but ME is still ME, and that's a good feeling.
A year ago I thought I was moving back to Colorado, ready to hit the reset button in a sense and start over where I thought I would be home and safe. That all came crashing down around me just a few days after my birthday. What a difference a year makes. This year I was spoiled with a visit from my Dad, a weekend of busy summer activities, and a nice dinner on my actual birthday. My dad arrived on Thursday and stayed through the weekend, he left Sunday afternoon. He got the full welcome of me at the airport with 4 kids to pick him up. He got to meet Todd, Todd's kids, Todd's parents, my wonderful colleagues and friends at work. He went to lunch with Tate at school and spent the morning with Avarie on Friday. We had a wonderful dinner with Todd's parents and all the kids on Saturday night. I was spoiled with delicious barbecue dinner and spoiled with presents. I'm not someone who likes a bunch of presents and such (hated wedding and baby showers) but I have found someone who insists on spoiling me now no matter what the occasion. Todd helped the kids pick out a new sunshine charm for my Pandora bracelet (a sunshine that looks eerily like my tattoo) and Todd got me a beautiful jewelry box to hold all the treasures he spoils me with. I got two other charms from Bridgette (a cupcake) and their parents (a flip flop). We all went to church on Sunday morning to celebrate Bridgette's son Dylan's First Communion which turned out to be a bit dramatic but everything turned out ok. We took my dad to the airport Sunday afternoon which was an easier goodbye than usual because I get to see him again in July.
Monday was back to work and school as usual, although I haven't worked on my birthday since college, but there's nothing like a group of four year olds to help you celebrate. That and an awesome basket of wine and chocolate from my teammate. After work, school and the bus stop, we went out to a wonderful dinner at a local Italian restaurant where we ate bruschetta, black ink pasta and steak. We laughed and talked and enjoyed our dinner and I couldn't help but smile to remind myself of last year. It's funny how little moments make you realize the things about yourself that you celebrate every year. I couldn't have kept all those pieces of me that I described above without the wonderful people who have supported me in every way in the last year, the good, the bad and everything in between. I never thought any of this could happen to me but I'm so grateful for the person I have become, the person I've been for these 26 (plus 8) years.

Happy Mother's Day 2010

Mother's Day is a tough one for me. Even though I am a mom and that role is now central to my identity, I still have such strong and fond memories of my mom, especially on Mother's Day, that I find myself trying still celebrating her on Mother's Day. I know I wouldn't be the mom I am without the mom I had. My fondest memory of Mother's Day growing up was the big brunch that my family hosted every year. It was a big group of extended friends and family, with the favorite brunch menu that they had crafted and perfected over many years. Green chile eggs, sticky cinnamon rolls, cheesy hashbrown potatoes, fruit salad, coffee cake, bacon and sausage cooked at the grill. There was juice for the kids and plenty of champagne for juice for the adults. I can still picture the warm spring days spent honoring the mothers in my life. That's what I've learned over time, especially since my mom died, Mother's Day is about celebrating the moms in your life.
I decided to celebrate Mother's Day this year with brunch, my favorite meal of any day, just one that you only seem to eat on special occasions. Enter one fantastically fantastic day...sleep in, get breakfast for the kiddies, make cinnamon rolls, take a long walk by myself, spend the day on the deck in the sun with my kids, take a nap (possibly induced my the champagne in the morning), cuddle in bed with the two yummiest kids ever. Really?!?! It was that good. Brunch at Todd's with Bridgette and her family, and their parents was delicious, of course. I was SPOILED by Todd and my kids who got me two new necklaces - one that says mom with a stone for each of my kids birth month and one from my favorite jewelry store The Golden Bear.
I couldn't ask for more as a mom - healthy, happy kids who make me smile everyday and having people in my life who make me a better mom everyday.

May Day at the beach

Todd and I enjoying Little Island Beach, Virginia

Tate and Avarie - happy beach babies

The fishing pier

Me and the kids

Avarie and Mommy

Avarie - aka Coppertone Baby

There's a lot to get used to in this new life of mine, but one thing I will happily get used to are the happy surprises...like Thursday evening when I had to gather some things for the kids and I for a quick trip to Virginia Beach! Spring in Virginia is fantastic and I think this has been the most beautiful spring since I've lived here - super warm, amazing flowers, and green green green! It makes you antsy for the pool to open and get into the summer swing. Well, the calendar still says May so we have a few weeks until we can enjoy the pool, but (yay!) we only live about an hour and a half from the beach. I missed the spring break trip to the beach with Bridgette and her family and Todd and his kids, and hadn't ever been to Virginia Beach. Todd surprised the kids and I with a quick trip to the beach to enjoy a little summer preview. We drove down Friday afternoon and stayed right at the center of Virginia Beach. We walked down the beach and watched the kids play on the playground by Neptune's statue, then enjoyed a FANTASTIC dinner at Catch 31, one of Gavin and Bridgette's favorite VA Beach spots. Great atmosphere - eating on the patio, a pound of steamed shrimp, and gazing out on the water. After dinner we headed to get some ice cream, but poor Avarie took her first big spill and tore her little knee open so we had to head back to the hotel instead. Saturday morning we drove about 20 miles south to what Todd called "the locals' beach" and enjoyed the OBX feel of Sandbridge and Little Island. It was BEAUTIFUL! We relaxed in the sun and played in the water with the kids. The water was a bit cold for swimming, but the kids splashed and played and giggled all day. We packed up in the late afternoon and headed home, with a quick stop at the outlets for new Crocs and dinner at Outback.
And now we've created a monster...because I know the beach is that great and that close...hmmmmmmm, what are we doing next weekend?!?!?

Mama Mia...It's Pizza Night!

I know every mom out there can agree that dinner time can be a real adventure sometimes. I am proud to say that I have two very good eaters who will try just about anything and eat all kinds of crazy things. I can't exactly pinpoint how this happened, but I am grateful every time I have a sushi craving and I know that my kids are more than happy to accompany me for some sticky rice and seaweed. That being said, they also like the good ol' childhood faves including pizza. Todd is a great cook (and I do pretty well too) and the kids all eat pretty much anything we serve, but we decided to indulge their wants and let them make their own pizzas this week. It was an easy dinner and they each got a chance to create what they wanted for dinner. An assembly line would have been too messy and someone would have gotten more cheese, or not enough sauce, or who knows what shortage might have occurred. We thought we were giving them each a chance to make a quick pizza but when they were finished, we smiled at each of their pizzas because it was so illustrative of each of their personalities. So the little girls went first and created a perfect cheesy masterpiece with 3 cute little pepperonis. As you can see, they ate more pepperoni than they put on their pizza. Tate was up next and got the sauce and cheese just perfect. But his pepperoni is arranged in a perfect circle with one in the middle. He likes things in order, arranged, and under control - everything has its place. Westin's sauce and cheese were a cinch, and he threw his pepperoni on like he was putting whipped cream on a sundae, and then a little more cheese on top of that. There is no rhyme or reason to it, it just is, which is how the rest of Westin is - if it's workin, let it work. Enzo went last which is a rarity for the oldest, or so I've been told. He wanted to see what the others had done, and created his pizza accordingly. He also arranged his pepperoni in what I would call a neat and organized way - 3 rows of 3. When we put them all together to put them in the oven, we stopped to make sure we would be able to tell the pizzas apart, because if there's one thing we've learned it's that they ALWAYS know whose is whose. We smiled and laughed when we leaned over to look at the pizzas and realized that telling them apart would be no problem, just like it's no problem to tell them apart in real life. Each with their own special talents, quirks and gifts. Pretty sure pizza night was a hit because there wasn't much left to take for lunch the next day.

Tater Tot is 6...really?!?!? SIX

It's been a few days now, and I am still trying to digest the fact that Tate Jackson Mattila brightened my life over 6 years ago. Harder to believe is the fact that on March 30, 2004 he was still in the NICU. I look at this little guy everyday and am so thankful that, as my mom and dad used to say to me, "he came to live at my house." He has grown up so much this year - I don't know if it's kindergarten and being in school away from me all day, getting through the changes in our family or just part of growing up, but he makes me smile everyday and makes me so proud to be a mom.

Enough of the sappy mommy memories...

He decided that he would like to see a movie for his birthday so Todd and I took Tate and the other 4 big kids to see "How to Train Your Dragon" in 3D. It was fantastic and we all stuffed ourselves on popcorn and candy then raced home to enjoy some yummy cake too. Tate had chosen a Super Mario Brothers cake and so I had to deliver. It came out perfect, with a little help from some little figures I picked up and Toys r Us. We enjoyed the nice weather and the kids played outside all afternoon. Tate got a new scooter from my dad and Kay so that was a hit. Of course, there were Legos and video games too, but that day was for outside play.

We are getting ready for Easter and Spring Break here, although spring has certainly arrived in Virginia. The trees are flowering and the grass is green and I love it!!!

Avarie turns 3!

Avarie Sue celebrated her 3rd birthday on February 18 (yes, I'm a little behind). Her dad came to visit the weekend before and they celebrated with cake and a few presents. We celebrated the next Sunday when we could celebrate with the 8 kids Avarie spends most of her time with - Todd's 3 kids and Bridgette and Gavin's 3 kids and Avarie's beloved Tater Tot of course. We kept the celebration simple, which was probably a good thing since I picked out an awesome "Wonder Pets" cake that took Todd all day to make. It looked simple enough and he had already started it so I figured I would just let him make the masterpiece, and it turned out amazing!!! (He says I'm on my own for Tate's Super Mario Brothers cake.) Avarie LOVED it and we all ooohed and aaaahed at how great it tasted. The kids enjoyed their cake and helped Avarie open presents, including a new pink scooter, a SuperWhy computer, a princess puppet and more pieces to her Swan Palace. It's amazing that my baby is already 3, yet I still remember being pregnant with her and the anticipation of her arrival like it was yesterday. She is happy, healthy, and growing like crazy. At her 3 year check up, she was 36 pounds and 37 inches tall, and doing all the things a 3 year old should do. She loves school, loves her teachers and loves playing outside. She loves playing pretend, and she and Ava have a funny pet/vet/go to the beach game that is hilarious. Unfortunately, she has been battling ear infections again and the doctor and I decided that she should see the ENT again about tubes. In the big scheme, it's no big deal, just another part of being a kid. I love her to pieces and am loving the little girl she's become.
Happy Birthday, Avarie Sue!

Some snow videos

Avarie and Morgan, my friend Bridgette's daughter



Tater Tot


We had a fantastic snowstorm back in December. We never expected it to be as big as it was, and boy were we happy! Fortunately, the power didn't go out, school was out for break and it was time for some fun. We had snowball fights, and PLENTY of sledding on the sledding hill in the neighborhood. Here's a few videos of the kids sledding on the 2nd day, when it had quit snowing. Don't let the sun deceive you because it was COLD! You may have seen the video of me doing a very graceful trip down the hill on the first day while it was still snowing. Amazingly enough, there is still snow on the ground around town and in the parking lots - a first in my 4 years here in Virginia. (You have to pause the Playlist to hear the sound of the videos.)