TEN!

Uff-da! We have a ten-year-old. How on earth did that happen? 

Fiona has spent the last several months torturing me with the fact that she was going to hit double digits. Then double digits actually came and she ended up feeling overwhelmed by what felt like a major transition into being "big." Everyone (including her) was making a huge deal about this milestone, but then she woke up on her birthday morning feeling both ten and like the same person she was the day before. Was it still okay to like Barbies and dolls? Could she still snuggle on my lap? How does one act big? 

She moped around most of the weekend before I was able to extract the source of the sadness. Being a "tween" is not a joke. She really does feel wedged between big and little. She and I talked about it quite a bit, validated the words I said with her aunties [I'm already losing credibility, I see], and determined that growing up remains a process, whether you are ten or not. She is still the same person as she was yesterday. As she gets bigger, she will slowly develop new interests - like she always has. But that it's totally fine to still like barbies and dolls, as well as truly enjoy the new coloring books and chapter books that she got for gifts. 

The lead-up to ten has brought about a lot of emotional - and physical - changes that we were not necessarily prepared for. But as much as I tease her to stop getting older and sometimes want to hit pause, we remind her constantly what an amazing person she is becoming and how much we love life with her as a big kid.

While sports have restarted in some form for her siblings, the activities Fiona loves are slower to get going again. She still loves drama and music so much. We were able to keep piano lessons going and are looking to potentially start up guitar lessons. Band starts next year in 5th grade and she is very excited about that. She is naturally gifted at music and it is awesome to see the concepts clicking in her brain. 

This summer, when Q and D had hockey at the same time, Fiona's favorite thing was for the two of us to snuggle up on the couch together, each reading our own book (it was one of my favorites too). She is teaching her little brother her love of reading and we often find them sharing a couch, a chair, or a section of carpet, lost in their books. 

Fiona is always game for an adventure, still has the most amazing belly laugh, is smart and curious and questioning, gets lost in her own world constantly, and can light up a room with her smile. She's thoughtful, creative, and kind. She's opinionated, stubborn, and assertive. It is a wonderful combination that will serve her well as she blazes her trail in life. 

We enter this new world of "tween" with excitement and trepidation (because apparently we have no choice. She insisted on turning ten). We'll be in no rush to leave the "little" things behind. 

As we welcome a new decade of Fiona, her answers to the annual birthday questions are:

   Favorite color: Blue

   Favorite friend: Evelyn

   Favorite show: Hannah Montana

   Favorite book: Guts

   Favorite movie: Newsies

   Favorite song: Queen of Mean
   Favorite food: Mac and cheese

   Favorite thing to do: Rollerblade or read

   Be when you grow up: Fashion designer

The Birthday Season is Also a Wrap

We have officially celebrated the fourth Vanneste birthday in four months. We've eaten all the cake and hosted all the Zoom parties ... and a certain newly 10-year-old needs to write all the thank you notes (please be patient with us. Balancing life and manners is hard). And now we will happily close the book on the birthday season.

But before that book is closed, let's talk about how we celebrated Miss Fiona's entry into the world of double digits! This baby is TEN. 

We did a whole birthday weekend celebration, starting with a co-coaching gig on Saturday morning. Coach Mike was in high demand and needed to be at Crocodiles team pictures (Dec's team) during the LA Galaxy (Quinn's team) game. So Fiona and I stepped in to coach the second half of Q's game. The girls were very sweet - especially after Q's friend Reese informed them all that "it's fine. Quinn's mom is cool." [Sidenote: I made Q play goalie and she is not sure that Quinn's mom is cool!]

Once soccer was done, Quinn let Fiona use the tools from her cake decorating set and with just a bit of assistance from me, Fiona decorated her "mermaid" birthday cake. We had a bit of a frosting shortage and ended up doing some marbling that worked out even better than expected. She was proud and delighted - as she should have been. The cake not only looked great; it was delicious!

We ate a super fast lunch and got the cake decorated just in time for her afternoon birthday parade. Two sweet girlfriends came over and stayed to play for a few minutes. And our neighbors lined up one more time to do a full-on honking, cheering, celebratory parade - that tickled her to the tips of her toes! So fun! Gpa V, Gma and Gpa J, and Auntie also ventured down to S-town. It felt like quite the party - to the point that at times, I think the birthday girl was a little overwhelmed. We are not used to people anymore!

We got to keep Gpa V overnight and he "surprised" them all with birthday donuts in the morning (they look forward to Grandpa donuts almost as much as they look forward to seeing Grandpa!). Birthday proper was a bit more low-key, since we were worn out from partying the day before. 

However, we managed to fit in a Zoom birthday party with the family, a few more presents, a visit from the Pilchers (with trampoline jumping), and a memorable family bike ride*. We finished the day with homemade mac and cheese and leftover cake at her request. Ten did not come quietly - and we made sure that we ended the birthday season with as much gusto as we started with. One cannot say that we did not mark six, forty, eight, and ten with style this summer!

*Oh my goodness, this bike ride was ridiculous! Fiona asked to go on a family ride, so Mike got all the bikes ready. We went on the longer route to go through some neighborhoods and down a big hill. Just as we got near the top of the big hill (at the farthest point from our house), I heard a pssssssst sound. Fiona's tire had popped. [Please note that this is the EXACT same spot Quinn got a flat tire earlier this summer.]

This time, Mike did not ride home as fast as he could to get a car to retrieve bikes and humans. Nope. He tucked F's bike under one arm and rode his own bike one-handed - while carrying her bike. Then Fiona got on Quinn's bike to ride it home. And Quinn monkeyed up on my bike, shared the seat with me, balanced her legs on the bike bars, and relaxed while I pedaled. It.was.a.sight! But we made it home. And Fiona is now highly motivated to practice on her bigger bike. 

She was a bit bummed at first that it ruined her special day. But we have convinced her that it's awesome - because now her day has a story. As all great days should!

"Old" School Birthday

I seem to do milestone birthdays with an aura of uncertainty. The 20s started out with questions of what I was going to do after college (although let's be honest ... none of us knew). The 30s started out with the fear of welcoming our first child in a couple months - plus the uncertainty of what a birth defect diagnosis meant. 40 entered in a time of global pandemic and forging of all new parenting (and life) trails. [If anyone has a crystal ball or a trail map, I'd totally take it ...]

The first year (or so) of the 20s and 30s felt really hard as I tried to wade through the uncertainty to a clearer picture. Yet somehow, through all that haze, I found and married Mike and we built our family. We made a home and a life. I'm holding on to that hope as I look toward the 40s. I keep reminding myself, the kids, Auntie, and anyone who will listen that history has proven that pandemics do not last forever. They may feel like it. But they don't. We will wade through this uncertainty too - and I am excited to see what life in the 40s (the decade my cousin B assures me is the best one) brings!

So, after all that waxing poetic, I bet you think that I did something really mature and philosophical to celebrate this milestone. And you would be wrong. Mike and I invited our two neighborhood bubble families over to drink Boone's Farm (college throwback) and listen to 90s music on the driveway! The party was supposed to start after the kids' bedtime - but the neighbors had other plans. Katie and Alice dressed up like old ladies and brought me a sign that said "Welcome to the Club." And they all showed up right after dinner (as Mike and I were getting home from our walk). It was ridiculous and hilarious and so much fun.

So, while the six adults polished off five bottles of Boone's (which tastes exactly the same as it did twenty years ago. Oh, Snow Creek Berry, you are delicious!), the kids ran around between our three yards living their best lives. The party ended about 9pm (this is 40) because we all had kids to put to bed. It was low-key and fun - with great people. Just the perfect way to celebrate a birthday!

One final thought on turning 40: I am quite pleased to be old enough to buy good alcohol. Boone's Farm is good as a gag - but hooray for better beverage choices!

Quinn is 7 1/2

This past Saturday, Miss Quinn Scarlett Vanneste turned seven and a half. As you know, halves matter here. I thought I'd share a few stories to give you a taste of the cool 7.5 year old we have the privilege of hanging with every day.

Mike ordered a pair of skis for the kids, and they arrived on Friday. Sunday afternoon, we were back out on the hill with skis, sleds, and snowboards in tow (seriously, guys. We honest to goodness have all.the.winter.toys!). Quinn was trying the skis first, so Mike got her set up and off she went down the hill. Right toward a tree. Also - Mike had not yet taught her how to stop. Yet, about two feet short of the tree, Q executed a perfect ski stop because she had watched Mike do it once. While I cannot fathom it, I am in awe of her skills.

I spent most of my evening tonight spotting front and back walkovers - because her gymnastics coach had told her to practice at home. When I was not available, the couch was her spotter (insert sighs about the losing battle of my furniture NOT being playground equipment). And apparently Mike snapped her with a shirt while they were getting ready for bed. Thankfully, he claims he did not teach her how to do it - despite her intense interest. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned for Fiona and my safety.

Grandpa was here this weekend and Quinn proudly guided him to the community center when he brought her to hockey on Saturday. She also has decided that emptying the dishwasher is HER job and she is becoming quite the proficient sous chef. She loves pulling out the cookware and ingredients I need to make dinner, and you can find her perched on the counter during the preparation of most meals. In game-changer news, she can also get her own breakfast (and sometimes Declan's) - which is delightful on both school and weekend mornings.

Quinn is analytical, inquisitive, and funny. She is deeply interested in the HOW and WHY of things. And her wit is world-class. She still does not want to admit she has feelings - and we judge how funny things are by seeing if Q cracks a smile. [Note: Ellen's Game of Games. Funny. Spaceballs. On the fence.]

We are so proud of her - but not because she is naturally good at most things. Instead, it is because she works really hard to become better at them. Quinn asked me a few days ago what "determined" means. And there is no better definition than Quinn herself. She sets her bar high and works relentlessly to get there. Unless it is something she does not care about. Then good luck to you.

Dec is 5.5

[We are all just gonna pretend that I'm not so far behind that I may never catch up ... k? K.]

On the day that the youngest V celebrated his half birthday, he got to do what all school-age Vannestes have aspired to do. Declan was a ... car rider. Apparently this is like the mecca of school day departures. And no, Mike and I absolutely did not wait in that ridiculous pick up line to get him. He was invited over to a friend's house to play and have dinner - and K's mom picked them up. It was pure half birthday magic - only made better by the fact that the sisters were dripping with jealousy.

Half a year into five and half a year into Kindergarten, Dec is made for the life of a big boy. He loves school so much and has the best group of little friends. My favorite part is watching these friends spot him in random non-school places ... without fail, a little friend will spot him, stop in their tracks, turn around, and run over to hug him - usually while a parent is standing there confused at why their son is hugging some other kid. He's just so darn friendly and huggable - and I'm both thrilled and a little bit jealous. 

Big sister sang Happy Birthday
to him in his classroom

D's also learning that being a big kid is hard work. He's getting frustrated in hockey because Quinn is catching on so fast to everything. So we keep telling him how great he's doing and reminding him that it's just supposed to be fun. He loves it, but wants to play like the big kids already. He's also working so hard on his reading and practicing his sight words ... but those darn sisters just want to do it for him. He got accepted into the Reading Corps program at school and is loving it so much. We can see his interest in words and willingness to sound things out just skyrocket. 

He's starting to be less interested in cartoons (maybe Paw Patrol is finally almost done ...) and is getting into more live action shows like his sisters. Lately I've found them out in the living room on weekend mornings watching Pioneer Woman on the Food Network, which cracks me up. Maybe he'll eventually start sleeping in a little later on weekend mornings ... although I'm sure he won't want to miss any Pioneer Woman!

So that is the story of the baby transitioning to big kid. He is the perfect combination of big with a side of little who still wants to climb into my lap and snuggle. I'd try to freeze him at this age ... but the girls have proven that it only gets more fun the older they get. So bring it on, D man.

Big Moments for the Three

I bet you thought last week when I was fairly timely with my Thanksgiving posts that I was on top of things ... jokes on you. I told Mike that I feel about 17 posts behind. Needless to say, it's been an eventful week in the V home. With the crazy busy schedule came some notable moments for our growing-up-too-quickly kids!

Quinn
Tuesday night, Quinn and Mike headed to S-town high school girls hockey game. It did not start until 7pm. On.a.school.night (gasp)! But Q's team was being recognized at the game after the first period. They got to stand up on the bench and each had their names announced. Quinn was sooo excited and proud. Mike said she beamed the whole time.

I had suggested that they head home after the recognition event. Q and Mike declined that suggestion and stayed for the whole game (9pm, folks. Nine P.M.). Q really enjoyed both watching the game and hanging out with her teammates. She's really enjoying all the girls on her team and is making some sweet friendships. Quinn is so inspired by watching bigger girls play and Mike enjoys taking her to watch them.

After the game, Quinn and her teammates got to go down to the locker room and meet the high school players. She was beyond pumped when they got home - and managed the late bedtime really well.

Declan
Wednesday was a really long day at work. When I got to the after school program to pick the kids up, they were really excited. Because Declan had lost his first tooth!!!!! He was super excited and had a great story for me about how it happened. Just the good news that I needed.

Apparently he and Fiona had been playing with his hat. She was swinging it around and he was trying to catch it. He couldn't catch it, so solved the problem by biting down on the hat. Bugs pulled - and out flew the tooth. They didn't even know he lost it right away ... until Bugs noticed that he was bleeding.

While Dec went to the bathroom to deal with the bleeding, the after school gang organized a search party and one of Q's friends located the missing tooth under a table. Crisis averted! My favorite part was Quinn's addition to the story - "Mom, I didn't even know Dec had lost a tooth until Morgan said 'claps for Declan Vanneste, who has lost his first tooth.' And I was like 'wait, what?'" The way she told it was so funny! Best of all, the tooth fairy left two quarters under D's pillow this time.

Fiona
Fiona has an eBook app on her iPad that she often uses in the morning while doing her flush. She has apparently been reading books about kids with spina bifida and decided (on her own) to write and illustrate a report about what she learned. Her report reads:

Fiona Vanneste (by Fiona Vanneste)
I am Fiona Vanneste and I was born with spina bifida or SB for short. SB effects the bodys nervous system. It can make it hard to walk too. There are many types of SB. I have had a lot of surgeries. Some people with SB have trouble with memory. If you have any questions, you can ask me.

She was going to share it with her class, but ultimately decided not to. However, she shared it with Gma and Gpa this weekend and agreed that we could put in her special keepsake folder for third grade. She did such a good job researching, and we will continue to encourage her to both learn more and share what she wants about life with SB.

Fall Life

Other than Monday, when it was "oh my gosh we are going to die why is it in the mid-80s and so incredibly humid" weather, fall has started in Minnesota. The air is crisp, the leaves are starting to change, Halloween costumes are ordered, we are dreaming of pumpkin bread ... we really love fall here!

I survived (but am still replenishing my sleep bank) Emerson Exchange last week. Mike and Fiona are touch and go whether they will survive this year's fall allergies. The congestion is no joke! It's also currently touch and go whether we will all survive Dec adjusting to life as a kindergartner. The dude is tired - and therefore, a bit of a beast. It's our third time through this particular adjustment phase. We knew it was coming. It doesn't make the constant meltdowns more pleasant. On the bright side, he fell asleep in his bed before 7:30 tonight - so there is that.

Fiona was thrilled yesterday when I picked her up. She was excited because she had applied to be a "Junior Leader" in the after care program and was chosen. You have to be in 3rd grade or higher to be eligible, so it's also something that is just hers (this year. You better believe Q has her eye on this opportunity). To be a Junior Leader, you have to fill out an application form with several questions, like "why do you want to be a leader?" and "who is your hero?" Curious parents that we are, we asked what her answers were.

She wants to be a junior leader because she wants to help people. Her hero is Helen Keller. Because Helen Keller was blind and deaf, but she didn't let her differences stop her from doing the things she wanted to do. She was amazing and she didn't let it matter that she was different. [Paraphrased, but very close to what she said] You guys, Mike and I had a parenting moment like few others. How amazing is this child!?!?

Today was a big day at school. Both girls ran the mile in gym class. Fiona was plotting how she could fake sick to get out of it. Q was annoyed that she had to wait until late morning to run. Then to further ruin Fiona's day, I scheduled our flu shots for this afternoon. Other than Dec freaking the crap out (Mike claims the entire flu clinic was staring at us) and five out of five Vannestes having tender arms tonight, we all survived both the shots and the mile.

Last Saturday was a momentous milestone for physical activity. We took advantage of the perfect weather day and embarked on a family bike ride to Dairy Queen for lunch - with everyone riding their own bike and no one using training wheels. It was so much fun! We had food and ice cream (of course) and then biked to a park to help burn off all that sugar. Then took the trail home. I'm not going to lie - the bookends were pretty burned out by the time we were done. But everyone agreed that it was good fun and we look forward to many more family rides together.

Best of all, the fall fun is just beginning!

Thoughts about the First Day(s) of School

Well, we've done it. We've survived the first full week of school. I used the word "survived" on purpose. It is full on exhaustion here. The gang is definitely working on stretching their stamina and getting back into the swing of things. But ...we officially have a 3rd grader, 2nd grader, and kindergartner. Which means, wait for it, for the first time in years, everyone is at the same spot, on the same schedule, and we have one pick up and drop off location!! It's even more amazing than it sounds.

Declan missed the first day of school because he was still not feeling well. It was such a disappointment for him, made a bit better because he felt so miserable. It also helped that sweet Jack, our original Ms. A's teenage son, stopped by with a bag of sports equipment to help brighten his little buddy's day. The bus stop gang was so sweet and happily recreated a "first day" picture with him on day 2. And only one day of school in his first week was probably what his still healing body needed. It's a lot of work to transition from preschool to kinder!

****************************************************************
Fiona

There was great anxiety heading into third grade. Would it be hard? Would she make enemies (honest to goodness, this was a fear)? Would there be mountains of homework every day? Would having a male teacher be the worst? I'm happy to say that after seven days, I have not heard of enemies, there are no mountainous piles of homework, and she loves her teacher.

Nonetheless, we have had a few bumps. Fiona is, to her great angst, yet again the smallest person in her grade. And the gap in physical ability between her and her peers is widening - at an age when being different is really really hard. They got their PE summaries on how they've done each year on their fitness tests. Her test scores aren't great and it was embarrassing to her. I told her that those scores probably had less to do with spina bifida and more to do with inheriting my athletic ability instead of her dad's. Then we talked about my old test scores and had a good laugh.

Her teacher is awesome, but is going through some rather big things in his personal life and will be gone a lot. It is difficult for the class to get into the routine and F is struggling with that. But she knows why he is gone and that it is for very important reasons. They will settle in. And we are all excited to see how she enjoys the year with Mr. W.

*******************************************************************
Quinn

Quinn also has a male teacher. She walked in on Meet the Teacher day. He asked who she had in first grade. She told him and he said "so you were tug of war champions?" Q said yes. Mr. P said "Good. I'll keep you. We need to start focusing on winning this spring." Q looked at him like that was the most obvious thing ever and was like "uh, yeah." Mr. P looked at me and said, "we are going to get along just fine." Yes. Yes they are.

She told me that second grade math is too easy so she's teaching herself multiplication. Her favorite thing in the first week of school was learning to count by 4s. Auntie told her that Gpa J has waited so long for someone like her to join our family. She's also burning through some books that I've been trying to get her to read because Mr. P says to read at home every night. So do I ... but whatever. She's actually doing it with a great attitude. So I'll take it.

In addition to school, Q is now in intermediate gymnastics - which means 90 minutes every Monday night. And she's started playing hockey already because she is doing the Little Wild program to sharpen her skills before the city league season. Let's just say that 90 minutes of gymnastics and an hour of hockey in the first two days of the week mean a tired Q on Wednesdays!

******************************************************************
Declan

D hit the jackpot of kindergarten teachers (really, all the kids did). He loves her and is very much enjoying kinder. He has tried a couple of times to tell me that he's done with it and ready to go back to Ms. A's. But I think that is just him trying to adjust to his new normal. Making it easy is the fact that his friends E and J from preschool are also at the same elementary. I typically find him playing with both of them in the after school program.

Monday night at gymnastics, Dec told me that one of the boys from Q's class had teased him that day in after care ... because Dec has painted fingernails (he has sisters and has always wanted his nails painted too. We leave it up to him). I asked him what he thought of that and he said it was really mean. I asked him if he wanted me to take his nail polish off. He did not. He likes it. He just didn't like that the boy was mean. I mentioned it to Fiona. She got all big sister-y and hugged D. Then later she told me not to worry because she had informed Quinn and Q would take care of it. So now, let's all pray that Q doesn't get suspended for beating up the boy (also, way to delegate, F).

On Tuesday, Dec informed me that he made a new friend. I asked him how. He said, "We were in the gym and kept following each other around. That made us laugh. Then he asked me if I wanted to be friends and I said 'yes.'"

Baby Beau is Baptized

While we were up north, I had the epic honor of sharing godmother status with my sister as sweet baby Beau was baptized. The whole family met at church and filled up three plus rows (and then a vast majority of the population retreated to the nursery after the children's sermon). Beau is my first official godchild (I claim Ben through Mike), which meant so much to me. I'm very grateful to Liv and Jesse for allowing me to share a little bit of sweet Beau!

The children's sermon attendees was compromised solely of Vannestes, Downeys, and Franciscos and the various personalities were on full display. We were all cracking up in the pews. Then after the service, we partied at Liv's house and the little boy cousins transitioned into superheroes. The girls are so very outnumbered and really do a great job of both playing with - and wrangling - that gang of boys.

There is way more time between visits than we would like, but those cousins just jump right in without hesitation. Their love for each other melts my heart and I hope they always remain that close. It does help that when we do go up, it is a full court press of togetherness! Four straight days of cousin time and my kids are still going through withdrawal!

Dec's Preschool Graduation

Last Sunday, we attended our very last day care/preschool summer party (a bittersweet milestone as we've enjoyed these) and watched the final V walk across Ms. A's yard in a cap and gown to receive his preschool diploma. Next week, off he goes to Kindergarten!!!

Two years ago, we moved the boy for the third time to his third Ms. A - something that we wrestled hard with as we just wanted him to feel some stability. It was the best thing we've ever done for him.  This school has been the perfect fit, with a great group of friends, a great learning environment, and a teacher who hugged him at pick up on his last day and made him promise to call her and tell her about his first day of Kinder. D has blossomed and there is no doubt he is ready for the big kid school.

The party started out with a visit from a local lady and her pets, which the kids could learn about and touch. Fiona and Dec thought it was great and decided the hedgehog and chinchilla were their favorites. Quinn made it way longer than we thought she would before she decided to play on the swings and in the mud kitchen. Truthfully, I was with Quinn and also kept my distance from things like a bearded dragon lizard.

After a picnic lunch, the kids put on a program where they sang three songs - and D was even an astronaut in one of them. Then they each received special superhero awards from Ms. A to recognize their superpower. Declan was the "Super Assistant" because he is always helping out his friends. We can totally see that and he was very proud of his award.

He was officially done at Ms. A's on Thursday. He seemed okay with it - but we're not sure he completely gets it as he continues to talk about going back when there's no school, or after school, or when it snows too hard. So that could be a surprise for him ...

We are sad that he's done there too because it's been so great. But we are not sad that we've made our last day care payment [happy dance because it's been eight and a half years, you guys]. Or that starting next week, we only have ONE PICK UP AND DROP OFF! Or that school after care doesn't close at 5pm and we may actually have a bit of breathing room on our commutes.

We are soaking up the last bits of summer this weekend, but are also excited about the changes the start of the school year will bring.

Declan is Five

Dec's teacher sent out a request today to send in a baby picture of your preschooler. They are doing a unit about caterpillars/butterflies and are going to compare their lifecycle to the baby to big kid change. In order to find one quickly, I had to go back to the blog archive ... which meant I just spent the last hour reading the monthly updates from D's first year. It was very interesting to see how many of the things we observed about that developing human are still true at five. 

Most notable are the monthly comments about 1) the level of volume and number of words that can come out of this boy, 2) the intense love of music and desire to always be singing and dancing, 3) love of balls, and 4) professional snuggler status and charismatic smile. 

Mike and I did an informal Facebook quiz a few weeks ago where we answered questions about our kids. One question was "which kid talks the most?" and without hesitation, Mike answered "Declan." And then added that it was an impressive feat because Fiona has set that bar very high. Quinn is still the loudest of the three, but Dec can come close in decibel level when he wants to. Or is standing in the shower. Usually right next to my ear.

Dec spends as much time singing as he can and is always looking to expand his repertoire. He recently taught himself "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" by asking Alexa to sing it and then singing along with her. It was super cute for the first 400 odd times he did it. The next 947 times got a little less adorable. But he now knows the song by heart and will happily sing it at any hour of the day. Unless you ask him to do it. Then he will not. 

Soccer just ended (we had horrible luck this season for weather and he only got to play in one game) and he's already asked to register for fall soccer. T-ball started last Thursday and after week one, he says it's pretty fun. He got a lacrosse stick for his birthday that he's anxious to master. And hockey starts back up in October. He's also quite unhappy that he's not registered for summer gymnastics with Quinn. So ... I think it's safe to say that he's currently very happy to explore the sports options at his disposal to see what flutters his little 5-year-old heart.

Every day, I ask him for a "sparkle" - which is my name for his smile. It's a pretty accurate name. When D is happy, he makes everyone around him happy. And even though all other Vs were relocated off my lap during the bedtime routine around age 2, this 5yo still claims his lap position every single night. Even if it's just him, he climbs on up and snuggles himself in. You know I'm not complaining about that at all. 

At his annual well check last week, he was 42 inches tall (32%) and 34.5 lbs (7%). 32% height!!! That's basically legendary in this house! He dropped percentage in weight. But since he eats two breakfasts, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner, our pediatrician feels confident he's been fed. The dude never stops moving, eats [mostly] healthy, and is blessed with solid metabolism. His favorite food continues to be fruit, but we are working ever so slowly on better incorporating vegetables into his food choices. 

Finally, his birthday question answers are:

   Favorite color: Red

   Favorite friend: Riley

   Favorite show: Blaze and the Monster Machines

   Favorite book: Lightning McQueen

   Favorite food: Pizza

   Favorite thing to do: Play outside

   Be when you grow up: Firefighter

The Happiest Kinder Round Up Ever

Near the end of April, it happened. Mike and I rounded up our final kindergartner. I'd be sadder about it if he wasn't so dang happy and so clearly ready. Declan skipped, jumped, or leapt the entire time. He had the entire crew manning tables in the cafeteria laughing as Mike and I sprinted after him, yelling at him to slow down and wait. For those wondering ... he did not slow down. Nor wait.

While Mike and I didn't quite need the education we did when Fiona started (we are now quite proficient at launching kindergartners, thank you very much), we still made sure that Dec got his special Mom and Dad date and got to go through the milestone of the rounding. We did tour each of the classrooms, where he proudly announced that he was Quinn and Fiona's brother to whoever would listen. Then Dec gave us a tour of the school ... because you know he's been around the block there a few times now. 

Since soccer season was postponed because of poor field conditions (the late snow), we didn't have to run right from round up to soccer. So we headed back home to have dinner with Auntie and the girls. As is usual with our round up tradition, Auntie watched the other two so the new Kinder could get the full attention of two parents. She's really come full circle from her days of croup toddlers and her fear of babysitting without Quinn telling her what to do. This time she got all the emotions of pre-tween girls. She thought maybe the croup was easier ...

Dec claims he's nervous for kindergarten, but I'm not so I believe it. His sisters have promised to over-mother take care of him. That, I totally believe. He's probably going to have to peel them off of him so he can do his own thing. He's totally ready to skip his way into the life of a school kid. 

Fiona is 8. And a Half. Which is Really Close to Ten.

Last week was Fiona's half birthday. She wanted to do something special. So I let the kids each eat their last Rolo from St. Patrick's Day - and that worked for her. Proof that one or two things are still relatively easy at eight. It's hard to believe she will be nine in September. And near impossible to believe that the next birthday will be double digits. I'm pretty sure this was yesterday.

We've been going through a bit of the winter blues the last couple months and it has been bumpy. Fingers crossed, I think we are pulling out of it a bit. Some of the bumps are new and some are just a continuation in our pursuit of life skills. It's hard to power through a school year when you have a delightful imagination and there are just so.many.rules and math lessons. This year, Fiona has a lovely teacher who gets her, but also expects her to learn the math lessons. It's a balance. It will be her whole life. And that's okay. We want to teach her to both be herself (because she's awesome) and to be respectful and productive. Don't we all need a refresher on that lesson occasionally?!?!

Bugs continues to love to read and is bouncing between Babysitters Club and biographies. We spent some time this weekend reading her new library book about famous artists. Little bro joined our art history session when we read about a few Italian artists named Leonardo (da Vinci), Michelangelo, and Raphael. Who knew famous artists were named after Ninja Turtles?!?! She also makes up the best games with her dolls or Barbies and I love hearing how her thoughts come out in her play.

She's been outside a ton the last week (hello, spring!) and her big muscle skills are hanging in there with her peers. She is a biking and scootering machine - just like the rest of the neighbor kids. She and Mike have worked really hard on adapting her technique and it's paying off big time.

Fiona is in week 2 of her drama class and comes home glowing from it. She was assigned her part tonight and will be the comedic relief as Boppy the Clown. They nailed her casting and she will be so great. She is in class with her friend Ellie and the two of them are also enrolled in a musical theater camp at the dinner theater this summer. She's so pumped and is ready to get to do "her thing" after several disappointments over the winter of classes being cancelled.

She doesn't like me taking her picture anymore and asked me this weekend if something made her look fat. We are hearing stories about "mean girl" behavior at school (she doesn't understand it). The bigger big kid issues are creeping into our world. We do our best to ensure she knows she can talk to us about anything. And assure her she's not fat (while desperately trying to instill positive body images). And force her to still take pictures because we love her smile. As long as we can see her sitting out on the driveway, drawing with chalk and giggling with her buddies, life is mostly good in an eight-year-old's world.

"Baby" and Baby

It’s been a big few days in our family. On Wednesday, my “baby” turned four and a half. I know, I know … he’s not a baby anymore. And you all can shush. As long as he will wander into my room in the morning with his mimi and ask for snugs, I’m calling him a baby (and probably longer than that if we’re being honest).

Anyway … in addition to the milestone for the “baby,” we have an actual new baby!! Baby Beau joined the cousin gang last night and we are already in love. And in four years, we will have a little boy gang aged 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4 … so if you start praying for us now, that might be enough. Also, maybe hide anything breakable.

Declan is proudly wearing the mantle of Big … unless he thinks being little will help him get his way. He can’t wait to start Kindergarten in the fall and I can’t believe that I will be filling out a stack of Kinder paperwork for a third time! He loves learning and is so social - school will be a feather in his cap!

One of our favorite new developments is Declan’s maturing artwork styles. He’s focusing more on intention, details, coloring in(ish) the lines, and the story behind the picture. His artwork also often reminds me how different he is than the girls were at that artwork stage. In the last couple weeks, he’s brought home a picture of a skeleton that he colored red – to show the blood, a picture of his dad’s head exploding (that they both found hilarious), a picture of a fire causing fireworks to explode too early, and a rainbow roller coaster. I love his imagination and hearing him tell me all about his pictures. As long as my head isn’t exploding in any of them, I’m fully on board.

Dec just finished up his floor hockey activity and is entering ice hockey season. He’s been going to a few optional practices the last few weekends and his skills and confidence are improving. He still gets really nervous about an hour before  and there are usually a few tears. But once he gets out on the ice, he’s happy, social, and smiling. He genuinely seems to enjoy himself and is always beaming and anxious to tell us all about it when he gets home. He can’t wait to get out on the ice with his cousins over Christmas break.

A new development of Big that I did not expect (but is related to the hockey playing above) … he is a STINKY boy. Seriously, when did he get all sweaty and stinky and gross?!?! He thinks it is hilarious. Our days of floating showers for a few extra nights are quickly coming to an end! 

Declan continues to be charming, happy, and funny. He’s constantly singing, often dancing, obsessed with superheroes, cars, and Wild Kratts, and full of energy. He is a good friend and is working on ways that he can help as a member of the family. He happily rolls out the laundry basket for me when it's full and he and Q love to get Yogi's food dished out in the morning. As we round the corner toward five, this awesome dude is ready to take it on.

PS: I'm ready for him to start smiling for pictures like a normal person again. Like any day now.

Thirteen Years

Mike and I celebrated thirteen years of marriage earlier this week. This quite auspicious occasion was marked in rather typical fashion. Mike took Fiona to drama class and sat in the school cafeteria doing homework until she was done. I cleaned up dinner and then played a fairly wild game of Hide and Seek with numbers 2 and 3. Which, quite honestly, was more of a “find each other and then wait for Mom to jump out and scare us” game. But I see how that title is a bit more cumbersome than Hide and Seek. Life continues on, the years click by, college algebra also finally starts to click, and we are daily astounded by this life we’ve built together.

Mike, however, did note that our “golden” anniversary is two years away and he suggests we celebrate by taking a trip. Dec asked where we were going. Mike answered “some place without kids.” And D couldn’t quite get his head around why we would want to do something so boring and quiet.

Boring and quiet. Not words you would use to describe our life. Even the “calm and soothing” (ha!) bedtime routine has ramped up as cooler weather has confined all the energy to inside our walls. A few nights ago, I recorded Quinn and Dec perform quite the “choreographed” number. And by choreographed, I mean “surprisingly in sync because every performance is unique.” Note Quinn’s use of cartwheels and Dec’s expressive singing.

From where we sit (which is usually on the couch, with a shared drink between us), the last thirteen years have been pretty great.

Third Babies Grow Up Fast

After all our bike riding adventures over my birthday, Dec is finally feeling motivated to drop his training wheels and keep up with the big kids. On his way home today, he told Mike that he was finally ready to take our neighbor up on his offer of his old bike. To be honest, we have been surprised that he hasn't wanted the bike to this point ... as it is a Hot Wheels bike!

It took him a few hours of staring at it to work up the courage to try it. When he finally did, he impressed us all. He needs someone to steady him when he gets started and his stopping skills could use a bit of polish. But the boy is on his way to life free of training wheels. I suspect he will be just like his sisters and flying around the cul-de-sac in no time flat.

Last Day of School (for some)

As I'm writing this, we are officially the parents of a first grader and a second grader. And a second year preschooler (who wants to go to Kindergarten right.now thankyouverymuch). I thought I was pretty okay with it - and then I did the side-by-sides of the first and last day of school. You can now find me sobbing in the corner.

You guys, when did they get so big? and so confident? and so dang cute? I swear I was watching - and yet it happened without me noticing it. Also, if you use the window in the background of the below photos as a height guide, the pants crises we had at various points throughout the school year make a lot more sense.

The girls are torn. They (mostly Fiona) are ready for summer vacation, but were also sad that the school year was ending. They get to hang with Daddy at the theatre tomorrow and then Nanny J starts on Monday. I suspect that once life with the nanny kicks in, they'll be all in on summer "vacay" (as Fiona has taken to saying. She was incredibly impressed that I knew that meant "vacation."). Dec will continue on at preschool this summer and, despite his face in the group photo, is pumped to spend the summer with his buddies.

Hello, summer. We're ready for you!

9 Down, 51 to Go

Gappy smiles

I was in St. Petersburg, Florida last week for work. The first night, I stepped away from the evening event to video chat with the gang. Quinn answered and immediately showed me her mouth. Or more importantly, the hole in her mouth where a tooth used to be. She had lost her very first tooth!

I was worried she would be sad that it happened while I was gone. She lost it at school and got to go to the nurse's office, where the nurse gave her a special necklace to hold her tooth. She was basically a celebrity. So no, she was not sad. Not one bit.

Her other bottom tooth was also loose and Mike figured it would be out in the next few weeks. Or exactly one week later. Quinn worked and worked on wiggling that tooth. Then last night at dinner, she started crying because it was annoying her. So she and Mike decided to tie some floss around it and pop it out. And just like that, she has a two tooth gap.

Meanwhile, Fiona's top and bottom front teeth are in and we've moved on to the teeth right next to them. Three out of the four of them have fallen out and she continues her streak of sporting holes for quite a while. Her adult teeth take their sweet time coming in. The latest one fell out just a couple weeks ago while we were at our favorite babysitter's birthday party. She was eating dinner and out came the tooth. I didn't even know it was loose!

It seems to be the spring of the tooth fairy. It may not be the summer of corn on the cob.

Taco Birthday Party

We are all standing one step
above Matthew to be less short!

A year ago, we started planning for a great big party for last weekend for my Grandma's 102nd birthday. She told us to throw a party - and when Grandma tells you to do something, you listen. When she passed away in November, we were all shocked. And while we knew that the far-flung relatives were not going to come back to Minnesota in May, it didn't feel right to not have a party. She did tell us to, after all. So my cousin Rachel, my sister, and I discussed and decided the party would still happen. It's going to be an annual event. Grandma would like that.

Since that day of the party fell on Cinco de Mayo, we also decided to have tacos. We're not so sure what she would have thought about that. And she did actually get to come ... we haven't done the inurnment yet, so my mom brought her in her fancy pink urn as the guest of honor. To make up for the tacos, Rachel also made a couple pies from scratch - including the crust! She's basically a rockstar! And we could all feel that Grandma was proud (so were our bellies!).

We had six of the nine Minnesota great-grandkids there. Rachel's two girls had commitments and Matthew's littlest is in Virginia with his mom at Air Force training. Matthew and family are in the process of moving to Alaska as Susan is being transferred there. The kids had so much fun playing with Mika and Colton - and they are even sadder that their cousins are moving. The calls to visit Alaska have increased in frequency in the last week.

The kids enjoyed the beautiful day, the four-wheelers, visiting the cows (Quinn was hoping one of the cows would give birth while we were there ... but thankfully, that did not happen), playing with the trucks in the dirt, and seeing their cousins. Jimmy made Dec's day by letting him sit in the bobcat.

It was a lot of driving for one day, and while the DVD player continues to give me fits, the kids were troopers for the long day in the car.  And we had the best time celebrating one of our favorite people.

Jimmy hid from me - but I got the rest of them to smile

April Spring Days

It most certainly was a tale of two weekends. From a blizzard to sunburns in seven days. Last weekend, the temperature got close to 70 and Fiona was pretty sure that summer was here. We spent as much time as possible outside, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.

I took a chance on Sunday, washing and putting away the snowpants and winter coats. That's a surefire way to jinx things - so they are still easily accessible if needed. Mike took a chance on Sunday and took the training wheels off of two bikes! Fiona had mastered the training wheel free life last year ... and then we bought her a bigger bike and she couldn't touch the ground. And it's hard to ride a bike when you can't reach to get on or off it. She had gained the inch or so that she needed over the winter to reach the ground with her tippy-toes.

Even with the ability to touch the ground, she needed some practice to get started, to stop, and to ride (and steer) confidently. Fiona is often our child who will give up when she isn't immediately perfect. She gets very frustrated with "failure." But let me tell you, that child was determined to figure out her bike. She set her chin and practiced for hours. Hours, I tell you. I spent most of my day standing in the cul-de-sac so that short Vannestes could ride bikes. I was there for so long that one of our neighbors brought me a beer. Another one brought me a chair. My neighbors are awesome.

Quinn also mastered her bike without training wheels, although she desperately needs a new bigger bike as well. Hopefully we will get one in the next couple weeks and fingers crossed, she can reach the ground. Otherwise it will be a bit of a repeat of history around here. She was so proud and will enjoy the improved speed that a big bike will afford her.

Declan asked Mike to remove his training wheels as well - and he did fairly well. But his need for speed won out and the training wheels returned. It's just way more fun to ride circles with the big kids than to work on balance and not falling.

By late afternoon, there was quite the bike and scooter gang of children on the road - and a delightfully fun gang of adults hanging out as well. We had so much fun visiting with everyone. Apparently beautiful weather brings people out even more than blizzards ...

We killed the fun at dinner time because there were no words to describe how dirty the kids were - so showers were non-negotiable. But we ended the weekend with lungs full of fresh air and tired legs and backs. The more translucent of us (Quinn and me) even had our first sunburn of the season.