Hello San Diego! With our first week of summer a complete blow out we decided to try again!  Thank you to Mom and Dad for being the most self-sacrificing parents & beloved Grandparents on the face of the planet... They took Cason and Cecily for 2 nights so we could take Noah on a stay-cation in our own town.

We kicked off the trip with a stop at the Del Mar Fair! We knew it was meant to be when we pulled up and immediately ran into our dear friend Cody and his sweetie pie kiddos.  Noah was so excited to see his friends and we had a wonderful night living it up at the fair. Noah won two stuffed animals and a fish... which pretty much landed him on Cloud 9.  He and his friends rode the Silver Streak so many times I thought I was going to get ill just watching them. The evening was the perfect kick-off to our trip and we headed over to our fancy hotel - the Embassy Suites. 

I love watching Noah's excitement over the hotel. He loves tall buildings and unlike his Mom and Dad - he does not share our fear of heights.  He loved that the glass elevator made us both very nervous and he did his best to scare us every chance he could get!  He made sure to push the up button  - when we needed to go down - just so we were forced to ride even higher in the glass box.  This led him to massive giggle fits and perhaps cured some of my fear of heights.  Brien's fear is still very much in tact! 

After eight years of retiring my surfboard I finally had the opportunity to get in the water with Noah.  It was so much fun to be more than a spectator for once! Normally I'm on the beach chasing Cecily and Cason while Noah and Daddy have a blast together.  I enjoyed getting to be part of the action. It was so much fun to take the Go Pro and get some really fun video of Noah surfing with Brien.  And perhaps best of all... it was so fun to show Noah that Mommy can surf, too.  (Disclaimer: I was never a good surfer. I would never even call myself a surfer...I am flat out not a surfer but Noah doesn't need to know that!) As I get older I am more aware of how Noah views me.  I want him to know that Mommy is strong and athletic like Daddy. He typically does not see this side of me and I felt compelled into action.  He was genuinely so excited that I was in the water with him. He thought I looked hilarious in my wet suit.  I think he was pretty much shocked that I was actually going to follow through on my pinky promise to surf.  And it was so much fun!  Brien taught me to surf when we were dating and I had forgotten just how much fun it could be!  It was fun to prove to Noah that Mommy was not a total wipe-out!  I have never ridden a short-board in my life so paddling out on a 5 footer was enough to get my blood pumping and my heart racing.  It wasn't pretty. I didn't do as well as I had hoped. But it didn't matter to Noah!  I got out there and tried and we had a blast together.  It is truly fun to be able to participate in a sport together as a family.  I'm hoping that my next paddle out doesn't take another 8 years!

Our surf session made us all hungry so we headed out for some lunch!  We hit the mall and then headed back to enjoy the pool and our hotel suite.  It was just a perfectly relaxing weekend.  I missed our little Cason and Cecily but I was so happy to soak up Noah and give him my full attention.  I am often so distracted with the little ones that Noah takes a back-seat. He is so capable of taking care of himself that it is easy to divert my attention to those that need it more.  This weekend was just the perfect break...

And speaking of breaks... it ended on a slightly bumpy note.  After playing with the kids in our splash pool I entered the house and slipped on the floor, fell off the step and slammed my foot into some furniture. My toe was dislocated and later X-rays revealed it was fractured. It's not a serious injury but it was amazingly painful. I had no idea how much pain one little toe could cause! After several hours in the ER I was bandaged up and sent home with a beautiful new summer sandal - AKA an orthopedic shoe.  

I'm supposed to keep off it for one week... haha! (Good luck with that...) and I can't run for at last a month... but it could be worse! We had a wonderful stay-cation and we're readying for week #3 of summer!  Cecily's dance recital is tomorrow night so fingers crossed another day to celebrate!

Onwards and upwards!

Well summer has been off to a somewhat questionable start! On the positive - little Mr. Noah took a huge leap of faith and departed on Saturday night for a week away at Camp Woodward Skate Camp in LA. I have been biting my fingernails and worried about him being homesick - and getting hurt - with equal parts of stress on both. After 24 hours of begging to go home he found his smile and he's having a blast with his buddy, Evan. I still think 7 is too young to go away... but he's learning that he can do a lot of stuff without any help and I am praying that this experience just makes him stronger.  He is a wonderful kid and I trust him completely.  He is enjoying having a "camper credit card..." and I love getting a notification every time he uses it and seeing what he is buying.  For the most part - he is being a good little egg.  So proud of Noah for taking this great adventure and I can't wait to smother him with kisses and hugs when he gets back.

Little Cason has been walking the halls looking for Noah everywhere. "Where he go? Where Noah? Where Noah? Noah ... Noah... Noah..."  The poor little guy really misses his big brother.  And summer has not been kind to Cason. He had his long-awaited surgery on Friday.  Unfortunately a relatively easy procedure came with a hefty 3-week recovery period. For an active and wild child like Cason - 3 weeks of no bike, no trike, no ride-on toys, no beach, no park, no pool is completely unfair!  We have given him too many treats to compensate for this and now instead of pancakes and eggs he wants cookies for breakfast... uh oh!  But please tell me how you could refuse this angel.

And then there is Cecily.  She picked up the cold Cason brought back as a parting gift from Rady's and added to it a severe case of gastroenteritis.  We had 3 days of projectile vomiting and more diaper changes than one can imagine.  She is such a trooper and would try and play through the sickness. She was struggling but still trying her best to be bright and playful.  After she finally turns the corner Mommy and Daddy awake with food poisoning...adding a wild 24 hour period of insanity.  I will not discuss because it was not pretty. With the chaos we completely missed Father's Day so we welcome a make-up next weekend!  The two best Dad's in the world deserve to be celebrated!

So note to summer!  Hello. We're asking for a redo!  Noah will be home on Sunday and we're so excited because his cousins Luke & Ian will be coming, too.  We wish Auntie Neeta and Uncle Keith were coming - but they've got to work!  So we'll enjoy spoiling the boys and taking them to the Del Mar Fair.

We're no long accepting colds, surgeries, tummy troubles or any type of troubles at our house. Fun only!

Bring on the fun summer... we're waiting!

Today was one of those days where I wish I could have bottled up the magic so I could take it with me everywhere we go. It was one of those days when I saw Cecily shine her big bright light and be herself in front of a sea of people... and she embraced the moment and was on fire!

It was picture day for the Dance & Company Performing Arts Studio Summer Production.  And yes... Cecily will be performing with her friends from her Dance with Me class in just a few short weeks!

Is this a dream come true? Most definitely.  I have very fond memories of traveling around with my family and friends attending Irish step dancing competitions. I used to love getting dressed up and I remember the excitement of the productions and competitions.  When I reminisce on my childhood these events rank high on my list of cherished memories. I still can't believe Cecily will have the opportunity to dance in a show and enjoy all of these fun times! To think that 17 months ago she was not even walking and now she is dancing... and performing.. in full costume - is nothing short of a miracle.

Will she have the dance routine memorized? Not even close. Will she cry? Perhaps. But will she get up on stage and smile and wave and likely twirl in her pretty tutu - most definitely.  The gift of Cecily is she takes joy in the things most everyone takes for granted.  But when Cecily laughs, giggles or smiles - it is the purest form of happiness. I wish I could say every day was full of happiness for her - but it is not.  She has a rougher road than most but she is so tough - so strong - and so stubborn that we are so excited to see what she will do next! 

Today I was just so proud of her. I'm not one to brag about my kids - unless you are in the family.  (Then lookout... I may bend an ear or two ... :)  But today...there were no words.  I wanted to scream, "look at Cecily - look at her go!  Look at this child that they never thought would walk, or talk, or eat... never mind dance!" Cecily has been making such strides of late.  She is using new words every day.  She walks the halls shouting Noah... Noah... Cason... Cason.  She correctly uses names for the people she loves - Grandpa, Grandma, Flashy, Mommy and Daddy.  She says dancing or skating or swim or pool.  She can now speak in sentences and repeat words in the Bob books on demand.  She knows what she wants and she now uses her words to share her desires.  She knows what she does not want and she uses those words - in an even higher volume - to tell us what she does not want to do...

And because of this...I was dreading getting her into the costume today. I was ready for World War 3. Cecily loves to dress up ... but only on her terms, her timing, and if she is in the mood.  With an 8:30 am call time I wasn't sure how it would go... but she happily got dressed, let me brush her hair and she giggled when I put a tiny amount of blush on her cheeks.  We dared to try some lip gloss but decided that she looked perfect just as she was and we didn't want to push our luck.

Cecily was so social today - waving at the other kiddos and embracing her dancing buddies - Grace, Mickey and Ella.  She enjoyed the entire process and I will not forget this day - ever. So proud of our angel.  She even stood and sat for the professional photos with only a minor cry/hesitation. 

Cecily is a constant reminder to reach for your dreams, to try harder, to never give up and to believe in miracles.  Life has been a challenge of late but on days like today everything seems to be coming up roses!

Thank you to Dance & Company for creating the Dance with Me class. it is a gift. It is a dream come true. It is priceless and we love you Miss Katie & Miss Lisa. (And we love our teacher Miss Tyler, too!)

Despite the blurry photo this is one of my most favorite pictures of Miss Cecily. As she waited for the professional photographer she started dancing and swing her little legs at the ballet barre.  She just loves to dance!

Onwards and upwards!