Five Days Until Five

with the jacket and tie we just bought him I hardly recognize my baby boy.

He is my own little handsome man who suddenly this year has blossomed and grown more than I could have prepared myself for. This is what all mothers experience and I am a sensitive ball of emotions this week. He is thrilled and has been counting down the months, weeks, and now days. 

I sit back and see how quickly the time passed. He was our “mystery” baby and yet that dream I had when I was pregnant came true: of a curly haired boy calling to his Papa. This boy is smart, sweet, funny, and has the same gentle patience of his father. He is charming and makes me already so proud as he helps take care of his younger brother and sister.

Hope you will celebrate with us this Saturday as he turns five.

An adventure and definitely a “to-do” that I can cross of my list.

I now know (thanks to Tina) how to make cake pops and cake balls.

Before:

After:

We made peanut butter and vanilla flavor (color green).

We used sprinkles and had lots of fun.

Taste test: they were a hit!

that her socks looked extra cute today

that Michelle painted and Brandon carved these pumpkins for the party last night.

that I am particularly fond of the cloudy sky promising rain.

that we spent at least four hours outdoors today, taking advantage of the sunshine.

that the coughing is almost gone and we can pack up the humdifier until our next outbreak.

Joe is voting while I stay home. They boys are playing legos and baby girl is sleeping.

Joe has a fever, the boys have residual coughing, and I am happily tired from the 13 parent conferences I held today.

The sun is setting earlier and I am enjoying the quiet around here. Happy Voting.

is what I say about my friend Stella and her backyard birthday bash.

Here are the highlights:

cake and a jumpy house

the reminders of her love for Disneyland

plenty of space

to hang out and chat with friends

or listen to the music

and of course pass around the cutie pie.

This will be a month full of birthday parties.

began as a backyard full of sculptures

all made by one man

impressive

included found objects

a local landmark

art appreciation for the little ones

a tour that sounded a lot like story telling

a mailbox 

the spiky cactus garden made from glass

and a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning.

on a whim I gave her the whole fruit

usually I cut it up but was curious to see what she would do

knowing it was soft and ripe

she rolled and explored it’s strange shape

she sucked the juice

and she eventually ate some suprisingly big bites

however she is easily distracted 

and this is how bright her eyes light up to see her father come into the room.

At almost exactly midnigt Henry woke up not able to breathe and I rushed him to the nearest emergency room where he was stablized within four hours and then transported to Downey Kaiser via ambulance.

We spent most of Halloween in the hospital in the pediatric unit with a lot of sweet nurses and doctors, in a room they personalized at 5 am (before we arrived), when they knew we were on our way.

There aren’t many instances I can think of that feel more helpess as watching my children in pain. Our little Henry refused food, had to be hooked up to an IV, had to be strapped down in the ambulance, was breathing hard to catch his breath, moaned in his sleep, and cried a lot.

Thankfully by the afternoon he was cheery enough for visitors, feeling a little festive,

eating more, and eventually released to go home.

They even gave him a costume, hoping to make him feel better.

By the evening the doctor’s recommendation included going out in the cool air to assist with breathing, after being indoors for so long, so there was a quick tour around the block for trick or treating.

This morning, after a full night’s rest, we happily changed our page on the calendar and are looking forward to this new month.

We are spending the day in pajamas.

We are so happy to be home.

from the superheroes 

also known as Team Sullivan