Joey Turns 6

Joey turned 6 on Saturday and celebrated with a Robots in Space birthday party at our house.  He was so excited to turn 6 and has been telling me all weekend that he is a "big boy now" and doesn't need my help with things he would've asked for 3 days ago. 

For me this marks the first birthday that I didn't cry.  I don't know if this means that I am okay with him turning 6, or if I was just too busy with the party to remember to have an emotional meltdown over my baby getting so big.  I frankly think it was the latter.  Even during the singing of happy birthday I did not tear up.  Again this is not because I have suddenly learned to cope with my kids getting older - Jeff had a huge hornet land on his leg and I was trying to get it off without it stinging him. So we missed the actual moment when he blew out the candles (thankfully one of our guests recorded it on her iPhone!). 

The highlight of Joey's birthday was his party.  He requested it be a "robots in space" theme and we had a lot of fun planning this occassion.  Over the past couple months we made robots out of household items like chip containers, and picked up little robot trinkets whenever we spotted them in the dollar bins at Target and Michaels. For all that preparation you would think we wouldn't have been up until 3 a.m. the night before the party getting things ready... you'd be wrong!

By the time 2 p.m. rolled around on Saturday we were ready for our guests. 

Joey dressed as an astronaut for the party and bounced from friend to friend with the biggest smile on his face.

There were a couple of memorable moments from the party...

Jeff, in an attempt to reduce the number of kids on the trampoline, announced "Who wants ice cream?!" His idea totally worked and kids came pouring out of the trampoline.  The only problem... we weren't serving ice cream.  I didn't buy any for the party and I didn't have any paper bowls or plastic spoons...  Miraculously we were able to piece together enough for all the kids from what I could find in our freezer. Crisis averted.

After the cupcakes were all distributed Emmie was somehow left to her own devices.  Everyone was distracted with other things and Emmie took this opportunity to lick the frosting off of all the remaining cupcakes.  From what we could tell when we spotted her, she had successfully cleaned off the tops of at least five cupcakes.  Cheri was able to snap some photos of the little princess before we cleaned her up...

 
The party was an overall success.  Joey had a great time and the 20 or so kids that attended also seemed to have a blast.  And really, that's all that is important.

As one of our guests put it, "another great Freeland party!"

15 Seconds of Fame

I recently agreed to participate in an Albie Aware Breast Cancer Foundation You Tube Video, to raise awareness of the foundation's mission.  Basically Cheri asked me to help and if Cheri asks me to help, then I am helping. 

The diva at the shoot

They needed me, Joey, Logan and Emmie to be in this video.  We showed up at the production studio knowing nothing more than it would take about two hours to shoot and not to wear busy patterns.  There were 7 other people in the video (including Cheri) and they wanted all of us to stand perfectly still, look solemn, and look directly into the camera without even moving our eyes for 10 seconds.  This is pretty much a no-brainer if you are over the age of 5 but for Logan and Emmie this was a major struggle.  Emmie was cut from the video shoot almost immediately.  I was fine with that, there is no possible way a 2 year old is going to stay perfectly still for 2 seconds let alone 10! 

It took about 2 hours to get the shots they needed.  Logan tried so hard to be a statue, but it took a lot of effort on the director’s part to get him to keep his eyes from moving for that long.  In the end, the foundation was happy with the video and hopefully it will achieve their goal of raising awareness.

Most people who see the video have told me Logan stole the show... let me know what you think!

You can check out our acting debut here - http://youtu.be/t-eeQPepQRQ

Romance, Flowers, and Paramedics

Tuesday is our 8 year wedding anniversary and to celebrate Jeff and I went away for a much needed kid-free trip to the Bay Area. We dropped the kids off at their respective schools Thursday morning, left notes for the sitters (thank you Cheri and Aunt Megan!), packed our bags, and headed out of town.

First we headed to Sausalito.  It was a beautiful day and meandering along the quiet streets of Sausalito was a perfect way to start our trip.  As a kid I used to go sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge with my dad and we always left from the docks in Sausalito.  I wasn't a huge fan of the actual sailing part since it made me want to puke every time (this was before I discovered the magic of Dramamine) but I always loved Sausalito.  Walking through that town always made me feel like I was walking through a painting.  The quaint shops, serene views of the bay, and the architecture of all the buildings makes the town look like it is straight out of an artist rendering of a seaside village.

During every trip to Sausalito we always drove past a little blue florist shop with gorgeous flowers outside.  Even as a child I was a hopeless romantic and always dreamed that someday my true love would buy me flowers from that little shop.  I told Jeff this story years ago and now we never pass through Sausalito without him stopping to buy me flowers from that shop.  It is one of the most romantic things he has ever done for me and this trip was no exception.  He pulled the car over, jumped out, and returned with my favorite flower. 

Next we checked in to our hotel in San Rafael and took advantage of the free drinks at the Embassy Suites reception.  For dinner we headed to another sleepy seaside town - Tiburon.  We didn't realize how sleepy this town was until we got there at a whopping 7:00 p.m. and the whole town had practically shut down.  We did find a Mexican restaurant that was open and were able to enjoy a nice dinner together. 

We got back to the hotel and planned to head to the jacuzzi at 10:00 p.m. for the adult-only swim.  That's when I got a nasty stomach ache and felt like I was going to be sick.  Cursing the Mexican food for ruining our romantic night I headed for the bathroom and proceeded to attempt to use mind power to keep all food in my stomach.  The last thing I wanted to do was get sick, I just wanted the feeling to pass and for our night to continue.  Suddenly I felt my right hand go numb and start to cramp up.  I thought that was weird but was really too focused on not vomiting to care too much.  But my hand got worse and I couldn't stop it from cramping up.  This freaked me out.  It was like my thumb was attracted to my wrist and I couldn't stop it from bending in a totally uncomfortable way.

Now my stomach ache was a distant memory, I was fully focused on the fact that I could not control my own hand.  Then my left hand did the same thing.  Now I am panicking.  My arms from the elbow to my hands were paralyzed in a horribly uncomfortable position.  I can't even describe how it felt but it was terrifying.  That's when I called for Jeff to call 911.  He made the call and then tried to make me as comfortable as possible.  We both tried to stay calm but it was so scary.  My legs started to cramp next and I was convinced I was going into shock or having a seizure or something.  Nothing like this had ever happened to me before, but I like to self diagnose so of course I decided my whole body was shutting down and I would be losing consciousness any minute now.  I kept picturing that scene from Pulp Fiction where they have to stab Uma Therman in the heart with that giant needle...

The paramedics arrived soon (though it seemed like an eternity) and immediately asked if I have issues with anxiety.  I thought this was a supremely stupid question to ask, obviously I am dying so get out the giant needle STAT! I told them that I don't have issues with anxiety and they quickly assured me that they had seen this before and that all I needed to do was slow down my breathing to make it stop.  Once I realized that I wasn't dying and that this was something that the paramedics had seen before, I started to calm down.  I then realized where I was and said to the paramedic nearest me, "Ewwwww this is so gross, I am lying on a hotel bathroom floor!"  He thought that statement was funny and agreed to move me to a chair. 

In the chair another paramedic proceeded to explain to me that I had hyperventilated.  This seemed ridiculous to me, I wasn't stressed when it happened and I had never hyperventilated in my life.  Then he said the pain from the stomach ache could have caused me to hyperventilate without me knowing it.  It wasn't that painful a stomach ache though.  The whole thing made no sense.  I definitely started to panic after I became paralyzed but I don't know what really started it. 

All in all, five paramedics, a hotel representative and of course my husband all were in our hotel room watching me unfurl myself as I slowed my breathing.  I didn't have to go to the hospital and within 30 minutes I was able to move my hands again.  They all left our room and the only remnants of the experience were my sore wrists.   To be watching the Food Network from my hotel room less than an hour after thinking my heart was about to stop was surreal.  Not exactly the romantic night we had in mind!

The next day we were determined to salvage our trip and headed to San Francisco.  We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge - something I have always wanted to do.  It was so awesome!

Then we had a picnic in Golden Gate Park and headed to Stowe Lake where we rented a row boat.  Jeff rowed me around the lake in a scene right out of a movie - we even had background music compliments of the iTunes on Jeff's cell phone.

Our final stop was at the Japanese Tea Garden where we had tea and walked amongst the beautiful gardens.  That is one of my favorite spots in San Francisco and it was a perfect ending to a wonderful day.

We spent three hours in the car trying to get home (horrid traffic) and ended up meeting our kids and Cheri at Bounce Spot.  Back to reality with a renewed sense of what is important in life and an even stronger connection with my wonderful husband. 

Must Love Shoes

I didn't used to have this love affair with shoes.  There was a time when shoes didn't really matter to me.  But about 6 years ago that all changed.  I met a pair of BCBG pumps and fell in love.  Ever since then I have been charmed by sandals, dazzled by heels, and smitten with boots.  A year ago my husband got me one of those shoe of the month memberships and took my relationship with shoes to a whole new level.

Guys always ask, "What is it with women and shoes?" And while I used to struggle to find an answer to that, I now know exactly what it is with women and shoes.  It can be summed up in three points -

1. That hideous ultraviolet lighting in the store will never make you disgusted in the way your feet look in a pair of shoes.
2. Those little mirrors in shoe stores let you just focus on your feet, which means you will never walk out of a shoe store vowing to never eat another piece of cake.
3. Unlike the transformation that can occur with clothes that look amazing on a mannequin, if the shoes look gorgeous in the box they don't mysteriously become ugly on your feet. 

Here are some of my current favorite pairs...

Before you ask, no they are not comfortable and yes, I can chase a toddler in them but prefer not to! 

The Search for Snow

Our bi-annual Freeland Family Snow Trip was an overall success.  Instead of renting a house this year we stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Carson City, Nevada.  The rooms were nice, the beds comfortable, and the free breakfast in the morning was the best part.  With five kids you learn to appreciate a free continental breakfast!

We arrived at about 10 p.m. Friday night and it was another two hours before we got the kids to bed.  We brought the pack n' play for Emmie hoping she would sleep in it like a crib.  Ha! She spent at least a half hour showing us that she could climb in and out of the pack n' play like it was a jungle gym.  At midnight we got all of them to sleep - me and Emmie in one bed, Jeff and Logan in one bed, Conor and Joey in one bed, and Tom got his own bed.

Saturday we loaded up all the kids and the snow gear and went in search of snow.  Typically this time of year finding snow in the mountains would not be an issue, but this year winter seems to be on a vacation.  We did find snow about 30 mins from our hotel at Spooner Summit and Emmie got to play in it for the first time.  Little Miss "I Do It" had trouble walking in it but still refused to be carried and stumbled her way through the snow for hours.  We built a snowman, had a snowball fight, went sledding, and built snow forts. 

Next we headed back to the hotel for lunch and a break.  After a couple of hours we headed back out and went to historic Virginia City.  Jeff has fond memories of visiting Virginia City as a young boy and was looking forward to taking our boys to the Bucket of Blood Saloon for a sarsaparilla- I on the other hand was not exactly thrilled with that idea.  But, like many other activities I do in life, I figured this was part of having boys... visiting places called "bucket of blood."

Unfortunately we didn't quite make it to Bucket of Blood Saloon.  Emmie can be quite a handful when she wants to be.  At this point in the day our little princess was running on 6 hours of sleep from the night before (typically she gets 10) and no nap, which means she was a complete mess.  She wanted to run in the street, take home one of everything in every store, cry for no apparent reason, walk in the opposite direction of wherever we were headed, etc.  Logan was not much better than Emmie and between the two of them it was not the meandering tour through the streets that Jeff had envisioned.  We still did get those sarsaparillas at a saloon complete with real life miners at the bar and real dead deer heads on the wall - oh joy.

We ended Saturday with dinner at Applebees, which is only worth mentioning because it was Jeff's first time at an Applebees.  We always tip our waiter/waitress well when we bring the whole crew to a restaurant.  Not because our kids are terrors, they are very well behaved and polite in restaurants, but because there are seven of us at a table and we leave that table a mess.  Plus we have toddlers so if you are fast with their food, bring us extra napkins, and happily take care of random requests like, "can you heat up this milk please?" or "do you happen to have chocolate chips you can put in those pancakes?" we will love you forever.  In fact, I am not above writing you a glowing thank you note on our receipt if you can help keep our restaurant experience from being Hell on Earth.   

Sunday we headed to the North Shore of Tahoe and found a great sledding hill that in the summer is a driving range.  The kids had a blast sledding for hours and I loved that there weren't any trees they could crash into.  After they wore themselves out we started the trek home. 

All in all I would say this was a pretty successful trip.  Only minor injuries when Logan crashed into a bush sledding with Tommy on Saturday and scraped up his face.  And only needed one item that we didn't pack, Cortisone for a mosquito bite (I almost thought of everything!).

In the end, the kids had a great time and that is really the most important part for a trip like this.

Valentine's Day

I love February.  This month has Valentine's Day and our wedding anniversary which makes the whole month extra special.

Getting ready for Valentine's Day when you have five kids ends up being a very complicated experience.  Joey needed Valentines for daycare and kindergarten plus teacher gifts.  Emmie and Logan needed Valentine's for preschool.  Conor needed Valentines for 5th grade.  Joey needed a class set of juice boxes for his kindergarten party.  And of course we needed to bake a ton of heart shaped cookies - just cuz!

This year I even got up early and made a big family breakfast for everyone (very rare given this was a school day).  I even made pancakes from scratch - only because we were out of Bisquick and they turned out terribly! But hey, it was the thought that counts right?  Jeff, Tom and Conor were so sweet, they all choked them down and tried to tell me they were great.  Logan is too young to know to lie in the name of being polite, so he had blueberry muffins instead.     

I took half a day off work and volunteered in Joey's kindergarten classroom in the afternoon.  He got to decorate cookies, make a cute bear card for me, and pass out his Valentines.  For dinner I made steak and salmon, pasta and mashed red potatoes, french bread and sauteed vegetables (saying "I love you" with food again!).

Jeff and I are headed to Sonoma next week for a Happy Valentine's Day/ Happy Anniversary overnight kid-free trip.  This weekend we are taking the whole crew to the snow for two nights in Tahoe. 

Busy, busy, busy... I love February!

Logan Time

On the trampoline.

Now if you ask Joey, "Logan Time" is pretty much all the time.  Logan tends to dominate any conversation, be the loudest in any room, and if he doesn't have anything to say will resort to nonsensical jibberish just to keep all eyes on him.  Even still I try to make some Logan time every weekend.  With five kids it would be easy for them to feel lost in the crowd, so we always try to carve out some time for each of them separately. 

For Logan that time is usually grocery shopping with me at Target every weekend.  Not exactly exciting but it is our special time. This weekend he was invited to his schoolmate's 3rd birthday party at Planet Gymnastics.  It was a Thomas the Train themed party at a gymnastics center and the invite said not to bring a gift- what could be better?  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind getting kids gifts but it was really nice to just get to show up at a party without running to the store on the way, and then attempt to wrap the gift at every red light between the store and party!

Very cautious!

When we first arrived Logan was really shy and clingy to me - which seems odd since he knew pretty much every kid and parent there, seeing as how they were all from his school.  But this is Logan, and seeing those kids somewhere other than school is not part of his routine.

Soon enough (by Logan standards) he warmed up and started running around.  He had a blast!  He was totally well behaved and did not feel the need to be the center of attention.  This behavior backs up my theory that Logan, when not competing for attention from mom and dad, is actually a very polite and well mannered little boy.  All in all it was a wonderful time spent with my little man.

Foam block pit!

At the end of the party he received a plastic microphone (yay! something to make him louder) and a helium balloon with a coupon for a free gymnastics class attached to it (yay! a free way to entertain him).  He was so excited about that balloon. I was nervous that he would lose it on the way to the car so I tied it to the plastic microphone.  In the car on the way home he decided to roll down his window.  Within seconds the wind whipped up that balloon - coupon, microphone and all - and flung it out the window. 

Logan was devastated.  He instantly burst into tears.  And these weren't temper tantrum tears or even angry tears - these were pathetic WHY ME?! tears.  Luckily when you are three years old and your whole world falls apart because your balloon flew out the window, your mom can fix it by buying you a new book at Target.  And that is just what she did.