Christmas Eve we drove out to Matt’s parents house for a big family photo shoot, this was a gift for my in-laws.  It is not every year that the entire family is together for the holidays.  The biggest challenge was coordinating everyone’s work schedules.  It seems that our family works in Health Care, Security, and Retail, which of course meant that even though it was a holiday people still had to work. But we managed to find a time that everyone could meet in Applegate.  JulieAnn Photography always amazes me.  She does a fabulous job.  This time there were 25 of us to photograph! I was so afraid that all the guys would hate me for even suggesting professional photos, but in the end I knew we would love the results.

After the photos all of the cousins just wanted to hang out and play.  A few of us decided to attend the Christmas Eve Service at Applegate Christian Fellowship. This service is held outdoors in the amphitheater.  The trees are covered in lights and they have two big bonfires going to keep warm.  Oh and lots of hot chocolate and hot apple cider! As I expected the amphitheater was packed.  We actually had a hard time finding a place to sit.  It was amazing to sit outside and reflect on the true reason for the season.  The lights on the trees were beautiful but it was when they turned those lights off that  things really light up.  It was then that they had each of us hold a candle and they started to light them one by one as we sang ‘O Holy Night’.  Yep, I cry every year at that exact moment.  Seeing the amphitheater lit up with all those candles is simply breathtaking.

Once we got back to my in-laws house the children were begging to open one present.  It seems Grandma and Grandpa had a few tricks up their sleeve.  They allowed the kids to open not 1 but 2 presents.  The first one was new pajamas and the second one was a pillow pet.  Those were a big hit!  All of the kids were saying how long they had been wanting a pillow pet.  It was so funny!  They each got a different character.  Megan got a red ladybug, Owen a Moose, Hudson an Arizona Cardinal, and Ethan a Dallas Cowboy.  I honestly can’t remember what all the other cousins got.  Grandma and Grandpa knew what they were doing because all the kids were excited to put on their new pj’s and sleep with their pillow pets!

Getting our wild bunch to sleep proved to be a little harder.  They all fell asleep on the ride home but didn’t want to go right back to sleep once we got to the house.  We had all the kids sleep in the same room so they would wake up together to check out the tree on Christmas morning.  I don’t put any presents under the tree before Christmas and of course they were hoping Santa would leave a few things too.  The finally fell asleep around 11 PM and I know I fell asleep sometime after 12:30.  Of course I kept tossing and turning because I wanted to make sure that I woke up as soon as they did so that didn’t miss their reaction to all the presents.  However, I did not expect to be woken up at 4:30 AM!  My first thought was to make them go back to bed.  But they were so excited.  Actually Ethan and Hudson were so excited.  Megan and Owen on the other hand were not amused.  Hudson and Ethan begin shouting Santa has been here!  I asked them how they knew that and they said because the cookies are gone.  But we didn’t look at the presents.  Then Ethan says I hope I get a scooter.  Which of course happens to be the one item that is NOT wrapped, so right then I knew they had already peeked around the tree.  It was settled a very early morning it was going to be.

There is nothing sweeter than seeing the kids open all their presents.  They were so excited about each one.  Santa brought scooters for all the boys.  Miss Megan got a little rocking horse.  Their other gifts included new clothes, books, games, legos, and movies.  Owen immediately started playing with his Leapfrog Text and Learn.  I am sure some of you have received misspelled text from me before thanks to Owen.  Now he thinks he is pretty cool with his own “phone” to push buttons and write texts all day long.  Hudson immediately wanted to play his Paper Mario game for the wii.  Ethan was ready to dive into all the legos.  Megan just wanted to ride her rocking horse.  After opening gifts it was only 5 am.  Megan was ready to go back to bed and we turned on one of the new movies.  I remember seeing the opening credits but fell asleep shortly after that.  Ha ha!

We headed back out to Applegate in the early afternoon.   The kids were able to run around outside with their cousins all day.  They took turns on the mini dirt bike and quad. Ethan was allowed to drive the mini dirt bike by himself.  He really liked that.  The other boys went for a ride with Dad on the quad.  Actually Owen almost ran me over as I was trying to get a picture.  Matt asked him if he was ready to go and instead of saying yes, Owen hit the gas.  Not that I am surprised.  We had a fabulous Christmas dinner and a great time was had by all.  By 7:30 I was in bed for the night.

It is Christmas time! We have been busy trying to keep up with 4 kids. I can honestly say it has been a great year!
Megan celebrated her 1st birthday last month. We did a Wizard of Oz theme since she was Dorothy for Halloween. She started walking just before her birthday and now there is no stopping her. She does her best to keep up with big brothers. She is very quiet unless it is time to eat. She continues to have Daddy and brothers wrapped around her finger.
Owen, “the bear”, is now 2. He is full of energy and tears up anything in his path. He is proving to be a very stubborn boy that doesn’t always learn his lesson the first time. He is a very hard worker and never misses a chance to help Mommy with chores. He is a boy of few words but is trying to talk more. He constantly carries a notebook and crayon so that he is always ready to find Blue’s Clues.
Hudson is almost 5. He started preschool in September and loves it. He would do homework all day long if we let him. He loves to read and do math. He also enjoys learning Spanish. This month he received his white-belt which is the highest rank in the Little Dragons Program. He will be moving up into the Black Belt Club Program after the first of the year.
Ethan is almost 8 and currently in the 2nd grade. He is the child that likes to be involved with everything. He always has a full social calendar. He is still active in Karate. In September he received is red-black belt. This belt introduced the weapon, Kamas. Now the real work begins as he starts conditioning and training for his black belt. He is on track for the black belt test in the spring.
Matt has spent a lot of time in Cleveland for training. In May, he was there for general x-ray training. He just returned from a 3 week trip for Cath lab training. He enjoys the classes but would be happier if they were in a new location. He has seen all the sights of Cleveland now. In October we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We were able to spend 5 days in beautiful San Francisco. It was a great time and just what I needed to relax before the busy holiday season. For updates throughout the year you can always find pictures and funny stories here or my other blog Marisa 4.0.

The next night we took a drive around town to look at Christmas lights.  Of course our first stop was Dutch Bros for some hot chocolate.      The boys would drink Dutch Bros every day if I let them.  We found a bunch of decorated houses to look at and it was the perfect way to end the weekend.

I should also mention that Hudson had his preschool Christmas program.  They sang three songs for all the parents.  For weeks Hudson had been telling me that he was not going to sing since the thought Christmas programs were stupid.  He is a very stubborn child and sure enough he stood in the back row and didn’t sing much.  He did however do all the sign language.  He was just very glad when the program was over.  Later on he tells me…”Mom, it is hard to stay off of the naughty list, I wish Santa had a FUNNY list”  Oh Hudson, if that were the case you would definitely be on that list since you make me laugh everyday.

With only five days left until Christmas you can imagine how loud it is at our house.  Winter break has begun and the boys are full of energy.  This is going to be a fun week!

In order to be eligible for the test he was required to attend two classes in the Black Belt Club which is the program he would move into.  The instructors wanted to see how he reacted in a longer class,  older kids and more curriculum.  He wasn’t nervous at all.  In fact the instructors were impressed with how well he fit in.  They feel he is more than ready to move up to the next program.  We will sign him up in January.  The Black Belt Club means he is making a 3 year commitment to karate.  At the end of the 3 years he should have is black belt.  It also means that he will be able to take unlimited classes.  Right now he only goes once a week.  Hudson needs to be challenged. It will provide more accountability and focus.  The instructors will expect more out of him and in the process he will become more self disciplined and confident.  I noticed a big change with Ethan when he started this program and now I am excited to see Hudson grow.  Of course all of this means I will be sending half of my weekday at the karate studio.  I honestly don’t mind because karate has such a positive impact on everything they do.

Megan is now walking all over the place.  She loves to be on the go.  She is showing no fear just like the boys were.  If she is on the couch she will dive right off nose first to get back on the ground.  She is climbing out of her high chair onto the table.  Another trick that the boys used to do as well. She loves to clap her hands and wave goodbye.  It is rather funny that the boys always want her to give them a high-five.  She has figured out how to do that but then they will say knuckles and she laughs while they get upset that she doesn’t know what to do.

This month we moved her into a regular car seat.  She is still rear facing but I think we will change that very soon.  She had her 1 year check up with Dr. Jones.  She weighs 20.6 lbs putting her just above the 25th percentile. Her length is 29 inches which puts her almost at the 50th percentile.  Seems she started off in the higher percentile but has no leveled off.  She received two shots yesterday at the dr’s office and of course that upset her.  She screamed until we actually left the building.

We are now a bottle free house!  A few weeks before Megan’s birthday we switched to sippy cups.  She took the sippy cup immediately.  I kept the bottles on hand for about a week just to see if she would miss them.  But she was always happy with the cup so I got rid of all the bottles.  Feels kind of weird to have all the bottles gone after having them around on and off for 7 years. I thought I would be sad but I can’t say that I miss them.  Megan is now eating all the same foods that we eat.  She loves to feed herself finger foods.  She eats ALMOST as much food as Owen. The two of them are always finding ways to get back in the kitchen. 

Megan does not seem to be a girlie girl yet.  As a matter of fact she hated every minute of family picture day.  From the moment I put her tights on she screamed.  Getting the dress on was nearly impossible.  Putting the bow in her hair was a nightmare.  She kept trying to take it off.  Oh well, I am sure in time this will change.  Below is the final 16th of the month photo with her polar bear.  Along with a few other photos from her birthday week.

Happy Halloween!

Megan has taken a few steps on her own!  Although she is not fully walking yet.  Most of the time she prefers to hold on to the couch or coffee table.  But she is on the move.  I expect her to be literally running around in no time.  She seems to want to keep up with her brothers.  Speaking of her brothers they all scream and clap when she stands up on her own.  She then starts clapping.  It is quite funny to watch.  Megan has also started waving goodbye to everyone she sees. 

This month my Mom and Tom took the kids to the railroad park while we were away in San Fran.  It was Megan’s 1st trip to that park.  She had a great time.  Another 1st trip was to the pumpkin patch.  I wanted lots of photos with her and the pumpkins she, however, did not want to sit still for photos.  I got a few which I will post separately. 

We moved Megan into the crib last week.  Owen was using it as a toddler bed so she was still in the pack n play.  She seemed very excited to be in the crib.  Those two are become fast friends.  Most days at naptime I hear a lot of giggling and playing before they fall asleep.  Below are the few photos I got before Megan moved off the couch and started to play. 

As usual I am a little behind on my blog posts.  This time I feel like I have a good excuse.  I am still trying to recover from my vacation.  Matt and I spent 5 fabulous days in San Francisco to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Buela and Grampa Tom flew in from Oklahoma to stay with the kiddos. According to my mother I spent time in San Francisco as a toddler but of course I do not remember any of it.  So for all practical purposes this was my 1st trip to San Fran and I wanted to check out all the tourist hot spots. Since I love to read other blogs and spend way too much time on the computer I discovered the Go San Francisco Card.  With the Go Card you pay one price to purchase the card then you have access to over 55 attractions.  We decided to buy a 3 day pass.  It turned out to be a wise investment.  The card paid nearly paid for itself on the first day!  The discounts to restaurants and shops was nice too.

I am warning you know that this post might be long.  I intend to type out all the little details since this will eventually be my reference when I find time to do some journaling in my scrapbook. Our flight took off bright and early in the morning.  We arrived in San Fran at 6:45 A.M. After much debate we decided NOT to rent a car because we didn’t want to pay the nearly 50 dollars a night to park at the hotel.  Instead we planned on using the BART system like the locals to get us within walking distance to the hotel.  Before starting that adventure we got some breakfast at the Yankee Pier restaurant at the airport. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the Bart system since I have never used public transportation.  It was a rather quiet morning and we had no problems reaching our stop at Powell/Market street.  The moment we stepped off the BART, and onto Powell/Market street I was in awe.  It just seemed like we were in a whole different world.  I was excited to begin our adventure.  We walked to The Prescott Hotel which was about 5 blocks so that we could drop off our bags and get a better idea of where our hotel was located. It was near Union Square and I thought that was pretty cool.  I miss the hustle and bustle of the city so this was definitely right in the thick of things.

It is very funny to me that I was actually worried about missing work outs while on vacation.  I would quickly learn that since we decided to walk everywhere that I would get plenty of exercise! As we were checking in we asked questions about places to visit, areas to avoid and innocently asked how far it was to Fisherman’s Wharf.  The concierge laughed and said well, it is an ambitious 45 minute walk.  That didn’t seem that difficult to me, however, for some strange reason I didn’t realize how steep the streets were.  We made the walk several times but I will be honest by the end of the day my legs were feeling it. 

Okay after getting checked in to the hotel we start walk towards Fisherman’s Wharf.  Along the way we stop to take pictures.  We walked through Union square, then through Chinatown, North Beach/Little Italy and finally arrived at Pier 39.  We decided to take the Double Decker skyview tour first.  My idea was to enjoy the two hour ride and get a feel for the area then we could go back to the places that really grabbed our interest.  I should add that the weather was gorgeous this first day.  It was sunny and warm.  Everyone warned me about the fog and rain but there was not a cloud in the sky.  The tour was great.  I loved our tour guide.  He made it fun.  I loved hearing all the history and even his corny jokes.  Turns out it was fleet week so there were lots of extra activities planned around Fisherman’s Wharf for the weekend.  While on the bus we got to see the Blue Angels practicing.  After the tour we walked around Pier 39 Festival Marketplace and ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. The restaurant was a fun atmosphere and I enjoyed looking at all the memorabilia from the movie.  Food was really good too.  We walked around Pier 39 for a couple of hours and then made our way down to Pier 43 to catch our ferry to Alcatraz.

We choose to do the Alcatraz night tour.  The ferry ride was a little chilly since I insisted on sitting on the top of the ferry to get a better view.  It was amazing to watch the sunset while on the ferry ride.  I must say it was pretty cool arriving on the island at night.  I didn’t know much about the history of Alcatraz.  I can tell you that this was Matt’s favorite part of the trip.  I think he was getting annoyed with me because I didn’t take the audio tour as seriously as he did.  I think he could have stayed on Alcatraz the entire 5 days we were there.  He took tons of pictures.  I actually lost him for a moment when we were in the hospital wing.  He was looking at all the old equipment. The night tour had a few programs that are not offered during the day.  We chose to watch the cell door demonstration.  It was an eerie sound to hear the doors shut. 

Day 2- Our first adventure the Golden Gate Bay Cruise. The weather was still sunny and gorgeous. As I mentioned before it was fleet week so once we had an added treat.  We got to watch the parade of ships while aboard the cruise. Afterwards we went rented bikes so that we could see the bridge up close and personal. I was very excited to go on the bike ride.  What I didn’t expect was the THOUSANDS of people all along the bike path waiting to watch the Blue Angels show. Many of you know that Matt rides his bike to work to so he had no problems on the route.  It was a nightmare for someone like me that doesn’t ride very often.  I was worried enough about not falling off the bike and dodging crowds of people was not part of my plan.  I made it across the bridge!   The self guided tour took us through Aquatic Park, Fort Mason, Marina, Palace of Fine Arts, Crissy Field, Presidio, Fort Point, Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Baker to Sausalito.  After dealing with all the crowds of people(and Matt yelling at me for going slow) we cheated and took the ferry back.  After returning our bikes we walked to Little Italy to find a restaurant for dinner.  Right now I can’t even remember the name of it.  But I can tell you the food was amazing. It was also a good thing we had just finished biking the bridge because I can tell you that I ate a lot of calories.  Ha ha!

Day 3 – We took the Blue and Gold Ferry to Vallejo so that we could ride  roller coasters at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. The weather was still beautiful and sunny.   While waiting in line for the ferry we began talking to a family of 4 from Alberta, Canada who were on vacation for their  Thanksgiving Holiday.  They were such a cool family the hour long ferry ride only seemed like 10 minutes because I was enjoying the conversation. Discovery Kingdom was a really neat park.  In addition to roller coasters they had many animals.  We watched a killer whale show, saw dolphins, penguins, and a butterfly exhibit.  They also had a Tiger show but we didn’t make it to that one.  The entire day we kept thinking how much fun the kids would have at this park.  I have always been a fan of roller coasters.  But now that I am older I am a little bit more scared of the coasters.  I had to close my eyes on a few of the rides and I feel sorry for those sitting next to me because I couldn’t quit yelling.  But then I would get in line to ride again.  Medusa was the best coaster at Discovery Kingdom.  Thankfully the lines were not too long.  I don’t think we waited more than 20 minutes for anything.  

Day 4-This was the day the fog and rain rolled it.  I guess we couldn’t escape the famous San Fran weather entirely.  We rented bikes anyway thinking that the rain would stop.  Our goal was to ride to Golden Gate Park.  The guy at Bay City Bikes asked us if we wanted to purchase a poncho and foolishly we said no. By the time we made it to the  we were soaked.  Instead of the rain letting up we were riding into it.  I was happy that the crowds of people were gone so it was a smooth ride on the bike path.  Such a difference from the other day when the Blue Angels were in town. We stopped at a cute little restaurant to dry off and an early lunch.  While we were eating we kept a close eye on the rain outdoors.  We finally decided to call a cab to take us to the California Academy of Sciences.  We spent several hours at this museum.  They had some really neat exhibits inside.  Unfortunately the rain never let up so we were unable to explore the rest of Golden Gate Park.  We waited an hour to get a cab ride back to our bikes.  For some reasons we couldn’t get a cab to stop at the museum even though we called several times.  There was at least 20 people waiting for cabs with us.  Crazy! We were so glad to return those bikes! We spent the evening in Union Square.  We ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory at the top of the Macy’s building.  You know I had to get my pumpkin cheesecake.  It was hard for me to believe that Matt had never been to a Cheesecake Factory.

Day 5-Would you believe that the sunshine was back on our last day?  We spent most of the day around Fishermans’ Wharf.  We did some souvenir shopping for the kids in Chinatown.  We had lunch in Ghiradelli Square.  We walked along Hyde Pier.     As fun as the trip was this was also the day that I really missed the kids.   Our flight left at 10:30 P.M. and shortly after midnight we were home sweet home.

10th wedding anniversary

This month’s big adventure was a trip to Arizona.  It was Megan’s 1st plane ride.  She did well considering the circumstances.  Unfortunately once we checked in at the airport we found out that our flight was delayed 3 hours!  I thought about having Matt come pick us up so we could wait it out at home but then I realized that would be more work to drag the boys back and forth.  Megan and I went through security and she loved hanging out in the little play area.  I was hoping that would make her tired.  No such luck.  She wouldn’t fall asleep.  We boarded the plane at 11:30 P.M. and she was wide awake.  Cranky of course but awake. She fell asleep once we were in the air but woke up just in time for us to land at 2:30 A.M.  She wanted off the plane right away and was not too patient as we had to wait our turn.  The little nap on the plane kept her awake until 4 A.M.  We were in Arizona for a short time but I had carefully planned our iterniary so we could see as many people as possible.  As you can imagine with that kind of delay we over slept so our first stop was supposed to be at 9:30 and we didn’t even wake up until 9!  I also forgot how the traffic can be.  So we spent the whole day running around trying to get back on schedule.

It was a jam-packed weekend.  I took Megan to CBS Technologies to meet all of Daddy’s former co-workers.  We also stop by DPR Construction to see my old office. We had lunch with the Gordon’s.  We spent the evening with the Frisch’s and Kowalski’s.  We attended Miss Evelyn’s first birthday party. We spent lots of time with Grandad. Megan had a photo shoot with the fabulous Erin Cookmeyer of Abcde Photography.  We spent Sunday morning at Lincoln Heights Christian Church.  Last but certainly not least we spent an afternoon with Debbie and Skip before it was time to get back on the airplane to go home.  Through all of this Megan was not feeling 100%  percent due to her teething.  But she was a trooper! We had a great time.

Once we got home the boys were all happy to see her.  A few days after we returned that tooth finally popped thru the gums! Megan is constantly on the move now.  She hates to be confined to one area of the house.  She tries desperately too keep up with her big brothers. She is standing on her own but not taking steps YET.  I know that will happen sooner than I would like. 

As I mentioned before Megan loves to eat.  She would sit in the highchair all day if I let her.  She loves her cheerios and any vegetable that she can pick up and feed herself.  It is rather funny when she eats peas the boys think it is so gross.  Megan just laughs and continues to eat them.  Just like the boys she also likes to go places.  She thinks it is a big treat to ride in the grocery cart and smiles at everyone who walks by.  She is all giggles when on the days where we have to take Hudson to preschool.  She just loves being around other people. 

Oh yes, it is very busy in the Frank Household these days.  But we are having so much fun at the same time!

Hudson started pre-school this week as well. He will be attending two days a week.  He is going to the same pre-school that Ethan attended.  Hudson already knew his teacher but she did have a new assistant.  The first morning I dropped him off many of the other students were crying and refusing to let go of their parents.  Hudson walked right in put his backpack in his cubbie and said “Bye, Mom.”  He never looked back.  There are times that I wonder if I should be offended that my boys are so willing to join the classroom.  But then I realize I should count my blessings.  I should be happy that they are eager to learn and socialize.  When I picked Hudson up from class he was excited to show me his paperwork.  Ms. Molly assured me that Hudson’s had a great 1st day.  I will admit I was a little worried.  Not that I thought he would be scared or anything but he has a tendency to be mischievous.  Ms. Molly was impressed that Hudson could already spell and write his name.  She told me that they were evaluating the kids this week but that Hudson would be moved into a new group.  After class Hudson want to call Daddy and see if he was available for lunch.  Luckily Matt was not too busy and we drove to the hospital to have lunch with him.  Hudson is so happy to finally be able to go to school. My only problem now is that he wants to go every day and he gets upset on the days he has to stay home. 

Owen seems to be enjoying the little break from his brothers.  He plays quietly in the playroom.  Once I get used to our new routine my goal is to start working one on one with Owen to try to get him to talk more.  I have some really basic preschool books and flash cards that we will do while big brothers are not home.  Owen was very excited when I said it was time to pick up Hudson from school. It was very cute to hear them talk. Hudson told Owen that he was sorry that he wasn’t home in the morning but that he had to go to school so that he could learn.  He then told Owen that after nap time they could play. 

The first day was a great success.  Unfortunately, that evening the boys got sick.  One by one they all started puking.  At one point I didn’t know who to help first.   It was a very long night as Matt had to sleep so he could go to work and I had to stay up with the kids.  Ethan was forced to miss his second day of school and he was heart-broken as he strives to have perfect attendance.  It was touch and go all day Wednesday.  One boy would feel better and the others would not.  At least they were mellow for one afternoon.  I can’t even remember how many loads of  laundry I had to do during that 24 hour period.  I was exhausted!  Everyone is on the mend now.  So far Matt and I have escaped the nasty stomach bug. All in all it as been a great week.  I am still working out a few kinks with our new schedule but I can already tell it is going to be a fun school year.