Happy 7th Birthday McKenna

It's always hard to believe that another birthday is upon us. I vividly remember planning McKenna's first birthday party. An Elmo themed bash complete with Elmo himself.

Unfortunately (we maybe not) we've moved on from Elmo. This year's party theme - Cake Boss!

Luckily, we were able to call on our family pastry chef, Nicole, to help us out with this one.

I've left out lots of pictures of the other 4 other girls because I don't have permission to post them on-line. But suffice to say that between 5 girls and Cooper there was enough powdered sugar, fondant and icing to have everyone operating on a sugar high for weeks!

The girls did a great job of cutting shapes, letters and other decorations out of their colored fondant. And they even managed the pastry bags filled with colored icing. I had visions of bright yellow icing splattered on my ceiling but luckily that didn't happen.

McKenna was so pleased with her cake and I think she did a great job too! It was definitely a party to remember.

I Miss My Blog

Contrary to popular belief, we have not vanished off the face of the earth. I also have not given up blogging as I'm sure some people are beginning to think. The truth is that our very, very old computer is currently beyond repair. A new computer is in the works but between our trip to Disney, Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping and McKenna's birthday I just haven't had time to order it yet.
So, stay tuned - I promise that I'll be back because quite honestly we've had a lot going on that I'm excited to share.
Here's a few quick pictures from Disney to tide you over until we're officially back!

The Most Magical Place On Earth

Disney's Very Merry Christmas Parade

November 2010

It claims to be the most magical place on earth and we won't argue. Our latest trip to Disney in mid November held up to all the hype. I'm sure I've said it before, but I'll risk it and say again that Disney at Christmas is amazing.

We say that every trip to Disney is different. And this year our biggest treat was the fact that no one was afraid of the characters. It was so nice to have the kids willingly pose with the characters and it made for some great pictures. Lotso Huggin' Bear turned out to be a pretty nice guy and he smelled like strawberries.

We also had the chance to spend the week with Mimi and Pappy. It was fun to have them along. It was fun to be able to experience Disney with my kids and my parents.

Pirate "Mark Blackhawk"

On our first day at Magic Kingdom we headed to the Pirates League where they quickly recruited Cooper and transformed him into "Mark Blackhawk". Cooper was not sure that he wanted to be a pirate at first but an hour later it looks like he fits the part pretty well. We thought he looked adorable but we were not prepared for other people to think he was adorable, too. We were astounded at the number of people who stopped us and asked if they could have their picture taken with Cooper. Ordinarily I would have thought that was slightly creepy but considering the fact that this kid looks nothing like our son, I figured why not.

With our pirate by our side we headed for McKenna's princess experience. This year she chose to dress up like Tiana from the Princess and the Frog. I think you can tell by her expression that she enjoyed her time at the Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique.

Seeking out our favorite Toy Story characters was high on our list of priorities this year.



And what trip to Disney would be complete without a picture with Minnie and Mickey. This picture was taken on our last day at Magic Kingdom. Cooper was not thrilled at all to be waiting in yet another line...especially when he had no idea what we were waiting for. We kept telling him that we had a big surprise. But more than once Earl suggested that we bag the whole thing and head back to the hotel. There was no way I was giving in though....

Cooper and Minnie sharing a smooch

Because I would have missed this!

Our trip seemed to be over way too soon as always seems to be the case. But we like to say, "Don't be sad because it's over, be glad that it happened."

Halloween 2010

Happy Halloween everyone! Our Socerress and Army Man were out and about trick or treating tonight. As always, the neighborhood was packed with kids. McKenna and Cooper had a blast running from house to house at first. Eventually Cooper wanted to be carried. Luckily Earl and Shane were along to help out with that!

The grown ups mostly stood out toward the driveways and let the kids go to the door by themselves. At one point Cooper came running up to us and said, "I forgot to say thank you," then turned and ran back to the house where he quickly explained to the elderly lady that he forgot to say thank you. I don't think she really understood his three year old vocabulary and explanation but he was happy and so were we!
McKenna enjoyed herself so much. She didn't run from house to house like many of the other kids but instead took her time and took in the whole experience. She did a great job helping to keep track of Cooper too! She's definitely my helper most days.

It's been a busy week since Earl and I were out of town until late this past Monday night. Then we turned around this weekend and headed to the Penn State game. Needless to say we are T.I.R.E.D today. I love those 8pm PSU games but it sure makes it tough to get to bed at a decent time. So, I think it's safe to say that we're all looking forward to a more relaxed week...if one should ever come our way. This week we have dentist appointments, doctor appointments, parent/teacher conferences and packing for Disney! It sounds like I better get to work!

What to Do With All Those Pumpkins?

Our trip to the pumpkin patch left the Richard and Mowry families with a total of 9 pumpkins. What in the world does one do with 9 pumpkins?
Carve them of course! And, since we picked them as a family we decided we might as well carve them as a family also! Luckily we had a perfect Sunday afternoon that was warm and sunny enough for us to make our pumpkin mess in the driveway.

There were scary faces and funny faces; pumpkins with fangs and some with hair. It was a nice afternoon spent together celebrating fall.

R.B. Winter State Park

I don't know about anyone else but our lives have been pretty noisy lately. With extracurricular activities, school, work, and the general day to day we were all feeling a little cranky.
So, when the forecast called for a beautiful, sunny Saturday we packed up and ran for the hills...literally. Well, maybe more like the mountains of R.B. Winter State Park. The weather was a little chilly but the leaves were as gorgeous as we had anticipated. But most of all it was q.u.i.e.t.
We spent a little time letting the kids play on the beach and the playground before heading up the mountain.

I'll be honest, we drove to the top - but once there we decided we were up for a hike. You all know that I love having babies around and I sometimes hate the fact that my kids are getting bigger and more independent. But somewhere along this trail it finally hit me that there are still great things to come. The kids both walked the 1/2 hour it took us to travel through the woods to our destination. And we were all a little tired on the 1/2 hike back to the car.

He was in awe of how loud it was when the wind picked up and the trees were swaying. And McKenna was quick to point out acorns and berries and move any fallen twigs off of our path. I spent the time soaking in the fresh air and loving every single minute spent up there with my family. I will be honest when I say that I didn't think we would enjoy ourselves so much.

We ended the morning with a picnic lunch by the dam discussing why the park is called R.B. Winter and watching other families enjoy the beach. Then headed home with tired feet and big smiles.

Pumpkin Patch 2010

Every year since McKenna was 10 months old, we take a trip to the pumpkin patch. It's been a fun tradition that we have enjoyed with numerous friends over the years but sadly never with family. On a whim I made a few phone calls and managed to gather my mom, Kyle and Cady, Shane, and Tighe at Ard's for Saturday morning pumpkin pickin'.

Don't they look like they're having a conversation?

He definitely has something to say. I think I'll make him the mascot for our next handwashing campaing.

Lots to choose from.

Kyle and Cady

Apologies to my mom and Shane, but all the pictures I had of them were with their eyes closed. Guess we'll just have to go back!

Thanks everyone for a fun morning and great memories. We loved hanging out with you!

Odd Woman Out

On Sunday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending a birthday tea for one of McKenna's friends. McKenna was ecstatic and I was admittedly excited to get out of the house for the afternoon and be around some other moms. Granted, I didn't know any of them but I figured, "What the heck."

The initial introductions flew by and soon the little girls were seated in one room having their tea while the moms gathered in the kitchen around their own plate of goodies. I was the odd (wo)man out almost immediately as the other women poured cups of coffee while I opted for tea. I mean, it was a TEA party after all, right? Anyway, things continued to go downhill from there. I found myself seated around the kitchen table with a poetry professor, a woman who spent her "pre-baby" days on Broadway and an Indonesian music professor. Oh.My.God. Before I knew it I was immersed in conversations about college days at Princeton and Columbia, performances at lavish homes in the Hamptons, years spent living in Barbados, FedEx deliveries of foreign foods I've never heard of. All I could think was that McKenna was going to have to make new friends because there was no way I could keep up with this. Let's face it, if you can't find the ingredients for pot pie at Weis then it ain't worth making! At one point it did cross my mind that I could handle this crowd. I mean, I work with doctors every day! But somehow I think that when people come together in the name of saving a child nothing else really matters.

I sat quietly for awhile sipping my tea and nibbling my biscotti wondering what I could possibly offer to the conversation. And then suddenly something happened. The "pre-baby" talk was over and the parenting topics were suddenly on the table. All at once I felt the mood (at least my mood) shift and before I knew it we were all laughing. Laughing at the fact that no matter how many cute outfits are hanging in the closet our kids always want to wear the same thing - you know, the one with the big stain on it; commiserating over challenges with new teachers; exploring the popular choices for Halloween costumes and the fact that our parents never let us buy costumes when we were young; tricking our kids into taking a nap via the famous "snooze cruise". You get the picture.

And so, as it turns out, it doesn't really matter who we were in a previous life. Or whether you drink tea or coffee. When it comes right down to it, we all face the same challenges and go through much of the same "stuff" with our kids. Whether we go to work everyday and read poetry or play the piano or in my case, deal with blood and guts - we are not at all different. We are mom's. And that's one club I'm proud to be part of.

The Tube Fairy

We did a lot of swimming this summer. A LOT. And unfortunately, Cooper suffered from swimmers ear ALOT in spite of our best efforts to keep his ears dry. All those infections sent us back to the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor a few weeks ago. He determined that Cooper's tubes were actually out but sort of stuck to his ear drum. He sent us home with instructions to flush Cooper's ears with mineral oil for 10 days and then return to clinic.

Last week we returned to clinic - hopefully for the last time- to have the tubes removed. We were a bit nervous because we understood this might require some maneuvering. But we were willing to give it a try in the office before we opted for a more involved procedure. Cooper has always been great about going to the doctor and especially about getting his ears checked. He never fusses or puts up a fight. I was worried that today we would ruin all that. However, once again I worried needlessly. (Yes, I'm beginning to see the theme.)

It took about 3 minutes for the doctor to suction the tubes out of Cooper's ears. The mineral oil did the trick and Cooper never flinched. He was so brave - which in itself was almost enough to make me cry.

Before the doctor finished up he told Cooper that there was a "Tube Fairy". I wondered for a minute how in the world that was supposed to work. I mean, I have the whole fairy thing down but those tubes are pretty small. Soon the nurse handed me a cup containing the tubes. She said, take these home and wash them off. Then thread them onto a safety pin. The "Tube Fairy" can't miss them that way.

As you can see by the smile on this little boy's face - the "Tube Fairy" delivered in the way of 4 sparkling quarters found under his pillow.

And those ear tubes, we'll hopefully they're gone for good.

Show Hope

Some 25 years ago my brother, Shane, was a three month old baby making his way from an orphange in Korea to his new home and family in the U.S. I was a second grader who couldn't wait to be a big sister and teach my brother how to play baseball. I'll never forget the first time I saw my brother or the fact that I was basically the first person to hold him. (Sorry Mom!)

Because of the circumstances of how Shane came into our lives and became my brother, adoption has always been close to my heart. And obviously, as a pediatric nurse and a mom, taking care of kids is my passion. This May I am blessed to have the opportunity to build on both of those experiences. I will be traveling to China with a medical group. We will spend 9 days at an orphanage performing surgeries for children waiting to be adopted.

I am excited and nervous and thrilled and scared all at the same time. This will be the first time I have left the kids for more than a few days. And obviously, I have never been across the world from them. But, I know that I must trust my faith and my heart and I must go. Earl has also been offered the opportunity to go on the trip as his expertise are an asset in the OR. And though we have complete support of our family and know they will take great care of McKenna and Cooper we are nervous to both be so far away. We would appreciate your prayers as we continue to contemplate this decision.

Our group will be working at Maria's Big House of Hope, an orphanage a few hours outside of Beijing, that was founded by Christian recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, MaryBeth. The orphanage is named for their daughter, Maria, who was adopted from China. Maria died tragically in an accident at the Chapman home 2 years ago. The Chapman's built the orphanage to provide medical care to kids waiting for their forever homes.

You will be hearing a lot more about my trip as the months draw closer. But for now, I have attached a short video with some highlights from the first trip that the medical team made in June. It is important to note that this summer was the first time surgeries were performed at Maria's - and just to brag a little - it was my friends who were there! Many of them are in the video.

Anyway, enjoy...more to come...

Trying...

If I had my child to raise all over again
I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less, and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
I'd build self-esteem first, and the new house later.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd teach less about the love of power,
and more about the power of love.
~Dianne Loomans~

Trying more and more every day to live by these words...

Status Quo

Our blog posts have sure been few and far between lately. That got me thinking this morning about why exactly I haven't been writing much. I finally came to the conclusion that there isn't necessarily much to blog about. And I think that's a good thing for right now.

We have quickly settled back into the school year routine. This year has proven much different so far. McKenna now happily sets her Hello Kitty alarm each night and on most mornings gets out of bed without any prompting. She has mastered getting herself dressed, brushing her hair and teeth and getting her shoes on by herself. Sometimes this occurs before I am even out of bed. And instead of dwelling on the fact that she no longer needs me for these things, I have decided to embrace this new phase !

First grade has been a welcome change for McKenna. She is excited every day to get to school. We don't hear moaning about how boring it is or how she has to do "stupid pre-school papers." However, we have already heard that she is "nervous about her math test." The next 11 years may be more painful that initially anticipated.
McKenna's current favorite part of first grade is the new class hamster, Goldie. The kids had to earn her and they did so quickly. They have used library and computer lab time to research types of hamsters, their diet, their habitat, etc. We are all (especially Cooper) counting the days until we get to meet Goldie in person at 1st grade open house.

Speaking of meeting people...we are also excited to meet McKenna's teacher, Mrs. Matukaitis. We have heard nothing but wonderful things about her from other people in the community. And, get this, she keeps a blog of sorts about what the kids are doing in school. How could you not love her?? Imagine my elation when she sent home the web address. Mrs. Matukaitis even called our house last night. Initially we were a bit panicked when her name showed up on our caller ID. But she didn't miss a beat before telling us that "nothing is wrong." Apparently she wanted to call and tell us that she enjoys having McKenna in class and to tell us a few funny stories from McKenna's first few weeks of first grade. For example, McKenna told the teacher that we were allowing her to get a hamster for at home. When the teacher asked when she was getting the little rodent (oop's did I say that) - McKenna replied, "When I'm 18." That's my girl! Good thing she didn't say something like, "When hell freezes over."
Mrs. Matukaitis also wanted to apologize about the fact that the class goldfish (who recently met with an untimely death) was named Cooper. I guess McKenna didn't speak up and let anyone know that was also her brother's name until the fish was on his way down the great toilet bowl.

And while we're on the subject of Cooper we should mention that he is doing well. His transition to the Ladybug room has been nothing but positive. He definitely was ready for the change and the challenge. We are noticing him growing by leaps and bounds just in the past few weeks. Cooper and I are also enjoying our time at home together by spending time reading and cooking and playing trains. Each day when we drop McKenna off he asks what we are doing for the day and then says, "And do you need a little buddy?" He's too sweet. And way, way too funny. Who could turn down a little buddy like that?

And so, life is good. We continue to feel blessed with our children, our jobs and our family and friends. We are lucky to be finding a bit of balance lately; a little time to remember to stay present in each moment. My hunch is that it will be short lived as we have a full calendar for the month of October which launches us right into a trip to Disney and then the holidays. Whew! I'm tired already. Just one more reason we are enjoying these recent low key days and savoring every single mundane minute.

Game Time

The only decision to come later than who the starting QB would be for Penn State was the Mowry's decision on whether or not to brave Beaver Stadium and 109,996 other people with our two kids. But on Saturday morning we packed up the car with McKenna, Cooper, a couple of DorDay's subs and a few dozen of David's Famous Cookies and headed to Happy Valley.

Uncle Shane found a great parking pass for us just two rows from the stadium and the entrance that the players use. It was fun to watch the kids as they were able to get a glimpse of Joe Pa up close. Cooper waved to all the players and then asked me if we were going to ride that bus. Umm...No. Sorry buddy but I don't think we're riding the players bus. Maybe in 15 years if you practice really hard and throw a football like your Pappy Richard. But definitely no bus ride today.

The tailgate party

My favorite fans

I might point out that our parking pass and tickets did not match! This is us...three rows underneath the scoreboard. I must admit that the view up there is amazing. You can see the entire field and it's not as crowded. But my hamstrings will never be the same after climbing 90+ stairs.

All in all we had a great day. The kids were amazingly well behaved and really were troopers. They cheered and chanted and did the wave...oh, and Cooper took a short nap. Apparently he thought Penn State had it in the bag at the start of the 3rd quarter. Or perhaps it was the thin air and climbing all those stairs. We're really not sure.

We are sure that this was just the beginning of what we hope will be many more Saturday's spent in State College enjoying football with our kids.

He's A Ladybug ?

Yes, that's correct. Cooper is now a Ladybug. Sounds strange for sure but he's so proud.

Today Cooper moved to a new class at school - fondly referred to as the "Ladybug Room". It's always been hard for me when the kids move to a new room. But this time I barely blinked. I guess that's what happens when you've been taking your kids to the same place for almost 5 years. Cooper made the transition so easily. I thought it would be tough for him to leave Miss Kymme and Ms. Beb. But I think that he was more than ready to move onto big kid things.

Every morning he asks if he's going to school and if he can be a Ladybug. It's almost as if he doesn't believe it's really true. And in an effort to promote a little more independence around here (especially in the mornings) I decided to let Cooper chose his own outfit. I thought he would pick from one of the 4 actual outfits that I had already assembled and layed out. Wrong. Let's just say that you're only seeing him from the chest up in this picture for a reason. I'm proud to say that I actually let him be seen in public in the outfit he picked all by himself. Plus, I figured anyone who saw him at school that day would just assume his father dressed him! Sorry Earl!

McKenna's Off to 1st Grade

The excitement in our house was almost palpable last night. It takes a lot to get McKenna excited. I mean really, really excited. But the anticipation of the first day of 1st grade was enough to do it. I think it's pretty evident by the smile on her face.

Yesterday she picked out her outfit, packed her bookbag and even helped to pack her lunch. And last night before bed she asked if I could set her alarm. Most definitely! She ended up waking up before the alarm went off but it was the thought! I remember last year how she sprang out of bed for the first few days and I was the one excited. I thought perhaps we had reached the point where she would get up and get herself ready in the mornings. Oh how wrong I was! Apparently this kind of activity is typical of most kids but only on the first few days of school. I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

What a big girl compared to last year!

And look, homework due the on the first day of school! I've almost perfected the "shoe box wrap" as we call it. Wrapping paper works the best along with a clear glue stick. You've got to be careful about how you cut and fold the corners though. I've vowed that sooner or later I'm going to make myself a template - then whenever Cooper must decorate a shoebox I'll be able to do it lickity split!

McKenna's shoebox was supposed to tell her new friends and teacher about her. She decorated the outside with stickers - camping, ice cream, dogs, butterflies, flowers- all things that she likes. Inside she put a pretend taco (her favorite food), a sea shell (because she likes to collect shells) and a picture of her family (I hope because she likes us!)

She was first in line at the bus stop this morning. A coveted place when there are nearly 20 kids. However, sadly she had to wait until near the end until her name and seat number were called : lucky number 13 this year!

Finally it was time to board the bus. Notice that she didn't give us a second glance!

I'm happy to report that there were no tears this year from me or McKenna. I can tell already that 1st grade is a good place to be for both of us!