Sunday, September 29, 2013

A busy Summer...

I didn't consciously take a break from my blog.  I think life was moving so fast that I needed to just get on top of everything.  Things have not been bad, they have just been crazy.  When things get that way I like to step back in quiet reflection rather than try to condense and write about it.  There have just been a lot of little and big changes and I am still figuring digesting it all.


Than I realized a couple of nights that so many things have happened with the kids and I needed to catch up a little so today's blitz of blogs is my attempt in trying to catch up a little.  I have more to share like the twins 4th birthday but that will have to be another day b/c my hands are tired.

Little Girl Big Dreams!!!

Yesterday was such a special night for my little Rachel.  We have season tickets to the NMSU football games.  While NMSU is far from a stellar program in college football the games have always been fun. The kids love the band, and this year we sit in the first row in front of the cheerleaders.  Well Rachel made friends with one of the cutest on the field.

She plucked Rachel out first game and let her play with her pom pons.  This game she went a little better and during half time spent time with Rachel on the field.  It was a dream come true for my baby girl.  She got to feel like a real cheerleader.  She met the mascot and got to show everyone her gymnastic tricks. 



Now she wants to be a NMSU and later a Cowboy Cheerleader.  I guess Daddy will have to get used to the uniforms because despite the odds with CP and everything else my little girl is dreaming big.






My super hero!

I have been overprotective at times.  I think I should start an AA group: "Hi my name is Francisca and I am a helicopter mother."  Some of our house rules include chore charts, limited television, very limited gaming, etc.  Another rule was no violent play.  I came up with that rule because when I first married Chris I would see kids just really being violent as they play super heroes and I didn't like the spirit it brought.  There were often hurt feelings and a few bruises by the end of the games.


I guess you could say I did cave a little.  At the start of the school year I got Harmon his first super hero toy.  I thought it out carefully and it is Captain America.  He is my type of hero.  Only violent when defending freedom, good looking, and quite a gentleman.  Harm loves his toy and now for Halloween he has asked me to be Captain America.


I am happy about it.  He understands we don't play "I kill you" games and he is having so much fun.  We have now added Angry Birds StarWars and the rest of the Avengers.  While the twins decided to stay with lady bug and dinosaurs for Halloween I enjoy all my new little heroes!


I have a Kindergartener????

The first day of school in many ways came and went and I didn't really notice it was different.  What smacked me in the face was seeing many of my friends post pictures of their kindergartners starting school.  It hit me, I do too.


I'm very grateful because right now Harm attends College Heights again with his twin siblings.  They all are together and doing great.  Harm has been in both DD-Pre and than College Heights for a while and this is his fourth school year.  It feels routine almost but it isn't.  It is a major milestone for my baby boy.  He is growing up and so are my twins.  My biggest consolation is that they are growing into beautiful, smart and cute individuals.  I love them each so much and as they learn and grow I fall in love with each of them every day.


I don't know what the future holds.  Our state doesn't have the best track record for education but both Rachey and Harm have attended public DD-Pre and they did great.  We keep going back and forth about relocating to Albuquerque or El Paso but for now I'm really glad we are staying for the time being and they all 3 get to be together for another school year.



 Harm's First day of Kinder (Age 5)

 Rachey's first day of Pre-K 4-5  (age almost 4)

Cally's first day of Pre-K 4-5  (age almost 4)

Stepping back and dancing forward...

This has been a school year with many transitions for my baby girl.  The biggest of the transitions has been us choosing to step back from private occupational therapy and private physical therapy.  Instead we have chosen to focus on her dance and gym during and allow the schools to lead the OT and PT in the classroom environment.

It has been a really intense year for us as we transition from Early Intervention to private services.  We worked with the Esperanza clinic and the staff there has been amazing and awesome.  Rachel has just busted every goal they give her.  She is skipping and hopping and so forth.  I feel like we have gotten where she needs to be and now it is more about quality of movement than it is about just learning different age appropriate movements.


We still do have some concerns for her but I feel like we have a team set up at Mesilla Elementary in her DD-Pre program that is addressing those concerns.  She is still recieving private OT and PT at school and receiving class help at both College Heights and Mesilla.  I've never had such a painless IEP.  Everyone is on top of everything.

So instead of hours each week in a small clinic Rachel is spending the time in classes of her peers dancing tap, jazz, ballet, and doing gymnastics.  She is super duper happy and I feel happy for her that at this point she is where she needs to be.

My Picasso's

Aging is a bittersweet process.  I still miss my little babies but I am really just enjoying the little people they are becoming.  One of my biggest surprises in the past year has been homemade art from Harmon and Rachey.

It started when we moved to the new home.  I lost my office because there was one less room.  So my work desk is in the dining room.  Harmon loved to dig into my craft drawers and he just went off and running with crafts.  Miriam encouraged it by looking up ideas for crafts on the internet so I have been blessed with everything from puppet shows, door hangers, spider webs, and calendars.   Every day either at home or during school he will do something sweet for me.  

Rachel is similar.  Ever since she was an infant she just loved painting especially.  We have this beautiful little wall of her pictures from OT, DD-Pre, and home made crafts.  My favorite was this one picture she painted for me.  It is me as a princess with a castle.  Every room in my home has a few masterpieces from either Harm or Rach.  It reminds me of myself as a child.  I loved art and I still love creating art.  


Of course I have 3 little kids and one is missing.  At this point art Callum's calling.  Never say never, but for now it isn't his thing.  The other day I found a cute picture and asked Callum if he wanted to color it for me so he could have something on the wall.  He said sure and a little bit later he came back but the picture looked oddly familiar.  That is when I realized it looked identical to what Harm did on a similar piece.  Cally confessed he wanted me to have a picture but he hates coloring so he asked Harm to help.  It made me smile.  I love Callum for who he is.  He picks me flowers and sings me songs; he doesn't need to impress me with art.


It is always a boost if I'm having a long morning or a had a rough day to walk around my home and see the different art work.   Even my bathroom mirror is crowded with art work.  I love my two Picassos.


Gym Rings and soccer balls....

The never ending debate in our home has continued changed in a really super fun way.  It is teaching me to never say never.

This month Harm's beloved gym coach is taking a break so he can star in some local plays.  We miss Austin so much.  His new coach is David and Harm got placed in a sort of "master class" with identical twin boys.  They work in the main gym and now Harm is using the "big kid" stuff like center rings and sawhorse.  He is doing great and has gained quite a competitive spirit.  He is determined to "beat those twins".  I'm happy he likes David and is moving forward with something he loves.  

The surprise of the day was this year we assumed would be his last in soccer.  It has never clicked with him and I felt like it was a waste of time.  Well I was wrong.  This year he is dynamite on the field.  He is one hundred percent more driven than he has ever been.  Last year he scored two goals the whole season but this year he has already broken that record.


On the not so surprising note Callum is loving soccer.  In his little Bronx accent he will tell anyone who asks about how he steals the ball from the other kids and wins the game.  Three year old soccer is beautifully innocent and devoid of strategy.  I love it.


The funny thing for Callum has been gym.  David kidnapped him last week and worked with him in the small class.  He hated it.  He was scared of the big apparatus and missed the pretty girls but he stuck to it and now really wants to excel in gym.

Life is funny because when we think we have things figured out God surprises us.  As a mom I learn and I keep learning that as parents my job is to encourage my little ones to dream.  You can't ever think you have it figured out. You don't.  I'm grateful for my two boys who keep teaching me that lesson.  Even though doing sports and gym for both is exhausting I am happy they are learning and growing.

The biggest change...

This years school year didn't seem that new.  Harmon started kindergarten but is still at College Heights with his siblings.  The big change for us was that our Miriam after 4 years of working with our family as a nanny has now transitioned to an office job with our company.

For anyone who has ever visited my home they see the magic behind the curtain has always been Miriam.  People always ask me: how do you do it all and to be honest with out Miriam I'm doing it all but not as well :p.  The kids are in school for the most part all day and I'm grateful that the school has been so understanding when I'm 45 minutes late occasionally ori call and ask them if they can stay late because I'm not quite in Las Cruces yet.

The hardest part has not been the dishes which I discovered don't watch themselves but the lovely spirit Miriam brought into our home.  She was not just a nanny, she was an aunt and a sister to each of us.  We always said when we hired her it would only be a temporary thing. She had just gotten her college degree and being a nanny wasn't what she had in mind but than she fell in love with the kids and we all fell in love with her. 

She has been a rock of love and unspoken support from the get go.  She has been there to help make serious decisions with me.  When we had the craniostenosis scare with Callum, Rachey's CP diagnoses, Harm's sensory integration, etc. she was always there.  There was nothing I don't trust Miriam with.  When I was in my accident it was her who created a sense of normalcy for the babies and after I got out helped me through the rehabilitation process.  

The feelings of love have been universal.  Miriam and I still have lunch about 3x a week.  We laughed over our different trials and support one another.  We keep sneaking the kids out of school one by one and it is always the highlight of our week.  She misses the kids and I but is doing just wonderfully in her new job.  It is nice since she works for our company the kids crash the office here and there.  We have so much love for her.  She is no longer her nanny but for me and the babies she will always be an auntie and a sister.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

A busy Summer...

I didn't consciously take a break from my blog.  I think life was moving so fast that I needed to just get on top of everything.  Things have not been bad, they have just been crazy.  When things get that way I like to step back in quiet reflection rather than try to condense and write about it.  There have just been a lot of little and big changes and I am still figuring digesting it all.


Than I realized a couple of nights that so many things have happened with the kids and I needed to catch up a little so today's blitz of blogs is my attempt in trying to catch up a little.  I have more to share like the twins 4th birthday but that will have to be another day b/c my hands are tired.

Little Girl Big Dreams!!!

Yesterday was such a special night for my little Rachel.  We have season tickets to the NMSU football games.  While NMSU is far from a stellar program in college football the games have always been fun. The kids love the band, and this year we sit in the first row in front of the cheerleaders.  Well Rachel made friends with one of the cutest on the field.

She plucked Rachel out first game and let her play with her pom pons.  This game she went a little better and during half time spent time with Rachel on the field.  It was a dream come true for my baby girl.  She got to feel like a real cheerleader.  She met the mascot and got to show everyone her gymnastic tricks. 



Now she wants to be a NMSU and later a Cowboy Cheerleader.  I guess Daddy will have to get used to the uniforms because despite the odds with CP and everything else my little girl is dreaming big.






My super hero!

I have been overprotective at times.  I think I should start an AA group: "Hi my name is Francisca and I am a helicopter mother."  Some of our house rules include chore charts, limited television, very limited gaming, etc.  Another rule was no violent play.  I came up with that rule because when I first married Chris I would see kids just really being violent as they play super heroes and I didn't like the spirit it brought.  There were often hurt feelings and a few bruises by the end of the games.


I guess you could say I did cave a little.  At the start of the school year I got Harmon his first super hero toy.  I thought it out carefully and it is Captain America.  He is my type of hero.  Only violent when defending freedom, good looking, and quite a gentleman.  Harm loves his toy and now for Halloween he has asked me to be Captain America.


I am happy about it.  He understands we don't play "I kill you" games and he is having so much fun.  We have now added Angry Birds StarWars and the rest of the Avengers.  While the twins decided to stay with lady bug and dinosaurs for Halloween I enjoy all my new little heroes!


I have a Kindergartener????

The first day of school in many ways came and went and I didn't really notice it was different.  What smacked me in the face was seeing many of my friends post pictures of their kindergartners starting school.  It hit me, I do too.


I'm very grateful because right now Harm attends College Heights again with his twin siblings.  They all are together and doing great.  Harm has been in both DD-Pre and than College Heights for a while and this is his fourth school year.  It feels routine almost but it isn't.  It is a major milestone for my baby boy.  He is growing up and so are my twins.  My biggest consolation is that they are growing into beautiful, smart and cute individuals.  I love them each so much and as they learn and grow I fall in love with each of them every day.


I don't know what the future holds.  Our state doesn't have the best track record for education but both Rachey and Harm have attended public DD-Pre and they did great.  We keep going back and forth about relocating to Albuquerque or El Paso but for now I'm really glad we are staying for the time being and they all 3 get to be together for another school year.



 Harm's First day of Kinder (Age 5)

 Rachey's first day of Pre-K 4-5  (age almost 4)

Cally's first day of Pre-K 4-5  (age almost 4)

Stepping back and dancing forward...

This has been a school year with many transitions for my baby girl.  The biggest of the transitions has been us choosing to step back from private occupational therapy and private physical therapy.  Instead we have chosen to focus on her dance and gym during and allow the schools to lead the OT and PT in the classroom environment.

It has been a really intense year for us as we transition from Early Intervention to private services.  We worked with the Esperanza clinic and the staff there has been amazing and awesome.  Rachel has just busted every goal they give her.  She is skipping and hopping and so forth.  I feel like we have gotten where she needs to be and now it is more about quality of movement than it is about just learning different age appropriate movements.


We still do have some concerns for her but I feel like we have a team set up at Mesilla Elementary in her DD-Pre program that is addressing those concerns.  She is still recieving private OT and PT at school and receiving class help at both College Heights and Mesilla.  I've never had such a painless IEP.  Everyone is on top of everything.

So instead of hours each week in a small clinic Rachel is spending the time in classes of her peers dancing tap, jazz, ballet, and doing gymnastics.  She is super duper happy and I feel happy for her that at this point she is where she needs to be.

My Picasso's

Aging is a bittersweet process.  I still miss my little babies but I am really just enjoying the little people they are becoming.  One of my biggest surprises in the past year has been homemade art from Harmon and Rachey.

It started when we moved to the new home.  I lost my office because there was one less room.  So my work desk is in the dining room.  Harmon loved to dig into my craft drawers and he just went off and running with crafts.  Miriam encouraged it by looking up ideas for crafts on the internet so I have been blessed with everything from puppet shows, door hangers, spider webs, and calendars.   Every day either at home or during school he will do something sweet for me.  

Rachel is similar.  Ever since she was an infant she just loved painting especially.  We have this beautiful little wall of her pictures from OT, DD-Pre, and home made crafts.  My favorite was this one picture she painted for me.  It is me as a princess with a castle.  Every room in my home has a few masterpieces from either Harm or Rach.  It reminds me of myself as a child.  I loved art and I still love creating art.  


Of course I have 3 little kids and one is missing.  At this point art Callum's calling.  Never say never, but for now it isn't his thing.  The other day I found a cute picture and asked Callum if he wanted to color it for me so he could have something on the wall.  He said sure and a little bit later he came back but the picture looked oddly familiar.  That is when I realized it looked identical to what Harm did on a similar piece.  Cally confessed he wanted me to have a picture but he hates coloring so he asked Harm to help.  It made me smile.  I love Callum for who he is.  He picks me flowers and sings me songs; he doesn't need to impress me with art.


It is always a boost if I'm having a long morning or a had a rough day to walk around my home and see the different art work.   Even my bathroom mirror is crowded with art work.  I love my two Picassos.


Gym Rings and soccer balls....

The never ending debate in our home has continued changed in a really super fun way.  It is teaching me to never say never.

This month Harm's beloved gym coach is taking a break so he can star in some local plays.  We miss Austin so much.  His new coach is David and Harm got placed in a sort of "master class" with identical twin boys.  They work in the main gym and now Harm is using the "big kid" stuff like center rings and sawhorse.  He is doing great and has gained quite a competitive spirit.  He is determined to "beat those twins".  I'm happy he likes David and is moving forward with something he loves.  

The surprise of the day was this year we assumed would be his last in soccer.  It has never clicked with him and I felt like it was a waste of time.  Well I was wrong.  This year he is dynamite on the field.  He is one hundred percent more driven than he has ever been.  Last year he scored two goals the whole season but this year he has already broken that record.


On the not so surprising note Callum is loving soccer.  In his little Bronx accent he will tell anyone who asks about how he steals the ball from the other kids and wins the game.  Three year old soccer is beautifully innocent and devoid of strategy.  I love it.


The funny thing for Callum has been gym.  David kidnapped him last week and worked with him in the small class.  He hated it.  He was scared of the big apparatus and missed the pretty girls but he stuck to it and now really wants to excel in gym.

Life is funny because when we think we have things figured out God surprises us.  As a mom I learn and I keep learning that as parents my job is to encourage my little ones to dream.  You can't ever think you have it figured out. You don't.  I'm grateful for my two boys who keep teaching me that lesson.  Even though doing sports and gym for both is exhausting I am happy they are learning and growing.

The biggest change...

This years school year didn't seem that new.  Harmon started kindergarten but is still at College Heights with his siblings.  The big change for us was that our Miriam after 4 years of working with our family as a nanny has now transitioned to an office job with our company.

For anyone who has ever visited my home they see the magic behind the curtain has always been Miriam.  People always ask me: how do you do it all and to be honest with out Miriam I'm doing it all but not as well :p.  The kids are in school for the most part all day and I'm grateful that the school has been so understanding when I'm 45 minutes late occasionally ori call and ask them if they can stay late because I'm not quite in Las Cruces yet.

The hardest part has not been the dishes which I discovered don't watch themselves but the lovely spirit Miriam brought into our home.  She was not just a nanny, she was an aunt and a sister to each of us.  We always said when we hired her it would only be a temporary thing. She had just gotten her college degree and being a nanny wasn't what she had in mind but than she fell in love with the kids and we all fell in love with her. 

She has been a rock of love and unspoken support from the get go.  She has been there to help make serious decisions with me.  When we had the craniostenosis scare with Callum, Rachey's CP diagnoses, Harm's sensory integration, etc. she was always there.  There was nothing I don't trust Miriam with.  When I was in my accident it was her who created a sense of normalcy for the babies and after I got out helped me through the rehabilitation process.  

The feelings of love have been universal.  Miriam and I still have lunch about 3x a week.  We laughed over our different trials and support one another.  We keep sneaking the kids out of school one by one and it is always the highlight of our week.  She misses the kids and I but is doing just wonderfully in her new job.  It is nice since she works for our company the kids crash the office here and there.  We have so much love for her.  She is no longer her nanny but for me and the babies she will always be an auntie and a sister.