Madeline's 8th Birthday

Madeline turned 8 on the 15th of January. Going with our low-key birthday theme, we just had a small get-together with a few friends. They met together for about an hour to have some pizza, some cake, and a lot of giggles.

Maddy and Eva supplied the decorations. As you can see, it was a "snail" themed party. Frogs and worms were also thrown in for good measure. Madeline wanted a snail cake. I was devoid of cake inspiration until my friend suggested I utilize her igloo cake pan...which was genius. I added a cupcake to the igloo entrance for the head, and a snail was born. The girls helped to frost most of it. You can tell it was made with loads of love.

Time for the wishes and the candle extinguishing. Can you believe she is 8? I panicked when I realized that she is half-way to 16.
While we dined on cake, Marc took some time to tell her friends about Madeline's birth story.

After cake, our friends soon left, and we were off to the subway. This was the moment Madeline was waiting for. We gave her an envelope earlier in the day that she was instructed not to open until we were on the subway as a family. The envelope contained a clue as to what birthday activity our family would be headed off to. So, when we finally boarded the subway, she eagerly opened the letter and found...............circus tickets!

It was a first-time circus experience for the children.

Eva and Madeline enjoyed all of the nutritious refreshments. Owen didn't want anything to do with the big ball of sugary fuzz.

Here are a few circus pictures. Eva's favorite was the man who rode two horses at once (by standing on them!). Madeline loved the acrobats. Owen loved the human hamster wheel show.

Happy birthday Madeline! We love you!

Do-It-Yourself

This past week I was in the middle of placing a FreshDirect order when the girls stormed into my room.

"What are we going to eat for dinner?!!"

I am not to be disturbed during my online grocery shopping experience. I am focused, going through my weekly quasi-menu in my mind, trying to evaluate just how much over-priced food we will need delivered.

It was 5:30 p.m, and dinner preparation had yet to begin. The natives were restless and hungry. I scanned my computer files for something quick and easy.

I pressed print, and handed over a fresh copy of a new buttermilk waffle recipe to my 8-year-old. Yes, I must confess, we eat breakfast for dinner; especially on nights when I know Marc will be MIA.

Lately, I have been turning over my dinner recipes to the girls for some prep-time help. They search through the cupboards for all of the ingredients needed, so when I finally make it into the kitchen everything is on the counter ready to be measured. Madeline has even started helping me wash and chop some items, which I absolutely love.

After I handed over the recipe, the girls scurried off to the kitchen to begin their nightly hunt for ingredients.

I took a little longer on my grocery order than I should have, and then ended up answering a few emails. Before I knew it, 20 minutes had passed, and the kitchen had fallen silent. I realized that I needed to investigate.

"Girls, are you finished getting out all the ingredients for me?"

"SURPRISE!!!" came their reply as I rounded the corner and entered the kitchen.

I found Eva and Madeline perched on the counter top, hovering over a bowl filled with their very own creation.

"Mom! Mom! We made it ourselves!! We got all of the ingredients out, then we put all of the stuff together, and made this all by ourselves!!!"

-"Oh, WOW....really?" I was excited and worried all at once.

I looked around me. Baking soda, baking powder, egg shells, buttermilk, flour, salt, butter wrappers, and measuring spoons/cups littered the counter top. It seemed that all of the essential ingredients had indeed made it into the mixing bowl.

-"Did you follow the instructions?"

"What?!"

-"The part that tells you how to put the ingredients in the bowl."

"Ummmm...." Ok, I had my answer.

Oh well, no time to criticize the cooks, we needed to celebrate this initiative!!

So we fried some bacon, whipped some cream, warmed some syrup, heated the waffle iron, lit some candles, and hoped for the best.

The waffles were absolutely delicious. Not a shell in the batch. This may be our new Sunday dinner. I can take a nap while the girls concoct their signature waffles :). Did I mention how awesome it is to have a 6 and 8-year-old in the house? May they never grow up.

The Nutcracker

I have been anxious to see the New York City Ballet perform the Nutcracker for the past three years. So, you can imagine my delight when the girls received tickets to Balenchine's Nutcracker from Santa in their stockings. Obviously, the girls would need some chaperones to this event....and Marc and I were happy to oblige :).

Owen stayed with a babysitter. I wasn't sure of how he would respond. He has been able to make it through several Broadway productions- but those have dialogue and a lot of action. The ballet is different, and not exactly 3-year-old boy friendly.

The production was unexpectedly amazing. I mean, I knew it would be fantastic, but I was absolutely in awe of the set, the costumes, the choreography and the music. Even the concert hall which houses the production is breathtaking. I thoroughly enjoyed this special evening out with Marc and the girls. It will be remembered as one of my favorite outings of 2009.

Top two photos are obviously not mine.....they are taken from the nytimes

Christmas 2009

Our Christmas Eve celebration started off with a mid-afternoon visit to a beautiful cathedral on Manhattan's upper east side. Every year they have a Nativity program complete with donkeys, llamas, and sheep. The entire nativity is reenacted and sung by children of the congregation. It was unbelievably beautiful and well done, and the building acoustics were incredible.

After getting up to take Eva to the bathroom, I found one of these beauties parked in the corner, and had to get a shot. The baskets you see in the background, contained cute bell Christmas ornaments that they handed out to each of the children at the conclusion of the program. You don't want to know what the red bucket was used for.

To heighten the holiday experience, we let the kids take the bus on the way home. I am not a fan of buses here in NYC- I will take a subway over a bus any day. I feel the drivers (and the riders) of the buses are an especially grumpy group NYC'ers that I try to avoid. Plus, most of the time I find myself out-walking the bus as it stops frequently for passengers and for traffic. But, that is another post entirely....the point is that we got into the holiday spirit and granted a MTA Christmas wish by letting the munchkins ride their beloved bus- and they even managed to find three seats in a row in the back of the bus during rush hour, which is truly a Christmas miracle.

When we arrived home, the kids unwrapped their Christmas PJ's from grandma and grandpa, and we read, "T'was the Night Before Christmas." Eggnog was served, which is a Call tradition. I have determined that Call blood must run thick in Owen's veins....he is my only child that enjoys a good cup of nog. Maddy and Eva are always finished after a few sips. We put out our cookies for Santa, Madeline drew Mr. Claus a picture, and we called it a night. The girls and Owen went to bed with loads of excitement in their little bodies for what the morning would bring.

The morning came early........and as you can see, Owen slept well. Here are some images from our day:

Making a masterpiece with new marker set from Santa. Also in the background: a new Walkie Talkie.....that was definitely the highlight present of the day for Eva.
"I got vegetables from Santa??"

Someone was very excited about a her new fleece blanket from Gma and Gpa.

Taking a spin in his new "El Toro" bike. He thinks it is a Spider Man bike- I guess because it is red? Don't tell him the truth.
Saying "thank you" for gifts, and wishing Merry Christmas.

Taekwondo

The girls started taking Taekwondo lessons this past September. After the first lesson, it immediately became the absolute highlight of their week. Their class is a homeschool group that meets during the day, which makes my life a lot easier. I don't enjoy traveling in the crowded subways during rush hour, and most Taekwondo studios here in NYC only had after-school classes available- so this class really is perfect for us. They have a phenomenal teacher, and it has been fun to watch them gain confidence, develop more discipline, learn some self-defense moves, and acquire nunchuck skills. Ok, I kid about the nunchucks (for now).

In December, they had their first advancement test. They were required to perform various kicks, punches, and stances. They also sparred with one another.

Maddy looks nervous in this picture because she is. She was up next to break a board. The boys ahead of her in line are proudly holding their broken boards. No pressure! In class, they practiced on break-away boards....but never the real thing....so this was a little scary.


She did it! You can't really tell from this shot, but this is the kick where she broke her first board. Woot! This girl is tough, don't let the pony tails fool you.

Eva didn't break a board at the advancement test, but she tried pretty darn hard. She did, however, split the break-away practice board (for the 2nd time) and she was pretty happy with that. I don't think she has enough mass in her tiny body to board break yet. She needs a few extra pounds on her.

Both Maddy and Eva advanced up to a Yellow stripe. They were quite excited about this new yellow tag on their belts.


These three girls have a lot of fun in Taekwondo. I love Eva in this one.

Thanksgiving

In previous years, we have enjoyed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade from afar. Our parade tradition has involved heading to the Upper West Side to see the giant parade balloons inflated the night before Thanksgiving. Then, Thanksgiving morning we would sleep in and watch these same balloons march down Central Park West/Broadway from the comfy perch of our couch. In the past it has always been too early, too crowded and too cold to get up to make it to the actual parade. In my opinion, the parade was akin to being in Times Square on New Year's Eve. I am convinced that some things really are better experienced from your living room.....

But, in 2009 we shook things up a bit. Some good friends encouraged us to actually see the parade in person. They provided us with their parade 411 and promised to brave the cold and crowds with us, so we decided to give it a try.

As you can see, Owen was absolutely mesmerized by the parade action. Ok, so this picture was taken before the parade started :). The children and I met up with Marc at around 7:45 on Central Park West. We were grateful for the existence of iphones during that 1 hour+ wait. Marc left the house at 5:00 am to save us a spot.

We had great seats. We were right up against the crowd barricade. It would have been impossible to have been any closer. Go dad! Our friends provided us with yummy hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls- which made the wait seem much more bearable.

Hooray! The parade had finally begun! At around 9 AM the parade started. The first big balloon was Spider Man. Owen is typically a fan of Spider Man. Not that he has seen any of the movies or cartoons or whatever it is that makes "Spider Man" popular with little boys.....he just saw several boys dressed up as this super hero last Halloween, and became an instant fan.

So, you can imagine his delight when he spotted Spider Man slowly creeping down the street toward him. "A Spider Man balloon mom! A Spider Man one!!" However, as the balloon drew near, his excitement transformed into total terror. By the time Mr. Spidey was directly above us, Owen was experiencing a full blown panic attack in Marc's arms. He wasn't ok until the balloon had fully paraded by and was completely out of sight. Luckily, for the remainder of the parade he managed to remain relaxed and enthused- I guess Dora the Explorer and Kermit the Frog are less menacing.

Eva and Madeline were in total parade heaven. They loved the clowns, the marching bands, the confetti, the huge balloons, and the fancy Santa Claus float.

Will we do it again next year? We will see what the weather man tells us. There are limits to my parade love....like rain/snow and freezing temperatures. But, now that we know it isn't totally logistically impossible to enjoy the Macy's Day Parade, this may just end up a Chenn tradition.

Julie's Wedding

In November, I went on my very first trip by myself....no Owen, Maddy, Eva or Marc. My sister Julie was to be married the week of Thanksgiving, so I booked my solo flight and spent 5 days in UT with no parental obligations. I will not lie, it was absolute bliss. Of course, I missed my little ones and Marc, but it was so nice to have a break. I didn't know what to do with myself. Every flight I have taken in the last 8 years has been spent entertaining/restraining at least one baby or toddler. So, this was strange. But a good kind- knowing I would be back with my little critters in less than a week. This was also Marc's first time alone with the kids for five days. I can't say he experienced the same feelings of bliss, but he did a great job holding down the fort in my absence. I arrived back home the night before Thanksgiving, just in time to churn out some pies to express how thankful I was for his efforts :).

Julie was married in the Provo Temple. That was a nice surprise. I love only having to drive 15 minutes to get to a temple wedding. She looked beautiful (as always) and very happy with her Seth.

We took pictures on the grounds of the temple afterward. I haven't seen any of the pictures (that is a nudge, Julie:) otherwise I would post them. We experienced unbelievably frigid weather that morning. Here, Cindy and I are huddled to conserve body heat. I am cold just thinking about that day.
Afterward, was the wedding luncheon. I got to sit at a table with my sisters (and Brady!) it was fun to catch up.

This little guy made me miss Owen....badly. My sister Doreen brought along her baby Mason when she flew out for the wedding. He is such a cutie.

Julie's wedding reception was at the Art City Museum (of course!). You are not officially a "Call" until you have your reception here :). My sister-in-law, Deborah, impressed us all again with her cake-making skills. This was her second attempt at a wedding cake, and she did fantastically, once again. I have no picture of the food, but it was catered by my brother-in-law, Brady, and it was delicious. Doreen was the mastermind behind all of the flowers at the wedding, and made everything look fantastic. My parents have officially reached a point in life where they can turn over virtually all of their weddings responsibilities to their children. I guess that is a perk of having 12!

Here is an outtake of our attempt to get a family picture before the reception started. Our whole family was able to make it to the wedding, with the exception of Tim (who is in Brazil on a mission) and Sherie (who was too pregnant to fly). Both were missed!