Big News

To be honest, I'm not sure if this is still "news" to anybody. BUT...it is official now. Brendan has received his orders to return to active duty effective 15 September. Captain McShea is back in the saddle again! Brendan served in the army for 6 years after graduating from West Point in 2001. He decided it was time to get out and give the civilian world a try. We both needed to experience a life when we weren't tracking time by either how long it had been since the last deployment or how much longer it would be until the next. By the time Liam was 3 years old, Brendan had been deployed for exactly half of his little life. It was difficult, no question about it. So Brendan went to work for SAIC, as a civilian contractor, where he worked as the Missile Defense Agency's liaison to the army at Fort Bliss. But in the back of his mind, there was always the nagging feeling that he wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing. The military life is not for everyone, but it is for Brendan. I used to think it wasn't for me, either, but after being away from it for a while and gaining a fresh perspective, I am proud that in a few short weeks, I will be able to call myself an army wife again. And I am very proud of Brendan, who in these uncertain and trying times, is not thinking of his own comfort, but of serving others. It won't be easy, but I know that with God's grace to protect us, we'll be just fine. And if you're wondering, Liam is proud of his daddy, too. When Brendan asked him how he would feel if daddy was a soldier again, Liam didn't hesitate for a second. "Do it, Daddy!" He tells Brendan that he'll really miss him if he has to deploy, but that there are other kids in the world who need him to protect them, too. That's a pretty deep thought for a 5 year old, if you ask me!
So that's the news! He has to report no later than the 15th of September, but there is a chance he may start inprocessing by next week. He has already given his notice to SAIC and they have been very supportive and flexible in helping him make this transition.
And on a side note, for everyone in the universe who has ever told me that my kids are carbon copies of Brendan...could you look at the picture above of baby Brendan? Are you absolutely sure? I just don't think my babies ever really looked like that! Tell it to me straight, I can take it! LOL. ;)

Oops!

I swear, you turn your back for one second....

A quick funny...or two

Liam had a great day at school today. He talked about it all evening and turned in to bed at 7:00 p.m., looking forward to day #2. There are lots of little stories he had, but one really made me laugh. Mrs. Wicker was obviously trying to explain why the children had to take turns speaking and she had a clever story to convey her message. This was Liam's account:
"One day last year, 5 or 6 children started talking at the same time and Mrs. Wicker was like ***grabs head in agony and grimaces***. She had a splitting headache. So she had to go to the nurse and the nurse told her she had to go home to rest. So for the rest of the day, the class had a really mean substitute teacher!" You had to see the look of solemnity on Liam's face when he told this story. He clearly does NOT want a really mean substitute teacher, haha!
He also said that he doesn't have a girlfriend...yet...but he might by tomorrow. (There are 12 girls and only 7 boys in his class!)
And finally, I already had a proud mommy moment! When I picked Liam up this afternoon, Mrs. Wicker told me that Liam was so mature and dependable and that she could tell that he was going to be a great student. Yeah, yeah, maybe she says that to all the moms, but I couldn't help but smile. Because of course I already knew that, but I was glad she picked up on that so quickly. :)

First Day of Kindergarten!

Today's the day!! Kindergarten got off to a great start this morning. Amazingly, I managed not to cry. The atmosphere at the school was more exciting, so that helped to keep smiles on most of the kids (and parents) faces.

Liam had a little trouble sleeping last night. He woke up at 4:00 and never could really get back to sleep. At 5:00 he asked me to climb in bed with him and by 6:00 he wanted to get up and get ready. Last night, he did for the first time tell me that he was scared because he would be away from me for such a long time during the day. So this morning, when he got out of bed, the first thing he did was reach for his new little angel that I had given him and he put it right in his pocket. He had a cinnamon toast breakfast (his current favorite), and had time to watch part of a tv show before we started the walk to school. He was very pleased that Emma had a new dress in honor of his first day - navy blue with apples on it. He told me to make sure that when I came back to pick him up this afternoon that Emma would still be wearing her pretty new dress.

I took LOTS of pictures, so bear with me!! ;)

Liam's much-loved new shoes - Skecher Z-Straps! Of course he got them dusty within 5 minutes of putting them on, so my plan to take a picture of them "brand new" got thwarted. Oh well.

There was a sign where Liam's class was supposed to line up to wait for the teacher.

Brendan & I thought he was starting to look a little nervous? Either that or his back pack stuffed full with classroom supplies was starting to weigh him down.

The dual language teachers come out to pick up the kiddies. Mrs. Ramirez is telling all the kids to blow a big kiss to their parents. Mrs. Wicker is in the pink shirt right behind her. One little boy was crying and Mrs. Wicker was very good with him. She gently wiped away his tears and was encouraging. It made me feel at peace to see her compassionate side before my baby marched away into her classroom.


Mrs. Wicker checking to make sure everyone was in line.

There he goes in his red back pack!

The front of the school after all the kids were inside.

Emma and daddy. Is it just me, or does she look like she misses her brother already?!

Night before kindergarten

Well, I could sit here and type all the emotions that keep swirling through my mind tonight, but I'm really trying to save my tears for AFTER the drop-off tomorrow. So I thought I would just post some pictures of our evening tonight. Liam and I made a "First Day of School" cake together this afternoon. It turned out really yummy and he was excited to bake it with me.







Look who Brendan pulled out of the dryer!


Liam requested that Daddy read him his bedtime story tonight. Emma didn't want to be left out!


She wanted to see the Z-Strap comic book, too!


Liam and I have been preparing for tomorrow for a long time. For the past couple of years, we have talked a lot about how when Jesus had to leave his friends, He promised them that He would still always be with them. And Jesus will always be with Liam, too. I gave him this angel to keep in his pocket so if he needs courage, he can reach in and remember that Jesus is with him always. (In case you can't see the words, it says "I will never leave you." - Hebrews 13:5b.)

Liam's 1st annual "Eve of The First Day of School Interview"

Tomorrow is the big day. We visited Liam's school and met his teacher on Friday. I probably have more I could blog on that subject, but for now I am going to turn my attention to Liam's first annual "Eve of the First Day of School Interview!" Conducted at 10:00 a.m. 8/24/08....

Favorite Color: all dark colors, blue, green, & white
Favorite number: 10, no actually 100
Favorite drink: milk
Favorite TV show: Prehistoric Planet
Favorite Movie: Jurassic Park
Favorite Song: "Dinosaurs"
Favorite Food: Corn Dog
Favorite Snack: Goldfish
Favorite Sport: T-ball
Favorite Olympic Sport: Weight Lifting
Favorite toy: my dinosaurs and my woolly mammoth
Favorite activity: playing computer games on lego.com
Favorite Animal: dinosaurs, woolly mammoths, & other prehistoric stuff, giraffes, elephants, and blue whales
Favorite thing to do with Mommy: play
Favorite thing to do with Daddy: wrestle
Favorite thing to do with Emma: play on the ground
Favorite restaurant: the restaurant that has animals (aka Cattleman's Steakhouse)
Favorite place to go: New York City because it has the Natural History Museum
Favorite thing to do as a family: going to places that are fun, like the train ride in Alamogordo
Favorite thing to sleep with: my baby dinosaurs
Favorite book: my book that's really long and is about dinosaurs & my Z-strap comic book
What I want to be when I grow up: Paleontologist
Favorite Dinosaur: Seismosauraus, T-Rex, Allosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and other long necks
Favorite thing about being a big brother: playing with my sister and trying to make her laugh
Least favorite thing about being a big brother: having to leave the Diablos game early and missing the fireworks because it was past Emma's bedtime
What I'm looking forward to most about school: going to the cafeteria & seeing my friends
What I'm not looking forward to about school: nothing
Favorite thing about the past year: Emma

This one's for you, Carsten!

Great minds must think alike, because Emma and her Tennessee counterpart (and would-be friend, if they had ever met), Carsten, have been up to the same shenanigans lately! (Check out my dear friend Troy's blog, "8 hands 2 hold"...the link is on the top right of this page). I was emptying the dishwasher this morning when I turned around for a second and Emma wasted no time in climbing right up and making herself comfy. I took her down, and she climbed right back up again. I think she just wanted to help! Hopefully her fascination with the dishwasher lasts into her pre-teen years when she can really help...hmmm...I'm not holding my breath on that one.



And on another note - we just wanted to put a shout out to my brother, Frank, who just landed a teaching job - CONGRATULATIONS!! He's officially a high school MATH teacher...woooooooo hooooooo!!!

Emma's birthday party

We had Emma's first birthday party tonight. It was stressful getting the house ready, but once it started, we all had a really nice time. My friend, Michelle, made a beautiful cake for Emma. Of course we took lots of pictures! (was there any doubt? ;) )

Here is Jenny, the face painter, painting Emma's cheek with a little flower. Emma is still suffering from PTSD after her shots earlier this week, so she was very suspicious of what was going on! Jenny also made balloon animals (and swords, oh boy) for all the kids. She was amazing. Have you ever looked at a balloon animal and thought "wow, that's a great scorpion" because you could tell that's exactly what it was supposed to be without anyone telling you? Yes, that's how good she was!



My friends. Michelle, Sara, Hanne, (baby Sarah), and Des.

More friends. Amber, Jill, and Piper.

Cake time!

Present time!

In case you can't read the onesie, it says "If you 'heart' your freedom, THANK MY DAD." (Thanks, Sara!)

And finally, my masterpiece hahaha...Pin the Bee on the Flower. Brendan actually did most of this. I think we need some art classes, lol.

Getting ready for Kindergarten!

Kindergarten starts one week from Monday...GULP! Back in good old Cornwall, NY, we always got letters in the mail telling us who our teachers were for the coming school year sometime during the summer, but I guess things are different in El Paso. (A lot of things are different in El Paso!) So I called the school today to find out about Kindergarten orientation, as well as to see if Liam had gotten placed in the dual language program, which he had. When I told him he was going to learn to speak spanish at school, he started giggling and was really excited. His teacher's name is Mrs. Wicker and his classroom is room 104! Orientation is next Friday at 1:00 and he'll get to meet Mrs. Wicker and see his classroom. I'm glad I called today because this kindergarten thing is finally starting to feel real. It's exciting but really bittersweet. When I told Liam his teacher was going to be Mrs. Wicker, he giggled (again) and said "That sounds like wicked!" I told him he better not say that to her or he'll end up in the principal's office. 5 minutes later he was outside playing with Tinky and I heard him singing "That's so wicked!" Oh brother.
I found this link on the internet:
http://webaccess.episd.org/lv/159/hp.nsf/4109131d7b02105e80256ab7004eac1a/edf5d5147fa839ec87256cf4005bd14d?OpenDocument
Now I just have to go pick up the supply list at the school and get his crayons, etc., etc. I am hopeful that this is going to be a good experience for Liam. People keep telling me how great Polk is and that they wish their kids were there. I feel like I was really lucky to grow up in a good school district, so I am anxious to see how this compares.

Growing fast

Emma had her 1 year check up (and shots) today. She did really well and only cried for a few seconds! What a brave little girl I have. She weighed in at 20 pounds, 5 ounces. She's come such a long way in one short year! A glimpse back:

Birth: 6 lbs, 14 ounces, 19 1/2 in.
2 weeks: 7 lbs, 10 ounces, 21 1/2 in. (I'm thinking someone measured wrong because 2 inches in 2 weeks?!)

2 months: 11 lbs, 2 ounces, 23 1/2 in.

4 months: 14 lbs, 2 ounces, 25 1/2 in.

9 months: 18 lbs, 6 ounces, 27 3/4 in.

12 months: 20 lbs., 5 ounces, 30 in.

Here's my sweet little Emma on the beach last September. She was about 6 weeks old! I knew the first year would go by fast, but I still can't believe it's already over. Next on the docket: walking! (Not yet, but soon, I think!)

Yaya Papaya

A few months ago, Emma was lucky enough to be a Tutu model for a brand new business called Yaya Papaya. I can't say enough about the cuteness and quality of these tutus! Yaya Papaya is having a giveaway now, so check it out! http://www.yayapapayatutus.blogspot.com/

End of an era

Today's playgroup marked a big milestone for all of the "big boys" in this picture...soon all of them will be starting school! The baton is officially being passed to the little sisters (and Jude ;) ) to carry on. This playgroup has always been heavy on testosterone, so it's definitely going to have a new (feminine) feel to it. :)
I love how both Keira and Emma's round tummies are sticking out of their matching hot pink mini-skirts in this picture! Ha!

Florida picture bonanza

Here is just a sampling of the tons of pictures I took on vacation this past week. A shutterfly album will follow soon for all you really big fans, but here's a sneak peak of our week on Siesta Key!


The McShea family on Emma's 1st birthday. 8/3/08


My newest little nephew, Caden! What a sweetheart!


My brother-in-law, Dylan, throwing Jordan around the pool.


Grandma chilling out!


Brendan's brother, Tom, made his first (and hopefully not last!) trip to Siesta Key, too.


My little beach baby.


Tom and his girlfriend, Kelley, under a rainbow. Picture perfect. :)


Here are Tom & Kelley posing with treasure hunters, Liam & Logan. Tom & Kelley somehow found a pirate's treasure map on the beach and helped lead the little boys to where "X" marked the spot. Liam and Logan absolutely flipped out over the awesomeness of finding a "real" treasure chest - complete with a letter from "Captain Spencer" and artifacts from long ago. If you ask Liam, it was the highlight of his vacation. He carries the treasure chest around with him wherever he goes.


The Olson family. Dylan, Jen, Logan, Jordan, & Caden.


Our good friend, Jeanie Ready, stopped by to see us on her trek across Florida to visit friends and family. The three of us were together in Mrs. Koski's second grade class! (Although Jeanie & I go back even futher than that.) I think I should send Mrs. Koski this picture, lol.


Cousins.


My big boy. 2 more weeks until he is officially a kindergartner. :(


Mommy & Emma at sunset.


The Purdy girls!


Liam at sunset throwing a sea shell into the Gulf.


Liam & Emma hunting for shells (or cigarette butts...it was all the same to Emma.)


This was right before Tom & Kelley headed back to Georgia. We were sad to see them go! We had such a great time getting to know Kelley. And Brendan and Tom really enjoyed getting to hang out together. Between Brendan being at West Point, the Army, and now Tom being at West Point, I think this was the longest stretch they had been together in years!


Logan looking for sea shells after a storm.


Emma crawling on the beach at sunset.