books

Vic (my father in law) bought himself a new Kindle and we gave Paige his old one for her birthday last October. Got her a new skin and lavender cover for it --  she loves it. Gave DJ mine for his birthday. Did the same for his -- new skin, red cover, looks really cool.
Now we can all share the same library!

Paige has never been a huge reader until I let her read Twilight... now she reads all the teenage vampire books out there. DJ inhales books like I do. It is so freakin' cool that they are getting to where we can all enjoy the same books. I am usually the one who does the recommending -- can't WAIT until DJ is old enough to read Piers Anthony, but Paige has been bugging me to read The Hunger Games

Well, I finally did, and ended up reading all three in the trilogy over the weekend!

It is such an odd feeling getting such a great book recommendation from the kid who could recite "Moo Baa La La La" before she was two, but took forever to actually read it...

Of course Kelly wants one for her birthday too.

busy week

The big kids are starting back up with their after school programs. Both Paige and DJ are in summer programs that also have tutoring/electives during the school year. Paige was in the same one that DJ is in now. They both worked very hard to get into them and enjoy them very much, even though we as a family don't get much of a summer break!
DJ is at Breakthough and Paige is at Summerbridge
Mike's brother Bob also did Summerbridge (um... 30 years ago!) and went to University HS, so we are crossing our fingers that Paige can get into there too.

Kelly will be starting Kindergarten this Fall and I already had all her paperwork ready, when I found out that there were openings at SF Public Montessori. Really know nothing about the school, so we will all be going to their Open House this week. Paige went to a Montessori preschool, so I do know a little -- and I think Kelly could do very well in this type of school setting.

Throw in a doctor appointment, swim lessons x2, ballet and short days for DJ and we have a fun filled week!

blog name

Flat out stole our blog name from my sister in law. We loved it immediately! La Familia Henderickson Seriously funny that my brother says it is the way Mexican drug cartels identify themselves. Have no idea if it's true or not, but Hahaha! It's a cute name and now we match ~

crib

So, yeah, uhhh, Mikey doesn't sleep in a crib yet.
I still have the co-sleeper next to the bed (not that he ever slept in that either) to give us more room. I intended to have him in a crib before our family vacation last December, but yeah, that didn't happen. I don't even have a crib set up for him.
I do enjoy having him with us, but really -- he needs to be in in own space. I get out of bed to pee and half the time he screams at me! I am really worried that he is going to start following me in there in the middle of the night and fall on the stairs or something....

When Paige was born, the whole Co-Sleeping vs Ferberizing was very popular. I read all about both while I was pregnant, and I set up her nursery and her crib as if she would actually sleep in there. Well, Paige was my first c-section, and for various reasons, she ended up sleeping on my chest for her first three months. Not my initial plan, but I was good with it. Then she fell off the bed! So I tried to Ferberize her... I couldn't take it. She was crying, I was crying. I just put the bed on the floor. Girl never slept in her crib. Not once.

I didn't really have much of a plan when DJ was born. Not saying I didn't stress it, I did, I just had no real plan -- crib was still in the nursery, Paige still with me. Well, it ended up that DJ couldn't really fall asleep if I was holding him. If I swaddled him and placed him in his bassinet he would fall asleep instantly. Wow. Moved him to the crib when he out grew the bassinet. DJ loooooved his crib! I used to joke that he'd be in it until he was 10 ~ And bonus! Paige would sleep in the room with him!
Ahhh.
Then eventually he climbed out. Bye Bye crib.

Pregnant with Kelly. This time I want the Arms Reach co-sleeper instead of a bassinet. So awesome! Nursed her, put her in it -- she is right there. We even moved home to the city and she was fine with it all. Put the crib up in our room and moved her to it when she tried to climb out of the co-sleeper. She was great. Got one of those dome nets to put over it because she was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes -- totally works too BTW -- and she stayed in it longer because she couldn't climb out. We even moved her to her own room! My "Destructo Baby" did eventually end up pulling the whole dome down and breaking it, but she was ready for a Big Girl bed by then anyway.

Alright. So here we are. Mikey never slept IN the co-sleeper... I know, but he didn't like it. Also, unless he falls asleep in the car, I hold him while he naps. I know...
(I know!)
I am also aware of the fact that I brought this on myself, but I seriously have no idea how I am going to get him into the crib now! So yep, he is sleeping with us still. I am open to any and all suggestions, but I will not let him cry it out.

three day weekend

The last 3 day weekend was so fun, but we did nothing. I am pretty sure we were all in pajamas for most of it. Mike watched football while we played Scrabble on the iTouch he got me for Christmas. DJ and Kelly were attached at the hip as usual, and Paige helped with the baby and read. Seems boring, but I find myself looking at everyone and just loving the moment. Then of course, I wonder if they will all need therapy because we have made them be anti-social along with us....

La Familia

I have tried to blog before, but I always feel like I need to fill in the back story. Then, I never get to it, or feel like I leave too much out (or say too much) This time I am just going to start it and see how it goes.
I met my husband Mike when he was in the 8th grade. He went by Mikey then -- yes, I am a couple years older (26 months!) and even I still called him Mikey until after DJ was born. Now he is Daddy and "Daaaad!!!" to the whole crew. Mike played football in HS and college and still holds records for it in the city.
I don't know anything about football.
I was an Army Brat. Moved to San Francisco when I was 13, so I started high school here. I am crazy about my kids and head over heels in love with my husband. I like to garden, but I am not very good at it, I love to read and I am obsessed with taking pictures of the kids. I post them on Picasa http://picasaweb.google.com/carolaissa and I am usually more up to date on them, but I have felt very scattered lately.

As I finished the last sentence, the oldest one (Paige) came home from school with a migraine and as I was taking care of that situation -- since she can't go to her after school enrichment program, but we still need to give a ride to her friend -- Mikey, the baby, turned off my laptop and switched off the wireless connection. Meanwhile, daughter #2 (Kelly) is annoyed with me because I paused her show and can't seem to wait one second more for it to be turned back on. Mike is picking up DJ from school and now I am one-hand-typing trying to nurse the baby... This is it, this is my life.
I wouldn't change a thing.