It's Official

Dominick is officially a kindergartener and so that makes me...happy, anxious, old?
We met his teacher yesterday and she seems great and the classroom was really cool. He is fortunate to have a buddy from his TK class in there with him as well.

It was interesting being back in a school again-for someone who did not really loovvee school, it was a bit of a surreal trip down memory lane. The smells and sounds were familiar, the decor was largely unchanged and the "size up" was also there...I could see the kids checking each other out and I could see the mommies doing the same (guilty here). Why is that? We count one another's kids, ask what other activities they're in (as if life in general were not enough), observe clothing and behaviors.
Don't get me wrong-everyone was really nice and genuninely interested in the task at hand, which was to give our kids a great start to their 12+ years in academia. It's just that I do not want to go back to school in order for my child to attend so here's hoping the mommies have a great year together!

Growing, Growing, Gone

My oldest is about to start kindergarten. I know many-a-mother has been in my shoes before but it only matters when it is you, right? I alternate between tears, pride and fear at any given moment of any given day. Part of me is so amazed that we made it this far this fast! Weren't we just changing diapers and watching Baby Einstein? How did he get this big?

He has now reached the point of not wanting to hold my hand very much at all but especially in front of other people-when the hell did that happen?

Go-Go has gone from sweet baby girl to sweet big girl in a blink of an eye-she is almost to big to hold and carry...her legs are so long and she is simply too busy to sit still with Mommy now for long... She still has the same cute little girl voice but the words now have more syllables...

And Nora, don't even get me started...how is it that she is THIS big already! Holding her head up, rolling onto her side, SMILING like a banshee...she'll be slamming doors and kissing boys before I know it.

Beach, Beer and

We just returned from an awesome week at the beach, minus the drive down and back. How many times can little people ask the question "are we there yet" and inform you as you are driving that their sibling is

a. touching them

b. talking to loudly

c. a poopy head...about 307 if my math is correct.

My kids played until they absolutely GAVE OUT...look at these tired eyes!

Even Baby Nora enjoyed some time on the beach-she just wasn't aware she was doing so...

Mommy hung out with her friend Blue Moon and daddy boosted the stock price of A-B and all was well with the world.

The DeFelice Kids

I love now that when people refer to "the DeFelice kids" there are 3 of them...I like odd numbers. I love to watch Big Sis Margot HOVER over Nora 24/7 as she is simply incapable at this point of respecting the baby's personal space. I love that Big Bro Dominick is so protective of the baby-"don't touch her head like that, Margot..."-"don't be so lound around her, Margot..."
I lLOVE that when Nora is full of gas and tooting like an absolute champ, Margot says "Nora is tooting again, she needs to get some gas!"

I love that I can now refer to "My Girls" and I look forward to many manis/pedis together and shopping extravaganzas galore.

I love how chill I am with this child-probably amazing for anyone that knows me to well to believe. The crying, the poop caught in my hands mid-fly, the trying to navigate the baby seat again while juggling keys, diaper bag and 2 other little people...all easy-peasy this time around.
Would I do it a 4th? Hell no. But not because I wouldn't love to have another-just that this threesome feels complete.

Princess, Part Two

The tie breaker has arrived and we have another princess! Nora Elizabeth made her debut at 1:23pm on Monday, June 15th and she is PRECIOUS.

I was convinced this baby was going to be a boy...I told everyone I met that I thought so, had the GREATEST boy name picked out (Jude Patrick) and bought the cutest boy-coming-home outfit...so imagine my surprise when the doc says, "it's a girl!" I was almost stunned into silence. (almost). My exact words in response were "GET OUT!", channeling my best Seinfeld.

It took me about a day to grasp the fact that she was a girl and there would never be a Jude Patrick DeFelice (the only upsetting thing about this whole situation). A friend suggested we get 2 dogs and name them Jude and Patrick and so I think we will, problem solved.

Nora's big sis and big bro are so sweet with her and I love to watch the 3 of them together. I am thankful she is so healthy and part of our family. An interesting thing I realized is that all of my kids were born with a 3...

Dominick at 4:23pm

Margot at 7:03am

Nora at 1:23pm.

Meant to be together, me thinks.

Summer Fun for the kids

1. Gogo ruling the playground with friends

2. Dominick's awesome Lego design

3. Gogo and daddy cruising

4. Dominick picking up chicks

Could these guys be any more precious?

GoGo Grows Up

My Gogo turned 4 this past Saturday-so hard to believe. At this age, ALREADY, she is asking if she looks beautiful, asking for bling like mommy's and parading around as if she is on Broadway. What will 14 bring?

I absolutely love that she can be such a girly-girl but can also throw dirt around with the best of the boys. My wish for her is to continue to be that girl until she is old and decrepit.

I love you sissy!!!