Saturday, October 23, 2010

Student of the Month!!



October 2010 ~ Yesterday I attended an assembly at Smiley where Josh was awarded Student of the Month for the month of October! I was so proud and I tried not to get all mushy (esp since my inlaws were sitting right there with me) as they called his name! Josh is the kind of kid who gets "overly" excited and you should have seen his face when he discovered that he was being called up on stage as he called it (there really was no stage!) And then, when his very good friend Morad's name was announced, he was more happy for Morad, than he was for himself. I don't think anyone clapped louder than Josh! What a good kid I have!! I am one proud Momma!!








Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Not Wanting to Forget ....

Tonight I stood outside Tyler's door and listened to him trying to fall asleep. I stood (well sat after a while) for a good 20 minutes while he sang "tinkle, tinkle 'lil 'tar" and "now I know my a, b, c, d's ... yay!" I love that he is starting to leave babyhood behind and become more of a preschool aged child ... but, I am a little sad at the same time.

I have been heard saying how I can't wait for him to grow up ... to be more independent ... yet there is a part of me that yearns for another baby. (shh! don't tell anyone!) I said for 2 years that Maddie was our last baby, then along came Ty, so I don't say that anymore. ha-ha! I know that I can't do all that baby business again! Tyler really did me in. But I love him to pieces and never want to forget that first baby cry, that sweet baby smell, those nights rocking in the dark, the snuggling in my bed when Daddy is out-of-town or at work late.

Although we call him "the devil in disguise," he is a sweetheart as well. Stay little for just a little while longer Ty ...

Sunday, October 17, 2010

The Princess is FIVE!


Seems like only yesterday my Madeline was born. I remember how excited I was when we discovered that we were having a little girl. All I could think about was the pink, girly things ... the clothes, the skirts, the dresses, the bows ... the dollhouses, the 'babies' and of course ... the Barbies! This was the year she actually asked for a Barbie doll. I couldn't wait!! Now while it was her Godparents who supplied the coveted Barbie and Ken Wedding Party set, I will get to provide the Barbie Dream House at Christmas! I secretly can't wait to play.

Happy Birthday to our Maddie-Girl! Thank you for coloring our world pink and filling our days with so much joy and love with that silly laugh of yours that your Daddy just loves to hear. You will always be our Princess!


Maddie on her Birthday ~ October 8

Sunday, September 26, 2010

The Tooth Fairy!

Josh finally lost his first tooth tonight! Before he went to bed, I asked to check and see how loose his tooth had gotten. It was pretty wobbly...so I encouraged him to wiggle and play with it as he got into bed. Lo and behold, 15 minutes later, out comes Josh, displaying in his hand the teeniest tooth I'd ever seen! He excitedly proclaimed, "there is not as much blood as Daddy said there would be!" ha-ha! Then he asked to call each of his grandparents. Aw!!

He is starting to ask a lot of questions about the Tooth Fairy .... questioning her ability to know when children have lost a tooth, how does she know where to go, how does she get in, where does she keep all the teeth ... hmm!! I'd better not be hearing Santa questions in December! I want a few more years of Santa power!

Did you know that the Tooth Fairy gets a special text message when a child looses a tooth??




Joshua's missing tooth ~ 9/26/2010

Friday, September 24, 2010

Pathetic! AND Updates!


My children's first day of school (August 12th) came and went. Where was the blog you ask? Where are the pictures? Where the heck did Caryn go? Pathetic!!

After learning from a friend that my blog was "messed up," I checked it out for myself and sure enough, some "image removed" thing was all over the place. Ugh. So back to square one and now I am up and running again, ready to blog more consistently .... I think.

Josh had a very good start to his school year. He is in 1st grade with Mrs. Busi, and he is loving every minute of it ... well, maybe not the homework part!! It is a total fight almost every night, complete with kicking and screaming, which reminds me a lot of the terrible twos ... but I digress! It's not like the homework is hard, or that he can't do it. He just wants to play! And I DO let him play after school for about an hour or so - you know, to relax and unwind. I can totally understand how it is a big jump from kinder to 1st. 1/2 day vs. whole day, group/table work vs. individual work, and all that! But I seriously would rather walk over hot coals some days than do homework with my son. Hopefully it gets better. I am praying for a miracle here.

So since August 12th, Josh has turned 7 (September 1st), and we had a party for him at the Jump Zone (which Ryan missed because he was away with you-know-who) and we were able to spend his actual birthday with him at Disneyland, which was a lot of fun!! Josh also started playing AYSO soccer again (year 2) and he is ... well, let's just say that the coach and the parents get good kick out of Josh on the field. I love him to death, but just don't think he is cut out for soccer. We've had 3 games and he is improving, which is good! He was player of the week this week, for what, we are not sure. LOL

Maddie also started school on the 12th. She has Mrs. Morris (same teacher Josh had, yay!) and to my surprise, she went to school skipping and jumping and sooo very excited! Where were the tears? The "don't go Mommy" pleas? I was proud of her for her "mature behavior" but a little sad that she didn't fuss the way she did in PreSchool to stay home with Mommy. So I swallowed my disappointment (haha) and let her go - only the tears were from me and not her. She had a slow start ... very shy and sat by herself a lot until she made a few friends in her class. Kids are clicky even at a young age. Makes me so mad!

Maddie has finally settled into her kindergarten routine. Gets all her homework done the very first night, loves to bring home her book bridges book to read to us every night and takes her "jobs" as Mrs. Morris calls their classwork, very seriously. We have started Daisy Scouts and AYSO Soccer. She is a pretty good player - we were all shocked. =) Love you too Maddie-Girl!

And last but not least, little Ty. Home with Momma full-time still. Life for us is quiet and different during the day now with only 2 of us at home for 1/2 the day. We are getting more time to play together...and he is really starting to become very verbal. He makes his demands known, and is using his words more than crying to express his feelings now. Still working on saying bye-bye to the ba-ba and once and for all ditching the diapers. Thinking about potty training again makes me very tired!

So we are back to "normal" 10 months out of the year scheduling again. It is hectic and busy, but I love it. Never a dull moment. I promise to be more up-to-date on the blog. August and September just kicked my butt!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Flying by ....

Unlike my last post --- the summer is now flying by!! Ryan has been home more and we've been working on some home improvement projects, so I've been busy!



Before I know it, Josh will be off to first-grade, and Maddie to Kindergarten!! Seems like yesterday she was 2 years old, crying her eyes out, begging to stay home with me as I dropped her off at PreSchool with Josh. And now she is off to the "big school". I hated leaving her at Trinity PreSchool, afterall, she was my baby. But school was good for her. Once she stopped crying, she realized that she had been crying right along side her future best friend, Gianna (they were sharing the crying chair for the month of September!). This made going to school very inticing everyday...she and Gianna have been inseperable ever since. (See above for the partners in crime!)

Now that she has left the safety of Trinity and her little friends who would greet her at the gate every morning, I have a whole new problem: Kindergarten. Maddie says she is excited, but I can see in her eyes that she is a little scared (maybe a lot scared). Maddie "talks" a big game, but we'll see!! Even my social butterfly Josh had a hard time on the orientation day...so I am a little worried for my "I don't know you, don't talk to me because I will look at the floor and not answer any of your questions" Maddie. (Actually, she will do this even if you DO know her!) ha-ha!!

Only time will tell how she does in this new chapter of her life. I am really hoping her shyness is overcome, and that she really gets to enjoy and have fun in Kindergarten!! Maybe she will surprise me, and run off not at all scared; or maybe she will cry and I will cry and it will be a hard day all around! I will update!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Trying to be good ...

This summer has been long .... already! And it's only July 2nd!! I feel like the last 3 weeks have crawled by. Thinking I was crafty, I have kept Maddie in ballet through the summer, and Josh in swim classes with Redlands Swim Team at the High School 4 days a week - til August 5th. I also signed up with my friend Amy for a Baby Boot Camp class. Maybe I was wrong!! Who knew that my kids would all of a sudden decide to sleep in late (til 9:30 on some mornings) and that I would have trouble getting out of the house for the 9am class! It is taking everything I have to get Josh to his classes at 3:30 (not a good time!), and Maddie to her ballet/tap lessons. Who knew that my kids would be at each other's throats (literally) all day long, complaining that there is nothing to do, it's too hot out, and when are we going here, when are we going there ... Also to top it all off, who knew Ryan would be gone almost everyday, leaving me to play single mom? I rarely complain when he works long days, just because I know we are getting bills paid off faster with the extra hours. But, with the kids home all day, it is really HARD!!

SOOO chaos in ensuing in the Malak house most days. I am lucky if I get anything done (ie, dishes, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking...you know, the normal stuff!). Between breaking up fights between Josh and Maddie, Maddie and Ty, Ty and Josh ... Ty and the dogs? Racing Ty to the potty, fixing legos for Josh, getting Maddie's latest art project started, getting someone a snack or a drink or a movie.... agh! Bedtime is starting to become a very treasured time for me!

It is very hard for me to be good. It is hard for me not to complain about my kids, to yell at them, to threaten or to punish (the timeout chair has many visitors everyday .... sometimes two at a time, so I had to invent the sister chair!). But I am only human. I love them with all my heart, and couldn't imagine life without them. I am very blessed that they are all healthy and happy; that we are a family.

It's the little things that happen everyday that I reflect upon at night when the house is quiet, the tv is silent, and the toys put away. I love to watch them when they sleep, so angelic, so sweet. I love to hear Josh singing along to Moose on Nick Jr. I love to watch Maddie playing with her baby dolls, sometimes repeating some of the things I say to Tyler to them. I love when Ty comes up to me and gives me a big hug and tells me "I wuv you Momma". My kids will only be little once ... I keep telling myself to cherish these moments ...

Monday, June 21, 2010

In Retrospect ....

This July 7th, Ryan and I celebrate 9 years of marriage. (WOW!)

I met Ryan in the late Summer of 1998. I was home from SDSU and enrolling at Crafton Hills to get some General Ed classes out of the way that I somehow missed the first time around. Ryan was fresh out of the Army and volunteering at the YMCA Camp Edwards. Somehow, I got dragged by my mother to a lunch at camp, where my brother Sean was also volunteering. All I can really remember was telling my mom that the guy Sean had been playing ping-pong with up there was real cute. The next weekend that my brother was home, I dug around and tried to find out as much as I could about this "Ryan" guy as I could. I found out that he was casually dating one of the Australian girls who was there as an exchange student of some sort, and that he would be attending CHC in the fall as well. (Ahh the infamous GI Bill!)

So as the Aussie Girl (who I actually became friends with later) moved on at the end of the Summer, I made my move! Turned out, Ryan and I were in the same Bio class (on different days, rats!) ... but what could be more romantic than studying Biology together?? Somehow, I weaseled my way into study session after study session, and one thing leads to another .... use your imaginations!

By July 2000 we were engaged and we got married on July 7, 2001 in Redlands. I didn't think I could ever experience a happier moment (until the birth of my children that is!). We honeymooned on Maui and Kauai, and returned to reality. I was so estatic to graduate with my BA in Liberal Studies, with a minor concentration in Human Development from CSU San Bernardino, and finished off my CA Credentials with CSU Fullerton. I was hired by Colton Joint Unified School District as a 2nd grade teacher, and Ryan graduated from CSU San Bernardino, and promptly headed off to the California Highway Patrol Academy in Sacramento on December 3, 2002. I stayed behind in Redlands in our brand new house ... alone. (Oh ya, we had a dog too - he was a nut job ... maybe he should be a separate posting!!) I lived for the weekends when Ryan would drive down from Sac with his buddies John and Jim on Friday nights, and spend a whole day and a half with me before packing up again to drive up north at noon on Sunday. We lived like this for 6 months, and when he graduated from the Academy as an Officer on June 13th, 2003, I was already 6 months pregnant with our first child.

Unfortunately, straight out of the Academy, we were sent to Hayward for his "break-in" period. I had NO clue where that even was!! I remember Ryan calling me the day he got his "assignment" and looking up on my computer in my classroom a map of northern California. UGH northern California. I was really afraid of living so far away from my family. I was petrified of having my baby away from my mother, I was ticked off that I had to sell my house, give up a job I really liked (notice I didn't say love), yet at the same time, excited at all the new possibilities that lay before us. I tried to think of it as an adventure.

Adventure is exactly what this ride of 9 years has been. We've lived in Redlands, San Ramon, Modesto and back to Redlands again - 5 moves in about 5 years - finally settling down in 2005 into the house we are in today. We have given birth (well, I have) to three beautiful kids, and lived through all their ups and downs, as well as the challenges associated with being a parent. We have shared euphoric moments in the CHP and the saddest days we could ever imagine. We have dealt with the loss of grandparents and lost friendships ... and celebrated the births of our nephews. For a very long time, Ryan slept during the day, and I slept at night ... our schedules flip-flopping every few days. And recently, I have taken on the role of being alone a great deal of the time while Ryan is on special assignment with the state. It has meant long days apart, and my patience tested enormously. But after all is said and done, Ryan is the ONLY person I could ever imagine having shared this ride with. He knows me probably better than anyone I know. He is a selfless provider for me, Josh, Maddie and Ty. He takes care of the kids and I like no one else can. He is a loving father, husband and my best friend. I hope and pray that these 9 years we have shared are just the beginning ... because I never want this ride to end.

I love you Ry. Happy (early) Anniversary!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

"To Pee .... or Not to Pee"

I have been consistently purchasing diapers from Costco since September 2003. When April of this year rolled around and Ty turned 2, all I could think about was, "When can I start potty training this kid?!" It is my new goal to be diaper-free by the end of the summer. My mother-in-law thinks he is ready, my mother says, don't force it. So what's a mom to do?

2 days of waking up in the morning "dry" and I decide, it's time. I dig out Josh's old McQueen and Elmo underwear and a few miscellaneous boxer briefs and I'm ready to go. 10 minutes later, he wets his pants - ON the leather couch. Rats!! I smile at my concerned looking Ty and assure him that mommy will clean it up (of course) and we get another pair of underwear, do a few drops on the potty and forge ahead.

This time, I set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes. Getting ready for lunch, he asks for a drink. I give him the teeniest bit of lemonade. I kid you not, 5 minutes later he is yelling "uh-oh!" as he pees on my kitchen floor. Again I smile and take him by the hand (as Maddie is yelling gross! from the dining room). Back to the potty, and another pair of underwear. This time I let him choose which ones he wanted. He chose the boxer briefs, "Josh" he said. Smart kid! He wants to look like his big brother.

The next few accidents were minor, both occurring outside while playing with Maddie. But now I have Maddie enlisted as his "guardian". She is constantly asking him in her "I am the mommy" voice, "do you have to go pee pee?" So cute!

Now don't think that this first day was filled with merely accidents (well, 75% of them were) but there were a handful of times he actually had dry underwear and went on the potty!! Those were times he got a reward of 5 M & M's (great bribe tool for Ty). Then there were the couple of instances he cried kicking and screaming, "no pee pee!" And I thought, maybe this is not the time ... However, when he woke up from his nap DRY in his pull-up, I thought, this is IT!!

So today is Saturday ... and when he woke me up with a full diaper (of #1 and #2) a small part of my thought again, I don't want to do this!! So I changed him and was preparing to let him choose his underwear, when he says to me, "Momma, pee!!" We ran to the potty and lo and behold, he went!!! And not a just a few dribbles, he went A LOT!! Hoo-ray!!

2 hours later, he has gone again, and is still in the same pair of underwear. I know that today won't go perfectly, and I am ready for the ups and downs of getting Ty out of diapers. (Think of how much money we will save!!) Independence is a good thing. I'm ready and I think he is too!!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

My "Jobs" ....


School is out for the Summer! Whoo hoo!! I have been very involved this past school year with Josh being in Kindergarten. I attended one teensy, weensy PTA meeting at the beginning of the school year (on the very first day of school to be exact), and before you know it, I was: Teacher Appreciation Week Coordinator, Room K-2's room mother, A weekly volunteer in K-2's classroom (4 hrs/week!), Fill-in photographer for the yearbook, Nominee for PTA Vice-President for 2010-11 school year.


Phew! I was exhausted by those few jobs. Plus, I still had to get Maddie to and from ballet and tap once a week, take Josh to swim lessons 2 times a week, soccer practice 1 time a week and games (on Saturdays this past Fall).


I am now in the process of getting my Daisy Scout Troop together for August, and petrified of my new "job" as PTA VP (ie, Fundraising Chair) for this coming school year. Not to mention the normal volunteering in the classrooms for mostly Maddie's K teacher, and maybe occasionally for Josh's as well.


With all of these non-paying "jobs" I have on my plate, I still love love love my job as a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM - I hate that acronym!). When Ryan questions my "job" I respond, "being home with the kids is really a full-time gig, and that although no amount of money could cover all the talents I have -- I prefer to be paid in hugs and kisses from my favorite little bosses!!" I wear a multitude of hats as the CEO of our family: I am Mom, Wife, Sister, Sister-in-law, Daughter, Daughter-in-law, Aunt, Short-order Cook, Chauffeur, Housekeeper (ick, my least favorite), Laundry gal, Nurturer, Singer, Mediator, Dog feeder, Boo-boo healer, and it goes on and on ....


So lately I have been questioning all of these jobs that I have taken upon myself to oversee. Nine years ago, before we had kids, were just "Ryan and Caryn". How boring life must have been! (I really don't remember!!) Today my life is really "full" .... not just of "jobs" but full in the sense that I feel complete. I am blessed to have a wonderful, supportive husband who works (literally) day and night to make sure that we are all taken care of, and three great children that I am proud (most days!) to call mine. I love when I tuck them in at night and give good-night kisses, they look up at me with those angelic exhausted faces and say "I love you Mommy". That, to me, is the BEST "pay" I could ever ask for.