4-Boy-Bliss

Summer 2011 in photos

2011-08-10T15:08:00.010-05:00

M's prize carving! We're so proud of him and more importantly, he's so proud of himself!

Watching Matt pull away with the truck to begin the move to California.

We took Adrien (left), our foreign exchange student, and Sam (right) our neighbor/sitter, down to Finnridge for one of the weekends of Adrien's stay. They LOVED it. Here they are putting walnut oil on the spatulas that they made with Wayne and Mark. What a great time we all had!

C has the distinction of being the first Boos Boy with stitches. Brother M's catapult arm came up and his face got in the way. A slightly traumatizing (for both mom and boy) Urgent Care visit later and he emerged with 2 stitches on the outside and 2 on the inside. Lesson learned: always go to Children's Hospital, NOT Urgent Care.

We had an awesome girl's night and not-goodbye party for Andrea. So fun to have a silly and meaningful night with the girls.

We went with my dad on a tour of Target Field. It was really a great tour.

Brotherly Love. A semi-rare moment when no one is screaming or crying :)

M - turning into a handsome young man.

My G-man. He celebrated his 10th birthday this summer!

Summer 2011

2011-08-10T14:33:00.002-05:00

We've had quite a summer so far! M and G finished up 5th and 4th grades respectively. We had great intentions of continuing with some school during the summer but the warm weather and sultry days have gotten the best of us and not much has happened in that department but that's what summer is about.

I do have a long list of summer projects and many of them have gotten done or are in the works. Hopefully I'll get them all finished up before the summer gets away from me!

In June, we experienced a very sad tragedy when a homeschool family in our community was in a car accident that left dad and 2 of the 4 children dead. It was a shock that went through the entire community and we're still dealing with the grief and sadness as we all will for a very long time. Although my children have experienced death several times in their short lives, this is the first time that they've known kids their own age who have died. Heartbreaking doesn't even touch on how we all feel about this. The community continues to support the family through meals and prayers and will do so for a long time to come. It was beautiful to see the outpouring of support as the family asked our co-op to provide cupcakes for the funeral service in honor of the daughter who had recently begun a cupcake making business. When they asked for 12 dozen, they got about 30 dozen - people just wanted to help and it was heart warming to see how true that was. It was the most beautiful and wretched funeral I have ever and will ever attend and the sounds and images still fill my mind and heart. There's no way to describe watching a mother and wife having to say goodbye to 2 of her children and her husband.

As part of our own healing process and those of the children in our community, many of us gathered the day before the funeral to have our own healing ceremony. We adults knew that we wanted to talk to each other and our kids had the same need and boy did we hear some amazingly profound things come from the mouths of our children. It was a priviledge to witness it.

With heavy hearts and a different outlook on life, our summer continued on.

In July, we went to Finnridge for our annual trip and spent several days there rejuvenating and it was awesome. We had a family reunion with my mom's family soon after and that same day, welcomed our French foreign exchange student who was with us for 3 weeks. What an awesome experience that was. He fit completely into our family and we had a wonderful time with him. Saying goodbye was very hard.

Then came August 1 - the day I had to say goodbye to my sister. Angella got her pre-doctoral internship at San Jose State University...that's in California...not Minnesota. I had known for a long time that it was coming but it didn't make it any easier to bring her and my niece T to the airport to say goodbye. It was a tough day and a tough week that kind of caught me by surprise. I knew I would be sad but I didn't expect to have a dark cloud surrounding me the entire week which culminated with my birthday and lots of tears. I know it will get easier and I know that it's most likely just 1 year but I miss her dearly. G and I are planning a trip out to visit for a week in October and I'm really looking forward to that. They're already getting settled and having a great time exploring their new territory and I'm really excited for them. I've always been the one who leaves and that's hard enough but I guess it was time that I experienced the other side as she has done several times before. This is harder.

Throughout all of this, I've been working to finish up my reading, mentorship, Karma yoga project and tech sessions to complete my 230 hour yoga teacher certification. Sunday, I graduate! I'm really excited. I've learned so much over the past year and yet I know that it's barely the tip of the iceberg. My head swims sometimes when I think about all of the things I've been introduced to and I hardly know where to begin to delve deeper as there are so many things calling to me but it's awesome to know that I have time to explore it all in my own time and in my own way. This is the path I've been looking for for so many years. It's awesome. I've already started to teach some regular gigs and more are presenting themselves all the time. I think I could be very busy if I want to be! I love it that this doesn't feel like a job. It's more like "I GET to go teach a class today". What a gift. I can't wait to see where it takes me. After graduating on Sunday, I'll be studying with Seane Corn all week next week and I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

M and G have worked on their 4H projects throughout the year and now it's fair time. M submitted his 2 projects last Saturday: a board of his cartoons and a carved wooden village scene. He was so proud to have earned a blue ribbon for each project and ended up winning a Champion ribbon for the carving project. He's over the moon with excitement. Looking into the eyes of my child who is so proud of himself because he worked so hard on something and he accomplished what he wanted to accomplish is amazing. I'm so proud of him. (pictures in the next post)

G decided to do a guitar piece for his project and despite being really afraid of getting up on stage, he overcame his fears and put on a great performance which also won him a blue ribbon. The judges were really impressed that he's only been playing for 9 months. He did such a great job and I'm so proud of him!

We have a few weeks of summer left and we're making the most of them. The weather is gorgeous after weeks of swealtering heat and humidity that largely kept us either inside or in the water. We've now thrown the windows open and are basking in the fresh, sunny air. This is my kind of weather indeed! We haven't gotten to do any camping yet this summer for various reasons but hopefully this weather will stick around and we'll be able to take a trip or two yet this summer and fall.

The next posts will contain some photos of our summer fun :)

The Great Getaway

2011-04-08T12:01:00.004-05:00

Tim and I have recently returned from our first vacation without the kids in many years. We went with another couple who hadn't been away in even longer than us and we all needed the break desperately! It took a few days for all of us to come down a bit but the relaxation set in and it was fantastic. We all came back refreshed with our cups full and running over ready to take on our worlds once again. We went to Puerto Vallarta which is just paradise on earth and we loved every minute of it. I ran and did yoga nearly every day, sipped fun drinks, had lots of fun adventures and bought a timeshare that we happen to be very excited about :). We're excited to hopefully go back with the kids next year along with a sitter to have an extra set of hands and eyes and give mom and dad a bit of a vacation too. Here are a few key shots from the trip.

New Haircut

2011-04-08T11:55:00.002-05:00

This is my 2nd attempt at posting these photos and hopefully they'll work this time! S, at almost 3 1/2, got his 1st haircut. He was enthralled with the process and, as with the other boys, we watched him move from baby to little boy with every snip of the scissors. The new do really suits him and makes him look even more identical to big brother M at that age!

Seriously? It's March already?

2011-03-01T17:40:00.002-06:00

I started this year of 2011 feeling behind. We came out of our Holiday season having celebrated 5 Christmases and still having one to go which didn't happen until January 8th and while it was very enjoyable, the whole timing of it left me feeling very behind. I know that this seems to be my mantra "I'm so behind". Hmmm, must meditate on that one...but when you honestly can't remember the last time your toilets were scrubbed and your kids are making comments about them...you're behind. The toilets finally got cleaned (not even 2 weeks ago - I said it was bad!) and with that, I finally felt "caught up" for the first time all year. I'm totally feeling the effects of being gone at my yoga teacher training all day every Sunday and not having that day at home. Apparently, I used to do a lot of productive things on Sunday that I didn't really notice until I wasn't around to do them anymore. Whooda thunk?

Some really great things have happened this year so far:

- S is officially POTTY TRAINED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more diapers. Ever. Never ever again. Wahoo!!!!!
- The twins are officially done nursing. That was slightly bittersweet but we were all ready. I said I wanted to nurse them until between ages 2 and 3 and they were 3 years, 2 months when they stopped. It was such a lovely experience nursing them for so long and I have wonderful memories of it. And I'm glad that we're done and moving on.
- M turned 11! It seems to get more "real" every year. 11, wow! He had a fun couple of parties and we honored him just right.
- Tim and I booked a vacation...alone...just us...no kids. Awesome.
- My sister "matched" for her doctoral internship which is a REALLY big deal. We're so happy for her and kind of selfishly sad that it will take her to California but they're going to have a great time...and then move back in a year. For real.
- I've started running again and I actually like it quite a bit. I never thought I'd say that.
- As part of my yoga teacher training, I've done a meditation series and a practice development series (both of which were really wonderful) and I'm signed up to study with Seane Corn for a week in August about which I'm totally stoked. I'm learning so much through this process not only about yoga, but about myself. And things are coming up for me and I'm working through them which kind of suck sometimes but it's all part of the journey and it will be worth it in the end. I truly love this teacher training process. I've been doing some practice teaching here and there which is helping me become more comfortable with things as well (like figuring out which arm is your left and which one is the right without having to look at my own hands or do the posture myself); it's not always as easy as it looks! It's very cool that I get to decide what kind of a teacher I want to be and what I want to put out there. It's also kind of intimidating for the same reasons. Again, all good stuff.
- We officially finished the Harry Potter series! We flew through the 7th book in record time (for us) and then suffered the inevitable Potter Void symptoms as we floated around the house trying in vain to find something to fill it. We did finally settle on some good ol' Raold Dahl books but we're still suffering some of the lingering effects of Potter Void. At least we have one more movie to look forward to :)

We've had tons of snow and despite the general feeling of dismay on Facebook, I love it. It's been beautiful watching it come down; so peaceful. We're just hoping for a slow thaw to minimize the inevitable flooding.

For some reason, I caught the school planning bug really early this year and have been having way too much fun planning what we're going to do next year. The boys have finally figured out that once they get done with the stuff that I have planned for them, they have plenty of time to study the stuff that they want to study. The cool questions are starting to flow more freely now and it's getting really fun. There's truly nothing more satisfying than having your child say "I just read something about the Tropic of Cancer and I don't know what that is. Can we look it up?" Music to my ears!! Even the little ones are getting in on it and asking to "do school" which pretty much involves looking at their letters, making sounds, identifying the colors of every truck we see, counting the number of cookies the neighbor lady gave us and roaming around the house pretending to be cows. Good times. It really is fun to have some older ones (we're starting Middle School next year - wow!) and some younger ones to stay in balance.

I have to say that when the twins were little I had so very many parents of multiples offer "when they turn 3, it gets way better". They were so right. 3 year olds are awesome and times 2 is just super cool...most of the time. Of course right now they're having World War III but it all goes along with the territory. Most of the time, they play together incredibly well and the way that they're participating in co-operative play is heartwarming. We delight in watching them.

So, life goes on as usual in our household. Our thoughts begin to turn to warmer weather and activities that go along with it: camping, summer fun, swimming, go to the beach, hiking, riding bikes, playing outside, etc. The twins are finally going to be old enough this year where we can really get out and do lots of things that we've had on hold for the past 3 1/2 years. It was worth the break but we're going to be really grateful to have some freedom this summer that we've not had in several years. BRING IT ON!

Finding the Lessons

2010-12-07T13:41:00.002-06:00

This has been a very interesting few days for me. I essentially broke up with someone who at one time in my life was a very close friend of mine and has held a special place in my heart for a very long time. And it hurts. A lot. It really feels a lot like breaking up with a boyfriend or perhaps a small taste of what it might be like to go through a divorce. It's not a good feeling. The pangs of emotion hit me throughout the day and it effects me physically as well as emotionally and spiritually. This was brought home when my chiropractor asked me yesterday if I'd been banging my head against a wall as my left temporal lobe was in complete disarray. Emotions effect us physically as well as on the inside, even when we don't think they do.

I'm of the school of thought that everything happens for a reason, that there are lessons in everything and it's our job to look for them and receive them as such if we want to grow. Painful experiences are often the deliverers of the most profound growth and learning and it is holding true for me this week.

Here are a few of the lessons I'm learning about myself:

- Breaking up is hard. It hurts and yet the mere existence of hurt shows that love also exists. If it didn't hurt, there would be no love and love is good.
- I'm really hard on myself sometimes. I hold myself to a high standard and can be very judgmental of myself. When I am judgmental of myself, it often projects out onto other people and I judge them too. Compassion for myself and, in turn, for others is the answer here. I'm working on that.
- When I try to "rise above" my hurt I deny my humanness and that's not healthy. Even though it's painful, going through the hurt is the path to healing. Repression only leads to anger and more hurt.
- Even though anger is often the quickest, easiest and first answer to difficult situations, it's not the path to growth. Spiritual and emotional growth only come from moving beyond anger and dealing with the real feelings that are lying underneath.
- I am strong enough to leave a relationship that isn't working for me even though it's hard. I could not have done that 10 years ago.
- Deep breathing really does help. So does crying. And so does having people around who love and support you. That helps a lot.

Of course none of us wants to ever have to walk through times of pain and hurt but it's part of life. Suffering is part of life. The real test is in how we walk through these times and how we come out of it on the other side.

I'm still walking this path and I'm still learning and I'm sure I'll be here for a good, long time. I will always miss having my friend in my life and I am grieving for that loss but if I can come out the other side of this having grown and feeling love and compassion, then I will have indeed found the lesson in this suffering. May it be so.

Fall Photos

2010-11-16T11:49:00.003-06:00

Angella took some photos of the boys this fall and they were fantastic. Here's a small sampling, all of which show each boys' personality.

Something for mom

2010-11-16T11:09:00.002-06:00

As a mom, especially a stay-at-home-homeschool mom, it's very easy for everything in our lives to become about our kids, homeschooling, our homes and everything that goes with all of that-which is a lot! I've had friends who don't stay home with their kids ask what we do all day and sometimes it's hard to answer with specifics; all I know is that we definitely manage to stay busy! Because of all of that, it's very easy for a mom to lose her identity as a woman, as a separate person from the role of mother, wife, homemaker and all of the other hats we wear. However, it's truly important that we do have something all our own. Our kids won't be young forever and when they grow up, we need to have something we can turn to that fills us and feeds our souls whether that be a hobby, a philanthropy or a career. And it's important to have those things while our kids are young too. We don't have an endless supply of energy and a bottomless well of ourselves from which we can hand out pieces day after day without having a negative effect on our own well-being. As a mother, it's easy to feel selfish in a negative way about spending time on ourselves and while I feel that it's important that there be balance, I also truly feel that it IS important that we be selfish sometimes. Selfish isn't an alltogether bad word! Selfish can mean making time to exercise, drink enough water, take our vitamins, take a shower and sit in silence for a few moments. It can mean having a hobby that makes you happy, talking to a friend on the phone, getting a massage or going out with the girls for an evening. Everyone gets filled up in different ways and it's important for each of us to figure out what does the trick in the most efficient and complete way for us.

For me, yoga is a huge part of filling up my reserves. I've been practicing to some degree for over 10 years but more seriously for about 5 or 6 years. Since the twins were born, I've been practicing at a studio once a week nearly every week and if I have to miss a week, I really notice it in my body and in my mind and spirit. It makes a big difference for me. I've always wanted to be a yoga teacher and knew that it would be in my life some day and it showed up for me one day this fall. I got a call from my sister saying that she was going to be starting her teacher training in November. We've often talked about doing our training together and by a few hours after our phonecall, I was having a conversation with Tim and I called to register the following day. Hooray! It was a long month of waiting for the classes to begin but we've now done 2 weeks of classes and I love it. Yoga teacher training at the studio where we're doing it (which will result in a Registered Yoga Teacher certification qualifying us to teach pretty much anywhere) is pretty much like going back to school. There are 230 hours minimum of study time required which is split up between Technical Sessions, Classroom time, required reading, presentations, mentorship, homework, Karma Yoga our own practice and more. It's really thorough and I'm starting to figure out how this is all going to fit into my already full schedule. But, I'm experiencing something that I never experienced in all my years of school: I WANT to do the work. I WANT to learn not only what we're being taught but more. My stack of 5 required books has at least doubled as one topic leads me to another and another. Things that make my head swim in class come together at home as I delve deeper and deeper in my desire to fully understand everything to the greatest extent that I can. It's opening my eyes to this way of learning that in the homeschool community is termed "unschooling" whereby the student follows their own interests but I'm also learning that following these paths aren't inherent to everyone and it's something I need to coach my kids on. I want them to be on fire for learning as much as I am right now. It's so exciting and there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to take in all that I want to know so I have to pace myself.

This feels good. It feels right and it's so nice to have something that's all for me not only now, but in the future. It gives me earning potential, flexibility and so very much more. When you find the path you're supposed to be on, one that really feeds you, it's just right.

May we all find our paths and may our cups overflow as we strive for balance and happiness in our lives!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-16T11:01:00.002-06:00

Here are the boys at Halloween! M was a Ninja, G was a Secret agent and the twins were sheep (mommy was Little Bo Peep even though there is no photographic evidence)

November Catch-ups

2010-11-16T10:29:00.010-06:00

I can't believe how fast this fall has been going! We've had a lovely one so far.

We went apple picking

We went to the Rennaissance Festival

We went to the Corn Maze

We went camping

We had our 10th annual pumpkin carving party

We had our homeschool Halloween Party (more Halloween Pictures to come)

We had dentist visits (the first for the twins)

And we had our homeschool Thanksgiving Dinner.

Whew!

Jeanne

2010-09-24T16:54:00.002-05:00

I just found out that one of my midwives, Jeanne Bazille, has breast cancer. It makes me so sad. She's such a wonderful woman and has helped so many families and babies. Her prognosis and attitude are good but cancer is cancer. One of the most uplifting things that can come out of something like this is that you get to see how many people that person has touched and for Jeanne, it's a lot. Whether she has attended a birth or mentored another midwife, helped write the MN Homebirth laws or spoke on panel discussions about homebirth, she's touched, helped and advocated for thousands of women whether they know it or not. She's truly amazing and such an inspiration.

I haven't seen her since 6 weeks after my twins were born when I tearfully attended my last post-partum appointment. And yet I have such deep love for her in my heart for the road that we walked together. She never batted an eyelash when I told her that I was having twins. Her support of me and my birth was strong from day one and her attendance and help at our birth was amazing. I love her dearly and I pray for all the best for her during her treatment and recovery.

You Never Know

2010-09-14T17:29:00.002-05:00

I had an interesting (read nasty) interaction yesterday with a woman at the library. Let me start by saying that yesterday was a rough day. I had just come home from being gone all weekend and the babes were really needy. I did my best but sometimes they just need to whine to the one with whom they're most comfortable...mom. Anyway, that was our morning, naptime was all of an hour long and we finally ended up at the library in the afternoon which is where we'd be trying to get all day. The twins love the library. They love playing with the puzzles, following the big boys around as they hunt for books, visiting with other people their size and sometimes they love hearing the echo of their own screaming voice. Yesterday, the last "love" was the major activity. Most of it was exuberance or at least not a temper tantrum but yes, they were loud-ish. Okay, loud. I was doing fairly well re-directing them and keeping them busy while guiding the older boys in finding the books that they needed for their week of studies. We finally got all of our books and went to check them out which is their biggest of the library loves. They each get a stool and take turns putting a book in and it's pure toddler heaven...except for yesterday. Nothing was going right for S in his world and so just about everything was setting him off. We finally got into a good check-out rhythm when he fell off of the stool. At this point, a librarian came over and offered to help. Now the majority (not all but truly the majority) of librarian experiences in our county have involved guilt, scowls and irritability. So the fact that this one came over and asked if she could help me with a look of pure pity in her eye told me just exactly how this whole escapade looked to the outsider.

We finally got all of the books checked out, bagged up and all children accounted for. S insisted on being carried and since M and G each had their noses firmly planted in their books, I was on my own for carrying both the fussy toddler and the large bag of books. We got about halfway to the car when we were passed by a woman who was probably in her 50s. Just as she passed us, she takes the opportunity in the break of fussing to mutter something deragatory my way. Now, I've had an entire day of this stuff and I'm pretty much on my last nerve. I was pretty proud of myself that I had been able to maintain my patience so well to this point but when I heard her, I just incredulously said "Whatever!" right out loud. When I'm irritated at someone, I don't bother to mutter unintelligibly. Let's get it out there, shall we? So she gives a huff and proceeds to her car and we make it to our car and as she's pulling out, she stops to flip me off. That was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I may or may not have at this point screamed a profanity at her which may or may not have been heard by the entire parking lot of the library not to mention my own offspring. I'm not really sure though, it's a bit fuzzy; one of those out-of-body (and mind) experiences that we have from time-to-time.

After that grand showcase of parental self-control, I got into my car and called Tim to talk me down with the caveat that he MUST NOT try to solve this, utter anything other than comments which clearly showed he was on my side against this crazy woman nor should he give even the slightest sign that he was judging or condemning me in any way for my behavior. After the ground rules were firmly in place, I started crying. Man was I mad! Of course the kids were concerned and I had to explain that I was very angry and sad but I was okay and it's just not how you want to show up in front of your kids but it also shows that we're all too human and that's important for them to see sometimes too.

Here's what I don't get about the entire thing though: why judge? She had no idea what kind of a day I had been having nor what kind of patience I had exhibited. She has no idea who I am or what kind of a parent I am or anything about me other than the unfortunate fact that I probably would have severely kicked her ass at that point in time if given half the chance. But this is something we see and do to each other all the time. We see a mom scolding her kids and we're so quick to condemn her as a "bad" mom not even stopping to consider what is happening in her world at this moment. We see a dad yelling at his kids and we assume that he's a jerk who doesn't really care about his kids, he happens to be stuck "babysitting" them right now until mom gets home. I think it's really unfortunate that instead of judging and making up stories about other parents, that our first reaction isn't one of compassion and empathy for the entire situation. The truth is that we have no clue who those parents are and yes, they could be really bad parents or they could be really, really great parents just having a rough day and we happen to be witnessing their dark moment. The rest of the truth is that we've all been there. It may not have been in public but we've all been there so we know what that feels like.

I learned a lot from this experience but one thing I know I will take forward with me is to strive to have compassion for other parents who may be having a rough day. Until we walk a mile in their shoes, we have no idea what's going on in their world and they deserve nothing less than our compassion and understanding. And neither do I.

2010-09-11T16:28:00.002-05:00

Here is my goodie stash from the yarn festival. It was kind of overwhelming to see all of that yarn and all of that fiber in one spot but Andrea and I managed :). We've had a great time and we're resting up before heading off to the party tonight. Great mama weekend away!

Look Mom!

2010-09-09T08:36:00.003-05:00

We've been having a lot of "look mom" or "watch this" from the twins lately. Here was C's this morning. "Look mom, 2 fuh-fuhs (pacifiers)!

Cute.

Twins

2010-09-08T21:52:00.002-05:00

Um, has anyone seen my babies? Because there are these 2 little boys here and they're hardly recognizable as babies anymore. Where has the time gone?

For the fashion update, the photo really doesn't do this justice. They were wearing coururoy overalls, one red with a royal blue shirt, one royal blue with a red shirt. Sometimes dressing twins is so much darn fun!

SMM

2010-09-08T21:38:00.003-05:00

We decided to celebrate the first day of school...for everyone else...by heading to the Science Museum where we would be able to explore the exhibits and wander the halls by ourselves. It was wonderful.

The big boys took in the Omni Theatre movie about Arabia which led to a very interesting conversation about terrorism, perceptions, racism, a brief history of Afghanistan, and intolerance over lunch. I adore it that my kids think that all of these things are just ridiculous and wonder why anyone would hate someone for what they believe or the color of their skin. I really love that.

Everyone had a great time playing with the ping-pong balls and experimenting with air pressure. This is always one of our favorite exhibits and it never seems to get old.

G's New Belt

2010-09-08T21:09:00.003-05:00

Our G-man undertook and accomplished an incredible challenge this summer from his MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) instructor: No Treats, No Screens, 3 months. Yep, No Treats, No Screens, 3 months. From June 1 through August 31, he had no sweets, no video games, no t.v., no computer. He and a friend were 2 of only 4 kids who actually made it until the end. We did make some reasonable exceptions which were allowed: he got ice cream on his birthday and we did a couple of family movie nights. If he went to a party, he got to partake in the treats a bit but it removed all of it from our daily lives and let me tell you it was WONDERFUL! Mom and dad experienced zero questions about "can I have a treat; can I watch a show; can I play some video games?" None of it. It was heavenly. So heavenly, in fact, that we wanted to maintain that level of peace even when the challenge was done. So, we went to the boys and told them our thoughts: this has been a really nice summer of non-nagging and we'd like to keep it that way as much as possible. What can we do? They listed all of their options and ended up with the following family guidelines:

Treats sometimes on the weekends and on special occasions. That's it.
They can watch one show a day but only after all of their responsibilities are taken care of (i.e., school and chores).
Video/Computer games only on weekends and only 1 hour per weekend day.

Truly, these were the parameters that they came up with. I led the conversation but mostly as a note-taker with a couple of small inputs here and there but they really did a good job of placing parameters around all of it. Way to go boys!

Above are some pictures of the belt ceremony (the reward from the MMA instructor was that they got advance an entire belt for completing the challenge) and of the massive desserts that they got to partake in afterward. It's good to be king!

Tim and I are obviously extremely proud of him but nothing that we feel or convey could possibly top the way that he feels about himself. It was awesome to see the look of self-pride on his face when he reached the end. It was the kind of things that parents dream of for their kids: a sense of accomplishment and pride in themselves for something that they did. Awesome.

As parents, we want our kids to feel good about themselves and so we do things like praise the heck out of them but I'm starting to wonder if we're just a praise-happy society and what effect all of that actually has on our kids. If we're always praising them and telling them what a good job they're doing, will they truly be able to internalize that for themselves or will they always seek validation from outside? It probably has something to do with personality in part but I've been doing a fair bit of reading on this subject lately and I have to agree that we're trending toward creating praise-junkies who are constantly doing things for the praise that they may receive instead of for the self satisfaction of a job or effort well done. So, I've been trying to break myself of saying "Good Job" 500 times a day. It's really hard to do and because it's hard to do, I know that I've been saying it too much. Now, I'm not saying that I no longer recognize my children's accomplishments because I do believe that they need parental validation and someone to celebrate with them but I'm trying to use phrases that help them focus on what they accomplished instead of just receiving praise. Things such as describing what they just did, celebrating with them when they do something, celebrating the effort no matter what the outcome. Seeing the look on my G-man's face when he completed his challenge really validated for me what I want for my kids: I want them to know for themselves how incredible they are and not have to always hear it from the outside to believe it. Isn't that what we all want?

I love you my G-man and I'm so proud of you but no moreso than you are of yourself...just like it should be.

Tomato Haiku

2010-08-29T18:50:00.002-05:00

As I was processing my bounty from the garden today, I wrote a Haiku:

Box of tomatoes
Hot sweat dripping down my back
At least it's not cheese

The story behind this is that 2 years ago, my dear friends Jen and Barb let me talk them into learning to make mozzarella. Jen, who works at a dairy farm, got the milk and on the hottest day of the summer, we made cheese. Wait, it gets better. The twins were all of 8 months old and wanted to be held AND we were at Jen's house where the A/C was either not on or was broken or they don't have it, we've never really discerned which one. When you make fresh mozzarella, it involves a lot of heat. Not just passive heat, you have to touch hot cheese to knead it and you have to stand over boiling vats of milk waiting for the right things to happen at the right times. So we did the standing and the observing and the kneading all without A/C, on the hottest day of the year while slinging 8 month old clingy, whiny twins. Getting the picture?

We somehow had a ton of fun doing all of this and when we were all finished, I packed up all of my children (because I'm the lady with the bunch of kids), the sitter who had been outside watching the older kids in the pool, my cheese, and headed out the door. We got everyone into the car and....it won't start. Seriously? So, I go back into the house where my dear friends, who are not as happy to see me as they were a few hours before, assist me in calling a tow truck and a car rental place so I could get my car to the shop and get everyone home. It took awhile but they finally arrived, we got the car seats strapped into the rental car and headed home while my car (which of course started at the shop just fine) was towed.

What a day. It definitely lives on in my memory and those of my dear friends and when I'm processing a big box of tomatoes on an 85 degree day without my A/C on while sweat drips down my back I think, "at least it's not cheese!"

Toddler Photography

2010-08-29T18:42:00.002-05:00

This is what happens when the toddler gets hold of the camera

The End of the World as We Know It

2010-08-28T15:03:00.002-05:00

I have a feeling that the relative quiet that we have come to know and love in our house of boys is about to be shattered. The boys had the opportunity to go and check out some drums and electric guitars at a friend's house today. M came home with a set of sticks and a practice pad and they drummed all the way home. We're going to have our very own garage band soon enough!

Say Cheese!

2010-08-28T08:41:00.003-05:00

This was the scene at breakfast this morning. Cute.

MMA Belts

2010-08-28T08:26:00.003-05:00

The boys earned their yellow/white belts this week at MMA. They didn't know that they were going to get them but we did and mom was there with the camera to watch it. Their instructor was testing them throughout the class but they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. My favorite was when he chose 2 teenage girls to sit on them during grappling. In a few years, not something I want to see but at this point, very funny to watch your sons get their butts kicked by a couple of girls.

First Week of School 2010-2011

2010-08-27T21:47:00.003-05:00

Well, we started school this week! It was a warm-up week in it's fullest sense. We all got up at our routine time (the boys by 7:30, mom usually much earlier) and got back into our morning routine. They also did a few academics each day and just started to get their sea legs under them. This coming week, we're adding more in and everyone seems to be ready and as excited as any school child gets to be back in or at or doing school. Of course our week next week includes our annual homeschool group's "back to school" ice cream social, a party for our co-op and a class about bees at a local nature center. Rough. We've decided that we're going to celebrate everyone else going back to school by spending the day at the Science Museum on September 7th. We'll have the place to ourselves and we're very excited about it!

Also next week, G-man finishes his No Treats, No Screens challenge issued by his MMA instructor that he's been working on since June 1. Indeed, he has gone the entire summer without regular treats or screens. There were exceptions made along the way such as birthday parties and family movies but he definitely had many more days without than with. It's such an amazing accomplishment for a 9 yo. I heard him talking with his friend today who also did the challenge and they were reminiscing about how hard they thought it was going to be and how the first 2 weeks were the hardest but after that it was really not a big deal. Mom and dad have loved it too. We have removed from our household daily questions about treats, video games, shows, and computer time. We've enjoyed it so much that we talked with the boys about how we could keep some of these things in place in a reasonable way. The boys came up with a plan where they watch up to one show a day after their responsibilities are all done, video games only on the weekends, treats are reserved for sometimes on the weekends and on special occasions. Hopefully, that will help keep all of those distractions at bay. I was impressed at how they put together the plan and I hope it works out in practice as nicely as it looks on paper! Any way you cut it, though, we're so proud of our G-man. It's quite an accomplishment and we'll be watching with great pride when he gets his belt next week.

Tomah

2010-08-15T19:48:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful visit to Tomah this weekend to see Tim's sister Deb and her family. We went for a visit and to help celebrate Miss K's 6th birthday. We all had a wonderful time.

On Saturday, we visited Grandpa Nick's farm which is a petting farm experience with tons and tons of different kinds of animals. They are clearly passionate about what they do and were very gracious to show us around the entire farm.

The kids had a great time playing with their cousins, even in the heat. It was really fun to watch them. G-man even got to stay for a couple extra days and he's thrilled about it.

Thanks Deb and Tony!

Whitewater Camping Trip

2010-08-12T12:12:00.004-05:00

5 moms, 13 kids, high heat, stifling humidity, soaking rain...that was our camping trip. We arrived on Monday and we knew it was going to be hot and the weather didn't disappoint. By the time we got everyone's camps set up, we were all drenched in sweat but after a little while, you kind of stop noticing and just go with it. It's easier to just be out there than to be in and out of A/C because then you really know how hot it is. We made dinner and it was just too hot to make a fire, much to the disappointment of the kids.

My night royally sucked to put it mildly. The heat wasn't the issue. It cooled down enough that sleeping on top of the sleeping bag with a sheet on was just fine but we learned just how persistent raccoons can be and just how dang long it takes them to break into a bag of chips...a long time. Needless-to-say, we lost some of our food and learned a very valuable lesson: lock things up in the car before going to bed. I went out a few times and stood there shining a flashlight into the food tent and although it worked for a little while, the bugger always came back. In the morning, we realized what a royal feast he truly had: 8 ears of corn, 1 bunch of bananas, 1 bag of corn chips, he tasted the pancake mix but passed on it and completlely made away with the bag of homemade granola. We didn't find a single piece of it nor did we find the granola bag. I got about 4 hours of sleep.

Tuesday morning, we awoke to some rain and cloudy skies but we managed to salvage most of the pancake mix and made some really good pancakes for breakfast which the kids scarfed down in no time flat. Then, we packed up for the day and headed into Wabasha for some sight-seeing. We left just as the downpour started - luckily, we were able to make sure that our tents were closed up tight before we left.

We spent the day in Wabasha and Alma, WI visiting the National Eagle Center, a lovely cheese shop, Dam No. 4 on the Mississippi River and a gorgeous view of the river valley from Buena Vista Park in Alma. We ended our day at Lark Toy store which is well worth the trip just for that. It's amazing and the hand-carved carousel is awe-inspiring. It was great. We headed back to camp and started making dinner when we started to hear the faint rumblings of thunder heading in again. 2 of our party had left during the day because of a sick kiddo so we were down to 4 mamas and 12 kids and soon, we lost another family who took off for home before the rain started. That left 3 families. This happened to be the one night that we had planned to cook our meal on the fire itself and the fire was built and meals were on by the time the rain started and once it started, it came down hard! One family decided to head for home and come back the next day to de-camp which left us and my friend Barb's family. We were rather undecided as to what to do and we had the meals cooking on the fire. We finally decided that having the kids in the car was the right place for them to be. Luckily, I had packed up the food and already shoved it into the car before the rain started but then had to shut up the tents and get the kids into the car amongst a veritable barrage of questions: what's happening? Where are we going? When are we going to eat? Are we going home? Where are we going to sleep?...it kept going...cue closing the car doors.

Barb, meanwhile, was standing over the fire with a large umbrella to protect it and our food. Once the water covered our feet and the lightning was over us, we decided that we had to leave. We tossed the foil dinners into the back of the van and jumped in. We knew we had to feed everyone and had felt rather dejected when we checked one of the dinners and found it to be raw. All that work and it didn't even work! I had an idea, popped my mom's address into the GPS and discovered that we were only about 40 miles away. That sounded like a nice, warm, dry and safe place for us to spend the night. I ran back to the tent to grab a few necessities and we took off leaving our camp behind us.

We arrived at mom's house to a warm and dry welcome and to the quite lovely realization that most of our dinners were actually cooked and all was not lost. We got everyone dry and fed and shipped them off to bed. When I heard the next raging storm come through that night, I was really glad that we were under a solid roof in a nice, comfy bed!

After breakfast on Wednesday, we headed back to camp to check on the damage and to pack up. When we left, Barb's tent was sitting in about 3 inches of water so we knew that we were done. Our camp fared rather well. The tents were slightly damp (the boys more than mine) but not drenched and nothing a little airing out wouldn't fix but we were determined to just get home. We spent a couple of hours packing up and headed out. We figured that even though it wasn't ideal, it was still fun. It was all made worth it for me when, as we were pulling out, M said from the back seat "thanks for bringing us mom. I really had fun."

We decided to end things on a positive note and got together last night to eat the meal that was already prepared and divide up the remaining food. It really was a good way to end things and everyone had a good time and even some laughs about the whole thing. We did agree, however, that camping in August probably isn't going to be our thing. We may try September next year :)

Fort Snelling Part 1

2010-08-07T11:04:00.002-05:00

This week, we went to Fort Snelling and we had a PERFECT day for it. It wasn't too hot but yet sunny with a nice breeze which was a major improvement from 2 days before when it was stifling. The kids had a great time exploring all of the different spots and interacting with the characters. We also nearly had the place to ourselves which was a real treat for summer touring when things can get so very crowded. We truly could have spent the entire day there but had to go home for baby nap time. It was really a great day.

Fort Snelling

2010-08-07T10:57:00.002-05:00

Our G-man turns 9!

2010-08-07T10:46:00.002-05:00

G wanted a relatively quiet birthday this year ON his birthday but then a big bash later...and he got it! On his birthday, we went out for breakfast, then went swimming and finally had some family over for a pizza party with a sinful ice cream cake. Joni (his birthday buddy) approved too! For his party, he had a bounce house, tons of friends and an ice cream sundae bar. It was great fun! Happy Birthday G-man!

M's Baseball Tournament

2010-08-07T10:40:00.002-05:00

M decided to play baseball this year. Not YMCA, once-a-week, hangin' out baseball but the real deal with uniforms, practices, games...you know, baseball. He had a great time and improved so much over the course of the season. His team was undefeated and won their league championship. They were so happy and proud. Their trip to the State tournament wasn't quite as successful but they played well and had a good time nonetheless. Go Rays!!

First camping with mom trip

2010-08-07T10:35:00.002-05:00

On our first mom and kid camping trip, we went to Nerstrand Big Woods State Park with 2 other families. It was so much fun. The kids had a blast playing together, whittling by the fire (a newly acquired skill and hobby), hiking and more. It was just great. We have another trip coming up very soon and we're all very excited about it! Mom power!!

Pukefest 2010

2010-08-07T10:31:00.002-05:00

At the end of May and extending into June, we celebrated Pukefest 2010 with 4 weeks of rotating illness. It went through our entire family and peaked one night with 3 of 4 kids lying on the couch taking turns being sick. We ended up taking G into the ER because he just couldn't stop and was totally lethargic but the rest of them recovered on their own. I think it was perhaps rotovirus because of the symptoms and duration but I'm not sure. It was definitly NO FUN!!

New Kitties

2010-08-07T10:20:00.002-05:00

Papa and Joni have had kitties on the farm for many years but little Nika was in an accident and didn't make it. Her sister, Bluebelle, was pretty devastated and so mom and Wayne decided that new kitties were a good solution. Here they are with the boys on the day they got them. The boys had a blast with them. S was very good with them and loved cuddling them up. C would hold one for about 2 seconds and then drop her. It's definitely true that cats land on their feet!

Fire

2010-08-07T10:14:00.002-05:00

Inspired by my brother-in-law's mother, I decided that I was going to learn to be a camper and take my boys camping with our without daddy. There were only a few obstacles in my way and so I tackled them before we headed out. This was my "how to build a fire" trial. It went pretty darn well I'd say! I love that the big boys sat by the fire and read. It makes me happy.

Random photos from Spring 2010

2010-08-07T10:07:00.002-05:00

Top: I came downstairs one morning and C and S were playing baseball in the fireplace room. It was adorable. C was batting (see photo) and S was pitching. In another year or so, not so cute but right now at age 2 1/2, very cute.

Middle: S wearing his baby in a Eco Baby Carrier. So cute.

Bottom: Worn out boots. The twins wore their boots out...literally! They got new ones for Easter and these had to go the way of the burn pile.

Crazy Hair Day!

2010-08-07T10:04:00.003-05:00

M and G celebrated Crazy Hair Day at HEdFEx, our homeschool co-op. M had a lot of fun with it while G was a bit hesitant but he decided to do it in the end and was glad he did. They had a lot of fun with it!

New Bikes!

2010-08-07T09:55:00.004-05:00

The twins got balance bikes for Spring Equinox. M helped me put them together and the babes loved them. S has really worked on mastering his and now, he zooms around the court and down the driveway balancing perfectly. It's crazy to watch such a little person balancing on a bike. It's so much fun. Now, C is getting more interested in his bike too. Soon, he'll be zooming everywhere too. On rainy days, they like to bring the bikes into the house and go around the circle. It's a good thing I don't care much about my carpet!

Photo Catch up!

2010-08-07T09:51:00.003-05:00

Finger Painting!! March 2010

G-man's birth story

2010-07-19T22:03:00.004-05:00

In honor of my G-man turning 9, here is his birth story:

It was mid-July and I was hugely pregnant and running around after an 18 month old who was full of energy! It was very uncomfortable and very hot. I gave M the hose a lot because it was his favorite activity and it often involved squirting mommy and squealing with delight at my reaction which was much bigger than it needed to be but it served its purpose in that it kept him spraying me which cooled me down. My mom came to visit around the time of my due date which was July 18. Her birthday is July 20th and she just kept talking to my belly telling him to hold on until the 20th because then they could share a birthday. Well, the 18th came and went, then the 19th came and went. I baked a birthday cake for mom in preparation for the following day and, if I'm lyin' I'm dyin', at the stroke of midnight on July 20th, I had my first contraction and I knew that it was the real thing. I hung out a bit just to be sure but I just knew it was real. I woke up Tim and let him know and then I went downstairs and woke up mom by just saying, "you always get your way!" She knew immediately what I was talking about.

Tim and I went for a walk and things progressed. At this time in my mothering journey, I was all about hurrying up and getting it done so I was all ready to get to that hospital and get this show on the road. I now know how lucky I was that they didn't mess with me and cause me to end up with a c-section. We all arrived at the hospital sometime in the wee hours of the morning and I, of course, hadn't progressed much (patience!!). Lynette came and got M and took him back to her house for the rest of the night and mom, Angella and I started walking the halls much to the nurse's dismay. They would have much preferred it if I would have laid in bed with the monitors on but I was on a mission to have this baby! We walked for a long time and then things got more intense so I was ready to get into the shower and labor like I had done with M when the wonderful news came that there was no hot water. None....crap. Now what was I going to do? That was part of my birth plan for natural labor and birth and now I just had to white-knuckle it through as I was still determined to have a natural birth. Tim started counting through contractions, saying a different number with each one and it gave me something to concentrate on. My transition was extremely intense. I had what felt like one long contraction that varied in intensity but never came down for about 15 minutes. I kept making them call the nurse in to check me, convinced that I was complete and ready to push but I wasn't there yet. They kept making me switch from side-to-side and it was excruciating! Finally, I was complete and it really was time to push.

I pushed for a mere 15 minutes and my baby boy was born at 9:30am. He was 7lbs 15oz and 21 inches long. He had the biggest chubby cheeks and full lips and was just beautiful. My heart swelled with joy as they laid him on me and I got to see my little man for the first time. They weighed him and did all of the checking and (this is his favorite part) he peed on the doctor during his exam.

Things settled down a bit. Everything got cleaned up and the nurse came in to give him his first bath. Tim had (in Tim style) mentioned that he had an appointment to get the oil changed in the car. Did I mind if he kept it? I said fine, go. My mom and sister were there and M had already met his new baby brother having arrived with Nana just as the G-man was born. He kind of cringes now to hear it but it makes for a good part of the story.

G-had an apnic episode where he stopped breathing for a few seconds while in the nursery. It landed him in NICU for the remainder of his stay. All of his tests were fine though and he was able to come home with me right on time.

Our other favorite tale to tell about G's birth was when Tim brought M to the hospital the next day and had dressed him in one of G's outfits. M was 18 months old at the time and the outfit that daddy had somehow shoved him into was a 3-6 month size. He looked like a stuffed sausage and when I unbuttoned the bottom to give him some relief, the diaper popped right out like the stuffing popping out of a pillow. I was enraged at the time (hormones) but now, it's absolutely hilarious.

Our G-man fit perfectly into our lives. He was so darn cute with those huge chubby cheeks and his brother loved to pet him on the head. We were so blessed to have 2 healthy boys. He's still such a light in our lives. His HUGE brown eyes positively shine with the excitement of life and his laugh is infectious. He has something that draws people to him and makes friends so easily. He's such a great kid and I'm so proud to be his mom. Happy 9th birthday to my G-man! I love you!!

Catching up

2010-07-15T12:40:00.002-05:00

I have a lot to catch up on! I just haven't taken the time in our very busy spring and summer thus far to write anything although I think about it frequently. There's just something about May that's like a starting gun going off and everyone in Minnesota starts running as fast as they can to make the most of the nice weather while it's here...us included! So here's a recap of what we've been up to. I'll try to post some photos in the coming days:

- M decided to play baseball this year. This is the real deal - uniforms, practices, games, kid pitch and lots of coaches. It's been busy balancing the baseball commitment with Mixed Martial Arts and our other activities but we all kind of grew to like it more than we thought we would. His team, the Rays, were undefeated this year! They have a tournament next weekend and then are going to the state tournament the last weekend in July. It's fun to be part of a winning team and it's been really fun to see him develop his skills over the past couple of months. He and daddy have been working hard on catching and batting and he's really coming around.

- We spent 4 weeks in May/June with Pukefest 2010. We think that everyone caught Rotovirus because everyone was at it and it was a big ball of no fun! Just when we thought it was done, someone else would start puking or someone would start puking again. We only made one ER trip: with the G-man because it just wiped him out too much. Some IV fluids and Zofran did the trick and he hopped out of there a few hours later. Having all of the kids puking at the same time was an underlying fear of mine when we had 4 kids. While we never had all 4 at it, there was a night where I was by myself with 3 of them puking. It will live on in my memory but not in the happy box.

- On Mother's Day weekend, we visited the farm and for some reason, I just decided that it was time that my babes start going down to sleep without nursing. They must have been ready too because there wasn't much of a fight from either of them. I stayed with them until they fell asleep and would sing to them and comfort them as needed. It progressed over several weeks: I was sitting next to S (who had more trouble than C) with my hand on him, then edged away a bit and then on the edge of the bed reading until they fell asleep. Finally one night, I just left the room. I told them that they didn't need to cry. They could just go to sleep and...they did! It was so amazingly fantastic. It took a few more weeks until they were sleeping all night in their own room but now, it's every night. I put them to bed, kiss them goodnight and they sleep "all night until the sun comes up". So wonderful. So freeing. I'm getting sleep that I had forgotten existed! I wouldn't change a thing about my parenting style with them. I wouldn't go back and force them to cry-it-out and make them do this earlier than when we were all ready but man am I glad that we're here now! I love having my evenings back to myself again. I love having time to read to my older boys and spend one-on-one time with them. It's awesome.

- This spring, I was called back outside to do my walking. I started waking up with the sun and I just couldn't stay in bed any longer - I had to get outside. So, I started walking again. That first day stepping outside for my walk was like coming home. It was such an amazing feeling to be doing something by myself and all for me to take care of me. Motherhood can be so demanding and it's a 24 hour job. Yes it's important that we take time for ourselves to rejeuvenate but it's not always possible so when it became possible for me this spring, I was purely joyful. I now walk 2 1/2-4 miles 3-5 days a week and I'm lovin' it! (some days - gasp - I even run!)

- The urge to become a camper really hit me this summer. I had resigned myself to it last year or the year before knowing that having all boys would probably mean me camping at some point. My brother-in-law once regaled me with stories of his mother taking all of her 5 children camping by herself and while at first I thought she was nuts, it eventually inspired me to want to do the same. In talking with a couple of friends, we discovered we were all on the same page with that or were at least willing to try it so we did! We did our first mom/kid camping trip in June down to Nerstrand Big Woods State Park and had a blast. We have another one planned to Whitewater in August and we're just ecstatic about it. Turns out, I like camping and I love seeing my kids in the outdoors. It brings them alive in a new way and it's just heartwarming. We even talked daddy into doing an overnight to test out all of the equipment before we headed out on our own. I think there's going to be a lot of camping in our future and daddy's now talking about a pop-up camper. Hmmm, we'll see where that goes! In addition to camping, we've had a few other trips: one to the farm over the 4th of July, one to the Vet's Rest Camp in Marine on St. Croix for an Orchard Family Reunion, and now we're home for a couple of weeks which we all need before heading out again!

- I took one whole day and a huge laundry basket full of books to the library to do our school planning for next year. It's one of my favorite days of the year I have to admit. It's so exciting planning out what we're going to do and learn and I'm so glad that even after all of these years of homeschooling that planning our next year still gets me excited! M will be in 5th grade and G in 4th grade next year. It gets more "real" every year and no, we're not yet daring to utter the words "middle school" That's just way too real for this mama.

- When we're home, we've been having a blast hanging out with friends, exploring the Twin Cities a bit and just enjoying our relaxed schedule. We're doing a bit of school this summer but nothing major and we're very willing to take breaks. It's good, though, to keep those wheels turning and keep some things fresh in our minds over the summer and noone's complaining too loudly. The days are finally get downright hot which means that the pool is calling! We have our passes and hope to hit the water very soon.

- The Tallula-bean (as we've taken to calling our new niece/cousin) is now 3 1/2 months old, is growing like a little weed and is cute as can be. We're enjoying her very much when we get to see her. She's such a little joy and yes, it's fun to be the auntie of a little girl and no, it doesn't make me want one. I'm done. Finis. Done. But I'll take all of the baby girl cuddles I can get when I can get them!

- We are doing a community garden again this year although I'm quite sure that I'm being talked about for my poor weeding habits. We've been gone so much and then when we're home, we have so much to catch up on or just need time to play outside that I haven't been over to weed nearly as much as I should and it's truly obscene. I hope to get over there later today and tomorrow and maybe the next day too. I did find some yummy things growing in amongst the weeds so nothing but my pride seems to be suffering too much. I've been having fun testing recipes like crazy this spring and summer. I've fallen in love with my Vegetarian Times magazine and while I'm not vegetarian and don't plan to be, I am reducing the amount of meat that I eat and working to introduce a lot more vegetables into our diet. This has done the trick! I've found some amazing recipes and I love trying all the new ones I can. They're not always a hit with the family but they're willing guinea pigs so I appreciate that.

- Our G-man took on a HUGE challenge from his MMA instructor this summer: no sugar. No screens. Wow. He was hesitant at first and wanted to back out because 3 months is a long time but he's doing great. He has a sticker chart to mark off each day and nearly everyone has been highly supportive of him. He does get to have sweets at parties and we can still have family movie nights but it just takes those things off of the proverbial table in our day-to-day lives. It's had a wonderfully positive effect on the entire family and I find myself wishing that the summer wouldn't end! He's read several books already this summer and is getting interested in things that he's never taken the time to notice before. I just love it. Even M has reduced his sugar intake and his screen time. G's very much looking forward to his birthday next week, however, when he was told that he can play video games and have sweets. Not a free-for-all but something befitting a birthday boy to be sure. We're so proud of him.

So that's kind of our spring and summer in a very small nutshell. I'll get some photos posted soon!

New Baby!

2010-03-31T09:20:00.003-05:00

My sister had her baby yesterday morning after a very long 6 days past her due date. As with any mother-to-be, the waiting was very challenging but her labor finally began about midnight and I got at call at 1:30am. We just seem to have babies in the middle of the night and that's that. After getting the phone call, I knew I wouldn't sleep anymore so I got up, got ready and did a few things while waiting for mom to arrive. About 2:30, I was just starting to cut up fruit when Matt called and said that she wanted me to come to the apartment now. I walked out the door within a few minutes and drove nice and fast (it was 2:30 in the morning and we must take advantage of having the road to ourselves after all) to their apartment. When I got there, I could see that she was in the thick of it but she was still talking between. I think that every new mother is kind of taken by surprise at the sensation of actual labor. We spend so much time wondering what it will be like. Wondering if that contraction was "it" and we inevitably have people tell us "when it's real, you'll know". It's always true and yet it's baffling every time until that moment when it truly turns real.

I always had back labor. I don't know if my babies truly descended posterier or if it's just the way my pelvis is shaped but their heads and my back were always in full contact creating an excruciating experience unless there was counter pressure. When I walked in, she had a hot pad on her back so I knew she was having the same thing. During her next contraction, I pushed on her back instead of the hot pad and she said "that's much better." Good. We need all the help we can get. She had downloaded a Contraction Tracker onto her ipod and it actually came in really handy. From the time I got there, her contractions were no more than 2 minutes apart and she said that they started at 4 minutes apart. I guess all of those Braxton Hicks contractions had paid off! At about 3:30, we started talking about when to go to the birth center. I said I'd want to go before I'm in transition because at that point, you won't want to go anywhere. It was just a few minutes later that she declared it was time to go. She and Matt took off for the birth center while I waited the last few minutes for mom and then we followed. They arrived about 4:00 and we were there about 4:15. They got settled in their room and the midwife checked her. It took her a long time and I was just praying that she be at least at a 6. After what seemed like ages, she declared that Angella was fully dilated and efaced but the baby was still up a little high so she needed to labor a little more and let her come down. She got into the tub and did just that.

We could tell she was in transition at that point because she was definitely in her own world and they were more intense. All-of-a-sudden, she looked up and said, "I have to push". She was coached by the midwives on how to do that slowly to make the baby come slowly as to not stretch her to quickly. After just a couple more contractions, the baby was crowning and she went from resting on Matt's legs to resting on my legs so that Matt could catch the baby. A couple more contractions and we could see her head out and then with one more push, she was here! She was so beautiful right from the second she was born. A perfectly round face and head and plenty of black hair unlike her momma at her own birth! Those dreams that mom and I had about a baby girl with lots of black hair were true after all. She had a beautiful, lusty cry. It was such a perfect moment in time. We all cried. We were all joyful. And we all felt incredibly blessed to be part of this amazing experience. After several minutes, Matt cut the cord and held his daughter while Angella delivered her placenta. Later, Matt asked if she had done that yet. He was so entralled with his new baby that he hadn't even noticed the thing that he had been very curious about during the whole pregnancy! Welcome to fatherhood.

Angella and baby T got settled into bed along with daddy Matt and they were just a perfect little family. We all left the room for several minutes to let them have some time and mom and I started preparing food. Mom made soup and I cut up fruit as we knew Angella would be starving. When we brought it back in, the baby was nursing like a pro and didn't stop for the next hour. It was a beautiful sight.

Angella had a very bad tear that nearly resulted in her having to transfer to the hospital to be sewn up but luckily, that wasn't necessary. She did require stitches but just a few. They stayed at the birth center for 4 hours after the birth as the law requires and mom and I met them back at their apartment where we had prepared it for their arrival and mom baked the birthday "cake" of Carmelita Bars. We were exhausted but the adrenaline was still going strong and keeping us going too which was good. Angella and Matt arrived home about 10:00 and tucked right into bed. We made sure they were settled, visited awhile, Lee and Scott came to visit and then we all left to let them get some rest.

Mom and I came home to a quiet house as daddy had taken the kids to the zoo for the day for which he earned major points! We crawled into bed and slept. I was surprised that I was only able to sleep for 1 1/2 hours but it felt like enough for the moment. Once mom got up, we started cooking again. We made tacos and a Sundried tomato soup and took all of that over to Angella and Matt's along with the twins who wouldn't let me out of their sight (C especially) after being gone most of the night and day. They were so cute with baby T. It was precious. After a couple of hours, we left again and let them have their night. They were exhausted and having been a new mom a few times myself, I know that they were in for a long night and many more to come.

Yay! I'm an auntie!!

Shopping with Toddlers

2010-03-15T20:08:00.002-05:00

Tim's traveling for work this week so I am on full-time duty which means that I'm responsible for getting the older boys to MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) 2 nights this week. I chose tonight and tomorrow night to just get it out of the way and because they are the nights that work best for me if such a thing exists. A friend was also at the class so she helped with the babies as I simultaneously tried to nurse S and cast on my yarn for a pair of socks (take 2 of the ginormous socks if we're counting). During the class, the instructor informed me that the boys didn't have their check in cards, their belts weren't tied right and...they need mouth guards and groin guards. Fun. So after class we grabbed dinner and then headed off to Sports Authority on our errand. Now I may have worked in a sports store many a year ago but I was never an expert on mouth guards or groin guards so I knew that I was either going to need help or this was going to be a long trip of looking all over the store.

I prepped the older boys to not ask for anything. We're going in. We're getting exactly what we need and nothing more (unless mommy finds something irresistable for herself in which case all rules are null and void) and we're getting out of there. The twins didn't get the memo. We weren't all the way in the door when C collapses in a heap of tantrumming toddler. I have to hand S over to M to hold onto while I grab C and look for someone to help. I can already tell this isn't going to be pretty. The girl I asked quickly handed it off to her male co-worker (smart girl) who was awesome in getting the boys everything they needed while I chased and managed my 2 screaming, jello-like and running toddlers around the store. We somehow made it back up to the register with me dragging S by the hand while asking him to stand up and C following along sobbing. I'm the picture of the perfect mother at this moment (dripping with sarcasm). I instructed the boys to toss their stuff up onto the counter, I quickly paid for it while simultaneously restraining both of the toddlers with my knees to keep them from running in opposite directions, scribbled my name onto the pen pad, handed the bag to M, my purse to G and grabbed 2 little hands while trying to convince them that we are indeed going home. We made it half way across the parking lot before S collapsed into a tantrumming toddler heap and I had to make the executive decision to again drag him the rest of the way to the car to keep him safe because I couldn't risk letting go of C's hand even for a nanosecond or he would have bolted. I finally got them both restrained in the car, turned on a movie, took a deep breath and drove home.

I have to say that a lot of the time, they're great shoppers. The twins help me push the cart and put things in - most of which are on my instruction but we get a surprise here and there - they hang out and then sit in the cart when they get tired of walking or I bribe them with a box of crackers. They usually do a great job but apparently, this was just too much tonight. I can relate kiddos. I can definitely relate.

Questions

2010-03-15T09:41:00.000-05:00

I've learned a few things over the past 10 years of motherhood. Among these things is a list of questions that mothers just shouldn't ask if they want to keep their sanity:

Why did you do that?
Why didn't you do that?
What happened (asked to at least 2 children at the same time. If you do dare to ask this question, be sure you have a hot beverage in your hand because you'll be able to sit and sip it while trying to decipher "what happened")
Who did this?
Where did you put that?
What was that noise? (the answer is always "nothing")
Why can I find it in 3 seconds while you couldn't find it in 10 minutes of "searching"?
What have you been doing? (asked in the context of such things as: while they were supposed to be cleaning their room, tidying the kitchen, doing math, etc.)
What are you doing?
When is the last time you:
- changed your underwear
- showered
- brushed your teeth
- brushed your hair
- wore a different shirt
- wore different pants
CAUTION: if they pause and look blankly into space while trying to remember the last time they did these things, it's been too long. Just send them up to the shower with implicit instructions to throw every item of clothing currently on their bodies down the laundry chute, wash their hair, brush their teeth, brush their hair and use soap on their bodies - not necessarily in that order. You may want to make a list but even if you do that, there's a very good chance that they won't do it all anyway. 50% is a good result and you should be happy with this.
Whose socks are these? (they multiply like bunnies, I swear)
You've just spilled yet another glass of (insert beverage here), what do you think you should do about that?
Why do we have to have this conversation every single day? (this could pertain to just about anything. Especially the above list about changing clothing items and persoanal hygiene)
You KNOW you have to clean the table and floor as part of doing the kitchen, why must we have this conversation every single day?
Haven't we had this conversation before?
What did you say?

Okay, I could clearly go on. I think as a general rule it's best to not ask open-ended questions to which you already know or don't want the answer. It keeps us in nice oblivion or at least in the illusion of it (we always know what's really going on) and keeps the kids from having to step in it even more than they already have. It's just for the best.

And now, I will put on my rose-colored glasses and attack my day while doing my best not to ask any questions. Happy Monday!

Hello Sun!!

2010-03-14T19:53:00.000-05:00

After several days of mild temps but no sun, lots of rain, a thunderstorm and plenty of fog, we had sun today!! We just relished it. I felt the cobwebs leave my brain and it had a positive effect on all of our moods. After a quick run to Costco with the twins this morning, we spent the rest of the day outside soaking in the rays and playing like crazy. G was positively tortured by the walk/bike ride I made him go on but it was worth it. The twins went through 2 pairs of pants each, there's a huge pile of muddy/sandy clothes waiting to be washed and I couldn't be more pleased to go tackle it! I've been waiting for the urge to spring clean to kick in and it hasn't yet but I feel like it's around the corner. I planned our Equinox celebration today (provided there isn't a birth happening) and I'm very excited about that too.

Spring is in the air and is very welcome!!

The Sock

2010-03-13T09:29:00.000-06:00

We have a sock war going on in our house. I have recently taken up knitting socks with a passion. After completing a pair of little pink ones for my niece, baby T (who is due to arrive almost any day), I decided to bestow a pair on my wonderful husband. I let him pick out his own yarn, I chose the pattern and ran it by him for approval and cast on...without knitting a swatch to check my gauge. Now for non-knitters, not knitting a swatch to check your gauge is like walking into a store and randomly grabbing a size of whatever clothing piece off of the shelf and not bothering to try it on before purchasing it. I know, I know, stupid but when you're so excited to jump into a project sometimes you just go for it even though you've read a hundred thousand times NOT to do that, sometimes you just do it anyway. That's what I did. Not only that, but I also ignored the comments from friends and even Tim saying that the sock looked a bit big. Well, not being one to rip out my hard work, I pushed on lying to myself all the while that it would be fine. 2 weeks later, I finished the first sock. I lavishly presented it to my wonderful husband who put it on and had the nerve to announce that it was too big. When I asked him what size he wanted me to do the second sock, he answered, "the same size you're going to do the third." Uh oh. Wrong answer.

I promptly declared him un-sock-worthy right then and there and thus, the war began. I decided that I just didn't have the heart at that moment in time to rip out the entire sock so I set it aside (after wearing it for a full day just to prove the point that it was indeed wearable - so there!). I knitted myself a beautiful PAIR of slipper socks that Tim now threatens to steal because they look like the right size for him...not so. I've taken to hiding them when they're not on my feet and I'm expounding on the comfort and pure coziness my feet are enjoying at that moment.

It's truly been all in fun. I know that it was my fault. I'm taking it as a learning experience and I knew that at some point I would be ready to rip out my beautiful work and try it again. Well, today was that day. I just finished unraveling the ginormous sock and winding the yarn back into a ball to be made, yet again, into a sock. This time, however, I know my gauge and I will knit to it. I will constantly be requesting fitting sessions to be sure that it's fitting right and, if necessary, I will swallow my pride BEFORE I finish it and rip it out to make sure it fits.

My children, however, remain un-sock-worthy. Anyone who slings their socks this way and that on a whim, wears them outside without shoes and can't manage to get any piece of clothing into the dirty laundry until it can stand on it's own from build up of dirt and guck isn't yet worthy of my socks. Maybe by the time they get married they will be, but not today.

Mommy Bragging

2010-03-12T11:04:00.001-06:00

We parents always think our kids are awesome. We love to brag about our kids to anyone who will listen and we soak it in when the other person agrees that yes, they are truly extraordinary. And sometimes we need to focus on those things to keep from going crazy from the other not-awesome things that our kids do as well - they're kids, right?

Anyway, here I go with some super cool stuff that my kids are doing:

- S (27 months) has amazing, truly amazing fine motor skills. It started with clipping his own buckles on his carseat and high chair about a year ago and lacing beads several months ago. That was impressive. He's now graduated to putting on his own mittens with the thumbs in the right spots and everything and he's getting himself dressed. He started with putting on his own pants, then moved to pajamas (the footie kind) and today, he walked into the livingroom completely dressed with pants and a turtleneck that he picked out and put on all by himself. I was impressed to say the least. He also loves to do the alphabet puzzle he got for Christmas and he can do the entire thing all by himself. He looks at the piece, finds its spot, pops it in and then repeats the sound that the letter makes (the puzzle says it). Having never had kids before this who were at all interested in puzzles, this leaves me amazed every time.

C- (27 months) has incredible recall. Yesterday, he had his Circle Time class at our homeschool co-op. That's at 11:00. At 3:30, he came home and announced to Nana that he had fun at Circle Time today and they talked about Dinosaurs. That's one heck of a timeline for recall. He also told daddy about it when he was going to bed last night. Impressive. His reasoning skills are incredible too. For ages, he's understood and voluntarily implemented the idea of taking turns. He often leads "S's turn, my turn" when the twins are playing together. He regularly takes up the cause of taking turns when there is a game going and he's been doing that since before he was 2. You can tell him to do things and he'll actually do them. I can give him something and tell him to go give it to one of his brothers and he'll do it and make sure that they do with it what they're supposed to and then come back and report on it. Handy.

G - (8 1/2 yrs) is as sharp as a whip. He picks up on things so quickly. He can always look at the clock and nearly instantly tell you how much time there is between now and the next event happening in our day. He's one of those people who is naturally good at nearly everything he tries whether it's academic or physical. And he has passion coming out of his ears! Once he decides where he's going to concentrate that passion, watch out world!

M- (10 yrs) has really incredible self-awareness and a heart that is huge. His newest venture, The Banana Club, was born out of getting punched in the nose last week at a park for no reason other than wanting to befriend a kid who wasn't being very nice to him. Instead of getting bitter, he turned it into a game and recruited others to it as well. The game was to find and resolve conflict. In his spirit of wanting to encompass everything and everyone in his visions, he believes that if he can just get the word out to enough people and get enough people on board with his club, that it will ultimately bring about world peace. It's so inspiring to see him dream so big and in a way that is good for all. It will be amazing to see where he goes.

So, there's my mommy brag for today. My children are amazing and that's that.

Vitamin D to the rescue!

2010-03-06T08:25:00.000-06:00

I have been utterly amazed at our winter thus far. I had done some research in the fall when h1n1 was all the rage and we chose not to do the vaccination for it about which I'm am even more resolved after all of the news about it. Anyway, we chose to do a rigorous regimen of vitamin D instead. I have been taking 10,000 units a day for myself and the babes who are getting it through the breastmilk. The older boys take 5,000 units every-other day and Tim is SUPPOSED to take 5,000 units a day. He didn't. Guess who got sick...a lot. Tim spent several days this winter sick enough to be in bed for a few days at a time. The kids and I got a case of the sniffles one day and it was so minor that it was hardly noticeable. It's amazing to me that the vitamin D made such a huge difference in our health. I'm totally sold!

When I Wasn't Looking

2010-01-27T09:17:00.001-06:00

Despite being home with my kids all day every day and being very involved in their lives, there are things that happen when I'm not looking. Here are a few:

- The twins unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper and put it into the toilet...twice. This plays into the wise piece of advice: if you hear your toddler in the bathroom say "uh-oh", RUN, don't walk, to the scene of the crime.

- The big boys decided that playing tag in the dark basement was a good idea. The huge gash and black eye that ensued when G tripped during said game stated otherwise.

- M turned 10. Where did those years go?

- The babes decided that having picked up toys (even for a few minutes) is overrated.

- The laundry started to procreate.

- The babes are nursing less and talking more.

- My kids got really smart and started asking me more and more questions that I can't answer off the top of my head which result in me stating "I'll have to look it up". i.e., Armageddon over breakfast the other day.

- My babies aren't babies anymore. Any of them.

- C decided that he's old enough (being 2 years and 2 months) to pee standing up. Yeah. That's a good idea.

- G became a math whiz and now tells me to the minute how long we have until the next scheduled event. Odd seeing as how he's the person in the family with the worst time-management skills...but he can tell you exactly how late he is!

- M is showing signs of adolescence. He's no longer up at the crack of dawn and can be seen reading in bed every night instead of playing his way to his bed like he used to.

There are so many things that we as parents can't see because we do spend so much time with our kids. We can't see them growing; we only see that their pants get short. We can't see them maturing; we only look back and remember when. And sometimes it's hard to see from up close that they're growing into fine young people and eventually into fine adults. We just have to trust that the input is going to result in a good outcome at some point and it will probably happen when we're not looking.

A New Year and a New Bed

2010-01-04T10:20:00.000-06:00

Last night, my babies slept in their own room for the first time ever. S did very well but he's used to sleeping in that room during naps. It happened to be the 2nd night in a rown that he slept all night. Awesome. C is currently back to nursing most of the night and last night was no exception. I was able to be in my own bed with just my husband for a few hours before being called to duty. It's definitely going to be a process but I know I'm ready for it and I hope they play ball. We had originally planned for them to transition to matresses on the floor of our room but we failed to consider that they might actually believe that my bed is their bed and that being on the floor would not be a good second option for them. We learned that one the interesting way! So for now, I'm going to be happy to sleep baby-less in my own bed for at least a few hours a night and hopefully, it will be more as time goes on. I'm kind of surprised that I'm so ready for this but I am. I've been thinking about it and slowly moving toward it for several weeks and now that it's here, I'm prepared and at peace with it. It's time.

This is a lesson that I have learned over and over again in my mothering journey: if things are hard and you feel like you're fighting all the time, the time isn't right. Stop fighting and be where you are. You can work toward your goal but jumping in may not be the right answer for right now. At some point, you'll try something and it will be easy for you. That means you're ready. It can be very challenging to be patient, be present and be at peace with the way things are right now but in the end, it's always worth taking your time and going at the pace that is right for you and your babies. It's all a process. Be in it.

C's Date with Mom and Dad

2009-12-28T19:08:00.000-06:00

For Christmas this year, we gave each of the boys a date with mom and dad. We'll pick activities for the little ones and the older boys get to pick their own...within reason. Today, we had our first date and C was the lucky guy. We went to the Children's Museum and it was so much fun pretending to be the parents of one child...and so easy! Mom was just arm candy as C had eyes only for Daddy whom he pulled around every-which-way and Tim obliged every time. C was in heaven! Here are a few pictures from our adventure.

Fishing.

Water fun

Holidays 2009

2009-12-28T18:24:00.001-06:00

M with one of his favorite gifts from this year: Transformers Devastator! It's definitely a boy thing.The way to G's heart is through some Bionicles. He loves them!

If you look carefully and can discern the different shades of white, you can see the fort on the left and the arch on the right. So much fun!

S playing cookie keep away with Grandma Joni. Everyone loves Aunt Suzie's sugar cookies!

C hanging with Papa Wayne eating a sugar cookie. The sugar intake yesterday was most impressive as was the crash that followed. Yikes!

It's not over yet for us but we've had a lot of fun so far. We had about 12 inches of snow from the 23rd through the 25th and on the 24th, it was the good, sticky, good-for-building kind. So...we built a fort and an arch. The arch went over the 14 foot slide in the backyard and then the boys took their ice sleds and went down the slide, through the arch and then through the fort. So cool. The 25th was half rain and half snow so our creations of the previous day were collapsed for the most part and are now frozen but the boys are dreaming of the impending re-build! We did end up having to cancel our trip to my Grandma's house due to the weather but had fun tucking in with my sister and brother-in-law on Christmas Eve followed by a relaxing Christmas Day where we got up, did stockings, had french toast for breakfast and then did gifts after that. Later in the day, we went to Tim's mom's house and celebrated there for a few days. It was lovely.

After a very busy week of baking and preparing, it's been really nice to have some great down-time with the family and we're looking forward to yet another week of it. Love it! We don't plan to get back to school until the 2nd week in January and my rule of thumb is that our decorations have to be down before we go back to school so we'll be working on that next week and then will make our grand entrance back into reality. ((sigh)) Such is life! I do feel truly blessed to have such great flexibility in our schedule. It makes for far less stress, much more time to enjoy and more time to do the things we want to do. Life is good. Above are a few pics from our past few days.

Winter Solstice 2009

2009-12-21T09:41:00.000-06:00

Happy Solstice! This is my favorite Holiday I think. Several years ago, we claimed it as our own since we always have several Christmas celebrations to attend and we really wanted something that was ours. Celebrating the natural change of seasons resonates with both Tim and me so we chose the Solstice. We have a little ritual that we do each Solstice Eve where we eat dinner by candlelight, talk about what we're grateful for from the past year and make a wish or set an intention for the coming year. Then, we go outside and set off fireworks! We also do a bunch of crafts including decorating gingerbread (a traditional Solstice food), making a winter mobile with decorations that we make, stringing popcorn and cranberries and decorating a tree outside with that and oranges and birdseed to feed the animals, we go see Holiday lights, read Solstice stories and just tuck in as a family. I love it and I have fun each year coming up with something a little different than last year. Last night, we had apple relay races which were very fun! Today is our crafting day and we're going to decorate cookies, read our stories and do a bunch of crafts as well as go carolling. In the busy-ness of this season, it just feels good to have something that is all our own and is a quiet spot in the middle of the traveling and everything else. I also like the connection to nature and the deep connection to history. People have been honoring and celebrating the Sostice for thousands of years in different ways and in different cultures and beliefs so there's something very primal about honoring something with such a long and varied history. With the world being such a crazy place sometimes and humans making such an impact on everything, there's something very powerful in knowing that the natural order of things remains constant and predictable. It helps to put into perspective the little things that we worry over or give power to. At the end of the day, the Earth keeps spinning, the orbits of the planets keep going and the change of seasons can be marked every 3 months without fail. It's nice to have that to come back to.

Happy Solstice everyone!

Baking and Cooking

2009-12-21T09:20:00.000-06:00

Here's a list of things I have baked or cooked in the last week:

Peanut Butter Star Cookies (the boys helped with this)
Lace Cookies
Puppy Chow
Peanut Butter Balls (the boys did most of this)
Spritz Cookies (they suck)
Sugar Cookies for the Festivitrees that we're putting together today
Shortbread drizzled with chocolate
Pretzels drizzeled with chocolate
Pretzels dipped in caramel and then rolled in a bunch of goodness
Toffee (Jen did this, I can't take credit but it was in my kitchen and I watched)
Church Windows
Friendship Soup mixes in a jar (22)
Cornbread Mixes in a jar (22)
Gingerbread (decided to forego the house and burned one pan after accusing Tim of turning off the timer when it was really me but we still have PLENTY)
Hot Cocoa Mix (3 LARGE batches that were bagged up for gifts)
Peppermint Meringues (which browned because the directions said to bake at 300 for an hour which is clearly way too long for that temperature which I discovered after consulting many other recipes after ours browned...grrr)
16, 1/2 pints of Chokecherry Syrup canned (spilled 4, 1/2 pints on the stove when it just erupted over the side of the pan. Tim cleaned it up...what a saint!)
Solstice Wishing Bread
Cocktail Buffalo Meatballs
Cocktail Sausages in BBQ Sauce
Sundried Tomato Pate
Crostini
Sundried Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta
Baked Brie wrapped in Puff Pastry
Double batch of my spaghetti sauce (with 2lbs of pasta - not homemade)
Horseradish-crusted steak roulade stuffed with roasted red peppers and provolone (Jen did the dirty work on this too)

The only thing I have left to do today is to make and can Peach Salsa.

Why all the baking? Well, for the second year in a row my friend Jen and I have made a bunch of goodies which we give to various people in our lives. Everyone loved it last year so we decided to do it again this year. We have a blast figuring out what we're going to make and how we're going to package everything. This year, we cut it tight on time and if my mom hadn't happened to be here and jumped in to help, we would have had to pull at least one all-nighter. Thanks mom! I also had to make some goodies just for our family and Tim's birthday was Friday. He likes Peanut Butter Balls for his birthday in lieu of a cake. I also did a sit-down dinner for 16 on his birthday and Jen came over and helped with that as well. Again, we probably wouldn't have made it if Matt and Angella hadn't shown up early and been willing to jump in and help. Thanks guys!

All-in-all, it was a great week. But I'm done now. I'm ready to relax and enjoy my family and the season with no more big baking or cooking projects...for a few days.

Seasons Eatings!

Card List

2009-12-09T14:51:00.000-06:00

It's time to write our Holiday letter and get it ready to send out. I have a vague recollection of reading somewhere that it's traditional to send them out the week between Christmas and New Years and I use that tidbit to at first procrastinate and then one year I finally decided to just make that my own little tradition. Some people like to be the first, we have one family member who always sends it in January or February after the big rush and me, I like to do it in that "in between" week. So today, I started looking at the mailing list. It has stayed much the same for many years but there are always a few additions and a few deletions and a few address changes. This year, I had to remove both of Tim's grandmothers who passed away this year. Last year, I did the same for my grandmother. That was tough. I still haven't deleted them from my Contacts list. I just can't bring myself to do it.

I do enjoy writing a Holiday letter. We usually send out a photo too. It was much easier wrangling 2 kids into a photo and now that there's 4, we just take what we can get. Thankfully, someone got smart and started offering those cards where you can put more than one photo onto the card. I think it must have been a mom who was sick and tired of trying to get all of her kids to sit still, smile and look at the camera all at the same time.

Tim couldn't care less about this little tradition of mine. He dutifully reads the letter after I've written it and get me the addresses that I request but other than that, he'll have nothing to do with it. I read all of the letters we receive and look over all of the pictures marveling at how much everyone has grown or what has been done over the past year. If there are letters or pictures from good friends of his, I point them out and he reads them and looks at them but this is my thing and he does his part well when asked.

This Holiday card and letter thing is quite the deal. We have one friend who keeps a list of those they've sent them to each year and who reciprocated and if they don't get one back for a couple years in a row, they're off the list. Some take the time to be very witty or creative with their letters. Some just send a photo. Some just send a card. Some just send a letter. Some send a letter, card and photo. It's fun to see the variety and yes, I save them all. I put them all into our scrapbook for the year and it's fun to go back and look at them every now and then. I figure that it will be something that will really be enjoyed 25-30 years from now. We'll have a big snowy day with nothing to do and we'll end up looking at old albums by the fire and it will be fun. Sounds nice.

So for me, thank you to all who send us Holiday cards, letters and photos. I love all of them and look forward to getting them each year. I'll strive to keep my letter to 1 page and will probably go through several re-writes to achieve it and one of these days soon, I'll wrestle the boys into some decent clothes and make them sit for a photo.

Here's to enjoying the process!

D-Term

2009-12-08T10:39:00.000-06:00

D-Term has officially begun in our house. Some institutions have J-Term in January where you can take a month-long intensive class between semesters. It's kind of the same idea but we do it homeschool style. Yesterday, D-term officially began. Our first lesson was in Logistics Management. It involved 4 kids in the crawl space figuring out how to get all of the Holiday decorations out without breaking anything, missing anything or bonking any heads on the low ceiling. From there, it turned into how to get everything upstairs, again unbroken, and distributed to the rooms in which they will be unpacked. The third portion involves actually unpacking the boxes and distributing the decorations around the house while the children bounce up and down asking repeatedly "when can we do the tree? When can we do the tree? When can we do the tree?" The evening ended with cultural studies in our first viewing of the "classic" Holiday film "ELF". And there was popcorn. Other classes planned for this D-term include: Gingerbread Baking 101 followed by Gingerbread House Assembly which is a 200 level class involving royal icing and lots of candy; Gift Making - part of the Art and Chemistry departments; Gift Bag Sewing and Tag Making; Popcorn and Cranberry stringing; Ornament Making; Holiday Light Viewing; and How to Enjoy your Holidays without going Crazy! This last class mainly involves letting go of all non-essential duties (such as math) and focusing on making memories with your kids. That's my favorite class of D-term.

Happy Holidays!

Twins's 2nd birthday party

2009-11-23T07:56:00.000-06:00

Here are a few photos from our family party that we had for the Twins yesterday. It was, of course, truck themed!

Here's S digging into his cupcake. He did quite a number on the copious amount of frosting!

While C was more interested in the truck atop the cupcake at first, he got into it eventually!

Happy Birthday to you....

Massive cupcakes courtesy of Costo. We added the trucks ourselves. They were a big hit!

They each got a balloon bouquet complete with a truck balloon. They loved them, especially C!

Twin Birth Story Part 1

2009-11-23T07:40:00.002-06:00

In honor of my Twins' birthday today, I'm posting my birth story. I love my birth story. It is long and so I've split it up into 5 smaller parts. Happy Birthday my babies!

For 5 ½ long years my husband and I had the same conversation: should we have another baby or not? I was firmly on the “yes” side and he was firmly on the “no” side. It seemed we were at an impasse. I had decided that if we couldn’t come to an agreement by May of 2007, I’d let it go and be at peace with it. One day, around Christmas 2006, Tim came into my office early one morning and asked me, “so when does the Chinese Conception Chart say that we’d need to conceive to have a girl?” I consulted it, feeling some pressure, and came up with a month. And then he said, “Okay.” I couldn’t believe it. I started shaking and crying and laughing all at the same time. It was a moment I honestly never thought would come and I will never forget that feeling. I knew what a huge sacrifice this was for him and I also knew that once he said that little word, he was on board. He’s not the type of guy to go half way so “Okay” meant more than just “we can have a baby.” It meant that he was in it all the way. He’s a great dad so I knew already what that would look like and I was amazed and so, so happy.

Having made that decision, I had some serious thinking and planning to do. I knew that this would be my last pregnancy and birth. I’d had 2 natural hospital deliveries before and they were fine. That’s about it. Just, fine. Nothing earth-shattering neither on the good nor bad side and, as I would come to find out through my research, I was pretty lucky. I decided that what was most important to me was to have a water birth. Water calms me. When I don’t feel well, I take a bath. When I want to relax, I take a bath. On a hot summer day when I want to cool down, there’s nothing better than slipping into a cool swimming pool. Yep, a water birth was going to be right for me. There are 2 hospitals that do water births in the Twin Cities. I chose one and as I researched it more, I realized that they only had one or two tubs and if you don’t fit into their specific parameters or if they’re taken, you’re out of luck. This was my last birth. I wasn’t getting another chance at this and I’d be damned if another laboring mother was going to take that experience away from me! So I decided on a home waterbirth. This was January.

Twin Birth Story Part 2

2009-11-23T07:40:00.001-06:00

After deciding on my birth location and ambiance, I started reading. I read Ina May Gaskin, I read Peggy O’Mara, I read every book on natural birth I could get my hands on and it all felt so right. Yes, this was the experience I was looking for. I started researching homebirth midwives and I somehow had the self control not to call any of them at this point because I wasn’t yet pregnant. My IUD was still firmly in place, so we had a little time. We were taking a trip to Costa Rica with my family and I had decided that I didn’t want to be pregnant for that trip so we decided to wait until we returned home and we did. About 2 days after we returned home, I had my IUD removed and it all took off from there. I’m very, very blessed to be highly fertile. My husband teases me that if I walk by a men’s bathroom, I get pregnant. But, we wanted to be a little careful. We were, after all, trying to conceive a girl here. We had 2 wonderful boys and thought that it would be fun to at least try for a girl. You know, to have a different experience this time around. I got pregnant right away and I knew it. I took 3 pregnancy tests. 2 were too early and the 3rd malfunctioned but I knew I was pregnant. I could feel the change in my body and in my spirit. I knew another life had joined me and I didn’t need a test to confirm it. I started calling midwives.

I called several and interviewed 3 before choosing the first person I talked with. Jeanne was just right for me and I knew it from the start. She’s the perfect mix of nurturing and no nonsense that really fits my personality and as it turned out, she was exactly who I needed. I was lucky to not be too sick during my first trimester. I only had about 2-3 weeks of a really yucky tummy that kept me on the couch but at 9 weeks pregnant, we headed to Disney World and on a Disney cruise and luckily, my stomach cooperated and so did the seas which were very, very calm – thank goodness! We returned from our trip in the middle of our kitchen remodel and moved in with my in-laws for a couple of weeks. Truly, I was so blessed to not be down and out during this time because it could have been just awful but it was bearable and I was able to do all that I needed to do…between naps. My biggest complaints from that first trimester were that I was so constipated and bloated that I really felt big already. So much so that I just caved and went into maternity clothes at 9 weeks and it felt so much better not to have any pressure on my bloated belly! Well, that’s when all of the talk started. First, at Disney, we kept seeing twins everywhere. My mother-in-law kept pointing it out because it really was eerie just how many sets of twins we kept seeing. I ignored it. Then my mom started in when I started showing so quickly. I wrote it off to being my 3rd baby and kept insisting that I really was just bloated…but I was big. When I started to feel movement and it was everywhere, I wrote it off to a very active baby. I finally had my first appointment with Jeanne at about 18 weeks and she even said that I was big but didn’t measure too far off and she only felt and heard one baby but left me with the comment that twins usually present themselves by about 28 weeks so we’ll just see. And we did.

Twin Birth Story Part 3

2009-11-23T07:39:00.001-06:00

We had already decided that we wanted to have an ultrasound. Tim really wanted to find out the sex of the baby and I didn’t have any objections. So very spryly one August morning, I bopped in for my ultrasound. I teasingly told the technician that we want to know if it’s healthy, of course, but we want to know how many and the sex. I just wanted to shut everyone up once and for all and have her tell me that my little girl was doing just fine. Well, it took her all of 30 seconds to say…”well, there are at least 2 in there and this one’s a boy aaaaaand, that one’s a boy.” What???? I broke down into fits of laughter. I couldn’t believe it. Twin boys. OH MY GOSH! Tim was silent. As silent as I’ve ever seen my husband. He finally looked at me and said “Do we have to move?” I assured him that no, we didn’t but he was still in shock and already in the mode of taking care of his rapidly growing family. It was at that moment that my sister came in. She’d been running a little late and had missed the big reveal. When we told her, she burst out laughing. That was pretty much the reaction we got from people all day as we made phone call after phone call letting everyone know our big news. I had my best friends accuse me of lying to them and so many people laughed and there were a few who were just silent as it sunk in. That was great fun.

It took a few days for the shock to wear off. Tim and I quickly named the babes and it really helped me to begin to know them as 2 little beings inside me. It was amazing. I spent hours staring at my ultrasound pictures still wondering at the fact that there were 2 of them in there and they were mine. I was going to have 2 babies. There was so much that I couldn’t comprehend or wrap my brain around. How do I nurse 2? Can I wear 2? Can I still cloth diaper them? Can I still homeschool? How is this going to change my family? What did I get us into? And through all of the questions and doubts and fears, there was pure joy and excitement. I was so grateful to be able to experience this. It was a pregnancy that I never thought I’d have and now I was getting 2 babies for the price of one. I was so blessed. My family was amazing. The boys were incredibly helpful and excited. We set aside school for the most part and prepared for the arrival of our babies. We cooked and organized and I rested and chose my activities carefully. I had pains that I had never had with the first two and some of them were bad enough to immobilize me at times but still, I was grateful. I talked to each baby and got to know each one of them by their movements. I had fun obsessing over whose little foot was this and whose hand was that. I was in heaven. I was huge. It was perfect.

Twin Birth Story Part 4

2009-11-23T07:37:00.000-06:00

Then, at 36 weeks 1 day, I woke up to a new sensation. My water had broke. I’d never experienced that before either so I wasn’t quite sure what it was and I certainly wasn’t planning to fall in to the stereotypical statistic that all twins are born at 36 weeks! I wanted to go to at least 38 weeks so this was not in the plan. Jeanne agreed. I laid down and hung out for a few hours but there was no mistaking it, my water had indeed broken but there were no contractions. The birthing tub came, I visited my chiropractor and my family gathered around me and still no contractions. I was taking all of the recommended precautions because I did have a ruptured bag of waters: I stayed home except for the trip to the chiropractor (I didn’t use her bathroom) and to Jeanne’s, I changed pads very often, I took vitamin C regularly and took my temperature hourly. All this to ward off and check for potential infections but I had no problems. I visited with Jeanne, Jane and Sarah, my midwife team, and we decided that if there was still nothing on Thursday, I would take some homeopathics to give it all a boost. So on Thanksgiving morning, I woke up and started with the homeopathics. Nothing. Finally, after dinner and in the middle of Grey’s Anatomy and while Tim was fixing a blocked sink and a broken t.v., something. And then another something and then boom! I was in full blown labor. I had read that labor with twins is fast and furious and that certainly described mine right from the start.

We called in everyone who would be present at the birth and although we were planning to wait a bit to call the midwives, I decided rather quickly that it was time for them to come. And they came. Sarah busied herself in the kitchen putting together herb packets, teas and other good things and the second Jeanne arrived, I got into the tub. Oh my goodness did that feel good. The next few hours were a blur of one contraction after another. I had back labor so I needed someone applying counter pressure to my back with every contraction – I wasn’t the only one working hard! And then, it was time to push. There was something so freeing and so natural and primal about being able to labor and push in the water and in the positions that felt right in each moment. I didn’t even think about it, I just moved and it was always the right thing and it always brought my baby closer to the moment he was born. S was the first one born. I needed to push and I had to get over my fear of tearing in order to do it. At some point, I just pushed through the fear and the pain and in one push, he was out and in the water in front of me. We were all so surprised! Jeanne and I scooped him up and I held him to me. He was so tiny and I just couldn’t believe that he was here. And very quickly the reality of having to do it again sank in. I was exhausted. I got out of the tub and laid on the couch to nurse my new baby. He was perfect. I laid there for an hour nursing him and someone gave me some honey to boost my energy and someone else made me drink water because I was getting dehydrated and I was just in heaven with my baby. M was awoken and he came down to meet his new brother and then he stayed and helped coach me through my second labor. He was amazing.

Twin Birth Story Part 5

2009-11-23T07:22:00.000-06:00

The contractions started back up again and at some point, I knew I had to hand him over and get back to work. I labored for another hour and pushed for another hour and to say that those were the hardest 2 hours of my life would not be an exaggeration. I was so tired and it hurt so much as this second one came down with his head right in my back again so I again needed the counter pressure. As I rode the wave of each contraction and my support team could see that I needed extra energy, they counted in unison. I felt hands on me and energy pouring through those hands and into my body. I felt so loved, so supported and so safe. I knew that I could do this. I knew that my body was made for this and that I was capable and strong. I could birth this baby. I remember saying over and over and over again, “I am strong, I am capable.” There’s nothing like a good ol’ pep talk to get you through! This baby was up high and he was taking his time getting down. I was in the water and then out of the water and on the birthing stool and the midwives were concerned that my tear from Seamus was pretty bad and they didn’t want me to tear more so suggested I deliver laying down. That was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I couldn’t do it. It was unbearable and I don’t know how I ever delivered my first two lying on my back. Finally, Tim spoke up and said “Let her get back into the water.” I did and he came. He came slowly. I kept checking myself between each push to make sure I was making progress and again, I marveled at how in control of my birth I was. One push before his head came out, my water broke and then out came his head, I felt him turn and then his shoulder came and then, finally, the rest of him slipped out of my body. Cedric was here. He was just as exhausted as I was and he was huge! No wonder it took him so long to make his appearance!

He needed some perking up so Jeanne took him and gave him some oxygen, had daddy talk to him and massaged him. It took a long time but he started to perk up and I finally got to hold him and nurse him. He was so beautiful with big, chubby cheeks and full lips. Wow! I had just given birth to twins in my living room. Incredible.

Some people left and others stayed. Because C was having a bit of trouble, Jeanne and Jane stayed and we all slept a bit. After a few hours, we all perked up and got to do the fun part of weighing and checking out the precious babes. S weighed in at 6lbs 4 oz and C at 8 lbs. Not bad for 3 ½ weeks early! C still wasn’t perking up as well as he could be and because he was so sleepy, he wasn’t interested in nursing. We all made the decision together that we should take him up to Children’s Hospital to make sure he was okay. We all knew instinctively that there wasn’t anything major or life-threatening, but he clearly needed a little help so we took him in. In the end, his glucose was low so they gave him some and he perked up immediately. He did so well that we only stayed one night instead of the normal minimum of two. It was an interesting experience to have had a homebirth and then to go into the hospital. It was nature and medicine working together the way it should be. Our midwives helped advocate for us and the medical staff was respectful. We all met in the middle and it was a good experience. The next day, we headed home and back to bed. I spent a full 2 weeks in bed with my babies and it was just perfect. We had so much wonderful bonding time as a family and I just kept thinking that this is how it’s supposed to be. This is what every woman should feel like after giving birth. I was so empowered. I felt strong, supported, safe and loved and most of all, like I had earned my right to be called mother. I had claimed my right and it was such a powerful feeling.

I am immensely blessed in my life and I am so grateful to have had such an incredible birth experience. It’s something that has affected me deeply and changed me forever. There is nothing I can’t do. I’ve been to the depths of my fear and doubt and I have overcome them and emerged stronger and more powerful than I could have ever imagined. I am so blessed.

Independence

2009-11-22T22:20:00.000-06:00

When did we start to believe in America that it's so important that our children be independent? What are we so afraid of? Are we afraid that they'll live with us forever and never amount to anything if we don't make them "independent?" In an effort to begin this journey towards "independence", we start pushing our children away from the very second they are born. They slip out of our bodies and are taken away from us to be "checked out". Artificial lights replace the warmth of mother's arms. Gloved hands rub and touch this new skin instead of mother's loving touch. We actually have to request that they not be whisked away. Does this strike anyone as odd? Imagine being that little baby, just birthing into this world with bright lights shining in your eyes, cold air filling your lungs and no longer hearing that comforting sound of your mother's heartbeat. Suddenly, you're separated from her. That must be really scary and stressful for such a fresh little being. Anyway, it goes on from there. We bring our babies home and put them into a crib, by themselves in a room, by themselves and we expect that they should start "sleeping through the night" as soon as possible and if they don't, we leave them to cry, alone. And in doing that, we are somehow training them to be independent.

What if we have it all wrong? What if true independence comes from knowing that you can count on your parents to give you everything you need, when you need it, every time? What if knowing that you can count on your parents allows you to explore your world on your terms because you know that you have a strong foundation to which you can return when you need it? What if no one pushed you out into the world to do things before you were ready but let you come to it in your own time and in your own way and you didn't have to feel the stress and the disconnect of being in a situation that you're not ready for but history has taught you that you don't have any other choice?

What if we have it all wrong?

For thousands of years, children have been birthed into their mother's arms, been brought to the breast and stayed there in this warm, loving and familiar environment for as long as they needed it. They've slept next to their mothers and could count on getting just what they needed day and night because their mothers were right there to give it to them. When they decided to venture out on their own, they knew that they had their mother to come back to when they were done. Have all of these children been so-called spoiled and overly dependent? I don't think so. There is a lot to be said about the relationship of a strong attachment between parents, especially mothers, with their children and independence. The former leads to the latter. For some children, they need that reassurance of mom longer than others but this doesn't mean that they are overly dependent rather that they are high needs children. Many children are high needs. I have 2 of them. All that means is that they need, actually need, more physical and emotional attention than some other kids. They may need to be held more, need to be by mom more, need some special routines and that's all okay.

For us, that has looked like having a child sleep on our floor off and on for years because some nights, he just needs some extra momma time and yes, simply being in the room with me counts for him. It has looked like me making very good use of slings and carriers because my babies want to be held and are happy when they are held. It looks like lots of cuddles, snuggles, reading time and together time and while there are times that I need a break, as every mother does, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm amazed at some of the things my kids will do and how independent they are. I love watching them run off to play and come back every now and then for a cuddle, kiss or a check-in. I've learned to recognize that as them checking in and making sure that I'm still right there. Once they know that, they're off to play again knowing that if they need me, I'm here.

Of course my journey doesn't look like yours. Mine doesn't look like anyone else's and there definitely needs to be a balance between what your child needs and what the parent needs or it's all for naught. If that balance is missing, someone's not going to be happy and healthy and it's often the mama who gives too much. Finding that balance is key but we must be careful. Being away makes it easier to be away and harder to come back. Balance. We must find the things that fill us up most efficiently and put our energy there when we need to be filled up. Our kids are young for such a short time and while it may seem interminable some days, it's gone in a heartbeat. Balance.

In the end, I want my kids to know that I'm here for them in the way that they need me to be there for them because I know that it will result in well-adjusted and independent kids and afterall, that's the pre-requisite American goal, right? I'm not knocking it. We all want our kids to be well-adjusted and successful in whatever way that means for them. I want my kids to be happy and I know that I'm not alone in that. I simply believe that there is so much time for our kids to be out there in the world being "independent". Why not start them off by giving them a strong foundation of trust to which they can return their entire lives? While they start out by needing that foundation to be built on you, they end up knowing that it's them. They trust themselves. They've learned and explored and they know what's important to them and what kind of people they are at their core. That's what they can come back to and what if that foundation starts not by being pushed out of the nest, but by being pulled in? What if?

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2009-11-15T07:46:00.000-06:00

Well we've had quite the week around here. First off, C is not only on still on the potty training path, I'm almost getting bold enough to state that he is indeed potty trained. I don't know why the potty gods decided to smile down on me but I am eternally grateful and will remember not to curse them when potty training S...whenever that happens. It's been 2 weeks exactly since my little man sat up in bed and announced that he had to go potty. That was his last day of diapers. The past 4 days have seen not a single accident AND he either tells me when he has to go or he answers me honestly when I ask him if he has to go AND yes, he's pooping like a pro on the potty. I get it that for those who have no kids, this is T.M.I. Tough. It's a huge thing for the mama so yes, I wrote about poop:).

On the flip side, night weaning has not been going well. In fact, it's been sheer disaster over the past week. Not only were we back to 5-6 hours of nursing straight, he would scream. SCREAM when I would take him off or dare to tell him that "mimi's are nigh-nigh". But, in true C style, a great story has come out of it:

He awoke one night this week asking for mimi's. I explained that "mimi's are nigh-nigh." It didn't go over well. Cue screaming. Ultimately, Tim came in and rocked him a bit to settle him down and then he hands him back and goes back to bed. Start over. Actually, Tim calming him did make it so that I could at least talk with him a bit so it definitely helped. So we went through everyone and everything we could think of "Dadda's sleepin', Ba's sleepin', Bippy's sleepin'....tractors are sleepin....elephants are sleepin'..." you get the point. I lay him back down to go to sleep as he is now calm. I'm settling in to go back to sleep myself when I feel him lean over, right into my ear and whisper "mimi's , mimis!" It was his own little subliminal message system. It was downright hilarious. Man this kid has quite the personality!

Okay, so it went on from there but not in the endearing way that I just mentioned. It involved much more screaming and then some. Thursday night, he woke up at 1:30. At the meer mention that "mimi's are nigh-nigh" he flipped out. I mean FLIPPED OUT! He screamed the likes of which I have not heard from this child. It was other-worldly in nature. I tried in vain to comfort him but he was in the throws of a full-blown temper tantrum and there was no going back. Tim came in and again tried to help. He was holding him and rocking when he...vomited. Yep, all over himself and daddy. He was so upset, poor thing. After getting him cleaned up, pottied and calmed down, I was able to get him back to sleep and yes, I believe I nursed him. He'd been through enough and so had I! That was definitely our low point.

I started wondering if this wasn't happening because of the potty training. It's so common for kids to "regress" in one area when they're working on conquering another area which is also why kids who have slept through the night or at least very well since they were mere weeks old, will stop doing that around 5-6 months. They're working on very exciting things like sitting, crawling, walking, running and so much more. It settles down again around 14-15 months once they have mastered those things. So it is with night weaning and potty training apparently. They don't go hand-in-hand.

I am happy to say, however, that we haven't had a repeat of Thursday night. Friday night was a little better...in that there was no vomiting and the robustness of the screaming was less intense but it was there, nonetheless. After me rocking and reasoning for over an hour, Tim came and brought him downstairs until he fell asleep again. It was still rough. Last night, however was quite good. I seem to remember him waking up around 1:30 but being that I was exhausted fromt he events of the previous 2 nights, I couldn't move to do anything or say anything and it turned out to be the right thing. He cuddled up and settled right back down. Then, he woke up at 5:30, nursed a bit and went back to sleep until 7:30 when he woke up with sunshine in his eyes and exclaimed that he had to go potty! Please, let us be over the hump!

Anyway, that's been our week and it's been a good lesson in remembering that when we're learning new things, other things slide for a bit. I know that's true for me. I like to become fully emersed in a new thing be it researching something, planning something, or learning something new. What slides for me are things like laundry and cleaning and sometimes cooking too. How I managed to land me such a reasonable husband, I'll never know. While I know he doesn't like it, and when it gets too out of control he tells me, he's hanging in there with me - the mark of a good man!

Ooops. We just broke the no accident streak. Darn blog jinx!

Seriously?

2009-11-02T07:31:00.001-06:00

C woke up yesterday morning, nursed, sat up and said "Mommy, uckies." I said, "you have uckies?" "Yeah." Okay, we get out of bed, go into the bathroom, take off the diaper, no poop. I ask him if he wants to go on the toilet..."yeah" is the response. So we go into the other bathroom. sit on the potty chair and he goes. And goes. And goes. Wow. So it went on from there. By the end of the day, he had spent most of the day in underwear with just little dribbles for accidents but did most of his peeing in the toilet. Daddy convinced him to put on a diaper to go play outside for which I was especially grateful. Fast forward to this morning. Same scenario except that he actually woke up dry AND refused to put his jammies back on after his morning potty. Luckily, he had insisted on having his Thomas underwear on over his nighttime diaper so we were ready to go.

Okay, I know that I should be ecstatic about all of this and it is quite exciting and I'm very proud of him but I'm also filled with trepidation at the thought of beginning this process with a 23 month old. I hadn't envisioned this happening for about another year and wasn't even looking forward to that since I've done this twice before and it really wasn't fun. However, when they are showing clear signs and capabilities, you go with it, right? Well, we'll see.

In other news, S wants in on the game too. He insisted on having Bob the Builder underwear on OVER his pajamas last night. It's quite a sight. You can only get away with that stuff when you're 2. He's far from ready to be potty trained but he likes to play the "sit on the pot" game so we go with that.

So, we're in a pattern of seeing where this all goes. I'm certainly not going to pin my hopes and dreams on having a 2 year old who is potty trained. I've heard of such miracles taking place - usually with girls but have heard tales about it happening with a boy here and there as well - but have never seen them in my house. I'm trying to remain open and just see what happens but if the potty gods were to smile upon me, I'd really be grateful :).

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T08:28:00.000-05:00

It's Halloween today...finally!...as the boys are exclaiming. They are so excited to go out trick-or-treating tonight and this is the first year that they've been this excited. They have plans to go all throughout the neighborhood collecting as much loot as possible which is, of course, the point.

Every Halloween I'm reminded of my own childhood. My mom had this tradition that was imposed upon her as a child and she just paid it forward with clear intentions of torturing her young, I'm sure. She made us eat liver before we could go out trick-or-treating. Yes, liver. Beef liver none-the-less. So here my sister and I would sit at the kitchen table, costumes donned with the all-powerful carrot of trick-or-treating dangling in front of us and a plate of liver before us blocking the way. I'm quite sure that this can be considered child abuse in some states but clearly Minnesota was not one of them. Each year, when asked yet again WHY we had to ingest this nastiness, she'd simply state, "because it's good for you." Unfortunately for her, we grew older and got wise and our challenging assaults became more and more calculated and precise. We felt slight triumph the year that she conceded to letting my dad chicken fry chicken livers instead of the beef liver. At least the strong, dry flavor was smaller and coated in salty crunchiness. And finally, my sister inflicted the dying blow when one year she pointed out that just because she (mom) had had to eat it as a kid on Halloween DID NOT mean that she had to make her kids do the same. She actually had a choice in the matter and tradition was not a good enough excuse to carry on such vile behavior.

That did it.

I've not had beef liver since and while I don't remember at what age we finally got the abuse to stop but I was old enough to have it burned into my memory forever. We still like to tease mom about it. In all fairness to my mother, she's not that mean. In fact, she can't even tell you why she insisted upon this tradition for so long or why she was so sure that this was what good mothers did for or to (depending on your view point) their kids before allowing them to ingest as much sugar as a body could handle. We as mothers are trained to do our best to raise our children in a healthful way and allowing a sugar free-for-all can be really hard even though it's only once a year. When my kids were younger, I spent plenty of time, effort and money finding candy without corn syrup, all natural or organic and trying to replace the regular candy with this "good stuff". That only can last for so long before you realize that it IS just once a year. So I conceded my point as well.

This year, I gave my kids a choice. We happen to be in the process of going from one treat a day, which we implemented as my own need for constant daily sugar loading has subsided from my days as a mother to newborn twins, to having sweets once or twice a week. Yes, we're doing this right in the middle of Halloween and right at the beginning of the Holiday season. We'll see how this goes. Anyway, I came to the kids with a proposal earlier in the week. They could either choose to have one treat a day all week and then 3 small pieces of candy on Halloween night or choose to not have any treats all week and then have a candy free-for-all tonight. Well, my kids are smart and they chose the free-for-all. They've been really great about not having treats all week but have been talking incessantly about Halloween which stands to reason of course! They are so excited about tonight that they can't hardly stand it. I have to say that I truly enjoy letting go on Halloween and watching them plow through as much of their stash as is humanly possible. G last year swore off all candy for the rest of forever after his tummy ache set in (and then of course was ready to give it one more go the following day - such a martyr). I don't know if I'll have them sort and graph their stash before digging in this year or not - we have to fit some math in somewhere, right? But to be sure, a great and sugar-filled time will be had by all and may the ensuing crash and tummy aches be mild.

Happy Halloween!

Uncharted Territory

2009-10-30T12:10:00.000-05:00

I just gave my boys a Latin Test. This is the first test they've ever taken and I was more curious about how they would deal with it than concerned about the outcome. It just so happens that printed on the test are the possible points you can earn for each section. This intrigued them and they both commented on it but only G worked really hard to get as many points as possible. M did quite well too but when he came to the end "fill in the blank" section, I found this note: "How am I supposed to know this without a clue?"

Yep, that's my boy! It reminds me of the time I asked one of my college French professors if he had opened a vein on my paper that he had just returned to me because there were so many red markings on it. He wasn't amused. I, however, am. He still didn't get the points though.

Personalities

2009-10-28T19:52:00.001-05:00

It's always amazed me how quickly our children's personalities come through. As mothers, we start getting to know our little ones in the womb. We know how they kick or wiggle, what their busy time of day is and how they react when you poke them a bit. We, of course, spend time wondering if they're going to be terrors once they're born based on all the kicking that they do at 3am. But once they're born, they begin to show themselves right away. We have some very distinct personalities in our house to be sure. M came into this world entertaining everyone and he's never stopped. From the moment he could smile, he was coaxing smiles and reactions out of everyone around him. He would have long gobbledegook conversations with people from a very young age complete with gestures, well-placed laughs and impressive timing. He's still like that today. He's always telling jokes and entertaining anyone and everyone. He loves being the center of attention and will do anything to get there. When he was little, he could always be reasoned with. I didn't know what a blessing that was until G came along.

After having our first child who's personality filled a room, G was different. He COULD smile but you'd really have to work for it and the only person who could really get him going was M. He had an idea about this world and we were along for the ride. As a toddler, he resembled a grumpy old man at times. In the morning, he would get up, very crabby, and make his way to the couch with his blanket where he would demand a sippy cup (sikky cup) and a show. After his morning libation and show, he was ready to greet the world and, to his credit, he did so in a good way. He was a challenging toddler because he fussed and whined a lot and it honestly wore on us. I used to tease that if he ever went to school, he would leave a trail of retired teachers in his wake because he was so willful and opinionated and there was no reasoning with him. On the flip side, he was so lovey and cuddly. He loved his mama and we cherished our cuddle time. He turned into Mr. Amiable at about 8pm so we started letting him stay up until we went to bed because he was so wonderful and happy at that time of night and we just cherished having that time with him. He's still very intense in his moods. He's either very happy and lighting up the room or screaming mad. I swear I've seen steam come out of his ears at times. He's very passionate and that passion will serve him well some day. In the meantime, we're working on some self-control.

S came into this world in a very explosive and dramatic way. The smallest of all of our babies, it took one push to birth him and it surprised everyone in the room. He asserted himself as "fierce" from day one and we nicknamed him catbird because his cry sounded like a cat yowling and his mouth was always open to nurse like a little baby bird. He was either very, almost eerily, content or screaming mad (sound familiar?) and he has one volume - loud! Even when he's excited and saying hello to everyone or naming things, he's yelling. He knows exactly what he wants and whom he wants to get it for him. You often feel a push on your shoulder if you're holding him and he wants you to go in a certain direction and "GO" was one of his first words. He has definitely followed in G's footsteps in waking up in a less than stellar mood and we haven't yet found what trips his trigger to get him happy and ready to start his day. We're working on that. And even when I'm exhausted from the whining, I can pick him up and he'll lay his head on my shoulder and cuddle in and it's just the sweetest thing. He's a master cuddler and I just love how that makes all of my stress just melt away.

C has to be our most consistently amiable child. He's such a joy. Even when he was tiny, Tim would say that his cry was so polite. It was more of a fuss and seemed to say "if you don't mind and if you have time, I'd like to nurse please." His smile is radiant and he exudes pure joy from the twinkle in his huge, brown eyes to the flexing of his fingers and toes when he's excited or happy. If he asks for things and you explain that he needs to wait for just a minute, he always says "okay" in his little sing-song voice. I truly want to bottle him up and just keep him this way forever. He's so wonderful. We get so many "Okays" and "Yeah!s" from him and it just warms your heart every time. We ask him questions just to get to hear his little voice and it's so precious. He does have his intense moments and S is usually the receiver of that and has the scratches on the cheeks and had many, many bite marks to show for it. He seems to be getting over that a bit (the biting at least) and we're very grateful for it!

It's wonderful to see what type of people our kids are growing into. It's not always easy and we admit that we're in a very challenging time right now with a couple of them but it's nice to have the good parts to balance everything out and make us remember why we had them and why we adore them the way we do. I always try to keep in mind that every part of their personality will serve them in their life in some way and they just have to learn how to use it all in a good way. And it's important to remember that on the days when you just want them to be quiet and stop being so stubborn and whiny because we all reach the end of our rope at some point. We all have things in our personalities that we need to tone down or liven up a bit to bring us some balance and it's in discovering those things and making the changes that balance and growth come into our lives. So I strive to maintain my own balance and remember how fleeting all of these things are and how we're doing our best to shape them into fine young men. Here's to enjoying the ride along the way!

Boomwhacker fight

2009-10-28T11:39:00.000-05:00

Boomwhackers are these tubes that you hit on things and they make different notes. They're very cool. I decided that this would be a good place to begin musical education with my children because you can hit things. Boomwhacker practice ended with a "sword" fight and G saying to little S, "Come on! Let's go take over the world!!" to which little S said, "okay!"

Welcome to my world.

It's happened

2009-10-27T16:48:00.000-05:00

Well, the day has finally come. I was asked point blank by G about Santa. He was very adament and wouldn't let me weasel my way out of it like I did last year. So, we sat down, mono e mono and had "the talk." Not "the talk" that comes a little later but this one can have just as big of impact depending on the child. I remember when I found out. It was the year my grandpa died so we were spending it with my grandma. I "knew" there was no Santa but had no proof until that night. I was sleeping on the couch but not yet quite asleep. I heard my mom and dad come in and fill the stockings, eat the cookies and drink the milk. There was a part of me that was crushed. I was 11 at the time - probably older than most but I just kept that part alive in my heart for as long as possible.

G admitted that he was a little disappointed too but felt that he was ready so he was glad that he now knows. I think I'm more sad in a way than he is but I don't think our conversation could have gone better. We have always told the kids that Santa is the spirit of giving so that's where I started. I explained that it's kind of like God. God is within each one of us and when we give in the spirit of Santa, Santa is living in our hearts. He liked that. Okay, I liked that. I don't want the magic of the season to completely disappear for him because I love it so much but it's up to him in the end. I went on to swear him to secrecy, of course, because I don't want my kid to be responsible for breaking the hopes and dreams of all of his friends and his older brother to boot! I knew this day would come but it was a little piece of innocence, which we protect so fiercely, going away. Sometimes being a parent is a little heartbreaking.

What's for dinner?

2009-10-21T16:36:00.000-05:00

G: What's for dinner mom?

Me: Turkey Wild Rice Soup

G: Mmmmm.....turkey?

Me: Yes, turkey.

G: Not chicken?

Me: No, turkey. Remember, I made that turkey? I'm using that for the soup.

G: What did you use last time?

Me: Turkey

G: You said it was chicken.

Me: No I didn't.

G: Yes you did.

Me: Well, they're pretty much the same thing anyway.

G: No, it's pretty much NOT the same thing. Turkey is turkey and chicken is chicken mom and they are not the same thing.

Me: Okay, sorry.

Man, everyone's a critic! Half the time they ask me 20 times what we're having for dinner and then they don't listen to my answer anyway unless they hear the magic "pizza" word and the other half of the time we're debating about the difference between turkey and chicken. Kids!

Grandmas

2009-10-21T11:52:00.000-05:00

I am so incredibly blessed to have a mom and a mother-in-law who are awesome, to say the least. They just set the standard for the kind of mom/mother-in-law I want to be when my kids get married and start having kids. They know how to come over and be helpful in just the right kind of way and I appreciate it so much. This past week, they've both been their weight in gold! My MIL came over yesterday, as she does every Tuesday so I can go to yoga. Yesterday though, I wasn't feeling the best and was afraid I was on the edge of another bout with mastitis so I decided not to go to yoga but to take it easy instead...as much as is possible with 4 kids that is. She came anyway. I ran a few errands and had lunch...alone...and then came home to one sleeping twin and I proceeded to lie down with the other one while she cleaned my kitchen and washed all of the dishes before leaving. That's just priceless in my life right now!

My mom arrived last night to see the truly obscene collection of clean laundry awaiting folding and putting away. It had outgrown the 6 laundry baskets and the wall in the laundry room was playing a key role in keeping it all from spilling onto the floor. It was bad. She enlisted the boys and they got it all sorted, folded and all but mine and Tim's put away. Then, she helped me start dinner before she left. So nice. I feel spoiled sometimes but I also appreciate it so much that it's beyond words. It's the kind of thing that I want to do for my sons and their wives some day so I can pay it forward. I am truly, so incredibly blessed to have these women in my life. I love you both. Thank you!

Lovely Day

2009-10-20T10:26:00.000-05:00

We had a very nice day on Sunday. The weather was gorgeous for the first time in weeks and weeks. It was sunny and about 60 or more degrees. The trees were a glowing yellow and it was beautiful. I spent the morning hanging out with the kids. Tim left for Atlanta for a business trip and that left us to our own devices for 4 days. During naptime, I finished the first Halloween costume for G. It's awesome. I was also able to get started on M's which I expect to go much faster since it's the same pattern and I've been through my learning curve on G's. Fingers crossed.

Angella showed up about 2pm and we waited for the twins to wake up from their nap and then headed off to the Arboretum. Although it was kind of spendy to get in for the subsequent hour that we were able to be there and we were lamenting it a bit, it was so worth it for the beauty of it all. We didn't even bring a stroller for the twins which got a bit hairy at times but was fine overall. They ran and explored everywhere. C had fun putting leaves into a little stream with a waterfall and S found a little toad. He squealed with delight every time he reached out for it and it hopped. It was minutes of fun and eventually, all of the boys joined in...poor toad. M and G were stick/sword collecting and having great fun.

We ended up on a hill with a tree at the top. The boys were running up and down the hill (resulting in some lovely grass stains that I'm now working to get out but so worth it). The looks on their faces were of pure joy. The aforementioned tree had some strange fruit on it. We thought at first that it was a crabapple tree but upon further inspection, the fruit was more cherry-like than apple-like. Seeing this as a science lesson waiting to happen, I squashed one between my fingers so we could check out th inside. That's when it hit me...the smell. I looked over and finally saw the "leaves" on this tree. It was a female Ginko Biloba. Now if you've never seen a Ginko Biloba, they're so cool. The leaves are fanlike with distinct lines in them. They are actually made up of pine needles that fused together millions of years ago resulting in this very distinct and way cool leaf. I explained that to the boys and then mentioned that this was a FEMALE Ginko Biloba. It's not legal to actually plant one in your yard...because of the smell. Now if a mom of 4 boys can actually get one to wrinkle his face in disgust, you know you're doing something right. I was 2 for 4 in that moment and would have had all of them if the twins had even been remotely interested. One point for mom. The smell eminating from the squashed fruit all overy my fingers was like poop. No getting around it. It was a poop smell. Again, being the mom of 4 boys, I know the smell very well and identified it immediately. Thankfully, there was a bathroom right there and I was able to go and wash my hands thereby ending the lesson.

We left the Arboretum and hit Costco on our way home. We have a traditional "Daddy's left on a business trip" dinner that we make the first night that he leaves. It's scrambled eggs and waffles. The twins were helping me make it so it took at least twice as long and made at least twice the mess but they had a blast. The best part came when we were cracking eggs to make the scrambled eggs. They were handing me the eggs and cracking them for me before handing them to me even though I was trying to tell them to just hand them to me. Seriously, herding cats. So, we eventually got all of the eggs into the bowl and the kitchen floor cleaned up. They then decided that they wanted to play scoop and dump so I set out towels on the floor, gave them a bowl of water, a smaller container and each a measuring cup. I was really impressed with how well they did actually getting the water from the bowl to the container with minimal spilling...for awhile. At some point, I count on getting my floor washed with this exercise which is one of the things that makes it worthwhile for the mom. They had a good time.

Finally, dinner on the table, everyone is happily eating their "wapples" and then eating mommy's "wapples". Bedtime came and, of course, no one was tired because they were all sugared up from the "wapples". Maybe we need a new tradition.

All-in-all, it was such a lovely day. We hope the weather holds so we can have more in the coming weeks!

Like in a dream...

2009-10-18T19:49:00.000-05:00

The other day, C came into the school room where the older boys and I were doing some lessons. He took the lacing beads off of the shelf and sat down to start lacing them. A couple of minutes later, S came in, took the other end of the lace and started lacing that end. They played beautifully for several minutes and then (ready for this?) C cleaned it all up before leaving the school room. Amazing. Totally amazing. Since I don't know when in the next 20 years something like this might occur again, I just had to write about it!

S going to sleep

2009-10-11T20:57:00.000-05:00

Here's what putting S down for bed usually looks like. This routine can take anywhere from 10-60 minutes depending on the night. The poor thing just can't settle himself down and if there are any distractions in the room, it's over. If daddy's in bed with us, he kicks him out. If there's a loud noise from the hall or downstairs just at the wrong time, he's up. I know that in time, he'll be able to calm himself a little faster and as he gets older I can teach him some tools for calming himself down. This is kind of an entertaining routine though and most of the time, it's actually a nice time for me to lay there with him and think about my day and what I'm going to do with the next hour or two before I go to bed myself. Sometimes he gets so boisterous that it's downright funny and I have to keep from laughing so he doesn't think it's playtime. Thank goodness that C can sleep through all of it!

C, S and I get into bed and give kisses goodnight. I remind them that after this, mimi's (nursing) go nigh-nigh until the sun comes up. I get a "yep" from C and non-acknowledgment from S. We all then lie down and nurse. C falls asleep within 5 minutes so I put him on his pillow, give him his pacifier and cover him up. One down. I then turn my attention to S. We cuddle up as he's done nursing too. He takes his blanket corner in his left hand and sucks the first 2 fingers on his left hand. He's calm and cuddly and then...

S: mom.....mom.... MOM!

Me: shhh, it's time for nigh-nigh

quiet

S: banan. banan. banan. banan. banan. banan. mo banan. (yawn)

quiet

S: (sits up and claps hands) Patty cake, patty cake THROW!!! Patty cake, patty cake THROW!!!

Me: Shhh, it's time for nigh-nigh. (cuddle him back up and give him back his blanket)

S: (quiet, deep breathing but the hands are going) whitub. whitub. witub. Mom. (rubs nose) Nose. (scratches cheek. scratches ear) Ear (rubs eyes) Eyes.

Me: shhh, go to sleep.

S: yawn followed by quiet with deep breathing....rolls over....rolls over again....uncovers..."Stuck!"

Me: (I "unstuck" his foot which is tangled in the covers from the repeated rolling over)

S: yawn with more quiet and deep breathing...rolls over. Arm starts waving back and forth.

S: yawn...another yawn...starts moving his head back and forth 10-20 times.

Me: Shhh, it's time for nigh-nigh

S: loud yawn. (pulls the covers back up and over the head...maybe this will work) yawn. (Moves my arm to his waist. Moves the other one to his head. Moves the one from his head to his waist. Okay, that's good.) yawn.

After varying lengths and repeats of this entire scenario, he's finally quiet and breathing deeply with no movement. I count 20 breaths. Maybe he's really asleep? I count 10 more breaths. Yes, I think he might be. I pull my arm out from under his head and adjust him so he's on his pillow. Whew!

Sleep well kiddo!

Night Weaning Part 2

2009-10-11T19:59:00.000-05:00

C woke up once in the night last night and only asked for his pacifier. This is the first time he didn't ask to nurse. Yay, it's working! Truly, I'm getting much better sleep and I'm sooooo, grateful. It actually makes me excited to go to bed each night! Keep it comin' boys!

Night Weaning

2009-10-08T07:44:00.000-05:00

About a week and a half ago, I started to night wean C. He had decided over the previous few days that I was a human pacifier. He liked it. I didn't. So right in the middle of my mastitis attack, right when I SHOULDN'T be undertaking this, I did. I actually just cut him off when he was done drinking instead of letting him pacify for the next 2 hours. He wasn't happy about it a few times but we made it through and the next night, it was much better. After a couple of nights of that, and after my mastitis cleared up, I started telling him that "mimi's go nigh-nigh" and he can have them again when the sun comes up (which is really rich seeing as how it's been raining and anything but sunny for so long I can hardly remember - except for yesterday:)). Anyway, he would still wake up a couple of times a night asking for mimis and each time, I would rock him and sing to him (still in bed) and each time, it would take less and less time. And then, he started waking up just once during the night asking for them and again, I tell him that mimis go nigh-nigh and he still doesn't like it but he calms down in about a minute. That's where we still are and I'm so happy about it. I know that he's going to give up that last waking soon and then we'll be sleeping all through the night. Wow! My favorite part of the whole thing is when I put them down at night, we all 3 lay together in bed and nurse and before we nurse I tell him "C, this is the last mimis until the sun comes up. After this, mimis go nigh-nigh okay?" And he replies in his little voice "Yep. Kay." Priceless.

As for S and his nighttime activities, he's doing it on his own. He mostly likes to be cuddled at night and several months ago, I just started giving him his blanket when he would wake up and he'd go back to sleep. Now, I still do that and sometimes he wants to be cuddled so we do that and go back to sleep. He likes to nurse once about 5am and I'm just fine with that.

Man, pretty soon I'll be getting so much sleep I'll hardly know what to do with myself! It's such a change from sleepig in 15 min - 1 hour increments which was our low point of about 10-11 months of age or so...exactly a year ago. How far we've come! I think because we've had every sleep "schedule" known to man, I'm able to be so grateful for what we have going now and what I hope is right around the corner. Yay!

M Gets Braces!

2009-10-07T19:02:00.000-05:00

M got his braces on today. The first picture is the before and then the ever-special retractors, Papa setting the braces and then the end product. He's sore tonight but nothing too major. He's very excited to have his braces on and is showing them to everyone. Although a little taken aback by the discomfort of getting them on and not being able to really prepare himself for the current discomfort, I'm really proud of him for having such a great attitude. Way to go buddy!

No longer a baby

2009-10-06T19:32:00.000-05:00

I took this photo the other day as I looked at S in his high chair eating breakfast. He suddenly didn't look like a baby anymore but completely a little boy. Wow, it goes so fast.

(sorry for the sideways photo. I'm too lazy to go in and edit it at this point. Need to remember to do that before I export!)

Go Vikes!

2009-10-06T13:40:00.000-05:00

We got to go to the game last weekend...you know, the one where Favre threw a touchdown to win the game with 2 seconds left? Yeah, that one. It was pretty cool.

Bountiful Harvest

2009-10-06T12:37:00.000-05:00

Salsa!

I loved that this tomato ripened this way. It was so neat.

This was one picking...probably about 1/4 of our total harvest.

Here are some pictures of just one of our several pickings of our amazing tomato harvest that we had this year. It was truly amazing.

G's broken wing

2009-10-06T12:26:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of shots of our G-man with his broken arm. We even wrapped it up really well and went to the water park one day. He survived it all just fine and hasn't missed a beat. To recap, he broke it when he fell off a horse at Finnridge. It was a bow fracture which is apparently fairly common. 3 weeks with a splint and he was all healed up!

Apple Picking

2009-10-06T10:02:00.000-05:00

I love apple picking. It's one of my favorite activities that we do all year and luckily, the boys love it too or at least they joyfully indulge me. This year, the twins were active participants and it was so much fun. M and G loved playing King of the Hill on the big straw pile. Good times.

Sleepy Kids

2009-10-06T09:39:00.000-05:00

S fell asleep right on M while they were playing!

S fell asleep while atempting to walk up the steps.

C and S all cuddled up. They've done this since they were tiny. So cute.

C and G sleeping in my bed

I've always gotten a kick out of how many places and in how many ways the kids can sleep. I love the photos of them when they snuggle together. They're so precious. And S, like M before him, just falls asleep wherever he is at the moment. I have pictures of M falling asleep on the steps, right in front of a toy in the middle of playing with it, tons in his high chair and my favorite, he went in to use the bathroom and never came out. So I went in to investigate and he had laid his head down on the step stool in front of the sink and fallen asleep. It was so funny. Here are a few current shots of my sleeping beauties.

Family Reunion

2009-10-06T09:01:00.000-05:00

We had a family reunion on my mom's side this summer and it was so much fun. A lot of the family was able to attend which was really neat. We all missed grandma but it is a testament to her mothering and dedication to her family that so many of us still choose to be together whenever we can. (above) Daddy and the babes playing. Daddy is an excellent acrobat!

Daddy and M enjoying the awesome ribs.

S and my cousin's son had a routine down and it was adorable. S would eat some cake and then his cousin would wipe his mouth. They did this for several minutes. I wish I would have had the presence of mind to make a video. We'd be guaranteed $10k!

Suckers

2009-10-04T14:23:00.000-05:00

The twins experience the sticky goodness that is their first sucker. Mmmmm.

Let them eat cake

2009-10-04T13:54:00.000-05:00

From G-man's birthday party. We got these cupcakes from Costco and they were MASSIVE. Seriously. The babes scooped that day!

You know what I'll miss...

2009-10-04T13:48:00.001-05:00

Because I know that the twins are my last babes, I seem to be paying better attention to some of the little things that I know I'm going to miss when they're gone. Things like...

- washing little hands in the sink
- slobbery kisses
- the way they say "mama"
- the way they talk in general with their adorable mispronunciations and made up words.
- C's agreeable nature. When you ask him if he wants to do something his sing song voice says "yeah!"
- The way they lay their heads on my shoulder and cuddle in
- The way that I can actually still carry them both (one is 23lbs and one is 27lbs)
- The sleepy eyed looks they get when nursing
- Bare baby toes
- Bare baby butts
- Belly laughs
- Bath time
- Bedtime
- First thing in the morning cuddles
- Nursing
- Watching the games they play together
- Watching them figure things out like shape sorters or how to get that Cheerio onto the spoon and into the mouth
- Watching them see and do things for the first time and the look of amazement that comes across their face.

There are so many more. I pray that I never take any of them for granted.

Choices

2009-09-12T18:23:00.000-05:00

I was talking with a friend the other day...another crunchy mama...about how I often feel like I don't want to "complain" about how things are going when I'm having a rough day to my friends who have made more mainstream life choices than I have. For whatever reason, I feel like it would be tantamount to saying that my choices aren't working and I should have stayed on the conventional path all the time and not made some of these "strange" choices that I have for myself and my family. I don't like feeling this way and I know enough to know that this is more about me worrying about being judged or worrying that maybe I have made things more difficult with my choices but I don't entirely think that's fair. We all make choices about our parenting whether we stay with mainstream choices or we forge a new or lightly-used path. In the end, we're all just trying to do the best we can for our kids.

For example, at nearly 22 months, my twins are still nursing and we have no plans to stop anytime soon. Sometimes, it's not so fun to be nursing toddlers. Sometimes they try to do acrobatics while nursing and it hurts! It's not always easy for them to keep their teeth out of it and it's a special kind of pain to have your toddler try to talk while nursing. Does that mean that I don't think it's worth it to still be nursing my toddlers? Absolutely not. I adore nursing them. It's such a wonderful bonding time, especially as they get busier. It's this perfect grounding time for them when things get a little too crazy or when they push their independence to the limit of their comfort zone. I love knowing that they can come back to mommy and nurse to feel better and know that they are still deeply connected to me. I believe that it has very positive effects on all of us. I've experienced weaning one of my kids before I was truly ready and feeling that regret so I won't stop nursing just because it's uncomfortable sometimes and I believe that I'll just know when we're all ready to be done but I'm really hoping that it's not for quite awhile yet.

At almost 22 months, my babies still don't sleep through the night and they still sleep right next to me in bed and I'm okay with this too...most of the time. I do have my moments when we have nights where someone isn't feeling well and spends a good share of the night nursing or fussing or sleeping fitfully. I've been at my wits end where I get into bed and have exactly 15 minutes of sleep before getting woken up and then being woken up every 1-2 hours for months at a time. Is it fun? Not really but it's not the end of the world either and I appreciate the sleep that I do get so much. We celebrate our nights where everyone sleeps so peacefully. I can really see that they are working within their own comfort systems to learn to self-soothe and put themselves back to sleep. It gets a little "better" every night and I can look back and see just how far we've come and knowing that, I can see that it's going to continue like that. I've also felt the heartache of letting my babies cry it out and forcing them to self-soothe. I've felt that feeling in the pit of my stomach that's telling me that this isn't okay with me but I didn't know what that was at the time and I didn't know that there were other choices that I could make. Every time I've been frustrated with being so tired I could scream, I've given myself permission to let them cry-it-out but I never do. I know it's an option and it's one that a lot of people use with varying success but I also know that it's not part of who I am or how I want to parent my kids so I don't do it because I know that there are other choices that fit better with my parenting style and beliefs. And there is nothing, just nothing better than waking up and being surrounded by my precious kiddos with their morning faces and their cuddly countenances. It just doesn't get better than that and it's a wonderful way to start the day.

Yes, there are times when I want to throw my cloth diapers out the window and not wash another one but I'm so accustomed to them now that throwing away a regular disposable diaper is the same to me as putting an aluminum can in the garbage. I just can't do it. So I wash another load of diapers and sometimes use biodegradeable disposables when I need a break and man we're going to have a huge party with a big ol' mama happy dance on the day that I do my final load! And I will know that I was true to myself.

And there are times when I consider putting my kids in school because homeschooling is tough and there are times when I've wondered if it's worth the added stress. But when I seriously think about it, there are too many good things about homeschooling for our family and most of all, my kids WANT to be homeschooled and I love it, even when it's hard.

So what's my point here? My point is that we all make choices with our parenting and there are a lot to make from breastfeeding to sleeping arrangements to circumcision to vaccinations, school options and a whole vast universe in between. In the end, does it matter what choices we make as long as they are conscientiously made and have the best interests of our children at heart? Probably not. But it does matter to us as parents. We need to make the choices that are consistent with who we are and what we believe. Just because I make a certain choice for my family doesn't mean that it's the right choice for everyone but I've learned enough on my parenting journey to know what feels right to me and what doesn't and I know that for me, when I get that feeling of dis-ease in the pit of my stomach and an ache in my heart, I'm not being true to myself and being true to myself is more important to me than getting a full nights sleep or no more sore nipples or having a huge amount of time to myself. I only have this one chance with each of my kids to do the best that I can and I don't want to look back and have regrets because with kids, there's no do-over.

I know that I shouldn't be afraid to vent when I need to vent because we all have those days and there's no such thing as a perfect parent. We're all doing the best we can with the tools that we have right now in this moment and in every moment, our best is different. The last thing we need to do is to spend our time and energy judging other parents for their choices or worrying that we're being judged. We're all in this together, in the end. Collectively, we're raising the next generation in the best way that we know how, just like our parents did with us and back and back and back. So far, everything's turned out pretty well so we have no reason to believe that it will be any different with our kids, right? Right. So here's to conscious choices and Happy Parenting!

Wait for it...

2009-09-09T18:03:00.000-05:00

So we were at Costco last night and as we walked in we were confronted by...Christmas trees. Seriously. And not JUST the trees. They had ribbon and wrapping paper and ornaments and more. As the boys and I were walking through and making comments of wonder that they have their stuff out this early, M says "Jesus!" I turn around to admonish him for swearing and he says "No mom. There's a Jesus right there." Sure enough, there was.

It was the best laugh we've had together in a long time.

Feelings

2009-09-05T17:22:00.000-05:00

Spend any time at my house and eventually you'll witness someone biting someone else, a full blown temper tantrum that would impress any contortionist or advanced yogi or a well-placed smack that is only lacking a pair of boxing gloves for all it's technique and passion. Some days it feels like it's only a matter of time before Social Services comes knocking at our door and what am I going to say? "Well, it all started over a cracker..." If I had a nickel for all of the times I have said "your head is not a weapon," college would be in the bag! Maybe it's part of having boys. Boys are more aggressive by nature than girls. It's a fact. It's a hormonal thing and it's something I'm starting to get used to. Or maybe it's just part of being a kid who doesn't have the words or tools to appropriately express themselves all the time. We have become such a "time-out" society that it's practically the only tool in our parenting toolbox anymore. While most of us grew up with a well-placed smack on the behind every-so-often, it's not something that any self-respecting parent is likely to admit to these days for fear of ridicule or worse. Now I'm not suggesting that we revive the old "smack and yell" techniques but I do think that it's time to add more tools to our tool box.

I recently remembered something that happened to me while I was a student living in France which really helped me to understand where my kids are coming from with regards to expressing themselves. I lived across from a beautiful park and would often walk through said park on my way home from school. I was doing just that one evening when some guy came up and stuck his hand up the back of my skirt to cop-a-feel. I was startled. I turned around to look at him and he was just standing there staring at me. I had a thousand things race through my mind. Mostly, I wanted to run after him and give him a good smacking but I didn't think I could catch him and if I did, it probably wasn't a good idea. I had many good profanities that wanted to get out but they were all in English and therefore not very effective here. I felt so helpless. The guy just violated me and he deserved whatever vengeance I could dish out but I didn't have the words or the physical ability to express myself so I ultimately just let out a primal scream which sent him running. In that moment, I felt so helpless, frustrated and angry and because I didn't have the means to express it, I was left with my screams. Remembering that made me stop to think about how often my kids must feel that exact same way. Certainly none of the crimes against them are of the same magnitude but they can evoke many of those same, big feelings that I experienced that night.

I don't have a magic answer on how to handle these tantrums. Clearly, we're just trying to work through it one set of frustrations at a time and do the best we can along the way. Naming the feeling tends to have good benefits in the long run because it allows the child to put a feeling and a name together so that the next time they feel this way, they know what it is. It seems to help more than you think it would which is interesting to me but I think that maybe it's an empathy thing. No one likes to feel like they are the only one who has ever felt this way. Not even little ones. And by having a name for the feeling, it helps you know that you're not alone. C tends to have a harder time getting his frustrations out appropriately than S does which results in S being the whipping boy around here at times and although we do our very best to intercede before it gets to that point, we don't always get there in time. It's usually worse for everyone when anyone is tired or hungry so keeping those things in check makes a big difference and we all have our time of day when things are harder for us than at other times. My time is about 4:00. The twins' time is about 6:00 and for the older boys...well it can be just about any time these days.

We also aim to always demonstrate the behaviors that we want our children to have. That's where the growth part of parenting comes into play big time. Tim and I have recently realized that we expect immediate action when we ask the kids to do something and they're not always able or willing to do that which leads to our own frustration. And then we hear M telling the others to hurry up and get moving! Oops. We decided that we need to calm down on that. It's amazing how it can sound one way coming out of your mouth and a totally different and less becoming way coming out of your children's mouths!

Self control in all things is our focus as of late for all of us. I've found that it's one of those virtues that ties into everything we do. Having the self control to not eat that cookie, not hit your brother, not yell, not nag, go to bed on time, get your responsibilities taken care of before you play, get out the door for that run, step away from the computer, and do the right thing even when you don't want to. I certainly struggle with some of those things myself so I know my children do and it's humbling to admit to your kids that you struggle too. I like to let me kids know that I'm falible. I'm not perfect and I work on myself every single day trying to be a better mom, a better wife and a better person. Tim does the same thing. We hope that it shows the kids that learning and growing is a life-long venture that is fraught with adventure, sorrow, happines and humility and that there's no such thing as being done or being perfect. Ever. After all, it's about the journey, not the destination!

Conversations

2009-09-05T17:05:00.001-05:00

There is nothing more adorable in my life right now than watching my twins interact with each other and have actual conversations. They have always interacted with each other having never known life without one another and it's just been pure joy watching their relationship. From the time they were born, they would entwine their legs and arms and would not sleep peacefully until they had wiggled themselves together nesting right into each other. There are no words to express just how precious that sight is. When they got a bit older and started looking at each other, it was just to die for and now we have progressed to them having conversations with each other. My twins never created their own language with each other that other twins often do. I wonder if it's because they have older siblings or just because it's something that mine didn't happen to do. Both of them have been talking for quite some time with S having more clarity and proficiency but C holding his own quite well even if we can't always understand him. A few key interactions between them recently are standing out:

- I took only S to Costco with me a couple of weeks back and we were about half way through the store when he looked at the empty seat next to him, patted it and said "Gric! Meer!" Which means "C, come here!" He proceeded to talk about and call to C throughout the rest of our trip.

- We were all coming down the steps the other morning. My hands were full so I wasn't carrying a babe and C did not like that at all. I was trying to coax him down and S turned to him and said "Gric, top creamin'!" Which means "C, stop screaming!" You tell him brother!

- C got a pretzel and wanted to share with S and was yelling "Babo! wan petzul?" which means "S! Want a pretzel?" I told him that S was outside and that he should go give it to him which he did, yelling the whole time "Babo! Wan petzul?"

- One of their first conversations was when they were playing up in the back of our yard. There's a little hill and a fence with foliage between so for a little one it feels like you're being a grand adventurer. Both babes were up there playing and practicing their walking-down-a-hill skill. Tim called to them and S came out, looked at daddy, turned and went back up to find C and said, "Go. Dada. Bu-bye." while ushering him down the hill.

It's just so darn cute and there are more and more of these conversations happening every day. I love to see the relationship and the connection that they have with each other. It's amazing and it's really nice to keep those things in mind when we're having a rough day and I have the inevitable thought that some of this stuff would be so much easier if there was only one of them. I'm sure I'm not the first mom of multiples to have that thought but it always comes with a side of guilt for thinking it in the first place. But in the end, there's nothing like having twins and I feel so incredibly blessed to have this experience.

Futile

2009-09-04T14:22:00.000-05:00

I just spent 20 minutes trying to scrub the purple crayon stains out of my new shirt. The crayon in question went through the washer and dryer in an undisclosed family member's pocket. The culprit has been narrowed down to I Dunno and Not Me, neither of whom was available for questioning.

Over my head?

2009-09-02T18:54:00.000-05:00

I just returned from JoAnn Fabrics with 2 sets of patterns for Halloween Costumes. Just because I have a new sewing machine in my front hall closet does not mean that I am a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination and yet I have now committed to making 4 costumes. I do have some sewing knowledge. Most of it entails memories of watching and helping my mom cut out patterns and fabric on the living room floor. I was a good pinner. Somehow, that makes me feel qualified to undertake this task and every time I tell myself that it's insane, I look at the costumes that the boys have picked out in a magazine and see the $50 price tag and think how ridculous that is because they're poorly made, get holes in them or fall apart completely upon one wearing and I always end up mending them the day of Halloween anyway while thinking over and over "I could make this so much better than this piece of junk." So, it's time to put my money where my mouth is. I'm proud of myself for getting the projects going well ahead of time and the patterns were on sale so that's a good sign I suppose. Wish me luck!

Peace

2009-09-01T17:03:00.000-05:00

We had a really nice day today playing out in the court with the neighbors. That may not sound huge but trust me, it is. We've been in neighbor kid hell for the past several weeks and it was so nice to be out there with great, positive play happening for several hours straight. I had to sit out there and watch them like a hawk but it was worth it. Growing up, I remember having a love/hate relationship with the neighbor girl who was near my age. One minute, we'd be the best of friends and the next, the worst of enemies. The difference was that we were allowed to work things out for ourselves. There weren't any silly and useless decrees that I could no longer play with her or I couldn't go in her yard which were announced weeks after a supposed "crime" and that was the same on both sides and you know what? We always worked it out. That's definitely not the case with our neighbors and it's unfortunate but there are good life lessons in all of this as well - for the kids and the parents. The kids are learning valuable lessons about the kinds of things they want in their friends. They don't like it when kids lie. They don't like it when kids call them names or gang up on them or make ridiculous accusations about their family. They're also learning to recognize their part in every situation and know that nothing is one-sided. And Tim and I are learning that we all parent in different ways but at the core, we all have the well-being of our children at heart. It may not always look like it but we do. It's unfortunate that we all can't come together and come to a mutually agreeable solution but it's not something that I foresee happening here...ever. And that's a lesson in itself. We're not going to be friends with everyone but we still need to do the right thing even when it's really hard.

School starts next week and selfishly and admittedly cynically, I love the first day of school. I love watching the neighbor kids get on the bus and knowing that for the next 9 months, we'll have peace and then we can try again next summer. Who knows, maybe just maybe another year will help. We can always hope.

Catching up

2009-08-30T19:54:00.000-05:00

I've been blogging mentally a lot lately but they don't seem to actually appear on the blog so I guess I actually do have to sit down, gather my thoughts and type. I write a lot of good emails and blog posts when I'm running or walking but I can't ever remember them quite as cleverly when I actually sit down. Alas. So this is a catch-up on what's been going on in this crazy world of ours as of late.

A lot.

But I can't really remember all of it very clearly.

The garden is in full production mode and we've been harvesting and eating and canning and thinking about canning and planning on canning and tossing things as they rot because I didn't get them canned.

We've been doing a bit of school...just easing in a bit and it's been going well. There's part of me that wants to jump in wholeheartedly tomorrow but then I have a list of projects that I want to accomplish before we really get to it so I have one week left to do all of that before I lose my summer help so I guess I'd better concentrate on those things first.

The kids are growing like weeds. They still won't stop. They're very cute. The babies are talking like crazy. Like totally crazy and I love it. I adore it. Everything is adorable and funny. They're crossing their arms and putting their hands in their pockets and having conversations and just being totally adorable. The older boys are asserting themselves and finding themselves and it's fun to watch. They've discovered heavy metal this week thanks to daddy. I found them in the bathroom this morning, G was in the tub and M had brought is CD player into the bathroom so they could have a sing-along. I love that mix of growing up and innocence and I love seeing all of the innocence that they still manage to have despite being 8 and 9 1/2.

G man broke his arm last week when he got dumped off of a spooked horse. We were at the farm and they were taking a quick ride before we left. The horse got spooked when a squirrel ran in front of her and despite being well trained and her owner having a good grasp on her, she carried 2 inexperienced riders who couldn't compensate. M landed right and wasn't hurt and G suffered a bow fracture in his left arm. He is currently sporting a splint and has a great story to tell and takes some serious pride in being the first Boos boy to break a bone.

Both boys showed their projects at the fair and loved that. M had a long interview with the judge where he glowingly imparted his catapult knowledge on her and repeatedly demonstrated it. He's bursting with pride and it's just wonderful.

Our new great experiment is that we've taken down one of the gates leading to the school room. This may not seem like a big deal but trust me, it's huge. The babes can ravage that room in seconds and it can take hours to put back together. We've had a rule that whomever leaves a gate open, has to clean up the mess that the babes make. Well, the gate has been down for about a week now with no major incidents. I realize that by actually writing this, I'm probably jinxing myself but I really am looking forward to not having to have those gates up all the time. They're just a pain and it makes everything seem so much more spacious and open just having that one gate down so I'm cautiously optimistic. Very cautiously. Currently, they are both running in the circle that is the livingroom, hall, kitchen and school room (because they can) and saying "hi mom!" every time they run past. They've been doing it for at least a half hour and it's just precious.

Another milestone is that I've cleaned out and organized my upstairs pantry. I refused to put child locks on my brand new cupboards and simply chose to live in the chaos that the babes created by emptying at least part of the pantry daily. Well, they haven't completely grown out of it yet but it's quite infrequent and much more methodical than it used to be so I took a chance and cleaned it out and it's stayed that way for almost a week now. I'm very impressed.

It's amazing all of the changes that are taking place right now with the twins about to turn 2. It does get easier. There's less screaming and more "please", less stress and more laughter, less mess and a tiny bit more sanity, and even a bit less biting! Although I've enjoyed the past 21 months, they've been challenging at times and it's really fun to see how far we've all come and how much they can do now. I've loved this age with all of my kids because they have one foot in babyhood and one in toddlerhood and it's just so darn much fun and I continue to enjoy it with my twins knowing full well that this is the last time any of my kids will be this age and it's quite bittersweet.

So, here's to another week! Hopefully summer will return for a few days and we can bask in the sunshine but I for one am looking forward to cool nights, the hint of fall in the air and all that comes with it which hopefully will include a return to the structure of our days and weeks with school. As much as we all love the free-for-all that summer provides, it really is nice to get back to a routine once fall arrives and I think we're all ready for it.

Birthday...me this time

2009-08-07T18:33:00.000-05:00

Today is my birthday. I love my birthday. I'm very childlike about it in a way. I love getting the cards and talking to people on the phone. I totally loved getting the birthday wishes on Facebook today and I love getting to spend the day with family and friends and just take that time to honor my life and those who are in it because it's a good one.

Ever since I was little, I've marked the coming of my birthday by a few things. First, when the cicadas start their summer song, I know that my birthday is approaching. And when the county fairs get going, I know that my birthday is coming. And when it gets really hot and humid and we get thunderstorms at night, I know my birthday is just about here. I love marking this time every year. I don't have that aversion to getting older that I see so many people around me having. I didn't have a hard time turning 30 and I don't think I'll have a hard time with any other "milestone" birthdays or anything in between. I guess I just see getting older as a rite of passage. With age, you hopefully gain wisdom and a different perspective on life. You lose some of the pettiness that comes with being young. You start to see the falibility of life and realize how very precious each day is and learn to be grateful for every day. And that's what I feel. I'm grateful to be here each and every day. Grateful to watch my children grow up, grateful to be in this world and have the opportunity to learn, love and grow every day. Grateful to have the opportunity to make a difference in someone's life. I just think that life is too short to lament being another year older and therefore, I refuse to do it. I will continue to love my birthdays and to celebrate them with great abandon because it's better than the alternative and Life is Good!

New Beginnings

2009-08-04T15:55:00.001-05:00

At this time of year, I get motivated to look towards our new school year. We've had some time off even though I have this grand idea every year that we're going to do school all summer. One of these years, I may let go of that and enter our reality which is: we don't do school in the summer. We read and hang out and go on vacation and go into water and think deep thoughts and some not-so-deep thoughts but we don't "do school". So, when I feel that feeling in the pit of my stomach that says "It's time to start planning" I go with it and I love it. This year, we've come up with a whole chore chart, "schedule", plan thing and we started that last Monday. It's been going rather well so far and we all agreed that it's nice to get our bodies and minds used to all of that before starting school. This week, we've started doing some reading and some Spanish. Nothing major, just something to wake up the ol' brain cells. I have to say that as much as I really enjoy creating our days each day, it's also nice to get back into some structure. It's a beginning in the middle of the year. I find that it's really nice to have several "beginnings" throughout the year because, let's face it, we lose motivation. Things are so exciting at the beginning of something and then the sheen wears off and we have to stay motivated and that's not nearly as fun.

We've all been there: started an exercise program on January 1 but by February 1, we're tired of it. We love the idea of going back to school and love shopping for clothes and supplies and all of that but by October, it's worn off and you're just in school for the next 8 months and looking forward to summer vacation. I have found that by creating several beginnings in our year, it helps to keep us motivated and by recognizing and honoring each season and mid-season it doesn't seem like it's all taking so long.

The fall feels like a beginning to me because we do get back into our school groove but also, I love the crispness that fall brings, the harvest, time with family and friends and that leads into the Holiday season where we take plenty of time off of school to enjoy all of the concerts, parades, baking, preparing and all that is the Holiday Season. We start back up with school again after we've taken down all of our decorations...sometime in the 2nd week of January. Candlemas comes in February and is the midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox and let's face it, we all need something to celebrate in February! Of course spring is so full of new beginnings with the earth waking up and everything (including the kids) growing like crazy. We love feeling the warming days, being outside and rosy, muddy cheeks and always new rain boots for stomping in all of the great puddles! And before we know it, we're planting gardens and watching things grow and summer is back with all of the long days, and everything we can pack into them. By seeing each of these things as a new beginning, we're able to consistently be motivated throughout the year and that's really lovely.

Unfortunately, I seem to be missing my motivation right now and it's bugging me. I know that quite soon I'll find it again so I figure I might as well ride this out - especially since we seem to actually be getting summer again this week. Time for some good dog days of summer and then, when that crisp fall air hits, I know that I'll get that feeling in the pit of my stomach and we'll be off to the races once again with another new beginning.

Don't Assume Anything

2009-07-22T15:56:00.000-05:00

This also could be entitled "Assume Nothing" but that's more precise, efficient and to-the-point, none of which describe children and therefore, it bears the longer, aforementioned title.

Earlier today, a few things happened that has lead me to adopt a new philosophy in my motherhood journey. First, C asked for a drink of water. I know this child. He won't take a sippy cup and as he was handing me a specific cup, I put about an inch of water into the bottom. His newest M.O. is to take a drink and then dump the rest on the floor and while this is slightly annoying, I also recognize that it's the main tool by which my floor gets cleaned so I'm rolling with it. So he takes his drink and then does the dump so I hand him a towel and together we clean up the mess. He does an excellent job for a 20 month old. I was impressed. Later, I noticed that yet again, M did not finish cleaning up from his lunch. This is not new. This is a conversation we've had every day for the past...forever, it seems. I say "make sure that you completely clean up from your lunch when you're done." He rolls his eyes and says "OKAYYYY!!! in his 9 1/2 year old way. And then he doesn't do it. I can understand the frustration of being nagged about something that you do perfectly every time but this is something that he does 1/2 of each time. So I try to avoid the call-back and remind him up front that he needs to do it all and yet I still end up calling him back into the kitchen with him yelling "WHAAAAAAT?!?!?!?! just for me to point out that the floor is covered with cheese and beans, the cutting board has clearly not been wiped off (although he insists that he did it...seriously?) and the counter still bears the can opener, spatula and food remenants. His dishes, however, are housed in the dishwasher...I'll give him that.

So I decided today that my new motto is "Don't Assume Anything" which basically means that I need to not assume that any of the children knows how to do any job in the house fully and correctly. I don't mean this in a rude way, I just realized that I assume that the older kids "should" know how to do things and that the babies shouldn't. Maybe I need to assume that they all need a good rundown each time. I think that would certainly be fair for the older boys. Let's face it, they have a lot that they're learning right now from Latin to Math to How to put that new Bionicle together to How you can kill yourself with just about anything (a conversation that he and his all-knowing friend had on speakerphone this morning which was put into the context of "should you kill yourself if you've been captured by the enemy and know that you face horrible torture and then death?" Yep, good 9 year old things to contemplate). I mean, their brain cells are chock full of information and perhaps it's only fair of me to assume that they need a refresher course each time. Sometimes you can look at the 9 yo and see the hormones starting to rage. I know that this is NOTHING compared to what's coming but sometimes it still amazes me. So this is my new motto. I'm trying for patience and right-sized expectations with this and we'll see how it goes. I have a feeling I might be floating in a sea of eye-rolls but maybe they'll be able to look past it to the good intentions I have for all of us....maybe.

Dilemma

2009-07-22T15:45:00.000-05:00

Hypothetically, there's this mother who has twin boys. Say about 20 months old. She gets the batting big brown eyes from one twin who says "diaper, off?" Blink, blink, blink. Suppose this mother agrees and takes the diaper off and then returns to her book as this may or may not be a common practice in their household. A few minutes later, the other twin comes over and asks to nurse. The mother puts down her book and agrees but suddenly smells something funky. It's then that she looks up and sees the poop on the floor and on the foot of the other twin who has his diaper on. She has a dilemma: do you take the pooper twin in to clean him up and leave the non-pooper twin at the scene of the crime to potentially create a bigger mess or do you deal with said (alleged) scene of the crime before cleaning up the pooper child risking him sitting down and creating more of a mess? She (hypothetically) chooses the first option. She gets pooper child all cleaned up before feeling something on her leg which turns out to be...more poop. She cleans up this new addition and then hunts down the offending leg poop on the foot of the pooper child. After cleaning him up, she then follows the path of poop (on every other foot) from the living room, down the hall and back out to the screen porch where the trail ends because this is where the mother had supposedly picked up the pooper child in the first place to bring him to the bathroom for the alleged cleaning up.

After finishing the clean up on pooper child and the floor, she returns to the alleged scene of the crime to see that non-pooper child is still amazingly sitting on the couch where she left him. That never happened before this moment which is what makes one question whether this story is actually true. She then proceeds to clean up the S.O.T.C. (scene of the crime) and then chases down pooper child with a diaper before he can strike again.

Not that this happened to me today. It's totally hypothetical. It happened to my friend...yeah, that's it, my friend...

Birthday Time!

2009-07-22T13:46:00.001-05:00

G-man turned 8 on Monday. We spent the day showering him with attention and he just ate it up. He asked for everything he could think of and rarely got a "no" which he loved. Yestereday, we had 2 parties. 1 in the afternoon for the friends and one in the evening for the family and then some of the friends stayed overnight. We love to do up birthdays big in our family. It's kind of our thing. We love making the birthday people feel as special as they are to us and G's birthday is dear to our hearts also because he shares it with Grandma Joni so we have two very special people to honor on that day.

So yesterday turned into a massive sugar fest. As in diabetics in training sugar fest. It was obscene. We started our day by going to Costco to pick up the cupcakes that we ordered. These are no ordinary cupcakes. They're almost as big as a child's head and have about a pound of buttercream frosting on each one. The very second I put them into the cart the babies came alive with begging "biiiite? meeeee? peeeeeese? hmmmmmm? biiiiiiite?" They were asking and signing and turning themselves inside out. It was adorable. I put the cupcakes under the cart and grabbed a box of Cheese-It to appease them which worked surprisingly well.

We get home and start preparing for the party. The bounce house had arrived on Monday and some preliminary bouncing had been done. The rain stopped in the late morning and the older boys went in with towels to try and dry it out as best they could (M concentrated on the ceiling). Then set out glasses and 2 pitchers of water, put the babies down for naps (they actually cooperated nicely) and we were good to go for party time! We started off the party with some bouncing and general playing, then on to sno-cones, then more playing to work off that sugar and then head-sized cupcakes followed by more playing but no puking...impressive. That party ended and I had 1 1/2 hours to reset and prepare dinner for the second round. I managed to get that all done and the other guests arrived and commented on the ginormous cupcakes.

We did a kebob bar which turned out to be awesome. Everyone built their own and Tim manned the grill in a very manly way keeping everyone's kebobs in order and none burned which is more than would have happened if I had been manning the grill. He'd agree. Then it was time for massive cupcakes but most of the kids opted either for a half or skipped the cupcake in favor of a sno cone. I was impressed by their self-control...something that not all of us adults exhibited to be sure! After all of the partying and all of the eating and all of the sugar loading, I was exhausted. The babies were exhausted but wired so they didn't zonk out until after 10:00 but we all slept hard for 10 hours.

G successfully turned 8, the babies learned how to jump (the definition of adorable) and a good and sugary time was had by all. Happy Birthday my little man!

What's up?

2009-07-14T15:08:00.000-05:00

You never quite know what C is thinking...or doing. Those huge brown eyes and glowing smile can be very decieving. Here, he had a mouthful of marbles.