the lion's den

I think that was January...

2012-02-03T09:47:00.002-05:00

I suppose I don't really mind time flying by because it means we are another month closer to September and therefore getting closer to the start of next school year. Of course come September I'll probably be a mess of tears and fear at the thought of the twins going off to school.

So what did we DO with our January? Why that is a very good question. Not a heck of a lot outside of work and home. At least for me. The man of the house was busy though! He got a referee lots of basketball games. He also has gone back to college, taking 3 classes. And so far keeping up with his homework. :) He's also running a basketball program for grades K-3 once a week for 2 months back in Friendship. I've been bad and haven't gone yet. Nor been successful at sending all 3 kids with him to basketball. One or 2 always seem to linger behind...

There was the family Christmas with the in-laws at K & S's new place. Which was very nice - nice to be at and nice company. We went to a birthday party for one of Alexa's classmates. That was interesting because she was the only girl out of 8 boys. I'm pretty sure the invite came because he was invited to her party and I work with his dad, not due to the birthday boy HAVING to have her there. But they all had fun just the same, which I suppose is the point. Although I do wish I had been the brave adult and snagged myself a piece of cake. It sure looked good!

The twins started their weekly solo speech sessions. This means a 15-20 minute drive each direction for 2 30 minute sessions. While I sit in the waiting room. It's a bit of a clique as all the moms seem to know each, but a nice one. I suppose after a few more weeks I will get to be one of the gang...

What's your favorite part of the day?

2012-01-16T19:14:00.004-05:00

Well I can tell you right off that my least favorite time is the morning. I seem to be raising 2 1/2 non-morning people. When combined with a non-morning person spouse it makes being out of the house before 8am a wee bit stressful. As in I'd probably rather go have teeth pulled sans Novocaine.

And I tend to hate dinner time. I try to be good and do the sit down family dinner thing. Sort of hard when your oldest is done eating and asking for seconds before you've been able to finish plating your own food. Of course that is on evenings when we are actually serving something that doesn't bring about complaints. But sometimes it all comes together. The food is served and still hot. The kids have their butts planted in their seats and their knees under the table. And I can at least get a few bites in before the calls for seconds.

But bedtime...I try to be the good mom and follow a bedtime routine. But with three kids sometimes its a bit rushed. Bathroom time tends to cause the most trouble. Despite being told it's teeth brushing time EVERY NIGHT for nearly 5 years I still get "I don't wanna brush my teeth". Now they are old enough to understand that the tooth fairy doesn't collect rotten teeth. Sometimes I can sweet talk (ok...really bribe) the oldest into reading to them. That's a good deal for all around - I get help and she gets in some extra reading time.

I think it's the anticipation to the end of the day that makes this my favorite time. If it's been a particularly trying day I'm nearly giddy with excitement and I have to stop myself from saying "hurry, hurry, hurry". Just thinking that thought makes me think of Alice in Wonderland, a movie I haven't seen in forever.

Bedtime means I can sort of put the house back together. Tackle the dishes, the laundry, maybe get dinner put away finally. Maybe try to sort what I can for tomorrow. And if I am really lazy I forget all the above and bury myself in a book...or online. One thing I don't typically think about - is how insane the next morning is really going to be trying to get 4 people out the door by 8am. Cause if I had to remember that every day, well it would just steal some of the bedtime joy. ;)

onto 2012

2012-01-15T14:08:00.002-05:00

In an attempt to keep myself "up-to-date" I took a minute to review last year's "goals" for myself.

Um...I think I managed to do a few of them at least a few times. Of course moving and going to work full time didn't really help matters.

So what about this year...well I think I will have to get back to myself, and you on that one. I'd say probably they will look a lot like 2011's. Only I will get to add kindergarten prep into that. Because kindergarten is only 7.5 months away (not that I'm counting).

Winter holidays

2012-01-15T13:58:00.003-05:00

Here it is...the third week in January?! I think I can say we have successfully survived the end of 2011.

We spent Christmas morning at home as a family. The kids were very excited the night before to have gotten video messages from Santa. Not to so excited to have them discover they were on the naughty list. But thanks to time and technology they were back on the nice list after playing nicely and cleaning their rooms in a record amount of time. This year Alexa read the traditional "T'was the Night Before Christmas" to the twins. They then put out a note and pictures, along with some whoopie pies and milk.

I have to say that this year was even more fun than last. With the twins now being 4 they understand so much more. And seeing their faces as the fact that "Santa" had arrived dawned on them was fun to watch. They tore into their stockings and seemed to actually take the time to enjoy what they found in them. Then it was onto gifts followed by a giant breakfast.

We woke up to snow Christmas morning. Our first decent storm this winter season. It made for tricky driving to my mom's for dinner. But thankfully we don't have as far to drive anymore! My panic attack quickly passed once we were safely inside the house. (and the roads don't have to be that bad to induce a panic attack - I am a wussy Maine driver.) We had a wonderful dinner with my mom, brother, sister-in-law and nephew.

Then it was back home again to snuggle into beds. And a long vacation week. Well...not really all that long for me because I had to work at the daycare and then the Superintendent's Office. So it was long for Chris who watched Alexa instead of making her go to daycare. By Thursday Jake had enough of daycare and refused to go. Can you really blame him? Of course I discovered when I got home that all they did was play Wii and DSi.

We spent New Year's Eve with our oldest friends and their kids. It had been since July since we were all able to get together and I had been sick with strep so I didn't really get to see much of them. Everyone had a fun time. The kids didn't get to stay up to watch the ball drop but we did let them have a little sparkling grape juice and blow horns before they went off to bed.

Our gift giving and celebrations were finalized last week after a wonderful Sunday at my sister-in-law and hopefully future brother-in-law's. It was hard dragging the kids out of there to go home! I'm not sure if it's because they didn't want to leave K & S...or because they didn't want to leave the dog behind...

first time for everything...

2011-12-20T16:05:00.002-05:00

This weekend Elizabeth and I got to experience a first in our house - head lice. I started checking heads on Friday after a kid at daycare went home with them. And I only knew about this fact because I've been working at the daycare in the mornings. Apparently the child that had them has been having an issue for quite some time and goes home once a week with them.

Ugh. But I am trying to stay as optimistic as I can. A ratio of 2 to 5 isn't bad. And the little miss looks clean. As for myself...I am sort of hoping and praying I am doing a good enough job checking my own head. Which is NOT easy to do. But when you have a spouse that thinks it's icky...well, let's just say if I wouldn't risk everyone getting them I'd wish them on him!

Today I washed my hair twice with coconut scented shampoo after reading that scent supposedly helps deter them. Yet I still smell like a strange combination of vinegar and rubbing alcohol.

And I've learned a lot about them. I always knew it was best not to share hats. But I never thought about the fact that they crawl from one head to another. And that having hair down creates a sort of "bridge" for them. So you are more likely to see all of us with our hair up, or short. And I won't be putting my head too close to any kids just in case. Cause I've skeeved myself out and am hoping we've seen the last of these critters at our house. And so is my washer and dryer, cause they were put through their paces!

8 is great

2011-12-20T15:17:00.003-05:00

For our family the holiday season is a little extra busy thanks to arrival of Alexa the week after Thanksgiving. Given that her original due date was the 18th I guess I'd rather have it closer to Thanksgiving than Christmas, as does she.

The festivities started off with a surprise trip to Portland. Granted, once we headed in that direction some of the surprise was gone. But they didn't know what we'd be doing there! And it was a busy one...

We attend Christmas at Hadlock Field first. The kids got to decorate baseballs, see Santa arrive via helicopter on the field, make a smore and stand in line for Santa. I say stand in line because it was crazy long and we knew that he'd be making a visit closer to home with much shorter wait times.

After that we hit the mall for a little shopping and some lunch. Then tried to fool the kids into thinking we weren't going to Chuck E Cheese even though we were walking right by it. It sort of worked. But what they didn't know is that they'd be getting to see their aunts, the significant others, and Grammy K. Everyone had fun playing games, although there was a little grumbling among the adults about another adult at CEC (not with us) that kept scoring loads of tickets. Jealous grumbling I say.

Then it was off to the hotel. The twins and I stayed behind to eat pizza and watch loads of tv. Chris and Alexa went to see the Red Claws in action, up close thanks to a pair of courtside tickets Chris won. Alexa had a good time - especially the fact that there was no waiting in line for food, the waitress came to you.

We got home in time the next day to dump our luggage and packages, and grab the party supplies before heading over to the Samoset for her actual party. Which was at the pool and included lots of kids! They burned off loads of energy swimming, jumping, and splashing before having some snacks, cake and presents.

Given that Alexa repeated to me for at least another week how great it was - I'd say it was a success.

Now how do I feel about my "baby" turning 8? I can tell you that in a lot of ways she's more mature than I was at 8. But I think that is how all kids seem to be these days. I know I didn't sass quite so much...or at least not until I was older.

She continues to be an excellent reader, up to nearly 4th grade. Her favorite books to read are Junie B Jones, Magic Tree House, Misty of Chiconteague, and Ramona. She's also been delving into the Little House on the Prairie series - books I loved myself as a kid. She's a wonderful writer - with imagination, good spelling, and neat penmanship. She's also a much better artist than I will ever be. She likes to learn and is good at math and science also. She's a good friend to just about everyone she knows and does her best to be nice to them even when they might be mean. Now if that could just carry over at home...where she tends to be a little mouthy. I suppose I could say she's independent. And she's thoughtful. She was so excited to have used some of her own birthday money to buy gifts for her brother and sister for Christmas. If only she'd realize she could possibly earn an allowance by doing her chores without being told...

All in all I think she's one pretty special and unique child. Even when she's driving me crazy...making me scream and pull my hair out.

Fall has arrived...

2011-11-06T12:12:00.010-05:00

Alexa's 2nd grade picture

With the arrival of fall came school, soccer, and a little more field hockey. It meant the start of Girl Scout meetings, harvesting the last of the vegetables, and Halloween!

This year Alexa did soccer through the Thomaston Recreation Department. There were only four sessions and I must be honest - I didn't make it to a single one. I used that time to do errands around the house or grocery shopping, allowing it to be something between her and her dad.

Alexa in one of her many poses before game time

The first day of school arrived prior to Labor Day this year, just after the "hurricane". I had actually had my "first day" of school the day before when we had an assembly to welcome back all the teachers and ed techs. This year was a little different because we made a goal of getting Alexa onto the bus in the morning. It doesn't pick up at the house, but rather just down the street. Alexa quickly made friends with the other kids!

We also made it apple picking, eventually. The month of September flew by so quickly! We went with my brother and his family to Schoolhouse Farms. It was nice to go someplace so close to us. And we couldn't have picked a more beautiful day. It was a sunny and HOT October day. The kids had so much fun gathering apples, and we've all had fun eating them.

Then before we knew it it was Halloween...or at least close. We took advantage of another beautiful day to decorate the front yard. The kids and the neighbor kids had a good time. And it looked great, for awhile. Unfortunately the neighbor's kid would tear stuff out of the ground whenever he got mad at the girls.

The rain did a number a few days later also. Then just before Halloween I took everything down because we got this...

That's right. We went from beautiful and sunny to snowsuits! Got to love Maine weather...

Pumpkins were easy this year because we grew them in our garden. They started as little seedlings from the preschool and yielded 5 pumpkins! The kids each picked out their own and cleaned them out. There were lots of pumpkin seeds to eat. And I used the pieces we cut out to later make pumpkin bread.

the final results!

Trick o' treating was fun this year. I cheated and pretty much picked out the twins costumes for them, purchased a month earlier at Walmart. Alexa wanted to be a zombie. She unraveled from the waist down before we even got out the door (hence the grumpy face in the picture). We walked from our house, down Roxbury to Fluker and onto Knox. I was astounded by the number of kids once we hit Knox Street! Then down Main Street to home. It took us an hour of walking. The kids did great - no candy along the way and only 2 pieces when they got home.

off we go!

home again...

4? not possible...is it?

2011-11-06T11:43:00.004-05:00

We celebrated the twins turning four with our usual big family and friends gathering. The only difference this year, beyond the new house, was that we just did cake and ice cream instead of a big BBQ. But it worked out fine and everyone enjoyed themselves!

on their actual birthday wearing their "Birthday Kid" ribbons

signs made to go with our Pirates and Princesses theme

opening some gifts...

Making their cakes was a very time intensive project but thoroughly enjoyable. They were as good to eat as they looked!

Dad carrying Jake's pirate ship cake

Elizabeth's castle cake

Alexa and her Thomaston BFF Anna sporting the crowns they made.

Girls weekend

2011-11-06T10:18:00.012-05:00

In June Alexa and I got to enjoy a weekend for just ourselves. For her 7th birthday I had purchased 2 Taylor Swift tickets. I think we all love Taylor...even Chris!

Transporting ourselves down to Foxborough was much discussed. I knew I wasn't going to be up for driving all that way by myself. So we discussed Chris driving down with us. That later become taking the train. Or did we want to fly? Flying became an option after Chris received 4 free one way tickets from Cape Air after helping someone out at the hotel. In the end is was the Downeaster down, Cape Air back up.

We would have flown down if I'd gotten around to booking an early enough flight. Then there was deciding a hotel! I had booked a few at an associate rate but Chris managed to cancel them. We ended up going with a great little inn right in Foxborough called the Ancient Marinere. It was a lovely place with a wonderful host and hostess running it.

So...going back to the beginning of our weekend. It started early the morning

of the 25th with Chris and the twins driving us down to Portland to get the train.

showing off the train tickets

We got a bit delayed just before Boston for some reason. Which meant it was going to be a dash to catch the proper public transportation out to Foxborough. We got the subway to the commuter rail no problem, just a little behind. Someone was definitely watching over us that day because the commuter rail left a little late. Of course once I got on I worried "uh, oh, we are on the right one...right?". I called the hotel when we were about 5 minutes out and they came to pick us up. We got a lovely little tour of Foxborough. Not so different from home...other than it being much bigger and lots more traffic. We got checked in, had a little lunch in the restaurant and then I tried to take a little nap in our spacious room (we had to leave Thomaston at 6am...I was beat!). It came with 2 double sized beds, private bathroom and a full kitchen area. Not bad for $130 and when we got to Taylor's next concert I know I will be booking here.

Eventually I gave up on the nap and we got dressed and headed downstairs to wait.

the funky chair in the hotel lobby

Alexa holding her breathe to get rid of hiccups...how could I resist? :)

They drove us within a mile or so of the concert. There was no getting any closer. It was a bit of a walk with Alexa complaining the ENTIRE way. Granted it was hot and far. But we made it.

almost there...see Gillette Stadium way in the distance?

The concert itself didn't start till 7pm. But arriving there early let us soak up the atmosphere of THOUSANDS of happy girls (and some boys), of all ages.

resting outside the stadium

before all the people!

pictures with Taylor...if only it was the real one!

We made it through the wait, and 3 opening acts by having dinner and taking pictures.

And finally around 9pm it was showtime! I have never been to a real concert before. Sure I saw the Wallflowers when they came to UMaine, and Rustic Overtones when they still played on the porches of fraternity houses at UMaine. But never a concert with this many people. It was absolutely amazing! I already told the family that next time around I am splurging for seats that are much closer.

opening...Sparks Fly!

It did start to rain halfway through. But rain didn't stop anyone - fans, nor Taylor. If anything it made it an even more memorable experience. It did make me glad that I spent a few bucks to buy ponchos - they were very handy. Alexa did doze off a few times and I had to keep nudging her awake. Then sadly it was over and time to make the very long walk back to our pick up location.

after the show...a little wet but happy!

I must say I have never experienced a pedestrian jam before. But that is what happens when thousands of people leave a stadium at the same time. Some people had to try and push to get ahead. But the majority was enjoying the euphoric high of the concert and just going with the flow.

The next morning we had to catch the commuter rail back to Boston and then the plane. We had some breakfast before coming back to pack. True to form we were late getting to the commuter rail, but that was the driver's mistake. He thought we had said 12 when we had said 11! We got there just as everyone was loading. There was some panic when I realized I couldn't buy tickets because I had no cash. Thankfully the conductor gave us a form to fill out and eventually I will be billed for my ticket (the entire $1.40?).

front steps of the Ancient Marinere

sporting the cowboy hat our hostess gave her - she loved Alexa!

We had time to spare at the airport which was my goal. I couldn't risk missing our flight! We had some lunch and wandered around. Then onto the plane. I have flown 2 other times, to Florida and back when I was 13. Things have changed a little since then. I wasn't really sure how the security procedure went and was quite thankful I didn't get hauled off into any rooms.

waiting at the airport...

enjoying a BK burger - took 3 times to get it her way!

view from the back of the plane

view outside of the plane, over Boston

Alexa was a little nervous as we got going...

but it didn't last long! This was how she spent the hour home.

landing back in Thomaston - no more sun

what the plane looked like from the outside!

We arrived home safe and sound to a very dreary looking day. Too bad we didn't bring the sunny Boston weather back with us! The only downside to the flight was that my ears plugged up pretty bad. I thought my ear drums were going to blow. It took several hours to have my hearing restored. Chris and the twins were happy to have us home again. So happy the kids started bickering right away. :)

Rumor has it Taylor comes out with a new album sometime in 2012. Which will mean a concert hopefully in late 2012 or 2013. And this time around it'll be me and both girls, Jake if he wants to come. When I mentioned the idea he said that he'd rather have Daddy time at the office!

Summer was here...I think

2011-11-03T13:24:00.004-04:00

I must say that summer went fast and without a whole lot of excitement for anyone in the family. I guess that is what happens when you work full time and the kids end up daycare! We did at least have the weekends and I tried not to cram them full of just errands.

Of couse we celebrated the twins 4th birthday with a big bash, which will eventually get it's on post. The weather was lovely and everyone was able to be outside. Although it was a little hot in the sun...

The 4th of July was spent with our friends A and A and their kids. They came up just for the day instead of a weekend of camping like last year. Sadly I wasn't up to enjoying the festivities to their fullest thanks to a bout of strep throat. Who knew you could get that in the summer?! I did enjoy some of the parade, and the kids loved it. After a BBQ lunch everyone else headed to the beach while I went to sleep. From what I hear they had a good time. Fireworks ended up getting fogged out and rescheduled for the next day. The twins and I discovered (Chris was working, Alexa was sleeping) that you can see the fireworks from our house. That was cool. Especially since they DID NOT like the noise involved. I can't (well I can but I don't want to) imagine their reaction had they been closer. Next year though we will remember to dress for mosquitos. They were incredibly distracting.

In August we celebrated Chris's 34th birthday and our 10th anniversary. We got to go out to dinner at Natalie's in Camden courtesy of a gift certificate. It was amazing food. And so very grown up. There were a couple of things served to us that I had no idea what they were. Of course I took pictures of the items in question and facebooked about it, while at dinner. :)

Alexa played with field hockey during the summer with the Oceanside Youth League. She loved it and discovered she's very good at it! Thankfully they continued the program into the fall for a few weeks.

I did manage to get a garden in and we got lots of produce. I am hoping that next year will be just as successful, maybe more so. I'd like to maybe be able to put some away for the winter...we'll see what happens.

We definitely didn't do all the things we had planned. I will do a separate post for the birthday party and our Taylor Swift concert weekend. That weekend was too awesome for a long paragraph. Summer just seemed to slip through our fingers.

yikes...it's summer already!?

2011-06-21T19:38:00.002-04:00

Wow...once again I've been bad. But I do have a lot of great excuses...

The end of April included a week's vacation filled with doctor appointments for Alexa. Her wrist had really been bothering her and we'd gotten sick of her crying over it. They decided she'd damaged and possibly torn the ligament. So she spent 3 weeks in a cast, followed by 3 weeks in a splint. The longest 6 weeks ever in some ways...

May brought about a new preschool for the twins at the beginning of the month, followed by Alexa in the middle of the month. We moved from Friendship to Thomaston due to the pending sale of our building. And while I miss being so close to my Friendship friends, I do love the proximity to everything else. And I love the fact that all the kids have their own bedrooms and we have no noisy neighbors above us!

May also brought a big promotion for Chris at the hotel as the rooms division manager. It got him more pay, a few more vacation days and holidays, and as it turns out a lot of extra hours! I also started a new job with RSU 13. Some days are quieter than others but all in all I love it. I do feel a little bad about enjoying my time away from the kids so much, but think I am becoming a better parent for it. And they are all settling in nicely at daycare.

So nicely in fact that Jake is finally toilet training and been in big boy undies for 4 days. We've had 1.5 #2 accidents. I consider that a pretty good track record! I actually got interrupted mid-blogging by a potty call. Sadly Jake decided to flush the undies I had soaking rather than holler to me. Which led to a very unpretty sight and me panicking at the thought of everything backing up. But he was successful at flushing his underwear...just like both his sisters before him. A new rite of passage?

Spring also meant softball, umpiring for Chris, and a wrap up (almost) to Girl Scouts for the season. And we've got a busy summer ahead with a Taylor Swift concert, the 4th of July, a Bar Harbor trip, a trip to Boston to meet a group of fabulous women, a family party, 10th wedding anniversary...and how can I forget - the twins 4th birthday! phew...tired already.

what a week!

2011-04-08T23:01:00.003-04:00

Tonight wraps up a very busy and interesting week. Well...it was mostly interesting for Alexa.

It all started a week ago with a HUGE snowstorm that left us with 3 day weekend (of course by now it is mostly gone!). Sunday the folks from Children's Stage Adventures arrived, a few hours earlier than expected. Luckily I was ready for them. I just had to rush home, put my groceries away at warp speed, and head down to the house I rented from my aunt for them. I finished getting things set up and waited for their arrival...with all 3 of my kids. The kids fell in LOVE with Ben and Chandra. Getting them to go home was rough!

Chandra, Alexa & Ben

Monday was audition day. We learned that afternoon that Alexa got the part of a sprite. She was very excited. Tuesday meant an after school rehearsal, while Wednesday and Thursday involved rehearsals both before and after school. It was an intense 10 hours of learning and practicing for all the kids involved. Today they had a dress rehearsal plus two performances. It was a wonderful play. Seeing the kids faces as they did what they were supposed to do was priceless. And hearing Jake's little laugh at the funny stuff made everyone around us laugh a little.

our little sprite...and no, not the soda ;)

But it wasn't just a busy day for Alexa. The PTO also ran a bake sale during both performances. Which meant setting up and organizing and selling for myself and the other 3 officers. But it was decent fundraiser for the school and very low cost.

Now the kids are snoozing and I had best follow! Our busy weekend has just begun - up for Sunday is my baby sister's wedding!

Spring has sprung...

2011-04-08T22:37:00.003-04:00

I've been bad again and have to AGAIN refer to the calender as a reminder for what life has been for the past 2 months.

February:

There was the usual: school for the kids, work and sports officiating for Chris, Girl Scouts, guitar lessons and a vacation (well...from school). The month started with my first big event as PTO co-president - a benefit supper for a boy who lost his mother way too early due to violence. The night was a HUGE success in so many ways! Jake had his hearing retested and passed with flying colors and a distinct lack of tantrum according to Chris. Liz and I hung out in the waiting room. We had a family night in Portland. Chris, Alexa, and I enjoyed a hockey game while the twins hung out at the hotel with Kayla and Sean. The hotel we stayed at had a shuttle service which was great since it was snowing, again. Alexa got invited to hit the bars with some of our fellow riders but we reined her in. The three of us also enjoyed a night of UMaine hockey while the twins got to hang out at home with Lauren. Despite being a UMaine alumni this is the first game I actually attended in it's entirety. It was fun and the seats were great (box). Alexa made friends with the guys in the skybox with us. I wish I'd had a camera for the look on her face when she got tapped on the shoulder by Bananas the Bear. We followed the game up with

pizza and milkshakes at Pats...ahh takes me back to the good old days.

March:

In addition to the usual was the arrival of the Girl Scout cookies. Getting them delivered and the money collected is always fun (can you sense the sarcasm there...). We also did 2 cookie booths and I think I ended up having as many orders during the booth time as were sold the first round. I started guitar lessons with Alexa after they switched to Sunday nights. I am loving it! We had more doctor check ups courtesy of allergies and some rental viewings (none of which have panned out yet). Spring arrived officially on the calender at some point during the month, although you wouldn't really have known it thanks to the cold and snow. Alexa got the crowd going at the FVS Talent Show with a joke routine, a combo of ones she's written in class (to make a book) and found online. She was the youngest to participate and did great. The month ended with all the kids starting indoor soccer. And Alexa FINALLY had her 7 year check up at the beginning of March. That was the most rescheduled appointment ever I think.

And some pictures...

in her spiffy new UMaine hat - go Black Bears!

enjoying a cool yet springlike day

Sunny day play in Maine = warm coats, hats, and wading boots!

Showing off their Irish spirit...

January 2011

2011-02-09T09:54:00.002-05:00

Here we are, already into the second week of what is already a very short month! January passed somewhat quickly in a blur of snow and sickness. First everyone caught a stomach bug, with Alexa getting the worst of it. J and E were barely bothered. Nevertheless it was not fun. Then she managed to get strep but thankfully no one else got it.

And the snow! If it wasn't canceling school it brought about delays that kept the twins from school. All of it also meant rescheduling appointments over and over again. Next week A will finally have her 7 year check up.

January also brought the start of speech therapy for J and E at school, plus OT for J at the headstart. It's only been a few weeks but already they are becoming easier to understand and learning how to use the correct sounds in the correct places. J's easy adaption to being left alone at headstart has been amazing. The first week I stayed with him. Then we had a holiday. The following week we were met at the door by his therapist. He took off his coat and off he went without a look back! Now if I could only say the same for E. She wasn't very happy about J going off to "school" without her. I took her to Moody's for some breakfast and that seemed to cheer her up. When we returned an hour later to get him she really wanted to stay and "have her turn".

A started a K-3 basketball program. According to her dad, who is also the coach, she's been showing some emerging skills. Good for her...I know I was horrible at basketball. I could run and dribble but couldn't get a basket in the hoop if I was standing over it (okay...slight exaggeration).

We also had it confirmed that should the pending sale go through on our building we will have to move by spring. So in addition to life in general I've been living with a knot in my stomach as we try to figure out what our next move will be. There isn't much in the housing department here in town. The one lead I had hasn't panned out as I can't seem to get a call back. I must admit the idea of moving into the "city" has it's appeal. More school options, daycare options, shorter commute to work, stores, and the library, which is handy as a 1 car family. But then you add in that we'd have to change and leave friends behind, again. Granted they won't be far away but even 30 minutes makes a huge difference. Even A is torn, she doesn't want to leave her friends but seems open to change.

Goals for the new year

2011-01-01T22:50:00.002-05:00

Instead of snoozing last night in my bed I took advantage of the technology in my hands, AKA my cell phone, and wrote myself up some "goals" for the new year. For some reason I like that word better than resolutions. Maybe because it's smaller and easier to spell. I can't say for sure, but I am just going to go with it.

After writing them up I emailed them to myself. And decided tonight that rather than keep them hidden I'd post them here, hopefully to remind me (when I remember to blog...) to work on achieving them.

So...without further ado...my 2011 goals!

1. Exercise daily starting at 15 min per day. Encourage kids to do it with me!

2. Eat meals where they belong - at the table.

3. Practice meal planning to save money and time. Healthier meals with proper portions.

4. Improve my diet to be a good example. Lots of water, fruit, and veggies.

5. Take time for me that doesn't involve a book or the computer. Crocheting, sewing, scrapbooking. Okay...so in reality the computer is a useful tool, when you're not over occupied with facebook. So really I guess it should read "less time on facebook playing games".

6. Spend more time playing with the kids. Coloring, games, puzzles, reading, pretend. Be a kid with them.

7. Organize housework to try and keep the house from looking like a disaster. And remember that I am not the only person responsible for the condition of the house. It takes 5 people to mess it up, therefore more than 1 person to clean it up.

I did get off to a good start today. The kids ate at a table, had a reduced amount of tv time (of course all the traveling we did sort of brought that about), and got at least 20 minutes of exercise in between my walking video and arm exercises. And I got loads of research and ideas down for meal planning and housework planning. Each of these activities does have a down side. With meal planning - something simple that all in the house will eat is hard. Sometimes I can't help but think I'd rather be tortured than cook for my family. And the housework...I'm not even sure where to start there. I'd like to blame the disaster on a robber who decided to eat some popcorn and left a trail. But sadly I only have myself and the 4 other people in my house to blame.

I suppose instead of researching any further on any topic I should put myself to bed. Because sadly, my little darlings will not be waking me up with breakfast in bed tomorrow. They'll likely drag me out of it and demand to be fed at once while watching their favorite cartoon. Or drag in whatever it is they've decided to snag out the cupboard that is not a breakfast item for me to open. And fuss horribly when I say no, hoping that I'll give in. And yes...sometimes I do give in.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T08:58:00.005-05:00

Goodbye to 2010 - a very busy year. And to 2011 - sure to be even busier than the last.

I just spent a few minutes looking over old blog postings. In March, now just 3 months away gasp, I will have been blogging for 3 years. Doesn't seem possible. But good thing I did because while reading I realized how much I had forgotten from just last year....

What's the best way to sum up 2010? Well....we survived it! And we are all intact and pretty much sane ;)

What are we looking forward to in 2011? Hopefully happy, and healthier versions of ourselves. A move may or not be in our future, depending on what happens with the building. And that leads as to question where we would move to.

Last year in pictures:

January 2010

February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010

Christmas 2010

2011-01-01T08:40:00.003-05:00

Christmas this year was an experience to remember. To start it was one where Chris was a total scrooge. He actually enjoyed himself, and had to be told to rein in on the Christmas gift shopping for the kids.

We started the festivities with a lovely Christmas Eve dinner at my mom's, joined by my brother and his family, and my dad and stepmom. I love that despite being divorced for 27 years, that my parents can come together for family events. The only one missing was my sister, but she was visiting her mom's side of the family.

Once we got home everyone got into pjs and settled in to watch The Night Before Christmas. Then set out cookies, eggnog, carrots and a note for Santa, before being tucked into bed. Apparently Alexa awoke around midnight deciding it was time to get up and shower. But eventually Chris talked her back into bed. I, blessedly, heard nothing.

I was the first to wake, followed by Liz. She was so funny - had completely forgotten that it was Christmas morning. She was focused on getting a donut for sleeping in her own bed all night. Chris and I had to prod her a bit by asking her who had come, and what those stuffed things were on the couch. Then she got excited and went to wake Jacob and Alexa. They quickly got into their stockings and were happy with what they found there. Especially Jake when he discovered things to eat!

Then it was onto gifts. Jake and Liz really got into the gift opening this year. They were happy to tear in, but also happy to look at and examine what they got. By the end though Alexa was getting a bit of a frown. She wasn't very happy that Jake and Liz seemed to be opening more gifts than her. I could read that as clear as if she'd been holding a sign. So we decided to let her open the last unmarked gift.

I think she was happy with what she found inside!

We cleaned up and got ready for Chris's family to come. They brought loads of gifts for everyone to open. Alexa got elected to play "Santa" now that she is old enough to read. But she needs a little more training - she was trying to hustle everyone along! We took a break for lunch and then got back to it. It was a day filled with fun, family, and good times. But not many pictures because my batteries kept crapping out. But that's another good thing about family - they are there to take pictures!

It's almost here...

2010-12-23T08:16:00.005-05:00

What a busy 3 weeks it ends up being between Alexa's birthday and Christmas. What have we been up to that's kept us busy? Well it is basketball season so Chris has had games to referee and then watch on tv when he gets home. We've had Kids Klub, Girl Scouts, and guitar lessons. Christmas shopping and baking. We attended a Toy for Tots Christmas party at the Hahn Center. It was very hard to get Jake to understand that the toys under the tree were not for him to help himself to. Liz enjoyed dancing to the music, while Alexa enjoyed hanging out with the musicians.

We also attended a Christmas party at the Blaine House. This is the first time we've been up there since Chris left office. He ran into many people who seemed glad to see him. But they are politicians so it can be hard to tell what's real and what's phony. The kids had a wonderful time! The theme was gingerbread houses and fairies. And the people that decorated the house did a super job. The fairy houses were just amazing - and my girls love fairy houses!

They fully enjoyed the snacks and were very careful with the fancy glasses of punch.

Alexa stalked to Governor until she could get her picture taken with him.

The only real incident ended up being when Jake accidentally broke the cover to a candy dish. He was reaching over the girls, who were petting the Baldacci's dogs, a chair and past a lamp. It crashed to the floor and he ran in the other direction crying. Of course Chris had been talking to the First Lady, who immediately got on the floor to start picking up pieces. And I ran after Jake, getting stopped by staffer to see what was the matter. Then she rushed to do the dirty work, which was pretty much done. Poor kid. But at least he's young enough to forget about it! Sadly, though they would have been wonderful pictures, there wasn't time...

But we did get these on the way out: a nice one of the kids plus a family shot, first one in 2 or 3 years.

Alexa turns 7!

2010-12-11T19:30:00.009-05:00

Although she's technically been 7 for a week now, as always better late than never (which as a mother to 3 seems to be my mantra!). 7 years ago Alexa came into this world after 22-23 hours of labor (up for debate but either way, still long!), weighing 7lbs and 20 inches long. She had the most beautiful reddish/brown hair with blond highlights. She was (and really still is) a good eater and sleeper and talker. Now in the first grade she is thriving and loves learning. She lost her 2 front teeth back in November and is awfully cute with the gap and the lisp.

Likes/loves: Taylor Swift, books, Scooby Doo, watching sports with her dad, science, bike riding, playing on the computer, American Girl dolls, playing "puppy" with Jake and Liz. She hates eating pizza if it has sauce on it. But will eat ketchup on just about everything. Often tries to act like she's the boss, which is sometimes cute, sometimes obnoxious. Can be very shy or very outgoing depending on the day.

For her birthday I decided to let her have her first "kids" party. We invited her entire class (huge at 10 total...right?), plus a few others and their siblings to swim at the Samoset. We did pizza and cake afterward. Pretty sure everyone had a great time! And I loved not having any cleanup.

November 2010

2010-12-11T19:20:00.002-05:00

Another month has flown by in the blink of an eye. Or really in a partial blink depending on what day I'm thinking about it.

So what happened in November...

Alexa started guitar lessons. A folk-singing, music and art loving couple that lives in town offers them for free twice a month at the church right next to us. I keep getting hounded to buy a guitar but I think I will continue to let her borrow one of theirs until I see some progress. Right now she's good at getting it out of the box.

Jacob and Elizabeth stayed busy with school two days a week. And wrecking the house when they were home. Both got short speech screenings to see if they would need a full speech evaluations, which they did.

Chris and I had our associate dinner which included free childcare and good food. And awards. I got to watch Chris receive the General Manager's award, or at least listen to the roasting first. He had left the room to relieve the front desk clerk and missed the entire thing. Probably just as well...

My sister had her baby, Jaycee, on the 21st, almost exactly a week early. Dyani was glad because it meant she had plenty of room for dinner since there was no baby sitting on her stomach. We had Blake stay with us the 20th so he could get some rest and be well occupied. Jake and Liz were quite excited to wake up and find him at the house Sunday morning.

We hosted Thanksgiving here at our house for a total of 14 people. There were supposed to be 15 but Correy ended up sick. Although I could count baby Jaycee, but she didn't really do much beyond sleep and poop and just be cute.

We had Girl Scout meetings, basketball games, Realtor showings, bake sales, birthday parties, craft fairs, and school volunteer sessions to round out the month. Phew...

memory retention

2010-10-27T11:46:00.002-04:00

Or rather, lack of. I had something to blog about it and of course it came to me in the wee hours of the night. And I was smooshed between two 3 year olds so unable to get my cell down and text a summary of it to myself. To try and keep a paper and pencil handy is just laughable. Any paper around here is promptly taken hostage by someone for their most recent "birthday card".

I finally managed to make it to a chiropractor after 7 or 8 months. Lots of adjusting to be done from head to toe. But boy, it's amazing to be able to turn my head so smoothly again. And the meds that the doctor called in for me seem to be working. No major headaches or heartburn in nearly a week!

Now if I could just keep the kids healthy. After a bout of bellyaching about bellyaches at the beginning of October, Alexa came down with a fever that just wouldn't give in to the meds last night. So of course she had to stay home today, can't send someone in with a fever of 101. And of course by 11:30 the fever was pretty much gone, although she's cranky, lethargic, doesn't want to drink or pee. But she does want to go to school and see all her friends because she misses them.

Potty training is still a no-go with Jacob. He'll get all upset when he's wet in underwear and will just hold it. Tried going back to prefolds - ha, he's just as likely to sit in those wet as he is a disposable. And at least the disposables won't burn my nose hairs off with their smell.

Elizabeth has been getting a bit mouthy. 3 going on 16 I say. I was told the other day to "zip it" and she included a zipping mouth shut gesture as she did it. Great...

Official school pictures - preschool

2010-10-11T19:31:00.002-04:00

If only the folks doing the elementary school could be so efficient. These were back by the next day of school for Jake and Liz. According to the moms that stayed behind (I'm so not that mom!), Jake was all smiles while Liz didn't even want to look at the guy. Still, smile-less it still reflects her personality!

Soccer as a pack sport

2010-10-11T19:18:00.005-04:00

This fall Alexa is enjoying her second year of soccer through the Waldoboro Rec Department. And Chris is enduring his second year as the coach. I find it amusing that Chris coaches soccer given how all I heard before she was old enough to play was that it's the dumbest sport ever.

Attempting to do some stretches, they weren't too keen on the wet grass.

It's a K-2 league and they play every Saturday through the end of October. An hour long practice before squaring off against their opponents. And it doesn't seem to matter what they do for drills and skills practice, once the whistles blow it's all about going for the ball.

Skill practice: passing back and forth till you get to the goal

Alexa seems to be kick prone. As in being kicked. After every game she's come home to tell me where she got hit (ankle, chin, head, wrist, stomach). But she just gets up and keeps going. I'm not really sure if the team has managed to score any goals yet or not. I think that if they stopped operating as a pack someone would have a better chance at kicking the ball rather than another player! But I suppose that comes with...practice.

And they're off...sort of reminds me of harness racing

It's important to be alert when on the sidelines viewing unless you want a ball in your lap.

September review

2010-10-03T09:33:00.002-04:00

One month of school down already. It just doesn't seem possible...

Besides everyone starting school this month and going apple picking (from which we still have at least 1 1/2 pecks left!) what did we do? A whole lot of hanging around the house really. It's hard to go far with Chris's schedule, school, and just one car. But the kids have had fun. Alexa's gotten everyone hooked on catching grasshoppers. We've had a few loose ones in the house, but at least it's not crickets! Soccer has also started for Chris (coach) and Alexa. That takes up a big chunk of our Saturday mornings. Only 4 weeks left of that, then it'll be basketball.

I also started working part-time at the Samoset Resort answering the phones. My position title is "considerate it done". This is because when you call I'm supposed to get done whatever you want as soon as you ask. Of course this would be much more effective with a little more training beyond "here is your phone, this is what you say, this is the list of extensions". But I am getting the hang of it and haven't had anyone complain about me or call back to yell at me for hanging up on them. Of course I'm having a hard time arriving on time, usually running 5-10 minutes late. My shift last Friday I ran right into the GM, late as usual. Later I answered the phone wrong (gasp...said guest services instead of considerate it done) and got harassed for both. Fortunately for me it turned out I was really 50 minutes early, scheduled for 9, not 8. My latte was good though!

The twins have been enjoying preschool. I got one call to go change messy pants. They are doing great on their work, although apparently Liz doesn't like to talk to the teacher. I guess that's good in some way. While they are at school I've been either hanging around the house, or visiting with friends, and even playing hostess! It's amazing how fast 2 1/2 hours can fly by.

Other big things that happened this month: I got elected as co-President of the PTO at my first meeting. Of course I volunteered - how hard can it be? Time will tell! I also joined the recreation committee and have been working on talking Chris into chairing it. He had said yes but now is saying he's going to quit. Why...not really sure. It's a great gig for him, doing something he knows and helping kids have more to do in town. We also celebrated by birthday - 32 years. 40 sure is creeping up fast.

Apple Picking!

2010-09-14T12:46:00.004-04:00

Sunday ended up being a perfect day for heading out to the orchard. Overcast and cool, but not uncomfortably so. I was excited to see how the kids would like it. I don't think we ever ended up making it last year. We'd gone two years ago with my dad and stepmom. Jake and Liz were a little over a year old and not yet walking so they got to ride in the stroller. I remember Alexa going overboard and picking lots and lots and lots of apples!

This year I took the kids solo as Chris had to work the night before and hadn't gotten much sleep due to soccer and a wedding. Of course he ended up not being able to sleep anyways because the realtor woke him when she came to show the building.

Most of the orchards are 45 minutes from us, as is most anything (or it feels that way). I ended up going to one that was just about a half hour away that I've always driven past but never stopped at, called Country Fair Farm. And I'm glad I did! They had a wagon ride to/from the trees. While you waited there was a little playground area, pumpkins to check out, and baby animals (pigs, pygmy goat, and lambs) to pet or feed. Once we arrived at the trees I set them loose with their bags.

Alexa originally tried to hand everyone 1/2 bushel bags. I told her that I didn't really need that many apples. Instead we ended up with a 1/2 bushel bag and 3 pecks.
I think that I picked maybe a dozen apples myself, the rest were all the kids. There were lots at just the right height for them to get themselves, but it was also fun to lift them for higher ones, or watch Alexa try to pick them up. Or watch them try and jump for them.

We stopped at dad's on the way home to pick up some canning supplies and his treasured KitchenAid mixer. I set to work the next day making some applesauce. We've still got 3 pecks left, to eventually be turned into other yummy treats or just munched as is!

picking apples, and eating them is quite tiring I've been told
showing off their haul but not their lovely faces!

1st day of school - preschool style

2010-09-13T15:14:00.003-04:00

waiting for the bus with big sis

Last Tuesday was the first day of preschool for Jake and Liz. I spent the entire summer going back and forth about whether or not to send them, and if I did where they would go. I finally decided to just keep them close to home. Being a one car family makes it hard to go very far. So they are at the same one Alexa went to when she was 4. It's a church-based program, which is fine with me.

They spent the few days before fussing about how they didn't want to go. Day of had some rumbling, mostly from Liz who was complaining about a tummy ache. Jake, as always, had impeccable timing and had to have a stinky diaper changed right as we were heading out the door.

first day of school! One is their usual foolish self, the other wracked with nerves.

We were the last set of parents to arrive. We also went unarmed. Every other mom there had cameras - video and still. We helped them find their name tags to hang up on the wall. Jake quickly found some buses to play with. I took Liz to the bathroom then encouraged her to play. She found her way to a farmhouse that another little girl was playing with. We said our goodbyes, gathered our hugs and kisses, Chris headed for work and I came home to enjoy 2 1/2 hours of no kids.

When I went to get them it took a few minutes for them to realize I was there. Both came running over with big hugs and shouts of "mommy". Liz was ready to go, Jake wanted to stay and play with the cars some more. It took some persuading to dry his tears so we could find his bag and go home.

Their second day was Thursday. Drop off was once again smooth, while pickup was a little rougher due to no one wanting to come home. But I don't really blame them, it was hard for me to drag myself up the street to get them as I was fully enjoying my free time!

Single parent update

2010-09-13T14:48:00.002-04:00

Here I am a week later. Obviously we survived the final days without Chris at home. Having Alexa in school from 8-3 helped a lot with our sanity. Of course evenings were their usual hectic self. But I'm finding they can be that way even with two adults on hand.

The twins and I squeezed in a beach day with my sister and her little boy on Friday. It was perfect weather and the water was wonderful. We stopped at my dad's for lunch and to visit, making it home with about 10 minutes to spare for the bus.

Saturday, the last day we spent at my mom's. We'd planned to just be there for a few hours. But Chris called to let me know that he managed to book a Cape Air flight that would have him arriving in Rockland just after 8pm. So we hung out longer to save an extra long trip. Of course I was woefully unprepared and managed to not have enough diapers. Liz was fine in undies but Jake is better off in a pullup. The only option was one of Alexa's overnight ones, which came up to his armpits. Then the only jeans were Liz's. It made for an interesting outfit, snug jeans with a gigantic pullup.

We arrived to the airport just as Chris would have been arriving. I attempted to get there early but got a bit lost in the dark. I arrived to a very dark airport, turned out the flight had already arrived!

1st Grade

2010-08-30T19:14:00.003-04:00

the final outfit!

This morning dawned the first day of first grade. I had reviewed our morning "to-do" list with Alexa last night so she knew what to expect. She first woke around 6, asking me if it was 7 yet. Finally after asking me every other minute I told her at 6:15 to go ahead and get up. I did have to explain that if she got up before 7 it was okay, it meant she'd have more time to play once she got her list done.

showing off the new backpack, that will hopefully be the last backpack being LL Bean!

And I'm glad we did because the bus came nearly 10 minutes early today! I did mange to get pictures and keep from crying too hard. I did well up as the bus pulled away and Liz mournfully said "I miss Lexy." And then again as we drove past Alexa's friend E and her brothers getting on the bus.
Next week we get to do another first day of school - for the twins!

tried to get all 3 but Jake always runs off just as the bus arrives!

Monday = 4 days in

2010-08-30T19:07:00.002-04:00

A deep breath and a moment to pause before starting.

Sunday ended up being a lazy morning combined with a beach venture for the afternoon. It was a hot one and much more comfortable right on the ocean. Everyone got very sandy, very wet and thankfully, only a little red. Best of all - everyone wore themselves down. We came home and showered and then I got to work on dinner. L and D joined us for dinner and dessert.

Eventually bedtime rolled around. Alexa got her clothes picked out by me for the next day. She grumbled a bit about not being able to watch a movie but ended up being okay with the 30 minutes I allowed her before bed. She was out by 8pm.

Now if only everyone could have stayed out. As usual I'm not sure what time everyone started arriving, I just remember that Alexa was the first. Turns out she was scared someone was going to come inside and get her. Hopefully our chat reassured her that won't happen. Or that my bribe of everyone who stays in their own bed will get a lollipop with breakfast.

Monday - 1st day of school! I'll do that in it's own post. But it was another toasty one. The little ones and I just hung at home. They played and watched some tv while I tackled laundry. I managed to get them to take a nap, although they were out of bed 3 times in the first 30 minutes. I had to wake them to go get Alexa at school.

And from there we headed off to Penbay for Alexa's blood draw. It was a long wait, made even longer by the lab not understanding what the test was to be. They had to wait for a call from Dr. Lew. An hour later we were free. The kids did great and I decided to take them to dinner at the ClubHouse Grille. Smart choice because it was a better meal than fast food and cheaper thanks to the fact that two of the kids ate free. Home again, a bit of singing for the girls, teeth brushing and books. Now only the oldest child is left standing.

House status: Laundry - maybe 2 loads to fold/put away, 1 to wash. Dishes from lunch need doing. But the toy area is under control and the couch is free of everything. So far so good!

Saturday = 2 days in

2010-08-29T08:57:00.002-04:00

Today marks the second full day of solo parenting, unless I choose to count Friday. I did get to spend the entire afternoon and evening as solo parental unit while Chris rode the train south to Boston.

My thoughts so far...

Friday night made for easy bedtime. A long drive combined with heat, food, no naps, and a tiring bout of school shopping would make even the strongest person tired. I basically brushed teeth, replaced diapers as necessary, and tucked them into bed.

And sometime in the wee hours of the morning found myself with company. First to arrive was Jake. Then Liz. Who immediately ran into Alexa's room for some reason, which woke her up. And of course Liz had to be next to mom but next to Alexa, right where Jake was. Solution - just sleep on him! Eventually all were shifted and we slept till about 6:30.

Saturday: Yard sale day across the street. I ended up dropping $20 and got my money's worth for sure. I'm not sure how much Alexa ended up spending. She handed over quarter's like folks tossing candy out at a parade. We did come home with 1 thing that I took over. But out of all that I donated, I'm okay with that. Dinner was easy since they were having a benefit supper. $13 to feed all 4 of us. Of course mostly desserts were consumed but at least bellies were full. Once again everyone was tired after uncomfortable sleeping and playing all day. Our friend C spent a lot of the day here playing with the kids, which they loved. I was able to get some housework done plus get Alexa's clothes sorted out.

I started trying to write up a meal plan last night but didn't make it far. I may go searching for recipes today to find something more inspiring to eat than mac & cheese with hot dogs or chicken nuggets.

Only a week left to go!

the end of summer

2010-08-29T08:51:00.003-04:00

Woo-hoo! Today is the final day of parental torture 7 days/week, 24 hours/day. And finally Alexa is somewhat excited about going back. Excited to see her friends and play but not so psyched for the math tests. Not sure if they even have math tests in 1st grade, but it's something that bothers her.

This summer hasn't been the one I originally planned out. We did manage to make it to the beach a few more times than the previous summer. And some good outdoor time in the sandbox at the beginning of the summer. I had wanted to go do some more things locally but babysitting sort of prevented that due to lack of space in transportation. Plus I'm finding that my eldest has turned into a greedy monster - she just wants everything.

Camping, amusement parks, swimming, barbecues, sleepovers, movie nights, oh my. All rolling to an end. Tomorrow Alexa gets back onto the big yellow bus and heads to school from 8:15-3pm. And the little ones and I get to do whatever for a week. Then on the 7th they start preschool. So from 9-11:30 Tuesday/Thursday I will be all alone, or at least childless!

sometimes, just sometimes mother is right

2010-07-23T13:07:00.002-04:00

A few posts back I made a comment on my mother thinking I was crazy. She just might have had a view into the future. Or personal experience. Because lately I think I am going crazy. Not so crazy that I'd hurt anyone/thing. But crazy enough that my doctor is now recommending a therapist and perhaps some meds if the therapist isn't enough. I knew kids could drive you to drink/use recreational drugs. I should have realized they could also drive you to legal prescribed drugs.

Some might say - oh, come on...it can't really be that bad can it? When you find yourself alternating between shooting flames/lightening bolts or crying over every little thing, you just might want to call your doctor.

The doctor gave me some advice. One was to decompress my responsibilities. The other was to learn to say no. Not just to say no, but to say no and mean it. I started to protest and say that I can say no. I guess that's where the "mean it" part comes in. Because I am a pushover. I will often do my best to avoid conflict by being wishy/washy. Or I cave if enough pressure is applied. Or I go all psycho-mama, which isn't pretty.

the break

2010-07-14T16:59:00.003-04:00

I've managed to go nearly 32 years without breaking any bones, although I've gotten plenty of sprains. My first major surgery wasn't till I was 28, my c-section with the twins.

My oldest however managed to do the first break at age 6. The end result of a playground accident while camping. Apparently dad wasn't quick enough to say "I don't think that's the smartest idea" or she was just too quick at leaping off.

We finished our family mini-vacation with a 2 hour trip to the ER. Loads of fun anytime, but especially fun with 2 little kids who haven't had lunch or napped. The dirty looks in the waiting room, the comments about them being careful (when sitting on Alexa's "bed" in the hallway). The heat. The irritability on the parts of all involved.

The diagnosis: greenstick fracture. Apparently kids bones are like new tree limbs. When enough pressure is applied one side will break, while the other bends.

We eventually escaped, some to go home, some to go to a work meeting. Our instructions were to ice, elevate, and call the orthopedic doctor in the morning.

That call resulted in an early morning appointment on Wednesday, despite my begging for one that day. I got my cousin to watch the twins and friend so that I didn't have to haul them along. We arrived the requested 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork. In no time at all we were done. The hardest part - picking out a cast color. She gets to spend the next 3 weeks in it. Then we go for an x-ray and hopefully that'll be it.

Or so we thought. I ended up having to make an emergency run back to the doctor that afternoon when Alexa's fingers started to swell. They ended up replacing it with a waterproof variety. I've yet to test it out after hearing all sorts of unpleasant things about odor and what it does to the skin underneath. We're saving the big test for Aunt D's pool on the 24th.

Becoming one with nature?

2010-07-14T16:14:00.005-04:00

After much back and forth, saying yes and then no (and starting to feel a bit like a Katie Perry song), we finally made the big decision - to go camping over the 4th of July weekend. Our friends have been coming up the last few years and are always asking us to join them.

The decision probably would have been a lot easier if not for a few factors. One being the three night requirement for holiday weekends. I wasn't too sure I wanted to shell out $40-45 per night if it was going be torture. Plus Chris was stuck working the overnight shift on Friday and Saturday. So if we did stay the three nights I would have spent two of them by myself. Well...the only adult anyways.Saturday morning the kids and I headed out to the parade. Then we had lunch and ice cream before coming home again. It was on the way home that inspiration struck - perhaps with the weekend already under way they'd waive the nightly requirement.

They were willing to make it a two-night stay. And since we were going to be out that way and up late for fireworks anyways I said "let's do it!". I booked the site, handed out the credit card number, and then began the quickest packing job ever. I kept a running mental list and think I did fairly well at getting the basics. Chris arrived home from baseball, showered, and then we hit the road as a 2 car caravan, going the 45 min to the campground with a stop at McD's for dinner.

We got checked in and then got to work on the tent. Our friends ended up being just three sites down from us. Which was good and bad. Good because they were close. Bad because the twins, Jake in particular, felt he could dart from site to site without telling anyone. One minute he was there, the next he was gone. The best was when he tried to go into the tent of the site before ours. That's when some older lady from NH spoke harshly with me about keeping "him out of our site". I know it's not proper camping etiquette to cut through sites and enter others' tents. But he's a little boy on his first camping trip.

The fireworks were a big hit. The look of wonder on the faces of the twins made staying out that late totally worth it. Getting settled back at the tent was a bit of work. Alexa slept with our friends kids, and Chris worked, so it was just me and the twins. They had no interest in sleeping in their own bags so we spread them out to make one bed. Then they each cuddled up under an arm, Liz wiggling away, Jake first asking to go home and then later muttering under his breath. Eventually all was silent until sunrise.

We had breakfast with our friends and then went our separate ways. Chris to sleep, the friends to hike, me back home with the kids to get the extra sleeping bag, sleeping mats, coffee mugs and a few other forgotten cooking/eating items (plus a shower for myself). When we got back we had lunch, just hanging out at the site till everyone else came back/got up. The kids had fun wandering around the little woods near us, gathering sticks and leaves for the fire. Eventually we ended up at the pool while the dads went golfing.

The pool. It was pure nastiness for adults but joy for kids. The water had to be at least 80 degrees or more. It was more refreshing to get out of the pool and feel some cool breezes than to actually be in the pool. Not for kids though, to them it was heaven. After 2 hours I had had enough and judging by grumpiness so had the twins. We did the playground for a bit before heading back to our tent to change. Then we took a ride to see if a short nap would come about.
Night 2: Involved us doing hot dogs and burgers for dinner. Then the moms got to head out to the movies (and AC) while the dads (and friend) had smores/bedtime duty. We were all settled down and snoozing by 11pm, spread out on the mats with sleeping bags all over. At some point it started to rain but it didn't seem to bother anyone.

I was the first to rise and hike to the bathroom. Eventually everyone else woke on their own, except Chris. Then it was time to get breakfast under way. We decided to eat at our friends' site but do some cooking at ours. We ended up with a feast of bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, juice, coffee, and donuts. Then it was back to our site and time to start the packing process to be out by 11am. Which we were!
Injury report: All kids managed to sustain some sort of injury. Jake took a tumble down the office stairs and got some road rash on his face. Liz decided to let go while swinging and got some road rash on the back. Alexa did the best job however. While I was in the shower she thought she'd show off for dad. Showing off involved leaping off the playground platform which had to be at least 5 feet high. As usual she was her "graceful" self and according to Chris, managed to catch her foot on the bar and fell, rather than jumping, to the ground. She was screaming about her wrist. We got her some ice and I called the doctor while Chris showered. We headed over the ER for an x-ray. Chris and the x-ray tech said it was a sprain, the doctor referred to it as a greenstick fracture.
So we ended our trip with a bang/crash! But it was a successful trip and we are definitely up for camping in the future.

3!

2010-07-08T12:42:00.006-04:00

It's hard to believe that Jake and Liz are already three. They are the age that Alexa was when I found out I was pregnant. They are of an age that preschool attendance is encouraged. They are just 2 years shy of kindergarten.

as brand new babies

When Alexa turned three it seemed to have taken forever. Time has been going by much faster this time around.

look who is 3!

We'll be having a celebration of their birth and Alexa's (a few months early on her part) this weekend. A gathering of our families and a few friends that we've become close to since relocating to the midcoast. A summer birthday is a good reason for a BBQ and it makes it harder to have an excuse based on bad weather for not wanting to travel!

back on St. Patrick's Day

They will go for their well-child check up next week which will give us exact stats regarding height and weight. I believe Jake is 30-32 lbs while Liz would be lucky to be pushing 30.

Elizabeth: She is Liz, Lizzy-B, Bug or B-bug. I often find myself telling people who are amazed at what she does that her theory seems to be "whatever Alexa can do, I can do better". She will copy a lot of what her big sister does but definitely adds her own flair and personality to it. When she's mad she lets you know it with a lot of pouting and drama. She's prone to take herself to her room to cry by herself. She loves to cuddle, especially with her mama, burrowing one hand into the armpit, which seems to be her comfort zone. She's into playing sports - soccer and baseball. Clothing of choice any day would be a skirt or dress, even if long layers have to go underneath. She loves puppies, ponies, and just about anything princess. Favorite foods - mac & cheese, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, yogurt, cheerios, kix, blueberries, strawberries, watermelon and almost any soda. We recently put some new tires on Alexa's old Dora bike and Liz has taken to it like a duck on water. I wouldn't be all that surprised if she ditches the training wheels by the end of the summer. Favorite tv shows: Martha Speaks, Scooby Doo, Spongebob, any Barbie movies.

Jacob: He is Jake, Jay, J-Bird, or Bird. Has a love for cars, toy and real. We've had to start locking our vehicles just to keep him out. Loves to do things with his sisters, even if it means being dressed up by them. Although he does a pretty good job of dolling himself up. He loves riding his red trike and refusing to get on the 2 wheeler with training wheels. He is the book reader of the two of them, happy to be read to or just look at by himself. He has come a long way in the last year with his communication and mobility thanks to weekly speech sessions and some occupational therapy. When he's on the playground he'll go on the little slide and will swing himself, hopping off if you try to push him. Favorite foods: hot dogs, mac & cheese, bananas, apples, blueberries, strawberries, marshmallows, chicken nuggets, yogurt, nearly any kind of cracker/cookie. He does not like to drink milk by the cup except the occasional chocolate. He is very fond of cupboard raiding and has managed to bust any locks I put on them (or the fridge). Not afraid to grab a chair, drag it to a counter and use it to climb for what he seeks. He loves Mickey Mouse wherever his picture might be. Favorite tv shows: Mickey Mouse clubhouse, Martha Speaks, Spongebob, Scooby Doo.

They are their own persons that's for sure. But they are an interesting duo and work/play together quite well when they want to. They may be heading off to preschool come fall but that will depend on whether or not I can get them toilet trained.

the side effects of borrowing kids

2010-06-27T09:06:00.002-04:00

Because I apparently don't have enough to do in my life I am doing some childcare this summer. Feels funny calling it "babysitting" at my age. That seems like a term that belong to teens and pre-teens. I've got 5 different kids that come on different days. One is just for 4-5 hours a week. One has been nearly 40. The other 3 will be here just one day week, they start this week.

My mother (and apparently my SIL as well) think I'm a little crazy. I don't disagree with that but I like to think of it as a good crazy. Sure there are days that I want to put all of them out to the curb (even the borrowed ones...I think their moms might be okay with that).

Two weeks into summer and I'm already finding myself relying greatly upon my calender to inform me of what day it is and what's going on. I'm learning what foods they will and won't eat. I'm learning that some are always hungry and that the only way to get them to drink water would be to stick their heads under in the kiddie pool. *disclaimer...I have never actually done this, though the idea has crossed my mind*

They are learning how to play nice most of the time. They're learning that just because they are together doesn't mean they have to play the same thing with each other the entire time, that they can do their own thing. They're also learning to help with cleanup and maybe someday will grasp the concept of cleaning up as they go.

We've gone on a few adventures so far - the Farmer's Market and the beach, the local library. We've got the sandbox out and the kiddie pool to be filled on an as needed basis. I've got a list of activities that I need to get printed out onto slips of paper for the kids to choose when they are bored. I'm hoping to get a menu for meals and snacks together but it's just not coming together...guess I'm more a day of planner, a hard habit to break.

I am keeping our weekends free of other kids for the most part so that we can have some family time. Even if it's just sitting around the yard watching kids dig in the sand it's still an entirely different experience when it's just back to the 5 of us.

Dancing Queen & King

2010-06-19T08:12:00.004-04:00

Alexa has this complete fascination with dance. Perhaps someday she'll be able to do it in the form of a class, although our last experience didn't end well. At just over 2 she wasn't ready and preferred to cling to the pole in the middle of the room or mom.

These days she not only sings and dances, but also directs!

not sure where the sound went on this one but it's still good for a viewing!

strange eats

2010-06-19T07:19:00.004-04:00

Back when Alexa was little I decided I wanted to try and be a Discovery Toys rep. And quickly discovered that I am not a sales person. Sure I was able to talk a few friends into purchases but my heart wasn't in it. On the plus side I ended up with a pretty sweet deal on some wonderful toys that are still around.

Some favorites of the twins are the Measure Up Cups, the bean bags from Flip Flop Faces, the bugs from Busy Bugs (cards are long gone but the bugs live on), and a game that I can't remember the name of. It have the body parts for 4 animal: an orange elephant, a pink/yellow zebra, a blue giraffe, and a green lion. You are supposed to roll a die that has pictures of the body part and "build an animal". I think we've done it that way a few times without much success.

However, apparently they make good snacks. As I type this I am surrounded by stacking cups filled with body parts, bean bags, and some food. A very common occurrence when I am trying to do anything on the computer. And of course it can't be around me but right in front of me. I do get the un-subtle message, I choose to ignore it and do a little shuffling.

So remember this. Because when you come to my house I can't guarantee that you won't be served legs of some safari animal with a side of head and bean bag. And yes...in this case they are supposed to be that color.

the fickleness of being 2

2010-06-01T13:09:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure if it's the weather, the crap in the air, the moon's alignment, or just being 2 that has got J and E all over the place moodwise today. The morning started pleasant enough with all 3 kids playing happily together. There was a little spat regarding J not wanting to be E's dog but it was quickly gotten over and play resumed. They sat for at least 20 minutes playing with some musical flowers and covering each other with blankets. They played nicely when they attempted to raid the fridge and cupboards.

There is this conversation: J "ride my train", E "no", J "ride my traaaain", E "NOOOOO". Then E decided to sit in the toy shopping cart. After falling and getting back in (several times) I made the mistake of mentioning maybe she should find something else to do. How do I get paid for my advice? By being hit with a little toy dog. And J got smacked when he told her not to "hit my mama". Then just as quickly as the temper came the temper went. Back to playing nicely for the time being. Let's see how nice they play when I put them down for naps...

9 1/2 days left

2010-06-01T08:33:00.002-04:00

The countdown is on. Although it's been on at the school for weeks now with an electronic timer. I wonder how long it'll take us to get into the routine of having Alexa home all day, every day for more than a week! I bet the twins will find it fascinating, at least for a little while.

My goal? To have us stick to routine as much as possible. That while it is summer vacation it doesn't mean we are going to lounge around in pjs till lunch. And that I'm not going to be the only one constantly picking up toys. Summer will be a good time to start introducing Alexa to some household chores beyond maintaining her own room - like laundry duty! Reading, writing, and math to help keep the brain fresh.

I have started a list of activities we can do out and about, or here at home. Of course adjustments will have to be made given that we are no longer a 2 car family. Hopefully C will get himself on a regular schedule at some point.

creeping towards summer

2010-05-17T09:27:00.002-04:00

So I counted the school days left to this year and there are only 22. Still reeling a bit from how fast the school year has gone. Now I wonder if the 10 weeks of summer will fly so fast?

It's shaping up to be a busy summer. Camping with friends, birthday bashes, family reunions, and hopefully a week at day camp for Alexa if I can get it arranged. And I can't forget the real fun - working on potty training both twins so that they will be ready for preschool in September.

Time to start working on my list of things we can do. I did this last summer and we managed to fit in a few things. It didn't help that it rained so much - sort of limits what you can do. I'd like to see us get a little more beach time just because it can keep everyone entertained and happy.

One thing that is likely to end this summer - Jake's speech therapy. He had his assessment as a 3 year old last week. While they couldn't tell me much without the actual score I have a feeling he was looking pretty good. Still some motor skill concerns but he is blossoming and I'm sure all will come to him in time. It's going to be a bit strange not having that weekly visitor to break up our days a bit!

And the birthday party. I was going to have it just be family but I've had so many kids asking about coming that I may have to readjust my plans a bit!

back to school...

2010-04-26T08:29:00.003-04:00

and our usual routine. This morning marks the end of April vacation and the last of any long amounts of time off until summer break in the middle of June.

Vacation started quietly. It was sort of like a snowball rolling down the hill, getting busier and busier (instead of bigger and bigger).

Monday Alexa had an all day playdate with her friend Ruth. While she was there the rest of us went to Rockland for errands and work (and a 2nd alignment courtesy of VIP).

Tuesday Chris and Alexa hit the road early in the morning for Boston to check out the Swan Boats and Alexa's first Sox game that night. Meanwhile the rest of us enjoyed Jake's speech session then spent the afternoon/early evening at my mom's house (thanks again for the new-to-us table!).

Wednesday had a trip to the aquarium for the Boston crew and a stopover in Gorham to drop Alexa off with Dylan for an overnight. The twins and I got to go back to Rockland for appointments and errands. We ended up having to cancel Jake's OT session after I discovered his "booboo" was really a nasty tick behind his ear. I let Dr. Lew pull it out and left there feeling like I'd been to the gym. Jake is a very hard child to restrain!

Thursday I headed out on my own for a day visiting my friends A & J and baby Z. I went with the intention of helping out with some housework but they had none for me to do. Instead we just hang out and chatted until Alexa arrived. Then she and I went for dinner at McDonald's and headed back home, arriving just before the twins headed to bed. They were so happy to see their big sister after being gone so many days!

Friday brought sunny skies and Elle over for a playdate at our house. The kids begged and pleaded to go wander in the graveyard for a bit. They were on the lookout for old fake flowers that had been tossed aside. But they also got to spend a little time reading gravestones. The other excitement was the fact that Alexa yanked out Elle's loose tooth. They came out of her bedroom - Alexa clutching the tooth in a tissue and smiling, Elle smiling with her front gap bigger and blood all over the rest of her teeth. We closed out the day with a freezing cold first t-ball practice and Elle spending the night.

Saturday started early with the girls being picked up just after 8am to go to martial arts. Alexa enjoyed her first visit and has been asking to go again. She then spent the day/night at Elle's house. To let Chris sleep (he had to do 4 overnights in a row that week) we headed to Rockland yet again for some grocery shopping (and lunch and DQ). We came home to drop stuff off and then spent a little time at the playground.

Sunday was another lovely day. We just chilled at home until Alexa arrived home just before lunch. She was exhausted but had a great time. She and Elle got a good fix of each other - going to different schools means not getting together as much as they'd like (though Elle being on her t-ball team will change that!). After the twins attempted naps (Alexa too) we went back over to the playground with Brenda and Dylan. Then home again where we attempted to play a little ball before we couldn't take the blackflies anymore.

A busy but fun week. And perhaps a taste of what's to come this summer. I know we have a few things planned or at least in mind. There is the birthday bash in July, Chris's family party is usually in July, and camping (twice) in July. We'd like to get a trip down to Boston in June before it gets too hot. And maybe a week at summer camp for Alexa.

3rd quarter

2010-04-09T19:22:00.002-04:00

Holy moly is this school year flying! Report cards came home today for the 3rd quarter. Lots of stuff for me to read through. Alexa is doing superb in all areas except the pesky issue of self-control and listening to directions. Not really sure how to get her to improve on that except for reminding her, while she's listening.

It was noted that she can read and write 100% of the district K words and over 70% of the classroom sight words. She's got a mastery of 85% for reading and 14-20 for writing.

This also included a sample of her written work. Each child had to write a story and then follow a checklist to make sure they'd done things correctly, like using proper capitalization, spaces between words, use of sight words and punctuation. Alexa's story was about her trip to the hospital last year for her UTI. While her spelling needs work, even misspelled I had no trouble reading and understanding her story.

another one bites the dust

2010-04-09T19:15:00.004-04:00

After more than a little crying Chris was successful in removing Alexa's second tooth. The first came out (with assistance) back in February. And when I say crying...I mean from Alexa, not Chris.
Alexa managed to loosen up her 2 top teeth plus the bottom front earlier this week. They had all been sort of loose. But then she decided to hold a rope that her 80lb cousin was hanging off of with her teeth. Hopefully she understands that using your teeth like that is a really bad idea, even worse if you do it to your big teeth.

So the Tooth Fairy will be making rounds here again tonight. And the gap has gotten even bigger!

adventures in egg coloring

2010-04-04T09:04:00.004-04:00

I was going to bypass this Easter activity this year. The idea of the kids with eggs and dye made me want to curl up in a corner and cry while pulling my hair out.

I only changed my mind after seeing how much fun Alexa had doing it during Girl Scouts. I probably could have gotten away with those four eggs being her only eggs. My aunt B had mentioned she had a bunch of fresh eggs courtesy of a friend of hers (love the slogan - where the "GIRLS" work harder). I decided that I've got enough vinegar and food coloring around that I didn't bother buy the kit. Mugs where the easiest option although I started with some ceramic bowls (which now have some added color on the bottoms). Lots of finger usage happened because I didn't have the little scoopy thing, wasn't going to use the few spoons I could locate, and no one wanted to use the forks I provided.

The colors all looked lovely in their mugs, but that somehow didn't carry over onto the eggs. Likely a combination of the artists in question, the brown eggs and the colors when mixed.

I started with 13 when I boiled them yesterday. One didn't survive the boiling process. One didn't survive Jake tossing it into the mug (when I broke it up for them to eat he tossed it back into the dye). One almost didn't make it when Liz tried to crack it open on the side like she was going to have some scrambled eggs. Alexa's response was to freak out about the yolks leaking out. Like I would give the kids fresh, uncooked eggs to color. I do maintain some of my sanity...
We only ended up with one spill which was quickly absorbed by the cardboard cereal boxes I had spread across the table (more effective than newspaper). And I think everyone had fun which is really the most important thing of all.
And did I mention that I waited till Easter morning?....

chapter over?

2010-03-27T15:04:00.005-04:00

Last night marks the first night that the twins haven't nursed. Not by their choice but by mine. If I left it up to them I'd be the mom nursing till college! I've been slowly weaning them over the last month. They haven't day nursed in a long time but still were waking at night to nurse. And some night were all night marathons.

However I will admit I do feel some sorrow with nursing coming to an end. It's been a big part of the mother/child relationship/bond for the last 32 months. It's a bit harder than when Alexa weaned just because I know that the twins are going to be my last nurslings. And there is something very precious about looking down at the slumbering child, drunk of momma's milk. Not to mention it helped for a quick back to sleep method and to make hurts feel better. Plus kept a lot of colds and germs at bay.

Yet at the same time I am glad to be reclaiming that part of my body back to myself. And we will work on finding other sources of comfort and healing and just learning to enjoy a simple cuddle.

Spring is in the air

2010-03-06T18:36:00.002-05:00

While it was a cool start to the morning (spent changing a tire with my 2 "helpers") the day brightened in warmth and sunshine. After gathering up shoes and coats we headed out for our first adventure of the morning - the library.

There it was the usual chaos in a small space, plus one since Dylan came with us. Now I don't mind bringing him along but my kids like to savor their time at libraries while he tends to be a "grab the books and run" sort of boy. I've been trying to limit how many Alexa brings home which has made her be more decisive about her choices. Jake and Liz have also been picking out a book each to bring home. Plus all the books they seem to randomly yank off shelves. Plus we read a few while at the library, and maybe play with the few toys that are there. And of course there are the in-depth conversations that the girls love to have with the librarians!

Our mission complete we set off for home. And there are so many fun distractions along the way. There is the door in the fence. The random piles of dirt and scattered big rocks. Sometimes trash, sometimes treasure to pick up. A ramp to run up, stoops to jump off of. And of course the little antique shop with the boats in the window. But eventually we arrive at our destination.

After lunch and some quiet time we headed out to the playground as a family. Once there we split into two groups - Chris and Alexa to hit some baseballs, the twins and I to the equipment. True to form Liz was quickly up the stairs and down the slide. Jake did his usual meandering up the stairs and down the little slide. But my boy decided to be brave and headed for the big slides all by himself. He even climbed the bar ladder for the first time to get to the top! Liz scampered up it like a monkey (although she didn't like being called one, "I not a monkey, I Lizzy"). She spent a good amount of time on the swings, even throwing a minor tantrum when I refused to push her any longer. They all hit the sandbox, threw some balls, chased the cat that liked chasing baseballs, and rolled down the hill. As the sun started going down and the breeze turned to wind we loaded the wagon back up with kids and gear and headed for home.

So all in all a successful, mostly happy day (minus the lingering dishes and laundry, I really have got to get after that maid).

goodbye to the nap?

2010-02-28T17:05:00.002-05:00

While Jake and Liz were quite eager to hop into their beds at naptime it became clear very quickly that there wouldn't be any sleeping going on. Between the giggles and shrieks of joy came the sounds of dragging.

Inside their room I found chaos as they once again decided to play decorator. Their new naptime game is to drag their toddler beds around the room. I suppose I should be glad that they aren't actually removing the mattresses and taking the beds completely apart. (note to self - do not leave tools with them!).

They are a bit younger than Alexa was when she gave up a daily nap. And come evening I can tell that they probably should have had one. But it's not like I can just go and knock them out. The tools are there - comfortable beds, darkness, quiet. Some days Liz will snooze while Jake chatters away. Other days it'll be Jake that is sleeping.

One plus to no nap is that they go to bed early and easy. It gets very quiet around here after 6:30!

germs + age = evil

2010-02-15T19:53:00.002-05:00

Having 3 kids with one in school means you are exposed to lots of germs. Chris's job exposes him to lots - both at the hotel and when he's referring or umpiring. I try to be careful about where we go, what we do, and when we do it mostly because of Jacob. With his asthma a cold can turn into trouble quickly, especially if I've managed to fall behind on his daily meds. Which I don't intentionally do but it's hard when you've got to manage 4 people, majority under age.

This past week started off decent enough. We did start it a bit tired due to traveling to see friends for superbowl Sunday. Tuesday Alexa started complaining about a sore throat. I didn't really think much of it given that I wake up every morning with a sore throat. It's just part of living in Maine in the winter right?

Not right in this case. Wednesday morning rolled around and she had a worse sore throat plus a fever of over 100 which meant no school. I really wanted her to go. She really wanted to go. I tried giving motrin to bring it down but she was such a sad sight there was no way she was going anywhere but the doctor's office. We dropped the twins off to Nokomi and headed for the new office. Which was chaotic given that our doc went from a practice of 3 (himself, a nurse, and receptionist) to one with 4 docs and all their staff just 2 days earlier.

Sure enough a quick exam plus throat swab revealed strep. Great. Super contagious germ bug, welcome to my home. We went to the store to get her meds and a few groceries, gathered up the twins and eventually arrived home. She spent the rest of the day in bed. By the miracle of good drugs she was back to herself by Thursday morning but not allowed to return to school until she'd been on her antibiotic 24 hours. I was never quite so happy to see Friday. She was bummed about all the fun stuff she missed and she really didn't want to miss the V-day celebration.

Thankfully the twins seem to be holding their own. Can't say the same for myself though. I spent Thursday and Friday just a bit more tired than usual. Started developing a bit of a sore throat prior to bedtime but it was also pretty dry.

I woke up Saturday morning ready to die. Mildly feverish and unable to swallow. It all went downhill from there. Thankfully the doctor on-call didn't make me come in. But 3 days later I sort of wish he'd given me better medication. I spent Saturday and Sunday in a feverish coma. The colder I was, the higher the fever, complete with shakes, swollen glands, and the worst headache. Only this evening am I starting to feel a bit like myself. Throat still a bit sore and glands still irritated but I at least had some energy to make dinner, wash a few dishes, and put away some laundry.

Ahhh...if I only I could figure out how to get my hands on some of Alexa's energy and recover-ability. Because being sick as an adult isn't fun. I'm grateful that Chris was around to help out despite having to work the overnight both Friday and Saturday. Who knows where we would all be without him. It's not like anyone else wanted to come near us...not that I can really blame them.

Life Clock

2010-02-06T21:08:00.003-05:00

I spent part of this evening going through an old box of cards, letters and other misc papers. Not paperwork that is way overdo for filing (that is in a separate box out of sight), but rather a collection of items from junior high and high school.

I learned a few things about myself. One is that I have always been a bit of a pack rat. I don't really think I need to keep my old high school library cards, what sort of sentimental value do those really have? The other is that I had a lot of male pen pals as a young teen. Not sure what my parents were thinking!

I'm not really sure why but much of my childhood is hidden behind a bank of fog. I will remember a few memories here and there but so much just seems to be gone. Maybe someday I can spend some quality time with a therapist to figure out why that is. But I did enjoy reading what I had saved. Especially some letters written by my father back in 1992 when he was in jail for growing too much weed. He's much better at presenting his feelings on paper, although he has improved at doing so verbally over the years.

The item that made me laugh the hardest was a life clock worksheet that I completed on May 13, 1992. I'm fairly sure I was in the 8th grade at that time.

Infant years: Apparently I learned to read at 3. I always knew I started school at 4 because I was always younger than my peers, curse of a September birthday.

School years: Rode my bike without training wheels at 7. Now I guess I shouldn't have given Alexa such a hard time because she accomplished it at 5. The other notable occurrence is getting my license at 16.

Work years: This is where real life totally diverges from what I had "planned". I was supposed to start my career, although what it would be isn't stated, at 26. I'd buy my first used car at 27 (who was buying them for me the last 11 years?). I was going to get married at 29 and buy my first new car at 31. This would be followed by a house purchase at 32, first kid at 33, and second at 36. I'm going to become a grandparent at 53 (most likely earlier given my oldest was born in '03). My mom is scheduled to pass when I am 64 with my dad surviving till I was 70. I would have been retired from my career 5 years at that point. My husband will die at 90, and apparently I will expire at the ripe old age of 92.

Real life version of the work years: Never really had any sort of "career". Worked a lot of jobs until the twins arrived. Finally finished college for good at 25. Married at 23, first kid at 25, second and third kid at 29. I can't even recall all the used cars I've bought for myself and sadly a new house or car are not in the foreseeable future. I guess for now I will continue on the path I am on and just try to be the best mom I can be!

2nd quarter

2010-02-03T13:54:00.003-05:00

I find it hard to believe that we are already half way through the school year. If the rest of those years fly by then graduation from high school will be here long before I am ready for it!

And of course with the end of a quarter comes the report card. I don't know if it's just kindergarten or if they now grade all classes with something other than letter grades. She only had one area to improve and according to the teacher she has done that.

She also had a letter from the teacher just dialoging how she's been doing. It commented on her writing technique and how she views herself as a writer. The best had to be the end...and here is the quote:

"Alexa is an enthusiastic child and eager to learn. She is aware that she needs to sometimes control this eagerness and is working hard to do so. The other day when she was walking out to the bus she called back, "I'll try not to interrupt tomorrow.""

That is totally Alexa.

January 2010

2010-02-03T13:36:00.002-05:00

We started our new year off by spending it with some very good friends. That is one thing that has stunk about moving up to the midcoast - being nearly 2 hours away from our closest friends. Chris and A have been buddies since they were Alexa's age and their oldest and Alexa are just months apart in age.

Chris and A took the older kids to a Red Claws game while Mrs. A and I hung out at their house with the other three kids. We did pizza for dinner followed by a bit of Wii where I astounded everyone with my ability to pitch 94mph fastballs. The twins woke up in time to watch the ball drop and then went back to sleep. I got woken at 7am after hearing the older kids saying something about the twins finding a candy stash. Needless to say they weren't too happy when I took it away from them.

Eventually though we had to head home. We needed to beat the monster snowstorm that slammed us the entire weekend, leaving Chris stranded at the Samoset and me home with the kids. I think I probably got the better end of the deal there.

After that it was back to our regularly scheduled programming: work, school, basketball, meetings. Chris was kept very busy with his referring this winter, even managing to score some varsity games. He also came down with a very nasty cough that lasted the entire month of January. At the end of the month he was diagnosed with walking pneumonia. All I can do is say "thanks" to someone out there for him not passing the worst of it on to the rest of us. We all had minor coughs but that was it (as I knock on some wood).

Alexa has been busy at school doing writer's workshops. She's developing into quite the writer although she still needs a little work on how to actually spell the words correctly. But she's definitely creative in how she spells things. It's like her own little language - Alexaish. She's been spending Wednesday afternoons at school participating in "winter gym". I think it's great that school has this available to kids, allowing them to get a little extra exercise in. Chris helped out one week by doing a baseball segment (future recruiting for t-ball perhaps?). Alexa and I have also been busy with Girl Scouts. We attended a cookie rally and completed our first cookie selling season. She didn't do too shabby, selling 105 boxes in 2 weeks. And that didn't even involve going door-to-door. We also did our first ceremony, a combination one to welcome Alexa as a new member (and at that time the only Daisy) and celebrate all the brownies that are now juniors.

With the weather not being so nice, and germs being all about I've found myself spending most my time at home with the twins. We were visited once a week by Jake's speech therapist which added a little something to our Tuesdays. It's fun being home with them and able to see them interact with each other. They have good days where they play nicely either together or on their own. Then they also have days that they are 2 year old demons and they destroy the place and fight for toys/attention/tv remote.

And now onto February which will bring a vacation week, a superbowl trip, lots of Girl Scout activities, and some fun (and maybe a few tears).

the survival of Christmas

2009-12-27T08:56:00.002-05:00

Probably really should be the survival of the first school vacation...

After a week of baking and making treats and wrapping presents for friends of family the big festivities started Thursday night. For the first time since putting the tree up (the weekend after Thanksgiving, earliest ever for me) we got to open the gate and let the kids up close to it. My parents and siblings came over along with all their significant others and kids to open presents and just visit. I almost think we've seen more of each other in the last month than we have the entire year!

We spent Christmas Eve at home this year, which was nice even though we did miss the big Kendrick clan gathering (which is always a good time). But there is just something about waking up in your own bed.

Almost thought that Santa wouldn't arrive as Alexa decided she wasn't going to go to bed that night. I think finally around 9 she stopped coming out to chat. Eventually Santa dropped off the goods and ate his cookies and milk. Elizabeth was the first one up and about and had a blast digging into her stocking. She was followed maybe 15 minutes later by Jacob who had just as much fun. Alexa had to be woken up by ripping the blankets off of her. Then she came out and started talking about how Santa came into her room and touched her leg and that she heard him when he ate the cookies and milk. I think that kid is going to be a believer for as long as she can!

We eventually moved onto presents which got opened fairly quickly. The twins have discovered the joy of tearing paper open that's for sure. All seemed to be happy with what they got! Loot included art supplies, a bat and soccer ball for Alexa, ponies, cars, and dress up stuff for all. I made a yummy baked french toast that had soaked in the egg mix all night just to have the kids barely touch it. Then we dressed, cleaned up a bit and headed southerly for Christmas with Grammy Karen, Grampa Chris and the girls. I was a bit worried about what the twins would get into at Grammy Karen's but the gigantic pile of presents proved to be a big distraction.

We were back home by just before 6pm Christmas night! All were tired but not too cranky given the busy-ness of the day. Yesterday was spent doing a bit of shopping along with some returns. Once the twins had gone to bed I got to the business of taking down the tree. Alexa was sad to see it go but I really needed to get the room back! It's so nice to see the floor again and know the only thing taking up space for awhile will be the toys they dump on the floor. Jacob is in boy heaven with all his new "beep-beeps" including a remote control train. Elizabeth has been enjoying her zhu zhu hamster along with the puppy and ponies she got. Alexa seems to be enjoying the gift she bought herself most of all followed by a horse stamp set. She's busy making cards for everyone...hopefully they'll get mailed before the other resident artist puts her mark on them.

Overall - an enjoyable holiday season that was fairly stress free. Even Chris commented on how much he enjoyed Christmas this year, he who is normally a bit Scroogy. Now we get to look forward to a New Year's celebration with friends and all that will be coming our way in 2010.

holidays

2009-12-14T09:39:00.003-05:00

I have survived most of the holidays this year with my sanity fairly intact. This time of year is the most hectic because we've a birthday smack dab between the two busiest holidays.

Thanksgiving ended up being such a wonderful time. Good food, friends and family. It didn't leave me feeling stressed at all. Alexa's birthday party left me a little stressed just because we had so many things going on that weekend in addition to the party. But everyone had a good time. I even had a nice time, although I think I spent the majority of it in the kitchen making pizza. Then I had to worry about running out of cake before the masses could be fed.

Now Christmas. It isn't even the gifts that is getting to me. I made up my list and I've checked it more than twice. No, it's the "what are we going do" and "where are we going to go" that is causing me stress. Last year we were able to stay with family overnight and attend the big family party on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning was spent surrounded by family. I'd love to do the same this year but there are a lot of changes. The first would be that we'd have to stay in a hotel. There is just something about waking up in a hotel on Christmas morning that doesn't really put me in the spirit of things. Not to mention the crappy sleep we'd probably all have gotten which means adults and kids would be cranky. But I suppose we'd have fun the night before. Then there is the question of where to gather. My mother-in-law has offered to host but that idea terrifies me. It would take some effort to get her house into a condition that I feel would be safe. And when I say safe I mean safe for the house. The twins can be more than a little destructive and really do much better in a big empty room. I find that if it can be broken, it'll break. If it can be chewed on, it will be eaten. If it shouldn't be thrown, it'll find it's way across the room. I can't relax when I'm worried about what is going to be destroyed. And I don't want to spend an entire day un-relaxed, especially when I'm already cranky from lack of sleep.

And I haven't even tackled the issue of what we are going to do with my side of the family! It may just be time for a mass email saying come to our house if you wish, we'll be here and I'll feed you. If you don't want to come then I'll be happy to pop your gift into the mail.

This time of year is about family and when I say family I mean myself, Chris and our children. I'd like to develop some traditions that help us get into and stay in the Christmas spirit. I want it to be about more than the gifts you get, or even the ones you receive.

the kids hanging with the man in the red suit

6 years old!

2009-12-05T11:32:00.004-05:00

In some ways I find it hard to believe that my little girl is already 6 (or only 6 depending on her attitude!). I don't think there is anyone out there quite like her that's for sure. Incredibly independent most of the time, but has moments where she needs and wants her mom and dad. She is such a wonderful big sister to Jacob and Elizabeth, giving them lots of "Alexa time". She has her moments of not wanting to share or have anything to do with them. This summer she mastered riding her bike without training wheels, although her dismount still needs a little work at time (that's what helmets are for right?). She's got her first loose tooth and is learning to read. She was so excited to read her first book to me (a short Dora one). Her favorite toys are barbies and horses/ponies. Loves having her movie nights and would like every night to be movie night. Right now she's really looking forward to all the activities that Christmas has to offer, although a bit nervous about chatting with Santa. She did write him a lovely letter that still needs to get mailed to the North Pole. It'll be interesting to see what her 6th year holds for all of us!

just days old

1 year

2 years

3 years

4 years

5 years

6 years

from October to December in a blur

2009-12-05T10:58:00.002-05:00

So I will freely admit I end up spending too much time updating facebook instead of updating my blog. It's an addiction that probably has a group somewhere on facebook dealing with it.

October...the biggest highlight had to be Halloween. Alexa was Supergirl, Elizabeth an adorable little witch, and Jacob a very handsome monkey. Both the girls were excited to dress up, Jacob not so much excitement there! Luckily they had both a party and the actual day to get into costume for. Of course Elizabeth still likes to wear hers at random and there is no parting her from it without battle when she's got it on. The kids brought home lots of candy which sadly I mostly ate. Damn weakness for chocolate goodness.

Alexa also got to go for a sleepover at her Grammy Karen's over Columbus Day weekend. We met Aunt K in Topsham for pick-up and from there she went apple picking and baked a pie (well apparently ate most of the inside prior to baking). She also had an overnight with Aunt M where she fell in love with a fake deer that thankfully wasn't allowed to come home with her!

All 3 kids got to have some one-on-one time with Nokomi during the month which was good for both the kids and my mom. Next up...taking more than one of them out in public at a time!

We had another wedding to go to...this time cousin Gregg. While we stayed late into the night (not getting home till after 12am!) it was well worth the family time. We also celebrated Ivan's 5th birthday. Mix in school and the usual at home activities, it was another exhausting month.

November - well we survived Thanksgiving vacation! This was Alexa's first long time off since school started. She was so happy to go back on Monday. We had everyone over for dinner so lots of good food and good company. If you went by what the twins ate you wouldn't have thought the food was good though, as they have become very picky eaters. Veteran's Day was also mixed in which Alexa spent most of the day playing at her friend Elle's house. Election Day went off without too much of a hitch if you consider taking 3 kids to the polls a good time. Thankfully all we had to do was walk across the street.

Alexa got her first report card which was good overall. We got to attend our first parent teacher conference. The only issue to report is the fact that Alexa tends to talk a bit too much. Not really much of a shocker there. She's got her first loose tooth which seems to be taking forever to fall out (much like they took forever to come in). She also got her ears pierced and has grown I don't know how many inches. She's getting to be a very tall, young lady!

Elizabeth decided to attempt potty training. We spent about 2 weeks in big girl underwear when I finally realized I was the one trained, not her. If she didn't have a constant reminder she'd just pee wherever she felt like it. She is quite the little artist whether it be on whatever paper she can get her hands on or herself. Talking up quite a storm and easier to understand most of the time.

Jacob is coming along in his speech. We've come to discover an extreme dislike for bathing which is fun. Nothing like showering in an enclosed area with a screaming 2 year old. His favorite activity is still sitting at the kids table putting matchbox cars into bigger cars (or parking them in the dollhouse).

Alexa and I also joined a Girl Scout troop. In order for her to join as a Daisy they needed another co-leader. I filled out my paperwork, got my references in order and have started my leader training. So far so good! I think Alexa really enjoys being able to interact with all the older girls and her stories seem to keep them quite entertained.

September recap

2009-10-02T11:02:00.003-04:00

This week marks the 4th week Alexa has been in school and also brought an end to September. And what a busy month it was!

We started off with a weekend family trip to Boston. We were supposed to go camping but the weather forecast didn't look very promising (rain, rain, rain). Everyone had a good time and got to see a lot of sights. The biggest hit by far was the zoo. The kids loved all the animals and we were able to catch up with some friends (meeting for the first time after talking for nearly 3 years online!).
That was followed up by a ferry trip to see the US Constitution which was closed. Instead we got to walk the US Cassen Young.

waiting for the next ferry back to Boston

After that is what school prep week. Alexa had her screening and open house. The open house was...interesting. My dad and stepmom came over to watch the twins so that Alexa and I could partake in our 2 minute bus ride to school. We got to listen to the driver and her rules before heading into school. Once inside we were shuffled to the library and had to sit in tiny chairs and listen to the principal while the kids got to play with the teacher.

watching the wrong way for the bus

The first week was just a half day followed by all day the second week. The twins love seeing her get on the bus. And are always happy to see her when she gets home. Most days she's happy to go although there have been a few "I don't wanna go" ones. One day she had started cutting her project before listening to directions. She was terrified the next day that she'd get in big trouble and "have to sit like Cole did". Turns out that Cole was being more than a little naughty that day...hence a time out of sorts. I think she learned from that lesson.

She's also doing soccer which has mostly been Chris's responsibility. I did suck it up and take her this past Wednesday to practice. Jake wouldn't leave the car and Liz wanted to play soccer with the big kids. Once I finally was able to pry Jake from the car (without fits) and go watch her practice the skies opened up on us and we had to run for the car. Everyone ran except one. Alexa took her sweet time wandering back in, stopping to pick clover along the way. She kept saying on the way home how her coach kept waving - no kidding...he was waving you in!

We also celebrated several birthdays in September although most of them were away and so could only send birthday wishes. Mine was a quiet one, just the way I like it). I did get a delicious Blizzard cake from DQ (made with my favorite - chocolate extreme).

We also had a wedding! My little brother married his longtime girlfriend and I was lucky enough to be asked to officiate. From what I saw it was a beautiful ceremony. The reception was bit chilly once the sun went down but thankfully hot soup was on the menu. We did stay for some of the dancing but forgot to get some cake. Just as well...there were so many other goodies to snack on. Jake did get to taste the frosting before the reception - that naughty boy stuck his fingers right in. Alexa made some friends and her and Liz both had fun dancing. Jake kept trying to sneak in the bathroom to turn the sinks on.

Overall a busy start to fall. And if the next few months go as fast as this last one I'd better get going on plans for the holidays and Alexa's 6th birthday!

haircuts!

2009-08-20T13:51:00.004-04:00

We took advantage of an overnight trip to Portland to stop in at Snip Its. If you've got kids I really recommend seeing if there is one near you. I've always found that haircuts occur with a lot more ease courtesy of the place being kid-oriented with hairdressers who know how to handle kids. It was needed as both Alexa and Jake were getting a bit shaggy and Liz's was always in her face.

Jacob before

Jacob after - clipped to big boy style

Alexa and Elizabeth before
Alexa and Elizabeth after

summer

2009-08-20T13:39:00.003-04:00

So as I sit here at the computer listening to the hum of the fan and the AC (we've got a big room to cool down!) I face my list. This is the list I made up just before school got out of all the fun things we'd do this summer. Sadly though there aren't very many items accomplished on this list.

Sure we've made lots of library visits and a few playground trips. But between the rain and the humidity in the last week it's hard to find the motivation to do anything. Add in the various illnesses that have hit and I suppose I should be glad we got done what we did.

For us summer vacation is drawing to a close. Alexa's first official day of school is September 8th. But the week before she's got her kindergarten screening and open house. We are going to manage to squeeze in a vacation of sorts - a 3 day camping trip next weekend. This weekend we are supposed to do a trial run with the kids at sleeping in the tent (more for the twins than Alexa). But the weather isn't sounding all that promising (not that I get to actually see the weather, rather I hear it second hand). We'll see - it's should be cozy that's for sure.

Honestly I much prefer the fall. Cooler weather, crisp smells, and you can still enjoy being outside without freezing or boiling/sweating (or better yet not being eaten alive by bugs). Of course this fall is going to be different than the others with Alexa gone from 8am-3pm. I'll be working a little (hopefully) and just enjoy the twins still being little.

gardening

2009-07-19T13:16:00.002-04:00

My parents and grandparents (well paternal ones) have always had huge gardens. I remember being told it was time to go out and weed, doing more than my fair share of whining over it. And as a kid I wasn't really too keen on the end result either.

One episode of weeding that sticks in my mind is the nasty spiders that were in our tomato patch. I don't recall what type they were beyond nasty. The idea was to get them on a stick and then pelt dirt, rocks, apples at them till you managed to knock them dead, all the while avoiding them actually getting to you. My phobia of spiders doesn't start there but definitely was contributed to.

In the summer of 2006 we had a small garden at the house in Gorham. In it I managed to grow lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Lacking in a green thumb I was very proud. I always managed to work on it in the evening or during naptime.

Last winter I talked to my aunt about the idea of taking over a bit of the garden on her father-in-law's yard. We decided to make it a "family patch". Sherm was worried about how I'd be able to garden having 3 kids.

I didn't really think it'd be that hard. Haven't gardens been being grown forever? Haven't people been having kids forever? I've been able to get into it a few times to weed (of course so much rain has made it hard to get out!). My last trip out was cut short when Alexa set the twins free from their nap and they came barreling across the lawn to me.

So I asked my dad how he did it. His response "I waited till you'd gone back to your mom's. If I wanted a garden I had to do it without you around". So I mentioned my plans to weed today plus plant a few things (I actually managed to grow a few sunflowers, a squash, and 4 watermelon plants!). He mentioned using the superyard he'd gotten us for the twins first birthday.

I hauled it out along with a wagonload of toys. My goal - to have them play nicely on the lawn. If they got out of hand they could play in the superyard. Unfortunately Alexa decided she wanted to play in the superyard. So in they all went. Then she decided she wanted out and went into the house for more toys. The entire time Jacob and Elizabeth were quite verbal about their situation. I set them free and told all 3 to play in the grass.

It wasn't long before I had company. Jake kept circling the shed. Then tried to destroy the peach tree. When I went to stop him Liz joined in. Then they ran for Sherm's house. I caught them and shooed them back towards the garden. Apparently I am not good at herding because they both booked it down Sherm's driveway. I caught Liz before she got to the road and than had to scoop Jacob out of the parsonage's yard (thankfully he didn't notice the little golfballs in their garden marking the rows). After that (and some time in the superyard for bad behavior) the girls decided to help garden. Alexa decided she needed to plant some weeds. Elizabeth's weeding method was to dig and toss dirt.

Somehow though we all survived (as did the plants). A hosing and soak in the kiddie pool got everyone fairly clean/de-mudded. I do think that I will wait till naptime, or have another adult watch them. Gardening can be peaceful and I'd like to keep it that way.

2!

2009-07-12T11:49:00.005-04:00

the happy 2 year olds

Last Wednesday was the actual big day with a celebration yesterday. And it was a celebration! Not only of the fact that the twins have been here for two years but that we've all survived those two years, relatively in tact.

Wednesday was spent quietly at home because guess what...yep it was raining. The story of our summer this year so far. I think they were actually up at the time they were born for a late night nursing session (that time being 12:49am and 12:50am). Alexa kept randomly singing happy birthday to them to which they really had no response. Chris ended up bringing home a surprise ice cream cake. Apparently they were much more interested in eating it when it was whole rather than sliced into pieces on plates to be eaten with a fork.

mmm...ice cream cake

The skies were blue and sunny yesterday for the outdoor party we had planned. I had hoped to be cooking by 12 but 1 seemed to work out ok also. The hamburger I had put in the fridge several days prior still hadn't thawed completely and needed a little help before patties could be made. There was lots of yummy side dishes brought by friends and family and enjoyed by all.

guests enjoying lunch...guess Chris's cooking didn't kill them!

see the lady with the purple shirt? She was a party crasher!

The cakes went quick. This was an area I was indecisive on for quite some time - whether to buy or make. Monday I decided to order 2 10' round. Tuesday I decided to cancel. I ended up making 2 9x13 and had maybe 1/4 of one cake left.

After cake it was onto the presents. I think Liz and Jake got to open 2 each. The rest were torn into by the other kids that were under the age of 6. It ended up being a bit chaotic but that's nothing new!
Both got some fun new things to play with and some beach gear and wear. Now hopefully the sun will stay out so we can use the lifejackets (thanks Missy), beach towels (thanks Nokomi), sand toys (thanks again Nokomi), beachballs (thanks Ashmores), and 2 bubble mowers (thanks Grammy Karen & Grampa Chris).

Eventually everyone had their fill of fun in the sun and headed back to their homes. Liz took a nap while Jake kept escaping out of his bed (and out of the room till I locked the door). Chris played some volleyball with Brenda and the Ashmore twins while Alexa and Ellie played inside doing "girl games".

As for the twins accomplishments...there doesn't seem to be much that they can't get into.

Liz: very good at running, quite chatty and you can understand/figure out most of what she says. She likes to be on the go. Favorite toy is any baby doll and accessory she can get her hands on. She also loves to dress up. Favorite food, well her favorite to say is "couscous" but I don't think she actually eats much of it! I can't really think of one thing that she prefers over all else! Loves to do whatever her big sister does even if it drives Alexa nuts.

Jake: still working on the running. He's got the motions down but needs to pick up the pace. Of course he looks like he's moving faster than he really is because of the hunched shoulders, serious look on face, and pumping arms. His favorite word seems to be "mine". And it's really one of the only ones we understand. This kid cannot be without his toy cars when he is at home. He lines them up on the end table and will try to fit various items behind the steering wheel. Moving onto big cars as I caught him opening the van door yesterday and climbing in behind the driver's seat (note to self...should probably lock doors or better supervise and never leave running!). His favorite food - marshmallows. He will cram an entire one in and go looking for more, stealing bites from unsuspecting sisters if he can.

2 year stats:
Jacob: 26 lbs, 33.5 inches tall. Dr. Lew and Nurse Holly were excited that he hit the 25th percentile in both categories!

Elizabeth: 24.6 lbs, 33 inches tall. Hit 25th percentile for height but still at 10% for weight.

the little fashionista

2009-06-12T09:56:00.004-04:00

I wonder a bit if it's a girl thing or perhaps a future in fashion but Liz sure does enjoy creating her own look. Alexa will add some jewelry and glasses occasionally. For Elizabeth it's a way of life.

Her current favorites are a bike helmet, knee pads, and some sort of shoes (boots or mismatched preferred). But she's not picky, any items will work.

Going out in public happens on a regular basis. I do draw a line at the helmet but we did go into town the other day while wearing the knee pads. Removing her beloved items brings on a tantrum until I promise to let her put them back on (usually occurs during diaper changes). Last week she wanted to nap in her helmet which probably wouldn't have been comfortable or very safe (unless she was expecting something to fall on her head, then she'd be protected). Just the other morning I was woken up by being hit in the face with one of her new crocs. She couldn't get it on herself so smacked me awake to do it for her. This morning was a similar experience only I was expected to put a knee pad on one handed.

Staycation Adventure #1

2009-06-08T19:27:00.005-04:00

Chris ended up having the day off from work (thanks Margie!). We decided to take advantage of the lovely spring weather and visit some local sites.

Rockport ended up being our destination of the day. We first headed to Vesper Hill (also known as the Children's Chapel). It was very lovely and very quiet, even with 3 kids running about. The kids loved climbing the rock stairs and checking out the flowers.

After that we headed to Rockport Marine Park to see Andre the Seal's tribute statue. That turned out to not be the only thing to watch at the park. While we were there we got to watch a sailboat being delivered to the landing. All three (especially Jacob) were fascinated at the procedure. We also got to check out some of the old limestone kilns, an old train (the engine?), and a super sized buoy just right for climbing.

Stay tuned for more staycation adventures as spring progresses to summer!

the graduate

2009-06-08T19:12:00.003-04:00

Alexa "graduated" from preschool last week. They had a nice ceremony that included a play (Alexa was a lion - imagine that!), 2 songs, and recitation of 9 Bible verses. The play was very cute and narrated by their teacher. The story was David and Goliath. Alexa's big part was that she had to steal a sheep. She commented to me a few days before the big day that she was worried no one would like her because she had to get a sheep. She ended up being the comic relief when the sheep she chose wouldn't crawl away with her.

It's a little hard to believe the school year has already come to a close. September wasn't that long ago! But how much she's grown since then is unbelievable. Not just taller and mouthier but a lot smarter. Preschool was one of the best things I could have done for all of us!

Now is just a few short months she'll be off to kindergarten. The setup for that is interesting in SAD 40. She's all registered but doesn't actually doing any screening until September 1st. Then on the 4th is the open house which includes a short bus ride. School starts half day on the 8th, followed by full days on the 14th. It's going to be a little strange not having her around most of the day. But I know she's going to be having fun learning and making new friends.

September 2008

May 2009

summery eats - lobster rolls

2009-06-07T16:50:00.004-04:00

To be perfectly honest, while I love lobster I can't stand lobster rolls. There is something about contaminating it with mayo and bread that is just wrong to me. Alexa however loves them (although not too keen on mayo herself). So to get her out of Nokomi's house and away from the frogs I decided to bribe her with the lure of a lobster roll from Linda Bean's where Lauren works.

At the price of those lobster rolls I was only splurging on one ($15!). Me and the twins had good ole' hot dogs at $3 each. And even then they only at the hot dog, tossing the wheat rolls aside.

All food eaten outside in the warm, fresh, sunny air tastes good. And here's some pics to show how much!ok...so Liz doesn't look so happy. But she was...honest!

okay May...where'd you go?

2009-05-28T15:18:00.002-04:00

Yikes...another month nearly gone. And as usual it's been a busy one at our house.

Chris has been busy working at the Samoset, a combination of front desk shifts and his new position as inventory coordinator. In addition it's baseball season which means lots of umpiring. And he's coaching Alexa's t-ball team which means lots of games and some practices sprinkled in.

Alexa is finishing up pre-school. She's got just a couple days left with graduation on the 4th of June. I don't think it's dawned on her that in another week she'll be home all day, every day until September. That's when she'll go for her screening, open house (including a bus ride!), followed by her first day on the 8th.

Jacob and Elizabeth just continue to grow, learn, and master getting into things. Just this morning I found a butcher knife and scissors on the floor. Thank goodness no one got hurt! As I was putting them away I noticed that some of the knives were jammed into the wrong slots. Apparently Jake made good use of the chair his sister left out next to the counter. While I type Elizabeth is on my lap, trying to type while exploring the desk top. I have no choice but to let her be in my lap until she decides she's had enough - she just propels up my arm like a little monkey.

Both are starting to have word explosions. Elizabeth has a much larger vocabulary and is easier to understand. Jacob is slowly making improvement. He actually had an informal screening 2 weeks ago and goes for a formal evaluation the beginning of June. He understands everything we say but has such a hard time saying what he wants/needs to say without a meltdown (which can range from mild to terrifying). This week his new word is "mama". While I am quite excited to have him saying it to me it is getting a little wearing as he seems to expect a response from me every single time. Elizabeth's word of the moment appears to be "mine" and is used for about everything she comes in contact with (including myself).

Their 2nd birthday is now just a little over a month away. hard to believe how fast the days have gone!

As for me...I'm finding myself just trying to hold it together! I seem to have more days where I feel like all I do is wipe butts, laundry (wash, dry, fold, and even put away if really motivated/lacking in space to walk/sit), and dishes. Or I'm naughty and play games on Facebook just to feel guilty about it. My facial massage back in March (maybe April?) was so long ago.

My time for now is up although I'm sure I have more to get out of my head. But the kids are all clamoring for attention and I've got to figure out dinner.

a curse or blessing?

2009-04-22T08:38:00.002-04:00

The more I try to think about events from after 10pm on Saturday July 7, 2007 the more blurred everything becomes. I'm glad I wrote down things and took pictures because I would have missed a lot. The memories most definitely need some sort of trigger.

I think this may be the body and brain's way of dealing with reality. It's just like forgetting how rough and painful labor and delivery is. The first year with multiple children is not easy, more so when you have them 2 or more at a time. But if all was crystal clear people might not go on to have any more children. And sharing the scary stories might scare off others from having children.

My big concern lately has been whether or not my OB actually did my tubal ligation after my c-section. This came up after talking with some friends, one of whom became pregnant after hers. Needless to say this is a very big fear of mine. My luck is that not only would I get pregnant but that I would end up having triplets! My mother told me I should have signed some paperwork and given consent. I don't remember any of that!

Luckily I have someone in my life that does. Yeah my dr should know but I also had a very good friend (who was a med student back then but now a full doctor herself) in the OR with us. Fortunately her memory is a bit more intact than mine and she was able to reassure me that yes the tubal was done and that the chance of me getting pregnant is incredibly slim. That is a huge load off of my shoulders.

Whenever anyone asks me what life is like with twins it's now become my standard to smile and say it's great. And sometimes I say it out loud (and always to myself) that I did survive the first year. And I've almost made it through the second year in relatively one piece with my general sanity still intact.

Follow the Leader

2009-04-09T10:23:00.004-04:00

These days you never know what you might come across when you enter our house. It could look like we have no kids (those days are few and far between) or like someone recently ransacked the place (much more common). We have days of everyone getting along and days that everyone should be sitting in the timeout chair for the rest of their lives.

But it is fun that's for sure. As the twins get bigger they are more interested in everything. A lot of their play is probably a bit older than what other kids their age might do courtesy of having a big sister and other older friends to play with.

This past weekend we took advantage of a sunny, warm afternoon to go over to the playground at the school. Last year I had to force Jacob and Elizabeth up the steps to use the baby slide. This time I had to run in circles to keep an eye on both of them. Elizabeth is our fearless little adventurer. She had no problem following Alexa right to the top of the tallest slides. And then going down one by herself when our backs were turned for a second. I admit my heart about stopped when she landed on the ground. But she picked herself up and started laughing, then ran to go back up again.

Everything that Alexa does they want to do which is always very entertaining. These are from this morning. The new game is "we're having a baby". The kids started doing this the other day and the fun continues. Good thing we've got lots of balls around the house! The fun continued after getting dressed. Liz however decided her "belly" got in the way of her trying to cook in the "kitchen" so she popped it out. If only it was that easy.

It's hard these days to keep up with everything that they do and are learning. They just go so quickly from one thing to the next, filling their little brains. I'll let the pictures create the story...

exhaustion

2009-03-20T19:51:00.003-04:00

I thought I knew how it felt to be exhausted. I'm the mother of three young children, all of whom tend to wake at night and crawl into bed with me.

Today I'm feeling the total exhaustion. Not just physically tired but mentally as well. I've been ready to drop since, hmm, this morning? The source of this I know - it's kids. And not just my kids. This week was the first week that I babysat both my nephew and his sister. While they are both very sweet kids, as are my own, the combination of all of them was trying. A lot of it has to do with figuring out a routine and sticking with it.

There are fights over everything - what to eat, what to watch, who gets to play with which baby or toy. Alexa is having to share a lot more than she's used to. Normally her room is off limits for the twins. I set this rule because she needs a space of her own to have her toys that aren't safe for kids under 3. But they were in there a lot as someone was always leaving the door open.

I'm tired of picking up toys, doing dishes, laundry, changing diapers, wiping butts (big and small), cooking food. I'm tired of being a referee and having to constantly stick someone in timeout because they are hitting again. This weekend I'm going to work up a dinner and snack menu. I'm going to come up with an activities list. And I'm going to put both feet down when it comes to quiet time. My friend is a daycare provider and we were lucky to have her watching Alexa for a little over 4 years. I now understand how she treasured her quiet afternoons, even if it was only for an hour. So much can be accomplished in an hour. Heck, just 5-10 minutes of doing nothing can rejuvenate you.

I plan on spending this weekend enjoying my three kids and resting for the week ahead. At least the weather is getting nicer, hopefully we'll be able to take full advantage of that!

the crew

randomness

2009-03-15T13:39:00.002-04:00

The first official day of spring must be right around the corner. The snowbanks are receding at a pretty rapid pace, the snowfort now a memory. The days have been a bit warmer while the nights still are pretty chilly. After the snow comes the mud, which should be interesting this year. I've yet to go invest in some muddin' boots for the kids and myself. I should probably think about moving it to the top of my agenda!

I've got another bloody cold coming on. So all day I have been suffering the tingle of a sneeze yet nothing happens. Personally I think that is the worst, it'd be so much better to just sneeze. Only one of the kids seems afflicted and unfortunately it's Jacob who handles colds the worst. Hopefully he'll make it through this one without any asthma issues. On top of that Alexa is sick again. The beginning of last week she ran a fever. I ended up calling the doctor to check in because I was concerned. Not only with the fever but how horrible her urine was smelling in the mornings (still in pullups for nighttime). I was told to give her lots of water to drink and call if it got worse.

It didn't get worse till late on Friday. We'd gone swimming at the pool and she'd been complaining about being cold ever since. I just assumed she'd overdone it. Once we got home I took her temperature and it was way up again. Later that night she started vomiting. Very fearful of a repeat of January I called the on-call doctor immediately and got in to see him an hour later. A physical exam and urine catch told us the culprit - the poor kid has a kidney infection. I'm sure I'll be talking to our regular pediatrician tomorrow and hopefully prevent this from happening again. She's a little better today but in my mind is how quickly she got dehydrated before so I'm hounding her about drinking a lot in small sips.

busy, busy, busy

2009-03-11T14:23:00.003-04:00

Here it is the middle of March (okay, not quite but almost!) and I have yet to do an update! There has just been so much going on and it can be hard to get to sit down at the computer for more than a few minutes, not to mention being able to think! In fact I can now hear someone crying courtesy of big sister screeching about the library.

February ended/started with Alexa being sick and then Jacob. Since then we've all been through a round of colds, got to love the germs! Everything could use a good disinfecting but I've yet to find the most effective way to do that to so many toys. Suggestions are welcome!

Alexa is busy with school three days a week. Kindergarten is not that far away and she's getting excited, or at least most days. I know she's looking forward to the bus. I'm just not sure how long that enjoyment will last. She's learning to spell and has gotten really good at telling the same bad jokes over and over again.

Elizabeth is working on building her vocabulary. I'm beginning to be able to understand a lot more of what she is saying. She can say everyone's name, one of her favorite things to do is run through the house yelling "Jakey!". At first we thought she was hollering "Daddy!" until the day she chased Jacob down to give him his drink. She's quite the little mother and does a good job of taking care of her baby doll. Her random clothing fetish continues - from head to toe, you can never be sure what you might find her in. On the other hand she likes to streak!

Jacob is more quiet but very loving. He's the one most likely to give you a big hug and snuggle. He's not quite as chatty as Elizabeth but he does understand the things you say to him. He has developed quite a love for his dump trucks and tractors. Of course he's usually playing with them wearing his beaded necklaces and may be pushing Barbie around in them.
We are all awaiting the arrival of spring. Today is a cold rainy day, so different from this weekend. We're trying to get out for walks when we can and soon the playground will be accessible again!

the end of January

2009-02-04T10:24:00.004-05:00

Phew...one month I am very glad to see over. It was a long one and half the month was spent taking care of a sick Alexa.

Chris ended up not taking her to the ER like he said he would. Instead we waited till Wednesday morning for her appointment. The doctor apparently took one look at her and just sent them right to Pen Bay. The nurse had weighed her and she had lost 4 lbs since being there Friday, not a good thing.

I wasn't able to get over to see her until Thursday courtesy of a nasty snowstorm and 3 balding tires. We all spent a few hours there that afternoon. What fun! There is nothing better than a few 18 month olds in a small hospital room. Alexa got her bed adjusted a few times by Jacob. Thankfully the bathroom also had a lock on the outside of the door so we were able to lock them out of there. Elizabeth just wanted to snuggle in bed with her big sister. We tried to have lunch in the cafeteria but it didn't end well.

Friday I went over by myself for a couple hours. Alexa was nasty and cranky the entire time. Very frustrating to have her acting like that even though I knew she didn't feel well. She is most definitely not a nice sick person. Saturday I arranged to go over for a few hours then have my grandmother relieve me as Chris had to go to Gorham to officiate a wedding. I found out when I got there that she'd likely be released if she could keep her pasta down (serious infatuation w/ pasta those drs had!). We got the walking papers around 5:30pm and heading home by 6pm.

So she spent almost 4 days, and 3 nights there. Chris was able to stay with her the entire time while I was at home with the twins. The final diagnosis was that she at some point had a stomach virus and a bladder infection. Both of those just really messed her entire system up and caused her to be constipated and to have a large air pocket in her stomach. I'm still not sure what exactly they gave her to help clear things up but know that the pediatric GI from Portland recommended it.

Now we are all working on recovering - getting caught up on sleep and housework that wasn't done. The twins are glad to have their sister and dad home. They were waking up every morning, especially Liz, looking for them.

These were taken the night before she went to the hospital. Don't mind the freaky face - she says she was trying to smile like Dora in Dora Saves the Snow Princess.

Alexa update to the update

2009-01-27T18:28:00.002-05:00

Okay...so I was a bit more optimistic than I normally am. And this time my optimism proved failed me. After school she nibbled at lunch and went to nap. By afternoon she was vomiting again.

Today she's just been laying around, actually in bed since 12. She was able to handle breakfast but nothing but a cracker (1/2 actually) and water since. And started vomiting again this afternoon.

Chris is planning on taking her over the ER when he gets home this evening. I hope she won't have to stay but if she needs to she needs to. My mom talked to a dr friend of hers and he gave his recommendations as to what he would check for if he saw us in the ER (which won't happen b/c he's someplace sunny and warm...lucky duck!).

Alexa update

2009-01-26T10:08:00.003-05:00

Yesterday brought about the close to what has to be the longest, almost most stressful week of my entire 30 years.

It all started the 16th when Alexa refused to eat lunch citing she didn't like it. The rest of us thought the ham quiche was delicious, she wanted peanut butter. I stuck to my guns and said no lunch unless you eat what I am serving (trying to end being a short-order cook). Later that evening we went to a cousin's son's birthday party. Alexa kept complaining about her belly hurting and needing to lay down. She did for about 5 min at a time and then got up and zoomed all around. She managed to eat some cake and a half slice of pizza.

Honestly - I figured she was just really hungry. Saturday she went to my mom's for a sleepover with her cousin. Again she complained about the belly pain, would lay down, then run all around. This last 3 hours - then she vomited all over my mom's kitchen floor and living room chair (thankfully leather, easy to clean!). Chris went to fetch her home and we ended up dealing with vomit all night.

Sunday seemed to dawn a better day. She insisted on having mac and cheese for lunch and again with dinner. No complaints about anything (except about wanting to watch "her shows" on tv). In the wee hours of the morning it started again. And she kept vomiting everything up but water until yesterday (the 25th).

The week included 2 doctors visits and one ER trip for rehydration. The ER thought they could get away with some zofran and pedialyte, but that just came back up while getting ready to leave. Instead she ended up hooked up to an IV, which according to Alexa "she screamed her head off about". Their diagnosis: stomach virus and a UTI. Apparently they had to collect urine twice. The first one they felt was contaminated. Retesting showed no infection till it was cultured. She never once complained about anything hurting when peeing. The only thing she complained of was belly pain around the belly button. No fever, no diarrhea. And the strangest yet best of all - no one else in this house got sick. Obviously whatever she had wasn't contagious. So did the UTI cause the stomach issues? Or vice versa? I have no idea and the drs seemed a bit baffled as well. We narrowly avoided having to take her back to the ER for hydration and possible overnight with hard work of sipping water.

And so today she's off to school with orders to take it easy and drink water, only eating if she feels up to it. She's slowly being herself again - friendly and loveable, instead of bossy and bitchy. I really do feel for whomever she ends up with in life - like her dad she is a lousy sick person! She hated being in bed and I don't really blame her, as she is normally a pretty active child. She's lost a good amount of weight in my opinion, probably about 6 lbs. Enough that I had to readjust her pants today (thank you adjustable waists!) so that they would stay up on her.

We'll get to go back to the dr the first week of February to make sure she's infection free. And hope that whatever struck here doesn't strike again.

life with an 18 month old x 2

2009-01-23T08:29:00.004-05:00

Jacob and Elizabeth have become holy terrors. I think that if I was to put them into a padded room with no windows and nothing in it beyond themselves they'd still find something to get into.

How can such sweet looking children cause such havoc? Very easily!

Dumping: At first it was just their toys bins. All would get dumped and sometime thrown. Now they've moved from dumping their things to dumping ours. After picking cds up 3 times yesterday I started boxing them up. But first I had to put the right ones back in their cases because they'd switched some around. Another favorite activity is to pull all of their clothes out of their drawers. All I can say is thank goodness they haven't mastered opening our drawers! However, the dumping instinct comes in handy when it comes to loading clothes in or out of the dryer.

Climbing: What don't they climb? The walls, not that Liz hasn't tried. And they haven't been able to get out of / in to their cribs yet. First the bed was mastered. Liz uses the gaurd rail to haul herself up and over. Jake take the more cautious route. He climbs into the glider at the foot of the bed and then across. Now they've moved onto bigger and better. And it helps to have something to step on (this is where the emptied toys bins come in real handy). Now they can get onto the couch, the chair, the trashcan. Yep - the trashcan. It's handy to the sink now that the stool kept there has gone away. Jake started climbing on there and turning the sink on and playing in the water every opportunity he got so it had to go. So he came up with an alternative. The best of all in their climbing - the dining room table. When I found myself scrubbing footprints off of the surface I knew I had to stop it. Now the chairs must go onto the top of the table after meals. Lining them up on the wall isn't good enough when your kid figures out to push it across the room. Now I just need to figure out a solution to the computer chair. Just this morning they realized they can climb in that and get to all the treasures on the desk.

Terrorizing: Each other, their older sister, mom and dad, the cat. Just little things. Like tearing stuff apart. Standing in the way of the tv (that really sets Alexa off). Getting into Alexa's room. Yanking on the cat's tail and letting go just before the cat hisses. Taking toys from each other just because they can. Slapping people is a new game for Liz that we are trying to nip - it can hurt if she gets you just right. She just laughs when she does it. If you say "no" stern enough she'll either laugh or burst into tears.

While they do drive us crazy I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. Just this last month has been exciting/entertaining/insane. It was amazing watching one learn and grow. To watch two do it at the same time is really beyond description.

No Cry Solution

2009-01-22T13:08:00.002-05:00

I have told many friends in real life and online about my sleep bible - the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. It is what helped make Alexa the great sleeper she is today while the twins are still a work in progress (my fault at being weak-willed!).

I'm fortunate to have good nappers, something I give thanks for every afternoon between 12:30pm and 1pm till around 3pm. But I know so many others out there aren't so lucky. Elizabeth's new book (the No Cry Nap Solution) is out to help save your sanity!

Here's an excerpt from her book:

Dear Reader ~

I thought I knew everything there was to know about naps, since I’ve written two other books and countless articles about children and sleep, but I was shocked and amazed at the new information I discovered while writing this book.

I set out on this venture knowing that parents struggle getting their children to nap. Everyone knows that children need naps, but the biological reasons behind this will convince you, without a doubt, that you should do everything you can to provide your baby or young child with daily nap time. It is common knowledge that when a child misses a nap he gets cranky, but you will be intrigued to learn the actual reasons why this happens.

Naps take only a few hours of time, but naps – or lack of naps – shape all twenty-four hours of your child’s day. The quality and quantity of your child’s naps influence his mood, behavior, health, and brain development. Naps can affect how happy your child is when she wakes up in the morning and how easily she’ll go to bed at night. An appropriate nap schedule is a vital component for your child’s healthy, happy life. When you consider all of this, you’ll also understand that your child’s naps – or lack of naps – can affect all 24 hours of your day, as well as your child’s.

While all experts agree that naps are important, and while they all know that nap problems can be a challenge to parents, what’s often missing are gentle, sensitive, loving solutions. Every idea I present is kind and respectful of the needs of both children and parents. In addition, I know that all children and parents are different, and cookie-cutter solutions are not what parents seek, so I include many options that can be customized to your own needs.

I have included excerpts for you below. For a complete set of excerpts please visit my website here: http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth

Hugs,

Elizabeth ~^*

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The Volcano Effect: Why Skipping a Nap Results in Meltdown

By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of The No-Cry Nap Solution

From the moment your child wakes in the morning he is slowly using up the benefits of the previous night’s sleep. He wakes up totally refreshed, but as the hours pass, little by little, the benefits of his sleep time are used up, and an urge to return to sleep begins to build. When we catch a child at in-between stages and provide naps, we build up his reservoir of sleep-related benefits, allowing him a “fresh start” after each sleep period.

As shown on the sleep chart below, as children age, the length of time that they can stay “happily awake” increases. A newborn can only be awake one or two hours before tiredness sets in, whereas a two year old can last five to seven hours before craving some down time for a nap. When children are pushed beyond their biological awake time span without a break that’s when they be com e fatigued, fussy and unhappy.

Age	“Happily Awake” span of time between naps
Newborn	1 – 2 hours
6 month old	2 – 3 hours
12 month old	3 – 4 hours
18 month old	4 – 6 hours
2 year old	5 – 7 hours
3 year old	6 – 8 hours
4 year old	6 – 12 hours

As the day progresses, and the sleep pressure builds, a child be com es fussier, whinier, and less flexible. He has more crying spells, more tantrums, and less patience. He loses concentration and the ability to learn and retain new information. The scientific term for this process is “homeostatic sleep pressure” or “homeostatic sleep drive” . . . I call it The Volcano Effect. We’ve all seen the effects of this on a baby or child, as it is often as clear as watching a volcano erupt; nearly everyone has observed a fussy child and thought or said, “Someone needs a nap!”

As a child progresses through his day, his biology demands a sleep break to regroup, refresh and repair. If a child does not get this break the problem intensifies: the rumblings and tremors be com e an outright explosion. Without a nap break, the homeostatic pressure continues building until the end of the day, growing in intensity – like a volcano – so that a child be com es overtired, wired and unable to stop the explosion. The result is an intense bedtime battle with a cranky, overtired child, or an infant who won’t fall asleep no matter how tired you know he is.

Even more, a child who misses naps day after day builds a sleep deprivation that launches her into the volcano stage much easier and quicker. If she is missing naps and also lacking the right quality or quantity of nighttime sleep…watch out!

Newborns and young babies have a much shorter span in which their sleep pressure builds. They rapidly reach the peak of their volcano in one to three hours. This is why newborns sleep throughout the day, and why young babies require two or three or four daily naps. Over time, as a baby’s sleep cycle matures he will be able to go longer periods between sleeps. It is not until age 4 or 5 that a child is able to go happily through the entire day without a nap, and sleep research suggests that even through adulthood a mid-day nap or rest break is extremely beneficial in reducing the pressure in all human beings.

The Volcano Effect is not something reserved only for children! This biological process affects adults as well. Understanding this can help you interpret what is really going on in your home at the end of a long day, when children are fussy and parents are grumpy – resulting in a whole mountain range of volcanoes.

Sleep pressure can be exaggerated by environmental issues such as the previous poor night’s sleep, on-going sleep deprivation, or daily stress. What's more, each person’s moodiness feeds off the others, causing contagious crankiness. And then you’ll find yourself losing patience and saying to your child, “I’m sorry, honey. Mommy’s just tired right now.” (This is a very telling explanation we don’t often stop to analyze.)

This Volcano concept brings to light one more important point: Quality naps can make up for lost night sleep – but extra nighttime sleep does not make up for missed naps, due to the homeostatic sleep pressure concept. Therefore, no matter how your child sleeps at night – great sleeper or poor sleeper -- his daily naps are critically important to release the rising sleep pressure.

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This is a copyrighted excerpt from The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems by Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, December 2008).

You may reproduce this on your website or in your work. Please include my name and book title. More excerpts (available for reprint) are posted on my website. http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth

So why I am I sharing this here? Well first of all I agree 100% in not letting your child cry (and this doesn't mean the little whimpers or a minute or 2 of crying, I'm against the your child is so upset they are puking sort of crying). And I know how important sleep is to the entire family. Plus I get entered into a drawing to possibly win books. So it's good for everyone all around!

Laurie Berkner Band

2009-01-12T16:14:00.003-05:00

Feel free to "demand it" for Alexa!

View all Portland events at Eventful

snapshots of 2008

2009-01-01T11:31:00.006-05:00

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October (plus cousin Blake)

November

December

Holiday Update

2009-01-01T10:07:00.002-05:00

We survived the holidays intact! We had a very busy, but family-oriented Christmas which was wonderful.

We started Christmas Eve by traveling south to have lunch with some good friends. We then headed to Chris's sister's house for unpacking and resting before the big family gathering on the hill. It's been about a year since we'd seen everyone! The kids did great despite only napping in the car (which I don't consider a real nap). We got back to M's around 9 and eventually got everyone to bed.

One bit of excitement during the night was the wind. I woke up around 2 or 3 to the house shaking, or so it seemed. Turns out that gusty wind blew our van down the hilly driveway. Luckily it just missed the ditch, and going into the road. But we couldn't retrieve it till some of the ice melted.

Alexa was so excited when she saw that "Santa" had filled the stockings she'd left out and enjoyed the cookies and milk. I wish I'd caught it on video because her reaction was priceless. The best way to describe it was just pure joy. When Grammy K and Grampa C showed up we got to opening gifts. There is nothing better than having the 5 year old that can only read her own name.

With the van loaded to more than full (of items, not gas) we made one more family party stop before heading home. It was so nice to get home and unload! We finished up Christmas on Saturday by having my immediate family over for lunch and gifts.

New Year's is uneventful for us this year. I was in bed by 10:30 because the twins woke up. I welcomed in the new year around 2:20am. Chris and Alexa have headed out of town for the day leaving me and the twins home alone. I was going to go visit my dad but it's too bloody cold and windy to go anywhere. So instead I get to do laundry...and catch up here!

Jack's Big Music Show

2008-12-15T20:23:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure exactly how long this show has been around. It was never one Alexa was interested in. I do know that it comes on after Franklin on Noggin. True love from first viewing for Jacob and Elizabeth. I don't know if it's all the music. Or the funky dressed puppets with really long noses. All I know is that when I need to do something without being disturbed I can turn it on and not worry about what sort of shenanigans those two are up to!

Santa...attempt #1

2008-12-14T12:53:00.002-05:00

I went with my mom and nephew Ivan (age 4) to see Santa at his "Rockland Station" yesterday. It was a little shed outside. And if you've been watching the news it's cold in New England, not really ideal for an outdoor Santa. I feel for the poor guy that's for sure.

He made mom's day by asking her if she was mom to Alexa and Ivan. He sort of ticked me off by saying "oohhh, double trouble". I should have set them loose in his little shed and let him really know what double trouble is!

Alexa and Ivan both dropped off their letters. I got one picture (mom took a few more but she has yet to go digital). Ivan wouldn't get out of Santa's lap. Alexa ended up leaning on him. Neither of them asked for anything! They were happy with a snuggle and gave him big hugs which Santa loved. I later asked Alexa why she didn't ask for something (she definately has no issues with asking me for every thing she sees on TV). She said she was too scared. So I had to explain the difference between scared and nervous. She'd like to see him again so that she can ask - she wants one of his reindeer apparently.

As for the twins - hahaha! Someone slipped superglue onto Elizabeth - there was no way she would be peeled from my hip. And she's usally friendly with men, even strange ones. I was at able to attempt to put Jacob in his lap. He just arched his back and got ready to scream. It was too cold and too crowded (by now there was Santa, Alexa, mom, Ivan, me, Jacob, Elizabeth and Mrs. Claus - cosy quarters for sure).

I suppose I could get my dad to get himself a red suit. His beard is growing in nicely and in the perfect shade of white.

why are boys different from girls?

2008-12-08T15:34:00.002-05:00

According to Alexa

1. boys pee standing up, girls sit down
2. boys shave (not totally correct because girls shave also...some anyways)

and best of all

3. boys watch football and sleep on couches

one very observant kid!

Happy Birthday Alexa!

2008-12-02T20:59:00.004-05:00

It's hard to believe that my baby girl is 5. I know we all get older every year but I guess I didn't expect it to go so fast. It's gone even faster since Jacob and Elizabeth were born.

Alexa was born at 10:49pm on December 4, 2003. Exactly 2 weeks early. It was a long labor but worth it! She arrived weighing exactly 7lbs, 20 1/2 inches long. She had a lot of hair and was fairly verbal. 5 years later she's around 57 lbs and at least 4 feet tall (time to remeasure!). Still has a lot of hair although she hates to wash it or have it combed so it's kept somewhat short. Instead of fairly I'd say she's most definitely verbal. Very opinionated and not afraid to show it. She's a very friendly girl - sometimes too friendly. I don't know how many times I have to tell her she needs to stop hugging and kissing complete strangers.

She's a wonderful big sister and I hope Jacob and Elizabeth will someday realize how lucky they are. Sure she has days when she doesn't want to play with them. And her room is off limits (safety hazard). But overall she's great with them.

School is just around the corner. This year she's attending preschool and learning a lot. She's getting better at writing her letters and doing math. I don't think it'll be too much longer before she's really reading (as opposed to reciting memorized books).

What do I think she'll be when she grows up? Based on some daily behaviors I'd say she'd make a great dictator. According to her she's going to live at home forever. She may move out for awhile so she can get a dog because I told her that's when she can have one. She wants to be a mom which shows I must be doing something right if I haven't frightened her off of the idea of children altogether. For awhile she was telling me she had to "hurry up and find a husband". She's going to need to find herself a strong and tolerable man (or woman) to be her partner that's for sure!

home from the hospital

one year old

2 years old
3 years old
4 years old
a few days short of 5

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-02T20:43:00.002-05:00

We had a nice quiet Thanksgiving this year. It was spent at home just the five of us plus my mom. I did all the cooking and timed it all pretty well (I think). My plan was to eat at 12 and we were all seated with full plates by 12:15. The menu was fairly simple: turkey, mashed potatoes (I did cheat and use instant but I love them so!), candied sweet potatoes (made with fresh ones), green beans (jarred from my dad), carrots, cranberry sauce, and homemade apricot-raisin chutney (made back in September but keeps for awhile!). All followed by butterscotch pudding pie.

The nice part about eating early is you get to eat it all over again. Although for some...not so nice. By lunch on Friday Alexa was complaining about having to eat "that" again. But it did make for a very yummy soup that is still being enjoyed.

For the first time ever Alexa enjoyed watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. She loved it all. The best had to be when she started dancing with the Rockettes. She still needs to do a bit of work on her moves. The twins were inspired by her and tried to join in. I did catch some of it on the video camera. Someday maybe I'll figure out how to get video from there to the computer.

My other thanksgiving day project was to make some m arshmallows - these were the best marshmallows ever! Don't be surprised if you end up with some for Christmas gifts. I'll find it hard to go back to store bought that's for sure.

Not many photos taken. That seems to be my Thanksgiving tradition. Ever since I lost the photos from Alexa's first Thanksgiving back in 2004 I've had few to show.

a little lost pilgrim

enjoying a pre-dinner snack

my name is mom

2008-11-22T14:32:00.003-05:00

Over the past almost 5 years this has been not only my "name" but my job title. There are days when it is over-rated...but most days under-rated. I don't think I could even name off all of the things I've learned to do. I can think of a few things that I get to do that I could do without doing...bathroom duty comes to mind.

I get tired of hearing my name being repeated to me over and over and over again. Just like I get tired of saying yes or what in response but getting no answer. I only seem to get an answer when I start shrieking or yelling. And I get real tired of hearing myself talking at full volume.

I'm good at functioning on little, poor quality sleep as long as you don't ask me something too difficult. You might have to prompt me because sometimes my thoughts disappear out of my head before they make it to my mouth. And then I can't find them again. That is so frustrating!

The whole point of this today - being a mom does not make you a plumber.

And diaper sprayers that boast easy install - ha! Perhaps if your bathroom is shiny and new with easy access and brand new pipes. When the bolts are rusted to the pipes and you can barely see what you are doing - my advice is step away before something bad happens.

The bad that happened to me (cause why would I blather on if something good happened? where's the lesson in that?) - I got bumped from behind by a 16 month old that was "trying" to help. Which made me bang the old pipe. Which started to break off at the wall. Which caused water to spray everywhere unless I held it a certain way. Which included being hunched over the toilet while 16 month olds played in the water and the almost 5 year old used papertowels and an empty cereal box to mop the water up.

I did finally get my cousin on the phone who got my aunt. She came over and shut the water off to the entire building (sorry everyone!). We were able to get the pipe of the rest of the way by snapping it off. Which meant instead of a spray water was flowing. But eventually it stopped.

The water is now turned off only at our apartment. And I know where to shut it off in case I ever flood things again (or someone else does). The fix is actually pretty easy - a new connector and a new shut off valve.

My name is mom...I am not a plumber.

project time

2008-11-20T21:29:00.003-05:00

Waiting....

Today Alexa had a friend over for a playdate. Ellie is the little girl my aunt takes care of. We've known her since she was born and visited occasionally over the years. Alexa loves having a girlfriend her age (Ellie is one week older than Lex).

I decided to whip up some dough for ornaments. My helpers shared pouring the ingredients in (4 c flour, 1 c salt, 1 1/2 c hot water) as well as mixing and kneading. Their kneading ability was a bit questionable...it involved a lot of banging and slapping. And they weren't too good with the rolling pin. They could make it go but it wasn't effective!

Jacob and Elizabeth were quite excited by the goings on. So I whipped up some edible playdough for them. It took some searching to find a dairy free recipe - ended up with 1 part water, 1 part flour, 2 parts oatmeal (I did 1/4 c and 1/2 c). They definitely preferred eating it despite the fact that it tasted nasty...or at least very, very bland!

Because they decided to eat their artwork I know not to give them any regular playdough or finger paints anytime soon. Not unless I want them to have major bellyaches.

happy birthday Nokomi

2008-11-16T07:50:00.003-05:00

Yesterday's was my mom's birthday. I've been wanting to make a cake but not wanting to have to eat it myself. So making one for her was a brilliant choice. Alexa helped me with the cake part and decided on the frosting color (green).

Of course it seemed to take forever to get everyone dressed and ready to go. Then to actually get there. First Alexa had to make a picture for her Nokomi. And wanted it to be a family picture but drew herself too big to allow room for anyone other than Jacob and Elizabeth. She was supposed to make a card...oh well.

My brother picked up her gift for us. A buy one get one free 1 hour massage. I was a bit confused at first because he said each massage was $50 so I owed him $50. But it turns out that's $50/30 min. Money's tight but mom most definitely deserves it...I think every mom does!

The kids had fun playing once Elizabeth settled in. We haven't been to her house in awhile so the dogs were a bit much at first. I'd say it was while eating lunch that it started to fall apart. My 4 y/o nephew decided to tell Alexa he was taller. He just comes to Alexa's chin. Of course this upset Alexa b/c it wasn't true. And he kept saying it. Eventually they were fighting over everything. The last straw was when I caught them fighting over one of the dogs. They were each on one side of Tiger and getting ready to starting pulling on her (action to go with the words "no she's MINE").

Too bad b/c Alexa and Ivan lost out on a sleepover. But I've learned that's just how it is with kids. At each other's throats one visit, hugging and as lovely as can be the next!

last November

this November

Halloween

2008-11-06T19:39:00.004-05:00

The Wednesday before Halloween we finally got around to carving Alexa's pumpkin that she'd gotten at school (thank you Kelsie's grandma!). Dad had given me a folder full of carving kit printouts as well as a little drill and saw. We scooped the insides (saving the seeds to snack on) and chose our pattern.

We went with a ghost and I was quite impressed with how well it came out. I've never actually used a carving kit before. Usually I go at it with a sharp knife or let Chris do it.

But for Alexa one side carved wasn't enough. We had to do a "scary" face on the other side.

I was successful in talking her out of carving anything else on it by explaining there would be no pumpkin left!

Halloween day was spent hanging around the house watching Aunt Brenda and (cousin) Ian install the new ceiling in the twins bedroom. Chris had to work the night shift (I can't help but wonder if he requested this...I know I would!). The candy I ordered from Oriental Trading never showed so we had to decide whether to go buy more or just not hand any out. We went with the latter. And just as well because we didn't have a single visitor.

No...I'm not crazy enough (yet) to take the kids out by myself. I ended up going with my cousin and her little boy, as well as her mom and ex-boyfriend. I got everyone dressed into their costumes and we headed out.

getting ready to go trick or treating!

The going was slow. The stroller is not light these days with 2 20lb kids in it! And I had just come down with a lovely chest cold that made any activity seem strenuous.

enjoying the view and the ride

On our way back home Brenda had the job of searching for Jacob's hat which he'd tossed overboard. Luckily we found it right by town hall. Alexa and Dylan had to be spoken to a few times about running through dark yards. Apparently tripping and almost smacking their faces into pavement courtesy of a raised walkway wasn't lesson enough.

We went to just enough houses to fill the pumpkin bag. Alexa was only slightly interested in the candy once we got home. She wanted a freeze pop instead.

Now we get to look forward to next year which will be a completely different experience!

candy crew ready to go

taking a break along the way

Alexa's Boston trip

2008-10-29T19:34:00.006-04:00

I should probably let Chris do this...but I'm not sure he knows how to blog.

The weekend of the 17th Alexa and Chris headed down for a jam-packed overnight trip to Boston. Friday night included dinner at the Hard Rock (where she was a staff hit) and a Celtics game.Saturday's activities included the Museum of Science. There Alexa got to see dinosaur bones and a butterfly exposition. She also got to go to Faniel Hall and a tour of Fenway Park. They didn't get back until quite late on Saturday night.

Alexa was full of stories to tell for a few days after. And she's just in love with her new Celtics sweatshirt!

water

2008-10-29T19:23:00.002-04:00

This week cannot end fast enough. It all started last Thursday...maybe Friday. That's when the ceiling in the twins room started to drip despite there being no rain outside. Luckily I've got the cribs positioned in such a way that it never dripped directly onto the cribs.

Later that afternoon it starts again. This time I happen to hear a washing machine running. So I mosey on upstairs to ask the neighbors to check their washing machine. They do and say "nope...no water. But it was spinning funny." Eventually the dripping stops. But it starts again for a bit on Saturday. So I call my uncle who comes over and tells them to not run the washer until they get it figured out.

And then on Sunday - again it starts. By this point I'd given up complaining because it was obvious nothing was being accomplished. To burn off some of my anger at the neighbors I did a kickboxing video. While I worked up a good sweat I still wanted to kick them directly.

Monday morning rolls around. My aunt (who is the property manager) calls to see how it's going and to let me know she's back in town. As I'm speaking to her I hear drips. But see nothing. Wait a minute...here it comes. Instead of drips out the ceiling it's a steady but light pouring. My aunt tells me to run upstairs and tell them she said to shut their washer off. The response "oops...I forgot."

Tuesday afternoon is a wet one. And about to get wetter. My aunt comes over with a handful of tools and begins to tear the ceiling out. It ends up being a family affair and a bit crowded. The neighbors are asked at this point to run the washer to see if the leak can be figured out. Nothing happens.

In the meantime where are Jacob and Elizabeth? Why they are napping in Alexa's room where they are sharing one crib. The other is in the living room and not really usable due to light and noise. For bedtime they get to squeeze into a pack and play together in my room till I go to bed. Not the most ideal sleeping situation and therefore grumpy babies.

Finally we come to today. Drip, drip, drip is what I woke up to at 6:30 (well actually J woke up wanting to nurse...then I heard it). A soaked floor (some landed in the buckets) and a spinning washing machine. And some soap bubbles just to prove that it is the washer.

Hopefully neighbors will use their brains (which don't appear to be very operable) and not run the washer. Because now everything needs to dry out really good so the ceiling can be replaced. That should hopefully occur over the weekend.

Thank god for that. I don't think I'll survive too many more days with cranky kids.

oldies....but goodies

2008-10-17T19:09:00.004-04:00

When I was over at moms last week she commented on how much Elizabeth reminds her of me. I was a little surprised to hear this. I've never thought any of the kids look like me. And a very few others have thought it (like Rhi and her mom!).

So I decided to do some investigating. Unfortunately the photo album I have with baby photos in it has gone missing. Probably just in one of our unpacked totes. But mom did have some in her "picture drawer".

And here are a few that I found:

Funny thing is that we even have the same number of teeth - 4 on top, 2 on the bottom!

comparison

2008-10-10T19:24:00.003-04:00

Alexa asked me to get a picture of the 3 kids today. It was hard but I did it!

Here's one of my favorites from August 2007:
And today...same raggedy haired girl with a tight lip smile!

back to the er

2008-10-10T13:10:00.003-04:00

This time it was complete with an ambulance ride!

I was working on getting everyone ready to go this morning. Breakfast was done and Alexa was in the shower so she'd be clean for school. Liz and Jake were wandering around as they usually do. I got out clothes for them to wear. I had just set them down when I heard a dish crash down. Thought that was strange because Lex was in the shower.

Turns out Jake knocked it over. He used the footstool he'd seen Alexa standing on to reach up onto the counter and pulled a cereal bowl down. Then managed to crawl over it/next to it. When I grabbed him he seemed fine. It was when I got back to the living room that I discovered his big toe bleeding...a lot. As I tried to stop that I quickly checked the rest of him over and discovered a tear in his pjs at the leg - a nice 2 inch gash next to the knee.

Not knowing what else to do since no one was answering their phones I called 911. Apparently the FD across the street isn't staffed unless needed so they had to arrive then some of the EMTs walked over.

A bandaid for the toe and a few stitches at the knee. I'm not really sure how many because I wasn't watching. I was trying to keep my poor baby calm while he screamed. Not in pain (at least I don't think) but because he had to be restrained while the doctor did his thing.

This makes the 3rd ER visit for our family since moving to Friendship - cat bite, asthma attack, cut up leg. Not to mention a visit on Wednesday to the lab at the hospital for routine bloodwork.

And here he is all bandaged up. He's quite the trooper but will be wearing sometime over the bandage so he doesn't play with it. I have to keep it clean and dry for 7-10 days until the stitches dissolve...guess that means no climbing in the shower for him. And it's extra bulky to give him some padding for crawling.

And the lesson learned - keep the kitchen door shut unless I am in there. Or at the very least keep the counters clear and stools away.

15 months!

2008-10-08T20:48:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that so much time has passed since the arrival of the twins. That's probably because there isn't a whole lot of downtime at our house!

To celebrate the day the twins had a well-baby check with their new pediatrician. This is the doctor I had planned to go with before deciding to try a family practice. When they took 2 days to call me back after Jake's ER visit (they didn't have his records in hand - I guess they don't have a fax) they got fired. I did make them copy the medical records for me so that the new office wouldn't have to wait 2 more weeks for GPPA to release them.

I like our choice. He's not to chatty with the parents but is great with the kids. After a doctor who talked nothing but politics I'm glad to have one a little more focused.

We definitely have some little peanuts on hand! Jake's stats have him weighing in at 19 lbs 10 ozs, 31 inches tall. Liz's stats have her weighing in at 19 lbs 1 oz, 29.5 inches tall. They've only gained 1-2 lbs since their 1 year visit but have grown 2 inches! And of course they are very, very active. They were all over that office...thank goodness it wasn't too big. Smaller rooms make them easier to catch!

They did have to get some shots and have more to make up next month. Apparently the dr decided to skip vaccinating them at 12 months. Plus we had to head over to the hospital to have some lab work done. At 1 year their lead levels came back high and their iron low. We are hoping to see the lead levels going down now that we have moved.

No post is complete without a picture!

for Aunt Kayla

2008-10-02T19:25:00.002-04:00

I was told that I needed a new picture of Liz up...one that you can see her face.

Here you go:

Hand me downs

2008-10-02T19:07:00.004-04:00

So can you guess who is who? Once upon a time it was hard to tell! The hair gives it away however. (and makes me realize how lacking Jake and Liz are compared to her!)

There is just something about seeing the same outfits on your next child that gives your heart a little tug. Or maybe it's just me. I love seeing Liz wearing things that were Alexa's. The outfit in these pictures is actually one I made. It took awhile and a lot of help from Elaine. I ended up making only one other shirt before I gave up on sewing for the time being.

the sticks work after all

2008-09-28T09:42:00.003-04:00

This morning an amazing thing occurred. Jacob stood up all by himself in the middle of a room. Not only that - he also took 1 1/2 steps towards me without holding onto anything. Maybe walking is closer in the future than we thought! That'll be good for his knees...give the calluses a chance to heal.

I'm impressed that he was in the mood to try that out today. We spent yesterday afternoon at the ER in Rockport thanks to cold-induced asthma. No fun at all! Thankfully my mom was able to take Elizabeth because I can't imagine having to keep the two of them contained for hours on end.

some pictures

2008-09-21T15:34:00.002-04:00

Alexa being silly in her room...I believe she was playing Lion King

Elizabeth reading...who needs kids books when you have cigar catalogs?

Jacob admiring the view at the hotel

Traveling

2008-09-21T15:14:00.003-04:00

I've never enjoyed traveling all that much. Probably because I never got to go anywhere exciting. I never made it to the Maine Mall until I was 13...and it was only a 2 hour drive. My parents weren't too keen in crossing town lines.

This weekend we traveled to Gorham for the birthday party of our nephew, well pseudo-nephew (good friend's son). It's hard to believe he's already 5 and just reminds me that Alexa's 5th is only 2 months away.

Okay..started to veer off topic a bit. Alexa ended up spending Friday night at her grandmother's. The rest of us stayed at the Marriott courtesy of an employee discount. We had dinner late and didn't get back to the hotel till around 8. The twins did not want to go to bed! They were having too much fun tackling the gigantic pillows. It also didn't help that we all had to sleep together (well me and the twins, Chris got his own bed because he was sick). They are used to sleeping in their own cribs to at least start the night. Finally one by one everyone dropped off to sleep.

And were all up before 7am. Babies got a bath - a luxury since we only have a shower. Then breakfast and a few stops before getting Alexa and going to the party. Spent a few hours there, then another hour visiting another friend before dropping Alexa back off at Grammy K's and heading back home. After being unable to nap most the day because of all the activity they conked out quickly and for the entire ride home!

It is so nice to be back home. I hate riding in the car but at the same time I hate driving. I guess I'm more like my parents then I think!

Jacob

2008-09-03T22:33:00.003-04:00

This boy of mine is such a ham! And very cuddly to pretty much anyone that'll pick him up - he loves giving hugs and very wet kisses. While his sister has been working on walking he's content to move at his own pace - a very fast crawl. Favorite foods include any fruit (especially blueberries and watermelon), most veggies (potatoes are a no-go), cereal (cheerios not kix), and lunch meat.
Hobbies include getting into trouble...or at least into things he shouldn't probably be getting into. Like the clothes dryer. Well...he hasn't actually gotten inside yet but he made a good attempt yesterday thanks to the basket of dry clothes in front of the door. Here are a few examples...

His favorite things include remote controls, telephones (he's really good at turning cell phones on), yanking on the shade strings (under adult supervision of course), getting into cupboards or the shower (especially when on), and taking off his diapers (got to love uncovered velcro!). Here's one thing he loves to do naked...been edited for his protection although it'll be unedited in his scrapbook for me to show when he's older.