It's 2:32 Am

It's 2:32am, and I finally have a minute to blog.

That's how my life has been going this past week (or past 3 weeks if we want to get technical.) Go.Go.Go. I have a feeling I know exactly how Go. Dog. Go. feels. Always in a hurry!!

We had our last choir performance for the season this past Thursday. It was bitter sweet. Bitter because it was my "me" time during the day... a little break to do something that I love and know that my kiddos are in safe hands....and choir doesn't start up again until the fall.. Sweet because holy moly- we've had 3 performances per week for the past three weeks and they were always in the middle of the day- so literally, nothing else was accomplished. Friday was the first day in three weeks that I was at home long enough to do some laundry. It was sick.

Tuesday I registered Maggie for Kindergarten in the fall. I am at a loss for words.
I'm just going to try not to cry thinking about it right now. Let's just say- she's registered.

I requested Alli's old kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Keller to be Maggie's teacher- I am crossing my fingers that Mags will get her. Maggie seems at ease with Mrs. Keller-.... which will benefit both of them, I'm sure.
(Like the rainbow paint around the school? Very 1970's!)

Maggie wanted to pose in front of her school's sign. :) She's so small!

We also got to celebrate the babies first birthday on Tuesday! We didn't do much- just got some FREE cupcakes (Barns and Noble has a kids club- and you get a free cupcake/xl cookie from the Starbucks cafe' inside of B&N on your kid's birthday. Our cafe' just so happens to have all their desserts from the Cheesecake factory. Sa-weet!..... I'm not a cupcake person, but those chocolate cupcakes... mmmmm..... I'm drooling just thinking of them!)
We took the boys to Ballantrae park to eat their cupcakes. We were bummed that the water was turned off, but we still got to have fun.

- the "real" party is on Saturday! (I totally have to get it planned!)

The babies seeing one of their cupcakes. Miles swiped it from my hands!

Miles didn't hesitate. He just shoved it in!

Dexter was a little more timid about the whole experience. He preferred it when Chip held the cupcake up to his mouth....

I was trying to get both boys to look at me at the same time. It is HARD! The first time, Miles looked- the second time Dexter looked. If I knew how to photoshop the pictures- I would... but until I am magical and can figure it out..... I'll post both pictures :)


Miles was very pleased with himself!

Dexter didn't like being messy, but he tolerated it.

Miles at his ENTIRE cupcake (he dug the fallen pieces out of the grass even....) and Dexter ate about 3/4 of it.

We decided to take pictures under the dancing hares.

Me and the kiddos.....

Chip and the kiddos.......
(Dexter's in front- Miles in back)

We also took the kids to the water fountains at Easton. We decided it's hot enough to warrant a cool splash! They had so much fun! :) Dexter was fearless in the water- Miles didn't like it that much.... which was surprising considering the water-baby that he is.

....... and of course I was so busy trying to get good shots of the boys, that this was the ONE picture of the girls that I remembered to get....
Nice shot, eh?

Dexter would go right up to the water spouts and just lay on it- grab it- or laugh at it....

Miles?...... not so much.



Lately I feel as though my life is a series of 'putting out fires' or just getting through the day- one task at a time. It's not very relaxing or fun...... (Wasn't having babies supposed to be fun?) Every thing is an ordeal- from 2x the diaper changes, 2x the getting the babies dressed battles, and even feeding 2x the amount of picky babies.

Every feeding looks like a graveyard of forgotten food. I wonder if the babies are getting ANY of it in their mouths. I swear it looks like they are...... but when I lift them up out of the chair, It's hard to remember. This is just the seat.... not even the massacre of food on the floor.

Friday, Alli had a carnival at school. The note said that it would go all day long- 9:30a-2:30p... so I thought that I would let the babies take a real nap (for the first time in 3 weeks)... and we'd just go in the afternoon. We got to the school around 12- and the k-2 kids were done with the actual carnival part, and were watching Rapunzel for the rest of the time. SAD! Alli begged me to go to the carnival with her. I complained to the office about their lack of communication. Ugg.
At least on our way out- they let Maggie take a turn in one of the bounce houses.

*I was told by a 4th grader at Alli's school that "all white people looked alike". I wasn't aware of this- and I was also told by the school secretary that Alli and Maggie could be twins (on what planet?)


Saturday morning we took the kiddos on a long scooter ride..... a little over 2 miles long. We let them ride to one of the near by gas stations that has some yummy hand dipped ice cream. It's the 2nd time we've done this... (Chip did it the first time.... but this time the boys and I tagged along)
It was a s.l.o.w. 2 miles.... it took us a little over an hour and a half!

(yep... we let them scoot along a 6 lane road- 7 lanes if you include the turn lane)

Alli loves her ice cream. :)


I have been swamped lately with 10,000,879 things on my to-do list. (yes, I've counted).... and the stress is starting to eat me alive! It's so hard to get everything done and still have time with the kids and Chip. If only I didn't have 4 kids and a husband- I'd have time to get it all done. (That's what I'm telling myself). Two of the things on that list I was able to tackle today.....
#1- I was 4 months behind on my rainbow quilt of the month blocks. Each month has 2 blocks..... (are you counting that? 8 blocks that had to do...... and on Wednesday- I have to pick up two more!)

#2- And my Christmas blocks of the month that my mom gave 6 of us Christmas 2009...... Every month last year she sent us a block (or two) to quilt..... I was on top of my game and was all caught up....... until the twins came. (stupid babies)..... The kits were sitting on my shelf just begging to be done.... so I was able to do 4 of the 7 I have left. I'm hoping to knock out the others tomorrow night....


Alright.... it's now 3:03am- and I am going to go to bed. Big day tomorrow- I am watching two other kiddos.....

I'm just praying that nobody decides they need a new hair cut....

The Two are One!!!

Wow. I can't believe it's been a whole year since these sweet little guys came into my life. It was a rough start- I don't think I ever want an un-medicated c-section again. ..... but seriously- everything, everything that happened was completely worth these little men.

This past year has flown. As I was looking through Picasa to get the photos that you'll soon be feasting your eyes on, I was like... "um, didn't that JUST happen? It couldn't have been 8 months ago, 4 months ago... etc.... that these pictures were taken!"

Whirl wind.

One day old

Their blessing day
June 6, 2010

Two weeks old

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

April

May

Last week

See.... I told ya.... time flies!

There are quite a few things I have had to change.... I can never just hop out of the car real quick to go in and get something.... I have to unload two babies in the stroller... and make sure that the store is stroller accessible...
I feed two babies at one time... One on my lap, and the other by my side....
I change two diapers at a time...
I can't go shopping in stores that don't have double shopping carts....
I can't let the babies play and roam around the playground like I did with the girls.... because there are two of them going in two different directions, and I can't follow them both at the same time......
I have to have someone help me every Sunday in church- because Chip teaches in Young Men's and can't take a baby in with him......

BUT....
I DO get two babies crawling all over me at once, each one slobbering all over my cheeks to give me kisses.
I DO get two babies talking at me in the morning to wake me up.
I DO get twice the joy from having these babies together.

They are so awesome.
I'm so grateful to be their mother.


Happy 1st Birthday Miles and Dexter.

Prom and Pictures

On Saturday, Chip and I took the kids to the park for a little photo shoot. We were taking a bunch of pictures of Chip in his 'workplace' for a contest he's entering on Facebook. (Cross your fingers.... It's for small businesses earning less than 10 million a year, so we qualify... barely. But let's just say... if we win, it would be super duper awesome!)

As we pulled into this sweet little Metro Park that we love going to- we were shocked, SHOCKED by the amount of people that were there. After we pulled in, the gates of the park closed until more people could leave. There were park rangers directing traffic, so we decided to ask them what all the hub bub was about.... as it turns out....... four letters describe the event... P-R-O-M. Three different high schools were having their proms on Saturday night, and the park is just so beautiful, that everyone was doing their photos there.

I am happy that Chip and I were able to be there to be a public service announcement to promote abstinence. After we took the pictures and were packing the kids up in the van and folding the double stroller up I heard snickers coming from behind us......
Two groups of teenagers were talking to each other about us.
Group 1- "Hey guys... wouldn't that be like, totally hilarious to drive a MINIVAN to prom?"
Group 2- "Haha... yeah, how embarrassing!"
Group 1- "Yeah- lame. I'm so glad that we aren't driving a minivan."

Glad they got the message.
Teenage pregnancy + kids + minivan= super lame.

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When we got home and settled in- I was thinking about being so super lame and driving my minivan......

I'm so glad I'm lame. It's pretty awesome.

Odd Jobs Needed.

I've decided to rent the boys out for jobs to earn extra income to buy them diapers- or go into college funds- whichever is needed more at the time.

So far their marketable skills are:
1) cheering section at all Star Wars video game conventions.
2) removing toilet paper from the rolls- thus taking the hassle away from you!
3) removing any barriers in their way. Team power!
4) food critic. They love throwing food on the floor and pitching fits.
5) being a bobble head dashboard ornament.
6) being inappropriately loud at all functions that involve reverence- aka: Church.

If you need any of these things accomplished for you- please contact me.

Rates are reasonable.

Squished

Some days you feel more like the bug that was squished.......

Between two babies getting in molars- with fevers, runny noses, lack of eating, general crankiness....... One sick 4 year old who is crabby beyond measure with a high fever..... And an 8 year old who is moping around the house with boredom and apparent concern for her siblings well-being.... along with all the other stuff that I was supposed to accomplish today, but never did due to the sickly children.......

I'm feeling like that bug.

Except I wasn't put out of my misery.

Officially Invited

This is an official invitation- to you... well, all those who are in the Columbus area (sorry if you live outside of Columbus and feel really sad that you aren't invited. Well... technically, you ARE invited, but it'd most likely be really hard to attend if you live outside of Columbus.)

It's a two part invitation.

PART ONE:
You are invited to come sing in my community choir! - The Entertainter's- We need more voices. There are babysitters (and if you are in the twins club- you probably know one of the sitters- she's a member of the club... and she pretty much rocks socks.) The only commitment on your part is coming to practices, which are every Wednesday from 9:30-11 and $10 a month dues- which are to cover cost of babysitting, music, and 'costumes' (aka: scarves)
- Don't be intimidated. You never have to sing solos if you don't want to- and you certainly don't have to be an awesome singer or read music.. It's a ton of fun!



PART TWO:

You are invited to attend The Entertainer's Annual Spring Concert!
When: May 16,2011
Time: 7pm
Where: Church of the Redeemer
235 McNaughten Road
Columbus, OH 43213

(It's kinda by Mount Caramel East hospital)

Let me entice you to come: There will be music, treats, dancing, and ME- singing a solo. :D


** if you are thinking about joining, come to the concert and see what we are all about. We'd love to see you there!
*** If you think the holiday red sequin scarf is grand, just wait until you see the blue cape-like scarf for springtime. It's so awesome, there aren't enough words to express the awesomeness.

War Stories

Men.

They have their hunting stories, their fishing stories, their sports stories, their extreme such and such stories. We've all heard them. We all know how they end. Usually if men open their mouths to speak, it's profound- so therefore, the story will end with the brave and fearless warrior killing the beast/scoring that winning touchdown/or climbing to the top of Everest.

What do women have?

Our birthing stories.

I LOVE a good birthing story. Labor is war. WAR, people! You have to squeeze an entire person ranging from 5-10 lbs (respectively) through a tiny hole only 10 centimeters big- and even if you take the "easy" way out (I say 'easy' very, very loosely)- we still get cut open from hip to hip and get staples placed all over our abdomens. We are women, hear us roar!

Pregnancy is no delight. There's the morning sickness- then the swelling- then the fatigue- then the joys of carrying the baby who is kicking your sternum so hard that it makes you lose your breath, and you get heartburn for hours on end. Plus the entire time we get poked with needles, strapped to monitoring devices, weighed- in public, no less- we can't tie our own shoes, we lose control of our bladders, and we can't seem to fit into the same pair of pants that we wore the day before, because, if you can believe it, we got even larger.

Labor stories are the best. It's the crowning moment of our 9 month long battle of pregnancy- where we end in victory! We can say "Ohh my gosh! My body just did that!.... and NOW it's even producing milk, I'm awesome!!"

All labors and deliveries are different. They all have their "fish was thiiiisssss biggggg" moments. I know that each of my labors and each delivery was vastly different. From having toxemia when I was prego with Alli- and dealing with all the complications of that.... along with 12.5 hours of labor- only 2 of which were with an epidural, to my epidural absolutely not working except on my feet when I had Maggie... for all 11.5 hours of labor, and vomiting all over the place because the pain was so bad- to the twin labor being only 6 short hours- a perfectly awesome delivery of Miles and a horrific, panic filled delivery of Dexter only 15 minutes later- of which I got to have an un-medicated c-section...

Those are my battle stories.

They are some of my grandest accomplishments. I did that.

The battles were all fought. I won the war. I was victorious.




..........
Tonight Alli told me as I was tucking her into bed, that she was going to run away when she was 11 to find a boyfriend. Sigh......


It was still all worth it.

Life

The most divine calling on this earth is that of being a mother.

I have been abundantly blessed. I have been given these four sweet children. They are my world. I have been so, so very blessed to have a husband who is able to provide for our family- which allows me to stay at home with these kiddos. I can't imagine my life without being there for my kids 100% of the time.

This afternoon I was reminded again how special it was.

I made cookies right before Alli got home from school. She loves a good chocolate chip cookie. When she walked in the door after Chip picked her up, she was in tears. She walked up the stairs- and into her room to break down some more..... I called her down and we sat at the kitchen table together, eating warm cookies and drinking cold milk- and got to talk about her day. She had the most horrible of all days. I was able to be there with her. If I was gone working away from home, I would have missed that moment with her. I wouldn't have been able to kiss her tears away, hug her until she stopped sobbing, and wipe gooey chocolate smudges from her cheeks.

I hope and pray that I can remember the little things like that moment with Alli when I'm having my full of doubt, rough, and horrible mommy days. They come around- usually more than I want. But for now, I'm simply embracing my beautiful children.

My sweet Alli girl. The one who made me a mother for the first time. My trial and error kid.
She's so smart, kind hearted, studious, a right fighter to the end, passionate, goofy, and just trying to figure out who she is- and how she fits into the world. She hates messes, always has. From refusing to eat a cookie without a fork at 18 months because she didn't like the mess on her hands- to refusing to ever play in the mud- to being obsessed with the toys being put away at all times... she likes things neat and orderly. She's got that awkward teeth missing thing going on for her- with Bugs Bunny front teeth that she'll eventually grow into. She can't wait to get married and find her prince charming- but she has been perfectly clear, she'll only have one child- which is okay by me..... at least now, she's saying she wants babies. :D I have a feeling she'll want more once she gets started.....

My Maggie Moo. The one who will give me the majority of my grey hairs. She obviously didn't come with an instruction manual, and even if she did- she'd probably break the rules of the book. She is so sassy, she has a light in her eyes, she dotes on her two baby brothers constantly. She is much more than what she seems. She has the most tender feelings. She is the first to call me out when I'm being 'monster mom'. She comes downstairs in the middle of the night just to get a few more minutes of snuggle time. She has the strongest desire to be a mother- she already has her kids names picked out. Jayna, Sarah, Miles, and Vincent.


My Mr. Miles. He is such a joy. He is never one to fuss or complain- he just sits there and takes it like a champ. He's got the goofiest grins- nose scrunched up on one side half grin thing going for him. He loves to snuggle and just be with you. He loves reading books. He also is a huge fan of clapping- so much so, that when he's being a picky baby and not eating the food I'm presenting if you just say "Yayyyy!!" and clap your hands- he'll eat the food anyway, and clap along. He is so much like the personality he was in the womb- just mild mannered, even tempered, eager to please little boy.

My Little Dexter Bug. Feisty from the start. He has three older siblings, so he has figured out a way to stand out of the crowd. Has to do everything his own way. From refusing to come out easily during delivery and needing an emergency c-section- to refusing a binky in order to suck his thumb- my one and only thumb sucking child.... he's certainly holding his own. He has a glint in his little eye with a sly little grin on his lips... that just lets me know he'll be giving me a run for my money too. Of the two boys he was the first to start rolling over, first to start crawling, first to get teeth- he just never lets being the youngest get in his way.


As far as life goes- things have been just chugging along.
We are having our highs- Telesaur had some major problems with it, and they were able to get solved in a short amount of time, we got very unexpected bonus from Chip's job that will keep Telesaur going a little longer (miracles happen!), We have had a string of the most beautiful days (finally!),....
and we've had our lows- emotional breakdowns, Chip's dad, who finished getting Chemo treatments in August- for his stage 4 Melanoma- was admitted with chest pains to the hospital. They found lumps in his lungs. We are so worried, but we also have great faith in the Lord. We trust Him. Whatever happens is in His hands- and has been part of the plan all along. He is Omnipotent, after all. Pat (Chip's dad) is having more tests this week to see exactly what the lumps are. It'd be awesome if you could offer up a little prayer for him and his doctors.....

We were able to go -as a whole family-to the park and go tadpole finding- Even Chip and I love looking for them. I can't help but be so grateful for my Heavenly Father for providing me with the beauty on this earth. Flowers, animals, gorgeous smells and heavenly sounds. I tend to over look the beauty of the earth every day- rarely noticing the sweet little bunnies chewing on the grass beside the bushes or even seeing bees flitting around doing their regular ol' pollinating job.- but the moment that I realize that every little thing that brings me joy is a gift from Heavenly Father my soul instantly feels full of His love for me.

I was able to finish the two little owl purses. I think they came out pretty cute. Michelle and I each wore ours to the concert. (Mine is the dark eyes, hers is the light eyes), and I finally got the hair bows/headbands finished for Geneva. Hopefully she'll like them and get some use out of them. All the little bows are interchangeable with the headbands, so she has some options.


I think one of the highlights of the year (yes, year) was Michelle getting us some awesome-possum- argyle -sock-rockin' floor seats to the Tim McGraw concert that happened on Saturday night. We were SO. CLOSE. to the second stage- we could see Tim's individual tummy hairs (and even caught a sight of his bum crack when he bent over... hahaha!). He's such a great performer. If you ever have a chance to go see him- you'll get a great show (although, I'm pretty sure he doesn't plumber everyone..... we were just special.)

The Band Perry and Luke Bryan were the two opening acts. I never realized who they were until they started singing... I'm sorry to say. They were great performers- full of energy- and knew how to work the crowd. :D

It was such a good night. Thanks Michelle!


And finally- I just thought I'd say- after tons and tons and tons (you get the picture- last month we got 7.1 inches of rain- when the average is 3.5 ) of rain....... we now have this beautiful earth, lush with big green leaves & fragrant flowers vibrant with colors......

Aaaahhhhhh. It's wonderful.

I love spring.