{my next big project}

How many do you see???

YES!! There are 2!! We are expecting twins again this summer, and couldn't be happier.(even though the thought of 4 kids aged 3 and under makes me a little nervous...) Here's a peek of what is to come:


And yes, there's already progress in that area, but no pictures yet!

{genetics}

I only had Emma with me at the store the other day, and when we were checking out, the cashier made the comment that she looked a lot like me. I thanked her, but had to laugh to myself. The same thing happened the last time I had Kate with me, and it is a common occurrence with Ryan as well. It's especially interesting with the girls though, because they look so different. How can two totally different girls both look like me? But they do, in their own way.

Genetics are utterly fascinating to me, and they became even more so after we had kids.
Somehow a couple with brown eyes and blue eyes had three green-eyed children, with two out of three having red hair. It's all there, in our ancestry, and maybe that's partly why I find it so interesting. All these people I've never met, but connected to, have influenced my child--what they look like, how tall they are, and perhaps even how they walk.

This is a picture of me, at 2, pretty close to the age the girls are now (gotta love the late 70's!). So, what do you think? More like Emma? Kate? Ryan? Or just a healthy resemblance to all of them?

{survival mode}

When you're married to a CPA, you just come to expect certain things. The biggest of all is that come the first of January, widowhood and single motherhood is the name of the game. Usually "busy season" lasts two months, January and February(he is on the audit side, not tax).

This year,(lucky us) it is extended through March. I have a strong tendency just to go into survival mode. Dinners get quicker and easier, bedtimes are moved up, and most of my projects get put to the side. I live for Girls Nights Out, talking to my friends and family (who save me from the loony bin), and small outings.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Rick has a great job--one he loves, and one that is very good to us. We are very grateful for it, and the security it provides. He doesn't have to travel a lot during the year, and most of the time, he has a really normal schedule. I suppose that's why this is such an adjustment--it follows a such a period of normalcy, it's like a shock to the system.

Recently my friend Andi blogged about single mommyhood, and not being "the fun one". I completely relate. My days are filled with potty training, homework, discipline, piano practice, and all the other practical parts of being a parent. By the time evening arrives, all I want to do is collapse on the couch! Weekends are the hardest though--dad makes everything right, and is for sure the one that keeps things fun. Now I'm not saying that I'm never fun, because I certainly have my moments, but I tend to be the one with the list, on a mission, filled with things that need to be accomplished.

This is the type of thing that he does--I never want to mess the couch up, because then I have to clean it up! :)

In a nutshell, we all miss him.

{what's a girl to do?}

A good friend of mine and her daughter called last night and offered to come and take my girls for the whole day! (I could hear angels singing in the background during the conversation.) So, this morning I got them dressed, packed their bag, and told them they got to go "shoppin'" (one of their favorite things).

Now that they've gone, I am faced with a conundrum...now what? Do I use this time to catch up on the 4 loads of laundry sitting in my laundry room? Pay the bills? Clean the bathrooms? Scrub the baseboards and clean the windows? All of these are projects that really need to be done, and are vastly easier without 2 little girlies underfoot.

Or, do I ignore it all (or most of it) and read, watch movies, catch up on blogs, and take a nap?

Hmmmm...maybe I'll start with a nap and go from there. :)

{wishful thinking}

With the girls watching a movie yesterday, I decided to lie down on the couch and try to get in a little bit of a nap.

Ha.

Within 45 minutes I was interrupted no less than 14 times.

Why must everything become more urgent once my eyes close?

{first trip to the dentist}

I awoke with some trepidation this morning, as it started to sink in that I was taking two 2 year olds to the dentist for the first time. Those of you that have done this before know that it is not unlike taking a roll of the dice, and hoping you get lucky. You don't know if they will cooperate, cry, open their mouth, sit on the chair, be afraid of all the noisy equipment, or accidentally bite the hygienist. After my experience with a very gun shy first child, I was preparing myself for the worst. I took every precaution, and talked it up for days. I explained all about the nice dentist, the treasure chest full of prizes, and the fact that they would get their very own toothbrush and toothpaste. I was just hoping that it would have some kind of impact when we actually got there.

When we walked back with our hygienist, the girls were glued to my side. Even after a demonstration of the chair, all the equipment, and the hot pink sunglasses they would get to wear, they were having no part of it. I asked who was going to be first, and Kate said "Emma!". So, I went and sat down on the chair so they would see that it wasn't going to hurt them, and might be kind of fun! Kate was intrigued, and decided she would go for it, if she could sit on my lap. She did so well! Her teeth were counted (20) and polished, and she even sat alone to see the dentist when she came in.

Emma took a little more convincing. She was still huddled against the wall when her turn came, but she finally came closer to inspect those hot pink sunglasses. Her cleaning went smoothly, and we only encountered some major resistance when the dentist came in to check things out.

The tooth bags were a huge hit, along with all the loot they got to put inside them. I breathed a huge sigh of relief as we walked out the door, and felt happy they did so well. Now, the only thing about the dentist, is that you have to take them back in 6 months!!

{obsession}

We seem to have collected a new member of the family over the past few weeks, and she is definitely the most popular of all. She comes with us to church, rides in the car, plays a major part of the bedtime routine, helps brush teeth, and is quite entertaining in some way most of the day.

I don't really know how the selection process was made, but something about Dora the Explorer has captured my girls' attention in every possible way. When we go to the library, every.single.book they check out is about her. "Swiper, no swiping!", "Oh, man!", "Map", "Backpack", and "Boots" are a regular part of their vocabulary, and usually is a part of any ongoing conversation with either one of them.

Watching them has brought me back to my childhood, when it was all about Strawberry Shortcake. Man, she had style!

Oh my, how I loved her. I had the dolls, a breakfast tray (still have it), ate the cereal, watched the show, and my mom even made me a Strawberry Shortcake costume. I adored her, and I have to admit, when she came back into circulation a few years ago, I really wanted to buy something!

So, I'm perfectly happy to indulge this childhood rite of passage. I remember exactly what it's like.

{nativity 2008}

We had a great time this year, but it took at least seven takes to get all the way through! I came to realize that trying to act out the nativity with 2 two year olds does not lend itself to order, or reverence in any way. But you know what? I wouldn't change it for a thing!

{merry christmas}

We got down to the wire (due to several unforeseen challenges along the way), but our last two projects are finally complete! We are ready!!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you each have a wonderful holiday, spent with family and friends.

{santa}

We made our annual trip to the Santa House this afternoon. I firmly believe in Santa Claus, however, I do know that since he can't be everywhere, especially this close to Christmas, there are helpers that fill in for him. Sometimes these helpers don't quite fill his shoes, but our kids are always excited nonetheless. Just the fact that they are able to sit on his lap, whisper their secret wishes, and feel the excitement in the air makes it worth the frigid temperatures, long lines, and the occasional lack-luster Santa Claus.

This visit was different though. He was jolly. His eyes twinkled, and his dimples were merry. His belly shook when he laughed. He had very real hair, with a very real beard, both as white as snow (Ryan even tested it!). He put his head close to theirs, spoke about Christmases past, and the Christmas yet to come. He carefully placed candy in their pockets, and happily smiled for pictures. Kate and Emma each climbed up eagerly into his lap (which I didn't think Emma would do), and told him what they wanted when he asked (a dolly). He even drew in Ryan, who had asked me earlier if he had to sit on Santa's lap.

As we left, we all turned to each other, and wondered if maybe...just maybe...we had been lucky enough to cross paths with Santa himself.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

{one week}

I'm not ready for Christmas.

It's not that my presents aren't wrapped (okay, they're not--Rick and I wrap them together on Christmas Eve, per tradition), or that I have 2 unfinished projects (almost done!). It's not even that I have peppermint bark and English toffee to make and deliver, or that I still need to make one last trip to the post office.

I'm not ready for Christmas, because that means it will be over. The best part of Christmas comes before the day even arrives. It comes in the form of making gingerbread houses, rolling out sugar cookies, cutting down a Christmas tree, decorating the house, visiting the Santa House, shopping for just the right gift, Christmas caroling, parties with friends and family, lights on every corner, advent calendars, nightly Christmas stories, Christmas music on the radio, candy canes, and friends stopping by. It's service projects, sharing trees, nativities, and special traditions.

I don't know why I'm feeling more this way this year than other years, but perhaps it's that life seems to be going so quickly. It's like I blink my eyes and the fall is over, and then one more blink and it's the week before Christmas!

Does this mean I'm getting old?

Never mind. Don't answer that.

{the apple and the tree}

Do you ever have those moments with your kids, when you look at them, and it's just like looking at yourself?

Reading has long been a passion of mine. I have always been a voracious reader, and even since I was a small child, I could never get enough. I read everywhere--in the car, at the kitchen table while I was eating (I would even resort to the phone book or the cereal box in times of desperation), literally anywhere and anytime I could. My junior library card allowed me to check out 10 books at a time, and I would read those in a day or two. We usually went once a week, and I would end up either reading those books over again, or pulling some of my favorites off the shelf until I was able to go again. Even now, whenever we move to a new town, the first thing I check out is the library. Once it passes the test, I know I can live there!

I have always hoped that this love of books would pass on to my children, and while all of them have a keen interest, Emma is the most like me of all. She is fascinated by any and all books, and has to carry them around everywhere she goes. She doesn't limit herself though, and has even acquired a taste for magazines, catalogs, and the occasional cookbook.

Recently I had her with me at the library, and I happened to be in the Young Adult literature section looking for a specific book. Emma pulled down a book from the shelf to look at, and it happened to be a teen suspense novel--not a picture to be found. She insisted on checking it out, and I (not wanting to cause a scene with a 2 year old about checking out a teen book, and after quickly perusing the pages for any unseemly material) let her. Over the next few days it traveled with us to the grocery store, church, and anywhere we needed to be. She would open the book, look at the words on the page, then turn to the next page, seemingly soaking up every bit of it. We even found her early one morning in the rocking chair, sitting all by herself, turning page by page, and totally absorbed.

So, when she insists on reading my sewing magazine over her morning bowl of Cheerios, hefting 10 books to read in church, or is begging me to read "one more", I just smile--because I know just how she feels.

{vintage family nativity...circa 2006}

We have a tradition of acting out the Nativity on Christmas Eve. For a long time it was just the three of us, and then when we had the girls, all of a sudden our available actors doubled! The year of 2006 is hands down our favorite--we love to watch it over and over. We were in the townhouse we lived in while we were building our house, and Kate and Emma were 8 months old.

We decided that Mary would be played by Kate (thus freeing me to actually film it), and that Emma would be baby Jesus. Now strategically, we should have had Kate be baby Jesus, because she wasn't crawling yet (and a little more calm). But her little round face just exuded the feeling of Mary, so we went with it. Lo and behold, Emma actually stayed where she was supposed to stay!

Please don't mind my narration--I was laughing so hard at some points that I could barely get the words out, but really, I'm just lucky that I made it through. This is certainly not a perfect video, nor are our costumes or acting, but I will always treasure it. It captures a moment in time that I never want to forget.


Merry Christmas!

{week in review}

This week...

-I don't think I sat down between the hours of 6:30am and 2 or 3am, with the exception of a couple nights.

-I went without a shower at least 3 of those days (okay, please don't tell me I'm the only one--there has to be other busy moms out there that also have those days!).

-I made more food in 4 days than I usually do in twice that amount of time.

-I bought more than 30 yards of fabric to be used over a 2 day span.

-I got 9 children up, ready, and to church on time--at 9am. (okay, so it was really like 9:02am, but I am counting it!) I could barely see Rick way down at the end of the 11 chairs we took up.

-The community Christmas concert I organized turned out beautifully.

-I didn't get one thing done for Christmas.

Why you ask?

First of all, our good friends went on a 4 day trip this week, and their six kids stayed with us while they were gone. Yes, that makes nine children! They are really great kids, and were very well-behaved (just the normal kid stuff!), and I can't say enough good things about them. But nine kids is nine kids, and let's just say I have a much greater appreciation for mothers that do it on a regular basis. I was so happy to help, and to have them stay (and I would do it again too!), and of course my kids thought they were in heaven. I also now know how much spaghetti to make to feed that many people. :)

This week was also our church's annual Nativity Exhibit, where we set up, display, and take down over 500 nativities and corresponding decorations in every room of the building in 6 days. I am one of the organizers of it, which means every day and every night is dedicated to making sure it's successful. It's a lot of hard work, and a lot of late nights, but it's something I believe in very strongly, and I love it so much, that it's completely worth it.

Next week's gotta be a lot slower, right?

{o christmas tree}

One of my favorite family traditions is cutting down our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. For years we were in school, and it was both frugality and necessity that required an artificial tree. I was grateful and happy we had it, but I knew as soon as we could, we would have fresh ones. There is something so homey about the smell of fresh pine permeating your home--I love it!

The tree farm we like has a huge barn, filled with sample trees, saws for you to cut down your tree with, and beautiful green wreaths for sale. We always decide which type of tree we want (I like the softer, longer needles...my favorite is Concolor Fir, but since they didn't have them this year, we went with White Pine), then we hop on the hayride that takes us to that particular section of trees. Of course this is the kids favorite part, and they love that the tractor is so huge!
Now the hard part. I take forever to choose which tree I want, and Rick is very patient as he helps me go through the options. Tall and skinny? Short and plump? What's a girl to do?! In the end I always realize that imperfection is charming, and I find a tree that is just right for us.

This year we are going to be famous--as famous as being in our little town's paper gets you! We were approached by a young reporter as we arrived at the tree farm, and he said he was looking for a family to follow as they cut down their tree, then decorated it at home. He asked if we would be willing to be that family, and frankly, I couldn't think of a reason not to. If anything, it would be fun to have someone take a lot of pictures of our family (hopefully he'll give me the ones he doesn't use too), and document this tradition. We were supposed to act natural, but really, who can act totally natural when there is a camera two feet away snapping picture after picture? The girls were oblivious of course, and the rest of us just did our best. He will becoming to our house on Sunday afternoon for decorating the tree and making sugar cookies, and since we extended the invitation to his wife, hopefully she will come too. I hope he's ready!