A Day in the Life

Halloween Photos

2008-11-04T20:35:00.006-06:00

Dad's Girlfriend P and Sister-in-Law J

Burbles

The kids

Our family

Grumpa with the kids

WDW

Burbles, P, Grumpa, and WDW

Grumpa and P

Captain, Fiona, and Burbles

Fiona

Ready for Trick-or-Treating

WDW wasn't terribly happy.

Burbles walking on the lawn

Captain and Fiona playing follow the leader.

Pretty girl

WDW and GGMa

Burbles with GGMa

Fiona kissing Burbles

Yumm

WDW and Captain

Burbles was terribly tired after running about and collecting candy

Captain and Burbles with Grandpa G

Captain

Fiona and Great GMa

Captain and Great GMA

Our Front Yard

2008-11-04T14:06:00.005-06:00

So, one of our huge projects this summer was to put in a new front yard. When I say that, what I really mean is that we took out whatever you would call what we had before and put in a front yard. It was a huge undertaking and because of equipment and the inability to do the project ourselves without waiting for sixteen years to get it done, it was expensive. We ended up getting a few bids from area contractors but ended up going with Horizon Landscaping from the Rochester, Minnesota area. I would recommend them to everyone. I will spare you the day by day progress photos that I had so much fun taking and I will give you the before and afters. It is amazing what can be done by three men and a machine in six short workdays!

Holy Cow

2008-11-03T19:57:00.003-06:00

So, today we woke up. Burbles hasn't been feeling well for almost a week. She started with this huge bump on her leg where she had her 18 month immunizations. I wasn't terribly concerned, but she said it hurt. Then, the day after I called the nurse about that, she started with a fever. At times it was high (over 104) and she was grouchy and clingy and sleepy. Overnight last night her fever broke. I was excited about this, because I was hoping to NOT have to take her to the doctor. Then I changed her diaper... She was rash everywhere. So, I called the nurse and the nurse said that she should be seen. Fundi was working today, so that left me and the kids, which was fine, but I had to move. I got them both dressed and we walked out the door less than a half an hour later. Pretty good huh? We got to the appointment on time and everyone was OK. The nurse said that she was impressed that I would take two little ones out on the town by myself. I was proud and a little happy that someone recognized this amazing feat. The doctor checked her out and said "Roseola" a virus which starts as a high fever for around 4-5 days which starts and ends suddenly with a lack of other viral symptoms. After the fever breaks, a rash appears first on the torso and then on the full body. This rash could last up to 5 days but should not itch or bother. No treatment necessary. Symptoms unrelated to vaccines.
We left the clinic and I was feeling pretty good. Both the kids were being relatively well-behaved (we have had major melt-downs for the past few days--I attribute these to not feeling well, in general, and maybe a lack of sleep or maybe just coming down off the Halloween candy buzz) and we didn't have any major illnesses, just a little virus. We decided that we were hungry and needed to get lunch and then do our minimal shopping. As we were driving, I asked Captain what he would like for lunch either Red Robin or Olive Garden. He said Red Robin, so I pulled in the parking lot. Captain was thrilled, he knows that Red Robin has balloons. Now, dining with two toddlers as an only adult is something that is ever-changing and is rarely mastered, so I attempt different tactics every time. This particular time, I asked the waitress if I could go with the kids to the bathroom while she got the highchairs and table set up. That was OK with her, so we all went. I was able to fit everyone in the handicapped stall, change a diaper, have Captain go potty and go potty myself. We washed up and were headed out the bathroom door when Burbles decided that she didn't want to leave the bathroom. (I think she was looking at the TV in the mirror or maybe the TV on the wall, but I can't say for sure.) I was holding both of their hands and we were going out the bathroom door when Burbles threw herself down on the floor. I heard a few "pop, pop"s and then screaming. Not knowing whether the screaming was because she was hurt or because she was mad she didn't get her way, we returned to our table. We sat down and we colored a little and ordered our food and Burbles cried some more. All the while, I watched her behavior. I quickly noticed that she wasn't using her right hand or arm at all. I didn't know what to do, but I thought that observation while eating was a good way to know if she was truly hurt or not. She ate her apples with her left hand and made me feed her the corndog. When she moved (voluntarily or involuntarily) her arm, she would cry and whimper. We ate quickly and grabbed our balloons on the way out. Captain picked Orange. Burbles picked purple. I took them to the van and tied the balloons to the seat and strapped the kids in. Before Captain was strapped in, he pulled the string of his balloon and it flew up into the sky. So there was crying. I strapped him in and went and got another balloon for him. Burbles was happy with her balloon (held in her left hand). I called the Pediatric nurse and asked what I should do. We made an appointment with Dr. VDL, who is their normal doctor, at 2:10 (only an hour and a half after leaving the clinic the first time). I felt like a dope. So, we drove around for a while. Burbles managed to fall asleep, but only a short while later, Captain burst his balloon. He screamed about that for a good twenty minutes. Finally we went to the clinic, and even though we were half an hour early, I hoped to get in early and I hoped that we could help Burbles to feel better sooner rather than later. Dr. VDL saw Burbles early (what a cool doctor, honestly) and did an assessment of her condition. He didn't tell me what he was doing, only that he was trying to understand what was going on. There was a lot of screaming, many tears, and a lot of hugging and then a little "pop". Dr. VDL said that Burbles had nursemaid's elbow, or a dislocated elbow. She is more likely to have a recurrance, now, and she is not to be lifted by her arms or swung or dragged around or anything of the sort, if at all possible. After fixing her elbow, Burbles was like brand new again. She was running around and picking up books and acting like nothing had ever happened. Dr. VDL said not to beat ourselves up about it, even if it happens again and again. Just to be careful. The rest of the day was OK. Burbles ended up popping her balloon too. We finally got home at 6, just as Fundi was getting home as well. The kids have been asleep since 6:30.

The Results

2008-10-20T20:52:00.003-05:00

Well, it is the day after... and I am happy. Even more happy that I have had pretty good results tonight as well. Captain is in bed or on his floor or by the door or wherever he may have fallen asleep. He is safe and sleeping. Mommy is happy. As for the morning: Fundi got home at 6 this morning and Captain was awake. Fundi went and changed his pull-up and took him back downstairs. I woke up at about 7:20. At about 7:30, I thought I heard someone, so I went and looked. I knocked on his door so as not to startle him but then I heard something in the other room. Burbles was awake, so I got her and listened while Captain snored right next to the door. He must have fallen asleep with his head next to the door because he was pretty loud. Burbles and I came upstairs and at about 7:45, Captain woke up. I'm terribly impressed! He and I were both in a much better mood today. We were hanging out, reading books, laughing, playing... just like we are supposed to and no one was short of sleep. Naps went well today too. I can only hope that we are turning a new leaf as far as the sleeping situation is going to go.
More news: we have a trip planned for December to Branson, Missouri. On a whim today, I called the resort we will stay at and asked if we should purchase show and activity tickets prior to arrival or look for deals once we actually arrive. Thankfully, I called... unfortunately the answer was that we should get our tickets prior to arrival as most shows are sold out during the Holiday season. This means that we have to make decisions, but in looking on the Internet and researching all of the things there are to do, I get more and more excited about the trip. Anyhow, that is what I'm working on right now. Oh, and I'm watching Baby Mama and Heroes tonight. We are going to the zoo this week! I'm excited, but so are the kids. Last night while we were in town, the American Queen was ported. I took the kids down to look and watch the beautiful boat. Today Captain was able to tell me what we had done yesterday. He told me how the boat lowered its smoke stacks and played the calyapy as it left the port. The kids were swaying to the rhythm and Captain even recognized one of the songs and sang along. It is so neat when little things like this happen and we are able to take the time to recognize new events and things that are going on. I can't help but think of other families and how they would deal with such things. Would they be too busy to pull over and walk in the park when something neat is going on or would they be ahead of the game and have planned for such events. Do people with kids play things by ear or is it necessary to plan every minute? Sure, we were late in getting dinner and we were late in getting home and we were late in getting to bed, but I would like to think that Captain, and maybe Burbles, got a little something out of the experience. Those are the types of things that are fun for me as a mom. The unplanned (or planned) learning experiences.

Recent Photos of the kids

2008-10-20T19:59:00.001-05:00

Locking Him In

2008-10-19T21:28:00.003-05:00

I think that I need to start from somewhere and I will start with the latest episode of trauma. Captain (he needs a new name, or maybe not) recently upgraded from crib to big-boy-bed. This was all a result of his learning to climb out of the crib and then a week after that, learning to open the door. This past week he has started writing the book that every little kid reads: "1001 Excuses on Why I HAVE To Get Out of Bed". He tries each and every one out at least once per evening. Last night, his biggest excuse was that "I just need to cry, Mommy." It breaks my heart, but it irritates me as well. Add to that, I was suffering from a partial migraine and Fundi was at a banquet. It was not a pretty night... So, after discussing the situation with Fundi, this afternoon I decided to take the kids to town and buy those door knob child proofers. Now, I'm not all for locking kids in rooms, but I have seen Super Nanny recommend putting a child in a room and letting him or her fall asleep wherever they are just so long as they did not come out of the room. So, in hopes of making my life a little more sane and allowing everyone a peaceful evening, I put those knobers on tonight. I explained how they worked and let him know that he would NOT be coming upstairs once he was put in bed. He screamed and cried. After about 15 minutes, I checked on him and put him back in bed. He screamed and cried. After about 15 minutes, I checked on him and put him back in bed. He screamed and cried, and then it was quiet. About 45 minutes later, he screamed and cried again. I went down to check on him and he must have fallen asleep by the door and woke up there. I put him back down and he gladly stayed in bed.
Now, the other part of the problem occurs in the morning: Captain wakes up before the sun even comes up. He is up sometimes as early as 5:45, but definitely by 6. This irritates me as well. Now, people have told me to just put the kids to bed later (their normal bedtime is 7pm) and they will wake up later, but in my experience (and we have tried quite a few times, as the 7pm bedtime is flexible from fun extracurricular events) this is definitely NOT true. What really happens (at least with my kids) is that they wake up at the same times and they are short on sleep and terribly cranky. Then, they do not take naps that are longer than normal either. This all adds up to unhappy kids and unhappy Mom.
We'll see how things go. My plan for the morning is to go down and check on him when he wakes up and change his pull-up. Then, I will put him back in his room. He can play or do whatever he wants, but I will only be going to get him at 7am. I'll keep you posted.
As far as the rest of life goes, things are busy. You probably guessed from the lack of posts. I miss blogging. I really enjoy it, but once you stop, it is hard to get back in to because of all the things that have been missed.
A little update on each of the kids:
Captain is now 30 months. He is a big boy and he is basically potty trained during the day. I am thankful for this. He tells us when he needs to go. We have allowed him to experiment with going in different places (off the deck, in a hole, over the ledge of our retaining wall, etc) in hopes that he will be comfortable enough to pee in less than perfect circumstances. It has worked so far and even though he is nowhere close to being trained through the night, we only use one pull-up a day during his nap and it is almost always dry.
Burbles is now 18 months. She is getting so big and is just a delight. She is a happy little girl most of the time and is really easy going especially when it comes to her brother. She is such a beautiful little girl. She is happy to smile at almost anyone and is getting pretty good at interacting with strangers. She is also really good at giving hugs and kisses. She is totally into clothes and will put on any random clothes that are around, especially when I am folding laundry.
Fundi has been working and being a good dad. We had a terribly busy summer. We took a two week vacation to North Carolina and then we tore out our front deck and shrubs and hired a landscaper to make us a real yard. Then we painted the rest of the deck. HUGE Changes around our house this summer. I can't wait to show you photos. But, until later...

Vacation... have to get away

2008-06-30T19:27:00.008-05:00

Ok, so I am back... We went on vacation for twelve days and we had a great time. Now, I don't know if there is anyone still reading, but I will start posting day by day photo essays of our trip and hopefully that will be fun for all of us.... so, here goes.

The first day, Father's Day, June 15th, we left after having brunch with Fundi's parents (after church). It was the perfect light get-you-on-the-road type breakfast. And, as many of you probably know, there were road closures throughout Wisconsin because of the terrible rains and floods we have been having here. Particularly in the Wisconsin Dells/Lake Delton area... more on that later. We would have thought that we would have been a little further into Illinois, but as it was, we only made it to Rockford before we had to get a room and put the kids to sleep. It was by far the earliest we got a hotel the rest of the trip, but it was a good start. We were on the road for about 6 hours that day, and we only took photos of us on the road, so that is what you see here:

The following day, June 16th, we left Rockford and drove some more. And we drove, and we drove. Illinois is a VERY long state to travel from top to bottom, but that is what we did. We ended up going through Kentucky and ending up in Nashville, Tennessee that evening. We had requested a room with a divider so that we were able to put the kids to sleep and then hang out past 8:00 with the TV on. So, that is what we got. And it worked well. As a matter of fact, I think we got pretty spoiled while we were on the road. We were able to find great rooms at a really reasonable price, as long as we didn't hold out for the super beautiful hotels.

That day we spent about 12 hours on the road. We left by about 9am, after breakfast, and checked in about 9pm. It was a long day and the kids spent a lot of time in their car seats, but it was really great to finally wake up the next morning and be able to stay where we were going to be for two nights.

Nashville was a good time. We drove around near the Grand Old Opry the next morning before anything was open. Then we decided that we would find something to do. We went to the Nashville Zoo. It turned out to be the perfect place to take the kids and walk around and spend some of that energy the kids had from the days of being stuck in the van. When we entered the zoo we got a map, as is customary. After walking shaded paths for a while, we came to an opening. To the right of the opening there was this huge (66,000 square feet, I think) play area for the kids. The kids were able to run around and be free. There was even an area that was completely padded with mats for the little kids. Burbles just learning to walk really enjoyed this area. She was able to fall and lay down and giggle when she fell instead of being on a hard surface. The zoo continued to impress us through our whole visit. It was well layed out and broken up into manageable sections with facilities located in the center. The other thing that really impressed us was the great shaded areas. It made me feel better about having the kids outside in the fresh air without worrying about over exposing them to the sun. I'm happy to say that no one got too much sun on the entire trip. There was also a carousel that we were able to ride. It had beautiful animals and the kids had a good time. It was so cool to see the kids so very excited about the animals. The zoo and the animals themselves looked very well cared for and they seemed to have plenty of area to move around, which is something that makes going to a zoo better than seeing animals in cages.

After the zoo, we went and took a nap in the hotel. Then we went to the Aquarium restaurant for a splurge on dining. We had a really good time and had a great waitress. It was neat to watch the fish swimming by as we ate.

That is the end for now, I'll write more soon.

A few photos to tide you over...

2008-06-14T23:01:00.002-05:00

Burbles
Captain
Burbles and Captain with (psudo) Grandma P.
Upside Down.
Fiona and Captain... couldn't they be siblings?

Dear Burbles -- Month 14

2008-06-14T22:44:00.002-05:00

Dear Burbles,
I'm sorry I didn't write for Month 13. I have kind of been on vacation from blogging. I don't really have a reason, just that I haven't felt like doing it. I'm sorry. You are worth a better excuse than that, but I do not have one for you.
Watching you grow and change has been so great lately. You have such a wide range of facial expressions and you use them to convey what you are trying to say. You have such joy in your eyes, or anger in your brow, or light in your smile, or curiosity in your scowl. You really aren't talking with your voice a whole lot, but you sure do talk with your face. Oh, and you really let us know if something is wrong. You have no trouble using a high-pitched squawk if you are having problems with your brother or if you just do not like the situation. You are a girl who knows what you want. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you shouldn't want something that you know is right. As far as verbal communication goes, you say "Hi, da.", "All done", "Duck", and "Hat". Hopefully you will start saying more soon.
Physically, you are walking. In this past week you have finally started to really walk. You now choose to walk instead of crawl, which is a step (pun intended) in the right direction. You really get around well and you are becoming more confident in yourself. Today you started crawling up on things. You are exploring your ability to climb onto the couch and chairs. Your brother even allows you to walk without pushing you down. The two of you seem to be getting along a little better now that you are able to defend yourself more. Biting was and is the way that you seem to have gotten ahead of your brother's meanness. Now, I do not condone this behavior, but I think that it has taught him that if he bites you, you can bite him back. You two bit each other for a few weeks before you seemingly called a truce. I hope you don't continue to bite now that that stage is over, but I'm sure somewhere down the line you will. Biting is not nice.
We will be going on vacation for a while sometime before I write your next letter. I can't wait for you to see all of the things that we will see. You will have fun, I'm sure. We'll talk more about that later, though.
You are getting bigger and stronger and more fun each and every day.
We love you more each day,
Mom

To be Catholic

2008-04-21T12:21:00.003-05:00

I just loved this post on The Other Lion and I had to take a chance to reply.
My husband, having not been brought up in the church (any religion), really made me upset the first time we went to church together on a regular Sunday. I think that the first time we went to church together was for my Mom's funeral, but since then I have been going every Sunday. Anyhow, so what happened is this: I am Catholic. Fundi hadn't been to church for anything other than weddings or funerals, and was pretty clueless about the Catholic "Rules" of church-going. More specifically, he was clueless about how close you could sit to the alter without standing out like a sore thumb. Now, my family had always gone to church. I had three sisters and the six of us would sit about four or five pews from the back of the church, always on the right side as you walk in. When my (soon to be) husband marched me up to the front of church and sat in the third pew from the front, I was REALLY irritated. I gave him the silent treatment through church and then afterward he asked what the problem was. I said that I felt like I was a freak-on-parade being march up to the front of church for an average Sunday service. I explained that only people who were holier than holy sit that close and that I didn't want to stand out. He explained his reasoning: if other people were in front of him, he couldn't see and therefore couldn't concentrate on what was going on and what was being said. I, personally do not have this problem and couldn't agree with his reasoning. Get some Ritalin, already! I do know that there are some people who do have this problem, but I would not think that my husband would be one of those people. He is the one who has too much concentrating power, if you ask me. He can stare at a book, the TV, a video game, whatever, and a bomb could go off but he would not typically recognize that anything other than what he is involved in is happening around him. The next week he did the same thing. And so it went.
Fast forward about two years. Captain was colicky and needed to know what was going on (and still does). For once, I was happy to be going to the front. Captain could see what was going on and I could at least get a little bit out of the service.
Fast forward another two years. Captain and Burbles have a great relationship with our priest. Every (Saturday or) Sunday we sit four pews from the front of the church on the right side as you are going in. Captain even knows exactly where to go. The same entourage of people sit near us every Sunday. This includes my father, his Girlfriend, and Fundi's Mom. They are our helpers. Then there is the police officer, the beautiful family, and a few others who round out the happy crowd who are happy to help out in a time of crisis. This sitting up front business is kinda fun now. The kids enjoy being near the same people week after week. Mostly, though, are the people who watch the kids from afar. They talk to me after mass (or in the gas station) about how well behaved (HAHAHAHAHA) our children are and how nice it is to watch them every week. They are NOT good for Fundi and I, but they are good for those other people to whom they make their rounds on Sunday. Sometimes they even go to communion with other people. These other people enjoy having the kids around. Even the Father R talks to the kids specifically when he is giving his sermon. I feel for the most part that it is welcome for us to sit up front. Oh, I know, there are those people who feel that we should be back in the "Cry Room", but for the most part I think most of the other church-goers have been there and done that, and they are happy to see a young family so active in the church. There are only about three other couples who attend our church regularly who are under thirty. I thank them for that. I thank them for being understanding and I thank them for helping us out during church, because, as most parents know: children behave better for other people than they do for their parents.
We'll see you Sunday, same time, same place.

Dear Captain--month 24

2008-04-18T10:20:00.003-05:00

Hi Sweetie,

You are TWO! I can't believe it. It has gone by so quickly. I remember thinking, when we brought you home, that if we could take you back to the hospital and drop you off until you stopped crying, that would be just great. I'm glad we didn't, but don't think that sometimes I don't want to take you somewhere and just drop you off for a while. I don't think that it would last long. I get at least one good laugh out of you daily. Yesterday, your Birthday, you were talking to me. I was washing off your face after having lunch (Sweet and Sour Chicken and Crab Rangoons) you told me "Just Relax". Now, I don't know that I use that phrase often, I'm sure every once in a while when someone here is being a little high-strung, it gets used, but to hear it coming out of your mouth just about had me rolling on the floor.

These days you have been growing up so much. You love looking at catalogs that we get in the mail. You sit and look at all the pictures and talk about what is going on in them. You are learning your colors. Orange is one that you have down. The others, well, they are kinda fuzzy. When we look at books and I ask you to point to something that is, say, red, you can do that, but when I ask you "What color is the ball?" Unless it is orange (and sometimes if it is purple), you really just spout off a color. You always get the idea, though, even if the answers are wrong. I'm amazed at how you figured it out so quickly. When asked "How many?" You always give us a number, too.

Your language skills are amazing. Even the doctor was impressed at how well you dictate what you say. The doctor was also impressed at how well you did during your appointment. When you got your finger pricked for blood draw, you said "Ow." and then sat patiently while they took your blood. Nothing more. You are pretty laid back that way. You don't let much phase you, unless it has something to do with your sister playing with something that you were possibly going to play with in the next, oh, three years. Then you get a little emotional.

You have added a few things to your bedtime routine. Other than the standard brush teeth, flouride, get dressed, say prayers, Glowy, Tiger, Blanket, you have added "Sweet dreams. I love you." Melt my heart, honestly.

You really enjoy having your Guppy around. In the mornings (most mornings, anyway) Guppy comes to your room and gets you out of your crib. You are living downstairs together. Then, you sit with Guppy on the bottom of the stairs and look out the picture window and watch the birds and the trains. It is darling and I'm glad that you have had this opportunity to spend some time with him. You are always right there, ready to greet him when he comes up the stairs, and you are always looking for him when you wake up from your nap. He will be leaving on Tuesday, and like a protective parent, I do not want you to have to say goodbye to someone you have grown to love.

You really enjoyed your birthday party. The cake was a big hit, as were the presents. It was so neat to watch all of your excitement. It was really sweet when you went to people and thanked them for the gifts they had given you as well. You are good with your manners like that. You say please, no thanks, thank you, you're welcome.

Your obsession with the outdoors has become, well, just that, an obsession. On your Birthday Party Day, we had a Pelican migration come through on the Mississippi River. You were in awe of these huge birds flying around and landing on the water. You watch them and watch them. You also watch the trains, semis, school buses, amulances, and pick-up trucks. You also can tell some birds apart. You know the difference between a pelican, a robin, a duck, and a goose. You really know your animals as well. It is amazing to listen to you go through some of your books and name everything that is in the whole book. I was amazed yesterday when you put together two puzzles from the library, without help, even though those were the first real puzzles that you had ever been exposed to. I can only hope that your fascination with learning continues the rest of your life. I also hope your excitement for life helps you through those inevitable tough times.

On your second birthday, you sang Happy Birthday to your sister. You are self-less that way and I don't know that you recognize yourself apart from her. This brings me to tears. You are such a good boy and I hope that we can look at you in fifteen years and know that you are still the same kid you always were... maybe with just a little more attitude.

We love you more today than yesterday,

Mommy

Dear Burbles -- Month 12

2008-04-13T19:45:00.002-05:00

HI Honey,
I can't believe that today is your one year birthday! The time has gone by so quickly, but the days sometime seem to stand still. It is amazing to see how much you have grown and changed over the course of a year.
You still aren't saying much. The doctor said (at your 1 year appointment on the 14th) that you need to say five words at fifteen months, or he wants to know about it. Hopefully we will not have to worry about it, but your brother was the same way. He wasn't saying much at a year, but by 15 months, look out. You will get there. You are so cute in the couple of things you do say. You say "all done" and "Hi, Da" and "Yeah". You are understanding more and more each day. I think a lot of it is our fault, though. We have to split our time between you two and Nibble and Fiona, so we don't get to drill you as much as we would like.
As far as your physical developments go... you took your first two steps today, on your birthday! It was so sweet. There you were, standing in the middle of the floor, and you picked up your foot like it was a peg and then your other foot and you took two steps toward me. I was tickled.
We have had Guppy around since Gummie passed away, and you and Guppy have become pals. You are terribly cute with him. He calls you his little flirt and says that the boys better watch out. You crawl near Guppy and smile real big like you want him to pick you up and then when he comes closer to you, you turn and crawl away really quickly. When you get a safe distance away from Guppy, you flop on the floor and turn toward Guppy and bat your eyelashes and smile coyly at him. It is really precious to watch you interact with your Great-Grandfather this way. I enjoy how involved he is in spending time with you while he is here.
We are going to start working with you more to get you napping on your own. I can't continue to take daily naps with you, as much as I would like to. You have continued to sleep well at night, but you wake up in the morning at five and you want to be held until the rest of the house wakes up. You nibble on your bottle and nap on and off. I enjoy this time with you.
We had your birthday party on your birthday. You shared your birthday with Gummie. You also share your birthday with DeDe. The party was for You, DeDe, Captain, and Buca. You really didn't know what to do with the cupcake we set in front of you. You licked some of the frosting off. About a half an hour later, you started to crush the cupcake. You didn't really eat much of it. That is OK. You have been enjoying the strawberries lately. You can eat five or more at one sitting. I would say that your favorite foods are cheese, strawberries, and cheerios or bread.
Update: On the 14th, the day after your birthday, we had your one year check-up. You did really well. The pediatrician was so surprised that you were willing to sit on the table and be examined by him. He said that in all his years of work, he has never seen or dealt with two kids other that you and Captain who sat through their one year physical exam on the table and not on their parent's laps. I was so proud of you. The doctor also said that you look really healthy. You are 20lbs 6oz and 28 3/4 inches tall! You hold the 50th percentile in all things. You are my little peanut.
I love you so much.
We love you more today than yesterday,
Mommy

Gummie

2008-03-24T13:52:00.003-05:00

Now, many of you (if there is anyone left reading this blog, at all...) have heard me write about Gummie. She is my mom's mom. And two weeks ago yesterday she had a bi-lateral stroke and congestive heart failure. Last Sunday I went to visit her in California. On Saturday, while our family was hunting Easter Eggs in eight inches of fresh wet snow, she passed away. Strangely enough, at this time, I seem to have a bunch of photoesque memories of her even though I don't know how many memories I hold onto of my Mom. This saddens me. I know my blog has been bleak lately, but that is the way my life is going right now. It seems that all of these things are happening.

Memories:

I see Gummie. I am maybe four or five. She is teaching me about all of the parts of the body that need to be washed while I am in the bathtub. Specifically, and seemingly most importantly, behind the ears.

I see Gummie. She and Mom are waiting for me to take photos with other prom-goers. Then we drive to dinner. She says how beautiful my dress is.

I see Gummie. She is doing this dance we call the camel dance. Moving alternately, heel up heel down. Hands tucked in front like a bunny holding an Easter Basket. Comical.

I see Gummie and Guppy. They were dancers. I would watch and watch as they moved so gracefully around the dance floor. Those nights were torturous to a teenaged girl who wanted nothing to do with Country music.

I see Gummie. She is getting ready to go out. I can see all of her beautiful perfume bottles sitting on her dresser. I see her planning out her outfit and her jewelry.

I see Gummie. She is adamant that I tell her something, although she refuses to tell me what. Over a month later, I will find out that the psychic we went to see together has told her that I am pregnant (true) or will be pregnant in two weeks or less. She was adamant that I must have known, but I had no idea.

I see Gummie. She is playing bingo. She is waiting for her number to be called. She has all her lucky gadgets surrounding her. She says the appropriate things when certain numbers are called.

I see Gummie. She is chewing ice. I, personally, believe that this is one of the most annoying habits in the world. It is disruptive and impolite. Strangely enough, Gummie was a chronic ice chewer even though she was one of the most proper women I know.

I see Gummie. She has her head near my Mom's. Mom is sick. Gummie has tears in her eyes and is terribly sad. I see pain and hurt. I see love.

I see Guppy. I see Guppy talking tenderly to his wife of over fifty years. She is unresponsive and has been for days. The future is unsure but undeniable. He is tender. His love is evident.

There are so many more memories that I think of in this time of sadness.

I will not bore you with the details of my trip or any more of my sadness, but I will leave you with this. This is the photo that I took as I was leaving the hospital as I said Good Bye to Gummie for the last time before she passed. Strangely enough, the moon plays an important part in the photo if you look closely. It is as though there are three dimensions to life and this picture is able to depict those dimensions.

Dear Captain -- 23 Months

2008-03-17T23:33:00.003-05:00

Dear Captain,
Hi Buddy, today is your 23 month Birthday. I am writing this to you from Gummie and Guppy's computer in California. This is the longest that I haven't been near you. I am sorry that I had to leave you guys, but I had to come out here to visit Gummie. She is not doing well and we are actually going to take her off of life support tomorrow morning. It pains me to have to tell you all of this, but Gummie is suffering and she is no longer responsive. She opens her eyes, moves her hands and shoulder, and lifts her eyebrows, but all of this is involuntary response. This trip was very important to me and I thank you guys for being understanding. Tonight I went and bought the cutest outfits for Easter on Sunday. They are matchy-matchy, but I will do it while I still can. I can't wait to see you in them.
You have been so sweet lately. You told me "Sweet Dreams" about two weeks ago when I layed you down in your bed. I just about cried. You have such an obsession with anything that moves these days. You watch every train that goes by and tell me what that train is doing ("making money", "slow down stop train", or "fast fast fast". You have seen a couple of helecopters around and are in love with them too. Your biggest physical milestone is the need to run. This means everywhere and with much abandon. You really don't care which way your legs are going and your arms go every which way. You really enjoy being outside now that it is warming up more. You run up and down the deck and cry when we drag you inside. You go go go from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep. That is, unless you are listening to the Beatle's Children's Album. You mellow and veg when we put that CD on. You especially like the songs "All You Need Is Love" and "Yellow Submarine". Comical.
You are a climber and push our limits all the time. You talk so much and most of it is funny, but some is not necessarily what we want to hear. You are into ownership right now and let everyone know when a toy is "Your name's".
You are so cute at church. You really get along well with Father and you interact with him even during service. You are so independent. You walked right up to the pew we normally sit in and sat right down. You were carrying a hymnal and walked halfway through the pew and climbed up. You just started paying more attention to the choir and director and have been conducting from your seat. You also sing, sometimes loudly, and sway when the choir is singing. It is adorable.
I love you so much and will see you in a couple of days.
Love,
Mommy

Dear Burbles -- Month 11

2008-03-13T08:15:00.003-05:00

Dear Baby Girl,
I can't believe that you are almost a year old. Where has the time gone? Every day now you become more and more involved in your world. You have been standing up all on your own, but you have yet to take your first steps. I am kinda hoping that you will walk sometime soon, even though I know I will regret saying that sometime in the near future. You are so proud when you stand by yourself and then when you sit down and everyone claps for you that you were standing, you clap too with a huge smile on your face. This past month has been a little rough and tumble for you. The bumps and bruises are more frequent now, and I am sure this is only the beginning. You are as daring as your brother. Just yesterday you got a fat lip from him headbutting you. You screamed and he felt bad, but accidents happen and you guys were playing rough on the floor. He loves to tickle you like that and you guys just laugh and laugh... until someone gets hurt. You give it back to him, though, and I love watching your interactions.
This month you started talking some. You say "Hi, Da." Dad would like to think that you say it just to him, but you say it to me too. I would like you to acquire the "Mmmm" sound sometime soon though. Then we can start working on the "mamamama". It will come. No pressure. You said "Hat on" clear as day when I was getting your winter clothes on and you spend lots of time chitter-chattering. "All done" is your expression of choice right now. You get "all done" with everything and you know how to use it correctly too. When we get down to your last bites of food, you say "all done" repeatedly. It is cute. You love giving kisses to will give them freely if asked. Sometimes they are a little sloppy but we love them anyway.
You climb the stairs like it is no one's business. You don't quite grasp the concept of edge, though, and you try to sit on the stairs but do not put your little butt on the stair. That could cause you some problems, so we watch you closely when you are on the stairs. It is getting warmer out and I can't wait for spring to be here. You enjoy being outside and I bet that you are just as anxious as the rest of us to get outside and get some fresh air.
We got some news just this past Sunday, March 9th, that your Great-Grandma Gummie had a terrible stroke and that she is in a coma out in California. I am so glad that you and your brother got to meet her before this happened. There are some nice photos of you with her and I will tell you all about her when you get older. The two of you share a birthday and she is the reason you have red hair and a fair complexion. She is also probably the reason you have a temper.
Easter is coming and I hope to get some great photos of you on this special occasion. I can't wait for your birthday party. We'll be having a joint party with Captain at least for the first few years.
Just know how much we love you, and, as Gummie would say, we love you more and more each day.
Love,
Mommy

A Long Week

2008-02-27T07:49:00.005-06:00

I don't really have all that much to tell you. I have been working on planning my Spring Bazaar. I'm excited at what is going on with it and need to start getting my things together for my table. I ended up at Kinkos yesterday making copies of Customer Specials and Hostess Specials. I then called my sister B and we met up at Olive Garden and ate lunch with the four kids and two adults. After lunch, we ventured over to Target where I intended to walk around with B as she looked for items on her list including a toddler car seat for Nibble. Now, at that time, I had a moment: I remembered that my baby girl is going to be a year old in a month in a half and that means that she gets to have a new car seat. So, now I need to go shopping. I remember how much time I spent researching and finding the perfect seat for Captain, and I know Burbles deserves just as much research, but I think it may just be easiest to buy the same seat we have for Captain. Although it is a little big, he seems very comfortable and has good head support. The car seat is also very easy to use. The car seat that I speak of is the Graco Toddler SafeSeat. This is not the exact style because apparently the style we have is no longer available. There is a cute girl pattern called Natalie, but I don't know. Anyhow, so this past weekend I was able to get away from the kids for almost a whole day to scrapbook. It was really nice and I got some pages done and it felt good to be out amongst the people of the world. Then on Sunday we went to church. It was a great sermon and maybe I'll be able to get the letter that Father read during church. Then it was such a nice day that we went to Grumpa E's house and Captain got to go on a snowmobile ride. He wasn't thrilled at first but after a couple of loops, he didn't want to get off. That night we had a Birthday party for Fundi. It was fun and I'm always so proud when things go off without a hitch. Then the week started. And I really haven't had much time to do anything since. I have gotten to watch Big Brother, though, and I would like to say that I am enjoying this season. I caught a terrible cold sometime since Sunday. It isn't terrible in that I am down and out, but I am just so congested and have a lot of head pressure. I have also had some trouble sleeping. Last night in particular was plagued with dreams of the Spring Bazaar, unpreparedness, and a lack of room for all of the vendors. All of these things I hope will not be issues, but I have been thinking about how things will play out, so all of this is understandable. I have put so much work into planning and getting vendors and sending out things to the vendors and making sure that everyone was on the same page and advertising.

Thursday night, Grumpa E came over to play with the kids in the afternoon. He was reading a book to Captain and they were talking about the pictures. One of the pictures was a puppy. Captain got all teary and his voice quivered. He got off Grumpa's lap and walked half-way to the door pointing. He said in this break-my-heart voice: "Puppy broken. Elephant broken." When I asked him to repeat what he had said, he said it again and got even more teary and sad. I was at a loss for what was happening. We had talked about any number of things including the elephant ride at the circus. Click. At the circus (4 days prior), there had been a clown during acts. The clown brought out three stuffed animals: a giraffe, a lion, and an elephant. He stood them up in a line and took out a large cardboard key. He cranked (with dramatic sound effects) the lion up and then walked around the ring marching to the music. Of course, the lion didn't follow. He kicked the lion across the ring. Then came the giraffe with the same theatrics. Third was the elephant. The clown cranked and started marching to the music, and the elephant followed. About three-quarters of the way around the ring, the elephant slowly tipped over as though running out of gas. The clown cranked the elephant again. The same thing happened. And again. Finally, the clown cranked and cranked and cranked and cranked. The ring-master asked the clown to stop so that the elephant wouldn't break. The clown didn't listen, and sure enough, every time the clown stood the elephant up and the music started, the elephant tipped over. Finally, the elephant took off and he and the clown marched around the ring. Then the clown went to the elephant and took its costume off. Here is was a little puppy. This was such a small part of the circus. Typing this story has taken longer than the act itself. Obviously, though, to a toddler, whose favorite little animals were combined into a tragic tale, this was not a small part of the circus. As I told Grumpa the story, Captain got emotional. When I asked him if this was what he was talking about, he said "yeah". Ever since, when we are talking to people about the circus, and even if we aren't, he starts talking about "Puppy broke. Elephant broke." And he still gets emotional about it. I hope he isn't traumatized. We have explained that it was just a story and that both the puppy and elephant are fine, but I have a feeling he isn't buying it.

Anyhow, I'm gonna caption these pictures and then get busy here at the house. Have a great rest of the week and I will for sure let you know how the Bazaar goes on Saturday.

Here is Nibble. This photo was taken today. A couple of weeks ago, I spied a shiny spot on his gum. Thinking that it was something that he had gotten into his mouth that he shouldn't have, I felt for it. It was hard and sharp. A tooth. I looked and there was a corresponding tooth on the other side. This is all the more reason to keep his name Nibble. He is now a vampire.
Sorry about my foot in the photo. This was this week one day. They were laying on the floor with their arms intertwined and I thought it was cute.
Look at those Baby Blues. A little model posing. His momma has him trained when the camera comes out.
The purchase from Target yesterday. It is the most perfect t-shirt for Captain. I almost cried when I saw it. I am going to save it for those particularly hard toddler days. Everything on here is true. I could fill up the whole back side of the shirt as well.
Here is a close up.

Captain getting ready for his big ride.
Captain and Grumpa E before they took off.
Coming around the first time. Not a happy camper.
Burbles didn't get a ride but she got a picture with Grumpa.
Mommy and Captain on the sled. He had a great time when we rode around. I think we could have done it for hours. I remember falling asleep on the snowmobile when I was younger.

This is the sad sight when Grumpa left for the trails. He and his girlfriend P and another couple when on a ride that afternoon. Captain chased them down the road. He kept calling "Grumpa, snowmobile ride. Grumpa, snowmobile ride." It almost made me cry.
The night of Fundi's party Grandpa G and the grand kids.
Getting ready for church. Burbles was fighting to not have to get dressed. Captain was helping chase her around with her sweater to put it on her.
One of this month's elephant photos.
When Mom's away, the kids will play. Fundi blended up some soup so that Captain would eat everything in it. By the looks of it, he enjoyed the soup.

Full Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-20T20:12:00.003-06:00

Five years ago, around this same time of year, there was a full lunar eclipse. I remember it well. I am sitting here now, five years later and watching the moon fall into the shadow of the earth and watching it slowly disappear. Captain didn't know what to think tonight. I showed him the moon as it was rising. It was a deep red-orange and it wasn't his usual "White Moon" that he looks at. He watched it rise through the trees and then it was his bed time, so I will continue to watch it for him.
The reason I remember the lunar eclipse from five years ago is this: it was the year my mom died. I was working at the Sheriff's Youth Program Home in Winona, Minnesota. For whatever reason, I was working alone that evening and was waiting for my relief. As was customary, between bed checks, I was working on paperwork, checking the internet for email and weather, and looking forward to driving home and going to sleep. I was living at my parents' house. I had graduate College that January and moved home so that I could be close to Fundi. We hadn't even talked of marriage and I didn't figure that I would ever have moved back home, but that is where I was. The Sheriff's Youth Program offered me a job in my field, although no college degree was required, so even though I was working in my field, I wasn't being paid for the degree I had. It was only a part-time job and it was over half an hour away from home, but it was something for me to do and I enjoyed the work. I was working with troubled kids. Some of them had broken the law (one had stolen an Amish Buggy in the rain so that he didn't have to walk home after his father had forgotten to pick him up from work), most of them came from broken homes, most of them needed direction and guidance, and all of them needed someone who cared. I enjoyed it. I did. I did however, get a little nervous when I was working by myself, and I did find great relief when the next shift showed up. This just happened to be a lady in her mid-thirtys who I happened to get along with really well. We both had the same sense of humor and we both wanted what was best for the kids. We had just found out that my mom was sick. Her father had died of lung cancer (quite quickly) a short time before. And, although we didn't have a diagnosis for my Mom and she had been released from the hospital, in the back of all of our minds, we were thinking the worst and hoping for the best. That night, as I was relieved, we had a long discussion about lung cancer and the best and worst case scenarios. I was pretty upset. I called Fundi and told him that I would be stopping at his house and I wanted him to come out with me and watch the moon disappear and reappear. He did so, even though I could tell he didn't particularly care about the moon. We took his truck and drove to a crushed rock parking lot. It was cold. We sat on the tailgate of his truck for at least an hour watching the moon. Little was said that night, and what was said revolved around my Mom. I remember crying that terrible silent cry that makes you feel so alone. I remember the tears stinging my cold cheeks. Fundi sat beside me and patiently held my hand. I remember feeling grateful for him not asking me to explain myself. He didn't ask why I was crying--he knew. I know that he loved Mom too. I know that he had the same fears I had (the fears that would later be confirmed by the doctors) and I know that he feared the worst (the news that would later be confirmed by the doctors) and hoped for the best (the opportunity we never had). I was so lonely even though I had Fundi. I guess there is a place in me that is still terribly lonely. It is a place that noone could ever fill no matter how much time passes.
I was quite close to Mom, as many of you probably know by know, and my favorite thing to do when I was driving home from work was to call her up and talk to her. She worked the night shift at the jail in our county, and in both my job at College and after College, I was always driving home when she was just starting her shift. If she wasn't busy, she would talk with me about how everything was going on my whole drive home (in both jobs, it was over a half an hour of driving). Many times I even stopped at the Jail and hung out with her and her co-workers into the late night hours or even early morning hours. One of my favorite passtimes after I turned 18 was to go on ride-alongs with the officers. It was so much fun. I felt adventurous and excited. Mom and I never ran out of things to talk about, and ride-alongs and other Jail news was always fun discussion. I loved hearing about the things that went on while I was away at College. Many times when I came home for visits, I would be able to jump right in to ride-along again. I don't think I would have the bravery to be an officer, but I love being a side-kick and I have so many fun and interesting stories from this strange passtime. (For a different time.)
That night of the lunar eclipse, my Mom wasn't watching. I believe she was home in bed. My drive to Fundi's house was terribly lonely. I didn't get to call Mom and tell her what I was going to be doing that evening. I stopped working at Sheriff's Youth Program when they laid me off just before my Mom passed away. After Fundi and I were married, I started a job at Wal-Mart in the same town Sheriff's Youth Program had been in. How I longed for those calls to Mom. How I longed for someone to keep me company on the way home from work after my evening shifts. And, even now after I am not working, I wonder how it would be if She were still around. I think about the comfortable routine we would fall into. After Fundi goes to work in the evenings, I can see her coming over and hanging out as we get the kids ready for bed. I can see her spending some daytime hours with us as well while Fundi sleeps. I can hear the phone calls when I need advice about the kids. She would love the kids. She would be happy for us. I feel like I was cheated. I feel like my kids were cheated. I feel like She was cheated.
And now, as the moon disappears in the shadow, I think of the great absence in the sky. Something that is ever present being hidden and taken away. Even though we can't see it, it is there, as I know she is. I guess I find a strange comfort in that just as I did on that night five years ago.

The Circus

2008-02-19T20:18:00.001-06:00

Here is the crew waiting for intermission to be over. We had a really great time at the Circus and the whole day was a great experience. It was so much fun to watch the kids having a good time. Everyone was well-behaved and attentive.
Z smiling pretty for the camera.
Fundi, Captain and Fiona rode on an elephant. Captain has been talking about it all day. I think they had a great time. No one even freaked out, which was surprising and exciting at the same time.
It was a BIG elephant. From the stands it didn't look so big, but once you were on the ground standing beside it, is was pretty tall.
Burbles and Captain sitting like big kids on the fold-out stadium chairs. Captain isn't really drinking the Pepsi, although he would have liked to have been. Fundi, Captain, Burbles waiting for the Circus to start.
Captain eating Cotton Candy. Now, typically this isn't my parenting style (to say the least), but I couldn't help but to let him indulge a little bit. I figured that he would love it, but he really didn't care much for it, and he refused to take any after about the third small bite that I gave him.
Fundi, on the other hand, enjoyed the Cotton Candy as much as I did.
Here I am with the kids.

Before we went to the Circus, we went to Chuck E. Cheese. Burbles and Captain both enjoyed the mechanical band at the front of the restaurant. We sat front and center so that it was like a kid-friendly dinner theater (a real dinner theater? now that would be a novel idea...)
Captain sat by the "Puppy". Now, I don't know what kind of puppy this was supposed to be, but I can say that we don't have much experience with mice (which is a great thing) so he just didn't know that Chuck E. Cheese was a mouse... didn't get that connection.... the cheese/mouse thing. He is too young for that yet, I think.
Burbles sitting next to him now. I don't know what she was thinking.... probably "why is this thing moving and where can I hold on"
Bob the Builder here, but he just liked the bull dozer idea. Doesn't know a think about Bob the Builder.
Monster Trucks, now there is something he can figure out. This one tipped backward, forward, sideways, and shook. He wasn't terribly thrilled about all of this, but he and Fiona did fine together.Now, who can go to an arcade without playing skee-ball? NOT ME! It is my favorite and Fundi played for the first time. Captain is just obsessed with the balls.

Dear Captain--month 22

2008-02-17T09:18:00.003-06:00

Dear Captain,
I love you dearly, but yesterday you were very trying. You have come to realize that pushing my buttons is fun. You enjoy stealing things away from me and running as fast as you can. I realize you probably want attention, but I need my space too. You also steal things away from your little sister. I hope that this is just a phase, a way for you to assert your independence and let us know that you want our attention and our love. You have also taken to biting, hitting, pushing, and kicking. I really hope that this is just a phase. You have been learning so much lately. We have been working with you on reading. You really enjoy the Your Baby Can Read DVD Set. You wake up in the morning and after breakfast you ask to watch the "Baby DVD". You are still sleeping downstairs in the dark by yourself and we are so proud of you. You go downstairs willingly and just a couple weeks ago, you have started asking for help going up and down the stairs standing up. You hold our hands and use your short little legs to get you up and down. Just this morning you said "Thirsty. I'm thirsty. Drink milk please." What a big boy. You really enjoy being out and about. You love shopping and going out to eat. You like to look around at new surroundings and talk to new people. Sometimes you are shy, but you are quick to warm up. You enjoy going to church, about a month ago, probably right after I wrote your last letter, we went to church on a Saturday evening. You had a clear view of Father, and after everyone had bowed their heads for a prayer, you said (rather loudly) "Hi, Father." Father's face turned red and he said "Hi, Captain." and tried his hardest not to laugh. The whole church laughed. They all adore you and tend to pay more attention to you than to Father sometimes. You got your hair cut this week and you sat in the chair all by yourself and didn't make a fuss or wiggle too much or anything. You are such a big boy and are so independent. Your favorite food right now is Cottage Cheese and has been for quite some time. You would eat it at every meal if I would let you. You also love anything sweet. Last night when we got home from church, you were fascinated by the "White Moon" and kept looking up at the sky. So, after Dad took your sister in the house to put her to sleep, he shut off the outside lights and you and I stayed outside looking at the big sky and pointing to the moon and the stars. I can't wait to take you outside on a summer night and run around and catch fireflies and look at all the stars in the sky. It is snowing right now. You enjoy the snow. You love running around in it and eating it. You hate your boots as you can't walk very well in them, but it doesn't seem to bother you when you wear you leather soft-shoes around outside even when it is cold and they get wet. We are going to the circus tomorrow night. We can't wait to see how you react. I'm sure that you will be absolutely excited and observant. Maybe we'll even get you some cotton candy.
We love you more today than yesterday,
Mommy

Identity Theft and God

2008-02-17T08:36:00.003-06:00

Last night's sermon at church related to me in so many ways. The Gospel was about God telling the others on the mountain that in fact they should listen to Jesus because he was here to bring the Good News to all. God exposed the identity of Jesus. During Lent we are called to expose our true identity. Our priest talked for a while about Identity Theft and how people are very concerned with getting their identities stolen. The question was: What can we really define as our identities? Is an identity something that can be stolen? How do we identify ourselves? Do we identify ourselves by our past? Our present? Our mistakes? Our achievements? Our possessions? Of course all of this is what is combined to create our identity. But, how are we doing on our Spiritual Identity? Are we giving enough? Do we pray enough? Do we help others enough? Are we willing enough to serve? Do we take what we learn in church on a weekly basis and make it into something that could be considered follow-through? We are really not able to judge ourselves or others on all of these questions, I think. It is up to God. I think that we can try our best to follow the Word. When we make a mistake, learn from it. But, in the end, I think God is the one who will decide if our Identity is what it should be.

Which brings me to why I can really relate to the sermon: I was in a funk yesterday. Not to say that I have to be in a funk to relate to a sermon. Also, my kids were being held by someone other than me (a good thing considering my mood and their behavior yesterday) and I was able to really dissolve in the sermon and think about everything that was being said and how I could use it in my life. My funk, as far as I can tell, was brought on by the book: Dispatches From A Not So Perfect Life or How I Learned to Love the House, the Man, the Child. A book that seemingly truly examines the roles of Homemaker, Wife, and Mother. Here is my review thus far (only 20-some pages in):

Started this book. It makes me terribly lonely. It hits right on how I feel sometimes. It makes me want to run away. And I'm not even through the first story. I don't know how this is going to go. Will I continue longing for something which I cannot have or will I embrace what I have and be happy with the situation I am in? I guess that is my choice and is probably what the whole book is about. However, lately I find myself daydreaming about my college days. I believe I am remembering them through rose-colored glasses, but I feel like I didn't do enough during them. I feel like a part of me was left behind and a part of me needs to revisit and have closure with them. What if my whole life turns out this way? What if I always look back and think that I would like to live through this time or that time all over again even though I should be perfectly satisfied where I am at this point in time? Good grief.

After re-reading this review, I feel like I am an ungrateful, undeserving, immature little brat. Sure, just like Father said last night, everyone makes mistakes or wonders "What if...?". I just really need to make myself move past this. I love being a Homemaker (even if I am not the best cook in the world), I love being a Mom (even if I lose my temper sometimes or have a bad day), I love being a Wife (even if I can't figure out why Fundi can't see the messes around the house). There is always something in our house to eat--we should be grateful. We are parents and even though our children are not always the quiet, well behaved little beings we want them to be, we are so terribly proud and happy to have them as ours--we should be grateful. My husband always comes home from his long day of work and helps out and he is wonderful to me (not by buying me flowers and candy, but by loving me even in my funk--even after I can't remember my last shower) and I love him dearly-- I should be grateful. And I am, don't get me wrong. I am grateful for everything that God has blessed us with. But, the book questions Identity (although, thus far, not Spiritual Identity) and made me feel insecure with my happiness in the mundane things in my life. I will continue reading it. I am not saying that it is a bad book. It is very well written and I love a book that makes me think or challenges my thinking. This maybe just hit a little too close to home. And yesterday, in my funk, it made me long for things that I wouldn't trade for what I have now... not in this life. I would just like to say I love my house, my man, and my kids. I also love my God.

Bad Blogger

2008-02-16T13:57:00.001-06:00

The other morning Burbles and I snuggled up on the couch waiting for Nibble to arrive. She was wide awake. Me, not so much.
Fiona and Captain pretended they were sleeping on the couch. They each had a pillow and the end of the couch but they shared the blanket. It was sweet.

Here is something for all you Lambies out there. It is a duck in a lamb suit.
Clap.
Look at her all posing for the camera. She was pushing this tub around and walking behind it.
Captain lining up his balls. Is this normal? Please look at the following pictures and tell me if there is something wrong or if this is only a normal stage in development. I have been trying to figure this out myself.
Shoes in a line. He did this. They aren't where they are supposed to be. He moved each shoe to its specific resting spot.

Balls and blocks. Please note that the blocks on the right are all facing the same direction.
Cars in a row. He was so proud.
See?
This is the view from our house the other day after the snowstorm. There are a two photos here, but they are pretty cool.
Fiona's Birthday Party:
Birthday cake. Yummy.
Fiona with her cake and candles.
Burbles got a bow on her head.
She liked the pillow that Fiona got for her birthday.

Fiona opens her gifts.
Captain opens Fiona's gifts.
See the blanket? He was walking around with it around his body toga-style. Of couse I didn't get my camera fast enough to take the picture and then when he saw the camera, he sat down and put the blanket down.
Puzzle.
This is the Usborne CEO/President, Randall White. I had a moment... there at that conference, and I will admit it to you all now. Starting with a story: when I first started selling Usborne Books, I couldn't wait to get my shipments of books (obviously not much has changed). On one of my first shipments, I noticed that there was a handwritten greeting that said "HI Andrea R.White" Now, you probably have already figured this out, but having not been with the company and not really had much contact with anyone other than my sponsor and my supervisor, I said to Fundi: "Reggie White says HI". Fundi says to me "I thought Reggie White [former Green Bay Packer] was dead." I replied that I didn't remember and we hypothesized on who would possibly be signing my boxes as though they knew me. I received a few more of these signed boxes and we just made little jokes about dead Reggie White signing my boxes and how they sure must not have a lot to do in the shipping department if they are continuing to personally handwrite greetings on so many of my boxes. Fastforward to January 26th--Mega-Regional Conference in the Twin Cities. I was excited to be there, excited to meet my supervisor and all of the other people who would be there who shared a common passion. We were seated and after a few housekeeping announcements, the lady introduced "our CEO and President Randall White" upon which my face turned red and I instantaneously made the connection that indeed my mystery box-signer was not Reggie White but "our CEO and President Randall White". Later on at the conference, I was able to sit next to him at a break-out session and was informed that my Supervisor had shared my story with him. I asked to have my picture taken so I could show Fundi who had been writing on my boxes. A good laugh indeed.

Dear Burbles -- Month 10

2008-02-13T22:33:00.003-06:00

Hi Honey,
I just need to talk to you and tell you how much I love you and tell you how much you are such a huge part of my life even though you have only been here for 10 months. You are so sweet with red hair and porceline skin. You are such an active little girl and really take after your brother in that way, but you are able to relax a little bit and cuddle unlike him. You do have a temper (it matches your red hair) and you already know how to use it to your full advantage. You are so smart too. When we are talking to you, you already know that when we say "out-chya-go" we mean that you are supposed to leave whatever room you are in. When we say clap, you clap; when we say wave, you wave. When you clap, you say "yeaaaa". You are not saying "mama" yet, but I'm sure that will come. You do say "dada, dadi". Today we all packed up in the van and went to buy tickets for the circus. We will be going on Monday. I'm so excited for you to see all of these things and have all of these new experiences in life. You look around and study everything and I'm sure that you will love the circus. Tonight you ate the varnish off the table at the Chinese Buffet. Hopefully that will not scar you for life. Physically, you get around really well. We are waiting for the day when you start walking. Dede is walking already but you are content to crawl and cruise around the furniture. You climb up the steps with amazing grace, oh, and quickly too. It is so neat to watch you learning new things every day. This month we started watching the "Your Baby Can Read" DVD and even though we don't allow you to watch TV any other time, you still seem captivated by the words and the actions of the babies. I even watched you mimic some of their motions when they were teaching you words: arms up and arms down come to mind. You have the most darling smile and it lights up your face and you have six big teeth. Your brother sometimes beats up on you, but you take it all in stride. You still have some fear of strangers, but this past week we went grocery shopping with your Great-Grandma E and the two of you tooled around the store without any trouble. She enjoys the two of you immensely. She especially likes watching you guys in church. We spent some time at Grandpa E's house this weekend and you really enjoy the boys. We love you more and more each day, and on the Eve of your first Valentine's Day, I'll tell you that are one of the sweetest Valentine's gifts I could ever receive.
I love you,
Mommy

These were photos taken the day before your 10 month birthday. You fell asleep while Daddy was feeding you.

I'm not Appologizing... But

2008-02-07T22:18:00.000-06:00

it has been a long time since I have written. And I have been busy. Fundi has been off for the past week. He goes back to work on Friday (yeah, tomorrow) and I am not looking forward to it. I enjoy having him around. He put me to work this week. I have been working on the scrapbook for the Knights of Columbus. It doesn't matter that I haven't been able to work on my own scrapbooking things for months, this stuff has a deadline (Feb 1st) and it was completed today. I'm relieved to be done and relieved that this is the last year that this responsibility will fall on my husband's (and therefore my) shoulders.
I have been reading, although the scrapbook has cut into my reading time as well. Check out my www.goodreads.com page on the left side of this page to see what I have been reading.
The organizing of the Spring Bazaar has been going very well. Today after I got the scrapbook done, I managed to print off confirmation letters and posters and we got to work delivering them. The kids didn't necessarily enjoy the driving around in the car for hours on end without getting let out, but they did a lot better than I would have expected. Those two kids are so great. I love them so much and more and more each day. More to come sometime when I'm not so burnt out, but I thought I would let you know that I am still here.

Weekend Summary

2008-01-29T08:36:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't blogged for a while. I have been so busy working my Usborne business. I attended that conference on Saturday. It went really well and I learned some really cool things about different UBAH programs. I am ordering the Your Baby Can Read program and can't wait to start it with the kids. I watched only about a minute of the testimonial DVD and I was goose-bumpy and teary-eyed. Then people in the crowd started talking about the results that they had seen with the program. I'm as so excited. This is definitely something I want to make other people aware of and now I feel prepared to do it.
Another program I am absolutely excited about it a program called Literacy for a Lifetime. This program matches grants and donations at 50% with $200 minimum. It is neat because anyone who has grant or donation money can make it stretch. $200 turns into $300; $400 into $600; etc. And, the best part about it is that there is only one piece of paperwork and it is very simple. Not a bunch of hoops to jump through. Easy for the customer and easy for the consultant.
I also have been working really hard on getting everything together for the Spring Bazaar. Yesterday I secured a woman who will give free 5-10 minute massages to the people attending the Bazaar. So cool. Can't wait for that. I am still waiting on a bunch of people to get back to me, but hopefully those calls and emails will start coming in soon.
The kids have been spending a lot of time with Fundi. I enjoy hearing the stories from him about the things that they did during the times I am gone. The other day while I was at my Convention, I called home and asked to say Hi to the kids. Captain said "Hi, Mommy." and I just about cried. What a little sweetie. Of course, Burbles didn't say much if anything, but it was neat to know that she listened to what I was saying to her. I also got to meet a bunch of cool people at the Convention.
I'm very excited about something that could be happening today, but I can't say anything or someone might get in trouble, but what I can say is that there either could be a big change or no change at all. I'm voting for a BIG CHANGE! I'll let you know more when I can.
Have a good day, everyone!

On a Lighter Note...

2008-01-25T08:14:00.000-06:00

Now, I know most of you could probably care less, but I just had to show you the stack of baby food containers that goes into our garbage each morning. This is only one meal, people. I wish they would make a larger container of baby food where a person could portion the food out appropriately, but then again, I should probably just make the stuff.

Fundi baked a cake the other day and before we knew it, Captain was on the counter trying to get in on the action. I bet he'll know what to do at Birthday Number Two.
Here is Nibble. He fell asleep at the wheel... oh, I mean chair. He was eating. Fundi got up to do something. He came back and Nibble was sound asleep. I came home from town (my first time out in days and woke him up by telling Fundi the boob story about Fiona. (see previous post)
On to a different topic: Yesterday was a pretty good day. After Fundi gets up (he is working nights right now) Burbles has been napping. I fix lunch. Burbles wakes up. I go get her and hold her and feed her a bottle and we nap. The two of us. It is so nice and allows me the pleasure of staying up until 11 and not being a terrible grouch by the following evening.
Last night was one of those Right Start Classes where the kids who aren't really in school get to go to school to try it out. It is only one night a month, but it is a lot of fun and I wish it would be once a week. This month's theme was Games and much of the night was spent in the Gym. I need me a gym. Captain had a ball, pun intended. He was running and playing and organizing (don't know who he gets that from, haha). At one point, the teacher grabbed the garbage can of balls, dragged them to the center of the gym and started emptying the can. She set the can down behind her and started explaining to the other kids (the ones who were listening, and definitely not Captain) how they were going to play basketball. In the meanwhile, Captain pushed the garbage can clear across the gym to the door where it had originally been sitting. The teachers, God Bless Them, are wonderful and have the patience of Saints. Even when the kids do not listen and do their own thing entirely, they just go with the flow. Example: last night everyone was playing Duck, Duck, Goose (Duck, Duck, Grey Duck for you weirdos from Iowa) and Captain went around the inside of the circle Duck, Duck, Ducking. Fiona got goosed from the outside of the circle and was chasing the teacher to tag her when Fiona got a little far behind and just turned around (she isn't a dummy) and ran at the teacher from the other direction. Now, the teacher had specifically covered this in the five times that she had repeated the rules, but for whatever reason, a child who is only three doesn't really get "You have to go the same direction as I am if you want to catch me." I don't blame her, this direction is pretty abstract, when you think about it. So, even though the teacher got tagged by Fiona who was running in the opposite direction as the teacher, the teacher still made a big deal about how Fiona had caught the teacher. What a sport. Anyhow, because Captain was all wore out when we got home and it was already an hour past his bedtime, I put him to bed. He woke up at 8:30 this morning! I am always amazed.
He learned how to holler sometime yesterday. His first holler was at Fiona and it went something like this "No. No. No." OK, so that is exactly how it went, but I was curious to see if this would continue. And it did. All Day. And Today. It is like everything, even common phrases "Baby. Sleeping." is punctuated with a vocal level that I haven't heard in my quiet little boy. Poor Fundi. He is trying to sleep. And, to the best of my ability, I am ignoring it until it becomes too obnoxious to bear. I fear that acknowledging and making a big deal out of this new Loud Voice will only make it worse for the attention that it gets him. Any other hints?
Burbles learned to pucker sometime yesterday. She was so cute. Fundi says to me: "She is making fishy lips". Today I got to experience this for myself. Every time she took a bite of food, she puckered and the smacked her lips. It was cute. What was even cuter was when I started imitating her and she started giggling so hard. Then it was contagious and we just sat there for five minutes (or more) making fishy lips and smacking and giggling. What a riot.
I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first? OK, the bad news: The Big Band Dance will not include the Alumni this year; however, hopefully next year it will work out that we can play. This is due to the (and I totally understand) band instructor not wanting to disappoint her students who have worked so hard to this point. I thought about it after we had discussed all of this and though... "Now, if that were me when I were in high school and a bunch of alum who think they are still good (but don't know for sure if they are) come in and want to play with the band who practices their tails off, I don't know if I would be too happy about it." It was in that instant that I thought, now, maybe this isn't such a great idea. As a matter of fact, I would love to organize an alumni jazz band and then have it play at some sort of alumni gathering. I think that would be fun.
OK, the good news: I am going to an Usborne conference tomorrow in the Twin Cities. I am so excited to meet other people and share ideas and hopefully make some new friends.
And More Good News: I am organizing a Spring Bazaar for March 1st (Hey Lion, contact me about PChef, please...) and am so excited about it. I am hoping to have a bunch of different vendors from around the area come in and set up tables. Hopefully it goes over well. If you are in the area, please look for info closer to the date and plan on attending. Help support local businesses and individual in your community who can bring the products to you.
And Even More Good News: I have been reading like a banshee. I am so proud of myself. I even have a DSLite game that I haven't touched since I got it. I still do by brain training every night after the kids go to bed, but it isn't like the thing is attached to me.
Hope everyone has a good day and I just want to mention that I am so happy that Alice's Mom is doing well and that things looked good! That God for Modern Medicine.

The way things used to be-- Part 1

2008-01-24T08:09:00.000-06:00

Another thing I have been thinking is:
You don't have your kids, they have you.
That has absolutely nothing to do with what this post is going to be about, but I had to put it out there so that I can remember it later.

On with the post:
Last night I had a dream, or a nightmare, or something strangely in between. I woke up and tended to Burbles and then felt strangely like everything in that dream had been true and that is the way things really were. I stumbled back to bed to try and fall back asleep only to lay there thinking about the past and how things were. I will try to explain.

The book that I read, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, dealt a lot with bullying and the defense for the boy in the story rested on the fact that he had been bullied all his life. One of the points in the story was that if a person looks back at their high school years, they do not see the happy times and all of the good things. Every person looks back and can vividly remember something bad that had happened. Every person, even the popular kids, will look back and remember how terrible a certain point had been. Even one instance of bullying can be traumatic to a person, now take a look at those people who have been bullied excessively. I am sure that each of you can relate to this on some level or another. Unfortunately, I feel I can relate to this far more than most.

When I look back at school, I see myself as someone who would have been worth knowing. I seemed to float well in many crowds, although, I would have preferred my friends to be from the "In" crowd. To this day, I would still consider myself friends with a few of the people I went to high school with. I even had a friend from the "In" crowd as a bridesmaid in my wedding. I enjoy her company and look forward to many years of friendship with her in the future. Sure, we have a history, some of it not so nice, but she is more valuable as a person than what a couple of moments in high school can measure. That, and I know we have both grown and changed. We have similar values. We have similar fields of study. But, more than that, she is someone who was there the first time I drove a car and applied makeup. As far as I remember, she was there at all of my birthday parties and we kept in touch through college. With her, there are still some memories that sting. I remember hearing through the grapevine that she had called me annoying. This was right before prom of our freshman year and it started a huge turmoil and changed our plans and caused me a lot of pain. The deal was: I was riding in the limo with the cool kids. I didn't have a date, but one of our mutual guy friends had agreed to go with me as a friend if neither of us had a date the week before the prom. That was the case, but we hadn't settled the deal. I found out (probably on Tuesday before a Saturday prom) that he had been asked by two of the cool girls to go with them together. Because of this, I no longer had a date and had been pushed out of the limo (looking back, I probably wasn't in the limo to begin with, but they were stringing me along saying that I was). I was terribly upset, but they said that I could still come to dinner with them, I would just have to find my own ride. I could still meet up with them before at one of our friends' house and the only difference would be that I couldn't go in the limo. That also meant that I didn't have to pay the $50 fee for the limo either. Unlike most of my friends, I had purchased my own dress and accessories (in excess of $400) and would also have to pay my way in the limo and at dinner as well. (You have to wash lots of dishes to make this kind of money at minimum wage.) My mom and Gummie agreed to drive me to and from the restaurant, over an hour away. In the meanwhile, they started an ongoing conversation with the limo driver. I didn't know about this, but while over an hour away and at dinner, Mom and Gummie made friends with the driver who agreed that it was pointless for them to stick around and that I could just ride up front with him. I was his "guest" and wouldn't have to pay for the ride. While I am sure they meant well, and I was terribly excited to be riding in the limo, even if it was in the front, their plan back-fired and by the time we actually arrived at the prom, I had eight "close-enemies". One of the parents called Mom and demanded that I pay the $50 for my ride. We did, just to make sure that that wasn't the reason I was their immediate target of dislike. During the dinner I had felt like and outsider. During the prom, I felt like I was the plague. To this day, I can't see a limo without thinking bad thoughts. And, I have never had the opportunity to ride in a limo to make things right. Oh, I made the best of a bad situation, I just hung out at the prom with my other friends who weren't the cool kids. I had an OK time. Certainly, it wasn't the fun time that I would have had had everyone been OK with the situation, but it was fun. I made a few upper-class friends that night. Became friends with a boy and his girlfriend who were in choir with me. Monday morning, the cool kids still treated me like I had the plague. This would continue for the rest of the school year and into the next. I was still in track and field, and I started to befriend the older kids who weren't in my grade.
The following year, I made friends with a girl who was a year younger than I was. They were freshmen now. I had known this girl forever. She was a neighbor and her parents and my parents were friends. Her friends became my friends and I found myself spending lots of time with them. I started getting invited to the parties that I wanted to go to. I spent nights chatting girl talk on the phone. When I got my driver's license, we went shopping and hung out even more. The spring of my sophomore year, my new friend and I rode a Greyhound Bus to North Carolina. It was an amazing experience--one that I will never forget. Things just seemed to keep getting better. Although I had some classes with my old friends, I had taken a course designed for juniors and had to rearrange my schedule because of this. I managed to avoid them for the most part (my school was very small and I graduated with 28 other kids in my class). The fall of my junior year, my parents decided to sell our farm and move into town. We had lived in our house my whole life. Coincidentally, my friend's family also decided to sell their farm and move at the same time. Both our families were shopping for homes at the same time. Our family had found the perfect house and put an offer in on it the following day. I was so excited that we finally knew where we were going and I called my friend to tell her about the house. It just so happened that her family had also looked at the same house and was putting in an offer on it as well. With my excitement, I lost our family the home that we wanted. They put the offer in before our realtor could present ours. Their offer was accepted. That morning, my friend's father called and told my father that because we were putting in an offer on the home, they would not be putting in the offer. I don't know why he did this, because they did just the opposite of what he said. That tore our relationship apart. Our families divided. Our parents had gone on their honeymoons together almost 25 years before, but now there was war. I was asked not to speak to my friend. We ended up buying a house only a quarter mile away on the same street. Without realizing it, we became friends again. Our parents didn't really agree with this friendship, but they understood, I think. That summer, my friend and I worked an eight hour a day job together wrapping caramels by hand at a factory in a nearby town. We spent more and more time together. She had changed some of her classes and was able to manage an early graduation. We were graduating together. We were looking for colleges together. We were growing up together.
My beginning of my senior year was great. I wasn't on the outside. People took a while getting used to the idea that my friend would graduate with us, but eventually everyone was hanging out. After football games, we would go to someones house and hang out and talk for hours. We were all on top of the world. We could see the future. We could see that we wouldn't be stuck here forever. We had started to plan who we would become. That winter, there was a basketball game that happened on the night of a snowstorm. We were all at the game and figured that the following day would be a snow day. We decided to go to my friend's house and go sledding. Living so close, I went and got my snowmobile. I had gotten a new one that year. It had an electric start and reverse and I was so excited to show my friends. I got to the party and there were a few people from my grade there, but more than that, my friend's little brother was there. He was still in elementary and was a little snot, but for whatever reason, what he said that night got to me. I had pulled up to the top of the hill and needed to drive down, so I put my snowmobile in reverse. It beeped, like other machines going in reverse. Her brother said something to the effect that the beeper was appropriate for a person of my size. Everyone laughed. I was devastated. I don't think I talked to my friend after that. I may have said only a few sentences to her since including speaking with her at her older brother's wake when he died in a motorcycle accident. I keep in touch with some of the other people I graduated with as well. I have more in common with some than with others and things have changed over time. I try not to hold grudges. Things that happened in high school should stay in high school. We were young, ignorant, and we all thought we were right.
In the end, though, I'm sure everyone can relate to this at some level. I felt so alone, but so did everyone else. High school was over and I was moving on to bigger and better things. I don't know if I would have chosen the same if I had to go back, but that is where Part 2 of the story comes in. A different day. As to my choices, they are what they are. These situations made me who I am. As I go on with my life, I sometimes wonder where people ended up. I wonder if they ever felt as alone as I did. I wonder if we could have a conversation nine years later or if things would be the same as they were back then. I hope they learned as much as I did about people and the rules of life. As much as I wish I could have some closure about certain things that happened, I know that some people aren't big enough to deal with it, or maybe they just don't remember because it wasn't that important to them, or maybe they just don't care.

The dream, itself, was a picture of me at a reunion with all of the girl-friends (platonic, obviously; high school and college) that I had had over the years all meeting up in Las Vegas (a place where I do not really have a desire to revisit because I felt so out of place for the one day that I was there). They invited Fundi and I but told us that everything would be happening at one hotel when in all actuality, we got there and everything was happening at another hotel/bar. They had managed to "forget" to tell me that plans had changed. In all actuality, they never changed the plans but had told me incorrectly from the start. I found them, accidentally, while I was having a drink with Fundi at one of the bars. We had been looking around for them but stumbled on them by accident. They obviously were not expecting me. I confronted them and asked them if I was not important enough to have just left me alone. If they hadn't wanted me there, they should have just left it be and not made me spend money to get somewhere I wasn't wanted. I asked if that was the case. They admitted to stringing me along like it was a joke. They were playing a joke on me. After all of this, I asked them, point blank, if I was not indeed important enough to know as a person. They said that they "hadn't had the time then and didn't have the time now." They said that I had never really been their friend, but they had used me for whatever they had needed at the time. They said that currently I wasn't worth their time as an individual to get to know again. They had absolutely no interest in me or my family and they had me escorted from the hotel bar making me pay my drink bill, which I refused because the bartender had been witness to all of this, and anyone with an iota of compassion would have said that my six dollar bill was on the house. The bar owner had happened to be a former classmate of Fundi's and she was in on all of this as well. I walked out.

The woman with three arms had triplets...

2008-01-23T09:35:00.000-06:00

OK, so I don't have any proof of this... but anyway, it is the same saying that has been running thorough my mind all morning. It isn't that bad, really... I promise. But, I just keep wondering how parents with multiples or many children do it? How do they get the time to do anything they want or need (bathroom, eat, sleep) to do? This is loaded. I know. They make certain things unimportant... things like making sure the laundry basket is empty (and both the washer and dryer), making sure their hair is combed (teeth brushing is important, though), and making sure there isn't any dust on their nick knacks. And, they make certain things important... things like encouragement, time, trust, discipline, and love. Those who have never done it before could never know how trying, difficult, sleepless, rewarding, and fulfilling having a child is. This fact is especially compounded when you (or I) have been reading books where there are sappy children situations or when you hear about a young father dying unexpectedly. You think about the choices you make and the values you instill in your children. You think about their future and your future. You remember the frailty of life and the finality (and certainty) of death.

I just put new batteries in all the battery operated toys.

I haven't left the house since Saturday.

Last night my kids managed to sleep from 6:15 (Burbles) and 6:30 (Captain) until 6:00 and 7:30 respectively. Once again, Captain didn't have clothes on when I went to retrieve him from his room. I didn't watch TV. Nothing on lately. Except... except did you hear???? Big Brother 9 will be on three nights a week starting February 12th. Thank you writer's strike. Anyhow... What I did do was read a book called The Choice by Nicholas Sparks. The book I read before that was called Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.

Checkout my reading list on Goodreads - where you can see what your friends are reading.
http://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?i=LTM2MDYzODI0NjY6MzEz%0A

Anyway, I have also been doing things around the house that are baby related. I have been putting away all of the "stuff" that comes with having little-little babies around (breast pumps, baby towels, burp cloths, pacifiers, etc.) and I changed over the kids' clothes to the next size up. Captain is now wearing 18 month stuff... finally. Although, most of these clothes are still a little long or big in the waist. I was just sick of looking at all those same 12 month clothes that he has been wearing for 10 months. And Burbles is now wearing 12 month clothes. They are still both wearing size 3 diapers, although they are finally in short supply in the pantry. Also, I think we have purchased our last container of formula. We have two and a half containers left. She hasn't been drinking more than 20 oz a day because she is eating more solid baby food, so the containers are lasting quite a while now (instead of the one a week that we had been going through). I hope that those two containers will last us through her one year birthday in three months when she can transition to whole milk. Then I will be done with bottles for a while. At least my own kids' bottles.

I am getting excited about summer (even though it hasn't stayed above zero here for quite a while). I'm looking forward to having kids that will be able to go places and doing things. I am especially looking forward to watching them explore new things. I love their expressions when something new is presented to them. It is amazing to watch the wheels turning as they learn about that new thing and how that thing works into their perception of the world. Amazing, I say.

This brings me to something new that Captain is doing lately: "Ouch... ouch.... bump... kiss it Mommy." Now, I'm not a big fan of this behavior, but for the time being, I'm entertaining it. I think that teaching a child sympathy works wonders, especially if that child has siblings. More than that, when he accidentally hurts me or I hurt myself (walk into something or whatever) I pretend cry. Empathy is important as well. Although, this may already be backfiring because sometimes he comes to me (from not being hurt) fake crying saying "Ouch... ouch... bump... kiss it Mommy." Now, I know that he isn't hurt. I know that he didn't get a bump. Do I know though that he doesn't want a kiss? Of course he wants a kiss. He is after all, a little boy. So, I redirect and acknowledge his need for attention by kissing him and then dancing or doing something funny like tickling. This usually works, I guess. But I looked at him the other day and wondered how long this would last. How long will he be willing to admit that he is hurt? How long will he be willing to admit that he needs Mommy or Daddy? How long will he be willing to come to us with everything? How long will we be able to watch him with the eyes of parents in wonder and awe before he does something that makes us start treating him like a big boy? Or does this ever happen? Is this why parents think that their kids can do no wrong? I don't think I am there, though. I know that he hits other kids. I watch him as he pushes his sister to the floor or puts his fingers in her mouth. (He is always quick to say "Sorry" and hug.) We respond appropriately and life goes on. I just hope that we do not ever come to the point where we have to admit that he does wrong. For now, it is what it is, I guess.

Burbles. She surprised us the other day. She said "Hi" and waved. It was amazing. I love her smile and her expressions. She is learning more about herself and her surroundings every day. She amazes me at how quick she is. She crawls like lightning. She is smart too. She snatches the toys she knows her brother likes and then lightning crawls away from him. She is putting balls into containers already. She still puts everything in her mouth, but even Captain still does that. She is the cutest little thing. She is a happy baby and very good natured... unless, of course, you are a stranger, in which case, she has to warm up (and this may take a while) before she will do anything less than scream if you even look like you are going to pick her up. She has red hair and an Irish temper to match. Thanks Gummie for that :).

I know this post sounds slightly jaded. It is all in light of the books I just got done reading. I'm not sad or depressed.

Here is the pretty lady herself. Look at that hair. and the potential for lots of curl and body.
Burbles and Daddy in the baby room right after a bath and before bedtime.
Yes. I. Am. This. Good. These two eat breakfast together in the mornings. It is a challenge, but it works out OK. I try and get it all over and done with. Now, an awesome mom would make the baby food, but for us it is just easier to buy the stuff. I figure by the time I bought the groceries and put in all the time into making the food, storing the food, etc, I am just better off leaving things to the professionals. That, and I know it is done right this way. No question of whether or not the stuff is too thick.
Fiona gave herself boobs this morning and I couldn't help but snicker. Then I grabbed my camera, but before I could get everything ready, Captain had felt of them and realized they were balls and knocked them out of her shirt. Unfortunately the second time she did it, they weren't positioned as perfectly as the first. I even watched her adjust them before she walked over to Captain to make sure that they were even. She even knew enough to pick the same size balls. Watch out guys, look who's stuffing her bra!Captain and his little balls that he is absolutely obsessed with. He moves them around the house and attempts to put them in places where he knows his sister can't get to them. Last night he even insisted that he carry them downstairs with him to bed (they didn't go in the bed with him, however) so that she didn't get them even though she was already sleeping.
There are usually nine. I don't know where the other one is and he obviously doesn't either or it would be here. He has mastered the task of carrying at least two in each hand and can cradle another in his arms if he is careful.

Yeah, they all go through a stage like this, I think. She wanted whatever was at the bottom of that tub. Somehow she managed to get her upper body over, but then she couldn't figure out what to do next.
And then she fell in.
Then Daddy gave her a big Kiss.
Elephant photo: 9 months
Elephant Photo: 21 months

Dear Captain--month 21

2008-01-17T10:03:00.000-06:00

Dear Captain,
I would like to have started this months ago, but today is the day. You are 21 months old today and it is amazing to see how much you have changed and grown. You explore the world and learn and this is all so amazing for a parent to watch. Oh, to have the eyes of a child. We see how you change from day to day, but it is only when we look back when we realize how far you have come.
This past month you have been more and more active and more and more persistant. You are a little more moody than usual. I have a feeling that this is the beginning of your "terrible twos". You don't much care to share your toys or our attention, but your little sister still loves you. The two of you get along pretty well. She is not able to really defend herself yet and you steal toys from her, but pretty soon she'll be bigger than you and then the tables will be reversed. You have been very interested in sorting things and lining them up lately. You sorted all of the big rubber balls the other day and lined them up along the banister. Anytime someone moved them, you got defensive and cried and put them all back where they had been disturbed.
You are a tender heart. You love hugs and kisses and you give them out freely. Last night when Grumpa E came over, you called him over to your highchair so you could give him a hug and a kiss. You blew Gramma G a kiss yesterday and even told Auntie J that you loved her. You are great at developing relationships with people and have a real fondness for others. I believe you see the good in people. I hope that this never changes. I hope you are always able to bring out the good in others.
Yesterday we sorted your toys and you were disturbed by this. You would have preferred that they all stay where they were and you were nervous that they were going away. We will just be rotating them so that you are able to play with different toys daily. Today is block and ball day and you have been building towers up to 6 blocks tall. Then you take great joy in knocking them all down and giggling. However, if someone other than you knock the blocks down or if you knock them down before you are ready, you become upset.
We tried to potty train you a while back, but you just aren't ready quite yet. Lately, though, you have shown more interest and the other day you insisted on going on the potty and you immediately went tinkle. We are so excited that you are picking up on these things. Can't wait to have one less diaper to change.
You are also very helpful around the house. You help unload the dishes (even the ones that aren't clean), you help load and transfer the laundry, you even help pick up toys if it suits you. You help throw away garbage and you try and soothe Burbles when she is crying. You even soothe Nibble when he cries.
You talk really well too. You can repeat almost anything someone says. You sing songs. (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Amazing Grace, You are my Sunshine, Twinkle Twinkle, Raffi songs, Alleluia, Gloria... the list goes on and on.) You are able to count to ten and sing almost the entire alphabet without help. I find you very easy to understand even if someone else doesn't quite get what you are trying to say. It is the language of a mother and her child.
We moved you downstairs about a month ago and you are doing very well down there. You go to sleep at 6:30-7pm every night without a fight and wake up at about 7 in the morning. You nap only once a day for about an hour and a half. You have three things that must be with you when you sleep: Glowy, Tiger, and Blanket. When we put you in your crib, you are overjoyed to see these friends of yours.
You are a risk taker and enjoy walking the edge. You like to push the limits. If this continues, we may have to put you in a bubble. I fear you will be my bungee-jumper and sky-diver. You have no fear of heights, of people, of new experiences.
A couple of days ago you started spitting. Not a fan of this behavior, but I think it is just a stage. If we could only teach you to do this when we brush your teeth. You much like the taste of your fluoride-free toothpaste and swallow it as soon as the brush is in your mouth.
Like I said before, it is so neat to watch you change and grow. Your father and I sometimes watch you in amazement as you go about your daily work of being a child. The new things that you can find to do.
We love you more and more each day,
Mommy

A day in January...

2008-01-14T19:15:00.000-06:00

Ok, so here I am, mid-January writing my first post of the new year. I need to become more efficient at prioritizing, even if it is just to write a little bit about our day. I was reading another mom's blog, and found that she wrote monthly letters to her children, presumably on their month-birthday. I found that terribly interesting and enviable and hope to start doing this with our kids even if it is just something short that they can enjoy later. I know, get my own ideas, right? But I think I am running out of new ideas and what is life if we can't borrow?
Here is what we have been doing: playing with the kids, feeding the kids (I will not bore you telling you how often we use our highchairs, but we have a rotation), changing the kids, tried to potty train (didn't work... no bladder control yet, wait a while and try again), doing laundry (excessive amounts of bibs and baby clothes), playing Nintendo DS, reading, watching kids (my own and not my own), running around, enjoying everyone else's blogs and all that business. Here is what I haven't been doing: writing my own blog, obsessing over recycling and the mess it makes on my counter, scrapbooking, reading my camera's owner's manual, watching TV. The list goes on. All I can say is this: Before Fundi and I had Captain, we thought that we didn't have time to do what we wanted. Then, we had Captain and we wondered what we had done with all our free time. Then we had Burbles and we wondered what we did with all our free time. This multiplies when we watch WDW and Fiona as well. I find, however, that I am able to watch the four of them with little trouble on my own. But, when Fundi is available, it takes the both of us. I just haven't figured out how all of this works, but we will eventually.
I have my first Usborne party of the new year tomorrow night. I am hoping that it will go well.
I would like to tell you a cute story.
Last week, Fundi and I decided to load everyone (4 kids and all) up to go to the grocery store and out to eat at our favorite Chinese Buffet (necessary only because of the ease of dining at this particular restaurant with multiple children). Loading and unloading was a slight chore, but more than that, it was absolutely comical to be out and about with so many kids so young. Fiona, the oldest at almost 4; Captain, 20 months; Burbles, 9 months; and WDW (soon to be renamed, stay tuned for details), 5 months. We started our little adventure by running errands in our small town. We completed these without incident and actually ended up with two of the four sleeping before we left town. We got to the grocery store and everyone was in a pretty good mood. Burbles was in the waaaay back of the van, so I took her out of her carseat entirely. WDW was in his carseat. So, I put WDW's carseat on the cart, Captain in the big basket of the cart (temporarily), Fiona walking and holding the cart, and I was carrying Burbles. To complicate matters, half-way into the store, I realized that I had forgotten something I was supposed to give to someone in the store, so I sent Fundi back to retrieve it. In essence, I had stranded myself with four kids in the middle of the parking lot of a grocery store in the middle of winter in Minnesota. Smart, no? So, I made it into the store alright. Thankfully, the car-carts with the seats up front and in the cart were available, so I managed to pile Captain and Fiona in the front of the cart and Burbles sitting up like a big-girl in the cart by me. I left WDW in the cart so that he could be pushed around by Fundi. As I was arranging the kids, two women came into the store and grabbed a cart. I was pulled off to the side, minding my own business, when I looked up just in time to see one of the women do the tap-and-point in my direction obviously mystified as to why a perfectly sane-looking person would bring four young young young children to the grocery store solo. Fundi showed up just in time to take WDW and we proceeded. Now, this was not the only tap-and-point circumstance, but it was the most obvious and I thought it hilarious. We went to Chinese after shopping and ended up having a very enjoyable experience. All of the kids were very well behaved, although working belts on the highchairs are necessary and absent at this time. We ended up having many little conversations with many people in the restaurant. (Obviously having kids opens a whole interaction with other people that isn't normally there.) Most enviably, an eighty-seven year old woman approached me in the bathroom on my third diaper change and started talking to me. She had been born and lived in my town for 13 years. She said that she enjoyed living here and hated leaving but never made it back when she grew up. She was young looking and very spry and moved with grace. I told her that she looked wonderful for her age and she said that she takes a class in the pool at the YMCA. Amazing. She stopped on her way out of the restaurant and talked to the kids and Fundi and he was also amazed to learn her age. ---Side note: I think that these conversations with people are what make a person's day. I love them and make it a point to interact with people in this way on a regular basis.---
Since I posted last, I have also had the enjoyable experience of snowmobiling with my dad. I used to really love snowmobiling and had my snowmobile stolen by one of my high-school-classmates while I was in college. We never replaced it, and I have been bitter ever since, but for the first time in many years, I was able to ride this year and I really had a good time. We took the long trails and rode more than we probably should have for as out of shape as I am, but I wasn't all that sore the next day.
I have also had the pleasure of getting back into playing my horn. In high school and through some of college, I played the trumpet. I also really enjoyed doing this and had missed it. Every year, our school sets up one basketball game where the alumni are welcome to play pep band with the high schoolers. Many people show up and it is a rockin' good time. After this particular pep-band, I talked with the band instructor and a couple of other alum and we discussed having an alumni jazz band. I can't wait to play in the Big Band Dance on February 9th! I'm excited and it gives me just the motivation that I need to start practicing again. So COOOL!
Anyhow, I started this post this morning and it is now 7:15pm, so I'll sign off for now and write more sometime soon.

Photos and Comments

2008-01-14T19:00:00.000-06:00

This was today... Now, who is getting whom to sleep? See... she looks pretty proud of herself.
Ok, so I was taking a photo of WDW... (whose new name is Nibble. He enjoys eating and now he has two teeth, so I find it amusing to call him Nibble.) but you can see who thought she was being photographed. Oh, and notice the high-chair use?
Our little man. This is a hat that he got from my Sister B for Christmas. It matches Fundi's hat.
This was the day we tried potty training. He enjoyed watching the potty movie (that stupid song has been stuck in my head ever since... Bye bye pee pee, Bye Bye Poop...) and eating the "Moooore" (M&Ms) but even after peeing a lot on the potty, he got off and tinkled a little here and there.

So here is what I do to torture my kid.... actually, he was kinda throwing a fit because Fiona got this fairy outfit as a Christmas gift and he wanted to wear it all. The fairy riding the pink motorcycle.
How beautiful
Poof... you're an ogre...
Pretty Princess
Mommy and Burbles. Fundi's brother's wife and her daughter.
Captain's parents and he and his brother J.
Our family.
They got a wagon for Christmas from Fundi's Brother and his wife. We are excited to use it.
Captain feeding his sister. I walked away for a second and she started whining. He enjoys helping, although a lot of times it is more mess than anything. He couldn't get enough of the oyster stew at Christmas. The spoon wasn't fast enough.
Grampa G and Captain.
Captain reading a book that he got as a gift from A in California.
Captain and Burbles. This is the new tubby routine. It works well as long as Burbles is last in/first out.

Photos of Christmas and the Past 10 days

2007-12-28T21:25:00.000-06:00

This is the six foot tall giraffe that is now in our living room. It is a tent. No, it didn't come with the balls. We bought them for the kids. Gramma G bought the tent. You should have seen their eyes on Christmas morning when Captain came upstairs and I brought Burbles from her room. They looked and looked with great big eyes. They were so excited about it, they wouldn't eat breakfast before going to church. Look at the happy little girl with all of the balls. There can't possibly be a reason for her brother to take the balls away from her with as many balls as there are now. Can there?
I'm so happy.
Wow, Mom and Dad! You did GREAT!
Now, GIVE MEEEE THOSE BAAAAALLLLLLS!
Christmas Day at Gramma and Grampa G's house. Burbles and Fundi opening gifts.
They asked him to dance, so here he is... Dancing. What a cute little boy, huh? They also asked him to say pterodactyl and he said it loud and clear (he is ONLY 20 months) so Grampa gave him $10. More on that: he has also been saying everything that we say including: Fundi: "Show me the money!" Captain: "Sow me da money!" and Andrea: "Shake, shake, shake... shake, shake, shake... shake your booty... shake your booty..." Captain: "Shake your booty... shake, shake, shake..." Andrea: "What does a turtle say?" Captain: "SLOOOOOWWWW Down." Andrea: "What does a bunny say?" Captain: "Gofast." Fundi: "What does an alligator say?" Captain: "Eat 'em up, Eat 'em up, chew chew."
Grampa with Burbles and Captain on Christmas Day.
Playing with the new cars that Captain got from Gramma and Grampa for Christmas. Grampa's belly makes a good ramp.
Gramma holding Burbles and for once she isn't crying. (She has been having LOTS of stranger anxiety lately and will not let anyone but Mommy and Daddy hold her.)
Great Uncle P holding Burbles as she sits on my dad's girlfriend P's son's shoulders. She really likes him and he has been really good with all of the kids.
WDW and Burbles. Who would be able to tell that they are 3 1/2 months apart in age? Burbles being older. She was 8 months for Christmas and WDW was 4 1/2 months for Christmas.
Burbles blocking traffic. She was wrestling with the bear and having a good time playing on the floor.
Captain took it upon himself to sweep the floor. (I DO Clean... he had to learn it from somewhere and we don't watch TV, so....) He has been helping more and more and more. Last night he told Grumpa: "Laundry dirty hamper" and then took the clothes to the hamper. He also puts all "Diaper garbage" and "Vacuum" up the "Cheeerio" or "Fishes" he throws intentionally on the floor so that there is something to vacuum up with my hand-held vacuum (which, did I mention, I LOVE?) This all is, of course, in addition to helping me unload the dishwasher every time it has dishes in it... clean or not.
Look who wants an I-Pod for Christmas. He listened so well and did some of his signature dance moves as well. What a kid.
That night when I got home from Grandma E's house, I put away the peanut butter pie that I had made for Christmas dessert. I put it in the fridge on top of something that wasn't as level as it should have been. When I opened the fridge a while later (thankfully after the kids had gone to bed), the pie came tumbling down. Did I mention the creamy peanut butter filling, the hot-fudge and whipped cream topping, and the chocolate cookie crumbles crust? Yeah... EVERYWHERE!

Here is our little tyke riding his motorcycle that A from California sent for him. Yeah, she was smart and sent two, although that really doesn't stop Captain from thinking that they are both his. That is Burbles' pink one in the background. She is a little little yet, but she'll get there before too long.
He is a little little yet as well. He has a hard time keeping his feet on the ground. His little tippy-toes barely touch the floor and he can only scoot a couple inches at time. He just gets off and pushes it around. Also, I asked him to push Mommy the bike when I was building the thing and he picked it up and brought it to me. It weighs about 8 lbs according to the shipping label and he just hoisted it right up and brought it to me.
Burbles in her little Santa outfit.
This was Christmas Eve Day when people started to arrive. This is cousin Buca with Captain on the motorcycles. Strangely enough, she is able to touch the ground and was able to get around better than Captain did.

A photo of our family on Christmas Eve. I am a little red in the picture because I had been drinking some YUMMY Brandy Slush. If anyone wants the recipe let me know. It is really good.
My dad's Girlfriend P and her sons A and A.
Sister C with Buca.
Brother-in-law B with WDW.
Sister-in-law J's dad. Mr. P is what I call him.

Sister-in-law J with a very grouchy Burbles. She was not keen on being held... like always.
See Fundi peeking out from behind his mom. We were cleaning up the kitchen after supper. Mmmm.... My Mom's traditional spaghetti, cheesy garlic bread, and corn. Easy to make, easy to clean up.
Mommy and the kids.
Grumpa asked Captain to throw away his beer bottle, but Captain ran around pretending to drink it. It was empty, so I didn't freak out. A note about the bow: he did it to himself.
Sister C, Sister E, Grumpa (or Dad), Sister B and Andrea. Christmas Eve 2007. This year none of us are pregnant. Last year, three of the four of us were. No rush, Sister C...

Mr. and Mrs. P
So here is our brood: Sister C (18), Sister E's baby Buca (20 mo), Sister E (23), DeDe (8 mo), Burbles (8 mo), Andrea (27), Captain (20 mo), WDW (4 mo), Sister B (24)
Sister B and her family: Brother-in-law B and WDW
Sister E and DeDe and Buca
Z and Fiona

Dad and P
Gamma G and her grandkids: Fiona, Captain, Burbles, Z
DeDe and Sister E
P's son A and Captain opening presents.
Captain and Burbles. Captain is licking the beater when I was making my peanut butter pie (see above). There weren't any eggs in there, so he was able to lick this time. "More...More"

Gramma E will be celebrating her 80th on Jan 2, 2008. Happy Birthday!
My Dad's Family: (back to front, left to right) Dad, Uncle C, Uncle P, Auntie A, Grandma E, Uncle D.
Don't these two look alike? Uncle C and Grandma E
AE1, Uncle P, AE2, Aunt C
Uncle D at one of his finer moments.

Uncle D and Auntie A
Grumpa and Burbles. She wasn't so happy, but then again, someone else was trying to hold her. Geez girl, give me a break.
Uncle C with Burbles. Finally, she warmed up to someone, just as we were getting ready to leave.
Uncle C with Captain.

What a Response :)

2007-12-28T08:42:00.000-06:00

I am so excited about the response I have had with the Goodreads website. It is so neat. I have been adding books and working on my lists and I feel that I am finally getting my book-life in order. Many of you know why the library is one of my favorite spots, but in case you don't, I worked at my college Library for the three and a half years that I was there and also two of the summers. I spent a lot of time at that library and learned a lot about how a library works. To this day I enjoy the library and I miss the staff that I worked with while I was there. Goodreads will maybe be able to become my little library. I'm excited. Also, keep an eye on the children's books if you are in the market for them. I will try and review as many of the Usborne Books as I get my eyes on.

SIDE NOTE: I'm still working on the photos from Christmas. Just be patient.

Goodreads

2007-12-27T10:53:00.000-06:00

Wow, so I did some searching on the internet and found a few websites that would work to organize my book lists; however, at this time I am choosing to list with Goodreads. This is a web-site that, up to this point, has been easy to use, offers what I want, and allows me to share with friends. Alice had suggested a whole new blog, but I think that is too time consuming for me... having to retrieve images of the books or link to them, writing a review (I'm not that great at doing this without spilling the beans), coming up with a rating system, categories, etc. This website provides all that, so for the New Year, this is my big project. I have linked to my categories on the left column of this page and someday, I will have Items Read, Reading, and To Read. Alice did have a great idea, though, about having a book-club-type-experience and I think that would be totally fun. Go ahead, set up an account and invite me in. I can't wait to share books with everyone.

Ahhh... the holidays

2007-12-26T20:47:00.000-06:00

HI all, I know, I know, it has been a while again. I could explain, but I am sure that I don't have to. You all understand how quickly the Holidays pass once they are actually here and I am sure that you have all been busy as well. I don't know how many people are still here reading as it has been harder and harder to write lately. I don't know if it is lack of motivation, lack of topic, lack of time... Whatever it is, I'm sorry. I know how much I look forward to reading all of your blogs and how disappointed I get after a while with no updates.
So, I have been thinking... now that we have the Holidays out of the way and New Year's is almost here, I have been thinking about my New Year's Resolution. I read something last year that said that a person should really stop promising to lose weight or stop drinking or smoking or doing any other dreadful habit and start promising to do something where there is more positive motivation for actually following through with your resolution. The example that was given was making it a point to send Birthday cards to everyone on your lists. Now, this may sound like fun, but at this point in time, I didn't even manage to get the Christmas cards out this year and I usually sent them out the day after Thanksgiving. Ugh. You don't know how much that frustrates me. I am usually on top of things like that, but not this year. I HAVE been busy. I haven't even read my owner's manual for my camera yet. Anyhow, back to the resolution topic. I was thinking that I really have been slacking on my reading lately. I have always enjoyed reading and the past few years have started to keep track of the books that I have read, the number of pages, and the date which I finished each book in my calendar. So... for 2008, I have been thinking that I am going to make my New Year's Resolution that I will read more. I have been trying to figure out an estimated time frame per book or number of pages per month or any other thing like that, but more than that, I have already started. In this past month, I have read two books. Granted, that really isn't a lot, BUT I have been working on catching up on my magazine reading, which is also burdensome to me. I have magazines upon magazines upon magazines that I need to read. I liberated myself a couple months ago by recycling about 5 year's worth of Glamour and Cosmo magazines. I had been holding onto them in hopes that someday I would get to a point where I could read them all, except that when I would pick up a magazine from 2002, the styles (which I would never have bought into anyway) were outdated and I don't really need all the information about "How to get the Guy" or "Quiz: Is He Into You?". Clearly, I already have that taken care of. Right now I need articles about "Spit-up: the Newest Fashion Accessory?" or "How to get your children to share even when 100 balls isn't enough". Anyhow... I feel that as far as New Year's Resolutions go, reading is a good, healthy, inexpensive (due to my refusal to purchase books and my incessant use of the library) and mentally stimulating activity that I am most likely to follow through on.
I finished my second book today Sam's Letters To Jennifer by James Patterson. The writing was cheesy in some parts and choppy in others, but the message and the story was catchy and romantic. I am working on ordering some books right now from InterLibraryLoan (LOVE), but more than that, I am in need of some reading suggestions and also some advice on keeping track of books that I have read. What is the best way to keep track of this information? Does anyone know of an online book diary? This would be sooo helpful in reminding me about what I have read and what I want to read without the gajillion small pieces of paper that I have lying around with titles of books and authors from my trips to Barnes and Noble or reading reviews in magazines.
Good grief... how far off topic can a person get when writing a blog after being gone for so long. Maybe photos are what are necessary to catch everyone up on our lives right now. That is what I'll do.

Winter Vacation in the Dells

2007-12-15T09:17:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone, I didn't let you all know (for security reasons), but we were in Wisconsin Dells for a week staying at our timeshare. We had a really good time. We ate too much, swam a lot, and relaxed. I read a whole book! (James Patterson At First Sight) I didn't get around to reading my new camera's owner's manual, but I hope to do that soon. I did, however, use the camera while we were gone.

In further developments: Captain is such a sweet big brother... most times. He is so good with Burbles and it was a joy just to watch the two of them play together without having to think about the laundry that should be done or the dishes or the cleaning or whatever else I should be doing other than enjoying my children. Except: now, Captain is into throwing things. Whatever he can. The other big problem with this is that he really doesn't throw things anywhere in particular--he just throws them. If they happen to land on his sister's head or foot or fingers and she starts wailing, well then that is just the way it is. She screamed yesterday when she got hit in the head with a toy. She sure is a girl. The blood curdling, ear piercing scream. Now, don't get me wrong, she does her fair share of naughty things too. She pulls his hair or tries to put her fingers in his eyes. But, she is learning. He knows better and he throws anyway. Any hints on what to do about this?

Burbles got another tooth while we were gone. That makes five. The kids are now 19 months and 8 months and they are a lot more reasonable to travel with. Although, their gear consumed the whole rear of our van. As I was checking out, I learned that the resort does provide pack and plays (Burbles would have been better in a Pack and Play than her carseat--where she slept the whole week after she protested on the first night about sleeping on the closet floor in our room--door open, of course) and high chairs at request (AHHHH) but they do not have baby gates or humidifiers (the two things I asked about). Also, when a place proclaims that they are child-friendly, they aren't talking about chemicals not under the sink, rounded edges on furniture, child locks on drawers and doors, crumbs on the floor under the furniture that we inevitably have to move to make room for a play area, or the massive amounts of salt that they spread on our doorstep every day to prevent ice buildup while endangering my child's life. (I guess they really didn't get it when I swept the porch every day to eliminate the chunks of salt and then left the broom outside to let them know that I was the one who did it... some random person didn't just remove the salt or the wind didn't blow it all away. But, once we were childproofed, Captain made sure to find every thing he possibly could to make our stay an interesting one. For example: Colander as Hat, Glass pyrex bowls thrown on tile (they really are unbreakable), measuring cups in the bathtub (which was HUGE, by the way), brass fireplace guard as sword. The list goes on. But really, we had a great time. Both kids really enjoyed the water and they both got more used to it and more brave each time we went swimming. Captain even went down the frog waterslide by himself at least 25 times in one night.

Then, of course there was the hibachi Japanese restaurant called Ginza of Tokyo. We love it there. The food is great and it is entertainment to boot.

Which brings me to yesterday--my birthday. Yesterday was a pretty down day for me. Fundi had to go back to work, so we came home. I had hoped that after a week of being gone that someone would want to hang out. The kids and I ended up hanging out after Fundi went to work. I made supper and then put the kids to bed. I ended up watching a movie and a half last night and eating Pop-Rocks instead of birthday cake. I ended up watching Waitress and half of Hairspray. Both movies were pretty good. I'll hopefully finish up Hairspray this afternoon during Captain's nap.

Oh, and the other big change in our house: Captain is sleeping downstairs so Burbles can sleep upstairs in her crib and I can sleep in my bed. Night last night actually went pretty well: Captain slept in his Pack-and-Play downstairs and Burbles slept upstairs in Captain's crib until we get her crib's mattress lowered as she is pulling up now and that is the last thing I need at two in the morning.
He was none too happy to be in here once he got there. Hope he doesn't do this again.
Burbles in Captains crib with Glowy. (We now have two Glowies because Glowy (1) had dead batteries when we got to the Dells and we figured that we should have Glowy 2 just in case. Captain was super excited to see that he now has two "Glowah" He sleeps with that and "Tiger" and "Blanket" All three are necessary for a successful sleep.

Dec. 13th at Ginza of Tokyo. This is tempura fried ice cream.
Yummm... He loved the ginger sauce and shrimp just like his Mommy.
Daddy and Burbles
A peaceful little sleeping boy. He is all puckered up waiting for a kiss.

Tubby pictures for your pleasure.

Captain attacking cousin Z with his chopsticks.
Burbles being sweet.
Sister-in-law J and Fiona. I don't know what that look was about?
FIRE. Captain didn't like the fire the second night he was there. It was big and hot.
Captain in one of those rides in the outlet mall. We bought him a pair of real boots while at the outlet mall and put them on his feet. He walked like he had planks on his feet. Pretty funny, although, they didn't stay on for longer than a few minutes for the whole weekend. Maybe he'll be like me and not love the shoes so much :).
Burbles looking pretty at the outlet mall.

Captain and mommy at home in early December.
Burbles and Fundi. Look, she can pull up.
Grumpa and Captain working on the teeter-totter in the pool.
Burbles and I in the pool getting used to the water.
Fundi and Captain. Lately he has had this strange fascination with putting his hands down the back of his pants and saying "Poop" or "Toot"... Captain--not Fundi.

My Birthday Dinner Guests

Golden Compass

2007-12-05T10:42:00.000-06:00

Please be aware that this movie is not what it seems. Golden Compass is not a Narnia type movie. Fundi and I both watched the previews and thought that we would like to see this movie. We added it to our NetFlix list. Then, as I have been reading more and more with Usborne, and at church on Sunday, I realized that this is for real. This is a movie about kids who are trying to kill God. Now, I am not going to make up your mind for you, but anyone who plans to watch this movie should be aware of the strong atheist tones and the fact that the author who wrote the books this movie is based on was upset about how "watered-down" the film is compared to the books. I find this all so highly disturbing for any number of reasons. This is the time of year when Christianity is celebrated highly. This is also the time of year when (more than usual) parents drop their kids off at movies and do the Christmas shopping while the kids catch a show. Also, the advertising for this film is terribly misleading. We watched a polar bear running around with a woman who looked like a queen riding it. I feel that the advertising is misleading because a person sees one thing and gets another. They see a sci-fi, kid-friendly, animated movie that is set in a snowy climate (not unlike our own at this time of year) and think that it will me something like Narnia--only to get to the show and find that the movie is not anything of the sort. (Disclaimer: I will not be seeing this movie, so these are all observations based on advertising and here-say.) Now, there is something to be said about controversy and movies. People like to hear about controversy and the publicity that comes out of it is really just free advertising for the movie. I am hoping that we can send these people a message. It is not acceptable, this time of year or any other, for our children to be mislead into thinking that a movie is about one thing and it turns out to be about something entirely different. It is also not popular to go to movies such as this. More disturbing than any of this is the lack of knowledge by parents of what their kids are actually watching and reading. Let's stick it to them and let them know that we DO care about what our kids watch and read and that this particular material is NOT acceptable. Thank you.

'tis the season

2007-12-05T09:38:00.001-06:00

So, things here have been... I guess, that is it, they have just been. I would like to say that life here is boring, but that isn't it. But then again, it isn't really exciting either. Fundi has been working (what a good man!) and I have been working and watching all the kids. At night (or in the morning, depending on the shift) when Fundi gets home, we talk about all the things he missed while he was away. That is when I know that I couldn't be the one to go to work. I sometimes even feel jealous if he gets up with Burbles during the night (this doesn't happen often) but I am more thankful for the sleep than jealous. She still isn't doing well with this part of her life. The sleeping part, that is. She likes me to keep her company a couple times a night (always at 10:30 and 3:30 and then from 5:30 on to whenever Captain wakes up or WDW gets here to be watched, whichever comes first). And don't get me wrong, a lot of times I am so short of sleep that I just pick her up, stick a bottle in her mouth, hold her on the chair while I sleep until I wake up and remember that she is in my arms. Then I put her away and go back to bed. If you ask me on a normal day how many times she woke up, though, I don't think that I could tell you. And, I know that Captain is growing (contrary to his need to wear size 12 month clothes, yet) because he is reaching new hights for baby-proofing. He drove me nuts a couple weeks ago running around with all of the utensils from the kitchen drawer. Today he is making me crazy digging in a drawer that I just moved a chair away from. I moved the chair in hopes that he would just forget about the drawer entirely. Instead, he has now learned that he can reach up in there and grab out Burbles' "pretties" and the colors and the coloring books. Geez. Burbles is crawling--the real thing now. She is getting bigger, too. Soon the kids will be the same size.

Haven't had the greatest luck with parties thus far. I think it has a lot to do with the time of year and the weather. For example: I was supposed to have a party this past Saturday. I even scheduled it during the annual Cookie Day just for the convenience of the Hostess. The Hostess and I showed up, but no one else. There was a big snowstorm and then an even bigger ice storm that day and everyone was stayin' home. We will reschedule, but still... Although, I did have a pretty good first month, all in all. I'm not discouraged, just a little frustrated that these great books are available and I feel like I just can't work fast enough. I want to be able to help children learn to read and be able to help parents (and other loving relatives and friends) know that literacy is so important and that children can really benefit from books.

OK, so now I will continue...

The kids have been pretty hilarious lately. All of the funny things that I wish I could record, but I think I will just tell a couple stories here today.

Yesterday morning I was really tired when we all got up. Sister B wasn't coming over with WDW, so we didn't have early duty. Burbles got up and I brought her out to the living room. Captain got up and I brought him out to the living room. They were playing together (as much as this is possible) on the floor and I was laying on the couch waking up. Captain came over, touched my nose, said "Beep, Beep, Poop". ... sure enough.

Yesterday, Fiona was here. I purchased a Dirt Devil Hand Vacuum that I have proudly perched on my counter within reach (I wish I would have had one of these since my baby shower... note to new moms: register for one.). I have put Fiona in charge of vacuuming after every meal under each of the high chairs and her chair. It is her "job". I was reminding her that she had a job to do after breakfast. She said: "My job is to vacuum. Captain's job is to do the dishes. And, Burbles' job is to be a baby and smile." Priceless... (Captain helps me unload the dishes from the dishwasher.) Is this child labor?

I have been busy with the kids and processing orders of books, (If I knew the UPS man's name, we would be on a first-name-basis.) and reading a library book that is due on Friday. I have been so busy, in fact, that I haven't had a chance to read the manual (yes, I am one of those kinds) for my new camera. I LOVE it. It is a Panasonic DMC-TZ3. It has a 10x optical zoom and it is 7.2 megapixels. More than that, it has a three inch monitor. I have taken photos with it and they are gorgeous (see the photos of the kids in sweaters). I'm excited to have a little time to read the manual, get caught up on all of those entries on the computer that I haven't had a chance to do for such a long time, and just hang out. I am excited to get people their orders of books. I have a party tonight, too. I hope that goes well.

Oh, and, in case you don't live near me, you should know that we got LOTS of snow yesterday. It is really pretty out today and nice and sunny. I'll try and get some photos. More than that, I started my day today by shoveling snow for about 20 minutes off our deck and to the garage door. It was nice, light, fluffy, powder that shoveled easily. Lucky me. I thought it would be nice for my sister-in-law J to not have to walk through a bunch of snow to drop off Fiona.

Captain just called me "Anya" He does that sometimes when he wants to get my attention, but isn't he a little young for this? Sometimes he calls Fundi by his real name as well.

Cookie Day 2007: my dad's girlfriend working on her cookies. Captain sure got his fill of sugar that day. He was calling M&Ms "cereal" and he learned to say "cookie". He has that down. He sees them on the counter, first thing in the morning and he wants one. Monday, when we woke up, Captain was checking out what was in the garbage (he does this regularly) and he found a plate that had once contained fudge (from church bakesale) that Fundi had thrown away. I came out of the bathroom and Captain was licking the plate in the living room and then he ran from me when I tried to snatch it from him. Tricky guy.

Photos from a while back: Burbles and WDW are almost the same size and they are 3 1/2 months apart in age.
Burbles has four teeth now and is working on a couple more. She has quite a bite.
WDW at his finest :) Poor thing. This picture has made me laugh every time I look at it.

My sister B and her husband and WDW. What a beautiful family.
My least favorite part of my day: Bottles. Only about 5 more months of that for a while (aside from WDW's bottles).
My mom's picture that my dad gave me.
Sweater photos with the kids:

Don't feel bad for Fiona, she loves it.

Christmas Decoration Photos for You

2007-11-29T08:51:00.000-06:00

But first, a photo of the sunset from our house on Nov 27.And here are the kids by the tree. If you will notice: No bottom branches and the second layer has been left undecorated except for the lights... If you have to ask, you just don't have any idea.

One of my "Deals" on Black Friday. I had wanted some flowers for my Kick-Off show, but the poinsettia will last longer. Although, I do have to keep the kids far away.

Our stockings. We have no mantle so they hang on the wall.
The DemDaco set that Sister-in-Law J is building for me. This is what I got last year for Christmas/Birthday.
My snowmen. They are scattered throughout the house in an effort to prolong seasonal decoration from just Christmas to Winter. On top of that, I'm just not a big fan of Santas. I enjoy the lighter side of Christmas with blues and silvers. I like red and gold trees, they just aren't for me.
More snowmen. These guys are skiing and I thought Pink for Burbles and Blue for Captain.
Here is a built-in that I have. It is usually filled with knick-knacks, but I think I am going to turn it into seasonal decoration. The middle row is a family of penguins that I have been collecting to represent our family. The bottom row contains our first Christmas with Captain. This year, I purchased another photo frame from Kohl's (another "Deal") with four snowmen. I thought that it was great. Now I plan to buy a frame every year and put a new family picture in it to watch how we all grow and change as a family. I look forward to the years in the future when we can pull out all the old frames and put them around the house with memories past.
Also, I need to get you a picture of the picture that my Dad blessed me with. It is a piece of art that my mom selected and enjoyed. I am so excited to have it.

SLACKER...

2007-11-28T20:04:00.001-06:00

Yeah, that is me. I guess. Well, as far as blogging is concerned. I really am, I guess. Even now, I am watching TV something with Gordon Ramsey and some restaurant that he doesn't like just because my VCR stopped playing Knocked Up, which is what I would prefer to be watching so that we can ship it off to NetFlix tomorrow and get another movie from our ever long (230-some-movie queue).
So, now I will tell you what I have been up to since I last blogged... pictures to follow sometime in the future... I decorated for Christmas so that everything would be ready by my kick-off show. I had invited an insane amount of people to come and was hoping to have holiday cheer and all of that jazz. I cleaned and cleaned and put away a bunch of stuff that really had been bothering me for a while in its ever knick-knackiness. Wednesday my sister E and DeDe came over and we hung out with them for a while and Fundi's Brother Blue was around with his wife M. That night we had Thanksgiving supper at Dad's house. That was the last time we will be having something there. He is renting the place out to the new pharmacist in town and his wife and daughter, so Dad packed up everything and moved downstairs. It is kinda sad for us but a great opportunity for my dad and for the house to get used properly. Lately, I have been going and going and going. I wake up in the morning and from that moment on, I am doing something, but Thursday morning (Thanksgiving), Fundi had off and I was going to sleep in, well, that is until Fundi knocked on the bedroom door and asked me (or told me) to get up. I come out to the worst kid situation yet. Captain was sick and throwing up. Now, I have been fortunate and never have really had to deal with this to this point, but he was dry-heaving, and continuously vomiting for six hours. He was such a pathetic little guy that day. We sat and cuddled and slept and Fundi and Burbles went to Fundi's parents' house for Thanksgiving meal. My boys WON!
Anyhow, so I asked my mother-in-law if she still planned to watch the kids so I could go shopping on Friday and she said, "Sure." So, she came and stayed overnight and I got up at 3:45 and drove the hour to the stores. We opened with Shopko, then Target, then Kohl's, then the mall, then Sam's Club, then Menards, then grabbed some pizza to go home with and then Shopko again, then Starbucks. Yup, we got home at about 7:30. In the meanwhile, Burbles managed to get puking sick. Good grief. I did manage to get some good deals, but it was a long day.
So Saturday was filled with the flu again from both end from both kids. I wasn't so keen on this, but thankful that I never really came down with whatever it was. So, anyhow, Sunday I didn't risk going to church with the kids because I didn't know if we would be safe. My dad and his girl-friend watched the kids while I went and did a show somewhere else and then had our home kick-off show here. It went well, but not as well as I had expected. I had put so much effort into the invites and the calls and the food and the decorations. The people that did show up seemed to really enjoy the books and I think that I got a good start, but it is just disappointing when you expect one thing and then it turns out being something else, even if that something else is not bad just not what you expected. I don't know if that made any sense.
I have gotten my first two orders in and one is on its way already. I feel like this is all really happening now. Reading is such an important part of life and I want to bring that to as many people as possible. I would love to work with the schools and the libraries to expose them to the great products we have to offer. I have been watching the other kids lately, too... with the help of Fundi, so that I can get my work done. I need to work on taking more pictures... on that note, I have a camera picked out that I would like for Christmas, so just in case anyone was wondering what I want :) just kidding :) but I am glad that I finally found a camera that I think would work out well for me and my family. If you want details, let me know, or if you know anything about digital cameras and have a particular camera that you like or know about, let me know.
Christmas decoration pictures and current photos of the kids to follow (sometime soon). Burbles has four teeth now!

Photos for your day

2007-11-20T07:21:00.000-06:00

Mommy and Captain.

Kid LOVES green beans! (Oh, and boxes too...)
Daddy's hat, gloves, and glasses.
Trying to undress. The ankles on these pants are a little tight.
Sisterly love.
Brotherly love.
Look at these two playing :)

Yeah, I know...

2007-11-20T06:46:00.001-06:00

It is no excuse really... to not write, but as I sit here at 6:45am and prepare for my day with my four little ones, I do assure you that I have been busy. My Business is starting off well. I have a few parties booked before Christmas and I am planning a Kick-Off Show for November 25th at 6pm. I'm excited. My first party didn't go so hot. Only one person showed, but it wasn't for lack of effort on my part. I did what I could and I was assured that I would have those days. It is too bad because I know that the hostess has lots of books on her wish list and would have liked to have a much larger party. It was opening of deer-hunting though, so I guess a lot of people were out and about and there were lots of things for women to do: craft shows, shopping, preparing meals for hunters, etc.
Sunday we woke up and I thought "Great, we have plenty of time to get ready for church..." At 7 I got the kids dressed and ready. Captain was in a good mood. I put him in his high chair and he ate pretty well. I got Burbles in her high chair as well and was feeding them both. Captain cottage cheese (his favorite) and Burbles her baby food. Pretty soon, Captain decided that Mommy wasn't good enough to feed him, so he wanted to use the spoon himself. Then he decided that that wasn't enough and he needed to scoop the cottage cheese up as well. Burbles finished eating and I was putting her in her car seat. It was 8:15. Church is at 8:30. I turned around and there was Captain with the bowl up to his mouth like a cup trying to drink the cottage cheese. That didn't work, so he dumped it down his shirt, face, pants... he had a MESS! So I quick got him out of the chair and got a new outfit for him and had him lying on the changing table. Well, above the changing table is a ledge and on that ledge used to be a few plants including a Christmas Cactus that is a family heirloom. I turned around to get something and he pulled that cactus down onto the changing table and then started screaming because he felt so bad. Well... I felt bad too. I was MAD. I changed his clothes, sat him on the chair and told him to stay there. Then he was sweetly saying "bye bye, hat" and I was so mad but had to feel for the poor kid. So I got his coat and gloves and hat on and sent him out the door to the van as I came behind with Burbles. We left a mess. Cottage cheese trail everywhere, cactus on the changing table, my half-eaten apple and peanut butter on the table, dirt on the floor... And I left the house with two screaming kids to go to church (a quiet place) while my poor husband attempted sleep with all of this ruckus.
I have gotten over being upset with Captain, obviously. Now we think the poor kid may have pink eye, so today I have to take him to the doctor to see what the doctor can do about it. Captain has never really had any medications (aside from fluoride and an occasional dose of Tylenol) and he is not one to sit still, so I don't know how well he will tolerate eye drops. As far as we know though, everyone else is doing fine. We are getting used to WDW as he is getting used to us. It is much easier to get smiles out of him now and he even giggles when the tickle hand starts coming for him. Burbles is crawling... well, kind of. She gets up on all fours and then lurches herself as far as she can forward. She gets around really quickly this way and I wonder if she ever will learn to really crawl. Fundi and I are doing OK. Fundi has been working and has been helping a lot with the kids so that I can learn my business and really get off to a strong start. He took the kids a couple of times last week out shopping so that I could work in peace. I have been working and trying to learn the business. I have also been preoccupied the last couple days with getting ready for Christmas (really getting ready for my Kick-Off Show). I am doing the things that I have wanted to do for a while... cleaning up the clutter... putting stuff away that is just stuff and not really meaningful to us. My dad's girlfriend P and I went to a craft fair on Sunday after church and I got a few neat Christmas-y items. I tend to lean more to the snowmen and penguins as they can stretch the snow season past Christmas without having to re-decorate. I enjoy seasonal decorating, I guess. I moved the plants that were on the ledge and put them way up high so that I can't even reach them to water them. I would like to get flowers or something for my Kick-off show, but we'll have to see.

BACHELOR SPOILERS:
Also, just a side note about a certain Bachelor... HE SUCKS! He had two great women to chose from and didn't HAVE to propose. He could have just been like, well, I have to see, but instead he sent 'em both down the road. What a complete arse. Is he too good for both of them? I'm sorry. I guess I really did like the guy all season. He seemed to have a big heart and had feelings for a lot of the women, but to make them go through all of that and then send them both home? I am sure the women feel terrible too. I can see tolerating there being another woman, but that neither of them were chosen would make me feel like they were not good enough for him, either of them. HOW SAD :(

OK, well, I think the first ones are stirring, so I best be going. Hope all is well with you in cyber land. Can't wait to tell you about the busy busy Thanksgiving weekend. I get to spend time with both of our families. Mine on Wednesday, Fundi's on Thursday. Shopping on Friday. Church and preparations on Saturday. Sunday I have a show at 1 and then my Kick-Off show at 6.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! Watch a little football that day, too and cheer on the Pack. My boyfriend has to spend Thanksgiving playing football. Oh, and as my Priest would say. On Thanksgiving (or any other major eating holidays), "Anything that is brown has no calories."

Thankful yet Unsatisfied

2007-11-15T11:37:00.000-06:00

A friend recently posted the question "Is it possible to be thankful yet unsatisfied?"

Yes, I am sure of it. The world thrives on thankful and unsatisfied. Thankful for what we have on Thanksgiving. Unsatisfied for what we could have on Black Friday. If we weren't unsatisfied we would cease to go about our lives. My thoughts are hard to explain, but I will try. As we go about our lives, we long for things. We are always looking forward to the next thing and the next thing. It is a person much more strong willed than I who can stop looking for the next (thing to do, thing to buy, place to go, vacation to have, milestone in my children's lives, etc.). To stop this looking forward would not allow us to be thankful for all that we do have and all that we could have. I am thankful that we have the money to put in fluorescent light bulbs throughout our home. I look forward to getting the next energy bill (hopefully substantially less than our previous bills). I am thankful that I got to eat lunch today. I look forward to eating my next meal. And on and on. Over time, we forget about being thankful for those things like life because if you spend all the time being thankful, can you really still be living? If you were to just be thankful that your car accident wasn't worse, that would be fine, but you really are thankful that you can live another day and that you can look forward to going to work or spending the day with your Honey. That feeling of being unsatisfied, I think, comes with the territory. A person is trained to be unsatisfied throughout their lives so that they have the drive to make it to the next day.

I am terribly Thankful for what I have in the season of thankfulness. As we search this world for who we are and who we are to become, I just want everyone out there to know that I am thankful for them and even if I don't know you, I know that someone is thankful for your existence.

Happy Thanksgiving!
(I know this is early, but I don't know if I will get around to writing more for a while. I have been busy with getting my business going and will be busy this coming week with my business as well as with getting ready for the holidays and my Kick-Off Show which will be on Sunday, November 25th, 2007 at 6pm at our house. Everyone is invited. Bring a friend!

Usborne Books eShow

2007-11-10T16:39:00.000-06:00

You are invited to an Usborne Books eShow to explore the world of Usborne Books. A child's interest in reading and learning is stimulated by the lavish illustrations and informative content. There are over 1300 bright, colorful and fun titles covering activities, puzzles and a wide range of subjects for children of all ages.Usborne Books - the books kids love to read!
Hosted by: Andrea Goeldner
Place: www.ubah.com/HOS100472
When: Today thru 12/2/2007 11:59:00 PM
Everyone is welcome, so invite a friend.It's a rewarding experience when a child opens a book and discovers the magic of reading.

Busy

2007-11-10T07:11:00.000-06:00

I know, I know. It has been a while and especially a while for something with any great substance or meaning. I am so excited about my new business. I am so happy to start the ball rolling and I am excited that I have a couple parties booked and will be really getting going. That being said, my first party is in a week and I am trying to learn learn learn as much as I possibly can while taking care of the kids and my wife-ly homemaker duties (Fundi made supper last night, though). It snowed yesterday on my way to a neighboring town. I was excited to be out alone and ended up getting a couple more people to think about having parties. Some day I will have something more interesting to say, I promise.
The other day I took the kids shopping to Wal-Mart and got to see some people I haven't talked to in a long while. It was nice and I think I may have a lead on tracking down my friend that disappeared off the face of the earth after she had her baby and suffered a sever case of post-partum depression. Hopefully we can reconnect.
In other BIG NEWS: Captain was getting his morning hugs and kisses today and I was getting them back. I said "I love you Captain." He said "I Love You!" I about dropped to the floor. I got some loving tears in my eyes. Then he got this big toothy grin and said "Kissy". What a little darling.
Burbles is mobile. In a big way. Although she doesn't crawl in the traditional fashion, she still manages to get where she needs to go. And she moves FAST. When she is mobile, she goes on her hands and knees and rocks forward and then on the forward motion she gives an extra hard push and catapaults herself forward. She is working on the traditional crawling but really, she is not about to wait for the coordination to be there before she moves around herself, hence the catapaulting. She has to keep up with her older brother whom she just ADORES.
Everyone is being good this morning. We had WDW overnight so my sister could go shopping with the in-laws. It went OK. I didn't get much sleep. They staggared their wakings making it impossible for me to get anything more than an hour and a half of sleep at a time. I am lonely for sleep. I miss extended hours with my bed. I have been watching all my TV at night during the feedings, though. I can say that I am almost caught up on all my Must See TV. I still haven't watched Ugly Betty from Thursday night, but that is online and I am never in the mood to tote the computer over to the good comfy chair and get everything up and rolling to have the little one fall asleep in my arms three minutes later. (Which is what she does, by the way.) I think she just gets lonely when she wakes up. She isn't hungry. She doesn't eat more than a couple gulps. WDW, last night, though, was a good eater... as far as I know. I need to be thankful that Fundi has the same fondness for his nephew that I do. He took WDW's feedings even though he had to go to work this morning for some more over-time. What a guy. Don't get me wrong, if Fundi wouldn't have been here, I would have gotten up to feed everyone, but it was so nice to share the load. God forbid we ever have traditional twins, I don't know what we would do. Maybe I would work more selling books so that we could hire an overnight helper? Who knows, but hopefully that is not a reality. Although....
A couple years back when Fundi and I were going through fertility treatments, I visited a psychic for fun with my aunt R and Gummie. I don't believe in this business, but went anyway just for something to talk about and say that I had done. The guy said that I would get pregnant in the next month. (I was.) He said that I would have four kids and that I will probably have twins. Now, I don't know if he meant my Irish Twins or real twins. Whatever... it is of no consequence. He also said that if I was looking for a guy, at work was not the place to look. When I told him I was married, he asked if I was cheating as I wasn't wearing my ring. I had forgotten my rings (all of my jewelry, as a matter of fact) at Aunt R's house that morning.
Anyway, Captain just got done with his French Toast breakfast (he ate mostly with a fork like a big boy) and it is Burbles' turn now. (WDW has been eating in my arms thoughout this post and is now happily positioned in his Bumbo on the floor watching Captain run around. Poor Burbles... she got up at 5am and we cuddled and she drank her bottle this morning before anyone else got up, so really, she is ahead of everyone else.
Can't wait for naptime today. I get to learn some more.
Anyone who knows me knows what a pain it is for me to be unorganized. I hate it. I need to get my stuff in order so my business can get its feet on the ground.
ALSO: PACKERS v VIKINGS tomorrow at noon. We are gathering here with some friends and family. It is sure to be a good time. As long as my boyfriend does his job tomorrow. What a man.

Usborne Books

2007-11-07T13:37:00.000-06:00

Hello, I haven't been writing because I have been BUSY. I have been watching the kids all week and everyone is a little sick. But, mostly, I have been BUSY with my new business. I am an Usborne Book Independent Consultant as of yesterday! I am just sooo excited about these books and would like to introduce them to you through my website (linked above) and would like to ask each of you to consider having a show (catalog or home). I am able to offer a really good deal to the people who have shows through the end of January because I am new to Usborne. If you haven't heard of Usborne books, they are books for everyone. There are over 1400 titles available with books from Astronauts to Zebras. They are primarily non-fiction with an emphasis on fun and learning. With the Holidays coming up, and toys abound, a lot of people would like to buy books for children when they know that the child has many toys. It is so easy to earn free and half price books with Usborne. Please come and browse on my bookshelves and then let me know if you are interested in becoming a hostess or a consultant yourself.

Annoyed and Appreciative

2007-11-04T20:29:00.000-06:00

I'm really annoyed right now... not that it is really that big a deal, but I was trying to watch this movie tonight when all at once it stopped. Now, mind you, I was about a half an hour into the movie. It wasn't really making any sense to me, but I just thought that that was the way this movie was supposed to be. It kept stopping and then going as a flashback over the same scene. It did this twice. I just thought that maybe the movie was starting at the end and then going to go back to the beginning a little later in the film. OK, so when the movie stopped, I waited for it to go back as a flashback to a different scene, but it didn't. Actually, the disk just froze up entirely. I got up, opened the door on our DVD player, blew on the disk and in the DVD player, closed the drawer, and hoped it would work. It did. Except that it took me to the disk menu, which I had never been to before. It was at that point that I realized my DVD player probably was playing an extra (like it sometimes does) such as deleted scenes, alternative ending, or editor's cut. Here, I was watching the end of the film where the detective makes the big discover and everything resolves itself and the criminal is implicated and the good guy wins. AHHHHH!!! I think this would have been a good movie, but now it has been ruined. I just tried to watch it from the start and the disk froze up at about 8 minutes. So, I figured that I would blog for a while while I wait for Fundi to get home so we can go to sleep.
This weekend was a good one. I'll have to write more about it later, but I had a good weekend.
I got to thinking, this morning, before church, as I was checking my emails and looking at every one's blogs... I have high expectations for everyone. I always check in the morning to get updates on all my favorite people. I am disappointed on the weekends because I want to read about what everyone else is doing. But then, just now, I realized that a lot of times I don't blog on the weekends because I am busy and don't have time. So... all of these expectations I have for everyone else... I either need to just get over myself or I need to hold myself up to these expectations as well....
I guess what I am trying to say is that: I enjoy reading what everyone is up to and seeing photos and commenting on every one's lives. I miss you guys when you aren't around. I am, of course, not going to make you write on the weekends, but just know that there is someone reading what you are writing and enjoying every minute of being connected again with long-lost friends. Hope everyone else's weekends went well. I'll write more on mine later. I'm watching WDW all but one day this week and I don't know if I will get everyone napping all at the same time (I'll try) so I can spend a little time blogging. Wish us luck.

A week in photo review

2007-11-01T15:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I haven't been blogging this week that much. I have been busy. We started watching my sister B's 3 month old this week in addition to Fiona. Then, on Tuesday night, my sister E showed up with her two kids. Yesterday there were six here. Yes, SIX! Everything went pretty well. Buca is a little Aretha Franklin and she woke Fundi up (way) early (he worked overnight on Tuesday night). That, and the diapers were overflowing from the trash this morning (even worse than normal). There were bottles galore and a plethora of poopy diapers and one potty-training accident. BUT.... no one got hurt and there are photos galore from the exciting experience. Soooo.... here goes:

Wednesday, October 31st, 2007 and Thursday, November 1st, 2007

2007-11-01T14:24:00.000-05:00

WILD DAY! What with all the kids and costumes and expectations... we had a lot of fun. The day was wonderful. Fundi took vacation to enjoy such a wonderful family holiday. We went trick-or-treating. That was silly... Fundi and I have stopped eating candy and such stuff and we don't allow either of the kids to eat junk either, so now we have a HUGE bowl of candy sitting on the counter. I guess I did fine with the candy sitting on the counter waiting for trick-or-treaters for the past two weeks. I think it will be OK after all--just a huge test of will-power. I did take the day off yesterday and enjoyed my share of sweet things and soda, but at the end of the night I was slightly nauseous and a little dehydrated as well. I really don't even have an urge to eat that blasted candy on the counter today. Had my normal apple and peanut butter for breakfast and am not hungry at all. Tonight Fundi has to work but last night Burbles was only up once (for a mere ten minutes) and I think she just missed me and wanted a hug but I sent Fundi instead and she sent him right back to bed (by falling asleep). She woke up at 6:30am and shortly after that, Captain woke up. Fundi took the kids and I went back to sleep until 9:30ish this morning. Yipee!! Now he is going to sleep so that he can stay awake all night. Last night when we got home I was so thankful for family and for activities such as yesterday's. As much as they can be a pain sometimes, families are what make this world a great place to be. Some people consider their family to be blood relatives and some consider them close friends, but either way, a person can not be whole without other people in their lives. That is what makes living special.
Captain and Buca (only 13 days apart) eating pizza for lunch.

Captain

2007-11-01T13:12:00.000-05:00

Burbles

2007-11-01T13:05:00.000-05:00

WDW

2007-11-01T13:02:00.001-05:00

Buca

2007-11-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

DeDe

2007-11-01T12:50:00.001-05:00

Fiona

2007-11-01T12:42:00.000-05:00

Grumpa and Grandkids

2007-11-01T12:30:00.000-05:00

Mommies and Daddies and Babies

2007-11-01T12:00:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, October 30th, 2007

2007-11-01T11:45:00.001-05:00

Tuesday we had only Fiona and our kids to watch. We went to the park before lunch. Then, Fundi let me run out and get my hair cut. First time in a year! I told Stacy to do whatever she would like to do. She chopped and then blow dried and I didn't like the results so she chopped again. After an hour in the chair there was a HUGE pile of hair. I should have weighed myself, but I bet I lost three pounds. (I know that you don't like hairballs, Lion, but I had to show you guys how much hair she cut off.) I got home and then Fundi went to sleep. He had to work Tuesday night, so the kids and I all went grocery shopping. That was a good job done. I brought home some supper and Sister-in-law J and the kids and I ate a little cold-weather picnic outside at their house. We came home and my sister E got here shortly after that. We let the kids run around for a while to get familiar with each other and to burn off some of that energy. E and I talked and watched a movie. Burbles had a rough night overnight, so I was up a lot with her. It was so nice to have E and Buca and DeDe over though!

Usborne books are so great. This one is becoming a favorite for the kids. The words below the photos are great for word recognition and learning that letters spell out words and those words mean whatever they spell.

Burbles and DeDe. They were born on the same day.

Monday, October 29th, 2007

2007-11-01T11:27:00.001-05:00

Little WDW started today. Everything went really well. We just about had a diaper leak but both Fundi and I were able to double team WDW, so nothing ever actually touched anything but the diaper (and the butt of course). Fundi had off today so we carved our pumpkins and I went and picked up carry-out pizza from an organic pizza place in a city nearby. It was terribly nummy. Captain came with and Fundi stayed home with Burbles to finish carving up the pumpkins. I got home and my pumpkin was on display out by the garage and Fundi's pumpkins were also out but they were closer to the road. The mess was cleaned up and Fundi was feeding Burbles her supper. I was excited to watch my boyfriend play but then we looked for the game and with our limited cable and ESPN's monopoly on the televising of Monday Night Football, we didn't get the game after all. That was OK. I ended up falling asleep partway through the movie that I sent Fundi to town to rent, so I wouldn't have been able to stay up for the game anyway. The photos of the pumpkins were taken last night. It is terribly sad that I didn't get photos earlier because the pumpkins looked sooooo good. I carved two rats and a cat on the back as a shadow. When you put the pumpkin with a backdrop and then a light inside, the cat looks like it is spying on the rats. Fundi made a mummy and a cute monster. His were delightful but look all shriveled in the photo. Maybe next year.

October 28th, 2007

2007-11-01T11:15:00.000-05:00

Sunday: Church Day. The kids are dressed nice and I couldn't help but get some pictures of them while they were still clean. The Packers didn't play today... they have a Monday Night Football Slot, so we have a free day. We ended up sitting around after Church and then Fundi's Mom came by to visit while the kids were sleeping. That night I went by myself and played BINGO at the local VFW. I WON! (It was only $15, but still, it payed for me to play and then a dollar for gas.) Then I came home and we started watching the last two disks of Heroes.

My Super-Power

2007-10-30T09:44:00.001-05:00

Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading

You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive.

You understand people better than they would like to be understood.

Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details.

You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on!

Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done

Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now

What Should Your Superpower Be?

Quiz Your Friends

2007-10-29T11:09:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I was finally able to do it. Please take my quiz.
Here's a Quiz for You on QuizYourFriends.com
CLICK on the link below or PASTE it into your browser.http://www.quizyourfriends.com/quizpage.php?quizname=071029110839-563592
Happy Quizzing!

Halloween Photos 1

2007-10-28T10:56:00.000-05:00

Last night we went first to a Haunted Halloween Walk and then to a Halloween Party. Everything was fun. Everyone was in a good mood. And, best of all, the costumes worked out. Everyone left the house in one piece and came back in one piece. Thank goodness.

The party was a good time. There were lots of young ones running around having a blast. They were all dressed up sooo cute. I think my favorite (other than my own) was a "Pile of Leaves". The kid was wearing clothes that had leaves sewn all over them. It was terribly cute and now I wish I had gotten a picture.

So here ya go: A "Gorilla Brown-Bagging It"
Our family: Miss Kitty, Mr. Puppy, A Gorilla Brown-Bagging It, The Lunch (a banana)
The Gorilla holding the banana tight (did you know that bananas screech and squeal?) Click on the photo to see the banana's sticker.
Captain found a hand and ran around with it throughout the evening. It was funny because at times he would put the hand up to his head and it looked like he was saying "Man, have I got a headache!"
Miss Peacock was my Maid of Honor in my wedding. Their family is the family who threw the party.

Captain on the way home. He was all tuckered out. Look at him and his cute little puppy babies.

The banana costume was really easy to make. I took an X-Small t-shirt from Target ($10). I cut off the sleeves at about the elbow. Then, I hand stitched a little hem on the sleeves and then gathered the sleeves so that her hands wouldn't get lost in the fabric. I took one of the sleeves that I cut and stitched around the finished end and gathered that together to make the top of the banana. The unfinished end stretched really well and fit her head. I put cream colored tights and onesie on under the outfit and away we went.

The other costumes were not so creative. I was a black cat: black clothes, purchased tail and ears ($10). Fundi was a Gorilla Brown-Bagging It: a dress shirt and tie, purchased gorilla mask and hands ($20). Captain was a puppy: Black cords, white onesie, brown shoes, puppy costume purchased at a garage sale ($3). I did buy makeup for my whiskers ($4). So, for under $50, our whole family celebrated Halloween. We will use the costumes again on Wednesday night for Trick-or-Treating. I can't wait! My sister E is supposed to be coming with her 2 in 12s who are the same age as Captain and Burbles.

Photos and Comments

2007-10-28T10:16:00.000-05:00

Captain yesterday. Suddenly he has an aversion to cameras. That, and he wants to look at the photo once it comes up on the camera. He just can't figure out that in order to see something back there, he needs to stay still so I can get a picture first.
Remember that saying? You can pick your friends. You can pick your nose. But, you can't pick your friend's nose. ??? Remember it?
Here is what he does in his spare time.
Mommy and Burbles
Captain this morning being silly on his puppy after church.
There are those cups again... I think they are his favorite toy right now.

Here is the catchup picture that I promised from Red Lobster last week.
Doesn't she look like she is going to be a runner. I think this photo looks like she is going to start from the blocks.
Here are Captain and Burbles having a good time entertaining each other.
Kisses
Hugs

I love my kids

2007-10-27T16:37:00.001-05:00

So today they are better. I don't know what came over them yesterday, but it is over and done with. At least for the most part.
They have been behaving well today and I hope it carries into tonight. We will be attending our first Halloween party this evening at a nice house (we were there already today and Captain did part of his investigating) that has lots of things for Captain to explore. I hope that he doesn't frighten at the costumes. I hope Burbles doesn't either, for that matter. That is the one things, I guess, is not knowing what the reaction might be when we actually get there.
Burbles has started to lift her hand and put it down again while in the all-fours position. I think this means that she will be on the move soon.
I am excited about the costumes for tonight. I'll post pictures and you'll have to tell me what you think. My costume isn't anything interesting, really, but all of the other costumes are cute. I made Burbles' costume this afternoon while both of the kids were napping (I don't know how that happened... if I did, don't you think I would get it to happen more often?). I made it. That's right, all by myself... you'll see. I kinda got the idea from a magazine that said to make costumes out of oversized shirts.
Last night, Fundi and I went to the nearest big city and went to Menards. We shopped and shopped. Finally, we walked out of there with lots and lots and lots of flourescent light bulbs---not the long, skinny ones, but the ones for home lighting. Did you know that they now make flourescent lighting for flood lights, dimmable flood lights, dimmable regular lighting, and three-way lights. In our effort to save money, we had to spend money, but I was assured by the packaging that over the life of each bulb I would save exorbitant amounts of money. I sure hope that it is true... and that I am helping the environment.
I'm terribly excited to carve pumpkins. I now have tracked down five pumpkin carving books. This may seem ridiculous, but we plan on carving pumpkins for a long, long time with our kids, so give me a break. I'm excited.
I have to go... something weird is going on with my computer... I will let you know what it is. Alice, that email that you sent about a quiz that you created... when I opened that, it started freaking my computer out. I suggest you run a spysweep program as well as an anti-virus. I'll let you know what my system finds. Oh, and I agree, it probably was the moon.

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk

2007-10-26T17:36:00.000-05:00

I had started this post just minutes ago with a different title but the same theme. Then Burbles flung her bottle on the floor and the nipple came loose and then the formula splashed all over and spilled completely out of her bottle.
The theme for today is: I don't know what is the matter with us.
Ever since the three of us woke up today, it seems like something is wrong. The kids have been ugly and crying all day and that makes me feel ugly and (like) crying all day. They have been clingy and I don't particularly like awrnry crying clingy kids today. I guess it is just one of those days when I wish I could be anywhere but here. I usually don't have those days. I usually just love being at home with the kids and just enjoying watching them learn and grow and become who they will become. Fundi has been working overtime all this month and spending lots of time at work and not so much time here. We need the money. I'm so glad that he was able to do this this month. At the same time, it is the end of the month and I feel fried. My sanity is almost extinct and I feel like I would be happier right now working at a factory doing monotonous work (just for today). Yesterday Captain took a couple big tumbles and I wonder if that isn't the reason for his crabbiness today? Burbles seems to be drooling more than normal. I wonder if she is getting another tooth? Both of them want to take up residence on my lap. Neither of them wants to share that lap. Burbles is enjoying pulling Captain's hair and Captain keeps "patting" Burbles on the back. Before they were fighting over the strings on my hooded sweatshirt, so that had to come off. I will be so happy to have Fundi back to working just his shifts. Yeah, the money is nice, but we enjoy having him around. The kids like me better when Fundi is around. I like me better when Fundi is around. I like the kids better when Fundi is around. As I type, the kids are patting the computer in unison. They are together on my lap. They are both whining. ughhhhh... write more later

A new name for M

2007-10-24T08:15:00.000-05:00

Today I have decided to give M a new name. She is on the blog so often and I'm tired of calling her M. So.... I asked her what she wanted her name to be. I have been so concerned with coming up with my own name for her that I couldn't look past my own nose and just think to ask the girl. She is 3 after all...

This name has a story behind it though. A couple of months back, after seeing Shrek the Third in the theater, M had a dream. She had a dream that she married Shrek. Her name is now Fiona.

These shoes are really a proclamation of her love for her husband. They are her favorite, she says. What three year old little girl doesn't have a crush on someone else's husband?

The Zoo

2007-10-24T07:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to the zoo with the kids and our niece M. We had a really good time. On our way to the Twin Cities we stopped at our favorite Mexican restaurant. We had great food as always, but we were seated at this funny corner booth. I don't know if any of you can imagine three kids and two adults at a corner booth, especially when one kid is in a high chair (he blocked the entrance to the table completely once he was in place) and the other is in a car seat. After that we headed to the zoo. As soon as we got in, Captain was practically jumping out of his chair with excitement and wonder. It is just so neat how he is so curious. After a while, we let Captain run around. The zoo was not terribly busy and we were able to keep a good eye on him but still give him a little freedom to explore. He stood at those fences and looked and looked. We had to pry him away just to get to another animal so he could look and look. Burbles enjoyed looking too. She watched the monkeys and watched the polar bear. I can't wait to see that excitement in her as she gets a little older. M was very excited to see the zebras and giraffes. She wasn't so sure about the polar bear, although she did finally go by the glass to watch it swim laps. After the zoo, we drove around looking for this sausage place that Fundi likes to go to when we get to the cities. We weren't lost, but we put the Navigation system CD in (we have had the van for over a year but still hadn't even tried it out). As we were driving to get on I94 to head south, we came across an officer directing traffic. A block after that, I asked Fundi if we would be near the I35W bridge that had collapsed. He said that he thought it was the I35E. At that moment, I looked to the right and there was a huge hole where there had once been a bridge. I got goose bumps and shivered a little. What we could see of the devastation had been cleaned up pretty well. I can't imagine visiting the Footprints of the World Trade Center. Words can't describe how a person feels when they are put in that situation. It was really strange driving over I35W and seeing that no one was driving on it. That lack of traffic (in a city where traffic prevails) was eerie. After getting back to I94, I directed Fundi onto Kellogg and we went to our favorite little Italian Restaurant called Cossetta's. On our way home, I studied the navigation system and kicked myself for not familiarizing myself with it before.
Here are the photos from the zoo trip:

Burbles squealing with excitement.
M, Andrea, Burbles, Captain
M wouldn't act scared.
Neither would Captain. He thought that sticking his head through the hole was pretty funny.
I don't know how this happened, but I caught him at just the right moment.

Captain looking at the polar bear swimming laps
The bear pushes off the glass right where the kids are standing.
M was a little reserved, Captain was right up to the glass.
The bear is HUGE.
HUGE.

Captain and M by the giraffes.
The great big tiger looking for his ball.
M and Captain
Captain and Daddy
M and Captain in the doghouse

The kids
Look at him. He is the king of the jungle.
M is a princess
And apparently Fundi is her frog prince.
Baby Giraffe

M and Fundi walking in the Sunken Gardens together.

Christmas...among other things

2007-10-23T09:10:00.000-05:00

The view from our front windows this morning. It is going to be a beautiful fall day. A great day to go to the zoo. A great day to be alive.
Here is the view out our front door. Minus the dead tree in the front, the colors are in full swing right now. It should make for some nice driving to the zoo.

The is how fast Captain moves on a regular basis. This was the day at the apple place when I couldn't buy anything.
Sitting on a pumpkin. Can't wait to carve ours. Hope our carving kit shows up in the mail soon. (I got my sling rings and fabric yesterday. Can't wait to get everything to my Grandma for sewing.)
I don't know if you can see it, but there is a toothy in there. She is working on another one today. She has scratches on her face from her nails. Love the brown/pink combo along with the brown/teal combo that is such a popular combo these days.
These are their combined elephant photos that Captain insists on all the time. We take an elephant photo every month on the same day in the same place. It has been soooo neat to watch them grow.
She learned that she has toes to suck on.

Ok, so this may be a little random, but I need to write what I am thinking about even though it really has nothing to do with today.

I am thinking about my Mom today. I guess that being a mother myself now, gives me more appreciation for my Mom and also makes me miss her that much more. Mainly what I am thinking on today it being a new mother and the whole experience and how trying it is. How little sleep you get and how much your whole world gets turned upside down.

I am thinking about Christmas today. Strangely enough I am thinking about how many things I want to do this Christmas. From decorating to buying gifts to baking to making it a very special First and Second Christmas for my children. I'm thinking about all the planning that Christmas entails and how there is such a sense of excitement, especially with the kids. Don't get me wrong, I have been thinking about Halloween and Thanksgiving and Black Friday and Cookie Day and everything in between as well, but Christmas is the biggest holiday of all. Not only because of the consumerism but because of the Religious aspects of it as well.

I am thinking about my birthday. (Now this will all tie together, I promise.) My birthday is right before Christmas. I have always hated when my birthday fell. I hated having a birthday right before Christmas. There were always selfish reasons, of course, but a lot of it had to do with how busy everyone is at that time of year. Everyone is so tied up with Christmas preparations that they would forget my birthday or it wouldn't be a priority. That, and money was always tight. No one had money to go out or to buy gifts or they would promise a combined Christmas/Birthday present and I always resented that.

I wonder how my Mom felt about when she had me. I wonder if she was excited about having a Christmas baby or if she worried that I would feel the way that I did. My mom's birthday was right after Christmas and I wonder if she had the same issues with it as I did. My mom was due with me at the end of November around Thanksgiving time, but she carried me at least three weeks longer and I was born mid-December. When I think of all the preparations that my Mom must have been making for me, for Thanksgiving, for Christmas, it makes me appreciate her even more. I appreciate how much she always did for us. I can appreciate all of the excitement that she must have felt at the thought of bringing home her first baby. I can imagine how tired she and my dad must have been that first Christmas. I envision them really only wanting one gift (aside from sleep): a healthy and happy baby. I am sure that there were a couple of presents that year, but I bet that I was the greatest one. A gift from God.

I think of all of this now. Mid-October. I think about how much Mom would have loved to be here to share in the gifts that I now have. I know how much Dad appreciates them. I wish she were here to open the door when we ring the bell and say "Trick or Treat". I wish she were here to see the trees turning color. I wish she were here to bake cookies with us. I wish she were here to tell us how crazy we are for packing up in the car at 4:00am on Black Friday. Maybe she would go with us to the zoo today. I know for sure that she would want to hear all about it when we got back.

I will never complain about when my Birthday is again. Instead, I will think of it as a mother. I will think of it in terms of my mother. I will think of it as a gift from God.

Jake

2007-10-22T21:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the two year anniversary of my husband's brother Jake's passing. He died of Cancer, melanoma, to be more specific. Jake was a special person to me and my husband. Jake and J (my sister-in-law) have lived only a couple miles away from Fundi and I since we met. Not only were they close physically, we were always doing things together with them. One of the last great memories that I have of Jake is when Fundi and I told everyone that we were pregnant with Captain. It was my nephew's birthday party. We were all sitting around outside in Jake and J's front yard. We had eaten and Z was opening gifts from everyone. Fundi and I always give the kids money, so Z opened the card and took out the money and wasn't really paying attention to what the card said. We insisted that he read the card. At the bottom, we signed from Fundi, Andrea, and your new cousin. Everyone was ecstatic. I'll never forget the look of surprise and excitement and happiness that Jake displayed on his face. When he would get excited, he would raise his eyebrows, his eyes would light up, and the joy would just come right off his face. Anyone would be able to see when Jake was excited. He was that way that day. There was a little sadness in the air as well. Jake was sick and we all knew it. I think there was the unknown question as to whether or not Jake would see another birthday for Z. Shortly after that late August birthday, Jake got very sick. We all know that he was in a lot of pain. It would be so contrary to say that I'm glad that his pain was relieved (as with my mother). And I'm not one to say that it was just meant to be. It sucks. Death sucks. Jake was the other person in my life who played a role in Fundi and I getting together. He and my mom worked together. They set us up. I'll have to check back at the June 19th blog to see if I told the story on the day my Mom passed away. If not, I will tell it in a future post. When we lost Jake, it seemed as though Fundi and I were that much more fused together. We had both lost someone who was important to us--twice. We had been through that loss--twice. It was really hard. I can't imagine losing a spouse or a child. I can't imagine losing a sibling. I know the pain of losing a parent. The world lost a special person that day. Someone who had an excitement that was contageous. Someone who was a great guy. As much as I seem to be separated from grieving for Jake, it is hard. No, I wasn't his wife or his mother or his child or his brother, but I was his friend and his sister-in-law.

The Weekend

2007-10-22T08:23:00.000-05:00

This weekend went quickly. Last night, Burbles slept from 7:30pm until 4am! I'm ecstatic. Then she slept from 4:15-6. Captain has been sleeping his typical 12 hour nights which is also great. Yesterday we went to church and then out to brunch with my Sister-in-law J her kids and her parents and my Mother-in-law. This was to celebrate Z's First Communion. Then I attempted a stop at an apple place with both kids and no stroller. Not so great. We ended up just packing up and leaving. Then came home and I got to sort through all of the wonderful Usborne books that I got for free and half-price for hosting the party. I got a lot of the books delivered yesterday too (at church and brunch). Then the kids and I hung out in the evening reading all the beautiful books and the kids got their baths. They went to sleep early (7:30, 7:45) so I got to watch a movie. It wasn't the best, but it was OK and I was able to work on other things while watching it, so that was worth it. It was called Tart.
Saturday was a whole lotta fun. I dropped the kids at Grumpa's house and went to the scrapbook gathering (not code for making out) from 10am-8pm. I did go home twice. The first time was to meet the lady who sold the Usborne books and the second time was to see Fundi and the kids in the afternoon before Fundi left for work. We had some good laughs at Croptoberfest.
Talk more later. Going shopping with my sister B to look for costumes and groceries and perhaps fabric for my slings :) YEAH!

Conversations

2007-10-22T08:17:00.000-05:00

Ben Stein's How to Have a Business Conversation
These seem to be good rules to know and follow even if having a friendly conversation--especially with people you haven't seen in a while or know little about your current situation.

Moving Forward.... Literally

2007-10-20T09:05:00.001-05:00

The newest member of our family has now started moving forward. Burbles is adamant about getting anything that looks remotely interesting, even if it means going all the way across the room to get it. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Really. This is going to change our world. Again. When a baby starts forward motion (as opposed to backward motion or round-in-circles motion), we start a whole new stage in babyproofing. This means that we will need to watch her around cords, stairs, feet, basically anthing that is on the floor or that could touch the floor. We need to be extra careful not to let anything get on the floor that we do not want her to have, chew on, suck on, or otherwise put in her little mouth. This means more vacuuming for me.
In other news:
The six month and eighteen month check-ups went well. Dr. Loo (as Captain calls him) says that everything looks great and that both kids look wonderful. He even said that it was the easiest 18 month check-up that he has ever done. (That is what he said at the 12 month check-up.) Both kids survived the shots. And my sister B and I survived the longerthanlong day in the pouring rain with four kids in car seats. (Niece M, sister-in-law J's girl, and Nephew WDW, Sister B's boy, came with.)
I have started shopping online. Not just a little shopping, but I will be seeing the UPS guy three times in the next week. I ordered diapers and swipers, sling rings, and a Pumpkin Carving Book. How exciting.
You know what, Jennie, remember when you had the idea for a blogging system that would just read your thoughts and channel them into a blog? Well, I would like one of those. Yesterday, right before I headed off for a nap with Burbles, I had this oh-so-clever blog thought out. Except that Burbles was already sleeping on my lap and I was kinda getting drowsy, so I didn't get up and go write it. That means that today, as I sit here trying to remember what I was thinking about writing, I am getting frustrated.
Captain got his daily dose of licopene yesterday... drinking two little cups of catsup... pictures to follow. Sister-in-law J, please please let me post them. :)
Gotta go to Croptober Fest. Write more later.