A day in January...

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.