So did y'all think I ran off to Asheville and never returned? No such luck. We had a fabulous time, but we did, alas, return to the cold harsh reality of three kids and a messy house. It was tons of fun and when I win the lottery, I'm definitely going to buy a log cabin on the side of a mountain complete with hot tub.
We haven't had any major milestone events since we returned. Well, Mason scored his first goal at this past Saturday's soccer game, so that was a milestone. I, unfortunately, missed said milestone because I was home sick with sick kids. Over the past two weeks we have hosted a revolving door of illnesses. It started with a sinus/ear infection for Will, followed by a wretched cold for Hays and pinkeye for Will, immediately followed by a wretched cold for Will and concluding (hopefully) with colds for mom and dad. Yay........
And today I finally got back to blogging because we're stuck inside due to torrential downpours. I currently have the twins parked in front of Barney and I refuse to feel guilt about that. I have already taken them outside in their rainboots to splash in puddles, and then I let them paint. And if you've ever allowed one toddler to paint, you know I damn near deserve a medal for letting two of them to go at it!! It was messy, but now we have some lovely art.
Speaking of art, I have to brag on my latest culinary accomplishment- I learned how to make bagels!!! Is that cool or what? Don't even try to tell me you're not impressed because even my husband was impressed, and it takes a lot to impress him!! Yeah, they're fabulous. The only downside is the carb-loading that comes from having fresh bagels at your disposal.
Oh, and one more big, fat brag. (I'm just full of myself today aren't I?) March of Dimes March for Babies was this past Friday and I raised......drumroll, please...........over one thousand dollars!!!!!! And that, my friends, is awesome. I walked with my Mothers of Multiples group and our team raised over $3000, so we were darn proud of ourselves.
And now we're plowing through the last three weeks of school. I'm looking towards the summer with a mix of excitement and dread. It's going to be awesome to sleep in, but summer afternoons can get awfully long. I'm trying to come up with a bit of a schedule so we don't all die of boredom. Plus, I've decided to embrace my white-trash side and buy a big ol' plastic pool for the backyard. It's one of those that's a step up from an inflatable pool, but not an actual permanent above-ground pool. It's tacky as hell, but if you've ever experienced summer in Georgia, you know it's impossible to get outside past 8:30 in the morning unless you're in a pool. And since 2 1/2 months of being stuck inside with three kids will certainly lead to matricide, white-trash pool it is!!!!
And one final note, a big happy birthday shout-out to my in-laws who share the same birthday. The Old Man is turning 60, which officially makes him the REALLY Old Man, but I guess that beats the alternative. So happy birthday, Pat and Ron, hope it's a good one!!!!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
This was Mason's favorite egg. He called it the "Earth egg"
So here's some Easter goodness for you. It was fun, kind of exhausting, but fun! My mom's backyard isn't fenced and has some pretty precarious hills, so there was a lot of twin chasing. We hid eggs for the boys, but the twins didn't really get the hang of the hunting part. They'd pick up an egg, examine it briefly, toss it down and go running to the wagon or toy lawn mower! Eh, well, there's always next year. And speaking of the wagon, we did get to witness a rather impressive display of brute strength when Will lifted Hays out- by the neck. Funniest part was that Hays didn't even seem to mind!
Mason was definitely more into the egg hunt than his little brothers, largely due to the fact that he knew there was money in some of them! I tell you what, between Easter baskets from grandparents and this Easter egg hunt, that kid wound up with over $30!!!! Utterly ridiculous I tell you!
After everyone recovered from the Easter festivities with a nap, Matt and I took the boys up to the soccer fields and let them run around to their heart's content. Even though the twins took a late nap, they were ready for bed at 7:00 on the dot. I guess running around in the 88* sunshine (completely absurd for the first week of April!) tired them out!
Friday, April 2, 2010
It's such a beautiful day and we have great things on the horizon!!! 2:30 this afternoon officially marks the beginning of Spring Break and Mason is totally excited! (Though not as excited as his Aunt Bea who is a high school senior headed to Florida!) And Matt and I are only one week away from our first-ever in the seven year history of our marriage weekend getaway! WOOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!! We're leaving the kids in the capable hands of their grandparents (God bless 'em) and heading up to Asheville to a lovely log cabin on a mountain to do whatever we want for two whole days!!!!!! Not once will someone whine "maaaaaaamaaaaaaa" or ask me to get them a drink or a snack, or read a book, or play a game. Glorious!! And after a week with all three kids at home, God knows I'm going to need a break.
But this weekend we get to celebrate Easter in all its chocolate bunny, dyed-egg glory. Mason and I will be dying eggs tomorrow- the twins will not be assisting as that would lead to disasters of epic proportions. The eggs will be turned into deviled eggs faintly marbled with pink, blue and purple (don't you love those!) for Easter lunch at my mom's house. This year I'm making the ham using a selection of herbs from my herb garden (the ones that the twins haven't yet managed to destroy anyway) to try out Paula Deen's recipe for herb crusted ham. I'll also be making the most delightful spring dessert- it's a mandarin orange cake with a fluffy pineapple cheesecake frosting. It's a recipe from Matt's mom and it is sooooooo good. I can't wait to be with my family, eat lots of yummy food and watch my kids hunt Easter eggs in the backyard. I hope that all of you have a wonderful Easter weekend and eat all the jellybeans your heart desires!
But this weekend we get to celebrate Easter in all its chocolate bunny, dyed-egg glory. Mason and I will be dying eggs tomorrow- the twins will not be assisting as that would lead to disasters of epic proportions. The eggs will be turned into deviled eggs faintly marbled with pink, blue and purple (don't you love those!) for Easter lunch at my mom's house. This year I'm making the ham using a selection of herbs from my herb garden (the ones that the twins haven't yet managed to destroy anyway) to try out Paula Deen's recipe for herb crusted ham. I'll also be making the most delightful spring dessert- it's a mandarin orange cake with a fluffy pineapple cheesecake frosting. It's a recipe from Matt's mom and it is sooooooo good. I can't wait to be with my family, eat lots of yummy food and watch my kids hunt Easter eggs in the backyard. I hope that all of you have a wonderful Easter weekend and eat all the jellybeans your heart desires!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
It's 9:00 and the twins are still asleep. This is unheard of, and while I'm enjoying the quiet time, I'd prefer that they do their epic sleeping on the weekend. I think that they're making up for their 2 am shenanigans. Poor Will is coughing his brains out (this happens every spring) and some of his coughing fits are waking him up at night. That's what happened last night around 2:30. Normally Hays sleeps through it, but this time he woke up and couldn't find Stinky, his stuffed monkey. So Will's hacking up a lung and Hays is crying "Tinky...my Tinky..." in the most pitiful voice. Those lucky ducks are getting to sleep in, but not mommy!
I'm all kinds of gimpy and pitiful because I managed to almost break my toe in the driveway yesterday. I was walking down our rather steep driveway and slipped on a fallen petal from our Japanese magnolia. I pitched forward and caught myself before I fell, but managed to jam my toe so badly that I could barely walk! Is that a dorky injury or what? I had to call mAtt and say "Come home and help me, I'm hurt!" Luckily this happened around quarter to five, so he was able to home pretty quickly and save the day. I had to sit and ice my foot for an hour or so because it hurt too bad to stand on it! It's better today, but it's several lovely shades of purple, black and blue!
Mason has his very first soccer game tonight. He's excited even though he told me this morning, "Mom, I have no idea what I'm doing." I told him, "Don't worry about it, buddy. None of the other kids do either!" I'm sure it's going to be comical, but that's okay, we're not trying to train the next David Beckham here. He's going to have a heck of a cheering section. Matt and I will be there with the twins, my mom's coming and so are Matt's parents. Honestly, we'll probably need that many people just to keep the twins entertained so they don't try to join the game!
I'm all kinds of gimpy and pitiful because I managed to almost break my toe in the driveway yesterday. I was walking down our rather steep driveway and slipped on a fallen petal from our Japanese magnolia. I pitched forward and caught myself before I fell, but managed to jam my toe so badly that I could barely walk! Is that a dorky injury or what? I had to call mAtt and say "Come home and help me, I'm hurt!" Luckily this happened around quarter to five, so he was able to home pretty quickly and save the day. I had to sit and ice my foot for an hour or so because it hurt too bad to stand on it! It's better today, but it's several lovely shades of purple, black and blue!
Mason has his very first soccer game tonight. He's excited even though he told me this morning, "Mom, I have no idea what I'm doing." I told him, "Don't worry about it, buddy. None of the other kids do either!" I'm sure it's going to be comical, but that's okay, we're not trying to train the next David Beckham here. He's going to have a heck of a cheering section. Matt and I will be there with the twins, my mom's coming and so are Matt's parents. Honestly, we'll probably need that many people just to keep the twins entertained so they don't try to join the game!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Just a Few Shots of the Best Looking Boys in the World
Oh my boys.........
I love this one. He's so sweet!
Happy Haysie
Diggin'
Beautiful Boy
I know I'm biased, but my God, is this child gorgeous or what?
I love him so!!
If this one doesn't capture the true essence of Mason, I don't know what does!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
"There Goes My F-in' Parsley," or The Story Of Why We Can't Have Nice Things
In the past three days I have had 2/3 of my newly-planted herb garden uprooted, discovered a large tear in the chair cushion upholstery, had a load of laundry decorated with yellow wax from a crayon the twins thoughtfully added to the dryer, and found a trail of red paint running down the side of the house from a certain little boy's window. I have given up on keeping anything presentable, because I have my own in-house demolition team hell-bent on destroying everything in sight.
Matt makes fun of me because I'm cheap. I pay as little for stuff as I possibly can and he says that I buy "disposable" clothes, furniture, etc. It's not that I don't appreciate quality- I do, but I have accepted the fact that pretty much everything I own is going to be broken, stained, ruined or ripped, so why pay more?
We bought new furniture for the den a year ago. I bought a dark brown sofa and chair cheap as hell. Was it great quality stuff that would last forever? No. Was it in a color that I really loved? No. But since Will has dumped a bottle of chocolate syrup on the couch and made himself vomit on it in the past month, I'm quite glad that it hides a multitude of stains and that I didn't pay much for it.
My clothes petty much consist of a rainbow of cheap t-shirts and yoga pants from Walmart. I occasionally upgrade to Target- or when I'm feeling really fancy, Kohl's, but most of my stuff didn't cost more than $10. It's not that I don't care about my appearance, or that I enjoy being a sloppy hausfrau. It's just that I've given up. No matter what I wear, by the end of the day it's covered in a Rorschach pattern of stains- some dirt here, jelly there, a smattering of spaghetti sauce, perhaps a little snot or blood- so what the heck is the point of wearing anything nicer than a $5 t-shirt?
Sometimes I grab on to a small shred of hope that I can keep something intact- hence the herb garden I planted a few days ago. I had big dreams of pots of beautiful, fragrant herbs, but they will remain dreams if the twins have anything to do with it. The just can't understand why mommy seems so unhappy when they try to re-plant the rosemary upside down, pull out handfuls of chives, rip the thyme out by the roots, or just upend an entire pot of parsley. And all I can muster is a tired, "Well, there goes my f*&kin' parsley............"
Someday, I'll have decent stuff, pretty clothes, furniture in a color other than mud, a table that's not covered in marker and scratches. But until then, I'm going to embrace the chaos as much as possible. Not sweat the small stuff, ya' know? I figure it beats fighting a losing battle on a dailey (hourly) basis!
Matt makes fun of me because I'm cheap. I pay as little for stuff as I possibly can and he says that I buy "disposable" clothes, furniture, etc. It's not that I don't appreciate quality- I do, but I have accepted the fact that pretty much everything I own is going to be broken, stained, ruined or ripped, so why pay more?
We bought new furniture for the den a year ago. I bought a dark brown sofa and chair cheap as hell. Was it great quality stuff that would last forever? No. Was it in a color that I really loved? No. But since Will has dumped a bottle of chocolate syrup on the couch and made himself vomit on it in the past month, I'm quite glad that it hides a multitude of stains and that I didn't pay much for it.
My clothes petty much consist of a rainbow of cheap t-shirts and yoga pants from Walmart. I occasionally upgrade to Target- or when I'm feeling really fancy, Kohl's, but most of my stuff didn't cost more than $10. It's not that I don't care about my appearance, or that I enjoy being a sloppy hausfrau. It's just that I've given up. No matter what I wear, by the end of the day it's covered in a Rorschach pattern of stains- some dirt here, jelly there, a smattering of spaghetti sauce, perhaps a little snot or blood- so what the heck is the point of wearing anything nicer than a $5 t-shirt?
Sometimes I grab on to a small shred of hope that I can keep something intact- hence the herb garden I planted a few days ago. I had big dreams of pots of beautiful, fragrant herbs, but they will remain dreams if the twins have anything to do with it. The just can't understand why mommy seems so unhappy when they try to re-plant the rosemary upside down, pull out handfuls of chives, rip the thyme out by the roots, or just upend an entire pot of parsley. And all I can muster is a tired, "Well, there goes my f*&kin' parsley............"
Someday, I'll have decent stuff, pretty clothes, furniture in a color other than mud, a table that's not covered in marker and scratches. But until then, I'm going to embrace the chaos as much as possible. Not sweat the small stuff, ya' know? I figure it beats fighting a losing battle on a dailey (hourly) basis!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
A month since I've posted- shameful, I know. Sorry, but it's been boring. We've really done nothing lately but hang out. But we're just about at the end of what has truly been a near perfect day, so I thought I'd tell y'all about it. Here's how a perfect day goes in my world....
The day started a bit before 7:30, which was almost decadently late for us. I'm a big fan of the change to daylight savings time because it makes the little ones sleep later and we get to enjoy outside time after dinner. Everyone was in a good mood and we got to have some good snuggle time on an easy, laid-back morning.
I made a trip all by myself to the grocery store (which is always pleasant) and got pots of herbs to plant an herb garden, and lots of fresh ingredients to make a week's worth of healthy meals for my family. I got the chance to feel like a super-mommy in the checkout line. As the cashier was ringing up my groceries, I glanced at the items the mother behind me was unloading on the conveyor belt. I was astonished and dismayed to see that her cart was filled with nothing but processed foods, junky snack foods and soda. Not a vegetable or fruit in sight. This woman was essentially buying nothing but frozen items containing bread and cheese, sugar and soda. Now, I'm not claiming to be the perfect mom, but dang, at least I feed my family well. So I got to feel superior for a moment, and y'all know I love those rare opportunities to feel superior!!!
After unloading the groceries and feeding the kids lunch, I took Mason to soccer practice. This is his first year playing soccer and only his second practice. He has no idea what he's doing, but he's getting better. And he looks soooooooo stinkin' cute in his soccer shorts, shinguards and cleats! He's having a good time and he's decided soccer is way more fun than baseball. There's an awful lot of sitting around waiting in baseball, and that's never been Mason's strong suit. Soccer keeps him up and moving the whole time and that's definitely a good thing.
Once soccer practice was over, we came home to enjoy the incredibly beautiful day. I planted our new herbs while the kids played on the swingset. I can't wait to use all those wonderful herbs in the kitchen. We are going to be eating soooo good for the next few months! The kids had a great afternoon outside, but after a couple of hours the twins were worn out and ready to go inside. Matt and I stuck them in front of a Baby Einstein DVD and we got to relax on the deck with a beer and a glass of wine for 20 minutes or so.
Matt grilled some delicious honey lime chicken, and I got to sit surrounded by the four guys I love more than anything on earth and enjoy a yummy dinner. After we got the twins bathed and in bed, Matt built a fire in the chimenea and we let Mason roast marshmallows. He's been asking to do this for the past couple of weeks, so he was super-excited. As we sat there on the deck on this beautiful evening with our beautiful child, I was so thankful for my blessings. I have this wonderful husband who loves me and our kids so much, and these incredible, gorgeous, wonderful children who are the center of my entire world. And we are lucky enough to live in this cute little house in this great little town on one of the prettiest days God has ever made. How could anyone possibly be luckier than that? And now I'm going to go read to my son and tuck him into his cozy bed, and watch a movie with my sweet husband and thank God for giving me the loveliest day and the loveliest life!
The day started a bit before 7:30, which was almost decadently late for us. I'm a big fan of the change to daylight savings time because it makes the little ones sleep later and we get to enjoy outside time after dinner. Everyone was in a good mood and we got to have some good snuggle time on an easy, laid-back morning.
I made a trip all by myself to the grocery store (which is always pleasant) and got pots of herbs to plant an herb garden, and lots of fresh ingredients to make a week's worth of healthy meals for my family. I got the chance to feel like a super-mommy in the checkout line. As the cashier was ringing up my groceries, I glanced at the items the mother behind me was unloading on the conveyor belt. I was astonished and dismayed to see that her cart was filled with nothing but processed foods, junky snack foods and soda. Not a vegetable or fruit in sight. This woman was essentially buying nothing but frozen items containing bread and cheese, sugar and soda. Now, I'm not claiming to be the perfect mom, but dang, at least I feed my family well. So I got to feel superior for a moment, and y'all know I love those rare opportunities to feel superior!!!
After unloading the groceries and feeding the kids lunch, I took Mason to soccer practice. This is his first year playing soccer and only his second practice. He has no idea what he's doing, but he's getting better. And he looks soooooooo stinkin' cute in his soccer shorts, shinguards and cleats! He's having a good time and he's decided soccer is way more fun than baseball. There's an awful lot of sitting around waiting in baseball, and that's never been Mason's strong suit. Soccer keeps him up and moving the whole time and that's definitely a good thing.
Once soccer practice was over, we came home to enjoy the incredibly beautiful day. I planted our new herbs while the kids played on the swingset. I can't wait to use all those wonderful herbs in the kitchen. We are going to be eating soooo good for the next few months! The kids had a great afternoon outside, but after a couple of hours the twins were worn out and ready to go inside. Matt and I stuck them in front of a Baby Einstein DVD and we got to relax on the deck with a beer and a glass of wine for 20 minutes or so.
Matt grilled some delicious honey lime chicken, and I got to sit surrounded by the four guys I love more than anything on earth and enjoy a yummy dinner. After we got the twins bathed and in bed, Matt built a fire in the chimenea and we let Mason roast marshmallows. He's been asking to do this for the past couple of weeks, so he was super-excited. As we sat there on the deck on this beautiful evening with our beautiful child, I was so thankful for my blessings. I have this wonderful husband who loves me and our kids so much, and these incredible, gorgeous, wonderful children who are the center of my entire world. And we are lucky enough to live in this cute little house in this great little town on one of the prettiest days God has ever made. How could anyone possibly be luckier than that? And now I'm going to go read to my son and tuck him into his cozy bed, and watch a movie with my sweet husband and thank God for giving me the loveliest day and the loveliest life!
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