Daddy . . .

This morning while Isaac was taking an early nap because he had a late bedtime last night, Abby and I had this conversation:

Abby: Where Daddy?
Me: At work.
Abby: No. Daddy sleeping.
Me: No, Daddy is at work.
Abby: (a little quieter) No. Daddy sleeping.
Me: No, Daddy is at work.
Abby: (quieter still, with a "you are wrong, Mommy, and I don't mind telling you as many times as I need to" look) No. Daddy sleeping.

This went on for a while, Abby getting softer and more persistent each time.  Lesson #1: You can't win an argument with a two-year-old, at least not THIS one.  Lesson #2: Daddy has Abby wrapped around his finger, and she thinks of him all day long, even when he is nowhere to be found.

That is one thing we had in common, even during our disagreement about where Daddy was.  We were BOTH thinking about Daddy.  And I wanted to share what some of MY thoughts have been this morning/this weekend about this little girl's Daddy.

Friday night, he showed up early from work with two movies in his hands: The Muppet Movie and The Muppet (something) Caper.  I forget the title.  So, we popped in The Muppet Movie, I went into the kitchen to make dinner, we laid a blanket out on the living room floor, and we had a family date/picnic, complete with breakfast quesadillas and all.  After we got done eating, Dave tried to pull me down next to him on the sofa. (Where else would I rather watch a movie on date night?)  But Isaac had other plans.  He cried, and Dave said, "No -- it's Daddy's turn to sit with Mommy.  She's Daddy's first."  He continued to whimper but walked away for a moment.  Seconds later, he returned, looked up at me with puppy dog eyes, whispered, "Mommy . . . " and took my hand.  All the while, he was staring at David like, "No -- she's MY Mommy first." And when I got up off the sofa for a few seconds, he shot Dave the most triumphant look ever!  And we both laughed!

Even though we don't get that many traditional "date nights" any more, and we don't get to cuddle on the sofa and watch a movie undisturbed very much anymore, I love that Dave still tries to bring fun and laughter and spontaneity to our family!  And once the kids were in bed, I beat him at Quiddler.  What more can you ask for? :-)

Saturday Dave announced that he wanted to go hiking SO BAD!!!  I have to agree with him.  I would LOVE to get out for a few days and just get lost in the trees and mountains and wildlife and streams and waterfalls that you find almost anytime you go hiking in Idaho or Washington.  But around here . . . we're kind of at a loss.  Dave disappeared into the office and when I went in to see what was up, he said, "I found something."  I asked what it was and he showed me this picture of a town that looked like an old ghost town with a movie set in front of it.  I must have looked confused, so he explained that he did a search for somewhere to go hiking and found this: a town with a movie set because quite a few movies have been filmed there.  And it's run by the National Forest Service (I believe that was it, anyway).  I still must have looked confused.  I said, "And you can go hiking there?"  He laughed and said, "Well, at least you can walk around.  But it's the closest thing I could find around here."  We both laughed, and I hugged him and told him it was a good try, anyway.  Needless to say, we didn't go.  It was late enough that it would have taken more time getting there and home than we would have had to actually spend there. 

And even though we don't get to go hiking or backpacking this summer because of the move, pregnancy, the twins, etc., I love that this is something that is a part of David and that will always be a part of our lives.  I love that it's something he seeks . . . and that he's always willing to have an adventure even if it isn't EXACTLY what he has been hoping for.  Close is better than nothing at all. 

While Dave let me sleep in Saturday morning, he got the laundry done!  There were about three loads, plus some I hadn't folded and put away yet from my attempts to get it all done during the week.  And what a great surprise it was to walk out into the living room after we had had a small disagreement about something and find that he wasn't moping . . . he was folding the laundry.  Finishing the task he had begun just to get it done.  As soon as that was done, he came and announced that he was taking Isaac and going grocery shopping and asked if he had missed anything on his list.  We added a few small things and off they went. 

I love that Dave is always willing to chip in around the house.  I remember when we were first married that I started to feel guilty for not having things all clean or all done when he got home.  And he simply asked me why I thought it was my job, since he was sure he had never said it was.  I had just assumed . . . I mean, I'm the wife, right?  But he's never treated me like that.  In fact, we have kind of shied away from chore charts and such because we didn't want to outline whose job this was and whose job that was.  We work better just chipping in whenever we can and getting things done that need to be done.  I am sure that will change as the kids get older, but I am so thankful that we share that interdependence right now!

Saturday evening we took the kids to the Los Angeles County Fair.  The fairgrounds here are BEAUTIFUL, among the best I've ever seen.  And though we aren't really ride people, we did want to take the kids to see the animals.  We agreed beforehand that we were going to buy just one thing: Dave calls them elephant ears; I call them tiger ears; the most common name for them, at least in the West, is scones.  They're a classic fair tradition for both of our families.  We figured it would probably cost us $4-$6 to get one (commercialized fairs America, right?).  After taking the kids to see all the animals and feed the animals at the petting zoo (I was too cheap to pay $2 for 1/3 of an extra small Dixie cup of pellets, so I just gathered the ones that had fallen on the ground -- it was still really fun for them!!!), we walked around the food area.  I say area, but it was a huge stretch, the entire length of the fair.  We didn't find a single stand that sold tiger ears.  Not one.  Nothing even close.  The only "close" thing was funnel cakes, but we didn't really want all the sugar.  So, in order to still buy something at the fair, because we had said we would splurge on ONE thing, we bought a foot long corn dog and some french fries.  Needless to say, we won't be doing THAT again!  They were incredibly overpriced and didn't really taste that good at all!!!!  But the KIDS . . . the kids loved it!  They loved every minute of it!

And I love that Dave helps me not be so financially tight that I miss small opportunities to create memories with the kids.  He is always looking for small things he can do to have a special memory with them . . . taking them to the water park or to the zoo or to the air plane museum at Edwards Air Force Base or on a daddy date to go grocery shopping (he even buys them a small treat most of the time -- grrrrrrr!).  And whenever he sees something new, he automatically wants to share it with them . . . with us!  And his efforts at making each weekend a special family event have been contagious!  And I just love, love, love it!  I hope we won't stop when he goes back to grad school -- because it's just so nice to have family time and family memories again!

Sunday after church, we were standing in the kitchen, talking about what is coming up this week, making dinner, and just chatting while the kids played on the floor.  At one point, he stopped me mid-sentence and said, "My word, you are beautiful!!!"  That, of course, got a smile, a laugh, and a hug and a kiss.  And THAT moment was interrupted by Isaac laughing!  We looked over at him and saw him watching us, the funniest expression on his face, like he had just seen us do the funniest thing EVER and wanted to be a part of it.  We, in turn, burst into laughter!!!

But I love that it's never going to be awkward or strange for my kids to see me hug or kiss or hold hands with their dad.  That isn't something either Dave or I have from our homes growing up, and it was always something that was very important to me.  Something I looked forward to and wanted to be sure would always be there between my husband and I for my children to witness and EXPECT!!!  And I love that with one simple, heart-felt, out-of-the-blue expression, Dave STILL melts my heart and takes me from huge pregnant mommy to newly-wed.  I know, you are probably gagging right now . . . but it's the small things.  The comment, the hug, the touch of his hand, the kiss on the cheek or the forehead, etc.  And they DO make all the difference.

And that's how Daddy has been on my mind today . . . .  Just wanted to share!

Mommy . . . yucky . . . c'mere!

I was in the kitchen rinsing out Abby and Isaac's cups to give them some milk.  As usual, my little shadow was in there with me, something I realize I am going to miss like crazy some day!!!

I looked over to see her excited expression as she was looking at something under the table.

Abby: Yook!  Fly! (with more excitement than birthdays or Christmas have brought to her little face)
Me: Is there a fly under the table?
Abby: Yeah!!!!

This is not an abnormal occurrence, so I don't really pay much more attention.  Then I see her with her little spoon hitting at the ground.

Me: Abby, don't bang your spoon on the ground, okay? (I mean, we have tile floors -- and it isn't THAT strong of a spoon, and she's banging pretty hard.)

Abby stops, I finish rinsing the cups and go to get the milk when she comes over to me, the sourest expression on her face.

Abby:  Mommy . . . yucky!
Me: Abby, what's yucky?  What do you have in your mouth?  Did you eat a fly?
Abby: Yeah. (whimper) C'mere . . . yook!
Me: Abby, we don't eat flies!  Did you spit it back out?
Abby: (whimper) C'mere . . . yook!

During all of this, she is trying really hard to scrape something out of her mouth.  I take her outstretched hand and follow her into the kitchen.  And to my dismay . . . borderline horror, actually . . . I see a mound of black!  That is, a few eggs that had fallen from their plates or chairs after breakfast COVERED with tiny little black ANTS!!!

Apparently Abby had been sitting in them, because I noticed at that moment that a few were crawling up my arm from the hand that she held with a death grip.  And then I saw that SHE had quite a few crawling all over her as well. 

I woke David from his peaceful slumber on the sofa and told him to come and look.  He brushed me off a few times.  Isaac came, though.  So then I stood there with one child holding each hand, me holding Isaac back from getting in the middle of the mess of coolness that are all bugs to him these days, and INSIST that David wake up and come and look at the ants. 

See, I've asked him to spray for them before (he told me I can't use the spray anymore because I'm pregnant and he thinks I go overboard because I'm paranoid about all things bugs . . . particularly cockroaches . . . and he's probably right).  And I'm sure he hasn't done it because he thinks I exaggerate on my stories of all things bugs. So I know nothing is going to happen unless I can GET HIM TO SEE for himself that we have a SERIOUS ANT PROBLEM around the door in our kitchen.  I gently invite him in AGAIN, I even REMIND him (lovingly) that I have asked him to spray for them FOUR times, and this time our daughter ATE them on her food (how dare they try to eat HER FOOD anyway?).  And this time, there were not only ants on the few scraps of food left over from their breakfast, there was a dark and thick line of them leading from the food to the wall and along the back of the wall -- and I do mean HUNDREDS since they aren't THAT big (sheesh -- for just a few mesely eggs that hadn't been there more than an hour?)!!!

We ushered the kids into their rooms for an early nap, and David sprayed the wall and the middle of the floor, and along the door (again).  YAY!

And I thought the most EXCITING part of today was going to be taking the kids to see the animals at the COUNTY FAIR!!!

Fingerpainting with . . . . Dare I say it?

Last night I was taking a shower to keep mysle from itching the watery blisters I had discovered on my aching and recovering back (we took the kids to the water park last weekend -- their spray-on sunscreen worked wonders for them but did NOTHING for Dave and I's backs . . . and we've been recovering ever since).

Suddenly, the door opens and a very upset and frustrated David walks in.

David: Melinda . . . take him in there with you.
Me: (just noticing that a naked Isaac has brown all over his chest)  What happened?  What is that?
David: Well, Isaac decided to take off his diaper, which was filled with poop, and spread it all over.  And I mean ALL OVER.  It's all over him, all over the floor . . .
Me: Which floor?
David: In the kitchen.  And now I have to clean it up!

During this exchange, I'm trying really hard to not laugh at how PUT OUT he is by having to . . . dare I say it . . . clean up an unexpected toddler mess?  And I'm trying really hard to NOT ask him what HE was doing while all of this took place.  Cuz let's face it -- Daddy isn't the only one that has had unexpecteds happen right under his nose, mostly while he was dealing with OTHER unexpecteds! :-)

He puts Isaac in the shower with me and starts to drag Abby back out with him.  She starts to cry like she just got left at home while her family went out for ice cream.  So I tell him to bring her back and put her in with me as well.  For two reasons: I would NEVER leave a child home while we went out for ice cream!  And Dave was at the end of his rope and could NOT have handled Abby's "help" while he cleaned up the mess. 

So we played in the shower (and by played I mean that I tried really hard to get them to NOT freak out every time the water hit them and to start to think that maybe showers are okay things every once in a while).

I guess I need to make a more valiant effort at fingerpainting with my kids . . . if only to teach them that there are some things you just do NOT use to fingerpaint!

And I KNOW Dave is going to be really glad some day that I kept track of these little "memories" for him!  Hehehehehe! ;-D

Knowing

Tonight I feel much like I did the night before we went in to have our twins.  We knew we were going to be induced, had an appointment with the hospital, knew that one way or another we would be bringing home our little ones, but beyond that -- we were clueless about what to expect, how it would all play out, what kind of condition I or the babies would be in.

We hoped we were prepared, hoped we had everything we needed to make it through the hospital and the birth and coming home and the first few days with them, by ourselves.

But we didn't really know.

And the night before, you know you need to sleep . . . the last night you'll get any "good sleep" (if you can call sleep during the last few months of pregnancy GOOD at ANY point) for a long time . . . perhaps ever.

But you are so anxious that rationality flies out the window.  And you just can't sleep.  It's that combination of hope and fear and anxiety and excitement and . . . . wanting it to be over but not ready for it to ever come at the same time.

But it will come . . .

So all you really get to do is decide (as much as is in your power) how you are going to prepare for it and what you are going to do about the few hours beforehand that are actually in your control.  And pray that you can have the best preparation when your own body and mind and heart just won't settle enough to let you. 

And it's not really a matter of not having faith in the Lord that it will be alright . . . cuz you KNOW it's going to be ALRIGHT!  It's a matter of knowing.  The knowing the end from the beginning, or at least having the unknowns answered and out of the way so you can get on with the LIVING that will follow the unknowns surrounding the EXPERIENCE you are anticipating (like what it's going to be like to have an epidural . . . and feel contractions . . . and see your babies for the first time . . . and have your water break . . . and get that silly i.v. in your arm, which seems like the BIGGEST deal in the moment and then like NOTHING at all after the REST of childbirth . . . and breastfeeding for the first time . . . and just KNOWING what only patience, time, and experience can answer).

One thing is certain . . . . you don't want to be late!

And, no, I'm not going in to have my baby tomorrow . . . . ;-D

"Babies" and "Puppies"

I know what you're thinking.  You're thinking about newborns and dogs.  But I'm not.  Well, not directly anyway.

Whenever Abby and Isaac go down for a nap or to bed at night, they want something to hold onto.  Generally for Abby, it's her baby -- and it is a cuddly, soft little bundle that I would want to snuggle up with, too (if it were big enough that I would feel like I was suggling with something).  And for Isaac, he likes to take toy trains, toy cars, toy animals . . . but particularly his little puppy dog.  Again, it's the perfect size for some really snuggly lovin'.  And I think my kids get some sort of safety net from these things, like somehow they are not all alone in the dark world of bedtimes and they are loved.

In fact, just last night Abby woke up screaming like four times.  The first time, she was laying on the floor, passing her hand under the door, totally distraught because she had woken up and could not find her "baby's blankie."  It was wrapped up in her own, but for some reason that really hit her!  I found it, swaddled her baby, gave her back to Abby, and Abby was happy as a clam and fell right back to sleep.

And I was thinking about how you never really "out-grow" that desire to just LOVE, physically connect with, something (someone) up close!  Oakay, maybe you don't ALWAYS feel it.  Like this morning when Isaac came in the kitchen while I was making breakfast and saw Abby and said, "Abby!  Haaaaiiii!!!  Hi, Abby!" and ran over to give her a hug, which she promptly, disdainfully, and even physically rejected, emphasizing it with a little temper tantrum, just in case he missed the memo.  And I guess we all have days like that, too.  BUT, don't you have those friends who give you a hug that makes you feel like you have just been wrapped in a warm blanket EVERY TIME YOU SEE THEM? I bet you can't wait to run into them, right?   (I actually looked for that "coming home" feeling when I was dating guys; an absolute MUST!!!) 

And who doesn't look forward to cuddle time with your little ones?  I LOVE it when my kids wake up at different times so I can enjoy those few precious moments of "cuddle time" with them before we're bombarded by twin #2 and cuddle time turns to fight-over-mommy-wrestling-match time.

And is there anything better than cuddling up with your spouse when you go to bed . . . just good ol' lead-to-nothing-but-dreams cuddling?  There are days where that is the ONLY up-close and personal time I get with my husband (and he falls asleep really FAST, so it only lasts a second and I have to be there BEFORE he falls asleep to get it.  I sometimes leave things undone just to go and cuddle with him before he falls asleep and then get back up once he has fallen asleep to finish my "to-do-before-bed" list . . . but you take what you can get, right? ;-D).  There's a reason I LOVE movie-night date nights even when I hate almost every movie! :-)

Take some time to enjoy the babies and puppies in your life today . . . and give yourself permission to make the time for it, whatever that entails. (Even if it is a REAL puppy or cat or whatever . . . . I'm not judging you!  I'm just sayin'!)

Celebrate Family

Okay, so maybe you did and maybe you didn't notice the new button on my sidebar.  I don't add many, so hopefully it caught your eye without any extra distractions.  And I want to blog about this Month-Long blog party celebration of the FAMILY through the Family Proclamation. (Which is celebrating it's 15th YEAR!  Can you believe it?  I remember when it first came out!!!  Oh, boy . . . I remember when . . . that's a sign that I'm getting old, isn't it? ;-D)

First of all, if you don't know what the Family Proclamation is, or are feeling a little rusty since the last time you read it, you can read it here.  I took a minute to go back and read it; and I am so glad I did!

There are a few things that are constantly on my mind these days:

1) The condition of the world, particularly as it affects and will continue to affect my children.  I think about how I want to raise them, where I want to raise them, where they are going to best learn the values I work hard every day to teach them, where they will be the most free to grow and develop AWAY from the world and it's ever-digressing and changing ideologies, media, rhetoric, etc., so that they will be prepared to ENTER the world and face and CHANGE the falsehoods.

2) How I can be a better mother and LOVE LOVE LOVE every moment of this great adventure.  I am constantly looking for books, craft ideas, discipline tactics, activities, etc. that will help me to fill my children's lives with everything that is wholesome, good, praiseworthy, etc.  I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I struggle with this Mommy business . . . really struggle.  (Movie time, anyone?  Like two or three times a day sometimes?)  But I never stop seeking new ideas, greater strength to make it through with flying colors, a better way to understand and communicate with and teach my children, etc. And you know that JUST when I "think" I've gotten it down pat, they're going to move away to college! ;-D  Oh, well . . . as long as I'm prepared for it! :-)

3) That said, a third thing that I am very passionate about is making the world a better place.  I mean rolling up my sleeves, digging into, and even creating among all the wonderful resources there are out there for people trying to make a difference one.day.at.a.time.  In fact, sometimes I have this huge internal conflict between #2 and #3.  I'm working on it, though -- a work in progress for sure!  Even when I found this amazing blog, I was thinking, "See, now why didn't I think of doing something like THAT?  I would LOVE to be involved in planning and carrying out something like this!"  Well . . . I can!  And I'll try to NOT feel like I'm getting the crumbs off the table! ;-D

Tonight as I read this blog post about the MONTH-LONG CELEBRATION OF THE FAMILY and the Family Proclamation, I felt like I had some prayers answered. It's ALL right there, isn't it?  The answers to my daily struggles, fears, hopes, dreams, ambitions, etc.  It's ALL addressed in The Family Proclamation!  A a lot easier than what I keep trying to make it.  A LOT simpler.  And it gives me focus and parameters to keep me in line when I might be tempted to go out of bounds every now and then.  (After all, the grass really ISN'T greener on the other side . . . it's just someone else's grass!)  And I am so excited to join this month-long focus on the one thing that matters the MOST in my life!

What better way to prepare for the arrival of this new little baby at the end of that month?  I think this is just what I needed! (Well, one thing, anyway! Hahahahaha!  Wouldn't it be easy if this could answer ALL of my pre-baby needs/questions and take care of every bit of preparation?)

I hope you'll join as well!

Yes, It Really Is . . .

A girl!  It really IS a girl.  Let me explain.

In May I was staying in Boise with my mom while Dave finished school.  I'd been there since February because I had the WORST case of . . . morning sickness, if you can call it a case when it's something rather permanent in the end.  ANYWAY . . . I still hadn't been to a doctor because I was in transit, just visiting, not really settled for insurance or new doctor purposes.

My sister's friend is head of Radiology at the VA Hospital in Boise, and it just so happened that the Women's Clinic was trying to expand their services to include more in-depth prenatal care for their patients.  And they just happened to need a guinea pig/model to use to let them see/compare the different ultrasound machines and decide which one would be best for their purposes.  Enter Melinda, stage . . . well, center probably, I don't know. :-)

Anyway, I was only 16-17 weeks along at this point, and most ultrasounds for determining the gender of the unborn fetus are scheduled for 20 weeks because THAT is when you can ACTUALLY tell.  You might have inklings before, but you can definitely misread the ultrasound and think you're having a girl when you are actually having a boy . . . anyway . . . the ultrasound tech was pretty sure it was a girl.  And that is the last and first time I saw anyone about my baby . . . until a week ago.  And I had an ultrasound just yesterday, which confirmed that we are definitely having a girl.  They gave me a picture, but it wasn't a very good one because the little girl was facing my spine.  I'll still post it, once I figure out my scanner; but for now, here is the picture I sent Dave in an e-mail to "announce" the news!  He had no idea I had an ultrasound scheduled.  This is all I sent . . . just this attachment with a subject line that read, "Just to see you smile."  And I still smile when I look at it!

Oh, and just so I can look back and remember the next pregnancy, I am supposed to be 32 weeks, 3 days pregnant.  But this little girl is measuring 34 weeks today.  So we'll see what happens.  I think I remember the twins measuring about a week and a half-two weeks ahead as well.  So we either have big babies or we're on our own schedule.  Time will tell . . . .

Cheese, Please!

Last night we got Jack in the Box for dinner -- the kids got a big cheeseburger to share, as always.  And as always, we never know if they are actually going to EAT their dinner or not.  Well, we got home, cut the burger in half, put them in their chairs, and watched and waited (while eating OUR dinners, of course). 

Neither twin was that into their cheeseburger last night.  But I made them sit there all the same, giving it as valiant of an effort as I could to still feel good about myself as a mother and that I wasn't starving my children. 

Well, long after OUR dinners were gone and Dave had left the table, I still sat and watched as Isaac decided that he didn't want the whole burger, but he DID want the bun with ketchup on it!  Mmmmmm . . . .  After he finished his, he went for Abby's.  And Abby could have cared less because she had taken the first opportunity to jump ship and JUMPED . . . and was happily walking around the kitchen, singing and dancing and doing her own thing in Abby's literal La-La land. 

At first, Isaac didn't want to eat Abby's because it had more ketchup on it . . . which meant he was getting his hands dirty.  Every time he touched it, he put his hand out to me and said, "Help, please!" (meaning -- "Mom, my hand is dirty and I don't like it.  Will you please clean it off?).  Finally, I told him to lick it off. (Dave's BRILLIANT idea from a few weeks ago!  Who would have thought that someone, somewhere probably TAUGHT you to lick your dirty fingers off when you eat?)  And THAT was the beginning of a whole new level of excitement for eating this ketchup-covered bun, one dipped fingerful at a time!

While all of this is going on, Abby is running around, sometimes climbing up on Isaac's chair and talking to him or just climbing up and singing "The inny-weeny pider POUT! Rown iny wain an wosh-i OUT!"

The last time she climbed up, this is what I saw:
Abby: Isaac? Pocorn? Samich?
Isaac: Yeah - samich. CHEESE!
Abby: Cheeeese? (sing-song as always) Mmmm . . .YUMMY!!!!
Isaac: (quite pleased with his treasure) Yeah . . . YUMMY!
Abby: I aa sum?
Isaac: Uh-huh. Yeah.

He took his tiny little fingers and carefully pinched off a piece of cheese from off the hamburger patty, about the size of the tips of his fingers.  Then he carefully put it over to Abby's EAGERLY-AWAITING mouth.  He got it in her mouth and then, just before she closed her mouth and sucked it off, he pulled it out and put it in his mouth and then stared at her while he ate it.  Now, if this had been Abby doing it, I would have said she was probably intentionally teasing him.  Cuz she is the biggest tease EVER . . . watch out boys in about 14 years!!!  However, the fact that it was Isaac and I could see his face, I know he was NOT teasing her.  He genuinely thought that he was sharing with Abby and they were BOTH as happy about that little pinch of cheese he was getting off his finger as HE was.

This continued a few more times, and then Abby - frustrated, I am SURE at the tiny inkling of taste she got each time the cheese entered and LEFT her mouth - pulled herself up and grabbed the patty from Isaac and tore off a piece of cheese and then gave it back to him, the biggest smile covering her face as she ate it.  And, this is how I know he wasn't teasing her, Isaac got the biggest smile on his face, they both started to laugh in absolute glee and continued to pass the patty back and forth until they had finished off every small pinch of that cheese!

It was seriously SO SWEET!  The BEST they have done at sharing in a LONG, long, long time.

And moments like these not only make me sit back and watch and smile (sometimes laugh), feel for just a moment that something is making it through, realize that it's mostly their dispositions overriding their "terrible twos" egocentric moments, and just make it all seem so WORTH it!

Tiny discoveries found in the most uneventful situations and shared with someone you love. Isn't THAT what life is really all about?

I Should Listen to Abby More Often . . .

This morning I woke up at 4:30 with Dave and started my day.  By 6:30 - I was ready for a NAP . . . or another eight hours of sleep!  I had just laid down when I heard Abby wake up.  I decided to do what any good mother in my situation would do: Ignore her until she got the point that it was still night-night time and she should go back to sleep. It has worked before -- and she should have been asleep for AT LEAST another two hours!

Well - it didn't work.  I spent the next ten minutes listening to her cry and talk and cry some more.  Then I finally heard, "May . . . I . . . please . . . some . . . OUT!?"  She wanted out.  And she had to use the magic phrase I've been trying SO HARD to teach her, didn't she?  So I went to get her and nicely PLACE her back in her bed, with an explanation that it was STILL night-night time for Abby and she should STILL be asleep.

And I learned what the jibberish had been between her cries . . .

She was totally and completely naked.  She had wet through her clothes, and when I didn't come, she took her wet clothes off by herself and then took her wet diaper off BY HERSELF . . . .  Yep. Completely. naked. was. she.

Then tonight, while Dave went to the grocery store to get some necessary evils (like cinnamon and apple sauce and MILK), I decided to cook dinner AND give the kids a bath . . . because that is what you do when it is after 6:00 at night and you are fighting the clock and want to keep them occupied and moving TOWARDS bed. I put the rice in the rice maker, turned the microwave on, and chased my excited kids to the bathroom!

After I had soaped them down and it was time for them to have their free-time playtime with all their fun bath toys, I ran into the kitchen to mix up the other ingredients for rice pudding, so that when the rice was done cooking, I could just throw it all in my fancy Pampered Chef rice maker and have dinner by the time they got out of the tub.  Sounds reasonable, right?

But then the can of evaporated milk WOULD NOT OPEN.  I tried everything!  Three or four times.  Still not a budge in the seal!  In the meantime -- and you can imagine that I was getting more and more frustrated with every second that my SIMPLE and QUICK task was dragging on and on and on -- I hear Abby and her jibberish again, telling me something that Isaac is doing.  But she isn't crying, so I know he isn't hitting her over the head with the tupperware container they use to pour and dump water all over each other with such childish DELIGHT every time they take a bath.  And they were actually laughing between her jibberish cries for some sort of help or interference or something.  So I said, "In a minute" and continued to focus on that darn can!

Until I realized that their laughter wasn't so muffled . . . and that Abby had stopped trying to get me to come in . . . and Isaac was making that "BAM" sound he makes when he is throwing something really hard.

Or tossing water . . . all over my floor.

Yes, they had decided that I needed some encouragement to finally mop the bathroom floor . . . and had literally FLOODED it to the point that the rug was POURING water when I picked it up to hang it up to "drip dry," and the water was seeping out into the hallway.  There was at least 1/8" of water ALL OVER MY BATHROOM FLOOR -- and I don't have a small bathroom here.  It was even back behind the toilet!  No, in my haste and exhaustion and frustration, I didn't get a picture.  And I decided that the safest place for the twins while I cleaned the mess was right there in the bathtub, hearing each second how that was not a good choice for them to throw water on the floor, that we DON'T do things like that, that the water should stay IN THE TUB and the glass door should stay CLOSED AT ALL TIMES. It sounds a lot nicer here than it did in the moment, I assure you.

And we still didn't have any dinner . . . or an open can of Evaporated Milk. *sigh*

And in the end I concluded that I really need to listen to my daughter more.  She's a great tattle-tale.  She knows what she (and Isaac) should and should NOT be doing, and she knows when they are making bad choices.  That doesn't stop her from joining the fun, but at least she is POLITE enough to tell me all about it and even invite me to intervene before it gets out of hand . . . each and every single time.

Lesson learned?  I doubt it.  I'm not that quick! :-)

Kids Say . . . What I Say?

Today I gave Isaac a bowl of dry cereal, which he later spilled in the closet filled with my "craft" supplies.  Abby dutifully came in and told me exactly what happened, but all I got was this:

Abby: Mommy (jibberish) Isaac (jibberish) mess! 
Me: Isaac made a mess? 
Abby: Yeah! Come on. (As she reaches out to take my hand and lead me to the mess.)
Me: No, Abby -- can you help him clean it up?
Abby: (Looks confused for a second.) Yeah.

A few seconds later, she returned again, with broken-up fruit loops in her hand, and repeats the same thing she had told me before.  And so do I.

A few seconds later . . . here's Abby . . . and Isaac STILL made a mess.  And she wants me to come and see.

But I was hungry!  They had eaten lunch while I took a brief nap, and I really wasn't interested in Isaac's mess.  After all, they were just playing in the entry way.  Not that big of a deal to clean up, right?

After her third trip to the kitchen, I realized that they sounded farther away than the entry way, and they seemed very enthralled in whatever it was they were doing.  So, I went to see what was going on. There they were, playing in the closet, laughing, picking up the cereal and putting it down again, throwing around a few other things I had stored in there, and really excited about the giraffe head they had found on the floor (it had broken off of a lamp my mom gave them when they were born -- and broken ceramic was NOT as okay as broken cereal in the hands of toddlers -- not to mention the push pin Abby had that they had taken off the make-shift towel curtain I had hung in there to make the room dark enough for naps).

I quickly grabbed the dangerous "toys" - which made me Miss Popular as they started to scream and cry and want them back.  Then I tried to "shew" them away while I cleaned up the mess.  

As I'm cleaning it up, since the space is too tight for me to have them help me clean up, I am trying to talk them through what happened and that they shouldn't bring food in here and should be more careful to not make messes like that.  They agree, in turn, and then I hear Isaac say, "Mess . . . uh-oh. Oh, shoot!" A few seconds later, Abby says, "Dang it!  Isaac . . . Mess . . . dang it!"

And while stifling laughter, I stop to think about what they are learning from Mommy.

A Few Pictures -- Part 1

My family is having a family reunion next weekend -- like the first in I don't even know how long!  Anyway, my cousin Gina volunteered to make a picture CD for everyone of the entire family and requested pics.  Since our computer and external hard drive were stolen in last weekend's San Diego trip Chaffee family crime debut, I had to do a LOT of work (like we're talking two hours last night and at least four hours today) to get her some pics.  And here is what I came up with.  Incidentally, this was a tender mercy BECAUSE there were pictures we had downloaded to Dave's laptop and the FIRST external hard drive for backup that we hadn't downloaded to the SECOND external hard drive.  And when we went to download the San Diego pics, lo and behold there were some pictures from the originals that were still there.  Not all of them, mind you, but enough that we were so glad we hadn't lost the twins' first trip to the zoo and Dave's faux graduation pictures! (We took them after graduation cuz we didn't really do the whole "walk through the line and listen to people talk about the university and your duty as alums" thing.  Is that un-American?  An insult to academia?  Hmmmm . . . .)

Anyway -- ENJOY!!!

A Few Pictures -- Part 2

Isaac swinging at the ONE park I have found in Southern California with SHADED toys!  Really, people?  This is SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!!!!!

He's so red from the heat!  But he was having so much fun!

I love this picture for SOOOOO many reasons.  It was January of this year, which means that getting back to "me" and losing pregnancy weight and body IS possible!  But even more than that, Dave and I had just been taking my friend Dani's engagement pics.  And we decided to take some of me and of us.  He's the kind that will tell me to pose, not smile, look natural, etc.  And I was kind of sick of all of that and just started to PLAY!  MUCH BETTER!  Yes, it was as fun as it looks.  You should see some of the other pictures.  One of my favorites is the moment I told Dani, after hours of posed engagement pics, "You HAVE to try this!  Just break loose -- it's really, REALLY fun!"  Eternal. principle. right. there.

This picture captures Isaac in new situations SO WELL!!!  He wants to LOVE them . . . but there is that hesitancy and trepidation that always comes out right at first.  Then . . . WATCH OUT, you can't hold him back! Oh, and that's a horse he's standing next to.  It would probably scare me, too, to be that close!

Wee!!!!  Every time I tried to get her to stop, she said, "No, no, no, no! More! No! Push!"

It looks like I'm having a lot more fun than he is.  But really, I just know when to smile for the camera . . . and he could care less!  He's probably looking at something he's contemplating running off and doing.

In the leafy treetops . . . . Abby at the Zoo.  Dave put her in the tree, and she thought it was SO COOL!

At Dave's sister's wedding last June . . . how a year FLIES by, huh?

She LOVES her ice!  And I mean . . . L-O-V-E-S it!!!

Yes, he DOES look like his Daddy!

Raggedy Ann and Andy for Halloween!

This picture SHOUTS -- "FINALLY!!!"

Abby's the "dig in and get your hands dirty" kind of gal!  After my own heart!

The look of sheer JOY on their faces is priceless!  Can you tell I photoshopped out the evidence of them being allergic to G & G's farm animals?  I'm new at this -- have patience!  You should have seen the cars I tried to photoshop out of a parking lot.  Whew!  Definitely have a lot to learn!

And Abby approaches new adventures with ZEAL!  She could swing for HOURS without tiring.  And I mean H-O-U-R-S!

Frozen Veggies and Cottage Cheese

I've been sick these last few days.  So yesterday when Dave came home from work, he took the twins grocery shopping and let me just go to bed for the night.  It was HEAVEN!!!!

When he came home, he walked in to see how I was doing . . . actually, in reality, I think he walked in to vent.  The conversation went something like this:

Dave: How are you?
Me: A little better.  How was shopping?
Dave: Oh my gosh!!!  The kids were out of control.  I had Isaac in the back of the cart and Abby in the front.  Every time I put something in the cart, Isaac tried ripping it open.  It didn't matter what it was . . . he took the frozen vegetables and was just tugging at the bag as hard as he could, trying to open it up and throwing things around when he couldn't get them opened.  Then Abby, UGH, Abby took the cottage cheese and chucked it over the side of the cart.  It, of course, splattered all over and made the BIGGEST mess.  I was so embarrassed!  It was a good thing we were in public.  There's no way I'm doing that ever again!"

In my mind, I'm stifling laughter since just two days before I was explaining to my sister that I am perfectly content to NEVER leave my house because I KNOW what the alternative is . . . many experiences like the one Dave just described to me that taught me it was better to just stay put sometimes.

But, of course, the look on Dave's face, the absolute trauma there, kept laughter and my all-too-common feelings of, "Now you know how I feel whenever I tell you that I don't want to ________ by myself with the twins" at bay.  No.  He had done me a good turn, one I DEFINITELY wanted to have repeated at some future time.  So . . . instead of heartless empathy and laughter, heartfelt sympathy stepped in as I just shook my head and said, "Oh, boy.  That must have been horrible!  I'm so sorry!"

Good thing he followed it up with, "I know someday I'll look back and laugh at this . . . but not today!"

Yep -- someday we both will!

At this and all the other things that happen EXCLUSIVELY to dads! ;-D

P.S. - Abby is taking up acrobatics in our living room and kitchen.  Anything is fair game for climbing, swinging, flipping, etc.  I've GOT to find a gym and get her in some classes in the near future!  And yesterday Isaac was playing with some link toys we haven't had out since they were infants.  He put one of them on the straw of my water mug and said, "Oh . . . cute!  CUTE!!!"  I said, "Yeah -- that's very cool!"  He said, "Yeah . . . cute! CUTE!!!"  It never ceases to amaze me what they pick up on!  Tonight he was even having a phone conversation with the truck magnet!  Love, love, love it!

San Diego . . . .

I really want to write an entire blog about our awesome trip to San Diego . . . about the craziness that it is trying to get four adults and six children on the same page and ON THE ROAD for a family vacation; about all the things I loved when I FINALLY got to go to Sea World (and the commercialized things I didn't care for much); about the crazy-corny costumes and "trainer"/acrobat/dancers that we saw there; about Abby's HORRIBLY loopy day (I really felt like she had somehow o.d.'d on drugs -- no, for real); about our quality hotel . . . and why it is important to keep smoking and NON-smoking rooms SEPARATE -- UNEQUAL -- AWAY FROM EACH OTHER -- always; about how much Isaac LOVED the fish in the "aquarium" and Abby LOVED the dolphins and dancers; about the awful food prices and the need for some culinary attention at almost every place we ate; about our midnight trip to the store to take care of Abby a little more (third time's a charm, right?).

Yes, and I would LOVE to write a whole blog post about the San Diego Zoo -- about how Dave seemed to have more fun than the kids; about Isaac trying to climb in the exhibits to pet the elephants; about the awesome "sky car" system they have there; about choosing souvenirs for the kids, and . . . finally . . . about our car being broken into, with almost $3,000 in things stolen and my subsequent breakdown when Dave mentioned that we shouldn't judge California by this one incident or even started to hint at us staying here long term . . .

Yes, I would love to write about ALL OF THAT . . . with lots and lots of amazingly cute pictures to back it all up.

But right now, I'm exhausted!  My feet feel like they are carrying three days of water around with them!  My kids, Dave, and Lisa are all asleep.  And if Nique and I don't go to bed soon, we're going to have a beastly day with the SIX KIDS, ages four and under, that we need to keep up with.

So, I won't write about all of that tonight.  I'll just sign off and let your imaginations flow . . . for a little while! ;-D

The Fugitive . . . ?

Last night Dave went to bed at 8:00 so he could get up this morning at 4:00 to go running BEFORE his usual morning routine starts at 5:00.  And I, of course, did NOT go to bed that early.  Probably could have, but I just wasn't into it last night.  A few e-mails and Facebook chats later . . . ahem, at MIDNIGHT . . . I headed off to bed.  But I had noticed that I'd heard a helicopter flying around for quite a while . . . a half hour at least.  I thought that maybe the fires in nearby towns (Palmdale and Tehachapi) were flaring and the helicopter was dumping water on them.  But it sounded closer than that . . . at least to my untrained ear.  So as I got into bed, still hearing it, I woke Dave.

Me: Dave -- there's a helicopter flying around outside, and it's been out there for like a half hour already.  Do you think the fires are out of control and they're taking water via air to put them out?
Dave: (half-asleep) Melinda, this is Edward's Air Force Base country.  They're probably running some test flights or something.
Me: At midnight -- in helicopters?
Dave: It probably isn't a helicopter; it's probably a _______ (insert name of plane I've never heard of before and therefore do not remember here).
Me: Dave, it sure sounds like a helicopter to me, and it sounds really close.
(Flying continues, like they are flying in circles or something.)
Dave: Yeah, I guess you're right - it does sound like a helicopter.  Good night!
Me: But don't you think that's strange?  Do you think it's the fires?  Should we be worried or check it out online to see if there are any warnings or something (they had been evacuating people in nearby towns -- like 15 miles from us, so this wasn't totally off-the-wall for me to think of it).
Dave: I'm sure it's fine.  Go to sleep, woman!

I laid down and was about to reach for a book but decided to just lay there for a minute and let my mind settle instead.  Then suddenly, Dave gets up -- like pretty quickly.

Me: What are you doing?
Dave: I'm just going to take a look outside.
Me: Okay.
(Dave goes outside, comes back in, doesn't say a word, goes to the office -- I assume to check the computer for information or evacuation warnings or something -- and then he comes back with his gun.  Eh?  Say what?)
Me: Did you see the helicopter?
Dave: Yep.
Me: And why do you have your gun?
Dave: Cuz it's a police helicopter and they are flying around, pointing a spotlight about two blocks from here.
Me: It's THAT close.
Dave: Yep.  Go ahead and look for yourself.
(Given the nature of what he has just said, I really have no desire to look at ANYTHING; so I stayed put.)
Me: Do you think we should check the internet to see if there are any warnings about THAT?  I mean, that's kind of big, right?
Dave: (Still loading his gun and getting everything "in order" for a potential intruder).  We could -- but it wouldn't really matter right now.
(He finishes what he's doing, does a second check on all the doors and windows in the house, and gets back into bed.  At this point, I KNOW I won't be sleeping tonight!  He knows it, too!  I laid there for a few seconds, mind churning.)
Dave: Melinda, you really should try to get some sleep.  I'm well-trained.  I know what I'm doing.  We'll hear anything that tries to come in.  It's going to be okay.
Me: Did I mention I hate California?  What are we doing here?  In 30 years, this never came even CLOSE to happening to me in ANY part of Idaho -- and now I feel like I'm living in one of those way-too-action-packed films where only the bad guys die but in real life, you know the good guys probably die more!  And it's not like the neighborhood has come out to investigate -- so maybe this is common.  Is there a prison nearby that I didn't know about?
Dave: There is ___________________ (another name I don't remember).  But it's a ways away from here.
Me: Oh.
Dave: (Sitting up, looking me right in the eyes for added effect, and trying really hard to be reassuring.) Melinda, we are just in a bad area.  We'll find a better one next time.  It's going to be okay.
Me: I think we should say a prayer!
Dave: Good idea!

About a half hour later, I'm still awake, listening to every breath, every passage of air, every molecule that passes through the air purifiers, all with great anticipation and concern, wondering how long it would take me to get to my babies, wondering how thick the walls were if a bullet were to pass through them, if someone could shoot at me or Dave and somehow kill one of the kids, etc., etc., etc.  The helicopter sounded like it had moved away some, but I could still hear it circling around somewhere.  At some point, I did, in fact, fall asleep, but my dreams were vividly haunted by so many different intruders and scenarios.

But maybe, whoever it was they were looking for, was like Harrison Ford in The Fugitive . . . totally innocent, not wanting to hurt anyone, just trying to avenge his love for his wife and her murder . . . I mean, Hollywood put that one out there too, right?

But chances are . . . . probably not.

And we didn't play outside today.  And Dave didn't go running at 4:00 this morning, either.

Fun in the Summer Sun . . .

I have to admit that I am really amazed at how a few toys can completely turn outside from kinda-cool-but-way-too-hot-to-last-long into ALL-DAY-ADVENTURE!!!  We went garage sale shopping on Saturday and found a cute little plastic kitchen and a Fisher Price outdoor slide for $15 for the two.  We brought them home, cleaned them off, set them up, and . . . I haven't seen my kids since!  Just kidding -- I am glad, however, that we got them on a weekend cuz it helps a TON to have Dave keep watch while I get other things done while they play, play, play, play, play!  Yesterday when we were cleaning them off, Abby ran out the door in her shirt and diaper . . . and we turned on the hose and had quite a flood on our little cement patio.  All that means is that Abby was SOAKED!  It was like she made her own slip and slide out of the water and slide and cement.  She was having a BALL!  I wish I had taken pictures, I really do.  Note to self for next time.  Isaac was a little more cautious about getting his shirt wet and going down the slide into the puddle of water at the bottom.  But once Abby coaxed him into it a few times, he was hooked!  I put on the brakes, though, when they started bending down and trying to drink the water off the patio!  SOOOO GROSS!!!!  I even told them so -- I mean there was grass and spider webs and ash from the fires we've had around here the last few weeks, all mixed into that water.  Sick, sick, sick!  Their response was simply to giggle, egging each other on to do it again!!!! Oh, kids!

P.S. -- These pics aren't from this weekend, but they are kind of recent and pretty darn cute, and who doesn't like pictures, right? :-)