Today, today.

Everyone,

Today was one of those days I dreaded and knew would happen when we were pregnant with twins. Both boys were very needy. Both boys were very tired. Both boys only wanted Mommy. It was very tiring. I think Pirate is teething big time because he is drooling and unhappy. Professor is a might constipated from all this new solid food stuff and so he's uncomfortable and wants Mommy. While I'm happy to sit around and hold them all day, they didn't just want to be held. They wanted to get down and play, but then they were down so they screamed. But then they were being held and wanted down. It was a no win situation this morning.

Luckily Juice came home early from work and I let the boys scream it out for a nap. They slept for close to 3 hours. And woke up somewhat happy.

We had our old neighbors over for dinner and games tonight so that was fun. But Pirate screamed for a good hour going to bed. Poor kid. Oh, I forgot to mention that Professor slept with me from about midnight till 3 am and then Pirate joined me around 4 am till about 8 am. Mommy did not sleep well because of that and was a little cross this morning. I enjoyed having our old neighbors out to distract/help/enjoy my kids and we had a nice time.

Safire

Rain Rain Rain

Everyone,

It seems like it has been raining non stop today. But we were adventurous (after a very lazy morning) and were able to go out to the resource center to play with Chef and Al. They were both into the cars first thing, and then Butterfly moved on to the barn and all the animals. There were only 3 other kids there (not counting the boys) so she had the entire play area to herself. She used it too! The boys were able to get down on the carpet and play a little bit even. We all had a really nice time. Chef even gave me some of her candy that she made yesterday. Oh. So. Yummy. I did not share. If you'd like to see what she did, go here.

Butterfly, ever the enthusiastic learner, basically ordered Al around during circle time and was enraptured by the book on spiders. She told me all the way home about them. "Mama, did you know that spiders have eight legs and two body part, not three like bugs. Spiders are not bugs. They are a very big word."

"Arachnids?"

"Yes, a very big A word. I can draw A! Spider starts with A!"

She learns so much so fast. Pretty soon she is going to be telling me about all sorts of things and I will be happy for my college degree to keep up with her. Smarty pants.

She had a late nap and a rushed dinner so we could make it to the church for activities tonight. Juice is still working with the 12-13 year old boys in scouting (they did concealed weapons, I mean, pocket knife certification tonight) and I am working with the 8-11 year old girls. We made no bake cookies tonight and frosted sugar cookies. Yum and yum! They each got to take a plate home to share with their family and we gave a plate to each member of the bishopbric. There was lots of giggling, lots of sneaky cookie tasting and then lots of running after. I had Pirate, Juice had Professor. Butterfly and another little girl in the ward (5 years old) totally hit it off and played so nicely in the classroom next door to the kitchen so I could keep an eye on them as well. It was a good night. If a little bit sticky night.

Recipe for the No Bake Cookies:

Saving Cookies (no idea why they call it that, it's just the title)

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light karo syrup
4 cups corn flake cereal
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows

Combine sugar and karo syrup in a pot over low heat. Stir and cook until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Fold in (quickly) the cereal, peanut butter, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Drop in teaspoons onto wax paper. Cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!

The girls used their (clean) hands to make the cookies. I also made a batch with peanut butter and without and they worked out just fine. I also ran out of karo syrup for the peanut butter batch so it's a bit rich. But very forgiving. They girls had a great time and we got to talk about filling the measuring cups to the brim and working as a team.

Juice just walked in and looks exhausted. I feel the way he looks. Bed time!

Safire

Another Dreary Day

Everyone,

It's dark. Dark enough that I've had to use the lights all day long. And it's raining periodically. The sky is covered in dark clouds and I am feeling hermitish. Is hermitish a word? Can it be now? I have a few reasons for this new word.

1- It's getting increasingly difficult to get out with the kids by myself. I thought that it was supposed to get easier as they got older but it's not. They are bigger. They are heavier. Oh so much heavier. I can barely lift both of them at the same time. And since we live in a town house and do not have a garage, I do not feel comfortable about taking them one at a time out to the car. Silver lining: I do not have a ton of steps to walk up and down every time.

2- I miss snow. I miss seeing it. I miss playing in it. I miss smelling it. I wish we had snow and some good hills near our house to take the kids sledding and come home to hot chocolate and red faces. Silver lining: I do not have to worry about driving in snow weather.

3- I am missing my family a lot lately. It's this time of year that I miss them the most. I feel like I miss out on all the fun stuff they do together. I wish my kids could know their cousins and aunts and uncles and even more extended family better. I want to go do Christmas related things with them. I want to see my brother and sil sing at their many concerts. I want to play card games at Juice's mom's table with family jammed into every available spot. I want to have Christmas Eve dinner at my Nana's and have my parents enjoy my kids present carnage in person on Christmas morning. Silver lining: Our Christmases are much less hectic here. We really have time to enjoy our presents and don't have to rush off to a bunch of parties. Juice even has some time off so we're thinking of taking a major day trip somewhere that week.

I guess those are all my reasons. I think the key to getting over this is to do some fun things with Butterfly to get into our own family traditions. I would like to make cookies with her (and have all the stuff) and also cinnamon rolls (because she asked to). I would like to drag my family downtown and see the lights of the city, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to do that and skip the boys' bed time. Maybe in a few years we can do that. At least I can get Chinese food on Christmas Eve watch A Christmas Story after everyone goes to bed.

Safire

Getting Out

Everyone,

Want a Wii Fit? So do I. Magpie Musings is giving one away. (Don't forget about my own giveaway here!) The rule is you are supposed to post an exercise story on your blog and then how a Wii Fit would change your life. So here is my story:

I have a very vibrant (read willful) 3 year old and almost 8 month old twin boys. I do not go to the gym because of the sheer magnitude of getting out of the house. When I do get out, it's an hour long preparation on my part to be anywhere near on time for anything. And that prep has to start after I get myself all ready. And if the boys are awake during that prep, forget it! I will be late and flustered and sweaty. Except now it's cold here and so I'm more icy than sweaty.

My timeline:
1 hour before: start packing diaper bag. Experts say to just keep the bag stocked and ready to go or stock it when you get home. I can never do that. I use stuff out of the bag during the day. So I have to wander around the house picking up things like my slings, toys, wipes, diapers, and snacks for the 3 year old. Most of the time she tries to help pack the bag and I get places and realize I've "forgotten" some of it. (She likes to be helpful and take them back out and put them away.) This step takes anywhere from 5 minutes to 45 depending on how helpful she is and how much stuff I need on any particular outing.

30 minutes before: decide on stroller. This can be tricky. Am I going to be doing a lot of quick in and out of the car? The car seat stroller would be better. Am I going to be doing a lot of walking? BOB might be best. Is it a small space? Then I better take the car seat stroller. Once I've decided on the stroller, I have to switch them out of the back of the van. Because I never seem to need one stroller over and over. I seem to flip flop between the two. So in heading out the door to the van (which is hopefully parked in the closest parking spot in our lot, still a good 20 feet away) my 3 year old decides she wants to come and help too! So I have to find her socks, fight with her to get them on (no I want to do it...tries...will you help me?...I help...no I want to do it myself...tries...will you help me? maddening!) She decides she wants to wear her boots after she has one shoe on and will not let me help her along. She can get her coat on but can't start the zipper. I have to start only the first 2 or 3 teeth so she can zip the rest up. Crying and pouting will ensue if you zip more than you're allowed. I throw shoes and my coat on and lug BOB out to the van. BOB weights around 23 lbs so it's quite a load. This takes at least 15 minutes.

15 minutes before: get the boys ready. In the summer, it was easy to snap them into their car seats in minutes and go. Now that it's freezing cold here, they have to have coats on. Someone always needs a diaper change. Sometimes they need a whole outfit change. They both need to be stuffed into their coats. I put Pirate's hat on at least 3 times between now and walking out the door because he has learned to take it off and thinks it's funny. Coats on, in car seats, all set. Whew. I might be on time. I look around for the three year old and find that she has taken off every article of clothing from the waist down and her coat because she had to go potty and it's hot. Round up her scattered clothes, fight with her to put them on, and get yelled at for forgetting her mittens.

15 minutes after we were supposed to leave: finally start to walk out the door. One or both of the boys have been crying because it's hot in their coats in the house but outside they are fine. Haul both of them (over 17lbs now) and their car seats (which weigh around 5 lbs each), one in each hand, to the van. Consider doing a few arm curls with them to strengthen my arms and decide against it. Have you lifted those things? They are heavy!

Help all three kids into the car. Wrestle with the 3 year old's straps and finally get her buckled in. Realize I've forgotten the diaper bag. Mad dash back to the house, pick up the bag and run back to the van. Realize both the boys have pulled their hats around so they can't see and are screaming. Fix that. Give 3 year old a crayon or whatever toy she wants and take off her mittens. Put them back on because she is cold. She takes them off, and cries. I finally give up and we are headed out.

In the coarse of getting ready, I have lifted close to 75 lbs (total), walked at least half a mile, and have ice sweat running off my forehead. There is no way I am going to the gym to get all sweaty and tired and then have to do this again to get home.

How could a Wii Fit change my life? I wouldn't have to do this to get to the gym. Which means I might actually exercise. And then my arms might actually be strong enough to start carrying the boys everywhere without the car seats. That is coming up soon.

Help me Magpie. I'm facing a long winter inside with 3 very small people. I need some yoga to help me deal with it.

Safire

PS- Want to know about my twins group? Go here and click on "Multiples Support Groups" on the right hand menu. It's about 2 minutes long. I'm not in it, but it's a glimpse into what my life is going to be like next year with twin toddlers.

PS- Want to hear my boys mentioned in a food podcast? Go here. We are mentioned about half way in. And honestly, their expert didn't say anything I didn't know before. So yay, things are going well! The boys now LOVE their solid food and I'm glad I stopped and started again when they were a little older.

A Day

Everyone,

Today was a day. An okay day. The kids did beautifully today. The boys were so cute and happy and even napped for almost 3 and over 3 for their morning nap, and just under 2 for their afternoon nap. Butterfly even napped for 3 hours this afternoon. (Only about 20 minutes of that overlapped. I need to remember that the boys sleep for less time in the afternoon and put Butterfly down ASAP instead of playing with her.) The boys played happily together in their crib and when I went to go get them this afternoon, they were looking at each other and giggling. Very cute.

We even went to the toy store to pick up a birthday present for a friend and there was no crying, no whining. The boys ate twice as much food tonight and went down with only a slight fuss. Butterfly has been pleasant all evening. An all around okay kid day.

But Mommy feels like she is in a funk. Cross and crabby me. No specific reasons, just one of those days.

That and someone came to my door selling half a cow and a free freezer along with it and I'm put out I can't afford it because I really want to.

Oh, and the dog is sick. Or at least throwing up so I had to clean that one up. At least it was in the kitchen so it was an easier clean up.

And I had to tell my friends no to a shopping trip because of said dog throw up.

So this is me being in a funk.

Safire

Conversation With Butterfly

Everyone,

Here is the conversation I had with Butterfly this morning as she sat next to me and ate her sucker from Santa.

B: Is Christmas over?

Me: No, not yet. He hasn't come to our house yet or done presents for us.

B: But he came last night to church.

Me: That was so he would know what to bring you. Did you tell him what you wanted for Christmas?

B: No.

Me: That's okay. I think he'll bring you something nice.

B: Like a carriage?!

Me: A what?

B: A carriage. You know, like one you push a baby in?

Me: You already have one of those.

B: No, I want a different one.

Me: Oh. Well, you already have a stroller so maybe Santa will bring you something else.

(pause)

B: We don't have Christmas day. We have Christmas time.

Hope your Christmas time is going well!

Safire

Christmas Party

Everyone,

Tonight was our church's Christmas party.  I was in charge of making 10 lbs of potatoes into mashed potatoes.  They turned out great, if I do say so myself.  But other people brought sweet potatoes, green beans, turkeys, pie, cookies, and mac and cheese.  What a feast!

We had a story, the kids did the nativity story, and Santa came.  Butterfly is not quite old enough to be a part of the bigger kids and their nativity story.  She will next year though!  I can't believe in about 3 weeks she is going to move out of nursery into the kid program.  Our little Sunbeam!  I'm sure I'll talk about that when it actually happens.

Anyway, she was old enough to join the stampede for Santa.  When Santa first came out, she jumped into my arms and wouldn't look at him.  But all the kids were so excited, I think she got swept up with the rest of the mob.  I was excited for her.  She actually sat on his lap this year (probably because I told her she couldn't have the present of the sucker if she didn't sit on his lap, only fair I think) and actually talked to Santa.  Santa was even good enough to hold both the boys AND Butterfly so we could have a picture.  Of course, I forgot my camera but I'm sure someone got it (Chef?) and will email it to me.  I know Mom, I will send it to you too.

It snowed and actually stuck last night!  I think we got maybe a fourth of an inch but we got some!  Butterfly and I took some time out to go and play in it.  So much fun!

The boys had pears and rice cereal last night and ate it like it was going out of style.  They also had tastes of mashed potatoes at the party and Professor had a suck of my orange.  These boys are getting so big!

Safire

Thinking of Spring

Everyone,


It's not that time of year. No one is thinking about it. Well, except maybe my BFF Mink. Why her and what is she thinking about you ask? She is due to have her second baby girl (which I like to think that I named, thank you very much) any day now. Not only is she excited to have a baby the same year I had mine, she is excited about the tax credit.


Yes, she is! If you know Mink, you know this is totally true. And to tell you the truth, I am excited about my double tax credit coming up. I have a general rule with the tax stuff I get for the kids. Two rules actually. 1) That credit goes straight into a college fund for them. It may not be a ton, but at least it will be something. 2) The first year I get the credit, it's mine. Pay back for having suffered through pregnancy and delivery. The boys first tax credit is earmarked for a new kitchen table and chairs since they pushed us over the edge. And I'm going to go all splurgy and buy one that the Amish have made. With a take out leaf, a bench on one side, and 4 chairs. And then we are never going to eat on it because it will be too beautiful.


Back to Mink. Her new baby girl will be born at the last "minute" for tax purposes. And even if you aren't having a baby at the last minute, you will still at least get some tax relief. Such as:

• Any new baby in 2008 could deliver a $1,000 child tax credit. This keeps going until they turn 17.
• Be sure to file a new W-4 form with your employer to claim an additional withholding allowance which may help boost your take-home pay.
• There's also a tax credit, worth as much $11,650 in 2008, to help offset the cost of adopting a child.

My good friend Karen knows all about that tax credit and adoption. Go check out her blog and her beautiful baby girl!


So, all of you friends like Mink out there, you can even get more from your December baby! Turbo Tax is having a contest called America's Cutest Last-Minute Tax Deduction. Parents or legal guardians can go to www.CutestTaxDeduction.com and submit a photo of their newest last minute tax deduction. One lucky baby, born between Dec. 1-31, 2008, will win a United States savings bond worth $5,000 (up to $10,000 upon maturity). I bet you didn't know your December baby could be worth so much!

You can check out a video of last year's winner here.

There's more here, though. So what if you didn't have/are going to have a baby in December this year. Did you have one the same time I had mine? Or after? You can win a turbo tax romper that says, Tax Deduction, on it. (size 6 months) Right here! Just leave me a comment and tell me what you plan on using your new tax money for. Or if you know someone who needs a romper (maybe you know Mink!), you can leave a comment telling me what you do with your kid credit. Because I'm nosey like that sometimes. I will randomly pick a winner the day after Mink has her baby. (She is due on the 19th I think...or that may be the day her doctor is inducing her.) Anyway, the point is this contest is going to run from now until her baby girl is born, whatever day that may be.

Good luck everyone! (And I bet you are thinking about taxes now!)

Safire

The Big Decision

Everyone,

It's that time of year when Juice and I make our big decision. Do we continue with our warehouse club membership or trade it the other one? What are the pros and cons of our store? Do we honestly shop there enough to warrant a membership? We have been with our current place for more than 5 years I think. My friend Chef was nice enough to take us to one today and let me browse for the prices/availability of things. So here's my list.

Pro Current Place (CP)
-We know it.
-It's a cheaper membership.
-They have polish dogs.
-Not as crowded.
-Plenty of parking.

Cons CP
-Major long lines that take forever.
-Employees are not stellar.
-They randomly stop stocking items that we use regularly.
-Not a great selection.

Pros of New Place (NP)
-Great selection!
-Great samples.
-Churros at the food court.
-Great counter wipes and picture printing (so Chef tells me).

Cons of NP
-Holy cow parking.
-And the people! I was overwhelmed with Butterfly and AJ running around.
-More membership.
-No polish dogs.
-Big store to learn.
-Opportunity to spend more.

They both have the staples we use. They both have big boxes of diapers (although NP had a bigger box...224 for 42 dollars. CP has 200 for 39 dollars. 24 diapers for 3 dollars more...worth it?) and the cereal we like. They both have things like cheese, dog food, laundry soap, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.

Right now I'm leaning towards staying with CP. Yes, the employees aren't stellar. Yes, I miss out on things like better selection. And no churros! But the press of people was just too much. If I couldn't handle it, I know Juice would be a cross camper afterwards.

And really, it boils down to one point. At CP, they have polish dogs. And we love us some good hot dog. :)

Safire

Our Tree

Everyone,

I've blogged about this before but our tree is old. (I first typed in very before the old but then I didn't want Juice feeling very old since this tree is as old as he is.) And for this being it's 29th Christmas, it's looking remarkably well. It's still full. The needles are not smashed or flat. It is a little rough around the edges, especially the top branch where the star goes, but all in all, it's beautiful.

I was thinking about it today while I was staring at it, that some of my ornaments have hung on this tree for over 10 years. I feel fairly attached to this tree and until it breaks or something, we may never get another.

We had a great time decorating the tree. I always put up our yearly ornaments first. This year, Butterfly picked out the little people barn. Juice got Wall-E, the boys got matching first Christmas Winnie the Pooh ornaments, and I got my 20th angel. I have been collecting them since I was 8 years old. It's the hallmark series that will never die. All 21 of them (they had a special one for 15 years and Juice got it) look great on the tree. They look so good next to all my animals and all of Juice's big fun ones. He has a dancing mickey, letter to Santa that talks, an ark that moves, and several others. I love pulling out the boxes and seeing all of these things again.

Butterfly moved her barn to 4 different places before I made her pick a place and stick with it. She then hung the boys and lost interest to the little people nativity that we have and only play with at this time of year. Juice and I spent the rest of the afternoon reminiscing over what was going on in our lives when we got each ornament. Butterfly hung two or three more. The boys were most interested in them. Professor was more interested in the tree skirt but Pirate really really wanted to hold/eat/slobber on the ornaments. Every time we walked by holding one, he would kick and smile and get all excited like we were coming for him to hold what we were holding. They both stared at the tree for a long moment when Juice turned the light on.

We decided this year not to put any presents under the tree because they (okay, Professor but Pirate may learn this month) are on the move and the tree is out in the open. We moved it from behind our couch like we had it last year. I like it better where it is. We will put the presents out Christmas Eve.

And taking a picture with two infants on a timer is really pretty silly but still, we did it. Christmas cards are mostly addressed so they will hopefully go out by this weekend. It's one of my better cards so I'm excited to show it off! Especially since my good friend Chef took all the pictures. I also have loads of extras since I could only buy either 50 or 100. 50 would not be enough, 100 is WAY more than I need. But I figure if worse comes to worse, I can always send them to doctors and dentists and people I don't normally send them to. I'll find a way to use them up. If you'd like one, please email me at safirecat {at} gmail [dot] com and one will find it's way to you.

Safire

Apparently this is my limit

Everyone,

I can write for 31 days before I run out of something to say. Because that's what has happened today. Still, even now, nothing comes to mind. So one boring day to day list today.

We visited Vinny at his house today. It surprised me that Butterfly is taller than Vinny. He's almost 2 years older than her. I guess her size shouldn't surprise me much but it does. Both Juice and I are 6 feet or taller so really she has no choice but to be tall.

We then went to the mall to return some shoes I bought online. I don't know why I insist on buying shoes online. I always end up returning them at least 3 times before I get the fit right.

Naps were short and smelly due to a diaper blow out that I (thankfully) caught before the boys decided to play in it. Butterfly, on the other hand, napped too long and woke up cross. We had a big fight about putting her pajamas on tonight. She kept telling me she wanted a time out. She got as many as she wanted. And the last time out, she said, "But I really didn't want a time out!" I am desperately trying to understand her circular logic and not be frustrated with it.

Totally off topic but here is a cute story from yesterday. As I was trying to get through my email (which I did!), Butterfly said, "Ew. Gross." That is my clue for someone has spit up. I glance at the boys to find Pirate painting Professor's hair with it. His face was in deadly serious wonder of "what would happen if I put some here". An exclamation from me brought their attention to me and I noticed that Pirate had had those wondering thoughts all over Professor's face. Pirate is going to be my thinker. He is going to think things up, tell them to Professor, who is going to do them. And get caught. And then bawl because he got caught all the while it was really Pirate's idea and he really should be in trouble too.

We had left over pizza for dinner (boring) and I watched An Ideal Husband which I had never seen before. Through the whole movie I kept picturing Cate Blanchett in Lord of the Rings and I couldn't get into it because of that. Still, it was good. I am loving Netflix and I have maxed out my list of movies. Did you know that you can only have 500 on there? Me either. At this rate, I will not be able to add another movie on there for at least a year. Longer. Apparently I've been out of the movie scene for awhile. Probably since Butterfly was born. I can't remember the last movie I saw in the theater was. I do remember it was me and Juice and one other guy who smoked through it. In a non-smoking theater! Juice complained, nothing happened. Kind of ruined the movie for me because obviously I don't remember what it was. One movie I would love to see is Twilight.

Hey look, I get going and I do have something to say.

Safire

Drowing!

Everyone,

I did not check my email for 5 days straight and now I am drowning in it. I had over 500 emails to read. Which means I get around 100 emails a day. Ugh. I am trying to go through all the junk mail I get and remove my email address but it is slow going.

Also, I've never mentioned this but I will briefly. My identity has been stolen (secret internet names and all...blast!) and I've been having issues with credit cards, etc. calling me every day. Double blast. I feel like I need to have a second job just to get through all the paperwork and the hassle that this is.

Of course, this has to be Juice's annual trip to Chicago so I'm solo again for a week. Triple blast. At least the boys are sleeping better and we get to order out again. I'm so looking forward to pizza tonight!

Safire

PS- Thanks for all the love that you, my readers, left on the last post! I feel like I can do it! :) I love comments.

End of NaBloPoMo...or is it?

Everyone,

30 days have come and gone. I feel like there should be some kind of rhyme at the end of that sentence but there isn't. So. 30 days. Yay to Laura, my Dad, Zuke and Melissa, Roommate Julia, Karen, and Valinda who all made it with me!

The last 2 years of doing NaBloPoMo has been good. This year was the easiest yet. And because I always go through blog withdraw after November, I don't want you to suffer the same fate. I intended to push myself just a little harder this year and write for another month. Yes people, every day you can come back here and see me.

I have always been a voracious journal writer (ask my parents) and I have found that writing in my paper journal isn't as fun anymore. Frankly, I feel like I never find the time to do it. When I do, Butterfly wants to color in it and crosses out whole sentences. (True story.) So I just gave up. I don't even think I've journaled the boys birth in there. I may have to put that one down.

I have about 30 journals. My first one was an early Christmas present from my Nana when we were living in Colorado. I was 7. It was white puffy plastic with little hearts and fairies on it. And it had a lock and a key. This made the book really indescribably important. I HAD to write in it. And I did. Off and on until I was 12. Mostly it was drawings of my room, the fish in my fish tank dying and how mad I was at my friends. Then when we moved to Utah and got all of our stuff out of storage and into our house in North 4o, I found that little book unpacking. I sat down right then and there and wrote about how upset I was moving to Utah and how much I missed Colorado.

I think from that journal entry on until Butterfly was born I wrote almost every day. I took my journal to camp, on trips, to college, even on my honeymoon. I even have a picture of Juice on our honeymoon writing in his own journal. I think he has about as many as I do. Yes, I have read them. No, he has not read mine because I think he gets bored or frustrated with me and stops. I even get bored and frustrated with myself and stop when trying to read them.

While people my wonder what the point is of journaling, I have one practical application for it. Right after Butterfly was born, we got a letter from the dmv. It said we owed over 1000 dollars in parking tickets and fees. We were dumbfounded. We had never even seen the ticket. Or any notices. We were over a year late pay and they were going to start putting a collection agency on us. Ouch. They stated where and when our car was cited, and I knew someone had to have made a mistake. Out come my journals, and I have a detailed account of what we did that day. (Mostly I was ill with being newly pregnant and went to work and came home that day.) Juice had to fax that over to the dmv to prove that this was an error. I think they might have been a little impressed that I would journal what I did on some random day. Either that or they were bored or frustrated with me because I moaned a lot about how ill I was. Ticket problem no longer a problem.

When we move from Maryland (which we always say we are going to but haven't actually done anything about it), I will shut this site down and open a new one for our new area. I intend to have this one published for my family history and my journal. I'd love to have both of these months on file. Who knows, I may even make it a habit and blog every day.

Then again, probably not. But I'd like to take this small step and hopefully get next month on the books as well. Hope you come along for the ride and maybe cheer me on a bit?

Thanks! See you tomorrow!
Safire

Thanksgiving Eating and Recovery

Everyone,

Thanksgiving was great! We had such a good time and had a bunch of good food. The turkey turned out perfectly (see picture). We had an impressive spread and enjoyed every bite. Butterfly and Vinny ate well. Well, Butterfly only wanted to eat cranberries (and probably ate 4 servings of it) and Vinny only wanted to eat butternut squash. And neither would touch the other. I had a great meal. It could have been relaxing.

Only that Lala and I decided to feed our babies solid foods for the first time. For all 3 of them. Mimi is just a few weeks older than my boys. We really didn't plan that for dinner time, they were just all hungry at the same time. So out come the sweet potatoes and the mess! I have to admit, I have been putting off feeding the boys solid foods. They were interested, they had had little bites. I just didn't want to go into the realm of actual solid foods because of the mess. But I am over that hurdle and on we go to solids! They both ate the entire bowl of sweet potatoes and were asking for more at the end.

Today was a little less messy because they learned quickly to keep their hands out of the way of the spoon or they don't get the spoon. Of course, Professor then sticks his hands in his mouth and manages to get it all over everything. Ahh...reminds me of Butterfly! Pirate is turning out to be a tidy eater and hopefully that will stay true.

Anyway, we got the kids ready for bed and put Vinny and Mimi (Vinny's baby sister) in Butterfly's room. Vinny had the bed and Mimi had our pack and play. We then put Butterfly and the boys in the boys' room. The boys are still sleeping in the same crib and our other crib is up. The boys in their crib, and Butterfly in her old crib. She was thrilled to be sleeping in the same room with them. It also reminded me how big she has gotten. The crib seemed to swallow her up when she was a baby, and now she barely fits in it.

One funny story about them being together. Each time one of them cried, she would pipe up "A baby is crying Mommy!" as loud as she could and they would both stop crying. There was one point when I heard shrieks of laughter coming from their room. I sent Juice up to tell everyone to go to bed. He asked her if she was playing with the baby brothers. She said no. He said to go to sleep. She said, "But Pirate isn't asleep. He wants to play." Uh-huh. You aren't playing with them huh? In the end, they all ended up sleeping. Even Vinny and Mimi slept.

The adults, on the other hand, did not. After we cleaned up a bit and started a load of dishes, we played card games. One specific card game. We love this game. It is hysterical! (If you want to get Juice something for Christmas, we do not have 3, 5, 6, or 7. Just a hint.) In what game can you have shiny false teeth of doom or mutilate Santa's body to go up a level? We stayed up till 12:30am playing this game. Poor Juice kept getting cursed (there's a chicken on your head! loose one small item! this item is now useless but stuck to you!, you have to be generous and give away your stuff!) and yet he still won the game 5 of the 8 times we played. Everyone won at least once. Everyone had a dismal game somewhere in there. And every laughed till we cried at one point.

A big thanks to Lala, Vinny, Mimi, and MP for making this a crazy fun Thanksgiving!

The day after...ah the day after. We put up our tree. We opened a great box from my mom with our yearly Christmas ornaments and treats. Music to listen to, Christmas pjs for the kids, and caramel hot chocolate. My mommy loves me. This stuff is AMAZING and I think I had 3 cups yesterday.

In the Christmas box is a kids nativity that Butterfly had to play with instead of hanging up ornaments. Oh she hung a few up, but she "had important people to play with." The boys stare at the tree every time we turn the lights on. Pirate was especially interested in the ornaments and really really really wanted to eat each one. Professor liked the tree skirt. It's sparkly.

Now excuse me while I go have another cup of this and listen to my music. Thank you.

Safire

I See Now

Everyone,

I see now why parents of twins end up getting 2 of the same toys for their kids. It was not something I completely understood until this very moment.

You see, I got a small package in the mail today. It was a free sippy cup from a juice company. They only sent one. Well I've been letting the boys play with it by having one play with the lid and one play with the cup. It worked out great until I decided to be all cool and put a small green plastic ball on the inside of the cup and shut the lid. I showed the boys how to shake the cup and make the ball move around. Professor was most interested in it and immediately grabbed it out of my hands to play with it.

Then I looked at Pirate. Just sitting there. No toy. So I grabbed another green plastic ball and gave it to him. He took it in his hand. Our eyes met. His expression said, "What is this? You expect me to play with this little thing and you let him have that?" He looked at Professor with his cool cup. He dropped the ball and managed to maul Professor for the cup.

Toy wars begin!

Luckily Professor is as enchanted with the plain green ball. Even more so because he is currently crawling around the room chasing after it.

And of course, the cup is forgotten and Pirate is complaining that he can't get around the room and chase a ball too.

More on Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Safire

Thanksgiving 2008

Everyone,

I am (hopefully) enjoying the day spent with friends and good food. Here is a list of 20 things I am thankful for this year. In random order

1. Juice's job and it's stability.
2. Our house, small size notwithstanding.
3. Unlimited long distance.
4. Twice the baby love.
5. A spirited and sweet girl.
6. Juice
7. The internet
8. My lapple.
9. My camera and the desire to take better pictures.
10. Friends who buy us pizza because they heard we had a hard night.
11. Boys who go to sleep at 6pm
12. My healthy twins born safely
13. Juice's flexiblity with his schedule.
14. Juice's work proximity.
15. Pirate's happy kicking legs.
16. Professor's big blue eyes.
17. Butterfly's logic (she was having a really rough morning and we were trying to make it to church and she stopped crying long enough to tell us that she would be much happier if she was able to watch a movie to church. We laughed, no movie though.)
18. Good books that suck you in.
19. The gospel.
20. The church.

We are so lucky to have all that we do. I have been trying hard to remember the thanks more than the wants in every day life right now.

Safire

Thanksgiving Round Up

Everyone,

We are having Butterfly's BFF Vinny and his family over for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I am excited! I had planned out all week what I was going to do to prepare and make it easier on me. I'm thinking I just planned myself out a stressful week though because I am not even 1/3 of the way through my list. For lack of something else to say, here is my list: (bold I've finished)

THANKSGIVING 2008

Food:
Turkey (defrost starting Monday)
mashed potatoes, as soon as the turkey goes in
cranberry sauce, Tuesday
rolls, Wednesday
salsa, Wednesday
snack prep, Wednesday
veggie prep, Wednesday


House:
clean living room
vacuum
clean downstairs bathroom
put away favorite toys
dust tv
clean off extra table
wash table cloths
get out extra chairs
wash china serving dishes
clean out and pack up extra kitchen stuff (I have to explain this one. I typically take Thanksgiving week to go through my cupboards and put away things I have not used in a year or pull out the things I only use once a year. I also throw away things that are broken and we are holding on to for some odd reason. I also throw away old spices and clean as I go. I have not done this for several years so I had a lot to go through. Good news, I can now shut my junk drawer.)

Children:
bathe
love
adore
pick out nice clothes for pictures

Me:
blog for today and tomorrow
go to bed early
set out games we want to play
run to post office


See? Lots still to do. But the important stuff is pretty much done. Except for the rolls which I'm avoiding doing by blogging here. Juice came home early because he just couldn't stand it anymore and will helpful in getting everything done. Or at least playing with the children so I can work.

Lala (Vinny's mom) is bringing desert, and a side dish and a green salad. Yay I don't have to think about those. Hope every one's Thanksgiving is as wonderful as I hope ours will be!

Safire

2 Tags

Everyone,

I've been tagged twice this time (love these things during NaBloPoMo!) and so I thought that's what I would do today before I got down and messy with some Thanksgiving dinner prep stuff.

This first tag is from MommyKnows. If you're interested in some power ranger action, she's got a few to give away!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My Aunt and my great grandma. Two great names.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Hmm...I may have cried two nights ago when the boys would not sleep. I was so tired.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Only my first name signature. But I practiced that one.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey or ham. Working at a cafeteria making 400-500 sandwiches a day turned me off of roast beef. Even though it's pressed meat, it still bleeds. Ew.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Probably, depends how nicely I asked.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Some.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS. Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No. I would have before kids, now I'm turning into a scared cat.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Golden Grams, Strawberry Shredded Wheat, Cap'n Crunch...anything really sugary. Oh, and Basic 4.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No. They have no ties.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically? No. Having the boys did a number on my body. Mentally, some. If I get enough sleep.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Anything fruity or Safeway brand moose tracks with fudge.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? If they seem friendly and outgoing.
15. RED OR PINK? Red.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? The twin skin flab of a stomach that makes it hard to fit into any pants.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My mom. She needs to move closer. Or I do.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Wait, sending? Did I miss something?
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I have bare feet at the moment, but I will spend a lot of the winter in my brown slip on shoes.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? glass of water
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? I can faintly hear the TV on in the living room, I am in bed with my laptop. (weird same answer as MommyKnows! Strange!)
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? blue
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? I love a horse barn...the hay, the manure, sweet smells!
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My parents answering machine yesterday. Funny they never called back...
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes! She’s a cool chick.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Anything horsey, jumping, racing, pulling. I don't like to watch any ball sports.
27. HAIR COLOR? Brown
28. EYE COLOR? Blue.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? popcorn.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? I much prefer a happy ending.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Nanny Diaries. Eh.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Pink.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Fall and Spring
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Popcorn
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Whoever feels like it
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND. Whoever doesn’t feel like it
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Currently not reading anything. Huh. I probably should be reading something...did we have a book picked out for book club this month?
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't use a mouse pad on the lapple. But I did buy Juice one that has a picture of us on our honey moon on it. It's faded so bad you can barely see us but we looked cute and happy.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? No tv, but I did watch Ugly Betty online.
42. FAVORITE SOUND. Silence.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles!
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? England, no, probably Scotland.
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can whistle through my tongue.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Colorado. Proud to be sort of a native!
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? MusicMan because he hasn't posted in over a month yet he said he was going to try to do it once a week, Chef since she is doing NaBloPoMo and might need this, Karen just because, and Zuke and Melissa.


Second tag:

Here are the rules:
Go to your photos and open the 4th folder.
Post the 4th picture in your folder.
Tag 4 more people.

(I've seen this one with different numbers but since I was tagged with the 4, I will go with 4. My favorite number anyway.)
Look! Itty bitty baby boys! So cute!! Professor in yellow and crying, and Pirate in blue with his old man face. They were so tiny.

Tags for this one: Jill, Valinda, FlowerMaiden, and Julia.

Safire

PS- If you made it this far and want to see baby/kid pictures of me, go to my Dad's blog. He's been blogging his autobiography which I have been loving. Also included are pictures of him as a baby, my brother, my parents at their wedding, etc.

Remember I said I hit the jackpot? Yeah...

Everyone,

So a few days ago I blogged about how I thought I hit the twin jackpot because we had such easy going boys? And remember how I said it would probably change because that is just blogging karma?

Totally true.

Saturday night, the boys were up every. single. hour. Maybe I should say that I was up every single hour. The boys at least got some 2 hour shifts in there. They were off an hour so every hour I was up with one of them. I thought maybe I had gotten their sleep schedule off or something. It was a purely awful night. Juice was very helpful, if a little annoyed at the boys. I was just happy it was a weekend and he was home and willing to be woken up.

We did make it to church the next day. A little late, and all three kids were in tears. But we made it! Ugh. I had Professor on my lap laying down and he bent his head back to look at something Butterfly was doing and I got a flash of white. Wait...what was that?

Teeth. Two new ones. On the top. Ah ha! That would explain his horrible sleeping. But what about Pirate? Why was he such a terrible sleeper? I immediately stuck my finger in his mouth, much to his chagrin. My finger scraped on one tiny little tooth on the bottom. It's there. It's hurting. It's just not clearing the gum line. His little gums are so swollen and he is drooling up a storm.

They both went to bed at 4:45pm yesterday and slept until 10pm, 3am, and 7am. A much better night for me. But today I'm feeling it. I think I may go to bed early. They did again today.

Lesson learned. I am never going to blog about how wonderful the kids are again. Who am I kidding. I probably will tomorrow!

Safire

Service

Everyone,

Yesterday morning I had the great opportunity to serve. I have been feeling a little down in the dumps lately. Just going crazy by the constant need of three small children and the rising desire to change my name from Mommy and run away. I do love being a Mom and really it's all I wanted to do (that and raise and ride horses) but it's a draining job.

My church has started joining in with our community and doing the Share Program. Basically, you perform 2 hours of community service in a month and you are able to get discounted groceries. We did it last month and it was really great to have these groceries supplement our food bill. I actually forgot about it last month but luckily the ladies in the ward looked out for me and delivered it to our house.

This month, I was determined not to forget and showed up at the church at 7am. They put me right to work. I bagged meat for awhile, and then helped another lady put labels on peach pies that we got. I listened to my fellow workers and they talked about the economy, their willingness to help with whatever (or their teenagers lack of willingness to help) and we even sang a few Christmas songs. (And with me being the only white person in the group, these songs were rocking and beautiful!)

It was great. I left with my 2 bags of groceries and a hugely relaxed heart. I felt renewed, recharged. Something that I have been searching for this past week and not finding it. Nothing seemed to help and I always came away from these things feeling anxious and sad. But this was different. This was uplifting, different, easy. I came home with a bounce in my step, renewed patience and love for my family. And all it took was half an hour.

I had such a good time I am thinking of taking Butterfly with me next time. She would love to put things in bags and it would be a good way to show her some service. And hopefully we will both come home loving life.

Safire

Home Times

Everyone,

Today our short window of outing time was filled with going to the hardware store. I was kind of hoping to go out and do some kind of family outing this weekend. Juice had Thursday afternoon off, along with all day Friday this week. It has been wonderful to have him home. We were able to get all of our normal Saturday chores done on Friday and so I thought we could have a play day on Saturday.

Then I thought, it's going to be Thanksgiving next week and I don't want to go to the hardware store by myself/on black Friday. So we went today and will plan on doing something fun next weekend.

We left the hardware store with some no see no touch mouse traps for when he goes away next week. We also got some hooks for various art projects that are going on in my house and for stockings. I never know where to put Butterfly's stocking. I think last year we hung it from the corner of the blinds next to the Christmas lights in our window. That's not going to work this year since there are only 2 corners. So I bought some sticky hooks and we will hang them from the wall in our dining room.

On Friday, I was able to go to hang out with the ladies at my church and learn about vinyl lettering. This is a lot of fun! I even made something. I'm not terribly crafty so this is big for me. See, isn't it cute?
I put the letters on the board, and Juice hung the hooks and the wire for me. Originally I thought I would get more vinyl letters and make name tags to put up for everyone on the hooks. But then I thought I would do pictures instead. I've spend the evening browsing a bunch of sights for some small reusable picture frames and I think I found some on etsy. No matter that there are more things there than we have members of our family. We will just pick the most important ones...prayer, song, lesson, treat, prayer. It's what we do right now anyway. As the kids get older, we'll rotate through some things. Anyway, this is one of 2 home decorating projects I have in my head with vinyl lettering. The next one to come later.

Butterfly saw Juice making the marks for the hooks and asked if she could too. I said sure, it was just pencil and Juice would know his own marks. I went to do a baby related thing and came back to find her tracing the letters with her pencil. Good thing pencil erases or she'd be in bigger trouble.

Still no sign of mice. It's been almost a week now. Juice is convinced we have them but they have stored away enough food to sustain them for awhile. I kind of agree with that. I mean, the mouse I saw was not the first one I saw in the house (I thought I saw one in the kitchen about a week before I saw this one in the living room.) Soot periodically goes nuts at our heat vent in the corner so I'm pretty sure there is something in there. Also, we randomly get dog food under the couch. Hmm...all signs point to a mouse but not very active ones here. I am still banking on the fact that we have several. Hopefully when Juice gets back from his traveling he can plug up the numerous holes we have in our house. One can only dream.

Safire

7 Months Old

Everyone,

The boys turned 7 months old on Tuesday. 7 MONTHS! Wow time really does fly. I think I hit the twin jackpot because they are just easy going happy boys. (Now that I've said that, things will change.) They play really well on the floor and with others. Butterfly is a great entertainer and they think she is the most wonderful thing besides Mommy. They will even not eat if she is in the room because they insist on watching her. Makes for interesting times at our house. They are starting to really notice each other and I hear them chatting to each other in their crib in the morning. Yes, they are still sleeping together in the same crib. I do have 2 cribs, both up even. But I find they sleep a little better with the other there. On the down side, they do wake each other up at night. Mostly I think it's Pirate waking Professor up who then cries. I go get Professor because I hear him and then Pirate cries like I've taken his best friend away. They are both getting up at night lately. I think they must be growing. They down at 5:30pm these days, up at 11pm, up at 3am, up at 5am and then up at 7am to start the day. And really, those moments of them being up is about 6 or 7 minutes and back down. I have been feeding them but not feeding them as long as they want at night. Occasionally they will skip one or all of the feedings depending on their sleep during the day.

Pirate is my happy happy boy. He still laughs all the time, but has been a little more serious these past few days. I think he's getting a little bit of separation anxiety because he cries whenever we leave the room. He still does not sit up. Nor does he have any interest in it. He is up on his hands and knees a lot rocking furiously. Most of the time he is also crying when he rocks. He so wants to be able to move! He does scoot back and back himself into corners or away from toys. He still does the superman move which is very cute. The only thing touching the floor is his belly and his arms and legs move furiously. I keep trying to get a video of this but my movies are chaos. Kind of like life right now.

He weighs 17.5 lbs and is 27.5 inches long. This is according to my scale and tape measure since no doctor visit this month. I really feel like he grew all of a sudden this month. He seems a lot bigger than Professor. His eyes are also going through some drastic change in color. They used to be a blue with a brown ring near the pupil. Now, the brown is spreading out through the rest of the eye. He will have brown eyes like Butterfly and Juice. His hair also grows straight down like Butterfly's did. Butterfly and Pirate have the same coloring. I imagine they will grow up looking quite similar. He is my little thumb sucker and it's just so cute! He has a major fascination with Professor's binkie and swipes it all the time.

Professor is a mama's boy. He does not like to be very far away from me. Since he is moving, he always moves in my direction. He still leans in my direction whenever someone else is holding him. And when I hold him, he hooks his arm around mine and holds onto my shirt for dear life. Like I said, he is a mover. He has the rolling around the floor thing down pat. He can get wherever he wants to by rolling. He also does the army crawl thing. Elbow, elbow, hip in the air with leg flung forward, drag other leg up. It's still very early in his crawling and he gets tired and frustrated more often than not but he does do it.

He is 16.7 lbs and is 26 inches long. With my tape measure. And all of his clothes on too. He has 2 teeth on the bottom and bright blue eyes. When we give him a bath, he just looks so bright after. His hair is that bright shiny blond. And he's got a serious cowlick that makes his hair go over to one side. He has discovered his tongue and it's almost constantly out of his mouth lately. He is pretty emotional and cries/talks/moans/screams more often than Pirate. He is fascinated with paper and cups. He really really wants a drink out of any cup you put near him. He also is in love with food. I have given them little bits of bread to gnaw on during dinner and he cries big sobbing tears whenever his bread is gone.

Cute cute boys!

Safire

PS- We got our first snow today! It fell but nothing stuck.

PPS- Still no other signs of mice. Hmm...maybe a fluke? Maybe they moved next door? Maybe word got around that Soot is a mighty mouse killer and they don't come over anymore? Please let one of these be the case. I'm sick of tiptoeing around the house.

Taken From Another Blog

Everyone,

I saw this list on The Busy Body and had to borrow it. By the end, I was wondering how many on the list I have done. Everything in bold I've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does orchestra count? I think it should.)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain (ok, we aren't talking about a huge mountain)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning - either that or just really bad gas.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (not specifically but seen whales from a cruise ship)
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (the outside, still trying to get inside)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (three actually)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

Hey, 45 out of 100 isn't bad! Almost half. There are a few things I would like to do, like see Paris and the Great Wall of China. There are things I don't want to do, like sit on a jury or be involved in a law suit.

Still no sign of any more mice. Maybe they don't like organic sugar free peanut butter.

Safire

Ahhh, or is that arg?

Everyone,

We had another day at home today. I had nothing planned. I thought I would be able to play with the kids and have a nice day and hopefully get the boys 7 month old stats and pictures done. Well, the boys woke up at 5am, ate for half an hour or so and by the time I had gotten back into bed, Juice's alarm went off. Normally I just roll right back over and go right back to sleep but I thought I may as well get up and get going so I would have all of nap time to go through my emails. The boys were talking too so I figured I would just get everyone up. Apparently I sleep through their talking and wake up when they wake up AGAIN in the morning because I threw the schedule off.

They napped at 8am. Only for 45 minutes. Not long enough for me to do anything. Especially since I had to get Butterfly all situated and play with her for a few minutes, clean the kitchen from breakfast, wipe the floors down again and clean off the kitchen table.

They napped again at 11:30. But only for about 45 minutes again. I was trying to feed Butterfly and myself lunch when they completely melted down and she ended up eating by herself. Then I ate cold macaroni which is not my favorite. They were up and down until I put Butterfly down for a nap early at 12:15pm because I was DONE. And it was only noon.

I let them fuss/scream/sob for about 20 minutes while I took a moment to myself. I hate doing it, but frankly, I had to have a moment. If I didn't have a moment when they weren't hanging on me or Butterfly wasn't jumping on me or anything like that I was going to run screaming from the house. I tried putting the boys back down but no luck. So I got Butterfly up after an hour or so and we all came downstairs to try and get some pictures of the boys.

No luck. These guys were tired, cross. I think I might have been too because it frustrated me and I had to put the camera away.

And then the internet went out. Ugh. I hate it when the internet goes out because then I can't do anything really. Kind of sad how much I depend on the internet.

Not that I had any free hands to use the internet because the boys were cross and tired and only wanting to be held. Thank heavens my friend, we'll call her Lavender, came over after work. She is my kids eastern Grandma and she helped me so much by holding one of the boys so I didn't have to hold both. We had an adult conversation. Even better! I had a nice hour and half with her and then she left and Juice came home moments later.

The boys were all smiles and laughter for Juice. I started dinner, got the boys down, and ate. I helped Juice clean the kitchen again and then read Butterfly the same book 3 times. This is the first time I've had a chance to sit since my imposed break at noon. No wonder I am so tired and feeling a little frazzled.

My book club is tonight so hopefully I will be able to have a recharge with my friends. And Juice has Friday off since he traveled on Saturday so maybe I can get another recharge then too. I think I need it!

Safire

PS- No mice again today. We are bating the traps with peanut butter but nothing is disturbed. Either we're not putting them in a good place or they just aren't hungry. Juice is going to block off some holes before he leaves again in a week and we're going to get some no touch traps so I can at least set them out at night.

PPS- A very boring entry. Sorry. I'm feeling off.

Tagged

Everyone,

So I've been tagged by my friend Marisa and since I can't think of anything better to write about today, I'll do it. But I refuse to perpetuate the tag. Do it if you'd like.

8 Favorite TV Shows: (I watch most of these either online or by dvd)
1- Ugly Betty
2- Grey's Anatomy
3- Private Practice
4- Northern Exposure
5- Gilmore Girls
6- Pushing Up Daisies
7- The Dog Whisperer
9- Animal Planet (yes I used to watch that station all the time.)

8 Things I Did Yesterday:
1- Freaked out over a mouse.
2- Screamed and watched said mouse jump into the air.
3- Cleaned till I dropped.
4- Changed several diapers (around 9).
5- Blogged.
6- Set up my Christmas cards.
7- Walked to the post office.
8- Watched Professor and Pirate fight over Professor's binky.

8 Things I Look Forward To:
1- Seeing my family again.
2- Having my own mailbox near my house.
3- Having a garage.
4- Not having to worry about mice.
5- Seeing the boys and Butterfly grow up, along with any other siblings.
6- My 10 year anniversary (and hopefully accompanying cruise to Alaska)
7- Having a bigger kitchen table.
8- Having a horse and miles of near by trails to explore.

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1- Red Rock Canyon Grill
2- Canton Delight (Chinese take out)
3- Pizza Hut
4- Chipotle
5- Cheeburger, Cheeburger
6- Baja Fresh
7- Chick-Fil-A
8- Bajio (in Utah)

8 Things on my Wish List:
1- A horse and all accompanying stuff.
2- A bigger mouse free house.
3- A little trip by myself with my Mom and/or BFF Mink to some random place we've never been. (sans kids)
4- An itunes gift card.
5- Awesome lenses for my camera, with image stabilizer.
6- A work out partner.
7- Fios
8- Horseback riding lessons.

There you go Marisa!

A mouse update: no mice in traps today, but we are starting to find droppings around. Juice is thrilled that Soot was so helpful and plans to have her just as helpful if we need her to be. I am freaked over every little movement out of the corner of my eye. I am making plans to try and plug up some more likely holes and we are not leaving dog food out overnight anymore. We need to go get some different traps because I think they are running under the cupboards and the snap traps we have won't spring under there. I am never moving to NYC because apparently they have lots of mice there. (Every single website I read on it was geared towards New Yorkers. Sorry.)

We went to the resource center with friends from my moms group today and that was fun! They had shaving cream out for the craft and Butterfly managed to get it all over. My friend made mention about how Butterfly just really spreads herself out and boy does she ever. She is a boisterous little girl, but happy and friendly. They had a great time together and I had a nice chat. Seriously loving the resource center more this year than last. And I loved it lots last year!

Safire

Drained

Everyone,

One super cross, super bossy, super attitude pre-schooler.
Check.
One very needy boy.
Check.
One very sad boy today (also pretty needy...lots of crying from the boys today.)
Check.
One very long outing.
Check.
Three very short naps.
Check.
One mouse in my living room.
Check.
One scream from me. (which is why they were short naps)
Check.
One hysterical call to Juice to come home and deal with it.
Check.
One very nice Juice who did.
Check.
One very cocky dog who caught and killed mouse.
Check.
One afternoon spent in my bedroom with the door shut.
Check.
One total clean of the living room.
Check.
One half done clean of the kitchen.
Check.
Seven traps set out for tonight.
Check.
Six websites read before freaking out over what they said and stopping.
Check.
One very stressed, very tired, very creeped out mommy.
Check.

Send help.

Safire

Seriously Awesome Deal

Everyone,

I got this tip from another twin blog and I thought I'd pass it along to everyone who reads here. The Britax Marathon car seat in Granite is on sale at Target for $42. They are normally around $380 so you can save around $230. Check it out HERE. If the link doesn't work, just go to Target.com and search for the Britax Marathon seat in Granite.

I passed this along to my brother who bought two for about $90 dollars!

Safire

Wow Rain!

Everyone,

It rained SO hard today.  Sheets and sheets were coming down.  Of course, we were in the car.  And had to go inside.  It's not easy to carry both boys in from the car (we do not have a garage or a drive way, only a parking lot) and getting Butterfly to actually walk to the house is always...interesting.  Our neighbors must think we are crazy.  There have been days when Butterfly is screaming/crying "I don't want to go inside!" and I am pushing her along with one of the car seats.  (Of course, this is always worse on the days that she pitches a fit for going outside.  Fights on either side of the door.)   More often than not, the boys are crying because they are hungry and I've pushed our outting just a little to long.  There have been times when our neighbors will stop walking to their cars or whatever to watch us get to the door.  There were a few college aged girls living in the house next to us who used to laugh whenever I would haul all three kids out the door.  Just you wait girls, your day will come.

Anyway, back to the rain.  Tons of it!  I made Butterfly stay in the car with me in hopes that it would slow down.  We could only stay so long since she had to go potty.  Then it's me running around trying to get everyone inside before the cold sheeting rain melts us.  Butterfly and I were soaked, and the boys carseats were very wet and are now slightly mildewish.  The house is smelling a little like wet dog.  I do not like winter in the east.

JUICE IS HOME!  Yay!  I went to pick him up at the metro (this is after the huge rain storm but it was still drizzling so another dash to the car to avoid major soaking) and the first thing I thought was that he needs a hair cut.  He was so happy to see us though and Butterfly was showing off all evening.  Loud happy noises.  I was able to leave Juice in the car with everyone and run into the grocery store on the way home for an essentials run.  It was the first time I had been without kids in 4 days and it was nice.  On the way out of the store, there was a beautiful rainbow.  Why I don't have my camera strapped to me 24/7 is a good question.  This would have made a beautiful picture.

We bathed everyone tonight which is always tiring.  The boys played with the bath cup and Professor tries to drink from it the whole time.  Pirate turns it over and studies it but Professor knows what this is for and gets mad there is nothing coming out.  The boys went down easy tonight.

Juice taught Butterfly how to play rock-paper-sissors.  I let him put her to bed while I ran off to Lala's house (BFF Vinny's mom).  We watched a series together and chatted.  So fun!  I love being able to have a small break.

When I got home, I planned out my next 3 weeks of meals.  Thanksgiving is coming and I'm cooking for BFF Vinny's family and ourselves.  We plan on playing games all day, watching movies together, playing with babies and kids, and kicking the husbands out with the small ones to the park (weather permiting) so we can cook and chat.  It's nice having good friends around.

Anyway, I am gathering recipies for Thanksgiving and I need to know what I'm making for dinners so I can get all the turkey stuff too.  So far on the menu is turkey, cranberry sauce, rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, butternut squash puree, cranberry fluff and steamed veggies.  Lala is bringing over desert and drinks.  My question is snacks.  They will be coming over early (around 11am) and we probably won't have dinner until 4pm or so.  What snacky things can I have out so the children don't starve and the husbands don't haunt the kitchen?  I want it to be easy because I think I will be cooking for a few days before and I don't have all that much time on my hands.  Any suggestions?

I love having Juice home.  It's like a huge weight has been lifted.  At least for 2 weeks.  He leaves for another week the first day of December.  Sigh...

Safire

PS- Is it just me or did blogger get rid of spell check??

Lists

Everyone,

I am beat. This solo parenting thing is hard. Especially when I have to figure out what to do with Butterfly while I am putting the boys to bed. She either watches a movie or I'm yelling at her to stop jumping on the bed so these boys will stop laughing at her and eat. Of course, their laughing makes her jump more. They sure do love their big sister.

I think I must be tired. I'm rambling.

Things that got done today:

7 diapers changed
2 breakfasts, lunches, dinners
6 little boxes of Chinese food (yum!)
5 ponies colored
5 naps taken
1 living room vacuumed
1 bed made

Things that did not get done today:
1 sink full of dishes
80 pictures organized
1 kitchen table full of mail (sorry Juice)
1 bank trip

My list of things that got done is a lot bigger than my list that did not. A good but quiet day. Now I'm off to bed!

Safire

PS- Professor is army crawling! He's been moving around for weeks but today was the first time I saw deliberate forward movement. Butterfly crawled like: elbow, elbow, twinkle toes. Professor crawls: elbow, elbow, pop hip into air, drag other leg behind. It's very cute. I need to get a video of it. But my days of not shutting the gates are close to being over!

One Busy Day

Everyone,

What a busy day we had today.  Our original plans were to go to a battlefield near here with my friend Chef and her youngest, AlmondJoy who is a week younger than Butterfly.  BUT, it poured all day today.  So we figured walking around a battlefield in the wet and the muck was no fun.  Off to the thrift store instead!

I love going to the thrift store with Chef.  She finds a bunch and I always come away with bargins.  This time, I did a lot of impulse picking up but was brutal when I went to the check out stand and didn't get half of what I had put in the cart.  Mostly because I got Butterfly an electronic pad plus with math, reading and writing for K-1st grade.  Yes, it's a little old for her.  But I figured she can grow into it.  I thought I'd put it away for her birthday.  I just looked it up on amazon and it is selling for over 100 dollars.  I got it for 15.  It works and has all the parts too!  Awesome deal.

I also got some big legos to put in the boys' stockings (not that they will play with them right now but to help Butterfly understand that there will be toys that we all share), some 3 ring binders for church, a Christmas carol picture book, a Christmas present for Vinny, some side walk chalk (because AlmondJoy got some), and a freezer popsicle maker.  All in all, 25 dollars.  Did I mention I love going to the thrift store with Chef?

One thing I did put back that I almost wish I didn't was a nice brown scarf.  It was very soft and I have lost my super soft black scarf.  But I put it back because it was brown and I really want a black one.  We will have to go again and I can keep looking.

We had lunch in the car and then it was time to go home.  But the boys were sleeping so nice in the car that I was loath to take them out and wake them up.  It's becoming hit or miss if they will stay asleep in their car seats.  More often missing than hitting.  So I sat and talked to Chef while we watched the kids play in the huge pile of leaves.  And then I drove home intending on ordering chinese food for tonight from the car and going to pick it up.  Also the bank was on the list.  Both boys woke up on the way so I figured we would just go home.

Home was playing and preparing for my church activity tonight (thanks Mom!).  I am in charge of the 8-9 year old girls.  They come twice a month in the evening to the church and we have activities for them.  Today we were combined with the 10-11 year old girls and their mothers.  I had a mother against daughter game, where the mothers were asked things the girls should know and the girls were asked things the mothers should know.  So I asked the girls cooking questions, car questions, laundry questions (very basic stuff).  And I asked the moms about texting, music, and books.  I also had challenges for them.  The mom and their daughter raced against each other to see who could change a diaper the fastest (not on my boys, twin dolls), set an alarm clock, jump rope 25 times, sort socks, and do a spelling bee (which we never got to).  We also had desert.  Yum!  They seemed to have a lof of fun.  I know I did.

I did have to bring the kids along which was a little bit of a pain.  Butterfly sat in the corner with all the other kids that moms had to bring and watched a movie.  The boys were passed around between the moms and the girls.  Poor boys.  I had to wake them up from bed to take them and they were unhappy.  Professor especially.  They survived.  They both screamed the whole way home but they survived.  They dropped right off at home and so has Butterfly.  She didn't get a nap today but was very helpful and sweet all day.  Yay.

Of course, after getting everyone in bed, my work did not stop.  There were phone calls to return, dishes to do and milk jugs to put out for our milk man tomorrow.  I also should pick up the living room, clean off the table and put some laundry away but I think I may just go to bed.  It's hard not having someone else around to help me out with these things!

Missing Juice a lot today.  I'm trying to stay busy though so that his time away will just fly by.  And maybe tomorrow night I will be able to get the chinese food that I've been trying to get for days and I'll be able to sit down and watch a movie.  We shall see.

Safire