Free Time

I've heard working moms ask stay at home moms, "What do you do all day?"

Well, sometimes we do this:
Making gingerbread men! After Christmas, but still a fun wintertime activity.

We had just watched an episode of "Little B*ear" where he made them with his friend and her grandmother. When they weren't looking, the gingerbread men got up and ran away! Good thing ours didn't!
They were fun to decorate . . .

and eat!
(Michael is in his "Fireman S*am" outfit from Aunt Debbie.)
Then there's the dress-up obsession. The latest is Batman and Robin.
The Dynamic Duo.
That nickname might just stick to these guys!
Come play with us any time! You never know what we'll be up to!

Christmas in California

I almost entitled this post "Mele Kalikima*ka" to wish you a Merry Christmas "from a land where palm trees sway!" This was a different Christmas for me, but a wonderful one. No snow, no visitors, but full of joy and excitement and gratitude! We just slowed down and enjoyed being home and well together. A much needed break!

Wish you were here! A Christmas Eve dinner complete with pretzel jello and sparkling cranberry juice for just the four of us. Josh took the boys for the day while I made dinner and rested. I had been having some contractions the week before and had to seriously slow down and spend a lot of time on the couch! It was great to have a quiet house and take my time making our simple meal.
Here are our wise men. I thought one would be a shepherd, but they had to be the same thing, so wise men it was. I made the costumes in October before the Thanksgiving rush began! Sam is holding his baseball hat, but they loved being dressed up and walked around solemnly, taking their parts very seriously. They are still worried about King "Jarrod" as they call him, who wanted to hurt baby Jesus. Maybe they're not ready for the entire story yet!

We opened our gifts from Josh's grandparents, the Christmas Eve tradition. Granny made us all these slippers which we've been wearing a lot! Michael loved having his very own pint-sized ones. I think he looks like a little Elf in them!
The boys wrote letters to Santa and left them out with some cookies and a carrot. Josh said Santa didn't want too many cookies, since he would be having some at each house that night. I think Sam looks a little apprehensive. He was a little troubled that Santa would actually be in our house. I guess it does sound a little strange.
In the morning the boys were excited to see their presents sitting out. They didn't think Santa had come though, because they didn't see him in our house. The whole idea that he comes while we're sleeping was lost on them, but they did love their presents and we are loving them playing with them all day long! The hits: a pirate ship, a castle with knights and a dragon, Star Wars action figures, and a police car, fire truck and "Don't Brea*k the Ice" from Aunt Stephanie and cousins.

We've been living in a galaxy far, far away since finding these Star Wars guys in their stockings.

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Sam still explains that Darth Va*dar is really Anakin Sky*walker and so he's not scary once he takes off his mask but we've also moved on to more advanced sub-plots like Han Solo, Bubba Fet and Jaba the Hut. I can't believe I even know how these people (creatures?) are connected, but that's being a mother of boys for you!
Here are the Dala horses from Grandma and Grandpa, along with a Jan Bre*tt book about them. The boys love having their own that they can play with.
The train set is old, but they got a new rail road crossing station to spice it up a little bit. And, here they are after their first day of Sunbeams. I asked Sam what he learned about in primary and he said, "I have to sit in my chair. There are no toys." That's a good lesson for the first week, don't you think? (He and Michael also came home with life-sized posters of themselves traced on butcher paper that say "I Am a Child of God" on top.) I kept looking through the peep-hole into their classroom and once saw them sharing a chair with each other. I can't believe they're three and in Sunbeams. They certainly bring sunshine into our home daily!

I hope you all had merry Christmases too!

"How Old Are You Today?" "I'm Good"

Guess who turned three years old this month?

We had a small family party at home because Josh had the flu. They each picked out their birthday cake mixes at the grocery store; Michael chose chocolate and Sam chose fun-fetti. They were sooo excited about the cakes! I don't think they understood that they would be getting presents until the moment came and then they were absolutely besides themselves with excitement! It was so fun to watch them open each package and squeal and shout! They have been in love the the movie "Cars" since they got it for potty training achievements this summer but haven't had any toys to go along with it. We decided to make it a "Cars" birthday and gave them models of the characters from the movie and a couple of action toys.

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Our favorite part is when Michael squeals upon opening the present. The joy was tangible. We were sad to see that he fell off of the bench while we were singing to Sam. We didn't even notice it until we watched the video! Michael didn't understand the "How old are you" question and kept telling us he was "good" instead of "three." It cracked us up.

They share the toys and play with them together, all day long. In the morning they skip coming to find me and head straight for their new toys. They ask me once a day if they get to keep them forever!

Something snapped on that very day and they've had some accomplishments since turning three. Sam decided he didn't need to sleep in a diaper and woke up dry for three nights. Michael has started dressing and undressing himself as much as he can and they have both ditched the sippie cups. I told them we were giving them to the sippie cup fairy who would give them to babies who needed them, but they were in the cabinet until yesterday and they never asked for them.

There are more milestones that seem to coincide with this birthday, but I can't think of them right now. I am loving my three year olds. They are so helpful, funny, and loving. They are kind to each other, bright, eager, and endearing. We are looking forward to a very exciting Christmas and Sunbeams in the new year!

Happy birthday to my miracle boys. You continue to bring joy and light into our home and hearts daily!

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

This Thanksgiving we had a lot to be thankful for. All of Josh's family came to be together at our house. There were twelve adults, two "big" kids, four two year olds, and three babies.

How does a pregnant mother of twins prepare for this? Well in advance! I started in August. I dedicated a section of my notebook to the event and began planning where everyone would sleep, how many pack n' plays, towels and pillows we needed, and what we would all eat for the 10 nights we would have guests. Two families had to stay in hotels.

Here was our menu:
Saturday: pasta with chicken and asparagus.
Sunday: meatloaf
Monday: chicken enchiladas
Tuesday: shredded beef tacos
Wednesday: lasagna
Thursday: turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry salad, rolls, stuffing, peas and carrots, and pies - apple, banana cream, cherry, and pumpkin
Friday: picnic of sandwiches for lunch, dinner out
Saturday: three batches of waffles, fried mashed potatoes and bacon for breakfast; beef brisket for dinner
Sunday: leftovers

All had sides, salads and desserts. Are you stuffed yet? Here are the varieties of milk we had: whole, 2%, skim, Lac*taid whole, and rice milk.

To budget my money at energy, I began buying for this event in August. One red curtain panel a month at Bed, Bath & Beyond with their 20% off coupon, roasts from Costco (did you know you can buy bigger quantities of meat for cheaper if you talk to the butcher?), crisco, butter, three ten-pound bags of flour, cereal, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry and dishwasher detergent, Thanksgiving stickers for the kids, dessert plates from the dollar bins at Target. The boys and I shopped all over town, all the time to find the different deals on things we needed. I borrowed an extra gravy boat, cookie sheet, serving bowls and spoons, and pack n' play. I counted how many matching goblets I had and figured out how many adults and kids would need to sit at each table to make all of the dishes match. I checked my list of supplies, groceries, and scheduled food purchases and cooking each night before I went to bed and each morning before I got out of bed. Josh took me out on his birthday and forbade me from speaking about Thanksgiving! It was hard! I was admittedly obsessed.

Then, the cooking began. I did a little each day, for a long time. I made two lasagnas, two ice cream pies, two enchilada casseroles, four dozen crescent dinner rolls, a double recipe of mint-frosted brownies ahead of time and froze them in my friend's garage freezer with the brisket and two pot-roasts we never ate. I also made Lucia buns because I knew I would be too tired to make them after Thanksgiving with the boys' birthday the day before Lucia day.
The family trickled in. First Ben and Kristy arrived from Idaho with their two kids. Noah is just Sam and Michael's age. They played well together until the house got a little crazy, then it was each man for himself. Here they are all looking at the garbage truck outside! Little boy bonding at its best.
The next group was John and Brittany from Philadelphia, and Sarah and Shawn with their girls from Seattle. My boys were in heaven playing all kinds of imaginary games with these girls! I wish I had pictures of the roaring princess lion and the hunters, but you'll just have to imagine it for yourself! Lots of running and screaming was involved. Fortunately, the weather was mild and they were all able to play outside until the very last day.

On Tuesday morning we took the kids to "Fairytale Town" which was sadly closed. The kids didn't mind, though, and chased squirrels up trees for a good hour before we went to a playground where Michael soiled his pants near a restroom with running water, but mud on the floor and no soap. Gross.
Next up, lunch at In-N-Out. I actually ate one and a half cheeseburgers which may help account for the stomach trouble I had that night after our too spicy shredded beef tacos at home. On Wednesday, Josh took the day off work and led an expedition to San Francisco. I stayed at home to bake the fruit pies and make the cranberry salad and sweet potatoes, and to rest because I had been up for two hours with tummy troubles in the night! The gang went to the Golden Gate Bridge park, a beach where the two year olds all ran into the water and got wet, sandy and cold, and then got stuck in traffic making their 90 minute drive home something more like three hours. Mary and Eddie arrived that evening in time for dinner with their adorable baby.
I called my gourmet brother that night and got some advice on the turkey. The next morning I woke up at 6:45 to start chopping celery, carrot, and red onion. I sauteed this in a stick of butter, added salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and sage and put it in and around our 19 pound turkey. Then I brushed the turkey with another stick of butter and rubbed it with a mix of salt, pepper, marjoram, and paprika. The final step was to stick a bunch of chopped fresh parsley onto the butter, cover the ends of the drumsticks with aluminum foil, put it in the oven until the thigh meat registered 180 degrees on a meat thermometer and hope for the best! It was done about an hour before we wanted to eat, but that turned out to be for the best. It sat while everyone helped me set the tables (one in the kitchen, and one in the family room), peel 15 pounds of potatoes, keep up with the dishes, and keep the kids busy doing Thanksgiving crafts.
Josh's parents arrived at the airport an hour before dinner. They walked into the house full of family and food and sat down to our feast. I was so happy looking at my family enjoying their meal. It was all worth it!
Even the youngest member of the family enjoyed the turkey. Just kidding.
It was a real Thanksgiving Day. Getting up early and smelling like sauteed celery and onion, I really felt like my mom. The food was good and all hot and ready at the same time. The men-folk did the dishes, we had a nice family meeting around the fireplace (with the windows open because it was WAY too hot inside!), and then pie before everyone started to put kids down. The younger couples (I can't believe that doesn't include me on his side of the family) stayed up playing games by the fireplace so we made some hot chocolate late that night before going to bed. It was all so festive and cozy and it all worked out! Here's a little flavor of the dinner:

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I went to bed that night feeling a huge weight off my shoulders and a huge accomplishment under my belt.

Friday we tried Fairytale Town again with the kids, with success. That night Grandma and Pepaw babysat all nine kids while the rest of us went out to dinner. Then everyone had a big breakfast/ brunch here Saturday morning before some of them began leaving for home. Mary and Eddie left Sunday morning and Josh's parents left Monday at noon.

It was a full week and I expected to and did get sick afterward, but with tons of leftovers in the fridge and very tired boys, we were able to just hang out at home for a long time.

We were so thankful every one could come. It was wonderful to hear the cousins all playing together and to strengthen relationships with each one.

I had a lesson in event planning and felt very blessed it was all a success. So, "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come!" to Sacramento anytime!

Heart Melting

Overheard at breakfast today:

Sam: Michael, let's give a big hug.
Michael: OK

Pause

Sam: You are sweet.
Michael: You are too.


My heart is melting!

Thanksgiving post coming soon.

Keeping Busy

So when I haven't been shopping or planning or cooking for our upcoming Thanksgiving week for twenty-one, here is a bit of what I've been up to.

This is my one and only Halloween picture. We took tons of them, but Sam deleted them all when he was holding the camera that night. So, here's my Pumpkin with our jack-o-lanterns. One was mean and one was nice. Our street was fairly light on trick-or-treaters but we went out with some friends on their busy, busy street. There was two way traffic on the sidewalk; I've never seen such a crowd. The boys got their loot and Michael fell asleep in the car on our drive home! Sam stayed up a little while and helped us hand out some candy to a few older kids who stopped by our place.

On Josh's birthday last week we went out and left the boys with a sitter. When we got home, this is what I found: bedroom light on and both asleep in the same crib. I guess they were a little lonely! It was sad and sweet. Sam's legs are on top of Michael, but he didn't seem to mind. Josh's birthday was fun, even if the whipped cream on top of his chocolate cream pie was rancid! He was a good sport.Here's Josh and Michael having a snack after church. Sam was asleep and Michael got to hang out with Dad all by himself for a couple of hours. It was a real treat for us all! He helped with some things around the house and generally followed Dad around like a little puppy dog.
And here is a slice of my life. Every day I get a bit schizophrenic acting out all of the princesses the boys ask me to be. I take turns being Princess Leia, Ariel, Princess Aurora, Ursula the Sea Witch, Maleficent, Maleficent as a dragon, and the blue fairy. Did I miss any? Probably, but you get the point. Usually they take turns being characters but once in a while they both have to be the same thing. Then we have Jack and "The Other Jack" from "Jack and the Bean*stalk", or, like below, we have Prince Phillip and "The Other Prince Phillip" complete with red capes tied around their necks. Listen to toddler heaven:



The best part is that then they kiss me to wake me up and we dance together and get married.

It's a Girl!

We had our ultrasound appointment today and the baby is a girl! We both had feelings like it might be a girl, but you never know until you see for yourself! We are so excited. Sam has been saying it's "Baby Anna" all along. Looks like he's right!