Crazy Urges

Laura "tagged" me to put together a list of weird/freakish/nonsociallyacceptable/andevensomeregularones urges I may have had or now have.

This is my First Meme. Ever. I hate that word 'meme', by the way, so my first urge would be to magically send, to whomever coined the phrase, all of the Asian beetles that infest my home every Spring/Fall never to reappear at mine.

I'm not very spontaneous but here goes:

1. Have my husband sedated while I systematically extract every last particle from his pores (thanks for the reminder Ann)
2. Cut my hair short, like, really short, think Posh Spice of late (thanks Laur for the reminder on this puppy)
3. Adopt children, lots and lots of needy children
4. Win a Food Network challenge/open a candy shop
5. Sing on stage somewhere
6. Have Matt quit his job, get a job as a patent attorney in Europe and relocate for a year; have a nice little hobby farm over there so Matt doesn't get bored
7. Run for public office
8. Rip out my oven and perform a "Damn it feels good to be a gangsta" on it a la "Office Space"
9. Buy 100 acres surrounding our home and become an expert at training/boarding horses
10. Spend the next year figuring out the exact formula of the now retired vanilla laffy taffy as well as Abdallah caramel (then sell them in my candy shop)

You happy? Now come fold my laundry because that is what I was avoiding in order to provide you with this sensational information.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hal-lay-eh-lou-YAAAAAH!

I promised the twins that if they started going potty on the potty and stopped wearing diapies-FOREVER, they would each get a bike. Truth be told, I would have promised them cars, money, expensive clothing, condos on the ocean...... Bella was well on her way to becoming fully trained and on Saturday she finally made the last strides to ending a 3 year co-dependent relationship with Huggies. I dutifully went into my secret storage room and brought out da da da da, a tricycle I'd been saving for her.

















Wyatt, unlike his sister, would have NOTHING to do with the potty even as early as last Saturday. But remember, I gave Bella her trike. He saw it. He went to his room. He came out wearing the little man underpants I had purchased months and months ago (dreaming of this day). He hasn't worn a dipe since.

I think Handel had this very situation in mind while he was composing his famous tune.



The End. Of the diapers, that is. Well, for these two hooligans.

We Made it to 3!

The birthday party was fun with a house full of kids as usual. As I mentioned earlier we celebrated Mari's and Johnny's 2nd at the same time. The cousins are playing so well together lately that the chaos has subdued somewhat. I say somewhat because the pinata always causes quite a ruckus when the mad scramble to score the most sweet treats occurs.











Auntie Rachie and Uncle Billy were here and Wyatt showed Rachie how old he is now. He's been practicing. Bella told me for at least 2 weeks before her birthday that she was "ALREADY THREEEEEE!" whenever I would tell her that her birthday party was coming. She thought she was already three because she could do the three on her fingers. Makes sense. To a 3 yr. old.











Auntie Anna stopped by as well and got her fix of snuggles-quitting the kids cold turkey (moving out) while it has its obvious perks, also tends to cause snuggle withdrawal.



Wyatt is really into trucks and vehicles that move things, mainly big things like big piles of dirt and such. Bella is interested in princess anything and dolls. So opening presents was pure joy for both of them. Wyatt drove his trucks around the kitchen floor for a week solid after the party.















These two are interacting with each other more and learning that it is more fun play together than to scream like banshees when the other takes a toy away (okay, I said learning, it's a work in progress). They still get into things together but it's usually pretty innocent, like jumping off the stairs and "torturing" the kitty together by pretending the cat is their baby.















I firmly believe that there is hope yet that they will be best buddies as they continue to get older. I still think Wyatt will protect his "little" sister from any impending harm and I envision them one day looking at pictures like these and thinking the same thing that I do: "Yep, this is true love".

That's Auntie Nina to you, Thomas

Laura had her baby! You can read the announcement I posted on her blog while she was still in the hospital, here.

I took my brood to visit and Nellie and Pete were there with all of their littles as well as all of Laura's kids.













Nellie took a picture of everyone in Laura's hospital room. The picture strikes me as hilarious because you can hardly find Thomas--I call the photo, "Where's Waldo". See if you can find the little buggar.















I swear that day at the hospital I got more "wow, you have your hands FULL"s" than I ever have. I only had my kids but we must look like quite the crew all together. One nurse said the kids were like little "steps". As we were leaving another guy said, "all you need is 2 more". Which is funny because I don't know what he meant. Half dozen?


Baby Thomas is one of SEVERAL birthdays we have in the family at this time of year. We're celebrating tomorrow for all of the birthdays: Mari, Butch, my twins, and Johnny. We'll have a big 'ol party at my house. It is the twins' actual birthday tomorrow, they'll be three. I'll be sure to document the event and provide you with all of the cake infused details.

My Boy

As promised, here we have the boy. I call him my main squeeze man. No offense to Daddy, who is quite a standup guy himself but this, my friends, is Bubby we are talking about. This is the one boy in the sea of baby girls. This is the reason for the twactos and twucks and twains and wace cows. This big man is our reason for not falling completely off a cliff of pink and purple princess paraphernalia.

As he is getting older, I am learning more and more what it means to raise a boy. And I love it. My absolute, hands-down, no question favorite thing about a boy is that thing they do when they are lying on the floor with a truck or car or wheeled vehicle and they "broom" it back and forth. I could die. The innocence of it melts my heart into goo.










I took some pictures of the Bubbyman the other day while he was wearing his "Papa shirt". A Papa shirt is, duh, a button-up flannel looking shirt, like his Papa (my dad) wears. One day out of the clear blue he told me he wanted to wear a Papa shirt. I figured out in a quick hurry what he meant. Since he only has two such Papa shirts, I have to keep them clean in case of a Papa shirt emergency, for example if we plan to visit Papa--a sure Papa shirt wearing event.

Another of Wyatt's specialties is his pure love for his sisters and his special attention to Polly. He loves that girl even when she gouges half his face off with her chubby little fingers. He still manages to kiss her goodnight every night. And oh what kisses they are. Ask Auntie Anna, Wyatt kisses are incredible kisses.He puckers up those Bubby lips and lingers a little so you get the full effect of his smooch. There does not seem to be a single way on this green earth that he will ever kiss anyone but his mommy and sisters and aunties, I'll see to it. A mother has rights.

Wyatt has also become infatuated with books and with counting. He tries to make me read him a book a minimum of 3 times before he goes to bed. And then he is sure to keep the book with him in bed. He has also been known to take cars, trucks, tractors, chapstick (he does have 3 sisters) and other various treasures to bed with him. He sleeps in a toddler sized bed but I'm thinking that my big man will be ready for a twin bed very soon. Wyatt's mass always makes for good conversation with my brothers during family holiday gatherings. "Nick, LIFT him once, he's huge". "How much does he weigh?" It's not that he is bigger than the average almost 3 yr. old but he's solid. I tell him to say "I'm tough stuff" but it is kind of silly because when I'm around, he's too much of a momma boy to really mean it.

Which leads me to my confession. Despite my wish that he become even 1/2 the man his daddy is, and despite his daddy trying to toughen him up, I tend to "baby" him. It's hard to know the right measure of coddle and discipline for a boy. In general he is a really good boy. Especially for daddy. He is sweet, loving, kind, helpful (his new favorite thing is retrieving things for me and daddy, he LOVES to help and is so proud when we thank him), thoughtful, playful and boyful. The feminists have it so wrong, boys are not the same as girls. And oh am I happy they are not. For if they were, I'd never get to experience this.

More Pictures of the Girls

Jessica posted more pictures from the model session of Gabby and Bella, you can view it here.

And in case you were thinking that the brother has been slighted recently, coming soon is post of my main squeeze man, aka Bubby, Wy, Bubs, Big Squeeze.

Thanks, Mom, for Life

As a little girl, one of my earliest clear memories (I have a terrible memory and can't recall things nearly as vividly as my sister) is of making the corsages every Mother's Day with the local prolife ladies of the church. I believe the corsage proceeds went to MCCL (Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life) which at the time was just one of thousands of grass roots groups dedicated relentlessly, selflessly and lovingly to the cause of the unborn.

Near as I can tell, many of the children and grandchildren of those women still assemble in the local church halls (I did myself again just a few years ago at St. Albert's Parish Center) neatly and handily wrapping green floral paper around little carnations, making sure to include a button with a message, and packing them up to be sold for a small fee to the moms attending mass the following day.

I'm not sure whether every year carried the exact same message but the one I remember and the one I am thinking about today is, "Thanks Mom, for Life".

The depth of the sorrow one must inevitably face when thinking of the millions and millions of babies who never were allowed the chance to utter those words is staggering. And heartbreaking. The gut wrenching agony one feels when trying to imagine the awful circumstances which would lead one girl, let alone millions, to allow a helpless baby to be broken into pieces and thrown away is nearly unbearable.

But the march for life continues in the face of this unspeakable tragedy. And the message has always been that we must speak for the unborn. And so we do. And so today, on the eve of the anniversary of a decision made in one of the lowest moments of the highest Court in our land, we speak for the unborn when we say to those who pray and work for an end to abortion, "Thanks Moms and Dads and Sons and Daughters for never forgetting our Lives".

"...but I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing - direct murder by the mother herself. And we read in the Scripture, for God says very clearly: Even if a mother could forget her child - I will not forget you - I have carved you in the palm of my hand. We are carved in the palm of His hand, so close to Him that unborn child has been carved in the hand of God. And that is what strikes me most, the beginning of that sentence, that even if a mother could forget something impossible - but even if she could forget - I will not forget you. And today the greatest means - the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion. And we who are standing here - our parents wanted us. We would not be here if our parents would do that to us. Our children, we want them, we love them, but what of the millions. Many people are very, very concerned with the children in India, with the children in Africa where quite a number die, maybe of malnutrition, of hunger and so on, but millions are dying deliberately by the will of the mother. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today. Because if a mother can kill her own child - what is left for me to kill you and you kill me - there is nothing between."
-Mother Teresa, Nobel Lecture, 11 December, 1979

"I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life."
-Ronald Reagan, Simi Valley, California, November 4, 1991

Models

Here is a link to the girls' little photo shoot for Jessica's Winter White promo. I can't believe how grown up my Gabby is....
Jessica did want to use Bella too, so Gabby was happy.

Sisters

One night several weeks ago I surprised the big girls with a special tea party. Wyatt and Polly were already in bed and the squirrels, I mean girls were still monkeying around trying to stay awake. So, rather than bring my message of doom and gloom "it's time for bed", I cut up some apples, found a sinfully delicious jar of caramel, made up some tea and headed down with the breakfast-in-bed tray which Gabby thinks is so quaint she is giddy whenever I pull it out. I told them we were going to have a tea party RIGHT THERE in the bedroom and it was all they could do to suppress their joy. They were thrilled. When we sat down I casually asked them what they wanted to talk about. Gabby was even more elated at the thought of having her mama's undivided attention that she could hardly think of anything. We managed to find some proper tea party subject matter and the girls did not want this special treat to end. My favorite part of the tea was when Gabby unthinking reached over to place Bella's falling dress strap in its proper place. It was so sweet. And so sisterly. It was at that moment that I realized the bond I had been hoping for already existed.

Lately Gabby is always wanting to include Bella in our Big Girl plans. I think ever since our trip to Milwaukee she understands that Bella is less of a needy baby and more of a playmate. We're going to have some pictures taken of Gabby tomorrow and I can't even count how many times Gabby has asked if Bella can come and if Bella can get her pictures taken too because "Mommy, she has just the most sparkly blue eyes." She also wanted Bella to come along on our shopping adventure today for the sole reason that she knew Bella wanted to be one of us.

Right at the time we were planning to try for another baby, I began praying for a little girl. Oh sure I also knew my life wouldn't be complete without a little Matt one day but in order that Gabby could have a sister two years younger, just like me and my sister, I prayed for another girly for the next one. I wanted a sister for her so much it almost hurt. I tell people that the reason I had twins was because Wyatt came into being first but God couldn't ignore my pleas for a girl so He gave me the "oh, yeah, you want a girl so bad?" and BAM, twins.

I got what I wanted. And then some.






PS You're right Big Sister, they are awfully sparkly.

Paulina turned 1 (on Grandma Julie's 60th Birthday)

I have recently been ordering and perusing old photos of the kids and I've made the inevitable leap into that group of people who's mantra is "they grow up so fast". I always used to roll my eyes and mutter an inaudible "yeah right" to myself. I secretly wished those people had a hidden camera in my house when all four kids were puking and you-know-whating all over and I was desperately trying to stay sane and get more than an hour of sleep a night. And then this year without warning, without fanfare, without asking me whether I wanted to sign the membership waiver, I became a full fledged, dues paying, card carrying member of the club. I'll spare myself and the 2 people who read this the cliche in the future but I have to state it here and now, once and for all time just to prove that I am in full communion with the belief that "They grow up too fast."




Little Polly is no exception. Sure she didn't want to sleep at night those first few weeks and sure she was/is a loud screamer. I still had to hold back the mommy sad as I looked through her birth pictures tonight. The mommy sad feeling that she is only going to keep getting bigger. Her innocence and baby-ness will continue to vanish each year as I rapidly click through the images and watch her grow before my eyes.




I know about all of the good things that happen as they get older but when I see the pictures from the past there is no stopping the mommy sad. Okay, enough of that. Had Paulina not made it to this milestone 1 year birthday, the world would never know the craziness that is her hairdo.








In addition, I would not have half of the joy that I experience every day. Polly makes me happy. Bella asks me every day, "Mommy, you happy?" and I always say yes, because I usually am. If you woke up to this every day, you would be too.





When Anna was in Alaska all Summer, I would try to explain Polly to her. Anna missed out on watching her grow so in order to explain what the little turkey was like all I could ever come up with was, "She has so much character".


It is still true. I can't think of a better way to describe her. She never lazed around like a good baby should (but she was a good baby). She always had to get up and go or make googly faces or try to walk before she could crawl.








She also responded early to her brothers and sisters and their antics.






































These days, upon waking in the morning, you can usually find her making funny faces at herself in the mirror and giggling. She also loves baby dolls and gives them kisses and loves.





She quite often holds out her hand in a gesture which we call "nice nice" --it is her way of giving you some love. Her big giant lower lip is most often hanging out in such a way that beckons for me to kiss it in 1 minute intervals.











Want to know what I really think of this little girl? I had to have little chips in my teeth smoothed out. The chips were caused by my gritting my teeth when I see her or pick her up. I grit them in a "I can't stand it how much I love you" kind of way. Weird? Okay fine, Anna understands, she does it too.

For the big day we celebrated at Auntie Deb and Uncle Nick's house. Grandma Julie turned SIXTY that day and she told me that all she wanted was a picture of Polly from behind in her Christmas dress. Before mom even asked me for that gift, I had already made this up for her:



The pictures of mom and Polly were taken just a few days after I brought her home from the hospital. Grandma and Polly will always share this special day. I'm starting to think it was no mistake that I chose this day for Polly to be born....she kind of looks like my mom. So now we know it is inevitable she will grow up (sniffle sniffle) to be a beautiful woman.

Pictures from the Birthday Party: