Slacker

I'm caught in this blog hiatus and it's eating me away. I miss blogging but have also enjoyed the reprieve as it became more of a "job" than an enjoyment.

I think I'm ready to get back to it - if nothing else, as a great memoir for the boys. Sooooo, I've got some catching up to do to chronicle the summer and all that we've done. It's been an awesome summer - and the kids have changed so much over the last few months. It's hard to believe it's been 3 months+ since my last post. I have lots of adventures, pictures and fun stories to share.

More to come....

Dreams come true

It's what I had dreamed of doing someday - and certainly one of the best days yet with the kids. We took them to their first real baseball game last night and it was awesome!

The kids loved it and Daddy loved it even more. I could see it in his eyes and his heart as we walked into the stadium - with low expectations on how much they would enjoy it, we both were so happy that they loved it as much as they did. I even splurged on a "real" baseball and they held on to those balls as if they were gold. The day ended with them fast asleep with the baseballs. Doesn't get any better than this! We're so blessed to have these little guys. My heart is so full.

P.S. - It's been almost a month since my last post. I have SO much to update on. Back soon with a good, long update.

sunshine & a picnic

We had such a fun day today - just had to share some photos. It was the perfect day for me - a day full of sunshine, laughter and fun with my boys. I treasure these days more than life itself.

We're all pooped!

HFMD

HAND
FOOT
MOUTH

FOR THE 3RD TIME THIS YEAR
ENOUGH SAID...

He's always there

I have found myself thinking about Calvin, our little angel, A LOT lately. Several times a day he’s popping into my head. I don’t know why. And I love it. Not necessarily sad thoughts – but just kind gentle reminders that he’s there. Maybe it’s the spring time that is reminding me of him – the new flowers and rebirth. Or maybe it’s that the boys mention his name more often now when we refer to heaven and the hermit crabs being there too. Maybe it’s that I noticed a few days ago that our baby lily has come up again this year and is getting ready to bloom. Or maybe it’s the time of year since it was around this time that we started to really get excited about our triplet pregnancy. I can’t believe that was THREE years ago now. Whatever it is, I find it comforting and happy when I know he’s around in spirit.

A friend of a friend of mine recently lost a triplet and her babies are currently in NICU growing and trying to make their way home. When we talk, it immediately takes me back to that place. It’s always a nice reminder of how far we have come – yet a tough one to realize that so many others have to go through that experience with their children. The Mom has lately been given some signs that her baby girl is there with them in spirit and is reminding them that she’s close by. Thank goodness for these little signs from above that let us know that our loved ones lost are still there and caring for us. Somehow it makes it all ok.

Another Shiner....

Not the first, and certainly not the last - JD accidentally (I think) clubbed Cole in the eye with a large wooden stick he grabbed out of the shed. On my watch. Ugh. Boys will be boys.

On a lighter note, it never ceases to amaze me how these boys, like all others, still love to run around naked any chance hey get - it's everything I can do after baths to get them dressed before they take off running like banchees around the house in their birthday suits!

School Days

The kids teachers have been taking photos of them in the classroom doing fun activities with the disposable camera that I left there for them. I knew I was missing some fun moments so they were happy to take photos of some of the "firsts" that they have had while in school. I got the photos back today and although the quality isn't great due to the camera, they capture some fun moments.

Cole and his friend Emma painting

Cole holding the flag during the morning pledge

Cole loves to paint!

Jessica gets a smooch from JD

Sharing the sit-n-spin

Finger painting

Messy marvin apparently loves jelly on his bagels

Easter Sunday

What a blast. The Easter weekend was so much fun for the kids - and the parents! I must say however, that I have forgotten how much candy is involved with Easter. It was worse than Halloween! Cole is a candy fanatic and ate candy ALL.DAY.LONG. He was sneaking candy out of every and any basket he could find and mastered the art of unwrapping chocolate eggs and kisses very quickly.


Both boys were really into the Easter bunny - we left carrots and eggs out for the bunny and low and behold, he ate them! They were so excited to run downstairs and see their loot in the morning - and were hard pressed to get ready for church when the time came.

We had our first fight about the outfit - can you believe at 2.5 they are already giving me a hard time about dressing up? We made it to church on time and lasted about 30 minutes. I started to get the stink eye from "Daddy" so we left early to head over to Mimi's for the egg hunt.


Cole loved hunting for eggs - and got lots of loot in his basket. JD on the other hand, would find an egg, open it, check out the contents, maybe eat a few, and resume his hunt. Needless to say, by the time he did this, all of the eggs were found and he ended up with about 3 eggs. He didn't care.


After Mimi's brunch, we headed home for much needed naps and then left for Gramma's for the 2nd round. More candy, more food, more cousins and more fun. All in all it was a wonderful day. I actually took time to reflect on how lucky we are as a family and how blessed we are to have two wonderful children. There is nothing more heart warming than spending the holidays together, with our families and watching the kids enjoy the special time. They are so surrounded with love from their family. So wonderful to watch.

Hope everyone had a special Easter season. Spring has sprung!

Easter Week

We've had quite a fun week this week. The kids had their Easter party at school, complete with Easter bunny, easter egg hunt, bag-o-candy etc. Yesterday we colored eggs for the first time. To my surprise, only 2 egg casualties - however we did have 20 stained fingers and 1 stained counter top. They really got into it and loved showing Daddy the finished project when he got home. It's the little things in life, right?

We've got a fun filled weekend coming up with more egg hunts, parties and lots of family around. Happy Easter and may you enjoy what this Easter season really is all about.

Surprise, Surprise

On a random mall outing yesterday, we got to see the Easter bunny. Low and behold, the boys were enamored with him (might have had something to do with the large basket of candy he was holding) and they were not scared at all. I was shocked, considering that they were scared to death of Santa Claus. Tell me, how can they be scared of Santa, a jolly, warm looking character, but not of an eight foot bunny? These toddlers keep me guessing every day, you never know what you're gonna get!

High fives all around with the big bunny!

R.I.P.

one down, three to go - rest in peace little hermie....

We've moved them to their new abode - $50+ later for a HERMIT CRAB HOUSE. Shame on me for worrying about these silly critters - I can't just let them die! They do seem much happier now - see all of the hermit crab tracks in the sand? I think they like it here...

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Hope you guys didn't drink too much green beer tonight! We had a fun day - but just green milk, no green beer.

4 more little mouths to feed

I now know why my Mom always said "no, we're not going to get any hermit crabs". Daddy came home from his long golf getaway with 4 new hermit crabs for the kids. They were in a tiny little plastic box, which C. thought was their "forever" home. I think he forgot that they needed to grow, eat and actually be living things.

After doing a little research, I learned that they actually need a real habitat, require lots of people like food & special water, they need baths regularly, and they need a special humidified environment. Hmmm, this will certainly be interesting. I wonder how long they will live with us?
The kids really are too young to understand the "pet" thing - although JD is somewhat curious about the little guys. Cole would just rather shake up the container and watch them flail around trying to get right side up again. They really want to hold the crabs but I'm afraid they will get pinched - maybe that would be an OK thing so that they don't want to hold them any longer. The poor crabs - they must be very sorry they ever got uprooted from Myrtle Beach and relocated into our home.

So, our excursion for tomorrow is to the pet store to get a "house" for the hermits. I'm sure it will be the Ritz, for hermit crabs. And I guess we'll have to name them too...the boys first pets - and many to come, I'm sure!

On the bright side?

I've been contemplating writing all week - and for lack of better words, I have nothing positive to say at the moment so have held back. It's not generally my nature to be negative and a complainer (at least in public) so although my head is full of things to say, I'm not sure how to let it all out without being a total whiner...

It's been a rough week. But in retrospect, for me personally, I'm much better off than some of the co-workers I was surrounded by before they got let go. We had to terminate 4 people this week. Their lives turned upside down. I can hardly complain because that wouldn't be fair - in comparison to what THEY are dealing with. This "poor me" thing that I keep falling into is total b/s because these people just lost their jobs! Along with millions of other Americans. At least I still have my job, my family, my health, and a generally great life.

To say that the economic situation in this country sucks is an extreme understatement - and really, it's hard to imagine how bad it really is until it directly affects YOU in some way. I learned that the hard way - this week. I have a few friends who have felt the crunch for many months now - and it's been so hard watching them go through the uncertainty of what could be of their jobs. Not knowing the status of your job is one of the most stressful things anyone can go through. Your livelihood can be taken away from you at any moment - and it's out of your control.

I've been working at our family business for 16 years now. Over those years, we've been through our share of ups and downs - and we've ridden them all out and continued to be successful. Business has been good and we've survived the economic glitches along the way. Today, we're not so certain. It's the first time in the existence of our business that we have had to cut back to the point of losing employees - that, to me, is so scary. We're all taking pay cuts. We've cut back the extra's and trimmed all of the fat. And if in 30 days the economy doesn't improve to some extent, we're going to have to cut deeper. That means even less salary, more people lose their jobs - and the company gets smaller.

We made a decision this week to cancel our family vacation trip in April. I'm really sad. But we know it was the right decision for now. We couldn't justify spending the money on a lavish vacation, all things considered. It will wait - we'll go another time. Nonetheless, I'm still really sad about it. I must say, I'm glad the kids are still too little to understand what they are missing - that would make it even harder to explain why we had to cancel it.

I will say that despite the stress of my "real job", going home to my little guys makes it all ok. And I'm more thankful than ever now that I actually have 2 days at home with them during the week. Although my mind is totally preoccupied with work during the days I'm not in the office, I still get to spend time with my boys - something I treasure more than life itself. Playing with them, hearing their laughter and getting endless hugs and kisses is the best gift I could ask for. They keep me grounded and keep life in perspective on the toughest of days.

I miss my Mom, whose been gone all week on retreat. It's amazing how much I rely on that 5 minute phone call each day to check in. Love you Mom.

Thank God for the little people in my life, my husband (who has been on a golf vacation for the last 3 days) and for the gym. For those are my sanity for now. When Sunday rolls around and my right hand man is back, it will get yet a little bit easier again....until then, we're just trying to keep it as fun as we can, despite the bad parts. And I don't dare turn on the news any more - although tired of Diego, at least he smiles a lot and it's better than what the media has to offer these days....

Great-Grandpa Fred, aka "Pops"

The kids one and only living GREAT grandfather passed away yesterday. I consider them lucky that they were able to meet their Great-Grandfather, Pops, before he died. We all celebrated his 92nd Birthday last November at his nursing home and there were some photos taken with he and all of the grands and great grands. Those photos will be great memories for all of us. Although we're not sure if he really understood why we were there, he enjoyed being surrounded by his family and a few bites of birthday cake. The little kids probably won't remember him - but they have pictures to remind them who he was. He was so proud that he had 7 great grandchildren.

I knew I was lucky to still have a Grandparent living at my age. Pops led a fun life over his 92 years. He was lonely in his later years - but insisted on staying in Florida for as long as he possibly could. He entered a nursing home about two years ago in Florida and was perfectly content there for a while. He then started to become more and more dependent on others and eventually moved up to Maryland to be closer to our family. His only Son, my Uncle R, lived closeby and visited him most often.

I have fond memories of visiting my Grandparents down in Florida as a kid. Pops taught us all that we know about fishing. We loved going out on his boat "Thanks Mac". He loved having his grandchildren around. We took annual trips to Marco Island for visits and we loved being there. He paraded us around and showed us off like we were celebrities. Being a realtor on Marco Island for many years, he knew lots of people - and lots of people knew him! He truly was a piece of work, as some of you who knew him can attest to. He never did know how to spell my name correctly - it always had a "y" at the end - but it never really mattered. He thought the world of us kids.

He was always extremely fit and healthy - an avid tennis player, and tennis watcher. I remember always having to watch tennis on tv as a kid with him. No fun as a kid, but something I can appreciate now. And he ate slender with bran flakes and grapefruit for breakfast every morning. Occassionally, he would slip in one of those skinny pieces of toast - dry. He always ate lots of vitamins and fell for any investment gimick that came his way.

In his later years, it was hard to see him become more frail. The man we always knew as very in shape and active was not able to get around on his own as well any more. His false teeth didn't fit quite right any more because he had lost some weight and body fat. They chattered when he talked - and sometimes even flew out of his mouth (rest assured, I'm laughing out loud as I write this).

One of my funniest memories that I share with C. and our best friends is the day that he had his teeth in his pants pocket (yes, you read that right) and when he stood up to go upstairs, he did not realize that they had fallen out. There they were, just sitting right in the middle of the couch. I looked over and we all saw them at the same time - I've never seen a group of people laugh so hard in my life. He was totally oblivious and had no idea what he had left behind. Had it been anyone but him, it would have been embarrassing. But he never cared about that stuff - he just lived his life as if he was the only on in it.

Ah, there are so many more fun and funny memories. Those of you who knew Fred, you know what a character he was. He was a fun loving, carefree, happy guy. I hated to see him suffering in his later years so knowing he's out of pain and happy again is comforting. You can bet that he's in a much happier place. Rest in peace Pops.

Has it been 2 weeks?

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I've written - I really do miss blogging so much. I think about it all of the time and whenever I have the time to get to it, it's usually 10pm at night and I'm beat. That said, there's lots to catch up on.


We've just come through another sickness fog - this winter has been BRUTAL! JD so nicely threw up all over my car on Thursday on our way home from school and it went downhill from there. Needless to say, it was a LOOOONNNNGGGG weekend and we're happy that everyone seems to be healthy again. Today was our first normal day in a week. Phew.


That is, aside from the fact that JD is now calling me "HON" after every request. As in "I need some more milk HON" or "Please scoot me in on my chair HON". Is that a hoot or what? As if MOM wasn't bad enough a few weeks ago? For those of you who know what a HON is (Baltimore lingo), it's not a flattering term and the only thing I can think of is that he picked it up from one of his teachers at school? Either way, I laughed the first time he said it and promptly reminded him that I am "MOMMY", he said it again the very next sentence.


We're working through some serious teasing between the boys now days. JD is relentless with Cole - he's pushing all of his buttons, all of the time. Cole is slowly learning how to dish it back (with my help of course) and although he's the smaller of the two, not long from now he's going to haul off and club JD, which hopefully will let him know he isn't going to be pushed around.



We're starting to potty train a bit - I'll spare the details but suffice to say that there was a giant note on the kids cubby at school today announcing that "JD went #2 on the potty - hooray". So when I arrived, the kid was covered in stickers and dragged me into the bathroom to check out where he did his business. Toilets and the like have never been high on my discussion list so this is new territory for me. Living with 3 boys, something tells me my modest days are over.


We got the kids first "report cards" today. I must admit, I was a nervous wreck opening them up - having no idea what I would find. I had forgotten that they were coming out last week or I probably would have been nervous going to school today. They both got great reports, I'm proud to say. It seems that they are coming along very well - Cole is still coming out of his shell at school and they are working on that. JD is the life of the place and they find him very entertaining (as do we). I'm such a proud Mamma!


We're in temper tantrum hell with Cole at the moment. Holy cow - I always heard about these jekyl and hyde moments but never imagined what it would really be like. YIKES. All I can say is I hope this is a short phase!


I'm in desperate need of spring - this cold, wet weather is not doing much for my spirit. Once Feb hits - those doldrums kick in full force. We're headed South in April but that just isn't soon enough. Old man winter needs to take a hiatus and let some fresh spring air in - we need these germs out of the house!


On a sad note, I just connected with a friend of a friend tonight who lost a triplet - at the same gestation as Calvin was when I lost him. She lost baby Lindsey Kate - my heart goes out to S. and her family - keep them in your thoughts as they get through this loss and continue the hope for their surviving preemie babies.


Also wanted to share the latest singing skills - apparently they get that ability (or lack there of)from their mother.

Is it him?

Kinda cool story - a couple of days ago, as I was putting away the kids laundry, JD found the yellow memory box in his closet. It's the memory box with all of Calvin's memoirs in it - hospital bracelets, photos, cards, poems, etc. He came running over and said "what's this Mommy" and at first I said, "oh, it's just a yellow box of Mommy's". Then I thought, well, what better time than now to look inside with them. So we did.

Inside the box is a mini beanie baby that was in Calvin's bassinet when he was brought to us after delivery. It's a little grey and white bear type of thing - and just a few inches long. At our hospital, all preemie babies are given a beanie baby which stays with them for their whole hospital stay - both JD and Cole had them too. But Calvin's was a mini one.

When we opened the box, Cole immediately grabbed the little beanie baby and called it "Baby Calvin". For the rest of the morning, Cole would not put this little guy down. He talked to it, carried it and hugged it. My first thought was that it had to go back into the box because I needed to preserve it. But when Cole would not give it up as I pleaded for him to do, I reconsidered and figured, why not let him have it and let it be loved; right? He really liked the little guy and just seemed right to let him run with it.

We left on a roadtrip later that day and he had to bring it with us. He slept with it that night and clenched it all the way home the next day. This morning he had it with him all the way to school. And when he got back in the car after school, it was in his car seat waiting for him. He couldn't wait to get to the car. He tried to bring him into the tub with him too - and we had a hard time explaining that he couldn't get wet.

I dunno - it's probably more of the novelty of a new little stuffed thing for him to carry around. But I would like to think of it as some sort of symbolism of his love for his identical twin brother. I'll never know. But it sure warms my heart to believe that somehow Calvin is smiling down and giving us a reminder that he's always with us. And Cole feels it too.

Isn't 2 1/2 a little early to start calling me "MOM"? What happened to momMY? JD now calls me MOM...ugh, it's all going WAY too fast! I don't like it...

First Snow of the year!

Well, I wished for snow, and that's what we got! The kids were fascinated watching the snow come down and couldn't wait to get outside. So, we started the routine of getting all bundled up and about 2 hours later, we made it outside.


Low and behold, they stayed out there for FIVE minutes...seriously....



It was actually their very first time in the snow - last year we got trace amounts and they were not walking so we didn't go out and play in it. Apparently snow is not high on their "fun" list (yet). So back inside we went. I did snap a few photos just to document the occasion. Most of the photos show Cole frowning - he really did not enjoy the experience. Maybe if it was better "snowman" snow, it would have been more fun.


There's always next year.

Blessing in disguise

Why would I be upset about the surprise purchase of a new 46" flat screen tv? I guess there really is a benefit to it that I failed to see when I was notified that the delivery truck would arrive momentarily....

The large box makes a great pretend bus (or train, or airplane, or car, or...)! It's amazing what one can do with a little utility knife. This ought to keep them busy for a few hours while we're cooped up on this snowy/icy day!

P.S. - Thank GOD we have a new tv for the super bowl, right?

Ode to preemies

A friend sent this to me. It's a lighter version of a preemie parents experience. As serious and hard as preemie parenting is, it's nice to find a lighter side sometimes.

Jefferey's Poem
By Garrison Keillor

When I first saw you, kid, you were tiny and thin,
And slimy and red and your head was mushed in,
I say to your mother, "He looks kind of sloppy,
And two pounds four ounces ain't big for a crappie."

But something about you, the look in your eyes,
Said you fully intended to grow to full size,
They slapped your backside and you let out a cry,
And I said, "We will keep him, at least we shall try."

Some babies are born in nine months, by the clock,
Some babies are born, and they sit up and talk,
Some babies are born, and no doctor is there.
Some babies are born, on a wing and a prayer.

Poor little fetus, as big as your hand,
Poor little fish thrown up on dry land,
Who came in April, though he had til July,
Too small to live and too precious to die.

They shipped you downstairs to the big Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit's computerized cradle
And attached you to wires and stuck you with tubes
Monitored closely by digital cubes.

And thanks to the latest neonatal therapeusis
And regular basting with greases from gooses
And hot chicken soup intravenously fed
You did not fade away, you grew up instead.

We'll always remember those months that you spent
With tubes in your head in the oxygen tent
And the mask on your face with the wires attached,
Sweet little boy who was only half-hatched.

I'm sure you'll grow up to mature and extend,
To six feet six inches and become a tight end,
But I'll always remember each doctor and nurse in
The NICU who helped make you a person,
The kid who crash landed, who was carried away,
Who survived it, this bundle we bring home today.

History in the making...

Dear JD & Cole (my sweet, naive, young American boys),

Today is an incredibly historic day for our country. Today is the Inauguration day of our 44th President of the United States, whom happens to be the first African American president ever to serve in the white house. Someday when you're older, you'll be reading about this in your history books - and thinking back that you were only 2 years old when this happened. Hopefully by that time, racial tensions of every kind will be long gone. You may not understand by that time why it was such an important time in history - since you will be so far removed from the days when equality was far from acceptable. It is my wish that our world continues to be more accepting of people, more tolerant of people's choices and less materialistic.

This milestone is huge for our country. Your "Mimi" is from a generation that remembers the hatred & violence that was legally inflicted on the black people of America - and this behavior was accepted, and expected, by that generation. We've come such a long way since then - and today is such a historic day in our country's life and our lives, for this reason.

Although you guys are too young now to understand any of this, our nation and world are forever changed by the election of our newest president. Although Obama wasn't my first choice for president, he IS my president now, and I vow to support him and our nation as we squander through a very rough time of economic downturn and worldly turmoil. He's got a tough road ahead to bring us back to where we need to be. This world is full of hatred, particularly for our country. Since September 11, 2001, that horrific day, we have been fighting the war on terror, which will continue.

I hope with all of my heart that our country can pull together and blur the bi-partisan lines to bring our nation back to it's core values. We are a divided nation now - worse than it has ever been in my lifetime. I am hopeful that our new president can help us all measure up to the challenge he delivered today:

"For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the fire fighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. "

I am not alone in saying that I vow to be hopeful for our nation and do my part, to better our world for the sake of you and your children, and grandchildren. Politics are not my forte - and I don't profess to know much of anything about politics. But I do know which values I profess, and those that I will try to instill in you as you grow older. This historic day is a great place to start. As I watched parts of the festivities today, I wished that you were a bit older and could appreciate what has happened.

Love,
Mommy

Breakfast with Penguins

...or "Pengy" as we call him around here. The kids are learning about hibernation at school and the teachers asked that on Friday we send the boys in with a bear or penguin to share with the class. So, we got Pengy #1 & Pengy #2 ready for school, and fed them a nutritious breakfast...who knew penguins liked waffles and fruit?

I am fascinated by their exploding imaginations! I love seeing and hearing the role play; sometimes it makes me laugh (most of the time) and sometimes it makes me cry because they are growing up so quickly. The things they are retaining and imitating now are just amazing.

On another note, I have had an infant swing sitting in my living room for a couple of weeks that was making it's way up to the hospital to be donated to an expectant friend. In the meantime, the boys were absolutely fascinated with it and wanted to play with it any chance they could. Obviously, one would think that they are a bit large for an infant swing - and logically, why would they be interested in playing with it anyway? (Probably because I told them they could NOT play with it). Anyway, one morning I came down the stairs to see Cole lounging out in it, swinging back and forth, singing winkow, winkow witto sta (twinkle, twinkle little star). Funny thing is, he sort of fit in it, the little peanut that he is!

I've gotta add these photos too - we are a sports family, if you haven't figured that out. And we endorse several different sports teams around here. JD & Cole have quite the sports attire - including Terps, Redskins, Navy, Orioles, Syracuse & Colorado U. For the sake of our Colorado Family, you'll enjoy these! Go Buffs!

And lastly, for those of you who still might be intrigued by my new adventure with Shop To Earn, here's a great article that came out today...it's the new buzz. Are you sure you don't want to know more???