5 Years Married and 10 Years Together

You have a ceremony and it looks like this.

And then you go outside and they take more pictures and it looks like this.
But this isn't what makes it real. What makes it real are the days when things go wrong and despite being tired and frazzled yourself you end up holding a sleeping distraught child while he sleeps.
What makes it real are the endless days of babies sleeping at the foot of your bed, keeping you awake intermittently throughout the night, and you live through it together.

What makes it real is figuring out how to drag out three kids under the age of three to a symphony under the stars concert, because you really want to go and you used to do such things when you DIDN'T HAVE KIDS.

What makes it real is that where there was once only two apart, there were two together, then three, then five. And that this is how you always want it to be. When you wake up every day knowing that the space next to you is filled with the warmth from the one you love, and the sounds on the baby monitor are the sounds of the tiny humans you created together, your immortality sleeping soundly in toddler beds.
Happy Wedding Anniversary Family. One day of many, that made us who we are.

5 Years Married and 10 Years Together

You have a ceremony and it looks like this.

And then you go outside and they take more pictures and it looks like this.
But this isn't what makes it real. What makes it real are the days when things go wrong and despite being tired and frazzled yourself you end up holding a sleeping distraught child while he sleeps.
What makes it real are the endless days of babies sleeping at the foot of your bed, keeping you awake intermittently throughout the night, and you live through it together.

What makes it real is figuring out how to drag out three kids under the age of three to a symphony under the stars concert, because you really want to go and you used to do such things when you DIDN'T HAVE KIDS.

What makes it real is that where there was once only two apart, there were two together, then three, then five. And that this is how you always want it to be. When you wake up every day knowing that the space next to you is filled with the warmth from the one you love, and the sounds on the baby monitor are the sounds of the tiny humans you created together, your immortality sleeping soundly in toddler beds.
Happy Wedding Anniversary Family. One day of many, that made us who we are.

Thank You Easter Bunny - BAWK BAWK

I normally take a lot of time picking out the outfits and making sure the pics like this are just so. BUT - we're moving. They were clean, we were at the the mall....the bunny was available.
So - behold.

Easter Bunny Pic 07.

Thank You Easter Bunny - BAWK BAWK

I normally take a lot of time picking out the outfits and making sure the pics like this are just so. BUT - we're moving. They were clean, we were at the the mall....the bunny was available.
So - behold.

Easter Bunny Pic 07.

Was your Mom better at this?

Mine was. Is.

I mean, as I'm dashing around the kitchen peeling bananas and making toast and heating sausage and sipping coffee and opening fruit cups.......I'm thinking, my Mom NEVER looked like this. She didn't look harried. She looked like, even with bedhead and a faded nightie and robe, that she had it together. Motherhood was easy.......here, have a cup of tea I'll have a lovely breakfast of biscuits and gravy with eggs and toast on the side in a couple of minutes for you.

Is there some point where the COOL mom gene is going to kick in and I'm going to look like my shit it is together too?

Will I ever effortlessly do laundry and put it away once the dryer is done? Will I whip out the iron and press out wrinkles before I hang up my husband's shirts? I know that after 9 years of wrinkled shirts and messed up collars, this would please him.

Will I be able to look in the cupboard and whip up a tasty meal when the only things available are flour, sugar, butter and potatoes + some random meat?

Will I find a way to listen to every single train related statement my four year old tells me? Because right now I just can't......I swear I try to but do you know how many trains the kids sees in the course of the day? And how much information he is trying to pass to me? It's too much.

Will I find more patience, a more laid back way to be a mom? My mom was 23 when she had me. I was 34 when I had Lil Sachmo. I should be WAY more patient. I am not - I am like a ball of stress.

I don't know how she did it. Granted, she only had me for the first 10 years (and then Matt came along,making us 2), but still - even one is work. Having the twins on top is like some sort of blessing/curse that you can't describe to people who don't have them.

People will say to me out in public "I don't know how you do it."

I want to say back "Man, neither do I."

Maybe that is my Mom's answer too.

See, she's even laid back feeding Stingrays.

Was your Mom better at this?

Mine was. Is.

I mean, as I'm dashing around the kitchen peeling bananas and making toast and heating sausage and sipping coffee and opening fruit cups.......I'm thinking, my Mom NEVER looked like this. She didn't look harried. She looked like, even with bedhead and a faded nightie and robe, that she had it together. Motherhood was easy.......here, have a cup of tea I'll have a lovely breakfast of biscuits and gravy with eggs and toast on the side in a couple of minutes for you.

Is there some point where the COOL mom gene is going to kick in and I'm going to look like my shit it is together too?

Will I ever effortlessly do laundry and put it away once the dryer is done? Will I whip out the iron and press out wrinkles before I hang up my husband's shirts? I know that after 9 years of wrinkled shirts and messed up collars, this would please him.

Will I be able to look in the cupboard and whip up a tasty meal when the only things available are flour, sugar, butter and potatoes + some random meat?

Will I find a way to listen to every single train related statement my four year old tells me? Because right now I just can't......I swear I try to but do you know how many trains the kids sees in the course of the day? And how much information he is trying to pass to me? It's too much.

Will I find more patience, a more laid back way to be a mom? My mom was 23 when she had me. I was 34 when I had Lil Sachmo. I should be WAY more patient. I am not - I am like a ball of stress.

I don't know how she did it. Granted, she only had me for the first 10 years (and then Matt came along,making us 2), but still - even one is work. Having the twins on top is like some sort of blessing/curse that you can't describe to people who don't have them.

People will say to me out in public "I don't know how you do it."

I want to say back "Man, neither do I."

Maybe that is my Mom's answer too.

See, she's even laid back feeding Stingrays.

JAM- A - LAMMA - DING DONG

I have this hope chest that my greatgrandfather made for my greatgrandmother.
I am so fond of it, that my husband often questions whether or not it was carved from the Ark of the Covenant or the One True Cross or what-have-you.
It sits at the foot of my bed, the way a hope chest should.
Last night, in my typical absent minded hurry of putting my kids to bed I went past it, ran into it (as always) and JAMMED a piece of splinter the size of a palm tree into the back of my leg.
Okay, it wasn't the size of a palm tree.
It was THIS size.
Now, imagine that you have to PULL most of that out of the soft, tender, fat part of your thigh (okay I don't have a THIN part of my thigh - leave me alone.)

Got the Willies yet?

Here, to make the shuddering stop, here is a cute picture of the Baby Birth of Cool who fell asleep watching Zoboomafoo.

Your heebeejeebies should be all better now!

JAM- A - LAMMA - DING DONG

I have this hope chest that my greatgrandfather made for my greatgrandmother.
I am so fond of it, that my husband often questions whether or not it was carved from the Ark of the Covenant or the One True Cross or what-have-you.
It sits at the foot of my bed, the way a hope chest should.
Last night, in my typical absent minded hurry of putting my kids to bed I went past it, ran into it (as always) and JAMMED a piece of splinter the size of a palm tree into the back of my leg.
Okay, it wasn't the size of a palm tree.
It was THIS size.
Now, imagine that you have to PULL most of that out of the soft, tender, fat part of your thigh (okay I don't have a THIN part of my thigh - leave me alone.)

Got the Willies yet?

Here, to make the shuddering stop, here is a cute picture of the Baby Birth of Cool who fell asleep watching Zoboomafoo.

Your heebeejeebies should be all better now!

Where MY Wild Things Are

Where MY Wild Things Are

Happy Boxing Day

I know everyone is celebrating Boxing Day in style, and probably won't have time to post today. But I thought I'd take a moment to say hello and to share one of the funniest pictures I've taken yet with my lovely new digital camera.

I like to call it, Cindy Lou Who's Cousin.

And this is how people without kids make Christmas dinner. Can you believe I know these people? And why does he appear to be cooking in his swimming trunks? And why is he so afraid of the stove? I know why she drinks....I mean, see the picture on the right?

Happy Boxing Day Everyone!

Happy Boxing Day

I know everyone is celebrating Boxing Day in style, and probably won't have time to post today. But I thought I'd take a moment to say hello and to share one of the funniest pictures I've taken yet with my lovely new digital camera.

I like to call it, Cindy Lou Who's Cousin.

And this is how people without kids make Christmas dinner. Can you believe I know these people? And why does he appear to be cooking in his swimming trunks? And why is he so afraid of the stove? I know why she drinks....I mean, see the picture on the right?

Happy Boxing Day Everyone!

There were TWO Versions of This.......

One of them was hilarious.....all three kids going in different directions with Poor Santa trying desperately to hang on to them.

We opted for the one where the Grandma's could actually see their faces. Even though 20 years from now it won't be as funny. (Okay the one trying to escape Santa is kind of funny).

Happy Holidays Everyone!

There were TWO Versions of This.......

One of them was hilarious.....all three kids going in different directions with Poor Santa trying desperately to hang on to them.

We opted for the one where the Grandma's could actually see their faces. Even though 20 years from now it won't be as funny. (Okay the one trying to escape Santa is kind of funny).

Happy Holidays Everyone!

The Stroller Situation

I have a lot of strollers. I'm not sure if it's because we have multiples or if it's just because of our sheer number of kids in general. But I have a lot.
Let me elaborate.
When I was pregnant with #1 I spent an agonizing amount of time at TRAVEL SYSTEM. It was so wonderful. Cushy comfy car seat. Awesome stroller with nice comfy seat, big so it would be useful for a long time, and TALL so that the husband and I didn't have to bend over to push it. One hand release to collapse it. Very fancy, in our world, being new parents, we (at least I) was pretty happy with our choice. Which was THIS stroller.
The problem with it was, it didn't fit into our car.
Who'da thunk, eh? It is/was SO big, it wouldn't fit into the trunk of our compact car and with the car seat placed in the middle where it was supposed to go, it wouldn't go into our backseat. So we effectively had a very expensive but unuseable stroller - good only for walks downtown for parades and the like (4th of July Parade in this picture).
So, back to Babies R Us we went, and we purchased THIS one. This was very much like our original stroller but smaller, and more compact. But it really really hurt my back to push, because I had to stoop slightly, so I never really liked it. And then of course......only 19 months after producing our first tiny human, we produced two more. We needed another stroller.
Thanks to my twins club, I was able to pick up TWO of them for less than the price of one. So I picked up this triple stroller (I actually have a picture of us using this one but after an hour of searching I've given up) and this double stroller. Henceforth these shall be known as the strollers that set us free. After several weeks of essentially being homebound, with these two strollers we were able to take all three of our children, who were all babies, OUT IN PUBLIC. We could GO PLACES Again. It was like a miracle. We could go to museums and amusement parks and festivals, just like we used to do when we were two - or when were 3 instead of 5. It was LIBERATION.

But then our beloved double stroller began to break down. It had already survived a set of triplets before it got to us. So we hunted and hunted for the NEW version of our stroller......it was so nice, surely they made a new one? The husband found one online......and VOILA.......back in business. The one feature we loved so much about the first one, that you could switch the front seat around, wasn't practical after about the second time we used it, though, because the boys had gotten big enough to pinch and kick each other and generally fuss at each other and drive us crazy. So we turned the front seat around. It doesn't completely separate them, but it does provide a modest break between them and other than some hair pulling we seem to be okay with this the way it is now. But the heavier they get, the harder it's getting to push. Which has me eyeing things like this. Allegedly these are easier to push and worth the money because they'll last as the kids get bigger. It also makes my husbands head almost spin off, based on the sheer volume of strollers we have now we could seat 10 kids.
Oh, you were counting? You only count 9 seats?
Well that's because I didn't show you THIS one that they gave us for free at Babies R Us when we bought Baby Bird Man and Baby Birth of Cool their toddler beds.
Because we REALLY needed one more.


And just so mention something crazy......have you seen THIS nonsense? I swear I almost want to have a baby just to get one. This is the coolest stroller I've ever seen!

The Stroller Situation

I have a lot of strollers. I'm not sure if it's because we have multiples or if it's just because of our sheer number of kids in general. But I have a lot.
Let me elaborate.
When I was pregnant with #1 I spent an agonizing amount of time at TRAVEL SYSTEM. It was so wonderful. Cushy comfy car seat. Awesome stroller with nice comfy seat, big so it would be useful for a long time, and TALL so that the husband and I didn't have to bend over to push it. One hand release to collapse it. Very fancy, in our world, being new parents, we (at least I) was pretty happy with our choice. Which was THIS stroller.
The problem with it was, it didn't fit into our car.
Who'da thunk, eh? It is/was SO big, it wouldn't fit into the trunk of our compact car and with the car seat placed in the middle where it was supposed to go, it wouldn't go into our backseat. So we effectively had a very expensive but unuseable stroller - good only for walks downtown for parades and the like (4th of July Parade in this picture).
So, back to Babies R Us we went, and we purchased THIS one. This was very much like our original stroller but smaller, and more compact. But it really really hurt my back to push, because I had to stoop slightly, so I never really liked it. And then of course......only 19 months after producing our first tiny human, we produced two more. We needed another stroller.
Thanks to my twins club, I was able to pick up TWO of them for less than the price of one. So I picked up this triple stroller (I actually have a picture of us using this one but after an hour of searching I've given up) and this double stroller. Henceforth these shall be known as the strollers that set us free. After several weeks of essentially being homebound, with these two strollers we were able to take all three of our children, who were all babies, OUT IN PUBLIC. We could GO PLACES Again. It was like a miracle. We could go to museums and amusement parks and festivals, just like we used to do when we were two - or when were 3 instead of 5. It was LIBERATION.

But then our beloved double stroller began to break down. It had already survived a set of triplets before it got to us. So we hunted and hunted for the NEW version of our stroller......it was so nice, surely they made a new one? The husband found one online......and VOILA.......back in business. The one feature we loved so much about the first one, that you could switch the front seat around, wasn't practical after about the second time we used it, though, because the boys had gotten big enough to pinch and kick each other and generally fuss at each other and drive us crazy. So we turned the front seat around. It doesn't completely separate them, but it does provide a modest break between them and other than some hair pulling we seem to be okay with this the way it is now. But the heavier they get, the harder it's getting to push. Which has me eyeing things like this. Allegedly these are easier to push and worth the money because they'll last as the kids get bigger. It also makes my husbands head almost spin off, based on the sheer volume of strollers we have now we could seat 10 kids.
Oh, you were counting? You only count 9 seats?
Well that's because I didn't show you THIS one that they gave us for free at Babies R Us when we bought Baby Bird Man and Baby Birth of Cool their toddler beds.
Because we REALLY needed one more.


And just so mention something crazy......have you seen THIS nonsense? I swear I almost want to have a baby just to get one. This is the coolest stroller I've ever seen!

According to Sweetbay, I can have ONE more Kid

Our SWEETBAY Grocery Store has a cart that fits FOUR kids.
I was pretty stunned to discover that Walmart has a number that will fit all three of mine. But Sweetbay upped the ante..........behold.

First, where my purse is, you can sit two kids side by side........I'm not sure how well you can see that - but where my purse is would be the CENTER - it has TWO seats, and four leg holes. On the right, is the ATTACHED CAR deal......also fitting two kids. They must want two kids as it has two steering wheels. I can have one more kid......and still go grocery shopping. Who am I to argue with Sweetbay?

According to Sweetbay, I can have ONE more Kid

Our SWEETBAY Grocery Store has a cart that fits FOUR kids.
I was pretty stunned to discover that Walmart has a number that will fit all three of mine. But Sweetbay upped the ante..........behold.

First, where my purse is, you can sit two kids side by side........I'm not sure how well you can see that - but where my purse is would be the CENTER - it has TWO seats, and four leg holes. On the right, is the ATTACHED CAR deal......also fitting two kids. They must want two kids as it has two steering wheels. I can have one more kid......and still go grocery shopping. Who am I to argue with Sweetbay?