Word Up

naps

2012-02-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

this weekend was full of naps and general laziness.
it's been awhile since we had a little one fall asleep in our bed.
we both loved it.
cover up nate!

redo

2012-02-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

good morning world.
i am failing miserably today.
the sis and i have exchanged some words already.
she doesn't like the way i tied her shoes.
i draw the line at 2 redos.
she wanted more.
we yelled.
off to school.
bite your tongue jeanine.
you are a gown up.
she is three.
you look and sound ridiculous when you yell and stomp your feet at her.
grow up please.
you, not her.
maybe tomorrow i'll get it right.

chuck

2012-01-31T18:53:00.000-08:00

i was at costco the other day before opening.
do you ever get there early?
i find that there are always a few older, and very kind folks who like to come and chat.
especially when i have a child in tow.
they like to make faces and tell me about their grandchildren.
i smile, and ask questions.
routine.

well, this time when the chatter came over, i was expecting more of the same.
he started out his story,

"when i was a boy not much older then him, (lincoln),
i was abandon in the swamps of louisiana by my drunkard father and my little mother left in a shack.
i decided then that i was going to have to make something of myself because no one was going to do it for me."

i was hooked at this point.

he continued,
" i became a self proclaimed renaissance man.
internationally known,
and while working at the world's fair as an architect, i was in the same building as walt disney.
they were doing some of the shows that year.
walt and i started talking and he liked me and asked me to have lunch with him.
i said yes but that he had to leave the seven dwarfs at home so i could get a word in."

i laughed at his joke and watched as he started to take something out of his wallet.

"walt was so impressed that he asked me to come and work for him.
i became one of the imagineers for disney for 20 years."

he had pulled out his disney id card.
sure enough.
there he was.
much younger.

" i tell you this story so that you can teach this little boy to be successful. the 3 keys to success are
learning how to draw.
if you learn how to draw, you see the world differently and how things fit together.
you see creativity all around.
second, have a positive outlook on life."

i don't remember the third, i think it kind of meshed in with the second.

i told him thank you for sharing his story with me.

his name was chuck.

he told me this story with no bottom teeth.

lincoln successfully sneaking my beverage.

three to four

2012-01-30T07:53:00.000-08:00

i should be pregnant by now.
if i were keeping up with our going pace.
beckham and marley are 19 months apart.
23 months later, lincoln came along.
that means i should be giving birth to baby number four in less than 3 months.
crap.
there's a problem.
i am not pregnant.
i want another baby, but these 3 are maxing me out everyday.
as in, i don't know if i can get up and do it again the next day, and the next.
as in destroying me.

too dramatic?

and i know we could do it.
and we would make it work just like we have before.
right?
but is it doing a disservice to the other kids by adding more chaos?
does it seem like chaos to them?
it's a happy loving home.
meals, warm beds, clean clothes, family prayer. lots of love.
do they realize how tiny the house is, and how loud they all are?
and how loud i am?
i am scared!
the first time in our marriage that i didn't feel ready to have another one.
and i guess i am scared that is my answer.
that 3 is our number.
because i am not ready to be done with meeting that tiny, gooey new friend at the hospital.
that tiny, gooey, perfect spirit that has been waiting to come join our family.
that's the best.
see, i'm drooling now.

but then these three run into the room at full force screaming and wanting and needing.
which is great.
but where would a baby fit into this beautiful mess?
if i think about it long enough,
the others will grow,
and maybe it won't be so insane.
or not.
just on my mind.

2012-01-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

january blossoms from our part of the world.

happy friday.
i'm going to clean the floors today.
i have indentations on the bottom of my feet from stepping on food debris for the past week.
classy.

curd

2012-01-26T08:22:00.000-08:00

hey thursday.
we got paid today and it wasn't as much as i was hoping.
boo.
the natural course would be to sulk and after the kids go to school, finish off this beauty that i made yesterday.
because it was wednesday.
and i had a bag of lemons.
which i am using to liven up my water.
so i drink more of it.
to counteract the mass amounts of coke zero i consume.

where were we?

lemons.

so i made this:
lemon curd cake

martha's:

mine:

i blame the discrepancy on fact that i don't have a white cake platter.

it tastes awesome though.
all 2 dozen eggs and a box of butter later.

nate doesn't like lemon flavored treats.
something about a pie eating contest gone wrong as a child.
maybe therapy would help.

in the mean time, it's up to me.

but, i am going to fight my urge to tackle this today, and go for a jog instead.
hello self control and discipline.

swatting

2012-01-25T07:22:00.000-08:00

can i admit something?

sometimes when i am at the computer i feel like i am swatting away flies.

and by flies,
i mean my children.

three of them.

constant buzzing and landing, pooping, and hand-rubbing together.

and after 5-10 minutes of swatting and the buzzing growing increasingly louder,
i decide i should stop swatting.
and when i come to,

i find lincoln is climbing the pantry and dumping the contents of every box/bag/container within his reach.

beckham has taken apart the couches and is using them as missile launchers,

and marley has got both of her legs stuck in one leg hole of her underwear while sitting in a pile of naked dolls.

and i get mad,
but then i laugh because
it serves me right,

fly swatter.

12:45

2012-01-24T12:53:00.000-08:00

A few things here:

1. typical day at 12:45 in the afternoon. pick up kids from preschool, eat lunch. pray they take naps.

2. i had to go to costco this morning for the second time this week. and since it is only tuesday, yes, that means i was there yesterday. but, to shake the annoyance i felt, i picked up a chicken caesar salad to bring home for my lunch.

3. yes, i am stinky with greasy hair and in workout clothes still. and my face is angled so that my giant zit companion is not looking into the camera.

4. i am praying extra hard as i eat that the kids will nap. i have episode three of downton abbey to watch.
me time. usually consists of sitting at the computer watching hulu and eating dark chocolate.

what does your 12:45 look like?

tricycle

2012-01-22T18:20:00.000-08:00

i recieved this picture in a text last weekend from my brother.
i laughed and laughed.
and then I laughed more because my mom and dad are hilarious.
and adventurous.
and just plain rad.
my mom is preparing for a full knee replacement.
one too many skiing accidents over the years.
when she has it, she won't be able to ski again.
so, they tried out a ski tricycle so she can still join my dad and brothers on the mountain.
it's been so long since I've seen the snow.
i am longing for a mountain trip.

sleepover

2012-01-21T18:45:00.000-08:00

avoiding the noise and mess led to playing with the blog.
neglected blog.
marley had her first sleepover.
nana and papa gave the kids coupon boards for christmas.

marley redeemed a "sleepover" coupon.
build-a-bear, beauty and the beast 3d, waffles.
she had a wonderful time.
she got all the attention.
i loved it because it is so hard to give one on one time with 3 little ones.

beckham had a hard time being away from his bff.
it is their first seperation since marley came along 3 1/2 years ago.

it makes me laugh how hard I thought one child was, till there were two.
and then three.
and when one is away it seems sooooo easy.
how could I ever have thought two was hard?
ha.
ha.
ha.
i did miss my girl.
absence makes the heart grow fonder.
now that she is home, the noise level has been returned to it's normal volume.
loudest.

2012-01-07T20:27:00.000-08:00

Just looking through holiday photos again tonight and Nate and I keep laughing at these:

Christmas Day we walked to the park so the kids could ride their new gifts.
And by kids I mean my mom and dad on Becks' new bike.
It was a wonderful thing.
I hope you are smiling.

gear up

2012-01-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

I have been hit in the face with toys one too many times in the last week.
Enough so that I am blogging about it.
I teach my kids not to hit and throw toys, but with a toddler in the house, there is no warning.
They just sneak up on you.
Broken noses and bloodied lips from heads of lap sitters.
Not to mention the broken/punctured feet from stepping on and breaking toys.
Rolled ankles from tripping over "blanket", or the obscene trail of stuffed animals that seems to appear behind me like a jet stream.
I am not wishing this time of life away, just saying that when you leave the hospital with baby number one, they need to send you home with full protective gear.
Pads, helmet, maybe even a cup.
And wish you good luck.
Break a leg.
Parenting is a full contact sport.
You will get hurt.
Pushing out that baby is just the beginning.

{My septoplasty in 2009 to remove scar tissue in my sinuses. I got hit in the nose so many times by baby heads post surgery that it knocked my septum crooked again.}

back to life

2012-01-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

I prepped myself for today.
Yesterday morning we had donuts and stayed in pajamas and watched movies.
All cuddled on the couch.
The last day of vacation.
We made the most of it.
I went through the stages of grief;
Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.
Before bed I made sure the house was clean, laundry going, calendar filled in, menu made.
And I prayed.
That I would be happy about getting back to the routine.
Working out, kids up, getting ready, off to school, errands, cooking, etc.
And it worked.
The alarm went off at 5:30 and Nate and I started off the day with reading and then to Jillian.
And I wasn't even grouchy.
She punished us after 2 weeks of time off.
I had to do girl push-ups.

It was such a great vacation.
SO great.
Almost perfect.

{christmas eve jammies. Jaden, where is your head???}

play

2011-12-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

The kids and I hit the California Science Center on Monday.
We saw an IMAX about flying dinosaurs,
played,
ate lunch with Nate,
and then went home and crashed because I felt like I had just done my duty of keeping my kids entertained during Christmas break.
I wish.

I think I am still nauseous from the IMAX.

Marley was growling at the pigeons.
I love it.

Thanks

2011-12-09T08:51:00.001-08:00

What, is it almost Christmas?
I am thinking I should put up my Thanksgiving pictures before the Christmas festivities take over.
We spent the day with Nate's family in SJC.
Lovely food, family, and Anne always has the best collection of home magazines/books to sit and flip through while munching on spinach artichoke dip and drinking a diet.

state of things

2011-12-08T19:08:00.001-08:00

This is the state of things right now,
at 7:12 p.m.
Not always, but Nate has been out of town.
And the kids were playing so nicely.
Totally worth it.
Nate's flight gets in at 9 p.m.
Plenty of time to clean up.
or ignore it and clean tomorrow.

bangs

2011-12-07T08:43:00.001-08:00

My Sister sent this to me the other day.

Yowsa.
The vest, the bangs, the braces, the perm, the hyper-color shirt.
I am still laughing.
Thanks for holding on to the good ones Lissa.

Happy Wednesday,

and for those of you who knew me back when,
thanks for being my friend.
(because I'm pretty sure none of this was o.k, even in the early 90's when you'd think it might have been o.k)

records

2011-11-29T09:04:00.001-08:00

Our good friend Lynette took some pictures for us the day after Thanksgiving.
This is Nate's favorite.
Sheesh.

I can't pick just one favorite,
and I don't want to spoil the Christmas card,
but this candid is a gem.

Lincoln wasn't feeling well so he has sick eyes.
I still think he is delicious though.

So let the records show,
We survived 2011.
With smiles.
(and screams and tears and laughing.)

Dragons

2011-11-23T15:18:00.001-08:00

We took turns with the kids making a list of some of the things that we are grateful for.

Dragons made the list,
in case you were wondering.

I am counting my blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Comte

2011-11-17T07:24:00.001-08:00

My favorite snack right now is Comte cheese and fruit.
Alternating bites of course, so they each linger with the other for a sec.
I love cheese and fruit.
So Yummy.
I could live in a house made of cheese.
(reference please...)
I'd eat some right now but I'm locked in my bedroom under the covers.
It's lord of the flies out there and I'm not ready to face it yet.

small

2011-11-16T08:56:00.001-08:00

Remember when you were small enough to sit in a bucket and watch t.v?

Word up

2011-11-15T10:11:00.001-08:00

poke the feet

2011-11-14T07:58:00.001-08:00

After tucking the kids in last night Nate and I came out the the computer to watch a show, have a treat, you know, relax.
As soon as we pushed play, Marley came running out of the bedroom telling us that Beckham was spitting from his bed down to the floor.
What?
We went in to find Beckham COVERED in vomit on the top bunk, the ladder was dripping with the stuff, a puddle on the floor, and a nice splattered wall and bookcase.
So much for relaxing.
I'm still washing blankets this morning, and putting beds back together.
I'll be washing walls later on.
Really excited for today.

The kids are having fun playing "poke the feet"
on the dismantled bed.

calm

2011-11-11T09:49:00.001-08:00

It has been a peaceful morning.
There is going to be some rain this weekend,
and I feel like "the calm before the storm" holds true.

I saw some beautiful pictures while browsing this morning as people talk about Holiday planning, decorations, traditions, gifting etc.

This is the extent of my holiday decorating thus far:

The paper whites started to blossom.

Yes, those are cinnamon pine cones,

a Ralphs' special impulse buy while grocery shopping yesterday.

And then there is this:

Nice huh ?
This is the extent of storage space in our house,
and right now it is FULL with Christmas toys and jammies that I have picked up,
and since my family is coming here this year,
there are packages arriving on the doorstep.
I kind of love it.
I have to hurry and throw things back here before the kids see and start asking questions.
I'm thinking I should organize it at some point, no?
Maybe this weekend when it is raining.

Happy weekend and Thank You to those who serve our country.
You are in our prayers always.

fish

2011-11-10T07:35:00.001-08:00

Remember my neighbors?
The great ones, with a shop vac in their cactus?
They asked if we wanted to try some fish they had for dinner.
So they brought over a fish.
A whole fish.
With a head and eyes and a tail and all.
Pretty much completely out of my food comfort zone.
It sat in the fridge for a few days.
Until I needed lunch.
And I did what I had to do.
And it was good.