husband support...

I have gotten behind posting some stories, because for some stories I really need to be in a "bloggy" mood. We'll see how long it lasts, because I need to record these before I start forgetting details. Warning the following story is heavy on a certain bodily function that might be offensive to some. This is first and foremost a family journal so I am recording it, but you don't have to read it =)!

Last month Kenneth and I attended a wedding for one of his friends from work. I had been feeling a little under the weather and my stomach was pretty upset. It was one of those rsvp kind of shindigs and I had gone to a lot of trouble to schedule an actual babysitter(as opposed to finagling one of my brothers to do it for a pint of ice cream) and the groom really is a good friend of my husband...so I decided to buckle down and go. The whole way there I groaned to Kenneth about my stomach and an unfortunate side affect of the illness that in my family we call "flu burps."(obviously not the medical terminology but we just barely got a dr. in the immediate family).

Flu burps are not your average ordinary burps or belches. They are not due to swallowing air with food or drinking carbonated beverages...in fact as far as we can tell they are not related to anything....but they are without a doubt the stinkiest thing that could ever come out of your mouth. Not only are they stinky, but they are persistent, every minute or two out comes another one(I am sure they are the origin of the phrase "silent but deadly"). It is NOT a pleasant condition, and I was bemoaning this fact to Kenneth. Now my sweet husband in the drivers seat had never heard of this condition(possibly due to the extremely scientific naming of the disease =) and had a stuffy nose, so he really was not very sympathetic at all(this is the same man who told me that morning sickness was all in my head because I had found out I was pregnant...that was the first pregnancy and he never made that mistake again).

We arrived at the wedding and were seated towards the back...not a bad deal considering how potent my burping potential was...then Kenneth saw his boss/good friend from work a few rows up. Not asking my opinion he jumped up to move us over by them. Unfortunately the only space was beside this man's wife...which means I ended up sandwiched between this poor woman and Kenneth. At this point I became a little desperate, in close quarters there was NO WAY for my condition to not become incredibly and horribly obvious. I held a hurried and whispered conference with Kenneth expressing my concerns for the well being of the woman sitting beside me. My sweet husband gallantly volunteered to let me turn my head into his shoulder to relieve myself and he even said that he would pretend that it was him. WOW! What a guy...he was earning some serious points! This seemed like a workable idea to him because he did not really believe that I was in that bad of a condition...he was congested and had not smelled anything to this point. To me, I was satisfied because I figured that he had been exposed in the car on the way over and if it didn't bother him then fine. The moment of truth came and I quite suddenly had to turn into his shoulder without having the time to warn him...that was when he realized that 1) I had not been exaggerating...2) possibly I had been understating the problem. To my horror he started very visibly gagging and dry heaving and acting like I had very nearly killed him(hrmph! I certainly wish that I had he was being so theatrical about it). He of course thought it was hysterical and wanted to immediately lean over and tell his friend the "joke"(over my dead body). After that every time I would need his "assistance"(didn't really have any other options) he would make a big show of holding his breath. Hmmmm, did I say he earned points...change that to read...HUGE withdrawal from the emotional bank account! He has since retold the story several times, with great gusto, always portraying himself as the unsuspecting victim of a cold blooded murder attempt. Yeah, I feel sooooo bad for HIM! Maybe next time he will take me seriously when I say that I am suffering.

i'm sick and tired...

...of them pulling my computer plugs out of the wall.


















I was going to get a better shot of both of them at the gate...but then I realized that Atticus was sans diaper....

grubby fingured sneak thief

My grandmother lives with my parents. She had a nice little setup in the kitchen with her electric recliner and side table...she's had things pretty good. Then her irresponsible =) grandchildren had to go and start procreating resulting in 12 great-grandchildren in 3 years..now the kids are continually playing with the remote for her armchair leaving it at funky angles for her to sort out....and that side table, well, we will just call the side table "temptation." My grandma doesn't drink water, she prefers stronger drinks like root beer, or if she's feeling particularly kicky coke. Any grand kid that has learned to pull up soon learns that the "temptation" is at just the right height for them to reach things like cups and practice sucking from a straw when great grandma is not looking. Grandma has learned. So today when she got up from her chair during family dinner she made sure that she handed me her root beer for safe keeping. I distractedly put it on the table and got back to the business of feeding Atticus(as he is likely to start yelling and banging if there is more than one second when food is not in his mouth). I happened to glance over that way again and realized that the root beer was safe...but Grandma's mostly eaten plate of rocky road pie had been left unguarded....

bedtime

3 days old...























10 1/2 months old...seriously we still do this!

Things I love...

Listening to Gavin talk. Every week his sentences get clearer and the structure gets better...when did my baby turn into an opinionated thinking being? Yesterday he said, "Mama, anna nuggle." Come right up baby I wanna snuggle you too.

Going in to pick Atticus up in the morning. He gets so excited he bounces up and down so that when I lean down to pick him up he usually loses his balance from the bouncing and falls back on his head with a big silly grin on his face.

Watching Jane explore. She is so fearless. I watched her crawl onto some plastic shelves. From there she climbed onto a table, and from there up onto Grandma's keyboard(I took her down immediately mom...don't worry!)

The time in the evening when the kids are deep asleep and I go and touch their backs and feel them breathing. It is seriously one of my favorite times to be a parent.

When my house is clean.

Turning off the lights to go to sleep and then suddenly thinking of something really funny...and having my best friend right there to wake up and tell it too.

When I can hear all 3 of my kids laughing in their bedroom...it makes it worth it to have them so close in age. They are already becoming such great friends.

Reading a good book for the first time.

Chocolate.

Clicking on Google reader and seeing that I have a lot of blogs to catch up on.

Living in my parents back yard. Don't knock the commune till you have lived here a little while =).

Someone else doing the dishes.

Walking in a door and seeing three kids light up like a big celebrity just walked in, and then start crawling/running for me as quickly as they can so that I am mobbed 2 steps inside the door.

Being married to someone who doesn't know if he would love me as much if my hips got smaller.(I think I would love me more...but hey it is a nice thought honey)

Morning walks.

Family reunions.

Gerber daisies.

My mom. I can't wait till you get home!

Home cooked meals, that I didn't cook.

Sleeping in.

picture this...

The bad guys just captured the emperor and holed up in the palace trying to make him bow down before they kill him. The good guys are battering the door trying to rescue him when someone gets the bright idea, "This is taking too long. They'll kill the emperor before we get there...what we really need to do is strip down out of our armor, put on dresses and full geisha make-up...and then climb up the wall. That will be faster...definetly." And wouldn't you know...it worked. Thanks Disney.

For the record I do like the movie "Mulan."

work, work, work...

A couple of months ago Kenneth decided that it was time to leave his steady job of almost 3 years. I fully supported him in this decision...One, because I knew where he was working was really starting to frustrate him and had zero potential for growth; and Two, because I trust Kenneth. He is the hardest worker I know and is always looking for ways to support our family. The last few months have been interesting to say the least. I have not been able to pay all of our bills as quickly as I would like, but every month Kenneth pulled us through and everything got paid. This month has been the scariest financially by far, but once again Kenneth managed to get everything paid. Then on Sunday, our neighbor told Kenneth about an IT position opening up for the group of Dr.'s he works for. He recommended that Kenneth apply. When Kenneth went in for an interview on Monday he said it seemed that everyone at the office already knew who he was...apparently this neighbor had been telling everyone about Kenneth...nice things. His interview went well and Kenneth told me they called him yesterday and said he got the job. I asked him what his response was and he said he told them he was willing to work for them, but for a slightly larger pay scale. My heart fluttered a little, because as much as I had been trying not to plan how we would spend that much more money...I couldn't help myself and already had a plan laid out for how we could pay off everything faster and start saving for a bigger place to live. Well, they called back this morning and he got the job! I am so excited and so proud of him! Not only that, but the woodcarving business is really starting to pick up too! I am amazed by what he is able to do with his machine(which he never would have finished if he hadn't left his job). The Definition of being grown up...when you find out you are going to have more money and you get excited to pay bills and fix the car!

another fun thing about twins...

Why, I have asked myself, is it so much fun watching the twins fight over toys? The older they get the more fun it is to watch, and I have had a revelation(or maybe it is a rationalization? you decide). When you just have one and they are playing with a "friend" their own age there is a sense of social obligation to make sure your child isn't the one climbing on top of the other kid and taking their toys. Even when your kid is 10 months old with no concept of sharing that sense of duty is present. It makes play dates a little more stressful when you feel like you have to keep your aggressive kid in check so that the other moms won't judge you. Now when both kids belong to YOU...that is a whole different ballgame. The social pressure goes away, and it even starts to seem necessary to let them duke it out so that they can learn to solve their own problems. What happens when left to their own devices? They each win about 50% of the time. Jane is better at pulling up and tends to get excited and start whacking whatever she has pulled up on(usually Atticus), but Atticus is more tenacious and has a longer memory and so usually is the one who ends up with whatever toy they have been fighting over. And me...I sit back with popcorn(or a twix) and enjoy the show.

best mom EVER!

You can probably guess from their facial expressions that something exciting has taken place in their little lives. Why you might ask, would they be willing to dial in and vote a million times each for me if that were the way the votes were taken(and if they knew their numbers and could manage a phone). Two words...Pizza and Twix. Shoot, after that nutritious dinner I'm my favorite person too. Especially amusing I think is the slightly crazed look in the boy childs eyes...

multi-tasking

Happy Father's Day

Gotta love the nursery crafts!





A couple of nights ago Gavin decided it was time for bed. He got undressed, got his blanket, and asked for a binky(we are down to bedtimes and naptimes!). I told him it was fine if he went to bed, but he had to sleep in his own bed(he had made himself comfortable on my bed. After some debate he decided that would be okay, IF he could sleep on Daddy's pillow. I told him that he would have to ask Daddy's permission. Out the door he runs(Kenneth was outside working on our van)....

G: "Daddy, ant sweep on your pillow. Pweeeese!"
Now Gavin has learned to accompany the word please with clasped hands and a hopeful smile. It is pretty irresistible.























Kenneth melted and immediately gave Gavin permission to use his pillow(a pretty impressive concession if you know Kenneth...this is his special buckwheat pillow that we are talking about). Gavin got distracted and played outside for a while, but when he was ready for bed again he had not forgotten that he was sleeping on Daddy's pillow. It was kind of funny how important it was to him, but it is so typical these days. Gavin is absolutely in love with his daddy. All day long I have to answer the questions, "Where's Daddy?" Kenneth mow lawns as a side business and any time Gavin hears a lawn mower he gets excited that 'Daddy's home!' and gets offended that I won't let him chase after every random lawn mower. His favorite thing is to go with Kenneth in the car to run errands. Kenneth is a natural teacher and is reveling in Gavin being old enough to start understanding the way things work. If Kenneth has anything to do with it Gavin will be able to repair small engines by the time he is 10(at the latest). I hope all of our children catch Kenneth's attitude that you can learn to do anything that you want! I have often heard people say that, but until I met Kenneth I didn't realize that it could be a way of life...for example, we don't have a television, but Kenneth became obsessed with projectors, learning everything he could about them....and then built one. Now we watch movies on a big screen, and good luck playing Mario Kart...I got motion sick it was so big. Anyway, back to a couple of nights ago. Kenneth let Gavin sleep on his pillow...and he didn't even sneak it back after Gavin was asleep(which I totally would have done....actually I would have said no if he had asked for my pillow!). Happy Father's Day honey you are pretty spectacular!

end of vacation...

Tonight as Gavin was getting into the bathtub he asked, "Wobert take baf too?" and I had the sad duty of reminding him that Robert, along with Uncle Joel, Aunt Crystal, Webekah, and even Uncle Dragon(thanks Ed...you are AWESOME!) had all gone home. *sniff-sniff* These past three weeks have been so much fun, I think I am already going into withdrawal...and I know that Gavin is going to really miss all the fun and "fwends" that that bunch entails.

Family Home Evening with Uncle Joel, Gavin & Rebekah...Uncle Joel became famous for his dinosaur rides, rough housing, and (for the fainter of heart...i.e. Atticus) being the Kiss-0-saurous.

















Auntie Crystal(Joel's much better half =)...the glue that kept things going and fun.

















Ed...a.k.a. Uncle Dragon, he could do everything...except fly! Work on that one ok?

















And finally, Robert(his alter ego is Dash from "The Incredibles"). Head popsicle consumer for Ross compound.

Ok...I saw these pics and I've decided that I think she looks like me...except I had hair(so I guess I will blame baby baldness on Kenneth from now on).


































Or maybe she looks like Kenneth....What do you think?

milestone

Jane took her first unassisted step yesterday, and she stood up without pulling up on anything this afternoon...looks like I am going to get my wish that at least one of the twins will be walking before this next kid is born(imagine hauling 3...my arms are already about to fall off).

lovin summer...

funny boys

first blood...

It may be a little fuzzy, but this is Jane's first battle scar. She pulled a speaker off of my desk and it landed just right on her head to conk a hole in her noggin.

conversation with Gavin

This was sitting in the library parking lot waiting for Aunt Crystal to return a book. He was frustrated that there was a park visible with kids playing and he was not allowed out of the car(we were only returning a book and then heading to the grocery store...and Uncle Joel had the other 5 kids at home= even more reason to hurry).

G: "Want out."
Me: "We will have to come back another day, why don't we sing a song instead(he had been singing by himself the whole way there)."
G: "No."
Me: (optimistic) "What song would you like to sing?"
G: (grumpy) "NO!"
Me: (persistent) "How about 'Twinkle twinkle little star'?"
G: (grumpier) "NO. Want out!"
Me: (determined) *singing*"Twinkle, twinkle little star...."
G: (grumpier-er) "TURN OFF!"

Excuse me? Did you just tell me to turn off? Little punk! A few minutes later he started singing himself...

G: "Winka winka wittle stah..."
Me: joining in, "how I wonder what you are..."
G: "NOOOOO, TURN OFF!"

Why was I excited for him to start talking again?

kids are gross

Atticus has had a big day...and it is barely after 1 p.m.


















To start I took the kiddos outside this morning so they could crawl around.(amazingly they both have no problem crawling on the grass *huge blessing*! Gavin was a wash outside till he could walk) They love it and have really gotten adventurous lately. Atticus has been crawling all the way to Grandma's house, stopping along the way to test all the dirt and rocks that catch his eye...Well this morning he also found a patch of dried bird poop to sample, along with the dirt and rocks....Blech! Luckily I realized what it was and was able to get it out pretty quickly before he swallowed(or at least before he swallowed very much). Probably not going to kiss him anytime soon though. Then after his nap(which ended conveniently right AFTER Jane & Gavin had gone down for theirs....aren't my children sweet, they never want me to be lonely) he started pitching a fit, yelling, and crawling after me down the hallway. I am getting a little tired of this behavior so I changed direction and went to the front room...somehow mid scream he managed to get distracted by a toy in the hall so things calmed down. Then I heard banging from the other room...."Oh crud" I think, "he has gone in the bedroom and is trying to wake up Jane & Gavin." I dash into the bedroom praying that I am not too late...the room contains only 2 children(both still asleep). I hear the banging again and from this vantage I can now tell that it is clearly coming from the bathroom. Dadblastit! When I get to the bathroom I find him happily playing with the plunger and also notice a toy at the bottom of the toilet(hmmmm I wonder what he was banging....*shudder*) AAAARGH! Is it wrong to be tempted to lysol a 10 month olds face, hands, and mouth(I didn't, in case you were wondering)? Oh, and a little while ago I pulled an old bandaid out of his mouth(not that we use bandaids for much more than decoration, but still) I am thoroughly disgusted and feel like bad parent. What with Jane crawling out of her high chair and Atticus eating bird poop CPS should be by any day now.

no escape

I have realized my children are a lot happier(for the most part)...if they can't see me/don't realize that I am around. Atticus, my slightly more emotional child, always likes to know where I am and for it to be within 2 feet of him. He has figured out exactly where to stand in his crib to be able to see(thru the curtain, thru the bedroom doorway) all the way to the front door. If I forget to close the bedroom door then he stands there ready to glimpse the slightest movement and start yelling so I will know that I am caught. Crazy thing is he really does have more fun playing if he doesn't have me right there to turn to every time he falls down!

another monkey

Jane is my little monkey in training(Gavin is rapidly achieving the rank of master climber...so far Atticus looks like the only non-climber in the bunch). She is climbing or at least trying to climb on EVERYTHING! She has already made it up onto the couch, and then promptly crawled off onto her head...rolled over and crawled away like nothing happened. She has fallen out of her high chair, and so now gets to eat in a 5 point harness. She makes it about halfway thru every meal till her hunger is not as pressing and then realizes that she can't stand up. This makes her extremely angry...my mellow Jane screams thru the end of each meal time now. This morning Daddy fed the babies so that I could take a shower....and forgot to strap her down. With Jane that means you turn around once and find this...

Welcome to the world Hyrum Huish!

8 lbs 7 0z and 21 inches long. He has sweet kissable cheeks that just about rest on his shoulders and strawberry blonde hair...heavy on the strawberry.
I know Laurie will post more details of the actual birth, but I wanted to celebrate the arrival of this sweet spirit! Now we just need to get Julie's baby here, and then it is a home stretch till September

double barrel baby launcher...

it seemed like a good idea at the time...

...to load up 4 kids, 2 women(0ne nursing, the other pregnant) in the van and head home. Leave the menfolk to follow after doing clean up detail at the party. No worries...we just replaced the radiator in van, and that recurring thought to ask my husband for his phone was easily relegated to the back of my mind. 1 hour, 1 overheated van, 1 completely dead cell phone(sis-in-laws), 4 screaming kids later...I realize that that recurring thought...that was a PROMPTING! Eventually we were able to make it down the dark and scary feeder road to a little gas station and contact the menfolk who rode in on their white horses and rescued us with a jug of antifreeze. Other notable findings from this wonderful experience....
-Crystal realized in time to avert catastrophe that my sweet and stressed out 2 1/2 year old was not in fact holding a pacifier in his 3 month old cousins mouth...he was just covering her mouth with his hand to stop the screaming...
-I realized that Atticus(the first and loudest screamer) was mostly upset because he had pooped all the way out of his diaper. He felt much better when that was remedied.
-My complete gratitude to the gas station attendant who took pity on us as we came in bedraggled and trying to trade out a gold coin dollar for quarters and let us use his phone.

Jane's first...

fake smile caught on camera....

MOM! didn't you foreget something....

US! Who wouldn't want to answer natures call with a tub full 'o twins right there cheering them on. They are very secure in the knowledge that I need them with me for every event in life...