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Merry Christmas 2009

Why pose for Christmas card pictures when you can kick the wall instead?

A Letter to Santa (From Me)

Dear Santa, I wanted to tell you what a good girl I've been all year. But I see you noticed it yourself. And as a treat for me, for being such a good girl, you gave me pleurisy . What better gift to give a working mom of three kids ages 3 and under, but an inflammation of the lining of my right lung. My favorite part is the piercing pain I feel in my chest every time I cough or sneeze. Thank you especially for blessing me with this four days before Christmas. Because, as you can imagine, I've got nothing else going on in my life right now. I will start thinking of my Christmas wish for next year as soon as I can. One of my friends has strep and she thinks it's a blast, so perhaps something like that can grace my stocking next December. Merry Christmas to you Santa! Sarah

My brain has reached its capacity

My husband thinks something is wrong with me. He feels that I do not remember things the way that I used to. I've tried explaining to him that I've got a lot going on, that he can't expect me to remember every little thing he says to me (because a lot of what he talks about lately is carpet and sanding and tile for the new bathroom/family room remodel project and frankly I find all that talk boring anyway...) I was thinking this morning about how Keith keeps making comments about how I don't remember things anymore. Let's get this straight - it's not like I forget that the stove is on or drive away without shutting the garage door (and I've never driven around the block to make sure that the door is, in fact, shut). But it's little things that apparently bother him. He's been talking about carpet for like a week now. We need to re-carpet our family room. But do I really care about the density or nylon vs. polyester? No. I just want pretty c

Truthful Tuesdays

Today I read a cool post with a ghost story over at Confessions From A Working Mom . It got me thinking about the ghost stories I have enjoyed reading over time. During my grade school years, I would constantly have a book with me. If it wasn't a classic (...ahhh The Catcher in the Rye and Little Women were favories), it was a ghost story. One of my favorite books has always been Rebecca , by Daphne Du Maurier. Now that isn't a traditional ghost story, like perhaps Dickens' A Christmas Carol or Straub's Ghost Story . But it was a haunting tale of life and love lost. I read this book at least once a year. Something I don't tell a lot of people - I could read in kindergarten. Full sentences. No one else could, and the teacher made a big deal about it, so I lied and said I had the book at home and read it with my mom a lot. Total lie. It was the first time I had seen the book. But my love affair with books had begun. I devoured anything I could, and usually read ab

Status Report

Monday Connor - double ear infection, sinus infection, gross sinus crap leaking from eyes Colin - had a high fever (lie 104-105) for days after getting over an ear infection. Broke out in a rash on Sunday. Diagnosis: viral infection. (Now that the fever is gone, he is stuck with lots of teething pain too.) Tuesday Me - after suffering from a bad cough for 4 days (co-workers were telling me how awful I sounded) and being up all night coughing, I finally went to the doc. Severe enough to get put on THREE medicines. Wednesday Keira - ear infection Now it's Thursday. We paid enough money in doctor's appointments and prescriptions that I am really hoping Keith stays healthy. Because my birthday is on Sunday and I'd like the household to have one non-sick day!

Conversations with Connor, Part One

Scene: The twins are fighting over a bag used to store all the Little People we have. Afraid someone might bite her brother, I place the bag in a time out. Connor goes and picks up the bag. Connor: I give the bag to the babies. Me: No, they don't get the bag right now because they were fighting over it. Connor: They not fighting, they sharing. They want the bag. They love it. ************* Me: Connor do you want to help me put the ornaments on the tree or watch your new Mickey Christmas movie? Connor: Mickey Christmas! Me: Ok, while you watch it, I'm going to put the ornaments on the tree. Connor: But Mommy, I want to do it. We do it together, okay? ************* Me: Connor, once the ornaments are on the tree, we don't touch them. Connor: But Mommy, I love them. ************* And my favorite conversation: (Let me say that Connor is currently suffering from a double ear infection and a sinus infection, which is causing a bunch of gross sinus crap to seep out his eyes.

Whodunit?

I don't know which one of them got me sick. Probably the cute little one that sneezed all over my arm and then stuck his pacifier in my mouth. Or the one who sucks her thumb and then rubs my face and hair. Or the other one who loves to give kisses now, but sometimes doesn't realize that he needs to stop the kiss and cover his mouth before coughing in my face. My cough is getting worse. Not to mention the cough medicine I took last night had a funny taste. When I said something to the hubby about it, he looked at the bottle and said, "It expired 14 months ago." Needless to say, it didn't help with the cough too much.

Christmas Card Photo Idea

I have big plans to get the kids all dressed up in cute Christmas outfits and have them stand on a beautiful snow-covered lawn for their Christmas picture. However, this past weekend, the kids decided they all wanted to sit on the little couch we have. (The one we don't really allow them to play with anymore due to them tipping it over and climbing it.) So now I have this cute picture: Granted Colin looks stoned and Connor is watching the Wiggles on TV, but I just may break down and use it for my cards. Do you know how tired I am? I'm not sure I have the energy to stage the photoshoot that exists in my head. Besides, there is no snow. And it will take forever to dress three uncooperative kids in their holiday gear. And once I let them loose in an open space, there is no guarantee I will be able to catch all of them to pose them. I may have Keith photoshop the background out so that people can't see how trashed the living room is. ;)

Hypocrite

One of my pet peeves is that Christmas comes too early. Not the actual holiday, but everything else. Society somehow thinks that Christmas trees should reside next to pumpkins and other Halloween decorations. There is a local radio station that switches to all Christmas music all the time in November. Last year, I think it switched over on November 1. Sickening. This year, they waited until this past Saturday, I think due to complaints they received last year about doing it too early. Anyway, I refuse to listen to any and all Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving. However... Last Wednesday was my floating holiday. I took the day off to start my Christmas shopping (since weekends are limited due to the family room improvement project that was supposed to take a month but will really take two). I am very ashamed to admit I broke out one of my favorite CDs, The Best of Christmas, Part One. You can't find this CD in any store since I made it myself. It's got all the b

Only a few days late...

Here are some of my favorite pictures from Halloween. We had a small Halloween party at our house, then took my niece and Connor trick-or-treating. We ended the night visiting my mom at the hospital where she works and then checking in on Uncle Tommy who was in ICU, due to complications with his diabetes. Here is Red and the Big Bad Wolf. (Shockingly, the Wiggles are on. They are Colin's newest obsession.) The wolf did not care for the hood. And also quickly discovered the zipper, allowing him to try to strip down to his diaper. I tried to get her to carry a basket, but she insisted on the lovey. Baby Reid enjoying his first Halloween. The only group photo of my kids. Belle remarked to Curious George that even though her boyfriend was supposed to be a beast, a monkey would do.

5 years ago today...

A 20-pounder!

Finally Colin has reached 20 lbs! 20.0 is what the scale read on Saturday at the ped's office. He broke out in hives on Tuesday at daycare. We called the after hours doctor because I wasn't sure what dosage of Benadryl he could have and was told it's a viral infection. More hives and a 104 temperature later, we got an appointment to get his ears checked again. Slight ear infection, but since we are going back on Friday for the vaccinations we couldn't get last time, we are holding off on antibiotics. On October 2, he was 19 lbs, 3.2 oz. But now his pants are too short and his shoes are getting too small, so we think that the month the few weeks that included the flu/double ear infection/viral infection causing hives and a rash/slight double ear infection again, he also went through a growth spurt. In my excitement of chasing him all over the exam room, I forgot to ask the doctor where he is at on the growth chart. He was in the 1%ile at his 15 month visit. I'm think

Embracing Chaos

Earlier this week, I showed a picture of what timeouts look like in my house. Here is one of what my house actually looks like: I've got nothing else to post about except that since September 9, one or more of the kids have had some sort of sickness. And now, Colin has hives, a rash and a fever. The doctor said it's a viral infection. Although now with the fever sprouting up, it could be a return of his ear infection. He just finished his antibiotic last Sunday. I'm so tired.

How timeouts really work...

On Saturday, the kids were playing in the living room. They love looking out the front window and playing with my sheer curtains. Somehow, Connor yanked down one side of the sheer curtains. He was put in timeout in the corner. By the time I got the other side of the curtains down (couldn't put them back up because he bent the rod), I saw this: Keira didn't feel like laying down but wanted to get in on the noise making, so she was banging her head and arms on the wall, laughing.

Ode to a lovey

Each twin has a lovey. My mother-in-law made cute taggie blankets for Easter. Keira's was pink; Colin's was blue. Keira claimed both. Colin didn't mind because he took a liking to those Gerber burp rags. They rarely like to be away from their loveys for long. When you tell them to go get their loveys, they walk over and grab their comfort object. However, we do find them on the floor a lot, and it's very cute to see Colin pick up Keira's lovey and walk it over to her, and vice versa. Keira will also pick up Colin's boo-boo (pacifier) and give it to him, although usually then she likes to take it back and walk away. On their first day of daycare, I packed 2 taggies and 2 gerber cloths in the diaper bag. But we forgot to mention who gets what. The daycare people assumed that the gerber cloths really were to be used as burp rags, so they only pulled out the pink and blue taggie blankets. Going off of colors, they handed Keira the pink one and Colin the blue one. Th

Who will kill me first?

Colin is our daredevil. It's no surprise anymore to catch him hanging off the back of a kitchen chair or climbing on the couch, almost flipping off the back of it in an attempt to pull at my sheer curtains. He is an ER visit waiting to happen. However, last night Keith brought the kids home and put them all in our super elegant playyard that makes up most of our living room. And yes we are quite dumb because our couch is currently located in the playyard. He went upstairs for just a moment (or so he says). When he came back down, he was not surprised to see Colin standing on the couch, yanking on my sheers. The big jaw-dropping moment was when he looked to the other end of the couch, and there was Miss Petunia, laughing and playing with the curtains. On the couch. My late walker with the low-muscle tone has learned to climb. Awesome.

A few of my favorite (fall) things

I love fall. Not just because my wedding anniversary is the day before Halloween, although that is a bonus. Autumn is my favorite time of year. I was lucky enough to plan a beautiful autumn and Halloween themed wedding and reception. (More on that in October.) But here are just a few of the reasons that I love this time of year: Pumpkin coffee and lattes: Fall decorations: My niece, Alexis, and I on her first Halloween Candy corn (although Keith loves it more than me) How cute my kids look all dressed up (Oct 2008): The trees, as they go through their yearly ritual of change. Green leaves turn to bright orange, sunny golds, and deep auburn. They scatter the ground and create a beautiful sound under our feet as we walk. The cool breeze as it turns into a sharp wind, creating the need for jackets and scarves. "Just before the death of flowers, And before they are buried in snow, There comes a festival season When nature is all aglow." Author Unknown "Even if somethin

Then and Now...

Connor at 1 year old: Connor at 3 years old: Where has my baby gone???

The sickies

The twins started their new daycare last Tuesday (long story). Anyway, they only go two days a week. Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday, Connor came down with a bad cold. On Thursday, the twins got sick. Keira was extra super-duper crabby - turns out she is getting all 4 molars and two eye teeth in. At once. The twins were on the mend, but on Monday night, Keira had a fever, probably due to teething. But they won't take fevers at daycare, so they missed their third day. And we misunderstood the policy (part-time is different than full-time) so by not sending either kid, we lost out on $110. I stayed home with everybody and it literally was the day from hell. Having caught their cold, I felt crappy. And the twins cried most of the day. Connor started acting up in the afternoon too. I heard Colin crying and I asked Connor if he hit Colin. He said no. Then I asked him why was Colin crying. Connor replied, "Because I hit him." Hmpf. Finally by Wednesday night,

Vertigo - it's not just a rooftop bar in Chicago...

After a lovely weekend with the family which included eating out (in a real restaurant!) , I woke Monday morning to the room spinning. Just my luck to be diagnosed with vertigo. No real cause, no real cure. Somewhat of a waste to drive all the way to Urgent Care to be told it could last for 3 weeks or so. This diagnosis was added to my never-ending list titled, "Weird things that happen to Sarah" Other items on the list include: Being kissed by a gas station attendant Having some random (drunk) guy grab my behind while on a tour of New Orleans Having some 12 year old kid try to grope me while I was walking around a college campus Having to swing and hit the kid with my umbrella Winning $1,000 on a scratch lottery ticket (not all the weird things are bad things) Winning a gift certificate to a jewelry store and using it to buy a nicer wedding band with diamonds in it Getting pregnant with twins even though I never did fertility treatments and twins do NOT run in my family Thi

Day out with Thomas 2009

A couple of weekends ago, the grandparents were nice enough to watch the twins so Keith and I could take Connor to the annual Day out with Thomas event. This was our first year going, but we plan on making it a tradition. Held at a railway museum, there was lots to see besides just the Thomas stuff. Connor had an absolute blast! watching trains go by cooling off from the summer heat Connor's first tattoo. Mommy and Daddy are so proud! ;) riding on Thomas!

What I did on my summer vacation

Last week, one half of our daycare went on vacation. (The ILs went to California to visit Keith's grandma. As much as I would love to introduce her to the twins, I am so not flying halfway across the country with my three wonderful children!) So Keith and I ended up taking off work a few days and had our own "vacation" with our kids. Anyway, on day one of vacation, all three kids got sick. One even threw up, all over me. Lovely. The rest of the time went great, despite it being 150 degrees out over the weekend. And our zoo trip was canceled due to illness. I really didn't want to come back to work. Connor and his busted lip (He was jumping on the couch and hit the window ledge. While this didn't actually happen during our vacation, but rather on MIL's watch, I did want to show the picture because it's one of the best pictures we have of him!) Connor and Lexi dancing in the rain Riding the train. Although moments after the photo was taken, Connor changed hi