In Service to the Country

Once all the the National Guard Weekend help has gone home, and you are left with four children wanting food and clean diapers, you find yourself doing a few things you promised never to do. Frozen dinners are well-balanced meals for the toddlers and you can certainly provide a loving bottle-feeding to two infants at the same time in bouncy seats set on the table, can't you? Yes, the bouncy seats have been stripped of all colorful and stimulating toys by either the toddlers or the mother who found them annoying to work around.

Men At Work

Not only do we blog, but we blog simultaneously. Not sure what happens when the ladies are old enough to contribute. Mom says she doesn't guess there will be twice the posts going up. We don't see why not.

A Grown, Educated Woman's Conversation with Herself

"You have two feet; therefore, you need two socks," she said to herself as she stared at the pile of socks and wondered how to cope with dressing herself. (So she grabbed two pair of socks naturally.) Having put one pair of socks on her feet, she looked down at the other pair of socks. For a few moments she actually wondered what her reason had been for getting the second pair of socks before realizing that she was just a very tired mommy who always grabs everything in pairs now days.Bad enough to have to remind yourself how many feet you have attached to your body; horribly worse to actually get it wrong after having given yourself such a reminder.

Tummy Time

Elaine
Alida and ElaineElaineWe may have to come up with a new plan for tummy time if these girls are ever going to hold their heads up high because this seems a little too restful to be useful as neck exercise. Perhaps tummy time shouldn't be taking place on the comfort of mom and dad's bed for one...

The Drama

Sad to say, but we couldn't even tell you at this point what the drama was about. Why does the sad one have everything in his hands and the happy one nothing? Oh, that's right. Benjamin hates the camera unless he is allowed to maul it. Nicholas, on the other hand, is trying to build his modeling portfolio at all times.

Before

The forecast turned to: 104, 105, 104, 104, 103
Before the summer sun turned the lawn brown (which mom and dad smile about).Before the ladies came.Before, I was the King of the Yard.
And I, the King of the Picnic Table.
Now we wait until nearly bedtime to get some good time outside in the fresh air. Mom has been pleasantly surprised at what good that does for bedtime and morning time. She says she can't wait for the ladies to join us in the evening escapades and general wearing out of the children. We're just holding on until October at this point.

What?

Yeah, because there are lots of long soaks in the tub happening around here. Right.Last night was mom's first night solo with four tikes. There was only one truck flung at a baby's head; five pre-dinner melt downs; we at least ate the corn portion of our dinner and didn't throw too much on the floor; the ladies at least waited until 8:00 to start snacking continually and alternately until 10:00; 2 trips to the boys room to put them back to bed; dad waited until midnight to call; the ladies woke up at 12:30 and ate like they had been starved, but that only lasted until 4:15 when they were starved again. EVERYONE woke up at 7:00 and the boys got all of the crackers they could eat and the ladies all the formula they could drink and we all watched all the cartoons that would keep our attention until 8:00. Mom only missed one diaper change this morning; and when Frannie arrived, she disappeared.

Eat Your Vegetables

Being a good German and a good Cornhusker, Grandpa says there are two acceptable styles of eating corn on the cob.
The "typewriter" style and the cylinder style going around and around.
He's not had corn on the cob with the Stuber boys yet and experienced free-style.
Another good summer vegetable is the tomato.
Dad gave us these right off the vine.
And now he's wondering what he'll eat.

As Good As it Gets Right Now

Behold the Mighty Stuber Brood. Too much to ask all four to be compliant at once we guess.

The Two Week Stats

Alida
Wired like daddy.
7 pounds
19 1/2 inches
Doing Lovely
Elaine
Tired like mommy
6 pounds 12 ounces
19 1/2 inches
Doing Lovely

Chomp!

You are watching Shark Week, right? (Yeah, that's the Wiggles or something back there, but that's not the point.)

Benign, with some abnormalities

When we got back to the dermatologist's this morning, the nurse popped her head out to say hi, and then she explained that they weren't going to call us back until they were set up and ready for us since I had such a fit the other day. When we did get called back, the doctor was already in the room waiting for us. She explained that she had taken off her white coat so that it didn't freak me out.The doctor explained that the mole was benign, but it did have some abnormal characteristics. However, she explained that the abnormalities turned out to be inconsequential 99 percent of the time. She recommended that we keep an eye out for any regrowth and even if it came back to watch it for a month or months before coming back.After, I got shark chews to go with my shark shirt that I'm wearing in honor of shark week on Discovery Channel...you all are watching right?