I've got nothing today. We're exhausted. We're getting over colds. We're trying to re-figure out sleeping through the night. We're nearly all back on track after the routine shake ups of the holidays. And we are beginning to look toward the end of winter and beginning of Spring, which isn't too far off in our Southern home.
And just for today, I'd like to remember that we smiled a few times through the whole thing called the holidays.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Back Off!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Please, No Coffee Snobs
So the best part of this National Guard weekend was by far....
Getting this package in the mail (and perhaps the discovery that The Incredibles NEVER gets old no matter how many times you watch it).
Yes. Benjamin was in his pajamas already when the mail got here on Saturday. What?It was as if Sarah had magically known what I would be needing this weekend. Because quickly snatched out of that box was my very own J&S Coffee (otherwise known as the Dukes' coffee shop).
And I lovingly lined them up on the counter next to my new [possessed (but that's another story)] coffee pot. Yes, I even arranged the fruit around them like an art school still-life. Yeah, yeah, we'll leave the art to Patric. What? Leave me my fun. And I stared at them. I considered making my very own pot of new coffee at 5 in the evening. I decided to wait. I took pictures. I walked away. I came back. Really, I'm so tired, the caffeine wouldn't really keep me up would it? I walked away. No, I'll get up early and go sit next to my Mother's Day bush in the yard. It will be a new day and a new pot of coffee, and I had a special moment planned just for me--even if it was for 4:30 in the morning.
And while they look like they both just shared a pot of coffee themselves, they acted even more like they had just shared a pot of coffee all night long--beginning at 10 in the evening and ending at 3:30 in the morning when every last what-could-it-be had been checked and the darlings were left to figure it out for themselves so that mom could get 2 hours of sleep please. Seriously, does anyone have an answer for the babies that flip themselves over, are perfectly capable of flipping themselves back over, refuse to and instead just lay there and scream during the night? I was lucky on Friday, they waited until 12:30 to start the show.
But I had my coffee as they slept-in after sucking down bottles at 6:00, and I got half an hour to shower and relax before the boys popped up. And I drank the WHOLE pot. And then I made another pot, and I have to say, that was excellent coffee that I shared with no one yesterday. Many thanks Sarah.
Getting this package in the mail (and perhaps the discovery that The Incredibles NEVER gets old no matter how many times you watch it).
Yes. Benjamin was in his pajamas already when the mail got here on Saturday. What?It was as if Sarah had magically known what I would be needing this weekend. Because quickly snatched out of that box was my very own J&S Coffee (otherwise known as the Dukes' coffee shop).
And I lovingly lined them up on the counter next to my new [possessed (but that's another story)] coffee pot. Yes, I even arranged the fruit around them like an art school still-life. Yeah, yeah, we'll leave the art to Patric. What? Leave me my fun. And I stared at them. I considered making my very own pot of new coffee at 5 in the evening. I decided to wait. I took pictures. I walked away. I came back. Really, I'm so tired, the caffeine wouldn't really keep me up would it? I walked away. No, I'll get up early and go sit next to my Mother's Day bush in the yard. It will be a new day and a new pot of coffee, and I had a special moment planned just for me--even if it was for 4:30 in the morning.
And while they look like they both just shared a pot of coffee themselves, they acted even more like they had just shared a pot of coffee all night long--beginning at 10 in the evening and ending at 3:30 in the morning when every last what-could-it-be had been checked and the darlings were left to figure it out for themselves so that mom could get 2 hours of sleep please. Seriously, does anyone have an answer for the babies that flip themselves over, are perfectly capable of flipping themselves back over, refuse to and instead just lay there and scream during the night? I was lucky on Friday, they waited until 12:30 to start the show.
But I had my coffee as they slept-in after sucking down bottles at 6:00, and I got half an hour to shower and relax before the boys popped up. And I drank the WHOLE pot. And then I made another pot, and I have to say, that was excellent coffee that I shared with no one yesterday. Many thanks Sarah.
Friday, January 4, 2008
THINGS TOO AGGRAVATING TO GRAB THE CAMERA DURING: The Great Escape 2007
So it should have looked something like this. As the holiday wound down and the final guests spent their last evening wondering at all the chaos in the Stuber house, we had a touching evening of "night, night" and "luv you" and hugs and smiles and fond farewells as family bid the boys a good night. The ladies had already been tucked quietly away, storing their energy up for the 2:30 wake-up.And Patric took the boys tromping upstairs and checked diapers and put them in bed, and all was quiet. We swelled with pride as we were complimented on our bedtime routine. "Do they really just go to bed that easy?" Of course, we said. We have great kids. And as part of the great kid routine, we leave the light on after putting them in their cribs so they can flip through their books and chatter for a few minutes. Then we go in and tuck them in like burritos with their blankets and turn off the light. Except sometimes, we forget to go back and turn off the light.So some time later, there is a thump and we shake our heads because they are throwing books again, and we remember that they've been left with the light on for a little longer than usual. Patric goes up for burrito duty. And instead of winding-down-boys-ready-for-slumber, he finds Mr. Nicholas OUT OF HIS CRIB taking all of the parts for the crib-to-toddler-bed-conversion, which we've nicely tucked away under Ben's crib, and he's handing them to Ben--slats, packages of bolts, instructions. When he sees daddy, he runs toward him handing him various pieces and yelling "tank you, tank you," which is toddler for "please don't murder me."And our pride deflated, and he was tucked back in his crib. And ever since we are skeptical that thumps are not books but that thumps are boys making the great escape. We must now seriously consider toddler beds, and we so very much don't want to go to toddler beds.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
How Tired Are You?
There should be an amazing story of some sort to go along with that. But there isn't. Why? Because I am so tired that I remember thinking, "That'll leave a mark." But, honestly, I cannot remember how that happened. Cropped out of that photo is my seriously-in-need-of-repair-sole-of-my-foot, which is just too embarrassing to post here.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy New Year!
Welcome 2008, Goodbye 2007
We took some road trips to Atlanta, Texas, Kansas and Nebraska. And we bought a minivan to hold all of the people we were looking forward to having.
We passed the cold days, just the two of us, in doors dreaming up new activities. And we spent some weekends with Gracie while mom and dad prepared for these new people we were looking forward to having.
We got our first hair cuts, which didn't go over so well, but mom wanted us to look sharp for the big event of welcoming Aunt Lori to the family. And they needed something easy to care for because of these new people we were looking forward to having.We broke outside as soon as the weather let us, where we found a pool, a new sandbox, that crazy red hoe, and many woks.But we still took some time to use our imaginations on days that we couldn't get outside because it was just too darn hot, which started right around the Fourth of July when mom was really ready to welcome these new people we were looking forward to having!
And about that time, these little people came along and changed things forever.
And we became a big, crazy family of six.
And the ladies learned the ropes and fit right in to the chaos
And after a bit of a rough start, the chaos has ground back down to an acceptable level, even though you wouldn't know it from any group photo that has been attempted since July.
We were thankful.
And finally, we learned to climb and work together, celebrated Christmas, and continued to charm, enrage, frighten, warm, and bring joy right on in to the new year.On the docket for 2008: getting toddler beds since the great Christmas break-out by Nicholas (stay tuned), potty training, meaningful conversation, crawling, walking, talking, and (fingers crossed) consistently sleeping through the night. Being finished with bottles and formula! Oh, and one two-day train trip--Patric and I are already like little kids talking about that one.
We passed the cold days, just the two of us, in doors dreaming up new activities. And we spent some weekends with Gracie while mom and dad prepared for these new people we were looking forward to having.
We got our first hair cuts, which didn't go over so well, but mom wanted us to look sharp for the big event of welcoming Aunt Lori to the family. And they needed something easy to care for because of these new people we were looking forward to having.We broke outside as soon as the weather let us, where we found a pool, a new sandbox, that crazy red hoe, and many woks.But we still took some time to use our imaginations on days that we couldn't get outside because it was just too darn hot, which started right around the Fourth of July when mom was really ready to welcome these new people we were looking forward to having!
And about that time, these little people came along and changed things forever.
And we became a big, crazy family of six.
And the ladies learned the ropes and fit right in to the chaos
And after a bit of a rough start, the chaos has ground back down to an acceptable level, even though you wouldn't know it from any group photo that has been attempted since July.
We were thankful.
And finally, we learned to climb and work together, celebrated Christmas, and continued to charm, enrage, frighten, warm, and bring joy right on in to the new year.On the docket for 2008: getting toddler beds since the great Christmas break-out by Nicholas (stay tuned), potty training, meaningful conversation, crawling, walking, talking, and (fingers crossed) consistently sleeping through the night. Being finished with bottles and formula! Oh, and one two-day train trip--Patric and I are already like little kids talking about that one.
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