the plunge...

big boy!

yay for bedtime!

so tired!

she 's got everything she needs!

so, we did it!  We took the long-awaited plunge and put our sweet little twins into big kid beds. We might hold the record for kid-caging, maybe I should check into that...it would feel good to win something.  Aren't they adorable, all snug in their beds???  Well, this was them at 8:00 on Saturday night.  At 10:45 on Saturday night, they looked exactly the same....hmmmm.   We thought they would never fall asleep!  But, lo and behold, around 11, all was quiet...until 1:30 when Max decided to back out of the deal all together.  "I don't want a big boy bed," was his cry, and so daddy, to convince him how great his bed was, spent the night in it with him.  Sunday morning Max was still not sure, but after a restless night, he was ready for an early nap.  Since we didn't make it to church (all four kids and mom were under the weather) I mentioned taking a rest around noon.  He didn't pass go.  He grabbed two books and we headed to his room.  I laid by him, read his selections, and then rubbed his back for a few minutes before leaving him in his room.  He fell right asleep and didn't wake until almost four o'clock.  When I went up to get him out of bed, he said, "Mom, I yuv my big boy bed, wanna see it?"  And, for the rest of the day, any time we passed his room he said, "I yuv my bed." So SWEET!  That boy is such a tender heart, I was really holding my breath.  Any transition rocks his world, so we were so happy to hear that the big boy bed won him over.  Sunday night, we put them to bed at 9 o'clock, and they were out by 9:15.  Again, they awoke this morning so happy to have big beds.  Yay!  And, today, they took stellar three hour naps in their beds without any problems or playing.  Now, I'm not assuming that will be the norm, but I am counting each time as a little blessing!

By the way, Molly, in true Molly fashion, had no adjustment period whatsoever.  She LOVES her bed, and she just can't wait to crawl into it each time.  I am so grateful that she is a true BIG sister to Max and comforts him whenever he is unsure.  It is her special role in our family, and I love her for it! 

my valentine...

Our sixteenth valentine's day together, and I still can't get enough of this guy!  We went out to the yummiest dinner at a great spot all alone! We had such fun reminiscing about Valentine's days past and laughing about some of the antics we have both staged to win the other's affections!  Lately, every time I hear this song, I smile and think of my valentine...

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend

lucky to have been where I have been

lucky to be coming home again

they don't know how long it takes

waiting for a love like this

everytime we say goodbye I wish we had one more kiss

I'll wait for you I promise you, I will.

Jason Mraz and Colbie Callait

love, love, love...

after a lovely breakfast of swedish pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream, the kids opened little valentine surprises from mom and dad...

Olivia got "Noodles" and made this zebra...

Max got a fun lightening mcqueen that you can change the parts around, complete with funny faces, headlights, and big wheels....he loves it!

and Molly got a princess mirror to decorate, which she glittered and glammed up the way only a princess would!

little valentines...

cheesy valentines...

Olivia's yearly Valentine's Day party....

Olivia has a Valentine's party each year (how did she rope me into that tradition?) and yesterday was the big event.  They decorated cookies, did a fun heart craft, had snacks and played games, all while listening to the awesome HSM 3 soundtrack!  Now that I have it behind me, it was fun!  Second grade girls are a bit silly, but Olivia was smiling all night, so it was definitely worth it!

cute friends!

more cute friends!

cute sister who didn't want to be left out!

some of the finished product...

oh, how I LOVE this holiday!

three months

Brotherly love...

Helping with homework.

so, I am a week behind on this post, but the pictures are accurate!  Can I tell you how much I love this little man?  He is such a lover, cuddler, and smiler!  It makes me totally forgive him each morning when he has kept me up late and then wakes up to eat every three hours all night!  He is growing "like bamboo" as his pediatrician said, "you can almost see it."  He has made our family complete, we are all totally and madly in love with this guy!

things they are a changing...

so, we are getting ready to take the plunge, put the twins into "big beds" (I know, they are the worlds oldest kids still sleeping in cribs, but they don't climb out, and my sanity has been kept by their containment!) and put Ian in a crib.  I have had such fun picking out bedding for their big kid beds.  I can't figure out how to get a picture here, but here's the link to Max's new bedding, it's called, "Things that go," which fits him just perfectly!  I found Ian a darling bumper, for a steal, and he will use Max's sheets and bed skirt, which coordinate quite well!  I am such a bedding nut, I just LOVE getting new bedding and making beds.  It is my favorite.  I will post pictures soon of the new big kids beds and let you all know how our transition goes!  

friendship...

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What?!  You too?  I thought I was the only one!'"  C.S. Lewis

Since it is the month of love, I thought I would send out some love to all of my friends.  You see, I have been blessed with many friends who have given more, done more, and loved me more than I deserve.  They are scattered all around, but each of them teaches me and inspires me, and I am grateful for each and every one of you!  Where would I be without my girls?

he knows the way to my heart...

Jonny just brought me some...I can rarely find them, and I was so excited that he thought of me while he was out working!  What a guy, and it's not even my birthday!

another funny...

I heard Max and Molly fighting in their room yesterday and Max came out crying,  "Mom, Monny says she doesn't want to be twins anymore!"

does anyone need a personal trainer?

Today after breakfast Max headed downstairs.  He turned back and said, "come on, Mom, it's time for your exercises."

What a great little motivator!

he said it...

Max walked up and showed me his sleeve, which was covered in snot, "Mom, my shirt has a runny nose."

I had to laugh!

matching game...

Match the ailment with the appropriate child.  Hint:  some have more than one ailment!

1.  Maxwell a.  twisted ankle

2.  Molly     b.  hacking cough/green nose

3.  Olivia      c.  broken clavicle/collarbone

4.  Ian          d.  ear infection

When it rains, it pours!  Answer key:  1=b,c  2=b,d  3=a,b  4=b

Max broke his Clavicle

He went to sit down and overshot the side of the bed.  He went tumbling backwards and landed on his shoulder.  When he wouldn't stop shaking and crying we decided to take him into the doctor, and sure enough, he has a broken Clavicle/collarbone. Poor little guy.  There's not much they can do for him.  We coaxed him into taking some Tylenol with codeine, which should be kicking in any moment, and hopefully he will have a restful sleep.  It's funny, because he wasn't jumping or playing rough on the bed with his sisters as he often does, which is when I fear these kind of mishaps.  He was just sitting down to watch a little movie on my bed with me and Ian. The blue popsicles seemed to cheer him up a little, and the Cars paint and color book I brought home from the store got the tiniest smile out of him.  I think there is nothing worse than seeing your baby in pain!

what am I supposed to do with a girly-girl?

new year's resolutions

Just thought you might all like to know that I have already broken all of my New Year's Resolutions. New Year's Resolutions suck.  I have been thinking a lot about the great lessons I learned in 2008.  Here are a few:

When you have the flu for 3 weeks, it might mean you are pregnant.

Doctors don't know what they are talking about.  Never believe them when they use probabilities like "you will probably never get pregnant on your own, your chances are slim to none."

Skin is VERY stretchy (by the way, I got one stretch mark this time, none last time, so now I have a forever little reminder of the joy of being with child).

Best friends move away.  And it's sad.  And it doesn't get any better.

Twins are a LOT of work.  But, they are even more fun!  I wish I had a twin!

You can fall in love again, even after 14 years.

Eight is great, and watching your child get baptized is surreal.  Wasn't she just a babe in arms?

Being pregnant is a miracle and a blessing but I HATE almost every minute of it, and it lasts FOREVER.  I am thankful that I am not an elephant (22 months gestational period) but I felt like one by September.

My children like to make dramatic entrances.  Three of them share the same birthday, and the other one came on Halloween.  We'd better stop while we are ahead so that we don't have a Christmas baby.

Having your water break at 2 AM is a very startling way to start the day.  

No matter how a baby comes out, it HURTS.  

Babies are miracles.  I wish I could have a hundred babies, without pregnancy or having to be responsible for raising them. I just LOVE the way my newbies look, smell, sound, all of it.  I could just sit and rock my little man all day long, and let the world dissolve all around me (hence the knives and couscous).

Cleaning my house is a waste of time, but I still do it.  It's a form of self torture.

I am the luckiest girl alive and I need to recognize that every day...

So, forget the resolutions, I am just going to try to be grateful and kind and loving to those around me.  I know that I will fail many times over, but I am committed to getting back in the saddle.

"You win some and learn some..."  Jason Mraz

kids say the darndest things...

I always say I am going to write down all the cute things my kids say, but I never do, so I thought I would share a few with all of you:

In bed the other night, after Olivia read a chapter from her latest book to me, she said, "Mom, isn't it cool that reading is one of my new talents?" 

Every time I give Max a hug and kiss his cheeks (I cannot resist them. I have given up trying) he says, (and he stutters) "Y-y-y-you yuv me, Mom?"  He melts me like a popsicle.

Molly is our drama queen.  I thought it was Olivia, but Molly has her beat.  When she gets frustrated, upset, angry or all of the above she says, "Don't talk to me I'm nervous."  Or, "Don't talk to me, I'm sad." Or "Don't talk to me, you hurted my feelings."  All the while she is furrowing her brow and sticking out her pouty lips.  It's adorable, but also exhausting.

another first...

"A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors."  Henry Ward Beecher

Olivia finished her first chapter book last night.  She has just turned a big corner in her reading and we are so proud of her!  She feels so accomplished!  We just bought Magic Treehouse #1-4, and she can't wait to start the next one!  

Max and the couscous mishap

Do you ever just have those days?  You know the kind I'm talking about, where you wake up with a yucky feeling, and then everything goes downhill from there?  Well, I had one today, and Max was behind it all...

Now, I know that may surprise most of you, that I could ever think poorly of my dear, sweet, Max.  One might say he seems to always be in  my favor, but today, he fell down a few notches, and I held a grudge for at least 20 minutes.

Baby Ian was sad today.  He had a rough morning.  He got up too early, and was tired and cranky. I went up to M and Ms room to rock him.  He LOVES to rock (oh, have I mentioned that before?) I heard some ruckus going on downstairs, but turned a deaf ear to it all, as I rocked my sweet-smelling little man.  Oh, I could rock him all day!  There were some loud thumps, some squeals of excitement.  I assumed Max was throwing his wood blocks on the floor, naughty, but not a big enough deal to get me out of my chair.  A few minutes later, Molly, my little informer, comes running up the stairs and into her room.  "Maxi throwing the rice! It's all over the floor.  He naughty."  Oh, how we love her little furrowed brow tattling!  "Ok, Molly, thanks for telling me, go tell him that's a no-no, and Mommy will be right down."  So, she disappeared and came back a minute later.  "Maxi won't stop.  The rice is everywhere!"

Note:  I cleaned my floors this morning.  Of course.

Ian was in a deep enough sleep so I headed down to assess the damage.  I laid him in his bassinet.  I turned the corner into the kitchen and gasped.  There was Max, on the counter, hucking everything onto the floor.  The "rice" was actually couscous, and for anyone who's ever had to clean up couscous off of the floor, cooked or not, you know how much worse that is than rice.  Also, on the floor:  a can of milk (big chunk out of the hardwood from that), the can of Ovaltine, crackers, bread, and hot chocolate. And, the clencher...KNIVES.  I have a block of knives in my top cupboards, because having a knife block on the counter hasn't seemed to be a good idea with toddlers, and Max was chucking them onto the floor, one by one.  There were scratches and chunks of wood all over the floor where they landed.  Luckily, Molly was out of the room when this little hay day occurred.

So, to say the least, I lost it. I grabbed him off of the counter and without saying a word carried him up to his bed "closing" the door behind me.  I came back down and just sunk onto the floor trying to get my head together enough to decide what to do and how to go about cleaning up. Molly came up beside me and said, "I wanna sit by you.  I wuv you."  That made things a tiny bit better.  

So, I picked up the knives, put the canned goods back, and swept, vacuumed and mopped the floor, again.

I still have no idea what possessed my little Max to do such a thing.  I hope it was just a funky day for him, too, because he was pretty lucky that I didn't open up a can of you--know-what on him.  

After the mess was cleaned up and Max got a talking to, I told Jon that he could go ahead and get that vasectomy any day...

two months...

He just signed an endorsement contract with CK

umbilical hernia...now that is what I call an outie!

(note: new Monkey tubby towel)

thanks, Trudie!

...and in the blue corner, weighing in at 16 lbs and measuring a whopping 27 inches (very proportionally off the charts!), our very own Bab-Ian  (it's like saying Baby Ian very run together, like there is only one short i sound, this is the nickname Max coined, and it STUCK!). We LOVE this boy (who is currently asleep on my chest, snoring away as I, yes, rock him).  I never believed I could love another one so much!

my favorite thing about Christmas...

Christmas highlights

Six AM came a little early for these boys!

Molly's lollipop for the lollipop sucking contest (Geoff won!)

Uncle Dave drew this for Olivia, she loved it!

Molly loved her princess dress ups from Santa!

more christmas morn...

Cars...it's all he really wanted!

the nicest big brother...

Olivia is so fun with presents!  She gets so excited!  She really wanted "talkie-walkies."

why are my kids always the most excited over candy canes and lollipops?

Christmas morn...

twas the night before Christmas...

Thanks, Geoff, for reading The Night Before Christmas to us all this year!  This is a super fun tradition our family has, each year we read this classic, and then record who read it and who was there in the blank pages preceding the story.  It is so fun to look back on who we shared Christmas Eve with each year, especially as our family has grown!

Christmas Eve books and jammies!

Here they all are, in their pj best!

Parker is such a darling boy, and a good sport with all the little kids!

Tage got Mario pjs, not pictured here, but he was super excited!