a holiday recap of sorts....

well folks, it's come, gone, and done....and on to January. I have to say, though, the holiday time fared rather well, and now we can settle down, and get back to the everyday appreciations, and lovins, and a bit less chaos....

We had a nice quiet x-mas morn' here, chock full of handmade wrappins', waffles, strawberries, and giftin'. The kids got some fun stuff, and yes, this mama wrapped up the new snow pants and socks, and needed items as well, not that it ever snows in these parts....:)The kidlets seemed to enjoy themselves, and hubs spoiled me rotten, out of the blue, with a remote carstarter, that I have been all sorts of lovin' everytime we have left the house since...



Between Hanukah and X-mas these kidlets got spoiled rottenby both my family and bry's and allthough I am very appreciative, as they indeed loved all their gifties, (yes, even the socks and snowpants...) I definately had some damage control to do for several days after the festivities came to an end....NEVER SPOIL YOUR CHILDREN....I am shocked at how fast they can go from appeciating a new toy to the greedy....IS THAT FOR ME TOOOOOO??? Followed by a rush to grab the next present. But alas, all seems to be under control, and the troops are rallying back to normalville here, which is a great relief to me...



New Years will be a quiet event, hosted here, just some friends and family, nothing crazy....just some chill time...with good eats and great company.


In baby news, lil man is growing on schedule, and doc says, that the more kids you have, the stretchier things get, hence why when you stare at the belly he appears to be doing jumping jacks, it's because he can....

I am just trying to rest and savour the last several days of break before school is back in session until maternity leave takes over....just......a......few....more....weeks...........

Lil man starts swimming lessons with Pa in a few more weeks, and shortly after that, there will be three, folks.......just trying to take it day by day, love every moment, and not be to overwhelmed by what lies ahead!


anyhow, hope you all fared the holidays and are doing wonderful, I miss you all, and am looking forward to some mini visits soon....

NIN....so glad you are feeling better and the holidays worked out....can't wait to have drinkies with you after babymaking is come and gone....

S- I have been thinking lots about you too, miss you something fierce, and for you, my calender is out....lets do even just coffee perhaps this weekend?????
hugs...

well, we are deeply submerged into the holiday season, although the weather is kind of a drag. I am not a huge snow fan, but folks, 53 the weekend of Christmas...BBLAGHHH. What we need is a good cold spell, to kill all of these nasty germs and refresh the winter spirit....uhmm, can you say GLOBAL WARMING...

So the kidlets have been all sorts of digin' on their Hannukah lovins' and are just about ready to jump into their Christmas bashes, as the festivities will be all sorts of chaos and holiday craziness starting this weekend!



Lil man's new favorite chore is vacuuming up all the tree needles that fall on the floor everyday to help out, this among the daily reorganization of ornaments that continues.....ahhhh, my little Ty Pennington....

Anyhow, for the most part all is well, I have been sending lots of well wishes to some families in need out there, and can only imagine the struggles that they are going through, which is stressing me a bit, but I am tring to keep my head up....

I am out of control with my germaphopia, more on that another day, just trying to stay healthy, and get through the next few days!
sorry to anybody who is waiting on me to make plans, I have sort of been in a no plans mode, as planing things in advance is stressing me, so so soon folks, I promise to get my head out of my way and make plans.....I PROMISE....

Ahhhh, hormones, gotta love 'em....
Love to you and yours, from me and mine,

A

the holidays are coming....oh my....

well, they are upon us, and so far so good. I am exhausted, had an ultrasound today, and guess what, the little guy only weighs in at about 4 lbs. right now, not the 30 or so that I had estimated, so I guess, I am indeed the one packing on the pounds, not the baby! Hence the exhaustion, lots of weight, little frame, SOOOO stinking tired. Oh yeah, and the other two children.... :-)


this is little T's view on a regular basis...poor kid. She is so excited, and regularly puts her little hands all over the belly and says "MOOOOOVE Benjiben!!!!" (Benjamin is not in her vocab...but I stinkin' love benjiben, and may even call him that for kicks...no mom, not really.

no complaints though. everything looks great, and estimating the little man to arrrive in the begining of feb, sometime.....I would post more pics, but hmmm....

the kiddies are good, M insists on rehanging the ornaments on the tree all day long, a tradition he has deamed "decoration days" and is absolutely thrilled to light the harmonica candles, if only harmonica would hurry up and get here!

Just a few more days little guy. I promise!


anyhow, I hope you are all fairing the season well, and I look forward to seeing all your sunshiney faces sooo soon.

much love, and happy holidays....A

p.s. nin, I have been reading faithfully, but blogger will not let me leave you comments....urghhh, so irritating. So miss you love you, and hope to see you soon...

randi, thanks for the comment, so glad you finally left one. how are your holidays so far....do we have a WH gathering in the works for over X-mas??

SC - sorry we couldn't work it, lets shoot for after x-mas before new years....but maybe a girlie gathering in the meantime??

and SE...so glad you had a nice time, x-mas???

chel, see you soooo soon!

santa came to town....

and threw up all over my neighbors yard....
I wish you could all see it....I mean really, it is like these folks drove to the local walmart, raided the store, bought everything that you could blow up, tie down and light up, and are in the process of putting it within my field of vision....

I am trying to stay open minded, I think that some lights are pretty, but people please, a blow up dalmation wearing a santa hat that is the size of my minivan....NOT FLIPPING COOL.
(sorry if I am offending any of you that think this 10 foot snow globes are cute...)

IN OTHER NEWS...as I am trying to ignore Chevy Chase across the street, who has been out there for FOUR FREAKING HOURS PEOPLE...yes, read FOUR....and is still unpacking boxes of items that need to be set up.

the x-mas and harmonica(as lil man calls it) cards are done, and we are just in the process of getting the holiday picture taken which is semi impossible, as Teags just isn't into letting me take the pic with out getting up and walking away....and I have tried everything, so after naps, we will try again...


and no, he is not choking her, he was trying to ge her to look up at the camera, all while saying, "ugh, T-bo you are driving me stinking insane...."











oh, and people, if you are reading, say hi. I love to hear that you all read, but leave me a comment, it makes my day to know your all here! just click on the little comment link at the end of the post. it is not rocket science....

keepin' it real....

so december has arrived and I am less than enthusiastic, I feel like this time of year is so full of errands, to do lists, obligations, obligations and more obligations....

SO, how to battle these winter blahs...

I am trying to spend this year focusing on what is important, what makes me smile, doing the things I want to do, and what is best for our family, not necesarily what pleases everyone else...

so in the spirit...I am making my OWN list

gonna wanna do list:

*gonna curl up with some sweet decaf at night by the fire, while I work on the holiday cards(which will probably inevitabley be late)

*gonna not spend the whole day everyday running around and picking up the kiddos toys that will be back on the floor in 5 minutes...and I am not gonna stress abot what people think of this when they come over to my house...

*gonna not feel obligated to spend a fortune on gifts for people that we rarely see anyway, and going to try and make everyone else remember that it is not STINKING about the gifts and the amount of money you spend, rather the thought that goes into it and the love behind it....

*gonna marvel in my kids faces as they experience all the joys of the holiday season, like making gingerbread men, which lil man will LOVE, and eating them, which T-bo will cherish...

*gonna get lost on my book everynight before bed while I curl up by my snoring husband, and remember how lucky I am to have such a wonderful man in my life...

*gonna bake lots of treats for lots of folks and make homemade gifties and I am gonna pretend that people are happy to get them, because that's what I want to do....

*gonna ignore all the irritating statements about how stinkin' huge my belly is...helllloooo, I cannot move, obviously I am aware of it...and I am gonna cherish every little movement that this lil man makes inside me, as I think he will maybe probably *maybe* be the last little one that I carry...

*gonna be outside in the fresh crisp air as much as humanly possible...

*gonna light candles everynight so I can hear the little guys say "HAPPY CANDLELIGHT!"

*gonna stop letting the little things make me crazy....gonna just remember that they are just little things, and they don't matter, so just ignore them all together!

*gonna stop letting the nasty, unhelpful, attitude-ridden sales people everywhere I go drag me down...and remember that they to have lots on their plates...

*gonna love, gonna live, gonna be grateful, thankful and content...THE WHOLE SEASON....just like I am able to do easily the rest of the year....and remember what matters most....

What are you gonna do....

turkey love....

home, sleepy, thankful, overwhelmed,
















sending you all lots of love...

A

it's on!

well folks, officially 3 days till we head for VT and I am beyond stoked. The chinese cookies are done, the food shopping in shifts has begun, and I have mede the checklists of things that MUST be remembered in order for a successful trip....potty seats, strollers, backpacks, diapers, tylenol...(just in case), oh yah, and tylenol for me, etc. so much to do so little time.

T is starting to finally kick this cold, however, she is still stylin' and hanging around the homefront in her jammies and her bunnies, yup, she digs those slippers every morning before she puts on her heeled clogs....my mini me...no doubt this kiddo is mine....

Lil man is all set for VT, and has allready packed his toys...he is ready for thanksgiving, and says all he has left to do is make a centerpiece...hmmm...


SO all in all things are good and just gearing up to get moving....

the princess is up so I must run, but happy 3 days till turkey day to you,

hugs, Al

takin' some time tuesday

well, it's been a long, long few days since the last post, and I must say, that things have been crazy indeed. The kiddos are still working a cold I swear that they have had for over a month, the days are flying by, and shockingly, thanksgiving, I am thankful is now in the single digits away!!!! I am so ready for a mini vacation. That is all I will say, I need to get away....
It was a wicked busy weekend filled to the brim, and closing off with a memorial service for Bry's Grammie. My man got up and spoke and was totally overcome with emotion, and he did a beautiful job. Told a sweet story and warmed my heart...I love him. His bro sang a solo and his sister read a poem, amongst some other speakers, and it was overall just really nice...we miss her. Then B's family all came back to the house for some apps and chill time, and off to bed....this mama needs some shut eye....


But none here....
T-bo was up all night last night, fever, crying, and just overall FUSS. I got about an hour of sleep and eventually threw in the towel and called sick for the day. She is on better terms today, but I am pretty convinced it is molars breaking through, as her gums look pretty peeved...
She is being a trooper today though and took a nice long nap while the lil man was at school, and on top of that used te toilet for the second time....shocking. She can't even get on the pot herself, and she is doing her buisness....stunning. Rock on girlie!


anyhow, not much else going on here, just determined to beat these coughs,runny noses and belly achings one of these days.

grateful for cuddles, and Calliou today, and for my kiddos who love to torment each other, but not always....




Fania - maybe this weekend??

Nina....miss you girl...sending cozies your way....

to my man.....

sappy anniversary wishes here. yesterday Bry and I celebrated our FOUR year anniversary. It was a nice low key day of work, followed by some out-to-dinner-without-the-kidlets-time, lots of conversation of where we come from and where we are headed, our aspirations, our dreams, and our desires....but mostly just us, smiling and chatting and enjoying some yummy food. times have been a bit stressful, as with pregnancy comes lots o' hormones, lots of anxiety about making the transition from two to three, what comes next, what changes, and what stays the same thoughts. it was so nice to spend some quality time...just as two...not thinking, just being.

it was not an extravagant eve, just a nice low-key, bry and al style gala. no glamour, no glitz.....just the way we like it. this man is a treasure, and I hope he knows through all the craziness and chaos and sometimes just overwhelming life that we have, I think that it doesn't get any better than this. That I truly love and am in love with it all, and I wouldn't trade it, not any of it, for anything. not ever.

I am proud of us....we are being the best parents that we can be, through the runny noses and fussy-pants, the happy healthy smiles shine through, and these kiddos are growing, learning, thriving even...and they bring a warmth and happiness to my life that I never imagined existed....even when I am out of control and filled to the brim with "must clean this house....must bake these breads...must bath these kids and vacuum all at the same time," stress, i am happy, and looking into your big beautiful blue eyes, makes it all okay, makes me realize that we have a good thing going, and I can't wait to spend the rest of our days seeing what comes next and our nights falling asleep together, loving our babies, each other, and everything...together.

I love you baby, and happy anniversary....

october's end.....

hey all,

after much halloween chaos and a long stinkin' head cold that is finally headed out I think, HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!






Halloween was a blast, the kiddos did a spectacular job, despite my placing them in very gender specific roles, (sorry sara) they had a fabulous time trick or treating. At every house Teags would shake her pom poms, and give a big old smile, and lil' man would say something so damn cute that we all walked around with perma-grin for the evening.










The progression of understanding was delightful to watch as well. At house #1, the door opened, and lil man without hesitation, walked inside...so, after some coaching, he figured out it was not necessary to go IN, to get the candy. He would tell the happy halloween folks, "I am a BUFFALO BILL, you can't wait to see my costume!" or "This is how we hold the ball...."




I taught on Halloween, as it was a Tues. and one of the staff members at my school deemed the belly in need of a pumpkin costume, and decorated me with some colored tape, which was adored by all that saw it, and pretty appropriate, as I was wearing the brightest flaming orange shirt that I could locate in my closet full of stuff that barely covers this fast expanding baby boy!

So overall, we had fun...trick or treated till the kiddos couldn't even entertain the idea of going any further, and spent the next day gorging ourselves on the kids candy...(Bry and I of course....) I am actually sugared out, if that is even possible....


hugs, and halloween smiles your way,

Al

p.s. the THANKSGIVING countdown is ON! I am just a flutter with dreams of cozy clothes and slippers, turkey, crabmeat ball with doritos(uh, I know sounds gross, but it is amazing,) spinach dip, cranberry sauce, and to top it all of good folks to enjoy it all with! HUGS ALL...

happy rainy saturday peeps

hey all.

my apologies to those that actually read this, but I slacked for awhile, was dealing with some aggravations that I could not post about, and needed to take a breather so I didn't vent here about things as they have been the last week or two....but I'M OVER IT...and ready to move on....


so, the kidlets and I are enjoying a peaceful rainy saturday. we are gonna stay in our jammies all day, have soup for lunch and just stay cozy together. I have some cleaning plans, and some repotting plans while T-bo naps, and I am anticipating a long one because yet again, my pumpkin has a sneezy sniffle, and fever head cold.....my gosh. I give these kids their herbies, their vits, and they eat healthier than most kids....urgh.

Anyhow, it was a crazy week, lots to do, and never enough time, energy, or patience...this belly is way more exhausting than the last two were.





Perhaps that is partially the broken foot on top of it all that drags out my energy. The foot is mostly on the mend, I have trouble still if I am on it for extended periods of time, but for the most part I have phased out the boot. If we go to the orchard or something, I pop it on, just no need for it around the house anymore. Glad that chapter of chaos is coming to a close....knockin on wood here....

been trying to get in lots of outside time, as we love love and want to eat up all this glorious fall weather!


so stay warm folkies, and sending our fall vibes you way....
sara - it was so wonderful to see you guys, will we be seeing you for the service on the 12th? perhaps we can have some fun weekend activities....

nin - wish I knew where in CT you would be so I could surprise you in jammies and all with coffees for you and your boo!

fania, happy 4 years! hope you had a wonderful one!

kate-emma....sending GIGANTIC congrats your way...we love you both and can't wait to join you in VT for a big ole' crazy wedding...

how we roll.....

so, the eve after my last post, the little man was putting up his normal bedtime chaos, and took a huge digger off the bed, and landed with his nose square on the metal trash can....so, although it is hard to see in this pic, he now has a little ouch factor across the bridge of his nose. His Dad and Pa, took him to the ER, as the little lady was already fast asleep so I stayed with her. And as if a traumatic experience could not get worse, the swift doc on call, using the surgical glue to patch up his nose, get ready for this, glued his EYE shut. UHM HELLLLOOOOO....this is not brain surgery, (thank goodness, and knock on wood...) but if you are gluing shut the bridge of a squirmy and over tired 3 YEAR OLD's nose, wouldn't you cover his eyes?????? Maybe it's just me?

Anyhow, the kid is a trooper, he fussed when he fell, probably because it was more blood than the child has ever seen before, (I wanted to photograph it, but the photographer in me had an all out battle with the mama in me, over the moral dilema of photographing my lil man's first real injury that required an ER visit and wanting to wrap myself around him and make him feel better and talk to him till he was smiling and calm....and yes, I am kicking myself now for not snapping a quick pic, but oh well...as things go, the mama is ALWAYS right.)
but he is fine, and was great at the ER and the next day. Now it looks like a teenie tiny cut on his nose, and I am furiously vitamin e-ing it to try and prevent a scar.

SO that was our excitement for the week, followed by my birthday and many birthday treats, including a dinner trip for all out to an Indian place nearby, complete with Mango shakes and Tandoori, a craft show, and a mini clebration at the in laws...

so now we are back to some peace and quiet - for now - as it always seems to be only temporary...


baby T is doing great, full of words and smiles and defiance, and lil man short of his spill, is great. He is loving school, despite some sharing issues that we are working through.



As for me, the belly is growing fast, and baby Benjamin is being heavily anticipated by all. I am not one of those women that grow a cute little belly and can prance around in teenie shirts so their beautiful bellies peek out from under their shirts. I, on the other hand am chock full o' braxton hicks, zebra belly stretch marks and pregnancy bliss overall, and cannot believe that there is really three months left. I also cannot even comprehend what it would take for me to do anything even remotely resembling prancing right now. Which is not to say that the belly isn't still peeking out, it just usually is not intentional. A woman at work actually asked me how big the docs think the baby is...I had to chalk it up to an "ignore that one," as right now, the baby is only probably a pound and a half, and it is probably me that is getting to BIG. (There have been quite a few "ignore that ones" this time round.) All this being said, I am blissful still. I love being pregnant, and don't care that it makes me grow big...

I am trying to stay healthy, although it seems that the stomach bug is running rampant through EVERY community we are near. I desperately fear this bug, as it more or less immobilized us the last several times we caught it, and I actually think I may end up in therapy over it someday. Everytime somebody says that there was a throwing-up incident, I more or less have to talk myself out of having an anxiety attack and convincing myself that I am not going to get this bug because somebody 60 miles away just had it. No joke...it doesn't get more germophob than me. The people at my hubs work all have it now, and I am already debating canceling plans for the weekend, as I am sure we might have it....uhm hello, help??!!??

Anyhow, not much else going on, gonna try and go motivate to clean this house again, bake some chocolate chip cookies, and hang with the lil man, while Teags naps...

hugs and sunshine to you all....

nothing in particular

good morning...though I sit here looking forward to a day off cleaning the homefront, possible some baking, and lunch out with a gal and her kiddo, I realize, in this pic I don't look all that content. I was....hmmm, maybe that is something I need to work on...
not always looking so damn tired.

here all is smooth, it is after ten, and my little man is still snoozing, so T and I have had a quiet and particularly calming morning of drinking decaf and not doing anything in particular....
and everything in between.

this past week was pretty rockin and busy, although myself and the kidlets were still hanging on and savoring what I swear is the longest cold in history. we packed up and headed out apple picking with the lil man's class, and every kid in the class had irridescent liquid dripping from their noses....and I smiled...ahhhh....my favorite time of year.....
I always vowed to not be that mom whose kid had crusty stuff stuck to their nose...but alas, this is easier said than done. Especially when your kid takes off like a screaming banshee everytime you come at them with something resembling what you need to wipe their face with, and the only way humanly possible to get them to a place nearly clean enough to leave the house, you have to pin them down and try and sing while scrubbing junk stuck to each nostril, that really only you see, but everytime a stranger walks by and glances at your kids you are sure she has noticed and is wishing you staight to hell for taking you kid out of the house with the PLAGUE, i mean a head cold.....just wait, if you haven't already been there, you will, and you'll see.

BUT - the week/weekend was not all filled with colds and whatnot, we actually had some great down time at the folks house, Auntie Chels flew in from Seattle for the long weekend and to witness Pa recieving a huge award....Props Dad,we are so very proud of you. The speech was terrific, and everyone had such nice things to say about this man, swearing by his character and generosity, and kind heartedness, and classiness...etc. etc...this family was super proud....as we always are.

so the big award day was followed by some later in the weekend sword fighting with cardboard at the folks place.... playhouse building...snake chasing and indian food chowing....hanging with the Foleys for some dinner and talk time,














and overall, not much sleeping, but hell, who needs sleep....
allright all, lil man is up, and tearing up things, so,
happy autumn....those leaves are changing fast, and I am desperately trying to savor fall, as I am afraid if I blink I just might miss it...

just a few quick shouts -
turkey trotters....just over a month....i am stoked....and cannot wait to see your faces....

fania - free dates???

nin - lil man got gracies letter last night and was all smiles, we will be recipricating soon!

hi randi!

"you are fall..."

hey all....hoping all you out there are doing well, including all you lurkers who have been telling me that you read....welcome! happy fall....


this right here is a box o'heaven...a big old box of macintosh apples on a chilly fall day. AHhhhhhhhhh.

believe it or not, my crew went apple picking AGAIN, that is three times in three weeks, and let me just say, I plan on going once a week til the apples are dunzo. We already have plans to go on thurs. with the lil mans' school field trip...


click on image to enlarge....not that the belly doesn't look plenty big from a distance....


My girls came to visit on saturday, and we had such a lovely time tromping through the most amazing orchard, just about a mile from the home front...miles of apples as far as the eye can see...pumpkins, berries, mums, dried flowers.....fall delights aplenty. It was so nice to spend some quality time, get grounded, re-center, and enjoy the day.

the kidlets had a blast, as they always do when they are free to run and play and explore...




and as i stood in the orchard and stocked up on more apples than my arms could hold, I received the most amazing compliment...Stefania called me fall...

she said, you are like fall, the essence of fall, with your cozy sweater, apples everywhere, and reddish hair, it's so cute, you are like fall.. UHMMMMMM hello, not sure if you realized it girl, but I live for fall, and that in itself, was the ultimate compliment...so thanks for making me smile for days to come!

After orcharding it for a spell, we grabbed some fresh apple cider doughnuts, and some green mountain coffees and headed back to the homefront for some chill time on the front steps while the lil man tore it up in the driveway and T-girl took a snooze. It was a delightful, and totally necessary weekend girly bond session....love you guys both and can't wait to see your smiles again soon!



on all other fronts, things are pretty good, lil man is still battling this head cold, which is producing more nasty dripping than I have seen ever, but hopefully soon it will pass, as he has had it for so stinkin' long...

and last night bry and I had some cook time, together, me buckling down and making some apple cirspin' for the folks house tonight, and the big guy making his bombing chicken veggie noodle goodness soup...yum....cannot wait...

oh, and as today is Oct. 2nd, happy birthday grammie, we miss you.....

happy beautiful saturday...

and yes, she almost always looks like this at the end of the day!

happy finally fall to you...I am finally feeling at ease as I glimpse out the window this lovely fall morning and I see all the yellows, oranges and gold's that are filling the trees. The house is cleaned, T is up for a mid morning snooze, and lil man is watching an animal program. Ahhhhh, fall.

Here all is more or less good, kiddos have been battling yet another head cold, though have really been troopers about it! No fussing, just drippy noses and glazed over eyes, but overall, happy kidlets.

Looking forward to some girly grounding time this afternoon, as Leah and Stefania will be making their way out to the Homefront, and I am so excited to have some playtime....some stress free time.

Props to my dad, as he received a HUGE honor at work yesterday, and we packed up the gang and headed over to watch him get his award, and be notified that he will be receiving an even bigger one next week...
as the presenter said...."he' s just good folk...." WE AGREE, and are so proud of you!

off to do some baking....hugs and fall sunshine to you all....

fall delights.....

after our last bbq weather of the summer, we have all pulled on our cozy socks and sweatshirts and are so ready to celebrate fall as it arrives this saturday.


today the kidlets and I spent the morning with the gilbert crew and had a wonderful time....did some much needed apple picking, (though I was utterly disgusted by the amount of white residue on the apples that our beans were touchig, amazingly not one of the 3 mobile kidlets even attempted to put one in their mouths...)

the weather was warm in the sun, chilly in the shade, just the perfect balance...

we picked a big bag o' apples, then came home, and Nin treated us to some tasty pizza and the babes played and amused each other while the mamas had some chat time...it was a much needed morning for this mama...



the little man, is absolutely smitten with his girlfirend gracie, and it is just absolutely the stinkin most adorable relationship to watch bud...




Nin, I must say our visits are so grounding, refreshing, inspiring....centering. So love spending time with you and your crew, wished today as you left, that we could buy some land and farm it up...let the babes run wild and the mamas too....
hugs, and happy apple crispin your way...

tommarow I am the helper mom at lil man's school, I am so excited to watch him in his element and learn more about his class buddies.

all else is well, a parting pic, just for kicks, my bohemian baby....