phase 1

the countdown has begun at our house already.

t minus 6 months...

perhaps this all seems a bit preemptive, but there's an awful lot of adjusting to be done around here, and we want to give ourselves enough time to start all over again should something not go according to plan (or should the little dudes decide to be difficult).

our little angels difficult? never! you must be thinking.

ah, but let me remind you that these boys both had acid reflux, one had colic, and rather than learning how to self-soothe, they would scream themselves into a frenzy. in fact, they were 5 months old before they were sleeping through the night.

so, i have reason to fear that they are not going to like the role they must play in this transition.

the biggest change for them will be giving up their crib for #3 and moving into toddler beds. this has been waking me up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat as i think about the fact that my sweet boys love to play in their crib for sometimes an hour (or more) after they go "down" no matter what time we put them in there, how tired they are, or what measures are taken to get them calm and sleepy. how is it going to work when they have freedom to get out of bed & do whatever they want? will they ever sleep?

well, yesterday we took the plunge & moved on to phase 1 of this big experiment: taking the crib rail off their crib. that way, they can get used to the freedom, but still be in "their" bed for a while & still totally share with each other. eventually, they will move to beds of their own.

in theory.

i felt victorious already as the boys played on, in, and around their "new" bed, hopping up and down with ease & giggling like mad. this would be no problem.

then, around 12.30, we started in on our naptime routine. things were going according to plan. until i turned to walk out the door. at which moment both boys began to scream so loudly i was sure the neighbors were going to call the police.

it only took 15-20 minutes for the screaming to stop & for the party to begin. and by 1.15 they had even turned on the radio. what i would have given for a secret spy cam!

at 2.00 the radio was off again & i could hear some of the goings-on. as i listened, i was sure they had decided that they could do everything they would never do while i am in the room. i heard them desperately shaking their piggy banks, trying to get out enough money to head to the store for some milk, i'm sure. it was then i decided that something had to be done before they swallowed a dime.

doing my best to rouse the spirit of supernanny, i walked into their room, didn't make eye contact, took out all the pictures, banks, and anything else that didn't resemble a plush toy, and walked back out.

this time the crying only lasted a moment.

by 2.20, all was silent, so i decided to peek in and see what had happened. that's when i saw this:
yes, that is in fact thing 1 asleep like a cat on the window seat. i knew i couldn't leave him there, one foot dangling off the side, but when i tried to open the door a little further, i found this:
thing 2 must have been waiting for my return & passed out right at the door -- completely blocking my entrance. thankfully we started this whole process now, because if we had waited a month or more there's no way i could have squeezed my belly through the door. as it was, it was a feat of acrobatics & sucking in (too bad there's no way to suck in your backside).

naptime was short yesterday, but not a total failure. bedtime wasn't terrible either. daddy is very good at keeping them happy as he leaves the room. #1 didn't cry at all and #2 just for a moment. it did take an exceptionally long time before they fell asleep and it looks like a bomb went off in their room.

but they fell asleep. curled up next to each other on the floor.

maybe we only need 1 toddler bed.

a taste of the madness

so...it's been a while since i've updated this blog & i don't even know where to begin.

life has been busy.

busy, but normal.

not much exciting, not much funny, not much at all. but here i go, blogging about the madness that is my life while the boys sit in their chairs wondering if the bread they are snacking on is really all they are getting for dinner.

why is it i can never time a baked potato correctly?

that bread may, in fact, be it guys. sorry.

in the past month, we've all suffered with a bout of the stomach flu (no need to go into details -- "ick" should be sufficient), found out for sure we're just having ONE baby this time (and there was much rejoicing), and been visited by the flying dutchman (no not the ship)

although that would have been exciting.

more like this guy:
lucien, the dutchman we met while we were all living in barcelona, who then drove me across europe (with screaming cat -- yes, in case you didn't know, cats are perfectly capable of screams) so that i could join b when we moved to padua, italy, who then moved to glasgow, scotland and has been m.i.a. ever since.

perhaps not as exciting as if a ghost ship had suddenly appeared in southeast denver, but fun for us, nonetheless.

after he left, we all suffered round 2 of the stomach flu. once again, ick. since then, i've been trying to think of ways to get the munchkins to eat something other than oatmeal, cheerios, and blueberry waffles. not that i have anything against breakfast food, but i feel that perhaps it's time to branch out.

so i started racking my brain trying to think of things i liked as a kid. that's when i remembered "cheese stuff." i wasn't sure about the real name for this meal, but i remembered how to make it. it just sounds delicious doesn't it -- CHEESE STUFF. i was sure the boys would like it.

and i was right.

i have since discovered that the truly correct name for this delicacy is Welsh Rabbit (or Rarebit as it has been americanized into, as it contains no rabbit at all).

if you think it sounds fancy or hard to make, you don't know me very well.

it is cheese sauce on toast
b thought it looked horrid & wouldn't touch it.

what's not to love, though? cheese. toast. yum.

there seems to be no online consensus of how to make it, & i don't claim that my way is the best or the most authentic, but it sure is easy & tasty:

melt a pat of butter & add flour to make a paste
add milk & bring to a boil while stirring constantly until the consistency is thick
add beef bouillon to taste
add mustard to taste
add lots of sharp cheddar cheese
stir until it's melty & yummy
serve over toast

and, well, there you have it. my life for the past month.

maddeningly exciting.

i heart

valentine's day.

we don't usually do to much to celebrate. my birthday is just the week before, restaurants are packed, & flowers are overpriced on that day.

this year we did a different kind of celebrating.

b made the ultimate sacrifice & agreed to spend too much money, have a hectic weekend, and fly with me and the boys to northeastern ohio (what a romantic spot, eh?)

to celebrate love.

the love of a grandma that is.

my sweet grandma flo turned 95 (!) on friday & this weekend was all about her.

we had an entire restaurant reserved for her birthday meal & family flew in from denver, boston, seattle, texas -- just for her. then we headed back to her place (yes, she still lives on her own) to indulge in homemade cake & ice cream. sunday at church they had a special video honoring her life (when i get a copy, i'll post it -- complete with embarrassing mid-80s photos of all the cousins).

happy birthday gram!

chicken legs joins the fiesta

chubs is no longer alone in the world of walking! we now have 2 little frankensteins stumbling around the house. mr. w is nowhere near doing it the majority of the time, but he is getting closer every day & seems to be having lots of fun.

i guess it's time to dig the leashes out of the closet.

not part of MY master plan, but...

the boys had some mixed emotions once they figured out what their shirts said...
b & i had always said 2 kids. our plan, though, was have 1, adopt 1. god decided his plan was better & gave us our 2 right away.

not part of our master plan.

but the little guys are amazing & we figured, hey, we got a bogo kind of deal. there are our 2 kids.

hot dog. we're done.

once again, it seems that the man upstairs finds my planning to be a bit funny. he has overruled my decision. and so, here we are, waiting for #3. and we are really excited.

but we're definitely done after this one.

i think i hear a distant chuckling coming from somewhere in the clouds.

maybe i need to stop planning so much.

proverbs 16:9 "in his heart a man plans his steps, but the LORD determines his course."