All Things Alissa

Breakfast

2012-01-31T15:01:00.000-05:00

Hugo has been a stinker about breakfast lately. He doesn't want to eat cereal anymore. Let me rephrase that... Hugo doesn't want to eat non sugared cereal anymore. He has always eaten Cheerios or Honey Bunches of Oats or something along those lines. Now he'll only eat Cheerios when forced and he wants nothing to do with raisins anymore. Or so he says. I ran out of the classic black raisins last week. Cesar pulled out a bag of golden raisins I had squirreled away in a cupboard for baking. When Hugo saw the golden raisins in her cereal instead of the classic black raisins, he freaked. Went nutso. Swore up and down that he would not eat the yellow raisins. "Well," I said, "ya eat yellow grapes, right?!" He didn't budge.

During the long winter months, one thing I look forward to is all the yellow and pink grapefruit in the markets. I looooove grapefruit! I have memories of GG peeling grapefruit like an orange and eating the sections as she sat in her chair in the sun room. She'd slice the the fruit in half and around each section for me. I'd sit at the tiny table in her kitchen, beneath the window, and eat the grapefruit with a special spoon GG set out for me, it had little teeth to aid in scooping out all the tangy flesh and they sometimes hurt my lips. The spoons also had bamboo handles and I've often wondered what became of those grapefruit spoons. To get me to eat the crust of my toast, GG would slather the discarded crusts with more jam. Her trick worked.

Last winter Hugo finally tried a bite of grapefruit with me, he loved it. The past few days he has been devouring an entire grapefruit all on his own. Once finished, he waits for me to squeeze out the juice so he can drink it down. Yum! My tongue is all salivating thinking of the delicious juice.

I do sprinkle a wee bit of sugar on the flesh of this winter fruit. Not much mind you. This morning I left the sugar bowl out on the counter. I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't even remember not putting it straight back into the cupboard as I usually do. I figured it out as I dressed the girls this morning. Sabine had something stuck all over her face and in the front wings of her hair. I was stumped as to what it was. A memory of Hugo crawling over the counters to lick the sugar bowl on a daily basis popped into my head. This memory is exactly the reason why I now put the sugar bowl up in the cupboard right away after each use. Sabine. Silent, but deadly. Sure enough, the kitchen counter had scattered sugar bits here and there. The top and sides of the sugar bowl were crusted over with a thick layer of toddler licked sugar goodness. Even the stool she climbed down from was covered in sugar snot.

My father swears that he remained so skinny throughout high school, because my Grandmother Ruby made him eat half a grapefruit each morning.

Miss Toulouse Nicolau

2012-01-30T14:19:00.000-05:00

My sister Millie asked how Toula is adjusting to our family life. I think the answer is - great! She is super with the kids. Plays with them, jumps up on the girls beds looking for Evie the Cat, loves to see Hugo hop off the school bus in the late afternoon.

She is still a puppy and likes to chew, a lot. This is my problem with her, the chewing. Our shoes are safe and fine, she prefers the kids toys. Plastic or wood, she does not discriminate. So we all keep our eyes peeled trying to catch her before too much damage has been inflicted. She does like bones. It took awhile for her teeth and jaws to mature so she could handle them, now she knows better what is okay to chew, her bones! When she takes treats out of your hand she is very gentle. She still muffles them with her lips like a horse.

Toula adores balls. Tennis balls, little bouncy balls, soccer balls, or huge bouncy balls that she can only move around with her nose, she adores them all. She is naturally good at fetching and will drop the item in her mouth for you. So glad she isn't one of those dogs who want to play keep away or tug and tug and will never, ever let go of their dear ball or drop a super slobbery ball into your waiting hand! I do still play with "those" dogs, I'm just glad that Toula hasn't yet developed those ball habits. Toula will do anything for you to play soccer with her.

She rarely barks. She does get spooked by odd sounds and will let out a funny sounding yelp/bark. When the lighting is just right in the new living room, she sometimes catches a glimpse of her own reflection in the glass doors and will goes bananas! She is excited and timid at the same time. Funny girl.

Toula is also a surprisingly agile jumper. When new people come for a visit, especially new kids, imagine an excited Tigger. She likes to surprise you and jump to bonk your face with her nose. She surprised my Dad by jumping up on him while he was sitting on the couch watching television, he nicknamed her Devil Dog. Speaking of nicknames, Toula tinkles a lot, Cesar sometimes calls her Princess Tinkles.

Poor Evie the Cat is still her target. Every chance Toula gets, she'll chase and bully our Evie. I tell Evie to just swipe her good one time, but no, our Evie is too nice. Evie actually slept on our bed last night, first time since Toula's arrival. So, I suppose that we are all happy with our new puppy dog, except for Evie. She might boot her on back to the Dakota's if given half a chance.

Toula is a very happy and curious puppy. She wants to be where the action is. She is a lot like the girls. She naps in the afternoon when they do and she can hardly keep her eyes open once we make for the stairs to begin bed time. She's a keeper.

Anniversary

2012-01-29T14:36:00.000-05:00

Someone, who will not be named, but is not me, forgot our anniversary. And it was our fourteenth (14) anniversary.

I could feel it coming, the Someone's not remembering I mean.

Cheery Cheerleader whispered sweet nothing's in my ear of how Someone had ignored me at Christmas, but not to fear, Someone was sure to come through on our anniversary. Someone would make a surprise of it! Someone would call a sitter! Someone didn't really mean for me to play Bingo at The Elementary for two whole hours in the evening of our fourteenth anniversary surrounded by K-5th graders who were selling baked goods to earn cash for their end of year field trip. "Or did he?" piped up Nagging Nellie. Cheery Cheerleader quickly said "Your Someone wouldn't forget" "Or blow off! Ha, ha, ha!" "Shhh! Nagging Nellie!", Cheery Cheerleader scolded before she continued, "I just know Someone wouldn't forget your anniversary which actually falls on a Friday night this year and which Someone will actually, actually be home for. Really, he's got it all planned out! Have no fears and go get yourself all dolled up!", sang Cheery Cheerleader in my ear.

Well she was all wrong.

My Someone only figured it out because I put sparkling cider on the table before dinner. Someone said that when he saw the cider he ran through a list of possible holidays in his head. Nope, not one of those... Then Someone actually admitted to the thought of "We weren't married in January!" popping into his head.

Those words to this romantic girl =

Knife Through My Heart

Someone hurried into the kitchen where I was preparing the last of our meal and asked, "Is it our anniversary?" or was it... "Did I forget our anniversary???" Oh, who cares.

I'm mad. I'm hurt and I'm mad. Mad, mad, mad. Nagging Nellie won.

And today at lunch, I didn't make Someone a sandwich and Someone wondered if I were trying to tell him something. "Yeah! We're out of cold cuts!"

Bingo Night & Sledding

2012-01-27T10:45:00.000-05:00

Hugo has a Bingo night at school tonight. Cesar volunteered to stay home with the girls so that I can spend some alone time with our boy. Over breakfast this morning I was talking to Hugo about our playing Bingo together tonight. He didn't sound very excited about it so I began to mention names of his friends who I thought we might see. The conversation went a little something like this...

Me: I bet we'll see Emma and her Dad tonight.

Hugo: Umm, okay.

Me: I bet we'll see Rowan and his brother and Mom tonight.

Hugo: Good.

Me: I bet John Carlo will be there.

Hugo: Oh, I like him!

Me: Really?

Hugo: .... no response ....

Me: I bet we'll see Sarah.

Hugo: I don't like her!

Me: That's not nice to say. Why don't you like her?

Hugo: Well, she always blames me for things I didn't do.

Me: Like what?

Hugo: Well, when I swing my arms back and forth, like this... , she says that I hit her on purpose.

Me: I think you should try real hard to not swing your arms around when you are near Sarah.

Hugo: I like Phaedra.

Me: Really? You like her?

Hugo: It could be love.

Me: Love, huh?!

Hugo: But it's not.

Me: Why not?

Hugo: Because I'm going to get married! Remember???!

He didn't mention Nicole's name, just that he was getting married. It warms my heart to know that his love runs deep and his heart is constant. I hope he will grow up to be a man who is always kind and tender and loving toward his wife. Hugo loves his sisters and is a good big brother to them. For the most part he shares his toys and will watch their princess movies right along with them. He is anxious to hug and kiss them. Now, to just promote this family closeness all the way through the teenage years!

*If you scroll down through the photos, you'll see a series of three where Sabine had been on the tube all by herself. She wasn't too sure about sledding at all, and then... Hugo pretty much did her in by stepping in front of her flying tube. The choice of her big brother's action, caused a crash, and tossed her into the snow. She was not happy. I'm not sure if she'll sled again this winter, even if we actually do get more snow. So, in case you were wondering if I was trying to say that Hugo was the perfect big brother... What I really meant is that he is a perfectly normal big brother who happens to have a soft heart! I love you Hugo!

Before & After

2012-01-24T15:32:00.000-05:00

Welcome, welcome! We are far from finished and there is no furniture yet, but you get the idea. We are all very excited at the progress of our second floor thus far. For now, the kids and Toula are super happy with the dance floor to run and play in!

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Nap Time

2012-01-21T17:05:00.001-05:00

I used to pride myself on my ability to have trained Hugo to be an excellent sleeper and taker of huge and consistent afternoon naps. Pride was my downfall, or was it having twins, hmmm? Anyway, the girls are not sleeping through the night. One, or both of them, will wake and walk into my room and stand there and stare at me till I open my eyes. Every once in a while I find both of them out for a stroll. It's not hard to settle them back in their beds. All they seem to want is their shoosha and to be tucked back in. But it can happen two, three, four times a night! Then when I'm ready to duct tape the pair of them to their beds, they'll magically sleep through the night. I am tired.

The above picture was taken during nap time. I crawled into my own bed once they settled for some much needed shut eye. About an hour into our naps, Hugo and Toula had a wrestling match on the living room floor below us, and with no carpet or furniture in the room, it has become a giant hall of echos. Naturally the girls came running and crying into my room. I was so tired that I lifted the covers and they both climbed in and two seconds later... they were both passed out again! It was a miracle. A miracle with a problem, I wasn't sleepy any longer and my arm was stuck under two sleepy two year olds. Masterfully, and slowly, I made my escape. And it worked! But I'm still sleepy and they are still waking in the night. Not good.

Today Is Friday

2012-01-20T12:39:00.001-05:00

So my time has disappeared a little something like this...

Last Saturday: I walked down the steps to the first floor with a tray full of sandwiches for lunch and discovered it was freezing. "Cesar it feels really cold down here" I complained. "Come to think of it, I haven't heard the furnace turn on in a while." He ran down to the basement and sure enough, the furnace was out and could not be lit. Cesar called our plumber at 12:30 pm, the guy didn't show until 6:30 pm. We were mad, mad cold people. The plumber got the furnace going but said he needed to return Sunday at noon to finish cleaning the furnace.

Sunday: My new dining room floor was threatened by an axe.

Upon returning home from church, there was no plumber in our basement and there was no heat from the furnace. Another hour or so later I realized that the plumber had left a message on my phone saying that he wasn't coming. He said he had 5 other calls to get to and we needed to rescheduled for later in the week. Cesar was hopping mad. I was hopping cold. Cesar called our contractor for his plumbers number. The new plumber arrived and got the furnace back up and running.

Monday: Cesar went to work on the Good Wife. Mike the Contractor arrived with Steve and they began to install the floor molding. Jin, Amy and Hannah came over for a late breakfast due to the kids having Martin Luther King holiday at school. All was good and fun and happy and relaxed and warm. The kids went down for bed easy and I slipped into a flannel nightgown and was about to make some cocoa when Cesar called. He had just crashed the truck on the George Washington bridge. Crashed the truck. But he was fine. What? I was kinda in shock. At first we thought I would need to drive down to pick him up so I called around to find someone to watch the kids. Brother Harris came over and gave me a blessing and a few minutes later... Cesar called and said that our insurance would pay for a tow home. Yay!! I had not been looking forward to driving in the storm. Cesar finally made it home at 2 am.

Tuesday: Cesar was on the phone and computer all day. The contractors were back working away at finishing the trim and cleaning up a closet. I don't know if I remember anything else about our Tuesday.

We opened a contract with a new home heating service. They sent a guy over to do his own tune up of our poor furnace.

Wednesday: No contractors. No word on the truck if it will be totaled or not. No fruit left in the house, no time to got shopping. I cleaned and cleaned and washed laundry all day long. Had to rid the house of all the sawdust so that the girls and I can breathe. Started to realize I hadn't showered in a while and that I was still wearing my flannel nightgown.

Thursday: As I prepared Hugo's lunch with the kitchen swarming with children and a hungry puppy, Cesar asked if I knew what day it was. Now he didn't ask the date, that for sure I didn't know, but I normally can tell you which day of the week it is, but not this day. I answered, "I think it's Wednesday because I was hoping we could take the girls to playgroup, but it might be Thursday. But I think it's Wednesday." Cesar, "Do you think it's Friday?" Me, "I know it's not Friday, I think it's Wednesday or Thursday. Don't you have your phone in your pocket??!" Turned out, it was Thursday.

Cesar and I drove around catching up on errands. I forgot about my Visiting Teacher coming over at 10:30. Last on our list was for me to drop Cesar off at Enterprise so he could pick up his rental car. Check. Driving home Marlo fell asleep in her car seat. I had high hopes of a nap myself once the van was unloaded. I was warm and hopeful that life was ironing itself back out. Then Sabine barfed down the front of herself and the car seat straps.

Our oil tanks were filled back up by the new heating service company.

Hugo came home from school with a note from his teacher and the school nurse stating that someone in his class had been exposed to pink eye. Me, "Hugo, this note says that someone in your class might have pink eye." Hugo, "Yeah, Mrs. Monroe thinks it's me!" What????

I called my Visiting Teacher mid afternoon to apologize for standing her up. She called me back at dinner time to remind me that this is my families week to clean the chapel.

Friday: My phone rang at 6:12 am, it was a recording from Hugo's elementary saying that there was a two hour delay this morning. I tried my best to sleep in. Then I made waffels for the family with my new iron that my Mother-In-Law gave me for Christmas. Things have to get better. Or at least slow down! Pretty please....

Pirate Hugo the Tickler

2011-12-03T11:17:00.000-05:00

I love these pictures of Pirate Hugo! This past Friday night we went to a birthday party, at a spot in the mall, which was filled to the brim with jump houses. The kids went wild. Hugo's favorite was a structure with a climbing ladder on one end and giant slides on the other. The girls played and tried out each and every house. I knew they would enjoy themselves, but they had a blast! Hugo had so much fun jumping, climbing and sliding that he wouldn't stop to eat. He barely made it to sing Happy Birthday to Allen and he didn't have any cake. He climbed and slid.

Hugo walked away from Allen's birthday party with a balloon and a cup full of goodies at the end of the night, which thrilled him to pieces. Hugo discovered a foam glider in a flat package inside his cup. Put it together the second his coat was off in the house and tossed it about to fly through the air over and over till bed time. By mid-morning today, it had been destroyed by the duo named Marlo & Toula. They happily tore it to pieces together. Hugo had a melt down. Back to the cup we looked for some happy inspiration.

Hugo pulled out an eye patch and a fuzzy, stickable mustache. As I tied the elastic string onto the eye patch Hugo ran from the kitchen. Soon he reappeared wearing his pirate hat. The costume that matches no longer fits him, but... I remembered that Auntie Millie and Lucas had included an outgrown pirate costume for Hugo in a box they sent just before departing to Spain. I reminded Hugo where it was in his room and off again he ran. So, we put his eye patch on and attached the mustache beneath his nose, he tugged his hat upon his head as I helped him into Luke's old costume. Hugo was soooo happy! I declared it was picture time and that he needed some pirate loot, together we hurried upstairs laughing all the way. I took these pics and then out the door he ran to make the dump run with Papa all dolled up as a pirate.

Stickers

2011-11-28T12:42:00.000-05:00

Here is a quick post to inform one and all, that our Miss Marlo loves stickers. She has even been sticking stickers on her sidekick Toula. I'm not sure what Toula thinks about stickers. She doesn't run at the site of Marlo approaching, so I suppose, I'll take that as a sign that Toula must not mind stickers and may even like being stuck with stickers by Marlo.

Sunday

2011-11-27T13:17:00.000-05:00

The morning of our last day of Thanksgiving Break, Cesar and I had hoped to sleep in. I think the kids took pity on us and didn't rise till eight! Vovo spoiled us with more of her waffles and she made a delicious Portuguese soup for lunch. Hugo wouldn't touch it. He didn't even try it. Well, I tried it, and three bowls later was singing, "there's a party in my tummy, so yummy, so yummy!" The soup is called Caldo Verde and reminded me a lot of a dish which my family calls Fish Soup. There is no fish in our soup, you simply have to "fish" for pieces of ham amongst the potatoes and onion slices. Caldo Verde is a simple potato, chourico (Portuguese sausage) and kale soup. Delicious.

Hugo The Movie

2011-11-26T22:35:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we decided to see the movie Hugo. First we took the kids, and Toula, to the park to tire them out. We were taking the girls with us to the movie, so they needed to play, play, play so that when they ate popcorn and the lights went dim in the theater... little girlies would fall fast asleep.

So we played, and we ate popcorn, and we ate Maria cookies and drank soda, but there was no sleeping. Miss Sabine would not settle. Little Miss Sabine was a giant pill. We were kicked out of the movie! I was kinda sorta mortified. The up side of being kicked out of a movie due to noisy babies, is that your money will be refunded. We saw about 1/3 of the movie Hugo. I wonder how it ended?

Black Friday

2011-11-25T21:31:00.000-05:00

Black Friday has rarely ever, ever, ever found us out amongst the crowds in the mall shopping, but today, that's just exactly where we were. And without a stroller! Cesar wanted to get the Mac Book Air and Apple had a little special, so... off we loaded the tribe into the van, plus Carolina, to the Apple store. Hugo loves the Apple store because he can sit at his own computer, on a seat shaped like a giant ball, and has before him all sorts of new kid games to try out. He calls it... the puter store. I was surprised how speedy Cesar's transaction was, we were out of there in no time at all.

We made a quick pit stop into Williams & Sonoma for a gift and then we were off, aimlessly walking the crowded shopping center. I suggested chocolate malts were in order, Cesar agreed and we were soon pointed in the direction of the food court. Can you believe we didn't know where the food court was? This was not my normal, local mall. So, Cesar got the malts from Johnny Rockets, yummmm! Two large chocolate malts which he bought for Hugo, the girls, and myself to split. I had a pouty face on... Hugo had a malt all to himself while I shared with Marlo and Sabine. I must admit, that in the end, my tummy had just the right amount of chocolate malt in it even if I had to share (more pouty face). Marlo and Sabine would have each sucked down their own large malt if Papa would have been splurging for more, but that's another story.

The sad part of my story, is that Hugo didn't like his malt. Translation = he thought he was getting chocolate ice cream with sprinkles. As Cesar helped usher the kids, his mom and I into a booth and seats in the food court we discussed what he should buy, Hugo kept saying, "you know what I want Papa, you know what I want" with this happy face on. I don't think Cesar heard a word out of his son's mouth. The food court had a Ben & Jerry's so I had assumed myself that Cesar would have ordered ice cream. I was pretty surprised when he came back with just the shakes and nothing else. Okay. Hugo was bummed he got a malt and not ice cream with sprinkles, which I really think he was only interested in the sprinkles, but in the end, he slurped it down. So then the really sad part happened. Hugo accidentally knocked over his giant chocolate malt and it spilled all over our table and leaked onto the floor. It was so very sad.

Even more sad news, is that we discovered that Charlotte, this super cool German jewelry company that we both like, is no longer in the mall. I don't know if they went out of business or simply moved to a new location. I would like to hope they found better digs.

Then we drove home. Or, I should write, back to Vovo's house. Sabine fell asleep in the van on the way home. The photo of Marlo asleep on the floor I couldn't resist taking. Sabine kept sleeping as I carried her into the house and up the stairs. Marlo was settled to sleep with her lavender unicorn pillow pet and her blankie upon the air mattress she shared with Hugo. I guess she got up and did some exploring before she crashed in a heap on top of her quilt, for when I crept into the room to check on her, I discovered she had ransacked all our bags searching for who knows what. Little girls, little girls.

Oh, and Cesar has been playing backgammon with anyone who will sit still long enough to indulge him. And Hugo's favorite game? Sorry. Or, in Hugo Land it needs to be pronounced as SoooooREEEEYY!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T21:12:00.000-05:00

Things I am Thankful for: Love in my Life, my Children, our Home, Food in our pantry, Recipes to Make, Ideas to knit, Paint samples, spring time Bulbs, Down comforters, a gigantic Wood pile, our Families, Sisters, my Camera, Kisses, New Words spoken from sweet mouths, Risois, a hot Shower, Contractors, Hugo Dancing, Sunsets, a warm November, Friends, my Testimony, Holiday Spirit, the Breaks in our van, Slippers, Lavender anything, hand Holding and puppy Dogs.

Not Like Fall

2011-11-19T14:30:00.000-05:00

Fall is really here. I think I've been in denial that winter is fast approaching. The weather has been unseasonably warm. I also feel that we never got the real punch of brilliant fall color due to Hurricane Irene. There is a massive pile of wood right out the back door. And I have been buzzing like a bee about the house trying to finish painting projects while I can yet air out the house. I still haven't taken down the garden. Or emptied out my pots. Cesar has run the mower to scoop up all the leaves and pine needles, so happy he splurged for the bagger!!! And Hugo has been making all sorts of pilgrimish projects in school and I have been dreaming of my first bite of pumpkin pie, but it still, still doesn't seem like fall to me.

I can report that Toula seems to be jelling with our family and the yard and our house. I can also report that she doesn't answer to her name very well and she doesn't respond to the command "come" little to none. She is still very much in the exploring stage inside and out of the house. When we aren't playing with her, she is either in her crate or chained to a chair in the living room. She is not trustworthy to be let loose yet. Besides not being fully potty trained, she has a problem with chewing. We are working on teaching her which toys are hers and which belong to the children. She also likes to nibble on our toes. None of the kids seem to like it much. Me neither, really. When she takes food from your hand, she reminds me a bit of a horse. She seems to grab the food with her lips, rather than her teeth and muffles the skin of your palm. She also likes to bonk her nose straight into our face if we are up close. Wallace, the Bob-A-Loo, used to show affection the same way, so in doing so, she has melted her way into Cesar's heart. Evie the Cat still will not enter our bedroom. She has taken up residence at the foot of Hugo's bed.

Parent Teacher Night

2011-11-17T15:03:00.000-05:00

Lisa and Cheyenne came to the house tonight so that I could slip out and meet with Hugo's Kindergarten teacher Mrs Monroe. I was surprised how nervous I was. During the day I felt like I kept watching the clock ticking down the hours till the scheduled parent teacher conference, almost like it was a date or something. I think this means, I don't get out of the house enough. It also means, that my little boy is growing up and someone else sees him for more waking hours during the day than I do. So very, very strange. I was nervous what Mrs. Monroe thought about our little boy. I remember way back, when Hugo attended Mother Goose, how I had wished they would have had a scheduled time to talk about Hugo, his needs, strengths, weaknesses and their thoughts in general on him. Now that the actual parent teacher conference was before me, I was nervous. Hugo has been getting a lot of take a breaks, a nice way of calling it a time out. He has been pretty crazy.

I tucked all three kids into their beds and drove into the village to meet with Mrs. Monroe. I was on time, possibly even a bit early, so I waited in the hallway out side his classroom door. Everything in the hall was shrunken in size being that we were in the Kindergarten wing. The bubbler was hung low. The chairs were small. The artwork was also hung low on the wall. I could feel myself settling. The classroom door opened and out walked a mother I knew who asked about how Hugo liked school and asked nice questions about our girls.

People ask me all the time how Hugo likes school. Sometimes I'm not sure how to answer. I think I'm putting words in his mouth. I wonder myself how he likes school and just what in the world is going on in there for 6 hours of the day. Why don't they ask Hugo themselves I wonder? He does talk about school here and there throughout our evening and over the weekend. Pieces come out randomly. He doesn't fight me about going in the morning. He does drag his feet with getting dressed. I've tried to make a rule of no TV viewing on school mornings and that has seemed to help a lot. If Hugo seems a bit clingy in the morning all I have to do is list all the errands I want to accomplish and he'll quickly throw on his backpack, kiss me on the cheek, hop out of the van and run to the waiting door of his elementary school. Hugo does tell me that the school day is too long. That he misses me and the girls.

Mrs. Monroe was very nice and pretty. She asked me to describe Hugo to her, I was thrown for a moment not expecting a question like this. Finally I got to ask the all important question of Hugo's Kindergarten teacher, the best person to ask, How does Hugo like school? She told me that Hugo plays with everyone. He was fixated on Rowan in the beginning, but has gotten into a groove of playing with all the children. She said the class as a whole is chatty. So many of them attended nursery school together that they have been friends for two years already. She also said that at the end of day the kids are allowed to choose an activity to do, blocks, paint, books, puzzles, etc. Hugo always chooses to draw and he isn't fazed to do this activity with a table full of girls or all by himself. I guess I like that quality about him. Mrs. Monroe did agree that Hugo needs to work on his ability to focus. He can multitask like crazy, it's the focus that needs improvement. I asked if she thought he had ADHD, she laughed at me and answered, no. Cesar and I really have wondered. She also said she melts a bit when he looks up at her with his big brown eyes and his blonde hair. We talked a bit about how he talks too much during lunch and hasn't been finishing his food. She told me that he always eats the snacks I send, a clementine and pretzels. She also said that Hugo is all over the playground. Fearless and inquisitive.

All and all, I walked away from my first parent teacher conference regarding our first born, feeling very good. Possibly even a bit more of an adult. Sound strange? I guess as Hugo grows, so do I.

For Megan

2011-11-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

I think that each and every time we make improvements to the house, I will always think of Megan Murdoch. When Megan lived here, I felt she loved our house nearly as much as we do. She was always so excited to hear about our plans, hopes, and big dreams for the place.

We first met with a man, who we hoped to be our new contractor, way back at the end of May. He had thought that he'd remove the wall in our living room sometime end of August, then Hurricane/Storm Irene hit. It took a while to catch Mike on the phone after the storm. He wasn't sure when he'd be able to do our job, being that he was bogged down with big, big outdoor projects. Important projects, like peoples roofs. I understood and told him that we still felt he was the man for the job in our eyes and that we'd wait. I've waited these many, many years, I could continue to be patient a wee bit longer.

The other day, I called Mike and got a big surprise. He might be able to work on our house before Christmas! That's a Christmas present in itself! He asked me to call him back the week after Thanksgiving and hopefully he'd be able to pin down a date at that time. Wow. All I could think about as I quickly dialed up Cesar's number, is that we might have living room walls for Christmas!

I've been spending my evenings looking through magazines and ideas online to flush out rough plans. I was inspired about an article I read on color and made a trip to the hardware store. I've been painting and sewing curtains and hanging pictures and... dreaming.

This ones for you Megan.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T12:32:00.003-04:00

This was a first. We went trick-or-treating in the snow! Or, what was left of the big, freak snow storm we had this past Saturday. It was a bit chilly outside, but the kids enjoyed themselves. Hugo was kinda on the c-r-a-z-y, crazy side. He darted from house to house while zig zagging across the street. He wasn't a very good listener about staying with the group or close to me. Hugo was a good listener about not eating any candy until we got home. I was very proud of him. On the drive home I let him choose a treat to eat from his candy sack, surprise, surprise Hugo chose a pop.

Our Halloween really began at 2 o'clock this afternoon when the girls and I watched Hugo and his classmates walk in a Halloween parade outside of his elementary school. It was darling. When Hugo finally saw us, he lit up, smiled and waved and waved! So sweet.

We spent Halloween with the Hoyt's this year. Both our families also spent Halloween minus both our Papa's in toe. We missed them! So Jin and I joined brood camps for the trick-or-treating. The plan was a pizza party here at our house and then to cram ourselves in the van and drive to the Lindsay's old neighborhood. I just didn't know where else to go! Jin, Amy and Hannah arrived bringing with them Keith's Mom Diane along for the night. It was sure nice having an extra adult to help keep eyes on the kids. I thought the girls would have walked up to the houses with their bags open wide, but no. They were content sitting in their stroller with an occasional piece of candy tossed their way.

While driving Hugo to school this morning, I asked him if pops were his favorite candy. He answered, "Yes, and gum. And I like cake, cupcakes, and cookies!"

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-22T20:18:00.000-04:00

We carved our pumpkin today! Cesar and the kidlits scooped out all the seeds and stringy junk while I took pictures of their hard and messy work. Yay for me, hee, hee! Then Hugo drew a face on the pumpkin with a sharpie, he was super excited to be trusted with this job. I used my muscles, and a trusty knife, to carve his masterpiece into the flesh of our pumpkin. Everyone was mesmerized. And everyone loved munching on the roasted seeds!

Toula Has Landed

2011-10-20T23:27:00.000-04:00

I'm still not sure how it happened, but somehow or other, I twisted, yanked and pulled at Cesar just so, and now we are dog owners once more. Yeah!! Oh how I have missed Annabelle and Rodrigo in our lives. Little Ira, even though he was only a blind squirrel baby, was the reminder that our house, just wasn't our house, without a pup running around. So, I searched and searched the internet for dog breeds and info and pics of puppies looking for someone who had our name stamped all over them. One site, after another and another and another, finally led me to our new puppy.

The naming of the dog. My Mom suggested the name Toulouse and I liked it. I'd been looking for a male and had envisioned calling him Cousteau, so now with a little female on the way, it just didn't seem right and I was at a loss. One night I sat up in bed and thought for sure I'd name her Violet. By morning, I was back to Toulouse with the nickname of Toula. I had hoped that the kids would find Toula easy to say, sounds kinda like Bella. Anyhoo, Master Hugo has forgotten her name already a few times and has been calling her Tulip, which I also like and it does sound rather similar to Toula. So, the next time you drop by the house, feel free to choose which ever name rolls off your tongue. Toula... or... Tulip. Tulip... or... Toula. Toula, Tulip, Toula, Tulip, Toula, Tulip, now say that out loud, and real fast, 10 times!

And in case you're wondering, Miss Toula is a hybrid of 1/2 English Bulldog and 1/2 French Bulldog, or Frenchie. She is 11 weeks old and weighed 11lbs when she flew in from South Dakota. She is sturdy and bouncy on her feet. Toula loves Cesar more than me, but she may love Marlo most of all. Marlo hugs and hugs her and Toula has already fallen asleep on our mothering Marlo's lap. What a wonder.

P.S. Evie the Cat hates Toula.

Mess, Mess, Everywhere A Mess

2011-09-20T21:12:00.000-04:00

All I'm saying, is that it was a loooong day. And, that's all I'm saying folks. All that I am saying.

Blog Books

2011-09-12T15:09:00.000-04:00

I've talked and talked about doing it, while I've dragged my feet for one reason or another instead of making it happen. Well, I finally did it. I turned the first year of my blog into a book, or really two books! I take so many photos that I was having to select and delete posts to make our first year of blogging fit into a 400 page book. So sad. One night as I sat at the computer lamenting the task before me, Cesar walked up and suggested I spread the blogging year over two books. Part A and Part B of our story was the solution I needed, and I am in love with how both books turned out! Thank you Cesar! Now onto slurping year two and three for more blog books for our shelves!

Nap time today is slow in happening. The girls finished lunch and our normal nap routine followed. They just didn't go to sleep. I heard them laughing and singing away up in their room, so, up the stairs I climbed to tuck them in bed. I have errands to finish this afternoon! I need them to sleep! Well, surprise, surprise, surprise... When I opened their bedroom door there was no Sabine in her crib. There was no Sabine on the floor playing or in the bassinet where we keep all their stuffed animals and dolls and is a favorite cuddle spot for both girls. No. I found Sabine inside of Marlo's crib. And she had delivered every last on of their Hello Kitties to Marlo's hot little hands before she climbed and dove into the crib herself. So, picture it, both our girls sitting in Marlo's crib, giggling away to each other, with their arms loaded with Kitties. It was really hard to not laugh or melt or dive in with them. I was firm. I had to be firm! But you know what? I'm downstairs typing this and the girls are upstairs giggling and singing again. Where do you think they might be this time?

Garden Surprises

2011-09-08T21:18:00.001-04:00

It just keeps raining. We've had so much rain in the past three days, that school was canceled this morning. I am nervous our trees will simply topple over.

This pretty bird flew straight into one of our windows. I heard the smacking sound and ran for the door knowing what I would find. Sometimes the bird is simply stunned and I try to save it before Evie the Cat has a chance to pounce. She was onto the scent, but I beat her to the bird only to find it a gonner. I carried him inside to show Hugo and then placed him under the hydrangea. Evie had to drag the poor thing out into the grass to be sure it was dead. Our murderous cat.

Hugo and I decided that we have ignored the garden long enough and went out to investigate. He found all sorts of tiny watermelons we've never seen before. Along with tiny zucchini, cucumbers and giant green beans. My gardening skills get a big ole F+ this year!

The Bus

2011-09-07T16:47:00.001-04:00

I just couldn't resist sharing these pics of Hugo exiting his school bus. He is in transportation heaven.

We live on the village line so have the option of either driving Hugo into school ourselves or using the bus. Cesar was all for me continuing to drive Hugo, just like I have the previous two years while he attended nursery school. Parking in front of our elementary school is an unsafe nightmare waiting to happen before and after school which I've been dreading all summer long. So, I have been in favor of the bus, but a little nervous of the influence of unsupervised big kids and a long bus ride. Hugo was all for the bus. Yesterday I made an executive decision and decided that I'd drive Hugo in the morning and he could enjoy a 5 minute bus ride home. This allows for the girls to have a longer nap in their beds and smiles all around. We're a happy family!

Kindergarten!

2011-09-06T17:59:00.001-04:00

Hugo had his first day of Kindergarten today! Woo hoo! Big boy dance party right here, right now!!

Words from our little man Hugo: I love school very much because it's great! And that's why I love it. My teachers name is Mrs. Monroe. A raccoon left his footprints all over the classroom. We followed the footprints and went right into our classroom and he left us cookies! We sat at our desks and put away our new tools. We played with Playdough. I told my teacher that I had some at home. A lot of the other kids said they had Playdough at home too. Some of my friends from Mother Goose like Rowan, Emma, Josh, Mikayla, and Issac are in my class.

Mom: What happened at the end of school today?

Hugo: I put my raincoat on and I put my backpack on and we got in line. We went out of school to the bus. Lily was on the bus with me, I saw her house. Kindergarteners have to ride in front, but not where the driver sits. I got to sit by the window. And I told the bus driver that I live on the right. I loved to see Mom and she is great. The bus was awesome! It was so sweet! I didn't like that the girlies had my stickers from the Doctor (in the van).

Hugo doesn't have homework tonight, but I do! School sent home a stack of papers to be read and signed and filled out again. Amazing. He didn't flinch or stall or nothing this morning. He is ready.

Chainsaw Time

2011-09-03T22:27:00.000-04:00

Our Labor Day weekend began with yard work. Cesar chopped up the fallen tree and in the process decided to cut/hack/wack and chainsaw a path through the wild rose hedge to the neighbors. It was a big job. Hugo and his little pal Sevren have been running the long way around the yard to play with each other. I'm a tad nervous that the girls have a new escape hatch out of the safety of our yard, but we'll see how it goes. Next summer we are putting up a fence for sure, Miss Trouble and Troublette will be running major circles around me I'll bet. Please pray for me.

While Cesar worked, the rest of us played, and we played for most of the day in our jammies! But as the day progressed, and it was time for me to start dinner, the girls were all up in my hair being whiny and slap hitting each other (Marlo is Queen of Slap Hitting and Sabine is a Biter. Lovely times, lovely times.) Outside I went to plead with Cesar for back up. He said he needed to finish his work cleaning up the tree mess. I wanted to cry, I was burnt out. And then my sweet husband offered that if I would let him finish his job, and give him time to shower, he'd take us all out to eat at Mrs Lucy's. Done deal and it was yummy in my tummy and just the change of pace I needed.

Eating out with the girls is an experience. Both girls need highchairs, of course. But one of those highchairs must have a working buckle lock or we might as well just order take out and call the evening quitsville because Sabine is a Houdini wanna be and will be out of her highchair in mere seconds and off and running. Tonight Hugo and Sabine were angels and Marlo was twisted. In the end, she settled and all worked out. I even finished my steak.

New Words

2011-09-02T20:17:00.000-04:00

The girls vocabulary is slowly blossoming. Some days I feel like I'm communicating with two brick walls and then... whamo! Marlo will wave and say "Bye!" to me as she exits the room. She also brought me a metal cookie tin, which I had filled with their Pet Shops, and held it up before me and said, "Hep. Hep." Translation = Help! Finally!! Now Sabine says it too. Sabine usually follows in the word department.

I have begun brushing the girls teeth. When Hugo was a toddler he/we struggled with brushing teeth until one day Cesar found a crazy Japanese video. He showed it to Hugo sorta as a joke. The video showed a Japanese mother brushing her child's teeth with the child's head in her lap. It made an impression on young Hugo and during our bedtime routine that night Hugo insisted on putting his head in my lap so that I could brush his teeth. I thought it was a bit strange at first, but it worked. No more struggling! Yaaaayyy! Hugo actually liked having his teeth brushed this way and it gave us a good laugh most days. Happily I can report that Hugo brushes his teeth all on his own and his sisters enjoy having their teeth brushed as their bodies are stretched across my knees. Sabine must think it tickles because she giggles the entire teeth brushing time.

Treasures From Toddlers

2011-09-01T13:34:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd share some little ole snaps of little lovelies the girls have been leaving for me about the house. Treasures from toddlers ya know. Makes me mad and then I laugh and smile and then sometimes, I'm back to mad again and then I go grab the camera so I'll smile later on.

The Cob of Corn. Marlo went behind me and snatched this here freshly peeled raw cob of corn as I blindly shucked the rest at the kitchen counter for our dinner. She chowed down and then brought it back to me with a smile on her face saying, "Thank you!" Later that evening I discovered tiny piles of chewed and spit yellow bits about the living room. Awesome.

Bed Strewn Papers. I could've hung the two of them upside down from my closet pole by their wee little pinky toes for this one. Still need to organize the papers, plenty more were on the floor, before Cesar reads this. Not good.

Melt My Heart. I don't know what it is about finding the kids toys in odd places that melts my heart so. Yes, I am a giant softie. But there is just something special about happening upon their toys placed here or there in our room that just gets me. It's like a little offering. It's their calling card to say they were here and that by leaving this token behind, they'll be back. It gets me.

Hugo and Sabine. This picture is the odd one in the bunch. Nothing wrong or out of place. I just liked it. I was walking swiftly past Hugo's door, on my way to the stairs, when I noticed Sabine sitting on Hugo's bed with his pillow in front of her tummy. She looked right at me and smiled. I don't know what she had been doing up there, but I ran for the camera. By the time I came back, Hugo had joined her wanting in on the photo op.

Mommy School

2011-08-31T23:52:00.000-04:00

Hugo and I have been holding Mommy School while the girls nap the past little while. Surprisingly, he reminds me each day. Today we sat out in the sunshine and he chose pages to cut from his Kumon book. He is really looking forward to his new big school where Cheyenne, Jared, Kacey, and Rachel all attended. I've realized Hugo doesn't know his address or my phone number. Hugo does not know his birthday. Hugo can skip and he can balance on one foot. Hugo can write his first name, just not his last. We have work to do.

After dinner we generally head upstairs for a quick bath before bedtime. Hugo loves to bathe with his sisters. Tonight I found myself wondering if a fourth could fit comfortably in the tub? And Evie left me a present.

Storm Damage

2011-08-30T21:32:00.000-04:00

As I raced to dress the kids and move us out the door to deliver Ira the Squirrel to his new home yesterday morning, I never took a peep out the kitchen window. Walking towards the van Hugo and I stopped dead in our tracks at the site of a downed tree stretching across the lawn and flitting into the drive. Hugo thought we'd never make it passed the tree with the van. I knew it wasn't that big of a deal, plus I could have always driven around the house if the tree had really obstructed our path, which it didn't. We were going. I needed to get Ira out of my shirt and onto the business of shopping for school supplies!

The kids loved, loved, loved playing in and around the fallen tree. Hugo fell once while climbing. Gave himself a good knock on the nose. I threatened him to not climb on top of it again. I think I sounded pretty mean and like I meant it, cause he didn't do it again. Maybe it was the knock on the nose which kept him from his monkey climbing ways, I dunno. The fallen tree turned into a kid paradise of fun for our children. We are so blessed to have had no other damage. A tree fell, but it did not strike one of us or our vehicles or our house. We were blessed.

Check out Beanie Girl sporting her brother's shades upside down as she sleeps. This girl takes her shoes off the minute I turn to exit the back of the van. Every time. Every trip. Kinda makes me nuts.

Ira The Squirrel

2011-08-29T12:08:00.000-04:00

This is going to sound nutty (hee, hee!), but I fell in love with this little guy. Evie the Cat brought him into the house, dropping him at our feet. Cesar swears up and down that she was doing a good deed and had no intentions of eating him, well, at least not until he put on a few pounds. I'd like to believe that Evie took pity on him, thinking he needed help, but I'm not convinced. She's murderous remember.

Cesar named him Irene after the Hurricane, but upon further inspection it was discovered that Irene was a little boy, therefore he became Ira. He could not keep his body temperature regulated so I wrapped him in a tea towel and tucked him in my shirt, and later in the evening my robe. I fed him milk from a medicine dropper and he wrapped a paw around there of. He snoozed and snoozed. His eyes were still closed and his bottom incisors had just cut so he must have been around 20 days old.

I wasn't sure what to do with him when we went to bed. Away from my body he quickly lost heat and curled into a tight coil. The heating pad was missing, can't even remember the last time it was used. I tucked him into a tiny shoe box of the girls with two tea towels and brought him under the covers between Cesar and I. The little rascal woke me a few times by climbing out of his box. He wanted to cuddle. I wanted to cuddle. But I also wanted sleep and was terrified of smooshing him! It was a long night.

Cesar left for work admonishing me to get a heating pad and the dry puppy supplement food for Ira. I called around to see if any friends had an old cage we could borrow to house him. No luck. I also called a few Veterinary offices looking for people trained in rehabilitating wild animals. Again, no luck. No one was answering their phones due to all the power outages from the storm. I started to panic a little because I was beginning to love this wee creature and was afraid if he spent much more time under my care that he'd become quite the pampered squirrel and never, ever leave our house for the great outdoors.

It was warm out so I dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. Where was Ira going to snuggle up? I tied a ribbon around my torso at about the bra line and tucked Ira in. He snuggled right in.

Finally I got through to a woman who is certified in wildlife rehabilitation. I tossed the kids into the van and drove as fast as the fallen trees and branches, detours, and men with flags on the roads would allow to her house. I leaped from the van, pulled Ira out of my shirt and handed him over. I didn't stay long to chit chat either.

I'm now suffering squirrel withdrawal. I miss him. I even called this morning to check on him. The lady spoke to me, but sounded a bit annoyed. I bonded with a silly squirrel!

Eye Of The Storm

2011-08-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Irene has come and gone and thankfully, we are safe. I purchased extra drinking water and dry food stuffs for just in case we would be without power for a time. The grocery store was full of people but all seemed calm and patient as the aisles were crowded with carts and the shelves were emptying. It was nice that upon check out, nearly all the lanes were open, making for a swift exit of the store. Cesar thought I and everyone else at the market were silly. I was happy to be safe rather than sorry later on.

We woke Sunday morning to a steady, pouring rain. And it rained, and it rained, and it rained. And then we all took naps, except for Hugo who opted to watch a movie on Netflix. I slept deep and hard, hardly knowing who or where I was upon waking. It was surprising to discover that the rain had stopped, that I could actually see some blue sky and sunlight! We all ate and dressed and were about to jump in the van to tour the flooding when Evie the Cat brought a baby squirrel into the house. He was alive and young, his eyes were still shut, so he was wrapped in a tea towel and rode along with us to survey the village.

The pics I'm sharing are of the dam and beach front on the Esopus, which opens right into the Hudson River. Debris of all sorts was in the water and it was moving very fast. As we drove down to the waterfront worried faces were abundant, I began to regret our decision to view these strangers, our village neighbors, hardship. Cars were everywhere. We were caught up in a viewing spectacle parade.

Driving towards the Big Deep we decided to turn around and head home. The sky looked wrong and soon, tiny rain drops covered the windshield. As we gathered all our chicks indoors the wind came up again. I'd thought we were home free of the storm, but was wrong. This bottom part of the storm held high winds which made our power flicker and cable go out. I had a pork loin in the oven and had all my finger and toes crossed that the power would hold till it's baking was finished. I watched out the kitchen windows as our cedars bent eastward in the wind. I was too afraid to look at the pines.

Dinner completed it's cooking and was devoured by the five of us. No baths tonight, just pajamas and shooshas for the girls. Cesar read and snuggled with Hugo while I cleaned up the dining room and kitchen. After watching a Chinese movie together we climbed into bed (with Ira the Squirrel) and hoped for the best for our trees.

2011-08-27T22:54:00.000-04:00

We went swimming at the pool for the last time this season. So sad. Summer is way too short! Hugo really was a fish this summer. It has been great fun watching his progress in the water. I'm thinking for next summer to sign up for back to back half hour lessons. Maybe even a brief stint of swimming lessons at the Y this winter for a refresher. Maybe even a trip to sunny southern Spain where I've heard that a certain family we know well has obtained a house with a pool and guest quarters a block up from the beach. I hope the sheets will be settled and clean possibly sometime this coming January/February??!

Hugo's Swim Trunks

2011-08-26T22:11:00.000-04:00

We just got home from the Big Deep and Hugo peeled these swim trunks off his body for the last time. I've been thinking all summer how I need to blog about them. I still blink in amazement at the tag which is labeled 12-18 Months. Yes, my 5 year old has been wearing 12-18 month swim shorts! Skinny Minny Hugo looks great in them. He does own other, more appropriately sized swim trunks, but I find that both of us keep reaching for these Old Navy trunks. They fit his non-existent waist just right and I like that they hit high up on the thigh like the Op shorts of my olden beach days gone by. So why give them up? Once they are wet he can no longer pull them up on his own. Trips back from the bathroom show off his white hiney as he runs to me so that I may help hike them up!

Green Beans for Dinner

2011-08-25T19:00:00.000-04:00

Hugo helped me pick green beans tonight. He has loved giving me reports on our little garden. He turns over the leaves and looks for cucumbers and daily tracts the size of our one watermelon and two cabbages. Hopefully next year we'll find a sunnier patch to plant in and he'll still be anxious to help.

A Video

2011-08-25T10:21:00.003-04:00

Play from Alissa Baptista on Vimeo.

Sunshiny Day

2011-08-23T19:56:00.000-04:00

Wonderful day at Belleayre Beach again! Everyone played great. So great that I asked my girlfriends if they were up for repeating the day tomorrow. These last days of summer are always so choice and perfect. Really makes me wish summer would never end and that's so silly since fall is my favorite season of them all. Honestly, I like them all, but there is something extra special regarding autumn. But, but right now I am enjoying SUMMER! Every last, warm, sand filled drop of it!!

After Bedtime...

2011-08-22T22:30:00.000-04:00

I put the kids down for the night pretty early. Always have. The girls have been bathed, pajamaed, shoo sha's inserted, blankies found, tossed into cribs and I'm backing out the door while blowing good night kisses at 7:01 PM, most evenings. Hugo normally follows a similar routine, minus the inserting of a shoo sha and a crib, by 7:20ish. It is very nice. It keeps me sane. But. But sometimes I feel like a prisoner in my own home because I'm free, but not really. Sometimes I walk about the yard all by myself. Sometimes I clean up the kitchen. Tonight, the dinner mess won.

As I cleared our plates from the dinner table, I spied four young deer out the dining room windows. They were milling about on the lower drive and looked a bit lost and not sure who was in charge. I ran for the staircase and hissed in my best whisper/holler for Hugo to quickly come downstairs. I think he thought he was in trouble. I had him pull on his boots and we scooted our rears outside to try our best to sneak up on them. We could clearly see that two of the deer sported small antlers. It wasn't long before we were spotted and they began to bolt in our direction. The two pics here were the best I got with my phone while giggling with Hugo who clung beside me. We both watched the empty space where we had just seen the last of their hind quarters disappear from for a few beats before we held hands and charged down the hill to follow them. They were no where to be seen. We knew it before we reached the bottom of the hill, and rounded the brick staircase, that we wouldn't see them again. We just had to try. It was a lot of fun!

Belleayre Beach

2011-08-21T21:51:00.001-04:00

With the van loaded with kids, towels, food, and sand toys we drove west and up into the Catskills to Belleayre Beach. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a great time! We initially plunked our belongings down on the sand just below the grass, but we lived at the waters edge the entire afternoon. Not too many more of these heavenly days left this summer, so we plan on making the most of them!

Papa Coming Home!

2011-08-19T12:45:00.000-04:00

Cesar is due home and I can't wait to see him. The fridge is full, yummies have been baked. Bags are packed for a day at the beach tomorrow. The kids are pumped! Our sheets are clean. And it will be sunny and warm.

I Was Vacuuming...

2011-08-18T20:55:00.000-04:00

I was trying to be a good housewife by running the vacuum throughout the house. I moved furniture, organized the toys, matched all the boots and little shoes by the front door, I was doing my job. It felt good and looked good and, I was thirsty. Rounding the corner from the dining room into the kitchen I suddenly knew why an open house floor plan has become so popular with families. My goodness, these two girls of mine make Hugo look like an angel. Quick as hummingbirds they were. They've been dying to destroy my baking drawer for months. Today was my lucky day. I swear, once I saw the two of them with that drawer open and flour splattered about, my eyes blazed red. Miraculously I stopped short in my tracks of utter anger and listened to a giggling voice in my head which told me to run and get my camera. I took these few shots and then yelled, "GET OOOUUUTTT!" They high tailed it out of the kitchen in mere fractions of a second.

Got Milk?

2011-08-17T21:50:00.001-04:00

Before heading to the pool this morning, the kids and I stopped at Subway for sandwiches and drinks. I don't know what it is about eating tuna fish made by someone other than myself, but I sure do find it tasty, so I got a 6" tuna while Hugo and the girls split a ham & cheese. The idea of Subway stuck in my head as I began to pack our lunch cooler. I had filled up the girls sippy cups with ice and water and reached for my trusty Ragu jar (I swear I am not suddenly pushing product placement here on the blog) to fill it also with ice and water to be chilly chill later on. Think I sound a bit odd with my homemade thermos/water bottle? Well, it works awesome! I can stuff tons of ice in my Ragu wide mouthed glass jar, we aren't supposed to have glass containers at the pool, I live real dangerous. As I reached for my Ragu jar I discovered it to have vanished. I remembered putting it on the lower shelf of the lazy susan, underneath the breakfast cereal, but it wasn't there... Cesar! Cesar did it! I didn't even have to call and bug him to find out. I knew with every fiber of my being that my husband Cesar was the culprit, that he had thrown out my beloved jar thinking it to be trash. It's glass! It's reusable! What was I going to drink my icy water from at the pool? Subway it was.

Hugo's face is white not from drinking milk, but from downing a vanilla ice cream cone. He asked if I knew why we had tongues. When I replied no, he told me that, "We have tongues to clean our faces."

Sabine disappeared on me in the yard. I noticed the front door had been left open and hoped she had drifted indoors. Upon entering the foyer I called out her name, "Sabine, are you in here?" Nothing. Then I had a spark of motherly inspiration and called out, "Sabine, want a cookie?" Instantly I heard, "No." followed by a scrambling sound and then running feet exiting from Hugo's room. These days, the word no covers all the bases.

Since returning home from vacation I've been bitten by the must make bug and I've been knitting, knitting, and knitting. I've missed it.

Millie May Price Is Moving

2011-08-16T00:54:00.000-04:00

My sister Millie leaves the country with her children today, to begin an exciting chapter in their families life in Spain. Trent is already there, and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his family. I wish I were going too. Not because I'm jealous of her new digs in sunny southern Spain, but because she has been such a wonderful friend to me and I'm afraid of the coming break in our communication. Losing three girlfriends and one sister in eight months time, due to new job locations, has taken an emotional toll on me. I'm gonna miss you Millie!!!

I love my sister Millie. She makes me laugh and laugh and bakes a tasty cheesecake. Millie is a great photographer and an even better mother. She loves her husband and the gospel completely. My sister Millie is creative, smart, caring, the best friend, and a super sounding board. Millie is cool. I love my sister Millie and I am going to miss her like mad... so Trent had better find a really big house, because the kids and I are coming over!

These pics were taken on walks we shared after our collective six kids were tucked in beds at Popeye's house.

Three Kids & A Pear Tree

2011-08-12T10:04:00.000-04:00

My thoughts have been on our sprouting children the past little while. Hugo is 5, and as a five year old, he believes that he can do just about anything. It's wonderful and trying to watch the excitement exude from his little body, a smattering of time-outs round out our days. He starts Kindergarten in a few short weeks. All day Kindergarten. So I have these mixed feelings inside me of my own excitement for him and his growth, but I also am experiencing a surprising sense of loss while knowing all sorts of good things are before him. We've been such a duo since his birth and now someone else, his teacher, will have this first of outside role model positions in his life. I've been moody. I am going to miss him. My memories of my own Kindergarten teacher have faded, but I do remember that she was Hawaiian and I thought she was beautiful. I also remember barfing into her out stretched hands one morning.

New words the girls are saying: eye, outside, the beginnings of what's that, cookie, kitty, juice, apple, and hi. Marlo says another very helpful word, poop. This word brings on fits of giggles from Hugo. He'll ask her to say it over and over and over. I've had to remind him that it's best if we save this word for the privacy of the bathroom. So, bath time is full of rolling giggles from Hugo requesting his little sister Miss Marlo to say "poop" over and over again.

The poop word has me considering the beginnings of potty training the girls. I'm scared at the idea of two naked girls running around the house in separate directions, peeing hither and yon, as I run crazily about with the Clorox and paper towels in hand. One afternoon at my parents, my Mom said Marlo was intensely watching one of her wee cousins on the toilet. Mom thought Marlo was putting two and two together. Not two minutes later, Marlo strolled into the living room, dug into the diaper bag and brought me a diaper and wipes as she said, "poop." I hope to start the potty training with Marlo and that Sabine will simply follow suit. I'm hoping. But I'm a big, fat chicken to start the process.

Blogging is King

2011-08-11T09:31:00.001-04:00

I'm back. Why so long away? I have no good answer. We've been back from Wisconsin for over a month now, I just haven't blogged. Just haven't.

My mother did stay for an extra weeks visit after she helped me drive the children home.
It was super, super hot weather wise.
We had two solid weeks of swim classes for Master Hugo.
The girls have been busy bees, two - or should I say, four steps - ahead of me at all times!
We've missed Papa during this busy, busy work summer of his. A lot.

I suppose I'll back date some posts to fill in the gap. But know this, I am back.

A Long Day

2011-06-29T23:31:00.000-04:00

Hugo's bedtime prayer went a little like this:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please bless the food.

And please bless the squitos so they wont bite me and drink my blood.

In the name (I butted in at this point with a gentle reminder, "Please bless Papa...")

Hugo- Mom. I am too tired.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sounds of Home

2011-06-24T02:06:00.001-04:00

The girls were playing happily with Carly in the sandbox when my Dad began to mow the lawn. Marlo jumped up looking toward the sound she knew so well, and began waving and waving as she called out, "Papa, Papa, Papa!" Both girls were surprised and bewildered to see my Father ride past them on the mower. Sounds of home.

My sister Millie is giving me mini lessons on using my new camera, today I shot in "m". It was exciting! And hard.

Tree Forts

2011-06-23T23:56:00.001-04:00

Josh and Kristene left for their home in Utah late this evening. They had hoped to buy more furniture at the auction tonight, only to discover that the auction is actually scheduled for the following Thursday evening. Millie and I had stayed home to watch the short troops and were pleasantly surprised be the early arrival of Josh, Kristene, Mom, and Dad. We helped out as Josh loaded his trailer with antiques for his store. Furniture needed wrapping and children needed coralling.

Tonight I heard Kade sing the chorus to Somewhere Over The Rainbow and it about melted my heart... till he dropped a stone on my toe.

Marlo and Sabine are sad to see sweet Addi leave. I'm thinking mother's helper for next summer! The ticket will be in the mail Kristene!!

And the girls discovered that they can climb the ladder up the tree fort all on their own. Lovely. I had been so excited about the fenced yard till that moment... Just a mom, looking for a break here or there.

Outdoor Fun

2011-06-22T20:50:00.000-04:00

Hugo can not wait to run outside and play Nerf guns with Lucas. Hugo calls his Nerf gun, a Smerf gun. Lucas was demoted to second best cousin today. Emry has surpassed him because she is "so crazy!"

Popeye's Fireworks

2011-06-21T22:34:00.031-04:00

Papa flew home today. We had breakfast together and then Popeye drove him into town to catch the shuttle to the airport. We were all sad. Well, honestly... I'm not so sure Hugo, or the girls, have had much time to notice his absence with all the goings on happening here. This is a busy place! Arms are at the ready to scoop up Marlo and Sabine to squeeze their warm little bodies and to beg for kisses. Toddler kisses are the best! Okay, clean faced toddler kisses are the best! Hugo barely slows his pace to make eye contact with me, let alone spend any time longer than a meal at my side. I miss Papa.

Just before bedtime, Popeye decided that a round of sparklers and fireworks were due. The kids bounced around like pogo sticks with excitement, 8 hyper pogo sticks. Luckily, no injuries occurred, just lots and lots of smiles. After the last of the sparks flew, movie time was declared and the kids raced to the waiting couches in the living room.

Cousin Mania

2011-06-20T16:10:00.000-04:00

Day two of ten children under the age of ten all in one house, went very well. They played video games, climbed the pine tree, ogled the pine snake Uncle Cesar caught, the girlies are loving cousin Addi, but aren't so sure of all the squeezing and carrying around type of love Miss Emry is dishing out, Lucas even ventured out to learn how to catch snakes from Uncle Cesar, the kids had a water balloon and silly string fight - with teams, Luke and Cameron were the team captains, and it was my birthday. Cesar gave me roses and the cutest stacking geese measuring cups. Cesar also ventured out extra early to scout out the goodies at the man's mall, Fleet Farm. Josh was miffed that Cesar didn't wait for him to wake!

The Day After

2011-06-19T23:04:00.000-04:00

The wedding which we all hoped and prayed for, and waited and planned for is behind us now. Millie and her crew crashed our hotel room last night for a cousin party. They bounced on beds and begged for pizza and soda pop. The adults decided that we'd sleep in and who ever woke first would text the other so that we could caravan the 5 hours up north together. Lucas rode up with us, he played zombies with Hugo on the iPad the entire way. Poor Millie listened to Barbie Princess sing-a-longs all the way home! Two vans = 3 adults, 6 children. Mid-afternoon we arrived and scattered about Popeye's house and yard to stretch our weary travel bones. The family count made a large jump after dinner - 7 adults, 10 children. And the 10 children ranged in age from 10 to 19 months. It was a lively bunch!

My mother had only two requests for what I was to bring to the wedding and her house, 1. no vintage at the wedding for me and 2. I must bring the high chairs for the girls. I tried my best to comply. Cesar grunted, groaned, and sputtered as he folded up the high chairs and packed them into the van, they just fit. I did not wear vintage to the wedding, but I couldn't quite help myself from packing one lovely pink dress that I hope to wear in photos with the kids. Marlo might be in Grandma Kris's pack about the vintage, as she ripped the cuff half off my dress as it hung next to her car seat on our long drive west, I hope I can fix it!

Bryan & Maggie Wed

2011-06-18T23:32:00.000-04:00

We drove like mad all day Friday to make it on time for Maggie's wedding in Chicago Saturday morning. The neighbor girls had keys to water the plants, retrieve mail, love Evie, and feed the fish, the kids surprised me by being awesome travelers, snacks were paced well, Cesar stayed awake till the middle of Indiana, and I couldn't think of anything major which we'd left behind at home. Once I began the last stretch of our drive behind the wheel, I thanked The Lady, of my van's navigation system, yet again for giving me the added boost of confidence I needed as I drove through the dark of night, with all passengers sleeping, to our waiting hotel north of the city. The only snag in our trip was that the hotel gave our booked crib to another family. We had packed one pack-and-play, but have two girls... Sabine slept with Cesar and I that first night, and well, it was a loooong night for me. The girl would not settle. The next afternoon upon arriving back in our room after the wedding reception, there was still no crib and our room was a mess. I raised a stink. The hotel bought a pack-and-play for our use that night. We all finally slept well.

Saturday morning was a wonderful experience for me by being in the temple with so many of my family. It was a powerful feeling as I held back happy tears and smiled from ear to ear. I was a bit late due to the fact that I had forgotten my recommend in our hotel room. Cesar had doubled back and ran up to our room for me as I anxiously waited in the van. He dropped me off in front of the Temple doors and I ran in as fast as my high heels allowed. I rushed the desk to ask, in a frenzied whisper, if I'd missed the Hughes/May wedding. As the man began to answer, my Mom appeared from out of no where and she rushed to hug me in a blur of deep lavender with her arms stretched wide. I cried right there. It seemed so natural, familiar, and appropriate for the first person of our family to greet me in the Temple to be my Mother. It was so, so nice. She quickly ushered me into the chapel and I scooted into the pew beside Millie, we were both husband less at that moment with Trent on a ship in the middle of an ocean and Cesar tending to our children outside.

Bryan and Maggie's wedding day was beautiful. Perfect weather, lots of family, and lots of love.