Random Ramblings

A Romp in the Holly

A couple days ago, we were heading out to door to go to the store when I fell. No particular reason, my ankle was just feeling snarky I suppose. Right into the bushes. I was holding Talitha but thankfully I have experience with that particular type of falling. So she pretty much stayed upright and I faceplanted into the holly. Kate screamed like she was in a haunted house (there is a slight chance she is over dramatic). Jack, to his credit, scurried right over to ask me if I was ok and to take Tali from me. Noah was most likely estimating the distance to the road and plotting his escape. I pulled a sprig of holly from my hair. Like I was about to grab a mug of wassail and go a-caroling. Perhaps sprig is not quite the right word - a small branch is more like it. And it was pretty tangled. I fought to get that thing out, bits of bark flying everywhere, neighbors rubbernecking as they slowly drove by the house. I got up and brushed the sand and the last remaining shreds of dignity off me and marched myself off to the store where class is out of place anyway.

Random Texts

Yesterday I got a text that read "We're heading to Orlando to get away from it all and we're going to stop by Ikea. Do you want me to pick up anything for you? Look at the website and send me a list." I didn't recognize the number so I replied "I do enjoy things from Ikea and while I appreciate your offer, the fact that I don't know who this is is somewhat creepy."

(Here I'm thinking it's my sister's fiance. He loves both Ikea and messing with me.)

"This is Nancy."

"Nancy?"

"Nancy (Last Name). Don't you remember, you were at my house yesterday?"

"At this point, I am convinced this is the wrong number. I spent yesterday eating truffles and wallowing in self-pity."

"Isn't this Robert? Tatiyana's husband?"

"No. But I do wish my name was Tatiyana if that helps."

"Sorry about this. Are you in Jacksonville (based on area code)? We live in Mandarin."

"We're outside of the city a bit. Hey, you could stop by on your way home from Orlando. I'll make scones and we can have tea and you can show me all the pretty things you bought me."

"Haha. I like your sense of humor. You're funny."

"Thank you. So...about my list..."

A Hat Fit for a Kid

At a recent garage sale, I found a John Deere baseball hat and picked it up for $.25. Being the financially responsible (eh, cheap) parents we are, I set it aside for use in Jack's Christmas stocking. He was thrilled and wore it to my parents' house later that day. An astute adult noted that it's not actually a John Deere hat. It's green with a yellow tractor. On closer inspection, it says "Kenny Chesney" under the tractor. Turn the hat around and there's another revelation. In curving letters is the saying "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy."

On an 8 year old head.

So now I'm thinking of taking a Sharpie to it.

"She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy Fuel Efficient."

Glad Tidings and Stuff

Christmas is over and I am feeling a little sad about it. In the last couple days, I heard a few adults make comments to the tune of "Thank Goodness it's over" but I love the season. The hot chocolate, the wrapping, the movies, the anticipation. It's funny how we experience the same thing year after year and know what's coming but it's still exciting. This year we all got to watch Talitha enjoy her first Christmas. Unwrapping her birthday presents was a befuddling experience for her but by Christmas, she quickly realized the happiness that was awaiting her just beyond the wrapping paper. I watched her with joy with past month, knowing that the Author of her life was being introduced to her: that her Great Hope was being born in a manger.

Christmas Eve party - Soup and bread, chicken wings and crab legs, my sister's birthday, cake, and White Elephant presents. Oh and sock monkey hats.

This train table with a box of trains and tracks and bridges and stuff? $15 at a garage sale. It was Noah's gift but we seriously could've gotten it as a family gift and been set.  It is loved.

On the way to my parents' house. Toddlers out.

She is not amused.

We enjoyed Christmas morning at our house with Matt's parents. Matt and I got up early and made a fire and sat and drank warm things waiting for the kids. We opened presents and lit the Advent candles and had breakfast. Around noon we headed over to my parents' house for round 2.

One thing that makes me all squealy happy is that my parents and Matt's parents are friends. They've been friends since I was 6 and Matt was 9 and we lived on the same street in NY. I like the fact that holidays are happily shared now.

The couple days after Christmas the kids and I recovered. By that, of course, I mean that we watched movies and ate truffles.

Yesterday we went to my best friend's parents' party. It was, and I say this in all sincerity, a square dance. The barn was festively lit up and there was a chili cook-off and hay bales. Kate and I did the chicken dance and the electric slide. Matt, as per his usual, sat on the sidelines and tried to pretend the dancing wasn't happening. Jack got roped into the hokey pokey by his friend Will but by the time I ran back with my camera, he had figured out that he was about to be involved in a dance and walked off, disgustedly shaking his head. We had to leave early due to the fact that we brought both 2 year olds to an outside party in the dark with a bonfire and we are stupid. I told Matt that next year we'll get a sitter for the younger two, put on our cowboy boots and dance the night away. He nodded his assent but I'm pretty sure he wasn't really listening and this will be an issue next year.

Cake and Waffles

Today Talitha turned two. It's a momentous day in our family, most likely the first birthday for her that has been celebrated and her initiation into a presents and cake and togetherness that is birthdays.

She has transitioned so well into our family that sometimes I quite forget that she hasn't been here from the beginning. The other day I mused about the fact that Matt and I are brunette and yet all of our kids are blond and I completely forgot that Tali was Chinese. The funny thing is, I think she favors Kate. Little and flexible with Elfin ears. She's the Asian Katie.

Sadly, Matt had to leave yesterday for training so Tali's party was sans Daddy. I made Lo Mein and Honey Sesame Chicken and never did I miss Matt more than when Tali and Noah were each grabbing onto a leg, screaming and crying while I stirred the vegetables. I struggled my way over to the fridge and pulled the ketchup bottle out of the door. That's when I realized that the bottle of caramel ice cream topping had spilled. All over the shelf. On all the bottles, dripping down the back and sides of the fridge door. While the screaming toddlers competed over who could wail the loudest despite roiling bubbles of snot on their faces.

Complete and utter despair of the soul.

The birthday dinner was quite nice. My parents came early and Dad immediately began wrestling with the toddlers while my mom passed out tiny chocolate muffins. It was like Ed McMahon passing out checks.

Matt's parents and my older sister and her fiance came as well. It was wonderful. The food turned out ok, despite my offsprings' best attempts to thwart it. We lit the candle and sang happy birthday and immediately Tali stuck out her lip to cry. I really think the whole thing scared her. I'm sure it was her first time experiencing the whole birthday thing. Which is rather odd, to be sure. A whole bunch of people encircle you, singing in unison, while we place a lit stick of wax in your face.

Face of confusion and terror. The big siblings stepped in to provide comfort. Out the the view of the camera, Noah is staring at the cake and thinking "Shut up with all the singing and serve me, peasants."

 The gifts were a huge hit with the little ones. Noah unwrapped Tali's presents with enthusiasm and cried "Mine!" repeatedly while she admired the Christmas tree lights. I think he's suddenly happy to have Talitha as a sister. His birthday is in July, hers in December. Every 6 months, Noah gets presents - hooray!

She's super serious when she eats. Really - don't bother her when food is involved.

Birthday waffles! Again, no smiling with the food.

Katie was sad that her cupcake didn't have a lot of frosting. Complete despair of the soul.

I let Noah sleep with me last night since Matt was gone. Then Tali wandered in with her little lovey blanket (thanks Deb!) so she got into bed. The big kids came in and we all hugged Tali and said happy birthday. Jack and Kate sang a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday Dear Talicakes!" and we had waffles. I kept trying to get pictures of Tali and her gifts but she doesn't stop moving so most of them are a blur. I had a little birthday playdate with my two friends and their kids. We finished off the day with baths and a chapter of Secret Garden.

Happy Birthday, sweet little Miss Talicakes. I hope you sleep well tonight, in your own crib surrounded by dolls and handmade blankets - with a peace in your soul that you belong to us.

Random Ramblings

Holiday Confusion

A couple of days before Thanksgiving I went to the store. The gas station in front of the store was crazy. No pumps open, cars circling for an opening. Cue my confusion. Was there an apocalypse I wasn't aware of? Did something happen in the Middle East and now there's a run on oil? Why oh why don't I listen to talk radio?

Then I went into the store and it was a madhouse. Like a bunch of toddlers trying to evade naptime. While hopped up on marshmallow fluff. Then it hit me: it was right before Thanksgiving and people were getting their food, filling up their gas tanks on their way to vacation. It bothers me that every Thanksgiving and Christmas I'm confused by the rush of people. You'd think I would've learned by now. But no, I wander around, feeling slightly put-out that others are impinging on my grocery shopping and wondering why there is so much frozen poultry in the store.

Life with Noah

What a ball of cuteness and terror this little guy is.

 He blames his dirty diapers on Talitha. I'll ask "Noah, are you stinky?" and he'll reply "No. Tali pooped." And then I'll check him and say "Noah. You did." And still he'll persist. The evidence is stacked against him and he'll look up at me with his sweet blue eyes and say "Nuh-uh. Tali did."

 Last night at the dinner table, Matt told Noah to sit down and finish his dinner. Noah told him no. We've been stern, we've been sensible. Time-outs, sent to the room, whatever. At that moment, however, Matt stumbled upon Noah's true currency: the bink-binks. He loves those plastic germ-fests. Matt picked up a pacifier and told him "If you ever want to see your bink-bink again, you sit down."

Naturally, I thought of this:

A bink-bink hostage situation. Note scrawled in crayon - If you ever want to see your precious bink-bink again, you'll bring graham crackers...

Then today in the store, I put Noah in the cart (while Tali sat in the buckled seat) and threw a couple cans of crescent rolls in the cart. A few minutes later, I noted that he was setting them up like blocks. "He's growing up," I thought with parental satisfaction. A few minutes after that, I saw that he had somehow popped one open and was quietly gnawing on the dough oozing out from the top.

Yes.

The doughboy.

 

A Stroll in the Park

Today my best friend and I took our kiddos to the park. There's a pavilion there where hooligans hang out. Hooligans engaged in shenanigans. So when we got out, I decided to lock the minivan. Unfortunately, it's a really loud beep when you lock it so it announces to everyone "I don't trust any of you. And I have potentially expensive things in my car." Baby wipes, lonely socks, fuzzy gummy bears. I know you want it.

It's always fun taking eight kids to the park, all under 10 and four under 3. If you see the two of us at a park with furrowed brows, it's because we're mentally adding kids - looking at each other in confusion "I got 13. That doesn't seem right. Are they multiplying?"

The park seems to be on a downward trajectory. Aside from the pavilion of hooligans, we noted that her sweet 2 year old was sitting on a park bench with the phrase "F the police" on it.

Katie on the swing shouted gleefully to us "Look how high I am!"

My friend and I looked at each other. Probably lots of people there could say the same thing.