A Little Adventure: Prop Plane to ABQ

Hi Everyone! Happy Thursday!

So my dad found this flight from Grand Junction to ABQ and vice versa...this guy is flying radiopharmaceuticals from Sandia where my husband works to St. Mary's which is a regional medical center for Western Colorado. Recently he (the guy) figured he may as well take some passengers along when he's flying back and forth. It's the same price as a commercial flight, but here's how it goes:

If you're flight departure time is 9:45 you show up at 9:45. You park right out front and there's a cushy lounge to hang out in.

You meet the pilot and hop into the plane (no security). You're the only passenger. He tells you there are oxygen masks in the back and if you land somewhere that is "not a runway" and you can't get out the door you came in, there's another way out of the aircraft (at this point he vaguely gestures towards the other way). He asks if you're scared of flying and you say no.

You put on headphones so you can hear the interactions between your plane/others and air traffic control. Also so you can talk to the pilot.

The the only signs of habitation the whole trip are Telluride and Purgatory (Durango ski mountain) and some houses near a lake in the desert.

Coming into ABQ is bumpy for a few minutes, but no big deal. Another cushy lounge on the other side and my husband to pick me up at the curb...hour and fifteen minutes, no connections, no airport craziness...it was the absolute best. Can't wait to do it again!

In other news, everything's working out with the house we wanted in ABQ. We close in two weeks...so excited! Down for the weekend to tie up some loose ends and spend some time with my husband. 

See y'all on Monday. Thanks for spending some time here this week.

XOXO

Kid's Library Book Review, Vol. 1

Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday!

Do you all go to the library? I think it's the best thing in the world, especially for kids. We go regularly and check out a stack of kids books, for the most part chosen at random, and it's so great because that way I can find some books for the kids that I love, and the ones I don't like so much...well, no big deal because it didn't cost any money to check them out.

I have very specific preferences when it comes to kids books, I've come to find. I want them to be funny for the adults reading them, too. Modern (recently published) book in general tend to resonate better with me. Cool illistrations are important. Dinosaurs and monsters have figured prominently, for some reason.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to review the stacks as they come and go, so without further ado, last week's stack:

• Monster Hug!--Super cute story about 2 monsters hanging out all day. And there's a surprise ending, as you don't know they are little kids until the end and that totally changes the whole story looking back on it. Love surprise endings. This book's a keeper
• If You Were a Penguin--Kids can read this book to learn about different kinds of penguins. Straight-up educational books are not really my thing, though
• Mad at Mommy--I picked this up because the drawing on the cover was cute and because of the title I thought it would be funny. But it was just kind of this depressing story about a bunny feeling like his mom doesn't give him enough attention. It's originally a Japanese story...perhaps something gets lost in translation...
• Dinosaur vs the Library--LOVE LOVE LOVE this book about a little kid dinosaur encountering other animals on his way to the library and trying to get them to roar instead of moo or peep, for instance. And then at the library he's told to use his inside roar. And then there's the mystery of will he be able to make it through story time without roaring? This is a book I'd love to have in our permanent library
• Silvie--A flamingo who eats various things and turns the color of those things. Didn't love
• Big and Bad--A pretty heavy-handed retelling of The three Little Pigs where the Big Bad Wolf is causing social and environmental destruction and must be taken care of. A little too political/too much of agenda for my taste
• Wonder Bear--A picture book which I'm not sure I'm generally fond of. A cool, very unique illustrative style but not much of a story 

We're working our way through a new stack now that includes "Dinosaur vs Bedtime"...stay tuned for another set of reviews.

XOXO

Image credit: Amazon.com.

Confessions of a Work-at-Home Mom, or: When Is it Time to Stop Working and Go Hang Out With Your Kids?

Hi Everyone! Happy Tuesday!

I've been meaning to write more in this space about how I'm making work-at-home work. (For those of you who don't know, I work in advertising, part time which at the moment means about 30 hours/week although I'm trying to get that number closer to 20.) Here's what has lately been my biggest weapon in the ongoing struggle of how do I divide my time and what thing gets my attention.

Last Friday, I had a particularly trying day, including things that weren't work related such as a stressful discussion with the people supplying our mortgage (they are being totally unreasonable in my opinion as far as what they want to verify that the money from my business is actually money from a business and not I don't know what--Money from drug deals? Arms sales to Iran? Money laundering? I went through this when we refinanced our Colorado house too...despite having run a business for 11 years, mortgage people can't seem to wrap their heads around this style of working.) Also trying to get the electricity at our Colorado house out of my name and into the renters (the electric company changed it to the renters for one day, and then changed it back to me...that is just not logical!) And then crazy work stuff like half a dozen projects that were briefly talked about months ago are all all of a sudden urgent and also I had a regulatory meeting (held to make sure the medical stuff I'm doing is in compliance with the FDA) and was being asked to do things that are WILDLY outside the scope of what I normally do. 

Anyway, my mom had been taking care of the kids all day (confession: I also snuck a hair cut/color in there), and they (the kids) were about to get up from their afternoon nap and I had soooooo much I needed to do including a deadline that needed to be met that day and I never miss deadlines but I called the associated account manager and asked if we could push it to Monday and she said no problem and I closed my computer and went to spend the rest of the day with my kids.

Part of the reason: My dad had sent an email earlier in the week talking about work/life balance and how if you die, the people you work for could replace you in a week and not miss a beat. But you parents and husband and kids--they won't get over you in a week. This is something I've heard explained this way before but it's so good to keep in mind as I try to divide my time as a working mom. Who cares if this smartphone alert to doctors that I'm writing gets put into regulatory a day late? (as long as I'm not blowing my deadlines every time). My time last Friday afternoon was much better spent crawling around on the floor with my kids, playing peek-a-boo with the big brown box that is their new favorite toy, feeding them a ground up version of my mom's elk stew, watching them in the bath, Zo sticking her finger over and over into Luke's mouth and giggling like crazy (and he doesn't bite her when she does this...he bites me every time I put a finger in his mouth), Luke and Zo crawling around at my feet while I folded and put away laundry, snuggles and bottles before bed, etc. 

You're easily replaceable at work.

Not so much with your kids.

Keeping that top-of-mind helps me keep my priorities where they should be.

XOXO

The Monday Snapshot: Daddy's in Albuquerque Edition

Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!

As many of you know, my husband is in Albuquerque and we (me and the kids) are with my parents in Colorado until the whole housing situation sorts itself out (which should be mid-March, fingers crossed.)

Until then, thank goodness for FaceTime, especially popular at the dinner hour.

First, it's Luke's turn (note my pink cell phone at the bottom of these photos):

And then Zo's:

Zo has started asking for her daddy, by the way. She'll say da-da-da-da and we'll FaceTime my husband for her, much to her delight...

Can't wait until this is no longer standard operating procedure. Being apart like this is hard...

XOXO

Note: This post is part of PAIL's Monday Snapshot series...click here to see this week's installment.

Dear Luke and Zoey (Dexter the Dog Edition)

Dear Luke and Zoey,

Since you were first born, you've shared your home with two boxers, one of whom is named Dexter. Dexter lost an eye over the past weeks...he also turned nine years old...and I've been thinking a lot about him and wanted to tell you...

When I lived in Santa Barbara with your Uncle Luke, I had a dog name Shaye that died one night suddenly and scarily. The next day, your Uncle Luke and I both took off work, got lattes at the Coffee Cat, drove north to Jalama, a beautiful, secluded beach. It was windy and cold, we both were so sad. I lay in the sand and drew patterns with my fingers, Luke poked around the tide pools, coming back to me occasionally to make sure I was OK.

On the way back to town, Luke said, "I think we should get another dog."

"No," I said. "Too soon."

"Well, I'm going to get a dog," he said. "We're set up for a dog. I think it's the right thing to do."

So we went to the Montecito Pet Shop (Montecito is the next town over...it's where Oprah and all the movie stars live) and they had boxer puppies and we sat on the floor and let the puppies crawl all over us and Luke started crying and not that I had any control over the situation, but I knew then that getting a puppy was the right thing to do. (We always joked that all of Dexter's brothers and sisters went to rich homes where the dogs had nannys and private doggie pools and tricked-out dog houses and poor Dexter had to come home to just a normal life with us. Although a dog couldn't have ever asked for a better life than the one Dexter had with Luke.)

Your Uncle Luke loved that dog, they bonded so strongly, they had a year together and then your Uncle Luke died and I got the dog, although he's never really been attached to me at all. It will break my heart when we lose Dexter, but I also know that he will be so happy to be with his true master again.

("Dexter's the only link I have to Luke left," I told your daddy one day when I was scared about Dexter dying sometime in the future.

"You'll always have a link right here," your daddy replied, patting his heart and making me cry.) 

Dexter loves you kids dearly, comes up to give you kisses all the time which he never does with anyone else, not even me or your daddy, lets you guys climb all over him, sleeps in your room in front of your crib. And he is doing fine with one eye, by the way...it's amazing how dogs just adapt and don't even care.

I hope Dexter lives long enough that you have memories of him; regardless, I will be here to tell you stories, to make sure you know...

Love,

Mommy 

Sweet

Last night, I was feeding Luke and Zo their before-bedtime bottles, on the carpeted floor, one kid on either side of me.

Luke finished first, and was quickly up tearing around the room (funny, both the kids are so high energy right before bed, but as soon as it's time to sleep they go down no problem.)

Anyway, mid-tear Luke came over, crawled into my lap, put his head on my chest and snuggled into me and just sat there, very still and close. And then a minute later he was down, back to his wild ways.

It's hard to explain what makes this so different from anything that has happened before. I mean, my kids cuddle with me all the time...I think what it is is that it's usually me picking them up and them reciprocating...this is the first time either of them has initiated anything like this. Just so completely out-of-the-blue mine for that minute...so much love communicated through his little body.

It's so cliched, but this is what they mean by moments that take your breath away. I'll remember it for the rest of my life...

XOXO

I Can See Why People a Lot of Times Don't Figure Out Guardians for Their Kids...It's Really Hard

Note: This post was written as a contribution to PAIL's February Monthly Theme Post. Click here to view the entire list of participants.

Planning ahead...ah, isn't this what adulthood is all about? I've just recently started doing a lot of this planning-for-the-future type stuff, and also--perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not--have just recently begun feeling like an adult. Confession, though: Left to my own devices, things would not be as buttoned up as they are. I have my organized and responsible husband (and also parents) to thank for that.

Family Planning

We've got two babies, and want one more. (We think.) We're in the process of buying a house that will accomodate that plan. And have money saved for either a new car for my husband, if we end up with just two kids, or a minivan for me (gulp), and my husband gets my Jeep, if we have three.

We also have a plan for our IVF embryos, if there are any left over, and that is embryo adoption.

Financial Planning

Wills. Check.

Life insurance. Check.

Retirement savings. Check.

College savings. Check.

What to Do With the Kids if the Worst Happens

That's easy...my brother will raise them. 

What happens if my brother is not around either?

Well, that's a lot tougher.

How in the world do you make that decision?

We (my husband and I) talked and talked and talked about it and nothing felt right...everyone we were talking about "nominating" either lived too far away (we want the kids to be near their grandparents) or we felt was too involved in their career/not family oriented enough, or it seemed that it was too much to ask, aka they didn't feel like close enough friends. 

My husband's best friend, who is single but has raised a son, all things considered seemed like the best bet. He's a nice person and is very smart, would be willing to move to our town so the kids could be geographically close to their grandparents, has similar morals to us, goes hiking and snowboarding so the kids could still be exposed to those things which is important to me...he is where we were landing, but something didn't feel quite right. Talking about it with my husband one evening,  I burst into tears.

"If we do it this way, the kids won't have a mother," I sobbed.

"The kids aren't going to have a mother any way we do this," my husband said. Which made me cry even harder because it's true.

In the end, we did set it up with my husband's best friend. It's hard for me to think about and I get scared thinking did I make the right choice for my children? But I have to remind myself that the chances of my husband and I dying AND my brother dying are so incredibly small, it's not like this is a likely scenario. I think it's just a hard decision. I think we made the right choice, but still. Hard.

Please oh please oh please, don't let my children have to grow up without a mother. (This is the little prayer I say as I try to let the whole thing go.)

XOXO

"Dream Life" Check-In

Hi Everyone! Happy Tuesday!

So you may remember, last month instead of resolutions, I made a little list of how I want my dream life to look (here, with pictures). Thought it might be a good idea to check in with that on occasion. Since January 1:

• Dream Home: We found it, we're just hoping we get it (long story I will tell when it's over). I have a good feeling about it, though. Lots of energy has been going into this process...not only buying the house but dreaming about how we'll decorate, etc. It's mid-century modern, which I am soooooo excited about!
• Girlfriends (specifically, new friends in my new town): Have been making a list and checking out resources for when we move...stuff like Mommy and Me classes, writing resources, book clubs, etc... Not much else I can do until we actually move. I AM excited to meet new friends.
• New Office and Work Schedule: This is a post in and of itself for someday soon. But our new house, I'm going to have a lot less of an office (will be combined with the guest room). Have been having fun thinking about what I really need. And I'm feeling OK about it...when I worked 60 hour weeks and didn't have kids, a big nice office was really important. Now I'm doing 20 hour weeks (or will be) and work is not so central to my life anymore...it's fine that my office reflects that. Have also been thinking a lot about what computer set-up I want...it's almost time to replace my technology and I am going to find a good IT person and get everything set up perfectly.
• A Finished San Franciso Book: This is my current creative writing project, and I did get all my files (paper and electronic) organized, which is a big step. This is on hold until we are in our new space...too much going on right now...
• A New Baby: Our current plan is to start an FET cycle with my next period, in about 2 weeks. Which puts a transfer mid-April-ish. Deep breath and fingers crossed!
• Everyone I Love Healthy and Happy: Not much I can do about this one. Thankfully all is well...
• Celebrations: We had a fun New Years, with sparklers on New Years Eve before the kids went to bed and dinner out my husband and me. New Years Day I made beef bourguignon out of my new Julia Child cookbook...think that's going to be a New Years Day tradition...nice to have a special meal. Also, for Valentine's Day, I made some cute Valentines with the kids...fun. And I'm planning their first birthday, although also trying to be realistic about what we can do as we will get keys to our new house the day before. Thinking a rainbow theme with multicoloraed balloons and a cake similar to the one above. Should be easy to order the cake, pick up balloons, have a cute outfit for each of he twins and a present or two to unwarp...maybe invite our new neighbors...I'm thinking simple but special...
• All Things Good With My Mother-in-Law (and by this I mean all of us happy living together, as she is moving to ABQ with us so we can all be close and she can help with the kids when I work and/or my husband and I go out in the evenings): Our new house doesn't have the size space we wanted for her...we didn't really see anything that matched our ideal while we were house hunting. But it does have a bedroom and bath and another small room (craft room? TV lounge?) that will be all hers and is in another part of the house, private from us and the kids. Also, the house we are buying is at the low end of our budget, so if she's not happy in such close quarters with us or if we all feel it's just too much and there's not the privacy she/we need, there is the option of an apartment/condo for her...but I have a good feeling about everything working out great with this set-up (all in one house)...she is lovely...excited to finally have her with us...
• Time With My Best Friend: I'm determined to see her in person this year. Nothing planned yet though.
• Pictures: Been using my camera and doing some reading about photography. Will be sharing more in this space soon...
• Time with Family: Living with my mom and dad right now until the house situation sorts itself out...so great to have this time. Will also be visiting my brother and his family on my way to ABQ (even though it's not really on the way).
• "Happy Little Blog": I am posting pretty regularly, which is the baseline for this. There are other things I want to do...once we're settled want to turn some attention to this.

By the way, I'm finding it VERY helpful to have these things together on a Pintrest board...when I look at my TO DO list for the week on Sundays, I also look here and think about items that should be added to make these things a reality. I can't do everything every week, but I AM trying to make sure at least some of these things get attention on a weekly basis.

Did you guys do resolutions or something like this? How are they going?

XOXO

Image credit: 100 Layer Cake.

Zoey's Diary: 11 Months

Hi Hi Hi!

We turned 11 months old last Friday. We are so close to our first birthday, which Mommy says is going to be fabulous! Here's what we've been up to the past month:

We spent lots of time with Grandpa and Grammy and Grandma Charlotte. In fact, Mommy and Daddy went to Albuquerque without us to find a house and our grandparents took care of us. We had such a good time! Although I overheard Mommy say she's a little worried that we aren't afraid of strangers, are happy in anybody's arms. Because at this age that's supposed to kick in and she said she's worried is she being a good enough Mommy? I say we're just lucky we get so much love.

Also and lately, we never go back to our house anymore, Mommy says because we're moving, and we are at Grammy and Grandpa's all the time.

I am shaking my head BOTH yes and no these days, not just no.

Oh and check out my teeth! I have all the front ones now, but for a long time I had the bottom front and the top sides...Daddy said I looked like a staple remover!

Have we told you about the Baby Stopper 5000? Mommy says it's good we have an engineer as a daddy...he built this to keep us from going up the stairs unsupervised:

We are climbing up on everything! But we also know how to get down: feet first.

Bubs and I love to play together. We are both talking up a storm too, or at least that's what Mommy says.

Nothing better than sleeping with Daddy, that's how Bubs and I feel. Daddy says when we get to our new house in Albuquerque we'll all do afternoon naps together on the weekends. That will be great! Oh, another thing...when we sleep really well Mommy says we are Sleepasaurases. Or Napasaurases. I giggle at her when she says that.

We're starting to eat chunks of stuff, like banana. We love it! And Mommy has been giving us grades for eating...like if we throw all our food on the floor she'll say, "Sorry, guys, gotta give you a D for lunch." But mostly she says, "Good job guys! A+ all around!" Grammy says there is a lot of grade inflation going on, whatever that means.

 

Oh and here's Bubs after trying beets for the first time. Yummy!

Oh and the Roomba at Grammy and Grandpa's is so fun!

And we're starting to take some steps, both of us, but mostly we're all about speed crawling. And a lot of time together...we like to follow each other around.

Oh and last week Mommy helped us make Valentines...they turned out really cute!

So that's it! Everything is great! And Mommy says we will be in our new house in Albuquerque in time for our first birthday. We can't WAIT to find out what this Albuquerque thing is all about!

Love,

Zoey

Happy Valentine's Day!

Grace in Small Things, February 13, 2013

Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday! 

Awake at six this morning, cup of tea and my bedroom at my parent's is warm, the twins don't get up until 7 or for the past week they've been happy in their pack-and-plays past that, whereas always before I needed to be ready for them at 7 on the dot or even before. Thought I'd use this found time to share some small happy things:

1. Loving being at my parent's house, which is no surprise. When I lived in California and was single I used to come often...I always said it was like going to the spa because the setting is so serene and my mom is the best cook and everything she makes is so healthy and we all used to go on hikes all the time but now it's usually just me and my dad while my mom watches the babies. I'm going to lose those last two or three pounds I still have from my pregnancy while staying here, for sure. Speaking of that, my parents had a new washer/dryer delivered yesterday and the delivery guy asked how old the twins were and I said 10 months and he said wow you've lost all the weight, haven't you? And I have, and I fixate on those last couple pounds but really, I've done well. :)

2. Let the boxers out late last night (Dexter's eye is healing beautifully, by the way), and the strangest sound...I went outside and there was a chorus of coyotes, which can kill dogs so I ushered mine in quickly. My dad said they (coyotes) were probably scared to death by the cone on Dexter's head. So cool to be somewhere wild enough for coyotes. 

3. Been watching Mad Men Season 5 with my dad. So good. Plus they do what I do professionally, so interesting from that perspective. Plus if we get the house in ABQ I'll be watching Mad Men for decorating tips (we don't want to make our house like a museum, but we do want to stay somewhat true to the peroid while mixing in things we already have). Plus Megan's clothes...love her clothes. That actress is just so beautiful, period. And the writing is so amazing...we watched the episode (SPOILER ALERT) where Lane dies last night and the ending with Don and the boy in the car...amazing... Also we've been watching the commentaries after each episode and I've never watched commentaries like that but it's really interesting as a writer to hear about how the story is put together...

4. I can't get these posts about photography and truths that will make you a better person (via e tells tales) out of my head...

5. Often when I run errands I'll take one kid...nice to have some time alone with one of the twins, even if it is doing something as pedestrian as errands. Yesterday it was Luke and he's so cute right now, he's got this thing with strangers where he'll lean backwards out of my arms and smile a huge smile, then bury his head in my shoulder and peek out coyly...makes everyone laugh and say how cute he is...it's so lovely to run errands with a baby...

It's gone from dark to light while I write this...I can see the Colorado National Monument out the window, delicate pink of the clouds against the palest shade of blue and Zo is cooing in the other room...off to start another busy day. Hope it's a great one for you. :)

XOXO

Image credit: Pixdaus.

The Monday Snapshot: Over and Out Edition

Our house got packed by three nice men--a 20-year-old, a 35-year-old, and a 60-year-old--end of last week in two quick days. We all watched as the big blue-and-white truck drove away.

Overall, I'm feeling strangely unsentimental. There have been a lot of tears over the past year about moving, mostly because I'm sad not to be living so close to my parents, but none now. I think because we'll be so close and I know we'll visit often. And because everything about what we're doing is so good and positive...a city (a small one, but still...) which we'll enjoy, we're in the West and my husband having a job is going to be so great after 4 years of him being in school and we're excited about our house and everything New Mexico has to offer.

There are memories that bubble up, though.

Like how we lived off sandwiches and salads and takeout for weeks while the refrigerator was in our dining room and our kitchen was being completely redone.

And how the first fall we lived there I went to visit my best friend in Seattle and came back to our bedroom painted egg yolk yellow.

"What's this?" I asked my husband.

"Yeah, I hate it," he said.

"So why is the entire room this color?"

"I did it in the middle of the night, and I wasn't sure about the color, but I kept going. And then in the sunlight, I knew it was all wrong."

(We repainted it a soft butter yellow that I love, but I have to laugh about having to paint the entire room twice.)

And my Tinkerbell key to the front door, I remember having it cut the summer we moved in...the key that my husband is having me give to our new renters instead of keeping for myself.

("The girl is totally artsy like you," he said. "She'll appreciate it.") 

And also, wandering through our packed house, I marvel over the fact that there are boxes that say "Baby's Room" on them...for so many years, I thought that would never come to pass...

Maybe because we are renting the house...I don't think we'll ever live there again, but the fact that we still own it makes everything feel less than final and thus me less emotional.

Crazy how much things are changing. Feeling really excited...

XOXO

Note: this post is part of PAIL's Monday Snapshot series...head on over to see more...

Grace in Small Things, February 6, 2013

Hey Everyone!

It's a crazy, stressful, exhausting time with trying to get packed and moved, buy a house, rent out our current house, and my husband's about to leave us for a month (he starts work on Monday, we're staying with my parents until we close on the house or figure out Plan B)...ugh...will miss him so much.

But there are good things happening in my world:

1. A lovely dinner last night with a writer friend of mine and his wife, who also happens to be my OB. They used to live in Albuquerque and it was such fun to get their recommendations on where to go and what to do. They say we'll love it there...

2. Moved me and the kids and the dogs to my parents this morning. They (my parents) have made us all feel so incredibly welcome. I know it's a lot to take us in for a month, but so grateful to a) want to spend all this time with them (and feel like they want to spend it with me) and b) to get along so beautifully with them...not everyone has this kind of relationship with their parents. I'm very grateful for it...

3. Dexter-the-dog is recovering nicely from his eye surgery. He gets to be a one-eyed pirate dog now...arrrrrrr (that's my best pirate impression). Poor guy, but he seems to be in great spirits. Can't wait to take the cone off his head

4. Sucks to work late into the night, but grateful I can do it on days like today where I needed to be with the kids and take care of a zillion other things during normal business hours

5. The light on the Book Cliffs (which run all the way into Utah) late afternoon is so, so beautiful...for the past month I've noticed it almost every day and it's incredible...I think my mom and the babies and I are going to go on a little field trip someday soon...Jeep out there one afternoon and take some pictures...the light this time of year is one of my favorite things about this place...going to miss it for sure

XOXO

Adventures in House Hunting

Hi Everyone! I'm back! Hope everyone had a great week last week...as you know we were in Albuquerque house hunting, and look what we found:

Not the classic adobe with a view of the mountains I was dreaming of (turns out, that's out of our price range), but I'm soooooooo excited nonetheless. There are some hoops that must be jumped through, but fingers crossed this is going to be ours. Throughout the house hunt this was known as the "60's Fab" house...it's like Mad Men crossed with Palm Springs (we're going to have a pool!), with a little bit of Mexico sprinkled in. These are just crappy iPhone photos, and of course somebody's else's stuff, but we have plans to make this place oh-so-very-cool. It felt like our home from the second we walked in. 

In other news:

1. ABQ is cool (I'd never really been), I can definitely see us enjoying ourselves there 
2. It's all about red or green chile...I like both so I've been taught to order my food "Christmas" (hee hee)
3. The more we learn about my husband's new job, the cooler it sounds
4. The grandmas watched the babies (and I missed them TERRIBLY)...they (the babies) sprouted teeth while we were gone and the world is now their personal jungle gym and they say "Da!" when their daddy walks into the room (they've been saying "Ma-ma" for some time but I'm still not convinced it's meant specifically for me)
5. And my brother's (now mine) dog Dexter had his eye removed in surgery today...long story but he is doing well and that's all that matters 

AND...tomorrow is my last day in this (our Colorado) house...I'm feeling kind of sad when there's a second to think about it. Packing starts Wednesday...my husband's headed to ABQ Saturday...me and the kids and the dogs are decamping to my parents, probably until about mid-March. I hate being away from my husband but love love love spending time with my parents, so looking forward to that.

It's chaos around here, but a good, excited, my-husband-is-taking-care-of-almost-everything kind of chaos.

Cross your fingers for us and the house...it's not a done deal (long story I'll tell when it's over).

XOXO

Away Message

Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!

Going to ABQ tomorrow with my husband to try and find a house for us...so exciting! The grandparents are watching the twins (thank you Mom, Dad and Charlotte!), so this will also be the first time my husband and I have some couple time away from the babies...looking forward to that as well, although I'm going to miss my babies terriblly.

Anyway, things are crazy and chaotic around here with an imminent move and work is busy and we're going to rent out our current house so need to figure that out etc, etc, so I'm going to take a little break from blogging this week in order to keep my sanity. So much I want to share with you guys, but there are only so many hours in the day, you know?

Hope to be back next week with some exciting househunting news!

Have a great week!

XOXO

P.S. Didn't get a chance to post on Friday, so asking one last time today...if you could pop over and vote for me on Top Baby Blogs I would HUGELY appreciate it. Just click here and then on the owl on the left. Thank you! :)

Image Credit: Legacy House Art.

Grace in Small Things, January 24, 2013

Hi Everyone! Happy Thursday!

I'm mildly worried about a million things right now--our move, getting organized, what we're going to do with our house, how we're going to find a house in ABQ--that's my new abbreviation for Albuquerque :)--the timing of everything because my husband's job starts two weeks from Monday and pretty much nothing has been done yet (although the company is helping us with the move which is huge) and my biggest client just got bought and I don't know what that means for work I mean I've always been fine but I get scared and we were going to start an FET in the next week or two but we've postponed a month because I like to think I'm superwoman but you know, I'm not and I can't do all of this and an FET too. And I hope we can find a house we love and one that has room for all of us and my mother-in-law...we all need our own space and privacy and I just don't know what's available in our price range and I'm pissed we bought a house in 2007 and it's lost so much value (even though I know I'm far from alone in that respect) and I've worked so hard my whole adult life I just want a nice house for my family is that too much to ask?

OK, done whining. :) 

Deep breath.

We're all healthy and that's all that matters. Everything is going to fall into place.

And so, on to some things that are good in my world:

1. My husband downstairs making the kids laugh...have loved having him around day-to-day...will really miss him when he's off to work every day

2. We had an earthquake last night. In Colorado. Weird. But kind of fun because I knew what it was and I knew there was nothing to be scared of (if I'd been in California, there would have been more fear.) 

Me (going downstairs to talk to my husband): "Did you feel that?"

Him: "Yeah, what was it?"

Me: "An earthquake. Had to have been. What else could it be?"

Him: "I don't know, a train wreck maybe?"

3. We get to look for a new house next week! It's going to be so fun!

4. Work is busy. I am grateful.

5. We have the cutest, sweetest children in the history of children. So grateful every day.

XOXO

PS Would HUGELY appreciate a vote for my blog on Top Baby Blogs. You can vote once per day...just click here and then on the owl on the left. I'll ask again tomorrow and then won't bug you guys for a while. Thanks for your support! :)

Image Credit: B2B Marketing Experiences.

Luke's Diary: 10 Months

Hi Mommy's Blog Readers!

We turned 10 months old last week, and today Mommy said I could tell you about what we've been up to the past month!

Lots of back-and-forth to Grammy and Grandpa's...we're trying to get as much visiting in as we can before we move to Albuquerque! (But Mommy says we'll still see Grammy and Grandpa all the time, so not to worry.) Grandpa always bounces me up and down on his knee all the time and says, "Hey Luke, want to ride to Texas?" Mommy says Albuquerque is on the way to Texas, so I already feel like I know where I'm going!

I'm big on pacifiers all of a sudden. (After having no previous interest at all in them.) Sissy could care less.

Grandma Charlotte was here over Christmas...she's so fun to play with. And Mommy says she's going to move to Albuquerque with us...we are so excited!

My new thing is I loooooooooove the dishwasher! Sissy does too, but not as much. I like to climb inside it if Mommy will let me. She's always hurrying to get everything out, especially the glass things. I don't see why, I'd be more than happy to help!

Here are some pictures of us playing at Grammy and Grandpa's:

Mommy can't carry us both downstairs any longer, so when we wake up from naps or in the morning, one of us will wait in the crib while Mommy takes the other downstairs. We are both pretty patient:

Here are a couple early-morning pictures of Sissy. She is standing on her own lots, and even took a couple steps for Daddy while Mommy was out of town! (Mommy's friend Kim said that that happened because Sissy missed Mommy and was trying to find her.) I don't really stand on my own or walk yet, but I do cruise all over the place holding on to furniture or my scooter.

Speaking of us being mobile, apparently something HAD to be done to keep us off the stairs, although I don't see why, both me and Sissy are EXPERT stair climbers! Mommy and Daddy went to the home improvement store and got wood and white plastic lattice and Daddy made an L shape that fits over the bottom 3 stairs and gets bungee-corded into place. Mommy says it's good to have an engineer husband. They call it the "Baby Stopper 5000."

And here are some pictures of me patting my dog Dexter, and playing with the little scooter Grandma Charlotte got us for Christmas. Oh and by the way, I've REALLY started talking. At the beginning of the month I was more making clicking sounds...Mommy said I was probably a dolphin in another life. Now my thing is making really animated ascending "hut" sounds that make everyone laugh and imitate me. I've also started doing some things with vowels and consonants like Sissy has been doing.

And here are some pictures of us with Daddy. He's still with us every day, but not for long because he got a really good job! That last picture is Daddy helping me drink sparkling cider to celebrate! We'll still see him in the evenings and on weekends...we'll have sooooooooooo much fun on the weekends. We will miss him, though. Mommy said we are so lucky to have had our first 11 months with him and that most babies don't get that so I am trying to be grateful and not sad. Anyhow, now I can brag about how my daddy works for Sandia National Labs doing all sorts of cool national security stuff! I hope me and Mommy and Sissy get to visit him at work! That will be fun!

 So that's it! Everything is great as always around here!

Love,

Luke

P.S. Mommy asked me to ask if you would pleeeeeeeease vote for her blog on Top Baby Blogs (she's just going to be asking this week): just click here and then click on the owl on the left of the page that pops up. She says you can vote once per day and to say thank yooooooooooou!

The Monday Snapshot: Zoey Wears Vintage Edition

Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!

Dressed Zoey in a tunic the other day that one of my grandmothers crocheted for me when I was a baby. So grateful to have some of my baby clothes...must be sure to save some of Zoey's things for when she has a daughter. :)

Love this series of photos...in some Zo looks sooooooooo grown up to me...not a baby any longer...so crazy...it's all going by so fast...

Oh, and one last thing...my blog is ranked on Top Baby Blogs...and if you enjoy this space even a little I would very much appreciate a vote. There's no registration or anything like that...just 1) click here and then 2) click on the owl on the left of the page that pops up. Thanks so much in advance...really appreciate it!

XOXO

This post is part of PAIL's Monday Snapshot series, which this week is featuring one of my FAVORITE bloggers, SRB from Little Chicken Nuggets...click here for more...

Going Through Old Files Getting Ready to Write Again, and Finding a Poem That Makes Me Think of My Brother Luke

Hi Everyone! Happy Friday!

One of the things I want to do this year is write again...I mean, I write here, and for my job Monday through Friday...but I mean work on some of my book-length projects...things I haven't touched in a year or more, being hugely pregnant and then with the twins...

The first step is getting organized, seeing where I left off...no small feat. And interesting what you find when doing so...

I found a poem, one of only two poems I've ever memorized in my life, I love it because it says to me what writing is about, not giving up on your dreams, you know? What the real reward for doing it is.

Also, it's by Charles Bukowski, one of my favorite writers of all time. My brother Luke's (the one who died), too. When we were living together our house was full of his books, and one night we went to see a documentary about him up at UCSB with the drummer in Luke's band. The drummer's girlfriend was always involved in these fancy party-type things and we met the drummer at one of them, there was a photographer taking pictures of people for the society pages of the newspaper or whatever, and a picture of us ended up there, with the same last name it looked like we were a married couple. "This is why I can't get a date in this town," Luke said. Actually, that crowd, where we made the occasional appearance (not really our scene)...pretty much everyone assumed we were just some "cute surfer couple," as the drummer's girlfriend (now wife) tells the story, not brother and sister, I'm assuming because wherever we went we were always together, plus having the same last name...

Missing Luke...wish I had a copy of that picture...I know the drummer's girlfriend has one because she mentioned it last time I saw her...

But, I hugely digress...

Anyway, here's the poem. Excited to be starting to write again...feels good.

afternoons into night

Charles Bukowski

looking out the window

smoking rolled cigarettes

drinking Sanka

and watching the workers

come on in

I wonder, how much longer

can I get away with this?

stories and poems and

paintings

surviving on that.

an insane girlfriend

years younger

who loves me

types at her novel

in the kitchen

my stories, my poems...

what is a poem?

a book by Celine sits on

the edge of the bathtub.

I read it when I bathe

and laugh.

the workers come in now

I see their faces,

the insides scraped away,

the outsides

missing.

I've had their jobs,

their goldfish 

security

Segovia plays to me 

so softly from the

radio, the daylight's going.

look here--

the trip's been worth it,

while jetliners go to New York and

Georgia and Texas

I sit surrounded by hymns that

nobody can ever take away

as the workers bend over

hot soup and cold

wives.

Thanks for spending some time here this week. Hope you have a lovely weekend. :)

XOXO

Image Credit: luckyfish.

A Day in the Life... (Nine Months Edition)

Hi Everyone! Happy Thursday!

Today I thought I'd give you a glimpse into a typical weekday of ours...I love reading these posts by others, and I wish I had more, but alas, the only other one I have is from when the twins were two months old. These pictures were shot last Monday and without further ado...

Wakeup is at 6 AM sharp and it's almost always me getting up with the kids (a relic from when the twins were up most of the night and my husband took the night shift, with me taking over at 5 AM). Generally I don't mind getting up that early. Sometimes the kids wake up before that but if that happens usually they'll play (somewhat) quietly in their crib.

Once they are up, I take them downstairs one at a time (they are too big for me to carry both any longer), and stand them up against the coffee table in the living room. Luke has a thing for pacifiers lately...we're letting him have them when he wants them. Ideal is one in his mouth and one in his hand. That's one of our two boxers on the couch in the background...the kids and boxers looooooooove each other:

Next comes diaper changes...there is a lot of squirming going on during diaper changes these days, especially on Zoey's part...

After diaper changes I go into the kitchen to make bottles for the kids and a cup of tea for me. The kids crawl into the kitchen to be with me, and then follow me back to the living room:

They drink their bottles lying on the couch, one on either side of me, generally a dog or two close by:

After bottles we go play in the playroom. I'm embarrased by how dirty the rug is in there...I though having a dedicated place for the kids where the dogs couldn't go meant I could do a white rug, but no way. When we move we're replacing it with something that won't show the dirt.

The playroom starts out clean, gets progressively crazier as the day wears on:

After a while in the playroom, it's time to get dressed (usually around 7:30 or so). I dress them in the living room...getting dressed is not a favorite activity...the free twin usually walks around the coffee table, plays with the clothes about to be put on/PJs just taken off:

After the babies get dressed they spend some time roaming around the living room/dining room, which is pretty well child-proofed, although I wouldn't leave them alone in there. They love walking in circles around the coffee table, interacting with the dogs:

Then, it's time for breakfast, generally oatmeal and fruit. Haven't gotten around to changing out the X-mas placemats yet. Breakfast is served with one spoon out of the same bowl. The kids are always enthusiastic about breakfast. While they eat and after, I put my i-POD on shuffle and we listen to music....not kids stuff but just whatever comes up. The kids love music. 

After breakfast, more playing...a favorite activity is both kids walking around with one little scooter. We often read books during this time too...I go often and get a stack from the library so there's always something new.

At 8:45, another bottle:

Then at 9 AM a nap, often until 11 AM although if they wake earlier I get them up.

After they go down for their nap, I shower/dress and then sit down to work (although I generally do a quick voice/email check first thing in the morning just to make sure nothing urgent is happening on the East coast where a lot of my clients are based).

After the kids wake up from their nap, they usually hang out with their dad, although last Monday their dad was under the weather, so we packed up and headed to Grammy and Grandpa's. (I had a full day of calls scheduled, otherwise I would have worked less and watched the kids more.) We're over at my mom and dad's every Wednesday, and the kids go by themselves on Friday afternoons. It's about a 15-minute drive from our house to theirs.

I had a call right away when we arrived, but when I have calls where I have to listen more than talk (like this one where one of my clients was explaining to their writers changes to how graphics are being handled) I do the call with a baby in my lap:

At Grammy and Grandpa's there are toys galore:

And I take lots of little breaks to interact with the kids:

The kids ate some lunch of their own, sat with us during our lunch, and then another bottle and another nap at 1 PM. There can be some resistance in going down for the afternoon nap. Again I work during naptime.

Sometimes--trying to make it always--I'm done with work for the day after the afternoon nap (which ends at 3 PM, or sooner if they wake up), but this day I had a lot going on so Grammy and Grandpa watched the kids. But first, a wake-up snack of puffs with Mommy:

4:30 we packed up to go home...this time of year that coincides with the last of the light:

Dinner at 5 PM:

Followed by a supervised climb up the stairs (the kids love to climb):

Followed by a bath. The kids love baths so much...there are usually a bunch of rubber duckies in the bath with them so we call their baths "Ducky Baths," as in: "Are you ready for your ducky bath?!? Let's climb the stairs and make it happen!"

Followed by bottles, snuggles with Daddy, and a 6 PM bedtime.

So that's our weekdays...this example ended up being a lot less Daddy-centric than normal, but otherwise pretty typical. (Actually, that's probably a good thing...I would have driven my husband crazy following him around with a camera all day, LOL.)

XOXO

A Day in the Life... (Two Months Edition)