Here we are, on New Year's Eve, watching Harry Potter (the first one...not scary, and Patrick is WAY interested in it). The boys are eating puppy chow and Pretzel M&M's (thanks Chrissy and Colleen!), while I sip away on some plain hot tea...which tastes terrible because I'm still getting over the flu and literally everything I put into my mouth tastes terrible. (It's good for the scale, yes, but it is more annoying than I can begin to tell you. I'm actually getting angry about it.)
This isn't how I planned to spend NYE. I should at least be wearing something that sparkles and have a really fantastic pair of eyelashes on. I should have a drink in my hand that 1.) is reserved for adults and 2.) doesn't taste like dirt. We should be counting down the minutes to the ball dropping with our friends and family. As it is, we won't see the ball drop and we'll sleep through the first few hours of the new year. And do you know what? It's ok.
Despite being sick, this is the kind of night that makes me happy. Leo insists on holding hands now when we watch movies, and that really couldn't be better. Patrick professed that I am still fun, even when I'm a sick bum, and baby Hatch hasn't even noticed there is anything off. He's really into these nights at home, too.
The only person here who may be a little perturbed is Adam, who may or may not still be coming down from the throws of a full-on mantrum. He's fine, though. He may act annoyed, but he's really into this Harry Potter, too. (And the whole reason for the mantrum is because I have been out of commission, which means he has had to feed and care for himself and the kids and Adam really prefers being taken care of. He'll admit it. So he's upset that I'm down and out. He's generally pretty great, so I'll give him this little mood of his. He'll get it out of his system in no time.)
As the new year approaches, I can't say that I have any real resolutions except for this:
I will try my best.
When I run out of fuel and the kids are wearing me down, I will try my best to keep it together and to make sure their home is a happy one.
When my family (immediate and extended) starts to get on my nerves, I will try my best to remember that I have probably been on people's nerves, too
When Indy won't get out from under my feet and just keeps licking himself, I will try my best to be kind and loving and remember that he's super-old and it isn't his fault.
When Adam works too hard and I get frustrated that he's not home, I will try my best to remember that he works so hard to give us all a good life, not because he wants to be away from it.
And when things don't go my way, I will try my best to turn them around, to see things differently, or to understand that sometimes things don't work out because there is something better just around the corner.
I won't make less mistakes.
I probably won't lose any weight.
God knows, I'm not going to start running or going to the gym with any regularity.
I'm not going to be the next Martha Stewart or the new Coupon Queen.
But I am going to love this life that I have, I am going to anticipate that 2013 will be a really great one for us, and I'm going to hug and kiss the &^%$ out of these boys (even the mantrumming one) because that's what I do best.
Happy New Year, Friends and Family! May God bless you always, all ways.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Affection
If there is one thing this family does well, it's showing all members how much they are loved. We know affection. We practice affection. We are affection aficionados.
We kiss, we hug, we're all really good snugglers, we have family slumber parties, we say "I love you" at least 100 times a day. This is a house of five lovers, for sure, which really comes in handy when one member of the family is down and out.
Today, as I lay here on the couch for the second day in a row, suffering from what I have termed the Plague of 2012, I am more appreciative than ever for the affection I receive from these boys. As I type this, Leo is laying next to me, snoring the afternoon away, because it stresses him out to be far from me while I don't feel well. (This will probably lead to Leo's own Plague of 2013.)
Last night, as I was struggling to break my fever, I was half asleep on the couch. I would periodically feel Patrick's tiny hands sweep the hair out of my face or his tiny body lay down against me. Once, when I assume my fever had spiked again, I heard him say, "Oh, no, she's really hot. Dad! Come see Mom. She is really hot again."
Adam has been supplying endless Sprite Zeros and making me tea on demand. He has been up at 6:30 with the baby and has bathed/fed/cared for the boys on his own. He's let me have full reign of the remote control. Hatch periodically walks over to me and kisses my cheek and lays his head down on my shoulder. I may feel like @#$&, but I do feel so loved.
The house is so quiet, the snow outside the window is absolutely beautiful, I have a precious little boy sleeping soundly next to me while I spend the day in my pajamas. Save for the nasty fever and overall illness, this would be a really great day. Thanks, boys, for turning something bad into something good and memorable.
We kiss, we hug, we're all really good snugglers, we have family slumber parties, we say "I love you" at least 100 times a day. This is a house of five lovers, for sure, which really comes in handy when one member of the family is down and out.
Today, as I lay here on the couch for the second day in a row, suffering from what I have termed the Plague of 2012, I am more appreciative than ever for the affection I receive from these boys. As I type this, Leo is laying next to me, snoring the afternoon away, because it stresses him out to be far from me while I don't feel well. (This will probably lead to Leo's own Plague of 2013.)
Last night, as I was struggling to break my fever, I was half asleep on the couch. I would periodically feel Patrick's tiny hands sweep the hair out of my face or his tiny body lay down against me. Once, when I assume my fever had spiked again, I heard him say, "Oh, no, she's really hot. Dad! Come see Mom. She is really hot again."
Adam has been supplying endless Sprite Zeros and making me tea on demand. He has been up at 6:30 with the baby and has bathed/fed/cared for the boys on his own. He's let me have full reign of the remote control. Hatch periodically walks over to me and kisses my cheek and lays his head down on my shoulder. I may feel like @#$&, but I do feel so loved.
The house is so quiet, the snow outside the window is absolutely beautiful, I have a precious little boy sleeping soundly next to me while I spend the day in my pajamas. Save for the nasty fever and overall illness, this would be a really great day. Thanks, boys, for turning something bad into something good and memorable.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Enjoy some out-takes from our amatuer Christmas card photo session:
Sunday, December 23, 2012
It's the night before our Christmas. (That is, the special, early Christmases that families with doctors and nurses and police officers and firefighters get, or so I tell my children). The house is perfectly silent, save for the tiny snores of Leo, as he breathes directly onto my cheek. He is especially clingy tonight, and I know if I move, this whole house will be awake in minutes. My neck is stiff, my throat is so dry that it hurts, and yet there is not a place on earth I would rather be than in this twin bed, smelling this baby's freshly washed hair, feeling his cool little forehead pressed up against mine. These are the moments I keep locked inside. These memories are the ones I hope don't ever go away. This is, quite literally, my heaven.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...
...Christmas, sort of. I mean, it would if I would finish my Christmas shopping or start wrapping presents, but the house is decorated (even tiny Patrick has crafted some of his own decorations), lights are up, tree looks great (minus that strand of lights that went out. It bothered me for a hot minute, but I really don't want to have to re-do the tree to fix it.)
Last week, we took the kids on a Christmas Lights Tour, which included:
We also took some time to make a Gingerbread House:
Alas, there are still the "important" things left undone. Knowing that, I spent the entire day today on the couch with a heating pad and several snuggling babies. Mind you, Adam is home, so I technically could have finished my to-do list, but
1.) I worked the last four days and am very tired.
2.) I slept on the air mattress a few days ago during a family slumber party and my neck still hurts.
3.) I still feel a wee bit under the weather--leftover from Friday's 24 hour-ish bug
4.) I just cannot get enough of these boys lately.
You'd have to have been under a rock to not know what happened in CT last week. You'd have to be born without a heart to not be devastated by it. And, in light of such a tragic event, I feel like I need to spend ample amounts of time with my babies. I feel a responsibility to make them feel secure and loved and hopeful and to make sure all is right in their tiny little heads.
Slowing down and taking a day off with the boys was good for the soul. And these kids, these little babies who have been such a blessing in our lives, are awesome. Just awesome.
A few things to note:
1.) Leo is doing really well with potty training! He wants new underwear for Christmas, and really loves the accessibility that said underwear gives him to his favorite toy. You figure that out.
2.) Hatch is learning new words. "Head down" and "Poopie" are two new ones. So is his name...which he thinks is "Baby." My fault.
3.) Patrick has turned the corner to big-kid land. I love to hear him talk. Sunday night, I got home from work at 1am and climbed up the the top bunk to wake him and convince him to come snuggle with me. It took him a minute to wake up, but when he did, he was confused. "What are you doing, Daddy?" "It's Mommy. I just want you to come snuggle me. I can't fall asleep." He didn't hesitate a second, climbed right down that ladder and said, "Oh, yes. Of course, of course."
Life at the Waldens is good. Correction: It's Merry. Very Merry.
Last week, we took the kids on a Christmas Lights Tour, which included:
 |
A stop at Starbucks for Hot Cocoa...
|
Alas, there are still the "important" things left undone. Knowing that, I spent the entire day today on the couch with a heating pad and several snuggling babies. Mind you, Adam is home, so I technically could have finished my to-do list, but
1.) I worked the last four days and am very tired.
2.) I slept on the air mattress a few days ago during a family slumber party and my neck still hurts.
3.) I still feel a wee bit under the weather--leftover from Friday's 24 hour-ish bug
4.) I just cannot get enough of these boys lately.
You'd have to have been under a rock to not know what happened in CT last week. You'd have to be born without a heart to not be devastated by it. And, in light of such a tragic event, I feel like I need to spend ample amounts of time with my babies. I feel a responsibility to make them feel secure and loved and hopeful and to make sure all is right in their tiny little heads.
Slowing down and taking a day off with the boys was good for the soul. And these kids, these little babies who have been such a blessing in our lives, are awesome. Just awesome.
A few things to note:
1.) Leo is doing really well with potty training! He wants new underwear for Christmas, and really loves the accessibility that said underwear gives him to his favorite toy. You figure that out.
2.) Hatch is learning new words. "Head down" and "Poopie" are two new ones. So is his name...which he thinks is "Baby." My fault.
3.) Patrick has turned the corner to big-kid land. I love to hear him talk. Sunday night, I got home from work at 1am and climbed up the the top bunk to wake him and convince him to come snuggle with me. It took him a minute to wake up, but when he did, he was confused. "What are you doing, Daddy?" "It's Mommy. I just want you to come snuggle me. I can't fall asleep." He didn't hesitate a second, climbed right down that ladder and said, "Oh, yes. Of course, of course."
Life at the Waldens is good. Correction: It's Merry. Very Merry.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Post-Script (Post-Video?)
If you are ever feeling down/angry/frustrated, take this tip, which I learned from my sister-in-law (thanks, Camille!). Get in the car, roll up the windows (or roll them down--this part is more of a preference), put on this song and sing along as loud as you want. It also helps to rock it out a little bit. Trust me on this one. When the song is over, you'll want to do it again.
I'm Back
Hello, friends! I am back! (Well, I am back for now. Back for good? I'll work on it.)
In the past week(s), here are a few things you have missed:
1.) Adam and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. Sixth. Wedding anniversary. And do you know what is awesome about that? Spending six years with the best friend/most competent and compatible/wonderful person I have yet to meet. Every year, I get to reflect on how imperative Adam is to this family and recently, as we are growing out of a very long baby stage in our house, Adam and I have really learned to appreciate each other and the time we spend together. Adam is a magic-maker. Always has been, always will be. This year's anniversary included:
-Chocolates
-Pearls (!)
-Dinner at Recess
-Drinks at Twenty Tap
-Love, love, lovelovelove (and appreciation, which, at this point in our lives, goes a very long way.)
Adam is good people. These boys and I are really very lucky, and that is the truth.
2.) Thanksgiving was a success. That was, until Ariane made pitchers of margaritas that included more tequila than I believe the recipe called for, and I was asleep before ten. Or nine. Whatever. However, it was an awesome holiday with awesome family (and my little sister did her very first Thanksgiving meal, beating me to that milestone by a longshot. Show-off.)
3.) Otto (our Scout Elf) made a return visit! This means little to you, I'm sure, but I know three little boys who are incredibly excited about it.
4.) Boy updates:
Patrick is doing really well in school. He wants to badly to be grown, and it shows. I register him for kindergarten soon, and it doesn't seem possible. Little Pjew is fantastic (and smart...and a good little artist, it turns out.)
Leo is wild. Huge surprise there. However, he's so loving and affectionate that it's hard to stay mad at him. Even when he knocks himself out cold on a doorframe (happened) or almost shoves his top teeth through his chin in a nasty fall (also happened) or throws incredibly large objects with his toddler Hulk-like strength (a ladder). Eesh. However, he's taking to potty training pretty well, which gives me hope that he's at least capable of being civilized and not completely feral.
Hatch. At fourteen months today (what??), he is almost running, short and stout, with a contagious little laughter and a genuine little smile. While we used to joke about how scrappy he is, we were right. Out of all three of the boys he is the only one who, when charged, will dig in his heels, tuck in his chin, and brace himself for a tackle rather than turn the other way and run. I thought today about the man who predicted Hatch's sex and his personality (and size, which has so far turned out to be wrong.) However, he said once that he would have a big presence...and he does. Perhaps it is in the eyes, but I think of my dad when I look at Hatch. Very likable, not very tall, and a little fierce and intimidating. Still, Hatch is my little lover-baby, and when he rubs his cheek against mine and says, "Mommy," I can't help but to breathe him in . He's so loved.
They all are, and this time of year is especially fun around here. Between the tree and the lights and the ornaments and the smells and the Christmas lists and Otto and Gingerbread houses (one under construction currently), there are a lot of festivities here. Adam and I are blessed. Whether we always realize it, we are. (I could use snow. And a little cold weather. Just saying.)
Which brings me to my next point. The last few weeks, I haven't blogged much because I really didn't feel like I had anything good to say. I felt a lot of pressure between the new job, my own (sometimes debilitating) self-criticism, personal family issues, etc. that I wasn't sure how to recount a story and make light of it. I just couldn't see the big picture, and I'm sorry about that. I like to fix problems by talking them to death, but when it stings too much to verbalize how I feel, I struggle with resolution. However, I'm working through it. I am sometimes my own worst enemy in terms of over-analyzing, reliving the past, doubting even my own intentions. I can certainly own that much. (The job, by the way, kicks ass. No really. In every sense. It's as awesome and rewarding as much as it is physically and mentally tough. It kicks my ass, at least.)
This time of year is great for cleansing the mind, I think. It's great to put things back into perspective. While I am a couple of weeks late, It should be still appropriate to be thankful for the things I have: job, husband, kids, sister(!), parents, in-laws, intentions, thoughts, loves, memories, fights, internal battles, coffee mugs, lipstick (some things are essential), tastes, habits, interests...life. I have a good life.
It's true.
In the past week(s), here are a few things you have missed:
1.) Adam and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. Sixth. Wedding anniversary. And do you know what is awesome about that? Spending six years with the best friend/most competent and compatible/wonderful person I have yet to meet. Every year, I get to reflect on how imperative Adam is to this family and recently, as we are growing out of a very long baby stage in our house, Adam and I have really learned to appreciate each other and the time we spend together. Adam is a magic-maker. Always has been, always will be. This year's anniversary included:
-Chocolates
-Pearls (!)
-Dinner at Recess
-Drinks at Twenty Tap
-Love, love, lovelovelove (and appreciation, which, at this point in our lives, goes a very long way.)
Adam is good people. These boys and I are really very lucky, and that is the truth.
2.) Thanksgiving was a success. That was, until Ariane made pitchers of margaritas that included more tequila than I believe the recipe called for, and I was asleep before ten. Or nine. Whatever. However, it was an awesome holiday with awesome family (and my little sister did her very first Thanksgiving meal, beating me to that milestone by a longshot. Show-off.)
3.) Otto (our Scout Elf) made a return visit! This means little to you, I'm sure, but I know three little boys who are incredibly excited about it.
4.) Boy updates:
Patrick is doing really well in school. He wants to badly to be grown, and it shows. I register him for kindergarten soon, and it doesn't seem possible. Little Pjew is fantastic (and smart...and a good little artist, it turns out.)
Leo is wild. Huge surprise there. However, he's so loving and affectionate that it's hard to stay mad at him. Even when he knocks himself out cold on a doorframe (happened) or almost shoves his top teeth through his chin in a nasty fall (also happened) or throws incredibly large objects with his toddler Hulk-like strength (a ladder). Eesh. However, he's taking to potty training pretty well, which gives me hope that he's at least capable of being civilized and not completely feral.
Hatch. At fourteen months today (what??), he is almost running, short and stout, with a contagious little laughter and a genuine little smile. While we used to joke about how scrappy he is, we were right. Out of all three of the boys he is the only one who, when charged, will dig in his heels, tuck in his chin, and brace himself for a tackle rather than turn the other way and run. I thought today about the man who predicted Hatch's sex and his personality (and size, which has so far turned out to be wrong.) However, he said once that he would have a big presence...and he does. Perhaps it is in the eyes, but I think of my dad when I look at Hatch. Very likable, not very tall, and a little fierce and intimidating. Still, Hatch is my little lover-baby, and when he rubs his cheek against mine and says, "Mommy," I can't help but to breathe him in . He's so loved.
They all are, and this time of year is especially fun around here. Between the tree and the lights and the ornaments and the smells and the Christmas lists and Otto and Gingerbread houses (one under construction currently), there are a lot of festivities here. Adam and I are blessed. Whether we always realize it, we are. (I could use snow. And a little cold weather. Just saying.)
Which brings me to my next point. The last few weeks, I haven't blogged much because I really didn't feel like I had anything good to say. I felt a lot of pressure between the new job, my own (sometimes debilitating) self-criticism, personal family issues, etc. that I wasn't sure how to recount a story and make light of it. I just couldn't see the big picture, and I'm sorry about that. I like to fix problems by talking them to death, but when it stings too much to verbalize how I feel, I struggle with resolution. However, I'm working through it. I am sometimes my own worst enemy in terms of over-analyzing, reliving the past, doubting even my own intentions. I can certainly own that much. (The job, by the way, kicks ass. No really. In every sense. It's as awesome and rewarding as much as it is physically and mentally tough. It kicks my ass, at least.)
This time of year is great for cleansing the mind, I think. It's great to put things back into perspective. While I am a couple of weeks late, It should be still appropriate to be thankful for the things I have: job, husband, kids, sister(!), parents, in-laws, intentions, thoughts, loves, memories, fights, internal battles, coffee mugs, lipstick (some things are essential), tastes, habits, interests...life. I have a good life.
It's true.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Life, According to Patrick Walden
"Leo, you are learning how life works. When I tell you I am eating poop and you find out it was really chocolate and I just didn't want to share it with you, that is a life lesson. You'll see."
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