babies

i sat on the couch holding gabriel close against my chest while addison lay asleep in his crib upstairs.  showing his strength and curious nature he snuggled close but kept his head up looking about all the while.  i propped my feet up and closed my eyes, the previous night had been a long one.  with my eyes closed i could sense gabriel looking about, turning his head slowly from one side to the other.  moments passed and then he gently laid his head down on my chest.  a rush of warmth filled me.  the sweetness of my son snuggled up against me, there is nothing like it.  i sank into the couch a bit more and my thoughts began to wander. 

i'm sober.  i can't find the words.  i reach into the depths of myself to pull out something.  something of impact.  something that will make you understand.  maybe a fact, a story, or a description of the thoughts racing in my mind, but all i find are three simple words that matter the most.  vote pro life.  

1st snow

some first snow.  it's beautiful, but i don't know if i'm ready to give up the crisp air, crunchy leaves, and dry pavement.  

view from driveway side

view from back porch

for the grandma's

addison talking.  

gabriel.  love this face.

addison - our talker.

gabriel & daddy.

pre 5am contemplations

my pre 5am contemplations....

i'm tired.  don't idolize sleep.  why are we up before the sun?  don't idolize sleep.  did i put them to bed too early?  i'm so tired.  oh, that's where i put kevin's piano books (looking at the top shelf of the built-in corner cabinet).  i could use more sleep. where does the expression forty winks come from?  i think i'll google it.  i'm soo tired.  wikipedia is great.  i wonder if carol is on her way to work yet. must.get.more.sleep.  oh yes, they're sleeping.  good night.

more things

things someone should've told me!

#1  johnny jumpers and walkers:  love them.  fun to watch your children play in.  it will keep your children quite entertained.  something about that new sitting/standing position combined with the bouncing motion encourages pooping!!  

watch for the signs:  if your baby went from having the time of his life to whining and complaining, there is an excellent chance that he is sitting in poop that has crept above the back of his diaper and is nearing the back of his neck, courtesy of the bouncing.

things

things you've wanted to know but never dared ask...

question #1:  liz, what do you do when you're at walmart in the middle of grocery shopping with your boys and suddenly you REALLY have to go to the bathroom?      

answer #1:  hmm... good question.  glad you never asked.  the answer is, you don't.  you finish shopping, check out, load the vehicle, drive home, unload the vehicle, put away the groceries that need to be cold, wash hands, take the boys out of their carseats, feed them, burp them, put them on the ground to play, and THEN you go to the bathroom.  and in extreme cases you do all of the above and add in prayer.  a lot of prayer.     

got talent?

never before seen footage from that show "america's got talent".

the robot

the worm

crunchy leaves

crawling?

we went to the criscitello's yesterday (love that place) and gabriel started doing tricks i'd never seen before.  when we came home i tried to get him to perform for the camera and this is what i got:

you really should've seen him at the criscitello's, though, he was totally moving with a mission.

side note:  we've had a few sleepless nights around here - perhaps related to teething, perhaps not, i'll let you know when a tooth pops through - but after the boys spent the afternoon with libby and then the evening with sophia, they seemed to have caught the sleep anointing.  gabriel only woke up once last night and addison twice.  don't laugh when i tell you that sophia sprinkled her anointed sleepy dust on the boys heads as we slid our shoes on and headed out the door last night - it worked!  

have i mentioned lately how much we love our boys?!  oh, what joys - the joy of our home and the joy of our hearts.  i can't quite find just the right words... just... they're MY BOYS and i adore them!

one more thing.  this weather, i love.  crunchy leaves.  sweaters.  corduroy.  color.  rosy cheeks.  hot apple cider.  

ralph

he's worm food now.  well, maybe not quite worm food - kevin sealed his mouse carcass in a ziplock bag before tossing him in the trash.  we're now working on trapping his cousin, stuart.  cousin stuart managed to escape the trap last night, but not without losing some of his mouse fur.  he'll be back, they always come back!

rodent update

pesky little rodent. ralph, as we've affectionately named him, is a daring little bugger.  kevin promptly set the trap near the refrigerator upon arriving home last night - we checked it before going to bed only to find the cheese missing and no dead ralph.  meaning, as we sat one room away watching tv, ralph was working a stealth operation.  tonight we set the trap with peanut butter (cue sinister laugh).  

sleeping with bees, walking with mice

'twas two hours till sunday school, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, except me.  my teeth were brushed, i styled my hair, i donned wool pants cause there was a chill in the air.  the children were nestled all snug in our bed, while visions of nursing danced in their heads.  i awoken my hubby with a gentle back rub-y and told him it was time to hop in the bath tub-y, when above our heads arose such a clatter, kevin sprang out of bed to see what was the matter.  around our heads it flew like a flash, i reached for my shoes to give it a bash.  it was a bee, you see, and not just one or two but multiply that by three.  death, death to the bee!  

then, just moments ago while sitting on my couch a mouse, A MOUSE, ran right through my house.  i cried out to my spouse, there's a mouse, A MOUSE in our house.  so off to the store to purchase a trap, oh how we wish to hear it SNAP.  

calling all insects, rodents, and horrible pests you'll stay away from our home if you know what's best!

addison jump-up

discoveries

32 hours of driving time from eagle pass, mexas to potsdam, ny.  i decided/discovered a few things along the way.  first, i am pleased to do business with any establishment that supplies disposable paper toilet seat covers.  second, arkansas smells funny.  lastly, pflugerville is not just the sound i make when i sneeze - it is also the name of a city in texas.