Home, Sweet Home

After mucho hours of driving (too many to count), we have finally arrived in beautiful Colorado. Today wasn't bad. Since Beaver Creek is only a couple of hours away from the Denver metro area, making for a much shorter driving day, we relaxed in the morning. We attempted to sleep in, only to have our children decide to wake up at 8:00. Now I know that 8:00 is not exactly early, but if you knew how sleep deprived they are, you'd wonder what I was wondering - What's wrong with them? After breakfast and showers we headed out. It's mud season in the Rocky Mountains. Winter's over, but the last remnants of snow have yet to melt, so the summer season hasn't begun. There is a lot of construction, and very few people. The only souls out wandering the grounds with us worked there! Jorge, the maintenance guy I ran into, was very surprised when I answered his "hola" with another "hola." There are a lot of Latinos around, but I don't see anyone other than the Latinos speaking Spanish (not that I'm fluent by any means, but I can at least say hello). The kids had the run of the large play structure in the middle of the grounds. Brandon climbed, jumped, and slid down the slide. Caitlin did the slides, climbed up many things, and managed to fall on her head. Nice. Beaver Creek is beautiful. It reminds me of some of the mountain towns I've been to in the Swiss Alps.

We continued our drive through the mountains, passing through many little towns. I got the morning off from the kids. Good for me since they both decided to have complete meltdowns yet again as we were packing up to leave (!!!). We relaxed! No one was rushed! Why? Caitlin fell asleep about 30 seconds after we started driving to check out. Poor thing. Those 3 hours she was awake must have worn her out. Anyway, we drove on through the mountains and on to the Denver metro area. I was laughing at all the signs for truckers. They were specific - things like "Truckers, slow down. Downhill grade is 5-6% for the next 4 miles." Two miles later there would be another sign saying something like "Truckers, you have only gone 2 miles. You have 2 more to go." Other signs we've passed in the last few days had messages like "Fatigued driving is dangerous", "Okay to pull over and sleep if you are fatigued". The sides of the roads are grated. I notice that in Nevada. You may be drowsy and bored while driving, but if you cross even and inch over the white line on the right side of the road you will be jarred into consciousness by the horrendous sounds of your tires on the rough concrete! I was very alert when I passed the signs that said "Prison area. Hitchhiking forbidden". We passed 3 of those. Not near each other, either. As we got closer to Denver the sign said "Correctional Facility Area" instead of "Prison Area". That didn't make me feel any better.

Shot of the snow covered mountains (courtesy of the Car Cam)

The drive over the snowy pass and down into the valley was gorgeous! You peak at the summit, and then drive down.... down... down.... until you are on flat land. And the land is very flat. As you drive down you have a great view of the valley below. Except, in this case, it isn't a valley. It's the beginning of the plains. And they stretch out forever. I'm sure they don't go on forever, but it sure looks like it! I'm not use to seeing such flat land. To one side there is mountains. Turn 180 degrees, and there is nothing... for a very long time. B-town and the surrounding areas are much greener than they were in December. And, yay (!), there are trees! I love trees! All the leaves must have been gone in December, and I must have failed to notice the tree trunks and branches still standing.

Our new house is fine. It's a split level, but only if you enter from the front door. Otherwise it's pretty much a two story. The upstairs has been fairly well maintained, and has the kitchen, living and dining area, along with two bedrooms and a bathroom. The kids will be upstairs. Downstairs in the laundry room, family room, and a bedroom. There is a hideous fireplace that takes up the entire wall, and is made of shale rock. Kind of dangerous for the kids. The laundry room has no back wall and no finished ceiling. We were going to use the bedroom downstairs for us, and then just have the computer in the family room. However, the family room is tiny, and the downstairs bedroom might not be big enough for our bed! So, instead of having a bedroom and a family room, we are going to have a bedroom "suite". We'll put our bed in the smaller room, and our computer and dressers in the family room. Our new landlady, who is currently traveling, left us a home made lasagna in the freezer, along with a salad kit and a huge loaf of bread. And brownies. Everyone's favorite. She also left us stuff for breakfast in the morning. So nice. Tomorrow we'll be hitting the local Wal-Mart Supercenter (and event unto itself) to get all the things that we need but couldn't bring with us (like cleaning products) and stuff we forgot (like soap). I'm not a huge fan of Wal-Mart, but the supercenters are nice. I've never really shopped at one - just stopped and gawked - so it will be an adventure.

Now I'm tired, and want to sleep. We still need to blow up our air bed, and clean up the living room. How is it that two little kids can take a small amount of stuff and make it look like a tornado has blown through the house? Stuff is just scattered everywhere! At least it isn't too much, and we don't have to pack it all up in the morning!

The new place
Dinner, day 1
We will all be glad when the moving truck arrives in a few days!

Hello from Beaver Creek

We made it! Another day of traveling with our cranky selves and our cranky kids, but we made it to Beaver Creek (about 10 miles outside of Vail). Here is the view from our living room window. And, it doesn't even do the scenery justice! Since our drive tomorrow will be much, much shorter, we are going to take it easy in the morning and walk around Beaver Creek before we hop in the car and drive drive drive...



According to the odometer in my car, we've traveled about 1030 miles since leaving S-Town. Too much driving! However, I keep reminding myself that driving from California to Colorado was a conscious choice, and that I do really want to see the US! Our drive today was just beautiful. We drove through the Uinta National Forest in Provo, which went from the Uinta forest to the Uinta hills with no trees. We left the green, tumbleweed and grass covered high deserts of Utah and entered the lush green valleys of Colorado. Brandon was enthralled with the cows, horses, and "fluffy" sheep (unsheared - and yes, very fluffy!). He was equally enthralled with the tractors and "big machines" that dotted the countryside. After driving through the valleys, we entered the Rocky Mountains, and the White River National Forest. Here is one of the shots from the car cam (me, holding the camera and snapping while driving. Probably unsafe, but I did it anyway).

Lots of driving, combined with listening to Baby Einstein CD's, means I have a lot of time to think. If I could just somehow put all the random thoughts that run through my mind when driving straight on to this blog without having to type... well, you'd all be wondering about me. Things I wonder about while driving....

Why did I think that driving would be fun?
Why can't we get out of our hotel room in under 3 hours?
Why did my feet shrink after 2 pregnancies? Aren't they suppose to get bigger?
Although I prefer greenery and trees, the high desert and salt flats have beauty all their own.
The "striped" mountains in Utah and Colorado are so cool!
What is going on on "Lost" if the fertility stuff is a waste of time, according to the "hostiles" (Nestor - what is his character's name? Why doesn't he age?)?
Why doesn't Caitlin like watching DVD's?
Why does she try to eat her toes?
Why must my kids have complete breakdowns when it's time to leave the hotel?
Why do big rigs pass other big rigs?
Why do certain big rigs pass me? Am I really going that slow?
How is it that I can *always* find Spanish language stations on AM radio? Does everyone speak Spanish? And why does all the music sound exactly the same?

Finally, before I go take advantage of the jacuzzi tub and plethora of hot water available here (It's off season - or mud season, as they call it here. We might be the only people in our building. We are the only people on this floor), I will leave you with pictures of our kids stylin' in the car, watching their DVDs.

On the Road Again....

We are on the road, again. Actually, we are in Park City right now. Currently we are in the middle of downtown. In our nice 1 bedroom condo, courtesy of Marriott. This is a beautiful area. If anyone is in the mood for travel, the prices are nice this time of year (the off season). Right now I'm watching the local Salt Lake City news. The number one news story is the Warriors/Jazz game. The second story is about an 18 year old mother who is on the run with her kids (note the plural). The third story, 10 minutes into the broadcast is about a dog that rides a skateboard. Granted, he's a cute a bulldog, and I am impressed, but still it's only 10 minutes into the broadcast! Channel 2 news at home would be talking about how many homicides happened in the bay area. It's a nice change. Weird, but nice.

We left sunny, hot California yesterday morning. We had our walk-through with the landlord, and then headed east. For some reason, the walk-through was more stressful than I thought it would be. I'm not sure why. Maybe because our cleaning wasn't as thorough as I wanted it to be. Maybe it was lack of sleep. Maybe it was because we didn't have all our stuff out of the house. Who knows. All I know is that a huge weight was lifted as we headed out. The packing and loading is done - all that's left is driving.....

And driving we have done. We did a little over 400 miles the first day, spending the night in lovely downtown Winnemuca, Nevada. Not so bad, actually, except for the breakdown Caitlin had as we were setting up the room. We all went to bed around 10:00. Caitlin was vacillating between crying and screaming. We put her in the pack-and-play, turned off the lights, and got into bed. She continued to cry for a whopping 30 seconds, and fell fast asleep. I felt bad when we had to wake the kids up in the morning. Today we did another 400 miles or so, ending up in Park City. Yesterday we went from the beautiful, green, tree-lined Sierra Nevada mountains in California to the flat, treeless plains of Nevada. No matter what people say though, northern Nevada is so much more interesting to drive through than southern Nevada! Today we went from the dry, green/yellow beauty of Nevada to the salt flats of Utah. The salt is so white and vast that the mirages reflect the surrounding mountains. The smell of the salt flats reminded me of being by the ocean. I kept my eye out for the wharfs and the seagulls, but saw none. After many hours of driving through blinding white flat earth, we rounded the mountains near the Great Salt Lake and into Salt Lake City. It's amazing how diverse one state can be. Salt Lake City is so pretty, and Park City is absolutely beautiful! Yet, just an hour before we were in salt flats! Of course, when you live in the south bay you can be to the beach, the mountains, the redwoods, lakes, or the central valley in a matter of hours. But do most of us take advantage of that? Noooo......

So far we've had a lot of whining and crying from the kids, but it could be a lot worse. Brandon handles things well until he gets tired. Neither one of the kids is able to handle the morning packing routine. All is well with showers, dressing and breakfast - but it all goes down hill after that! The packing of the bags and the loading of the car is the cause of much distress for the youngest members of the family. Brian or I have to take the kids for a walk when the loading happens. Brandon has developed a new skill - crying with his hands in his mouth while talking to us. Nothing he says during that time is comprehensible! We have tried different things to make the drive easier. We keep the kids together for a few hours (one adult drives alone for a couple of hours. So nice. So very, very nice). Then we split the kids up for a couple of hours. Then we put on DVD's for an hour or so. When it is all said and done, I will be glad the drive is done, and we are in our new home (moving truck and stuff there, or not!). It will be nice when the kids can explore and familiarize themselves with their new home. Until then, we will rely on our GPS device (Brian is geeking out with that big time!), kids CD's, portable DVD players (thank you, Michael, for letting us borrow yours!), and prayers to God that we can keep our patience and sanity in tact. Two more days! Tomorrow we drive to Vail, and then straight on to good old B-town! (second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning).

The Movers Have Come and Gone

The moving truck showed up around 9:30 this morning. Our house is 97% empty. The remaining 3% consists of the items we'll talk with us when we head on out tomorrow morning. Brian and I were up until 2:30 last night packing (I really didn't want to get up when I heard the alarm go off at 6:45!). At midnight I did a box run. The local auto parts and school supply store have nice cardboard-only recycle bins! I never thought I'd be the kind of person who knew that. At least the movers said they were impressed with the amount of stuff we had in boxes (which was most of it).

It has been surreal having these men move our stuff out. The truck outside is huge! I've been doing okay today. It is unnecessarily hot, which makes me tired (it's only early May. What's up with over 90 degree temperature?). My body is achy from packing and lack of sleep, and my feet hurt. My fingernails all broke off last week, and now are cracking and splitting. The tips of my fingers are so sore that I almost cried last night when I took the laundry out of the dryer. I almost cried this morning when my friend Wendy showed up to take the kids for the morning. Caitlin-management is a full time job, so it is nice to have her away for the day. I hope I don't just start bawling later on. Lack of sleep makes me do that!

I'm off to borrow my neighbors vacuum cleaner. All that is left now is cleaning. I'm hoping that I have the physical and mental stamina for that, but at this point I'm really not sure! I'm thinking that it will be an early bedtime for me tonight.

Colorado Area Code

I made a mistake on our new phone number. If you received the e-mail I sent out with our new address and phone number, please note that the Colorado area code is 303, not 408. Our cell phone numbers will still be in the 408 area code for now.

If you want our address, e-mail me or leave me a comment and I'll send it your way.

So Much Stuff

I have stuff. Lots of stuff. My house is full of stuff. To be fair, it's not all my stuff. It just feels like it because I'm packing it all into boxes. It makes me wonder why humans feel this need to cart stuff around? Do we use it all? Do we really need it? We buy bookcases and trunks, shelves and boxes to store our stuff in. We put it in the closet, on the shelf and in the garage. In many cases, we rent storage lockers just to store extra stuff that we aren't using. Maybe all the personal items in storage are useful, and I'm wrong about this. But if you haven't used in a while, and you haven't missed it, do you really need it? Are we able to distinguish between what we want and what we need?

As I pack all my stuff, I'm trying to decide between the want, the need, and the why-do-I-own-it? I'm too tired to have boxes labeled "Keep, Toss, Donate," or "Past, Present, Future". I don't want to be on TV, which eliminates any hope of getting help from "Clean Sweep" or "Neat". And, from what I've seen on the shows, I wouldn't qualify. You don't have to clear a path in my living room. You can sit at my dining room table (well, not now), and don't have to clear the bed before going to sleep (usually). I'm always looking at my stuff to see what I can donate or give to someone else. My mom says this trait started early - when I was around 4 years old. Sometimes I catch myself trying to find things to donate for no good reason. The desire to sort, organize and purge is strong. There's no shortage of stuff, either, because I can't seem to stay out of the stores. I am still looking for that perfect shade of lipstick that is going to transform my life and make me always beautiful. This has been going on for the past 18 years, and that magic lipstick still hasn't materialized. Why am I spending money on stuff I'm not going to keep? I should start asking myself how many hours do I (or Brian) have to work to pay for the latest basket, electronic gadget, or other knick-knack? Two, three, ten? Is a new, high tech phone really any better than the one we have now that still works just fine? Am I willing to sacrifice an entire day for a new "whatever"?. Back to my point, though.... I'm trying to purge, but I don't seem to have the mental capacity for it right now. It's easy to purge my kids old toys and clothes, but no my own. I'm so tired, physically and mental, that the art of purging is alluding me. I realize I'm weird, and that very few people are like me, but I can't help it!

I wonder.....
-Do I buy things out of boredom? Out of need? Out of desire?
-Do I hope that the things I buy will transform my life?
-Am I hoping for acceptance from my peers because I have the right sofa, decor, shoes, or pants?
-Is anyone going to care about my pots and pans unless they're using them?
-Do I have "Catalogue-Induced Anxiety?" Should I toss the Pottery Barn catalogues? Does seeing a seemingly endless selection of shiny stuff make me want to buy more?
-Is it really new and improved? Or just new and marginally improved?
-Do I need so many choices out in the consumer world? I've noticed when visiting countries in Europe that there is considerably less to select from. I like that (I know, I'm odd).

In a way, too much stuff ties you down. You save things, hoping that you'll use it again. You save memories. You save all things that you received from others - some carefully and thoughtfully given, but a lot is not. Is the stuff in our house the same as our emotional baggage? My friend Paul once told me "Everyone has baggage. The difference is, are you caring a duffel bag at your side, or backing the U-Haul truck in the driveway?" I feel lighter when I can get rid of something. Especially when I can give it to someone who will use it (example - clothes that the kids have outgrown). But then the question arises - do I get rid of stuff just to make me feel better?

I really hope I can purge more this weekend. And, I hope that if I live in a bigger house someday that I don't mindlessly fill it with stuff. What is important in my house are the people who live -there and those who visit. What is important is what we believe and who we worship. I believe in God. I hope that I am not worshiping money, or the desire to get a "great deal". My grandmother is not found in the hand-embroidered handkerchiefs that she saved and gave to me when I was a teenager. I'm keeping them anyway. However, in the event of a fire or other calamity, I hope I can remember that it all just stuff.

His Peeps

When it was time to take a nap today, Brandon told me he was going to finish adding the strings to the balloons he was drawing before he had his peeps. I laughed and asked "What are peeps?"

" You know, mom, my Peeps. My pee pees - in the bathroom."

"Oh, is that what you call them now? Your peeps?"

"Yes, my Peeps."

So - there you have it. His peeps. What great new phrases will he come up with next?

Packing, Packing, and More Packing

Packing, packing and more packing. It's making us all cranky! Packing isn't fun, but on its own it's never made me cranky. Packing for a family - that's a different story. Of course, all of this packing has to be done in addition to our already hectic schedules. It's not like Brian gets less work while he's at work, or that the kids miraculously leave me alone when I want to pack. On the contrary.... it just gets worse. On a regular day I feel like I have accomplished something if I manage to get up and get a shower in before the kids wake up. The feeling of accomplishment increases if I manage to blow dry my hair and put on some makeup. Right now the house is a mess, everyone is under the weather, and there is no sense of accomplishment anymore. I don't think I will get that feeling back until we leave, on the morning of the 8th. After May 7th there will be nothing more to pack. After May 8th there will be nothing more to clean. The only focus for the next few days will be driving, eating, and keeping sane. At least with driving you know there is an end. Somehow, with packing, there never seems to be an end in sight. I know it's there - I'm just temporarily blind to it.

I'm not use to packing up all my stuff, 100% of it all. I'm use to the across-town moves that involve packing most of your stuff, but not stressing about your china, dishes, or fragile stuff. In those across-town moves, you can put those in your car and drive them over. Not this time. We're packing down to the junk drawer. We're eating everything in the fridge. We're doing it all. I keep telling myself that others do this all the time. It always seems easier when it's not you.

What I am going through:

-the realization that I have a lot of stuff. And that I like my stuff.
-the realization that all that stuff looks awful when it's getting packed into a box.
-the fact that I don't want to pack.
-it's difficult to pack with kids in the house. My room is now off limits due to many boxes and exposed stuff. Caitlin hates that. She stands at the gate and screams at me when I'm in my room. Even if all I'm doing is getting dressed.
-Brandon still worries that we aren't going to take his trains to the new house. Those will be the most traumatic to pack.
-The kids are being ignored, and I'm being punished for ignoring them.
-My mind is constantly elsewhere, thinking of all the things that have to be done. The fact that I am not in the moment is cause for much whining and gnashing of teeth.
-My nails are breaking. For me, that's the first sign that I'm internalizing stress (it's took me years to figure that one out!).
-Not sleeping well. The stress of the move topped by Brian's snoring is waking me up several times a night.
-Brandon's obsession with death and where we go when we die isn't helping. I didn't think I'd get those questions so soon. He's only 3 1/2!
-Packing, packing, packing!
-Immense thanks to all those who are helping out with kids and/or making meals. It would be much, much harder without you.

Parties

I am so overwhelmed, I can barely write. Last Wednesday my playgroup gals threw a little party for me and my friend Taira (who is also moving next week), and today our friends threw a going away open house party for us. I don't even know what to say. My heart is so full of emotion I think it might explode. I had to excuse myself a few times today because I thought I was going to cry. I'm good at using frivolous excuses, such as "Caitlin is going to be killed by the swings" just to get away so I won't start weeping! (Okay, that's a valid excuse, but an excuse none-the-less). I am excited about our move, but the process is daunting. Packing while being a mommy of young kids is much harder than packing while single, even when you work full time! I'm sure that many out there agree with me! My time really isn't mine anymore. I took a few pictures today, but have no idea when they'll get online (Brian packed the computer yesterday). I don't know how I will cope without my extended support network of friends, especially those in the same stage of life as me. But just so you know, dear friends, I will miss each and every one of you. I wanted to say that here, since I forget to say things like that in life.

ikea

Monday morning was going by at a slow and cranky pace. In order to not become the mother-I-don't-want-to-be, I loaded the kids up in the car and headed off to Ikea. No one gives me any lip at Ikea. They just play. The two favored areas are the ball basket and the slide. Afterwards we eat, get our purchases, and go home. Always hoping that one falls asleep in the car on the way home. Everyone is happy, and I remain the sane mother-that-I-want-to-be.

Caitlin's Stats at 15 Months

Took Caitlin in for her 15 month appointment today. She's never really happy about going to the doctor's office. It will be nice when I can promise her something, like a lollipop, and get her in a good mood. I can't remember when that started working for Brandon, but I think it was around age 2. I just remember being completely amazed at the wondrous behavioural powers of the lollipop. I keep the in my bag at all times now, but use them rarely.

Here are Caitlin's latest stats:
height: 31 1/2 inches tall (85th percentile)
weight: 22 pounds, 12 ounces (50th percentile)

Brandon's stats at the same age:
height: 32 inches tall (75th percentile)
weight: 22 pounds, 4 ounces (18th percentile)

The charts must be different for girls and boys. I'm not getting flack for her weight, and she consistantly weighs only up to 8 ounces more at the same age (except for Brandon at 9 months, when he was a whopping 17.5 pounds and in the 5th percentile!). Dr. Auh thinks Caitlin will be a tall girl.

Caitlin walks, says a few words, eats with a spoon and fork (when we let her), stacks blocks, and is now amazingly good at climbing up on a slide, sitting down on her bottom and sliding down. 10 days ago she still thought she could climb to the top of the slide and walk down - resulting in a lot of tears and a lot of sand ingestion. She does a few things in sign language, like "all done" and "milk", and points and grunts when she wants anything else. If the diaper bag is on the floor, she'll go through it and bring you any treats she finds. She knows that Cheerios and crackers live in the diaper bag. She also throws all the diapers around the house, which is another story. The other day she balanced on a scooter at the park while a lady pushed her around on it. She doesn't talk much, but she understands everything. Just because she doesn't talk much doesn't mean she's quiet. I'm still getting use to everyone staring at us in the store because of Caitlin's loud singing! Caitlin has a slight ear infection, and is now on amoxicillin. This explains the general crankiness and gunky eyes she's had. I thought it was just allergies. Now we know that Benedryl doesn't do much for ear infections, but improves her overall sleep!

Today I met Jalyn

Today I met Jalyn. She's cute, she's sweet, we hit it off immediately. She's a girl of few words. At first she didn't know what to say to me. Being that she's never met me before, I wasn't too surprised. However, after a while we were acting like old buds. When I got to the park, she ran over to greet me like she'd know me forever! I grabbed her up in a big hug and tossed her up in the air. There were lots of giggles. She acted a lot like family, actually. She likes to be tossed in the air and thrown around! Jalyn's 22 months old. She's a pale redhead, and matches my two kids. She thinks I'm cool. I think she's cool, too. Then it hit me - why are all the people who think I'm cool under 4 years old? Hmmm..... maybe I need to rethink my friends "issues". Maybe it's me.....Maybe I'm trying to hard to be fun and likeable, and that's why I don't connect with a lot of people. Maybe I just need to hang with the under 4 crowd. Can't get into too much trouble doing milk shots, snacking on dino shaped Ritz, and discussing the subtle, but complex issues of Bob the Builder. I'm all for afternoon naps. Something to think about....

bored kids

Caitlin whines in stores. That's just what she does. It drives me insane, and I am really hoping that I will get use to it someday. However, since I've never gotten use to Brandon's whining I'm not holding my breath on Caitlin's. So today we are at Trader Joe's doing our "scaled down because we are moving in 3 weeks" shopping (it involves getting enough wine, cheese, and a few other not-so-important items to last a week or so). Caitlin is whining. I am asking her to shush. Some lady has the audacity to tell me that my daughter is bored. Bored, and, oh, "under stimulated" in the shopping cart. Exactly what am I suppose to do to "stimulate" a 15 month-old in a shopping cart when all she really wants to do is get down and run around? Invest more money in a gimicky cart cover that she'll never take to? Seriously, if one more person tells me that my kids are bored I'm going to hit her. Neither one of my kids likes grocery shopping. Since I don't own a gun or have the desire to go kill my own food, I guess we are just going to have to be bored and do our hunting and gathering in the frozen foods section. Why do random women feel the need to constantly give me advice in the store? Do I really come off as that bad of a mother? I'd like to string them up by their toenails, but the authorities are unforgiving about stuff like that. My kids are smart - a little too smart. No, I can't keep up with them. Get over it! It's a grocery store! My husband tells me to give the quick, squinty-eyed sarcastic smile. Since it's a lot nicer than what I want to do, I'll have to start.

Thank God for Daddy!

Today has been a rough day. You'd think it would have turned out wonderfully, as we didn't have anything to do today. I could wake up with the kids, get their day started out in a leisurely fashion, and just go from there. However, today I woke up the The Whiny Monster Who Has Taken Over Brandon's Body (aka TWMWHTOBB). TWMWHTOBB has done such a good job with the take-over that I really can't see any remnants of Brandon at all.

I was greeted at 7:15 this morning by TWMWHTOBB, whining that he wanted some cuddle time. He snuggled with me in bed (so cute), and we cuddled under the covers. At one point I thought that he had gone back to sleep. No such luck. Brandon can lay very still for long periods of time, making you think that he is sleeping when, in fact, he is not. After a while he said, "Don't you think it's time we got up and got me some milk?" If my answer is anything other than "yes" there is a flood of tears. TWMWHTOBB followed me into the kitchen, whined that he couldn't open the microwave to warm the milk, whined about pushing the start button, and whined that it was taking too long (I guess he hasn't gotten use to the 38 second warm-up after all). He whined as he drank his milk. He whined as I fast forwarded through the traffic reports on the news. He whined that Caitlin woke up and was whining. He whined at the park that I had forgotten his shovel. In fact, TWMWHTOBB has just been whining all day!!!! It's days like these that I start to wonder how I am going to raise these kids for the next 18 plus years when I can't even get through the next 18 minutes! My prayers all morning have been something to the effect of "Dear God, please make him stop whining." Or "Dear God, please don't let me kill him." And, "Dear God, please get me through the next few minutes." The loudness of my voice has gone a level or two higher, and I'm using the tone I reserve for use when I want a dog to sit down. I usually save this tone for special times, but not today. I think it has been the only tone I've used (maybe not, but my short term memory has blocked out chunks of this morning already). Both children are currently napping, and I thank God for that! The house is a train wreck, but at least it's a quiet one.

All this brings me to the title of this blog post - "Thank God for Daddy!" I have Bunco tonight! I get to leave the house....alone....and be with only adults for the evening. Thank God! If I didn't know that option was available, I might have already lost it with The Whiny Monster Who Has Taken Over Brandon's Body. I hope that the presence of Daddy, combined with the absence of Mommy, will calm Brandon down, make TWMWHTOBB go away, and create a pleasant evening for all. Let's pray for that, shall we?

Maybe She Shouldn't Have Short Hair

I'd like to blame the hardhat that she's holding for the lovely hairdo, but I can't. Caitlin has always slept well, and sometimes very hard. Like any kid, she sometimes sleeps under her blanky, resulting in a sweaty, messy mop of hair. Most 14 month olds don't have this much hair to begin with. Eventually, though, all parents of girls will have to deal with this kind of hairdo. Brian wakes up with hair that looks like this, but I don't. Let's hope that that it doesn't get worse as her hair gets longer!

HAPPY EASTER!

Hope you all had a fun Easter. Ours was filled with merriment!

The Horrors of Boating

Dear Diary --
once, when I was about 3 1/2, my mother subjected me to the most horrible or all horribles -- a boat ride! Unbeknownst to me, boating is a fine tradition on my mom's side of the family. Grandpa and Grandma actually took their children on boat rides in infancy! I cannot believe it! And, on top of it all, Grandma had the nerve to tell me that my mother liked it! She couldn't have ... she was only 6 months old on her first boat ride! Mom tells me that she likes the water, and that she use to water ski (and was pretty darn good). Yeah, right. The woman can't even get a good tan... you expect me to believe that she spent a good chunk of her childhood in the water? Dream on! Mom said things changed after getting married and having us kids (go ahead and blame it all on me and Caitlin... Go ahead....we're use to it). I am still shaking with grief and disbelief that I was subjected to all of this at such a tender age. What were they thinking? No wonder I can hardly stand to take a bath! Oddly, my mom tells me that although I screamed and cried during the entire affair, I couldn't stop talking about it after we were finished. She said that I kept saying how fun it was, and how I really liked it. (???) She is soo weird! Anyway, I found these pictures of us on one such boat ride. They are a little agonizing for me, but I take some comfort in knowing that you will see my point after viewing them.

Love, Brandon


Mom and me on the docks before the boat ride. As you can see, I am *not* happy about this.




I am trying to be happy, but it's hard

Grandma and Caitlin (I cannot figure out why she isn't shrieking! Does she actually *like* being on a boat?)

Grandpa and Caitlin


Caitlin trying out her sea legs


Thank you, God! I am finally off the boat!!


My Favorite Part.... Leaving!!!!


(If you want to see a few more pictures of our boat ride, go to our Picasaweb site.

Comparisons, Yet Again (14 & 15 months)

I find it funny when I take what turns out to be the same picture of each child at different times. Sometimes it's on purpose, but often times it not. Below are pictures of Brandon and Caitlin playing in the bike racks at the Community Center. Brandon is 15 1/2 months old, and Caitlin is 14 1/2 months old.

The Packing List

I find it very very sad that I now have to have a list of things to pack when we travel. It's on the computer, so I can quickly print it out before I leave. Otherwise, I'd probably end up forgetting my underwear. No one wants that. Especially me.

Photo Friday

Do all kids love crawling on the dishwasher as much as mine?


ooohh, Cheerios.....


Crazy tricyle man (sorry - Bike Man)



I'm off. See Ya!


This one was taken right before the "no, it's mine! You can't have it!" meltdown!

Recent pictures of the kids. After all, isn't that why you even look at this blog?

Caitlin's food consumption

Today for dinner Caitlin ate 2 chicken nuggets, 1/4 cup of peas, a piece of cheese, 1/2 an oatcake, a fish stick, and some corn. Can we say "growth spurt"? If we can't, we're going to be saying "diet" in the future!

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Due to some unexpected travel a few months ago, Brian had a comp day at work. He took it today, and we traveled down to Monterey to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Brandon had a ball. Caitlin did too, but in a different way. Her favorite place was the stairs, and she was really into the elderly. Maybe they all look like older versions of grandparents to her. I had to stop her from stalking them everywhere she went. Mostly I didn't want her to trip up anyone who already had trouble walking (she was really into a guy with a walker, and loves wheelchairs). Brandon liked the sharks, the jellyfish, the penguins, and the Splash Zone. Caitlin liked being able to walk on a water bed-like floor at the baby area in the Splash Zone. I still like the sea otters. Especially after lunch, when they were napping. Just floating around, napping, right up against the window. I understand. That's about the only way I can sunbath - napping on an air mattress in the water on a warm day!

Monterey has been a part of my life since childhood. I remember when the aquarium was "new", and how different Cannery Row looked when it opened. Now I'm use to it (it has been over 20 years!), and it's changing again, with a hotel nearby. I will definitely miss being by the ocean. It almost made me cry today to realize that the ocean and the bay won't be a part of my daily life in a few months. It's odd to think that I won't be able to just drive there when I need my seaside fix. I have visited aquariums all over the world, and MBA is still my favorite one. Maybe because I am most familiar with the cold parts of the Pacific. Warm oceans are nice, and there is a lot to be said about being able to go to the beach and not freeze, but I still like the northern California coast up into Oregon and Washington. Beautiful, cold, uninviting in places, and full of life.

I'm too tired to write all about our day, so I'll just post a few pictures for your perusal. Enjoy!


Dad and kids viewing the kelp tank

Caitlin's favorite place

Brandon's contribution to Caitlin's lunchtime adventures

Brandon would only sit in this after I assured him that it was fake and that the clam shell wouldn't close on him

Contemplating stepping on to the water bed floor in the Splash Zone



The penguin that really wanted to talk to Brandon!

Still Around

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the planet. Nothing fun or exciting has been happening lately. I really don't think that those of you out there who may read this are interested in the chaotic ramblings of a tired, frustrated woman with two cranky kids (one of whom is breaking 3 teeth all at the same time. Can you say "fun?"  I can't). Here is a list of things happening at our house:

1) We contacted the moving company, and are moving to Colorado on May 7th
2) I am slowly collecting boxes for packing, although no packing has begun
3) I have been going through Caitlin's future clothes, and must have been zoning out when I originally sorted them. I have 12-18 month clothes in the size 2 box, size 18-24 months in the 3-4 box, etc. I have no idea what I was thinking. Glad I went through them before I hit the stores. Now I don't even have to go near a store. (I'd like to say "thank you" to all my friends who have given me your hand-me-downs. I really, really appreciate it!)
4) She cannot possibly wear all the clothes she has in those boxes.
5) She has more shoes than Brian and I combined!
6) We may have found a place in Colorado to rent. We'll let you know how things turn out later in the week.
7) I'm losing my grip on keeping a clean house. I found 2 sippy cups behind the couch with icky milk in them. Bleah!
8) On the same note, the number of times I have run the Roomba (our robotic vacuum cleaner) and the dishwasher while out of the house has increased dramatically in the last few weeks. We must just be getting messier as a family.
9) I am still hoping that Caitlin, someday, will go through an entire day (just one) without hurting herself in some way. Yesterday she tripped on the doormat and did a forehead plant on the cement in the backyard. Now she has a big red mark with little red scabs on her forehead. Poor thing. She needs a baby faceguard. Do they make those?
10) Brandon has taken up a big interest in trying to read. Let's hope I can keep up with him!

Fun at the Mall

Yesterday my friend Chris and I went to VF Mall so the kids could run around like crazy at the indoor play area. Here are some pictures from our outing:

Caitlin and Brandon in the plastic car


Emily and Joshua in the plastic car

Kids in the food court


Caught holding hands! (or attempting to steal food of the other one's tray!)


Hugging the potted plants

What Life Would be Like with 2 Sets of Twins

There are three things wrong with this picture:
1) I'd have a different stroller (2 strollers for one mom?)
2) You would never see us at the mall
3) Who would take this picture? It would have to be dad, since I'd be in the mental ward if I had 2 sets of twins!

Stair Jumping

Oh yeah, I'm so cool! I'm a big girl now!

Caitlin discovered a "fun" little activity this weekend at her uncles' house - Stair jumping! Note that it's fun for her, not so fun for us! Stair jumping, great as it may be, is simply Caitlin walking off the bottom stair and falling on her knees. Luckily Tim and Mike have soft carpeting. Here is a little "slideshow" for your enjoyment:

Okay, mom, I'm ready. Are you watching?

Yeah! You are watching!

Seriously, mom.....you are watching, aren't you?

Okay, here I go!

Watch me fall!!!!

Note the redness on Caitlin's knees. She had been Stair Jumping for a while before I was able to capture the whole thing on film. She tried to do this again today on the neighbor's stairs. Unfortunately it was outside, on cement, and the result wasn't quite what she was expecting. We didn't have to go to the doctor's though - always a plus!

Things the Kids are Doing

Here is a list of the latest things that the kids are doing:

Brandon
--Back into playing trains. Everything has a cycle. Trains were out for a while, but now they're back in.
--Likes reading the "Thomas the Tank Engine" books. Weren't these written for kids around the age of 7?
--Drawing pictures of people. They have heads, facial features, arms and legs, but no real body.
--Rhyming. For example, he'll call me "mommy wommy"
--Making up words. This isn't really new. His words are so odd, though. He named his favorite stuffed animal, a little reindeer, Gugga-dok. Brandon has a bright future naming furniture lines at IKEA.
--Counting and adding. Everything! Wheels, trains, toothbrushes, etc.
--Trying to put letters together to make words. He's started to sound out a letter, and try to figure out what words start with that sound.
--Asking a lot of deep questions - like where we go when we die. If we go to heaven, how do we get there? I can answer the first part, but I'm not sure about the second.
--The naps are getting shorter. However, his face brightened up today when I told him that he could take some books to bed and read them, but he couldn't get up. He was asleep in no time!
--Loves to play with his sister. He's a little rough, but they laugh a lot!
--When he puts stars on his chore chart, he has started putting the same colored stars on for each day. I didn't prompt this. He just likes the symmetry, I guess.
--Tells me every day how much he loves me, and how much he loves his baby sister. Occasionally cries because he doesn't want anyone to take away his mommy or his baby sister. No idea where that idea came from!
--Really into "Signing Time" on PBS. Knowing some sign language is probably not a bad thing.

Caitlin
--breaking two more teeth on the top. Looked like three last week, but I can only feel two. At this rate, she might just have four teeth by her second birthday!
--talks up a storm!
--Talks in her sleep, too.
--Thinks she's so funny. She will babble something incomprehensible, and then just starts giggling.
--Throws mini tantrums when she doesn't get her way (life's so hard when your 14 months old)
--Off the bottle. Yeah!
--Loves books. She'll pull one book (or all of them) off the shelf and bring it to me. If I'm sitting on the ground, she'll turn around about a foot away from me and back up into my lap. Brandon use to do the same thing. I have to resist the urge to start beeping like a truck when she does that.
--Doesn't use any real words yet, but points and grunts at everything. I am getting to be a good interpreter of her wants.
--Has mastered the art of standing up on a stool to reach the bathroom countertop. Says "ha-HA!" when she does this. She's very pround of herself!
--Runs down the hallway at the sight of her daddy!
--Eats everything in the house. Apparently I was preparing her lunch too slow today, so she angrily walked over to the diaper bag, got out a bag of Cheerios and brought them to me. I got the point. I hope this is just a growth spurt. We are going through Cheerios and graham crackers at an amazing rate!

Finally!

After a few weeks of illnesses (theirs), and fighting off both a cold and allergies (mine - because it was 78 degrees today! In March! Why?), I managed to get the kids in to get their pictures taken. It's only been a year! Never mind the motherhood guilt that I have because they'll only be little kids for a short while! Never mind that I got Brandon's hair cut three times before I managed to get into the studio! Just click here to see their latest pictures. They are cute kids, if I do say so myself. However, I'm a little biased, so I'll let you be the judge. What you don't see in the pictures is me, just out of view of the camera. I would put Caitlin in place, hold her, and then jump out of the picture when the photographer got to the count of "2". Although I find Sears to be fairly pricey for what they provide, the photographer did a great job of coaxing smiles out of both kids, and coaxing a natural smile out of Brandon (not the closed lip, squinty-eyed version that I usually get when I say "smile").

Another thing you probably didn't know about these pictures - I bought their outfits in September of last year (!), and yet was unable to get into the photo studio until now. Very sad. I'm a stay-at-home mom for heaven's sake! These are the same outfits they wore for Caitlin's dedication at Highway. I was quite surprised that the outfits still fit them. Pleasantly surprised that the outfits fit them much better than they did in September. They would have looked pretty goofy in these outfits had I gotten pictures done 6 months ago. Brandon's 3T shirt was almost to his knees back then! Funny how God has a way of working things out - small examples like this remind me of his perfect, yet unpredictable timing.

New Items for Caitlin

Caitlin, as you know, is our little klutz. I say this in love... but seriously, the girl falls off of everything! Sometimes, when she's just standing still, she'll all of sudden sway, and then fall over! It's the funniest thing! I'm not amused by the end of the day, though, when she's clonked her head on the floor for the 47th time. I'm the mom at the playground in the afternoons showing very little sympathy when my daughter falls over yet again on the tanbark. Body by Jell-O.

I was poking around on the internet this afternoon, and found a few great items that would come in handy for Caitlin management. May I present.....

Item #1: The Thudguard

















yes, folks, it's a hardhat for your baby. My baby really needs this. At the cost of almost $40.00, though, she's not going to get it. Maybe I should invest in this, now that I'm thinking about it. The gymnastics lessons later on are going to cost a lot more.

Item #2: The Babykeeper
Laugh if you must (I did). But I could really use this. A place to put my other kid in the restroom? What joy! I've lost count of the number of times I've had to hold a struggling child in a public bathroom when Brandon has to use the toilet. Now that Caitlin is walking, I've put her down when I need to help him. As usual, she inevitably falls down and begins to crawl on the bathroom floor. Gross! Her hands always get washed last. Otherwise, she'd be gross again before we even got out of the restroom! There is a reason I love the bathroom at IKEA - wall seats. Brandon loves the little toilet and little sink. Just his height. I'm still all about wall seats. Let's just hope they come out with the ToddlerKeeper and the GradeSchool Keeper, in case Caitlin's walking skills don't improve much in the future.


And, last but not least ....

Item #3: The baby mop

Heck - if she's gonna keep falling on the floor I might as well put her to good use! :-)

If Ever I....

Brandon has a lot of odd sayings - mostly gotten from reading his "Thomas the Tank Engine" books. He will say things like "presently Caitlin came in my room", or "get on you". Once he even said "oh, bugger!" You'd think I was raising a little British boy! His latest odd saying: "If ever I..." as in, "if ever I should not see you I will just call your name", or "if ever my sandal comes off, I will just bend down and put it back on." Is this my kid? Do I talk like that? Are we watching too many British programs? I just don't know. He only does this for me. I'm not British!