I need serious help.

You know how I struggle every day with the bangs or no bangs dilemma?
It's bad.

But I have come to a conclusion...I would rather live my life doing things than not doing things. You know what I mean? I would rather go for it and have it turn out horribly than have the same boring hair for the rest of my life. So, bangs here we come.

Oh, and I also wrestle with the concept of coloring my hair. It's the same "granola vs. J. Lo" struggle that I've mentioned before. Part of me is all "I want to be natural and free" and part of me wants to wear electric blue eyeshadow and glam it up. Usually when I think about coloring my hair I debate over red or black. This time, I'm going red.

Run, don't walk, to InStyle and play with the Hair Makeover Tool (in the top left corner).
It's way too much fun.
Here are some new Emily hair ideas for your consideration. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions on this matter. (and yes William, I know you don't like bangs, but try to be objective) To me, fun new hair is a very, very big deal. Mostly because in my near-zombie/mother of 3 little ones/desperate for sleep state, small improvements go a very long way. Or at least I tell myself that. This is the Ashlee Simpson. I love her color (doesn't show up as well here) but I can't stand! the way she and Pete always have hair slicked to their foreheads. Is it just me?

This is the Reese Witherspoon but dyed red (and my favorite look from the makeover tool) Yes, that's right, when I said red...I meant red. My mom is nervous that I'll look like a lady of the night, but I think the above picture looks very un-hookerish. Maybe because I'm surrounded by an adorable family, but still.

The Julia Roberts. I like it, a lot. But I think I want a little more pizazz.

The Camilla Belle. What I like about this one is that if I cut my hair like this then Jill and I could be twins! Have you been to her blog yet? I know I talk about her all the time, but seriously, could someone be any cooler?

This is the Julianne Moore. I know I said red, but I don't think I want this red of red. I don't want to lift any color out of my already pretty dark hair, so I can only get as red as will seep into my brown hair. Is that how it works Natalie?

Just for fun, the Rhianna. I like this one and may go for it after I get sick of the red.

and for when my hair gets longer, the Jennifer Garner. This is actually just wishful thinking though. Since having kids my hair isn't as thick as all that. And my feet got bigger. But more on that later.

The America Ferrara, but in red. Cute cut, but I definitely need more pizazz. From some bangs.

This is the Rachel Bilson. I like this hairdo on me a lot, but it's for when my hair gets longer and when the granola side revolts against the J. Lo side and I get all natural again. I know, I act like I have no control over this, but you don't understand...they are two very powerful forces inside of me.

and lastly, the January Jones. I am not meant to be a blond, but it was fun to give it a try. I don't know...maybe someday.

So what do you think? Are you feeling the red Reese Witherspoon? Or would I, in fact, look like a lady of the night. As you can see, I need your help.

Oh, and sorry for making you look at my mug so many times. At least you got to see the handsome huz and our 3 little ones each time, too. And look at how tiny those babies are! They were only 2 weeks old then! Breaks my heart.

Right about now you're thinking, "she hasn't blogged in like two weeks, and then blogs this nonsense?"

Well, we're visiting family in Arizona (hooray for Tucson!) so that's my excuse for the unintended blog break...and about the nonsense...did you really expect anything different? Come on, you know me by now.

Why Erik's parents are so great

So as you will see in style and content, this is a slight deviation from the normal blog post, but I still have contributing rights, so here goes. My parents came to our home about a month ago. It was a planned visit, but it just so happened that Alec was just getting out of the hospital and everyone was sick, so it was a perfect time for some help at the house. And that is EXACTLY what we got...and more. It was a really amazing weekend. We got more accomplished that weekend than we had since we moved in the house a month prior. My Dad is the kind of guy who when he sees a problem or puzzle, he says, "well, lets fix it". Emily wanted more counter space in the kitchen, so how do you do that and make it match the cabinets and counter tops that already exist? Well you just buy all the parts and put it together! Duh. I consider myself a pretty good problem solver, but not the best at home renovations, at least not big projects. So we went to Home Depot with my credit card and found matching cabinetry, and the tiles that matched the rest. We screwed cabinets to the wall, put the tack board on top and laid the tiles and grout to match. And now it looks like it was there the whole time! So along with the new counter space we installed a new shower head and mirrors in the bathroom, hooked up the waterline correctly to the refrigerator, hung 4 or 5 sets of curtains, rearranged furniture in Reid's room, and hung 7-8 pictures/artwork around the house, mowed the weeds in the back, and figured out how to channel warm air from the furnace back to the kid's room. Mom, bless her soul, went over to the rental we were moving out of and spent like 9 HOURS cleaning! And she was by herself! That is true love. It was a really big nice house, with a lot to clean. So during the weekend, Grandma and Grandpa got plenty of baby goo-goo time, and Erik and Emily got a gift of chores done at the house. So, a long story short, I love my parents and will be forever grateful for weekend visits like that. They helped us immensely.

So why did it take me so long to tell you? Well, first off because we are outnumbered now. I can't see blogs at work, the network has these types of web-sites blocked, so I can't do it at work (I mean, of course I wouldn't do it on government time) and then when I go home its baby duty time and I don't spend much time on the Internet. Anyhow, I also took a picture of the kitchen, but I haven't found time to load it. But we are in Tucson this weekend (Emily will be here all week), and next week I will have some more time.

I feel bad because I'm going to miss my wife and kids all week, but secretly in my head I'm dreaming of all the sleep I'm going to get, and all the little things I'm going to catch up on when the kids are here. And next weekend I was going to go snowboarding, but it is stake conference and I'm having a hard time thinking of dealing with how to explain missing a general authority (stake presidency is being replaced). So I'm thinking of camping by the ocean Friday night, or maybe getting my dirt bike working on Saturday morning, or maybe just going on a mountain bike ride or a hike. It is so fun to think about having just a bit of time to myself. Although by then I'm sure I will be missing everyone so much it won't be that fun (...maybe).

Well, its about dinner time around here...I hope this isn't my only 2009 blog post, but don't be surprised if it is. I've started another class for school, work is getting hectic, my church calling takes some effort...excuses, excuses. Anyways, thanks for listening- Erik

my life in numbers

Number of:
children crying/fussing at any one time - at least 1
mini bagels I've eaten before noon today - 4
times a day Reid says "uh....Ooooooh", and for good reason - usually about 5
pacifiers per child - 4
minutes a day spent looking for pacifiers - 20
hours of sleep each night - 3.5
library books due today - 6
pounds I gained with the twins pregnancy - 50+
pounds left to go to get back to pre-pregnancy weight - 5! (it sure doesn't look the same though, dangit)
times Reid has watched "Hello Dolly" - at least 15
times a day I give Alec a breathing treatment - 4
times a day Alec gets Zantac to hopefully help with his painful reflux - 2
weeks since we've had a functioning dishwasher - 5
size of clothes the babies wear now - 3-6 mos.
times a day we have spit-up catastrophes - 20, 30?...which leads to...
loads of laundry a week - at least 12
babies that want mom's attention, all day - 3
little guys that I get to snuggle - 3 (and 1 big one)
husbands who, when I'm at the end of my rope, somehow make everything better - 1


it all adds up to a pretty darn good, and very tiring life.

photo from here, also check out her etsy shop, it's very cool

did you know?

...that a block of cheese will bounce when dropped on a tile kitchen floor?
It's true.

my famous family.

Remember a few posts back when I said the famous people that I've been told that I look like and asked who you have been told you look like? Remember that?
I think that's a funny thing to think about.
When things are funny I like to take them to ridiculous levels.
This is one of those times.

Here is my famous family, or rather, if a movie was to be made about my family this is who I would cast. This is all nonsense, by the way, so I realize that some of these actors are dead, some aren't really even actors, and the ages don't match. Don't get hung up on that, this is fake anyway.

And to my dear family, I hope these casting choices don't offend. Feel free to recast yourself for my fake movie if you deem it necessary.
This is the real family. What a good-looking bunch. They are all too busy being awesome or else they'd just make the fake movie themselves. But since awesomeness is taking all of their time, we'll hire out. This is who it'll be:

Dad: Clark Gable. Dad has a very "Old Hollywood" handsome thing going on. The full hair that combs to the side, the dashing gray sides, and dad was born to wear a suit. Sure, Clark Gable is dead (he is right?) but for the fake movie land he's starring as dad.

Mom: The woman that plays the mom on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". She (her name is Lainie Kazan) gets my pick because she is the ultimate "movie mom". She's in everything. My mom is the ultimate mom, so it makes sense.

No, I should have written THE ULTIMATE mom.

Needed the dramatic emphasis.

You know how in MBFGW she was overbearing and sweet and would do anything to make her daughter Toula happy? And remember how she's the young Bette Midler's mom in "Beaches"? And she's overbearing and sweet and would do anything to make her daughter C.C. happy? Notice a pattern?

Plus, who else could look as good as mom in big hair?

Brian: John Travolta in the disco years. Actually, one year at BYU Brian found a white suit at DI and was a ringer for John Travolta at the Halloween party the my roommates and I had. I have pictures of it but it was pre-digital camera days so someday if I scan them onto the computer I'll show you. Except then you'd have to see me from that party, too. I was Michael Jackson from the Thriller years and it was not cute.

You know what, I bet Brian has some sweet moves like Travolta, too. Deep down inside.

Matt: I think the closest that Hollywood comes to my brother Matt is Matt Damon. Plus, Matt's mental clock speed is about a million miles an hour, like Jason Bourne, so I think this casting choice fits.

William: This one is scary. I bet William has been told he looks like Fred Savage about a hundred times. I think it's uncanny. And what nice hair. William looks very "boy next door" to me. This choice was easy. Although, when Shrek turns into a human and not an ogre, he looks an awful lot like William, too. Except even in a fake movie it would be weird to have a family full of real people and one cartoon person.

Annie: Annie gets this one a lot. I think it's the freckles.

I think it's because she's cute as a button. Just like Annie. This one works pretty well, I think. Check out Annie's blog and look at her profile picture on the right. Pretty close to the one of Soleil Moon Frye (above). Rad.

The huz: Erik has a very strong Dave Grohl vein that runs through him. I think they are kindred spirits. That is if Dave Grohl cut his hair, wore a uniform, and didn't swear/smoke/drink/etc. They are both cool and crazy funny. I bet you didn't know that about Erik. He seems so easy-going and chill, right? Well, he is. But he's also the funniest person I know. If you want to see Dave Grohl being funny, check this out.

And lastly, for myself I'm going to upgrade to Alyssa Milano. She would play me in the movie of my life if my life included being miraculously hot after having 3 babies like bing-bam-boom! Or, I could play her in the movie of her life as her after she let herself go. That would be rad.

I need to do some more thinking to find good picks for sisters-in-law and neices and nephews. And of course my little ones. Maybe a future post.

Do you want to be in my movie? Just say who you would cast and you're in!

(Cheri, Melissa Joan Hart - totally. I watched too many episodes of "Clarissa explains it all" considering how dumb it was. Sabrina the Teenage Witch, too. Same story. Does anyone remember the theme song? "Na Na na Na na na...na na Na na Na na...way cool!" Jan, you're way prettier than Jamie Lee Curtis, but I can see what people are getting at. Same facial bone structure, both tall, etc. Emily, I would cast Cameron Diaz for you, too. You're both way hot blonds with beautiful smiles. Casy, Jodie Foster? I don't see that at all. You're totally better looking than Jodie Foster. I'm not sure who for you, but not her.)

are you ready for this?

Warning!
Danger!
Peligroso!

Cuteness overload!

The next few pictures are not for the faint of heart. Seriously, these pictures could only get any cuter if Reid was sitting next to the babies holding a basket of baby kittens. That would push it over the edge. As they are, you just might survive the cuteness if you close your eyes, and very slowly open them, taking in only a bit of the cuteness at a time. I cannot be responsible for what happens to those blog readers that take these warnings lightly.

For your safety, please keep your arms and legs inside the blog at all times.



Here we see Alec on the left and Dane on the right. They are becoming...SO...MUCH...FUN! They have always been a lot of work, and that work has always been very worth it, but lately things have started to be fun! Every time after they eat they have a 20-30 minute window where they are just so content and playful and it's almost too cute for my little mama heart to handle. My favorite thing is to put them right next to each other and Reid and I just coo and smile at them for the whole 30 minutes. We all love it.

Could you just die?

can you believe it?

I always hear of people and the ridiculous finds that they get at yard sales and I burn with jealousy every time. Why can't I find such treasures? Well, on Saturday I did!

The dentist's office down the street was having a rummage sale with the proceeds going towards the group's "Relay for Life" team. One of the women who works at the office has breast cancer and she organized the sale. I picked up some little books for Reid (he was with me, out of his stroller, and trying to figure out how to pogo stick) and as I was walking around saw a box of fabric. Of course I stopped to check it out and deep inside I found this. It's a finished quilt top, a double bed size, all pieced together of about 1" wide hexagons. Millions of them. Probably 30+ years old. And get this, it's HAND PIECED! For you non-sewers, that means that some crazy lady out there sewed all of these tiny fabric scraps together with a needle and thread, BY HAND! I'm beyond jazzed.

When I took it up to the table to pay for it, the lady was like, "um...how about 2 dollars?"

me: (choking a little bit) "2 dollars? Did you ladies look at this?"

This is why I'm a horrible haggler. Horrible. I just can't feel right about it. I showed them how awesome it was and that it was hand pieced and that it's completely gorgeous and then handed them the twenty that I had with me. Erik was glad that I didn't have more money on me at the time. I don't care that they only wanted two bucks...it's wonderful, it's for charity, and I couldn't be happier. Except for a little residual guilt because I feel like they still got robbed. Two dollars?! Crazy.

thoughts on a Friday morning.

Reid's a pretty cool big brother. I've had to start supplementing with formula, so once or twice a day the babies get a half and half bottle. Reid loves to help feed them, and Dane is usually pretty patient about it. Reid can get distracted easily and the bottle will fall out of his mouth. Alec wouldn't stand for such nonsense. We may have a problem, however, as this morning I caught Reid trying to share his sippy cup of milk with his brothers. Here's a cute shot of the babies. Dane is on the left and Alec on the right. They are at a pretty fun age, both very smiley and cooing after they eat. So much fun.

Wednesday was my first day with Jill's snack tray system and I loved it. I loved having the guess work of "what am I going to eat now?" already figured out for the day (I had a regular dinner that night with Erik and Reid, lasagna actually, and it was really good). I don't really have time in the day for meals that require things like plates, forks, two hands, sitting, etc. It was fantastic to just grab something from the tray as I go about my day. The empty space was filled with cubes of chicken. Oh, did I mention that I've postponed my "eat-meat-VERY-sparingly-itarianism"? I couldn't keep up with feeding the two babies and myself without eating meat, so that's another thing that will just have to wait.

p.s. Yes, those are mint oreos in the bottom left corner. And did you know that a serving size is just two? True business. I would have guessed six.
Also on the list of things that will have to wait: my burning desire to make this Denyse Schmidt quilt. Man, is it cool or what. I could look at it all day.

Lastly, I've stopped drinking milk because the babies are quite gassy and the pediatrician recommended it to help in case they have a have a milk protein intolerance. That's something that will get better as they get a little older and their digestive systems are a little less sensitive. I can still have other dairy products (thank goodness, cheese and I are best friends) but I have seen a difference just in cutting out milk. They do seem much less gassy. And in our house small improvements make a HUGE difference.

All this to say that Silk soymilk is so good. The Very Vanilla kind is a treat to drink and the chocolate kind is so good that it's pretty much a dessert. However, the last time I went to the store they were out of the regular vanilla so I got the light. Big mistake. I'd rather eat my cereal dry. So, head's up.

amen, sister.

We lucked out here by moving into the nicest ward, ever (although that could be said of our last ward, too). There aren't very many young families, and most of the ward has been here forever, but that's good for us because they are SO jazzed to have us in the ward. A new, young family with kids coming at a super-sonic pace. They have been so helpful to us and just can't get enough of our little ones. The bishop's family, in particular, have earned a special place in my heart forever. Bishop is really considerate of my current limitations. My calling as the Young Women's pianist is a good example of that. Something to do, but not very taxing. At all. Also, last week when he needed another priesthood holder to help with the youth baptism trip, he called me first to see if it would be a hardship for me to have Erik gone most of Saturday for the trip. He was basically calling me to ask if it was okay to ask Erik to help. I love that.
His wife, Becky, is a guardian angel. Pretty much. One day she just showed up at the house a few days after we had moved in. When I opened the door, she had a bucket full of cleaning supplies and said, "I have 45 minutes. What can I clean?" I had scrubbed the bathrooms the night before, but didn't get to the floors, so I said, "do you mean it?" She did, and so she scrubbed my bathroom floors. Amazing. She has watched my kids for me, stops by to see how we're all doing, and could possibly be the sweetest woman ever.
She mentioned that she had something funny to share with me, and the other day she brought it over. It's a few word problems that only a mom could understand. Reading the first one gave be a sense of validation that is hard to explain. It's from something called "Mindbenders for Moms" by Gayle Urban.

1. The post office is four miles away; its hours are 8:30 am to 4:40 pm. You have two baby gifts, one birthday gift (already belated) and the car registration to mail. Passengers accompanying you include a) a small infant, b) a toddler, and c) an older child. The infant naps at 10 am, 2 pm, and 4 pm; the toddler naps at 12:30 pm. The older child does not nap but droops considerably from 1:30 to 2:30 in the afternoon. The infant nurses at 8:30 and 11:30 in the morning and at 1:00, 1:30, 3:30, 3:45, and 4:15 in the afternoon. The toddler and the older child eat at 12 noon and will die without a snack at 3 pm. Vehicle loading time is seven-and-a-half seconds per pound.
Question: What time will you go to the post office? (Allow twelve minutes for traffic.)
Bonus points: Prepare conclusive evidence to explain to your spouse why the packages and the mail are still sitting on the shelf in the hallway.

Man, isn't that the truth? That is my life explained far better than I could. I'm pretty darn happy with this life, it's just that I'm not very productive beyond things like feeding, diapering, snuggling, bathing, etc. And for now, that's just fine.

the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The good:
the weather is gorgeous today. After weeks of rain, today is a perfect sunny day. Blue skies, perfect temperature, heaven. A great day to walk down to the library for storytime, right? Reid's going to love it, especially the sing-along time. I'm such a good mom.

The bad:
As I was wrapping up Dane in the babywrap, he spit up...all...over...me. It was crazy. I cleaned us all up and started over. Once he was wrapped and Alec was in his carseat and the carseat was in the stroller, and Reid was in the front seat of the stroller...we were off to the library. Just in time to miss the whole story and catch the very last sing-along song, the Hokey Pokey. As it turned out, we got there just in time for Reid to NOT want to hokey pokey, but rather, just look at all the other kids like they were crazy people.

The ugly:
Speaking of crazy people, I don't think I made a very good impression at the library today. I'm going to have to work up some bravery to go to storytime next week, because about 10 minutes into our library trip the babies went berserk. I've been reluctant to put labels on them*, but they are both quite colicky babies. And Alec is has colic with a capital C. They really put on a show, both screaming and crying and screaming and crying and screaming and crying. And screaming. And some more crying. It was really bad. I have never been more embarrassed in my life. It was that bad. You should have seen the stink-eye that the homeless dude in the periodicals section was giving me. It was crazy to the point that people just froze and stared at me as I was trying to check out my books. All the while Reid is enjoying himself in the children's section, happily sitting at a table looking at books and visiting with the other kids. Then along comes his mom to stick him in the stroller so we can get the heck out of there and he was really bummed out about it. More like kicking and moaning about it. I don't blame him. I felt like moaning, too. There goes any "good mom" award for me today.
Most annoying part? We weren't even out of the parking lot on our walk back to the house when the babies fell asleep again.
True business.

*I don't like it when I hear parents say things like, "he's a cranky baby" or "my first child was such an easy baby, but this one..." It hurts my feelings for the baby, plus I think it's like a self-fulfilled prophecy, like a frequency that the babies tune into. I think it would be pretty hard to be a baby, stuck in a little body with all sorts of discomforts that you can't figure out how to communicate and trying to make sense of this big, new world. They have pretty good colic spells, and colic is a crazy thing. But as colicky as they are, they are still good babies. Wonderful babies. Can't-get-enough-of-them babies.

true business.

If I hadn't have just changed the name of the blog, again, then I maybe this would be a sweet blog name. (But don't worry, "better together" is here to stay. Even if you did like "fun with fünf" better. William.)
We had the missionaries over for dinner last night and when they saw Reid displaying his genius and signing some things to us as he said a word, or his version of a word, one of the elders talked about how he took ASL in school. Mostly to pick up chicks. He mentioned that he mostly remembers the slang now, and that like any other language, things don't always translate exactly. Apparently, in ASL, you don't say "seriously" like when you're telling a story and you want to emphasize it. Like, "man, those babies manage to pee on me every day! Seriously." Apparently you would say, "man those babies manage to pee on me every day! True business."
Isn't that the funniest thing you've ever heard? I love it. True business.
You're going to be hearing a lot of that around here from now on. True business.
I can't stop!
True. Start with your finger at your chin and move it out.
Business. Wave your top hand over your horizontal hand.

Awesome.

a new feature

Welcome to a new feature of this blog - Book Reviews! You lucky dogs get to hear what I think about what I'm reading! You're thinking, "hot dang, this is a dream come true!" Aren't you?

We live about a half mile from a little library branch and the boys and I go there about three times a week. It's just far enough away so that I feel like I'm going somewhere and getting out of the house, but not too far away that I get gun-shy about taking out the full bunch on my own. I put Reid in the front of the double stroller, one of the babies in the back, and wrap up the other baby on my chest and off we go! Our little branch is part of a group of branches that spans from San Luis Obispo all the way to Ventura. The coolest part is that I can go online and order books, cds, DVDs, books on cd, etc. to be delivered to our branch...for only 50¢ a piece. So rad. I've become obsessed with it. It's especially great for craft books and cook books that seem interesting but you're not sure if it's worth $20 to buy the thing, but you want more time to peruse it than is polite to do standing by the shelf at Barnes and Noble (if only there was a Barnes and Noble near by).

So, here are my thoughts, in case you were wondering.
I wouldn't necessarily call Reid a "spirited child", a term that I think is meant to describe the kinds of kids that really give their parents a run for their money. Reid is very sweet and amiable, but I liked the concept of the book and figured that it would be interesting regardless of how difficult to manage a child may be. I haven't finished it yet, but it's gotten me thinking. I've been thinking lately about how Heavenly Father is as a parent. He is a parent to all of us, and how does he do it? Wouldn't He be a good pattern (or THE pattern, rather) for all of us as we parent our children? This concept of this book feels familiar, it feels to me how Heavenly Father parents me. Do you know what I'm trying to say? Give it a read and tell me what you think. I'll write more about this one as I finish it.

I haven't started this one yet, but it seems to be an easy read, sort of in workbook form. I like to research and study different methods of child education and I think the Montessori structure has a lot to offer. I'm still debating between home-schooling/public schooling/private schooling and the pros and cons to each. I have a feeling that I'll end up going with public school, mostly because I had such a great time with school growing up, but I want to make an educated and thoughtful decision. Besides what we do with school (which is still a few years away) I get to make my home however I want and I like learning about how I can introduce my children to the world and help them grow and develop into intelligent and caring people. Again, more on this one as I finish it.

This book was great. I've been curious about this one for a while now, quickly flipping through it at book stores, and I think that this book is one that I would want to purchase. I like Joelle's sense of design and I liked the projects she included. Joelle used to be an editor for MS Living and you can tell by her aesthetic. I really liked this book and I think I'm going to make the quilt titled "Cutting Corners" and I'm going to use some Amy Butler fabrics. Did you know that Amy Butler has solids that coordinate with her prints? I love that idea. Oh, another thing about this book is that most of the quilts were machine quilted (It's called "Last Minute..." after all) and I like the idea of quilts that are meant to be fast and easy and just quilt them yourself for heaven's sake. You know what I mean? Good book.

This was Joelle's first book and I've been eyeing for a LONG time. It's just photographed so beautifully that I wanted to check it out despite the fact that I don't knit...at all...ever. Maybe someday, so that I can make some of these projects. Like the baby bonnet, the garter stitch blanket, the gusseted floor cushions (I love these! I think I'm going to felt old sweaters and make some of these floor cushions), and the zipped raglan sweater. I don't think I'll buy it, not unless I someday find the time to learn how to knit, but it was definitely worth 50¢ to look at it for a while.

You've heard of this book, haven't you? I've been curious about it for a while and I'm glad that I finally read it. It was a quick read and gave me something fun to do while sitting in the hospital with Alec two weeks ago. Mireille doesn't offer any big, revelatory secrets to staying healthy...but that's just the point. I think that in the states we're always looking for a big answer and we forget (or at least forgo) all of the easy answers that add up to a healthy lifestyle. Any one of her suggestions alone seems pretty trivial but when you add it all up you can clearly see a difference between how French women live (in regards to food, exercise, etc...we're not delving in to other aspects of French lifestyle, thank goodness.) and how American women live. I really liked this book and have make some new goals to help me enjoy food more and have that enjoyment lead to a healthier lifestyle. When I was pregnant with the babies food became a necessary evil. I got so sick of trying to get enough food in me for the three of us and trying to cram it in my cramped stomach. Things have improved a little bit now that I don't have babies kicking all of my insides all day, but since I'm nursing I'm still pretty much eating for three and it's hard to find the time to get all the calories I need in a healthy way. I need to put more energy into preparing things that I can eat quickly because if I don't do the work ahead of time, when I'm hungry I end up eating anything I can find that I can eat with one hand. With all of these little ones it's nearly impossible to find time to eat real meals throughout the day, so I need to prepare ahead of time good food to snack on. I'm going to try this idea by my amazing and adorable friend Jill. Isn't this genius? I love it and I think it'll be perfect for me to help me eat things that are healthy, but in a quick and easy way. Another thing is that I'm going to try and make meal times more ritualistic. Meaning that I'm going to have tablecloths, cloth napkins, set a real table, have us all sit down and eat without distractions like phones, magazines, etc. I'm going to start now to make dinnertime an evening ritual around here. Long story short, good book. Worth your time.

Not worth your time is this book by Amy Butler and her husband David. I like finding old things and giving them new life and new purpose, but I didn't think that this book was particularly exciting. Amy Butler is such a great designer and I thought that this book would be more innovative, more colorful, more inspiring...but it was just a book of old stuff placed around people's houses. I guess it was worth 50¢, but not much more than that.

This funny little book looked cute so I thought I'd give it a go and I was pleasantly surprised. I liked a lot of the ideas (although the styling was horrendous. I could've recommended at least 20 people to style this book that would have done a better job, but whatever). I will definitely be making some cute fabric flowers and may even purchase this book someday. Plus, the girl on the front has cute hair. Actually, that's not really a plus, that only made my life harder. Nearly every day I struggle with the "bangs or no bangs" conundrum. I think about it...all...the...time. It's unhealthy at this point. But I just can't decide if I like bangs on me or not. And it doesn't help when I see someone who has a cute bangs haircut. Sheesh.

This book was great. Very informative for the entrepreneurial crafter. Now I just need to focus (HA!) on one of my dozens of "someday" business ideas that I have running through my head at any one time.

This book is by a woman who has a great blog, but the book was very lackluster. I didn't really think any of her projects were that interesting or inspiring, and her design sense isn't my taste. The one idea that I liked is the idea of making a puppet theater that can hang from a tension rod from a doorway. We've got lots of doorways and Reid has a great puppet that cracks us all up and he's going to get more for his birthday in May. So, for that, it was worth the 50¢ but if it hadn't of had that idea I would have said it wasn't worth it. FYI.

Lastly, you can also check out magazines at the library. As long as it's not the current issue you can check it out for two weeks or something. I happen to be obsessed with magazines and this is the perfect way for me to get my fill without having to deal with subscriptions, all the old issues that you don't really want to keep but don' want to throw away (recycle) yet either, etc. In case you were wondering, I didn't really like the Rachael Ray magazine as much as I thought I might. I'm not the world's biggest Rachael Ray fan to begin with (I like her, but I'd rather watch Barefoot Contessa or something, and I haven't seen her talk show, just her cooking show) but this magazine didn't really do it for me. I like the dinosaur Better Homes and Gardens better than this one.

What are you reading lately? Any good suggestions for us all? I'd love know.

the world's coolest kid

Oh, Reid. How I love you. Let me count the ways of your coolness.
1. This picture is him playing with funny teeth. It amazes me how at such a young age he knows what's funny and what's not. He even has good delivery when he's making a joke. Just look at his nonchalance. Funny.
2. His all-time favorite movie is "Hello Dolly" and he can put it into the iMac all on his own. Back when I was pregnant we would sometimes pass my "had to stay off my feet or I'd be in deep trouble" time by watching movies. We don't have a huge collection to begin with, and since all the Jason Bourne type movies are out that left us with my musicals. Perfect kid movies. Reid was all over Hello Dolly like white on rice. He LOVES it and it's a hoot watching him watch it.
3. You know how Reid thinks farts are funny? I'm sure I've mentioned that before. Well, lately, whenever anyone burps or farts, Reid points to that person and says their name. Even when he hears the babies and their explosive and noisy pooping. One day he was sitting in his chair eating lunch. He lifted up one bum cheek (who taught him to do that? how do boys instinctively do these things?) and farted. Then he pointed to himself and said, "you." Reid calls himself "you", despite our efforts in speaking to him in third-person so he understands that his name is Reid. Nevertheless, he was very matter-of-factly claiming that fart. So funny.
4. He says "Elmo", meh-mel-mo.
5. He's desperately in love with Erik. A daddy's boy 100%. He'll follow him around the house and times like this morning are especially funny. Erik was hurrying around getting things together to leave to help the youth with baptisms down at the LA Temple. Reid was scurrying after him just as fast as his little legs could move but sometimes Erik would change directions quickly to grab something in another room or to go back and get something else. It's hilarious watching Reid keep up. He also wants to be just like daddy. The best way to get him to wear a jacket, for example, is to say "see look Reid, daddy wears a jacket" and then he's willing.
6. He's very kissy faced. He gives Erik and I kisses all the time, and of course spends his days kissing his babies.
7. No one could possibly look cuter with freshly washed, combed hair and dressed in a sleeper ready for bed. I'm sure of it.
8. Every night we read a chapter of the Book of Mormon, sing a few songs (you should see him sing "I'm so glad when Daddy comes home", it's heartbreaking) and then kneel down to say a prayer. We've done this routine for over a year now and he's gone from me holding him while we pray, then he started folding his arms, then he would stand by us with folded arms, about a month ago he started kneeling by us, and know he prays, too. We'll help him and it goes something like this (the words in parentheses are what Reid says): Heavenly Father (something indiscernible) thank you for this day (day) thank you for daddy (daddy) thank you for mama (mama) thank you for Reid (you) thank you for Dane (Dai) thank you for Alec (Alk) thank you for our home (om) thank you for our families (fam-ee) thank you for church (chush) thank you for the scriptures (scipshuss) we love you very much (something indiscernible) In the name of Jesus Christ, amen (mnn).
Couldn't you just die from the cuteness?
9. I didn't think that there could be a bigger fan of beans than myself. But I was wrong. Reid goes to town on beans. Which probably leads to item #3.
10. and lastly for today, Reid has developed his own opinions and Erik and I are just trying to keep up. It's hard to predict what he'll have an opinion on lately and what things he doesn't care about. The other day Erik was trying to get him into his pajamas and when he went to take off his shirt Reid flipped out. I mean, he really lost it. Reid never does that so Erik and I were totally confused and trying to talk him down. We caught on to the fact that he didn't want us to take his shirt off and his sleeper was dangling by his feet so we just pulled it up and put it on him over the shirt he already had on. Fine by him. Everything's cool now. Erik and were like, "what?" I mean, how could a parent predict and preempt that? Last week Reid was desperately pointing and trying in all his 22 mos. old-ness to tell Erik that he wanted something. Reid just kept pointing and pointing, with such passion and pleading the whole time. Erik kept saying "this?" as he held up different objects, trying to figure out what Reid wanted so badly. It turned out to be the D of the painted letters of Reid's name (check out this photo of his room in Alaska to see what I'm talking about). They were sitting on the windowsill, not yet hung up in his room in this new house. So Erik gave Reid the D and he hugged it, laid down with it and went right to sleep. Crazy.

Life with Reid.
I love it.

my uniform.

Have you all heard of Gwyneth Paltrow's site goop? I love it. I love that even though she's all Gwyneth Paltrow-ish and stuff, that moms of little ones (and women in general) are pretty much interested in the same things. She talks about parenting, clothes, food, and "nourishing the inner aspect". I like that.
In this post she talks about her "uniform" and I could totally relate. At least in my Emily Olsen-ness. Here's a picture of her uniform, with the first upgrade.

It's a great concept, the uniform, that we all probably do to some degree but I think I'm going to work on mine a little bit and make it more developed (meaning less vague). Hopefully that will make life just that much easier.

I'd like to tell you that my uniform is an artful blend of Anthropologie and J.Crew. Sadly, that is not the case. I found the pictures of this gorgeous outfit on Anthropologie and even though that's what I think I look like in my head (minus the mile-long legs, I'm optimistic...not delusional), real life looks quite different from my imaginary life.

The big reason why I don't (can't) dress like that is my lifestyle. I mean, come on, dry clean only? Give me a break. Yesterday, by the end of the day, my shirt had on it: baby pee, spit-up, drool, Reid snot, and (sorry, I know this is too personal) leaked breastmilk. So far today my shirt had spit-up (that one happens daily, many many times) and (sorry, I know this one is too gross) Reid poop. Don't ask...and don't worry, I've since changed my shirt.

So, I think you get the idea. I need clothes that are easy. As in, super-ridiculous easy. My uniform is a fitted cotton tee and jeans. I wear that just about every day.

So, in case you were wondering, I look like this, except not quite as rested and I don't have such skinny arms. I have what are lovingly referred to as "Arnett arms". This is the wonder tee from Downeast Basics. If your lifestyle is like mine, here are some favorite places: Downeast Basics, Modbe clothing, and Shade. All of their clothes are modest and you can find pretty good deals. Two more requirements for clothes.

So now I need to work on my upgrades, things I can add to dress up my uniform. I'm thinking inexpensive accessories and easy-care jackets and sweaters.

What's your uniform? How much does your lifestyle influence your clothes and what do you look like in your head (your imaginary life)?

Better Together.

Okay, this is the last time, I promise. I am officially changing the title of the blog to "better together" and here's why. First of all, "...and baby makes three..." no longer makes sense. Changing it into "...and baby makes three...+ twins = 5!" was cute-ish, but kind of long and a little annoying. "The title "fun with fünf" was solely so that I could keep saying fünf in my head, (pronounce the u sound like the oo sound in book. Fun, right?) but Annie said it was annoying, and she's probably right, although I didn't admit that to her. I defended my title's honor.

So that explains why we needed a new title, a good one, but why "better together"?

You know the Jack Johnson song? That's our song. I love it and it's just perfect for us. When we got married we didn't even know how perfect it was and that so much of our newlywed life would have to be spent apart. As a lovely and romantic surprise for me, Erik arranged to have his buddy Steve play our song for us at our wedding reception. Here's Steve wowing everyone with his mad guitar skills.

And here's us while he's playing. My face is saying "oh Erik, you are so sweet! How did you ever think of something so romantic and wonderful? I love you so much, I just want to kiss on you all day!" Erik's face is saying something like "shhh, Steve is playing the guitar and I'd like to hear it."

So, there you have it. Our new name, better together.

For you romantics out there, here are the lyrics. I think it's just about the best way that a song could say, "I love you".

[Verse 1:]
There's no combination of words
I could put on the back of a postcard,
No song that I could sing
But I can try for your heart,
Our dreams, and they are made out of real things,
Like a shoebox of photographs,
With sepia tone loving,
Love is the answer
At least for most of the questions in my heart ,
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy,
And sometimes life can be deceiving,
I'll tell you one thing, its always better when we're together
[Chorus:]
MMM, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, we'll look at the stars when we're together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together
[Verse 2:]
And all of these moments
Just might find their way into my dreams tonight
But I know that they'll be gone,
When the morning light sings
And brings new things,
But tomorrow night you see
That they'll be gone too,
Too many things I have to do,
But if all of these dreams might find their way
Into my day to day scene
I'll be under the impression,
I was somewhere in-between
With only two,
Just me and you
Not so many things we got to do,
Or places we got to be
We'll sit beneath the mango tree now
Yeah, it's always better when we're together
MMM, We're somewhere in-between together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together
Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm
I believe in memories
They look so, so pretty when I sleep
Hey now, and when, and when I wake up,
You look so pretty sleeping next to me
But there is not enough time,
And there is no, no song I could sing
And there is no combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thing,
We're better together

Yay ramekins!

My rad sister-in-law Jan gave me 2 sets of ramekins for Christmas (she had me in the Olsen exchange, which always delights me because she gives the BEST gifts). I have since become slightly obsessed with food in individual servings. Isn't it just so much cuter to have something made in a little cup of your very own? Erik's parents were here last weekend (a million thanks Carol and Brent!) and for Sunday dinner we had a nice roast with potatoes and carrots, salad, and cherry jello in cute little ramekins. I love it.
I saw this on Martha today and think it looks delicious. And cute. Which is another kind of delicious, anyway. I think I'll give it a try. And if it's not super-secret, I'll share Jan's amazing chocolate pudding recipe. It's perfect for ramekins.
Yay ramekins!
It's the little things in life, right?

Tender Mercies.

The weather in our part of California is just gorgeous. Really, it's nearly perfect. Maybe 95% perfect. The other 5% puts everyone into a tailspin. A couple weeks ago we had great 80 degree weather and then BOOM, we've had cold rainy (snow not too far away) weather for over a week now. Just about every family we know has had someone get sick, and in our family we're 3 for 3. Alec started with a runny nose and slight fever on Friday and it progressed to the point were Erik and I got pretty concerned. By Monday I took him into see our pediatrician with the concern that it was RSV. It was. He sent us to the hospital where they confirmed the RSV as well as pneumonia. I've been with Alec in the hospital since noon on Monday and we're hoping that he'll be able to go home tomorrow. I'm here to grab a shower, some decent food, give my other little ones some love, and hug on the huz for a little bit. He's been amazing...taking off work to watch our other babes, Reid and Dane, who have since started showing RSV symptoms, too. So 3 for 3. 3 kiddos all with RSV. I don't think I'll be bringing my kids to playdates anytime soon. We wouldn't be very welcome.
Now, to the good news, because there's lots.
1. Alec is a fighter. He's had more health struggles than any 2 month old should have to have. I haven't really talked about them much here, but some of them are run of the mill baby stuff: jaundice and bilirubin test after stinkin' bilirubin test, a tear duct drainage system problem which leads to goopy eyes sometimes, etc. But he's also had some more serious things. A month ago he had a bi-lateral hernia repair operation. Prior to that he had ultrasounds, urgent care visits, and a 7 hour stay in the stupid Lompoc ER (which I do NOT recommend). The surgery went well and his recovery has been fantastic. Our other concern is that prenatally he was diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta. That means that there's a narrowing in the aorta that could require surgery someday. He's being followed for that by a really great Pediatric cardiosurgeon. So...all this to say that he's had some struggles. But I don't worry about Alec. He's tough. You should see him when the nurses and doctors are poking and prodding him. He really gives them a run for their money. He's batting their arms away and screaming in their faces. It's awesome. Just because he's small, he's not going to get pushed around. He lets you know just where you stand with him. He'll give us about 10 seconds from the time that he decides he's hungry to when we had better get food in his face. This kid is scrappy, and it's a good thing he is. A tender mercy.
2. Our ward members are practically beating the door down with meals, offers to babysit, anything we need or want. It's amazing. They are very aware of us and are SO anxious to help. I can't imagine what we would do without a ward family to be a part of. What a tender mercy.
3. Months ago Erik's parents made arrangements to come out this weekend. They wanted to see the babies, help us with our small projects around the house (look for a post in the someday future about the joys of homeownership as well as the joys of toddlerdom), and just hang out with us in gorgeous California. I've been so excited for them to come, I LOVE when company comes! But now, it's more than just a fun visit from Grandma and Grandpa, it's a tender mercy. We've got some sick kids, and we can't wait for the extra help.

I'm sure there are millions more, but it's time for me to go back to the hospital to care for our little Alec. What an angel. We've got 3 wonderful little boys and we're so grateful for a Heavenly Father who is aware of us and our needs, gives us JUST what we can handle and not a morsel of a struggle more, and sends help all along our way.

1 Nephi 1:20
...But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

I'm not sure if we're chosen, or mighty, but we can certainly feel the tender mercies of the Lord, even unto deliverance. You know what I mean?

The aftermath.

In case you were wondering what my stomach looks like now that the babies are out instead of in...I'll show you. No, not with a picture of my actual stomach. That's a little personal and quite frankly, no one needs to see that.
But, if a movie were being made about my stomach, I would cast Chris Farley's stomach to play the role.
Do you ever think about that/get asked that? Who would play you in the movie about you? I've been told I look like Anne Hatheway (I think because of the big eyes, big teeth, big nose) but I don't really see it. When I was younger (and pre-babies) I got Alyssa Milano (I liked that one) and when my hair is long I get Alannis Morrisette (I don't like that one as much). Who have you been told you look like? I think Erik is Dave Grohl with a haircut. Yum.
So here is my casting choice. And there is my stomach. There's just a lot of skin that isn't quite sure what it's supposed to do or where it's supposed to go. So it just hangs there. Very attractive, I know. I'm just telling you...in case you were wondering.
Oh, and if you'd like to see more, go here. I think this is my all-time, grand champion, heavy-weight title holder, #1 favorite skit from Saturday Night Live. Laser cats is up there too.

feed my obsession

I desperately need your help.
I found these great wall hangings on potterybarnkids.com, but the problem is that I found them when only the "orange fizz" one was available (it's still available now in case this ridiculous post makes you want one of your own). I ordered it and LOVE it. It's going to go in the kitchen area and it's so stinkin cute that I HAVE to have the other big one, the "ice cream" one. I've become OBSESSED with finding it. I've been searching through the deep void that is the internet, but I don't think I'm a very effective googler.
So here's my plea. Can you help me find it?
Here's what I know: these were decor items from the summer line. The large ones were catalog/online only and the small ones were store/online only. (I don't really care about finding the smaller ones so much) So our problem is that unless someone has an in with Pottery Barn and can get their secret stash of ice cream signs (I'm convinced that there HAS to be one available even though they've told me there isn't), or we're going to have to find someone who purchased it in the store and is now selling it. Slim chance, I know.
I would be incredibly grateful.
And there it is, in case you were looking for a challenge...here's a good one. Operation Ice Cream. Oh, that seems like a great prize for the winner...Ice Cream. Or at least a Cold Stone gift card.

Info:
They're called the "Boardwalk Wood Plaques Collection" and when the ice cream one was still available to order online, it's title was "Large Vanilla/Chocolate/Strawberry". The category is wall art or wall decor.

Thank you in advance for not thinking I'm crazy.