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.

a whole lot of blabbing about a couch

A close up of last post's cuteness. By the way, this is Dane with the glasses on. He's a little bigger than Alec, but in the last picture it looks like he's way bigger. He's not. I'm just a horrible photographer and I took the picture at a weird angle.

Here's Reid giving kisses. Seriously, it's...all...day...long. He sometimes won't leave a room without kissing his babies goodbye. I know, I know...it's cute. But there are a few times (of the daily hundred kisses) when I would like him to knock it off. (That's Reid kissing Dane above)

These two are really sweet best friends. When we put them in the bassinet, they're always next to each other. But they very quickly manage to squiggle themselves right up against each other. This picture has Dane on the left and Alec on the right. I think the attempt at a good photo previous to this one was with a flash, so Alec is making a "what the...?" face.

We moved into our new (in 1962) house last Saturday, and I am in love. I told Erik that my soul knows that this is my home. I'm really happy here. Erik owned a home in Tucson before we got married, but this is my first time as a homeowner and I just love it. Erik and I are trying to meet in the middle as far as decorating goes. Or, rather, Erik is trying to reel me in. That happens a lot. It's our give and take.

I found this couch on craigslist (a new obsession, searching for cool mid-century furniture at a good deal) and we pick it up tomorrow. I can't wait. I think my style is pretty vintage-modern-eclectic anyway, but I think it only makes sense in this house. I just can't picture a huge, overstuffed floral sofa in our 1960's ranch. House pictures to come, promise. Unless you'd like to see lots of pictures of boxes. Didn't think so. Rad couch, right? It's going to go in the living room (the room with the piano). This house is just over 1900 sq. ft., including a room that was the garage and at some point was converted to living space. That's very common where we are in California. The weather is so good that no one really needs a garage for that reason, and most of the homes in the area are 60's homes that are usually 1500 sq. ft. or smaller so homeowners convert the garages. We didn't look at a single home that had an actual garage. Weird, right? It's not so bad without a garage except that our house is swarming with boxes because we don't have a garage to stash them in as we get through them one by one.

Here are some cute Valentine's ideas, just for fun. I found them on the purl bee and I think I'm going to send Valentines this year. What a fun treat, to give/get Valentines as an adult.

And lastly, check out my sister's blog. I've been rudely telling her how her blog desperately needed help (I was rude about it, which is not nice, but seriously...it did). I'm now a contributing author and I posted some links to two great videos. Please go watch them. They will make your day. Nay, they will make your month, which is also to say that they just may be the best thing to happen so far in 2009.

Oh, and a HUGE thanks to all the good advice about managing the toddler/new baby situation. I'll be coming to the booth again about Reid's "food on the floor" situation, so get your thinking caps on.

Reid, don't touch the babies.

Reid desperately wants to play with the babies. So far he's only allowed to give them kisses on the top of their heads, so they get LOTS of kisses. A few days ago Reid was playing with his Mr. Potato Head (a favorite Christmas toy) and came over to me with the glasses on. We both giggled and giggled (it's so fun to see him make jokes and understand when things are funny). A while later I went to check on my sleeping babies and this is what I saw.I made sure to get a picture, then Reid got in trouble (meaning, he got a very stern look from mom and lots of "no no...the babies are sleeping"). Speaking of, how do you discipline a 20 month old? He's 99% very sweet with his brothers, but when that 1% shows up, he's a little rough. So far Dane has been hit on the tummy and he bit Alec on the foot. Although not very hard at all either time. I think he's trying to play with them, but regardless, he knows he's not supposed to bug them. So, ideas? I'm not really into the spanking thing, especially since I don't think that's a good way to teach a little guy not to hit. Supernanny is big into the time out thing, has that worked for any of you? I'd love some advice. In the meantime, I hope this little post can curb your "cute babies" cravings. I'm working on finding more time for Emily things, but my time is pretty filled up with baby things. And for now, that's just fine.

I'm good at pretending.

This is the quilt that I am currently pretending that I'm making. I NEED to find some time to make it in real life (instead of just in my head), because it is just so, SO wonderful. I just have to make it. I love Anna Maria Horner. And I love that she's crazy talented and accomplished...and she's the mother of 5 (soon to be 6) children. I love that she's following her dream and bringing her kids along for the ride rather than doing it at their expense. Check out her blog, you'll be inspired.

I'm also currently pretending that I have Tess's hair. Did anyone see Tess of the D'urbervilles on Sunday? We don't have our TV hooked up to anything but our DVD player, so I didn't see it on PBS, but the website has it available to watch. I give it an "eh" so far. But I'm a tough critic of the "Victorian Era novel turned into a movie" genre. Mostly because I'm obsessed with them all. Want a good recommendation? Try "He Knew He Was Right". On second thought, I'll talk about that in a whole separate post. It was thought-provoking. In the meantime, go check out Tess. I give the hair two thumbs up and the jury's still out on the rest of the movie.

Hit the fan.

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to stop saying crap so much. It's a gift for my mom, really. But, if I were to say crap, I would only say it to explain that "it" has hit the fan. I'm pretty sure that's the right expression here. Doesn't it mean that things have unraveled? That things have gotten crazy? It does? Then, yes, that's right. The crap has hit the fan.

My mom and dad left on the 29th, leaving Erik and I to man our three kids on our own. We've employed a zone defense. This past week Erik only worked half-days the first three days and then had a four day weekend. Thank goodness too, because I really needed to be eased into reality. The reality is, is that there are more babies to hold than I have arms to do it. I have, however, gotten better at the tandem nursing business. (Which, if you ask me, should be an Olympic event. I understand that for modesty's sake that it's not, but believe me, it's just as difficult as a triple axle-double loop, I'm pretty sure.) In fact, just this week I was able to put on Reid's shoes whilst nursing two babies at once. So, while it's a skill with a very limited use, I'm happy nonetheless that I'm mastering skills such as that.

So, tomorrow I enter the real world. Reality. Things like: grocery trips where I maneuver two carts-one full of kids and one for food, managing all three while at the Dr. for Alec, taking care of household problems like how I've run out of clean underwear, and maybe-just maybe-make dinner. Erik and I really, really enjoyed having my mom here and all the wonderful meals that she made. Now I need to remember how to cook after my two month hiatus. Plus, as an added dimension of tricky, I need to figure out how to be reconcile my eat-meat-very-sparingly-atarianism (which is actually just a fancy way of saying that all I want to eat anymore is smoothies, bread and cheese, and beans) with the husband's habit of eating like a regular person. We'll see how that goes.

Holiday recap, part one.

So, this past Sunday at church Erik blessed our two babies. I've never seen twins blessed before and it was pretty cute. The bishop announced that Dane would go first and then Alec, but when Erik went up he was carrying Alec and I had Dane, so up on the stand we swapped and that got a few laughs. Erik gave the boys beautiful blessings and I felt so proud of my little family. I was also glad that Mom, Dad, and Annie were in town for the blessings. Hey, when we walked into church, a lady from my ward stopped Annie and asked her, "How are you feeling?" She was like, "I'm fine. I'm the sister." Some people seem to think that we're nearly twins. To that Annie and I say, "I'm not listening to you, you're crazy." (another Nacho Libre quote, which to my surprise...is a movie that my dad liked...a lot! I was astounded.)

The Olsen crew.

You just never know which gifts will be hits and which ones will be just okay (like giving Erik socks, for example). This gift that he's opening is a DVD of the Foo Fighters in concert. We're big Foo Fighters fans. We've even gone to Canada to see them perform. So you might say we're obsessed, or you might say we're awesome. Either way, Erik liked his DVD.

A funny outtake when we were trying to get a picture for Christmas (or after-Christmas, rather) cards. We should have just made this one the official picture because this is officially how our little Reid is most of the time.

We tried to get some pictures of the three boys, but Reid was like, "okay, when can I get these babies off of me?" and the babies were like, "We're pretty sure that this guy doesn't know what he's doing and I would feel more comfortable if an adult was holding me right now. Besides, I just pooped my pants and I feel some spit-up coming on."

So that's some of the latest. Coming up: the marshmallow adventure, the cookie house creation, more Christmas pictures, and more pictures of babies snuggled next to each other. It's going to be good.

Experiencing technical difficulties.

For the past four months we have been reaping the benefits of a nearby, unsecured wireless internet network. We were going to set up internet when we got into the home we're renting, but since we could access it wireless-ly anyway, so we just didn't worry about it. Annie said that it was stealing, and I'll have to do some soul searching about that. I replied, "hey, if they don't bother to secure it and my computer is able to access it, then it's fair game." But then I figured, how different is that from saying, "hey, if they don't want to lock up their bike, then it's fair game."? Like I said, still thinking about this one. What do you think?

I guess it's a moot point anyway, because the other day the wireless network we've been using just disappeared. So, now we have to decide if we're going to set up internet at our rental house for the last month or so that we're there before we move to the new house. (I'm writing this from a computer station on base.)

Thus explaining the lack of posts. Too bad, too. Because these babies are crazy cute. Hopefully we'll get it all resolved soon and we'll be back to our regular programming.

Life with baby angels.

So that big pile of sleepers is the amount of clothes it takes just to get through the night. The boys seem to spit up all over their outfits after every meal. They are very vigorous eaters, which is good, but it's got to go somewhere when their stomach informs them that there's not enough room. So it goes all over their outfits. But, it's hard to get too frustrated when your little angels are this sweet. I mean, could you just die?

This was a few days ago, their faces are already filling out a bit more. They love to be swaddled and laid right next to each other. So sweet.

So during the night I'm feeding, changing clothes, and changing diapers...with a small amount of sleep thrown in the mix. But during the day, I just sit and stare at my little angel babies. Reid loves giving them kisses on the head (the only place he's allowed to touch them at this point) and it just melts me. He's adjusting remarkably well. The babies just make him giggle, like their tiny hands and faces just crack him up. Thank goodness for that. So, besides laundry and not enough sleep, I would say that things are going perfectly. I'm very nervous, however, about how it will all shake out when my parents and sister leave at the end of the week. Very nervous. Any one want to come hang out with us and three sweet little boys? We'd love to have you.

Dane Patrick and Alec Brent join the gang

Erik is writing tonight, and a miracle has occurred. Dane and Alec (formerly known as Rod and Todd) were born yesterday, December 12, at 1331, and 1332 PST. They were born in Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, CA. Dane was pulled out first and weighed a good 6 lbs 1 oz. Alec came in second weighing 5 lbs 6 oz. They are both healthy and doing well. Some of our lead up doctor appointments lead us to believe that Alec may have some heart problems, but so far so good. They want to do one more echocardiogram before we leave to take a look at his heart. Right now they think he's fine and chances are he'll stay that way. They certainly are little dudes, and look pretty similar. But seriously, how different do 1-day-old babies look? I'll keep my eye on them. They seem pretty happy and are catching on to eating and sleeping, their two main jobs for the foreseeable future.

Emily is recovering really well. She had a spinal tap type of anesthesia and loved it. I told her to bring some home. (just kidding.) She got out of bed this afternoon and may do some walking tomorrow. She looks great.

Emily is in the hospital with the babies, and her mom Sally came and swapped spots with me. I came home with Reid tonight and Sally will spend the night there, and I will sleep here. Notice I didn't say Sally will sleep there, most likely she won't sleep much.

So we are really happy, things are going great. We have been very blessed this Christmas season. Our family is alive and well, we have food and shelter, and access to great doctors for delivering new kids. Merry Christmas! Our stockings are full! -Erik

Pic 1= the Olsens

Pic 2= Dane on the left and Alec on the right. How can I tell? That's for me to know...

Pic 3 & 4= Alec, then Dane, birth plus 5 minutes.

Pic 5= Alec was very peaceful right away.