Holiday Reading For You.....

I am, without a doubt, the luckiest Mommy who ever walked the earth. Period. The end. Don't even try to debate the issue with me.

My precious ones amaze me on a daily....no moment-ly (I know that isn't a real word....would you believe I am in college?!?!) basis. I plan to do a "newsy" post here in the next few days, but had to practice my mother's bragging rights, once again.

The last post I did was a book written by the dear, sweet Feisty who is following in her big sister's footsteps as a child prodigy author/illustrator. Tonight, I have to share a book that Care Bear began (but the masterpiece is not yet complete.) She writes books almost every day. I honestly have a Care Bear library. Anyone know a publisher who publishes children's books written by children?! Because, seriously....I could retire for life off of this girl's creations. (FYI....these are copyrighted....no really....they are!)

So, for your bedtime story tonight, I present Care Bear's latest literary masterpiece (or at least the first half of it....)

(note the apostrophe and the comma in this page...I don't think I knew what an apostrophe or comma was until at least the 3rd or 4th grade....I could be wrong....that was, after all almost 2.5 decades ago....ugggggggggghhhhhhhhhh)

(Always pays attention to detail....check out the reindeer's necklace and the red marks coming from his nose to make it look like it's shining....)

(That up there in the left hand corner is a conveyor belt delivering the presents to the elves. This is as far as she got. At this point, she was so tired of coloring that she asked me to take over. I had to explain to her that what I would do would not do her book justice and that she should just wait until the morning when she isn't so tired. Seriously. I would do shame to her book.....)

Now, all biases aside, is that not amazing?! I have so many others she has written that I could share....maybe I should make a blog solely for my children's creations....is that too indulgent?!?! And artwork aside....how about that handwriting?!?!

So...calling all children's book publishers.....I don't know a kid out there who wouldn't enjoy a book written for kids by a kid.....after all, who knows a kids mind better than a kid?!?!

Doing Better

Thank you all so much for your kind words of encouragement when I was having my little "melt down". Not to minimize it....I was in a bad place at that time. Your comments made me feel not so alone.

Funny thing though....not too long after I wrote that post, somehow I just felt.....better. Not sure exactly what happened, but I quit worrying about things so much. A lot of the issues I was having at the time I published that post had more to do with former in-law issues than kid issues. I was expending a large amount of time trying to figure out where I fit in within this new and strange picture. Most of the time when couples divorce, the ex-husband and his family continue on, and the ex-wife and her family continue on. In my case, I continue on with both sides, but don't feel like I fit in so much with them anymore. But my children are still blood related to them. So I have felt a little awkward at times. I have some current issues with my former MIL that are still on-going, and I am not going to get into them. But somehow, I quit worrying about that, too. I just decided one day, "I don't know what these people think about me; I don't know how they feel about me, and quite honestly, I really don't care anymore. Like it or not, they will remain a part of my life because of my children and I might as well make the best of it." So I have. And since I made that decision, life has become significantly less stressful.

Don't get me wrong; I still have the on-going daily stress of raising four little girls on my own and a four year old who is still dealing with some major issues, but those issues are getting taken care of as well, and all I can do is leave her in God's hands and trust Him to take care of what I can't for her.

In summary: for now, I feel better. Still stressed, but much more relaxed about it, if that makes any sense. Not to say that I will never again have another melt down. Pretty much par for the course for someone in my current situation. But it sure does help to know that there are people out there that love me and are praying for me; even those that I have never met before. So thank you.

And now, for some adorable pictures from our very relaxing, enjoyable Thanksgiving.....

Care Bear's braids courtesy of Aunt Sema

Feisty's braids courtesy of Aunt Sema

Katie playing with Grandpa P's mustache

Care Bear's fancy letter to Santa. Yeah, I know....her real name. No mistake.

Quite honestly, I didn't feel like taking the time to block it out. I trust you all.

I can trust you all, right?!?!?!

Oh, and incidentally, since you now know the other 3 girls' names, it hardly seems fair to leave Feisty out. Her real name: Olivia, but she insists on being called "Livi". So, there you go. But just for the record, should I ever go public again, they will resume as Care Bear and Feisty. Those names are still extremely fitting.

On The Menu Today....Poop!!! Mmmmmm

The day started out like any other ordinary day in the life of Kristen....oh oops...my bad.....no it didn't. It started out like a train wreck when I was jolted out of bed at the early hour of 7:30 by Care Bear who sauntered into my room, turned on the TV and settled into watch Nick Jr. (Not that I expect my 6 year old --although she is usually more organized than I am-- to voluntarily get herself up and start getting ready for school when Mom is crashed out in bed still.) It took me a minute or two to get my bearings and figure out what was going on. Is it Saturday? What time is it? Why is my TV on? Why is Care Bear in my bed? And WHAT THE?!?!....Why is my face stuck to my Family Law book and UGH....whose morning breath is that?!?! GROSS! It's mine!

The morning continued to improve as I managed to get my lazy butt to the bathroom and discover that since I had chosen to use my text book as a pillow last night, my face was adorned with beautiful pink and green tattoos from high lighter pens. "Wow," I thought to myself. "Are my fellow moms at Care Bear's school ever going to be impressed by me this morning!!" However, lucky for me, I didn't have to worry about that, since as the next half hour progressed, it became glaringly obvious to me that I was not going to make it in time to take Care Bear to school (unless I really intended to scare the bejeezus out of the school administration and make them doubt my sanity and abilities as a mother...). Lucky for me, I have a sister-in-law (who I will legally only be able to refer to as my friend in the very near future) who lives across the street and was more than willing to escort Care Bear to school that morning. I think she was concerned about my sanity a little herself this morning when she got a glimpse of me.

I breathed a little sigh of relief when she said she would take Care Bear to school because the pressure was off a little. I didn't have to offend anyone with my face artwork, or my heinous morning breath, or my babies' nasty smelling diapers. The relief was short lived, however, when I discovered that during the chaos of getting Care Bear out the door, that my little Emma Bemma was downstairs screaming her head off. It didn't take me long to realize that her little constipation problem (don't get me started on the fact that I seem to have yet another child who suffers constipation) had apparently corrected itself overnight and a little explosion had taken place in her pants. She (suffice it to say) was not happy with how long it took me to take care of her issue. So much so that it was nearly impossible to get her wiggly little butt to sit still so I could place another diaper on her. Between holding her belly down to get the new diaper on her and using my other hand to wipe her, I somehow neglected to wad up and secure the nasty diaper. But by the time I had finished with her, I had another screaming baby to tend to and a four year old screaming at me for Fruit Pebbles. So, the stinky diaper got forgotten.....

Fast forward half an hour. Feisty has been fed...babies have been changed. And curiously enough, I realized (a little too late) that those babies were being uncharacteristically quiet. For babies who don't stay content for more than ten minutes at a time, that made me a little nervous. And my instinct was correct. As I headed down the stairs, the pungent aroma of baby bowels was a little too strong for my taste. My first thought was "Oh CRAP (literally)....a baby pooped on the floor.....". Oh, if only that was all.....

My sweet little curious scooters had discovered a fun new toy. The un-wadded, un-secured MASSIVELY POOPY diaper! "Oh, what fun this is! What is this squishy smelly stuff? Let's finger paint with it Katie! OK, Emma! Wee-hhheeeeeee this is fun!! And since we put absolutely everything in our mouths, why should this be any different?! I mean who care if it smells like the county dump! How will we know if we don't try?!?!" Have you ever smelled a babies' breath after they have taste tested their own poop??!?! I hope for your sake that you haven't. This was a new one for me. A new mommy experience. I thought I had experienced it all. And you might think that was it. But not quite. Feisty, curious to know what all the commotion was about came down the stairs, and in my full on panic, I failed to notice that she had stepped in the poo and tracked it all over the white play room carpet!!!! (Please tell me....who puts white carpet in their house unless they plan to use it for a show home?!?!....No offense to anyone here who may have white carpet.)

In a mere hour, I managed to have a full months worth of disasters. I was a walking Murphy's Law example this morning. After the disasters had settled, the poo was cleaned off of carpets, shoes, clothes and babies' mouths, and I had to sit on my front porch, stare off into space for a minute or two, and then did the only thing I could do. Laugh hysterically. I mean really. Who does this happen to?!?! Me. That's who.

On a high note....the rest of the day was great. The weather was beautiful; Feisty and I played in the carpet of leaves at my parents' house and enjoyed the day and I did no school work. Who could concentrate after all that?? Not to mention my head is so full right now I think I might just be on overload.

Oh, and just for the record.....this song playing is my new anthem. Not the part about wanting to start a fight, or being a rock star....but the other stuff. Booyah!!

Awards Ceremony

Welcome to Mama's 1st Annual Award ceremony. All five of my children have recently achieved some pretty important things, therefore I decided they deserve to be recognized for their fabulous accomplishments. Please join me in congratulating them as well.

We will begin with......

ANAKIN

Anakin has had a little bit of a rough year this year in school. It can be hard to convince him to sit down after school and do his homework. However, as of the last few weeks, he has done his homework without being reminded and (for the most part) has been remembering to turn it in. Good job, Anakin, for your efforts in working harder in school. Your hardwork will pay off in the end!

Now, on to.....

CARE BEAR

Care Bear has had a real issue with stage fright in the past. Anytime there was a performance she was in, whether it be at church or at her pre-school, she would just stand there on the stage with a "deer in the headlights" look, regardless of all of the encouraging, hand-waving, and stupid looking faces I would throw her. However, this past Christmas, she was in our Church's children's Christmas program, and for the first time, she actually performed!! I was so excited and so proud. I wanted to do a "happy dance" right in the middle of the aisle. This past Tuesday, she had her "Kindergarten Showcase" at school. I was holding my breath until I saw her step on to the stage hoping that her Christmas performance wasn't just a fluke. And it was not. She sang her heart out and did all of the motions all the way through (with the exception of one song that she said she hated and proclaimed early on she would, under no uncertain circumstances sing that song.....and she held to her word...). So Care Bear is awarded for overcoming her "stage fright". I'm so proud of you, sweetie!

Next is, little miss.....

FEISTY

It's no secret that Feisty has had some issues surrounding the potty. And while she has not yet mastered the skill, she has improved greatly and I am very proud of her. She no longer even wants to wear training pants at night (however, mama overrides this....for now....)which is a good sign. While she is hesitant to go at first, once she does, she is sooo proud of herself and likes to show the world (or whomever happens to be around at the time)how good a "job" she actually did. Congratulations, sweetie, on getting the hang of going potty. Keep working on it and hopefully by fall, you'll have it mastered and can go to PRE-SCHOOL!!

On to the mini-twinnies.....First up.....

KATIE

As I've mentioned before, Miss Kate can be a little fuss budget. Afternoons seem to be rough for her. But lately (due to more sleep, I firmly believe), she is such a little "ray of sunshine" in the morning. This morning I woke up and heard some noise coming from her little bed. I was half waiting for a wail, or a scream, but I went over there and she was laying on her back, just looking around the room and gave me the most beautiful of baby smiles. What a great way to start the day. So, Katie is being awarded for her improved sleep patterns and that beautiful smile (which is much preferred over your snorts, miss Kate!)

And last, BUT DEFINITELY not least.....

EMMA BEMMA!

Emma Bemma has turned into my "champion sleeper". She has even surpassed her big sister, Feisty, a couple of nights this week. As a rule, she has been sleeping 8-8.5 hours straight a night lately. Not always, but more often than not. Her twin isn't doing quite as well yet, which is why Emma-Bemma is being awarded for her "superior sleeping skills". You are my hero Emma. Thanks for letting Mama sleep a little more. I love you, sweet pea!

And that's it....I think. Five awards. Five kids. And that is all there will ever be.

I love all of you and you make me oh, so proud!!

MIKAYLA!! In Concert Today!!

Welcome! And thank you for coming tonight to the "Mikayla" concert! For those of you who have never been fortunate enough to attend a Mikayla (a.k.a. Care Bear) concert, let me be the first to congratulate you on your wise choice of entertainment for this evening. For you are in for the time of your life. But I will warn you: Mikayla has very set ideas about how her shows run. She's rather the pint-sized diva. So you will notice as you enter the arena (that looks suspiciously like a living room) that there are rules posted here and there that you must adhere to, or suffer the wrath. Don't say I didn't warn you. And should you be the lucky person who follows the rules the best, than you shall have bestowed upon you backstages passes and the opportunity to "meet and greet" the one....the only.....

That being said, I (the one and only Mama of Mikayla) will serve as your interpreter this evening should you have any difficulty making sense of the rules. Mikayla is, after all, only five. And you also might like to check on the list of invitees first to see if you're even allowed into this all exclusive event:

Did you make the cut? (psssst....even if you didn't, I have connections. I'll get you in!)

Keep your eyes out for the rules. You do not want to tangle with this girl. Believe me!!

Rule #1

(Reminder: If you have a question you have to raise your hand!)

Rule #2

(Reminder: If you have to go to the bathroom, you have to raise your hand!)

Rule #3

(Reminder: If you have to take care of a baby, wait until after the song)
**I think this one was tailor made for me....the majority of you can probably bypass this rule!

I know, I know.....I've never been to a concert with so many rules before; but Mikayla likes things the way she likes them. Whatcanyoudo??

Sooo.... Mikayla has just informed me that there are some backstage pass winners. Too bad the rest of us just could not keep our mouths shut!

The list of contendors is above. Notice she added some dialogue there from Miss Kate. Despite the fact that Kate went "wa wa wa wa wa" throughout the whole show, she is still being honored with the chance to meet Mikayla!

And the winners are!!

Kate and Emma!!

Now, to me, that somehow does not seem quite fair considering those babies wailed through the whole thing. And I, following rule #3, completely ignored and neglected them throughout the entire thing and didn't even win a pass! How fair is that?! I sense some favortism going on here.

Despite getting dissed by my own daughter, I thoroughly enjoyed the Mikayla concert. I do plan on attending another in the near future (and another....and another....and another.....)

See you at the next show! :-)

The Buzz This Week

So, I thought once I was back at work it'd be much easier to keep up on this thing. But it turns out that since I'm back only part time now, and my hours coincide with covering everyone's lunches, I don't have as much "play time" as I used to when I was here 8 hours a day. Which also means I don't have as much time to go and visit you all; cuz it could literally take my entire four hour shift to visit everyone in my bloglines. So, I read when I can and post when I can; which unfortunately for me.....is not very often.

But here's the buzz around my parts as of late:

CARE BEAR:

Still obsessed with NKOTB. I have created a monster! She must watch my old, ancient NKOTB video at least once a day....often times many more than that. It is typically the show she chooses to watch before she goes to bed. And she insists that I watch it with her. Now, in my day, I probably watched it at least 1/2 dozen times a day. I can't even believe it's still functioning. And while it was fun and reminiscient to watch it once....maybe twice.....I must say that I'm getting a little weary of it now. I'm just about ready to hide it.

I purchased Care Bear the NKOTB Greatest Hits album--at least she now has something to listen to in the car. But not just in the car---no, that's not good enough. We have to listen to it in the house as well as we watch her dance and sing to it under her "celebrity moniker"---Mikayla. Yes, she has given herself an assumed name. She has strict rules (i.e. no laughing, no smiling, no getting up, and no talking during her shows.) She's a cross between a diva in the making and a grouchy old school teacher. After her "shows", she allows us to stand in line for autographs from "Mikayla." Sooo.....do you all think American Idol will still be around in the year 2018 when Care Bear will be 16??

She wrote notes for the "boys" the other day. Loooooove notes. Yikes. I'm getting scared.

Another Care Bear tidbit: Here is a little conversation she had with my mom the other day while I was at work (this is copied and pasted from an e-mail my mom sent me):

She is typing away on a calculator telling me she's doing
CSAPs. I ask her if she has to do CSAPs at school. She says, no, but they have
to be quiet when the other kids are taking them. Then she tells me Anakin said
he'd be annoyed at her if she
was noisy while he was taking them. Then she
told me she didn't need to take them because she's already smart, and CSAPs make
you smart. Then - she says,"Grandma, what are CSAPs?

Feisty News:

Feisty is still trying to learn to go potty. She's gotten to the point where she refuses to wear training pants anymore, yet every day soaks and/or soils her underwear and pants. She's getting there, but hasn't quite got it. She's even gotten to where she doesn't want to wear training pants at night. I have had to gently force this issue because I have no desire in the middle of the night to bathe my (almost) four year old and change sheets because she has soaked and/or soiled her jammies and bed. I applaud her desire and her willingness to go from training pants to underwear; but not at night; not until she has got it. So we've compromised. She wears underwear over her training pants at night.

This morning I'm at work when I receive a wonderful "letter" and picture from Feisty:

vvbbcbvvbvvvnvbvbvnfvfhhjfhhfffffffffffffvhvhgfghfghgtjhkgjjthhyhgjghh
ghjhrgrgkjkerkjjkgjhjjjhngnhhmnjjjvnnnvvnbnnnnbmn
nnbvvbnnvbvbfbgmgbmmmfbnfbgbffgbgnffiofytyiytygjjtjufhuuyuyjhruuiyt5
7hrhojthhtgggffjfgbdgdfgfggfgjdfjsdgjddjgdfhjgdjhgdgsjfdhghafhdafg
fdgghdfgfhfggggggghfgfjfhghfhgggfvvvffbvfvvfgfff
b gbfgbghbggbgbgtybddhdfbfgh
vsacvbnbnbnbjffhfgfbfbnvnbbffbhnvfhghgrhfhfghhfggfhbbgbnfknknbbnnbjhh

Roughly translated, this says something like, "Dear Mommy, I went poopy in the potty all by myself! I love you so much, etc, etc, etc...."

Now, I will show you a picture, but am warning you to scroll quickly past it or look away now if pictures that proud 4 year olds take of what they "produce" in the potty offend or disgust you. This is Feisty's proof to send to Mommy. She wanted to save it in the toilet til I got home, but Grandma convinced her to do this instead:

Yay, Feisty!! Mommy is soooo proud of you! We'll do the "happy dance" when I get home!

********************************

Feisty has very cute ways of putting things. For instance; she calls goose bumps "juice bumps", she says her heart is "beeping" instead of beating and today, when we were driving to meet Grandma at my office, she took of her sock and shoe and was thoroughly irritated. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "My toes are snoring". (Feisty speak for her foot is asleep). Everyone together now......"Aaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwww"!!

TWIN NEWS:

And last, but definitely not least.....some twin stuff.

Our church is blessed to have the best nursery attendant ever. Her name is Sandy and every child who ever has the pure luck to be in the nursery with her absolutely adores her. Feisty is beyond her nursery days now, but still considers Sandy her "best friend". Since my older girls have "graduated" and moved on to bigger and better things, Sandy is now thrilled to have two more of my offspring to coddle over. And coddle she does! Here are the chunky monkey twins (as opposed to teeny-tiny) modeling their new duds, courtesy of Sandy:

I.LOVE.THESE.SHIRTS!! They crack me up!!! Like these babies' butts could EVER look big! Welll.....maybe when the diapers are full their back ends might protude a little. But anyway....

Then, here they are modeling their custom made beautiful little fleece blankies given to me by a friend at church whose sister makes them. They even came in little custom made bags with their names on them!!

The little girlies are growing cuter by the day and their personalities have definitely started to make themselves known. Emma (aka "Little Squirt" aka "I can't sit still in my mama's belly") is actually the more mellow, "go with the flow" kinda gal. Much more content to lay on the floor or swing in her swing and look up at you with her piercing, beautiful blue eyes. Katie (aka "big squirt") is a fuss budget. A snorter. Her eyes may be piercing and beautiful as well, but more often than not, her face is screwed shut in a crying, screaming position, so it's hard to tell. OK, so it's not that bad, but she is much fussier than her twin. She has, however, treated me to some beautiful smiles lately and when she is content, loves to lay on the floor and kick to her hearts content.

Sleeping is still a crap shoot. Never know how it's going to go from one night to the next. So, as always, I am tired. Probably will be until I'm 50 years old....if I live that long!

Have a great weekend!

Mother Of The Year---Two Times Over

I am officially awarding myself "Mother of the Year".....two times.....for events that have occurred over the past few days. Here is why.....

AWARD #1

Last week I posted about the return of my "high school sweethearts"....New Kids on the Block....and half jokingly said that maybe one of these days my truckloads of old NKOTB posters would adorn Care Bears walls. Hahahahaha. Well, the laugh is on me. I am personally responsible for pushing my 5 year old daughter into early teenage-hood. She was already half way there being a self proclaimed "Hannah Montana fan". However, mere minutes after pulling out my old NKOTB video tapes and popping them in the VCR, my darling daughter (who just a month ago considered the Care Bears and the Berenstain Bears her personal heroes) informed me that she is now a "huge NKOTB fan". Joe is her favorite. "Please Don't go Girl" is her favorite song. I was forced to raid my parents basement this weekend in search of the good ole NKOTB archives. Daddy is being harassed to make her CDs off of iTunes of NKOTB. She has decided that she wants to be a "rock star" with her best friend.....Blondie 1.....and went in search of wood to make her very own stage (my shower curtain has been confiscated for her own personal use so that she can make an "entrance" when performing on her stage).

I mean, a huge part of me could not quit almost laughing to myself all weekend when I heard my daughter walking down the street singing with all of her heart, "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.....HANGIN' TOUGH!" Everything else that I loved when I was a kid has returned.....My Little Ponies, Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Dolls, Strawberry Shortcake (not to mention the fact that she goes to the same school I did as a kid and is in the same Kindergarten class.) I don't know why this should surprise me. However, if you would have told me when my obsession began that 18 years later I would be digging out all of my old New Kids stuff for my five year old daughter because they were making a comeback?!?! Well, you could probably have knocked me over with a feather. That, or I would have said, "Whatever. I'm not having kids." But I'm starting to think my little girl is me....reincarnated. It's almost eerie. Scary eerie.

It's cute. But I kinda hope it's a fleeting thing and in a couple of days or so she'll pull out her Care Bears again. At least for another 10 years or so......

AWARD #2

I'm pretty much a zombie in the middle of the night when my babies wake me up. Half the time I think I sleep walk through the process of getting them a bottle, feeding them and changing their diapers. Last night was no different.

The twins share a bed right now. It's a space saver. Plus, they're snobby to eachother and barely acknowledge eachother's existence so I'm constantly "pushing" them together in an effort to make them like eachother. They have "assigned" sides of their bed. This, obviously, is supposed to make life easier for me in the middle of the night. It normally wouldn't be that big of an issue to not know which baby I was holding and caring for in the middle of the night except for the fact that they use different formulas.....(no I am not breast-feeding anymore.....pumping/hospital visits/pumping/caring for older kids/pumping/blah blah blah.....well, it just didn't work out......so sue me.....they're doing just great and mama is less stressed out). Anyway.......last night Emma-Bemma fell asleep in her car seat at about 6:00 p.m. Wherever those babies fall is asleep is where they stay until they wake up again (unless, of course it's on a counter top or something like that.......). Kate was put to sleep in her bed. But for some odd, unknown reason I put her on the wrong side of the bed. So, eventually when Emma woke up (six hours later at MIDNIGHT.....YAY EMMA-BEMMA!!!), she ended up sleeping on Kate's side of the bed. Fast forward 7 hours later (and several feedings later) to 7 a.m. One baby wakes up. I hear it on the monitor. I go up to my room to fetch "the baby". Ahhh....it's Kate. So, here's me over the next hour:

Me: "Oh, Katie....are you hungry widdle baby girl? Mama'll get your ba-ba."

Baby: "Coo."

Me: "Wow Katie. You're so mellow this morning. So agreeable and happy. Weird. (Katie is typically pretty grouchy in the morning.....well.....all the time....unless being held). Are you watching Dwagon Tales with your sisters?? Look at you kicky little girl!!"

Baby: "Coo-cooooo".

Me."You must've been so hungry Katie! You ate that bottle in two minutes flat! Let's get you dressed." (I proceed to put "Katie" in an outfit that Care Bear has designated as Katie's outfit....you know, since Katie is "her baby" and she has the scars to prove it and all.)

Me: "Uhoh! I hear Emma-Bemma. Better go get her up!.........Wow Emma.....you're cranky this morning. Wassup wich-you? Awwww.....you're hungry, aren't you, widdle Emma-Bemma!! Whoa! Chill out girl.....no need to choke yourself or anything! Good grief. What's the matter with you?! Is this stupid nipple not working? No, it's working. OK, well....guess I'll change your clothes. Man.....have you been taking cranky lessons from your sister??"

Baby: "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Me: "OK, calm down. Let's get this sopping wet diaper off. OK, here's your little pink outfit that Feisty says is yours. You know, since you're Feisty's baby and she has the scars to prove it and all!"

Baby: "Waaaaaaahhh" (translated...."OK, I'll calm down a little bit now since you took that nasty pee catcher off of me").

Me: "OK. All set. Now why don't you go lay down by your sister Katie and get to know her a little bit, huh? .....

Wow kids....check this out. Emma's almost as big as Katie now. Good grief. You can hardly tell a difference. Unlesssss.........YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. (turns over baby thought to be Katie for the last hour and discovers that yep....there's that huge honkin' birth mark on the back.) THIS IS EMMA!!! Now it all makes sense!!!"

No one can ever, EVER tell me that my baby's don't look EXACTLY the same again!!! And I am so mother of the year....you know....feeding each baby the wrong formula.....dressing them in the wrong clothes. Care Bear was horrified that she had been kissing the "wrong baby" all morning. And me?! Well, I have to wonder what kind of mother I am to only be able to identify my babies by which side of the bed they are on!! GOOD GRIEF!
**********************************************
And one more of Kristen's blonde "Jessica Simpson" moments and then I'll let you go laugh at me in private. I walk into work this morning. The smell of freshly laundered clothes and fabric softener is permeating my work area. I say to my co-workers, "Wow, who smells so good, like freshly laundered clothes?" Everyone looks at me kinda wierd and smells themselves. (Good thing I've worked here for so long!) They shrug. I smell myself. "Oh, it's me."

Dude. I need some sleep.

Yikes!

I can't sleep. It's 6 a.m. and despite being given two Ambien last night by the nurse and not turning off the lights until midnight, I am wide awake. I can't figure out why. Hmmmm. Maybe it's because in 18 hours I am going to be delivering twins?! I don't know. Maybe that could have something to do with it.

I can't even pin point any particular emotion I am having right now because I think there's a little bit of every emotion you could ever have floating around in me.

All kinds of fun and cool things are happening to me right now. My doctor has decided (at the 11th hour) that I am not gaining enough weight. I about wanted to throw my hands up in there air and release a primal scream when she said that to me. Let me just say that since I have been sequestered in the hospital bed, I have done NOTHING but eat. Not only three meals a day (which I rarely ever, ever do), but every time my meals are over, within 20 minutes they are bringing me a protein shake that I'm somehow supposed to choke down. That being said, I told my doctor that "perhaps my body just really doesn't want to gain any more weight; maybe it's at capacity." My stomach has been in a constant state of discomfort since I got here; so much so that night before last, the majority of the night I spent not daring to move or even breathe because if I did I was going to puke.

So, now they are drawing blood to find out if I have some sort of gastro-intestinal problem going on, or exactly why I can not gain weight. You'd think I have gained only 2 lbs this whole time or something. I've gained 27 lbs. Probably not as much as is considered "ideal gain weight" for twins, but it's not horrible. THEN, she is adding another medication to my cocktail of drugs I take every day that is supposed to help me digest my food quicker so I don't feel so full all the time. THEN, they are going to hook me up to an IV to supplement what I am eating. (My thought is, what good is this all going to do 24 hours before I have these babies? If this was going to happen, shouldn't it have happened long ago?!?!) And then the COOLEST, FUNNEST most AWESOME thing I get to do?!?! I get to collect my pee and put it in a bottle everytime I go so they can test how much protein I have in my pee! Is that awesome or what?!

I'm complaining, I know; which I shouldn't be doing because "doctor knows best", however, like I said, wouldn't this have made more sense a week or two ago when I had some time to actually gain some significant weight? Oh, well.

Doctors, nurses, neo-natal specialists, NICU nurses, nutritionists, OTs, therapists.....you name the hospital employee and I have probably seen them during my stay here. I even know the housekeepers by name. Everyone here has been so wonderful to me and they have made a long, long stay here much more tolerable.

I will probably be here for three days post-surgery; so most likely until Thursday. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Of course the dynamic of my stay is going to change drastically mid-day tomorrow.

I have a request for everyone out there. I know you have been fervently praying for me and the twins; and your prayers and thoughts and caring are appreciated more than you will ever know. I am awed over the amount of caring I have received from people all over the globe. But if you could please add little Care Bear and Feisty to your prayers as well, I would really appreciate it. Their lives are about to dramatically change. Especially Feisty. She will be de-throned as the "baby". I just don't want to be so overwhelmed with the twins and everything else that the others end up feeling neglected. It is a real big concern for me. I felt the same way when I had Feisty and worried a lot about Care Bear. My fears were not in vain; Care Bear had a real difficult period of adjustment and the three or four months after Feisty was born were extremely difficult. So, prayers for my other two little girls are appreciated as well.

This could very well be my last post before the twins arrive. However, you could see a last minute panic stricken one at around noon tomorrow. :) We'll see. I'm sure my mom will be posting regular updates until I am able to do so again!

The countdown has begun!

Those Kids Of Mine

First, I want to thank everyone for the nice birthday wishes this weekend! Nothing spectacular occurred over the weekend for me in regards to birthday celebration; as I mentioned before, most of the celebrating had already happened. Care Bear was a little dismayed over the lack of excitement for my big day exclaiming "What is a birthday without a party or a cake?!" Hard to explain to an enthusiastic 5 year old party connoseur that the older you get, the less you care (in fact you actually prefer) to have your birthday made a big deal of.

I did go to a Scentsy party on Saturday at Sherry's house and purchased a warmer and two scents. Right off the top of my head I can't remember which ones they are, but they smell good! I was going to get Cozy Fireside like Karen suggested, because it is definitely yummy, but she would have had to order it and I was simply too impatient to have to wait to use it, so I got one that was already in stock.

We are currently in the midst of our first major snowstorm of the year here in Colorado. It's lovely to look at, and I would be thoroughly enjoying it if I were sitting at home in my giant recliner, snuggled up in my electric blanket by the fire drinking a steaming hot cup of coffee. But instead I had to brave the storm and make my way up north and the drive which normally takes me between 15-20 minutes took me an hour and a half. An hour and a half people! I was over 30 minutes late to work this morning and as it was I gave myself 45 minutes to get here, which I thought would be plenty of time. I should have known better.

Last night, when I arrived home from work, my kids were in full Christmas spirit mode. They had been outside building snowmen and Care Bear was in the process of writing and illustrating a new Christmas Carol. When it was complete, we all had to assemble on the couch where she taught us the new Christmas carol and led us in a sing-a-long. Anakin and I were to sing the song with her, and Feisty was to provide background vocals. I am going to post the Christmas Carol now for you and I advise you to learn it because I am 100% positive that it will be the next great Christmas Carol of our time!

"SNOWBALL FIGHT DAY"

"In my stocking is a candy cane and some candy"

"Outside there is a snowman and snow"

"Under the tree there is some presents"

"The tree is so pretty"

Once we learned the new carol and she felt satisfied that we had sung it satisfactorily, she hopped on "stage" (the fireplace bricks) with Feisty and they performed "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolph". This was all done with a rather "goofy" and lighthearted air, but then Anakin wanted to perform. And he got up on stage in all seriousness and proceeded to sing "Away In A Manger" in perfect, falsetto pitch. It makes me sad that he can not ever be a part of the children's musical performances at church because he is never there on Sunday. I know without a doubt that Miss Tammy (the children's music director) would have some great part for him in their performances because he really does have an amazing voice and ability to sing on pitch. Anakin's singing ability is one of the few things that he has a high level of confidence in. I wish he had the opportunity to showcase it more.

After the performances, we had to rush to church to practice for Mom and Dad's (a.k.a. me and Mike's) deal on Christmas Eve. The praise band is leading the Christmas Eve service this year. I don't think that's ever happened before, but I think what we have planned is going to be great and I'm looking forward to it. On the way to church for practice, I told the kids about Grandma Dawn's accident in Hawaii and that we needed to be sure to remember to pray for her when we went to bed that night.

Feisty became very distraught at this news. In a little teary voice she said that she wanted to get Grandma a "washcloth with ice in it to help her feel better" (Feisty's answer to any type of pain whether it be a cut, scrape, bruise, splinter or tummy ache is water, whether in the form of a bath, a warm cloth, or a cloth with ice wrapped in it.) I told her that Grandma is in Hawaii right now, but I'm sure she would love that when she gets home. Feisty sat there for a minute quietly then said, "I'm worried about her. In the morning, I am going to get her a washcloth with ice in it to make her feel better." Since reading Grandma Dawn's post today, I am going to have to let her know that she is feeling better today so she can quit worrying so much. She's also very concerned about the pain I will be in when I have the babies. She assures me she will be there to "take care of me". I love that child.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!