Still Kickin'

In case you've been wondering, we're still alive. Busy as hell, and that's no understatement, but still here. The kids and DH are all sick with nasty colds. And very sleepless nights. We've even had to postpone Baby Grant's first birthday party. I'd hate to spread the wealth of ickiness.

Since my assistant quit a few weeks ago with no notice, I've been running a very big ship at work. Add to that that we've had weekends sprinkled with family visits, weddings, etc., and so it's been nuts.

It all equates to very little free time. I'll post more once I get my head on straight. And here we go again, someone just woke up with a cough and a cry. Gotta run.

A Family Weekend Ahead

We get to go to a Valentine's Day wedding this year. I know most of you are probably rolling your eyes, but the folks getting married come from a mighty fun family, so we're almost guaranteed a fun event. It's my third cousin - his mom and my dad have been close from the start. We've got a babysitter lined up to come back to the hotel with us so that once we get the kiddos to sleep, we can sneak back to the reception for some boogieing.

To add to the excitement, my sister and my new little niece are coming, and perhaps my brother-in-law, too. It's been a LONG time since I've seen them and I've been so very lonesome for them. I look forward to just being together, all of us. My folks will be there, too.

Then come Monday, some bank holiday (which particular one, I forget), my office is closed, as well as the bank that my sister-in-law works at. We're meeting at a waterpark in the Twin Cities for the day with each of our hubbies and three kids in tow. Should be fun!

Hooray for things to look forward to on the weekends. The stress of workweeks can sometime drain even me, but by figuring out little reasons to celebrate, everything comes into perspective. I am truly blessed with a wonderful family, some very terrific colleagues, a handful of amazing volunteers, and oodles of fantastic friends. The people you surround yourself with truly make all the difference. Have a great rest of your week, my friends! And enjoy counting your blessings!

Silly Lilly

Our Lillian has some cute little quirks, and some really funny moments, too. Her voice is the sweetest, softest, ittiest bittiest little girl voice in the world. When she does something like the following story, I can't help but just scoop her up and smother her with kisses.

On Friday afternoon, after returning to our house with my mom and our friend, Vivian, Lillian came in and saw DH's paper face mask that he'd been using while painting earlier in the day. She promptly strapped on top of her head and remarked that it was a party hat for Jesus' birthday party.

When we arrived home from daycare today, the girls were very interested in the rain and the puddles that showed up as a result. I had Grant with me and was already in the house when I looked over my shoulder and saw Lillian bend over, dunk her hand in a puddle, and do the sign of the cross, "Name ub da padda, da ton, holio holio pidit, amen."

Perhaps there's a future nun in the family. Or perhaps our conscious examples are paying off. Either way, our silly Lilly is just the sweetest little peanut you could find - for a two-year-old anyway.

Looking Forward

Tomorrow may seem like just another Friday, but something special will be happening in my life. Nothing huge or momentous, but special nonetheless.

My mom is coming to town and meeting with a very dear, very long-time friend, who is driving up from the Twin Cities. After some shopping and lunching, they're going to pick up my girls from daycare and take them on a field trip to Bounce Depot. And then we're all going to meet up at our house for dinner and a visit.

Like I said, nothing huge, but something to really look forward to nonetheless.

In the meantime, my assistant quit today, so instead of taking the day off and joining my mom and her friend in the daytime festivities, I'll be holding down the fort and making sure all my ducks are in a row as I make my game plan for moving ahead.

As I write this tonight, my sweet DH is painting the walls and ceilings in our basement. This is a milestone step for me, as it likely is for most homeowners and not builders. Soon, we'll get the trim up and the cabinets in and the flooring laid and then ta daa! We'll be able to finish moving into the other half of our house. I love being married to a man with an abundance of ambition and talent.

Have a fantastico weekend, my friends!

As it flies

Everything is flying these days - from staticky hair to helicopters overhead to shooting stars to the winter season. And it's all flying quickly, it seems.

I've been trying to find just 10 minutes to write for over a week now and here I finally sit. The bigger the twins become, the more they fight staying in bed. Last night, we had a battle of wills with Breanna and she ultimately won, not hitting the sack for good until after midnight. I sat watch outside her room. Just telling her to lay back down a dozen times wasn't working, nor was the threat of having to sleep in the crib, nor being placed in the crib, nor spankings, nor anything else. I think she just finally was ready to crash. When we have multiple nights like that in a row, there's no time for laundry, dishes, and other basic stuff, much less time to blog.

May this stage end quickly so I can get something done before midnight again.

After our flurry of doctor and dentist visits last month, the novelty has not worn off. Each week we hear several requests to go to the doctor or the dentist. And when the twins saw their pediatrician at church on Sunday, they literally squealed. On top of all that, each time they find something round, such as a suction cup, they "listen to the heart." Here's Lillian listening to her heart in the tub, using the froggie toy holder that suctions to the side of the tub.

Nothing too much is new with Grant except that he's walking all over the place and nearing a year. No, I still haven't figured out how we're going to celebrate. I have to get with the program ASAP. He's still the smiliest kid in the universe.

Amidst all the kid chaos, my DH has continued to work on finishing our basement. The wall guys textured today, so that's a good sign. He has some spiffy things in the hopper, I guess, and I'm really excited to see what creative things he does to make it "ours." I'm so ready to settle in I can taste it!

I can also taste the idea of accomplishing some stuff at work. I've had a ton of proposals out to my boss, our chancellor. But as you can imagine, with the Catholic church, everything moves sssssooooooooo slowly. On Friday, we talked for a bit and he acknowledged that I'm earning some trust as the young whippersnapper (not his real words, but words I have heard from our vice chancellor - ugh). I get to move ahead with a few changes that will impact the way I operate and I really hope to get a few more approved shortly. I have hope. And I have great colleagues who keep me grounded and lend me patience when my hope runs thin, so that helps a ton.

All in all, I feel very blessed. I'm living the most unglamorous life, but it is so very rewarding. Even if it means I'm always exhausted and looking whipped. And driving a green minivan. I really wouldn't trade much.