B r e a t h e . . . .

a juicy moment

2012-01-31T20:51:00.004-05:00

My boys love juice like it's their own baby crack...a drug they just can't seem to get enough of. Niels asks (well, grunts and points to the fridge), then sucks a sippy cup dry, then asks for more. Anders, on the other hand, is more of a hoarder.....

He really did line them all up on the table, one by one, all by his lil self.

moments

2012-01-23T14:08:00.000-05:00

After a day of many, many...oh so many...big messes like this:

(Apparently my boys knew I needed to organize my recipe file...so they helped me get started....)

The day often ends, thankfully, with peaceful little moments like this:

a glimpse into our holidays

2012-01-10T10:40:00.000-05:00

We went to NYC for a few days during the wonderfully magical month of December. There is no more magical city than NYC during Christmas. I grew up visiting that city during the holidays and I have continued that tradition with my own children...luckily we live within a four hour drive!

The following are some glimpses into our busy holiday month:

Macy's window

going through the line at Macy's to see the man in the red suit

still waiting in line

Finally they can tell Santa what they want!

No surprise...Niels is not happy in someone else's lap....

The hustle to make the move through the city streets and subway....

I love Christmas baking!!

sharing Christmas candy

Christmas Eve right before bed time

Christmas morning, waiting...

...and waiting....

PRESENTS!!!!!!

opening her favorite gift and he's wearing his favorite

We then left for an incredibly relaxing week with my mom and dad in Hilton Head, SC.

It's a long story, but my dad is helping a struggling tugboat business get on its feet (just another example of an "evil rich guy", right?). So...we had some fun on his lil tug (which also happens to be the one featured in "Forrest Gump").

my four lil ones peaking out

the boys peaking

leaving my parents' boat with the tug and crane in the background

What a wonderful Christmas break it was for all of us! We didn't want to come home.

Happy New Year everyone!! Here's hoping some big changes come in 2012......

caged joy

2012-01-06T22:02:00.000-05:00

I am just dying to post pics from my wonderful holiday season....but with so many pics to post and so many thoughts I want to share...and not enough time to put it all together.... I will simply post pics of the two main reasons for my busyness:

If these two didn't give me so much joy, love, laughter, hugs, joy, happiness, fulfillment, and just plain fill my days with pure unadulterated fun (and LOTS of work), I would sure love to keep them caged!!

glimpses

2011-12-06T22:26:00.001-05:00

Here are some glimpses into my life the past few weeks:

First there was Thanksgiving in New York City with almost all the cousins....

what a handsome group!!

Then there's my home life....

the best big sis ever...

...and her happy lil bros

Yep. Das right. You see it. I did it.

And the sibling squabling begins...

....they never used to fight...

...but now they do...with Anders being the initiator. Always. He is one big bully. But oh so lovable!!

Anders is also the biggest mess maker. Always and constantly. The messes NEVER end.

yumminess

2011-11-13T15:15:00.000-05:00

As anyone who knows me knows, I looooooove to cook and I loooooove to eat. I haven't shared very many recipes on this blog because I keep thinking I am going to start another one with only recipes, cooking tips, etc. Cooking is my passion and one of these days I would love to share it! One of these days...... For now, I can barely keep this journal/blog going and updated. Barely.

Anyway, a friend requested in her comment below that I share this Chocolate-Pumpkin Cheesecake Bar recipe and boy, these are so scrumptiously delicious I did not want to share the last couple...and I didn't. I kept the last two hidden in my fridge and I just devoured them. One right after the other. I couldn't leave one all alone, hidden by itself, cold and lonely in my fridge. Ok...ok....I have NO willpower. None.

Crust
- 20 chocolate wafer cookies (half a 9-ounce package)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 2 packages bar cream cheese (8 ounces each)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin puree
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
In a food processor, blend cookies with sugar until finely ground (you should have about 1 cup crumbs); add butter, and pulse until moistened.
Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and press gently into bottom. Bake until fragrant and slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Place cream cheese in food processor; blend until smooth. Add sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, flour, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt; process until combined. Set aside.
Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted. Add 1 cup pumpkin mixture; stir to combine. Set aside.
Pour remaining pumpkin mixture into prepared pan. Drop dollops of chocolate mixture onto pumpkin mixture; swirl. Bake until cheesecake is set but jiggles slightly when gently shaken, 40 to 50 minutes.
Cool in pan. Cover; chill until firm, at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days). Using overhang, transfer cake to work surface. With a knife dipped in water, cut into 16 squares. Serve.

11-11-11

2011-11-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

I just had to post on 11-11-11. How many days do I get to write/see that date on, well, anything? One day and only one day. The 2000s have been fun that way -- with every year bringing a similar type of date -- and, as my boy pointed out, we only have one more year to have that because "we can't have a 13-13-13!". My lil girl was born on 04-05-06....which is so perfect for a forgetful brain like mine. I am grateful that at least one in 3 birthdays is easy to remember!!

Anyway, today just happens to be Veteran's Day as well and I need to pay some respect to our men and women defending our freedom every single day -- both in the past and the present. Every night in November my family says what we are thankful for at dinner (and I may continue beyond November...but recently I've heard about a few people who do this in the month of Thanksgiving and I thought it was an excellent idea, so I copied) and last night my 2nd grader said, "I'm thankful for our soldiers."

Me: "Why?" (they always have to explain why they are thankful for what they are thankful for...I like to dig a bit deeper....)

He: "Because they keep us safe."

His class talked about D-Day this week and he was so excited because he had been "on the beaches where we fought the nazis" this past summer. I was so happy he had retained at least some of the history lesson from our trip abroad. I am also happy he remembers to be thankful to so many people so worthy of our thanks. Every day.

And while we are on that subject, I would like to share a segment from my very favorite show on tv (ok...besides "ellen" and "Modern Family"...but it's right up there!), CBS Sunday Morning. This past Sunday they did a few tribute segments to Andy Rooney. Andy Rooney's D-Day description depicts so succinctly what my family learned about our brave soldiers on D-Day, "one of the most monumentally unselfish things one group of people did for another," that I can't help but share it with you on this Veteran's Day, 11-11-11.

Thank you soldiers and families of soldiers. Every one of you.

our snowy halloween

2011-11-03T22:04:00.000-04:00

We had quite a different sort of Halloween this year. A nor'easter came through on Saturday night and took away all of our power. That didn't stop our town from trick or treating however! Most towns were postponed (some until one WEEK later!!) or even cancelled. Not ours though. We just walked around in the darkness on Halloween night listening to the sound of generators as we shouted "TRICK OR TREAT!!"

Thing 1 and Thing 2 would have NOTHING to do with their wigs. Oh well. I wore one for them....

Anders LOVES to make funny faces. He is dang funny.

My handsome Anders who isn't afraid of anything -- including a skeleton. Niels on the other hand.......

My gorgeous pup in the snow she loves so very much. Like crazy about it. Seriously.

Our friends who had no power and no generator stayed with us to keep warm (their trick or treating was postponed until Friday night -- some were postponed an entire week!) . This is Anna Clara's bestest friend in the background while AC watches for her dad to come home and go trick or treating. Our friends handed out candy while we walked around ringing doorbells.

Snow as far as the eye could see......

Anna Clara wanted to adorn herself with all things "princess" -- even the random 4th of July barrette.

Sweet 'n scary.

Punkin man and skeleton boy.


Blurry but SO adorable of my Niels.

Still waiting for daddy.

Off we go to get ourselves some candy!!

ps: I have no idea wut up with the layout here, but I'm goin' with it. At least I finally was able to make the photos bigger without them turning blurry! I am very blog techno challenged...to say the least. I haven't taken the time to figger it out.....oh well. Maybe some day.......

first snow, October 2011

2011-10-28T20:46:00.011-04:00

We had our first snowfall today. Four days before Halloween.

Lots of people were all whiny and complainy 'n stuff about it.

Other people couldn't wait to get out into it.

The way I see it is, if there's nothing you can do about it, you might as well enjoy the beauty and the spontaneity of it. It IS New England...where the weather is NEVER predictable. (I've never understood why New Englanders can't seem to understand that...especially the news people. Why show the snowstorm on tv all day when we're all stuck inside wanting to watch something OTHER than the storm outside our windows!!)

A nor'easter is headed our way tonight with hurricane force wind gusts and 3" to 6" (some say 6" to 12") of snow! Trick or treating in the snow for us! At least the chocolate won't melt........before it reaches my mouth the minute it enters our home.....

snack time

2011-10-25T21:33:00.004-04:00

The boys came inside from playing in the back yard and decided to plant themselves down and have a drink and a snack.

walk on

2011-10-18T21:52:00.003-04:00

My lil Niels has had some problems with walking. Anders started walking at just under 14 months -- that's 3 months ago. He has been cruisin' around ever since. Niels has been very nervous about getting up on his two feet. He has WANTED to, but he is a bit of a nervous nelly...in all things. He lets Anders do the exploring while he watches and learns.

This week, Niels finally took his first steps that went beyond the first few, as in the above video. He had been standing up, holding on to things and "cruising" for months. But now, finally, he is walking a bit more than he is crawling. He diligently practices every day...and it truly is "practicing" as he goes round and round, carefully and with determination -- and does NOT want help. He falls frequently, but gets right back up to try again. I hope that continues in all his trials in life.....

dessert divinity

2011-10-12T22:29:00.004-04:00

I made this Grape Jam Tart for dessert tonight. It was absolutely divine. Perfect for tonight. Just had to share cuz I was so impressed with how it turned out. And boy was it tasty.

october fun

2011-10-10T20:17:00.010-04:00

Punkin Man strikes again!

Mr. Incredible went all out with the decorations this year....

The kiddos helped me prep grapes for 22 pints of grape jam and 25 quarts of juice. YUM!!
(the grapes came from a good friend's vineyard)

double the fun

2011-10-02T20:51:00.004-04:00

It is absolutely true that having twins is double the fun. It is also true that it is double (or more) the work...but I can't help but enjoy -- and want to share -- the fun of watching them play together and laugh together. They are never bored and they are never boring to watch.

my messy life

2011-09-28T09:26:00.003-04:00

When people say, "my life's a mess" they usually don't mean that they are constantly picking up messes in their home. Well, that's what I mean when I say that my life is one big mess...after another....and another...and another....and another...and another.....

This was a lil mess left by a peanut loving, football watching daddy....

When not making messes, they are.....

How much do I love this pup (who's not so much a pup at 12 years old....),
let me count the ways.....

Since harvest has been in full swing, I have also been busy harvesting, cooking, freezing and canning....

This was a HUGE gourd -- and I'm not sure this picture emphasizes how big the gourd is, or how big these two have grown this summer....

It was very difficult for Soren to pick. It took him a while to get it off.

Our first lil punkin.

I canned 14 jars of yellow and red tomatoes.

Our very first fruit from our orchard!! And oooohhhh were they yummy.

My girl's first professional haircut...her school pics are this week....

Which reminds me of another first haircut from Nana this past summer...not so professional...but still darn cute!

There goes the baby mullet....

Bye bye white trash mullet boy, hello handsome!!!!

This picture captures a bit of a glimpse into my world: the CONSTANT love and playfulness a big sis has with her lil bros and one of the four joyful faces I have the privilege of seeing every day -- completely blurring out the messes in the background.

Ok, enough "me time"...I'm off to clean up another mess........

firsts and last

2011-09-01T21:41:00.028-04:00

It is proven again and again... "time flies when you're having fun." My last post was the first post of the summer -- and this will be my second...and last post of the summer. And that is just how fast my summer flew by. And there will never be enough words to describe how much fun I had this summer. I will try to at least give you an idea of what went down...but there is no possible way it will give you any idea how much dang fun I had.

Soon after my last post, I drove to my parents' home in Hilton Head, SC. A few days after arriving, my two older kiddos and I boarded a plane to Brussels. Yes, Brussels. As in Belgium. We spent a day casually touring that beautiful city with my parents and some of my siblings, and the next day Mr. Incredible and a few others from my family joined us and we boarded our barge. Yep. A barge. A pretty fancy barge, but a barge. That barge took us through the countryside of the Netherlands for 7 days -- but we mostly rode bikes. Yup. Bikes. All 20 (yes, 20) of us rode bikes through the ~ G O R G E O U S ~ European countryside. Mostly the Netherlands/Holland, but some of Belgium and we ended in Amsterdam. It was absolutely as incredible a trip as you think it was...but probably even better. My parents planned and organized the entire trip with all of their five children and 16 grandchildren. However, one sister and her family didn't come and my boys and one nephew didn't come because they were too young to appreciate it.

Here are some pics:

our barge -- "The Iris"

Anna Clara pedaled behind her daddy with a big smile on her face the entire 163 miles (well...there were a few whiny moments when it rained and the dirt and water from the tire splattered onto her face - but a little candy from her Big Pa and all was well.). I was in awe of her. My girl grew up so much this summer.

Our barge moved ahead to our evening docking.

We were all in awe of the absolutely pristine landscaping EVERYWHERE. My farm boy had serious yard envy. The yards were small and perfectly immaculate. ALL of them.

We toured a wind mill and learned all sorts of interesting things about them.

We had a picnic lunch every day. The weather could not have been better. It was not too hot and not too cold, but more cool than hot (thank heavens! I'm not a fan of heat!). It rained only two days the entire bike trip!! And even then it didn't rain very long.

I saw this sign and ordered all the men to get under it. Who could pass it up?

These two were so dang good the entire trip I was truly amazed at them. Not one single complaint on one single day about being too tired to ride, or sick of riding, or tired of being dragged around everywhere in Europe.... My parents and I could not stop remarking at how good they were.

We rode by some beaches and stopped for a bit. My boy and his cousin checked out some shells.

The three girl cousins in their pjs.

Our chef making an announcement. Man, that man knows how to cook! The meals were deeeeLISH!!!!

We arrived in our final city - Amsterdam.

My boy riding through the streets of Amsterdam.

The sign behind us -- that is way too small to read -- says, "Perfect Group". And we were...if we do say so ourselves....

The barges in their final docking...or the beginning of a new journey for a new crew....

It was SOOOO SAD to say goodbye to the Iris...and our daily bike trips. *sigh* I hate goodbyes.

Then it was off to some museums...and hangin' out.

My mom bought the younger grandchildren matching clothes...just cuz they're so dang cute.

Our guide on the trip said she wanted to be our guide because she was looking forward to being with an entire family of 3 generations. The ages ranged from 5 years old to 76. There were two 5 year olds and they were the only ones who didn't ride their own bike -- they rode tandem. The 7 and 9 year olds were INCREDIBLE troopers and rode almost the entire 163 miles. We rode an average of 20 miles per day. The route was entirely flat, so they were easy rides, but for little legs, that's a lot!! We had picnics in the countryside every day and divine food prepared by our chef every morning and night. Now does that sound heavenly or what?? Well, it was. My mom knows how to plan a trip like nobody's business.

Oh yes, and I can't forget our four days in Normandy. My dad is a WWII buff...well, actually he is a history buff with a hard-core passion for our amazing country. There are few people more proud of our country - and the men who have fought for our freedom - than my dad. And he has passed that on to his chilluns...and wants to pass it on to his grandchilluns (I know I will certainly do my best with my brood!). There are few places in the world that can instill as deeply moving an experience as Normandy and seeing first-hand what occurred on D-Day. Unfortunately, not enough people understand the magnitude of what happened on that day. If you don't know, you better at least try to learn. Here are some pics from our time in France:

I did a lot of knitting on this trip -- it felt so good to have time to do it!! Here we are on the train to Paris from Amsterdam.

Ahhh...Pareeeeee.... C'est magnifique!!

Eating dinner on the Champs Elysée. (But of COURSE!)

Such a great picture of my bro, I just had to include it. He is one good guy.

We had perfect weather our entire bike trip and not so great weather while we toured Normandy. But that sure didn't stop us!!

Those are holes left from bombs.

The cliffs the American Rangers had to climb while the Germans shot at them.

They then reached this barbed wire at the top of the cliffs. Many made it through...can you believe that? But most didn't.

Inside a German bunker. That's my girl still being so good.

You can't go to Normandy without visiting the American cemetery. It is breathtaking.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. After 13 days away, we flew back to Hilton Head and I was reunited with my boys. I missed them so much! But they sure didn't miss me...they didn't even recognize me when I returned. Ah well...so much for those sleepless nights of nursing - "bonding" - for 11 months...thank you very much...... Motherhood is truly a thankless job. *sigh*

HOWEVER...they made up for it the rest of the summer because they are so much dang fun to be around they should be illegal. Seriously. I almost don't like admitting that because I know I should complain about how much work they are (which.......they are...), but man, they fill every day with so much joy, I had no idea anyone could have so much fun being around two 1 year olds.

But yes, I am as busy as everyone thinks I am when they see me with four kiddos (and who NEVER FAIL to comment on how busy I must be...and that I've "got my hands full".....). Which is why this is only my second...and last... post this summer. It has definitely been busy. Like, reeeeally busy. But did I mention how much fun I had?

So...here it is Labor Day weekend and the official (in my eyes) end of summer...even though two of my kiddos have already had their first day of school. 2nd grade and kindergarten. Yes, time sure flies when you're having fun. And I've been having one heckuva lotta fun.

My second grader!!

My kindergartner!!

last and firsts

2011-06-21T23:14:00.008-04:00

It was Soren's last day of school and our first day (evening, really) at the beach. It was also the first day of summer -- and what a perfect summer day it was....

Soren taking it all in when he first got in the water.

Anna Clara jumping excitedly for her first touch of the ocean.

The boys spent a long time on my beach mat carefully exploring the sand with their hands -- surprisingly (and thankfully!) not with their mouths!

But they eventually did venture out...but it took a very long time. Way longer than I expected (I even had a chance to read for a bit!!).

All four crawlers.

They are never very far from each other.

Soren dug a hole he was proud of.

It could not have been more perfect weather for the first day of summer. Soren got off the bus for the last time as a 1st grader at 3:45pm and we were on our way to the beach at 4pm -- my very favorite time of day at a beach.

Welcome summer! It's about time you came our way....

dads are good

2011-06-19T21:10:00.004-04:00

Happy Father's Day to my two favorite dads....

Dads (and grandfathers) are totally underrated.

Behind every good dad there's a great mom (and every good dad knows that -- am I right daddy-os?) making yummy treats for him...like this banana cream pie I made for Mr. Incredible. It was dang good, lemme tell you.

romance

2011-06-13T13:51:00.008-04:00

It's a cold, dreary Monday in June(!) today so I felt like posting these pictures I took a week ago to help brighten my day.

And they got me thinking about my man. My "Mr. Incredible". And what makes him so "incredible"...other than looking just like the cartoon character. Except slimmer.

He planted these to commemorate our wedding -- he is much more of a romantic than I ever give him credit!! We were married 8 years ago this May. We had LOTS of peonies everywhere at our wedding. They are such gorgeous, lush flowers with a divine, delicate scent.

Our anniversary came and went. That's just how we roll (one year we BOTH forgot our anniversary completely!). That doesn't mean we don't love each other or our marriage means nothing. Oh no it doesn't. Every marriage is different, every couple is different. There is no one way to be "romantic" or to show love.

He is so good to me in so many subtle, behind-the-scenes ways. He is a solid, salt-of-the-earth man who is good to the core. And I mean GOOD. He is a "good guy" through and through. That right there is why I married him (his incredible sense of humor helped a lot too...he makes me laugh every. single. day.).

He is also incredibly generous and thoughtful. He bought me all new kitchen -- and laundry! -- appliances for a Mother's Day/Anniversary gift, and for me, practical gifts are the very best gifts (other than thoughtful notes and/or deeds). I love practical gifts.

I also love my husband. Very much.

a question

2011-06-09T14:02:00.004-04:00

Why are little boys so attracted to water and dog bowls????

sister love

2011-06-08T22:26:00.001-04:00

the joys...and the struggles

2011-06-06T21:35:00.002-04:00

Sometimes in the daily grind of life,

there are unexpected things that happen.

Some things make us happy,

and some things don't.

In the past few weeks,

my boys have become more and more active.

Anders finally crawled for the first time on Memorial Day weekend...

...and Niels crawled for the first time just this past weekend.

But while thoroughly enjoying the fun of watching these two grow,

and play together,

and all four play together,

there is still the other less joyful things of life to deal with.

Like lots of doctor appointments for this lil girl to fix her constant urinary tract infections and strep (6 cases of strep since January!!).

Yes, she put Anders in the toy box and filled it...beaming with pride afterward of course!

So, while she just graduated from preschool,

she is now on a strict regimen for re-potty training her...good times for me, right?! Not really...but I am determined to help her bladder and intestines get smaller since she stretched them out so much from holding everything in!

I love Anders' face and how he's sitting in this picture...like he's saying, "How d'ya like that -- Niels is crying AGAIN."

You can barely see her face in this picture, but if you look closely enough, you can see a very rare glimpse of her being frustrated with her brothers. She has the patience of a saint with her baby bros!!!!

This dress was made by her Nana and a hand-me-down from her cousin -- it's even cuter in person.
She also has an appointment to get her tonsils and adenoids out this Friday. Poor lil thang!

And that's only a little bit of a peek into what's been going on. The past few weeks have been...well....let's just say...draining....stressful....BUSY. Life has its ups and downs!

But we all just keep on truckin', don't we?

Niels' hair makes me laugh...it's so straight it won't even bend in the wind!

We all have our struggles. We all have our joys. It's important to focus on our joys. But it's also important to remember that the struggles are what make the joys that much more joyful.

a spring moment

2011-05-19T11:10:00.017-04:00

It has been so rainy and yucky outside for what seems like months (but really only a week), and I've been so overwhelmingly busy with who knows what (lots of doctor and vet appointments for one...), I had to take a moment to share some of the beauty that grows in my yard...to remind myself that it truly is spring....

(I usually don't like to 'doctor' my photos in any way, but this tulip -- the purple one in the center -- seemed to call out, "Look at me!" and that shout-out wasn't as 'loud' in the photo, so I helped out a bit.)

(Can't you just smell these??)

These beauties are glorifying my yard because of this man...

...who works very hard to take care of it...

...and who is now planting for our summer and fall harvest....

We've already enjoyed some of the yummy asparagus.

Oh how I hope we will see the sun again soon so we can do more of this....

...and less of this....

(typical moment for my boys...Niels letting it all out and Anders just hangin' out)

...and please oh please MUCH more of this....

Sun...where did you go? We sure miss you. Not much sun outside makes for not as many sunny faces inside.

However, I do want to thank you rain for feeding those beautiful flowers and making a nice bath for my birds....

party #1 for 2

2011-05-15T21:41:00.008-04:00

We had a wee party for our wee one year olds.

It was real casual...just the way I like my parties!

There was lotsa love to go around.

Daddy dressed up in his Packer best.

I made lotsa Oreo cupcakes (this is only half of them)....

There are half Oreo cookies on the bottom of each cupcake. YUM!!!!
(Remember I made Oreo cookies the day I went into the hospital to birth them boys...so that's why I made these kinda cupcakes.)

The boys devoured them (who wouldn't?).

A favorite funny face.

The "three-finger-suck"...his own little sign language to let me know when he is hungry or tired. He just finished dinner and a cupcake, so he is very tired.

My proud one year old boy.

Just a couple pics of me 'n my boys so you can see for yourself I survived my first year with twins...and I'm still smiling. This was a "grab-my-moment" photo at the end of a very long day, so we all look a bit tired...but that's not very unusual for the three of us......

We had ourselves one heckuva good first year together. I felt lucky every single day of it. The past year was so much easier than I imagined it would be...but that's not saying it wasn't as difficult as you know it was. I have a feeling the next two years are going to be much more difficult. They still are not walking...or even crawling, so they are still basically immobile. They are pretty mellow little dudes. I often wonder if this past year was the "calm before the storm"....

I'll keep you posted on that.

a year ago today...

2011-05-13T21:17:00.010-04:00

...these boys entered my world.

And my entire world changed for the better.

bizy spring dayz

2011-04-25T17:35:00.020-04:00

The past few weeks have been a bit messy.

There's been a lot going on and little time to do the blog thang.

But I'll try to give a quick review as there have been a few changes around here.

The boys are loving their play pen...and they especially love to stand up in it. They aren't crawling yet, but they sure love to stand up whenever they can.

Especially Anders...who has learned how to stand up in his crib...

...and is pleased as punch with his new trick (even with his blanket sleeper on).

But, hmmm...looks like he got himself into some mischief while he was at it....

Yep, that's right. The first of many times I will find my boys have destroyed something.... (who knew an 11 month old could tear out a thermostat from the wall with his bear hands!)

Yeah, like I can get mad at that face????

There's also been a lot of playing goin' on. Or, should I say, sister torture goin' on....

As usual, Anders just goes with the flow and could care less what his sister does to him.

Niels, on the other hand, wouldn't have anything to do with it. This is the only picture I could get with him dressed up. He had those glasses and hat off as soon as my girl let go.

She of course had to rock out as well.

We've also had picnics on the sunny days...

...and puddle chalking on the rainy days....

Mr. Incredible flew out to Wisconsin to get his dad's truck he bought at his family's estate auction and drove it home.

He took Soren with him and they had a daddy/son road trip that probably won't be forgotten by our little man any time soon. Or ever.

He's done got himself a TRUCK!!!! This is one happy man. A dream come true for him...to finally get his own truck. And it was his dad's, which makes it all that much sweeter.

Then there was Easter and all its trimmings....

(My mom came for a quick visit one weekend and decorated this tree)

(Anna Clara took this picture and I liked its perspective)

We keep our egg decorating simple.

I told them to "be natural" and this is what they did.

My cutey boys....

These sweater vests just kill me. I can hardly stand how cute they look in them.

Spring is sure springing around here....

my girl

2011-04-05T21:18:00.000-04:00

My girl is 5.

I made butterfly cupcakes for her preschool class.

And her requested castle cake for our lil party at home.

This was not an easy cake..and I was a bit frustrated with it by the time I finished. It was slowly falling apart...but it made it to her blowing the candles.....

I see her growing up by the day. She is getting to be a better and better listener and helper. She is an absolutely incredible big sister to her two lil bros. I couldn't possibly ask for anyone better.

She can't get enough of her little brothers. She is constantly giving them toys -- whether they want 'em or not!

She still excels at whining, but it's not as constant. She still has a few issues with going potty, but the accidents are finally few and far between. She still is my very favorite little girl in the entire world...cuz she's mine.

double laughter

2011-04-03T20:32:00.002-04:00

While I'm on the subject of laughing.... I FINALLY was able to get a video of both my boys laughing at the same time. I love how different their laughs are. Niels laughs more easily and giggly, while it's much more difficult to make Anders laugh -- but when he does, it comes from deep in his chest. I have no doubt I have many, many hours of laughter in my future with these two.....

white trash laughs

2011-03-29T22:34:00.009-04:00

So...the past few weeks...er months...have been a bit difficult, especially for my hubby. But when the times get tough, the tough get laughing! I am a big fan of laughter and fun and living life to the fullest in every way that makes you happy. Since the main thing that makes me happy is havin' a good ole time with friends and/or family, I try to make sure I spend as much time as possible with friends and family.

A few years ago I started an annual tradition of having a dress-up party after the holidays and before the spring weather hits -- during the blah winter days that never seem to end. This year the theme was "White Trash". It was not one of the more well attended parties, but man, it was definitely one of the more fun parties I have ever been to. We laughed at each other the entire night -- both at what we were wearing, and at the funny things that were said and done during a game we played. It doesn't even matter what the game was (Partini...in case you're wondering) because it was the humor in the crowd that had us all in stitches -- to the point where we all were saying our faces and stomachs hurt from laughing so hard! Now THAT is the way to cure the winter blues.....at least for an evening.....

This couple kept me laughing so dang hard all night -- for many, many reasons.

I mean c'mon...check out those outfits!! They know white trash!!!!

Playboy bunny cap with ponytail, the confederate flag, "Git 'r Done!!"...and even a real cigarette....and these folks ain't the smokin' type, believe me!

He had a "myself" tattoo he drew on his own arm, she was preggers and had a baby...and brought a tater tot casserole....that there's some white trash!!

See now, what makes so much of this so dang funny is that none of us drink, and yet...you sure wouldn't know it from these pictures!!

All the guys had the dribbled stain down the front...a staple amongst them trashy types.....

OH YEAH! That there is one hot couple.... He sure knows how to rock a pony tail and long johns....

We done got ourselves a family....!!!!
(I especially love Anders' face in this photo)

Cheese curls make fer some real good baby food, ain't dat right?

But nuthin' says white trash like some Easy Cheese 'n Ritz....

An "excellent source of calcium"? Hmmmm..... I ain't sure I'll be serving this with every meal any time soon......

What's not to love about them there lil piggies in blankies? We also had ourselves some pork rinds, kool-aid, chips 'n dip, beef jerky, twinkies.... Don't that all sound yummy?? (No wonder there was so much left over!)

We sure had ourselves a good time. I seriously have not laughed that long and that hard in a very long, long time. There is nothing -- nothing -- better than having some good laughs.

I also have to share my boys' reaction to me when I walked in with my git-up.....

Their initial reaction. Niels was scared and Anders just thought, "Who's that?" and moved on....

Niels never "moved on"....

Niels never once took his eyes off me.

Never.

That's my Niels! He does not miss a beat, lemme tell you.... And Anders just goes with the flow at all times. Their personalities are becoming more distinct every single day. I am having more fun with this boys than a person should be allowed to have. They make me laugh every single day. And what could possibly be better than that?

That's my white trash boy...laughing with food all over his mouth...and everywhere......

winter moments

2011-03-09T20:54:00.003-05:00

We have had one heckuva lotta snow this winter.

A lotta snow.

Good for sledding in the driveway....

And with daddy....

And making tunnels....

In the midst of this winter, we have had a string of strep and ear infections and various colds.

And a birthday.

I love the four lil ones around daddy in this pic.

Daddy opening his blaster gun toy. One year older, but still young at heart.

And the best daddy ever.

Winter is great n' all....but we've had some peeks into spring and we are READY. We had one day of upper 40s this week and the kidlets literally ran outside to play right after school.....

They were so dang excited to finally be on the swing set!

You know you're desperate to play in the sand when you're wearing winter gloves and boots....

Less and less snow.... I can actually see some grass!!!!

Welcome spring!!

sittin' pretty

2011-02-27T22:10:00.011-05:00

Well, my boys are finally sitting up...at nine months old.

First Anders sat for a couple weeks.

before

after

Then Niels joined him and now they are having so much fun playing together while sitting. It is so. dang. cute. I can hardly stand it. Seriously. I still can't believe I have twins. And I still can't believe how much dang fun it is to have two lil boys who absolutely adore each other at such a young age.

I mean seriously...can you even stand it? How cute are they?????

nine month stats:
Anders ht: 29” wt: 22 lbs. 12 oz.
Niels ht: 29.5” wt: 22 lb. 6 oz.

Both have 8 teeth.

Only Anders can feed himself -- and that is the only difference between the two developmentally.

Neither is crawling, creeping, walking, or pulling himself up. I'm not complaining!!

sweet love

2011-02-14T21:02:00.009-05:00

these are the most chocolaty chocolate cookies...perfect for a true chocaholic like me....

For some reason, the past few weeks I have done one heckuva lot of baking of Valentine sweet treats. After the holidays, all my two older ones talked about was that Valentine's day was coming...so I prepped for the Day of Love with lots of heart treats (with the help of their lil hands of course!).

these are reminiscent of the "pink cookies" I used to gobble up in college

I made these red velvet cupcakes for Soren's class valentine party

these were Soren's valentines he handed out; he made the pink hearts and wrote every child's, and teachers', name

Anna Clara loves to paint, so she painted a sheet of paper with all sorts of colors then cut out the hearts. I forgot to take a picture of the whole group of them -- they were so pretty! The teacher did not like it that she didn't write her name on each of them... It was hard enough to get her to cut out the hearts, believe me!!

Other than baking, I've been taking care of my other sweet loves....

my love pimps (I took this picture a few months ago, but these outfits have hearts on them so I just had to post them today.)

This is how my boys spent most of their Valentine's day...and every day....

All my little sweet loves!! (Soren and Anna Clara took turns taking pictures...lots of pictures...and these two were the only ones worth sharing. My big sweet love came home too late from work to join the love fest....)

I hope you had a Valentine's Day filled with sweet treats and sweet loves!!

super day!!

2011-02-07T17:12:00.014-05:00

They did it!!!!

prepping for the game

we start 'em young!

pre-game

the cheese curds were delivered from Wisconsin (where else??)...

...and served. (we brought the cheese, the Pats fans brought the whine...nyuk nyuk...)

Jim made some beer 'n brats (it wouldn't be a Packer game without 'em!!)

Homemade potato chips, cheesecake brownies, chips 'n homemade salsa...plus more food from guests...it was a Super Feast!! (There was lots more food upstairs too.)

My man set this up. The radio was playing the game all night.

No Steelers fans showed up. Hm.

So....is this game going to get started or what?

My boy Niels. There is a little bit of green 'n gold on that sweater. (I shamefully only have one baby Packer outfit....)

Touch-ups during half-time.

Oh yeah. Da Pack is BACK!!

That is one happy daddy.

Fun was had by all!! It was a great game.

My babe blends into me....

Yes, I am saying "CHEEEEEEESE!!!!!" (I truly am the cheesiest.)

CONGRATULATIONS PACKERS!!!!

pack 'n play

2011-01-24T16:22:00.015-05:00

It's been a bit of a rough few weeks round these parts....

We have all been sick in one way or another with the typical winter sickies.

Mr. Incredible has had a horrible and constant (and loud!) cough, the older two have had strep, the younger two have had goopy, stuffy noses to the point where it is difficult for them to eat and sleep...which has made it difficult for momma to get much sleep with one of them waking up every single night...and a tired momma is not a healthy, happy, patient momma.....

There have been quite a few snow days, so quite a few days of hibernation with four young kiddos and a hubby who has been traveling and working long hours...

...and dealing with the overwhelming amount of stuff you have to deal with as the executor of his parents' will -- like selling the home where a family of five children were born and raised.

And our snowblower broke. Again.

So....let's just say that this past Sunday was a welcome reprieve.

What happened this past Sunday???? Y'mean....... you don't know?????!!!!

The Packers beat the Bears and they're GOIN' TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!

Mr. Incredible hails from Green Bay, WI where the Pack is not just a team.

It's a way of life.

He never -- ever -- misses a game.

He's had a rough couple months. But he is a happy man now that his team is headed to the Big Game.

So in two Sundays from now, you best be rootin' for the green 'n gold.
GO PACK GO!!!!

ps: I just returned from the doctor and discovered that both my boys have double ear infections. And we've only had one month of winter behind us.....three more to go!!!!

snow day!

2011-01-12T20:34:00.009-05:00

Our first real blizzard and snow day of the winter! Yippee! Oh how we love snow days!! Here's a lil summary of our day....

They were fed, dressed and had some sledding time in before the usual time of the bus arrival. Too bad I can't get them going that fast on a school day.....

It was SO very windy!

Them are some red cheeks and ears! Evidence of the cold, blustery day....

Some of my favorite moments of the day were seeing my lil ones get dressed AND undressed AND hanging up all their clothes all by themselves....oh what a nice relief for me!!!!

See how high the snow is mommy? (This was repeated several times throughout the day.)

She loves snow ALMOST as much as her mommy. Almost.

Can I come in now? Please?

No hot cocoa for these snowbirds! They wanted ice cream cones after sledding!

Hangin' with the babes....

Doesn't everyone make chocolate chip cookies on a snowy day?

The ultimate comfort food. So much yumminess for our day of hibernation. (A little too much yumminess...I ate one heckuva lot of these.....)

Anna Clara doesn't understand that the boys go on the mat, not the toys!

Nuthin' like a hot bath at the end of a cold, snowy day!

Ok mommy, do you really need to take a picture of me like this?

We ended the day with another comfort food -- chili!! Pork and black bean chili....YUM!!!!

quadruple happy new year!

2011-01-02T23:41:00.007-05:00

What makes my new year quadruple the happy:

Have a happy, happy, happy, happy new year!

the happy holidays

2011-01-02T22:20:00.013-05:00

I was a bit busy over the holidays, so I will recap with a few pics:

my pilgrim girl

Thanksgiving, sadly without both Mr. Incredible and his dad (I had bought a rather large turkey thinking there would be more people joining us for the meal....)

There were decorations put up.... Jim put all -- the many! -- outdoor decorations up on a Saturday and the next day there was a huge rain and wind storm and blew them all down.... The Christmas decoration graveyard in our front yard was so very sad! So sad, I didn't take any pictures of it....

one of many contributions to the indoor decorations from 1st grade art class

the reason for the season

the guy who makes the season jolly and magical for lil ones

the stockings were hung...and two were made the night before Christmas Eve so that Santa didn't leave anyone out....

the tree was decorated

paper gingerbread houses were made (completely on his own, I might add)

LOTS of treats were baked

the traditional reading of "'Twas the Night" on Christmas Eve

Santa had worked his magic

yes, it was a full moon that night -- providing Santa with plenty of light outside!

Christmas morning waiting for mommy to give the go-ahead to see all of Santa's magic

Santa, his reindeer and mice were hungry! And Santa even left a note!

opening gifts!

while the boys so happily watched -- not a peep the entire morning...

...other than some laughs!

And there was snow and sledding the following week with no school....

It was a very busy and exhausting holiday...but FILLED with joy, love and magical moments.

de-stress

2010-12-21T15:01:00.012-05:00

During these final stressful and ultra-busy days before Christmas, these are the moments that take all the stress away:

check out those teeth on Anders at 7 months!! (It's like Twilight in there!*)
* inside joke for all you "Modern Family"** fans
** funniest show on television

My very fave de-stress moment is when they are both looking at me and smiling, but I couldn't capture that never-gets-old moment on camera, so the combination of the above pics will have to do.

being silly with silly bandz

Santa's comin' to town!!!!

There are very few things more joyful than seeing the spirit of Christmas through children's eyes and smiles..... Merry merry Christmas to all!!

time

2010-12-07T21:25:00.008-05:00

Time is precious.
This is a quote we hear so many times throughout our lives. When we lose a loved one unexpectedly and all too quickly, those words somehow become almost tangible. One of my very favorite quotes -- almost a constant mantra in my head really -- is:
The most important thing you can spend on your children is time.

I would like to add "parents" to that as well.
The most important thing you can spend on your children, and parents, is time.

My Mr. Incredible lost his dad this past Thanksgiving Day. He lost his mom five years ago this December. Nuthin' like the death of a loved one to put the busy-ness of the holidays in perspective.

The picture above was taken on our wedding day. It is my very favorite picture of Jim's parents. I am beyond grateful that I was able to meet both of them and spend some -- although not enough -- time with them. I at least got to know them and understand what kind of parents raised the man I married. I hold parents in the highest regard -- even before I became one. I am so very sad to not be able to spend more time with them.

As to what happened...Jim's dad was supposed to fly out (from Wisconsin) to our home for the week of Thanksgiving. Instead, he went into the hospital for a bladder infection three days before his flight out here. He had bladder infections fairly regularly as he was run over by a tractor (he was a farmer) about 20 years ago which caused many physical complications -- bladder infections being one of them. It was so routine and nothing out of the ordinary for him to go to the hospital for such a thing, that, frankly, I didn't think much of it. However, this time was his last trip to the hospital. On Thanksgiving Day his body simply could not handle any more complications. Our much anticipated time with him for that holiday week never happened and he was never able to meet his new twin grandsons. (I was particularly looking forward to seeing him hold Anders as I have said since he was born that he looks just like his grandpa.)

So...there is a bit of a dark cloud over our home this holiday season. It has certainly slowed down our pace and priorities amid the holiday frenzy. I know I, for one, am focused more on spending time on the needs of my husband and children than on gifts......or anything else for that matter.

I hope you are able to spend plenty of time with your loved ones this holiday season. There is no more precious gift than that.

feeding and teething

2010-11-17T21:45:00.008-05:00

Not much has been going on 'roun here, except a whole lotta eating....

They're wearing "Hungry Caterpillar" outfits. And these are two VERY hungry caterpillars!!

There has also been some teething goin' on....

See those cute lil teeth? This guy knows how to use them when he's nursing....OUCH!

They also can be verrrry messy as they try to get as much food in their mouths as quickly as possible.

They are now six months old and Anders is 21 lbs. and Niels is 19 lbs. 6 oz. I ain't kiddin' when I say they've been eating a lot....

boys 'n their toys

2010-11-04T21:15:00.017-04:00

The only difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys.

To explain this pic...I was in the middle of preparing dinner, with the usual mayhem in the background, when I finally turned to notice my babes. This is what I saw -- with the older sibs jumping up and down and laughing and SO pleased with their work. The boys didn't seem to mind at all. They are two mellow babes....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2010-10-31T22:57:00.009-04:00

We had ourselves some random costumes this year -- due to a mom with a very random brain these days.... Basically, my mindset is: whatever is easiest to make it happen, do it that way!

The "ladybug princess" at her preschool party.

A Cuban friend gave her the dress, and she became the "ladybug princess"!

Our lil bat boy.

I loved the nose, but it kept falling off.

He loved the wings.

The token pic with our pup diva.

Daddy decided he wanted to buy some baby afros. Why, you ask? He thought they would be funny. Well, they were......

I then just had to buy one for daddy.

The 'fros are kinda hard to see with the black background.

Sugared teethies.

Sugared up kiddos with their loot.

fall moments

2010-10-18T22:20:00.007-04:00

Welcome.

some punkins from our garden

the last of the summer blooms

view from our back window on a fall morn

our harvest

our joys

chalk people

2010-10-13T21:50:00.003-04:00

I was in the middle of my daily frenzy when two of my fave lil people came inside and interrupted my frenziness to tell me they were "chalking each other" and to come and see. I'm so glad they love to tell me what they are doing because more often than not it is very much worth seeing. Mostly, I just love seeing how much fun they have together.

Note that Anna Clara is pink and has curly hair. Yes, that is what that blob is on the top of her head. Those are curls. And she's a girl, so she is pink. That's what they said anyway.

I love that they are holding hands and oh so happy.

homework

2010-09-30T13:22:00.010-04:00

This is where my boys hang most of the time. They love their bouncy chairs! Anders almost always has his tongue out.

After school, my first grader always has homework...and I give a lil homework to my pre-schooler since she loves doing things her big bro does (and that way she stays out of her big bro's way as he does his).

One day my preschooler said:
"The babies never have homework!"

To which my first grader immediately responded:
"Yes they do. They have to not cry!"

All four do a very good job with their homework.

hangin' wit da babes

2010-09-27T22:57:00.006-04:00

Anna Clara had some fun with the boys today.

prepping the scene

This babe is allll over me.....

....but I'm not so sure I want her to be....

Help!!??

just chillin'

2010-09-22T22:00:00.005-04:00

summer moments

2010-09-14T22:36:00.005-04:00

View from my parents' home in Hilton Head, SC

All day, every day, I am "grabbing moments" -- whether it's relishing a moment with my babies who are growing so freaking fast or grabbing a moment to get something done while all four children are happy and occupied (how few and far between those moments are!!).

Everything every mother of twins told me about having twins was, and is, true. My world has changed completely. C O M P L E T E L Y. I am in constant amazement at how constantly busy I am with the addition of two little baby boys. It is CONSTANT.

But I am loving it. Oh so much.

But there are moments.....when the love of it ain't there so much....

Anyway, I am finally grabbing a moment to update my blog with moments from my summer:

There were some other babies born on the Kappelman Farm this summer.
Check out the wee beak inside the hole in the house Soren painted!

But these are the babes that kept me verrrrrry busy this summer..... Niels and Anders at 3 1/2 months old Busy feeding....
This was the first time I fed them solids at 2 months old, but I gave up pretty quickly since neither I nor they were ready to deal with spoon feedings. ....and feeding......

I started feeding them solids regularly at 3 months old. These boys eat one heckuva lot,
lemme tell you!
(Check out the difference in bib-to-baby size in those two photos!
Just ONE MONTH difference!)

....and feeding......

I'm seriously not kidding. I'm still nursing too, but, frankly, nursing all day,
every day does not appeal to me in the least. Hence lots of supplementing with
formula and solid foods.

They also, thankfully, do lots of sleeping.

2 months old in the bassinet. So itty bitty. One month later they couldn't fit in it together.

Anders: 2 months

Anders, 2 months

The best Big Pa ever. Seriously.

I would always put them in the same crib about two feet apart and I would inevitably find them snuggled up together in the morning. So. Dang. Cute.

I mean come ON. Waaaayyyy too cute for words.

I feel like the luckiest momma in the entire world every single day because BOTH, yes both, babies started sleeping 10 to 12 hours a night at 3 months old. EVERY night. How freaking lucky am I?? VERY lucky.

There was, however, a few months when they were NOT sleeping through the night and, thankfully, oh so thankfully, I was staying at my parents' house during the worst of those sleep-deprived months.

In amongst my horrid sleep-deprivation, we did many, many fun things. Like.......

rode the wave runner

tubing with Big Pa

wave running and tubing

swimming (the first year they both swam without any floaties!)

visiting "buddy," our dolphin friend we would see on our boat trips on the intercoastal waterway

went fishin' with Nana

worked on our "puzzle of the summer" -- one of the coolest puzzles ever

This was my personal sanity-saver, Tasha, who made it so that I had the freedom do so many of these things and spend some time with the adults in my family. She took such great care of my boys.

My parents had a 4th of July Bash that was an absolute blast with a Dixieland Band and good times had by all.... Unfortunately, I was in the midst of my intense sleep deprivation and baby feedings, so I don't remember much of it -- but my nephew took this picture and it helped me remember some of it.

He also took this picture. It is so beautiful there.....

My big boy had his 6th birthday during our month away. He asked to have a "Cardinal Cake", so that is just what he got! I made a nest cake and bought a cardinal (that even makes chirping noises like a Cardinal when you squeeze it!) to put on top -- easy for this busy, tired momma and, more importantly, he loved it.

I sent this picture to Jim while I was away and he said I looked tired. Yes. Yes I was. Very, very tired.

Here are some other pics of my lil man who could not possibly be a better helper and big brother. He is everything good about little boys and big brothers.

I think this is the last picture of him with all of his teeth (in his favorite, and most adorable, hat that Nana gave him).

I love this picture. It's our first watermelon from our garden! SO yummy.

One tooth gone...

...both front teeth gone for his first day of school.

He makes his bed every morning with a different way of placing his stuffed animals. I love going to his room and seeing how they are arranged.

Jim has been working looooooong hours this summer so our garden was overgrown with weeds and he had to mow it over. However, we have had LOTS of tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, cabbage, squash and potatoes; and some cantaloupe (SO sweet!!), watermelon, blackberries, onions, carrots, zucchini and eggplant. Frankly, it was a very good summer to not have an over-abundance of goodies. Key word: "OVER-abundance". We certainly had an "abundance", but apparently not in Farmer Jim's eyes as he was very sad about his garden this year. I have to admit that seeing his hard work from this past spring overgrown with weeds as tall as I am was a very sad sight to see. But...we had plenty for pickin' and canning.....

Picking tomatoes with Big Pa and JoiVie directing.

I canned quite a few jars of tomatoes and even made and canned salsa since we had so many peppers this year.

So that's it. I finally updated my blog with a few moments from my summer (there were SO MANY more that I simply did not capture). I can finally check it off of my very, very, very, verrrrrrry looooong to-do list. My hands are very full these days.

And so is my heart -- so constantly full of love and devotion for these guys.....

Just one dang cute picture of daddy and his boys at 3 months old.

you've got your hands full

2010-09-08T23:48:00.059-04:00

It is my hope that anyone who reads this blog NEVER says those words to a mother. EVER. Chances are, if you think she looks like she "has her hands full" then she has already heard that said to her ten times that day (at least) already, so she certainly doesn't need to hear it again.

I hear it every single time I go anywhere with my boys -- and of course every single time I am anywhere with all 4 children. Every single time, without fail, it is said to me over and over again.

Little do people know that not only do I have my "hands full" but my head is so constantly full of all that I need to get done that I hardly think about my hands.

One of the things I have wanted to get done is update my blog with my summer activities with these guys:

Niels and Anders, 17 weeks old

Oh how they've grown since the last posting of them in these outfits, huh?

I was going to upload my latest blog entry last night with all of our summer activities, but then everything on the site went kerflooey and I got frustrated, so I shut it down.

I've had a rough week, to say the least.

Mostly because of this:

Yep, that's right. Pink Eye. And this was taken today when it was actually looking pretty good -- compared to the last SEVEN DAYS. Yes, seven days of itchy, sore, goopy, watery, irritated eyes. Really fun stuff. I've never had it before, I have no idea where I got it (none of my kids got it THANK HEAVENS. But wierdly enough, Jim got it while he was in Ireland for 6 days -- and I got it 4 days after he left.... Weird, huh?) and I have no idea when the hell it is going to go away. I am stinkin' mad about it at this point. I am so sick of itching my eyes, washing my hands, itching them again, washing again, putting goopy ointment in them to supposedly make them better (which it hasn't) and not being able to see. Everything has been blurry for the past SEVEN DAYS. Seven days is a long time to have itchy, irritated, goopy, sore eyes -- especially when you "have your hands full."

Oh and don't forget what time of year it is.

Beginning of school:

First day of 1st Grade (he had just lost his two front teeth!)

First day of preschool -- and she was SO EXCITED she did her signature arm flap when she's happy about something. She is FINALLY potty trained. Or so I thought. She had her first accident -- #2 yesterday and #1 today -- in three weeks. I hope it was just first-day-of-school jitters..... I hope......

With beginning of school comes homework, lots of driving to and from preschool every day, making lunches every night, and, worst of all, the morning frenzy. I don't need no morning exercise routine. I got myself my own lil marathon every morning. I break a sweat every single morning. No matter how much I get done the night before, or how early I wake up, it's still a morning frenzy. It hasn't helped that I can barely see. The Pink Eye definitely adds a rather large point of difficulty to my days.

(I also went to Anna Clara's Preschool Open House this week -- with sunglasses on. Indoors. Obnoxious movie star that I am, right? I just couldn't bear to show off my horridly bloodshot eyes. And...as I was putting the boys in the stroller before meeting her teachers and other parents -- for the first time -- both of my lil babes spit up their breakfast on my shoulder. I looked -- and smelled -- oh so lovely that day. I felt absolutely spectacular.)

Oh, and don't forget that it's also harvest time:

That means...LOTS of work for me. Cutting, canning, freezing, cooking, prepping, yada yada yada.

Yup, I have my hands full.

Today was not an especially good day. Not really at all. Hence the reason I am writing in this online journal o' mine because it helps me feel better after a long, yucky day. Nothing major happened, just lots of small, irritating stuff. Like the fact that my eyes are still irritated and itchy and goopy and ugly. After SEVEN DAYS (and counting!!) of non-stop irritation, itchiness and goopiness (not to mention that I look like I've aged 10 years -- and I feel like it too since everything I read is blurry).

Then tonight, after finally getting one whiny girl, two crying babies and one crying boy (who suddenly had become VERY upset that he had to go to school alllll day, every day) fed, bathed and ready for bed (While Mr. Incredible was still at work. Leaving at 4:30am this morning. And didn't get home until 10:30pm tonight. That man defines "work ethic".), I brought the babes up to their cribs only to find that I hadn't put the sheets on yet.

That's because I had completely forgotten about this:

One heapin' pile o' laundry to fold after a very long, very bad day.

But....in amongst the morning and evening frenzied activities, and in amongst all the things that keep "my hands full", there are moments like this:

The boys eating pureed butternut squash...from our garden of course!

And this:

As I was feeding the boys and getting dinner ready and washing dishes and setting the table, they were "chalking the world's largest hopscotch."

So...now you know why I haven't updated my blog in way too long. Yes, I do have my hands full. And my head is oh so full as well. All day, every day. But I do so love the breathtaking moments that make me want to take the time to pick up my camera and capture it. Hopefully one of these days I will be able to upload those moments from this past summer -- because it was filled with so many.

ps: after spending four times as long as it should have to create this blog entry, I uploaded it and it went all kerflooey again with half of it missing -- so I had to redo half of it. Oh what fun that was. I can not figure out why it is all spacey and unlining up 'n stuff. So very very frustrating!! Like I have time for this????!!!! Perfect ending to an imperfect day.

Just one more lil moment to share.....
Soren made this after school today with flowers from our front yard. He strung the flowers in a pattern (he's learning about patterns at school) on a green reed. I think it is so pretty, I just had to share.

how they roll

2010-07-14T11:23:00.004-04:00

This picture is a perfect depiction of how they roll. Anders is my mellow, calm boy and Niels is my impatient, crying boy.

However, when Niels is calm and happy, he is all smiles and LOVES to be snuggled close and tight. Anders loves to look around and see the world around him. He can lie down on his back and be perfectly content hangin' out while mommy gets a few more minutes of sleep or takes care of his bro. They both bring their mommy an equal amount of joy.

smiles!

2010-07-09T19:37:00.003-04:00

There is nothing like your baby's first smiles.....

Anders - 8 weeks

Niels - 8 weeks

This is one of my faves. It makes me smile. Double smiles.

raspberries!

2010-06-29T11:33:00.005-04:00

So many raspberries this year! So much yumminess.....

our first beach day!

2010-06-26T19:25:00.011-04:00

Summer is finally here.... No more school for my kindergartener...

On his last day...coincidentally wearing the same shirt he wore on the first day!

...and lots of hot, humid days that keep me in a constant pool of sweat in my un-airconditioned home. Our first "Friday Beach Day" (I meet some friends and their kidlings every Friday for some beachin' fun) of the summer was a welcome reprieve from my daily marathon in my hot home.....

Their first day hangin' at the beach. Nothing like the fresh, salty, warm air for a good long nap!!

What I see while I nurse my boy on the beach.

Talkin' to the seagull.

How lucky am I to live so close to the beach??!! Who knew New Hampshire had such nice beaches??!!

the euphoric month

2010-06-13T17:03:00.026-04:00

one month old
I am finally getting around to sharing what has truly been a month of pure euphoria. I can not believe that the last time I wrote here, one month ago, it was the very day I went into the hospital. I was actually writing the blog entry when I realized that the excessive amount of fluid coming out of me just may not be pee this time since it just kept coming and coming...but at such a slow "drain" that I didn't think much of it. Until it simply didn't stop coming. I decided to call the doctor. Who told me to come to the hospital.

Again.

So...since I had had a couple false alarms already, I didn't take it too seriously. BUT, I had to take it somewhat seriously since it was about "that time" that I should be birthin' some babies. I went upstairs to tell Mr. Incredible and was about to go by myself, assuming I'd be home in a couple hours, but, thankfully, I thought twice about that. I called my neighbor who had offered to take my kidlets if I needed to rush to the hospital. She willingly took them for the evening (or so I thought....) and the hubby and I drove to the hospital.

After a fairly quick test, it was discovered that my water had actually "ruptured" (my water never broke with either of my previous pregnancies). This wasn't no "evening at the hospital". This was the real deal. Maybe making those oreo cookies did the trick??

Jim took this picture before I realized my water broke. Little did I know this would be the very last picture of me (ever!) preggers..... I lost 32 pounds right after giving birth! Yowza!!

Based on my previous labor and deliveries, I knew this was going to be a long night. Unfortunately for the doctor on call, she had to wait all night for me to go into labor, but I never did. I had contractions, but they weren't worthy of pushin' babies out. At about 4am, she gave me some drugs to induce labor and some to numb the pain of labor. We waited. And waited. And waited. I was having lots of contractions, but I didn't feel a thing. I love drugs.

At about 12:30pm, I was finally about ready to deliver. At about 1pm, I was wheeled into the operating room. Every mom of twins has to deliver in the operating room since there is more likely a chance for complications. I pushed for about a half hour and at 1:34pm, my first boy arrived. Not knowing I was supposed to take a break between babies, I kept pushing. My second boy arrived only 8 minutes later at 1:42pm because I was pushin' away -- and it was too late for me to stop by the time the doc had said, "wait! wait! wait! Don't push so fast!"

Two boys. Not the boy and a girl like most people had predicted. Once I got over the initial shock that I had delivered two boys, the strangest thing happened. I knew what their names should be and I knew which one was which. I knew with such certainty that it felt very strange to me. I always thought it was weird when people suggested to "wait until you see what they look like before you name them." Don't all newborn babies look the same?? And, while they don't all look EXACTLY the same, they certainly don't look ANYTHING like what they look like the rest of their lives. So how the heck does anyone know what the name should be once you see them? Well, when this feeling came over me, I had not had much of a chance to see my boys , so this was purely a gut reaction. A very powerful gut reaction that made me not have any doubt in my mind what names to call them and which baby went with which name. Yes, Jim and I had discussed names and had an idea of what we wanted to name the new additions to our family, but since we didn't know the sex of the babies, we had several names picked out for both boys and girls.

SIDE NOTE: Jim has been OBSESSED (to say the least) with family history and has spent every spare second (literally) on his computer learning about our family's ancestry because we both wanted only family names for our children and when I was taking too long to think of names, he took over. To the point where I wouldn't see him for an entire weekend or any night during the week because he would be upstairs at his computer working on ancestry stuff. 8,000(!) family names later, we had a few options for both girls and boys names. We narrowed them down to about 3 girls names and 3 boys names we liked-- we were going back and forth on some of the names, so that's why we had 3 for each.

ANYWAY......Baby 1/Baby A was clearly Anders and Baby 2/Baby B was clearly Niels. There was no question in my mind. Here are their stats:
Anders Osler Kappelman: 6lbs. 12oz. and 20"
Niels Stanley Kappelman: 6lbs. 3oz. and 19"

They were drawn to each other immediately. The nurses put them in their individual beds and they were fussing so they tried putting them together and they instantly calmed down. How sweet is that??

Both were doing fine initially, but then Niels took a turn for the worse and was having a difficult time breathing. It was clear to me something was wrong when I held them both and Niels was wheezing and whining and was a very different color from Anders -- a strange reddish, purple color. I simply thought I was going to have a collicky type of baby (I have never had one before, so I assumed I was due for one!).

While I was meeting with one of the many people I had to talk to after the babies were born, the nurses were noticing Niels wasn't doing too well. After taking him away, and then taking an xray, they discovered he had a lot of gunk in his lungs and fluid all around them, so he was put into an incubator with some oxygen overnight. The next day he wasn't getting better so he was sent by ambulance to another hospital 30 min. away with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (there's no NICU in Exeter Hospital). That night one of his lungs collapsed and he wasn't doing well at all so he had even more tubes put in him -- feeding tube, tubes in his lungs, an IV, etc..... I decided to stay at the hospital with Anders to take care of him since I couldn't do anything for Niels. I didn't see Niels for 3 days after he was born. It was very strange to have had twins, but to only have one in my care after they were born.

As for Anders, he had jaundice, so we stayed another day at the hospital. He was feeding great and mostly doing well, but it made me sad that he wasn't with his brother. When we finally did go visit his bro, it was a sadly surreal experience. I couldn't believe my baby boy was in an incubator with so many tubes in him. It was so bizarre.

So many tubes in such a wee body.

Niels didn't seem to get any better for a few days. Finally, he turned the corner 5 days after he arrived at the NICU. He could finally eat on his own and I could finally hold my boy in my arms and even nurse him. He did great right away. I was soooo relieved.

The first time Niels was able to come out of the incubator and into our arms.

He had to stay a few more days to take his last doses of antibiotics. I stayed with both my boys in the NICU the last night Niels was there to see how he would nurse overnight. He did great. It felt incredibly good to be with both my boys. Finally.

First day home.

After dealing with lots of red tape, way too many incompetent nurses (it was not the greatest experience at this NICU), and a NINETY MINUTE test to see if Niels could handle his car seat (wha??!!), we finally left the hospital. Hopefully never to return!

Since the boys have been home, I have to say that it has been a blissful experience. That is largely due to my mom being here for 3 weeks and there are few people more fun -- or more helpful -- to be around than she is. The other reason is that I honestly feel beyond lucky to have two such healthy babies and two such healthy, helpful, well-behaved toddlers. I feel like I am living in a dream because having 4 children truly is a dream come true for me. I simply can't say it enough -- I love being a mom. I love love love love love it. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be a mom of four. Just ten years ago, I was sure this would never happen because it was too good to be true and I was in a world o' hurt at that time. Now I am so thankful for that time because it has made this sleep-deprived but joyful time so much sweeter and it's very difficult to get me down these days.

As Jim keeps saying, "we got ourselves a family!"

Daddy has been pretty darn happy as well these days

Here are some pics from the past month:

2 weeks old

3 weeks

Niels with Big Pa

Anders with rabbit ears from Aunt Wendi

Niels in his first bath

Anders in his first bath

My farm boy decided he wanted to try planting mushrooms. It took him two FULL days to do it. He thought he had 300 to plant. Turns out he had 900. It was QUITE the process.....

There were strawberries to pick as well. I made two batches (10 jars) of jam!

The proud -- and extremely helpful -- brother and sister!

Note that Niels is usually the one crying. Anders is as mellow as can be.....

Anders is usually the one awake just lookin' around while Niels is either sleeping or crying.
Thankfully more sleeping than crying.

There are so many things I love about having newborns in my home, but one of the top on the list is having meals brought to me. I think that is seriously the best gift to give a new mom. It is SO nice to not have to think about what to cook for dinner, then not to have to shop for the meal and then not making the meal...it's amazing how much time it takes to put a meal together! I am so incredibly grateful every time someone brings a meal and I wish I could express my gratitude enough to make each person realize how grateful I am!!

And speaking of...how does anyone thank a mom enough for all that she does? "Thanks for all your help mom!" just doesn't seem to cut it for a mom.... I just hope I am at least half the mom to my kidlings as my mom has been to me. She is not only fun and helpful, but wise, thoughtful, generous, full of joy, lighthearted, whimsical, smart, a lover of life and everything about it. I love her more than words can express and am so very thankful for having someone like her for a mom.

She is going to kill me for posting these pictures because while she was at my home she was treating her skin for skin cancer which made it very blotchy and she was embarrassed to see anyone -- let alone have pictures taken of her. She is always beautiful to me.

I love being a mom as much as mine clearly does, and always has, and I am so very thankful for that. There is no better job in the world. Even as I am writing I have a very tired and wailing girl upstairs (sent to her room for misbehavior), a crying baby waiting to be fed while I finish nursing a hungry baby (the crying baby just woke up) and a HUGE pile of laundry on my bed for me to fold and put away after I have put all four kidlets to bed (Mr. Incredible is out of town this week) -- after a night of the babies not sleeping between the hours of 2am and 4am. And I still love motherhood.

the waiting week

2010-05-12T16:23:00.004-04:00

So...I thought this week would go fast. But, it hasn't. It feels like one of the slowest weeks I've had in a reeeeeally long time. Being totally and completely uncomfortable, practically immobile, constantly nauseous and with a horrid sinus headache all day, every day, will do that to a week. I can't believe how hard these last few days of pregnancy have been. I am writing this not to be whiny -- yet again -- but to remember. This blog is my journal and I want to remember feeling like this when I am sleep-deprived and overwhelmed with two infants and two toddlers. I want to remember how MUCH I want these two babies in my arms -- whether they are sleeping, eating or crying. I just want them in my arms and I want to look down at them and feel that complete bliss and joy that a momma feels to the core when she looks at her babies.

I am so utterly grateful to my doctor for scheduling me to be induced I feel like waddling through a store to look for a perfect gift for her -- but I know I won't find one. Partly because I will be so preoccupied with how uncomfortable I am waddling through the store with people staring at me wondering when I'm going to pop, and partly because there simply won't be a gift worthy of what she has done for me. I am quite aware of how overly dramatic I am being right now. What I am experiencing is absolutely NOTHING compared to someone who has cancer or is paralyzed from an accident or dealing with any number of worse things to be dealing with (and there are PLENTY). But, I just need to remember this when I am dealing with what every parent of twins has told me I am about to experience...which apparently is something so difficult that "only a parent of twins can fully understand how much so". Right now, I am beyond excited to begin my journey into that experience -- but in a few weeks, that may not be the case. Who knows. Maybe it won't be as bad as people have told me it will be. Maybe it will be worse. All I know for sure is that I will soon find out for myself...and I feel VERY VERY lucky to be able to have that experience. Through all of this whining and complaining, I have never lost sight of how lucky I am to be pregnant with two healthy babies...and I can never repeat that enough. I am lucky, lucky, lucky.

Anyway...to keep my mind off my complaints and to make the time go by today, I made these:

Afterall, what better treat to come home to after school than homemade oreos 'n milk??

Homemade Oreo Cookies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In another bowl, stir together butter, sugar, and egg. Add flour mixture, and stir until a dough forms.
2. Divide dough in half; roll out between two sheets of parchment paper to a 1/4-inch thickness. Stack on a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds. Place on sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies are firm and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to wire racks, and let cool.
4. Spread half the cookies with 1 tablespoon Cream Filling; top with remaining cookies. (To store, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 5 days.)

Cream Filling
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and granulated sugar, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla extract.

namaste mommas day

2010-05-09T13:10:00.004-04:00

The gardenia is my very favorite flower.... I love its simplicity of beauty and its fragrance is absolutely divine. My farm boy bought this plant for me a while ago and it bloomed this week.

I was thinking about what to put as the title of this post and for some reason I kept repeating "namaste mommasday" in my head...who knows how some stuff gets into my head. I didn't even know what "namaste" meant -- I just know that's what people said in all my yoga classes. So I looked it up. "Namaste" means "I bow to you." How perfect for how I feel about mommas. I bow to mommas. Who doesn't think mommas are worthy of bowing to?? As I have mentioned before, I still can not believe I am a momma. I love being a momma as much as I always knew I would...maybe more..... After all those years of waiting to meet a daddy for my babes and then finally meeting him and having my wonderful babies, I am ever so grateful that I always knew that I was meant to be a momma. I love it with such a passion and certainty that it would not even occur to me to be ashamed of being a "stay at home mom". WHAT is there to be ashamed of? Absolutely, positively nothing. I have absolutely no desire to "do something more with my life". What could possibly be "more" worthy of being a mom? I am constantly baffled when I hear that "women of today are torn between work-life and home-life" or how wonderful it is that "in today's world women can have it all because they can work and be a mom". While yes, there are certainly moms who have to work in order to put food on the table -- and I do understand that and certainly don't discredit them for doing that. HOWEVER, I personally know quite a few moms who feel "torn" or "ashamed" or a "need" to work outside the house "to get away from just being a mom". "Just being a mom"???? WHAT kind of statement is THAT????!!!!

Anyway, I feel like I could go on forever about this subject, but I won't since there are countless emails going around right now that say the same thing in a different way about the profound importance of motherhood. As usual, Erma Bombeck sums up what I am trying to say in a very short and simple statement: Children make your life important.

Whether you have children of your own or not, if you have mentored, taught or loved a child, you are important. How children are treated and nurtured as children makes ALL the difference in what kind of adults they become.

Soren's card he made at school: "I love my mom because I just love her."
(the drawing is of our family -- note Anna Clara's curly hair -- and daddy is picking apples...he's always doing SOME form of gardening!!)

While I was hoping to be a mother of four on this Mother's Day, these two babes are lovin' life in my belly -- way more than I am lovin' carrying them around in my belly!! So, my doc has mercifully scheduled me to be induced this coming Friday, May 14th. The end is near! I have to say that just knowing a date and that they WILL be born within a week has made ALL the difference. Wouldn't that be/have been nice to know exactly when you will meet the love of your life or find the perfect job? It would make the waiting sooooo much easier -- even though it still takes patience to wait. With roughly 14 lbs of babes in my belly, on top of all the extra weight of pregnancy (50+ lbs and gaining...) it takes endurance as well. But I know it will go fast and the discomforts of a body working 'round the clock for three bodies rather than one will be but a memory very, very soon...and it just plain feels good just knowing that.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

go fly a kite

2010-05-06T19:07:00.004-04:00

What better way to enjoy a gorgeous, windy, spring day than to fly a kite?

wordless wednesday

2010-05-05T15:59:00.010-04:00

These are some pics I took just because I needed to spend some time with them today.

They smell even prettier than they look.....

Lilacs are a sure sign its May. May is when I am supposed to birth some babies.

I had one of my bi-weekly check-ups with my doc yesterday and she said I would most likely give birth last night because I was almost 3cm dilated and 50% effaced -- and I was having horrible cramping and felt like I was having constant contractions.

My hubby's car broke down on the way to the hospital (I was there most of the day with contractions). He had it towed to a garage.

After pumping me with fluid, the doc said the contractions were just "irritable contractions" so she sent me home. I haven't had a good night's sleep in a very long time so all I wanted to do was cry, but I didn't. I went to pick up my stranded hubby.

We were both in horrid moods. We went out to dinner with the kidlings. My hubby complained about how much he hates his job. I cried. Our two lil ones ignored us and acted like nothing was wrong. Oh how I love children in those moments (and so many others)!!!!!

I am now feeling like I am going to feel this horribly uncomfortable for the rest of my life.

(Having said that, please don't even begin to think that I am not eternally grateful for having such healthy babies in my belly. I am beyond grateful for that. I fully, totally and completely understand that the longer the babies are in my belly, the healthier they will be. If one more person tells me that I might scream not very nice things in their face.)