What's for breakfast?

"This is why most people have frozen waffles for breakfast." Eric said as he finished cutting up apple slices.

"You're right, but we're not most people and this is what keeps us out of restaurants." And what keeps our friends coming over for dinner. And breakfast.

This was what I was working on: German Apple Pancake.

Batter up!

After a technical mishap ruined our chances of blueberry Belgian waffles this morning, I stepped up. Fortunately, the twins were asleep and we had the time and the ingredients, so why not?

Admitting that you're a Foodie is the first step. Then, giving in to your desire to have something more complicated than scrambled eggs is the next step. So long as you (and anyone you're feeding) are willing to wait for a little longer, you can have fantastic food. And me? I love fantastic food. Don't you?

German Apple Pancake
--Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe Book

2 large eggs
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup (2.5 oz) unbleached AP flour
1 tbsp unsalted butter
3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4" slices
1/4 cup packed (1.75 oz) light brown sugar
2 tbsp confectioners' sugar
Maple syrup, for serving

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, salt, and granulated sugar in a food processor or blender and process about 15 seconds. Add flour and process until mixed and free of lumps, 30 seconds; set batter aside.
2. Add butter to a 10" ovenproof skillet and heat over med-high heat until butter foams. Add apples and brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to turn light brown, about 5 minutes. DContinue to cook over med-high heat, stirring constantly, until the apples are golden brown, 4-5 min.
3. Remove pan from heat. Pour batter around edges of pan, then over apples; place pan in oven. Reduce heat to 425 degrees and cook until browned and puffed, 16-17 minutes. With heatproof spatula, loosen pancake edge. Invert onto serving platter, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve immediately with syrup.

It's also really good with a big squeeze of lemon juice and whipped cream, or whipped cream and blueberries.

Face it, whipped cream goes with almost everything.

Caramelizing apples

Ready for the oven

Done!

Can you smell it?

Serves 4, unless you want to share.

Mmmm!

What do you like to make for breakfast for fun?

Hawk Food

"Eric! Eric! Come quick!"

Eric, egg in hand, comes running "What?"

"There's a hawk on our deck! Right there! On the back of the chair!"

Trapped under a twin, with no camera at hand, I urged Eric to grab the video recorder. That thing starts up so sloooowly! Meanwhile, the hawk jumped onto the deck and then up onto a pot. Clearly he was looking for the local fauna that hang out at the All You Can Eat Hatchet Bar.

Seeing no likely snacks around (Not even a mouse.), it hopped up onto the rail and then took off for the neighbor's yard, clearly hoping to find some clueless-yet-tasty birds that hadn't yet taken off at its arrival.

I feel certain that it was a juvenile. It just didn't move with all of the grace and power of an adult raptor and wasn't very large, either. Now, using the tiny video clip and my new bird book (Thanks, Linda!), I'll see if I can't figure out what it was.

What was the most unusual animal you've come across in your backyard?

Updated to add: I think, from the video, that it is a Coooper's Hawk. Definitely an Accipiter - its tail was longer than its wings, with even bands of light brown and dark brown and white trim at the bottom of the tail, which appeared rounded. It appeared to have speckles of white on its back and its chest was streaked. The head looked more like the Cooper than the Sharp-Shinned, from the drawing in the book.

Teething?

No! Please! No!

Symptoms:

Age: ~4 months

On average the first tooth comes in during the seventh month, although it can arrive as early as three months, as late as a year, or in rare cases even earlier or later.

Yes, somewhere on that bell curve. We're in there.

Irritability: Bad attitude? Check! The whining, screaming and crying is awful! And that's just Eric and I. The twins are even worse. Logan keeps screaming in my face but won't nurse. I keep putting him into the swing to sleep it off, which works for 10 minutes. The screaming and not nursing is driving me insane. It's very hard to tell the difference between screaming because I'm hurting and screaming because I'm hungry. Emma is doing it too, but not quite as bad. Yet.

Drooling: Check! Lay Emma on her tummy on the playmat and she's Droolicious.

Coughing: Check! Sometimes. Not all the time.

Chin rash: From the drool. Nope.

Biting and gnawing: OMG Check! Every chance they get to pull one of our fingers (or anyone else's, let's get real here: they aren't discriminating against any fingers) in their mouths they chew for all they are worth. You can interrupt a crying jag with a well placed finger or knuckle. They are chewing on their own hands so much they look chapped.

Cheek rubbing and ear pulling: Not that I've noticed, but Logan is trying to rip the back of his skull off. Does that count?

Diarrhea: I don't know. Their stools are loose. They've always been loose. What does normal stool on a breastfed 4 month old look like? I'm so not googling that.

Low-grade fever: They've both been a little warm this week, but we think they have colds.

Or do they?! *Cue ominous music*

Not sleeping well: The only evidence for this is the fact that Emma isn't sleeping well. Logan doesn't do anything I'd call "sleeping well".

Cold like symptoms (runny nose, etc.): Uh...yeah? Boogies everywhere! Bleah! See also Low-grade fever.

Eric is not convinced that it's teething, since Caitlin didn't get teeth until she was 12 months old and how likely are they to both teeth at the same time? I, however, remember her having teething symptoms well before the teeth actually showed up. But, OMG! if we have to endure this constant screaming in your face thing for the next 8 months? I am so selling these children!*

So, tell me: are they teething or not? I've checked their gums and don't see anything, but that doesn't mean they are feeling nothing.




* Help meeeee!

Holiday Card 2007

About that holiday card...

Well, there I was, stuck for an idea for a card that wouldn't take me ages to put together, was funny and had the whole family in it. Ali convinced me the image should have all 5 of us in it instead of just the kids.

This is what I came up with:

"Twins for Christmas? You shouldn't have!"

I built the background in Photoshop from some brushes found here. The hardest part was wrangling the family for the shot itself: keeping Caitlin up on her knees to keep her in frame was tricky, as was setting the timer and rushing over to my spot with a baby. Yeah, a remote would make it easier, but it appears that mine was eaten by my basement. Since I wasn't trying for the "perfect" shot, I took what I got on the 5th image. There's only so much wrangling a pair of 3 month olds and a 6 year old will take!

Then I listened to Swistle and decided that I might as well include a short letter. I think the picture was worth more points than the letter, though. Those of you that received it can score it in the comments section! Those of you that didn't will have to base the scoring on the image alone, and the knowledge that I completed them on 12/24 and got them out before the end of the year. Points for me since I did the photo, editing, and letter entirely on my own. Eric helped with the stuffing and mailing. And! I did it in the same year the twins were born. Surely that is worth a couple of points!

Next year I'll have a pair of ~15 month old twins and a 7 year old. I'll be lucky if I capture a single image with them in the frame.

So tell me what you did. Leave a link in the comments so I can go ooh and ahh over your family picture.

Life Lessons

Caitlin woke up last night, right after going to bed with a nightmare. She was distressed, but not just over the nightmare: house catching on fire and her dying in it. Creepy enough.

The thing that really distressed her is the fact that her Dream Catcher doesn't work.

"It's catching my good dreams and letting my bad dreams through!" She kind of thought that one over and said, "It doesn't work. I need something that works."

Eric tried to reassure her as she complained about her defective Dream Catcher. Then she jumped tracks:

"What about those Worry Dolls you put under your pillow? Are those just art, too?" Eric had to acknowledge the possibility and that they're probably both just art. When pressed for what did work, Eric offered lots of hugs. Caitlin dismissed that entirely.

She eventually went back to sleep and slept through the night (Unlike some people!). I guess she's growing up.

Good thing she didn't ask about the Jolly Fat Man.

Fortress of Solitude

I haven't got one.

It used to be a woman could get some time alone by heading to the bathroom.

Not anymore.

Not a shower or other bathroom visit goes by without a twin visit (enabled by Eric). I normally do some good thinkin' in the shower, but that's a little hard to do when you hear the crying moving towards you. Next thing you know, the door opens with a whoosh! of cold air being sucked out of the room and unhappiness in the form of a twin enters.

"They just want to see you." the long suffering husband says as he peeks the twin around the shower curtain.

It gets worse: you know you're talented when you can nurse, undress, and pee all at the same time.

It's a talent I wish I didn't have.

The only time I am truly alone now is when I escape the house to run an errand on my own. Unfortunately the time is very limited and shopping isn't exactly a zen experience for me.

One day, I'll be able to find some time alone again, but I suspect it may not be for years. I remember Caitlin was very helpful at potty time: since she was being cheered on for her efforts, she could be counted on to cheer you on for yours. I feel certain that that situation will repeat, in stereo.

Then again, three years seem to fly by these days. Maybe the Potty Cheering Squad isn't such a bad thing after all.

Tit for Tat

The scene: we were talking for the babies, as usual (What? You don't talk for your babies? Come onnnn. Everybody does it!). I had Emma and Eric had Logan. Logan had finished nursing a short while ago and Emma, who'd just recently awakened was waiting for her turn. In order to put the grumpy Logan down, Eric had to be ready for a hand off. Emma "complained" that Logan was guarding "her" breast from her.

Minutes after she finally got to nurse, Eric was back in the room with Logan who was looking for more milk.

Emma: "No! No milk for you! These are mine!" Protectively throws an arm across the other breast.
Logan: "Noooo! You can't have both! Dat one's my breast!"
Emma: "Not today! You kept me waiting for mine for so long. Now you have to wait."
Logan: "Dat's not fair!"
Emma: "Is, too. I here now. You go away! Mine! You blocked me from mine, you not get yours."
Logan: "Oh, so it's tit for tat now, is it?"

Hatchet cracks up laughing. Eric wins the "argument".

A few minutes later, a vicious karate fight breaks out and Emma is knocked out of the way by a flying kick.

Yeah, I know, it's a lot funnier if you're here.

And sleep deprived. We're hysterically funny if you're sleep deprived.

Sixteen Weeks

An' what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
St. Peter don't you call me cause I can't go:
I owe my soul to the nursing twins!


Apologies to Jimmy Dean.

The twins are finally sleeping.

This is what we refer to as The Lip. It comes out when he's most unhappy. Here, he was unhappy right before he fell asleep (Not tonight.) and it stayed that way!

Sleep, that thing we can't even dream of, since our sleep keeps being interrupted. By Logan. Yes, this is one of those situations where we are bad parents (Bad!) who compare one child unfavorably to the other.

"Why can't you be more like your sister? Why?!" Wretched weeping follows.

Logan falls asleep before Emma does at night, around 10 pm instead of her 11 pm time frame, but he doesn't stay asleep until 7 am like she does. I don't know why, other than he's trying to get more nursing in, but he's not exactly chubbing it up over here! He's still only slightly heavier than she is. He needs to work harder at gaining weight during the day.

Other than that, they're both very sweet and a lot of fun. Emma has started laughing, although it did take serious neck nibbling for it to happen. Then again, I like nibbling on her tiny neck, so no hardship for me! She also likes to squeal and jabber and semi-scream for minutes on end because she's so darned happy. It's very endearing. Maybe I can get the man in charge of videos to upload it.

Emma, very carefully studying the Penta-pus (It only has 5 legs. Whaaat?), right before she shoves the legs into her mouth.

They like to look at one another and chatter back and forth. Sometimes it takes a little while for one to notice the other, but once they do they start smiling and chatting. I hope that lasts!

"Hey Emma! Hey! Guess what?"

"What is it, Logan?"

"I have poopy in mah pannnnts!"

"You are a sad, sad little man. I pity you."*

They're also mad for Caitlin. When she walks in the room and starts talking they both swivel to see her and start smiling. Their tiny smiles drop away when she doesn't make eye contact with them, though. This evening at dinner, Logan was getting grumpy and we asked Caitlin to sing to him. Once she started singing, Logan went completed quiet, stood up in Eric's lap (supported) and smiled and smiled at her. It was as if he was electrified by her voice. I then looked down and saw Emma grinning for all she was worth as well.

Suh-weet!

Makes you want to squeeze all three of them.

On Saturday, Grammy and Grampy came to visit. Linda had Caitlin for a sleepover on Saturday and spent all day with her on Sunday at the museum. Then, that night, they watched Caitlin and the twins for us so that we could go out to dinner. Alone. Ahhhh!

Undying gratitude. They has it.

Just try to imagine how fast we drove away. Just imagine it!

No. Faster!

Chillin' with Grampy.

Getting last squeezes in before Grammy and Grampy head out for Hawaii. Yeah. I feel bad for them too - their luggage wasn't big enough to fit the 5 of us!

"And this is an Emma!"

Caitlin perusing a Barbie catalog, intent on cutting them out later to use as paper dolls.

There's a lot of jamming fingers into mouths around here, but no teeth in sight. I'm hoping that they do what Caitlin did and not teethe until they are one years old. I'd like to nurse them without being gnawed on with sharp nippers. The pinching and pulling are bad enough without adding teeth into the equation!

Holding hands. Awww!

The fingers that you shove into your mouth don't have to be yours.

They are finally reaching the point where I need to pull out the 3-6 month sized clothes. They don't seem very big to me, compared to Caitlin at that same age, but they are growing! The fact that they aren't very plump like she was has me vaguely worried (Because I have to fret over something, apparently.) but not enough to run to the doctor. We have a 4 month appointment at the end of the month where I will throw all of the questions I have at them about weight and size and skin condition and so on.

In the meantime, we're just getting another day older and deeper in debt....



* Toy Story. Buzz Lightyear to Woody, while they were lost.

Are you tired?

How tired are you? A little tired? Very tired? A hazard to yourself and others?

Here's a little something to test your reaction time.

Um...apparently I'm taaaaaah-errrrrd!

Sleeping and Dreaming Test

I guess I won't be driving long distances any time soon. Heh!

The sharpest kids on the block

That's right. My kids? Sharp, man!

Their fingernails are razor sharp. (What did you think I was talking about?) So sharp, in fact that Logan has been slicing up the back of his own head with them in his sleep and bleeding all over the co-sleeper. When did I notice this? Today.

Then I had a Freak Out Moment and determined that I would cut that little beast's nails if it was the last thing I did today!

And wouldn't ya know it? It was the last thing I did today! Or the very first thing I've done on Wednesday morning, but that all depends on your perspective when it's 12:40 AM. To me, it's still Tuesday night.

Hello! Why yes, I can tell time! Bear with me here.

The problem with cutting teeny tiny baby nails when they are awake is they squirm. A lot. Eric did their nails the first few times, but always cut their tiny fingertips. And you know? The blood thing? I'm still not good about the blood thing, so it makes me feel queasy to see it, but now add horrible parental empathy (My baby! You've hurt my baby!) and fear about just how much those tiny cuts on such tiny fingers can bleed (OMG! She's bleeding everywhere!). So now Eric doesn't want to/isn't allowed to cut fingernails anymore.

I, however, am paranoid about using the vicious, finger lopping clippers, so I've just been trying to tear the teeny tiny, yet murderously sharp, fingernails off. It's not as easy as it should be and always leaves sharp, yet jagged, pieces of fingernail behind. Not very satisfactory from the wanting to no longer get slashed by babies perspective. So tonight I waited until Logan was seriously knocked out and then clip-clip-clipped away.

I have to tell you, there are few things as sad as blood under your baby's fingernails. Could be mine, but it is most likely his own. Poor thing!

Whoops! Now the "poor thing" is waking up and looking for snacks. Quick! Tell me your infant manicure techniques!

Do you know what time it is?!

It is Seed Catalog Time!

And this year, I'm ordering for our farm and that means I get to order lots and lots of stuff. Whee! Flipping through page after page of beautifully photographed, full color images of yummy fruits and vegetables.

I'm planning on ordering several different kinds of heirloom tomatoes, beans, flowers, six kinds of basil and on and on and on.

I am now dying for a slice of fresh home grown tomato!

He got me

I spoke entirely too soon on Friday.

First thing on Saturday morning, I was tandem nursing and Logan got me. He really scored, too, since he also got Emma's arm. He was assisted in his perfidy by his own father, though. Eric held him over me when I yelped for help. Something about not wanting to get the bed messy and since I was already covered...what's a little more?

Personally, I think he was trying to get back at me for the last vomit job was all over him.

Traitor!

Whose side is he on anyway?!

Twin Notes

It's 11:30 pm and Emma is still awake. I'm trying to jiggle her to sleep but all I'm getting is a tired arm. Instead, she's laying on my chest "singing" or talking to herself.

"Eeeeyay. Waaaay. Waaaay. Waaaay. Enh! Eeeeeyay! Yaaah. Ahhh."

It's terribly cute but completely unlike sleeping.

I've tried nursing her into unconsciousness, but she's threatened to throw up on me at least 3 times and I'm just not interested in having another shower.

Actually, I'm on somewhat of a streak. I should get a ticker or something: X days without vomit. Not that no vomit is happening, because it is. It's just not happening to me.

Halleluia! Can I get an Amen?!

It's been about a week, too. Yeehaw!

In other Cute News, the twins will occasionally look at one another and start "talking" and smiling at each other. Logan is far more likely to smile at Emma than the reverse, but earlier this evening Emma was being super sweet and talkative. We'll have to see if we can capture it on video.

Finally, I've mentioned before that the twins are getting better control of their hands and bringing things to their respective mouths. What I didn't mention was that they're really good at getting the other twin's hand to their mouth. And drooling on it. The chewee only looked mildly perturbed when this occurs. It cracks me up. Yet another twinny thing that I need to photograph.

This twin thing ain't so bad after all!

Except for the double crying. That's no fun at all.

Death by haberdashery

Staying up late and reading XKCD, I've decided that I, too, have died in a blogging accident.

It was just as awful and messy as you might expect a blogging accident to be. Words were misused. Punctuation was missing or overused. It was a horrible sight.

Three years ago today

I made a big mistake.

It was early in the morning and Eric had asked me to trim his hair for him. In my bleary eyed, fuzzy brained state, I said, "Sure!" I'd done it so many times that it was automatic. The only problem was that I skipped the very first step.

Attaching the guide to the clippers. You know, the guide that determines how short the hair will be after you cut it? Yeah, that one. The default, no guide setting is this:
I burst into tears when I realized what I'd done. Eric was completely fine with it, since he'd been wanting to shave off his hair for awhile, but I didn't want him to. Now, clearly, this was the time to do it. After he stopped laughing and I stopped crying, I ran to get my camera.

What can I tell you? I'm like that.

I then tried to "fix" it by putting the guide on and shaving the area around it, resulting in this:
There are two different "depths" to his hair, if you look closely.

Eric then told me to just cut it all off, which ended up with a teacup poodle in the sink:

I shed more than that when I take a shower!

When I was finished, he then shaved his head and finished up looking like this:

You're a handsome devil. What's your name?

On New Year's Day this year, after Ed and Val and Scott and Sierra left to return to their own abodes, Eric decided a change was called for. First, though, he wanted Before pictures.

Before, with goatee.

And then he attacked his face with a razor.
Since it had been three years, it was really disconcerting to see him without a goatee. Some days I still do a double take, since I was used to the goatee. Caitlin said it freaked her out.
We all got over it, though. Now he's running around with a cold chin.

Moral of the story: never let me near your hair with clippers when I'm tired.

Do you have any hair cutting mishaps you'd like to share? Tell me, do!

Fifteen Weeks

I skipped out on you for week 14, didn't I? Oh well. Not much difference between week 14 and 15 other than an increased amount of sleep (Yay!) and increased cuteness!

Beware! Photos below may blow out your Cute Sensors.

So here we are, cruising along as Parents of Twins. Emma is making it really easy by totally sleeping through the night. What I mean by that is that when she finally passes out between 10 pm and midnight, she will sleep until about 7 or 7:30 am. OMG! It is totally awesome.

Logan, however, has different plans. He will pass out around the same time frame and then wake up around 1 am. Sleep again until 6 am and then wake again around 8 am. He says he's trying to get more milk and plump up more than Emma, but he's apparently burning it off with all the smiling he does because he doesn't appear to be pulling ahead in the weight category.

Logan burning calories with his Full Body Smile Workout.

Logan works his Oblique Smile at Caitlin. Must give all smile muscles a workout!

We still haven't seen Emma officially roll over from tummy to back, but she objects to tummy time a lot less these days. I think it's because she can see better, since she's strong enough to push her head and chest off the floor. She is very good about reaching for things and likes to spin the toys attached to the swing in the dining room.

Emma studies the physics involved.

Both babies are chewing like puppies. If you put a finger anywhere within grabbing distance, grab it they will and pop it into their mouths where they will then masticate on said digit until they are satisfied, you are utterly covered in drool and squicked out, or your finger falls off. Whichever occurs first. There are no teeth in there, I've checked, but they do like to gnash on digits and things.

Emma tries to devour Eric's knuckle.

Graaar! Logan noshes on my knuckle.

They also have gained an appreciation for toys recently, so we've been pulling old toys out of the closet for them and letting them drool all over them. Fabric doughnuts and puppies are a big hit.

In a sea of toys, the twins do the backstroke.

My Precious!

Emma and her puppy.

Emma being mauled by her puppy. Oh noes!

Emma lights up the room with her smile.

Logan is just barely bigger than the stuffed hippo Caitlin received when she was born.

Life is good.

Wow!

We just finished watching the season premiere of Battlestar Gallactica.

And it was awesome!

Yeah, yeah. I know! Where have we been for the last 4 years?

What can I tell you, we just don't watch TV here at Chez Hatchet. However, now we can just go out and rent/borrow/purchase the entire series and watch the whole thing over the course of a month or two. Just like we did with Buffy, Firefly, 24 and Horatio Hornblower.

I must tell you that 24 doesn't hold up well under such treatment. There's only so many times you can hear Jack say "We're running out of time!" before you wanna just smack him. (Sorry Dan!) Thus we never completed the 3rd season before we burned out on it. And really! Why the hell did Jack's daughter never learn a bloody martial art and weapons training?! You'd think after the first time she was kidnapped she'd have learned something. Geez!

So yes, the excitement never stops around here as we discover characters everyone else has loved for the last several years. Whee!

Starbuck? Yes, she rocks. I like her!

Eric says...

Eric begins to exit the kitchen, intent on getting to his email before Emma wakes up.

"Wait!" I whisper urgently, trapped under Logan.

Eric responds dismissively, "I'll be right back!" and continues walking.

Desperate, I resort to Pssst! Pssssst! PSSSSSSST! Just so, you know, he realizes I mean it. He returns to me and I whisper to him about wanting my tea.

After fetching it for me, with a glimmer in his eye he says, "You know, you sound just like a pissed off peacock."

To which I respond sadly and quietly, "Honk!"

Ninja Illness

Have you ever noticed that during the times when you're sick enough to lose your voice and no one can hear you anymore that apparently they can't see you any more, either?

I am Ninja!

With laryngitis.

There you are, stuck with one crying child in your arms and another in a swing and you're waving your arms madly at your 6 year old as if you're trying to catch some air and she can't see you. Now, this is mitigated by the fact that she's reading and you know she can't hear anything while she's reading (apparently an inheritable trait from moi), including your desperate Psst! Psssst! Now you sound like a tire expiring upon the road, but you cannot be heard over the cries of twins.

Now what?

Now, of course, you pound on the table like you're trying to make a point in debate class. When that doesn't work, it's time to pound on the wall like an inmate trying to get out.

An inmate of the loony bin, of course.

Where else would you find such a sight? Wild eyed, wild haired, PJ-clad woman desperate to escape.

To the bathroom.

I think I might have to produce some paper signs to wave about.

I spent all night tap-tap-tapping Eric on the chest like that famous Raven, only there would be no croaking Nevermore! from my throat. Whispering just doesn't have that oomph, ya know?

Tap tap = Get the baby.
Tap tap tap = Take this baby.
Tap tap tap! = Get the other baby.
Tap tap tap tap = Take this one now.

Booting with feet didn't go over well, I noticed.

So here I sit, trapped in my own silent movie.

I am a game of charades gone entirely wrong.

You can call me Froggie

My voice, it is going...going...gone!

I am sick and have lost my voice and my will to blog.

OK, just temporarily!

The Story of Stuff

Now that the giant consumerist orgy that is Christmas is over, it's time to start cutting back on the buying. One blogger is even planning on cutting back to no new purchases for the year.

One site that kept getting mentioned was The Story of Stuff. I went, watched the movie and wanted to share it with you.

Go have a look at it and then tell me what you thought.

Presents

Beware cats that bring toys into your bed at 2 am.

Not only will their excited cat noises keep you awake, you won't like finding out that the toy is small, grey and alive.

You'll like it even less when the scenario is repeated at 6 am, with a new mouse.

Welcome to The Great Mouse Invasion, 2008.

The Trouble with Twins

is that all of your 6 year old girl friends are going to be more interested in playing with the 3 month old babies than they will be with you.

This will make you grumpy.

Wish You Were Here

But if you were, I don't know where we'd have put you!

My house is by no means a large house, but when you pack it full of friends and children it seems to shrink to Lilliputian proportions.

When it was just Eric, Caitlin and I, there was plenty of room. Then the twins came. Two of every sort of Baby Containment Device are scattered throughout the house because you must be prepared for when They Who Scream are tired of one sort of containment over another. Then Misty, Marlena, Oliver and Lee came and that was a good time (although sadly unphotographed). The house was full at that point and they weren't even sleeping over! Then Ed and Val came with their twins, Sebastian and Alexander who are only 1.5 inches shorter than Caitlin and possibly a pound or two heavier at three! Those boys are tall! My house was overflowing.

Steve and Sara came to visit and brought Audrey (Steve's mom), Hazel and Kate and then the house exploded. We all discovered just how much noise 7 children make.

Later, we swapped Steve, Sara and the girls for Scott and Sierra and the house shrank a little.

If you were here, it would have looked something like this:

Three women, three babies. Why are 2 out of 3 of them mine?

Ed plays with all of the big kids.

Audrey and Emma hang out.

Little Kate comes to visit.

Val and...Sebastian? Alexander? I am absolutely horrible at telling them apart unless I can really focus on who is who. I'm sure Val will let me know.

Boys like being hung from their ankles.

The whole gang. Three couples. Seven children. Clearly someone didn't get the message on baby-making. Here's the question: are we over achievers by having three or are Steve and Sara slackers for not having their own set of twins? Good question, eh?

Val bought Ed Guitar Hero III for Xmas and Ed inflicted it on us. Now I have Slow Ride stuck in my head forever. Many, many hours were spent playing and watching this game being played. Ed totally rocked it, too!

Scott the Elusive was tanking* the twins on and off all night. He's very good at it.

Eric working on dinner with Sierra assisting. I was busy nursing. As usual.

Eric works on the cherry port reduction for the pork tenderloin. Mmmmm! When we cook, we really cook.

Sierra goes all Martha on us with roasted green beans.

Caitlin had the best time with the twins. She went from complaining about being horribly bored the day before they arrived to being large and in charge! She loved telling them what to do and they loved doing what she said. It was great fun all around. She loved bossing them around so much that I think my twins will be in trouble in a few years.

Val snuggles Logan. At 13 lbs he was a feather weight to her compared to her boys at 50 lbs! She had to keep from chucking him at the ceiling when she picked him up. No, really!

Sierra discovers that Emma likes the taste of human flesh! Emma discovers that rosemary flavored fingers are extra yummy!

Ed shows us that there's nothing up his sleeves.
Actually, he is trying to ward off the camera here but fails his invisibility roll.
"This is not the Ed you are looking for."

Ed plays the guitar for us, even though "real guitars are for old people"**. It was awesome. It's been a long time, but he's still really good. Unfortunately he never got a chance to finish my favorite song. We did, however, get a really nice version of Old MacDonald. How things change once you add kids to the equation.

Then, after their twins passed out and my twins finally fell asleep (not before Emma through up on me one more time before 2007 ended!), we all turned on the computers that had been lurking quietly in the basement all day and played WOW until 2:15 am.

Well, OK, only Eric and I stayed up that late, everyone else wimped out earlier. Being short on sleep really does build character! Ba dum bum! Kssh!

All said and done, good friends, good food, good music, fun games and happy children rounded out the year. I hope 2008 is filled with more of the same.

What did you do?



* WOW reference. Roughly translated, it means he watched over them.
** South Park reference.

Updated to add: Eric objects to my definition of tanking and said that it's really the throwing of oneself onto dangerous critters to save the rest of the party. Which is what Scott did.

The Beringed Hand

In early March of last year I removed my wedding rings.

Today, 10 months later, I was finally able to put them back on.

Guess I'll have to stop hitting on the cute boys now that I look all married again!

Caitlin says...

"I'm really lucky." Caitlin says matter of factly at the dinner table.
"Why?"
"You guys are really good cooks (referring to the pork tenderloin with cherry port reduction sauce, mashed potatoes with Gruyère cheese and roasted green beans we had for New Year's Eve dinner), good parents and nice people. I'm glad you're my parents." Calmly continues eating dinner.
Stunned silence. "Caitlin...that was so sweet. Thank you. We're really glad you're our daughter." Hugs all around.

2008 is starting off well!

How's your year going?