Family Vacation... Isn't it about TIME!

Having two small babies does not make one want to load a family up in a car with belongings to last several days and drive for hours and hours and hours.  No, it makes one want to stay home and tell people if they want to see you then they will have to load their own family and come visit you!  It also makes one feel a little stir crazy when one's family is used to traveling quite a bit and one's family hasn't been anywhere for almost 2 years (because growing 2 babies in one's tummy isn't condusive to travel either).  So, this 4th of July weekend we finally went somewhere!  We spent 3 whole nights in a condo with just our little family where we went swimming and hiking and slept in! We met up with some friends from the good ol' days and had yummy food and fun times at a park.  We went to a really neat children's museum, then we watched some great fireworks at the home of a wonderful, kind family.  It was so great to just get away from the rut of our life and enjoy each other's company.

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Eau de toilet

My life is embarking on a whole new level of chaos.  The rule last week was no children on the table!  Yesterday I changed that rule to- Fine! sit on the table, but I'm moving the sugar bowl first, and when you're ready to get down just let me know and I'll help you.  Please don't try to do it yourself.  Please....  Ok, you can do it yourself, but let me put pillows all over the kitchen floor first. I'm afraid I'm going to be on a first name basis with the 911 dispatcher pretty soon too.  How many times can you call them without having an emergency before they take you to jail anyway?  I used to change the boys' clothes when they got dirty, but now that it has warmed up they mostly just run around in their diapers.  I wish I could just run around sans clothes too.  My already huge laundry piles would be smaller if we all didn't have multiple wardrobe changes every day.  I've had one year olds before, but this is INSANE!  Every day I pull several things out of the toilets (including the babies), get barfed on, peed on, and sometimes a little bit of ickiness from their diapers shows up somewhere on my person. Starting to think that strange mystery odor in my house is not in the fridge, but on me!

From Tiny to 10

Trevor was born at 4:20 am, 10 years ago.  Of all my scary pregnancies and births, his was the scariest.  Partly because it was my first experience with child birth and I didn't know what was happening, but also because he was born the most premature, and when he was born he was not breathing and they had to revive him.  It was a very quiet room.  You never know the joy of a crying baby until there is no sound.  He didn't cry at all for days, and then it was just a tiny, small sound.  Now, nothing he does is small or tiny.  He's loud and happy, and life is one big, grand adventure for him.  He sucks information up like a sponge, always looking for something new to absorb, something to add to his already vast collection of knowledge.  He's also a very serious kid at times, and can often be found somewhere lost in a book.  I really love that kid.  I often wish I could be more like him.  Happy Birthday T.  I will always count you as one of my greatest blessings.

Friends

There is a road by my house that has a speed limit of 50 miles per hour.  A few years ago a friend showed up at my door to take me to get some ice cream and tell me that she was moving away to a teeny tiny town in Wyoming.  It kind of took the fun out of the ice cream.  We drove home on that road and she crawled along at about 30 mph much to the chagrin, I'm sure, of the drivers behind us.  I always think of that night, and her, when I am following someone going slower than the speed limit on that road and am happy for the reminder.  My mind then often moves on to the many good friends I've had along my journey, and the many goodbyes I've had to say over the years.  I have been blessed with good friends that have helped shape who I am now and am so grateful for the influence each has had in my life.  I am glad for the occasional reminder when someone helps me slow down, and remember.

Barfing and Hospitals (who needs 'em!)

What a month!  The night of the twins' birthday Joshua threw up.  We thought it was the cake and excitement, but the next day he was still throwing up and his diapers were, well, sick.  Joseph started in on it 2 days later, and for the next 2 weeks, I was cleaning up a lot of barf, and changing "sick" diapers, and I learned to never, ever, leave a diaper off a sick baby for even the tiniest of moments.  Very gross. Thankfully, Isaac was the only other one to get it, and it lasted only 2 days for him.  Joseph ended up being dehydrated enough that he was admitted to the hospital for IV fluids, only they couldn't get the IV in and we just gave him 1 tsp of pedialyte every ten minutes.  All day and night.  At the hospital.  With no nurses showing up except to take vitals every 4 hours.  Not sure why we had to be at the hospital for that one!  Anyway, a week after they stopped ralphing all over they had their 1 year well baby appointment where the doctor decided it was time to further investigate the sore on Joshua's bum that has been there for at least 9 months, maybe 10.  2 days later they did an ultrasound on it and 4 hours later Isaac was in the car headed for Denver Children's Hospital with Joshua so they could do an emergency surgery on his little hiney. He had a fistula that had abscessed ( it was an infection that went directly from his rectum out to his skin).  Anyway, the fix is to cut it all open and let it heal itself.  Without stitches.  It's almost healed and I am excited for him to have pain free diaper changes for the first time since he can remember.  I wonder if that's why he's been so fussy.  With all that going on, it is time for the end of school year activities, programs, projects, field trips, etc. and Lucas is getting tested and signed up for kindergarten in the fall.  I'm not sure which way is up or down or sideways right now, but at least we all seem to be fairly healthy again which I don't actually want to say too loud for fear of the germs hearing me and showing up again!  I'm pretty sure we'll all survive though.  If it doesn't kill you it only makes you stronger.  I think.

Two are 1

 

We survived the first year. The twins are 1 year old today!  (Phew)