~Nick's Trip Back to Brazil~

Before Nick ever met me and entered my fairytale, he served a mission for our church in Brazil from 2001 to 2003.  In fact, his connection to Brazil was one of the things that brought us together.  I had a shy roommate who had lived in Brazil for three years of high school while her dad served as mission president.  Nick seemed like a really nice guy and knew Portuguese so I thought they would be perfect for each other.  To make a long story short, he ended up with lucky me instead! (After all, he is a really nice guy!)

Since I can remember Nick has talked about wanting to go back to Brazil and finally his chance arrived! Nick flew down to do some training for Pioneer.  He was thrilled to go.  Though he has flown many times since joining my family (and even though he didn't get to fly business class) I still think he was still pretty stoked to take such a long plane ride to a far off exotic place without babies.  He was crazy busy the entire week and didn't get to do much sight seeing, but he did get to eat like a Brazilian king every night, join in a soccer game with the locals, tour the Pioneer seed plant, and shop for souvenirs for the babies, authentic  goodies, and a couple pairs of oh so comfortable havaianas for moi.  

I sent the old camera along with Nick, and he brought back the following photos.  Perhaps someday in the near to distant future he'll have time to add his own commentary. 

Work Work Work...

Play Play Play!

Beautiful shot, Nick.  Not bad for the old camera, eh?  

~Easter Sunday~

I woke up early and curled my hair Easter morning.  The night before I carefully assembled baskets full of happy trinkets and toys for my little ones to find.  I dressed my babies in Easter finery, and put on a sweet blue dress that I haven't wore for ages.  We did not go to church.

Instead we went to pick up Nick from the airport!  I was all prepared to make a sign, park at the airport and the drag the babies in with me, all dressed up to the nines.  Then I got a call from Nick letting me know his flight had landed almost 30 minutes early!  We met him at the curb and smothered him with hugs and kisses.  In return he showered us with gifts from Brazil, and took pictures of me with my beautiful babies while they went hunting for Easter baskets.  

The rest of the day was spent napping, hiding and finding Easter eggs full of cheerios over and over again, hearing stories about Brazil, and the babies constantly climbing all over Nick before we went to have Easter dinner with kind friends.  Nick was exhausted, but we were all so happy to have him home. We had all missed him so...

 It was a wonderful day.

~Storytime~

I read to my babies for over an hour this morning.  We read short stories, long stories, touch and feel books, and stories that had more animal sounds than actual words.  Alec kept bringing stacks of books and I just kept reading. Lyssa surprisingly stayed on my lap for most of them, wanting to snuggle and lay on my shoulder.  Alec, too, stayed close by, wanting to sit next to me, lean on my shoulder, or put his feet in my lap.  I love that he knew most of the lines to our stories.  I love that he knows which books are by Eric Carle, or Dr. Seuss, or Kevin Heinkes.  I love that Lyssa tries to do all the actions along with the stories, and keeps rhythm with me in Hand Hand Fingers Thumb (by Al Perkins as Alec would tell you).  

I loved sitting there, laughing, smiling, singing, reading, and cuddling with my babies.  I loved their sweet little smiles and giggles.  I loved Alec's big toothy grin where I really can see all those beautiful pearly whites.  I love Lyssa's crooked tooth grin (her little teeth are all coming in randomly leaving a amusing smile). Most of all I loved being Mama.  And as I felt Lyssa slowly fall asleep in my arms, and Alec rest his head on my shoulder I wanted to savor that moment forever... and try to complain a little less and remember more why 

I love to be my babies mother.

(UPDATE: And then about an hour later nap-time was interrupted by Alec throwing up all over his bed... I sure try to live in a fairytale, but lets get real... even the beautiful days still involve throw up and flooded basements sometimes.)

~Spring Time is Here!~

Behold the beauty of natures creations and the power of a good camera... all found in my yard...

(Click on this link to zoom on the picture)

Oh my dear Spring, I knew you would come.  I wished, I hoped, I prayed, and I survived waiting for winter to end (with good friends, lots of chocolate, popcorn, dried mango, weekly lunches with Nick, and planned activities for the kids 5 out of 7 days a week).  Every Spring I fall in love with Iowa all over again. So green, so bright and beautiful, with weather in the upper 70s and 80s, you can only guess why I haven't found time to blog...

Sounding OFF

I need to sound off and blow off some steam because inside I look like this.....

OKAY!  So we recently received the insurance statements from Alec's ear tubes surgery and I was baffled.  There must be some mistake!  Why doesn't the bill for the Surgery Center fall under the deductible but the Doctors Clinic does?  

I got my answer.  The Surgery Center did fall under the deductible but we have to pay our 10% coinsurance out of pocket up to a specific amount for the year (last year we met that balance of $2400 by October and didn't pay a single bill out of pocket from then on... so why didn't we do the tubes in December?  DAAAHH!).  So now I understand.  

GREAT. (with deep sarcasm)  Moving on to my next question....

Why are there two identical charges from the surgery center adding up to such a large sum that I'm starting to question if it's cheaper for me to give birth to a NICU baby than it is for me to have tubes put in my child's ears?  Nick made that call and found out that they charged us that astronomical fee twice because both ears were worked on... so $1500 for the left ear, and $1500 for the right.  WHAT the HECK!?!  I understand that not everyone has to have both ears worked on, so maybe an increase for the extra ear makes sense but IDENTICAL CHARGES across the board?  So if we had decided that Alec only needed work on one ear it would cost half as much even though it would take just as many nurses, just as many chairs, just as many rooms/beds being used, but two minutes less time in the surgery center?!!!!  Who would have thought that 2 measly extra minutes could cost SOOOO MUCH FREAKING MONEY!  DAHH!

I'm grateful for good insurance that only makes me pay a $300 individual/$500 family deductible and 10% copay up to $1200 individual/$2400 family out of pocket yearly.  I know many people have much more financially demanding insurance or no insurance at all.  I appreciate the sense of security that if one of my precious children, my dear husband, or I were ever really really sick we wouldn't lose our home and end up in the poor house because we didn't have good enough insurance to cover our medical bills.  

At the same time I hate that they have made me wonder if we should just hurry up and get tubes in Lyssa's ears this year so we don't end up paying the extra deductible next February when she inevitably needs tubes (genetics are not on her side).  I hate that medical companies and surgery centers feel like they can over charge you crazy amounts of money and get away with it.  I wish I could see a break down and know just how much they ended up charging me for that Clifford book they "gave to Alec" for being such a good patient.  Baaahhh!

Okay.  I'm done now.  I'm going to go pay my bills, emptying out a nice portion of my savings account, and eat some chocolate.  I wonder if there is still a piece of chocolate cake in the fridge?  

Captured Moments and Creations

Since this blog is really all about me and how I perceive my world I present to all my readers

My Captured Moments and Creations from the last few days...

Lyssa's first task of the day... and my first shot of the day.  Notice the freshly poured milk cup sitting on the nightstand, and Mortimer thrown off to the side on her chair.  Not a normal scene for first thing in the morning.  Usually she's in the kitchen begging for food the first chance she gets, but today was different...Alec still dressed and diapered!  I figured out the only way to keep his pajamas and diaper on in the morning is to put him in Superman jammies.  Otherwise I am usually greeted by a buck naked little man jumping around the crib saying "LOOK MOMMY!  I'M NAKED!"

Cue 80's music "The best things in life are free, but save it for the birds and the bees.  

I want money.  That's what I want!" ...the expression on Alec's face when he opened his Easter card from Grandma Lael and Grandpa Stuart and happily shouted "MONEY!"  

The expression on Nick's face when he was setting up his Wii.  I only wish I could show you the expression he gave me when I asked if he wanted to go buy a Wii at Sam's Club last Wednesday Night... priceless.  P.S. Thanks mom and dad for our wonderful birthday present!The spread I made for Nick's very belated birthday feast... sirloin steaks, grilled asparagus, roasted rosemary red potatoes, strawberries and some bubbly.  The babies wouldn't touch anything but the strawberries.The first time I ever chopped chocolate... in fact the first time I've even thought about making something that would require chopping chocolate.Spreading the gnoche... notice how the apron totally clashes with the sweater?  I think making a new "cute"  more neutral colored apron is in order.  Does anyone have a pattern or a really detailed blog post to teach me how  to make one?  Oh, and no I did not miraculously grow two feet.  I'm standing on a stool...

Quite possibly the most beautiful cake I've ever made... and definitely the most time consuming.  This cake has a brownie layer, a chocolate mousse layer, a chocolate cake layer, and gnoche... a chocolate lovers DREAM and a very pretty dessert!  Thanks for the recipe Sara!

Nick blowing out his candle... on the finest masterpiece of a cake I have ever made.

This mornings beautiful spread... If only I had Melissa or Nicole here I would know how to lay it out even better...

How we all feel about the fact that there are only TWO (count em' 1, 2) baby wipes in the entire house....

I think a trip to Sam's Club is in order....

Hunting for Easter Eggs

I consider Saturday my family day.  Call me blasphemous, but Saturday seems to be more sacred than Sunday for our family.  Sunday comes with meetings, more meetings, visiting teaching, home teaching... all of which I just accept with a deep sigh.  Meetings and commitments on Saturday though just irk me in a grouchy way.  Until recently Saturdays were our free days, where Nick was home all day long, give us all of his time and attention.  School has changed that a bit with studying, group projects and the like but most of Saturday still holds sacred to the family.  

So having Nick out of town on a Saturday is a devastating shock to my system.  Being the dramatic person that I am, I TOTALLY could have sat around my house feeling sorry for myself, but I didn't.  Instead I made some phone calls and found friends who were also husband-less on Saturday morning.  Being the Saturday before Easter we decided to take our kiddos out hunting for eggs.

Maddie and Lyssa sharing a stroller ride.

Sara did a wonderful job corralling the boys, mesmerized by the fire truck.

When the horn went off Alec and Isaac made their way across the playground to find their eggs.  Quantity wasn't a big deal to these two little ones.  They just wanted to open their eggs up and find the goodies inside. 

With some coaxing Alec climbed under this park bench to find a few more eggs to add to his basket.

Isaac was so excited about his pinwheel he found.  Doesn't he have the some of the most beautiful eyes?  

Maddie was happy as pie in the stroller as long as the boys brought her an egg or two to open.

Most of the eggs had coupons for restaurants, stickers, or fake Easter tattoos, which I appreciated.  My kid don't need a bunch of candy to be happy at this age, and I don't need my kids on a sugar high.  :-)

Every sticker was the coolest thing ever to this little man.  He was so excited!

Once the eggs started opening up Lyssa had enough of the stroller and wanted in on the action.  

Once the kids had their yummy Easter treats we decided that the Mommy deserved a treat as well.  We walked over to a nice little bakery around the corner for some fabulous bread and pastries... 

We stepped inside the bustling busy bakery for about two seconds before I realized how well my kids were NOT going to handle the situation.  So I left Sara some money with the charge to pick me out something fantastic while I took my babies outside.  (She did not disappoint by the way... yummy bread and pastries that I could but shouldn't eat all day!) I took advantage of the beautiful lighting and had a mini-photo shot.

(Click on this link to see the collage larger.)

All the way home the babies kept asking for more bread and pastries.  Delicious!  It was such a beautiful day that I didn't have the heart to put them right down for naps so we played outside for a while.  I went and found the beautiful plastic eggs my mom sent the babies for Easter, and filled them with Cheerios.  Then I hid them all over the yard.  The kids had a BLAST finding them.  In fact, we played this game over and over throughout the day.  

(Click on this link to make the collage larger.)

It wasn't by any means ideal to have Nick out of town, missing all these fun moments, but it was still wonderful just the same thanks to beautiful weather, kind friends...

and some of the sweetest moments with my babies.  

Happy Easter!

Why My Kids Love Race Car Carts...

Erin was fascinated with the race car cart phenomenon.  When we walk through the store the babies and I look like your every day shoppers, just driving a car, making engine sounds... okay so maybe right there that says we're not every day shoppers, but stay with me.  Occasionally we find an empty isle and race down as fast as we can, then turn the corner looking all normal again.  

When I make it out to the parking lot I turn into a cool mom, having no shame... Erin decided to take a video, recording my awkward running for the world to see... Enjoy!

Thoughts from Last Friday

Some women blog more when their husbands are gone... perhaps because they have more time?  Some women blog love letters to their far away lovers.  Me, I just stop blogging all together.  

Let me just say that there is a lot of pressure to publish something good after not blogging for two weeks straight, especially when you usually post every three days.  You feel this need to post something FABULOUS, something witty AND clever, something thought provoking, or something cute that leaves everyone saying "Ahh!  Yes, that's why she was neglecting her blog for so long.  We will faithfully keep reading.  All is forgiven." 

I have nothing worthy of any of these comments, so instead I will be posting what was in my journal last Friday.  Take it for what it is... and hopefully some of my faithful readers will stay with me... not that I necessarily write this for you, but whatev.....

Alec and Erin swinging in the backyard... he had no clue that in a few short minutes his Daddy would be leaving for a week.

Friday, April 10, 2009

It seems like every April I go through a blogging lull where I just don't feel up to saying much.  It's that time of year when I'm so ready for Spring to come and every snow that falls feels like  a slap in the face.  Last Sundays snow was just cruel.  Nick left for Brazil the day before and the timing of snow could not have been more rotten.  Thankfully my sister, Erin, was able to come out here and play and keep us happy for a few days.

Alec with his beloved Cars shoes and a bandaged chin (if you look close you can see it.  He split it open the day after Nick left).

Erin flew in on Saturday with gifts all around.  Alec promptly put on his Cars shoes (that are 3 sizes too big) and has not wanted to take them off much since.   He walks around like a clown and it's so much fun to watch.  Erin and I had a viewing of the original 'Cheaper By the Dozen' (so much better than the new version), and 'Bells On Their Toes', both beloved childhood favorites.  We took the kiddos on many outings, jam packing what I would normally do over an entire week into only a few days.  We played at all the Mall play areas.  We went to the Science Center.  We even took the babies swimming one morning and Alec went under the water by his own choice!  It was awesome!  Erin introduced me to a baby swimming program called "Little Dippers".  Very interesting stuff.

Erin playing Glenda, the Good Witch of the North at the Science Center.

See those little people below her?  They're the munchkins from Oz.

We also took Erin grocery shopping with us at our favorite Grocery Store.  It's our favorite because of the race car carts.  She couldn't get over the Monsterously HUGE cart.  

Yes, we played hard and talked and stayed up until all hours of the night... which I unfortunately paid for yesterday when Erin left.  I was dead almost all day.  It was a shocking reminder of why I don't want to be pregnant for a while because when I'm pregnant I feel sick 24/7, and it's way too hard to take care of two very little people by yourself and be sick at the same time.  I kept kicking myself all day long yesterday, recognizing that it was my own fault for getting sick, thinking that I could act like an irresponsible teenager staying up till 2 AM.  I did get about 10 hours of sleep last night (Thursday night) that made a world of difference (Thanks Becca for the NyQuil!  What would I do without you?).  

So yes, sadly Erin left early yesterday (Thursday) morning and life must continue on, even with Nick still away in Brazil.  We all miss him terribly, but I'm so glad he is having this opportunity.  Plus, Alec can now point out Brazil on the world map, so at least we're learning something. 

 DAhh!  I just realized my front tooth is chipped!  How on earth did I do that!  I guess a trip to the dentist this next week will be in order...  (yes I do still need to call the dentist about that.) 

More to come over the next few days about Easter Egg Hunts, Easter Sunday, Nick's trip to Brazil, Nick's safe return, and Nick's Birthday!

Sponge Lucy

Meet Sponge Lucy. 

I hate to admit it, but Sponge Lucy doesn't come out from her under the sink confines very often.  In fact, she usually only makes appearances before guests are coming to stay or weeks of neglect leave the bathrooms showing off their nasty side.  Yesterday was such a day. 

You may be wondering where she acquired such a name as Sponge Lucy.  I will tell you.   While I, Moma Cinderella (aka Moma Chrissy) toiled away scrubbing the bathroom floor, Prince Alec  earnestly inquired, "is that Sponge Bob?"  

Smiling I looked up at the sweet little boy leaning over the bathroom baby gate and told him, no, it was not Sponge Bob, but perhaps we could give it another name.  He again called it Sponge Bob (not to be confused with a yellow sponge who wears square pants.) We went back and forth debating possible names and eventually decided on Lucy.  So there you have it, Sponge Lucy in all her glory.  Alec was most pleased to give something a name. 

The little Prince and Princess happily learned all about bathroom cleaning (from the other side of the baby gate) until Alec picked up one of the recently checked out library books and said "Lyssa!  You want to read a book, Lyssa?  Let's go to the couch!"  And off they went, Alec running carrying 'A Good Day' by Kevin Henkes, and Lyssa toddling close behind him as fast as her little legs could go.  

They were happy... happy to go play together for a few moments, laughing and giggling as Alec recited the story lines he had already memorized.  Then they moved on to other things, entertaining themselves and each other while I finished up my work.  

I was happy... happy they can entertain themselves so I didn't have to do this chore during my precious quiet time (nap time).  I was happy to teach them a little more about chores, knowing someday I will expect them to take over some of these nasty duties.  I was happy to recognize that one of beauties of having little ones close together is the fact that they never have to be alone.  There will always be someone around and they may quite possibly learn to occupy each other.  

I was happy to realize that in the last year my quality of life has significantly increased and it's likely to only continue to do so in the upcoming months and years.  Spring must be coming.  I'm feeling abnormally optimistic... that or the massive amounts of chocolate I've been consuming lately are doing their job.  Either way, I'll take it.