Crazy Quilt

Springtime is full of crazy quilt days. Haphazard, random, mismatched and asymmetrical. Nonproductive tiny scraps of time before the bus comes or between Scouts and piano lessons. Seemingly endless stretches like the bouncy thirty minutes spent in the back of the field trip bus or the teeth-chattering hours under a useless blanket at the baseball diamond. There are no solid square blocks in which to accomplish anything from beginning to end.

Laundry baskets carried downstairs on Good Intention Monday are still blocking traffic in the mudroom. (Oh thank heavens the house sold quickly!) And I'm not really sure if their contents are clean or dirty at this point. Life is served on paper plates and I'm running out of healthy dinners to serve on-the-go. Please, don't ask to see the inside of my car.

Luckily, I've made it through a few of these dizzy seasons before. I know that once the field days and spring concerts and softball tournaments are over, life settles into a slower and gentler summer routine. (Will it this year? I hope so. As gentle as moving six people 2,300 miles can be, anyway.)

I'm just hoping that once these insane days are all sewn up, I'll be able to stand back a little bit, take a deep breath and see the crazy beauty created by so many random scraps.

Things Are Moving

This is really happening.

Our house sold in a quick ten days. I didn't realize how stressed I had been about the whole thing until I signed my name to accept the offer. Suddenly the phrase weak with relief took on a completely new meaning.

And, in the meantime, I put twenty years' worth of marital trust into Brad's capable hands and allowed him to choose a house for us. All. By. Himself.

I'm not totally crazy. It's just that the market has been picking up and Brad had found THE ONE on his last trip out. We had to act fast. So we did. I guess it's meant to be.

He loves it because:

1. It was a good deal.
2. It has a big backyard which is completely unfinished and will thus allow him creative expression in creating his own desert oasis.
3. There are plenty of bedrooms, including one for the mother-in-law. On a separate floor.
4. It's a "project" house, which means lots of trips to Home Depot.
5. Most importantly: a man-sized garage. Big enough to live in. (Which of course he will if I hate the new house.)

Six of One, Half-a-dozen of the Other

(They may look a little awkward, but I made 'em both from scratch.
The cakes, too...)

Can you believe the twinks are six? Neither can I. And, I guess, technically, they're not six for another couple days. But we started celebrating last night since Brad will be gone this week and it's never to soon to start a party around here.

Oh, how I love these boys! Every mom needs twin boys. Double shots of testosterone zooming through the house. One for each hand. One for each arm. They are ideal companions for one another and great company for me. The perfect double play.

More than the older two, these guys have really grown up on my blog. Which is a good thing, since I never did get around to finishing (OK, starting!) their scrapbooks. Remember their humble beginnings? Remember the birthday party that never happened? In fact, my first ever blogpost (March 10, 2007) is a masterpiece entitled Twinsanity! It seems to be a running theme.

Sam and Luke gave me the gift of a pregnant belly and satisfied my curiosity regarding Brad and I mixing DNA. (And you know what? Being pregnant and seeing my own genetics come to life actually taught me how small those elements figure into the creation of a real family. So, amazingly, having biological children helped me love my adopted kids even more. Ain't life great?!)

Still, the twins taught me that hope and faith aren't just words in the Bible. Because it's pretty hard not to believe in miracles, when two of them are sitting in your kitchen eating Eggo waffles every morning.

Sam. Every time I say his name I smile. Can't help it. He's full of catch phrases and funny gestures. "Ouch! That just hurt like the dickens!" or "Sorry Mom, not gonna happen." Even when he's being difficult, Sam's only a heartbeat away from a dimple-cracking grin. Sam looks on the bright side of life and already knows how to charm the ladies. He's a numbers man, a loud talker, a friend to everyone and, definitely, a momma's boy.

Luke. If Luke were a fruit, he'd be a pineapple. If he were an animal-- a porcupine or maybe a turtle. He's a little tough and bristly on the outside to protect the tenderness within. Because deep deep down, Luke's such a softie. An animal lover, a musician, an artist and a poet. He's the carnivore who requested ribs, steak AND bacon for his birthday dinner. He puts up with Mom, but nobody puts a smile on his face like Snitchy (aka Dad).

Happiness was born a twin.--Lord Byron

Celebrating six years of happiness and real-life miracles...

Love you!

April Distractions

Last night, I came up with the perfect post along with alliterative title. I loved it and it was going to be so great. Then, as I started to type, I got that deja-vu-all-over-again kind of feeling and realized, after clicking around a bit, that I had used the EXACT title and written practically the EXACT same post almost EXACTLY 365 days ago.

So, I guess, the bottom line is this....I cannot focus on blogging (or making dinner or doing laundry or planning a lesson or shopping on a budget or anything requiring thought, patience or restraint) in April. It's not just this year, it's an annual occurence.

Aside from a life-changing cross-country move, children who are growing up faster than my azalea bushes and a calendar packed to the brim with springtime activities, here are a few of my favorite distractions:

Em and I have been reading this together at night. (Jake also usually shows up and lays on the floor "not listening." He's too cool for chick lit.) It is the original Mean Girls story and Emily is at the perfect age to read and discuss. I highly recommend for anyone with daughters (or cool older brothers).

Posession. Loved the book, love the movie. While Brad's been away this week, I have been watching it in 45 minute segments at night, in bed, on my laptop before being swallowed up in exhaustion. Sweet dreams.



And...if you happen to stay up too late reading to your kids or watching movies on your laptop, you will definitely want to get some of this stuff. Bobbi Brown concealer is the BEST for covering undereye circles and other unsightly facial flaws. My mom and sisters told me about it in Vegas and I am hooked. Serious spackle for the face. Thank you, Bobbi. You know how to treat a girl right.

What's distracting you this April?

Capitol

Why were my kids out of school again? I really don't know. I've stopped asking.

But since they had another free day, we took another fun daytrip.

This time tagging along with Brad on a client visit to DC.

It was truly a memorable day.

I just hope my kids remember...

cherry blossoms,

snow cones,

stopping at an old favorite in Chevy Chase,

and exploring Air and Space at the Smithsonian.

And I hope they DON'T remember spilling in the restaurant, fighting in the backseat, crying because their feet hurt and whining because we didn't buy t-shirts.

Good times.

Spring, I Love You

Me + spring = happy + busy

When the sun starts to shine in April, I suddenly remember what a happy person I am. I didn't recognize how cold and dark things had been all winter. But once the rays come out and I can pull off the parka, I realize that all I needed was a little light and warmth and some vitamin D.

The natural sunlight, and all the springtime business that goes along with it, has pulled me away from the artificial light of my computer screen. I have much to catch up on...

Batter Up

Base/soft/t-ball has basically taken over our lives. Practices, pictures, games, keeping track of everyone's gloves and uniforms. It's a full-time job. So far so good. Jake is a strong lefty, Luke and Em are righties, like me. Sam still doesn't know if he's a left-handed player or a right-handed player...but we love him ambidextrously.

Can you believe it was warm enough to head to the beach last week?

Have I mentioned the weather is glorious? It's been park-hopping and eating on the back patio for us. Mother Nature is kindly helping us keep our house clean.

Two of us freckle, two of us brown like butter and two of us just turn pink. We are all shades of happy around here.

Want to buy our house?

The realtors have been knocking this week. Lots of foot traffic. Lots of good feedback. I spend an awful lot of time wiping out sinks, running up/down stairs to turn on every single light in the house. My home has never been this clean for so many consecutive days.

The youngest "old man" I know

Brad has been around a little bit more lately. It's so nice. Like sunshine, I don't realize how much I miss him until he comes back and lights up my life.

Here is what we do after dinner. The picture is a little shaky, but Emmie's commentary makes me smile.

Big Leagues

Today was Opening Day for baseball and softball.

All four are playing this season.

Li'l Sluggers: Then and Now

Thankfully, the twinks can play on the same team. So we only have three fields, three games and three practice schedules to juggle. Four would be suicide.

Am looking forward to a killer farmer's tan and a lot of hot dogs.

Living On Pins and Needles

As of yesterday, our house is officially on the market. The sign's up and the phone has started to ring. Happily, the closets are clean and all the rooms are freshly painted. My floors are gleaming and the carpets have been shampooed. Now, if I can just teach the kids to levitate, we'll all be ok.

I'm settling in for months of walking backwards out of every room to make sure things look just right. No unflushed toilets, no toys on the stairs and no unmade beds. Yikes.

Our realtor's name is Maxine. We interviewed a whole gaggle of realtors before signing on with her. It is nerve wracking to take cold-hearted strangers through your home. Like a really intense Parent Teacher Conference. Here is my child, my heart and soul. I know her handwriting leaves a lot to be desired, but have you seen her whiz through her math facts? Have you heard her British accent? Does her smile take your breath away?

Except with the realtors, I'm thinking, Here is my house, it's where my heart lives. I know the floors squeak and the corner cupboard sticks, but you should see it all lit up for Christmas. And how about the big shade tree in the backyard with the swing? And doesn't the yellow dining room just make you happy?

Maxine is like the kindergarten teacher who doesn't just love all children. She's the one who loves my child. She totally gets our house. She likes it. She LOVES it. So, hopefully, she can sell it.

I know with a big house on today's market, it might be a long wait. But am still keeping my fingers crossed.

Because it's kinda prickly living on pins and needles.

Philadelphia Story

Spring Break--Day Two: An Educational Trip into Philly. The kids were good tourists and enjoyed a taste of history.

I'm not kidding myself, though. I know what rings their bell.

Seriously, which Liberty Bell would YOU prefer?

And, would you prefer a trip to the Mint (where, apparently, they are not making coins due to the recession and the fact that casinos use tickets these days) ...

...or a mint shake at Franklin Square?

Sam was the only one to accidentally whack someone with his club. Unfortunately, she was not a member of this family. Oops.

Still, we had a lot of traditional Philly brotherly and sisterly love.

Monday's destination: Gettysburg.

Thank goodness our Spring Break was cut short to make up snow days.

I'm not sure how much more love I can handle.

Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses

Spring Break--Day One: I decided to take the kids to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

We're always up for an educational outing and the weather has been gorgeous.

Apparently, everyone else had the same idea.

We stood in line for over two and a half hours just to get on the ferry. I actually started to feel like an immigrant mother shepherding my little aliens through the crowd, surrounded by people of every culture and religion. Just how DID those greenhorn mommas do it without CapriSun, antibacterial wipes and PacMan on the cell phone?

Tomorrow: The Liberty Bell