The Grotto

So I was trying to co-ordinate a hike with some friends this weekend and was super excited about it until I realized that Bart has class every Saturday morning.

Normally I'd just take Addison and Hannah by my self, but carrying Hannah in a backpack on a hike right now may not be the best idea...especially since the doctor doesn't want me carrying her much anyway...and I doubt Bart would have been too thrilled with an idea (he's becoming very protective of me with respect to picking things up). So I resigned myself to the fact that I probably wouldn't be going on any more hikes until after the twins are born. Sigh.

Then, come Saturday morning, Bart ended up NOT having class!!! I was so bummed! It was too late to catch up with our friends, but I was DETERMINED to go on a hike! So I forced a reluctant, thinking-about-the-loads-of-homework-and-yard-work-to-be-done Bart into the car with the kids and we headed off to The Grotto.

Now, can I just tell you, The Grotto has got to be the best hike EVER for kids. It's super short, super easy, and super beautiful! It literally only took us two hours from the time we drove out of our driveway to the time we drove back in. (Perfect for a guy who has a billion things to do). And...by the way...isn't he the most handsome man you've EVER seen! I know. I'm lucky.
Addison, Hannah, and I did the hike last year with the Young Women. The trickiest part for kids is the log bridges that cross the river. The first time I saw them, Addison was up front with one of the young women and I was a little way behind. I thought, "Oh no, is Addison going to be scared of these" (one is more than her height above the water), but she hopped on and walked right across without hesitation...AWESOME.

Fall has got to be the perfect time to take the hike too because the leaves are all changing and it is just gorgeous! Addison has always been a leaf collector, so she was in heaven.

Overall, Bart agreed, it was the perfect beginning to a perfect day. :o) The yard work got done, significant progress was made on the homework, and we had some fun family bonding time. Life is good!

Ever get tired of making a gazillion milk bottles?

This is my solution

I do realize that I haven't posted....like at all...this summer. And I would like to remedy that and catch everyone up on our summer. Hopefully that will happen sometime soon. But I'm pregnant with twins, so I make no promises.

In the mean time, here are some really cute pictures of my children from today:

Does anyone remember this post? How about this one? Well, I think my daughter is some sort of seer. Not only were we (soon after the conversations) surprised with a pregnancy, but when we went in for an ultrasound to figure out exactly when I was due (did I mention it was a BIG surprise) this is what we found:

REALLY FREAKING BIG SURPRISE. And THAT is the understatement of the year. I used to look at people who had their kids close together and think, "I could NEVER EVER EVER do that. They may be the type of person who can do it, but I couldn't." This is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO not a funny joke.

I just keep repeating 1 Corinthians 10:13 to myself. I will not be tempted above that I am able. Okay, that may sound weird. It's not like having two babies is a temptation, but man, having 3 kids ages 19 months and under, two of which are infants is seriously TERRIFYING to me. TERRIFYING! I keep telling myself that scripture also means I'm not going to be given challenges I can't rise to meet.

I wish I could say that it's bringing me a lot of comfort, but I have to admit, I'm still feeling pretty freaking overwhelmed. I guess that's why it takes 9 months for babies to be born. To give the moms time to adjust to the idea of having a new little one...or two little ones. Man, just talking about it is overwhelming me. Okay, I'm going to go to sleep now. If I thought I was tired and sick with one, two is worse!

PRAY FOR ME!

P.S. We won't know the genders for a few months still, but given our track history I would guess two girls. Addison, however, says we're going to have three sisters and a brother. So I'm not doubting the little foreseer again. If it is a boy and girl, though, that will be REALLY crazy. My parents had two girls, then twins that are a girl and boy, then another girl. Even if it is a boy and girl, we won't be copying my family. I am DONE after this. I am making myself feel a little less overwhelmed by telling myself over and over, "I will never be morning sick again."

Toyota

So the other day we were hearing some news story about Toyotas and the following conversation took place:

Addison: Mom, I want a Toyota.

Me: (Thinking, "Oh great, it's starting young.") We have a Toyota.

Addison: We do?

Me: Yeah, our white car is a Toyota.

Addison: ::::Confused Pause:::: Can I have it at my birthday party?

Me: (Thinking, "Great, I may have to throw her another birthday party this year...I'll have to figure out how to get around this, I can't give every kid a birthday party every year.") Um...Maybe.

Addison: Good and candy?

Me: Okay...

Addison: And we'll hit it and all the candy will fall down.

Me: ::::Confused Pause::::

Me: ::::Sudden Realization::::

Me: You mean a Pinata.

Addison: No, a Toyota.

Me: A Pinata is the thing you hit with a stick and then when it breaks open, Candy comes out of it. A Toyota is a car.

Addison: Oh....So Can I have a Toyota at my party?

Me: The thing that you hit with a stick and then candy comes down when it breaks open?

Addison: Yeah

Me: A Pinata

Addison: Okay, thanks mom.

I'm not sure what happened, But I'm glad the confusion is cleared up.

Who's the Fairest of Them All?

So over the past few days, TONS of people have commented to me about how fair Hannah is. I don't THINK she's any whiter than Addison was, but I don't remember people ever commenting on Addison's pale skin. The comments always include her fair skin and beautiful blue eyes. Her eyes are also the exact same color as Addison's. Maybe they're a little wider, but other than that, I don't think there is much of a difference.

Maybe it's because of the season. As the weather warms up people are wanting to bask in the sun's warmth, so maybe such a pale baby stands out among all the sun kissed people. We too enjoy basking in the sun's warmth, but it's never without our SPF 30+ baby sunscreen. I'll take pale skin over skin cancer any day. Especially with my kids. When they grow up if they choose to scorch themselves at least they won't be able to blame any skin cancer woes on me. I'm sure according to them I will be the source of many other wows, but with respect to the sun, I made sure they were protected when I was in charge.