fun

Swimming in Sunshine

November 17, 2011 By Kristen 4 Comments

While walking this morning, I saw a man on a bike. It struck me… because the bike was old fashioned – without the extra “speeds.” It also struck me because … from my vantage point, that man looked carefree.

I want to ride a bike. With no hands.
I want to swim in an ocean of clear blue water. And lay my head back on a pillow of soft waves.
I want to wiggle my toes in the sand.
I want to taste snowflakes on my tongue as I spin around in a circle.
I want to sled down a hill. With no hands.
I want to ride in the back of a pick up truck on a bumpy dirt road.
I want to take a nap on the green grass.
I want to feel the raindrops on my eyelashes and know they are not tears.
I want to belly flop from a ~~high~~ low diving board.
I want to spend an hour looking at purses and shoes. Without guilt.

I want to unfurl the ball of stress from my shoulders.

I miss the simple pleasures of my childhood.

I’m in love with my life now, but there are these times when I long for some youthful daydreams.

Today is one of those days. I’m going to jot down my selfish daydreams and come back to them another day. Today, I will go home and be mom, wife, co-worker, and friend.

Today – I’m going to give myself permission to smile in remembrance of my youth and embrace the responsibilities of today.

Is there something you “want” to do?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: fun, Inspirations, random

Kristen FAQ

November 3, 2011 By Kristen 11 Comments

So here are the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Are you having any more kids? None’Ya. As in None of your Business. Don’t know. We’ll see. Are you? Are you pregnant right now? Why aren’t you? How come you aren’t going to have any more? …hmmm – too personal?

2. Were your twins “natural?” Nope. We just did it a lot. *sigh* I know… that answer is a little much – but so is the question. I’m just going to go back to None’Ya. Does it matter? Does it make them less of twins? Or me less of a mom? Who cares anyway?

3. So…. does anyone else in your side or your husband’s side of the family have Alexander’s syndrome? Yup. We all do. Actually… we all have something worse – the ability to speak. Like you just did. Our genetics give us the insensitive bone that would allow for such a question. Does it matter? Does it make a difference? I did it. I have the magical power (that most of us associate with God’s divine miracles) to chop off part of a chromosome.

4. You talk about your weight struggles a lot. How much do you weigh, anyway? (was really asked this within the last month). I weigh somewhere between 112lbs and 1/2 a ton. You can give an educated guess somewhere in there. (As I punch them).

5. How long do you expect Alexander to live? (A crazy lady asked me this) Longer than you.

6. Which one of the twins do you like more? (Seriously used to get this all the time) I like Andrew more. No wait! Addison more! No wait…. who just bad mouthed me? Because I like the other one more! How about I love them both… sort of equally? Ever hear of that?

Honestly – I don’t think most people have malice in their hearts when they ask these questions. I think people more or less are just curious and lack some tact.

Here is what I think people want to know….

7. How do you do it? I drink a lot. (Kidding) And watch a lot of reality T.V. My life doesn’t seem so bad when compared to Kim K’s 72 day marriage. (Not Kidding)

8. What is it like to have a child on a feeding pump? Weird. Totally weird. Every night… when I mix up the bag and put him on the pump, I am surprised that I am doing it. Almost like the first time.

9. How do you manage attention for everyone? The best way we know how. We try to push past the fear of germs and hurting Alexander to encourage them to hug, kiss, play with him. Pray … pray that they all know we love them. Blog… blog my love into permanent ink.

10. Are you ok? Yes. Thanks for asking.

Thanks Mama Kat – for letting me link up today.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: fun, random, Writing

Epic Work Fail

October 28, 2011 By Kristen 5 Comments

I want to tell you a story.

When we had the twins, we were visited by a very sweet family friend. She brought the babies each a gift and she also brought me something. She brought me this t-shirt that said, “I love twins.” Well… the love is actually 2 hearts – but it is a super sweet t-shirt.

The shirt is awesome because the thought behind it – but truth is … it is not really something I wear on a regular basis.

This week was spirit week. Wednesday was “Wacky Wednesday.” I decided to wear the shirt because it was a little “fun.” I wanted to make sure people all knew I was “Wacky” – so I also put my hair in pigtails. As one added bonus – I put on a scarf. Finally… I was ready to show my school spirit in a “Wacky” way.

Apparently … this shirt has a double meaning.

I’m going to be completely honest here.

It NEVER even occurred to me.

Never Crossed My MIND.

Did I mention I teach high school students? Of course, none of the students actually pointed it out to me.

We are going to go with Epic Work Fail.

********************************************************************************************************

One more bit of Exciting News! I’m going to start a new linky on Monday.

I need something mindless on Monday – so let’s go for “Make Me Laugh Monday”

You know that picture you have? On your cell phone? Or the one you secretly want to snap – because of the ridiculousness that is occurring? Well – snap it. And post it.

1. You can post a picture you’ve taken and say nothing at all.
2. You can post a picture you’ve taken and tell the true story behind the picture. (Maybe the story is what makes the picture funny.) – like above…
3. You can post a picture you’ve taken and make up a story to explain the picture. (hey… the internet is full of lies – why not share one on this blog.)

*** Actually – some of the funniest times are when friends and I “create” conversations or identities for people we don’t know / can’t hear. Get down with it ***

I’m also open to suggestions on how to get more funny photos on the linky – so If you have an idea.. let me know. And… if you come up with a better name – pass that along too.

Monday. Funny Photo. Story or no Story. True or Not True. Only real rule is – the photo must be yours.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: fun, life, random

Over Indulging our kids… and Undermining my Husband

September 20, 2011 By Kristen 3 Comments

I’ve been undermining Ray. Not on purpose, but… *sigh* the truth is – he’s been over indulgent to the kids. This past summer it seems every time I turned around – he was doing / getting them something. You want an example? check out the post HERE. Or… even this weekend – he left to get chemicals for the pool and came home with:
A tool belt
Musical Violin
Musical Saxophone
Small Piano
Battle Ship
Dinosaurs
And a couple of other things….

And they have a Birthday coming up in one month. * I hang my head in shame here .* I’ve been undermining this birthday. I’ve felt ashamed that we were “going all out” for their 3 year old party. I’ve felt like we should be doing something a little more … low key … for a birthday.

Ray’s booked a “destination” party. We’re all going to a farm. At the farm, there is a corn maze, hay ride, and petting zoo. We’re doing a whole farm theme, complete with farm themed invitations. We have farm themed games, farm themed food, and farm themed activities back at our house after the party. We are inviting our friends and there should be a nice group of kids to enjoy the twins birthday. Instead of jumping up and down with excitement, even though the party sounds amazing, I have been quietly undermining Ray’s efforts because I felt it was a little lavish. I’ve felt I needed to explain that this was Ray’s thing.

And now I feel ashamed. Last Tuesday helped me to put things in perspective, once again.

What if you were dating someone or even friends with someone who said, “I’ll come get you for dinner,” and never showed up? How many times would you allow that behavior happen before you just… ditched that person? They say Actions speak louder than Words. Sometimes I hate what our actions say. They say… “We are not reliable. We tell you we will be there for you, but we don’t always show up.”

I know everyone reading this blog is thinking, it isn’t our fault. But 3 year olds don’t understand that. They wouldn’t speak to us when they returned home from the babysitter’s. We don’t want to make a big deal about Alexander needing us, because the last thing we want is for them to resent him. So they resent us… And if Raymond wants to throw them a grand birthday party to speak loudly YOU ARE SPECIAL TOO… then, a grand birthday party it shall be.

Which brings me right back to Raymond’s gift giving. I hear people comment on the amount of toys my children have. First, they don’t have that many…. but secondly – Imagine if almost weekly your sibling got new and cool toy? Therapists leave Alexander toys all the time in the hopes that it will be the thing that triggers a new skill. How long until do you think it will be until the twins resent all those “gifts?”
*I actually came home to another “gift” for Alexander. It is a water therapy pool to help with his mobility. Let me tell you – the twins think it looks awesome*

So again … I feel ashamed. If Ray wants to go “picking” (this is what he calls himself when he stops at a yard sale) toys for the twins… then why can’t he? Why should anyone care what my children have anyway? Why should I feel the need to explain to others (or apologize) because my children got something?

I’m hoping the overindulgence will come to a slow simmer. But, I’m also going to stop feeling guilty because we chose to show our love many ways. I tell my kids I love them about a million times a day. I tuck my kids into bed every night. I hug them… over and over again. But, I also break promises and disappear for days unexpectedly. I will no longer undermine my husband as he plans an amazing birthday party. Instead – I will focus on what a blessing it is to be married to a man who takes the time to think about our kid’s needs.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blessings, fun, I've Got an Opinion on Everything, Misunderstanding, Twins

Summer Fun Show Off

August 8, 2011 By Kristen 6 Comments

A really cool link up is going on over at Things I Can’t Say

You can show off your Summer Fun in one quick re-cap. Here is ours:

It was the Summer of 2 – year – old – Tantrums (x2)…

It was the summer of adventure…

It was the Summer of Cuteness…

It was the summer of Love…

There is our summer in review.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: fun, random

Random

July 30, 2011 By Kristen 3 Comments

There are so many small things going on here… and no big things – I thought I would just take a moment to catch us up.

Still Loving Dress Up

1. I taught the kids a new phrase yesterday. “Daddy has an addiction problem.” Hehe. Ray mentioned that it was Friday and there would be yardsales out. I said, “Stop spending money! You have an addiction problem!” And… what do I hear from the backseat? Yup…. A little chorus of “Daddy has an addiction problem.” Did I mention that I’m still laughing over here.

2. We are filming for the seizure dog. How weird is it to be shopping for groceries while Ray follows us around with a camera narrating our actions? I mean… people are starting to stare. I think they imagine that we are trying to get on some sort of “help me with my 3 screaming kids” reality show. Honestly. I saw a friend from the way back in the way back through a guy I used to date. He never even said hi. I’m sure it was because of the camera… definitely not because he didn’t recognize me ‘cause I’m not my 100ish lb self anymore.

3. On that topic.. I’ve lost right around 15-20lbs. I was at 15, then I went on vacation and now I’m back on track. This is not the news story of the night. *sigh* I broke my 4th blender today. I don’t think it is a stretch to say Ray is not thrilled. Apparently it’s not the easiest for a blender to grind up frozen strawberries for a smoothie. And when I say I broke it.. I mean – I broke the gears in it. Oops! I’m off to get another one tomorrow and I’m going to have to think of a new plan because I’m on blender lock down.


Those “scopes” are flutes

4. In payback for #1 … we were having a sing – a – long last night. You know… where the kids sing Veggie Tales songs or I start a song, etc. They asked Ray to teach them a song. Any guesses? “Girl, Don’t go away mad. Girl, Just go away.” I’m not gonna lie. It was funny. But we really have to watch it with our little repeaters. Here is how I imagine Sunday at church going.
Addison: “My daddy has an addiction problem.”
Pastor: “Oh yeah? Well maybe I should go talk to him about this.”
Andrew bursts into the room: “Girl! Don’t go away mad! Girl… Just go away!”
We find a new church…..

5. Speaking of new things. We are full fledged potty training around here. Ever try potty training twins at the same time? I believe I’ve said this before, but I will say it again… It’s a wonder I don’t drink. We are really interested in how everything works. There is a lot of motivational speaking. There is a lot of clapping. If someone’s on there too long – you might just get a sympathy hug or we’ve had to remind unnamed people to get their heads out of the way. Someone is definitely going to get peed on… and I’m pretty sure it will be me. Andrew did learn how to do the big boy shake and he is thrilled with this new accomplishment. If you don’t know what that is… ask your dad.

6. Finally … we are having a ton of fun around here. I have pictures galore… I’m just too tired to edit them and post the details of our adventures.
Here are a few more Random Pictures….

Too stinkin’ Cool for Words

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: fun, life, random

Confessions

July 24, 2011 By Kristen 4 Comments

Tonight seemed a night to unburden myself of confessions. A rough day of unpacking will do that to you. Remember… don’t take yourself too seriously – life is too short.

Confession #1. Sometimes I buy clothes and wear them without washing them. (Under garments excluded).

Confession #2. I only like 2 ice cubes in my drinks. More than 2 – they hit you on the nose and less than 2 – they melt too fast.

Confession #3. I’m currently wearing shorts from the Good Will. (I washed them first.) I find nothing wrong with shopping sensibly. Almost all my kid’s clothes are bought from a second hand store.

Confession #4. I once took a walk and came home with an empty stroller… because someone in the “rich neighborhood” near us put it out for free. See Confession #3 for further explanation
.

Confession #5. I seriously think Caillou needs a spanking. And his “enabler” narrator needs to stop justifying why he’s always upset or whatever. Sometimes you just do things because an adult tells you to.

Confession #6. I never dry my hands after washing them. When I was younger my dad used to “check” to see if I washed my hands after using the bathroom. If they weren’t wet – I had to go wash again… its sort of ingrained.

Confession #7. I think Ann Coulter is a bit of a right winged lunatic. (I give my dad 3 days from this post to call about this. … )

Confession #8. I own a book called the Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. I know. … I know…. – but – I find the mind of a sociopath interesting.

Confession #9. My washer is currently broken. It sort of washes… it just doesn’t really spin correctly. And yes, I took my kids to the beach instead of fixing it.

Confession #10. We also lived in this house for 4 years with a stove that had exposed wires…. because I didn’t want to shell out the money on a good stove and didn’t want to buy a junky one.

Confession #11. When I wake up in the middle of the night – I check my blackberry to see if someone commented on the blog or e-mailed me.

Confession #12. I have a secret crush on Sean Connery. Yes. That one.

Confession #13. I only open our mail once a month. I seriously can’t handle it to open it every day.

Confession #14. I wear a size 11/12 shoe. Yes. You read that right. Stinking Pregnancy… no one’s feet should be that big.

Confession #15. I almost forgot! I wore a bathing suit to the beach this past week that I got when I was pregnant with the twins. That means…. **- it is 4 years old. ** – it was maternity. ** – it fell apart while we were at the beach. *sigh*

Sometimes we just have to laugh at ourselves. Confessions are good for the soul. There is nothing wrong with owning your little quirks.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Embarrassing, fun, life, random

A sucker is born every minute–also known as…

July 23, 2011 By Kristen 4 Comments

~~Beach madness part 3~~ or ~~The most fun money can buy~~ or ~~Capturing the happiness of my 4 great loves~~ or ~~Why Ray has valid points about us going to 1 income.~~ Truth is… any one of those titles would work. At the end of the post – tell me which title most appropriately applies.
Yesterday it was over 100 degrees F … so we decided to go to the aquarium. The kids LOVED it. All the exhibits were totally interactive, so we spent several hours there with absolutely no agenda. We were the first people in the door and left just as it was starting to get crowded around lunch time.

The kids looking at the fish. The sharks swam over top our heads and one of the employees fed the fish while we watched = Kids in AWE. Alexander just took it all in, but Andrew was all about touching.

Both kids climbed into a clam and slid down the mouth of a shark. Can I tell you it makes my heart happy?

But I must say…The Pirate ship was the hit of the entire Aquarium. Completely interactive. Completely Awesome!

After the Aquarium we headed off to find a cheap place to eat fast. Here is the problem… those two words – in conjunction – in an area we didn’t know at all. Not only did I have 2 screaming hungry toddlers, but I also had 1 hungry husband, a baby that needed fed and out of the heat, and no sunscreen. It seemed a logical choice to find a place right on the boardwalk – a place filled with shops and restaurants. The only real decision was – walk left or right. As hard as it seems to believe, we chose right when we should have gone left. Shop after shop… then the Italian Cuisine place that screamed “Expensive!” … then more shops, a few bars, and more shops… All the while I can feel the delicate skin of my children burning to a crisp. Finally – we found a place that didn’t say bar or have a wine list posted outside. Those were our only requirements at this point.

We ended up at the Key West Grill – and the food was great. Not only that – but the pirate theme totally rocked the kids world. Coolest thing – the manager let the parrot out for the kids to check out. I think Ray wants to get the kids a parrot when we get home. *sigh* But seriously – check out Addison’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich. The thing was the size of her head. Our sandwiches were the same way… let’s just say this was not the “hole in the wall – el’ cheapo – restaurant we thought it might be.

Of course… we had to stop at all these cool shops on our way back to the car.

Now… if you look closely, you will see part of our problem. 2 two year old toddlers in the toy store of the century. And ONE extra excited father. Notice… Daddy spots the train section… Daddy and Andrew confer on what toys will be necessary… oh – and Daddy picks up some pirate hats for good measure.

Finally, the end of our adventure for the day. We already had reservations for the evening. It was supposed to be our “date night out.” Ryan and Brooke babysat all of our kids and we headed off to Rioz – Brazilian Grill. If you have never been to one – you have to go. They are amazing. I ate sushi. I ate some exotic egg. Salads and cheeses and breads and … everything – on the salad bar. Then, these men come around with meat on skewers and slice off whatever taste of deliciousness you desire. It is not a meal, it is an experience. For the price of an experience. $$. Completely worth every penny.

I got off one clean shot of my plate (not my meat plate) before Ray explained that this made us look like country “bumpkins” and I needed to put my camera away. So I did… but you get the idea.
**I thought coming here would make everything seem so much clearer. I thought I would just “know” after this week. The truth is, I’m still left with more questions than answers. This day started out so simple and ended up costing a fortune. If I was not working, we might not be able to take vacations at all – much less expose our children to cool things like the Aquarium. I think, that in this process – I blog to help us all remember that the good times outweighed the bad. In that same light – We also do extra – to make memories with our children… so that when they look back on their childhood they can remember these good memories – over the bad ones of waking up in a strange house and not seeing us for several days. Will I be taking the second half of that equation away from them? ** sigh** still not “enlightened over here. **
But… Finally, a few last pictures of our time here :

And … just in case anyone is thinking of inviting us on another vacation – we are terrible house guests:

But a lot of fun….

See everyone back at home tomorrow. A “vacation” doesn’t need to involve the beach or spending lots of money. Be Pirates… Go hunt for treasure. Take lots of pictures. Love. Love. Love. each moment as if it could be your last.
A special thank you to my aunt and uncle who generously donated their beach place so our family would have a place to stay. And to my cousin and her family… who loves us as much as we love them.

For more pictures – check out HERE or HERE or some thoughts HERE.
Oh…. which title would have been the best? I bet you forgot that question by the time you hit the end of this post.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: fun, Memories, These Kids just might Drive me Crazy

You are my Sunshine, My only Sunshine…

July 19, 2011 By Kristen 2 Comments

You know what I love about the beach? The sun burns brighter. How can you lay on the sand and not smile? We were here before, when the twins were little, but they don’t remember it.

And in 2 years from now – they won’t remember this trip either. But Ray and I will. I remember talking to Brooke one day about taking her small children to Disney. I said, “but… they didn’t even remember it, they were so little.” And she said, “but I do.” I totally get it. My kids won’t have adult memories of our vacation, but I will have sweet footprints in my mind of the first time they ran down to the water. The first time we built a sand castle. The first time we felt the waves wash over our feet and giggled. I’m excited for my water baby to be on the beach and in the water. The beach screams happiness out loud. Our family needs to hear happiness. Screamed. Out Loud. There are a million other fun vacations. Ones that don’t require so many items to be packed or so many miles together in the car…. and they would be fun, but they wouldn’t be close-your-eyes-and-taste-the-rainbows-fun. Here are some pictures. Enjoy.

“Addison, You having a good time?”
“Yeah Andrew. It’s very fun here.”
**Love from us to you. More sunshine to come. **

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Family, fun, Memories, Parenting

The hypothetical situation that almost hypothetically ruined an anniversary

July 9, 2011 By Kristen 3 Comments

First – I must tell you that before Ray and I were married, we had to complete “marriage counseling” sessions with our pastor. During one of those sessions, we examined – in depth – the way our parents react to situations, values they handed down to us, and practices we have unwittingly adopted from them.

Next – I’m going to tell you several hypothetical stories. These are of “sensitive” issues, so I don’t want you to think – for even a moment – that they could be about me or my family.

Hypothetically, there is this couple that had an anniversary.

Hypothetically – the wife in this couple unwittingly inherited many habits from her own father. One of those habits was a relaxed attitude about things that are not “essential.” For example… this wife’s father (hypothetically) probably has at least one vehicle in his driveway that is not inspected… Hypothetically.

Get the picture?

So – hypothetically – the husband surprised the wife with a great night of fun for their anniversary.

The husband made dinner reservations, had flowers sent to their table, and took the wife out to play a little roulette – which this hypothetical wife liked to play once or twice a year.

It was a great evening and the couple left when they broke even – they didn’t even lose any money. Everyone was all smiles and love. It was at this point that the hypothetical situation went awry.

As the hypothetical man went to retrieve the flowers, the hypothetical wife went to ask the nice security guard where she could cash in her chips.

That is when it happened.

The hypothetical security guard asked the hypothetical wife for her license.

And lets just say… for argument’s sake… that the hypothetical license was expired. Hypothetically, because the wife had put on a few pounds and didn’t want to be fat on her license photo. And …. hypothetically … this security guard wouldn’t let the wife back on the floor… and .. ahem… called for more security back – up.

And the hypothetical husband rounded the corner as 2 hypothetical security guards are arguing with his hypothetical wife over her hypothetical license that the husband told her to renew months ago.

Got that mental image?

Sort of a romantic dampener.

I sure am glad this story is all made up – otherwise – some people were probably in trouble… or at least very thankful they have an awesomely forgiving husband.