random

Love Grows Best in Little Houses

December 27, 2011 By Kristen 5 Comments

Once upon a time… I dreamed of living in a big house.

It would have this wrap around porch. It would be colonial style and have 4 or 5 bedrooms. I would have a walk in closet. I would have my own bathroom. Picture Barbie’s house… in real life. I would have a garage. I would have a fenced in back yard and be in the back of a culd-a-sac.

Right now we have a fenced in back yard. … that is about the extent of my dream house.

But… when I think about my grandparents. My mom’s parents raised 5 children in a 2 bedroom house. **They had to add a small bedroom when my mom was born – and thus it became a 3 bedroom house**. It only had 1 bathroom. The kitchen was small. The living room was small. … everything was small.

My dad’s parents raised 6 kids in a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house. The boy’s room had 2 sets of bunk beds and the 2 girls had the other room. 8 people and one bathroom. Love grows best.

I think we’ve decided to stay here for a little while. Not forever… but a little while. Maybe our love will grow best. Yes – our master bedroom is 10.5 X 10.5 square feet. Yes… the twins will need to share a room. Or Andrew and Alexander will need to share a room. Or…. I don’t know. But – I think this is going to be the place we let our love grow.

Christmas Eve….

Addison, Andrew and Alexander made plates for cookies for Santa and carrots for Rudolph. They needed to decorate them so Santa would know his plate and Rudolph would know his plate.

Best part? They “forced” Alexander to help. He helped with the stickers and crayons. *love*

It is all fun and games until Little Brother takes the plate. Look at his sneaky face…. *love*

And then I remember my in-laws. Their master bedroom is a little bigger than ours. … But the rest of the house has a similar size. They only have one bathroom. They love.

Want to see? We all pile in… to where love grows best.

Siblings hug. We all pile on the floor and play games together.

Nana holds her granddaughters. Andrew decides the Chair needs fixed…. so tool are scattered everywhere.

Siblings tease each other. Her face really does say a million things. As does his…

Presents are opened. In one small living room. Where love grows best.

Gifts are given. Private Jokes are shared. Nephews try to become detectives with their presents.

And underlying all of this – is the simple joy of being together. I think maybe we need to be smooshed in this small house together. Where our love can grow the best.

This picture was taken Christmas night. You might not be able to tell – but they are holding hands. You can’t walk through our living room. There are stacks and stacks of things piled high on our bedroom dresser. But – our kids are still hugging. We hope you had a Merry Christmas. We did. It was wonderful. Church on Sunday, celebrating the birth of Jesus, more time with family, and evenings spent with friends. And every night… returning to our little house.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blessings, Changes, Childhood Memories, random

The Lost Gift

December 24, 2011 By Kristen 7 Comments

Have you ever bought a gift early? Like over the summer early? Like… you see it. It is perfect. You must buy this perfect Christmas gift that is perfect for your hard to shop for person….

I am photo sort of girl. I love all things photo related. I dream of Coach bags I can’t afford. I decorate with snowmen in the winter and most of my collectibles don’t matter to anyone but me.

My step mother loves to read. She reads books constantly. (We do have this in common.) But her tastes are different than mine. She collects skunks. (fake ones) She likes rod iron dragons and unique looking mystical things. Her tastes are diverse, and in a pinch – I know a Willow Tree figurine or a David Shore collectible will be appreciated, but earlier this year I found the perfect gift for her.

While at a craft show – I found rod iron Dragon Book Ends. Not the gift for me. The perfect gift for her. I mean perfect…. I knew she would love it. I bought those suckers right away and this feeling of complete satisfaction warmed my heart as I could check her off my list. early. Awesomeness.

I lost those bookends. Seriously lost them. We were camping when I bought them, so I have looked through all our camping gear and the crevices in our van. I ripped apart our gift hiding places. I ripped apart the twin’s room, our room, and Alexander’s room. Problem? We have a lot of people in our house. We tend to put things “out of sight” when we have therapy appointments, etc. Problem? We contemplated selling our house. When the man came to look at our house, we did a mad clean up of the house. Problem? Lost Bookends.

After I ripped the entire upstairs apart, I moved on to the basement. We’ve had a few bouts of heavy rain… with a little water. So – some things have been “thrown around” to make sure they don’t get wet. Then there are medical supplies. Don’t forget about the clothing we can’t throw away because Alexander will grow into it someday. *sigh* So many boxes to go through. I looked through these boxes… Did I shove these bookends in one of these places? Anything is possible when you know someone is going to look everywhere in your house? I looked in our playroom, office, and all storage areas. I even cleaned out the space under the seats in our van… just in case.

At first it was funny. (this was 4 days ago). Then I was worried (3 days ago). It moved onto introspective (2 days ago) as I used the time to look at old toys. Finally – today – I was frustrated.

Me ~ “Where is that freaking Gift?!?”

Ray ~ “Stop Cussing.”

Me ~ “I’m not cussing. Freak is not a cuss word. I would NOT cuss over a CHRISTMAS present. That is totally wrong.”

Ray~ “It is when you use it in place of another cuss word.”

Me ~ “Shoot.”

Ray~ “Stop cussing.”

We all have our flaws, but for me… when I ventured into the realm of fake cuss words so close to the birth of our Savior – I knew it was time to give up. I called my dad in tears. I asked him what Wal-Mart gift my step mom would like …. something she would really like – because we are celebrating in an hour and this was 10pm last night. He gave me a good idea, and I made my way to what I knew was going to be a hot holiday mess.

2 miles into my drive, I got a call from Ray. I found it. Buried under stuff at the bottom of Alexander’s closet.

So… I know you are dying to see this mystery gift. Here it is:

Not my perfect gift, but the perfect gift for her. And I’m not going to lie. I’m totally excited… because I know she will love it.

Anyone else at the end of their rope over something silly this holiday season? Anyone else lose gifts?

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

This post is the equivalent of a “Real World” Episode

November 28, 2011 By Kristen 7 Comments

Who ever invented the term “terrible twos?”

They are the Terrific Twos. … The real terror starts at age 3.

I beg them. I remind them. I time-out them. I take things away. I do every single positive / negative reinforcement / punishment known to man. They still don’t listen.

They climb on everything. They talk back. They refuse to eat. (Unless it is a cupcake.)

They steal toys. They hit each other. They try to throw chairs in anger? (Seriously… where did they learn this stuff?)

Tonight, I was speaking to a friend. I asked her, “Have you ever talked to someone and walked away thinking – ‘they must be on drugs?’ … This is exactly what it is like to have a conversation with toddlers.”

Later, we decorated the Christmas Tree. I had to give the twins a broken strand of lights to ~~choke each other with~~ play with.

They dug out everything break-able and said, “Should I drop this?” as I shouted, “NO!” every 3 seconds.
If an ornament had a movable part – they tried to move it. If it didn’t have a movable part before… It probably does now.

I give that tree until approximately 7pm tomorrow night. Then I say that tree is on a pile on top of two silly children.

And yet…. they are so cute.

And these pictures are completely true. And they are also part of our night. They are also part of life with twin 3 year-olds. In reality TV… photos and video clips are compiled to show people in a certain “light.”

Tonight… my kids were angels. Just look…..

This right here is the “Twin Money Shot.” You never seem to be able to get them to hug. (or even look at the camera at the same time.) Super proud of this picture!

Oh yes… and that is totally a small cheese “knife” in Addison’s hand on the big photo. It was the only way I could get them to let me photograph them…. to let her hold a knife. *sigh* Mother of the year award… again.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: life, random, These Kids just might Drive me Crazy, Twins

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

The Best of this Week

October 23, 2011 By Kristen Leave a Comment

(Actually, the best of the last 2 weeks… but we will get into that later.)

Almost 2 weeks ago, on Monday, I wrote A Lot of little things add up to one Great Long Weekend. I was a very picture heavy post about our combined 4 day weekend with the kids. We did a ton of activities – with them separately and together. I remember going back to work on Tuesday thinking… if only we could bottle this happiness….

But, something happened our last “weekend evening” that prompted me to write the Therapy Fund post later that week. Raymond constantly tells me that, “I am the only person on the planet to have so many …. ahem … things happen to them.” Your comments “outing” your own mishaps did wonders for my self esteem. So thanks!

In preparation for my writing conference this weekend, I’ve been trying to flex my writing skills a little. I’ve been using Mama Kat’s writing prompts and I was really having a difficult time listing things I should never ask my spouse. So, instead – I made 3 lists. I was pretty proud of how it turned out…. So you can check it out HERE.

On Friday, I did my last “Friday’s Confession Booth.” As we all know, the classic over achiever – I want to do something that is awesome. And, while I liked the confessions – and I know others did… I don’t think it was the right prompt or time. Writing every Wednesday and Thursday made Fridays a bit of a chore. I’m coming back with something a little different – and probably earlier in the week. Anyway, this post was about how the appreciation of people for all my hard work makes me feel. It was 100% honest and I think sometimes our society is so wrapped up in what people are doing wrong, they forget to look for the right.

Then we took the kids camping over the weekend. I had this whole post planned out. 20 reasons we were getting an R.V. It was an entire post dedicated to the mishaps and misadventures of camping with two year old twins. We came home on Sunday, and I found out a dear friend passed away. The post was no longer the post in my heart. So I shelved it, and wrote THIS POST instead…. the one that said, “I love you.” Hopefully, someday – before I forget all the funny things – I will be able to write the original post.

After bearing my soul about her death, I still was not ready to write about our LIVES. I was really struggling with what to go next…. And the kids provided. I have been saying I would capture Alexander laughing for awhile and that video of the twins having a complete conversation over the hammering of tent pegs is hilarious. I wanted to capture those moments and they helped me to rebound from the grief. You can see the videos HERE.

I was ~~a little~~ … a lot scared to go to the writing conference. I didn’t feel at all prepared AND I had these visions of people going on to my blog for the first time ever to see this post with 2 videos. I decided to tackle my nerves as I have been everything else… by blogging them away in Going to BlogHer’s Writing Conference.

And Finally, home. I had a few minutes to jot down my thoughts from the conference. I had a blast. I want to go back. I still want to do this. I love you all for supporting me. Thank you…

So that is the last week (or two) in a nutshell. Can’t wait to write about the Twin’s Birthday and other happenings this week.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: In the Online World, life, random

Friday’s Confession Booth: I’m a “Borrower”

October 7, 2011 By Kristen 5 Comments

Welcome to Friday’s Confession Booth. To participate – you write a “Confession Post.” It doesn’t have to be serious, and you can read more about them HERE. Make sure you Enter the link-up below. Then grab the button and place it in your post to link back and share with everyone’s confessions.

Here’s the thing. I borrow things.

I like that term better than “steal” – because… well, stealing is illegal and immoral.

I don’t mean to do it. It’s not like I’m a kleptomaniac. It’s not like I walk into a store and then walk out with unpaid things.

It is worse.

I “borrow” things from my family and friends.

And … never take the time to return them.

There. You know my deep dark secret.

These spoons? They are my Aunt Mary’s. She brought them to Thanksgiving dinner – at my old house – before I was married. That means I’ve “borrowed” them for about 6 or 7 years. I even took them to Christmas or Easter one year – but she didn’t show. So, I still have them. Aunt Mary – If you are reading this… I’m really sorry.

I have a TV (it is a 13 inch in my defense) that I “borrowed” from my Mom. I actually tried to let my darling graduate borrow it when she left for college.. because she really needed it and my mom doesn’t anymore. (Does that make me a socialist thief?)

These hot pink velvet maternity sweat pants I’m wearing are “borrowed” from someone. Truth – I don’t even know where I’ve borrowed them from. *sigh* I just know that one day I woke up with hot pink velvet maternity sweat pants in my drawer and they are so comfortable… I’m wearing them right now as I type this. Don’t believe me? Check it out.

I told you… I have no shame anymore.

Honestly – I could go on. Outfits, CD’s (back when CD’s were cool), baking pans, jewelry, … the list never ends.

But, I swear, I’m not really a bad person. I’m just forgetful. Especially with other people’s things.

So. There you have it. My deep dark secret. Would you like to confess your secrets?

Just grab the button from the top to link back and enter the Link up.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Embarrassing, life, Meme, Misunderstanding, random

Get Back on that Horse.

October 4, 2011 By Kristen 5 Comments

I have no pictures from the first day of school. I was called down in an “emergency” …. One of my children played too hard. They played so hard that they forgot to stop and take a potty break.

By the time I got there with a change of shorts and underwear… that child was a “hot mess.” Pants, underwear, socks, and even shoes were soaked. (We needed to get new shoes tonight.) I’m not going to name this child because – the truth is – it could have been either of them. It could be any child. I’m also sure this was the big conversation of Preschool.

Going somewhere new is so hard. Everyone is new. The rules are new. The expectations are new. When I got there… my child was crying a hysterical cry … “I want to go home.”

“I want to go home.” I said those same words about 20 couple years ago.

I was in the 4th grade and went to a local church camp. The last night was this big dinner – parents and everyone came. Before we went down – our counselor asked us if we needed to use the bathroom. Of course I didn’t. Half way through the meal – I did. I told my counselor and she didn’t believe me. She said to hold it. I couldn’t. I was 10 years old and peed myself during a huge banquet… and sat quiet, using my feet to try to contain the puddle under my chair.

When we were finally able to leave the banquet – I ran to the bathroom and soaked my entire skirt – so the whole thing looked wet – not just the backside.

I don’t think I fooled anyone. And I never went back to that camp. I remember telling my mom, “I just want to go home.”

Ps…. Prior to this post – I could count the number of people who knew this story on 1 hand.

I’m so proud of my kids. I know they are not yet 3 and will probably never remember this incident. But… my child changed their clothes and went back to play. My child is going back to Preschool tomorrow – despite being the “kid who peed their pants.” I couldn’t be prouder. Way to get back on that horse. You are my role model.

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

So I won an Award.

October 1, 2011 By Kristen 6 Comments

It is kind of cool. Its not like a Pulitzer or anything. It is an award from one Blogger to Another.
A lot of people have awards out there….
Sometime I feel like awards are passed just from blogger to blogger – just to make someone “like” you.
I already like her – so I know its genuine. Smile SCORE!

From Cookie’s Chronicles

ps. I totally made the Award Picture Bigger. Because I’m so proud of it!

So – I thought I would share some of my Favorite September Posts:

Here goes…

The first blog I’m loving this September is by Meredith @ My Journey to Authenticity. This post HERE is and example of why I love her. She takes 10 reasons she wishes this week was over and… well – you’ll just have to head over and read. She has a great attitude. And I love it!

Next up is my friend in real life’s blog. She had this amazing big blog – and then stepped away. Took some time. Readjusted her priorities and restarted a new blog, Our Little Pond. AWESOMENESS. She is so humble – and honestly…. my sounding board for so many things. Want an example – read HERE and I guarantee you will fall totally in love with her. But she really shows her (and her husband’s) sense of humor HERE. And trust me, they would totally do this.

I also have this bloggy friend Jen @ Its all about me. I love her and her blog. I wasn’t going to link this post HERE because it almost seems like self promotion. She wrote it to one of my link ups. But the thing is… she is a survivor. And she blogs from her heart. And she inspires me … to deal with my circumstances, feel blessed in life, and remember that it is ok to sometimes still be angry (even at people.) So read her blog – or at least this post, because it is so heartfelt.

You know the friend you have that you aren’t supposed to have? You know… the one who says all the things you wish you were cool enough to say. Well, that is Holly @ Not a Perfect Mom’s Blog. She is so hilarious. In that “I can’t believe you just said that.” sort of way. And I wish we were real friends. Because she would make me cooler just by sitting next to me. See the post that almost made me pee my pants HERE. Remember – I warned you – reading her stuff is my dirty little pleasure.

And finally – one of my newest blog obsessions has been over at Rock the Mini. I love her post about living and blogging found HERE, but really I love the way she continues to blog even when it is something short and silly. I need to start doing more of that and less of the huge blog posts. Check out her funny attitude HERE.

There. 5 + great posts to read from the last month. I also LOVE these bloggeresses… so if you are in the mood:
Sara @ Domestically Challenged
Awn @ Imperfection Personified
Jennie @ Fond of Blond
Helene @ I’m Living Proof that God Has a Sense of Humor
MaMe Musings
Have a great time reading. Love this – and… by the way – I totally LOVE Cookie’s Chronicles.