Spring has NOT sprung.

This is what we awoke to this morning.

It's been steadily, and quite heavily, snowing for hours now.
For the love of toast, isn't is supposed to be Spring?!?
SO annoying.

Return of the Living Dead

In case you've been wondering where I've been, I've been in HELL. After working my usual three-day weekend (Sat/Sun/Mon), I was thoroughly looking forward to my six day stretch off and mentally making a list of all the things I needed and wanted to do.

Obviously the fates had other plans for me.

On Tuesday evening, I managed to whip up some dinner. Soon afterwards though, I began to feel not so great. Then my head started to pound. I laid down, packing my head and neck in ice, hoping to stall the onslaught of pain that was fast approaching. It didn't work. I then attacked my medicine cupboard with a vengance born of suffering, and quickly downed a Vicodin. My dear hubby came to check on me after tucking the kids in bed and found me in agony. His sympathy and tenderness only served to bring me to tears, which of course did nothing to alleviate the pain. But bless his heart, he just held me and soothed me, murmuring reassurances and making shushing sounds, like one does for an inconsolable baby.

Here is where I make a confession. I have a severe "waiting for the other shoe to drop" issue. This could be also known as bad karma comin' to get me, or whatever you want to call it. There's an elephant in the room in the back of my head that I try desperately to ignore. That elephant is the fear that something will happen to me that will take me away from my family. Or that someone in my family will be taken from me.

So of course, when excruciating pain comes on in a matter of hours, in one's HEAD, one naturally starts to think brain tumor, aneurysm, or something mildly annoying like meningitis. (Which I've had and it was more than mildly annoying, to be honest.) Ok, so maybe not everyone's mind naturally strays to those diagnoses, but having worked in hospitals for the better part of 15 years, you realize how quickly life can change. I've been a silent witness to tradegy striking down families and it only serves to remind me to appreciate life every single day. And how it could happen to me.

But anyway...

After crying myself out and the Vicodin kicking in, I melted away to sleep. I woke a few times during the night and thought "Oh thank goodness...the headache's going away." But along with the sun (and snow, I might add) it returned in the morning and with a vengeance. I won't bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say I didn't leave my bedroom until about 6pm that night. I did manage to make it out of bed to deposit my stomach's contents in the toilet several times, but that was the extent of me getting out of bed. Josh stayed home from work to wrangle the kids and, even though the noise was exceptionally painful to my throbbing noggin, the fact that he vaccummed and did several loads of laundry was humongously appreciated. He knows me so well. While I lay there in bed, writhing in agony, my mind is also ticking off all the things that need to be done, that I should be doing, which only adds to my pain.

Today the head is better, feeling only like I'd rapped my head on a wall a few times, which is an improvement over the nails-being-driven-in-your-skull feeling of yesterday. Unfortunately, I think yesterday's pharmaceutical forays have wreaked havoc on my stomach and intestines for I've had the pleasure of some quality time in the bathroom today. 'Nuff said.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that for the remainder of my days off I will not be beset by malaria, some kind of flesh-eating bacteria or so much as a hangnail. I really have things to do, places to go and people to see. And I just don't have the time, or interest, in spending another single minute of it feeling like The Living Dead.

p.s. No pictures posted of this day's events as a small mercy to entire mankind.

A Tasty Afternoon

The other day Zoë woke up early from her nap, and even though I'd planned on getting some dinner started, we decided it would be much more fun (and tasty) to make cookies. Brother was at school which meant we had the house to ourselves, something that doesn't happen very often.

So the cookie-ing commenced. My little sous-chef was right there, mixer side, to aid in the adding of ingredients.

She was so careful too, not spilling any at all.

Under her watchful eye, the cookies began to come together.

Of course, as any chef knows, you must taste as you go to ensure the outcome you desire.

Finally, we added in the chocolate chips, sampling a few to confirm that they met our standards.

After baking them, counting them and waiting oh so patiently for them to cool...

...it was time to EAT them!

It was a lovely afternoon for Mommy and Daughter, one I know that we will repeat again and again. We baked up some good memories.

Chaos Reigns

I just received a phone call from my cousin, Cris, and as of tonight, three of the four babies will be home! Miss Addison arrived home yesterday, Miss Avery came home earlier today and Braydan will be brought home tonight. Landan remains at the hospital but should be home in the next couple days.

Can you imagine the chaos in that house tonight? Three itty bitty newborns and a toddler to wrangle. Aside from that scary thought, it is an absolute miracle that those babies, those QUADRULETS, have only spent 2 1/2 weeks in the NICU and have had zero complications. Wow. That's all I can say.

When Cris started on this whole adventure, we were all so nervous about her health and the health and outcome for those babies. But here they are, less than 3 weeks old and already coming home. What a blessing.

So, I'm off to start checking airfares. Looks like I'll be making a trip down to the Land of the Sun in the near future! Woo hoo!

My Love List*

*This is a list of my loves. This was a challenge put forth by She Loves Purple so I accepted and have made my own list. The only restriction being that it be totally about me; not me as a mother, or wife, daughter or friend. This exercise is about eliminating those that may define me and about getting down to the root of what I am about.

I love having a pile of books on my nightstand that I can’t wait to read.
I love watching daddies fall in instantaneous love with their newborn babies.
I love the sound of a cat’s purr.
I love browsing through gourmet food stores, imagining how I’d use each tasty little treat I come across.
I love the sound of Rainbird sprinklers.
I love the smell of freshly cut alfalfa and hay.
I love making people laugh.
I love the feel of sun on my skin.
I love fresh corn tortillas.
I love chocolate dipped strawberries.
I love the smell of lilacs and how they remind me of gathering bouquets for my great-grandma.
I love when summer eases into fall, requiring you to slip on a sweatshirt as the sun sinks, while still feeling the warmth of the sun that has soaked into your bones.
I love the smell of suntan lotion.
I love The Barenaked Ladies. Especially in concert.
I love sitting on the beach, wiggling my toes in the warm sand, and watching the ocean.
I love otters and watching them play.
I love chapstick.
I love crisp, salty French fries with a root beer milkshake.
I love office supplies, especially Sharpies and cute notepads.
I love sitting around a campfire, watching it spark and dance.
I love good chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant, along with a good cold Dos Equis.
I love eating breakfast out.
I love tennis and watching it on TV.
I love picking berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries.
I love Calvin & Hobbes.
I love being able to whistle really loudly. And a reason to do so.
I love the Fourth of July.
I love anticipating a new baby.
I love the smell of sheets dried outside in the sunshine & fresh air.
I love finishing a project and having it turn out better than I hoped.
I love when people “Oooh” and “Ahhh” over food I’ve made.
I love kneading bread and the smell of it baking.
I love driving thru the country with the windows down and the music up loud.
I love falling asleep outside in the sunshine.
I love going to baseball games; walking into the stadium feeling like a little kid in my excitement, the smell of the hotdogs, the roar of the crowd, the camaraderie of the fans united in their desire for their team to win. I love it all.
I love 80’s music.
I love working in my yard; planting flowers, pruning bushes, pulling weeds, clipping flowers. I especially love watering everything.
I love laughing so much that my cheeks hurt.
I love tigers.
I love watching ballroom dancing on TV.
I love making lists.
I love simple clear glass vases and serving dishes, decanters, canisters.
I love a clean house.
I love looking back at old pictures and reminiscing.
I love cooking on Thanksgiving and sitting down to a table loaded with good food, surrounded by family and loved ones.
I love having candles burning in the house.
I love dark chocolate covered nuts, even more so if there’s a bit of caramel.
I love leisurely browsing through bookstores.
I love Dooney & Bourke purses.
I love California Pizza Kitchen’s Thai Chicken Pizza and that my recreation of it tastes just as good.
I love going barefoot.
I love discovering something new about my town; a new café, a new walking trail, a new little gourmet food market.
I love that I always have something to do, or new to try, a project to work on, a book to read. I love to be busy.
I love tangy sourdough bread and good olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip it in.
I love roadtrips.
I love counting my blessings, which are exceedingly abundant, and having a grateful heart.

This list is by no means complete. It changes and grows constantly as am I. But it's a good start, huh?

What the...??

Hmmm, looks like someone has been doing a little reading in bed.

Curiosity

It's Wordless Wednesday!

(By way of explanation for those who haven't seen or heard of Wordless Wednesday before, it's just a group of bloggers that post with just a picture, not much, if any, dialogue. Kind of like "A picture is worth a thousand words". Check here for more.)

Hello Kitty!

This is one of my fuzzy children, Murphy. We adopted Murph about 18 months ago as an 8-week old kitten. It'd been a long time since I'd had a baby animal around and I was so excited to have a little critter bounding around the house and causing trouble. I was hoping he would grow to be a snugglebug, loving to be held and loved on, seeking out my lap and attention when I managed to actually sit down for a minute.

Alas, he has not turned out to be this kind of cat. Don't get me wrong, he's a sweetheart and a real goofball. He just doesn't love me in the way I'd hoped. Yes, I had selfish intentions when I adopted him. I wanted another little fuzzer to lavish love on and be loved lavishly in return. I'm a bit spoiled in that aspect - my other fuzzy child, Chewie, is very much a momma's boy and practically begs for my attention. Murphy, however, looks at me dolefully whenever I snatch him up to hold, like "Listen lady, I'm just not that kind of a guy." And he hardly ever purrs. Or at least so I thought. I mean, what kind of a cat doesn't purr-rrr-rrrr when being held and loved on? But apparently, he just doesn't purr for me. Hubby and son both informed me that he purrs at them all. the. time.

So while my little feelings are a bit dented at not being the object of my feline's affection, even though I AM the one who feeds him and cleans his litterbox, I'm happy that he seems attached to the kids. I grew up with cats and I think there's something special about being loved by a cat. Murph always is the first to run into the kids' rooms if they call out in the night, checking to see if they are okay. And he is SO tolerant of them and their shenanigans, it amazes me.

Today I went in to get Zoë up from her nap and discovered this:

So the betrayal is complete. Catching him in someone else's bed is the final straw. And while my heart is sad to not be on the receiving end of his fuzzy love, I'm glad my kids will know the joy and comfort of having a warm, purring friend snuggle up with them.

A Whole Lotta Babies

I talked to my cousin this morning to check on her and the babies. Everyone is doing fantastic and she shared with me that they had made the front page of The Orange County Register and were also on the news. This is the first peek I've had at the babies and it just brings tears of joy to my eyes.

And is it just me, or does Cris not look AT ALL like she just gave birth to FOUR babies?!?

http://www.ocregister.com/news/gaiennie-four-lovell-1997252-times-baby

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/media?id=6019138

I can't wait to get down there and get my hands on those kids. I'll go down to help out when they all are home, but until then I'll just look at the video and pictures over and over and over....

p.s. I figured since they were in the paper and on TV that sharing on my blog wouldn't be a much bigger deal. I don't have quite the viewership that the Los Angeles ABC news station does.

p.p.s. Cris, if you happen to see this, I love you and I am SO incredibly proud of you for being so tough and dedicated to these babies. What lucky kids they are to have you as a mommy. I'll see you soon!

The Fruits of my Labor

If there's one part of the house that I can't stand to let stay dirty for long, it's my kitchen. My computer is just behind where I'm standing for this picture, so I have full view of the kitchen and it's mess that I should be cleaning when I am instead playing on my computer.

Yesterday I decided to take bite the bullet, drag myself away from the computer (and all the lovely new blogs I've discovered, thanks to the Ultimate Blog Party) and tackle the kitchen. Of course, since my way of thinking now takes into consideration whether any and all activities are "bloggable", I of course grabbed my camera for some before and after shots.

It really didn't take long and the kitchen was sparkly clean & much more to my liking. Of course, the floors still need to be mopped, but I'm "saving" that as a special treat for myself. Ha.

It does something good for my soul to see my expanse of countertop CLEAR and wiped clean. One of my pet peeves is dirty or wet counters. Gross. I can't stand public bathroom where water and soap is splashed all over the place. And yes, I've been known to wipe them up, thankyouverymuch.

I even managed to sweep and reorganize the bottom of my pantry a bit.

Ah, I feel so much more at peace now. And less guilty as I while the hours away at my computer.

Party on Garth!

Welcome party guests! Come on in and make yourselves comfortable. Thanks for coming! Can I get you a drink? I have some lovely Sangria along with a variety of Northwest microbrews. Or perhaps you'd like a glass of iced tea? Whatever you'd like. Help yourself. There's lots of snackies too. Grab some and make yourself comfortable.

Let me tell you a little about myself, since we've just met. My name is Kate - howdy. I have two little children that live in my house, Sam & Zoë. Sometimes I look at them and think "Where'd they come from?" but then they holler "Maaawwwmmm!" and I remember. I'm mainly a stay at home mom but I also work part-time in the evenings at our local hospital. Wouldn't trade it for the world. The part-time job yes, the kids no. I have a terrific hubby too, Josh. He puts up with me and my craziness and has for almost 10 years. Amazing man, he is.

I've recently discovered this crazy blogging world and am having a blast! It's HUGE! Every day I discover something new (like this Blog Party) and am amazed at all there is to see and learn. I'm almost scared to keep clicking for I always find something new and fun to read or participate in and my house is seriously suffering. Mt. Washmore is threatening to erupt again and I'm sure I could make a nutritious and satisfying dinner out of what is on my kitchen floor, if only I'd sweep. Actually that might solve my "what's for dinner" dilemma...

My life is pretty crazy sometimes, but I'm not sure if it's just my quirky crazy take on it, or if it truly is just insane. I'm sure there's some legitimate insanity in there - after all, I have two small kids, one of which is an extremely busy crazy son. But at least he's quit doing things like peeing in the heater vent or the cat box. Although I did catch him with his pants down outside yesterday.... Hmmm. Maybe not as much progress as I thought.

Anyway, hope you'll stick around for awhile. I love having company, but I must warn you. I'll thrust food and baked goods at you and probably talk your ear off. If you can deal with that, then we can be friends.

Leave me a note letting me know you stopped by and your address so I can pay you a visit too! Now, if you'll excuse me I'll go turn up the music a bit and we'll get this party started.

~Kate

Out & About

On Sunday, while I headed back to work, Josh and Auntie M took the kids to the park. It wasn't especially warm but at least it wasn't raining. And being outdoors is always welcome after a long winter cooped up inside. Needless to say, we're all very anxious for Spring!

The Downside of Working

Hello Internet folk! I'm back from the Land of the Crud. Mostly. The antibiotics that the doctor gave me seem to be helping and I'm running at about 90% today. A big improvement from where I was, let me tell ya. Of course, feeling better meant going back to work, which I did on Sunday & Monday evenings. After being off for 12 days (only 3 of which were days I was supposed to work) it was nice to see everyone, and they were happy to see me back too. It's so nice to be appreciated at work.

**For those of you that are just getting to know me, I work part-time at our local hospital as a Unit Coordinator on the medical floor. It's the largest unit in the hospital and is usually crazy-busy, but I work with some great people and really like what I do. I work evening shift (3-11:30pm) ten days a month. My husband is home in time for me to head to work on the days that I'm on so we avoid having to have babysitters and such. It's been a real blessing, even though it's the most I've worked since we had our kids. With my husband being basically self-employed, it's a huge benefit to get insurance for only working 20 hrs a week, which is why I do it. That and the extra money are both necessary.**

I'm really lucky that, for the most part, I really do like my job and co-workers. I can't imagine having to work AND absolutely hating my job. At least my time away from my family isn't complete misery, and I'm very grateful for that. Because, to be honest, I'd be completely content to be home full-time and not work at all. I love being a wife and mommy and taking care of my house. I've always said that I have no idea how moms who work full-time do it. It just escapes me. I know I couldn't do it and I hope I don't ever have to. Kudos to all you working moms out there!

Aside from the time away from my family, there is definitely a downside to me working. Considering I don't get off work until 11:30pm and home until almost midnight, I'm a bit tired the next day. And on the weekdays when Hubby heads to work at 7am, I am up with the kids shortly thereafter. As I've stated before, I am NOT a morning person and even less so when I've only had 6.5-7 hours of sleep. I've always been a girl that NEEDS at least 8 hours of sleep, so several days in a row of less sleeps leaves me a little short-tempered. That combined with bouncy little morning children sometimes isn't a good thing.

Yesterday was one of those days. I wasn't thrilled to hear Zoë hollering for me at 7:15am from her room, but I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed anyway. My mood just soured as the morning wore on. After being sick for a week, the house is a wreck and the laundry has grown to frightening proportions again. Much like this. It's like an enormous cotton & polyester reminder of my shortcomings as a domestic goddess. All of this did nothing to improve my mood and unfortunately my frustration and fatigue spilled out at the kids. I apologized to the kids for my short temper and explained that I was just cranky from being tired, but I worry that they'll remember my raised voice and not my apology.

The downside of my working is being a tired mommy, one whose patience is a little thin on some days, whose voice gets raised more than I'd like, whose tolerance and enjoyment of my children suffer from momentary lapses, one that forgets how much I wholeheartedly love being a mommy and being home with them everyday. It's days like yesterday that make me hate my job and what it does to me.

Check this out...

This is a prank on a "grand" scale. Over 200 people gathered at Grand Central Station in New York to pull off a 'frozen in place' act. The onlooking travelers who weren't part of the act were mystified as to what was going on.

http://www.maniacworld.com:80/frozen-in-grand-central-station.html

More ugh...

Still sick. Worse today than the last couple days. I have a dr's appt in the morning to see if I need antibiotics. More coughing today, hints of a sinus infection (i.e. headache, pressure, jaw pain), sore throat is returning this evening and zero energy. Utter misery.

The good news is that I read an entire book since yesterday afternoon.

I promise to return to my witty repartee as soon as possible. For now, I have a date with Nurse Nyquil and possibly Dr. Vicodin.

Ugh...

I'm sick. Sunday night I started feeling a bit icky and a sore throat lurked. I woke up in full blown misery on Monday morning and it's only let up a tiny bit as of this evening. I've taken full two-hour naps three days in a row, barely able to drag myself out of bed to pick Sam up from school. I barely have the energy to bathe or fix meals, hence we're almost out of cereal. Thank God the kids aren't picky.

Aside from the obvious reason that feeling like utter crap is no fun, I totally detest being sick. I can't stand sitting still for very long and when I'm under the weather and being vertical makes my head spin, I'm forced to lie down. During the day. When there's laundry to be done. And blogs to read. And TiVo'd shows to watch while I fold clean clothes. There's always something to be done and being forced to NOT do those things makes me feel worse. It really it's own kind of illness. Yesterday was probably the worst day and I totally wanted to go lay down because I was starting to actually swoon, but the dirty dishes in the sick just wouldn't shut up. So, of course, I had to UN-load the dishwasher first so that I could throw the dirty ones in and get them out of my sight. Then, and only then, could I go lay down in relative peace and misery.

Now mind you, reading this you might start to get the impression that my house is clean and tidy. Rest assured that it is not. Far from it. I have two small children that are little toy-scattering crumb-crunchers who strew bits of their daily lives all over my house at a frightening speed. I just frantically scurry along in their wake and pick up the big chunks. No, my house is not clean, but I do try to keep it tidy. That at least gives the appearance of cleanliness.

I'm hopeful that tomorrow will be better. Lord knows it better be for we are almost out of Nyquil and Alka-Seltzer Cold Plus. And clean underwear.

Hallelujah!

WE HAVE BABIES!

I just received the wonderful news that all four babies have arrived and all ARE HEALTHY. All are breathing on their own, and one of the boys was even sucking on a pacifier already.

Their names are Avery Rene, Addison Jo, Landan Paul and Braedan James (not totally sure of all the spellings). I'm not sure who weighed what, other than Avery was the heavyweight at 5lbs. The other babies were 4lbs and 3lb 13oz (x2). That's over 16lbs of babies!

I can't tell you how relieved I am. When I hung up the phone, I just burst into tears. What a blessing that the babies and Momma are all doing well.

It's Baby Day!

Today is a big day. It's Baby Day for my Cousin Cris. And while any birth is exciting and highly anticipated, this one blows the cover off any birth I've ever anticipated.

For you see, Cousin Cris is (or probably already has) delivered not one baby today, but FOUR. Yes, quadrulets. Two boys and two girls. Her c-section was scheduled for this morning at 7:45am so I'm sure there are four new little lives down in Southern California by now.

While any pregnancy can have it's uncertainties, this one was precarious from the onset simply because there were four little beings growing inside her. But she has been so incredibly dedicated to this pregnancy, to these babies, and has made it a remarkable 34 weeks and 5 days. Her doctors are amazed, not really giving her much chance of making it past 30 weeks gestation. But she has done everything right and had a multitude of prayers being offered up on her behalf.

So for now, I'm waiting for the phone call with all the details. If I had any fingernails, I'd surely be biting them, for I am SO anxious to hear that all is well with both her and the babies. I wish that I'd been able to be there with her today, to pace the halls and wring my hands along with her family. She and I have talked weekly since she was very first pregnant, before we knew there was more than one, so I've been anticipating this day for a long time.

I'll be back with details when I get them! But for now, I wait.

Tickle me funny

I stumbled upon a certain website the other day rather early in my morning, and as I've alluded to before, I'm not much of a morning person. I know you'd never believe it, but I'm not much of a talker before about 10:00am. I wake up very slowly and need a while to let the coffee soak in and get me going.

Anyway, I came across icanhascheezburger.com well before 10am and practically fired coffee out my nose all over my computer. It confounds my husband that not much makes me laugh out loud, but these silly kitties and the captions brought forth an unprecendented amount of early morning giggles. (Don't get me wrong - I'm a very happy, positive person and laugh easily with my friends and family - I just don't find much in the media amusing.)

Here's an example of what is cracking me up:

Now, you might notice that most of the captions are in a crazy little slang called lolspeak, but that kinda cracks me up too. Like cats aren't the superior, uber-intelligent critters they'd have us believe. Except for this guy:

Look at this one....ha ha ha, such a cat thing to do. This kitty looks like my Murphy cat.

This is what I look like playing Wii too! Just less fuzzy.

This is the first one that made me spit out my coffee.

For some reason, these silly animals just tickle my funny bone. Probably because it's simple humor, not forced or canned, and it involves animals (mainly cats) which I love. Just goes to prove that God has a pretty good sense of humor.