It’s been a while since I’ve posted.  I’ve been busy.

I did a yard sale at my mom’s house on Saturday.  The kids and I went down on Friday night and stayed until Saturday evening.  They loved the extended time with my parents (and I’m pretty sure the feeling was mutual).  I made $50.  Not horrible.  Not great.  But I may throw what I didn’t sell into a sale a friend is having in a couple of weeks.  If it doesn’t sell there…then it’s gettin’ donated.  

Of course that meant I did a lot of sorting in most rooms of my house.  And it feels good to have less stuff on my shelves..and in my cupboards, under the beds, in closets, sitting out in piles because I didn’t have an actual place for it…I’m sure you get the picture.  

Sadly, I’ve done almost no cleaning for almost a week.  So I have fewer piles…and a dirty house.  Need to work on that!

I spent most of the last two days trying to meet a deadline on a writing project.  I made it…barely.  But hey, I made it.  And it is definitely nice to have time to blog instead of trying to bring the atonement alive for a teenage, unchurched audience.  Needless to say…you guys are a much easier audience than that!

Today we went to the library and Meijer.  And lest you think that I’ve somehow got the logistics of such a trip down pat…I don’t.  It still takes a LONG time to get out the door.  And I almost left said door open when we left (not the garage door…the one from the garage into my kitchen).  Both twins filled their diapers at the library, so they had to be changed in the van before we drove away.  Megan pretty much missed her morning nap.  And when we pulled into Meijer (after the library), Alex immediately melted down, yelling at the top of his lungs, “I Wan’ Go HOOOME.”

But on that topic…Alex’s verbal skills are skyrocketing these days.  That sentence totally clear, even while being screamed at the top of his lungs.  He’s getting more understandable every day.  He’s even started to talk back to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when it’s on.  I’m lovin’ it!

On the other hand, Megan is hitting a weird phase for eating.  She’s totally distracted and has stopped emptying me of milk most of the time (maybe 1-2 times a day, she does). It could be teething (though I doubt it).  It could just be that she’s starting to be done with the current arrangement.  Of course, she won’t take a bottle and hasn’t quite figured out sippy cups (reliably) yet.  So for now, I’m just stuck trying to wrestle her multiple times a day to get her to eat.  *sigh*  

Then again, I found Books 4 & 5 of the series I’m reading at the library today.  Yay!  

And…this weekend is our 7th anniversary.  Sunday, to be precise.  Still working on the celebration of that achievement…but I’m sure we’ll figure out something.  It is an achievement worth celebrating, after all!  And I really like the gift I got for Eric.  It’s neither wool or copper (that’s my hint, in case Eric reads this post), but hopefully, he’ll like it anyway.

So…that’s a little update into our lives.  I need to blog more often again…these catch-up posts are too long!  Oh well.  

Happy Tuesday!

Megan actually slept through the night last night.  Okay, she woke up a couple of times, but she went back to sleep ON HER OWN!!  Woohoo!  And she slept until about 6:45 this morning on top of it.  Yay for me!

This was even better because I finally caught the cold that has been working through our household for a week or more.  We’ve had lots of snot and sneezing going on.  Eric had it first, then Alex & Erin.  Megan caught it over the weekend, so she wasn’t sleeping or eating well.  And now I have it.  It seems to be a pretty fast-moving bug, though, so hopefully we’ll all be 100% again in a day or two.  

Erin has been really entertaining me with her new words.  She now sleeps with her “pacipussel” and I’m pretty sure I heard her say “shoot” yesterday when her tower toppled over.  Well, it’s better than “dang it” which was what I used to say.  And Eric told her over the weekend what our “real” names are.  And she remembered.  So last evening, she called him Daddy Eric once and told me that my name is “Sannah.”  And in non-verbal news, her new favorite thing to do is build with our giant legos.  She has spent a lot of hours on towers and houses in the last week or so.  And we even built a tower that used every block in our house.  She loved that!

Alex has been quite the lover-boy recently.  He’s into hugs and kisses and snuggling.  LOVE that!  But he’s such a boy, for sure.  Over the weekend, he learned to climb up the sides of the slide toy we have in our backyard.  Once he figured out what to do, he climbed the outside, slid over the top onto the inside ledge, slid down the slide and started over again.  And his new favorite thing to watch is “Red Car”…otherwise known as Lightning McQueen.  Yes, he’s discovered Cars, and he loves it.  So fun! 

And we are loving being outside!  We collect rocks and bubble flowers (dandelions).  We love balls and are starting to learn to ride our tricycles.  And hopefully, the rain will give us some more time to be out in the near future…

Over the weekend, we watched TWO movies.  Crazy, I know, since I haven’t stopped to watch a movie in ages.  We had GI Joe from Netflix and saw Tangled in C-ville.  I liked them both!

And speaking of the weekend, I had a great Mother’s Day.  Eric manned the twins outside on Saturday morning, and I got a kid-free run to the store in during naptime.  It was a nice break.  And I got a bunch of chores done.  It was really a good day.  Sunday, we spent with my mom and family in C-ville.  So it was a crazy morning getting us out the door with enough time to get to church with my parents.  But Eric made cinnamon rolls for us, and the day went really well.  Yay for a fun weekend!

Oh, and Eric brought flowers home for me yesterday.  They are LOVELY!  

On a less-happy note, I hurt my back.  It was a combination of things, really.  Holding Alex steady on the trampoline at my brother’s house on Sunday.  Then pulling the twins in the wagon while testing out a new sling carrier with Megan on Monday.  Yeah…I woke up in serious pain yesterday.  I could move, but not fast.  And it was the muscles specifically used when picking up and holding Megan, so that wasn’t good.  Sometime in the afternoon, it sort of loosened up, thankfully.  And today it’s still sore, but it’s not painful.  So I think, with a couple more days of not overdoing, I should be good again.  But man…messing up the back makes taking care of kids a lot more complicated!

Anyway, my MIL is coming to hang with us today, and we are very excited about it.  It’s especially good because Erin has been crediting Grandma Hogue for just about everything that’s going on in our world these days.  A new pair of pants?  Grandma Hogue made them.  Pink lemonade for lunch yesterday?  Grandma Hogue got it for us (actually Mommy mixed it up for us).  So seeing her must be just what we need.

And other than that, I think we’re just normal and busy and being ourselves.  So…with that…happy Wednesday!

There are lots of “firsts” in our world these days.

We bought our first new car.  Eric came with a 1998 Jeep that he bought in 2001.  I owned a 1995 Corolla that I got in 1998 (which Erin affectionately called the “beater car”).  They were paid off.  They were good cars.  They had lots of good memories tied up in them.  But they were old.  And getting tired.  The Corolla got great gas mileage, but wasn’t reliable anymore.  The Jeep was reliable, but guzzled gas.  So, after discussing it, we decided to test drive a Chevy Cruze.  They took both our old cars in trade.  And we drove home in a brand-new car.  It gets insane gas mileage.  It’s cute and sporty. It’s Bluetooth enabled, so basically, we bought a really big, drivable phone…sweet!  And it cannot fit 3 carseats, so it is a kid-free vehicle for running errands and tooling around…super-sweet!

A week before she turns 7 months old, Megan has been in a whirlwind of firsts…

– she’s started clapping (it’s very cute)

– she’s learned to sit up on her own

– she hooked an arm over the handle of a stool and hauled herself into a standing position.  

Of course, we’re still waiting for a first tooth and a first all-night sleep (okay, so that would really be a return to all-night sleep, but it’s been so long that it’s like she’s just starting, for me anyway!), but at the rate we’re going, she’s going to be writing her own name next month.

Speaking of names, Erin found her nametag from Sunday and announced to us, “I found my name.  I found my name.  Erin. E-r-i-n.  My name.”  Okay, so she can spell her name.  Didn’t know that.  

She’s also getting really good at puzzles.  She can do a color puzzle we have (not a Melissa & Doug, fit-shapes-in-the-matching-hole kind) almost entirely by herself now.  

And I’m suddenly realizing that Alex is making more and more sense every day.  I’d gotten so used to just half-listening to his sounds because they weren’t really recognizable words that it is just hitting me how many of the sounds really are words now.  I’m going to have to start really paying attention to him.  

Other firsts…

Eric drove the new car (Erin declared that to be it’s name “New Car”) to work today.

We grilled out for the first time this year tonight.

I’m just re-read the book from which I learned the word “bauble” when I was in 3rd or 4th grade.  (Okay, so the first happened like 25 years ago, but I was just reminded of it this week which was kind of cool.)

I actually walked/ran for more than 2 miles on my treadmill this morning.  That’s a first since I got pregnant with Megan, for sure…maybe longer!

And…I think that’s all I’ve got for now.  Happy Tuesday! 

Here are two recent pics that I just love.  Happy Wednesday!

I’m so behind on my blogs.  Way behind.  So I’m just going to type random bullets and see what I remember…

• The week was crazy.
• We were at the farm last weekend for a baby shower for Eric’s cousin and his wife AND the surprise 60th birthday party for Eric’s dad.  Both went well.  
• Tuesday included Bible study in the morning, Megan’s 6 month appointment in the afternoon, and a girls dinner in the evening.  
• Wednesday & Thursday were spent doing laundry.
• Thursday night was another dinner out…all the way to Polaris.
• My parents came up on Friday for a few hours, and my grandparents came down in the early afternoon.
• They left about 3, and I started packing.
• And we spent the weekend at the farm for Easter.
• Megan’s 6-month appointment went well.
• She weighs 17 lbs. now.
• She barfed all over everything while we were there.
• We got bumped up to Prevacid for the reflux.  Seems to be helping, though giving dissolving tablets to a breastfed 6-month old has been a bit complicated.
• Easter at the farm is good times.
• My kids LOVE hunting easter eggs.
• We went to the Bunny Brunch at my in-laws church: kid-friendly brunch, games/activities, easter story, egg hunt, candy and prizes galore.  Good times!
• The Powell side was over for Sunday dinner, and we had a lovely time chatting with everyone.
• The twins thought playing out in the rain and the puddles was super-fun. 
• I ate way too much chocolate…and enjoyed it all!
• Kid Update – rough stuff
• I should start the not-cute stuff with (shocker) we’re not sleeping again.  This time, though, it’s been mostly Megan.  I have no idea why.  Last night was the first night everyone slept though the night in weeks.  I’m hoping for another night like that tonight because I am tired!
• Oh, and poor Alex had a virus last week that gave him a 102 degree fever for 3 days.  NOT fun!
• Megan is a master of finding things she should not have.  Paper is a huge draw.  Power cords.  Rubber bands.  Which she then puts in her mouth and gags on.  She can even find these things after I’ve checked and okayed a space for her to be in it.  I have no idea how I’m going to keep ahead of her on this one…
• Kid Update – cute stuff
• Erin wore a purple dress with pantaloons for Easter.  When I opened the van door at the church, she had pulled the pants down to her knees…and her new socks (with lace, of course) up to her knees.  It was quite a look!
• Megan has been working on crawling for a couple of weeks.  She could get in position, but go nowhere.  And she would get MAD about it.  Apparently, she’s got my anger issues.  But she did actually crawl tonight while Eric was reading the twins their bedtime stories!
• Alex is actually talking more and more these days.  There’s still a lot of guessing about what he’s saying (his word for “white” sounds nothing like “white”), but we are definitely making progress!
• Erin has started apologizing for things.  I bumped into her when opening the door for her tonight, and she said, “I sorry, Mommy.  It all my fault.”  No, sweetie, it was actually MY fault.  I think we’ll have to work on when apologies are necessary.
• Alex loves to throw things.  We’re trying to keep the “things” limited to balls.  But even with balls, his aim is…well…less than stellar.  So it’s always a crazy guess as to where the ball will go when it leaves his hand.  Thankfully, he’s only hit Megan like twice. 
• Megan is saying “Da-da” and “Ma-Ma” these days.  She also shakes her head “no”…so cute!
• Oh, and I finally found a baby food she didn’t hate at first bite.  Any guesses?  Peas!  Go figure…

Okay, so I’m sure there’s more, but I’m tired, and I’m going to end this long post.  Hopefully, I’ll be back before another 10 days have passed!

And this time, I’m talking about my mother-in-law.

Seriously…this woman is beyond awesome.  First of all, she helped raise my more-than-fantastic husband.  So…that earns her major kudos.  But then she’s giving and godly and thoughtful.  A true servant.  A prayer warrior.  Really…she’s that good.

And on top of all of that…she sews.  And I mean seriously sews.  And I am so thankful that my children are the primary beneficiaries of her creativity and talent.  This weekend, we came home with quiet books.  And they are freakin’ amazing.  

Check them out…

Some of the pages are the same for both books.  Like these ones:

(There’s an “old woman” tucked inside that shoe which, obviously, ties.  The flowers come off the buttons.  The beads go up to 10.  The kids can put things in the train cars.  And the black page is a chalkboard.)

Some are similar.  These are in Alex’s book:

These are in Erin’s:

(The bug/bee hive unzip and have bees/ladybugs inside, the barn opens with velcro animals, the kitty ties, the puppy buckles, the clock hands move, they can put their hands into the glove, the shapes snap onto the page, and the pictures are magnetic with matching magnetic pictures inside the hidden pocket.)

And needless to say…we LOVE them!

Thanks, Pam!!!

Dear Megan,

You are already six months old.  And what a big, sweet bundle of joy you are!  You have a low, grunty laugh that cracks me up.  You’re starting to anticipate when we’re going to tickle you.  And your smile still lights up your whole face.

Of course, you are starting to make a wider range of sounds, too.  Not all of them happy.  Your “buzzer” cry (as Daddy calls it) is a sure sign that you have reached your limit, and I should come and get you RIGHT NOW.  You can get really angry when things don’t go your way or when I take a toy you aren’t supposed to have.  And man, do you have a talent for finding toys you aren’t supposed to have!  Of course, with two older siblings, there are lots of toys you shouldn’t have within arms reach, pretty much at all times.

You are already fully mobile.  Your army-crawling skills amaze me on a regular basis.  And I suspect you’ll be crawling before another month passes.  Right now, you’re just content to rest on your hands and knees for a few seconds.  But I’m sure that will change soon.  Still, sweet one, it’s okay with Mommy if you don’t rush on to walking any time soon!

So far we haven’t seen any teeth.  But we have discovered that you LOVE cereal.  Rice cereal.  Oatmeal.  Doesn’t matter.  You love it all.  Sadly, your forays into other food options has been less successful.  Both green beans and applesauce have gotten only shudders and tortured faces.  But don’t worry…we’ll find something else you’ll find worth swallowing!

Sadly, you’ve had a cold this week.  So you haven’t been sleeping well.  And you have needed Mommy to stay right by your side for most of the week.  But I think we’re finally getting well again.  And on a happier note, we’ve finally gotten to spend some time outside this week.  And you LOVE to be outside.  We take wagon rides (you go in your carseat) and you sit in your stroller and watch the twins play with chalk and run all around.  Don’t worry, little one, you’ll be running with them soon enough!

You are getting bigger by the day.  You love your Daddy with everything in you.  He calls you MegaBaby or Meggles.  The twins still love talking to you, and you are starting to talk back to them.  Of course, Mommy thinks you are sweet and smart and fabulous.  Happy six months, little one!

I wish I didn’t work so hard at keeping people from seeing my warts, mistakes, meltdowns, and other personal catastrophes.

I wish I was a better friend.

I wish there were easier answers to the problems out there.

I wish grace was a more consistent part of my life.

I wish I wasn’t such a coward.

I wish I could figure out how to find a deeper sense of connection.  And contentment.  And confidence.

I wish Megan didn’t always ignore the 20 toys she can play with to find the ONE toy on the floor that she’s not supposed to have. 

I wish I was better with the details.  Especially where house cleaning comes in.

I wish I had more time to read or knit or swing.  Or maybe I wish I took more time to do those things.

I wish I could bottle up my kids’ laughter.

I wish that I would learn to take more time to pray.

I wish I knew how to love my husband.

I wish the laundry would do itself.

I wish I would learn to be less critical, in thought and in word.

I wish I could figure out what real obedience looks like.

I wish I could play the piano.

I wish I had a better sense of my purpose.

I wish I was better at telling the people I love how much they mean to me.  

I wish I looked a lot more like Jesus than I do right now.  (Hey…at least this last one is a wish that will come true someday!)

1.  Alex broke my glasses last night.  I got them in January.  I never liked them that much.  But still…to be out the cost of the glasses after only 3 months.  Drat!

     UPDATE:  I took my broken glasses to the optometrist’s office today, and they are ordering the part needed to fix them.  And it’s under warranty.  NICE!

2.  My children are living in Contrary Land these days.  I guess it’s just ’cause they’re two.  But just about everything I ask gets a “no” in response (even, “Do you want yogurt for breakfast?”) or some other form of negative.  These are sometimes accompanied by fits.  Oh…such fun.  

     UPDATE: Yep…this is still where things stand.

3.  And of course, everyone keeps telling me that 3 is worse.  Something to look forward to, I guess.

     UPDATE: Someone actually told me they liked 3 way better than 2.  Maybe there is hope!

4.  Alex also ran into the corner of a doorway last night, leaving a monster lump on his forehead. It’s better today, just going to leave a lovely bruise for a week or so.  Glad we didn’t plan to have pictures done this weekend!

     UPDATE: The bruise is now purple, but healing nicely.  And it didn’t slow him down for a second.  He’s definitely my boy!

5.  I got Megan’s new-found mobility on video last night.  She is after everything she sees now.  And of course, Erin is trying to “protect” stuff from her grasp.  So…I guess it begins…

     UPDATE: Today, Erin was actually tossing things towards Megan, whether she “should” have them or not.  Obviously, we’ll have to work on what toys are Megan appropriate.  As well as why we shouldn’t throw things at Megan.  I know…good luck with both of those things…

6.  The twins did have yogurt for breakfast this morning.  Alex is eating it with his fingers.  While holding the spoon in the other hand.  *shrugs*

     UPDATE: Okay, no real update.  But this morning, Erin didn’t eat a single piece of Kix from her bowl.  I asked if she’d rather have toast.  Yep.  She ate 2 slices all by herself.  

7.  I actually have found time for the current writing project recently.  Not sure if the revised deadline (it got pushed WAY back) gave me the breathing room I needed to really focus on it or if it’s just been a good week for writing.  But I’ll take it!

     UPDATE: Didn’t get to much writing today as my children’s sleeping schedule got all out of whack.  Oh well.  I probably jinxed myself by writing this!

8.  In a shocking turn of events, I actually got the ironing done yesterday.  Go me!

     UPDATE: I got the garbage out before the garbage truck came today.  Other than that, I accomplished nothing!

9.  Megan gets really fussy in the afternoons these days.  I’m hoping she’s actually teething or something.  And she’s been getting up too early in the morning to eat (4:55 am on Wed. morning, 5:40 today).  I hope she’s just growing and will go back to her 6-7 am feeding time soon.

     UPDATE:  Not teething.  Not growing (that I know of).  Nope…it was a ginormous poop.  Yep, that would explain it, too…

10.  Erin figured out this week that she can leave her room when she wakes up.  So this morning, she appeared in the bathroom just as I was stepping out of the shower.  Surprise, Mommy!

     UPDATE: Also, nothing new here.  I managed to be drying my hair (dressed even!) before 2 little Munchkins appeared in my bathroom this morning.  So I guess that makes the score: Twins 1, Mommy 1

And you are now caught up on (some of) our lives.  Happy Friday!

1.  Alex broke my glasses last night.  I got them in January.  I never liked them that much.  But still…to be out the cost of the glasses after only 3 months.  Drat!

2.  My children are living in Contrary Land these days.  I guess it’s just ’cause they’re two.  But just about everything I ask gets a “no” in response (even, “Do you want yogurt for breakfast?”) or some other form of negative.  These are sometimes accompanied by fits.  Oh…such fun.

3.  And of course, everyone keeps telling me that 3 is worse.  Something to look forward to, I guess.

4.  Alex also ran into the corner of a doorway last night, leaving a monster lump on his forehead. It’s better today, just going to leave a lovely bruise for a week or so.  Glad we didn’t plan to have pictures done this weekend!

5.  I got Megan’s new-found mobility on video last night.  She is after everything she sees now.  And of course, Erin is trying to “protect” stuff from her grasp.  So…I guess it begins…

6.  The twins did have yogurt for breakfast this morning.  Alex is eating it with his fingers.  While holding the spoon in the other hand.  *shrugs*

7.  I actually have found time for the current writing project recently.  Not sure if the revised deadline (it got pushed WAY back) gave me the breathing room I needed to really focus on it or if it’s just been a good week for writing.  But I’ll take it!

8.  In a shocking turn of events, I actually got the ironing done yesterday.  Go me!

9.  Megan gets really fussy in the afternoons these days.  I’m hoping she’s actually teething or something.  And she’s been getting up too early in the morning to eat (4:55 am on Wed. morning, 5:40 today).  I hope she’s just growing and will go back to her 6-7 am feeding time soon.

10.  Erin figured out this week that she can leave her room when she wakes up.  So this morning, she appeared in the bathroom just as I was stepping out of the shower.  Surprise, Mommy!

And there are my 10 things.  Happy Thursday!