100th post

I think it's fitting that my 100th post should fall during Thanksgiving week. I didn't think I could manage a list of the 100 things I'm most grateful for, but I decided a list of 20 things was definitely do-able.

Top Twenty Thankful Fors (in no particular order)

I am thankful for:

1. Twice the baby snuggles
2. A husband who always notices my moods, even if I'd rather stay mad a while longer
3. Fabulous giggles from my eight-year-old
4. T telling me he loves me, followed by a sloppy kiss and fierce hug
5. Being able to lose the baby weight quickly (and rather inexplicably)
6. Four sisters who advise me, love me, laugh with me, and cry with me
7. My parents, who loved their kids enough to be strict with them
8. In-laws who love me almost as much as my parents do
9. Two boys who live most of their lives in the superhero world
10. Full belly laughs from not just one, but two sweet babies
11. A job that lets me be home with my kids
12. Sunday dinners with family and friends
13. The simple pleasures of a donut and hot chocolate
14. Two babies who sleep through the night
15. Counsel from a living prophet
16. The great neighborhood we live in
17. Kids who have imaginations as big as their parents
18. Quiet time with a good book
19. The chance to celebrate the birth of our Savior
20. My blog. I'm grateful for the journal keeping it's provided, since I haven't been good at writing in my journal for at least a decade.

My cup runneth over. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Stopping time

I've been known to wish time would go faster. "It's so hot this summer--I wish winter would come." "Pretty soon it will be Christmas. I can't wait!" "I wish I didn't have to work and could just play with the kids and take care of the house all day... maybe someday."

Yesterday, as I was putting ornaments on the Christmas tree, I got teary-eyed looking at all the precious ornaments my kids have made, even as far back as S's first year in nursery. Each of them is like a little time capsule, especially the ones with pictures of the kids when they were small. My babies are getting big much too fast.

Whenever I start to wish time away, I'm reminded of a quote from the movie Hook. I don't know the exact quote, but it's Moira (the mom) talking to Peter (the dad). She chastises him for never being home, always working too much, and missing important events with the kids. She tells him that they only have a short while with their kids--when kids want to be with their parents. Pretty soon, the parents are begging the kids to spend time with them.

I'm not sure if it's because the twins are the cabooses on our family, but I'm starting to feel like time is slipping through my fingers, bucketfuls at a time. I want to stop time now, while S still loves to play dress up and make-believe; while H still gives me hugs and runs to me when he's sad or afraid; while T still wakes up every morning and puts on the Spider-man costume before the rest of the house is awake; and while A2 and N are still wide-eyed, innocent, and just happy to be with their family.

I don't want to miss a single second of this time with our kids--every hug, every swordfight, every new tooth, and every tiny milestone reached. I want to soak it all up and hold it close. Because one day, much too soon, I'll be wondering where time went and how the kids got so big. So please, time, slow down. You're going by way too fast.

Just T and the babies

My favorite time of the workday is when it's just me, T, and the babies each afternoon. T usually takes a nap on the couch, his brother and sister snooze away in their swings, and I work amidst the quiet. It's delightful. It's an especially nice break from the fighting that T and H do on a daily basis. All in all, they have a great time together, but I get tired of breaking up fights over action figures, determining who actually hit whom, and sending both to time out yet again. It's mostly just nice to hang out with any of the older three on their own. T and I have some great conversations. Here's my favorite from today:

T: Mom, I jumped over A2. (A2 was lying on the rug in the living room at the time.)
Me: T! You shouldn't jump over your brother. What if you fell on him? You could really hurt him!
T: If I fell on him, I would say sorry.

Well, then. I'm sure A2 would feel much better about the whole thing if T just apologized after breaking his tiny arm.

Superhero dedication

When cold temperatures hit, it can be tough to be a superhero. Think that flimsy suit is going to keep you warm during the winter? Not a chance.

Thankfully, superheroes have come up with winter alternatives. I bet you weren't aware that gloves, hats, and boots can also become part of superhero wear. Well, they can. And it's really best to wear these items inside, all day, every day to make sure you really look the part. Also, the more "super" items you combine into one outfit, the more powers you actually possess.
Sometimes, it can get pretty depressing when your super mom won't let you go out without a coat on. But then she suggests you wear your brother's huge snow coat, and all is well once again.

And sometimes, you can decide to not be a superhero and instead be "a guy who jumps out of planes." But you'll still look pretty cool anyway.

Moving on

In the interest of moving on from the election and not wanting to see such a depressing post every time I click on my blog, I thought I'd post something new. Here are recent pics of the twins in their blessing outfits.

Feel better? Me too.

I'm already getting excited about the holiday season. Two radio stations are playing Christmas music 24/7 and I'm going to dig out my holiday CDs so the kids and I can listen to holiday tunes in the car. A is against holiday music this early, but we'll just turn it off when he's with us. :) S asked when we could decorate the house, and I told her we had to wait just a little while longer. I always decorate the weekend before Thanksgiving to have them up for the maximum time possible. (Of course, I leave the autumn decorations up outside until the day after Thanksgiving, lest my neighbors think I'm nuts. Although, if they're reading this, the jig's up. Oh well.)Anyway, I've also got quite a bit done on the shopping front, which always makes me happy.

Another thing making me very happy is that I'm not the least bit depressed. Let me explain. In the months after T was born, I experienced quite a bit of depression, which got really bad smack dab in the middle of the holiday season 2005. I remember feeling so down, and knowing in the back of my mind that I could get myself out of it, but I just couldn't seem to do it for some reason. This time around, I'm thrilled to report that I feel much differently. I was so worried that things would be incredibly stressful with twins. And yes, things can get pretty crazy (especially if we all go to Walmart together--hello, two carts!). But for the most part, things are going a-ok, including working part-time. My biggest feeling right now is gratitude for things (and people) big and small. Thanks that the passion A felt during the election gave way to a whole new voice in his writing; thanks for the way S loves to read, especially Ramona Quimby, age 8; thanks for H's increased desire to give me hugs; thanks for quiet afternoons with T and the babies; and thanks for emerging personalities in the twins--A2, the quiet observer and N, the constant mover. I love all of these people so much.

In other news, I can fit into my skinny jeans again. Just barely, but still.

Let down

Forgive me for a moment while I try and write out some of my feelings on this day.

I don't think I can accurately express in words my disappointment, disillusionment, and frankly, depression over the results of the presidential election. That so many millions of Americans would blindly ignore long-time radical associations; favor rhetoric and slick speeches over decades of selfless service; and be so naive as to believe that one man or one political party could or should be blamed for the current state of our country is unbelievably depressing to me. For weeks, I've clung to the hope that Americans would dig deeper than the surface and vote on more than just emotion, but sadly, that was not the case. I hope and pray that Obama's liberal ideologies won't find their way into law in the months and years to come, but with a Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate, I don't see much standing in his way.

The one bright spot of this whole day was the results of marriage propositions in California, Florida, and Arizona (assuming the early returns for California hold up). Thank goodness for that, and thank goodness for the great citizens of those states who stood up for what they believed in.

I started out the day with such anticipation, and I'm ending it feeling totally numb. Just numb.

Family weekend extravaganza

We've just completed quite the family whirlwind weekend. It first started with Halloween and all the festivities that go along with that. Then on Saturday, S was baptized and confirmed by her dad. It was such a great experience. Afterward, she said she felt "really, really clean." We had brunch after that at our home for family and friends. On Sunday, A blessed the twins in church, with lunch to follow at his parents' home. Three out of my four sisters were able to come (we missed you, M!), along with my parents, grandparents on both sides, all of A's siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and good friends. It was such a wonderful weekend and I'm so glad we got to share both events with so many people we care about.