Just What I Needed

When Kami called me a few months ago and told me Billy Joel was coming to Salt Lake City my wheels started turning....which means I started checking flights and talking with Nate about taking a little trip out there by myself. I got the go ahead and things came together perfectly and the night before my flight was going to leave I felt like it was Christmas Eve. Then my mom called and asked if I knew the concert had been cancelled.

WHAT!?

Billy Joel and Elton John were both sick.

MAHHHHH!

It was hard to stay sad for too long since I had many other activities planned with girls I love.

I loved spending time with my mom and not having to worry about baths and bedtimes for kids.

I loved staying in the Marriot with these girls and not worrying about how many times Natalie would wake me up that night.

I loved going out to eat for practically every meal and not having to plan meals or cook them.
I loved just sitting and eating and talking and not having to worry about scurrying kids or keeping them entertained.

I love blabbing and laughing without being interrupted by cute but persistent voices.
I loved taking as long as I wanted at the restaurant and not running home to relieve the babysitter.
I loved eating treats and not having to hide them from the kids as I scarf.
I loved driving to fun, memory-filled places without having to buckle carseats.

I loved going for drives with Slurpees without having to pack graham crackers and sippy cups for entertainment on the road.

I loved just relaxing without having to wonder if a mess is being made in the next room.

I loved holding this little gal without worrying that my little gal would be very jealous.

What a fun weekend. I think I will do it every year in the name of mental health. For the record, I missed my kids and hubby SO MUCH...

But can't promise that I won't try to do something like this again soon!

Phew!

You know how when you have your own children you experience epiphanies and realizations of all the work and sacrifice it took to raise you to adulthood? Nate and I had Thanksgiving epiphanies yesterday as we sat together after a wonderful meal with friends. The planning, the shopping, the cooking, the cleaning, the setting up, the taking down, etc! Nate even set up a "play area" in the garage for the kids with a tent and everything. All those years I just showed up to Thanksgiving dinner and there before me was a magical feast and sadly, I never really thought about the work my family had done to make it such a special day.

Despite my collapse on the couch after the day was over, we had a DELIGHTFUL dinner with such enjoyable company and delicious food.

I heard a loud "OH NO!" while Nate was working with Turkey and ran down the stairs. It had slipped out of his hands into the roaster full of drippings and fat splashed everywhere! It was on the walls, all over the floor, on the chairs and tablecloth, on the carpet...but things worked out just fine and the floor has a nice, slippery shine to it. Does anyone know what will happen if we just try to paint over the grease stained walls??? Will it seep through?

Banished to the floor:

All the ladies who contributed deliciousness:

The gluttons:

I also realized yesterday that I think this is my favorite weekend of the whole year. The anticipation of Christmas makes me absolutely giddy and having Nate around for the long weekend is always cause for celebration.

Playgroup Palooza

Natalie is in a playgroup now and I hosted it this past Monday. I think the kids had a great time. Here's the proof:

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It's the Same Old Train

This evening we were eating dinner and Jansen was banging his fork loudly on the table. Nate nicely asked him to stop and told him the sound was annoying. Realizing that Jansen might not know what that word meant he started to tell him, "Annoying is when somebody is really bothering someone else..."

Before he could finish Natalie blurted out, "ME?!"

It was way too funny.

This, my friends, is entertainment at its finest:

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This Girl

I will be VERY surprised if Natalie doesn't play sports. She is just a rough and tumble kind of girl. Nate told me the other day that her nursery leaders at church said, "You should sign her up for football!" Yesterday we were on a walk and Natalie was haphazardly running through the trees and bushes and falling every 3 minutes and then she ran into these:

It's a little bit hard to see them, but there are a bunch of stickers stuck impossibly to her hair. I went out last night with some girls so Nate was left with task of removing them (which he did successfully). Yesterday Natalie was sitting on the couch and she said to me, "GO AWAY MOM!"
I said, "Natalie, that wasn't very nice."
So what did she say next, " GO AWAY PLEASE MOM!"

Quite Late

I had a check up with my OB today. It has been 5 weeks since the delivery, and it was a little strange being back in her office. It brought back a flood of memories just being there, but she was very thoughtful (she told me this later) and made sure I was in a different room than the one I had always seen her in. There are still no answers as to why this happened, but they are still running a few tests and waiting on results from doing some cultures on the placenta. Thankfully, from the beginning, I have been totally at peace about not having any answers. I have definitely spent my fair share of time "wondering," and any information will be helpful, but I am totally okay with never knowing exactly what caused it.

I have lots of pictures from the trip to Utah we took many weeks ago, but I have never posted them. The biggest reason, of course, is that we lost our Noah right after I returned. After that I just kind of ignored the pictures for awhile because it seemed SO long ago, almost surreal. In the midst of all our experiences with losing Noah, it kind of felt like the trip to Utah was all a dream or something. But there are so many pictures I want to share and things I want to record, so this is the first of probably several posts as I catch up.

Running from the rain...

Girl Time at Purple Turtle...

Me and Lexi...

MOOSIE! My mom's dog...oh and my mom and the kids...

Smiles...

Jansen loved going into the backyard and drawing trains with sidewalk chalk...

Jansen and the Kamster...

Noggles

I love it when Natalie whips out an alternate name for an object. Blanket? I like "mank" better. Blue's Clues? Let's do "Coo's Coo's" instead. Goggles? Try "noggles" on for size.

She looks so stinkin cute in noggles.

Some great news: we took her in to the pediatric cardiologist to check up on her ASD on Friday. We decided to try the EKG thing again, which was disastrous last year, but she cooperated this time. It looks like the hole has healed itself and we'll just check on it in 3 years or so to make double sure. Aren't our bodies amazing?

Coconut Tres Leches Hot Chocolate

I had you hooked from the moment you read Coconut Tres Leches Hot Chocolate didn't I? I drink hot chocolate more often than I'd like to admit, so when I came across this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens, I had to try it. I thought it was fabulous, but you'll have to see for yourself what you think:

Ingredients
3 cups fat-free milk
1 14-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 of a 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk (2/3-cup)
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
1/4 cup chocolate shavings (optional)

Directions
1. In medium saucepan combine fat-free milk, coconut milk, and sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Whisk in cocoa powder until well-combined.

2. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Serve in mugs topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Makes 5 (1-cup) servings.

Pictures of Personalities

We had these darling pictures taken a couple months ago and for various reasons I am just now posting them. They capture the individual personality of each kid so well. Thank you Monica for being our photographer extraordinaire!

He's Flexible and He's Funny

This cannot possibly be comfortable. Even for children who seem to have bones made out of marshmellows.

Said in his prayers: "Please help us to never, ever be in a bad mood."
"Please help us to not be rough, and tough, and mean."

Nate was peeling potatoes (he knows how to please a woman) and Jansen asked him what he was doing. When Nate told Jansen that he was peeling the skins off Jansen said, "So it's just the bodies now?"

I overheard Jansen singing a Rod Stewart song..."You're in my heart, you're in my sore!"

Jansen likes to "type" and send emails. I usually pull up my email and put Nate's email address in and then let Jansen type. He sent one to Nate and I didn't know what he had written until Nate wrote him back but this is what he had written: hi dad send wun too mee too
Isn't that so cute???

This last one is from Natalie. She was by the computer asking to watch Wow Wow Wubbzy. Nate and I were in the kitchen. I called back to her and said, "No, Natalie." She replied, "I'm asking daddy."