September Synopsis

Yeah, September was crazy. However crazy is our new normal, so we don't really mind. Here is the Cliff's Notes version of what happened:

Bri got married. It was lovely, and wonderful, and her Michael is (like my Michael) a great guy. A real catch. But he still married up . . . because you can't top perfection, and (don't you forget it Mike) . . . that is what she is.
Y'all know I'll jump on any opportunity to whip up a wedding cake. Bummer that I didn't think to move all that junk out of the background before taking the pictures.
I think my dad is sick of me telling him that I'm so glad he stuck around long enough for this and that (because the list of things I'm glad he stuck around for is long). I remember every time I see him that we almost lost him, and am so thankful we didn't.
My darling Alice and her sweet cousin Gwen. I don't think there are two cuter little girls on this side of the Mississippi. Probably not on the other side of it either . . . but I haven't checked over there recently.
Before the wedding I threw Brianna a shower that just happened to coincide with the first day of school . . . and pack meeting . . . but that is okay. Michael and I are continually honing our multi-tasking skills. We divide and conquer like nobody's business.

The shower was a great excuse to decorate the new house. Sadly, this is the only shot I got of the decor. Whoops.
It was also a great excuse to execute (with Emily's help) something I've been hoping to try for a while . . . a cupcake buffet!
Also in September; our neighbor's irrigation pump for the sprinkling system broke. Some of my new favorite neighborhood guys decided to get together and replace it. Water was literally gushing for hours while half the neighborhood crawled around in the swampy grass drilling screwdrivers into the ground in search of the shutoff valve that had gotten lost under years of grass growth. Meanwhile, someone decided to plug the pipe with a baseball and a rubber glove. I haven't laughed (or shivered . . . canal water is cold!) so hard in ages. We finally found the valve a little before midnight. Michael and I jokingly discussed keeping our new pond and putting koi in. You'd think something like this would stress me out, but it was such a great opportunity to meet and get to know all our new neighbors. The whole situation was beyond hilarious . . . aside from the fact that if that baseball had shot out from the canal pressure, we probably would have had to replace some siding on our garage.

Okay, even that was funny.
We spent a good part of September watching this kiddo play soccer on his new competitive team. He got a late start since the team had been together since June, (he joined in August) but I think he's finding his groove.
Yeah, I i-photoshopped the name off his Jersey. I never claimed to be good at digital editing.

Alice and Thomas started gymnastics at a new gym. They seem to like it, and there is suddenly a lot more wall-climbing and somersaulting going on around here.

Finally, to top off September, my Grandpa John passed away. John married my Grandma when I was in college and quickly became an integral part of the family. He'd been sick for years, but was such a sweet caring man and took great care of Grandma. We took a whirlwind trip down to Saint George for the funeral and to see my Grandma. And now I worry about her every day.

There is September. I don't think things are slowing down at all. It's okay though, I'd rather be busy than bored. The amazing thing about all of this is that I feel like I'm finally getting Michael back from residency. I've been doing things on my own for so long while he worked nonstop, that I still don't expect to have much help with anything. It's always a pleasant surprise to find that I'm not on my own anymore. I'm remembering that part of being married is sticking by each other, having each other's backs and sharing mundane things about each other's lives that nobody else really cares about. I'm not used to being able to call him during the work day and have him answer the phone. I feel like the kids are much, much happier now too. So in spite of the hectic pace, things are better than they have been in a long time, because a piece of our family that has been intermittently missing for the past six years is permanently in place. Life is good.

Love, Love, Love

Proof that I have the most beautiful sister (and babies) in the universe.

The Epic Move: Part 1

Reading this was only the first time I almost cried . . .
Here is where I really got good and teary.
We sent T to the motherland a week early with Michael's parents and Dora our Explorer.
And he had to say good bye to the little blonde neighbor girl, who he has played with practically every day since they were born.
My heart is breaking into pieces just looking at these pictures. Fortunately the little blonde neighbor girl has assured us that her family will be moving to Utah in the very near future. She just needs to convince her parents first.

After we said good-bye to Thomas, we said hello to Brianna, who flew in to Portland to be my baby nanny for the week. "Nanny Annie" is her new nickname. She was every level of awesome, though I think she has decided against having twins for herself.

I know I'm pretty behind on the old bloggity, but that will have to do for now. I'm only on the computer to take a break from all the paint fumes I've been inhaling. The twins' room is almost done. Now to tackle the rest of the house!

Vogue at the Rose Garden

I'm going to catch up on summer. I really am. There will be pictures and stories galore. See? Here are some now. This is from our visit to the Portland International Rose Garden.

Something happens to Alice when we take her picture. She poses.
I don't know where this is coming from. Hands on waist, one hip jutted out, chin down . . .
Look! There it is again! Somebody stole my little girl and replaced her with a runway model! Help!
At least she looks like she might want to be photographed. We can hardly keep Thomas in the frame . . . and Seth is just anxious for us to give him the okay so he can bolt.
Wait a minute . . . that pose looks familiar . . . Brianna? She got it from you? There are divas in the family.
Well. I certainly didn't teach her to do it.
Although I did strike some interesting poses when Thomas wanted to smell the roses from atop my shoulders.
I never said that I could aim him very well while he was up there though. Sorry kid.

Five

I know I haven't been very bloggy lately. We had a fabu Utah adventure that will be recorded shortly . . . but first things first.

Alice turned five.

We had a small party the on what was supposed to have been the day before our exodus to Utah. (Dora's transmission had to be rebuilt which muddled our plans a little).
My sister Brianna helped with the face painting, cupcake decorating, supply buying and general crowd control. Check out her hair. It is generally considered to be the among the greatest heads of hair in America.
Activities included a pinata manned by Dr. Dad (he had to go right back to work after, hence the blue pajamas) and pin-the-dot on the ladybug.
This picture illustrates why boys do not belong at birthday parties for little girls. Each little girl daintily put on the blindfold, tip-toed over to the lady bug and carefully placed the dot on it's back.

Seth put on the blind fold and staggered around with his arms out moaning "Beware the undead . . . I am a zombie . . . take me to your leader."

One of the perks of having a birthday at the park is that the small guests can all run amok and I can talk to grown-ups while they do it. And we all know that talking to grown-ups is pretty much one of my favorite pass times ever.

And for my Alice, I just love her little five-year-old self. She is the perfect combination of spunk and girl. Her Betty Rubble giggle can make my day.

And I think you'll agree, that if Brianna gets the crown for best grown-up hair ever, Alice's baby hair would have taken the prize as well. Just check these out:

She's just growing up too quickly, as is evidenced by the fact that the only things she asked for for her birthday were a pink rug for her room and a tube of lip gloss. Sigh.

Bragging Rights

If you've heard me talk about my sister the amazingly talented opera singer, but didn't believe she's quite as awesome as I've always claimed, here's proof:

http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/search_results.cfm#

Sorry, but it wouldn't let me link directly or embed the video. Search for the performance on February 12, 2007 (University of Michigan Music Department) and fast forward the Real Time player to a little more than 3/4 of the way through the performance (until you see the quartet with the soprano in pink).

Brianna is the soprano. The song that best displays her voice is the very last one.

Go Pats!