Why, yes, I will take some cream. Hold the pie.

 Briton and the kids celebrated Thanksgiving with the cuz's.  After dinner, the kids had a whipping cream fight.  Anyway, here's Hilary helping Syd to suit up.

After some coaching on the rules ("Throw the whipping cream at each other!"), they loosened up. Some of them.  Sydney doesn't seem as excited anymore.

 I can't tell if Clara is looking out of the sliding glass door in forlorn envy or relief at being spared the onslaught.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this ...

 

Coo' motorcycle-ridin' mama.

Talmage swaps p.m. for a.m.

Final

Talmage swaps p.m. for a.m.

Part Two

Talmage swaps p.m. for a.m.

part1

A Tight Squeeze

My nursing license was up for renewal at the end of November.  The Oregon State Board of Nursing (OSBN) requires an RN log 960 hours over 5 years to be eligible for renewal.  And also you can't have murdered anyone, or stolen drugs, I believe.  A license is good for 2 years -- just like a temple recommend -- which also precludes murder and narcotic theft.  Anyway,  you'd think 960 hours, i.e. about 4 hours/week, is not a burdensome requirement.  But throw one year of not working,  three months of maternity leave (twice), and laissez-faire scheduling (my doing) into the mix, and you end up 238 hours shy of the mark.  Why did I wait until the eleventh hour to find out my cumulative hours?   Ummmm.  Wait.  That is not the point of this post.

238 hours!  That is the point.  Where does a full-time mom find 238 hours to spend at work over 5 weeks?!?!?  Plus, there was the possibility of being cancelled from a scheduled shift at any time - so I would need to work extra at the beginning of the month, as much as possible.  Briton and I toyed with the idea of just letting the license lapse -- for about 2 seconds -- before deciding we'd go for it, for obvious reasons.  And by "we", I mean, I couldn't have done it without his 100% support - since he would basically be single-parenting and cutting into his work schedule.   The kids loved it, because they got to eat new recipes -- like peanut butter and pickle pizza.

I clocked in 962 hours, in fact, by 11/24 -- two hours over and two days before deadline.  That pic is the online renewal form.  Notice the "Response:  Yes".  That felt really, really good to write.  As you can tell, because I took a picture of the screen.

I learned some things during that month.
1.  It's easier to go to work than it is to be a mom  ... sometimes.
2.  Home is where my heart is.
3.  Working overtime and nights and weekends pays prettily.
4.  Old habits are hard to break.

A couple weeks ago I was asked to play the organ for ward temple night.  I said sure, no problem.  The following Sunday, the bishop pulled me aside and notified me that my temple recommend had expired (see #4 above).

Miles Post

Dear Mom and Dad,


Contrary to common opinion of all those who saw the last close-up picture of me, I don't look like a stuffed Thanksgiving turkey in real life.  I concede that I produce copious amounts of drool.  Will you please post the attached video to vindicate my active physique, charming laugh, and clever fists?   

Love,
Miles.

Merry .... Halloween!

 Joseph: Ninja; Isaac: Frankenstien; Clara: Ladybug; Sydney: Snickers; Talmage: Knight; Sonya: Lion

Did that trick you?  Did you think it was going to say Merry Christmas?  It will one day.  One da-ay it will.  For now, it's catch up.  
 

Speaking of ketchup,  Sydney decided to be a Snicker bar instead -- so we disemboweled a chocolate-y looking body pillow and stuffed her inside, like the gooey nougat caramel that she is.   Clara recycled the ladybug costume (whew) and Talmage last-minute changed his mind to be the knight (sewed by a factory) instead of a puma (double-whew).  Sonya is wearing a size 3-month lion costume (her choice).  I'm sure her parents had a much more creative costume in mind but they were stuck in Israel because of the hurrycane so they couldn't do anything about her high-riding snaps.  Don't worry, she still got lots of loot, so it all worked out in the end.

Look!  The jack-o-lantern has a gold filling on his cavity.

The dripping blood from the monster claw was a new addition this year, by T&S.

Hey, is it Thanksgiving yet? I'm hungry!

Vampire Blood Soup

Admittedly, changing the name was an immediate turn-off for the kids.  Instead of this soup for Halloween, they consumed candy.  I have been the lucky recipient of the left-overs.  This soup is delicious, a snap to make, and assures virtuous feelings on account of the healthy factor.

http://www.cookusinterruptus.com/rosemary-red-soup-4136-99.html

I added cooked quinoa to it after pureeing.   Good move.

Front Door

Some hate the color.  Some love it.  But you have to admit -- when it comes to Halloween, it has it's place.

 (Idea given by a friend who is always looking out for my best interests)

Au Naturel

An Interview and Getting More Mileage

R:  Who ya got?
C: [your guess is as good as mine]
R:  What's his name?
C: Ahhh! Miles.
R: How old is he?
C: Miles' six.
R: What color is his hair?
C: White.
C: .... .... ....
M: [being cute].

Note:  Clara is certain Miles is six and so is she.  This makes sense because caring for Clara and Miles is probably what having twins is like

 Relaxed lips and nubby chin.

 He's very sweet.


 

 Fill 'im up.

 Those eyes are blue, in real life, not red.

 "A crown upon his noble brow."  And those cheeks.  I love to squish them.

"No more pictures!!!"

King's Mountain

A fuel stop -- for both the kids and the gnats.

Indignant Erudition

T: Midday?  What is it?  What's the word, Sydney?
S: Twice,
T: No. Midday.
S: No. We're doing 'twice'.
T: No. I didn't spell 'midday' yet!
S: I don't know if you're going to be right.
T: I am  going to be right.  M-I-D-D-A-Y.
S: Now you can do 'twice'.
T: T-W-I-C-E
S: Yep.
T: Oh-ho-ho.  That was a really hard one.

Bedtime Rituals

Changing Gears

There's been a shift here.

1.  Talmage and Sydney started school.  
M:  What are your favorite things about school?
T:  P.E. and recess.

Talmage could hardly believe his good fortune that first grade affords TWO recesses.


 S:  [At the dinner table]:  Mom, I'm going to sing a song.  [starts singing the primary song, "When my mother calls me, quickly I obey".  Half-way through, Talmage says ...
T:  I have invisible earplugs.
M: When you're a teenager I'm going to remind you that you sang that song at the dinner table when you were four.
S:  Remind me right now.
M:  Syd, I remember about one minute ago, when you were four, that you sang that song at the dinner table.
S: Oh!  I didn't remember that!

2.  Disciplined shopping.
 Grocery shopping is now corralled to Saturday, when one of us can go child-free.  No more mid-week ingredient runs.  This won't last, of course, because you can only fit so many gallons of milk in your fridge.  And we go through a lot of milk.  On account of this child:

... who can easily down a half-gallon a day.  Above pics show how she dealt with sibling rivalry:  if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  She insisted on wearing Miles' clothing.  That phase, and the binky phase, are over.  (but also, she's not really potty-trained).

Clara has caught on to her BIG sister role:

 

 

 

 

Her dollies are all named "Miles".  She is careful to apply Desitin.

With the real, live baby Miles.

3.  Laundry.  Now there are four piles of kids' clothes.  That was weird at first.

4.  Name mix-up.  I'm a little better now than when Miles was first born.  For several weeks I kept calling him Cole or referring to him as a her.  But I still am calling Sydney, Clara, and Clara, Sydney, and Talmage, Sydney, and ... you get the idea.   This wasn't such a problem with 3 kids.  I don't know why 4 has short-circuited my synapses.

5.  I'm not bugged now when people say, "You've got your hands full"  Because I do.



That's all on that topic.   Below are images that have been languishing in iPhoto.  Some may have already been posted.  Can't remember.

Summer Utah trip.  Outside the Dinosaur Museum with Cousin Brie.

At the cabin with Great Grandma Kartchner.  She's 94 and goes walking every morning.

Briton took the oldest kids to the zoo one Saturday so I could be alone with Miles.

Clara calls those hair thingy's "haircuts".  I can't convince her to call them clips, ribbons, barrettes, "pretties", you name it.  Aaaaaaand, I like her expression.

In the bike trailer.  Miles got out after this shot.  But on a subsequent bike ride, he was strapped in his car seat next to Clara.  That worked out well.

Syd being studious:

How to make monsters out of TP rolls:  (This is a picture tutorial, like you see on those fancy blogs):  Just pinch the top and add googly eyes ..

...like this (the idea was from High Five, I think).

 

Already a good little bubba, helping his mama with the laundry.

This was before Miles started smiling.   I wonder what he makes of it all.

Clara loves those polka-dot PJ's.