pets

As I straighten the house and vacuumed each of the rooms this morning I was reminded of a child's big imagination as I entered Allen and Abby's room.

Abby has three pets: her whale, fish, and turtle (plastic, of course). They are housed in three water cups on her dresser. Turtle is by far her favorite. She likes to take him out of his "tank" and carry him with her as she goes places or plays or reads.

Allen has three "beds" in the closet for his two pets: cat and monkey (stuffed, of course). He keeps them covered during the day and plays with them when he gets home (and if he remembers). Ross and I are not really pet people so I think that the kids coming up with their own "pets" very cute and very creative. They can use their minds to fathom how to take care of their pet and I don't have to intervene at all. It's completely a kid activity. I love it!

My "pet" for today is my pedometer that I bought with some Christmas money. I am really curious how much I walk just being at home and doing all the daily motherly tasks required of me.

Ross's "pet" for today is his car. We love our Camry. He took the kids with him on Saturday to get the oiled changed. Today (because of events downtown and I don't think they were Superbowl related) he was assigned to park in a different place.

Jane and Emma's "pets" for today are the lights and walls. What would I do if the lights and walls in the house didn't get the attention that the twins give? :) By the way, the babies are three months today. We love having them in our family!

funny talk

• "I don't like her because she calls me princess and I want to be a firefighter." -Abby
• "Saturday is my favorite day because I don't have to go to school or church." -Allen
• "Knock knock." "Who's there?" "Emma." "Emma who?" "Emma gonna sneeze... ah-choo!" -Ross's knock-knock joke for Abby
• "How is it with your clan of 4?" "I'm actually having way more fun than I should." -Andrea's response in the mother's room today. (I think the person was surprised at my answer. It may sound "funny," but it's the truth.)
• Jane and Emma "talked" a lot today. Most likely because they went to bed last night at 5:30pm, both woke up at 2:30am to eat (and went right back to sleep), and then woke for the day at 7:30am. They had a nice long stretch of sleep and were happy.

13.1

Ross ran his second half marathon today (his third race ever and first race since last March) in Dallas. He ran it in 2:05, not as good as 1:50 back in 2009, but definitely good since he didn't have the time for training since twins joined the family.

Even though Allen wanted to be there and cheer Ross on, the kids and I stayed at home and sorted out the toyroom. Later an "angel" came to deliver us muffins, hold each baby, wrap them up and lay them down. And during that time I was able to fix my hair, collect all the diapers from the trash to throw out, and pick up our stack of books from our read-a-thon. It's nice when people help!

Ross took the kids with him to get the oil changed on the car. The babies and I stayed here and I finished our toyroom. I put away lots of extra toys filling four boxes. It's much more organized now.

Now it's time for our weekly movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the Gene Wilder version, of course). We've told the kids about the story and they are excited to see it. We've got popcorn and everything! While we watch I will sort our books. (I've got to figure out how to fit two more boxes on books on our already-filled bookshelves).  I just can't sit still sometimes -- it's the multi-tasker in me.

basketball game

It's been a good morning! Ross just bought us tickets to see BYU play TCU in a few weeks. Plus, I saw this video this morning on a friend's blog. (Now I want to read her book I Am a Mother.) It's a great reminder of the great work I do at home. I have the best job!



Later today the girls and I are going to a ward playgroup picnic at the park, sorting out books or the toyroom (depending on what Abby would rather do) and having a read-a-thon when Allen gets home. Happy Friday!

a book in a day

I did it. I read a book in a day. Me. A mother of four.

The book, The Last Lecture, was one I had heard about. I thought to put it on hold at the library and look through it to see if it was worth reading. Well, once I started, I couldn't put it down. It made me think, it made me smile, it made me sob and it made me (once again) appreciate life. The voice of the book is a professor and young father dying of cancer. He gave his "last lecture" and spoke about his life's experiences and what he's learned. It's a gift for his kids. (And that is one reason why I write this blog -- it's for my kids.)

I recommend reading it. And be sure to have a box of tissues handy too.

my sweetheart

Due to kids, recent pregnancy, and high/low blood sugars, I don't remember the last night I stayed in my bed for over 7 hours (except the hospital). Was it August? No... July? Maybe July. It felt wonderful. I could hear when each baby woke, but Ross jumped up to get them both times. Thank you Ross! I'm lucky to have such a sweetheart.

a compliment

We walked to pick up Allen at school. The twins rode in the side-by-side stroller and Abby held onto the side of it as we walked. It was a nice sunny day. Perfect jacket weather.

Once we got Allen he wanted to play on the toys for "6 minutes." So we did. While we walked by some of the parents, one mom after acknowledging the twins said, "Congratulations! I remember seeing you walk everyday (to school) when you were pregnant." That comment made me a little self-conscious, but it was a good reminder of that fact that I did walk almost everyday even though it was SUPER uncomfortable carrying the twins and I am amazed that someone, who saw me months ago, thought to tell me of their admiration.

Reminder to self:  Be a good example because you never know who is watching. And always give compliments (when you think them) because everyone needs to feel good about themselves.

Target photo day

Yes, that's right. It's already time to get 3-month pictures taken of the twins. Jane had her turn this morning and Emma has an appointment next week. The shoot went well. Jane didn't fuss at all, but wasn't very smiley. I liked the one best of her on her tummy with her eyebrows up. When we tried her on her tummy she rolled to her back again and again and again... I had no idea she was that good of a roller. She's definitely full of surprises.

After pictures were taken, I fed the babies in the car and then we went to Walmart and bought everything on our list. It's tricky to fit all your purchases in a cart already filled with two infant car seats and Abby (sometimes she rides in the back behind Jane's car seat and sometimes she hangs on the side and sometimes she helps me push at the front), but it works.  I put stuff around the car seats and I use the bottom rung lots. We get lots of looks, but I don't really care. I'm a proud mom.

I'm so glad that the kids cooperated so well, especially Abby. She is much happier during the day when she sleeps a little longer in the morning instead of waking up right along with Allen.

And thinking more about shopping trips, when we lived in Chicago in the quaint Hyde Park neighborhood I got really good at grocery shopping by foot with my little Maclaren stroller. One instance I can still remember my method of stacking when I bought several grocery items including two large pumpkins at the Farmer's Market. We made it home okay and they never fell on Allen's head. You get good at what you have to deal with, I guess.

tuckered out

Today's To Do Did List:

straighten house, preschool, a BLT sandwich for lunch, tummy time for the twins, story time with Abby, pick up Allen, snack, playroom time, homework practice, use the bread machine, play with the babies, 2 piano lessons while kids watch Bill Nye, laundry (which ended up being 5 loads -- it's sorted, folded, ironed and put away in everyone's drawers and closets), plan Family Home Evening (we didn't have time yesterday after the birthday party so we did it tonight -- Allen taught us about the Golden Rule, Abby led the song, I shared the story of the Good Samaritan and we played a few games), soup/bread and pizza bubble for dinner, put kids to bed, clean up the kitchen, wash dishes and pile of bottles, iron 9 men's shirts while watching my new SBTB College Years DVD, shower and wash my hair, check my email, climb in bed and do a little reading.

W is for Winter

Tucker Tot Time Today

Theme: Letter W

Activities:

1. Colored a Letter W page to add to our notebooks.

2. Made a snowy handprint craft after reading The Snowy Day. Click here for snowy handprint instructions. We did ours with cotton instead of sugar.

3. Practiced the sound the letter W makes.

4. Learned several words that start with “W” (winter, whale, worm, watermelon)

5. Today we wore blue and went on a hunt around the house for more blue items.

6. Did some fingerplays (6 Little Snowmen, 6 Little Teddy Bears) to reinforce the number 6.

7. Talked about triangles and drew some in the air.

8. Made snowmen out of playdough.

slept like a baby

Last night the babies slept great. They were put to bed just after 7pm. Emma had a hard time falling asleep (mostly from being overtired), but Jane fell asleep fast. Nine hours later Jane woke up (4:30am) because she had a messy diaper. I fed her and she went right back to bed. Emma woke up at 6:30am, ate, "talked," helped me do a little laundry from her bouncer and I put her back down. I'm excited my babies are sleeping so long at night. I guess it makes up for the fact that they aren't napping very long during the day anymore.

visiting teaching

This morning was jam-packed with an airport pick-up and two visiting teaching appointments. My companion and I have 5 girls between the two of us and the families we visit have a few kids too around the same age. It makes every visit a big playdate and then we load up in the car and get to the next house to do more "playing." Abby loves it and it's nice for the ladies to see and hold the babies. It can be tricky to share a message or leave with a prayer when the house is full of noise and chaos, but we enjoy our visits. That's what it's all about, right?

The babies are due for a bath, then it's off to pick up Allen and then a stop at a birthday party for both Allen and Abby. They are very excited about playing with Madeleine at BounceU. What a full day! And tomorrow isn't much duller.

interesting Sunday

Today...

• Abby went to Sunbeams again for the 2nd time. She left her blanket in the car even though she really didn't want to.
• Allen gave the prayer in primary. (Jane and Mommy were there to see and help).
• Ross taught the 17-18 year old Sunday School class. The babies and Mommy hung out in the Mother's Room during Sunday School.
• Andrea taught Allen's primary class about Joseph Smith's childhood. Allen was very excited to have me there!! We made stick puppets to retell the story of Joseph's operation.
• Ross took the babies to Priesthood with him so Andrea could teach primary. Jane and Emma didn't cooperate like they were supposed to.
• Our family arrived 10 minutes early before 8:30am Sacrament Meeting. It really helps to have everything set out the night before :)

not a bad day in January

"It's not a bad day in January," Ross said as we all walked to the Duck Pond Park. It was in the high 50s so it felt great in the sun. With the wind blowing it was a tad chilly if you sat in the shade, but for January weather...? We'll take it!

It has been a good day filled with book reading, marble tower making, domino set creating, Ensign reading, half-marathon training, backyard baseball playing, stroller walking/bike riding, duck feeding, hide-and-seeking, playground running, and DQ desserting. It was great Saturday!

The Happiness Project

I just finished a book titled The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It is about the writer's yearlong quest to discover what makes people happy. Each month is devoted to a different quality with mini goals of things to work on or try.
(January -- boost energy, February -- marriage, March -- work, April -- parenthood, May -- leisure, June -- friendship, July -- money, August -- eternity, September -- books, October -- mindfulness, November -- attitude, December -- happiness). 

I found it fascinating that someone would actually do what she did, along with philosophical research, and write honestly about her experience. She reassures readers throughout her book that each person's happiness project would be different than hers. She is pretty ambitious. For example, the writer herself is a law school graduate who clerked for Sandra Day O'Connor. She even has a blog.

Reading her thoughts and ideas has made me think more about myself, my relationship with others, my goals, my ambitions and my testimony.

After reading it I decided to create my own list of lifelong resolutions and attitudes:

1. Enjoy the simple things of life.
2. Money is just paper and stuff is just clutter. Experiences are priceless.
3. Keep a smile on your face.
3. Stand tall.
4. Speak positively.
5. Act the way I want to feel. (If you don't have energy, fake it and you'll be amazed at what you can do.)
6. Go to bed earlier.
7. Drink more water.
8. Find the humor in situations and laugh often.
9. Remember to sing.
10. Enjoy life as it happens.
11. Keep a record.
12. Cherish your family.
13. Find your talents and pursue them.
14. Time passes quickly if you don't pay attention.
15. Live your faith.

a trophy

When Ross came home from the bowling party last night he brought this:

It reads, "Bowler with the Best Style or Technique"

Yes, that would be Ross. I remember bowling a few times when we were daring -- he never did the same bowling move twice. Pretty creative guy! I guess the clerks and judges liked his silly style and awarded them with this funny trophy. And the great part, pointed out by a co-clerk, is you can move the figure's hands and legs to represent some of the moves Ross did. The kids got a kick out of the trophy when they saw it this morning.

pancakes for dinner

Tidbits from today:

• Today is Thursday. That means it's a library and dance/DQ day. I had the popcorn chicken. It was very delish!
• I went to a meeting at school for Allen. I am happy he is doing so well at reading. I love his teachers!! They are exactly who he needs. (Thanks Catherine for coming over to watch Abby and the babies!)
• When Allen got home we had another read-a-thon. Abby, I read 20 books to Allen and Abby in 75 minutes. When we finished one it was the next person's turn to pick another one out of our library bag. My favorites were The Belly Book, Billy and Milly -- Short and Silly, Some Dogs Do, and Mary Had a Little Lamp.
• We had pancakes and scrambled eggs for dinner. The kids ate better tonight than they do most nights.
• Ross attended a bowling activity with other clerks and judges tonight, hence the pancakes. He's not a fan of breakfast food at dinnertime, but the kids sure are. 
• Since we didn't have to wait for Daddy to come home we did our night routine sooner and I put the kids to bed earlier. After shutting the last bedroom door my watch read, "6:59". Sweet! My goal was to tidy up, make Allen's lunch and clean up the kitchen in 30 minutes so I could have some time to work on my own projects. I finished in less than 30. To quote a tv show I used to watch: I hate to toot my own horn or pat myself on the back but, *toot! toot!* *pat! pat!*

11 weeks old

I had to look at the calendar and count back to figure out exactly how old the babies are. Some new updates with them -- Jane is good at finding her fingers and sucking her thumb. Emma slept through the night on Tuesday! Jane rolled from her tummy to her back three times on Monday. Emma starting smiling and cooing first, but Jane is slowly catching up.

Other tidbits:

• I really like the Tangled Soundtrack. Ross gave it to me for Christmas. I haven't seen the movie, but I like everything better if I already know the songs going into a show. I've learned that trick from attending a few Broadways in Chicago. Tangled has been playing in the kitchen for the past few days.
• Allen learned about Martin Luther King at school on Tuesday. While my cooking/cleaning music was on (Tangled Soundtrack's "I've Got a Dream") he said, "Hey... this is Dr. Martin Luther King's song." 
• Abby has a pet fish. It's not a real fish. She took a mug from the bathroom, filled it up with water and added a toy fish. She has it neatly placed on her dresser with a washcloth underneath it. She's been interested in neatness lately. This morning she came out from her room and said, "Mom, my room is all clean." I was a little surprised.
• I got a majority of my "to do" list done today with a big goal to have the house straighten and entirely vacuumed by 10:30am. I was happy it was done by 10:20am. Does anyone else play the race-the-clock game?
• Abby helped me give Jane and Emma a bath this morning. I love baths because the babies smell so good afterward and it knocks them out for a longer nap.
• We are almost caught up with all of Allen's homework activities. I'm amazed at how well his writing has improved.
• I used a gift card at Walmart and bought a pedometer (I'm really curious how much I walk everyday while staying in my house) and a few candy bars. I thought it was a nice balance :)
• Ross and I have been playing a game each night after the kids go to bed. Last night it was Skip-Bo and I lost. Tonight I beat him at Scattergories. I think it's the first time I've ever won by so much.

I is for Instrument

Tucker Tot Time Today

Theme: Letter I

Activities:
1. Colored a Letter I page to add to our notebooks.
2. Made and decorated instruments.
3. Practiced the sound the letter I makes.
4. Talked about several words that start with “I” (icicles, igloo, ice cream)
5. Sang What Color Are you Wearing Today? and focused on the color blue
6. Did some fingerplays (5 Little Monkeys, 5 Little Ducks, 5 Little Donuts) to reinforce the number 5.
7. Went on a shape hunt for triangles.
8. Worked with playdough.

Here are the kids with their decorated instruments (drums). They had fun doing a band parade around the house. I led them with a big horn.

crazy nachos

It was really nice to have Ross at home today. I remember the last two Martin Luther King holidays he ended up working at the firm instead of enjoying the day off. We spent the day cleaning out closets, sorting through clothes, taking care of babies, doing dishes, laundry, and minor repairs. In the evening we had Aunt Catherine over for dinner and Family Home Evening. We had a mexican fiesta eating crazy nachos with beans and rice (two new recipes), as well as apple slices, califlower and blueberries. We had a lesson on reverence (especially during Sacrament meeting) and then played Disney's Scene It! Then once the kids were all in bed Ross and I enjoyed some dump cake and a game of Battleship.

Sunday skiers

Today was Abby's first day in primary since she was sick last week and we were at the Jackson ward in Tennessee the week before. She loved it!

When the kids got home Abby had the idea to go "skiing" using the horns that Grandma brought with her on the plane. Allen soon joined in on the fun.

We went from church being at 2:30pm to 8:30am. It's quite a swing, but there are advantages to both. It was nice to get a nap today. Allen and Abby played really quietly on purpose while Mommy, Daddy and the twins slept. Thanks kids!

And, as a bonus for today, a friend invited us over for dinner since her dinner company cancelled. I'm excited for a little outing in an hour.

Ready to go skiing!

Two Sunday skiers.

This is what I see right before I change two diapers.

We tried a little tummy time. They are wearing two jumpers which are both too tight now. Jane's is one that my mom made for Abby's Dorothy costume. Emma's is a jumper that a friend in Chicago made.

Allen took this picture of me holding both fussy babies.

And Ross took this when he got home from work on Friday. It's the end of a week and I guess I was a little worn out. Luckily Allen and Abby were reading and looking at books on the floor near me. I'm happy that they didn't get into any trouble.

read-a-thon

We used to have a tradition of a Friday afternoon movie each week. Now that Allen is in school full-day I want to change our tradition to a Friday Read-a-thon and make a weekly Saturday afternoon movie instead.

Last night Abby, Allen and I read 70 minutes. (I know because I set a timer to calculate the time for Allen's reading program.) We read a big stack of books but my three favorites (and ones I would read again or maybe buy for our library) were Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox, Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer and And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon by Stevens and Crummel.

This morning I have been cleaning and de-cluttering. It sure feels good to free up some space!

This afternoon we are going to the dollar theater to see Megamind. Ross and Allen set a goal this week and Allen completed it. The kids are excited. We may even get some popcorn!

playdough people

Sometimes the kids will playdough at the table while I work on dinner in the kitchen. Yesterday I proposed doing playdough. Abby got out the playdough mats and each kid requested a rolling pin. Later I came closer to admire their "creations." Allen was making snowmen. First he made two saying that is was "Jane" and "Emma" and then he made a third. Then he changed his mind saying, "this is Satan, this is Heavenly Father and this is Jesus."

 I asked Abby what she was making. She said, "cookies!"

new pajamas for Christmas

Each year the Schmidt grandparents get everyone new pajamas and every January I take a picture of Allen and Abby wearing them.

We are also excited to use our family Six Flags season passes this year (another Christmas gift). It opens on the weekends starting in March.

DQ Day

Ross bought me a gift certificate at Dairy Queen for my birthday. I decided that starting today after we go to library story time and drop Abby off for dance (and the babies and I are already in the car) that we will swing over to DQ to enjoy a little drive-thru lunch. The short drive there will help the babies to keep sleeping, and I will get to feast in peace, waiting in the van until my little dancer emerges from dance class. I feel a little sneaky, but my kids really don't care about meals anyway. When it's lunch time and I say "let's go have lunch," Abby will reply, "I don't want lunch. I want a snack." Since it's upsetting to her and Allen I try to refer to meals as snacks ("lunch snack" or "dinner snack"). When we got home from dance I asked Abby what she wanted for lunch. Then she corrected me "snack!" She wanted a glass of milk and some oatmeal -- both of which she barely touched. My kids aren't really big eaters. Food just isn't very appealing to them. So there is my selfish justification to indulge in fast food all by my lonesome. Thanks Ross for the great birthday gift that I will enjoy weekly for the next little while.

a little organization

A few things from today include organizing the board games, sorting in the toy room, a round of the Bean Game, yummy soup for lunch, taking my parents to the airport, and having hot chocolate for an after-school snack. Today wraps up our 25 consecutive days of differing family events. We enjoyed it and now I'm ready to get back to our daily routine.

indoor fun

We had thought about visiting Fort Worth's Stockyard District to show my parents the daily cattle run, but because it was cold today with a chilly wind (and Abby is getting over croup/cough), we decided to just stay put and enjoy lots of games inside and a movie or two. We played Mouse Trap, Chinese Checkers, Rummikub, Six Dice, and Racko and watched Going My Way and An Affair to Remember. I worked on my levi/t-shirt quilt while the movies were on. Abby and I played with some of my old paper dolls. She wasn't as interested in them as I thought she would be. Once Ross got home, we had our Family Home Evening lesson (because we ran out of time yesterday) and then ate a yummy dinner of Zuppa Toscana, peasant bread, orange slices and cherry dump cake for dessert.

catch up

Today I played catch-up on the blog, on 5 journals, on laundry and on my sleep. Thanks to my parents for helping with the kids so I could take a nap. It's nice to have two extra adults around to help during feedings. This afternoon we watched One Special Night starring Julie Andrews and James Gardner and tonight we ate dinner at CiCi's pizza.

double blessing day

We were happy to have so many friends and family members attend the girls' baby blessing even though our meeting time was at 8:30am. The girls wore matching frilly white dresses (a gift from my parents) and lacy hand bands. I liked how the counselor conducting spoke of two special baby blessings soon to happen and that the special part was that the babies were from the same family -- twin sisters.

Ross gave two beautiful blessings. Jane was blessed first (she cried a little because the head band fell in her eyes) and then after the blessing, Ross held her up, walked her down to the pew I was on and I stood up with Emma in hand, we traded babies and he went up to bless Emma. It was so cool! It was a big highlight for our smaller ward and made an impression on lots of members. It was mentioned in both Sunday School and during Priesthood and I got many smiles and congratulations from many members I have seen but have never talked to.

Afterward we had a Mexican Fiesta at our home. It was kind of like a Thanksgiving in January. And another cool part of the day was a little bit of snow! Snow in Dallas? Yep, it wasn't that much and it didn't last long, but the kids sure had fun in the afternoon. It made for a hard drive back to Arkansas for Annette and Caleb.

Jane with Grandpa Tucker the morning before the blessing.

Emma and Grandpa Schmidt the morning before the blessing.

Jane and Emma in their dresses. Emma has her white booties on too.

The twins and happy parents.

Our family of six.

Our family with Grandpa Tucker and Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt

Shileys and the Tuckers

Three bouncer-loving babies!

Emma and Catherine.

Mexican Fiesta! We had tostadas, salad, apple slices and desserts.

Three cousins (Annette, Kevin and me) and spouses.

Annette and Caleb with their new car!

Allen and Abby hanging out on the Foof.

Patrick Gee and my mom or his grandma's sister :)

Playing in the snow. Allen was happy when his "Texas cousins" got to our house.

Abby and John

a new cousin

Annette, my sister, and Caleb just moved to Bentonville, Arkansas. They had baby boy, Hyrum, on October 2nd that we hadn't met yet. We put Hyrum in between his new twin couins. He's a month older in birth, but really two months older in development. Hyrum's a big smiler. It was so fun to see all the new babies together. I'm glad Annette doesn't live too far from us.

Emma (crying from hunger), Hyrum and Jane

Once my parents and the Shileys arrived at our place on Saturday night, we had dinner (green chile enchiladas), and then six of us loaded up in the minivan for a trip to the Dallas Temple. A big THANK YOU to my parents who stayed home and watched 5 kids, three being infants.

bumbo seats

The babies enjoy their Bumbo seats that they got for Christmas. I'm glad I found them on Craigslist for much cheaper than the stores.) See all that laundry in the background I need to tackle?

good day

Yesterday day was a good day because of the following tidbits:

• I (and Abby and the twins) went to see my OB for my last follow-up. I really like my doctor. He's so cool. While he held Jane he told me about the birth of his first baby 9 days ago. After several years and several miscarriages he and his wife finally have a baby. It makes me grateful for the four kids that I have.
• I took my three girls grocery shopping and I managed to get a cart with a car on the front so everyone fit nicely. Abby "drove" the car, Jane (in carseat) rode inside the shopping cart and Emma (in carseat) rode in the basket in the front. Since I wasn't buying a ton of things it fit nicely around the carseats and I was out of the store in 15 minutes. Heck, my shopping trip went so well, I skipped waiting in the line and did the self check-out. Sometimes I'm brave.
• Ross's dad is a great house guest. He's very easy-going when it comes to meals and likes to read a lot during the day. It's been fun having him here to visit.
• Abby cooperated during quiet time so I actually got a short nap.
• We picked Allen up at school and then headed downtown to show Grandpa Tucker Ross's office. Ross and I really like this new job. We really like the people he works with and they love having us barge in with all the kids for a break during the work day. It's the third time we've been there in 3 months to visit. I was talking to a few of his co-workers that are single and have no family in the area. It makes me thankful for my husband and our kids and the family that has been out to visit us.
• For dinner we ate at Hard 8, a BBQ place in Coppell. It's the kind of place where you order your cuts of meat right off the grill. It's tasty food with complimentary visits to the bean pot (those two words make me smile) and then when you get home you smell like a campfire. Even the babies smelled like it!
• The adults watched The Bourne Identity last night. That movie rocks. Call me crazy but sometimes when I see Matt Damon it reminds me of Ross which makes the movie even better.
• Bedtime!! Oh, I love when it's time to go to sleep. Ross's dad mentioned to me the other day, "you have a busy life" as I ran around helping kids and cleaning. Yeah, at the end of the day I am worn out.

all by myself

"All By Myself" is the name of the new library storytime designed for kids ages 3-5 to come without an adult. It love this idea!! I kept wondering how I was going to take Abby to the ticketed storytime (meaning there is limited space) with the twins if someone was really fussy. Now I can wave goodbye at the storyroom door and sit and play with the babies on a couch and wait as the group read stories and sings songs. Today's theme was about polar bears and penguins. Abby had a great time! She even made her penguin craft all by herself. Grandpa Tucker came to the library with us. He found a few books to check out too.

lots of grandparents

The kids have enjoyed having Grandpa Tucker in town (we miss Grandma Tucker!) and Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt.

Last night for dinner we ate looney lasagna, french bread, and broccoli. Last night we had a good visit while we put away all our Christmas decorations. Before Allen went to bed he wanted Grandpa Tucker to help him with his new puzzle he got for Christmas.

2 month check-up

Emma and Jane had a doctor visit this morning. Emma weighs 13 lbs (off the charts for babies born at 35 weeks) and Jane weighs 11 lbs, 6 oz (97% for 35 weekers). Abby did great at the appointment, walking along side the double stroller and sitting in the room while I talked to our doctor. She found a stash of Starburst I had in the diaper bag (she is always great at finding my emergency sugar in case I drop low) so that helped. I love our doctor. She is a Mormon mommy in our church stake with two kids of her own. After we got the shots done we went to Walmart, Chase and Sprouts. It's the most errands I've done in a morning since I gave birth to the twins. It felt great and everyone cooperated.

tidbits from today

• We still love our running water.
• Today was the first day back to work and school for Ross and Allen.
• I dislike all the chaos associated with Christmas. Next year will be more simple. And I still have some piles of decorations to put away.
• Abby and I had nachos for lunch.
• It's amazed how fast a room can be trashed and then how long it can take to maintain some order again.
• The babies were spoiled being with lots of family last week and had a rough day today by not getting held as much as they would have liked now that we are home again.
• Allen got three stickers at school. YEAH!!
• Grandpa Tucker flew in town to visit us and to attend the babies' blessing on Sunday. It is nice to see him again.
• For dinner we ate hot dog casserole, peas, and apple slices. For dessert we had chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with Blue Bell ice cream.
• Just finished and ordered a 5x7 small photo book containing favorite family photos from 2010. I only paid $1.99 and that was for shipping. Click here to read more about it. The offer ends Jan 9th. 

Celebrate 2010

This video shows a recap of our great year. I had a lot of fun making it.

(Note: If you click above on the box with four arrows (in the bottom right-hand corner of the movie's square) it will make the movie full-screen so it's easier to see. When the movie ends click ESC or F11 to shrink it down again.)

I like water

We made it back from Virginia safely. We left on Saturday morning, traveled 750 miles that day, and stayed the night in Jackson, Tennessee. We attended the Jackson Ward Sacrament meeting the next morning and had about 5 different members ask if we were new to the ward. (It's sure hard to "sneak" into meetings now with four kids and two car seats.) We left Jackson, traveled 550 miles, and arrived home by 7:30pm. We have now changed our claim-to-fame from driving 20 hours in two days with two kids (a 6 week old and a 2 year old) to driving 40 hours round trip with four kids (a 5 year old, a 3 year old, and two 8 week olds). I'm glad the drive went well, that Ross is a great driver, and that my kids are all great travelers. It was so nice to be with family for a few days.

It's good to be home. Then we discovered that we had NO WATER. What? Ross called the city and a worker came within 30 minutes. He checked everything outside -- the meter and hose worked fine -- so he left. The next morning a plumber came over and after several hours detected some leaks and made some repairs. It's nice to have running water again; it's definitely a blessing that I take for granted. It is a good reminder of that blessing, especially when a trip outdoors to fill up two buckets is necessary in order to flush the toilet after using it. This was the first time we have ever had to actually use our water storage since we have been married.

Most of the day was spent unpacking and taking Christmas decor down. I wish it were all done, but there is plenty more to do tomorrow. Tonight all the kids took a bath before bed. They were pretty excited that the water worked in the bathtub.

I accomplished one of my main goals for 2010: reading the full Old Testament. This year I want to read all of the New Testament as well as Jesus the Christ.