anticipating

It's strange to think that we've already reached the end of the year. And not just that, but the end of the first decade of the 21st century. (Can you believe it's been 10 years since the Y2K scare/garbage?)

This was a pretty good year for me. As with life, there were ups and there were downs, but for the most part I'm pleased with the year.
I've been going through the posts I made from January to now, as I try to find items that I'd like to share in a review of '09 that I plan to begin on Monday.
As a mother of small ones, this year was full of exciting first, milestones and developments. They may not be so exciting to everyone, but for me to look back and remember through the pictures and words, well, it makes me very glad I started this blog. (And it upsets me that I don't have a computer, because there are so many pictures I wish I could share, but can't.)

Along with my "year in review" project, I've been thinking about the goals I hope to accomplish in the new year. I really hate resolutions. It seems we all make them at the beginning of the year, with the best intentions, but they're forgotten by January 31st.
2010 brings my 23rd birthday so, instead of making a heap of New Year Resolutions, I've decided to choose 23 goals, and I'm giving myself my 24th year to work on them. Some of them I plan to start on immediately, some will be put off until the weather is pleasant and warm. But instead of requiring myself to accomplish these goals between Jan-Dec. I'm giving myself until my 24th birthday, next April (at which point I plan to make a new list. "24 before 25".)
I'm still refining that list, but when it's ready I'll share my goals. I think I'll put them in my sidebar, too, and I'll cross them off as they're accomplished.

As for our New Year's Eve plans, I think we're going to stay home, and have a quiet, normal night to ourselves. No big parties for us, and no channels to watch New Year's specials. It sounds boring, but I think I'm going to like our quiet night. (Especially after last year...yikes.)

How do you plan to ring in the New Year?

a christmas miracle

As I mentioned in my Christmas recap, our car broke down on Christmas. The wheels locked up and, though the engine never stopped, the car would not budge. It was very frustrating.
It had to be dragged up the street to get it out of the way of traffic, but that was no easy task. AWD has been a blessing, especially during the winter, until now. Now AWD meant all four wheels were locked, still my step-FIL was able to drag it behind his truck, leaving tire marks the whole way, until it was safely out of the road where it sat all weekend. We planned to have it towed on Monday, but that was a couple of days away. During this time notes were left on it from the impatient folks at the police and sheriff's office, stating that it would be towed by them if we didn't take care of it. (We left a reply that we would take care of it, but had to wait until Monday. After that the hassling stopped.)

On Christmas night we slept at my MIL's house, since our car was unable to take us home. While there we also got word that my step-FIL's parents had just, that day, decided to sell their car. They figured they might as well, since neither of them is allowed to drive anymore. The timing was so perfect, we felt it was more than coincidence.
There were some minor issues with the new car, because it had been sitting in their garage for the last 6 months. The battery needed a jump, and the oil needed to be changed, but for the most part it was in great condition. And they were asking only $2000 for it.

Mr. Boss picked up our new car yesterday, paying half of what is owed, and then taking it for an oil change and fluid top-off. He even got it registered, so it's all ready for driving.
He was also going to have our old car towed and wrecked, which would have given us $50, but before he did this a man who lived near where our car has been sitting offered to buy it for $50. He says he wants to restore it. So, Mr. Boss sold our 15 year old car, with 300,000+ miles and locked up wheels for $50. I feel...relieved. Knowing that the car that treated us well for the last 3 years was going to live on makes me glad.

It is so interesting how things have worked out. Everything that happened was so perfectly timed. See, we've been looking for a new car for a few months now, unsuccessfully applying for loans, and looking at countless numbers of vehicles.
(We needed a new vehicle for a few reasons:
1. We need more space for when the new baby arrives.
2. Our car had a laundry list of repairs that we couldn't afford.
3. The tags were to expire in January, and there was no way we were going to be able to re-register it (due to #2.))
And then, suddenly our car breaks down and we find a perfect replacement that fits our need and budget immediately after.
Truthfully, the initial breakdown of the car had me feeling Grinchy about Christmas, but by the next day I could already see that we hadn't experienced a Christmas tragedy, instead we were lucky enough to receive a Christmas miracle.



I'm going to miss that old car of ours. I really enjoyed driving a manual. And while it may not have been the smoothest ride, that car was still my baby. (And this is why I'm glad she won't be wrecked, but repaired, instead.)
And now that we're not stressing over finding a new car we can be stressed out about all of the other things we need to do. Yipee.

Five

This is my baby sister.3.10.095.9.095.18.09

12.18..09
Today she is five.
Happy Birthday, Fia!
Love you and miss you.
Tell mom you need to come visit. Soon!


Hey, Natalie, can she and Andrew get married? Please!

Some cuteness from today:

While Conrad napped Ellie had full reign of our living room. She wandered around for a bit, until thud! she pulled down one of the cloth baskets from the bookshelf that houses the kid's books. It landed on it's side, which she didn't try to adjust. Instead she plopped herself right beside it.
When I looked up I saw she had the basket to her left, a small pile of books to her right, and one in her lap that she was looking through. She flipped each page "reading" the entire book in silence. When she finished she set it in the pile to her right, then leaned forward to look into the basket where she picked another book. She then looked through the next one, turning each page one at a time.
She looked so sweet and content, just sitting there on the floor and looking at books. I watched her for a while, the whole time I'm pretty sure I was a puddle of melted mush. This girl is too cute. I love her.
(I've never wanted to take a picture so badly. Unfortunately, my camera was across the room with dead batteries and no replacements. I had my phone beside me, but it doesn't zoom and I didn't want to get up, for fear that my movement would disturb her.plus it was too dark for a flashless picture, and turning on the light would have distracted her even more than my being up and walking around.)

* * * * *

I was chilling out in my favorite spot, a chair in the corner. Conrad was standing nearby. I looked over at him, he was trying to put a hat on, and he just looked so darn cute. I couldn't help myself.
"I love you, Conrad!" I said in the mushiest mama sort of way.
Moments later he was standing right in front of me, arms outstretched for a hug. Of course I hugged him. And told him I loved him. Again. Then he asked to sit on my lap, where we cuddled for a bit.
Golly, I love that little boy!

* * * * *

Bedtime rolled around too quickly. Jammies replaced day clothes and teeth were brushed. (An activity that Ellie loves.) After this we headed into the kids room for prayer, bedtime story/song, then Mr. Boss and I tucked the kids into their beds.
Not long after this I heard Ellie crying. I left her for a bit, to give her a chance to try and calm herself. No go. So I grabbed her sippy, filled it with water, and took it to her. She shunned it, which surprised me. I guess she wanted mama more. I picked her up and grabbed her pacifier. Instantly she cuddled into me.
I held her for a moment before trying to put her back to bed--nope. I laid her next to her brother to cuddle--not happening. I took her to Mr. Boss, who was laying in bed. She screamed and reached for me, but I needed the restroom, so I left her. She calmed down for a few minutes, but was crying shortly after I exited the "WC" (water closet,) so I went and got her.
As soon as I picked her up she relaxed and rested in my arms. I brought her to my favorite spot for a cuddle. She didn't make a single peep as I sat down and covered us with a blanket. Instead she fell asleep. All she wanted, all she needed, was her mama.
It felt good.



The end.

Christmas recap

What a crazy couple of days.
Festivities began on Christmas Eve with a party at my parent's sister's house. There was so much tasty food and good company. We (the kids and I) had a very good time (Grinch stayed home and took care of some emergencies for work.) We even went caroling. I had some help with the babies, I carried a blanketed Conrad and one of my sisters roommates carried a blanketed Ellie.
We went to a few different houses before getting an opened door and every time I started singing Conrad would shout at me: "No, mama! No singin'! STOP IT!" And he would put his finger to my mouth to shush me. He did it when I tired to sing at the house that opened the door, so I quickly told him he needed to let me sing, and he quit pestering me to hush. After that one success I decided we were done. I didn't need my critic to keep shushing me, plus it was so cold!
Before we left for home I let the kids open their Christmas jammies, and got them dressed in them. It was a very good thing, because Ellie didn't even make it to the end of the street, when we left, before she was dreaming.

After everyone was in bed I snuck out to the living room to fill stockings and put out our gifts. This is what it all looked like when I was done.

It's very small, there was one gift for me (from one of my sisters, and the rest were for the kids. The stockings were pretty full of goodies. In Conrad's there is a chocolate orange, 4 hot wheels cars, two mini candy bars and a giraffe. Ellie's had the same, except she only got two cars and, instead of a giraffe, she got an elephant. I even stuffed a sock for Mr. Boss, but on Christmas morning he refused its contents. The kids, on the other hand, loved pulling surprises from their stockings.

Conrad was so excited, I was telling him while I took this not to pull his sock down, that he had to wait (because I didn't want him to pull the hanger onto his head.) He resisted, but he wanted that thing!

Conrad trying to open his chocolate orange, Ellie playing with her elephant.

Sorry the pictures are blurry, it's the phone. I took 150 pictures with my camera on Christmas day, but with out a computer I can't upload them to share. It's a pretty big bummer, because I got some great shots.

After getting into their stockings I tried to get the kids to open presents. I was surprised that Ellie was willing to sit and open each gift I handed her (with some occasional help from me,) while Conrad was too busy with his new cars to be bothered with wrapped gifts. (It was the opposite of what I'd expected.) I did eventually get him to open his gifts, too. They each got some books and a second pair of pajamas (from one of my aunts.) And they seemed pleased. Ellie had to thumb through each book before moving on to the next one.

Once we were done with that we had breakfast. Mr. Boss cooked up some eggs, sausage and toast. It wasn't special because of the day, it was special because it's what he wanted (and what he wants everyday.)
Conrad got sticky, so it was bath time after that. Ellie wanted in, too, but after being splashed too many times by her brother she decided she was done. She didn't even get her hair wet, which was fine because she had her bath the day before.
I dressed the kids up in some fancy Christmas attire, and then we made our way back to my sister's house to visit and open more presents. On the drive over Conrad kept saying we were going to church. I guess I confused him when I put him in Sunday clothes on a Friday.
At my sister's the kids each got two gifts. One from one of their aunts, the other from their grandparents (all of the gifts came from California.) From their aunt, they each got a new book. From their grandparents, clothes. All of which was pleasing unto me.
When we finished there we came home for nap. The kids were only down about an hour before I was waking them up. one of their uncle's stopped by with some gifts for them. We visited for a bit, and then they left.
After they left we decided we'd all go out to visit Grandpa Boss. But first we changed the kids out of their super fancy clothes into some of the things they got from their grandparents in CA. I only have a picture of Ellie, and it is blurry like the others. Sorry.

I packed the kids jammies and pacifiers, because we were planning to visit Mr. Boss's mom after we visited his dad.
We stayed at grandpa's for a while, visiting and snacking, and then headed west to Mr. Boss's mom's.
We were about 3 blocks from gramma's house when the car jerked. It felt like we'd run over something. We pulled up to a stop sign, and began a left turn when the car started jerking a lot. We almost made it out of the intersection before the car stopped moving. It didn't turn off, but the tires locked up, and we couldn't move the thing. Mr. Boss tried to push it, and a couple of nice people tried to help, but it wouldn't budge.We were about 2 blocks from our destination.
Mr. Boss called his mom and she came to rescue the kids and me. We were taken to her house while Mr. Boss stayed with the car. My MIL's husband took his truck down to meet Mr. Boss, they hooked up the car and then dragged it up the street a little, to get it out of the way of traffic. As I said, the tires were locked up, so they dragged the car, leaving tire tracks on the road, and likely balding the immovable tires. It was extremely frustrating, but once we were all inside it was OK.
We got to open more presents. The kids got more clothes and more cars, and I got a couple of gifts too. (Like the new Harry Potter movie.)
Then we stayed the night in my MIL's basement. We watched a couple of movies and were warmed by a fire. We went to sleep very late, and had a rough night, since the kids were being made to sleep in an unfamiliar place.

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.”
―Burton Hillis

In the morning we went and emptied our cars contents into the trunk of my MIL's car, and then went to look at a car that just became available, which will hopefully be our new car, since we will not be able to rescue our dead car.
After that we loaded up the kids in their grandmother's car, and she let us take it for the day, to get us home.
By the time we got home it was nap time. My poor babes were pooped, and ready to be back in their own home, and in their own beds.
While they slept, I packed Christmas away. Our tree is down, stockings are packed up, lights are put away. We've re-arranged our living room to what it was before the tree went up, plus a new addition. (Some toy-bucket-shelves from my awesome MIL.)

I love my MIL and am ridiculously grateful to her for allowing us to stay the night and borrow her car. It's so nice to have so many people close to us who care about us, and are ready to help us if ever we need it. And it means even more since my own mom is two states away, that my MIL has stepped up to the plate, and takes care of me and my sister (who is married to another of her boys) as if we were her own.

When our car stopped, and couldn't be moved when three people were out pushing it I got frustrated, and I started to cry a little. I felt dumb for being emotional, and decided to blame it on the pregnancy, but I just felt so angry that our car would just stop working like that.
Still, by the end of the day it was obvious to me how blessed we really are. For starters, we were almost to my MIL's house when the car died, we weren't on the freeway, or some place far from anyone, it didn't happen while I was by myself or with the kids. We were taken care of. We were offered a place to stay when we didn't have a way to get home. And we learned of a car that just went up for sale, in decent condition, for a great price, that we will hopefully be able to get. We are blessed and all is well.

“As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily.”
―Adabella Radici

Merry Christmas, everyone!