The icing on the crap cake...

I have to take a moment for me. So bare with me, I'm about to vent. Yesterday was horrific, and it managed to carry on into today for that matter. I have been really sick lately, and on top of just generally not feeling well, I managed to get me a nasty sinus infection. I went to a walk-in clinic a few weeks ago and the doctor there gave me antibiotics, which I hate to take, but did, and it still didn't fix it. So I made an appointment with a naturopathic doctor. I prefer them anyways, but since we are still fairly new to the area, I hadn't pick a primary doctor yet. So anyways it's hard for me to go to appointments with the childcare, my mom is the only one who can cover for me right now, because she meets with licensing guidelines, but she is a busy lady, so I had to schedule a dentist appointment and a doctor appointment in the same day, to make good use of her time.

This is were it went bad, very, very, bad. I hate going to the dentist. I am terrified of needles. You would think after two pregnancy's, one of which ended up as a C-section, that I would be over that by now, but I am so not! I managed to survive the shot in my mouth, barely, and then they started drilling and boom...shooting pain! I freak, they stop, he gives me another shot, they start again, and ouch...more shooting pain! So I am bawling by this point, because this has happened more then once in the past, I don't know why I don't numb, and it's scary and it really HURTS. They stop again, get out the laughing gas, attempt to calm my now hysterical self down, and then proceed to give me yet another shot straight into the gums. Finally I was completely numb, and they finished their evil work. It sucked! By the time I was leaving, I could barely talk, because my tongue and half my face was completely numb, I sounded ridiculous.

So a little later that same day I am off to the doctor. Everything went fine, although I almost bit off his fingers because I forgot that my jaw was sore, so when he told me to say aaaahhhhh, and started to take a peek in my mouth, I proceeded to yelp in pain and snap my mouth down on the tongue depressor thingy. Which freaked out the poor man. I'm sure he thought I was some sort of crazy finger biter! A brief explanation was needed. Anyways he told me that I am indeed sick (No way, really?) and that I desperately need to reduce the amount of stress in my life and boost my immune system so that I can start feeling better. He gave me lots of *useful* (sarcastic statement) suggestions for over all health like get a solid nights sleep, and more then 4-5 hours (ha, ha, I've got 3 boys 3 and under mister!), take 45 minute walks alone for stress reduction (Oh sure, I have 45 spare minutes laying around), drink 48-64 ounces of water a day (okay I admit that's a good one, but I seriously don't have time to pee that much!). When he wrote up my treatment plan the first thing he wrote on there was the thing about more water, which when my husband saw that he had an "I told you so" moment. Annoying! But the doctor also wrote on there that I needed steam inhalation, which I told my husband had to come in the form of long hot baths, doctors orders.

Speaking of baths, I decided to take one that very same night, last night. My husband had picked up some peppermint extract, suggested by the doctor, and so I ran a bath and dumped some in...OMGoodness...what a way to end a wretched day! No it was not in a good way, I dumped way to much in, apparently you are only suppose to use a few drops, and well I'm not even sure how much I put in there but it was way to much! I started to feel a cold sensation, followed by a cold, but burning sensation, followed by an Oh CR#@ thought, and I jumped up and started showering off, and my skin was on fire, but I was freezing cold at the same time. Like when you put the icy hot stuff on sore muscles. I got all light headed and I started screaming for my husband, he came in, and freaked out, because apparently the stench of peppermint was so strong his eyes started watering. Only I would be such and idiot. So there I stood, buck-naked, shivering and crying while my husband tried to calm me down. It wasn't pretty, literally. I was afraid I would have to go to the ER or something, and have to explain my idiotic self, but instead we put olive oil all over (I was willing to try anything!) and it really helped, but it took a few hours for the cold/hot feeling to go away! Not the relaxing bath I had envisioned.

Then the icing on this crap cake is that Atty broke the toilet in the main bathroom this morning. Broke, Broke, as in need a new toilet. Water was gushing everywhere. He climbed up on the toilet when we were all in there brushing our teeth, and I got him down, and of course he climbed up again because he just HAD to get into the stuff on the shelf above the toilet. So I grabbed him again, and this time he grabbed on and hung on for dear life, putting up a good fight as usual. I am used to this resistance, so I didn't think much of it. Somewhere in between scolding one of the other children because they keep flicking the light on and off, stopping another child with my leg from falling off a stool, and wrestling Atty off the toilet, he managed to lift the lid up with him and then before I could even react he decided to give up the fight and let go, CRACK, the lid hit the tank and it split down the side! I freaked, tried to turn off the water, and as water is pouring out of the toilet I sprinted to the laundry room to grab towels, sprinted back, and then realized in my panicked state that I turned the water all the way up, not down. Urrrrrgggg, righty tighty, lefty loosey, stupid! I guess I didn't really need to turn off the water, just empty the tank, (as hubby patiently let me know, after the fact) but I wasn't thinking to clearly, just panicking. I also started saying "Sh#@, sh@#, sh#@, over and over again- I don't handle these sorts of emergencies well- until I looked up from cramming towels around the toilet and realized that all the kids were staring at me (I only had one daycare kid at the time, I called her mom and explain the situation, and my poor choice of word, which she thankfully understood. Not a shining star moment in the world of childcare.) It's not really that child that I am worried about though, it's my oldest, he likes to pick up on words you would rather he not have heard. So any ways, what was Atty doing while all the flooding was going on? Well he took advantage of the fact that I was good and distracted and went back to climbing up the tallest dresser in their bedroom, and grabbing the breakables off of the shelf that is way up high on their wall for a reason. His newest favorite pass time, besides breaking toilets. When I discovered him up there, my head almost popped off, and I think steam might have started to pour out of my ears!

Yeah, I think I'm doing really well so far at reducing that stress the good ol' doc was talking about...

baby in a box

We put Juicy baby in our letter box, we are on the letter I and since his name starts with I he got put in the box too, along with the insects (fake), index cards, and instruments. This letter was a hard one to find things to put in our letter box. There's always icecream and ice, but those would have been a little messy...

It's a good thing we had him just sitting around, or our letter box would have practically been empty.

He didn't want to get out though, I think he could have lived in there, he stayed in the letter box for the rest of preschool time, and only the lure of snack coaxed him out.

Pray for the monsters

Lately bedtime prayers with Bubu have been an interesting experience. He prays for everything and I mean everything! From the light in the ceiling, to his shoes, to the ketchup he had with dinner. He will list every family member, extended family member, friends, neighbors, pets, the cashier in the grocery store we said hi to that day... the list goes on. But last night was a first, last night he prayed for monsters.

"Dear Lord Jesus I thank you for (everything under the sun) and please send your guardian angels to protect (everything under the sun)... and the monsters."

Apparently even monsters need prayers.

Wheat free cornbread anyone?

I have a kid with a wheat sensitivity, so we have had to cut all wheat out of his diet (and a lot out of ours too!) to keep him from feeling yucky. It's been a real adjustment for our family, and a new cooking experience for me. I altered a cornbread recipe with great success and I wanted to share it with anyone who has a wheat sensitivity, or if you just want a new delicious cornbread recipe, I guarantee your kids will love it. It is super yummy, my hubby brought it to work, and shared, and even a few of the guys he works with want the recipe! Be warned that my recipes are a fly by the seat of your pants sort of deal, I guesstimate (a combination of guess and estimate, great word!) a lot.

Turn your oven on to 350, put 3 tablespoons of butter in a 9 by 13 glass baking pan (or something close to that size), and place in the oven to melt while the oven is warming up. Make sure the butter does not burn! Keep an eye on it, and take out as soon as it is done melting.

In a big mixing bowl add:

1 cup rice flour

1/2 cup soy flour

2/3 sugar (I usually put a little less then this)

1/2 cup corn meal

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Mix all of these ingredients together, then make a hole in the middle of the dry mixture and add the following ingredients.

1 1/4 cups milk

1 large egg (Beat separately first, then add.)

You can use 2 eggs instead, but I think the cornbread is more moist with my egg/water combination. If you do put 2 eggs in then do not add the 1/3 cup water listed below.

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil.

Mix all ingredients together well.

Pour the cornbread mixture into the pan with the melted butter, I always gently mix the melted butter in with the cornbread a little bit, but I don't think you have to do this. Word of advice, don't grab the hot glass pan with your bare hands in a hurry to get it in the oven, ouch! Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. The bottom of the cornbread should just be a little brown, do not over cook. Trust me...

You can also do this recipe with no eggs, I had to the other day, and I just used 2/3 cup water, about a tbsp of corn starch, and a little extra oil. I'm really good at getting everything mixed up in the bowl and then realizing that I have no eggs, happens more then I even want to admit!

If you try this cornbread recipe, let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Monkey look alikes

My friend made these adorable sock monkeys for all three of my boys, and they look just like them, don't you think? If only my boys would sit this still for a picture! You should check out her blog at http://www.treasuresunderthewillowtree.blogspot.com/ (also listed under blogs I follow on my profile page.) She is possibly the craftiest person ever! In all seriousness she makes beautiful things, her newest item that I like a lot is called a Bella Bunny and it is so adorable. She makes custom orders too, and there is a link to her Etsy shop on her blog. You can order what ever you want and she mails them out to you, you can pay by pay pal or whatever, it's super convenient. Just thought I would help spread the word. I love ordering things from her, and I am never disappointed, they are always beautiful. If only I could be so crafty!

Passing on the positive.

I have this beautiful quote, with a picture of a sunrise in the background, posted on my fridge. It's titled, Don't Quit, and I stop to read it at least a few times a week. I am going to share it with you. I know we have all had hard times, and it's such a good reminder to stay positive.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
It's when things seem worse,
That you must not quit.

I think it is so important to keep this attitude and share it with our kids. Teaching them resilience could possibly be the most important thing you ever have to teach.

There is something I tell Bubu when he gets frustrated. When he is trying to do something new or hard and he can't figure it out. When he is whining and wants me to do it for him, I tell him, "try your hardest first, keep trying, and when you feel you have tried your hardest, then let me know and I will be happy to help you." So the other day he couldn't get the door open and I said this to him again, and he kept trying until he got it. Then he turned to me and said, "I tried my hardest and I did it!" He was so proud of himself, and I told him I was proud of him also. It's those little things that help teach resilience to our children.

Then yesterday I was talking out loud while trying to get the lid off a pickle jar, and I was complaining that his dad always tightens the lids so tight and I couldn't get it off. I was about to give up on the pickle idea. Bubu hears this and says to me "try your hardest mom." So noticing a learning moment, and feeling an immense need to set an example of trying your hardest, I stopped my complaining and put some muscles into it. Sure enough I got that lid off, although I think I broke a sweat, all for a pickle! What does my sweet little son tell me next? "I'm so proud of you mom." The point was not getting the lid off, but of trying your hardest before quiting, because you just never know, you might succeed!

Remembering to teach that failure is a learning opportunity, and to keep on going in these moments too, to not let yourself be set back by failure is also so vital. This is when it is the hardest and most important time to keep on going!

Let's keep passing on the positive!

Look mom I made purple!

Um, yeah, I was speechless.

Situation went a little like this;

Me- washing another child's hands in the bathroom after our painting project in preschool.

Bubu- from the dinning room "I like purple"

Me- Hummmmm..... (answer for everything when busy.)

Bubu- "Purple is nice"

Me- "Oh?" (wait a minute, purple? We weren't using the color purple.)

Bubu- "I like it on my body."

Me- "Bubu, what are you doing?"

Bubu- "It's fun, Atty too mom."

Me- Wait a minute he's calling me mom! "Bubu, come here"

Bubu- suspiciously silent.

Me- "Bubu!"

Dashing back to the dinning room, almost run into little purple man, auggggg!

Bubu- "I made purple!" He shows me his hands with pride.
Good grief...and there's Atty all grins and giggles, covered from head to toe, enjoying purple. Well what can I say, it was a pretty color they made, although not my favorite. Maybe next time we will experiment with yellow and blue.

Preschool painting projects are so much fun!

earthy friends

There's just something about boys in hoodies, so stinkin cute!

"It's so cute, Riah, I kiss it. I just love her" (her?) Um yeah, so he likes the earthworms, they are his friends. He found three and he named them Little foot, Sarah, and Simba. Can you tell what his favorite movies are?

He is petting his wormy, he re-named this one Fish. A little background on this picture, I was recording them on my camera, cause they were all being so cute. Everything started out well. It was some adorable footage. Then I pan over to Bubu, who is holding a worm, I thought. Turned out to be a piece of a worm, a nasty stub, right up close and personal, and he is telling me, "it broke mom", oops... He accidentally pulled it apart. Something went horribly wrong. Guess it's not a good day to be a worm named fish.

Atty with his worm, he was so fascinated with it, and surprisingly gentle too! He had a super wiggly one, I think his worm could sense the unfortunate fate of fish, and he wanted to get out of there in one piece! I'm happy to say his final destination was the compost bin (in one piece).

Spike was a good sport, although he tried to nibble on his a few times, I had to keep telling him we don't eat worms...he will try to eat anything that is not nailed down! His worm was pretty juicy too, so who could blame him. I think this worm will do some damage in the compost bin, he might eat the scraps, and then finish off with the bin!

Once years ago when I was a child, I dared my younger brother to eat a worm, and he did! That is burnt into my memory, I never dared him to do anything nasty again! He was wild. Never under estimate the power you have as an older sibling. In case you are now wondering how evil I am, no I did not dare my boys to eat one, but I am thinking that Bubu might someday...

Spent most of the weekend working in the yard, transplanted a few things, had to get them moved before the ground freezes. Never know when that will be around here! Hubby helped me, and the boys, well they did their part. Bubu is at the age that he likes to "help" on projects, so I try to let him do what he can. The babies on the other hand just like to get into everything, and when it comes to gardening, they think it's a good excuse to eat dirt, yuck! I have never understood why most children have no problem turning up their noses at a perfectly delicious dinner, but they will almost always head straight for the nastiest clump of dirt, or sand, or some other nasty earthy element and chow on it. You would think after tasting something like this the first time, that they would not try it again, but at least in my boys case, this is simply not true. Anyways we had a good time regardless. Saturday was pretty nice out, and even though it rained on Sunday it didn't slow us down a bit. I couldn't help but notice though that a project that would have taken me a few hours tops, before the boys, took a whole weekend! I also have to admit that I am a bit sore today, my arms are aching! I really need to get back into prime gardening shape. I use to do some much gardening before the boys, but it's not so easy now. Some day I will be able to get back to doing the hobbies I use to do on a regular basis, and although I look forward to those days, I also know it will be a little sad, cause that will mean my boys will no longer be little. Sniff, sniff...I am already seeing baby fading into little boy, if I blink I might be looking at teenagers!

personality

I was struck by what different personalities all three of my boys have when we were out on a walk the other night.

The boys were all a little stir crazy because we hadn't had a chance yet to go outside, so I put dinner in the oven and suggested a quick walk outside. The boys love going on walks so we hurried to get all bundled up because it was already dark, and it's getting a lot colder out as the days go by.

We stepped outside and were greeted by wind and rain, guess I should have looked outside first before suggesting a walk! The boys didn't mind though, they were in awe, we don't normally go for walks after dark. I love walks at night, always have. Something about the dark night sky, like a blanket thrown over the earth, everything just seems more peaceful, soothing in some way. I've always loved the wind, it's so energizing, even like the rain, most of the time. When I was a kid I loved playing outside in the rain. It felt wonderful to be out breathing in the fresh air, I felt that child-like awe of the world around me.

I was thinking about all of this as we started to walk and then I tuned into my children and noticed that Bubu was chattering away, "where is the moon", "it's so windy", "I like the wind", "were is the lightening", and on and on and on...he is so inquisitive. So curious about the world around him, and yet cautious, staying close to my side, listening to me when I tell him to follow the safety rules. He doesn't just talk, he wants answers. He will question those answers, he will give answers of his own. He remembers things from long ago that I would think he would have forgotten, that I had already forgotten about telling him. His memory amazes me, it reminds me that he really is listening, always. He was so excited to be out on a walk, with so many new things to question.

Atty on the other hand is immediately running down the sidewalk into the dark without a care in the world. Not a second though, no hesitation, no looking back to see were I am. He just tucks his head down and runs as fast as he can. Only my hollering repetitively, threatening to carry him the rest of the way, while dashing after him, slows him down. He turns to me with the biggest grin on his face, fully enjoying himself in this wild, windy, rainy night. He is absolutely fearless...most of the time. In fact I swear the boy looks for danger. He has an adventurist spirit. His enthusiasm for exploration never ceases.

Then there is Spike, on this walk he was unsure of himself, not wanting to walk alone. When the wind would blow he would cling to my leg, in the dark he reached out for my finger. The little baby in him came out, and he wanted his mommy near for reassurance. Often he acts as if he needs to assert his independence and let us all know that he may be the littlest, but he is no longer little. He hates being the baby, will dissolve into tears if I dare to cut his food up into little pieces, normal refuses to walk if I try to hold his hand and likes to run in the opposite direction constantly. He is consistently contradicting himself, at times clinging to me like a little koala baby, and then sprinting from me the next. He will ask to be picked up and then struggle in my arms. He wants my reassurance, and yet wants to assert his independence. He is such a mixture of so many things.

All three of them are so amazing, and watching them as they develop their own individual personality is so fascinating to me. Nothing ever works the same for all three of them, I constantly have to change my game plan from one to the next. I guess that's what keeps it exciting, or is it the fishing of various items out of the toilet on a daily basis?

Yes we can!

My oldest son and I watched Obama's speech last night together. He is three. I did not ask him to, he wanted to.

He has been cheering on Obama for a while now, and so he jumped up on to the chair with me and snuggled in.

I became overwhelmed during Obama's speech and had tears streaming down my face, and my son looked at me and said "you happy?" I said "yes, very happy" and he said "me too" and proceeded to scrunch up his face in what I am assuming was a replica of what he thought I was doing. If that was the face I was making then I am a bit embarrassed!

We clapped, we cheered, we celebrated.

Then my son said to me "I'm proud of him". My heart overflowed, his praise, his understanding, his interest, those words out of his mouth will be part of my memory of that amazing moment in history. My sweet son telling Obama that he is proud of him. Wow.

I always felt like my son was an old soul, the moment he was born, his eyes, his quiet observation of the world around him, but he amazes me with the depth of his perceptions every day.

I feel so much hope for our country now, and I am so glad that my son shared in the moment with me.

YES WE CAN, and we did!

30 RaNdOm things

Thirty random little things about me. *I just picked thirty because I turned thirty this year, seemed fitting.

1) I love the color green, anything green. I love wearing green because I swear it makes my boring hazel eyes look green.
2) I say I hate shopping, but it's really that I have no money to spend.
3) When I buy stuff for myself I usual feel guilty, and end up taking it back. To avoid this, when I feel like shopping, I buy stuff for my boys and then I don't feel as guilty.
4) I use to smoke cigarettes, and now I am a snob about people who smoke, yuck...seriously can you move away from the doors!
5) I obsessively recycle, and feel guilty every time I send a bag of garbage to the dump. This being said, I still send why to much garbage to the dump!
6) I hate clutter, and yet I have so much of it, drives me crazy. I try hard to hid my clutter, so people won't know how much clutter I truly have.
7) I absolutely love silver jewelry and amber gems. Amber is my favorite, it's so fascinating, being as it is actually ancient sap.
8) I love Fall colors. My closet is full of browns, tans, burgundies, greens and such. I can't stand the colors pink, or purple.
9) I hate doing laundry, mostly the folding. I love vacuuming. Drowns out all the noise.
10) I do not like it when people stop by unannounced, seriously...call first!
11) I clean my house like a mad women before people come to visit, I am mortified when people see my house messy. It seriously gets messy in the blink of an eye with three little boys and a daycare.
12) I often act like I am not upset when someone disappoints me, then I cry when they are not there.
13) I have to fight my anxiety on a daily basis.
14) I have unrealistically high standers for myself, and others. And I am an obsessive perfectionist. I am a virgo after all!
15) I am a control freak, and I'm not saying that lightly. I am a CONTROL FREAK!
16) I don't want to disappoint others, so I go out of my way to please, even when I shouldn't.
17) I rarely wear make up.
18) I look mean when I am not smiling.
19) I dye my hair, because I am getting a lot of grey. And because sometimes I get bored with the way I look.
20) I get frustrated and over whelmed way to easily, although I am pretty good at pretending that I have all the patience in the world. I am so good at it I sometimes trick myself, but I can feel the frustration deep down inside.
21) Sometimes I get a crazy urge to run away. Far, far away.
22) I am still scared of the dark, no joke. That's why I don't watch scary movies, because I can think up scary stuff on my own, thank you very much!
23) I love mango, it's by far my favorite fruit.
24) I weighed over 200 lbs when my first son was born, and I was, at first, more upset about that then I was about being told I had to have a C-section because he was breach, and big (10 lbs 10 1/2 ounces).
25) I don't like ice cream, unless it super hot out and it's in a waffle cone.
26) I like to eat left overs for breakfast, or sandwiches. I only like breakfast cereal when I am pregnant.
27) I tell people I don't want any more kids, but I think I am conflicted inside, because I sort of want a girl. But then again, maybe not. See what I mean!
28) Sometimes I get burnt out on childcare, but it does allow me to stay home with my kids, so I keep doing it.
29) I have hidden dirty dishes in a box before, when I needed to clean my house really fast.
30) I really want to live on some property so I can have a little farm, a big garden and most of all a horse.

A Super Hero and his pets.

So I didn't have a chance to talk about our fun on Halloween in the previous post (check it out, cute pictures!), but we had a blast at a carnival.

Bubu stayed dressed up as Spider Man, although he didn't want to wear the cool Spider Man face mask that my friend found for him, oh well. Spike (the Juicy littlest baby) stayed in his dog costume, he absolutely loved it. Atty (Tank) on the other hand would have nothing to do with his cute tiger outfit. He backed away from it and would throw the most horrible fit if you tried to actually put it on him. It was really dramatic! So I ended up dragging out this Tigger stripped jumper we had in the dress up clothes and tricked him into wearing it. *A while back my oldest and I decided to give the babies funny nicknames, since he gave himself the nickname Bubu when he first started talking, and it stuck. The littlest already has a nickname, Juicy, but Bubu wanted to give him a new one so we settled on Spike (cause he always has crazy hair) and Tank (self explanatory, solid as a brick). Bubu has been insisting that I use the nicknames when talking to the brothers, not sure why this is so important to him right now, but he is constantly correcting me. I swear I get some strange looks when we are out and I am calling my boys Bubu, Spike and Tank....it's funny because we are really such a passive family, and those sound like such burly names. Any ways....

There was a petting zoo, pony rides (Bubu was So excited!), games and more, it was a lot of fun. The plan was to go to the carnival, come home for a bite to eat and then hit our neighborhood for the first time. But, by the time we got home and made food and ate it was around 8 pm! Time flies when you are having fun. So being burnt out (meaning My Hubby and I) and pretty sure the neighbors didn't want to see any more trick-or-treaters, no matter how cute, we elected to stay in. The boys had so much excitement earlier that night, so they didn't even notice or care. Good thing they are still so little, I can still get away with last minute changes like that. Only problem is, now I don't have a candy stash to tax! I am starting to regret that now...I do like my sweets.

Happy Jack-o-lantern day!

A not-so-bouncy Tigger...

Show me your Muscles!

Me and my baby puppy!

Trying to get three little boys and their hairy sister to sit still for a picture is no easy task!

They are all staring at Juicy, cause he actually listened to mommy and left his hoodie on for a picture, WoW!

Meow, this is what I am every year, for lack of imagination.

My Love and Juicy puppy waiting on us.

Say "pumpkin"! Notice my sister trying her best to keep Atty in the picture...

Bubu was so proud, riding all by him self. He could have rode that horse all nigh if they had let him!

Um, yah... they had turkey's in the petting zoo. That's a new one for me.

My sister is holding a chick for the boys to "pet".

Juicy and his long lost twin!

Atty wanted to squish all the animals, so he didn't last long...he just loved them a little to much!

Bubu loved the "fat piggy goats"

I think we might end up being farm folks, my boys and I love animals so much (notice I didn't mention my Hubby).

time alone!

All of the boys took a nap at the same time today, and my husband and I actually got some time alone! It was wonderful. I miss those quiet moments. I guess I never really appreciated them enough before we had kids. That's just the way it was, and honestly at times I found it kind of boring. Funny. Thinking back I am glad we waited as long as we did to have kids. We rarely get time together, just me and him, now days. But we had 10 years to stock piled those moments of togetherness before we had kids. So now when we barely have a moment to spare for each other, we can pull from the memories of a time when it was just the two of us, and it helps keep that spark alive. Sometimes when the house is really loud, and the boys are everywhere, getting into everything, my husband and I just look at each other and those memories, and the stolen moments we find, flood back into our minds and pull us together,. Keep us going strong. I am more in-love with him now then the day we met, but the day to day noise has a tendency to drowned that out. When it's quiet and he turns his beautiful eyes to me, I can think of nothing else.