You would think...

a 34 year old mother of 3 could get a 3 month old baby to take a nap. And you would be wrong.

A Successful Memorial Day Weekend!

Days in weekend: 3

Days with great weather: 3

Meals cooked on grill: 2

Beach trips: 1

Swing sets purchased, installed and enjoyed: 1

Anniversary celebrated: 11th

Hydrangeas planted: 4 (this could be a disaster, but I'm nothing if not stubborn)

Grandparents visited with: 4

Loads of laundry completed: 3

Combined trips to Costco: 3 (not counting the one on Wednesday)

Bottles of wine shared: 5

Beverages from Starbucks: 3

Kids asleep: 3

Let the Best Summer Ever begin!

Isn't It Romantic?

Today is our family's birthday. That's we call our wedding anniversary. Our family today is much different than the one we formed 11 years ago. Much louder, much busier, much crazier and much much much more perfect. We've had 11 great years, punctuated by the births of our 3 kids. We're truly blessed by them and the rest of our family. We've got some family (his) visiting us this weekend, so we're spending the day with them mostly. But they've promised to give us an hour or so away by ourselves. What will we do with this precious "free" time we've been granted? Grab the baby, head to Starbucks and then go shopping for a swing set for the kids. Bliss.

Signs Of Life

There are a couple things you ought to know about me. First, I love flowers. When I win the lottery, I'll have beautifully tended gardens in my yard and fresh flowers in gorgeous vases in every room. I definitely have my favorites, among them tulips, colored little cala lilies, big fat peonies, and hydrangeas. Second, I suck at gardening. I don't have the time or patience for it. And although I love the results, I'd just as soon someone else did all the work. Still I've planted my plants over the years, some successfully, some not. But I've never been successful with hydrangeas no matter how many times I've tried and how badly I wanted to be.

If you'd visited my home any time in the last 16 months or so, you'd have seen a pathetic little dried up twig in a crappy green plastic pot sitting by the kitchen sink. Most people are too polite to say anything about it but a few asked. Once I explained, they all understood. When Julia was hospitalized in Dec. 2004 she spent her first four days in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care). And although we were "lucky" because we had an actual room with our own bathroom, instead of a stall (because our child was too sick to be exposed to other sick kids and the germs they carried) it was still pretty miserable. All the things you can do to make a hospital room seem not so dismal are banned in the PICU. No flowers. No balloons. Dismal.

When Julia got moved to a room on the pediatric floor on New Year's Eve, we were ecstatic. We got the only private room on the floor because she still couldn't be exposed to germs, but at least now we could "decorate." In came the balloons and stuffed animals and I asked Juji what kind of flowers she'd like me to get her. She answered "Hydrangeas." Off I went to the grocery store across the street and came back with a little potted hydrangea. She also asked for a pink cupcake, her first food in a week, and I went to the bakery in tears and demanded they make her one, and they did, and she didn't eat it. But that's a story for another time.

Eventually we came home and the plant came with us. I stuck it by the kitchen sink and dutifully watered it and eventually it did what all my plants do: play dead. Still I watered it once in a while, and it continued to have some green leaves, so I couldn't give up on it. Imagine my delight and shock when it sprouted buds earlier this month, and then this week the flowers you see here. I've never ever been able to make a hydrangea grow well. Even the expensive ones in my yard just suck up my water and laugh at me. But this one is special. I'm so glad I didn't throw it away. I got a pretty pink flower pot for it this week; it deserves it. It's like magic every time I glance at it (which is quite a bit considering the amount of time I spend at my kitchen sink each day). I recall the worst and best time of our lives. And in the end, we brought our little flower home, and she's flourished.

My Baby Loves Me Just The Way That I Am

I am convinced that I have no idea how to put babies to sleep. The whole process frightens me and I am not good at it, even after having 3 kids. Ethan the wonder baby is a different story for another day. He doesn't count, at least in this case. But today Brady was in his cosleeper, fussing, so I went over to him. I stuck my un-made up, wet hair, ugly glasses face in there and he graced me with some beautiful happy smiles that are still making my heart tingle. I gazed at him and gave him his binky, holding it in place until he got the hang of it. And then he closed his sweet little eyes and drifted off to sleep. I know the nap will be short and I'll get done one 20th of the things I want to get done, but that nap and the way that he got there, are the greatest gifts I'll get today.

Happy Mother's Day

Here we are, me and the monkeys, on my first Mother's Day as a mom of 3. I had a great day, got really spoiled by the family. But here I am at 2 a.m., Brady not yet asleep, so the day isn't over yet.


We spent yesterday at our favorite beach spot, Paradise Cove. Check it out here: www.paradisecovemalibu.com . The food was great, the weather was awesome, we had the requisite celebrity sighting (Phil from the Amazing Race) and we all had so much fun. Starbucks on the way home topped off a really great afternoon.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms.

This About Sums It Up

Fridays are rough. All the "extra" sleep I got over the weekend has long since worn off and exhaustion leads to irritability. More than likely the house is a mess and the big kids are fighting and I'm feeling guilty about ignoring them both. Today was a typical Friday, with a little extra thrown in for me to chew on. So imagine my delight when I was looking through some pictures I took of Brady yesterday and found this little surprise. Maybe the little guy was having a rough day, maybe he was sick of me, or of having his picture taken. Whatever the case, it was enough to give me the little jolt of humor I needed. That boy is going to fit right in this family.

Testing, 1, 2, 3.

Is this thing on? Hello?