anyone else interested in the craftiness that is kate? (see craft-o-rama post below.)
i even had a brilliant idea on what to make... (ok, maybe it's not really brilliant, but i think it's cool!)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
shit.
sorry for the swearing in the title. i try to be clean, but some days you just need a 4 letter word, & today is one.
N got his unofficial notice today. Officially, they have to be given 30 days notice of any layoff per their contract, & good old gov. granholm came out this morning & told the "state unions" to prepare their members for layoffs this fiscal year. The new fiscal year starts Oct. 1, & the only state union is the troopers association, so essentially she told all the state cops that their notice is coming this week. awesome.
of course, if our state reps ever manage to pull their heads from their rears & get going on the budget, things could hypothetically turn around at the last minute. but the way things have been going in michigan of late, we can't count on it.
N is going to start putting out applications to local agencies on monday. i'm scared for our family, but i'm also really sad for him on a personal level. he wanted to be a state trooper since he was 12-- this is (was) his dream job & he is excellent at it. i know he'll do whatever he needs to in order to keep our family secure, but i know what a blow it is to have your dream job taken from you. of course, at the moment he's mostly furiously angry, but i know the disappointment will come.
i guess we just have to have faith that we'll get through this ok... i told N this morning, it's kind of like he told me when we lost our son last year-- just bc a path leads you through some very dark valleys doesn't mean that its going to end there. we can't read the future, so we just have to do the best with what we're given.
N got his unofficial notice today. Officially, they have to be given 30 days notice of any layoff per their contract, & good old gov. granholm came out this morning & told the "state unions" to prepare their members for layoffs this fiscal year. The new fiscal year starts Oct. 1, & the only state union is the troopers association, so essentially she told all the state cops that their notice is coming this week. awesome.
of course, if our state reps ever manage to pull their heads from their rears & get going on the budget, things could hypothetically turn around at the last minute. but the way things have been going in michigan of late, we can't count on it.
N is going to start putting out applications to local agencies on monday. i'm scared for our family, but i'm also really sad for him on a personal level. he wanted to be a state trooper since he was 12-- this is (was) his dream job & he is excellent at it. i know he'll do whatever he needs to in order to keep our family secure, but i know what a blow it is to have your dream job taken from you. of course, at the moment he's mostly furiously angry, but i know the disappointment will come.
i guess we just have to have faith that we'll get through this ok... i told N this morning, it's kind of like he told me when we lost our son last year-- just bc a path leads you through some very dark valleys doesn't mean that its going to end there. we can't read the future, so we just have to do the best with what we're given.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
not to be outdone by his brother...
con man is teething too!
he has one working its way thru on top, in front. he's such a good baby we've barely noticed extra grumpiness, but i gave him a frozen washcloth & he gnawed on it like his life depended on it, so it must have felt good. poor little dude!
so lately i have been getting really bored in the afternoons. i have no excuse, as there is always stuff to do around the house, but when the dudes are up & active i try to play with them instead, but i think we've hit a rut. anyone have any brilliant ideas to entertain 4(ish) mo. old babies?
i should probably bite the bullet & start taking them out by myself during the day, it's just SO much work to load up all our gear & move them all by myself... & really, what do you do out by yourself with 2 infants? its too many carseats to go shopping (i can't push both a stroller & a cart), it's rainy & yucky so we can't go to the park, so other than walking random circles around the mall, what is there?
here's our usual activities (in no particular order):
- we read (lots of dr. suess-- the dudes love it)
- we spend lots of time on the floor, playing
- we do some tummy time (they aren't huge fans of this)
- we sing (or i sing, they listen & kick)
- we go for walks (when its nice out)
- we eat (cereal takes a LOOOOONG time with 2 messy mouths feed at each sitting)
- we take sporadic naps (you all now they aren't great nappers)
they're just starting to sit up with support & reach for toys, so playtime is alot of grabbing & chewing & almost rolling over at this point. maybe it's not them that's in a rut, maybe it's just me....
he has one working its way thru on top, in front. he's such a good baby we've barely noticed extra grumpiness, but i gave him a frozen washcloth & he gnawed on it like his life depended on it, so it must have felt good. poor little dude!
so lately i have been getting really bored in the afternoons. i have no excuse, as there is always stuff to do around the house, but when the dudes are up & active i try to play with them instead, but i think we've hit a rut. anyone have any brilliant ideas to entertain 4(ish) mo. old babies?
i should probably bite the bullet & start taking them out by myself during the day, it's just SO much work to load up all our gear & move them all by myself... & really, what do you do out by yourself with 2 infants? its too many carseats to go shopping (i can't push both a stroller & a cart), it's rainy & yucky so we can't go to the park, so other than walking random circles around the mall, what is there?
here's our usual activities (in no particular order):
- we read (lots of dr. suess-- the dudes love it)
- we spend lots of time on the floor, playing
- we do some tummy time (they aren't huge fans of this)
- we sing (or i sing, they listen & kick)
- we go for walks (when its nice out)
- we eat (cereal takes a LOOOOONG time with 2 messy mouths feed at each sitting)
- we take sporadic naps (you all now they aren't great nappers)
they're just starting to sit up with support & reach for toys, so playtime is alot of grabbing & chewing & almost rolling over at this point. maybe it's not them that's in a rut, maybe it's just me....
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
another first!
the valinator is cutting his first tooth!!!! :)
i gave him my finger to suck while we were waiting for bottles to heat up & lo & behold-- there it was, a sharp little tooth sticking up thru his bottom gum, right in front. my poor little booger! no wonder he's been such a cranky pants today. he's going to be a little jack-o-latern baby by halloween! lol! :)
the con man still has his charming toof-less grin! :) i love it-- i know my babies have to grow up, but they're so darn cute without teeth!
i gave him my finger to suck while we were waiting for bottles to heat up & lo & behold-- there it was, a sharp little tooth sticking up thru his bottom gum, right in front. my poor little booger! no wonder he's been such a cranky pants today. he's going to be a little jack-o-latern baby by halloween! lol! :)
the con man still has his charming toof-less grin! :) i love it-- i know my babies have to grow up, but they're so darn cute without teeth!
Craft-o-rama (pass it on!)
ok, i'm borrowing this from Melissa (she's probably craftier than me, but i promise to try to make soemtihng that doesn't suck!)
here's the deal:
The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me, especially for you. I promise I'll make it worth your while!
This offer does have some restrictions & limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make but I hope you will.
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- They say I have a year to get it to you. But I promise it will NOT take that long. I'm shooting for 30 days. (If I don't give myself a deadline, it will never get done!)
4-You have no clue what it's going to be.
The catch? You must repost this on your blog & offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.
here's the deal:
The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me, especially for you. I promise I'll make it worth your while!
This offer does have some restrictions & limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make but I hope you will.
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- They say I have a year to get it to you. But I promise it will NOT take that long. I'm shooting for 30 days. (If I don't give myself a deadline, it will never get done!)
4-You have no clue what it's going to be.
The catch? You must repost this on your blog & offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Regrets
i remember when we were trying to get pg, before the guys were born, i was so jealous of women who already had kids. even if we were in the same boat-- trying to conceive after pregnancy loss, when i'd see them talk about how badly they wanted to be pg, i'd think to myself "but at least you already HAVE a child" & feel extra sorry for myself that we had none.
i feel horrible about that now. we'd like to start trying again when the guys are about a year old, & lately i've been wondering if i'd be ok if the boys were the only kids we ever had. of course i wouldn't love them any less, but i so want a 3rd child i think it would be very hard to come to terms with the fact that it might never happen for us. & then suddenly i had insight into how those women must have felt-- longing for a LO that might never come & trying to make peace with the fact that you must be content with the children you have. funny (in a not very humorous way) how short sighted we become when dealing with our own grief.
another blog i read has been dealing with the loss of their little girl while still be a wonderful mommy to her other 3 kids, & i understand the depth of her feelings now in awaythat wouldn't have been possible for me a year ago. i so regret those horribly selfish thoughts i had when we were trying to conceive. loss is loss, no matter what stage of life you're in, or what size or shape your family takes. i hope i kept those thoughts to myself, but if i inadvertently hurt some one, i'm so sorry,i didn't know how it felt & couldn't understand what it felt like to face the fact that your family may forever feel incomplete. i know better now, & i apologize.
i feel horrible about that now. we'd like to start trying again when the guys are about a year old, & lately i've been wondering if i'd be ok if the boys were the only kids we ever had. of course i wouldn't love them any less, but i so want a 3rd child i think it would be very hard to come to terms with the fact that it might never happen for us. & then suddenly i had insight into how those women must have felt-- longing for a LO that might never come & trying to make peace with the fact that you must be content with the children you have. funny (in a not very humorous way) how short sighted we become when dealing with our own grief.
another blog i read has been dealing with the loss of their little girl while still be a wonderful mommy to her other 3 kids, & i understand the depth of her feelings now in awaythat wouldn't have been possible for me a year ago. i so regret those horribly selfish thoughts i had when we were trying to conceive. loss is loss, no matter what stage of life you're in, or what size or shape your family takes. i hope i kept those thoughts to myself, but if i inadvertently hurt some one, i'm so sorry,i didn't know how it felt & couldn't understand what it felt like to face the fact that your family may forever feel incomplete. i know better now, & i apologize.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Gratuitous Heritage Festival Pics
i know photo posts are kind of a cop-out, but i'm ok with that.
:)
the boys' aunt m & a mini-cow (steer, whatever.) i'm not sure what purpose miniature cattle could possibly serve on a farm, but he was a nice cow.
:)
the boys' aunt m & a mini-cow (steer, whatever.) i'm not sure what purpose miniature cattle could possibly serve on a farm, but he was a nice cow.
me & a charming pygmy goat.
the dudes cruising in their new stroller. (karianne-- check the outfits! soooo cute, & they are even a little big yet, so hopefully we can wear them into fall. thanks again, girl-- we love them!)
me & the dudes with the BOB. have i mentioned how much i love this stroller? it's about a million times easier to push/turn/manuever/set up than our old stroller. we've only used it once so far & i'm already convinced it was worth every penny. parents of twins-- invest in a BOB!!! 
only downside to pushing a giant orange stroller around a small community fair-- on our way back to our car we got stopped at least 3 times by folks saying "oh, you're they people with the twins!" & wanting to talk. not the end of the world, but by then i really had to pee, so i was a little less than patient. :)
only downside to pushing a giant orange stroller around a small community fair-- on our way back to our car we got stopped at least 3 times by folks saying "oh, you're they people with the twins!" & wanting to talk. not the end of the world, but by then i really had to pee, so i was a little less than patient. :)update on N's job-- things are looking more hopeful. nothing is certain yet, but the rumors are turning from pending layoff, to re-hiring 15 troops. so we're still keeping our fingers crossed, but it looks like enough public pressure came down on our charming governor to get her to reconsider laying off more police. (knock wood!)
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