Merry Christmas!

Eariler today #2 decided we shouldn't have a fire in the fireplace because Santa would get hurt if he came down a hot chimney. Mr. Right convinced him that his "prep and landing" team would handle it and make sure everything was a-ok for the big man.

Tonight, after tracking Santa on the NORAD Santa tracker and saying, "he's in South America and on his way to Washington," #2 freaked out and melted into a frozen puddle on the floor crying.
#2: "Santa won't come to our house if we are still awake. And I'm still awake!"

His brother handled the situation slightly differently.
#1: "if Santa comes while we are brushing our teeth, tell him we're asleep."

And ...
#3: (in 11 week old speak) "Is someone going to give me some dinner? For the love ..."

A Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,
I've been nice.  I will give you a fire truck that moves by itself.  And give my parents a grown up toy like a big lightsaver (saber) -- like a grown up size.  And give my parents a fire truck, too.  They could play with it.  I want to give L a baby toy.  And R a lightsaver.  And me, a lightsaver and a fire truck, too.
Love,
#2
(As dictated to his teacher at school)

The Making of a Family Photo

My sister and her family, and Mom and Dad joined us for Thanksgiving this year.  Actually, it is more appropriate to say that my parents came to DC to prepare Thanksgiving for their daughters and their daughters families ... with some help here and there.  12 people under one roof ... 3 boys under 6 years old is enough to wake up the entire neighborhood for 4 days.  The kids had a blast together and I loved spending a little extended time with my niece.  I have only seen her once since she was born 2 years ago!  She is such a trooper of a little girl and makes me excited to see the differences of a little girl growing up in my own house full of boys.  


We tried to get a "family photo" with everyone and it just wasn't going to happen.  The husbands shot the picture and played silly to try and get smiles out of all things mini.  Here's what we got ... which pretty much sums up the long weekend.  A whole lot of happy chaos, a few tears, someone showing their best side and someone else showing their worst.  The only thing not shown here is the collection of Martinis and Manhattans necessary to sustain the adult sanity.

Thanks Mom & Dad for ... well everything.  Thanks K&E for coming across the country!

The "twins"

When you move around all over the place and end up living somewhere other than where you grew up ... especially after spending time in a horrible city where everyone expected you to have been born and raised in said horrible city ... you kind of expect to see your closest friends from childhood only back at home - or reunions - special planned trips ...not down the street (or short trip down the interstate).  Much to my delight one of my closest friends moved to the DC area a few years after I did and I couldn't be happier that she is here.  We met in 7th grade and have literally grown up together ... now we celebrate poopy diapers together.  



Our firsts are 4 1/2 months apart and have a very sweet friendship.  Miss M is first on #1s list for most events, even now that he has been introduced to Kindergarten and some "ick" that is GIRLS.  Here they are as babies, then big bad Kindergarteners.

Our seconds are 12(?) days apart.  I have no pictures of them together because they are both so stubborn they would individually find their own age appropriate way of flipping off whatever grown up asked them to pose for a picture.  But here is a picture of all of them together at the baseball game this summer (with Mags, visiting from Florida).

So when I got pregnant last January and told my friend ... I was not surprised to hear, "me too!"  Mr. Right joked that we would deliver on the same day and switch the babies if I had another boy and they had another girl.  That ended up not being necessary since I got my girl and she got her boy ... and a ready-to-play-center-in-his-father's-helmet boy he is!  Meet big man H.

I mentioned the possibility earlier, but then my own baby was born and life has spun blissfully out of control.  H and the Ladybug were born on the same day.  As the universe knows, I delivered late ... and H came a little early.  The chaos that was 48 hours in the hospital included 3 sets of Tampa grandparents and a wild dinner over Margaritas as they all looked at each other and said, "Can you believe this?"  We Mommas and babies obviously missed the party, but it sounds like it was a good one.  We shuffled down the hall to visit each other, but somehow forgot to take a picture.  We finally got a few minutes together after our 6 week appointments to snap a picture of the "twins."  

So who's surprised that our #3s are already fast friends and like to hold hands?  Mr. Right and I have waited six  long years to be able to turn the tables and start our conversation with, "do you know what your son just did/said to my daughter?"