Happy Pops Day

Trying to define or encompass all that a father is is no easy task. But I like this saying:

a father is someone that holds your hand at the fair
makes sure you do what your mother says
holds back your hair when you are sick
brushes that hair when it is tangled because mother is too busy
lets you eat ice cream for breakfast
but only when mother is away
he walks you down the aisle
and tells you everything is gonna be ok

I am grateful to have been raised by such an amazing man. One who taught me right from wrong, but one who wasn’t afraid to totally get nuts to a Whitney Houston album. To me, my father represents all things that are nobel, honest, generous, moral and good. And he is all these things AND has a great sense of humor, is funny and playful, and is a total sucker for those lucky people he loves. I know I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again, but my dad is the best. He really is.

I am also very thankful to have married a man who truly puts his family first. Even before I was in the picture he was there, every night, coming home to two girls, getting them dinner, playing with them, reading stories and giving goodnight kisses, and often doing this alone. Our children are lucky to have such a wonderful man as a dad (& 2nd dad 🙂 ).

This next quote is by an author/story-teller that I was very familiar with growing up, thanks to my dad. It’s so appropriate for BOTH men in my life:

“The father of a daughter is nothing but a high-class hostage. A father turns a stony face to his sons, berates them, shakes his antlers, paws the ground, snorts, runs them off into the underbrush, but when his daughter puts her arm over his shoulder and says, ‘Daddy, I need to ask you something,’ he is a pat of butter in a hot frying pan.” – Garrison Keillor

Happy Father’s Day Dad & Greg. Thank you for all that you’ve done and do. I love you!

Oh Baby

I’m pregnant.

OK, well I was in my dream the other night. When I woke up and shook the cobwebs from my head and realized it was only a dream, I was relieved. Thanks to advances in medical technology, my childbearing days are over. The decision to not have any more children was a pretty easy one for Mr. N & I. 1) I’m too dang old 2) we’ve already got 5 kids! 3) the thought of starting over with a newborn makes me want to cut myself 4) I’m a multiple ovulator, hence my twins. And when you combine the fact that I ovulate more than one egg ALONG with my age, my dr. has told me that the chances for another multiple pregnancy is quite good. Ummm, not only no, but H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS NO!

All of that being said, there are times that I wish Greg and I had been able to experience having a baby together. But we’ve got Jake, our dog, and he’ll have to do. Although the nursing was rough, now he’s already sleeping through the night, is potty trained, and can feed himself, so it’s a good fit for us ;).

This morning when I turned on the t.v., the channel was on Discovery Health. They were following a family that was expecting twins. It brought a lot of memories back of a time that is pretty fuzzy. The first few months after my twins were born, we were just in survival mode. Between me, my ex, and my mom, we kept all of the kids healthy and relatively happy, but it was hard. I mean HARD! I would have never done it, but there were times that the thought of just getting in my car and driving away was pretty tempting. But thumbs up…. I stuck around :). As I watched the show this morning, I also remembered many of the fun and good times. It was a crazy few months (years) for my family, but it was also kind of a special and cool thing to have experienced.

All of this is just a reminder to enjoy my kids while they’re still young and enjoy each and every day. Before we know it, they’ll be driving, dating, and off to college. It’s also a personal reminder to me to keep the camera handy so I can take pictures and share these little joys! I am horrible at remembering to document our life on film, which is LAME seeing as I’m the one who is with them the most. For example, I REALLY wish that I had taken photos of all of the kids putting on a concerts yesterday for all of their Webkinz. SO CUTE :).

Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  And today?  Today is a gift.  That’s why we call it the present.  ~Babatunde Olatunji

She’s A STAR!

I’ve mentioned before about how my lovely sister, Sarah, was being published. Yes, an actual real author! She’s an amazing quilter and has written a book, Fast, Flirty and Fun, for the beginning quilter. Not only did she write the book, she also sewed all of the quilts pictured. She’s a talented chica!

Check out this interview with Sarah on a her local morning snow. Congrats Sarah! I’m so very proud of you and I hope this is just the beginning of your stardom. Remember the little people ;). LOVE YOU!