I do have other children...

you know. It seems like lately all posts have been about the minis...and to avoid the excessive cost of therapy to address the lack of posts regarding the bigs, I figured it was about time I chronicled their happenings...
Seriously, the guilt is killing me. Where has the summer gone? Where are all my funny snippets about the queen Eva and her loyal subject...tyrant Charley? With an undying patience that will undoubtedly come back to me in spades when they are teenagers, they have endured a most crappy year. I have been continually amazed by their gumbylike adaptation to every new situation/home/school/friend/etc...etc... we have vaulted them into in the last 13 months. And if you really want to go back...It's only been 2 years since we left Oki. SO, let's count... we've moved 5 times in the last 2 years. No wonder my brain is fried & I can't decide where to hang a picture, set a book, plant a bush, set a lamp... at least I still retain the ability to alphabetize spices. :-)
So, the truth is, my bigs are amazing. Eva has endured the lack of extracurriculars, playdates, "field trips," mommy time, daddy time, well, just about EVERYTHING she is used to, with a sweetness that defies the odds. I swear this child is from an alternate universe. (well, there was that one time in target that she jumped up and down & threw a fit that had my mother picking her jaw up off the floor.)

She has morphed into a queen bee, ready to lead the brood at a moment's notice. (when it suits her, that is.) How quickly she has gone from my shy kindergartner to an outspoken and sassy first grader. While mostly endearing, it does try my patience on occasion... A newfound fascination with horses has lead her to repeatedly request riding lessons, horse themed clothing and a ridiculous number of stuffed horses. So, at my own financial peril...I am caving. Riding lessons it is. And in deference to my texan family, western pleasure it will be. It's bad enough my husband married a yankee, if I let her learn to ride english, I would be summarily excommunicated from all things Texan. And that would suck. So, western it is! The other most exciting part of her day is constantly messing with her hair. I am honestly quite amazed at her ability to "do" her hair. Most of the time I thank God, since it is one less grooming task I must be responsible for. She is still a bit "out there" with her wardrobe, but truthfully, I find it so endearing that I really don't look forward to the day she grows out of it. Tommorow is the big day... off to first grade. Wish me luck and pray for the sake of the teacher that all goes smoothly for my baby bug. :-)

As for Charley. Well, what can you say about a child that yells louder than you do when she's in trouble, beats regularly (but with love) on her siblings, has the aim of a major league pitcher with whatever she is launching at you...but refuses to give up her binkie or potty train because she wants to be little. And you know it's just because she wants more of you than you can figure out how to give. My sweet, sweet baby bean. That child is on fire.

And mostly in a good way. Brighter than a thousand bulbs, if you give it to her, she will figure it out. A phone, a camera, a leapster, a game, a puzzle, you name it. I am considering asking her to teach me how to use my new phone. I still don't know how to turn the ringer off... She is sweet beyond anything I have ever seen in a child that young. She craves and gives love so magnanimously that is just makes your heart want to explode. I think mine does at least a few times a day. Her favorite activity lately is dressing up in Eva's clothing. This usually results in one of 2 things... she either looks so cute you want to eat her or she looks like a poster child for horrible hand me downs. And I simply don't have the heart to ever make her change (well mostly never,) so I head out on the town with the brood, dressed like a bunch of street people and hope no one is surreptitiously snapping our photo to use as an ad for birth control. :-) You should have seen the looks we got when JoJo was here... It was like a clown car every time we went to unload. I should have stuffed a pillow under my dress and pretended to be pregnant. Now that would have been fun...
So, I resolve to try to turn over a new leaf. I pray every day for a fairy to arrive and put away all this crap that is stressing me out and making me consider psychedelic drugs. I have to figure out how to step back and do a little at a time. I need some PATIENCE. So if you have either that or a nanny you can spare for a week, let me know! But until then, I'll just try to keep from going slowly insane...
in my brain.

and so, tonight i retire
in the midst of this quagmire

determined to rest
to wake my best

to enjoy my offspring
with lots of zing

wish me lots of luck
pray I don't get stuck

in one of these piles
that goes on for miles

someone please send a nanny
to save my fanny!

in sheer and utter insanity, i sign off...
madcap mom of the many mini macs!

The Adventures of Stick Baby and the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man...

happy stay puff and giggly stick baby...

my crazy clan of kiddos...

Sittin' babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah, the time it is a scootin'. So, I swear yesterday I was one BIG belly and all of sudden I have babies who sit up, hold their own bottles, babble like crazy, roll all over the place (Mercy only on this one, Max is too fat and can only roll front to back and then he's stuck...)


SO, Stick Baby is first in the lineup...
As you may have guessed by my fat comment re:Max, Mercy is AKA "Stick Baby"
Just like her older sister, she is such a petite little bean, only possessing one fat roll per side at the very top of her little thighs. No potbelly or double chin on this baby bug. She is COMPLETELY addicted to her johnny jumper, perfectly content to spend at least an hour twisting, jumping, doing the "lick and wipe" and generally observing the clan mac happenings.

Observing, preparing the "lick and wipe..."

licked, and ready to wipe...where is mommy? is she still dry? I can fix that.... :-)

A happy observer...

She is mostly NOT happy if you leave her to her own devices on the floor. Since that is simply not acceptable, she tends to hog the mommy during the day, since her brother would be happy staring at the ceiling fan for hours on end. She is most picky about the temperature of her food and is known to "demand" a reheat on the bottle. This usually consists of pushing the bottle out of her mouth, letting formula dribble off her chin, and the occassional squawk. She is also QUITE loud, preferring to spend her days yelling random syllables at anyone or any stuffed animal in eyesight. I'm in deep doodoo when she starts talking. I may have to wear earmuffs. or take more pills. or drink more wine. or... well you get the idea!!
She simply adores bathtime, getting quite the charge out of drenching mommy and every near surface with feet that NEVER stop moving. I envision a future in serious martial arts. That child is NEVER still! She makes rolling revolutions around her crib, the floor and every other surface she can stand for a few minutes. Truthfully, this adorable, smiling, giggling, super ticklish and snuggly sweet bean SCARES the ever loving cr*p out of me. I have a feeling she is going to give me a serious run for my money... (more pills...more wine... :-)

And now for the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man...
For those of you who are trying to figure out who that is... see Ghostbusters again...you'll get it. Now imagine that dude shrunk to baby size and wasn't pasty white and had blonde hair...that is my Max man. He is all rolls, all the time. Rolls on his arms, rolls on his belly, rolls on his legs, rolls on his fat little fingers, even rolls on his ankles! And his chin, that is the cutest of them all! My little man is, bar none, the happiest baby ever. The only thing that pegs his fun meter is loud noises, poopy diapers and a delay in nourishment. I swear he is convinced his stuffed puppy is real. He spends inordinate amounts of time chatting with and chewing on that poor dog. Bedtime consists of the face plant, followed by the face rub, followed by a binky and settling into the middle of the bed flat on his belly where he will remain unmoved until morning when he might flip himself over if he can get enough leverage...and then he's stuck since he hasn't figured out how to get enough leverage to flip back over. The good thing about those adorable rolls is that they are darn helpful in keeping him upright when he's trying to sit! The funniest part of this little marshmallow must be the expressions on his face. I swear he is looking at us half the time, like: "What the heck where you thinking," or "What on earth is this silly thing you just stuck in my face? Do I look that dense?" and my personal favorite: "just what is HER problem NOW?!" I'm relatively certain this dude will spend his formative years hiding out from his sisters to avoid estrogen overload. Poor guy.

"What the heck where you thinking?"

"really? I think not."


"Hmmm, what trouble can I get into now..."

So for the Stay Puff/Stick Baby major moments:

July 2: Max can hold his own bottle!
July 20: separate cribs...I cried.
August 2: Max sat up!
August 7: Mercy sat up!
August 8: First torture session at Chuck E. Cheese...(oh the things we do for our children)
August 11: First official road trip not related to moving in any way. Headed home to Maryland for fun time with crazy extended family...

So, that's it for now. Yes, I still have the Bigs who deserve their own post... and my 20 year reunion... THAT is a post in the making...
Stay tuned!

tiffers

so, here's the situation...

i need to get away for a week's vacation.
wish i could drive a brand new porsche...

AYEEE, i'm showing my number! I hate it when a song gets stuck in my head. Or a poem, or a kid's rhyme. My type-A brain just runs it over and over and over and over, well... you get the idea.
Seriously, I am SO looking forward to a week at my parents to relax and ENJOY my offspring. this time is just whizzing by and i feel like i'm missing all the good stuff. actually I am missing all the good stuff. my littles are getting so big & my bigs are so grown up. I can't stand it and yet, it's so awesome. my new resolution is to STOP THE MADNESS and enjoy the stillness. Because it could be gone before I even realize it.
So, I'll try to update this silly blog soon, so my kids won't need extra therapy sessions when they are older because mom dropped the ball on blaring their lives to the world.

And an update on me...
It's been a tough month for us. My Aunt Millie passed unexpectedly several weeks ago. Since the INDIVIDUAL that was in the "driver's seat" at Charles' school has no life and not one ounce of sense, we were told he could not take off so we could attend the funeral. Uh, he'd be teaching this stupid ass school if he were still a Gunny, so what exactly is it he can't miss? Then we moved into the house and, as you know, my rings and bracelet were stolen. (the bracelet is a new development. discovered it after they fingerprinted my armoire. UGH.) In the midst of all this, I'm trying to unpack and set up this house with 4 kiddos underfoot all day. Needless to say, my wine consumption has been at alarming levels... Then last weekend, I received a call that my cousin had passed away suddenly, at age 39. Leaving behind the love of his life and 3 children. Talk about a kick in the ass. Still can't take time off, so we didn't go.
Well, thursday night was it for me. I finally found out where my jewelry was pawned, when and who did it. I haven't gotten it back, but I'm praying. Regardless of the outcome... I learned this. (Thank you Lord, for hitting me with the proverbial baseball bat of sense and reason.)
I might think I can control my life, but really God is ultimately in the driver's seat and he has a purpose for every event.
The event might make you sad, tick you off, confuse the ever loving daylights out of you, make you doubt, BUT if you stop wallowing in self pity and start letting Him lead you, He'll show you the purpose.
Now, here's where I get to control my life...
I can listen. Or not.
I choose to listen.
And this is why.
Life is entirely too quick. We never know what is around the corner and how it will change us. Am I sad my rings and bracelet are gone? You bet your bootie. Would I change it? Nope. Why? Because it somehow taught me that I wasn't paying attention to my life or the amazing people in it. I was mired in my own stresses, my own worries, letting my fears and impulses lead me around by the nose. For the love of Pete (who is Pete, by the way?) I have the MOST amazing husband and 4 beautiful gifts from God. It's time I learned to live a life of Praise instead of pity. (thank you Beth Moore!)
My rings were the outward symbol of a marriage that has survived some pretty heavy junk. They were beautiful and made me smile.
My kids & Charles are more beautiful.
I'll celebrate that.
Off to Praise.
with love,
the clan mac mama

boxes, bins and little tiny things...

Boxes suck.
I have more bins than anyone in the world. including legoland. this is a problem they probably have meds for. meds that i need.
little tiny things are the story of my life with 4 little tiny people. polly pockets are the spawn of the devil, my little pony are their cousins and barbie is the devil. :-)
SO, there are now many boxes with many tiny things headed for the garage sale. :-)

And someday I will be done unpacking, just in time to move again. Truly, if it weren't for my unexplainable love of the marine corps and most importantly...my Marine, I would SO be done with this moving crap. As a matter of fact, I am actually considering settling here (which is completely bizarre if you have known me a long time,) just so I don't have to do this again...and again...and again. Of course, I do have an intense desire to go back to Okinawa, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see... REALLY, if God and the Commandant could each just send me an email with their plans, it would certainly make life a bit easier for my planning purposes. Ah, but people in hell also want ice water. :-)

Okay, so on to better things. I am really not operating with all my faculties lately, so I won't even try to provide a witty commentary to make you pee your pants with laughter as you peruse all my cute photos of my fireteam. I will simply let my sweet beans beam at you from cyberspace, then I'll send a quiz email to see if you can figure out what the hell we are doing.
JUST KIDDING. (man, i kill myself. I am just so stinking witty...)
SO, here's a quick rundown of the last month...

Big Boy...independently stuffing his face!

Seriously? Max...ready for reading? I think he's studying

up on how to pray for sanity for Mommy. :-)

July 2, 2009
Wilmington Kid's Museum

Future mad scientists?

Making our very own maze...maybe it will lead us to a house?

Daddy Mac and his littlest princess...Crabby Patty :-)

Evie, checking out the cool "campground"

Charley, "kayaking" her way to the camp


Eva, waiting to be served...


or not.
Charley sassy pants requested to be waited on. :-)


Mercy, checking out the cots...
God forbid we smile for the camera...
Little Terd. :-)


Max... grinning because he just totally filled up his diaper for me. Isn't that sweet?


Storytime in the tent...
This book stunk.
Seriously.
Who writes a book for kids about weather that is this boring?
Can we make it at least a little entertaining?


July 4, 2009
Celebrating? How about relaxing!
Freedom from househunting today!


The future first female Commandant trying on her uniform...


July 12, 2009
Rattling around in our new space!

Playtime in our new home!

My sweet, always happy (unless he's hungry...) BIG boy

Miss Mercy Elaine, with her ever present glob of spit...
her babysitter calls her the "lick and wipe" queen.
She LOVES to lick the devil out of her fingers and then
wipe it ALL over you. It's just so pleasant. :-)

Adventures in the rain...
In our new, fenced football field of a yard!

2 sweet sisters snuggling and snickering in the rain.

my sweet mini macs, snuggled up for some playtime fun!


Happy Birthday Taylor!
The bigs...hanging out for some fun party time!

The littles in thier bumbo seats for some fun...

Seriously? Little stinker.

Cookie time with the bigs! SO much more fun (and tasty,) than unpacking boxes!!

Moving sucks and I'll tell you why...

Because you trust that people will take care of your stuff. And, truthfully, they did their best on this end. However, while they were taking such good flipping care of my stuff, one of them managed to steal my wedding rings. I was NICE. I BAKED THEM F**ing COOKIES. I FED THEM LUNCH AND KEPT THEM HYDRATED. Oh, thank you so much ma'am. Let me just steal the one thing that will break your heart. Gee, wasn't that sweet of them.
So, I filed the police report. cried. cried some more. called the insurance company. cried a bit more. checked a few pawn shops and then had to buy myself a wedding band. from a pawn shop. cried more.
It's not the monetary value. It's not the diamond. It's the story behind the rings. They have been with me for 15 years. 15 years of marriage. A hard fought marriage that has seen some serious times and survived them all. A marriage that I knew would happen from the moment I laid eyes on my Charles. A marriage that he never gave up on, even when I did. And the symbol of that love that we had blessed before God has been taken. But you know what that person didn't take from me? Every bit of faith I have that the very best part of my marriage isn't a ring or a thing or a house or anything else. It's the 4 beautiful children that are living proof of our love. The 4 sweet souls the Lord has entrusted us with. So, listen here... You can take the ring, but you can never take away the circle of love and life they represent. So, I hope you get what you need from them. And I hope someday you will understand that what you took was heartbreaking, but this is what you could NEVER take. My faith. My belief that people are inherently good. My trust in people. And my unshakeable, neverending, endless love for my husband and my belief in our marriage.
SO TAKE THAT. Ha. I win. Rings or no rings. I WIN.
I'd still love to have them back...so pray for that. But if I don't see them again, I just pray that the love we had spills over onto the next wearer of that beautiful, shimmering stone.
i'm off to pass out from moving overload.

with a sigh and a bit of a cry...
tiff

"First God, then the Marine Corps...

right mommy?" This wrapped up the discussion I was having with Eva this morning as I explained why we were renting house, how long we might live there and if we were going back to Okinawa. My astute 6 year old has figured out that first, God has a plan... and second, so does the Marine Corps. Jeepers, this life is crazy! Try explaining it to a 6 year old. :-)

Many Thanks....

for the many wonderful and thoughtful gifts we have received these last 6 months from so many. I am horrified that I have yet to write any thank-yous for the gifts received after my shower. Ever since my wedding gift thank you snafu, I have been a thank you note nazi, so suffice it say...I am sadly, a thank you note loser, once again. Here are a few pics of some of our neat gifts...

Thanks, Des! Old friends send great new gifts...


Thanks, Uncle Larry and Aunt Pam!
My babies are ridin' in style!
(And I can actually go places sometimes.)


Thank you Soldier's Angels and Operation TopKnot,
for the many lovely things we received!

Thanks...Debbi, Angi, My Mom's pals (The Prayer Family), Cheryle, Susie, Operation Top Knot, Soldier's Angels, Mom's Day Out families, Aunt Ruthie, Kim, Katy, Aunt Ruth & Uncle Sam, Aunt Gloria & Uncle Bob, Marge & Joe, Danielle, The GFWC Antelope North County Women's Club, Vicki, Kristen, Holly, Jeana, Tommye, Kristina... the list goes on! We are so grateful and so blessed by each of you.

Stay tuned for more updates soon...
love,
tiff

The thunder rolls...

and the fat boy flips! My sweet little man FINALLY rolled his stout little bootie over! Yesterday morning Charles discovered him wide eyed and spastic armed, staring up at the ceiling. So far, it is a one time thing, but not for lack of trying on his part. Sadly, I didn't get a snapshot, but I do have this picture that pretty accurately shows the look on his face! He really has the most expressive face! Way to go, little man!!!

House Hunting Sucks.

And I truly mean that. There is nothing exciting about it. Nothing that makes me giddy. Nothing, Nothing, NOTHING. As you are ALL aware, I am about one of the pickiest people on this earth, equaled only by my mother, Kristina & Debbi. SO, needless to say, trying to buy a home that some other non type A person designed and then proceeded to build with not a single thought to layout, functionality or aesthetics is ANNOYING. Add to that: my beach house is nearly an hour from the area we are looking in, I have 4 children who are SICK of the car and I do NOT like driving long distances, my husband CANNOT help with this due to his schedule, and gee golly, life sure is a barrel of laughs right now. Oh, did I mention the 2 ginormous flights of stairs I run up and down 25 times every time we are leaving? And for any of you who are going to throw some stinking platitude at me right now about anything, I will say, oh say nicely.... Stick it where the sun don't shine.
Ah, that felt better. NOW, I better find a damn house within the week or it's gonna get ugly 'round here.
And, yes I am truly grateful to have my whole clan together, but that sure doesn't mean I can't be annoyed that I can't seem to find a decent damn house.

the beach...

is a block away, I can see the Atlantic from my deck. The Intercoastal in 100 feet out my back yard. And yet...my poor bigs have only been there twice in almost a week for an hour at a time. I haven't yet figured out how to squeeze beach time, house hunting, laundry, feedings, grocery shopping, beach, park, pool, library, movie nights and LIFE in general into my paltry 24 hour day. We are on the hunt for our new home and I have a great realtor, so pray this process zips along, b/c I NEED a home. Living at the beach is great...but I need a yard and a swingset and MY STUFF! (I should probably refer myself back to my stuff post a few years ago to encourage myself to just ditch all that crap and live in a cardboard box, stop shaving my legs and only eat recycled or organic food. Okay, did I just say recycled food? Um, isn't that poop? Not what I meant and just a really a bad idea. I digress.)
SO...since I have no brain cells left to make any of you fart in your pants with laughter, I'll just give up and post some cutie pics.

The first jump of summer into the iceberg that doubles as the pool at my parents.
My children have boiling water in their veins (from Susan...)

JoJo, taking off for the shallow end


Charley bean, ringing the summer in with glee!


My sweet peas, just bein' cute!


My biggest big, snuggling miss Mercy.


My little sis, holding the littlest mac sis.


My godmother, my fave aunt, my reesie, snuggling my littlest bean.


My bigs, helping Mommy out, feeding the M-n-M's.
What would a mommy of twins do without her bigs?
Drown in barf, formula and poop. That's what.


Eva & Charley enjoying breakfast on the deck...
viewing the intercoastal...
I love this island.

i love my kids.
i love my marine.
i really do love my life...
even if i don't always like it.

i'm gettin' there.
someday i'll be ready to leave before 1:30 in the afternoon.
we'll eat a homecooked meal again...
sometime in 2010.

my clothes will smell like poop and barf,
i might cover my hair with a silly scarf,
my nails won't be groomed,
my hair will look like wool on a loom,
my mascara might run,
no housework is done,
but i've got 4 sets of kisses,
I'm Charles' missus,
i wouldn't trade a bit,
it's the perfect fit,
for this crazy,
sometimes hazy...
obsessed with rhyme,
never on time,
prematurely gray,
alwasy got somethin' to say...
Chick.

love,
tiff