The laundry doesn't lie...

When Mommy is away for 3 days she knows she can trust Daddy to make sure the kids are fed, clean and well cared-for.

But when Mommy returns and goes to do 5 days worth of kids' laundry and finds there is only 2 pairs of underwear per child in said laundry, well, the truth is in the dryer...

At least they were fed, and cared for. Two out of three's not bad.





(promise to get you up to date in my next post... I know it's been awhile!)

Happy Easter from The Trifs!

Happy Birthday, Robert!

Well, It's the 28th again... March 28th this time. It's Robert's Birthday. He's FIVE today!

I can hardly believe my first little baby is growing into such an independent young boy. He amazes me every day. He asks questions all day long: "What does ____ mean?" (as I rack my brain for synonyms to words I know he already knows) He blows my mind with his math skills and comforts me with his toothless smiles.

Five years ago today it was cold and rainy. We didn't know if he was a boy or a girl. As we drove to the hospital, John Mayer's "Daughter" played on the radio. I was convinced he was a girl. But somehow in my heart knew he'd be a boy. A perfect and charming little boy, just as I have dreamed. And he was. He is.

We're friends now. Best friends. He's taught me more than I ever thought I'd learn - about myself and about being a mom.

Happy birthday to my BIG boy, Robert. Mommy loves you more than you know. Thank you for letting me love you! I'll always be proud of you.

Here is a link to his birth story.

Pennies from Heaven

I always heard the phrase "Pennies from Heaven" but I never really thought about what it meant. After my dad died, almost immediately, I started to find pennies.... everywhere.

The first pennies I found were in a group of 3. They lay in a pile on the family room floor of my childhood home. Mom was in the process of moving out and very little was left in that particular room. But 3 pennies in a corner. I picked them up and shoved them in my pocket.
A few days later I found a penny sticking out of an air return duct in my own family room. Just sticking out, as if someone had placed it there. I grabbed it and put it with the others. Still not even thinking where these pennies had come from. Then I started to think...
That very day, I emailed my sister-in-law to tell her about the pennies I had been finding. She immediately emailed me back and told me to take the pennies seriously. She and my brother had met with a spiritual adviser the night before. My dad had "come through" in their meeting and something was said about coins. I never got the exact story there, but I understood it to mean that when I randomly find coins, Dad is around.

At his funeral, my siblings and I eulogized my father telling a story of our days as kids at the beach. Dad used to take us out early in the morning to get "the best seashells" that were washed up on the beach with the night time tide (true story!) Little did we know, those early mornings at the beach, that dad was walking ahead of us, dropping beautiful "Made in China" shells for us to find.

I now keep my pennies from heaven in a "Made in China" seashell that was delivered to me at Christmas time in box that said "From Santa." I have quite a collection.

And now I will share a few places where some of these pennies have been found:

~On the front seat of the car while Christmas Shopping at Toys R Us. (I hate that place! But Dad loved to Christmas shop for us there)

~In Chicago's Midway Airport in the bathroom, under the paper towel dispenser. I was between flights on my way to San Diego. I traveled with a picture of me and Dad. When I saw this penny, I knew he was letting me know he was there.

~At the grocery store just last week. Robert was asking is Pape was "here" because the clock read 2:33. I told him No, and that Pape is around when all the numbers on the clock are the same. (another 'sign' we have from Dad) Ava cried and insisted Pape was there. I ignored her and as I went to pull out a shopping cart, I heard a penny hit the floor. I stopped dead in my tracks to find it. It was almost as if Dad had thrown it at me.

~Outside my front door. Ava opened the door to go out and there sat 2 pennies. I had been in and out of the house a few times that day and would have noticed them.

~At my doctor's office. Outside the room that I was waiting in, I heard an elderly couple chatting about some quarters that they saw outside on the pavement. The woman sent her husband outside to pick them up. I thought myself "Hey, those are probably MY quarters... i bet dad left them for me." Then, the nurse came to get me to take me to a different room. As I sat down, there was a penny sitting right on the tray in front of me.

We've found other coins... nickels, dimes, a single quarter. But none so prominent as pennies. I'm hoping he'll start to send some hundred dollar bills my way soon! In the mean time, I'm content with pennies.

Pennies from Heaven
Bing Crosby
If you want the things you love
You must have showers.
So when you hear it thunder
Don't run under a tree.
There'll be pennies from heaven for you and me

You say Tomato....

To you, this may just be an Avocado. We eat them often in our house. Alex, especially has a special place for this fruit in his tummy.

Alex calls them A-Doe-Ca-Does. I love hearing him say it over and over. Just another way he continues to make me laugh.

Happy Birthday, Ava and Alex!

THREE years ago today my life was forever changed. My 'babies' came into this world making me a proud Twin Momma! And now, they are THREE! No longer are they babies. I have molded them into little independent people with tiny, vibrant personalities and big big lives ahead of them. I'm never in a rush to see them grow, but I often have visions of my Ava running a race with me as a teen and calling me daily from her busy grown up life. I imagine Alex will come home from college on the weekends and raid the fridge and make me laugh... much like he already does... just in different ways. I see Ava as student council president and Alex as the class clown. I have so many visions for my babies. They are so different from each other yet they share the bond of twins - Best friends and birthday buddies.
These past 3 years have flown by so quickly. I'm so proud of who they are and who they have become. At three they are everything I hoped they would be and I am one proud mom!

Happy Birthday Ava Lou!
Happy Birthday Alex, too!

Mommy loves you very much!

Beauty at the Beach

I am a lucky woman. As part of my Christmas gift this year, my dear dear hubby bought me a plane ticket to San Diego so I could visit my best friend. The trip has come and gone. It was hard for me to leave my kiddies. I missed them so much and actually spent a few hours in the very early morning of my first day in tears - just missing them so much it hurt. I knew they were fine. I knew their daddy was taking perfect care of them. The days went on and the more wine I drank, the easier it was to deal. :)
My visit actually passed rather quickly. I had the most amazing time with my friends. We laughed and shed tears. And drank wine. Lots of wine. (which may have accounted for some of the tears)
During the trip, I saw so many beautiful things... beaches, sunsets, vineyards. I couldn't help but think my dad was with me. I found a penny on the bathroom floor at the airport in Chicago. Dad sends me coins. And maybe I'll blog about that next week.
On the way home, our luggage missed the transfer to our second plane in Chicago. Thirty-six hours later, it appeared on my doorstep with the remnants of a snow storm. I opened it almost immediately and there was a quarter was sitting right on top of my nicely folded (but dirty) pjs. Dad was there. He is here. Can you just see him in the picture?