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Aid babies Bub Cora courtney Cuba Ev friends General mom mooshoo mother photography pictures the kiddos

Updates

I can not believe it’s already June!? Time just seems to move faster and faster, even the slow lazy days don’t go as slow as they used to. Things in the mooshoo house, like time, are just flying along.

Lennox finished preschool and is now officially a kindergartner! He is so so excited and I’m not so so so excited… well part of me is. Part of me is excited for this time to start for him, part of me knows he will do wonderful, be extremely charming and have a million friends. Part of me knows all the worries I have will seem small and silly. You know that part of you that worries that kids will make fun him, he will get hurt feelings and I won’t be there to make them go away. That part of me that is afraid after all our hard work and therapy his teacher and classmates will still have a hard time understanding him. And because of this he will finally get frustrated and start to withdraw. Those parts keep me up at night. Then the other part of me that knows it’s all worry for nothing, and he will be fine. He will grow and thrive and be the amazing person I already know.

Aidan is also starting his path to school, officially a preschooler! He will finally have his own friends, and make memories that have nothing to do with me. He will learn to trust people outside his family. He is going to explode in preschool. He loves people so much, any people, all people, just give him people! Like Lennox I think he will have no trouble in the friend department. Having the opposite of shy kids makes life so much easier…esp when making this transition to school. That first day he will kiss me goodbye and not look back. And that’s ok because that means I’m doing something right.

The ladies had their first hair cuts today. Cuba was awesome; she sat very still, so still the lady actually cut layers in her hair. She was amazing! Cora wasn’t a fan at first but quickly got into the groove and was super happy to receive a sucker at the end. They both look so cute. Cuba has a short bob with short bangs. Cora’s got short bangs to, but because her hair is wavy it doesn’t really look like a bob. They are just adorable. It’s amazing how much they are changing, every morning they look more grown up. Chatting up a storm and repeating just about any thing you ask them to. They let me fix their hair and love to play dress up. Grandma Cindy got them some princess shoes and it took them no time at all to figure them out (they have to fight Aidan for them). Girls are so different then boys. We have also started the potty training process, slow and easy. They just sit on the potty every night before getting into the bath tub. Its fun and they have actually gone a few times…I’m pretty sure more good timing then anything else. It’s insane to think being diaper free is in my not to distant future! We have come such a long way from dragging the hiking backpack every where to now just taking a few diapers, wipes and sippy cups. Soon I will be diaper bag free!!!

More soon…
cora
cuba

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babies Bub courtney mom mother the kiddos

We’re moving

It’s been 3 weeks today that my mom passed. It’s an odd thing to say. I’ve run into that over and over in these past weeks, how do you tell people. How do you tell them without it being awkward? I’ve discovered it’s always going to be awkward. Its funny being worried about making people feel bad about your own loss.
My mom’s death was not sudden. Many who know me know my mom had Multiple Sclerosis. That is not what took her life. She lost a battle with alcohol and died from cirrhosis of the liver. I shouldn’t even really say she lost a battle, I don’t know that she left this world thinking she had a problem.
Some where a long the road she began to self medicate, MS and drinking do not go hand-n-hand. Most of the medications are already hard on the liver, oh and guess what alcohol only makes the symptoms of MS worse. Unknowing, or not accepting this reality she just increased her intake, until alcohol was in control. Nothing was more important and then she gave up.
She left behind many confused and hurt people. That’s the crappy part about death, the dead move on but we are left behind to deal with life with out them. We all say it’s good they’re not in pain any more, and they’re in a better place…but what about us. The people left behind that still need them.
My mom never met my daughters, one of which looks just like her-down to her sideways smile. Lennox will be the only one who has any memories of her and they will be few, but good. She was an excellent grandma, and my heart breaks for my children because they will only know stories of her.
Life doesn’t stop, it doesn’t even slow down when you lose someone. I was in VA for a week, came home and hit the ground running. I had to register Lennox for school right away, which went so badly that we are now moving.
Registering Lennox for kindergarten left me in tears, insanity the complications! I put it in God’s hands and guess what – he provided. I drove by a house for rent in the neighborhood that Lennox’s preschool’s in and pow bang boom we’re moving! I have two more weeks to pack, and it’s actually not going to bad.
The new house is so insanely nice that it boggles my mind! It’s huge and in such a nice a neighborhood. We don’t even have to cross a street to take Lennox to school. I’m so excited to move in, this month is not going to go by fast enough. I’m thankful for moving, it gives me something to think about besides my mom.
lennox and grandma

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Aid babies Bub Cora courtney Cuba General the kiddos

Meet the Tooth Fairy

We’ve hit yet another milestone…Lennox official lost his first baby tooth! It’s been loose for a while but fell out this morning. He’s so proud, telling everyone he sees. I am both excited and heartbroken. Time is moving so fast. There was a brief moment when we anticipated milestones, waited for them to come. Now they sneak up on us, pop out of no where yelling boo!!
bub
In other news we headed over to Half Moon Bay and spent an afternoon at Pastorino Farms. They have a pretty neat pumpkin patch with lots of bells and whistles. We walked away with two pumpkins and lots of good memories.
us
kids
aid
bub

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babies Cora courtney Cuba the kiddos twins

11 months

The ladies are 11 months old today…in one month my babies will be babies no more. They will start to walk and with that begin their journey away from me. As hard as this year has been there is a part of me sad to see it end. It’s made even harder when I look at the boys and realize how quickly time passes from here.

The girls are amazing. Every day changing and growing. Their very distinct personalities are becoming more apparent. The twin aspect of their lives seems to be defined solely by their shared time in the womb. They are two very different people.
cuba
Cuba is confident and independent. She is good at entertaining herself and plays nicely alone. She loves to have two of things…anything. One for each hand I think. When Cuba wants something she is set to it, not easy to distract or redirect. She is pulling up on everything and can stand a lone. There are teeth finally popping up in her mouth. She is very comfortable using her voice, she screams when she’s happy, when she’s mad, when she wants something, or just for the heck of it. I will swear to you that she is talking. She says Dada, Bub (Lennox), dog, and mama. I have also heard something very much like “I did it”, and Ev has heard her say “I want that”. I feel crazy because she is so young, but when she speaks it comes out pretty darn clear. I’m going to try and get it on video-proof! She blows my mind all the time, pulling the cords on toys that talk her self. And you know those toys that they can sit and put blocks in and they fall out the other end-yeah she can do that too! Maybe it’s a normal girl thing, but I think she is amazing.
cora
Cora is sweet and flirty. She smiles easily, and loves to be around people. Cora loves pick a boo, esp when she’s the one doing the peeking and booing. She is easy going and eager to move on to the next adventure. She is also pulling up on everything and loves to stand at the sliding glass door and watch her brothers play. She’s talking,saying Dada (she’s a major daddy’s girl), Mama, and dog. I haven’t heard any sentences from her, but I can see them in her eyes. She’s hilarious, she growls and sometimes laughs like a dolphin. Cora is a character. She can also pull the cords on toys and easily mastered that block toy months ago. She hugs baby dolls and bears and explores their faces touching eyes and noses. She has a lama/camel stuffed toy from her grandma’s most recent adventure that she loves. She holds it to her head and rubs it on her cheek. She’s a lovey girl. I am in awe of her every day. Just like her sister, I think she is amazing!

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Aid babies baby gear Bub Cora courtney Cuba Ev mom mooshoo mother the kiddos twins

I love to ride my bicycle…I love to ride my bike

I’ve rediscovered a lost love…bike riding. Oh how I love riding my bike. It makes me feel like a kid again. It’s so calming, cool air rushing by as I peddle faster and faster. I haven’t gotten on a bike since the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college. I used to ride daily; using a bike to get back and forth to work; then I got hit by a car. That ended my love of riding until just recently when Evan suggested we start riding and get a trailer for the kids. I was so nervous, thinking maybe I’d forgotten how to ride and then there was the pretty enormous fear of cars. I got going the wind in my hair and it came rushing back. Oh I love it. I took the boys out in the trailer for the first time tonight, it was awesome. They weren’t hard to pull at all. We’re hoping when the girls are big enough they’ll ride in the trailer and boys will ride they’re own bikes. I am so looking forward to family bike rides. Everyone has fun, and it’s a wonderful release for me. Speaking of release I’ve started the Shape magazine bikini body count down.

I have no hopes of wearing a bikini at the end of the 5 month program but I am hoping to tighten up, maybe even shed the rest of this baby weight. I’ve done two days of exercises, they’re hard and my body is feeling the burn. I am so out of shape. I so need to stick with it. I’m tired of being fat. So tired I even bought some of those 100 calorie snacks in hopes it will fill my need for sweets. I have one every night after the boys go to bed, my treat. I look forward to it all day. Eating has become a way I deal with stress. Things get hairy (daily) around here I run for the panty. Not really helpful with the whole tired of being fat thing. Maybe all the exercising and many bike rides will help with my stress level and that will help me to stop stress eating on top of stopping my body from stress storing. Lower stress=happy kids that sleep well (wishful)=sleep for me (wishful)=weight loss=happy mama! Eh we’ll see.

Oh and I’ve started walking again too. I love walking almost as much as bike riding. I throw one of the ladies in the Ergo and everyone else in the triple jogger and off we go for an hour. We usually end up at the playground. Things are starting to look up. Exercising makes me feel normal, I need it.