Only he who sees: March 2008

27 March 2008

Why the title?

Cheesy blog title, I know, but it's one of my favorite quotable quotes. More importantly, it's a reminder for me to pause occasionally in the busyness of the day and appreciate the many beauties and tender mercies in my little corner of the world.

Who am I kidding?

BLOGS...

For an entire year now, I have wanted to start one. I have read many of my friends and enjoyed them thoroughly.

But life was busy. Teaching ballet in early 2007. And working as a bookkeeper. Running a small (tiny!) business. Serving as Ward Activities Chair. Being the mom of three & wife of a surgery resident. Among other things. I never got around to it.

Then, July hit. I was sick--oh so sick.

Then, August rolled around--specifically August 16, 2007. A day that will live in infamy. I learned I was expecting twins.

Panic ensued. Twins? How was I going to manage that? Still planning ward activities. Still the mom of three and wife of a surgery resident. Still doing way too much in other areas. I slowly start to curtail my activities, while periodically taking a break by laying on the couch and wanting to D-I-E because of pregnancy woes.

In September, Brian and I take a DREAM trip to Paris. I came home from the trip absolutely determined to start a blog and make my first post a bunch of pictures from that wonderful trip. But life was still oh so very busy. (Is it too late to post pictures, six months later?)

October rolls around, and the start of the holiday season. I was still doing way too much, and meanwhile I made a list called "Twins Prep," in which I wrote down a mere 27 items & projects I needed to accomplish before the twins were due to arrive. You can guess one of those 27 items. That's right! Start a blog.

I never got around to that one. In fact, I never got around to half of that list. My life was consumed by more essential preparations, such as rearranging our townhome to fit two more babies.

So the babies were born--four weeks ago today! While I was in the hospital, I started a journal entry. I got interrupted by doctors entering my room. Surprise! I have still NOT finished that journal entry from nearly a month ago. I have spent much of the last month glued to my couch nursing two babies, or pretending to sleep, or putting Nathan in time out.

Yet here I am--at last starting a blog. I'll update it "in my spare time." And it's bound to be so very interesting that you are all going to devour its contents nightly (kidding, of course). But I am determined to perservere--if for no other reason than I'd like to keep a better family record, and this might just motivate me to do it.

At this very moment, Madeline is starting to cry in the crib. Who am I kidding? Blogging? Me? Why am I even attempting?

Nathan van Gogh

My little guy (Nathan) loves to paint. So yesterday afternoon when he asked to create a masterpiece, I pulled out the paints and carefully poured a SMALL amount of each color onto a paper plate, making a mini palette. Then I left the room. Apparently he thought I didn't give him enough paint, because a short while later I returned to find what you see above. He had managed to open most of the lids and dump out the entirety of the contents onto a single sheet of construction paper. All I could do was laugh, hug him, and let him go at it with the paintbrush. By the end of the session, we had paint dripping onto the floor and chair...but hey, it's washable, right?

Just for you, Ang!

Isaac and Madeline, on Easter Sunday (& headed to church for the first time), wearing the CUTEST baby clothes, given by my dear friend Ang! Thanks, hon! Sure love you & miss you! Want to move back to the 'Hood?