Our new addition

We'd like to announce our new addition! This is a much anticipated, long-awaited addition and we are all (well nearly all!) very excited about it. Here's a hint:

And if that didn't seem obvious, here's another hint...

So, what were you thinking? That FINALLY we got the long-awaited, much anticipated POODLE? Well, you'd be wrong. Instead we finally got the long-awaited, much anticipated (scroll down...)

DESK! I know, you're thinking who the heck waits for, anticipates, drives everyone crazy with shopping and mind-changing over a desk? Well, it would be this (now happy) guy, who is pictured here with the new desk ... which, incidentally required the removal of door trim to get into Rob's home office:

The desk is happily ensconced in our home, and came with its own set of rules and regulations, which include, but are not limited to, no touching, no sitting upon, no placing computers upon, and required daily polishing (but not with wax.) Here's what happened when Hannah and Liz blatantly disobeyed the rules. I know it looks like they are playing around, but seriously if you get a close up on Rob's eyes, you'll see the fear....

And finally, here's the desk in its polished, uncluttered form. As if the desk were not expensive enough (and it was more expensive than a pedigreed poodle ... just sayin') it also required the purchase of a PARTNER desk onto which Rob could put his computer, lamp and printer. You know ... the stuff that usually goes ON A DESK....

But you, know, we're all happy with the desk, because well, it makes Rob happy. Which is the most important thing. Except for getting a poodle.

Of mice and (snow) men

Did you hear we had some snow up north? We did ... and we liked it so much we had some MORE!! Yay. (Not!) Hannah and Lizzie are really enjoying the snow. Me? Not so much. Rob? REALLY REALLY not so much! By the time the snow finished fall we had another 20 inches or so. We cleared off the table from storm one, to better gauge the snowfall from from storm two. We didn't shovel the deck though, so you can see the somewhat impressive snowfall. I think probably six inches melted between storms, so the total after storm two probably topped out at around 30 inches. And the second storm was much heavier, wetter and harder (for old ladies with canes) to walk in. But it looks pretty, doesn't it?

Hannah decided to help Rob snowblow the driveway. They thought (wrongly) that the mail had been delivered and you never know when a bank statement that needs reconciling might be in the mailbox ... so off they went down the driveway...

Hannah bailed on the plan after about 10 feet. There were much more fun things to do than to get to the mailbox.

Rob did a great job though ... not that it mattered because he had to go out on Thursday morning and re-do the whole thing because more snow kept falling until about 10 p.m. on Wednesday. But again ... sure looks pretty, doesn't it?

Lizzie was THRILLED because we finally had some packing snow. Lizzie has been wanting to build a snowman by herself since the winter began. With a little help from Hannah and me, she finally got her wish. Here she is with the beginnings of the snowman:
The thing about packing snow, though, is that it's HEAVY so Lizzie had to struggle to get the balls of snow around the house. The hardest part of building the snowman was to actually find a place to put him, since the snow was so deep the snowballs kept sinking. We finally found a place near the front walk that was acceptable, so all the snowballs that had been made in the back yard had to be transferred to the front yard. Oh and in the interest of full disclosure, Hannah DID have a snowball, but she's kicking it.

Here's Hannah's snowball before she kicked it (and broke it.) You might also be interested to know that they are standing on the driveway, which had been clear at the beginning of the storm ... and the snow kept falling after this picture was taken:

Finally we had success! I didn't take pictures of the building of the snowman because, well, I was building the snowman. And since I weigh significantly MORE than the girls, snow that packed down under their feet still had me sinking up to my thighs. Yeah. It was fun. :) I donated my scarf to the guy and Lizzie gave him her hat and found sticks for his arms. I found some green milk caps to use for his eyes, and there you have it...our snowman:

And here's our OTHER snowman, in from trying to clear the driveway:

Lizzie was VERY proud of her effort as you can see. I was proud of her, too. She's very single-minded when she wants to accomplish something!

Of course giving the snowman your hat in the middle of a blizzard is not without a price. So here's Lizzie when she finally came inside. Happy, but FROZEN.

And here she is a few minutes later with a cup of hot chocolate, her pillow pet and snuggie, settling in to watch the movie Beethoven. Don't you love a happy ending? Well, that's not quite the end of the story. A little later I opened the door between the laundry room and the garage and saw a HUGE RODENT run from under my refrigerator to under the car. I normally don't mind mice -- I do live in the country, after all -- but this one was huge. And I'm pretty sure he was looking for a way into my nice warm house. I'm happy I foiled his effort though.

Oh and about 10 p.m. that night, Lizzie started with a stomach bug that had her vomiting on just about every bed and blanket we have. Good times.

Oh, and the girls had Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off for snow days. Then Monday is a holiday. Then it's supposed to snow on Monday night so Tuesday will probably be a snow day, too.

However, the zoo camp brochure came today so I can at least DREAM of summer fun!!

Say it Ain't Snow...

But it IS snow. Lots and lots and lots of snow fell on the MidAtlantic states last night and we here at the Raz Report took full advantage of it. Here's Rob measuring the snow on the table on our deck. It came in at around 18 inches and it was still snowing. I'm thinking we topped out in the 20-22-inch range.

And, of course, when you have that much snow, SOMEONE has got to shovel it. Here, Elizabeth gets to work. That's my car next to her by the way.

Rob decided to help Lizzie out with his giant snow blower. Even with this it still too several hours to clear the driveway.

Because, as you can see, we have a very very very long driveway...

Hannah and Liz had some fun playing on their swingset in the backyard. They'd slide down the slide into the two feet of snow and get completely buried. Fun times for 7-year-olds I guess! In her new snow parka and ski mittens, Lizzie enjoyed the cold weather and snow much more than last time. I was enjoying the fact that I was not the one who had to bundle them up to run outside for 10 minutes and then back in for 10 minutes, then back out. Etc. Etc.

Here they are trying to walk across our backyard. As you can see the snow is up to the top of Hannah's legs.

So, when you can't walk in it, you might as well just fall down in it and make snow angels...But instead of making snow angels, we decided to take the sled down the driveway that Rob had just dug out! The little bit of snow left on the driveway (maybe an inch) was nice and packed down and slippery, which was great for sledding, not so great for old ladies who walk with canes.

Sledding was fun, but CRASHING was even more fun!Oh, and I should have mentioned earlier that Lizzie HAS a hat, but she doesn't like to wear them because she thinks they make her look ugly. And you know what a slave to fashion she is...

More snow angels ... this time on the side of the driveway.

They really don't work so well in 2 feet of snow. They also don't work when you try to make them on the side of the driveway that dad has just plowed. All three of us got yelled at for that:

But SOME of us don't listen too well... But then it was back to some more sledding.We've been in and out of the house about a gazillion times, but really it's nice to just sit in the living room and look out my window at this gorgeous site. I hope those of you who got several feet of snow dumped on your houses are safe and warm and enjoying it as much as we are.

Family Day

Do you remember what you were doing on January 29, 2003? I do. I was driving down to Delaware in a sleety, slushy snowstorm to begin my new life as Mommy to Hannah and Elizabeth. Rob had some banking to take care of, so I drove down by myself because I didn't want to be late for what was going to be the most important day of my life.

Here I am at Adoptions from the Heart, holding Hannah. Clearly I was in such a rush I had no time to do anything with my hair... Do I look scared? Well, I was. And some days I still am. Being a Mom has changed my life in ways that I expected: lack of sleep, lots of laughs, lots of yelling, and, did I mention lack of sleep? But it also changed in ways that I never could have imagined. I've had to answer questions I'd never even thought to ask in my lifetime (do bugs mind when we squish them?) and I've had to heal hurts that broke my heart, too (Charlie says I'm weird, am I?)

I've called poison control (twice in one day) and sat at my child's side in the ER while doctors tried to clear her lungs of infection. I've held a hand as a leg cast was applied. I've danced the snoopy dance when a penny was pooped out just days before surgery was scheduled to remove it. I've taken punches and bites and kicks from angry little girls who really really really wanted to jump on the furniture, spin around in the dryer, eat three bags of potato chips or go get the mail stark naked. I've kissed boo-boos and removed splinters and coaxed a tick out of a belly button. I've been puked on, cried on, peed on and pooped on.

And I've also been loved and loved more unconditionally than I thought possible. In the span of 24 hours I went from being a peace-loving-let's-talk-it-out pacifist to someone who now would carry and use a gun to protect my family, if I wasn't worried that I'd shoot myself. I know my children's shortcomings but they are instantly forgiven. I revel in my daughters successes and weep at their struggles. I worry for them, about them and because of them. I want to fix the world for them and make them want to grow into people who will actually be able to fix it.

I'm almost a morning person.

I only barely remember what the 44 years before being a Mom were like. I'm sure there were good times. I'm sure there was love lost and gained, dinners out, evenings in, parties and food and conversations that did not include the words poop, Elmo or because-I-said-so.

But now I can't imagine a life without these Mom experiences. Being a Mom has forced me to live outside myself, and, you know, I kind of like the scenery out here.

And it all started seven years ago with these two little bundles (Hannah on the left). This picture was taken on our first day as a family. We were in a hotel room in Delaware and I just put them together on a boppy and stared at them until they woke up. They were then, and continue to be, the most beautiful thing on the landscape of my life.
And here they are six months later, just before their "Welcome to the Family" party, that we celebrated right after they were baptized:

And this past summer at the Jersey Shore, obeying me without argument ... ...when I told them not to get their clothes wet in the ocean.
I love my family. :)

Simple Woman's Daybook

For January 21

Outside my window... it's deceptively sunny and I can hear birds singing and it really looks and sounds like spring. Luckily I know from going to the bus stop this morning that it is NOT spring so I will still wear my winter jacket and gloves when I go out this afternoon.

I am thinking... about all the Girl Scout cookies in my dining room and that I am NOT going to eat them. Not even the lemonades which are brutally delicious. Please buy them so I won't be tempted.

I am thankful ... for the outpouring of help to the people of Haiti. I've got two blogger friends who both adopted from Haiti and I've been supporting their charities long before the earthquake hit and I continue to do so. Haiti was the poorest country in this part of the world before the earthquake and, as I'm sure you all know, the devastation was beyond comprehension. Please don't forget the people of Haiti in your prayers and in your giving even after the story has fallen from the front pages. Here are two charities that are helping. The first is http://www.heartlineministries.org/ and that's the group I've been helping to support. I've also supported http://www.islandimpact.net/ which was founded by a friend of my sister Terry. Both are in need of your prayers.

From the kitchen... leftover spaghetti for lunch and some weight watchers brownies for a snack. The brownies are made from brownie mix and Fiber One cereal and are pretty tasty if you don't expect them to actually taste like a brownie!

I am wearing... green shirt with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania logo (did I mention we're selling girl scout cookies??) black leggings and brown socks that don't match the outfit, but are WARM!

I am creating... I just wrote a story about the country singer Trace Adkins (real name is Tracy) and am doing some web content writing in a few minutes. Earlier this month I completed our Year in Review photo book that I send to the girls' birthfamily. I keep a copy for us, too, as it really is a nice way to remember the year.

I am going ... to have coffee with my friend Amy in about an hour. YAY!!! I love my friend Amy and I love her house, too. She's got a huge wood stove that provides warmth that is only matched by her warm personality and THE BEST COFFEE I've ever had. I cherish these coffee dates with Amy (and there's usually a few other friends there, too) and only wish we had more time to spend together. I really hate it when work and child-rearing interferes with your social life, don't you???

I am reading... "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. Just started it and it's already very good. I'm thinking of suggesting it for my book club's April selection. I also got a subscription to Weight Watchers magazine that I am really enjoying. For those of you who don't know, you can get very inexpensive subscriptions on ebay. I got three years of Weight Watchers for under $10.

I am hoping... that Hannah's benchmark testing goes well. She's doing really really well with her reading, but we're still (all) struggling with math. Which I think is overrated anyway. Let the calculators worry about the math, I say.

I am praying ... for the people of Haiti, of course. And for the friends in my own circle who are struggling with their personal demons. God is holding you all close, as am I.

I am hearing... Bruce Springsteen singing "The Rising" on my iTunes (set on the computer.) Love BRUUUUUUUCE.

Around the house... well I could lie and say things are just peachy but that would be, well, a LIE. I've got to get on a better cleaning routine. Before you all suggest the Fly Lady, I TRIED her, but began to refer to her as the Fly Nazi because of all those bossy emails. Oh, I did buy a rug for the living room, so if you visit be sure to take a look at it. I've still got to get a table for that room and then (I think, but maybe not) it will be done.

One of my favorite things... is going to church. I know. I'm surprised, too. But I really love the quiet, the contemplation, the feelings of nostalgia that I have from my youth at church with my family, and the fact that all four of us are there together. And no one is hitting anyone (usually.)

A few plans for the week ahead... Coffee with Amy, dance class, lots of work, lots of interviews, CCD, Brownies on Saturday (special meeting at my house), a cruise out to the Dunkin' Donuts on Sunday -- in other words, the usual!

A picture I am sharing ... the girls and I are working on their cooking skills. Here's a picture of them with eggs that they cracked and scrambled. (I'm still having blogger picture issues, but hopefully this will come out fine!)


You can see other daybooks at www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com

This and That

Ooops ... I wrote this blog and then left it to edit a couple of photos and then never got back here to post it. So, imagine yourself being whisked back to January 14...

I've been too cold to blog. Seriously. Did Global Warming take a vacation or something???

So, since it's been so long since I've updated you, this is going to be a round-up post about all the fascinating things that happen here at The Raz Report.

* Hannah has almost entirely memorized the Our Father. She says: Our Father who aren't in heaven, hello be my name... but you know, I kind of like that version better...

* Lizzie was working on her homework the other day and I was helping her. She was beginning a new sentence and I told her to write a capital I and she said, "Mom, I've been writing sentences for a long time..."

* It's Girl Scout Cookie Time. We were all at the Cookie Rally last week and had a great time. Each troop was supposed to do something with either cookies or the frog theme, Leap to Lead. So I made each girl this pin:

The pins are frog faces that are wearing mortar boards onto which I wrote "Brownies are SMART cookies" and each frog is eating a chocolate chip cookie (which the girl scouts don't sell by the way -- I don't want to get your hopes up!) The girls had a great time at the rally and so far, at least around here, the sales are going well. I already need to replenish my stash of Thanks A Lots...

* I've saved the best for last. Lizzie FINALLY LOST A TOOTH!! Can I get an AMEN?? She was (she told me and I believed her) the last kid in the whole school including the kindergarteners, to lose a tooth:

Sorry for the bloody chin ... I'm must keeping it real! :) Actually the tooth was very wiggly but didn't want to come out so Lizzie had me yank it out -- THAT'S how anxious she was to have the tooth out. Now she's got two others to wiggle, so she'll be caught up to Hannah (who has lost four and has three already grown back in) in no time.

I'll post more in a couple of days. I have pictures from a friend's birthday party that are adorable, but blogger is not letting me post pictures without a huge problem today so I'm going to give it a Time Out and come back later when it's in a better mood.

2009 in Review

Ten Things I Learned in 2009:

2009 was a good year around here, even with some of the ups and downs. Here's a list of some of the things I learned.

1) Gallbladders are not really necessary. Nor do they weigh anything. I was happy to learn the first; not so much the second.

2) The second row of church is really the first row of church because no one sits in the front row at 8 a.m. Mass.

3) Parenting twins does not get easier. It changes. But it never gets easier.

4) Parenting in general does not get easier. It changes. But it never gets easier.

5) Getting your children to read means that you can no longer spell secrets to your spouse at the dinner table.

6) 7 a.m. is really a whole lot earlier than 8 a.m. And more annoying.

7) When you have a cane, even old people offer to take your cart back up to the store. Sometimes they even wait while you unload your groceries.

8) Being able to swim in water that is not over your head, is not the same as being able to swim in water that IS over your head.

9) My children think I sit around and watch iCarly when they are not home. They are wrong. I watch soap operas.

10) I am not smarter than a fifth grader. Or, it would seem, a first grader. Especially first grade math.