The weekend

Is it really Sunday night? The end of a weekend, the start of another week just one short night away? I can hardly believe another weekend has zoomed by, and yet when I think back to just this morning it seems ages ago. What a beautiful day we had today! We started by playing hooky from church and enjoying a family walk to the neighborhood Cosi (a coffee shop/deli type restaurant chain out here) for some hot chocolates and crayon eating. The weather was gorgeous! Couldn't have been better--the cool crisp air, the beautiful fall leaves, the quiet charming small town streets. It was a great way to start the day. We came home and put the kids down for a nap and, believe it or not, Garrett and I both managed to fit in a workout! We have a small workout facility in our building complex and we each got a chance to work up a sweat while the little ones were dozing. The day felt so productive and it was barely noon!

We had an equally pleasant afternoon, with practical things like lunch and laundry, and we had a fun time talking with Grandma and Grandpa Cunnington on the web cam while the kids played around the house. I also managed a trip to Target and the grocery store sans kids. While I was gone the kids woke up from their afternoon nap (the nap that they never apparently took--I think they were just chattering and goofing off the whole time) and Garrett took them to the playground. He got some great video and photos, which is the whole reason for this post. I had to show off the kids' ever expanding repertoire of skills on the playground equipment. I was cracking up watching these, especially Abby on the swing. What a goof! Is it just me, or are my kids endlessly entertaining?

By the way, the video at the end is pretty fun too. It's a pretty typical episode of the three little munchkins watching their favorite Praise Baby video. Put Gabe in front of a television and he completely zones out. Dead to the world and totally absorbed, he may as well be sleep walking as far as anyone around him can tell. And the girls are totally charming me and Garrett these days with their desire to dance any time any type of music comes on. Doesn't matter if it's upbeat or slow, has a great beat or is a tiny tune belted out from one of their singing books. If there's a melody, the girls will dance. Amelia taught herself how to twirl in a circle and even when she is distracted or busy when the music starts, she will often put whatever she is doing down to do an obligatory twirl or two, then get back to previous business. Abigail also has happy feet and takes every opportunity to groove. I never tire of watching my budding ballerinas! Enjoy the antics. Oh, and seriously, watch Gabe. Total zombie almost the entire time. I swear Garrett did not sneak him any sedatives. (13,066)

Like cute little weeds

My little guys continue to sprout up. I took them to their new pediatrician on Monday. It was a really good experience, actually. It was my first time taking the kids to the doctor by myself. I felt pretty ready for it. With their new-found toddler skills (like walking, exploring, keeping themselves busy) I wasn't too worried about wrangling them all by myself, but I admit I did take on the task with some trepidation. The emergence of walking and a broadened curiosity has its advantages, but there are drawbacks too so I went to the doctor just hoping for the best.

Dr. Ratner was wonderful. I had the first appointment of the day and I have to wait about negative 30 seconds--they were actually ready for me before I was done filling out the minimal paperwork at the front desk. We were ushered into an exam room (a room which, miraculously, actually accommodated our enormous triple stroller, though we ended up parking it the hallway for convenience. Which means the hallway had room for the stroller too! Amazing.). The nurse came in to take weights and heights and other basic info and then the doctor came in right after that. I liked her right away. She was open, engaging, warm, easy to talk to and she took her time. And she was great with the kids--very patient and laid back about allowing them to roam the room while the exam went on. She actually said that for 15 months old they are all very agile and pretty advanced with their motor skills. I told her that they basically have free rein at home and that they are constantly exploring, climbing, and figuring things out, even if it means a few bumps and bonks along the way. She said it all sounded good to her and that they are developing beautifully. I have been a little bit concerned about the fact that they still are not talking, but she was not worried about that at all and she put my mind at ease. All three of them babble and "talk" all the time, so they are making good progress. She said multiples often take a bit longer to start speaking in understandable words, and that all the noises they were making in her office were evidence that they are doing great.
The kiddos had to get some shots so the visit wasn't completely smooth sailing, but considering everything the babies were wonderful and I think Dr. Ratner and her staff have some new favorite patients. Starting at a new office and using different scales and techniques for measurement of course accounts for some variance, but here are the latest stats on the babies' growth:

Amelia is now 19 pounds, 5 ounces, which puts her just shy of the 5th percentile for weight. At this appointment the babies were naked again for their weigh-ins, which has not been the case for the last one or two appointments at their previous doctor, so I think their weights are slightly more accurate than the last recorded ones. And Dr. Ratner also gave more specific indications of percentiles (instead of saying "below the 5th" she could give more detail, saying that Amelia is between the 3rd and 5th percentile for weight but that she's closer to the 5th). Amelia measured 29.5 inches tall, which puts her at the 15th percentile for height.

Abigail weighed in at 18 pounds, 12 ounces, which puts her at the 3rd percentile for weight. And she's staying right on track with Amelia for height--she also measured 29.5 inches, at the 15th percentile.

And Gabriel weighed in at an even 22 pounds (15th percentile) and 31 inches tall (40th percentile). They all have slowed down in their growth, but continue to follow the curves and make progress. Dr. Ratner echoed Dr. Molina's thoughts that they should catch up with more average growth by the time they are two. Dr. Ratner noticed that their head circumfrances, which I've never paid close attention to, are all rather large proportionally, which she suggested meant that their bodies are putting most of the growth energy into their little brains, and their bodies will follow suit. So there you have it. The doctor says--my babies' brains are huge! I always knew they were smart.

I am really glad I like their doctor and the facilities. It was such a breath of fresh air to take them to the doctor and feel comfortable and not totally overwhelmed, nor surrounded by dirtiness and rampant germs. Hopefully we won't be spending a lot of time at the doctor's office, but it's nice to know that good care is there and available if we need it.

Since Monday we've had a pretty quiet week. the weather is getting cooler here and we're spending less time outside, though we should probably get out to the playground while the temperatures are still tolerable and the sun continues to shine. Yesterday I took the little guys to the playroom in our building and kicked around a couple balls. Gabe actually dribbled with his feet for a while! And they helped me with laundry yesterday, walking all the way down the hall to the laundry room and helping me carry back their sparkly clean stuffed animals. I have such great little helpers. I am getting to the point where I want to start making more personal connections so I have people to call on for company, plans, playdates, etc. Garrett and I have continued to go to Bedford Community Church. I think that's four Sundays in a row, but this weekend I think we'll try another church before we get too set in our ways. We're both craving fellowship and praying for good friends. Sometimes it's just hard to wait out the time that friendships usually take to develop. I'm also hoping to connect with some other moms and get referrals for some babysitters in the area. Garrett and I could definitely use a date night. We've both had opportunities to go out in the evenings and even go back to the city to spend some time with friends. We just haven't done it together! I think we're ready for a night out together.

Last week we did get the chance to host our dear friend Kate again in one of her passes through the city (she is a tour guide for fancy international tours, so she is always on the road, which thankfully brings her to our neck of the woods with some frequency), and the babies and I got to spend a whole day playing with her and enjoying her company. Kate got some really cute pictures while she was here. I love the one of me and the kids on the slide. Look at Gabriel's beautiful smile! Oh, and the fact that he is pulling Abigail's hair. I was wondering why she started crying right after the picture was taken! (12,965)

A good belly laugh

This is on our drive home from apple picking. Amelia and Abigail fell asleep, but Gabe decided he had other things to do. (12,748)

Apple picking

We had so much fun apple picking yesterday! And praise God for bringing about a wonderful afternoon even though I was afraid our rocky start might ruin the whole experience. I was humbled to see how He could overcome a disappointing circumstance to bring about the fun and enjoyment I was hoping for from the beginning.

We decided to go to Outhouse Orchards for apple picking this year. I've heard of Outhouse a number of times since our move and the name just cemented the decision--I wanted to check out this apple picking mecca with the the most unappealing of names. Little did I know that Outhouse Orchards is a veritable carnival. We arrived to enormous lines, off-site parking because the crowds were so huge, and a complete maze of people and strollers and fair food and barnyard animals. It took us a while to even find the orchard where we could pick. When we found it, after walking uphill on terrain best suited to all-terrain vehicles, we didnt' realize that to actually get to the apples we would need to walk uphill about another quarter to half mile. All this without an apple picker, so we had to hope that when we got to where the apples were good, a kind soul would be done with their picker and we would be able to use it. Plus is was hot. HOT. I was dressed in a long sleeve t-shirt and jeans and I was wishing for a tank top, cut offs, and flip flops. It was miserable. And I was a crab, for a while. It really busted up my vision of walking happily through the orchard, picking apples while the kids played happily in the grass, and I let it get to me. But Garrett gave me a pep talk, we took a deep breath and kept trudging uphill, and by and by all turned out well: we got a picking pole from another family on their way down the hill, and when we finally did reach some good picking apples we settled in and had a great time. The kids all played happily and munched on apples while Garrett and I picked here and there and took lots of pictures. It turned out to be beautiful day, and even the warm weather was pretty nice once we stopped sweating our way uphill with the strollers.

Now I have a half bushel of apples I need to put to good use (and thank you Kristi, for the easy applesauce tips--I will definitely try it out!) and some great photos of my amazingly photogenic family and the beautiful scenery. Take a peek! (12,688)

Even without TV. . .

Kudos to Garrett, superman of electronics, who over the course of the past couple weeks dissected our mammoth television, performed what I would consider major surgery, put all the pieces back together, and made our TV work again. Victory! I admit there was a part of me that wouldn't have minded if the TV never got fixed. Over time I have come to decide that subtlety in design has much to say for itself in the field of electronics. But there was a bigger part of me that in no way wanted to find ourselves in the market for a new television, especially given, say, the current state of utter financial crisis our country seems to be in. I am delighted that Garrett fixed our TV so we can once again watch movies and videos. We still do not have or plan on buying cable anytime soon. But I have to say. . .

Even without TV, I can't believe how much of my time is getting sucked away into the wind! Where do the hours go? I put the kids to bed, eat dinner and rest on the couch for a few minutes, and I swear by then it's morning again and the kids are crying for their morning milk. And I thought by now I would have actually started reading a book for pleasure. Ha! It's my own fault though. I may not be wrapped up in television dramas anymore, but there are always blogs, facebook, and my favorite pasttime of late: presidential politics! No, I am not going to blog about politics. My opinion amounts to just about nothing and I'd probably just embarrass myself if I wrote what I really think sometimes, but I admit I am following the news closely and I've even become a daily listener of NPR. I think it makes me feel like I have another adult in the house. And I find I do actually like knowing some things that make me sound smart. (Please don't ask me to say something smart--I'm sure my mind will immediately go blank.)

For all this time going by and all these things distracting me from getting to the important things, like reading fun books, I do feel like I am neglecting my blog again. Am I really, or is it just this nagging thought that life is going by and only a tiny fraction of it every gets recorded? That's always been my struggle in keeping a journal. If I don't write in it every day or several times a week, there's this enormous compulsion to fill in the gaps when I go to write again. And then what I really want to write about--what's happening that day, what's on my mind, etc.--are not the things I'll end up writing about because I'm spending all my time catching my journal up on the latest news. So I just don't write anything. I know this doesn't makes sense. I mean, the thought process makes sense, but you'd think that if I realize what's going on and assure myself that it's okay if the blank pages in my journal are not updated with what I did last weekend, then I would be able to ignore my compulsion and and just write the stuff that I want to write. I promise I am working on that, but I think I will always be a work on progress. What makes sense and what I actually do in practice are rarely the same thing.

In any case, I now have this compulsion to catch you all up on the things I've been up to since so much has happened since our move. I will certainly not catch you up on everything, but here is the abbreviated version:

We are close to settled in! I have some projects I'm working on, like organizing the hall closet and sorting through the kids' boxes and boxes of clothes and determining what I should actually keep handy for the coming months, but now life is about getting organized rather than getting moved in. I continue to love our apartment and the space, the quiet, the friendly neighbors, and the proximity to our quaint little downtown. A week after we moved in Garrett and I decided to jump right into our church search and we attended a local church called Bedford Community Church. We have been there two times now and I really like it so far. I have actually had the chance to go a third time and attend a MOPS meeting. MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers and is a ministry for, well, mothers of preschoolers. It's an international ministry and Bedford Community is one of the area host churches. So far I have met so many moms at that church and I cannot remember every being at a church where I felt so welcomed by so many people. It has just been incredible. Young and old, men and women, lots of moms and dads too, are just coming up, introducing themselves, trying to get us connected and comfortable. It's really great. Garrett and I haven't decided how wide our church search should be. I think we will probably check out a few other churches just to see what's available and what really fits well, but right now I feel pretty optimistic about Bedford Community. It really feels like a bustling and active Christ-centered community, and the sermons the past couples weeks have been great. Coming from Redeemer, our church in New York, I was nervous about finding another pastor who could hold a candle to Tim Keller. He is so gifted in teaching; his sermons are truly the best I have ever heard, over and over again. But I am pleasantly surprised to find that I've really enjoyed the past couple weeks up here, which either means Bedford Community is another good fit or it means, in a broader sense, that there are other pastors out there that can challenge and teach me. Either way, it's good news.

So I'm excited to be meeting some people, which is the most important part of making a new community a home. We've also met a lot of our neighbors and they all seem so friendly. And what's great is that two doors down is a family with an 11 year old girl and a 5 month old baby boy. The mom, Maria, is very sweet and easy to talk to. The other day I took the garbage out and their front door was open. Gabriel and I ended up stopping and chatting with Maria and her mother for fifteen or twenty minutes. It's fun to think that as Michael, Maria's baby, gets just a little older Gabriel could have a little boy playmate just down the hall. And in addition to meeting people I am slowly getting to know my town. I still haven't seen a lot because so far Garrett is driving to work every day and I don't have the car, and I can only explore so much on my walks. But there are already so many places I want to see more of--shops and bookstores and restaurants. We are going to go apple picking in the next couples weeks. 'Tis the season! I'm excited to take the kids. I know they won't get it, but it'll still be fun. I can just see Abby pointing up at all the apples and screaming because she wants them all for herself, just so she can throw each one away for the next one. That goofy kid. She has gotten to be very opinionated, and very vocal, and, lately, very clingy. She is so darn good at hugging though! Her favorite game before bedtime now is hug mommy, then walk across the room and hug daddy, then walk back and hug mommy, then back to daddy. . . Completely adorable. The other day I got to go to Costco (I love Costco!) and I bought them all matching PJs with monkeys on them. The girls got pink PJs and little Gabey got red. Silly little monkeys. My monkeys are the best ones.

OK, I can tell I'm getting sleepy, and all this talk of PJs has me thinking that bed is calling to me. Enough rambling for one night. Night all! I will leave you with this video of Garrett herding the babies down our hallway. Please forgive the lack of pants. (12,555)