My Little Punkins

Fall… sweet, blissful, beautiful fall! Sometimes I think that one of the reasons I love fall so much is because you never know what weather you are going to wake up to. Other times, I can’t help but relate to the colorful leaves that seem to scream, “HEY! I’M OVER HERE! OPEN YOUR EYES AND APPRECIATE ME BEFORE I’M GONE!” Yesterday as I drove home in the 35+ mph winds, I was positively giddy over the fact that it was literally raining leaves on my Durango and I smiled as I watched a group of young children squeal with delight as they chased an eddy of leaves through the parking lot while I held up the traffic behind me so they could delight in their fall escapade safely.

*Sigh* Can it GET any better?


Last Friday we excitedly piled into the Durango to head to our favorite local farm for… PUMPKINS! As I watched my teenage girls frolic amongst the brightly colored gourds of happiness, I felt a wrenching pain in my heart. I was instantly transported through each one of the many years of pumpkin celebrations with my little girls and I wondered where the time has gone… I have pictures of my babies holding tiny pumpkins, but because they were tiny themselves, those little pumpkins looked huge! I have pictures of Emily perched happily on top of a pumpkin that had been hollowed out – too bad I couldn’t get a picture of that toddler butt from the INSIDE of the pumpkin… I bet that would have been hilarious! I can hear their sweet giggles as they grossed themselves out with the guts of the pumpkins, see them cringing as they dared each other to put pumpkin slices in their mouths, and I can see them proudly beaming over their freshly hacked creations. Oh girls, thank you… THANK YOU for the memories! I am such a lucky mother to have wonderful girls with whom I can share this great adventure we call life.










So there we were, last Friday evening, at the farm.. The sun was lower in the gloriously blue sky, the weather was perfect and my girls were having a ball! The girls would laugh and squeal over each new and even more perfect pumpkin than the last which they had just put into the little red Radio Flyer wagon.. so I simply could not refuse when they wanted “just one more.” I stood back and snapped picture after picture of the smiles, the laughter and the silliness that ensued and I could have been there all night. I was that happy! Bill joined us about 40 minutes after we had arrived at the farm… and we had already loaded our prized selections into the Durango.. So naturally we had to go back! We wanted our favorite guy to take part in the pumpkin happiness too.. And another 30 minutes and 17 pumpkins later, we headed home – reassuring each other that YES, WE ARE CRAZY!









Right about now you’re probably thinking to yourself, “Geez Nicole! 17 pumpkins… REALLY?”

Yes. Really. And let me tell you why…

When my girls were little and would have bad dreams, they would come into my room at night, tears streaked on their little cheeks, and they would crawl into bed with me. We’d sleep snuggled up for the remainder of the night. I remember a few years ago when I realized that they no longer do that.. I felt like I had been smacked in the face and I thought, “Hey wait a minute! When exactly was the last nightmare incident that had one of my Snuggle Bugs end up in my bed?” And as long as I am asking ridiculous, rhetorical questions, WHY didn’t someone tell me it would be the last time so I could fully appreciate it, and get the full benefit of The Very Last Nightmare Snuggle?

The very same scenario played out for the neighborhood summer nemesis, The Ice Cream Man. When they were little, my girls would take off at an Olympic sprint whenever they heard that creepy tinny music from blocks away. I could hear their little feet thundering through the house as they came at me all breathless and tense and asked me hopefully, “CANWEHAVEMONEYFORICECREAMPRETTYPLEASEHUH?” Take a breath girls! Here’s your quarters now go get sticky! One summer I actually gave them each their own roll of quarters and told them to use it wisely.. make it last.. I actually thought I was teaching them something cool about being responsible. Too bad Abby had already learned how to be generous because she went out and gave all of her quarters away to friends. LOL It is nice that you shared, Abby… but please don’t do that with your future paychecks! Now when the Ice Cream Man circles our neighborhood like a hungry vulture, the girls don’t even blink an eye as the music filters through the house like some horror scene about to play out.. And once again, I ask myself what I would have done.. what I would have thought… if someone had told me, “Hey Nicole, see those adorable little girls out there with ice cream running down their faces? Well, this is the very last time they are going to want to chase the ice cream truck. How do you feel about that?” The truth is that I probably would have cried because I do that a lot as I watch my babies turn into blossoming adults.

So that is why we bought 17 pumpkins! Because next year, or the year after that, or the year after that.. when I wake up one day and realize that we no longer rush off to the pumpkin patch with our grins and cameras ready, I want to be able to say, “Yeah, I remember that and it was OH. SO. COOL!”





By the way - Today is my Sweet Grandma Robinson's birthday. Grandma, I still miss you every day.. still fight the tears that are my constant since you've been gone.. and I will always...ALWAYS love you. Happy Birthday, Beautiful Lady!

Appreciation

I work in the administration offices of a busy K-9th grade school and I get to see a lot of things on a daily basis that are sad, heartbreaking, amazing, gross, funny - you name it. Some of the kids that we work with are inspiring in the way they deal with physical handicaps, medical afflictions, bullies, and even poverty. And some kids make me shake my head as they get sent to the office, day after day, for ridiculous behavior.

I’ll be the first to say that my husband and I have a lot of kids… our very own six pack! How lucky I feel when I stop to appreciate the fact that none of my kids have to check their blood sugar or administer insulin daily, none of them have had to be sent home from school for behavior problems, and none of them have a heartbreaking home life. In fact, these girls have always been at the top of their class, are the first to offer help to anyone in need, and they always… ALWAYS stick up for the underdog.

My office is front row to a lot of drama. The daily parade can be any combination of sick kids, clothing emergencies, medicine dispensing, first aid, poor choices, and sometimes just rotten luck. What I don’t often get to see in my office are the kids that shine, the ones who are straight A students that are busy setting good examples and preparing to make the world a better place. But I know those kids are here.. just as my kids are at their schools… quietly noticed, but mostly undisturbed by the office staff because they’re the good kids.

To my girls, and all the great students out there, I want to say -Keep it up, Good Kids, we know you’re out there!

What makes me happy

Carley says this blog is one of very few words. Maybe she's right. But there are some times that pictures speak louder than words, and there are some pictures that sum up everything I feel. This blog is mostly visual...

I am one very lucky person. Lately I have been feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for all of the things in my life that are so wonderful and right up at the top of that list is my family.




I grew up in some pretty cold and extremely persistent shadows. I don't mean that in a "poor me" kind of way, but it was a desperately hard life filled with so many things I couldn't seem to do well enough. And then, almost 17 years ago, I finally got it right and stepped out of those shadows for good. From the moment I looked into their innocent little eyes, I knew my life had changed for the better and I was determined that my girls would never have to live their lives in anyone's shadow. I have made it my goal to give them every ounce of love that I have to offer.. to teach them that they each have so much to give... and they have not disappointed me.

My girls fill my heart with happiness. I am so proud of all that they accomplish and how hard they work at everything they do. These sweet girls are loving, kind and generous beyond measure. Somewhere along the way I did something great to deserve these people in my life. They are my biggest challenge and my greatest joy.

Just when I didn't think it could get any better than a life lived with my 5 best friends, this incredible man and his beautiful girl walked into our lives and just like that we became a family of 8. Once again I find myself giving thanks for all the beauty in my life.

My family. My life.

Och! That’s Guid!

Whew what a weekend! We had such a fantastically fun weekend but it definitely left us exhausted and wondering where the time went! However, these are the moments that I always talk about - the ones that will create lifelong memories of the highest quality.

All week my sister and I had been discussing a book that we have eagerly anticipated for 4 years. Missy read it in a day. Let me repeat that.. Missy read it in ONE DAY! I, on the other hand, have had the 800+ page book in my possession for 6 days now and have not yet made it to page 200. I have told Missy and my girls that this simply means I am taking my time to enjoy it slowly.. After all, it will be at least 4 years before there is a new one – but the truth is that I don’t often have time to do nothing else but curl up in my favorite comfy spot in the sunny front room to read. As much as reading is my passion, it sometimes seems that I need to schedule blocks of time for it and wave my family off with bright neon orange flags if they dare approach or even think of speaking to me when I’m in the reading zone. Maybe I could cordon off an entire room and post big signs that read, “Don’t bother me, I’m READING!”

I know it is killing Missy that I am working my way through the book at a snail’s pace. She wants someone who can gush over the details with her and I’m not quite there yet. It is the same as putting a mouth-watering chocolate cake in front of a kid and making that kid eat it.. One. Crumb. At. A. Time. Torture, right? But my lack of speed reading skills has not stopped us from spending our days sending instant messages back and forth about how much we love the characters, the setting, the country said characters come from, and again.. the characters! We purr like kittens as we discuss the leading male’s characteristics that are so far from realistic but we don’t care! We laugh in the face of fiction and want to know where we can sign up and how much we have to hock to get our own leading man! *sigh* I get it that this is fiction. I get it that no real man can possess that much sex appeal, charm, strength, romance and sensitivity. I get it, OK? My poor husband can only hope that I finish the book, put it on the shelf with all of the other books that make me give him sideways glances from a distance, and get back to appreciating his washer-fixing skills like any other normal 21st century wife should!

As I was saying, this appreciation of All Things Scottish went back and forth between my sister and I pretty much all week. Then she came up with the best idea ever! We decided that we would have a Scottish-themed dinner party where we would serve only authentic Scottish food and the rule would be that if you wanted to speak, it had to be with a Scottish accent or in Gaelic. We were so excited as we worked out the details! Our biggest problem was not that we would be making intentional fools of ourselves as we tried to speak according to our rules… no, our problem was that Scottish food isn’t extremely appealing. As we searched through recipes on the Internet, we learned that Scottish food is mostly fish, oats and whiskey! Now, my kids aren't picky eaters, but I didn’t see how I was going to make this one work and still be authentic AND have sober guests (kids)! I should also thank Missy for the many giggles and snorts as we researched and planned.. especially for the picture she sent me of the Haddock when I confessed my ignorance. Who knew that haddocks could be so cute!

Eventually we decided on a menu for our Scottish dinner party. The girls, Missy and I read through hundreds of recipes before finalizing our choices:
• Auld Alliance Beef in Claret – Beef cubes cooked for 3 hours in Claret with fresh herbs, mushrooms, onion and bacon
• Chicken in the Heather – Whole chicken basted with Heather Honey, curry, garlic and fresh herbs
• Colcannon or Rumbledethumps – Potatoes mashed with cream and butter, to which we added chopped , sautéed cabbage.
• Baby Asparagus Spears – blanched for 3 minutes, lightly buttered and seasoned.
• Cranachan – Freshly whipped cream with oats and whiskey, served parfait style with fresh raspberries and homemade shortbread


For the girls we also had authentic-ish drinks made from mixing pear nectar with ginger ale. The adults drank stout beer and there were pre-mixed Rum Hurricanes for me because I’ve never been able to acquire a taste for beer. We were unexpectedly thrilled with how tasty everything turned out! In fact, my husband declared, “That was the best chicken I’ve ever had in my life!”We giggled our way through the Cranachan dessert.. the kids, never having tasted anything resembling whiskey before, much preferred the shortbread and raspberries over the cream – but it was authentic and it was so fun that our sides hurt from laughing and our cheeks ached from smiling. But Missy, I mean it when I say that I liked the cream! I just had to get used to the whiskey flavor since it isn't a taste that I have very often. As the evening went on, we actually didn’t do much speaking in accents or Gaelic, but when we did give it a whirl we would giggle and laugh anew!

Originally we had wanted to watch a Scottish-themed movie as part of our immersion experience, so earlier in the week I picked one up at the rental store. In my defense, let me say that I remember Highlander being much better than it actually was! But again we laughed and giggled our way through the movie so it wasn’t a total loss. We ended the night by playing Pinochle. I hadn’t played since junior high so it was a learning experience for all of us except Missy. She and her partner, Carley, kicked our butts! Thankfully, Bill was able to sleep through our rowdy hilarity because he had to work very early the next morning!

Scottish night was a blast! We learned some Gaelic, learned about the cuisine of Scotland, and most importantly we spent quality time together that we will always treasure. We are already planning our next International themed dinner!

My Babies Are Officially Teenagers!

How can I properly pay tribute to the two little girls who defied the odds many times over? I began writing this entry on the morning of their birthday but try as I might, I could not find the words to adequately capture the spirit of the day - the day my little girls turned thirteen. All day my heart overflowed with emotion and I can only hope I am able convey to my girls how amazing and special they truly are. Abby and Linzie, you are both precious gifts to your family - on your birthday and every other day of the year. Never lose the strength, love and tenacity that you both possess, for I believe that those qualities are the very reasons why you are with us today.


Amid the chaos of our everyday lives, it is easy to forget that Abby and Linzie are walking miracles. As a young mother, I had desperately hoped for a second set of twins, but I did not count on the risks we would encounter… the heartache we would face, and the ultimate joy we would experience when the toughest challenges were conquered.

Twin to Twin Transfusion is not as hopeless for babies as it once was, but thirteen years ago the life saving surgery was still experimental and I could not predict what the future would hold for my precious, unborn daughters. I never gave up though.. and every time we encountered problems, I only had to think of the vivid dream I had (before I even knew I was expecting) about a little girl with dark curls who had told me her name was Linzie and that she had a sister who looked exactly like her. So we dug in our heels and prepared for the fight of our lives… the fight for their lives.

The pregnancy was anything but normal. At 18 weeks I traveled to Milwaukee for experimental LASER surgery to try and save Abby and Linzie's lives. It was risky, but I knew in my heart that it was our best hope and so I went. After the surgery, I had to be careful to limit my activity so the babies could continue to grow. It was a long summer filled with hopes and dreams. Not once did I regret the decisions I had made for their sake.


Born 7 weeks early into the too bright and too loud world, Abby was a tiny 2lbs 12 oz, and Linzie was 4lbs 14oz. Not even an hour after her birth, I was told that Linzie had a very dangerous heart condition and she had to be life-flighted to Primary Children’s Medical Center. I remember feeling devastated that we had come so far, beat so many odds, only to be blindsided by this news. I watched through my tears as they brought my tiny girl to my bedside so I could tell her goodbye. And then, just as quickly, they were gone. My heart hurt in a way I had never experienced before. I was angry that I was unable to accompany my baby in her time of need, and I struggled to accept the fact that we were once again locked in a desperate, life or death battle.. before we had even had time to breathe and celebrate their birth.

And so I cried.

The next day, I was allowed to see Abby in the NICU. After the sterilizing procedures, I was wheeled in to a room that smelled sharply of antiseptic and I searched through the maze of isolettes to find one that indicated my tiny girl was inside. I was not allowed to hold her, but I could reach through the portal and touch her tiny form… her entire hand was smaller than the end of my thumb. I wondered if she even knew who I was. I talked to Abby and told her how much I loved her… and I promised her that she was not alone. I told her that all of her sisters missed her very much and I hoped she and Linzie would both fight hard to get well so we could be together again.




I was released from the hospital on day three and insisted on going directly to PCMC to see Linzie. My little girl was beautiful, even amid the multitude of tubes, wires and monitors that engulfed her tiny body. I was so overwhelmed and so completely helpless. As a mother I am supposed to protect and care for my children.. but there was nothing I could do to help my baby. I could only love her and talk to her, and encourage her to fight.

When I eventually left Linzie’s bedside and headed home, I felt shattered. My family was scattered around the valley… Linzie was at PCMC, Abby at LDS NICU, and my other three little girls waited at home. I felt out of place and time and that feeling became my constant for the next month. I struggled with feeling angry toward innocent people who had the nerve to enjoy the beautiful fall days.. I struggled with feelings of guilt as I left Carley, Madie and Emily with babysitters every day so that I could visit the babies at the hospitals. And I struggled with a feeling of failure because I felt that I somehow should have done it better.


Our ICU experience lasted a month.. a month of highs and lows. I made friends in the NICU and cried when those friends experienced loss. I struggled with guilt as my girls got stronger while some babies around us lost their valiant fight. It was only a month and yet it changed my life. Since then I have seen my sister go through health trials with her children and I have friends who continue fighting the terrible battle for their children’s lives. Abby and Linzie taught me about the things that are truly important and it is a lesson I will never forget. As long as I have my girls, there is nothing I am lacking.


The years have flown by. My babies grew up and through it all we laughed, loved and experienced the purest joy of life. Linzie’s heart is strong and her compassion mighty. Abby started out so small and yet her spirit is giant. They are my true miracles and I cannot believe that it has been thirteen years! I am so grateful that I get to witness their lives and experience the joy each one brings to our family. I love you girls!



Abby, you are my little love bug. You are so full of compassion for your family and animals and you love to help your parents no matter what the task. I look at you now and marvel at the thought of you being born weighing a scant 2lbs 12oz. You have always been a fighter, and it is that strength that will help you navigate your way through life. You bring so much joy to everyone around you - and that gut laugh you have when you see an animal do something silly is one of the greatest pleasures on the planet! Abby, when you laugh you light up the room! I love seeing you excel at all you do and I know that there is nothing you cannot do, once you put your mind to it. Thank you for being my sweet Abby Julia - we love you so much! You make your parents proud every day!

Linzie, even before you were born you were doing your best to take care of your twin sister, Abby. You did the work for the two of you and a stronger, more compassionate heart I've never seen! Everyone that knows you is proud of all that you accomplish, and you seem to do it all with ease! Every conference I have ever had with one of your teachers has been a breeze because you work so hard at everything you set out to do. I also love it that you love books as much as I do, and I hope you never lose that thirst for knowledge. I love your smiles, your hugs and your kindness. You make it so easy for us to be your parents...we love you!



We had a great day of birthday celebration that started out with presents, waffles and Thirteen Going On 30.. followed by a strange movie (9) and a fun dinner at Garcias. I hope the two of you enjoyed your special day!

Chocolate Covered Tomatoes?

I've been avoiding this place for a few weeks.. but I think it is time to take a deep breath and take a small step forward. There's still a giant emptiness that we work around, and I still cry every day, but there are other normal things happening in our lives as well and I don't want those moments to slip away.

Fall is a fun time around our house. It is the time for harvest, canning tomatoes, and enjoying the cool air that brings with it nature's most stunning colors. If we took a poll, I think that most of us would agree that fall is the best season of them all. But we don't ask Bill, because we know that he hates autumn, saying it means that his favorite season has come to and end, and the bright fall colors just mean that the leaves will soon be dead.. and don't even get me started on what a baby he is when it comes to the cold! But we love him anyway. :)

Labor day weekend I headed out to our local farm to pick some tomatoes. As usual,we planted our own garden, but something went seriously awry and we didn't get the yield that we had hoped for. After hours of picking, we felt we had enough to keep me busy for the weekend and then some. It was so satisfying to see all of those tomatoes!



In addition to canning tomatoes, Labor Day weekend was filled with fudge orders. The girls and I create gourmet fudge recipes and the demand for our unique, homemade fudge is growing all the time. In fact, the girls often dream of opening a candy shop one day. It is a cute dream, but I wonder which one of them will want to volunteer to do those dishes every day? Even though we have more than 20 unique and amazing fudge flavors, the runaway favorite seems to be the banana cream pie. As long as the demand for it continues, we will keep filling orders and creating new flavors!


Our evenings are filled with homework, dishes, laundry... the typical household activities. But it still shocks me that my "babies" are in Junior High. The homework assignments get tougher and I grin as I hear my little ones learning the basics of Spanish. It is a quiet routine that I am happy to have.