And a 6.7 from the Russian judge

There are good days.  And then there are days.  I don't want to say the days are bad.  I'm trying to be positive.  We have had some good times today: waking up to smiling faces, sitting on the sofa reading Dr. Suess, Sig going potty on his potty.  But those moments seemed to be buried under what seems like non-stop crying.  Standing in the family room holding a screaming infant while my toddler sobbed against my leg I was pretty near the point of selling both my children to the gypsies.  Then, for whatever reason, the thought popped in my head that the kids were competing against each other in some sort of Olympics of tears and I was a judge.  Sig got points for being most pathetic and style (he does have two years worth of practice).  Thor got points for volume and pitch.  It was declared a tie.

Thor has been crying more, as of late.  I don't know if it just part of him getting over his ear infection, if the medicine he's taking is upsetting his stomach, or if it just a phase he's going through.  I sure wish I could figure out what was causing his tears so I could figure out if they could be avoided.  Both kids are still suffering from colds, though Sig's snot does seem to be abating.  Thor sounds congested at times, though it is usually after one of his scream-fests.  Everyone is still sleeping well, eating well, and except for the crying, seem to be their normal, chipper selves.

iPhone snapshots

We've made it to Thursday!  Tomorrow is Mike's day off, so we have Daddy home for three full days!  Yay!  The sun shone for the past two days, though we're back to rain and clouds today.  Thor has his first ear infection, so he's been a little extra cranky with that for the past couple days, but he also had his first fit of giggles last night.  He's always been very vocal and has squealed with delight since he started smiling.  But last night was the first time I could really say that he laughed.  Big, hearty, baby belly laughs!  Sig enjoyed the nicer weather and played outside in his sandbox whenever we'd let him.  He also loved blowing bubbles and playing doggie games with Charlie.  He and Charlie have several games they play, but most include Charlie knocking Sig down and Sig laughing hysterically.

It seems that the camera I use to take most of the photos of my kids is my iPhone.  What can I say, it is usually handy and I don't really worry about Sig destroying it unlike the fancy Nikon Mike got me for my birthday.  I plug my phone into the computer about twice a month and today happened to be one of those times.  I got tickled looking at the pictures that were downloaded off my phone, so I've decided to share them with you. 

 Tummy time

 Charlie in the sun

 Easter (Grandma had a special outfit for Thor)

 Sig on an egg hunt

 Self portrait by Sig

 Enjoying our lovely spring weather

 Playing with his sand table

Monday, Monday

Mondays are the worst! I think we get used to having Daddy around all weekend and we all have to adjust when it's just me. Everyone is fussy, I didn't sleep well, we're all getting over our colds, and it's raining! Whine! Whine! Whine!

It took Sig forever to go down for his nap. Thor won't let me put him down so he's sleeping against my chest. I'm typing this with one finger on my iPad. I'm at that lovely postpartum stage where all your hair falls out. My clothes don't want to fit right and I hate this nursing bra. In fact, I hate all my nursing bras! And it's still raining! Whine! Whine! Whine!

I did get the laundry done. Maybe if I wish really hard the clothes will fold themselves. The dishwasher has been emptied. The blue circles someone drew on the walls add a nice splash of color. We are having sourdough pancakes for dinner. There's one less terrorist in the world. So, I guess I should stop with the whining.

But it is still raining.

If I were king, dilly-dilly

All right, my obsession with the royal wedding has to stop.  I don't even know where it came from.  I was wishy-washy on Thursday as to whether or not I'd watch it at all.  I mean, I have babies.  I have responsibilities.  I value the few hours of sleep I get at night and do I really want to waste them watching complete strangers getting married?  Plus, I was getting sick, not really the best time to be up all night.  But come Thursday at 11 p.m., I'm making myself a nice little bed on the sofa, Thor's pack'n'play pulled close to the couch, and my iPhone alarm set to go off at 1 a.m.  I figured, what the hey, I'll be one of those insane people who watch it, but I'll keep my cool.  I'll watch it with irony.  Yeah, irony and sarcasm.  I even set my iPhone alarm to play church bells.

One a.m. arrives.  I groggily turn the t.v. on.  My throat hurts.  I sit there for an hour watching the Today show and their boring coverage of the guests arriving at the wedding.  Shoot.  I should have slept until 2.  What the heck am I doing up at all?  I'm sick.  Why am I watching this stupid wedding?  Thor sounds a little congested but is snoozing peacefully in his crib.  Should I just go back to sleep?  Oh wait, there's David Beckham.  Really, what am I doing up watching this wedding?  It's not ironic that I'm up watching this circus, it's just stupid.

Two a.m.  Here come the princes.  Ok, now it is suddenly getting a little more interesting.  I feel my irony slipping.  And some of the hats are just down right gorgeous.  The important people are arriving.  They keep showing David Beckham, too.  And really, I think that would be my policy too.  When things get boring, broadcast Beckham.  Royals are arriving.  Here's the Queen looking very proper and sweet in her yellow outfit.  Very English granny.  Trying to be sarcastic about the Queen.  Can't come up with anything.  Then the lady of the hour: Kate.  Irony and sarcasm slip into oblivion.  Look at the pretty bride!  She's a princess now!  Squeal!!!     

Three a.m.  Watched half the ceremony.  Made it through the vows and a couple songs.  Discovered what my wedding was missing: little boys in livery.  How cute!  Decided that I'd watched the important stuff and I could catch whatever I missed on the internet.  Grab my baby and head to bed. 

Later on Friday I did watch the processional and balcony scene.  Sig came in while I was watching Wills and Kate on the balcony.  He waved back at them, which I thought was cute.  I'm sure my husband was rolling his eyes.  I've also caught myself reading articles on the internet about the hats, honeymoon, and other particulars.  I really do need to stop.  But maybe just one People magazine, with lots of pictures.  Just one, I swear!

Party, Party, Party!

This past Saturday we had Sig's second birthday party.  He didn't actually turn two until the 27th, but since his birthday was falling so stinking close to Easter, I had the brilliant idea of hosting an Easter egg hunt for his party.  And to add another layer to the party extravaganza, I also prepared a brunch for everyone to partake in.  So, at 10 a.m. Saturday morning, I had seven children aged 4 and under and their parents descend upon my house to feast their way through Easter goodies. 

We had Egg, Sausage, Red Pepper, and Fontina strata, Italian Easter Bread (with homemade candied orange peel because, yes, I am that crazy), fresh fruit, homemade pop tarts (basically pie crust filled with strawberry jam), homemade granola, yogurt, juice and coffee.   My parents got Sig a sand table for his birthday which was the hit of the party.  The weather was so nice that we ate carrot cake cupcakes outside after the egg hunt.  Each kiddo got to go home with a felt bunny Easter basket filled with a coloring book, crayons, and bubbles (thank you Target $1 bins).  All in all, it was a fun morning even though I was exhausted until Monday.

Sunday was Easter and my birthday.  The first and only time this will probably happen in my lifetime.  My dad looked up when Easter would again fall on the 24th, and he said it wouldn't happen again until 2095 when I would be 116 years old.  Longevity does run in my family, but I doubt I'll see 116.  We skedadled down to my parents' house after church for dinner with my family and in-laws.  I was still on overload from the day before and wasn't feeling all that social.  Thank goodness for having to nurse babies!  Best excuse to leave any social gathering and hide out in a bedroom.  I did have a zen experience while preparing the frosting for my birthday cake (look at the pretty swirling egg whites get all glossy and stiff, listen to the whir of the beaters, happy sugar, happy Kristin) and was in a much better mood when opening my presents.  I got two cookbooks, "The Country Cooking of France" and "Charcuterie" which is less of a cookbook and more of a manual on how to prepare meats for storage (confit, sausage, hams, etc.)  I can't wait to get cooking!

First Post

I know, I know.  The title is so inventive.  But, that what it is.  It's my first post.  I'm not exactly sure what I'll be using this blog for.  I've never blogged before.  I had a professor in college who made us turn in a one-page free write at the beginning of every class for he believed that to become a better writer you had to write.  It could be about anything and was not graded but I think we got participation points for them.  I'm not even sure if he read them or not.  I think it was a way for him to make sure you were coming to class, but with less than ten students in the class, it was always apparent who was there and who wasn't.  I always enjoyed those writings.  I remember being specifically pleased with one that I wrote about being smug about my mittens.  So, Professor Bartenen, this blog's for you.

Now on to the nuts and bolts.  I do plan on writing a lot about my kids.  I have two little boys: one almost two and one two months.  I feel like I should try to attempt to give them some level of privacy since they are at the age where they cannot defend themselves from what I might write about them, and even though I am sure this blog will only be read by friends and family, I'll be using their Viking names.  After all, I'm calling myself the Viking momma, I better be raising little Vikings.  Therefore, the two-year-old will be called Sig and the baby will be called Thor.  I also plan on writing about my other interests.  So, you may get anything from what I fixed for dinner last night (I got my hair cut last night so I had black beans in tortillas with lettuce and salsa when I got home), movie and book reviews (current movies I've enjoyed "The Young Victoria" and "The Road Home" - a love story set in  rural 1950's China), and the current state of my home and yard improvements (someday soon I plan on getting the bathroom repainted, just need to go get the paint!).

I'm not sure how often I'll be able to blog.  At the moment, Thor is sleeping in his bassinet and Sig is napping in his room.  I'm using "napping" in the loosest sense of the word.  He's in his room, the lights are off, but I can hear him playing with his toys.  Eventually he may fall asleep among the legos.  I am getting a rare moment of peace that is lasting more than five minutes and I'm not fall-off-my-chair exhausted and can string coherent thoughts together.  At least I hope they're coherent.  Anyway, my goal is to post at least once a week.  I always get inspired when I have no time to write, and then when I get a moment, the inspiration is gone.  I'm hoping that since I've actually started writing that I'll be able to find the time to continue and it won't be so daunting the next time I sit down to write again.

Well, that's what I plan on doing with this blog.  It's been nice to sit down and group my thoughts together.