Surprise Breakfast!

Another special Saturday in the Brandi Books! The kids surprised us with a late wake-up (7:15 AM -- woohoo!) on Saturday along with a beautifully decorated living room and a delicious breakfast of peanut butter toast and a huge plate of Girl Scout cookies (well played, children, well played). Mark's was accompanied by a glass of grapefruit juice and mine with a glass of water--this probably touched my heart the most, because it showed they know the small details about us. Dad drinks juice in them mornings; mom doesn't. We are thankful they didn't attempt coffee, however.

I was very proud of Mark for not freaking out over the scotch tape the kids used to hang up the banner over the fireplace. He started for it, but managed to pull himself back. (And it all turned out fine! I replaced the scotch tape with painters tape once breakfast was over and the thrill of the moment had tempered).



It was such a sweet moment, I got a little teary. It's hard watching them grow up so fast, but it's also so fun and makes me so proud to see what great little humans they are turning out to be! Best breakfast I've ever had!

Decorations by Lainey!

 

TV trays out and breakfast is served!

Clearly we couldn't eat all of these on our own!

Mark may have gotten juice, but I got a clementine!

 

Quiet Moments

I don't know about you, but the start of 2018 has been a killer for us. We've been overscheduled, overstimulated, overtired, and just over it in general. I'll be the first to admit that a large portion of the mania has been self-inflicted and certainly hasn't been without fun moments, but the go-go-go has taken its toll nonetheless.

So, on Saturday, when I found us snuggled together, post-early-morning-sledding adventure, I captured it. We stayed in our PJs, skipped Nick's soccer class, and forgot about the chores. For two blissful hours, we watched the Olympics, drank coffee and hot chocolate, and let ourselves just be. Wow! Did we ever need those two hours!

I almost didn't take the photo. I'm trying to focus on being in the moments versus taking record of them. But, I really wanted to remember this morning. I need reminders to slow down. I need reminders that quiet moments on the couch are important. I need reminders that, in the mad rush to ensure we're feeding their minds and bodies, we also need to make sure we're feeding their souls. And when my gratitude cup gets low and I feel frustrated and overburdened, I need reminders that we are beyond privileged to be able to enjoy these simple, tender moments.

Nick Says... Installment 2

My Funny Guy

Things are busy as always, and I haven’t been particularly in the mood to write, so I thought perhaps it’s time for another installment of “Nick Says.” I’m getting slightly better at writing down the magic that comes out of this kid’s mouth. Below are some gems from the recent weeks.  Again, I will never be able to do them justice on paper, but it won’t stop me from trying!

Interesting interpretation of the question…

Mark: Are you tough?

Nick: Well, I’m hard to bite into. 

 

Strange comment, but I’m sure he’s right…

(Holding a cold compress to his eye)

“It’s not helping. And even if I put a pterodactyl on it, it won’t help.”

 

Oh, Buddy...

“Oh man. Who left their meat down here [in the basement]?”

It was just a box of Ziploc bags with meat on the cover.

 

Usually the answer is “yes,” but this time it was just shoes...

Nick:  Where did Daddy go?

Me:  He went to look at something really quick.
Nick:  Because he’s an engineer?

 

Evidently, naughty elves look out for their own…

“I know why Santa still brought me presents. Because he sent a naughty elf to watch me.”

 

Always a helpful planner…

“Mommy, let’s stop worrying about the party at my house. Because I’m probably going to change my mind about having the party at my house.”

 

Moral questions over bacon…

"That pig was delicious! Daddy, was the pig bad and deserved to die?"

 

At least he understands where his food comes from…

Nick: Where is the mommy chicken?

Me: The chicks don’t need her; they have this incubator.

Nick: Did someone eat her for dinner?

So, I Marched

Kat and I raising our voices!

"Feminism is for everybody" ―bell hooks

 I participated in the Chicago Women’s March on Saturday.  We were 300,000 strong!

I know that walking a mile in downtown Chicago isn’t a magic wand. We didn’t wake up on Sunday to a new world of racial and gender equality. We didn’t smash the glass ceiling or even silence that damn Twitter account.

But…

Marches strengthen communities. Marches start conversations. Marches ignite calls to action. And just because we’ve come a long way, doesn’t mean we don’t have even longer to go.

So, I marched.

Welcome 2018!

After a whirlwind three weeks of traveling and celebrating, I finally feel like I have my feet back under me. The decorations are packed away. The indulgent treats are gone (almost). And just the general excess of it all has faded back into normalcy. Which, for a Type A like me, feels really, really good.

But, before the holidays slip away into warm memories past, I would be remiss not to post about Anderson Christmas/New Year’s in Chicago. We survived the deep freeze, but it did keeps us rather confined, so the kids were really going wild by the end of the visit. I think I probably should have given everyone Advil for Christmas this year. Soooooo loud (although Grandpa and the Uncles own some of the culpability for that—evidently noisy toys were all that were in stock)!

New Year’s was a quiet evening at the house. We let the kids do a Netflix countdown around 8:30 p.m. Dad and Sharon headed back to the hotel early and (maybe?) did the final countdown there. The rest of us barely made it to the Chicago midnight, although Chris and Sean get a little pass since they’re on eastern time.

Thanks for all the patience and entertaining provided by Grandpa, Sharon, and the Uncles. We all love you, but the kids especially adore having you around. When it was time for Sean and Chris to leave for the airport, Nick ran to the basement crying and refused to say “goodbye,” because he thought that meant they would have to stay. We got him to come around with the promise that it wasn’t a “goodbye”—just a “see you a little later.”

I hope all had wonderful celebrations and are settling into 2018! May it bring us joy, health, and love!

 

 

Christmas 2018

We were all very, merry in Moline for Christmas! Santa proved to be as bad at following through on threats as we are and gave the kids a bounty of toys, when we all know they should have received sticks and coal. In truth, Nick probably would have loved that just as much! Definitely more than the Wowwee Fingerling that he greeted with a disappointed, “Awwww! Why did Santa bring me this?!” No worries, Nick; Santa kept the receipt. He also had zero interest in his Hatchimal (that he asked for) and passed it off to his cousins to hatch. The winners of Christmas in Nick’s world were a six-foot stuffed snake and the Batman vs. Superman Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots (courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Brandi). No batteries, sound effects, or animation required to please this kid! He likes things simple.

Lainey, on the other hand, very much liked her little finger monkey and all the other fancy, schmancy electronic toys. The stuffed snow leopard from Brookfield Zoo that she’s been begging for got little attention (but, that purchase is how Nick ended up with his beloved snake, so no regrets). Even though the high-tech toys grabbed most of her attention Christmas day, she loved the simple things, too, like her Mad Libs. I laughed so hard watching her crack up over those! They weren’t even particularly funny combinations, but her laughter was contagious.

As always, we ate very well and had lots of good family time together. I love seeing all the cousins together and watching how they evolve as playmates. I also love that they keep each other busy, so we have more kid-free time to catch up with the adults!

Now we’re back home and gearing up for the Anderson crew to crash Chicago on Friday and ring in the new year with us! Let the festivities continue!

Evolution of a Christmas family photo...

Nailed it!

Honeybunches and Family Planning

The caption to the photo from our holiday lights adventure alluded that it wasn’t the brightest of evenings. The kids were overtired from a busy day and their behavior was fueled by all the kids around them who were overtired from busy days, so there was a lot of whining and stomping and yelling.

But, there was one moment that I keep playing over in my head and know I’ll regret it if I don't capture it in this family diary I’ve created.

 After a pretty big blow-up between Mark and Elaine (the root cause I can’t remember—proof that it’s the happy moments that stick!), I sat crouched in front of two grumpy kids, blowing on hot chocolate to cool it, and quite frankly, wishing we’d just stayed home. Then I heard Nick’s small voice say:

 “Mama, I want a baby sister. I will chub her cheeks and call her honeybunches.”

He said it with such sincerity and his big brown eyes were filled with such longing that it’s a good thing you can’t just pick-up a baby sister at the gift shop. I would have bought him 10!

My heart and my temper melted immediately. I smiled at my sweet boy and explained that I was sorry, but I am not going to make any more babies in here and pointed to my belly. At which point Lainey chimed in with surprise and wonder: “You can control that?!”

Yes, Elaine. Yes, you can, and we will be having LENGTHY discussions about it when you’re older.