42 degrees of hope

Getting over the mud is going to be a challenge for me in having two boys.


HE insists on the helmet, not me.


A few feet shy of going anywhere...


The only way he's moving.


Had to wrestle her inside for lunch.


There's something different about the outdoor smile. I can't wait to see it more often.

If Momma Ain't Happy...

When Brian and I got married, the wedding lasted well into the evening, and then we had an early flight the following morning. I don't remember how early, but I remember thinking, "Ugh."

So we woke up early the morning after our wedding, caught a shuttle from the hotel to the airport, wrestled through the boarding process, and settled in for our flight to Reno, NV. Finally, we'd have a couple of hours to relax and talk about all the details that have gone on over the past 24 hours as we threw the biggest party of our lives for everyone we knew and committed to be husband and wife for the rest of our lives.

But we didn't anticipate the guy who would be sitting next to us on the plane. From the moment he sat down, we knew we were in for a trip. This guy was a Piece. Of. Work. He didn't stop engaging us in conversation from the moment he sat down, telling us every detail of his life, his business, his wife, his kids, his house, etc, etc, etc.

Even though it was a little annoying, we were giggling the entire time, because you couldn't help but laugh at the guy. I mean, who is this guy?

So about an hour into the flight, he somehow discovers that we just got married yesterday and we're on our way to our honeymoon. He's floored that we didn't tell him until now. (Perhaps if he had taken a breath). So then he starts in on the marriage advice. Again, we are cracking up.

Then it happened: he turned to Brian and gave him a piece of advice that would be repeated on a regular basis in our household, half jokingly, but with a grain of truth. He said, "Let me tell you something, son:

'If Momma Ain't Happy...Ain't Nobody Happy.'"

So for all this time, I've thought that Mr. Airplane Talker had created this hilarious piece of wisdom, even words to live by, really. But then I googled it and realized that it's a song. Actually, there seem to be several songs with this title that are very different.

But original or not, that guy will be with our family forever, as we bring it up quite often. Because it's true. So true.

Weekend hiccups

(side note: I was about to use the word "snafu" in the title and went to dictionary.com to make sure I was spelling/using it correctly. Then I read the "origin," and it was enough to make me change my mind about using the word. I had no idea. The last two letters of the word might give you a clue.)

Plan for the weekend:

1) Visit from Brian's folks, sure to include playtime for kiddos and lots of college basketball.

2) Cook a month's worth of meals to freeze.

Simple enough.

Not in the plan:

1) Saturday morning fever from David, very fussy toddler, and puking for the first time in his life (thankfully only once, and in the kitchen, for relatively easy clean-up).

2) Hearing a crash, and then noticing insulation in the backyard, only to discover that your entire gutter is hanging by a thread and exposing your attic to the elements. On Saturday at 4:00. More snow predicted for Sat. night.

Secrets to success despite hiccups:

1) In-laws who are happy to play with a toddler even though he's puking, and will even take a break to chop some vegetables. (I have 24ish meals in the freezer, and spreading it out over the weekend went much more smoothly for me.)

2) An incredibly generous and skilled neighbor who was able to bring a second ladder and offer wisdom and assistance on how to re-hang the gutter until roofers can get here this week. Even a neighbor who has an overflowing plate of his own right now. (The gutter is back to normal and a roofer is scheduled to come on Wednesday to talk about the options. Obviously it has to stop snowing before they can do much.)