It must be global warming, or something.

The weather finally warmed up a bit, here in our neck o' the woods.

Then cooled way down. Then rained. And rained some more. It must be global warming or something.

But, then it got pretty hot for an entire week. So, we've been spending as much time as possible at the lake house, going on as many bike rides as we can fit in, petting as many dogs--belonging to strangers--as we can find, and enjoying our new boat.

During my short little computer sabatical--ok, not so short computer sabatical. Fine! Over a month long computer sabatical, geez--we've been training our young brood to take life by the tube handles, relax and enjoy the ride. And, so far so good.

Rest assured, we're still around, despite our attendance on this edge of the blogosphere.

And believe me, in a couple shorts months when that water back there:

...will have turned to ice, we have 6 foot snow drifts out our front door and fantasy football is in full swing, we'll be ready and rearin' to share our Pear Plum Crisp recipe, the pictures of what my bed looks like on laundry day, and what 2 year old twins look like when they shove half of a banana in their mouths.

You can't wait, I know.

Camping and Coons.

Mr. Marvelous and I are big quality timers.

Like the other day, when we loaded up our bikes, the bike trailer, and Julia and Luke's bikes, then drove downtown to the river to ride together, it was like it was Christmas. Christmas without 6 feet of snow and subzero weather.


And, I heard those jingle bells a ringin' again this weekend when we loaded up the oldest two and headed to the camp ground.

Creek hiking won first prize for the escapade that was most fun.

Along the way we found flipping fish and rock hideouts that solidified just how creative God's juices are.

It's no secret, our two oldest are as adventurous as we hoped they'd be.

We did things like eat Doritos when we'd normally be having supper. We allowed the children to potty in the bushes, we stayed up way past our bedtimes, and we had a great time doing it.

Then, it started raining just before Mr. Marvelous and I were ready to hit the hard ground our sleeping bags were resting on. Because of that, we missed putting this bag in the truck:

...and a couple hours after I finally fell asleep, I woke to some pesky 'coons who thought we left it out for them. But, laying there, listening to the rustle of bags, then them climbing the tree next to our tent totally freaked me out nearly lulled me back to sleep.

Ah, the sound of pure nature.

And definitely a trip of pure fun.

Costa Rica: Waterfall Jumping

The following footage is proof that:

a) I don't give in to peer pressure.

b) I am a complete chicken when it comes to combining water with rocks and extreme heights on a Tican farmer's property.

c) I love the thrill of adventure, but realized that the height Mr. Marvelous and our Surf instructor--the one who guided us through a cow pasture to get to the falls, and the one who jumps after me--wanted me to jump from, was so scary to me that it made my muscles ache with fear.

d) repeated jumps from this middle pool of water--on this wonderfully warm afternoon--left much opportunity for the force of the water to pop my little nose ring gem right out.

Costa Rica: If you find yourself Whitewater Rafting (part 2)

You thought I was kidding when I said there would be many blogworthy Costa Rican posts up ahead?

Oh, dear.

I wasn't. Not even the slightest bit.

Nor was our rafting guide, Kevin, when he said, "Guys you have to listen to my commands. This river is a dangerous place if you don't." Sure, we understood. But, it seemed that each member of our rafting group felt as if they could man the wild rapids, with no problems at all.

That's what we thought in the beginning!

And, things started out that way. "Left side forward! Right side back!" We caught on quick to Kevin's commands. Then things started to get a bit intense.

And at times, our situation seemed a bit out of control.

I could sense fear within the crew members seated next to me. And the farther we moved down the Pacuare River, the more extreme our Whitewater Rafting adventure became.

This rafting adventure was the one and only thing that we came to Costa Rica having planned. Mr. Marvelous first rafted a river in Montana, then the Nile River--while studying abroad in Africa--and is now determined he's a rapid thrill seeker. So, he signed us up for this National Geographic favorite. I'm glad he did. But there was one moment during our ride that I wasn't. It was right after we entered this section of the river:

That's when we got caught in a swirling rapid, our raft thought about flipping but changed it's mind, Mr. Marvelous went under, and we couldn't find him. Thoughts like, "What the heck are we doing rafting a river with 4 children at home?" And, "Oh my gosh! Help!" And, "Forget all these commands to get us out of this mixer! Where's my husband?"

But after a few minutes, we manuevered ourselves out, moved down river, and found him:

Thank goodness.

It's a good thing everyone in this raft came up too.

Costa Rica: If you find yourself waking up there (part 1)

If you follow me on Twitter, or if you check out my tweets on my sidebar, then you know that Mr. Marvelous and I just arrived back from sultry Costa Rica. What a relaxing and rejuvinating time we had. And, what's even better is that we were ready and rearing to come home at the end. That's when you know your trip was successful.

Now tell me this. Who of you out there, have ever been on a vacation, only to arrive home and feel the need to vacation a few more days inside your home in preparation for the upcoming, busy, on the go schedule you prefer most for you and your 4under3?

Because I have.

[Phew] I'll be honest, I've found that since we've arrived home, the first thoughts that have entered my head each morning as I begin to wake, consist of lounging around the house with my little people, keeping my phone powered to off, and finishing off the scrumptious Peanut Butter cookies that a friend came over to make with the children while we were away. And, believe me, we're soaking it all in while we can. Once Monday comes, the children and I are movin' on out for a few weeks while our kitchen remodel kicks off. More on that later.

And speaking of waking each morning, if you happen to find yourself waking in Costa Rica:

1. It's probably around 5:30, since the sun rises around that time year round (and sets at 5:30 in the afternoon). But if you can't figure out the time change, or you're thrown off by what your husband's cell phone tells you, what your rental truck says, and what your bedroom alarm clock reads, then don't even worry about what time it is at all during your stay. In fact, when you arrive here:

for breakfast an entire hour early--because 5 days into your vacation you've still not figured out the true time, having moved clocks back then forward many times--just pull out your travel Scrabble from the back of your truck and proceed to beat your husband for the first time since your honeymoon, while you wait for 7 o'clock to roll around.

2. Do remember that the translation section in your Costa Rican hand guide might help when trying to communicate with Ticos who don't know a lick of English are usually left staring after everything you try to say in Spanish are soley Spanish speakers. Don't try to rely on the little amount of Espanol that you and your husband remember from high school Spanish class. That's when you'll be here:

trying to ask a young Tica how much a pineapple is, but mistakenly asking, "What time is it?" She'll probably look at her wristwatch and give you a dazed and confused look until you realize exactly what you just said.

3. And speaking of failing to understand, while you're out and about in Costa Rica and hearing fast flowing Spanish conversations, you might liken it to your twin 20 month olds' babbling language that carries on between the two. You just might miss them terribly at that point. Then, you'll think of Julia and Luke, too. And while playing in the warmest pool you've ever felt, your husband might make up a "L" and "J" hand sign for them, like this:

4. You'll want to go hunt down some Surf instructors who could teach you a thing or two about riding a wave.

You might chuckle at the fact that the surf dudes are really from Oregon and Houston (Hola Larry and Brett!) but prefer to reside in the tiny village of Esterillos Oeste, a community known for attracting diehard wave catchers from around the world. And you might want to brag about the skillz you picked up from your 2 hour lesson during high tide. I bet you'll consider yourself a surfer from then on.

5. You'll enjoy everything so much--down to the little crabs that were found scurrying across the beach each morning:that you'll want to blog about it over and over and over, leaving your blog community wanting to vomit tidbits of Costa Rica filled to overflowing with knowledge of this Central American country.

Stand by for part 2.

Buenos from Costa Rica

Buenos from the Xandari Spa Resort con internet!!

Yea!

Goodness! No internet sure has a tendency to make a person feel like they've completely lost contact with the world. Even though they're on the otherside of it. Kind of.

I must make this quick. I have lots to talk about, but Mr. Marvelous is waiting for me at the pool.
Thus far, the first half of our trip to Costa Rica (the "rich coast") has been on the Pacific coastline, in and around the city of Jaco (say: ha-CO). We, I mean Mr. Marvelous planned for the beginning of our vacation to be all for the adventure seeker type. We arrived with absolutely no plans in hopes to get to know the culture and enjoy what was recommended.

We were wonderfully pleased. I´ve taken mucho pictures and can´t wait to share all that we've experienced after we arrive home.

Today we traveled the 140, or so, winding mountain kilometers back to San Jose--in the rental truck we picked up after we landed here--located in the Central Valley. Now we're finishing our stay in Costa Rica at the relaxing Resort and Spa of Xandari. We´ll have spa treatments from 5-6pm tonight. MM has plans for a Aromatic Mud Full Body Masque, and I for a Sweet Coconut Wrap and Massage. I'll see if I can get picutures of that too.

Tomorrow we'll experience a rafting trip down the Paquari River. I shudder at the thought of it. Here's to calm nerves and having a voice left when we're done.

So many times, MM and I have talked about how much we wish we could have all our friends and family down here with us to enjoy what we've enjoyed. I highly recommend a trip to this beautiful country.

We'll be home in a few days. I'm excited to see you all soon.

Gracias,

Tiff

Welcoming Home Committee: Blood, Bumps, and Boo Boos

I get the impression that the portion of our 4under3* that were left behind last week--while Mr. Marvelous, our eldest, and I frolicked fancily along the warm abnormally warm coast--have put their heads together and agreed on displaying a rather normal busy day here at the homestead, instead of easing us back into reality.

*4 [children in] Under 3 [years].

I'll have you know that throughout the entire vacation, the only one opportunity for me to even consider placing a grimace upon my face was when Mr. Marvelous informed me that he had dropped my bottle of Aveda Phomollient and busted up the cap.

Minuscule. Right?

Otherwise, the mental break was superb. There was not one thought to Grrrr, or Rrrrr, or shout in my pillow, "Please tell me you all are kidding!" (Ok, I've never done that last one. But, don't think that having many little people around wouldn't push a person to it.)

And, even supposing that we've compressed a split lip for the little man of the house and iced a goose egg well positioned on the back of a little girl's head--all before lunch today--it's good to be home with my babies.

Even though yesterday's temp in Naples--before we boarded our plane--read 83 degrees, and even though it was the second warmest place to be yesterday, in all of America (Second to Orlando checking in at 1 degree warmer.), and even though it proved to be warmer then even the tropical islands of Cozumel and Montego Bay, Jamaica, it really wasn't necessary to stay one more day in it and do this:

Wouldn't you agree?

So long Floridians!

Hi everyone! It's me. Julia. There's been a lot of firsts for me these past few days. The first time flying solo on a big vacation with my parents (Which was fun, but--I'll have you know--I've asked about my little brother and sisters alot while I've been away, and told mom and dad that next time I want them to come along too.), the first time seeing the ocean, and soon the first time flying in a big airplane. I'm so excited! (Did you know that I liked airplanes so much when I was little, that Pink Airplanes was my 2nd birthday party theme? Yep.)



But now it's time to snap back into reality and kiss all of that vacation stuff goodbye.

Soon I'll rejoin the rest of my family in really, really, reeeally cold weather. That's when walking along the beach will simply be a distant memory tucked away in the filing cabinets of my 4 year old brain.

So long Floridians! You've been good to us. Now, we're outta here.

Twittered Pictures

Mr. Marvelous would like a moment on the mic. He's hoping that you all remember that even though the Vikings lost, they're still number one in our hearts.

Poor guy. To be so emotionally attached like that.

I--on the other hand--hope you all enjoyed my tweets at 'cha today. I'm serious when I say that I send them hoping you'll all take them like I'm telling each and everyone of you to your faces. (Only with a few less words, and a more mellow dramatic tone.)

And here. How about I slip a few pictures on your screen to bring even more life to my tweetering. Do any of these pictures look pairable to today's tweets?









Tweet ya later. Tomorrow is our last day to blow kisses to this fabulous sun and wiggle sand between our toes. We'll see what we find to pack in before we pack our bags.

A Slow Fade Day!

It's been a slow fade day!

Being treated to lunch on the member deck of The Mediterra Beach Club, then playing in the sun for the rest of the day.

Now that's called Coastal Therapy!

A slow da-aaay!

Blues and greens in many shades.

Now that's called Ocean Artwork!

A slow day!

Palm trees swaying, sea gull chasing, shell hunt racing.

Now, that's called Beach front playing.

A slow day...

...on the Bay!

Soaking it up

[squeal]

You don't know how exciting it is to be back online, with my tweeters, commenters, and bloggy buddies relaxing with Mr. Marvelous and Juj in Naples, FL. My FIL & his wife were so excited to see us drive in, and boy-oh-boy are they fabulous entertainers.

I'm going to make this quick so I can rejoin them out on the lanai. (I had no idea what that was until this afternoon when we arrived.)

Tonight we enjoyed dinner on the beach at the La Playa Beach Club. Here is Julia shelling along the ocean for the first time.

[gah]

Can't a blogger have a minute alone on the computer?

They're calling. I gotta go.

28 hour road trip

Ahh! The crashing waves.

If I squeeze my eyes closed real tight--and ignore the sound of my PC running at my feet--I can hear them. And it won't be long now, before I revisit the home of the Year Round Heat Wave for some relaxation and rejuvination. Although our life rearing our 4 children--all born to us in under 3 years--is pretty much a gigantic piece of chocolate cake, we're ready for a little change of scenery for a few days.

Naples, FL here we come!

Hubs and I decided that the weather is fair enough here in Icicleville to head out tonight--as opposed to tomorrow morning--and guide the smallest car I've ever laid legs in down 20 some hours of road. Wish us luck. Please pray for our safe travel. It's not like me to get nervous, but you know, we'll have one of our most precious pieces of cargo stowed--in a fancy popcan on wheels--with us, and three others waiting at home. Phew! It's funny how the birth of your children changes your dare factor in life.

With that being said, here are a few of our target points along our road trip. How many of you have been/know someone/live near any of these?

Madison, WI
Champaign, IL
Nashville, TN
Birmingham, AL
Montgomery, AL
Tallahassee, FL
Tampa, FL
or Naples, FL

I'm bringing the camera and I hope to take some random, meaningless photos to show you all, all the while tweeting about our excursions there and back. And, I'm sure the drive will go fast, being that I'll be bringing along that scarf I started knitting and really need to get moving on have our 4 year old's new Leapster to play with.

Ta ta for now.

Oh, and one more thing. Toddler slippers! They were toddler slippers sewn and packaged for some friends' little girls.

Not Me! Monday

UPDATED: Because of a recent incident that didn't happen to us this morning, I've added a Not Me! scenario at the end of this post.

ORIGINAL POST:
I could think of 43 things that didn't happen to me in the last day and a half.

I'm sure of it.

But, to save you time to hop over to My Charming Kids and read all the other things that would never happen to a chick like me, I'll give you just 2.

On Saturday, Mr. Marvelous and I were short our oldest child and thought we'd load our 2 year old and 1 year olds in the car and run to the mall to Christmas shop. As we excitedly began searching for a spot to park, one of the twins did not let out a loud burp followed by her entire breakfast. Not even twice! Nope. Then--after a quick 3 minute trip home--as I was leaning across little Hazel to unbuckle and remove her entire carseat--with her still strapped into it--she did not repeat the process of burp-and-release-breakfast right across my arm. No way! That would be gross.

And last night, after all Mr. Marvelous' Tuesday Morning Bible Study friends and their families left our house, I did not walk into Julia's room to find these two:

jumping on her bed. Not me! We run a tight ship here! Our children know the Furniture rules and follow them wonderfully. Furthermore, they had not stripped down to bare nakedness leaving their panties and diaper on the floor near the door while flailing about in their birthday suits. Never. [huff] I wouldn't even know what that looks like.

Ya catch my drift? Not me!

And, hot off the press! After we arrived home from our morning business today, I unloaded Hazel first knowing she had blown through her diaper and up her back, therefore needing a change before I removed the 3 remaining children. After returning to the car for her siblings, Luke did not yell, "Mommy, No-wah no peel good!" as she was apparently trying to outdo her twin sister's vomit session right then and there. Nope. Which means we most certainly didn't just infest many, many children--between our party last night, and the grocer's Stay-n-Play this morning (I'm so sorry!!) with this nasty bug that isn't floating around our house. I do not blame it on the McDonald's Playland Germ City that we visited last Thursday. I did not have to go through the entire car seat clean up ditty as I did just a few days before. I will not have to call my friend--who was planning on watching the twins while Mr. Marvelous, Luke, and I go to Julia's rescheduled and very first EVER Christmas Concert at preschool--to tell her that we won't be needing her since one of us will be staying home with our little Norah. And as a result, I did not set up the pack-n-play in our bedroom for Hazel, so that for the VERY FIRST TIME they would sleep apart from eachother allowing for uninterrupted naps for the both of them.

[Sigh.]

Nope.

What did we do? And Not Me! Monday

It was a fun, jampacked weekend. If I do say so myself.

But don't take my word for it. Just ask these two who joined in the adventures with me:


That's the duo that I caught myself blowing mucho kisses at--through the rearview--while barreling up the highway to the big city for an overnight sleepover at my brother and SIL's. But before we arrived at their slippery, six degree doorstep--2 hours from ours--we made some other stops. So in true Not Me! fashion, I'll fill you in on a little of what we didn't dip our toes in. (Toes covered with thick socks and snow boots, that is.)

Hang on to your Viking hat, these horns are ready and rearin'.

While enjoying our morning playdate with friends Nicole and MckMama (Where "Karen" works, but wasn't that day.), I did not look at their two sweet little girls and wish my little Norah and Hazel were along too. Not once! For goodness sakes, I had two children along with already. That was plenty. And Norah and Hazel were home with their daddy wrestling and reading books, so everyone was getting good quality time in. And I knew this, so it didn't feel weird--at all--that I was having fun with only half of my squad.

Our next stop was my good friend Michelle's house. It was her daughter's 4th birthday party. And believe me, when we walked in and I saw her fabulously decorated cupcake birthday decor--trees of felted cupcake ornaments, carefully constructed cupcake shirts as party favors, and pink and brown ribbons and bows galore--I did not foam at my craft loving mouth. I just enjoyed it all like everyone else, not once drawing up blueprints in my mind of exactly how I would attempt to recreate it all when I returned home. Come on! Nope.

And, after my SIL and I enjoyed our night out at the Christmas concert, we stopped at a Caribou for coffee by the fake fireplace. While standing in front of the cashier, trying to decide what to order, I did not apologize for my indecision justifying it with, "I'm sorry, it's just that I'm a Starbucks girl at heart but I'm trying to broaden my horizons."

Now, if you want to play along in Not Me! Monday, go on over and join in. It's rejuvinating! Oh, and while you're over there, check out the REBEL FOR A CAUSE RAFFLE-WAY. The Mckfamily is raising support for three wonderful ministries. Try for a chance at winning a Canon SLR plus TONS of other great prizes. But hurry. It ends soon!

...if I told you.

Would you believe me if I told you that I have two cloves of this:

resting in each of my ear canals as we speak?

-----

Futhermore, would you believe me if I told you that while driving between the two meal drop-offs--that I twittered of this morning--I had to slam on my breaks, jet into a nearby college parking lot, and finger swipe an ice cube from my 2 1/2 year old's throat? After which, he threw up all over me, himself, and his beloved Twins hat. The latter seemed to be the biggest letdown for him.

-----

And would you believe me yet one more time if I told you that by watching the little girls hug, kiss, snuggle, tackle, play with, and laugh at eachother, it makes me wish I was a twin too?

how to pierce your nose. and possibly your cheek.

I woke this morning and totally forgot that I was no longer a virgin to the nostril pierce. Then I rolled over, arrived at clear conciousness, and remembered the big endeavor that took place last night. That's when I ran the entire experience over again in my head.

First, Mr. Marvelous and I walked into the tatoo and body piercing shop and met my piercing artist--shoot, I don't even know his name. But by the looks of it, I'm sure his name is an unnecessary piece of info. If ever there was a need to reach him in the future, I could just ask for the guy who appears to be made of metal and ink. Therefore, I'll refer to him as just that. MetalInk Man.


Here, MetalInk Man has already suggested a spot for my new piece of metal, marked it with some ink, and is explaining the procedure involving the hollow needle. He--and the man next to us who was tatooing some young lad's arm--promised me that unless we adopted all 4 of our children, I've already experienced more intense pain than what I was about to.

I still wasn't convinced. Regardless of our stouty, big headed son's delivery.




Here, ouch. I haven't quite felt the pain yet. But I was sure nervous and halted the procedure twice with an, "Ok, hold on one second...(breathe)..alright." And then a, "Wait! Ahhh. Ok. Go."

Apparently it was amusing.

But, I was beginning to feel the same way I did as an 8 year old at the top of the highdive board for the first time, with a bazillion other children waiting behind me in line.

Here he placed the metal tube that's holding the needle inside my nostril . Milliseconds after was when he did it. Ouch!! It did hurt like the dickens for about 43 milliseconds. Maybe not even that long. Then, really, I couldn't even feel it.

Here is the needle awaiting it's curly nose ring. It still hurts here. Do you see it, just hanging there? If any of our children even think about doing this, I'll...

And despite the relaxed, cool and collected composure that appears on my face here, it wasn't really the situation. I was merely finding my happy place until it was all over.

And then the tiny, little, clear and flat gem made it's home. Ow.

And because I was so excited, surprised, distracted with the whole ordeal, I walked away with one piece of info about taking care of it. Disinfect it 3-5 times a day. So, all you nose piercees, what is it that I should remember? You know, so my nose doesn't fall off in a couple of months.

And that, my friends, is how you get a nostril piercing, AND how you create a great conversation starter with your 4 year old daughter. Leaving her excited to get her "cheek pierced someday."