Winter of Insanity

Well. This winter is...really something.

We thought we had it bad then!

It's been snowing on a daily basis (DAILY) for a month now. Noteworthy news happens when it's NOT predicted to snow--which happened this weekend! A snow-free 7-day forecast (the 10-day forecast included snow, because come on, this isn't OVER yet!) meant we celebrated and some of us (me) got out our planners and started optimistically looking toward March. Yes, it's still in the teens all the time, and all memory of temperate weather has been erased, but no snow! Hallelujah!

And then this morning: four inches predicted overnight. That total has since been reduced, but the wind taken out of everyone's sails was just palpable. Oh. Snow.

The logistics of five kids under seven in this climate are pretty overwhelming. There are a few factors.

1. With every single baby I had, after the first few months there was an upward trajectory toward "easier." The next month was easier than the last; the second year was easier than the first. With twins (and having asked around, this seems to be with twins regardless of birth order or number of children total), the line goes back DOWN on that "easier" graph. This is what my friends with twins looked like when I asked if their second winter with twins was basically as hard as their first:

Soooo...that's a yes, then?

From carrying them in their inexplicably slippery snowsuits up and down our front steps to getting them in and out of strollers while fat snowflakes fall on their heads and the stroller's wheels hardly churn through the slush while you force your way into the Y...it ain't pretty. And because I thought this winter would be easier, it's a harder pill to swallow.

2. Bridget is a toddler. A potty-training, temperamental almost-three-year-old with a penchant for mind games, to be specific. She's also so cute that I've become one of those moms who laughs when her kid does something mischievous. No! I swore to never be one of those moms! But sometimes I can't help it. Like when she was playing instead of napping and she ambled over to her closet and donned two dresses--a long-sleeved dress over her play clothes, and a short-sleeved wool jumper on top of that. When I came in to sternly reset her nap clock, she shot me a dazzling smile and said, "Mama, I put these dresses on all by myself! Yaaaaaay, Bridgie! I'm so proud of Bridgie! I hadda put this on, Mommy, because I'm so warm and cozy!" She will do one thing in the potty, 100% of the time as of a week or two ago, but the other thing--while she has complete control over its timing--still happens in Pull-Ups. I know we will get past this and I won't even remember stressing about this, but right now I just want winter to give me a break and have my kid magically and perfectly potty-trained in every aspect. So that I can level up to only changing two children's diapers. Wow, my bar is set low these days.

  

3. Past the logistics, twin emergent toddlers is tough. I'm so lucky to have these small fries, trust me that I feel this every minute of every day. But. These are two very different babies who happened to share special womb time for nine months. Hadley will probably want to nap twice a day until she is six. Bags appear under her eyes an hour after she wakes up--no joke. Anders is like my other boys and could power through with maybe a catnap in the car all day.

Okay, I can't even complain about them anymore because they are so intensely adorable. They've started making each other laugh, which is the most shockingly awesome thing I've ever seen. Anders gives Hadley hugs and kisses, which she mostly tolerates (although it's a little scary to have your significantly taller twin brother swiping at you with his still-developing motor skills on full display). He throws everything he can get his hands on, mostly while emitting a giant bellow that is what I imagine testosterone sounds like when it gets fired up for the big game. And Hadley is a people person. She looks expectantly at everyone she sees as if to ask "What will you do to make me laugh? I'm so ready to laugh, always. Give me a reason!"

Well, this was supposed to be a rant about winter and a commemorative blog post so I'd always remember having survived, but I guess it's devolved into sappy love stuff. Speaking of which, take a gander at my big boys:

  

 I especially miss them when they're sleeping. Here's to no more blizzards and temperatures in the twenties until spring! (I told you I set the bar low.)

Christmas...At Our Home Away From Home

We didn't do Christmas in New Jersey last year (the twins were only six weeks old!), so that made this year's trip all the more exciting.

This was the first time that Bridget (2.5) and her cousin Emma (3.5) just ran off and played together. So cute!

Happy Hadley loved being held by Brianna

Twins get the non-premier seating at the party

Bridget loves her Uncle Kai

Bri and I recreated some pictures from 2006

Daddy and Anders

Grandmom treated Hadley to some dessert

She might have liked it a little bit...

Bridget also enjoyed her (blue) dessert!

I had a girls' day out with Jenna, Brianna and Megan--it was a great beginning to what I hope is an annual tradition.

Bridget now has a very soft spot in her heart for Auntie Cindy

The girls were hiding in Emma's bed pretending to be "Elsa" and "Elsa"

Jenna and Hadley

Will and Uncle Tom 

New Year's Eve! Our nieces educated me on all the bands on TV. I'm an old fogey.

Selfie with Brendan at the center

Ringing in the New Year at midnight for once!

Three generations of lovely ladies

The clan congregates (even in chilly weather) to say goodbye every time we head home. 

Jenna and Grandpop (in the distance) wave goodbye

The expressions on those three faces are pretty telling. Will collapsed in tears when it was time to go; Finn and Bridget just put on surly expressions. I remember feeling that way when I had to leave my cousins in Ohio. It's a bittersweet thing--I'm sorry to see them sad, but I love that they love their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins so much.

Fab 5 Finny

Finn celebrated his birthday with a triple party last month: he and his two best friends from preschool were the guests of honor.

I should say his two best BOY friends, because he has a lot of girl besties too:

The fun continued with his in-school "January birthday" celebration; we brought in (grocery store) cupcakes with hockey puck cake topper rings.

Then it came time for his actual fifth birthday! 

We're trying to scale down the balloons size-wise so we presented Finn with five birthday balloons, including a Patriots football which was of course his favorite:

He finally got that long-desired snowboard:

And from my parents, some snowboarding lessons to go with it:

Finn wanted to go to my parents' house to see my mom (my dad was out of town), so he got some special Nan time and then headed home for his post-dinner birthday.

Wearing his new Pats sweatshirt from Aunt Jen and Uncle Kai:

Every time Finn wears this hat (in other words, every morning), I sing the theme song to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and finish with "Heroes in a half-shell! Finny power!" Because Finn has never seen the show and doesn't know it exists, he communicates through his eyes that he thinks I'm the strangest person on earth. But I find it funny every single time. 

What is Finny up to now that he's five? His friends call him the Puzzle King at school, following in his brother's footsteps. He's passionate about reading and writing and will work excitedly on creative writing projects that seem to come over him suddenly. He