flashback adventures:: an ode to the studio

{matt} and i met in college at oral roberts university.

he was a music technology major. 

i was a comm major. 

the only reason our paths ever even crossed was because of mutual friends who inevitably ended up pairing us together on every outing we went on. guess it worked!

{matt} had an on campus job in the music lab. i know sounds so...boring. when in fact, that's where we hung out quite a bit. not only was he the 'go-to' tech guy when someone had questions, he also started recording an cd project with a close friend. so it became his second home. and my study place. i'd go in and sit in the back of the room with my spanish or whatever else i had. we would casually interact. i'd get my work done with minimal distractions. and i learned what all those crazy knobs & buttons on a sound board are for.

i would bring him candy or a little snack. and i'd stay til curfew. yes, my college had a curfew. he'd always stay late because he had a work excuse. so i'd kiss him goodnight and rush back to my room.

see other people came to hang out too.
p.s. don't mind me in my work out clothes :)

then we got married and moved away. but the recording followed us half way across the country. he's good at what he does so people want to use his talents. i hung out with him in the studio a little, but not quite as much as before. i no longer had my homework to occupy me. and it was boring. i wasn't singing or playing the drums or guitar. my interest wasn't in the music itself, it was in time with him. and he was in the work zone. the do not bother me zone. plus he was often gone late nights since he was doing it after work hours.

then when we moved into our house and built the sweet studio in the garage, i thought maybe i'd visit more often. i could visit after the kids were in bed. bring the baby monitor with me and not feel like a neglectful mother.

well, let's just say i loved the fact that he was closer was a plus. but actually didn't bring me in too much more. well, maybe i popped my head in more often, but not the long leisurely hangouts like we had in college. things had changed.

i was now preoccupied with babies, sleeping babies, dishes, laundry and dirty floors.
i was there in heart but i had already won him over. and the studio became his space. his version of the man cave. and that was a-ok with me.

since we moved outta the house, the studio has been relocated to church. and i bring the boys with me to visit so they can bang on the drums and play guitars. instead of my girl-friends. bring him dinner instead of candy. but i still leave early to put the boys to bed and wait for him at home instead of my tiny dorm room.


check out the newest song he's been working on for our friend/ pastor adam cates!

******

inspired by mama kat's writer's workshop. 

who's my sneaky hiding adventurer?!

well, i'm not exactly sure who the best little hider in my tribe of arrows is, but i do know, i have at least one!

{gabe} will sit completely still and not say a word...granted he may be sitting out in the wide open, but still, not a peep.
{ben} giggles incessantly or tries not to and squeaks. he can't handle the anticipation of it all and usually pops out.
{sam} and {matty} haven't really learned the whole hide-n-seek thing yet. they do more of the peek-a-boo...well {matty} does. and he loves it like most 1 year olds do!

it makes me wonder which twin was hiding from the doctor's during doppler tests and the early ultrasound. because now that we know there were twins because until 20 weeks we didn't i can look at that 7 week ultrasound and see 2 babies. i can see it people. i would find a picture to put up here but i'm sure they are all packed away in boxes in a storage unit where the other 95% of my belongings are.

there are two. separate. little. beans!

well, maybe the ultrasound tech and OBGYN that saw me that day weren't as good at seeking as i am. i can't put my expectations of great observation on everyone, that wouldn't be fair. ha! either way, that day just after christmas 2010 that we got our ultrasound and had a late christmas gift for our families...but we weren't ready for it. no one was. there was still genuine shock that i was pregnant again.

still not sure of who was the hider although i have my suspicions but whoever it was, they win. best hiding spot ever! i'm just glad they decided to show themselves before it was labor time and i ended up one of those crazy ladies on discovery health that didn't know she was pregnant...with twins!

this post was inspired by mama kat's writers workshop.

5, the perfect hiding spot.

adventures of old school sitcom tv

in another prompt from mama kat's here's a list of 10 old tv shows that i'd like to see make a comeback...

family tv these days comes down to reality or competition shows. i have no problem with either, but what happened to the good ole wholesome sitcoms of primetime programming that we could all watch together. there were so many shows & after reading several blogs & reminiscing, i thought i'd try to find some different ones than repeats of the same popular 10 shows. most of these are shows that we watched together as a family, some of them are just favorites.

...and in no particular order...

10. the wonder years

plain and simple. it was so relatable and unique. plus kevin was a cutie.

9. the nanny

i can still sing the title song. and that laugh! it was hysterical. 

8. family matters

steve urkel. enough said. 

7. quantum leap

this show was just fascinating. 

6. 7th heaven

the white picket fence, perfect parents, uncomplicated world. 

stereotypical perfect family kinda television.

5. macgyver

his legacy lives on...

4. home improvement

this was the ultimate show in our house. 

3. who's the boss

loved the crazy grandma. she was the best!

2. the cosby show

"because in a house full of love...theres always room for more."

i always thought that cliff & clair were the coolest parents ever.

1. dr. quinn medicine woman

and this ones for you {b}, i remember watching this one with your family :)

what shows did you watch or would you like to see comeback?

dear paci adventures

dear paci,

at first you were my best friend. i loved you. i truly did. you were so cute...adorably oversized on my tiny baby's face. you were everything i needed you to be. you did everything i asked of you. but now you've become an addiction & you just don't know when to give it up.

i think our symbiotic relationship is coming to an end. it's bittersweet really. you not being here means that babies are getting bigger and growing older. but in the end, i can live with that. having to hunt for a you in the middle of the night...i'm over it. having to have you & a backup on every outing...over that to! i am tired of removing you when i need to understand the 2 yr old. i hate that i can't see a precious boy's smile because you are hiding it from the camera. and lastly, you hurt my foot when i unintentionally step on you once you've been discarded...unless you end of in the bottomless abyss of disappearing pacis and i can't ever find you when i need you.

can you please turn into something awful tasting? or figure out a way to become unpleasant? i would rather you work this out on your own so i don't have to interfere. because if i do interfere, there will be lots of crying...for all parties involved. thank you.

sincerely,
your soon-to-be-former best friend of 3 paci loving babies

again, this thursday's post is brought to you by mama kat's pretty much world famous writer's workshop. there was another great prompt that i think i'll find the time to add tomorrow...about tv shows we should bring back...

unwelcome door knocker adventures

my bouncers

i have a glass front door & windows all along the front of my house. which means i can't exactly pretend to not be home if i don't want to answer the door. i've had all sorts of interesting and unwanted door knockers. some of the regulars are the jehovah's witness, local baptist & mormon missionaries to whom i tell, "i'm a pastor's wife and God bless you", then politely close the door before one of the small kiddos escapes. contractors doing work on another old house down the street and wanting to help by offering a quote on the windows, gutters or siding. again, i politely say, "i just had twins. we don't have money to spend on the house", and they turn and leave before i close the door. but the visitor i had earlier this week isn't a regular, but more of a constant annoyance.

there is a small group of neighborhood boys who ride their bikes up & down the street all day...unattended. of course my annoyance is with the parents who choose not to sit outside and keep an eye on their kids, not the kids themselves. why, well let me tell ya...

last summer {matt} had put down some grass seed & turned the sprinkler on. all of a sudden i look out my large front window and see said group of boys riding their bikes through my front yard. i didn't immediately run out yelling. i waited. surely they would just do it once, maybe twice and be done. nope. they continued until i finally figured out they weren't going to stop. are you kidding me?! i don't know you from job! 

they have also been known to come to knock on my glass door to ask:

• can i swim in your pool?
• can i play basketball in your driveway?
• can i have your basketball hoop?

again, i don't know these kids or their parents. and i'm making assumptions here, but i'm pretty sure a parent does not want their kids in a stranger's pool unattended...but maybe that's just me. 

my favorite unsupervised child story...

when {ben} was about 11 months we were at the play area at a local mall. it's cold outside & i need to get out of the house. granted i was a new mom and still learning how to interact with other parents & kids, but there was this child who was going crazy. he was about 5 years old and pulled out his nunchucks. yes people i said nunchucks. 

ok, 1. where is your mother? 

2.who gives a 5 year old nunchucks. 

3. who gives them to him when he is on a playground?! you are not napoleon dynamite and do not need to work on your nunchuck skills...at the mall no less. 

so please mamas...do not let your children wander aimlessly down the street & bother the neighbors or give your child nunchucks ever.

thank you mama kat for the prompt this week. i shared here with all of you instead of the neighbor boys & their unsuspecting mothers.

*** not even lying, they just showed up again. this time asking if my kids could come out to play. no, you are 10 and he is 4. him? oh no, he's 2. 

a non-adventurous, predictable conversation with a stranger

today i'm linking up with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. i'm not exactly following the prompt to a T, but it did get me to thinking...so instead of writing about my responses to unsolicited parenting advice, here are typical questions i'm asked if not in just one conversation when i'm out & about. most of the time i graciously smile & give a polite answer, but my mind and hopefully not the look on my face is saying something different. so here are the questions and my polite responses** & crazy thoughts*** all done with a smile on my face.

10. "you've got your hands full!"
** Oh, I still have 1 arm open, so I'm doing good.
*** yes, thank you. would like to open the door for me?
9. after a brief glance over my tribe... "all boys? wow. you really do have your hands full!"
** yes, 4 boys...
***there are trucks, cars & blue covering each one of them. no pink anywhere people. boys, they're BOYS!
8. "are they fraternal/identical twins? that one's so much smaller."
** yes they're identical twins. yeah, he's my little peanut.
*** i guess they could be close in age, but there's not that big a size difference. they look the same to me.
7. "how old are [the twins]? and your other ones?"
** the twins are 11 months now, my oldest is 4 and my second is 2.
*** please don't ask what the age difference is...please don't ask what the age difference is.
6. "how old were they when the twins were born?"
** 3 & 16 months smile
*** dang it! please just move on...
5."was it natural or did you do fertilization?"

** umm...natural???

*** really?! 

4."do twins run in the family?"

** well, they're identical, so that can happen to anyone. spontaneous twins they call them.

*** identical twins don't run in families people. 

3. "was it a c-section or a natural birth?"
**ok, they came a month early so it was a c-section.
***again with the overly personal questions from a stranger. i don't feel like giving you my medical history.
2."better you than me. i don't think i could go that."
** well thank you!
*** is this some kind of back-handed compliment?
1. "oh, you don't breastfeed. you should. it's best for the baby."
** well, i did breastfeed for 8 months but now, we're just doing formula.
*** thanks for making me feel like a loser. and yes, thank you, i do know that, but take a look at my life and tell me then if you would breastfeed.

i wish i could say that this was just a one time deal, but it happens. every. time. some days i feel like a circus freak show. and then i step back and look at the circus that i am trying to contain while out and laugh at the spectacle my tribe is. :) although i never would have asked to attract this much attention, it does make for interesting stories...and makes every outing take a little longer. if you know me personally, i'm sure you'll chuckle at the thought of me getting stopped every 5 feet. if you don't believe me, i'll swing by and pick you up on the way to the store next time.

i've posted this picture before...
but i think it lends the necessary visual of why i get stopped.

* please don't be offended if you've asked me any of the questions above. this post was made out of humor, not to make anyone feel bad or to put them in their place. and besides if you've asked & reading this blog, you're someone i know and you should be laughing at my continuos awkward encounters. :)