Kevin is home again!

His return trip was uneventful and he brought with him a suitcase full of candy. Yes, that’s right, Kevin spent every last dime in his pocket buying DutyFree candy. I think we have about 12 boxes of bizarre Taiwanese candy stashed in our pantry now. Only Kevin.

When the girls woke up and found him this morning it was quite the love fest. Leina reacted like it was Christmas morning. She ran around in circles gleefully calling his name and telling him how much she missed him and loved him. Kulia was much more direct and to the point. She did not waste any words. When she saw Kev, she merely said “daddy” and then flung herself into his lap. And there she stayed. She followed him to the bathroom. She followed him to the shower. She followed him to the closet. She refused to take her eyes off him for a moment. Last time she let him out of her sight he disappeared for two weeks and she was so not falling for that again! I don’t think Kevin was actually showered, changed and shaved until 11am because he had one or both girls in his arms at all times.

And me? I was in the dog house. Whenever I approached, Kulia would thrust out her little arm and lock it straight blocking my path. Furrowing her brow, she would utter “go!” in her little dictator voice. Sigh. I held that child while she puked and this is the thanks I get??

So all is right in our little household. Thank goodness!

I think we are done. (Knock on something wood.)

Today, we all ate food and none of it re-appeared. Disgusting as that sounds, I’m very very happy to be finished with this stomach bug. However, it did reaffirm my faith in God.

Odd? Perhaps, but hear me out.

Kevin was shipped to Taiwan for work and my mom came for a while. The day she left, I moped about bemoaning my fate. Home alone with the kids and having to do everything myself. Poor little me.

God saw this and He/She/It smote me.

Not even 12 hours after my mother left, our house was struck by the worst stomach flu ever. I was so sick I could not stand. At one point I crawled up the stairs to aid Leina. Do you have any idea what it is like to clean up a diarrhea diaper while being violently ill? The only thing worse is having to clean up your child’s vomit while trying to keep your own down. And the smell. Oh – don’t even get me started on the smell. Am I getting my point across? It was horrible, horrible, plague-like conditions here. I would have given anything to go back and rescind all that useless moping.

And then, He/She/It stepped in again. Kat called out of the blue on a random Thursday morning. Why? She just felt like it. She caught me in tears and totally overwhelmed and immediately cut work early to come to my plague infected house, feed my germy children, and entertain them with craft projects and the world’s cutest puppy.

That’s pretty amazing but not quite miraculous.

But add to it, Carla, who appeared on Friday, her day off, to clean my kitchen, feed my still germy kids, and give them the special love that only a grandma can dish out.

Getting closer.

Liza called just to check in and upon hearing my plight, whipped up a huge vat of soothing peach Jell-O for my revolting stomach and went on an emergency run to Safeway for me. She even dared to enter the house of plague and converse with Leina who was clutching her stomach and writhing in pain. It was a very quick conversation but I admired Liza’s bravery and our barren fridge was re-stocked.

And then the topper.

Kat returned on Saturday bearing lunch and crafts and then dinner. I mean, come on! Can it get any better than this? If this doesn’t qualify as a miracle I don’t what does. Even I, Taurus born woman that I am, can take a hint. I need to appreciate a bit more. I need to appreciate my wonderful kids and great health. I need to adore my friends and family. I need to realize that… my life?

It rocks.

Thanks you to all those kinds souls that have helped me hobble along these last few weeks during Kevin’s trip. You’ll be glad to know that I am done calling in favors. My kids are well, I am well, and Kevin is expected to home in two short days.

And God? I get it. You can call off the locusts.

Tutu just left.

We had the best visit, except for some minor kid vomiting, and it’s such a treat to get her company but oh boy does it hurt when she leaves. Normally, I mope about for a day or so and morn her loss while Kevin plies me with treats and hugs. This time her departure is especially wrenching because Kevin isn’t here either. He was sent to Taiwan for the week so I’m alone with my sorrow.

My girls rock. They are such fun bundles of joy that I adore every second (well, pretty much every second). But it’s so hard to find someone who loves them with the same level of intensity and wonder. So when my mom comes, I get another person that is just as enthalled and touched and excited about every little thing they do. Every new word from Kulia, every cute phrase from Leina, is as exciting to my mom as it is for me. Being a stay at home mom is rather isolating. Having another person here to share the love is a blessing all of its own.

It’s time like these that I wonder what, exactly, I’d need to do to get my sister to move next door to me. Unfortunately, it would involve changing the west coast weather pattern and I just don’t have that kind of pull…yet.

So the girls and I are alone for a while until Kevin returns from abroad. They don’t realize it, but when they wake from their naps, they are going to get an excessive amount of snuggling from me!

Safe journey home, mom. I love you!

Hello 2007!

I am secretly excited about 2007. I am harboring a tiny flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, we are reaching the end of the tunnel here. I’m holding my breath that the girls will continue to become self-sufficent tykes that do not require their mother to hold and/or entertain them every moment of every day. Yes, my foolish dream is that this years, the girls will be able to play with each other and leave poor old mom alone for a moment or two this year. Unrealistic? Perhaps. But a girl’s gotta dream.

Santa was very good to us this year. I found two pairs of roller skates under the tree. One was a pair of Dora skates which Leina snatched up. The other was a pair of women’s skates that I claimed. Can’t wait for all this rain to stop so I can get outside and break them in. Of course, that isn’t scheduled to happen for another 6 months but a girl’s gotta dream.

Hmmm, I seem to be doing a lot of dreaming lately.

Rang in the new year with Kat and Josh. It’s sort of a minor tradition around here. Josh worked his bizarre child charms on Kulia. She basically threw herself at him and we had to peel her off at nap time. When she awoke, she looked at me with her big eyes and moppet hair and croaked, “Josssh?” We didn’t let these darn kids cramp our style though. After getting them down for bed, we broke out the games and laughed and played until midnight. At this point we had our rootbeer floats, our New Years kiss, and modified fireworks. It was 27 degrees out so Kat and I decided to watch the lights from inside while Kevin and Josh headed out into the night armed with the pyrotechnics. The caveat was nothing that made noise since they were right outside the girl’s window. After a short light show and pathetic male dancing (don’t ask) they hussled it back into the warmth of the house. A very successful close to the year 2006.

Now all I have to do is remeber to write 2007 when dating my checks and all will be well.

Ho Ho Ho…

When I am not sick, which seems like a lifetime ago right now, I’m trying to get to the gym three times a week. I like to go really early in the morning to get my workout in. I must say that I enjoy leaving the sleeping house behind for a little “me” time even it the sun isn’t out yet.

At the gym, I have my own section I like and I’ve come to expect a certain group of regulars. There is the hard core runner who does these intense sprints between sporatic weight lifting. The hot guy who has a bit of a tummy that he is working on. The older couple who walk every morning together around the track, arms pumping, without saying a word, and the large young guy who is always wearing sweats and a very large sweatshirt pulled over his rear. I suppose I’m the 30 something mom trying to work off her baby fat which would be pretty accurate.

So imagine my surprise when I claimed my treadmill to find a new face next to me. She was hard to miss. She had on full make up and buffed nails. Her ponytail fell just below her sholders in a perfectly smooth cascade of dark hair. She tiny little hiney fit into her size 2 black spandex shorts and to top it all off, she was wearing a tube top sans bra. Yes, you heard me, this chick was working out in a bright green tube top.

Um, hello? Pony tail too tight honey? Do you have any idea what happens when you decided to jog braless wearing a tub top?

Ok, maybe she did. All I know is that I was totally distracted and I’m a woman! We had all sorts of male rubber neckers wandering by checking out the jiggling action. Now, I’d expect this is some pickup gym after hours but at the Sherwood YMCA? At 6am? Craziness. It was like a bad episode of Charlie’s Angels crossed with Baywatch with a dash of Fit Club.

It was fun to watch all the men trying to sneak a peek without being too obvious. I really can’t blame them thought because I could barely tear my eyes away from her slowing dropping tube top the entire time. I must say, my 30 minute workout just flew by. So maybe tube tops and gyms do mix after all.