how they do it

since abby and eli don't seem to be writing the book, i guess i will. well, the blog - i'll write the blog:

those two, as i have said before, are amazing. once you see them in action with twins and triplets, you need never again doubt the existence of God. if His hand isn't in the middle of all this, i don't know whose is.

examples:

• they turn down the covers for the twins prior to nap and prior to bedtime. they light a little light and close the curtains/blinds so that when the twins walk into their rooms, it is a cozy oasis just begging for someone to snuggle into and fall asleep. if you can walk into those rooms and stay awake, there's something wrong with you. and melatonin's probably not gonna fix it.
• everything is laid out where it's supposed to be. not where it's not supposed to be.......where it's supposed to be.
• the house is lovingly and beautifully decorated for Christmas.
• the twins' playroom has switched over from thanksgiving to Christmas and the books and play materials reflect that.
• charlie had an accident the other day - the bad kind - and his dad helped him clean up. nothing too surprising about that, but dad also sang a boisterous, funny, making-it-up-as-he-went-along song about "never gonna have a b.m. in my pants again, old chum!"
• each day, there is another Christmas surprise tucked somewhere in the house for the twins to find. a couple of days ago, it was a box of tiny candy canes, hidden in their play kitchen. no sense waiting for Christmas Day to have a glow in your eyes!
• abby and eli keep track of the results of every diaper change and every feeding in a notebook especially for that purpose. it's good info to have in case somebody ends up not feeling well or to tell the pediatrician. not to mention it helps mom and dad remember who had how much on which feeding.
• despite having two and a half month-old triplets, today is the birthday party for the twins, who will turn 3 on the 12th. everyone's piling into the van to go to "the little gym at polaris" for some frolicking good times. does it matter that they will have to lug food and cake and diaper bags and more diaper bags and more diaper bags? no, it does not. what matters is, it's the twins' birthday party, for pete's sake, and why should anything stand in the way of that?

and that, right there, is pretty much the secret, i think, of how abby and eli manage this zoo of theirs with such aplomb......why should anything stand in the way of it?

nothing does.

and nothing ever will.

because something stands in the middle of it.

well, someone.


i'll let you figure out who.