Loving one another

I love my siblings now, but when we were young? Let's just say I would have sold them to the Ishmaelites for way less than 20 pieces of silver. Perhaps that's why I'm always so amazed and so grateful to see how much my children love each other.



Granted, my sisters and I probably were just as chummy when we were 4 and under. The eye gauging and hair pulling probably don't kick in until pre-teen hormones start running amok. But for the time being, I sure do love the brotherly (and sisterly) love around here.

Move over planking ...

There's a new sensation making the rounds. You remember planking. Well, Hammy has invented a new game: bridging.


At any given time, Hammy will decide it's time to play bridge. He'll stop whatever he's doing (in the case above eating dinner), find two objects and use his body to create a bridge between them.

This will catch on, just you wait. With a face like Hammy's as the poster boy for such a movement? Yeah, you know you'll be bridging by noon today.

Up ... and down

The boys took their first independent steps several weeks ago, but are still not all-out walking. They are, however, enjoying standing on their own more and more.

Deak, who was the slower of the two to give it a try, has it down pat now.

And Hawk, who finally reached a milestone before his brother when it came to independent standing ...



Well, he just can't help from lunging.

Tell me how ... to organize a trunk

Ugh. I hate our trunk.

Ben, bless his soul, insists that we have a big ol' emergency bag in the trunk of the car. It's got jumper cables, emergency food, a bit of cash (we're talking a few dollar bills and a bunch of coins -- please don't steal my car). There's a bunch of other stuff in there, but I don't know what most of it is and I have no idea what I'd do with almost all of it. And yet there it sits, rolling around in the trunk all the time.

The irony, of course, is that we never take the car as a family because we all can't fit in the car. We basically use the car for solo ventures, like heading to work each day. And once I point this out (which I'm clearly putting off) Ben will put together an oversized kit to keep in the van. But with groceries, strollers, boxes of Goodwill donations, and other random junk, I just don't know the best way to organize our trunk/back of the van area so everything is accessible and things aren't a mess.

What are your thoughts? For one, what REALLY needs to be in an emergency kit (the smaller the better, please). And how can you store it all?

My amazing husband

For more than six years now, I have been telling the story about the time Ben forgot to make me a birthday cake.

In my defense, the time more than six years ago was followed by the time five years ago. And then four years ago. And then three.

I'm pretty sure Ben has never remembered to make my birthday cake. Not once.

But he did make me this:


It's a St. Patrick's Day cake. A double-layer, from-scratch St. Patrick's Day cake that he made while I was out with Nelly and he was home caring for the boys. (He took a red velvet recipe and tried to make it green, then created his own filling using pistachio pudding and ... I don't know what else. Whatever it was, it was delicious.)

So, yeah, I guess I can ditch the birthday cake stories. Or at least I can ditch one of them ... the other five are still fair game.

We love Baked Goods Friday

Fridays we (try to) have baked goods for breakfast. Not the healthiest tradition, I'm sure, but sometimes as a mother I'm going more for popular than healthy. (What? If your kids were as cool as mine, you'd do anything to be popular, too.)

Today we had muffins -- berry muffins, banana nut muffins and chocolate chip muffins. They were all from mixes. Very, very cheap mixes. Personally I didn't think they were very good. But did they make me popular?





Yes. Either that or they made all my children blind.

This morning I've learned (a) put a paper muffin liner on anything and your kids will ask for 15 of them, and (b) photographers who can capture children with their eyes open and their fingers NOT up their nose are worth whatever fee they're charging.

Totally inappropriate photo

I thought that might get your attention.

I like to avoid nude kiddo pictures, but I just couldn't help myself.


Yesterday the boys took their first bath together. Yep, we put it off an entire year. Normally we wash the boys one at a time while Hammy and Nelly are in the tub, but last night we made the leap. We called it a success ... until they were both so slicked up with body wash that we couldn't grab either one of them to save our lives (and fortunately we didn't have to grab either of them to save their lives). I don't know how often we'll let them bathe this way. But I do know we will most definitely be investing in a little kiddy pool for the back yard this summer.

Sigh. Aren't their chubby legs adorable? And isn't it a shame that, even though my entire backside looks EXACTLY THE SAME as theirs, it's not considered adorable for me?

Tell me how ... to deal with tantrums

Hammy will be 3 this summer. If he survives that long.

That kid. I love him more than I love anything, and that's no lie. He has such a special place in my heart and fills such a special role in my life. If I could have genetically engineered the perfect child, that child wouldn't hold a candle to the awesomeness that is Hammy. But right now, at this stage? I could kill him. On a daily basis I could absolutely kill him.

Nelly never went through the tantrum phase. At the worst she'd throw herself on the floor, face down, and just lay there for a full 30 seconds before she either started giggling or fell asleep. She'll give us a run for our money when she's a teenager, I'm sure, but she has been the easiest child in the world to raise.

We thought maybe it was just superior parenting, that we knew how to raise tantrum-free kids. If so, we've forgotten, because Hammy most certainly can throw the big ones.

The other day, I took Hammy and Nelly with me to pick up some pizza. Getting there was great. Leaving the pizza place? World War 3-7. When I poured the wrong juice in his cup? 8-12. His sweet little emotions are right on the edge and it takes absolutely nothing to set him off.

Because I've never had to deal with it before I am completely at a loss. How on earth do you deal with your wonderful, sweet, beautiful child turning into the Incredible Hulk? At what point to I ignore him, at what point do I discipline? Is it OK to just lock him in his room (and me in my room) for the next few months while he sorts through the hormones? Will it just be a few months?

Hammy is not a problem child. He's so good and so sweet and so thoughtful. I know what he's going through isn't unique or rare at all. So help me. How do I help my good and sweet and thoughtful child through the Terrible Twos ... and possibly Threes and hopefully not Fours? How can I deal with the tantrums?

Tell me how ... to manage a sick day

I'm having a sick day. Kind of.

I woke up with vertigo-like symptoms, which has happened to me a few times before with my multiple sclerosis. (Shameless plug again for our MS Walk next month: Go here to donate or join us.) I'm very fortunate that my MS doesn't have me down for the count very often. Of course, much of the last five years have been spent pregnant, which is a big help (my MS symptoms disappear while I'm pregnant).

But today, bam, I was down. Ben was sleeping off a 12-hour night shift, but didn't hesitate to come home and get the babies out of the crib and feed everyone breakfast before locking himself in the back to sleep. Nelly didn't hesitate to grab the TV and Roku remotes. She knows the drill -- if Mom or Dad are passed out on the couch, it's a movie day.

We limit television watching as much as possible, but with Ben working nights and me working days, there have been WAY too many of them lately. So, tell me what else we can do on our sick/down-and-out days? How can we occupy the children in a safe, engaging, educational way that doesn't involve electronic stimulation? Our kids play very well together, but when left to their own devices ... well, you saw what they did to Hammy's bed yesterday. (If you didn't, scroll down.)

What do you do (or would you suggest doing) with small children when you're flat on your back, be it from pregnancy, sickness, a really wild night out (yeah right, like we ever leave the house) or what have you.

To construct or destruct, that is the question

I try to leave work at work so when I'm home I can be home, but today that just didn't work out. I had some business that just couldn't wait, so throughout the day I kept wandering into my "home office" (aka the space between the kitchen and dining room) to make and receive some pretty important phone calls.

One time after dismissing myself, I returned to find this.


Hammy and Nelly had taken the shipping components from the new(ly refurbished) vacuum cleaner the UPS man brought earlier in the day and had created this masterpiece. Pretty impressive.

And pretty sneaky. Because they had done so well on their own, I had more confidence the next time and left them for bit longer of a stretch. And I returned to this.


Now I'll admit, that's not so bad. I had just vacuumed (with my new toy!), so before I left them this room was immaculate. But still, not so bad. However, I was a bit surprised at this one.


For the life of me I have no idea how the four of them managed to do this. And I really don't know how they managed to do this without someone getting trapped underneath. But there was no loud thunk, no crying, and when I got around to viewing the destruction no witnesses to tell the tale. I'll bet it was a good one, though.

Sigh. Little goons. Gotta love 'em, 'cause it's illegal to sell them.

MS Awareness Week

I'm not one to complain (regardless of what Ben may tell you -- big fat liar that he is), but I gotta say, having MS kind of sucks. 364 (and in this case 365) days a year, it absolutely sucks. But one day each year, having MS is pretty darned awesome.

That one day a year is the date of the annual MS Walk. We participate in the Clarkston, Wash., walk each year that we can. (We sat it out last year because it was scheduled for the week of my due date with the twins, and though the babies came early we still figured it was a bit soon.) The MS Walk is the bomb. Bomb diggity, as a matter of fact. It's a pretty little walk. There's lots of snacks and smiling volunteers. They feed you lunch afterwards. And that one day a year you're a superstar if you have MS.

Don't get me wrong, the people who walk who don't have MS are mega-stars as well. They get mad props for supporting a cause for someone they love. And knowing that each year there are people who are out there supporting me -- that I'm the someone they love who has MS -- there aren't words for that. Well, there are, but I get too choked up to even type them. It's humbling and wonderful and I appreciate it so very much.

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2004 -- before I had a husband, before I had a family. The revelation was shocking and life-altering, no doubt. But I never for a second believed that it would get in my way of having all the things I wanted out of life. And so far it hasn't. Yes, I trip a lot. Yes, my hands are worthless 65 percent of the time. I sit down a lot and look super lazy most of the time -- which, to be fair, I am just being lazy most of the time. My MS has absolutely impacted me, even on a daily basis. But since I've been diagnosed, I've experienced so much. I graduated from college. I married the greatest man in the world. I conceived, carried, and expelled from my abdomen (with surgical help) four beautiful babies. I helped my husband through college. I have a fulfilling work life, home life and at times even social life. I truly have it all.

So MS is part of my "all" -- big deal. It sucks most days of the year, but come April 7 (the date of this year's MS Walk in Clarkston) it's gonne rock. I'm gonna rock. Or more accurately, I'm gonna roll two of my four kids (while Ben totes the other two) in a stroller for the whole six miles, temperaments willing.

If you're local, please join us. The walk is a lot of fun and it's free. If you're interested, please sponsor us. Every little bit helps. Click here to do either or just to find out more about it.

We clean up pretty well

Sure we lost an hour to Daylight Savings. Sure three of the four kids had a fitful night of sleep. Sure most of us are feeling lousy and sick. Sure we had to bribe Hammy with money to put pants on. Sure we were running late for church.

But none of that means we can't look fabulous in the process.



The boys finally fit into the suits their Papa and Grammy bought them for Christmas. (Is it just me, or do boy dress clothes run super huge?) Ben was teaching a lesson at church, so he fancied himself up in one of his suits. And I ... well, I hadn't had two babies blow snot on my shoulders yet. (That came 10 minutes later.) These are all great reasons to take some family pictures.

Looking at how big all of these kids are getting, I'm questioning if we bought a big enough house ...

Year One

It's official -- we survived the first year with twins.

Today was Hawk and Deak's first birthday. We celebrated in typical Stellmon style -- low key. Last night I made the cupcakes. I wanted blue ones for Hawk and red for Deak. I was so concerned about the red ones turning out pink that I failed to realize that the blue ones were going to wind up green.


Curses. Oh well.

This morning was Baked Goods Friday. We had raspberry almond bread which I made ... from scratch. OK, so it's not nearly so impressive as my friend Joy who made up the recipe. But still, I followed her recipe. That should give me some props.


Deak liked it.


Hawk did, too.


After breakfast I got them dressed and attempted their 1-year photos on the brown recliner. I will be re-attempting tomorrow, because this was the best shot I got.


I think they were just too excited to hold still. My guess is they'll still be too excited tomorrow.

While the babies napped, Nelly and Hammy helped decorate their cupcakes.


And then in the afternoon we hit the park. It was the boys first time testing out the awesome wagon they got for Christmas.



It was also their first time on the swings.


Hawk loved both. Deak not so much. Go figure.

Then it was time for everyone's favorite birthday dinner -- homemade mac and cheese.

The big kids were happy.


And so were the not-as-big kids.


We had blue and red Kool-Aid to make things really special. Let me tell you, we Stellmons know how to party.


And then it was time to bring out the blue/green and red cupcakes.



Fancy, right? I say why put a lot of work into something that's about to look like this.



Man, my boys are not photogenic.

Then it was time for presents. I had set out crowns that Nelly and Hammy had made along with the presents the night before. The crowns lasted about 30 seconds. How the presents stayed wrapped all day is a mystery/miracle.


The boys quiet enjoyed tearing into their loot. They got some outfits, some books, some toys -- all the essentials for a great birthday.


It is amazing to me that in a year we would go from this


to this


or from this


to this


and to really belabor the point, this


to this.


We love our Hawthorne and Deakin and we're so glad to not only have survived the first year but to really have enjoyed it -- at least all of it that we can remember. Happy birthday, boys!

Not even a little emotional

Why settle for one bottle when your brother isn't currently using his?

I feel like I should be falling apart right now. My babies -- my last babies -- are not going to be babies anymore. Tomorrow they turn 1, and just like that I'm baby-less. Instead of two babies I have a whole bunch of toddler boys and one not-so-little girl.

But I'm not falling apart at all. I'm exited. I love my growing boys, and with each new growth I love them all the more. They're take steps -- few and far between, but they are independent steps. I love it. Hawk especially is a free-standing fool. I love it. Deak wants nothing more than to hold onto your pant legs and follow you around all the time. I love it. They are so big and so smart and so talented. And I love it. I love it, love it, love it.

This first year with twins has not been easy, not by any means. But I have to admit, and I think I felt this way during and not just after the fact, it wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. It certainly went fast. In some ways I don't remember them being as tiny as they were, but in other ways I can't believe they're not the 5- and 6-pound sweethearts they once were.

I love my little boys. I'm excited to celebrate their first birthday tomorrow. I'm excited for first words to come, for abandonment of crawling. I'm stoked to never again prepare gallons of formula on a daily basis, and even more stoked to never again spend an entire paycheck on less than a month's supply of formula. (Sure, we may need to buy a cow to keep up with their milk needs, but I guarantee it'll be cheaper.)

I will miss having babies in my home, and I'll admit I'm finding it impossible to part with all of our baby things. I may never need them again, but I can hang onto them still, right? For future grandbabies, maybe? But as much as I'll miss the baby thing, I just love the toddler thing and am thrilled for all the excitement that this next year will bring.

Tell me how ... to prep for a new house

This here is a modge-podge post, because I have a whole bunch of questions in preparation for our new house.

We still have more than a month before closing, but while before everything felt like it was crawling, now it feels like a huge rush to get everything ready. It's starting to feel real, and I love that.

So here are some of my questions. How do we build a fence? Currently there's no fence, and fencing the backyard is a must. We're all ready to hire someone and schedule it for the very first week that the house is ours -- but who do we hire? What do we ask for? How do we find out the official property lines? Should we ask our neighbors if they're cool with us putting up a fence in the back? What else do we need to do? And is it possible to put in a fence in April or is that more of a June type job? Help, please!

Next, how do I pick paint colors? And what do I paint? And when? Before we thought we'd paint EVERYTHING in the time between when we closed on the house and when we moved, but that seems just a little bit too ambitious to me, especially considering the last time I painted something it was a board for a craft at a church activity and I left the activity after 20 minutes in tears because for the life of me I couldn't make the darned thing look half decent. I stowed it behind the fridge at the stake center. It's probably still there, a shrine to my shame. So yeah, we've scaled back our vision. But at the very least the boys' bedroom will most definitely need to be painted. So how do I know what color to pick? And how do I go about painting it?

And finally, how do I clean the new house? Do I hire a professional cleaner to come in and do a thorough scrub down? I know the more providence answer would be to just do it myself, but our days off from work are limited and our effectiveness with the children running around is even worse. Would that make me the worse person in the world to just hire someone to give it a good cleaning before we move in? Heaven knows I'll be doing enough cleaning of our old place before we move out ...

That's all for now, but be prepared for a common theme of "Tell me how" posts for the next month and change.

The one where Ben discovered Pinterest

Ben recently discovered Pinterest. As a result, I came home from work last week to these.


He took two different recipes and put them together to make the world's most amazing cake-batter ice-cream-sandwich cookies. He used a white cake mix to make the cookies, but he added green food coloring because green is my favorite color. Then he combined Kool Whip with pistachio pudding mix to make the pseudo-ice cream filling. And let me tell you something, they were amazing. A-mazing. Best thing I've ever eaten, and I have eaten a LOT of food in my day.

If Ben keeps blowing me away at the domesticity stuff, I might just have to get a full-time job and leave him home even more often than he already is.

When life hands you lemons ...

What do you do when your mom runs out of apple juice?

Some kids get frustrated.


Others grab an apple and a straw and make their own.

Future fireman, present cutie-pie

What's cuter than a real fireman?


This guy.