Surprise Gifts

I always misspell the word surprise.  I write suprise instead.  It actually is surprising that I can't spell it correctly because 1) I love surprises, and 2) I was runner up in my 2nd grade spelling bee.  But then again, I've been told I have a wee bit of a Boston accent, and so I must want to write it how I say it.

OK, so this thought keeps going through my head about how babies are gifts.  I mean, they really are blessings from God:  

Psalm 127:3-5

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth. 

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

And we shouldn't take gifts for granted.  Just because it's my birthday (it's not) I don't expect a gift from anyone, but I'm most definitely happy to receive one.  Even if every single year on my birthday my friend has given me a gift, I still shouldn't expect it.  It's a present, a surprise, not a payment of a debt owed to me.  

A few months ago, I was blog hopping, and can't remember exactly where I saw it, but I read a comment about how crazy it is that married couples who are happily married and having sex without using contraception can still be surprised when they find out they are pregnant.  

I completely disagree.

It's not crazy at all.

We have been surprised with 4 out of 5 of our children.  The one that wasn't a complete "surprise" was Eamon, whom we tried to conceive, were told by the doctor that I wasn't pregnant, and then found out a couple weeks later that I was indeed pregnant, but the blood test had been taken too early to tell.  So even though his conception was "planned" there was still an element of surprise involved with how we found out.  

Say what???

There have been months in our marriage that we have tried to get pregnant and it didn't happen, even though all signs pointed to what should have been a success.  There have also been times when we found out a baby was coming, and couldn't have been more shocked (hellooooo, Maggie!).  

So how can we be surprised when the marital act leads to a baby?  Isn't it like the old song says...First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes an openness to new life with one's spouse (they dropped this  line in the refrain because it didn't rhyme), then comes a baby in the baby carriage?  

Nope.

Precisely because children are blessings, they can never be expected or demanded from God.  They are always a gift, and therefore they are always a surprise.  I don't care how long or hard a couple tries to get pregnant, once everything lines up right and that new baby is conceived, it's still a miracle.  Still a surprise.  Don't we all get that exciting thrill of the unexpected when we hear a baby announcement?

OMG!  She's married and loves her husband, but she's having a baby?!?!?!

Every day I get in my car and drive, knowing that the only way to get into a car accident is to actually be in a car.  But I don't get in a car accident every day.  Getting in an accident would be an unusual event.  I don't want to relate getting pregnant to getting in an accident, but it's good to show that just because you know what might cause something, and you do it anyway, doesn't mean that it will definitely happen.  Especially if you are driving carefully, and watching the signs, and it seems like green lights all the way.

The surprise gifts are never-ending in our house. So thoughtful.

This post is not an announcement.  But it's so funny that every time my current baby turns two, I really want another little one if I don't have one already.  Xander will be two in a couple weeks, and I keep asking Phil to remind me of all the reasons we are waiting, then trying to convince him otherwise.  I guess what I'm saying is that you all shouldn't be surprised if and when we get surprised with a gift of another Baby Martin anytime soon. 

  :)

Ahhhhhnold

My nephew just posted this picture of Arnold eating at my parents homemade ice cream shop in 1986, and it got almost 200,000 views in two days!  

It's not a tumah, it's an ice cream headache.

The cone looks so teeny in his huge arm and hand!  We used to have this photo hanging in the shop, with a sign that said "I'll Be Back!" 

  

Mr. Schwarzenegger came in a few times, and always ordered Rum Raisin.  My parents are pioneers (which means they don't drink alcohol) but my mom makes the best alcohol-infused recipes :)

Oh how I miss growing up on Cape Cod and eating homemade ice cream every day in the summer.  Wish I could give my kids that same experience.

But for now they will just have to deal with Turkey Hill Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream from the grocery store while hearing me complain that nobody's ice cream was as good as Maggie's Ice Cream.  Fact.

It's now called Katie's ice cream, but you can still visit the shop in Hyannis, MA

  

Let Freedom Ring!

 Happy July 4th!

Freedom (linking up with Cari) to make funny faces!

And now we're off to the oldest July 4th Parade in America!!

Five Favorites

I'm going to try a new twist on the Five Favorites, and mention something in each of the five categories: Fitness, Fun, Food, Fashion and Faith.

1) Fitness

Green Coffee Bean extract.

I take one in the morning with a cup of water, eat my fried eggs and drink my coffee, and I'm not hungry until 11:00 or 11:30.

2) Fun

Eamon and Maggie have been playing Scopa, an Italian card game, like it's their full-time job.   

It's a fun and quick game that teaches them math and makes them feel connected to their Italian heritage.  

3) Food

This Broccoli Cole Slaw is a perfect cookout side dish.  It's so yummy and I've never eaten broccoli slaw before, so I'm considering it a healthy win!

4) Fashion

Or underfashion.  These Gap cotton hipsters are my favorite underwear of all time.  I triple dog dare you to find a more comfortable pair.  Right now, you can get them for $3.50 each with the 30% off code on their website.  They are usually $12.50 each (which is absurd!) and I'll be stocking up at this awesome price!!

5) Faith

I'm reading a book for a new book club that I'll be joining, called A Confident Heart: How to Stop Doubting Yourself and Live in the Security of God's Promises.  I'll try to keep you updated on whether or not I like it.  

And that's it!  Go see Hallie and Company for more favorites :)

Clothes & Friends

Oh clothes, how do I have so many of you?  And why do I feel like you are all my friends?  

I have my old high school and college friends that aren't quite as cool anymore but have such sentimental value. 

There's my social event friends who only come out on special occasions, and while the memories are usually great, they are usually a bit uncomfortable and make me miss my homebody friends. You know the ones...yoga pants, tees, sweatshirts.  My bffs.  I miss you guys now that I have to dress "professionally" every day.  But we'll never part, my buddies, and on weekends, you're always the first ones I turn to.   

Then there's the friends I made while pregnant and postpartum.  Oh you guys are very forgiving and easy going.  The only problem is that you're not always the best at encouraging me to get back into shape.  

But that's what my work friends are for.  I would have to say that we're really more acquaintances.  We get along, but sometimes you judge me too harshly and don't leave room for me at the lunch table.  That's when I sneak back to my postpartum or homebody friends.  They'll always take me back, no questions asked.

This weekend, I decided that I needed to break up with some of my pals.  I have too many!  I needed a clean start and I only wanted to keep the friends who make me feel good, push me to be healthy and fit, and don't always talk about the good old days.  It was very difficult letting some of you go.  But you're just not that good for me anymore.  There may come a day when I wish I hadn't lost touch, but I'll just have to put on my big girl pants and go out and meet other people.  

 So I purged, and cleaned, and donated and sold.  I even sorted through all of my kids bureaus.  After 5 hours of hard work, I donated 6 bags of clothes, "sold" (gave to the second hand store to try to sell) 2 bags, stored one bag of 18 month clothes, and passed along a huge bag of girl clothes to my niece.

And it felt so good.  Seeing my closet and my kid's rooms makes me feel like a million bucks.  Isn't it interesting how in giving, we receive?  I hope I can stick to my No New Friends Clothes Policy for awhile.  I've got some reconnecting and catching up to do with a lot of old buddies instead.

He Said, She Said

Phil: Was Ben at camp today?

Andrew: Wait, does Ben have brown skin or peach skin?

(It makes me laugh that they still don't say Black or White)

In the car...

Maggie: Can you turn the radio up, grav-a-whore?

Me: What did you call me???

Maggie: I said please in Spanish.

John-Paul, trying to teach Xander Portuguese...

J-P: Xander, say "I love you" in Portuguese.

Xander: I love you in Portuguese.

As we leave the grocery store...

Maggie: Say Bye!, Xander

Xander: Bye Xander!

Getting in the car...

Eamon (exasperated): Why does everyone know my favorite song?

Me: What's your favorite song?

Eamon: This one! (Some Nights by Fun).

Mom, Abby is juuuuust my friend, not my girlfriend.

Serving pigs in blankets for dinner one night, because we're fancy like that...

Andrew: Can I have another pig in a sleeping bag?