Ice Storm, Family Dysfunction and Boys meet Dogs

Dearest Cherubs,
I’m overdue to write sine a lot has happened. I want to remember to write about
-Ice Storm 2008
-running into your grandmother
-Nick’s apt with doctor
Engagement in family
First of all, on Thursday, Dec 11 we had an ice storm that knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people (including you.) In fact, some are still without power! It’s been absolutely crazy. We lost power on that Friday morning before we got up until around 1:30 in the afternoon, not even 12 hours. Our house was on the border of where it iced. When I drove to MacDonalds to get coffee, everything was clear up until the top of Low Street and Rt. 113-ice everywhere! It was bizarre. Your dad called us Friday morning from the Bradford MacDonalds. He was getting breakfast for all of you. When we got power back on, I called him and told him to come on over and spend the night if you had to if still no power. You all stayed for three nights! It was an adventure!! Nick slept up in the loft and you all slept in our bedroom so you’d have more room for the cribs. I slept downstairs with Uncle Joe and Ruby, Jack and Cuddles were confused. They kept going in your bedroom trying to figure out where to sleep! Our friends, Susan and Richard came over on Saturday to warm up for a while and they got power the next day but yours didn’t come on until Sunday late, after you were in you PJ’s ready for bed. I took a cute video of you guys taking a bath in our tub where reminds me I have to put that on Youtube! You were hysterical, splashing and laughing! It was fun watching you guys get up in the morning because you’d look around in amazement at the high ceilings and all the weird things on the walls with big eyes, surprised yet again to wake up in a strange place.
Later in the weekend, we decide to merge the species and let the dogs come into the living room with you. It worked out well and I was so relieved. All three dogs were very gentle with you, but you were the ones we had to keep our eye on-whop! A whack here and there on the head but mostly it all went well. I called in sick Monday to help your dad pack up. It turned out to be 50 degrees that day so he stayed for lunch while your mom slept. She worked her overnight Sunday night.
The next day I had to babysit for you both after I got out of school. Your mom had to take Nick to the doctors to get this abscess thing removed from his chest. He was not happy about that! You were sleeping when I got there and I took a video of when you woke up. Noah wasn’t feeling to well and kept putting his head back down. He would have slept longer if Dylan hadn’t woken up. We had fun playing, going on the big slide, throwing the ball up the slide but the two of you are so competitive! At one point you were actually wresting, pulling at each other’s clothes. It was a squandered Kodak opportunity, let me tell you! Dylan is the antagonist, that’s for sure. Whatever Noah is doing, Dylan wants in on it!
The other news it that Uncle Don and Kim are engaged. We got together at your house on Nov. 30 the 3rd anniversary of Grandma’s death and she had her ring on. Nobody noticed until Don said something. Your dad offered champagne but she didn’t’ want any because it wasn’t chilled! That was a little disappointing. I was so ready for a glass of champagne! So much for the engagement party!
A few weeks ago, I saw your grandmother (maternal) at CVS in Newburyport. She was in the parking lot in her unmistakable green van so I drove over next to her, just to say hi and see how she would react to me, since I haven’t seen her since Labor Weekend 2007! I told her we missed seeing her and she said she felt bad about the whole thing but she was tired of doing what others thought she should be doing, whatever that meant? She was very vague and said she didn’t want to say too much. I just said I went through a similar falling out with my mom and I know there are always two sides of the story. She said she feel bad for Nick but she couldn’t do for Nick if she wasn’t’ going to do for the twins. ??? What I’m gathering is that the bottom line is that since your mom would not acknowledge the birth of your sister’s second child (about a week after yours) then she wasn’t’ going acknowledge the twins!!! How crazy is that?? The sister who had the baby, Kyle’s half-brother, is a drug addict and the major source of anguish for the whole family, putting the through a custody battle over Kyle (your grandmother fought for custody and sent your mom and sister Kim around to take photos of her in above named situations apparently) This is what I heard form you mom and dad, pieces for each one over time so I don’t’ know the full story. The sucky thing is you don’t have a grandmother, but you DO have Auntie Kim! Let’s hope I can stay health and live a long life beyond fifty to be a part of your lives for a long tiem! 
Yesterday, Uncle Joe went over to help since we were both supposed to go to a party a Heidi’s (joe’s stepmother but it was cancelled due to Friday’s storm. And here we have another storm out there! I still have a cold so I will probably stay home-was hoping to see you today but now I will have to wait until Christmas Eve. Uncle Joe said last night, he was holding Dylan and he bit him! Uncle Joe yelled at him and he started crying. It was the first time he ever yelled at one of the boys.

Second Thanksgiving

Wow! Your second Thanksgiving! You’ll be having T’day turkey for the first time though. Last year it was 100% formula 24 hours a day!
We got exciting news this morning, Uncle Joe’s sister Mary had a baby, named Matthew, her 3rd child. They live in Needham, Mas so we only see them three or four times a year, not every week like you peanuts! Lucky you, ha ha! Speaking of which, Noah surprised us on Saturday with his first steps, or at least across a room. Dylan’s been walking for a couple of months but now Noah can keep up and save those knees for future sports! Dylan is getting impressive with throwing the ball and cupping it in his hands like Noah does, patting it like a Red Sox Pitcher.
Bad week for you guys with colds. Daddy called me before I came over and asked me to pick up a nasal sucker thing. One disappeared and Freddy ate the other. I helped Dad hold down Dylan’s arms to such out those long stringers. Yuck! Not a favorite activity of yours, Dylan and you made sure we knew it. Can’t wait to see you both today!
Love, Auntie Kim

Hugs Forever

Hi boys!
I saw you guys Thursday night so I’m going to let your dad have you all to yourself today! I’m enjoying some quiet time on my porch-in the sun with 5 dogs while Uncle Joe is a ta a Mass Association of Conservation Commission Conference. Sounds important, huh? He wants to go see you tomorrow. I want to try to get some writing done. I’ve been working off and on a story/book called “Missing Mom” about the grief process for me. I read some of it over to myself and think its publishable, but other parts sound so corny and cheesy. I may try to publish part of it though as a short story or essay. We’ll see.
Speaking of mothers though, I really enjoyed my visit on Thursday because I got to watch how your mom interacts with you both. It was so funny watching her flip Noah around on the pillows she put on the floor. Both of you were putting the purple pail over your heads and looking at us through them. You were cracking yourselves up! Also Noah was laughing himself silly when Nick was on the couch and playing his Gameboy. Noah would slap his head and Nick would jump at him and Noah would scream laughing…all 30 times!
Both of you are such little love bugs, running over to me, or your mom or dad, or Uncle Joe and snuggling up to us. I love those hugs so much and I hope you never stop giving them!
Love always,
Auntie Kim