School of Hard Knocks

You think you had a rough childhood? Well I have proof to the contrary. I was digging around some old boxes and found a statement that my parents billed me for a couple lost retainers. (accidentally threw #1 away, then the dog chewed #2 only a few weeks later)
But seriously, do you see the "3 hours ironing" entry? Three hours?! Have never ironed that much my entire married life!

Poor, poor little girl- Ironing for hours on end. Had I only known I could have reported her for infringement of child labor laws! LOL (but at least I had a rockin' set of curly-bangs! Or is that a Chinchilla nesting on my pony tail?!)

In all fairness I wasn't that young, in high school or something- but still. It's so weird I've kept it all these years. (Probably couldn't throw it away because it says I still owe my parents $100. )

Three Things

Three things Bunny needs to have in her hands at all times:

1. Sippie cup
   
2. Squishy UPS truck
3. UPS Bear
   

side note: Bunny does not want any pictures taken today.

The Letter B

Every once and a while you get a moment with your kids that makes everything crystal clear and wondrous. These moments are pretty scarce, but when they come around, it makes all the screaming and frustration worth it. Tonight I was privileged to have such a moment.
To preface, I should state that the girls are a little behind in the speech department. It is due to their twin language completely. Why speak English when sister can understand you just fine in twin jibberish?! This has been my challenge as a parent.... and I am constantly worrying I'm failing them.
They know just enough words to keep them only barely on schedule for their age. And they have not been very successful in recognizing numbers or letters. This was all about to (slightly) change.
After dinner, I was taking The Bunny out of her highchair and out of nowhere, she pointed and said "it's a B!" My first thought was "Crap! There's a bee in my house!" (they can spot a bee from a mile away) Then I turned around, and saw this:

Do you see the silver letter B on the shelf? She recognized and named the letter B! I was amazed that my little girl just knew that was the letter B! It hit me to the core at how blessed I am, and how amazing and miraculous my precious little girls are. They're learning, not at the same speed as some other singletons their age, they are amazing; that I have the opportunity to help mold, shape, and teach. That put moment every rough patch of the day into real perspective. I love them. They are my joy. So I had to laugh (and cry) a little bit at how much fun life is through the eyes of a two year old.


It's a B. Yes. It is finally a B!

Dadda! Work!

The Husband's work wanted us to bring in the girls for a safety meeting they were having. The idea was that your family is your "most important stop" and to be careful and follow the safety rules to return home in one piece- pretty sweet.
The girls were really excited to "go Dadda work." And the husband had fun showing them his truck and his co-workers. The girls were (of course) extremely shy, but they did ok. The best part was a sweet lady who gave them official UPS squishy trucks and bears.... their favorite possessions of the day.

Stranded

Around 5:30 last night, after running errands in a far and unfamiliar part of town, it was cold. I had left the girls' jackets at home as the plan was they would be staying in the car. I was in a dark parking lot as I turned the key in the ignition- and heard the sound of a drained battery. There was no way my car was starting. Agh!
I called my parents, who live near us- but still far away from where I was. Hurried the girls into the foyer of the nearby warm hospital and waited for my rescue brigade.
It could have been so much worse, I could have been in a bad part of town, I could have had nowhere warm to take the girls, the girls could have been really grumpy, and my parents could have been out of town that day.
Thankfully, none of that happened. The girls loved the hospital. (enough to smile for a picture! See Addie above) There were lots of people to make a fuss over them. Mom and Dad arrived pretty quickly, and my car battery was not really dead, just a bit disabled. The jump worked, and I was off!

The lesson here:
1. Do not let kids watch DVD's while the car is off. Waste the gas so that you can continue driving.
It's much easier that way.
2. Learn how to jump start a car and buy jumper cables. This is the second time this has happened to me- but in two different cars! It's a valuable skill to learn so that family (my Dad) doesn't have to get off work to help you and your mother jump your car.

...and also, a HUGE, GIGANTIC thank you to Mom and Dad for driving all the way out there to help!

Puppas

I caught a few episodes of Dogtown the other day. My heart went out to all those poor dogs. Some people are so cruel, I simply cannot believe it. If I could adopt every one of those animals I would. I cannot praise animal adoptions enough. We adopted Scotty in 2004 from the NSPCA- we are so blessed to have him in our lives, especially when we were newly married. Logan was working a lot, and I was lonely all by myself at home. Scotty knew we were his second chance. All he wanted to do was please us. I am so proud to give him a loving home and a much better life.
When the toddler craziness comes down a few notches we are set on adopting another. Check out best friends, and maybe consider being a loving home to a needy animal as well?

And by the way, what's with people that don't like dogs? I've met a few of these alleged "people." It's just weird. Dogs are awesome in every single way. (except when they bark at high decibels and pee on the rug)

Classic Yo Gabba Gabba

"My new teeth are super sizzlin'!"

-Muno

Another Conversation

Husband- "How are you feeling this morning"
Me- "Much better, thank you!"
Husband- "Um, does that mean you could possibly refill my prescription today?"
Me- "Sure."
Husband- "Thanks, I was really going to get to that on Saturday."
Me- "What did you do all weekend?!" (he took Fri off too)
Husband- "What do you mean?! I did the dishes and went grocery shopping."
Me- "That is like a microscopic portion of what I do on a daily basis."
Husband- (Doesn't believe me- yet knows he was really playing Mario Galaxy on Wii all weekend)
Me- "Do you even have clean work uniforms?"
Husband- "Yes, cause I took Friday off, I had one extra"
Me- "Great." (adding Logan's laundry to my mental to-do list)

....ok cable networks, there is your script! Get the cameras rolling! the real-life-drama that goes down in our house is 10x better than The Hills.

Fry Sauce and Babies

Condiments are a stranger to the highchair table. So fry sauce was the obvious choice for a big first- dipping.

A mess!

I thought Addie was taking to it nicely... until I got this face.Our condiment adventure will have to take a time out for a while.

A Conversation

Me: "Honey, I don't want you to have to do everything around here while I'm sick. I can do some laundry or something."

Husband: "No, I'm being a little bit selfish too. I want you to get better so you can start doing everything once again."

Me: (laughing) "Ok then, I'll stay in bed."

I have the best husband ever.

Pictures of Stuff

The girls have been plenty cute this week, but I have left my camera on the table the whole week meaning to pick it up and put it in my bag. No luck. Today I am taking a sick day and quarantining myself to bed. But here are some pictures from the week:

The under the stairs storage is looking mighty organized. The new system is working out great. It is amazing how few toys the girls play with. Now I am on to tackle our bedroom closet.

Am I the only one that cares which top matches which cup? I know they're supposed to be "interchangeable" but the wrong color just looks wrong, then it messes up the rest of the colors! Logan thinks I am a bit OCD about the cup situation.

Decree #523

No more "dry clean only" tags. They are totally banned! If it can't go through a washer AND dryer- then it can't be deemed as "clothing." I just bought three pieces of clothing from the interwebs and I love them! .....but one is dry clean only and the other is my second most hated line: "lay flat to dry."

No more!

I fully intend on using my washer and dryer to their fullest for all of my fabric-cleanliness needs.

Organization, Here We Come!

I got a peek in the home of the most organized person I know. Her system is amazing! She has a toddler about the girls' age and another girl on the way. In her closet, there are neatly stacked clear boxes filled with toys. Only one can be out a day, and at night, the toys get picked up, put back into the box and it goes back into the closet. A different box of toys is brought out the next day. This way she doesn't have massive amounts of toys covering every square inch of her house, and each toy is played with and enjoyed more, instead of collecting dust and getting stepped on by parents.

You should have seen me- I had stars in my eyes as I gazed upon this system. So I came up with my own version of this system along with it's own theory on the situation:

We keep all toys downstairs. No toys in the girls' room means less things to distract us when they should be sleeping. Originally our downstairs was a disaster- toys everywhere. (seriously- it was like a toy bomb exploded on a daily basis) Until I boxed them all up, sorted them into categories: cooking, books, puzzles, dolls, trains, blocks, etc. We put the books in one cabinet with doors along with the puzzles. Then we put the other piles into clear bins that hide in our coat closet. They can only have one bin out at a time. If they want to play with a different set of toys, then they clean up the existing mess and put the bin away- then we open up a new bin of fun. It helps rotate the toys to keep from boredom and keep the clutter to a minimum. We also have a large foldable easel and foldable slide they can play with too! But the play kitchen stays out by the couch 24/7. So ultimately, when we have company over, the only kid thing in sight is the stylish play kitchen. My friends are amazed- and I get to chuckle a little bit inside at my superiority. HA!

I am pretty sure this is going to change my life!

....because I haven't posted enough pictures of the girls- I love a good random picture!

Fry Sauce

Fry sauce is a cultural phenomenon- mostly in Utah. And while I try to stay away from crazy-Mormon-culture, My dad and I are obsessed with the fry sauce from Arctic Circle- and although Crown Burger also has it, I remember Arctic Circle as my Mecca. Well, I ran across some fry sauce at Smith's- and it is the real deal! So finally those of us who live in LV (or those who buy it online) can get a taste of the memories. Try it! You'll like it! (as the Yo Gabba Gabba song declares)

Ordinary Day

Today was a completely ordinary day. Went jogging with the girls in the morning, went out to buy some lightbulbs, and the girls saw Mamaw. During their nap I tried to make a dent in watching the massive hours of TV I have DVR'd. (yes, it's a verb now)
I recently realized I missed the inauguration completely! I have only been watching taped episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba and "my stories." No live TV at all! All I've seen are the reviews on a few blogs.
So here's to inaguration day! It is special, I just overlooked it somehow!
....here's to a bit brighter outlook for everybody's future.

Wealthy Benefactor?

Are you sitting in your palatial estate with lots of liquid assets? (or at least some liquid assets?) Would you like to help a couple kids hoping to get ahead for once in this crazy world? Would you be interested in some interest? Email me for details!
Thank you potential wealthy benefactors!

A Tale of Two Babies

While they are genetically identical, there are a few (tons of) differences between the girls. The Bunny is very persnickety about her outfits. The Squirt wants to be a nudist. She is very skilled at removing any sort of outfit and run around the living room like a monkey. (you can see her monkey pose) Is duct taping the kid's clothes to their body frowned upon?

Two Tutus!

Sweet cousin Sarah sent the girls the most adorable tutus for their birthday! The girls absolutely love them! We have to hide them because they would wear them 24/7 if they had the choice. In fact, they might be going to nursery in tutus today. Here are pictures of the cuteness. They were dancing around like ballerinas, but the minute I pushed the button on the camera they stopped- I will have to be more sneaky. I will post dancing pictures when they become available.

Because I Lose Stuff

After losing the memory card at the park- I run into this- www.imhonest.com at OfficeMax. You buy the stickers and it gives you a free year's subscription and you stick it on to your stuff- it's got an ID # so that if people find your lost stuff, they can go to the website and they'll ship it back to you. (I think you have to pay for the shipping, though) Anyway, totally cool system! I have tagged my cell phone, my camera, my new memory card, the laptop, my keys, everything I can think of! (I would have done my sunglasses, but I ran out of stickers!) The stickers aren't all paper and flimsy- totally durable plastic-stuff!
Plus, the packaging says that the people who return your stuff get some sort of reward! So go get some- you can order the stickers online, or get them at OfficeMax (they're cheaper at OM).

Memo from Haz-Mat

If any of you run into me at Smith's today, please try not to come too close. I haven't got to the shower portion of my day yet. Politely smile and wave- then proceed to the marked areas for your memory erasal and chlorine shower. Hopefully I will see you again soon- without the Haz-Mat team following me!

Thank you, citizens!

My Thoughts Exactly

There were big kids (a lot of them) at the park today. The girls watched an 8 year old scale this thing, and thought they should give it a try.

Ummm... that's really high. Perhaps I should be a better mommy and get out from behind the camera to stop them.... nah, they're doing ok!

Wow, they're really doing ok! Are my kids superheroes or what?!

The accomplishment of scaling something 10 times your size and 100% more dangerous than a slide...

Bunny then tried to slide down it- and I almost died as I tried to stop her. Luckily, no injuries.

Lost!

I lost my memory card and adapter at the park today! Gone! Pictures of babies! Bye Bye!
Sadness. Luckily I have most of them on my computer- but now I'm all paranoid. What if something happens to the computer? So I am off to get a replacement adapter and a very, very large flash drive to save all of the memories. (and maybe a fireproof safe? Or maybe I'm losing my mind!)

Worry-Free Wednesday

After losing sleep last night over stuff and having a psychologically draining day today I am instituting a new holiday: Worry Free Wednesday!
It will be this Wednesday, and I am not allowed to worry about the house, the future, the finances, the investments, the household crap, etc. It will only be fun times with girls, naps, and watching the piles of shows taking up all the space on my DVR. Join me if you dare! (and there may be cookies if I make it to the store tonight)

Deal!

Sam's Club is selling 2 fl oz. infant Motrin for $3! Usually 1 fl. oz. is around $7 at Target. My Ped. says Motrin works better for teething as it reduces inflammation.
So if you have (or will have) some teethers- I'm going to head back and stock up tomorrow. Let me know if you would like me to pick you up some too!

Sleepy Sunday

Rough weekend... time for resting and relaxing...

....and dancing.

Bruiser

Our tough little Squirt. She had a very unfortunate run-in with a knob on the cabinets and her face. Now she has this very gnarly bruise above her eye. It seems to get more purple everyday. She'll be the toughest looking kid in nursery today!

The Sock Police

Wherever there is a foot with a sock on... there is The Squirt- The Sock Enforcer!
She hates having socks on, and hates others having socks on too!
Keep all your socks away from her!

Happy Birthday... again!

First birthday.......Second birthdayHow fast they grow!

We had to get together a little bit for the girls actual birthday-day. They had a pretty rough day- we had to go to the doctors to get their immunizations. No fun on your birthday!
Grandmama and Grandpapa got us the perfect birthday present.... sock monkeys! We're so lucky to have family so close.

Falling Out of Love

... with baths. I've tried numerous times to enjoy a good bath. I've decided they just aren't that enjoyable! It's too wet to get any good reading in, and pretty uncomfortable- there are very few pillows in there! Plus I feel like a beached whale by the time I'm done! I hate that when I step into the bath the water level rises. That's just not a pleasant experience. So I'm done with baths. They aren't fun! I know many a woman is gasping at this statement. It's so romantic, the notion of lighting candles, relaxing, blah, blah, blah. But let's face it, after you take a bath- don't you feel like you need a shower afterwards? I don't like that slimey residue left by bath soaps, and it feels like I was marinating in an Ashley soup- a shower is in order.

Activities for Toddlers

Perhaps it's just me- but I'm bored with toddler-dom. I'm tired of watching tons of Elmo. I'm tired of "coloring". I found a few ideas online and thought I would share them. It doesn't seem like they can do much (and I'm a mess-a-phobe).

• Put a bit of dish soap bubbles on a sliding glass door and let them draw designs. (also cleans off messy handprints- bonus!)

• Paint fingers of a pair of white glove with different colors then sing the color song- tune: "Are you sleeping?"

Where is red? (bring one hand up with fingers showing)
Where is red? (repeat with other hand)
Here I am (wave one hand)
Here I am (wave other hand)
Show me if you can (kids try to identify the color)
Show me if you can
Where is red? (if they didn't get it right, show them the color)
Where is red?

Repeat this with all the colors.

• Play with different varieties of dry pasta, sorting, mashing, etc.
• Sensory bottles:
  

  a. Lava bottles: fill 1/2 water and food coloring, and 1/2 baby oil. It produces a lava lamp effect when tilted.

  b. Snow globes: fill half with water and half with corn syrup. Add glitter, beads, paper clips etc. The corn syrup makes the glitter fall slowly for dazzling effects.

  c. Discovery bottles (not pictured): fill with rice and small objects like dice, small toys, paper clips etc. As you roll the bottle, different objects will come to the surface to be discovered.

  Once filled, simply fill the bottle caps with hot glue and turn them on. Let set until dry and you have a great addition to you sensory set.! Set these bottles in a sunny window for even more dazzling effects!

• Tear-Free bubbles: 1/4 c. no-tears baby shampoo, 3/4 c. water, 3 tbl. light corn syrup. Add into an empty bubbles bottle.
• Make binoculars out of 2 toilet paper tubes, tape them together and go on a nature walk or hunt for birdies.
• Print out the alphabet bugs- stick them on yourself or the wall and have them take the bugs off- telling you what letter they are and "catch" them into an empty strainer or bowl.
• Take a trip to the virtual zoo!
• While the kids are napping, tape down some cut out footprints and have them follow the footprints to a special "surprise".
• Take an empty cereal box and take a utility knife to cut a small cross(X) in the middle of the front or back. Make the cross just big enough for your toddler to push a small plastic toddler/infant spoon through it. Close the top flap of the box, and take about 10 plastic spoons and then let your toddler push them in the box through the opening you just made. Then let your toddler pick up the box and shake it around to hear all of the spoons make noise inside. Sit on the rug and slide it back and forth to each other. Open it up and let your toddler dump all the spoons out. Then do it all over again!
• If you have a salad spinner- tape strips of construction paper in different colors and let them spin it to see the colors whirr around.
• Bring out a large, empty cardboard box from the garage to pile stuff into, make into a fort, etc.
  

The Cold and Sunglasses

I was ridiculous- it was cold. But I really needed to get out of this house! So for ten minutes- all three of us froze at the park. And what every cold winter day needs- sunglasses! (special thanks to Bren for the cute sunglasses)

....and yes, those are my kids on the "big slide"
Quit growing up so fast!

Thoughts on Resolutions

With all the resolution talk I've been thinking about making a list of some goals for the year. But honestly, I have no idea. It's pretty telling when all I can think to write down is "'just get through it."
These past few years have been so unpredictable, so full of surprises, unexpected twists and turns, I simply cannot even begin to imagine where this next year will take us.
Sure, I would like to have the backyard completed- but I have a nagging feeling that isn't going to happen. There are a few things that I would like to get done this year- but I just don't know what our schedule is going to look like from day to day. So there- no list. No resolutions. Just getting by. We are hanging on for the ride. I'm sure we'll make it.... more or less in tact. Good night, and good luck.

Nature? Nurture?

This morning has found The Squirt swaddling her baby ever so carefully. Very cute, yes. But how does she know to do that?! The husband and I haven't swaddled the babies- we just swaddled them when they were babies! Do they remember us swaddling them? Have they seen someone swaddle another baby? What?

First Haircut

The morning of the first haircut- the forecast wasn't looking good. The girls were pretty squirrely- and became grumpier throughout the day. But we pressed on- Yo Gabba Gabba was turned on and the girls were fine! They sat still while Nannie cut their hair. It was so special to have our Grandma in from Illinois to cut their hair for the first time!
There wasn't a whole lot of hair cut- but it looks great. Bad pictures, though! I had to hold the girls on my lap- so that left Logan in charge of the camera. Bummer. Here's the only semi-decent picture:

We Are Two!

Oh boy... we're now on a collision course with the "terrible twos"! Everybody run!

Hat!

Cuppie Cakes!


Sitting in our new Elmo chair playing with new puzzles. Life is good.

Nannie and Pop Pop came all the way from Illinois!
.... and a slide! In our house!