Just when you think life is going to be pretty routine your son poops out a penny. :)

What???? Some intro, huh?

Well quite literally, I changed Eli yesterday after nap and found a penny. Is that lucky? You know see a penny pick it up..... Anyways I wasn't feeling real lucky when I asked Eli if he had eaten any more pennies and he said "Yes!" Poison control said the only way to know is t o have an x-ray. We rolled up to the ER downtown and they greeted us and asked if we would like our "regular room". OK I am exaggerating but I swear we should have one by now. Thankfully his x-rays were clear and we were able to rest easy knowing there were no foreign objects remaining in our child.

In typical "almost" 3 year old fashion he surprised Mama by going POSTAL over having the hospital band put on. He screamed, he shook, he shrieked. During the x-ray however while they strapped him to a chair and proceeded to have Mommy leave the room (due to my being pregnant) he did absolutely fine! Someday I will learn it is difficult to prepare for anything with kids. I spent the ride there and the entire time we waited prepping him for the x-ray rather than the hospital bracelet. What was I thinking??? :) Interestingly enough he will not let me take of the hospital band now.

So our life has been anything but routine lately. Lots of changes. Lots of surprises. Least of which this new baby who is giving me another "interesting" pregnancy. God is teaching us A LOT about trusting Him. We also got a surprise and were able to find out what we are having a bit early. Boy or Girl??????

I will post soon. I decided not to announce the baby's sex in the same post that I talked about their brother's poo. I am considerate like that! :)

The Photo Shoot of 2009

The one where we froze out butts off! OK lets just say that I didn't plan well. Sunday night I realized that we didn't have a picture of the four of us recently meaning if we didn't get it done before Thursday it would not get done due to Jareds surgery. He was less than thrilled pre-surgery I didn't want to attempt to try it post. Therefore Tuesday was the big day and my dear friend Stephanie was my accomplice in getting "just one decent picture" (those were my exact words, I was being realistic). :) She did a great job but the boys couldn't have been less cooperative. Here are the results.

We ended up using this one cropped to our top half and with the caption "May your Christmas be more merry than Alex & Eli are in this picture". :)

Love this one!

Outtake!

Adorable!

So there you have it. I'd like to think of it as a tutorial on what NOT to do when taking Christmas photos. Don't 1) wait until the last minute 2) pick a 20 degrees day etc. etc. etc.

Thanks Stephanie. You did a great job! :)

Napping woes continue for mom of twins...

Is it bad to laugh in your child's face when you are trying to discipline him? I just went into check on the boys and place them back into bed for the 5th time and Alex dove into bed quickly as to avoid punishment. I picked him up and looked into his face to get the point across and his entire face lit up. I started cracking up b/c I know what he was thinking. Yessssss!!!! I am out of bed. All of my hard work to break her down has paid off. SCORE!! I kept laughing and couldn't stop because he started laughing and then Eli joined in on the fun. I am guessing this is not the most effective way to discipline :)


I then realized that Eli needed a diaper change for the 2nd time in the last 45 minutes. I said "Eli, you are a pooping machine" to which he responded "I a poopy sheen". I should also mention that Eli has begun to fake sleep. He has smartened up and doesn't leave his bed he just play like a wild man IN it. This gives him the ability to fall down into "sleeping pose" and quickly close his eyes. I finally figured it out last week when I popped my head right back in and saw him quickly shut his eyes. So funny, these two!!

Um, Mommy's grounded...

and is no longer allowed to play with scissors! My sweet son, Alex was minding his own business and eating his waffles this morning when he saw his Mommy get a crazed look in her eye. Suddenly she was tearing through the junk drawer and looking for the scissors.

In my defense I was trying to put off having their hair cut because I do like the boys hair a little on the long side but suddenly it was in Alex's eyes. I didn't want to bother Grandma Dolores (she cuts their hair) at the last minute and on a holiday weekend so I thought "How hard could it be? I have seen her cut it. She twists a piece and sort of cuts at an angle. Right?" WRONG! The funny part is the long side of his bangs that bothered me stayed long and the side that was a fine length got much shorter.

Thankfully, Grandma didn't mind being bothered so we hauled the boys over there and they got to play with the doggies a bit. They loved it and Mommy is happy to have her mistake fixed. I am still not sure what made me think I was capable of cutting hair. I have to say that this is a typical "Becky" moment and Jared just laughed. I think after six years with me he is prepared for just about anything. :)

The pictures do not do it justice but here are a couple of pictures of my hack job:

I love how in the above picture. It looks like he is a bit concerned about his mother being a lunatic. Actually, now that I take a second look when he lifts his eyebrows it really doesn't look that bad. Hmmm I wonder if he could have held that look for Easter pictures and no one would have been the wiser :)

Victory is MINE!

Yes, my friends I am victorious! The boys received 2 wooden train sets for their birthday and Jared built tracks for them over the weekend and they LOVED it. They woke up Monday morning saying "choo choo train". I got out all of the tracks and began to build and they had lots of fun. OK that is what I planned anyways. The truth is what I admitted to Jared last night.....I cannot build a train track! I wasn't trying to build anything monumental. In fact, on the 2nd day that I attempted it I would have been satisfied with a circle. I couldn't do it! Jared said "maybe it is a guy thing." I am pretty sure this is what awakened my desire to try harder :)

This morning with all the determination my pre-caffeine brain could muster I DID IT!!! I even took pictures to prove it. Yep, those oval shaped tracks are my pride and joy! Seriously, I know this is embarrassingly sad but whatever we all have our strengths or in this case extreme weaknesses. My friend Amy has raised a Thomas the Tank Engine lovin' boy and she assures me that I will get good at this. Her and Grant used to spend hours building and her husband would come home to elaborately laid tracks. Oh yes, someday I will achieve this. :) Amy has given me new found hope.

Feeling the joy of my victory I thought I would also conquer a run (aka slow jog) pushing the boys in my jogging stroller. Wow, I kept waiting for people driving by to stop and ask if I was alright. I didn't plan for the fact that I was pushing 50 pounds of baby along with the stroller AND it was uphill and the wind was blowing against me BOTH ways (I know this isn't possible but it felt like it and it's my blog, so there.). The boys kept looking back at me and laughing. I am not sure if it was the huffing and the puffing or the groans but they found it entertaining.

I have to say I HATE running. I don't "hit my stride" EVER! I am content to go back to using my jogging stroller for what I intended it to be for, WALKING! I may actually try it again but truth be told I will not enjoy it! So that is my day in a nutshell. Now the boys are in bed and I am off to look at pictures. The UPS man delivered my first installment of uploaded pictures! I am so excited!

No soup for you!

Yes, I am posting about making soup but not because I want to brag and seem all "Martha Stewart" like but because I enjoy a good laugh at myself from time to time. OK AND I want to brag because I MADE SOUP!!! My friend Heidi laughs at me because I tell her that soup intimidates me. I am not kidding. It just seems like a LOT of work. Today as I embarked on this journey I went in with an open mind and lots of vegetable to chop. One hour later (I'm not the best chopper and I tend to lose some blood when doing so, therefore, I thought it best that I go slowly) I was ready to START. Besides I had to wash, take off the skins (potatoes and carrots) and chop. Sheesh!

I should back up a bit and say that I decided to double it because that's what Kate does. Who is Kate???? You know my girl, Kate Gosselin (Jon & Kate Plus 8)! Well, she takes a day and makes LOTS of soup so I thought "I can do that!" (Note: her soup involved boiling chicken carcasses and let's just say I will NEVER do that. I think maybe this is why she can be a little ...hmmm? what the word?... "high strung" I mean who does that?? OK I know a lot of people do this but let me re-iterate as for me and my house: NEVER!) Anyways when deciding to double I didn't think about the size of stock pot I would need. Let's just say that now I will be boiling 1/2 of the ingredients and then the other 1/2 which will probably add another 45 minutes. I figure when I am done I will have spent a day making 1 soup while I am pretty sure Miss Kate made enough for an army and has some left to freeze. Oh well live, learn and buy Progresso!

"Houston, we have a problem!" This is 1/2 of the ingredients.

Seriously I am excited to see how it turns out and I got bread bowls today at the grocery store which will make the soup even better. By the way, I actually DO make meals for my family almost nightly but prep work is scary for me! Just wanted to clear that up. Off to boil more soup!

Here is how it turned out.

Also in hindsight I now know why Kate made that much soup but when cooking for a family of four there is NO need to double it. I have enough left-over cheesy potato soup for 5 additional meals AT LEAST and I am not sure that throughout this winter I will want it that many more times! So I learned some things and now that it is all behind me (except for the blender that STILL has cheddar cheese stuck to it after soaking all night). I will make this once per year and that is only because Jared loves it. Part of the reason I am resistant to prep work, by the way, is because this is what my children are doing while I cook.

Big Boys!

Alex and Eli are doing so many things lately that make me realize that they are big boys. We retired their high chairs last week and they are now in booster seats. We had travel high chairs but I am still glad to see the bulky things go. I was not prepared however for them to be able to reach everything on the table during dinner. You definitely have to be a step ahead of these boys.



They also got cute new toothbrushes from Aunt Kim and they love them. They actually cry at night because they want to take the toothbrush to bed with them. Before this I was using the ones that you put on your own finger and brush with so I think the fact that after I brush their teeth they get to do it is thrilling for them.

Alex is still loving his big brother role and comforted Eli when he was having his diaper changed by bringing him an alligator this weekend. I mean what ailments aren't solved with a rubber alligator? :) Alex who's speech is a little behind chatty Eli has come a long way in the past week. He very clearly says "apple" and "I gonna get you!" I was really surprised by the phrase.


Eli has begun to state that the "S says SSSSSSS". He has decided, however, that he no longer wishes to stand and walk. He won't even try lately. I guess, he will pick it up again when the mood strikes.


They understand everything we say also. I made the huge mistake of saying the word "outside" before we bundled them up for the elements last week. This meant that Jared and I got them dressed for outside while listening to them wail into our ears. Oy!

Cousins, Cousins, Everywhere

O.K. I get, I get it! I now understand why when I casually mentioned, (alright, mentioned incessantly) that we should try and get a picture of all of the kids for Christmas, my two dear sisters, that have had children the longest, sighed loudly and did a slight eye roll. I am pretty sure no explanation for their response is necessary. Simply have a look at these pics.

The hilarity began when Olivia who weighs less, much less, than Eli insisted upon holding him. 2 seconds into this process she remarked "He is a BIG ONE!"

Here is one where you can actually see all of them (Colin, Jackson, Olivia, Bella, Eli, Celia, Alli, Alex). Hmm, whose kids were the worst? Definitely NOT mine, no way!

Sweet, Celia (the oldest cousin) was as determined as I was to get this picture. Alex seems to be saying "Oy vey! (in his best yiddish) Does Daddy know she is putting us through this???

I guess you could say "live and learn" but I find these pictures funny and would like to continue this tradition! :0 I know I am a glutton for punishment.

Share!!!!!

I utter these words more times a day than I care to recall. The ironic part is that I am pretty sure that my 17 month old sons don't have a clue what it means that is unless they think it means to pull harder and screech more loudly and maybe Mommy will choose you as the blessed one who gets to keep the toy based on your sheer determination and brute strength. They truly are not capable of the whole "last shall be first" mentality and who could blame them. I, on more days than I care to admit, don't get it either. But needless to say, again, this sharing issue fills my days. I have to admit that I understand their frustration. They lay down a toy for .01 seconds and it is no longer theirs for an undisclosed amount of time. I get so tired of wondering "who had it first?" that I often take whatever it is and put it away (so that they can find another toy to go to war over). Recently, I had to laugh at myself when I realized that I yanked a toy from Alex's hand in frustration and said "do NOT grab things out of your brother's hands!" Yeah, kind of like I just did when I grabbed it from you. I since have said "____, please give me the toy back, _____ was playing with it." Amazingly enough it has been working most of the time. Sometimes it isn't entirely effective but once I pry each, individual, chubby, little, finger from the stolen item I say thank you and it is still better than my aforementioned grabbing method. The verse that comes to mind is "Soft speech crushes strong opposition". I found this a couple of months ago when I realized that I didn't want to be a screechy, naggy, Mommy and that my sometimes shrill voice got on my own nerves. It also applied because toddlers are definitely the strongest opposition I have ever had to face.

*I have to add that Alex has begun to say "thank you" which is so sweet and adorable. Maybe there is hope yet :)


Things we refuse to share:

Don't try and come between a boy and his steed! Is a zebra even called a steed? and seriously Fisher Price who rides zebras? I always find myself saying "Go Eli, Ride 'Em Cowboy" and realizing umm...nope, it is still a zebra. (I am kidding, I get the whole imagination thing. I mean it's wearing tennis shoes). Anyways, Eli is extremely possessive of this thing!

The Little People School Bus! I am well aware of the fact that this seems to be a peaceful toy, however, don't be fooled. This causes some serious conflict in our house. I bought a fire engine at the same time but trust me it is inferior. I wish there was some way of knowing these things in advance but you can only live and learn in this crazy parenting world.

Let Me "Help" You Bubby!

The boys have started a new thing where they enjoy playing together in one of their cribs for a while after nap. Ummm...let me think extra minutes of confinement for my crazy toddlers.....Sounds Great to me! Here I believe Eli was schooling Alex on how to take off the teething bars. When we bought these Jared thought that they would take them right off but I assured them that they MUST have been toddler tested and couldn't come off too easily. Needless to say Daddy was right. Eli got his off the first night, I believe, and Alex didn't do it for the longest time until after this series of pictures thanks to his "helper" Eli.

Eli to Alex: See Alex, you just take it off and throw it to the floor like this".

"Great technique for a first timer, I think you've got it!"

"Yep, I think you are right this one is stuck".

"SEE aren't they fun you can use it as a phone or whatever you want". "My work here is done".

"Oh, I almost forgot and this is an important one, if Mommy looks annoyed just giver her one of your sweet faces."

"See works like a charm. Told ya!"

The Stage "They" Call Toddler Hood

Can't you see the gleem in his eyes?

Then there's Eli who has the innocent look down pat (kind of frightening) :)

I had an official toddler mom moment last week. I took the boys to the grocery store by myself which is not out of the ordinary because I only had to get a few things. I pushed the stroller and used some of my re-usable bags to stow the baby food in while shoving the rest of the things that I needed into the bottom of the stroller. As a side note: you can also pull a cart behind you while you push the stroller in front of you but if the store is crowded this approach is a bit daunting. Anyways, as I am loading the boys into the stroller in the parking lot Alex begins uncontrollably screaming kind of like the dinosaurs on Jurassic Park. You get the picture. I look at Eli who is laughing (he tends to think Alex crying is kind of funny) and notice that he has hairs in his hand. I try to console poor Alex who is quite shaken by his new found baldness (I may be exaggerating a bit but bear with me). As I am comforting Alex I am telling Eli "no, no that hurts bubby" and a lady starts peering at me from around her car. Yes, she thought I was "disciplining" Eli and he was the one screaming. Once I assured her that my children were safe in my keeping we headed into the store. I will not bore you with a ton of details but by the end of the shopping trip we left without Alex's binky that I had already picked up 3 times and washed off to give back to him. I had picked up their sandals no less than 1/2 a dozen time and naively kept putting them back on. Although, in my defense, it did take them some time to pry them back off and chuck them to the floor. The kicker was on the way out when Eli (I swear he is not normally a bully) realized that he could kick the back of his brother's seat and watch him fling forward and then after repeating this method several times his brother would do his aforementioned pterodactyl impression. I was literally sweating as I placed them back in the car and headed home. Score one for the twoddlers (I'm not sure what they call twin toddlers nowadays). I will do it again but I am now prepared for their evil toddler schemes.


One of the other things that made me aware of toddler hood was when Jared and I cleaned the kitchen Saturday. I swept under the high chairs and cleaned under the vinyl cover thing on the seat only to find a meals worth of puffs, cheerios and scary crumbs that I swear I could hear mocking me. Another one of their favorite games right now is the refrigerator scramble. It goes like this: Mommy opens the refrigerator, one of them quickly crawls in front of the door so that I cannot close it and tries to starts removing the condiments (this is just a distraction so that while I remove him they go in for the kill). So as I move him out of the way and close the....oh wait baby number two is now in front of the door I will just move him while stopping the other one with my foot and ... ahhh shut the door. The same thing goes for when they sneak into the bathroom, office, and our bedroom. Twin moms warn me that toddler hood is rough but I thought they were just being big downers. Now I am starting to think that they were just attempting to prepare me for this stage in the game. The beauty of it all is that they also do great new things like dance, and have fake conversations and squeal with laughter and explore their new little worlds. I definitely hold to my belief that NOTHING is as hard as the newborn stage but this toddler thing is no cake walk. So is our plight, it should make for interesting reading ;)