6 things that make me happy :)

I was tagged by Emily to post about 6 things that make me happy. It is my first tag, believe it or not so I thought I'd give it a go.

1. My boys: Jared, Alex and Eli

2. Fall! I cannot wait. I posted all that I love about fall HERE last year.

3. Coffee! French roast, strong, FF 1/2 & 1/2 and sugar. Not that I am picky about it or anything. ;)

4. Peanut butter and chocolate. What a combo!

5. Editing my pics at flickr and then blogging them. It is a great tool although it makes the pics much larger. Thanks for that tip Laura!

6. Napping children. Ahhhh, the silence, the sweet, sweet, silence!

I am supposed to tag 6 people to play along but I REALLY need to go do a workout of some sort so if anyone wants to play along please feel free and don't forget to let me know in the comments so that I can come and see what makes you happy. :)

Keepin' it Real!

WHAT A DAY I HAVE HAD! It all started when my inner alarm (that I HATE LATELY) woke me up at 4:45 A stinkin' M. I made the best of it and after being up for an hour or so I felt drowsy enough to fall back to sleep for a while. I woke with a start at 8am on a morning that I had an appointment at 9:15. No big deal we all get out the door pretty quickly so I am not stressed. We get ready and I go to find my keys and realize that they are locked in the car because Jared drove us to the store on Tuesday but I locked the front door meaning that I threw my keys in the car and they got locked in. GREAT!!!

Jared started meetings today at school and after a couple of tries I was unable to reach him. THANKFULLY I have AAA and I called and took advantage of the free unlocking the keys from the car service (contrary to the sound that is not the official term). I called the office where my appointment was and left a message that we would be late because it was 8:40 and my keys were locked safely in my car. The toe truck pulls up not 5 minutes later, yay and we make it to our appointment 5 minutes early. Wooohoooo!

From there we hit the bank, said "Hi!" to Jared at school in between his meetings and headed to the library and THEN the grocery store. The library went well although they struggled a bit during check-out because they had to stay on the rug. They did, however, do MUCH better than in the past. I actually felt like we were getting somewhere in that department. Feeling cocky we headed to the grocery store where I needed a couple of things.

I had noticed last time I was there that they had small shopping carts for children to push and I thought then that next time I had 1 child I would give it a whirl BUT today I threw caution to the wind and let them both do it. IT WAS ADORABLE! They did great and the store wasn't crowded so I let them walk all around the place for an extra 20 minutes or so. I didn't anticipate check-out until about 1/2 through the euphoric experience. I then sort of dreaded it. Especially when I tried to get them to head in the direction of the front of the store and they immediately became defiant. I handled it calmly and we slowly headed up to the front of the store.

This is when things got a little dicey. An elderly lady approached the check out at about the same time and although she motioned for me to go ahead I assured her that she should go first. In my mind I was thinking: "Run for you life lady, get out while you can!!!" While she checked out I had the boys get in line and already they were ticked. TICKED! Eli whined a bit but relented when he realized he could play with candy packages in the aisle and Mommy wasn't objecting. Alex on the other hand was POSTAL! I told him to settle down and eventually after a scene he relented. An old couple behind me started eyeballing me and my children and I was sweating at this point. The sweet check out lady was sympathising with the boys and gave them stickers. I am guessing she has grandbabies because she understood that a 2 year old having to give up something as cool as a cart with groceries in it was a BIG deal. I was feeling a bit of stress relief as she was being so kind. AND THEN it was time to switch cashiers. OY!

The new cashier was a 20 something year old man and he seemed a bit annoyed with my crying (although now calmly, due to the sticker) Alex. The little carts had signs on them that said you had to leave them in the store so I began the prying from fingers while my things were being scanned and bagged. It was at this point that the couple behind me and the cashier began discussing how when they were kids you NEVER acted like that because you knew what you had coming at home. UMMMM EXCUSE me but they are TWO they aren't 10 and having a meltdown because I won't buy them a video game. Come on people. Welcome to 2009. I was agitated that they felt free to have this discussion while standing 12 inches from me rather than gossip about me after I had gone but at the same time I was determined not to react. Whatever. I know it is difficult to understand two year olds unless you currently have them, and even then, I will be honest I am at a loss 1/2 he time. ;)

On the way out I asked the boys to be BIG HELPERS ,(one of their favorite things right now) and hold my flowers for me and carry them to the car. This was the perfect distraction and we got to the car unscathed. Can you anticipate what is coming next???? I had to take back the flowers unless I wanted to have headless, crushed flowers. Battle number 38 for the day began and we headed home.

I know what I did. I oversheduled our morning. I let them push carts around instead of getting them home for lunch. It happens. I am human. They are two years old. It was just one of those days.

We came home and I gave them lunch (which they didn't touch) and began to make my cupcakes for girl's-night-in tonight. They put the baking cups in the pan and had a blast doing it. Eli was making Alex and I laugh out loud each time Alex tried to take one of "his" baking cups by saying "MY cup of cake, MY cup of cake, MY cup of cake". So funny. While putting in the 2nd batch they got a hold of my vase of flowers and I decided "helping time" was over. It was a LONG day. They weren't happy about nap even after two books but as I closed their bedroom door I heard their version of supercalifragilisticexbealidocious (have fun on that one spell checker ;D) and well, I am pretty sure you can't be irritated with a child singing that song. :) At least I can't!

Such Creative Minds!

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Playschool didn't have THIS in mind when making this toy. Yes, that is a corn on the cob shoved in there for good measure. This is what happens when you can't find a single ball that the toy came with.

I didn't find the rest of Eli's cob when I cleaned up after dinner but I naively figured that he'd thrown it into the trash UNTIL I cleaned their rooms before bed. Surprise Mommy!!!!

Alert: Mommy to twins did not get her usual "break" during nap time.

I cannot be held responsible for this making sense. I have battled twin two year olds all day and they are the victors!

First and foremost disregard my entire last post. I am in no nap HELL! They didn't stay in their beds for nap. They didn't even stay in their rooms for that matter. I stayed near their bedroom door and kept it slightly open so that I could spy on their behavior. They took this as an exit sign and scurried out one after the other. I will admit that part of me thought their antics were pretty funny but the, I just ran around all morning part, was tired and in need of time away from my sweet children.

My next step was to stay in the room with them as suggested by Nanny 911 and put them back in bed when they got out. I cannot put into words how thrilling it is to put your children back into bed a million times in under two hours. It is annoying and exhausting and honestly I finally gave up. I know, this was not a proud moment but I left the room and figured it was baby proof "have at it, boys". I opened the door 15 minutes later to find a pop-up book ripped into approximately 50 pieces, both window shades open and two boys standing on the train table handing me the book that was, in their words, broke. I found this a bit funny because it seemed to imply that they had simply found it that way.

I was tired, frustrated and done. I plopped them on the couch and reached for the Barney DVD, popped it into the DVD player and it froze. Yep, it wouldn't come back out and it wouldn't play. At this point I wanted to quit the whole Mommy gig. I was over it. I found a PBS show they like. Thank goodness we have PBS. I called my sister and I cried. I e-mailed two other twin mommy bloggers and desperately sought their insight. I told Jared all about it when he got home. Ultimately, I feel MUCH better.

Jared geared up for the battle tonight due to my fragile state ;) He told the boys, "It is bed time and you are NOT to get out of these beds. Go to sleep." We said our "goodnights" and "I love you's" and I headed for a much deserved shower. I came out and asked Jared how it was going and he hasn't heard a peep! NOT A PEEP! I have decided that it was due to my diligence ;) during nap time. Yep, I rock!!!

Ahh, the mind of a toddler!

I remember being in my 20's and wondering "what in the world are men thinking???" I have since had the joy of being married to a very no-nonsense, honest, man for the past 6 years so I am no longer pondering this question. I still don't always know what men are thinking but the question that consumes me now is "what are my 2 year olds THINKING?"

Example:

We go for a lovely bike ride this weekend and the boys continually want "down", which means out, of their bike trailer. Each time we stop, due to their whining, they ask "down?, down?, DOOOOOWWWWWNNNN!" We pressed on and were actually able to enjoy an hour long ride. By the end the boys settled down and seemed to enjoy the fresh air. The weird part is that once we got into the back yard and let them "down" Jared began to put the bike trailer away and GUESS what happened......they wanted to play IN the bike trailer. Seriously??? Like I said it is a mystery, those little minds.

Today after the library we headed out to look at the ducks, which are actually geese but whatever. We walked around the pond and there were fountains in the middle. Once the boys noticed them Alex began to cry "fountain, fountain" so I walked by them 3 times thinking that would make him happy. Oh, no. I am pretty sure he wanted me to strap them both on my back and swim them out to see the fountain. He was inconsolable.

So the love/dislike part of the terrible two's continues. It is such an entertaining age but man, it has it's challenges. Speaking of challenges, I am off to "shred" with Jillian.

Big Personalities!

My son's personalities are ever-changing. Alex's latest is that he calls people honey. Jared and I refer to one another this way and he must have picked it up. It is just funny to watch a 2 year old gesture with his hands and say "honey, come on" or "o.k. honey". Hysterical. I thought these pics show a little bit of what I am up against!

My son the 80's rocker. AKA finger painting gone BAD!

Eli insisting upon walking in Daddy's new shoes.

Quality time with their cousin. My sister kindly assumed responsibility for this one b/c Jackson is a repeat offender but I have a feeling only these three hooligans will know the truth.

Are we going to get in trouble for this?

Sorry, Mindy your swing may NEVER be the same.

Wow, it's only noon!

The boys had a fun filled morning this morning (kind of). It was meant to be fun filled anyways. It started with the usual: breakfast, breathing treatments and then I attempted the painting. As I said yesterday I planned on making the dinosaur but then I remembered that I need to get their party invitations out and I don't need many so I thought that I would have the boys make their own. Little did I know that they would HATE it. It is never the same as when you plan it in your mind, is it? They liked the painting with brushes part but hated dipping their hand in the paint and doing hand prints. It was actually comical as I tried to convince them "this is fun", "Isn't this fun?", "See, you put your hand in the paint, FUN!" I am still surprised. These are the same boys who later the same morning played in the back yard and got so filthy that they needed a bath immediately. Hmmm, toddlers they keep you guessing. Here are some pictures from the morning. We didn't finish the invitations but I hope to tomorrow with Daddy's help. Tomorrow they may absolutely LOVE it and be the next Jackson Pollock. Who knows?

Oh, were you talking to me when you kept repeating "don't put the paint in your hair"? This child has the innocent look down pat.

Pre-dipping hand in paint trauma

Post

Here is a funny picture from last night's girls night out. My sister brought her sweet new baby and this was her response to all the talking. So funny!

Girls night was a lot of fun, as usual. The boys weren't excited about Mommy leaving and I felt a little guilty until I got in the car and put on my own music and hit the open road (as open as it gets in the burbs)! Ahhhh, it was lovely!

Beloved Story Time

I decided to give the boys a little bit of independence today. It is story day at the library so I thought that I would leave the stroller behind and let them walk in "like big boys" with me. I should have abandoned this mission when the first thing Eli did when he got out of the car was sit down on the wet, muddy pavement. I, against better judgement, pressed on. He proceeded to fall again in another puddle and by the time we got into the library I was "that Mom" who doesn't clean her child's clothes EVER! It was bad. I tried to use a wipe to clean him up a bit but that was to no avail so I just decided to go with it. I loudly explained to my sister that he had fallen so that others would hear because due to the mud it looked like he also may have had some potty problems. The boys played nicely in the children's section and then we headed to the story time room. At this point I realized that I had a stinky child and had to go and deal with that. Once settled in for story time the boys decided that they would show mommy what she could do with her "independence". I should mention that typically Alex sits with me and we listen to the story and sing the songs while Eli stays in my vicinity but at the same time crawls under tables or whatever else may make him happy and somewhat quiet at that particular moment. NOT THIS WEEK. Alex had and "aha moment" and realized what his brother was doing looked like more fun so why sit here with this Mommy lady. They pulled books out of the story tellers basket, pulled the letter of the day off of the board, removed the felt shapes we were learning about from the felt board, insisted on coloring while she was telling stories (and threw a HUGE fit when I made him wait for everyone else). I was EXHAUSTED and, I gotta be honest, SWEATING. Eli was apparently in a coloring mood today because he colored long after all of the other kids were playing with all of the cool toys. I eventually had to shift my attention to Alex leaving Eli with Mindy (My sister who is about to give birth at any moment. I am pretty sure a sneeze would put her in labor at this point much less keeping Eli in check. ) so that I could defend Alex from a crazy 3 year old who didn't want to share his blocks. We survived and then it was time to check out books. I at this point could have left the books there and called it a day but we are working on colors and I found a couple of books about colors so again I "pressed on". Having the boys stand while I checked out books was interesting but getting each of them bundled and ready to go was another whole experience in itself. We made it out the doors and at this point I had to pick up Eli while holding Alex's hand and carrying my library bag and of course we lost a shoe. Thankfully, some kind woman noticed and gave it back to me, because I didn't even know I'd lost it. Alex collapsed into a fit in the car and Eli followed suit. Apparently playing in the parking lot was way more appealing than what I had planned for them.

They have been in bed for over an hour and I am just starting to be able to relax. One of the librarians commented on them not being in their stroller this week and how that is great because they are learning independence and the library is a pretty safe place to try it out. I agree and that was the point BUT next time I will use the stroller to get them in and THEN let them roam and be free. I believe this will be more safe and it will also help when it is time to bundle one because the other will be strapped in and not running around the joint. It was an experience! On a side note I also let them walk from the house to the car which went well and I will try and continue doing. This means that I no longer have to carry one out and leave them in the car while I grab the other one and lock the door. I did learn, however, that when given a choice of a carefully cleared and salted sidewalk or a snow pile, as a "way to get from here to there", toddlers choose the snow pile. DUH.

The funniest part of all of this is that in the past 2 days I have told 4 different people how much easier things have gotten and how spoiled I feel being able to get out with the boys. I still feel blessed that I can take them out from time to time this winter as opposed to their first "preemie" winter but I have to admit that toddlers bring with them a whole new kind of challenge. Just when you think you have got the "stay at home mom", "parenting toddlers" thing down they throw you for a loop. Ya gotta' love 'em!

This is what I found

The boys have been "sleeping" for the past 2 hours, or so I thought. Eli began to whine and I went in to check on him to find this.

He was pretty proud of himself. I carefully plan out their clothing in the morning to make sure they will be warm enough throughout the day. I am not sure why I bother because they strip out of their socks several times a day and now apparently their shirts and onesies. I am telling you this is getting interesting. Should I be scared??? :)

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.

Ramblings of a Toddler Mommy

On a scale of 1 to 10 how bad is it when you sit down to blog and have NO idea what it was you were going to blog about? Alex kind of through me for a loop this morning and my head is still a bit foggy. We had a great morning running errands. We did the recycling, grocery store for returns and purchases and returned bottles. I was feeling quite accomplished as I arrived home and settled Eli into his booster chair for lunch. One of my ongoing lessons about toddlers, however, is their complete and utter unpredictability. I picked Alex up to put into his booster seat and he was holding a book. I said "lets put the book down so we can eat lunch". BIG mistake, HUGE! He. completely. lost. it!! I mean he refused to eat and screamed loud enough to hurt my ear drums throughout most of lunch. At this point it becomes difficult b/c I am thinking "what is the big deal give him the book and he eats lunch and stops driving Eli and I crazy". It is a win-win...right? Well, yeah except for the fact that I would be giving into my toddlers demands which begins a slippery slope that I have no desire to be on much less careening down. One of my New Year's Resolutions was to be consistent with the boys and I didn't really want to blow it mid-January. So once I changed Alex he laid in bed and promptly fell asleep. Apparently he was pretty tired which brought out his horns. I should mention at this point that I did remember what I planned to blog and it had NOTHING to do with this story. :)

My "plan" was to blog pictures of the boys their first time in their high chairs and their last. Look how big you've grown boys! The bottom picture was just because I couldn't resist. They are six months old here.

Another Video

I guess I am in quite the blogging and video mood lately. Here is another fun one. Last week Chad, Missy and the kids came over and we got out the slide that is when Eli started being so careful going down and refused to let go for several seconds. We were cracking up. This is actually an improvement. Alex usually goes down like crazy but today he too decided that he was a bit nervous about it. Enjoy the video and if you have some more spare time hop over here,to Laura's Mommy Journal and enjoy another set of videos. They absolutely crack me up.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Monday night entertainment!

The boys always rock to music like Barney and Sesame Street, praise and worship, etc., so we thought it would be fun to put on a little something with a beat to it. If for some reason you thought that you were hearing a song referring to "Rehab" you are mistaken. Nope, not in my house, no way! :) Enjoy the fun!!! You will want to pause the music at the bottom of my page.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Little Li-Li's Update

We had our neurosurgery appointment today and I am SO pleased to say that it went really well. This (other than the lung issues, which are par for the preemie course) is our last major health hurdle in this preemie world. We are not discharged yet but won't that be a blessed day? The chief of neurosurgery indicates that he doesn't want to see Eli again until he is 2 and he believes that the fluid issue will be resolved by then, meaning NO SHUNT!!!! I am just so thrilled with this appointment. I headed home from the appointment totally light hearted and feeling great. Alex fell asleep (which usually happens if we are in the car for more than 10 minutes) and I sang along to some Jack Johnson in celebration. I looked back at Eli and he was bobbing his head and humming along with Mommy. It was definitely a moment when I stopped and thanked God for this gift. It is always a humbling experience to go to these appointments because you are in a waiting room with other families whose children have severe disabilities. You almost feel guilty that your children are running around and terrorizing the office because theirs are not and they never have. I know that God gives grace to those who need it in a way that I cannot comprehend but it is, again, truly humbling.

As I mentioned I did let the boys out of their stroller to play. I have never done this in a Dr.'s office, much less in a Dr.'s office when I have them by myself but it wasn't a busy waiting room and I figured it would be a new experience for them. Let's just say I was sweating like I had run a marathon (not that I would actually know what that feels like but just imagine with me). The boys did really well. I was impressed when another child came and tried to play with the toy Alex had because he didn't do his pterodactyl impression or hit anyone. I was starting to feel pretty cocky about my boys and their sweetness until...dum, dum, dum, dum,....they called Eli's name. He wasn't exactly thrilled to be put back into his stroller/prison after tasting sweet freedom. It resulted in a minor "flipper" impersonation and then we were on our way. All in all a good experience. I also like the fact that I feel like I got a decent workout.

Flashback Friday

Alex (Dec. 07/8 months old and Now/almost 18 months old)

Eli (Same month/Same age/completely different child :))

We tried on winter hats last week. This one didn't quite fasten under Eli's chin and allow him to breathe (minor detail, I know) but I am on a mission to find his (that was Alex's) from last year because I think it is bigger. When did my babies get so big??? They are such big boys that I forget sometimes that I have to watch their little hands while we are shopping. It is a regular occurrence right now that we don't realize how long their reach has become. Last night, for instance, we were at our pharmacy which is a little family owned place and I heard a crash. I look at my sweet, Eli boy only to discover that he had pulled a rack of candy over. I quickly crouched down and began to pick up several boxes of candy. Unfortunately, it was not regular old boxed candy it was silly, little, cutesy candy that comes in various sized tubes. Thankfully the employees took over and refused to let me continue to pick up each candy toy and put them in the proper box. The boys just watched us from the stroller as these funny adults "played" with the candy. You gotta love toddlers.

Thank You!

This "thank you" thing is going a bit far. I love that my boys have begun to say this and I am finding it funny to see how they are using this phrase. A couple of days ago in the bathtub, for instance, Alex ripped the tub plugger thing (I'm tired, and yes, I do know there is a real word for that thing. I just don't know what it is right now.) out of Eli's hand and kindly said "thank you" as if this somehow cancelled his grabby behavior. As you may have read in a previous post this is similar to what I do when one of them steals a toy from the other. Tonight, Eli heard the beep, beep, beep of the microwave signaling that his nightime bottle is ready. This would normally throw him into a mini-crying-frenzy because the putting in the vitamin/putting on the lid process is never fast enough for him but tonight he pulled up to the counter and just kept repeating "thank you, thank you, thank you". I guess he thought maybe Mommy would speed things up a bit if he was polite. I hope that they will always use their manners but I am not sure they have grasped yet that it isn't a magic word that gets them anything that they want :)

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!"

"Hewwoh"

This statement is heard all of the time in our house. The boys say this while holding anything and everything up to their ear. Usually it is our cell phones, ipod's, a shoe, a crayon, a diaper, you get the picture. Unfortunately in the backyard last week it was rabbit poo. Yes it was a proud moment as Eli lifted the said poo to his ear and announced "hewwoh". I looked at it thinking "why is their puppy food in our backyard?" at which point it hit me that we have a sweet little bunny that likes to hop around our backyard and it was not puppy food. Just thought I'd share the "fun".

May I Please Have More Fishies?

Rather than bother Mommy Alex decided to help himself to the fishy crackers.
How sweet of him :) I also must add that I just put the boys down for their nap and said "I love you" only to hear Eli echo back "wuh woo". I guess that makes the smushed into the carpet fishy crackers that I have to go clean up seem like no big deal. Motherhood is truly different from one instant to the next :)