Twin Mischief

I am having so much fun checking out these pictures from about a year ago-when the "babies" were only 1 1/2 years old and getting into everything!  Now they are still getting into lots of stuff, but after a whole year, well, it's just not as cute I guess.  I don't find myself wanting to whip out the camera as much when I see stuff destroyed like this.  I now find myself wanting to cry, pray, sigh, etc.  Haha! 
Enjoy!  :-) 

Tearing up Patom's newspapers at Nanny's house. 

This drawer is now duct-taped shut!  It was too much of a problem and I was afraid someone was going to lose fingers with all the opening and shutting of it.  The t.v. cabinet also now has no doors, and lots of crayon graffiti.  We got it when we got married from Target, so it's really served it's purpose.  Oh, and the t.v. is as old as it looks!  It was a Christmas gift from my dad and step-mom one year when I was in college....back in the day!  Ha!  We keep saying we aren't getting a new one till it goes out.  Well, they must not make them like they used to....because it's hanging in there through LOTS of abuse from the kids.  One day everything that was supposed to be red was blue, everything that was supposed to be blue was red.  I know this because of Elmo.  Well, that problem corrected itself.  Then, the kids colored on it, and it sort of looked like a crack.  Dustin came home and with a hint of hope in his voice said, "is the t.v. cracked?".  Nope, just colored on.  Cleaned right up!  Haha!  I'm just too green and too frugal to replace it for no good reason!  Sorry for such a long story about our t.v.  I don't guess we'll be getting a new one until the Smithsonian calls for this one!!!!!!  Now I'm cracking myself up.  Heheheheee...

This is the baby food cabinet!  Well, it is now a Tupperware cabinet...but it once held all the baby food, juice, etc.  Those are the child locks to the left of Emmy.  Do those things keep anyone other than parents out? 

Cooking.....I promise they do NOT get near the stove regularly....however, this was too cute of a shot to pass up.  They love to be in the kitchen and "help" me cook and when it is something they can help with, I try to let them.  We have had many lessons on how the stove is hot, so they never do this anymore.  Thank goodness! 

You are probably wondering if I just let the kids run wild-because there were even more pics I could have posted.  I must say, I do NOT let them run wild.  However, anytime the phone rings, or I try to do anything....like run to the potty, etc.  well....it's like a radar to them to "let the games begin"! 

Lately, it's been whenever I sit down to feed the baby.  Carson has taken to vacuuming lately, and I let him because I figure he's bound to pick up a crumb here or there....today I notice something shiny in the canister....it was a bracelet of mine.  :-)  No two days are the same here, that's for sure! 

Some days.....

Some days you're the sitter........some days you're the sittee.......  :-)  A lot of wrestling goes on in our house.  It's fun! 

The Stats

Mr. Henry Paul had his four month check up Friday-I can't believe he's that old already! 
He weighs in at 15 lb. 11.4 ounces and was 26 1/2 inches long (I'm pretty sure that's right....will correct it if not).  He was in the 75th percentile for everything.  He got 3 shots and 1 vaccine by mouth.  He didn't cry when he got his shots.  He just went "ahh" and that was it.  He is the sweetest, best baby, EVER!  He laughs out loud now, and it is darling.  The dr. said he could have cereal now, but I may wait another month or so...just because I think he's a bit young yet, the twins were 6 months before I gave them anything.  He's sleeping 9 hours at night, so he doesn't need it for that either.  Oh, and his hair is turning blonde.  It's precious, I have a dark haired boy and a blondie...I love my boys!  :-)  There's nothing like the love a little boy has for his momma. 

Dance

Dance is back in full swing already.  The four weeks off flew by!  Emilynn had class Tuesday night.  Morgan is not in her class afterall, because it filled up.  She is in the Wednesday class.  :-(  We are all a bit bummed about that, but maybe this fall they can get back together.  Emmy didn't have any of the girls from her previous class in this class.  She is the biggest one in there, and the second oldest.  Well, one girl is her size too.  They were the only two that didn't cry the whole class!  The other kids were babies in there, at least they looked SO small to me!  Emilynn marched right in to class and her teacher let her be the "helper" since she had experience, which I think she just ate up.  I assured the other moms the tears would pass.  They were amazed at Emmy going right in, just as I remember being that way when she started.  I did all the same things, asking the teacher after class how they did, listening at the door to see if I could tell if it was my child crying, etc. etc.  The moms were nice, it will just take some getting to know the new ones.  I miss my old group because we were close!  A lot of kids don't take for summer, so some may actually be back for fall.  Plus, Emmy may move up a class for fall, so there are a lot of unknowns.  I did see one mom from last class there because she teaches, which was nice.  We are going to get some of the girls together for a playdate soon anyway, so they will be reunited. 

It should be interesting what the summer class brings.  I also picked up Emilynn's recital video, so I am anxious to watch that.  Class is at 5 right now, 15 min earlier than before.  It  was hard getting there on time before, so today was even more challenging.  I met Dustin at the end of the driveway and handed Carson out the window.  We got there right at 5.  Busy, busy!  Emilynn was so happy to be back at dance, she hugged her teacher.  I know she had missed her.  I'm glad she's back into the routine of it! 

Playdate

I am going to shoot for posting daily, we'll see how it goes!  The blog has become my journal for the kiddos, so we'll know what all we are doing and their milestones as they grow.  I plan to get it printed periodically so that I'll always have it for them. 

Today we had a playdate with my cousin Kristen's children, Morgan and Dylan.  Morgan is 11 weeks younger than the twins, Dylan turned 1 in March.  The children all played really well together and had a lot of fun.  I have to say, I had a lot of fun too.  Kristen and I shared some laughs and compared notes!  It's really nice to talk to another mom who's "in the trenches" with you, with lots of little ones underfoot.  To be honest, it was nice to have someone to keep me company because a lot of days are long and you don't always talk to any adults!  It is reassuring to have it validated that everyone with lots of small children has a messy house, no time to cook, etc. etc.  I find that I am really hard on myself lots of times about this stuff, when I need to cut myself some slack.  My children don't like to nap anymore, but there are too small and curious to let me get things done while they just play.  It's hard because I only really can clean and do basic things like laundry and dishes when they are asleep, i.e. after 9 pm.  By 9 pm, I'm exhausted.  Like tonight, clothes got done, dishes are still piled up.  What do you do?  Tonight my feet hurt so I decided to get off of them.  That means tomorrow, I'm still behind.  I always have things that go undone, and I'm learning to try to have peace with that and to just let some things go completely.  I am also experimenting with some freezer cooking, so I can be ahead on that front. 

Anyway, I've gotten off track, but my point is, it was nice to have someone to share the struggles with and get ideas from each other.  I truly don't know how anyone works with children-I'm amazed.  I really am.  I could NOT, because I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water as it is.  However, these times are flying by-so I need to worry about the house less, enjoying the kiddos more. 

As for the playdate- I think we'll do them at  LEAST every other week.  Every week would be nice, but we do live about 45 minutes from each other, so we'll see.  Next time, we'll go to her house.  My favorite time of the day was seeing all four of the little ones around the kitchen table eating lunch together, it was so sweet.  Henry was the only one not eating at the table.  They are all about the same size and it was so cute.  Oh, and Dylan is just a teddy bear.  He kept wanting me to hold him, and even wriggled away from his mom so I could hold him.  That just melted my heart.  :-)  I wanted to keep him, but they wouldn't let me!  Haha! 

I hope to let Hunter join us some too, so all the cousins will be together. 

I also hope to have a little tea party with the kids, Emilynn and Hunter had one (well sort of) last week when she went to play with Hunter.  It gave me the idea to make them little cakes and give them tea to have a "real" tea party.  :-)  We'll see how that goes. 

We have some fun summer things planned for the kids, we'll see how much gets done! 

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems!

My mind is on the beach this week, and I really don't know why because we aren't going to the beach this year, but our family is planning a big beach trip next year-like my WHOLE entire extended family.....so I guess that's what's on my brain.  I really, really hope it works out because we are hoping to stay at a house that's on the 4 x 4 beach, so we will be fairly secluded and can walk right out the door to the ocean, or into the pool.  We'll see if it comes to fruition.  Until then, I still don't have my cable to hook the camera to the computer...I'm such a slacker, I know.  I decided to have a "blast from the past" and put a pic of the twins at 9 months old at the beach, a fun trip!  I LOVE that picture of them, and it's a touch more summery than the Christmas one, don't you think? 

Here are a couple more of my favorites from that summer-just to get you in a beachy mood.  We went twice that summer, when the twins were 6 months and 9 months old..what were we thinking, right?  We were probably thinking-let's go before they get mobile!  Hahaha!  Enjoy and more posts to come-I promise.  It has been brought to my attention that some people want updates daily (I will do better Granny Shirley! :-) 

Carson's First time feeling the ocean- look at those short, chubby legs would you! 

My Sister Amanda and nephew Hunter....enjoying a peach on the beach. 

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean-isn't that beautiful?  I hopped right back into bed after taking this pic!  :-)  My mom woke me up for it, and it was breathtaking! 

I was thrilled last night when I made my freezer meal, chicken, rice, broccoli casserole.  I went ahead and cooked 6 lbs of chicken breasts and from that I got- 4 casseroles, 3 containers of chicken broth (I never buy broth anymore), 2 containers of chicken for Dustin's lunch (sandwiches), and plenty of extra chicken for chicken quesadillas.  I love when an hours work makes so much stuff that makes my life easier later on!  :-)  Sometimes I feel like I spend more time feeding my family than anything else.  And I love it.  I really, really love taking care of my family, and that seems to start in the kitchen.  Everyone looks to me when they start getting hungry, even Dustin.  I plan our meals out so I won't be unprepared when all those eyes turn my way at breakfast, noon, and dinner time!  On days when Dustin is off, we have a nicer lunch as well as dinner.  We might do quesadillas for lunch, or pasta, or soup and sandwiches, or a big salad with chicken on top.  If it's just me and the kids during the day, we just do sandwiches for lunch, or something really simple like fruits and veggies, and cheese, or soup.  The kids really like a wide variety of foods now, and I am so thankful for that.  Pickles are very popular at our house right now ( I buy them by the gallon at Sam's!), as well as raisins, cranberries, mandarin oranges, cheese, fruit leather, cereal bars, soups of any kind, pineapple, and tons of other stuff I'm forgetting off hand.  Grocery shopping for our group is interesting because I go once a month.  In between I do stop by a store every now and then for bananas or other items we may run out of.  I get lots of strange looks at times when I'm shopping, but that's the great thing about being in your 30s.  You really don't care how people look at you!  I've been asked at sam's if I'm going on vacation.   Umm...no.  Do people really buy a ton of food to go on vacation?  I guess some do.  I never do, I just get it when I get there, but whatever floats your boat, right?  At Target a man says, "You must have a really big family."  Instead of trying to explain my once a month shopping, living 45 min away, etc. etc. I just smile and say "Yes, I do."  I guess people wonder what the crazy woman loading all the cases of diapers on her cart is doing.  Anyway, it seems a lot of my time is spent in the kitchen and preparing, planning, shopping, etc. for my crew.  I really love taking care of them by keeping their bellies full.  I have to say, I may have to take a moving truck on my monthly shopping excursion as they continue to grow.  The kids can EAT! 

VBS Week

This week is all about VBS at our house.  The children are enjoying it, even Carson.  He does cry when I drop him at his classroom, but then he's okay and keeps saying he wants to go back the next night (we've had two nights so far).  Emilynn is in a class with 3-4 year olds, and she's doing good with that.  Carson's in a nursery class with another little boy (it's only for workers, which I'm not technically working it, but they wanted them to come anyway, and tonight they decided to try Emmy in the older class because she's really ready for it).  He seems to be doing well with the one on one attention.  It has been fun so far.  They kids are really getting more into understanding about Jesus and God.  They love "Baby Jesus" in our nativity set and think every Willow Tree Angel is "Baby Jesus".  It's cute.  They also say the blessing each night.  Carson says "Bless our food, Amen."  It's so sweet!  Emilynn sings along with me in the car when we play contemporary Christian music.  Her favorite is "How Great is our God".  She really can sing that well.  I'm excited that they are eager learners and able to learn about God.  This year's theme is Aviation-I think it's called God's Amazing Wonders.  The first night we had a fly-over by a plane, which the kids all thought was awesome.  The church really does it up for VBS-as it's our biggest outreach event of the year.  I'm glad the children are getting to be a part of such a fun time! 
What else is going on with us?  Not much, just hanging out and recovering from Relay For Life, enjoying VBS, and looking forward to Nicole & Eric's wedding next month.  This weekend we are doing a fundraiser for my uncle who has a brain tumor.  Our Sunday School class/Bible study ladies group is putting it on, and I hope it is a huge success.  We are throwing it together this week, but I think it will be great and hopefully raise a lot of money for medical bills.  Our group is the "SIS" group- which stands for "sisters in service" and is also because most of the ladies in our group are groups of sisters.  It's an awesome group that I LOVE being a part of. 
I've gotten the kids to Sunday School the past two weeks, which is a good start to making it a habit.  We are good about getting to church, but had been slack about Sunday School.  Now that the twins are a bit older, I wanted them to start going regularly. 
Well, I'm off here to finish some cooking I'm doing....I've been dabbing in freezer cooking, because, well, it's hard to cook a full meal each night with the three little ones.  I have adapted our menu to things that are fast to cook, or that cook themselves in the crockpot, or that I can cook with a child on my hip, like quesadillas which just basically melt...no real heat involved.  So tonight I'm making chicken broccoli rice casseroles.  We'll see how they turn out! 

Kids Say the Darndest Things....

I never know what the kids are going to say.  They amaze me with the things they come up with, especially Emilynn.  We were heading somewhere the other day and we passed the turn for my grandparent's house and she says "Nanny, that's my grandma".  I don't know where she hears this stuff. 

Carson's been going around all week saying "pig strips" a.k.a. bacon.  Dustin's gotten him saying "pig strips" because they were eating bacon the other day. 

Emilynn lost a necklace in the fountain at my dad's house and she says "It MUST be somewhere."  She's such a drama queen sometimes! 

Carson and Emmy both LOVE the Fresh Beat Band.  Carson calls them "Fesh beat".  It's cute....he got so excited at the dr.'s office when it came on and kept telling the receptionist- "fesh beat". 

It almost makes me sad when they learn how to pronounce something properly, I love the little cute ways they say things.  Like "von mower" for lawn mower (Carson).  Of course he can say "John Deere Gator" just fine!  :-) 

Emilynn will tell me she wants "stoup" for lunch, and she loves going to "stofball games".  She will tell you she loves them.  Anyone's house we say we are going to now, she always says, "I love Hunter's house, I love Meme's house, I love Abbey's house".  It's cute. 

Anyway, the things they say are so adorable.  I know I've already forgotten some of the cute things. 
I will have to do better keeping up with them by writing them down!!!! 

It Takes a Village...

I've realized lately more than ever that it really does take a village to raise a child, or three children.  We had Relay For Life last Saturday, and Henry was with me there from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm, and I found that I barely held him the whole day.  All of my sisters, his grandmas, friends, church family, etc. ended up passing him around and loving on him.  So much so that his face was chapped from rubbing on people's shoulders!  At church Sunday, the sweetest lady wanted to hold him and held him through about 1/2 the service.  There's just nothing like a grandma's shoulder to snuggle up on!  :-) 
Tonight I went to a t-ball game with Emmy, Carson stayed home with Dustin because he fell asleep in his highchair, and Henry went to my grandma's house.  It really used to bother me that I couldn't take all 3 and have handle them all the time.  Now, I've realized that no one could handle 2 2 1/2 year olds and a baby by themselves for very long or without assistance at some point or another.  I've learned to ask for help.  That is hard.  My children have taught me so much, and patience and asking for help are at the top of the list for sure! 
As far as Relay For Life goes, it was awesome as usual.  My survivors' brunch went really well and I hope they felt pampered and loved.  I was exhausted afterwards, but we did manage to get everyone to church Sunday (and Sunday School!).  I took all 3 children to Sunday School by myself, then Dustin met us for church.  I love when we go as a family, it's so nice.  Then I took a 3 hour nap Sunday!  That was amazing!  :-) 
This week we've been trying to take is a bit slower and just enjoy the week.  We've stayed at home a lot, taken in some ball games, and tried to get the house back in order.  Carson spent today helping Papa and his big cousin Hunter (we have 2 Hunters) get up hay.  He came home totally exhausted, totally happy, and dirty, so I know he did some real work.  :-)  He loves going and always dresses the part in overalls, a John Deere cap, "cow" boots (cowboy boots).  So cute!  He's growing up on me.  Emilynn has always seemed grown up, but Carson's always been my baby.  Now he looks so much like a big boy.  I guess Henry will be helping with the hay before I know it!  I love that they are experiencing some farm life.  I know it's just a very small scale farm, but it's nice they can do it just the same.  I want them to have a good work ethic and I like that they can spend so much time outdoors, with their grandpa and great-uncles, and lots of other family nearby.  You never know when someone's gonna stop by and join us for lunch or dinner, it's just a nice, slow-paced way to live most days, centered around family.