The Path Less Traveled

Live and Learn, and Then Laugh it Off!

2012-01-29T14:17:00.000-08:00

Did you know that a 90-minute time share presentation actually takes 3.5 HOURS?! We got there right on time for our 12:30 appointment and didn't walk out of there until a little after 4pm. I know that we can't complain too much - we signed up for it afterall - but still! We knew we weren't going to sign on the dotted line (obviously!), but there was just no speeding this guy up. He was hellbent on taking every second of his allotted time, not to mention an extra hour on top of that. Add the wait time in the beginning and the time waiting afterwards just to be given our gifts and bam! there goes Saturday afternoon.

It wasn't all bad though... here were my highlights in reverse order:

3. Getting 4 free tickets to one of the remaining Stars games
2. A free 2 day stay at Great Wolf Lodge (the whole reason we signed up in the first place)
and by far the #1 highlight of the day...

1. Seeing a 2 year old pee in the demo toilet of the demo vacation home that said 'Do Not Use!!!' all over it. That might have made my whole day brighter : )

We certainly won't be signing up for any of these presentations any time soon, but we're excited about our time together (for free!) at the Great Wolf Lodge and we're extra glad that's it's all behind us now.

Growth Spurts

2012-01-23T11:59:00.000-08:00

Apparently we're all growing like weeds around here! Owen and Eli have catapulted into 4T clothes, Garrett has just jumped up into 2T and size 6 shoes (after only being in size 5s for a month!), and I have just entered the 'drastically underestimating how much clearance I need to fit my belly in tight spaces' phase. Am I wrong to get annoyed when people tell me that I don't even look pregnant? Seriously?! I've gained 20 pounds already and have to unbutton the top of my jeans just to sit down comfortably - do I always look like this!?

On top of all that, turning 31 has apparently made me grow in maturity as well! Just last week we wrote our will, I signed up for term life insurance and we planned out how to meet our financial goals for the whole year. All sorts of fun happening in the Fox household ; )

The Good, The Bad, and the Random

2012-01-19T06:51:00.000-08:00

THE GOOD

I'm 20 weeks into this pregnancy and still feeling great
Our ultrasound Monday showed a perfect, healthy baby boy - every organ is functioning as it should and he's measuring right on track
Garrett is learning his animals and their sounds and blows us out of the water with his new vocabulary
Owen and Eli are officially nighttime potty trained! No more diapers or pull-ups for them at all : )
Our 10 year anniversary trip is coming up in less than 3 weeks - Colorado here we come!

THE BAD

Owen and Eli had their first dentist appointment yesterday and both need fillings in their front two teeth. Apparently a sippy cup, while preventing spills, is not actually all that great of an invention.
Garrett has entered the 'super whiney stage' - he knows that he wants and moans, cries or throws an all-out fit when he doesn't get it. Awesome.
Garrett wakes up coughing almost every night at 3am. He doesn't cough at all during the day, but the clear runny nose and lack of fever are making me think that it might be allergies. Who gets allergies in the winter?!

THE RANDOM

I made roasted cauliflower for dinner last night and we all loved it. I've hated cauliflower since I was a kid, but gave it a shot because of a picture on Pinterest. So glad I did!
I'm still looking for good ideas for my living room mantle now that the holidays are over. One of my 2012 goals is to make the house feel like a home rather than a rental property.
Another goal is to get through the alphabet with Owen and Eli before the baby is born. We have 16 letters left and only 20 weeks to go in the pregnancy (though probably less if my last two pregnancies have has taught us anything!) Better start combining some letters!
I'm turning 31 in four days - I love a good excuse to eat cake : )

Big Steps, Big Year

2012-01-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

It feels a little cliche' to start blogging right after the start of a new year, even though one of my goals for the year is to keep better track of what's going on with our family, but today was a monumental day for me and I wanted to blog about it.

When Owen and Eli were 18 months old, I started Tot School with them and have been working with them for the last two years on all-things-preschool. For the last year, I've been thinking about the possibility of homeschooling and thought that I was going to go for it, at least for their preschool and kindergarten years. A good friend of mine homeschools her son and we had even talked about co-planning or co-teaching together. Then, 3 months ago, we found out that baby #4 is on the way, due in early June, and all of a sudden, sending the boys to preschool seemed like a decision that was forced on us for sanity's-sake, rather than because we had chosen to enroll them in school. I wasn't happy about it. I didn't feel ready to send them away for 2-3 days a week. I wasn't excited that someone else having so much influence over them. I just wasn't ready.

But we crossed the thresh hold and decided that we would send them to preschool in the fall. I called around and scheduled a few tours for this morning at the schools where our friends send their kids. After the first tour, I was still less than excited. It didn't seem to be the right fit for us, it didn't seem that organized, and there were some fatal flaws in the program that didn't sit well with me. THEN I toured Valley Ranch Baptist Church. I am in love with this school! I loved the program director, I loved curriculum, I loved the bright and airy classrooms, I even loved the supply closet full of manipulatives and craft activities. I went from reluctantly admitting that preschool would make our life easier to being genuinely excited to send them to school in the fall. This is a big step for me, and it will be for them. Our little boys are growing up!

Between now and then, Charlie and I are going to Steamboat Springs for our 10 year anniversary trip without the kids, our newest son will arrive in May or June, and we'll have all sorts of visitors after his birth to help us out. It's going to be a quick spring and a busy summer... lots to blog about! : )

Garrett - The BIG 0-1!!

2011-07-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Garrett,

You are like sunshine in our lives. You are always giggly and smiling and are such a joy to us. It's hard to believe that only one year ago you weren't in our family because it feels like you've been a part of us for much much longer than that. I can still remember the excitement and anticipation waiting for your arrival, and being instantly in love as soon as I saw your face. You are such an easy going little boy, always content to watch your brothers play and to be held by me and daddy. You eat anything in front of you, but are starting to strongly prefer table food to baby food. You're unofficially 23 pounds (which has got to be off the charts!) and are so squishy and cuddly. You have five teeth (3 top and 2 bottom) and are just starting to stand on your own and attempt to take a single step. We're trying to teach you how to go down the steps safely (rather than head first off the top step!). You love taking baths, clapping, seeing your brothers after you've woken up and putting toys in and out of bags and boxes. You're still taking two naps a day but you're down to only nursing once in the morning. We LOVE you and thank God for you every day. Happy Birthday baby boy!

Garrett - 11 Months

2011-07-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

This last month was an adventurous one for us. We went on two family vacations - one with Charlie's family and the other to family camp with nine other families from our Sunday school class. Both were so fun, but Garrett is at the height of his separation anxiety phase and just wanted to be held (by me only!) the whole time. We're still working on getting back into a routine at bed time and sleeping through the night again. It's taking longer than I would have hoped. Boo.

Other than messing up his schedule, Garrett had a great month. He travelled much better than I would have expected in the car, was really flexible on all the new foods he tried and didn't mind the heat and bugs of being outside so much either. He's eating almost all table food now and really prefers it to baby food. We started working with him on walking too, and he seems pretty comfortable cruising around with his push toy. For his unofficial weigh in this month, he tipped the scales at 23 pounds! Birthday plans are in the works for our little man's first birthday bash. We can't wait to celebrate his first year - and can't believe it's just about over!

Not Trying to Brag Here... BUT...

2011-07-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

I'm officially caught up with my scrapbooks through April of the current year. APRIL! As in, only 2 months ago! Clearly a lot has happened since the last time I posted pics of my finished pages (when Owen and Eli were only 8 months old!) so I thought I'd post some highlights. Enjoy... and be jealous ; )

Garrett - 10 Months

2011-05-31T08:13:00.000-07:00

Double digits, here we come! It's hard to believe my baby will be one in just two short months! It's hard to remember the differences between this month and last month, because it seems like Garrett has been doing things like climbing the stairs and waving for a long time - but I think those are new tricks this month. When he climbs the stairs, he turns around on the second step to wait for you to see him, then laughs and powers up to the first landing giggling. It's pretty cute, but boy is he fast!

He eats pretty much anything you put on his tray and will usually smack his right hand on the tray with his mouth wide open until you give him more. He's drinking water out of a cup like a champ - even the kinds of cups without handles. If you'd let him, Garrett would happily eat an entire container of puffs, but thankfully, he's not picky and will eat all sorts of fruits, veggies and meats too.

We're in the process of teaching Garrett how to go down the stairs safely - mostly because it's not that practical to gate the type of stairs we have. I really have to watch Owen and Eli though because they want to 'help him' come down the stairs too by pulling on his legs. Yikes!

At his 9 1/2 month appointment, Garrett weighed in at 20lb, 2 oz (50%) and was 29.5" long (80%). I can't tell yet if I'm happy that he's a lower percentile for his weight or if I'm sad that he's losing his baby chub. All that moving is good for calorie burning apparently!

Our little monkey loves being outside, playing in the pool, eating, climbing the stairs and following his brothers around. He's a super happy little guy!

No Title Would Suit This Post.

2011-05-27T19:50:00.001-07:00

I can't sleep. My heart is breaking for a family that I've never met who are saying goodbye to their son for the last time tonight. Maybe it's because his name is Owen. Maybe it's because Owen is a multiple too (a triplet). Maybe it's because he's not much younger than Garrett (6 months). Maybe it's because they found their otherwise completely healthy baby unresponsive in his crib. Maybe it's because it's just not fair. Regardless of the reason why, my heart is breaking over the loss of this little boy.

One of the things that Mel, Owen's mom, wrote that struck me the hardest was this:

'The thought that makes my gut wrench is thinking about when things go back to normal. When we are out in public … People are going to comment on my twins. I might punch them in the face. How do I not relive this every time someone says my kids are cute. Will I ever glow as a proud mom or always have to breath thru the pain?'

My throat tightens and tears flow freely just thinking of her reality. Knowing first hand the bond that multiples share and thinking of one of them suddenly being without the other just breaks my heart. Having to decide what your six month old will wear for his funeral - that's just unbearable.

While I pray for strength and endurance and a peace that surpasses understanding for Mel and her family, I also pray that I won't take a single day, a single minute, for granted with my own family. God has a plan, a perfect plan, for each of us. Even if He accomplishes his plan in a tiny boy after only six months, it's still a perfect plan. I hate it, but I believe it.

Take a minute and pray for strength for this family as Owen is going through his donor surgery right now and his tiny body is saving the lives of three other people. And as you're hugging your kids over the next days and weeks, pray for comfort and support for this grieving family.

http://bissingfamily.wordpress.com/

Garrett - 9 Months

2011-05-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

9 Months have come and gone and Garrett is still happily cruising through his first year. He's pulling up all the time and starting to walk along furniture too. I'm a lot more adventurous with table food with Garrett than I was for Owen and Eli and he's already tried biscuits, bagels, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, strawberries, grapes and cheese. He's a master with his sippy cup and is happiest when he's eating (anything!)

Garrett loves Owen and Eli and lights up every time he sees them. He follows them from room to room and keeps up as best he can.

He has his official 9 month well visit next week, but unofficially he's weighing in at 20.5 pounds! He's wearing 12 months clothes all the time and still sleeping 12 hours a night with two naps during the day. Garrett loves to be held and gives the sloppiest kisses. He gives raspberries on pretty much any exposed skin and thinks the sound is hilarious. I can't believe he's 3/4 of the way to 1 already!

Garrett - 8 Months

2011-04-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

8 Months already?! Good grief!

Garrett's moving and crawling must be helping him slim down just a bit because his unofficial weigh-in was still 20 pounds, the same as his 7 month weigh-in. It's hard to say that he's not growing though since he has already outgrown most of his 9 month clothes (mostly in length). He's back to eating rice and oatmeal and seems to be doing better with the rice this time around. We added sweet potatoes, pears and peas this month, yo baby yogurt, and a couple finger foods (toasted bagel, large slice of pear, and a tator tot for good measure : )

He cut his two bottom teeth this month and has already figured out how to use them - yikes! True to form, on his monthly birthday, he achieved more milestones. On his 6 month birthday he started crawling; today he pulled himself up to stand in his crib (#1 to-do: drop the mattress!) and figured out how to go from laying/crawling to sitting. He is fast when it comes to crawling and will generally heave himself across the room crying if I walk away.

Garrett is an amazing little boy and we love him to pieces!

Forget-Me-Nots v2.0

2011-03-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

Back in November I wrote the first installment of Forget Me Nots. The boys had just started talking more and saying some super cute things, and that has just continued, progressed and expanded 100 fold.

Here are some new ones:

** "Wot Ouch" - as in 'Wot Ouch, here I come!' Also used in this sentence by Owen 'OK Cars, wot ouch, Owen's comin' to peepee!'

** Improper use of the word 'be' - as in 'my feet be wet' 'my pants be wet' 'I be comin!'

** Flip Flops = fot bots

**Any time they are doing something exciting or new, they start yelling 'Wook a me, Wook a me!"

** When one wakes up before the other from a nap, which is pretty much every day, they will not talk above a whisper until the other one wakes up too. Not so much out of respect for the quiet, but because I think they really don't know how to act when the other one isn't around. Owen has actually stayed completely silent for over an hour just waiting for Eli to wake up!

** 'Inna' = I want to. 'Inna hugum' = I want to hug him (usually Garrett) 'Inna go getum' = I want to go get him (they've slept long enough already!)

** Almost anything that ends in 'er' gets translated into 'way.' Instead of 'shower,' they pronounce it 'showay' instead of 'tower' (like of blocks) it's 'toway'

** All colors are referred to in reference to the movie Cars. Anything red is 'red like red lightning' anything green is 'green like chick hicks.' They have started doing the same for orange (like Hot Rod), yellow (like Tex), blue (like blue chick or blue lightning) and black (like sheriff). When you ask what lollipop Eli wants, he says a red lightning lollipop.

** Red Lightning is still an indispensable item for Eli. He is basically never without him.

** Owen calls everything 'tiny tiny.' This is a big change from November when everything was 'reeeally big.' Owen calls all airplanes 'tiny tiny airplanes', the train tracks that he builds 'tiny tiny circles' and his ankle, just yesterday, was referred to as his 'tiny tiny knee.' That one was my favorite by far!

** They have a playlist of songs that they request every night at bedtime. The first is always We Three Kings, then Hark the Harold, then Angels We Have Heard on High. Silent Night, Twinkle Twinkle, ABCs, Jesus Loves Me, Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls. We need to branch out from Christmas carols! They can sing all of these songs almost in their entirety!

** On March 8th, Eli declared 'I wanna go pee,' took off his pants and diaper and never looked back. They are both doing great with the potty!!

There you have it, the second installment!

The Stars Have Apparently Aligned!

2011-03-11T11:19:00.001-08:00

[Disclaimer: The following post contains graphic language related to potty training. Stop reading if you don't want the details ; ) ]

A few weeks ago, while crying through my dinner, I decided to put off potty training until the summer. Eli was terrified of even sitting on the potty and Owen had more accidents than we have pairs of skivvies. I was spot cleaning our entire carpet while trying to nurse Garrett and keep my sanity. It just wasn't worth it. Afterall, they are only 2 1/2.

Somehow, miraculously, we are four days in to being completely potty trained. BOTH OF THEM! Eli woke up on Tuesday and said, "I wanna go potty." He took off his pjs, his diaper, sat on the potty and went. He's had maybe two accidents since then and has gone out twice with only skivvies on (including through the entire Ash Wednesday service at church!) As we were getting ready to leave, he kept saying "no diaper on, skivvies on." We went with it (terrified the whole time that he'd have an accident while with the nursery workers) but he stayed dry and made it all the way home dry! He has pooped for the last four days on the potty and all signs of trepidation are completely gone! Owen seemed pretty ready a few weeks ago, but all the accidents that he was having are now gone. I think the peer pressure to go together is really helping the situation go so smoothly.

They are wearing pull-ups for nap time and diapers at bedtime, but even this morning their diapers were significantly less wet. It's been like a light switch - Praise God! Maybe by the time our activities start back up after spring break next week I'll be fully confident in both of them leaving the house with only their skivvies on - and maybe 6-7 pairs in the diaper bag just in case : )

One more milestone just about under our belts!

(Owen left, Eli right)

Garrett - 7 Months

2011-03-02T06:14:00.001-08:00

We're on the back-nine towards 1 year already! Garrett's 7th month was pretty eventful; he can now sit unattended, crawl all over the house, and he perfected his feet-mouth coordination! He's up to four different foods: apples, squash, bananas and green beans, all with oatmeal, and loves trying to eat Cheerios and puffs. Still no teeth for our little man, but they have got to be coming any day now with the amount that he's drooling and chewing on everything. His new thing is to grab my face with both hands and suck on my cheek. It's disgusting, except it's so darn cute (a sentence only a mom would understand!) : ) His bedtime is routinely before 7pm and he sleeps until around 7am. We're getting him down to two naps a day, but sometimes he still needs that last catnap to get him to bedtime. He's eating two solid meals a day now, which helps him keep up his muscle man figure (or is that marshmellow man figure?!) Unofficial weight right now is 20 pounds. He started saying dadadada and will sing it every time he's at his most content. He still loves being held, but he's getting used to the exersaucer more and likes having free range of the house too - especially with access to all of the boys' toys (puzzle pieces, cars and the magna doodle pen are his current favs).

An Update on Sully - Please Pray!

2011-02-11T08:07:00.000-08:00

Sully was diagnosed on Wednesday with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a highly malignant and rare soft tissue cancer that occurs in childhood. Though they put in a chemo port during the biopsy on Monday, originally they didn't think chemo would be an effective treatment and that radiation would be their only option. After considering the pros and cons of radiation and chemo, Jason and Kristie has decided to go with chemotherapy, which is starting this morning. Radiation would have caused severe side effects and they would not have been able to leave the hospital, not to mention that he would not be able to function as a normal little boy ever again. Though the chemo is a less aggressive treatment option, he will be able to go home and live life as a little boy for as long as the Lord allows.

The plan is to do 2 full rounds of chemo treatments lasting a total of six weeks and then to rescan Sully to see if the tumors have shrunk (or at least not grown) from his initial diagnosis. PLEASE PRAY that the chemo will be effective in shrinking these tumors! Pray for peace for Jason and Kristie as they watch Sully go through these treatments. Pray for quality time for their family. Pray for minimal side effects for Sully as he goes through these treatments. Above all, pray that God will miraculously free Sully's body of this cancer!

For more updates and information, go to Sully's Caring Bridge site. www.caringbridge.org/visit/sullivankessler/journal

Thank you for joining with so many others in praying for the health of Sully.

Praying for Sullivan

2011-02-08T11:55:00.001-08:00

Sullivan Kessler is the two year old boy of Jason and Kristie. On Thursday they took him to the pediatrician because he was bumping into things and his pupils were dilated. They admitted him at Children's and found a mass in his nasal cavity that is pressing up against his optic nerve. When they brought him in, he wasn't seeing well, and not only a few days later, he has lost all vision. After more tests and scans, they found three more masses - in his trachea, his groin and his pancreas. He's on the oncology floor awaiting the results of the biopsy that they took yesterday of the mass in his nasal cavity. They put in a port for chemo while he was under anesthesia for the biopsy.

Please pray for a clear diagnosis for Sullivan; they should have the biopsy results tomorrow. Pray for healing and strength for him and his parents. Pray for wisdom for the doctors. Pray for comfort and a sense of peace for the family. Pray for a miracle.

Garrett - 6 Months

2011-01-31T17:47:00.000-08:00

This has been a big month for Garrett! He started out the month in the jumper, which he quickly figured out and loves. He started solids this month with rice, which didn't go great, so we switched to oatmeal. Oatmeal and apples are his current favorite (even though that's all he's had - ha!) and he devours it. He learned how to roll from his back to his belly this month and just today he started army crawling! Six months and he's already crawling! He generally shoots for the boys' puzzle pieces and Cars cars, but I'm sure things like the remotes and wires will soon trump the toys.

Four Month Weight: 16 lb 14 oz (90%)
Six Month Weight: 18 lb 13 oz (75%)

Four Month Height: 25.5" (70%)
Six Month Height: 28" (90%)

His head is 44.5cm (70%)... plenty of room for a big brain : )

Garrett - 5 Months

2010-12-31T14:46:00.000-08:00

Sheesh! Five months already!? In my biased opinion, Garrett gets cuter and cuter every day. He loves his jumper, grabbing and chewing on toys, being held and smiles all the time. He stopped sleeping through the night while we were travelling, partly because he was pretty conjested and partly because of the pack-n-play, but we're back on track now. By my measurements, he's already 18.5 pounds! Good grief, Owen and Eli were almost a year before they weighed that much! He's in 9 month clothes already too. Our chunky monkey is growing up so fast!

Garrett - 4 Months

2010-12-02T18:53:00.000-08:00

Four months have come and gone and Garrett is doing great! I took him to his four month well visit yesterday and was just shocked at his growth from only two months earlier. You know you have a chubby baby when the pediatrician refers to him as the Michelin Man!

Two Month Weight: 13 lb 4 oz (75%)
Four Month Weight: 16 lb 14 oz (90%)

Two Month Height: 23.5" (70%)
Four Month Height: 25.5" (75%)

He's laughing and cooing and smiling all the time. He's getting really close to rolling from his back to his belly, but doesn't really attempt to roll from him belly to his back. He actually hates being on his back. He's getting into the phase where his naps are only about an hour each, but he is still sleeping straight through the night, so I can't complain too much about his naps. Owen and Eli love his and will usually stop to pet him on the head and say 'cute baby' or 'BayGate nice' as they are running past him. We switched him to size 3 diapers to celebrate his four month birthday : )

World Premiere: Jonas Matthew Englert!

2010-11-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

The seventh cousin has arrived! Jonas Matthew Englert was born November 12, 2010 a little before 9am. He weighed in at 8 pounds on the nose and measured 21.5". We can't wait to meet this little guy over Christmas!!

Forget-Me-Nots

2010-11-10T06:04:00.000-08:00

These little boys voices are saying the cutest things these days! I'm sure this is just a glimpse of what's to come, especially when it comes to them talking to each other.

Right now, as of 26 months old, here are a couple of my favorites...

** Both boys always say 'I don't know' when you ask them where something is, who someone is or what something is. Eli says it 'I doot know I doot knowt'. No, the T isn't a typo!

** When Owen leaves the room, Eli will call after him 'wait Owie, come back!'

** They both call each other Owie. Eli has called Owen 'Owie Boy' too, just like we do. They also call each other 'Ya ya', which I think is their variation of Eli.

** Owen's new thing is to say 'Hey Ma' 'Hey Da' when he comes up to us, like he's starting a conversation. He has started adding 'Dat Uuu?' The funny thing is that it's when he can see us! I was sitting on the couch talking on the phone and he was eating lunch behind me and he said 'Hey Ma, Dat Uuu?' Last night at Chik-fil-A the cow was walking around and he kept saying 'Hey Cow, Dat Uuu?' We have a see-through fire place that looks into the playroom. The boys will crouch on either side of the fireplace and Owen will say 'Hey Owie, Dat Uuu?' to Eli!

** Every time Charlie leaves, the boys think he's on an airplane.

** When you tell Eli to come with you, he'll run to catch up saying 'okokokok' or he'll count to himself to starting running - '8, 9, gogogo!'

** Owen loves to sing the Clean Up song. He gets the tune spot on, but it sounds more like 'Kee Nup' when he sings it.

** When Eli wants to go outside, he'll say 'Ki a big ball? Bye wide?' saying that he wants to kick a big ball and ride his bike.

** When emphasizing that something is really big, Eli will drop his voice really low and say 'beeeg' almost like he's growling the word. I think that makes it sound bigger to him : )

** Eli's new thing is to claim that everything is his. He'll change the way his voice sounds when he say 'my' to make it more high pitched and squeaky. For example, 'no my seat' 'my bike'.

** Owen loves to help in the kitchen. Anytime I'm cooking anything, he drags a chair over to the counter, goes in the utensil drawer, pulls out measuring spoons and asks about the eggs - even if we don't need any eggs. At least 10 times while preparing anything, he'll ask for a taste.

** They like to say whose turn it is 'Owie tuwn' 'Yaya tuwn', especially if you're doing something with one that the other wants to do. They love getting neckrides and will often say 'Owie tuwn up high!'

Just a glimpse into their word-filled world right now!

Garrett - 3 Months

2010-11-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

Our little man is three months already! We won't have another 'formal' weigh in until next month, but by our measurement he's already about 15.5 pounds! We just moved him into the crib in his own room, which went great! He sleeps about 13 hours straight every night and is so happy and relaxed during the day. He loves to watch us and smiles every time he locks eyes with us. He started cooing this month and will 'repeat' a sound back to me. He loves to be held, snuggled and kissed, but I think he's past the point of falling asleep on us, other than when we're out and about and wearing him in the bjorn. I miss that stage already! The boys call him 'BayGate', which morphed out of 'Baby Get' when he was born. They ask about him any time he's not in the room and have started asking me to help them put his paci back in when he starts to cry. 'Hewp Mama, BayGate sad'. He's not sad very often, but they are very concerned when he is. We love love love this baby boy!

Garrett - 2 Months (a Little Late)

2010-10-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

Garrett Parker is growing and growing! We took him to the doctor for his 2 month well visit and he weighed in at 13lb 6oz (75%) and 23.5" (70%). His head was 40cm, which doubled from his birth! Is that normal?! He got three shots and an oral vaccine, but handled it like a champ and only cried for about 10 seconds. He is wearing all 3 month or 3-6 month clothes.

He sleeps on his belly all the time. I know that's not recommended, but he prefers it and sleeps way better that way. The bonus is that he doesn't mind tummy time at all and his head is perfectly shaped. The downside is that he pretty much hates being on his back - which means he isn't crazy about the swing, bouncy seat or his car seat. He has rolled over 3-4 times and is great at holding his head up. Around 6-7 weeks, I started putting Garrett to bed between 8:30-9pm just to see how he would do and he wasn't waking up until 4am! By now, he goes to bed (awake!) around 8:15-8:45 and sleeps until 7:30-8am!! He's a pretty great napper too. I think we'll transfer him to his own room sometime this month, but I like having him farther away from the boys room so he doesn't wake up when they do.

As of now he still has bright blue eyes and started smiling on purpose this month too. He is a momma's boy and loves to be held. I've had a lot of success wearing him in the bjorn when we go out, which keeps both hands free for the boys too.

I can't believe more than two months have already flown by! We love this little man more and more every day!

Paci Update

2010-10-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago we took away the boys 'night nights.' We decided that we weren't going to talk up the fact that they didn't get them anymore, we were just going to ignore the situation and pretend that nothing was different. I was amazed at how easily they still went to sleep! There was no crying, only a little bit of moaning/singing (by Owen) and they were both sleeping soundly soon enough.

Nap time yesterday was a different story. Horrible!! They were in their cribs for three hours and didn't sleep at all. Eli was hitting his head off the wall on purpose, Owen was laughing at him, they were using their mattresses as trampolines, they were yelling and laughing and not interested in sleeping at all. I went up to tuck them back in a couple times and each time, Owen would look at me with very sad eyes and whimper 'ni-night?' Then he made himself throw up. Awesome. I had to change his sheets and take his blanket away too. Try getting him to sleep after taking his paci and blanket! So around 4pm, I pulled them out of their beds and went on with the day.

Charlie was on his own for bedtime and put them in early... and they went right to sleep!! No crying and they slept from 7pm to 8am!

I wasn't expecting much out of nap time today, but after only 45 minutes they were both asleep! Only a little crying this time, but I didn't have to go in at all!

Hopefully tonight and tomorrow will continue to get better and better and we'll be trouble free by the weekend!

They Don't Even See It Coming...

2010-10-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

Big changes are about to happen for the Fox Boys. They have put up with all the moving and adjustments that go along with starting over four times in their lifetime. They have done remarkably well with the arrival of Baby Garrett. They have made our new house their home and are slowly becoming Texans... but these changes will be like a drop in the bucket compared to what's coming...

We're taking their pacis. Tonight.

I have been thinking about when to take them away for a little while now, but they only have them for naptime and bedtime and don't really even care about them during the rest of the day. They willingly give them up when they want to come out of their beds and haven't 'gone fishing' through their cribrails for them for months. Because they leave them in their cribs without my prompting, I haven't actually looked at their pacis for a long time. Today, I finally gave them a once-over and they are in BAD shape. We have four binkies left (I think at the max we had about 8) and all four have bite marks through the silicon on the top and bottom. One more hard bite and pull and they could bite the whole thing off. Talk about choking hazard! So this nap is their last time with their beloved night-nights.

We might be in for a long night... but it's time for these little boys to take the plunge and become big boys.

On... Off On... Off On...

2010-09-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

Do your toddlers have obsessive tendencies that drive you CrAzY?! Owen and Eli are just barely tall enough to reach the light switches, and they are incapable of leaving them in the 'off' position. There are 13 light switches on the first floor, and they turn them all on at least 20 times a day, if not 20 times an hour. It's almost pointless to turn them off, because the second they see me turn them off, they race over to turn them back on again. I know that they are two and that they love the cause-and-effect nature of light switches... but their college choices are seriously going to be numbered if we have to spend so much more money on electric bills! : )

Do your kids do certain things that drive you crazy? What do you do about it? I know this is just a phase, but in the moment of turning the switch off for the 50th time today, that's hard to remember!

And the Neurotic Fear Sets In...

2010-09-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

Anti-bacterial gel, check. Anti-bacterial soap, check, Lysol, check.

I remember thinking the day that Garrett was born that he would have a solid three months to grow and develop before the hell that is 'cold season' strikes the Fox Household. The boys have always gotten ridiculously sick every winter at a rate of at least once per month for 5-6 months. They need breathing treatments, Tylenol, stop sleeping well because they can't breathe and hack their disgusting germs all over everything. So imagine my dismay when Owen woke up from his nap yesterday wheezing, coughing and struggling to take a breath. He had the terrified look in his eyes that any two year old would have when they are suddenly unable to breathe and he was difficult to calm down. Charlie was awake with him from almost 10pm to almost 3am just trying to open his airways and get him to relax. Steam shower running, Albuterol given, Pulmicort given, water given, Motrin given, temperature taken... it was a long night.

So now, with Garrett being only five weeks old, the game begins to feebly attempt to ward off any germs that would land him in the hospital with a fever and a spinal tap. We're trying to keep the boys away from him as much as possible, but we're treading water in many ways. Thankfully the heat has broken and the boys can play outside for longer stretches of time without the risk of heat exhaustion, but I still find myself neurotically washing my hands, spraying the railings, light switches and remotes with Lysol and covering Garrett's face while I'm nursing him.

Please join me in praying for Garrett's current healthy state to continue and that the future health of his lungs won't be compromised. Pray for Owen for a quick recovery and pray that Eli can somehow miraculously avoid catching the virus. Thankfully my mom arrived from Pittsburgh today for the week, but Charlie is travelling Wednesday through Friday and it'll be tough to avoid getting covered in germs if I'm on Owen patrol and nursing patrol during the night. I wasn't expecting to have to deal with this so soon... so I'd appreciate a little prayer for my sanity and composure too : )

Difficult, But Doable

2010-09-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

I remember this post from the October after the boys were born. It was my first trip out alone with the boys and I went to a MOPS meeting - maybe the easiest place you can go for an outing with babies! At that time, they were just under two months old, still pretty much sleeping all the time and fully contained in their car seats at all times. And I thought that was challenging!

Yesterday was my first attempt at taking all three kids out by myself - and it was a total success!! I met my friend Janice and her kids at the mall for walking and dinner and was feeling a little nervous going into the outing. I preplanned as much as I could, thinking through the order of operations for loading and unloading and strategically packing the diaper bag with several emergency items. We pulled into the parking spot and I set up the (huge and heavy) double jogging stroller and loaded in the boys, who thankfully didn't give me a hard time about getting buckled. With their new airplanes in hand, they were happy as can be. I loaded an awake Garrett into the Bjorn and headed into the mall. We walked a lap, let the kids play at the play area, walked another lap and ate dinner, all the while toting happy kids! Garrett had fallen asleep, the boys ate everything I packed for them for dinner and we headed back to the car. It was raining by the time we went outside, which woke up Garrett who started screaming... but we were on our way home and we were successful! My confidence was boosted in venturing out alone.

We all headed out again this morning to go to Preschool Playtime and succeeded again! Garrett slept the whole time in the car seat and the boys followed directions to hold onto the stroller as we walked across the parking lot into the gym. Awesome!

Almost two years ago, I thought it was tough to go somewhere with two contained babies. That, compared to taking one baby and two two year olds who have the potential to throw massive tantrums and only listen 50% of the time, was a piece of cake... but we're getting the hang of this!

In Only One Week...

2010-08-23T16:57:00.001-07:00

It's hard for me to think about the fact that in exactly one week from now, Owen and Eli will be two years old. Something about having two year olds makes me realize just how fast our time as parents is going and how little 'baby' is left in them. They are so independent these days, trying to say all kinds of new words, developing their rebellious streaks and looking more grown up every day.

Maybe it's because I know we'll be in this house for at least the next several years, but I find myself looking at them standing next to the stairs or the window and realizing that, before long, they are going to be much taller, older versions of the little men they are now. That brings tears to my eyes even now.

It seems like only months ago, not years, that we found out we would be parents of twins. I remember my pregnancy with them easily and almost laugh at my early, monthly blog posts that would end with 'We are x/12 of the way through our first year as parents of twins.' At that time we were in survival mode... now I feel like I'm clinging to the days when they rely on us and depend on us because I know that it won't last much longer. In hardly more than double the amount of time that has already passed we'll be sending our boys off to school, and from there, time flies.

It's weird to me that they aren't 'the babies' anymore. Having Garrett around makes me realize just how much changes in such a short amount of time. From the size of their heads, feet and diapers to the pitch of their cry, they change and grow everyday and turn more and more into little boys.

I'm so excited for the days when I can hear them talking about all the things that they are thinking about. I can't wait to hear them say 'I love you Mommy' for the first time or to draw their first picture of our family. But at the same time I will miss and treasure these days too.

Now that I've worked myself into an emotional tizzy thinking about this... it's time to think about something else.

Two year old twins... watch out!

Chunky Monkey

2010-08-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

I took Garrett to the doctor this morning for his first well visit since he left the hospital. He was born at 7lb 14oz and weighed in at 9lbs this morning. He's also already gained 1.5" in length and around his head! His due date was officially yesterday... I'm just glad that I didn't have to labor through and deliver Garrett at his current size! I know that the boys were born earlier and smaller than Garrett, so it's a silly comparison, but Eli didn't hit 9 pounds until he was almost 3 months old... not just shy of 3 weeks old!

Everything is looking great though! No thrush (thank heavens!), good reflexes, round and symmetrical head shape (Charlie will be glad to hear that one!) and they pulled off his cord which was hanging by a thread. Yay for being able to give him a real bath finally!

We're loving having a newborn around again and loving how much easier it is to only have one instead of two! He's sleeping for 5-6 hour spans of time at night and is (so far) extremely content during the day. Owen and Eli are getting much more adjusted to having him around, which means that he gets toys and pacis thrown at him and covered completely with blankets sometimes, but I think it's just their way of taking care of him. It's pretty adorable when they leave the room and say 'byebye mama byebye Get'. His next appointment is at two months - wonder how big he'll be by then!

"Canyou"

2010-08-07T12:01:00.001-07:00

Have you ever said two words together often enough that they start to sound like one word?

Lately, when I talk to Charlie, 'Can you' is my most common way to start a sentence... unfortunately. He has gone above and beyond this week - getting house projects done, taking care of vehicle registration, doing just about everything for the boys, preparing meals, grocery shopping - and yet I still ask him to do more. Can you get me a drink? Can you wipe off Owen's mouth? Can you take the binkies away from the boys? Can you switch the laundry? Can you hand me the phone? Can you change Garrett in the middle of the night? Can you play with the boys so they aren't climbing all over me and the baby? I could go on and on (and on).

He has been amazing through this past week and I'm already a little panicky at the thought of him returning to work for half days on Monday. We'll hold down the fort on our own, but we will surely miss having Daddy around - and not just because he answers all my 'canyou' questions with a smile on his face but because we all love having him around the house to spend the day with. We love you Charlie - thanks for everything you do for us!

Homecoming

2010-08-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

Resting with mommy at the hospital just before checkout, then resting in the carseat for the drive home, and finally, resting with daddy after the big arrival home. If you can't read it, his shirt says 'This is what handsome looks like.' I'd have to agree : )

World Premiere: Garrett Parker Fox

2010-08-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

At 9:08pm on July 31, 2010, Garrett Parker Fox made his entrance into the world, our family, and our hearts. There's nothing quite like putting a face to all the kicks and jabs from the last 37 weeks, and there's nothing like that moment when he arrives, pinks up and you hears his first cries. Here are some of our favorites of his first few moments...

As always, there are tons of (different) pictures on http://www.365fox.blogspot.com/ too!

He's here!!

2010-07-31T22:34:00.000-07:00

Garrett Parker Fox has officially joined the family! He arrived at 9:08pm, and at 7lbs 14 oz, is a full 3lbs 7oz HEAVIER than Eli was at birth. He has already nursed successfully, and Beth is doing well too.

More to come tomorrow!

Getting closer...

2010-07-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

This is Charlie filling in with a quick update. The doctor was just in and here's where we are: at last check, Beth was at 5cm dilated and 95% effaced. Contractions are becoming more regular, but things are relatively relaxed right now. Labor could come soon, and thankfully, it looks unlikely that pitocin will be required this time.

Still anticipating a July birthday at this point!

Moving Right Along...

2010-07-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

Came in around 11:30am, Initial Check: 1cm, 60%
1:30p: Already at 4cm, 90%

They were planning on giving me Pitocin, but I don't think they will at this point. Yay!

Let the Games Begin!

2010-07-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday morning. Charlie and I had a date night last night and went to an Italian place that we've both been wanting to try. We watched the fireworks over Grapevine Lake and then spent two hours hanging out with the friends who watched Owen and Eli so we could get out. The morning is going along as usual. Boys woke up right on time. We all ate breakfast. We played outside before it got too hot. I took a shower and shaved (Thank Goodness!). I whipped up a batch of banana bread and put it in the oven.

I was talking to my mom on the phone and was pretty positive that I 'popped my plug.' That never happened with the boys though, so I wasn't 100%. Then, about 30 minutes later, around 9:30am, I stood up to walk to the bathroom and my water broke! Definitely wasn't expecting that one! So all of a sudden, 'the rush' was on. I say that in quotes because it was almost comical how much we continued to do before heading to the hospital. I double checked my suitcase for the hospital and repacked the boys' suitcase for our friend's house. I called my family. I finished baking the banana bread! I called the doctor to let him know we were on our way and called Jackie to let her know we were bringing the boys over now! Charlie took a shower, cut his hair, watered the grass, packed a small bag for himself, shaved and loaded the car. We dropped off the boys and stopped at the store for smoothies and muffins since I knew I wouldn't be able to eat once we were at the hospital. I had one of the boys' diapers on this whole time so I wouldn't leak everywhere!

Since my water had never broken with the boys, I was pretty positive that that was what was going on, but Charlie had doubts. "So you really think this is going to happen today?" "Are you sure you're water broke?" The second we got to the hospital (around 11:30am) it was confirmed - membranes had ruptured, IVs were started, Penicillin was started for a positive Group B result and consent forms were signed.

Stay tuned... and let the games begin!!

All My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go...

2010-07-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

We had another L&D scare last night - contractions every 4-5 minutes, pain across the top of my belly and my lower back, lots of pressure under my belly - I thought this was it! I called the doctor and asked him what he thought and he said that, even though I am 37 weeks, that if my cervix wasn't changed/changing that he wouldn't help labor along. In fact, he said that he'd give me a shot of Treb if my cervix wasn't changing. No thanks! I stayed at home and the contractions stopped on their own sometime around 10pm. Guess it was for the best that we didn't drop the boys off for the night at a friend's house just to be sent home.

The good news is that this might have been the kick in the pants we needed to get ourselves ready. The suitcase is packed for me and the baby, and the bag is ready for the boys too. We put the carseat in the van and have the pack n play ready for an overnight stay or naptime for the boys. We still need a name though!

My to-do list is ridiculous - and it reflects the pinball nature of my brain right now. For example, on the part of my list that contains the things we need to buy, a random sampling includes face soap, more diapers, big brother t-shirts and a bird feeder for colorful birds. I'm adding more to the list than I'm crossing off!

The good news is that we're ready - the bad news is that we still have no idea how much longer it'll be!

19 Days and Counting

2010-07-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

My induction date is set for two days before my due date: August 16th. That's also the first day that my OB is back from vacation, so if I go into labor on my own, he won't be the one to deliver me. I'm not all that worried about that part though; I met the OB who delivered the boys on the day of delivery too. We have two emergency plans in place for what to do with the boys too: one friend is close to the hospital, the other is close to our house.

I think that most people assume that they are going to go into labor early, but for some reason, I've deluded myself into believing that I'll definitely last until my induction date. Maybe it's because I can hardly imagine having a third child in less than 19 days, or maybe it's because I still have enough to do that cutting down the number of days makes the end of this pregnancy even more daunting.

The line is very blurry in my mind on what needs to be done before the baby comes and what I want to get done before the baby comes.

Some of the NEEDS are obvious: choose a name, call the pedi so he knows a new baby is coming, pack for the hospital, write down the agenda for the boys for whoever is caring for them, install the car seat and move the boys to the back of the van... But some of the WANTS are still pretty important: plan the boys birthday party and get a few presents, organize and unpack a little more of the house, get wall decorations for the nursery...

I feel good these days, which is probably why I don't expect to go into labor any time soon, but I'm 37 weeks today and, let's be honest, any uterus that's held twins before is probably less likely to last until almost 40 weeks with subsequent pregnancies. We have got to get ready!

Other Than the Fact That I'm Painting a Nursery...

2010-07-23T05:23:00.000-07:00

I have to say that I feel less pregnant when I'm painting. Something about standing and focusing on something rather than sitting and/or trying to get up with a big belly in the way that makes me feel more like a person and less like a human incubator.

This nursery is more than just a room with new paint on the walls though. For the last two years, Charlie and I have been moving around the country, living in rental units and not having a place to call our own. The boys have never had a room that we could paint to make their own. They have never cared, obviously, but there's something about finally being able to create a baby room that feels settling and cozy.

This baby will not be better or worse off because he has a decorated nursery, but living in the same house, putting down roots and establishing our family will be good for all of us, and to me, that's starting with a gallon of paint. I can't wait to show you how it turns out!

Attention Walmart Shoppers

2010-07-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

To my fellow Walmart patrons:

Stop judging me.

I have twin 23 month old boys who hate being in a cart and I'm 36 weeks pregnant. I try to choose an appropriate time of the morning to go to the store when I think they'll be on their best behavior, but unfortunately, they can be slightly unpredictable in that department. Sorry if that inconveniences your otherwise euphoric Walmart shopping experience.

So when you walk past me with one child safely strapped in the double-seater plastic portion of the cart and the other child precariously sitting in the large strap-free portion of the cart, just believe me that I moved one after they were engaged in a pinching crying battle, I'm not always the type to throw precaution to the wind.

And when you see me giving a crying, fit-throwing child a free cookie from the bakery, you should be thanking the bakery lady for stepping in and offering sugar - not looking at me like I'm Satan's accomplice in creating an army of spoiled children. Believe me when I say that Walmart is one of the only times they ever even get a cookie, so just ignore their behavior as I'm handing it to them.

And finally, I can do without your stares of judgement as I put a 20oz Coke and a Twix on the belt for myself. Yes, it was a moment of weakness, but no, I didn't test positive for diabetes and if this is what it takes to reward myself for making it through the store with two fussy toddlers, so be it.

Quite honestly, most days I don't even feel brave enough or like I have enough energy to leave the house by myself, and you casting glances at me is not helping. I'd have an easy time shopping too if I had one perfectly behaved child sitting in her cloth covered, normal sized cart seat and had an unencumbered, non-pregnant body to do all the work.

So let me save you some time. Next time you feel like judging, or even just looking a little too long... Don't. If I was that type of person, I'm sure there are plenty of more incriminating/embarrassing/ridiculous things that I could be judging you for too thankyouverymuch.

Getting Appropriately Organized... or Nesting?

2010-07-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

For the last two years, Charlie and I have lived out of rental homes and left most of our superfluous belongings like picture frames, entertaining pieces and books in boxes. We have lived with the items that we need on a daily basis and have just about forgotten about some of the other stuff. Now that we own a house with plenty of storage space to spare, we're finally able to make our house into a home - a beautiful, cozy and decorated home.

Lately though, I'm starting to wonder if I'm just getting organized and settled or if nesting has officially begun. Yesterday I got all the 0-3 month clothes, bibs, socks and infant car seat cover washed. The clothes are all folded and organized based on their category and they are ready for daily use. I bought a bumper pad for his crib, a matching crib sheet and newborn diapers at Babies R Us yesterday too... and we ordered a crib and changing table (we never had one of those for the boys!) online last night. I made a great dinner and even had a little energy left over to do some cleaning.

We had A LOT going on over the last few months. A LOT. Between moving from Atlanta to Dallas, finding and buying a house, Charlie traveling to CT for training and also starting his new job, this hasn't exactly been the prime time to be pregnant. I was praying for a long and healthy pregnancy that would get us through all this transition... but now that the transition is officially over, I'm feeling ready for this baby to come.

We have one more wall left to paint in the nursery (which looks AMAZING!) and I have to pack for the hospital, but other than that, the countdown is on! I'm 36 weeks tomorrow, and the doctor thinks it's likely that I'll have this baby at least a little bit early because of all the contractions I've been having already. That means less than 28 days to go!

35 Weeks is Still Too Soon

2010-07-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what exactly prompted me to restart the blog yesterday, but it seems like coincidental timing since I had a pretty eventful evening yesterday in L&D.

I had been contracting all day - not very painful, but just tough to breath through contractions - and they started to pick up as the day went on. By the time I laid down to really pay attention, they were coming almost exactly every 5 minutes. I had more than 10 in the hour that I was laying down, so I put a call in to the doctor on call and he told me to go to the hospital. I was have three contractions every 10 minutes, so they called in the Trebutaline and one shot did the trick. Thankfully, the contractions weren't changing my cervix, so all they had to do was knock the frequency down. Charlie is coming back into town tonight from his final training in CT, so that'll make me feel a lot better about the timing of this baby too.

Less than 5 weeks to go! Let the countdown begin : )

Revisiting My Old Friend

2010-07-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

It's been too long. I know that because I just saw this blog listed on a friend's blogroll and it said 'Last updated 6 months ago'. 6 MONTHS!? Seriously, where does the time go? I remember writing my last post about resolutions while sitting at my parent's kitchen table during our transition from Scottsdale to Christmas to Atlanta. I remember wanting to write on this blog more often, but I also remember not quite knowing where I wanted to go with my posts.

I had recently started Diapers to Diplomas and was going strong on those posts (which have also been severely neglected lately!). I had that blog as my outlet for my creative energy, project ideas, teaching ideas and mommy ideas. I also had my 365 Fox blog for our daily family happenings and I wasn't sure what was left over to write about. Lately though, I've been feeling like I just need a location to write about life. The good, the bad, the easy, the difficult, the crazy, the mundane and the transition into this new life that should be arriving within the next 5 weeks. In less time than it takes for organic milk to expire, I'm going to have three kids under the age of two. I haven't had a lot of time to process that... or maybe I intentionally haven't focused on it because it scares me and it's inevitable, but I want to document (for posterity, of course) and I want to remember the emotions attached to this time of our life.

Sorry I've been a blogging loser lately. I'll be better, I promise (says the girl right before life goes crazy on her!). Comments encourage me to write more often though, so if you want to read more often, comment more often too ; )

The Luxury of Resolutions

2010-01-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't given much thought to the passing of 2009. This is surprising to me because I am a list making wizard. I'll make a to-do list with things on it that I've already done just so I know I can cross things off that day, but I also love a packing list, grocery list and budgeting list. You'd think I'd be all over making a list of New Years Resolutions, but sadly, we're five days into the new year and I've hardly given it a second thought.

I started to wonder - how can a mom of twin toddlers afford the time it takes to 'make good' on resolutions? I guess I could take the easy way out and 'resolve' to go to bed early, but that's not a resolution so much as a desperate plea to get what I want.

I don't feel particularly disorganized or unhappy about my body. I don't feel like life is out of control or that my marriage needs work. Truthfully, I feel apathetic about most areas in my life right now... and that's probably why I need resolutions the most. I think my resolution this year can be summed up in one word:

WELLNESS.

I want to work on my spiritual, physical, mental and emotional wellness. The scale might not read a number I'm unhappy with, but that doesn't account for the lack of energy I feel at the end of the day from being out of shape. My attitude might not be grim and sad, but that doesn't mean I don't take things personally and internalize things that I shouldn't. My prayer life might be consistent, but that doesn't mean that I know God like I want to. I might be able to get through the day without spending time on refueling my tank, but that isn't necessarily healthy for me, my kids or Charlie. Charlie and I might not fight all the time or call each other names, but that doesn't mean that our marriage doesn't deserve TLC and a higher priority than I currently give it.

Though wellness is my general resolution for this year, I guess if I'm honest I'd also like to:

Blog more often here and on Diapers-to-diplomas
Read more books
Use the Busy Book and First Art books that I received for Christmas to entertain my kids
Find and use a babysitter to go on dates with Charlie
Read the Bible - and get to the point where I read it because I want to, not because I feel like I have to
Take advantage of programs at the Library and/or museum
Keep in better touch with long distance friends
Be intentional about grocery shopping and cooking healthy and creative dinners

I guess the desire for resolutions wasn't lacking, but maybe the time it takes to spend thinking about them. That was a naptime well spent. Speaking of which... I hear crying.

What are your resolutions this year?

The Organizer and the Detroyer

2009-12-13T07:55:00.001-08:00

It makes me laugh to watch how differently the boys play with their toys. Owen is incredibly meticulous, stacking cups into a tower or carrying one animal at a time out of the box and lining them up on the table. Eli, on the other hand, loves to plow down cup towers in a single swipe and is only interested in dumping out the contents of the box, but not necessarily with the contents themselves.

It's always funny when I see them 'swap' personalities. This morning, Eli sat on the kitchen floor with four stacking cups just seeing how they worked together. He was so careful and intentional - even Owen looked surprised to see him sitting there for so long!

I love my boys so much - especially their differences! Being a mom to twins is awesome!

Torn Between Here and There

2009-12-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

This is always the hardest part. Knowing where we're going and getting ready to move, yet still feeling a sadness for the people that we're leaving behind. It's especially hard because we also struggle with just wanting the move to be over with already but knowing that means our friendships will be over too (in the everyday sense, not in the keep-in-touch-virtually sense)

Charlie leaves tomorrow for Atlanta to find us somewhere to live. I trust him completely with this decision, and I think he struggles with the pressure to find somewhere great even more because of that. He has found the perfect home for us in the last three cities and I know he'll hit another homerun in Atlanta, but it's an exhausting several days for him, trying to find somewhere that suits us in a city we don't know yet. How do you know where you do or don't want to live if you've never been there before?!

The movers are coming a week from tomorrow and we'll leave immediately after the truck is packed. We're driving home through Dallas to spend some time with our friends in Texas, then making a pit stop in Atlanta before heading home to Pittsburgh for Christmas. The funny thing about Pittsburgh (or any extended vacation for that matter) is that by the end of it, we're anxious to get 'home'... but the crazy part is that 'home' is a place we've never lived before. It's anticlimactic in many ways, but exciting at the same time - turning a house into a home for our family.

It's gonna be a crazy, fast, emotional, chaotic, exhausting, exciting week!

Moving to Atlanta, Gonna Eat Me A Lot of Peaches

2009-12-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

Atlanta it is! We found out yesterday morning that we got our first choice for this rotation and are so excited!

Now the fun begins on finding a place to rent, organizing the move, packing the van, driving across the country and spending time with family in PA. I know that there is a lot to do (which is an understatement), but I just feel excited about this move! Something about being in the same time zone as our family is just so refreshing... not to mention that I have had a love affair with 'stereotypical Georgia' for most of my adult life. I used to fantasize about living in a big plantation style house with slow moving ceiling fans and a peach cobbler cooling on the window sill! Maybe we won't quite get that out of a condo community, but a girl can dream : )

We'll be in Pittsburgh from December 23-January 16th and would LOVE to see as many people as possible. Charlie will be in training in Orlando from January 3-15, but the boys and I will be available for visitors, field trips and play dates... all the time!

And You Think YOUR Holidays Are Crazy?

2009-11-30T19:45:00.000-08:00

It's a day shy of December.

Why is that significant, you may be asking? Well, it's significant because we're moving 18 days from today and we still don't know where we're heading. That's right, still no word from the powers that be about our next placement. It wouldn't be such a big deal if we could snap our fingers and solve our logistical nightmares, but alas, that's not possible.

Between now and a month from now, we have to find out where we're moving, call the relo company, schedule a date for the packers/movers, ship our car(s), find a new apartment in a new city, potentially spend four days driving home to Pittsburgh, celebrate the birth of Jesus with family (including another 4+ hour drive across PA to get to Lancaster), drive back to Pittsburgh and get Charlie to the airport to spend the first two weeks of January in Orlando. Afterwards, we have to get our family of four to the currently unknown location for him to start working immediately.

The real trick is whether we're flying or driving home to Pittsburgh, and we can't make that decision until we know where we're moving. If we're heading to Dallas or Atlanta, we'll drive since the way 'home' will be shorter. If we're heading to Bellevue WA though, we'll have to fly, which would leave me without a car for three weeks in PA.

It's all so exhausting, but the hardest part is being in limbo on the planning. I'm a planner by nature and not knowing how to plan is a challenge. Pray for us for patience and peace as we sit and wait... and wait... and wait.

Temps in the 103s

2009-11-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, I'm not talking about the weather in Arizona. Eli and Owen have both been sick for the last week with cold symptoms - cough and runny nose mostly. Yesterday while we were visiting our dear friend Janice and her family, Eli started acting really weird - clingy, whiny and extremely lethargic. I picked him up and he immediately laid his head on my shoulder... which never happens. He stayed there during our entire visit while Owen was happy as could be collecting rocks outside.

I thought that Eli felt warm, so I took his temperature just to be safe... 101.9. Yikes, we should get home. During the 45 minute drive, Eli slept the whole time even though he had taken a 2 hour nap that afternoon. By the time we got home, his fever was up to 103.1 and he was on fire. We tried giving him a warm bath, which he screamed bloody murder through, enough to make himself throw up in the tub, and then he crashed out when we put him in his crib 45 minutes before bedtime. He slept straight through the night though, which I wasn't expecting.

We called the doctor last night just to be safe and she told us to take him to the ER/Urgent Care if he still has a temp over 100 by tomorrow morning. She also told us that the reason we'd be going was to get him swabbed for swine flu. Awesome. Thankfully, the first symptom of the swine flu is generally a fever, and his didn't break out until a week later, we we're hoping that means we're out of the woods on that one, but it still breaks your heart to see him all flushed and miserable like this.

If you could say a quick prayer for Eli (and Owen since he'll inevitably get whatever Eli has) we would greatly appreciate it. And while you're praying, pray for our friends, the Pauls, and their 1 month old James who just tested positive for swine flu.

Words Can't Express

2009-11-19T11:58:00.000-08:00

These boys... there are no words to describe how in love I am with my babies. They just seem to get cuter every single day - talking more, expressing more and showing more love to me, Charlie and each other.

Here's a couple recent highlights:

The boys both just learned how to clap, in fact, Eli learned about 10 minutes ago. Owen has been clapping for a few days now, so when he saw Eli clapping, he started clapping back and before long, they were facing each other, clapping and gigging at each other.
Eli's new trick is meowing like a cat, though it comes out more like 'e-ow.' My aunt gave them each a little cat dressed in a costume for Halloween. One meows and the other makes a bouncing noise. Eli picks up the meowing one and says 'e-ow' and picks up the bouncy one and makes him jump in the air as if he's bouncing along with his noisemaker.
They both LOVE bananas and ask for them by name every morning. The funny thing is that Owen calls them 'nanas' and Eli calls them 'babas' - so between the two of them, I hear 'baba-nana' every day.
When they are tired, they will find their pacis, blankies and/or monkey boy and walk themselves into their room as Owen says 'ni-ni' over and over again.
They are obsessed with the Fisher-Price Little People on DVD. If I start singing the theme song, they will both walk over to the TV, pick up the xbox remote, hand it to me and sit down to watch (even if I haven't started it yet!) They start giggling as soon as I say 'Little People?'

There's so much more, but those are a couple highlights that I thought of right off the bat. Twins might be 'double trouble' (as everyone feels the need to point out to us), but they are more than double the joy. We thank God every day for the blessing of Owen and Eli.

A Dent in our Dental Insurance

2009-11-15T10:15:00.000-08:00

Last week I was given some bad news: I have 'cavities' between all of my teeth, a potential tooth that needs a root canal and two teeth that need crowns. I cried, right there in the chair. The hygienist had to wait for me to calm down before she could clean my teeth. Talk about bad news - especially since I had just met this dentist 5 minutes earlier. I sent my x-rays to Charlie's dad and my dentist from home and they don't think it's quite as bad as this dentist said, but they both agreed to get the root canal tooth taken care of ASAP.

Thankfully my parents were in town all this past week so I could leave the boys with my mom. Monday I went in to have the tooth taken care of and to find out if the root canal was necessary. Three hours later, my tooth completely drilled out and a large portion of my gums around that tooth lasered off, I found out that the root canal was, in fact, required. They had to laser my gums to get at the problems below my gums, and that was the worst part to recover from. I needed four shots of Novocaine to finish the procedure and left with a prescription for Extra Strength Vicodin in my hand. I thought Vicodin itself was extra strength?!

The dentist referred me out to a Endodontist for the root canal, a guy who does only root canals all day every day. So Tuesday afternoon, I left for another three hour appointment. Other than the Novocaine shots in the beginning (three of them!), the procedure was nothing to be afraid of like I had originally thought.

I have a temporary crown on my tooth until Thursday when I get my gold tooth. That's right, a little bling in my mouth. Thank goodness it's my very last tooth in the back of my mouth and not in the front!

The $2500 dental coverage I started with is more than 2/3 gone from one tooth and I still have a mouthful of problems to get fixed, including another crown (but hopefully not another gold one!)

The silver lining in this whole ordeal is that I'm not afraid of dental procedures anymore and that my mom was able to watch the boys for the 6 hours that I was gone getting all of this done. The bad news is that there's still so much to have done, including a potential surgery to saw off a layer of my jaw bone to allow more room between my bone and the root of the tooth they just finished. There's a potential for habitual inflammation in that area of my gums if I don't get it done, but 6-8 weeks of painful recovery if I do. Rock, meet hard place. Boo.

November Happenings

2009-11-04T19:51:00.000-08:00

Charlie and I have woken up every day this week counting down to Friday - "only 2 days left!" - because my parents are coming to visit on Friday!!

This month is jammed packed with excitement... my parents will be visiting November 6-15, then Elise, Kirk, Blake and Asher will be visiting November 20-28! We'll celebrate Thanksgiving together in a kid-friendly way [read: turkey and cheese quesadillas and sweet potato fries for the kiddos : ) ] and not have to feel sorry for ourselves for being alone by ordering takeout from Boston Market!

It's hard to believe that once all the visitors are gone, we'll only be in Arizona for three more weeks... and we still don't know where we're going next! Hopefully by Thanksgiving we'll have a destination.

Book Review: Twilight

2009-10-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I'm way behind the times on reading Twilight, but in my defense, I had been avoiding it because my 15 year old sister was (and still is) obsessed with the series, so I figured it couldn't possibly be worth reading. Boy was I wrong! I was given Twilight as part of a friend's blog giveaway that I won and couldn't put it down.

Despite the fact that I already knew Edward was a vampire, the story still included quite a bit of suspense by keeping you wondering if he would or would not harm Bella. It was very creatively written and the attention to detail helped to develop a story that roped you in as a friend of Bella's. I thought it was entertaining how Stephanie Meyer (the author) integrated all the 'myths' about vampires and had Edward disprove them. She succeeded in making vampires alluring and attractive, while at the same time maintaining your fear of the supernatural.

I was slightly disappointed by the movie. Yes, it was a 500 page book condensed into 2 hours, but the book included so many internal conversations that you just can't portray in a movie very successfully. Thankfully, the main plot and ending were the same as the book (I hate when movie change the ending, ie, My Sister's Keeper) but the road to the end was much shorter and less satisfying. Honestly, I had an Edward in my mind while reading the book and the Edward in the movie just didn't do it for me, either.

The hardest part of the book (and movie) for me to get past is the intense level of love that high schoolers can feel for each other in such a short period of time. Desperation really. Though it's a true to life representation of teenage love, teenage love is very rarely sustainable and lifelong, which is why I found myself rolling my eyes at many of Edward and Bella's conversations.

That aside, it really was a great book and I'm already excited to read the sequels. Who knows, maybe I'll finally give Harry Potter a chance too!

10 YEARS!

2009-10-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

As of today, Charlie and I have been dating for the last 10 years! I can still remember the day at the Schenley Park Fountain when we decided that we would start dating - one of the most exciting conversations I had had in my life. I was head over heels for him back then and I still am today.

You think you love someone with all of your heart, but that love doubles when you see him hold his newborn babies for the first time, and triples when you see him chasing those babies around the house and tickling them. It quadruples when he volunteers to wake up on Saturday morning to feed them breakfast so you can sleep in and then grows even more when you realize that in the last 10 years, the two of you have grown up together.

When we started out 10 years ago, we were 18 and 20... now we're 28 and 30 and have two kids! We have lived in four states, bought a house, taken awesome vacations, supported each other as we both went back to school to pursue our dream jobs... and through it all have stayed the best of friends. Charlie is still the person that I can't wait to see at the end of the day and still the person that I am so thankful to spend my life with.

A whole decade. Wow!

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!

2009-10-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

I'm giving away a customized baby/child hat and mitten set for one lucky winner! Visit Diapers To Diplomas for entry details!! Deadline to enter is October 18, 2009.

Good Luck!

April & May - Done!

2009-09-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

I had been putting off scrapbooking for such a long time because April seemed so daunting... but it's done, and so is May! Take a look - what do you think!?

Take it Easy!

2009-09-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

I can obsess over my boys. If you've been following this blog (or either of my other two) for any length of time, you already know that I second guess myself all the time and wonder if I'm doing the mom thing 'the right way.'

The newest obsession I have is the boys' nap time - they seem to have given up their morning nap. Even when they are in their crib for an hour in the morning, they spend the time talking, jumping, giggling and fussing... but not sleeping. I feel guilty about this because three mornings a week I make them skip their morning nap so I can get out of the house and meet with other people. What is it about mom's groups that meet during nap time?! Because of this, I think they are out of the habit of sleeping in the morning, which leaves me struggling with what to do with them the other four mornings a week. I'm not willing to admit that the morning nap is a thing of the past, which means that I'm stuck at home trying to get them to sleep and using wasting my time in the process.

I think that the number one thing having kids has taught me is that you can't control everything. Duh. I should have realized that while we were trying to get pregnant and it wasn't happening on our timeline... but now that they are developing into their own person with opinions and a personality and a temper I am even more sure that I can't control everything. I guess the only thing to do is enjoy the uncontrolled chaos filled moments and take it easy!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2009-09-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Art projects, accounting

Being a mom, blogging, British accents

Charlie, creativity

Date nights, donating to good causes, Dallas

Eli

Family, farmer's markets, flavored coffee creamer

Graham cracker scent on babies

Hot tea with milk and sugar

Independently playing babies, International travel

Jesus

Kate's Cup and other moms groups

Lilacs, Lancaster county, libraries

Making meals that the whole family will eat

National parks

Owen

Pancakes, pumpkin bread, piano music, Pittsburgh

Quilts handmade by grandmas and great aunts

Reading, rainy days

Scrapbooking, snickerdoodles, sour patch kids

Travelling, taking pictures, teaching, twins!

Underdogs coming out ahead, ultrasounds

Victoria & Vancouver BC, visits from family & friends

Walking babies, winning contests

Yard sale bargains

Zucchini bread

What are a few of your favorite things?

And the One Shall be Two!!

2009-09-21T12:22:00.001-07:00

Yes! Charlie is coming home today! It's been 8 WHOLE DAYS without him, and while I feel pretty accomplished for having *survived* these 8 days without him, if I'm never a single mom for this many days in a row again, it'll still be too soon.

I will say that I managed to get myself out of the house more in these past 8 days than the previous 2 months. I think it was a combination of different groups starting up (MOPS, Kate's Cup) and knowing that Charlie wouldn't be coming home from work so we could all go out together. I bit the bullet, and had fun doing it!

So Much Better

2009-09-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well, my faithful blogging buddies, I just wanted to send out an update that I'm feeling much better these days. I think the worst of the hormonal wave is behind me and I'm enjoying this new phase more than I thought I would. There's something great about feeding the boys yogurt before bed instead of fighting with them to nurse - especially since it takes less time (and I don't even have to be the one to feed it to them!)

I will say that the change isn't an easy one, but thanks to all of your comments, I think I gained a better perspective on this phase. I hope that some day I can help you gain perspective on something you're struggling with too.

I'm still a glutton for comments though - keep 'em coming ; )

Why Doesn't Anyone Talk About This?

2009-09-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

After the boys were born, I never really experienced the 'baby blues.' Sure, I had a couple weepy days, but I attributed it to being sad that I had to keep leaving them in the hospital and it pretty much went away after we brought them home. I'm sure I'm lucky in that way, and I'm sure that many women have a long road to travel before their hormones regulate again.

More than 12 months later, the boys have decided that they are pretty much done with nursing. We went from three times a day for the last several months to only once a day, almost overnight. What that has left me with is a hormonal imbalance that I can only equate to the baby blues, 12 months late.

In addition to losing way too much hair every time I pull out my ponytail, being left with raisins under my shirt where my milk machines used to be and feeling very, very sleepy, I'm also feeling down on myself in areas where I have never really struggled before. I'm letting 'being the new girl' affect me too much and feeling overwhelmed at trying to meet new people this time around. I am reading too much into people not emailing me back right away and feeling like no one appreciates and/or enjoys my new blog because most people aren't leaving comments (Diapers to Diplomas - please leave me comments! : )) It's ridiculous, I know, but it's how I'm feeling right now.

Worst of all though, is that sadness that comes from the boys not *needing* me anymore. There was an intimacy and dependency that we shared while nursing, and now that I just hand them a cup full of milk, I'm left feeling unsatisfied with their level of need for me. I know that many women are excited to finish nursing, having an added freedom that they hadn't felt in many months, and I'm sure I would have felt similar if it would have been a more gradual transition. I miss the feeling of someone depending on me. If you add the time on that I was pregnant to this past year, that's 20 months of knowing that I was an integral part of the boys nourishment; now that it's just about over, I'm realizing that it's a harder adjustment than I thought.

I know that most of this comes from the hormonal letdown of stopping nursing, but I wonder why more women don't talk about these feelings so we don't feel so alone when we experience them ourselves.

Poor Little Kitties

2009-09-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

On September 21, 2002, Charlie and I looked through mounds of kittens and chose Tibby and Savoy. They were teeny tiny little kitties and just the cutest things we had ever seen. We loved having those two live with us, and even moved them with us to Connecticut, but after Charlie's rotations started taking us far enough away that we would have to fly them to the destination, it became clear that we had two choices: give them back to a shelter or give them to family or friends to keep for us until we were more 'local.'

Thankfully, Charlie's grandma agreed to take them both back to her house in Lancaster county, PA. She and Uncle Dan feel in love with the cats, so even when we decided that we probably wouldn't want to take them back (fur and babies don't mix well), they willingly agreed to keep them long term.

Grandma lives on a plot of farmland that is far from other houses and roads, so when they would work in the garden, they would 'work' along side her. They would walk with Grandma and Uncle Dan to pick raspberries and snuggle up at night in bed. Life as a farm cat was suiting them well.

Charlie called Grandma on Sunday to catch up and she told him some devastating news. 'Savannah ran away last Sunday and we haven't seen her since. We've tried everything to find her." Now it's not unheard of for a cat to wander away and return days later, but with the other animals in the area (fox especially), she wouldn't stand a chance. Not to mention she's a scaredy cat and a little on the dim side when it comes to paying attention to where she is so she can find her way back. Thankfully it's not cold outside, but Charlie and I don't have the best feeling about things. Tibby has been walking around looking for her and crying since she left. We're praying that she's safe and sound and will return home soon, but we're also praying that Tibby will adjust to life without her if the worst has happened. Grandma and Uncle Dan are so sad about the whole thing, of course, so for their sake we're really hoping Savoy returns home soon.

A Bend in the Road

2009-09-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

We took a drive down a long and lonesome road and this is what we found around the bend. There were at least two more wild horses in the trees off to the side of the road - but seeing a baby wild horse nursing from his mama was pretty priceless.

Snapshot: ONE!

2009-08-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

We have had a full year to get to know Owen and Eli - their likes and dislikes, their personalities and similarities and differences. With one year under our belts and many, many more to go, here's a snapshot of the little men we love so much.

YOU BOTH:

Have had only one haircut
Are getting really good at 'nesting' the stacking cups inside one another. You're figuring out sizes and shapes!
Think it's hilarious to ride/bounce on our shins and will pull into a canonball giggling
Love buttons, especially the ones on the stereo
Can stand independently and walk along the furniture but haven't taken any steps yet
Have two bottom teeth and your outer upper top teeth
Love to stand in the bathtub - and it drives us crazy because you both fall all the time!
Are mostly wearing 12 months clothes, but can still fit in some of your 6 month onesies and sometimes wear 18 month pjs
Almost never wear shoes, though you have some really cute pairs, you won't keep them on (but you love to chew the orange crocs)
LOVE the pool and will kick as if you're swimming
Say ma-ma and da-da, but not necessarily in reference to either of us
Still sing yourselves to sleep
Are consistently sleeping through the night and wake up around 7-7:30 every day
Only nurse 3-4 times a day
Still eat babyfood for breakfast, but all table food for the rest of the day
Sleep on your belly with your butt in the air
Usually only use your binks when you sleep (or when you're teething and incredibly drooly)
Are warming up to the idea of real milk, though not consistently
Will eat almost anything that's put in front of you
Go to bed every night without a fight
Drop whatever you're doing when daddy starts saying "A-chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-woowoo-woowoo!"
Have taken your diapers off in bed, with messy consequences

ELI, YOU:

Love to crawl holding anything stick-like (the doctor tool, the blue and red tupperware rattle) and will hold them for hours at a time
Stood independently first
Cry when Owen gets yelled at or hurt
Were much more adventurous at the beach and would crawl right towards the ocean
Didn't want to get messy with your birthday cake and would only eat from a fork
Are starting to give high-5s and say ba-ba
Will stand next to a block tower and pick one block off at a time
See it as your personal mission in life to keep all the doors closed on the pop-up toys
Love to give slobbery kisses all over my face

OWEN, YOU:

LOVE Monkey Boy and will hold him while you crawl around, sleep, eat and play
Took a long time to warm up to the beach and the ocean. At first, you would watch the waves and cry as the water got closer, but then you started to really like it
Dove into your birthday cake face first and didn't care how messy you got (and you got MESSY!)
Are starting to wave (with both hands) and say ni-ni
Love tags, especially when we go shopping and you can feel all the tags on the clothes as you roll past in your stroller
Will plow a block tower down in one swipe
Crawl to me when I sit on the floor just to give me a hug
'Windshield wipe' your tray when you're done eating to knock all the remaining food on the floor
Love to pull all the books off the shelf and turn the pages as if you're reading them

Too Funny

2009-08-29T09:01:00.000-07:00

We were hanging out at the beach house this morning watching TV, which apparantly Owen wasn't particularly fond of. He grabbed the remote, hit 1-1 and PBS came on just as Super Why was starting. Then he crawled over to the TV, stood up, and started watching.

and

In the words of Charlie:
Owen came over to me this morning, smiled, and a penny fell out of his mouth.

Happy Birthday Skippy!

2009-08-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

My dear dear Charlie -

You're 30 today! I am so thankful for you, my husband, the father of our beautiful boys and my best friend. You have grown and changed so much during the last 10 years - from a kid just barely out of his teenage years to a wonderful husband and father. I love the man you have become and I have loved living life with you by my side.

I am so thankful for the ways you provide for our family, and I am so thankful that your provision allows me to stay home with the boys. Watching their eyes light up when you walk through the door is one of the highlights of my day, and they only do that because they know you're the best dad they could ever hope for.

Your 30s are going to be an amazing time - family vacations, watching our kids grow up, road trips, bedtime stories, hearing little tiny voices say 'I love you Daddy"... it's gonna be awesome and I can't wait to share that time with you.

I'll love you forever,
Me

Holden Beach Wrap-Up

2009-08-23T09:30:00.001-07:00

We just got back from spending the last week at Holden Beach, NC with my family and had a great (but exhausting!) time! The trip started with an extremely long plane ride with the boys on our laps. Thankfully we both were able to get them to sleep on us (which never happens anymore!) for about an hour of the flight, but the rest of the time they were bouncing, climbing, fussy and not easily distracted. We had a very quick layover in Charlotte and headed on to Wilmington where my brother picked us up from the airport.

Most of the week was uneventful, except for the fact that Owen developed a horrible cold and started teething all four of his top teeth. He was a slobbery, snotty, coughing mess for most of the week, and is still dealing with it all now. He was kind enough to share his cough/congestion/sore throat with me, Charlie and Eli, so we've bought stock in Kleenex to offset the amount of tissues we've been going through. Eli is also teething his top four teeth, but it doesn't seem to bother him as much. It figures that they couldn't have started before we left when I still had the chance to pack bibs for them. They spent most days either wet from the ocean/pool or soaked in drool. I'm sure they loved it.

There was one night that Owen was completely inconsolable. He was screaming for hours, wouldn't nurse, and wouldn't calm down even when we were holding him. We tried everything, but at 3am, Charlie loaded him into the car seat and drove him around -- for three hours. Thankfully he fell asleep, but Charlie spent the next day trying to recover from a sleepless night.

Elise, Kirk, Charlie and I were also able to go out to dinner for a date night. That part was great - dinner at a seafood restaurant, homemade hush puppies, time away from the kids - but the downside is that we're pretty sure our parents, Jeff, Kelly and Leah will never babysit for any of us again. All four boys were terrible! They wouldn't eat their dinner, threw tantrums, cried most of the time and were generally unhappy that their parents were nowhere to be found.

The upside was the beach - the water was the perfect temperature and the waves were great too. We also had the pool to use at the house, which was a home run all the way around. By the end of the week, we'd sit the boys on the side of the pool and count to three and they would throw themselves into the water as if they were jumping in. They even went under! It was great to have the pool as an option because the boys' snot-fest usually resulted in sand being caked to their faces - very unpleasant.

We celebrated the boys' first birthday a couple weeks early and made a crocodile cake. They shared with with Blake, who turns 3 two days after they turn 1. Owen practically went face-first for the frosting; Eli was much more reserved and would only take bites of cake off a fork.

Owen started waving and saying ni-ni this week and Eli seems to be getting the hand of the high five. They are both standing consistently and eating everything in sight. They also figured out how to nest their stacking cups, so they sit there for a really long time testing out which cups will fit and which ones won't. Their new favorite toy is the one with the five doors that pop up when you turn a knob. It's like it's a personal mission to keep them closed at all times. I'm thinking that might be a winner of a birthday present.

We flew home on Friday night. We took off from Wilmington on time and had an uneventful flight to Charlotte. We were supposed to leave again at 8:30p, but the monitors showed that we wouldn't be taking off until 10:55p. We set up a barricaded playpen type area for them with their toys and made the best of it, but we were secretly praying the whole time that there would be empty seats on the flight home so we could keep the boys in their car seats. Praise the Lord, there were, and they both slept the entire 4.5 hours home. We got home from the airport at 1:45a (which was really 4:45 eastern) and seem to be fully adjusted to the time difference already. The boys slept from 7:30p to 8:15a last night!!

Charlie left Saturday morning for WA for his grandma's memorial service with his mom's entire family, so we won't see him again until Monday, but we're doing well, resting up and hopefully getting healthier by the day. It was a great week, but thankfully we won't have another cross country flight until around Christmas.

Warning!

2009-08-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

All you readers out there... spread the word!

I was reading the on-flight magazine yesterday while we were making our way to the beach and came across an article on hacking. If you've ever seen the email forwards that are 'porn star name generators' or 'jedi name generators' then you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen these before, let me explain. The basic idea is that you plug in a few basic answers: what street did you grow up on? what is your mom's maiden name? what was your first pets name? and it spits back your pretend name based on your answers.

If these questions sounded familiar to you, they should have! The people who design forwards like this are asking for these specific answers because they are the answers to your security questions for many things you would do online! Banking, credit cards, password lookups... Once you 'submit' your answers, they can use your information to gather just about anything else they want to know about you. And we all know that once someone has your password, they basically have everything they need to take any other information they want about you.

I always just thought forwards like that were designed by high schoolers thinking they were being funny, but not anymore! Let's all be a little more aware the next time we're asked to give answers to questions that we should be holding a little closer to our chests. You've been warned - now tell someone else!

The Boys' FIRST Birthday!

2009-08-11T13:22:00.001-07:00

I'm looking for suggestions. The boys' are turning ONE on the 30th and I'm not sure how to approach it. On one hand, they only turn one once, so why not get them new toys, clothes, books, etc. On the other hand, they are only turning one, so they wouldn't know the difference if they didn't get anything. They have lots of toys and books already, though many of them are 'baby toys' and they are certainly and rapidly approaching the need for 'big boy toys.'

The several that I'm considering include: a musical instruments set, play food and/or pots and pans, a toy box (since their current 'toy box' is actually a box of toys from when we moved and they get closer to crushing it in everyday!), an activity table, Leap Frog letters for the refrigerator, alphabet puzzles/vehicle puzzles... I'm sure I could go on. Little kid toys are so fun!

We're making a fun cake and celebrating while we're at the beach with my family next week, and we're planning on taking a trip to San Diego to visit my extended family over their actual birthday weekend.

What did you do for your kid's first birthdays... and what do you think of the toy options?

The Birth of a New 'Baby'

2009-08-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

She's finally here! No, I don't mean a real baby, but I mean the blog concept that I've been working on for the last 11 months. Check it out, let me know what you think, and spread the word!

http://diapers-to-diplomas.blogspot.com/

Posts are scheduled to begin a week from today, but in the meantime, I'd love for you to vote (using the poll on that blog) to tell me what you'd like to see. Thanks for your support!

11 / 12

2009-07-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

Wow. The next time I write one of these posts it will be to talk about the boys' FIRST BIRTHDAY. I am blown away by how fast this first year is going/has gone, and yet I'm so excited that we've come out on the other side as such a happy little family. This month was a fast one, since we spent so much time in Pittsburgh visiting friends and family, moving, and getting settled in Arizona.

A few stats from this month:

Owen weighs about 19.5 pounds
Eli weighs about 18.5 pounds
Visited this month: my family, Charlie's family, Charlie's grandma and Uncle Dan, my mom's extended family, my dad's extended family, many many friends from college and Pittsburgh, my mentor teacher, my co-workers from Pine Richland, a few ex-students and many more! It was a busy month!
Milestones: trying whole milk for the first time, walking along the furniture, Eli standing on his own for a few seconds at a time, both boys cutting 'their fangs' on the top, only eating babyfood for breakfast - lunch, dinner and snacks are now table food!
Challenges this month: moving, with two boys who want to be on the go all the time, getting through the plane rides, trying to unpack and entertain babies, getting adjusted to two time zone changes, being away from home for 3+ weeks, being away from Charlie for 2 weeks. The bathtub is still a challenge too. Ugh.
Current favorite toys: cars that you pull back and let go and they move on their own. Actually, I should just say anything with wheels that they can push along as they crawl
Words: Eli says "mom" plain as day, and usually it's in reference to me, not just babbling. Owen will say "dada" and what sounds like "hidad," which I'm sure we're just imagining : ) They have both started this obnoxious high pitched screech too, which we're hoping they outgrow soon!
Interactions: They are really starting to care when they get something taken off of them. Whether they are taking toys from each other or we're taking something from them that they shouldn't have, a mini-fit typically occurs.
Big Deals this month: After 3+ weeks of resorting to middle of the night feeds, we're officially sleeping through the night again! The boys go to bed around 7:30 and wake up around 6am to nurse, then they're back to bed until 7:45. This morning they went back to sleep until 9:15!! Life is good!

We are 11/12 of the way through our first year as parents of twins! Almost there!

It's Gotta Be Good

2009-07-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

One month to go until the boys' first birthday, but less time than that to figure out what their first cake should be. We're celebrating their birthday at the beach with my family the week of August 15-22, so I have to be prepared in just over 2 weeks. Here are a couple we're considering:

I really like the crocodile cake, and thought that making cupcakes and decorating them like beach balls would be fun for smash cakes since we're at the beach. The cars are cute because they are getting more into wheeled vehicles and because they are smaller, but we'd have to make another cake for everyone else to eat since they would wreck these two. I like the pirate for the beachiness too. The barn is a cute concept, but I'm trying to figure out how to theme it better (and pick animals that I would actually like to eat the decorations - no marshmellows or coconut).

We've searched BettyCrocker.com and FamilyFun.com... does anyone know of any other good cake sites that explain how to make the design too (not just show off cool pictures)? What do you think of the options?

I'm Ready

2009-07-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

I mentioned a while back that I was interested in starting another blog. This one will be full of great parenting ideas that I find (in magazines or the real world) or come up with myself. I've been sorting through my stacks of parenting magazines and have a good number of ideas that I'd like to post...

BUT I NEED A TITLE FIRST!

Help! I'm thinking something along the lines of "As They Grow" or "Happy Kids Make a Happy Home"... but I'm not sold on either. Basically the blog will include:

Recipes (for any age - family friendly, toddler friendly, happy hour friendly : ))
Product Reviews
Outing ideas
Freebie finds or Community happenings (street fairs, free museum days...)
Arts & Crafts ideas
Parenting articles (like on homeschooling, cloth diapers, family vacations...)
Holiday or Birthday ideas
Exercise and Health

Any ideas for a title now? I would love for this to be a 'community project'... afterall, it takes a village, right?! ; ) If you have any ideas for raising kids in a proactive and fun way, pass them along, or (ideally) become a contributor to the blog.

Look for a link to the newest Fox blog soon!

There's a WHAT in the WHERE?!

2009-07-25T14:35:00.003-07:00

And by that, of course, I mean...

There's a SCORPION in the DRYER VENT! Arizona, I'm not sure we're BFFs.

I'm Not Even Sure Where to Start!

2009-07-24T10:57:00.006-07:00

First of all, sorry for being MIA for so long. I'll bet some of you have stopped checking this blog since I've been so slow in posting, but hopefully I'm back on track now. Maybe the best way to sum up the month of July will be in numbers...

1 roundtrip flight to Pittsburgh
1 roundtrip drive to Michigan
24 nights spent with family
2 weeks that Charlie was away at training
1.5 weeks spent with my family
1.5 weeks of perfect weather spent on the back porch
1 week spent with my sister and her kids
.5 weeks spent with Charlie's family after he returned from training
2 date nights
1 night out with friends
4 trips to Page's!
2 trips to the zoo (Detroit and Pittsburgh)
1 lesson learned: don't check the carseats until you find out if the flight is booked!
1 stranger who was able to get Eli to sleep on the plane ride home (yes, I pawned him off on a willing stranger-grandma!)
2 college roommates visited with their kids
3 Bellefield services attended
0 uninterrupted Bellefield services attended!
1 trip to Once Upon a Child
2 pairs of adorable new shoes for the boys
1 pool party with all the teachers I used to work with
1 trip to Pamela's for the best strawberry brown sugar pancakes ever created
1 breakfast with my mentor teacher
2 cars I borrowed from friends so I could get around
6 times a day feeding schedule - up from only 4 : (
0 times the boys slept through the night since we started travelling
1 meal a day of babyfood now - the rest is table food!
24 days behind on Facebook. Who even cares anymore?!
1 book read
0 days the temperature crossed 80 - we're in for a world of hurt!

I'm sure there's more, but that's a good start. In short, it was great to be with family, but it's also exciting to be home and able to start building our life here in Scottsdale. Please pray for fast friends, a good church, and the next five months for us... and come visit!!

10 / 12

2009-07-01T05:23:00.005-07:00

Ten months down, only two to go until the one year mark. That's amazing. I'm sure all you parents out there can attest to the fact that everyone is really and truly correct when they say that the time flies by. Between this month and last month, the boys have lost a lot of baby and gained a lot of toddler in my eyes. They are so mobile now (even though they aren't actually toddling anywhere!) and they seem to have gained personalities overnight. They seem to be all caught up on the milestone chart too, with practically no sign of premie left.

A few stats from this month:

Owen weighs 19 pounds
Eli weighs 18.4 pounds
Visitors this month: Dwight (aka Grandpa Fox) came to Dallas for almost a week and we (the boys and I) spent four days with the Boltons before moving to Scottsdale
Milestones for Eli: kneels in crib (6.9), sits up on his own while crawling (6.15), pulls to stand (6.16)
Milestones for Owen: kneels in crib (6.2), pulls to stand (6.5)
Challenges this month: Owen being diagnosed with Croup two days before the movers came, their first ear infections, flying alone with both boys, trying to keep them from standing in the tub (any suggestions?!)
Current Nicknames: peek-a-boo, booboo, peanut butter, jelly, bubba, buckaroo, owie (pronounced o-wee, short for Owen)
Current favorite toys: Noah's ark pink peacock, stacking cups, peek-a-boo dump truck, the baby einstein toy (in all five parts now, not just the shapes, colors and songs piece)
Interactions: the boys were eating breakfast the other day and in between every bite they would stop, look at each other and bust out laughing. They also entertained each other for over an hour in an empty room in Dallas just looking at each other and playing with each others' feet. I love that I get to watch as they become best friends! As for interacting with us, they have both started lifting their arms to be held and will crawl across the room to kneel at our legs for us to pick them up. Sort of like a begging puppy : )
Communications: The big one that started this month is slapping. Thankfully not each other, but slapping their tray when they want more of something. I've tried to teach 'more' but they still resort to the tray slap. Owen seems to be the communicator for both boys. He'll yell out so I come in their room when they are both awake and he'll yell out when they are in their highchairs if he wants me to hurry up with their food. Eli just enjoys the fruits of his labors!
Big Deals this Month: coming home to Pittsburgh after being gone for a full six months

We are 10/12 of the way through our first year as parents of twins!

Flying Solo

2009-06-27T16:59:00.002-07:00

So some of you may be wondering how the solo flight went with the boys. The flight itself went great, everything before hand was terrible. I guess you can't win 'em all.

We got to the airport with plenty of time. We left the house around 5:30pm and got there around 6:00 for a 7:30 flight. When I checked in, the attendant moved some seats around so the three of us were all in the same row instead of all over the plane and gave us the last row, just in case I had to stand with one or both of them during the flight. Security was tough, but a worker helped me. Because I had been staying with friends, I had things like Tupperware full of rice and oatmeal cereal, which of course, looks like I'm smuggling in some form of drug. So everything in the diaper bag (all the cheerios, puffs, graham crackers, sunscreen, etc), everything, had to be electronically checked for safety. I was very thankful for the extra time and didn't really get stressed out by any of this.

The plane loaded on time and we got to board first, since we were in the last row and had to check the double stroller right before boarding. We got settled (three trips to load the carseats and my carry-on) and were relaxing before the flight. By the time everyone else was on the plane, it was a good half hour later. Then the pilot gets on the intercom to say that the mechanics were fixing a problem and we should be on our way in 10 minutes. In 10 minutes, the pilot got on again to say that the safety manual won't allow the plane to be flown after this type of problem, so we had to deboard and wait for another plane to arrive. Perfect.

Thankfully I was sitting next to two older folks, think the happiest grandparents on Earth, and they were so helpful with everything. Dick carried my suitcare, Karen carried a carseat, we made it in one trip. Yes!

Unfortunately, it took almost 2.5 hours for another plane to arrive. Eli had fallen asleep on the first plane and stayed asleep straight through the takeoff, flight, and landing. Bless his heart. Owen was wide awake for the entire time we were waiting and had a complete and total breakdown on the second plane. While a flight attendant was holding him. And I was off the plane folding up the stroller. For about 10-15 minutes. Nightmare.

When I got back on the plane I could hear him crying in the very last row. By the time I got through the other passengers and could hold him, he was so worked up that he was shaking. It took a good 5-10 minutes just to get him to stop screaming. I put him in his carseat and he also fell asleep for the whole flight. Beautiful.

We finally took off around 9:45pm and landed around midnight. Dick and Karen helped me unload again, a true godsend, and Charlie was already waiting in the airport for us. Had we not needed to change planes, the whole thing would have been pretty easy. Not that I would recommend it...

From Hot to Hotter

2009-06-23T18:23:00.002-07:00

The movers came yesterday to pack our apartment and load it on the truck. Here's a rundown of the next six days of absolute craziness:

Charlie left around lunchtime today with the moving truck. As in DRIVING the moving truck with our car hitched to the back. That way we'll have all of our stuff as soon as we arrive in AZ and won't have to wait 4-14 days for it to be delivered.
I'm staying with our good friends Bob and Ashley until Thursday night
I'm playing 'single mom' again until we meet back up with Charlie in AZ. I have to say that I don't mind it except for bath time, which I really, genuinely hate now that the boys try to stand up all the time. The funny thing is that Bob and Ashley's bathtub doesn't have a no-slip bottom, so every time they try they fall flat on their bellies getting a face-full of water. Maybe this will teach them a lesson?!
I'm flying solo with the boys on Thursday night. Ashley is going to take us to the airport and Charlie will pick us up, but the 2.5 hours on the plane are a little nerve wracking. Luckily it's bedtime for them, so I'm praying for a couple tired babies. Maybe you could pray too : )
Friday and Saturday are going to be spent unpacking the things we'll need for Pittsburgh and starting to find our way around Scottsdale.
Sunday morning we're trying out a new church and flying to Pittsburgh that night!! Hopefully the boys won't be traumatized by the flight on Thursday for their flight on Sunday.

Though Dallas has been 98 degrees the past few days, Scottsdale is even hotter. Luckily we'll be in PA for most of July to escape a few weeks of the brutal southwest summer weather. I will not be sad when this week of craziness is behind us!

Images of the Lone Star State

2009-06-16T18:14:00.006-07:00

An Ode to Texas. I'm gonna miss this place...

Only 2 1/2 Months to Go!

2009-06-10T11:15:00.005-07:00

I'm so close to getting caught up with my scrapbook! Admit it, some of you thought that I was 'announcing something' with that title : ) If any of you are doubtful that you'll ever get caught up with your albums, rest assured that if I can do it with two babies, anyone can do it!

The first scrapbook starts with the ultrasound of the boys and moves through their first six months. The second book that I just started begins with March (month 7) and will go until I run out of space. Here are a few of my 'latest and greatest' pages. Enjoy!!

Maybe Not the WORST Mother in the World...

2009-06-09T10:57:00.002-07:00

... but I'm at least in the running for 2nd or 3rd place.

I've been so frustrated with the boys for the last couple days because of how badly they've been napping. It takes them over an hour of screaming to finally take a 30 minute nap, and bedtime has been just as bad. They've both been waking up multiple times at night, which they almost never do anymore. With Charlie gone for the last 4 days in Scottsdale and dealing with this solo, it's been a little exhausting.

So on to the "Worst Mom in the World" award. It turns out that their colds are actually double ear infections... for both of them. Regardless of how tired they are (and they are tired! I have heard them stop screaming to yawn and then continue screaming) their ears are probably throbbing every time they lay down. I wouldn't be able to sleep either! I should have picked up on it, but they don't have any of the normal ear infection symptoms (fever, pulling at their ears, etc), so I just attributed the poor sleeping to their colds and being generally more fussy. Oops.

At their 9 month well-visit today (a contradiction in terms since they are both sick!), they were both weighed and are, in fact, still peanuts by anyone's standards (most notably the percentile chart maker's standards).

Owen is 18 lbs and the 10th percentile for weight.
Eli is 17 lbs and the 4th percentile for weight.
They are both 28.5" long and the 45th percentile for height.
They both have 17.5" head circumference and are in the 23rd percentile for that.

Everything else is looking great though. I was so happy to be able to check 'Yes' for all the milestones that they should be doing right now (sitting up, pulling up, etc) and feel like they are finally catching up to the non-premie world. Hurray!!

Book Review: Prey

2009-06-06T18:25:00.003-07:00

Prey, by Lurlene McDaniel, is, in a word, disturbing.

It's a story about a 15 year old high school freshman, Ryan, and his knockout social studies teacher, Lori, and their secretive and highly sexual relationship. The story has every emotional pitfall you would expect when mixing a 15 year old and a 32 year old, not to mention betraying the teacher/student dynamic that is so highly regarded and respected in our society. The amazing thing to me about this story is that Lori had her eye on Ryan from the first day of school, and vice versa. Maybe I just always thought that things like this 'just happen,' but it was planned and carefully executed like a well choreographed routine on Dancing with the Stars.

A teacher myself, I found it sickening that sordid relationships like this actually exist. It's an abuse of power and a pathetic attempt to control something that you should have no right to control. Towards the end, the book addresses the well know fact that if the genders would have been reversed, all hell would have broken loose for the male teacher, but as the case may be, Lori was sentenced to only six months in jail and nine months probation, never to teach again.

Stories like this make my skin crawl. They also make my heart break for all of the emotionally weak and battered people in the world who look to things like this (or pornography, child abuse, drugs, alcohol, etc) to fill the void from their broken pasts instead of seeking after the One who can truly make them whole. Though this book was only 192 pages and I read it in a day, it's scary to me that it's classified as 'Young Adult' and that high schoolers (and younger!) are reading this book. Hits a little too close to home if you ask me.

9 / 12

2009-05-30T16:05:00.002-07:00

We are officially on the move, and are quickly realizing just how much babyproofing needs to occur before two boys (who are usually moving in opposite directions) can have the run of the house. I think we took it for granted all these months that we could leave a book or the laptop or a hot cup of tea on the floor and it would be right there where we left it when we came back. Not anymore! It seems that the things they absolutely can't touch are the things they go for the fastest. I'll bet every other mom reading this knows exactly what I'm talking about!

A few stats from this month:

Owen and Eli are weighing 18 and 17 pounds respectively. Official 9 month weigh in is on June 9th, with percentile updates.
Visitors this month: we visited Matt, Julie and Samantha McHale (Matt was Charlie's roommate in college) in San Antonio
Milestones: Owen says Dada and Eli says Mama and baba, sitting up unsupported for long periods of time, laughing at each other, crawling, cutting teeth
New foods: egg yolks, noodles, black beans, pasta salad, pizza crust, pieces of chicken
Challenges this month: keeping two mobile boys away from everything that isn't baby-proofed!, Owen's phase of sticking his tongue out the second you put a spoonful of babyfood in his mouth
Current favorite toys: anything they aren't supposed to touch! The laptop, kleenex boxes, diapers, remotes...
Owen: started crawling backwards on 5.12, can rock back and forth on his hands and knees, cut his first tooth on 5.14 - the bottom left, cut the second bottom tooth on 5.21, started crawling forward on 5.20 and started sitting from laying on his belly on 5.29. He's also starting to do a few yoga moves, namely Downward Dog!
Eli: started army crawling on 5.12, cut his first and second teeth (both on the bottom) on 5.20
Interactions: Eli's new favorite thing is sucking on Owen's hair. He'll power his way across the floor, hold Owen's head in both hands and lick most of his hair, covering him in drool. It's so gross, but Owen doesn't seem to mind it!
Big Deals This Month: finding out that we're moving to Scottsdale (and trying to figure out how to work with three time zone changes in a month!)

We are 9/12 of the way through our first year as parents of twins!

Mountain Time Zone Here We Come!

2009-05-28T12:03:00.005-07:00

Yesterday delivered the news of Charlie's next rotation: Scottsdale Arizona!

He and I both really thought that we'd get Atlanta. Not for any particular reason, but we both just had a feeling that that's where we'd be. So much so that I was already planning trips to the peach orchards this summer and all the cobblers and pies that would results from said trips. Oh Atlanta, how I was looking forward to you.

But it was not to be for this upcoming six months. Instead, we'll be trading Tex Mex food for real Mexican food and braving the 100 degree days (but it's a dry heat!). Scottsdale is practically brand new (especially when compared to anywhere in the East) and we're within 3-4 hours of the Grand Canyon, if you're looking for a vacation destination!

Within the next month, we'll already be out of Dallas, which is just crazy because it feels like we just got here! I'll update you with prayer requests as we get closer to packing up and moving, as I'm sure there will be plenty to pray about between changing time zones, figuring out what we need until our things arrive, layovers and getting through the two weeks that Charlie is in CT for training while I'm in Pittsburgh playing the role of a single mom.

By the way, we're coming to Pittsburgh! Tentative dates are ~June 27th-July 20th, but there's a little give on both sides. We can't wait to see as many of you as possible!

It Takes a Village

2009-05-27T07:55:00.002-07:00

In an effort to minimize clutter and maximize organization, I've decided to start a(nother!) blog. The concept is pretty simple - categorize and capture all the great parenting ideas that I read about/hear about/think about so that they are easily accessible when I'm ready to use them. A couple categories I've thought of include:

Meal times/recipes
Rainy day activities
Arts & Crafts
Freebie field trips
Links to websites
Outdoor activities/games
Holidays/Birthdays
Research & Then (this is one that Charlie and I came up with. For example, research dinosaurs and then go to the history museum to see the dino bones... or research a composer and then go to a symphony...)

I have so many Parenting, Parents, Family Fun and FitPregnancy magazines laying around (lying around?) and thought that I could pick out the ideas that I would use, put them on a blog and toss the rest of the magazine.

I'm looking for a bit (or maybe a lot!) of help though.

I need a name for the blog. IDEAS?!
I would love to have other contributors. I can add you as an author if you're interested. I know that SO MANY of you have great kid-friendly ideas. I'm thinking of those of you who make pancakes into funny faces, have nannied for many years, who have kids in any age or stage, and who want to be the best mom you can be!
I would like to have more categories. IDEAS?!

Even if you don't want to be a contributor, you can still send me ideas for a name or categories. I'm sure you're like me in that you want to have creative things for your kiddos to do but can't always come up with them on your own. That's where having multiple contributors can help me too!! Have I mentioned that they don't have to be original ideas? I'm going to pull many from magazines (and probably add my own twists to the ideas too) as well as anything I think up on my own that I don't want to forget to use when the age/stage/time comes.

Join me?

The Suspense Is Killing Me...

2009-05-22T10:28:00.002-07:00

It has now been 9 business days since Charlie submitted his rotation choices and we still haven't heard anything. Ugh, the Type A, Plan Everything, Need To Know Details side of my personality is coming out in full force. Just tell us already!

Hopefully we'll hear by the end of the day, because if I (I mean WE) have to wait until Tuesday because of Memorial Day Weekend, I just might explode. Ka-boom!

Covering the Map

2009-05-12T16:59:00.003-07:00

Charlie submitted his choices for the next rotation today, and let me just tell you that they are diverse! Here's the breakdown...

Atlanta, GA
Scottsdale, AZ
Eden Prairie, MN
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL

Like always, just because he wants one of these rotations doesn't mean that he's guaranteed one of these rotations, but they like to make you feel like you have a say in things. We could just as easily end up back in Connecticut, or California, New York, Missouri or many other places. We should hear in the next 7-10 days where he'll be placed, and then the planning can begin for the move in mid to late June. Home finding trip, weeding out more of our things that we don't want/need anymore, plane tickets... the list goes on and on. Hopefully an update is coming sooner rather than later!

The Clock Is Ticking (Again)

2009-05-09T20:43:00.002-07:00

Charlie got the list of rotations yesterday! We weren't expecting it until probably 3-4 weeks from now, but here it is... and we only have until Tuesday to make our choices! Like last time, he gets to choose five locations/divisions that he would prefer, but also like last time, that doesn't guarantee that he'll get his top choice.

We thought that there might be a chance that we could stay here in Dallas (he heard a rumor that they are minimizing relocation costs) but there aren't any rotations this time around in Texas. In a nutshell, that means we're definitely on tap for move #3 in the last year. This is getting exhausting!

Once we weed through the options and Charlie submits his choices, we'll probably hear 7-10 days later where we'll be placed next. From there, time starts to fly! Trips to Goodwill with things we don't want to move, a home finding trip to the new location, tying up loose ends here and saying goodbye to dear friends we've made. At least this time we have a little more notice than last time.

It'll be a whole new ballgame moving with 10 month olds compared to 4 month olds! I'm already dreading keeping them busy on the plane and messing with their sleep schedule (by changing time zones)... not to mention bringing things to keep them occupied until our things and their toys arrive. Yikes! I just flashed forward to the next move when they are 16 months and walking. I don't even want to think about that yet!!

Pray for us over the next 4-5 days, please, that the process will go smoothly and that we'll be happy with the outcome. Pray also that we'll start to feel prepared to leave, because right now we're pretty far from ready.

Wave of Sadness

2009-05-08T09:54:00.002-07:00

It's about that time again. Charlie and I should be hearing within the next month where we'll be moving to next. Things are all up in the air, but we trust God and have seen very tangible ways that He's provided for us in the previous two moves and know that He will provide for us again, but that doesn't make the 'uprooting' part much easier.

MOPS ended today and my two bible studies both ended in the last two weeks. It's hard for me when I hear the leaders talk about the upcoming year and know that I won't be a part of it. It's especially hard when you find a place, or a church, or a friend that you don't want to let go of, yet have no control over holding on. It's hard when you know that life will go on for everyone else like it should, yet it has to start over again for us.

Maybe I'm just feeling sorry for myself today... not wanting to put the energy into making new friends, learning a new city and unpacking our things (again!). Or maybe I'm just human, clinging on to the known and resisting the unknown.

Movie Review: The Changling

2009-05-04T09:14:00.002-07:00

We're a bit behind the times when it comes to new releases. That being said, if anyone else has yet to see this movie... I would recommend NOT seeing it, especially if you happen to be a parent. This movie caused me and/or Charlie to get up and check on the boys while they were sleeping at least four times yet (in the two hours it took to watch the movie!) It's unnerving, unsettling and unsolved. AND it's based on a true story, which made the whole thing even worse.

Based in the 30s, Angelina Jolie, a single mother of an 8(ish) year old boy Walter, came home from work to find that her son wasn't at home as he should have been. She searched the neighborhood to no avail and called the police, who told her she had to wait 24 hours before they would file a report. The next day they came and took her information and the search began. Five months later, they called to say that they found her son and he would be arriving at the train station. As an aside, the LAPD in the 30s was incredibly corrupt and didn't do many things right. They overlooked crimes and accepted kickbacks for doing so. Many citizens tried to protest the LAPD and found themselves in jail or the asylum because of it.

When Jolie arrived at the train station, the boy they presented wasn't her son. The police tried to convince her that he was, and that after the shock wore off, she would realize that it was her son. Well, obviously she would know better than they would and it wasn't her son. To start, he was a good 3 inches shorter and circumcised, not to mention he didn't know anything that her real son would have known (ie - teachers names in school).

When she started causing trouble for the LAPD in demanding that they resume the search for her real son, they had her locked in the psychopathic ward (which in the 30s was a terrifying place to look at on a movie screen, let alone live through!)

Finally, as one redeeming quality of the movie, the best lawyer in town took on her case pro bono to sue the city and the police force. In the meantime, a child was picked up by the police and proceeded to tell the horrific story about how he and his cousin killed at least 20 kids on a ranch not far from the outskirts of town. Much of the end of the movie was the trial of the LAPD and also of the adult cousin who did most of the kid-killing.

Just in case kid-killing with an axe, police brutality, insane asylums and missing children cases is your thing, I won't give away the ending... but I will say that this movie leaves you paranoid to know what your kids are doing at all times and thankful for every second they are safe at home. If this movie wasn't based on a true story and Hollywood had the freedom to write an actual ending (instead of the kind of ending where each character's update is written across the screen) I might recommend the movie, but for all the loose ends and unsettled feelings it left us with, I'd say you're better off with almost anything else.

8 / 12

2009-04-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

What a fun month! Owen and Eli are both so much more mobile, though not quite crawling. They both have their own way of scooting or spinning to get to what they want, which immediately goes into their mouth. They are starting to bring their legs underneath themselves too, so I'm sure crawling won't be too far away. It's hard to believe that 8 months have gone by so quickly!

A few stats from this month:

Owen and Eli are weighing 17.5 and 16 pounds respectively (based on our bathroom scale)
Visitors this month: Jeff and Kelly
Milestones: Growing into Size 3 diapers, Owen rolling from his back to his belly, both boys rolling from their belly to their back, Owen getting the hang of the jumper, trying finger foods (waffles, toast, cut up banana, kiwi, grapes, blueberries, mandarin oranges, black beans, green beans, crackers and graham crackers), picking up food and actually getting it into their mouths, stopped using gas drops (finally!), sucking on their feet/toes, watching our first Rodeo, trying out juice cups, turning on their mobiles in the crib with their feet
Challenges this month: letting the boys 'cry it out.' Luckily it only took each of them 1-2 nights, but I found myself sleeping in the walk-in closet on those nights so I couldn't hear them crying!, Driving the 10+ hours to and from Big Bend National Park, hiking over a mile with two screaming babies
Current favorite toys: Tupperware rattle, Baby Einstein shapes and colors noise maker, squeaky book
Owen: When I sit on the floor while Owen is playing, he'll stop what he's doing, spin himself towards me and lift his arms to be picked up. He's such a cuddly baby!
Eli: He spins like a helicopter when he's playing on the floor. Circle after circle, I'm not even sure he's looking for anything, I think he just likes to spin. He gets spooked when Owen starts making loud noises. Sometimes he'll join in and they'll 'talk' back and forth, but other times he gets a stunned look on his face and starts crying.
Item(s) I can't live without: a loaf of bread, a box of waffles, a can of puffs and a freezer/pantry full of baby food - they love to eat!!
Big Deals This Month: the boys' first Easter, being in the world as long as they were in my belly

We are 8/12 of the way through our first year as parents of twins!

Time In = Time Out

2009-04-29T09:03:00.005-07:00

Today is the day - the boys are 34 1/2 weeks old - exactly the amount of time that I was pregnant with them. I have said many times that it feels like the boys have always been here, as a part of our family. Realizing that this time is equivalent to the amount of time I was pregnant makes me realize WHY it felt like I was pregnant forever - it's a long time!!

I think it's funny that the same length of time felt like an eternity while I was pregnant and has blown right by in the blink of an eye now that the boys are with us.

Exactly a year ago, here's what the boys 'looked like':

And here's what they look like now (Owen first, then Eli):

Book Review: The Blue Bottle Club

2009-04-25T08:02:00.005-07:00

The bible study that I attend on Monday nights has just ended and is transforming into a book study for the summer months. The first book chosen is The Blue Bottle Club by Penelope Stokes and portrays the story of five women - four from the 1930s, one from present day who serves as the reporter, bringing the other four stories to life.

The Blue Bottle Club was formed on Christmas Day, 1929, just months after the Stock Market Crash of '29. Each of the girls wrote her lifelong dreams on a piece of paper and put them into a blue bottle, which was then hidden in the rafters of the house as a sort of time capsule for their lives. As the story unfolds, it's clear that none of the girls' lives turned out quite like they had imagined. Many dreams and hearts were broken in the process, but through it all, they each found God.

The reporter in the story made the following realization:

"It's the dreams we're unaware of that are the most important ones. God sees into our hearts and knows our souls inside out. Our conscious dreams may go unfulfilled, but the Lord's dreams - those deeper ones - are always realized. We just have to keep our eyes open to see the miracle when it happens."

I have often offered up that small prayer... 'not my will but yours, Lord,' but have still sometimes been filled with a sadness over some of my own dreams that didn't materialize. This book though, because it has the power of a book to tell the beginning, middle and end of the story all at once, shows how letting go of your own dreams allows the dreams of God to come true - which turns out better 100% of the time.

"Our primary purpose in this life is not to do, but to become. To grow in Christlikeness, to become more like our Lord. To draw near in the Spirit. To glorify God with whatever our hands touch."

When we are pursuing that purpose as our dream, our goal, then the actual events of our life aren't as important as the people we touch, the character we develop and the relationship we form with Christ. When you spend your life pursuing a 'higher calling' rather than a degree or career or status or fortune, you recognize that life isn't so much a destination as a journey. It's a constant development and maturing of our character... we just have to watch out for when God's dreams are materializing in our lives.

The book is a quick read and I enjoyed how the past and present were woven together to tell a complete story of redemption for each of the characters. Pepper in a few important lessons about our Creator and I agree that it was a well-chosen first book for the book club.

Finally Ready for 2009

2009-04-22T07:44:00.008-07:00

I know, I know, I'm about 4 months too late, but I just got caught up on my scrapbook for the boys through the end of 2008, which makes me officially ready to start the New Year. I love it when people look through my scrapbooks, but since we're in Texas and most of you are unlikely to see it in person, I thought I'd showcase some of the many pages that I've been working on lately. A bit 'show and telly,' I know, but humor me : )

For the opening page, I wove blue and green paper together (for their signature colors) and added their weights and times as stats. Time intensive, yes, but I love how it turned out.

Growing & Glowing: my baby-baby belly

Since the boys were born on August 30th, I thought the easiest way to scrapbook would be by months. Each month takes up about 5-6 pages and highlights the "Stats and Stories" of each month's happenings.

Little Ones to Him Belong: their baptism at Bellefield over Thanksgiving

Blankies... Don't leave HoHoHome Without Them!

Caution: Head Shaping in Progress - the story of Owen's helmet

SNAPSHOT: 7 1/2 Months

2009-04-15T13:40:00.011-07:00

On our way home from Big Bend, Charlie and I created a list describing each of the boys individually and together. We're always asked if they have similar personalities or if they 'accomplish' things at the same time, and we realized that the answer is yes and no. We wanted to start this series of blog posts though, so we could remember this time right now years down the road. Enjoy!

YOU BOTH:

Love breakfast most of all - any fruit, any time
Mess with each other when you're within arms reach - hitting in the face, pinching, kicking - and hate when the other one does it to you!
Love the shapes and colors Baby Einstein toy and can turn it on by yourself
Play with your paci as a toy and can make a *pop!* sound with it
Choose to play and chew on rings over any other toy
Like my homemade baby food way better than the store bought of the same flavor
Frequently are awakened because of 'binky in/under the neck' troubles
Kick your feet and legs when you're eating something you really like
Suck on your toes, even in the car seat
Arch your back to be picked up when you're unbuckled from the car seat
Try to roll during diaper changes but are easily distracted if we give you a toy to hold
Eat 2 times per day and nurse 4 times per day
Like orange veggies (squash, sweet potatoes, carrots) much better than green ones (beans, peas)
Wear 6-9 month clothes and size 2 diapers

OWEN, YOU:

Make a low 'aaahhhhh' sing-song noise when you're playing or riding in the car
Roll both directions (belly to back and back to belly) but it took you longer to roll at all
Sit without support longer
Make 'mm mm mmmmm' noises when you want more puffs or another bite of food
Tolerate hats (probably because of wearing the helmet)
Urgently look left to right when you're carried or sitting on a lap - you don't want to miss anything!
Suck your thumb
Have more sensitive skin, especially on your face
Spin in circles in your sleep
Immediately roll onto your side in the crib when you're tired
Suck on the satin on the back of Puppy
Love the exersaucer and can play in it much longer than Eli
Giggle more when tickled
Rub your feet together when you're mad or crying
Hate wearing socks
Have a pseudo mohawk - much longer hair on top than the sides
Need to cuddle when you wake up from a nap and want to sit on my lap before playing
Start to pant when you're about to nurse

ELI, YOU:

Have a high pitched squeal and yell for more puffs or another bite of food
LOVE the jumper and look like a little frog bouncing in it
Roll mostly to your belly, but you're starting to roll to your back
Sleep on your belly all the time
Nurse with your arm reaching up to put your hand on my mouth
HATE peas... with a passion
Still fit 3-6 month clothes, but wear 6-9 month
Hate hats and pull at them until they come off
Arch your back in the tub to send tidal waves of water over Owen's head
Hold Owen's hand in the highchair
Spin in circles when you're on your belly so you can get to all the toys
Smile right before you puke
Turn on your fish mobile with your feet
Put your fingers in your mouth as soon as a spoonful of babyfood goes in
Say 'boo' while crying
Don't like the exersaucer for as long as Owen because your feet start to hurt from the ridges you stand on
HATE getting your nose sucked out and start screaming as soon as you see the aspirator

FOODS YOU'VE TRIED:

Babyfood: Pears, Applesauce, Peaches, Plums, Bananas, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Green Beans, Peas, Oatmeal, Rice, YoBaby Yogurt
Finger food: Club Crackers, Graham Crackers, Banana, Blueberries, Kiwi, Toast, Waffles, Mandarin Oranges, Cheerios, Puffs

So there you have it! Owen and Eli, 7 1/2 months old!

7 / 12

2009-03-30T07:24:00.004-07:00

We're on the fast track to the one-year birthday. Time just seems to be flying by - especially since Owen and Eli are doing so much more and seem to grow up just a tiny bit more every day.

A few stats from this month:

Owen and Eli (for the very first time) are weighing approximately the same amount - about 16 pounds - this is just using our bathroom scale though, and we're positive that Owen still weighs more
Visitors this month: Georgi was on the calendar but we had to reschedule because I was so sick, so none : (
Milestones: Owen graduating from his helmet, Eli rolling on his own from his back to his belly, starting solids (fruits and veggies) and puffs, Owen sitting unassisted, Eli loving the jumper (Owen, not so much), riding in the swing together at the park
New Foods: Applesauce, sweet potatoes, pears, green beans, peaches, bananas, squash, kiwi and oatmeal
Challenges this month: my stomach flu that lasted a week and required IV fluids, both boys had horrible colds and fevers (as a result, I think, of taking them to the pediatrician's office for their six month well visit), attempting to feed less often in the middle of the night (we're down to only once!)
Item(s) I can't live without: Puffs! Any flavor or brand will do... now if they could just get them in their mouths themselves!
Big Deals This Month: neither boy has a hearing problem!, Owen slept from7am-7pm (once, but still!), successfully making my own babyfood and LOVING doing it! I've made everything they've tried except green beans and bananas, but I've also made plums, carrots and blueberries, which they haven't tried yet. I'm so proud of the stay-at-home-mom-skills I'm acquiring!

We are 7/12 of the way through our first year as parents of twins!

Book Review: Girl Meets God

2009-03-21T07:35:00.002-07:00

I'm sure I've missed the boat on the pop culture reading this book, but our church is having a women's retreat and the author of Girl Meets God, Lauren Winner, is speaking there, so I thought I'd see if the local library carried a copy so I could catch up with the times. I wasn't actually sure what to expect. It sounded like a catchy title for a book that would end up having nothing to do with our Christian walk, but it has proven to be the exact opposite and has challenged me to think differently about so many litergical elements that I have taken for granted for so long (and too long).

This book helped to bring new meaning to each of the seasons in the Christian calendar. Broken up into Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Eastertide, and Pentecost, Winner describes her own journey through life as a Christian instead of a Jew - but how her past as a Jew still colors her future as a Christian. Two components in particular that I felt compelled to re-incorporate into my Christian life are Lenten sacrifices (see earlier post) and Confession.

There was one quote that I hope stays with me for a long time. She was referring to leil tikkum Shavuot, the penance that the Jews pay for falling asleep while God was revealing himself to Moses on Sinai. As part of the penance, they stay up all night on Shavuot studying the Torah. Centuries later, Peter and the other disciples can't stay awake while Jesus is praying in Gethsemane. Even when Jesus told them that his betrayer was coming and that he was 'deeply grieved, even to death,' they still fell asleep three times. This is what Winner says that I hope I can remember...

"My life is like a disciple's nap in Gethsemane: I have promised, over and over, to be vigilant for the things of God, to be awake to Him, but I seem to spend much of my life sleeping."

It is so honest and true, and seems to describe me just as much as it describes her. I would venture to guess that it describes most of us. My prayers are so often filled with longings to 'do better' or 'be better' as a Christian. Praise God that our salvation isn't based on 'staying awake' but on the grace of God alone! In her chapter on Confession, she says this to the argument that Christians can do as they please because they are under the umbrella of grace...

"... I will always keep screwing up. And God somehow will keep forgiving me, and pulling me closer to Him. He will, over time, make me sadder and sadder when I spit in His eye. He will make me love Him better. And that might mean, maybe, that I will sin a little bit less."

Christian life is a journey. The destination is one that might be right around the corner or one that we won't see on this side of death. Thankfully we have each other to help us through. We have each other to encourage us to be the best that God intended us to be. We have each other to pray with us when we fail and sin and let God down. And through it all, we have each other as a community of believers in the same God who calls us all to be His children.

If you haven't read this book, or if you have but need a refresher, read it during this season of preparation for Easter. It never hurts to be reminded why you believe what you believe. 4 Stars.

How Do You Do It?

2009-03-11T12:55:00.002-07:00

Calling all moms, wives and women - I want to hear from you!

I've recently been thinking about how I can do my part in saving our family money. I've been reading up on 'couponing' (who knew it was a verb!?) and Charlie and I have decided to try out the envelope system for our major spending categories to see if it positively effects our spending (and it really has so far!). I've also been a committed breast-feeder, thus saving hundreds (if not thousands!) on formula, and I'm going to make as much baby food as I can - at least the foods that make sense to turn into baby food and we eat already. I want to start being more aware of what is on sale at the grocery store so I can create my weekly meal plan based on the deals of the week and I want to be more creative in utilizing what I already have on hand so a) it doesn't go bad and b) so we eat more creative meals.

So I'm wondering... how do you do it? Do you have websites with pointers? Do you clip coupons? Do you use cloth diapers? Do you buy in bulk and freeze the extras? Do you 'go meatless' a few times a week to cut your grocery bill? Do you budget or use some other spending/saving disciplines (like the envelope system)? Do you cut your own hair or avoid clothes stores altogether?

What have you tried and stuck with? What have you tried and decided wasn't for you? And I know you're reading... leave a comment so the rest of us can benefit too! This post is leading into an idea that I have... comment now, but stay tuned for more details!

Helmet Update 4.0 - The Graduate!

2009-03-07T06:53:00.002-08:00

Two weeks ago we decided that we weren't going to get a second helmet for Owen because we were so satisfied with the results. We thought we had achieved the best results possible with the first helmet, but then he was measured for his final visit!

Here's the update:

Original variance (measuring from front right to back left and front left to back right): 20mm
Variance 1 month ago: 11-12mm
Variance 2 weeks ago: 9mm
Final Variance: 5mm!
Original measurement from his ear to his nose and his eye to his nose: 3-4mm
Measurement 2 weeks ago: 2mm
Final Variance: 1mm!

5mm!! They wouldn't even have recommended a helmet for him originally with a variance of 5! In two weeks, his little head rounded out so nicely that you can't even tell he ever needed the helmet.

He seems so happy without it on (but when he gets mad he still reaches up and looks like he's trying to pull it off! Old habits die hard!) We are so thankful that we decided to get the helmet - but we are so much more thankful that IT'S OVER!