Counting Sheep

Sometimes the days are so long but weeks and months seem to go so quickly. My day is managed in terms of "before the nap" and "after the nap." The guys just nap once a day and it is typically an hour to two hours long. They average about 10 hours of sleep at night so that doesn't leave me much time to do anything other than the daily routine unless I stay up late. And that has been catching up with me. Being sleep deprived makes me eat poorly which makes me more tired and lazy. It is a vicious circle. My sugar intake it out of control right now and I am having trouble getting out of that bad habit. Basically I need more sleep. So I am going to bed...right now...and speaking of sleeping...........

Goodnight kiss

Good night mommy!

Good night J and Snuggle Puppy

Good night W and Rhinoceros

About a Girl

We had a nice visit from a couple of my good friends and their kiddos last week. It was so nice to just hang out and catch up with them. I wish they lived closer again. Here are the boys playing with little A. I think W has a crush.

Happy Easter!

God sure has blessed us. We went to an amazing service on Easter morning...we really like our new church and the boys are getting a little bit better everytime they go to the nursery.

The boys checking out their Easter morning "wagon"...we got them a beach wagon filled with sand toys for this summer, a movie, and some books.

The weather here has been INCREDIBLE. We celebrated Easter with Geoff's work folks at a big Sunday brunch followed by a late afternoon egg hunt. We weren't sure if the boys would participate in the hunt but they GOT it...we showed them how to pick up one egg and put it in the basket and that was all it took. Then we just needed to move out of the way!! At one point, Jack was venturing into the woods still on the hunt for eggs.

Are there any more eggs over there?

2 baskets are better than 1

Such a fun weekend.

"CONSTRUCTION JUNCTION"

a.k.a. LITTLE BOY HEAVEN....whoever thought of this idea for a kid's day is a genius! We went to "Construction Junction" at the fairgrounds. Picture a big field lined up with all kinds of trucks, tractors, fire trucks, and police cars...all open for kids to touch, climb, honk horns, and explore to their hearts content. Not to mention a big sand hill in the center of the field for climbing and digging, miniature tractors for kids to ride and race, a bouncy castle, and a craft area to build various "construction" projects sponsored by Lowes.

Trying out the miniature tractors...

We think the guys preferred to push the tractors instead of riding them...

Hanging out on the back of a truck flatbed...

With daddy in the fire truck...

Trying to gather as many mini footballs as he can...

W loving the monster tractor...

Watch out...look who's driving!

Helping daddy build a tool box:

We had a lot of fun watching the boys yesterday....after naptime, we went hiking at a nearby nature trail. It was mile-long loop which was perfect for the boys to walk. They were pretty tired by the end of the day....

Have you seen this?

Very touching. And a very important message. I haven't been keeping up with Oprah lately and this may be very old news but I just stumbled upon this online. It is Professor Randy Pausch reprising his final lecture.
http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=ithct48cqw

little leprechauns

I am a little late getting this one out. I bought some cute green hats to take pictures of the boys on St. Patricks Day but they wanted nothing to do with it. J wore one for a few minutes and ran around the room bumping into things...the hat is so big it covered his whole head:
I should have abandoned the camera and grabbed the video camera bc it was pretty funny watching W bust up at J running around knocking himself over.

We have had a pretty uneventful week. The weather has been crazy so we have been hanging out mostly at home. But it didn't stop the boys from brushing up on some important life skills:

Like climbing (our kitchen cabinets):

Searching for great deals in circulars:

Reading books and magazines:

Multitasking:

Wroking out the lungs:

Snuggling:

Irish Soda Bread

In honor of St. Patricks Day...I thought I would share one of my favorite recipes. I found this recipe several years ago in a random magazine (I think it was in Ladies Home Journal? Redbook?) and I have since made it numerous times. It is a no-fail, simple recipe. The ingredients are few...I keep everything on hand and just buy buttermilk when I am plan on making it.
I normally make two loaves at a time because it goes so fast and so I don't waste the buttermilk. It tastes like a very moist, yummy biscuit.

Irish Soda Bread

Cooking Spray
3 cups flour +1 tsp unsifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup raisins (I don't use)
1 tsp anise seeds (I don't use)
1 and 1/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat baking sheet with cooking spray. In small bowl, combine 3 cups of flour, baking soda, sugar and salt; sift into large bowl. With pastry blender or 2 knives used scissors fashion, cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal.

2. Stir in raisins and anise seeds (if using); toss until raisins are coated. Pour in buttermilk; stir with fork until dough comes together. Knead in bowl 5 times; turn out dough onto floured surface. With floured hands, knead 8 or 10 times. Shape dough into 6-in.-round loaf; transfer to prepared baking sheet.

3. Using small sieve, sift remaining 1 tsp flour over top of loaf. With floured serrated knife, using sawing motion, cut 1-in. deep by 4-in. long X across the top of loaf. Bake 45-50 minutes, until bread is golden and sounds hollow when top is tapped. Cool on rack.
Makes 12 servings.
Happy Baking....

M-O-M-M-Y needs C-O-F-F-E-E

Have you heard the "Coffee Song" before? From Ralph's World? It is so simple and catchy and true! Listen to it on Itunes if you want a laugh. Some other fun music we are listening to now:

*Take a Little Nap (The Disco Song) by Ralphs World
*D-O-G by Justin Roberts
*Do Your Ears Hang Low? by Countdown Kids

I love Saturdays. I took a shopping trip to Target and savored walking around rather than running through the store with my hair on fire. And for a treat, I stopped at Starbucks for a macchiato. The last time I went to this Target/Starbucks the scene was the complete opposite. Picture it....I had finished my shopping at Target and the boys were READY TO GO. So I have my full cart, the stroller, and I must have had a sudden brain lapse because I decided I could get a coffee before I left. Real quick. So they hand me my coffee, J wiggled out of the stroller and was running around, W was squealing because he wanted out, I had no where to put my coffee (again, WHAT was I thinking? My stroller doesn't have a cup holder.) AND I think it was starting to rain. Fortunately this sweet grandma came over and asked me if she could help get me to my car. If she hadn't offered to help I think I would have had to just put down my $4 macchiato and bolted.

The boys started doing some new things this week...saying shoe, Katy, Bear and bubble. Spinning, walking backwards, and "swinging." Knocking on doors and saying "knock knock." J discovered he can hold onto the crib with one hand and the dresser with the other, hang, and swing. They are running faster and faster and getting better using a spoon. W has become very fond of walking on his tippy toes. And my favorite, they can climb into their own high chairs when they are hungry.

Here are our busy guys "surfing" on the furniture...t-r-o-u-b-l-e

Helping me with the laundry (I think)...t-r-o-u-b-l-e

Being mischievous...t-r-o-u-b-l-e

Asking "What's for dinner??" Can you guess who is who?

Since we moved in, I started walking around, holding pictures up and asking the boys "do you like this here?" and for some reason, they both would shake their head no. Everytime. So I had to get a little video because they will probably stop doing it soon...

And check out this short video of the boys rocking together in their room....SO sweet:

Kill the HILL

There is a hill on the way to the park we go to a couple of times a week. I jog there with the dogs and the boys and then we hang out at the park a little before heading back home. Well, I never really noticed a huge difference running with the stroller versus without a jogging stroller except that you obviously can't move both of your arms. Until I tried going up a hill with the stroller and 46-lbs of boys and two 70-lb dogs (not that I am pushing the dogs...it is more like they are pulling me). I hit that hill and I hit a wall everytime. I-just-can't-move. So I have set a goal to be able to jog up that hill (at least once) with the jogging stroller. Probably sans dogs. I need at least one arm to help me up the hill! Just thought I would put that out there.

Happy Birthday Uncle PJ!

Moo

When the boys finish their milk, they throw their sippy cups across the room...either from their high chairs or will walk into the kitchen and throw the cup across the kitchen. They might as well just grunt at me the stinkers! We have really been working on this. I say over and over "milk please" or do the sign for "more" but our progress has been slow.

They still throw their bottles (and don't get more by doing this) but now, every so often, they will reach up and either:

1) push their cup into the sink

or

2) reach their cup out and say "moo"

It is so funny. They have seen the cow on their milk cartons so they moo when they want milk.

And if there is a toy available that they can put their sippy cup into, even better...homemade koozie! Pretty clever considering they have never seen a koozie before.

W with his sippy cup in his own "koozie":