Going Bananas....

A first!  The boys can hold a banana by themselves and (kind of) peel it as they go.  They were quite excited about this new found independence. 

J very proud:

W:

 

Another first...I gave them their first taste of chocolate milk.  They LOVED it....can you tell?

I don't think J took the glass away from his lips:

Mmmmmm good!

Playing in the Ocean...

...the fun way!  You know, fully dressed in really nice clothes, a normal diaper, socks and shoes. What could be better?  They loved it.  No, this really wasn't my intention.  I just wanted to walk down to the beach behind our house and one thing led to another....before I could even get their shoes off, they were in the bay.

You would think J has been carrying that net around his whole life...he just flung it over his shoulder and carried it around the beach:

 

I don't know if you can tell, but they have some wet drawers and check out W's feet:

W's bucket:

This is W VERY angry at mommy.  They both wanted me to carry them home-hard to carry two soaking wet 25-lb boys at the same time for a good distance (again, I didn't plan this through very well).  But I decided to just walk and see if he would follow me...and just stood there...fuming....and thinking hard about what he was going to do next.  He decided to take off further away from me.  So my plan backfired.  =)  

Things You May Not Know About Me....

I thought I would post a couple of fun facts about myself. I enjoy learning the little quirks that make someone who they are. For example, I recently learned that my father-in-law puts butter on his sandwiches. He said if there is bread, he needs butter. Or how Geoff likes to have cottage cheese and applesauce when he eats macaroni and cheese. Or how he only orders vanilla ice cream or cookies and cream or vanilla ice-cream with oreos on top when we go out for ice cream. Here are some of my *quirks*

-I love the sound of silence (now). Sometimes I even turn off the car radio when I am by myself to savor it.
-I like the word "barista". Those lucky baristas get to say "I am a barista" when someone asks what they do.
-I am a tracker....what am I tracking now? How many books I have read, how many miles I have run, how many Pampers reward points I have, etc.
-I dream of working at a Pottery Barn or Pottery Barn Kids just to get the discount. It is probably a good thing that we never live anywhere close to an actual store. BTW, is it just me, or have their prices gotten ridiculous in the past few years? I can't even afford a spoon in that store. Well, barely.
-I abhor certain fluffy foods: marshmallows, whipped cream, mayonnaise, cotton candy....all make me feel sick.
-I have had three cats named Tigger.
-I like to multi-task. The other day I was actually jogging with my double jogger...with a big dog on each side...and talking on the phone...OK, maybe that is taking multitasking too far!
-I get very happy when the weather cools down. I LOVE the fall.
-I can stand pretty much everything involving a cold...but a sore throat makes me pretty miserable.
-I love pictures of people.
-I am obsessed with house-hunting online. Even if we are not in the market for a house. I love looking at different homes, house plans, and how they are decorated.
-I wish I could sew so I could make my kid's Halloween costumes.
-I enjoy clothes shopping for the boys...just pick their size and I know it will look good on them. No need to try it on.
-I am a rule-follower. Sometime to a fault. Sometimes I wish I wasn't though.
-I don't love moving. But I do like the feeling of starting over. Cleaning a new house...making it a new home. It is fun to try new things.
-I have always liked my brown eyes...but now I LOVE them because I share them with my children.
-I can't eat honey or drink apple cider without thinking about my Grandpa. Or see Lincoln Logs without thinking of my grandparents.
-I love sweet and salty....like chocolate and nuts...or chocolate and pretzels.
-I wish I could live in a house with a mountain view and gigantic trees. The outside of Susan Sarandon's character in the movie Stepmom is unbelievable.
-I have flown in an F-16. And I have thrown up in an F-16. Three or four times.
-I have a tendency to get sick when I travel. Maybe my immune system can't take the excitement! We don't know why. I have been sick (and had to go to the ER) in Tennessee, Iowa, New Mexico, and Texas-I am sure there are more places but I can't think of them right now.
-I have had four broken bones. Three broken toes from playing soccer in high school. And a broken wrist - also from playing soccer.
-When I eat M&Ms, I like to eat them by color.
-I am no fan of swimming in the ocean. I can't relax. I am always looking around for sharks.
-I like to play the card game 500.
-I don't mind grocery shopping. What I don't like about it is carrying everything inside the house and putting it away.
-I have a very short-term memory. It is not an excuse. I really do...lately.
-I do not like the feeling of newspaper...or ice when it sticks to your finger....yikes!
-I still pray for more patience. I am not as patient as I hope to be.
-I love the smell of coffee. And bread baking. And citrus.

Well Baby Check

Today was the last of many strings of well baby checks. Not another until they are three years old. However, our nurse practioner wants to see them every six months for their eczema/allergies/asthma so I guess we aren't off the hook.

We have noticed W looking more hefty (and feeling more solid) than J lately. W tipped the scales at 25 lbs 15 ounces and J was 24 lbs 9 ounces. They both were 33 7/8 inches tall. It was a blessing their well-baby appointment was this morning since we were up all night with the guys.

They caught a type of virus that causes little blisters on their throat and fevers at night. It can last around 7 days. The blisters can be itchy and it is causing them to drool a lot and suck on their fingers...check, check...they are doing both.

Mirror Mirror....

Whenever W looks into a mirror, he points at his reflection and says "J!" I find that so interesting...that he doesn't yet see a difference between him and his brother. Here is an old picture from my favorite photographer Genya...but very appropriate to this post. =)

MOPS and MDO

What does MOPS and MDO stand for?! If you don't know, MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. A little bit of a misnomer because it is definitely not just mothers of preschoolers. The group includes pregnant-about-to-become-moms, moms with grade school-kids, moms with college kids, and yes, even one grandma. It is basically a gathering of moms who have a fun for a couple of hours a month. We share stories, listen to guest speakers, make crafts, and eat (of course).

I just attended the first MOPS meeting here yesterday. What a great (and very organized) group of ladies. The boys were in the nursery for the full 2 1/2 hour meeting. It was nice to see familiar faces when I dropped them off. One lady is their regular nursery worker during church and the other is one of their two teachers in the MDO program. So at least that was familiar.

At just my MOPS table I sat next to a twin, and the two ladies to the right of me each have a set of twins. In fact, I learned that out of 65 women, eight are moms of twins! I am very excited for this new year of MOPS.

MDO stands for Mom's Day Out. I finally bit the bullet and decided I needed to do this for myself. It is a program offered at many churches where you can send your kids once, twice, or three times a week. But it is FOUR and 1/2 hours each day!!! So I signed up for one day a week. It is nice to know I have a few hours a week to run errands, go to appts, go shopping or maybe cook without the boys. I think it will be good for the boys to have a break from me and our routine. They get to play with new toys, listen to someone else do story time and eat lunch with a group. I think it will be a good for them to see other kids actually SIT down to eat. I want them to meet new little people and observe what other little people do. They are the youngest in their room since they just turned two.

I thought we should start slow...4 1/2 hours is a lot for the guys who have only been without us for at most an hour a week during church. Heck, that is a lot for me to be away from them!!! So I took them for a little more than two hours last week and three hours today.

Every time I peek in on them J and W are never more than a foot away from each other. Interesting. Even when we see them before after church, they are pretty much right next to each other. They were in really good moods when I picked them up today. I even bought a little backpack that J started wearing proudly while W carries their lunch bag.

Here is a little clip of them while we were walking out of the building. They like looking at the paintings on the wall.

Unfortunately, not only doing they get to meet friends...they get to share their germs too. I am hoping this experience will build up their immune system...I was surprised they made it the first week without colds. But shortly after this video...they got the cold. VERY runny noses and VERY cranky boys right now. No fun.

Kid-Friendly Food

My friend Theresa recently sent out an e-mail asking for easy, good recipes for her kids...we just had some success with a couple of new recipes so I figured I would post them here.

Bean Quesadillas (From Bush's Barbecue Baked Beans)
I made these this afternoon and thought they were a good, easy variation on the traditional quesadilla:
Tortillas
Baked Beans (I use the vegetarian variety)
Shredded Cheese (I like Sargento reduced-fat mexican)
Fresh Cilantro (I used a little dried)

Preheat grill and lightly spray one side of tortilla with cooking spray. Place tortilla, sprayed side down, on work surface. Spoon 1/4 beans over half of tortilla. Top with 1/4 cheese and 1 Tbs cilantro. Fold remaining tortilla half over filling, to make half-moon-shape quesadilla. Grill until tortillas are lightly browned and crisp 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve with sour cream.

Cottage Cheese Sundaes:
Top cottage cheese with Motts Natural fruit-flavored applesauce (we love the Peach Medley variety)...fresh sliced strawberries, craisins, and whatever else you can think of....granola, almonds (if kids aren't allergic), flax seed, wheat germ, and maybe some sprinkles for fun.

Chili Pizza
Another idea that Geoff does in the fall/winter. He makes a great turkey chili recipe. And for leftovers, he will lay tortillas flat on a baking sheet to cover the entire bottom. Then spoon chili on top of the tortillas, then sprinkle with cheese and bake for a different kind of pizza.

Pizza
Our guys like Boboli pizza with sauce (I love Newmans Own Sockarooni), fresh pineapple, green peppers, and cheese.

Chicken Nuggets
An easy healthy way to make chicken nuggets. Just brush chicken with dijon or honey mustard, dip in bread crumbs and bake.

Sweet Potato Fries
The guys eat a scary-large amount of these when I make them.
Just wash and peel a sweet potato. Cut into wedges and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake. I haven't paid attention to the best baking time or temp on this. I think the last time it was 15-20 minutes on 400 degrees.

Same as Leslie, my mom made the english muffin sandwiches when I was little. She made a tuna salad, put it on an open english muffin, sprinkled with cheese, and broiled it. She also broiled us bagels with cheddar cheese on top. Thanks for all the ideas! Anyone have something they have tried lately?

First Trip to the Dentist

We had our first trip to the pediatric dentist today.  The boys were so hyper in the waiting room.  They discovered fast that the floor echoed so they were jumping all around and running and diving (yes diving) onto their stomachs on the floor.   There was a small picnic table in the middle of the room that J was crawling under and saying "tunnel" while W was trying to get in on the other side.  They eagerly walked back when they were called and J happily sat on the chair.

W first walking back to the exam room:

 

J...the calm before the storm:

 

Until he went had to lean back that is...and then the sweet lady pulled out the scraper tool (I don't even like the scraper tool).  My picture-taking stopped abrubtly as I had to lay down with J to "assist".   We noticed that J had some tartar build up on his lower middle teeth and she had to scrape that off for awhile.  Then she brought out the grape-flavored toothpaste and used the little machine to clean all of his teeth.  He stopped crying about 2/3 of the way through and did fine.  Geoff was in the next chair with W who I heard scream the whole time too.  He didn't have to have any tartar scraped off though.  Then they painted on some flouride; the dentist came and said they both looked great and had no cavities.  Yey!  I was surprised the dentist office did as much as they did.  I just thought they were going to count their teeth and give them a sticker.  

They did get stickers and toothbrushes.   And we left with two happy boys with very clean teeth.

 

Big Trip Part 2

First of all, I don't know why my new title picture is so GIGANTIC; I can't figure out how to make it shrink...so please excuse that for now.  =)

OK San Anton!  Grandpa, Grammy, the boys and I drove to Uncle Matt and Aunt Amy's beautiful new house in San Antonio.  We finally met up with Geoff and got to see our new van! I was nervous about the color of the van because it was advertised on the auction as "light blue". There are a lot of different versions of light blue.  But it is more of a metallic silver blue and it is perfect.  I love everything about it...I have never been so excited about a car before!  It is a 2008 Honda Odyssey that we were lucky to find on auction with a whopping 24 miles on it.  

Grandpa's first ride in the van:

Here are the boys opening birthday gifts from Uncle Matt, Aunt Amy, Chloe, and Logan:

Geoff and Matt and the kiddos:

Hanging out with cousin Logan in the window:

 

We got to visit with some great friends:

Love that girl!

 

All the boys together:

 

W hanging on the playground:

 

We got to enjoy a free trip to Sea World:

A dolphin up close...so pretty:

Cousin Chloe feeding the dolphin:

 The boys now know who Shamu is:

 W during the sea lion show...it was very loud:

J not sure about all the larakeets:

And then we had a big morning of boating on and swimming in a lake.

Aunt Amy and Logan and Chloe:

Here is Logan about to do some serious jumping:

 

Serious jumping:

After returning to Houston, we had a small party for the boys so Geoff could be there when they blew out their candles:

Happy Birthday to you......and you...........

 

Followed by some more swimming:

Our good friend Tom making J laugh:

Attacking Grandpa:

 

And playing the piano with Grammy:

And our birthday project.  I bought this table on Ebay from a family in Conroe.  It was very beat up.  So Jan and I sanded it down and stained it.  Then Mark and Geoff built these drawers for it. It is fantastic.  And now we have a place for the used Thomas set we bought for their birthday gift.