December 25th-31st

(12/25) Merry Christmas!  We woke up and saw that Santa had filled our stockings.  The twins got some animal cookies and stacking cups in theirs.  We headed over to Granddad's for big Santa gifts and breakfast with the group.  Santa brought the twins a kitchen, which I know they will love.  I just need to put it together.  They got a great assortment of toys/clothes/necessities, and got to help unwrap lots of stuff. They inhaled three Dutch Babies between them, a big pile of eggs, and had a couple of other things.  One would think we didn't feed them!

We had a really nice day just hanging out.  The twins took a pretty short nap, so I catnapped them before dinner too.  We had a big dinner filled with family and friends. I love Christmastime!

J de-decorating the tree

(12/26)  Girls' Day today!  Uncle Jake and Granddad wrangled all the children while Mama snuck out to to get a mani/pedi with Grandma & the aunts. Audrey opened her presents after dinner, and all the sudden it was late, and we piled in the car to come on home.

Christmas morning!

(12/27) The bonus to having a big family is multiple Christmases!  We had dinner with Nanan, Jake, Amber, & Audrey tonight. Nanan brought the twins some cute clothes and fun toys.  The ball toy was a huge hit! Jake and Amber brought them a musical dump truck and a piano.  I have pretend food from their kitchen allllll over now, and the twins keep bringing it over to tell me they're hungry.

J is very clear on the "all gone" sign.  He brought me an animal cookie box and signed "all gone," looked in the box and signed it again, and then held up the box and signed it again (as if it wasn't clear).  He also signs "all gone" when he removes one toy from another.

On the walking front, J is walking everywhere. He just turns around and goes - no problem!  He plops down when I say "Good walking!" or "Walking boy!"  I think I probably distract him.  D is the same way - I try to set him on his feet and his legs get noodley, and he won't stand.  But once he's up, he'll walk to me.

J is really excited about toothpaste

(12/28) Today was lovely!  The boys and I had a chill morning and then Grandma came over after I had put the littles down to watch boys while Granddad and I went back to his house to play cards.  We kept meaning to, but with watching the littles, we just never got to over Christmas.  We played until around 4p, and then went to go pick up Jordan so he could spend the night with C.  I made fish burritos tonight and the little boys were a *mess.*  Good thing they're washable!

J in new UW jammies!

(12/29) I made blueberry waffles this morning, which everyone inhaled. Jordan and C finished their Star Wars movie and then I turned on Spaceballs.  A lot of the humor was over their heads, but it was still fun for me.  Dad worked today and I had an adult party to attend, so Granddad and Grandma came to watch boys.  Thank goodness, because Mama was about ready to lose her mind with all the noise. I came home to sleeping kids and a very clean house ~ thank you!!

Spoiled much?  Cute Dawg fans tho!

(12/30) Lazy Sunday today.  C and I went to Chuck-E-Cheese's for Jordan's 6th birthday and the littles stayed with Dad.  They were napping when we got back, so I decided to join in, but of course they woke up just as soon as I started to nod off.  Dad graciously watched them while I caught a few winks.  When I woke up, the house smelled delicious and I had two very hungry boys racing to the gate.  D kept alternating between saying "Nana" (banana), "Num-num," "Night-night," and screaming to tell me how hungry he was, even after we gave him a small snack.  J was signing "more" and raising just as much of a ruckus.  They finally got to inhale their dinner, and then went in for a bath.

D

(12/31) Happy last day of 2012!  It has been a fun year, and I cannot believe how fast it has flown by.  Dad and I both have to work today, so I'll probably be all kinds of lame and go to bed before the ball drops.  Although, C has requested that I wake him at midnight to see the fireworks.  I better set my alarm!

J waving bye!

December 18th-24th

(12/18) Work day for Dad & me.  It sounds like the kids had a good day at Kathy's.  Tuesdays are always such a whirlwind. They always make me look forward to my Wednesdays with the boys though!


(12/19) SNOW DAY!!  It's so pretty!  We ended up with maybe 2" of very wet snow.  Dad got the snow tires put on my car and I waffled on taking the van out in it for a while, but when C came down dressed in his snow suit, we couldn't not go out.  We hit up Starbucks and then delivered to Sarah's, and stayed to play.  We came home to lunch and the last day of school before break for C.  The littles napped while Jax and I watched a movie.

We had a messy dinner tonight (spaghetti), so it was bath night.  J gets so excited, and kicked his little feet all the way to the tub.  I discovered he had a messy diaper while in there, so took him back out to the changing table first and he screamed bloody murder. Drama queen!

(12/20)  Work day for me, and Dad had the boys.  I ended up getting off work early and took advantage of Dad being home to watch kids to get the last of my Christmas shopping done.  I still got home early and Dad went to get pizza for us.  We had a great evening together, and I'm finally feeling ready for the Christmas rush!

(12/21) What a fun day!  I had a half day at work and then Dad met me with the kids.  The littles sacked out for the ride to and from work, but woke about a block from home.  We kicked around home for a little bit, then headed over to Sarah's mom's house for a cookie party. The boys played and played and played.  I could tell they were fading at dinner, especially when J almost zonked out at the table.  I decided to head home around 6:30p, and they didn't even make it past me going back in to get their stuff.  I put them directly to bed, even though it was a little early, and then started in on ALL the wrapping I have been putting off.  We have some SPOILED kids.  Nana kept C for a sleep-over, so I was able to it get it accomplished without prying eyes.

Nana gave the little boys finger puppet books, and they crack J up.  He later started screaming at all the other books that he checked because they didn't have puppets in them!


(12/22)  Yay!  We got to sleep in today!  The littles slept til 8a, and then talked for a good half hour.  I made them breakfast and then we played at home for the morning.  C came home around lunchtime and Sarah brought more presents.  J has figured out the ripping wrapping paper thing and really wanted to help C with his.  Sarah got them some puzzles, and by the way the pieces have been distributed all around the house, I'd say they were a hit!


(12/23) C had his first hockey game of the season.  He started off in goal right away, got scored on, but then went on to get two assists.  Way to go, C!  I missed half the game since my eyes were on the busy twosome.  Thankfully, Jay & Sarah R came to visit, and Sarah generously loaned me an extra set of eyes and hands.

Tonight was "kids dinner" at Grandma & Granddad's.  Grandma went all out and cooked quite the feast. The twins and I camped out in the kitchen and took everything out of the cupboards and made a grand mess.  It was fun.  After dinner, and seeing two thousand yard stares, I put them down where they proceeded to scream for a long time.  So not how I wanted them to end their evening.  Sorry, guys.


(12/24) Merry Christmas (Eve)!  We are driving down to Gig Harbor today for dinner with Nanan's side of the family.  Should be fun!  Wishing you all a wonderful holiday!  

Fourteen Months

(12/11)  Fourteen Months.  Not babies anymore!  The boys are cruising all over, and are taking a small handful of steps in between pieces of furniture.

They are now saying a number of words:
D says nana (banana), night-night, boom-boom, num-num, Mama, Dada.
J says GO, night, Mama, Dada, thanks (?), that, and J!

I had a surprise day off today. Always a pleasure to spend with my boys.

First haircut! (J) 12/10

(12/12)  J set a new record: 9 steps!

I volunteered in C's classroom today, and Nanan watched the little guys.  She brought over some cabinet locks, and I finally put them on so the Tupperware can stop exploding all over the house.

We had a quiet night in watching Christmas movies.  I love this time of year!

Walking J!

(12/13) Dad had the kiddos today while I worked, and then I drove straight to Santa pictures.  I didn't realize it was military night (which is awesome, don't get me wrong... it just made for a long line!), and we waited in line for about 45 minutes.  Normally, when we go there we're through and done in about 10.  Dad took the littles home straight from pictures, while C and I attempted to do some shopping with Nanan.  That was a big fail. Oh well.  Another time.

(12/14) My heart is heavy. There was an elementary school shooting today and 20 children were killed.  I was glued to the news all day and couldn't wait to get home and hug my kids.   Thankfully, Dad was home to hug them for me after the news broke.  Once home, I turned the Christmas programming on, played with my boys, and blocked out the rest of the world.

J is up to 12 steps and D took 4 tonight.  Not far behind!

(12/15) I took the little boys and C to hockey this morning.  They did well for about half of it, and then got cranky.  Same with C, oddly enough. We came home to naps, baths, and a quiet evening together.

(12/16) Ah, Sunday.  My favorite day. Shopping and errands in the morning.  Dad brought us a yummy lunch, the boys practiced some walking, and then it was nap-time.  The boys crashed *hard*, and so did we.  C went over to Grandma & Granddad's to do cookies, and he and Dad have a hockey game this evening.  The little boys have me all to themselves, but they're still sleeping.

(12/17)  Monday.  Back to work with me!  Dad has the boys.

We are picking up a pop-up camper today.  We're very excited to take the boys camping this year!

December 4th-10th

(12/4)  Dinner was so fun with Oma and Opa last night!  The boys were exhausted and D kept rubbing mac & cheese covered hands in his eyes. But they were really well behaved, even with that.  Dad discovered that J's top molars have come through. This will make 6 teeth on the top, 4 on the bottom.  D has bumps, but his haven't quite poked through yet.

They are routinely waking at 11:30p and crying hard. Sometimes it's one, sometimes the other.  Usually they just cry for a few minutes and then go back to sleep.  I'm not sure if it's nightmares or teething or a combo.

Anyhow, Tuesday was a good day.  The boys were with Kathy and then we came home to the dinner/bedtime rush.  We're working on using a spoon.  Can you tell?

D eats yogurt. He even gets it on his eyelashes. LOL!

(12/5) Today was a very chill day. I stayed home while C was at school.  The boys had a good, long nap, and even Jax took a nap while he was here.  3 kids napping = win!  I soaked up the quiet while I could.

They boys had fun trying on hats tonight, and playing in the toy box.


(12/6) Dad had the kids today and it was a busy-run-around day.  We ended up selling our extra car and have a sale pending on a pop-up trailer!  Can't wait for camping season!  I may buy leashes for the twins now. I kid, I kid.

I worked today and then took a class, so got to play with twinsies for a little bit before taking them upstairs to bed.  Dad said they had a good day.


(12/7) Tonight was my work's Christmas party, and we both worked a morning shift. We got all the boys up at 5:30a.  D kept saying "night-night" all the way over to Kathy's.  She said they went down for their first nap around 8:30a. We picked them up at 1:30p and then ran them home where Nanan took over, and had them overnight while we were away.  Nanan said they needed one more nap to get through the day until bedtime.  Sounds like they had a great time!


(12/8) We had a fun night and returned around 11a.  Nanan said the twins woke around 9a and talked until close to 10a.  They were ready for a nap around 11:30 when I got back, so I kissed their fuzzy heads, put them down, and ran to collect C from hockey.  The twins slept until probably 2p.  We piled in the car for a trip to the grocery store (yes, we are exciting!), and then came home for more play time and dinner.

I caught J climbing onto the kitchen chairs twice today.)  D is equally naughty and stands up in his high chair if he's not strapped in.  I didn't strap him in today at dinner and he ended up getting both feet on his tray, so he was effectively stuck.  Boys!

J is consistently taking a few steps here and there.  He crashed hard today and bonked his cheek on the train table, and now has a line where he hit it.  Poor monkey.

Crap. Look at J's new trick.

(12/9) Yay!  Lazy Sunday on tap! We slept in and the twins stayed home with a parent while we each ran errands.  Dad took the baby stuff the boys have outgrown to a friend's and I ran C to Michael's for Christmas crafts (ornaments and a gingerbread tree).  J ended up with an impromptu bath after lunch since he decided to wear it and smear yogurt through his hair.  And we have pulled him down off the chairs no less than 32 times today.  He also managed to climb up and spill C's eggnog.  Sigh.

Speaking of eggnog, it appears they are fans.  D was *begging* for a drink, which attracted the attention of his brother, and so we had this:

(12/10) Happy Monday!  Work day for me and the boys are with their dad.

And the stockings were hung over the changing table with care..  Our Christmas decor this year, since we're not doing a tree.

November 27th-December 3rd

(11/27) No good, very bad day.  Remember when I said we were almost done with Leakfest?  Yeah, no.  My cell phone fell out of my pocket and into the toilet yesterday.  I fished it out, but the back came off and went down.  The toilet worked like normal and I assumed all was fine... until today.  Today it clogged, overflowed and leaked down into the laundry room.  *AGAIN*   Plumbers are coming out tomorrow. 

The one bright spot today was watching the boys play on the cars that Jake & Amber got them for their birthdays (that I finally got around to assembling). J got so mad when D came over to check out the first car while I was working on assembling the other one.  Ah, sibling jealousy.

Perfect timing on the cars though.  J has figured out the rocking giraffe and really gets how to operate the cars.  I think J says "rock" now as he's rocking. 

Babies in a basket!

(11/28) No good, very bad day, part 2.  I set the time for my alarm, but forgot to actually turn it on, so missed my early bird class at the gym.  Oh well, back to bed after texting an apology to Sarah.  C had swim class, and Nanan arrived just in time to watch the littles while we ran off to his class.  This was the last class this session, and I'm thinking we're all in need of a break for a few weeks.  Especially with the Christmas coming up!

I rushed back home to meet the plumbers.  More bad news.  The toilets are original to the house and only have a 1" opening.  To pull it and attempt to auger it would be half way to a new toilet.  I mentioned that I wished this had happened to the upstairs toilet with the leaky flapper that was responsible for the earlier continuous leak and the plumber mentioned a deal on two for $1,000 (or 1 for $800).  Sold.  Not what I wanted to spend that money on, but what are you gonna do? 

After the plumber had finished, the contractors arrived to finish replacing the baseboard and now I can say we are done.  And if anything else happens, we're just burning the house down and starting fresh.

The little boys are doing well.  J took 2 steps today before realizing I wasn't holding onto him and then he plopped back down.  Nanan replaced the batteries in the quacking/singing duck and J loved that!  They also played some more on the cars that I put together yesterday.  Their nap was interrupted by the work being done, but they were in pretty good spirits aside from a few whiny/clingy moments.  I was ready to go to bed when they did though.


(11/29) Sigh.  I didn't see the boys all day.  I had a busy day at work and then I hit the gym to make up for sleeping through yesterday's class.  The boys were with their dad all day, so at least they got one of us... but I miss them.


(11/30) Today was a work day for Dad & me.  Dad's schedule has changed, so he goes in later and stays later, which means I don't see him at all on Fridays.  We might have to arrange a lunch date to remedy that!  The littles had a good day and we crammed in some playtime before bed. They're so fun!

(12/1) Today was not a very fun one for kiddos.  C had pictures for hockey, followed by practice.  Which meant about 3 hours of stroller time for the twins.  I came armed with last night's dinner (homemade pizza), oranges, and of course Cheerios.  We had snack/lunch while we were there and then I just walked them around in the stroller until they passed out.  They only got a shortish nap though, so once we got home and had some proper playtime, I put them down again and they were out until 5pm.  I woke them for dinner, bath, and more play time before putting them down for the night.

(12/2) Today was lovely.  I slept in (til 8a!), had breakfast with the fam, and then Dad and C left for a play date at a friend's, and the little boys and I had the morning to bum around in our jammies. I didn't change out of mine until well after lunch when I ran out to coffee with Sarah.  After I got back, C and I headed to his Skate-a-thon to raise money for next season's hockey fees. Once C was done going around in circles, we zipped over to pick out a tree to take to Granddad's. We stopped by the house to grab Dad and the twins, and off we went.  We had such a nice time having dinner and decorating!  My pictures were all very dark, so I'll have to mooch from the rest of the family.  We came appropriately dressed for the holiday in Christmas bones.

D was so cute.  Granddad gives them 'poppers' (kisses on the head) and D decided he liked that a lot and would lean in for more.  Not to be outdone, J started making kissing noises too.  Aww! ❤ my boys!


(12/3) Work day for me and then we have a dinner date with Oma & Opa as they're passing through to visit the California grand kids.

J & the bus.

Attack Mom!

D & the walker.