Christmas 2009

                                                                   We decided we would start our own tradition of staying home Christmas morning and then going to the extended family for the weekend.  Not the best year to start this!  We are snowed in!!!  We had a blizzard Christmas Eve and now can't even get out or driveway.  Thankfully we have food and each other!  

We had a nice meal last night for Christmas Eve, didn't have church due to cancelling it for weather.  So we spent the time at home baking Santa's cookies and playing the Wii.  Connor hit two homeruns in baseball!  They had a rough time going to sleep, but once asleep they were out.  Santa worked his magic with no worries they would wake up.  Brian and I watched a movie and relaxed after the festivities.

The kids LOVED what Santa brought.  On the way down the stairs this morning Connor said, "Woooo!"  They got jeeps, a single trampoline with safety pole, and a sucker.  The sucker was actually the only thing they wanted.  Santa was just generous this year...

We have been outside and played a bit in the snow.  With Connor's bronchitis we couldn't stay out long, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity.  They may not see snow again until they are 20!  At least this much of it!  We were only outside long enough to get pictures, and make a tiny snowman...that mommy made in record time to check it off the list.  

We are having a great time, but wish we could be with the whole family.  This is the second holiday in a row we have missed...not a good trend to be setting.  Hopefully we will be able to get out tomorrow.  All the interstates in Oklahoma were shut down last night, they are back open today but our neighborhood is awful.  An ambulance got stuck on our hill earlier this morning.  Not a good day to need emergency vehicles.  We decided to take it easy today and try to travel tomorrow when the snowplows have had a little more time to work their magic.  

We wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Noises...

I was awoken last night about 4:30am to noises.  After listening awhile, I realized what those "noises" were.  The kids were up, and chatting up a storm.  I have to say, I don't ever remember a time that they were both up chatting to each other.  Many a nights I'll hear one or the other but never both.  I thought to myself that they will stop soon don't bother getting out of the nice warm bed.  However, after 10 minutes they still hadn't concluded their business with each other so I decided to take charge and put a stop to this early morning business meeting.  

I stopped at their door to see if I could figure out what they were talking about first though...knowledge is power after all.  This is a bit of what I heard: 

Connor: See Santa Macy, yes?

Macy: Yes.  My turn to talk.  umna, umna, umna, umna, all fall down!

Connor: Connor's turn to talk.  See Santa Macy.  Green sucker Macy, blue sucker Connor.  Ok, Macy's turn.

Macy: umna, umna, umna, all stand up!  (at this point I hear what I believe to be her hands slapping her mattress)

Connor: What you mean Macy?  

Macy: umna, umna, umna, all fall down!

LOTS OF GIGGLES

At this point I'm having to calm myself down outside the door so they don't hear me laughing.  This went on and on...I decide to go in and be scrooge anyway.  They both look at me and say, "What doing mommy?"  I told them it was time to sleep and I tucked Connor in.  I stroked his head as he lay on his pillow and all of a sudden he reaches up and strokes my head.  I couldn't stop the chuckle that came out.  Which of course made him laugh.  Which of course made Macy laugh.  You would have thought we were having a party in there.  After holding hands with them and giving lots of "hug and kiss?"'s and high fives (this is a new one to our nighttime routine) I shut the door and left feeling so blessed.  

Big kid beds

We have finally changed the cribs to toddler beds!  After finding Connor playing superman across the two beds, we realized it was time to change them.  Brian worked this morning on them both cribs...I mean beds.  That will take some time to get used to.  They napped in them, and did a great job staying in them, not once getting out.  They woke up, called out, "Mommy, we're awake!"  We told them they have to have permission to get out of bed.  With their room being right by the top of the stairs, we don't want to take any chances.  

They are so excited about being in big kid beds!  After nap today, Connor got out of bed then told me he wanted to go back to bed.  (This only happens when he's sick)  He just wanted to get back into his "big boy bed"!  He crawls in and pulls the covers up over his head.  SO cute!  

I'm finding this a hard step to move past.  NEVER have they not been in a crib!  Just when I get used to a certain stage, they move into another one!  I'm thrilled, but I also know I'm never going to get these times back.  The life of a mother...

Past tense

I can't believe the day has come!  As we were driving in the car today after taking naps at the office, (the kids, not me) Macy spotted a school bus and screamed out "BUS!"  We went to the post office, then were back on the road in which she spotted the bus.  She said, "Macy see, Macy saw a bus."  She corrected herself and used the past tense!  I sat in amazement.  Anytime she or Connor would say they see something that they already saw, I would say "You saw ____". She picked up on it and did it herself today!  

Part of me is thrilled this is something she might be catching onto.  However, another part is SO sad.  One more step to adulthood.  (I know that sounds ridiculous because they are 2, but you all know what I'm talking about.)  I am trying to savor EACH and EVERY big or little step.  It seems like I blinked and they are now 2 1/2.  How much more time will pass in my next blink???? 

Finished project

  I have been working on aprons for several "sessions" with Ann Taylor.  She is teaching me to sew.  I love that time, it's my "stress free, fun time".  I'm incredibly grateful Ann is taking the time to teach me.  The kids love their new aprons, I know it isn't very "boyish" but it was an easy project to start with.  Next up is stockings for the kids.  Hopefully done by Christmas!

Motivation!

I think I have found Connor's motivation for pooping on the potty!  Cars!  For the last two days he has pooped on the potty because he now gets little matchbox cars for each time he poops on the potty.   M&M's worked for peeing, but we needed something more "substantial" for pooping!  I'm not claiming total victory yet, but we are hopefully on our way!

Macy seems to be getting interested in peeing on the potty again.  She asks to now, not that anything is happening, but hopefully the desire is coming back.  

The doctor thought Macy might have had the swine flu, but we now know it was roseola.  Connor has had this in the past, we were confused by the high fever until the rash showed up.  Then we knew...  Nothing major about roseola, just a bad attitude that comes with the rash.  Over with  in a couple days.   

Not much else new.  I just swear I have the cutest kids.  They are playing together so well, laughin with each other, sharing with each other, helping each other, etc.  I love them dearly!!!

Another day....

Nothing much exciting about today.  It was just a nice day.  We had a playdate at the science museum this morning and played with our friends.  It's always nice to get together with other moms you really like.  :)  

Connor told me he had to poop, but he wasn't wanting to go in a public bathroom so we left shortly after that.  We did have success when we got home though!  He pooped in the potty!  (But then later this afternoon he pooped on Thomas (Thomas the Train underwear I mean...).  Someday we'll get this pooping thing down!  If only it were as easy as the peeing!

We played outside, it was gorgeous.  The kids love playing in the sand...thankfully our yard is very sandy.  They ran in the leaves, and scooped sand.  A perfect day to them!  It's cheap pizza night so Monday night is our pizza night.  So it was a great day for me because I didn't have to cook!    

Macy's teeth did get fixed on Friday.  Dr. Mike was great.  He called later that day to see how she was doing.  Such a nice guy!  She will proudly show you her "new teeth".  She did pretty well while getting them fixed.  She cried, but did get used to the idea that she was going to have to sit there while Dr. Mike worked on her teeth.  However, when she started saying and signing "all done", I have to admit I cried.  She was trying to tell me in everyway she could that she had had enough.  My heart broke.  But just a couple minutes later she had her new beautiful teeth and she was asking to play with legos.  Such a trooper.  I love her.  

Chipped teeth

Well, it finally happened.  We have our first "expensive" accident.  While playing at the park today another girl pushed Macy and she fell to the ground and chipped her two front teeth.  I didn't notice it while at the park or I might have gotten the ladies info to make her pay the dentist!  We are going first thing in the morning to get them fixed.  I'm worried because they are so sharp that she might cut her mouth, but so far so good.  It doesn't seem to bother her much.  It doesn't look good, but it could be worse.  I would take a picture but my batteries are dead in my camera.  I'll try to get one before we get them fixed, we'll see...

Dentist Visit

The kids went to the dentist last night.  They did a GREAT job!  They sat in the chair and let Miss Megan count their teeth, floss, and clean their teeth.  They did awesome!  They each took a comfort with them to sit with them in the chair.  Macy took Mickey and Connor took his bear.  Macy cleaned Mickey's teeth, and Connor cleaned bears teeth.  It was a such a good time!  We love Dr. Alsbaugh, Dr. Mike is what the kids call him!

Colorado Vacation!

We took a vacation to Colorado to see Brian's cousin get married.  We saw a lot of family and had a great time!  The kids loved seeing Auntie, Uncle Sean, Lola, and Grandpa.  We went to the Children's Museum on Thursday while we waited to pick up the family from the airport.  We toured downtown Denver with the family on Friday and took some really cute pictures!  Saturday was the wedding and Kirsten looked amazing.  After the wedding we headed for Aspen and visited family there.  It is as beautiful as everyone says it is.  We will be going back...often.  Enjoy the pictures!

Thomas the Train!

We went to Thomas the Train on Saturday!   The kids LOVED it!  Connor couldn't stop telling everyone we were going to see Thomas.  It was a great day.  My sister and two of her kids went with us.  We got to play with trains, get conductor hats, get tattoos, and get animal balloons.  We had wonderful weather for it, and it was a great day!

The kids love talking about Thomas and would gladly tell you that trains don't say choo choo, they say push.  When the train was taking off, the conductor told us to tell Thomas to push!  Macy thought it was Thomas talking to her!  

Prayers

We pray before we eat and I was finally able to get a picture of it.  They each have their own distinct style!  You should hear them pray, it is priceless.  Dear Jesus, thank you for this food. AMEN!

Dress up

Boy do our kids love dress up!  Actually, Connor loves it way more than Macy!    Here are a few pictures of them.  Brian will kill me for posting these!

Poop in the potty!

Before getting in the bathtub the other night, Brian asked Macy if she wanted to sit on the potty and try and she said yes.  She sat there and then got up to show Brian her poopy!  She pooped in the potty!  We haven't even started potty training, we're just talking about it.  She is ready!  However, we are waiting till after we get back from driving to Colorado in October.  Connor then wanted to sit on the potty, he sat and pointed "it" down and then got up.  He got a little jealous of the yippee's and hooray's Macy got I think.  He doesn't seem as ready as Macy, so I'm starting to think that I'll just start with her and see if he gets more interested.  

I know this was not "normal" or any indication of how things will go, but it was refreshing to know that she is really ready to start potty training.  It makes me more excited about it!

Consignment sale

Anyone in the area on Saturday, Sept. 12th is welcome to come to our twins club consignment sale.  It opens at 8am and goes til 2pm.  It's at the Nazarene church on Blvd and 33rd in Edmond.  Clothes, bath stuff, car seats, furniture, shoes, coats, costumes, maternity, etc.  

Everyones welcome! 

A couple new things...

Well, Connor has finally started saying his name correctly...it used to be Nonnor, now he can say Connor!  Yeah!  I think he's done calling Macy Mimi though...that makes me sad.  That was his little name for her.  Now he loves saying Macy, he draws out the syllables and tilts his head, it is so cute.  

Macy loves to "boing"ing  her curls.  Gigi taught her that this past weekend, and she laughs so hard when she does it she can hardly breathe...hilarious.

After I put them to bed they are staying up later and later to talk to each other, up to an hour after bedtime I can still hear them laughing and chatting.  Most nights I hear them repeating their prayers over and over again.  We pray for our family and friends each night and they can repeat those prayers endlessly.  I love it.

They are really good at their colors now, and love to show off.  They can each do 1,2,3 now, (Macy can go to 5) only because we count to three before we swing them.  We use any motivation we can!  Eventually we will be counting to 20 before we swing them!

Macy is using 4-5 word sentences, Connor is 3-4 words.  I love it, but it makes them sound so much older!!!  

I am finding that time is speeding up.  I have learned to cherish each step they take, however the steps keep coming faster and faster.  I don't have time to get used to one before they are starting something new again.  I know this is the way it goes, I know, I know.  I just don't want to blink for fear they will be in Kindergarten when I open my eyes.  

Movie night!

We conquered our first movie as a family!  I'm not talking about renting one and sitting on the couch, we actually went to the dollar movies and watched UP!  The kids did great!  (as long as we had popcorn!)  Every Sunday night is our "Family Night" and we try to do activities as a family.  We decided that tonight, even though the weather was AMAZING, that we would try a movie.  We love the dollar movies, and if the kids didn't do well it didn't cost us an arm and a leg.  I was so proud of them. Macy ate one popcorn kernel at a time and Connor shoved fist-fulls into his mouth non-stop.  After we got home we took the dogs for a walk and enjoyed even more family time.  

Today's weather was amazing and we are looking forward to MANY more days like this!

Talking about Potty training

So we have begun just talking to the kids about potty training.  Reading books, letting them watch us, (another lovely part of parenting, you never pee alone) etc.  One night we were out back playing and I stripped them down to nothing.  I told them that they could go pee pee if they wanted.  Macy squatted like she was playing baseball and pee pee'd twice!  Connor didn't really want to, but finally after I started washing the dog he came over and pee pee'd next to us!  I almost missed it!  The picture of Macy is right before she pee pee'd and Connor is pointing to the spot he pee pee'd in!

Christmas Carol Train

As a promotion for the upcoming movie, "A Christmas Carol" there was a free train tour with a lot of the costumes and masks, as well as clips of the film that came through town.  Brian took a long lunch on Friday and we took the kids.  They are SO into trains that they couldn't stop talking about it.  We went to McDonald's after the tour for lunch.  

Spaghetti night!

The kids both love spighetti, which makes it one of my favorites as well.  There is no fighting them to eat it.  Plain noodles, white sauce, or red sauce, they don't care.  They can't get enough of it!  My mom has a picture of us kids after eating spighetti with napkins on our heads.  I had to snap these in rememberance of those days... 

Long time...

I know it has been a long time since I have blogged...my dear friend Julie has just helped me get connected again.  I'll catch you all up on everything soon...

:)

New thing

The kids started crossing their legs a couple weeks ago, but I have forgotten to write it down! They are adorable when they plop down and work hard to get their legs in just the right position. Everyday they make me laugh, amaze me, and make me so proud. I am loving every minute, even the hard ones, of being a mom.

Orange Day

We started the day off earlier than any other this week. I think everyone was ready for our tea party! During snack this morning we had our tea party, it was fabulous! The girls wore their "big" hats, and the little ones joined in at the picnic table. I think it was the longest tea party on record! It didn't end until all the orange kool-aid was gone!

The weather was actually nice this morning, so we played outside all morning. It was a nice relief from the hot temps we've been having. We ate our grilled cheese sandwhiches, goldfish, carrots and cantelope for lunch and then the little ones went down for a nap. Now the older girls are playing cards and going to watch a movie during nap time.

After nap we will leave to go meet Jackie, Bob, and Sam in Tulsa. I think I could do this for several more days, it has been so much fun. GiGi is the luckiest grandma in the world to have such GREAT grandkids!

Green Day!

Today was our green day with the cousins. I think this day almost broke GiGi and I! We got up early and went to the zoo this morning. We dressed in our green shirts so we could find everyone quickly if need be...there was never a need. :) After the zoo we went to the mall and played in the play area. We had intended to play in the zoo's playground, but we wanted out of the 104 degree heat. So we opted for the cooler version of it! Forgetting how long it takes to load and unload 6 kids, 3 in car seats, we decided against going home for lunch and ate at the food court at the mall. (so much for green food today!) Much easier...sort of. We of course sat everyone down first and gave the little ones snacks to keep the screaming down, and then had to order in shifts since we were headed to several different places to eat...after all, it is a food court! We had some interesting looks but made it through beautifully.

Then we headed home for naps that were very needed. After naps the older girls decorated their hats they'll be wearing for the tea party tomorrow and made their pizza's for dinner. We played after dinner and gave the kids baths. Now that they are in bed we are going to decorate our cookies for the tea party tomorrow and eat popcorn and watch a movie. Sounds perfect!

I have had such a GREAT time with everyone, and I know GiGi has too. There is something special about getting all the cousins (minus baby Sam) together for some good old fashion fun!

Yellow Day!

As I said in the last blog, we have a color for each day the cousins are here...today was yellow. Mac and cheese, and bananas for lunch! We swam at a neighbor's pool this morning, most of us anyway. GiGi stayed at our house with Macy and Will while I had Connor, Maddie, Katie, and Aubri. She wanted to give me some time with just one of mine...I must admit it was nice.

While the little ones took naps, the older ones painted a mini tea set for our tea party on Thursday. This evening we at breakfast for dinner, a huge hit. Then I took Maddie and Aubri to see Monsters vs. Aliens. Katie stayed and helped GiGi with the little ones and played card games after they went to bed.

We have big plans for tomorrow! Up early to beat the heat at the zoo! Hopefully we'll all get a nap tomorrow as well! Going from 2 kids to 6 kids in a day can really wear you out!!!

We'll post pictures of our adventures tomorrow!

Visitors

We have our cousins here to visit us! All 6 grandkids are here while Auntie Jackie (AJ) spends time with her newborn, baby Sam. We got home yesterday afternoon and went to Incredible Pizza for dinner. Such fun!! It made for a late night, giving 3 two year olds baths, and a 6 year old, 9 year old, and 12 year old showered. Aubri, the oldest, went with me to do the shopping and we got to bed late!

Each day we have a color that represents the day. Today was red. We ate red things, used red things, etc. There is a picture of us eating at our red table. There is also a picture of us as we started our trip yesterday. All PILED in the suburban.

We swam this morning and played in the backyard. There are a couple of pictures of the little ones, now known as "the kids" as well as a picture of the older ones, now known as "the girls". They got tired of the heat and went in to do crafts. :)

Having a wonderful time, loving all the time with the cousins!

Cute pics

We were outside and snapped a few pics. Connor and Macy have recently figured out that their pants have pockets. They are obsessed with them! They (especially Connor) wants his hands in his pockets at all times! So funny!

I am so thrilled that these two are such good friends. They can fight, don't get me wrong, but mainly they are best friends. I had forgotten what it is like to go everywhere with your best friend, it's very comforting. I hope they always know how lucky they are.

Spaghetti

Usually when we eat spaghetti the kids eat plain noodles and meatballs. This day however, they wanted the sauce. Of course they were stripped down to diapers before eating. I found spaghetti sauce in every crevice.