Happy Fall Ya'll

Once again I'm over due to update. I'm going to try to cram a lot of things into a short blog. Ok, probably not. I'm probably going to put up a few pictures with a few not-so-clever captions and call it good. That sounds more likely. Besides, Blogger is being stupid tonight.

I want to say that October has been more hectic than most months, but I really don't think that is the case. Every month seems to bring on it's own unique challenges and it's own highlights. Here are a few of our October highlights.

We got to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa early in October. That was a lot of fun. Rather than spend another boring weekend deep in the heart of Texas, we met up with them in Houston and then drove out to Galveston Island.

Unfortunately most of our "vacation" time was cold, rainy, and leaning on the miserable side. We got to spend one morning in the Emergency Room and one evening at the mechanic. Yea! I was asking for a vacation do-over by then.

It's hard for me whether to tell you the island is nice or not. They have done a remarkable job cleaning it up after the mess from Hurricane Ike last fall, but it was pretty gray and gloomy while we there there. We did get to spend a few minutes on the beach, but I wasn't about to let the kids go in the water.

We went to the aquarium at Moody Gardens and ate some great sea food. Ralph really dug into his lobster bucket at Joe's Crab Shack. I enjoyed walking around in the historic district looking at the restored homes. It's amazing these old homes have survived all the storms. They have been restored and kept beautifully.

(a couple of my favorites. I was going to add more but blogger is being stubborn)

The absolute highlight of the trip was crabbin'. Yes, we took the kids down by the ocean into some lagoon to catch crabs. There is no experience like watching 2 two-year-old boys and a 9 year-old girl get so excited about catching a crab with a chicken leg tied to a piece of string. Of course, there is also nothing quite like having your children run up and down the beach announcing "My mom gots crabs!" either. Maren and Zach were so excited about catching crabs (this was the day before the emergency room visit so Adam wasn't enjoying himself nearly as much).

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for giving us fun memories --- and for giving us crabs. :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Another Halloween has come and gone. I thought I better post this years costumes. The kids weren't too thrilled with what I came up with for them this year. I asked over and over, "What do you want to be?" and never got an answer so I was left to my own devises. This is dangerous. My children do not appreciate my sense of humor.

So here are my little felons. Obviously you can't see their backs but each one had a Not Guilty plea on the back of their shirts. Maren's said, "It's not my fault"; Adam's said, "Didn't do it"; and Zach's said, "So innocent".

It wasn't so much the black and white gear that got my gang in an uproar, it was that I made them trick-or-treat like this:

Yes, they were a chain gang and not happy about it. The kids might not have appreciated the humor, but most of the parent we passed on the street sure did.

Maybe next year they'll have answers when I ask them what they want to dress up as. :)

I haven’t updated my blog in, like, what? Forever? So much of my free time is wasted on FaceBook now that there are days I completely forget I have a blog. I actually had to do a password recovery today. Lol

Funny, amusing, and interesting things do happen. When they do I think to myself, “I should blog about this.” But then I don’t and inevitably I forget what happened or why it was funny or even interesting for that matter.

Life has been happening all around us. Maren went back to school – 4th grade. She told me that next year, she would be smarter than I am.

Ok, I’ll bite. “Why is that, Maren?”

Her response was pretty clever. She had concluded that she will be smart than me because next year she’ll be in the 5th grade, and she heard me miss a COUPLE Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader questions. (In my defense, I totally rock that game! I have NEVER gone out on a 4th grade or below question, but will admit I’ve been stumped on some 5th grade history/social studies questions (not my strongest subjects)).

She is growing up too fast. Soon enough, she’ll know it all.

The boys keep me busy, busy, busy. I’m amazed at how their little minds work in sync.

Have you worked with someone that speaks another language. You hear them chatting in the other tongue and you just KNOW they are talking about you (more than likely they aren't, but....). It’s the same with twins. I hear them talking – half English half Twin. I KNOW they are plotting against me. I think it goes something like this, "Jabber, jabber, jabber. This is really going to piss Mom off. Jabber, jabber..." High Five.

There was the time they flooded the kitchen counter by turning the faucet from out of the sink and onto the counter top. To the running water they added about a half bottle of dish detergent. Why? Because they wanted to make bubbles. To their credit they were successful. Very successful in fact. Bubbles on the counter, bubbles on floor, bubbles in their hair, bubbles on my stack of bills, bubbles, bubbles everywhere. All my creditors got a payment with a fresh lemon scent. Or the time the fire department was called to our house because they locked me out – again. They could have unlocked the deadbolt, but they were having too much fun making sand paintings out of salt and pepper from the shakers they emptied on the floor.

I can't get angry with them because every time they do something naughty they recover with something so darn cute. Most of the time they are rather sweet little boys, and more often than not, they are the ones entertaining me. A week ago they were eating their Dora the Explorer yogurt and I could hear them singing the Dora theme song, “Do-do-do-do dah yogurt! Do-do-do-do dah yogurt!” LOL. Another time I asked Adam what he wanted for lunch, peanut butter or tuna fish sandwiches, Adam wanted “peanut butter sammiches and grapeths”. To which Zach chimed in “No, no peanut butter! I want gold fish sammiches….. and grapeths.” I can barely keep a straight face with some of the answers I get.

And Maren really does do her best to please me. They boys idolize her, which means they'll probably be smart than me too.

I guess I should enjoy my last year of smartness as it seems my children are plotting my demise. Unless I stay one step ahead, my reign as Queen Bee in Cooperstown shall be overthrown by this time next year by 3 little smarty-pants. I’d better start brushing up on US History, and try my darndest to learn a new language.

Wonder if Rosettastone makes course for Twin…

I really need to update this

....but I don't have anything to say. :(

One HOT Summer

It's been too long since I have updated our blog.  

We are hanging in there and trying our best to avoid the heat.  One-hundred-five is just too dang hot to do much of anything - we spend a lot of time in doors.  LOL

I've posted a few pictures of us doing our best to beat the heat.  

And before you ask, we do having indoor plumbing and no, I don't force the kids to brush their teeth outside.  You'll see....

(mouse over the pictures to view larger)

....and so it continues.

Look who I found getting in trouble AGAIN this morning....

I am thankful....

Don't let the title throw you off.  This is not a first Sunday testimonial, but it is a testament to things I am so grateful I have.

So my twins have been absolute terrors lately.  Everything and anything they could possibly do to aggravate me, they have.  It goes so much further than the usual wrestling, fighting, biting, and hitting too.  

It all started last week with Agent Cool Blue.  

Although I actually like this product as it is very useful in teaching an almost 9-year-old how/where to brush.  It doesn't however come out of carpet well.  I went into the bathroom to find the entire bathroom (no, not just the sink, but the floors, tub, toilet, and towels) all a nice shade of royal blue.  Oh yeah, the twins were also blue - head to toe little Smurfs.  I am thankful it washes out of clothes.  

In case you are wondering, yes, they did smell minty fresh....

Next they decided to go skating (or something like that) in the kitchen when they poured a dish of mash potatoes and gravy on the floor.  They thought it was really funny to slide across the room.  Me?  Not so much.  But for that I am thankful for super sham type towels which not only carry 10 times their weight in water, but also in gravy.  Who knew?

  

(Thanks, Vince.)

It also makes me thankful for linoleum and my Hoover Steam Vac.  Not only does it work wonders on carpet and upholstery, it scrubs the he** out of kitchen floors.  I don't know how you manage if your a mom and don't own something similar. 

Mm?  Two little boys that now smell like chicken anyone?

So moving on.  The day before yesterday they broke into big sister's room.  They know they can get into all kinds of trouble in there.  The item of choice --- Perler Beads.  Imaging the excitement... 5,000 dumped.

Love my Eureka!!  

And today I put them down for a nap, or so I thought (joke is on Mom).  When I went in to check them I found my new bedspread and carpet being moisturized.  Oh no, not with water, but lotion.  And not just any lotion, the really good thick Eucerin-type.  Two entire one-pound tubs emptied on my bed, floor, bench, table, and of course each other.

Another good reason to own a steam vac.  I found it takes very hot water to get lotion out of carpet.  But, the oil in the lotion does help pull out the Cool Blue.   

Also, so very, very thankful for a husband that let me buy the highest capacity washer and dryer.  I am hoping the hot water will also take lotion out of a king comforter.

Ugh!

Tonight I think I shall be thankful for hot bubble baths

and Children's Benedryl.  

MR Ducks

This picture is actually from the Dallas Zoo kiddie area.  The boys are watching ducks.  Most of you probably won't get this, but I just can't help but laugh.  I'm imagining the boys conversation and thinking about silly notes Dad use to leave.

MR ducks

MR not

OSMR, CM wangs

LB, MR Ducks

Trip to Dallas

I decided it was time to get out of the house and out of Ft. Hood.  Over Spring Break we went to visit friends from Japan who now live outside Dallas.  Even though we only spent a couple of days, we had a good time.  Hope we weren't too much trouble, Wendy.  :)

We first went to the Stockyards at Ft. Worth.  

www.fortworthstockyards.org

Very cool if you are ever in the area.

(Can we leave her here?)

It's a feed yard that has been converted into shops, museums, etc.  

It was actually pretty cool; although the cattle drive was very anticlimactic.  Less than twelve should hardly constitute as a herd, especially when there is a one to one ratio of cowboys to cows.  I think I was expecting a little more 'running of the bulls' than a dozen docile long horns.

(Speaking of sleepy steers, here are the kiddos on "Big Jake".)

The next day we headed to the Dallas Zoo.  It was so crowded.  We almost didn't get in.  Right after Wendy pulled into the parking lot they closed the park due to capacity.  Parks do that?

Sadly, I think the carrousel was the highlight of the day for the boys.  Too many people and really boring exhibits.  

(Of course, they might have been just angry that I made them get off the ride.)

Yeah, they look a little nervous, but by the first go-round they were totally loving it.  

Maren got to see the one thing she was looking for... that weird half giraffe/half zebra thing (the Okapi).  It only took a little over 4 hours to find it.  

Dang, if I'd known earlier that is what she was looking for.....  

By the end of the day - well, I think the look on Adam's face speaks for all of us... I think he's looking for the exit.

(R to L, Zach, Adam, Maren, two boys I don't know, Christian, and a couple other kids I don't know that also joined us.)

All in all, it was a good trip.  The drive wasn't nearly as bad as I expected and the weather could not have been nicer - not too hot (odd for TX).  

Thanks again, Bruce and Wendy!

All by myself!

Yep, this is what happens when you leave lotion where little boys can get to it.

But....

Ladies, when you look this good, you've got to moisturize.  

(This is Zach, BTW.  What a goof.)

Happy Birthday To Me!

Is that just the cutest baby girl?!

Thank you, Friend.  I miss you so much.    

The Mom Song

This is just too funny.  I 'borrowed' it from Tracy's blog.  You have to watch....

It Must be a Twin Thing

Zach had tubes put in his ears a week ago. He was such a little trooper - hardly any crying at the hospital. Adam spent the day with a friend. When I got there to pick him up he was crying, "Where Zachy?". Once I got him in the car he was happy. I guess I never really considered they would miss each other when they weren't together. Makes sense considering they are always together, right? 

That night, as the doctor said he probably would be, Zach was so grumpy. Ironically so was Adam. If Zach whimpered, so did Adam. If Zach wanted to be held, so did Adam. It was like that all evening. I couldn't even go into another room without both of them on my heels. They normally aren't that clingy. I expected it a little from Zach, but not both. 

It must be that twin thing I've heard about. If one hurts, so does the other.

When they were still tiny, they couldn't/wouldn't go to sleep unless they were touching each other.  I guess 8 months in pretty cramped quarter will do that to you.   Now they want their own space.... at least to start.  I have several pictures like this one.  Tell me again why we bought two beds?  It isn't uncommon to find them in the same bed in the morning.

It's just so cute how close they are.    

  

Lucky

New look...

I was feeling a little pink and green today.  I know, I need change my header.

How sweet is this?  

Maren got up early this morning and brought me breakfast in bed.  I don't really like her using the stove without supervision, but I just couldn't get mad at her.

She made me scrambled eggs, toast, and strawberries. AND she did it all herself.  She can be such a sweetheart.

This is something that totally cracked me up.  Ok, ok, so it's not that funny, but it did make me and Cooper chuckle a little.  

How can you resist savings like this?

Unbeatable saving at Wal*Mart!!!

What up with that?

Notice the date stamp on the post below?  I published it yesterday, why does it show the 30th?

I had New Years babies not two-days-before-the-new-year babies.  Weird.