Toddler²

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

2009-11-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T07:31:00.001-08:00

Snow White's Shoe

2009-09-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

Yep. It's a two blog entry week. Been a crazy one. Just wanted to leave you with a picture of what I had to pull out of Luke's nose with tweezers today. It was so far up there, I had to use a flashlight to see it. If you're wondering what it is, it's Snow White's shoe.

M

I'm thankful he put the shoe in his nose toe first, that way I could grab the heel with the tweezers??? (I know, I'm grasping here....)

"A Man Came Over"

2009-09-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

Don't even know where to start with this story. I guess at the beginning.

As I sit here typing this, I can't help but laugh. I've told you in past entries that I've been having a really difficult time getting the twins down for a nap. I really think it would be so much easier if they didn't share a room, but I just don't have the type of house where I could separate them, and besides, they would HATE it! They can't stand being separated, even for a few minutes.

Well, the other day, I told them it was nap time and I put them in their room and closed the door. I heard them in there singing Happy Birthday at the top of their lungs. (What can I say? We've gone to A LOT of birthday parties this summer) Soon, they were laughing and I would hear a few things crashing on the floor (probably books that were on the bed since everything else has been CLEARED out of the room). Then I heard Luke playing with the door, opening it, then quietly closing it, he must have thought he was being sneaky. I so desperately wanted a little "space" that I just ignored it.

After about 30 minutes, it got really quiet, so I figured they were sleeping. I gave them a few more minutes to fall asleep "hard" before going to check on them, only when I went to open the door, it wouldn't open. Then I hear Luke, "Mama! open the door!" I tried again. Nothing. Somehow he locked the door. I have no idea how he did it. It's a french door handle with a twist lock that is really hard to turn! At first I started laughing because they were both on the other side of the door at this point asking me to unlock it. I didn't have the little tool to unlock it from the outside, so I tried to teach them how, "twist the little piece that looks like a coin". Then I hear Luke in his 2 year old little voice, "No!"--- "Come on Luke, I can't open it from out here, please twist the coin." ----"No!, Let me out!" After a few minutes of this, and trying to open the door with a coat hanger, I realized, I needed the tool.

I called one of my neighbors who said she didn't have one. So, I ran across the street to my other neighbor's house, then another, then another. Nobody had one! I ran into the house and called a contractor who works on several houses in the neighborhood thinking he was around and I knew he would have the tool. Then I looked out the front door and saw a couple neighbors walking up my driveway with their tool boxes. Oh, boy, embarrassment is starting to set in at this point. Why is it that the house is always the messiest it can possibly be when things like this happen??? I know my neighbors were thinking "how do these people live like this?!". But in my defense, I do have 2 two year olds with about a million different toys (2 of everything) everywhere!

After trying several different tools, my neighbor, Jon, opened the door. Luke and Ashley just looked at him like, "who are you?!" Then they got scared. After a couple minutes they calmed down, and I walked my neighbors out. The twins wouldn't stop talking about it. They were so excited to tell their dad when he got home from work. And everyone else who would listen. I thought it was bad enough that they locked themselves in the room until, the next day when Luke was telling perfect strangers, "Dada went to work. Mama locked me in my room and a man came over".

M

I am thankful my children got out of their room safely and am glad it was their bedroom and not another. After all, that room is probably the safest room in the house since I have completely stripped it! Also..... I guess I got a little "space".

Enough Said

2009-08-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

Ummmm.. I'm thankful that I just bought 5 gallons of Clorox from Costco??

Lazy summer days

2009-07-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like a lazy summer day eating a popsicle on the front porch. And that's what we've been doing a lot lately. It has been SO HOT!

I know, I know, it's not just the hot summer making me lazy with keeping up the blog. But I have an excuse! I haven't been able to get on the computer for awhile during the twins' nap time because we switched them over to big beds and they DON'T sleep! All they want to do is run around their room and be destructive. Just this weekend, Brent had to put locks on their dresser drawers and I had to remove all shelves and pictures from the walls. When I say destructive, I mean DESTRUCTIVE. Take a look at what they did with a few diapers that were neatly packed.

Oh, and they like wipes too.

And books.....

And clothes.....

And toys, and blankets, and sheets and pillows and pictures and anything else they can reach.

They also put toys in the toilet and marker on the walls, not to mention the whole "bologna sticks to the wall, Mama!" stage. (oh, and have you ever stepped on a piece of bologna barefoot before?!) I have....

The first half of the summer has been filled with lots of fun. Birthday parties, picnics, slip and slides, snow (yes, snow), the beach, popsicles, watermelon, swimming and much more. This summer is whizzing by!

It's hard to explain how much they have changed since they turned two. The best way is to say, they turned TWO. They fight, they laugh, they talk, they run, they jump, they climb, they fall, they have temper tantrums, they joke, they hug. They tell me they love me. And my heart melts. I am so in love with them. One second, I'm ready to put them on ebay and the next, they're cuddling in my lap. But I wouldn't trade a minute of the rough times, the good times are just too good. They're just awesome. I am so thankful that I am able to stay home with them during the day and experience all of this.

Here are some pictures from the first half of summer.

Until next time....

Easter 2009

2009-04-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

I guess from the looks of this picture, I'm out of the running for "Mom of the Year" huh? Seriously, they were only on the Easter Bunny's lap for about 5 seconds. I told the photographer I wasn't looking for the "perfect" picture, just to take it as soon as I sat them down. Ashley immediately punched the Bunny in his glasses (notice how crooked they are??) then quickly squirmed her way out of his arms onto the floor. The photographer took 3 quick pictures and this was the only one where Thomas the Train was not in Luke's face. That was it, 5 seconds max. Oh also, in case any of you noticed and were wondering, No, I did not match Luke's shirt with electric blue shoes. Those are his Thomas the Train water socks that he wears out to the sand bar that he INSISTED on wearing. Not only are they T.A.C.K.Y. but they're about 2 sizes to small. I'm not one bit surprised they reacted this way. At least they got rid of the Easter Rodent and we now have a real Easter Bunny!

The week started out with an Easter Brunch at a friends house where all the kids painted eggs. Talk about a MESS! They had so much fun. Even though Luke's hand was green for about 2 days. He's definitely a boy. He was actually the only boy at the party. All the girls would dip their eggs in the cups and wait. Luke would dip one egg in about 3 different colors until it turned out to be some sort of a weird brownish green color. He didn't care. It was just fun!

On Saturday we went to an Easter Egg hunt. There were 11,000 stuffed plastic eggs! They ran around picking them up. Again, Luke was all boy. Ashley picked up one at a time and looked around. Luke would pick up as many as he could at once and run to get more. They got and ate a lot of candy. (although Luke did NOT like the black jelly bean!) At the Easter Egg festival, they had bounce houses, so of course Luke and Ashley wanted to get in one. However, I was the only parent out of the hundreds of parents there, that had to actually climb into the the bounce house to get my child out. Ashley refused to let anyone else have a turn. Brent just stood there laughing! I could have killed him! A little help would have been nice!

Easter Sunday was really laid-back. Which is a first around here! Usually when we get together with my family, something crazy happens, but this year, we just went out to brunch and all the kids did really well. We had a great time. I'm looking forward to heading up to the Disney Resort to have brunch with the characters. Hopefully we'll be able to all get together soon to do that.

I am thankful that I live close enough to my sister so our kids can get together and play. They have so much fun!

Jackson, or as we like to call him, Jackass

2009-03-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

I've written about Savannah and how wonderful she is. She's doing really well, actually, she's doing too well! After today I was ready to kill her and Jackson, or as we jokingly like to call him, Jackass. It's hard to tell who the instigator is sometimes, but it's usually Jackson. The two of them have always gotten themselves into sticky situations. LITERALLY. There have been many times, where we have had to give them baths to clean an unknown sticky substance off their fur. We should have known the day we brought Jackson home, he was going to be Trouble. One of my friends just told me that he puts "Marly" (from Marly and Me) to shame. He really does, I should write a book about him.

As a wedding gift to Brent, I bought him a tiny little Alabama dog collar and told him to pick out his puppy (since I already had Savannah). He always wanted a chocolate lab, but we heard from many people that chocolate labs tend to be more "hyper". hmph..... So he decided to get a more gentle, calm, trainable, BLACK LAB. Riiiiight...... So enter Jackson. Luckily, we were living in an apartment at the time.....

When we were trying to housebreak him, we would take him between the apartment buildings and teach him to go there, only one night he ran into a neighbors apartment and pooped behind their couch. We had been searching for him for a pretty long time, because he was so little and black, he was hard to find in the dark. Then we heard someone scream. Brent and I looked at each other, like "oh no...." This girl, whom we had never met, came running out of her apartment screaming, "there's a puppy behind my couch pooping!!" This was only the start. Within the first month, he pooped in the bathtub, pooped on the wall, swam in the toilet, pulled a thick packing blanket through a tiny whole in his crate and climbed (YES CLIMBED) over a baby gate and tore up the the apartment. I have no idea how he did it. We used to have to put our garbage can on the counter, so he couldn't get to it, but that didn't always work, he's like Houdini! I'm telling you the dog is CRAZY! He had probably done all this and he wasn't even 3 months old yet. We finally moved into our house in Atlanta and he would sled down the hill in a baby pool, eat through the wiring in the wall of the unfinished basement so we wouldn't have air conditioning upstairs, and could somehow move Brent's extra-heavy pull out couch across the basement floor and block off the doggie door so Savannah was stuck outside in the rain all day. (See why we call him Jackass?) He doesn't do any of this to be mean, he's really a sweet dog, he's just, well..... Jackson. He had to have surgery twice on his shoulders and both times, the surgeon called us early and asked us to pick him up. Guess he didn't like being there in a kennel? My mom and sister had to pick him up once, still sedated! Brent and I planted beautiful azaleas in our backyard, and Jackson ate them, we were pretty ticked, but it was kind of funny, because he lost all the hair around his eyes after he did it. He looked like he was wearing goggles, but was just bald. I guess he was allergic to them.

He has a way of "introducing us to new neighbors". Like when we moved into our current house in West Palm. After our first night here, I woke up early, because I couldn't sleep well (being in a new place). I went downstairs and heard a loud SPLASH! I didn't think much of it, until I heard the neighbor (whisper yelling??). I guess she was trying to be quiet, because it was around 6:00 in the morning, but was trying to be loud enough for her husband to hear her, who was inside her house. I hear, "come outside.... come outside!" Then I hear another SPLASH! Then I hear Savannah barking. She has a specific bark when she's tattling on Jackson. OH NO!!! I ran to my window and what did I see??? Jackson in the neighbor's pool swimming with the NEIGHBOR! She swims laps in the morning and Jackson, being a lab, can not stand for anyone to swim without him. He decided to climb through our fence and jump right in and make himself at home. I started screaming upstairs to Brent, "Brent!! Jackson's in the neighbors' pool! come help me!" So I immediately run over to the neighbor's house, IN MY PAJAMAS, and grab him. I apologize a million times and drag him out of the pool. Then! He has the nerve to POOP in their front yard! I swear, I'm not making this up. Again, see why we call him Jackass? He did it one more time after that, so Brent built something to block off the gap between our houses.

Jackson and Savannah truly are escape artists. They have gotten out of the backyard several times. And they always go somewhere exciting. Publix, the Italian Restaurant, the nice Resort down the street. I guess they swam up the intracoastal got out on the resort beach, swam in their pool and walked through the lobby, that's when the manager called me. UGH. Well, today, the guy who cleans our pool let them out again. We live close to a busy road, so I always get really nervous. I was especially nervous, because this is the first time Savannah's gotten out without me since her surgery. We haven't introduced her to the water yet, because the water's been too cold for us to get in, so I was scared to death. I stopped everyone I saw while I was out looking for them. Even the mail lady. After about an hour and a half of searching for them, I drove back to my house, just as the mail lady was pulling in. She flagged me down. I jumped out of my car, and have you ever been around a horse in his trailer? You know the sound they make when the kick the metal door? Well, that's what I was hearing. I thought, what in the world is that? Then I realized... Jackson..... (Savannah was fine, she was on someone's front porch drinking water and the mail lady didn't see her) So, the mail lady backed into my driveway, and raised the huge heavy door to her truck, and who did I see?, Jackson. He's just standing there smiling and wagging his tail as he's crammed between crates (that used to be organized, until Jackass decided to go for a ride... See? Understand the name now?) Can you imagine getting your mail today with hair, salt water and slobber all over it? Ick.. She showed me where she found him, which wasn't far at all. Savannah doesn't move that fast and they always stick together. I guess she didn't see Savannah because she was on someone's front porch and Jackson was in the yard. But they are both home safe. Sleeping, but safe.

Just wanted to share some Jackson stories. As crazy as he makes us, he really is a great dog. Everyone kept telling us he would calm down when he got neutered, or when he turned 5 or when he turned 8, well, he's nine and still hasn't slowed down one bit. The only time and I mean the ONLY time he's calm and gentle is when Ashley's around. I don't know what it is, but he is like a different dog with her.

I am thankful I got my dogs back, even though one of them had to embarrass me by coming home in the back of a mail truck.....

"Bus!!"

2009-01-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

Wow! I feel like such a loser! My friends are able to keep up their blogs really well, and here I am struggling to get an entry in once every 6 weeks! It's impossible to sit down at the computer these days. Luke and Ashley demand A LOT of attention (I'm hoping it's just their age). Luckily, they have discovered "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". Ashley's just like her dad in that she'll watch tv all day if I let her. Luke doesn't last that long. So, while they're watching Mickey Mouse, I'm able to go to the bathroom, or pick up the kitchen or run outside to get the mail. But that's about it. Then it's back to "Up Mama! Mama sit on floor! Mama, swing outside with JaJa and YaYa!" The only "real" break I get is during their nap. And that's when I start dinner, do the laundry and pick up more! We've also been going out a lot more. FINALLY!! I can take them out and do normal things with them by myself!! YAY! We go to MyGym a couple times a week, the library for reading hour, Pottery Barn Kids does a reading hour and the grocery store a ton! In a nutshell, we're busy around here, but having so much fun!

They keep me laughing all day long. I love listening to them talk. They still do their "twin speak" but can communicate with me as well now. Sometimes, if I can't understand what one of them is saying to me, I ask the other to translate, and they do! Luke's favorite word is "NO!" Half the time he doesn't even mean it, I think he just likes to say it! It's really fun to listen to them and watch as their minds develop. They talk NONSTOP! Ashley calls Luke "Gook" (yes, gook....) and Luke calls Ashley "Asha". Everything has a word now. The other day, we drove by a trailer park, and Luke got really excited, and pointed to one of the trailers and screamed "bus!!". Brent and I cracked up. We said, "that's not a bus!! That's someone's home!" (he's obsessed with anything that mechanically moves. Cars, trucks, buses, boats, trains, airplanes, etc.)

What's been going on since the last time I posted.....
They can both count to 20. They can sing the alphabet. Ashley loves to tell stories. If someone asks her what Santa brought her for Christmas, she will tell you, and I mean she will tell you EVERYTHING! (a horsey, an elmo kitchen, a doll, a dog, etc.) She also likes to tell people the story of how she "rode a horsey.. on a carousel... didn't want to get off.. and cried". It's hilarious. Luke also tells the story, but never admits that he cried for some reason... hmmm. They are as sweet as can be right now. I love it when they run to me with their arms spread out and let me catch them. They love to hug, me and each other. Luke is still my cuddler. I hope he stays like that for a long long time!

There are also the days, when I'm about to lose my mind. They are definitely TWO! And it's TWO times 2!! UGH. I was hoping they wouldn't give me a hard time, but they do. They test me constantly. At times, I wish I didn't teach them how to count, because if I warn one of them to stop doing something and start counting to 3, the other one usually finishes the counting. Example, me-"Luke, sit down! 1.....2....." Ashley-"3!" And they both laugh. But overall, they are good children and keep me laughing more than frustrated.

I still can't believe they are 2! The past couple months (and years!) have flown by. We went through Savannah completing her chemo and going into remission (yay!) Christmas, Luke's first haircut, Birthdays and a trip to the zoo! Here are some pictures taken since my last post!

I'm thankful for a healthy and fun 2008 with my babies! I am excited to see what 2009 will bring us. So far, each year has gotten better and better!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of fun at my parents for Thanksgiving this year. Even though Luke tried to eat Bailey's play-doh, because she told him it was a cookie. In Bailey's eyes, it was! Gotta love holidays with 4 children ages 3 and under!

Luke and Ashley are probably too young to understand.. and may not understand for a very long time... but for the rest of our lives, each Thanksgiving, we will be giving thanks for the wonderful life we were given on January 3, 2007. I am so thankful for my children, HEALTHY children! I love them more than they will ever know. I just don't think it's possible to understand the love you feel for your babies until you have your own. Mom and Dad, I'm sorry if I put you through anything you didn't deserve!

As I was making cheese straws, I started to get frustrated, because I couldn't get anything done! I would just start to push the dough out of the cookie press and Luke would start tugging at my shirt, "up. up. up, mama, up" I would turn around and trip over a truck, or a doll, or a pot, or Ashley! It didn't matter, my kitchen was a wreck and in total chaos!! How do you cook with TWO TODDLERS in the house?! And the mess?! How can 2 babies make such a mess in such a short amount of time?! Then I stopped and thought, about the Trace Adkins song, "You're Gonna Miss This" and just smiled. (turn your speakers on if you don't have them on already) I am the luckiest person in the world to have this situation! Why would anyone wish it away? Here is the chorus that means so much to me.... Especially in times when I'm ready to pull my hair out!

You're gonna miss this...

You're gonna want this back...

You're gonna wish these days...

Hadn't gone by so fast...

These are some good times...

So take a good look around...

You may not know it now...

But you're gonna miss this...

Now, I'm on to planning Christmas dinner that's going to be at my house! Bring on the chaos!

I am so thankful for my family, immediate and extended.

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween!! I loved it as a kid, and I love it even more now, watching Luke and Ashley run around acting crazy! It's hilarious. I had in my mind that I wanted them to be Raggedy Ann and Andy for a long time, then my brother said, "Luke will kill you one day for that!" So, I started coming up with other ideas, "Charlie Brown and Lucy" "Bamm Bamm and Pebbles", etc. I just couldn't decide. Then one day we were having a "refusing to poop" issue. To try and coerce them, I simply said, "EVERYbody poo poos! Elmo poo poos, Jackson poo poos, Savannah poo poos, even Mama poo poos". (I can't believe I'm writing this here, but whatever) So anyway, we head out to reading hour at the mall later that morning, when all of the sudden Luke starts telling everyone and ANYONE, "Mama poo poo! Mama poo poo!" The more I would tell him to stop, the more he would say it louder and louder. Until he was screaming "Mama poo poo!" as loud as he could, then he would laugh and laugh... So that's when I decided, That's it! he's going to be Raggedy Andy, whether he likes it or not! I can't get over how much they've changed since last Halloween! Check out the difference!

2007

2008

It's so crazy how different things are down here for the holidays. It's HOT on Christmas, and Halloween pumpkins? Well, they don't do well in the heat.....

Before:

After ONE night on the porch!

I am thankful, Brent got home in time from his trip to see the twins all dressed up.

Here are some more pictures from the month of October!

"Rusty!!!!!"

2008-09-08T06:27:00.000-07:00

OK, time to get back to some happy stories! Let me begin with, Savannah. She's doing really well. She is walking, running, playing and this morning, when we got up, where was she??? on the couch! She's not supposed to get on the couch, but oh well. She did it AND she jumped down on her own. The dog is crazy! Brent and I were talking last night. We haven't seen her act this well in a very long time. Looking back, she must have been in pain for awhile and we didn't now it. I am now 100% sure, I made the right decision.

I finally got a break (if you call going to a 3 year old's birthday party a break) on Saturday. Bailey had a rodeo party, complete with pony rides. Only when my dad, the twins and I were half way there, did we think, "we should have brought a can of Beef-A-Reeno". Do y'all remember the Seinfeld episode when Kramer fed his horse a whole can of this? "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Ross, one never knows how the gastrointestinal workings of the equine are going to function". "Rusty, no! No, Rusty!!!" HILARIOUS! Why didn't we think of this earlier? Can you imagine the chaos at kids' birthday party with a gassy horse! haha! Well, we didn't laugh because the ponies were gassy, but we did do a lot of laughing. No surprise, Ashley LOVED the horses, and Luke, hated them. We managed to get Luke on for a quick picture, but he was not happy, so we took him off. Ashley loved every second and rode up and down the street. (Yes, I said street. This is South Florida- there aren't many fields around here)Here are some pictures and video clips from the past month and the party.

I am thankful for my niece, Bailey. She brings us lots of laughter! Happy 3rd Birthday Bailey!

Ashley's first pony ride

Luke taking a stroll with Grammy, contemplating whether or not to get on that mangy thing...

................ When twins want to ride on the same car at the same time (they did this on their own)

................ Just going for a walk

Luke in my brother's sailor suit, from when he was a kid.

Ashley Elizabeth

Watching the boats go by

Proud Baby Girl

Sitting in my chair, waiting for the game to start.

Watching the game!

................................ Ashley on pony

http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii118/mbfykes/?action=view&current=20080906164702.flv

Luke on pony

http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii118/mbfykes/?action=view&current=20080906165110.flv

Bailey on pony

http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii118/mbfykes/?action=view&current=20080906164415.flv

Caitlyn on pony

http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii118/mbfykes/?action=view&current=20080906164758.flv

"Inspiration"

2008-09-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

"You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally by the time you are real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all; because once you are real you can’t ever be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” Velveteen Rabbit

Why am I starting with this quote? It's actually a really great quote and can mean so many different things to different people. To me, personally, it's about my dog, Savannah. It's really hard for me to express my emotions right now, because they are still so raw, but I feel like I should update those of you who know and love Savannah. Unfortunately, her cancer is back, only this time, it's in her bone. (First of all, I want to say, that I have great respect for my friends and family who have dealt with cancer and I don't want you for one second to feel that I think this is as big of a deal. I can not imagine going through what many of you have)

I wanted to post this here because I thought this would be easier than explaining it several different times. The past few weeks have been difficult for me because I had to make a tough decision. We decided to have Savannah's front leg amputated and start chemo in 2 weeks. I know this is probably a shock to some of you. Why would we choose this? Well, my initial reaction was, "no way!" But y'all know me, I did lots and lots of research and realized, this is the most humane way for Savannah. I did not do this to keep her around longer for me, trust me, I did this for Savannah. It's what's best. She had the surgery on Tuesday and came home to us Wednesday. I'm not going to lie, it's been difficult. I only slept for 30 minutes the first night she was home (part of that was on a dog bed!). But with the help of my mom, we got through that first night. I know one day, my mom and I will laugh about how we carried her outside (for the first time) on a sheet, in our pajamas at 2:00 in the morning. Neighbors were flipping on lights... ugh... oh well. She currently has on a morphine patch, so she is not in any pain. (even if she was, they say, the pain of the surgery doesn't even compare to the pain she would eventually feel from bone cancer) She's a little loopy, but other than that, ok. The good news is, SHE'S WALKING!! She started trying last night. We haven't let Jackson get too close to her yet. Not that he would hurt her, I just want to keep her as calm as possible. She's doing really well, but in "typical" Savannah style, she knows that I will do whatever she wants, and that means feed her whatever she wants. So, she turns her nose up at the dog food and manipulates me to give her real people food. Oh well, whatever Savannah wants, Savannah gets. I've always described her as beautiful, she's even more so now. This just shows her strength. She is such an inspiration to me, and I am so proud of all that she has overcome, especially in the past 24 hours. The twins were crying last night to go downstairs and see "JaJa" and "YaYa". We tried everything to distract them, even Elmo, but that didn't work. It's just too early. I know the next few weeks are going to be a challenge, but I know Savannah, and she will get through this like she has everything else. I will keep you posted, and hopefully get back to happy stories on this blog.

I am thankful Savannah will now be pain free. And I'm thankful, we caught the cancer before it moved to her lungs.

"Dooooody!!"

2008-08-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have posted because I've been SO BUSY! The second we got home from Antigua, 3 weeks ago, the twins got sick and are still sick! Brent's been out of town a lot, so, I haven't had any time to post. Not much has been going on around here, just taking care of the babies, but here's a little story...

The other day, the twins needed a big time bath since they had bug spray on them, so I got the tub ready. (Brent was out of town, so I was on my own) Like a normal mom, you would undress your child and gently place them in the water, right? Wrong. I undressed Luke and he TOOK OFF! He thought it was the funniest thing ever! So, I turned to Ashley. Yea, I know, refocusing on Ashley and not looking at "the naked" Luke is genius right? I really thought, if I got her into the tub, Luke would see all the fun she was having and want to get in. Not so much. When I got her undressed, she took off! In the meantime, Luke has discovered that he can pee all over the floor only it would freak him out when the pee would touch his foot, so he would move to another spot and try again. Laughing the whole time. I'm thinking to myself, do I grab the camera? Do I start crying? I grabbed the camera. (Only after much thought, I decided, I really can't post the pictures, so sorry, maybe in 15 years when I need to....) Luke would kill me one day. But, oh I have pictures for blackmail. This baby boy better not mess with ME! After chasing them around the house in a full sweat, I get Luke in the tub. Ashley soon follows. After much play, and not much cleaning, it happened...."Doody!!" Only this was NOT a Baby Ruth! (For all you Caddy Shack lovers out there) AAAHHHHH!!! I'm talking out loud to myself at this point, " Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!!" "Grooooosssssssss!!!!"" Ick!!! "get them out, get them out, get them out!!!!" I grab Luke, put him on the floor and go for Ashley, meantime, I hear Luke cracking up as he pees on the floor and Ashley's screaming because she doesn't want out. I'm so grossed out, I'm pretty much gagging! Should I start crying now? I know that y'all are thinking that I'm making this up, but I'M NOT! This really happened! Somehow, I need to get a diaper on Luke QUICK! Seriously, how much urine does a baby bladder hold?! And PLEEEEEASE! Ashley! Stop screaming! You'll have another bath soon!! WITHOUT E. COLI!

After I got them both dressed and cleaned the bathtub, I sat down. This is when I started to laugh. I am SO thankful for my babies. I love laughing at them. I can't imagine not thinking something like this is funny. I love my life. And more than anything, I love being their mom.

Although, I can't post the pictures of my naked baby boy, I'll post some recent ones.
M

Beer, fish oil, and sour milk....

2008-06-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

Today turned out to be a great day. Especially after having such a crazy morning! Well, actually, it's been a crazy week! It started last week, when Savannah (my dog) had to have an emergency surgery to remove another cancerous tumor. As many of you know, she's been in remission for almost 3 years. A few weeks ago, I found a couple bumps that made me suspicious so I took her into her oncologist, Dr. Correa, to have them checked out. Turned out to be cancer again so we immediately scheduled a surgery with her regular vet, Dr. Grigsby. Problem was, Brent would be out of town for a few days, during which, I had to keep Savannah calm and locked inside, as well as the twins. The twins are "loving" the dogs right now and all they want to do is play with them. Ashley just about gave me a heart attack the other day, because, as I was changing Luke, she got a beer bottle out of a case that was blocking off the steps and tried to give it to Jackson (my other dog)who was behind a gate. Only thing was, she couldn't get it over the gate to Jackson and dropped it on the floor. I ran into the room (while leaving poor Luke with a poopy diaper half on, half off, and saw beer EVERYWHERE and Jackson drinking it.) UGH... Luckily, she didn't get hurt, she was just covered in beer and stunk for the rest of the day. I swear people were looking at me as we walked past them in the wagon, thinking I had been drinking all day. Looking back, maybe I should have started when that happened... Because the week only ended up getting crazier! So, that was the end of using a case of Samuel Adams and a case of Pellegrino to block off the stairs.

After a few days of taking care of Savannah and the twins, things seemed to get back to normal, and Brent came home from his business trip. Because he was gone for a few days, he had a ton of laundry and I was so busy carting the twins and Savannah back and forth to the vet, I was WAY behind on the rest of our laundry, so I decided to do one HUGE load. Only to find out that my genius husband, "who is not afraid to let you know that he was a member of MENSA" left freakin fish oil pills in the pocket of a pair of pants! Fish oil pills??? What? First of all, why in the heck were they in his pocket??!! Well..... my HUGE load of laundry? Stunk like fish. I'm talking rotten fish. We are the only people in the neighborhood (probably the whole state, that when you walk by our house when we're doing laundry, you don't smell the freshness of a fabric softener, you smell fish!) I re-washed the laundry, but just can't seem to get the smell out. I'm thinking because it's an oil?? Anyone have any suggestions for me? All we need is to replace the washer and dryer now. Good one Brent, kind of makes me think of the time you left lobster tails in our freezer when the hurricane hit. (ended up having to throw the whole refrigerator out...)

Speaking of refrigerator. We had a bad storm come through here last night, and lighting pretty much zapped out our phones and our fridge. Only thing is, I didn't notice the fridge was out until this morning when all the food I spent 2 1/2 hours making yesterday for the twins to have while we're out of town went bad. Our milk was sour and, yup, you guessed it. Brent and I had Mahi Mahi last night for dinner. Where were the leftovers? In the HOT fridge.

So, just when I'm about to lose it, I call and check my messages on our phone line (which is dead from the storm) and get the message from Savannah's vet. I am so happy to report, that Dr. Grigsby removed 100% of the tumor with clean margins. This means that she is CLEAR! We have an appointment on Thursday with her oncologist to check out a few more things, and then hopefully, I can say, Savannah is healthy. So, turns out, today was a great day. All this other stuff, doesn't mean anything. Besides, I'm going on vacation! I think......
M

I'm thankful for having one of the best veterinary oncologists in the country only 45 minutes away. I'm thankful for Dr. Correa caring so much about Savannah, and I'm thankful for Dr. Grigsby doing Savannah's surgery on such short notice. And most of all, I'm thankful for my girl, Savannah, she's been my best friend for 10 years, and hopefully, will be for many more.

Here's a picture of Savannah just taken this week to show you how well she's doing!

And of course, I can't leave Jackson out. He loves Ashley so much. Especially since she gives him beer.....

Swim-Float-Swim

2008-06-16T17:23:00.001-07:00

Well, our swimming lessons have concluded. I must say, that I'm a little relieved. It was every weekday for 6 weeks. Very time consuming. This wasn't like your everyday swimming lessons. They were taught to swim, float, swim and find their way out of whatever body of water they fall in. (it's really survival lessons) Their personalities REALLY came through at the lessons. Luke was all business, and would swim, swim swim, "get me out of this pool!!!" Where as Ashley would just float.... "Look at the sky and float". Don't think one is better than the other, but I know that if "god-forbid" they fell into the water, and nobody was around, they would survive. That's all I care about. One thing the program does, that I think is really great, is that they put them in full winter clothes. Blue jeans, sweatshirts, shoes and a real waterlogged diaper, (adding about 10 extra pounds) to make sure they can float this way. Because chances are, if they're going to fall in, they won't be in their bathing suits. We were going to video tape them at there graduation lesson, but of course being down here in South Florida, it got canceled due to weather, so all I have are a few old pictures. You can't really tell too much what's going on, but at least you can see them floating. I'll post a video when I get one..

M

I'm thankful for programs like ISR that teach my children to be safe.

You can't force it.

2008-05-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a twin? I have. When I was a little girl, I read the "Babysitter's Club" and "Sweet Valley High" books and I thought, "I wish I had a twin!" Why is that? Is it the constant companion? Is it having someone who loves you, knowing ALL your flaws? Is it having someone there, knowing, they will be there for you for life? I don't know, but I know that I used to wish I had a twin. Why are people so obsessed with twins??! I've posted in a past entry about how I get stopped whenever I'm out and asked the same questions over and over. I have to admit, I love it when a "twin" comes up to me and talks. They always tell me about the bond they have with the other, and how special they feel. And I always ask them, "how do I instill this in my babies?" They're answer is always the same, "you can't force it. you can't make them love one another.... They just will." SO... I'm trusting all those twins out there that have stopped me. My babies will love each other no matter what. They already do. Check out this video.

http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii118/mbfykes/?action=view&current=20080526175733.flv

I am thankful that I have twins. It's something I've always dreamed of.

Back bend like blue men.

2008-05-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

OK, nobody wants to confess to this, so I will..... we sometimes hide from our kids. I'm sure many of you have been in the situation during the day, when you're like, "Yes! Finally!!!" He/she (or in our case, he AND she) is playing happily with that book, but Oh My Gosh! I've never been so thirsty in my life! Problem is, you have to pass by them to get to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. What do you do? Well.. WE pretend we're in Vegas and silently back bend like blue men into the kitchen, but does it ever work? Heck no!! Why is it, that they don't hear you when you say, "It's time for bed." But when you're trying to sneak by them, they stop what they're doing, scream and follow you? Do they have eyes in the back of their heads? Do they just hear really REALLY well? Or do they have both? I was laughing at Brent the other morning because he hid between the pantry and the family room and ate his cereal. CEREAL!! come on! How hard is that? The twins won't let him eat! When did we get to the point where we had to sneak around? I remember being like, "OMG, they're so cute! I never want to be apart from them for a second!" WHAT??!! We're like, "QUICK! HERE THEY COME!! HIDE!!" Is that bad???

Of course there are times when we can't get enough of them! Here are a few recent pictures.

Luke and Ashley having a "twins' conversation". I wish I could understand what they're saying. Then again, they're probably making fun of me anyway...

Ashley Elizabeth

Luke Thomas

Ashley's hair after a nap

Luke, loving the wind blowing through his hair

Sharing Garlic Bread, their favorite

Hanging out on the step. Their latest trick.

I am thankful that we WANT to hide from our babies because that means they are active, and if they are active, they are healthy.

If this doesn't make you smile, then I don't know what will.

2008-05-07T17:15:00.001-07:00

My Aunt sent me a YouTube link that made me think of this video clip of Luke that I made a few months ago. Instead of sending this clip back to her through email, I decided to post it here on the blog. I can't help but laugh when I watch this. If this doesn't make you smile, then I don't know what will.
M

http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii118/mbfykes/?action=view&current=200803061707382.flv

I am thankful for having 2 hilarious children, who make me laugh every day.

"How do you do your shopping?"

2008-04-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's funny, the questions you're asked and the way people act towards you when babies are involved. It starts at pregnancy. I was just talking to one of my good friends the other day who is pregnant. (she's also a drug rep who calls on Psychiatrists) She was in an office and some lady who was clearly mentally sick, just walks up to her and rubs my friends' belly. I couldn't help but laugh, because the same thing happened to me, only it was the garbage man! What?! I turned around, walked back into my house and took a hot shower. Does he have a mental issue? Probably not, because this happens all the time. Not only do people rub a stranger's stomach, but they say and ask the rudest things too! I remember when I was about 6 months pregnant, I got into an elevator after one of my ultrasounds and a man got into the elevator with me. He looked at me like a deer in headlights and exclaimed, "WOW! You look like you're about to pop! you must be due any day!". I calmly looked at him and said, "No, actually I have about 3 more months to go." (he had no idea I was carrying twins) He continued to dig himself in a hole by talking about how big I already was and how big I'm going to be etc. etc. etc. I told Brent about this, and he just laughed and laughed. Laugh all you want Brent, I was the one to laugh in the end, because you ended up sleeping in the upper left corner of the bed with little covers in a frigid cold room with me taking up about 90% of the bed lying on top of the covers.

Now, it's a different story having babies. The questions and comments really start coming. Some are really sweet, others are rude, and others are just, well, kind of stupid. Here are some samples of questions I hear just about every time I go out with the twins.

Are they twins? Uh...No, they're 5 years apart, one just has stunted growth.
Oh, how lucky, you have a boy and a girl. Are they identical? Oh the places I could go with this answer
Do twins run in your family? Yes, but is that your polite way of asking if I took fertility meds?
Did you deliver them both naturally? Do you really want details? Because I can have my husband call you later to describe everything.
Did you nurse both of them? What the?!
Double trouble, You have your hands full... Brent always laughs at me because I hate this one and always respond. "No, double the pleasure."

A question that many of you who read this blog have been asking me lately is:
How do you do your shopping? It's kind of a funny thing to wonder, but it is a good question. How do I do my shopping? Most of the time it's just a blur. I do everything I can to get in and out of the grocery store as quickly as possible. However, this is very difficult when you're stopped every few feet so people can ask me these questions. Luke and Ashley are both going through that stranger anxiety stage and scream everytime someone gets close to them (example: Little old lady with a walker, "OH, look at the cute little boy!" Luke, "AAAAHHHHH!!!) and they love to take each other's socks off and throw them on the floor, so I'm constantly having to stop turn around, walk back and pick them up, meanwhile someone else walks up, and makes Ashley scream. I try to do most of my shopping on the weekend when Brent is home, that way, he can stay home and watch the babies, but when I do have to go during the week, I usually hang the grocery store basket on the stroller handle, fill it up, then stuff the rest of the groceries in the stroller. When I have to do more shopping or get heavy things, I push the stroller and pull the cart behind me. This is usually when I get the, "wow, you have your hands full" comment. ha! You think???

This is a picture that was taken when things went well. Notice neither one has socks on? Notice I'm smiling?? So, my friends, I hope I answered this question. This is how I do my shopping....

Oh, in case any of you are wondering, Why don't I use the cart that looks like a car, but is the size of a semi truck that's made for 2 children? They're parked inside Publix, which would mean I would have to leave the twins in the car, alone, in this heat with all the crazy people down here in South Florida. Not an option. When they walk well, (Or even when one walks well enough, we can do this, but until then.......)

If anyone has any good comebacks to any of the questions above, please let me know. One of these days, I'm going to get the nerve to respond....

M

I am thankful for having healthy twins. With out them, I would never have my stories,

Plastic bags and Tabasco Cheez-Its

2008-03-31T15:11:00.000-07:00

I am lucky enough to have a wonderful husband who actually "tells" me to leave and have some alone time. Otherwise, I would never leave my house nor my babies. This past weekend was great. Brent and I went to Target together, then, I went off to the mall by myself. It was just what I needed. I wanted something new to wear to a casino party we're going to in a few weeks. I had such a great time being "alone". It was weird to actually try on clothes! Heck! It was weird to walk around the mall without stuffing goldfish in some crazy baby's mouth!!! On my way home, I talked to Beth and she asked me, "Don't you get nervous when you leave the twins home alone with Brent?" Of course my immediate reaction was, "Heck, no!! I love any time I can have alone!!" Does that make me weird that I don't even think about it? I trust my husband, besides, if he screwed up, not only would he have to deal with whatever the consequences were for his mistake, but he'd have to deal with me! Not sure what's scarier for him. Anyway. I got home, all refreshed and ready for a week of handling the twins while he travels when he "PROUDLY" showed me this video. Although it is funny, he claims they were "PLAYING" with plastic bags and Tabasco cheez-its. Maybe Beth's right, I should worry!!!
* This is a disclaimer! Brent bought the tabasco cheez-its, not me!! Yuck!!
<http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii118/mbfykes/?action=view&current=ALlaughing.flv
I am thankful for my husband. I love him more than he knows.

Can I have a beer for the road?

2008-03-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Easter has come and gone. It all really started last week when we went to see the Easter Bunny, or as we like to call him, the Easter Rodent. If you have seen the Bunny at our mall, close up, you would understand why. He looks more like a squirrel than a bunny. Pretty scary. Especially for Luke. He absolutely refused to sit on his lap. I've never seen him so scared! He clung on to Brent for dear life. There was no getting that boy NEAR the Easter Rodent. So we have a great picture of Ashley on his lap this year. I have a feeling that picture is going to be pulled out by Ashley when she's about 16 years old to show all their friends. Poor Luke.

Shannon, Luke and Brent watching tv....

We had so much fun at my sister's house on Easter Sunday. We had 5 kids under the age of 3. The best way to describe it is LOUD! Luke and Ashley have really warmed up to Bailey (my niece) It was fun to watch them interact. Bailey loves them so much, she kept trying to hug and kiss them. There were a few scary moments when she would try to pick them up as well. Sweet little Caitlyn (my other niece) who's almost a month old, just slept the whole time. How she slept with all that noise is beyond me. Between, Luke following my sister Beth around, Ashley screaming if I left her sight, Bailey saying "yes sir" to my sister haha!, and my sister's friend's daughter getting her hair stuck in the tent zipper, it was an eventful day. Brent and I ate so fast, that we couldn't remember if we ate or not! I knew our heads were spinning when Brent jokingly said to Shannon, my brother-in-law, "Thanks for lunch, gotta go. Can I have a beer for the road?". Then again, maybe he wasn't joking.....

I am thankful for having family that makes me laugh, even though they don't know it.

Why don't you start a blog?

2008-03-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

I finally got to talk to an old friend the other day. It was so nice to catch up! It had been WAY TOO long since we had talked. She also has a toddler a few months older than Luke and Ashley, so we are both hard to get on the phone long enough to have a conversation. One of us usually has to hang up within 2 minutes! I told her the easiest way for me to communicate with people these days is by the Internet. That way, I can start a sentence, walk away from the computer when the twins need me and finish the sentence when I have time. She said, "Why don't you start a blog?". She's right. It's a great way for me to communicate with the "outside" world, on my own time. So, here I am, starting a blog.....
I told Brent I was going to do this and he laughed. First, because he thought, what in the world am I going to blog about, and second, when will I have time to do this. Well, it's only been 5 days, and I've typed this much! ha!
Hopefully, I'll be able to keep it up. I will try to post pictures of the twins and funny stories of what they're up to. If something funny happens to Brent, I'll be sure to post that too. Nothing really happens to me, I'm too busy to notice if it does. (Well, maybe, being pooped on by a bird and peed on by the neighbors dog all within a week......) Brent of course just laughed, then quickly walked away, he was to embarrassed to be seen with me!
M
I am thankful for my friends, new and old, without them, I would never survive.