Fun with stickers

Jake stickerin' up his coloring book

Anderson places his stickers carefully

" See, see?"

Look Momma!

The boys are becoming increasingly more difficult to entertain. Boredom comes fast and furious on some days and today was one of them. It was much too cold for a walk outside, we've already putzed around Target about 8 times in the past 7 days....and its only mid-October.

The last time we tried stickers, Jake managed to eat one completely but this time it was different. They both stuck stickers for about 20 minutes and even though Jake tasted one, eating it wasn't his main focus. Anderson was very thoughtful in his placement of the stickers and easily removed them from the paper. Jake had a more difficult time removing them but soon got the hang of it. He didn't pay much attention of where he put them or if he stuck six of them on top of eachother. Either way they both had a good time.

That's Two! Two Cute Babies! HaHaHa (Thunder! Lightning!)

Jake giving it a shot.

Anderson nails it. (With a little encouragment from Jake)

We have been trying to teach the boys all the things you teach toddlers: numbers, alphabet, colors, shapes etc. They have been making strides lately and will often spontaneously start counting things when playing alone. Everyone does there part in teaching the boys including the Grandma's when watching them during the day and to who we are eternally greatful, and myself after work but I think most of the credit for shaping our little monsters goes to Mumma. Tammy has been the best mother to the boys a father could ask for and they are very lucky to have someone as thoughful and loving as her.

I have writers block for titles lately

I adore this picture of Jake

Anderson on a mission

The boys have been getting a lot of outdoor time lately. We have had a streak of nice, comfortable weather days but we know they are drawing to a close. Pretty soon we'll be stuck in the house due to the cold or too layered up in sweaters, jackets and hats to even move around.

Anderson had his first visit to the dentist on Monday. He bumped his tooth a few months ago but recently it started showing some discoloration. Everyone I asked thought he needed to go, he might have an infection that could damage his permanent tooth.

I made an appointment with a pediatric dentist and on Monday the whole fam showed up to see what a pediatric dentist was all about. Jake and Anderson loved the fish tank they had in the waiting room and took no time at all to trash the play area. I took Anderson in back to see the dentist while Kevin had the pleasure of changing Jake's stinkies.

The whole thing took about 3 mintues. Dentist walks in, lets Anderson touch his gloves, looks at the tooth (gets bit), and says all is fine. Now please proceed to the checkout and pay 65 dollars. I wish I made 20 some dollars A MINUTE!!! Good news is he is fine, bad news is my mommy instincts told me that for FREE.

I thought they loved eachother...sniff, sniff

While Kevin was bathing the boys this evening we were suprised to find that someone bit someone else on the back, through their clothes today. Poor little guy!

I have heavy soakers

New cloth diaper without giant maxi pad insert

Cloth diper with giagundous maxi pad insert filled with THREE triple layered inserts.

Lugging around about 5 lbs. of diaper

I have what the diaper industry calls "heavy soakers" at nighttime. We thought we had solved our problems months ago when we came up with the ingenius idea of sending them to bed with TWO diapers on. We just doubled them up. It worked for awhile but then they started soaking through those a couple times a week and now we are just at a point where they are literally up to their necks in pee come morning time. Thank god for sleep sacks, it keeps the mess contained.

So after some research I decided to buy them some cloth diapers. They look so much more comfortable than sposies and I know I wouldn't want to wake up soaked in my urine either. We tried them out last night and they were a bust. The leaks weren't quite as bad, but they did leak. So tonight we added extra inserts and we'll see what tomorrow will bring.

Just a side note...the boys got their hair cut yesterday. I'm tired of haircuts every few weeks so I told the lady to shave them down to a one on the sides and back. They look so ridiculous to no fault of their own, they are completely bald on the lower half of their heads. They look like little mushroom heads. Sorry guys, forgive me?

Jake choosing a book from his new library

So many choices!

Reading with Daddy before bed.

When your Mom is a teacher, you have a lot of books. I had been buying books for years through the school book orders to set aside for my future little ones. I had two large tubs full of books...christmas books, halloween books, thanksgiving books, books about teeth, being afraid of the dark and the list goes on and on. The boys aren't quite ready yet for anything but board books, but we set up a little library anyways. They were pretty excited when they saw all the books I have been hoarding for them.

Kevin had Friday off so the boys got to spend a lot of time with Daddy. They ask for him constantly when he is at work and anytime I take them out they think we are going to meet him for lunch. They get so upset when they realize we aren't meeting Daddy. So when they get a bonus day with Daddy they love it.

Yesterday we did our annual pumpkin picking with the McBrides. Nanny and Papa came this year and the boys loved the every minute. They really enjoyed the wagon ride through the pumpkin patch. Both of them were trying to lift and carry any pumpkin within reach. Afterwards everyone came back to our house and we ordered carryout. Fortunately we didn't forget the camera on our outing, unfortunately we did forget the memory card. No pictures to share.

Today we played catch up. We set up our little library, cleaned the bathrooms, and I organized the little people's closet. I packed up all of their summer clothes into bins and washed some of their new fall/winter wardrobe. After dinner the boys spent some time playing outside. When it was time to come in I picked up Anderson and started to carry him into the house. Jake began to cry immediately. He knew what that meant and he wasn't happy. Before Kevin knew it Jake was making a break away down the sidewalk at full speed. Poor Jakey!

Happy 21 Months

The boys turn 21 months today. It is unbelievable to me that it has been 2 years this month since I was put on bedrest as they turned somersaults inside my belly. I miss being pregnant....I loved every second of it. It was such an incredible time for Kevin and I to prepare and relish in the anticipation of their arrival. We had moments of fear of course due to our pre-term labor scare, but for the most part it was such a blissful time.

Now they are starting to string two words together, "bubble bath" and "see Mama". Today they ate their banana whole for the very first time. They proudly held their half peeled banana, taking such pride in their accomplishment. Each milestone distancing them further and further away from babyhood. I'm watching their wings grow, but I'm not ready to let them fly. I need them far more than they could ever need me.

Some new pics...

Jake showing off

Anderson's reaction to all the attention Jake got for his new trick

Jake making a funny face trying out his new potty

Anderson was an ole' pro

Anderson recently started telling us "butt" which means "I've pooped or I'm gonna poop". So we went and bought some potties. We're keeping our expectations low, but they did enjoy sitting on them. They are all bark and no bite thus far.

Upland Hills Farm 2008

Feeding the ducks and geese

Anderson and Ashley

Jake digging in deep for more corn feed

Time for a hayride

Having a great time!

We met up with the Bennetts for a morning at the farm. We took the boys last year and they enjoyed it quite a bit and today was no different. This time they were right there in the middle of the action. Feeding the ducks, stomping through the mud and dirt, and trying to put their fingers into the mouths of all the animals. I was amazed at just how gentle and passive the animals were. Jake harassed most of them by shouting their animal sound at them and his version of "gently" touching them. They all seemed to enjoy the attention, no matter how annoying it may have been.

The highlight of the day was being able to feed the ducks and geese. All three of them dug their little hands into the buckets of corn feed and fed the animals like it was their job. They were surrounded by nearly a 50-70 ducks and geese that were quacking loudly and they didn't seem a bit apprehensive. They enjoyed the long tractor ride and had fun sharing graham crackers and drinking their milk. When we got home it was straight to the bathtub and then off to nap.

Sneak Peek

You'll never meet a more docile dragon or a more curious george. Anders insisted on wearing his costume this afternoon. We've been showing it off to all who visit, so he knows what closet they are in. He wore me down so I gave in and let them parade around in their costumes for an hour. I had to make sure they were the right size....JEEZ!

Our very first Tricycles

Anderson trying to get off his trike

Jake and Mommy trying out the trike for the first time.

Jake showing us how he rings the bell

Daddy guiding Anderson

They're off!

We picked the boys up some new tricycles this weekend. They loved them but Mom and Dad were a little nervous. It is more important to the boys to get on and off the bikes than actually ride them. Kevin and I were hovering over them and dashing around trying to catch them from falling. They both fell onto the concrete, but nothing too bad.

Season Opener

We are lucky to have some beautiful orchards and cider mills close to where we live. We have our pick of probably 10 of them all within a short 15 minute drive. Today we went to Westview in Romeo. It was our season opener and Westview did not disapoint.

They have these yummy little evil goodies called flips. They are basically an apple, cherry or peach turnover that has been fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar. Generally Kevin and I split the sweet stuff, but not today. It was every man for himself. At least I shared mine with the bubbies which is more than I can say for him.

After eating dessert before lunch, we walked around a bit and decided we didn't want to pay 11 dollars per person to enter the "kid area". Eleven dollars each got you a wagon ride, smelly animals to pet, and a giant hay stack to climb. Instead we went over to Frontier Town to check out the Christmas shop and feed some billy goats (for free).

There were SO MANY cute halloween diddies that I wanted to buy, but they would have come at the cost of the boys college education. Uber expensive knick knacks...the Michigan economy sucks right now. It reminds me of when I stepped off the plane in Los Angelos for the first time and paid 3.00 for a pack of gum! Welcome to California....and now Michigan.

Something freaky happened while we shopped at Frontier Town. A girl (yes even at 32 I consider someone my age a "girl") came up to me and asked me if I went to WMU for college. I replied that I did and she said she remembered me from an English class we had together in the Fall of 1994 !! That is just crazy! How she remembered me from a class that only met 16 times, 14 years ago just kinda blew me away. She said that she remembered the day our class found out that a fellow classmate had passed away and can clearly remember looking around the class and that the looks on everyone's faces, including my own, are forever engrained in her memory.

And I always thought I remembered the strangest stuff.

Fun with Playdough

Jake enjoying some playdough fun after breakfast this morning.

Hmmm, which one should I eat?

Anderson and Mommy made a snail.

Helping Mommy make a flower.

The boys tried out playdough for the first time this week. They really aren't sure what to do with it....besides taste it. They enjoy when we push their handprints into the dough or make them a snake. What we really need is the spaghetti making thingamajig.

This afternoon we took them to the Village of Rochester for dinner and some play time. Jake has gotten so chattery with his jibberish that he is actually creeping the other little kids out! It is so funny to watch. He'll go up to preschool age children happily yelling his non-sensical thoughts and stories, that clearly make perfect sense to him, and the older kids are totally wierded out. They look to their parents for help and aren't sure what to say back to Jake. We're not too worried though, it doesn't burst his bubble at all. He hasn't quite mastered body language yet. :)

Brainwashing

Anderson and Jake are gearing up for Halloween. I'm imposing my love for Halloween on them and hoping it sticks. The house is decorated and hopefully this weekend we'll be able to do the outside. Their costumes are bought and they gleefully show them off whenever we have company. Jake kisses and hugs his costume and Anderson walks around the house with his. I just got off the phone with my sister and marked the calendar with 2 possibly 3 dates of Halloween/costume fun.

Today at Costco we passed the area that has some Halloween decorations and both of my precious boys cackled "HEEHEHEHEHEEE" without prompting...It's working, I'm getting through.

Beyond the Halloween obbessing going on in our house, the boys have been very busy chattering. Everyday brings a new word for one of them and they repeat like little parrots. They still haven't put two words together yet, but they have "no" mastered. It's lovely I tell ya. Anderson told me "butt" the other day when he needed his diaper changed and Jake's favorite words right now are Ernie (Sesame Street) and hair. He loves to pull on my hair and say "heyair".

We are slowly pushing their bedtime back. Up until recent months they were usually in bed by 6 p.m. and on a bad nap day they would go down even earlier. We are slowly moving bedtime back to about 7 p.m. and hoping to have it down to 7:30 by daylight savings. It would be nice to see what goes on in the world after 6 p.m., not to mention going out to dinner at 4:30 kinda sucks.

Mama Tired

Jake

Anderson

The Geeky Engineer Group AKA 848 Perry

It was a LONG weekend. It hasn't stopped raining since Friday afternoon. There have been short breaks here and there but for the most part the entire weekend was a huge washout. It couldn't have come at a worse time. Kevin left early on Saturday to attend a wedding across state for an old college buddy. I was supposed to go with him but last week I decided that I didn't want to leave the boys for the weekend, so I stayed at home.



It was our first overnight without Dada and did we ever miss him! The boys hung in there, we couldn't do much due to the downpour happening outside, but the McBrides came by in the late afternoon and we all headed to the mall for a change of scenery and had a nice dinner. Anderson asked for his Daddy all day long, it broke my heart to have to keep telling him that Daddy wasn't there.



After dinner, the McBrides came back to our house to help with jammies and the beloved bedtime bottle. Grant fed Jake and Claire fed Anderson....it was precious sight to see the four of them all cuddled up on the couch. Kevin had the camera so unfortunately I wasn't able to take a pic.



This morning Uncle Jared came by and hung out for a couple of hours. After a short trip to Target and then some lunch, the boys were ready for a nap. They happily awoke to their Daddy and enjoyed the rest of their day playing with him.

Pre Preschool

Time to ca-la

Anderson James loves to color

Jake colors his caterpillar blanket

Anderson shows off his work

This is Jake's new smile when the camera comes out

The boys enjoy pre preschool each morning with Mommy. We spend time sitting at their table doing puzzles, coloring and stacking blocks. They are pretty good students but there is quite a bit of copying going on. I'm pleasantly surprised at how patient they are with the puzzles and they can color for a good duration of time.

Today we took the boys for a haircut....BIG MISTAKE. Somebody forgot to tell us that the planets were not aligned for a haircut today. We always seem to get stuck with a well meaning, nice enough Dolly Parton look alike lady that just doesn't seem to "get" my request. This will be the third time she has not done what I have asked her to do, in fact she pretty much does the exact opposite that I ask her to do. That is why we are getting haircuts every 3 weeks for the boys which shouldn't be necessary.

The boys didn't want to sit and fought us the entire time. When it was Kevin's turn I put the boys in the stroller to try and maintain some type of order and they screamed bloody murder in protest. And you just gotta love the chuckles from strangers that think my struggle with the boys is "cute" in some strange sick way. I tried to walk them around outside but the chaos continued and I don't even want to relive the struggle that ensued to get them strapped into their carseats to head home. It was UGLY. Insert white flag here.

Catching up from falling behind

A.J. and J.T. at the zoo last weekend

I couldn't resist! He has such thick and luxurious hair.... I just had to see what he would look like with a teeny tiny piggy in his hair.
Hanging out at Great Grandma Edgar's house

Tired out from playing so hard

It's really time for another vacay, but unfortunately my bosses NEVER give me a day off. I'd even settle for a "do nothing" day but that isn't looking likely either. Everyday seems to be packed with places to go, things to do and messes to clean up. But I wouldn't have it any other way....after all I do get paid in hugs and kisses.

I miss these guys

A and J

Kevin has been backing up pictures and video the past couple of days. Last night he and I watched some video of the boys from those first few months. My heart ached and still does. I miss those guys! I want to kiss those sweet noses, whisper to them that they are my miracles, and feel their warmth on my chest. I was disapointed that some of the video was not familiar to me at all. There I was living those beautiful moments and I can no longer remember them. The sleep deprivation and physical exhaustion that we experienced those first few months have robbed me of some of life's most precious memories. I do remember some of it, but it is fuzzy. Things that happened five years ago are much sharper in my memory than the boys arrival 20 months ago. I am so sad.

I love how active they are now, how expressive and loving. I look forward to what is to come, but I can't help but wish I could push that magic button every once in a while and have my babies back. Those sweet beautiful gifts.

Labor Day Weekend

We had a busy and eventful holiday weekend. On Saturday we headed over to the McBrides for a b-bq. The boys enjoyed playing with a bean bag game, climbing up the steps, and eating some new foods. They were very well behaved and getting much better at not getting into everything or wandering away into other people's yards. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, I am confident that one day I will be able to sit back with a cool drink and WATCH them play.

Yesterday we took the boys to the zoo. They love the zoo and we have a yearly pass so we are getting our money's worth. This time we were lucky enough to see the polar bears swimming in the water from the underground tunnels. The zebras were pretty cooperative as well, they stood close to the viewing area.

While the boys were napping, Grant and Claire called to see if we wanted to spend the afternoon together. We all decided to go to the Spray Park at Metro Beach. It was the last weekend for water fun before it closes for the season. The boys had a great time running through the water with Grant and Claire. After the Spray Park we headed to Don Pablos for dinner. Kevin and I were a little nervous, after being at the zoo in the morning and then at the spray park for the afternoon we knew we were on borrowed time. The boys proved us wrong! They were excellent at dinner and ate well.

Today we layed low to catch up on all the fun stuff like cooking some dinners ahead of time, cleaning, yard work, and home improvement projects. The boys played well together while Kevin and I were busy doing "stuff". Kevin changed some of the locks and the boys "helped" him...it was precious. Aunt Sara visited and brought her dog, Lucey. Jake just adores dogs, Anders likes them from a distance. Jake enjoyed holding her leash and walking her all around the house for at least 20 minutes. He is so gentle and loving around the dogs that he knows. Jake was so sad and upset when I told him it was time to say goodbye to Lucey. He held on so tight to her leash and just didn't want to let go. I felt like the meanest mommy in the world prying his fingers from her leash. What a sweetheart!