Christmas Eve

Anderson eating his toast on Christmas Eve morning.

Claire telling Jake a secret.

Grant James and I



Jake sitting next to uncle wearing his new mocassin slippers.



The bubbies in action.

Christmas Eve was a little unusual this year as Kevin had to work. Thankfully he was home by 3 but it just seemed weird to not have him there for all the preparations. My parents and the McBrides came over around 3 and the Christmas fun began. In years past we always open presents after dinner, but that just wasn't to be this year. No sooner did everyone walk through the door that the wrapping paper began flying around the room.

The first present the boys opened were some Christmas ornaments from the McBrides. As soon as they saw the shiny Mickey Mouse and Firef*ck it was difficult to bring them back for more. They wouldn't have cared a bit if that had been their only present. We were really inconveniencing them when we encouraged them to open more gifts. Eventually they opened more and found wonder and amazement in each new present....excluding the clothes of course.

They were happy enough to be off to bed by 8. Never have I saw such a lack luster reaction in a tot when told "Santa Claus is coming tonight". BIG DEAL. They were more concerned with making sure Daddy sang Animal Books and I sang the Dinosaur song before they were off to snooze.

The evening was wonderful but came to a rough end. Anderson was up every 3 hours crying, coughing and unable to breathe through his nose due to severe congestion. Both he and Jake have been battling colds for the past week and of course it reached its worst point on Christmas Eve. His temp was 102. I was unable to sleep at all because I was so worried about him and the fact that there would be no where to take him on Christmas Day. Thankfully Tylenol got him through till this morning when I was able to take him to the Dr. Poor thing has an ear infection.

Snapshots of 2008: Celebrating Every Moment

First steps and first tumbles.
Getting right back up.

Cars, trucks and trains.
Oh, books and slides too!

Tantrums, whining and exhaustion.
Kisses.

The drama of a haircut.

Watermelon, goats and all other things we once dismissed as uninteresting. (Boy, were we wrong!)

Pumpkin picking.

Green eggs and ham, green eggs and ham and that Sam-I-am.

Holding them and praying for their future.

I wasn't the original author, but I came across this and made it personal to us by making a few changes.

Kevin's Bright Idea

Christmas 2007....the boys in their monogrammed Christmas longalls

Jake's Teddy Bear wearing his longalls.


Anderson's wearing his

Doing what they do lately...jumping on the bed while holding their new bears

Last year we bought the boys their first Christmas outfits from Pottery Barn Kids and had them monogrammed with their initials. I had looked high and low for the perfect outfit and when I saw these I was so happy. As silly as it might seem, I just adore these outfits. I have been trying to figure out how to save/preserve them, but what I really wanted was to enjoy them again as much as I did last year. They are too small for the boys to wear so that wasn't an option and to put them away in a box didn't sound right either.

Then Kevin had a great idea. He suggested buying teddy bears and dressing them in the outfits to sit under the tree every year. I LOVED it. So we did.

The Tales of Despereaux....

was our very first movie. The boys will be turning two in two weeks, so we thought they were ready for their very first movie. It was quite a production just to get out the door. I packed every snack imaginable and they were very well thought out snacks. Had to be something they eat slowly, don't get sick of, and won't get sick from. They ended eating a massive amount of Kevin's popcorn, fortune cookies (long story), animal crackers and water. Things I packed that they didn't eat...grapes, cheese, pb & j bites, and fruit leather.

They were a little timid at first. As we entered the dark theartre they were a little spooked. We picked them up and reassured them that it was just a giant TV. They previewed Ice Age which scared the pants off of them. Anderson and Jake were still adjusting to the sound so all of the sound effects were making them jump out of their tiny skins. Then the characters started falling off a cliff and I think the poor little guys thought they were falling as well. Their beautiful faces were all squished and red and their eyes were starting to well up. Thankfully it was over as quick as it began and they quickly recovered.

They were great for the first hour of the movie. They munched on their snacks and sat pretty quietly. Every once in a while they said "hi...movie, movie" to myself, Kevin and the McBrides. The last half hour they started to get a little fidgety. They moved up onto our laps and began to chatter a bit more, repeating some of the lines the characters said in an outside voice. It was sweet (to us at least) and I don't think they caused too much of a disruption to the other 20 people in the theatre. Now I'm just scratching my head wondering how these little guys got old enough to go see a movie.

We got our white Christmas

J.T.

A.J.

Lovin on one another

Jake on the porch

Anderson braving the cold

Last night and into today, a big winter storm moved into the area and dumped about a foot of snow on us. The boys had been watching it snow all day, so when it finally stopped we dressed them up to go out. Jake was ready and willing...Anderson was a different story. Much like last year, Anderson resisted the dressing process and crabbed all the way out the door. Of course once he was outside he had fun.

Jake was very hands on. He attempted to climb the snow mounds, ate the snow and was picking it up like crazy. Anderson was more of a disgruntled observer. He toddled around checking things out but had zero interest in joining Daddy and Jake who were playing in the deep snow. Eventually he picked up some snow and was definitely enjoying himself. I base that off of both their irrational and spastic reactions when it was time to come inside.

Elf on our shelf, tree, mantle, light, tv....

Tomorrow morning the boys will find Twink perched high on a sconce.

The Elf on the Shelf is a huge hit with Anderson and Jake. He came last week on Daddy's birthday and the boys ask for us to read the book 3-4 times a day. Every morning when they wake they look around the house for him and excitedly point him out when they find his new hiding place. When we read the part in the book about not touching him or he will lose his magic, they remind us over and over "no touching, no touching".

We decided to name him Twink. Seems like an appropriate name for an elf that watches over twins. I was disappointed in Twink's quality. He is a pretty cheaply made elf and I just hope he can endure his years to come in the Edgar household. Kevin and I are full of excitement for this year's Christmas celebration. The boys have been really engaged in the Christmas songs, ornaments, Tawsty the Snowman, presents and Santa Claus. We have also been busying ourselves with the preparation of their second birthday party to follow.

The other day I was tinkering around in the kitchen and overheard my sweet Anderson saying the following...

Anderson (as Mommy or Daddy) in a very stern and short tone "TIME OUT"

Anderson (as himself) in a very pitiful and defeated tone "Oh, okay time out."

He kept going back and forth role playing as the authority figure and as himself. There was no one else around at the time, he was in foyer by himself. I scurried for the camera to try and catch at least the audio but as soon as he was aware of my presence he stopped.

Festivus for the rest of us 2008

Tina and Claire

Jared, Brian, Tina and Claire

Even though we vowed last year that we would only do a Christmas cookie day every other year due to the underestimated immense amount of work it is....we did again. It was more of a debocle than last years cookie making. First we were short on dough, then we compensated too much and had more dough than we knew what to do with. We botched the frosting recipe making it too runny so now the cookies must be refridgerated and eaten before they reach room temp. Last but not least we ran out of time. There are two dozen cookies in my freezer that never got frosted because everyone ran out of steam and wanted to eat dinner.

Then came the fun part. Clean up the huge mess from the cookies, set up for dinner, make dinner, clean up dinner, and finally divide and package up the cookies. Thankfully I have a wonderful sister and cousin who don't disapear when the fun is over and between the three of us we managed to pull it all off. In the end it was a nice afternoon with family, we have tons of yummy cookies that can't be eaten above room temp and my kitchen is once again recognizable.

Baby OCD

Anderson with his red car. Can't get a good pic of him lately because he loves putting his face right up to the camera and saying cheese.
Jake with his blue car.

About two months ago, a friend of ours gave the boys some battery operated cars. You shake them up which makes the engine rev and then you set them down and they take off pretty fast. The boys were really scared of them at first. They didn't want to have anything to do with them, so they sat in the toybox for a few weeks until recently.

Anderson became interested in them but still he didn't want to touch them. Both the boys would bring them to us periodically and ask us to make them go. As soon as we started to shake them they would climb up on the couch and watch the cars zip around. They were too afraid to be on the floor with them. For a couple of weeks now they have been driving us nuts begging for us to shake and chase the cars around while they cautiously watch from the couch.

Last week Anderson finally got the nerve to shake the car himself, set it down and watch it go. Since then he has been happily playing with the cars while Jake watched from his safe refuge. Both Kevin and I have been trying to encourage Jake to join in the fun but he just wasn't ready.

Till yesterday.

Yesterday he finally found the courage to shake the car, touch the spinning wheels and enjoy the toy. This was about an hour before we had to leave the house. Please don't forget this child carried trains around in both of his hands every waking minute for six days straight. Once Jake finds a toy he likes he becomes obbessed. We had to pry his little fingers off the car when it was time to leave the house and he screamed for about 10 minutes afterwards. We cut our errands short because the poor thing was so tortured from being away from his long awaited car.

I can only imagine what has been going through their little minds for the past few weeks when they would only watch the cars but not play with them. All the anticipation, excitement and fear wrapped into one tiny mind. Today has been no different, they haven't put them down. Well, at one point Anderson put his car down to play with something else and Jake had a fit about it. He chased Anderson around crying and begging him to keep playing cars. The peer pressure worked, Anderson took the car from Jake and reluctantly went back to playing with him.

Happy to you Daddy!

Kevin turns 31 today. His mom cooked him a wonderful spaghetti dinner with some homemade cherry pie. His bubbies sang "Happy to you" over and over again. I suspect his heart was pretty full.

"I like Santa Claus"....

Jake

A and J

The catalyst to organized freedom

was Anderson's first SENTENCE!!! Woohoo! When the boys woke up on Thursday they headed straight for the Christmas tree. They were touching the ornaments and little Anders slowly said "I..... like...... Santa Claus". I was so excited but also a little wierded out by it. Since then he has said "I need help." and "Take these off." and each time I have been taken aback. It just seems so strange to hear this little person express his wants and needs with words rather than the strange monkey noises I'm used to.

He has also mastered singing quite a few songs. He can sing along with both of the Sesame Street CD's and he is pretty darn good! He hits both the high and low notes and hearing him makes my heart soar. His favorite random song to sing is from Yo Gabba Gabba called "Don't bite your friends". How ironic since he is our biter.

Jake is hot on his tails. When we were driving today we drove past an entrance to the McBride's neighborhood that we rarely use but Jake knew exactly what we were driving past . He started excitedly yelling "Claire's house, Claire's house" but was disapointed that it was not our destination. He often requests certain songs from our CD's, his favorite being the "la la la song" which is the L song sung by his favorite guys Bert and Ernie.

This week we ordered the boys an Elf on the Shelf. http://www.elfontheshelf.com/#/gift-shop

We have been tossing around ideas of some Christmas traditions we want to start with the boys and this was one of them. Our little elf should arrive sometime next week.

We had a busy day. We started off at Target to pick up some fabric boxes for the boys' mittens, hats, and shoes. We have so much random stuff in our entryway closets that needed to be organized and the cute little boxes we bought motivated me to do something about it. Instead of slipping a piece of paper with their name on it under the little plastic window I used a picture of them. We ended up getting rid of a bunch of useless junk we have accumulated and we are now able to find the mates to all of our shoes.

After the boys napped we headed out to do a return and grab dinner. The boys gots lots of attention and were called "cute little tigers" by a stranger at dinner. "No, they are not identical, yes they are twins, and he was born first" have just become part of the daily routine when we go out. The boys thrive on the attention so I guess what's the harm?

23 months old today !

Our Christmas tree

I love these present bags! Very well made, great personalization and only 7.99 with free shipping!

The new toy chest.

Much less of an eye sore than the former toy holder...the changing table.

The boys turned 23 months today. We took them out to dinner to celebrate and they were great. Anderson ate till his tummy distended and turned hard....Kevin was actually worried. You know it had to be a buddah belly if Kevin took note.

Yesterday we had a busy evening. Last week we ordered a leather storage bench and it arrived yesterday. We ordered it because I am so tired of looking at the changing table/toy shelf in our living room. It was such an eye sore and after two years I was finally coming to terms with the fact that the toys aren't going away. They are here to stay and they live in our living room. They are big, ugly, obnoxiously colorful and stubbornly obtuse.

The leather bench is huge, which is great. I can stuff lots of junk in there in a pinch and we've also added some seating in the living room. Once we had the bench set up, we purged through the toys on the changing table. The changing table is now residing in Jake's room and with any luck will be bought off of Craigs list this weekend. Fingers crossed.

Once that was all settled we finally had some room to put up our Christmas tree. The boys were bulls in a china shop. They managed to break one oranament, pull several apart. and Jake was chucking them around the room like a baseball. The funniest part is that they don't even think to touch the presents underneath the tree. I noticed last week at Claire's birthday party they never touched her presents. Let's hope they don't figure things out before Christmas.

Just some pics...

A and J dancing together.

Dancing the Charlie Brown with Daddy.

Jake this past weekend.

Awww, Jakey

Sweetie pie Anders

6 days and counting...

Jake and his trains

Anderson full of cheer right after waking up (note the train in his hand)

Good Morning, Jakey!

Anderson says "cheese"

It has been six days since we gave the boys their trains and they are still obbessed with carrying them around everywhere. Life moves slowly when you constantly have to switch the hands that are holding the trains to put your arm in your sleeve, eat, or take a bath. They just won't put them down, its ridiculous! One day they were fighting for the same train, Henry, so I asked my parents to pick up a second Henry. No one wanted Murdoch. Now that there are two Henrys wouldn't you know that both boys now fight over Murdoch. I refuse to buy another Murdoch. Those stickin trains are 8 bucks a piece!

The boys had a great Thanksgiving spent with their family. We started the day off with having Grandma and Auntie Sara over for brunch, heading to Great Grandma Edgar's house for dinner and then our final stop was at the McBride's house for dessert and a b-day celebration for Claire. I wrote up a long huge post complaining about some dumb and insensitive comments made by family members but have since deleted it. It just didn't seem right to complain on a day that I was so very grateful for my boys.

Yesterday we went with the McBrides to downtown Rochester for some Christmas festivities. It was cold but they had fun. Afterwards we ate dinner at Famous Daves and the boys were so good! They munched on baked beans, corn bread, chicken, mac n cheese, and whatever else they could get their hands on.

Pillow Talk

Last night after we put the boys to bed, Kev and I could hear little Anders talking. I muted the TV and we were delighted to hear him giving loud wet smooches to his bear and telling him "love yoooouuuu, love yoooouuu". Then he began to recite some lines from Frosty the Snowman. They have been watching it in the evening before bed and they love the "No Money, No Ticket" line. We wanted to go in there and give him some HUGE hugs and kisses but we're not crazy :).

It is apparent that they are learning love just like they learned their abc's and counting. While sitting next to eachother yesterday, Jake started to rub the top of Anderson's head and kissed him on the cheek. Then he looked at us and said "brothers" and smiled. When Kevin was hugging and giving me kisses after work the other day they both were so excited and had huge grins. It is my hope that they will be compassionate and loving people. Unfortunately it doesn't come as naturally for me (with the exception of my bubbies) but in teaching them love I am learning a lot about it myself. Another one of the countless gifts they have given me.

Meet Henry and Murdoch

Anderson and his new train friend Henry

Jake and his new train friend Murdoch

Friends of ours recently gave the boys a hand me down Thomas the Tank Engine speciality track. It didn't come with the trains so they have been foaming at the mouth for the past few days wanting to play with it but couldn't. Today we bought them some trains for it and they played with it non-stop from 10 a.m till they just went to bed. Meal and naptime were a huge struggle because they didn't want to stop playing even for a second. Jake threw such a fit, which is so out of character for him, that finally we relented and just let him have it when he ate and napped. You would have thought the world was ending. Thankfully we managed to talk him down from the ledge before bed and he left the trains in a safe place till tomorrow.

While the boys were in a Thomas fog, Kevin and I spent the day cooking. We made potato soup, chicken enchilada soup, a HUGE batch of chili, pretzel crusted chicken and oreo truffles. The truffles are for Thanksgiving and they are so yummy. I got the recipe from Jodi and thought I would share. Here it is.....

Oreo Truffles-3 1/2 dozen

Ingredients

45 Oreo cookies, divided (1 package)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 (8 ounce) packages semisweet baking chocolate, melted

Directions

1) Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in a food processor; reserve for later use. (This can also be done in a resealable bag with a rolling pin.). 2) Crush the remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs and place in a medium bowl. 3) Add the cream cheese and mix until well blended. 4) Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1" in diameter. 5) Dip the balls in the melted chocolate and place them on a wax paper covered baking sheet. (Any left over chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.). 6) Sprinkle the tops of the truffles with the reserved cookie crumbs. 7) Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. 8) Store leftover truffles, covered, in the refrigerator.

Catching up

Wow, it's been almost a week since my last post and I have no idea where the time went. The boys had a much better week than the week before, everyone was healthy and feeling good. Today we did a lot of running around and the boys enjoyed getting out of the house. We headed to the mall and started off with some muffins and egg souffles from Panera. The boys had already been fed a huge bowl of oatmeal before we left the house, but they still devoured half of our breakfast.

Santa was already set up and taking customers at the mall so we thought why not? There wasn't much of a wait and the boys seemed interested. When it was their turn we took them over to see Santa. Jake was compliant, he seemed neither scared nor impressed by Santa and willingly sat on his lap. Anderson wasn't having it. He didn't want to sit on Santa's lap but he did sit on my lap next to Santa. As soon as the picture was taken, Jake was off to touch the ornaments and other props. Anderson and I stuck around while Santa asked him what he wanted. Anderson rolled his eyes at Santa and completely ignored him. It was very naughty of him.

After our time at the mall we brought the boys home for a nap. I headed to the salon for some grooming and gossip. When the boys woke we went back out to Whole Foods to pick up some groceries and the boy's Artic Cod Liver Oil. The boys love their fish oil and I'm so happy because it is SOOO beneficial to their growth and development. It smells, looks and tastes pretty gross but they don't seem to mind so I'm taking advantage for as long as I can. We also strolled around Parisian and the boys sat in the double shopping cart. Jake sat up high and Anderson below him. Several times Jake rubbed the top on Anderson's head and leaned down and kissed him. It was so sweet and Anderson just had a huge smile on his face.

I had my second phase of braces put on this past Thursday. It was pure hell. My teeth were so sensitive and sore already and they were made even worse when they removed my spacers in order to put on these freakish metal rings that encase all of my molars. I couldn't hold back the tears, they were just streaming down my face as the orthodontist used any force necessary to fit these dang things on. The spacers were supposed to have created the "space" necessary between my teeth to fit the brackets on, but they weren't on long enough and I suffered dearly because of it. Let the record show that I feel I have a pretty high tolerance for pain.

I've been pretty emotional about it... wondering why I'm torturing myself like this, wondering if it will all be worth it, thinking of a bazillion other things I could have done with the money. Having braces as an adult is a much different experience than the first two times I had them. No authority figure telling you that you must wear them, no peers to share war stories with, and lots of pain. I feel like a huge whiney baby and I fear that since I'm having such a hard time with this how will I ever survive the jaw surgery. I'll be on a liquid diet for 8 weeks following the surgery and part of that time I will only be able to drink from a syringe. And the pain.....I don't even allow myself to go there yet.

Popcorn Time

Jake in a popcorn frenzy.

Anderson enjoying it while watching the 6 o'clock news.


Yummy, yummy

The boys tried popcorn for the first time a couple of weeks ago while we were shopping at Target. Jake loved it but Anderson wouldn't really even give it a try because he was too obbessed with trying to get a sip of our Coke. We found these cute little plastic popcorn tubs for them, so today we filled them with some popcorn and the boys loved it! They were so quiet for at least 20 minutes just munching on popcorn. They didn't even move off the couch. Now I know what to give them when I need to get something done around here.

Just a couple pics...

The bubbies lounging around together when they were sick.

I had been sitting behind them and running my fingers through their hair. A little while later I found Anderson doing the same thing to Jake.

If you look closely you can see Jake's hair running through Anderson's fingers.

Just when I feel like eating again..

I had to go and get these damn things on. That's not me by the way :). I haven't been able to eat anything but crackers all week but of course right after I had the braces put on this morning I felt STARVING. Having had braces twice before I knew that within an hour I would be unable to eat anything so I raced to McDonalds to get an egg and cheese biscuit. Just as I anticipated the pain began almost immediately, however I was able to eat my biscuit.

My teeth are aching like someone just beat them with a hammer and the inside of my mouth is already chewed up from all the metal. Talking hurts. I was able to eat some soup for dinner but that didn't put a dent into my week long starved hunger pains.

I contemplated getting clear braces but the orthodontist discouraged it. Apparently they don't move teeth as quickly and break more easily. Kevin said if I was going to get braces I should just "own it" and go all the way with the metal.

On a funny side note... I asked my rambunctious Kindergarten students what they could do to improve their behavior. One of my girls answered she "should follow erections better".

Warning.... another disgusting post

Where do I start? The past 48 hours have been HORRIBLE. When the boys woke up yesterday morning they seemed fine, they were happy, eating, and playful. Kevin had the day off for Veteran's Day so they were happy and excited to have a "bonus" day with Dad. We had a wonderful morning playing, reading together and just cuddling on the floor in one big pile of Edgars.

I went to work for the afternoon and Kevin put the boys down for nap and then things took a turn for the worse. Jake woke up crying, Kevin went in to check on him and he had a massive blowout. Straight to the tub he went and he was hysterical about it. Poop was everywhere and Kevin had to try and get his soiled clothes off without spreading the poop throughout the house. Thankfully Anderson slept through everything.

Then a half hour later, Anderson woke up. It was just a few short minutes till he started throwing up. Every 15-20 minutes for 5 LONG hours. The poor guy was just miserable, he couldn't keep any liquids down and just lifting his head up made him throw up. We decided to take him to the ER down the street that just opened near our house. My sister came over to stay with Jake (who was sleeping) because both of us had to go. Someone had to sit with Anderson in the back since he was throwing up so often.

They tried to give him pedialyte but he couldn't keep down anything and was growing more listless so they did an IV for fluids. He was such a tough guy about it, he was more than cooperative and only cried from the pain. He never fought or screamed, Kevin and I felt our hearts break in two as they made failed attmepts to find his tiny veins. Once they got the IV in he fell asleep and I called my wonderful friend Jodi to come pick me up so I could relieve my sister. It was going to be a couple of hours on the IV for him and it was getting late and Tina had to work the next day.

As soon as I came home I called Kevin to get an update as I knew both of us were feeling yucky at the ER. He was in the room with Anderson and now he was throwing up. I felt just awful for leaving him and I was worried sick that now he was getting sick all while trying to keep Anderson comforted.

Kevin was able to stick it out for the remainder of the time, he was amazingly strong. I would have been a hysterical mess and fell apart. I always fall apart when I throw up, I'd rather endure some sort of crazy torture than throw up. He brought Anderson home, continued to get sick and at around one in the morning I joined him. He and I took turns holding the garbage can for one another and getting eachother water. I love that man, he is the patience and love that holds us so tightly to one another.

Today we are in complete survival mode. All four of us stink, feel like complete sh!t and I for one can't wait till bedtime since we're both running on close to zero sleep.

A HUGE shoutout thanks to Jodi for coming to pick me up, putting her own health in jeapordy(I swear I didn't touch anything), and missing part of her favorite show. I promise to repay you in clothes and toys for our favorite Baby Simon.

Mondays...blech (Warning TMI)

Sensitive stomach? DO NOT READ


We had the Monday of all Monday mornings around here. How does puke in the crib, hair, jammies and forehead, di di in the diapers, and a complete stripping of clothes and bedding all before 7:30 a.m. sound?

I heard the boys chattering away at about 7 this morning. I usually let them chatter and play for about 15 minutes before I go and get them. This gives me time to throw in a load of laundry, pour their milk cups (which they demand the very minute they wake) and if I'm lucky check my work email. This morning I heard a strange gagging noise but it isn't unusual for Anderson to gag himself while sticking his fingers in the back of his mouth due to teething pain. I listened to make sure they were both okay and continued with my business. THEN I went to get Jake out of bed and the minute I opened his door I knew I was in trouble. The smell of puke is undeniable and poor Jakey was swimming in it.

It was all over him, his hair, at the foot of the crib, on his blanket, pillow and lovey. He was a little spooked but I think it was only from my reaction. Had I not coddled him, I don't think he would have thought a thing about it. After I cleaned up that mess I was finally able to change his diaper and get Anderson out of his crib.

Now, I'm on the verge of getting sick from cleaning up the sick and I have the diarhea to deal with. Jake has a full load and it smells just like the puke. How does that happen? The rest of the morning was spent changing horribly rank diapers and obbessing over every symptom I might have. This afternoon Anderson joined in with the di di so now that poor guy has the stomach flu too. Now I just wait for my turn.

Uh-Oh

Jake's new word.

Anderson being cute.

Jake has a new word....fire truck. Only he says fire f@ck. It is precious, he is precious.

Today we bought a Christmas snowglobe. There are a handful of Christmas items my mom and grandma would put out every year that always fascinated me as a child. I looked forward to seeing them each year. I hope to recreate that with Anderson and Jake. We spent way too long picking out a snowglobe, it had to be just the right scene, song and have adequate amount of snow in it. When we brought it home the boys were smitten. They both wanted it so we tried to take turns by switching when the music stopped playing. That didn't really work but they were desperate to have it to themselves for any length of time. When it was time to put it away Jake was beyond devestated. Anderson was upset as well but not nearly to the degree that Jake took it too. I guess it is safe to say they were fascinated. :)

2 months, 2 days, till 2

Eating their first bowl of cereal

Anderson James

Jake Thomas

As we draw closer to Anderson and Jake's 2nd birthday I am sinking deeper into a mommy depression. I can't believe my bubbies are using forks and spoons, eating what we eat, saying their ABC's and counting, and telling us when it is time to go poop. This is crazy, it feels like it all happened overnight. I've been shopping for their Christmas gifts and I can't believe they are ready for trains, bowling pin sets, and matchbox cars.

Today they looked like minature men all dressed up. I'm sure I sound like a broken record but really I can't keep up with the change. I'm not ready to move on to the next stage. I want them small enough for me to hold, agreeable enough to let me shower them with kisses, and needy enough to always want their momma.