Tot Time

My children seem to have a ton of energy, so I found a gymnastics place around here that offered "tot time" for $4 a child for an hour. They can run throughout the gym and play. Apparently, this place is owned by the parents of Chellsie Memmel, a gymnast who won all around gold in the 2003 Olympics. The kids seemed to really love it. There were two other mothers there with their children. B (my son) was going after the pit of foam they have under the bars in case someone falls. He crawled right in and just let out the biggest belly laugh. He is incredibly strong; he was doing chin-ups on the swing set a couple of weeks ago. He nearly did a complete flip. K (my daughter) seems interested in gymnastics but not quite as interested as her brother. They have a slide and stairs at the gym, so she kept running toward those. I figured that I will spend $8 a week for them to go play at the gym during "tot time" to give them something fun to do out of the house. When it gets warmer, we'll probably start a garden and go hang out in the wooded area around our house. The kids really love watching the ducks in the creek.

For our own memory: Tonight, B smelled like his diaper was dirty. I told him to go tell daddy that he needed a diaper change because his diaper was sagging. He walked over to K1, leaned over, grabbed his diaper and made it swing. Then he looked up at K1. He did this not once, but multiple times. We were both laughing so hard that we couldn't breathe.

Parenthood is awesome. 

It's Always Something...

While I was in Texas, I went to my normal doctor to have a physical done. I've been to a couple of the doctors here in Wisconsin and I wasn't impressed. I had my blood drawn and everything was pretty much normal. Since I was having upper right quadrant pain, she sent me in to have an ultrasound done. Later that day, I got a call that said I have gallstones and I need to be seen for a surgical evaluation. This was all on Thursday afternoon and of course, I had a flight back to Wisconsin on Saturday, March 24th. So, I found a surgeon here in Wisconsin who is right down the street from my house. My evaluation is in a couple of days, so we'll see what happens. I'm worried about how I am going to take care of the kids if I end up having surgery and I can't lift anything over 10 lbs. for a few weeks. Sometimes they require that for even minor surgeries.

Where Does the Time Go? 19 Months!

We've been in Texas for a little over a week now and I've tried to rest up some while the grandparents are playing with the kids.

I cannot even begin to go over the sudden burst in development these two have had in just a week, but I will try.

Kayla: (her verbal skills have improved dramatically...mommy is so proud)

• Put her shoe on all by herself today (it was really Bryce's shoe, but she put it on without any help from me...velcroed it and everything)
• Says, "book" when she grabs the dinosaur series books and wants me to read them to her
• Said, "G-ama" and held her arms up when she wanted my mom to hold her
• Says, "uh oh" when she drops something or falls
• Said, "oh my gosh" and "good Lord" when she was playing outside in the sandbox (brother was getting on her nerves)
• Said, "where did it go?" and "there it is" when playing hide and seek with a spatula from the kitchen 
• Can say and recognize the letter H
• She tries to wash her own hair in the bathtub (and brother's, too)
• Wears size 4 diapers, but they're still a little big
• Wears 12 month and some 9 month clothes; 18 month are way too big usually
• Wears a size 3 toddler shoe, although I just went and bought some shoes that were size 4 today
• She loves bathtime
• She at an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen for the first time on March 19, 2012 (technically, this is at 19 months)
• She can take a step down out of a doorway
• She sucks her thumb when she's stressed out or tired
• She loves going down the slide at the park
• She enjoys playing by herself most of the time, but does tolerate her brother on occasion
• She has the best belly laugh

Bryce:
  

• Peed in the potty for the first time! Although, he hasn't done it again since (but then again, we haven't really tried...we'll pick up when we get back home.)
• Says, "what's that?" and "who's that?" and waits for an explanation

• Says, "hot" when he touches food or the oven (everything is hot to him, even if it came out of the freezer)
• Gives momma hugs when she cries (I stumped my toe once and he came over and laid his head on my chest and wrapped his arms around my neck)
• Wears size 4 diapers, although they are still rather big
• Wears size 12 clothing, but size 6-9 month pants still fit around the waist...18 month clothes are way too big
• Wears size 3 shoes, but I bought size 5 shoes today because his feet are growing so quickly
• Can do chin ups on the swing set at Grandma and Grandpa's house
• Chases his sister around the backyard
• Says, "ooh" when he falls
• Loves bath time, although sometimes, I can't get him out to dry him off
• Loves to dance
• Tries to "sing" in the car
• Had his first ice cream cone at Dairy Queen today and ate the whole thing!

They both love: oatmeal, fruit bars, Teddy Grahams, Gerber's little baby cheetos (I forgot what they're actually called), yogurt, apples, peanut butter crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Rosa's tortillas, chicken nuggets and strips, bean burritos, and rice

We are leaving for home on Saturday. Kevin is already there. I'll fly with both kids by myself. I think the biggest challenge will be getting through security. Once we get past that point, it should be smooth sailing (I hope). Pray for us. ;)

Things are Looking Up

Where do I begin?

K2 is still yelling out "Aubrey" (babysitter's daughter's name) periodically throughout the day. She now says "Lulu" (the other babysitter's dog's name) when she sees one of our dogs. I wish I had stayed home with them sooner. They are picking up names from the babysitters instead of names that belong in our household. It's kind of a shot to the heart and I am feeling guilty.

I've started organizing the house because well, it needs it. K2 has this thing with the wipes box. She'll go in and dig out all of the wipes and throw them on the ground. So, I got an empty one and put cut-up burp cloths in it. She takes those out and puts more toys in it. She's a pretty funny girl.

A couple who is getting married later this month made an offer on the house so we signed the official offer this weekend. We're still waiting to hear when the closing date will be, but we're headed to Texas here soon to get more stuff out of our garage. We're going to fly down there together and then K1 will drive up here a few days later with the stuff from the garage. I'm going to stay in Texas for a little while longer since my grandmother and my friend have birthdays later this month. I also want my parents to be able to spend some time with the twins. Once we sell this house, it will be a huge weight lifted off of our shoulders. We have so many stressful memories there and we can't wait to be done with those.

K2 has been waking up in the middle of the night so K1 has had to bring her back to bed with him. Unfortunately, I am a very heavy sleeper, so I don't hear them cry very often (even with the monitor on my night stand.) Yesterday and today were exhausting days for us because the kids haven't been going to sleep until almost 10:00, leaving K1 and I to wait until then to do our daily house chores. We didn't get to sleep until 1 a.m. on Sunday night and then the kids woke up at 5 a.m. We are exhausted and we need a break, so we're going to get a hotel room for one night so we can get caught up on some sleep. We could sleep at my parents' house, but the walls are really thin and the kids' beds are in the room with us. We hear every cough, sneeze, or movement.

That's all for now. I need to post more pictures on here, but it takes a while. I'll wait until I have more time.

First Day On The Job!

I started my "new" job today: full-time SAHM and I have the two toughest bosses I've ever had. :) I cannot express how much different that atmosphere was in the house this morning. Kevin didn't have to wake up as early to get the kids ready and he didn't have to wake the kids up. Since the kids were able to wake up on their own, they were happy this morning. Them being happy has been such a rarity up until now. Kayla woke up at 7:30 and then Bryce woke up at 8:30. I was able to spend some time alone with Kayla, which I don't get to do very often.

I recently got hooked on Pinterest. It's an online pinboard for recipes, crafts ideas, etc. I've found a ton of things for the kids so now that I'm staying at home, I'll start making some fingerpaint and other things for the kids to play with. I'll try a few new recipes, too. I've seen a few posts from The Pioneer Woman. This lady is incredible. She has a lot of awesome recipes and really good ideas so I check out her blog as often as I can. She started out as a blogger and then got her own show on Food Network. She even homeschools her kids. She is one heck of a mult-tasker and I'm learning a lot from her.

We've been planning to start potty training here soon. Actually, we were probably going to start later this month. Bryce obviously didn't get the memo. This morning, I went to brush my teeth and I turned around to find a pile of poop on the floor. Bryce's pants and diaper were off. I had just changed him maybe 5 minutes before that. I asked him where his pants were and he grabbed them for me. My son had taken his own diaper and pants off, walked into the bathroom and pooped on the floor. I guess the good news here is that he made it to the right room. The bad news is that he lost the privilage of wearing pants and shirts separately. He will be wearing onesies until he stops stripping. I know that kids will let you know when they're ready to be potty trained and well, I think that was a sign. He obviously doesn't like going in his diaper anymore. For now, I think we'll start with him and then we'll train Kayla at a different time. One article that I read said that you should reward each child separately anyway. We'll see how it goes!

Name-Calling

Up until now, Kayla hasn't really been much of a talker. Today, we were looking in the fridge for something to eat for lunch. She grabbed an apple from the bottom shelf and said, "apple!" Of course, we cut it up and gave it to her, along with a turkey burger that Kevin had made for them last night. New food she (and we all) likes: turkey burgers.

When I picked them up from the babysitter yesterday after school, the babysitter (Michelle) said that Kayla is saying her daughter's name (Aubrey.) I hadn't heard her say it before. Sure enough, when we got home last night, she started yelling out, "Aubrey!" I had to tell her that my name was momma. She finally started saying, "momma."

Kayla has always been the non-verbal type of child. She picks up on emotions very quickly, which is part of the reason that we decided on me staying at home. Having a stressed out mother and father stresses her out. A book that I have been reading about brain development in babies said that stress on young children can lower brain function and even IQ scores. This has haunted me since I read it.

That's all I have for now.

Bittersweet End

Today has been bittersweet in a couple of ways.
I finished my last day as a full-time teacher and I announced it to my class after lunch today. One boy was in tears, another asked what they had done and said they would behave better, a girl said she was going to cry, and another girl asked if it was a joke. The conclusion of the day was bittersweet: sweet because I know that I am going to be able to watch my own children grow up and learn more easily, but bitter because I know that I will miss teaching and I will miss (some of) my students. The Lord has pointed us in this direction. I know that it was the right decision because things are falling into place.

Yesterday, we got an email from our realtor in Texas with an offer on our house. The original offer was low, but then he jumped up quite a bit. Today, we accepted the offer and we will actually make something on the house. It's not much, but we're still making something and I am happy that we sold it. We have a lot of stressful memories tied up in that house and we'll be glad to get rid of them. The Lord provides. The buyer wants to close before the end of March because he is getting married on the 18th, so he wants to close as soon as possible. K1 and I are looking into having me go down to Texas with the kids and then he will drive up there and we'll drive back together. I'll be happy to see my family again and I'm sure they'll be happy to see the kids. (The delicious mexican food is a plus!)

The kids have seemed less stressed the past couple of days. I imagine that it's because they sense that I'm less stressed. Another reminder that I am doing the right thing. God knows best.

18 Month Development

Here are the kids' 18 month developments:

Bryce:

• Wears size 3 diapers and is showing interest in potty training
• Wears size 12 pants and shirts, but he is getting so tall that he is outgrowing them. I may have to move him onto 18 month pants and gather the waist so he can wear them.
• New words are: apple, eight, and five (he is cleverly cute, though, when he says "all done")
• Loves fruit and grain bars by Sunbelt, oatmeal, apples, chocolate chip cookies, chicken enchiladas made by mommy, orzo, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• Gives the biggest hugs! A lot more affectionate than Kayla. He follows mommy's lead on that one.
• Dances when he hears music.
• Yells and points at the dogs/cat for whatever reason.
• When he finds something that interests him, he will focus and play with it for about 10 minutes (quite a big deal when he gets bored rather quickly with something.)
• Throws crazy temper tantrums. If he's playing with something and we pull him away, he will arch his back, kick his legs, cry, and scream. We must work on this...quickly.

Kayla:

• Wears size 3 diapers
• Wears size 12 pants and shirts, but her shirts seem to be getting a little short, so I think we'll need to move her up to 18 month shirts at least.
• No new words: she doesn't seem to be much of a talker, but definitely understands what we tell her. If I ask her to grab me a diaper, she does it (well, she'll grab about 20 of them anyway.)
• Loves oat and honey granola bars by Sunbelt (not the same ones that Bryce likes), oatmeal, apples, chocolate chip cookies, chicken enchiladas made by mommy, orzo, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She is getting very picky on what food she eats. Lately, she has been crying to get out of her highchair after only being in there for about 2 or 3 minutes. She prefers to have us hold her and feed her.
• She definitely seems to be the more emotional of the two. She is more connected to us. She gets very stressed out when things around her change.
• Not much of a hugger.
• She'll pat Bryce on the back when he's sad or bring him his sippy cup when she thinks he needs it. She follows so much of her daddy's personality.
• She is more serious and mellow.
• She'll yell at the dogs and cats. We need to work on this.

That's all I have for now.

18 Months!

B and K are 18 months old today! Time really flies. They had their check up and B weighs 19 lbs 9 oz and is 31 inches tall. K is 20 lbs 9 oz and 29.75 inches tall. Both are in the 10th percentile, using the new growth chart just put out by the APA (the doctor in Ft. Worth was using the old chart, just for my notes.) They are so tiny. K1 weighed 19 lbs at a year old.

I went to pick up the kids after work yesterday and the babysitter said that B felt warm. When I got home, I checked his temp and he was at 102.6. I tried to give him some Ibuprofen and he threw it up all over the couch. Poor baby. Last night, he slept in bed with us. Well, he laid in bed with us and he kicked me in the face most of the night, in between cries. I stayed home with them today and B's temperature went down to 99.4. He didn't take much of a nap...5 or 10 minutes here and there.

Here are some photos from this month:

Seven more days to go!

100th Post!

100 posts already? Wow! I don't know whether I should be celebrating or wondering what the heck I've been writing about. I love words and I love to write. I would write a book if I had something to write about. A topic is kind of important when you're selling to a publisher.

K1 ordered a new battery for my laptop (for V-Day) and it came in today so I'm using it up! We ordered some more books that come out of the series "How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night" and B was "reading" it last night. I can't understand him but he thinks he's reading like crazy. It's a good start. We point out pictures together and it's a lot of fun seeing them learn. K2 doesn't care as much for the series. She does like her prayer book, Bible, and some of the Dr. Seuss books. Here in the next week or two, I'm going to make some finger paints so that they can have craft time. I was wanting to have the kids paint a picture for my parents. They really miss the kids.

The kids have been going to sleep easier lately. It seems like they were off "schedule" when we visited Texas for Christmas and they've been off until this week. They have been so difficult to lay down. For a while, they weren't going to sleep until 10 or so. Tonight, they fell asleep by 9:00 but the night before last, they were in bed by 8. Up until now, we've had to sing to and rock them to sleep every night, but now, we brush their teeth, read to them and lay them down. It has worked the past three nights anyway. I hope it continues because we're exhausted! Speaking of exhausted...it's bed time. Good night.

Back On!

I never realized how much my laptop does for me. It houses my recipes, pictures, and lessons for the classroom. Being without it has been a big handicap this past week. I'm glad to have it back.

We found a 24-hour gym here in Wisconsin that has a daycare and a women's center; exactly what I was looking for. I've been three times already and I met with a personal trainer tonight. The best way to help my family is to help myself and lose this baby-marriage weight.

The kids are still stressed out in the mornings when we take them to the babysitter. The babysitter called this evening and said that she had jury duty tomorrow. That leaves K1 staying at home with the kids while I go to work. February 24th...the countdown begins.

Our dogs have found a way out of our "fence". They've done it three times already and we've found them everytime. This time, they've been out for a while and we haven't found them. I worry about them because they have never been on their own.

I'm signing off for now. I spent some time on the elliptical and treadmill the past few days and I've been walking around like an old lady.

Charla

Quadruple Ear Infection?

B still wasn't getting any better, so I took him in to see the pediatrician today. His ears are still badly infected so we changed his medication. The doctor looked in K2's ear and her ears are now infected. The doctor actually told me to give the rest of the amoxicillin to K2 for her ear infection. B's original order was to take the amoxicillin for 10 days. The doctor said, "Well, she'll get about 8 days. That should be enough." Obviously I'm not a doctor, but I have taken my fair share of science classes in college to know that there is a reason that you're supposed to take all of the medication, even after you feel better. If you stop taking an antibiotic when you feel better, there might be a few bacteria left that will eventually multiply and become resistant to the medication. While I appreciate that the doctor was concerned about medication going to waste, I would much prefer a child who completely gets rid of this nasty bacteria that is making her miserable. I told her that I preferred K2 to get the same medication B was being put on. She put them both on Cedfinir, which is a once a day medication instead of twice a day like amoxicillin. They checked B's oxygen level and he was down to 93 (normal is between 95 and 100.) He was wheezing, also, and his chest was tight. We tried the nebulizer and he wiggled so I'm sure he didn't get much of that down. They checked him again and not much improvement. He's now getting an inhaler four times a day for five days.

To top things off, I'm out of sick days at work and the charger for my personal laptop (which I use for work) is broken and my battery doesn't hold a charge. Bummer. :(

What's the good news out of all of this? I've had time to blog and cook a little. K1 even came home from work early today so that I could go to the doctor without toting two tired toddlers around with me. (I didn't plan that alliterative phrase.)

I'm signing off for a few days since I won't have a computer. Hopefully the charger that we ordered from Amazon gets here soon.

Charla

Raising Children to Serve the Lord

This has been the most exhausting week ever for our family. On Tuesday, B started coughing a lot and wheezing. Wednesday morning, he was hoarse and was running a low-grade (about 100 degree) fever. K1 stayed home with him since I had parent-teacher conferences all Wednesday afternoon/evening. I set up an appointment with a pediatrician around here, who told K1 that he had a cold. Thursday, his temp shot up to nearly 103. He was lethargic and sleeping all day, definitely not in his character. I knew something was up, so we took him in to see another doctor in the practice. By then, we were told that he had a double ear infection. She said it could change rapidly, but honestly, I think the first guy missed it. I miss our pediatrician in Texas. :( K2 started feeling bad on Thursday as well. She slept most of the day which is out of the norm for her, too, but she didn't seem lethargic. Today, B has been crying and screaming most of the day. I noticed a red rash on both feet today (the size of a quarter.) I'm not sure what it is. One thing on the internet said that it could be a viral rash related to whatever virus that's causing the cold. I called the pediatrician and left a message for the on-call physician. Even though they said I should receive a call within 20 minutes, I still haven't heard from them and it's been nearly an hour. Needless to say, I'm not happy with this new pediatrician's office.

K1 and I met with a family counselor-minister today and last Monday. We are worn down and it's taking a toll on everyone in the family. Essentially, he said that we have too many things going on and we're stretched too thin. Something has to give. He recommended that I go ahead and end my contract now because my family is not going to make it much longer with me working and without help from other family members. Never would I have ever thought about ending a teaching job in the middle of the contract, but we have to step back and look at the big picture. My children and my husband need me at home right now. I don't like the idea of farming my kids out and having someone else teach them the values of life during this critical time in their life. K1 and I are both in agreement on this, as well as the counselor-minister (he's a minister who went back to school to become a counselor and he's a minister within our denomination.) He basically said that the family foundations set forth in the bible come first before work. In other words, family comes first.

I'm preparing myself for not being able to buy a bunch of stuff here soon, but I am going to look back on this moment and know that I did the right thing. I am putting my family before my career and money. God gives us children so that we can raise them to serve him. If we're putting them in the hands of someone else to raise them during these early years, then that defeats the purpose of him giving us these gifts. Now, I never used to feel this way. I thought it was wrong for a woman to give up her career for her family and stay home. Now that I have children, I have a whole new outlook. I think raising a family and taking care of a household takes just as much effort and skill as any other job (if not more.) We can't monetarily afford for me to stay at home, but I want to do what God expects me to and that is to take care of my family and raise my children to serve Him.

Good night,
Charla

The Ministry of Motherhood

I've noticed that since we moved up here, I have been sick more than I've ever been. I think a lot of it has to do with stress. When Sunday arrives, I literally get sick to my stomach because I have to go back to work in less than 24 hours. I have never had that happen before. As you might have guessed, it's a Monday and I'm at home...sick. Some days I wonder if I'll even make it until summer.

The kids are doing okay, but I can tell they are stressed out (because mommy and daddy are.) B came up to me last night with blood all over his face and hands. After a brief moment of freaking out, I realized that he cut his hand. K1 said that there was glass over by where he was playing. K1 had broken a measuring cup while cooking this weekend and glass splattered everywhere. Anyway, band-aids are too big for him, so we wrapped his finger in gauze. He figured out a way to take it off. It took us a few tries, but we finally found a wrap that worked.

Lately, the kids have not been sleeping as well as they had been before. They're waking up in the middle of the night...once if we're lucky, but mostly two or three times. Last night, B slept with us because he wouldn't let me put him in his bed. Around 1:30, K2 woke up so I grabbed her and laid her on the couch with me. That's where we slept until about 6:00.

Now, I'm not an expert on babies, but I think they get stressed out as much if not more than their parents. K2 cries when K1 and I argue (or yell at each other.) It breaks my heart to see her get so upset. I wonder what this might be doing to her brain development. As a parent, we always get unwanted advice from people who think they know best. "You should do ____________." or "Children need _____________." I am fine with taking advice from people, but I am not fine with people giving me advice when they don't know our situation and they don't have twins. Life with twins is different than if you have two children of different ages. We have TWO children very close on the same learning curve and they are exploring and learning things at the same time. There is no clear-cut way of doing things. Each child and each family is different so you have to do what works best for you. At the same time, things are a little easier to control when you're a stay-at-home mom. For example, we're wondering how potty training is going to work with two kids of the same age and two different baby sitters. My mother-in-law said that K1 was potty trained by 18 months. Ha! Not everyone is a genius who can make an A in Honors Engineering Physics or Calculus during college without opening the textbook. K1 wants to start potty training now, but I think we need to wait until I'm home with them so that we are consistent.

Speaking of consistency, that is a big deal as a parent. Discipline should be consistent. It's hard when there are two children of the same age and they are constantly testing the limits. Somedays, I feel like I am so overworked and exhausted that I don't care. I spend all day disciplining other people's kids that I come home and I don't want to do it anymore. This is part of the reason that we felt that I should stay at home. I need to invest my energy on our children. I know that education is a ministry, but so is being a mom. I feel that as a parent, my first ministry is to my family, my children especially. If my family is falling apart, how can I minister to others? Some people are great at balancing these. I am not. I would prefer to find one thing and focus on and be good at that instead of spreading myself too thin. The family is the first school and the parents are the first teachers. Some parents pass their kids off to teachers and expect us to perform miracles when they are not even teaching them. At 17 months old, children's minds are sponges! They can learn so much and I need to be the one teaching it to them. We can, by no means, afford me to stay at home. By the same token, we can't afford me not to stay at home. When they are older, I would like to return to education, but for right now, I am needed here at home.

The kids had their first play out in the snow last weekend, but I'll have to upload photos later. I'm not feeling well, so I need to rest. We have parent-teacher meetings tomorrow and I don't even have grades in the computer. By the way, I still don't have an official grading program. I had to find a free one online.

A Decision is Made

I went to a pastor-teacher meeting on Sunday and Monday. Since it was over an hour away, they paid for a hotel. We had our teacher appreciation banquet on Sunday night. It would have been nice for K1 and the kids to be there, but it was too far away and they usually go to bed before 9 p.m. Plus, I thought it would give me a chance to get some sleep. Boy was I wrong. I somehow forgot that I don't sleep well in hotels, especially on the first night I'm there. I'm always freakish about germs on the pillows and I have thoughts of critters crawling across my toes. So, I bundled up in sweats and socks, and turned on the heater for some white noise. Only then could I fall asleep. Sadly, that was after midnight.

Since I've had the kids, I've been debating on whether or not to stay home with them. This year has been beyond stressful with our move and our family has struggled emotionally, physically, and mentally. We decided that the best thing for all of us would be for me to stay home with the kids at the end of this school year. So there it is. We finally made the decision that has been haunting us for a year and a half. We're going to be broke, but we both feel good about it.

Good night!
Charla

Happy New Year!

Okay, so I'm a little behind. We welcomed the new year by rocking the kids to sleep. It's not anything to rave about, but hey, we spent time as a family and that's all that matters. We got a cooked chicken from the store (for free because K1 went by as they were closing...good money-saving tip there) and I made twice-baked potatoes. Yum!

B has learned to say "all done" now and he holds both arms up. He must have been watching us because when we heat up food, we'll blow on it to cool it off. We gave him some bread pudding on a fork the other day and he blew on it before he ate it. So funny. K2 isn't as verbal as B. She cries or grunts to get what she wants. She refers to a cat as a "dat". In fact, she chased B around the house one day, pinned him against a door and pointed to his shirt and said, "dat." He had a tiger on his shirt.

I mentioned in my previous post that we went to Texas for Christmas. Here are the kids' first plane ride photos.

He's not so sure what to think.

My hair was a hot mess. I had just ran through an airport carrying two kids and way too much luggage.

I took a few photos this week around the house. I love taking pictures.

Playing with their new backpacks. I love these. Now, they can start carrying the stuff they need.

We got them rocking chairs for Christmas. B pulled it over to the baby gate and is trying to escape.

Here's a lovely picture of the two pine trees that fell over in our yard. Luckily, we parked in a pretty good spot. Had we been over any further, the damage would have been a lot worse. Small branches are much better than a trunk or two. Oh, notice the power lines that they fell on. The electric company had to come out and cut them down.

She LOVES this backpack.

We had a fabric fruit basket that we got at IKEA and he was using it as a hat. It kind of looks like a newsboy hat, though.

K1 is reading Dr. Seuss to the kids at bedtime. He is a natural at this daddy stuff. Really, it's nice not having to teach him how to be a parent. I know that some guys are clueless when it comes to raising kids. Not this guy right here. He knows what needs to be done and does it. The kids are so lucky to have him as their daddy.

Here are some Christmas photos.

Taking his Santa hat on and off.

She got books for Christmas!

Opening his present from Grandma and Grandpa.

Opening a present from Cousin Amie.

He loves the tent Amie got him.

She brought along a toy (the remote.)

Christmas

We flew down to Texas on December 22nd and just returned tonight. The kids did pretty well on the way up there but on the way back, they were terrible. They cried and screamed throughout most of the flight. Luckily, on the last leg of the flight, B fell asleep on my shoulder. K2 finally fell asleep as we were landing. When we woke B up, he just screamed. We had too much luggage, too. I guess we need to learn to pack lighter.

Christmas was fun. I made chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge, pecan pie, chocolate pie, and kisses cookies. The kids enjoyed opening their presents; paper was everywhere. We didn't make it home with all of our gifts because we ran out of room, so mom is going to mail them to us. The kids got a backpack; K2 got a ladybug and B got a penguin. I can't wait until they get to use them. Since we didn't have much room in the bags, we're going to have to buy some things up here for the kids.

K1 and I are in talks about me staying at home next year with the kids. If we stay here in Wisconsin, I'll probably stay at home with the kids and homeschool them for a few years. That's all I have for now.

Charla

16 Month Milestones

As a parent, I figured out that daily tasks must be done in many small blocks of time. I realized that I needed to update the kids' milestone as of 16 months.

Bryce update:

• Mostly wears 12 month clothes, but the 6-9 month fit him quite comfortably.
• Babbles A LOT! He says: "dada", "momma", "cat", "dog", "stop", "don't", "don't do that", "no", and a ton of other words that I can't understand yet. He will often-times look at us and tell us a story as if we're carrying on a conversation with him.
• Bites his sister and takes her toys or whatever she has that he wants. He's given her a few bruises on her back and thigh.
• Does not like to be told no and can throw a temper tantrum like nobody's business when he doesn't get his way. Very independent.
• Very heavy sleeper.
• He stops and stares when someone is dancing and/or singing on tv or in person.
• Can drink out of a straw without help.
• In size 3 diapers.
• Enjoys eating: bananas, grilled cheese, blueberries, any sort of bread products, apples, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, chicken, turkey, cranberries, lettuce, bell peppers, onions, pancakes, french toast, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, cookies, beans, burritos, quesadillas, Pirate's Booty (puffed corn), carrots, yogurt, gold fish, kix, cheerios, cookie crisp, teddy grahams, corn, and veggie straws.
• Is not liking baby food anymore. He'll "tolerate" it sometimes, but not often.
• Having trouble drinking whole milk. We're having to give him a full breakfast in the mornings.
• Apple and fruit juices are favorites.

Kayla update:

• Usually crabby when sleepy. Less independent than Bryce and needs to be held more than he does.
• Sucks her thumb when she's tired. She must be tired a lot because some of her skin is coming off of her left thumb. Mother's intuition tells me that she's stressed out.
• She says: "dada", "momma", "dat" (for cat), "dog", "stop", "don't", "thank you", "no", "e-i-e-i-yep", and "I love you". She sings along with mommy, too!
• She dances when she hears music.
• Loves being tickled and turned upside down. Daddy thinks she'll love roller coasters when she gets bigger.
• Bites brother, mommy, and daddy.
• Is still learning to defend herself and her toys against brother.
• Usually does okay with being told no, unless she's tired.
• Can drink out of a straw by herself. She just learned this week!
• Very light sleeper.
• In size 3 diapers. We tried her in size 4 but they were still too big.
• Enjoys eating: bananas, blueberries, any sort of bread products, apples, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, chicken, turkey, cranberries, lettuce, bell peppers, pancakes, french toast, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, beans, burritos, quesadillas, Pirate's Booty (puffed corn), carrots, yogurt, gold fish, corn, kix, cheerios, cookie crisp, and veggie straws.
• Having trouble drinking whole milk. We're having to cook a full breakfast in the mornings.
• 
  Apple and fruit juices are favorites.

Five Years

Five years ago and almost two years after our first date, K1 and I walked into the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas and got married. 16 months ago, we were blessed with the two best children. We couldn't have asked for a better family. The Lord knows exactly what we need and when. Amazing.

We woke up to about an inch (or less) of snow on the ground yesterday so we all spent the day together, curled up by a fire. After sundown, we went to a family restaurant and had dinner with the kids. This is the place where the kids had their first kids' meal and it wasn't nearly as good this time. We were disappointed. We got a good picture of K2 drinking from a straw! I'm so excited.

After we ate, we headed to Costco. I love their carts because they're made for twins. We just had to get a picture.

K1 and I desperately need a break so one of the ladies who keeps the kids during the week offered to take them for a few hours today so we could go out to eat for our anniversary. We'll be taking them up there in about an hour or so. We'll probably go to Olive Garden (where we went for our first date) and then go grocery shopping. Romantic, I know. Ha!

So, the kids decorated cookies last weeked. I said that I would upload photos, so here they are.

The aftermath

I wrote her name on the tray and she was smearing it in.

He just couldn't wait until we had the icing before eating the cookie.

She didn't care much for the cookie but she loved making a mess!

He loves cookies: icing or not.

K1's parents sent a couple of gifts for the kids. We let them open them yesterday since we won't be here for Christmas. We figured they might like seeing pictures of the kids opening their presents. B got a farmer tractor and K2 got two baby dolls. K2 didn't seem interested in the dolls until B started playing with them. I see a sensitive man in the making!

The next two weeks, I will be a stay-at-home mom and I plan to enjoy every second. I fed the kids on Friday after we got back from the school and B started making a tower out of his banana pieces. Perhaps, he will be an engineer like his daddy (always trying to figure out how things fit together.)

Off to give two dirty children a bath and then headed to Olive Garden.

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!

The temperatures finally dropped to the lowest I have ever experienced: nine degrees last night and the night before. We ran to the store last night to get some things for decorating cookies and we put the kids in their beanies and mittens.

Since we're going back to Texas for Christmas, we bought travel booster chairs. They look like chairs you would set up in the backyard, so we set them up in the living room so they had a place to sit alongside us. I love these chairs! We purchased them for just under $15 from Amazon. Notice the toychest that we got for $5. I love it too. What can I say? I'm a bargain shopper. :)

B loves Phoenix and Phoenix loves him. I love his little dinosaur pajamas. :)

K2 carries things around the house in her mouth...including washcloths.

B has learned how to balance himself really well. This month, he learned that he can use his walker to balance himself and get a book off the book shelf. Not only was he balancing on the walker, but the walker was in the toybox. That is talent.

We put up the Christmas tree last weekend. The kids did their best to help. B even broke an ornament that just wasn't up to par for us.



Putting the garland on the tree (well, I'm trying to put the garland up and they're trying to take it off.) :)



Putting B's ornament on the tree.

Putting K2's ornament on the tree.

Finding the perfect spot for the ornament.

Picking ornaments to put on the tree.





Inspecting the ornaments for perfection.



We'll decorate some cookies this afternoon. Pics will be posted later.

Charla