Mothers of Multiples Christmas party

As promised, more on the Santa deal.  So the idea of Santa is really just fine for Charis, but the reality is a whole different deal.  Price is consistently on-board with the whole thing, and was last year as well.  Price is pretty reserved but here he is happy to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas, "presents...two presents".  Now Charis on the other hand, as soon as we got in line to see Santa, she started whimpering, and the closer to the front we got the more upset she got.    When I finally put her down and we tried to encourage her to go tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas she would have no part of it!  So we convinced her in order to get anything for Christmas, she'd have to talk to Santa, so she got as close as she was willing (about 3 feet away) and yelled at him "PRESENTS!" (P sound replaced with F sound).  She never did sit on his lap, but at least got to make her wishes known! It was a fun party overall, complete with cookie decorating and picture coloring.  And at least a little smile for the camera!

North Pole Express

 

On what I think was the coldest night of the year (12/4/2009), we went to downtown Grapevine to enjoy the North Pole Express.  We went last year as well (thank you Tina!) and knew we'd have to go back again this year.  Being a little older this year, I think the kids enjoyed it even more! We met up with our sweet friends, the Cheathams and their family and a great time was had by all!  This event consists of  entering a giant tent (respite from the bitter cold, thank heavens!) and singing some Christmas carrols (led by 3 "tweens" who seemed to think they were quite cute!), Matt entertaining the crowd doing the "dad dance" and then finally getting on the train.  The kids love trains! So we got to enjoy a 30 minute train ride, complete with Santa walking up and down the aisles.  When Charis heard Santa was going to be there, her response was "I don't want to sit on his lap"...good girl! Price loves Santa though, more on that next post!

(another) last day of music class...

After a great experience with music class this summer we signed up for Fall.  It was so fun and such a joy to get to see sweet Hannah and Miss Kendra each week.  The kids really grew and improved throughout the semester.  We actually laid out for a few weeks because the kids had not yet had flu shots so we got a chance to do some make-ups.  The make-ups were in the older kids' class (3-4 years) and as every mother knows, her own child is far advanced from other children their own age, so the 3-4 class seemed a perfect fit!  They really did seem to enjoy it and it was a nice change of pace.  I am including a video here because my mom insists on calling this "singing lessons" to show that there are no singing lessons here; it actually looks more  like a free-for-all! But really, it was just lots of fun!! 

Christmas is in the air!

And in our house! And everywhere!! I love it!  Friday after Thanksgiving we did a little shopping (I personally do not want anything badly enough to get up at 4am to go to Kohl's with every other mad woman in town) but we wandered out to the mall around noon and found none of what we were looking for.  So our next outing that evening was to the Christmas tree lot! And we found just the right tree! This is our second year with a real tree.   I am not sure I am sold on the idea, but as long as Chris will do the lights, I am happy!

Black-eyed P

Price, that is.  So both of my kids ended up with black eyes within 3 days of one another.  First for each of them.  Charis was healing nicely, when Sunday, as I sat just a few feet away from Price as he was standing on the little twin bed in their play room (notice I said "standing" not jumping or acting crazy like you'd expect) he just fell and hit is eye brow bone on the chair-rail molding that goes around that room.  It was swollen immediately.  It actually did not bleed, which is surprising since it later scabbed over.  I have never actually seen a black-eye first-hand, so I took daily pictures watching the progress of this deal.  Turns out day 2 is the worst!

So come Monday, it was time for us to go to music class, and I have 2 kids, each with a different stage of healing black eye.

I assumed people would not think the worst, but still you never really want to take your kids out in public like that.  It's just kind of embarrassing.  But the kids did not seem to mind, so the show went on!  Both kids were happy to pose for a daily progress picture, and now, only a week later are totally healed! 

Happy Thanksgiving - 2009

Well we had a wonderful Thanksgiving and managed to get virtually zero pictures of the whole thing (save this one cute one to the left)! It was at our house.  I did the turkey and apple pie; pretty much everything else was provided by other members of the family.  This potluck style is what we always do and it is great to minimize the work done by each family!  I brined the turkey for the first time and think it maybe made it more tender.  I also had this great table cloth and table decorations, but alas no pics!  We had 8 adults and 4 kids.  After the meal the kids all went downstairs to play.  The cousins all play so well together; I think we are very fortunate.  Savanna is almost 7 and is like a little momma taking care of the other kids.  It is very cute!  But some accidents simply cannot be avoided and we heard a scream.  Charis was playing with one of those little old-school toys that you put to your eye and turn the handle to see the pictures "moving" and she ran into the wall.  Thank goodness the cut was not very deep and was at least a little removed from her eye.  We decided not to go to the ER and the ice seemed to help a lot.  But you hate to see your baby girl with a black eye (it is not swollen shut by the way - she is posing)...and on Thanksgiving no less.

101 Dalmatians

Saturday, November 14, 2009, I took the kids to Artie's Playhouse to see 101 Dalmatians.  This little theater in Hurst is a perfect place to see a play (for big people too! My mom and I saw West Side Story there on my birthday this year!).  It is really small, there are seats all the way around the stage and the seats only go about 6 rows back.  Basically every seat is good! This little play had all child-actors and it lasted about an hour.  It was interactive too - at two separate times, children in the audience were invited on to the stage.  It was really cool. Our sweet friend Adley came with us too!

another baking post

I know I just posted one of these but I could not resist these cute faces! Today I was baking bread for the second time, and Price was able to tell the difference between this and baking a cake! He saw me kneading the dough and came over and said "I want to make bread!".  I was so impressed that he remembered (I let them help knead the dough last time).  Price, especially, loves to help! Charis will participate...a little...sometimes.  But Price really likes cleaning with me and cooking with me. To her credit, Charis really likes shopping with me :-)

Happy Halloween!

Hard to believe this was the kids' third halloween! They are so not in to getting dressed up yet.  We had a few costumes for them to choose from but each choice brought a new level of melt-down.  We finally offered the cheerleader and football player outfits, which were basically regular clothes, and that was deemed acceptable.  So with their costumes set, we had to decide what to wear ourselves!  We usually try to go with something current (last year we were Jessica Simpson & Tony Romo), so we decided on Jon & Kate Gosselin.  I think we actually pulled it off pretty well!  With the glasses, I think Chris actually looks a little like Jon (don't tell him I said that!). 

The weekend before Halloween, Chris' parents had a party.  We took the kids and it was great fun!  On the actual weekend of Halloween, Chris and I went to Austin; another 1/2 work 1/2 play weekend! We revisited the spa, went for sushi and then watched the people go down on 6th street from a rooftop bar - it was some crazy people watching!  The kids got to go to their little party at My Gym, but they've still not been trick-or-treating...maybe next year!!

ABC's and potty training

This video is from about a month or so ago, so Charis has gotten better with the ABC's.  As usual, Price is not nearly as clearly spoken as Charis, but it does not stop him from trying! Funny thing though, both of them at the end of the ABC song, say "now, no more ABC's..." we just laugh because it is so logical!

I figured I'd give a quick potty training synopsis; we started with Charis at the end of May, Memorial Day weekend to be exact.  She caught on quickly but had a tough transition to panties.  Price brought me his empty little potty asking for a "tweet" about 5 times before he decided he did not want to be turned down again and basically just started going on his own! I know I am both blessed and a little lucky :-) He was showing zero interest as of May but by his birthday he was just about there.  They are in underwear over night now, so I felt like I could reasonably post that they are both fully potty trained and I cannot remember our last accident.  I figure summer training makes things easier.  But they just were both "ready".  It was not a struggle and I am SO glad it is done! I have not bought diapers now in probably 2 months (at least) and how great that is for the grocery bill!!

Look out Emeril!

One of our new and most favorite activities is baking! I let the kids help me make brownies one day and the rest is history! They are so cute - and good little helpers! They say almost daily "we need to make a cake."  My mom brought home a friendship bread starter back in September and since that stuff multiplies, we have been making friendship "cake" about every 10 days!  They're just so smart and if you ask will tell you what goes in cake: flour, sugar, eggs and milk...not bad for a 2 year old!  And of course they like to get a little taste before it goes in the oven too!

Update!

Wow - this semester has really gotten off to a busy "start" - funny to say since the semester is actually 1/2 over by now.  I am teaching an extra class this semester so it means 4 nights a week, while I usually just teach 2.  The difference is way bigger than I had anticipated!

We are pretty busy with scheduled activities Tuesday (My Gym), Wednesday (BSF, or as we call it Bible class) and Thursday (Music class at TCU).  Unfortunately we have been shut down for the last couple weeks because of flu season and the kids have yet to get their flu shots.  Better safe than sorry, right?

Here's a couple final pics from summer; just a pretty shot in our neighborhood and then the kids 2 year pics.  They just would not hardly smile for some reason! But they're still my little cutie pies!

Baby Julian

My "little" cousin Michele (she's 30 but still my little cousin!) was scheduled to have a baby shower July 25 - the baby was not due until early September.  But as a big surprise to everyone, he decided to arrive a "little" early on July 21!  He was a tiny little thing and we never imagined we'd be seeing that baby before the baby shower! But he is a sweet little blessing and now, as I post this in September he is just growing and growing and doing great!

During this visit, my mom and I took the kids to the Abilene zoo.  It is really cool! They have a bridge that goes over the giraffe (which my kids pronounce with a hard "g" sound) exhibit.  You can buy treats to feed them and they reach up with their long tongues and take them right from your hands! It is wild!  The kids would just squeal anytime the tongue got close to them!  They also loved the monkeys, which got fed while we were watching, and proceeded to carry their carrots and lettuce around with them - it was really cool to see! The kids pretty much fancy themselves monkeys anyway, what with their cool backpacks and all!

A note on the backpacks - I never thought I'd have my kids wear something that seemed like a "leash".  I mean I looked down my nose at people I saw in the mall with their kids on a leash

 and scoffed "oh I'd never do that..."  Never say never, right? Especially when it comes to parenting.  My kids love those silly backpacks and for me, I can keep them close (aka safe) without impeding their fun!

Summer's winding down

We have had such a fun summer.  We went to the zoo every Monday in June since members could get in early.  The kids love the zoo! I can't wait to go this Fall when it's a bit cooler and less crowded.  They got to ride the train for the first time and boy was that a HIT!  We did My Gym on Tuesdays, which of course is something they love! Wednesdays we did Music Class at TCU (it was also neat having Hannah in our class).  It was a haul getting out there but by the end I had decided it was worth it.  These pics are from the last day of class when you're allowed to bring cameras (and Daddy!).  I think it is so good for them and they really seem to enjoy it.  So we are signed up again for Fall! We also went to Paradise Pond a few times with Adley and Angelina.  We went swimming and to dinner at Central Market with Rilee and Amy lots of times.

We went to the bounce house with Rilee and Reed.  It has just been a wonderful time to play and get closer with our friends!  We are so blessed by the friends we have and are thankful for the fun times we get to spend with them!  It is always sad to see summer end, but Fall will just bring a new set of adventures for us (and some cooler weather...whew)!

Happy 4th of July!!

What a wonderful July 4th we had! We started the day with a parade in Coppell.  The Amersons turned us on to this idea and it was a great one! The kids loved it!  We loaded up some Capri-suns in the little red wagon (thanks Nonnie for this awesome gift - it is a must, especially if you have twins!) and found a nice spot to watch the parade go by! Their favorite was the police officers on their motorcycles, which Chris insists on calling "fuzz"... We will definitely attend a parade next year!  Late afternoon, the family came over and we grilled out, even great-Grandma Ruby was in town.  We created this nice little set-up for the kids - their own little water slide, classy, I know!  The kids still go to sleep between 7 and 8, so they missed the fireworks.   Everyone came back over about 9:30 and we walked to the field right behind our house where we got to see fireworks from 3 different cities! It was really incredible! What a wonderful day!  

I'm 2, too!

Happy Birthday, Charis and Price!! I can hardly believe my babies are 2!! We had a super-fun birthday party at My Gym.  They have been going to My Gym since they were 6 months old and the kids love it there, as well as the owners, Jenna and Jonathan (Price loooves Miss Jenna). We had lots of friends there, balloons, rice krispie cupcakes, and an "airplane" ride (see top left photo).  It was really just perfect.  The kids got lots of wonderful gifts too.  They have just turned in to the cutest little kiddos.  They are more fun, even if more mischievous, every day! Charis is so nurturing, cheering Price on as he tries to climb out of his crib or finish his fruit.  "Yay Pricey!!" she yells and claps for him. He is generally sweet and loving, quicker to give out hugs and kisses.  Walking past a car the other day, I guess Price really liked it, but he stopped to give it a kiss!  They are my little angels and we are so blessed to have these two.  I never would have thought I wished for twins, but I could not ask for anything more perfect!

Hometeam Retreat 2009

 

The weekend before Chris' birthday, we loaded up and headed to Glen Rose, TX.  This was our first family vacation! Our Church hometeam does a retreat every year and we had not been in 4 years. This year the location was the Hideaway Ranch, and this place was wonderful! Each family had their own cabin.  The property had animals just roaming around.  This included, llamas (which I incorretly identified as deer when I first saw them...city girl, yes I know), horses, dogs, cats and turtles.  Our first morning the llamas were grazing right outside our cabin! It was really amazing.  We got the kids outside and they just loved it - they wanted them to come closer "C'mere llamas!"  We went to Dinosaur World, which was pretty neat, although quite hot.  Then there was swimming, a cookout over the campfire, some much needed adult time and even time to just relax.  There were 5 families that went, which meant lots of kids - all seemed to have a great time!

Birthday parties galore!

 

June 6, 2009, we were so happy to get to attend two birthday parties! First was Hannah's; she turned two and there was a petting zoo at her party!! The kids love animals so much, especially Price.  They talked about the goats for days!  Next was Will's party; he turned one! What an exciting birthday.  There was a bounce house at his party - oh and a wagon.  This was when I realized that a wagon was a must-have for us!  Happy birthday, sweet friends!

The mascara incident of 2009

I posted this on Facebook when it happened, but since I am not going to print off my Facebook pages to make a memory book I figured I should blog about it too.  As anyone with kids knows, when it's too loud or too quiet something is wrong.  Well this time it was too quiet and I had not seen Charis for probably 5 minutes.  So I started looking for her and found her in my bedroom holding my mascara wand.  "Oh no!" I thought and started looking for the damage.  Once I found it, my next thought was a little more R-rated than "Oh no!" but I just bit my tongue and went to find the camera.  You'll be pleased to know that peroxide and dish soap gets mascara out of carpet (also works on red wine, by the way, since adults sometimes make messes too!).

      

 

Adults only trip to Austin!

May 29, 2009 Chis and I got to enjoy an evening away in Austin! I drove down for work Thursday and Chris flew in to meet me Friday at noon.  We headed straight to Mecca Spa for some R&R! We had lunch on the patio overlooking the biggest Whole Foods grocery store I have ever seen and then got massages.  We had some great sushi for dinner and enjoyed a couple hours on 6th Street too!  The downside was that we had to drive home at 4am the next day! But we made it and recovered just fine!!

The Princess gets a haircut!

Sweet Charis and her terrible hair...it is so thin, it just is kind of a mess.  But we'd reached a critical point where the back looked rather like a tail, which is clearly unacceptable.  So off we went to Sweet & Sassy in Southlake, the primo place for a little girl's "do!"

She did quite a bit better than Price, but to be fair, her haircut was over in about 2 minutes, where as his took more like 15.  I mean it does not take long to snip off a little tail, right?!

She got to sit in my lap and then she got to have glitter sprinkled in her hair!  She really did great! (This actually took place May 16, 2009.)

Mother's Day, 2009

What a sweet day it was.  Those 2 babies are just my pride and joy.  So many days in May (before it got so hot!) we would walk to this little park in our neighborhood.  It is about a mile so it is a nice walk for the babies and nice exercise for mommy!  They're both such little sweethearts just bursting with personality!  We spent the afternoon over at the Andrews' and it was a nice time, even if a bit stressful for mommy with all the twists, turns and drop-offs over there!

This pretty much ended our 2-week quarantine due to the Swine Flu.  In the end it seemed like much ado about nothing, but better safe than sorry, right? I kept the kids out of My Gym, Church and any/everything else.  They were so happy to get back to the normal schedule! Their first day back at My Gym they just jumped around giggling the whole time! 

ER trip, round 2

This seems like old news now, but on May 7, our last week of school I got a call from the ever and always calm sitter, Ashley, "um hi Carly, Price took a little fall..." So I promptly cancelled classes and headed to meet them at the ER.  This time stitches were not required - just glue.  It was a pretty quick trip but traumatic for the boy none the less.  So now he has an "ow-y" on the top of his forehead and the bottom of his chin, just like Mommy!

ah oh spaghetti-o's

The kids ate spaghetti for the first time a couple weeks ago. I am quite guilty of not having fed them much from our table and it has really made feeding times tough. They simply do not eat what we do, for the most part. I know this is bad, and it was never my intention, it just sort of happened. But I am working on it! Spaghetti is certainly a step in the right direction. And oh how cute they are!

Their VLCAD means they have to eat pretty clean. That means we also need to eat pretty clean. As we eat more and more meals together we are needing to change some of our own eating habits! We always have breakfast together as a family, but usually dinner is just one parent or the other. It's a workable situation for now, but I look forward to family dinners! Hopefully by then they will not insist on standing in their seats!