Cute things kids say

As people know, kids say the darnedest things. Usually, they are pretty cute. So, Hayes has been the one lately with the funny sayings.

Ben and Hayes were watching a video of themselves in my tummy and when they were born. They wanted to know how they got out. Then, they wanted back in they said. Later that night, Hayes pointed to my tummy and said "I want back in your tummy". I said "you are too big to go back in my tummy". He said "you need a door". A door to my tummy so he can climb in and out whenever he pleases. I guess kind of like a kangaroo.

Then, he had on his footed pj's and zipped his pee pee in it. He said "I broke my peenie, I need a bandaid". Ryan and I said he did not need a bandaid that he would be ok. He said "my peenie forgot to duck". Indeed it did.

Last, Hayes was going to the store with Ryan yesterday. He was dressed and ready to go and I said that he needed to go potty before they left. He went to the bathroom and came out and said he did not go. We told him he needed to try before they left and he said "my peenie said no". Well, if it talks you better listen.

It's My Birthday!

I had a wonderful day. Woke up to breakfast, coffee, birthday gifts, birthday cookie and three smiling, shining faces. The boys were so excited they could hardly contain themselves. The last hour of m sleep it was "mommy when are you getting up?" Nothing better than getting up to such happiness. Had a great afternoon and then a fabulous and fattening dinner at Macaroni Grill. We went to Macaroni Grill because it is loud, they have crayons and good wine :)

Now I am stuffed, wishing I could fit one more glass of wine in but alas, I do not think I can. Ready to crawl in bed and finish off my great day with a little cookie cake :)

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Fun Friday

We have lived in our house for 3 years and never had the heater work in the hot tub. Well, we are now official hot tubbers! We got it fixed and the kids were so excited. We jumped in Friday night and then roasted marshmallows and ate s'mores. The kids were worn out! Looking forward to being able to use it this winter - if winter will ever arrive. It was 78 today!

Expensive Weekend

All the boys have a Nintendo DS and they LOVE to play mario on it. They are also very good. The problem is that Hayes will sometimes get frustrated and will throw his. So, the other day he threw his and it hit the fireplace. Boom, it is broken. Oh great!

Then, Ben has a hammer and has been hammering all over the place. Well, guess where he hammered? On the tv in the play room Boom, broken. Oh great!

I think the money to replace these items should come out of their college fund :)

Seriously, who knew it would be so costly this weekend.

Sunday Dinner

Last night at dinner Ben tried to eat his finger. When he initially bit it, we did not know what happened and I thought he was going to pass out from holding his breath. As everyone knows, Ben likes to start a cry, hold his breath, and pass out. Weird child. Anyway, Ryan figures it out and we ask him how he is etc... and he lets out this scream that was so loud our hair blew back.

Ryan is loving on him, Sam is over loving on him and I look at Hayes. He starts to cry and lowers his head to the table and is bawling. "What is the matter?" we asked. "Benny screamed at me". We explained that Ben had just hurt himself and was not screaming at anyone.

Boy, one is crying about his finger, the other is crying about the scream and I am hugging Hayes while Ryan is hugging Ben and Sam is going back and forth between the two.

It was really somewhat comical. My poor babies! It is always at least interesting around here.

Is there a cup in here?

Never fails. Everyday. Carpool line. Cup. Hayes.

If you have put it all together, you have correctly guess that Hayes has to tinkle EVERY STINKIN' TIME we are in the carpool line to pick up Sam. I have learned to have a cup on had. Otherwise, he has to go in the school parking lot and I would prefer if noone saw him peeing on school grounds.

Lesson of the day - if you are traveling with Hayes, you need a tinkle cup.

Clean Break - check it out

Ok, I have a funny but somewhat gross story about the infamous Hayes-mister. As you may know from earlier posts, he is stealth. So, when he does his poopie business I hardly ever know except that his pants are gone. He also sometimes says "mom, I go poop but I clean, look". Can you even imagine what he does next?

Lers see, like a normal boy it might be:
1. Goes back to the toilet and lets me help him?
2. Tries to clean himself?

If that is what you thought, you were wrong. He proceeds to stick his finger in his crack and pulls it out showing me that no poopie is on it. "See mommy? It's clean". Sometimes he just tries to pull open a cheek to show us he is good.

And....other times, my eyes are burned with the image of poop on the finger. Maybe burned is too strong of a verb, but I never like to see it. GROSS!!!

However, even though he can be gross and has earned the name "Pigpen", he is still so darling that I can't even stand it!!!

Loving School

So my beautiful red head is loving school! I could not be happier. I literally see him blossoming before my eyes. He is becoming so mature.

I have to say that as I am not a morning person, this setting the alarm, getting up, making breakfast and actually looking presentable for drop-off, is not too much fun. But, Sam gets out of the car every morning happy and meets me after school every afternoon happy. What more can I ask for?

The twins are loving their new pre-school. They love their teachers. Sam had the same teachers and I did warn them that the twins are kind of a different beast. But, I love their teachers and they love the boys. We started Museum School at the Fort Worth Museum this week and they love it more than anything they have done. They were shining from excitement when I picked them up.

I am so happy that my kids are so happy with their activities and school. What a blessing it is to have three beautiful, wonderful boys who are so happy.

I could not ask for anything more.

Kindergarten here we come!!

My Sam man started K today! He was so excited last night that he had a ton of trouble trying to go to sleep. He jumped out of bed this morning and was excited to start his day.

I walked him in to his school room and tried to get his picture. He was not exactly thrilled with all my picture taking. However he took it like a man and sat down at his table and started working with stickers.

I can't wait to pick him up and hear how his day went!

Back to School

School starts soon! Sam got his Kindergarten teacher and we have a sneak - a - peek tomorrow night. We are all very excited around here! Unfortunatley, I am nervous about the car pool line. That is so minor but I really am nervous.

Ben and Hayes start their Mother's Day Out in two weeks. What will I do with my time???? Very excited about it!! I guess, work, take in the peace and quiet, get the house picked up, meet friends for lunch.

Anyway, I am excited for the coming year and so hope that Sam makes some good friends!

First Solo Trip

We just returned home from cool Colorado two nights ago. I actually managed to fly by myself and the twins to Colorado and then by myself home with all three!! Everyone did great, I was very pleased and happy.

We had a great time with the family. Fishing, eating, playing on the playground, eating, going to the top of the mountain, eating, searching for wildlife and more eating! Love some Paradise Bakery ice cream and so we hit that place a couple times. Of course, no trip to CO is complete without a trip to the Chocolate Factory and a caramel apple so we made the stop there too.

It was so nice to enjoy the cool weather CO offers rather than the 102 degree heat waiting back home in good ol' Tejas.

And, we actually did not have a toilet incident this time - thank goodness! We saw a lot of foxes, one in particular that hung out by our house every night. Lots of deer and even a huge buck. The kids loved it. Beautiful and wonderful time.

But, daddy was sure happy to see us when we returned.

Sweet Summertime

Lately we have just been enjoying the summer. Since the drama of two weeks ago when Ben hurt his arm and the day ended in a poopfest, we have been relatively low-key. I have been taking the kids on walks while Sam rides his bike, we have been swimming and just enjoying the lazy days. At least I try to make them as lazy as can be. The kids do not always cooperate!

I have to say that Hayes has been saying the cutest and sweetest things the last two days. He is so sweet - the brute :)!! Last night at dinner he threw his arms around me and said "you are the best mama ever!" Oh, how I loved that! Then today, he said "I love you so much!" I thought, oh you can poop on my stairs anytime - well, not exactly.

We had a blast today in the pool, Hayes is becoming quite the swimmer. He is doing great. Hopefully, Ben will be swimming like that soon.


Thankfully, I have nothing else to post! Lets cross our fingers that everything stays all calm.

Spit wads?

I think that the term is spit wad. You know, when you get a paper towel or toilet paper wet and then throw them at the wall, etc... Well, I took Sam to camp this morning and left the twins with Ryan. I walk in the back door and what looks like little pieces of wet toilet paper is everywhere. On the wall, tv, floor, couch, cabinets.

Evidently, while Ryan was getting ready for work, the boys took an entire roll of toilet paper and dunked it in the toilet then proceeded to throw it all over the place like crazy people. Ryan said the tv had it the worst. There were clumps high on the walls, on furniture. They also clogged the toilet with it.

Obviously, they were in a bit of trouble. Who knew that at the age of 3 1/2 my boys would be thowing spit wads all over the place. Scary thing is I know that this is just the beginning.

It is always an adventure around here

As always, my life with my children is an adventure. Sometimes it is great fun and sometimes filled with heartache and then sometimes, humiliation. We are well into summer now and we have had a lot of fun and the boys have had a lot of activities until the last week and a half. Ben must have decided to spice it up a little because he fell two nights ago and hurt himself. I mean why not, it has been about a year and a half since our last major injury.

So, Ben is running like a crazy man to his bedroom for bedtime. He always runs so nothing new there. He bangs into the wall somehow and falls? Sam saw it and both Sam and Ben say that Ben fell. He cried and said it hurt, long story short, nothing broken and in a splint for a few days.

Today, Ben still said it hurt a little. Ryan was concerned with the weekend coming up and us having experienced nursemaids elbow before, that maybe he did have nursemaids elbow (small dislocation) which does not show up on the x-ray.

Make a doctor appt and leave to go run a couple errands with the boys. So starts the adventure.

First stop: Target - we all love us some Target. As soon as we get inside both Ben and Hayes need to tinkle. Hayes needed to do a little more so he gets on the potty, not well balanced and splash, into the toilet. Can we say GROSS as it was a Target. His shirt was wet and that was that.

Second: Bank for money. Get a call from the doctor office, "Can you get the x-ray and come staight to the office?" I said yes, we go to Todd's office and the twins go nuts. So embarrassing in front of Todd and his office. We leave and get on the elevator. The door opens and Ben hits the "call" button. While it is ringing Ben darts into the nearest waiting room. By the time I get there he is nowhere to be found. The people in the waiting room point to the bathroom. He is in there. I get him out and basically drag them by their little hairs to the car.

I take Sam to Ryan's office, drop money off at the house for the cleaning lady and head to the doctor's office. Turned out that he probably just badly bruised his arm. We have kept the splint off and he is good, running all around like he normally does. Thank goodness it was only a bad bruise. Crossing our fingers that we are good for a while on the injuries.

As if there were not enough events for the day, it had quite a bang that capped it all off. I was on the treadmill and heard Ryan telling the twins to head back upstairs before bedtime. Then I hear "no, no what were you doing???" I go out to the living room, Hayes has pooped on the stairs and pretended, yet again, that it is model magic all over the stairs. SERIOUSLY!!!!! REALLY!!!!????

For crying out loud, as if we did not have enough stuff today. Ryan got the pleasure of cleaning it. As you recall from prior posts, I have always been the lucky one.

Trying to be Fun

A friend of mine said she was going to try to be more fun and involved this summer when her kids are at the pool and not sit and just watch them. I am trying to do the same, although I do think that I am fun most of the time. :)

The boys have been having their swim lessons and while Sam can swim like a baby fish, the twins swim like little tadpoles trying to find their way to the surface. They are doing great and have come to LOVE swimming. They have their cute little frog goggles and huge smiles. They progress a little more each day.

Over the weekend we were in the water with them a lot. Well, Ryan was. I was not so into the pool yet. He was there so I figured I could read a book and cheer them all on. Plus, it still seemed a touch chilly and I did not want to mess with wet hair.

Well, today we had a big day of Vacation Bible School and it was the last day of swim lessons. We got home and rested and went to the "beach" as the kids call it. I was not dying to get into the pool. A new swimsuit and an attitude adjustment got me in though. Thank goodness, the water was warm. We ended up having a blast. Ryan got home about an hour after we had been in the water. The twins were jumping off the diving board yelling "more" over and over and "my turn" over and over. By the time Ryan got home I was tired but so happy to have enjoyed that time with them.

I foresee a summer full of swimming and I pledge to try to be a fun mom who gets involved with the pool and swimming (even though I don't always want my hair wet because it is pain to have to wash and dry, ask any woman). I remember my friend and what she said and it spurs me from being a lazy bump to a fun participating mom. And that is good because I want my kids to have special memories of me playing with them and us all having fun together. Why have kids if you aren't going to be fully involved and engaged with them? The reward is definitely worth the effort, most of the time. Oh ok, all of the time.

Most Precious Moments

Some of the most precious moments occur when you least expect it. Thankfully, they usually happen when you really need to be reminded of how precious they are because you are tired from a long day. And, I mean TIRED. You have, or at least I have, usually been a referee, done the dishes, prepared several meals like the short order cook you are,washed clothes and put up the same toys 3 times. I could go on and on with the list. Anyway, when those precious moments occur, your heart just melts and you realize just how blessed you are. All those moments that have occurred during the day, like losing my patience or frustration from the fighting or bickering, just goes away and you forget how everything except how precious your children are and how lucky you are.

One of the moments happened tonight. When I went upstairs to tuck in my sweet baby boys, (Ryan keeps saying they are not babies anymore but they will all always be my babies) they were so sweet. They loved having their books read to them, being tucked in and then they ALWAYS want a kiss. It has kind of been their MO lately with the delaying of things. But I digress as usual. Hayes lays down and hugs me tight and says "Kiss my lips". I do that. He says "No, kiss my lips, right here" and points to his little sweet lips. I savor that. I know there may be the day when they are not so gung ho on a kiss from mommy. Ben is the same way. He loves a kiss from his mommy.

I also savor those moments when they are asleep. Not just because they are sleeping and you have some peace and quiet but because they are so innocent and vulnerable. You realize that you are their protector, their champion. It is a big responsibility. When Sam was a baby, I used to crawl into his crib and snuggle him. He is a champion sleeper so he never woke up. I can't really do that with the twins, they both sleep light as a feather. Anyway, when you see your precious sleeping child, all you want to do is wrap them in your arms and hold them forever. All the angst of the day just floats away and you run to your husband and say "Gosh, we are so blessed that these babies are ours."

I was kind of mushy tonight but since this is my blog I can do what I want.

Swim Lessons

Summer is here! It is hot, it is sticky, it is time for the pool. Ben and Hayes are not swimmers yet so we start swim lessons yesterday. Ms. Suzy is awesome! Sam loved her last summer and so I just knew that the boys would love it. Well, I was wrong, which is rare :)

Hayes was kicking and screaming all the way into the pool. You have thought he was about to be dipped in hot oil. Ben, on the other hand, loved it. He was wanting "more, more more". Sam is in the lessons as well and doing great. You would think that having both of your brothers there would make you happy but not my Hayes. He does not want to swim, does not want his hair wet (what?) and wants me to stay there the whole time.

At the end of the lesson Ms. Suzy said that Ben and Sam could have a lollipop but that Hayes could not. Little does she know that Hayes dislikes lollipops and did not probably care.

His poor little lip was already quivering this morning about going today. He has two weeks of this so hopefully, it will get better. My hope is that the boys are all swimmers by the end of this but I guess we will see.

The twins are starting to have an opinion - Yikes

People always ask me if I dress the boys alike when they find out I have twins. I always say, "Yes, because someday they will have their own opinions and not let me dress them the way I want anymore." Plus, it is really just easy to do the same thing or have it in a different color.

Towards the end of the school year I noticed that every once in a while one of the boys would pitch a fit about what they had on. Usually it was just the shorts, shoes or shirt - not all three thank goodness. And, they sure know how to keep the fit going until that piece of clothing comes off.

So, about three weeks ago Ben puts on his pj's and then Hayes puts on his pj's and of course, Ben is mad and wants the ones Hayes has on. We have to go to the pj drawer and he has to dig through all of them to find something he likes. That has been the way it is ever since then.

Yesterday, we went to Target, my favorite store, and they all three picked out different swimsuits. I was kind of glad because then no more fighting about the clothes!!

The tide has started to turn and I see their opinions emerging like the two different little people they are. My babies are indeed growing up. Opinions and all - I need to probably brace myself!

Tie Dye Cupcakes

Sam has a summer birthday and so he is celebrating his birthday at his preschool tomorrow. Well, I normally would have ordered some cupcakes or cookie cake and been on my way. But, for some reason I felt compelled, and I wanted to, make these cool cupcakes I had seen on the internet. Rainbow or tie dye. They ended up sooooo cool!! It was kind of a pain to make but they turned out better than ever.

Sam's teachers said that all the kids loved that they were all different colors.

So, between mother's day, Ryan's birthday & Sam's birthday at school this mama has exploded and can no longer fit into my pants. No more birthdays please, my sweet tooth needs a break (really my behind needs the break) I know there is something people call willpower, obviously, I did not get that power.

Mother's Day

Today is the day after Mother's Day and what a wonderful one I had. I literally stuffed myself all day until I was so uncomfortable I felt like my heart was beating out of my chest while I went to sleep. Not sure that is a good thing. But, my day was perfect.

When I woke yesterday, my coffee was hot and waiting. The boys had been fed and we just all needed to get ready for brunch with my mom and mother-in-law. We actually got ready early and we on time for a change (since the twins were born that is a rarity). We ate at Joe T Garcia's and it was a yummy brunch full of delicious margaritas and mexican food. The only part not perfect was the weather. May in Texas should be bringing warm temps of 80's to 90's. Not yesterday, 65, overcast with a chilly wind. The boys had napkins tied as capes around then to keep warm.

Normally, Ben and Hayes have the attention span of about an hour at any type of restaurant but they did awesome. Thankfully, we were entertained by the mariachi band, fountains and hundreds of moms and families eating there on the patio. Looks like it is the place to go with the boys.

Last night was the best ribs my husband has ever made along with all the delicious stuff that comes with it, including more margaritas. By the time it was time for bed, I felt like I might need to be rolled into the bedroom. However, it was a perfect day with my family and my boys and I felt very loved and special.

Thankfully, when I awoke this morning I had deflated some during the night. But, I need to gear it up again today since it is Ryan's birthday and Sam and I are making a fabulous chocolate cake. Looks like broth and water until cake time!!

I can always diet tomorrow :)

Santa Fe = Modified College Behavior

I went last week with my best girlies to Santa Fe for a much needed girls trip. So, I take the boys to school and meet Casey to head to the airport. What happened after that? Well, I think as soon as we got on the plane we started pouring cocktails to celebrate the start of our long weekend. We get to Santa Fe and continue the cocktails later in the afternoon and then again during and after dinner. I thought we might be getting off to a good old college start but then we petered out about midnight and all headed to bed.

I was feeling good about having not stayed up too late. I got to sleep in and it was heaven. No little hands poking me asking when I was getting up, no screeching in the living room fighting over toys, just me and a big, comfy bed. So, I roll out of bed and we all get ready for a fabuous day at the spa.

We sweated out all of the impurities of the night before in the sauna and then headed off to our private jacuzzi, sauna and cold plunge. So, all the girls are in the sauna and I start to get in but I misjudge the step and fall face first into the jacuzzi and twist my ankle in the process. So starts the name Cannon Ball and it sticks!

We finish at the spa and go back to the house for a little R&R before we head out to dinner. Dinner was great, the evening was perfect and we head back to the house where we proceeded to slowly turn into our former college selves. By that I mean drinking cocktails, dancing and staying up until the rooster crows (well, not that late).

The next night, same thing happened, it must have been the altitude :). However, that night we went dancing and danced all night. I decided Ryan needs to take dance lessons and then we would have a blast dancing together. I ran this idea by him and he said no bueno. Oh well.

It was a blast, although I do realize that I am no longer in college and cannot rebound quite like I used to. I think it took me 3-4 days to recover once I got home. Aren't you supposed to come home rested after vacation?

Anyway, the weekend was just what a busy frazzled mom of three boys needed. Already looking forward to next year!

Sardines

So, you know that when you have kids you know that they will inevidetably end up in your bed at some point. Times that by three at our house.

We have had sick and injured boys so our bed has had at a minimun of 3 occupants by 4:30 a.m.

Little Hayes-y can expertly climb his gate. Which by the way, the only reason we have the gate is because he is a little jack-in-the-box who has trouble staying up in his room. Ben has this same problem so he has a gate too. Albeit his gate is shorter than Hayes, we got extra tall for Hayes. Does that matter? Noooooooo. He gets his monkey toes wrapped around the gate and climbs his way out.

I have a tendancy to ramble, so let me continue.

The last several nights, when the sun starts shining and the rooster starts crowing (thank goodness not really) we have at least two little darlings in our bed. And, kudos to their dad whom they adore, but they want to be by their mama. Oh my goodness, sometimes I wake up and I feel like I am a poor little sardine.

Now, I do love and adore sleeping next to their warm tiny little sweet bodies. Oh how they are cuddly and smell so good. I could cuddle my babies anytime, anyday. However, I usually prefer to do it one child at a time. Two is not too bad but three is impossible. The twins will sometimes come down and be in the bed on each side of me and in the morning I wake up to Sam's stink eye. "Where am I going to be?" he says. "Why don't you get next to daddy?" I say. "NO" shouts Sam, "I want to be by you". I understand completely and totally. He is my firstborn and we have a bond but my goodness, let Ben and Hayes who have had to and will have to compete for everything have me to themselves.

So, my point is, even though I feel sometimes like a sardine, I would not trade it for the world. My little babies snuggling me through the early morning hours until it is time to get up is just bliss. When they wake up they are so happy. They are so happy to just be alive and up and ready for what the day will bring. What happened to me that I am not that happy when I wake? Oh, that is easy, it is becasue I have slept like a sardine a lot of the night. Ha! Just kidding, I am happy. I am tired, definitely, but I am sooooo happy. No matter what any day brings, they bring me more joy and happiness than anything else in this world!

Do I feel like a sardine and get irritated sometimes? Yes, but I would be a sardine any day of the week if it means they are my babies and they are in my life.

Going on Vacation

My best girlfriends and I have been planning since Christmas to go on a fun long weekend trip to Santa Fe. Well, we are going this week and as of Monday, I was getting really excite. Well now I just plain need it. This has been a stressful week starting with:

Monday:

Took Benny Boo Boo to the doctor for what I figured was a sinus infection. Hell, all my kids just love to get sinus infections. But nope, that's not it. The docotr says "it may be the beginning of pneumonia" so off for a chest x-ray we go. At this point, I am going to need help. I have all three boys and we all know that they turn from sweet baby angels to hooligans when they get in public places (probably because I have kept them homebound so long). Especially since we had just been to Dr. Daniels office. There is no way I was taking them into the radiology place.

I call my sweet dad who is always willing to help the monkeys but luckily I tried Ryan too and he could help me out. We met and he took the other two for lunch and a drive around the block. Ummmm yeah, 1 1/2 hours later we finally get it done. I am stressing because I know Ryan needs to get back to work and it was just plain taking forever and a day. So we finally get it done in the nick of time, Ryan had to get back to work for an appointment and was getting ready to bring the little cute monsters in with me.

Out of all that, thankfully, no pneumonia.

Tuesday:

I am running on my treadmill (again with my goal of good health) and Hayes comes in and starts playing near me. Next thing I know there is a huge thud. I whipped around and saw in slow motion a ball that was my boy rolling down the treadmill into the wall. I slam it into stop and scoop him up. Of course, he is screaming - it probably hurt like hell and scared the bejesus out of him like it did me. I get him to the kitchen and cleaned up and he is covered in road rash. It looks worse today than it did yesterday. Poor baby. I told him we would go to Target and he could have whatever toy he wanted - thankfully it was only some matchbox cars.

Now, at this point I know my mom is going to kill me when she finds out and threaten once again to take and raise the boys. And there is no option of not telling her as she and daddy are picking up all the boys from school tomorrow and you can't touch his back.

Today:

Sam wakes up with the dreaded swollen eyes, running nose and cough. He has been working on it for over a week and I know that this means SINUS INFECTION once again. So, I had to take him to the allergist at 3:30 with all three boys again! UGH! I specifically asked them to all be on their very best behavior. Unfortunately for me, their humiliated and frazzled mom, their listening ear were not on today.

So, anyway, I NEED THIS VACATION!!!!!!!

Don't have a dog but it sure feels like it

In the process of the potty training the boys like to be commando from the waist down. No problem, it makes the job of training a lot easier. Well, that is not exactly true, there is a problem. The boys love to play in the backyard and for some reason almost as soon as they hit the great outdoors they feel it brewing. I swear, we have more poo in the yard than if we had a dog.

At least they do come in and tell me. Then, lucky me gets to clean little hands, bottoms and poo out of the yard. Little hands because they just have to touch it, right? GROSS!!! Ben must be the smart one because he never touches it. Only Hayes does, even if it isn't his, he apparently can't resist the temptation.

Am I grossing you out yet? I know I am myself.

Potty Training and Death of a Bug

I am super excited to annouce that I finally think we may be seeing diapers as a thing of our past. My sweet Hayes has been showing interest for quite a while but now he has worn undies for 3 days!!! And, Ben who could have cared less and looked at the potty as evil torture is showing interst too and has worn undies for a day! My goal is to have it done by Monday - keeping fingers crossed.

So, I am on the phone to my mom telling her about the boys and their progress when I notice a bug with a hard shell (my brother and his wife and probably both of their kids could tell you exactly what kind of little bug it was, but to me it was a bug on its back with a hard shell). Its little legs were a-kicking in the air, probably on its way to a slow death but luckily, bugs will not have to suffer a long death when Ben and Hayes are around. I see them go grab a toy hammer and they start hammering that poor bug until it had squashed into a nasty juicy puddle. Then they stepped back and looked at each other and laughed.

Hopefully, this is not a predictor of a future filled with torturing bugs. Surely not as they are sweet precious souls.

Poor bug, he never even got the chance to tell his little bug friends to avoid the Walton twins.

Is there a crumb switch?

The crumb question: Do kids just automatically have a switch that they can activate and dispense crumbs at their discretion?

I swear, no matter how many times I vacuum, sweep, swiffer, etc., as soon as a boy enters the room (this includes my husband) there is always a menagerie of crumbs, sand, dirt and grass clippings in their wake. It drives me insane sometimes. Other times when I am partaking of the vino, I do not go as insane, only a little nuts. Maybe that is where the twins got the saying "Oh Nuts" that they say all the time and is oh so cute - but I digress.

If the boys eat a meal or a snack, crumbs will just start flying like sparks.

If the boys run outside to play, dirt/sand/grass always trails their sweet little croc encased feet.

This tends to happen ESPECIALLY if the house has just been cleaned from top to bottom!

Now that I think about it, I think that it may be a conspiracy. I bet that they have banded together and decided that mom is just a little too anal about the cleanliness of the house. They probably get together and whisper behind their little hands "Let's have a contest. The guy who can make the biggest mess on the pretty white floor, be it crumbs, toys, grass, dirt, sand, drops of juice, etc.will get to pick which t.v. show we watch before bed."

No, my angels would not do that, would they?

La Jolla, CA

With the hectic life of three boys, Ryan and I got the opportunity to travel to La Jolla, CA for a couple days. It was soooooo relaxing and beautiful. Gorgeous weather, beautiful beaches, fun little town and a lot of spa appointments! Needless to say we got spoiled by the weather and the limo rides. We were super excited to come home to our three little munchkins! But, I could get used to the CA life!

It is too quiet up there

You know that whenever your children get quiet to the point where you really notice it that they are up to no good. Today, my twins were upstairs playing with their trains and so happy. They were coming down the stairs and going back up. I could hear them talking and laughing together with the occassional squeal that one had taken something from the other.

All of a sudden I realized it was quiet. Normally, I would LOVE some quiet time but I knew it was too quiet. So I creep up the stairs and hear laughter in the hall closet. Evidently, I did not get the door closed well when I got the train tracks out because it is a no child zone with a door lock on it.

I open the door and find Christmas wrapping paper unraveled everywhere and the boys were in it up to their little sweet chins. Well, so much for saving that wrapping paper for next year and it is too bad to because I really thought it was pretty. I ended up have to throw away two rolls of paper all because of a little carelessness on my part. I have no idea how I could have done it, I mean, its not like I don't have anything else going on :)

Oh well, a little wrapping paper is better than poo all over the floor (as I have experienced a few times before).

What? Mom is on the phone? Yahoo!

Every mother knows that as soon as you get on the phone your children know it, whether they really know it or not, they have a sixth sense about it. Needless to say, they morph from sweet angel faced boys into screaming little hethens. And, no matter where you are in the house, they will find you. If you are hiding in the closet (which I have done) and they are calling out "mommy, where are you?" in their sweet sing-song voice and you hold still and whisper into the phone just to get a little quiet conversation for two minutes, they will find you.

I was on the phone with my mom tonight and, even though my husband was home, as soon the boys realized I was otherwise occupied the noise level cranked up about 10 notches. The twins got on their riding toys and barreled around and around me making car noises and screaming a bit in general. I get to where it does not really bother me (too much); however, it can make the person on the other end, for instance my mom, a nervous nilly and we have to continue our chat later. I do have to say that the loudness may not be entirely the kids fault. It might just run in the family :)

So, my mom (or anyone else that may be on the other end of the line) gets to hear what is now widely known and accepted as "Kelly's Signature Sound." By that I mean, if I call and leave you a message, you will hear my children in the background. If you call my voicemail and leave me a message, you will hear my children in the background of my greeting. If you talk to me on the phone, chances are you will hear my children in the background.

I do just love when my dumplings are happy. Obviously, when they are happy I am happy and sometimes their happiness cannot be contained and they nearly burst with their need to express it. So, I will try to have my phone visits during their naptime. Oh, that's right, they don't want naps anymore. Please feel free to email me until they start school!!

And a woo hoo!!!

Well, I think we hit a MAJOR milestone today. Potty training has been rough going. Sam was a champ. Put underpants on the boy and he did great - never an accident! That is not the norm I do know. However, my little Hayes has been showing interest, as he has proven with his poop artistry during naptime. Hayes decided that today would be the day and thank you Jesus. Lets cross our fingers that Hayes the Artist has left the building!!

Screaming but why?

Ok, why do my toddlers think they need to scream almost everything?

Do you want lunch? NO
Do you want to take a nap? NO
Do you need a new diaper? NO
Do you want some chocolate? NO - I mean YES

Anyway, I can't say they aren't spirited boys. They emphatically and heartily scream as if their life depended on it sometimes. Especially Hayes.

Beyond just screaming NO - they screech and squeal so loud and at a pitch so high you would think glass would break. Lots of times their Papa's eardrums almost do seem to burst when they hit the right pitch.

Since my 5 year old no longer screams (well, not as much anyway) I do know or at least really hope that they grow out of this phase soon!!!

Our ears will thank us!

Ben did it again...

Well, after the Christmas incident you would think that we would have taught him that the toilet is not for toys. You would also think that it would have taught us to keep a better eye on him near a potty and to have all the potties locked. Well, you would be wrong. Apparently a couple weeks ago the ring leader and his groupie did it again. I caught them and the toilet seemed to work fine. However, I went to the gym - in my quest to reach my health goal mentioned earlier - and Ryan caught them. Apparently a little too late.

So, we ended up having a toilet that did not work very well. Thankfully, it was not 100% out of commission. Ryan called the plumber this week and of course he could not get the darn thing out - whatever it was. He said that for the cost of a new toilet it would be the same if he tried for hours to get it out. Fine, we said. New toilet.

Next day, he comes and installs the new toilet. What was the victim of Ben's heinous crime????? Poor little Thomas the Train. He was hanging out the bottom and so stuck that unless the toilet was broken, we were not going to see that Thomas again. What a way to go :(

Hopefully, we have learned from our two (expensive) mistakes and we will be the toilet police keeping Bandit Ben at bay. Although, it all makes it very hard when potty training is in progress. Oh well.

Peek A Boo I see you!

Isn’t it funny that children think you can’t see them if they cover their eyes and can’t see you?

At naptime yesterday Hayes did not want to stay in his room – he never really does. Ryan goes up to check on the boys and there is Hayes standing in the playroom with his hand on a chair and the other arm in front of his eyes. If he can’t see Ryan then Ryan can’t see him right? Wrong! Back to his room he goes. Apparently he was like a stealth bomber because we never heard him get back out of his gate and crawl over Ben’s gate and snuggle in beside him for naptime. I am sure it was adorable. However, I am really just glad that they slept.

January 2010: Naptime at our house.

So, the boys are trying to give up their naps. Perfectly understandable, however, not really jiving with my schedule. I need that downtime. Two children of the exact same age are exhausting and I really need that time to do housework, return calls, or try to exercise. So, I am on the treadmill. It is a new year and I have a new goal which is getting in shape. Well, that is really my goal every year but at least I keep trying. I am on the treadmill watching the Young and the Restless (love TIVO) and I think I should go and just check and make sure they are asleep. They have separate rooms so usually they go to sleep out of boredom if nothing else.

As soon as I hit the playroom – BAM the smell of poop penetrates the air. Of course, I think that Hayes has pooped, his room is closest to the playroom. Oh how I wish it had been that simple. What I saw next rendered me speechless for a period before a scream erupted from my lips. None of my children had done this ever. Hayes had taken off his diaper and pooped on the carpet. As if that is not bad enough, he has dipped his Lincoln logs in it, finger painted a book, filled a Little People car with it and smooshed it into the carpet. Gag me. I take a deep breath and still scream a little bit. Ok, first things first, get cleaning supplies. I run back up stairs, Hayes is happy a clam running around yelling he pooped on the floor. Ben wakes up and starts screaming for a kiss – “I need a kiss” over and over. I am sweating and gagging and think where is my beach vacation. I told my husband that I had raised my white flag in surrender. I could take no more that day.

Sometimes I think everyday I can take no more with the screaming, screeching, squealing, fighting, hitting, biting, stealing of toys, throwing food, and tantrums. Then, one of my boys smiles at me, tells me he loves me, or just hugs me and I know that this is my world and it is perfect. As everyone says, this too shall pass. And, I do want it to pass, just not too quickly. My Sam is already 5 ½ and will start kindergarten next fall and I think that the time has flown by. So, I take a steadying breath, sometimes a swig of wine, and think this too shall pass.

Three years ago today I was given the most wonderful gifts, Ben and Hayes. Happy Birthday to my sweet babies!!!

ALERT - Toilet Bandit loose

Alert - Beware of Ben - the "put it in and flush it down the toilet" Bandit.

We were in Snowmass Colorado for Christmas at my parents place. The whole family was there and it was a blast. The time was 9:45 pm. Who is supposed to be sleeping? Ben, Hayes and big brother Sam – or so we thought.

As my brother Andrew, Ryan and me were playing a game of cards (Amy was knitting), mom flies up the stairs asking what the boys are doing. Nothing I say. Mom says “the downstairs bathroom is flooding.” Flooding??? Well, can't be because of my kids I think.

We run into the bedroom to find my angel faced boys staring trance like into an overflowing toilet and soaking wet. After much plunging and plunging - nothing was coming out or going down. We ask the boys what happened, what did they flush? Hayes says it was Ben's fault - like I did not know that because he is the little devil on your shoulder at most times :). Ben finally says he flushed the candle, which had been on the back of the toilet. It was a small candle in a metal tin that fit just perfectly into the toilet and stopped it totally up.

Roto rooter had to take the toilet off the floor and work for almost an hour before he could even get it out. I think he almost gave up, at which point I prayed hard for him to get it out so a new toilet would not have to be purchased. Anway, the pic is of the man working on the toilet. Luckily, my Sam man gave us a play by play the whole time. We gave the roto rooter man a round of applause and then Ryan promptly Gorilla taped up the toilet so that no little hands could work their magic on it again.

You might wonder why we had the gorilla tape in the first place, Hayes likes to take his diaper off all the time and it comes in handy, plus you never know when you will need it.

Welcome to my blog. This is really an outlet for me. I have a 5 year old boy and identical twin boys that will soon be 3. As anyone with children will tell you, some days can be quite challenging. My family enjoys hearing the craziness that exists in my home so I thought it would be easy to create a blog in which they could read the stories of my boys.

Here is the start of my adventure with twins.

Twins boys are something I never thought that I would have in my life. Nonetheless, I was utterly and totally blessed with the arrival of my identical boys, Ben and Hayes, February 5, 2007.

It started out with me and my husband having a two year old red-headed boy named Sam. He hung the moon and stars in our eyes. We adored him and could not wait for more children. In my perfect world, I would have two kids, maybe three, but definitely a boy and a girl. It ended up that my perfect world was one that I had not imagined at all but was so much more wonderful!

June 18, 2006, Father’s Day, I tell my husband we are pregnant! I start spotting on July 7 and go straight to the doctor. My mom watched Sam, Ryan went to work and I went to the doctor thinking it was a miscarriage. I was so happy to see that little heartbeat fluttering so fast. Imagine my surprise when the sonogram technician said “and there is the other heartbeat.” WHAT????? TWO BABIES??? NO WAY I say. Well, the shock was enough to render me speechless with the occasional, there are really two? I mean, really? Yes, she says and she thinks they may be identical. Well, that is pretty cool I thought.

I go sit in the doctor’s office and wait nearly an hour with no cell phone and no way to call anyone. I start getting annoyed and I am alternating between laughing and crying. Probably more crying than laughing, ok a lot more crying. What will this mean? How will we afford it? How will we have enough room? Can I have two more babies? At the same time? Then Dr. Johnston walked in and I burst into tears. She was so sweet and comforting and she had twin boys and I fell in love with her. I felt a little better after I left her office.

I get in my car and I immediately phone my husband. I ask what he is doing and he says walking to his car for lunch. I said “so you are not sitting down?” “No, why is it twins?” he said. “Well, YES.” His voice raised to a pitch I had never heard “WHAT? We’ll have to get a bigger car”. I found it funny that that was his first thought, I too had thought about that. Anyway, from that point on I laughed hysterically and thought of the craziness that would eventually come.

Oh how I thought it was for sure identical girls. I thought that they would so adorable with blond hair, blue eyes and just darling. I would have my beautiful big boy Sam and then my identical girls. It would be perfect and I was so excited!

August, I start bleeding again. I go to the doctor and have a sonogram. Everything turned out to be fine, I was 12 weeks along. The sonogram tech still thought they were identical and she tried hard to see if we could tell what the sex would be. This is it, I thought! We are scanning and scanning and I think I know what I am looking for but I probably don’t. Then, I see her face and I can immediately tell that she sees at least one boy. That is ok I think to myself, there is another baby and another chance for a girl. I look at the screen and think I may see a penis. Uh-oh. I said, "I think I saw a penis." She says she thinks she does too. "Which one?" she asks me. I point to one on the screen and she said she thinks she saw it on the other one. While I am so thrilled and relieved that the boys are healthy and fine and growing well, I am devastated that there will be no girl in my future. That day I had a day of mourning, because it was in fact like a type of mourning for the dream of a life I thought I would have with a girl. I cried all day long and did not take phone calls. My in-laws were sweet and sent me flowers, my friends tried to cheer me but I just needed to cry and let it go.

Little did I know that those boys would complete me and my life and that three boys would make my world absolutely perfect.

I have several stories to post but will do so later.