Too Smart and Sometimes Too Naughty

These little boys are really making us laugh lately.  We are learning that they are absorbing sooo much of what we say and do.  Here are some of the happenings around here lately:

• Eric tends to blow his nose pretty loudly like most men do. When Winston manages to grab a tissue, some toilet paper, a paper towel, etc. he puts it up to his face and proceeds to make a loud zerbert.  Winston thinks this is blowing his nose and he will giggle and smile because he is mimicking his papa.
• Our boys are thumb suckers and have been since they were about twelve weeks old. They rejected all pacifiers and plopped their thumbs in instead.  The advantage was that they were great self-soothers. The disadvantage now is that we can't take their thumbs away.  When we see the boys sucking their thumbs we tell them, "You don't need to suck your thumb."  They will either pout a little, whine or be totally manipulative and hilarious. They will pull out their thumb, give us a knowing look with a little smile and then put it back in.  If Abraham is sucking his thumb and we tell him not to he will generally listen, but then Winston who was not sucking his thumb to begin with will give a naughty smile and then pop his in his mouth.  Of course we try to be stern when all of this is happening but sometimes we are just trying not to laugh.
• Abraham has been saying thank you lately. If he is given something or something is taken from him he says "dank ooo."  I was trying to figure out how he had picked it up and I realized I am always telling the boys thank you for when they are helpful and obedient.  Good manners pay off apparently.
• Eric has been teaching the boys how to "wrestle" lately. This is comprised of the boys laying on Eric while he rolls back and forth pretending to makes noises indicating a great struggle against these twenty pound toddlers.  Now Abraham looks forward to wrastlin' as we like to call it in our house and when Eric comes home he starts to make the "eee-oooh-aahh" sound that his papa makes.
• Eric taught the boys to beat their chests and make gorilla sounds.  When Eric comes home from work they immediately start doing it and they start giggling. 
• I pulled Abraham out of the bath tub the other night and while getting Winston out I saw that Abraham started urinating right there on the floor. I dove forward with a towel and explained that pee was only for the diaper or the toilet and never on the floor.  So tonight I got him out of the bath tub and warned him not to pee on the floor and to only do that in his diaper or the toilet.  Sure enough, he proceeds to pee in the exact same spot.  Coincidence?  Highly unlikely.  His face did not look like he was trying to do it in defiance but then again he has a pretty good poker face.
• Last but not least, you think I would have learned by now to always, always keep the bathroom door closed but I still manage to forget sometimes.  Winston gave me a cue for poop and said the word poop so off we went to use the toilet.  He sat there for a while and did not go so off we went to put a new diaper on.  I was trying to get organized to head out the door and help a friend with packing since she is moving this weekend.  I thought the boys were playing in the living room and called to them from the hall so we could all get in the car.  They were no where to be found and then I heard little voices in the bathroom.  I opened the door to find two little people standing over the toilet bowl with their hands inside.  They grabbed contents from the trash can, the bath tub and everything within sight and shoved into the toilet. I actually thought it was funny but repeated my speech again about how we only use the toilet to go to the bathroom.

Life with toddler twin boys is never boring.

They are all boy, all the time and I just love it. We are so blessed to be the parents to these funny, smart little boys.

Mini Family Reunion

This past weekend we all traveled down to Southern California for a mini family reunion and picture day in honor of my grandparents recently celebrating sixty five years of marriage. Is that not amazing, sixty five years?  My grandparents are such an amazing example of love and commitment to all those that are privileged to meet them.  I am so thankful to still have them here with us and grateful that they have been able to see our boys twice now.  

My grandma had one desire in honor of their anniversary and that was for a family photo.  With all the family, we had forty six souls in the photo.  My cousin Kristin, an amazing professional photographer, got roped into taking graciously offered to take the photo.  I know it is going to be a beautiful picture and I am looking forward to having those photos to look at for years to come.  Getting all of us together for that one day to take a family picture required months of planning.  My extended family always lived pretty close together and we would all get together one Sunday a month to celebrate birthdays.  My cousins and I have grown up however and we have migrated to different states over the years.  I have not seen some of my cousins since before Eric and I were married so it was very special to me.  It is amazing how life changes in five years.  I am now a married lady and a stay at home mom to two amazing little boys.  Most of my cousins have at least three children each so there were a lot of blond little kids running around.

My mom flew up to Nevada and we drove back down to So Cal with the boys. Then my dear husband flew down on Friday night, we had the photos on Saturday and we left early Sunday morning to go back home.  Did I mention that Eric arrived home from a work trip very early Friday morning and had to head out again on Monday morning?  The man is amazing and I am so grateful that he was so willing to go the extra mile to be a part of the weekend.   

Grandpa and Winston; Grandma with Abraham. The photo shows it was hot and the boys did not nap well. 

My grandma still has brilliant blue eyes--one link in the family tree where the boys get them.

My grandpa is in his nineties.  Does he not look good?

A family photo- Abraham(from left), Eric, Joleen, Winston, Mom Joanna, Stepdad Kurt, and brother Jeremy.

Me and my sweet Winston

These sweet little girls were the flower girls in our wedding and they were so happy to watch after the boys.

Our little Abraham at the park where we had family pics.

Abraham loved the trees.

Winston just took it all in.

My cousin and her husband hosted the whole family for dinner. They had the perfect back yard for a big family gathering.

Almost all the girl cousins.  This pic has two sets of sisters so I am the odd one out.

It was a whirl wind of a weekend but I am thankful we had the opportunity to spend time with my side of the family.

Day at Tahoe

We had a lovely day at Tahoe over the weekend.  This past week, Eric and I discussed how the summer was flying by and how we had not spent a day at the lake yet.  It was the boys' first time playing in the sand and water there.  Eric's family joined us as well and it was a great outing.  The weather was perfect with the temperature being about 80 degrees (which is about 15-20 degrees cooler than the valley where we live) and the wind very mild.

We are loving this age and how interactive the boys are.  It is a wonderful as a parent to see your children experiencing new things and to be so excited about everything around them.  Hopefully this trip will not the last before the summer is over.  Enjoy the pics.

Sixteen Months!

Our bubbas are sixteen months old and are now walking all over the place and getting into everything.  If it is not nailed down then they are trying to get into it.  I tell myself that one day my house will not be in a constant state of being undone.  We are learning the chaos of having toddlers but also the joy of having these little delightful people to talk to and laugh with.

Muscle shirts?  Seriously, I die.

The boys are still learning new words but it has slowed way down since last month.  Now they string all the words they know together as if they are having an actual conversation.  It sounds something like this: "Cookie...la-ba-ta ...bubble...cookie...Bible...papa...la-la...hava-ah-ohs (avocados)."  These kids crack me up.  They can now say cracker and try really hard to say blueberries. Winston can say his own version of sunglasses. They have learned to say Jesus and it is truly the sweetest thing to hear. They LOVE Bible story time and will effusively say 'Bible, Bible' when they know it is time to get ready for bed.  They love to flex and show their muscles.  Their flexing looks more like they are seizing (and I can make that joke since I actually have a seizure disorder) and it is soooo funny.  They like to strike a pose all the time when they are eating their meals.  They like to dance and sway to music and are pretty good at shaking their little booties.

I might have put on "Yo Gabba Gabba" to make them sit still and face the same direction.

The boys fit perfectly in 18 month clothing and are still wearing quite a few of their 12 month clothing. They are wearing size four diapers and size four shoes.  It is hard finding shoes because they have feet that are kind of fat so adjustable sandals are our friends right now.  Their favorite foods are avocados and blueberries and they would eat them for as long as they are put on their trays.  They love "Yo Gabba Gabba" and it is the one show they will watch start to finish without going off to explore again.  They love petting the dogs and say "ruff ruff" when they see them.  They are learning the other animal sounds for a cow, duck, horse, etc.  They love water and splashing like crazy in the bath tub. They like their water table and being misted with the nozzle on the hose. 

Both boys like to say "hi" all the time and to whomever they see...even the people on TV.  They have become such cuddle bugs and I am enjoying having active little boys that take breaks to just sit on my lap.  They love their papa and get so excited when he comes home from work.  Papa also gets hugs before he leaves for work. They will even give kisses now when asked. The boys are still taking two naps a day and generally sleep from 7:30 to 7:00ish. The boys are still producing new teeth with Winston having a total of sixteen and Abraham having twelve.  It has not been pretty lately with Winston getting all four cuspids at once and Abraham dealing with some serious crowding and this lateral incisor and cuspid that just cannot seem to push through.  Poor kids have big teeth and a small mouth like me. 

I cornered them in the hall to take a "walking" pic otherwise they take off in different directions. 

 Abraham is our little ham and lives to get a reaction and a laugh from people.  He is walking so well now and in the last week has just taken off. Abraham can almost walk as well as Winston. We learned that he is a climber.  Fortunately we do not have stairs and he has not figured out how to climb up on chairs, the fireplace. etc.  It is a life changer to have these little people taking off in different direction. He has become so affectionate lately and it melts my heart when he walks up to me and dives into my lap for hugs. The down side is that he has become more clingy and will cry whenever I need to put him down.  I am hoping it is a short phase.  He likes to steal apples and avocados out of the fruit bowl and start chowing down.  One day he had a green little face from an avocado he absconded with and when caught, spit the pieces of hard shell into my hand.  Seriously, he is so funny. He walks around and has this little hummy sing song thing that he does.  It is hard to explain except that is just how he is...always moving and a personality to match. This kid loves sugar and has a sweet tooth like his mama. He is very impressed with special treats and it is an incentive for his toilet use. 

Mr. Abraham with a trace a chocolate on his face aka bribery.

Walking with some confidence

This little peanut wanted to sit with me and then proceeded to give me Eskimo kisses.  Love him.

Winston is still our little singer and tries to sing a long with "Jesus Loves Me".  The only words that come through are Jesus and Bible and it is absolutely adorable.  Winston loves dirt and will sit right down and start sifting it through his hands and dumping it all over his clothes.  He is our little engineer and has to see how everything works up close.  He "helps" unload the dishwasher, plays with all the attachments on the vacuum and wants to open and unload every drawer. He is wonderful at entertaining himself and playing alone. Abraham has been taking longer naps lately and Winston will walk around the kitchen and play happily allowing me to get some stuff done. He is becoming very verbal and likes to try to repeat new words.  He likes to try to mimic Eric and say things with this deep, growly voice.

Mr. Winston

Hot stuff

Oh, just helpin' mama with the dustin'...or playin' my air guitar, whichever you prefer.

Giggles with Papa.

We are loving this stage in A&W's life.  It can be hard some days but I know we are going to look back with such fondness on these days in the future.  We are trying to live in the moment each day.

Fifteen Month Well Child

The boys are turning sixteen months old tomorrow and I still never posted anything about their fifteen month well child appointment so I decided I better jump on that.  They had a great appointment and had a serious growth spurt since their twelve month appointment.

Abraham

Birth-5 lbs. 15 ozs.; 18.75 inches

One Month- 7 lbs. 1 oz.; 21 inches

Two Months-10 lbs. 8 ozs.; 21.75 inches
Four Months- 13 lbs. 13.5 ozs.; 25 inches
Six Months- 15 lbs. 14 ozs.; 26.75 inches

Nine Months- 18 lbs. 12 ozs; 28 inches

Twelve Months- 20 lbs. 9 ozs; 29.75 inches
Fifteen Months- 23 lbs.3 ozs.; 31.75 inches

Winston

Birth- 7 lbs. 9 ozs.; 20 inches

One Month- 7 lbs. 10 ozs.; 21 inches
Two Months-11 lbs. 13 ozs.; 23 inches
Four Months- 13 lbs. 13 ozs.; 25.5 inches
Six Months- 15 lbs. 13 ozs.; 26.25 inches

Nine Months- 18 lbs. 12 ozs.; 28 inches

Twelve Months- 21 lbs.; 30.25 inches

Fifteen Months- 23 lbs. 12 ozs.; 31.25 inches

Abraham is our taller one and Winston has a bit more in the girth.  The boys are now in the 50-60th percentile for weight and height which means they are finally average size or larger for their age.  Project "fatten the kids up" finally worked.  As is normal, their heads were still both in the 98th percentile. 

The doctor was pleased that they had several words and are feeding themselves.  He asked if they were using utensils yet.  I have given them utensils but they are not quite coordinated enough to feed themselves that way but as always, practice makes perfect. 

The boys got to go in a big pool for the first time while we visited my parents. 

The day of the appointment the boys had horribly runny noses that seemingly came out of nowhere.  I was concerned because I was leaving with the boys the next morning for So Cal.  The doctor felt that it was teething because of how clear it was and because Winston also had an inflamed ear.  Our pediatrician feels that teething can look like a cold and that it can cause ear infections.  He prescribed antibiotics for Winston's ear in case it got worse while we were down south visiting.  Fortunately their noses cleared up within three days and there were no lingering affects except for new teeth. 

We are definitely thankful to have such healthy and beautiful little boys. 

Abraham is a Walking Man

June was a bit paltry in the post department but I am hoping to do some catching up on what we have been up to in the last several weeks.

Abraham was definitely motivated to start practicing his walking more once he saw his brother cruising about. We went for a short visit to So Cal and got to swim in my parents' pool. Abraham kept crawling on their cement patio because he could not walk and scraped up his little knees doing so. I would try to help him walk to avoid that happening but he wanted to roam about unassisted. As soon as we got back home during the last week of June, he has been practicing all the time. At first he was side stepping and would walk at an angle because he felt more confident that way. Now he can take about 5-7 steps very consistently (and very slowly). When he is on a roll he can go all the way down the hallway but it takes quite a while for him to do so. He is very deliberate and intent on figuring it out. I love watching my little Abraham change and grow.

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