Which kind of day are you having?

Today was one of those days that:
I wondered why the Lord thought I could handle my children.
I learned the hard way that a trip to the store and 3 visiting teaching appointments in 2 hours is too much for my kids.
I was sure people were judging me by my very loud misbehaved kids . . .again.
I felt inadequately groomed and dressed (darn those cute little perfect VT companions!).
I wondered how much of my children's behavior is their little spirits and how much is my parenting skills? Of the percent of the latter, what can I do more??
I was grateful for a patient gal that I teach, who played with my kids even after they hit hers fighting over a toy and knowingly told me, I understand.
I was reminded of the wonderful husband I married when he gave up going to the gym when he heard I was having a tough day, didn't judge me when I took the kids out to lunch, and cooked dinner so I could take a shower. Yesterday was one of those days that:
The kids played so nicely with me, played nicely with each other at the park, and even made some progress with potty training.
Cyndel came to visit and made me smile.
I had brownies (I think that is the key to all good days come to think of it!).
The boys went down for nap without me laying in their rooms and without much of a fuss.
I learned that the spooky house at Ikea was a bit scary for 3 year olds, but that they would beg to go again anyway.
Ikea made dinner for my family (hey , there were vegetables!).
I actually bought clothes for myself, 8 shirts and 4 pairs of pants for $50! Thank you Van Heusen sale--Draper outlet, 2.99 shirts, check it out!
I was reminded what a cute mom I had when I picked up my Halloween dress she had been altering and discovered she sewed the whole thing by hand.

So I guess some times are ups and some are downs. Just the life of a mom of 3 year olds I guess. 3 year old . . .boy . . .twins mind you. At least they're healthy, they are happy, we have our jobs and our house, the Lord loves us (I think I'll make this my mantra, when you find me rocking in a chair at the mental institution repeating that over and over, you'll know why :p).

Of football and gardens and poison control

Well the title describes our weekend pretty well. Saturday Lowell and I made it to our first BYU game of the season. It was actually pretty weird driving through campus and walking up to the stadium. While I attended BYU, I went to every single home game all 4 years (sometimes not until the 4th quarter, but c'mon that's the part worth watching!). I think Lowell and I did one more season after I graduated and then not again until now. I also live 30 minutes away from my alma mater and there are lots of events and museums there, but I never go back to BYU. Once in a while I will hit the Creamery (pretty much only to purchase chocolate milk for a big fan we only see once in a while, we love you Sam!) but that is on the edge of campus. I haven't gone into the Wilk or walked across the quad pretty much since I left there. It gives me the heeby jeebies! I don't know why, but I do not feel comfortable there, it's creepy. Oh well, I got the job done and moved on, I think that is the point of college after all. The stadium didn't seem so creepy, but odd to reflect on the times I spent there. I have to say the highlight will always be my freshman year. We got tickets sitting with almost the entire ward and of course the silly boys that lived across the alley from us and we just had so much fun. One game we even had front row seats in the end zone, we held our little painted sign as all the paint ran off because it was snowing, a pretty nasty freezing storm if I remember right, but I still think of that as the best game. Good times. The next best was when we beat the U (yes Crissi, we do that a lot! :P) in my senior year when Staley ran along the boundary line for a last minute score. I have never been so hoarse. Lowell was there then and my bro so that is a memory I'll always have with them. Kind of bookends to my tenure at BYU I guess. Anyway . . .enough memory lane, our game Saturday was pretty good. Lowell seemed to enjoy himself which was the idea since it was a birthday present for him. BYU did not play as well as I expected them to, but they pulled it out in an exciting ending which made it a more enjoyable game to watch. I'll have to confess that I paid more attention to the cute kids in BYU jerseys sitting all around me, secretly wishing my kids were there in their cute jersey but then cursing myself for even thinking such a thing because they would not have done well at the game, than watching the plays in action. Like I said, I am a 4th quarter fan, if you wait until then you'll know if it is even going to be close and hence a good game to watch or you can pass it by on the way to food network. Thus it is. Thanks for letting us sit by you Robbie and ignore that last comment, I was watching intently every second and BYU football is the only important thing on the planet, at least in the fall. Love you Rob!

Here's us at the game, it was a sell out, the most consecutive sell out games since the 90s. Yeah!

Okay, then we went to sadly say goodbye to the gardens for another year. Such a melancholy thing for me to do. I did manage to get some good photos though, thanks to the Old Navy Halloween sale I hit up on the way home from the game. These cute cardigans, $4. Oh yeah!

I can get them coughing in unison but not smiling. Hrmph! Is it just me or are they actually starting to look more alike? Even our ped thought so.
My baby Davis, I just liked the lighting there on the bridge by the pond, near the roses that always smelled so good, sob, sob, I miss the gardens!
Davey boy in a tree
Lowell and the boys playing in the leaves. I am not supposed to post this one because Lowell says he looks fat, so if you think so just note that his shirt is wrinkling up, that is not a beer gut. Lowell really has a 6 pack under there! Okay, not really, he did once for real, but now he is fit and that is enough.
A child that can smile on cue, I have raised him well! Okay only sometimes and still with a candy bribe, but I have gotten very lucky lately!
They didn't want to smile, but they did want to kiss, and I guess that works.
My sweet bubbies
You know I love the back shots, so classic, Daddy and his boys, they love him so much! The other day at church they were being naughty so I told them I was going to go get their Daddy and they both said, "Yea!". Not such a threat I guess, it always worked when I was a kid.
Carter in the tree.
Night falls on our last trip to the gardens. Sniffle sniffle sob! Carter scratched his nose somewhere between the first pics and now, poor bubby.
We were trying to hurry the boys out of the gardens as it was getting dark so Lowell kept telling them a monster was coming. At first Davis was a little scared but then he caught on and they both kept pretending the monster was here or there and after them. Here they are hiding under a bench from the "scary monster, rawr!".

So then Hillary did something very special to end our season at the gardens, she hooked us up with free rides on the Segways. If you haven't tried these, it's kind of a trip. It takes some balance and getting used to, but then it is just fun! The wind blowing through your hair as you cruise pretty fast up and down the hills. It was a very nice way to end the day. We took turns and the rest of the group followed in the golf cart which the boys loved of course. After I took the boys to the car Lowell took the Segway for one more turn around the park, he was enjoying it so much, totally made his day. Though we both learned it is kind of creepy alone in the dark in the gardens.

So on to part 3 of the title. Saturday night as we were preparing for bath time I noticed Davis had a funny smell to him, a chemical smell. Lowell went looking and found that Davis had pulled out Lime-Away out of our "locked" cupboard under the sink. We of course keep it locked, but those silly boys have been able to get through child locks since they were 1. We have worked with him on how we shouldn't get under the sink, it is dangerous, etc. but he is my Curious George. So before you call DCFS on us, know we at least tried to keep these things up. Lowell has since moved the caustic chemical to a high shelf in the garage, no guarantees there as they are quite the climbers, but here's hoping! The Lime-Away had a spray nozzle so we know he sprayed himself on the face and neck and possibly got a very small amount in his mouth. I washed him off and had him drink some water while Lowell called poison control. I am happy to say this is our first call to this service, but I am not at the same time as I wish we made it through childhood without any calls. Who wants to bet it won't be our last time? Turns out Lime-Away isn't too bad in small amounts and all we needed to do was wash him, give him some water, and keep an eye on him. We'd done that much already so disaster averted, but it sure made this mommy's heart flutter! He seems just fine now, eating well, etc. though perhaps his judgement is flawed as he asked me to do this to his hair and let me take the picture.

I think that is why I don't have girls, no skills with that hair! I have some hairspray which is only theirs, for when I spike the front. I don't even own a hair dryer. Yep, me and my boys and couple of scrunchies, it's all good!

Might as well throw a Carter funny in as well, he is my future ladies man. I was putting him in his carseat and he very carefully (because it is a little tricky for a 3 year old) lifts both his eyebrows and says to me in his deep daddy impersonating voice, "Hey Baby!". I just about died, it was so funny. So smooth that one, today as we were leaving from the gym daycare Davis walked up to a little gal (older woman mind you) and said goodbye, she said I love you and then they hugged and kissed on the lips! I was surprised, but even more so when Carter stepped up and did the same thing. I tell you what, I am going to have to watch those two when they get older. They've got the moves. I hope they grow up to be the handsome popular twins, the ones every wants to date and have as a friend. Or maybe they'll grow up to just be odd like me and hang out with the band nerds (I didn't play an instrument but I did carry the banner in parades!) or little home bodies like their dad excelling at video games. Only time will tell!

My 3 year olds!

We have survived another doctor visit, hooray! I was looking forward to this one as it has been a full year since the last, weird to think about when we used to go every couple of months. We see Dr. Cornish in Orem and he is so cool, very laid back which is what I need. I am a worrier, no doubt about it, I come in with my lists and my articles and he puts my concerns to bed and I leave with just normal 3 year olds. They are rather active 3 year olds, but nothing to worry about yet. All my concerns about them eating enough were for not as well as they are now in the 50th percentile for weight, up from 20th last year. They are still shorties though, staying even in the 15-17th percentile making them actually a little heavy as they have gained weight but not much height. He wasn't concerned, but for the first time since they were born I won't be worrying so much that they are eating enough. I will be focusing more on them eating the right things though. Well, that's not true, I have been focusing on good foods all along but I have been giving in to the junk foods just so they would be eating something. It will be easier to turn those foods down now, well not all of them--that would be no fun! They are 32 lbs and 36 inches, hooray for the Disney rides requiring them to be 36 inches. A month ago at Libery Land they were 34, so either they grew in the last month or Liberty Land isn't the most precise measuring device I could have chosen. You pick. Dr. Cornish wasn't concerned with their language which Lowell and I have felt they are behind their peers in that department, but because they are twins, he gives them a little more time with that. They speak very well between each other, it's just that we don't always understand. They really have been improving the last couple of weeks though. He also told us that 3 is the "Why?" age, where they will want to know why things are and will expect them to be as they think they should be. He said this is the age we can start reasoning with them about what is right and wrong and things like sleep, eating healthy, and potty training will be exercises in convincing them what is right. That has been interesting already but we are trying. They were bouncing off the walls during the appointment, crawling all over the counters and then jumping off, turning the faucet on and off, and weighing the balloon animal they got on the way in. It was driving me nuts but Dr. Cornish wasn't phased at all and didn't hold back in telling us that 3 was a tiring and difficult year in his house. Thanks! It made me think of all the times I heard 3 was good for twins and I still believe that, we'll have our struggles but there are certain things with twins that improve at 3 that we have seen already. It made me start wishing for 4 like I wished for 3. But then I had to laugh at myself and remember the talk by President Monson I just shared on here. If I am always wishing they were one year older, I'll be missing the fun of this year. So it would be nice if they were a little easier now, but I will try to enjoy this rambunctious year and the special things that 3 will bring into our home. So here are those special boys at the Children's Garden that we went to right before the appointment.

Big D with his crooked smile, he doesn't actually bite like that, it's just his "Mom, take the picture already and let me go play smile".

My C Man. Out of the blue he has become my little artist. Up until this week he just scribbled and sometimes would identify the scribbles as objects but they didn't look like anything. As part of the questioning for the 3 year appointment (Brooke, my kids called the half-man drawing Robot and Carter) we practiced drawing circles. Carter liked that so one day I drew one of his circles into a stick figure and he has just taken off. He takes his MagnaDoodle everywhere and loves to sit and draw, albeit the same thing all the time. Here's a shot:

He said it was Mommy, Daddy, Carter, Davis, and Carter's friend. I was so excited to see him drawing things that represents other things and look like them (well, sort of). I am also happy that he can sit and work on something for several minutes (ADD is never far from my mind, they are so active and the NICU nurses said if I touched my babies they would get ADD. I couldn't help but hold and cuddle them so I am always paranoid they will have it). Sleep is an on-going battle in our house, so Dr. Cornish recommended we add a reward to our existing punishment plan. Now if they leave their room 3 times, we close the door. Now if they don't come out 3 times they also get a treat in the morning. I stole this idea from my twin mommy friend, Janice. We have 3 objects, for us it is Yo Gabba Gabba pictures I colored, laminated, and added Velcro to, and for each time they leave the room they have to give us one of them. In the morning they can "buy" a special show or treat with any they have left. This seemed like a good idea to give them a physical reminder to stay in their room. My goal is to then move it to staying in their beds and also have them earn back the objects the next day by doing their "chores": putting their dishes in the sink, putting clothes and toys away, etc. Anyway, that was my project today.

Who knows if it will work, but we need something! We start bedtime at 8:30 and drags on until 11 some nights. Lowell works early so he needs them to sleep sooner! And it is not that they aren't tired, I think it is that they are over-tired from boycotting nap lately. I am sticking with it, when they nap they sleep better at night and are so much more pleasant to be around. So . . .any sleep tips would be appreciated!

We also had the UVMOM Halloween play group this week which was fun. I loved seeing all the little costumes and just visiting. The bubs have a trunk or treat with our ward tonight and then the big night is already next week. Sadly this weekend is the last days of the gardens. It is always a very mournful thing for me when they close. I spend so much time there all summer and the beauty and tranquility there always rests my soul. We will go tomorrow for one last visit. Sigh, pout! We are also going to the BYU game tomorrow, hooray! It is expected to be much better than the last game, I think we will have fun. I had a bunch of funnies from the kids lately and I keep forgetting them! Argh! I need to write them down. Oh and happy day, my dad started a new job today. It's not a dream job but it gets him out of the half-way house and on his way to home confinement, hopefully sooner than later. I am loving the extra time to talk to him--he is so funny with his cell phone. We chatted for an hour last night about going to Europe spring 2010. Still a dream, but here's hoping! The debate was what do you need to see in person more, amazing vistas like those in Murren, Switzerland--the Alps rising above you like you could not believe, I have seen a lot of mountains in the states but they couldn't hold a candle to that view, or amazing artwork like the David, again something that is so much larger and more impressive in person. My brother wants to do a whirlwind tour of a bunch of countries where I would like to spend a week in just one country, probably Italy. Tough choice huh? Still a dream choice at that, it depends on future babies, finances, people to tend my boys . . .fun to think about though.

Well, enough rambling--I'll get back to work (plans for the night, new episode of Chuck, working on Christmas photo books on artscow, and watching the new Indiana Jones). Loves all!

I've gone soft . . .

Lots of posts this weekend, I guess that is your punishment for me working :). I just had a couple of thoughts and I wanted to write them down while I was thinking of them. On the hayride the other night they played the song, "Watching You" by Rodney Adkins. It's funny--I am the farthest thing from a country music fan, in my youth I would rather listen to rap than country. That has certainly changed as I now find rap just so loud and obnoxious and often vulgar but country can have some very sweet messages. I am still not a fan but I have added several country songs to this site which is unusual for me. Like I said in the title, I have gone soft. Anything that sings about my kids and I just want to listen over and over, half the time with tears in my eyes. They drive me nuts but I love those little boys so much. I know you all love your children in the same way. What an awesome blessing children are in our lives. So if you want to listen to the first song I just added, it has a very country twang to it, but I think you'll like the message like I do. I also wanted to add a little bit from President Monson's talk that I reread this morning. I know this section rang true for a lot of people I know, so it is probably familiar.
"Day by day, minute by minute, second by second we went from where we were to where we are now. The lives of all of us, of course, go through similar alterations and changes. The difference between the changes in my life and the changes in yours is only in the details. Time never stands still; it must steadily march on, and with the marching come the changes.This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."
"If you have children who are grown and gone, in all likelihood you have occasionally felt pangs of loss and the recognition that you didn’t appreciate that time of life as much as you should have. Of course, there is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.
If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know."
If you are not a member of my church, I'll just give you a little background, that this was spoken by our Prophet, President Monson at our recent conference where several leaders from our church get together to speak to the membership of the church on whatever topic they feel inspired to speak. I feel this message transcends religions though, the idea to joy in the journey can be applied to all people, and especially parents of young children. Sometimes the every day ins and outs of a mom are not fun, but I would dare say they are joyful. How can you look at your little ones' faces, even covered in chocolate or dirt, and not feel joy. I am thankful this day for my little ones and for you all listening to me ramble about them. I can say for all those I know who read this blog that your little ones are so amazing and beautiful too. My little nephew Dylan who is so handsome, smart, and funny, Kristina's little boys all so beautiful and unique, Kristen's darling little man whose smile can light up a room even from a computer screen, Jillian's 3 whose mischievious eyes make me smile but their strength and determination make me smile more, Scott's cutie patooties who face their challenges with a smile and a funny dad, Lyndsie's 3 who were fought for and wanted so badly, all my coolmommies kiddos each one so darling, awesome, and fun, and so on. I am grateful to know all these beautiful little ones, to feel of their warmth and joy, but most of all to know their parents who give so much and dedicate their lives to these special very lucky kids. I am a better person for knowing each one of you and have learned a lot from you all. Okay, I am so sappy today--too much time sitting alone I guess. Have a great Sunday!

UEA week take 2

Alright, now to the rest of the week. I misspoke earlier, we did the corn maze on Tuesday, Wednesday the boys and I had a craft morning. I got these cards that have suggestions for toddler activities and these are the ones we tried out. For the first one you put a lump of PlayDoh on the counter and then 3 dry spaghetti noodles sticking out. Then you give the munchkins a pile of Cheerios to munch on and thread onto the noodles. It is a fine motor activity and also something you are likely to have all the ingredients for already. :0)

Next we made twins of the boys, I guess that makes Quads, but we're not even going to think more than twins. I had each bub lay on top of butcher paper as I traced them. I then let them color themselves after which I cut out 2 copies of the tracing. I taped them together and stuffed them with the extra paper. There you go . . .Carter2 and Davis2:


Davis2 did not last the day so I am considering recreating them in fabric, maybe for Christmas. Hmmm . . .

So then Thursday Lowell and I were both off, hooray! so we went to the dinosaur park (finally!) and can you believe it I (yes me) forgot my camera. Shock and awe. The first thing we saw was an animatronic display of a young T-rex and a mother Triceratops and her 2 babies. It really looked very real and Davis was rather scared (he has this little jiggle chin scared thing he does, it is sad that I think that is cute isn't it?) but once he figured out they weren't going to eat him, he and Carter were crazy about it. Unfortunately that ended up being the coolest thing in the park. We walked around and looked at the dinosaur replicas but they just weren't that interesting to the boys. And the park was fun, but not 1.5 hour drive fun. I am glad I got discount tickets and only paid $5 for the fam. Next we went to see my grandma, the boys' oma and walk around the little pond by her house. They loved it and I think Oma got a kick out of the boys wanting to hug her and hold her hand. They chased these really big geese and I was sure they were going to get bit, but they survived to attack them another day. They also fed the ducks and ran down the paths, a good day overall in Ogden. After nap we went to see WALLE at the dollar theater and this was their best performance yet. We made it through 1 hour and 15 minutes, that was almost the whole movie. So we're getting there--but I am still not paying full price, we can wait for the dollar theater. What we saw was really cute and I think it helped that they already knew the story because we have read the book. The final stop for Thursday was a new TV. Our living room TV went out (I think there was something about yogurt rubbed into the speakers on the death certificate) so we went in search of a new one. Turns out they don't even sell tube TVs any more, so it was a good day for Lowell as he carried out his 42 inch plasma TV, sigh.

Friday Hillary, Cyndel, and I took the boys swimming at the Rec Center. That was fun and the boys enjoyed practicing swimming again. I was weirded out by how warm it was inside and then how cold it was when we left. Then last night we made caramel apples while Rob and Lowell put up the new TV. Here's Davis dipping apples-

Carter with the finished apples.
Robbie and Lowell with the finished product, oh so proud.
The apples were a hit (hello, coat anything in caramel and chocolate--how could you miss?).

Other than that, the boys were monsters last night, so cranky and super tired. They didn't nap well (because I almost forgot, Lowell and I went on a date during nap--we had Pier 49 pizza and watched Golden Eye [loved it!]--happy day for us) and had been up late the night before when we got the TV. They are napping now so here's hoping the onery beasts are gone when I get home and my darling boys return. I think the big events are done for the week--we are just going to enjoy the last of the good weather for as long as it lasts. Next week is the boys' 3 year doctor appointment and also the UVMOM Halloween play group so I'll have more to write about then. Until then, have a good afternoon and weekend . . .

Pumpkin Patch, Cornbellys, and oh so many pics . . .

Wow what a week we have had. I LOVE when Lowell is off because we play it up though it does tire us all--including the bank account--out. Man the boys were just plain edgy by last night, we need to have a few down days to recover. Wednesday we started off at a pumpkin patch, one where you can actually walk in the vines and cut one off. That was so neat as was the cute little grandpa who held the kids up to the apple trees so they could pick one (they chowed them down too, much have been good). So here is Carter, he got candy for that good smile! Thanks to Robbie for the Y hoodies. Here is my Davey boy, he was harder to please but mostly because he wanted to play on the swingset not pick a pumpkin.
Don't worry, he got candy too. Then we headed over to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point for an evening of family fun. Here the happy boys are at the entrance (they were excited to come, they saw it when we last went to farm country and were thrilled we were actually going).
Here they are riding the "cow train": Davis
Carter boy
And going down the roller slide

Farmer Carter with the Mrs . . .Davis
Davis checking out the little hay maze
Carter celebrating as he exited.
Sitting on the hay bale cheesing it up.

Our family on the hay ride.

So as you can see, it was a fun and busy night. I would recommend it to anyone local, but be sure and go Tues-Thurs and get the 2 for 1 coupons at Hogi Yogi. There was a lot more to do than pictured, there is a Haunted Creature which they really wanted to go in until we did and then they wanted out as soon as possible! It was funny, we asked Davis if he wanted to go again and he said 'not today, no monster today, I go monster with grampa Saturday'. Which actually inspired me to ask my dad if he could get permission to take them and he did! So exciting! So the bubs got a repeat visit today with grandma and grandpa. This is the first time my dad has actually gotten to play with them for longer than a couple of minutes, so I was excited for them all. It sounded like they had a good time. Okay, I am going to do the rest of our UEA week in another post, just because I want to.

Happy Birthday to Lowell and Early Winter Wonderland

Happy Birthday to Lowell today! He is 30--such a grumpy old man! Ha! Not really although he is not feeling well at all at the moment. Such a bummer to not feel well when there is so much good food around. I have to say today has worked out well for me though, if not for my waist-line, I am enjoying his left-overs from Cheesecake factory and a piece of the 7 lb giant chocolate cake he got from work. There are so many people that love Lowell and it's because he is just so easy to love. I know it is non-specific to say he is a great guy, but he just is. It shows by all the people who love him so much. He got 2 cakes at work today and no, they don't give everyone cakes, just him. He also got lots of fun stuff at his party on Saturday. It turned out pretty well I think, we all had good food and a good time. Lowell got this Halloween Mr. Potato Head and also the really fancy BumbleBee Tranformer that his cheap wife would not get him from his mom. I am sure she loves all her kids and grandkids equally but she is a softy to her boys. Lowell was the first boy after 2 girls. Anyway, the Bumblebee really is something, he programmed it to shoot a little dart at me if I make a noise or enter the room. He was also scolding Davis for something and it turned on and said, "Whip it, whip it good". Odd, but entertaining . . . I know Transformers was an odd theme for a 30th birthday, but I think it really fit quite well and was well received. Here is his ice cream cake (chocolate peanut butter with Reese's being guarded by Bumblebee and scorptrix--or something like that). And here is Lowell, his brother Mike, and his 2 friends since childhood Aaron and David wearing Transformers masks (and yes I made them for the picture).
And the birthday boy himself with the 3 and 0 balloons, I had the 3 so I just added the 0! Wasn't that convenient? And isn't he a cutie?
Lowell also got Dance Dance Revolution from me and my parents, tickets to an upcoming BYU game from me, some candy and Dr. Pepper from his bro, and a BYU shirt from my bro Robbie. So 2 more birthdays in the books until next year. So that was Saturday night, we woke up Sunday morning to this:
I don't think anyone told this storm that it was still mid-October! C'mon! We had snow in May so that makes only 4 months without snow. Not just 4 warm months, 4 without snow! Sheesh! The boys were excited though. Carter looked outside and said 'Mom, snowman!' and Davis said 'Look, snow-nose'. I am not sure why the new names, it was just snow last year, but I think it is cute. They also call church, door, and their coats, kite. They use the proper names too but the alternate just as often. I don't get it, but at least I have decoded that much of their language. There is still more that they understand and Lowell and I do not, but slowly they are adapting to our version of English so they can get what they want. Twin-speak is so odd. Anyway, Carter thought jumping in the snow sounded fun:
And Davis enjoyed it only so long until he realized Mommy hasn't gotten them new gloves or boots yet and he was cold!
Can't blame him, I was too! I have to admit that this winter isn't looming quite as scarily--the boys are getting much better at playing inside. They like their toys and coloring and crafts. They like to do puzzles and listen (briefly) to my little preschool lessons. It will still be long and probably difficult, but I think it will be the best winter we have had so far.

In other news, on Sunday we went to my parent's ward for my dad's first sacrament meeting. He bore his testimony and it was a special experience to be there. He expressed how God loves everyone no matter their circumstances and how he felt that love and shared it with others in the prison. He spoke of some of the missionary experiences there and how we often take for granted things like sitting in a chapel or taking the sacrament. He also thanked the ward for their help and rightly so, my mom's ward has done SO much to take care of her over the last 3 years, I don't think she once shoveled her own walks, her home teachers did home and car repairs, and they were all so kind in welcoming my dad home. Good people. Their old bishop got up right after my dad and it meant so much to me for him to say how my dad was given the choice to lie and be free or maintain his integrity and go to prison for 32 months. He asked how many people could make that choice. It was a special day even though the boys were climbing everywhere. At first they sat right down next to grampa and folded their arms like him. It was sweet and good reminder of the power of good examples. I wish we could have stayed longer but I needed to go battle the kids at nursery (it was not a fair fight--they were all melting down in unison, tough day in the land of 2 year olds!).

Anyway, that brings us up to date! I am still not positive what we are doing for UEA but it looks like we will be staying closer to home and enjoying the fun things here. That will be fun too, mostly I am just excited for the time off for both of us. Lowell and I work so much and opposite schedules so time together all 4 of us is pretty special. Maybe we'll even sneak in some just 2 of us time! We have 3 sets of movie tickets and gift certificates to use, just have to find an available sitter. Here's hoping . . .

Tagged Times 2

Subject: Wonderful Qualities. List every member who lives in your home. Include 5 wonderful qualities each member holds.


The Catch: You must include yourself.


Why: It's easy to just go about each day and forget to be grateful.

Lowell:
My own Handy Manny-he is our Mr. Fix it and it so comes in handy!
World's best husband and dad-I have said it before but it is still true, Lowell just gets better and better with time. It was amazing the change when I first got pregnant, and then when the boys came along and he continues to be such a help and awesome friend to the munchkins.
Best Friend-He is my best friend, my confidant, my silly boy--he promised to make me laugh every day when we got married and he does, such a goof!
Head of our Home-Lowell is exemplary as the spiritual leader of our home. He is well versed in spiritual things and always has a good answer for the difficult questions.
Good Worker-He also works very hard at his job and really anything he undertakes. He has won so many awards in the past couple of years for the good work he does and everyone just loves him at work.

Carter:
A clown-Carter likes to make people laugh and be happy. He will go out of his way to be silly or make some joke (mostly physical comedy) to have you laugh with him.
Sensitive-Carter has an awareness of people's feelings and especially their "owies". He is always there to kiss them better even when they aren't visible.
Stubborn-That kid has stick-to-it-ness like you wouldn't believe. I always say they will grow up to be CEOs and inventors because they don't take no for an answer and like to push the limits.
Gentle-Carter can be so sweet to babies, animals, bugs, and even moms and brothers.
Cute-I know that is an odd trait, but hey you look into those big brown eyes and not agree!

Davis:
Ditto everything from stubborn above, that is a trait they share!
Leadership-Davis is great at giving directions and making sure everyone knows the rules.
Memory-He remembers everything you say and can repeat it if necessary.
Snuggly-Davis is great at giving hugs and kisses, he is such a loveable little guy and seems to especially share the love with those who need it.
Friend-It has taken some practice, but Davis is becoming a very nice friend. He'll take your hand and love it if you play with him. He will go to great lengths to entertain Carter.

Me:
Hard worker-I am not one to sit around, I am usually chasing the kids or at work.
Loving mom-I may not be the best or the coolest mom, but I certainly love my kids and I think they know that.
Party Planner-I am good at planning parties, executing them I am only so so at.
Vacation Planner-I am also good at planning vacations, many many more than I will ever go on, but I am happy to plan them.
Photo Guru-I am not the best photographer, but the amount of photos I take and my extensive knowlege of photo websites makes up for it.

Thanks Kristen-That was fun and a nice way to think about my family members.
Becky, Jillian, and Kris if you want to do this too, feel free.


Okay now one from Jillian:

I am: a wife, a mommy, and a medical technologist
I think: therefore I am.
I know: my ABCs.
I want: a case of Haagen Daz bars, a massage, and a nap (all in one day)
I dislike: cleaning, organizing, and all things smelly or slimy
I miss: lots of my friends!
I fear: misfortune befalling any of my friends or family.
I feel: tired and silly.
I smell: stagnant lab air.
I crave: chocolate, chick flicks & social activities (sounds good Jillian, or a night of UVMOM to get all 3!)
I cry: when my cancer kiddos have tough days.
I usually: am on the go.
I search: the internet for all variety of things.
I wonder: as I wander.
I love: my cutie boys, being outside, seeing new things, traveling, my puppies, good food, my friends. . .
I always: need to clean something.
I worry: about my munchkins being healthy and safe.
I am not: trendy, stylish, well-groomed or well-dressed.
I believe: in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know who I am, I know God's plan, I'll follow Him in faith.
I dance: playing DDR (poorly) with Lowell.
I sing: with the boys often.
I argue: political topics, don't get me started.
I write: on my blog!
I win: Risk--challenge me and you'll see (don't let Lowell tell you he won on our first date, he had way more guys than me and I didn't say anything because it was our first date!)
I lose: to Davis on Mario Party 8.
I wish: upon stars.
I don't understand: the stock market.
I can usually be found: sitting right here at work!
I am scared: of scary things (kidnappers, disease, etc.)
I need: a night out.
I am happy: most of the time, disregarding my worry-wart nature I really have been blessed with a positive disposition.
I tag: Lyndsie, Cyndel, and Scott.


Okay, I have a real post with pics to do, but I thought I would do this first and hopefully I'll get the other done tonight.

Too cute not to share . . .

It's been a busy week of planning and running. We didn't make it to the Dinosaur Park because of time and ticket issues but will be going next week. I did do the corn maze with my twin mommy friends and that was way fun. We got lost and cheated our way out. How do you exit out the entrance to #1 when you are doing #2? Then we screamed together in the Haunted Creature which was really funny. I have never done something like that with girl friends and it was great to just be silly and scared. We all held hands and screamed at every little thing. This wasn't even when it was haunted--I don't think any of us were brave enough for that. Some laughs and good chats--I love UVMOM! Anyway, I have also been driving my dad around looking for a job. It is so frustrating! If anyone needs a highly educated and qualified person who will do just about anything, let me know! We also cleared out what was left in the garden preparing for the snow coming this weekend (sigh!). We got a bunch of butternut which makes me happy and it turns out if you ignore zucchini it doesn't go away, it just gets bigger. Zucchini anyone? Really come and get it! You can freeze it in 1 cup batches and have bread all winter. Really!
Okay, so I wanted to thank everyone for reading the blog. When I started it I felt as though I was talking to my 0 followers and pretty much just journaling for the munchkins. I have been thrilled to find people actually reading my ramblings and commenting, so thank you! I am still using it for journaling purposes, but now I feel like I have friends :)!

So . . .friends, here's a question for you. Lowell will be off for UEA (school break) next week and I was able to get 2 days in a row off. This means we could go overnight somewhere! I have been wanting to go to Moab, but Lowell is not crazy about it and my dad and I discussed it at length and I do have to agree there isn't that much for the kids. I love the red rocks and photo ops and they love bugs and dirt but not so much walking for long distances. So my question is what else could we do with a couple of days pretty close to Utah County that the boys would enjoy? We don't have to stay overnight, but we can. Any and all suggestions will be considered.
Here's a couple more shots from today just for fun. After the birthday crowns at Toys R Us we have a new found love for crowns. Burger King to the rescue!

My Davis all big, man he looks stinkin' old! He was such a punk for nap today, this little mama was too tired and too PMS-y to deal with it today. Hrrmph!
And sweet Tarter Sauce. Here's some Carter funnies for the day. Carter likes to ask you what something is, even things he know. It goes like this C: What this mommy? Me: a caterpillar sweetie C: Oh a capetillar, yup. He adds the yup to the end all the time as if to let us know we are correct. It is cute when he does it. I bought a tiara the other day to go with my Halloween costume (if I haven't already mentioned the boys will be Mario and Luigi, Lowell is going to be Wario and I am of course Princess Peach) Carter with no direction at all, picked it up put it on his head and said, 'I a princess!'. I told him to go show his dad and he was back a couple moments later and just quietly handed me the tiara. I asked Lowell and he said he informed him that he is NOT a princess. Dads are just no fun some times :P Here's a sweet one from Davis, there was a double heart cookie with the boys' cake and I thought of it as their two hearts and then he looked at it and again with no prompting pointed at each heart and said 'Tarter and Dadis'. So sweet to me that he got that. They called each of their cakes as themselves and the big caterpillar was Daddy. He had a fun one the other night as well, the boys still enjoy their little cameras and managed to give Daddy a nice paparazzi moment as he tried to use the bathroom. He called me and I could hear them in the background, 'Daddy, smile, say cheese!'. I think I'll have to save those in a special private collection. At least he was good spirited about it, he said he smiled big for them. They are finally starting to smile nice for me and I could kiss them for that, even if they are cheesy sometimes. Well wish us luck on Lowell's big 3-0 party like it's 1988 party tomorrow. I'll post pics soon I am sure. Loves!

Happy, Happy Birthday Children Dear

So, how many birthday posts can I really do? There's a challenge! Anyway today was the boys actual birthday, so I had to have some more fun things to do. I am kind of weird about actual birthdays, I think it is the lab tech in me, we are very precise by nature which is why I don't recommend 2 marry, weird things may happen to the kids. So . . .this morning we started the day with Toaster Streudels (a fav) with candles, just because they like to blow them out so much.
Then we made a trip down to Toys R Us to use the gift cards they got. If you sign up for their birthday club online, they will send you a % off coupon a month in advance (used it on the scooters) and then a gift card close to the day. They got $3 ones, not sure if everyone gets that or if it is a dollar per year. So we went and they chose batman candy tubes with bendable figures attached. I also picked up an art kit that was half off. The people there were so nice--they even gave the boys birthday crowns and balloons. We'll be going again next year.

Then we went to use the Red Robin free kids meal coupons we got for their birthdays--yes I do know how to exlpoit online deals. One more, Children's Place will give you a 20% off coupon for the birthday. My dear bro Robbie joined us and got some good practice for when he has kids. Davis did not sleep well last night and was already in the hyper exhausted mode by the time we got to lunch. He was climbing all over the bunches and playing under the table. It is a good thing the meals were free, because he sure didn't eat much. Carter did okay, he slept better. A few more screaming moments in the mall and we were off to the next stop (sorry Robbie!). We hit Krispy Kremes on the way home because these guys love donuts. They hardly eat, seriously they skip 2 meals a day some times, not for lack of opportunity, but they can clear 2-3 donuts easy. So here is Carter with his donut, a tummy full of Mac and Cheese, his balloon, and his batman. I think that should be one happy birthday boy.
Now I am at work, so I didn't get to do anything else, but no regrets, I think they had a good day. Tomorrow, Dinosaur Park--which I swear is the last birthday thing I have planned! Lowell's party is Saturday so it is time to get going on that. Plus we have the mom's night out for the twin club on Wednesday, we are doing a corn maze--I think it will be a blast. Still coming up the twin club Halloween playgroup, trunk or treat for our ward and then Lowell's mom's, and finally Halloween day itself. Should be a busy October.