Merry Christmas

Homemade Christmas Garland

To avoid any stocking accidents I decided to hang our stockings on the wall this year. I was in a crafty mood a few weeks ago and decided to make a Christmas light garland with ric rac and felt. I liked the look so much I spruced up some holiday pillows to match.

About Time

Yesterday Andy reached for his grandpa's hair. Grandpa Chandler said "yep Andy, that's what we call a haircut." I took the hint and today the boys received their first haircut.

I have to admit, I adored the unruly tangle of curls.

The boys did so well. No tears.

Happy Halloween

What does a giraffe say?

The boys and I were feeling really cooped up this weekend. Dad's on a long trip and boring old mom was staring to get grumpy. So on Monday we joined the crowds at Hogle Zoo.

I don't know how many animals the boys could actually see from their vantage point. But they didn't complain and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

They couldn't miss the giraffes though. Whenever as kids we were getting too loud, my mom would ask "What does a giraffe say?" We would answer "nothing at all" and were expected to be quiet. I like it and think I need to start using it.

Chickens

We visited our friends Matt and Tammy this weekend. It was great to see them, as always. The boys fed their chickens grapes from the vines. Ben thought the chickens were pretty funny and Andy fought them for the grapes.

Perfect Family Photo

Unfortunately it's not our family. Just Andy and a random family at the Bees game. Look closely and you can see that Ben also found a new dad. Well actually our good friend Nick has Ben but I have no idea who the family is that Andy made friends with.

Gross?

People always say that dealing with the gross things that babies do (i.e. poop, vomit etc.) isn't so bad when they are your own kids. I tend to disagree. Gross is gross. But I guess if they are you own children it is slightly less disgusting.

However, I don't think that any motherly love or natural instincts can ever prepare a parent or any human for what I witnessed today. Please don't read any further if you have queasy stomach.

Let's say that one baby, let's call him baby B, had a bowel movement while in the tub. Gross? Absolutely, but not unheard of. Was the other baby in this tub as repulsed as his mother? Absolutely not. Immediately Baby A's grabby little hands found the mass and put it in his mouth. Gross? Beyond belief. Can anyone say uncontrollable dry heaving? Not from baby A, naturally, but from his mother.

Parade, Picnic and the Works

The boys enjoyed their first Idaho Falls Fourth of July Parade. Ben loved the loud cars, firetrucks, horses and dancing girls.
Andy was just there for the food. He was so excited when a politician handed him a Tootsie Pop.

It's hard to tell from this picture how much Ben loved the fireworks. He clapped and yelled at them sporadically through the show.

Andy loved them too. At one point my mom put him down for just a second. He took off immediately through the crowds to catch them. Man that boy moves fast.


Andy's favorite part of the trip was playing with his cousins in the bouncy castle.


Go Ben go...

MS Ride

Somehow I managed to get on my bike this year and ride 75 miles in the MS150 ride in Logan. I was pretty out of shape since it's really hard to find time to work out with the twins. I could come up with another dozens excuses but I'll spare you.

Here I am with my good friend Jessica. We joked about how we were eHarmony riding partners because we were matched on 49 degrees of biking compatibility. When actually I think in being prepared for the ride the only thing we had in common was that we both had bikes and matching jerseys. Jess rode in strong and I limped in slowly behind her. We had a great time regardless.

Jessica, Austin, Derek and I spent most of the weekend cracking jokes, laughing and eating good food. I keep trying to talk Dave into coming every year because I know he'd have a great time. Maybe next year?

Yay for Summer

Father's Day Present

Click here to view this photo book larger

Family Pictures

We took family pictures last month. It was way more challenging than I could have imagined. The boys were so fussy. Andy wanted to crawl everywhere and refused to be held and Ben seemed so confused. I had a terrible cold and Dave didn't understand the purpose. So we didn't make it very easy for the photographer. But I think Jeni did a great job with our crazy family.

Maybe next year we can get a photo of everyone smiling at the same time. But I have a feeling it won't get much easier until we are all adults.

Happy First Birthday

The boys turned 1 today. We had a busy family party on Saturday night to celebrate. My parents and Grandma even came from Idaho. It was so good to seem them and watch them play with the babes.


The Birthday hats didn't last long. Which I'm sure isn't too surprising. However, I was impressed that most of the guests wore theirs throughout the party.

Andy thoroughly enjoyed his first taste of cake. He was so excited and confused that food doesn't have to taste like pureed vegetables.

Whereas Ben would have preferred to eat pureed vegetables. He liked to play with the cake but puckered his face when he took his first and only bite. I've seen him enjoy a lemon more than he did the chocolate cake.

Andy loved all of his toys. I had no idea they'd have so much fun.

Ben was excited to play with the with his toys and the deflated balloons the next morning. That was until he got completely tangled in all of the ribbons.

In case your wondering, I didn't make a fancy cake for the boys. I ran out of time and energy so instead I made cupcakes. Not super exciting, but I've got many birthdays to make up for it.

Mother's Day with the babes

This is a pretty typical evening at our house.

If Katie is in the house she is usually lying as close as she can to Ben. And if Ben is near a book he is usually flipping through the pages. I couldn't help but think... Little Ben, little Ben what do you see? I see a Katie cat lying next to me.

And Andy... this kid has loads of energy. Surprising he can stay entertained for an unbelievable amount of time in his activity saucer. He just looks around and bobs his head.

Break Dancing Andy

Anyone who has spent time with Andy is probably familiar with his little dance move. For those of you who haven't, here's a little treat for you.

Speaking of Woodland Creatures

I made this cake for a baby shower. It was fun to revisit my good owl and hedgehog friends. I spent a good portion of my pregnancy seeking out little woodland creatures for the twin's nursery.

I was asked to use butter cream frosting instead of fondant for the base of the cake. I personally don't like the look as much but it does make for a tastier cake.

The Adventures of Ben and Andy: The Case of the Kitchen Gate

Andy: Hey Ben, what do you see in there? I bet there's a lot of fun things or else mom wouldn't lock us out.


Ben: Look there's Katie. Let's see if she can help us get in. Mom always lets her in there, maybe she can show us the secret.


Andy: Good job Ben on opening the gate, but would you get off my legs so I can get through before we get caught.


Ben: Go Andy go!


Andy: Ben you've got to get in here. Katie has lots of food in a bowl we can share. Ooh and there's some stairs we could roll down. I can't believe mom won't let us in here.

While Mom's Away

So I was catching up on reading my friend Jen's blog and found these pictures on a post from last month. She was watching the babes for Dave while I was at work. I was so surprised to see my babies being poked with light sabers and sawed in half. Oh boys...




Thanks Jen. It seems like they were all having a great time. I need to have your boys come over and entertain the babes.