The Ross Review

Simple faith of a child

2012-01-26T21:29:00.000-08:00

Not long after Christmas Andrew's little doggie got lost. This is not just any doggie. His doggie has been him soulmate, companion, best friend since he was about a year old. It has been with him with him during his kidney surgery and all his medical tests, almost every night in bed, and through the thick and thin. The dog's name: Doggie. At first Andrew didn't seem too upset that we couldn't find him so we assumed we'd never see him again. The last we remember seeing him was when the boys were outside playing in the back and front yards while Steve was doing yard work. But I'd already searched the backyard and front yard and had luck.

Then yesterday morning Andrew woke up about 5:00 a.m. crying hysterically. He wanted Doggie, missed Doggie, had to have him. I'm pretty sure he had a dream about him. It broke my heart to see him so sad and I wished I could make him magically appear. Andrew was able to go back to sleep and when he woke up again about 6:45 he was still upset. He came and crawled in bed where I was reading. He snuggled up next week to me and we talked about Doggie. Then all of sudden Andrew said with enthusiasm, "I know!!! We could ask Jesus to help us find Doggie!!". Not what I would've come up with but Andrew has tremendous faith. So I suggested we say a pray at which we knelt down by the bed and prayed that we could find Doggie.

Then my doubts came. What if we don't find Doggie? What do I tell him then? Steve suggested we tell him Doggie went to heaven. But what if we tell him that and then we do find him? My idea: Doggie was resurrected.

Well, yesterday I did some serious searching again thinking that maybe I missed it on my quick search a while ago. No luck. Last night as Steve and I were talking, trying to think of any places in the house/garage it could be the idea came to my mind: what about that little basket on Aaron's tricycle? Sometimes Andrew would put Doggie in it. But I got distracted for forgot to check. Until this morning.

While I was on the phone and the boys were in the garage dorking around I went in their to make sure they weren't getting into anything harmful. Then I remembered the tricycle basket, lifted the lid, and I held my breath. Was it Aaron's "twin" doggie (Andrew knows the difference) or was it THE doggie. Sure enough- it was Andrew's!!!!! I quickly ended the phone call and put the basket lid down and yelled for Andrew. When I saw the look on his face when he saw that dog I started to cry. To put it lightly, he was ECSTATIC! He immediately began talking nonstop to that dog as if to catch him on the last 4 weeks.

I asked Andrew who helped us find the doggie and he said, "Jesus." So I told him that we should say a prayer to thank Jesus for helping us, which we did. The picture shown was one I took shortly when Andrew was reunited with Doggie. Tonight when Andrew went to bed he was sooo happy to have Doggie snuggled up against him. And so was I!

Tyler turns 1

2012-01-12T22:07:00.000-08:00

One year ago today Tyler was added to our family. I am so blessed to have a baby like Tyler. Since the time he could smile one of his nicknames is Smiler Tyler. He is happy all the time and rarely cries.

Just in the last 2 days Tyler has occasionally started to crawl on his knees. He can usually be found on the floor crawling all over on his stomach playing with toys and following his brothers around. One item that can usually be found in his hand are darts & there's plenty of them everywhere! Aaron and Andrew love to lay on the floor on their stomach and get Tyler to chase them around.
Tyler loves his big brothers, Aaron and Andrew. And the more interactive he gets the more they love him. I love having boys! Very busy but so much fun.
Tyler's first visit with Santa. He looked him with curiosity. But had he been on his lap much longer Tyler would've began screaming. Andrew and Aaron obviously were not afraid of Santa at all.

St. George 1/2 Marathon

2011-11-06T21:45:00.000-08:00

Although I've done a lot of running in the past it has never been consistent. As a student in high school I was on the cross country team but I put no extra effort into it and I'd almost always place last. ANYone could be on the team if they wanted so it was nothing special.

Other times I've ran: In college I ran off and on. In 2001 I trained for the St. George marathon, ran two 20 milers and a month before the race I injured my knee. Rather than injure my knee permanent I chose to not run the race. In the fall of 2006 I trained for a half marathon to run with my brother, Eric, and his wife, Lisa, in Boise. Three weeks before the race I learned I was pregnant. Probably could've ran the race but after thousands of dollars spent to get pregnant I didn't want to risk it. Since then I've either been pregnant, had a new baby, or not willing to bother trying to run. Until now.

Yesterday I ran my first half marathon! Some friends were planning to run this race and all of them have had a baby since I did last January. If they could do it so could I!! And I talked my sister, Marylynn, into doing it too.

The course was beautiful, mostly downhill, and well organized. It is a popular race with over 2000 participants. But the weather was horrible. Rain and snow throughout the night before the race and COLD and wind the day of. But thankfully the sky was clear during the race with no rain or snow. Just cold. Very cold.

I owe a big thank you to Steve for staying at home in Las Vegas to watch the boys while I took a short trip to St. George. We decided that would be easier than dragging them all there, staying in a hotel, and dealing with the bitter cold weather. And it felt great to have a little time to myself.

If you want to know what sore is, run a half marathon! It hurts to walk down stairs, sit down, stand up, walk, to move. But it's all worth it. And I'm now looking into running another half marathon this January in St. George.

Way way behind

2011-10-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

It will be impossible to catch up but the only thing I can do is start from here. The only excuse I have is being lazy. And tired. And busy.

So here are a few pictures and comments. My goal is to add a post once a week. We'll see how I do.

Hard to believe Tyler is 9 months! He is THE happiest, easiest baby! Perhaps I'm just saying that because he doesn't have a twin. He adores his brothers- all they have to do is walk in the room and he smiles and laughs and hysterically.

Andrew and Aaron started preschool in mid-September. They love it! And so do I. :) They love taking a backpack like big kids. When they return home they have a lot to tell me about but are worn out.

One day while Steve was weeding and doing yard work in the backyard Andrew decided to be a dragon and help out. He insisted on wearing the knee pads along with the accessories of a weeder.

This is a NEVER. For a couple of reasons. It is VERY rare that Aaron will fall asleep cuddled to a stuffed animal. Even more rare that he takes a nap. That particular day I was hoping they'd both fall asleep while Tyler was napping. Two out of three isn't so bad. Andrew, who needs sleep most, was the one awake.

I love this picture! This is a typical scene at our house. The twins love tearing up the cushions on the couches and making boats, mountains, submarines, forts, you name it. But they're pretty good about being gentle when Tyler is close by.

Fireman Training

2011-09-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we took the boys to a nearby fire station to talk to some firemen a close up look at a fire truck. Aaron and Andrew still talk about that day.

The firemen took up to the garage where a fire truck was parked and began to show them some of the hoses, helmets, and packs. He was a nice guy but had a challenge dumbing it down to a 3 yrs old level. Aaron was just as interested in the drinking fountain a few steps away and Andrew took a look at everything except.

We weren't there very long before a call came into the station and the visit was cut short. Aaron and Andrew were excited to watch them hurry into the fire engine, drive away, and start the siren. It probably won't be our last visit.

Band-Aid of Honor

2011-08-27T22:03:00.001-07:00

We have a new missionary in the family! Today Andrew found my old name tag I wore when I used to be an ordinance worker at the temple and he decided it was his missionary name tag. He packed for his mission in a matter of minutes- his backpack with his lunch box inside, a Book of Mormon, and a CTR ring (on his thumb). He was off to preach the gospel and change the world!

I LOVE those cheeks!

Whenever we take pictures of Andrew he always has bumps, scratches, bruises, or Band-Aids SOMEwhere on himself. He be a clutz and is always running into something, falling, or tripping. He must get it from me because my legs are full of bruises and scratches- all the time! Of course I have a blind on 25% of my peripheral vision- for reals. Anyway, whenever there's even the SMALLest little scratch he is begging for a band-aid. But his one was a true cut! He's fallen on something that cut his forehead and caused it to bleed. You can see how upset he was afterwards!

Lake Tahoe-Day 5

2011-08-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

Each morning while we were at Lake Tahoe we spent with one of us at the condo while Tyler took a nap. We'd take turns going on bike rides, or running, or going for a walk with the boys. Of course, we also took our time getting moving in the morning. After all, we were on vacation! In the afternoon we went somewhere as a family. On Day 5 (Tuesday) I went running and upon returning to the condo took Aaron and Andrew for a bike ride. These boys have become much heavier since the last time I pulled them in the trailer on my bike!

The following two pictures were actually taken the previous day when I took the boys for a walk to the lake in the morning while Steve stayed at home with Tyler. Aaron and Andrew could've thrown rocks in the water ALL day!

In the afternoon we went to Tahoe City and had lunch at a pizza place with a great view of the lake. Following lunch we put Tyler in a carrier on my back while Steve pushed the boys in our sit and stand stroller. We then walked down main street and went in a couple of shops, crossed over Fanny Bridge and walked to an area on the other side of the dam. Tyler slept most of the time on my back. We made it dark for him and out of the sun. (Fanny Bridge is what I've always known it. It's a bridge that crosses over the Truckee River that flows from the lake with a view of the dam. All you see are behinds as people stand there and view the river/dam/lake.)

Throwing rocks from the shore with a view of Tahoe City

on the left background

Tyler peeking out from under the blanket.

Lake Tahoe- Day 4

2011-07-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

Just a part of Eagle Falls

On a bridge that crosses over the falls

Monday, July 18, 2011

Since Tyler's best naps are usually in the morning one of us would always stay at the condo so he could nap and in the afternoon we went as a family to do something. So on Monday morning I went with Aaron and Andrew on a walk to the lake where the mansion is. We walked around a little and then, of course, we had to find lots of rocks to throw. They could've done that all day, every day we were there!

Late in the afternoon we all went on a hike to Eagle Falls which flow into Emerald Bay. It is a short hike to the falls but can be made longer by going on the way to Eagle Lake, which is beautiful. We just went to Eagle Falls which was plenty long for Aaron and Andrew. We used our hiking backpack to put Tyler in. We snuggled him tight, shaded his head, made it dark for him, and he could still breathe, of course. Tyler slept on the hike almost the entire way!

Stopping for a quick snack

Walking sticks we found along the way.

They became very attached to them but lost them a day or two later.

Hiking down from the falls

Lake Tahoe- Day 3

2011-07-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

July 17, 2011

This day was pretty much a relaxing day as well. Aaron came down with a cold the day before and was nice enough to pass it on to Tyler today. For that reason we only stayed for the 1st hour of church. On our way back to the condo from church we stopped at the bike shop in Tahoe City to see if Steve's bike (that he took it to the day before to get fixed) was finished. All that was needed was a new wheel and some adjustments! Phew! We lucked out big time!

Lake Tahoe- Days 2

2011-07-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

"Smiler Tyler" and me

Saturday, July 16

We pretty much hung around the condo and relaxed. Later in the day we went for a walk to the lake ("the mansion" as we always call it because there's a State Park with an early 1900's big mansion at the top of a hill with a dock just below it at the lake). The walk down there is on a wooded trail about 1.5 miles from the condo. Steve had devised a fishing pole using materials around the condo and attaching pieces of bacon to the end. He used it to fish for crawdads while sitting on the dock with Aaron and Andrew. I stood on the shore with Tyler and fed him while watching them. It made me nervous as I watched the twins moving around on the edge of the dock because it looked like any minute one of them was going to fall in the water! Thank goodness they didn't but the fishing experiences didn't last long for that very reason. They seemed to be more interested in throwing rocks in the water so Steve brought them ashore and that's what they did for probably an hour!

Fishing for Crawdads- you can see Steve's legs

hanging off the higher part of the dock

Lake Tahoe- Days 1

2011-07-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

(Oops! Posted Day 2 first, then Day 1. Oh well!)

Monitor Pass- viewing Antelope Valley down below

Every year we hope to make a trip to Lake Tahoe. Since I was a young girl I have been visiting there about once a year or every other. It is a place I will never get tired of because there is an endless amount of activities there any time of the year, it is gorgeous and the weather is great (especially in July and August). Not to mention the family condo we can stay in that's in a great area.

Our trip there was from July 15-22. Even though both Aaron and Tyler-and Steve too- were sick we managed to do several fun things. And relax, of course! With 3-year old twins and a baby we are a bit limited on the activities we could do but we made it fun for them. And we had a great time too!

Friday, July 15

The trip from Las Vegas to Tahoma, CA (on the west side of the Lake) is NOT a short trip! According to mapquest the drive is about 9.5 hours. With a young family that requires more and longer stops the realistic drive is about 11-12 hrs. The trip there took us 12 hrs with arrival time being 9:30. Thank goodness for the DVD play in our car! The boys watched a lot of TV in the car. About 2 hrs after getting on the road I happened to be turned around helping the boys when I saw one of our bikes fly off, hit the road, and bounce off the side into the desert. I yelled, "We lost a bike!!" Thank goodness it was in the middle of nowhere and now other cars were around. We turned around and found the bike and were able to reattach it on the car w/o any further excitement. We assumed the bike was a goner but were fortunate enough to learn a couple of days later that it only cost $90 to repair. If I hadn't happened to be turned around we wouldn't lost the bike for good. Other than that we had a smooth ride. We arrived tired and worn out and same with the boys. They are not good car sleepers (all 3) so it was only the last hour or two that they got any rest.

There are several options for routes from Las Vegas to Tahoe- most of them mostly through the desert in the middle of nowhere! But there are some pretty areas, cute towns, and great views. This was one of my favorite views about 3 hrs before reaching Lake Tahoe. Walker, CA is the largest town in the valley below.

We Love Our Daddy

2011-06-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

Even though Father's Day was a few days ago I thought it would be fun to still do this survey. A friend of mine did this with her 3-year-old. I loved his answers so much that I was interested to know how Aaron and Andrew would respond to questions about their daddy.

Survey about Daddy

by Andrew (age 3)

1. What is something dad always says to you?

I love you

2. What makes dad happy?

(Said nothing, just made a happy face.)

3. What makes dad sad?

(Said nothing; just made a sad face.)

4. How does your dad make you laugh?

When I lay on his tummy.

5. How old is your daddy?

Uhhh...he's old.

6. How tall is your dad?

Big! (And he threw his arms straight up in this air.)

7. What is his favorite thing to do?

Climb up a ladder and fix.

8. What does your dad do when you are not home?

Go to work.

9. What is your dad really good at?

Pulling weeds.

10. What is your dad not good at?

No. Happy.

11. What does your dad do at work?

Grow hairs on his chin.

12. What is your dad's favorite food?

Sloppy joes.

13. What makes you proud of your dad?

Do Family Home Evening

14. What do you and daddy do together?

Umm....stay home.

15. What does daddy like to do in the backyard?

16. What is Daddy's favorite color?

Blue. No, red.

Survey about Daddy

by Aaron (age 3)

1. What is something dad always says to you?

Happy Father's Day

2. What makes dad happy?

When he comes home.

3. What makes dad sad?

That. (while making a sad face)

4. How does your dad do to make you laugh?

Happy. (My answer: tickle him)

5. How old is your daddy?

Three. (scrunched his forehead as if confused)

6. How tall is your dad?

Bigger. (while pointing to the top of his head)

7. What is his favorite thing to do?

Happy Father's Day

8. What does your dad do when you are not home?

Work

9. What is your dad really good at?

At the store

10. What is your dad not good at?

Tools (should've been the answer for the previous question)

11. What does your dad do at work?

Stuff. Buy something.

12. What is your dad's favorite food?

Ham

13. What makes you proud of your dad?

Hmmm ...Happy Father's Day!

14. What do you and daddy do together?

Do a game.

What is daddy's favorite color?

orange

15. What does daddy like to do in the backyard?

Pull weeds

I love these boys!

2011-05-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

From other moms and relative of twins (boys especially) Aaron and Andrew are typical 3-year-old twins. Best of friends yet worst of enemies at the same time. Fortunately they get along most times. It makes the rough time worth it. Especially moments like this-

Andrew thinks Aaron is hilarious- except the times

when he gets hit, pushed, and bit by Aaron

Smiler Tyler is the name we often call our sweet little guy. He is ALWAYS happy!! This morning when he awoke at 4:15a.m. all he wanted to do was smile and laugh in my arms rather than eat. All I wanted was to go back to bed! Even so, I am in love with this adorable, little man!! I love his smiles, his laughs, his coos, the joy he brings me every day. I can't believe he is over 4 months old. He is growing way too fast. Is there any way to slow things down??

Tyler sitting in his Bumbo seat for the first time. As usual he is all smiles. Notice the cute behind in the background. :) Most of the time the twins are shorts/pants-free around the house. It's much easier- for them and me- when they need to go to the bathroom to only have to drop their undies.

Smiler Tyler

Finally, Aaron and Andrew learn to ride tricycles!! Santa Claus bought the bikes for them when they were about 18 months. Ever since then they have not been interested or were unable to ride them. Recently, Andrew has been practicing and trying. About a week ago he finally got the hang of it! Yeah Andrew! When Aaron saw that Andrew could ride it he didn't want to be outdone. So he got on his and away he went!

Andrew

Aaron

3 out of 4

2011-04-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

Tyler's actually 4 out of 4. The title is about something else.

While we were excited to learn we were pregnant with Tyler it soon turned to nervousness for the first 16 weeks until we learned whether or not he had hydronephrosis. We were greatly relieved to learned he was clean! Phew! The first pregnancy we didn't lose, or think we were going to lose, a baby. Even though we had a bumpy spot or two Tyler was born healthy with no complications. Or so we thought.

Five weeks ago I took Andrew and Tyler to Red Rock Radiology so both could have an ultrasound on their kidneys- Andrew for a routine follow-up and Tyler so the urologist could take a look at his kidneys now that he was out of the womb. Of course I wasn't worried because if there was a problem it would have been detected in one of the numerous ultrasounds I had during pregnancy. The reason I had so many is because of being high risk; the first thing that was always checked was the kidneys and the amniotic fluid and it was always normal.

When I arrived at the doctor's office the following week I had no worries about learning the results of either test until the nurse made a comment about Tyler not receiving an "A+" on his test. "What? Tyler????" I said. She is a very happy, friendly, and fun nurse so I wasn't sure if she was just joking or being serious. When she realized what she'd said she quickly said, "Oh, you know" and moved on to other things. "Oh, well. Whatever. I'll find out soon enough," I thought.

After I learned that Andrew's right ureter is still constricted and will need further work (no surprise) she moved on to Tyler. She said his left kidney is normal but the right is interesting. Rather than just one 'drain' he has two. Each one has a ureter that begins toward the bladder but the top one joins the bottom ureter so it looks like a Y. The top drain is incomplete and has some backup into the kidney. Since then he has been on an antibiotic to ensure that no infection forms.

This morning I took Tyler to the hospital for a MAG3 test. I couldn't remember the directions but I was pretty sure from 3 years ago when Andrew had the same test that he couldn't eat for 8 hours before. We fed him only 4 hours before the test though since he is on a liquid diet anyway. Once I got there I learned I could've fed him right up until the test. Wish I'd known that- all that crying and me feeling guilty for nothing! First, they tried putting an IV in him but found no good veins so they called down a transport nurse who is highly trained on IV's in pediatrics. She put in the IV on Tyler while I held him. His next tough thing was the catheter. I never enjoy having one put in me but at least I understand what and why it's being done. He was miserable and very mad. He was not happy to be strapped down either. Once his arms and legs were constricted he screamed, cried, and tried kicking and moving his way out. Poor Tyler! He finally cried himself to sleep.

I was much braver this time around then three years ago when Andrew had the same test at about the same age. It's okay for the mom (or dad or both) to be there next to the bed the entire time. When Andrew had his I remember it was difficult for me to see him cry so hard from having an IV in that I was finally excused from the room and told to go to the waiting area down the hall. At first I was afraid a similar thing would happen this time but I managed to keep my emotions stable and was able to be there to comfort Tyler and make it easier. In fact, I even got a picture on my cell phone of him smiling- after having an IV and catheter put in and being strapped down!

Well, after learning that Tyler is not completely free from kidney problems I realized that 3 out of my 4 children have, or had, hydronephrosis. Rachel had it the worst and lived for only a short time. We thought we were going to lose Andrew too but he is a miracle and lives a normal life although he's had surgeries, tests, stints, ultrasounds and isn't done yet. And Tyler now has it but really minor. Aaron managed to skate by somehow and is the lucky one. We've become a little familiar with hydronephrosis and our pediatric urologist, Dr. Close (who is THE best!) has become very familiar with us!

Tyler's growth chart by picture

2011-04-18T22:58:00.000-07:00

When the twins were the same age as Tyler I gave my blog almost daily attention. Now it is so poorly neglected it's pathetic. Part of this was probably because I had a new camera that I loved trying out and some of it was because the babies I had were sleeping a lot. Now, well, it's very different. Still new into potty trained twins (that's a post all of it's own!), LOTS of doctor appointments, and twins that are transitioning out of naps. The list could go on and on but the blog is close to the bottom of the long list.

Tyler began smiling about a month ago but now he is smiling, cooing, and has even 'laughed' for me when I tickle him. About 2 weeks ago he began sleeping through the night! Yeah! He sleeps solid for about 10 hours, wakes up to be fed, and then goes back to sleep for about 3 more hours! It has been very nice not to have to wake up in the middle of the night. A lot of pictures have been taken but have yet to be added to the blog. Each month I have taken a picture of him in a onesie with a paper that tells how old he is now. Usually this picture has been (or will be) done on his bouncy chair or the floor. When seen on a hourly/daily basis his growth seems so gradual. By looking at these pictures it reminds me that he is slowly growing.

Newborn- 2 weeks

Two months- forgot the paper. Oops

The Evening of a Lifetime

2011-03-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

This last week my ward had a Relief Society activity that celebrated the anniversary of the Relief Society organization. Prior to the evening the book The Hundred Dresses was passed around for everyone to read. The activity entailed a light dinner and a fashion show of dresses from different time periods. Each dress had a story behind it that was shared while the dress was being modeled. It was an enjoyable evening (especially to get away from home and my very busy children!) and was well prepared and organized.

That night was feeding Tyler in the wee hours of the morning- 3:00 am.- I remembered from the middle of nowhere, a dress hanging in the closet downstairs. If only I'd remembered this dress before the evening's activity:

The history behind it:

In 1967 my mother had been dating my dad for about three years. They had a date to the 1967 New Year's Ball. She sewed a long green velvet dress with a matching coat. That night my dad proposed and my mom accepted.

Ever since my mother died I have had this dress and coat hanging in my closet. It wasn't until the middle of the night that I remembered the dressing in my closet and wish I'd remembered it in time to wear it at the activity. Since it's too late for that I'll "model" it here online.

One month old (4 days ago!)

2011-02-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

It was a month ago today (now 4 days ago) that Tyler joined our family. He is a good baby who does what all newborns do- eat, sleep, and poop! But I could spend the entire day holding and loving him and doing nothing else. He has been sick with a nasty cold for the last 10 days his brothers were generous enough to share with him. I am so grateful he is healthy in every other way though and so grateful he has joined our family.

We initially thought he would be another redhead but it doesn't appear to be the case. My guess is he'll be anywhere from blonde to light brown. Regardless of the color he is gorgeous! When he was weighed a week ago he was 8 lbs (born at 6 lbs 10 oz) and this week is now 8 lbs 5 oz. so he is gaining weight good.

During the first few baths Tyler let me know he did NOT like them! But now he seems to have learned this will be a regular part of his life. Eventually he will become like his older brothers and complain when it's time to get out of the tub!

Tyler's first bath

A common question I get is: How is Aaron and Andrew adjusting? Some days are better than others but I think as time goes on it'll become easier. During the first week Aaron seemed to show no interest in his new brother. Now he likes to help hold the bottle, come sit by me as I feed Tyler and is a great helper by getting me a diaper and the wipes.

This has been an eventful month to say the least! It is difficult enough to recover from delivery (especially a c-section), adjust to less sleep, caring for older siblings and all with the same amount of hours in a day. To add to that I was back in the hospital 3 weeks later for 2 days- and Tyler was at home. In the early morning hours of February 1, I had two grand mal seizures. Since Steve had to be here with the boys until help arrived I was transferred to the hospital by ambulance. We still don't know the cause of the seizures (and we may never know) but one thing is for sure- I don't feel comfortable driving yet. There could be many causes- my very high blood pressure, lack of sleep, stress, hormones out of whack, or low medication levels. This last week I saw a new neurologist who will be ordering an updated MRI, EEG, and blood work to test my medicine levels. I will be very anxious to know the results. In the meantime, friends and ward members have been wonderful to help pick up the boys, give me rides, bring dinner, or help in any way they can. The week following my return home from the hospital the twins and Steve all got a bad cold who gave it to Tyler. Now that they're all recovering I've now got the nasty bug.

It is fun to watch them change as they continue to grow and learn and I love (for the most part!) each phase so far. But I sure wish they didn't have to change so rapidly the first few months!

Brothers

2011-01-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

Everyone asks us, "How are the boys adjusting?" I don't have anything to compare it to but I'm think they doing great. Aaron and Andrew are getting used the idea that Tyler is going away and they love the idea of being big brothers.

Prior to Tyler's delivery Andrew was always more interested in feeling my tummy, 'listening' to the baby by putting his ear to my stomach, talking about Tyler. Aaron showed little interested in comparison. During their first visit to the hospital to see their new brother we asked them if they wanted to hold Tyler. Andrew quickly climbed up on a chair and smiled sincerely at his new brother in his lap. Aaron said, "No!" and walked the opposite directions to press all the buttons on my bed and anything else he could. I wasn't successful at getting picture of Aaron by himself holding the baby.

But now they've both warmed up to Tyler. Whenever I'm feeding him they like to come sit next to me and kiss his head, rub his feet, talk to him, show him their toys, or hold his hand.

Andrew and Aaron seem to have changed a lot in the last 2.5 weeks- mostly for the better. Aaron has been constantly sucking on his right wrist- all day- and soaking his sleeve (insecurities?). Both have been more defiant. But now they seem much more grown up. Both are more independent, willing to help with Tyler. They seem more attached to Daddy than every before. They both seem much bigger than before although I'm sure they've gained little weight in the last couple of weeks (except maybe Andrew-he really is bigger). And they play together very well since they don't always have my full attention when busy with Tyler.

I love all of my beautiful boys! It is my hope they will all be best friends.

2011-01-15T22:02:00.000-08:00

Day 4 - Tyler is doing great. He has been eating very well. We are also supplementing his nursing with formula. So he has been getting plenty to eat. However, it looks like Katie will have to stay in the hospital another day. Her blood pressure is still too high for my doctor to order her discharge. So we hope she will be discharged tomorrow. Aaron and Andrew also love their new baby brother. They helped Katie push Tyler in his cart for a walk around the hospital halls.

2011-01-14T23:39:00.000-08:00

Day 3 - Tyler is doing much better today. He is really getting into the new nursing thing. If you think about it, he has to learn just about everything for the first time. Aaron and Andrew stopped by for a visit and Andrew got a chance to hold baby Tyler. He was so happy to have a chance to hold him. When asked if Aaron wanted to hold Tyler, he said a resounding NOPE. He was more interested in pressing all of the buttons on the hospital bed. So we know for now Aaron may not want any interest in Tyler. Grandma Ross also visited us in the hospital to see Tyler for the first time.

2011-01-13T23:15:00.000-08:00

Day 2 - Both Tyler and Katie continue to do well. Katie only got about 45 minutes of sleep last night. With having to feed Tyler every few hours and nurses coming into hospital room to check on Katie and the the baby there wasn't much time to sleep. But she did get a short nap this afternoon. Tyler continues to learn how to nurse, but with a few troubles. However he is doing better with each feeding and is starting to really figure it out.

2011-01-13T23:10:00.000-08:00

Day 1 - Today was a wonderful day. It is the day Tyler Scott Ross was born. He was born at 12:05 pm weighing 6 pounds 10 ounces and 17 inches in length. We are so glad to finally have him with us.

Oh Dam!

2011-01-08T22:26:00.000-08:00

You know, as in Hoover Dam. This post is quite delayed but that is the story of my life lately, and therefore, my blog. Sometime this last November the new bridge over the dam was completed. On Christmas Eve we had some time in the morning to go see it like we've been wanting to. It takes close to an hour one way, but with the help of a DVD player and some snacks the boys (and us!) hardly noticed the long distance. Especially since it was lunch time and already into nap time.

The Arizona/Nevada border is in the middle of the Colorado River.

Hoover Dam seen from the new bridge. Before the new bridge was completed it took forever to cross over-

it was only one late and very slow. Now you're over in a matter of minutes.

The new Hoover Dam bridge

The new bridge as seen from Hoover Dam.

Family Pictures

2011-01-03T16:03:00.001-08:00

Wow! I think this is a first! More than one post in the same day!

Last month we took the opportunity to have some updated family pictures taken. It took two sessions since one of the twins (won't name names) was very uncooperative the first time. But we managed to get a couple of good family pictures. These are a few of my favorites that didn't make it on the Christmas card.

Winter Wonderland in Vegas

2011-01-03T15:29:00.000-08:00

Snow is a big deal here in Las Vegas! This morning when I woke up around 6:30 the snow was coming down in big heavy flakes and continued for about an hour. I couldn't wait for Aaron and Andrew to wake up so they could see the spectacular scene! Now I'm sure if you live somewhere like Denver or Utah snow is something more of an annoyance. But for us Vegans we enjoy the rarity of snow in the desert.

This morning I had to drop them off at a friend's house at 9 a.m. so I could be at my 9:15 dr appt. We rushed to through breakfast and getting ready so they could have a chance to play in the snow for a few minutes. It was all fun until Aaron started to run down the driveway, slipped, landed flat on his back, and bumped his head. By the time I picked them up shortly before noon most of the snow was melted.

While checking out of the grocery store this afternoon the checker commented how she called the school to see if school was cancelled because of the snow. She'd had her husband drive her to work this morning. Now give me a break!! I may be slightly overexcited about the snow but I'm not ignorant to it. We about 1.5 inches, maybe 2. And within short time it was gone.
So when we rarely get it here in Las Vegas try to appreciate it as much as we can.

Side Notes

1. One of my resolutions is to add to my blog 2x per month. Now that I'm making that public maybe I'll be more committed to doing it. Since we lost (so far) our pictures at least we have the blog from the first 2.5 yrs of Aaron and Andrew's life. Plus, my handwritten journal has a little too much dust on it.

2. This Wednesday we will bring our new baby into the world!! So far he is doing super. Had a couple of scares but what would a pregnancy of mine be without at least one nerve racking experience?! More posts to follow soon.

Funny Faces

2010-12-26T21:06:00.001-08:00

This evening we stumbled across a program on our Mac that make adjust pictures and create different effects. All of us were laughing and had a fun time, even Aaron and Andrew. Here is our new family look:

If we were the winners of different contests for the best photos Steve wins for Most Kissable Lips, Andrew wins for Biggest Cheeks, I win for The Ugliest, and Aaron for Most Photogenic.

I'm still alive...

2010-12-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

Huge shock- a new post from Katie! Over the last six weeks there have been several times I wanted, or planned, to add something. But I have two good excuses:

- My laptop crashed in early November. Due to procrastination pictures were not backed up (or anything else) and I lost everything. Learned my lesson the hard way. (Note: we sent our hard drive to FL and are awaiting word for possible recovery).

- When the boys are awake it's nearly impossible to do anything I want to do. When they're asleep I'm too tired to get anything done.

More posts should follow soon since six weeks of new pictures have been taken.

Merry Christmas!!

Decorating with Desitin

2010-11-04T21:59:00.001-07:00

Desitin is one of the MANY words Aaron (and Andrew) knows how to say- probably because he is used on him more than I'd like. It not my favorite thing to spread on him but I wasn't sure whether to cry or laugh this morning when he decided to squeeze Desitin out of the tube.

While I was showering this morning I was rather surprised when neither Aaron or Andrew came into the bathroom. Wow! They're being so good this morning, I thought. However, while I was getting dressed Andrew walked in my room and said, "Uh oh, messy."

Uh oh is right. I went to go see what messy was all about and found Aaron decorated in Desitin. What was once a full tube was now nearly empty. All over the room it was evident where his hands had been or where he'd squeezed- couch, floor, books, clothes, toys, and himself. Picture could never show just what a mess he'd made! And this did not look like fun to clean up. After VERY little sleep last night (stayed too late sewing at my friend's house) this was not how I wanted to start my day. And while I was busy cleaning it up I heard them going downstairs pulling a kitchen chair over to the counter to do who know what! They were quickly ushered upstairs to watch cartoons while I finished the job. If my shower hadn't woken me up this mess sure did.

I love Aaron's fun personality, his smile, and affectionate hugs, etc but I have to admit this is a nice part of the day (especially when they're both in this mode):

He is so cute! I love it when they're asleep. :-)

Trunk or Treat

2010-10-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

There is so much that has happened in the last month that needs to be posted really bad. But when I have a rare free moment lately I've either wanted to read, sew, or sleep.

Tonight was our ward's Trunk or Treat and it's not any small activity. Our ward is huge and I think everyone showed up for this event. Before kids went around for candy there was a soup dinner with rolls and of course dessert. (Not that there'd be enough candy afterwards!)

I think this year is the first Halloween where they actually "get it." Last year when we took them trick or treating Aaron and Andrew were done after getting one piece because all they wanted to do was sit down and eat their candy. When we told them we were going to the Trunk or Treat, gave them a pumpkin basket, and told them they'd be getting candy, it didn't take any pushing them out the door to the car. Instead they were rushing us out! However, they did start getting tired (there were A LOT of cars to trunk or treat) and by the end they were done. In a few years I'm sure they'll be begging to go around more than once regardless of how tired they are- that means more candy!

A new family moved into our ward 2 months ago who we've become good friends with already. Ramsey is the same age as Aaron and Andrew and they love playing with him. He was dressed as a Duke basketball player.

While we were there at the Trunk or Treat there was so much for them to look at that I found it impossible to get a decent picture with both of them at least looking at the camera. This was the best I could get.

Upon arriving home they HAD to dump out their stash and take a look. We didn't mind, of course, because then we could get a piece of two for ourselves. :) When they're a little older we won't be able to have that luxury.

Their attempt at being really scary bears:

Airplanes and more

2010-09-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

Are you ever looking for some very inexpensive (free) fun? Go to the nearest airport and watch airplanes take off and land. We live about 30 minutes from the Las Vegas Airport and this evening (yes, THIS evening...I'm actually posting this the day of) we took Aaron and Andrew to watch airplanes. They're always pointing out airplanes from our backyard or anytime they're outside and see one.

They loved watching the planes and kept saying "Faster, faster" and just staring in complete awe. (Side note: Don't look too closely at the above picture or you'll see that Andrew-on the left- has his shirt on backwards. That means someone else dressed them this morning besides me.) The sun was beating down hard on us and the temperature was over 100. Originally, we were planning to go to a nearby park for a picnic and fun. But the airport isn't in the greatest areas and it's certainly not at the cooler part of the city. So we returned to our side of town and went to a park just up the street from our home. And it was much cooler. Although "much cooler" only meant 98 vs. 105, a few degrees CAN make a huge difference.

We ate sandwiches, chips, apples, and grapes. The first few minutes we were there they sat on the blanket or a chair. After that they were all over the place and ate on the go.

Andrew eating grapes at the sandbox

Our boys are not shy at all. Every time (I mean EVERY time) we see someone they say, "Hi. Hi," until they get a response. At least half of the time they don't get one and eventually they stop saying hi. Usually it's either Aaron or Andrew greeting people- rarely both of them. When we were at the park there were some friends there with their children throwing a football to each other. Andrew walked up to them, said his usual hello, and joined their game. But their kids were about 10 years older and they were wanting to play some serious football. As soon as Andrew would get the ball, he no longer was interested in throwing it to anyone else- it was HIS ball now. So Steve went to our car and got out the soccer ball. This way we could have our own game of ball. They loved watching Steve throw the ball high up in the air and landing somewhere on the grass or Andrew's forehead (while he was on my lap I wasn't paying attention and next thing I knew the ball landed on his forehead pretty hard. But he's tough and just whimpered for a minute or so and then he was running around again).

Once in a while we like to do something different than our normal evening routine of dinner, clean up, bath (some nights), bedtime. And Aaron and Andrew love it too.

Where'd the last 5 weeks go??

2010-08-22T21:50:00.001-07:00

Best friends (sometimes)

It has been way too long since I've updated my blog. My excuse? Too tired or I'd rather read my book that I've now completed. There's a lot I'd like to add right now but I vowed I'd get my blog updated before I went to bed tonight. Before the week is over I will also be updating the background for the blog to hopefully make it a little more appealing.

This summer has gone by WAY too fast! It's hard to believe that August is almost over. A few of the things we've done the last 5 weeks:

- While Steve went on a 3 day camp out with his Scout troop, I took the boys to my sister's in Parowan, UT. This was over July 24th weekend. Lots of fun except for a nasty cold I got the day I arrived.

- The following weekend we all went to SLC, stayed w/friends who used to live in Las Vegas. While there we went to my nephew's baptism and saw lots of family.

- Went to the water park a lot

- Played in our "water pool" in our backyard- alot

- Added plantation shutters to all our upstairs windows. LOVE them!

- I am now 19 weeks pregnant and feeling great (other than tired all the time). And for those who haven't heard- we are having another BOY!! A boy without hydronephrosis! We cried for joy! Keeping our fingers crossed that all else is well.

- This last weekend I went to St. George for a girl's weekend to sew with my stepmom while my dad came down to Vegas to help Steve and see his adorable grandsons. It was a lot of fun until Saturday around noon when Sharon fell down the stairs and broke her knee cap. No fun for her since she just recovered from a broken femur & shattered knee 17 month ago.

But I had my first ride in an ambulance.

Are we girls -

I watched a friend's little girl one day who brought over lots of little girl toys. The boys loved playing with her rings, necklaces & purse. If Aaron and Andrew had been girls they would've been just as cute!

or are we boys??

We purchased some toy tools that to our boys are real tools.

They've caused a lot of arguments but a lot of fun.

At my sister's the boys drove this car whatever chance they got.

We don't have a swimming pool but a "water pool" with a slide we rigged will work just as good. With the 100+ temperatures of Las Vegas summers you've got to cool yourself somehow.

Dealing with the heat

2010-07-15T22:10:00.001-07:00

During the summer heat in Vegas the only way to survive outside for longer than 2 minutes involves either water or shade. Or better yet- ice cream. The last week the temperatures have been 105+. I am NOT wanting to even walk down to the mailbox. We are not lucky enough right now to have a pool in our backyard. So we've found some ways to let the boys cool down with water right in our own backyard. This way I don't have to go anywhere, try to swim in a public pool on my own with twins, or sweat outside in the sun while the boys kind of play in the water at our nearby water park.

So instead I found some cheap containers at the store, fill them with water and let the boys play while I sit in the shade and read or enjoy watching them. It doesn't take much to entertain them- they love pouring the water from one container to another or on themselves or each other.

Another thing they love are spraying cheap water bottles- I found them for only $1 each- on themselves, me, each other, the ground, or pretty much anything. And this week I finally decided to pull out the little blow-up pool and let them have fun. They call it the "owie-pool" or "water pool." Their word for water is 'owie' which cane easily be mixed up with getting hurt. While they play and splash in sit in my chair in the shade, drink ice water, and try to relax. Now all they want to do in the backyard is play in the water pool.

One of these days it would be nice to have a real pool in our backyard but for now we are managing to survive-and have fun- in this deadly heat.

4th of July weekend

2010-07-05T21:11:00.001-07:00

We were one of the few families who actually stayed home in Vegas for the July 4th holiday. One of our former neighbors invited us over for a neighborhood party and an afternoon potluck and to swim in their above ground pool. Our boys never made it to the pool. They had too much fun playing in the mountain of toys at the house. We stayed for a couple of hours and returned home in time to do a few sparklers under very close supervision. Andrew seemed a bit more scared of them than Aaron but was willing to hold one.

Looks much worse than it was- Andrew is actually standing far enough away that Aaron didn't touch him or get close. Maybe Aaron's thinking about getting him back for something.

Friday morning we drove to the temple, which is across town. They each have a picture of the temple in their room and have been noticing it in pictures and in books. But lately everything has become a temple- the church, "big" buildings around town, etc. In order to clarify what is a temple and what isn't we figured a drive out there couldn't hurt. We pretty much just walked around the temple grounds, pointed out things like Moroni at the top, let them touch the temple, and looked at the flowers and fountains. We walked in the foyer for a few minutes but their naming of the pictures sounded like yelling in such a quiet environment. So we quickly left. Since then they no longer call every building seen from the car a temple- sometimes it's a "house", "big house", "church", and once-in-a-while a "temple". Although we weren't there for a long we had a good time.

I LOVE this picture!!

Fewer food frustrations

2010-07-05T15:07:00.001-07:00

Anyone who has a child, or has observed infants & toddlers, knows that mealtime isn't always fun. It might involve a mess (that's a given), throwing of food, utensils, or dishes, tantrums, and refusing to eat certain foods. Since Aaron and Andrew began eating table food we've witnessed all three.

Until last week one of my biggest frustrations was Aaron's refusal to eat most anything- and sometimes Andrew. Breakfast has never been a problem and lunch not too bad. But dinner was another issue. We've tried the "you eat what we give you or you starve" method. Worked well for Andrew. Aaron would starve and wake up the next morning a monster. Wasn't worth it to us. We tried the "eat this and then you can have this" method. Andrew got it; Aaron didn't care (until recently). We found that feeding him what he liked- a LOT of chicken fish, or rice-was easiest. He wouldn't eat anything with pasta in it, absolutely no vegetables (that hasn't changed), and anything that looked "different" in his eyes. He likes PBJ, chicken nuggets, yogurt, most fruits, rice, bread, anything dipped heavily in soy sauce (except pasta), and "sometimes" other things. "Sometimes" was the most frustrating part- one day he'd scarf it down, the next he'd refuse to eat it.

Last week all this changed. I dropped them off at co-op for a couple of hours while I ran some errands and got some things done. If you cover the 9-12 a.m. shift you are expected to feed the children under your care a snack (i.e. lunch) around 11 a.m. When I pick them up I usually ask how they ate because sometimes they both get so involved in playing, or because there's so many kids around, that they don't eat much. When I asked last week how they ate my friend said they ate "great! Each ate a big bowl of mac & cheese." Wait a minute!! They "each" ate a big bowl of it??? Did she get mixed up about Aaron? She confirmed that AARON ate a bowl of mac & cheese. Not that mac & cheese is the most nutritious food on the market but we have made NUMEROUS attempts to feed him that, all of which failed. It is a favorite of Andrew. If he'll eat that, then he'll mostly likely eat lasagna, spaghetti (which we've fed him with rice or quonia instead of pasta), and most any other pasta dish.

Since that day we have learned that it wasn't just a one day thing. He has eaten mac & cheese again, lasagna, a pasta salad/dessert, cantaloupe, potato salad, and some other "different" things that he never would have before. And he's also understood in the last week or two the concept of "you eat this and then you get this" method which has opened up several new possibilities and ended most frustrations.

To me, this is a miracle!

Backyard Fun

2010-07-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Our back yard went from this:

to this....

(Taken from an opposite angle as the 1st picture but shows the same part of the yard)

To finally this!!!

I LOVE having the backyard (half of it anyway) landscaped and a fun swing set/fort that Steve put a lot of love into. It took him 4 full days to complete- 2 of them in 105+ heat. He was lucky to have some relief for 2 of the days with 85 temps. The boys love their new fun and so do any kids who have come over to play. And it's saved my afternoons many times- I send them out back while I fix dinner, read on the back patio, etc.

Triplets

2010-06-20T20:42:00.001-07:00

Oh, no! We are so not having triplets! But Andrew has triplets and doesn't even know it...

When I purchased beanie baby doggies for Aaron & Andrew last fall, Andrew immediately became attached to his. The official name is: doggie. When I realized Andrew HAD to have his when he took a nap or went to bed or got hurt or pretty much went anywhere, I purchased 3 more. I got tired of searching the house before naptime. It was easier to grab one of the spares & say, "Look, I found it!" Later, when the missing doggie was found I'd put it in my drawer. Sometimes though, Andrew is the one who finds it-

When he see TWO doggies he gets really excited!! But when he's not paying attention I take one and hide it. At one time we had a total of 4 but one of them got lost at church and has never been found. Some other little boy or girl is perhaps attached to the same dog.

Andrew's doggie has accompanied him on bike rides....

While playing in the backyard...

relaxing on the couch...

During kidney surgery....

And a zillion other places that never got photographed. Whenever he gets hurt and is crying in my arms the first thing he says is, "Doggie. Net-nie (interpretation: blankie)." The net-nie is seen in the picture above. Those are his comforts. They solved any crisis. When he had is MRI and Mag-3 tests they were right by his side the entire time.

California in May- finally!

2010-06-13T20:59:00.001-07:00

I figure before June is over I ought to post some of the pictures from our trip in May to California. Although we had a lot of fun on our trip it turned out quite different than we had planned- at least the last part.

We left on May 22 and drove all day to Danville where my aunt Nancy lives. We stayed with her until Tuesday morning. The weather was gorgeous and on Monday we went to the Oakland Zoo. The boys loved seeing all the animals and we had fun too.

We also enjoyed going over to my Uncle Mark & Aunt Wanda's on Sunday night for evening and visiting. It's been a while since I've seen them and only wish more of my cousins were there!

Then we left Tuesday morning for Lake Tahoe. We stopped in Roseville on our way and spend a few hours with my brother, Mark, and his family. It will be the last time we can see them there before they move to Denver in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, we neglected to take any pictures.

As we drove up to Tahoe we were accompanied by freezing rain and colder and colder temperature that dipped down to the low 30's that night. We awoke to about 2 inches of snow. So much for our bike rides and hikes! It was the same thing Thursday & Friday mornings too!

This was the scene from our window at the condo. Gorgeous!

Fortunately, we had checked the weather ahead of time and came prepared with warm clothes. The boys loved playing in the snow and throwing snowballs. Despite the cold weather we managed to do some fun things. Stopped at Emerald Bay for a while & enjoyed the views on our way to South Lake Tahoe for shopping and fun.

Eventually the weather warmed up by the end of the week and we stayed an extra day so we could have one day of only sun and no bad weather. One afternoon we walked down to the mansion about 2 miles away and walked around it. Aaron tried opening a back door so we could get in- but it was locked! Would've loved to sneak in and take a peak. And even though it wasn't at the mansion or the lake I loved the picture of Andrew being so proud of himself for climbing on a stump. On the last day were there we managed to go for a 5 mile bike ride so we didn't bring the bikes for nothing! The boys loved throwing rocks in the lake and watching them splash- could've have done that all day!!

There are so many other things that have gone on since then and hopefully it won't take me so long to post them this time!

Out with the Old, In with the New

2010-05-19T21:45:00.001-07:00

Last week is not one I would choose to repeat although the results of it are. All in less than a week Andrew had major surgery on his kidney, we paid thousands of $ for landscaping, and Aaron had a bad case of flu that sent him to the ER. But the good outcome? Andrew has a healthier kidney and is recovering excellently, Aaron is almost over it, and we have a much better looking and way more fun backyard.

The old backyard (some of it)-

The entire back and side yards looked like this- nothing except small rock throughout. Not much fun for twin 2-year olds (I mean, the mom-they had a great time!) who love throwing rocks.

The new back & side yard (part of it, anyway)-

Pictures are from the same point.

The patch seen before the grass will include a swing set with a slide, sandbox, and tree house. Assembly not included. :( The paved area around the grass is a 3 foot wide racetrack. The boys are already begging to go, "owside."

One of the side yards. The path seen leads to a newly paved side courtyard with a door into the front hallway. The front yard is on the other side of the fence with a newly paved front courtyard.

Andrew's new kidney

Although Andrew didn't receive a kidney transplant (thank goodness!) the surgery resulted in a healthier, better working right kidney. This surgery was almost identical to the one he had at 7 weeks old on his left kidney. The left kidney was opened up a little and received a stint in the ureter along with the stint his right ureter received. Andrew is a golden patient. He was almost always happy, smiled, 'chattered' with the nurses, and never cried when anyone came in the room. He was in the hospital for 2 nights and so did I! We are grateful to our friends who helped watch Aaron each day and meals we received. Oh, and I should mention I got pulled over on the way to the hospital for speeding. I was going 75 in a supposedly 45 zone on the freeway but maybe the cop actually believed me when I told him I was on my way to the hospital! It must've been my lucky day because I thought for sure I'd be getting a hefty ticket on top of the huge hospital bill. The cop was feeling nice that day and I learned I'd still be there in plenty of time even if I hadn't been speeding.

We had to be there at 6 a.m. Andrew handled it much better than I did. This is the pre-op. Andrew was very curious and the waiting area was very kid-friendly. His doggie and 'knetnee' went through the entire process with him.

Sunrise Hospital has a superb staff, very comfortable room, and a great play room we could take toys from. Andrew had the IV in his foot so he wasn't able to do any walking but he kept easily entertained with crayons, trucks, and his "Bah bah booh" (Bob the Builder) and Signing Time videos.

His 'watch' is a security band to make sure we didn't try to escape with him. He became almost as attached to my cell phone as he is to his knetnee and his doggie.

Andrew's "big owie". You'd never know it's there the way he's been jumping, running, rolling, and climbing.

Bad case of the flu

Soon after Aaron went to bed Friday night he began vomiting that continued until we took him to the ER. He eventually was dry heaving but we feared he'd have to hooked to an I.V. like he did last November. He was released at 4:30 once he was able to keep the meds and the liquid down. But he awoke that morning with a burning fever of 103.9 and no appetite for a few days. He's much better now but it didn't add to our already stressful week.

Which makes us all the more excited to leave for California this weekend! We'll be staying a couple of days with my Aunt Nancy and then a few days at Lake Tahoe. We've been looking forward to this trip for months.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T15:38:00.000-07:00

On Mother's Days I feel a wide range of emotions from pure joy to deep sadness. I feel a deep sadness because of the loss of my dear mother when I was only 15. I had no idea the love, the impact, the devotion, the sacrifices of a mother until I no longer had one. Mothers are the gel that hold a family together. They are the love that makes a house a home, that brings happiness and sunshine to a home. If it hadn't been for the love of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and countless friends I would've fallen apart. I have felt a sadness because of the delayed opportunity to raise a sweet daughter.

But the pure joy I feel overwhelms the sadness I sometimes feel. I LOVE MOTHER'S DAY!! I love the chance (which is a daily occurrence, BTW) I have to reflect on my mother and the influence she has been, and still is, in my life. I feel blessed in my life to have two wonderful mothers- one who gave me life and helped shape me into who I am today, and one who has helped fill that void by being a friend, a mom, a grandmother, and a whole lot of fun. On Mother's Day I am reminded that one day I will hold my sweet little Rachel and be able to love her and raise her. She has brought me a lot of joy in my life. After her loss I wasn't sure if I ever would have the chance to be a mother in this life. But Heavenly Father has bless me with the two most precious boys a mother could have. And I can't forget to mention a wonderful husband who helps me care for the boys, cook dinner, clean up the kitchen, and lightens my load wherever possible.

As I'm writing this I am sitting in a comfortable chair in my bedroom while one of the twins is still sleeping (I think) and the other is downstairs whining to his daddy. With two 2-year olds Mother's Day is not exactly a break from the busy cares of our daily lives. But Steve is doing as much as he can. He has dinner cooking in the crock pot. He helped watch the boys during nursery (which is my calling right now) so I could attend the RS Visiting Teaching Conference. He got a card, wrote kinds words, and had the the boys "sign" below their names. He got me a gift to make listening to my iPod much easier. He is watching the boys until I feel like coming out of my room which very well my be until dinnertime! I truly have a wonderful husband.

Aaron and Andrew have brought me so much love, so much joy, so much happiness in my life. Even though they are busy little boys, even though they sometimes throw food, unroll toilet paper, play in the toilet, write on the walls, or wrap their arms (both boys!) tightly around my leg because they want to be held while I'm trying to fix dinner, I forget about all that when I see Aaron's precious smile or Andrew's adorable giggle. I forget about all that when I am reading to them and they point to, or say, something they recognize. I forget about all that when I see Aaron run into Andrew's bedroom (no, they don't share a room- the explanation can be for a different post) laughing with excitement because his playmate just woke up. Or sometimes Aaron is able to sneak in there when Andrew is still asleep and wakes him up because he doesn't like playing alone- not a happy time for me! Whatever the case is, I love, love, LOVE my boys and love being a mother. I only hope I can be as wonderful of a mother as mine was to me.

Tomorrow Andrew will be admitted to the hospital for another kidney surgery. Although I understand the need for this and that down the road it will prevent worse health problems, it breaks my heart to watch him have to go through this. He is a special kid who has been through this too many times already. Hopefully this is his last. If I could, I would do this surgery for him so he doesn't have to. I hope that by holding his hand all the way through it and being there by his bedside, that I can take away some of the pain. I know that's what my mother would've done if it was me in that bed.

Well, I think I hear crying from Andrew now because his much needed nap was rudely interrupted a few minutes ago (abt 1 hr early) by a brother who was desperate for his best friend to play with. This break has been a royal treat. I've been able to read my book, to spend some time on my laptop, and to get a 10 minute power nap.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Preparing for a Mission at age 2

2010-04-29T13:56:00.001-07:00

This last Monday for our weekly attempt at a 15 second FHE (Family Home Evening) we showed them a copy of the Book of Mormon and told them in a few words what it is. Since we have many copies of the missionary version of the paperback books we gave each of them one. They LOVE flipping the pages and looking at the pictures in the front. Already they have 5 scriptures memorized and have read up until the Isaiah chapters. (true of all of us probably-haha). Yeah, right!

Whenever I've said this week, "Let's read our scriptures," they come running to me and grab them from me only to flip through the pages and look at the pictures. Andrew will look at the picture of Joseph Smith and say, "pwoffih," the Savior and say, "Jesthisth." I know I'm bragging but don't all parents have that right??

Andrew is always watching Aaron to see what he's doing. Aaron could usually care less what Andrew's up to.

Who's more dominant? They go back and forth-depends on the activity.

I am just LOVING how everyday they are saying more and more words, and making more and more connections. Even though has been THE busiest stage so far, it is so much fun. If it wasn't for all the other responsibilities of being a mom I'd sit and take pictures of them and play with them all day long. And some days I do!

These last two years have gone by in a flash! And before I know it I'll be listening to them speaking at their missionary farewells.

A bit about Andrew

2010-04-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

Andrew loves hats- especially his daddy's hat! And whenever he puts a hat on his head it is always in reverse. I have no idea where he learned that because neither of us taught that to him. I have to admit that even though it's a typical punk look, Andrew looks so cute wearing his hat like that.

Last Friday we were spending a casual day when my sister and her 3 kids were staying with us. I saw a cute picture and hurried and grabbed my camera (or so I thought) and quickly snapped a few pictures. Imagine how disappointed I was when I realized it was not my camera but my sister's. No worries though- digital is great. I simply took her card out, downloaded the pictures I wanted, and now they're mine too!

I love this picture! Andrew is such a happy guy and melts my heart, especially knowing what he has been through and the miracle he is. Which makes me all the more sad to know he will have to go through yet another surgery to repair his right kidney on May 10. This is almost identical to the surgery he had at 7 weeks on his left kidney and will be in the hospital for 2 nights. Hopefully this will be his last surgery. All this has made him very tough. But even though he's tough he's very cuddly, loving, happy, laid back, and a whole lot of fun. Andrew is a very special child!

Remembering Rachel

2010-04-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

While I cannot began to describe the joy I feel each day when I see the faces of my two little boys, it's impossible to put into words the deep sadness I felt three years ago today. With the births of all my babies I left the hospital empty armed. With two of them, though, I left knowing that my babies were in good hands, were being well cared for, and that eventually I would bring them home. With Rachel I left with the knowledge that I will never see her again in this life.

About 5 months after Rachel was born we were asked to give a talk in sacrament meeting on adversity. (I should mention that at the time we were about 3 weeks pregnant with the twins. No one knew it but us.) The thing is anyone could give a talk on it because none of us are free from trials. But it caused me to reflect on some of the trials I'd had in my life and how I was able to deal with them and come out better (hopefully) in the end. At that time our loss was still too fresh in my mind to share much detail about without completely losing it at the podium. Time is a great healer.

About a month ago I received an email from a friend of a friend of friend- something like that. She was going through almost EXACTLY what we did with Rachel. Her little boy had hydronephrosis, his kidneys were bad and causing the lungs to be underdeveloped, he had no amniotic fluid left, and she would be delivering him early with the expectation that he would not live for long. She asked me for suggestions, ideas, and help. Initially I broke down crying because I knew EXACTLY what she was going through and what she had coming for her and her husband. But it caused me to reflect on that experience and ask myself, "How DID I get through it?"

Number one is the knowledge I have of the gospel and the plan of salvation. I have no idea what I would do without the knowledge that I can see my mom again and to hold Rachel in my arms one day. The outpouring of love from family, friends, our ward, and even people I had never met, helped give me the strength I didn't have at that time. We may not know what to do to help a friend during a challenging time but it doesn't need to be anything big. I remember the RS president bringing over a Ben & Jerry's ice cream. I remember going on walks in the morning with a very busy friend who just let me talk. I remember the new RS President (there was a change about a week before she was born) bringing over a binder of Church quotes/talks/information she had copied off about the Spirit World, death, adversity, etc. I remember the many ward members who took the time to help organize a funeral, speak at it, perform music, and just be there. I remember the ward fast for Rachel in the hopes there would be a miraculous turnaround. But one of the things at the top of the list is the sacrifice of a very special cousin of mine who left two young children, flew here for 3 days, listened to me whine and cry, cleaned my house, did laundry, made cookies, cooked like crazy, and just be here for me. She has no idea how much that meant to me and it is something I think about- a lot.

Another thing that helped me was to keep a gratitude journal. From the day we learned she would not live I began keeping a gratitude journal. Some days I could barely think of one thing and it was usually lame like, 'I'm grateful for the sky,' or 'I'm grateful for socks' and sometimes I had to ask Steve. But as time went on it became easier and I began to realize that despite losing a piece of my heart, there are still things to be thankful for.

From the time Rachel was born pink roses have been a reminder of her in our lives. Last night Steve brought home a dozen pink roses that have been on our kitchen counter all day to remind us of this special day three years ago. Last night for FHE we brought out some pictures of Rachel, the dress she once wore, and a quilt I had made for her. We told the boys about their very special sister, where she is, and that they would one day see her. I'm not sure how much they actually learned but it was a great reminder for us. I am grateful for Rachel and to know that she is very much a part of our family.

Two years old

2010-04-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Aaron

Andrew

April 11 is a very special day- the day my two precious boys were born. Today I was thinking about that day and how happy- and scary- it was. Happy because they were finally here and both were alive. Scary because Aaron was so teeny tiny and Andrew would need major surgery within 24 hours, in addition to more down the road. I am so grateful Andrew is doing so well and all that is in the past. Well almost-he is having another surgery on May 10 to repair his right kidney. (His left one was repaired he was 7 weeks old.) And Aaron is not so teeny tiny anymore.

Each morning when I open their door I love seeing their adorable smiles and hearing them say, "Mommy, mommy!". I love watching Aaron and Andrew play together, laugh at each other, 'talk' to each other. I love it when Andrew sits in the driver seat of our van (when it's NOT on) and says with excitement, "Drive dah cah, drive dah cah". I love it when Aaron laughs hysterically at nothing. I love it when Andrew hugs his little doggie that he is so attached to. I love watching Aaron's cute little run with his arms up high and his little legs taking short, but fast steps. I love when they put on my high heels and walk up and down our tile floor in them. I love it when Andrew sits down in my lap and wants me to read a book to him. I love watching Aaron do puzzles- he so fast at them and can stay focused for longer then 10 seconds. I love watching Andrew put on daddy's bike helmet and ride his little tricycle on our patio. I love it when Aaron wants to throw a ball back and forth, or to push cars back and forth. Most of all, I love being the mother of these two beautiful boys that bring me such unspeakable joy. Happy 2nd birthday Aaron & Andrew!!

After six years we are still in love....

2010-04-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

A week ago a friend of ours, who is a photographer, took pictures of us and our family.

We LOVE the pictures she took. Keep posted for more to come.

April 2 marks the day we became husband and wife. The years since have been filled with ups and downs of all kinds. We can't even put into words the joy we felt with the arrival of our twin boys. But the same can be said of the sorrow we felt at the loss of our beautiful daughter, Rachel. We are the proud parents of three beautiful children. And even though there's been we were mad at each other, deep down we're still in love. If we do happen to remember what those disagreement were about, they were over something unimportant. We remember the times we laughed, the times we talked, the times we went on vacation, the times we gave unselfishly. I look forward to the next six years and the next and the next and forever. I love you Steve!

Aaron & Andrew Playing Ball Together

2010-03-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

Despite being ultra-BUSY and very mischievous, Aaron and Andrew are so much fun! I am loving this age! If I could I'd snap pictures and film videos of them all day. They move so fast, though, that I miss so many great shots. Even though they have their squabbles they are becoming more inseparable. They do frequent 'twin talking' (which is hard to film- it's short 'conversations' at a time), play and laugh together. When one gets into mischief (rolling out the TP roll, etc.) the other one is usually not far away.

Today I was trying to film them while they laughed hysterically on the couch. But Andrew immediately jumped off and wanted to stand next to me behind the camera and see the picture. He's recently learned that I can snap a picture of him and then he can immediately take a look at it (I LOVE digital). So I gave up filming that scene... but not much later I got my chance. This long hallway is the sports arena of our new home. Aaron caught on rather early to the idea of tossing/ rolling/ pushing a ball back and forth or pushing Hot Wheels cars to each other. Andrew gets easily distracted- as you can see. Something I need to work on- keep my mouth shut while filming! But even so, it shows how much fun they have together. I love having twins!

Dipping saved the day

2010-03-21T22:11:00.001-07:00

It is no secret that Aaron has been one of the most cautious and picky eaters. Even when we first began feeding him solid foods, it took a while for him to get used to a spoon. As a baby he would NEVER put anything in his mouth (Andrew put EVERYthing in his mouth). When we tried giving him foods like Puffs he had to examine and play with it a few times before daring to put it in his mouth. Eventually we could spoon him most anything. That all changed around the time Aaron turned 1. It became increasingly more difficult to feed him- HE wanted to do it. And HE decided what he would and would not eat. Mostly he would decide NOT to eat it. We became increasingly more FRUSTRATED.

Aaron has a fabulous sugar radar: it might look disgusting or very similar to a vegetable (no connection) but if it had sugar he would pop it in his mouth after taking a close look at it. He likes ANYthing sugar. He hates ANY vegetables- if I even tried putting one on his tray he would QUICKLY pick it up and hand it back. If I didn't take it right away he'd either start crying or just throw it off his tray. Believe me, I always offer him vegetables, rice, and the same things Andrew was eating. I should mention Andrew loves all vegetables, fruits, and pretty much ANYthing (he must take after me!). Mealtime has usually been STRESSful.

Aaron's menu for several months has consisted of: chicken nuggets, peanut butter sandwiches, most fruits(because they're sweet), anything w/ sugar, yogurt, all crackers & anything crunchy, oatmeal, pancakes, Dutch Baby & French toast (the last 3 because syrup is served with them- sugar); sometimes cheese. Once in a while he'd eat spaghetti. Oh, he would NOT eat any pasta or rice. Absolutely not. For a few weeks this has been his menu. This all started to change a few weeks ago.

We made the discovery that Aaron LOVES LOVES LOVES ketchup-probably because sugar is one of the ingredients. He could eat it straight. This discovery was made the night we were having pot roast and we gave Aaron some (with ketchup) and expected him to push it back. To our utter shock he ate a piece- again and again. He even ate a potato and then carrots (along with ketchup). Since then he's learned he actually likes carrots. Ketchup is not the only dip he likes- Ranch dressing and soy sauce are two of his favorites. So when we want to offer him something 'new' (he's already been offered it before, most likely) we serve him a dip along with it.

But we were shocked today when we were giving Andrew some sweet tomatoes (which he loves) Aaron begged for some too. Initially I assumed it was because he wanted to play with it. I almost went into shock when he quickly put it in his mouth and wanted more- and more. Then tonight when we had rice for dinner I offered him some and showed him I was putting a dab of soy sauce on it. Without any hesitation he ate it and then wanted more and more and more. It was as though he was making up for all the rice he'd refused the last MANY months. Even though he didn't eat the broccoli on his plate at least Aaron allowed it to stay.

Maybe, just maybe Aaron is growing out of his very picky phase.

Monkey see, monkey do

2010-02-28T20:11:00.001-08:00

Aaron started walking down the stair because Andrew was...

One busy toddler can cause a lot of destruction in a short period of time. Two busy toddlers can do it more than twice as fast. Their eyes are always watching what the other is doing to see if it's more fun. And if it appears to be more interesting or exciting there will soon be two doing it. Most of the time this is non-threatening and even cute to watch. But it's time when an entire roll of toilet paper is all over the floor and the water from the toilet bowl is splashed all over them and the floor that it's not so funny. Or when a bag of goldfish crackers is dumped upside and then stomped on.

Andrew keeping a close eye on Aaron...

And it's not always the same person initiating the action (or trouble!). If it involves climbing it's usually Andrew that starts it. If it involves throwing or light switches I can guarantee you it was probably Aaron that thought of it.

One of their favorite things to do at the park is dropping rocks into the bbq

When I have an unraveled roll of toilet paper to clean up or buckets of water from the bathtub on the floor I try to remember how lucky they are to have a playmate and best friend-always. Of course, it doesn't necessarily make it fun to clean up. But a smile or hug from them or a sound of their laughter does help.

When one grabs a push car so does the other one

Andrew dumped the goldfish, Aaron helped throw & smash them

More than double the trouble

2010-02-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

Just one of the messes I clean up on a daily basis. Andrew dumped a bag of goldfish crackers and Aaron quickly came in to join the fun by smashing throwing, and eating them.

Everywhere we go the comment is always made: "Oh, double trouble!!". Yes, two is twice as one but in reality that is so not true. I always hear others ask how I do it with TWO! Silently I would wonder what the big deal was, there's moms with 3 more kids and I only have two. After yesterday I now know.

Until yesterday Aaron and Andrew haven't been apart from each other for much more than an hour, except as newborns when Andrew was still in the hospital. They both were more calm, laid back, and MUCH easier to deal with. You'd think they were completely different boys. Dad had Aaron while I took Andrew to Sunrise Hospital for his magg-3 (however it's spelled) test. Having one is SOOO much easier than twins.

It is so much fun to see them play, talk, and laugh together and I cannot imagine only having one of them. But they are twice as busy when they're together, they've always got to watch what the other is doing, and copycat on everything. When they're together they've got to compete for the spotlight and the attention. This morning it took me over an hour to prepare a crock pot dinner that should've only taken 15 minutes. Between pulling them off the couch several times, cleaning up a dumped out jar of dried cilantro, and cleaning up a fun splash in the toilet, I was finally able to finish it. When they're together Aaron tends to be very whiny and clingy. Andrew wants to be held. Apart from each other they are so easy.

On the other hand they can be so, so fun and are actually becoming more attached. They love giving each other 'hugs' and kisses, rubbing each others' backs, and pushing each other around on their push toys. Even though it is double DOUBLE trouble it is so worth it.

Smarter than we think

2010-02-06T20:52:00.000-08:00

Neither Aaron or Andrew know how to lock a door- or so I thought. Last Thursday I was doing some weeding in the backyard while they threw rocks, played with toys, and basically made a mess. I had been coming in and out of the back door (which is not a sliding door) and so had they. As I was beginning to gather my things up to come inside they shut the door on me- and locked it! A not-so-pretty word came out of my mouth and in about 5 seconds I thought of all my options. Any other doors open? No. Any windows open? No. Spare key? No, earlier that day I had brought it inside when I got home before the tile guys came. Guess I'll have to call Steve- but I have no phone. And I've barely met only two of my neighbors.

At first both the boys were staring at me through the door making faces, smiling, and thinking it was so funny that they were inside and I wasn't. I tried yelling at them to open the door but they just thought that was funny. After a couple of minutes they wondered away and begin making a mess. Aaron headed for the drawer with all the ziploc bags and began pulling them out one by one. Andrew watched for a minute and started doing to the same. I knocked furiously on the door to get their attention. The only thing that accomplished was Andrew waddling over to the door and knocking back. I twisted the handles and pointed and Andrew just turned back. This was only the first time they had locked any door and I'm sure they had no idea what they'd even done. When I realized I'd have no luck getting either of them to open the door than I figured it was time to try something else.

First I ran to the end of the court to see if a friend in my ward was home so I could call Steve and see if he could come home. When I saw she wasn't home than I remembered that one of the neighbors we'd met a few days earlier worked from home. They are a very nice couple and I figured he'd be willing to let me call Steve. Kevin was great! He found a Turbo Tax envelope and we headed back to my back door. While I called Steve, Kevin stuck the envelope through the door and fidgeted with it. After about ten minutes (felt like hours) the door open and the boys came running out in the back. I can't tell you the relief I felt when that door opened!

Soon after the boys went down for their naps I made sure that spare key was placed in the front yard again so that should they do something like that again I'll be ready! I should never underestimate what these little guys can do!

MISCELLANEOUS

We finally found a food Aaron likes- ketchup! He loved eating it with a butter knife but I'm sure even his fingers would do. Aaron was furious when I took it away in hopes that he'd eat a more substantial lunch.

Andrew has a little doggie that he is so attached to. So much so that I had found another one just like it in the event the doggie gets lost. He has to sleep with it and has to take it about everywhere he goes. It's cute but can be really annoying when you're in a hurry and you HAVE to find the doggie first. Andrew also LOVES his 'blankie' that my Aunt Wanda made the boys when they were newborns. They know whose blanket is whose and it's not because they can read their names that are sewn on it. This is Andrew asleep with his doggie and blankie-

Basic facts about our twins

2010-02-02T21:15:00.000-08:00

Whenever I go anywhere with boys I ALWAYS get stopped by people making comments and asking questions such as: Are they twins? How old are they? Are they identical? Who's older? What are their names? Where did they get their red hair? Are they always this happy? (NO WAY!) Oh, they're so cute! I love the red hair! Etc. etc. This morning at Costco was no exception. There simply aren't words-or time- enough to describe each of these little guys and their different personalities. Here's an attempt in a few words.

Andrew LOVES to lay boxes flat & jump all over them

ANDREW

Favorite snack: Anything, especially 'fishies'

Favorite toy: his beanie doggie, which has been lost since yesterday morning; we NEED to find it; or the new play kitchen when Aaron hasn't pushed him away

Favorite parent: total Daddy's boy

Favorite food: Anything

Favorite breakfast: Anything requiring syrup, especially Dutch Baby

Favorite playtime activity: Climbing on everything

Shoe size: 6, almost 7

Weight: abt. 24 lbs at last check

Length: abt 33.5 in, at last check

Attention span: Very short of course; goes from one thing to another in seconds

Average nap time: about 2 hrs 45 min.

Temperament: Very mellow and happy go lucky

When he gets hurt: High pain tolerance; sometimes I don't know he got hurt until I see the bruise or scrape

# of words known: NUMEROUS; learns new ones everyday

Bath time favorite: Splashing or trying to turn on the faucets

Favorite book: Anything with doggies

Word most often said: Doggie

Wakes up: Happy; talking/making sounds

Wake up time: Between 6 and & 7:30

Other: Very cuddly

Has to sleep with his blankie & doggie

When TV is on he's clueless to anything around him

Prefers to be spoon fed (especially if TV is on) then self fed

Say the word 'prayer' and he quickly folds his arms and bows his head

Can spot Jesus in any picture and will say, "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!"

Curios about EVERYthing and ANYthing

Loves to climb on shelves, hide in cupboards or closets

Loves to hug, grab, rough house with his brother (his brother doesn't like it in return)

Has an infectious laugh

Fearless

Teaser

Angel

Aaron's domain is the play kitchen- he loves, loves, LOVES it

AARON

Favorite snack: crunchy Veggie Sticks

Favorite toy: Anything with a lid or cap; the new play kitchen

Favorite parent: Mommy; total Mama's boy

Favorite food: Chicken nuggets or Peanut Butter Jelly (PBJ) sandwich

Favorite playtime activity: the new play kitchen- he reigns and lets Andrew know it

Favorite breakfast: Anything requiring syrup, especially Dutch Baby

Shoe size: 5, almost 6

Weight: abt 21.5 lbs, at last check

Length: abt 33.5 in, at last check

Attention span: Short, of course, but when learning a new skill (caps on pens, stacking cups, buckling high chair, etc.) he will stick to it until he figures it out

Average nap time: 1 hr. (drives me crazy!); not unusual to have no nap

Temperament: When happy, he's HAPPY; when mad, he's MAD

# of words known: very few

Bath time favorite: Pouring water from measuring cup to pitcher, over & over & over again

Favorite book: Probably Goodnight Moon

Word most often said: Daddy (in reference to a phone) Note: When they first began saying words telephones were: Tah. Then all of a sudden they started calling them Daddy. Whenever I was feeding them lunch I'd pick up the phone and say, "Let's call Daddy" and I'd call Steve, since they were busy and buckled down. But Aaron is OBSESSED with phones.

Wakes up: Screaming, until I pick him up. Then he's instantly happy and talking.

Wake up time: Between 6:15 & 7:15

Others: Has to always be holding something

Gives kisses on the lips

Eats great with a spoon/fork

Doesn't care to watch TV

Laughs easily, at almost anything

When we pray together he's talking, playing, clueless

Biter

Bully

VERY VERY ticklish

SO much fun

Aaron & Andrew in their brand new play kitchen just minutes upon discovering it...

Happy one minute...

Sad the next.

I've had to break up more 'fights' in an hour than in the last year. They have so not learned how to share.

Making dinner with twins... not recommended.

2010-01-30T21:17:00.000-08:00

The afternoon, especially between 4 and 5 pm are my least favorite times of the day. By that time I'm worn out and the boys are too. They're more cranky, fussy, and beginning to get hungry. Trying to make dinner at the same time is nearly impossible and takes about 3 times as long as it would if I was alone. Today I even had Steve around and they were really putting on a show- clingy, throwing tantrums, crying, teasing & grabbing at each other.

Tonight for dinner was attempting a first time recipe-Giant Empanadas. While Steve finished up the weeding in the front yard I took the already testy boys inside to start dinner. After settling them down by watching a Singing Time video with them on my lap I got everything out and ready to cook. Before I even had the stove on I was having to resort to what is usually a 'no-no'. First was letting them play in the pantry. We installed a latch up high so I have control of when they do and don't go in it. Because when they do I can guarantee you they reorganize the can rotator and pull stuff off of shelves.

Aaron began putting all the cans in the rotator on the empty shelves on the wall.

When either I'd had enough of that, or they were bored and ready to move on to something else, I then put Aaron in the high chair. He was insisting on me holding him which doesn't work well when ingredients need to be chopped. When I accidentally left the measuring drawer open he pulled himself over and got himself busy reorganizing that. He LOVES playing with measuring cups and spoons so he was having a blast.

Andrew is usually a little more mellow and willing to sit in front of the TV, entertain himself, and not cause all my hairs to turn gray within minutes. Notice I said "usually". Tonight was not one of those nights. He wanted to be doing what Aaron was doing. Before I had a chance to get him in a high chair and find a drawer I was willing to let him play in he got himself into mischief. He pulled down the dishwasher, pulled out the rack, and began to set the table- isn't he amazing?! And I've never even taught him how to set the table before! One thing I would have mentioned is we use CLEAN dishes, not dirty ones.

And then he was kind enough to put some of those dishes in the dishwasher. Others only made it to the floor. They are always busy watching what the other one is doing and if they should jump in. Tonight was no exception- Aaron's taking a look at what Andrew's busy with and decided he's having more fun. (I hate when the text turns blue and underlines. I'm no techy and can't figure out how to fix it... help! Got it to turn black. Whew.)

During all this I managed to finish part of the recipe but made a huge mistake when I put the hot hamburger sauce on the pie pastry. It melted the pastry and ruined it. Luckily we live very close to a grocery store so Steve offered to go while I attempted to feed the boys a different dinner- since this one obviously wouldn't be ready when I'd hoped. They reFUSED to eat ( I knew they were both very tired) so up we went to take a bath while Steve got the empanadas ready to bake. After they were in bed we were finally able to sit down and eat around 7 pm. And it actually turned out to be a keeper.

Was this an unusual dinner prep day? Not really. Actually experiences like this are becoming the norm. That's why lately I've been making a lot of crock pot recipes because I can prepare it in the morning when the boys are happy and less needy. And I can enjoy the aromas all day. Cooking dinner at 4:30ish can be a very tiring and not-so-fun experience.

Things I love about my new house

2010-01-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

When we first walked through this house last October we both felt this was the house we'd eventually live in. We really liked the floor plan, the location, and the lot size. Other than the carpet it looked as thought it was barely used even though it was built in 2005. It's now been 10 days since we've moved in and there's very few things on the walls, the garage is full of junk, there's a long To Do list, and I feel disorganized. But here are a few of my favorite things about this house. I'll love it even more when the carpets are replaced next week and we have the master & second baths changed to tile from carpet.

Kitchen: I love the granite countertops, the center island, double ovens, LOTS more cabinets, and the huge walk-in pantry. Now I don't mind working in the kitchen. Wonder how long that will lasts?

Family room: we don't much hanging on the walls and the bookshelves are empty but the love the new leather sectional that was delivered the same day this pictures was taken. It's so comfortable that once I sit down it's hard to get me back up.

Butler pantry: often mistakenly called the 'butcher' pantry by myself. Yes, we slaughter hogs here.

Computer hutch: In the upstairs hallway, just across from Aaron's room and next to the laundry room.

Laundry room: I love that it's upstairs. No more dragging the numerous laundry baskets up and down the stairs.
Backyard: Even though it has nothing but small rock, dead plants, a TON of weeds, and some water fountain thing that was left, I'm glad we have the chance to do what WE want to do with it. And more than that, it's HUGE!! It's the biggest lot in the subdivision and is huge compared to most LV homes. We have many options when it comes to landscaping. Oh, and I love that it's located at the end of a cul-de-sac. Much less traffic and a lot quieter since we don't back up to a busy street like we did at our last house.

Saying goodbye to Tribiani

2010-01-25T21:46:00.000-08:00

Even though I love our new house I will miss our house on Tribiani. This is the house we lived in after we were married (Steve had bought it 2 yrs before that) and the house we brought the boys home to. One of the best things about this home were the awesome neighbors. All the neighbors on either side and across from us are original owners and many had young children. Many afternoons you could find us sitting in front of my next door neighbor's talking while the little ones played together. Those who were in town even spent Christmas Eve together. And if I was in the middle of cooking and discovered I was missing an ingredient my next door neighbor could almost always be counted on to have just what I needed. I have to remind myself that I didn't move cross country- I'm only about 3 miles away! But still, these were the best neighbors.

We feel very blessed that our home sold as easily and quickly as it did- & that we'll even make a small profit. Certainly not as much as we could've a couple of years ago but at least we won't be taking a loss. We're VERY fortunate. The very first day it was on the market we got an offer from the very first person who came to look at it. But they wanted it to close Dec 18, exactly 30 days later, and we were not prepared to do that since we had no idea when we'd be able to move to our new house. Only a week later we got two more offers and we accepted one of those. When they came to do the home inspection it was discovered we had the dreaded Kitec plumbing and fittings, a brand of poly tubing. Our hard water here causes the zinc to leach out of the brass. Basically it corrodes the pipes and turns it to swiss cheese over a matter of time.

Back when homes were going up like crazy here many builders put Kitec in, unaware of the potential damage it causes. Every home in our development among hundreds of other subdivisions, had Kitec installed. It has turned into the biggest class action law suit ever. Our builder, KB, only settled on their case last week. If they follow suit of the other builders who have already settled, we will be reimbursed the cost. The total cost we must pay: $6,000. Ouch. That's expensive! But when we saw what they have to do we almost thought that was cheap.

Our home most likely wouldn't have sold unless we had the Kitec replaced beforehand. Our buyer didn't want to close on the house until after it was done and we agreed to do it and pay for it but told him we wouldn't do it until after we moved out. It takes 4 days, the water is shut off while they work, and there's probably about 60 holes in the walls all throughout the house. When we stopped by Saturday afternoon there were pipes hanging down ceiling holes and through the walls but I didn't have my camera with me. These pictures are from the 2nd day. Here are some pictures of the mess:

Kitec tubing- they use orange for hot water, blue for cold. All other pipings use red for hot.

Some of the holes in the family room

Laundry room

Downstairs bathroom- some of the holes

Only a few of the holes in the ceiling downstairs

It's amazing how quickly they do the job. The repiping company we used said they're busy EVERY day, there's such a demand for replacing the Kitec. Days 1 & 2 they cut the holes and replace the pipes. Day 3 a dry wall team comes and patches the holes up. Finally, on Day 4 they paint it and the holes are hardly noticeable. The work should be done tomorrow (Tues) and we could close on the house as early as Wednesday, but most likely not until Friday.

It was a great home to start our marriage in and our family but we have been very blessed to now own this home. Stay tuned for pictures and details about it.

Moving sucks

2010-01-20T21:52:00.000-08:00

Our new house

I don't even know where to begin telling about the fiasco that happened this last weekend with our move. It feels like we moved twice and the three days (Sat,Sun, Mon) felt more like six days. The previous owner was never easy to work with from the very beginning but we didn't realize she is this psycho.

When we learned the closing day would be Friday Jan 15th we were excited because that meant we could move on Saturday and Steve would have Monday off for MLK. We have scheduled the repiping on our old house for the 23rd so we HAD to move MLK weekend. In order to see that it closed on the 15th we had to drive the cashier's check to the title company (rather than wire it) and drive the documents from the title company to the mortgage office ourselves in order for them to meet the deadline to ensure it recorded. We received a call in the afternoon that it was funded and we could go forward with the move.

The previous owner told us that she couldn't move into her new place until Monday 18th but the owner said she could store her stuff in the garage. We were told she had a place to stay Saturday and Sunday nights and we were kind enough to let her stay Friday night because we wouldn't be able to do any moving in anyway. The plan was this: She was to empty the house and have EVERYTHING in the garage. We would unload our stuff into the house and Steve was kind enough to offer to load her stuff into the truck (since we were renting it anyway) and move it to her new place, which happened to be clear across town. She understood (we thought) and agreed to the plan and knew fully well that we'd be at the house around 9 a.m. Saturday morning.

Imagine our surprise when we showed up Saturday morning with a fully loaded UHaul truck and about 12 friends and there was no answer at the door. We hadn't received a key because it hadn't closed until later in the afternoon and we'd be getting it directly from her in Saturday. My first thought was that she had done what she was supposed to do but had left before we got there to be out of our way. So I called our agent and she looked into it. Come to find out she was inside all in a frenzie beause "there were all these guys outside my house who were going to hurt me." Yeah, we probably would've hurt you when we'd learned she hadn't lifted a finger to start packing. Her agent calmed her down and was able to get her to agree to us storing our stuff in the garage and we'd give her the check for $800 for the refrigerator we had agreed to buy from her.

There was no way we could move in now until at least Monday. At the time (Saturday morning) there was some question whether it had recorded on Friday or not. She now claimed she thought she had until Monday to move. BUT she had the utilities cancelled Thursday. We had it switched to our name on Friday. So we had to return the truck, put up our bed again and live out of boxes all weekend. The boys had to sleep in their portable cribs for about 4 days and to top it all off Andrew came down with full blows croup Saturday afternoon. We were more than upset about what happened and were only able to get about 3 hrs of sleep that night. Sunday night Andrew was so sick I slept for only 15 minutes, if even that.

We learned midday Saturday that it actually DID record on Saturday so she's living now in OUR house and using OUR power. We think that her agent led her to believe that it hadn't closed on Friday and had told her she had until Monday. However, there was NO reason to even believe it HADN'T recorded on Friday. She wasn't ready for us Saturday morning and she knew it. This was all made up so she could get her own way.

Saturday afternoon we had to go to the new house and get our toiletries since it had been unloaded into her garage. While we were there we gave her a check for $800 for the fridge because we felt that was a separate issue than her not being ready. But as we thought about things Saturday night and Sunday it started to sink in just what she had done. This meant we would have to rent a moving truck AGAIN when we were prepared enough to make it a very smooth move that could've only taken a couple of hours. So we decided to put a hold on the check to ensure we'd get payment for the rental truck, staying in the house past recording time, and half the cleaning cost (since she left it trashed). This added up to $550 so we'd send her a new check for $250. This made complete sense to us.

Monday morning we rented the truck again, had about 8 friends help load it and show up at her house at 9 a.m. again. The rest of our stuff was unloaded in the garage w/our other things, they loaded her things and even delivered her junk to her new location across town-FOR FREE!!! She had even called Sunday and asked if we could come at 11:00 instead of 9:00. No way, of course not. By the time Steve returned the truck and came back to the new house it was about 1:00. He then set up the cribs, our bed, and loaded his car with a few things from the old house. I had hung out at a friend's house all day with the boys because Andrew required 100% attention due to his croup and had even taken him to the doctor in the morning. A huge thank you to Shauna for helping so much. So it wasn't until Tuesday that we could REALLY start moving in.

Last night we learned that she was more than a little ticked off when she was told we put a stop to the check. She felt we had moved her out of the kindness of our hearts, that she would've gotten her own moving truck if she thought we'd charge her for it, that I had told her not to worry about the condition of the house, and that she was planning to move out on Saturday anyway. Really? Then why weren't you ready when we got there? She threatened to sue us for writing a 'bad' check and felt we stabbed her in the back.

We decided to drop the entire thing and just release the check and told her we'd appreciate payment for the truck ($200) but have little hope she'll do that. It's just not worth going to court over something so silly and petty. We'd rather just be done with her for good and not have to deal with her anymore. She's one of those people whose world revolves around her and has no comprehension of the inconvenience she caused us.

But at least we're in the home- which we love!! There is so much more room, the location is great, and I love the floor plan. Other than the carpets the home is in very good condition, especially for a a short sale. We are SO grateful for the many people who helped me pack the kitchen, load the truck (twice!), move her!, and unpack our new kitchen, and even bring dinner for a few days. Thank you so much!!! Andrew is finally starting to feel better but I had never seen him so sick. Today was the first day he's smiled and gotten into things for 5 days. Poor guy was miserable.

So sorry for all the details but now I can forget the whole thing and just enjoy our new house!

Big shoes to fill

2010-01-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

Andrew loves to put on a pair of my shoes and clunk around in them. Aaron is usually too busy walking around with his very own set of measuring spoons or stacking blocks to bother with big people shoes.

Christmas & New Year

2010-01-01T21:48:00.000-08:00

The last month (not to mention year) has flown by so fast. It's hard to believe that it's not only a new year but a new decade. This last decade had one of major changes in my life, for the good. In the last decade I bought a house (while single) and sold it, married the man of my dreams, and had 3 beautiful children. I've been allowed to have two of them here with me and they have brought me more happiness and joy than I can possibly put in words. Yes, there have been some rough times but by pulling together we've learned a lot and grown closer in the process. Although I know the next year and decade will have its challenges I have much to be grateful for and many things to look forward to. We had a wonderful Christmas as we celebrated the birth of Christ. Here are some pictures and memories-

The Sunday before Christmas a friend took these pictures for us. We almost didn't even put up a tree for fear the boys would destroy it or push it over and the fact that we're moving soon. Except for the first day or two they pretty much ignored it. They did enjoy throwing little toys into the tree so I guess those can be the ornaments.

The nice thing about little ones this age is they'd be perfectly happy with small and simple gifts. One of their favorites were measuring spoons and a neon spinning light. The cost: $5.

They also love their new legos and tricycles, even though they have a little growing to do before they can ride them well.

By the end of the day Aaron and Andrew were pretty tired! Aaron voluntarily laid on the couch and so Andrew had to do it too. Monkey see, monkey do.

Steve's family came over in the afternoon for a Christmas dinner and gift exchange but we took no picture. A couple of day before the big day one of the twins attempted to be a photographer and dropped the camera which damaged the lens permanently. Now we must pay about $100 and wait 7-10 weeks for it to arrive from Korea. We can still take pictures with our much bigger lens but in order to get a decent image we have to stand back what seems a mile away.

Christmas with the boys was a lot of fun as they became fascinated with new things around them. This year we put up very few decorations but they loved our single nativity set that was child proof. After breaking up several fights over who got to play with it I finally put it up higher. And they loved the lights outside the house. And the Santa decorations. I have a feeling next year they'll gave a much greater understanding of what Christmas is all about.

Haircut, finally

2010-01-01T21:29:00.001-08:00

A & A looking at the rain through the sliding door. Notice how shaggy it is.

A & A 'organizing' my pantry. Again, it's rather shaggy (to us anyway).

For the last 2 months or so Aaron and Andrew were in sore need of a haircut. It was beginning to get long and shaggy (by our standard) and would always knot up in the back. So finally today we gave them a haircut. Yes, WE cut their hair. It takes two- one to hold & distract them and the other to do the job. Whenever we've done a trimming before I always let Steve do it because I was afraid it would turn out horrible and cause me great embarrassment. But today I overcame that fear and did Andrew's hair while Steve did Aaron's.

Even though I knew they needed a haircut I still had a hard time watching them being butchered- and I let Steve know it with comments like, "That's too much!! He's going to be bald! But now it's not as red! Way too short!" So when it was my turn to do Andrew's we used a a longer clipper to leave it slightly longer. Of course, I thought his haircut was handsome! Aaron's? I wasn't so sure.

It didn't dawn on me why I was having such a hard time with their haircut until we were at my neighbor's tonight. They thought their haircuts were great and said, "Now they look like little boys instead of babies." And then I realized that my babies are gone. Each day they are becoming more and more like little boys.

Andrew's new haircut

Aaron's tongue and his new haircut

HO HO HO!!!

2009-12-08T21:05:00.001-08:00

Santa Claus is very very busy at this time of year but he was kind enough to take a break from his crazy schedule and make a visit down to Vegas and come to our ward party. Aaron and Andrew have never sat on his lap before. Since our ward party was a pancake breakfast for dinner all the kids (and some adults) showed up in their pajamas. We predicted Aaron would scream while Andrew would just stare and not really care. You can tell from the picture that's exactly what they did.

There were also two bounce houses for all the kids to jump around and make noise. After watching the bigger kids for a while they got up the guts to go in themselves. Mostly they just kept trying to stand but got knocked down in their attempts. But they had a fun time. Unfortunately there's no pictures to prove their bravery.

Thanksgiving highlights

2009-12-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

We spent the holiday with my family in St. George eating, laughing, and having lots of fun. Most of my siblings came too as well as family that already live in town. We had such a large crowd (about 35, I think...I never actually counted) that we held the feast at a church. The kids loved it because they could run around play games, and play basketball with plenty of room.

My brother and his family of 5 kids stayed Tuesday night on their way to St. George. Here are some of them...

We left Thursday morning with the food we were bringing and tons of other stuff. I can't BELIEVE how much stuff we have to bring for just two nights!!

Even though I took several pictures while at the church the only one I'm posting is of my several darling nieces. Jenna is only 5 weeks older than A & A.

On Friday my brothers and sister and their families climbed around on the red rocks above St. George. This was when I wish we had hiking carriers for the boys but they had a lot of fun walking around. We had a lot of anxiety staying close by them and making sure they didn't fall off the cliffs.

St. George down below

One of my sweet nephews with A & A inside a 'cave'

Andrew was constantly hounded by Sara and a little by Lexi. Andrew is so mellow, laid back, and easygoing while Aaron is a total mama's boy. Every time we were around Sara would want nothing to do with Aaron and everything to do with Andrew. She is SO baby crazy and want to hold him, swing him around, play with him, and drag him around. One time after a short period of 'playing' with him she sighed and said, "Parenting is so much fun." Oh, really? As long as Andrew wasn't getting hurt or crying we let her have fun with Andrew.

Lexi is the oldest of 5 kids (the youngest a set of twin boys) so she wasn't quite as aggressive.

One of my favorites of Andrew and Aaron-

My brother has two adorable twin boys, Cade & Carter, who are two years older than Aaron and Andrew. They are generous and passed on all their clothes and we appreciate it SOOO much. Their boys are dressed so cute and it has saved us tons.

Let's not forget our adorable boys either. :)

Happy very belated Thanksgiving!! I can't believe it's already Christmas.

Busy busy boys

2009-11-20T21:32:00.001-08:00

What boys aren't busy? Yesterday when I picked Aaron and Andrew up from co-op my friend said, "How do you do it? These boys are BUSY!!" Then she admitted all boys are busy. She has two young boys so she knows. But A & A are very busy and it wears me out just watching them and cleaning up their path of destruction.

Bath time is no exception. A few days ago I started bathing the boys in the master bathtub since it's roomier and no longer has food storage boxes in and above it. Aaron and Andrew have loved being able to move around and do a lot more including an incident yesterday that cracked me up. Aaron was standing up in the middle of the tub with Andrew sitting down at his feet. While my head was turned away Aaron started to have a painful sort of cry. When I turned to see what was going on I saw Andrew pulling on his male member as if to see if it came off. It couldn't have felt very good but who could blame Andrew since it was right in his face. I have no picture of it and even if I did it wouldn't be posted online.

Our next door neighbor's garage is a favorite of the boys. This is the neighborhood kid hang out since it contains a lot of things to explore. One of Aaron's favorites lately is their unused pooper scooper. He pushes it around like a stroller and fills it with rocks. (So sad I don't have a picture of it yet.) A couple of days ago he found a CD player and began pressing buttons. He discovered the play/pause button. A CD with "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" happened to be in it and when the music began blaring the two girls, who live nearby, started dancing. When Aaron pressed pause they froze; then he'd start it up again and so on. He sat at that CD player for a good 20 minutes and was pretty pleased with himself for what he was able to do.

Although both Aaron and Andrew like to climb Andrew enjoys it a lot more. His latest favorites are the kitchen chairs and the glider & couch in his bedroom. As soon as he figures out that he can climb from the kitchen chairs to the table we still start using bungie chords to tie them together. And whenever theirs boxes around he gets his exercise.

The boys have recently acquired a few new toys that have been keeping them busy (and allowed me to get a few more things done). A favorite was a 3-part truck/trailer/helicopter that Steve brought home from work. Aaron and Andrew LOVE it and will spend lengthy amounts of time playing with-and fighting over -it. One not such a time was Andrew happily playing with the helicopter uninterrupted.

Another favorite new 'toy' is a walk-in house our next door neighbor gave us that their 6 year old outgrew. Until we move to the bigger house we keep it along the walkway to our front door. Aaron and Andrew LOVE LOVE it. It's great except I can never open the front door without them trying to make a run for it. And forget trying to pull them away without a full on tantrum.

Yes, they are busy but it keeps my day interesting and fun (and very tiring!). There's a saying I have hanging in their room: Boy (n.)- A noise with dirt on it. And how true that is! They love anything that makes lots of noise and they could care less about being clean.

And some more fun:

A Visit from Aunt Nancy

Last night my aunt Nancy (who is THE best aunt!!) arrived in Las Vegas to stay for a couple of nights. She brought with her a fancy gift for the boys- bubble wrap! Hey, I could pop bubble wrap forever so why not Aaron and Andrew!

A visit from Grandma Ross

Last Sunday we had Steve's mom over for dinner and to spend a little time with the boys. Aaron and Andrew don't know her as well as they should and Aaron was NOT in the mood to have his picture taken. But they enjoyed having Grandma over and so did we.

Tidbits

2009-11-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

None of these comments or photos have much to do with each other but each are little tidbits into my daily life with the personalities of Aaron and Andrew.

1. As soon as I put Andrew into the bathtub tonight he started to pee while standing up. I said, "Pee pee. You just went pee pee." He looked down at himself for the longest time and thought, "Oh, that's what that's for!" Now if he can just figure out how to do that in the toilet instead of the bathtub or a diaper...

2. Andrew LOVES dogs and says with excitement, "Doggie, doggie....." whenever he sees one or anything that looks remotely close to a dog (like pipes, of course). Both of them will go up to dogs at the park to pet it, make faces at it, or just get a close look. So I got them each a little dog which they love, especially Andrew. Last Sunday I managed to get this photo right before church. These days it's impossible to get both to look at me when snapping a pic, one is rare.

3. A & A in their monster pj's. Whenever they see boxes around the house (which is common lately- we're moving in a month) they love to push them around, climb on them, or get inside. Aaron think inside the box, Andrew thinks outside the box- actually true of their personalities.

4. Aaron stacked all these himself. He was so proud of himself he did his high squeal to let me know he did something impressive and then sat back admiring his work while sipping water. He LOVES anything that can stack or fit inside each other and goes crazy over them.

5. This afternoon when Aaron woke up from his ritual 60-90 min. nap I thought it would be fun to let him use play dough. He could care less about the play dough. All he wanted to do was put the lid on and off, on and off. With a second container he stacked them up or banged them together. Forget the play dough.

6. This morning while I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes I looked over and saw Andrew without any clothes on. And he looked pretty proud of himself and very relieved to not be weighed down. Next will be removing his diaper. When he woke up from his nap he had again removed his clothes. It didn't help that his shirt was extremely loose and hung down low. But I loved seeing them in an Ostler Memorial Cruise shirt (hand-me-down from Cade & Carter).

Notice Andrew's little dog nearby

7. Lately Andrew tries to climb everything- chairs, boxes, couches, toys, whatever. And he enjoys reading books- as long as HE hold it in HIS lap, HE turns pages when HE wants, and HE determines how long the book is read for. Basically, as long as HE is in control. But what toddler isn't that way?

His little dog is close by, of course

Trick or Treat

2009-10-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

Last night Aaron and Andrew had their first experience trick-or-treating. It didn't take them long to figure out how it all worked. You mean all you have to do it hold out your basket and someone put candy in it? They LOVE candy (and they rarely get any) so they couldn't believe they got an entire container of it.

This is Aaron and Andrew just before going trick or treating. They were dressed in cute zebra suits that had little tails. We attempted to take a picture of them standing next to each other holding their bins. This was the best we could do:

A&A with their first piece of candy. Aaron LOVED the bins because he could stack them together. So he was not happy when he had to give one to Andrew.

We only took them to about six of the neighbors right around our house. While they enjoyed getting candy that wasn't the only things they put in their bin-

At our next door neighbor's Andrew sat down and began filling up his bin with rocks. Hey, you're supposed to put candy in it, not rocks.

Aaron had a rough day with only a 45 min. nap and then cried for an hour in his crib when we attempted a 2nd nap a little later. So when we kept him up past his bedtime and allowed him to eat a few bites of candy he wasn't the most energetic trick or treater and had to be carried the entire time.

A very enthusiastic trick or treater. He eventually caught on and would NOT let go of his little bin. He had to have a piece of candy in each hand or we'd see a fun tantrum.

As a child one of my favorite activities when I arrived home after trick or treating was dumping out all my candy and sort through it to see what treasures I'd received. It didn't take any teaching for them to figure this out.

Aaron grabbing some of Andrew's candy.

Dumping out their candy and going through it. The nice thing at this age- out of sight, out of mind. So it's kept very out of sight (what hasn't been eaten by us or thrown away).

I have to admit we probably had just as much fun as, if not more than, Aaron and Andrew trick or treating and showing them their cute little outfits.

Separation Anxiety of Twins

2009-10-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

Aaron is a great helper!

With the exception of their first five weeks of life, Aaron and Andrew have never been apart from each other more than an hour or two...until this weekend, that is. While they were separated we realized just how much they rely on and play off each other.

Let me start at the beginning and explain how their 24 hr separation began...

This last weekend we had all these great plans to get a lot done to prepare our house to be put up for sale (that's an entirely separate post) but we ended up not doing any of the things on our list. I woke up Saturday feeling nauseous and achy all over. Although I never threw up I was totally incapacitated and sure felt like it. Steve felt fine and took the boys on a bike ride in the morning and then cleaned the oven, stove, and kitchen. After the boys woke up from their nap Steve was feeding them a snack and I laid on the floor nearby watching. As I watched I thought I saw Aaron choking but I soon realized he was throwing up. It didn't take long to forget about my own aches and pains and I took him upstairs for a bath while Steve cleaned up the nasty mess (what fun for him!). We originally thought nothing much of it because they've both thrown up before and not much has happened. I should mention that Andrew threw up twice Thursday night but continued to play hard on Friday as though nothing had happened.

It wasn't long after bathing him and bringing him downstairs that Aaron threw up a second time. We're not ones to call the doctor for every little thing but we went ahead and filled her in. She prescribed some anti-barf medicine, gave me some general flu instructions, and said if he throws up again we'd have to take him to the ER to be hooked up to an IV. "Give me a call so I can let the ER know you would be coming." It wasn't any more than 5 minutes that he threw up a third time. At this point we knew Aaron's flu was somewhat serious. Steve had just begun to feel a little queazy himself (we assumed from cleaning up the vomit!) but we decided he'd take Aaron since he didn't have the body aches and I'd stay home to care for Andrew. Before he could leave Aaron threw up a 4th time. He hurried with only a bag w/ toys and diapers so no camera, blanket, or Aaron's favorites were taken along.

As Steve began filling out paperwork at the hospital Aaron threw up two more times and he went rapidly downhill. His coloring began turning yellowish and Steve said he just laid lethargic in his lap. Aaron was soon hooked up to an IV in order to pump fluids into him and give him meds and then the wait began for a room in the pediatrics to become available. Aaron of course, was too sick to think, or care, about being separated from Andrew.

Meanwhile, here at home Andrew was more clingy than usual and kept looking around for Aaron. He never goes to bed without him. After putting Andrew to bed I laid down for the first time all afternoon and realized just how terrible I felt. Then I heard a coughing that didn't sound good. That can't be what I just thought it was?! I looked on the video monitor and sure enough- Andrew had just thrown up. After changing him and cleaning him up I called Steve who informed me that he too had thrown up twice there at the hospital. Geez, why don't they just admit all of us into the hospital??

I found some friends to come watch Andrew while I ran to the pharmacy to get the medicine originally prescribed for Aaron and after putting him to bed a second time I was able to get a decent night sleep. Yesterday Steve called to update me and I told him as soon as I found someone to watch Andrew I would come trade places with him at the hospital. I've been in a hospital enough to know that's it nearly impossible to get any sleep at night.

When I arrived there around 9:30 Aaron was laying on his bed playing with a toy. He sat right up and soon became his usual self. Apparently he had just finished drinking some apple juice- the first fluids they'd given him on his own. Steve was amazed how much it perked him up. He came home to care for Andrew and was able to take a long nap while Andrew slept. I stayed at the hospital with Aaron until he was discharged last night at 6:00 p.m. The entire time I was there he was extremely tired but very busy and spent lots of time emptying my purse, playing with toys we happened to bring, and riding in the wagon as I pulled it around the halls in pediatrics- ANYthing to keep him entertained. Unfortunately, we forgot the camera because we were so worried about keeping Aaron alive and getting him to the hospital. Dang it!

Meanwhile at home without his constant playmate Andrew was at a complete loss. He was very clingy (both with me on Saturday & Steve yesterday) and followed us around everywhere. Andrew would look around him as though he was looking for Aaron and wondering when he would be back. He seemed confused about where Daddy (or Mommy) was and what was going on. Although Andrew is the more social one and somewhat more of a bully, he tends to watch Aaron and copy what he does. Aaron is usually more independent and doesn't wait around for Andrew to decide what he's going to do. Without him around Andrew didn't play with some of the toys they normally do together.

Upon Aaron's return last night they had about an hour and half before bed. Andrew was ECSTATIC to see Aaron and couldn't stop smiling. We kept delaying their bedtime because it was hilarious to watch them together! It was almost as though they were making up for lost time! They ran around following each all over, copying one another, and playing with the same toys as their brother.

Today it was almost as though none of us were sick over the weekend. Steve went to work, I took the boys for a walk, and they played together and fought over toys. But I took more notice of what they do together and how much they look to each other- and it's ALL the time. The pictures prove it.

Soon after Aaron arrived home from the hospital.

These were all taken today.

Just the First Step

2009-10-16T21:58:00.001-07:00

This afternoon I got a very rare break- a friend and I got a pedicure, frozen yogurt, and went to Target. She has a 3 year old and so naturally the subject of potty training came up. Although it'll be nice to not have to change at least 8 diapers/day, I'm in no rush to potty train them. But she suggested at least getting a potty chair for them to get familiar with. I've been meaning to get one anyway since I do co-op and I won't have to have pee sprayed all over my toilet when a little boy goes on the big person chair. I figured one chair would be fine for now since we're not really doing the training yet.

While Steve fed them dinner they were completely fascinated while I unpacked the potty chair and examined it and how it worked (more to keep them entertained so they'd eat!). As soon as they got out of their high chairs they bolted over to the potty chair to sit on it, lift the seat, turn it over... and fight over it. The one who didn't win was crying hysterically and VERY upset. If they only knew what they were fighting over- a TOILET. Give me a break. Maybe I should have got two potty chairs after all.

Andrew couldn't wait to sit on the toilet. You can see Aaron behind- he's screaming and crying because HE wants to be sitting on it and playing with it.

Now Aaron's happy! HE gets to play with it by himself. Andrew quickly decided the toilet is no fun. It doesn't make any noise, has no wheels to roll around on the floor with, and is basically a boring 'toy'.... until tomorrow. Then the 'fighting' will start all over again.

P.S.- Aaron is in love with this toilet!! It's all he wants to play with. Maybe that's a sign he'll be easy to train. Andrew could pretty much care less.

A few of our favorites at 18 months

2009-10-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

As of two days ago Aaron and Andrew are now 18 months. With each new day they are learning countless new things and their personalities are getting more and more fun. Even though Aaron & Andrew exhaust me by the end of the day, they keep me smiling and laughing. And it's so much fun to watch them interact more and more with each other. They want to do most everything together and when one does something you can guarantee the other one is doing to follow- even when it comes to being sick.

Aaron & Andrew love riding their trains together

The last few days they both have had runny noses, coughs, and been clingy and FUSsy. Today we finally took them to the doctor so hopefully they'll start to be on the mend. Without really teaching him, Aaron figured out that when I wipe his nose it helps to blow. It thought that was pretty brilliant! (Now if he'll just figure out that being fed w/a spoon is for little babies...) You'd think that when they get sick they wouldn't feel like doing ANYthing- at least that's how I am. But no, they are just as busy.

Aaron & Andrew in their dog pj's. They both can say "doggie" but when Andrew is asked what a dog says he start panting. I ask him that a lot because I love hearing him do that!

Even though they have a long ways to go before really talking (they say all kinds of 'words') both of them are understanding a lot more. Earlier today at the doctor's office I pointed to the garbage and told Aaron to "Go throw it in the garbage." Then he did what I said. They'll also throw lots of other things in the trash too. Both of them are beginning to identify body parts but Andrew especially shows an interest in them. The following are what he does when you ask him to point to his...

Andrew, where's your nose?

Where's your eyes?

Where's your tongue?

Where's your hands?

(This afternoon I gave them each a popsicle and it stained their hands and faces.

I tried getting a picture of Aaron but had no success getting a good picture.)

Even though they both have very different personalities it's to explain those differences in a nutshell. Both of them are very active. Both have a stubborn streak. Both can be cuddly. Both are a lot of fun. Both can be mellow. But it doesn't take long to notice that Aaron has more patience when it comes to figuring how something works. He will play with stacking cups or a puzzle until he figures out how the pieces work together. Almost the instant parts don't fit together Andrew will get upset and find something else. It can be rather humorous.

Aaron LOVED rolling this car back and forth. He concentrated on

this and nothing else for quite a long time.

When you smile at him Aaron always smiles back!

Copy cats

2009-10-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

Now that both Aaron and Andrew are walking and going ALL over the place there is no need for me to exercise each day-- I'm getting my share all day every day. They are becoming more interested in what's up higher- couches, shelves, counters, stairs, anything- and are attempting to reach those levels. Thankfully they haven't figured out how to get on the couch and I'm doing nothing to speed it up. We have a book shelf downstairs that used to be filled with books- adult books- until Aaron and Andrew began pulling them all off and tearing them up. It didn't take long for me to get tired of re-shelving them so they were moved. The other day I saw Aaron stand on the bottom shelf and grab onto the third one up, but I had yet to see Andrew do that. Until Wednesday. Andrew stood on the shelf too...

Aaron (L) & Andrew (R)

and took it one step further. Aaron watches Andrew and thinks, "Hmm, that 's a good idea,"...
"I think I'll try that too."

Needless to say that shelf was soon removed. However, that didn't stop them from still climbing into the shelf. There seriously is never a dull moment with their entire day is filled with exploration.

About five weeks ago, after Aaron began walking all the time, the twins have become much more interactive and aware of each other. Which caused us to separate their bedrooms again. In mid-August we joined their rooms since they were on one nap now, we wanted the sewing/computer room for us, and besides they're twins, right? This idea lasted four weeks. Andrew takes much longer naps than Aaron while Aaron will fall asleep MUCH quicker than Andrew... when they're in separate bedrooms. Getting them to fall asleep at night was a joke. Neither of them were willing to be the one to give in.

When one would jump up and down so would the other one...

When one would kick against the bars so would the other one...

When one would laugh so would the other one...

When one would move his finger up and down his lips so would the other one...

When one would bang against the wall so would the other one...

and the list goes on and on.

Aaron was getting far less sleep than previously and his mood was becoming more moody, fussy, and cranky. So for now they are back in separate rooms.

But they love to be where the other is and do & say what the other one is doing. I hope this is the beginning of them becoming not only twins and brothers, but best friends.

In constant motion

2009-09-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

From the time they wake up in the morning until the time they go to bed at night Aaron and Andrew are moving NONstop ALL day. This explains why it's so difficult to get a decent picture of them. Most pictures turn out blurry, one is grabbing for the camera & screaming, or one is looking away. This was my attempt at getting a sweet, smily picture of them in their new pajamas:

Unless they had toys in their hands (or nearby) sitting would not even happen.

First Aaron had the police car (Andrew had thrown his toy on the floor)...

Then Andrew grabbed it and Aaron tries to get it back...

After they quickly gave up on sitting Andrew

decided he MUST have the camera.

Toys these days are really cheap and user friendly. This afternoon Steve blew up some surgical gloves we had on hand to make a couple of balloons with 5 nipples on them. You would've thought the boys had died and gone to heaven. The cost: nothing. One of the favorite items to play with lately are empty Dr. Pepper bottles. I'll gladly drink one if it will make them happy. And the other day after returning from Costco we kept this box for a few days and watched them have all kinds of fun.

Aaron LOVED climbing inside the box! Notice the bowl in the background- purchased

at the dollar store for spinning, throwing, filling with toys, putting on heads, etc. It never ends.

Ever since Aaron finally got the hang of walking about 3 weeks ago Aaron and Andrew are playing together and interacting a lot more. One of Aaron's favorite things is to get Andrew to chase him. He'll run up to him, giggle, and walk away. Aaron will keep doing this until Andrew starts to chase him. Then they both scream and laugh hysterically as they run all around the room. Every time we've attempted to get this on video they stop immediately and stare up at the camera. Andrew loves to wrestle and rough house while Aaron tends to be a little more gentle and cautious. Andrew likes to walk up to Aaron, grab him from behind and tickle him or knock him down. Aaron doesn't think it's so funny but he'll usually let Andrew have his fun. Perhaps we could get some of these on camera if they didn't move so dang fast. I wish we could just keep our video camera on all day in order to capture these unforgettable moments.

Both Aaron & Andrew LOVE the telephone and will use most anything that looks (or doesn't look) remotely close to one and hold it up to their ear. Here you see Aaron speaking to his girlfriend.

Andrew has some big shoes to fill. He LOVES Daddy's shoes (or anything for that matter)but gets frustrated really easily when he can't figure out how to get his feet in them.

Andrew inside the basket he just emptied of all the toys.

One of our most difficult days is Sunday. They get a much later nap than usual, their daily routine is different, and they have to sit the first 70 min. on our lap or near us. But I thought Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest. This afternoon, despite being extremely tired, neither of them slept longer than 45 minutes. After an hour or two of dealing with two fussy, cranky, jumpy, and moody little guys I finally threw Aaron and Andrew in the car and went for a short ride. It helped for a little while and broke up a very long afternoon that was seeming to be dragging on. Aaron was experimenting a lot today with a skill he's learned recently: screaming. It's the most piercing scream that will come out of the blue when we least expect it. He's not upset or trying to get our attention. In fact, he's usually having fun and is very happy when doing it. Hopefully Andrew won't copycat (another current favorite they're really into) and begin doing it too.

I'm not going to lie: having twins is busy and very tiring. But I love it and wouldn't have it any other way.

The Best Man and more

2009-09-13T20:22:00.001-07:00

No, I am not talking about the best man in a wedding. I am referring to my wonderful husband Steve. He truly is the best!! For the first time since the twins were born I had a break, and not just a break while they were napping. Our ward had our annual overnight Women's Retreat in St. George this last Friday/Saturday. But I got to leave Thursday evening and spend all day Friday and most of Saturday to myself. After Steve's work schedule change in July to four ten-hour days each week he suggested I go up Thursday evening instead of Friday. Okay, if you're going to make me! Let me just say what a well needed rest that was! (Note: I didn't exactly get sleeping rest.) Friday I slept in a little, read in bed, went to the temple, did some shopping, had lunch with Sharon, read some more, had dinner with friends, and then had some fun with the sisters in our ward. I NEVER get a full day like that to myself. It was wonderful! And then there was (most of) Saturday too.

While I was enjoying myself Steve was dressing the boys, feeding them, changing diapers, cleaning up, putting them down for naps, going on a bike rides, playing at the park with them, bathing them, putting them to bed, plus all the stuff in between. And he did it all over again the next day. He has accumulated about a year's worth of Man Points in just two days. Although he has always appreciated what I do each day I think he has a new level of understanding and appreciation. When I returned home Saturday evening he was exhausted!! Steve told me he now understands why I am so wiped out when he gets home from work around 6:45 (and the boys are fed, bathed, and sometimes in bed). He was still so exhausted this afternoon that he crashed sitting up on the couch.

At the Park

We have three great parks within walking distance of our house. Lately we have been spending time there almost daily. Most days after my walk I stop at the park with my walking friend and her little boy. And most Fridays and Saturdays Steve and I go fora bike ride with the boys and then stop at the park before returning home. Until recently going to the park alone was not fun for me. Only Andrew walked, Aaron was more clingy, and they had no concept of heights. Now it is much easier. Both boys walk, Aaron doesn't want to be held all the time, and they LOVE going down the slide alone. After sliding down they'll walk over to the steps, climb up, walk across the bridge, climb a few steps to the slide and go down again. They'll do this routine probably a dozen times before tiring of it.

Andrew LOVES dogs! Whenever he sees one he says, "Doggie, doggie..." and begins walking to it. Most of the time the owners are willing to let he pet the dog. He has no fear of dogs whatsoever. However, we have no plans to get one anytime soon.

Aaron loves going down the slide and always turns himself around backwards before sliding down.

One day Andrew would not let go of my helmet the entire time we were at the park,

even while climbing up the steps and going down the slide.

They love going down the slide together. Andrew watches while Aaron goes down...

and Aaron watches while Andrew goes down.

Aaron and Andrew are now 17 months. Within each passing day they they interact more and are more and more fun. They love chasing each other, making faces at one another, and laughing and screaming. A month ago we moved Aaron's crib back into Andrew's room after being in his own room for 8 months. Until that point Aaron would usually fall asleep almost immediately due his regularly shorter naps. Andrew would jump, walk, move around, and make noises for almost an hour before crashing. However, after joining them together it got worse. Despite Aaron being wiped out he'd manage to stay up talking to Andrew and copying whatever he was doing. Gradually he became more fussy, cranky, and more tired. He still wakes up just as early and still only takes an hour and a half nap. Andrew usually naps at least an hour longer than Aaron and awake and ready to go until late in the night. So with some regret we moved Aaron back into his old bedroom again. It was fun to see them together and I liked having my sewing and computer room back. But I'd rather have a more rested and cheerful baby. We'll see if it makes much of a difference.

Total Opposites- Almost

2009-08-28T22:08:00.001-07:00

Aaron loves the sand box...

Andrew prefers to explore the yard and eat rocks.

When I am out with the twins it's not uncommon for people to ask me if they're identical or fraternal. To me they look nothing alike (except the red hair) but it's not just in their looks. Aaron and Andrew are opposite in about every way imaginable. So before they change yet again I thought I'd write down just some of them.

ANDREW is fearless; AARON is cautious.

ANDREW is very unafraid to approach people, even big kids; AARON gets imtimated when many are around, especially at the playground.

ANDREW is a daddy's boy; AARON is a mama's boy.

ANDREW eats most anything & will put everything he can in his mouth; AARON is a picky eater and puts almost nothing (including food) in his mouth.

ANDREW prefers to drink water; AARON would rather drink diluted juice.

ANDREW loves to drink from a water bottle; AARON prefers sippy cups.

ANDREW usually takes good, lengthy naps; AARON is lucky to sleep 1 1/2 hrs and once in a while takes no nap.

ANDREW is chubby; AARON is very skinny.

ANDREW will let pretty much anyone hold him; AARON cries when held by anyone, at least when Mom or Dad are around.

ANDREW has a short attention span (what little one doesn't?!) and is ALL over the place; AARON can play with something, especially stackable cups, for about 15 minutes before changing activities. Sometimes he'll keep them in his hand ALL day.

ANDREW is very cuddly & lays on our shoulder when tired; AARON practically jumps out of our arms and into his crib (so he can walk & jump all over!).

ANDREW can't stay in the sandbox longer than 5 minutes before getting out to walk around & explore; AARON loves the sandbox and could play in it forever.

ANDREW is not ticklish at all; AARON has been very ticklish almost since birth.

ANDREW has a high pain tolerance and hardly cries when hurt; AARON is very sensitive.

BOTH love to play at the park, especially the slide; have red hair & blue eyes (but are NOT identical); are very happy boys and smile and laugh a lot; and are loved and adored by their mom and dad.

Lake Tahoe Pictures, Part 2

2009-08-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite memories from Lake Tahoe when I was younger was jumping off the dock near the mansion at the Sugar Pine State Park only a few minutes away from the condo. The water of colder than cold and I opted not to jump off while we were there. But we had fun watching others do it.

The water has been receding for several years and is not nearly as deep as it was when I was younger. Even though there's a sign warning people not to jump many don't follow it.

A group of us went down to the dock to watch some of the family jump off.

A group jump with Sara, Josh, Eric & Lauren...

...with Josh, Eric, & Lauren. Sara changed her mind last minute.

My brother, Eric, doing an upside down jump.

BRRRR, it's cold!

Andrew loves my sunglasses and finds any opportunity to try snatching them off my face.

On the last full day hiked up to Eagle Lake with almost everyone. We only took Aaron because Andrew was totally worn out from the busy week so we left him with my parents. I would've loved to take him too but he slept for 3.5 hours .

View of Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe from Eagle Lake

Eagle Lake

Steve and I with Aaron

My brother, Steven, and his cute family

Aaron with my aunt Nancy

We all had pizza for lunch one day in Tahoe City.

Andrew wants the camera...now.

Andrew bites the table out of anger after not getting his way.

Lake Tahoe Pictures (Finally!) Part 1

2009-08-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

For over a week now I've been planning to add some pictures and a little about what we did on our trip to Tahoe. It's hard coming back from a wonderful trip and facing reality again. There's too many wonderful things to tell my family's reunion at Lake Tahoe so I'll let the pictures give a lot of the detail.

My family's condo is perfectly located on the west side of Lake Tahoe near a variety of things, but in a quiet area at the same time. Only a mile away is a little market, Tahoe City is only 9 miles away, South Lake Tahoe is about 20 miles. A state park with camping, a historic turn-of-the-century mansion, boathouse, an old mid-1800's cabin, a beach, and a dock can be reached by bike in less than 15 minutes. One of our favorites is spending the day at Meeks Bay (only about 15 min away) playing & swimming in the water, playing in the sand, riding inflatable rafts & boats, and just sitting around talking, reading, and eating on the beach. . We spent two days at Meeks Bay. Unfortunately, we forgot to take our camera the second time so we didn't get as many pics as we'd like.

Our family at Meeks

Andrew (L) isn't so sure about the water. I don't blame him- Lake Tahoe is COLD!! Aaron (R), on the other hand, loves the water and did not want me holding his hand. He was ready to jump right in.

The sand was their favorite. They both tried eating sand more than once but I had to watch Andrew close to keep him inhaling it.

My four siblings and I took turns cooking dinner for everyone, which included 16 kids (ages 16 mos. to 14 yrs., most between 3 and 7) and 12 adults. After dinner we'd usually do some kind of activity or just talk. One night we laid on the tennis court and watched the spectacular meteor shower in the sky. After most of the kids were in bed we'd meet at one of the condos and play games or talk. Here are two of my brothers playing a game with some of the kids.

Two of my darling nieces- Lexie (10) and Sara (8 1/2). They were great helpers and loved holding, playing, and caring for the twins. Aaron, of course, only wanted Mom or Dad to hold him.

My older nieces were terrified of bears the entire week and wouldn't walk alone outside after dark. One of them even claimed to have seen a bear while walking to her condo. Until the end of the week I blew them off as just being paranoid. In the middle of the day my sister's car window was shattered and the inside was a wreck (of course, if may have already been like that!) in an attempt to get a bag of pretzels left in the car. At first they thought someone had broken into their car but after closer observation saw paw prints on the door.

Later that day two of my nephews are hard at work building a bear trap.

The best place on earth

2009-08-18T21:34:00.001-07:00

Lake Tahoe has been a favorite family vacation spot since I was a young girl. Now that I live in a hot, barren desert I love it even more. In the early 80's my grandparents purchased a condo on the west side of the lake and every other year all my extended family gathered for a week's vacation. Last week was the first time my siblings and their families, along with my parents & aunt Nancy, held a similar reunion. We had a blast!!

When it comes to pretty much everything I am big into lists. Prior to leaving on our trip I had an Errand List, To Do List, Things to Pack List, Groceries to Buy in Tahoe List. Big on my To Do list was clean my house prior to leaving. After my experience mopping the floor I don't think I'll clean before leaving. While mopping the tile floor I slipped and fell flat on my coccyx/back right so fast and hard I began seeing stars. The first thought I had was about not being able to ride a bike at Tahoe. Even though it still hurts (picking up 20+ lb. twins numerous times/daily doesn't help) I was able to ride a bike but running was (and still is) out of the question.

Driving for 9+ hours with 16 mos. old twins is not highly recommended. Most of our drive is through barren , ugly desert. We pass through some of the sorriest looking towns (if you can call them that), especially on the Nevada side. The drive is pretty much along the CA/NV border the entire way on an undivided, two-lane, 55 mph road. My favorite part of the drive is between Mono Lake & Benton, CA. I'm sure this section of highway has a name (or number) but Roller coaster Road is the best description. Believe me, it is a Roller coaster! I wish I had a picture to show you but even Aaron & Andrew could tell there was something different about this road. They giggled and laughed as we went up and down so many big curves. Of course, we go as fast as we can get away with and there were times I felt like our wheels were off the ground for a second or two.

We were the last to arrive at about 8:30 pm. Saturday night. After a LONG day with tired and cranky babies I was so happy to be at my destination.

I'm not sure how many parts there's going to be but I think this is enough for now. We had such a great time, Lake Tahoe is beautiful, and spending time with family was a little like heaven.

Cuddly babies to stubborn toddlers

2009-08-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

Is there a specific age when babies officially become toddlers? I don't know if there is or not but after last weekend I'm feeling like I no longer have babies. Now they're walking, talking (starting to say words, anyway), eating solids, way done with pacifiers, and now they are done with the bottle. Last Saturday we stopped giving them the bottle and it's been a LOT harder than I had anticipated- probably harder for us than it is for Aaron and Andrew.

One reason I'm wishing we hadn't done it yet is because this Saturday we're leaving for a week-long vacation. I had not expected the transition to so difficult and I didn't realize until now that they were as attached to the bottle as they were (especially Aaron). I assumed they sucked that bottle up because of the milk, not because of the container it was in. They now REFUSE to drink milk from a sippy cup. Yes, they know how to drink from a sippy cup and will drink water and juice from them no problem. But forget it when milk is put in it. It's frustrating enough when one baby refuses but two stubborn babies/toddlers is even harder.

Another reason I'm having a hard time with this change is I feel like I no longer have babies. I imagine it's how a nursing mother feels when the baby no longer breast feeds and begins drinking from a bottle and/or sippy cup. It's almost as though a part of me is gone. Just when I get comfortable with one stage they move on to the next. At least it keeps me on my toes at all times. I also got a little too excited about not having to wash all these bottles and parts every day but I guess it didn't dawn on me that now I'll be washing sippy cups and parts instead. Duh. What did I think they'd be drinking from?

I'm trying everything. Sippy cups with nipple-like end on them, regular sippy cups, straw cups, regular cups, chocolate milk, strawberry milk. So far the best (the only) thing that's worked is chocolate milk in a cup with a nipple-like end. Even with that they look at it suspiciously and hesitate drinking it. The most they've drunk so far is about 5 oz. total as compared to the roughly 18 oz. (per day) with the bottle. I'm not sure they'll ever suck the cups dry like they did with the bottle.

Part of me wants to go back to the bottle and deal with this after our vacation. But that would be STUPID and do worse damage. If I did that they'd probably be attached to the bottle until starting kindergarten. So I will NOT given in, the bottles are GONE forever, but I really miss my little babies.

Roseola

2009-08-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday evening (a week ago) Andrew began to have a fever around 100. We figured we'd see how he was in the morning. The next day he woke up with a temperature of 101 and this fever continued until Friday morning. We weren't too worried because he had no other symptoms, ate normally, slept fine, was still happy, and with Motrin he no longer had a fever. Besides, Aaron and Andrew had a check up with their pediatrician Friday so I was trying to hold off paying a special visit to the doctor. But Friday he broke out in a freckled rash all over is trunk, face, and neck. It looked almost like a bad case of the chicken pox but as a rash instead. It didn't seem to bother him (in other words, he wasn't scratching it) and his fever was only at 99.5.

Andrew's freckled roseola rash.

(The front side shows him crying hard.)

When we took them to the doctor in the late afternoon the nurse asked about his symptoms and said it looked like he might have roseola. Roseola? I'd never heard of it. Then his nurse practitioner poked her head in our room to say hi, saw Andrew and said, "Roseola." About two minutes later the doctor came in for his 15 month follow up and vaccinations. He immediately looked at Andrew and said, "Roseola." So within five minutes I didn't have to guess what Andrew had but I had absolutely no idea what it was. How long would it last? Would there be other symptoms? Where did he get it? Are there any medicines he'll need? I soon learned roseola is a virus that affects children ages 1 to 3 that begins in a fever of about 102 lasting for 5-7 days and had no other symptoms. After 5-7 days the fever breaks as suddenly as it began and a rash mysteriously breaks out all over the stomach, back, neck, and sometimes the face. Andrew's case of roseola could fit the picture perfectly.

The entire week we kept waiting for Aaron to get a fever. Until this point, everything one gets so does the other. After all, we use the same spoon when we feed them, suck and lick the same toys, and share (despite our best efforts to avoid it) sippy cups & bottles. We were surprised, but grateful, when Aaron never got a fever. The virus must not be highly contagious or you'd think Aaron would've had it too. We have no idea where it came from but our best guess is from nursery last Sunday or at the pool of some friends last Saturday.

If your child happens to get roseola I wouldn't be too worried- fever with no symptoms other than a 1-3 day rash. Not too bad.

Random thoughts

2009-07-20T12:21:00.001-07:00

Before Aaron and Andrew were born I kept up on my (written) journal fairly well. Since they've been born not a word has been added. That why I try to keep up on my blog so I at least have an online journal (plus pictures). However, it has become very difficult lately to even check my email, let alone add a post. Anytime I try to do it when the boys (kids, twins, babies, whatever) I've got two little ones trying to climb up my leg so they can sit on my lap to play with the mouse and press keys. In the evening after they're asleep I'm trying to catch up from all the things I didn't do during the day so there's been many nights lately where I don't even turn on the computer. By the time I actually sit down to add something it seems I've got too many things I want to say since this is a time of daily progress and learning for them. I never cease to be amazed at how much they have changed in just the last month or two and I'm sure the speed will continue to increase.

So I'll try to be brief on a few thoughts or changes I have at the moment. I'd love to add more pictures but lately I rarely snap a picture that's not blurry since they are on the go CONSTANTLY.

A couple of recent pictures-

Andrew 'reads' books every day and makes sounds and says 'words'.
This animal sound book is one of his favorite.

Aaron LOVES hot wheels cars and is found throwing,

dropping, rolling, or biting them all the time

1. Aaron and Andrew are finally on a one nap schedule which I find to be much easier. It took a while but when Aaron would NOT take an afternoon nap (Andrew would) for 3 weeks I decided it was time. They seem to have adjusted fairly easily and I don't feel like all I do is put them down for a nap. Plus, I have a bigger block of time when they're asleep. They wake up between 6 and 6:30, their nap is about 10:45 and they sleep 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Bedtime is 6:30 which is early but they're ready for it. I'm sure that just when we get adjusted to this schedule it'll change. The next big change is moving Aaron back into Andrew's room (probably tomorrow) since now their schedule is pretty close to the same.

2. A week ago we spent big bucks buying a bike for each of us and a trailer to pull the boys. The trailer can also be used as a jogging stroller so I've used it on my daily morning walks and we've gone on a couple of rides. The boys aren't too hot about the new trailer and they let us know they're hate the helmets but each ride seems to be a little better. It's been a very purchase and I feel like I'm getting more exercise. Hopefully the newness doesn't wear off.

3. If I had to name an animal that Aaron is most like it would either be a dog or a lion. The other day when I was only feeding Andrew (Aaron had woken up much earlier) and he kept dropping food off the side of the tray. Aaron was helping me out by picking food up and eating it. He also like to roll/throw a ball but rather than stay in one place he'll sit by me, roll/throw it, go fetch the ball, and return to me to do it all over again. The other animal is a lion because he has a pretty vicious bite. We've already had six incidents this week and I know from experience it doesn't feel good. The other day he bit Andrew so hard on the arm that it pierced the skin. Aaron most often bites Andrew because Andrew always wants whatever Aaron has and will do anything he can to get it. Even though I don't believe biting is a good thing and we've got to put an end to it as soon as we can, Andrew might deserve it- SOMEtimes. Another reason Aaron can be a lion is he will growl when asked what a lion says. While he still does it we need to get it on video.

4. Andrew has been walking now for about two months and is into EVERYthing. He is so much more fearless than Aaron. The other day when I was at the park with the boys he crawled up the steps, headed for a slide, and proceeded to go down the slide face first. I quickly grabbed a foot and slid down behind him while grabbing Aaron (who was on the platform at the top) and brought him down with me. Aaron is slowly making progress towards walking. He has been seen to stand up for a second or two and he's taken a step here and there a couple of times. Part of me is anxious for him to walk but at the same time I realize that once I've got two walkers (climbing will be worse) I will be even busier.

5. In the last two weeks both Aaron and Andrew have got their first molars with the rest of them almost visible. Andrew now has two molars and Aaron has one along with a new incisor. Unlike the other teeth he's gotten so far, Aaron hasn't been more fussy or seemed to have any side affects. Andrew, however, woke up crying or whining in the middle of the night for about a week. Other teeth he's had have caused no reactions.