Trunk or Treat

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

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??

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

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

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

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

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.