twomanytomention

Every home needs one of these

2011-04-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

Some people rave about how they have the best kids ever, well I truly do have the best dog ever. Loving, loyal, protective and tolerant. She gets dressed up, loved on, kissed, and sometimes pulled on by our kids and barely even blinks an eye. She was our only baby for years before the kids came along and adjusted to the change seamlessly. She got used to Daniel first and then I remember saying when we brought Elizabeth home from the hospital that Providence was thinking, "so is this the last one?" She has done great though, a true blessing to our whole family. Oh and also I do have the best kids ever!

"Seeing" Santa

2011-02-06T23:36:00.000-08:00

Please forgive that this post is so long after Christmas, I mean how embarassing, but hey, one of our neighbors still has Christmas lights on his house so I guess I shouldn't feel so bad.

I have a super cute video of Christmas morning where the kids first discover their Santa gifts, but it's too big to load onto my blog. We had a WONDERFUL Christmas, it's always been my favorite time of year even before kids, but now that we have kids, it just makes it better.

I have never been a huge Santa promoter with my kids, I don't want them to be all about Santa and the gifts and forget the real and only reason we celebrate, the birth of our wonderful Saviour. Anyway, we decided to check out Bass Pro's Christmas setup this year, it was pretty impressive and they had a Santa there, a Santa with a really long line I had zero desire to stand in. We had told the kids on the way that we were going to see Santa, we never promised them a seat on his lap, so they weren't disappointed when we "saw" Santa from afar. This was my idea of "seeing Santa."

But Chris really wanted them to have a traditional Santa experience so we took them to the mall by our house, Chris went early to save a spot in line, so when we got there we only had to wait a few minutes. The kids were very excited and loved sitting with Santa, they didn't talk to him or tell him what they wanted for Christmas, but it was an improvement over the last two years when they wouldn't even sit with him. It was a great experience and I am so glad we did it!

Elizabeth was so enchanted by her Santa experience that she created her own at home. Love how she put dolly and Mickey on Santa's knees and snowman and Jessie were able to join the party too. I mean look how happy Jessie is to be on Santa's lap! I guess maybe Santa is not so bad after all...

Master Mixer

2011-02-06T23:21:00.001-08:00

With all of our recent snow and subzero temps, the kids and I stayed inside doing quite a bit of baking. After three batches of chocolate chip cookies in the last week, they are pretty much pros, especially Daniel who as you can see is a master mixer, except of course when it comes to figuring out how to turn the darn thing off!

I should mention that Elizabeth is not a fan of the mixer, I don't think she likes that it shakes her whole body. But Daniel in typical boy fashion, loves anything electronic!

Peanut Butter Playdough

2011-02-06T22:59:00.000-08:00

I try to get the kids involved in the kitchen as much as possible, hey, anything to make my job easier. They both love to be involved in anything I am doing anyway, especially Daniel who insists on pulling his stepstool up to the counter even when I am making something as simple as a PB&J. So when I decided to make peanut butter playdough one day, I let them do all the work. They loved it! Doing the work and the peanut butter playdough, let me tell ya - it was yummy! There was a little, no, alot of eating going on, but that's what it was for, right?

Bedtime

2011-01-17T21:48:00.000-08:00

We are still having some bedtime issues around here, Elizabeth is getting a lot better, she usually goes right to sleep even sometimes before I have turned out the light. She has to have her whole "family" in her bed which consists of Santa, Woody, Buzz, Jesse, baby doll, bunny, Mickey and probably a few more I can't remember. She is back in a Pull Up b/c I realized she just wasn't ready to stay dry all night, we will try again in a few months. D on the other hand has done great staying dry, he gets up by himself at night and goes in his potty, so proud of him! But getting him to stay in bed at bedtime is such a challenge, it's the same thing night after night after night. I mean really, when will this end? He is obviously a night owl like his daddy, I can live with that. But the constant coming out of his room not wanting to miss a single thing going on out here drives me nuts! I mean the kid even comes down the stairs and tries to help me do laundry when he is supposed to be in bed. I don't need your help, go to sleep already! I am trying REALLY hard to be patient and realize he's 3 years old, this is normal, he is normal - thank God - but really, when will this end?

Disney Schmisney

2010-10-26T23:42:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through a magazine the other day and saw an ad for a Disney cruise, it sounded like so much fun and I found myself being bummed that we can't afford anything like that right now. And there is this ridiculous Fun Bus that comes to the preschool every Friday and you can pay extra for your kids to go and play in it. Well of course, they park the monstrosity right in front of the church so the kids see it when we come out, they even have a slide coming out of the back, A SLIDE! And once again, I feel really sad that we can't give our kids that experience (I tell them it's for older kids, shame on me). Disney Cruises? Fun Buses? Seriously? We live in Colorado for pete's sake! Why would anyone want to be stuck on some boat or in some bus when they can experience the beautifullness (new word) of the mountains? I mean, what better experience could we give them and best of all it's free! Costs nothing more than a tank of gas, if that. So you can keep your overpriced entertainment, we'll take the mountains, and you can see by these pics that D & E couldn't agree more.

Throwing rocks and sticks in the creek, they could have done this ALL DAY!

Went on a long hike, after which Daniel took a loooong gulp of water and said, " I was weally firsty." So cute!

This was at Devil's Head on Chris' birthday, amazing place and so close to town, definitely going back next year!

These are the experiences I am so thankful to be able to give them.

Potty-trained!

2010-08-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that the kids are almost 100% day potty-trained, our only issue is that Elizabeth would rather poop in her diaper than in the potty, but we're working on that. It's so great to just be able to pick up and go without worrying about diapers anymore. I was determined to have them trained by the time they are 3 and we did it! So proud of us and the kids for conquering this milestone.

Daniel the Artiste'

2010-08-17T20:52:00.001-07:00

This morning I walked into the kitchen and saw that Daniel had drawn a couple of perfect circles on the chalkboard! He then turned them in to happy faces, he was so proud and so were we. We are pretty sure the one on the left is a Picasso. Maybe he will be an artist just like Grandpa Louie.

Well, help yourself why don't you?

2010-08-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

I am loving being home with the kids, but it is exhausting - way more exhausting than working I can tell you that! In the mornings, I try to get up earlier than the kids and get showered before they get up, but that doesn't always happen. So on this particular morning, I turned on the kids favorite TV show and hopped in the shower and came out to find...

and then went a little further to find...

Guess I should just be glad they are eating fruit, right?

More Bedtime Blues

2010-08-05T23:03:00.000-07:00

Let me say that the bedtime issue has gotten sooooo much better than when the mayhem first began, like tonight Chris didn't have as much work to do so he was able to sit with Daniel for just a few minutes to wind him down and he was out like a light. They were actually both asleep by 9:00, oh happy day! But here is a little glimpse into what life was like before we got the issue in hand.

Bedtime Blues

2010-08-05T22:36:00.001-07:00

I have sucked at blogging lately. I just wasn't able to find the time while I was working and as soon as I was able to be at home again, the kids threw me for a loop. They chose the first night that Chris was out of town for training to start climbing out of their beds. It started out kinda funny and cute but turned into a total nightmare, for me, not them, they were having a blast. So long story short, I don't have as much time in the evenings as I thought I would to catch up on blogging. I should add what a HUGE blessing it is that we are going through this while I am not working, it is still stressful, but not near as much as it would be if I were trying to get a million things done at night. But still, can this phase please end quickly?

Oh yes, and the kids won't take naps now, which can make for some pretty rough dinners, for some reason, that is when they choose to melt down. Or this happens...

A Trike Built for Two

2010-08-05T00:09:00.001-07:00

Love this video of Elizabeth giving Daniel a ride, he always says she is too heavy when she tried to catch a ride. She must have some strong legs!

Birthday Weekend

2010-07-23T23:21:00.000-07:00

My whole family came in from Oklahoma to celebrate the kids' 3rd birthday, it was such a wonderful, perfect weekend! Unfortunately, our cameral died right before the kids' party, so my neice Cameron played photographer and snapped some great pictures. I can't find them at the moment but will post some later. Here are a few pics of our great weekend.

Driving the tractor at White Fence Farm

Feeding the animals with Aunt Cari

Cameron was nice enough to let Daniel play a game on her ipod, itouch, iphone, isomethingorother

Fun on the Slip n' Slide

Reading a story with Grandpa Danny

Smores!

2010-07-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

Working at the car wash - yeah!

2010-06-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been searching for fun stuff for the kids to do at home, one of the ideas I found on a blog was to have our own car wash. So I filled up a container of soapy water, gave the kids each a spray bottle, and they proceeded to wash their race cars. They loved it and it kept them entertained for hours and kept me busy running back and forth to fill their container. So fun!

Showing some love

2010-06-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

Daniel giving his sissy some love and checking out her owie. He's so sweet!

Movie Night

2010-06-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

The kids have just recently gotten into watching movies and Toy Story is their current obsession, so before we got the movies for their birthday, TS2 was coming on TV on a Sunday night and I told the kids all weekend that we were going to watch and eat popcorn - they were so excited! I make air popped popcorn so they love to stand there and wait for it it come out and jump up and down and scream when it pops. I put a sheet down on the chair since I put butter on the popcorn and just let them go to town - they loved it!

Waffle Chips Anyone?

2010-06-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

This was from a few months ago, I am not really sure how to explain it except that Daniel stored some chips in the waffle iron and kept coming back for them until they were gone. It's tough being a twin sometimes, they really do have to share everything, maybe he just wanted these chips all to himself? Not sure what goes on in his head, but isn't he adorable?

My Birthday Weekend

2010-04-05T23:20:00.000-07:00

My mom came in for my birthday this year which was really special since I don't think I have seen her on my birthday since I moved here. Something about having kids makes it so much more special too. We had such a great time, Saturday night Chris and I actually got to have a date night while my mom put the kids to bed, that is the first time we have ever been able to do that, it was great! It was freeeeezing cold outside but we braved it and had a nice dinner and saw a really good movie, what a treat!
On Sunday, we had a little party for me at our house, the kids had a blast of course and I got some really cool gifts, one of which was a Daniel Faraday bobble head from the Duran's, he is one of my fave characters from the greatest TV show on earth - LOST! Here he is standing next to my birthday cake that my mom and I made, it is supposed to be a purse. Yes, we are keeping our day jobs.

Taking care of Providence

2010-04-05T23:03:00.000-07:00

I recorded Daniel talking to Providence one night when he didn't know I was there. Note the sound effect when he goes to get "lotion" for Providence's owie.

The stepstool bridge

2010-04-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

Over the last 6 months I have noticed the kids playing together more, I love to sneak up on them when they don't know I am there and listen in on their conversations and just watch them interact. I love it when I see them working together to make up a game or building something together, like this stepstool bridge they made in the basement. I got an organizer a few months back for their playroom with a bunch of bins to hold toys, the kids dumped all of the toys out of the bins and made a bridge. I cringed because of the mess but loved that they thought of this and did it together.

The tutu - who wore it best?

2010-04-05T22:23:00.000-07:00

When my mom came she brought a tutu and a headband for Elizabeth, it was adorable and of course, we put it on her right away. Then a little while later we looked into the living room and saw Daniel putting on the headband, we all thought, " oh how cute, he's wearing her headband" then he comes running out from behind the chair and he was also wearing the tutu! We laughed so hard, it was hilarious! He thinks it is funny to put on sissy's dresses and angel wings and twirl around in them, I keep assuring Chris it is completely normal, he is just having fun and he is all boy. Here is my sweet boy modeling his sissy's tutu and then the tutu how it was intended to be worn.

Bedtime with Elizabeth

2010-03-28T21:35:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth is crazy about her baby dolls and stuffed animals, sometimes I can't even find her in her bed, she is surrounded by her animals, she insists on having them all in her bed before she goes to sleep. I went in the to check on her the other night a few minutes after I put them down and this is what I saw.

She had put her baby doll and Oklahoma bear to bed on her pillow and put a blankie on them. I can't even get over how adorable she is!

Bedtime with Daniel

2010-03-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

I guess it has been a couple of months now since we broke Daniel of the pacifier, he has done really well, he only asked for it a couple of times and seemed to forget about it pretty quickly. The problem is that it obviously relaxed him and helped him get to sleep at night and now he just can't seem to wind down. He doesn't cry, he just bounces around his bed, talking, singing, keeping Elizabeth up, etc. I stood outside their door and captured this the other night.

Cheers!

2010-02-28T21:20:00.000-08:00

The kids love to do Cheers while they eating, with us and with each other - how cute is that? Their tables manners have gotten considerably better in recent months and much less food is finding it's way to the ground, much to Providence's dismay. They really are getting too big for their high chairs but I am waiting for the MOMS Sale on March 13th to get another booster seat and then it's "bye bye high chairs!" I can't even tell you how much I won't miss washing those humongous trays!

"Look at my blue tongue!"

2010-02-28T20:55:00.000-08:00

I had to post this pic of Elizabeth and her blue tongue that she got from a lollipop at church. We switched them to the 2 year old class in December and they absolutely love it! They were in the toddler room before which is basically just a room full of a bunch of toys where they just play for an hour. But now they are in more of a classroom where they sing songs, have a lesson and do a craft. One night they even came out with a piece of paper that they had glued things to, I was like, "you gave my kids glue?!" Well I didn't really say that but I thought it. It's just so great to see them socializing with other kids and really enjoying being somewhere like that and the best part - no tears! They are learning too, Elizabeth was going around the house saying "God gave us Jesus" over and over again. My babies are getting so big and grown up!

Playing Dress Up

2010-01-11T21:47:00.000-08:00

Check out sweet little Elizabeth playing dress up. She loves to wear hats around the house, she found this scarf in my closet and has claimed it as her own, she finds all kinds of creative ways to wear it, even likes me to tie it around her waist as a skirt. She is such a sweet, outgoing and adventurous little girl, I see big things in her future. Maybe even a career in fashion design!

Grandpa D and Miss Carol's visit

2010-01-11T21:37:00.000-08:00

We had a whirlwind visit from my Dad and Carol the week before Christmas. Again, the kids got some awesome gifts and had such a great time playing with Dad and Carol. They absolutely love when people come to visit us, I think they really get bored with just ole Mommy and Daddy all the time. We all went to The Wildlife Experience Winter Wonderlights and froze while looking at all the really cool lights that I am pretty sure we could have driven by and seen for free from our warm cars. We had fun though, were sad to see Grandpa Danny and Miss Carol leave but were so glad we got to see them around Christmastime!

I am pretty sure Daniel is crying in both of these pics because he kept trying to take off and all of his efforts were thwarted. Poor kid.

Santa Schmanta

2010-01-11T21:22:00.000-08:00

Like many families, we have fallen victim to the idea that we must participate in all of the standard holiday traditions. It was actually my idea to go see Santa this year, I think maybe if I hadn't mentioned it, Chris may have not thought of it and we could have just skipped it altogether. Me and my big mouth. We had gone to a really neat (and free) Fall Festival at a local nursery and wanted to go back there to see Santa Claus. We thought it might be less crowded than the malls, but there was still a long line of people there when we arrived and we got there right when they opened. We had talked it up quite a bit and kept asking the kids if they wanted to sit with Santa, and guess what they said? "No!" I knew they weren't going to do it so why spend a Saturday morning out in the cold trying to keep 2 2 yr olds occupied for over an hour? I did try to talk Chris into leaving pretty much as soon as we got there, even tried to bribe him by suggesting we go eat, but he felt like we should say since we were already there. Well once we finally got up there, the kids had no interest in sitting with them and well....you see the end result. This is the 2nd picture with Santa I have been in with them. It's crazy, why do we do this? They didn't talk to him but did give him high 5's when we left and talked about the candy canes they got from him for days after that. All in all, it wasn't a bad experience, just not really sure it was necessary. Next year, I am keeping my mouth shut.

Mama's Boy

2010-01-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

Thought I would share a few pics of me goofing around with my little boy. He is just the sweetest boy ever, loves his mommy and loves giving kisses. He is quite the sensitive kid, they have started watching movies lately and he gets really upset when something bad happens, like it someone gets hurt or something gets destroyed. We have had to turn a couple of movies off because he actually starts crying. Don't get me wrong, he is a rough and tumble kid too, but I am enjoying his sensitive side while it lasts.

Thanksgiving

2010-01-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

We took the kids on the first long road trip when we went to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. We were pretty nervous about it since we had never gone more than 3 hours in the car with them before, we really had no idea how they would do. Can I just say - they did awesome! We were very pleasantly surprised. If they did this well with just some little toys to keep them happy, just imagine how well they will do when we get our tricked out minivan with a DVD player!

We had so much fun in OK, we had Thanksgiving dinner at the Kelley's on Thursday, hung out over there for awhile and the kids played with the awesome dollhouse that Cameron saved for them all these years. We were most excited to bring that back home with us! We went to Dad and Carol's that night for some desert - yum!

On Friday, we met my friend Kelli at Ted's, the best Mexican restaurant in the entire world - it was so yummy! The kids had fun afterwards playing with her daughter Meadow, we would have loved to get her twins over as well, but they were sick. Maybe next time.

On Saturday, we had Thanksgiving dinner at Dad's and played over there for awhile after that. The kids brought home some pretty awesome new toys and were just so excited to see their Oklahoma family and spend some quality time with them.

On our way out of town on Sunday, we stopped for lunch at Ted's so that I could get my fix one last time and so the kids could experience Ted's as well. I think it is safe to say that it is their favorite restaurant now too.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Oklahoma!

Now that we know the kids can handle that drive no problem, we have to get back to OK at least once a year.

Cuchara

2010-01-07T21:20:00.001-08:00

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted anything since Halloween, I may be the worst blogger ever. This post is a bit out of order but I wanted to talk about the trip we took to Cuchara, CO. We met my mom and my sister and her family just 3 hours SW of here in a teeny, tiny little town called Cuchara. There is nothing there except for cabins and apparently a place called the Dog Bar where we were told we could have gone to watch the OU/TX game but didn't.

Anyway, Cari reserved us a great cabin where we brought all of our own food to cook and really never left there except to go on a few walks. The weather was absolutely perfect and we all just had a great time. The kids were so excited to see everyone, they just love Grandma Judy, Uncle Kevin, Aunt Cari, Cory and Cameron. We went on a little nature walk where they got to explore a little bit and check out the river. Their favorite part of the weekend was throwing pine cones in the river and watching them float away, finding cool sticks and looking at the stars at night. They are so cute and I must say adapt pretty well to different environments, they loved the cabin and slept great while we were there. They still talk about the cabin and love to look at the pictures. We may have to make it our annual Fall Break trip!

Fall Festival and Halloween

2009-11-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

Halloween has come and gone and I am sad to say I have no pics of Halloween night. It was a blast though, we got the kids dressed up and went to the Fall Festival at church. We had more fun this year because the kids were older could play more of the games, the ring toss, knocking down milk jugs, kicking the giant soccer ball into the net and basketball. Their bags were full of candy by the time we left and it was time to head home to greet the trick or treaters.

When we got home, we cooked our Jack O Lantern pizza from Papa Murphy's, which was really cute and yummy and may very well be our new Halloween tradition. The kids had so much fun running to the door to see the trick or treaters, they would get so excited to see them! Especially Elizabeth, our social butterfly, she even yelled "Happy Birthday" after one of the kids, I think she got her holidays confused. They were all about the candy too, even more than we thought they would be. We didn't even think they knew what candy was, but it must be a pretty simple concept for them to grasp.

The week before we went to a Fall Festival at a local nursery and did a tractor hayride and corn maze. It was alot of fun, and I do have some pics to show from that of the kids in their costumes. As the kids get older, these holiday adventures get more fun with their ability to grasp what it's all about and how they can get involved. Not that I want them to grow up too fast.

We also did our first pumpkin carving with the kids the night before Halloween, they just watched of course, I did try to get them to stick their hand in the pumpkin, but they weren't into it. We had fun though!

Who needs Water World?

2009-09-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

Chris had the really great idea to put our little plastic slide in the kid's kiddy pool, so they could slide on it into the water. Let me just say, they loved it! Our own little waterpark, right in our own backyard!

2009 Summer Recap

2009-09-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, did we ever have a great summer! The kids were so much more mobile this year (D had just started walking in August last year and E didn't start until after Labor Day) so we spent as much time as possible outside. The kids just love being outside and we love it b/c they seem to burn off so much more energy that way! We went swimming a couple of times this summer, and the kids had their first water park experience, and ate popsicles, ice cream cones, and s'mores for the first time (not all at once, of course). We also took them to Tiny Town to ride the train twice which they talk about all the time, and we all rode in a surrey for the first time, that was a blast! But I think the best part of all of it was just playing in our backyard, cooking on the grill as much as possible (less clean up for mommy) and eating outside, one of my favorite things about summer. But alas, summer has almost ended and soon the kids will be snuggled in their warm pj's and watching Daddy shovel snow (sigh), but with the change of seasons comes anticipation of the coming holidays and so much more fun to be had.

How My Babies Have Grown

2009-08-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it finally got hot here so we got out the kid's baby pool that they got for their birthday last year. They still loved playing in it but there was certainly a lot less room to move around this year. The first pic is from last year and the second pic is this year's, check out my chubby babies turned lean toddlers!

It's Like Looking in a Mirror

2009-08-05T21:21:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture, I don't even know when they took it, one day when I was at work, I guess. So this is what they do all day, play and have fun? That's how it should be. I would love to be the one at home with them and know I will be soon enough, but they have THE BEST daddy ever and as you can see by this pic, Elizabeth thinks so too. That is my little girl right there, sometimes I still can't believe it.

Fun in the pool, Floaties rule

2009-08-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

We have taken the kids swimming a couple of times this year, well when I say swimming I mean we take them to a friends neighborhood pool to play in the 1 foot baby pool. The first time we just let them walk around but they kept falling over and into the water and even though we were right there, it really stressed me out. So this time we got them Floaties and they worked great! It was much more relaxing this time, and the kids had a blast! Daniel even sort of figured out swimming and was bending his knees and floating in the water. Elizabeth is our little fish, she absolutely loves swimming and couldn't get enough! We are encouraging them to blow bubbles in the water in the pool and the bathtub, apparently that is the first step in getting them used to swimming underwater. We will probably look into official swimming lessons soon.

Cousins

2009-07-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

I love this picture of Cameron and Elizabeth wearing their matching shirts that Grandma Judy brought back from Cozumel. They are even sitting the same way in the chair, how cute is that? Elizabeth was crazy about Cameron from the second she got here, she must have said her name a million times that week. And she is still talking about her a month after she left. How I wish they lived closer and we could see them more often!

The fireworks that never were.

2009-07-06T11:35:00.001-07:00

We decided this year that we would keep the kids up late on the 4th of July and take them to see fireworks. They had been hearing them quite a bit from our neighbors and were getting pretty curious. The outdoor mall by our house does a big display every year so we thought we would drive to the Schmome Schmepot parking lot which overlooks the mall and we would have a pretty good view. We all piled into the car and took off about 9:00 pm, it had been raining and was pretty cool so I had put warm clothes on the kids and brought their blankies. We rushed up there thinking they might have already started, but they hadn't and we were able to get a prime spot. We all climbed into the back of the truck and waited, and waited, and waited. We ended up closing the back door and just rolling down the back window so the kids could look out. Except for a few cranky moments, the kids were great and had a blast! They just knew they were out late and doing something exciting and different, they just had no idea what. We saw a few fireworks going off in some random directions but the ones from Schmouthlands never went off. Finally, after waiting an entire hour for these stinkin' fireworks, we got back into the car and drove over to the mall to ask one of the security guys what was up. He said they weren't having fireworks this year which they had posted on their website but he had still had at least 100 people ask him that night. So we went home to check and sure enough, it said right there on their site which Chris and I had both looked at earlier but had obviously misread. But we weren't the only ones, there were several of us suckers sitting in that parking lot waiting for the fireworks to start. It was disappointing because the kids were really excited to see them, so when we got home Chris set off the (legal) fireworks he had gotten and we watched from the house. The kids loved them and asked for more, but that was all we had and it was 10:30 and time for bed.

It ended up being such a fun night and one we will probably be laughing about for awhile.

And they say boys are hard to potty train...

2009-07-06T11:21:00.001-07:00

So we had gotten the kids a potty for their 2nd birthday, I wanted them to open it and us make a big deal out of it so they would think it was something special. I am pretty sure by the time I got the wrapping paper off they had moved on to something else though, as kids will do. I didn't even know if I would start it right away, there is such conflicting information out there about when to start potty training, I didn't want to start it too early and then have us all frustrated.

So just last Friday night we had the potty out and I put it in the bathroom before bathtime and was asking the kids if they wanted to sit on it and go peepee. I took their diapers off and they took turns sitting down on it and fighting over it (hmmm, maybe I should have bought 2?) They were just playing with it after a while and opening and closing the lid, when I saw it - someone had gone poopy! I was so shocked I thought someone must have been playing a trick on me! I know it was Daniel because he had been on it the most and was on it last. My shocked reaction made him feel like he had done something wrong at first, but then I quickly went into cheerleader mode and made sure he knew he had done a very good thing. I don't think he did it on purpose, I think it just happened, but my positive reaction and his reward (high fives and chocolate popcorn) will hopefully mean more poops in the potty in the near future. I mean, think about it, that was one poopy diaper I didn't have to change. We are well on our way!

Our own little tribute to Michael

2009-07-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

Upon hearing the sad news of Michael Jackson's death, I got out my Thriller CD and played it for the kids intent on introducing them to the musical genius that was the incomparable Michael Jackson. Elizabeth is our little dancer as you can see in the video and Daniel was doing something that looked close to break dancing in the breakground. These kids are such a blast!

We are Family

2009-07-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

It was so great having my whole family here for the kids' b-day, it's hard to live so far from home and I was thrilled that everyone wanted to make the trip to celebrate the kids birthday. Daniel and Elizabeth's new cousin Braden was the youngest guest attendance, just a little more than a month old. My cousins were in town this year for the party and we got a great pic of me, my cousin, my sister and our kids, the only one missing was Shelby who was in Oklahoma. These are some of the family pics we got at the party.

Elizabeth and the "baby singing" song

2009-06-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth loves "God You Reign" by Lincoln Brewster because towards the end of the song he has his kids on there talking, she always giggles and says, "baby singing, baby singing!"

Awesome birthday week

2009-06-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

My family came into town to visit us for a week and celebrate the kids' 2nd birthday with us. The kids warmed up to them very quickly especially Elizabeth with her cousin Cameron and their doggy Lucky or as Elizabeth called her "Yucky".

We headed South to Manitou Springs to eat at The Mission Bell and then drove through Garden of the Gods, one of my favorite places.

We also headed North to Estes Park, another one my favorite places and spent a beautiful day there.

We had beautiful weather and played outside with the kid's water table, which was their early b-day present from us.

My dad and Carol arrived on Friday and came for pizza that night which was the kid's actual birthday, we had cupcakes that night and sang to the kids, Daniel wasn't sure what was going on and Elizabeth cried, it was pretty funny.

The party on Saturday was a huge success, thanks mostly to my mom who did all of the cooking, she made the most yummy bbq beef for sandwiches and the best potato salad ever. It ended up being the coolest day of the week and was a bit rainy but it turned out okay and most people were able to eat outside which was what I was hoping for. The kids had a great time, got some really cool gifts, and this time Daniel was all cute and smiley when we sang to him and Elizabeth smiled and laughed, we must have been more on key this time around.

It was a fun and exhausting week and I just can't believe my sweet little babies are 2!

Come swing with me!

2009-06-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we took the kids to see their new cousin Braden at Chris' sister's house, they live really close to Wash Park, a really huge, awesome park in Denver. We wanted to take the kids there to see the ducks, play on the playground and have a picnic. They were a little bit too small to really play on the playground and it was really crowded so we mostly stuck with the swings, and as you can see from these pics, they love to swing! You have to click on the pictures to enlarge them to see their adorable faces. I am trying to get Chris to build the kids a swingset, he is really good at that kind of thing. Don't hear any pounding going on in the garage yet, but I will keep working on him kids, I promise!