Y.M.C.A.

On Christmas Eve we put Connor & Isaac to bed....only to find two of the village people had taken their places on Christmas morning.

Our Thanksgiving

I'm a little behind on blogging, so I'll try to catch up in a couple of long posts.

For Thanksgiving this year, we went to Salt Lake to visit family. I was really hoping it would snow while we were there so the boys could play in the snow for the first time. Luckily, when we arrived, there was a little snow left over from a recent storm. The boys loved playing in it.



They also loved playing with Grandpa & Grandma's Karaoke machine...singing children's primary songs (from church).



Unfortunately, both boys were sick for most of our visit, but they did get to play a little with their cousin Mason.

Apparently, Connor was not in the mood for hugs.


Isaac & his Aunt Sheri


I think they both look like they've been hittin the sauce here...


And since their 3rd birthday was only 10 days away, Grandma threw them a fun little birthday party.

Church

Church is never dull when you have two 3-year-olds.

Today, as we were listening to the speakers, Isaac said (not quietly, of course), "Mommy, that boy said 'cool beans'!"....what the speaker really said was "obedience".

In this very same service, Connor, for no apparent reason shouted out "Ta Da!".

Usually my boys are very well behaved & fairly quiet in church. I don't think they were trying to be loud today, but I have no doubt that some people around us were having a little chuckle.

Third Person

After successfully using the pronoun "I" for quite some time, Connor has started referring to himself in the third person. Instead of "I need" he says, "Connor needs." Today Ryan had the funniest exchange with him.

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He likes to play this game where we pretend we can't find him...

Ryan (asking Jenn): Where's Connor?

Connor: Here he is! He's right here! I found him, daddy!
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I really love this age. Rarely a day goes by when one of them doesn't crack us up.

Babe

I'm still laughing from this little exchange with Isaac this evening...

Isaac: Mommy, can I call Babe?

Me: Sure, go ahead. (I'm thinking he must have watched that movie at daycare about a little pig named Babe.)

Isaac: Okay. Baaaaabe! (pause) He's not coming.

Me: Isaac, who is Babe?

Isaac: It's Daddy. He's not here.

I guess I call Ryan "babe" more than anything else when we're at home. Apparently Isaac likes that title better than "daddy".

So Proud

The boys came home from daycare singing this today. I'm not sure whether to be proud or frightened. I guess "Bad" was from Michael's more normal days, so maybe I don't need to be worried...

Connor's Quirks

Connor is kind of a quirky little guy.

Ever since he began calling me by name, I have been known as "Monny" (pronouced exactly like mommy, but replace the m sound with the n sound). Try as I might, I could never get him to say my name correctly. Then, all of a sudden, one day this week he started saying it right. I have mixed feelings about this. All this time I've been frustrated at his inability (or unwillingness) to correctly pronounce my name, but now that he does, I'm sad. Another phase gone...one more step away from being my baby.

Another strange habit Connor has is wiping his hands on his hair. I can't get this kid to understand that a napkin is the proper place to wipe his hands....but even his pants or shirt would be preferable to his hair. Last night he ate a chocolate that melted a little faster than he could eat it. This was the result.



In case you can't tell, the "hair product" in his spiked hair is chocolate.

It must be Fall

Here in Southern California, the traditional signs of fall are few. A little over a week ago, we had high temperatures around 110. The trees don't really display fall colors...they are either still green or have already gone from green straight to brown. Here is what we've been doing to feel the autumn spirit...

This past weekend we went apple picking. The orchards didn't open until September 1, and they were already nearly picked clean only a month later...so it wasn't as cool as we thought it would be. We did manage to fill a bag & the boys (especially Isaac) had at least a little bit of fun.

Connor studying the map


Connor picking


Isaac picking


The loot




Isaac enjoying the fruit of his labor



Ryan was just in Utah for work, and he brought the boys back some mini pumpkins from their Grandma Leitch. They had a fun time painting them tonight.

I don't believe it

If I hadn't been around for all of those sleepless nights with 2 newborns at the same time, I don't know if I would believe that Connor & Isaac are twins. I mean, seriously. Connor is 2 inches taller & 7.5 lbs heavier than Isaac. People always think Connor is older because he is so much bigger (and he's big for his age). Isaac has blonde hair and blue eyes and Connor has brown hair & brown eyes. Their personalities could not be more different. It's so fun to see how they grow more and more different as they get older.

Isaac(l) & Connor(r)


Isaac


Connor

Sedona

We spent the past few days in Sedona visiting Papa and Granny C. We were joined by Ryan's sister, Jennifer, and her husband, Brett, as well as Ryan's brother, Michael, and his little girl, Reese. I hadn't seen Michael & Jennifer for 7 years and we had never met Reese. The kids had lots of fun playing together & we really enjoyed spending time with family we hadn't seen for so long.

Isaac & Connor "sleeping" on the hotel bed


Connor yelling "CHEESE" for the camera. We had dinner at Javelina Cantina for Claire & Jennifer's birthdays.


Isaac being silly on the slide at the park in Sedona


Papa helping Connor cross the creek on our hike


Isaac & Connor taking a snack break with Granny C on our hike


Isaac eating an apple he picked from an orchard on our hike


Isaac & cousin Reese holding hands in Uptown Sedona


All of the kids holding hands in Uptown

First Fishing

The boys had several "firsts" on our trip to Utah this summer. In addition to hiking, Connor and Isaac also went fishing for the first time. Grandpa took them to a nearby fishing pond and had a fish on the hook within 30 seconds of his first cast. We only caught these little baby bluegill, and of course we threw them back. The boys loved it!

Donut Falls

When the boys were born, we never invested in those backpack carrier thingies that you use for carrying babies/toddlers while hiking. We just decided we wouldn't take them hiking until they could walk on a trail on their own. At age 2 1/2, Connor & Isaac went on their first hike while we were visiting family in Utah.

On the way up, Connor set the pace and left Isaac in the dust. He took this hiking thing very seriously. We had to remind him several times to slow down and not run. Isaac hiked for all of about 10 minutes & wanted to be carried the rest of the way up. They both wanted to be carried all the way back down. They have never had any sort of energy shortage until this adventure. I think they need a little more practice with the hiking thing.

Connor & Isaac chillin in the car on our way to Big Cottonwood Canyon.


Isaac & Connor ready to hit the trail


Donut Falls (it used to be much more impressive, but a rockslide ruined it a few years ago)


Ryan & Connor at the falls


Jenn & Isaac at the falls (Grandma in the background)


The ride back down


Helping daddy build a dam in the creek near the bottom of the trail

Through the Eyes of a 2 1/2 year old

Isaac was being ornery in the car...
Ryan: "Isaac, do you want a knuckle sandwich?"
Isaac: "No, I just want a peanut butter sandwich."

Driving down the street past these palm trees...

Connor: "WOW! Look at the big flowers!"
Jenn: "Connor, those are big trees...they're called palm trees."
Connor: "No! Those are flowers!"
Isaac (impatiently): "No, Connor, they're palm trees!"
Connor: "No! Flowers!"

Endless Entertainment

I think my boys watched this video about 30 times yesterday. Pretty well done....

New Bike

I want one of these. Do you think the boys would jump out?

Major Milestone Successes

I often receive comments about how difficult having twins must be or how I must have my hands full. I usually reply with, "It can be challenging at times, but it can also be SO much fun."

I have to say that with the trials of having twins, God has certainly been merciful toward me. We have somehow been able to get through most of the major milestones of babyhood/toddlerhood without much fuss.

Bottles - We got rid of bottles when the boys were about a year old. I anticipated much wailing and gnashing of teeth, but instead received little to no resistance!

Pacifiers - I have heard horror stories about kids who are 4 and still won't give up the pacifier. I was afraid of starting this habit with my infants, but quickly realized the benefits. Isaac gave up his pacifier in favor of his fingers around 8 months old...he has since given up the fingers as well. At 18 months we decided Connor's pacifier needed to go. He was already only allowed to have it while sleeping. He cried a little the first time he went to sleep without it, and that was the end of it.

Toddler Beds - Wow, this one scared me. I can't even count the number of stories I've heard about toddlers ripping their rooms apart as soon as they have the freedom of a bed instead of a crib. We switched the boys to beds when they were 23 months old. Beginning with night #1 they went right to sleep, and did not get out of bed. To this day, they stay in their beds (except to grab a book to sleep with). When they wake up in the morning, they stay in bed until we come to get them. I was (and still am) so relieved by this.

Potty Training - I have boys. They are 2 1/2. I am told this is a little young for boys to be ready to potty train, but Isaac has been showing signs of readiness. So, last weekend we decided to give it a try with him. I fully expected it to be a bust and for us to try again in a few months.

Day one ended with a total of 3 accidents, day two with 2 accidents, day three with 1 accident, and days four, five, and six were perfect! I am so amazed by this, and thankful. So thankful. I don't think I could have swished very many pairs of Thomas the Tank Engine underwear in the toilet before giving up & saving the training for another time. He is still newly potty trained, so anything can happen, but it seems to have been a success! Connor is not ready yet, so we'll tackle that when the time comes.

So, I'm not sure what's worse....challenging day-to-day life or challenging major milestones. Or worse yet, challenges with both. We do have challenging days when we are just going about our everyday routine, but I'm so thankful that the major milestones have not pushed me to the breaking point.

Things that go bump in the night

When I peeked in on the boys last night before I went to bed, I found Connor clutching this sword.

I can only assume he decided to sleep with a weapon to defend himself against anything that might come out of his closet or from under his bed. He woke up a little when I turned the fan off in their room, so that's why his eyes are open. I guess he was checking to see if he needed to use his sword on whoever was in his room.

America's Got Talent

Move over Stevie Wonder....Connor dominates with his awesome moves.

Royalty

In 2003, Ryan and I graduated on the same weekend. Ph.D. for him and B.S. for me. We got some fun pictures of us together in our monkey suits.

Yesterday, Isaac saw this picture on our refrigerator. After studying it for a few minutes, he exclaimed, "Mommy's a king! And Daddy's a king!" He has since conceded that Mommy is a queen, but he is still convinced that we are wearing crowns.

The grass may be greener

The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but you still have to mow it.

--Ancient Proverb

The grass everywhere around us has been greener for the entire 3 years we have been in our house, but we finally have a lawn! Well....sort of. And we don't have to mow it.

The grass we chose for our lawn is a buffalo grass that only needs to be mowed once a month and watered once a week (after the 30 day establishment period). Sounds great, right? Well, it IS awesome once it's installed. This type of grass is not available as seed or sod, only plugs.

A few guys from church came over & helped Ryan plant yesterday morning, then in the afternoon, Ryan, Sheri (my sister), and I worked on it some more. We're all sore today, as this is a fairly labor intensive type of installation. The planting is not quite finished, but will be in the next day or two. Several people have asked to see the progress as the lawn fills in, so here it is...

(Click picture to see larger)

Day 1: Installation (2,000 sq. ft. yard)

A Tray of plugs

One plug in Ryan's hand

Our yard before plugs

The guys planting

The yard with plugs

An installed plug