We're Going to the Zoo!

This week we will be taking the kids to the zoo for the first time.  We are all looking forward to the trip!  For the past few weeks, we have been talking about the trip and it has been fun to listen to the kids talk about it.

The kids know they will be seeing lots of animals.  We have been asking them what animals they would like to see.  Their responses have included:
Horse
Cow
     (Hmmm, I don't think they have farm animals...)
Monkey
Turtle
Penguin
Bird
Bear
Elephant
Snake
     (I'll quickly come up with an excuse to miss this exhibit, as will Grandma)
Worm
     (That is my favorite response yet!  Adlyn came up with that last week!)

They also want to ride all of the animals at the zoo. 

I hope we aren't setting them up for disappointment.  I'm not for sure what image they have created in their mind. 

The forecast is predicting 97 degrees on our planned zoo day.  Ugh!  This would have to be the hottest day predicted so far this year. 

Parade! Candy!

We were at Grandma and Grandpa's house this weekend and Grandpa and I took the kids to a parade.  Brooks and Adlyn had a lot of fun looking at all of the items that went by.  Highlights included a man on a unicycle, a yellow school bus, a Polaris pulling a race car, police cars and fire trucks, anything with a flag, and the horses. 

And then there was the candy!  Both of the kids were all about going into the street to get the candy.  There were times they were quick and beat some of the 'big kids' that were around us as well.  Grandpa and I were trying to get them to put the candy in the bag.  Brooks did not like that concept, and wanted to eat every piece as he got it.  This worked for a while, until I'm sure he consumed more candy in twenty minutes than he has for the past two and a half years!  It was better to let Brooks spend two minutes trying to unwrap a piece of candy then it was to argue with him about putting it in the bag to save it for later.  It was a very hot day and luckily several floats were handing out popsicles. 

We're looking forward to the next local parade on the 4th of July!

DiDi

Brooks and Adlyn both use the phrase DiDi for Spider.  Whey they ask me to sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider", they just say DiDi.  Hopefully they'll say spider soon.

When they want me to sing "Patty Cake, Patty Cake", they say Clappy Clappy.  They have their own word for about everything. 

Speaking of spiders, has any seen this commercial below?  I think it is hilarious.



A Rubber Ducky is Saved



Zach finds the source of our problem!





















Above you will see the prized photo of a rubber duck, and the smiling dad who found it!  Let me give you some background...

For about a week, the toilet has been kind of plugged up.  Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.  We plunged it with as much force as we could, but it didn't solve anything.  I came home from work one night, and had enough.  I called our trusty neighbors for a plumber referral.  But, they didn't really know of a good one.

We decided to take matters into our own hands.  The next day I went to Ace Hardware to get a toilet flange.  I didn't even know what I was looking for, except that I'd find it in the plumbing aisle.  Luckily an old man noticed I was blonde and helped me find what I was looking for.  I also got a lengthy lecture (repeated about three times) about how to remove a toilet from the base, and how to reinstall it.  Ok, I've had enough.  Let me pay my $10 and I'll figure it out. 

I got home from work and Zach had the toilet off the base.  He needed help carrying it out to the back deck.  Yes, we took the toilet out to the back deck.  We needed to tip it over to find the source of our problem.  We drained the toilet.  I reached from the bottom.  I reached from the top.  Nothing.  We ran water from the garden hose and we knew something had to be in there. 

I went to our trusty neighbor's house and borrowed their snake (also a plumbing tool, you all know I wouldn't dare touch or look at a real snake!).  Tah dah!  That was enough to dislodge it slightly to where we could reach it from the top.  All along, we were trying to guess what toy might be hidden.  My thought was a train, Zach had guessed a Little People toy from Noah's Ark.  We were both wrong.  It was a blue rubber ducky. 

We asked Brooks and Adlyn who did it.  They both fessed up to the crime.  Or, maybe they were covering for each other because they know it is hard for mom to punish just one of them. 

I gave them a little pep talk about what can go in the toilet.  Poop, pee, and toilet paper.  No exceptions.  What is it with our twins and the toilet?  I swear we have more disasters than anyone else I know. 

The rubber ducky has a new home, up on the rafters on our deck, high enough for Zahc and I to see.  A little reminder of our mishap, and a reason to smile upon leaving the house.

Mother's Day 2011



Mother's Day Picnic in the Park



What a great Mother's Day!  We enjoyed a bike ride down to our beautiful park for a picnic. 



Brooks and his First Ice Cream Cone



It was delicious.  Turkey sandwiches with swiss cheese, pesto, and guacamole.  Pita chips and hummus.  It was a great time with the exception of me slicing two of my knuckles on really sharp knives tucked inside of the picnic basket!  It wouldn't stop bleeding.  I knew there was a reason that I should have been a prepared mom with a first aid kid in the stroller over two years ago.  You'll be happy to know that I have since put a first aid kit in the stroller, in case the kids get hurt... 

That afternoon, we had ice cream cones in the backyard.  It is crazy to look at these pictures a month later, and everything is so different.  The trees are now in full bloom and the grass is actually green.



My Little Pony (Tail)

Adlyn's First Pony Tail

I might write about all of the mishaps and mayhem in our life, but we do have moment of merriment (every few weeks or so). 

On your left you'll find a picture of Adlyn's first big-girl pony tail. 

Below you'll find a rare moment in our house, Brooks and Adlyn taking an afternoon nap, with mom having a spare moment to snap a photo. 

Peaceful Slumber

Summer Days

My second ice cream cone this year!

Brooks and Adlyn enjoyed their first ice cream cone on Mother's Day this year.  Although this picture is from a few weeks later, you'll see that Adlyn has a love for ice cream cones!

She was enjoying the camera this day, and being very cheesy for Mom! 

They ask me for a e-comb (code name for ice cream cone) regularly now. 

Who Needs Toys?



Who needs a stick horse?  We have turkey decoys!



Who needs toys anyway?  I can honestly tell you that Brooks and Adlyn can make a toy out of any item, and prefer that method over standard toys. 

To your left you'll find Brooks and Adlyn riding on Zach's turkey decoys.  A turkey decoy also makes a great hat.   

Brooks Chalked Something Up

Can you find the hidden chalk?

Before Memorial Day weekend, I was trying to find all of the sidewalk chalk to fix into the container which holds six pieces.  Well, I couldn't find that many.  I thought this would be a good way to keep the kids busy at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  So much for that grand idea.

That weekend I told Zach that I couldn't find all the chalk.  He informed me that Brooks hid it in the tailpipes of the vehicle, and to remind him to get it out when we returned home. 

Honestly kids, please stop hiding things...

Lunch is Served: Egg Sandwiches

I called Zach and the twins from work one day to see what everyone was up to before I came home for lunch.  I was informed that lunch was ready for me.  That is strange, I always make my own lunch.  I was told that Brooks and Adlyn made me egg sandwiches. 

If you know me, you'll know that I dislike eggs.  Zach really likes eggs, and eats them almost every day.  Egg sandwiches, egg burritos, egg quesadillas, or just plain eggs.  The kids also like them. 



I knew that something must be up since Zach wouldn't make me an egg sandwich.

Zach informed me that the kids got the eggs and the bread out of the fridge and took them into the living room.  As you can see by the photos, they made quite a mess.

Needless to say, I stayed at work for a good twenty minutes or so.  I did this to allow time for cleanup prior to my arrival.  In case you encounter an egg yolk stain, a carpet shampooer will clean it up!

Brooks and Adlyn making egg sandwiches.





Brooks was wore out after cooking Mom lunch.



Trains, Window Washers, and Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Zach made a video of the kids from the month of May.  See the video link below.

Video Clip - Trains, Window Washers, and Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

The kids like to make trains out of the kitchen chairs.  Most the time it is pointless for me to put them back around the table like a normal household.  They just get moved into train position.

Brooks and Adlyn also like to help Dad wash windows.  I don't think this meets my standard for clean, but it makes me laugh.

The twins have always been quite active.  Here they are jumping on the bed and demonstrating their singing ability.  Just ignore my lack of singing ability...hopefully Brooks and Adlyn will be able to sing the whole song soon so I can sit quietly in the background.

Wind Down

It was late one night on a Memorial Weekend trip to Grandma's, and the kids would not go to bed.  Never before had they responsed to us like this when told to wind down and get ready for bed.  The video explains it well. 

Video Clip - Wind Down

I think in this instance, Brooks was the instigator.  Adlyn was tired, but Brooks kept her going. 

Ransacked Car

I walked out to my car one May morning to go to work.  Hmmm, the windows are partway down.  That is strange, usually my windows are up.  I open my car down and my heart begins to race!  My first thought, my car must have been broken into!  I immediately begin to sort through the various items on the passenger seat.  Items from the glove box are scattered.  I tried to make a mental note of items that were stored there, and what might be missing.  I begin to settle down as I thought if I were a car thief I would have taken item x, y, and z, and those items are still here.  My heart begins to settle into its normal pace. 

I go back into the house and ask Zach if the twins have been playing in the car.  He thought that yesterday they may have done that, he couldn't remember exactly. 

Mystery solved.  My car was not ransacked by a teenage neighbor kid on the way to life in prison in 10 years, it was just Brooks and Adlyn who are sleeping like little angels in their bedroom.  Geesh, give you mom a heart attack! 

Chucky Doll

Our household version
of the Chucky Doll

I think every family must have one toy that seems to freak out the parents more than the children.  In our house, it is this Fisher Price Laugh & Learn talking dog. 

In the eyes of the child, and grandparents, this dog can sing, laugh, say phrases, and light up.  What could be better than this?

Well, I think any toy is better than this.  To my husband and I, it is the toy that haunted us in the middle of the night when the twins were under the age of one. 

Let me explain...

All the toys sit in the front room of the house, and with two infants, it is not unusual to be up 3-5 (or more) times during the night.  On several occasions, we would exit our room quietly to go to the kitchen to get a bottle in pure darkness so we wouldn't cause any more disruption than a crying baby is already causing.  This Fisher Price dog is very sensitive, and seems to activate itself by the subtle vibrations in the floor.  Not to mention, this dog would often say to us, "Peek-a-boo, I see you!".  Ugh!  That phrase might be fine to a child during the day, but I don't want to hear that in the middle of the night!

I had the toy boxed up for a while, but when sorting through the toys a few months ago to take some to the church thrift store, Adlyn found the dog and fell in love with it.  Great, it missed its trip to a new home!  I've also learned another lesson, never sort through toys when your children are awake.  Everything you planned to giveaway will become their new best friend.  The Fisher Price dog will have to wait for its next trip to the thrift store, only to haunt the little old church lady who will be sorting through toys late one night...

Oopie!

oops

interj \ˈ(w)u̇(ə)ps\

Definition of OOPS

—used typically to express mild apology, surprise, or dismay

 

Brooks and Adlyn have picked up the above term in addition to their usual 'Uh-Oh'.  Which, trust me, they say frequently in response to their actions.  Note that I didn't misspell the title to my blog.  Brooks and Adlyn rarely say the letter 's', so they instead say, "Oopie!"

 

 

Pre-Occupied

It has been entirely too long since I have made any entries into my blog.  Don't worry, I have a list of stories.  Let's just say that Brooks and Adlyn have been very busy this past month.

I have been pre-occupied at work, and just completed a huge project that has consumed every minute of my life.  We hosted a large event on our campus and thanks to my co-workers, we developed an awesome and well organized event!  I have also been teaching nine students about the event planning industry for the past few months, and they did a great job during the Summit.  I can't commend our team enough! 

Unfortunately, Zach has had to step in and watch the kids even more than he already does so that I could get this event put together.  Although the event was awesome, Zach and kids are the ones that suffer.  I'm happy that the event is done and to be able to spend more time at home.  (I have to say, I have an awesome husband!  He suprised me with an hour massage at the spa the day after the event!  WOW!  That was so nice of him!)  I'm also glad that my students graduate July 6! 

I wanted to share a few pictures of our two-day event.  The photos are from the evening dinner where we had two hours to flip the room from a standard conference dining area to an elegant atmosphere with beautiful linens, table decor, and food prepared by the culinary students from Jackson Hole.  Let's just say it was awesome! 



You'll find me at the bottom left, alongside my
co-workers, culinary students, event planning
and mangement students, and the kitchen
crew from the college.  All of us were serving the
food, clearing plates, and much more!
We are definately not skilled wait staff, but we tried!



We had seating for 256 people!

Yummy food!

More food!  Unfortunately, the guests consumed most
of the food and we didn't have a lot to pick from!

One of my students cut these logs and drilled holes
in them for the candles.  We topped it off with
some wooden paddles and river rock
to complete the theme.

BMW

Last month there was a blue BMW convertible parked across the street from our house.  Why there was a BMW parked across the street from our house?  I'm not for sure.  Not the typical kind of car you find in our neighborhood. 



Blue BMW Convertible

 Adlyn and I were coming around the house from the backyard and she immediately said, "Uh oh!”  I knew exactly what she was thinking, but decided to ask her some questions.  I asked, "What's wrong Adlyn?”.  She continued to tell me that the car she was looking at was broken.  I had to laugh inside as I realized this was the first time she had seen a convertible!