Animals at the Fair

Earlier this month we went to the county fair to see the animals.  I'm really glad that we did as we had an excellent morning and everyone was happy and enjoyed it.  Adlyn got to kiss a baby pig, and Brooks got to pet a chicken.  The bunnies were also fun to look at and pet.  Adlyn really wanted to touch a cow, and luckily, a lady spotted her interest and took us to their 4H cow.  She also wanted to see a horse, but no such luck.  Brooks also enjoyed the goats.  We look forward to going again next year.

Adlyn pets a cow.

Adlyn looks at the pig.

Brooks and Adlyn see a sheep up close.

Brooks and Adlyn at the fair.



Brooks and the pig.


 

Brooks pets the cow.





Adlyn kissing a baby pig.



Triathlon

Last weekend we helped out with the local triathlon by working at an aid station for the bikers.  We had a great time and look forward to helping (or participating) next year.  Brooks and Adlyn did a great job filling up the water cups and they brought along their music toys to cheer on the athletes.  The night before the event, I asked Adlyn what she was going to tell the bikers as they went by, she told me she was going to tell them to, "Drink!"  I thought she was going to respond with something like, "Go!", but that wasn't the case.  They got up early in the morning to help us out, and since they knew about their role and the fact that we talked about it for a good week, it made it easy for them to get out of bed at 6:30 AM. 

After the event, we went to the finish line at the park and let the kids play for a while.  Later that afternoon, they were playing Aid Station in the house with their tricycles.  One would hand out drinks while the other person rode by.  It was great! 

Adlyn and Mom

Brooks and Adlyn cheer on the bikers.

Brooks & Adlyn at the watering hole.

Adlyn keeps the table fully stocked with cups.

Adlyn filling cups.

Sorting Clothes

Does anyone else think that it is sad to clean out the clothes drawers of your kids?  I do!  This week I went through Brooks's shirts and pants.  Seeing everything that he wore last winter is kind of sad!  You hold it up and realize there is no way this would fit him.  All of the 2T winter shirts seem too short, and he has grown so much taller and the 2T pants would not be long enough. I'm glad that we can pass along our boy clothes to our nephew Andrew.  It makes it a little easier to pull out one of the favorites if you know it is going to someone else that will enjoy it.  I saw the shirt Brooks wore for her 2nd birthday, and all I could think was that his 3rd birthday will be here before we know it.  Both grandmas have been sending winter clothes, and the kids love getting packages in the mail.  They like to go through each clothing item and later on, they remember which items came from grandma!

I still need to go through Adlyn's clothes, but I love having boxes of hand-me-downs from our niece Avery.  There is nothing better than opening of box of cute, gently used clothes!  It is so easy!  No shopping required. 

Gobble Wobble - Frère Jacques

About a month ago I had a post about one of Brooks and Adlyn's favorite night time songs - Annabelle, Where Are You Going?  They also like songs that I make up, and they have special requests nearly every night.  This also means that I need to be able to recall the made-up song from the night before in case they want to hear it again.

Here is one of their new favorites that we call Gobble Wobble, sung to the tune of Frere Jacques.
Gobble Wobble, Gobble Wobble,
Goes the Turkey, Goes the Turkey,
Brooks shoots it, Adlyn cooks it,
Then we eat 'em, Then we eat 'em

I know, sounds strange, but they like to sing along and they know most of the words.  I am glad that it is now  documented so I can tell them about it when they get older. 

Gummy Roars and Teddy Roars

We currently have a container of gummy bears in the bathroom as a reward for going potty.  Adlyn doesn't need an incentive, but she really likes gummy roars.  She doesn't say gummy bear.  At two years old, she prefers the red gummy bears, and doesn't like the white or yellow ones.  (That is ok with me, I will gladly eat them!)  She knows that I don't mind sneaking a gummy bear, or two, while she gets one.  Now she picks out a gummy roar for me and hands it over.  Very nice!  And she has very good manners and hands me one of her favorites, red.

She also likes to snuggle with a big teddy roar.  Someday she'll say bear, but until that time, it makes me laugh.

Psyched!

1.   Psyched past participle, past tense of psych

Verb: Mentally prepare (someone) for a testing task or occasion.

I know this sounds strange, but at two years old, Brooks has demonstrated being psyched!  Our kids have no fear of jumping from high objects.  They started this from a young age, and it has continued.  It started with them jumping from a bed, and then the bathroom countertops (ours are higher than a standard countertop), and now they jump from the tail gate of Zach's tall pick up.  Before he jumps from one of his higher heights, he gets psyched for about 10 seconds.  He grits his teeth, gets a big smile, breathes in deeply, lets out a giggle, tenses up his arms, rubs his hands, and...JUMPS!  He will tell us he wants to do it by himself, and refuses assistance. 

We haven't really had any injuries.  But at the rate we're going, I'm sure we'll be faced with a broken limb at some point in time.  Until then, I enjoy seeing Brooks get psyched!

Loving my Little Girl

I love having a little girl!  Adlyn is usually the first one up in the morning, and this week she has been up a few times while I was getting ready for work.  What is better than making her hair all pretty?  I love putting in little ponies and it is great to have some one-on-one time with her doing girl things.

When we were pregnant with the twins, we didn't find out if we were having boys or girls, or both.  I thought we were having two boys, but I can tell you that I love every minute of having a little girl!  By no means am I a girly girl, but I like to sew her dresses, and there aren't many exciting things to sew for boys.  Adlyn likes to spin around when in a dress, and she is just fun. 

Below is a picture of her new pony hairdo from this week.  Thanks to Zach for documenting this after I left the house.  She looked so grown up with all of her hair pulled back!   


Adlyn with her cheesy smile, showing off her ponies!



Perhaps They Will Be Best Friends...

Brooks and Adlyn were being so nice to each other tonight!  I was amazed, and wished I would have had a camera to capture the moments.

I took the kids for a run tonight in the stroller, and we stopped at the Blue Park to play.  Just so you know, the Blue Park is the one with the blue slides, and their other favorite place is the Green Park with green slides.  This is how they have distinguished the two places, and it is helpful for me to know where they want to go and what they are referring to.  Upon arrival, they played on the swings, climbed up the 'pipe' (which reminds me of the rescue shaft to save the Chilean miners), climbed up the fake rock cliff, and went down the slides.  They were being very nice to each other, and were very helpful catching each other on the slides, and much more.  Both of them were asking me to play with them on the slides, and Adlyn wanted to sit on my lap.  This seemed odd, she never sits on my lap to go down the slide.  Oh well, I just went with it.  A little while later, Adlyn wanted to sit on Brooks's lap.  It was really cute!  I had to go up to the top of the really steep slide to help Brooks move forward farther so he could slide down with Adlyn on his lap.  They both were laughing and having a good time.  They did that a few more times.  I wish I could have taken a picture of it, as they have never done anything like that before. 

Towards the end of our time at the park, they both wanted to swing with me.  Adlyn faced me and held on to the chains, and Brooks sat near my knees and also held on to the chains.  It worked pretty well, and all three of us were swinging together.  It did require some strong ab muscles, as the swings are really low to the ground and I couldn't use my feet to push us back and forth. 

On our walk home, Brooks and Adlyn were giving each other kisses, and tonight before bed, they also gave each other a few kisses. 

Perhaps they truly love eachother!  I hope this is a new trend that is here to stay!  It will be much better than Adlyn biting Brooks on the back (which she has done twice in the past week) or pushing him in the back without him knowing it is coming.  I'm looking forward to peaceful days between the two of them, and a bond that will last a lifetime.  Even though they are two, I hope they go to the same college together so they can remain close friends.  And even though Kindergarten is a few years away, I really want them to be in the same class together.  Time will tell...

Little, Tiny, Big, Huge!

Brooks has been so cute lately!  He makes me smile!  If something is small, it is "little, tiny".  And not just any "little, tiny", but rather "little, tiny" said in a small, higher pitched, itty-bitty voice.  It is really cute.  For example, this week we saw a baby in a car seat at the park and he referred to it as a "little-tiny baby".  I love it when he says this phrase.

On the opposite side, he also has a "big, huge" phrase that he has been using lately.  If he refers to something as "big, huge" it is said in a deeper, drawn out, very expressive voice! 

It is neat to see the animation in his voice and facial expression when using words.  I need to record this on video, because I know he won't say it like this forever!

1, 2, 3, 4, 8!!

Brooks has really been interested in counting the last couple of weeks.  They can say all of their numbers from 1 to 10.  I was able to get them to repeat their numbers after me, by using the technique of saying "Blastoff" when we got to 10.  At which time, they would jump around and 'go wild' for a few seconds, laughing along the way.  Brooks has been doing a great job saying numbers 1-4 by himself, and then he skips to number 8.  He is frequently counting objects whenever he sees something.  The other day I was asking the kids, "Do you want to do x, y, or z?"  Brooks would laugh and say, "One, two."  He was joking around with me, thinking I was saying, "Do you one two do x, y, or z?" 

Adlyn can also repeat her numbers, but typically counts 1, 2, 4.  She frequently skips number 3.  It has been fun seeing them grow and develop, and I look forward to many more things to come.

The One that Got Away

Earlier this month, Zach took the kids fishing up the mountain.  Brooks is very serious about fishing, and is quite skilled for a 2 year old.  He seems to be a natural.  Zach really wants him to get a fish, so they gave it another try.

Here is a link to some photos and video of Brooks fishing.  He came so close!  Maybe next time.
Fishing Video and Pics

Restaurant Manners - Shoes Off?

We rarely go out to eat, and when the whole side of Zach's family was together recently, they decided to go out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant.  Throughout the day, I was talking to Adlyn about having good manners at the restaurant, and what that meant.  She has been cluing in on manners lately, so I thought this would be a great experience for her.  Adlyn also told me that she wanted to have a taco for dinner that night.

She was very excited about going out to eat, and when we got out of the truck, she held my hand as we went inside.  As soon as she walked in to the front door, she paused and looked at me.  Adlyn doesn't say a lot of words, but I knew exactly what she way saying.  She wanted to know if she should take her shoes off since we were going inside.  I had to smile.  Wow - she was really thinking about everything she needed to do to be polite!  I have to give her credit for that.  She takes her shoes off at our house, at our neighbor's house (whom she visits almost daily), at Grandma's house, so why not at the restaurant? 

She was fairly good throughout dinner, and we shared tacos and had a great time.  Good job Adlyn, perhaps we'll go out to dinner again soon!

---

I want to go back and tell a restaurant story from when the kids were about 7 months old.  I drove to Salt Lake to meet Zach who was at a trade show for work.  We had some things to pick up at Babies R Us, and after that, we went out to eat at Chili's or Applebee's, or someplace like that.  We wouldn't typically go out to eat, but we were traveling and we didn't have other options to cook something at our hotel.  We could have ordered in pizza, which we didn't want to do, but maybe we should have!

We took the kids in with us, sat down, and ordered our food.  I really don't think the kids were being disruptive...but maybe my perspective is skewed after having twins.  Maybe my sense of normalcy in regards to chaos isn't normal for the wait staff.  Let's just say, we were quickly brought our ticket before we were even asked if we'd like dessert.  We were also given 'take home boxes' before we were half-way done with our meal.  We took the 'subtle' hints, hurried, and left.  Zach and I both had a good laugh, and we'll remember that one!  And next time, we'll just order the pizza.

Strider Bike Video - Age 2 years, 8 months

I have mentioned it before, but Brooks and Adlyn love their Strider bikes!  They are doing very well with them.  Zach put together this video, just click the link to open it:
VIDEO LINK - Twins on Bikes

Just so you know, since Zach has made this video, the kids are doing much more with their bikes.  On Sunday, I set up a 'bike course' in the driveway for them.  We made some ramps out of plywood and scrap wood, along with a 'bumpy road' of fake concrete rocks that were left in the garage when we moved here, and much more.  They are having a lot of fun with it.  Zach had the camera with him Sunday, so I didn't get any video.  We set it up so Zach could watch them this week, but it was getting dark and the video wouldn't have turned out well.  We'll try it again, so look for another video to come.

Brooks now get his bike into position by reaching behind him and grabbing the back of the seat.  He thinks he is pretty big.  Next time we go to Green River, we're going to try out the bike park there with the kids. 

Heavyweight

I think I've determined the heavyweight for kids...and I believe it is 29 lbs.  Adlyn is currently at that mark.  For the first time in over 2 1/2 years, I can say that she now seems heavy to me!  Adlyn has always been smaller than Brooks.  Since they've been born, Zach usually carries Brooks, and I carry Adlyn.  I can remember when they were just a couple months old, and I thought carrying Brooks was exhausting!  He was probably like 9-10 lbs at the time, but compared to his 6-7 lbs sister- I always thought Adlyn was as light as a feather.  As an infant, Brooks would like to be carried arm's length in front of you, in a sitting-type of position with one hand under his butt, and the other under his armpit and behind his neck.  Not that that wasn't bad enough, he also wanted to be bounced up and down at the same time.  This is what made him happy, and I'm glad Zach had the strength to do it!  I stuck with holding 'midgie' since she was small, and much lighter.

Today I can tell you that they are both officially heavy.  I can't carry them for blocks on end anymore, and they'll have to start using their two feet instead.  Sorry Adlyn, you are getting big now!

Brooks weighs in at 35 lbs currently, and the kid doesn't have a roll of fat on him.  He is just a solid little guy, and quite strong.

This brings me a story when I was in Junior High or High School.  I would do a lot of babysitting, and there was one family in particular with a very heavy kid!  I was at their house watching Trevor one evening, and the parents weren't expected back until very late.  Needless to say, little, or should I say big, Trevor, fell asleep downstairs.  I am thinking he was 4 or 5 at the time.  He was not a fat kid by any means, he was rock solid.  I wanted him to be in his bed when his parents got home, so I had to find a way to get him back upstairs.  I couldn't pick him up.  Does anyone else think a sleeping kid weighs 5x more than their normal weight?  I remember dragging him under his arm pits up one or two stairs at a time.  Then, I had to rest and go up a few more stairs!  I finally got him to his bed, ugh!  Now, our kids aren't at that weight yet, but I'm sure the day is coming.

Flips & Tricks

Last weekend we were in Green River at the Island.  What a great place to hang out and have a good time.  They have these great saucer swings that are a lot of fun, and it is something Brooks & Adlyn can enjoy together.  While we were at the swing park, there was a group of older kids that were doing flips from a standing position, and flips off the swings, and they were jumping out of the swings over one another's heads, etc.  They were a wild bunch, but very entertaining.  Brooks just kept on watching as he went on the big-kid-swing, all by himself. 

The next day, we were at the Island again, playing at the spray park.  The kids like seeing the fountains and running through.  As we took a rest on the blanket out in the grass, Brooks got up and was spinning and twisting and jumping.  I wasn't for sure what he was doing, so I asked.  He told me he was trying to do a flip!  He still has some work to do, but he definitely remembered those kids from the day before.  Later that day, Zach helped him do a flip in the grass at Grandma's house.

Birthday Ideas

We were eating dinner together the other night, and I was telling the kids that I couldn't wait for it to be their birthday.  I found some recipes in a Paula Deen magazine for Whoopie Pies - and I thought this would be a fun alternative to cupcakes.  They were mix and match recipes, with four different fillings.  This will be a fun, interactive, thing to do for their special day...even though it is four months away.  I can't wait!  (Can you tell I like to cook?)

Then I told Brooks and Adlyn that Dad's birthday is coming up next, in two months.  I posed the question, what should we get Dad for his birthday?  Brooks immediately responded with, "Spankin'." 

What a cute little kid!  He knows he is being funny, and he was so quick to respond!

Sauce

When Adlyn says the word "Sauce", it is really cute.  It sounds more like "Sauss".  She also uses the word sauce for many different things.

She first started using it in terms of spaghetti sauce, or when we make pizza and put on the sauce.

A few weeks ago, when they were helping me clean the bathroom, she informed me that I need to put the sauce in the toilet so she could scrub it.  I had to laugh inside.  She was referring to the toilet bowl cleaner.  On a side note, they are really good helpers when it comes to cleaning the house!

Tonight we made turkey burgers, and she dipped her pickle into the ketchup and mustard and called it sauce.

She is a fun little girl and makes me smile!

Conkie

For the past 9-12 months, Brooks and Adlyn have both used the term 'Conkie'.  It means something to them as it is used in a similar context in certain situations.  We've tried to ask them what it means, and they just give us a smirk.  It is a term in their language.  From what we gather, conkie means something along the lines of:
"Wait for me!"
"I'm coming, don't go yet."
"I'm not ready yet, wait!"
"I'm going."
"Take me with you!"

They say it when we are getting ready to go to the store, or to church. or downtown.  For a while, we thought it might mean car seat, they both start with the letter 'c'.  Maybe we'll figure out what it means at a later date!

Dinos

Brooks and Adlyn are both in to dino jammies.  Brooks has two pairs of pj's that feature dinosaurs, and Adlyn wears one pair, and Brooks wears the other.  I'm not for sure why they are interested in the dinos, but they do like to watch Dinosaur Train on PBS, and when we were at the zoo, they had a dinosaur exhibit.  I'll have to start looking for some girl jammies that feature dinos, but I'm not for sure if they even make them!  Until then, she'll continue to wear 'boy' pj's.  I try to get those pj's washed on a daily basis, but it doesn't always happen.  It usually means that someone will be upset after bath time because the pj's are in the laundry.

July Pics

I had a few photos I wanted to share from July.  First you'll see that their new favorite toy is a squirt bottle.  They have so much fun!  They squirt each other, us, the deck (as well as request a rag to clean it), ants, bikes, etc.  Who knew it could be so much fun.

I've posted several grasshopper stories, but Brooks still loves them.  You'll see his prize possession below.

At the bottom the kids are having fun with Dad. 


New favorite toy - squirt bottle



Brooks loves his grasshoppers



Horse ride!



Coloring

This weekend Brooks and Adlyn were coloring at the kitchen table.  Brooks came out to get me to show me his choo choo.  I knew he was coloring a picture of a car so I was a little confused.  Then, he showed me his drawing, and I have to say, it did look just like a train track!  I was quite impressed by his skill!

Adlyn also did a great job using the color blue to color small areas on her paper.  She had excellent control.  Perhaps we'll have an artist (or two) to take after their dad!



On the left hand side you'll see Brooks representing a train track!




Adlyn using the color blue to fill in some detail.



Duck Hunt Video

When I came home from work Monday night Zach told me he had a video of the kids to look at.  Great, I was thinking to myself, "What did they do today?"  Well, now I know! 

We have the old school Nintendo that I don't think Zach and I have played for years.  He had it in college and it was a big hit to go and play the games from your childhood in his dorm room.  This video features Brooks and Adlyn's first time playing the game - and I was quite impressed.  Check it out for yourself.

Peanut Butter Playdough - Edible

Last weekend the kids and I stirred up a tasty and fun snack - Peanut Butter Playdough.  It is fun to play with and tastes really good. 

Peanut Butter Playdough
1 cup Peanut Butter (creamy)
2 TBS White Karo Syrup
1/4 cup powdered milk
About 1/2 cup powdered sugar to make it pliable

It's that simple!  They really like to use various kitchen tools to play with the dough, and before I could go and get the camera, Brooks had practically eaten his whole pile of dough.  I'm glad there was still some left for me to play with!

Brooks playing with
Peanut Butter Playdough.

Two cooks having fun!  Note that Brooks has
hardly any dough in front of him. 

Adlyn uses a pie crust roller!

Outdoor Adventures

Twice during July we have went up the Loop Road to explore the outdoors with the kids.  I wanted to share a few pictures and stories form our trips.

Girl Overboard
Towards the beginning of July, we took the canoe up to the lake and spent some time on the water.  Last year the kids went canoeing and had a blast, so we figured this year would be the same.  At 2 1/2, they are a little more mobile.  To make a long story short, Brooks bumped Adlyn on accident while trying to climb over the center bar on the canoe and Adlyn took a head dive into the lake.  She was completely submerged and Zach pulled her out by her foot.  Poor girl, that mountain lake water in July is freezing cold.  Once Zach got her out, she was frozen for a short while.  I think she held her breath because she never gagged on any water.  We got her to shore to dry her off.  I brought a spare pair of pants, but not a spare shirt.  So, in the photo below you'll see her wearing my hot pink shirt to keep her warm.  Luckily there was an old towel in the truck under the seat that I could use to warm her up.  Next time I'll be more prepared.  She still tells us today that she went "boom" into the water. 

Zach and Brooks tried catching a fish after that from the bank without any luck.  Brooks had a blast fishing, and knew just how to reel it in.  Here is a link to a cute video of Brooks fishing. 

Brooks fishing with Dad

Adlyn & Dad fishing



Brooks hiding from the camera
Adlyn drying off


















Tower Hike
This past weekend we took the kids for a hike to the fire lookout tower.  We also did this hike last year and took some similar photos to share with the kids someday.  The hike is about a half mile, but it took us a good 30 minutes with the kids.  They were not in the hiking mindset and Adlyn was grumpy.  They did so good with their hike the week prior that I didn't bring the kid backpack.  I should have this time.

We got to the tower and then they started to have fun.  Brooks enjoyed his time and Adlyn improved her mood with the hike down the steps.  We stopped at the same log as we did last year to take some pictures (see below).  The trip was completed with a stop at a lake on the way back to town and Brooks ran through the water and was having fun.  We are so lucky to have all of these opportunities in our own backyard.   

Brooks & Dad looking at the mountains

Adlyn and Mom going down the tower steps



Adlyn giving Brooks a kiss



Brooks & Adlyn at the same location in 2010