Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Crack

Last week, Brooks was in the midst of asking me 100 questions as I picked him up from the sitter.  He asked me why he has bones in his body.  Earlier that day, he was inquiring about his knee, and how it worked.  I tried my best to answer.  Then, he said, "Why me have crack?"  I said, "What kind of crack?"  He said, "Crack me go potty with."  I said, "Well, because God made it that way."  He knew it was a silly question and felt ashamed.  I quickly reassured him that he can ask me any question he wants.  I don't want to squash his curiosity!

Restaurant Lady

For supper, Adlyn was pretending she was at a restaurant.  I was told to give her a book to look at (menu).  She picked out a few items and told me I was the restaurant lady (waitress).  She was very cute during her play time!  She likes to sit at her tiny table by the front window.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Train

Is there anything cuter than seeing two little kids at the park, making a train to go down the slide?  I don't think so!

In fact, it is so cute, I try not to smile or bring attention to it, for fear that they will stop doing it.  Brooks & Adlyn have conversations about how to do the train down the slide.  They talk about who is going to be the engine, and who is going to be the caboose (boosie).  The favorable spot is the caboose.  So, that is where the arguing typically takes place.  They have become creative, and smart!  Sometimes, one of them will volunteer to be the engine, but the catch is, the engine is in the back.  Just like on a real train, they have engines in the back.  By the time they get settled in, the person in the back is giving the person in the front a huge hug around the neck and is smiling so big they can't wait to go down the slide.  They scoot forward as a unit and then go, and they are giggling all the way down. 

I love watching them do this, and I hope they will continue for a few more years.

Bountiful Basket

This weekend we picked up our first Bountiful Basket.  The kids went with me and they had a lot of fun and helped carry some of the fruits and veggies back to the truck with me. 

We all tried lychee for the first time (imagine a spiky strawberry) and I can't say it was my favorite, but it wasn't horrible. 

Zach cracked a coconut for us this weekend.  He has had a real coconut before, but the rest of us have not.  It was labor intensive, but Zach's creation was wonderful!  He made frozen almond joy bars, and it might be my new favorite dessert.  The coconut milk was not very good, and the kids did not like it either.

We used two vanilla beans in our coffee cake today.  None of us have used a real vanilla bean before.  They smelled delicious!

We also ordered a case of blackberries which we washed and placed in baggies for use in our smoothies. 

Yesterday we cooked up a pork tenderloin with the carrots, onions, and orange peppers from our basket.  It was delicious. 

I cut up a cantaloupe for the kids, but they didn't like it.  I'm not a fan of it either, so Zach has a lot of cantaloupe to eat. 

Tonight, Adlyn was ready to eat the pineapple.  She sat on the counter to help and told me the pineapple was "all naked" after I trimmed off the outer skin.  What a silly kid!

On Saturday, both kids ate an entire carrot. 

Yesterday, we visited our neighbors, and they had abundance of lemons from their basket.  So, I combined her lemons with ours and made a fresh batch of lemonade.  We tried it today.  It was a little strong, but we liked it. 

The Bountiful Basket makes me feel like Iron Chef.  I'm given a basket of secret ingredients, and I have a week to figure out how to use them in the kitchen.  It is a fun challenge, and the kids liked the new items and the process of bringing them to the house.  During the rest of the week, we'll use the apples, bananas, oranges, and plantain.  Other than that, we made pretty good use of our items.  I'm not for sure what to do with an abundance of fresh mint, and luckily our neighbor likes tomatoes so we could get rid of ours.  We look forward to ordering another basket in a week or two.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Water Day

The kids only have one more day of preschool!  This semester went fast.  Today they enjoyed water day, and both kids were very excited to go to school.  They got to bring their swimsuits and towels to enjoy the sprinklers, bubbles, and water features.  It was also exciting to eat their snacks outside on the picnic tables.  They told me that they got a little cold this morning, but they took a little nap on their towels in the sun.  I'm sure that was cute!  I'm glad it was 65 degrees when I dropped them off this morning.  I was hoping it would be a warm morning.

Miss Pam told me that Adlyn has never smiled as much this year as she did today.  Wow!  That was a great compliment.  She must of had a lot of fun at school.  I'm just sad she just got this compliment today, when we only have one day left.  Tomorrow is supposed to be another 'fun day' and the next day, we'll be having a school picnic. 

Tie-Dyed Three Little Pigs

Last week, Adlyn enjoyed painting in the front room at her table near the window.  I thought she did a beautiful job!  She picked out the picture of the three little pigs to paint, but honestly, I was in and out of the room and I hardly saw her painting until she was done.  She did a great job making the pigs multi-colored, and not brown.  Good work, Adlyn!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Good Job

Adlyn has been telling Brooks and I 'good job' this past week.  It is cute to hear her praise other people. 

Last week, we were outside playing, and I told Brooks & Adlyn that I was going inside to switch the laundry and do some dishes.  She told me, "Good job Mom."  I laughed and said, "Thanks Adlyn!"  What a goof!  But, it did give me some motivation to do the household chores!

I've heard her tell Brooks 'good job' for finishing his breakfast or snack.  Tonight she mentioned it to him while they were playing.  I'm glad to see her do this because she has really been tormenting her brother this past week.  She's either calling him "Bookie", scratching him (today she scratched the skin by his eye), or chasing him around while she pretends her hand is a snapping alligator.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Pansies

Today the kids took a trip to the green house during preschool.  Adlyn called it the flower house.  It sounds like they had a great time, and they each brought home purple pansies.

Last week they planted flowers for me at school.  The yellow and purple pansies were very pretty, and they were proud of their project.  One night, Adlyn picked every single pansy off of her tiny plant and gave them to me.  Thanks, Adlyn, but I hope the little plant doesn't die!  Surprisingly, the plant had a few flowers on it two days later!

We also have our garlic planted and it has started to come up through the dirt.  The kids are very helpful when it comes to watering the plants. 

Today, we also released the ladybugs that have been hibernating in the fridge.  I think Brooks thought his were dead, but I'm sure they will warm up and start moving soon.  Either way, they are now placed on some beautiful pansies!

Hair Cut

Brooks looks very handsome after his hair cut from Grandpa this weekend.  He looks so much older, and very grown up!  He was well behaved, but I had to hold his hand through the entire hair cut.  Oh well, he was holding still, and that is all that matters. 

I Can't Believe It

Adlyn's new phrase is, "I can't believe it."  I am not for sure where whe learned this, as I don't think it is a phrase I use.  She used it several times last week, and tonight, she used it in context.  In the yard, a stick poked her foot and she told me, "I can't believe it," and smiled.  What a goofball!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

8 Legs

Last week, I had the kids at the park.  As I was pushing Brooks in the swing, he asked me, "What kind of legs does a spider have?"  Well, I told him they have eight legs - I wasn't for sure how to describe what kind of legs they have.  He looked at me and said, "Like an octopus?"  Yes!  What a great correlation!  An octopus also has eight legs. 

That satisfied his curiosity to one question, now, I only have 5,000 more to answer before he grows out of this stage!

Mirror, Mirror

I've had two people tell me this week that Brooks and Adlyn are spitting images of Zach and I in regards to our looks and demeanor.  Strange they should mention that, because I have also noticed the same thing.

The older Adlyn gets, I have noticed that our personalities are more alike.  Zach mentioned to me last week that Adlyn is strong willed and stubborn, just like her mom, and she also does as she as told and is compliant, even though she doesn't want to.  I'd have to agree!  I also think we look a lot alike.

I also had someone notice our family this week when we were out for an ice cream date.  He told me this week that once Brooks loses some of the baby fat on of his cheeks, he will have the same angular face that Zach has.  I also had another individual mention that Brooks is very laid back, just like Zach.  She also mentioned that she thinks Brooks has an eye and appreciation for color, just as Zach does.

It is interesting to see their personalities develop as they get bigger.  As babies, they had the exact opposite personalities that they do now.  I attribute it for the time they spent in the hospital.  As small babies, Brooks was always first in the NICU.  He had his cares first, and Adlyn was conditioned to wait for her turn.  Once I brought them home, Brooks continued to be demanding, and Adlyn was ultra-relaxed and I had to rely on her patience to help Brooks.  Once they started to crawl, Brooks was always in the lead.  Adlyn followed him wherever he went.  Then, they turned one.  I think Adlyn determined this was not the lifestyle she liked!  So, she became a little more demanding, and Brooks took a back seat role.  Even now, Adlyn is always brave enough to go first on any new adventure.  Brooks will watch and observe her actions, and then he will join in.

I'm excited to see them grow and change in the years to come!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Bookie

Adlyn is starting to torment her brother.  Poor guy.  He has to put up with her calling him "Bookie", and he doesn't like that name at all.  I gathered some tips from my fellow co-workers on how to put an end to it.  I'm eager to try out some of their ideas.  He is fine with "Brooks" or "Brooksie", but "Bookie" is not acceptable. 

I think she is also testing her limits by chasing him around with her hands in claw position.  I hope she backs off soon and treats him nicely at all times of the day.

After shower time, they spent about ten minutes wrestling, laughing, and having a good time.  This weekend, they also gave each other a huge hug at the grocery store.  The weekend prior, they were giving each other kisses.  Brooks attempted to hold Adlyn's hand at church on Saturday.  So, there is hope!

Preschool

Last week we took a few minutes to visit the preschool they will be attending this fall.  We were pleased to meet the teacher and I think this will be a good fit for our kids.  The structure and environment is very similar to their current preschool.  I wanted to make sure the kids visited the preschool before summer so we can talk about it during the next few months. 

The twin debate is a current topic again at their preschool.  They would like to see them placed in different classrooms next fall, but I'm not 100% sold on the idea.  We need to make a decision soon, but I'm just gathering input from other teachers and parents of twins before we make a final decision.  The pros and cons are about equal in this case, and my gut instinct says to keep them together.  They are only three years old.  I never thought I'd be making decisions about their placement at this age.

Why?

Brooks has entered a stage where he asks, "Why?" nearly 100 times a day.  To be honest, he is truly interested in hearing the answer, and isn't just saying "why" to annoy us. 

I know he is just going through a stage and he is a very curious little kid.  Until this is over, I'll keep doing my best to answer all of his questions.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Dentist 2.0

Last month the kiddos had their second visit to the dentist.  Zach and I were nearly speechless at the end of the experience, it couldn't have gone better!

Dentist 1.0 - Our first trip to the Dentist

Dentist 2.0
A&B were excited to play with the toys and read the Berenstein Bear's dentist book in the waiting room.  The fish tank was also a highlight, along with the waterfall feature on the wall.  Brooks was starting to get his shirt all wet as he was mesmerized by touching the feature. 

It was time to go back to the room and both kids froze.  Yikes, this isn't good.  Luckily, Adlyn is the brave one and she headed back to watch the movie where the puppies go to the dentist.  Zach continued to coax Brooks to the back.  Eventually, he came and watched the movie. 

Although the kids didn't sit in the chair, they were perfect.  I was so proud of them!  Adlyn went first, not to our surprise.  Both of them got all of their teeth cleaned, polished, and flossed!  They continued to do well as the dentist came in to take a look in their mouth. 

To wrap things up, the hygienist brushed on a fluoride treatment.  Brooks was adorable!  He asked the lady if she was going to paint his teeth different colors. 

I contribute the success of our event to the wonderful hygienist, who is also a mom of young children.  She was very patient, calm, and kind.  Our kids responded to her very well.  She did a much better job than the last hygienist we had. 

At the end, they each got to pick out a toothbrush and two prizes from the treasure box.  Brooks quickly decided to pick out two little cars, one for him and one for Dad.  He wanted to play cars with dad upon return from the dentist.  Adlyn couldn't decide.  Finally, she picked a sticky hand and a car.  Then, she could play cars with the boys.

Good work Brooks & Adlyn!  You have made your Mom and Dad very proud!