Halloween - Looking Back

I wanted to share a few photos from Halloweens past!

2009 - M&M's

2010 - Black Cat & Puppy Dog

2011 - Thing 1 & Thing 2

Halloween

What a perfect Halloween!  The weather was spectacular, compared to the snow we had today.  The kids were so excited and loved every minute of it.

To prepare for Halloween this month, we visited the pumpkin patch in Grandma and Grandpa's town and celebrated Zach's birthday.  We have been busy sewing costumes.  This year the kids were "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" from Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss.  Brooks and Adlyn enjoyed making funny and crazy hats with mom.  I finished up the logo on their sweatshirt over the course of a few days while the kids and Zach were at Grandma's.  This weekend I finalized the costume by making an upside Cat in the Hat hat.  This weekend they helped Zach carve a pumpkin, and it was artistic, which was to be expected! 

Yesterday we enjoyed Trick or Treat on Main Street, along with 1,000+ other kids in costumes.  Then, we went to visit some friends and neighbors.  We wrapped up the evening by going to our previous babysitter's church for a festival.  The kids loved the elephant game again this year.  They would feed an elephant a peanut, and a treat would come out of its trunk.  Adlyn even wanted her face painted by Andrea.  She decided she wanted a "tinkle are" (twinkle star) on both of her cheeks.  Then Brooks wanted a turtle on his hand, and then Adlyn wanted a turtle.  Then, Adlyn wanted a black cat on her hand, and so did Brooks.  Then, Brooks wanted a choo choo train, as did Adlyn.  Then, we decided to give Andrea a rest!  The kids had so much fun yesterday, and they were busy for 4+ hours.  Not once did they get grumpy or argue!  Brooks didn't want to wear his costume initially, but once Zach brought him downtown and he saw all the kids, he didn't put up a fight to put it on. 

Now...what should I sew for 2012?  My only fear is that they will be three years old, and will have a mind of their own!  This is probably the end of getting to pick out their costumes for them.

100 Posts

Yikes!  I noticed this month that I was approaching 100 posts.  I haven't even been doing this for one year, and I've realized I have more to record then I thought.  I have enjoyed every minute of it, and only wish that I had more time.  The only "me" time that I can find usually starts at 11:30 PM, once the kids have gone to bed and I've caught up on housework for the day, and am ready for bed myself.  That is when I can focus and blog.  Somehow, I have changed from someone who required 9 hours of sleep prior to kids to surviving off of 6 to a max of 7 hours of sleep this year.  Note, that is interrupted by Brooks on an average of 3-5 times per night.  I wish the little guy would just sleep all night like his sister. 

I look forward to blogging in the years to come, and I also want to add a new section where I will document 'the early months' of having twins.  I'd like to share our NICU experience so other moms who are going through a similar situation have something to relate to. 

Keep posted, and I'll keep posting.

Fall Hike

Also, in early October, we went for another hike near the wiggle bridge.  Once again, the mountains near Sinks are just beautiful in October.  Below are some photos from our hike, and I hope you enjoy them.

The most memorable part of the hike was Brooks.  His imagination was running wild, and he was having so much fun.  He may only be two years old, but he was acting much older.  He would be walking down the trail, take off his backpack, get out his pretend bow, shoot a wild animal (monkey, elephant, alligator, deer, etc.), hike off the trail to get the animal he shot, haul it back to the trail, pull out his knife and cut a part off the animal, and eat it.  And, he would typically tell us the animal part he was eating (typically the ears) was crunchy.  It was funny to watch, and he was doing this all on his own.  He would put it in his backpack, or if it was a big animal, hand it off to Dad to carry back to the vehicle.  Brooks, you make me laugh!

 

 

The First Fish

Early in October we took the kids fishing up the mountain.  It was a beautiful fall day, and the leaves were gorgeous.  It took a little bit of off-roading to get where we were going, but it was a great fishing spot.  Within minutes, Zach was already catching some brook trout.  Both Adlyn and Brooks got to reel in their first fish, and I think they enjoyed it.  Zach made a little video from the afternoon.  It was a little colder then I had expected, so you'll have to forgive me if you look at Adlyn's clothes.  I put an extra tank-top under her dress, along with some gray pants.  I know it doesn't match...but we used what we had in the truck!  It reminds me of a funny line I heard on one of my favorite shows, Modern Family, when they are referring to the couple's young adopted child who was dressed for a family party.  It was said that she looked like she was dipped in glue and drug through a flea market.  Now, I don't think we were to that extreme, but if we had more clothing around...she might have come close!  I'm looking forward to more outdoor adventures next spring and summer.

Going to the Dentist

On Monday, the kids took their first trip to the dentist.  To prepare, I took them to the library last Saturday to find some dentist books.  There were four books in the system, and three were checked out.  The one that was left was obviously left for a reason.  The librarian helped us locate the book, and we sat down to read it.  I quickly realized I was going to have to make up my own words.  It was not a book you would want to read to your children to be excited about going to the dentist!  It was about an alligator who was scared to go to the dentist to get his broken tooth fixed.  But, the dentist was scared of the alligator.  The pictures were somewhat frightening, and the words were even scarier.  Now I know why the other family must have checked three of the four books out. 

I came home from work on Monday to pick up the kids, and Zach, to go to the dentist.  From the moment I walked into the house, I could tell that Adlyn was excited and ready to go.  Brooks wasn’t scared or anything, he just seemed uninterested.  We arrived at the dentist and Adlyn went right in.  Brooks was excited to see the big fish tank and all of the toys there were to play with in the waiting room.  I filled out endless paperwork (which I have noticed is not fun when you have twins…can’t they just make a copy of one form and change the name on the top??) and they called us in to the office.  Adlyn sat on the dentist chair, Brooks stood near the doorway into the room, and stayed there.  They watched a little video on the screen about some puppies that went to the dentist.  Adlyn got to play with each of the dentist instruments and try them out.  She let them polish some of her teeth, and was cooperative when the dentist took a peek at her teeth.  Overall, it went very smooth and she got a pink toothbrush at the end.  We spent about 20 more minutes trying to coax Brooks to sit on the dentist chair, but he didn’t want to.  I wasn’t going to force him as I wanted him to have a positive experience and not be scared to go back in six months. 

Overall it went well, but they didn’t give Brooks a new toothbrush.  Should I care?  No.  But, did I care?  Yes.  So, he didn’t sit in your dentist chair, but he was well-behaved, didn’t cry or throw a fit…  Maybe next time.

Face Chalk

I was home with the kids one morning this month and was washing the dishes, and watching the kids play in the backyard.  They were playing with sidewalk chalk, and were drawing on about everything but the cement.  They drew on garage doors, siding, fencing, bike tires, and the gas meter.  As I was watching, Adlyn took her pink chalk and wiped it across her forehead, cheeks, and nose.  Brooks laughed, and did the same with his orange chalk.  Adlyn made a pink mark on the tip of his nose.  They were having a great time, and were very colorful.  I figured it is just chalk, and it will wash off.  I finished the dishes, went outside and took some pictures of them, and then we came inside to get them cleaned up.  Enjoy the pictures!

It's Snowing!

I have been talking to the kids about fall, and have pointed out how the trees are starting to change colors.  They have been keeping a close eye on the tree in our yard, just outside our front window.  The other day, it was very windy, and the kids were calling for my attention to come and see!  The neighbor’s tree was losing most of its leave,s and they were scattered all over the street.  The kids must be anxious for cold weather, they told me it was winter and that the leaves were snow!  It won’t be long until most of the leaves are on the ground, and we can jump in a pile of leaves. 

Nice to Meet You

Like I’ve mentioned before, one of the highlights at church is when the kids get to shake hands with other people.  We have been practing, “Nice to meet you.”  They really like to shake each other’s hands, and ours, and say, “Meet you, meet you!”  They say it really fast, and are usually laughing when they say it.  It makes me laugh, because it almost sounds Chinese!

Addy Say, Brus Say

When we are practicing new words, we are constantly saying, Brooks say xxxx, or Adlyn say xxxx.  Sometimes they want each other to try new words.  Adlyn and Brooks refer to Adlyn as “Addy”.  Brooks and Adlyn refer to Brooks as “Brus”.  We hear them tell each other, “Brus say,” or “Addy say.”  It is fun to see them interact and talk to one another.  And by the way, usually when they tell each other to say something, the other one will refuse to repeat the phrase!

Hi Mom, Hi Dad

Just last week we heard such an enjoyable phrase!  Brooks, and Adlyn, started to greet us by saying, “Hi Mom” or “Hi Dad”.  This may not mean much to someone else, but to me, it meant the world!  Their tone of voice was precious and it has been great to hear those two words!  It wasn’t until last fall that the kids started to say Mom and Dad and actually have it mean Mom and Dad.  They could say the word, but it wasn’t associated with anything.  We are making huge progress!  I can't wait for more words to come.  Adlyn has been saying, "Love you, Mom," and it makes my heart melt!

See Jerry

Our neighbors got a new dog, Mocha.  It is a chocolate lab, about 1 ½ years old.  For the most part, it is a calm and enjoyable dog, and does well with the kids.  Yesterday Zach and the kids were visiting our neighbors and Mo-Mo was persistently licking Brooks and Adlyn’s faces.  Brooks sat down on Jerry’s bean bag, and Mo-Mo approached him.  Brooks told Mo, “See Jerry!”  He had enough of his licking. 

Horsie Hat

As we drove through town yesterday, Brooks noticed a carving of a cowboy.  Brooks told us he was wearing a ‘Horsie Hat’, instead of a cowboy hat.  It was pretty cute!