Laundry Basket Rides

"Hello and thank you to all my loyal fans!"

Hi All,
If you are getting the idea that Drew and Bree like to be pulled around, you are correct! The latest craze is none other than laundry basket rides. And Bree never misses a chance to give her now famous wave along the way!

"Umm, where is our chauffeur?"

"Enough pictures, time to get rollin' Mom!"

Push Toy Races

Hi All,
Drew and Bree sure love practicing their walking skills by using their push toys. Sometimes, they'll get going at the same time and it's quite humorous to watch them race around the room! In this clip, Drew is quite the fierce competitor. He nearly runs Bree over, but Bree still claims victory!
Oh, and if you think you see footballs, basketballs and soccer balls on Bree's sleeper, you are right. She is now wearing Drew's hand me downs!

11 Months

Hi All,
Someone warned me this day was coming....

"Drew, you smile while I look away from the camera."

"Now I'll strategically place my hand in front of your face."

"Quick, what's our next move?"

"Whoa, they almost got us! Good thing I got these sunglasses in my mouth just in time."

"You had enough of this yet?"

"Watch this move."

"I'm outta here!"

Yes, our monkeys are at it again.  Foolish mama for thinking the chair poses would just get easier as the twins got bigger! But, they are happy monkeys, and that's what counts. Happy 11 Months to Drew and Bree. I shutter to think the big ONE is just around the corner!
In our unofficial weigh in, Drew weighs 24.5 pounds and Bree weighs 21 pounds. No gain for Drew over the past month. We're think he's figured out the weight limit for the Jumperoo is 25 pounds, and his jumping days are numbered once he hits the big 25. :)

Rubber Duck Wars

Hi All,
We have a lot of heated exchanges over the yellow rubber duck that is a temperature gauge for the bathtub. So much so, Bree got another rubber duck (pink version) for Christmas. Well, as you can see, nothing has changed. If one has a rubber duck, the other is certain they must also have it. Bree stood her ground here!

Helpers

Hi All,

The twinners have been really helpful around the house lately. You know, things like......

Doing laundry

In the kitchen

Taking phone calls

Pushing the barstools back in place

Just Like Old Times

Hi All!
It's January 21, 2010, and if anyone has been wondering where we've been, we trying to get some sleep! It's reminiscent of the "old" days when the twins were newborns and expectedly not sleeping through the night. We got super busy with the holidays, and perhaps off routine. What followed is Drew is now having big time sleep issues. He has not been a fan of napping for months now. But, in addition to that, he has not been sleeping well at night for the past 3 - 4 weeks. He will wake up to three times at night, needing to be rocked back to sleep. And by that, I mean he needs to be rocked back to a solid sleep, or else he is awake as soon as he hits the crib again. To add insult to injury, sometimes he wakes up Bree in the process, and I have a real chore on my hands getting them both back to sleep. So, I've been rushing in to get Drew whenever I first hear signs of fussing or crying, in hopes of saving Bree (and me) the double wake up call. Typically, I am up for an hour each time Drew wakes on his own, and up to two hours each time both kids awaken. The sleep deprivation is not faring well for me. To make matters worse, as mentioned, Drew does not like to nap during the day. If he naps, he needs to be rocked to sleep. Usually by the time we are done rocking, he is ready to be up again. Therefore, I am not getting any down time during the day either. No time for chores or blogging, let alone a nap for myself. Drew is crying in the pack n play as I type this. (See next paragraph.)
I have consulted our doctor's office on the matter. The nurse told us, as long as we are sure he does not have an ear infection, he simply has our number. He now realizes he will get rocked at a moment's notice when he cries. Their advice: do not respond, and it will take 3 - 5 days for him to learn to put himself back to sleep. Well, this is easier said than done with twins. We will need to find a new spot for one of them to sleep in order to even attempt this. Otherwise, Bree will pay the price.
So, here we are. Back to Sleep Training 101. I can hardly believe it, as I foolishly thought we were in the clear once the twins started sleeping through the night at 10 weeks. This, too shall pass. Someone recently told me "that's why they call them phases".

At any rate, we do have some good news to share - better news than our lack of sleep. :)

Hopefully, we're back in the blogging saddle again!

Recent (Kind Of) Videos

Hi All,
I've been bad on posting any videos as of late. Shame on me, because the kiddos are pretty funny to watch these days! Here are a few from the tail end of December that I thought you might enjoy.....

The kids just happened to be hamming it up in their high chairs here -



And here, you'll see Bree's pageant wave, which she loves to practice! -

Hello Drew - Your Teeth Are In

Hi All,
Well, just as I suspected, Drew indeed has been teething for the past few weeks.  His two front teeth have now made their royal entrance! That makes four teeth in total for him now. (Bree = zero.) Other than some brief discomfort for one evening, Drew weathered the process well. Hopefully, we'll be able to get some pictures of the new choppers in some upcoming posts!

We've Got Spirit

Hi All,
You didn't think we would only post CMU gear without following it up with some MSU spirit, did you? Drew and Bree visited Grandma and Grandpa and watched some Spartan basketball. Hopefully, they'll get in the habit of cheering for the Spartans! As usual, MSU has a first rate basketball team. And Izzo is the best coach ever. So we have high hopes for them. Go State!!!

Apparently, the game was a real ring-biter

"Grandma said I could play with these."

"I told you we know how to use them."

Silly Time

Hi All,
I happened to capture Drew and Bree in some silly shots during playtime....

"Here, let me help you with this PLEASE."

"See Mom, I told you I was taller."

"Mom hears us better when we shout."

"We're just happy to be here!"

Bring on the Cold!

Hi All,

Drew and Bree got some adorable cold weather gear from our friends the Giacomelli's this Christmas. Drew's is big, furry and brown, and everyone thinks he looks like a bear in it. Bree has not been too fond of wearing hers. Not sure she likes the bundled up feeling, but it sure beats freezing when it's cold outside!

Growl!!!

Grin and bear it

Staying warm inside with Grandma

We Love Toys

Hi All,

The twins are enjoying new toys from Christmas. Drew and Bree have gotten ever more curious, and they help satisfy their desire to explore. The Jammin Bands Microphone is great for pulling to stand and also packs some good tunes and and a microphone (albeit small) to boot. (Perhaps keeping the microphone small was meant to appease the parents!) Sometimes I will catch the twins dancing to the music when they hit the keyboard buttons. We got two push "walker" toys and Drew and Bree both get really excited to maneuver these. They're pretty quick and it's really fun to watch! Their glow (sea) horse plays soothing bedtime music, but they like it in the play area. He often comes along on wagon rides. And yes, we now have a wagon - an all time favorite! We do laps around the house and it has an instant calming effect. Drew also likes to take a toy and set it on the wheel while we move to hear the sound it makes. It's interesting to see the wheels turning in his head as the wheels turn on the wagon. The good news is, I can't think of a toy they don't like. And they seem to be getting better about entertaining themselves, which I could not have said a month ago. Go figure, I think their favorite toys are still the "forbidden fruit" - tv remotes, cell phones, and computers!

Make way for Bree!

"American Idol, here we come!"

Wagon rides are especially fun when Grandpa pulls

The box isn't too bad either

Our friend, glow horse

Standing Ovation Please....

Hi All,
It seems all the kiddos want to do these days is stand, stand, stand. They are pretty sturdy, as long as they are holding onto something. And they will pull up to standing on anything - couches, ottoman, tables, baby gate, stroller, crib rails, bed rails, each other, etc. Here are some shots of my silly standers....

Stroller or table, they both work

"And, yes, I think I can dance"

The sissy on brother on ottoman chain

"Why sit when you can stand?"

CMU Day

Hi All,
It's CMU day around our house. Jim's Chippewas are in the GMAC bowl, so Jim requested some appropriate attire.
Turns out, CMU won the game (vs. Troy) 44 - 41 in double overtime. How's that for excitement?!?

Before We Say Goodbye to Christmas

Hi All,
I captured a few more "after Christmas" pics of the the kiddos, tree and stockings. You can see by the end of the season, the bulbs on the tree have become disproportionately placed on the top half! Of course, new stockings this year for Drew and Bree. The twins are at an age now, that it is getting difficult to get them to stay put in any one place for too long. So getting a picture of them posing in front of the tree was challenging. However, the toy box we got Drew and Bree for Christmas came with drawers that we discovered the kids LOVE to sit in. So, adding the drawers made for a bit less (though still some) squirm action. We had such a fun time with the kiddos this Christmas, it's sad to pack it all up for a year. But, surely there is lots more fun in store for us until next Christmas rolls around....

We love the newest additions to the stockings!

Our tree, with the one of the cutest presents ever underneath

Squirmers - Exhibit #1

Squirmers - Exhibit #2

"This better, Mom?"

Proudly showing off our shirts

"I could sit in here all day."

Jingle Bells

Hi All,
Jim and I had a brief getaway the weekend after New Years. We went and stayed at a resort up north. We tried out some snowshoes, had a nice dinner a got a much-needed good night's sleep.  We also got a sleigh ride around the property. It was a cold, but pretty ride! Meanwhile, Drew and Bree were warm and cozy at home with Grandma and Grandpa. The pictures tell me they had lots of fun!
Sunday evening after we returned, Drew had his typical sleep issues. But tonight was different, in that he was not immediately comforted when I picked him up. Monday morning, I checked out his gums and decided his two upper front teeth were making their way down.

Oh what fun it is to ride in a "two" horse open sleigh!

Not missing Mom and Dad quite yet!

Bree's now famous wave

"We love blocks, yes we do!"

The bat is another "big hit"

"Do we look like we're ready for bed?!?!"

And a big smile for Mom when she got home

Sleepy New Year

Hi All,
We have a tradition for the past few years of attending a New Years Eve party at our friends' the Bondys. They hire a chef and we all enjoy some great food, drink and company. Children are welcome, so we once again accepted their invite and for the first time went with two little ones in tow. It was certainly a different experience from previous years; lots of twin wrangling time. They sat on our laps as we ate dinner. But we enjoyed ourselves. They both fell asleep before midnight, which was to be expected - Bree in the pack n play and Drew in my arms. We rang in the new year, then pretty promptly headed home to put everyone to bed.
We're lacking in the sleep department these days. Drew and Bree are waking regularly during the night. Whatever semblance of a schedule we once had was pretty thrown over the holidays, which may have something to do with it. Another theory is separation anxiety. Anyway, we're grinning and bearing it for the moment!