Quotes of the Day

#1 - Drew, as he is standing on the tub, leaning over the bathroom cabinet: "I want Daddy's lipstick!" (referring to Jim's chapstick).

#2 - Drew at bedtime from his crib to Bree in her crib, as she is playing a musical toy. "Hey. What are you doing? I'm trying to sleep over here." Note: She quieted down immediately after that, while Drew went on to jump on the bed, jump out of bed, find a noisy toy, etc.....

Naptime Nuttiness

Hi All,
Naps are getting a bit unpredictable around here. The new found freedom of Drew's toddler bed doesn't help. Some days, naps just don't happen. Other days, we end up with a heavenly three hour nap. Some days, it's just plain nutty! And here are Bree and Drew to prove it....

Drew was opposed to the whole idea of a nap. But given a bit of quiet time in his room, he did manage to pass out on the floor.

Bree, on the other hand, felt the need to stretch out on Mom and Dad's bed to get her into sleep mode.

But hey, who am I to complain - at least they are napping!

Opposing Forces

Hi All,
Well, here she is again! My little queen of organization, hard at work on the jello boxes. Think I can get her to work on my cupboard space next? And, how is it so impossible to keep our house in order with this organizational angel at hand?

According to Newton - for every force, there is an equal and opposite force. In our case, that is Drew! Take a look at his handiwork, also from this evening.....

This is his idea of fun, so who am I to question it?

Papa's Day

Hi All,
We have a tradition of picking a day to visit with Papa the week of Fathers Day. We enjoyed a fun day with Papa and Grandma today as our very own Papa's Day.

A few gifts for Papa

 

And a little bit of mischief to go along with it!

Just minding my own business, really!

Is this a winning smile or what?!?

An explanation as to why all breakables have been removed from the white dresser...

Not Again

Hi All,
We have more sad news on our furry friend front. Blanca went to the vet two weeks ago, because she had dropped a few pounds. The vet said overall she looked thin, but was not dehydrated and otherwise in good shape. So, perhaps we just needed to feed her more. We asked to run some blood work to rule out other causes. What it showed was that Blanca has the same kidney failure issue that we went through with Cue a year ago. Blanca is nine years old and still on the young side for this (just like Cue). So, how is this happening again?!? Unlike Cue, the vet said it appeared from the numbers that we caught Blanca's issues closer to the onset. (Unfortunately, symptoms do not appear until 70% of the kidney function is gone.) That being said, she was probably looking at living another 1 - 3 years on a special diet. We started the diet immediately, and I was relieved that she liked her new food. But the relief was temporary. A few days ago, Blanca stopped eating and was drinking less. So it was back to the vet for her yesterday. This time we received more dire news. From a blood test, Blanca's numbers have skyrocketed in the past two weeks and the disease is progressing quickly. The vet said they could get her rehydrated and see if that gives her a boost to get back on track. But the vet really didn't have much in the way of encouraging words for us. We'll call today to check on her progress with her fluid therapy, and see what the vet thinks about moving forward.
On a separate but related note, we also found out recently that Riley has a torn ACL. We are in a waiting period to see if it can heal on it's own, with some decreased activity. If not, it will be surgery for her.
No more bad luck in the pet department please; we've had our share!

Meijer Gardens - Play Date!

Hi All,
We joined some twin friends and their families for a Meijer Gardens play date.

What does it mean when all of the other kids there are in frame for this picture, sitting and listening quietly to the storyteller, while your kid is standing with her back to the reader? Meanwhile, the other is missing from the frame completely, off finding new adventures?

I'll choose to believe reading books just isn't their thing while enjoying the great outdoors. For instance, they could be getting down and dirty in the sand! This looks all too much like exactly what we do at home. But everyone was thoroughly enjoying it, so we'll allow it. :)

My girl dreaming up her next sandcastle

Brushing down the rock quarry

Nate and Brynn happy to be on sand duty

Big Shoes to Fill

Hi All,
One of the kids' favorite activities is clomping around the house in our shoes. I don't really understand the fascination, but I guess that's part of the fun of being a kid!

Dad's Day

Hi All,
We celebrated Fathers Day at home yesterday. Drew and Bree started the day with some gifts for Daddy.

Drew made a cool hand print to commemorate the day.

Bree was not in the mood to stick her hand in paint, but I think she promised to do one later. :)

Then, Jim had an exciting day on the lake. The fish were jumping and Jim caught one after another! Jim was pretty happy with his cooler of fish. Check out this haul! They made for an excellent dinner.

And for the last treat of the day, Dad gets to figure out how to get this monkey into bed.....

A Man of Many Hats

Today's selection was a food strainer, clean of course!

Our Beach Just Got a Little Sandier

Hi All,
We got a nice delivery today - a bunch of new sand to add to our beach! The kids loved watching the bulldozer in action as it dumped and smoothed the sand.

And it didn't take them long to get a closer look. Ahh! Nothing like the feeling of fresh sand on your toes!

Brush your..... BELLYBUTTON?

Hi All,
We struggle with getting the kids to brush their teeth these days. They sure are happy to eat lots of toothpaste (which we try to minimize). But the interest in real "brushing" is quite lacking. Unless, of course, we are talking bellybuttons!

School's Out Forever

Hi All,
School's out forever - for my mom, that is. We took the opportunity to celebrate over a few days time.

Party with co-workers: We attended mom's after hours send-off from her co-workers at a local establishment. There was good pizza, appetizers, and refreshments, and I think Drew polished off a bowl of chips on his own. We were the only party there, and the kids enjoyed exploring the place (a.k.a. chasing each other around the bar).

The whole gang

Drew and Bree took a break from their "exploring" for a few pictures. 

Celebratory roses from Dad

Family Celebration: We also set aside a day to celebrate as a family and enjoyed a nice meal - Chinese takeout, so Mom wouldn't have to cook - LOL!

Drew and Bree helped out a little in the yard before dinner.

And family gatherings = family pictures!

Celebratory cake

 And the celebratory cake server...

Congrats to Mom on retirement - relax and enjoy!

Double Dooty

Hi All,
Potty training anyone??? We're not quite there yet. See below, the kids may be more ready than me. Haha!

Bree and Drew both on their potty seats - are they ready?!?

Anyway, we still have yet to do anything really serious in the potty training department. We've had the potty chairs for months and months now. And, on occasion, they get used. Drew has had some really fine streaks going, mostly for the fact that he's a dramatic pooper. That helps me direct him to the potty chair to do business. There have also been a few occasions where the kids ask to sit on the potty, but nothing too consistent.
I've also read a book on the topic (this too was months ago!). Surely, I will be re-reading it. It seems there has always been one reason or another to put off training. Plus, I recently read another parent's opinion of training was that it was overrated. After all, once they are trained it's trips to the bathroom every ten minutes. Otherwise, you have a mess to deal with. Multiply that by two. Do I have time for that?
I've been telling myself for a while that summer would be a good time to really give a try. With the official start to summer right around the corner, I suppose it's time to dust off that book and get back at it!

I thought this shot was particularly cute. Drew appears to be coaching and "consoling" Bree in her attempts.

"You can do it, sissy!"

I'm sure it will all work out fine in the end, but why do I have the feeling I will be the one in need of the coaching and consoling when we actually take the plunge? :)

Fishing Fanatics

Hi All,

From what I can tell from the observation deck, we have had a fishing season that is nothing short of fantastic so far.

Jim picked up our nephew Cooper on Saturday afternoon, and they, along with Jim's dad, spent the evening fishing. The fish were jumping, and Cooper was one excited kid.

Jim made a bonfire Saturday evening, so Cooper got to enjoy some smores by the lake. Then, Sunday morning it was back out on the water for some more fishing.

And yes, more fish, more excitement!
 

Even Riley got in on the fishing craze....

Since Jim never tires of fishing, we called the Fergusons over for dinner, and yes, more fishing!

By the end of the weekend, I think the fishing fanatics had their fill. But look out fish, they will undoubtedly be back for more!

Art Festival

Hi All,
We took the kids to the art festival downtown today, which incidentally we also refer to as the food festival. :) It was super hot and sunny, but the kids seemed to enjoy the sights and sounds of it all. We didn't stay long, as Drew and Bree were in need of a nap. But we were there long enough for some face painting (for the willing participants only - aka Bree).

Even the willing participant smeared her butterfly a bit...

And the kids loved the balloon animals (in this case, poodles)...

And, we couldn't leave without getting Jim a skewered souvlaki. (Sorry, no picture!) After mission accomplished, we were hot and the kids were tired. So we hightailed it to the car, where the kids promptly fell asleep in their seats. Sleeping two year olds can be a form of art, too!

Nap Dodgers

Hi All,
Well, the sleep wars continue around here. I thought we had it all figured out the end of April with the play yard walls in place in the room during sleeping hours. However, the pushing and shoving on the play yard was really wreaking havoc on the bedroom walls - too many gauges for Jim to stomach. So, two weeks ago I picked up another gate (this one taller and easier to properly place than the last) at a garage sale, hoping it would work in the doorway. And it did - until today. After placing Bree in her crib and Drew in his bed, it was minutes later that I found this.....

One kid out of her crib and the other kid on the wrong side of the gate! Bree has crawled out before, once the end of April. But I had let her keep her shoes on and was sure that aided in her escape. Drew, the climber of all things, can now scale the new tall gate, repeatedly. By the end of the day, I even caught Bree trying to climb it, just like her brother.
So it appears we are right back to square one on the sleep front. Except now it's square one times two. The kids are at an age where they are not interested in sleeping when I say it's time. Being two years old, I suppose there is an element of control to it. Both kids have gone through phases where their sleep habits needed tweaking. At the moment, Drew is the one in need. I believe his antics often keep Bree awake longer than she would be on her own. Although, Bree can be the queen of stall techniques when she wants.

So instead of the prescribed mid-afternoon nap, Jim arrived home from work to this....

So let's see, I believe that makes the score -  

Drew: 4  

Me and the gates, play yards, doors: 0.

The battle continues...

Aspiring Artists

Hi All,
We were invited to an art gallery showing of sorts. Another mom in my "moms of multiples" group hosted a gathering at her home and asked that we bring some current artwork for display.

Drew enjoyed the art display a little too much. I caught him eating a marshmallow off one of the art pieces!

We had a nice time playing with all the other artists. The sandbox was fun!

And we enjoyed a picnic lunch on the lawn.

Complete with popsicles!

Just Bead It

Hi All,
We have a great resource available to us through a local program called Connections. They provide critical child developmental information to parents of children up to five years old. They distribute "Ages and Stages Questionnaires" every three months or so. Each is usually about four pages long and details certain skills that are appropriate for each age set, categorized by communication, fine motor, gross motor, problem solving, and personal-social. It's really a great tool for me to obtain a better understanding of the skills I should watch for and work on with the kids.
We are in the process of completing our 27 month questionnaire. One of the fine motor questions pertained to whether your child could string small items onto a string or shoelace. I had bought a lacing bead kit (Melissa and Doug, one of our favorite brands!) some time ago, but the age range indicated three - six years, so I stored it away. Well, I pulled it out to see what Drew and Bree thought of it.

Drew picked up a shoelace and immediately got the hang of it. He was unstoppable!

As for Bree, she quickly got frustrated and went back to stacking legos.

We waited a day and got the beads and strings out again.  And again, Drew was the Master of the Beads.

Bree could get the string into the hole of the beads, but struggled with pulling the string through the other end. I know she'll get it with a bit more practice. In the meantime, Bree still enjoys her puzzles. We have about ten 24 piece puzzles (age range also 3+) that she likes to rotate . She is really good at putting them together, many of them entirely unaided. In fact, I pulled this one out for her and let her work on it alone. Just a few minutes later, I returned to find this...

Proud Puzzle Wiz!

So, I'm really not at all worried about either of their fine motor skills. Incidentally, they are also very good at making strawberries disappear!