A pile of little boys...

Apparently it was a rough day. Just add this to the many, many photos we have of Doug being held down by the children in the house. (Only the twins actually fell asleep on him, but it seemed only fitting to add Reece to the pile!)

Bad Hair Day

It appears it is time for a hair cut! Gabe woke up from his nap today and came down stairs with his hair looking a bit like a mad scientist. I grabbed the camera a snapped a few pictures before committing to cut his hair this weekend.

Grayon's One Twin Day Lunch Time

Today was a one twin day. We used to call it a "One Baby Day," but now with Reece here it has become a one twin day instead. Gabe had a Dr appt to check his ears again and Grayson had Speech Therapy scheduled from pretty much the same time - so it was a divide and conquer kind of day. Grayson and I had a great morning with his ST session - he is coming along really nicely. After the session was over we played and entertained Reece and before you knew it it was time for lunch. Since it was such a cold and windy day the kitchen was cold (no radiator), so we had lunch at the coffee table in the living room. Grayson enjoyed getting to eat at the table and using his new plate he got for Christmas. We had 'deconstructed' turkey sandwiches, apples, and goldfish.

Christmas Morning!

Christmas Eve Night

All the toddlers have on their new PJs and are ready to "sleep all night long" so Santa will bring presents. After much commotion they settled down and when I went to do a quick check on them before we went to bed, this is what we found. Two sweet little boys asleep on the same bed. It doesn't happen that often (Grayson has the night-night shoes that he swings around - so Gabe knows to give him plenty of space!), so we wanted to make sure we got a shot of it. So sweet :)

Reece is starting to talk to us!

After much discussion we are sure the twins never did this. We can't remember them every talking/cooing. We asked around to folks that would have been around them at a few months old and no one can remember them doing it - and I am sure we would have video of it if they did. Weird, right?

He really starts cooing about half way through...so stinking cute!

Reece's 1st Smiles

Some days naps just don't come easy...

this was one of those days. There has been a lot of excitement in our house the last few weeks and Gabe doesn't want to miss a second of the commotion. He swears he isn't tired and doesn't need a nap. So with Grayson already tucked in and getting his Z's, Doug sat down with Gabe for some quiet time:

And about 4 minutes later it was over -

What are you looking at?

Reece, 1 month old after a bath with Daddy.

Yep, we have climbers...

Grayson at work with Daddy. I don't know he got up there. I don't ask - it would just freak me out.

Reece is Here!!

Do I look peeved? Yeah, that is not your imagination. I was less than happy - I was happy that Reece was about to arrive, I was NOT happy that for 48 hours I was told I was NOT in labor and by the time someone actually checked my cervix for real I was 7 cm dilated and I had to hold still during contractions to have a spinal put in. This shot was taken after I went to hospital once with contractions 5 minutes apart and the Dr on call never even came to the room - instead she sent me home telling me to take Tylenol and drink water after giving me a shot to stop the contractions I was having. Then I went to see her the next day in her office and she told me the same thing again (umm..lady, contractions...I'm having them!) Later that night, after hours of laying in bed in pain and watching the clock realizing the contractions were getting stronger and closer and closer together, we woke up the boys, loaded the car, helped me get into the car (not an easy task), drove to Front Royal to the hospital (again), buzzed up to L&D who told me to walk on over...Yea, that isn't happening. Contractions 3-4 minutes apart people. I'm not walking anywhere!

Got some help with a wheelchair and made to the L&D floor. "OMG", says the nurse who checks me," you are 6-7 cm dilated! We needed to have you in the OR, like, an hour ago!"

Pumpkin Patch

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

My kiddos eat well. They actually request pancakes at least twice a week - so we have been working on new flavors all summer. Since fall is upon us, pumpkin seemed to be the obvious choice. We tried these out this morning and they are super yummy!

The batter was really think, so when I put a ladle of it in the pan I spread it out a bit with the back of the spoon. I cooked these at a lower temp than I would a regular pancake because of the whole wheat flour and the sugar in the pumpkin. They cooked up nice and fluffy and golden brown.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

• 1 C. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C. AP flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t. ground ginger
• 1/2 t. ground nutmeg - I used a scant 1/2 t.
• 1 C. buttermilk - I keep the powdered buttermilk in the fridge and used that.
• 1 C. canned pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 2 T. oil
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 T. dark brown sugar

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the first eight ingredients (whole wheat flour through nutmeg). In a separate bowl, whisk together the last six ingredients (buttermilk through brown sugar).

2. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and blend together with a wooden spoon until just combined. Lumps are ok, just make sure all the flour on the bottom of the bowl is mixed in. If batter seems too thick to pour, you can gently stir in a little more buttermilk.

3. Drop pancakes by ladleful onto a medium-hot griddle. Pancakes are ready to turn when the edges start to look a little dry and you can see small bubbles forming on the surface.

Who's in charge here...

I believe the answer would be Daddy!  We got new tags for the "new gold car" as the kids call it.  While I was in the kitchen making dinner, Doug was playing with the kids in the living room.  At some point the boys come in to the kitchen with stickers all over their arms - clearly very excited and having a grand time.  I step around the corner to the living room to see what has transpired in the time it took me to get food ready and Gabe runs to show me his handy work:

Have Potty, Will Travel...and other random things...

We have had a pretty busy weekend for people that had no plans for Labor Day. Saturday involved Doug being a pall bearer and taking the boys to the funeral - and since Doug was otherwise pretty much engaged, it required a good deal of one parent time. Not the easiest thing to pull of with 2 year old twins at 11:00am, prime lunch and nap time.

We made it through the service with only limited noise - luckily most folks felt it was 'cute.' (Not me, but really, not the kids fault. Timing is everything with little kids - and the timing was not ideal.) Grayson thought the organ music was pretty and he actually sat more still and quiet than Gabe, which may be the first time that has EVER happened! Gabe also made it through the entire day, including the car rides, the service, the reception afterward, etc. in his big boy pants and didn't have any accidents at all! He even went to the potty at the church on the big toilet. What was not great about the day? Well, getting home at almost 2:00 and the boys totally missing their entire afternoon nap.

Then Sunday we had a good morning - but again, the nap was all screwed up. They were both obviously very tired, but they didn't sleep at all! Instead they played (nicely, even) in their room together for 90 minutes -- but no sleep. Then we took a trip to Costco. Both of them were sound asleep in the car almost before we hit the interstate (that would be all of 2 miles away from the house!)
We tried to let them sleep as much as we could - Gabe got about 40 minutes before he woke up while I was sitting in the car with them both while Doug made the run into the Toys R Us on his own! Then we moved on to the Costco - Gabe was awake, but Grayson was still sleeping. So I took Gabe and we headed to the back of the car to take a 'potty break' before going into Costco. Gabe parked on the potty, but no luck. Doug finally had to wake up Grayson when he got him out of the car. He got almost an hour, but I think they both needed at least 2 to make up for the day before.

Once we were in the store I took Gabe to the bathroom one more time to see if he needed to go and show him there WAS a potty we could use if he needed to. Grayson was pretty unhappy the whole trip. He was unusually clingy and snuggy, so I think maybe he wasn't feeling so well. He us usually a really happy little kid, so this was out of character for him. We also got a 'potty break' before we left the parking lot. Gabe waved at all the people from his thrown as they walked by. Too cute.

There was some fun outside play when we got home - and both the boys realized they could reach through the wire cage around the tomato cage that is right around the back door. It has a wonderful heirloom cherry tomato called SunSweet (pretty little orange tomatoes that are super sweet.) They rounded the corner with tomatoes in both hands, squished tomato juice on their shirts and they were both grinning and saying "Mmmmm!" and "Yummy!" as they ate every single ripe tomato off the plant! (This after Grayson took a big red tomato off a plant in the garden yesterday and ate it like an apple!)

While the boys really are good kids for the most part, I am not loving trying to be an equally good mommy being this pregnant. If I carry them - I cramp and get dizzy. I can't bend over anymore, or pick them up easily. I think they are feeling a little neglected. It makes me sad that I am having to back down on what I can do for and with them - right when they need it the most. Things are changing so fast....they start preschool in a week and they will have a little brother in about 60 days. Time goes by way too fast!

(Photos of the boys at pre-school open house the week before school started)

Brown Sugar Chicken

Back to the crock-pot. I had Back to School night today/tonight and I wanted to make sure all the boys had something to eat. I have been trying recipes from my newest cookbook Make it Fast, Cook it Slow. I have to give credit to this book for what will certainly end up being many pounds of extra fat on my a$$, as it taught me how to make an outstanding Creme Brulee in the crock pot. But I digress - tonight was chicken...

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless breast halves (could use 12 thighs instead if you wanted)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
• 2/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

The Directions:

Use a 4 quart crock-pot for this recipe.

Put your chicken into your crock-pot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.

The Verdict:

The kids love, loved, loved it. It was tender - you could shred it with a fork. I'll try to get a picture of it before everyone eats it all. It turned a pretty mahogany color.

I found it to be a bit too sweet for grown up tastes, but I am not a sweets kind of person. (I don't think anyone else in the house would agree with me!) I am sure we will make it again. I am thinking two new directions to go with this would be 1- serve with a stronger flavored veg, like sauteed bok choy to balance out the sweetness or 2- used the chicken and broth as a base to build a noodle bowl. Maybe cut the sweetness with a little more chicken broth and add udon noodles and some crunchy veg like you would expect in a typical noodle bowl.

Success! We think...

Well, it has been almost two weeks since Gabe's big potty announcement. It took about a week to go from starting, being naked, and then wearing big boy pants with little to know accidents. Gabe is doing all his business on the potty now and takes great pleasure in announcing that it is time to "dump the potty!", flush, and say bye-bye! to whatever we dumped. (Lovely, I know...)

Now Grayson is starting to be really interested in what Gabe is doing on the potty all the time. I don't know that he is ready, but he sure wants to think about trying. We are amazed at how few diapers only one little boy uses. It is like we are hardly doing diapers at all! (One baby is soooo easy!) Of course, we have #3 on the way - but it looks like we will not have all 3 in diapers at the same time, so that is a bonus we never dreamed would happen. Thanks to Mr. Gabe for deciding he wanted to be totally potty trained by his 2nd birthday.

Now we have to keep working on getting the toddler beds made and everyone settled in, getting the baby's crib and room ready, and keeping momma calm when she thinks about these sweet little boys starting preschool in a few weeks. (Ohhh...it makes me want to cry!)

Our first bull's eye!

After about 36 hours of Gabe wanting to 'pee pee in potty' and having no luck - it happened this evening! He kept running back to the potty and saying he needed to pee pee in potty - and then he did! There was much celebration.

Of course, he also peed on the floor and on a chair. So time to get the steam cleaner out and keep running back and forth to the potty. Maybe this is really going to happen???

So we went to the store and we bought pull ups and big boy underwear - which, for the record, are almost impossible to find for a skinny almost two year old.

Crossing our fingers :-)

Potty Training

It looks like the time is upon us. Gabe has decided that he wants to use the potty and not wear a diaper. This sounds great - but in practice it is not so easy! He wants to use the potty, but he has yet to actually manage to GO on the potty. He will hold it until the diaper is on him or he is running around!

We bought a second potty to put downstairs, so now we're potty ready up and down -- BUT we have hit an unexpected snag. Now Gabe as decided the potty is HIS potty and he freaks out when Grayson goes anywhere near it. I think we are very close to having to bit the bullet and go buy another potty (or two) so each one has their own potty on each floor of the house! Who knew this would be so logistically challenging??

So we are about to have to do the infamous calendar dance and pick a few days when we are both doing nothing but potty patrol. In theory (ha!) we should know if this is going to work in 3-4 days if we are fully committed to it.

I feel so out of my element! Kids should come with instructions!

"Safety Day" at the Town Park

We had big plans for today - and they bombed. I am so thankful that the kiddos are at that age where almost anything is exciting, because today really ended up being lame. The highlight of the morning was the trip to the grocery store - which they actually like quite a bit because they get to drive the silly race car cart around the store. They are turning the steering wheels and beeping the horns like maniacs the whole time and cackling like made men. After this little adventure we came home and did some snacks and a nap.

The big adventure that was planned for the day was actually a trip to the park for Strasburg's "safety day." There has been a flashing highway sign, a flier in the water bill, and fliers around town. SOoooo...in seeing this much billed event and the promise of helicopters, K9 dogs, fire trucks, and more - I thought what the hell? I'll bite. I play local yokle and take the boys. (Never mind the weird fact that it is being held from 1-5 on a Tuesday.)

After the nap they get up and we have lunch (tuna noodle casserole, which they love! and broccoli, which they also love - we are so happy our kiddos eat real food :-) ) and start talking up this fun trip to the park. I change the diapers, pack the to go bag with spare dipes and juice, camera ready, everybody has on shoes, grab the single stroller because I know someone will want to be carried at some point and it just plain hurts now that my belly is so big, and load into the car.

We get to the park and there are several fire trucks (the ladder truck was clearly the winner of the afternoon as far as my guys are concerned) and a lot of Rescue Squad folks just standing around shooting the breeze with each other. No 'hello! how are 'ya?' - nothing. So we wander over to the police area. No dogs. No nothing. Just a whole bunch of cops sitting around shooting the breeze - again - no pleasantries. So I am looking, looking, looking....no helicopter(s).

BUT....there is a huge inflatable bounce house. Kiddos are only 2 - this will make it all OK, I think. Until we try to let them get on it and see there is no adult manning the thing and a small group of 5-6 preteen boys have taken over it and have pulled up the ladder and are being rather dangerous and totally clueless to the fact other smaller kids might want to actually get on the bounce, too.

We end up in the regular old playground, which thankfully makes the boys happy. As we are making our way to the playground I look over and see ALL the fire trucks leaving - but it is only 4:15 and this thing was billed as going until 5. Later, on the playground we see the police cars leaving, too! It is now about 4:45. Still not 5:00.

Really - how can a town advertise a "safety day" with all this stuff and a time frame and then simply not deliver on the vast majority of it? And leaving early? WTF? Doug and I have said we realized we were going to have to start doing some of this silly town stuff with the kids, but when you go through the trouble and they blow it...it is hard to feel like trying again. And they wonder why so many people never support anything in town....

So I am pissed at the town, but grateful that the kiddos are little enough that it didn't matter to them. This will be a small window, I know.