Becoming Family

Naps

2012-02-22T14:59:00.002-05:00

Among the many things that have changed in my parenting style as our family grew from one kid to four, is how I handle naps. When there were two kiddos in this house, I knew exactly what time nap was. I didn't care where we were or what we were doing or even if Marcus and Will were tired, when it was time for nap those kids were going to nap.

Now there are four. Even if I wanted to be a nap nazi, it just couldn't happen. There is too much running from one place to another. Too much getting kids to school and to activities. Too many chances for little people to grab a quick snooze in the car. Too many chances for an scheduled nap at home to be cut short because we have to go pick one of the big kids up from somewhere.

So, napping happens when it happens. Which mostly just leads to any sort of sleep goodness with Sean and Aaron to be non-existent. And this happens with one or both little guys at least once a day.

I get Aaron and Sean up pretty early in the morning to try to get them ready to go before I have to focus on getting Marcus and Will out the door for school. Sean inherited his daddy's love of sleeping in, and also his ability to sleep just about anywhere.

Even Aaron thought this was ridiculous.

Beep Beep

2012-02-20T13:03:00.002-05:00

Luau!!

2012-02-18T15:23:00.000-05:00

First birthday party luau!!! It was probably back in September that I decided that Aaron and Sean's first birthday party was going to have a luau theme. We had their party the first week of January. I figured most people would probably be burned out with snowmen and Christmas trees and winter themes by then. What could be better to get your mind off all that stuff than palm trees and grass skirts? Okay, so there were no palm trees or grass skirts at the birthday party. But there were Hawaiian shirts, fake hibiscus flowers, pineapples, and beach balls!

We had the party at the local Elks club. Back when my first babies (Marcus and Will) turned a year old, most of our friends either had no kids or just some tiny babies. Five years have gone by and those tiny babies got bigger and our friends did some more reproducing, so we figured we better have some more space. The idea was to let all the guests run around the room with beach balls and wear them out. It worked out nicely!

We had lunch.

Then it was time to... LIMBO!

And then some quiet contemplation of flowers.

And of course there was cake! And of course, Aaron approached his cake carefully and Sean... didn't.

Happy Birthday little dudes! Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us!

Getting Spiffy

2012-02-16T15:00:00.002-05:00

I finally, after almost 2 months, got my photos set up and ready to go on my new computer. Which means I can no longer use that as an excuse for not blogging. So... where were we. Yes... there was Christmas and Sean and Aaron turned a year old. However, the big birthday bash had not happened yet. Before it did happen, Greg and I thought Sean and Aaron could get a little more spiffy and have their first hair cuts.

It has always made me mad that we missed out on Marcus's first hair cut. We had visited him in Guatemala and he had so much hair at 5.5 months old, that it looked like he was wearing a wig. A few weeks after that visit we got some photos of him and he had received a buzz cut. I was so angry. It was just a couple weeks after that that we adopted him and his short hair. I was so livid that I missed that "first" with him that we ended up waiting far too long before we took Will to get his first hair cut. Of course now I realize that it was just hair and it grew and I am really tired of having to cut it so often at this point. Will's hair was out of control by the time we got it cut. (Just did a quick search for a blog post about Will getting his hair cut with no luck.) So third time around, we decided to be more reasonable about hair cuts for Sean and Aaron. They were looking a bit shaggy and we wanted them presentable for their big birthday party, so a hair cut was in order.

I attempted to get a "before" photo of these guys but they weren't interested. Aaron doesn't have much hair but it was starting to cover his ears. Sean's hair was down over his eyes.

A friend of my mom's (who is a friend of mine but since she is my mom's age, she is primarily my mom's friend) said she would go along with me to the hair appointment. As usual, the logistics with twins is complicated. My mom was at home with my big kids. Greg was at work. And I couldn't figure out how I was going to hold one baby while he got a hair cut while simultaneously entertaining a second baby. So the friend came along. The lady that cuts my hair has a studio connected to her house. She also has 5 year old twin girls. The entire family - husband and twin girls - ended up coming in to watch the first hair cut take place. All those extra people meant that not only did I have a someone who could hold the baby who was not getting a hair cut, but also there was someone around to take photos!

I'll spare you all the photos, but here are two. And I am happy to report that no one even cried. Not even me.

Here is the part where I would include the "after" photos if I had taken them. Trying to get "before" photos was so unsuccessful that I didn't even bother with the "after" photos.

I was sent home with a few snippets of each baby's hair. At which point I ran into a problem. What am I supposed to do with them? I don't have a baby book for any of my kids. The closest thing I have is this blog. And I can't really go taping a few strands of hair to my blog. Oh... the crazy problems us people in 2012 have.

Christmas #2

2012-02-05T15:34:00.000-05:00

Christmas this year was the season that just kept on giving. It is still giving now since I am just getting around to posting about the rest of our festivities. As things worked out, we had our Christmas celebration with Greg's side of the family on New Years Eve. It was really nice to have it spread out so much. Just when the rest of the world was putting Christmas 2011 behind them, we were getting more of it. Having our second Christmas a week after the first one also meant that it got all the special attention it deserved, instead of just becoming one more part of the whirlwind of holiday gift giving.

Apparently I must have been a bit burned out though. I barely took any photos. Not a single one of Marcus. I promise he was there. So was Greg and Greg's dad. (I even missed Marcus opening gifts on our first Christmas of the season.) Guess that is what I get for trying to enjoy the time we had together instead of worry about capturing it on film.

Christmas #2 started out with the assembly of Sean and Aaron's first birthday presents. Despite all the hammering and other sorts of banging, the little guys were so worn out they slept through it all. They were mighty excited when they woke up and saw their gifts.

These little cars are a favorite of Aaron and Sean. They can now climb in and out of them alone. Aaron loves opening and closing the door and Sean loves to push Aaron around in the car.

Then it was time for some Christmas presents!

It was a nice relaxing day after that. We ate some lasagna. We played with our new toys. And we enjoyed our family.

This Christmas season was spectacular, even if it was rather busy. It certainly was much better than last Christmas when I was days away from giving birth, recovering from major surgery, running out pain medication, and developing pre-eclampsia. It was simply a wonderful season of following old traditions, making new ones, and being with the ones we love.

First Birthday - Part 1

2012-02-04T10:49:00.002-05:00

We planned an official first birthday party for Aaron and Sean, but it wasn't going to happen until about 2 weeks after their actual birthday. So, we had a pre-party on their actual first birthday, way back on December 29th. With all the holiday craziness and the plans for a "real" party, it was very low key. But, anything simple still ends up complicated.

Sean got a fever for his birthday. It was a present from Will, who had been diagnosed with strep throat the day before. The day after their birthday, Sean and Aaron got checked out at the doctor office and they were both diagnosed with strep through too. So there was lots of last minute calling between my mom, my sister, and me to see if anyone even wanted to risk the germs at our house. A little bit of Tylenol and Sean was feeling better. And our germs didn't even scare people away. So a "simple" birthday event was held.

First up was the first annual birthday picture. My dad gave us this little chair for Marcus's first birthday. It belonged to my dad and my uncle when they were little. The word from my dad was that it was a really old chair even way back then. So every year on their birthday, my boys have had their picture taken in this family heirloom.

With the help of big brothers, the gifts were unwrapped.

We got them their own little bicycles. Aaron was not a fan of the helmet.

Then, cupcakes!

As everyone in the grocery store likes to point out, Sean and Aaron don't look alike at all. Not only are they different on the outside, they are very different on the inside. One is very physical, plows through life, and dives right into whatever is presented to him. The other is a little more cautious, likes to study things, and takes his time. Can you guess which is which?

Eventually Sean had enough of the cupcakes, or else he was mad that there wasn't much cupcake left. Or maybe the Tylenol was wearing off and he remembered he had strep throat.

Eventually Aaron decided that cupcakes were a good thing and getting a little messy on your birthday is certainly an approved activity.

Genes Don't Mean Squat

2012-01-25T09:49:00.002-05:00

I get Marcus. It has been like that since as long as I can remember. The way he thinks and acts and processes things... I just feel like I get it. That isn't to say I always like the way he acts, but I understand his behavior. The way he can sometimes be so shy people wonder if he speaks and other times be so loud and outgoing I wish he would stop speaking, it reminds me of myself as a child. He is sneaky and smart and fiercly competitive and a perfectionist and I have been/am all those things too.

Last night I was cooking dinner and he came into the kitchen and asked if he could help. (Him always wanting to help me with chores and cooking is definitely NOT like me as a child at all. I'm not really like that as a grownup either actually.) I said, "Sure! You and Will need drinks. Sean and Aaron need their cups filled. Daddy still needs a drink. And we all need spoons."

He said in an exasperated voice, "Does it look like I have three arms? No. You are just going to have to be patient."

I burst out in laughter. That is exactly what I would have said had he rambled off a list of things he wanted me to do.

Somehow I ended up with my own little miniature version of myself, who came to me from thousands of miles away.

(Here is where I would post a recent picture of just Marcus and me if only I had a recent picture of just Marcus and me. Guess I better get someone to take some pictures of all my kids alone with me at some point.)

Christmas #1

2012-01-24T12:56:00.000-05:00

Nope, not behind in blogging at all. Just thought I would try to extend the joy of the holiday season well into January. Yes. That is my excuse.

We had a lovely Christmas around here. A couple lovely Christmases. Although it was exciting to get to celebrate Sean and Aaron's first Christmas, it was even more exciting to get to experience the joy of giving (and receiving) with Marcus and Will since they fully get Christmas now. At least the fun parts of it.

As usual, our Christmas morning started out by caging in the big kids so they couldn't see what Santa brought them before we were ready to witness them seeing it.

Then it was time to attack the presents!

I got a computer!

My jokester of a husband made me think I was getting a new computer at least. Further on in the present opening I did stumble upon a tiny little jewelry box that contained a haiku poem that was the beginning of my scavenger hunt for the grownup computer that I received.

I'm blaming the new computer in part for why I am just now getting around to blogging about Christmas. My lack of blogging of course has nothing to do with having 4 kids. Having 4 kids isn't time consuming in the least.

After presents at our house, we went to my parents to meet up with my sister and her family for brunch. We left everyone there and came back to our house so the kids could get a rest and Greg and I could get ready for Christmas dinner over here. Our family decided this year to try to make things simple and have ham sandwiches and other cold foods. That way, we could eat when we were hungry and no one would have to spend the holiday in the kitchen. It was definitely nice to get to enjoy being together as a family and exchanging gifts, and not have to be preoccupied with oven temperatures and timers. (Making things look effortless takes a lot of effort though. There were some long days leading up to Christmas of housecleaning and baking and cooking and planning. But it was all worth it.) And yes, there were more gifts!

It didn't take long at all for all four of the kids to abandon the toys specially selected for them in exchange for their brothers' toys. Ever change the diaper of a baby armed with a light saber? I have.

It was a busy and wonderful day. One of us ran out of steam before the festivities were even over.

And there was still one more side of the family to celebrate Christmas with! Stayed tuned for Christmas #2... which I will probably get around to blogging about by Independence Day.

Holiday Preparations

2012-01-14T11:08:00.001-05:00

We had a great, but very busy, holiday season around here. We kept up with some of our holiday traditions and did some new things this year. I decided to try my hand at baking holiday treats this year. Four kids and no real knack for baking? Yeah, that's me. But I did it anyway. And then I couldn't stop. I think I might still have enough cookies in my freezer to last me through next year.

Will's preschool class put on a musical that told the story of the first Christmas. He got to play the part of "Map Holder". Not sure if everyone knows this, but there were two map holders that first Christmas season. They helped Mary and Joseph pack by bringing a map to put in their suitcase. (There were also two toothbrush holders and two teddy bear holders.) Will's job was to speak into the microphone when the narrator asked what he was putting in the suitcase. His line was to say, "A map." He was fabulous.

My mom has built gingerbread houses from kits with my niece and nephew several times. This year Will and Marcus got to give building with edible objects a try. It was messy and gooey but it was fun!

Once Christmas Eve hit, we dove into our family traditions. Aaron and Sean received their first ornaments to put on the Christmas tree. We all get a new ornament each year on Christmas Eve to add to our collection. Most of the ornaments are pretty simple, but each of our kids have a special ornament for their first Christmas with us.

We got all dressed up and went to church, followed by some time with friends.

Then it was time for bed. We get our kids new pj's for Christmas Eve each year.

At last, time to settle in for the annual reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas before heading to bed to await Santa's arrival.

Cuddles

2012-01-13T15:40:00.000-05:00

Mornings are crazy around here. I get up 2 hours before I need to be out of the house. All to get myself ready (i.e. stick my hair in a ponytail and of course, put on my mascara), and then get the little guys up and fed before I even attempt to get my big kids out of bed to get them off to school. This means some really early mornings for Sean and Aaron. Sometimes they fall back to sleep after they eat. Sometimes one falls back to sleep and the other one decides to cuddle with his brother.

PG

2012-01-12T15:38:00.001-05:00

Cute picture? Yep. But even cuter is the non-PG version with their diapers off.

25 Things

2012-01-04T14:59:00.000-05:00

Once again, on to more things I never said until I had kids. For past links, follow these links.

#1-25
#26-50
#51-75
#76-100
#101-125
#126-150
#151-175
#176-200
#201-225
#226-250
#251-275

276. Did you just fart on my chips?
277. No ninjas at the dinner table.
278. Does it have a pickle on it? Then put it on.
279. You don't need to eat my chest hair.
280. Quit smelling it and wipe your eyes.
281. Can I have the remote and a Muslim to chew on?
282. We don't need to sing about your scrotum.
283. He is using the tail as butt floss.
284. Do you want your face to melt off?
285. No wonder you got broccoli on your head.
286. It's "Hakuna Matata", not "Avocado Cello".
287. You don't sit on the toilet and swing your pants around your head.
288. There are no swords coming out of your butt.
289. You don't get up and and walk around in the middle of pooping.
290. Now you have a table stuck on your head.
291. You're gonna get your tongue stuck in there.
292. Who's butt was that?
293. You have meatball in your ear.
294. It is just a regular scented butt.
295. If Jerrod had herpes, would you want that too?
296. I don't think there will be any killing at this birthday party.
297. I should never have to pull spoons out of my butt.
298. I sold some of your poop stains.
299. Whoa! Look at that furry tower of legs!
300. Let's stay out of the dishwasher.

The Dollar Store Christmas

2012-01-02T08:30:00.003-05:00

This year we felt it was time that our big kids start to realize that Christmas means giving, not just getting. We wanted them to give presents this year so they could experience the joy of making someone else happy. Marcus and Will both were really excited about getting presents for their family and wrapping them. There are a lot of hard lessons to learn about Christmas though, and like most people, I think they mostly enjoyed the act of shopping more than the actual act of giving. To make this exercise economically feasible, Marcus and Will got to do all their shopping at the dollar store. (Marcus's school does a "Santa's Workshop" where he got to pick out additional gifts for people.) I didn't provide any help with the selection of the gifts because I wanted it to be something that came from the heart of both boys. I let them pick out a toy for Sean and Aaron at Target just because there wasn't much at the dollar store that was suitable for babies. I thought Marcus did pretty good at selecting gifts. Will mostly just grabbed things off the shelf and assigned a name to them. So, a good lesson in giving for Marcus and Will, and no need to have a gag gift grab bag this year for the rest of us! Here were the gifts.

Marcus gave:
Watch - Greg
Dish Towel - Grammy
Flashlight - Pap pap
Serving Tray - Grandma
Play Money - Grandpa
Christmas Napkins - Uncle Randy
Clapping Sound Maker - Aunt Kim
Markers - Maria (cousin)
Cars Watch - Scott (cousin)
Glow in the Dark Necklace - Uncle Willie
Stuffed Santa - Aunt Sindy
Toy Story Coloring Project - Uncle Jeremy
Silly String - Aunt Bethany
Ninja Action Figures - Will
Rope Tug Toy - Maya (our dog)

Will Gave:
Mini Notebooks - Greg
Christmas Plate - Grammy
Glass Bowl - Pap pap
Air Horn - Grandma
Foam Craft Sheets - Grandpa
Ice Scrapper - Uncle Randy
Baby Shower Decorating Streamers - Aunt Kim
Flashlight - Maria (cousin)
Money Bank Shaped like a Crayon - Scott (cousin)
Index Cards - Uncle Willie
Plastic Bowls - Aunt Sindy
Snowflake Ornaments - Uncle Jeremy
Plastic Cups - Aunt Bethany
Ninja Action Figures - Marcus
Rawhide Bone - Maya (our dog)

The Big One

2011-12-29T20:51:00.002-05:00

My two little guys celebrated their first birthday today!! Hard to believe that a whole year has gone by, and yet I can't remember life without them either. A year ago I never would have thought that we would be where we are now. In just 365 days, we went from this:

to this:

I have heard more than once parents of twins say that the first year just flies by in a huge flurry of craziness and there is no way of pausing long enough to figure out how you made it through that time. It certainly was insane! But I was able to pause. A lot. I was able to soak up those moments holding one of both of these wee tiny little people. I am sad I never got to experience those newborn moments with Marcus and Will, which I think made me appreciate all that time when all I could do was hold sleeping babies, even at 3am. This past year I was able to spend time surrounded by all these boys in my house and feel how truly blessed I am. Through all the craziness of this year, I have never felt so much love or felt so much gratitude for the life I have been given.

Sean:
Sean was the first born of the two. Born 6 weeks early, he was taken to the NICU right away. He never had any respiratory problems and was only put on a feeding tube briefly (24 hours I think). He had some brachicardia issues where his immature nervous system would forget to tell his heart to beat and lungs to breathe often enough. It never turned into an emergency and he would always get himself back on track without intervention. But it did land him with a 13 day stay in the NICU. Then he was home for good. Apart from a couple colds, he has been very healthy. (He did receive a fever for his birthday though and has an appointment first thing tomorrow since there has been some illness in our family.) In the womb, I could tell he was a wild man. He continues to be a wild man. I call him Dozer because he just plows over anything and everything. As soon as he learned to crawl, he was gone. He world expanded from a small area wherever I put him down, to anything and everything he could get his hands on, which was usually things he shouldn't have his hands on. Meal time is a wild frenzy of picking up handfuls of food and shoving it in the vicinity of his face in hope that something ends up in his mouth. He still doesn't have any teeth but that doesn't stop him! He is pretty easy going and often doesn't even care if Aaron grabs a toy out of his hands. He is friendly and loves to play with other kids. However, he doesn't like to be too far away from me either. He has to check back in often by crawling over, getting some hugs and kisses. And then he is off to play again. He is not a happy kid at all if I he sees me leave the room or he suddenly realizes that I am not around. He loves hiding in his crawl tunnel he just got for Christmas, playing peek-a-boo, and chasing after his ball. He also likes to "help" load and unload the dishwasher. He is a happy baby who loves to cuddle and give kisses. And I love to receive his cuddles and kisses.

Aaron:
I still call Aaron "Pinenut" sometimes. Just like when he was born, he is still smaller than a peanut. For such a little guy, he was very healthy when he was born. It just took him a long time to catch on to how to eat and to eat efficiently enough that trying to take in calories didn't burn up more than he was getting. His lungs and heart were healthy from the beginning, but his feeding issues meant he had to stay in the NICU for 18 days. I was scared to death when they told me I could bring him home. In part because then we had two new babies, but mostly because at the time he came home he only weighed 4 lbs 2 oz. It took him a couple weeks at home to catch on to nursing and for us to feel confident that he was getting enough to eat. Then there was a little health setback when he had to have hernia surgery when he was about 2.5 months old followed by getting his tongue tie fixed. After all that, it has been smooth sailing. Aaron is such an easy baby. He is independent and doesn't want anyone to help him with something he can do himself. He just smiles all day long, until you make him mad. If that little guy doesn't get his way, you can see the definition of a redheaded temper flair up! He might be a lot smaller than Sean, but that doesn't stop him from putting Sean in his place, taking his toy, and protesting loudly if Sean attempts to take something from him. His favorite toys right now are doors. Yep, doors. Bedroom doors or doors to cabinets or really anything that he can swing back and forth. The big heavy front door is the best. He is also a big lover of music and starts bouncing and dancing as soon as he hears it. He is happy to smile at anyone he comes in contact with, but prefers not to get too friendly. He is a little sensitive. He is quick to startle and often is not a fan of new people/places/situations. Aaron pays attention to detail. He finds every tiny piece of fuzz on the carpets (which go right into his mouth) and takes his time picking up his food carefully and neatly putting it in his mouth. Up until 2 weeks ago, he has been perfectly happy to sit and observe the world or whatever toy was within arms reach. He didn't seem to have much interest in learning to move about the world, but instead liked inspecting and observing. Then he learned to crawl. A few days later, he learned to pull up. He still uses his mobility mostly to find new things in the world to inspect and observe. He smiles. He smiles all the time. He smiles ear to ear when he is doing something he isn't supposed to be doing, all the while shaking his head back and forth to signify, "no no no!".

Merry Christmas from my Family to Yours

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy 5th Birthday Will!

2011-12-19T20:47:00.002-05:00

Today my big boy Will turned 5 years old! Although he was pretty excited about it, his poor old mom (that's me) can't believe my little boy isn't so little any more. Over the weekend he had a birthday party filled with lots of tacos for his guests and a Star Wars cake. Will had a great time and got some really cool gifts.

As always, I think of Will's birthmom on his birthday. I don't imagine to understand how she feels, but I hope that somehow she has a calm in her heart and somehow knows that her son is loved by so many people and Greg and I are giving him the best life that we know how to.

Logistics of Twins

2011-12-16T10:14:00.002-05:00

I'm coming up on a year now of having four kids, including my twins. Yep, they are almost a year old. So hard to believe! As with any baby, things around here are constantly changing. What it was like to have 6 month old twins is vastly different than what it is like to have 11 month old twins. My life just feels like a constant flow of ever changing challenges - all of which are worth it to have so many people around me to love. I did my best while pregnant not to day dream too much about what life would be like with two more children. I knew that it was pointless because no matter what I thought or expected, it would be how it would be. It turns out that the most difficult thing about having twins is just the logistics of it all.

First of all, as I expected from the day that the ultrasound tech said, "I see two sacs in there," everything has to be done twice. I don't just change one diaper. I change two. I don't just bathe one baby, I bathe two. I don't just get one kid in the car, I put two coats on two babies, strap two babies into car seats, carry one baby down to the basement, go back upstairs to get the other baby to carry him down to the basement, carry one baby to the car and snap the seat into the base, and then carry the second baby to the car and snap his seat into the base. (I break a sweat every time.)

Although sometimes backbreaking, it is not double everything that is the most exhausting. It is the logistics of having twins that wears me down the most. There was a time about 5 years ago that I only had one kid. It was hard. Really hard. I was exhausted. I really do know what it is like to try to accomplishing things that need accomplished when you have one baby. Despite this, I see people out and about now with one baby hanging out in their car seat perched on the grocery cart, and I think they have it so easy. The logistics of one baby were so much easier. You just pick that baby up and do it - in those few minutes you have between naps and feedings and that constant feeling of being overwhelmed.

I've been taking Will to preschool with two babies in tow for the past 4 months. His preschool requires parents to come into the building to drop off and pick up their kids. Lots of other moms come in with their other children or their babies. They look exhausted. It is hard work to get those car seat carrier things in and out of the car and carry those awkward things in and out of the building. But they only have one. I have tried pretty much every combination of things to get Will to preschool. I tried carrying two car seats. Once. At which point I decided that just sucked. Then for awhile I would get one baby out of the car seat and wear him in my Ergo while I carried the other little guy in his car seat. That was awkward but it saved me from having to unbuckle/re-buckle two car seats. Babies got bigger and heavier and I changed to wearing one in the Ergo and pushing another in an umbrella stroller. Then it was mass chaos of unbuckling and re-buckling and in and out of the car. But you do what you have to do. Then it started getting cold. In order to get a baby into the Ergo, I have to take my coat off, insert baby, and put coat on. One more step. So recently I ditched the Ergo. Double stroller it is. Two babies - and Will - buckled in, unbuckled, into the school, back to the car to be buckled up again. And the double stroller is wide. I can't even get in or out of the preschool doors unless someone is around to hold one for me. And the halls of the preschool are narrow so I am always blocking the hallway and running over toes.

And then there is the logistics of shopping, grocery shopping in particular. That will be a whole other post. I have to go change a diaper. And then another diaper.

Kisses

2011-12-08T21:41:00.000-05:00

Both my little guys are decent cuddlers, but Sean has always been the one that is a little more affectionate. He has been giving hugs for months and months. Recently he started giving kisses. He is a bit stingy with them, and so far has only offered them up to Aaron and me. Don't be too jealous though. Sean's idea of kissing is to grab you as tight as possible so you can't possibly escape, open his mouth wide, and rub it all over your face/ears/hair/mouth/eyes. I am hoping for his sake that his technique improves before he is a teenager.

Little Musicians

2011-12-05T21:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-12-02T21:07:00.002-05:00

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. There was a fabulous feast that was shared by Pilgrims and Indians.

There were a couple little turkeys there too.

We had a lot to be thankful for this year. Health. Family. Food. And these adorable hand knit sweaters my friend made.

In hopes that our kids would start to understand the true meaning of Thanksgiving - apart from just eating turkey - we assembled a "thankful turkey".

Each night from the beginning of November until Thanksgiving, we all came up with something we were thankful for. Marcus and Will helped come up with ideas for Sean and Aaron. We did our best not to edit any of their ideas or repeat things. Here is what our family was thankful for this year:

Ninja Turtles, Food, Mommy, Chair, Cup, Baby Toys, Family, Pumpkin, Daddy, Car Seat, Veggie Straws, Facebook, "Plug" (pacifier), Ice Cream, Dino, iPhone, DS, Marcus, Surfboards, Maya, Bed, My Job, Trick-or-Treating, Shakin' Bear, School, Cookies, Beer, God, Clothes, Bib, Nap, Cars, Animals, Face, Brothers, House, Sunshine, Socks, Neighborhood, Bedtime, Swing, Caffeine, Jumperoo, Sean, Cake, Instruments, Kitchen, Grammy, Cake, Therapy, M, Doggy, Aaron, Flannel, Grandpa, TV, Crawling, Indian Summer, Boppy Pillow, PJ's, Ritalin, Football, Going Outside, Will, Scott, Nutella, Ice Tea, Car Table, Pants, Bathtub, Vegetables, Medicine, Cage, Pizza, Wipes, Socks, Pie, Thanksgiving, Nursing, Apples, Spoon, Candy, Freedom, Coupons, Car, Roger Clyne, Teeth, Toaster, Ergo, Grammy, Sunglasses, Homework, Friends, Puffs, Computer, Grill, Computer, French Fries, Spaghetti, Meatballs, Pasta, Music, Love, Money, Cheese, Grandma, Grocery Store, Meat, Dentist, Toilet Paper, School Bus, Books, Pooping, DMB, Darth Vader, Dollar, Obi Wan Kenobi, Underwear, Anakin Skywalker, Slippers, Bacon, Sunglasses, Pancakes, Pizza, Shoes, Steelers, Uncle Jeremy, Trooper Helmets, Cheddar Bunnies, Chores, Notebook, Beyblades, Rain, Movies, Yoda, Crosby, Laughing, Books, Race Cars, Stroller, Babies

Family Day

2011-11-12T14:50:00.003-05:00

Each year our family celebrates its very own Family Day the first Saturday of November. (Except last year we celebrated a month early.) The "holiday" began to commemorate the adoption of Marcus and Will but has now morphed into a celebration of the unique way that we all became a family. It doesn't matter what we do, just that we do it together as a family on this special day. This year we went bowling (which was Marcus's idea), followed by pizza at Pizza Hut, and rounded out the evening with some ice cream at home and presents for the kids.

On the day we found out about each of our children, we got them a stuffed animal. Marcus and Will got their pictures taken with their frogs on the first day that they were home with us.

And the first Family Day for these two...

Presents for everyone!

Sean and Aaron got elephant puppets. Marcus and Will received hand painted letters that we purchased when we were in Guatemala.

Taking Out Insurance on the Future

2011-11-07T19:54:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween

2011-11-05T14:05:00.003-04:00

Hope your family had a great Halloween! This was the first year we carved pumpkins with the kids since Greg and I are boring people and dislike carving. It ended up being a fun evening. Marcus and Will decorated two pumpkins with kits they got from the birthday party mentioned in the previous post, while Greg and I handled the knives. Greg's pumpkin was supposed to be Gus from the tv series "Breaking Bad" although it didn't turn out like he expected. I made the completely awesome witch.

The little guys were skeletons.

The big guys were both going to be Steelers players but Marcus decided at the last minute that he wanted to wear his dragon costume from last year.

I made the big kids pose with a pile of snow that was leftover from a few days prior. It reminded me of a photo my mom took one year of our jack-o-lanterns covered in snow.

Even though the snow was mostly gone, the weather was not so good. It was cold and as I was snapping these pictures it started to rain. The big guys had layers of clothes under their costumes. The little guys had their costumes covered up by their snow suits that had little bear ears on them.

It was raining pretty good when trick-or-treating started. The little kids and I caught up with the big kids and Greg when the rain started to let up. It was a good night, even though Marcus was slightly bummed we didn't hit up more houses. And I made it all the way to November 2nd before stealing any of my kids' candy!

Speed Blogging: October (minus Halloween)

2011-11-01T21:32:00.003-04:00

I'm never going to catch up on blogging so here is a picture heavy post of what we did in October, not including Halloween.

Sean stole Aaron's sock and then ate it.

I started giving Sean and Aaron a bath together. This is one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I've never wrestled a greased pig but I imagine it is like doing that, times two.

We've hung out together.

We've stared off into the distance together.

We went to Grandpa Sam's 88th birthday party, and all the Kline men got to be together for the first time.

We've enjoyed the colors of fall.

We had brunch with our buddy Henry.

We went to a festival at Marcus's school where he had his face painted.

Marcus had his first trumpet lesson, and insisted that he had to march while playing. Not sure where he even picked up that playing a trumpet and marching go together.

Aaron had his first piano lesson.

I ordered kid sized rakes online for the big kids. The little kids enjoyed the box.

I didn't look too closely at the photos of the rakes I bought and ended up with two mostly pink rakes. My big kids didn't care. They were really excited about raking. Greg and I were really excited about free child labor.

Then there was lots of playing in the leaves.

We put babies in a bag.

We put babies in a box of balls.

Sean played with his favorite pup.

Sean was adamant about taking a nap.

We went to Henry's first birthday party at a pumpkin farm.

While there, we went in a corn maze.

The little guys tried out the backpack carriers for the first time while there.

Aaron passed out mid-pumpkin picking.

We came home with four very cute pumpkins.

We kept up with our dental hygiene.

We played with hockey nets. Aaron likes to try to lift everything over his head. This was no exception.

Sean likes to taste things. This was no exception.

It snowed.

My dad had a birthday.

We carved and decorated pumpkins.

And finally, Aaron and Sean had their first (baby sized) Eat 'n Park Smiley Cookie.

Happy Gotcha Day Marcus!

2011-10-30T08:45:00.002-04:00

Five years ago today, a rollie pollie little Marcus was placed into our arms and became our son forever. Happy Gotcha Day!

I am still this excited about you!