April 2013, Recapped

The last five months have flown by in a way I never imagined time could do.  Especially when I was so tired during most of it.  Instead of trying to catch up all at once, I will just highlight some of April's fun.

We started the month off going to Flagstaff to visit Darrell's family there.  We left around noon on Saturday the 6th.  Drew and Harper at that point were not too fond of the stop and go action so they cried at each light we had to stop at for the 6 miles to the freeway.  And, of course, we hit EVERY.SINGLE.LIGHT.  Just a little more than halfway there, we ended up stopping since the kids needed to pop their ears with the change in elevation and didn't know how to do that.  We stopped at a truck stop and went inside to feed them and let them stretch a little.  We got to Darrell's dad's house around 3-ish and ended up going to dinner at Bun Huggers...a local hamburger place.  It was Drew and Harper's first restaurant experience.  And since it is way more casual than casual dining, no one cared when they cried a little and they didn't mind the little bit of noise the other diners made.  Darrell's brother's family joined us for dinner and met the kids.  We went back to Dennis' house and then checked into a hotel.  We decided it would be much easier on everyone to not have to worry about waking up Papa or upsetting the dogs.  We will need to make sure to take our Pack and Plays next time so we don't have to fret about anyone trying to roll off the bed.  We went to Papa's house on Sunday and spent the day with him and Steven's family came over for awhile.  It was good to see Darrell's family.  On the way home, Harper got a little fussy since her ears needed to pop coming down the mountain.  I ended up sitting in the back seat between the kids and blew her mind.  She was so excited to have her mama with her.  We had a good trip and learned a lot of good things.  But mostly, we learned that we just need to go out and do things with the kids, even though it isn't easy all the time.

Drew, sleeping with his little sock monkey, Argyle:

Harper, happy to have her Mama in the back seat:

It's a good thing we learned that lesson since the next weekend we ended up going to Costco on Friday (and even took the time to eat hot dogs in the food court) and Sears on Saturday.  We needed to buy a new dishwasher since we have been using it so much more the last few months.  It died and washing all the dishes by hand is not going to happen.

On the 19th, Darrell was the best dad in the world and stayed home with both kids while I had a girls' night out.  I helped him feed them and get them in their PJs and he put them both to bed after I left.  He did a great job and didn't even have to call or text.  Both kids even went to sleep a little before their usual time!

Drew and Harper turned 5 months old on the 20th and we celebrated by waiting around the house for the dishwasher to be delivered.  We took some fun photos.  Unfortunately, Drew spit up right before the photos (after being good all day).  It's hard to believe how much they have grown.

Harper and Drew loving each other:

The next Saturday, Harper and I had a girls' day out.  We went to a closet swap party Darrell's sister (Marilyn) hosted.  Harper had loads of fun spending time with some of the Frosts...Ryan, Ale, and Amy (Darrell's cousin, cousin-in-law, and cousin).  Ale was the hero of the day by changing a not-so-nice diaper of Harper's.  I left the party with fewer clothing than I brought, so I consider it a success.  That evening, Drew and Harper got their first taste of real food...rice cereal.  It was really runny and only slightly thicker than regular formula, but it is considered solid food.  Harper loved it...especially sitting in her throne.  The food was pretty good, too.  Drew, on the other hand, hated the food and would have preferred to lay on his back or tummy.  I think between the two of them, they ate about a tablespoon of food.

Eating food!

Sunday the 28th, Darrell had to work, so I ventured to church alone (except for the two 5 month old babies with me).  I temporarily parked in front of the doors and shuttled the kids to the shade.  A nice man in my ward (whose name I can't remember) helped us into the chapel and watched both kids while I parked the car in a more suitable location.  Then a friend whose husband was ill sat with us and cuddled both kids.  We only stayed for Sacrament Meeting since juggling kids was going to be a losing battle, but I think we ended up ok.  We Skyped with Grandma and Pop and then fed the kids again.  Harper loved every minute of it and Darrell could not get it in her mouth fast enough.  She kept smacking her lips.  I guess I can claim to be a great chef when it comes to rice cereal.  Unless you ask Drew.  He still did not want anything to do with that food and was happy to be done with it when I finally let him quit eating it.

Monday evening after bathing kids we went to Costco.  We decided to take the stroller instead of each having a full cart before we even got in the store.  It worked so much better.  I find it completely amazing how many people talk with us because of the kids.  And how many other twins there are.  It seems like everywhere we go, someone tells us about their twins.

Tuesday, the kids got another dose of cereal.  Harper still thinks it is the best tasting food ever and eats and eats and eats.  Drew still think it is going to kill him and shudders when I force it into his mouth.  He is really good and will eat about 5 bites and then won't open his mouth for me.  I figure that is as good as it will get and thank him for trying.  I don't dare tell him that I won't try food that looks yucky and rice cereal is on the yucky-looking-food list.

Funny things the kids do:
Harper:

Flaps her arms when she is happy
Flaps her arms when she is unhappy
Flaps her arms when she is in the bath tub and creates quite the splashes
Tries to sit up any time she can...especially in the car seat
Loves looking at the textures of things (couch cushions are especially fascinating)
Can't get enough of her super fancy right hand...it truly is amazing
Sucks her fingers a lot
If she isn't trying to sit, she has her legs up in the air
Chatters when she is sleepy
Loves her Snowball stuffed animal
Lights up when she hears her Daddy on the phone and searches the room for him
Cries the biggest crocodile tears when she wants her Daddy to help her
Prefers the evening to the morning...just like her Mama

Drew:

Kicks, kicks, kicks...especially in the bath tub
Rolls over from his back to his tummy but not from his tummy to his back
Only tolerates being on his tummy for a few minutes and then wants helps to get to his back
Promptly rolls from his back to his tummy after being helped to his back
Talks all day long...especially in screechy tones
Giggles when tickled
Sticks his bottom lip out farther than humanly possible right before crying
Loves to scoot close to Harper and wake her up in the morning
Loves to scoot close to Harper and hold her hand
Loves to scoot close to Harper and suck on her fingers
Lights up when his stuffed sock monkey (Argyle) appears
Is a great snuggler and loves to give kisses
Enjoys it when Mama reads books to him and wants to turn the pages

They both love to have our morning dance party when we change diapers and clothes.  They are proficient at blowing spit bubbles and spitting in general.  They are happy, loving babies who rarely cry and just love their family.

We are so blessed to have Drew and Harper!

PS...I didn't mean for this to be such the sappy mommy blog post, but this is a good forum for keeping my family and friends up to date.
    

quote

If you ever feel insignificant...remember this from Neal A Maxwell (thanks Jamie!):

"The same God that placed that star in a precise orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal attention to placement of each of us in precise human orbits so that we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives, so that our light may not only lead others but warm them as well."

3 Months

I'm trying rather unsuccessfully to catch up on this here blog.  I'm pretty sure that will never happen, so I am just going to try to stay up-to-date and maybe someday I will be able to back track and fill in some blanks.  But really...who am I kidding?

Yesterday, Harper and Drew were 3 months old.  It's really hard to believe so much time has passed since they joined our family.  However, it's harder to believe that they haven't been with us forever. 

I'm trying to document their growth and changes by taking photos each month.  I'm not much of a photographer (one day, my sister Emily will have to teach me how she does it).

For their 3 month old photo shoot, I had them sit up in the recliner we bought so we could rock, and rock, and rock them to sleep.  This was the first time I had sat them up (other than just sitting them on my lap).  Unfortunately for the photos, they were way too impressed with themselves and the fact they each have a right arm to get photos that are any kind of good.

Here is the best I could do with them not obsessing over their arms:

Then, I had them pose with the Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls my Grandmama (their Nana) gave them for Christmas.  I started this last month and will continue to do it to show how big they get each month.  I had them lay down so they could stretch out and show off their lengths.  Of course, that is one of the least flattering ways to take a photo of a person.  I mean, think about it.  Who wants gravity to work its "magic" on their body for photos?

Some fun things they have started doing in the last month or so:
Harper is trying super hard to blow raspberries.  I've been blowing them for her for a couple of months and she has figured out that she needs to stick out her tongue and blow.  She's pretty close to successful.  I can't wait for her to finally get it since I'm sure she will freak herself out.
Drew loves to chatter and loves it even more when I chatter back.  I "Oooh" and "Aaaa" at him and he will do it back.
They both giggle.  But not that SUPER cute baby giggle.  It's the heh-heh giggle.  But I love it anyway.
They pretty much sleep through the night most nights.  On the nights they don't, they wake up around 5 am, eat, and then go back to sleep pretty easily.
They sleep in the same crib still and I use their crib to change their clothes and prepare for diaper changes.  When they are laying in the crib, Drew just stares at Harper as if she is the greatest thing in the world.  He really thinks her ear is amazing.  They tend to end up holding hands a lot.  This is how I found them in their crib yesterday morning (keep in mind I am an awful artist.  Drew is the baby swaddled in blue and Harper is in pink; however, the scale is completely wrong since Drew is truly the larger of the two and his head was really WAY closer to her head than the drawing portrays):

When they are being fed, they are so different from each other.  Drew just stares up into the eyes of his feeder with a look that says, "I love you so much."  Harper has to check out everything in the entire room.  Keeping the bottle in her mouth is nearly impossible.
They really despise tummy time and either cry or whimper the entire time I force them to do it. 

Darrell and I are both so loving these little babies and are so blessed to have them in our lives.  Sometimes it still seems their real parents will come by and take them home.  Hopefully that won't happen.  Or at least not til they are 13!

Introducing Drew and Harper....

You better Redneckognize!

So, the other night I went out on the town with three girl friends. 

Just so you know, I will protect the identities of each of these women so no one is overly embarrassed.  And since much of the evening's conversation revolved around the TV phenomenon known as "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," I will refer to each of us as one of the family members from that train wreck.  I will be known as Pumpkin since I am the only one who is pregnant; but that is where the similarities of the real people to the people on the show ends.  The remainder of the gals will be assigned their names in alphabetical order. 

We were getting ready to drive home and Chubbs called shot gun.  I was perfectly fine with her in that position since I had assumed we would keep the same seats we had on the way to the evening's events; Chubbs in shot gun, Chickadee as driver, Honey Boo Boo in the back passenger seat, and me behind Chickadee.

We were settling in as Chickadee started the car.  Chubbs was still chatting to other gals as she was getting in the car.  I was in the back, trying desperately to buckle my seat belt (and not because Chickadee's driving scares me), while Honey Boo Boo was texting one of the Kardashians.

Suddenly, Chubbs started gasping, "Help!  Help!"

I looked up to see the front seat's automatic adjuster moving the seat forward and the back of the seat to a much less reclined position.  Sort of like a clam, closing up for the evening.  Chubbs was in real danger of going through the windshield in slow motion. 

Clearly, the seat had a mind all its own.

Chickadee jumped out of the driver's seat and ran around to Chubbs' rescue.  Apparently, while Chubbs was getting into the car, she had leaned up against the automatic seat mover-upper without realizing it.

Fortunately Chickadee was able to put the seat in its correct upright position and Chubbs could re-attempt to get into the car.

But she did it again.

However, this time she was able to find the button to stop the forward action and right herself.

Somehow Honey Boo Boo was mostly oblivious to what was going on, although Chubbs was blaming Honey Boo Boo for pushing her seat forward to give herself more leg room. 

Which is completely ridiculous since Honey Boo Boo has the shortest legs of all of us.

Somehow we made it home without further incident.

Or at least I did, since I was the first dropped off. 

But beware that when you are with Chickadee, Chubbs, Honey Boo Boo, or Pumpkin, you may get way more than you bargained for.

  

Don't mess with me!

I consider myself a mostly patient person.

Sometimes even too patient.

I have been known to wait and wait and wait for customer service representatives because I can sympathize with them.  They are doing a mainly thankless job and take a lot of crap for it.

I also do not like confrontation one bit.

I will allow others to walk all over me instead of telling them to be nice.

But not the other day.  No sirree!

Darrell and I went to Staples to get a few supplies for his business.  There were quite a few other people with only one cash register open.  So we got to stand in line.  For a long time.

Usually not a big deal.

After several minutes, the cashier was helping the people in front of us.  All looked as if we would be out of there in two shakes of a lamb's ear.  (Whatever that means)

Oh.  But they were returning a big ol' bag full of stuff.

The cashier did a great job of scanning the thousand items, finding each on the receipt, and made quick business of this transaction.

But then, the bump in the road happened. 

They had apparently paid for the items with a pre-paid VISA card but wanted cash back.  The computer did not like that.  Not.One.Bit.

The cashier explained they needed to provide her with the pre-paid card and I think they said they didn't have it any more. 

She explained they could then receive a store credit and began to finish the transaction. 

But now, all of a sudden, they were easily able to produce the card and did not want a store credit.

Too late.  The computer did not want to allow the cashier to switch methods of refund.

But, they HAD to have the money back on their pre-paid card.

The cashier had to get a manager override.

By this time, the line had grown enormously and the poor cashier was seriously freaking out.

She told the crazy customers to wait for the manager while she helped the other customers.

She moved from one register to the next, announcing, "I'll help the next person in line over here."

A man, who was either 1 or 2 people behind Darrell and I, bolted for the new open register.

Normally, I would just steam on the inside.

But not that day.

I don't know if it was that we had waited for so long or if it was that I was hot and 25 weeks pregnant with twins (yes...you heard correctly), but a said very loudly, "Excuuuuse ME!"

To which Mr. Buttinski replied, "I wasn't trying to cut!"

SURE!

I don't know who was more shocked by my outspokenness...me or Darrell.

But I will tell you what...."That was easy!"

House of Card Sharks

When we were little girls, my sister, Jennilyn, and I played together for hours on end.  All day.  Every day.

We played house, school, Primary, Barbies.  We really liked to pretend.

We also loved games. We played Sorry, Hi-Ho Cherry-O, Old Maid (that's a story for another day), and Candyland, among numerous others.

But we also wanted to play the Big Kid Games.  You, know, the games that parents played.  Our Mom and Dad had Backgammon, Thinking Man's Football (yes...that's a real game), chess, and a bunch of others which I'm sure had names but I never really learned. 

Like I said, we loved games.

So, when we were sick or home during summer vacation, we loved to watch game shows.  And, I'll admit, I still like to watch some game shows that are on TV now.

It goes without saying that somehow we would be able to combine the best of both worlds...playing "Pretend," playing games, and game shows.  I guess that's more than "both" and should be "all."

When I was about 8, we figured out the perfect way to play Wheel of Fortune.  Keep in mind that this was the pre-Pat-Sajak-and-Vanna-White days.  It was back when Chuck Woolery hosted and Susan Stafford was the letter-turner.  (Thank you, Wikipedia!).

We went into the "kids'" bathroom that had a wall of cabinets with four or five doors.  One of us played the contestant and the other played Susan Stafford.  "Susan" stood at one side of the cabinets and thought of a four or five lettered word...we were, afterall pretty young and could only spell a few words longer than that anyway.  The contestant called letters to guess the word and Susan would elegantly glide from one side of the cabinets to the other and "turn" the letter over.  In reality, she opened the cabinet door as she walked by.  Of course, since neither of us dreamed of writing on the cabinet doors (for real...we were really good kids and never even tried to damage the house or furniture) and we were only 6 and 8, the contestant could never really figure out the word Susan as thinking of.  Plus, it got boring really fast.

We decided there had to be another game show that would better translate to the real world.

And then we figured out a way to even include one of our parents' "Adult" games in the mix...Card Sharks!

Now, don't be crazy and think my parents had real, live face cards.  Nooooo.  We only had Rook cards.  And not just one set, but two.  And I don't think anyone even knew how to play Rook.  And I'm pretty sure no one in my family has learned.

But they were perfect for Card Sharks.

Again, one of us played the contestant and the other played the host (Wikipedia isn't as helpful with this one).  The host asked the contestant a question like, "We asked 100 teachers, how many of you have caught a student cheating?"  The host always made up the questions on the fly and since we were kids that lacked the reasoning skills that most adults possess, the answer would usually be something like 47.

I don't remember any of the questions or answers I came up with, but I certainly remember one that Jennilyn asked me:

We asked 100 married men, How many of you were bachelors before you got married?

I was oh-so-excited since I knew the answer to that one without even thinking...it was definitely 100!

Jennilyn, however, disagreed.

 An argument ensued.

I insisted that all men were bachelors before they were married.

Jennilyn emphatically said no.

I told her that even Dad had been a bachelor before he married Mom.

She became rather disgusted and indignant.

We got Mom involved in the disagreement who sided with me.

I think Jennilyn started crying.

Come to find out, she thought a bachelor was a bad thing.  I'm guessing sort of like a six-year old's version of a gigolo.   

Who knew that 30-something years later a bachelor would, in fact, be a gigolo?