We love football season!

Addy & Lilly were born Colts fans and this is one picture we never miss taking in a year, despite this year being a little late :-) Aunt Cat, you should be proud as we've upgraded from the jerseys thanks to our friend Kristina!

September 2007

September 2008

September 2009

September 2010

Happenings...

Fall is in full swing and the days go by so quickly. We are still dealing with the drama of Lilly's tantrums each day she goes to pre-school. We recently visited a place called Connor Prairie, which was a lot of fun. The girls continue to admire animals from a distance (the chick was the only one they touched). But they love spending time with friends! My birthday came & went and Jeremy and I had a weekend away from the tantrums and age of true independence that has come with having now 3 year olds. It was a much-needed, much-appreciated break. Enjoy the pictures!

After a little break from our dance class after the recital incident of 2010, we have returned to dance class. I'm not committing to a recital (yet), but it's a fun time for the girls & mama!

Bike Video

So, I couldn't leave the tantrum picture up for too long--here's a video to make your day! Credit given to our neighbors for catching (and encouraging) it!

7 Blogs in 7 Days: Day 7: A Day in the Life

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, this blog is a highlight reel. It does not necessarily reflect the adventures of EVERY DAY. Life can't always be about parks & playgrounds, cupcakes and comedy. You have to have the cruddy days to really appreciate the good ones! Here's a not-so-good-one that happened this week.

7 a.m. Addy's awake, goes in to wake up Lilly, Lilly has her first tantrum of the day because Addy is wearing HER panties.

7:30 a.m. I sit down with my cup of tea to ponder breakfast while the girls watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Addy has a fit because Lilly's foot is over the line on the couch and now officially on "her side" of the couch.

8 a.m. Lilly doesn't appreciate her breakfast offerings (granola, strawberries, yogurt) and throws strawberries on the floor. She gets sent to her room for 5 minutes to move the tantrum slightly out of earshot. Addy gets down on the kitchen floor (unprompted) to eat the strawberries off the floor.

Other mid-morning tantrums ranged from small whines to all-out tantrums for reasons such as Addy turning off the television. Lilly calling Addy's baby doll Suzy when she KNOWS her name is DooDoo. A tearful breakdown when a cheerio got stuck in Addy's nose. A tantrum over the pink vs. blue skirts for the day. Tears when hair was getting done, when the DVD player in the car wouldn't come on, when I sang the wrong words to a song in the car, when I passed Target and they realized we weren't going, etc. etc.

I'd love to say that after a good nap, our day got better, but it really didn't. I decided a change of scenery would be good--we headed to the park, met up with friends. I avoided making dinner in order to support a new locally owned pizza joint. Said pizza joint is next-door to our favorite frozen yogurt shop. So, I told the girls if they were good for dinner, we'd have yogurt. They were great, so after firmly warning Lilly that there would be NO tantrums in the yogurt shop (she's been known to have a fit over the toppings I don't let her have an unlimited supply 0f), we went next door. Literally 2 minutes after arriving, she got greedy, "I WANT MORE M & M's", "I WANT A PINK SPOON," "I WANT MORE," and threw herself down on the floor. All of a sudden she was the crazy girl from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. I do not want to raise THAT girl.

I took her outside and she proceeded on not apologizing and screaming for her daddy. So, we left. Kicking & screaming, we got in my car and drove home. Daddy, Addy & friends got to stay for yogurt. Probably not my most rational parenting moment, but I was pissed and embarrassed. She raged, she thrashed, she screamed to the point that I thought she'd vomit. It went on for 90 minutes. Every attempt to calm her was pointless. I was a "MEAN" mommy. I finally got her to bed and discussed the ramifications of her behavior. She now tells me every time we drive by the yogurt shop. "Next time we go there mommy, when you say no more, you mean no more, right?"

It was an exhausting day. So this mommy had a glass of wine and went to bed before 10 p.m., dreaming of a tantrum-free day where mommies don't need to be mean.

7 Blogs in 7 Days: Day 6: Caption This

Part of my 7 Blogs in 7 Days motivation is to clean off my camera, in the process, I found this little gem of a photo I'd forgotten about. This was in Grandpa Bill's pool and I'm pretty sure the uncles had something to do with it. Before you call protective custody, my husband was in the pool with her and the can had been emptied and rinsed :-) But this is a fun picture to caption...what do you think would make a good one?

7 Blogs in 7 Days: Day 5: Envy

I have some seriously talented friends (and friends-of-friends). I have a friend who designs the most darling clothes for kids, great photographer friends, friends who sew super-hero capes for their kids, friends who open stores, friends who are crafty, rock-star baker friends, etc. It's enough to really make a girl feel inadequate.

I mean don't get me wrong, I can correct you when you are out of Robert's Rules of Order and I make a seriously good Cosmopolitan, but I'm struggling a bit in the home economics department, and my grandmother taught this class her entire life before retirement. I can't even sew a button. However, I do think it is my maternal duty to support those who do excel in these areas, despite my envy towards them.

So, when my friend over at Lucy Jane, called and needed some girls for models (she has twin boys) I was happy to oblige. Below are the just a few of my favorites. Let me know which ones you love, I happen to have a standing order :-)

7 Blogs in 7 Days: Day 4:Tasteful Times

Hey, have you heard??? Yes. I'm sure you have because EVERYONE I know has heard the saga that has been the opening of my family's gourmet food store. But, the fact is, now it is OPEN and ready to serve! So, if you are a friend, or a friend-0f-a-friend, or a neighbor or a random reader and you live in Central Indiana--add it to your list of places to shop this weekend! My family would so appreciate! If you aren't local, it doesn't hurt to visit their website or their facebook page. To my brother & parents--I'm proud of you for making this dream a reality!

7 Blogs in 7 Days: Day 3 Things I Couldn't Live Without

Okay, so perhaps the title is a bit dramatic. The Beatles probably said it best, "All they need is love." I know I could have lived without them, but life might not have been as comfortable or as happy! This conversation is debated a lot in the new mommy world, especially with twins. Many wonder if you need 2 of everything, or 2 of somethings and if you need 2 of somethings, what somethings would that be. So I thought I'd reflect on a few things I LOVED during the stages of my twins. I'm not being paid by any of these companies and lord knows my readership isn't high enough to warrant that, but it does help when I think back and have to buy gifts at certain stages, so I decided to document.

Pregnancy
I continue to push moms of multiples to read "When Your Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads"
A great resource for me!

Newborn

Lots of diapers, bibs (my girls were droolers), onsie pajamas (with zips not snaps) and a good baby carrier. We loved the Bjorn and the cheap knock-off Evenflo one. We used to walk the neighborhood or eat standing up while the girls slept. These were a god-send. Also a good time to find friends expecting around the same time or join a mom's group! You know what they say misery loves company and sometimes it's just fun to know you aren't going through sleep deprivation alone (ahem, I mean it's nice to share the joys of motherhood with others)! Things I didn't need but had: a wipes warmer, fancy dresses, baby shoes.

3-6 months

My kiddos never LOVED the swing, but we hung out a lot in a bouncy seat--it helped with the reflux and if I propped just right every once in a while I could feed both at the same time. Lilly never took to it, but Addy loved the playmats. Things I didn't need but had: diaper changing table cushion top (it was easier to do it on a blanket on the floor).

6-9 months
A& L LOVED the Around-We-Go exersaucer. I LOVED the fisher-price booster chairs. We also couldn't have lived without sun-hats during this phase, the dorky, all around the rim hats. Sunscreen got in their eyes and they have such fair skin. Things I didn't need but had: a big, bulky high-chair that took up way too much space in my kitchen and was a pain to clean.

9-12 months
I loved the "So Easy Make Your Own Baby Food Kit"--a great gift! This is also the time that I really go eager to take them out & about--we joined the YMCA and got our zoo membership. Both have been so valuable to our family! Things I didn't need but had: Baby Einstein DVDs and soothing music to put on when they went to bed (kiddos never liked them, although I know for some they are a lifesaver) .

1 year

For their first birthday, they got a play kitchen and a leap frog push school bus. Both toys had a serious lifespan. Bath toys also become essential as they can spend an hour in the tub! Although I hate to admit it, but for car trips, this is also the time my DVD players began to save my sanity! Lastly--this is about the time our house became a gated-community using all the gates we could to keep kiddos contained & safe. I fell in love with the Gerber Graduates Sippy Cups as they were indestructible and didn't spill. Things I didn't need but had: We have become a breeding ground for stuffed animals, I swear they are multiplying.

2nd year

My messy eaters needed these super bibs. We loved our puddle-jumper life jacketsin the water and our Monkey-harnesses when we were on the go! We loved our red-wagon. Lilly rarely went a day without a bowl of some variety of Cheerios. This summer wouldn't have been the same without our bike trailer! Things I didn't need but had: I could shed my monitor because they have no problems making me hear them. We have also rid our home of almost all gates!

3rd year

We just go here, so if you have/had a 3 year old, tell me what you couldn't have lived without! Or simply comment something I forgot that you couldn't live without!

7 Blogs in 7 Days--Day 2--It's the little things.

I'm a bit of a control freak, I like to cross things off the to-do list and with 2 kids, a job, a house, etc.--that to-do list is never finished. We spend a lot of weekends talking about the things we should get done around the house, but especially in the summer, Addy & Lilly are the ultimate distractions. The best excuses to procrastinate and soak in the little things. You see, it's rarely the birthday parties, the $2,500 swing sets or special occasions that set the spark or put them in complete awe. It comes from the frog grandpa catches or the butterfly sitting on the window sill. It's the "best muffins ever" because they helped make them or the birds that talked to them through the window in the morning. It's the view from the front of the boat when you are the only ones on the lake. It's a dirty tire swing or the taste of a toasted marshmallow. Living with 3 year olds is busy, but they sure do help slow you down every once in a while....cheers to labor day weekend--my favorite weekend of the year!

Life doesn't get much better!

Addy's mantra--"Higher Dad--Faster Dad--More Dad!"

Girlfriend woke up at 6:30 a.m. asking to swing!

Lilly, a bit more cautious loved it, just not quite as reckless as her sister.



All smiles!


S'mores--best. snack. ever.

Lilly agreed.


The sugar high had come and gone and these kiddos were ready for bed!

7 Blogs in 7 Days: Day 1-Things I hope you learn in pre-school...

This time last year, I caught up on blogging with 7 blogs in 7 days, so after a little motivating from my blogging buddy Jenny, we set-up a challenge. We are both doing 7 blogs in 7 days. Show us love with comments to keep us motivated as we clean out the memory cards in our camera and bring on FALL!

The start of pre-school has not been easy for us. As I read everyone's facebook updates about the pride and joy they felt as they left the classroom with tears in their eyes as their little one ran off to learn, I had pangs of guilt and left sobbing most mornings. I thought they were ready. They LOVE to learn. They know their ABC's and can pick out some letters off signs. They can count to 20, they know shapes and colors, their birthday, the seasons. They even sometimes color in the lines. Addy and Lilly are so smart. We mastered child-care at the gym and Mom's Day Out programs. They love playdates and birthday parties. They are social and I thought this would be a good opportunity for structured time where they weren't forced to play with EACH OTHER.

A brand-new pre-school opened near our home, we visited all together and you would have thought we had taken them to Disney World--they loved it! "Mommy, plllllllleeeeeaaasssseee can we come to school here?". So we registered, just 2-days a week, a perfect schedule for us all. Then we started school, took the pictures above--they were so excited! Then, all of a sudden the second day we took them, they decided they didn't want to go (Lilly led the charge Addy followed suit). Screams, tears to the point of near-vomiting, waking up whining, peeling off mommy and/or daddy at drop-off, it is ugly. We are 1 month in and Addy has adjusted great, she doesn't cry--she tells me almost every day that she had the best day ever. Lilly eventually warms up, but man THE DROP-OFF KILLS ME! The teacher told me one morning she cried for over an hour, after she'd cried at home for an hour before even going! Anyway, we are trying to stay consistent, to reward Addy's positive attitude and to push through. Wish us luck. In honor of the madness, I thought I'd reflect on a few lessons I hope they learn in pre-school & in our home this year!

10. I hope you learn that 20 is a lot and 1 is a little, but sometimes less is more.

9. I hope you learn that everybody looks different, but everybody deserves respect.

8. I hope you learn that pleases and thank-yous can get you far in life.

7. I hope you learn that chicken nuggets are not their own food group.

6. I hope you learn that a not-so-good day at school can be made better with milk & a cookie with mom after school, but you still have to go back on Thursday.

5. I hope you sing the songs and nursery rhymes mommy and daddy have been singing to you for the last 3 years and that you keep correcting us when you know the right words and realize we've been making them up as we go along.

4. I hope you learn to say your sorry without being told to say your sorry.

3. I hope when someone hurts you that they say their sorry, but even if they don't, I hope you learn to forgive & forget.

2. I hope you learn that Daddy can be your best friend, but a few more can't hurt*

1. I hope you learn that absence really can make the heart grow fonder and that mommys ALWAYS come back.

*This was added after picking them up last week and the teacher asked "Who's Mallory?" I told her she was a friend of Addy & Lilly's. The teacher told me Addy put Mallory for their "Best friend" activity that day and pointed to the corkboard on the wall. I walked over and looked, sure enough Addy's paper said "My best friend is Mallory". A teacher had written it and she had traced over the perfectly written letters. I glanced quickly, without seeing Lilly's and asked "Did Lilly say the same?" The teacher pointed to Lilly's "My best friend is Daddy."