Addy & Lilly--A Whole New World!

Geography....

2012-01-23T14:22:00.002-05:00

Jeremy learned this song from Vicki Armstrong in 3rd grade and has spent the last couple weeks teaching the girls--they sing it obsessively! The video stinks as I'm still trying to get myself up to par on transferring flip videos to my mac and uploading, so this is an iPhone video, but if even if you just hear the audio without the picture, it's pretty funny!

Ten Holiday Memories (The Good, Bad & Ugly)

2012-01-02T12:50:00.010-05:00

December was a whirlwind and I spent most of the month coughing up a lung with a respiratory infection that wouldn't quit. A & L fought it too, but not quite as bad. We tried to make the best of it and we had A LOT of highlights, capping the month off with the wonderful wedding of my brother, Jonathan and his beautiful bride Maggie. I'll save that post for another day as the girls rocked their flower girl duties, but I didn't want to skip a good holiday post. Here, in no particular order are 10 of our holiday memories!

10. A quick stopover at the lake house on the way to the wedding in Lansing, MI. The girls always think it is a special occasion when they get BOTH grandparents in one place...this day was no exception. The weather had been unseasonable warm, so long walks and snuggles in pj's were just the way to spend the day before the wedding festivities began.

9. The loot...they did pretty well this year, Santa was good to them. Some favorites include some new games for their leap pad, new dolls, a horse & carriage for the dolls, lots of learning board games (you can always tell grandma was a teacher with her gifts), pj's, fairy wings, dress-up supplies, craft kits and more.

8. The Indianapolis Children's Museum never disappoints. We ventured down to explore the giant snow slide, winter wonderland exhibit and meet the Mrs! They were so excited because Santa had told them she was at the North Pole baking cookies when they met him this year, so the fact that she was at the museum a week later, was pretty cool!

7. Jeremy & I pushed a favorite holiday memory on our kids. We were so excited to take them out to look at lights and bundled them one night, made hot cocoa and the night was a disaster! They whined and didn't understand why they couldn't get out of the car....they didn't get it...maybe next year! Jeremy & I had to lecture each other on not pushing our own 'favorites' on our kids, we had set our expectations much too high for the night! This was the 'bad'.

6. The pre-school holiday program was my highlight. The girls sang "Up on the Rooftop" and memorized every word, all 3 verses. They were so confident, so proud! I may try to post the video online during a snowy winter day, but it wouldn't let me during my last attempt. It was a proud mama night!

5. Aunt Cat visited! In preparation for the wedding & the holiday season, she spent 9 days with us. The girls were in 7th heaven, asking one day during breakfast "Aunt Cat, do you live with us now?". They have so much fun when she's around--going for 'carrots' (aka frozen yogurt, but they tell mom they went for carrots), visiting some local kid hot spots and of course going to the movies. They love their Aunt Cat and can't wait until they are 'big' enough for a trip to the nation's capital!

4. Daddy was an elf. Yes, we had a visit from the Elf on the Shelf, but that's not what I'm talking about. Daddy's company had a contest to see which managerial "pod" could raise the most money for their holiday service project. The group that raised the most won the right to dress their boss as an elf....Jeremy lost and this was the outcome. This was the 'ugly'. We had to go to his office to surprise him and see it for ourselves.

3. The girls baked and daddy baked. But between my coughs and the girls coughs, we threw away a lot of germy cookies! Dad distributed all that were deemed healthy (cooked after bedtime) and the girls ate their fair share over the month. We'll all need to lose a few pounds in January.

2. The night before Christmas, we went to church, gathered at Jeremy's parents, opened gifts, then got in our jammies to write a letter to Santa and read the classic. Always look forward to this tradition each year.

1. Each year, we are honored to host a crew of 25 (give or take) for Christmas dinner. After a rough round of health issues for Great Grandpa Bill & Great Grandma Mickey this fall, Jeremy & I were so grateful Addy & Lilly could see their great-grandparents on Christmas. The girls don't know any different as this is how they have spent all of their holidays, but we count our blessings for this and all our family this holiday season! (This was very good!)

Santa Sightings 2011

2011-12-11T10:49:00.005-05:00

The month has already been a whirlwind and A & L are so excited about the holidays! They keep track of their days in 'number of sleeps', so today, we have

13 sleeps until Aunt Cat comes to visit

14 sleeps until Santa comes

20 sleeps until Uncle Jon & Maggie's wedding

Their life seems to be a party right now, but they are loving it. We did breakfast with Santa yesterday and they each took their notes to him. Addy was very detailed, complete with a cut-out picture from a catalog. She wants the doll carriage & horse. Lilly was less specific, asking for books, toys and barbies. In a classic mom-of-the-year move, I took a camera with no battery power, so the pictures from my cell phone will have to do this year! I was just grateful they smiled instead of cried!

Addy & Santa

Lilly & Santa

Camping with Uncle Chris

2011-11-24T12:58:00.009-05:00

This fall, Jeremy asked his brother to take the girls on their first camping trip with him. This mama (and her anxiety) stayed home and promised I'd go next Spring! The girls had a blast, they LOVE being outside, LOVE being with their Uncle & Daddy and can't wait for their next trip.

Pictures say it all!

Nature walk

Playing in the stream

They loved playing in the tent before dark

Sisters take a rest from the hike

With Uncle Chris at one of the lookout towers

Lilly, loving the woods

and the s'mores

Addy on a sugar high!

School Days

2011-11-18T09:38:00.004-05:00

I'm so fortunate to have found a school that we all LOVE. We did Mom's Day out when they were younger, pulled them out of a daycare facility we didn't like, we've done 1 day then 2 days, now 3 days in a pre-school and they are learning so much.

The school offered some 'extracurriculars' this year that you could attend (for a small fee, right?). They could choose from a Tumble Class, Karate, Spanish or Music & Movement. They chose to do a Spanish class once a week. They love "learning Dora's language" and have fun counting & telling me colors in Spanish.

Their primary teacher is Russia, so the girls know a lot about Russia and will be the first to tell you that Ms. Katarina braids their hair much better than mommy! Addy's favorite part of the day is almost always play time outside & craft time. Lilly loves circle time and listening to books. They are both in the early stages of reading--asking how to spell things and trying to sound out words.

They'll be eligible for kindergarten in the fall and the thought of it makes anxious of what lies ahead for us! They will be very near the cut-off point and Jeremy & I are weighing out the pros & cons of putting them in versus holding them back. If anyone has an opinion, we are all ears! Our fear is we will have one that is ready and one not quite, so the debate will continue until we have to make a decision in the Spring.

Here are their most recent 'school pictures'!

Lilly, always ready for the camera!

Addy, reluctantly shares a grin...

Saturdays

2011-11-14T12:33:00.006-05:00

I love Saturdays. I love the occasional day when we can wake up with no plans and the whole day ahead. The girls love Saturdays too. They love big breakfasts made to order. Jeremy and I try and take turns getting to sleep in every once in a while, so the girls will capitalize on this and take advantage of having the full attention of one of us to color pictures, paint toe nails, dress-up, cook or play games. Here are some pictures to highlight the last few fun Saturdays we've had together.

Lilly & Addy as super-heros as they celebrate a friends birthday in fashion (these were their outfits for the weekend-the refused to wear anything else)

A little yard work turns into BIG fun with dad at their great-grandparents house

Puppet shows are a Saturday favorite-Lilly collects her admission cost and they set the dolls up as their audience--too cute!

Some Saturdays are best for snuggles & cartoons

There's No Place Like Home: Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T20:21:00.009-04:00

October was a whirlwind. I seemed to be sick for most of it, almost 2 weeks of respiratory issues, so many things on the 'to-do' list went unchecked: Zooboo, pumpkin patch, Friendly/Haunted house at the children's museum & the annual picture taking in the leaf piles. I'm trying to learn to erase the mommy guilt and enjoy whatever I can. However, I think since I did carry the mommy guilt, I may have over-compensated with overbooking a few social activities to celebrate Halloween. With all of Addy & Lilly's social engagements also came costume changes. They have a serious obsession with dress-up right now, so they took full advantage of the season. Enjoy the pictures...

Addy in her first Princess costume of the month

Dr. Lilly ready for her party at the YMCA
Addy was then inspired to be Princess #2

Minnie Mouse made an appearance for their pre-school party

Here's Addy as Dorthy & Lilly as the Cowardly Lion for the night of Halloween

The whole family got in the spirit for a friend's party-this time Lilly was Dorthy & Addy was the Cowardly Lion (perk of twins, right? a quick costume trade?)

Addy & Lilly Take Columbus

2011-10-24T19:30:00.011-04:00

When Grandpa Ian called and invited us all to go on a business trip to Columbus (OH) with him, we didn't hesitate--a fun family outing with grandparents--yes please! The girls love staying in a hotel and swimming in the hotel pool. We visited the Center of Science & Industry (COSI), adding another museum stamp to their passports.

We took them out for one of their first "fine" dining experiences and they did great! Lindey's in German Village was amazing food, amazing service and they LOVED our dining divas. Certainly not something we will do often, but they felt so special and their behavior was amazing.

We hit up Easton shopping center the next day and Grandpa & Dad took the girls to see Lion King in 3D while Grandma & I shopped. It was a great trip! Enjoy the pictures.

Lilly, testing gravity & pulleys with Grandpa at COSI

Addy LOVED the water exhibits

Addy finished her fancy dinner with lemon sorbet

Lilly opted for the standard vanilla ice cream

We stopped for some pictures at a park in German Village (Lilly & Mom)

Thanks for a fun trip Grandma & Grandpa!

Guest Blogger-Coaching Soccer

2011-10-09T19:16:00.013-04:00

Written by Daddy!

Sitting on the couch in early spring, my wife asked if we should enroll A & L in the local soccer league for under 5's. Of course, I said yes. With that decision made, I was caught off guard by her next question--"Want to coach?"

As a 3 sport athlete growing up (Baseball, Basketball & Football), I watched my dad lead several of my childhood teams. I always said I'd coach my kids at some point, just didn't realize it would be GIRLS and SOCCER.

My dad was a great coach and made sports fun. He instilled competition and camaraderie with all our teams, but his overall goal was always to make sure every kid played equally regardless of skill and to recruit kids with GLM's (Good lookin' moms). I was ultra competitive growing up with a brother just 14 months younger that followed in my footsteps and played every sport I did. I hope that A & L would acquire a competitive spirit as they will always have a teammate in the house as long as they continue to choose the same sports.

I'll admit I had many negative thoughts when Aimee asked me about coaching:

Will I be too hard on them?

Will I be one of those coaches that I hated?

Would I play favorites to my own kids?

What are the rules to soccer anyway?

Will Aimee be a wreck on the sidelines, yelling & embarrassing me?

Will this interfere with my golf or lake schedule?

However, after some consideration and a fellow dad convincing me we could co-coach, I signed up, thinking I had nothing to lose...except of course the fact that A & L may never want to play for me again.

It has been one of my favorite "dad' activities to date!

Our team was made up of 9 girls, all under 5 years-old: Sofia, Akhila, Mallory, Molly, Mallory, Sam, Addy, Lilly & Lauren. We have 2 official rules:

#1: Have fun

#2: Don't use your hands

Lilly added a third--no hitting, biting, pushing, or pulling hair. Bottom line: it's herding cats. I didn't have high aspirations of teaching them much about the actual game, but I wanted to give them the experience of a 'team' sport and to send them home tired. If the ball made it in the right goal occasionally, it was a great day. We practice once a week and have a game every Saturday. Our first game we were defeated by over 20 goals (we aren't supposed to be keeping score, but how could you not, at least in my own head). I was depressed. But, we've now won 3 in a row and I was so proud during last week's game, each girl scored a goal. We have one game left and told the girls it's the "World Cup Finals".

My girls are growing up so quickly and all I can hope for is that they let me continue to coach them in the coming years!

437 questions x2

2011-09-30T17:07:00.005-04:00

Thanks goes to my friend over at 4tunate for sharing this sign and helping me realize the source of my insanity! I also think driving alone with the girls may be the worst time. There is no escape and the onslaught of questions never stops. I have one daughter who probably asks this many before lunch! Here's a sampling of what I've heard this week:

-Why is the sky blue?

-What makes the ground smoke in the morning?

-Who picked the names of the colors?

-Why can't we go to the park anymore?

-Do pee and poop come from the same place?

-Why do vacuums make that noise?

-Can I have a snack?

-Why are some dogs big and some dogs small?

-What makes poop smell?

-Where does the poop when you flush?

-Why can't we talk about poop?

-How old do I have to be to wear earrings?

-Can I watch TV?

-What are we doing today?

-What are we doing tonight?

-What are we doing tomorrow?

-Why is 'she' looking at me?

-Why won't 'she' play nice?

-Will you play babies with me?

-Can I call somebody?

-Will you play princess with me?

-Will you play fighter jet plane with me?

-Where did the missing puzzle pieces go?

-Can I help you cook?

-Can we have a dance party?

-Where are my elmo panties?

-When can I have a baby sister?

-When is daddy coming home?

-When is ga ga coming over?

-When is Aunt Cat coming back?

-Why do you have to work?

-Are we there yet?

-When will I learn to read?

-Can I go to dance class?

-What's a bill?

-What is credit cards?

-Are you old?

-When you are old do you go to heaven?

An oldie, but goodie, buried on my camera's memory card--This was the first day of pre-school this year!

Hilton Head by the numbers

2011-09-22T19:01:00.014-04:00

Lilly at the house pool!-she'll tell you she got 51 new freckles on vacation!

Addy--on the beach--most content playing, building, kicking all by herself

We took our first 'real' family vacation since the girls were born. Don't feel bad for us, Jeremy and I have traveled more than the typical couple and we are spoiled to have had some great long family weekends and a family owned lakehouse just a couple hours away. BUT, we hadn't experienced the anguish that is a 13 hour round-trip car trip. We hadn't experienced the sand between our toes and the looks on our kids faces the first time they saw the ocean. We'd never traveled with friends instead of family and the girls didn't know Daddy without his blackberry for 8 straight days. They were in heaven! It is certainly easy to make excuses and say you are saving money or don't have the time, but vacations are important--for both families & couples. Last week reminded us of this. Here's our trip by the numbers:

1650 miles by car

27 hours in the car (I think I drove at least 5 of them!)

13 movies watched

9 bike rides on our rented tandem bikes

114 steps counted at the Harbour Town Lighthouse

5 lbs. of shrimp & fish purchased for our 'at home' fish fry

4 pony rides purchased at the Lawton Stable Animal Farm

1 crab, 1 fish and a mussel caught during Jeremy's attempt at catching crab

Family of 5 hosted us for a quick stop-over in ATL--thanks Brooke!

3 Denny's grand slams eaten while mommy speed-shopped at an Atlanta outlet

1 birthday celebrated with a special date night at Red Fish

3 wishes the girls made when they got home: a baby brother, a pool in the backyard and a pony (This vacation may have gotten way more expensive!)

Addy & I in the Atlantic

My little mermaid--she loved the beach

Lilly preferred the water-'surfing' with her daddy!

3 peas in a pod

The girls at the animal farm with Callie, the deer

Pony rides on Romeo--they both told me that they didn't need mommy to walk with them...

Lilly & her pony

4 monkeys ready for movie night

The girls have already asked if Santa will bring them these 'magic' bikes--"I can pedal, then stop and the bike keeps going." (I'm not sure they realized mom & dad were doing the work.)

Put me in Coach!

2011-09-06T19:28:00.007-04:00

We made the 1 year commitment for a team sport. We might be crazy and we might regret it by Spring, but we are committed. Jeremy's coaching the team and I have a feeling he'll do some teaching but may learn much more from the experience than the wisdom he imparts. It's been a while since he's been around a sport that doesn't involve gambling spreads, fantasy football rankings and tailgating.

These players are a riot. They may spend more time hydrating off the field than on the field. They may make him crazy because they compliment each other's "outfits". They complain about the velcro on their shin guards and the fact that their cheap mama bought their shoes too big so they'd last the year. Sometimes they run away from the ball or in the wrong direction. They change the drills from sharks and minnows to princesses and princes. They cry.

It's entertainment for the whole family!

Pre-game cuddle on the couch

Addy--totally in her element!
Addy & Daddy

Lilly--told me when I called after the first game that she didn't score a goal, but she'd had fun!

The coach & a few of the crew

Team Cheer

Good game!

4isms

2011-08-26T09:25:00.012-04:00

Now that the birthdays are over and school is beginning, I'm reminded how much the girls have grown so quickly. Not just in size, but in their thoughts, their sayings and their actions. I have to remind myself to slow down and thoughtfully answer the 55 'whys?" that come in a day or to help them put the pieces together of something they don't quite understand..."Well I have 6 gaga's (grandparents) and yours lives far away, can you just share mine?"

Addy was getting dressed the other day and told me I needed to close my eyes so I couldn't see her "privacy parts". Lilly asks about boobs and boyfriends, but still says she wants to marry her sister or her dad. They play board games and 'let each other cheat' so the game doesn't end. They swap food and Addy tells Lilly that she can't eat all her cucumbers because then Addy will be the only one that grows big and strong. They look out for each other.

They started playing soccer and are experiencing their first 'real' lessons in teamwork. Jeremy's coaching, so they are also learning about 'sharing' their dad. They are pretty routine oriented and know the days I work and they go to school, they know the days we head to the gym and the days we usually see their friends. Yesterday, was one of those important days when I threw routine out the window and packed the car for a different kind of day. Nothing planned, just me and the girls.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

2011-08-21T09:41:00.010-04:00

I love birthdays and birthday parties. Sure, they are stressful and 4 year old parties are total chaos, but they are fun and the girls LOVED the day! They had strong opinions of who "needed" to be there, what we would do, where we'd have it and all. I loved the ice cream theme and hosting it at a venue other than our home was an added bonus. We rented a room at "Recreation Unlimited" , a giant warehouse of 15 swing-set structures, trampolines and playhouses. I bought their cute t-shirts, through I Spot You then stocked up on ice cream and all the toppings! Thanks to everyone who made the day special for our girls.

Invites designed by a friend

The only family picture of the day!

Addy, showing off her t-shirt.

I'll huff....and I'll puff....

Addy's choice-strawberry with whipped cream, sprinkes & a couple cherries on top!
Lilly's choice: Chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and mini M&M's on top

At the bar :-)

Opening presents--so blessed--Barbies, coloring books, craft supplies, books and more.

A few of our favorite friends!

4th Birthday

2011-08-18T14:25:00.008-04:00

We are a week post-birthday around here and this mama is still recovering! It was a fun-filled 4 day extravaganza, as we know we don't do much on a small scale. The girls were SO excited for their birthday this year and I felt like they really 'got it'. They were anxious to tell everyone about it and the first thing Addy said when she came in our room that morning, "I got bigger in the night!". We have done the 4-year old check-up at the doctor and they continue to ROCK the charts--94th percentile in height--can we say Butler Basketball scholarships anyone? They are big enough to ride in booster seats, but we'll use the 5-pt harness seats as long as we can. We got their haircut at 'the spa' and they felt so special. We wrapped up our appointments with the dentist today and they didn't even need to hold my hand-such big girls. They had no cavities and told the dentist and doctor about all their good habits (we left out the obsession with the self-serve frozen yogurt places around us).

I wanted to do something on their birthday we hadn't done before, so we headed to a local waterpark. They had a blast with friends and met Daddy for lunch and birthday ice cream. They were exhausted and behavior showed...I was hoping the transition out of the tantrum wielding 3-year old stage would be instantaneous! But, overall it was a fun day I hope they'll remember, if they don't, I have the pictures to prove the fun! I'll do taped interviews with them again sometime soon, they have so much to say. I'll also post birthday party pics this weekend, but for now, here are pictures from the actual birthday-enjoy!

What's a birthday morning without some awesome presents!?
Lilly at the waterpark--always the supermodel! Seriously, if we lived in a bigger city, I'd get this girl an agent!

Addy--harder to catch on camera--I have a lot of pictures of the back of her head

Rainbow Sherbert--best ice cream in town!
Yum! Birthday princesses in their new Disney outfits--loved the dresses--hated the glitter trail they left in my house!

Dance Camp-Take 2

2011-08-08T17:50:00.004-04:00

We were scheduled for a Back to Nature camp through the Y last week, but it got cancelled, so I scrambled around to find a different camp for the girls since I worked most of the week. A friend was scheduled to attend a different dance studio's "Intro to Dance" camp, so we jumped on board! The girls did tap, ballet, hip-hop and poms everyday and seemed to really like it. They had quite the stage fright during the final performance in the park, but were proud of each other regardless of the outcome. If you have a hard time spotting them in the different numbers, they are typically the farthest away from the other as they can be. It's a long video, so I'm impressed if you make it through and aren't one of the grandmas :-)

IPhone Faves & My 3 year old on Facebook?

2011-07-31T18:34:00.008-04:00

The heat wave continues and we feel like we've spent more time in bathing suits than 'real clothes.' The girls are loving every minute by the pool, evident by the rosy cheeks and long naps! My camera continues to be in the hands of Best Buy's Geek Squad, so this blog is dedicated to some favorite buried iphone photos enhanced by my new favorite app: Instagram. The girls are growing faster than ever and have begun the countdown to the 4th birthday--11 days. They're wish list varies daily and today included a bathtub with jets like grandma's. They've spent time at dance camp and vacation bible school over the last couple weeks, giving me some much needed time to prep for fall semester. However, their adventures have led to asking questions about jesus, death, heaven and hip-hop music. They are learning something new everyday. Sometimes I don't answer the questions and wait to hear how the other explains things. Addy always seems to be the most literal of the two but listens to every word I say and processes to herself only to revisit the topic days later. Questions are usually is tied to when she'll be able to do certain things--like chew gum, drink wine, get her ears pierced, drive a car, etc. So, nothing should surprise me, but yesterday I was surprised, when she said, "When I'm old like you, can I facebook?" My how the world has changed....

Addy & Lilly take Chicago

2011-07-21T14:28:00.018-04:00

Conversation last Spring

Me: "So Abby & Dave's wedding will be in the middle of July in Chicago, should we take the girls?"

Jeremy: "To the wedding?"

Me: "Oh, god, no, to Chicago, you know, go up early with them to see the sights: Navy Pier, Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park Zoo, Bloomingdales..."

Jeremy: "Yea, that sounds like fun, but a lot of work...I'll go if my mom will go."

So the asks began. Jody agreed to travel to Chicago with us, be our extra set of eyes for 3 days and even entertained the girls while we went out for and adult dinner with some of our favorite Chicago residents. (Chicago Mission: Part 1 accomplished). Then I needed my mom to meet me 1/2 way home to keep the girls from Friday through Sunday while we attended the wedding and all the festivities that went with that. She agreed. (Chicago Mission: Part 2 accomplished).

Have I mentioned before on this blog how good we have it?

It was awesome to see the city life through their eyes. They loved the experience and are at a perfect age to really begin traveling with them. We hit the highlights and pictures below prove we didn't stop! When asked what their favorite part of the trip was, Addy said without hesitation the aquarium.

Lilly's response? Her first taxi ride.

. Road trips are better with grandma!

Talking football with Dad as they walk outside Soldier Field

Quick stop at a park that looked too fun to just walk by!

Outside of Shedd Aquarium

Dora & Diego in 4D at Shedd--maybe one of the coolest shows I've ever seen!

Walking lakeside

Off to Navy Pier & the Children's Museum (LOVED)

First taxi ride

Checking out North Beach

After the switch-er-oo, we headed back to Chicago for adult fun while the girls checked out Fair Oaks Farms with Grandma Linda (also LOVED)

Addy takes her turn!

A pit-stop outside of HARPO studios

Wedding fun!

The Ash family--so lucky to share this event with some of our favorite people!

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but my beloved Nikon D90 is in the shop for diagnostics...outlook isn't looking good, so most of these photos were taken with my mom's point & shoot. For BEAUTIFUL pics of the actual wedding, taken by another guest visit here!

Summer Fun

2011-07-18T15:18:00.003-04:00

We've been having a blast this summer, but it is flying by! The girls are telling everyone that will listen that they are ALMOST 4. I can't get over the fact that I'm planning their 4th birthday party and how much they've changed in just the last few months. I'm working on a post from our Chicago trip, but found these favorite photos from Father's Day, that I couldn't pass up posting. They love their daddy (and their grandpas)!

Jeremy celebrates 9 years with his company this week (he's the only person I know still working for the company that hired him out of IU) and I'm getting ready to take on my 4th academic year with Gamma Sigma Alpha. We are planning our final summer trip and first long road trip on September, so we still have a lot of summer in us. Enjoy the photos!

How does your garden grow?

2011-07-09T17:18:00.001-04:00

Sometime last winter, I was washing and slicing an 'old fashioned' carrot--you know the kind with a stem and dirt, not the ones that come peeled and perfectly ready to eat in a bag. Lilly came up to me and asked me how it got so dirty. I told her it was dirty because it grew in the ground. She didn't believe me...she honestly laughed...out loud. "Then who puts them in the bags at the store?" Whoa--wake up call to me--and we try and eat pretty healthy around here, but at this moment, I felt I'd steered her wrong. I made the decision that day that we'd make our first attempt at gardening in the Spring.

Most of my friends and husband laughed, as I've never been able to keep a house plant alive and the first real Christmas tree we ever bought was dead by December 15th. However, we have some green-thumbs in our families and I was determined. I bought "Square Foot Gardening" and read some advice from quad mom extraordinaire. My hope was to save some money on produce, but that hope was dashed when we purchased the seeds, seedlings, and soil for the garden. Don't get my husband started on the kid-sized gardening tools and matching gardening gloves I bought the family. Perhaps the money-saving comes next season?

Anyway, we've been pleased, the garden HAS grown. We planted carrots, cucumbers, snap peas, squash, tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, eggplant, cantaloupe, peppers and green beans. The squash & cucumbers seem to have taken over most of the 'squares', but that's okay, we are rookies, so we'll learn as we go. Here's what we've seen so far, meanwhile if you have any cucumber recipes besides a boring old salad, send them my way!:

Addy--always a good helper!

Cucumbers--this is about 1/10th of what's growing!

Squash

Snap peas

Pepper

Radishes--our first pick back in June--the girls were unimpressed that these were the first product of the garden!

Today's bounty--squash, cucumbers (4), snap peas (a few handfuls), and a pepper!

Fourth of July for (almost) 4 year olds

2011-07-06T08:27:00.008-04:00

Going to the lake, 3 bottles of sunscreen, ice cream cake, tubing with daddy, swimming at the pool with mommy, chasing Baby Owen, dancing to a rave with Savannah, turtle hunting, mocktails at the tiki-bar, driving the boat, hot dogs, Uncle Joe's Birthday, making peanut butter ice cream, nature hikes, new friends, old friends, foregoing fireworks (there is always next year!)...coming home exhausted!

On the way home, we stopped to see our favorite bulldog and Uncle Jon and soon-to-be Aunt Maggie!

In the lake with their favorite girlfriends!

Hugs with Savannah (sweaty girls--it got near 100 degrees)

Laughing on the boat

Addy--a laker girl in every sense!

Mommy on the tube with the girls

Daddy's turn...

Meeting a little turtle

Hanging with the boys

Sunday Drive....

2011-06-28T10:35:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure there is anything better than the sweet sound of a baby or child laughing. Some days, I find myself going back and watching old videos on the blog of the girls when the were little, laughing out loud, like this one. You just want to bottle it and bring it out on one of those really rotten, no good days. Their laughs have changed and they've become giggly little girls. This videos is one of my favorites as it captures their personalities and their laughs! Enjoy...

Let's go fly a kite

2011-06-24T19:03:00.004-04:00

We continue to try and reward good behavior and avoid going completely ballistic over the tantrums and bad behavior that occasionally seem to be taking over around here. So, this week, the girls reached their 10 stars on the reward chart-so they were rewarded with a special adventure with dad. Typically, we try and do these separately, but they opted to do it together. I worked late, Daddy picked up from pre-school, packed dinner up and headed to the park. They flew a kite, played at the new park and went for frozen yogurt with unlimited toppings. A perfect 3 year old day!

I began the chart over again this morning, and was asking them what this next reward could be. My little manipulator Lilly, quickly suggested....Disney World?

Summer To-Do's

2011-06-20T18:44:00.009-04:00

1. Princess Camp (check)

2. Swim Lessons (in progress)

3. Vacation Bible School

4. Father's Day at the lakehouse (check)

5. Back-to-Nature Camp at the YMCA

6. Trip to Pennsylvania

7. Trip to Chicago

8. Trip to Hilton Head

We are busy! The girls are LOVING summer. They were a bit disappointed waking up and NOT putting on a princess dress this morning. We had a rainy day but made the best of it with friends. Here are some pictures of the Princess Camp Graduation Performance last week:

Tinkerbell and her Tambourine

I'm hoping the dance instructor gets a kick-back from Disney for the early brainwashing that went on....

Addy on the Red Carpet

Lilly & Ms. Kelley

Dancing Queens

Strawberry Fields Forever

2011-06-10T14:00:00.005-04:00

It has been two years since we ventured to the local farm for some good-old-fashioned strawberry picking. We missed the season last year, so I paid more attention this year and the girls had a blast. We packed a lunch, met up with some friends and ate more than I care to admit. It was a scorcher, so hats, shades, sunscreen were all essential, but the effort paid off with enough strawberries to share and a great afternoon nap!

Ready & willing, before they realized they were the ones picking!

Lilly, always giving orders and frustrated that Addy isn't listening...

Addy--consumed more than she picked

Lilly--pretty proud of the loot!

Good call on the white shirt mom...

Every adventure is better with friends!

No Judgement Here...

2011-06-07T07:13:00.002-04:00

I love the 3-year old world the girls live in, they are soaking in life to the fullest and have absolutely no judgement of anyone. I took them to the pool on Sunday, another girl was having her family birthday party. Within minutes of the girl and her family arriving, A & L were her best friends. They shared their kick-boards and beach ball, she shared her barbie. They didn't hesitate to introduce themselves and get to the fun stuff. I watched from the sidelines and decided adults could learn a few things from them. I still clam up occasionally in a room full of folks I don't know.

Their view of people different than them is another lesson we could all learn from. When we were downtown a few weeks ago, two men holding hands were walking their dog in front of us on the sidewalk. A & L asked a ton of questions...about the dog. They think wheelchairs are the coolest thing they've ever seen. I loathed my freckles growing up and now Lilly celebrates hers, each night looking for a 'new' one to show off.

They don't hesitate to pick their nose in public, forget to cross their legs when wearing a dress, they eat with their fingers and they pick out mix-match socks (and sometimes shoes for that matter). So, I shouldn't have been surprised when yesterday they wanted to wear their princess dresses while riding their bikes.

We could all us an afternoon as a bike-riding princess, right?

IND-->ATL

2011-06-01T22:17:00.008-04:00

Confession Time....my girls will be 4 in less than 3 months and we don't travel with them. They are spoiled beyond belief, but typically spoiled in the state. We have access to a beautiful lakehouse in northern Indiana and we've done a couple long car trips, but all less than 5 hours in their lifetime. The trips we've taken we've opted to do as a couple, leaving them at home basking in the glory of being the only grandkids on both sides of our family.

So, when we caught wind that Jeremy's good friend was getting married in Atlanta and knowing my high-school girlfriend relocated her family there last year AND we have wonderful family friends in that area, we decided the Memorial Day Weekend trip was in order. We planned to drive as a foursome, but my parents wanted to join in the fun to see our close friends, so Grandpa's frequent flyer miles were cashed in for Addy & Lilly's first flight! I thought it was important to have our car/car-seats and not pay out the a@# to fly with golf clubs and all our 'stuff', so we drove in the peace & quiet while the girls hit the sky! We were given strict instructions by Lilly, to make sure we "followed the big plane, not the little plane down to Atlanta." So that is what we did!

Once there, we hit great playgrounds, pools, the American Girl Place & the Georgia Aquarium. It was fun and a trip we will certainly do again. Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Sadler for your help--the trip wouldn't have been possible without you!

Addy, waiting for her ride to the airport, she'd been packed for days!

The sting-ray exhibit at the aquarium--they loved it!

The girls and little Dakota Rose--showing this girl what power-shopping is!

A & L and their dolls waiting for their lunch at the bistro-I'd spoken to a lot of skeptics about this place, but it is marketing genius and the girls were in awe!

Lilly, came round the table to thank her mama for bringing her!

Run Dad Run

2011-05-16T08:17:00.003-04:00

Jeremy registered for the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon almost 6 months ago and consistently trained for this run. He'd done it before a few times, before kids, before the constant tug at your attention, time, patience and persistence. This was one more ball for him to juggle and he did it. I decided it deserved some of our Saturday morning attention, so we made the trek downtown to watch the race in action. The weather wasn't fantastic, but the girls were troopers. We posted up right where I told Jeremy we would be, which happened to be next to 1/2 the radio personalities in town, and waited for any guy wearing an obnoxiously bright orange shirt.

L: "Here comes an orange shirt, is that my daddy?"

Me: "No, that's not your daddy, but he'll run past here soon."

L: "That's not my daddy, that guys faster than my daddy, but don't worry mom, daddy won't be last, he's not gonna be last."

(Radio personality snickers)

Me: "Honey, I know he won't be last, keep looking for him."

L: "Here's another orange shirt coming, he's driving a wheelchair, he's super fast, he's faster than our daddy."

Me: "Yep, honey he's faster than your daddy, but daddy will be here soon."

*Daddy comes by with 1 mile left in his run, running a pace to beat his goal of 2 hours. He hugs both the girls and makes sure they know how much he appreciates them coming to see him run, then he's off.

L: "See guys on the radio, that was my daddy and he soooooooooo wasn't last."

He ran through the finish at 2 hours and 33 seconds, but we are shaving off those seconds of him greeting his girls and he made his goal! Congrats Jeremy!

Recital 2011

2011-05-09T21:26:00.009-04:00

I remember "The Good Ship Lollipop" and "Monster Mash" and "Born in the USA". They were all songs from my recital days. I remember the stage and the lights. I wasn't any good, but it was fun and I remember feeling special. Hopefully, down the road the girls will remember "Alice and Wonderland" and feeling special. Hopefully they won't remember the "costumes with Playboy undertones" that my husband mentioned or that my wise-motherly words right before they went on stage were: "Please don't pick your nose." But, hey, we had lowered our expectations after Recital 2010 .

Jeremy isn't winning any videography awards, they were apart on stage and hard to film, but the pictures are priceless! The bottom-line, they made us so proud!

Lillyisms and "Making up" scientific discoveries

2011-04-30T12:58:00.003-04:00

Monday:
Lilly: We gotta get dressed so we can go to the gym!
Mama: We are going to stay home today to get rid of our coughs, we don't want to get anyone at the gym sick, do we?
Lilly: But, but, my Monday friends were expecting me!

_________________________________

Tuesday:
8 p.m. Mama tucks Lilly into bed and explains that Daddy is working late, but will come and tuck her in when he gets home.
9:15 p.m. Daddy sneaks into her room to find her sitting up, arms crossed. "It is pitch black outside and you are very very late."

_______________________

Wednesday:
8 p.m. Mama tucks Lilly into bed
8:30 p.m:
Mama: "Honey, you need to close your eyes for sleep now, no more songs."
Lilly: "But it's not dark out. I'm not sleeping until it's dark out."
Mama: "Remember mommy told you in the summer time it stays lighter later, but we still need to go to bed."
Lilly: "Why does it stay lighter later?"
Mama: "It has to do with the moon and sun and earth--the days are longer in the summer time so the sun shines longer."
Lilly: "I think that is stuff moms make up and tell their kids so they go to bed sooner."

_________________________

Friday:
A fight between mama & Lilly persists as Lilly refuses to use manners and thank her friend for inviting us over to play. After her punishment for not using manners, she says. "Don't tell me what to do in front of my friends."

__________________________

My mom may have said it best when she said, "That child has walked this earth before." Not sure I totally believe in that stuff, but seriously, she sounds like she's 12 this week. Where the hell did my baby go?

Now, back to meeting with other moms and making up stuff...like the planets orbiting in the solar system.

Are you there Spring?

2011-04-25T11:58:00.010-04:00

This is normally my favorite time of year--the green grass, getting outside again and Easter--I love it all! This year, we keep getting teaser days where we play hard outside, only to have another round of rain and we are back inside for days...it's the pits! Couple that with what seems to be never-ending rounds of feeling crummy, but not crummy enough to get on any good meds and I'm in a bit of a funk. We did manage to have a wonderful Easter--celebrated with 4 generations a fact that still amazes me when it happens. The bunny left the girls a scavenger hunt to lead them to a MONSTER basket of goodies and they loved the never-ending treats over the course of the day. They did another egg hunt at a local country club, but once they gathered a few told me that they would 'leave the rest for the other kids'. A thoughtful gesture illustrating just how quickly they are growing up!

As for the rest of Spring, this week brings us another recital, so we will hope to avoid any incidents similar to last year.We are also gardening for the first time, so I'll blog about that as we progress through the season. Lastly, we will be attending a princess party to watch the Royal Wedding this week! Lots to do, but must get healthy first!

Sisters!

Addy, looking so grown up!

Lilly

Outside of church--she kept checking herself out in all the mirrors we saw that day! I think she liked the princess look!

Sneaking some jelly beans in at church

Daddy & Addy

Hugs on Easter!

Interview with Addy

2011-04-17T08:55:00.002-04:00

Interview with Lilly

2011-04-11T19:39:00.001-04:00

Bulldog Recruits: Class of 2029

2011-04-03T20:30:00.006-04:00

I couldn't make the trek to Houston to cheer on my Alma mater as they win a national championship, so we did the next best thing. We headed down to the Women's Final Four in Indianapolis for the free family events they hosted. The girls had a blast and we added another reason we love living in Indy to our growing list! Here's the Top 10 reasons Addy & Lilly may be great recruits for the Lady Bulldogs: Class of 2029:

10. If there isn't chocolate or bacon involved, they share well and are good team players.

9. They are well-rounded athletes--first attempt at lacrosse and Addy got it in the net!

8. Lilly is currently ambidextrous. She writes left, dribbles right, swings a golf club left and throws a ball right...that takes talent folks.

7. If they get injured, they can always fall back on that top-of-the-line degree and go into broadcasting.

6. They are learning the "Butler Way" early in their lives and passion & dedication shows--check out that concentration!

5. They show tremendous respect for coaches.

4. Their blue eyes sparkle when wearing the school colors.

3. They are currently wearing size 11 shoes for toddlers--last average I heard was an 8. That could say something about their height.

2. They already know the fight song.

1. They'd be close enough to come home for family dinners :-)

Let's Go Dawgs!

Final Four (again)

2011-03-27T11:36:00.002-04:00

We love Butler Basketball. My little legacies have been pointing out butler license plates on cars since they started talking. Last year, the bracket picks based on mascots was fun, but neither won in the end. This year, Addy lost early, picking the Orangemen while Lilly is the current leader of Jeremy's 85 person pool at work. Our team also has Aunt Cat's law firm in Washington very impressed as our love for the Bulldogs has that anti-sports fan leading their pool. We'll cheer them on next weekend, teaching my girls that good guys win out in the end. Go Bulldogs!

DC Treats

2011-03-21T12:09:00.006-04:00

Most people who know me, know I love TLC and the brainless television that airs on the network. A new favorite is DC Cupcakes. So, when I ventured to DC last week for a quick trip to visit my sister and see the condo she bought last year, I knew we would need to detour from our plans for an afternoon treat. One afternoon treat turned into an order for a dozen to bring home with us. I'm not lying when I say it was the best cupcake I've ever eaten. It also helped that Grandma Linda was with me and under strict orders from Addy & Lilly. They told her before we left, "I bet DC has good treats, don't forget about us when your gone." They've mastered the art of manipulation. So, we stood in line, ordered a dozen cupcakes to pick up the morning we left and brought home some DC treats for the girls. Heaven in a little paper wrapper.

The storefront

Aunt Cat & I in line for the cupcakes

Lilly picked the chocolate peanut butter chip cupcake from the assortment.

Addy picked her mama's favorite--red velvet--delish!

Princesses Prevail

2011-03-14T21:19:00.002-04:00

L: "Addy, come play dress-up with me."

A: "K-I'll be a princess monkey."

L: "You can't be a princess monkey, you have to be a princess princess."

A: "I can be a princess monkey, my name will be monkey and I'll be a princess"

L: (Always much more linear than Addy) "Fine, but if you are princess monkey, I'll be princess elephant so I can be in charge, cause I'm the biggest."

We've officially entered princess territory around here, spending more time in princess dresses this past weekend than anything else. We even went to lunch sporting our princess dresses and Addy in bunny ears. Sure, we got some sympathetic looks from moms who have been there. It wasn't one of my proudest moments as a mom, but certainly not my least either. They were well-behaved princesses.

She said what?

2011-03-04T14:55:00.005-05:00

A & L with their American Girl twins--can we say obsessed???

My mother-in-law told me last week that this is the most honest age the girls will ever be. They have no fear to say exactly what they are thinking and also don't have the radar to know what is socially acceptable or unacceptable at this age either. It makes for some interesting conversations.

_______________________________

After leaving a gymnastics open gym with our favorite 2 year-old triplets...

A: "Man, I love those three kids."

_________________________________

After a TON of rain in the midwest, our favorite park was underwater, we drove by it and from the car...

L: "Mom, I didn't know there was a pond there."

___________________________________

As I was coaxing to eat her fruits and vegetables...

A: "If I don't eat anything that makes me big and strong, will I stay 3 forever?"

___________________________________

After leaving a bookstore event for Dr. Suess's birthday on Saturday...

L: "That wasn't much of a birthday party--where was Dr. Suess and why didn't we get cake?"

___________________________________

Laying in bed, Addy asked me to listen to her hearts.

Mom: "Babe, you only have one heart, it's right here."

A: "No, I have two hearts so I can love you with one whole one and love daddy with the other."

___________________________________

Easier?....Yes-Easy?....Never

2011-03-04T11:07:00.007-05:00

So, this is what they meant when they said it got easier. The tantrums haven't ended, the "I do it" phase remains in full swing and they know EXACTLY how to push each others buttons and mine, so I wouldn't ever say it's easy....but, it was easier to wrap my brain around traveling with them. It was easier to have them sleepover at my girlfriend's house with us and not worry about all the hassle of pack and plays and packing food. It was easier to take them to a waterpark, stay in a hotel, travel for longer than 2 hours in the car....all of that was easier and we are so thankful!

We headed to Great Wolf Lodge in Ohio last weekend for a mid-winter family getaway. They were the perfect age to do it. They understood that it was a special adventure, they got to skip on a nap, stay up past their bedtime and enjoy every minute of their time with us! The big slides are over 3 stories tall and they were troopers climbing those stairs again and again and again. They LOVED the wave pool and the 'pre-school' slides pictured below were a hit too. Can't wait for next year!

Daddy & his little fish

Addy-totally fearless with mommy by her side!
Lilly waiting for the waves to turn on in the wave pool--this was her favorite I think!
Lilly is quick to tell you this 'orange' slide was her favorite and the 'family' raft ride!
Where's Addy?

Check out the same crooked smile in this pic--like "take the shot and get out of our face mom!"

Wordless Wednesday: Sisters

2011-03-02T19:03:00.000-05:00

While Mom was Pre-occupied

2011-02-21T12:18:00.008-05:00

I was busy Saturday celebrating a 'baby sprinkle' with friends. Jeremy took the opportunity to ~~foster~~ brainwash Addy & Lilly's love for Indiana University with adventures in Bloomington. He ~~packed healthy lunches~~ bought them hot-dogs, popcorn, candy and milkshakes and ~~kept hand-sanitizer close at all times~~ let them play in the dirt. He ~~kept them scheduled~~ let them skip naps. He took pictures with ~~our fancy Nikon~~ his blackberry and ~~handled the girls gloriously by himself all day~~ only called in a few reinforcements.

I knew they'd had fun when they asked me this morning when I was going to go with them to "the mecca".

Addy & Lilly--their first adventure at Lake Monroe

Lilly and Jeremy's Aunt Julie

Addy, content skipping rocks all day if she could

By the clock tower--Indiana University class of 2015--not if this mama has anything to do with it!

Checking out the history on campus

Scouting IU's future basketball talent at a high-school basketball game with Uncle Joe

Dogs....

2011-02-16T20:24:00.004-05:00

Let me begin by saying I'm not a dog lover. I never had a dog as a kid, never even remember wanting one. Sure, they are cute enough, but I could live my whole life without owning one and still die content. Unfortunately, my disdain for dogs has turned into a fear of dogs for Addy & Lilly. Don't get me wrong, they love to watch them through our front window walking on the nature trail by our house. They love to see them at the park catching Frisbees and will laugh for hours after watching a dog in the lake in the summer. They love these animals...at a very safe distance. However, when asked to touch or be in close quarters with these animals, they pass. They know which of our friends have dogs and will ask me to call ahead if we are going over for a play date "just make sure it's safe, k mom?". It has been this way since the beginning, no matter what we said to try and convince them otherwise. Around the holidays, the game changed.

One of their friends got a puppy from Santa, despite me telling that mom that this would FOREVER skew Addy & Lilly's view of Santa, because now her Santa is very much cooler than our Santa. But, the plan was made and executed and by my surprise Addy FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS PUPPY. It was just her size and the poor thing allowed her to carry it like a stuffed animal without a whimper. She was quickly obsessed.

Addy & her first four-legged friend

It wasn't long after that and her imagination got the best of her. She began to talk to me about her 'new house'. In her 'new house' she had a 'new mom' who didn't make her eat vegetables. She also had a baby brother, a pink flamingo and a puppy. (Most of my close friends are chuckling reading this as Addy might have better luck getting this very 'real' mom to buy the flamingo before either of the other options :-)

We knew it had reached a new level last week when her pre-school daily report log stated, "Addy shared a lot during our circle time today when we discussed LOVE. She said she loved her mommy and daddy, grandma, grandpa and two dogs." Hilarious. Only my kid would have imaginary pets like most kids have imaginary friends.

So, I wasn't surprised after a valentine's day treat visit to Target with grandma where she let them each pick out their own present that Addy came home with this. It's her new obsession, she walks it, feeds it, plays with it, reads to it, etc. When she goes to bed, she even instructs me on what I need to do with it...wait....that reminds me, Zoe needs to go outside.

Addy & Zoe (don't judge the hair, we are trying to grow out her bangs!)

50 Boredom Busters...

2011-02-08T15:31:00.013-05:00

Indiana was one of many states hit last week with over 3 inches of ice and accumulating snow. We were lucky we never lost power and faired better than many of our Chicago-land friends. However, I was NOT cut out for 4 consecutive days inside with my darling girls. To top it off I got this nasty cold/cough thing that was going around so my nights were about as painful as our long days were. The good news? We lived to tell the tale! Here's a listing of some of our Boredom Busters from the week, many we did last week, others were carried over from other hostage situations, but a good list anyway.

Make Monkey Bread
Finger Paint
Play with Play-dough
Have a tea-party themed hot cocoa party

Play dress-up, pretend to be your favorite princess while watching princess movies

Mix food coloring in bath water, see what colors you can make

Collect a bucket clean snow and bring inside to play

Collect icecles from outside and bring in to eat
Have a dance party

Make s'mores in the oven

Make catepillars out of old egg cartons

Practice letter-writing, scissor cutting, glue sticking or any kind of craft!
Bead necklaces

Count money in your piggy bank

Skype with Aunt Cat

Make Valentine's Day card

Bake cookies

Build forts

Play 'school' setting all our dolls up for circle time and reading books

Look through old pictures of mommy & daddy as kids

Watch mom & dad's wedding video

Make heart garland

Bake "Heart Tarts" (not a fan favorite)

Help mom organize toys!

Compile info for taxes (mom's task)

Have a dinner date with our neighbors

Change all the outfits on the dolls--have them do a fashion show

Build our train tracks off the train table and around the first floor of the house

Watch videos of Addy & Lilly as babies
Make a movie video
Read LOTS of books (Have You Filled a Bucket Today? is a current favorite!)

Take pictures

Shared popsicles with our friends

Have a spa day--manis & pedis for everyone
Watch A LOT of Dora the Explorer

Wrap ourselves in toilet paper to pretent to be mummies

Roll bouncy balls down the basement steps to see which one lands first (testing gravity)

Squeeze our own orange juice

Build pyramids out of our plastic cups

Make an entire village out of our wooden blocks

Paint cardboard boxes into our own houses

Play super-hero's with pillow-cases as our capes

Make colored pancakes with food coloring

Schedule a winter get-away (Great Wolf Lodge--see you in 2 weeks!)

Read blogs and let kiddos see all their online friends :-)

Online shopping (mom's therapy)

Host in indoor scavenger hunt

Build inside snowmen with marshmallows

When the ice begins to thaw and you are brave enough...head outside!

Superbowl 2011

2011-02-04T15:52:00.003-05:00

We BLEED Blue in this house from the Colts to my Butler Bulldogs, but this weekend we are cheering for the black & gold in honor of Grandma & Grandpa Sadler! Let's be honest, me and these girls will cheer for any team if it involves a good party :-)

Who knew my brother was a romantic?

2011-01-31T10:09:00.005-05:00

Many folks know the story, but Jeremy proposed on the beach in Florida, the catalyst to us deciding to get married on the beach just a year after the engagement. He's not the most romantic guy, but it was wonderful and his mom was just thankful the ring didn't appear somewhere mid-flight and he didn't propose to me sitting in coach eating peanuts. Hard to believe that was seven years ago now! Until last weekend, I thought my brother was pretty similar to Jeremy in the romance category, but perhaps they all have a bit of a hopeless romantic bottled up inside!

I've known A LOT of proposal stories, but my brother's now takes the cake! He's been conspiring since NOVEMBER--with the ring bought, permission from her father given weeks ago, but he waited until all the stars alligned and it was perfect! He invited her family from Michigan and us from Indianapolis (Aunt Cat you were SOOOOOOO missed!) to Joseph Decuis Restaurant in Roanoke, IN. She thought she was attending a vendor appreciation dinner and they did a tour of the farm, complete with a winter sleigh ride. He proposed, she said yes, they then headed to the restaurant for dinner. A private room with all of us and her entire family awaited them! Good food, great atmosphere and a fabulous beginning for the two of them! Congrats to Maggie & Jon!

Complete shock as she came in the room!

The three look-outs watching out the window for their truck to pull up tot he restaurant. Charlie is in the middle--Maggie's ADORABLE nephew--apparently Lilly knew love was in the air!

Perfect Pair!

The blended families--Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-01-26T16:28:00.001-05:00

Hilarious Dance Party

2011-01-22T09:11:00.003-05:00

Sweet Dreams

2011-01-17T12:49:00.003-05:00

Another change....it's true, change really is the only constant.

I vividly remember finishing their nursery as I entered the third trimester (see pics here). I remember sitting in the rocker, rubbing my belling, dreaming and praying that I'd bring 2 healthy babies home from the hospital, and I did. I remember the tiny bassinet they slept in for their first 6 weeks home. I'd roll over at night and just stare and them, dreaming and praying that I wouldn't make too many mistakes, I did and their unconditional love showed me it was okay. I remember moving them into the nursery, right around their due date. I tip-toed into that room every hour on the hour, checking to make sure they were still breathing. I sat in their rocker, continually amazed that they were all mine.

Some nights they'd scream in pure terror and I'd ask Jeremy when he thought it would be that they'd climb into bed and fall asleep without fuss?

Before long, it was time to move them out of cribs and into rooms of their own, a transition I dreaded and they didn't handle well (see pics here). My night time stops before bed doubled and Lilly began to insist she sleep under a fort and Addy slept with a minimum of 15 blankets and stuffed animals, so sometimes getting a peek of them would inadvertently wake them up. Sometimes when they were in their deepest sleep, I'd share my dreams and prayers with them.

Last night, just shy of the 3 1/2 year mark their little beds became big beds. My little girls all of a sudden seemed so very, very....BIG. I brushed teeth and read books, then they both climbed into their big beds, waited patiently to be tucked in and drifted off to sleep. I stopped in last night and thanked God that we've made it this far and to recognize that most days I forget just how fortunate we are.

Amateur Photography

2011-01-09T18:15:00.008-05:00

The girls each got a Fisher Price Kid Tough digital camera from Santa, so I thought I'd dedicate a blog to some of their shots. I figured it would be a good glimpse of life through their eyes. After reviewing over 200 photos, I learned a few things. 1. Daddy takes far too many naps. 2. Mommy drinks far too much wine. 3. The girls watch far too much Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Enjoy!

Lilly behind the lens

The best photographers need to fuel up before their shoots

One of 7 napping daddy pictures

When I showed this to Addy, she said, "I was taking pictures of my best friends"

Mommy

Mickey

Addy on Christmas night

Grandpa Ian, probably taken by Addy as he would fall into the best friend category too!

Guest Blogger--Aunt Cat's Holiday Perspective

2011-01-03T08:56:00.006-05:00

Christmas at the Zoo--we braved the cold and it was worth it!

The girls with Aunt Cat before Christmas Eve service at church

They loved the lights!

Addy & Cat

When you see my Aunt Cat, yell "AUNT CAT!" Walking out into the Indianapolis Airport Concourse and hearing two tiny voices yelling "AUNT CAT!" and having two tiny little people launch themselves into my arms was one of the highlights of my trip. Visiting Addy & Lilly is always an adventure, they never disappoint. After we left the airport we went to the Indianapolis zoo but not before receiving instructions from Lilly who said "Guys, guys this is the plan when you see more planes yell 'more planes!'" They were both in rare form at the zoo, petting the dog sharks and exclaiming "Ohhhhhhs and Ahhhhhhhs!" at the Christmas light displays.

They received "Elf on the Shelf" on the first day of December, the elf, who they named "Bubba Fiji" served as quite a tool for Aimee and Jeremy. Any instance of bad behavior was immediately reported to Bubba Fiji who apparently has Santa's ear.

I will never forget the singing, Addy and Lilly know the words to nearly every Christmas carol that exists and have no problem correcting anyone who sings one word incorrectly. We all went to church on Christmas Eve and the reason for using electric candles instead of real candles was made abundantly clear by Addy and Lilly collecting an entire church pew's worth of candles in one of their cups.

We left a note for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer and then headed to bed. At about six o'clock AM Lilly said she thought she heard sleigh bells on the roof which is pretty much the only sentence that can melt your heart at six in the morning. After stalling for as long as we possibly could until Grandpa and Grandma arrived to watch them open gifts Addy & Lilly opened countless presents ranging from pillow pets (a dolphin for Addy and a doggie for Lilly) to a pretend grocery store & cash register that quickly became Lilly's favorite toy of all time. I don't think that I have gone grocery shopping for real as many times as I pretended to grocery shop in Lilly's store. I have to give it to the kid though she is quite an entrepreneur, as she charged me $6.00 for a tiny container of milk. Luckily for me she accepts credit cards.

Christmas with two 3 year olds is something I encourage everyone to experience because I don't know of anyone who has ever opened gifts with such exuberance and excitement! Ribbons were quite a challenge for our little ones but nothing was really going to stand in the way of them opening toys! Addy and Lilly both enjoyed Christmas dinner and have quite a taste for filet mignon. They both like the finer things in life, nice cheeses, nice meat, fancy cookies. But they are the sweetest little people, Addy has an "I looooove you" ready all the time. The three of us went on a special adventure to get some frozen yogurt and honestly you would have thought I was taking them to Disneyworld, the way the poured over their choice of toppings was a bit dramatic. Spending the holiday with Addy & Lilly was fun and exciting, I miss them terribly but as a person who has never been a big fan of six AM I don't miss the wake-up call;)

Blessed Beyond Measure-Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T14:00:00.011-05:00

I'm procrastinating putting the decorations away and still eating leftovers, not quite ready to kiss the holiday good-bye. It was a good one. Magical, to say the least. A & L's excitement and anticipation had me awake at 5:30 on Christmas Day. I lived my best holiday through them. A great benefit of being a mom, I guess. We had visitors and gifts and I'll surely rank their favorites on a later blog when I see which span the test of some time. I'll get to my thank-you notes, clean the fridge and edit some pictures, slowly ticking off the to-do list. However, my biggest hope is that the feelings revisit my heart and theirs again before next December.

The tree-taken at about 6:30 a.m.--just before the girls walked down!
Letter to Santa--written verbatim--gotta love the potty reminder!

Evidence that he had come and gone and taken that silly Elf on the Shelf with him!

Bedtime stories with dad!

Holiday walk in the snow with Uncle Joe

Christmas Eve before church--Daddy post-lasik! It's still weird seeing him without glasses! (Lilly, on the other hand looks like she might need them :-)

Picture from the Ash grandparents holiday card!

Picture from the Sadler holiday card (yes, A & L graced 3 holiday cards in 2010-we are really trying NOT to let the popularity get to their heads!)

Humbled to host this crew at our home for dinner every year! We feel the love!

Snow Days...

2010-12-27T14:49:00.006-05:00

A holiday post will come this week, but I needed to upload these pictures or I know I never will! We had a lot more snow than normal for December in Indiana and the girls love it (Addy more than Lilly). And a snowy afternoon spent with our neighbors makes the event twice as nice for A & L!

They didn't quite understand why I told them this was a bad idea...

Addy is always ready for a ride!

Snow-wrestling

Our Neighbors...

Snow-sisters!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T12:55:00.000-05:00

Hottest Ticket in Town

2010-12-20T20:39:00.008-05:00

No, we didn't score tickets to see Wicked this year or splurge on the coveted Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus show. We did, however, manage to get 7th row at Addy & Lilly's pre-pre-school Christmas Program. I'm not kidding, it was pandemonium! People were lined up around the school, grandmas with walkers were left out in the hallway. They added a second show and managed to keep the angry mobs at bay, but man, it will be remembered as my first encounter with some serious paparazzi. It didn't help that I was trying to video and take pictures as we had a dad-down after LASIK that day, but I managed to document for prosperity, grab the kiddos and head quickly for an adult beverage around the corner with my folks. They did not dissapoint, but we were all a bit surprised at who got front and center and sang the loudest! Here's to the holidays!

The scene--it was also 90 degrees in this room...

All dressed up and ready to sing her little heart out!

Lilly was cute as a button in her pig-tails!

Santa Sightings...

2010-12-14T08:24:00.013-05:00

Okay, so there are a few things my kids don't like: green beans, dogs, cats and Santa. Who can forget the infamous mall trauma that happened in 2008?

So, when I left for Phoenix 2 weeks ago, my mom and mother-in-law and husband were under strict orders to NOT visit Santa. I didn't want to miss the memory and I certainly didn't want to traumatize them without their mama around for comfort. However, this cell phone picture circulated and despite Jeremy's best attempt at telling me that Santa just "happened" to appear in the community building where they went sledding, I was a bit skeptic. But, as you can see Addy LOVED him, ran right up and gave a hug and began her list. "Santa, I want a pink bear, a pillow pet, books and baby stuff." Lilly gave him the cold shoulder and clung to her daddy like white on rice. That goes down as Santa Sighting 2010 #1.

Santa Sighting 2010 #2 happened while Jody treated the girls, her mother and my mother to the Polar Bear Express adventure through the Parks & Recreation department in Fishers. We've read the book (perhaps not enough to prep for the event) and I sent the girls off in their PJ's while I attended one of 5 different holiday parties. They were beyond excited--trains, snacks, BOTH grandmas--it was their heaven! Until they saw Santa, "Santa's Wife"-as they call her, and the Polar Bear. Addy, again recounted her wish list and Lilly cowarded behind her sister. There are no pictures of the Polar Bear as both were in tears on a respective grandma's lap.

"Hey--fat guy--keep those hands where I can see them and don't get too close."

"Good thing I brought protection."

When I got home from my party, I went and tucked both girls in with kisses to each. Addy opened her eyes a bit and wanted to show me her new bear that she had gotten from "Santa's wife". I said, "I love it, Mrs. Claus is so nice isn't she?" Addy said, "Santa's wife is alright, but next time, can we go on the train without the Polar Bear?" Only my kids would want to take the Polar Bear out of the Polar Bear Express...

Santa Sighting #3 was a bit better orchestrated. Instead of standing in line at the mall and plopping them on a lap, my parents signed us up for Breakfast with Santa at a local country club. We did a lot of preparation for this visit. I knew stage-fright might overcome them, so we decided to dictate letters to Santa the night before so we would remember to ask for everything on our list. Complete with each of their own signatures! Lilly's read something like this:

"Dear Santa, I've been a good girl and I share everything with
my Daddy. I want books and toys and puzzles and toys and a doggie pillow pet.
Don't be late."

Addy's letter read:

"Dear Santa, You already know I want a pink bear and books. I too want a dolphin
pillow pet and clothes for my babies. I will share with my sissy."

So, dressed to meet Santa, we arrived and the good-lookin' couple read both letters aloud while the girls listened and nodded, reassuring their own words.

Before breakfast, Lilly kept a safe distance and declared that "No one could touch her."

Perhaps time to delve into the concept of "stranger danger" with this one--a candy cane offering and she was SOLD!

Then we sat down for breakfast, the girls were chatty as always, but I could literally see Lilly's wheels turning. She said, "All these kids sat on Santa's lap and they aren't scared." and "Do you think if I sit on Santa's lap, he'll remember me?" Man, she is her mama's daughter--totally over-analyzing the situation and boosting her own confidence. Then, she made the decision. "Mommy, if you hold me doll and daddy watches me, I want to sit on Santa's wife's lap, but you can't make me sit on Santa's." So, that's what we did and THAT is the story of our first "no tears" picture with the Claus Family! As always, in Lilly's time....

Not Raising the Next Mia Hamm

2010-12-09T08:57:00.007-05:00

Our first attempt at organized sport. We enrolled the girls in a local program for a month of soccer lessons. Grandma Linda was anxious to see them play as my side of the family watched A LOT of soccer games with Uncle Jon playing for many, many years. They didn't disappoint and were fun to watch, but I think I can safely say that we don't have Olympic Soccer players in our house. The first practice, dressed in pink from head-to-toe, we headed to the facility where everyone was in their 'uniforms'. I was a bit too cheap to buy them since I wasn't sure if we'd play past the month mark. They were unsure of themselves, didn't pay any attention to the coach and used the time to run around the indoor field (fine by me, we went home tired). The second class, Grandma took them and upgraded their outfits to the uniforms. All of a sudden, their skills improved and they took some advice from the coach. Proving, once again, sometimes the right outfit will change the experience....

Pretty in Pink on Day 1

Addy running with the ball-she loves the big open field

Lilly trying to keep up with Addy--they have both gotten really fast!

Rocking the new uniforms and feeling a bit tougher...

Addy showing off her muscles

Sisters with evidence of their 'make-your-own-pizza' night on their faces!

Guest Blogger: Daddy's Boot Camp

2010-12-05T11:07:00.012-05:00

Abandoned for six days last week our matriarch left for a work conference and I was left playing zone defense.

That's right....Dad was in charge this week and it was "survival of the fittest".

She attempts to send a detailed report, itemizing each day's activities (see below) over email to Gaga Jody, Gaga Linda, and I.......the bottom line was she wasn't here and my regime took over. I'm not going to lie, the girls routine stayed in place for the most part and we did not stray to far off the "chiefs" agenda. Up at 6:15 to 6:30, naps around 1:00 and bedtime around 8:00 p.m.

However, I do admit that some things did indeed change. On on my watch, there was very little discipline (except for threats about our new elf on a shelf "Bubba-Fiji" telling Santa if the girls had been bad), fairly under par eating choices/habits (ate out three times and served our first batch of chocolate pancakes), and terrible hair maintenance (I took rubber bands to school twice for teachers to do their hair). Moms are especially good at those items.

One thing is for sure, we missed MOM immensely and I don't know if we could have survived much more than 6 days. The Ash household is NOT the same without Aimee here.

I also want to thank my Mom and the Best Mother-In-Law everfor their help with the girls and actually allowing me to work a little this past week too.

Excerpt of e-mail from Aimee titled "TRIP AGENDA"

Saturday (I fly SW1415): DADDY DAY, 5 p.m. - Linda Here
*Mom if you can throw in a load of laundry or 2, I'd be forever grateful! (I actually told Jeremy NOT to do it as he can't be trusted), Bath Night, I'll arrives late

Pictures that I took on my phone and texted Aimee through out the week with my own little comments that were sent with each pic!

8: 37 a.m Saturday - "Last morning with Dad at the helm

deserves Hershey chocolate pancakes! "God Bless America"

8:55 a.m. Saturday - "Both of them have consumed 6 pancakes and are working on # 7. WOW! Could be a record setting morning! Kobayashi (Addy) vs. Joey Chesnut (Lilly). This sounds crazy but they keep dipping their pancakes in their glass of water to make them go down easier. Are we raising future eating contest champs of the world?"

9:08 a.m. Saturday - " Action Photo. Lilly stole the pancake and Addy attacked like a starved grizzly. Fist fight ensued. On our way to hospital as Addy just cracked a beer bottle on Lilly's head"

6:04 p.m. Friday - To Aimee : "Casler's Monkey Act"

6:06 p.m. Friday From Aimee :"Have you eaten at home this week?"

6:49 P.M Friday - "Uncle Johnny working with Lilly on south paw writing skills"

6:58 p.m. Friday - "Verbatim message from your ladies!!!

Mommy, I miss you, I love you, I kiss you!"

12:18 p.m. Friday - "Riding a goat on the carousel wasn't my first choice Dad!!"

12:13 p.m. Friday - " Hi MOM....we miss you! Come home soon!"

10:55 a.m. Saturday - "We have moved up to the triple black diamond sledding hill mom! Aren't you so proud?"

My 3-Year Old Lilly

2010-11-28T17:02:00.007-05:00

Lilly continues to be a little firecracker. She is a happy, curious, intelligent 3-year old. I'm probably underestimating when I say she asks at least 100 questions everyday ranging from "Where do we live?" on any map we see (globe while shopping, map on the back of a semi-truck or our atlas at home that she 'plays' with) to "Why don't people have camels instead of dogs?" She's a daddy's girl and a lot of the 100 questions she asks in a day are something similar to "When is daddy coming home". I'm thankful to report that MOST of her separation anxiety has lifted and the odd breakdown she has at my departure or daddy's are mostly for attention and don't last long. Unfortunately, she takes after her parents and most of the foods she loves are bad for you, totally illustrating the nature vs. nurture debate, because Addy is the opposite and they've always been fed the same things! Ask her what she wants for a meal and it typically involves french fries, pancakes, syrup (she calls dip), cookies, chips or anything with peanut butter or nutella. The only vegetable she eats without too many complaints is carrots which is ironic because I used to eat BAGS of them when pregnant. Her temper has calmed slightly over the last 3 months or so, but when she's mad, she still gets red-faced and shakes a bit. We are working on using words and not getting violent, but when it comes to Addy, she usually hits or pushes first. A quick time out leads to a remorseful little girl and she's quick with apologies and hugs.

During our parent-teacher conference, her teacher gave us glowing comments about Lilly. No major concerns, she's very social and frequently dominates 'circle time' but no one who knows Jeremy and I are surprised by this. She LOVES to learn--colors, shapes, numbers, letters. Last week a conversation with Grandma was teaching her the difference between an octagon and a hexagon. She loves to read and could sit for hours to listen to books. Her teacher expressed some concern about her writing and we think this may be some confusion between left-handedness and right-handedness. She shows preference with her left, but all her role-models are right-handed (and all the other kids in the class are), so most of her real attempts at writing are done with her right hand. We've been trying to work on this, but she gets frustrated easily and ends up drawing abstractly and not holding the writing instrument in any correct way. She'll figure this out and I'm sure when she does, there won't be any stopping her.

Speaking of stopping her, she has A LOT to say and never stops. She talks to herself when no one else is listening. I'll be in a separate room and hear her laugh at herself, then say "Oh, Lilly, you are sooooooooooo silly!" She's a girly-girl and loves wearing skirts and dresses, she's usually my ego boost in the morning, frequently telling me that I look beautiful when dressed for work. She loves playing with her friends at the gym, talking on the phone to anyone who will talk to her or singing Christmas carols at the top of her lungs (will tape for a later post). She's a riot and we are so thankful that she's ALL ours!

Princess Video

2010-11-22T10:02:00.005-05:00

Okay, I know I'm biased, but this is hilarious! We enrolled back in dance class for the fall and the girls LOVE it. Now granted, they take a while to warm up and I think they have my same idea as far as a musical beat, but seriously, could it be any cuter? Be on the look-out for the number of times Lilly tries to hold Addy's hand and Addy totally blows her off. Also, note how difficult it is to spin around without letting go of your friend's hand :-) Enjoy!

My Three-Year Old Addy

2010-11-17T13:59:00.007-05:00

Dancing Queen!

My little Martha....

We had to document the first successful attempt at her name back in October!

(The blue writing was mine, red--all hers!)

Addy is a sweet soul--she is a loving, happy 3 year old. She loves cherry tomatoes, black beans, hard-boiled eggs and expensive cheese. She makes up words and then laughs at herself and how silly they sound. She then gets her sister and anyone else listening laughing as they laugh at her laughing, it's all quite funny. I've said it before, but she is going to break some hearts with those eyes. She's a mama's girl and holds grudges towards daddy any chance she gets, but the deep-down love shows through. She's begun singing Christmas carols already and makes up most of the words as she goes along. She HATES not getting her way and we are constantly working on 'sharing' and not 'taking', speaking and not yelling, 'I would like' over 'I NEED'. Every morning she asks if she can wear her hair in pigtails. Her most important decision of the day is typically what animal, cartoon or princess will be on her panties--she takes this very seriously, lays out all the options and works on this for about 5 minutes EVERY day.

Last week, we met with her teacher for our first "parent teacher conference". They adore her. Apparently, so does some kid named Joey (Daddy's working on tracking down this kid's last name). They have no concerns over development--she's hitting her milestones--gross motor, fine motor, social-emotional, cognitive--the whole list. Not much (besides Joey) surprised us in our conversation. She LOVES craft time and is pretty content coloring, cutting or gluing something. She has impressed her teacher about how engaged she gets doing 'dramatic play'. She goes from a tiger at the zoo, to a fireman, to a doctor to a mommy all pretty quickly. She still hoards and has done this forever (items will change obviously). I'll go to pick her up from school and she'll be carrying around pieces of her day (crackers from mid-morning snack in her pocket, a crayon from craft time in her hand, a baby blanket she napped with, all while going about her business). She's not a fan of 'circle time' and gets bored, again not surprising, she is her father's daughter. She loves puzzles, but gets frustrated when she can't do them on her own. The teacher said she's polite and plays hard and typically crashes hard during nap time too.

She's usually too busy for pictures, but I caught this back in September and it's a favorite! Who would say no to those eyes?

Sweet face!

Halloween Hangover...

2010-11-10T08:38:00.009-05:00

Not sure where October went, but the final weekend was occupied by a Hayride & Picnic with our twin friends, a costume/birthday party for a friend, neighborhood gathering & parade, and trick-or-treating with both grandparents here celebrating our chicken & egg. Now, I'm trying to wrap my brain around November and rid the house of any evidence of any Halloween candy.

The week leading up to Halloween, EVERYONE asked the girls what they were going to be. Most anticipated hearing "princess" or "fairy" or "ladybug." I was afraid the girls would be swayed and would want to go as princesses instead (because don't get me wrong-they love princesses), but they were troopers, each time proclaiming proudly that they were going as a chicken and an egg! Overall, they were great trick-or-treaters and tolerated Daddy driving them all over town to show them off before getting to do any actual door-to-door action.

During the neighborhood gathering & parade, we realized we hadn't quite prepared them for the 'scary' costumes. Lilly took one look at some kid draped in black cloth (head to toe) with a bloody stump on top of his head and FREAKED. Girlfriend had to come back to the house and ran upstairs insisting that she'd rather go to bed than participate in Halloween. It was so sad, but after some coaching, she rallied. With her daddy by her side, she braved the neighborhood again. The grandpas' recounted a couple of times having to cross the street to avoid the "scary" guys". Luckily, we had no long-term side effects of the trauma.

Addy was a doll and told anyone who asked that her Ga Ga Jody had made her costume. She has a new-found love of NERDS and I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing as she eats them one-at-a-time, so a mini box can occupy her attention for up to 30 minutes. She adored watching the older kids and idolize our neighbors, so any holiday that means she spends time with them, she's on board!

Enjoy the pictures!

Lilly on the hayride

A wind-blown Addy on the hayride

Braving the big-hill slide at a park nearby during the twins club picnic

Mom's turn!

Addy-layered and ready to go! (it was a chilly Halloween night in Indiana!)

Lilly-ready to fill her bag!

First stop: GiGi's and Wild Bill's house (great-grandparents)

Grandpa Dave, Grandpa Ian, Ga Ga Linda, Ga Ga Jody, Daddy, his chicken & his egg!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-03T14:06:00.003-04:00

He may forget to take out the trash and consistently come home later than he says. His rolled up socks never get washed right in the laundry and his dishes don't usually make it past the sink. Our grass grows a bit too long between mows and the honey-do list is never completed but then he goes and makes Lilly smile like this and all is right in the world!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-29T08:28:00.006-04:00

We were Angels last year, and bugs when they were 1, but I think my favorite is still the weiners from their newborn stage!

This Halloween we are debuting our little chicken & egg! The chicken came in an after-Halloween sale last year and for the egg, Grandma Jody dusted off her sewing machine. They are pretty cute! Here we were headed to the Northside Twins & Multiples Halloween Party a couple weeks ago. More pics to come after this weekend.

Happy Halloween!

Didn't Pumpkin Patches Used to Be About Pumpkins?

2010-10-24T17:27:00.010-04:00

Maybe some places they still are, but around here, pumpkin patches seem to be about ANYTHING but the pumpkins! Pony rides, check. Hayride, check. Giant inflatables, check. Trains, check. Anyway, despite having some strong-willed opinionated little girls this weekend, we managed to make it tantrum free for a couple hours to enjoy the fall weather and pick our pumpkins!

On the hayride

Burning off energy on the 'giant cloud'

They loved this!

Lilly, smiling in order to get the camera out of her face :-)

Addy, typically too busy for pictures

Addy's getting to be a pro at the pony rides!

Lilly finally got on! After watching for a while, with Daddy by her side, she was willing!

Almost too big to carry
Perfect size!

They weren't overly enthusiastic for this contraption, but entertained us nonetheless!

All smiles--fun family day!

Pinch me--I'm dreaming!

2010-10-20T14:28:00.003-04:00

Between A & L's snotty noses, a flu bug that kicked the s@# * out of me and Jeremy's constant allergies, the house needed a good cleaning--is it too early to start a chore chart??? (I PROMISE THEY ACTUALLY THOUGHT IT WAS FUN!)

In Their Own Words....

2010-10-13T08:46:00.003-04:00

"Dad, is tommowow a school day or an errrrrrannnnd day?"--Lilly
"Mommy, are you and Daddy the best friends?"--Addy
"Do all kids got a Ga Ga Jody?"--Addy
"ADDISON GRACE ASH, DO YOU KNOW HOW CRAZY YOU MAKE YOUR MOMMY"--Lilly (classic, right?)
"You gotta eat your brocli so you can be big and strong and drive the big-school bus to school."--Addy
"I have a new house in the woods with a new mommy, new daddy, a baby brother and flamingos and cookies."--Addy
(Talking about a friends' recent trip to Disney) "I know that Mickey and Minnie and Daisy and Pluto live at Disney world in their clubhouse, but what about Petey?" --Lilly
"Mommy, I don't feel good, I have a (insert physical/fake cough)"--Lilly

These girls are cracking. me. up.

Overcommitted...

2010-10-06T15:03:00.003-04:00

I continue to feel as though there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done and I'm waiting for the "slow" that is supposed to come with fall, so forgive a very short update! Our pre-school drama has gotten much less dramatic, as long as I promise a cookie from the bakery next to the pre-school as a reward for good behavior. I've begun tackling projects that have been on the 'to-do' list I wrote back in March (and by tackling I mean paying someone to tackle). The girls are napping less, waking earlier and staying up later, so my productivity level has dramatically decreased. I can't believe I'm supposed to have Halloween costumes ready for our first party NEXT week! Laundry seems never-ending and as soon as one meal in my kitchen is cleaned up, it's time to start the next. The joys of motherhood, right??? Speaking of meals, I should begin thinking about dinner....

Here are a few pictures I haven't shared yet from Jeremy's company picnic in September-enjoy!

We love football season!

2010-09-27T15:21:00.007-04:00

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...

2010-09-20T22:12:00.009-04:00

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

2010-09-15T08:18:00.002-04:00

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

2010-09-12T18:26:00.006-04:00

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

2010-09-12T08:46:00.002-04:00

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

2010-09-10T15:37:00.007-04:00

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

2010-09-09T18:58:00.004-04:00

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

2010-09-08T21:15:00.000-04:00

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.

2010-09-07T18:32:00.012-04:00

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...

2010-09-06T08:43:00.003-04:00

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."

3 = Smarty Pants

2010-08-24T09:01:00.008-04:00

All of a sudden, the girls turning 3 has brought me to a new stage of insightful, intelligent, too-smart-for-their-own-good little girls. I can't get away with some of the little things I could before. They're on to me now. Here are a few of the conversations happening in our house right now.

Context: Jeremy's out of town for the night, I'm putting the girls to bed.

Me: Good night Addy--I love you so much, you know that right?
Addy: I know Mom (no longer mommy most of the time-ugh). Will Daddy be in your bed in the morning?
Me: No, Daddy's on a trip, but you can come in my bed in the morning and watch cartoons.
Addy: So you sleep all by yourself tonight?
Me: Yep, Mommy will sleep by herself and Addy will sleep by herself and Lilly will sleep by herself.
Addy: I don't sleep by myself, I sleep with my blankies and animals. You wanna sleep with my bear tonight so you don't have to sleep by yourself?

(cue heart melting)
_______________________

Context: Running late to get them to school, everyone's ready but me, I decide I'll take them drop them off, then come run back to the house to shower and head to work (that's the benefit of sending them 2 minutes away, right?) I'm loading them in the car...kids (check), backpacks (check)

Lilly: Mommy, I no wanna go to my new school today. (whiny voice)
Me: Lilly, all big girls go to school, you'll be fine.
Lilly: I want to stay here with you.
Me: Honey, I don't stay here, I go to work, your daddy goes to work, your grandma goes to work, everyone goes to work, you can't stay here alone.

Now we are pulling out of the driveway

Lilly: If you're going to work, where is your 'puter bag?

(Got me there kid)

Me: Mommy's in meetings all day today, I don't need my computer (I don't think she bought it)
_______________________

Context: Had a great playgroup with some new & old friends last week. The girls ask so many questions before people come over and after they leave. I'm literally interrogated--what's Skyla's daddy do when he goes to work? What do you think George and Teddy are having for dinner? Does Logan like his Daddy? Does Brooke's mommy like dogs? It's a riot, but exhausting--they are so inquisitive! After a really fun playgroup, I knew I'd get some questions, but wasn't expecting this one...

Lilly: Will those kids come back and play another day?
Me: We can invite them to come another day, would you like that?
Lilly: Yes. What are all their names again?
Me: I list the names of the kids who were here.
Lilly: Can they bring their Daddy's to play next time?
Me: Not everyone has Daddy's honey, a couple of those kids have two mommies isn't that cool?
Lilly: That's cool. Their mommies can come play next time.

5 hours later that day....

Lilly: Mom, when I'm four can I have two mommies?

Ha! Needed to blog, so the conversations wouldn't be forgotten!
____________

Other activities, we gave the girls their "big girl" bikes that have been in our attic until they got tall enough and I was ready for the change and they LOVE them!

Professional Pics

2010-08-20T14:39:00.008-04:00

A & L have grown up with our photographer, Kate! She first met them when I was 30 weeks pregnant, then again as newborns. She celebrated their first year, then their second year and now onto year 3! Thanks for an awesome job Little Light Photography!

Birthday Party (check!)

2010-08-16T07:59:00.014-04:00

Now that my 3-year olds totally believe that birthdays can span a month, I think we are done! We hosted their party at a Splash Park this weekend and it worked out great because it had to be nearing 100 degrees outside! The kids had a blast while most of the grown-ups sweat. We ordered invitations from Cards with Care, sandwiches from Jimmy John's, cakes from Pat-A-Cake's Bakery and mom celebrated after bedtime with wine from Tasteful Times (opening this week--more on that to come!).

Pretty cute theme for twins if I do say so myself...

Not much decorating at a splash park (bonus)

Birthday girl Lilly--this was the first year we sang to them each individually and they were both hams!

Goofy Addy, never quite as easy to photograph!

They are getting pretty brave with the fountains

Always fearless Addy!

We love celebrating with friends--thanks to everyone who came!

We also like to flirt...

Grandma Linda & Grandma Jody helped a ton--thank you!

We hung out with Uncle's Jon's girlfriend, Maggie--who A & L ADORE!

Mommy and Addy

Family picture--bring on year 3!

Third Birthday

2010-08-11T21:02:00.009-04:00

It was around this time 3 years ago that I was wheeled out of recovery and into the NICU to meet my baby girls. Girls who had given me quite a scare earlier in the day, delivered via emergency c-section, just 1 minute apart. Girls that couldn't wait to past 33 1/2 weeks to live outside my body. Girls, who in an instant, taught me that I loved more than I ever thought possible. Happy 3rd birthday to the girls who will always be my babies. (Addy, left & Lilly, right-below)

They woke up to me singing Happy Birthday to them, they wore their princess crowns, scooted on their new princess scooters and joined the cul-de-sac's first day of school doughnut party, thinking it was all for them :-)

When asked what they wanted to do, Lilly wanted to "hang out with the elephants", so we headed to the zoo. Addy loved the zebras...

The girls were especially affectionate to each other today, which was nice as it seems fighting is more the norm around here. They were quick to tell each other Happy Birthday and give a hug or a kiss.
We ran into a few of our favorite friends. They later recounted the day to Aunt Cat, telling her about the dolphin show, the lemurs who were too hot, the rhin-o-srosis, the giraffes and the super-fast cheeeee----tahs.

Dad took a break from the office and met up with us, the girls thought that was such fun. He took us to lunch and made sure they knew how special they are!

Addy had said she wanted to swim after afternoon naps, but the thunderstorms had other plans for us. We gathered some family & friends and headed out to dinner. They got some special surprises......and of course some sweets. Tuckered out, they were both quick to tell me that they had a great day and reminded me "mommy's birthday is next". We've got another month, but at least they've started the countdown to when they can have cake next! They haven't totally figured it out yet, but their party is coming up this weekend and yes, there will be cake :-)

Happy Birthday Addy & Lilly!

Dentist, Doctor's, New School--Oh My!

2010-08-09T16:39:00.003-04:00

Summer is coming to a close (despite temps rising!) and as the girls get closer to their 3rd birthday--we've been checking things off the to-do list! They've done the dentist once before, but not actually had a cleaning, so this was a first. They were too funny and Addy, without prompting, went up to Lilly when she was in the chair to "hold her foot" for comfort. They did great and had NO cavities :-)

Next, we hit the doctor's office for their well-visit. One traumatic vaccine later and I brought home these BIG girls...

Lilly: 36.3 lbs (90th percentile), 38 1/2 inches tall (77th)

Addy: 33.7 lbs (78th percentile), 39 1/4 inches tall (89th)

Not bad for a couple of preemies....

Their 3rd year of life has also brought them to a new preschool. They LOVE it so far and have even cooperated during "rest time." The kids eat "family-style", so I don't pack a lunch and they get to eat varying foods and hopefully get peer pressured into eating some healthy options. The school offers "Watch Me Grow" webcams in the classrooms so I can check in on them during the day. I think this is a true sign of the times and seems a bit to "Big Brother" esque to me, but shows the school takes pride in who they are and how they fill the days of busy toddlers.

Enjoy the pictures--more posts & pics coming soon!

Lilly, quite the observer in both appointments.

Addy comforting her sissy

Addy making friends with all the techs

Guest Blogger-Dad's Perspective on Legacies

2010-08-01T21:00:00.008-04:00

There is a time in every lucky kids life that they realize that they must have a family outlet besides their mom, dad, sister, or brother. I was lucky enough to have my mom's parents, Grandpa Bill and Mickey. For the majority of my childhood they lived 3 blocks (or two streets and 4 back yards) from our house. They have an awesome property, with 2 heavily wooded acres, a big pool with diving board, and a basketball hoop. Once I hit 2nd grade, I spent the night there frequently. I remember Grandpa taking me to Kindergarten at Lawrence North High School where he was Principal, dragging me through the back hallways and in and out of faculty doors and eventually through the back entrance to the cafeteria for a chocolate milk and to say hi to all the lunch ladies....always flattered that they were the first to be greeted by the Principal.

Bill and Mickey loved the outdoors and some of my fondest memories growing up were in their woods and pool. One fall when I was in grade school, he had this awesome idea to "tap" all the maple trees on his property and collect the syrup. We collected maple syrup for about 5 days and on a Saturday morning Chris, Grandpa, and I poured what felt like 20 gallons of raw maple sap into a giant black cauldron (think witches pot) and burned it for 24 hours. We stayed there all day and night monitoring and mixing the syrup until the next morning. The 24 hour burn of 20 gallons of raw maple sap, turned into about the 2 cups of maple syrup that we had the next morning on waffles.

Bill and Mickey also picked blackberries every summer and would make cobblers, pies, and jams that they would can and give enough jars to my parents that would last through the fall. With that said I found a huge batch of blackberry bushes that I have been picking for the last three weeks and freezing. Addy and Lilly have helped several evenings in this adventure. This last Tuesday Aimee and I had our neighbor's kids over for a slumber party. I invited my grandfather Bill and Mickey over to help with our first attempt at making jam. It was a great success. We made two batches. The first was over cooked a little "tough" meaning it doesn't spread very well, but the second was perfect. All four kids had a blast and Bill was instrumental in his passing of the blackberry jam legacy to me and the youngsters. Here's what we did:

Old School Blackberry Jam recipe:

10 cups of blackberries

10 cups of sugar

Put blackberries in a big pot (one you cook corn on the cob in)

Use potato masher and mash all the blackberries until they become liquefied

Add Sugar and cook on low to low-medium for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir often and you know the blackberry jam is ready when it turns a deep purple and it slowly goops off the spoon.

Pour in canning jars and let sit over night.

Addy & Lilly are so blessed to still have great-grandparents who are active in their lives, they are fortunate that their maternal grandparents live on this beautiful golf course that they see as a giant playground and their paternal grandparents have a home on the water. They will enjoy so many memories in these places, passing on legacies like night-swimming and massive games of tag onto their children. We can't wait to watch!

Divide & Conquer

2010-07-25T15:00:00.006-04:00

Divide & Conquer is a term we use a lot around our house. We typically do this once a weekend or so, where one of the girls will run around town with me and the other will stay home with daddy to "help" with chores around the house. We flip-flop who goes with who and we all agree it's a lot easier with one than both. A & L have been fighting A LOT recently. It seems whatever toy one has, the other one wants it. We can be at the playground, splash park, swimming pool, wherever, and they seem to be on each others nerves! So, the weekend rolled around and Jeremy wanted to haul our old patio furniture up to his parents lakehouse and I had my own agenda of things I needed to do here, so we planned for our first overnight D & C.

Addy stayed home with me and we had a lot of fun! She was a bit uneasy watching Jeremy and Lilly pull out of the driveway, but as soon as I asked her what she wanted to do, she was good to go! She said she wanted to "Play with babies and do puzzles." So, we played with baby dolls and did A LOT of puzzles (her new favorite thing to do right now). We had great uninterrupted conversations, we shopped one-on-one, we got pedicures, hung with Grandma & Grandpa Sadler and made breakfast together.

This might have been taking 'girl time' a bit too far!

Ms. Lilly went north with Jeremy and Uncle Joe. She got to ride in Uncle Jon's "BIG BLACK TRUCK", ride on Grandpa Dave's boat, hang with some members of the extended Ash family and got a lot of one-on-one attention. What was her favorite part of the night when asked?? "I had bacon at breakfast." She is most definitely an Ash!

Daddy-Daughter Bonding!

When all was said and done, it is something we'll do again! It isn't easy to make that extra effort to get to know twins as individuals, but it's important not only for us to do but for our families to do as well! We are looking forward to the next swap!

Guest Blogger-Aunt Cat Visits

2010-07-19T09:06:00.003-04:00

Mommy Dearest--Growing up I always felt that, between my sister and me, I was the melodramatic one. My thinking changed during this visit when my sister stopped the car on the side of the road, got out and proceeded to unleash the mommy dearest fury on Addy for taking her seat belt off. This was a Mommy Dearest moment. It wasn't the first or the last I witnessed, a few more occurred during this visit. I adore my nieces, but they do know how to bring out the crazy in people. It's because of the crazy that I started to understand having the Mommy Dearest moments, because, I admit, I had one too.

A & L were fighting non-stop over this awfully loud karaoke-type-toy, accusing each other of taking their turn on the machine. I took the karaoke machine and yelled that I was going to throw it in the trash if they couldn't share. Not my finest "fun aunt" moment, for a minute, I turned into Mommy Dearest. Later in the week, Aimee's friend Jenny visited from North Carolina and shared in the Mommy Dearest moments, threatening to take the car through the car-wash (something the girls hate) if they couldn't behave in the car. Perhaps we all have a little Mommy Dearest inside? Living with 2-year-olds can't be all parks and playgrounds.

All-in-all Aimee & Jeremy have the patience of saints, I'm so impressed for their tolerance for how LOUD this house can get. I love visiting my nieces, but there were certain points during this last visit, I felt like I was on SURVIVOR--more accurately, I felt like I was losing SURVIVOR.

I am a really proud Aunt...the girls are completely potty-trained (accident free during my visit). They are smart, inquisitive, so bright, and, of course, loud. They are amazing swimmers, showing no fear in the water. Lilly is a force to be reckoned with and is so stubborn. I am not sure I'll be visiting during the teenage years--it terrifies me to think about! There is no way Lilly is ever not going to do exactly what she wants when she wants to do it. Anyone who gets in her way--good luck.

Addy is fiercely independent and adventurous. I envy her zest for life! She is the girl who will follow her own path. I'm certain the path will involve a lot of running, dancing and loud music. I "Looooooovvvvveeeee" you both Addy & Lilly and I hope for the sake of your parents' sanity, your terrible twos come to an end soon!

Summer Fun Continues

2010-07-15T15:51:00.006-04:00

I'm not sure where they get their energy from, but the days are long and exhausting and naps keep getting shorter & shorter! The laughter and giggles keep me going. Here are some outdoor shots taken a few weeks ago but found when I cleaned off my camera!

Starting line...

Finish line...

Our favorite triplets and the girls--poor Harry!

Lilly, looking for attention

Addy cruisin'around in the hand-me-down jeep from our neighbors!

4th of July at the Lakes

2010-07-09T21:00:00.007-04:00

Ten days post-potty-boot-camp and I couldn't be happier. The girls are doing well and we feel the toughest part is long behind us (pardon the pun). Third birthday party planning is well underway and we've been blessed with visits with my best-friend Jenny, our friends Jillian & Teague and Aunt-Cat, who Addy has dubbed her "favorite friend". Life is good. Here are some pictures from 4th of July that I couldn't let pass and not share.

Laker-Girls

All-decked out in red-white-and-blue with Baby Owen

Lilly, honestly thought she was Jeremy's skipper--letting him know when the ladder was left down or when he was going too fast or too slow--it was a riot, the girl will be a laker for life.

Who needs to swim when I can ride on daddy's back???

Grandpa Dave and his girls (after a long day on the water)...

A Whole New Way to Look at FREEDOM!

2010-07-06T12:51:00.007-04:00

We are 1 week past my babies giving up diapers (except they are still wearing pull-ups at night & naps). They are almost a month shy of their 3rd birthday. Everyone does this transition differently and I will honestly say I was TERRIFIED of it for a long time. As with all my transitions, I wanted to take a few minutes, pass along some pointers and document for history this milestone in their world!

A quick google search found me a diaper calculator and it estimates that since my kiddos were born, here are the numbers (astonishing)...

We have gone through 12000 diapers
Spent about 800 hours changing diapers
and almost 2600 bucks....

I swear my kids will pay back the environmental impact they've already had on the earth--but that's a lot of trees they are going to need to plant.

A few obstacles I had to overcome before even attempting...

1. There were two kids--a huge mental block for me--I mean I know lots have people have done it, but the thought of tearing through Target to get to the bathroom with not one, but two kids in tow left me at an anxiety level I couldn't handle for a while (and kept me diapering despite the fact that my kids almost look like they are nearing 4 and I'd get some judgemental looks from strangers when I tried to put their tall bodies on those silly changing stations). What got me past this? An amazing mom who I've bonded with via blogging, Jen M., has 4 and she did it recently and lived to tell the tale--if she could do that, I knew I'd survive as well!

2. I HATE public restrooms. Call me what you want, but the idea of taking them into a gas station bathroom and sitting for an extended period of time while one walked around the bathroom touching everything literally almost made me break out in hives. What got me past this? Potty-on-the-go (see below)

3. I knew I wouldn't be able to hibernate for a week, I don't have the personality or the patience for it, so timing was important.

4. I rarely have time to read, so the books & such weren't going to work for me, I was tailoring our attempt knowing that I know my kids best and I've paid a lot of attention to moms talking about it for a while!

Here are just a few tips I learned along the way...

1. We introduced early, but never pushed. The potty chairs were under the tree at Christmas when they were 18 months. They explored them, then put them away. Sometimes we'd bring them out to watch Elmo Potty Time or try, but kept it simple. About 3 months ago I bought "big girl panties" and let them start to wear them in small windows of time. Sometimes out in the backyard, other times just in the morning watching cartoons or after baths in the evening.

2. Everyone says do it when they are ready-I knew I had one totally ready and one really close-I had a bit of "free" time and took the plunge. We woke up a week ago and packed up all the diapers in the house to take over to our friend "Baby Henry". Baby Henry "needed" the diapers and they didn't anymore. We came home and pushed through.

3. I set the microwave alarm to remind me every 15 minutes or so to take them in to try. They got a single M & M for an attempt & two or four for you know what. After the first day and a half, I moved the reward from each success to long-term success. If they stayed dry a certain time frame, we had a popsicle, or a juice box or something. We did some serious positive reinforcements that meant calling people on the phone for a little praise or simply dancing/clapping around the house. They quickly got the hang of it and were SO proud.

4. On Thursday, we took our first road trip, packed up the potty, headed 2 hours north. They knew half-way, we'd stop to potty & get happy meals. That was enough of an incentive for them--they did great! A change of scenery at the lake house was good--it was still a familiar place for them and they got even more praise. We told everyone what big girls they were and they bathed in the attention. Since then, we've kept it familiar, but they've tackled public restaurant bathrooms, a morning at "school" & the YMCA child care with success!

5. The potty-on-the-go was HUGE...we had it in the back of the car for running errands and on the boat over the 4th of July. I didn't want us to ever be "stuck" somewhere and an accident result. Yes, I got some crazy looks, but it was worth it. It will be with traveling with us for a while.

6. They get excited to "pick their panties" in the morning--from Elmo to Mickey to polka-dots & butterflies, it's the little things! They also know there are some things they can do as big-kids that babies wearing diapers don't get to do, so I try and emphasize that.

All-in-all, I can't complain. I'm relieved and exhausted--but another milestone hurdled! Thanks to all who helped along the journey!

When you gotta go...you gotta go...

Diaper free....

2010-06-30T15:31:00.000-04:00

We are diaper free and not turning back...pray for my sanity!

Friends....

2010-06-28T08:25:00.002-04:00

I'm fortunate to have a few really, good girlfriends. I hope this for Addy & Lilly, because it's one of the best relationships in the world. Some of my girlfriends live local, others live at a distance. The ones I appreciate the most are those who may visit sporadically, but each time you get together, it is like no time has passed at all. They're the kind of friends who you can sit around and talk for hours or not talk at all and we know what the other is thinking. Jenny--you are that friend to me and I thank you! And thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Ash for letting us escape for a weekend and catch up with a few of these friends of ours!

Trip to the Movies = Failure

2010-06-22T13:47:00.006-04:00

It feels more like monsoon season in Indiana than the peak of summer, so after it rained EVERY bit of the night last night, I knew our outdoor activities were limited for the day. That coupled with the fact that Lilly has some weird summer cold, I was looking for entertainment. There are only so many puddles to jump in before this mom gets tired. I decided it was a perfect day to try one of the local $1 movie matinees for kids (and a tub of buttery, artery clogging popcorn for me). I checked online and the nearest theater was playing "Alvin & the Chipmunks" so we put on our rainboots and headed out. Arriving at the theater, we learned that the movie was "Kung Fu Panda" instead and I knew the outcome wouldn't be good. Addy's never been to the movies before and Lilly has only gone once, so I worried this wasn't a good starter movie for them, but we were there, so we bought our popcorn and settled in....

Then a mere 28 minutes after the movie began, we headed home....not quite ready for Kung-Fu Panda just yet.

Back to the Grind...

2010-06-17T15:49:00.000-04:00

Well, if "Back to the grind" you mean splash parks, blow-up pools in the backyard, sprinklers and A LOT of popsicles. It's tough being 2, right??? The important thing is that Addy has had no ill effects from the fall last week and only remembers it as the "boo-boo that made me go to the regergency doctor", so we are thankful! We've been dodging thunderstorms and having summertime fun. Knowing I can't put my baby in a bubble, I've done my best to just let things go. We went to our annual twins club summer picnic and the girls LOVED every minute of it. Enjoy the pictures below, most of them courtesy of the uber-talented Jennifer--so thanks!

Lilly giggles as she pours water over everyone's feet and thinks it's hilarious!
Mastering the "big kid" playground at a very young age....
Fill it up...dump it out....repeat...
Addy, just hanging out with her "twwwwiiiiiiinnnnnnn friends"
Lilly looking as cute as ever....

I told you it was a tough life!

Pretty in Pink & Addy's ER Visit

2010-06-09T16:35:00.007-04:00

The cutest patient in the ER that day!

Addy's sick and I get a chocolate doughnut--life is good for Lilly!

Jeremy left for a mancation/bachelor party weekend (more like half a week) on Thursday morning for a really good friend, John, who is getting married in July. I was happy he was going, he needs to get away every once in a while and a trip into the mountains, white-water-rafting and golfing was perfect for him. That said, I need to plan a solo get-away STAT. Anyone with me?

During the 4 days he's been gone, it has gotten progressively and uncomfortably hot in Indiana, so we've been spending a lot of time in water. Thursday was no exception, we met a friend at the Splash Park mid-day and had a blast. Addy took a spill, backwards, when she ran into another kid, but recovered quickly and I didn't think much of it. Later that day, she seemed fine even though I knew she'd have a nasty goose-egg (nothing new for her). She went down for bed fine that night, but woke up in agony on Friday. She was hysterical, the egg on her head had grown and she was refusing to walk, move her neck or do much besides cry in pain. If she laid perfectly still on my chest, she was fine, but if I tried to move her, she screamed. It was terrifying for us all. After Lilly got dropped off at Grandma Jody's and a panicky chat with my peds office, we were off to the ER. They did a CAT scan to rule out all the things my mind went to (brain bleed, spinal injury, etc, etc) and about 4 hours after she had woken up, she took her first steps of the morning. My active, crazy, run-around girlfriend was not herself and I was carrying a lot of guilt for blowing off the fall the day prior. However, the doctor reassured me that it was probably just muscular. He compared it to an adult car accident--always worse the day after. He said if she was having muscle spasms coupled with a monster headache from the swelling, it was just pain she was unfamiliar with and was more scared than anything. Thankfully, Uncle Jon was able to join us at the hospital to keep A entertained and besides a bit of a stiff neck, she seems great now!

So, we've been trying to have a few boring days to follow-up on the craziness of Friday. We are anxious for daddy to return and will keep trying to beat the Indiana heat!

All dressed up for church with Grandma Linda

All smiles!

And a bit of mischief...

Interview with Lilly--34 months

2010-06-09T16:03:00.007-04:00

Lilly continues to be our social butterfly, striking up conversations with everyone she meets and is rarely not talking. In fact, just a few minutes after this conversation took place, she befriended the Comcast repair man and began to ask him about his favorites. She has strong opinions about most things (color of the sippy cup she's given, cartoon figure on her diaper, the weather outside, the food on her plate, etc.) She currently sleeps in "her fort" that daddy assembled over her bed and most enjoys when he puts her to bed and sings Beatles tunes and other songs that "Mommy doesn't do right." She's a fish in the water right now and will quickly be swimming on her own. You can compare these answers to what she said in November here.

Lilly, how old are you? "Two"

When's your birthday? "August"

What's your favorite color? "Purrrrrrrrrple"

What's your favorite song? "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ now I know my ABC's next time won't you sing with me is my favorite"

What's your favorite thing to do inside? "Play games"

What's your favorite game? "Duck Duck Goose"

What's your favorite thing to do outside? "Ummmmmmmm, go to the pool"

What's your favorite food? "Everything" (not true)

What's your favorite thing to have for breakfast? "French Fries"

What's your favorite thing to have for lunch? "French Fries"

What's your favorite thing to have for dinner? "French Fries"

What's your favorite book to read? "Itsy Bitsy Spider"

What's your favorite store? "Target"

What do you like to buy there? "Ummmmm, strawberries, ice cream and polka dots"

Pool time!

A few freshly sprouted freckles across her beautiful nose...

Ready for the pool!

Interview with Addy--34 months

2010-06-03T15:36:00.007-04:00

Yep, we are just 2 months shy of having 3 year olds! I'm hoping to kiss the terrible two's goodbye and for those of you that tell me 3 is worse, I'm praying you are wrong. Don't get me wrong, for the most part Addy is this wonderfully, engaged, polite, little person. She's the first to say "Thank-you for taking me to the park today, mommy" or "I had such a great fun time with my friend today, mommy". However, when she stresses out, she stresses out, she yells, throws tantrums & screams at the top of her lungs. She's as active as ever and runs FAST. She eats well and sleeps better than anyone else in our house (mostly because we separated her from her sister). She is also quick to tell me that she'll stop wearing diapers on her birthday. You can compare these answers to what she said in November here.

Addy, what's your favorite color? "Red"

What's your favorite song? "ummmmmm, Tinkle, Tinkle, Little Star and the ABC's"

What's your favorite book? "Elmo Loves Me"

What's your favorite food? "Watermelon"

What's your favorite thing to do inside? "Play with babies, blankets and water bottles" (THIS IS SO TRUE!)

What's your favorite thing to do outside? "Go to the park with my friends"

Who's your best friend? "Mallory"

What's your favorite thing to have for breakfast? "Pancakes and dip"

What's your favorite game? "Bug game"

"Hey mom, wanna play that game, right now?" Sure babe--let's go play...

Locks of Love

2010-06-01T08:12:00.003-04:00

Before having twins, I used to volunteer regularly, donate blood every 60 days or so and mentor college kids in they ways they could best give back to their communities. Since having A & L, I got a job with a non-profit and I volunteer with a non-profit of amazing multiple moms, but I don't volunteer in the true sense of volunteerism. Jeremy and I are more often found writing a check than giving our time. Unfortunately, it just is the way it is right now. So, when I met a few people who had done Locks of Love, I thought "I can do that, someone would love to get my fiery red hair!". After my rounds of pre-natal steroid vitamins during my pregnancy, my hair grew faster than ever. 10 inches wasn't easy to get to and my hair was probably longer than it ever had been before and is now almost the shortest I've ever gone, but it was a fun process.

Icing on the cake was a brief conversation I had in the salon with a women who is a brain cancer survivor, 5 years treatment free after wearing wigs for 10 years. She expressed gratitude for what I was doing and was quite proud to show off her "new do" with the hair that has eventually grown back for her! Anyway, here is the before and after, perhaps motivating for anyone who reads this to think about how they can do their part!

BEFORE
AFTER

Signs of Summer

2010-05-27T15:40:00.002-04:00

Mommy needs a pedicure
Daddy's left arm is more tan than the right because he drives around town all day making sales calls
We spend more time at the park than in our house
The grill seems to be always on
Indoor chores get neglected
Neighbors are friendlier
Last day of pre-school for the year (today--yikes!)
Trips to the lake looming
Smiling faces at the pool
Picnics with Dad...