The Todd & Natalie Show

Santa Pictures

2011-12-11T21:58:00.001-06:00

We went with Aunt Pat to Kemah last weekend. Her company had their holiday event there, and she invited us to come with her. We had such a great time. The boys enjoyed riding the big Ferris wheel, carousel, and train. We had our picture made with Santa, too.

Please excuse the quality. It’s a scan of the not-so-fantastic-quality original.

Today, Santa came to visit the little ones at church. Todd got to be the photographer.

Todd’s dad had his theatrical debut as Santa in Kay’s 4th grade Christmas play. He did such a good job!

Shut Down

2011-11-29T09:31:00.001-06:00

Some last-minute plans were made yesterday that require all of my house to be very presentable by this afternoon at 4. But, as of 8:00 this morning, the main problem areas look like this:

Yes, our studio is a constant and necessary thorn in my side. What you don’t see here is the majority of my mental overwhelmedness. Yes, I made up that word. We always have so much work to do with our photography business, and things are especially pressing right now. We’re about to start a rather large marketing campaign for next year, too.Another view of the studio.

“Sitting Room”, AKA, Studio Overflow!The dining room, which actually isn’t too bad, believe it or not. It’s the catch-all. (And me in my robe… ::: sigh:::)The real messes! Do you see Rollei trying to steal a bite from Nathan’s plate? Those 3 keep me hoppin’ all the time!Yikes!

No, I’m not going to show you my bedroom and our bathrooms. Suffice it to say that Rollei just got a bath in the hall bathroom.

So, with all the physical messes in my house at this moment in time, the real mess is me! Today, I just don’t want to do it. But, I will.

A Little Spinning and Singing Before Bed

2011-11-27T21:57:00.001-06:00

Nathan has been singing a lot lately. This is a little video of him singing his ABCs, spinning in circles, and exherting as much energy as he could before he went to bed tonight.

The Camera Phone

2011-11-20T21:32:00.001-06:00

I thought it would be fun to share some snapshots my mom got with her phone over the last few weeks.

Logan

NathanOur little familyMeeting sweet Cousin Daniel

Nathan liked Daniel. He repeated “shhhh” the whole time we were there.

Daniel and his Daddy, my cousin Jim.

Playing Ring Around the Rosies.

They found Timpa’s toy Volkswagen.

A Perfectly Wonderful Day at the Zoo

2011-11-04T22:58:00.001-05:00

Tuesday was just completely perfect. Aunt Pat and I had scheduled this trip to the zoo over a month ago, and I’m so glad we got to go! The weather was completely beautiful, there were no big crowds, and the boys have become independent enough that it is not as much of a challenge to wrangle them (Especially with Pat’s help!).

We got to feed the giraffes!

We rode the carousel, too! I can’t say that everyone loved it, but I sure did!

I took the bar off their stroller and did not use the seatbelts while we were there. This worked great because they would climb in the stroller between exhibits, then would jump out on their own when we arrived to the next animal. It helps that they are pretty good at {usually} following directions. Okay, Logan bolted a time or two…

We saw so many wonderful animals… Lions, tigers, bears {oh my!}, monkeys, giraffes, turtles, birds, goats…

This cracks me up. L & N both climbed up to get a good look at the tiger, both are equally intrigued. Aunt Pat looks like she’s amazed, too.

L & N talked to each animal at every exhibit. We sang animal songs {quietly} and the boys talked about what each animal was doing. Logan would say each animal name over and over. They were so excited.

We ate lunch, saw some more animals, enjoyed a Dippin’ Dots treat, then rode the train around Herman Park.

We called it quits after 3:00, which is normally when Logan and Nathan start waking up from their nap. The boys were just so good all day long, despite being way off schedule. I am very proud of that. Aunt Pat and I got a good workout pushing the stroller, and we all had a perfectly wonderful day at the zoo!!!

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T23:24:00.001-05:00

About the Pumpkins:

The pumpkin patch we tried to go to (the same on as last year) was closed the Saturday before Halloween. They had a sign up that said “Thanks! See you next year”. Too bad we missed it. The next closest pumpkin patch was Old Mac Donald’s farm. All it had was a bunch of picnic tables topped with small pumpkins. Nothing worth the $8/per person to get in. If Todd or I had any time before this Saturday to go, we would have.

We quickly ran out of time on Saturday to acquire pumpkins, since I wanted to get to a baby shower early that afternoon. Mom and I were riding together to the shower, so we had a little overlap at her house and took a few pictures by her cantaloupe vine and on her hammock.

Sunday, we took a quick trip to Wal-Mart to get 4 pumpkins. They were out. We then ran to Kroger; they were out, too. That’s all our town has, so our little quick trip out for pumpkins ended up taking the whole evening. We finally found some at Randall’s.

I’m such a whimp… the texture of pumpkin guts grosses me out.

This morning, right after breakfast, I let the boys paint their pumpkins. I taped off the first letter of their names and they painted over the tape. I think they enjoyed painting. Logan tried to taste the paint. Nathan liked mixing the colors. I tried no not freak out over the mess. I think they turned out really neat. I need to get some washable paint out for them to use soon.

About the Costumes:

I saw costumes for a cowboy and an Indian in passing one day and thought that would be appropriate for our guys. Nathan as the cowboy. Logan as the Indian. When we went back to buy the costumes, I found that they were not offered in small sizes. Again, since I’m always short on time, I decided to find something that would work while I was there. We found airplanes that they both seemed to be excited about, so I bought 2.

When we got home, I let the guys zoom around in their costumes. They LOVED it. We talked about being pilots in the airplanes for Halloween. When I asked Nathan what he was going to be for Halloween, he said “A rocket ship!!” He had seen a rocket ship at the store. It was a contender. I tried to explain that he had chosen to be a pilot in the airplane, but he would have none of it. He didn’t have a fit; he just kept saying that he wanted to be a rocket ship.

We took another trip to Target to exchange Nathan’s airplane for a rocket ship. How did I let him think he had a choice? I think it’s kind of funny and cute that he has such an opinion, especially since he wasn’t ugly about it.

Trick or Treating!:

Last year we had trick-or-treaters come to our house really early, like 5:30. I thought we would start a little early, too, so we left the house a little after 6:00. Apparently that was too early this year. We went to a few very familiar neighbors, played in the street with friends for a while, then came home to eat the roast that had been cooking all day. The boys had a good time trick-or-treating. They would say the occasional “Trick or treat!” and were very pronounced with their “Thank you!” every time. It was very cute!

While we ate supper, every time someone knocked on the door, Nathan would loudly say, “Come in!” I think they enjoyed the whole experience of trick-or-treating tonight.

So… The Peas

2011-10-29T22:56:00.001-05:00

I’m pretty sure most everyone knows that any pea incident requiring the use of tweezers probably points to Nathan. You’re right!

My sweet Nathan boy pushed peas up his nose during lunch the other day. He thought he was being really cute. I told him to take the peas out of his nose and that he did not need to do it again because it is not safe.

He did it again. Three peas. I, again, told him to take them out. He did, but one was stuck. Tweezers – removal – no big deal. “Don’t do it again, Nathan! Peas do not belong in your nose.”

He did it again. Two got stuck. Tweezers – removal – no big deal. Threatened punishment if he chose to stick peas up his nose again.

This is where the story should end… But, no!

After lunch, they took a good nap, then when Nathan woke up, he pushed a good blow through his nose, and out popped a pea. The kid slept with a pea up his nose!

We haven’t had peas since.

2011-10-26T22:28:00.001-05:00

Peas and tweezers. Anyone wish to guess the scenario? (Posted from my phone. Please forgive errors.)

Jumpapalooza!

2011-10-26T13:15:00.001-05:00

A couple of friends and their little guys invited us to join them at Jumpapalooza the other day. My boys had never been before. Nathan had a blast. He acted like the place was made for him. Logan was a little more hesitant/disgruntled, but ended up having a good time. He would have been happier if he could have been sliding down holding a ball the whole time. We all had a nice morning being out with friends. Somehow, I wish the adults could do a little more catching-up, though. Oh well.

Thanks, Dalys and Ashley!

For My Mom

2011-10-25T15:54:00.000-05:00

Mom, Here are two videos from yesterday. Hope you had a great birthday!!!

Business Travel

2011-10-22T22:57:00.001-05:00

Texas Group Photo has kept me on the road a lot this Fall. In the last 2 months, I have taken group pictures in:

Little Elm (North of Dallas)

Splendora

Austin

Goliad (Twice. 2 separate trips)

Beeville

Brownsville

Naaman Forest (near Dallas, again)

Liberty (Twice. 2 separate trips)

San Antonio

Dayton (Twice. 2 separate trips)

Pollock (North of Lufkin)

Kingwood

Hastings (Alief ISD – Houston)

So, yeah. I’ve been busy and have made friends with the road. On a few of the trips, I got to take my brother’s girlfriend with me, which has been fun. As much as I hate being away from the boys, this has been an interesting and somewhat likeable gig. I have several more accounts, but things will slow down in December. We’re hoping to schedule many more groups for the spring.

Here are a few pictures I have taken with my phone along the way…

Brownsville = Stay at South Padre Island

The competition’s product.

Fire drill.

More Summer Funtivities

2011-10-22T21:30:00.001-05:00

We’ve had such a fun, busy summer and, other than the first 3 weeks, I’ve done a horrible job of documenting it!

We decided to take the boys to Old MacDonald’s Farm one morning. We knew it would be a quick visit since it is so very hot outside. We darted through the place and visited each animal. Nathan especially liked chasing the goats around their pen.

They got to go on their first pony ride and really liked it! No tears!

And we rode the train.

The place was nearly empty because of the heat, which was nice for us to move about quickly. We saw, enjoyed, sweated sufficiently, and were done in less than 1 hour.

We made 2 visits to the beach. Our first visit was all about our little family tradition. For several years, Todd and I have made a day-trip to Galveston. We eat at Willie G’s, usually get a snow cone, then spend the rest of the day at the beach. Doesn’t sound like such a big deal, but it’s the little Galveston trip that we know we will do each summer.

Todd and I took a few days to go to the Texas Music Educator’s Conference & Expo in San Antonio. We go to 2 conferences/year there. My sister’s crew was in town while were were gone. Mom kept the boys with all of their Aunt’s family there to help. I know they all had a great time together with Mamaw, Aunt ReeRee, Uncle R, and their sweet cousins K1 & K2!

The group-photo end of Todd’s photography business has really taken off. We have re-named that part of the business Texas Group Photo. To say that we will be busy this year is an understatement. I will be doing a lot of shoots this year. We are so very thankful that God has blessed us with so many accounts already! I have no good pictures to prove our trip to S. A. this time, though.

When we returned from S. A., my sister’s family invited us to spend some time with them while they vacationed in Galveston. We were thrilled about the opportunity to spend more time with them and more time at the beach! And, with so many extra hands, Todd and I got the chance to ride the waves, which I love! It was so much fun!

K1 and K2 spent the following week at Camp Mamaw and Todd taught Photography at Art Camp at our church. Todd’s birthday fell on the last day of Art Camp, which was followed by an Art Show that evening -- which meant no time to celebrate his 30th birthday on his actual birthday! K1, K2, and Mamaw were kind enough to nap-time babysit the day before so Todd and I could go out to eat and to a movie to celebrate his birthday a day early. Also, during his 1 free hour in the middle of his birthday, I surprised him with pizza and cake. Mom and the girls came to help celebrate… and to make sure we didn’t burn the house down with all 30 of his trick candles! The day after his birthday, we headed up to Ft. Worth for a photography job.

Sorry, Mamaw… This is the best one I got. Nice tummy, Logan!

We really like when photography takes us to places where family is near by. On this trip, we got to stay with Todd’s mom, Alicia. She and her husband, Jimmy, kept the boys while Todd and I worked all day Saturday. I love that the boys got to spend time with their Gammaw (did I spell that right, Alicia?). Nathan, of course, did not sleep well. I mean, screaming fits from 10:30 – 2:00am!! Didn’t think I would survive that night…But, Sunday was great! In fact, the boys have never been so well behaved in church! We really enjoyed being at Alicia’s church. Even Todd’s sister, Julia, and her family came to church with us, then out to eat. Julia, who happens to be a super talented baker (and knitter, and sewer, and crafter, etc.) surprised Todd with a cake that we all enjoyed together. We had a great time being together with Todd’s family!

Lovies from Cousin E at church.

Cousin M and Nathan like to eat cake together.

I know I’m probably leaving out some events… Of course, the boys, over these 3 summer months, have been just amazing to watch develop and grow into almost 2-year-olds. They are so smart and so funny! I mean to do more posts about the little things now that I’m pretty well caught up on the big events.

A long (unintentional) break

2011-10-22T21:29:00.001-05:00

You might have noticed that I haven’t updated my blog in several months. I’ve wanted to, but I was getting weird error messages. I tried to work through them, but ran out of time to mess with it, and moved the ol’ blog to the back burner. Tonight, I ran a little test post and it actually worked. I’m hopeful that whatever was wrong was magically fixed. Or, maybe when I took my computer in to rid it of the nasty virus and spyware that I got, it was resolved by the computer repair guys. I dunno.

In an effort to catch up, I’m going to try to upload a draft or two that I saved from summer, then a few smaller posts on our more recent happenings in our busy little life.

Fingers crossed.

This is a test… because of error 504

2011-10-22T21:20:00.001-05:00

Red eyes. Twins in a drawer.

The Aquarium

2011-07-18T15:17:00.001-05:00

Our summer funtivities continue…

Our friend Kathy, invited us to spend the day with her at the Houston Aquarium. We had never been before, and were thrilled about the opportunity to go.

The boys got to ride their first carousel. Logan loved it.Nathan was hesitant about it, but ended up acting like it was okay.

We also got to ride the train and be awed by the sharks in the shark tunnel.

We had lunch there, too. Fabulous food and atmosphere, but the cranky kids kind of put a damper on the overall mood by this point.

There were many more exhibits we could have visited, but time was short, so we’ll just have to make it a point to go back to see the rest.

The day was HOT, but we had FUN! Kathy, thank you for treating us to such a great day. We really enjoy spending time with you. Also, Kathy took awesome pictures of the day and linked them to my facebook page. You can check those out there, if you want. There’s a really cute one of Nathan making friends with a 3 1/2 year-old boy while waiting in line for the carousel.

*Kathy, I tried to snag the pics from facebook to post here, but can’t. Do you think we would work out a way for me to get copies of the pics you took?

Just Rambling

2011-07-13T22:14:00.001-05:00

After the boys go to bed, Todd and I usually unwind in the studio – each of us in front of a computer, and the TV on between our 2 monitors. We’ll sit here and fiddle for hours. I read blogs, facebook, articles, watch videos, eat my nightly Oreo cookies with whole milk, etc. Basically, I waste away until about 11:30 then I drag off to bed. But, the past couple of nights, I have left the studio early and gone on to bed to watch TV and fold laundry. I realize I’m just unwinding in a different room, but getting a chore done while relaxing has been kind of nice.

The first 3 weeks of summer vacation were so busy! The first week was our fun girls’ trip to Vegas. The second week, my sweet friend Nikki visited. The third week was spent at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house. The boys and I tagged along with Mom and had a wonderful visit with “Granny” and “Papaw”.

Silly Nathan would not take that red “Heart Breaker” hat off the whole visit! Doesn’t he look like such a big boy?Logan giving sugars to Papaw Granny read many books to the boys… And she wore hats at their request. More books… Uncle Tony! Mommy duty never ends… Getting Jammies on. Nathan & Logan acting like Granny & Papaw on their computers; which is much like Mommy & Daddy in the evenings! ;-) Rediscovering their love for Baby Einstein’s Old MacDonald’s Farm. It’s fun to watch and name each animal and the sounds they make. Fun in a baby doll stroller.

We got to be there for Uncle Tony’s birthday and were just a day short from being there for Cousin Lyndsi’s birthday.

The boys are too big for their Pack-n-Plays, but not quite big enough to sleep on a palate, so we got them Pea Pod Plus’. They’re like pop-up tents with an airbed base that slides into a pocket. They’re really cool! Of course, it took a little time for the boys to take to them. I expect they will have a lot of fun with them as they get older. Logan slept in his just fine. Nathan, well, not. so. much. Sleep was a battle the whole time we were there with him. He’s a sensitive mama’s boy and made my life very difficult while we were there. Not to mention that he made many ears hurt. But, when it was not time to sleep, he had a great time. He ended up sleeping with me many times, which never happens! I’m so glad Logan is generally easy-going. I don’t think I would have any hair if both boys flipped out like Nathan did.

This is a Pea Pod Plus. Not a picture of ours (thanks Google Images), but cool, huh?!Cousin Lyndsi helped set their Pea Pods up.

Mom, Granny, and Papaw let me sleep in one day while they fed the boys breakfast then played outside. They had so much fun running around with their 3 grandparents, and I hear the the grands had lots of fun, too. Granny and Papaw play just as hard as the boys!

We had such a great visit. I just wish we lived closer. Nathan talks about “Granny’s House” and Papaw a lot. Thank goodness for webcam!

While we were gone, Todd started building cabinets to put in our bathrooms. He didn’t anticipate the project to take very long, but he’s meticulous! These things are perfect, and despite my impatient nagging to just get them done, he has put a lot of care into making them nice for our home. They are in the process of being painted (oil paint takes a long time to dry!), but they are almost done and they are going to be so great to have! Ah, a place for toilet paper, towels, soaps… all in the bathroom! Novel idea!

Watermelon

2011-07-07T23:37:00.002-05:00

Vegas!!

2011-06-21T16:03:00.001-05:00

The first week of summer = girls’ trip to Vegas!!! I had never been to Vegas before, and I loved it!! I flew in and met Mom, my sister, and my eldest niece there. They had all been there before, so they made it their mission to show me through all the major hotels and attractions in my short 3-day trip. My favorite hotel was the Bellagio, closely followed by Caesar's Palace. All of the hotels and attractions were beautiful.

Required photo op.After church Sunday, first stop: Hoover Dam. This picture is taken from the Hoover Dam Bypass bridge. The white line over the lake is where water used to be. Water levels are about 40 feet low. Walking the Bypass. View of the Bypass from the Hoover Dam. TALL!!! I loved walking that bridge, but it was so windy and I was sunburned by the time we got back to the car. In the hotels and casinos…Caesar’s Palace: lush, opulent, beautiful! These flavored oxygen bars were everywhere. So funny to me. (The Venetian)Living statue. Amazing, but I always feel bad for the people that do this as a job. Maybe it’s just me, but standing so still like that for 45-minute stretches seems horrible.Ahhhh… Nathan! I missed my boys! (Forgive the red eye… no time to fix it.) MGM GrandCaesar’s Palace, again… I think. Just beautiful! Fancy store… one of many.

I expected everything to be big and bright, and I wasn’t disappointed. We saw the Cirque du Soleil “O” show at Bellagio. Oh. My. Goodness! AMAZING show!

We stayed in a lovely timeshare resort and spent some time swimming and floating in the lazy river. I’m very cold-natured and it was not hot the week we were there, so I was too cold to enjoy the pool. I preferred just sunning or hanging in the spa.

We had a fantastic couple of days. I look forward to going back again!!! :-) Thanks, Mom for including me on the trip – I’ll never forget the fun time we had or the dancing in the bathroom at The Cheesecake Factory. Ha!

Nikki’s Vacation

2011-06-21T14:17:00.001-05:00

My dear friend, Nikki, visited last week. I lucked out because her husband had some work that brought them out of Tennessee and to Houston for about a week! We had such a fantastic time just hanging out! Nikki has 2 little girls that stayed with their grandma back near their home, so she wasn’t at all fazed by my busy toddler twins. I can tell she is a fun, interactive, sweet mommy. She even spoiled my boys with books, cars, and lovies! But, she won them over with her fun ways, sweet tone, and especially by reading to them.

Nathan likes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so he thought Nikki is pronounced “Mikki”. He called her Mikki or Mikki Mouse all week. So cute!

Todd was very kind to keep the boys several times so Nikki and I could hang out, just us girls. And, Mamaw even kept them so we could go to a movie – a rare treat! :-)

I wish I had taken more pictures…

Nikki, Thank you for coming to visit us!! We love you!

DeMontrond Volkswagen Show

2011-06-18T23:21:00.002-05:00

We went to the DeMontrond VW show today and had a really great time! It’s always neat to see all of the VW hobbyists showing their cars, and talking about the ins-and-outs of the machines that bring them together.

We didn’t have a lot of time to browse the cars outside, but we were very impressed with the array of VWs that were presented. Todd was drawn to the “Things”, especially the neon green one in the background… Something about an 8-way oil cooler bypass that caught his fancy. Mom and I couldn’t help but compare many of the VWs we saw to those that are in Dad’s collection.
We headed in for the awards ceremony and got to cool down a little while I drooled over the new VWs. You know, the ones with a/c!

Nathan and his usual: “Up, Up, please, hold you, up…”

He won.

This show was special to us, since DeMontrond and the North Houston VW Club established and presented the annual Tim Drachenberg award for the first time today. Mom did a fantastic job sharing a few sentiments and presenting the award.

The plaque presented with the award says:
The Tim Drachenberg Award was established by the North Houston Volkswagen Club in memory of long-time member Tim Drachenberg, who passed away in early 2011. Tim was a member of the club for a number of years and always was open with enthusiasm and advice concerning vintage Volkswagens.
Tim's impressive Volkswagen collection included a variety of cars and busses, but he was particularly fond of vintage, totally stock VW's from the 50's through the 70's. He drove his classic cars on a daily basis and enjoyed doing so with an unbridled passion.
Tim was a retired tennis coach, and was passionate about the sport, but his Volkswagen cars, and especially, his friends in the Volkswagen community were his true love. Whether it was discussing an obscure part, or advice on something as simple as adjusting the points, Tim was glad to share his experience and knowledge with other VW friends.
The Tim Drachenberg Award is presented yearly to an individual displaying a Volkswagen of a variety that the North Houston Volkswagen Club feels typifies a car that would be of most interest to Tim. It should be mostly bare-bones stock, with an eye to the unrestored but still handsome. Board members of the club will make the decision on the award based on the idea that the car would be the favorite of Tim's at the award event.
Though gone, the spirit of Tim's appreciation of all things Volkswagen will live on through this annual award presented by the North Houston Volkswagen Club.

The winner and his beautiful car.

North Houston VW Club Honors Tim Drachenberg

2011-06-17T14:51:00.001-05:00

Show Time and Location
DeMontrond VW
14101 North Freeway
Houston, Texas

Registration - 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Awards at 2:00 pm.

This is a free show for all VW's.
Free Lunch at Noon provided by
DeMontrond

On June 18, 2011, DeMontrond will host a NHVW show at their location in North Houston on I-45 N. Ruthie Smith now representing DeMontrond has approved the show this year and will provide trophies similar to those in the past, as well as providing the hot dog, hamburger lunch for all in attendance.

Awards Include:

People's Choice

DeMontrond's Choice

* Tim Drachenberg Memorial

Best of including decades,

Beetle, New Beetle, Bus, Ghia,

Daily Driver, Display, and other VW's

* Denotes new award this year in memory of Mr. Tim Drachenberg, a long time member of the North Houston VW Club and clubs throughout Texas and the U.S. Tim passed away early this year and his array of classic VW's represented the very best of the Volkswagen community. His attention to original stock items and detail always made us all marvel at his reproduction and skill when it came to rebuilding a VW. The winner of this award will show a VW that Tim would be proud to own.

Conversation with a Mom of Twins

2011-05-24T07:53:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, most of this is spot-on! But, they left out "your hands are full"!!

The Zoo

2011-05-18T22:07:00.002-05:00

The boys got to go to the zoo today! This is the third trip to the zoo that Aunt Pat and I have planned, and the first one to have actually work out! This time, we went for a weekday (Pat even took a day off work!) and we were actually able to find parking! The boys are really into identifying animals and their sounds, so I was excited to see their reactions to the actual animals today. We’ve talked for days about going to the “zoo, zoo, zoo” and about the animals we would get to see.
The day was overcast and a nice, comfortable temperature. It worked out to be a fantastic day to spend outside.
We got to see so many exciting animals: elephants, lots of birds, fish, monkeys, lions, bears, giraffes, etc. I loved watching the boys take it all in.
We took a little break to eat lunch. I knew our time would be slim after lunch, since they would be due for a nap.
We headed out to find the Children’s Zoo with the petting zoo. The petting zoo (goats) ended up being the BEST exhibit for the twins. Nathan was ecstatic to run around and pet/brush goats. It was a perfect replay of the Livestock Show for him.

SO EXCITED!

I’ll help you clean up…

Logan was very hesitant, again. He cried and resisted being put down for a while, but I was convinced he would warm up to it. I was right! When he discovered that he could hold a brush and use it to touch the goats, he was fine… and funny! He has a group a ladies stop watching their own kids to watch him… and laugh at his ways.

Not happy about this!

A brush makes thing better.

2 brushes makes things GREAT!

I’ll help clean, too.

When we left the zoo, we headed straight to Mamaw’s house. Naps didn’t really happen in the car as I had hoped. They maybe got about 15 minutes of sleep. Anyway, we usually meet up with Mamaw and some other friends on Wednesday nights to eat before church. (More on that in a future post) We had a little time to kill when we arrived at Mamaw’s, so we spent some time in her garden. Mamaw let the boys pick a squash, some black-eyed peas, and some tomatoes.

There’s 1 beautiful yellow squash in that basket.

Pick a pea? Huh?

We didn’t make it to church tonight. Supper took too long, and the boys were losing control after such a long day and practically no nap. We came home and rushed to the bath. Some of us rushed a little faster than others. In fact, one of us couldn’t wait to get his clothes off before he leaped in. Luckily, I got his shoes off before his feet slid in behind him. :-) Oh, Logan, you are so silly!

There are no words for how much fun the boys are at this age. They are learning so much and are just intrigued with the smallest things. I am in awe of them and their silly ways! What a great, full, exhausting day!!

Blogligation

2011-05-15T23:12:00.001-05:00

Any holiday is essential to blog about if you’re a blogger. Even if you’re like me, and some holidays are not always played-up, it still seems necessary to document that you did, in fact, exist during that moment in history. Notable events, the things the twins do, and everyday happenings are all things I want to remember, which makes them my blogligation. So, when the twins are older and look back on this blog (which I plan to print into books), they will not criticize me for missing a beat… Like they’ll really notice, or even care. Or look at the blog books, ever. Anyway, the point is, some blogs are blogligations… and I’m sure they’ll find something to criticize me about! Ha!. But, I happen to love blogging, so the term “blogligation” is used in the most positive way.

Easter (Way too many pictures ahead. Proceed with caution.)

We had a lot of things going on Easter weekend that required us to stay close to home. Most of my family was out of town. We went ahead with our regular Sunday routine to get to church. I taught Cradle Roll that morning and we went out to eat. As soon as we got home, the boys went down for their nap. Aunt Pat came to spend the afternoon with us and arrived just as the boys woke up. We let the boys dig in their Easter baskets that I filled mostly with little trinkets to play with at church.

We dyed their Easter eggs together, which was fun. FYI, a little rinse of OxiClean and water makes for easy dye removal from hands.

They had a little snack while we waited for the eggs to dry and for Todd to scatter them in the yard.

We had an egg hunt a church a week before. They were all plastic eggs filled with treats/candy. So, when they hunted their eggs this time, they opened the plastic ones in hopes of finding more treats. I think they were a little disappointed to find them empty. They both tried to open the real eggs… Nathan ripped 2 of them up. We did all of this pretty quick, so the eggs were great for their breakfast for the following few days.

We didn’t get a family picture this Easter. We were in rush mode all morning and weren’t dawning new Easter attire, anyway. All of these pictures were taken after nap and in our round-the-house clothes. And, I just need to say, it’s nearly impossible to get any decent pictures of them at all, let alone together or with their baskets. These boys are on the move. And fast.

Mother’s Day

My brother was in town, so he and Mom joined us for church, then we all went to lunch at Zio’s, as Steven’s treat! YUM! We had a nice time together. The boys have gotten pretty good at eating out, which makes times like this quite pleasant. The rest of the day was good and normal. Nice naps were had, moods were good, and we all just had a nice day together and got some work done, too. Todd ordered me some good ceramic knives I have been wanting and I’m anxious for them to arrive. They will be this year’s Mother’s Day present. Anyone have an extra Mother’s Day card laying around that the boys can give me? Fuzzy…sorry.

The thing about Mother’s Day, to me, is that being the mother to the cutest, most precious, funny twins on the planet is my absolute pleasure. I am so blessed by them every day. They are my joy. To be celebrated for doing the job of mothering is wonderful and appreciated. But, on this Mother’s day, it was really my celebration and awe over the gift of having them as my children. It was This Mother’s day to celebrate.

Time to Pray

2011-04-26T20:59:00.001-05:00

The boys and I pray often throughout the day. They are pretty good about folding their hands, closing their eyes, and bowing their heads (for a few seconds! Ha!). Nathan likes to say a confident “Amen!” at the end of our prayers. It’s precious that they like to talk to God.

The four of us sit on the couch together for prayers before we put the boys down for bed at night. Daddy usually does the praying, but tonight he was gone to a meeting. After the prayer, we let the boys hug and kiss each other, then Mommy and Daddy get hugs and kisses and say “I love you. Night night.” Well, tonight when I said “brothers’ hugs”, they dove on each other and kind of kissed as usual. Then, as clear as a bell, Nathan said to Logan, “I love you.” Is that not just so sweet?

Nathan has been saying “love you” when he is told to say “I love you” to someone. But, this was completely voluntary. He hasn’t voluntarily said it to me or Todd. I think it is sweet that he said it to his brother first. Also, did you notice that is a sentence? Yes, my 19-month-old is (and has been) speaking in sentences. How are these baby boys growing up so fast?!

Climb & Slide

2011-04-20T23:28:00.000-05:00

One of my teacher friends not only offered to hand down her son’s outdoor play equipment, but also delivered it to us! The boys love playing in and on the climb & slide. A few days ago, Nathan mastered climbing the ladder and sliding by himself. Logan loves to play in the “house” under the slide and likes to try to climb up the slide, not the ladder.

Here’s a little video of Nathan playing on the slide.

Slide, climb, swing, run… We’re having all kinds of fun outdoors!

Pretending Together

2011-04-15T22:03:00.004-05:00

It’s commonplace for the boys to squirm their way into their closet when I’m trying to get them dressed in the morning. They love playing in the closet, pulling down all of their folded sheets and towels, and climbing on boxes of wipes and diapers. Usually it gets noisy pretty fast in there, since playing together quickly turns into pushing, grabbing objects from a brother, pulling, and screaming. There is a lot of fussing between twins at this age. If one opens a door, the other tries to close it – then they both yell. One picks up a rock, the other tries to grab it away – yell. One sits on Mommy’s lap to read, the other shoves and yells while trying to climb into my lap, too. Yes, I think there must be more yelling with 2 18-month-olds than there would be with one.

Anyway, there they were playing in the closet, and the noise level was pleasant for an extended period of time (like 2 minutes!). I peeked in to find that they were feeding each other something. What could they have found to eat in the closet?! Nathan is always chewing on something. He’s really good at finding tiny pieces of leaves or stems and sucking on them. I fish the foreign objects out of his mouth only to find him sucking on a new speck of something shortly after. So, I thought that maybe he had gotten Logan on the ‘chew on junk we find on the floor’ game.

I was wrong. Nathan had found the cooler part of their bottle warmer and was pretending to pull food out of it and feed the food to his brother. Logan was doing the same to Nathan in return. Back and forth, they fed each other pretend food saying “yummm!” I watched this go on thinking it was no big deal until I realized that I’m pretty sure they haven't actually pretended together before. They were on the same page. Then, at the tail-end of this 10-minute interaction, I finally realized that I should probably get this on video.
So, here is the end of them pretending to feed each other. Feeding turns into blowing kisses…

Painting with a Twist

2011-04-11T14:04:00.001-05:00

Our friend, Geran, will be 30 this week. To celebrate, she invited a bunch of her girlfriends out to Painting with a Twist. We all had a fabulous evening chatting, drinking wine (except for me, since I don’t drink! Ha!), and painting!

Geran is in the front – HAPPY BIRTHDAY! The lady right behind Geran is the mother to TWO sets of twins!

Geran, thanks for inviting me. We all had a great time!

A Typical Day with my Twins

2011-04-02T22:31:00.002-05:00

I don’t think I’ve ever done a post with our daily schedule. I would just like to confess that I am not a morning person. I generally do not get up before the boys wake up. I pay for that choice, as you will see.

So, here’s a sample of a typical weekday with the boys along with many random photos…

8:00 – They wake up. Breakfast: usually bananas, Cheerios, scrambled eggs, milk, sometimes wheat toast with a little jelly.

Bath and get dressed for them.
Play, read books, play (I try to do some chores, but usually spend most of my time interacting {and refereeing} with them).

11:30 – They watch Barney while I start their lunch.
12:00 – They eat lunch.
Change diapers, rock them to settle for nap.
1:00 – 3:00 – NAP This is when I get to eat my lunch, shower and dress, and maybe spend some time doing chores {very quietly!}, or spend some time on the computer. Lately, though, Nathan has not gone down smoothly. He will scream (and I mean really scream) for close to an hour before going down. Also, Logan will not sleep past 2:00, no matter what time I put him down. He will not rock back to sleep, either. So, many days as of late, have been quite frustrating with literally no time for me to pull myself together during the day. Nathan has been pulling the screaming thing at night, too. After letting him have his tantrum without rescuing him for so long now, he’s finally going down more quickly and quietly as of yesterday. There’s no improvement on Logan’s front, yet.
3:00 – Nap’s over. Change diapers, and at Nathan’s adamant request of “Shoes! Outside!” upon opening his eyes, we go play in the backyard. I’m so glad for the nice weather we’re having!
4:00 – Todd comes home, I breathe, and the boys have a snack.
Todd usually has tons of photography work to do throughout the evening, especially now that he is finishing up band jobs and has many senior bookings. From 5:00-7:00 is survival. The twins are usually pretty fussy in the evenings and it’s difficult manage them and try to prepare supper while Todd works.
7:00 – Supper for all of us.
Play, Change to Pajamas

8:30 – Bed
So, that’s pretty much it. Not complicated, but very busy with two active little boys.
Some days I want to pull my hair out when they don’t nap, or they’re just irritated and cry a lot. I have a hard time feeling like I can’t control a situation, but I have to remember that they are 18 months old! I heard Michelle Dugger say that little kids are “in training”. Fits and frustrations happen, but they are being trained to be well behaved. Remembering that they are “in training” helps me want to approach these times with the gentleness and love they deserve. I wouldn’t trade my time at home with these sweet guys for anything {even a bigger house!}.

Flowers for Mommy

2011-04-02T21:19:00.001-05:00

Nathan had fun picking flowers off our weeds while we played in the back yard today. He started by gently picking one at a time, and would bring each one to me while saying “Mommy! Flower!”

He started ripping up handfuls of grass and bring that to me, too, while saying “Grass!” I told him how much I like the flowers, but we shouldn’t pick the grass. He continued picking the grass, of course, but laid it out on the deck steps instead of giving it to me.

Bugs Outside

2011-03-21T22:25:00.001-05:00

Todd was working outside and the boys were determined to be out there, too. Unfortunately, circular saws and toddlers don’t mix.

Todd and I have been taking a few of Dad’s VWs out to drive recently. The weather is nice and they’re fun to drive around. It’s also good to take them out every once in a while to keep them running. This is the 1971 Bay Window bus.

L & N love to pretend to drive the bugs. They are in the Bay, here.

We have also borrowed the tan 1967 beetle. This one is my favorite to drive; it is easy to steer and Dad added AC to it! I drove this one in high school (before he added AC) for a while, too. Okay, Todd was behind the professional camera on this shoot with Logan and I think all of the pictures are too good. I couldn’t narrow it down. Ha! He needs to do a shoot with just Nathan soon. And, I don’t currently have a picture of the whole car… sorry. :-(

That’s my handsome boy!!!

**It’s apparent that I need to learn how to use Todd’s cameras! The difference between these pictures is huge. And, he’s talented that way…

::::((sigh))::::

Snack Time

2011-03-21T21:49:00.001-05:00

Usually the boys prance around with their snack cups and continue playing while they eat, but on occasion, they will rest their little legs and willingly sit down.

This little table was made by their Great Grandpa Drachenberg many years ago. The chairs are super old and nicely broken in, too. I like having little items with family history. I know I got plenty of use out of this set when I was little. :-)

In their playroom watching… Barney. Can I just say, it is getting harder to limit their TV time to only 1 hour anymore? They love that big purple dinosaur!

Livestock Show

2011-03-19T13:10:00.002-05:00

One of the boys’ friends, Wyatt, told us about the fun he had going to the livestock show. He recommended that we go there, too. So, on Wednesday, we did! Mamaw, Aunt ReeRee, Uncle Ron, and cousins K1 & K2 joined in, too.
Our drive downtown was pleasant and relatively short. Finding parking in an open lot proved to be an hour-long, frustrating challenge. After many grumbles, we finally made it. We were told there would be a tram to take us to the ticket booth, but there was not. This was just the start of our day full of lots of walking and waiting. The line at the ticket booth took forever. We got in, bought and ate lunch, then headed to the AGventure for the kids. Luckily, the weather was fantastic, so the long walk wasn’t miserable. Again, it was so very crowded and the lines were so long that we didn’t get to see much. It ends up that we were there on value day. Kids got in free, which is what led to the massive crowds. I found out there were about 2/3 more people that day than on regular days. Lesson learned.

Uncle Ron ended up being the pusher and keeper of the stroller for the day; a big task in itself!

Luckily, the boys got to pet goats and sheep, watch chickens hatching, and look at cows and pigs. Nathan loved the animals! He darted fr m one animal to the next and patted each one while making the animal’s sound. There was no holding him back. He was in heaven! Logan hated it! He did not want to touch or get too close to any of the animals. He cried. We got him to warm up a little, and he finally touched a baby goat, but he didn’t like it. It’s so funny how their personalities are vastly different.

Nathan

Logan – not too sure about this…

Nathan jumping on!

Logan liked watching the chickens hatch.

Headed home. We were DONE.

Notes for Next Time:
1. Make sure to not go on value day because of the crowds.
2. Bring our own food. $15 for a hot dog, fries, and a drink was not worth it! (Our funnel cake was worth the splurge, for sure!)
3. Old Mac Donald’s farm is a viable alternative.

A New Baby

2011-03-16T22:29:00.001-05:00

Our sweet friends, Christian & Michelle, just welcomed their son, Jackson Atticus, into the world Monday night. I got to go meet him Tuesday morning. Awwww, man, holding a tiny baby is just the best! He is absolutely precious and such a blessing! Don’t you agree?

I took the boys with me to meet Jackson, but they were not allowed on the unit since we’re not family. Christian and his mom graciously stayed with Logan & Nathan in the waiting room while I got to visit with Michelle and hold Jackson.

After ~~our~~ my visit, it was past time for lunch. It was a gorgeous day, so we ate at the picnic benches at Culver’s. I love spending these wonderful Spring days outside with my little weeds.

Going Out…

2011-03-16T22:07:00.001-05:00

Outside!

Logan’s favorite book is Inside, Outside, Upside Down. He’ll find that one book in a pile of books, bring it to me, and plop in my lap to read it, repeatedly. He even recites parts of the book. It seems he has learned a lot about “going out” from the book! Silly Logan. He loves to go out Rollei’s doggy door. Nathan has done this, too, but it’s really Logan’s obsession, which we find to be very funny. We have to catch him fast, though, because he could easily topple down the make-shift concrete steps.

Aren’t his little short overalls cute? Their Aunt Julia made them! We love them, Julia! Thanks for sharing your talent and spoiling your nephews with these adorable little outfits. I just wish they could wear them longer. Tell your nephews to stop growing so fast. Maybe they’ll listen to you!

Pow Pow Power Wheels!

2011-03-12T21:50:00.002-06:00

Our street comes alive with kids playing, burning off energy after school around 4:00. There are usually 7 or more kiddos out with all their toys just having a great time. Lately, the boys get giddy over going outside to play. In fact, Nathan’s first words when he wakes from a nap are usually “shoes, outside!” We usually start off in the back yard to swing, but recently, we have been going to play with the neighbors more. The neighbor kids are very gentle and loving to the twins. It’s really fun to see them interact.
Apparently, the rules of the street are that all toys are shared with everyone. Kristen plopped Nathan on this 4-wheeler Power Wheels like it was his to use. I asked if it belonged to her, to which she answered, “no, it’s Collin’s (a different neighbor’s kid), but we all share toys, so it’s okay.” I asked Collin (a young 4-year-old) if it was okay for the boys to use his toys. He acted surprised that I was asking for permission and quickly said, “yah!”

Nathan

See all the kids in the background? So fun! Colby is laying on top of the Cozy truck. Ohhhh… boys!!! As a side note, Colby is a rough-and-tumble Kindergartner who is totally crazy about Nathan. He always runs up to Nathan and asks for a hug. Nathan gives him big, tight hugs. I usually have to suggest that he get a hug from Logan, too. ;-)

Go Logan!

Things that end with -ing

2011-02-16T22:33:00.001-06:00

*Many of these pictures were taken months ago… Just fyi.

Cleaning

Playing in their playroom

Building

Reading

Raking & Fighting (Notice the series of events in the following sequence of pictures…taken today.)

Loving

Eating (with spoons) Logan’s much more advanced at this skill. Nathan’s a mess!

Coloring

Talking

Nathan tries to repeat everything we say. He speaks very clearly. It’s fascinating to hear so many little words come from him. He has so many words, but most frequently says: hi, up!, Mamma, Rollei, Daddy, Mamaw, Barney, my knees, hat, apple, shoes, etc… He has recently started to call roll when he wakes up. His little voice is so cute.

Logan doesn’t say nearly as much as his brother. He has just started saying several words pretty clearly without prompting, such as: hi, Barney, Rollei, Mamma, Daddy, up, blue, bye bye, etc… We are getting his hearing checked, but my gut tells me there is nothing wrong. The twins are quite different, and I expect he’ll talk more when he’s good and ready!

And… Since this is my form of a journal, and I want to remember…

I just want to mention that the boys have been pacifier-free for a couple of weeks. This is not such a big deal for Logan, but for Nathan, it’s huge. I just put them all away one day. Nathan only mentioned “pa pa” a few times, but I ignored his request and we just moved on. No fits. :-)

They Got Mail

2011-02-15T21:42:00.001-06:00

Nathan & Logan’s Mama and Daddy may have accidentally done nothing for them on Valentine’s day. Oops! Great Aunt Pat remembered them on Love Day, though! She sent them cute little cards (with stuffing!) and the sweetest little book.

In the words of Nathan, “Tank koo” Aunt Pat!

For My Sister

2011-02-15T17:11:00.000-06:00

TMEA

2011-02-14T17:31:00.001-06:00

We left our little guys for 5 days to attend the Texas Music Educator’s Association conference & expo in San Antonio last week. The boys stayed here with my mom, and Aunt Pat stayed at night to help. Todd and I had a fantastic time getting away, relaxing in the evenings, being together, freezing to the bone, visiting with friends, walking the River Walk, eating at Casa Rio, and promoting his business.

Once again this year, Todd has many new bands/choirs/orchestras that want him to photograph their group. Going into this year, we were a little hesitant to take on more business, just because Todd’s already working at almost full capacity. Looks like I will be doing more of the photo shoots this coming year.

We had the option to print a 3rd nametag, so we jumped on that.

I could buy 6 decent houses with the value of this cello.

We enjoyed our time away, but missed Logan and Nathan, too. We returned to these sweet angel faces! :-) Yes, that is spaghetti up Nathan’s nose. **Mamaw and Aunt Pat, you two are amazing! We are so thankful for you and for keeping the twins while we were away. Now it’s your turn to recoup!

More About Goodbye

2011-02-04T22:04:00.001-06:00

I guess some might think it strange to post pictures from a funeral, but I thought these pictures, taken by my sister, were great. There was so much about Dad’s funeral that I know he would have liked.

Flowers from his grandkids. “Our TimPa” Some of Dad’s tennis students with their rackets. This was really special.The police escorts shut Hwy 59 down for several miles. We had a very long procession. When we got to the cemetery, we moved the casket from the hearse to Dad’s crew cab to transport him to the grave. His casket spread included a vintage racket. The little yellow, round flowers looked like tennis balls. Nice view of the flowers toward 2 of his busses.

The day started out gloomy and rainy. It was a type of day Dad would have grumbled about, but as we drove from the church to the cemetery, the sun came out and made for a beautiful day; one that Dad would have loved.

I just want to thank so many of you, again, that prayed for Dad while he battled this cancer for a year and a half. So many of you are dear friends of his and your love and care has really shown through. Bob Ethington, you were very dear to Dad. He had such respect for you and I know he was honored to have you speak at his funeral. You did an amazing job!

Saying Goodbye

2011-02-03T23:36:00.002-06:00

There’s no way I can possibly put together a few paragraphs worth of sentiments to adequately describe my feelings about my dad. There are, though, several special occasions that are memories I will always cherish…
As a child, I remember one time I was in pretty deep trouble with Mom. I’m sure I deserved it when she assigned Dad the task of giving me a spanking. This particular time, though, Dad didn’t think I deserved it (which, I assure you, I did), so he told me he would spank the bed and I would have to cry. What a softie! I did end up getting my spanking, though.
Our trip together to Europe in the Summer of ‘99 was really that – a trip! Our interests were so polar opposite. Germany, Austria, and France for 10 days was completely centered around everything Volkswagen and Adidas. I don’t know how many VW shows we went to on that trip. Touring the Adidas factory, visiting Adi Dassler’s grave, pointing out every VW we saw on the Autobahn, and touring personal VW collections of German friends/enthusiasts, were all certainally not things I had much interest in as an 18-year-old girl. But, Dad tried to make sure I stayed content. The man bought me so many Cokes on that trip. While in Paris, we went to the Louver and Eiffel Tower. We took the train from Paris to Frankfurt, then rented a car and, after the big VW shows, drove into Salzburg, where we took the Sound of Music tour. He had never seen the movie, but it has always been one of my absolute favorites, so he did Salzburg and the tour for me. So many memories were made in that 10 days. Most of them good; some not so pleasant. After that trip, nearly every time I saw Dad, he brought it up. We so enjoyed spending that time together. I will never forget that.

Adi Dassler’s grave in Germany. Founder of Adidas.

Overlooking Slazburg, Austria, 1999.

Peter Reduch (sp?) – Dad’s Adidas friend in Germany, 1999.

Throwing the wedding picture in for posterity. June 28, 2003.

Taken on our father/daughter trip to Tennessee, Summer 2008. Quirky.

Nine years ago, Dad had a bad car accident in his ‘52 Split on 1960. The force of the impact broke the steering column on his chest. He was life-flighted and spent several days in the hospital with broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a super-bruised raccoon face. I was home for Christmas from ACU and spent several days with him while he recuperated. I made him oatmeal for breakfast, then we would spend hours in the living room next to the fire just being together while he healed. It was a rough time for him. He was in a lot of pain, and having to not be “on the go” was a challenge for him, but it was a precious time for us together. I think this was the time that he actually watched The Sound of Music! Strangely, this event was another thing that he brought up frequently as a time he enjoyed being with me. He doted on the oatmeal and how I cared for him. I didn’t do anything special, but he always had a way of showing how very proud he was of me and how much he cared for me. The real pleasure was mine.
Dad had a way of making people feel special and meaningful. Family was very important to him- and he was nuts over his grandkids-, and so were his friends. I’ve never known a person with more friends than Dad. He had an eclectic mix of friends from many different ‘circles’ of his live, be it VWs, tennis, school, church, McDonald’s and Chick-fil-a breakfast buddies, etc. Dad always had a trail of visitors at their house. Friends had no need to call, they would just drop by. It was unusual for me to drop by at any given time and not find Dad chatting with a friend out in his shop or while he was stringing a racket in the game room. The thing that stood out to me is that it never seemed like Dad ‘tried’ with people. He was just himself and that is what appealed to so many. Todd has said for years that Dad is not only a collector of Volkswagens, but really more a collector of people.
This is where I could do a “profile” on Dad, listing off all of the things he was to others, but I won’t. The most important thing Dad was to anyone was what he was to his Father. He was loyal and always true. He was loved by so many and saved by One.
I miss him with all my heart.

I did a Christmas Post

2011-02-03T22:12:00.001-06:00

And I worked on writing it for days. But, while installing a new program on my computer, I accidentally closed Writer (the program I use to compose blogs) before I published my post. So, it’s gone!

To make things up to myself, a month later, this quick recap will have to suffice.

Christmas Celebration #1 at Granny& Grandpa’s house:

Several days of relaxation, fun visiting, and yummy food!
First Christmas without Aunt Linda. I missed her smiles, teasing, and joy she always brought to our time together.
Twins loved opening presents. The noisy cars and trucks from Granny & Grandpa were a hit!
Santa found the boys and left tricycles, DVDs, and other little goodies.
I didn’t bring my camera. Todd took a few pictures, but most were taken by me with his camera, which I don’t know how to use. Blurry results.

Christmas Celebration #2 at Mom & Dad’s house:

A very late-night, quick event, thrown in the evening we all returned from Granny & Grandpa’s and Christmas Celebration #3 the next morning.
Logan slept through all of the noise and present-opening.
Again, no camera. No pictures, but lasting memories of a cherished time spent together with my parents, brother, sister and her family.

Christmas Celebration #3 at Aunt Pat’s house:

I spent most of my time cooking Pioneer Woman’s scalloped potatoes, wrangling kids, and playing Scrabble. I usually don’t have the opportunity to sit and play games (wonder why?!), so I really enjoyed the opportunity thanks to Todd for spending much of his time and energy rocking Logan, and to the other family ladies who wrangled Nathan.
Logan and Nathan were done with traveling by this point, and they let it show all day. :-(
We ate a delicious evening meal, the “kids” (including K1 & K2) got to open presents, we sang a few songs, and had a fabulous time visiting.
The boys had their “well pictures” just like K1 & K2 did at about their age.

And since I haven’t blogged in forever, I may as well include my 30th on the 30th birthday info…

Todd took care of the boys for a few hours on my birthday while I went shopping alone. I took my time and enjoyed getting a few things. Since the whole family, expect for Steven, was in town, we all went out to Pappasito’s for dinner. We all had a marvelous time together, and the food was delicious! Dad got the best seat in the house: a rolling, cushioned office chair! Todd went overboard and got me the prettiest blue topaz ring! We didn’t get a family picture together when Steven was in town for Christmas, but we snapped these after dinner that night.

New Year’s events? Nothing. It was great!

Talent Show

2011-01-09T00:12:00.002-06:00

Trike Push

2011-01-02T00:22:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T19:28:00.000-06:00

Logan Walks

2010-12-01T17:55:00.001-06:00

Cheerios Overboard

2010-11-28T21:49:00.001-06:00

Nathan snatched the Cheerios box off of the table. They had fun playing and eating for a long time! :-)

He Dropped His Pants!

2010-11-28T21:05:00.001-06:00

I had just gotten the two ready for bed.

Then, after trashing the diapers, I returned to find this.

Logan, where are your pants?

You silly boy! Sweet dreams, you two!

Breaking All the Rules

2010-11-11T21:52:00.002-06:00

Because of the boys’ routine, if I have to make appointments to be somewhere, I usually make them for 2:00. They had an appointment to get their hair cut today. We ran out the door at 1:45, drove into rain, then I remembered that their appointment wasn’t until 4:00. Okay, that’s great because we were going to be late to the appointment if it had been at 2:00. Since we were already on the road, I decided to head into town to pick up a few things. Yes, it was raining and I’m down to a cheapo single stroller, but I was determined.
We went to Best Buy to find a wall mount for the TV in the playroom. The cheapest one I could find was $70. Nope. Walked out empty-handed. Actually, I was not empty handed, since I was carrying Logan and pushing Nathan in the stroller.
Next, we went to Bed Bath & Beyond. I had a little time to kill and I thought I might find some curtains for the playroom. This is where the rule-breaking started. BB&B is pretty cramped. It was near impossible to push the cart (where I put Nathan) and push a stroller (Logan). I gave up. I folded up the stroller and put it and Logan in the cart. Oh, and I never buckled Nathan. I didn’t end up buying anything there, either. I have been trying to get to Ulta for over a week. By this time it was pouring. Didn’t stop me. I didn’t use a stroller this time. I made Nathan walk and I carried Logan. Not a good idea since Nathan wanted to break away to explore. I was after just one item located at the very front of the store. I made the purchase very quickly, carried both babies out to the car (while both checkers watched in shock), then headed to Taco Cabana to reward my efforts. I do that a lot: reward my efforts. More than I should. The leftover Halloween candy stash has been getting smaller.
My phone has been doing a weird thing with the screen lock/unlock button. I decided to go by Verizon to get it fixed real quick. This is where my rule-breaking gets bad. I parked in a handicapped spot (yes, there was another one available for actual handicapped people), left the kids in the car, and ran into the store. I had the Verizon guy stand at the door with me so I could be as close as possible to, and see, the car. I feel pretty guilty about that one. I’m “that mom” that left her kids in the car. (Okay, Todd wants me to add that I was just 10 feet away from the car.):-/
After all of that, it was time get gas and head to the boys’ hair appointment. The boys sat in the chair by themselves. They did absolutely great. No fussing. It’s like they’re old pros at getting their hair cut.

I K E A And the Case of the Missing Stroller

2010-11-10T18:49:00.001-06:00

I have been going crazy tripping over baby toys day in and day out. I hate the feeling that my house is never actually clean because of the mess of toys. I always feel like I’m tripping over a toy, baby, gate, or dog. So I finally decided that we need a playroom more than we need our guestroom. I found a storage system that I thought would work well in the playroom at IKEA. It’s the Trofast system. So, we changed out car seats and rode with Mamaw in her Suburban to IKEA.

Wow! IKEA is an experience! It’s like being herded through a museum! The place is huge. It put me into major sensory overload. I tried to stay focused on just finding the Trofast system, although taking everything else in was fun, too. We found what I needed, learned that we needed to write what we wanted down, then learned how to pick up our items in the self-serve warehouse.

After we got through checkout with our loot, we found out that we could not take the cart into the parking lot. So, I took the kids to the car while Mamaw waited with our cart at the loading dock. I hurried about to get the kids loaded and the air going, since it was hot, then went to the dock. The loader guy did a haphazard job of loading, so I jumped in the back to fix the mess. All the while, I never realized that the trunk was missing one vital item: the stroller!

Yes, I forgot to load the stroller into the suburban when I loaded the kids in the parking lot! On top of that, I didn’t even realize it was missing until the next day! I was so distracted by a completely new shopping experience, being in a hurry, getting everything/everyone loaded, and changing out car seats that I made a big mistake and lost my stroller. I called IKEA the next day and they did not have it. Mom even called and she got the same answer. So, someone is playing “finders keepers” with my Combi Twin Sport in Wasabi green. I feel so stupid!

I did a lot of research before I bought my beloved stroller because I knew I needed something that would last, and was also affordable. I didn’t want to buy a piece of junk that I would have to turn around and replace. Well, I have ordered a new one (and Wasabi green is no longer available. I’m getting Indigo instead). So much for not wanting to end up buying two strollers. :-( Let’s just hope I won’t need to buy a third!

Last picture taken of the boys in their stroller at Ikea.

As for the playroom: it is in progress. I bought paint and hope to paint this weekend. I still want to buy curtains or a valance and maybe a few things for the walls. I hope it turns out okay, but, hey, it’s a playroom. It’s going to be a mess! Pictures when it’s done.

So far this week, I have lost a stroller (I consider it stolen, though. Taking something that doesn’t belong to you, even if the item is unattended, is stealing! I automatically assumed someone would turn it in. I think people are honest.), been stung by a bee, and spilled a can of paint on our driveway (more to come on that).

Halloweened

2010-10-31T21:50:00.001-05:00

I last-minuted Halloween this year. Actually, I last-minute a lot of things, especially Halloween, all the time…. But, here’s what we ended up with.

I had a couple of costume ideas for the boys, but the one I really wanted needed to be made. I couldn’t find them to purchase anywhere. Since we all know I’m not the greatest or most efficient sewer, and I wasn’t willing to make the time to sew, I just bought these little costumes for the boys at Sam’s for less than $10 each. Hey, they matched! I’m still not sure if they are crocodiles, dinosaurs, or Godzilla. I know! A PAIR OF CROCS! Hahaha! :-) As for the picture, we take what we can get… *sigh*.

We’ve had the pumpkins to carve for over a week, at least. We carved them this afternoon. I thought they turned out pretty good. Honestly, I wasn’t very excited about standing in the kitchen to scoop out and cut up yet another food item. I feel like I’m in the kitchen cutting food up all the time. I’m glad we did it, though.

We took the boys trick-or-treating. We just walked the street and visited with a few neighbors. One neighbor was giving out little bottles of bubbles. I’m going to put them in my purse for use in case of emergency. By the way, Rollei went trick-or-treating with us. He was a pumpkin. He will always be a pumpkin. :-)

Mamaw and Timpa dropped by for a quick visit to see the boys in their little costumes, too.

The quantity of trick-or-treaters seemed to be down this year. We have tons of candy left over. Todd is going to take the extra to school to give away. Goodness knows we don’t need it here!

I just want to throw out major kudos to Todd for being Superdad tonight. You may have not been in costume, but cooking dinner for all of us, feeding the boys, and being all-around great (I was handing out candy) was, and always is, much appreciated. I love you, husband!

Hope you all had a very fun Halloween!

Nathan Walks

2010-10-22T18:01:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-18T23:52:00.001-05:00

This evening, we enjoyed a quick trip to a local church that has a little pumpkin patch. One kind lady offered to take a family picture for us.

Mr. Camera Man (Todd) took the rest of the pictures. Logan was all smiles, while Nathan was mesmerized watching other kids run and play.

More…

We had a really good time, but were in a hurry, as usual. We lost light pretty quickly, too. I’m glad we went and look forward to going again next year!

12 Months Old

2010-10-13T19:13:00.001-05:00

I’m sure you will all forgive me, and I will forgive myself, for posting the boys’ 12 months post so late. I’m just glad to get it posted at all.

Logan:

Weight: 25 lb. 8 3/4 oz. – 75-90th percentile

Length: 31 inches – 90th percentile

Head Circumference: 48 cm. – 90th percentile

Nathan:

Weight: 24 lb. 1 1/4 oz. – 50-75th percentile

Length: 31 inches – 90th percentile

Head Circumference: 47 cm. – 75-90th percentile

This month the boys…

Eat only table food. But, I feed them better than I feed us. They eat fresh veggies and fruits, beans, etc. (Favorite treat is frozen grapes)
Drink whole milk and water from sippy cups. No more bottles!
Wear size 4 diapers.
Wear size 18 month clothes. They still wear some 12 month in pants.
Wear size 6 shoes.
Still don’t walk, but continue to cruise. They will stand alone, some. They walk holding just 1 finger (this is new news for Logan). We’ll get there when we get there.
Still sleep all night.
Hate taking baths. They don’t mind the water, but hate being washed. They stand up and try to climb out of the tub.
Love going for rides in their wagon.
Enjoyed their first birthday party and liked their first taste of sweets: their cake!
Are hearing “no!” more than ever. They have started yelling/grunting/screaming at me. I’m trying to get that under control with stern “No!s” and tapping their mouths. Mean old Mama!
Went to Abilene for the 2nd time and participated in some ACU Homecoming activities (parade, chapel).
Nathan intentionally drops food from his tray to feed Rollei.
They are playing with toys with more purpose, rather than just chewing, shaking, or pushing them. They know where objects go to make the toy work. They like to put mixing bowls on their heads.
They are talking with more purposeful sounds rather than just babbling.
Nathan tries to sing along with me sometimes. He bounces (dances) and claps a lot.
They are total Mama’s boys. They reach for, and cling to me over pretty much anyone else.
They usually still get 2 naps a day.
Logan had his first allergic reaction, probably to Penicillin. He had polka dots for several days, but is back to normal now.
Logan likes to play the “Put my finger in your mouth, but you can’t catch me” game. (He’ll put his finger real close, then move it away quickly when you pretend to bite.)
When they hear “Let’s go change diapers”, they stop what they’re doing and follow me into their bedroom.

First Haircuts

2010-10-04T22:09:00.001-05:00

We finally got the boys’ hair cut this past Saturday. We wanted to wait until they were a year old. I guess it’s a little sad that the baby curls are gone, but I like their new ‘little boy’ less disheveled look.

We went to the Hair Barn, where I get my hair cut. The owner, Nikki, is also a mommy of twins. Hers are 5 year old boy/girl twins.

Last look at Logan’s long hair.

He sat perfectly still the whole time. Such a sweet, cooperative little guy!

Group shot.

Last look at Nathan’s curly locks.

The curls falling…

He sat still for a long time, but got antsy near the end. He wasn’t scared, just ready to move.

I’ll put up “after” pictures with their 12 month post, which is only a week late. I’ll get around to it. :-)

They Saved the Day!

2010-10-04T21:49:00.001-05:00

I woke up feeling pretty sick this morning. :-( I knew that the way things were going, I wouldn’t be able to care for the twins. So, what’s a sick mommy to do? Call her mommy! I knew Mom had an appointment this morning and wouldn’t be able to come over for several hours, but she sent Dad over to help. Dad was great! He fed the boys their breakfast, changed Logan, and played with them while I went back to bed. Mom arrived for a shift change before lunch. By this time, I was feeling much better. I even got out to run errands while Mom stayed with the boys.

Thanks, Mom & Dad, for your help!

Also…

I think most everyone knows this by now, but Dad got some very encouraging news from his doctors at M. D. Anderson recently. The Malignant Meningitis (cancer in his spinal fluid/brain) is no longer being detected on tests. This is unheard-of! So, Dad is continuing his IV chemo every-other week, and he still takes Tarceva (chemo pill), but will no longer get chemo in his Ommaya port! Amazing! Praise God! Prayer works!

It’s the Little Things

2010-09-29T14:34:00.001-05:00

When I rock a baby, I pat-pat their little hineys. Am I alone in this? No? This morning I was rocking Logan for a nap and Nathan came over and helped soothe his brother by pat-patting his hiney with me. It was soooo cute! :-)

The other day, when we were out with the wagon, the neighbor boy (age 5) came to chat with us and took the boys for a spin around the cul-de-sac. He spotted his mom driving into their driveway and ran off yelling “Mama!”. Logan loudly, and clear as a bell, responded with his own “Mama!!”.

We’re done with bottles and formula! Hallelujah!!! The boys are just using sippy cups to drink whole milk and water.

Windows Live Writer

2010-09-28T14:46:00.001-05:00

Sorry about the random posts today. The last one was a test for Windows Live Writer. Looks like I finally got it to work after trying for many, many months! Yay for me! It should make blogging easier and much less time-consuming. Not such a big deal for you. But, if you have tried to use Windows Live Writer to blog and keep getting an error 403 message, I know how to fix it! :-)

Testing, testing

2010-09-28T14:34:00.001-05:00

Words, words, words

and…

Party!

2010-09-28T10:40:00.006-05:00

We had the boys' first birthday party this past Saturday. Their theme was blue, green, & orange polka dots. We had hamburgers and hot dogs. Here are some pictures of the event...

Just before the party...

Granddad (Todd's dad) was the grill master. Julia (Todd's sister) was a great help in the kitchen! Thanks guys!

Cake time!

Gifts!

Guests!

Wagon

2010-09-27T21:33:00.004-05:00

Todd and I got the boys a wagon for their birthday. We hope to get a lot of use out of it. My little helpers and I put it together this afternoon.
The weather was so nice today, so we went on a walk.
We also stopped at the park and played a little while.
Todd has been sick all week and completely out of commission. The boys have been teething really bad and have icky noses and coughs. There were a few days this week that fussing went on full-time and I wanted to pull my hair out by the 4th day. Party planning and the usual everyday grind, along with all the sickness made for a stressful and busy week. All of that to say, this walk was extra wonderful! :-) Oh, and the boys loved riding in their new wagon.

1 Year Ago

2010-09-22T22:05:00.004-05:00

In about an hour from now, one year ago today, Logan and Nathan were born. I love looking back at the pictures from the days in the hospital, so I thought I would share some of those to reminisce.

Meeting Logan, Baby B, born first. Didn't get to meet Nathan since he had a little trouble breathing and they had to whisk him off. I was so very drugged. Todd said I was "in and out" after my doctor got irritated that I was feeling too much so the anesthesiologist broke another ampule.

Nurse tapping Nathan's back to improve his breathing. They also gave him a feeding tube for a little while. I remember when they wheeled me in to meet the boys, straight out of recovery, when I saw Nathan I said that he looked hungry. I don't remember if he had the feeding tube in at the time, but they disconnected all his wires and allowed me to nurse him.

Little laid-back Logan. Just perfect!

Dr. Munos showing off Nathan. That crying face... :-( Goodness, he cried so much his first month. Colic. But, isn't he just precious?

Together with Mommy! (Logan, Nathan)

Do I look scared, drugged, and low on iron, or what?! Ready to go home!
Day 4, about to go home, and I'm an emotional wreck!
Our wonderful nurses insisted that Todd get a ride, too.

Completely Oblivious

2010-09-21T21:03:00.008-05:00

This time 1 year ago today, I was exactly 37 weeks pregnant with two baby boys that I could hardly wait to meet. My house had been appropriately nested for their arrival. I had filled the freezer with homemade meals. I was huge and a little slow, but I don't remember being horribly uncomfortable. I had decided that after waiting to become a Mommy for so long, I didn't want to complain about any changes or discomforts I may encounter with pregnancy. Luckily, I only had a few minor discomforts, but I was so blessed with an easy and healthy pregnancy (for me and the babies).
My doctors decided that carrying past 37 weeks was unnecessary, so the night of September 21st I checked into labor & delivery to be given a medicine throughout the night that would get things going. The next morning I was given Pitocin. I don't remember much about the timing of things that day. I was not in pain. I was having contractions (big ones, apparently), but I didn't feel them until later in the day (but then I barely felt them). Long story short, I did not progress like Doc wanted. We cranked up the Pitocin many times, I got an epidural, Doc broke Baby A's water, but I still didn't get past 5 cm. I think we were at least 15 hours in before it was decided that we gave the "natural" way a college try, but needed to go for a C-section.

I was so swollen! (Look at my foot.)

So serious!

Up until this point, Todd and I were completely oblivious as to what having twins would do to our hearts and lives. We continued to anxiously wait for their arrival.....

Swinging & Eating - Not at the same time.

2010-09-05T22:04:00.006-05:00

Todd built a swing set for the boys. It's nothing fancy, but it's strong, and I'm sure the boys will enjoy swinging on it for many years to come. And, when they're finished with it, we'll just have to hang a swing for us on it.
Here are the guys trying it out for the first time this evening.
They love to swing! I think Todd finished it in perfect time, since it's a little cooler out and we have fewer mosquitoes as of late. The plan is for me to stain the frame. We'll see...
I have been working harder on serving the dudes more finger foods. Logan has finally refined his pincer grasp enough that getting food in his mouth is more deliberate than haphazard. So far, we have served them carrots, squash, green beans, avocado, scrambled eggs, peas, broccoli, bananas, and the standard Gerber puffs, etc. Nathan will eat pretty much anything. Logan's current favorite is broccoli.Tonight's supper: broccoli, scrambled eggs, avocado, followed by oatmeal and a bottle.
These are my favorite photos of the night. (And I took them with Todd's fancy camera!)Rollei loves the leftovers, and I love that he is ever-present to lick up the mess.

11 Months

2010-08-31T22:28:00.007-05:00

So, I'm over a week late in posting this, but here it is...

Logan & Nathan are 11 months old!
This picture of Logan cracks me up... He's sitting just like the doggy! Hehe!Here's what they're up to this month...

They are super cruisers! They're all over the place and into everything. I have 3 gates up, but I need one more for the hall. ;-) Nathan could walk, but refuses to let go. If I try to stand him up on his own, he collapses his legs. Logan is more meticulous, so I'm interested to see who will actually walk first.
They still don't want to have their formula from a sippy cup. Nathan is a little more willing than Logan.
They still eat baby food. Again, Nathan is better at trying table food and finger food, but Logan will gag if he is given table food.
Logan is our little bulldozer! He pushes, pulls, and shoves on many of his toys. He uses "baby land" like a giant walker.
They love to cling to our legs and use them to pull up.
They have chewed on their cribs. I, short on time and materials, just wrapped the top of their cribs with receiving blankets and string. It's lasted for Nathan, but Logan has exposed the wood and continues to chew.
Nathan is a daredevil. The kid has no fear (unless I try to make him stand "loney"). See rocking chair video below.
They love to look out the french door windows.
They are getting excited for their first birthday coming up in a few short weeks!!!
They both need a haircut-badly! I've wanted to cut their hair (especially Nathan's) for a very long time. My hairdresser told me to wait, and I've been told it's bad luck to cut a baby's hair before they're 1 year old. I don't believe in superstition, but I can't afford any bad luck (who can?), so we're waiting.
They "talk" all the time.
They spend most of their day fighting over toys. This has to be one of the hardest things about having twins at this age. They obviously don't understand "Don't take that from your brother!", but brother lets out a loud cry when a toy is ripped from his hand, or a pacifier is pulled from his mouth. This happens over and over all day long. Oh well.

This month has been so much fun watching them discover and become more independent. Even though they fuss about toys, they are very happy, easy babies! We just love them to pieces!!

Twin Friends

2010-08-19T23:11:00.001-05:00

Update on Dad

2010-08-01T22:12:00.002-05:00

Mom's Facebook status says:

"Tim has had some good news from the doctors recently. The brain dr. is very pleased with the malignant meningitis treatments and has decreased the frequency of treatments to once every 3 weeks! The lung dr. said his last XRay showed no significant changes, and those treatments are now every other week! YEAH!!! We are so grateful. Please continue praying... God is so good."

10 Months

2010-07-23T22:01:00.007-05:00

Here we are in the double digits: 10 months old!

This is the best we could get yesterday. I wanted to try again today, but today was crazy busy, so this is it this month. I kind of like it. I think it's funny! :-)
Good morning, boys! Happy 10-month birthday!
This month, both babies:

are cruising!!! And, since I didn't know exactly what cruising was until I started reading 'mommy blogs', I'll tell you that means that they hold on to things while walking. Nathan has been doing this for a good 2 weeks. Logan just started moving today!
hate drinking milk from sippy cups! I'm feeling the pressure to get them to do this since their doctor wants them completely off bottles by 12 months. It's better for their development to get them off the bottles, so we're still working on it, despite their protesting.
love to feed themselves Gerber puffs and Cheerios. We are just working on warming them up to feeding themselves little bites of veggies and fruits. Again, a hard transition from baby food for them, but also for me, since that means more work for me. Can't so much feed them from our plates since our regular meals are usually junk like pizza, Mexican food, burgers, etc. I had better shake it off and get cookin'! :-)
pulling up to standing. This has been a fun development to watch. They are so proud of themselves when they pull up - especially in their cribs. Todd, you're lowering their beds tomorrow, okay?!
interact with each other. We love it when one baby catches the other baby's attention and they babble, giggle, and smile at each other. Sure beats crawling over each other, grabbing hair, stealing pacifiers, and poking eyeballs.
are so big! I know Nathan is over 23 pounds. Logan has to be near 25, if not over it. They are in size 4 diapers and are quickly outgrowing size 12 month clothes. I have to go buy them some new pajamas ASAP! Don't think I can squeeze them in the ones we have another night!
love to have attention. They like for us to read them books or play games. They are learning silly things like "high fives" and waving "hi/byebye".

Logan

Again, this is the best picture I could get.

Logan has a perfect crawl. He crawls kind of slow, but he does it just right. He's thoughtful with his movement. It's so cute.
Oh my goodness, he loves to play in mirrors. He gets just absolutely tickled, says "oooooh, oooooh, oooooh", cackles, waves his arms, kicks his feet, and kisses the mirror. Mamaw has the cutest video of him going nuts in a mirror at Dillard's, but I can't get it to upload. I'll keep working on that in my *spare time* to see if I can get it to work. It's precious!
Aunt C figured out that if you blow in Logan's face, he'll stick his tongue out. Again, sheer cuteness and so funny.
His little pincer grasp is getting much more refined.
He's teething big time! Drool, drool, chew, chew. We give him teething tablets when he seems extra uncomfortable or fussy, which seems to help. I feel such pride for them when they finally cut a tooth, but also for me & Todd, because we survived another bout of teething! Ha!
He likes to stand at his activity toy (we call it Baby Land). Of course, he holds on and moves (walks), but he also picks up one foot to kick the hanging objects. He's showing off his increased coordination.
He has 4 teeth, and working on 2 more on the top.

Logan waiting for his turn to get his jammas.
We all know how much I like pictures of babies sleeping in weird places and positions.
NathanGood job, Nathan. Mommy likes this picture.

Nathan is a little monkey. I have said how much he clings when he is held. He's a total Mama's boy and will always reach for me if I'm near. If he sees me with Logan, he'll dart to me and push his way into my lap. This makes one-on-one time difficult, but it's cute.
He bites! (Ha!) If you saw the video of him with Great Granny, then you saw him in action. Those teeth are sharp. He usually bites my shoulder or neck, but has also been known to bite ankles, knees and tummies. We're working on stopping that.
He babbles and laughs a lot. He's getting consonant sounds and "mama" "dadada" out pretty well. When he waves, he makes sounds that are like "hi".
He's a climber. Well, he tries to climb.
He's a risk-taker. He is transitioning well from one object to another when cruising. He has stood alone (not holding on) a couple of times for a few seconds.
He has 5 teeth, and is working on 1 more on top, the best I can tell.
Nathan is sick. He woke up with yellow gunk in his eye. He quickly went downhill and looked more and more pitiful as the morning wore on. He saw Dr. Hassel this afternoon and is on 2 antibiotics for a double eye infection and sinus infection. Fingers crossed that Logan doesn't get it, too.

Nathan on the move!

Hi Happy Nathan! :-)

Until Tomorrow...

2010-07-22T23:15:00.002-05:00

I intended to have the boys' 10 month blog up today, but it will have to wait. So, in the mean time, I hope you enjoy these little videos of Nathan.

Loving on Great Granny!! :-)

Teasing Rollei

Aunt Linda

2010-07-16T21:53:00.003-05:00

Sadly, my Aunt Linda died yesterday evening. She has battled cancer and other health problems for the past few years. She had a bone marrow transplant about a year ago. After struggling to heal after the transplant, she found peace last night, and will never have to suffer again.

My family appreciates all the the kind sentiments of sympathy that have been offered. We will certainly miss Linda very much. I am praying for her husband, Uncle Tony, and her daughter, Lyndsi, as they deal with tremendous grief right now.

Lyndsi just graduated from high school as salutatorian of her class, and plans to attend Sam in the fall. We are so very proud of her, and she is such a strong young lady. Please pray for her as she deals with the loss of her mother during a time of transition in her life.

Steven, Don't Be Mad!

2010-07-15T22:38:00.003-05:00

I frequently read Kelly's Korner. Every Friday she does a "Show Us Your Life" theme where other readers can link up to share about whatever the topic is that week, be it home decor, wedding photos, your ministry, etc. This week, the theme is "Show Us Your Single Boys". So, with a little fear of the repercussions and a little hope, I've decided to participate.

I nominate my brother, Steven. I'll keep his list of stats short for this, but he is 32, lives in Texas, is a strong Christian, holds a master's degree from Abilene Christian University, loves outdoor activities and sports, and will be a great catch for the girl God has planned for him.

If you are interested in me playing matchmaker, please leave a comment or email me at natjoacu {at} hotmail {dot} com.

Update on Dad

2010-07-12T20:52:00.002-05:00

We got a few pieces of good news on Dad recently. His last tests showed that the tumor in his lung is smaller. Also, the doctors are very pleased with the reduction of cancer cells (menengitis) in his spinal fluid. They are, again, reducing the frequency of chemotherapy that is put in the port under his scalp (Ommaya), to once every other week.

Dad had his most recent round of Chemo (IV and Ommaya) this past Thursday. Typically, these treatments slow him down significantly for about a day. This time, he has felt rather puny (my word) for about 3 days. He is feeling better today.

He does not have any treatments scheduled for next week, which I'm sure he's happy about! We are all very thankful for bits of good news from his doctors about his progress. Of course, we are also happy that Dad is not suffering horrible side effects from the treatments. He feels pretty good most of the time.

Thank you to everyone that asks about Dad and to so many that are praying for him and encouraging him. Please keep the prayers going for him and also for Mom.

Vacation-ish

2010-07-10T22:49:00.009-05:00

We visited family for vacation this year.

We started off visiting Todd's mom, Alicia, in Fort Worth. The drive was fine, but the rain followed us from Houston. Logan did not sleep much that first night. I was up with him many times, and one time for a 2-hour stretch. Not fun! But, despite the lack of sleep, the next day was fun. Todd and I went to Six Flags Over Texas! (No pics of Six Flags.)

Cousins!!

We had no idea how much getting into Six Flags for a day was going to cost. Found out very quickly that it's way expensive! Luckily, though, I remembered seeing a coupon to enter the park at the children's rate on the coupon app on my Droid! So awesome because they accepted the coupon on my phone and the savings nearly paid for our phone service for the month!

Six Flags was great fun. We rode rides, ate too much, and loved spending the time together, just the 2 of us. (Alicia and Julia kept the twins. Thankyouverymuch!) Unfortunately, the rain came in the late afternoon, so we decided to leave. It was a great day!

Next, we headed to Abilene. My sister and her husband let us use their house as a hotel for several days. (K1 & K2, thanks for letting us use your room!) Nathan had a couple nights of crying. One night, in particular, I was up with him so much that I only got about 1 hour of sleep. Ugh! Todd definitely took his turn rocking Nathan many times during the night that few days, too.Todd and I really enjoy visiting the places we used to frequent when we were dating in college. We walked around ACU, went to the zoo, ate out at many of our favorite places, did a family photo shoot (by Todd's mentor), saw K1 practice her Kajukembo (she's about to test for her black belt!) and visited with friends. (Jayme, there are no words for how great it was to spend time with you.) Except for the sleepless nights, our time in Abilene always feels too short.

K1 at Kajukembo.

Our last stop, on the way home, was in Cleburne to visit Todd's grandma, Pat. We were so happy to see her and she was especially happy to love on Logan and Nathan. We didn't do much while we were in Cleburne, other than go out to eat and hang around Grandma's house, but we had a great time. Everyone slept soundly there. I slept in after 10 one morning!

Great Grandma Pat

On that note (about sleeping in), I have to give major brownie points to Todd. That man is so good to me and such a super-fabulous Daddy! He has been getting up with the boys in the mornings. He feeds them, dresses them, and plays with them before I even stir. Seriously! He says that he likes spending the time with the guys, he doesn't mind, he likes the mornings, and he knows that I love to sleep in. I'm majorly spoiled!!! (But, I feel guilty, so I'm getting up to help with breakfast now...)

Valencia

2010-07-10T22:23:00.003-05:00

This giveaway, over at The Frugal Novice, reminded me of the fabulous stay Todd and I had at The Valencia Hotel on the Riverwalk in San Antonio for our honeymoon... only 7 years ago!

Shoplifting, Snakes, and Other not so Important Matters

2010-06-27T22:00:00.007-05:00

Nathan and Logan are constantly working on their sharing skills. They switch toys and pacifiers very often, and sometimes the transaction occurs without incident. The rest of the time, well, you can imagine the angry baby fussing that happens. What's happening here, is that I am raising thieves. In fact, one twin, despite his young age, innocent appearance, and perfect upbringing, is officially a shoplifter. Yes, little Logan stole a brown and tan striped dinosaur T-shirt from the Carter's outlet on Thursday. You can only imagine the horror and disappointment this Mama had when I discovered that Logan had hidden this shirt in the stroller, behind his back. When I unloaded the stroller and found the shirt, I hurried back into the store, apologized on his behalf, and paid for it. Logan was lucky that the nice lady, who had earlier commented on his cuteness (not knowing, of course, what he was up to), did not call the police. Whew! Logan, that was a close one.

I heard the Rollei Snake Bark the other day. Now, sometimes this bark is really just a Stink Bug Bark/Bird Bark/I'm a Beagle Bark. We keep a hoe by the back door, so I grabbed it on my way to find the stink bug. Since Rollei has been bitten by copperheads 3 times (and each one costs us a small fortune in Vet fees), we usually run to make sure it's not a snake. Well, I'm glad I checked, because, sure enough, we found a stinker that looked a lot like this curled up by the fence, and posed to strike!

(Photo from Google Images.)

Todd hurried out, took the hoe from me, and chopped his head off. That's what we do with snakes around here. We chop their heads off, and throw them over the fence to warn the others.

I mentioned in the 9 month post that Nathan likes to get into Rollei's water bowl. Here's some pictures and a short video to prove it... We finally put up gates. We have some more baby proofing to do. We especially need to block off the (*ahem*) fireplace.

We got to attend another special event at Aunt Paula and Uncle Mike's beautiful home on Friday. We had a great time celebrating your birthday, Uncle Mike! :-)

Party Animals!!!

9 Months Old!

2010-06-23T22:15:00.004-05:00

Here are the twins -- 9 months old! SLOW DOWN!!!

Here's what's going on with both of the boys this month:

They eat 3 meals and one snack a day.

They wear size 12 month clothes, but will need 18 month soon.

They wear size 3 diapers.

They are both on the move! Watch out, Rollei!

They love to pull up the edge of their play mat and chew on it or use it as a whip.

They are so much fun!!!

Logan

Stats:

23 lb., 2 oz. - 80th percentile
30 in. long - 90th percentile
46 1/2 cm. head circumference - 75th percentile

Logan is still the more subdued of the two. He is talking more now, with his favorite 'word' being "ooowww" like he's hurting (but he's not). He still has perfect form to crawl and if finally moving forward. He likes to laugh at his brother and is easily entertained by Rollei. He likes Baby Einstein videos, but, as a rule, I only let them watch one video a day. (Guesses as to why?!?) His hair is getting long and unruly. He likes to play with his toys, but has recently been drawn to the stacking cups and things with strings. He studies his surroundings. His fine motor skills are becoming more developed and he is getting better at picking up and putting his cereal puffs in his mouth. He is a good eater, but has decided that he likes to blow raspberries -a lot - when we give him a bite. Fun for him; not so much for us. We haven't been working on this much, but he PULLED UP on his own first! When it's time to sleep, I will rock him for a few minutes to see that he will close his eyes and act sleepy, then I put him in his bed and he will generally go right to sleep on his own. At this moment, he has 2 teeth on the bottom and one that is about to cut on the top. Logan is laid back, happy, not a big cuddler, loves to give big kisses, and is oh so sweet!

NathanStats:

21 lb., 13 3/4 oz. - 75th percentile
29 1/2 in. - 90th percentile
46 1/2 cm. head circumference - 75th percentile

The best way I know to describe Nathan is 'a spaz'! This is what we went through to get a picture of him. It's also the reason his alone picture was taken in my lap.

Nathan is our go-getter. He is always on the move, and quick, at that. He has a great army-type crawl. We have to really watch out or we will find him in Rollei's water bowl, trying to go out Rollei's door, or down the hall in our bedroom! He pretty much does everything with gusto. He also is very entertained by Rollei. Rollei moves whenever he sees either of the boys reach out to 'pet' him. Nathan has figured out that if he waves a burp rag in Rollei's face, he will try to take it from him and 'play'. This really tickles Nathan and he'll just laugh and laugh! Another game Nathan likes to play is throwing things on the ground to get us to pick it up over and over. I know this is developmental, but it funny to see the interest he gets out of it. Like his brother, he also blows raspberries when we give him bites, and he does the same 'go to sleep' routine as Logan. Nathan likes to practice walking. When he is held, he's a major clinger. He'll hold on and hug so tight! At the moment, he has 5 teeth; 2 on bottom, 3 on top, and he likes to bite my neck when I hold him. Nathan is a big smiler, full of energy and spunk, and a precious little guy.

And now for some more pictures...

Todd on Father's Day!
Father's day: Todd & Logan
Nathan practicing walking with Mommy.
Wednesday night dinner with Mom & Dad (We love Los Vega!) Update on Dad coming soon!
We got to meet our friends', Grean and Jay's new baby boy, Everett. Oh my goodness, is he not just precious?! And doesn't Geran look great? (I looked like, well, not at all great after the boys!) Congratulations!!

Another First: Swimming

2010-06-17T18:20:00.003-05:00

The boys loved swimming today! They splashed, kicked, and floated like little champs. They also liked to lunge forward to suck on the float and try to drink the water...oops.

Nathan smiled and babbled the whole time. Such an excited little boy having a fun time!

Logan had fun, too, but he got tired really fast. He kept trying to nod off. It was really funny and cute.
We got them home by snack time, 4:00, and they were soooo tired. We bathed them really fast then fed them their bottles. Logan drank his bottle with his eyes closed. Swimming leads to a great afternoon nap!

Protestant Efficiency

2010-06-16T21:41:00.004-05:00

Look what we found when we brought the boys home from church tonight!

(Logan. And would you look at that chubby belly, too?! Cute.)

What a cute surprise. I love it!!!

I also love that the boys get to go to Bible Class on Wednesday nights. It's not just nursery; they have lesson time, and their teacher is AMAZING! :-)

Some Progress And A Great Find

2010-06-15T22:33:00.007-05:00

A couple of projects on our list have been completed.

First, the deck. Todd added railing for the boys' safety. It took him a few days to finish. I stained it.
I painted our front door. Not a big job, but it took 3 coats (one was primer), and since it was high gloss paint and high humidity, it took 2 days. It was the same color as the siding. So much more welcoming now, huh? (Not really.... But I like the dark brown better.)
The Frugal Novice had a link to the Healthy Home Blog for a giveaway for a $50 gift card to Family Dollar. I rarely shop there, but thought I would check it out. Turns out, Family Dollar has a new clothing line for children called Kidgets. I entered the giveaway, and I printed the $1 off coupons for the clothes. (I printed 4; should have printed more.) So, I stopped by FD today, on the way home from lunch out with friends, and found many cute outfits for the boys. Some of them are 3-piece, and every outfit was $6 or under! I got 2 of each outfit, but now we have more khaki shorts than we really need. Oh well. I feel like I did pretty good.

Summer = Projects

2010-06-12T22:41:00.002-05:00

We have so many little projects that need to be worked on at the house. We are chipping away at the list, but things are happening more slowly than usual with our 'little distractions'. I'm the type that wants to get all the work done, then have fun. I don't want to worry about what needs to be done at home while I'm supposed to be enjoying fun times out of the house. I'm afraid, though, that we'll spend so many days accomplishing our work that we will not have enough summer days to enjoy the things we really want to do, like go to Galveston, spend days at the pool, go on picnics, go bowling, etc.
All of that being said, stay tuned for reports on the little projects that are being done!

Their Granddad

2010-06-11T22:05:00.003-05:00

We invited Todd's dad over for supper tonight.
Todd grilled some hamburgers, and we had a great time just eatin', chattin', & chillin'.
Nathan & Logan loved being loved on by Granddad!!!
It's strange that we actually live rather close to their Granddad and Kay, but our lives are so busy that we rarely get together. So, seeing Granddad tonight was a real treat! :-)
And now a cute picture of Nathan from yesterday. He likes to take the edge off of their play mat and use it as a chewey, or in this case, a whip! Ha!
***Sorry about the red eye... I forgot to edit before uploading the pics.

Going Backward

2010-06-10T22:37:00.003-05:00

Logan has his crawling position down pat.
He rocks on his hands and knees, and tries to move forward.
But, he doesn't know to move his hands, so he just pushes himself backward.
So, after crawling backward for a while, he inevitably gets stuck somewhere.
He's starting to move forward a little more, recently. He'll get there!

Since we're talking about Logan...
He's working really hard on getting that second tooth through. Major chewing, drooling, and fussing going on! He's also a little congested with a cough and icky nose. But, he's still smiling and giggling big! :-)

Remembrance & Celebration

2010-06-07T20:49:00.008-05:00

Last weekend was very busy with family events.Every year, Dad's side of the family has a day of remembrance for Grandpa & Grandma. We met in Rosenberg to eat at Larry's Original Mexican Restaurant. We tried to feed the boys their lunch, but that did not go very smoothly. I think they were too distracted. After eating, we quickly stopped by the courthouse where Grandma worked when she first met Grandpa. Next, we visited the cemetery. The boys were asleep in the car at this point, so we didn't bother getting them out. Last, we went to the family farm. We flew kites, played horseshoes and card games, swung on a horse tire swing, and just relaxed on the covered slab. It was a pretty warm day, but Aunt Pat took extra strides to keep us cool by providing the awning over the slab, fans, drinks, and snacks. Actually, I'm sure everybody brought different things to provide for the comfort and enjoyment of others. Thanks, family, for a great day!That's a silly face, Nathan!

Sunday was a day of celebration! Aunt Paula hosted (in her beautiful home) a 40th anniversary party for my mom and dad. (BIG THANK YOU, Paula!!) It was a great day. They had a nice turnout of many special friends and family. Todd was sick and could not be at the party and I didn't do a good job of taking pictures. The boys were passed around and loved every minute of it, I'm sure. Nathan found rest in the arms of another mommy-of-twins, cousin Ann.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

I am so inspired by Mom & Dad's commitment to each other. Marriage is a blessing with many joyous times and trying times, too. They have displayed a great example of love and marriage to me and Todd. Congratulations on 40 years!

** Hopefully I can find the time to do another blog soon. So busy around here! (And it's not the Droid's fault, Grandma! :-)

The video

2010-05-28T23:02:00.005-05:00

8 Months (last week... oops!)

2010-05-27T21:51:00.003-05:00

At 8 months old, both boys:

have a tooth!
scoot all over the place!
babble, laugh, cackle
went to Sulphur Springs for the third time
went to their first graduation ceremony (Cousin Lyndsi - salutatorian!)
eat almost anything, except avocados, and they're just warming up to chicken
do not like to be on their backs. Diaper changing is no easy task!
love Rollei! They get so excited when they see him, and reach out for him!
interact with each other.

Time to baby-proof?!?In other news...
I WON! Remember the wallet? I got it in the mail about a week ago and I absolutely love it! It's perfect for the envelope system that we use.

Todd's cousin, Phil, and his wife, Melissa, just welcomed boy/girl twins into the family. They were born early, at 31 weeks, and are in the NICU. They are doing well! :-)

The boys' 8 Month video that I posted on facebook has been uploading to this blog all morning. Really, I started it at 8:00 and it's almost 3:00 now. Time to call it quits... I'll try a different route later.

Hope to see many of you THIS SUNDAY for Mom & Dad's 40th Anniversary Celebration!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-19T11:22:00.003-05:00

This time last year... (19 weeks!)

Bug Bash

2010-05-17T15:36:00.004-05:00

Sunday, we went to the 20th Annual Monumental Bug Bash at San Jacinto. Dad goes nearly every year and usually takes a VW with him to show. This was our first time to tag along, and I'm glad we did.
We checked out almost all of the 175 VWs that were there, ate a picnic lunch under the trees, and just enjoyed the day. The weather was perfect!
Dad had fun talking to others about his car and their cars. He's well know in the VW crowd as "Dr. Vintage", and not for no reason!
I think the boys had a good time, too. They ate lunch, then played on a quilt under the trees until they got a little fussy and Mamaw put them to sleep. I think they were very impressed with the cars, too. :-) All 4 of us wore our Bug Bands and stayed bug bite free. Next time, I will put sunscreen on the boys, too. Nathan got a little red on his arm. I got red, but am glad I can prove that I was in the sun!
We rode on a ferry on the way home. This was Todd's and the boys first ferry ride!

Oh, and one of the best parts of the day, aside from having good family time, was that Dad won "Best in Show" with his '52 Split! Way to go, Dad! So totally awesome!! He gets to add this cool trophy to his collection! :-)

Brought to you by the letter S...

2010-05-12T15:19:00.004-05:00

Sunday, my first Mother's Day, was great! Before we left for church, Todd and the boys gave me 2 cards (one from them, one from him) and 2 pair of silver James Avery stud earrings. Todd chose studs so that the boys have less to tug on than my hoops. One pair is hearts, "to represent the love", and one pair is roses, so he could "give me flowers that will never die". How sweet! Several friends and family gave me cards, too. (Thanks very much!) We had plans to go out to eat after church, but my brother, Steven, was in town and ended up grilling steaks for everyone at Mom & Dad's house. The whole day was extra special!!

I ordered some things for the boys and have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of these new items. Finally, the UPS man delivered the shipment of loot yesterday...

Our new STROLLER!! Yay! I did lots of research, got opinions from twin mommies, and took a test-drive at Babies R Us, then ordered a COMBI TWIN SPORT! So far, I love it! I would list the pros, but will spare you the long list and just say that when Nathan fell asleep in it today on our walk, it totally paid for itself!

Since the babies in this house have some fat feet, I have a little difficulty finding shoes that fit. I ordered these Robeez sandals that will, hopefully, go with everything and last through the summer. I really like them!

An Invitation

2010-05-09T16:07:00.002-05:00

The children of

Tim and Rhonda Drachenberg

cordially invite you
to join with family and friends
in celebrating their

40th Wedding Anniversary

On Sunday, the thirtieth of May
two thousand ten
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm.

To be held at the home of

Mike and Paula Drachenberg:

Please email me at natjoacu {at} hotmail {dot} com for the address.

No gifts please.

Lofty Weekend

2010-05-08T15:35:00.006-05:00

Todd has been so busy with his photography and Senior portraits this year! On some Saturdays, I've needed to get out with the boys so he can do a photo shoot, a proofing, or just let him catch on processing, editing, printing, and ordering without being bothered. The business is all-consuming this time of year!
So, in an effort to get out of the way, we got to spend last Saturday with Aunt Pat at her new loft! She hasn't furnished the place the way she intends to yet. We had a great time playing with the boys and enjoying the awesome view! We went out to lunch and went by 3 Brother's Bakery for a few loafs of rye bread. We could have gone to the zoo, but I think that will work out better another time.
Here are a few pictures from that day...

Nathan, Logan

Hasty Haircut

2010-05-07T22:56:00.003-05:00

Todd was free Tuesday afternoon. My hair was pretty long (for me) and my favorite hair lady is by appointment only, and about 30 minutes away. Not easy to schedule with the boys. Anyway, there's a new, nice place just down the road that I ran to as a walk-in that afternoon. Can you guess where this is going?...

I asked the receptionist if they require an appointment. She assigned me a hairdresser that was available. We went back to her station and I tried to describe what I wanted. She just agreed. Didn't say much. Washed, started cutting, then I started to realize that this woman DOESN'T UNDERSTAND ENGLISH! Seriously, she only spoke very broken English. She was primarily Spanish-speaking and obviously had no comprehension of my description of what I wanted or anything else I tried to say.

The cut was nothing like what I asked for, except for the approximate length. In fact, it looked just like the cut I had when I was 10 years old, only poofier!

Is it unreasonable to expect that, in a profession that is dependent on clear communication and understanding, it would better serve the customer if the employee could speak and understand the customer's language; especially if it is English... In America!?

In the end, I scheduled an appointment with my regular hairdresser, didn't leave the house for 3 days, and finally got it fixed today. I paid for 2 haircuts in one week, but I learned my lesson. I'm considering writing a letter to the first place about this, but don't want to come across as hateful or prejudice, which is not how I feel or want to be.

What are your thoughts?

Good News About Dad

2010-05-05T21:59:00.007-05:00

As you all know, Dad was diagnosed with Malignant Meningitis a while back (cancer cells in his spinal fluid). He has had chemo placed directly into a port under his scalp (Ommaya) twice weekly, then it was changed to once weekly. He recently had additional testing, specifically to determine the effectiveness of this treatment, and found out today that the "brain doctor" is very pleased with the outcome of the treatment! So pleased, in fact, that he reduced the Ommaya to biweekly treatments!

Recently his IV chemo treatment needed to be changed. He was getting a chemo that was administered just once a month. They changed the IV chemo drug, and he now receives this new treatment once a week for three weeks on, then one week off.

He continues to take his chemo pill, Tarceva, daily.

Dad has been in very good spirits and has been having many good days with energy and a hearty appetite for food. It seems like every time I call, he's busy!

We are so thankful for all of your support as Dad goes through this cancer journey. As always, thank you for your prayers!

**Please stay tuned for a celebration invitation!**

The Todd & Natalie Show

Santa Pictures

Shut Down

A Little Spinning and Singing Before Bed

The Camera Phone

A Perfectly Wonderful Day at the Zoo

Halloween 2011

So… The Peas

Jumpapalooza!

For My Mom

Business Travel

More Summer Funtivities

A long (unintentional) break

This is a test… because of error 504

The Aquarium

Just Rambling

Watermelon

Vegas!!

Nikki’s Vacation

DeMontrond Volkswagen Show

North Houston VW Club Honors Tim Drachenberg

Conversation with a Mom of Twins

The Zoo

Blogligation

Time to Pray

Climb & Slide

Pretending Together

Painting with a Twist

A Typical Day with my Twins

Flowers for Mommy

Bugs Outside

Snack Time

Livestock Show

A New Baby

Going Out…

Pow Pow Power Wheels!

Things that end with -ing

They Got Mail

For My Sister

TMEA

More About Goodbye

Saying Goodbye

I did a Christmas Post

Talent Show

Trike Push

Merry Christmas!

Logan Walks

Cheerios Overboard

He Dropped His Pants!

Breaking All the Rules

I K E A And the Case of the Missing Stroller

Halloweened

Nathan Walks

Pumpkin Patch

12 Months Old

First Haircuts

They Saved the Day!

It’s the Little Things

Windows Live Writer

Testing, testing

Party!

Wagon

1 Year Ago

Completely Oblivious

Swinging & Eating - Not at the same time.

11 Months

Twin Friends

Update on Dad

10 Months

Until Tomorrow...

Aunt Linda

Steven, Don't Be Mad!

Update on Dad

Vacation-ish

Valencia

Shoplifting, Snakes, and Other *not so* Important Matters

9 Months Old!

Another First: Swimming

Protestant Efficiency

Some Progress And A Great Find

Shoplifting, Snakes, and Other not so Important Matters