Hodge Podge

We've been out and about doing lots of fun stuff this summer, but it seems like I've been too consumed with the sleeping (non-sleeping) situation to take or post many pictures. So......here is a hodge podge of our fun, some taken with my cell phone (terrible quality) and the rest from various other sources.

Last weekend, we took the kids to the Ft. Worth Zoo. This is the zoo that I visited when I was growing up, but I hadn't been there in probably 15 years. It was awesome! We all loved it and to top it off, Vandaddy and Mimi bought us a season pass! The zoo is about an hour and 15 minutes from our house, but is literally just down the road from all of the Texas grandparents. So, we had lots of helping hands. Pete and I just pushed the empty stroller while Grandma, Vandaddy and Mimi spoiled Gavin and Emery!

Emery catching a ride on Vandaddy's shoulders.

Checking out the animals with Dad.

Taking a ride on the wild side.

Earlier this summer, we took a tour of a local Fire Station with my Twin's Club. We checked out the fire trucks, toured the facility (very nice, brand new fire station) and watched the firemen slide down the poles.

Not wanting to stay still for a picture with Dad.

The whole group (Gavin and Emery on the front row.) . Lots of kiddos!

A few days ago, Pete and I had the bright idea to take the kids for their first ice cream cone. It started off ok, but went downhill fast. Emery wanted to hold her ice cream cone, but wouldn't eat it. She would only eat spoonfuls of Gavin's ice cream. Meanwhile, her ice cream was melting in her hand. Each time we took it from her to take a bite (and minimize the mess), she would FLIP OUT. We made a quick exit after about 5 minutes. On the bright side, Pete and I got to finish off most of the ice cream, which was really good!

Holding chocolate, eating cookies 'n cream.

Gavin was a pro!

The meltdown.

Anyone that knows us, knows that we make A LOT of trips to Home Depot and Lowe's. It seems like we're always in the middle of a project. Gavin and Emery love the double "car carts" at these stores, at least for a few minutes. One, or both of them usually end up bailing out of the cart to help us shop. Gavin's favorite department is the lighting and ceiling fan section. He gets SO excited and can stay on these aisles for an hour, just pointing at each lamp, lamp shade, chandelier, and ceiling fan. It's hilarious.

Finally, we checked out a small but fun Children's Museum nearby. They have an awesome wooden train that the kids can crawl through and this huge wooden pirate ship that was a big hit!

Just for fun........

23 weeks pregnant with Gavin and Emery.........


23 weeks pregnant this time around.........

Throwing in the towel

After a week with two car beds, I'm ready to throw in the towel. We've had to move someone to the crib in the guest room every single night. Most nights it was Gavin. The one night that Gavin actually fell asleep in the car bed, Emery was determined to wake him up, so she was sent to the guest room. We've tried moving Gavin back to his room after he's sleeping. On these nights, he's been up at 6:30am the next morning, standing over Emery to make sure that she's also awake. On top of all of this, naps have been VERY VERY short (less than 45 minutes today!). I honestly don't care if they get up at 5:30 every day and take 30 minute naps, as long as they aren't crazed maniacs throughout the day!

So, after much consideration, we're not going to force the issue. We are giving Gavin one chance each night to sleep in his bedroom, but the first time he gets out of bed he goes to the crib in the guest room. I just don't think he's ready yet. The temptation is too much for him! We've spent hours and hours giving warnings, returning kids to their beds, and have even tried positive reinforcement (bribery). Emery is pretty good at staying in bed and even points Gavin back to his bed when he is wandering around the room. She likes her space and does not like Gavin to be near her bed!

We've been worried about them sleeping in separate rooms because we will need the other bedroom when the baby is born. After thinking about it, the baby will probably sleep in our room for the first few months, which gives us 6 months or so to transition Gavin back to his bedroom. Maybe a few months will make all the difference. I REALLY hope so!

On top of this, they are both getting their 2 year molars, constantly chewing on their fingers, lots of crankiness, and probably part of the reason for the short naps!

Speaking of naps, Gavin and Emery FINALLY dropped their morning nap and are now taking one nap a day! Once we put the extra shades on the windows (when they were still sleeping in cribs), they fell asleep faster and seemed to sleep better at night. Until this week, they were taking almost 2 hour naps each day. Gavin even slept 3 hours a couple of times! They have never taken a 3 hour nap before this and 2 hour naps were very rare. It was great......while it lasted. Now, I've got to figure out why the heck these kids aren't sleeping!

So, that's why I haven't posted anything in almost a week. I'm TIRED!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

EDITED TO ADD: Gavin just woke up screaming in his bed after being asleep for an hour 1/2. I gave him some tylenol and sat with him for a few minutes before putting him back in bed. It's gotta be the molars! Maybe we're just fighting too many battles at once. We could make it really interesting and start potty training this week too!

Cars, Cars, Cars..........

I used to joke with Pete that he was going to have to park one of his "project cars" in the dining room because there just wasn't enough room in the garage and/or driveway. In this house, we're lucky enough to have a workshop where he can keep all of his toys, but now we have a parking lot in the kid's bedroom! :-) Yes, we now have TWO car beds. They are HUGE and take up almost the whole room!

Over the years, I've also harped on Pete to clean out some of the MANY car magazines around the house. Then, I see this and I realize that I might as well get used to it!

Fashion Statement

I can only imagine what it will be like when she's 13...........

It's a.........

With all of the birthday excitement and toddler bed drama, I skipped over something pretty important! We are having a BOY! We found out at my ultrasound several weeks ago.

Here he is laying on his back with his knees in his face........

Pete and I were amazed at the difference in a twin ultrasound and a singleton (one baby) ultrasound. You can see so much more when they're not fighting for space! He's just hanging out in there without being punched or kicked in the face by his brother or sister! :-)

When Finger Painting Goes Wrong.......

What it's like to be me.......

Just thought I'd share a 10 minute period of our glamorous life.........

Last night before bedtime, I turned around to see Emery throwing a used diaper away in the kitchen trash can. It took me off guard because I didn't remember changing a diaper recently. I look a little closer and realized that she had taken her diaper off and was "wearing" a swim diaper, with both legs through one leg hole. As we were laughing at her (because what else can you do at that point), she took off the swim diaper and ran. Pete walked into the playroom after her just as Gavin ran across the room, slid in a huge puddle of Emery's pee, and hit his head on the hard wood floor. Gavin of course screamed and the back of his head was soaked with pee, along with the rest of his pee-splashed clothes. I picked up Gavin, so then I was ALSO covered in pee. Meanwhile, Pete was trying to wrangle in naked Emery, while wiping up the puddle on the floor. At least it wasn't poop and at least it wasn't on the carpet......although I guess that would have saved Gavin poor head!

Moral of the story.....if you see a naked toddler, don't spend time laughing. Get a new diaper and some duct tape!

Toddler Beds- Day 3

So far we've got a 50% success rate. This means that one kid (Emery) has been sleeping peacefully in the new bed and the other (Gavin) has been moved to the crib in the guest bedroom. All three nights, we've given them about an hour in the same room, but end up separating them before someone or something is broken. Tonight, I thought we were getting closer. Emery was SO ready to go to sleep, but Gavin was determined to keep her awake.......stealing her blanket, jumping on her head, and anything else he could think of. So.......off he went to the other room.

I think the car bed is helping AND hurting us. The kids LOVE it, so they are excited to go to bed "in the car". The obvious problem is that we only have 1 car bed! So, I've been shopping on Craig's List for a duplicate. I don't know that this is the answer, but I definitely think it will help. Plus, I feel so bad at nap time sending Gavin to the guest bedroom while he BEGS to sleep in the car bed.

Emery might be giving me a hard time one day because she grew up sleeping in a blue race car bed. I guess I'll just be sure to put pink sheets on it! :-)

Birthday Party- 2 years old!

Warning: Lots of pictures!

Gavin and Emery woke up on their birthday to find two presents that Pete has spent weeks making for them. First, a kid's size table and chair.......

The table is made from a scrap of Corian (very sturdy counter top material) that we got from Pete's brother and from wood taken from the window sills of the house in Indiana during some renovations. It even has a drawer for storing Gavin's cars. The kids love that part! The chair came from the nursery at my Dad's church when they replaced the furniture. Pete sanded and stained it to match the table.

Next, a doll bed for Emery's dolls. Now I just need to try to remember how to use my sewing machine, so I can make some bedding.........

They were both a hit right away!

Later that morning, Grandparents started filing in with an obscene amount of presents. These kids have so many toys it's ridiculous!

Opening cute clothes sent from Grandma Penny in Pennsylvania.......

Then, Thomas the train sets from Vandaddy and Susie!

Emery got a quick diva makeover.......

While Gavin concentrated on Thomas and his friends......

After dinner, we headed outside for birthday cupcakes. As you will notice, I do not throw elaborate birthday parties. We're pretty simple around here, but I think the kids still had fun. Look closely and maybe you can make out the names........

Gavin loving that everyone was singing Happy Birthday to him. Emery VERY ready to blow out those candles!

Making a wish......

And finally, digging in.......

They loved the icing and the mini M&M's on top, but didn't care as much for the cake. So, they would eat the top and then trade it in for a new one. Yes, they were on a sugar high after that!

There was icing everywhere! Even all over Emery's brand new Cozy Coupe. Gavin was borrowing it for a moment, but Emery hasn't let that happen since!

And finally, the trampoline from Grandma and Grandpa!

They quickly got the hang of it. Emery jumped until she literally couldn't stand up! She was exhausted!

Just a bonus Cozy Coupe picture because I thought it was cute.......

Toddler Beds, Day 1

I'm psyching myself up for a LONG week. The toddler beds are in full force. Since we were up late last night nursing Gavin's itchy feet (due to playing in an ant pile this weekend), the kids were especially cranky this morning. So, I decided to put them down for a short morning nap. Emery wasn't happy about nap time and was throwing a fit when Pete put her in bed. A couple minutes later, I decided to check the video monitor......I had to look twice because it looked like she was standing on her head! I ran into her room to find her hanging upside down in the corner of her crib, with her leg stuck (bent at the knee over the top of the crib) between the wall and the side rail of the crib! Luckily, Pete heard my reaction to what I saw on the monitor and followed me into her room. He was able to slide the crib away from the way so that I could rescue her. I put her back into the crib after she calmed down, but she immediately tried to climb out. So......nap time was spent on the couch today.


By the time their afternoon nap rolled around, toddler beds had been set up and we were ready for a trial run. We used one crib converted to a toddler bed with the bed rail that Pete made. The other crib was kept intact and moved into the guest bedroom, where Gavin takes his nap. For Gavin's bed, we used a Little Tykes car bed that was handed down from Gavin and Emery's cousin, Christian. I was afraid that this would create some issues because everyone would want to sleep in the car bed, and no one in the converted crib........and I was right!

The toddler room......

Not bad for a free bed rail, huh?Don't let them fool you.......they were just "pretending" to sleep........

Nap time with just Emery in the room went great. After one reminder that she needed to get back in bed, she grabbed all of her blankets and stuffed animals, climbed into the car bed and took a nice, long nap. No problem!

Now, it is bedtime. After going in to settle them down 784 times (exaggerating a little), Gavin has been moved to the crib in the guest room. Both settled in and are going to sleep, Emery in the car bed and Gavin in the crib. I guess separating them is the way to go for now. Baby steps, right??

This is where I am reminded that having twins is STILL more challenging when it comes to some things!