Flash back friday...

I need to picture this today. I wish I could jump back in time and enjoy these moments more feel them all over again.

We went to Hawaii when the twins were 13 months old. Lindsey was 6 and Jacob was 3.
To everyone including myself this seemed like an ill-fated plan. Believe me my expectations were not very high. I was still nursing the girls and the thought of managing to make it through the plane flight was enough to make me not want to go.
When we arrived in Hawaii what I found was amazing. We stayed in a condo right on the beach. I could sit in the sand outside the girls window while Jacob and the girls napped! The girls were so tired they slept like a dream. I spent my days enjoying every minute.



As with any vacation there were a few disasters....

I took a picture of my sister/brother in law. While kneeling in the surf it overtook me and I quickly put her cheapo camera out of harms way. Sounds wise until you learn that my brand new expensive camera was hanging on my neck underwater. Yeah some tears were shed about that one.This picture cost me a lot!

Alan jumped off a cliff and seriously injured his ear. He was in pain the whole rest of the visit (this happened on day 2). Which resulted in two emergency doctor visits. It ruined his ability to do anything.
Last but certainly not least occurred mostly without my personal witness. On the return trip we were flying into LAX and driving home. Alan and I had purchased tickets for ourselves and the twins knowing a long flight and long drive home would be too much. As we were getting checked in we were offered a direct flight home bypassing LAX. It was a emotionally decision for me to separate from Lindsey and Jacob and leave them to fly home with their Grandparents and sister/brother in law. I was actually in tears. With Alan's ear he had been given medicine to hope to avoid it rupturing under the pressure of landing etc. A direct flight was much better for this so we did it. The flight was long and my arms nearly broke off holding the sleeping baby. I thought it was bad. Upon landing I called to see if they had made it to LAX only to find they had not left Maui at all. Flight cancelled left 2 hrs on the plane waiting. No more flights available. They were not given luggage or any personal items. The airport was closed and there was nothing done. They were left stranded at the airport for almost 2 days before Delta got them out. No compensation. No luggage! My niece was also just one was there sleeping in her mothers arms. It was awful for them. Thankfully they arrived home safely. Lindsey and Jacob remember this as an adventure having fun sleeping at the airport. Believe me EVERYONE was glad we took the other flight. Just the thought of twins in that airport was more than they could bear.

Jacob and Grandpa sleeping on the floor at the airport! Jacob is only three.

After reading the bad moments it might make you wonder how the good actually outweighed them but I assure you it did. It's amazing to me that when you look back on memories the good ones shine brighter and the bad ones seem almost funny. I am glad for that. I am glad for memories they make the sunshine brighter even in the darkness.

My Golden boy...

Forgive me while I journal a bit more about my Jacob. His birthday was wonderful. He appreciated and enjoyed every single thing.

I love that you call your hair Golden (not blonde). So now we call you our "golden" boy.

I love that when I do Laundry your pockets are stock full of the most interesting items. Your pants have holes in all the knees. You are all boy!

I love that packed your suitcase 2 months before our trip to Yellow Stone or as you call it "Golden" stone. You are that excited!

I love that when you have a friend over I have to watch out for you because you are so nice that they take advantage of it. One time you had a friend who wanted both the transformers and you were sad but you gave them both to him and said you would just do something else. You often let your friends play one player games and just sit and watch even when I know its not what you want to do. Like I said sometimes I have to intervine.




I love that you adore your sisters. You take such care of them.

You love to be outside ALL.THE.TIME. You will spend hours riding your bike back and forth or playing in the backyard. Even in the winter. All of neighbors comment on this.



I love that every time I ask you how something was you respond with GRRRRREAT (imagine Tony the Tiger)! You have a optimistic and happy attitude about life. I hope you will always keep this quality because it is one of the best things about you. Everyone who knows you comments on your great disposition.

His new BMX clothes!

I love how your eyes light up when I volunteer in your class.

You're not perfect. You can be stubborn and when someone (like Lindsey) pushes your buttons you can get pretty mad. That might be a good thing. You hate all caseroles and would rather starve than even take one bite.

I feel so lucky to be your mother. To have you in our family spreading all your excitement and love. I know you were meant to join our family when you did. To be the one just a bit older than the twins. You were amazing as a 2yr old often left unattended you never did a single naughty thing. That was a miracle. You are Grrrreat!

I love you!

Love,
Mommy

Happy Birthday...

Happy Birthday Jacob!
For my Boy! Today is your 6th birthday! This year has been a BIG year for you.
You have learned to swim.
Learned to ride a bike.
Learned to read, write and many other skills.
Started school.
Lost your first tooth and have two more on the way out.
Learned to play the computer.
and many more exciting things!

I hope you never forget how loved you are. Your kind heart has brought so much joy to our lives.

Mischief in the making...

Click to see it bigger.

Midnight Madness and Tuesdays's Tip...

I had a plan for this morning that involved getting up at 5am. That did not happen at all. Last night I was awoken to loud noises of giggling and lights. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and try to focus on the clock it was pitch black. The clock read 3:40am. I stumbled out of bed only to find the twins light on and them wide awake playing in their room. I very forcefully made them go back to bed. I went back to bed and was asleep in seconds only to be awoken again by the same noises. This time I carried Sydney to her brothers room (screaming and waking the whole house). Then I went back tried to go back to sleep only to hear Hailey out of her bed playing again! Needless to say it was a long night and I did not get up at 5am.

Last week where I live an Amber Alert was issued. A little girl had gone missing. Just 7 yrs old, missing her two front teeth. She did not live near us but it affected all of us when she was found and was dead. Thankfully they caught the guy who did it, a neighbor. All this really got me all worried about the safety of my kids. We do live in a safer area than where this event occurred but nothing is safe enough. So last night for family night we went over safety. One of the things we used was this list. I thought I would share it here so you could also have a starting point to use with your children.

Safety Check-Points for Kids
Most of the people in the world are good and helpful! You cannot tell what a person is like on the inside of the heart and mind by looking at the outside of the body, so you must follow these safety CHECK-POINTS all of the time. CHECK FIRST before you go anywhere with anyone (for any reason at any time)! Check with the adult who is in charge of you at the time. If you cannot check, then the answer is NO! Adults can get help from other adults. You do not need to help anyone find a lost puppy, unload a truck, etc., unless you Check First. Know your full name, address (including state), and telephone number with the area code. Know your parents' names, too. If you are separated in a store, Freeze and Yell your parent's or guardian's first and last name. You may ask a clerk or parent with children to go get help for you, but stay where you are. If anyone tries to move or hurt you, make sure you scream, kick, fight, and yell, “You're not my dad (or mom)!” Use the buddy system; go in groups. You are in charge of your body. No one has the right to touch you or talk about your body in a way that is wrong or that makes you feel uncomfortable. Use the Power NO, and then tell someone. If you find a gun, do not touch it. Get away from it and tell someone. If a friend wants you to touch or hold a gun, use the Power NO. Use the Power NO (and Refusal Skills) for bullies, dares, and drugs, too. When you are home alone, keep the door locked and closed for everyone. Let the phone ring, use caller ID or the answering machine, or work out a system with your parents so that no one realizes you are home alone. When you are on the Internet, keep personal information to yourself! Ask your parents which sites you can visit. Be a Kind and Caring Kid! Use non-violent words and actions. Be a STAR and tell an adult if you think that something is wrong or someone could get hurt. It is not snitching----it is Responsible Reporting! Make good choices!

One of the points here that really struck me that I had never told my kids before was #2. Adults do not need children to help them they can get other adults to help them. It never occurred to me to tell them this before but its totally important. There is no reason any adult should need their help. I always told them to not talk to adults who asked for help but it never occurred to me to explain to them why the need was so absurd.

The parent talking points really encouraged the parent to not use the word stranger. More often than not children think they know people and when you tell them things apply only with strangers it makes them vulnerable. The other issue is that many problems happen within people they think they know or people who know them. It's very important kids know that these things are NOT okay.

Anyway I hope it will help my kids be more aware. I know it has helped me get the conversation going. Make today a great one!

Lunch time...

Every day as meal time approaches I offer my twins a few choices for the said meal. Let's focus on lunch. All choices non dairy because of their allergy. All lunches have fruit on the side. Every single day they voice a strong opinion on what they would like to have. Every day they quickly eat the fruit and won't finish the main dish (the sandwich in most cases). Then begins the battle for chips. You can only have chips if you eat your lunch. Soon plates are empty quickly, too quickly. Yeah they moved it ALL to their sisters plate. Who in turn moves it back to hers. Whailing and tears insue for the chips. I will not give in. After all I always eat my lunch so I can have chips.

My weekend project...

Last week while working out I happen to catch a snatch of Oprah. It was on hoarding. It was a real shocker of a show. I came home and taped the episode (Oprah replays at midnight here) and I watched it all. It got me to thinking of a manageable way to reduce the clutter in my house. He recommends two bags a week of trash and goodwill and then stop the influx. Yeah I have stuff. So I started with my closet. I have saved a lot of clothes thinking someday I would fit into them again. So I braced myself and began the purge. I had a pile of stuff to throw out entirely, stuff to give to cousin, and stuff to give to Deseret industries (like Good will but run through our church). I began trying on all the clothing I had so carefully saved that have taken over my closet for many many years. Guess what? Sure they fit. Let me give you a piece of advice. Do not save this stuff. By the time it fits it will be out of style and you will wonder why anyone would buy jeans that go up past your belly button and make your (not so flat) stomach look twice as bad and don't get me started on the rear view on these jeans! So I am happy to report that after a whole day. 3 black garbage bags hit the trash, 1 box to my cousin, and 5 bags went to DI. Those bags were SO huge. How this all fit in there I will never know. What I do know is that I won't be hanging on to this stuff again. I actually need my closet for clothes I do wear. In this process I discovered I have a love for two items sweatsuits and jeans. Thank goodness my taste has improved over the years! I found a few treasures in my trash but most of the things I found I had a good laugh at myself.

Oh by the way I am by no means a hoarder but I do need some help getting my clutter under control.

The loose tooth and the mean mommy...

The other day Jacob came to tell me one of his front teeth was loose. I had a strong reaction and told him NOT too wiggle it. Why you may ask? Well about a year ago at a dentist appointment we were told it was dead and a bit loose. He said, " try not to have him wiggle it and it might hang in there till it should fall out (some time around 1st grade because boys are slower)". So I have been hoping we could continue to hang on and we could avoid the inevidable. So when my boy ran in with jubilation at the loose tooth my reaction was not as positive as it should have been. He immediately became really upset when I explained it was a dead tooth (what was I thinking) and told me he must not have good oral hygiene. His words not mine. So I quickly scooped him up and corrected my naughty behavior and explained to him how exciting this all was and that his oral hygiene was fine. Fast forward two weeks. We are out to dinner with friends when exclaims (loudly) the tooth is out. I look over and it sure is. His cousin pulled it for him (lovely huh).
Gross I know...
It was Easter's Eve (is that really a day). So it was pretty amazing when the Easter bunny and the Tooth Fairy were arriving all on the same night. Not to mention that was also the night where Jacob got the stomach bug. Busy night.
Because I am a slow blogger (lately) I have an upside to this story. Yesterday he came home from school thrilled because another tooth (right next to that one) is loose. So maybe its all natural and we won't be toothless for year. That would sure be nice. Oh and my reaction was MUCH nicer this time I promise.

For Angie...

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite people.

Some of favs about Angie are:
She is totally funny.
She is a great writer.
She is very stylish.
She is VERY intelligent.
She is very kind and generous and would do anything for anyone (many she does not know).
She is an amazing wife and mother.
She is not a complainer (unless its warranted).
She is a beauty!
She inspires me ALL.THE.TIME!

Her example and friendship have meant the world to me and I feel very lucky to count her as a dear dear friend.
Happy Birthday Friend!
Pop on over to her blog and send her some BIG birthday love!

Manic Monday...

I spent my day with these three products and two screaming toddlers who spent a long time in their room...

Updates...

Just some updates and answers to questions...

Thank you all for your well wishes on the stomach bug. I wish I could report it ended well but it has not. The twins got it and recovered and I thought we were home free. Until Easter's Eve when Jacob got it. Luckily for him it was just that night and he was healthy and able to enjoy Easter. Sunday night Alan got it and got it bad. He has been home for three days! Then last night Lindsey came in sick too and was home from school all day today. Girls night for me was cancelled (that really stunk) and its been a rotten week. More rotten for the sick ones I am sure. I am not too fond of cleaning up the puke, loosing sleep etc... Oh and I am the only one who has yet to be hit. Please let me be spared. With the amount of exposure I had to the actual stuff it would be a near miracle!

Aside from that thank also for the many comments on the Easter pictures. The girls dresses are from The Baby Gap (new favorite). They sold out long ago sorry. I got the girls dresses not intending them for Easter but like I said it crept up on me and I got practical. Most years I match all the kids and go to great efforts to do it. I just decided the theme would be polka dots (because it worked). Lindsey had a dress I purchased from The Children's Place (pink) but it just did not work. So the night before Easter her and I headed to the Mall. We arrived at 8pm and went to Dillard's, The Children's Place, Macy's, J.C Penney's and Payless shoes. We made it out by 9pm with the dress, sweater, tights, and shoes. It sounds awful but Lindsey and I had a lot of fun. She loved keeping track of our time and we got lucky finding all the pieces at different stores. We had a nice mother daughter time and she felt really special. The dress worked too (even if it wasn't matching the twins). I could not believe how much more enjoyable she was alone with me. Jacob was actually wearing the suit from my sisters wedding with new shirt and tie from Gymboree.

I have so enjoyed seeing everyone elses Easter posts and pictures and reading all of your blogs. I am just too behind on everything and busy with the sick kids to post my comments. I try not to be a selfish blogger ( I love comments). I'll be back soon. I promise.

Easter...

Easter snuck up early this year. I did not feel ready for it at all. The grasses and flowers were brown and ugly and the breeze was far too cool. The stress of getting it all done seemed too much. Yet somehow it all came together. The kids were thrilled, the day was beautiful and I appreciated all of it!





I told Hailey about Jesus and his Resurrection and that he made it possible to live again and she said, "and the Easter bunny did too"? Hope your day was as nice as ours. Do you see our snow has melted?

Pulling an all nighter...

The other night I pulled an all nighter. Not the kind in college when you were craming for a final or the kind where you stay up all night talking and scrapbooking either. This all nighter included 3 loads of laundry, two baths, and lots of throw up!

YUCK!

Hailey began throwing up at around 12am and threw up all night every 20 minutes till about 6am. I did not sleep a wink, nor did she.

She was absolutely fine once morning hit. Even ate all day. If you were wondering if it might have been food poisoning, like I was. Let me assure you Sydney proved that wrong last night with a repeat performance. At least she started throwing up earlier in the night so we all got some sleep. Daddy took care of her as I was at the hospital volunteering (yay for that too).

I wonder who will be hit next?

Tuesday's Tip...

Yesterday I received a pie as a Thank you! It also had a nice thoughtful card. It made my day. It got me to thinking how many moments I let pass and forget to offer true thanks. It feels so good to be appreciated, to be noticed. I challenge you to find someone in your life to do this for. I am going to do that. I will report back! I think all of us have a need to be noticed and appreciated.

I also wanted to tell all my readers how much I appreciate their kind comments. I look forward to my comments every day. Thank you for leaving them.

Okay sounding very cheesy now...

Life in their world...

Today I wake up to the sounds of blood curdling scream yelling "mommy mommy". I run to their side only to find a faker. Sydney is playing baby and Hailey is playing mommy. This happens all the time but usually its when the sun is out and the morning has come. In fact they tell me I am the "big mommy" and they are the little mommy's to try and ease the confusion.

The other night I was not home and Alan heard crying, loud crying. He went to check it out. Hailey explains that Sydney bit HER tongue. Perplexed by how this could happen he asks her. How did Sydney bite your tongue? How did her teeth get on your tongue. Hailey's simple explanation was that She was the mommy kitty and Sydney was the baby kitty. She had her tongue in my mouth and the baby kitty bite it. OUCH.

As you know Sydney has been quite a handful latley. Recently she had caused some trouble. This is what I heard from the stairs.
H-I have to get mommy to help you.
S-Okay but PLLLLEEEASSSE tell her not to yell.
H-Mommy help Sydney.

Then tonight as I was putting the girls to bed Alan and I were explaining that they cannot get out of bed till the sun is up. They have been getting up before 6am again.
Sydney- I want you to close your door in the morning please.
Me-Why?
Sydney- Because I do not want you to see me.

A birthday...

I have to laugh to write this post because my friend Angie wrote this post a few days ago
Angie's post.

Apparently today is a big day! Excitement has been going on all day about a birthday. Now mind you I never forget birthdays around here so it seemed weird to hear about such an important one this way. Until I heard who's birthday it was. Yeah its Jacob's webkinz birthday. Rocky. Lindsey gave him a bathtub for his birthday. Jacob was thrilled out of his mind. Parties are being planned in his webkinz room, food has been bought, invites to friends. It's really a frantic rush. My gym appointment is a big bummer for them too! Happy Birthday Rocky ol pal. Thanks for making my kid so darn happy!

Oh and Lindsey needs to know if Grace has a webkinz (or Emma) that she can add to her friends list. LOL!

A day to Remember...

Click the pic for a better view...

March 11th 2004 was surely a day to remember in our lives. I went to my first doctor appointment, 8 weeks pregnant with what we thought was our third child. Everything about the appointment was routine, until I asked for an ultrasound (not normal practice that early for my doc). A nurse took care of the ultrasound and confirmed a healthy heartbeat, suddenly without warning she announces she thinks she sees two babies! She is not sure and calls the doctor to confirm. So.... I wait for 20 minutes alone, millions of thoughts are racing in my mind. Two cribs, two babies, I am not sure I could ever be a mother of twins which equaled four children 5 and under. The doctor strolls in and confirms he sees two babies! I am in the most shock, alone and emotional. Twins are not in my family, and were not anything I would have expected to happen to me. The doctor mentions in passing that he doesn't see a membrane between the babies but explains nothing. I question if most babies need membranes and he says very seriously yes. Don't worry he tells me he hasn't had a patient in 20 yrs of practice without one, and its like 1% of pregnancies. I forget about all that for now, I am just in total shock. I leave the office and call Alan. I can hardly talk through my tears, he assumes the worst, a miscarriage, when I explain the twins news he is shocked but very excited. This day will remain a big day in my memory, it was truly the day my life changed forever! Here is my scrapbook page of the day, the first ultrasound photo on the page is of the girls who would someday mean everything to all us. The trials, worries and struggles of their pregnancy have made them so much more precious to all of us, they are miracles.

Tuesday's Tip...

I haven't spent very much time blogging about this issue. But I decided to come out and share because I realized how much I love reading about it.

WEIGHT LOSS

About a year ago I decided it was time to step up and make a change. To get real with myself. I liked to say that my body was the way it was because of child birth, lack of time, and a slowing metabolism. When in reality I ate what I wanted when I wanted, spent all my free time (the little I had) inactive. Apparently running after my four kids was not enough (or close to it). Getting real meant I had to watch what I ate, exercise and make a real life change. I do not believe in diets at all so I wanted to do something I could live with and continue. I began working out at the gym and discovered that you have the power to speed up your metabolism with exercise. I have never exercised regularly me whole life EVER. I hated running and claimed it was not "my thing". What I found was that I loved the way I felt after I exercised. I began a year ago January. At first it was very hard to find the time. Giving up some hobbies, watching less t.v I found it was totally possible. At the 6-8 month mark I had lost a significant amount of weight (at least for me). About 1-2 pounds a week with some points of loosing nothing in bettween. It was slow. I felt great. I was in smaller sizes. I had more energy. I was in control. I had stopped blaming my bad habits and taken responsibility for my own choices.

I have maintained the weight loss fairly easily over the last year (well it was still a time thing). Exercising 4-5 days a week and eating decent. Which does not mean I cannot have a treat or two. A year later I still had that last 15 pounds (or so) I wanted off. So I began working with a personal trainer to give me new work out ideas etc...

So today I wanted to share some tips that have helped me A LOT.

Log in what you eat! I use a program through my gym call Apex (body bug). It counts all my calories and helps me keep under. You can use fitday.com or a simple notebook. Most values are online or on the back of the package. I cannot tell you how much it has affected me to read and record what I eat. Most things I thought I wanted I realize are not worth it at all. You don't have to do this forever (atleast I probably won't) but it helps change the habits. It really eliminates mindless snacking. I think the weight watchers system works like this too (with points). I just don't use that. It's a simple equation. It you eat fewer calories than you burn you will loose weight.

Second keep it out of the house. Meaning if you have no self control with those items. DO NOT BUY THEM! Eating just one does not work for me.

Top three things I stay away from (not worth the huge calories) and I have issues with stopping.

1-Chips
2-French Fries (never)
3-Wheat Thins original

Don't skip meals! If you get overly hungry nothing with be enough to fill you up. Getting hungry is not a good thing. Eat small meals, healthy snacks. You will not feel like you are starving.

I plan to up my calories again once I loose this last weight (it may take some time). It's all about choices. If you want that dessert you can have it. If you limit other stuff.

I will share some of my favorite healthy snacks too.

1-String cheese
2-Dannon light and fit
3- fruit

Stay tuned I will share a good healthy lunch...

If I plan on going out to dinner. I prepare ahead. I eat very healthy all day. I log in all my foods and make sure I leave enough room for a larger dinner. I like to use this website to refer to before eating out . You can look up most restaurants. You will be amazed that some of what you think are healthy choices are totally not!
Dottie's weight loss zone Restaurants

It's not a program that ends. It's a life journey. You can eat healthy, be fit, and still eat and enjoy life.

Deal of the day...

What can I say I am a sucker for a deal. Limited too is having a buy one get one free on "select" webkinz (which is several just look online to see which ones). If you print out this coupon and bring it along you can also get an additional 25% off. You can also buy online if you do not have a Limited too near you (shipping isn't all that cheap).


I am not a sucker for giving my kids things for free though so they spent their afternoon doing this.

I think Jacob was trying to count up his money right then.

NOT in my job description...

At least I wish it wasn't.

This morning when we are rushing to get ready for church several disasters. Alan is always at meetings Sunday mornings.

Sydney goes to the bathroom and then proceeds to step in her poop (don't ask me how this occurred). She then walks down the hall and leaves poop chunks all over my clean carpet! Total nightmare to clean up!

Then after I get that cleaned up, all 3 girls ready (hair, clothing) for church. Hailey runs to the bathroom and decides she would rather use the other bathroom. Totally bad choice. She peed he pants, her tights, her shoes right before church.

Lovely way to start a church day. Did I mention I also taught Lindsey's roudy class at church and did the long meeting alone because Jacob is home sick with a cold with Alan.

Lindsey told me "Mom after lunch maybe you should just take a break".

Change of plans...

Today I had a plan. My plans were going well. One parent teacher conference down, gym. Afternoon came and I got the kids from school (early day) and got the twins down for a nap. I then began mounds of laundry. I got my load in and dried and folded. Began cleaning bathrooms while another load began when all of the sudden the power went out (its 3:30). No big deal it will pop on in a few minutes or so... but it didn't. Hours later it didn't. Can't clean, can do laundry (and its full of water too), can't computer, ipod is out of batteries and can't charge that, can't shower (which was the worst) or get ready. So there I sat in total silence (kids were outside playing). Clocks tick loud in this house by the way. 2 more hours past and I getting annoyed because I did not want to go looking so bad to Parent Teacher conferences (but I did). Now its 7pm and its mighty dark and cold too. It's then I regret my lack of emergency light. I mean sure I have food supply (need more) and I could cook we have gas stove and gas bbq and a gas fire place. But I can only find one working flash light and thats is pretty dark. In my defense I do buy flashlights but my kids steal them all the time. Just last night Sydney slept with one (could not find that one). I talked to my friend Michelle and she is fine they have several lanterns and flashlights and they are cooking outside. I have some work to do.

Power returns around 8pm. Missed Survivor and American Idol too (bah). Really not that big of a deal if your prepared.

Tuesday's Tip...

Todays tip will take your participation in my comments.

I love Costco.
I love that the inventory is constantly changing and that you can always find something new (until my item is gone to not return).
I love shopping and getting a cheap lunch after too.
I love two shopping seats in the shopping carts.
I love sampling food before I buy a years worth of it (lol).

I used to go to Costco every week for baby formula. It has slowed down and now I only go 1 to 2 times a month. Anyway, there a few things I love to get there. So I wanted to see what yours were as some of mine were found through others recommending them.

I love the
Chopped broccoli in the bag for $3.99. It saves time.
Tillamook sliced cheese. Cheddar and Swiss (white cheese has fewer calories)
Bananas
Carrots
Fugi apples
Eggo waffles
Posada Chimichangas (for Alan and the kids)
Philly cheese steaks for Alan.
Lasagna (great dinner for my girls night).
String cheese
wheat thins
Paper plates
Paper cups

These are just the basics I get every time and I am sure I am missing a few. So what are yours? What is your costco list like? If your not near Costco share what you love to get at your store too.

The one bad thing about Costco is that I cannot get out of that store without dropping $100 at least! Oh and yeah I know that you can gets things for less elsewhere but I am all about one stop shopping. Battling the girls at other stores is just not worth it to me. Anyway post away. I love new ideas, especially dinner ones.

Trouble maker at work...

I used to think Sydney and Hailey had very few differences but lately I am noticing a alarming difference. Sydney has been in all sorts of trouble and Hailey is not the one doing it.

Here are the "best of" her naughty episodes...
The other day Hailey slipped and fell in the bubble bath that Sydney dumped this was previously mentioned. The entire bottle of bubble bath took three days to clean off the floor. It just kept foaming and foaming. When a cap full can fill the entire tub with suds you can imagine what the whole bottle does with the floor!
Then is was the conditioner in the shower and all over her clothing.
Then it was Hailey slipping on the unusually slippery wood floors. Later we find Sydney has sprayed Pam all over the floors.
Then there was tide power carried in a trail and filled up in the toilet.
Lotion and more lotion on several different occasions.
Shampoo contained to the bathtub.

Sydney has an expression, a gleam in her eyes she makes when mischief is being had. These expressions are all her own.
The other day she asked me to please look at the baby on the t.v. "I do not want you to watch me, do not look at what I am doing".

She is so obvious in her naughty attempts and often requests me to not go where she going or to not watch what she does.

Yesterday Alan was holding her (she sucks her fingers) and she told him she could not suck her fingers they were yucky. He smelled cleaner on her hands and began questioning her. Her simple response was "I do want to to talk".

It's amazing when she find the moments to do this. She seems to know exactly when I am busy or not paying attention. I really do keep things out of her reach but each day I am finding a new thing that has to become a controlled substance. All real cleaning supplies are out in the garage up high and medicines are as well. She still finds shampoo, lotion, 409, and laundry soap. What should I remove next?

A lesson in honesty and work...

Last week Lindsey found $6 outside by the curb. She was thrilled. I had to take her down from her euphoria when I told her she could only keep it if no one claimed it. The night before I had been on a girls night and when we got out of the car it was at that very spot. In addition my brother had also been over and parked near there. So I began asking around and while it seemed everyone thought they could possibly have lost it no one claimed it (knowing Lindsey found it). Anyway, it was then awarded to her. Then she began begging me to spend it. When I we got the store she had so many ideas of what she wanted to buy it was hard to find just one thing. It was only $6 dollars. In the end she bought a barbie but she really wanted her sister. I try to never buy things without them earning it so I told her she could have her sister (just $6) if she agreed to learn how to clean the bathroom. Fast forward to the next day when I asked her to clean the bathroom. Not as thrilled with her deal. But she complied. Anyone who knows Lindsey knows what might happen next. Lindsey is an expert negotiator and pretty soon had convinced Jacob to join the "fun". So Jacob and Lindsey began the lesson. At first Lindsey seemed totally horrified but after she realized rubber gloves were part of the deal she adjusted and even began to like it. Jacob cleaned the bathtub while she did the toilet. Jacob moved on to the counter. He was amazed at the impossible task of removing the dried tooth paste (tell me about it). It took a long time to get that off. He vowed to me to never do that again. They cleaned the entire bathroom and moved on to my bathroom. It took ten times as long but they learned how to do it. Lindsey was even asking when she could do it again, apparently she already wants more money!

Role Reversal...

Apparently I am the one who goes certain places and does certain things...

Today the heater was having an issue so I need to pop over to Home Depot to get filters. We have a new Home Depot very close (yahoo for that). We dropped carpool off for kindergarten and I told the girls that we were going to go to Home Depot.

Apparently they are very familar with this place. They started to tell me I could not go there only Daddy goes there. They also told me I could not drive there because only Daddy's green truck goes there not the red car I drive. Could they ride in the orange carts? Could they drive? Could they see all the stuffs? I found this all very interesting. So we get inside. Apparently the new Home Depot has special carts. They have two driver spots, what fun? The girls were in heaven and not at all thrilled when we were done in like two minutes. They wanted more time in the store. If only Home Depot sold food, clothing etc... it would solve all my shopping issues. Although maybe they love it so much because they don't go their often?

Flash back Friday...

Bad mommy award

About three years ago...

Heading the mall, pouring rain, three kids along for the ride. Jacob (2) and Sydney and Hailey (8 months) that alone would make for a bad day right? Arrive while on the phone (not paying close attention I am sure). Get out in the rain (pouring remember) go to open the door to get kids out and I discover to my horror locked doors. I panic, really panic. I was parked near a door so I ran inside to a info booth and ask her to call security and tell her what was going on (I could see my car from inside). The little lady looks about 90. She becomes greatly concerned (she should be) and begins to say that the kids are going to run out of air in the car. She keeps repeating this worry (instead of calling security) over and over. Run out of air, what? There is plenty of air in a car lady. I go back out to the rain (offering many desperate prayers) and tell Jacob what is going on. He seems to think he can get out and open the doors. So to my shock and jubilation he unbuckles his car sear and is able to somehow figure out how to unlock the doors! I was thrilled, grateful, and in tears! He never was able to get out of the seat on his own after that or open the locked doors... I went home after I reassured the lady that my kids were fine and had not run out of air. Crazy lady who did not help at all. Before you turn me in and think to bad of me I want to reassure all of my blog readers that all this took place in less than 5 minutes, a very long 5 minutes.

Tip... I now never lock my doors by hand. I always use the remote to do it, this way I know I have my keys in hand.

This is the one and only time I have locked my keys in my car (my entire life). Not the best time to do it though.

house call?

If you visit my house you might...

have to move the potty seat off the toilet to do your business.
be informed (while doing your business) that closing the door is not allowed (be assured it is).
trip on a doll stroller or two.
be informed (loudly) that someone ('s) needs to poop or pee.
be interrupted every second.
have to get used to a loud level of noise.
not have control of the t.v. or the computer (for that matter).
have to scale a baby gate to get upstairs or into my formal rooms (which are still filled with stuff from my basement).
not be allowed in my laundry room.
need to drag your chair from its climbing spot by the counter- if you like to sit.
use a paper cup we use paper cups around here (sorry for the waste).
have to unlock the water on the fridge to get that drink- its not safe to have that available to just anyone...
have to ask me if you need a pen or a pair of scissors, those are hidden (even sometimes from myself).
notice paper is hard to keep in stock it all used up from book making and picture drawing.
not want to leave your keys down they might get picked up.
learn a lot about princess dresses and their accessories.
learn why silence is not always golden. It usually means something bad is happening around here.

On the upside - kisses, hugs and general sweetness are often given without provocation. Cuteness counts for a lot too.

Wordless Wednesday...

Happy Valentine's...

Yesterday was a tough day. Everything that could go wrong, DID! I woke up to the entire kitchen with smashed crackers, a entire box. School was delayed (2hrs) because we got MORE snow.

HaileySydney
This face dumped an entire jumbo size bottle of Bedtime bath (bubble bath) all over the bathroom floor. Then she dumped conditioner all over the shower and herself. Hailey wet her pants (right as we were heading out the door). I helped run Lindsey class party and Lindsey's teacher was not grateful and pretty mad the twins came along (rude even). When the room mother asked me to help I said no because of the twins and their nap time etc...The room mother begged and said the twins were welcome. Apparently they were not welcome. Wish I had known that before I went up there and skipped a much needed nap and my chance to clean up all the disasters. It was awful how was made to feel by her teacher. She never got up from grading papers to help with the party either. I am not a big fan of Lindsey's teacher but thats a whole other post.

When we got home we made cookies and things settled down a bit.

It ended on a good note because I got to go out to dinner and movie with my hubby. It's tradition that all the girls receive flowers from Alan. I get a dozen, and each girl gets one. The twins loves their flowers and smelled them over and over all night. It made them all feel special (Jacob got a treat too). Hope you had a nice day. I have some disasters to tend to today.

My ebay is up...

My Ebay is up. It was several hours ago. A few items already sold. I will add a few more items in the morning. If you are buying for twins please email me or ask me if I have the match still available.

Here is the link... Twins clothing on Ebay

Observations...

The twins are like sponges soaking up everything around them. At this age a lot of that everything is me and what I do with them or in front of them. It's amazing to be noticed this much, every move recorded, things I don't even notice myself. Just to name a few...

After Christmas I purchased a pair of new jammies on sale. I put them on and no one noticed they were new. Why should they. In the morning their was a buzz of excitement from the twins. They loved my new pink ball jammies and could not stop telling me about it. No one else noticed, why should they.

The other night I had been out and went up to kiss them goodnight. Before mounting the stairs I popped a random candy of the counter in my mouth and ate it. When I delivered the kiss Hailey was curious. She knew I had eaten her candy, after all she could smell it on my breath.

The other day I was wearing a sweater with a big neck. I have a problem wearing turtle necks so I came home and changed. When she later saw me she questioned me over and over about the outfit change. No one else would notice.

Another time I was in a hurry and showered and ran out the door to drive carpool. I had not styled my hair or applied my make up yet. The girls were curious and told me I looked different. I asked them more and they told me "it's not good mommy". Honest critics.

Today I am wearing a white t-shirt. Sydney asks why I wear that white shirt like Daddy. Will I ever be the "pink mommy again". She loves the pink mommy.

This kind of observation is always going on What shoes am I wearing? How is my hair styled? My earrings? What am I eating or drinking? What pillow we have? What blanket I am giving them? It's not just me they notice either... The color choice of every item we come in contact with? What show is on t.v. What outfit they wear, what color it is, what designs are on it, what shoes will they wear, what hair style will they have, what bow they will use. The color of the plates, the new rugs in the kitchen. They comment, they notice, and the question EVERY THING.

It's amazing and sometimes a little exhausting. I don't know when it changes but their life gets filled up with other interesting things and soon they don't notice you so much anymore. The world isn't so new a fresh. I cherish this age and this part of childhood.

Get ready...

It's coming. My Ebay listings are almost ready.

I have been totally MIA the last few days because I have had to find time for the my HUGE twin clothing listings on ebay. I have tons to list. So after hours of ironing, washing, and picture taking I have now completed the listings. I will posting them on ebay shortly (day or so). I have had a few people who have been interested in my girls clothing. I will post the links to the listings here so if you were one of those interested you can check them out.

Aside from all the ebaying (which is like a 3 day job just to get it up). We have had electricians working in my basement, homework, housework and a sick child with fever child keeping me hopping. I will pop in to your blogs someday I hope. Wish my little Hailey well.

Awards...

I received a few more awards this week and they are such a nice ones.
I would like to thank Carrie over at the Keiser Family Blog for giving me the you make my day award.I also received the Bodcious blog award from Debra over at Just another day in paradise. Thank you!


I would like to award the following bloggers both awards...
Thats right you get two awards!

Jenny over at Better Leite than never. Jenny finally joined the blog world and I love receiving each and every one of her comments. They always make me happy. Her blog is great too.

Shannon over at Following our bliss. Shannon always takes the time to comment me, offer encouragement and her blog is totally inspirational!

Heather over at In the Quiet heart totally rocks. I look forward to every single post by her!

Jenn over at It's my life made my day because I discovered hair do tips for little girls on her blog this week. I used her step by step instructions for my girls hair today and it turned out darling. Did I mention I got to hear all her music while I did hair (had to have her page to refer to). Thank you!

Melissa is a new blog friend. Her blog called the journey is great. I find her positive and kind. I love her comments and all her blog posts too.



Enjoy!

E is for Excellent...

Ahem I received one of my first awards. Angie over at Seven Clown Circus awarded me this award recently, E is for Excellent thank you to her for being so kind.

In the spirit of kindness and giving I would like to share with you a few blogs that absolutely deserve this award. Hopefully they can pass on this award too.
Here goes...

Debra has a coupon blog that just rocks and it will save you a lot of money too. Go check out her blog at Crazy coupon mama. It is Excellent for sure!

Casey is the mother of triplets. You can visit her blog at The Quilao Triplets. I love her blog because it is full of the funniest stories you will ever read. She has quite a way with words. Her girls are absolutely amazing miracles too!

Ceclily is the mother of three and you can find her over at My chaos my bliss. I only recently found her blog and enjoy every single post I read. She is very funny!

Becky Higgins is amazing and most scrap bookers already read this blog. You can find her over at Becky Higgins Blog. It's my favorite scrap booking blog because she shares all things inspiring, not just scrap booking. Great recipes, tons of organization ideas etc... She inspires me so much!

Lastly this blog is totally new to my list of great reads but totally wonderful. Ashley over at I believe in miracles is totally inspiring. I love her scrapbooking and she posts many thought provoking things as well.

There you have it 5 great blogs to check out! So go check them out and enjoy. You won't be disapointed, I promise. I could have shared many more believe me. Some have already received this award and others may not want all the fan fare ha ha.

I'm sorry...

I just wanted to publicly apologize to any and all people who were at my dentists office on Tuesday afternoon. Yes it was my son who screamed and cried and physically shook THE. ENTIRE. PROCEDURE (one whole hour), yes it was me who stood outside the door crying too, yes those were my twins who were totally out of control.

Sorry if your kids are terrified of the dentist now. If it makes you feel better I am terrified of ever going back too. The best part was forking over $200 to get out of that place.

My view...

I looked out the window this morning to be greeted by snow. Not just snow, it was actively snowing again. Let me just review the last week of my snow experiences. I will spare you the weeks before that (because it was snowing then too). I am a California girl. I do not know how to drive in the snow and really have no interest in learning. So when it snows I stay tucked in. A couple weeks ago we had a whopper of a snow storm (like 16 inches) and it was beautiful and fun. School was out for MLK day and all was well. I don't mind snow so much on those days.

MLK day snow...

Fast forward to last monday. I am behind (as usual) and am putting finishing touches on Jacob's VIP poster. I finish it off and we head off to the gym. I know it is predicted to snow but since I have to drive carpool regardless I figure I might as well get to the gym first. I arrive at the gym with the wind howling but no snow. I work out for a little over an hour and when I leave its snowing, not a little either, A lot! I cannot see the road, I barely make it up my hill. It is awful! The VIP is going to be an hour after school starts, which stinks because its only going to get worse. SO I pick up carpool and we somehow make it the school (remember I do not drive in snow). I get there and the teacher suggests we do the VIP now. So I frantically call the Grandparents and Alan to inform them of the change. Alan is in a meeting and my mom is just as scared of snow as me and cannot come. The other grandparents arrive and tell me it was a terrible drive. I am scheduled to volunteer in the classroom while my mom babysat the girls. Since it was snowing so hard I have no one to watch the girls. So I figure I just cannot stay. Apparently working in the classroom is not optional and she tells me to just keep the girls there. So I arrive at 12:30pm (the girls have no lunch because I was planning on going right home), get stuck staying for the VIP, then I stay and volunteer. We were there almost the entire class time. All the while the twins are destroying her classroom... they are in desks, crayons and they are tired, hungry and cranky too. When its over its almost time to get out of school and we head out. While I was in there it continued to snow and was even worse outside. I drive home in fear. As I arrive at my house and try to turn into the driveway I get stuck. Not just stuck a little, stuck a lot. Stuck out in the middle of the road. I spend ten minutes fearing someone won't see us and hit us, girls screaming, me outside freezing and shoveling to get the car free. Finally I get the car in the bottom of the driveway, barely out of the road. We abandon it and hike in the house. The girls seem distressed that we are leaving it out there. Oh well. Fast forward again to next Friday. Jacob has been given an award that he is invited to collect at 8:30am (he is afternoon kindergarten and doesn't go to school this early). So I wake up and get all four kids and myself dressed and ready for this occasion. I look out the window and as predicted it has snowed (is snowing) again. We are forced to battle the roads and the lack of parking to watch him receive the award. If you are wondering if Jacob's teacher has it out for me, you are not the only one (ha ha). Fast forward again... On Sundays we go to dinner to one of our parents each week. Since it was super bowl sunday Alan went around 2pm. I stayed home while the girls napped. Around 5pm I looked out the window to see heavy snow again. I called my mother in law and informed her that I was not going outside in that, not this time. We stayed home and I made the girls cookies. So you can imagine my happiness and joy when I woke up to even more snow and the fact that we are still having flurries.

The morning of the kindergarten award.

Hannah Montana..

I give this movie a big thumbs up. It was cute and fun and a great way to spend time with my daughter. I thought the movie itself was very entertaining and not just because the music. I loved that before each song they had a personal interest portion- where we got to watch Hannah Montana talk, share more about the song or how they prepared for the concert. I am sure $15 a ticket is steep but in the realm of things out there what isn't? Spending the day at the concert, watching Lindsey happy and happy to be with me was priceless. We went shopping for an outfit after and had lunch. Moments I won't get back. They grow up too fast. At the beginning of the movie watching her excitement and feeling a connection with her I found myself really emotional (thank goodness for 3 D glasses).

I gave her the choice of popcorn and a drink or lunch afterwards but she choose lunch afterwards instead :)

I love this quote and it goes along nicely with what I wrote in my previous post.

"Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey, filled with delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas, and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride" Gordon B. Hinckley

Hard doesn't always mean unhappy.

Creating Happiness...

This title is part of random thoughts that are going through my head all the time. I think often about our ability to act and react to our lives and the concept of happiness. I think too many of us (me included) spend our days in search of happiness, in search of a perfect state where everything is good. The more I live and the more I experience life I have found life is not about falling into anything or about circumstances that make us happy. Happiness is found in creating it and recognizing it within our lives. I have found most of my happiness in serving others, helping someone else out, not focusing on myself. Being me but becoming a better me all the time. Happiness comes when you take time to find the good, be a part of good. Bad times will come but learning how to endure them and find a way to be happy is a gift. Others cannot provide this for you. This is a lesson I need to remember and create for myself everyday.

Bedtime update #3

Bath, bedtime 8pm. Laughing playing ensue, warning given, separation takes place, 20 minutes of hysterical screaming takes place. Hailey screaming "My Sydney My Sydney" and Sydney screaming "My big girl bed my big girl bed" I sit enduring it all and then see Hailey come running from her room to meet Sydney in the hall and they embrace and hug (tear stained and snotty) and then they beg and beg to be together. So... I relent because I am so sucked into their desire to be together. Oh and tired of the hysterical screaming too. It's quiet for now its 9:08. They really hate being separated hopefully that real threat will motivate better behavior. I just miss putting them to bed going off to the gym, running an errand, resting.

I will update about the movie later, when I can load a picture. Good times...

Update... its 9:35 and they are both sound asleep (curlers and all).

A pro's and cons list...

Grandpa got tickets for Lindsey to see the 3D movie of Hannah Montana in concert. He bought two, one for her and a parent. This was purchased in December (all showings are sold out already now) All along I thought it would be who would take her to the movie. I can admit I like Hannah Montana (or Han tanna as the twins call her). Besides we could use some mother and daughter positive time together. So tonight Alan tells her he would be happy to take her. She is suddenly in a quandary and does not want to hurt either of us. No matter how much we both reassured her that it was o.k. to choose the other she seemed worried. So she did what only Lindsey likes to do she made a good ol pro/con list. Here is how it read...
Mom
Not
1.She might get hyper.
2.If I said no she'll get sad.
3.She won't let me eat a lot of popcorn

Yes
1.She needs a break.
2.She might like to take me.
3.She was the one invited.

Dad
Not
1.Dad takes me to movies all the time.
2.It is a girl movie.
3.He might not like it.

Yes
1.He lets me eat lots of popcorn.
2.He lets me choose my drink (I don't let her have soda much).
3.He is super funny.

After the list was presented I figured I lost out. Until she pulled out the second list- she collected votes from her siblings.

Votes for Mom
Jake
Syd

Votes for Dad
Hailey

I got a huge laugh over all this. Wish us luck tomorrow!

Thank you!

If I have not mentioned it lately I will mention it now. I love comments. I love to hear from you. I post and wait for comments (who doesn't). So please please take a minute and let me know you are there reading. I wanted to thank all my blogger friends for all the sympathy and great advice that was shared! I really needed some hugs and encouragement. I probably should have told you what a sleep nazi I am. I have always kept to strict sleep schedules and routines. Forget about getting me to skip a nap or miss a bedtime it gives me aniexty to even think about it! With Lindsey and Jacob my training and consistency paid off. Sometimes it took time to work out kinks but since I am a nazi about it, it always paid off. My kids go to bed around 8pm and that is that! I thought I had the sleep thing under control and thought I could be the one offering the advice. I knew it all. Until I had twins. That changed the whole ballgame and changed it entirely. We do a bedtime routine, we go to bed at the same time, I am consistent etc... Nothing works. All of your advice was amazing but truthfully most of the theories mentioned have been used and reused. Except one, one I knew about all along , and have avoided. All of your mothers of twins will probably relate to this but I did not want to separate them. Honestly they love being together, I love it too. I have to get over that for now. Closing the door just makes them happy, threatening them does not work, explaining things to them, sitting in their room watching them etc (I could go on) does not work. Separating them does. My older two share a room fine when they choose to do it and putting one of the twins with Jacob works like a charm too. So for now I will put them to bed how they want, together. One warning allowed and then they separate. If they want to sleep together they will have to show they can behave. Popping in and checking on them is essential and I think positive reinforcement would be a great thing to add as I am not doing any of that now. I hate separating them but it does work. Having two the same age is a whole new challenge because it is very hard for them to control themselves and understand consequences. When you have a three and five year old together (Jacob and Hailey) Jacob understands he will get in trouble and goes to sleep. The little girls just do not have the ability to do this yet. Basically they have no self control or forethought. This is obvious when they write on the walls, get into my make up, throw stuff in the toilet! They have time to grow up I suppose but until them I need sleep and my sanity so I will have to do this. I appreciate all of the ideas and if you have any more to share, please go ahead and keep them coming. We have had two naps separated and last nights bedtime too. Tonight I gave the warning and all was quiet before 10pm (so were making some progress) Yawn...