It's the Holiday Season....

I don't recall the last time I've been so excited about the holidays!  It's been awhile. 

October was a beautiful month and we had lots of fun getting ready for fall.  We took the twins to Huber's to pick pumpkins:

(Don't tell - we called Scott "Rudolph" the entire day because he went down the slide face first and got a rug burn on his nose!)

We took as many walks as possible in the wagon since the weather was warm for most of the month.  And of course, we can't forget trick or treating on Halloween:

George was a cow and Scott was a lion.  The costumes were very fitting for their personalities!  We only went to a few houses, but they loved riding in the wagon and shaking the boxes of Jr Mints they got from our neighbors.

 

Now it's November and Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away.   I normally don't like it that the stores practically forget Thanksgiving and skip right to Christmas decorations.  But this year - I get it.  I'm so excited to get a tree up and the house decorated, and to start buying gifts for family and friends.  (I actually have already bought some gifts, waaayyy back in the summer - that's so unlike me!) The twins are going to be so much fun - they are walking and talking and into everything, and put a smile on my face every single day (even though George did give me blunt force trauma with a Tow Mater truck today!).  These last two month of the year are going to be fantastic! 

Another Great Weekend

It's been another great weekend in the Boehnlein household!  We took the kids to their last gym class (for now at least), watched their cousin's football game, ran errands, and walked down to Big Rock to the neighborhood jazz festival for a bit. 

And I can't leave out the newest fun thing around here - a slide!  Don't ask me why we bought an outside summer toy just as the weather starts to turn crisp.  Right now it's in our breezeway room off the kitchen, since that's where we put it together last night.  It will probably end up in the basement before going outside next Spring.  It's exactly what I vowed I would not let my house turn in to - a big, plastic-y nightmare of children's paraphernalia -but, the twins LOVED it and wore themselves out sliding all morning long.

This weekend was also the Light the Night walk for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  While we didn't have an organized group to walk this year, my sister was definitely on my mind.  Her daughters have designed a cool shirt for next year's team though!  And many thanks to those of you who have ever donated to LLS to help find a cure for blood cancers.  Every donation helps!

Time Flies

I vowed to start blogging more often, and once again time has flown by and it's been almost 4 months since my last post.  A quick recap to catch everyone up to date:

Summer was fantastic with the twins!  We had not one but two trips to Destin.  The twins loved the pool and were warming up to the beach and ocean.  Summer weekends were spent taking walks to the local Farmer's Market, walking down to Big Rock to swing, and going to the pool.  We also took Scott and George to the State Fair, where they had their first corn dog from their cousin's food stand.  They LOVED corn dogs, and seeing all of the animals at the fair.

Pic from their 1 year photo shoot

George on left and Scott on right

At the end of June, both boys started walking on the same day and haven't looked back!  They are now running everywhere and it really takes two (or more!) people to keep up with them.  They are also talking a lot - you can definitely hear the mama, dada, more, uh oh, and thank you, plus a lot of other sounds that I'm sure will turn into actual words any minute now.  They learn sign language at day care for things like more, hungry, thirsty, and finished/all gone, and are good at using the signs during meals.  They love waving bye bye and giving out big, open mouthed kisses on our cheeks. 

We just hit another milestone - turning the big boy car seats to face forward!  It's SO much easier to get the twins in and out of the car now, and they love facing forward and being able to see so much more of what's going on.   And, I love being able to look back and actually see them now, instead of the back of a car seat.

It's been sad around here for the last few days as we said goodbye to our precious "puppy", Chance.  Even though we always called her a puppy, she was getting on in years and I'm very sad that she won't be around to watch the twins grow up, and that they won't remember her.  She was the sweetest, most gentle dog I've ever met and she'll leave a hole in our hearts forever.  She was very patient with Scott and George and you could tell she loved them, almost as much as she loved eating all the food they would throw on the ground for her!  Scott and George would get excited every morning when they would come out of the nursery and see Chance in the kitchen.  She was big Scott's constant companion when they lived in Key West, and I spent many days snuggling with her when I was pregnant and couldn't do much else.  She is greatly missed.  :(

Chance, a couple of years ago

We are looking forward to Fall and going to the pumpkin patch, dressing up for Halloween, and maybe even tailgating for a football game.  We've spent recent weekends taking the twins to gym class, which wears them out (and equals longer naps in the afternoon!).  This past weekend the music theme in class was Beach Boys, and Scott and George were dancing up a storm!  So I broke out the iPod today, found some Beach Boys tunes and we had Dance Party USA in the living room while I folded clothes.  Definitely something I need to video and show them many years from now.  :)

Graduation

It's not Kindergarten, 5th grade, 8th grade, high school or college - it's graduation from Koala Bears to Care Bears!  Well, Mrs. Betty said that George graduated and Scott was kicked out....he's had a bit of a time with biting lately.  But either way, the twins moved into the 1 year old Care Bears class today.  Now they are the youngest, although not the smallest, in the class.

The boys have to wash their hands when they walk in the room before sitting down to breakfast (where they are learning to use spoons!).  Eventually they will move from the high chairs to a table and chairs.  The class either goes on two buggy rides outside per day, or exercises in the gym - they are so active, which explains why the twins were exhausted and went to bed early tonight.  They now sleep on little cots and only get one nap per day at day care. 

Scott and George had a great first day as Care Bears.  Since half of the class is about 6 months older and walking, I know they will be taking off in no time.  They stand well on their own and walk holding onto one hand.  They are so talkative now too - they love saying "oh oh" and use it appropriately (like when they drop something).  They talk to each other and the dog constantly, and will say "ma ma" or "da da" when we walk into the room.  It's amazing how much they change on an almost daily basis!

Thing One and Thing Two

This past Sunday we had the twins 1st birthday party!  The theme was based on Dr. Seuss Thing One and Thing Two.  (I vetoed my husband's sports theme request - I know we'll have many sports themed birthdays in our future! :) 

This was the pic we used on the invitations.  Love the outfits that their cousins picked out at Universal before they were even born! (Scott is Thing 1 and George is Thing 2)

The colors were red, light blue, and white - from the Dr. Suess book The Cat in the Hat.  We did have to explain this to a few people that aren't that familiar with Dr. Seuss!  That's why we also had the book open on the table.

The best part - DESSERTS!  You should have seen Scott at the Pie Kitchen when we placed the order...he had VERY specific requests for all of the colors and that they must be opposite for the "1" and the "2".  I was floored that he had put that much thought into it.  (although, his requests were fairly similar to what I would have ordered!) 

Scott also surprised me and updated the twins picture frames with a picture from every month so we could display at the party.  Very touching!  I was shocked to see how much the twins had changed from the 5th to 6th month - that was the biggest change to me over all the months, where they went from a baby to not such a baby anymore.  I bought the Happy Birthday to You books and had everyone at the party sign them for the twins.

Scott and George as everyone sings Happy Birthday to them.  They weren't too happy.....of course they picked this weekend to get more teeth and had been off schedule.  They wanted a nap instead of cake! (love the bibs my friend Melissa sent after they were born - they fit right in with the theme!)

Testing out the icing...not really loving it.  They must not be my children...

Scott - he wouldn't even touch the cake.  We tried feeding him but he wanted none of that either.

George gently touched the cake, but didn't eat it either.

I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that the boys didn't smash cake everywhere.  But, we did put the cakes back in the fridge and we are going to try again on their actual birthday.  Maybe without 40 people staring them in the face they will not be so shy about digging in! 

Overall I could not have asked for a more perfect 1st birthday party!  We are so blessed to have so much family around to celebrate this milestone with us.  We've waited for this day for a really long time and can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays together! 

Where does the time go?

Really, where does the time go?  Two years ago today, my precious Scott Joseph II and George Allen were born.  In some ways it seems like a lifetime ago.  Although the saying that things get easier with time is true, they are never far from my mind.  And I'm still amazed by the people that remember us on this day - the cards, texts, emails, and flowers are very touching. 

We decided to take the day off in memory of the boys.  First, we went to decorate at the cemetery and Scott III and George William let off balloons.  

Next, we went to the zoo.  This was Scott III and George W's first trip to the zoo.  The weather has been beautiful for March - almost 80 degrees and mostly sunny.  

That's George in front - Scott was sound asleep in the back!

We loved the gorillas!

After lunch at the zoo, it was back home for naps, and Mom and Dad watched some March Madness basketball.  We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!

Happy 9 Months!

Happy 9 month birthday to Scott III and George William!  I can't believe they are only 3 months away from being 1 year old.  I'll have to start planning their frist birthday party soon.  :)

The twins still had runny noses last week, which led to a few loooong nights of coughing and keeping Mom and Dad up at all hours.  They are also teething and I believe George is in a growth spurt, as he wanted to eat in the middle of the night a couple of times too.  Daddy Scott had a nice long nap last Saturday afternoon and I had a solid 4 hours of Nyquil induced sleep, but we're still playing catch up.  We went on a mini date night tonight, and we both looked like someone punched us in the eyes - the lack of sleep is really wearing on us this week!

It's amazing what can happen in a week.  Two weeks ago, Scott and George were experimenting with puffs but wouldn't really eat them.  Now they are shoving handfuls in their mouths! Scott laughs and claps after every mouthful.  Both boys started crawling on their hands and knees - our poor old dog Chance doesn't stand a chance against these two when they start moving.  And just last night, I walked into the nursery to get the boys for dinner, and there Scott was, standing up at the end of his crib!  He also got his first shiner at school today trying to pull up on something that obviously wasn't that stable.  Scott and George are growing and changing so much every day and I just can't get enough of them!

Out of Whack

The twins are no longer sick, but still have runny noses and are just generally out of whack.  Their eating and sleeping patterns have been off ever since they started back to daycare!  Some days they will take long naps, other days they nap for minutes.  Some times they eat a ton, other times they refuse whatever food or bottle is given to them.  I also think they are teething, with their top 2 teeth trying to come in.  And for the last 3 nights, they really haven't wanted to sleep.  At all.  Therefore, Scott and I have been exhausted.  Very thankful for a 3 day weekend!

Yes, we are THOSE parents!

Or more accurately, my husband is THAT father, and I love him for it!  When picking up the boys from daycare the other day, Scott noticed that a push pin from the bulletin board was on the floor.  Granted, the area where the bulletin board, coat hooks/cubbies, etc is located is blocked off so the babies can't stray into that area.  However, the push pin on the floor was a little too close to the gate, and babies do crawl awfully close, possibly close enough to where they could have reached for the push pin.  Scott picked up the push pin but after thinking more about it, decided that it wasn't safe, as a baby could mistake the brightly colored round pin for a puff or something equally as yummy (ha ha - have you ever tried those things??).  So he discussed with the day care workers and now the director has agreed to pay for a different type of push pin so there are no accidents.  They might change their minds when they realize that the safer pins (bigger pins that push into the cork board but actually have a clip where the paper gets attached) are about $1 each! 

Just one of the many reasons Scott is a fantastic father - it doesn't matter how big or small the issue, if it could remotely affect the safety of our boys he is going to find a way to fix it!

More Fevers...

Yep, it was inevitable...George got sick last night.  This is the 3rd illness the twins have had, and all have progressed in the same way:  Scott gets sick; about 3 days later, Scott is feeling better but George gets sick.  So it takes about a week for the illness to get through our family.  We've officially depleted our first bottle of infant Tylenol!  And Scott and I have had no sleep for two nights now; we're hoping tonight is better.

Scott stayed home with the twins today since they couldn't go to day care.  So much for their first week as Koala Bears!  The twins were playing rather quietly in their activity centers this morning when Scott and I entered the room from different parts of the house and saw George fast asleep in his activity center.  Cutest.Thing.EVER.  Except he didn't respond when we called his name.  Which made both of us panic and I grabbed him with my mind racing of things that could have happened.  In doing so, I woke poor George up from his nap and he started crying.  It would have been a great picture if we'd only known for certain he was sleeping!

Here's to hoping we get a little sleep tonight and wake up to fever free babies in the morning!

Koala Bears and Fevers and Doctors, Oh My!

Well, the twins started back to day care yesterday in the Koala Bear room.  Poor babies went from being the oldest and biggest to being the youngest and smallest!  There are babies aged up to 15 months or so in this class, crawlers and walkers all over the place.  The room is LOUD too - more kids than in the infant room.  Overall Scott and George seemed to adjust well to the room, although the teachers did have to take them on a road trip back to the infant room for identification because they couldn't remember which one was which!

As our "welcome back to daycare present", Scott spiked a fever last night of 102.7F.  It came down with Tylenol and wasn't present this morning, but we took him to the doctor anyway. He's been very calm and snuggly, which so isn't his personality! It's probably viral and as of now the doctor doesn't think it's anything to worry about.  Scott went to daycare but got sent home when he spiked another temp this afternoon, so he'll be staying home tomorrow with my parents babysitting.  Thank goodness for retired grandparents - and the fact that they'll use any excuse to be with their grandbabies!

On a side note- we took George to the doctor with us for a weight check.  He is weighing in over 19 lbs, but Scott has him beat at over 20 lbs!  Almost 40 lbs of babies, no wonder my arms are sore and my back hurts all the time.  Good thing Scott and George bought mommy a massage for Christmas!

Finally!

George started army crawling today!  Not very far, but he definitely made progress.  He's obviously not as fast as Scott yet but I know he'll catch up in a few days!

George can wave bye-bye, say "da-da" (we think), and (until today, at least) is content to sit and play with whatever toy is in front of him.  He also knows how to push his arms through his shirt sleeves, which is a huge help when getting dressed in the morning.

Scott can move from his belly back into a sitting position and tries to pull up in the crib or on whatever is close (toys, couch).  Scott learned to eat cereal a full 6 weeks before George would even allow a spoon in his mouth, which led to him quickly closing that 1 lb weight difference since birth!

Although I logically know that the twins will grow and develop at different rates, there's still a part of me that thinks "they're twins, why can one do this and the other can't"? I guess it will just keep things interesting, wondering which twin will hit the next milestone first!



 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a safe and fun new year's eve.  I spent my evening getting the blog updated, drinking a glass of wine, and finishing the book I started over the holidays.  Scott was at his brother's party, and if not for him texting me just before midnight, I probably would have slept the year away.  This was the first NYE in a really, really long time in which I did not go out (pregnant or not) and I must say that I didn't miss the crowded bars or headache today, although I did miss visiting with friends.

Scott and George have literally slept the entire day.  I think the Christmas festivities and trip to Destin last week finally caught up with them.  They would eat, play for a bit, take a long nap, repeat x3.  It made for a productive day around the house by allowing us to take down all of the Christmas decorations, throw out the tree, do all the laundry, and get organized.  Just one more day off and then it's back to work for me, and off to the Koala Bear room at daycare for the twins!