Dudes Night In

Last night, it was just me and the boys. Our friend Heather came up from Texas to visit family and last night she and Joy went to the Indians game.

Joy had prepared food the boys and I and cleaned up the house. As soon as dinner was done the boys took all their toys out of their toy basket and spread them through the living room, hallway, and dining room.

The boys did not have much of a nap yesterday, so they both were tired. Jacob was clingy and wanted held.

I took Jacob in the kitchen with me while I was cleaning up and making coffee for the morning. I let him smell the beans. He opened his mouth really big. It was really cute.

Jasper was laying on his back on the living room rug, wiggling around. I watched with Jacob from the kitchen.

I then put Jacob on the rug and grabbed out their drum, toy piano, and blocks. We had a jam session that included that with singing and clapping. It is really amazing that they can match each others pitches and hold notes for an extended period of time.

After that was done, I read them several books. Sometimes they would pay attention, other times get upset that I wasn't giving them the books.

Bed time came and Jasper fell right asleep with his bottle in his crib.

Jacob stated crying and when I entered was holding an empty bottle. I took him to the living room and sat with him on the couch and watched Grindhouse. He quickly fell asleep.

I took him to crib to find the bottle he had's nipple was somewhat removed and his crib was covered in formula.

So now I had to successfully change sheets with Jacob in my arm and not wake him up. This was unsuccessful. Jacob was very unhappy.

I put him in his playpen with another bottle and changed his sheets. I brought him back to his crib, which he didn't fall sleep in. I brought him back to the couch with me where he fell asleep.

As I was taking him to crib again, Joy and Heather came home. This startled our dog and started barking at the door and acting like a madman because Heather was over. This woke up both boys.

Joy took Jasper and I had Jacob and we all watched Grindhouse till the boys fell asleep and both were successfully put in their cribs.

It was a fun night. Joy had fun on her outting despite it being cold and rainy. She had beer and peanuts, which is normally not a fan of. The Indians won!

We all slept good last night!!

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

Early this week, we stopped at the local grocery store, Acme and I raced out to purchase some cookies and cream ice cream.

When we got home, I got Joy and I a cup of ice cream. I brought it back to the couch and gave a spoon of it to Jasper. Jasper made a yucky face, I believe because he wasn't expected something cold. Shortly after his first bite, he was ready for another.

After a couple spoon servings, Jacob got wind of what was going on and came over. He gave the same first response, a yucky face but ready for more.

I was then giving Jasper a spoon serving, then me, then Jacob, then me, etc. Before long, the ice cream was gone. Jacob was not happy! He freaked out when there wasn't any more ice cream. I had to hold him till he calmed down.

Since ice cream doesn't last very long in our house, the same event repeated for the next couple nights.

I almost thought they were like little zombies; gaining up and trying to eat my brains but instead it was ice cream. As soon as it was gone Jacob would flip. I told him "I feel the same way" when the ice cream is out.

So needless to say, they love their ice cream just like their momma and papa.

It will be a lot of taking the boys out for ice cream this summer.

Climb climb

Yesterday, when was on my way home I called Joy. Joy informed me that Jasper can climb stairs. Apparently, the door to the upstairs got open somehow, we blame our cat.

Joy was in the living room. She heard the boys laughing in a way they sounded like they were getting into trouble. She went to see what was going on and found Jasper on the second step and Jacob cheering him on.

Joy was amazed that he could climb stairs, yet not walk more than a couple of steps. So she went behind him and watched him climb five steps.

Joy also informed me that we need to make sure we strap the boys into their high chairs now.

At first we didn't feel the need to strap them in because they weren't going any where. It was only about a month or so ago that we started strapping them in to keep them in the general same spot so we could feed them and it would shorten freak outs.

So anyway, she told me that Jacob climbed out of his high chair.

So yesterday they both climbed and we need to up the security. We have a skeleton key that we're gonna use to lock the upstairs and make sure the boys are strapped in their high chairs at all times.

first nice day

Sunday we had big plans for the first fully nice day. We started off by heading to the zoo. This time we brought the wagon. The boys got a big kick out of being wheeled around and plus getting to see each other as they're facing each other in the wagon.

We had been to the zoo a couple weeks earlier so we just did a quick walk through. It's really nice having member passes.

Joy suggested we go quickly and start at the far end of the zoo so there aren't as many people. It was a lot of fun. It is also fun spotting other twins. It's so weird how many are out there if you look.

We stopped at the penguins and got a ton of really cool pictures of the penguins swimming by the boys in their wagon.

After the zoo, we headed home for lunch and nap time. We hoped to take the boys out on a bike ride. We got a bike trailer for them that fits on the back of my bike. I've been dying to try it out.

However, the boys weren't having it with nap time. They fell asleep on the ride home. We got them in their cribs all successfully.

Joy and I were outside and I made the mistake of putting our dog on the chain. He barked and I quickly went to get him but it was too late. He woke up the boys. So we had lunch and I was unable to get the boys to nap.

Totally giving up on trying to get them to nap, we set the playpen outside. The boys loved being outside. Joy and I planted trees that we had gotten and also berries. The boys loved watching. They also played with their toys in their playpen.

Around 3pm, we tried to give nap another try. Jacob fell asleep but Jasper did not. Joy went out to work in the yard. I stayed in and tried to get Jasper to sleep. I put on the tv and put on an making off documentary for the Exorcist. He eventually fell asleep and I joined Joy.

Then Jacob woke up and I went back inside and did the same for Jacob. Eventually after falling asleep and then waking to a fire engine going down the street. I got him back to sleep and joined Joy.

Joy and I worked in the garden; cutting down a large tree branch and tilling the ground. We are going to have a huge garden this summer.

The boys woke up around six for dinner. They played till after 10.

thriftin' and pakin'

Last Saturday was supposed to be 60 degrees and 78 on Sunday. Finally, the first nice weekend of the year! Yay!! I could not wait. The week seemed to drag a bit because I was dying to be outside with Joy and the boys.

We did not realize until Saturday morning that it wasn't gonna be warm until later in the afternoon.

During the week, Joy and her mom had re-arranged the living room. Joy had taken a baby gate that I had tripped on and broke and created two new barricades to keep the boys from getting to the tv.

The new barricades have been very successful. We have not had anymore run ins with the tv. The night after they rearranged, I cleaned off the finger prints on the tv.

The boys play area is now set up behind the couch. Which can make it a little hard to see them. I think a hand mirror will be helpful.

So, since it wasn't too nice Saturday morning, we headed to the thrift store. We went looking for a table for their play area and a basket to help with one of the barricades.

We didn't find any but Joy found a couple dresses for her mom and I found a couple of records. It was fun looking around.

That night when it warmed up, we headed to the park by our house. We took the boys in their new wagon, which they loved.

We stopped at the play area and held the boys as we left them go down the slide. They got such a kick out it.

Afterwards, we put the boys on the swings. Jacob was cracking up as I went in front of him and pushed him. Every time he came close to me I'd make a face or pretend to be get pushed over. He laughed really hard.

Joy pushed Jasper who was still kinda sleepy from falling asleep in the car earlier.

While I was pushing Jacob, a boy came up and was going through our wagon. I quickly took our camera out. He asked why I kept the wagon there and he grabbed the handle. I asked him to leave it and he asked "why?" I said "so I don't lose it." He then said "I wasn't gonna take it." I felt like an ass but i talked with Joy as we were leaving and she agreed I did the right thing.

We stopped at a pizza shop on the way home and picked up a pizza. We then ate pizza on the patio. It was so nice to be outside.

BOOK REVIEW: A Flea in the Ear

My go-to book is either the Lorax or Where The Sidewalk Ends. I was determined to grab a new book from boys large collection of books. Over the summer, our local library was having a book sale. You buy a bag and then you can fill it with as many books as you can. Joy and I raided the children's selections. One of those books was A Flea In The Ear by Stephen Wyllie and that was the book I randomly choose to read to the boys.

I sat on the rug with the boys standing and then trying to climb me to get the book out of my hands.

The story is about a gullible dog with fleas that's job is to protect the hens. There is fox however who would love to take those hens off the dog's hands.

The fox tries to make a deal with the dog because he has a family secret to get rid of the fleas. The fox offers to give secret for free after the dog denies the first deal to give up the hens for it.

The fox tells the dog to basically go down to the lake and go into the water to drown the fleas. The fox is such a nice guy, he offers to watch the hens so the dog doesn't lose his job.

The dog buys it and heads down to the lake. However, a flea goes up the dog's ear and tells him what's going down.

The dog spares the flea's lives and head's to the fox to seek revenge. The fox had taken the hens.

The dog told the fox he didn't get rid of the fleas because there too many ducks in the lake. The fox then went down to the lake to feast on the ducks but instead got all the dog's fleas. The dog spared all the hen's lives.

One thing I thought about after reading the story is; what is stopping the fox from drowning all the fleas?

I thought it was cute that instead of having the fox feast on the hens, he just kidnapped them by putting them in bags.

All-in-all the story was okay. I'll read it to the boys again. I'm not really sure revenge is the correct thing to teach the boys though.

Reading and the Nightly Rituals

I've been majoring lacking at reading to the boys. I've been thinking it's time to start really reading to the boys at night. I was reading to them a lot during Halloween time because it's my favorite holiday and I love spooky stories. 

We got a nightly ritual going on now. Around 9pm, I'll change their diapers and grab their bottles of milk. Then Joy and I will feed them a bottle while watching a movie with the lights off in the living room. I'll leave the lights on in the hallway to give some light. 

I've been doing this for awhile to kinda let the boys know it's bed time. A lot of times they will fall asleep while drinking from their bottles. However if that doesn't work, I'll hold one of them and rock him to sleep. After I get one to sleep, if Joy hasn't gotten who she had asleep, I'll take him and do the same. 

So, last I incorporated a story before diaper changes. I read to them "A Flea In The Ear," a story about gullible dog and fox that tricks him. 

The boys climbed on me as I sat on the floor. They enjoyed trying to grab the book. I would keep moving it out of their direction as they kept getting closer and continued to read.  

After I finished, I realized that it would be a good idea to start reading as a part of the nightly ritual. I talked to Joy afterwards and she agreed.