Parks!

Sunday we met my parents at the Ira trailhead in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It had been a month since they've seen the boys and they were itchin' to see them.

The boys were really good in the wagon as we walked to the farmer's market. My parents got us iced tea and lemon aid.

We shared with the boys who did their new found joy of spitting out anything they suck up from a straw. They did drink some though. Jasper seemed to like my lemonade.










Monday night we went to the concert in the park. The boys had a much better reaction this time. We got them both to clap their hands and dance (shake and wave arms) a bit in their wagon.

The band was Calypso Gypsies. They played island music and had a steel drummer. The band was much better than the last one we saw. The boys liked them a lot better.








Jasper was intent on watching while Jacob was watching the little girl seated behind us.

Yesterday, we headed back to the park to let them play and run around in the field. First we headed to the playground where we swung them on the swings and held them as they went down the slide.









The big difference this time was that the boys can now walk. We set them free and let them roam around the playground (with one of us intently staying with them.) They followed other kids around and beat on the slide like a drum.








We then headed over to the field and once we got them to stop walking back to the playground they loved walking up and down the hills.

Eventually Jacob found a tree that he was really fascinated with. Jasper joined him and a bit of "I'm gonna get'chew" game.

We came home and put Tangled on, a new favorite movie of theirs. And eventually went to bed and stayed asleep all night!


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Climbing!

The boys have learned to climb. Jasper can now climb onto the couch. He is so proud of himself, he wants to do it all the time. The only problem is that he wants to climb up and jump. So this week we have been constantly informing him that he needs to "sit on his booty." I think it's getting better but still scary that he would fall and break something.

Joy had gotten rid of one of their toy boxes in living room. She kept the big trunk full of toys. So now both Jacob and Jasper managed to climb not only into the trunk but on top of the trunk and holding onto the couch. The trunk is located on the back end of the couch.

Over the weekend, we took the boys to toys r us to spend birthday money from their great grandma. We got them bought stuffed dinosaurs which they loved to pieces. They now have them in their cribs.

Jacob is really into helping with cleaning. He loves to play with our broom and when he has a rag he wipes things. So while we were at the store we bought him a toy broom. We didn't think Jasper would be too into it so we got just one for them to share.

Then we got home and Jasper loved the broom! The boys had a fight over causing us to go back to toys r us to grab another broom.





Father's day was relaxed but we did manage to go to the cuyahoga valley national park for a walk by a lake. We spend most of the day at home. I think we all were beat after the vacation the weekend before.


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The boys' first vacation!

We had our first vacation with the boys last weekend. We, including Joy's mom drove 9 hours to Asheville, North Carolina to spend the weekend in a cabin.

We left Friday morning around 4:30am. We hoped the boys would fall right back to sleep in the car but they were up for awhile. It didn't help that I was in the backseat goofing with them a bit. Jacob was really interested on what was going on and Jasper was laughing.






They were really great in the car. There were no big freak outs. They got a little antsy as we got closer but it was nothing the Mary Poppins soundtrack couldn't fix.

We had directions to Emma's rd but we needed directions to Emma's cove. Emma's road took us to a scary backwoods mouton area. We were relived when Joy discovered the problem.

The cabin was really nice. It had two bed rooms, a loft, kitchen, living room, big porch over looking a creek. The place was called Mountain Springs.






The boys loved discovering things around the cabin. They were able to get into the lower kitchen cabinets and get out pans and various other kitchen objects. They also enjoyed the fireplace, which we had to constantly get them away from.

Outside, they loved running around the big porch and we let them play a little bit in the creek.

Also outside was a large field with a play ground. They both loved playing in the sandbox. Jacob loved getting in and out of the sandbox. Jasper loved having the freedom to run around the field. On night, I played the "I'm gonna get'cha" game with him as he tried to run away laughing and falling.

Friday night Joy, I and the boys headed into downtown Asheville for a drum circle. The city was awesome. Very musical, a lot of street musicians. We also watched the Marine Corp band play too. They were doing a big concert.






I think the boys were tired and weren't that into the drum circle. We tried to get them to clap their hands or saw "ahh" but had no luck.

Saturday we went to a family picnic. Joy's aunt got ordained as a minister and they had a whole bunch of family get together for a picnic at someone's house. The boys loved playing with their cousin Elizabeth who also adored the boys.





Sunday, we stayed around the cabin. Joy's mom watched the boys while Joy and I got inter-tubes and hung out in the creek.

That night the boys weren't feeling too good and we thought they got sick. So instead of leaving in the morning we left at 11pm and drove all night.

Joy and I took turns driving and trying to sleep in the car. The boys did pretty good in the car but we has to play Mary Poppins a bunch.

We got home and the boys seemed to be feeling better. I called the doctor's office but by then they seemed fine. Joy's mom watched them while Joy and I took a nap. Then when they took a nap we all took another nap.

Our first vacation was a success! Joy did great at planning it all out and doing everything. The boys were angels. Isn't traveling with babies supposed to be crazy!?

Darn those molars!

Darn those molars. It appears the boys have molars sticking out. This has made the boys very comfortable during the last few days. They have had trouble eating. Jacob has had trouble sleeping. They both want to be held constantly. Poor little dudes.

Sleeping has still been pretty solid except Jacob waking up upset. With the exception of last night, the boys have been going to sleep on their own with a bottle at night.

Last night, Jacob had finished his bottle and got up in his crib pretty upset. Even trying to give him tylenol was a struggle.

At this point Jasper was awake and also bit upset, mostly because he wanted out of his crib.

After everything was taken care of. Joy and I switched off with reading from a Disney book. I rubbed Jasper's back because he became upset about being put to sleep.

After Joy read a couple stories, I took over and started reading more. After I read the Hunchback of Notre Dame I looked up and Jasper, Jacob, Joy, and our dog were all sleeping. I tapped Joy on the shoulder and we headed to bed.

Jacob had then woken up again around 4am quite upset again. After we couldn't get him to settle down, Joy picked him up and brought him to the couch.

I then took him and he fell asleep on me and I was able to take him back to his crib around 5am.

Jasper slept through it all like a champ. He moved around slightly at first but ever fully got up.

They both got up again around 8:30 and took a two hour nap at 11am.

We kept a pretty chill weekend. We had to cancel on going to my niece Sarah's graduation party. Even Joy wasn't feeling good. I got our cars an oil change and Joy fixed the window on our car.


- ps the pictures in this post and last were taken at the Nature Realm on memorial day.

Going to sleep on their own

This was our method to getting the boys to sleep:

We start with giving the
boys a bottle of milk in their cribs. Sometimes they would fall asleep during or after finishing their bottle.

If that fails, we bring them back out to the living room where we sit and watch tv until they fall asleep or get antsy.

If they get antsy, I take one of them and walk around with them and try to rock them to sleep. After the one I have falls asleep, I do the same to the other if they haven't fallen asleep with Joy.

This method worked pretty well. Heck, they were going to sleep at night now!

The problem is that the boys were so used to this method that it made it really hard for Joy to them down for a nap.

So this weekend, or actually Sunday we started working really hard to get them to go sleep on their own.

So we gave them bottles and walked out until we heard them freaking out.

Instead of grabbing them, we made them stay in the cribs and Joy and I sat on the floor. I read to them. Joy would play music for them and sing. Or We both would sit silently reading to ourselves. But we did let them leave their cribs.

Sometimes I would get them to sleep by simply reading to them. Jacob seemed to be the first one to pass out but seemed to take a bit longer for Jasper.

The first night they were both out by 2am, then next 1am, followed by 12am. The last two nights they have fallen asleep on their own around 9pm.

Also they have been taking their naps easier!!

Let's hope this sticks up because it's really nice that they can go to sleep on their own and at a decent time. Shortly before they were pushing bedtime to 12-1am.

The only thing is now seems the boys are going through something, teeth or effects from the 12 month shots. Jacob woke up last night and had a big hissy and took awhile to get him to go back to sleep. He seemed in pain or comfy so I held and brought him to the couch. He didn't like that either, however eventually he fell back asleep. A couple nights before Jasper seemed the same way.