Cutting tv, more activities

We have cut back the television majorly the last two weeks. When the boys would act up, we found that the television was a quick way to get them to calm down. The problem is that, they started acting up to get the television on.

Instead we're trying to reward them with television for good behavior. However, it has been so much more fun and exciting to play, sing, and dance with them.

Joy got a whole bunch of books from library of fun activities. Nightly, Joy has picked up a book and went through it. We have been doing so much singing and dancing.

The big hit around with the boys is "The Ants Go Marching." We all march down the hallway and then fall down to the ground "to get out of the rain." They love it and laugh.

Some of the other things we do is "hands up," "stand on one foot," and "spin."

I have also been taking the boys to the basement to play drums and the organ. They have a guitar too they like to play.

It is so much fun exposing them to all the singing, dancing, and music. It also so amazing to watch them learn.

They are also starting to repeat words more. Yay!!


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Sliding down!

This week I took on a new job at work which changed my hours. I now get to come home a little bit earlier. Which is great because we have been able to have dinner and hit the park before dark, which is now at 7pm.

We hit the park on Tuesday and I had Jasper with me at first. I put him on the smaller slide and let him go. He went down the slide by himself with my hands right there just in case. He got the biggest kick out of it. We repeated this for a while and then later I did with Jacob. He loved it. They both laughed as they went down.

I followed Jacob around most of the time at the park. He loves to follow the other kids and talk to them. He enjoyed climbing up the slide and steps to the jungle gym. We also walked across the wavey bridge holding hands.

Jasper seemed to get really shy at park. At least the first time we went. Not sure if it was because his teeth hurt or not feeling good. He mostly stayed close to Joy and not wandering off too much.

Yesterday when we went, Jasper was more active. Jacob continued to have a blast walking around following kids. Two girls were playing and he and Jasper walked up and Jacob started pointing at their toys and talking. It was so cute!!

It really amazing me how much they are growing. They are defiantly more like toddlers now. I really think we are in for a ride.

This weekend it's supposed to be nice outside. I think we're gonna milk it all we can. Tomorrow we might go a bike ride and Sunday we're gonna hit a park with Joy's mom and brother.

-- the picture is from last weekend. I stayed home with the boys while Joy went out with her mom. I brought up a kid-sized guitar. They enjoyed hitting it mostly. We then played with a drum, jumped around, and danced to music till they got tired of hanging with daddy and went to play with farm toy.

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Staying awake!

Getting sleep can be tough. Here are some tips I use stay awake through the day:

1. Coffee. I am a bit of coffee fiend. I drink about a pot a day and keep my coffee pot with me in the car. This is partly because I'm not a fan of the battery acid they serve at work.

Since I've become somewhat of an addict, I think I developed somewhat a tolerance.  So usually I'll take breaks. When the weekend hits,  I'll only drink if  a) I'm really sleepy or b) if someone else wants coffee. Either way, I limit my coffee on the weekend so come Monday I'll feel the effects more. 

2. Music. Luckily, I have a job that let's me listen to my iPod.  Now, you have to be careful with this. You would think loud and fast would be the way to go.  But I've noticed, if I start off loud and fast I get worn out as day goes on. So I suggest this; start off with something mellow but upbeat and work yourself into the loud and heavy music as the day goes on.

3. Get up and walk around.  If you find yourself dosing off, it's time to get up and get the blood pumping.  Sometimes I will get up and walk to the kitchen for a drink even if I'm not thirsty.

4. This is probably most important: Stay Busy! The minute you start slowing down, the sleepies will catch up to you!

The Power of Singing

I'm a very musical person, I've been playing in bands since I was 8 or so. It's odd for me to not have a song in my head. Even as I type this I'm listening to music. I'm really looking forward to the day I can show the boys how to play an instrument or beat on the drums. Even if it turns out to be something they're not interested in, I still think it's important to give them the opportunity to try it out.

Recently I've noticed a postive reaction to singing to the boys. Singing to them can turn a grumpy mood or freak out to either calm and flat out cracking up laughter. Granted this might not completely work if they just got a shot but I think it helps in a small way.i

Right now the hits of the household are "Rockabye Baby," "This old man," and "Camp Town Races.

I'm not a lyrical person. Lyrics are the last thing I pay attention to when listening to a song. So when it comes to singing these songs I tend to either make up my own lyrics or sing the melody. I enjoy incorporating the boys into the song such as "This Old Man" can be be varied with "little man," "Jasper Man" or "Jacob Dude."

I can't recommend enough singing to your children. It doesn't matter how well you sing, so don't self conscious. Remember if you can talk, you can sing. Your children will love it, at least while they're babies!

Three weeks old already!

The boys are now three weeks old! I still can't believe how fast time passes. They're been eating a ton. We used to have to wake them up every three hours to feed them and try to get them to eat a half an ounce. That is a thing of the past. Now they eat two to four ounces at time. They are also growing into their clothes very fast. We're starting to find some differences in the boys. I'm pretty sure they're not identical but they still look very alike.

This week I headed back to work. Luckily work has been so busy that the week has went somewhat fast. I really miss being home with the boys and staying up late. Joy and I have a bit of schedule now. I come from work, we have dinner and then Joy gets a few hours of sleep till midnight. Then I get to bed around 1am. Joy has tried to sneak back in bed a few times with the boys either in their bassinet or carrier but it's been mostly unsuccessful. For some reason, they boys like to talk in their sleep.

Last night, I had some good father-sons bonding. I read to them the Lorax and a couple of Doctor Sesus stories. Jacob fell asleep first and then Jasper soon followed. We also listened to some music. I turned the kids on to A Day's Night album by Beatles followed by the Safe as Milk by Captain Beefheart. They seemed to like the rhythm and blues of Captain Beefheart the best, which made me happy.

Today, Joy gave them their first bath today and then dressed up in corduroys. Joy sent me pictures while I was at work. She left them on, even though they were too big till I got home. They looked really cute.

This weekend, Joy's mom is coming to visit. So, Joy and I are gonna go out for a date. We're planning on going for a bike ride in the park. It's supposed to rain but I don't think that's going to stop us. We love the rain. We also plan on sleeping together for a few hours.