Beginning on vacation

Been on vacation all week! So far it's been a blast! Last Saturday, we took the boys to their first gymnastics class at the YMCA. Our boys were a little more wild than the others. The parents gave us some looks but I think the boys were getting their money's worth. They loved all the equipment including the trampoline.




Sunday we took the boys on a hike at Hampton Hills. They loved it and we looked for bugs and frogs.




Yesterday, we took the boys to the movie theater for the first time. We saw the lorax. Jasper was glued! Jacob say next to me and loved eating candy and watching. He sat still for an hour until the candy ran out. Even at that, he just wondered a little bit down the aisle. I'd say major success.

Today, we had another gymnastics class. The other kids were a bit more wild!! Made us feel better about the looks on Saturday.

We have also been watching a lot of the olympics when we are home. They seem to love volley ball!



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Zoo and Toy store freak out

Since the last post. We went to the zoo. We let them walk around and for some reason they kept getting too excited and fall down. We had some scrapped knees.

I was really excited to show the animals. We have been naming the animals on their bedroom wall and I was really excited to see their reaction in person. Jacob said "giraffe" at one point last week. I was so proud of him.

However, the boys were more interested in rocks than animals! Hehe. They have been going through a rock thing lately. They have been picking up rocks to take home. I think we will have a rock collection soon!

We took the boys to Target to get manga doodles. Joy thought it would be a good toy for them. I picked up the manga doodles and showed them. I then went down the "Toy Story" aisle. There I experienced the first toy store freak out. Joy was looking around else where in the store. When we met, she saw the boys freaking. She took Jasper out of the cart and they walked back to the toys. Jacob helped me push cart back. In the end, we put the magma doodles back, we picked up two Buzz Lighyears, and all was right with the world.

Last Friday, Jasper started exploding with words. We were in their playroom upstairs and he handed me a magnetic letter "E." He responded by saying "E." Then we went around the room naming things and he repeated. It was awesome.

Jacob is big into the word "no." If you ask him anything his response is usually "um, no!" or just "no!" I make him laugh when I respond with "yesss!"



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Walking at the park

Yesterday, after some work with Joy's mom, Jacob stated pedaling this tricycle too! I'm so proud of them and really darn advanced!! Go them!!

Joy ordered her and I pedometers last week and they came on Saturday. Since then, we have been doing a lot of walking. We've been taking the boys to the metro parks and letting them walk on the paths. They have been enjoying the freedom of walking. Only holding hands when bikes come by or anything looks remotely dangerous. At some points they were holding each other's hands.

We have seen deer, birds, bugs, frogs, fish, and turtles on our walks. It's been really fun showing them to the boys and seeing them so interested in them. They were really excited about the frogs we saw at the Nature Realm.

I've been doing a new approach to bedtime. It includes not bringing my phone in when I put them to bed. When they were getting wild while I was trying to put them to bed, I stated playing movies on my phone to get them to settle. Instead, I've been trying to read to them. Letting them have books. We have also been "talking" about the day.

One hot topic we have been talking about was the train we saw at the park. They love trains!!

Forgot to mention, on the same night we saw the train, we all enjoyed laying down and rolling down a hill. We got so dizzy!! The boys loved it! Was so much fun!!



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Jasper pedalling

This morning we watched a little bit of the Tour De France. Jasper got his alphabet train out to ride. Jacob got out his bicycle helmet.

It's too hot to be outside, so I brought their tricycles inside. Not long into it, Jasper started moving with the pedals for the first time!! A little bit later, he was using them like it was no ones business.

I can't believe he is already pedaling!!

The last few days been amazing!! Jacob started hitting a ball with bat.


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Fourth of July vacation

I took a mini vacation around the fourth of July. Had 5 days off straight and it was nice!!! Hot but very nice!!

Saturday, we had a chill day at home. It had been mostly too hot to go outside!

Sunday, we took the boys to the Monroe Falls beach. This was their first time to the beach and in a lake. I was bit scared that they would be too wild. However, they were really good and I felt at ease once we got into the water. Joy and I held on to the entire time in water. They both did a great job kicking their feet and kind of doggy pedal. I think they are going to end up being good swimmers. We might sign them up for swimming classes in the fall at the YMCA. They also loved playing with the sand on the beach. We buried hands and feet. Joy made a deep hole which we filled with water. I can't wait to go back to the beach,




We have a toy piano that the boys love to play. Jasper took it and started singing. Jacob wanted it too so it stated a little fight. Joy and I ended going to Once Upon A Child and picking up another piano and percussion toys.

I walked in on Jacob singing in our bedroom going "da ba da ba da no! No!" and waving his hands while singing "no no." He did this over and over. It was so cute!!! He got all embarrassed when Joy walked in and wouldn't sing for her. Later that week, Joy walk in on him singing he pointed and told her to "go".

They both love playing music in the basement. I let Jasper play with an old broken microphone. He walks around and sings in it when he's not playing the organ. Jacob plays the guitar and sings and also sits behind the drums and plays and sings.

Monday, Joy and I went to the Indians game! It was very fun, even though they lost. Drank beer and ate giant ice cream cones!! The boys stayed home with Joy's mom and later her brother stopped by.



On the fourth, we went to my parents' house for a get together. It was a lot of fun! The boys got to play outside on their jungle gym. Jasper spent most of the time going down the slide. He was having such a blast!! Jacob played baseball with his cousin Jimmy and my cousin Jon. Jake was doing an amazing job at hitting the ball with bat.

My dad set up a sprinkler for them and we also had bubbles. Jimmy gave the boys all his old match box cars.

Great vacation!!! More vacation time soon!!



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No Gate on room plus park

Now that the boys are getting a bit older, I started taking the gate off their room when they go to sleep. I have also been trying to keep it off when I put them to bed but Jacob likes for me to put it up. I'm not sure if it's a security thing or he is trying to be helpful because he knows it's supposed to be up.

The gate on their door has taken a beating. It used to be a swinging open and close gate but now it is reduced to a gate that no longer stays on unless it's latched.

A couple nights ago, the boys woke up crying and couldn't go back asleep. At one point Jacob left the room and went to the couch. When I got in there, he was just sitting and then he went to lay down.

Joy took Jasper to bed with her to help him calm down but as it turns out, he'd rather sleep in his room. I saw him run back back to his room and when I got there, he was laying down on a pillow trying to cover himself.



Yesterday, when Joy got up in the morning, she found Jacob passed out on the couch with a blanket. He must have gotten up after I left for work. So funny though.

However, last night I heard Jasper crying. When I went into their room, he wasn't there. I found him in the living room looking out the window. I'm not sure if he was scared because he thought he was alone. Normally he just comes into our room. When I went to get him, he brought me back to his room where he fell asleep on the floor.




In other news, the boys are talking a lot more. Jasper's big words now are "ouch" and "gosh." Jacob out of no where said "boo" while playing peek-a-boo with Jasper. He tried really hard to say "bunny" yesterday after we saw a bunny. He has also been talking up a storm.

We saw a train a go by up close while we were on our walk from library to the grocery show. When we got back home they told Joy all about it and pointed towards the train.

I read to the boys last night and they really seemed to like. Jasper laid next to me and watched the book. Jacob picked fuzz and listened. I read the Little Mermaid.

Tonight, I tried to read Toy Story but they're a bit hyper. Jacob is making voices and chasing Jasper.

The pictures are from the park on Saturday. Joy's mom, brother, and us went to the park. They can now go on the regular swings!! They are growing up so fast!!!

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Father's day plus!

I got totally spoiled this year for father's day. Joy got me an amazing ice cream cake from Cold Stone, really strong coffee, donuts, a sweet card, and a deck of cards with reasons the boys love me on each, paintings, and not to mention the tv that was my father's day present from before. It was really sweet and I feel totally loved.

The best part was sharing the cake the cake with boys. It was so yummy and the boys loved it ubber much.

I'm so happy being a father to these boys. I love them and Joy so much! My life is really amazing!

Right now, I'm watching Tangled with the boys on the couch. Bedtime has been rough lately so we're having a little movie time. I'm hoping they fall asleep but not sure they will.

They have been so hyper lately! Bouncing off the walls to say the least! They have also been wrestling and tackling each other. One thing they love to do now is when I'm trying to put them to bed, they jump off their bed and latch on to my back.

My parents stopped by tonight which was cool! We all went to the park and the boys showed off all their playground moves: slides, swings, climbing, and goofiness. When we came back they played in the back yard and played ball with my dad. It was a fun night.

Potty training has taken a little break but I think we'll start up again soon. My mom bought them new underwear! Hehe

--picture by Joy. Taken when they were trying to take down a tree.

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