Who needs Lincoln Logs?

This had to explained in a blog because I am going to need more space than Facebook would allow.  Some of you might recognize what is in the backyard right now but those who don't I will fill you in.  We live in a cute little subdivision that has those white picket fences.  About a year ago, our HOA decided that we could either keep them or get rid of them.  Some of our neighbors choose to get rid of them and we went around and collected them so we could extend our fence. We recently cleaned out the garage where we had been keeping them and piled them in the backyard to give us some more space.  Coop and Marshall left them alone for a couple days but I asked them to stack them up a little better and they made a giant toddler crushing tower.  So I had them make smaller piles and they left them alone for awhile. 

              Yesterday, the building started.  First it was small scale obstacle course from the boys favorite show Wipeout.  It soon turned into super mega wipeout track complete with obstacles to get through.  They built all of this on their own with no help from Robert or I.  

They are pretending to be panthers.  I guess Wipeout got old.

 

The Last Year

Oh what a year it has been.  The first birthday of any child is a big milestone and we have always celebrated with a big party for our babies.  Rob and I want to share the with all our friends and family the little person who is starting to show personality and who is well on their way to becoming the little person they will be. They change so much in that first year and it has gone by so fast for us. 

I have learned so much this year from our twins.  Here are several that jump out at me right now:

1. Let people help you if they offer - I am way to self conscience about letting people help me.  I guess I feel like if I let people help me then I am doing something wrong in the first place to need the help.  Crazy right?  I think I am not alone in this though because how many times have you told someone you are "just fine" when you weren't?  I had to accept help and the only thing that broke through my hangups were people just showing up and doing things for me.  I mean like folding a load of laundry that gasp! had my underwear in it!  Wait, stop, don't tell the world I wear underwear!  Other things I can think of are: accepting donor milk for the babies when I could not make enough, letting people carry one of the babies for me because I am not the hulk and carrying two car seats is hard; letting people watch my big boys when I could not play with them.  When people offer to help you they are doing what Jesus through the bible has asked us to do.  By turning them down, you are stopping them from serving! 
2. It is okay to ask for help - seriously sometimes you have to ask for help.  I did not ask for enough help after the twins were born.  Again, it was a pride thing and not wanting to bother anyone with my problems.  So six months goes by and I have a massive gallbladder attack while home alone with the kids.  I could barely dial the phone I was in so much pain and Robert was 45 minutes away.  I had to call someone right away and lo and behold she came, just like that all I had to do was ask!  After removing my gallbladder, my surgeon told me I could not lift anything for two weeks.  I laughed at him and reminded him I had six month old twins and he reminded me that if I ripped my stitches I would have to undergo "open" surgery which would require six weeks of no lifting.  So, I was forced to call in the cavalry (i.e. our awesome church family) and have people in my house lifting babies for me and gasp! folding my underwear again.  Again, God gave us the gift of people who love us and we should ask them for help and give them the opportunity to serve!    
3. There is no "right"way to do things - I am what I would consider a crunchy mom.  I co-sleep with my babies, I breastfeed until we (meaning me and the baby) decide to stop and I have what I call free range babies, meaning they are free to explore in a safe environment.   I was so looking forward to my third child.  I daydreamed about how easy this baby would be (before we knew it was number three AND four).  I could wear the baby in the sling while Cooper and I did school, we could still get out with minimal effort, and I had so much more confidence in myself as a mother. Now I just laugh and laugh at that stupid girl.
   We found out about the twins when I was 20 weeks along and that is pretty late these days.  Suddenly I did not know how to be a mom anymore.  How do you breastfeed two babies?  How do you wear them in a sling? How were we going to sleep?  All the things I did as a mom were suddenly up in the air.  Breastfeeding did not go as planned.  The babies would not latch and I did not make enough milk.  After two months of pumping the babies finally started latching but I still had supply problems.  I had to supplement with formula, which I had never had to use before.  Bottles were a new world to me as well.  Oh and there was no sleep/nursing in bed while the big boys watched a movie either.  I did not sleep more than two hours straight for six months.  I had to pump around the clock in the beginning to sustain my milk and the twins did not sleep through the night until they were six months old.  Yes, I learned to be a different kind of mom and I am much less judgmental about decision people make regarding their kids.  I still believe in all my crunchy goodness, I just had to learn to do things another way.
4. My husband is the most amazing man in the world.  Sorry gals, I got the best one.  Rob has always been a great dad and very supportive of all my choices regarding child rearing.  Breastfeeding pretty much meant the baby was mine until they turned 1 and he could play with them.  I mean besides changing diapers and bath time, and being my "water boy" there was not a lot for him to do with the actual baby while they are infants.  Well, the twins changed all that.  Suddenly, instead of bringing the babies to me to eat, there were bottles to wash and babies to feed and change and bathe and he was front and center for all of that. Oh and there was our first two boys who he had to be mom and dad too for at least the first three months.  My husband is a blessing from God and a true partner in helping me raise our family.

Here's a great big thank you to everyone who helped us this last year.!

Okay, enough of all that serious stuff how about some pictures!!

Barrett and Graham 1 day old

Graham and Barrett 1 year old

Robert feeding both babies

When they both could fit on the changing table

See, super twin dad!

The snake never stood a chance

Pool Time

We have a dear friend who opens her home and pool up to our playgroup in the summer.  Cooper and Marshall have spent many a summer day jumping around the pool and playing with their friends in Ms. Jen's pool.   I spent the last part of the twin pregnancy floating around this pool trying to get some relief from my gigantic belly (and to wear out Coop and Marshall).  So, it was with such hope that my sister and I set out for Ms. Jen's house today for our first swim of the summer. 

 First off, there is no way I could have gone with my sister helping me.  It took no less than an hour to get everything ready to go.  I am so lucky to have her close by to help me get out with all the boys. 

Things did not quite go as I hoped:

We had not so much as put their toes in the water and they both started crying.  It did not get better by splashing a little on their backs to cool them off and things certainly did not improve when I walked out into the water while holding Graham.  So, I got out of the pool with the littles for some cuddle and nursing time and Becky stayed in with the bigs and all was right in the world again.  We did eventually get them to go in while we were holding them but it was still a tense situation and not what I would call fun for them.  In fact, Barrett gave up and went to his happy place and fell asleep on Becky right there in the pool. 

All better now - as long as we stay away from the giant blue freezing cold bath tub of doom.

Mmmm snacks. Much better than the giant blue freezing cold bath tub of doom.

Marshall having a great time.

Marshall enjoyed having Aunt Becky ferry him around the pool and I even got some time with him to practice jumping off the side into the water.   I did not get many pictures of Cooper because he was having way to much fun to slow down for photos.  He even swam in the deep end today! 

Later this evening as I put the babies in the bath they both started crying.  I am hoping it was just because they were really tired and not because they were scared of the water.  It is too hot in Texas during the summers to be afraid of the water!

Goop!

1 cup Cornstarch

1 cup baking soda

1/2 cup water

=

GOOP!

Spring

What we've been up to

Spring is in full swing around our house.  We are playing t-ball, gardening and have even captured a hapless caterpillar for our own amusement homeschooling. 

Now playing for the Texas ANGERS!
(look at his shirt)

T-Ball

First up is t-ball.  This is Marshall's first year and Cooper's second and last year.  Next year (if he plays) he will be moving up to the coach pitch league.  Marshall is doing great and most of all having fun.  Cooper is getting better each game and is working on making plays in the outfield.  The babies are doing really well at the games.  I lay out a big blanket and they actually stay on it and play. I think they like being outside and and I have lots of snacks to keep them nearby. 



Garden
The garden is doing great so far.  I am anxiously watching my squash plants for signs of the dreaded vine borers that decimated my plants two years ago.  There is no "cure" for them and once you have them, all your squash plants will be infested.  I am growing a garden so we can have organic veggies but I swear, nothing makes me want to go get a big bottle of pesticide more than watching five healthy plants wither and die right before my eyes! This year we have planted tomatoes, squash, zucchini, peas, tomatillos, strawberries, peppers and a watermelon.  I also need to get some okra planted soon.  There is noting finer in this world that fried okra from your garden!

Home school

Kindergarten is going okay for Cooper and I.  I will always wish I had more time to spend with him but we have found our rhythm and are making it work.  He is reading more and more each day and working on his handwriting.  Math is mostly games that teach concepts, for instance we play "Go Fish" but the pairs have to add up to ten.  My favorite part of school so far has been our bible study time.  We started in Genesis and right now, we have made it the story of Joseph.  We first read God's word as it is written and then I ask him about what we just read.  I then go over the story and we talk about certain themes and how they can apply in our lives today.  For instance, you should NEVER sell your little brothers into slavery.  Just wanted to make that clear to him in case one day Marshall crosses a line.

Qwirkle.  So much fun to play.

Another big part of my kindergarten curriculum is that he go outside and observe.  We started bird watching and the garden has become a daily routine of weeding and checking for caterpillars.  I caught one this morning and he has been confined to a large plastic tub so we can watch him turn into a butterfly. 



Cooper turned six and Marshall turned four this Spring.  Soon my babies will be one!

Speaking of the babies, they are everywhere.  They are worse than raccoons about getting into stuff.

Barrett digging in the trash.  I moved it three times and he kept coming back.
See raccoons!

Hello, do I know you?

Next up is summer.  I am hoping we can visit grandparents for several days and maybe even a day at the beach!

The rains came down

Marshall turns four today!  We decided to take the kids to the zoo to mark the occasion but it looks like we got rained out.  It stormed all last night but this morning I could actually see the sun in spots so we decided to head down into to Houston.  It started raining pretty hard about 30 minutes after we got there.  We saw the elephants and giraffes but all the other animals were in their hidy holes.  Rob and I told ourselves we were going to have fun no matter what today and I would like to think we accomplished that.  We got the kids rain coats at Target on the way and made the best of it. The big boys got to run around in the rain and the babies were pretty good also.  We stopped and had lunch under a pavilion and watched it rain for awhile while the babies got out and played.  We then made a run for the reptile house and aquarium so the kids could see some wildlife. 

After leaving the zoo, we located the nearest Starbucks for some hot chocolate and made our way back to Katy.  It was a wet soggy day but it turned out fun!
My little marshmallow is four.  I know it is cliched but I feel like I just had him yesterday!  He has had a big year with a lot of firsts for him.  He became a big brother this year which was a new role for him.  He does a great job loving on his little brothers and playing with them.  He played soccer and was really good once he got over his initial "shyness."  He is also just started playing t-ball and is really liking it.  He is special little guy, so sweet.  It is bittersweet to see him growing out of his toddler years and into a big boy but I also can't wait to see the big boy he becomes!

My M&M's

How blessed am I?

All photos copyright by Gray Photography.  Seriously, they are the best, who else could wrangle four kids and get them all looking the same way and smiling! 

Park Playdate

Park Playdate

Today we made it out to the park.  The weather is getting hot really quickly this year here in Texas so I don't know how much longer we will be able to play at the regular parks.  Unless they have water (sprinklers/pool) attached, the parks here are just too hot for much of the summer.  Too bad summer last for five months.  We got our school work done early this morning so I decided we could get out and meet up with our friends.

One of our friends even brought her new puppy much to the delight of all the kids.

All together now, say Ahhhhh:

The twins were really good and stayed on the blankets.  They have had lots of practice at being blanket babies at the big boys baseball games.  Barrett is the explorer and visited most of the other mommies to see what they had for lunch.  Graham stayed closer to me enjoyed his snacks. 

Right before we left, we got the babies into the swings and their big brother had a great time pushing them.  Graham thought it was just so funny to see his feet and laughed nearly the whole time. 

Besides t-ball games, next up is Marshall's birthday.  We are heading to the Zoo for some birthday fun!

Birthday Boy

Birthday Boy

Cooper turned six a couple weeks ago.  Instead of a party this year, we decided to let Cooper have a sleepover and just indulge his every wish for a day.  So, for his birthday dinner he picked homemade mac and cheese and instead of a cake he wanted hot fudge sundaes.  His buddy Luke came over and they had lots of fun playing on the new xbox kinect.  Since he had t-ball games all day on his actual birthday, we celebrated that morning.

For breakfast, he wanted pancakes (his favorite) and I decided to take it one step too far and make them into birthday panCAKES. Why yes, that is whipped cream and hot fudge on there.

They were a big hit to say the least with the boys:

Happy Birthday to my sweet big boy.

Batman's Day Job

Cooper spent his Saturday cleaning out the vegetable garden boxes of weeds.  Oh my were they weedy.  After a year of being ignored they were absolutly full of every kind of weed. Marshall "helped" by playing with a stick.

He did an awesome job, so much so that Robert and I have decided to get him some plants so he can have his own garden.  We were not planning on gardening this year since we are busy trying to keep four children alive (wow, is that really my only standard) but his enthusiam made us reconsider. 

However, waiting a month or a couple weeks for a vegetable plant proved to be too much for Cooper. So after school on Monday morning, he ran outside with his brother and I did not hear from them for several hours. I knew there were up to something but I was busy with the babies and laundry so I peeked at them a couple times to make sure they were still in the yard and went about my business.  Here is what they were up to:

They took a weed that looked like our orange tree and planted it in a hole they had dug (and recently filled in).  Cooper then put a homemade tomato cage around to protect it and I am not really sure why the baseball tee is up there.  The final piece of the puzzle is Batman.  Cooper and Marshall decided they needed superhero power to protect their plant from the birds.  Here is the finished product complete with a Batman scarecrow.  Crows beware, the dark knight is ever vigilant. 

Meanwhile, the babies are growing so fast.  They are now seven months old and rolling all over the place.  Bear is just about to crawl and Graham could power a small country with all the energy he uses kicking and smiling.  Here is some cuteness to tide you over (Bear is in the monkeys and Graham is in the frogs).