Monday Night Football

Poor guys. It is football season and because of fantasy football, mommy goes crazy over each and every game. Of course, tonight was no different. The boys enjoy pacing with me and jumping up and down and cheering for my players. And, I won the week by a mere 0.5 pts....it looks. These weekly antics did come in handy when they had to cheer Daddy during the corporate football competition. They may not have noticed that Daddy's small chiro office got spanked by the huge Walmart team, but it was nice to hear them screaming, "Go Daddy! TD Daddy!" Well it was nice for the first 15 minutes of the 1.5 hr game. Love you guys. I dug these pictures out from last year's Super Bowl party. It was fitting for tonight's game.

It's Alive!!

Okay, this blog has been seriously dead. I find time to update my facebook pics and add little tidbits on my status updates. I am lazy. Arghhhh. I have probably forgotten a million very cute, very important things already. Shame on me.

I will try to review a couple of things and it probably will be a little too brief. As you can see, Ben and Seb are perfectly wonderful. They are outspoken little hams. Seb, still the silly performer and always wanting to please everyone, and Ben the stubborn, head strong smarty pants.

They both talk non stop now. They speak in long sentences with quite the vocabulary. Some phrases that come out of their mouths make me do a double take. They can recite their ABC's courtesy of their frequent viewing of Super Why. They can count to 20, but sometimes will skip the number 14.....both of them do this, even when reciting separately. They know every nursery rhyme under the sun and love to sing them with hand motions. Ben resorts to singing Pat A Cake every time he is in trouble because he knows that his cute rendition makes me smile and melts the frustration before the first line is done. They love books and to play outside. They like to play restaurant in their play house and come up with the craziest scenarios. They fight like brothers, but also acknowledge that they are each other's "Best Friend".

They still love Thomas the Train. I fear this love of Thomas will never end and I am still looking for a break from those endless string of Thomas videos. I can't believe how grown up they are. I can't believe the pieces of me I see in them......both the good and the bad.

I love these guys so much. Every night I tell them how much I love them, how proud I am of what they have accomplished that day and how they have made me happy. Every night I choke up when I do this. I love my babies. Although Ben would remind me....."No mommy. We're not babies. We're boys!"

Memorial Day Weekend

All hope of ever catching my blog up are futile. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will never actually attain such a feat. But, here we go anyway.

Memorial Day Weekend we went up north to visit the parentals. The boys can't get enough of the attention. A weekend full of two sets of grandparents who don't get nearly enough time with their grand kids on a regular basis leads to a lot of fun for the grand kids. We spent a lot of time with both sets of parents. We all ate too much. We went to a softball game where my old High School was playing for the championship. This gave a chance for my mom to show off her grand babies to all of her friends in the softball world. One of the cool things about this was that I was able to meet Willie McGee....baseball great who once played for the A's and Giants. His daughter plays in the league and so my mom has gotten to know him rather well. He is a very nice guy and I hope his hand shake gave the boys a little baseball magic.

How could I forget the boys' favorite part of our trip. First on the agenda was Pixie Playland, a toddler amusement park. The boys loved it and blew through ride tickets at an astounding pace. Of course, there was a train that went around the park. There was a tunnel and ducks and a lot to do geared especially to their age range. The boys loved it!

They had cars for the boys to drive. That was a ride it was hard to convince them to stray from. We also went on two roller coasters. The boys were not so sure how to feel about those. One was a dragon with big hills. I really underestimated how fast it could go. The boys didn't cry, but I don't think that Ben has ever clung to me so tight as he did on that ride. After the first go round I was hoping it was over. Of course, we went around three times before the attendant stopped the ride. Now, I love roller coasters. I have ridden them as long as I could remember. But, that dragon was kinda freaky. I don't know if I was scared because of the company I kept or because it was really all that fast or because of the surprise of how fast it came to be, but......I was glad that they didn't circle around to ride that thing again. When asked if the dragon was fun, Seb without hesitation said,"Yes....but, it was soooo fassssss. I get too scared. Fassss. Fassss. I done."

The boys also rode in this plane ride that not only goes around, but they control it going up and down. I was quite nervous with this one because we couldn't ride with them. I was secretly thinking.....What if they want off and jump out as the ride is high up in the air? I think the terror had tears in my eyes....I am an overprotective wimp when it comes to my babies, you know. Of course, they were fine. No daredevil antics. Ben didn't care for it all that much, but again, didn't protest. Seb, once he learned the controls, took the plane high up in the air. He liked it a lot and decided to return to the plane a couple more times. Brother did not ride it again however and promptly returned to the cars which were safely on the ground at all times. All in all, it was a very nice weekend.

The 3 yr old Photo Shoot

A little more catching up.......
So, obviously I don't mean a photo shoot from three years ago, but do in fact mean that we took our yearly trip to Sears for a birthday photo shoot. So, yes, the following are the boys' third year birthday pictures. Of course, they are as handsome as ever and such big boys now. And, what a difference a year makes. Although the pictures came out just as great last year, it was quite the process. Last year, Mike had to grunt at the photographer just to take a picture when the boys looked still and decent. The boys were all over the place. Running here, running there, unable to take direction and definitely a handful.

This year, now that they are big boys, it was much, much, easier. The boys actually posed. They did not run around the studio room in a frenzy. They may not have held their hands where directed for long periods of time, but at least the bodies were in one place. And they did good. Quite the hams.

It is really scary how time flies. And, I know, I am a broken record on that one.....but, in the day to day, things just melt together. Then, before you know it, you are looking at a picture and thinking, "Wow. When did they get this big? This old." Yes, I know they are 3 and last year they were 2. But, those are just numbers. Then they come up with something new.....something that is probably a symptom of being 3 and it forces you to really stop and think. It makes you think of all that has happened in the past year/years and how happy that you are that you didn't miss any of those little things. For every time I have complained about missing out on something for myself......it reminds me why I am happy to not go to this movie or that party. I have gained so much more in being present. In spending time with my boys while I can....while they want me to spend time with them. While I am their everything, as they are mine.

So, yes......I hate watching Thomas a million times in a row. I do get a little exasperated with Seb's constant need for my attention. "Mama, mama.....I have to tell you something. I have to show you something. Mama.....will you sit with me? Will you read to me? Mama, I need you." I am glad that even if I don't get to take a shower right away in the morning or if I don't get to use the restroom exactly when I need to.....that I make the time to listen to what he has to tell me or see what he wants to show me....even if it was a ploy just to get my attention when I was trying to sneak away to wash the dishes or straighten the house. Even if I have seen or heard whatever revolutionary news he wants to share just ten minutes ago. I am happy that my answer is usually yes to sitting with him and reading with him because especially before bed, those are special times we have together that I will remember and I hope that they will remember too. Even if right now the wonder twins are making me read two Thomas the Tank Engine books about nine times each before falling asleep. It is a small price to pay to be such an important, wanted and loved person in their lives.

I am glad to report that Ben has begun talking more too. It seems that he is always a couple of steps behind Seb in new things, from getting teeth, to walking and now to talking. Although we don't know for sure, I have always believed Ben the "younger" of the twins. Ben is my baby. But, I don't know what I will do if he talks as much as Seb. We recently took a long car ride to the Bay Area and for every minute that Seb was not asleep, he was demanding I turn around for conversation. With Ben, for the longest time it was one word at a time and then most recently two. But, now he is stringing together more and more. "Oh, mama....a fan.....goes round, round, round (complete with hand motion)." "Oh, mama, look....bird.....fly.....tree!" And, the icing on the cake is that just last night, when we were doing our reading marathon and I asked a question about the story, I heard a little angels peep. It was Ben. I asked him to repeat because I barely could hear the answer. To be honest, I didn't know he had answered, I thought he was commenting about something unrelated. But, when he spoke up, he did have the answer to my question. He had actually felt confident enough to answer a question before Seb and without looking to Seb for approval. I am so proud that he is finally finding his voice.

So, I will try to get back to you all and talk about the ups and downs of our Memorial Day Weekend trip to the Bay Area. Until then, enjoy the pictures of my beautiful big boys.

A Nice Visit From the Grandparents and a Trip to Disneyland

Catching Up ---Part III

As mentioned before, we had a lot of guests come through town to celebrate the twins' third birthday. We were especially lucky that my mom's Spring Break coincided with the birthday party. My parents came for a visit that week and of course spoiled the boys rotten. I almost feel nonexistent when there are such revered guests present. Each and every time I try to do something, it is,"No mama, Nonny do." Or it is,"No mama, Papa do." And boy, do they remember every little thing. For instance, my mom makes them their favorite breakfast each and every day (waffles/pancakes and sausage). I was picking up Bisquick from Costco the other day and Seb pointed to the box and said,"My Nonny makes pancakes. My Nonny loves me." Or, when we get into the car, Seb will ask,"We go see Papa now?" "No Seb, Papa lives far away. We will see papa in a month or so. We are going to see (whoever we are going to see on that day)." "Mama. We don't need to see (insert name). It is papa's turn. We need to see papa now."

Even when something happens that Seb is proud of, he must include his thought on missing those favorite family members. With a new haircut he goes through all the names,"Papa will like my haircut? Nonny will like my haircut? GG will like my haircut?" Or when it has been a tough potty training week and he actually has a good potty day," My daddy is proud of me? My Nonny will be proud of me?" "Yes Seb. Everyone is proud of you. " Then of course, it is inevitable. "I need to call my Papa on the phone. I need to talk to Papa. I tell him. I tell him."

The boys have enjoyed playing outside with their new toys. Seb thinks his motorcycle is more than awesome. He is also in love with his Sponge Bob thongs. I don't know what it is about Sponge Bob that kids like. The boys don't watch the show, but love the merchandise. I can't stand that show. I much prefer the barnyard.

My parents got the boys a couple of scooters. They are three wheeled scooters and so can stand up with little balance. The boys thought those were really cool, except for the fact that they didn't really get the scooting part for a couple of weeks. They wanted to stand on the things and have everyone push them around. I guess what they really wanted were Segways. Come on boys....you have to get some kind of exercise out of the whole thing. It was quite hilarious seeing my mom and multiple other adults trying to scoot around on these little scooters to demonstrate how they were to really work. Of course, instead of teaching them by example, the boys just laughed at such a circus act. No inspiration at all. Never fear, they have picked up the concept now. Although, they do still enjoy chasing mommy as mommy rides around the patio.

On the actual day of the boys' bday, Daddy took the day off from work so that we could go to Disneyland as a family for the first time. We were hesitant to do so beforehand because we were not sure how much they would enjoy it or if they would like to ride the rides etc. Since Disney was giving free tickets for birthdays and it covered half of the family, we decided to chance it. The boys were in heaven. They LOVED it, everything about it, from the rides to the characters to the overpriced refreshments. I apologize for the lack of good pictures, but you try running around with two kids excited to explore every inch of the greatest place on earth. Furthermore, there were few lines and so no time in between runnings around to stop and pose. We were go go going from 10am to 5pm when one twin finally fell asleep in the stroller and we thought it the perfect opportunity to run away while we still could.

The boys loved the Jungle Cruise, the Train ride with the Dinosaurs, the Autopia cars (I let Ben drive so that was certainly a bumpy ride) and the Winnie the Pooh ride. I was also not surprised that they loved the Buzz Lightyear ride which upon ending was the only time there was a meltdown the whole day. Ben didn't want to relinquish his seat and didn't understand that with no line we would be back in no time. So, yeah, that was a little awkward with me dragging a flailing child down the tunnel as every person in a 10 mile radius stopped to stare. But, for such a big day at such a young age, I think the day an overall success. The rides that the boys loved that came as a surprise were the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. We were hesitant with those two wondering if they would be too scary. Seb especially loved them. In fact, for two weeks after our trip, everyday, several times a day, Seb asked when we were going to go see the Pirates again. He bragged to family members that he had seen ghosts. He also added," Oh, it was scary. But, I like." The one disappointment of the day was that he didn't get to see Goofy. I think that next year.......season passes are in our future. And given another year to grow, just imagine all of the new rides they will be eligible for. It really does make me happy to see my great boys that excited. I don't know what I will do when they start to get to the age when mama and daddy aren't the preferred tag along guests on their trips to new and exciting places. Thankfully, I think I have a couple of years left before I have to worry about that.

We Had A Bday Party

Catching Up - Part II

The boys' had their third birthday party. People came from near and far to celebrate. It was a Backyardigans party this year as last year was Cars and it just didn't seem right to have the same party twice. The boys had a great time. Of course, the favorite part of any party for them is the cake. Even more so than the gifts. Although a close second comes in two parts. They enjoyed the fact that all visitors let them take/eat whatever they wanted off of their plates (I was a little embarrassed at their scavenger like nature) and they loved my mom's homemade lemonade that was freshly squeezed from homegrown lemons (as did all guests - it was an unexpected hit to the party). I would say that hours were spent (especially by Ben) with a party cup and a fork. A fork?? Yes, how else can one dig out and eat the pulp string by string. Amazing what will pass for entertainment these days.

Back to the delightful cake though. I do agree with them that the cake was rather fantastic. Yummy! Vons does the best job and has the most delicious cakes. They did not have a Backyardigans design however so the boys got to pick out the design that they wanted from the cake book.

The good news was that they agreed on something.....that is a miracle in itself. The bad news.....they picked the Ratatouille rats. Okay....I know. The cartoon rats are very personable and cute. But, the thought of rats on top of my cake.....I didn't like. I tried to persuade them that Mickey Mouse would be better. Although still a mouse......a kinder, gentler.....less ratty mouse. We tried Speed Racer, Nascar......even hockey. They wanted the Rats. So, since it was their birthday and their cake, it was their decision. No one seemed to mind and I do admit that it didn't stop me from enjoying multiple pieces.

The boys were treated to an enormous amount of gifts. Of course, they weren't so interested in opening said gifts. I had to do the bulk of that job and had a little help from one of the other children in attendance at the party. Not to say that they didn't appreciate what was inside all of the neatly wrapped packaging and gift bags. They were just too busy running here and there to stay in one place too long. They made out like bandits though and I was just as happy that they got some very nice clothing as well.

We did the obligatory pinata thing. A great hit at any kids party. Of course it is a little stressful keeping all kids out of the line of fire. The boys did pretty well with taking turns. That poor Pablo bird took a beating though. I almost felt guilty at the prospect of watching this poor animal taking so many hits. Its head getting smashed in and knocked about. I half expected an animal rights activist to jump forth from the crowd to rescue the poor thing. Finally, we had to have one of the older kids break it open. Then the rush to candy grab ensued.

Mike was certainly a great host and was the grill master for the day. If there is one thing that we were successful at doing, it was feeding our guests. Not only did we have an island of snacks, but my dear husband was busy for the duration of the party grilling hot links, hot dogs and hamburgers for a ravenous crowd. To my surprise......he didn't char one single meat product. He was on his game folks.

So, I end this installment with pictures of the boys enjoying their party in their new house (bday gift from mommy and daddy). I think the boys had a fabulous time which is what it is all about. And mommy and daddy really realized how old they were when after the party they had to go straight to bed exhausted and passed up on the opportunity to go to another party that night at a bar where drunkenness and karaoke would have been in full effect.

We colored Eggs

A little catch up -----Part I

So yes, I have been MIA for the last month. I used to hate when I tuned into some one's blog and it had been neglected. How could they??!!?? Right? I am now one of those people. Not that I have been held up by super important tasks or am a super important person. I have done a mediocre job of keeping the house clean. The minimalist approach of doing just what I had to not feel guilty. Yes, I have kept the family fed. I have spent a little extra time with those little dogs of mine. We have attended to a couple of local parties and obligations.

I have tried to be a good mom and spend as much time as possible doing things with the boys. This has meant playing in the backyard a lot in this sunshiny weather. Playing in the little pool, kicking the soccer ball around (boy is Ben getting good at dribbling the length of our lawn or zinging it across the yard), watching that horrible Thomas the Tank Engine (Tho-as ---no m pronounced---as demanded all day long by Seb or Choo-Choo as concurred with by Ben). We have gone about our routines which those who know me know that I love my routines. Seb continues to talk my ear off and Ben is still the "quiet one".

However, none of this is the reason for not having time for the ole blog. I know this because I still have time for pouring over facebook (and Mafia Wars). I still have time for my 3 fantasy baseball teams. I am moving right along on my second 162 game season on my PS3 MLB The Show. I am proud to proclaim that my DVR is wiped clean every week as I finish my recorded shows before the next one comes along. I have my unlimited 3 at a time netflix which I try to get back the very next day. And, of course.....I have my Roku player so that I can keep up with my instant play selections on those days that the mail is slow. I have turned my movie viewing into somewhat of a crazy activity as well. Just as I would play school when I was young and assign reports to the cabbage patch students and then go and write said reports......I have found myself pretending to be professor of interesting classes which compare movies/TV shows and find myself constructing said papers. How else could 20 episodes of season 1 Charles in Charge captivate me so. My excuse.....research of course.

So, down to it. Over the next couple of days.....no I will not be sharing the ramblings of my TV and movie findings. I will be catching you all up on a few of the occurrences around here of which I have neglected in blog land. I am going to do it. I am. So.......we colored eggs. This was back around Easter, duh. It was a lot less messy than I expected it to be. The boys were very patient and loved picking the colors and dropping the eggs in. They were excited to find that the red and blue made purple or the great combo that green and blue made. They enjoyed putting the stickered faces on after the eggs had dried. However, they still do despise the eating of eggs. So, mommy and daddy had a little eating to do. Egg salad sandwiches for lunch and a big vat of macaroni salad did the job on a week full of those pesky eggs. As for dietary likes and dislikes.......Seb generally will try everything and swallow at least one bite of anything. Very seldom does he request mommy's hand to spit something out. Ben on the other hand is king of picky. On a good day he will try something. He then will rarely swallow it. It used to be he too was a frequent user of mommy's spit out hand......but, now he has a new thing. He leaves said bite on the tip of his tongue......sticks the tongue out and expects mommy to pluck and discard. It is quite the sight and I try not to laugh to encourage such behavior.

I promise......tomorrow is another day......of blogging. We will tackle the birthdays perhaps.