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Big Cheers Christmas Card

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Happy Birthday G!

Happy Birthday G! We hope you had a GREAT day. We had fun celebrating last weekend. We wish we could be there for all of Novemberfest. We LOVE YOU!

Bilingual

This little guy has been talking up a storm...

Once he gets going, he can be a tad difficult to understand. He was trying to tell Brennan a long story. It had to be something really important because he was talking really fast. Brennan looked at him, threw is arms over his head and exclaimed "why do you always speak Spanish?". I lost it. I had NO idea I have raised my boy to be bilingual:)

MAD HUNGRY

When our local Border's was going out of business, I stopped in to see if they had anything interesting. It was pretty much picked over, but I came across this gem: Mad Hungry: Feeding Men &Boys by Lucinda Scala Quinn.

I didn't look at it much while I was in the store, but I chose to buy it because a) I love cookbooks and b) it was about feeding boys....which I love as well. When I got home, I read this cookbook from cover to cover. I fell in love with it before I even read a recipe. Lucinda Scala Quinn is a chef and a mother to three boys. I could relate to her immediately. Lucinda shares personal stories, tips and wonderful recipes. She describes mealtime perfectly when she says " Don't wait for the boys to ask for or want breakfast, lunch, or dinner--just cook it and serve it because young boys don't always ask to eat until they're ravenous and cranky. Anticipate their needs before they meld down."

I experienced this last night to a T. I was cooking dinner and Braxton decided that he was ready for dinner. There was only one problem. Dinner was not ready yet. Braxton was acting like he never had a meal. I asked him to sit at the table while I was finishing up. He sat there scowling pouting when he announced " I am MAD!".

I laughed out loud because he was MAD HUNGRY. I think that the title fits the cookbook perfectly. This is a wonderful cookbook for anyone. The recipes are simple, wholesome and healthy. It is a MUST HAVE for anyone who has boys. I will treasure my copy forever.

We LOVE Pre-School

Wednesday was the first day of school for Brennan and Braxton. They were so excited for the first day. Daddy had made a deal with the duo. If they were brave and behaved on the first day, he would take them to Toys R Us. Needless to say, they were the bravest 4 year olds in the class. I was not prepared for this. I was sure that one of them would realize that they could not survive without me for 2.5 hours, but I was wrong. In stead, the smiled at me leaving while I choked back the tears. I was not prepared for this either.

Brennan

Braxton

Fist bumps before school

I could not convince Brennan to unroll his pants. He prefers them this way...

Colton and I had fun at home. He usually plays really well independently. I was banking on this so I could get a few things done around the house. Apparently, Colton plays well independently when his brothers are around. It was really fun to have some one on one time with him. This is the first time that I have actually had any one on one time with any of my kids. I have learned that the grocery store is a better place with one child.

The most important thing is that Brennan and Braxton like school, but I think I like it too!

Meet our Newest Superhero

Superheroes have had a strong presence in the Blind household for quite some time. Brennan and Braxton are ALWAYS in a costume pretending to be Spiderman or Superman. Colton has now taken an interest. He tries to be just like his big brothers.

These two were cracking themselves up. They were actually doing this on purpose for the camerea.

I don't know why I love pictures of their little toes. Maybe it is because one day they won't be so little?

This is Colton trying to show me his little toes.

Colton could not be more excited that his brothers let him be Ironman. I am hoping one day that they will wear normal clothes.

Personality Differences

Sometimes it is hard to find the words to explain the differences in the boys' personalities. One does not dominate the other. They don't depend on one another. They pretty much like the same things.

My Aunt sent them a John Deere tractor paint set for their birthday. Both boys were so excited to paint their own tractor. This activity gave me a perfect opportunity to highlight their differences.

This is Brennan after he discover he got some black paint where the tractor was supposed to be green. This was seriously a major problem for Brennan. Luckily, I had some extra green paint for him.

Notice his tractor is neatly painted. He is concentrating hard to get his tractor to look just like the picture. Also note how neat his work space is. I can't keep my workspace that neat. Great job Brennan!

Here is Braxton's workspace. Nice!

Here is Braxton's tractor. In his defense, he started out painting green and yellow. He did a great job. Then, I gave him the black. He painted over everything he had already painted. Also notice that I don't have a shot with Brax actually doing the painting. He finished and was on to something else before I could even get my camera.

This is proof that twins are ABSOLUTELY individuals! I love it.

Back from a 2 month break

I have been meaning to blog, but I didn't realize that it has been 2 months since my last post. The boys have been keeping us busy. We have entered the Superhero phase. We spent some time in Ohio over Easter. I am sure I could have posted several times over the past 2 months, but I am having trouble remembering what I ate for breakfast. I will recap in a few pictures.

1. My kids wear Superhero costumes EVERYDAY. I promise you will see more pictures and hear more stories about this.

2. All of the boys had their first pony ride. Colton was the first one to saddle up!

3. We went to the Cleveland Zoo while we were home for Easter. It was a great day and the boys had a blast.

3. Colton was sleeping while we had a photo opp.

4. Colton played whac-a-mole with his brothers. I wish that I had this on video.

What a difference a (sunny) day makes

The past few weeks have been rough. We weren't suffering from cabin fever. We had something much-much worse. I am not sure what to call it yet, but the symptoms included whining kids and a frustrated mom. We tried to cure our symptoms with exercise, crafts, movies, and bouncing. We have taken multiple trips to the library, children's museum and McDonald's play area. Our symptoms continued. I wasn't sure how much more I could take. Until....the SUN came out!!

I know that we are not out of the woods yet. After all, this is the midwest and snow is possible in May. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and that is enough for right now. We had a wonderful morning enjoying the sunshine.

Today, I decided to "self-clean" my oven. While my oven is significantly cleaner, it is not working. I had planned on using my newly cleaned oven to make dinner. I resorted to plan B.... My Mom sent the boys McDonalds gift certificates for Valentines Day. Crisis averted. The boys were pumped because they could play on the playground. I loved the idea because it was going to pass the time. My least favorite part of the day is from 5 to 7. This was a win-win for everyone.

We rehearsed the rules on the drive. The boys knew that they had to play nice, listen, etc. The boys were so excited to be there and I was thrilled as well. The big boys immediately scaled the play ground like Spiderman. Colton lagged behind. He had a little trouble getting to the top at first. He quickly channeled his inner Spiderman. I made friends with the grandparents that were sitting at the table next to me. They were watching Colton. He had a little cheering section. By the time they left the grandpa actually said "I want to take him home with me" referring to Colton. This is a common response to our little bruiser... I couldn't help but smile because he is one of mine.

Braxton impressed the masses in other ways. He was playing with a little girl named Hannah. Hannah was an older woman. She was a 5 year old and a whole head taller than my little Braxo. The two of them hit it off. At one point, Hannah actually turned to me and said "We really like each other A LOT." When it was time to go, I had a difficult time getting these two love birds apart. Clearly they had chemistry. Hannah, being a more mature young lady, turned to Braxton and said "I don't think we will see each other again." Then, she hugged him like there was no tomorrow. May be their paths will cross again some day? Stranger things have happened.

Brennan played really nice with all of the kids. His Happy Meal came with a race car (aka- his superhero car). In no time flat, the car was racing down the slide. The next thing I know he and Braxton were racing their cars down the slide. My boy has a wild imagination. I love watching what he comes up with. Brennan also did a really good job of listening while we were there.

Plan B turned out to be a better plan than plan A after all.

Make a Messterpiece

Last week, my friend DeAnna and I took our little ones to Make-a-Messterpiece. We bought the Groupon awhile back and decided that it was time to use it. It is an art studio for kids. They have different activites for them to explore different art mediums.

Here is the gang all ready to go in awesome smocks.

These two are smitten with each other

Bubbleology was my favorite. The kids made really cool pictures that I plan to hang in the kitchen.

Brennan is working on a painting.

Colton had the most fun out of all of them. He made tons of pictures while the big kids played on the slide. He has really taken an interest in coloring lately.

They had to get suited up to do the Drum Roll. They REALLY enjoyed this.

When we were done here, we went to lunch. The Kohl's Children Museum was right across the street. We decided to go over there after lunch. The kids had a BLAST and they were all really good. We somehow managed to have a jam packed day without any major meltdowns. DeAnna and I were convinced that they would all pass out in the car.....not so much. In fact, the only people who wanted/needed a nap were the mommies.

A Conversation with Braxton

I was putting the boys down tonight and Braxton has an interesting question.

Brax: Mommy, what is this in my mouth?

Me: What honey?

Brax: This in my mouth. (he points to the roof of his mouth)

Me: Look at mine. What does it look like?

Brax: Mouth stuff.

I could not have said it better myself. Mouth stuff. How else would you describe it?

Alfalfa

We recently checked The Little Rascals out from the library. The boys loved it instantly. Little did I know that the would learn some classic Lionel Richie. Brennan's rendition sounds a lot more like Alfalfa though.

I can't help but laugh every time he hits those high notes. When his face is too close to the lens, that is not me zooming in. He actually comes in to touch my chin. The ladies will not be able to resist my little Romeo.

THANK YOU DADDY

Naps have be a VERY tricky thing in this house for quite some time. Colton is solid as a rock when it comes to naps. I can count on him for 3 to 4 hours every day. His older brothers, on the other hand, have been hit or miss for the better part of a year. Sometimes one naps. Sometimes they both nap. Most of the time they spend an hour pretending that their beds are trains or garbage trucks.

I have tried turning naps into "quiet time". I let them look at books, do puzzles, or pick a toy to take with them. "Quiet time" has become this magical time for the two of them to create a world that only exists to the two of them. It is really fun to listen to the two of them behind the door, but by 6:00 it becomes obvious that they still need a siesta.

I had thought about separating them during nap time over the course of the year. It was easy to see that they were keeping each other from falling asleep. I did try it a few times. It really DIDN'T work. They would work diligently until they found their way back to one another. I forgot about separating them for awhile. I even abandoned the idea.

This past weekend it became obvious that the lack of sleep really did affect their behavior in the late afternoon. Matt brought up the idea of separating them again. After talking about it with him, I found the courage to give it another go. I have to say...the man is a GENIUS. Both of my sons have taken a nap TWO days...IN...A...ROW!!!

I am not sure how long this is going to last, but I am going to love every minute of it.

Back to Reality

This time last week, taking in the view.

Matt and I went back to El Dorado Royale in the Riviera Maya. We were first there 5 years ago to celebrate Matt's homecoming from Iraq. I can honestly say that this resort only gets better. The food and drink is amazing. The service is over the top. The weather was perfect. It was great to get away without the kids, but we were both giddy to see them when we returned. Unfortunately, the temperature dropped to a staggering 1 degree in Chicago. That was our reality check.

I didn't manage to get any pictures, but I am going to hang on to this clip to get me through the next few months. When I watch it, I feel like I am right back on the beach (minus the fruity cocktail).

Smooth Operator

The boys got me a Flip Camera for Christmas. I am having a lot of fun capturing funny moments with my new toy. I haven't posted about our Christmas yet. We had a wonderful time celebrating with Gigi, Papa T, Kelko, Grammy Sue, G, Aunt Courtney and UJ. The boys were completely spoiled by all. Matt mastered the grill, yet again. We had a wonderful dinner followed by LCR and Apples to Apples.

It truely was the best Christmas ever. Until.....we were hit by the flu. Braxton began throwing up around 11. Matt and I were up with him every 2 hours. It spread like wildfire. I joined Brax around 3:00 am. It was awful.

All was not lost though. Braxton learned a valuable life skill. Check it out...

He can be pretty convincing. Watch out for this one...

Happy Birthday Colton

Colt-man turned 2 on December 30! It is hard to believe that my "baby" is 2 already. Colton continues to provide us with lots of entertainment. He is starting to talk a lot and has a lot of opinions. His favorite thing to do is play with his big brothers. He absolutely LOVES trains and reading books. "Daddy addicted" is what I call this boy. He LOVES his Daddy. Colton gives great hugs! This boy is growing up too fast.

He is loving his new Thomas trike.

Of course, cake is Colton's favorite part of the day.

He tried to use a fork, but he decided that his hands worked better.

Happy Birthday Colt-man