Happy Birthday Babies!

My boys are 1.

I have a TON of emotions about that - but that is not what this post is about.

Its about their party :)  Well, actually I'm not going to write that much because I'm about to overload your computer screen with one million photos.  But I'll write in the captions :)

It was a Dr. Seuss theme - as you will see.  And it was so fun.  And my kids are so cute and wonderful and perfect and now ONE!  Ugh.

Ah children….  they grow up so fast….

Don't mock my mini cakes.  I'm hoping each year they'll be cooler/better.

Yep.  YUM.

Oh, who made the cute food tags?  That would be ME.

Dessert table :)

Guess how many candies...

The cutesy candy sign I made up :)

Favors.  I totally copied these.

Mmmm… a pinterest punch...

Me and one of the birthday boys!

They do love the window.  Oh, and all their presents were out there too.

You can only see one boy, but there is another behind that big box...

They pretty much loved all the new toys ;)

Um... lets talk about this hat.

My boys are so cool.

"I tip my hat to you, fine lady..."

He knows he's cute.

Sweaters my Grandma MADE.  I'm in love.

These ponies are the new baby crack for Kingston.  Seriously.  I'll write about it one day.

Its sings.  So Awesome.

Oh.  And they're driving now.  Clear the roads!

Cruising for chicks...

Checking his blind spot.

Rollin' down the strip...

Cake time. I might have stripped them down to their diapers.  What?

Singing...

I also might have asked if I should let them blow out the candles.  Um.  Really mom?  Think that is a good idea?

Making him try the gluten free/dairy free cake that he did not have any interest in.  I wonder why?

Kind of over it.

Don't be tricked.  Mommy demolished that cake.  Not Kyrie.

Mom.. Really?  You're taking a picture right now?

Family photos don't always work out with twin 1 year olds.  But I like the egg/ball floating in mid air...

David, Kingston, Kyrie and I feel so blessed by our friends and family.  Thanks for celebrating with us and making their first birthday so special :)

My Worst Day as a Mom So Far...

Seriously…

Today has been my worst day as a mom since I became one.  That that is saying a lot since I really didn't know what I was doing in the beginning.

It started out like a normal day.  Up at the crack of dawn.  Bottles fed.  Daddy plays with the boys before leaving for work.  Me still in my pajamas.  David leaves.

But then he comes back in.  "Our recycling is ALL OVER the neighborhood.  And I have a meeting this morning."

Super.

So the boys and I throw on our hoodies, strap in the stroller, and start picking up our stuff.  Our recycling bin was two houses down, so we started there, and filled it up on the way back.  This happened to be the day that we had the MOST recycling ever, so it was a big job. I had just finally cleaned out the garage of the cardboard boxes that held their 2 cribs, dresser, double stroller, 2 umbrella strollers, 2 pack 'n plays, and their exersaucer.  So yeah.  On top of our regular recycling, we had a lot of cardboard.   And regardless of how nice I asked, the boys were not doing their part to clean it up.  (hee hee!)  And MAN!  You realize how much formula you go through in two weeks when you are picking up the Similac containers throughout your neighbors' yards.

So we came back in and it was nap time.  The boys went down great, and I hopped in the shower.  Here is a snapshot of their cuteness :)

Kyrie on the left…. Kingston on the right…  Cute shirts courtesy  of my friend Bekah at Saying Yes to Adoption

While showering, I was thinking about what good little nappers they were, and how lucky I was that they were so happy and adjusting so well.  Then 30 minutes into their nap, they were both up.

What the?!

They wouldn't go back to sleep no matter what I tried, so we quit that and went downstairs to play.

Except they were being SO weird!  They were all whiney and cry-face and needy and had to be touching me but didn't want to be held and it was very unlike them.  They only acted that way when they were hungry and it wasn't really time for their bottle yet.

But whatever. I made the bottles early.  And as I made them, I realized the thing that explained it all.

In the craziness of recycling clean up, I had forgotten to feed the boys their breakfast.  Nice.  So they woke up and were crabby because they were hungry.   (Somehow throughout the craziness of the morning I did not forget to eat my OWN breakfast.  Hmmm….)


Obviously I fed them.

On with the day…

We had to swing by David's work to drop something off, and then we came back home.  I noticed the garbage and recycling had now been picked up, so I decided to bring in the recycling bin.  It was windy, after all, and I didn't need to chase that thing down again.

I left the boys in their carseats in the car because that was easier than bringing them in the house and wondering what they were up to while I brought in the trash can.  Out I go.  Trash can and recycling bin in the garage.  Go to get a baby and…

Boom.

That is the sound of my heart hitting the garage floor as I realize I locked the boys in the car.

Yes, that is right.  Worst mom of the year.  My purse with the keys and cell phone in it is in the drivers seat.  I do not remember locking the door.  Why would I do that?  We're in the garage at OUR house.  But obviously I did.

Like a moron.

So I panic, because who wouldn't with these two sweet faces looking back at you through a locked car door?

I KNOW the only spare is on David's key ring.  But I circle through the house a quick sec just in case (not opening any drawers, mind you.  Because I know they aren't there.  But still.  I run through.)

Then I think about the house phone I was supposed to call and have hooked up for moments just as these (because, remember, the cell phone is locked in the car with the boys).  But I haven't done it yet.  Because why not throw in another failure to my day?

So I run to the neighbor's house to use the phone - all while watching my garage like a hawk in case a burglar comes who can break into locked cars and steal babies.  

Nobody home.

Run to the house on the other side.

Nobody home.  

Okay, seriously?    NEITHER of these women work (at least I don't think so…), and NEITHER of them have children at home right now.  Where could they possibly be?  (Insert comment about people that actually have a life and are not just sitting at home waiting for me to need them here.)

Then I see an innocent man accross the street mowing his lawn.  So I sprint over there in my cute little boots with heels (YES, I wore heels to visit my husband at work.  Because where else can I wear those cute things these days?)

I got up to the man…. and bear with  me… the tears came.  And I couldnt' get my words out.  I ran up, he shut off the mower, and I did that gasping cry thing where you can't talk.  Awesome.   "Can…. (gasp)…. I…. (gasp)…. use… (gasp)… your (gasp).. phone…(gasp) babies… (gasp)… locked… (gasp) in car…  

Well he was awesome.  He got his phone very quickly, and ran to my house with me.  David didn't answer his phone, but I (not embarrassingly at all) cried on the phone to his secretary and asked her to send him home because I locked the boys in the car.  She was very sweet.  And did just that.

Lucky for me, David only works 5 minutes away.  He was home soon (my friendly neighbor waited with me the whole time) and he unlocked the car.  I scooped up Kyrie and David got Kingston and I cried and told them how sorry I was.

And those little boys giggled at me.  

Not funny boys.  

And my husband laughed.  And said, "Why did your Mama lock you in the car?"

Um.  

Number 1.  This is not at all the reaction I expected from my super over-protective Dad type husband.

and

Number 2.  Really?  This is not a funny moment to me. Not. At. All.  Hence the tears.

And then he pointed out that I was having a pretty bad day if I forgot to feed them breakfast and then locked them in the car.

Thanks for your spot on observations darling.

Jet Planes...

Look what I found on our computer :)  This is on our way home from Ethiopia with the boys.  I can't believe how calm and collected we look!   This is not how I felt I looked, but it was just a small glimpse into the longest plane ride of my life… so I guess anyone could look calm for a minute :)

Also - Kingston is sleeping and Kyrie is happy with a bottle, so that helps :)

Sleeping Babies

I pretty much think sleeping babies are the cutest thing ever. 

And the biggest problem with that is once they are sleeping, I want nothing more than to scoop them up and cuddle them to pieces.  

So for whatever reason, I've been taking their pictures when they sleep.  Okay.  I know the reason.  Its because they are so flipping adorable.  

And they sleep in the cutest little positions.  Kingston often scoots himself right into the corner with his little booty in the air which I think is so cute ;)  And Kyrie usually falls asleep and doesn't move all night.  And he always wants his taggie blanket.  

Oh how my heart just swoons for these boys.  They have me wrapped around their fingers, even in their sleep!!

So here are some pictures to enjoy :)  They are dark.  Sorry.  Didn't want to risk waking them with a flash.

They used to ONLY sleep in these bouncy seats.  But they were getting a little too big...

Kingston  - booty in the air.  Love it!!

My Kyrie

Do you see those thighs? LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Kingston in the corner

Next time I'll post pictures of them awake so you can enjoy their sweet little personalities in still form. I never stop being amazed at how much I love these two.

They are the most amazing blessing from God.  Love you Kingston and Kyrie!!

AKA… Mommy

Mommy Knows Best

So in January I was feeding the boys puffs.  You know, the cereal type food that pretty much dissolves in their mouths?

And Dave freaked out.  "What are you doing?!  They are going to choke!  The container says 'crawler' and they are NOT crawling."

Well, mommy knows best and I said I KNEW it was fine.  But we had a doctor's appointment that week and I said I would wait to feed them any more puffs until I talked to the doctor.

So obviously, as I knew he would, the doctor said that the 'crawler' thing was a guideline, and many children crawl by this age (and it was FINE that our boys weren't yet) but they could eat the puffs and other solids.  He gave me the okay to explore with foods a little.

So the next week I was feeding the boys some puffs, and I added in those cheese puff sized things that are flavored like veggies and maple and stuff like that.  Bigger than puffs, but also very dissolvable.

and Dave freaked out. "What are you doing?! They are going to choke! They aren't ready for those things yet!"

Well… as you know… I'm the mommy.  I'm home with them all day.  I KNOW its fine.  So I said, "its fine.  Look, Kingston loves it." And Kingston did.  He was digging those things.  Handling them like a pro.  Then I took one and offered it to Kyrie.

He opened his mouth.

I delicately put it in.

He started to chomp.

And then he gagged and threw up his lunch.

Apparently he wasn't quite ready for those.

Funny Story...

Okay - so seriously - being the mom to twin boys is BUSY!!

Add to that the fact that they have been battling an intestinal parasite and don't like to sleep for more than 1 consecutive hour at night, and I am left with NO spare time. If I can gather a minute while the boys are napping… I am napping too.

Seriously.

So anyway… I think they MIGHT be kicking this thing (after the 100th round of antibiotics…)

And for 2 nights I've gotten some REAL sleep!  AHH!!  Keep it up boys!  Mommy LOVES sleep!

So I'll do my best to start writing again.

Because this life with twins is amazing and silly and frustrating and I'd like to share more of it with whoever would like to read it :)

I have 5 minutes left before I need to take my turn with bedtime shift… (Kyrie will NOT fall asleep tonight…) so here is a funny story from my day.

SCENE:  Children get off the school bus as I walk with my boys in the stroller.  Beautiful day.

Boy 1: Are they twins?
Me: Yes.
Boy 1 (screaming): TWIIIIIIINS!!!!!
Boy 1 (calmly): Why don't they have matching clothes on?
Me: Well, twins don't always have to match.
Boy 1: Oh. You mean so you can tell them apart?
Me: Yeah, I guess that helps.
Boy 2: If you would have just named them the same thing you wouldn't have to worry about it.
Me: Hmm… I didn't think of that.

Boy 1 and Boy 2 walk away shaking their heads at me.

END SCENE.

What I know about Motherhood

Okay.  I have had my boys home for a little over two months now.  Please take a moment to enjoy their ridiculous cuteness. 

Thank you to ML Photography!  We LOVE our photos!!!

So when it comes to motherhood, I pretty much know it all.  This is for sure your one stop answer to all motherhood questions.    AND... your welcome.

Let me just start by telling you some tidbits I have learned about motherhood. Specifically, mothering my twin boys. Just to wet your whistle for what is to come on this here little blog of answers to life's maternal mysteries.

#1 The most frustrating thing I have encountered thus far is a child that will not sleep. (Wait for it... this isn't the frustrating part yet - even though I just said it was.  Bear with me...)  You rock him, and sing to him, and turn out the lights in the bathroom and turn on the fan, and rock some more, and change the song you're singing and rock and rock and rock.  And the child babbles and coos and talks.  Or sometimes cries.  Then you've reached the point where your arms are going to fall off, so you ask your husband to try, and the moment your child touches his arms, he's OUT. COLD.

Not cool dad.  Not cool.

#2  Upon becoming a mother, many things changed for me.  I used to be somebody that required 8 hours of sleep to function properly.  Without it, I talked like a sailor, grew a 5 o'clock shadow, and could only open my eyes half way.  Now, I log about 4 and 1/2 hours total when you add up the 20 minute cat naps I get between Kingston and Kyrie waking, and I am ROCKING my days.  Or... at least my children are fed and happy, and I am loving my life.  No facial hair or cursing involved.   Usually. 

#3  Mothers don't shower as much as we should.  Or at least when I do shower, I don't dry my hair and I sometimes just put on clean pajamas.

I know.  You are judging me.  I get it.  I was going to be that mom who is always wearing heels and has perfect hair.  I really was.  But I have TWINS people.  And why put on the lip gloss when its just going to get all over my boys' faces throughout the day?  Oh, and then there is the fact that I don't leave the house.  When I'm back at work, I'll become presentable.  Until then, I'll parent in the comfort of my sweatpants.

#4   Babies have more wipes available to them than necessary.  In my home right now there are regular baby wipes, boogie wipes, hand and face wipes, pacifier wipes, toy wipes and clorox wipes.  I'm not kidding.  I have all those wipes.  Do I NEED them all?  No.  I could survive with just the baby wipes and clorox wipes.  The rest are just different scents and sensitivities.  But you can't say I'm not prepared. :) If there is something to be wiped - I'm all over it.


#5  The most rewarding moments come when you least expect them. Kingston reaching his hand up to my face as he falls asleep to make sure I'm there.  The sound of cries stopping because I've picked up my boy and he knows its me.  Snuggling in bed with a baby that can't sleep unless he's touching me.  And then there are the times when I think, I wish I could have you forever.  And then I remember that they ARE mine forever.  I'm their mommy and I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

What else could I possibly need to know about motherhood?  :)

Baby Crack

No, I'm not talking about baby booty crack - which is a worldwide phenomenon for newborn pictures across the country.

I am also a fan of that kind of baby crack.  Nothing cuter than a pair of baby buns.  Or 2 pairs!

But that is not what I'm talking about today.

Baby Crack.

As in, what my child fiends for, gets the jitters over, and is addicted to.  It causes tantrums when taken away, and just the sight of it causes Kingston to whine and thrust his body towards it.

It looks like this:

Yes, that's right.  The dinosaur ball popper is our baby crack.

I'm not sure why its so desirable and fun.  I just know that it is the best toy in my children's eyes.  It plays music and sends balls flying in the air.  The balls are the perfect size for little Stefanich boy hands and mouths.

I didn't even bust it out until recently, because it requires 3 C batteries, and we just didn't have those lying around the house.  And C batteries are more expensive than you would think.  But when I finally bit the bullet and bought them, my boys were addicted.

Addicted to baby crack.

Ignore the background mess please.  There MIGHT be a pillow and blanket on the couch where I napped.  Don't judge.

It started out as just a bedroom toy.  But then we realized its power.  I went in nursery one day with Kingston in my arms.  He spotted the popper under a little coffee table.

And lost his mind.  He was trying to get out of my arms and was whining and crying and acting quite out of the ordinary.  I thought it was weird.  But moved on with the day.

Then a couple days later, David had a late meeting at work, and I had to bathe and put the boys to bed on my own.  While I bathed Kyrie, I put Kingston in front of the popper to play in the bathroom.  He was thrilled.  Once Kyrie was done and in his jammies, I tried to trade babies.  When Kyrie started to play with the popper, Kingston LOST.  HIS.  MIND.

He could not forget about that thing, and fought me about getting in the tub - which he USUALLY LOVES.  So weird.

I have to distract these boys when I put it away.  I have to HIDE it.  And then do a song and dance so they forgot how cool the popper was and move on to the next thing.

Here it is in action.  It doesn't even need to be playing music for them to love it.

Hence the name Baby Crack.

Now when they are crabby or fussy - We bust out the baby crack.

Need to take a shower?  Baby Crack.

Want to eat dinner?  Baby Crack.

Want to see pure joy in the faces of my boys?  Baby Crack.

I'm only hoping that silly ball popper holds its magical power for awhile.

Do your kids have baby crack?  What does the trick for your little ones?  I'd love to know!