Twins on the Side

Canoeing and the like.

2010-07-29T15:05:00.001-07:00

So as I mentioned earlier, we went on a fun-filled camping trip complete with canoeing. I came home looking like this -

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

I fell out of the canoe. A lot. Now, before you think I'm completely uncoordinated it wasn't all my fault. My husband thought it would be fun to dump his cousin's husband out of the tube he was riding in. Naturally this resulted in all out war. I just happened to be caught in the middle, and on the edge of the canoe. All of the other incidents may or may not have been alcohol related. Despite of the colorful souvenirs I came home with, we had a blast. I can't wait to go again!

And we're off!

2010-07-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

We're going camping this weekend. Without the kids. This will be our first weekend away leaving them behind. Sure they've gone to grandma's for overnights, but we've never been more than 15 minutes away from them. I'm not nervous, I'm excited! I know they'll have a blast and so will we.
So I'll be back on Monday, with swashbuckling tales from the high seas (we're going canoeing LOL) and tall tales from around the campfire. Have a nice weekend!

It's been a very long time ....

2010-07-22T10:53:00.001-07:00

When last I wrote I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of New Moon in theatres. Since then I've seen New Moon AND Eclipse. I'm still a Twilight fan, still obsessed with Robert Pattinson and still counting the days until the next movie comes out. Breaking Dawn (part 1), November 2011. Let the countdown begin LOL.

In other news, the girls are 3. Very soon to be 3½. They are growing by leaps and bounds and hilariously funny. This afternoon for example, Payton composed her own clean-up song "It's Not Nice to Make a Mess", a Billboard Top 100 in the making. Addison prefers to be the muse for such work. She works quite hard at making her presence known in the world. She has no volume control ... just like her mother.

A good friend of mine, Jules, has started a project on her own blog (Pancakes & French Fries) called the "Unread Library". It basically consists of taking all of the books from her home she has bought and never read and finishing them before buying anything else. Because I think Jules is awesome, I fully intend to do the same. I will soon be posting my own list of unread works, although I can confidently say hers seems much more scholarly than mine.

In other news my lovely children and husband gifted me with an iPod Touch for Mother's Day this year. There is only one word I can use to describe how I feel about it. OBSESSION. I'm rarely without it and am, as I type, currently listening to my music collection on shuffle. Best. gift. ever.

This makes me pee in my pants a little.

2009-09-12T11:33:00.001-07:00

I can hardly wait!

2009-08-17T16:36:00.001-07:00

Yum!

Cleveland Zoo

2009-07-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

More tomorrow, err today, this is one tired mama.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

So we're quite lucky in these parts. We have fireworks, literally in our backyard. It's so nice. We simply walk out, set up a chair and enjoy. Maybe next year the girls will actually be able to stay awake to enjoy them.

Ju Ju Be!!!!!

2009-07-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

Ok so my Ju Ju Be obsession is well known. I've had a few different bags, loved them all. But I have always felt like something else was waiting. That something my friends is the Ju Ju Be, Be Smart. Discontinued of course LOL. I managed to get my hands on one after I sold my Packabe, and friends, it's true love. Here are a few images of my newest bag.

Tuscora Park

2009-06-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

Well this weekend we celebrated another first in the life of our daughters. Their first 'amusement' park. Not too far from our house lies the neatest little park. It has a huge swimming pool (which is always packed in the summer), your traditional playground equipment (spread out over a few acres of land), a very large duck pond and one very exciting, child-based amusement park. It's neat. Tickets are $.75/each with each ride costing on ticket. Cheap entertainment. It costs nothing to get in, and food and drink are reasonable (ice cream, $1). Saturday my MIL, FIL, Greg and I packed up the girls and hit the road. The peanuts were totally excited and even got to go on their very first solo ride. They're growing up, and it's making me sad. Where did my babies go?

Playdate: Nolan and Brennan

2009-06-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago the girls and I went on a playdate at a friend's house. Here are a few pics of our adventure.

Squealing like a teenager ...

2009-06-01T16:50:00.001-07:00

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer

Season Finale

2009-05-15T06:07:00.000-07:00

I hate cliffhangers.

Mother's Day, New Kicks and Art Projects

2009-05-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

What a fine day it's been. My lovely husband pulled out all the stops, proudly presenting me with a dozen white roses and a new pair of Adidas Bounce running shoes. No I don't run exactly, but I do chase kids for a living. 'nuff said. The girls and I spent this past week working on a project for the grandma's. 10x10 pre-stretched canvases which they painted and I put some handprints on. They turned out fantastic, the picture truly doesn't do them justice. Lastly I spent the weekend with my girls. It was fun and relaxing, just the way I like it.

The Couch

2009-05-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

One of the 'treasures' my husband discovered cleaning out his uncles house, was a 1970's child-sized sofa. It was in great shape structurally, but needed a bit of an update. Yesterday he braved the city traffic and hit JoAnn Fabrics (how cute is that?), in order to reupholster it. He did a great job!

Spring Fever!

2009-05-02T19:39:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time since I've blogged. We've been really busy the past few months and I'll admit I've been lazy about it. I sit down at night with thoughts of catching up and as my body winds down from the day, so does my energy. The girls are good. Great in fact! They are so verbal and expressive. Payton is very imaginative and girly. Addison is loud and direct. They compliment each other well.
Last weekend we took a trip to the zoo, but this weekend was spent at home. We're getting some very nice weather (in between the rain) we're all trying to enjoy as much as possible. Here are a few pics from our afternoon enjoying the outdoors.

My little speed racers-

One of our dogs, Bug, who for some reason loves to climb trees-

Sadly a few weekends ago my husband's Uncle Ron passed away. In helping clean out his garage he came across an old mower, it's called a Flymo. Incredibly it's a hover-mower and this evening he got it running. It's so cool! You can push it, pull it, even swing it side-to-side. I've never seen anything like it before, but it's awesome.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

30 great things - Part 4 :So I've slacked off ...

2009-03-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

but I have a great excuse! Last night was my 30th birthday party! It was soooo fun! We had a great time. So below are some fun pics, followed by the 3rd installment of my great things.

Becca and Christie

Greg enjoying some cake

Marci and Brandon

Erica and Kirk

Mike

Russell and Todd

Marci, me, and Becca

Making 'burning brains' ... aka newspaper parachutes

30 great things ...

19. Digital Picture Frames- The *best* invention ever! I've had one for a few years and love it. Last night my wonderful husband got me a new one. It's completely decked out. Touch screen nav, it plays music, stores 1000 pictures internally and more.

20. Tart warmers- I love candles, however I'm scared I'll burn the house down or something. My solution? A tart warmer hooked to a timer. My house smells fantastic and I don't have to worry about fire!

21. Crappy country- Meaning well used, well distressed kitchy art. Nothing is better than something that looks like it's been in the trash for a few years.

22. Calla Lilies- My favorite flower. Gorgeous, sleek and simple.

23. Dreft Stain Remover- Do you know how many outfits I've saved with this? It works like nothing else I've ever used. Formula, baby food, blood, grass stains, gone!

24. Microsuede/Microfibre- The best invention ever for anyone with kids! It looks great, cleans easily and pet hair just zooms off of it. It has saved me so much time I can't even begin to profess my love for it.

30 great things - Part 3

2009-03-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

13. Underwear- Covers it all, and way more comfortable than wearing your bikini bottoms all day.

14. Portable DVD Players- My girls *hate* the car. Have always hated the car. Last summer with a camping trip in the works we broke down and picked one up. You know that moment on tv where a light shines on the main character and angels sing? Yah that's what it's like.

15. Country music- I'm from Ohio ok?

16. Gain Laundry Detergent- I have sensitive skin and can only use a few detergents. Gain is one of them. May I just say it is the only one that leaves my clothes smelling lovely days after washing. Try it!

17.Yo Gabba Gabba! DJ Lance Magic Dance Hat- I don't actually own this, but come on. Does it not look like hella fun?

18.McDonald's new fish commercial- I dare you to get it out of your head.

30 great things - Part 2

2009-03-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

7. Little People- I loved Fisher Price's Little People when I was a child. Of course my house is riddled with them now. A castle, a house, a barn, a garage, along with various other accssories. 50+ chubby-cheeked figures to go around. Little People will be celebrating their 50th birthday on March 21st ... and I thought I was getting old.

8. DVR- Welcome to the future baby! We just got a DVR system last weekend and I'm hooked! Who knew? Now I have 30 shows on my list I'll still never have time to watch, but at least I have the option!

9. Google- Need I say more?

10. Nintendo DS- I was one of the few in my class to have a real Nintendo the year they came out. Way back when. Today I'm still a Nintendo junkie. Or a nerd as my lovely husband calls me. Hey it keeps me from asking 'are we there yet?' so he should appreciate it too.

11. E.R.- My favorite series is coming to a close in a few short weeks. I've been a fan from the beginning and am feeling a bit sad it's over. It got me through many rough days when the girls were babies. I knew if I made it through the 2 back-to-back episodes on TNT my day alone was half over, and my knight in shining armor (read Greg) would be home to help me soon.

12. Ebay- Helping to feed my obsessions mentioned in #3, #7 and #10. I've used Ebay to save our family a ton of money. I mean face it, you can find *anything* there.

30 great things - Part 1

2009-03-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

In honor of my upcoming 30th birthday, I've decided to make a list of 30 fantastically great things. I'll post 6 each day, until Monday. Until then drop me some comments and let me know what some of your great things are.

1. The Library- That great brick building filled with books. It's my new bitch. Long ago when I was young, I would venture down to our local branch and spend hours upon hours browsing the shelves. Reading and rereading my favorites. A few weeks ago I got a shiny new card for our district. Since then I've been a mad reading fool. I've taken out CD's, movies and books for both work and home. I've mastered the art of Interlibrary loans and downloadable media. In short, it's my newest/oldest addiction. Which brings me to my next great thing ...

2. Jodi Picoult- How have I missed her novels and why has no one clued me in until now. It all started innocently. I picked up a copy of 'Her Sister's Keeper' at the library on a whim. I read it in one day.

3. Ju-Ju-Be- Can we say OBSESSIVE? Because I totally am. A dear friend of mine happened across these bags one day and I haven't looked back. I ordered my first one as a Mother's Day present and have been in love ever since. Not only do they make terrific diaper bags (they are branching out from there these days!), the customer service and quality cannot be beat. Not to mention the Pink Ladies, the most fabulous women (and best accessorized) on the net!

4. Twilight- Yah, ok. I'm one of those. I'm a big fantasy-type person and these fell right into my alley. Such a love story.

5. Photography- One of my true passions. There is nothing better than snapping a shot and capturing a moment in time. The way some pictures convey such emotion and beauty makes my heart ache. My Nikon = love.

6. Pancakes & French Fries and Petunia Face- My blog obsessions! I would love to be such an eloquent speaker. Their writings speak from the heart, not to mention make me giggle and cry upon occassion. Both truly deserve to be apart of my 30 great things. :)

Payton's Special Day- Build-A-Bear

2009-03-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Payton and I made the trek to the mall. Build-A-Bear was much busier than when Addi and I went, but she was very excited to see all the little kids and really liked picking out her special animal. At first she chose a Panda, but one look at the Jack Russell Terrier and it was over. Love at first sight!

Payton

2009-03-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

Payton loves macaroni and cheese. And by love I mean, plan the wedding. This evening for a quick fix dinner we had a side of the good ol' American stand-by. She was very pleased and ended up looking like this ...

How exactly did she obtain this classy look you may ask. The cheesy hair, the crusty forehead, the yellow nose. It's simple really ...

by saying "CHEESE!"

Addi's Special Day- Stride Rite and Build-A-Bear

2009-02-28T16:16:00.000-08:00

Today was Addi's special day. I try to get each girl individually every few months and spend the day just with them. Today was Addison's turn. We hit the mall for some new shoes and then to Build-A-Bear for her very first stuffing experience. I chose the Lamb for her to commemerate her love of "Lamby". She really likes the Lamb, but is even more enamored with the box we brought it home in ... go figure.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

Even though we were sick on the holiday itself, we sure did find a way to enjoy the fruits of the celebration.

My completely insensical (and over-the-top) birthday wish list.

2009-02-14T17:15:00.000-08:00

Each and every year, I delight (ok, so maybe that's not the word) my husband my starting to celebrate my birthday at least a month in advance. On February 23rd I proudly declare that it's mere weeks until the big day and bug him endlessly. This year I find myself starting even earlier. You see, I'll be 30 this year. I'm not upset by this number as some are. Instead I find myself using it as a reason to have a real party and declare my love for numerous material (and expensive) items. A girl can dream right? On my list ...

A Kindle -
Love of my love. You have no idea how badly I would love to own one of these. I am an avid reader and this just seems to be my fondest dream come true. Can you imagine books at the touch of a button. *sigh* The $359 price tag is the big downfall.

A "Be Major" by Ju-Ju-Be (in Zany Zinnias or Drip Drops) -
I'm a big wristlet girl. I hate carrying a large purse when I'm out with the girls and these solve the problem. This is the *perfect* variation. It has photo windows, card slots, a built in check register, a slot for cash, a change pocket, chapstick loop and pen. Not to mention an easily accessible cellphone pocket. At $48, it's more reasonable and will be something I'll use every day.

I'd also like a whole new wardrobe, a new washer and dryer, and a flat screen tv.
That's all.

nataliedee.com

The best part of having a dishwasher and more tator tots please!

2009-02-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

We got a new dishwasher this week and both the girls had a great time playing in the big box. Addison totally rocked it though and spent hours popping in and out of the 'windows.'

On a whim, Greg whipped together an impromptu teeter-totter this afternoon. Literally he found some wood in the attic of the garage and put it together in less than an hour. The girls *love* it. The giggle so loud you can hear them all over the house. Fabulous. All afternoon Payton has been walking around the house saying "More tator tot, please." That's my girl.

For Mikey...

2009-02-07T15:07:00.001-08:00

So excited!

2009-02-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

This Memorial Day Weekend we are planning a very exciting trip to Sesame Place in PA. There we will be joining up with a whole gaggle of Twinstuff families for their 6th annual 'East Coast Twins Gathering'. I can hardly contain myself.
The girls are so into Elmo and Abby I'm sure they will have a good time. And DH and I can surround ourselves with other parents of multiples. It will be our very first family vacation (aside from camping), and our very first 7 hour car ride. *gulp*

I have the greatest friends!

2009-01-29T16:44:00.000-08:00

I, like many others (although most a good deal younger than me), am a fan of Twilight. The books are a great escape from the real world and the movie was a suitable personification of them. I think Robert Pattinson is dreamy. A good friend of mine from work, Racheal, suprised me with a little something this morning. It totally made my day! She jokingly put this little book together and it made me smile. It's fantastic! I have to giggle everytime I look at it, and plan on keeping it around to look at whenever I need a pick-me-up.

Oh yah, check it out. She replaced Bella's face with a little picture of me LOL.

The girls rehearse for their big break!

2009-01-28T18:36:00.001-08:00

Snow day!

2009-01-28T06:39:00.000-08:00

Or rather ice. We were expecting to get hit last night with a whopper of a snow storm. This was said to be rolling in around 5pm last night and lingering around today until close to 7pm. Leaving us with another 5-8 inches. What we woke up to was a wonderland of ice. Everything around was glazed in a fine sheet of glass. Lovely.
The good news, mommy has a snow day today so the peanuts and I are hanging around. It's currently 32 degrees out and raining like the dickens. This could get interesting.

Happy Birthday Babies!

2009-01-25T20:16:00.001-08:00

First time sled riding!

Starting the 2nd year off right!

2009-01-24T17:08:00.000-08:00

Our party last night was a blast! Friends and family came together to celebrate Addi and Payton's 2nd year. The girls were in top form, dancing, singing, and just being silly. They were up until 10pm (!) and still woke with smiles this morning. Greg and I have been truly blessed with such wonderful children. And while I'm sad to see another year fly by, the sight of my healthy, happy children fill me with such a complete feeling. God is good!

Birthday Party Madness!

2009-01-23T19:31:00.000-08:00

We had the girl's big birthday party this evening. It was a blast! I'll post more tomorrow, but just wanted to say thanks to everyone who came. You guys made it a fantastic evening!

Addison's first haircut

2009-01-20T16:46:00.000-08:00

Today we took Addi down to the local barber shop. Yes, you read that right LOL. Dave is a good friend of ours and we chose him to do the honors. She was fantastic. Not a tear, whimper or whine. In fact she made it look like so much fun, Payton just had to give it a dry run. Of course we all played along and in the end both got a sweet treat for being such good girls.

And the winner is ...

2009-01-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

So it's Tuesday and not Sunday. However only 2 people entered my giveaway in any case LOL.

I used the coin flipper at random.org to choose the winner, (assigning heads to Collen and tails to Kristen [that being the order in which they posted]) and this is what happened.

So Collen, please email me your address and I'll ship this out ASAP! Congrats and thanks to you both for the blog suggestions!

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day...

2009-01-14T11:29:00.000-08:00

and now, so can you!
I recieved this book in a give-away from my fantastic friend Jules at Pancakes & French Fries, and in the spirit of 'passing it on' I'm now offering it to you! It's a quick-witted, lighthearted novel that is both easy and fun to read. I finished it in a few hours and would love to share my love for reading with one of you. Sooooo ... if you are interested please leave me a comment with a link to one of your favorite blogs. I'll use a random number generator to choose the lucky book worm this coming Sunday. Good luck!

Tu-Tu's, Toys and Tables

2009-01-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas. Lots of family time, fun toys, and great food. Now all we need is the new playroom for everything to go in right?

What's so great about Handy Manny?

2008-12-29T06:09:00.001-08:00

I mean his tools do all the work right? He just sits back reaps the benefits and takes all the credit. I need a job like that!
This is just one of the observations I've made this week while on vacation.
We're still working on plans for the big toy room remodel, but at my insistance they are on hold until later this week. DH wanted to just clear out the room and move toys. I put my foot down, insisting if we're going to do this then we're going to do it right. If I can't hang drywall and replace carpeting I at least get to fix it up to some of my semi-standards. I know I promised pics, but it being the storage room for all of Santa's presents things were a bit crazy this past week. We're also at odds just which room to use.
Upstairs is typical of the bungalow style homes in this area. 2 rooms with entry to one depending on the other. Currently the back room is my office and the front a guest room. DH wants to leave the guest room as is and dismantle the office. I'm fine with that ... however ... I think we should move the guest room and put the toy room at the front of the house. There are many reasons for this.

1. It's bigger and has 2 closets for storage.
2. The back room is the entry to the whole upstairs. Meaning there is an open landing to the staircase and a 1 foot edge that runs along above the steps themselves.
3. If we do have guests I would prefer them not to have to stumble through the toy room to get to bed.
4. The doorway is easily gated.

So we're at a standstill. I plan on hitting the store for some paint samples this week although DH is still against painting the paneling.
I'll win though, I always do. ;)

Jules?!! I need you!!

2008-12-16T11:44:00.000-08:00

And any other inspiring designers out there. We've decided (thanks to the jolly one in the red suit) that we're going to bite the bullet and convert the upstairs office to a play room.
The problem? We have no 'extra' money to do it the way *I* want to. So I'm forced to work with what I have.
What I have is dark wood paneling and bright blue shag carpeting direct from the 70's. Ugly in all sense of the word. I need ideas. I'm not adverse to painting the walls, anything is better than living in a wood pile. I want a fun place for the kids to play and relax that also fits in with the style of my home. Some toys will be staying downstairs but 99% will be going up. Eventually the girls will move up there to share a bedroom as well, but not until they are self-sufficient enough to come up and down the stairs themselves.
So please help a girl out. I've never been one to have decorating woes, but would love to have some feedback and ideas from others.

Caution: Fruit Loops will turn your poop green

2008-11-30T12:01:00.001-08:00

My holiday in a nutshell.

1 sick kid on Tuesday.
1 trip to ER on Thursday night.
2 infected ears.
2 sick kids on Friday.
2 very whiny kids all weekend.
1 tired mama.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-20T16:58:00.000-08:00

Today was our Thanksgiving Feast at the Preschool. It was a lot of fun with some seriously great food. I can't wait until next week!

I won!!!

2008-11-18T12:24:00.001-08:00

The fabulous Maya over at Little Dudes and Divas (www.littledudesanddivas.com) just had a fun giveaway where a few people could win their choice of prize, and I was one of the fortunate winners! We could choose:

Either:
1 Cupcake Mini Baby Blanket (giraffe, duck, bear, frog, blue lamb, pink lamb)
(1 blanket with 2 babies, not a good idea)

Or:
1 BabyLegs (Spice, Chipotle, Purple Bandana, Seersucker, Gold Dot, Pink White Heather, Blue Herringbone, Tulip, Ivy)
(we have BabyLegs we never wear)

Or:
1 Fanci-Free Accessory
(a bag for me)

I chose the Fanci-Free Wallet/Cellphone Oraganizer in the Raining Daisy's print. I'm soooo excited. A new bag for me, and it's free! Anyone who knows me knows how excited I am. Here's a pic of what I'll be anxiously expecting in the mail.

It should go great with my Black/Envy Packabe (made by Ju-Ju-Be) and be something I can carry everywhere. I can't wait!

Oh I almost forgot!

2008-11-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

No more binkies! I took Addison's bink away last week to attempt the cold turkey removal ... and it worked! She was only taking it during naps and at night but we were having issues with her crying for it all day. After her nap on Thursday I put them in the closet and when she asked for it, I told her it was gone. She cried for awhile then got distracted. At bedtime when I walked her to the crib I reminded her it was gone and put her in bed. She cried and whined for about 15 minutes and was out like a light. Since then we've had 5-10 minutes of calling for mommy and bink before naps and bed and that's it. She doesn't ask for it during the day, she doesn't wake at night looking for it, and she is as pleasant as can be. Why didn't I do this earlier????

Ugh

2008-11-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

We have mice. The little bastards are into everything. They even got into my cupboards and made themselves at home in my dishes. I am so grossed out I can hardly stand it. Of course we get them every year, a big downfall of living in rural Ohio. The big field behind our house doesn't help. We've planted traps, sealed up all the food and plugged all viewable holes with Steel Wool. Anyone else have any other suggestions for clearing them out? If so I'd love to hear them!

A little cell phone fun ....

2008-11-12T12:36:00.000-08:00

As promised ...

2008-11-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

Here is a pic of the new 'do. It's not just like the pic, and it's fantastically easy to style. I just wash, run some mousse in and go. It's messy and wild, just like me LOL.

The new color:

The cut:

A fun Fall day ...

2008-11-06T12:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the girls and I went to the local University my MIL works at to visit. They had a ball! All the students milling around campus were cracking up at their antics and so were we!

I post here ....

2008-11-01T14:53:00.001-07:00

Do you?

Trick-or-Treat!

2008-11-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

He works hard for his money ...

2008-10-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

My poor DH comes home looking like this on a regular basis. Thanks honey, for everything you do.

I think ...

2008-10-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

I'm going to get my hair cut like this:

I got it colored this afternoon a nice caramel/honey shade and need something to make myself feel human again. This may just be it.

Happy Anniversary Me!

2008-10-25T06:14:00.001-07:00

5 years ago today DH and I were married in a really cute ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada. All of our close family flew out to be with us and celebrate the occassion. It was fantastic.
Just a little background. Our ceremony cost a whopping $250, the dress $125, shoes $30, and my hair $100 ... that's Vegas for ya.

This is the reception whe received when we returned to our hotel. We stayed at The Excalibur, and throughout the day they have trumpeters that announce various activities and such. Well when they saw us enter the casino, they pulled us on stage and proceeded to play the Wedding March. Every eye was on us, and flashbulbs popped around us like a parade. It was amazing. Somewhere in America, and even beyond, we were in someone's slide show from their October trip to Vegas.

The picture locales were fantastic. On any given day I can choose where I was married ... Paris, Venice, New York ...

The scenery and decor of Vegas in Fall is gorgeous! Everywhere we went was painted in browns, oranges, reds and yellows. Pumpkins, cornstalks, and even Fall leaves were everywhere.

Spaghetti-O's Rock!

2008-10-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Addi loves Spaghetti-O's and by love I mean loves eating them, wearing them, throwing them, and smearing them.

Algonquin Mill Festival

2008-10-12T12:58:00.001-07:00

We had a great time this morning! We took the girls to a local festival to see the sights. Here are a few things we got to experience ...

A Mail Pouch Tobacco barn replica ...

A horse powered Sorghum grinder...

A mini barn-raising for kids ...

A barn full of antique farm equipment...

Music...

Dancing...

An old-fashioned organ grinder (complete with stuffed monkey)...

Horse-drawn hay wagons...

Antique engines...

Chain saws of every shape, size and age...

Wagon rides!...

Some gorgeous Ohio scenery...

and covered bridges...

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Ok so it's a bit early, but I wanted to make sure the girls weren't going to freak out when I put their costumes on. Quite the contrary actually. Payton looked in the mirror and said "Ooooh Elmo" and Addi laughed and laughed. A suitable response, considering that's exactly what I did.

Where have all the flowers gone?

2008-09-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

I belong to a wonderfully supportive mommy message board. We've all been together for over 2 years now. Some posting, some lurking, always there. Well we're not 'there' anymore. Everyone has drifted away. Life has caught up with us and time has not yet healed some wounds inflicted in a bitter battle. I miss them terribly. I'm greatly saddened to think that this is it. We've been through so much together ... life, death, laughter, tears, and heartache. I love you ladies, please come home.

Thank you Ore-Ida!

2008-09-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

So I decided to break down and try the new Ore-Ida Steam and Mash potatoes. Freakin' awesome! Well worth the price tag ($4.50 at the local grocery store). Made dinner tonight a breeze!

A few things, entertaining or not?

2008-09-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

So I finally found time to make the trek to pick up the girls finished "First Year Collage". It came out really well. Now I just need to decide where to hang it.

We also got a new couch! It's fantastic, I just love the way it fits in the room, plus it's so comfy.

I'm also selling Usborne books on the side now. Yah, in all my free time. Anyhoo if you're interested check out my site @www.ubah.com/W2965. They are fantastically fun and educational books for all ages and stages. Let me know if you'd like to book a Home or E-Show.

Off to enjoy this very rainy day (thanks Ike), happy Saturday!

Dancing on the Bridge

2008-09-06T18:09:00.001-07:00

In my hometown, there's a little festival called "Dancing on the Bridge". There's karaoke, food, music, and more. It's cute. We took the girls this year, and they had a blast. Too bad they pooped out before the big entertainment began.

My co-teacher's daughter singing karaoke ... all by herself ... in front of several hundred people. Impressive!

The girls watching (and dancing along with) some Clog Dancers.

Merry Christmas!

2008-09-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

No seriously I haven't lost it. I've been in the Christmas shopping frame of mind lately. Having kids this age is fantastic. While my SIL is agonizing over finding the exact iPod my niece is dying for, my biggest decision is which Little People castle to buy. Have you seen the new one? It's fantastic. It features the newer LP with bendable legs and arms. It has a platform for the prince and princess to dance on, a horse and a few other accessories. It's also $15.00 more than the original. My decision was to buy the classic one, and get a few add-on sets to go alone with it. Sure. The add-ons are listed as HTF (hard to find) and the "Night at the Ball" playset is going for $78 on Amazon. I did find the Maiden Mary set for $10.00. Are we kidding here? These are Little People, not solid gold fertility statues. Right? So if you're surfing around the net and you happen to find the "Woodsman", "Night at the Ball" or "Sir Lance" sets for under an arm and a leg. Let me know.

Reason #1 to love twins ...

2008-09-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

The "Big Muskie Bucket"

2008-09-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Designated a “Great Ohio Adventure of Learning” by the State of Ohio Division of Travel & Tourism.

Southeastern Ohio has some truly amazing things and the following provides some of our strongest documentation! The Big Muskie Bucket is the centerpiece of Miner’s Memorial Park located just 16 miles West of Caldwell I-77 Exit 25 and right along SR 78. This artifact has generated unbelievable interest from young and old all across the United States and from around the world! Why?

The Big Muskie was the World’s Largest Dragline and one of the seven engineering wonders of the world! The machine has even been featured on the History Channel! The Bucket weighs 460,000 pounds empty and when loaded carried an additional 640,000 pounds. It’s volume is equal to that of a 12 car garage. Can you imagine what Big Muskie must have been like to even move such an object, let alone maneuver it effectively?

The Big Muskie Bucket and Miner’s Memorial is without a doubt a one-of-a-kind destination. The site represents a major piece of history and assures that the mining men and women of Southeastern Ohio will never be forgotten.

Camping ... Part 2

2008-08-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

As we ready for our second camping adventure. I thought it would be fun to look back at our previous trip. These were all taken over July 4th weekend.

We spent a lot of time playing, eating and walking. We even made it to the playground to get our very own copy of the famous 'Twinstuff' swing photo.

We did have a great time, and only time will tell what the twinkies will cook up next time.

Payton's new hair.

2008-08-26T16:56:00.001-07:00

*Everyone* comments on the difference in the amount of hair the girls have. Poor Payton has hardly a strand to her name, while Addi's is out of control. Well I finally fixed that. Today I bought Payton her very own hairstyle.

My silly peanuts ...

2008-08-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

... are getting so big! I can hardly believe they're almost 2. Where did the time go?

Thank you Larry the Cable Guy...

2008-08-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

for finally fixing my internet! I've called our service provider several times and no one would take responsibility for my issues. I was told all sorts of things, it was my wireless router, it was my connection, it was my computer. They all suck. I finally got a woman on the line last night who decided to try and run a diagnostic on my modem. Go figure. It seems my modem (which is provided from the company and over 4 years old) was fried. Why no one else could run such a test, I'm clueless. They were nice enough to send out a tech today (on a Sunday no less) to fix the error and run us a new line. It just happened his name was Larry. So today I salue Larry the Cable Guy ... the real one!

Shippers rejoice ...

2008-07-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

Ok so I finally got to go see the new X-Files movie, was supposed to on Friday, but a bought of food poisoning slowed me down.

It wasn't as great as I'd hoped. Then again, what really is. The plot was a bit weak and the storyline jumpy. But I don't care. It was so refreshing to see my two favorite characters back together. The movie takes place in present day, so we are left to imagine the life Mulder and Scully have lived for the last 10 years. There are clues of course, but a lot is left to the viewer to decipher ... and oh what fun I had doing it. I won't say too much, I hate spoilers myself, but the title of my post will clue any die-hard fan in.

I must admit I teared up a few times. I'm a sucker I guess, but as soon as the first whistle of theme song hit the speakers I was sucking back the snot and tears like a proud mama. The laughs were plenty, the suspense was exciting, and the relationship tumultuous as always. So I give it 4/5 stars, although the un-fan most assuredly wouldn't. I'm happy and that's all that counts, right?

The Truth is Out There

2008-07-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

So you all have no idea what a geek I am. Ok so maybe you do ... but in any case I'm a total X-Phile. (Don't know what that is, Google it) I even owned and ran a very successful X-Files devoted message board for a few years. I'm addicted.
So how flippin' excited am I that next week the new movie hits theatres? I'll tell you how flippin' excited I am! I've actually already made plans for DH to watch the peanuts so I can hit the movie on opening day. I swear to you I've turned into a total teenager again! I found myself eagerly buying the newest TV Guide because there was an article and cover devoted to the new flick. Umm hello, I'm a 29 year old mother of two and I've been hit with an overwhelming urge to surf allposters.com for posters to tack to my bedroom wall.

The fact that the sight of this picture ...

makes me swoon, is hilarious. Ok confession over. I'm crawling back into my hole now. I just wanted to share my excitment with "someone" as all my friends and family are pretty sure I've lost it.

Camping: Day 1 (In which Addi discovers Chex Mix)

2008-07-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

We left our house for the girls very first big camping adventure around 10:00am Friday morning. Greg had already gone down to the park and set up camp so all we had to do is join him.
It rained All Day Long. We arrived at Wold Run State Park at approximately 11:30am, after stopping only once to fix the DVD player and rescue 'Baby' (Payton's lovey) from the bowels of the backseat.
The rain had left the site a muddy, muddy mess, so the first part of the day was spent in our friend's camper. The girls enjoyed it as much as they could and were entertained by the mere fact of being someplace new. A few hours into the adventure had us scrambling to change plans and making arrangements in case it should happen to rain all weekend. A trip to the local Wal-Mart found us buying water shoes for the little ones and exchanging the DVD player which had gone haywire on the ride down. Upon returning to the park, the rain had slowed to a drizzle and the girls were set free outside.

There was lots of mud to play in, along with rocks to carry and bugs to chase.

At some point in time during the day it was deemed acceptable to greet all incoming company with a show of the belly. Everyone within seeing distance was greeted in such manner.

Of course they had a blast. They even got to try out the 4-wheelers Greg bought them just for camping. What better way to enjoy the mud?

It turned out to be an ok day after all. The girls got to spend lots of time with their family, including their "West Virginia Grandparents" (friends of ours we've known forever.

Finally around 6:30 we decided to give them a bath in the camper, and attempt bedtime. We didn't think it would be an issue as they went right down for nap ... ha! Through the course of the previous weeks we had devised a plan for nighttime. If we folded out the couch and dinette, both Pack n Plays could sit on top and we would still have an open walkway to the bathroom. Sounded good at least. Once we got everyone settled, furniture moved around, and babies down all the reasonings this wouldn't work began to show themselves. They discovered the mini blinds on the windows. We opened the windows. They discovered us outside. We attempted to ignore them, even through the banging and laughing. Both sat and watched through the window for at least an hour or more before giving up and falling asleep ... or so we thought.
Around 9:00pm I hear Addi fussing on the monitor. I figured she had lost her binky and went it to replace it. Leaning back on the couch, to look behind the Pack n Play, I noticed a dark shape on the cushion. I felt it. I was a small circle. Hmmm.
Then I realized it was a pretzel, and it wasn't alone. Like the scene in "Daddy Daycare" where Eddie Murphy walks into the messy bathroom, I looked up and around with confusion and something akin to horror on my face. Then I laughed. The little imp now looking down at me from the top of her bed had reached up above her to the shelf and helped herself to a bag of Chex Mix. As far as we can tell she spent her evening eating and tossing around approximately 1/3 of a bag. I can hear her in my mind when she discovered it. "Cracker!" she would have said in glee.
I cleaned up the best I could in the dark and settled myself on our bed to read. She dozed off shortly after and both spent the rest of the night dreaming of giant Pumpernickel rounds and cruncy cereal bits.

We're home!

2008-07-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

We're finally home from our big camping trip. A more detailed post will follow, but just wanted to give you a small image to whet your appetite. As you can see ... it was an interesting weekend.

The Zoo (this is a long one)

2008-06-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today we took the family to the zoo. The girls did awesome! We were there just over 3 hours and they were champs the whole time. I think they enjoyed seeing the animals even though some of the displays were too high for them to see from the wagon. Here are just a few of the animals we saw and things we experienced.

Penguins

Llama

Condors

Jaguar

Poison Dart Frogs

Checking out the Hissing Cockroaches

Bats

A rare Snow Leopard

Storks (how babies really come, right?)

Tortoise

Black Swans

Bald Eagles

The family (a BAD hair day)

Some gorgeous flowers

A Barking Deer

A very sleepy Bear

My favorite, the Jellyfish exhibit

Playing in the Aquarium

And finally, some Pink Flamingos!

Why my house is never clean.

2008-06-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

By Kendra, mother to 17 month old twins.

Home today with 2 sicklings, I figured it would be a great time to get some cleaning done. It went a little something like this ...

2:00pm - Get out vacuum and empty canister.
2:15 - Start vacumming
2:20 - Move sorting blocks Addi dumps in front of vacuum
2:22 - Move Sing along chair Payton drags onto carpet
2:25 - Move sorting blocks again
2:30 - Unwrap cord from Payton's neck
2:32 - Start vacuuming furniture
2:34 - Plug vacuum back in
2:40 - Unwrap cord from Payton's neck
2:43 - Plug vacuum back in
2:45 - Plug vacuum back in
2:50 - Set vacuum upright
2:53 - Clean cushion I just got done cleaning thanks to Goldfish cracker Addi had stored in her diaper
2:56 - Plug vacuum back in
2:57 - Break up fight and unwrap cord from Payton's neck
3:00 - Finish, wind up cord, pack vacuum away, only to discover pile of smashed cracker on carpet.

Do your dishes smell like burnt plastic?

2008-06-12T07:31:00.000-07:00

Mine do. Unfortunately last night as I was loading the dishwasher, a Tupperware lid slid down into the bottom of the unit. Literally 45 minutes later as I sat in the living room pondering why my husband had lit a candle, and while he sat in the kitchen and wondered why black smoke was pouring from the dishwasher, we discovered the snafu. Now literally all but 3 of the girls sippy cups smell like rancid, melted plastic. *sigh* I've been working all morning on getting the smell out. I'm about to attempt soaking them in baking soda and water. If that doesn't work it's off to Wal-Mart to buy new ones. Wish me luck!

The Way-Back Machine

2008-06-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight after dinner the girls relaxed by hanging out in the recliner and watching some "Baby Einstein". Thinking back it does my heart good to see how much they love each other and how they'll always be together.

Summertime!

2008-06-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

Sealed with a kiss!

2008-06-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

Our new home.

2008-05-24T13:31:00.001-07:00

With a few dollars from our most successful garage sale, we decided to buy the girls their very own playhouse. Today was the first time they've really 'used' it, and they love it! Please disregard the messy faces and snot as these pics are au natural.

Down, down, down

2008-05-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

That super loud crash you heard ... was my computer. The laptop has died, taking with it all my pictures. Thankfully one of my best friends married a computer tech. So I sit her anxiously awaiting a phone call telling me he was able to clear my hard drive and save all my stuff. There is a 99% chance that will happen. It's the 1% I'm worried about.
So until my new Dell arrives in the mail this week, I'm stuck on this ancient contraption running Windows 98. All I can say is that when I'm back up and running the twinkie spam will be flowing freely as will the frequent and obsessive back-ups of all my documents and files.

The sun is a shinin'

2008-04-27T05:50:00.001-07:00

Look what we can do!

2008-04-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Today we had a special visitor at the daycare. Mirabelle is a small horse, about 14 and a half hands high. The 2 year old class is studying the farm this month, so Mirabelle's owner was kind enough to bring her in to share with the center. Addison and Payton loved her from afar, but weren't too sure of her up close. I, on the other hand, fell in love.

Happy Birthday!

2008-04-20T18:23:00.001-07:00

On January 25th my girls turned 1. On February 14th Remi turned 2, and then on April 10th Nick turned 1. So today we had a small birthday party to celebrate all the major milestones. We had more smash cake, presents, and lots of fun.

Since Addi is all better ...

2008-04-19T19:43:00.001-07:00

Hey, I'm just sayin'.

Catching up.

2008-04-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much to blog about lately. No sicknesses, nothing major going on, just me and the girls.
We've had a week of beautiful weather, a tease of spring. This weekend it's supposed to be back down in the 50's. Bah. Addison will be so upset. The girl loves to be outside. She will stand at the window and bang screaming to be let out. Taking her to the car for anything is now a chore. Once she realizes it's not play time ... it becomes fight night.
Payton is just happy being herself.
Life is good.

A few warm days!

2008-04-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited. Spring has finally sprung! Yesterday we hit a high of 60, and today almost 70! It was like magic. All the neighbors were out and about and people were walking everywhere. Yesterday we went to visit my niece and nephew at my in-laws and today we went for a wagon ride to the 'park'. It was great, until I noticed both the girls had gotten a minor sunburn. I feel horrible. What a great mom I am eh?

At the in-laws:

A little background on the 'park'. Our community playground consists of an ark, and a swingset with 2 swings on it. Rockin'.

Storage boxes and celulitis.

2008-04-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

So Addison has cellulitis, which can be very serious. From Wikipedia: "Cellulitis is an inflammation of the connective tissue underlying the skin, that can be caused by a bacterial infection. Cellulitis can be caused by normal skin flora or by exogenous bacteria, and often occurs where the skin has previously been broken: cracks in the skin, cuts, blisters, burns, insect bites, surgical wounds, or sites of intravenous catheter insertion. The mainstay of therapy remains treatment with appropriate antibiotics. Skin on the face or lower legs is most commonly affected by this infection, though cellulitis can occur on any part of the body. Cellulitis may be superficial — affecting only the surface of the skin — but cellulitis may also affect the tissues underlying the skin and can spread to the lymph nodes and bloodstream."

The poor little soul. Hasn't stopped her from being her rotten little self though.

My poor baby!!!

2008-04-03T04:46:00.000-07:00

Addison woke up looking like this ... (don't mind the green,crusty nose).

So we're off to the doctor today. I'll keep everyone posted as to what's going on. Please pray it's nothing serious.

Things that annoy me, Part 1

2008-03-31T19:21:00.000-07:00

So can someone please explain to me why I am the only person who can rinse out a sippy cup. I just don't get it. The girls finish with them for the day, I open the top, rinse them out and sit them in drainer to be loaded into the dishwasher. Can anyone else do this? Apparently, no. Today under my mountainous pile of dishes I found 3 with old crusty, sour milk in them. Are you kidding? Stay with me here. They were in the sink.

Field Trip!

2008-03-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Today we took the girls to visit JL Longhorns. A farm owned and operated by a family friend.

They got to experience a lot of new things and see a lot of different animals. First up were the massive Texas Longhorns.

Next was the pig pen. The baby pigs were the main reason for the visit. Addison was a bit scared at first, but warmed up to them shortly. I myself, wanted to bring the litte runt home, he was so cute!

In the big barn we found some cows, some bigger pigs, goats, and sheep.

The girls even got to try out the small tractor with daddy.

I think they had a great time. After all they are destined to be country girls at heart.

All together it was a fantastic way to spend time with the family. Check out my other blog Image is Everything for a few more fun shots of this beautiful day.

What a weekend.

2008-03-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

Easter was nice. The girls were excited about their baskets this year. They ripped them apart and then moved on LOL. We had a nice family breakfast and then hit the in-laws for lunch. It was a fun day all around.

Then and now

2008-03-23T16:56:00.001-07:00

Payton then ...

Payton now ...

Addison then ...

Addison now ...

Here comes Peter Cottontail

2008-03-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

Payton had a little lamb.

2008-03-22T06:22:00.000-07:00

We had a special visitor yesterday at daycare. Valentine the lamb and her owners came in to teach the kids a bit about sheep. Payton thought the 'doggy' was very nice, but Addi was a bit scared.

Noggin you suck!

2008-03-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

I love Noggin, I really do, but their new line-up just sucks ass. Seriously if I wanted to watch 12 hours of Little Bill, Little Bear, and Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Kids I would break out my On-Demand. The Wonder Pets and Backyardigans aren't on until 8:00 and 8:30 and Oswald not until 10:00! My kids don't watch a lot of tv, but they really enjoyed the singing parts while we were getting ready for daycare or calming down for nap. Now we have to listen to Little Bear engage in a beastial relationship with a young girl and Little Bill whine to Alice the Great. Sad. Just sad. Where is the variety? Where is the fun? So for this I say, Noggin, you suck!

This is what they do to my children at daycare ...

2008-03-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

The picture quality sucks, but the image itself is funny. Payton is the only one that would wear her headband. Shocking considering I can't even get them to leave their hats on outside. Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Payton has a tooth!

2008-03-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness! Greg and I were beginning to seriously worry. I know they say it can take up to 18 months ... but please. I myself am missing 9 permanent teeth, wisdom teeth included. By that I mean I never got them, they're not in my head, and will never grow. It caused a lot of problems when I was younger and I'm still dealing with ramifications. Know any other 28 year olds with baby teeth still? I don't, and it's almost embarassing.

Payton and the bra.

2008-03-16T07:19:00.001-07:00

Ok so my children like to play with odd things, I admit it. A few days ago Payton realized the drawers in the nightstand in Addison's room open. It's been pure chaos since. Since both girls have a full (extremely full) closet in Payton's room. I kept my clothing in the closet in Addi's converted room. In the nightstand I keep all my panties, socks, and various other things. Yesterday they discovered the sports bra I wore while I was pregnant and it became the greatest toy ever.

Addi and the curio cabinet.

2008-03-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

Addison is obsessed with our curio cabinet. It was my grandmother's, and when I was younger I was obsessed with it too. She loves my 'vintage' Care Bears in the bottom section, but right now is all about playing peek-a-boo in the mirrors that line the back.

DD39PB

2008-03-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

You suck! I thought it was bad when I used to get stuck behind you and your little copper colored car when I worked in the city. "Pass him straight out of town" I advised my friend, "or you'll be stuck behind him until you get there." Every morning on his early morning shift weeks (he evidently worked swing) I would race out of my alley, praying to whoever was listening I would beat him. Never knowing if I would catch up to him or would be home free. Even better were the mornings when I would see the tell-tale glow of his headlights inching their way towards me from his end of the alley. That's when I would blow the stop sign and cut him off.
On the days I met him on the road I'm sure he thought to himself, "There's that purple Grand Cherokee that cuts me off all the time" as I passed his sorry ass. 3 months of bedrest, a year home raising babies ... I thought it was all behind me. And then it happened.
Cruising my way to work, which is now the complete opposite direction I used to travel, I saw him. No, I didn't just see him, I was stuck behind him. You see my most direct route to work these days is a messy, winding back road with no place to pass. 3 days a week DD39PB travels to McDonald's on said messy, winding back road. 1-2 times a week I am lucky enough to get stuck behind him yet again. Did you know it is absolutely possible for a minivan to go less than 10mph downhill? I know because on Friday that's exactly the speed we travelled. 10mph downhill, 15mph uphill, and roughly 25mph on the straight stretches.
DD39PB ... you suck!

Ode to Lamby.

2008-03-14T19:07:00.001-07:00

So Addi has this Lamb she dearly loves. She rubs his ears to calm herself down. We now have 3, just in case. This is our ode to Lamby.