Daddy Can Do It!

You would think with all the time I spend with my boys they would notice that I am not just a silly old girl. They would see that I am cool and can hang with the boys too! No, they only see me as mom. Whenever one of our boys needs something they consider physical to be done, they always ask daddy. Even if Matt is not home, they would rather wait than ask mommy. It is also interesting to hear them talk about their dad as if he is a superhero of some sort. Garhett had a balloon get stuck very high up in a tree and he was so certain that his dad was going to be able to reach it for him. He asked for two days, because he just knew daddy could do it! When I tried explaining to him why that was not going to happen, he simply said, "Daddy needs a ladder." Right, because we have a ladder just like the ones on a firetruck in our garage. Not long ago the boys were watching an airplane and asked Matt to grab it for them. I was sitting with them, and they never even bothered to ask if I could reach it for them! I know that I can't for obvious reasons, but why does their dad have such a better shot at grabbing an airplane? When Matt let them know it was too high, they both actually looked surprised and said, "too high??". At the park Brenden found a small boulder he wanted to try moving. Of course he was not strong enough to move it. His only option in his mind was to get his dad to move it. He kept telling me, "Daddy move the big rock." All the while I was rolling my eyes and thinking, "what the hell?". It is Matts' turn to shine I guess. I don't know if our girls were this enamored of me, but it has to feel good. Having two little people that think you are the strongest and bravest person is quite a compliment seeing as how they also love DJ Lance from Yo Gabba Gabba! At Matt's baseball game I stopped to show the kiddos a bunny. Brenden and Garhett without hesitation wanted to chase the poor bunny. Bunny proved too fast for my guys. Simultaneously, they both decided that daddy could catch the bunny later. Hello?? I was standing there with them, they never even looked in my direction to see if I might have wanted to chase the bunny down! I am chopped liver!

Karate Legend in the Making

Our Alexys is now nine years old! The first thing she said when she woke up this morning was, "It's my Birthday!!" Even though she usually wakes up in a Birthday-like mood, today she was happier than ever to be alive. At school, her class is having a party for their good behavior and are celebrating with an 80's and pizza party party. Both things right up Lexys alley. School is also having a half day, which is another of her favorite things! Lexy will get to finish her day by eating dinner at her favorite restaurant, influenced only a little by her father, BW3. Wings and beer...what more could a nine year old ask for?? Maybe she will settle for a soda! In the short nine years Alexys has been a part of our family, she has managed to make quite a reputation for herself. She is LOUD and silly and entertaining, but most of all she is caring and kind and very sensitive to other peoples feelings. Lexy always knows when someone needs a little kinder attention, and gives her heart to anyone she sees fit. She loves nature and being outdoors. She would love to grow up and be a forest ranger, only if there were not so much dirt is what she has told me! Alexys has found a new passion for Karate. Karate has helped to reign her in a little bit, but anyone will be hard pressed to take all of the fire from that girl. She just seems a little more focused and aware of others around her, even more disciplined. I love every little quirk and nuance about her! Happy Birthday to our little Chubbs!! Okay, our no longer Chubbs, Alexys!

Funny Guys!

Our littlest family members are developing quite the personalities. While they are obviously a lot alike, due to that identical twin thing, there are moments when you know they are also very much individuals. Their favorite thing to talk about lately are their favorite colors. What I find interesting is that Garhetts favorite color is blue and Brendens favorite color is green! I guess this means they are sick of their signature colors I picked out for them when they came home from the hospital. Also, they are always talking about who in our family is a boy or a girl. While Matt and I were lying in bed with the boys Garhett says, "Daddy is a boy, and Garhett is a boy." I asked him if mommy was a boy and his answer was, "no, mommy is a princess."!! Oh man, that made my day!! I thought, "you just bought yourself another year on the planet, buddy!" What a sweet talker, girls better look out!! Garhett also has a habit of "mothering" his brother. He will call him Brenden Tyler with a very stern voice, and he is always telling him to be careful because he could hurt himself. Brenden likes to watch for garbage trucks each morning, he will run to the living room to either look out the window or sit on the porch and wave at the garbage men. He is rambunctious and full of energy, I seriously doubt he has thought of his mommy as a princess. Maybe the evil queen.

Proud Moments

For parents nothing feels better than when our children succeed. It is wonderful to see them accomplish something they put a lot of effort into.

These moments are the ones that out-weigh all of the bad days and the arguments. Even though there seem to be less of the really high highs, there are just enough to keep you going and wanting more! Matt and I were so super proud of Apryl last weekend at the Arvada Harvest Festival Spelling Bee! Our oldest took third place out of sixty other kiddos! Apryl and I devoted a fair amount of time to practicing spelling the weeks preceding the Bee. We would spell while I was cooking or playing on the computer. We spelled in the car and at the grocery store. Any time we could find a spare moment we were practicing! Going into the the contest Apryl was very nervous, but she never doubted herself. I unfortunately had to miss the contest due to a couple of sick boys, but I had frequent updates! As nervous as I was for her from home, I can only imagine how her dad was feeling. When I got the update that said she had made it to the finals I was so excited! I did tear up, which is typical! Upon learning she took third place, I was elated! Apryl has always been a hard worker in school, and has made school an important priority. Her hard work paid off for her that afternoon! When she arrived at home she was on cloud nine! Apryl felt so good about herself and I couldn't have asked for anything more!

Four Already!

There is a little buzz in the air on the days it is someones birthday,
the entire house is in a celebratory mood. Addy was up around seven, Matt and I were already awake with the boys, and I couldn't wait to tell her Happy Birthday. She came and sat on our bed with us and I got to tell her a little bit about the day she joined our family. Addy's birth did not come drama free. Well, for the most part everything went pretty smooth. There was an hour or so out of the sixteen hours we were in labor, that stand out more than any of the others. I made mention to my nurse that something didn't feel right, you know--down there, and when she checked, she most definitely agreed. That is when they turned my bed upside down and started getting ready to go to the operating room for an emergency c-section. I have never had so many nurses and doctors in my room before. Long story short, Addy ended up not needing a c-section thanks to the quick actions my doctor took and we resumed our regular labor. She was born a few hours later, and had to be taken right away to the NICU. I told her about the first time I saw her little face. I had to be wheeled into the NICU, and I saw her in the incubator with this tent-like contraption over her head. Addysen was not maintaining her oxygen level and needed help breathing. I was able to hold her, however I had to have an oxygen tube taped to my gown. Unfortunately, I only held her for a few minutes, I was really out of it still and she needed to be back under the tent. Needless to say, that little lady bounced back pretty fast and was able to come with me on time!! Addysen has been mommy's Boomba ever since. She was with me everyday during my pregnancy with boys. It was strange how much of a comfort she was, even though she was still so little. She made me have to get up in the morning, and go out to the park. Going from a small baby to a vibrant, smart, and cutie pie four year old makes my head spin! I am so lucky to have her in my life, she teaches me things I never knew I wanted to know! The planets for example! So, in honor of our little Boomba, raise your glasses---of milk, and toast to her Happy Birthday!! I love you Addysen!

Some People...

I read a story in the paper recently about a group of people trying to get an ordinance passed that pertains to noise. Yes, there are already noise ordinances in place, but this one has something a little different on its agenda. These people are proposing that there should be a fine for the parents of toddlers and older children if the kiddos are outside being too loud. How on earth do these people expect parents to regulate the noise level of their children when they are outside in their OWN yard?? If these little ones are like mine, then they are probably outside only while the sun is up, so there are no violations according to the time of day. How stuffy and uptight can people be in regards to children playing? I am thankful that my kiddos are not the only little ones in our neighborhood, and that even if they were, our neighbors are very tolerant of toddlers! I am not saying that everyone should love children and just fall all over them, but they are going to be hard pressed to find a neighborhood that is without juveniles! I can imagine the tensions that has arisen from homeowners getting a knock on their door and upon answering they hear, "could you keep your children quiet, they are playing too loudly!". I have seen how offended people get when they have a complaint about their dog being too loud, now they want to start going after our children? It is hard enough to get the kiddos outdoors now a days as it is, we do not need to add to the parents struggle by asking them to keep their kids quiet while they are out playing. That is exactly what outside is for, to be loud and rowdy and somewhat obnoxious!! It's not often that my kiddos go outside for a cup of tea and to read the morning paper, they are going outside to jump on the trampoline and to run and to ride their cars up and down the sidewalk! If we take away their "outside voices" we will be taking away a piece of the parents sanity! Trust me, it is all we can do to teach them the difference between an indoor voice and and outdoor voice. On numerous occasions I have deemed toys and voice levels for "outdoor" use ONLY!! To the people who have nothing better to do with their time than to pick on children, I say, MOVE! Go to a retirement community or somewhere else there is little life left in the residents. Listening to my kiddos play is like music to my ears, most of the time, and if you don't like it...TO BAD!!