Ten on Tuesday

{1}

Has your February been as beautiful as ours?

{2}

As seen on Facebook, Justin has been busy turning this

into this.

More details to come this week.

{3}

Home improvement projects aren't the only thing cookin' around here.

February 2015 will heretofore go down as the month I discovered Chocolate Covered Katie.

Oh. My. Yum.

{4}

This just in: we may be officially transitioning out of the high chair stage.

{Side note: not one minute after this photo Cohen took off into the living room with pretzels in one hand and raisins in the other. He may not be graduating from his high chair just yet.}

Also, pants are optional at snack time.

{5}

Our new favorite book: The Pout-Pout Fish

They love doing the 'blub' part together.

{6}

Parenting moves into a whole new stage when kiddos grow tall enough to turn on/off lights...

turn door handles...

pull knives down off the counter...

{7}

This kiddo's expressions crack me up.

3 months:

21 months:

{8}

Pretty sad over this:

Can you see the crack?

Justin assures me we can fix it, but I'm sad just the same.  I love this stool.

{9}

These two are proving more alike each day.

Whatever Kendry does, Jack is right behind him, ready for his turn.

{10}

This Week's Blessing:

Remembering our journey.

Four and a half years ago I shared this post and photo:

And now here we are:

Thank you, Lord, for every precious moment.

And for three-seater teeter-totters or these boys would be duking it out every time we head outside.

Ten on Tuesday

{1}

Need a craft to keep your kiddo occupied?

Try perler beads. These have been a big hit in our house.

{2}

For the record, I was the only eternal optimist to be found in our house at halftime on Sunday. 

google

{3}

We're finishing the last few chapters of Charlotte's Web tomorrow, and I'm brainstorming options for our February chapter book. Having never read the series myself, do you think a five year old would enjoy Harry Potter?

What other books do you recommend?

{4}

In December I introduced Kendry to Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas station on Pandora, which led to the post-Christmas discovery of Alvin and the Chipmunks children's music station.

I wonder if Alvin ever sang any Cher.

"If I could turn back time..."

{5}

I really don't like treadmills, but until it gets lighter in the morning the treadmill and I must tolerate each other.

pin

Anyone else ready for Daylight Savings?

{6}

And just like that, I'm in the club!

A quick errand over the weekend with only one child in tow resulted in a screaming meltdown so bad I had to turn around and walk out of the store.

I should consider myself blessed that I made it this far in my mommy career without this occurrence, but "blessed" was the furthest word from my mind at that moment. 

I'll let you guess which child.

{This incident may warrant its own separate post.}

{7}

The twins had another well-baby exam last week. Before our pediatrician left the exam room he pointed out that not much will change between now and the twins' 2 year exam in May, except that "some parents use this nearly two stage to introduce potty-training".

Justin and I looked at each other and chuckled. Nope. We are totally okay not tackling that milestone yet.

Two days later I had to purchase size 4 and size 5 diapers in bulk.

I'm no longer chuckling.  I just might pull out the training potty to see what they think of it.

{8}

While waiting for the pediatrician at our appointment, Cohen ran into the exam table three times and the door once.

I'm going to start carrying first-aid superglue in my purse.

{9}

After great weekend progress, our addition has been delayed due to illness.

Hopefully the hubs will recover in time to maximize the weekend ahead. 

{10}

This Week's Blessing:

Justin's parents celebrating 35 years of marriage.

Happy Anniversary!

Its a Wonderful Life {Holiday Highlight}

Every January brings a customary greeting between friends and acquaintances, an instinctual question following the initial "Hi" or "How are you?"

"How was your Christmas?"

There are the standard responses you come to expect.

"It was great!"

"Oh, it was so busy."

"Would you believe Justin nearly killed himself stringing up the lights again?"

And then there is my response this year.

I pause. I chuckle a little to myself. I look up at the sky as I try to find the right words, while you stand there thinking: "Jody, this is not a hard question. Did you have a good Christmas or not?"

Ahhh yes, Christmas.  It really was a beautiful Christmas. Indeed, we had a good Christmas.

Christmas is always an amazing and magical time of year.  Children make it even more magical.

Children also make Christmas chaotic. 

Why I have to keep reminding myself of this is beyond me. But each and every December, a part of me still fantasizes about that Hallmark Christmas where I wake peacefully before my children and have a few moments to enjoy my morning coffee before the three of them wander out from their bedrooms, eyes sparkling at the sight of the tree and presents.

Hallmark said nothing about changing dirty diapers before the coffee was even brewing, or refereeing two toddlers as they duke it out over the single phonics toy they just unwrapped. As their fighting was reduced to ear-splitting screams at one another, I found myself wondering exactly why I thought one phonics toy would be a good idea for two toddlers.

{insert forehead smack here}

By the way, I so seldom have to admit I am wrong that when I do - even when I merely type the words - it sends out a little vibration. A tremor, if you will. And just like that, the hubs feels it all the way from the next room: "What's that, honey?  Of course you were wrong. Everyone knows you never buy one toy for two babies."

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

What I'm saying is that somewhere along the way (before Christmas, obviously) I forgot how busy the toddler stage is - how much constant tending a parent must do to keep a child from climbing too high, playing in the toilet, biting their sibling(s), slamming their fingers in doors, pulling down a Christmas tree...  and its that crazy with just one toddler. Throw in another one, plus a few not-so-routine Christmas activities like photos with Santa, a few late nights, some traveling, playing with cousins, and opening new toys (just not two phonics toys) and you've got yourself a wild ride.

A few days before Christmas I finished sewing Kendry's Christmas jammies while watching Its a Wonderful Life. One of my favorites.

If you've seen it, you know the part where George comes home at the end of the day, downtrodden and sure he is about to lose everything. He gets irritated over and over again, until Mary finally says, "George, what's wrong?"

George replies: "Wrong? Everything is wrong...Why did we have to have all these kids?"

And just like that I was laughing and laughing, and then nearly crying.

We really do have a wonderful life.

We adore each of our children, and thank the Lord for them every day. 

But occasionally I convince myself that our holidays, our mornings, our life - should look like that movie, that magazine cover, that blog, and I forget how to simply live in our NOW - and be thankful for our now.

Our now this Christmas was special.  

We watched the boys perform in their Christmas programs, although 'perform' might be too strong a word for Cohen, as evidenced in the video.

We made gingerbread houses with friends.

We rode with Santa on his Harley.

We made silly snacks.

We continued to form our own family traditions - attending Christmas Eve service, making homemade pizzas for dinner and then opening Christmas jammies.

There was a little basketball.

There was a little snow.

There was a lot of extra volume with Kendry's new guitar and the twins' new blocks, which incidentally make an incredible crash against our hard floors.

But our now this Christmas also included some chaos, and that is okay.  That is real.

"Please just sit still for one second...at the same time..."

So when you ask me "How was your Christmas?" I will be real with you. This Christmas was a lot of work, but it was wonderful.

Oh, and I totally made up the part about Justin nearly killing himself while stringing up the lights.

That was two years ago.

Ten on Tuesday

{1}

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

{2}

What a relief it is that my unaccomplished goals from 2014 don't discourage my goal-setting for 2015.

Anyone with me?

{3}

 One of my 2015 goals is to read one chapter book to the kiddos each month.

First up: Charlotte's Web

Following the example of Crystal at Money Saving Mom, instead of expecting my children to sit still while I read, I am reading to them as they play. So far its been a success.

{4}

A secret language this one now has.

Understand it not his twin does.

{5}

It was fleeting, but it was precious.

Today I'm saying it about snow.

Tomorrow I will say it about his childhood.

{6}

Give it to me straight.

Can a 34 year old mother of three get away with camo jeggings?

{7}

Melt my heart, why don'tcha.

{8}

Stay tuned for whats to come...

Have I ever mentioned we have an unfinished basement?

{9}

Wow.

amazon

{10}

This Week's Blessing:

Hosting new friends for dinner and football.

GO HAWKS!

Ten on Tuesday

{1}

Every December deserves a new Christmas album.

My pick this year:

Google

{2}

We interrupt this Tuesday for Cohen's first visit to minor care. Thankfully this injury was resolved with glue rather than stitches.

Did I not tell you just yesterday this kiddo was a climber?

Another punch in our minor care punchcard; I'm halfway to my free latte from the hospital cafeteria.

{3}

Every year I am floored by the cost of Christmas cards.

I'm curious. What do you budget for cards (plus postage) each year?

{4}

As Cohen's vocabulary has blossomed, we have referred to Jack as the strong, silent twin.

Then out of the blue he throws a three syllable word at us.

Uncle Dru would be proud.

{6}

What we really do when the boys get too rowdy.

{7}

How is this for holiday eatin'?

A big shout out to my friend Jennifer who gave me this fun (and delicious) idea.

{8}

Hugging because they love each other or because the Seahawks got another win?

Maybe a little of both.

{9}
Our little singer at his daycare Christmas program:

{detailed post to come}

{10}

This Week's Blessing:

The precious enthusiasm of a child at Christmas.

Its magical.

Its contagious.