Bubbles!

Summer classes are over! Hooray! Well, okay I have one more online class that ends next Sunday, but my on campus classes are done.

It has been amazing to have all week to just do whatever we want during the day. And we've filled our week right up! 

We've had play dates, gone to lunch with Tadd, we went to the splash pad, to the Jump Zone...so many fun things in one week.  And yet, their most favorite thing of the week???

The $5 bubble machine I bought at Wal-Mart.

There is something about bubbles that brings out every ounce of delight a little boy can muster. And when the bubbles just keep coming out one after the other...

...complete happiness!

These two were so fun to watch. 

They chased the bubbles. 

Beckett

Everett

They tried to eat the bubbles. 

They popped bubbles. 

They squealed.  

They ran.

They jumped.

And I enjoyed every second of having my hands free of sticky bubbly soap, and my lips completely relaxed.

Best $5 ever spent!

Fireworks!

I. Love. Fireworks.

The End.

Ha. Okay, not really the end, but it is a statement powerful enough in my mind to make this post that short and sweet.  Fireworks are my favorite! I'm not even sure I love Christmas as much as Fireworks.  Which, for those of you who don't know, I loooooove Christmas!

So, July is one of the greatest months for living in Utah. Especially in Logan.

Some people complain or find it strange that Logan does it's fireworks on July 3, and lets the smaller towns do their fireworks and celebrations on the actual holiday. And it's true. It is really strange. But I've decided I am okay with it (because I'm sure after a million years of doing it their own way Logan was waiting on my opinion for that one)! It boils down to more days of fireworks!

And since Utah celebrates Pioneer Day on July 24, we can look forward to even more fireworks next week!!

See, living in Utah does have some perks. They're just not always the conventional ones.

As much as I have always loved fireworks though, there is just something even more wonderful about watching them through the eyes of little boys!

There is also something fantastic about seeing the amazement kids have for a flag. I love it. It makes my patriotic little heart happy inside. And to see these faces - that makes my heart happiest of all!

 **side note** Beckett thought throwing the flag was the most fun of all...so the pictures I got with just him are of his arm out, the flag flying across the grass...**

We had an awesome holiday weekend. For the fireworks on July 3, we went with our great friends to his sister's house just north of the stadium where they lit them. Tadd was convinced we could see the fireworks fine from our house that is about 5 miles away. Which I'm sure would have been true. And we could have avoided the crowds...but in some strange way the crowds and the traffic add to the magic for me. Tadd says it is because I am not the one driving! Silly hubby.

We were even lucky enough to both have the day off work for July 4! So we decided to experience the Lewiston parade. And I just have to wonder aloud - who has a parade at 9:15 am?! That seems like the most random time. Especially when I assumed it would be at 10:00, and discovered the actual time at 8:20 that morning! It takes a good 20 minutes to get out there, and we were all still in bed!!!

So we scrambled together and rushed our little family on out to the parade. Apparently all of Cache Valley was doing the same!

There were people EVERYWHERE! We lucked out and found a tiny spot in between two pickup trucks full of people that they were kind enough to let us squeeze in. The boys had a blast! What kid doesn't love getting thrown candy and marching bands?! Heck, I'm an adult and I still love it. Free Tootsie Rolls?! Yes please.

We followed the parade with the most un-American-celebrating meal of sushi and Chinese food! Ha! But man it was good! And the great company of our wonderful friends/neighbors definitely helped make it even better.

And what better way to celebrate the holiday than a family picnic for dinner?! We decided to brave the Lewiston fireworks - which took some convincing for Tadd to be willing to brave the crowds one more night. But we were so glad we went.

We got there a couple hours early to make sure we weren't fighting crowds to get a seat. And I will be honest, I worried about entertaining the boys until the fireworks started. So note to self, and a big hint to everyone else: NEVER underestimate the wonderfulness of the Dollar Store.

On our way out to Lewiston we stopped and I scoured the aisles for anything I thought might keep their interest for a few minutes. I got glow sticks, stickers, clapper noise maker things...but the winner of the trip: Magna Doodle!

These two were entertained for a good hour with these.

They loved drawing with them and then seeing them erased so quickly.

And, of course, what would a toy of theirs be without being turned into a phone?!

It was so fun to just spend time the four of us. Our boys are getting too big. Who said they could grow up into such big boys that can eat their dinner off their lap in a camping chair?!

And they have figured out you actually say "Cheeeeeeeeese" when someone takes a picture, so we are starting to get a lot of these smiles.

Beckett

Everett

But, even if they are cheezers, they are still pretty darn cute!!

It's a Good Thing They're Cute!

After a post like that last one (here) - ranting about the craziness of our wonderful lil nuggets - you might wonder why we keep them around. 

I tried my best to convince you all that double the snuggles, double the smiles, the giggles and the kisses were enough. But just in case you weren't convinced their cuteness helps too!  

Here is a peak at some loveliness I put together for Father's Day this year. And not to brag...but these turned out better than I could have imagined! 

Beckett

Everett

Those smiles! 

Those personalities!

They melt my heart.

Beckett

Everett

But don't worry folks, it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine! This is how Everett REALLY felt about getting pictures taken that morning...

NOT happy!

So knowing the reality of these two being crazy always, how do you get them to hold still and take amazing pictures?! There's a big secret to it.

Wanna know what it is????

CELL PHONES!!

Thank goodness for technology! Give them the phone and have them hide it in the boot!!!

Genius. 

Thank goodness for amazing friends to help too. 

So yep, we will keep them! Double the snuggles from these cute kiddoes along with those smiles, their giggles and kisses...they make up for the crazy days.

Most of the time.

And for the days they don't seem to make up for it, there is the random "Lub You" combined with the smiles and giggles that definitely makes it worthwhile.

Double the...TROUBLE!

Twins are something that continue to baffle me daily. Up until this point, perhaps I have been a little cocky about twin life. I have soaked up double the snuggles, double the smiles, the giggles and the kisses. There were rough times, and I have been overwhelmed on an extremely regular basis. Even then, I don't think in all of this have I ever thought to myself...

This sucks! 

Twins are HARD. 

That is until the past couple of weeks. 

Don't get me wrong, I still love our boys! They are completely wonderful. Having them both is how it was meant to be. I cannot imagine life any different way. However, there comes the time when you just have to call things as they are. And that's what I've had to do with myself lately. I've had to just say things to myself such as, "Twins are HARD!" or "If only they had come ONE at a time!" 

And more than ever before, in the past few days, it has been really hard for me to be nice to other people. When asked the question I have been asked at least a hundred times in the past 21 months, 

"I don't know how you do it!" 

(And yes I realize that's not really a question at all...but seems to be the only thing people can say to you anywhere you go), it has been really hard to keep my snarky comments of 

"You're right. You have NO idea how I do it!" 

to myself. 

Because I try to remember that everyone has their own hard things. And that even though that person only had their children one at a time, that's all they know, so this really is hard for them. Generally I do a really good job at thinking that too! It's just harder lately, because life is harder lately. 

And what, you might ask, has made things so difficult at our house as of late?

Well folks, it has officially begun. Those awful stories you hear, they are all true! 

The terrible twos are HORRID! 

Add to that the fact we have DOUBLE the terrible twos...my compulsion to eat healthy and stop drinking Dr. Pepper went right out the window! I'm not sure I could survive, nor let my children survive without them. And I am afraid we are only just beginning...

Fit throwing.

Screaming.

Hitting.

Screaming.

Pushing.

Screaming.

Climbing.

Screaming.

Screaming.

Oh, and did I mention the screaming?! 

Talk about mind melting. Oh goodness! It is a whole new level of ear piercing I did not know was possible. I knew I should start to expect some pushing of the limits soon...but I did not realize it would be over the most inane details of the day. 

For example, I figured that we would have some struggles when the day comes that I take away the beloved "Bup" aka binkie. (A day that has not yet occured, because teething is still in full swing in this household, and quite frankly, I'm too afraid for my sanity if I took them away!)

Or I assumed that we would have battles over eating certain foods. Which are becoming a regular occurrence at our house. Everett has become a moody eater, and the shear fact of me saying "eat your chicken" makes him turn his nose up with a very profound "NO." - lips pursed and stuck out far enough that I could rest a quarter on top of them. So I just don't tell him to do it, I leave his plate on the table and ignore him. Then he eats. And inside I say to myself "Yes! I win!" 

But never in a million years would I have imagined that doing things like asking them to walk up the stairs, putting on their shoes, changing a diaper, putting laundry in the washer, or turning on a movie would incur a horrendous fit - complete with throwing oneself on floor, kicking, and the SCREAMING! Gah! The screaming. And the past couple days, not even tears. Just a scream loud enough you can hear it outside of our house - and all the doors and windows are closed.

All of these things have provoked a fit of hysterics recently. Okay, more specifically this week. And sure, even more specifically in the past 48 hours. Just yesterday Everett had a meltdown in the living room over the fact I tried to put his flip flop on the proper foot - when clearly he wanted that shoe to go on this foot.

Or when Beckett ran from the kitchen to the front room and flopped onto his belly on the floor, burried his head in the carpet and literally started kicking and screaming...All because Mom had tried to hand him the binkie off the counter. Clearly I should have known he wanted me to lift him up so he could reach it for himself.

However, the terrible twos are not only about the fit throwing. Though this has become the overwhelming reality of our every day life. Perhaps the greatest example of the sheer mind melding wonderfulness that has become our norm around here happened last week. 

I had been to my golf class, and our amazing friend and neighbor was watching the boys. Upon my return home, they immediately went from happy, playing and giggly boys to grumpy, clingy and whiny about everything. As she was leaving I helped open the door for her, only to turn and see Everett STANDING on our kitchen table with my phone in hand. And folks, we have a bar-height kitchen table, so he was quite a long distance from the ground.

I hurriedly shut the door and grabbed the acrobat off the table before he chose to jump or fall off onto the tile floor and land on his head. I had no longer than turned and set him on the living room floor than to turn back around and see Beckett atop the counter. 

He managed to climb up the boxes of clothing being stored under the bar-top counter and was sitting on top, kitchen sink turned on full blast, water splashing everything - including my laptop and all school assignments that had been set down in a hurry to clear them from the table for breakfast that morning.

And such has become my life. 

I resolve that baby proofing and toddler proofing are nowhere near one and the same. Even then, no amount of "proofing" would suffice, short of eliminating all furniture in the house. Still, I am sure they would find somewhere to climb, something to get into, and some way of torturing the other. 

Yet, somehow, even amidst all the screaming, the chaos, and the disaster zone the house has become...I can still at least partially sanely say, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Sometimes it's just nice to vent about it all for a moment. So, thanks for putting up with my rant. And please, feel free to ask me just how I do it. Because lately, I will quite honestly tell you - I have no earthly idea. Luckily, I just don't know any different. We just keep trudging along, taking it one day at a time. Who knows...maybe we will get lucky and the terrible twos will only last another day, right?! 

Yeah, no, I'm not holding my breath for that one either.

Until then...I suppose I will just focus on double the snuggles, double the smiles, the giggles and the kisses. 

Chaos and Craziness

Boys are such an adventure.  Yes, I know kids of any gender are an adventure. And twins...doesn't matter what the gender, I'm sure it is crazy.  But twin BOYS, I like to tell myself they are a special sort of chaos. It makes me feel better at least to believe it.

Our life has gone from busy days of feeding and changing constantly, to now feeding and chasing constantly.  No there are not as many diapers to change now that the boys are a little older, but there are plenty of other things to keep us busier than we ever thought possible.  Everyone told us, if you make it through the first year WAHOO!! Congratulations, you made it.

To all of those people, I would just like to say...LIARS! 

Ha. As crazy and busy as the first year definitely was, the busy has only just begun. 

Now it is constant running, chasing, climbing...these movers never stop! And something nobody ever told us when we became parents...baby-proofing and toddler-proofing - not even remotely the same thing! Nope, not even a little bit close. As toddlers, they can climb onto anything, and if they can't reach, they will find something to climb on top of to be able to reach.

Like this...

In this instance it was the remote for the DVD player he was after. He needed to "see see see!!!" Movies have become a favorite activity in our house. Last month while we were battling colds, coughs, breathing treatments, and fighting against RSV, movies became a life-line. It was the only thing we could do that would keep them somewhat mellow. Since then, we must watch Tangled at least once every day (or at least start it...we don't always watch the whole thing!). They cannot get enough of that movie!

Another instance of toddler proofing, now buttons are not simply something fun to look at. Every button must be pushed, and these little smartie pants know what they do too! The most recent favorite is the amplifier for the speakers. That could be because we locked most everything else up...but either way, they know how to work it! When the TV gets turned on, one if not both are racing to the amp to push the power button...

Of course, doing it upside down makes it work better, didn't ya know?!

Or lying on your belly to reach it, like Beckett.

**Side note...this is his new favorite way to play with anything. Lying on his belly. For whatever reason, it makes him seem too grown up to me. He looks like a little boy. Not the tiny baby I need to remember him being...growing too fast!**

Nobody tells you that toddlers are somehow ridiculously strong and can wriggle out of a diaper change in nothing flat.

The good news on this one - with cloth diapers, putting a diaper on a standing child, not impossible! In fact, some days that's the only way it gets done at our house. Honestly, I'm just too tired for the wrestle.

Another adventure as we move into toddlerdom at our house has been toddler beds. These two circus performers began to flip over the middle rail of the crib into the others' bed. Nap time was quite the adventure. The inevitable happened, and the flipping went from being back and forth between cribs to over the edge of the crib...to the floor! 

So, quickly those cribs turned right into toddler beds! The transition was much easier on them than it was for me. I cried. A lot. But they have done extremely well with them, and for the most part bedtime is a dream.

Nap time, on the other hand, on some occasions goes a little more like this...

And some days, it makes me crazy. I get frustrated that they are not napping. Probably because mommy needs the break more than anyone, but usually because they were just SO grumpy and whiny, and if one looked at the other one screaming ensued...until I closed that door. 

Suddenly, they are the best of friends. Jumping, laughing, chasing, laughing, running, laughing...mostly just a lot of laughter. The kind of laughter that they know they are doing something they aren't supposed to...and yes, some days I get extremely frustrated. 

Then again, other days I go upstairs to check on them, and find them like this...

...and I am just grateful they love each other. 

Which they do. A lot. It's quite heart warming in fact to see how such little persons can love on such a grand scale. Most of all I love to watch their faces as they interact. 

Melts my heart. 

Every. Dang. Time. 

Mushy gushy, big ooey-gooey puddle. My heart on the floor!

I love them. Totally and completely. They make the chaos and craziness worth every second.

A Reason for Blogging

As I lay in bed late one night, just trying to wind down after another day of chaos (not from any particular instance of chaos, but just that every day around here lately is chaos), I had already scanned Facebook 10 times, there was nothing new on Instagram...and I had already spent at least 30 minutes perusing Pinterest. So I wandered over here to our blog...and started reading old posts about pre-Nugget life, and about the adventure it was to be pregnant with them.

And I have to tell you, it was highly entertaining.

At least for me.

It was great to relive some of the excitement, to remember details I have already forgotten. I smiled. I laughed. And then, I was sad. Sad for all the time I have missed out on blogging about the boys. I haven't kept up on them nearly as much as I had hoped to. I don't have all of those details stashed away that I can conveniently come back to a couple years later (because yes, TWO years ago we found out we were expecting!!) and relive all the wonderful moments of chaos.  

So I would love to say that from here on out, be prepared for posts galore on the daily happenings and goings on here around the O Abode. Unfortunately, however, I'm just too much of a realist to know there is just no way that is going to happen! Ha. Because I'm lucky to brush my teeth and put deodorant on most days. A shower is a bonus. Anything above and beyond that, it's like Christmas came early!

These two not-so-little boys are B.U.S.Y.

Constantly.

And their happenings just get higher and more risky. I am telling you, apparently I gave birth to circus acrobats!! There is nothing that is safe from being climbed on, no safe surface to stash Momma's treasures upon, no container safe from being used as as step-stool...you get the idea!

On the other hand, there is never a dull moment at our house - and these two are highly entertaining.  Every day is a new adventure.

Whether it is playing together under the table...

...Or pausing their fun to say "cheese"...

(Holy crap they look a lot alike here! It is always in pictures I notice they really are pretty similar!)

...Or just hanging out watching a movie...

...these two are fantastic!

They amaze me everyday with something new they've learned or figured out. Even when it threatens to give me a heart attack.  Like the crib diving escapades of last week (I will post that video on here shortly). So my hope is that I will start blogging more about those new adventures at the O Abode, even if it is for my own selfish reasons. And it may not all be noteworthy news to anybody but me, but maybe, just maybe, we can share some of our adventures with all of you! Adventures like new words learned, new attitude developed, a new favorite toy for the day, and maybe occasionally the big milestones - like moving them to toddler beds!  

And just in case I don't get to post about that one as soon as I'd like...yes, I cried!  Multpile times. It was a much bigger deal for this momma than it was for either of the two boys. Beckett took right to jumping in his new bed like old times, and Everett learned how to say "Bi Boyyyy" right away!

So until our next adventure...this momma is getting some sleep! Because those sweet little faces will be all too eager to see me at 6:30 in the morning...if I'm lucky to sleep in that long.