The Summer of "FIRSTS"

I apologize for not having posted since May!  I can't understand where the time has gone!

Let's try and back track to catch everyone up-

Around May, hubby and I decided we wanted to sell our house.  We went into 'super sonic' mode and updated, cleaned, repaired, and replaced everything that needed it in our house.  We met our goal of having it listed by June 1st!  After 48 hours on the market and 7 super showings, we had an offer and we accepted! 

We had zero time to look for a new house in those 48 hours, so we packed our lives into a storage unit and moved into my mama's house! 

We couldn't be more thankful for her letting in a family of 4 while we search for our dream home. 

While all this moving was happening, a lot happened with the boys as well. 

I knew that moving would change up their schedule, and boy did it!

Both boys were working on their Canine teeth coming in at the same time, so for about 3 weeks neither of them ate a full meal.  They snacked here and there but they refused to eat a full meal!

It was tough! They were obviously hungry but in pain. Thankful that we pulled out of that stage and we are back to eating like normal again! 

The boys have experienced so many new things this summer!

^^ First Corn on the Cob!

^^ Blake's first Fireworks!!

^^ Eli's first Fireworks!

^^ First trip to the Water Park!

^^ First Baby Contest!

^^ First trip to a Fair to see the Animals! (Eli was obsessed!!)

^^ First Popcicle

^^ They do love each other <3

^^ Mommy Made Jello Worms!!!

^^ Blake wasn't a huge fan of the worms

^^ But Eli loved the worms!

^^ Mommy put crayons in a box and they LOVED it! You color inside the box and not on the walls of the house!

^^ They learned how to hold each other's hands! Every time they hold hands, Eli starts power walking, almost dragging Blake around :)

^^ Playing Disc Golf for the first time!

^^ Throwing rocks with daddy.

^^ First Carousel Ride!

^^ Took the boys downtown!

 ^^ They loved being free to climb up and down the steps and run around.

^^ The 'Cake Boss' was in town handing out 10,000 free cakes! The line was waaay too long to wait in, so we watched everyone else wait!

^^ We turn 18 months old, so mommy took us on a Steak n Shake date

^^ Yummm

 

 

 

I took the boys to the park and tried to snap a few pictures for their 18 months!

We went to Sweet Ella's 2nd birthday party this weekend!
Elmo Party!

The boys love wearing their helmets! And of course, holding hands ;)

^^ Their first bike ride!!!

So many "FIRSTS" this summer!!

It's so fun and exciting to watch them learn and grow as they see, feel and experience all these fun parts of life!!

My moms house is connected to a park, so every morning I put the boys in the stroller and I get my morning jog in, and we always end at the big playground. They usually play for 1-2 hours until its lunch and nap time. 

In the afternoon, if we don't have anything super exciting planned, them we take a bike ride around the park and end at the playground again. :) They LOVE the slides. They make all the other parents nervous at how daring they are for their age.  

Such brave little boys.

There is another park just 3 minutes down the road that has a huge playground but also has a Splash Pad! It is totally free and has been the perfect way to cool off this summer! 

This past week, the "Cake Boss" -Buddy( from the t.v. show Cake Boss) was visiting our city and handing out 10,000 free cakes!!

I decided to pack up the boys at 7am and take them downtown!

They love being downtown with all the rush of people!

Well, the line was ungodly long, it was moving super fast, but long non the less, and the boys just could not sit still in the wagon, so we did not wait in line for a cake. :( 

I did let them run around the circle to burn off energy and they loved running up and down the steps and watching other big kids run around. 

Wish we could have gotten a cake, but I know they had a blast just experiencing something different! 

The boys turned 18 months on July 31!  It doesn't hardly seem possible that they are 1 1/2 already!!

at their doctor visit 

Eli is 25lb 2oz and 32.5" tall

Blake is 26.1lb and 33.25" tall. (not sure how accurate his length is- he was so mad and squirmy!)

They both gained just 1 lb over the past 3 months. 

In all honesty, hubby and I told ourselves, if we just make it through the first year it will get a lot easier- well, to all you other multiple parents.... Not True. 

 I hate to be the bearer of bad news- 

In a way, yes it is easier, but... 

"Let the Tantrums Begin!"

They have finally realized that they are sharing mommy during the day, a quite frankly they don't like that. So they have begun fighting for mommy to hold them. Which ends in mommy holding no one and a lot of crying. After about 2 weeks of that drama, they finally realized that mommy plays fair and they don't need to fight about it. 

They have also learned to take toys and run away, kick, hit, throw toys at each others heads, push each other off couches, steal each others food... the list goes on. 

Although most of it is hilarious to watch, it does get old quick, and the timeouts have become more frequent and a lot of explaining on what sharing is and taking turns. 

We also went through a meltdown phase of high chairs. 

They no longer sit in high chairs or booster seats and if you try to put them in one, well watch out 

So, we put a plate of food on the table, they climb up the chair, sit down and eat their dinner- off a plate with silverware..  I don't know why but I guess they were over being treated like babies! 

And when they are done eating, they get down and go back to playing!

Out of all the fight and tantrums, I know they still love each other, as they have started holding each others hands when we ask them to. 

It is the CUTEST thing you have ever seen. And what's even funnier is, as soon as they grab hands, Eli takes off power walking, practically dragging Blake behind him. He's on a mission when he is holding hands. 

They have finally begun speaking a lot more now too!

They use - on a daily basis- approximately 30 words. 

Anywhere from:::
hi, bye

up, down

go, stop

outside

slide

shoes,socks

dad

mom

milk

puppy

truck

car

ball

shirt

blankie

teeth

bath

poop-- yes, they are telling us when they go! and they know to tell us if they pooped or just went potty.  I can see a diaper free future!!!

potty---
Mom and Dad!!! <--- MADE ME SOOO HAPPY!!
E-I, Bake <--- Made me even happier!! While pointing at their brother, they said their name!!!!

That's all for now.
I will do my best to keep updating, but days are FLYING by!!

<3

All Bets Are Off

It feels like the weeks are FLYING by and I seem to have no extra time on my hands anymore!

 

The boys are 15 months old today!

It is incredible thinking about how they were just 1 year ago!

 

Yesterday, I got called into work for a few hours, and thankfully, Grammy was on vacation and was able to babysit!
Well, it was also our first 80+ degree day!

So they had a swim party with Grammy!!

 

 

 

Here are they boys 1 year ago!!

 

And today....

 

 

BIG NEWS!!

Eli had his first Haircut!!!

 

Before and after. Whew his hair was so long!

Yes, Mommy cut his hair!  He did such a great job!!

 

And he looks SO handsome!

 

 

 

Their newest game is to play Peek-a-boo...All the time!

They love playing with eachother, but here, Daddy got in on the play :)

 

 

^^^Eli was sitting in time out... Blake wasn't too happy about it, so he started playing Peek-a-boo with him....  How am I supposed to stay mad, when they are so darn cute?!

 

-- We have been enforcing 'time-outs' since they turned 1 year old. As of now, at 15 months, if we even threaten them with a time out- they usually stop what they are doing, shake their head no (No they do not want a time out)- or they will actually go and sit in the corner quietly!

So it seems to be working really well!

 

 

We took them to Dairy Queen for the first time.

Eli loves Ice cream, but Blake isn't a huge fan.

They were so full from dinner, they didn't really want any this night anyways--- More for mommy and daddy!

Mmmm Frozen waffles.  They had no patients for breakfast to cook, so this is what they got.. And they liked it!

I took this picture to remember the first time my boys switched the laundry all by themselves.

I would hand them a piece of clothing and they would put it in the dryer! They played this 'game' until the washer was empty and the dryer was full!

Then they pushed the door shut and started it!

Such big boys :)

 

 

The title of this blog "All Bets Are Off" is because of these evil guys called "Molars".

 

A few nights ago, Blake woke up Screaming EVERY HOUR of the night.

went to bed at 7pm

woke up at 8pm

woke up at 9pm

woke up at 10pm

woke up at 11pm

woke up at 12am

slept from 12-2am

woke up at 2am

slept from 2am-5am

woke up at 5am

slept 5am-6am

woke up at 6am

Finally brought him to bed with mommy and he slept from 6am-8:30am

 

It was a LOOONG night...it was like he was a newborn again! Just screaming in pain :(

Watching your kids push teeth through is such a painful event for parents too. There is only a certain number of things you can do to relieve the pain, but eventually, they just have to deal with it until they come in!

 

We gave him tylenol around 9pm...then orajel the rest of the times waking up. Orajel has been our saviour during these teething times.

 

 

 Last week, I took the boys garage saling. They sat nicely in the stroller for 2 1/2 hours while we walked around a HUGE neighborhood garage sale!

It was so fun and nice to be out of the house with them with no meltdowns and I was able to get some great deals on boy clothes!

 

Garage sales are the way to buy clothes.  We needed swim trunks for this summer, but at the store, the cheapest is around $7!  It might not seem like much, until you have 2 kids who will only fit in them for 2 months.  So I found 3 pairs for 50cents a piece!

I got a lot of pants/jeans for only 25cents each!!

 

 

Hubby and I have gone through a TON of our stuff and had a long talk about selling all of our baby stuff.

We haven't decided if we want more kids or not, but we know if we do, they boys need to be at least 4 years old (for our sanity!)

It seems silly for us to keep 12+ tubs of baby boy cothing in our attic and all of the toys just sitting there getting dusty.

We figured we can sell everything and use the money now, and see where we are in 2 years or so.

Who knows- we may even get a girl and can't use the clothes anyways!!

 

 

Have a Happy week!!

<3

 

 

 

Faith in Discipline

 

The past week was pretty uneventful. Thankfully.

 

The weather slowly became warmer out, so the boys and I slowly migrated outdoors!

 

The first few days, we mostly hung out on the deck. I left the screen door open so they could run in and out as they pleased.

 

They really enjoyed the freedom to choose to be in or be out!

 

Hubby and I have "put our hands down" on the discipline in this house.

We have been having too many issues, and I think we were starting to feel run over.

 

We have been enforcing time-outs like it's our full time job!

 

Thankfully, they QUICKLY realized how a time-out works and we haven't had melt down/tantrums during them in 2 days!

We place them in the corner and explain why they have to sit there for 1 minute because of what they did.

 

At first, it was really hard for their brother to see them getting a time out.

Blake got the first 'strict' time out and Eli started flipping out.  He tried to take Blake a blankie..tried to sit down with him...and then started crying...

Is this a twin thing??

 

Now, they are very good, quiet and sit in the corner for the whole minute and they don't try to run away.-- I think the trick is getting down and explaining why they need to sit there and what they did wrong.

And, of course, after their 1 minute is up, I make them give mommy a hug and I explain why what they did is a no no.  

 

I've been very pleased with the results and even just threatening to give them a time out is starting to work!

We built a massive fort!

And played in the laundry basket

Played Football with Daddy (or watched him)

Rode around in the wagon!

My sister came down for the weekend and we went to the zoo!!

We went to the Dolphin show...

Daddy and Blake

It was so fun watching the boys see the dolphins jump out of the water!

Blake kept saying "WHOA!"

 



Mommy and Eli!

We posed for a few pictures with our Harley Shirts on!

Had more play time on the playground-- this is our FAVORTIE activity

Snuggles with Mommy

We did another easter egg hunt with Grammy & Suz!

(They love throwing the eggs ^^^)

 

 

 

What a great week and weekend. 

This weather has been perfect and the boys are finally burning off their energy!

 



 

<3

Terrible Almost-Twos?

 

We had such an AMAZING Easter weekend!

 

Friday, I babysat our cousin's kiddos for about 4 hours! It was so much fun! And so busy.  I didn't get to eat or sit down the entire morning :) 

But totally worth it, seeing them again!

 

They boys had so much fun, but I know they were exhausted by the time nap-time came around!

The day was not over yet, though!

Friday night, we drove out to have dinner with our good friends at an Old Dime Store.

Dinner was delish and the company was even better!

Cody, Cassie & Lliam are leaving for New Zealand today - so Friday night was our official 'good bye for now' with them.

Can't wait to hear how their travels go today, and see pictures of their arrival!

 

Saturday, Brad's grandma, aunt and cousins drove 3 hours to hang out with all of us!

We went to Ponderosa for lunch- unforunately, the boys decided to have their very first Restaurant-meltdown.

They refused to sit in the high chairs, cried, wouldn't eat...really- they just wanted to run around.

There was so much going on and so many people to watch.

so, brad and I had to go sit in a separate booth and entertain them while everyone else ate!

Toward the end, we did get them to eat a few oranges,peas, beans and ham...

After lunch, we all went to brad's sisters new house and hung out!

So thankful that we had her house to go to. The boys did GREAT there!

 

They truly just cannot sit still right now. They love running, throwing, chewing, pointing..lol

We stayed there for almost 3 hours and ate delish Ice Cream cake to celebrate Brad's grandma's Birthday!

 

It was so wonderful seeing them all again! Usually, we only see that side of the family at Christmas time- so this was such a treat!

 

Sunday was Easter!

This is the boys 2nd Easter- but the first one they can really participate in.

Brad's family all came over to our house (Which was great, because after 2 CRAZY BUSY days, the boys couldn't handle anymore excitement without some naps!)

They brought Yummy Yummy lunch for us and the boys got Easter Baskets!

Mamaw & Papaw sure do know how to find some great and super fun toys!

 

The boys took a 2nd nap, and I quickly ran to the store to buy easter eggs (Yes, I forgot to buy them- I'm the one who buys easter eggs at 5pm on Easter Sunday!)

We "hid" the eggs around the yard and let the boys run free!

 

 



 

 

 

Thank goodness we had such gorgeous weather! It was perfect for a quick easter egg hunt!

 

 

Well, here is a little something to make you all smile::

 

Blake found a bag of flour... he started SCREAMING.

We ran into the laundry room to find him like this.

 

Poor guy felt so bad/embaressed for it!

We had to stop and take a picture first!

 

 

Eli's tantrums have seem to have gotten worse this week.

He is getting very possesive over the toys in this house.

If Blake even looks at a toy, Eli says NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO and starts screaming.

Well, last night, Eli stole a toy from Blake.

Mommy always makes them take toys back to who was originally playing with them..so I made Eli take the Ball back to blake..Well, that did NOT go over well with Eli.

 

Here is daddy, sitting on the front porch with Eli.

He is having a 'Sharing is Caring' conversation while watching the rain and "cooling off"

 

^^^^^^^^^ that is the reason for my title today.

 

We seem to be fighting, bickering, pushing, shoving, pulling, hitting...a lot more.

I know I just need to breathe and say 'this too shall pass'

It seems with each great milestone comes with a rough patch.

Thankful today for my hubby who does his best to keep me sane!!

 

Eli has 1 full molar through in his top gums now! and his other top one is close! (It seems it will be a while before his bottoms even start)

Poor Blake, his bottom gums are pure white- the pressure from the teeth below is so great, that it is having the 'white knuckle' effect on his gums  :(

It has been about 2 weeks now, and we are still having him wake up in the middle of the night- he is STARVING and milk is the only way to calm him and have him go back to sleep.

- I'm assuming this is because they are not eating hardly anything during the daytime. Seems they won't anytime soon either, until these darn molars come in.

 

 

 

This week is supposed to be GORGEOUS weather, and we have no plans/ appointments! Looking forward to spending every day outside with my boys!!

 

<3