Christmas

Our camera was not cooperating this Christmas.  So we did not get any good pictures.  We had such awesome photo opportunities too.  It just figures.  The kids got a Climb & Slide from Santa.  When they first woke up and saw that, they both paused momentarily and then both started to run. Of course, John beat Ellie. He was up on that thing in no time.  They climbed up and slid down about one thousand times that day.  It was so fun to watch.  John has mastered both the butt slide and the belly slide.  Elinor still likes someone to sit at the bottom to catch her. 

                They also received little trikes that can also be rockers from Granders and Gramp.  They got an art table from Auntie Hil and Uncle Brian.  They opened pajamas, clothes, mittens and The Mitten book from Auntie Kell and family.  They also opened gifts from Aunt Rosie from Boston. This was all on top of the gifts they had already opened from the Smith side.  One of our most favorite gifts, however, comes from cousin Ben.  It is a book called Brown Bear, Brown Bear and it came with audio of Ben reading the book.  A favorite for sure.  Whenever I turn the CD on, both kids stop whatever they are doing to listen.  John gets a huge smile on his face.  He knows that it is cousin Ben, I am sure.

                And as usual, a big Christmas for me.  I was very, very surprised to receive a new laptop.  Andy knows that I would suffer without a compter at home… and my old laptop was slowly dying a slow death. I am so glad I can finally put it to rest.  It has been good to me for the five years I have had it. It got me through grad school and so much more.  So goodbye old Dell and hello new MacBook Air. 

                No plans for New Year’s.  We are okay with that. What about you?  We will soon be blessed with baby boy Lepa coming soon.  Please pray for my sister-in-law Hilary and baby. 

     

          Sorry about the pics. This is all that we have for this Christmas. So not fair!

Wine rack is stocked...

With books, that is...

Oh well... the books get used more these days than bottles of wine in this house.    I really like the contrast of the wine & beer glasses with the children's books....

Holiday Stress

Why do the holidays make some people stressed?  We all have a mental picture of how we want Christmas to be.  Christmas is meant to be a happy and joyful time.  However, there are so many expectations that we or other people put on ourselves.  I know that for me, the first week of December was when the stress started to hit me.  We did not have a tree, there were no lights on the house, no decorations up, my shopping had only begun the week before and I still did not know if I was having company for Christmas. 

Then I thought to myself… do lights on the house and a wreath on the door really matter?  So, we got the tree up and for a few days it only stood there with lights. It was leaning, but it was beautiful! We all loved it.   Then I was able to finally carve out an hour and trim the tree. 

The Christmas cards have not been sent.  I was able to get a photo of the kids together last year. This year may be a bit tricky.  What if I don’t send Christmas cards?  The world does not come to an end.  I can always send them for Valentine’s Day or my favorite, St. Patrick’s Day.  Everyone loved my Paddy’s Day cards last year.

I guess the best way to relieve the stress is to let go of the mental picture of what we think the holiday should be.  This year and every year all I really want is to have a simple holiday, enjoying the sights and the sounds, the snow, little treasures, and time spent with my family.  And that is my new mental picture.   

Best birthday gift!

Our Thanksgiving trip/birthday gift was wonderful.  It was great to get back to the Upper Valley.  I would really need an entire month to see all of the places and people that I wanted to.  But nonetheless, the Bean home was just what I needed.  We all needed it.

The flight to Boston was quite horrendous.  We had to keep swapping babies.  The baby on my lap was always still and quiet and I would watch Andy struggle with the squirmy baby he had.  So we would switch and as soon as  that baby, the baby that was once still was now squirmy and vice versa.  In the end, they really did quite well considering the amount of time they were kept from walking, running and playing.  The trip back to Cleveland was redeeming.  They both slept the entire time. 

The kids learned the word "hot" while at the Beans' house.  They have two Woodstock Soapstone stoves (my former employer).  But they equate the word hot to hot food.  So when they got too close to the stove someone would yell "hot" and they would blow - as if to cool it off.  So now back at home, while cooking dinner this evening, I opened the oven and said "hot" and what does John do?  He blows on it. 
Here are a few pics from the weekend.
Here are a few pics from the weekend. 

Olivia giving Elinor wagon rides

  

Andy and John

  

John loving the Italian dinner

Thanksgiving bellinis

 Gracie the entertainer

Licking the plates clean.

Off to Olean this weekend to see Peter and his family in town.  Cannot wait to see my nephews.  It's been a while.

One last photo of my  very pregnant sister-in-law (which you cannot see) with her niece and nephew. 

 Great picture!

Thanksgiving trip

Tomorrow we leave to see these special people...  who I am so thankful for.

This picture was taken ages ago.  I know Jamie's hair is a bit more salt & pepper these days. 



The travel day will be long but I know that we will be welcomed with open arms at our destination.  

The diaper bag will be stocked with all  kinds of snacks and toys and books.  I am hoping that I can keep whichever baby I have on my lap, still and quiet for 1.5 hour flight.  So, if you are on a 3ish flight from Cleveland to Boston tomorrow.... I apologize in advance for any unpleasantness. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Expressing Dislikes

They don't especially like their new winter hats.. and they do not like being confined in the car seat while wearing their new winter hats. 

Night Owl

I absolutely love this little one with all of my heart... 

but I wish she would quit waking at 2 am for a couple of hours.  We are at our wits end when this happens.  She won't come to bed with us.  Sometimes she wants to walk around for a bit.  She likes to be rocked and does fall asleep that way... but as soon as we put her back in the crib, she starts to cry ... very hard.  By the time she finally does fall asleep, neither Andy or I can get back to sleep.  Needless to say.. it was another short night of sleep last night. 

Best line of the day

Andy to the twins: "Hey guys, there isn't a thing that I don't like about you."

Poor John John

So I am not going to beat around the bush ....

John has some fierce diaper rash!

The poor boy wouldn't even sit down in the tub. He just cried and cried. I let him run around naked for a while, thinking that the air might do it some good. Oh my gosh, I feel so terrible. I could feel the burn while putting the diaper rash creme on. Any suggestions on a quick treatment or soother?

So while I was attempting to make John feel better, Elinor was fooling around with the bathroom door and slid the door over her little toesies. So she started screaming too. I had her up on the bathroom sink running cold water over the piggies.
So needless to say... bath time this evening was a bit challenging.


Andy is away helping his dad who underwent an angioplasty this morning. The procedure was a success and Dr. White will be back to running within the week.
Andy will be back tomorrow. I was away last week for work. Dad & Wendy came in to town as backup for Andy. (Where's my backup this week?) Just kidding. The kids have been great. The morning went very smoothly. I am grateful.


I just finished a bowl of homemade lentil soup. I don't know where I got the recipe. I have made it before. I cook it all day in the slow cooker and then it calls for balsamic vinegar and olive oil at the end. So good. You know me... I do love a bean.

Here are a couple of random pics from last weekend.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

A chip off the old block

On Sunday, the family went down to the Huron Boat Basin for a dedication ceremony of the time capsule and an unveiling of the Bicentennial Memorial. It was a beautiful Fall Day. Andy had to give a small speech to the crowd. The kids were great in their strollers, considering that they did not nap in the morning and it was nearing their lunch time. After all of the speeches, we let the kids loose… and John had one mission, and one mission only..

he just had to climb onto the memorial..

and Daddy, rescued him from the center of attention

When things get stressful....

When things get stressful, such as the kids get whiny or they start emptying the kitchen drawers for the hundredth time in a day... we go to their bedroom and spend time with the books...

I don't think Elinor was interested in reading books at this moment. She was probably in the bathroom unwinding all of the toilet paper off of the roll and then shredding it into bits and pieces.... yup, because that's what she does.

Some people were asking to see a photo of the newly painted kitchen cupboards. Please keep in mind that the kitchen is still a work in progress.... new hardware, counters, sink, etc...

14 months

John and Elinor are 14 months old today. At what point do you stop counting the months?
They are so much fun. John hits the floor running as soon as I pick him up out of the crib in the morning. He never stops. He is the busy one. He is into everything. He also likes to climb up on chairs and stand on them if I am not looking.
He is charging at the camera in this photo. The kids are so difficult to photograph. They want to touch the camera or they make wierd faces or they are just moving too much. I can never get them in a photo together.



Elinor has her quiet moments. She is okay to play quietly on the floor all by herself. She loves to stop what she's doing and come over for a quick hug and snuggle and then wants to get down again. She is addicted to her paci. She looks for it/them all over the house. She will drink from her sippy cup, put it down and then put the paci in for a quick suck. We are going to have a tough time breaking the paci. When should I start? Oh gosh, soon.



Both kids love the outdoors. They love to pick up anything from a remote to a shoe and pretend that they are talking on the phone. However, it always seems as if John is yelling. He must see me talking to Grandpa on the phone.
The twins still take an hour to hour and a half morning nap and on good days they will nap for two hours in the afternoon. At night, they sleep for about 10.5 hours. Elinor eats by the handfuls and John uses two fingers only. Elinor loves bananas and noodles with tomato sauce. John loves everything else. They both love raisins like crazy (their big cousin Jon F. got them hooked).
They have wonderful laughs and their smiles just make me cry sometimes. I count my blessings and I pray that God watches over them and keeps them safe and healthy. You know the drill...




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In other news... the painter comes tomorrow to paint our old oak veneer kitchen cupboards. The cabinet color is a surprise. Here's the before. My brother-in-law Jim put up some crown molding. I cannot wait to have them completed.



As I look at this photo, I am a bit embarassed at the disorganization... but all will be neat and clean and in order the next time you see it.

Daily Routine

I think that having a daily routine is beneficial to twin toddlers. It gives them structure and reduces the possibility of a meltdown. I think toddlers like knowing what comes next. It also helps me get things done during the day. Based on the routine, I know when I can do certain things, such as: grocery shop, laundry, clean the house, get outside, etc. The routine makes my life easier. The schedule goes something like this:

5:30 wake (early, yes, but we both work so it works for us)
6:15 breakfast
8:00 nap
9:30 wake
9:30-12 run errands, play, snack
12:00 lunch (sometimes this changes to 12:30ish)
1:00 nap (sometimes this changes to 1:30)
3:00 wake
3-5:00 play, go for a walk, read books, snack
5:15 dinner
5:45-6:30 play with Daddy
6:30 bath, milk
7:00 bed

My husband is a bit frustrated about the schedule. He thinks it is too rigid. I disagree. I think that in between naps and meal times there is a lot of flexibility. I just don't think it is wise to run meal times and nap times at different times during the day everyday. Yes, we have to schedule what we do depending on the twins' schedule. Am I wrong? I would love to hear from others about this.... please leave a comment below.

The weekend

Beautiful weekend here. I love autumn. We attempted a Fall Festival on Saturday. Then John had a total meltdown. He was carrying on to the point that it appeared as if he was foaming at the mouth. It was ridiculous. Dear god, we were only off the schedule about 15-20 minutes.
Note to self: I am the mother. I know the schedule. Must follow the schedule every day, even on weekends
The rest of the weekend we hung around the house. We did take in a lovely walk along the pier - I did not have the camera for that.
Have a great week.

Kiddos at 13 months:

The job

I don't think I ever mention how lucky I am to have the job that I have. I work for a family business that has continued to be successful and grow. I really enjoy going to the office. I enjoy everyone I work with. I like the atmosphere. I like that it's casual. It's dog friendly. I love that I get to write and use my creative skills. I like the pay, the flexibility, and the perks. Next Friday a massage therapist is coming to the office to provide everyone with a 15 minute neck and shoulder massage. Boy, could I use one. The beauty of it is that the massage therapist coming in is my "regular" massage therapist and very good friend. I don't get to visit with her much these days. So, the perk benefits me in two ways.

This is what one of my favorite coworkers made for my desk area:





I love it! It is sort of empowering for me.
I hope that you all have jobs that you enjoy.

At the zoo

The kids and I hit up the Cleveland Zoo on Friday with our good friend Donna. As expected, the kids were awesome right up until their nap (1:30) time.. John couldn’t even keep his head up and eyes open on the wagon ride back to the car. Gotta love that they know their schedule.

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera back at the bus, I mean minivan. However, Donna took a few shots.

I wanted to mention that Elinor is walking really well now with an occasional crawl. No more bottles for either baby todder. Woo Hoo! The evening bottle was actually much easier to get rid of than the morning one. Next on the checklist is Elinor’s paci. I refuse to buy any more, so when they are all lost and gone.. That’s it!

Grandpa and Mimi are passing through tomorrow and will stay for the night. It’s always nice to have them here.

The weather has been outstanding. I wish it were like this for Spring, Summer and Autumn. Andy and I even had the chance to sit outside last evening with a fire in the pit.

I tried to watch Mad Men at 10pm, but as usual, I couldn’t keep my eyes open past the first commercial.

Have a great week!

The time has come

We are a minivan family now.
I have not adjusted to the idea quite yet. Am I really one of those moms? Uugh! I am sure that what little appeal I had left is now gone in one swift swoop...all because of a minivan.....

Sacrifices

As most of you know, a mother has to make many sacrifices. So, I have decided that I need to add another sacrifice to my list… Apparently I am not able to take a minute to use the bathroom. In the short time that I was in the bathroom, with the door open, Elinor and John managed to pull down the dishwasher door. Elinor had climbed on top and was in a sitting position and John was walking around the kitchen holding onto a chef’s knife that he had removed from the silverware tray. No more pee breaks for me.

Summing it up

Okay so I have lapsed a bit in the blogging area and not without complaint. Sorry

people. I’ll give you a summary of the past 2 weeks.  Other than slamming the car door on my pinky finger, the trip to NJ was wonderful.  We really enjoyed visiting with my cousin and her family, as well as my wonderful auntie and uncle.  The trip home during daylight hours got a bit tricky with the kiddos… but all in all they handled it pretty well. When we stopped to picnic, we sat them in their booster seats on the ground.  Pretty silly.  However, it worked. Andy drove the whole way home and then he fixed dinner for the kids, tidied up dishes and the kitchen and helped with the baths.  I don’t know where he gets his energy.

 Kelly and Lex stayed for a few days and helped with the kids.  Lex is a natural with the kids.  And she never had to be asked – she just acted.  I showed her how to make brownies and chocolate sauce from scratch the last evening she was here.  She showed me some of her Irish step dancing which John loved.  He began kicking his legs and feet after watching her.  It was hysterical.  (Not only is John as silly as his father, but I think he has a bit of Uncle Peter in him too).  I loved having the girls here.  Oh, and we also witnessed John leaning over to kiss Elinor on the cheek.  Oh my gosh – it made me cry.

Andy and I celebrated his 35^th birthday out to dinner and a wee bit of the Irish Festival.

Elinor has started to walk. Gosh darnit, it is so difficult trying to get video of her walking.  I’ll keep trying.  She waves her hands and arms in the air and sticks out her tongue.  So stinkin’ cute.

The kids are into everything – which is hard to understand because we don’t really have that much stuff.  Things go missing on a daily basis.  I am missing my wonderful big and fluffy makeup brush.  Who knows where that is.  Andy’s hairbrush was on the livingroom floor this morning. I have been missing one of Elinor’s shoes for weeks.  Blocks go in the toilet. Pacifiers are found in laundry bins. Toys travel to every room. 

No plans for the long holiday weekend. 

Happy Anniversary Andy! Xoxo

NJ or Bust

We are on our way to New Jersey this evening. I am hoping the kiddos sleep most of the time since we are driving at night. Oh keep your fingers crossed that when we finally get there, after midnight, that they will transition from car seat to cribs. We are going to visit our Aunt Rosemary & Uncle John and staying at my cousin Rosemary’s house in Denville. Auntie has not always lived in Denville. This will be my first time that I see her current house.
When I think of Denville, I always think of Denville Dairy. I remember going there as a kid and waiting in the long line just for an ice cream cone. I suppose the place doesn’t look the same as I remember it from way back when.
Looking forward to visiting with family and having them meet the twins. However, we will miss our Lloydie as he is not able to make this trip with us. Lloyd will be staying with Janice and her brood. He always has a good time when he is there.

A boy and his friend

We have had sick twins here the past few days.  Elinor has had a fever everyday.. unexplained.  We took her to the pediatrician on Friday, but there were no evident signs of a viral infection.  If it's not gone by Monday we are calling the doctor again.
While Elinor gets clingy when she is sick.. John John gets unbearable.  He is whiny.. won't go to sleep.. and is inconsolable at times.. plus he is into sticking his fingers in his mouth until he gags himself. Oh brother.

However, I did manage to catch a glimpse of this bit of silliness...


Okay.. so you are missing out because the really cute video of John and Lloydie is having trouble uploading.  Darn.


 
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Sleeping John

Oh boy.... John John had a doozy of a night terror last evening.  It started at 9:43 pm.. sort of late.  The scream just stabs me in the chest so I cannot breathe.  His legs and entire body get very tense and he doesn't open his eyes.. he just screems.  It lasted about 10 minutes and once it is over he sleeps so peacefully. 
This is what John looks like when he is sleeping so very peacefully....

12 month stats

We met up with Pattie and Abigail on Sunday to do a little picnic.  It was a quick visit since Elinor did not nap on the way there and then absolutely fussed because she was missing her afternoon nap.  What can I say? My twins like their schedule. 

Elinor:


18 lbs 4 oz.
28.75 inches
She is not walking yet, but we expect her to do so within another month. She was a month behind John in crawling. She jibber jabbers from morning until night. She is head strong and has a will of her own. She is sweet. Her smile lights up the room. She has 7 teeth. Elinor is snuggly, likes to be rocked and gives really wet kisses. She has a silly giggle. Her heart breaks easily – especially when John takes a toy from her or when I leave her in her crib awake. She has been a bit challenging at bedtime. Her hair is out of control!


John:

21 lbs 9 oz.
30.25 inches
John cruises around by foot. He jibber jabbers quite a bit. John likes to sing to the music. He has such a pretty voice. John is devilish but can get away with everything with his smile. He has 12 teeth, I think. John has a temper – he arches his back when he gets mad. He is usually first to wake from naps and in the morning. His voice is low. John is getting quite attached to his Daddy and likes to be held so he can see what’s going on.

Both babies, ahem – I mean toddlers, love food – any kind. They especially love their fruit. I haven’t found a food they have not liked. Wait, that’s not true..they are not crazy about eggs.

The doctor is happy with their overall development except for their speech. Neither child has used MaMa or DaDa or any other real words. I know they know what the other one is saying but I don’t know what they are saying. They crack each other up. They have really started to play with each other. Sometimes I catch them chasing each other from room to room.

I can’t wait to see what this next year brings….