uh oh.

here comes trouble!

what?

Is there something on my face? #sloppyeater #miniauntiekim

I believe that's called al fresco...

Yeah.

We.
Are.
Screwed.

she's fassssst!

And by "she" I mean "they're" actually... both Mary Beth and Erin are quick! Mary Beth will swipe our cell phones, open them and start snapping photos before you even realize it. And Erin will dart at ya and crawl across the room in a flash!

Want proof?

Here's a few snaps that Mary Beth took of her little sis...

And then the phone ended up in someone's mouth. Not going to say who, but I think you can guess...

green thumb mary beth

She's all outfitted in her new Hello Kitty gardening gloves, hat and watering can. She's ready to go!!

Hmmmmm.

Looks like that new bed will not cure Mary Beth of her freak sleeping...

4 letter f word...

No. Not that one. FOUR. Mary Beth, you are FOUR. How in the world did that happen? It's simply not possible. I think I would be more sad about it if I actually had time to breathe, but still. FOUR!!!

But Mary Beth, you are an awesome four-year-old. Sure, you've been getting in a little bit more trouble at school lately, but I think that's normal for this age. Don't worry, we'll get you back into non-timeout mode. 

In the meantime, you are the best big sister EVAH. Seriously, I love to watch Erin and Jack's face light up whenever they see you. They truly are infatuated with ya. One of these nights when Jack won't go back to sleep, I'm going to wake you up and have you mesmorize him and get him back into zzzzz-land. Seems only fair.

Party is Sunday - also happens to be St. Patrick's Day! Say it with me, Auntie Kim -- WOOOOOO! Until then, here's a stroll down March 12 memory lane...

 2009

 2010

 2011

 2012

2013



Love ya tons, Baby Love!

crafty

I've been trying to figure out a way to have a HUGE bulletin board to put up all of the kids' artwork for a while now. Actually, I was trying to have a HUGE board in my office, but gave up when I saw the pricetag. We're talking anywhere from $150-300 for what I wanted. Wall size board. So I bought 3 smaller ones for my office, but held up hope for the kids. Good thing too.

A little web research, Pinterest searching, and a little craftiness brought me these.

6 foot by 4 foot in the living room for all the kids

3 foot by 3 foot (for each twin) in the bedroom

SO easy to make. Only thing that would have made it easier would have been having Home Depot make the cuts, or having something better than a utility knife. But still.

I bought two 8 x 4 sheets of foamular insulation sheathing, R4, 3/4 inch thick. Made by Corning, I believe. Cut to size. For the living room I actually used a medium-weight drop cloth for the fabric. Just laid the board on the fabric, stretched and folded it over, and used my staple gun. What I DIDN'T know is that the staples may come right out of the foam/material, so after I did the entire board, I used duct tape to secure it even more. What? Nobody sees the back? Then once we figured out the exact location we wanted it, we nailed it right into the wall in the corners. By accident we had it on a stud - which would be great if we were posting heavy things on the board. But come on, how heavy is this really going to be? It's so lightweight it's not even funny. But hey, it's not going anywhere now.

For the kids, I cut the other board into 3 x 3 squares. I had purposedly bought extra chevron fabric when I "made" the bedskirts for them. I say "made" in quotes because I got the fabric, Kim helped hem it, we placed it on the bottom of the crib slats with velcro and viola! (See below) So I pulled out that extra fabric, followed the same steps, and were good to go. Actually, the fabric was much lighter so I didn't seem to need the duct tape.

Starting to look like a real room now, especially with the paper letters I spraypainted with glitter paint over Christmas! Good thing since they turn 9 months this week (what?!) and we've been in this house for 4 months. It's not like I haven't been busy though...

can't argue with that logic...

MB to Bob: Daddy, we don't have a dragon. (They were watching Sofia the First)

Bob: You're right. Why don't we have a dragon?

MB: Because we have too many babies.


Tru dat.

and we have a crawler...

Up until this point, Jack and Erin have been doing this awesome army crawl/pull across the floor.

But not anymore for Jack! Video below!!



My boy is growing up! Snif!

hi. my name is jack...

...and I have a toof!

hi. my name is erin...

...and I'm a monkey-butt-aholic. :-)

um, ok...

Conversation with Mary Beth as she was getting in the car this morning for school:

MB:     Mommy, I'm going to be good at school today.

me:      Great, Mary Beth.

MB:     And I'm going to take a nap.

me:      Awesome. We like when you take naps.

MB:     And I'm not going to spit on anyone.

me:      Uhhhh, OK -- have you been spitting on people at school?

MB:     No. I just want you to know I won't spit on anyone.


Um.... Since we have never had a conversation about spitting, this sounds ominously suspicious.

tangled up in blue

The kids like my long, electric blue wig. Well, except Jack... He was quite quick to pull that thing off!

WOman

Dear Erin,

I'm sorry that you are wearing your brother's spare outfit (army camo) at daycare right now. I did not know we forgot your spare clothes. In my defense, why the hell are you having a blowout at 730 in the morning as I'm taking you out of your carseat? And at least I'm creative and added a piece of masking tape with "WO" on it so your onesie says you are "Daddy's Major WOman".

Love, Mom

sucky mcsucky kids

Over the weekend I posted this on my facebook page, and apparently it struck a nerve with a few people – both good and bad:

So let me clarify my statement to you--Erin, Jack and even Mary Beth.

On January 13, 2013, you did not, in fact, suck.

You SUCKED more than anyone could ever imagine someone SUCKING. You SUCKED to the highest degree. If there was a world championship for SUCKING, you would have SUCKING won. The Guinness Book of World Records called and said they wanted to include you in their book for SUCKING the most.

Too much?

How about an explanation? This year the WORST flu season has hit early. And even those who do not have the flu – you kids included – are getting this SUCKY flu-like illness that is SUCKING the lives out of people. So last week you, Mary Beth, stayed home for 3 days because of this SUCKINESS. At the same time, your Daddy was in bed for a few days and even went to a doctor (gasp!). And you twins, well, you took it to a new level. High fever. Like so high I was going to take you to the emergency room if it didn’t go down the next time I took your temperature. Stuffed up nose. Runny nose. Horrible cough that made you cry every time you coughed. Ear tugging. Incredible fussiness. Refusal to go to bed. Refusal to stop crying. And refusal to do all of these horrible things at the same time – oh no, you twins rotated. Erin cried on Sunday night from 7 to 920. Then passed out. Then Jack started at 930 until about 1115 when your Daddy put you down in the crib and said “Cry it out, son. We’re done.” You cried for another 40 minutes and then passed out. But then both of you woke and cried throughout the night.

YES. YOU SUCKED.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t love you. We just didn’t like you at that moment. I’m not sure it is humanly possible for anyone to have liked you at that moment. Mother Theresa couldn’t have liked you and she was a freaking saint. But the point is, why are parents, especially moms, supposed to pretend that we like our children at every given moment?

Kids, it just doesn’t happen. SPOILER ALERT: being a mom is HARD work. I’m literally providing food to you daily, which requires me to burn an extra 2,000+ calories but not get any of the rest needed. And somehow I’m supposed to do this but still have time to work full-time so we can provide food, shelter, etc. to you. You wake in the middle of the night and I have to race into your room to see if you’re OK, hurt, hungry, annoyed, etc., and that you don’t cry enough to wake up your brother/sister. I have to watch what I eat and drink so I don’t pass any spices, gas or alcohol (don’t I wish) to you. I have to carry you two everywhere in carseats that are starting to weigh a ton – which means Momma needs a massage. Or seven. And before you ask – YES. Your father helps. He helps more than a lot of fathers do. But it’s still me who has the intuition to protect and comfort you, and I’m still the one you go to when you don’t feel well or stub your toe or want some love.

Now, if all you heard in your life was that you SUCKED, then I could see being upset with me. But kids, by the time you’re old enough to read this, and I’m sure you will, reading YOU SUCKED is not the first smartass comment you’re going to have read. Pretty sure it’s a prerequisite to be a part of this family that you’re a smartass. At least on my side of the family it was. You didn’t get to meet either of my parents, your maternal grandparents, because they were already gone from this earth before you were born. But just as a peek into my smartass life, my dad used to say that I was his second-favorite redhead kid. Yes. Think about it. Look at Auntie Kim and Uncle Rob. That’s right, I’m the ONLY redhead. I spent my childhood hearing stuff like that, and all it did was prepare me for the real world. When I got into school and someone picked on me for having red hair (hard to believe in our family, I know), well, it didn’t bother me. Carrot top? A carrot’s top is green, not red. That’s the best ya got?

I grew up in a family where I was told I could do anything if I put my mind to it. Good grades. Good schools. Good athletics. Good whatever I wanted. I was praised for doing well and encouraged when I felt I was faltering. My parents were always there for me. And let’s get something straight here, too. I often didn’t like them! They SUCKED too! How dare they not let me go to a party where the parents weren’t there? Why couldn’t I go to a slumber party the night before a big soccer tournament? I wanted to spend the night at a friend’s house and they said NO?! How rude! See, it goes both ways.

So no, I did not like you this weekend. You were horrible to the nth degree. And I’m so glad you’re starting to get physically better. Because Mary Beth, you crack me up and can make me feel better all the time. Jack, your smile lights up a room (you big flirt!). And Erin, oh darling you are strikingly gorgeous and smart as a whip. I can’t wait to see what you all are going to be like when you grow up.

Now stop SUCKING.

Love, Mom

i mean come on...

Could he be any cuter?

what's in a name...

I wanted to continue the "name above the crib" tradition with the twins. In the old house there wasn't any room on the walls--not much room for anything in there, actually! But the new room is MUCH better. And it actually looks like a room they'll want to spend time in. So over the holidays, I got the letters and did my best Anthropologie ripoff, I mean homage, and added a little colorful flare as well. Not sure the twins will even notice, but Mary Beth, Bob and I like them!

This is what I started with ... paper mache plain letters!

They are pretty much the first things we've hung in the house. And we've been here since the end of October. Oops! Eventually, right?  :-)

daddy's girls, momma's boy

He doesn't stand a chance against these two... And he's my late night snuggle buddy.

oh goody...

It looks like we've got another freak sleeper in the making...

dear dad, wish you were here

the closest we got to dad holding his grandchild, Dec 2008

Have you stopped laughing up in heaven yet because I have twins? I didn't think so. I thought you may want to know some things about your grandchildren now that you have been gone from us for exactly 4 years:

1.  Jack is you with red hair -- which I find absoutely hilarious, given your constant picking on anyone redheaded. He'll smirk when introduced to any male, but his eyes light up and he smiles and giggles when he meets any female. SUCH a flirt, and he has about seventeen women who all claim him as their "boyfriend."

2.  Erin is starting to be a charmer, too. She takes a while to warm up to some people, but then grins ear to ear. She doesn't like being left alone, and boy will she let you know it. But I have a feeling she would have been the one to snuggle with you the most.

3.  Mary Beth can do no wrong with these two. Jack could be in mid-scream and pain, and the minute she walks into the room he'll stop, track her across the room with her eyes and give the biggest open-mouthed smile. And now Erin smiles too at her, and giggles when Mary Beth dances for her. Their interaction reminds me of listening to the Rosies talk about you.

4.  There is no doubt in my mind that you would be spoiling the crapola out of these kids. And giving Mary Beth lots of sugar and then handing them back to us, laughing as you drive away.

5.  Mary Beth is such a little athlete it makes me smile. She runs across the house with such enthusiasm and speed that it just makes Bob and me laugh. And though we've never really "taught" her how to play soccer, she dribbled the ball across the field on Saturday when we went to watch Kim play. (I'd use that term "play" loosely - you would have been laughing hysterically at Kim!) You can tell Mary Beth just has this inherent ability to play soccer, and it makes me wish you were here to watch her play. And fix her socks every Saturday before a game. Auntie Kim will have to do that instead.

We miss you dearly down here. Though Mary Beth says that she sees you and Heaven Grandma when she goes to sleep sometimes. I tell her to tickle you and get your nose. Hope you don't mind. 

Love,
Your second-favorite redheaded child

six months???

How is that even possible?! Six months?! Gees.

Jack is THIS close to crawling. Well I think he's happy with the army crawl actually. And Erin is starting to be a little rolling over fool. No matter where we put them on the big area rug, they roll/crawl to each other and, well, beat the crap out of each other. Not on purpose, but Jack did have a bruise on his arm today from where Erin was flailing her arms around and hitting him. Oops. The sign of things to come, I'm sure!

So the photo is our normal monthly photo-- with anything but normal results. I didn't expect them to both fit or smile. I love when they prove me wrong!!

army crawler

Oh we're in trouble. Not only does he army crawl... he likes the phone.

Sigh.

At least I have a good video of it.

our little artist

I suppose I should be thankful she did this with pen and not a permanent marker. Or to her brother and sister...

well hello 5 month cuties!

So the last month has been a whirlwind. We left Grapevine, moved back here to San Antonio, the kids all started a new school, I started working my job remote from home, we've tried (somewhat unsuccessfully) to get the new house in order, and I even went back up to Dallas for a 3 day planning meeting.

I got tired just even typing that.

Mary Beth is as cute as ever, always running into the twins' room to give us diapers and wipes. And she seems to have this incredible ability to just walk into the room and Jack will stop all crying. Man does he love his big sister! The smiles he gives her just melt our hearts. It's seriously adorable.

Erin has really opened up in this last month. Sometimes SHE'S actually the quiet, chilled out baby. And she is smiling up a storm now too. (Well, but not smiling in these photos...) All the teachers at their school comment about how beautiful she is. Well, I can't argue with that.

And how cool is it that we created three blue-eyed redheads? Go go recessive genes!!!

So I'm not sure that we will be able to take their 6 month photo in the lamb together next month. As you can see from these 5 month photos, it's not exactly a happy fit. She was VERY MUCH not happy. But it's still funny to look at, eh?!

Gotta love the progression here...

my little super heroes

Our new home in San Antonio is very well protected by Super Girl, Wonder Baby and Bat Baby.

I myself am Super Mom--able to carry two car seats in a single trip! No costume required.

4 months!

Dear Erin and Jack,

I can't believe it, but you're 4 months old today. And we're all still alive! Laugh if you will, but lately this is no small feat. We're now officially within one week of all of us being under the same roof in our new house in San Antonio, and it CAN'T COME SOON ENOUGH.

Seriously, Mama's tired and Dad misses you both so much during the week.

When he got to the Grapevine house on Saturday, you both greeted Dad with the biggest smiles in the world. I'm pretty sure it made his week. The open-mouth smile you see in the photo above is your newest look, Jack. And it makes all of this single-momdom almost worthwhile.

And Erin - you have actually started smiling now. It's absolutely adorable. Unfortunately the smiles come sporadically within bouts of cries/screams, but we still love ya. Don't believe me? Here's an outtake from our monthly photo session:

Don't worry - there are a TON of photos of me like that when I was your age. Your Auntie Kim and Uncle Rob will be glad to show you those.

So let's review how far we've come now!

 

Please keep up the smiles! We love you!

Love,

Mom and Dad