thanksgiving

benbo wreden

the bowtie was too adorable.

my guys were pretty cute, too

 i added a bit of bittersweet because the pumpkins were a little bare

 finn couldn't get enough of the cranberries

 and sean couldn't get enough of the turkey

 going to see poppy at hall's is going to be so much fun this year

 we wish benbo was around more...

 uncle sean is too much fun!

 all piled in the car on our way to the airport - 7 in the morning and 30 degrees outside!

what a way to start the day..

23 months

i guess this is the last month in which i refer to the boys' age in months and not years.  two years in one month! i can't avoid the cliche' of ' i can't believe it's already time for them to be two! ' how time has flown, etc... it's pretty unbelievable, but i'm so excited for them to be getting old enough to understand, to talk, to listen (this is a big one), and sometimes even interact and play with each other!  big enough to wear a shirt and tie to thanksgiving dinner and have their own seat on the airplane.

in the last couple of months, they've started saying two word phrases, mostly "bye-bye ____", this blank usually filled with car, truck, mimi, poppy, or hocka (what we call our pacifiers).  they both sign/say please after we ask them to and usually say thank you (ten-tew).  a couple of weeks ago, liam wanted his blanket with him as i changed his diaper, and when i gave it to him, he said 'ten tew, mama.' seriously, i could have melted then and there.  they've fallen in love with a couple of trucks kathy and eddie gave them for halloween and take them everywhere they can.  they are 100% boy.

the biggest thing for me that i love that they're doing is singing.  first of all, a little baby's voice singing is probably the sweetest thing i'll ever hear.  next to a baby laughing, hands down, the best.  but to hear your own boys singing, ON PITCH, one a bit lower than the other, is almost too much to handle.  on pitch, in key, i'm not kidding.  of course, poppy (my dad, the professional pianist) has been drilling them since they were born to sing do -- as in deer, a female deer, which is middle C.  this is to train them to have perfect pitch- and keep in mind, i'm only exaggerating a little bit when i say he's been doing it since day one.  they sing hot cross buns, twinkle, twinkle little star, and we're working on jingle bells.  too cute.

i borrowed the idea from tiffany for this year's christmas card to have them hold a sign that says merry christmas, or something along those lines.  i knew it wasn't going to work, but we tried and the card's going to be cute anyway.  since most of you will get the card, here's another picture from the 700 we took just to get a couple...  a sneak peek.

thanksgiving placecards

every year, i get martha's (yes, i'd like to think we're on a first-name basis) thanksgiving issue and pine over all the tablescapes and flowers and centerpieces, etc.  we've never had the opportunity to really put the effort into it because we always do thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house.  this year, my sister, brother-in-law and nephew will be here, and my parents are hosting just the immediately family.  woohoo!  the martha comes out - except i can't find where i got this idea, so i'm just going to say martha inspired me...  

apparently, all mini pumpkins (the flat, not round ones) disappear the week thanksgiving hits.  which i don't totally get, but i also don't understand why christmas songs start happening the day after halloween.  i digress.  so after hitting whole foods, walmart, michaels, i finally found ones that are just ok at hen house.  they're the smallest 'pumpkin pie' pumpkins i could dig out of the bin.  i bought a couple cans of different colored spray paint, and molly and i decided we liked the copper one better than the champagne.  we wrapped the stems with tape to keep them au naturel, put on our coats, and braved the 35 degree weather to spruce them up!

 

 action shot

then for the placecards, i used gold ink, a paper source stamp, and a gold pen for our names.  we rounded the corners, poked a hole, and ran some sheer brown ribbon through.  

 voila!

a mini rant

i'm not a religious person.  i'm one of those "more spiritual than religious still trying to figure it all out" people.  we were raised in a methodist church, but it was mostly because my dad was the organist there.  he was methodist growing up, and my mom was raised catholic.  she has a simple outlook on life, she's pretty logical about things, and she follows and teaches the golden rule.  so i don't have a lot of rules or certain way things have to be when pertaining to religion.  however, one thing that i can honestly say that i hate (i know, it's such a strong word) is when we abbreviate christmas.  and how did the letter X get to be the abbreviation?  it goes along with me never using LOL or OMG or anything abbreviated, but this particular one really chaps my hide.  and i can't really say it's for religious reasons, i just don't like it.  i'd prefer to keep the christ in christmas.  thank you.

thunk. (me, stepping down from soapbox.)

starting early..

courtesy merimeri.com

last year, i was too busy feeling guilty about the boys' birthday being the day after christmas that i didn't really think about having to plan christmas (decorating, making cookies, choosing gifts, etc.) and their party at the same time.  everything turned out ok, but the month of december was kind of a blur for me.  i'm almost sure their first year of life was a blur, but that's a whole other story.  this year, i'm trying really hard to start early.  i haven't done anything yet in the way of christmas, partly because i'm anti-christmas before thanksgiving.  however,  it only seems smart to be prepared for the season so you can actually enjoy it.  duh. and now that the guys are getting big enough to enjoy it as well, that means i have to step up my game.  enter williams sonoma.  

i was there in october, buying bryan a sixth year anniversary gift (a really sharp and scary chef's knife), and trying to keep the stroller moving so the whole store wouldn't hear the whining, i found the section that i always ooh and aah over, but never purchase from.  you know the one, the cookie decorating, cupcake kits, all the frills that would totally make your cookies stand out, but you don't want to put the effort into.  oh, that's just me?  well, not this year!  the boys love, i mean loooovvve, the zoo.  bryan takes them there almost every week and they've got the animal sounds down.  finn nearly hyperventilates as we near the entrance.  the elephant is definitely a favorite, along with the lion.  so cute.   these little cupcake toppers/papers caught my eye - they're not too cutesy, all the colors are very hip, and i guess i can do cupcakes instead of a boring 9x13 cake.  although i did do layer cakes last year that were a big hit.  (partly because my sister-in-law lisa, or wee-ah, is a wiz at icing a cake!)  thus began the inspiration for the boys' second birthday party.  not too much, just a few poms like we did last year and good food.  oh, and really cute invitations, of course.  i'll post those in a bit.

it's about time!!

WOOP WOOP!!!!!!

party time!

a few days after we got back from florida, kathy and eddie had their reception in sugar creek.  good times were had by all, including my parents!   

 the happy couple

 mom and dad

 all of the stork women

 a better one, this time without frauline maria

and a little straggler from the beach

how?

i've been failing at life lately.  ok, so i'm being a bit dramatic (who, me?!?), but i'm starting to feel again like i'm spreading myself too thin, not giving every part of my life 100 percent, or at least the most i can.  i felt like this when i'd gone back to work and was kind of a wreck.  and when molly went off to nursing school and we didn't get her twice a week to baby-sit/clean/be around anymore.. (i'm seriously being dramatic, she's closer now than she was, although way busier.)  the boys are in school twice a week for 5-6 hours each day, and i have someone come clean the house every other week.  i'm looking at this, thinking i shouldn't be complaining.  then again, this is my space and i need to vent.  i don't know if part of the problem is bryan's irregular schedule, so some days i can count on him being here the whole day, some days i can't??  i tried a long time ago to pretend like i'm a single mom, so i get used to never counting on him, then when he's around, it's a pleasant surprise.  well, that didn't work- i think with twins, it's imperative that we're a team and it ends up that i severely lack when he's not around to help.  (all this time, tiffany + the triplets are in the back of my head, with her husband traveling 4 days out of the week.)

maybe the point of this is to know how other moms do it.  i don't even cook!  how other moms, many who have more children than i do, more activities than i/we, manage their houses, husband's lives, kid's lives, cook, clean, etcetera and manage not to get seriously depressed.  i'm not seriously depressed, believe me, and i'm extremely grateful to be able to stay home with the boys, i just don't know how it's done.  maybe they put on brave faces and are falling apart behind the facade, or maybe there's a secret.  my mom told me last night i needed to try to like red wine.  maybe she's onto something...

sand, sun, and mojitos...

one of the many beautiful sunsets

 our lips are blue, but we're not getting out!!

 mama and her ring-bearers

 playing with our buddy, eli

 the model

(the pants fit perfectly!!)

 notice the half-empty glass - it was necessary.

 let's see, how many different places can i get this sand?

 the pink shell

 we're never gonna wanna leave!

i promise there are more pictures, but here's the thing.  we had the great idea of starting a shutterfly site that everyone could add pictures to once they got home and started downloading.  then everyone could have free range and get some they might not have gotten otherwise.  for instance, me, who never had a camera in hand because i was chasing sand-flinging boys.  well, there are just a few pictures - 1600, to be exact. ish.. i think there are a few of us who have problems editing before uploading.  so needless to say, i haven't gotten through all of them yet.  and with bryan leaving for san francisco (so jealous) for the next 4 days, i doubt i'll have time.. but i'll try.  we really did have a great time, the boys loved the beach, the wedding was perfect, the resort was perfect, we got to see good friends who came down from tampa for a couple of days, it was a great trip.

in my shoes (and daddy's)

 he takes this very seriously, apparently

how a virgo chops chocolate

by the way, isn't my cutting board awesome?!?

florida!

(the reason for the blog hiatus)

we just got back from a wonderful 5 day weekend in fort myers beach for a wedding.  bryan's sister got married and we had such a good time!  if you don't count the fact that we'll be cleaning sand out of our things for years to come.. can't say i love that part - at all.  will be busy laundering, cleaning, getting ready for this weekend's reception, and catching up on tivo, so stay tuned for more pictures.  

better late than never!

a little bear came to visit (a few weeks ago, now) and all the boys had a blast playing together...  made me wish we lived closer, but made us appreciate the time we had!