Little Eyes Upon You

I am reading a great book on teaching your kids manners. As the book points out, it is as much the children that have to be trained in manners as it is the parents. I feel like I have become more attentive to the manners of kids in our society. While I paid attention to this type of behavior before, it has a new meaning to me now for obvious reasons. Although I am not finished with the book yet, it makes several good points that I have learned and wanted to share. We should never be embarrased by our children misbehaving (I know-easy to say), but what we should be embarrassed by is when we fail to deal with the misbehavior. The author says that when we see the behavior through the grid of "teachable moments" then we are free from the unrealistic desire to be a "perfect parent with perfect kids". In this book, there is a little poem from an Unknown Author that I thought was cute. I have become more aware of how much the boys watch John and I. The poem does a good job of depicting this. I will also share a few pics of the boys. The adorable "L" bibs were made by my sister, Sarah. There are also some before and after pictures with our adventures in cereal although they really don't look as messy as they typically do in these pictures. We also tried some small amounts of baby food this week. Cheers!

"Little Eyes Upon You"

There are little eyes upon you

and they're watching night and day

There are little ears that quickly

take in every word you say

There are little hands all eager

to do anything you do;

and a little boy who's dreaming

of the day he'll be like you.

You're the little fellow's idol,

your're the wisest of the wise.

In his little mind about you

no suspicions ever rise.

He believes in you devoutly,

holds all you say and do;

he will say and do, in your way

when he's grown up just like you.

There's a wide-eyed little fellow

who believes you're always right;

and his eyes are always opened,

and he watches day and night.

Your are setting an example

every day in all you do;

for the little boy who's waiting

to grow up to be like you.

Naked Boys and Dinner with Mom and Dad

Luke on the left and Liam on the right (you can see the size difference)
Check out our deck progress in the back. Liam is holding Luke's Hand.
Luke's beautiful smile!

John got a couple more cute pictures last night after my Memorial Day post. I decided to go ahead and post these. The boys were changing into their pj's and playing with dad. In addition, there are a few pictures from when we were eating dinner with the boys. Yes, it was cool enough on Monday night to be wearing a sweatshirt! Crazy MN weather, but no more snow thankfully! We typically share dinner with one baby in a carseat and another in the bouncy seat. It is a good thing we have a table that seats 6 adults! You can see some of the progress on our deck in the background of the picture with John and the boys.

Happy Tuesday and hoping for a short work week....

Hannah

Happy Memorial Day!

Luke and Liam enjoyed their first Memorial Day holiday. I think we all enjoyed the extra rest and time to do things together. On Saturday, John and I both enjoyed a long run and accomplished several errands and things around the house. We took the boys downtown to a college microbrewery on the campus of the University of Minnesota on Saturday night for dinner. Needless to say, we did not fit in too well with the double stroller, but it was a nice change of pace from the typical restaurants we usually go to.

On Sunday, we went for a run on some of the local bike and running trails with the boys in the jogging stroller. We took the boys to Starbucks for the first time so we could get some coffee, though we did not stay very long as they got a little restless. We were thankfully not affected by the serious tornado on Sunday. It was quite a storm with wind and hail and a tornado spotted in our area.

On Monday, John ran a 5K around one of the lakes downtown and completed the race in under 20 minutes at a 6:19 pace. Very impressive considering the previous two days were spent doing yard work, errands, and running with me on some trails. All in all, we had a nice holiday weekend. Enjoy the pictures of the boys with their toys! The boys are really starting to enjoy their exersaucer and swing. They finally seem to understand what to do in them and have started really playing.

Our New Stats

hmm, this stuff is pretty good
well, I will try it if he does
see, Look-it's good!
What are they doing now? I just need some rest....

We are growing quickly. We had a pediatrician's appointment yesterday and the doctor says the boys look great. They are healthy and growing appropriately. Liam continues to be a little smaller, but appropriate for his age. Liam is still very long and lean and Luke is a little chunky. He agreed we have some picky little guys that don't want anything to do with a bottle, so he gave us some other suggestions to try that will help to give us some flexibility with feedings. We started consistent cereal feedings a few weeks ago and we will increase these feedings and maybe try some baby food veggies if that goes well.

They are both a little on the cranky side after the shots, but they managed to survive (even the "Drama King" aka Liam). Thankfully, John is excellent at consoling the boys and worked with Liam quite a bit last night and this morning. I did, however, learn my lesson the last time and provided a little Baby Tylenol in advance of the shots which helped.

I am including a few pictures of our attempts with cereal. They are beginning to get the hang of it, especially Luke. Luke gets very excited about the whole process and impatient if you don't feed him fast enough. Liam, on the other hand, is still not too sure about it but is thankfully giving it a try. Adi (the dog) is not too sure about the whole process, but has grown accustomed to crying and sudden outbursts from the two little guys we spend so much time caring for!

Luke:15 lbs. 15 ounces

25 3/4 in long

43.5 head circumference

Liam:13 lbs. 2 ounces

24 in long

41.5 head circumference

Another Nice Weekend

Mom and the boys heading out to dinner
Luke trying out his new hat for the pool
Liam enjoying some time in the swing

John and I always wonder what we did before the boys were born?? We enjoyed another nice weekend together with the boys. We did several fun things on Saturday. John convinced me to try the running group in this area so we met with them for a one hour run. We ended up running just the two of us (with the boys in the double jogger) because the run was on trails that really did not accomodate a baby jogging stroller. We also went to a big sale for mothers of multiples and picked up a few items. We picked out some deck furniture for our deck that is in the process of being built and went out to dinner! We even mangaged feeding the boys while we were out (keep in mind we are not bottle feeding, so this is quite an accomplishment for us) and it actually went smoothly. I told the boys they were in trouble now because this means we can run more errands and not always be at home for feedings. I am including a couple of cute pictures from the weekend. Cheers!

Parenting is an Art, not a Science

Parenting is an Art, not a Science. I recently read this in one of my twin books and I totally agree with this statement. I tend to look at things black and white and more from a scientific view point. There are not always right or wrong answers to many of the questions I have. An art can always be perfected, changed, or built upon. Just when I feel like I know what to do or what the boys want, they change. They are constantly teaching me new things and forcing me to find creative, practical solutions to our dilemmas. A lot of things clearly don't work too well the first time around, so we improvise and try again.

Liam found his voice this week and has suddenly started babbling all the time. Luke has been talking for a few weeks now and is quick to give his smiles. Previously, Liam was more reserved, but this week he has certainly let his presence be known (he is quite loud!). The boys are both very familiar with their hands and quickly put them in their mouths whenever possible.

We are excited about a warm weekend with lots of sunny weather. Today will be the warmest day in 7 months! We are putting on a deck on the back of the house and the digging began this morning.

Have a nice weekend!

Double the Blessing

I had a very nice Mother's Day though I must say it is very odd to be a mother to to a person (or two people). As I think about the additional 12 pounds I need to lose to get back to my pre pregnancy weight, I look on my left and see 16 lbs of joy and then look to my right and see 13 lbs. of happiness and know that it was all worth it. The boys are a huge blessing to John and I. I am thankful to be celebrating my first mother's day and know I would not be celebrating this day if it were not for the births of Luke and Liam in January. Thank you Boys and John for a very nice Mother's Day. Thank you also to our mothers, Grandma Carrithers and Grandma Morse, for all they taught John and I.

On another note, the boys also turned 4 months old on Mother's Day. I am posting some pictures that we took over the weekend for both mother's day and their 4 month birthday. Here are a couple of things about the pictures. The Hawaiian outfits are from Grandpa Morse and the monogrammed blankets were a gift from John's employer. The boys are quite funny as they wake up from napping and/or first thing in the mornings. Luke is typically "cool as a cucumber" and loves to nap during the day, though he is not as good of a sleeper at night. Liam, on the other hand, sleeps like an angel at night despite kicking out of his swaddle blanket, moving himself all over the crib, and swinging his head left and right while he sleeps. And we wonder why Luke weighs 3 pounds more than Liam?? Liam is in constant motion. Lastly, there are a few random pictures of the boys.

I am also including a little excerpt from a book I read recently about twins.

Double ABCs......

Double Angels

Double Babble

Double Car Seats

Double Destruction

Double Embrace

Double Friendship

Double Grouches

Double Hair

Double Identities

Double Joy

Double Kisses

Double Love

Double Milk

Double Naughty

Double Obedience

Double Pleasure

Double Quiet

Double Rub-a-Dub

Double Swimsuits

Double Trouble

Double Underwear

Double Valentine

Double Wrestling

Double X-citement

Double Yell

Double Zany

It is Never Going to be "Easy"

I have come to the realization that taking two babies anywhere is never going to be "easy". That may sound like an obvious conclusion, but I think it has taken me awhile to be comfortable with that fact. Certainly there are several things I have learned that make the process easier. For example, never plan anything first thing in the morning unless you have additional help. Going places with John's help is much easier before 9:00 am than it is by myself. Secondly, having the van helps tremendously. I was never a proponent of minivans and frankly found some of the women who drive them around like they are part of the presidential motorcade to be quite annoying. However, I take all of that back because the ease and added comfort of getting two carseats, a stroller, and then a cart full of groceries to the house with the minivan is priceless. Thirdly, always plan ahead and leave on a full stomach. I have everything laid out and ready to go so that after the boys have eaten, we can load up and go. I also have my supplies (water, gum, etc...) that stay in the car so that there is less to carry out. A good rule to remember is that whatever you take out to the car has to be carried into the house and when you are one person doing this....it can become quite exhausting! I am posting a couple of pictures of our morning routine of dressing and changing diapers, some random playtime photos, and the boys exhausted after a long day. Enjoy!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

April Showers bring May Flowers and for us that would be April SNOW Showers! We have had an unusually snowy April in Minnesota or at least that is what the locals tell us. It seems like we are finally nearing the end and expecting the warmer temperatures to stick around. We have had a few very nice spring days recently only to follow them up with snow flurries. The boys continue to show us their unique personalities and we continue to learn from them. They are now sleeping pretty routinely from 10pm to 5am with a very quick feeding at 5am and then back to bed. I quickly leave the house around 6am for a morning run because the boys typically set their "alarm clocks" for 7am sharp. John watches them while I am out running which is key to me starting the day on the right foot both mentally and physically. I am including recent pictures of the boys enjoying some morning time with their dad. Have a nice weekend!