Two Wheels

A couple days ago Papa came over take the big kids on a bike ride. When they came back Cailyn told me to come out and watch her. To my amazement her training wheels were off and she was riding around as if she'd been riding like that forever. She was all smiles and I could just tell she was so proud of herself -- and rightly so. :) She's been riding her bike non-stop ever since! :P

Um, Seriously?!?!

It's no secret -- raising twins is TOUGH! So much harder than our singletons ever were. If Cailyn & Landon had come down as twins, I think it would've been more manageable. But these boys (and Owen, in particular) are a breed unto themselves. They get into FAR more trouble than Cailyn and Landon ever did. Jacob might not have been so bad on his own, but the saying is true, "Monkey see, monkey do" and he gets into just as much mischief as Owen, or at least he's always along for the ride. :)

Two nights ago we lowered their cribs because they were on the brink of literally jumping out of them. I thought they were safe playing in their room but, no. Today I found Owen on top of the dresser and Jacob thinking about making his way up there as well. My goodness, I don't know what to do with these crazy little boys! :P

Happy Dip

It's tough being the big brother to TWO little boys. Just ask Landon. You know those really cool grocery carts they have with the car in front? Yeah, my kids love those. (What kid doesn't?!) There are two seats and Cailyn & Landon have usually had the privilege of claiming those spots. Enter Jacob & Owen -- two crazy little toddlers who do NOT like grocery shopping and are finally big enough to ride in them. Today we went to Stater Bros and we spotted one of those fancy carts. Landon made a beeline for it, but I had to tell him that his little brothers got to ride in it, and there wouldn't be enough room for him. And boy did that ever break his heart! Suddenly his lip hung low and the tears just started rolling down his cute little face! Oh, I felt so bad for him! So to make it up to him (and let's face it, to save face in front of all those customers who were staring at us like I must be the worst mom in the world) I told him he could pick out a treat. He walked down the candy isle with a big grin on his face and carefully chose for himself a Fun Dip. As soon as we got home he dove right in. The best part is that he's been calling it a Happy Dip and who am I to correct him? It actually seems more fitting in this situation, anyway. :)

Too excited

Owen & Jacob LOVE to take baths. They splash and scream and giggle and get everything in the vicinity soaked. It's like Sea World -- if you're sitting in the first 3 rows you will get drenched!

Anyway, the other day we were downstairs and I asked them if they wanted to take a bath. They got all excited and made a beeline for the stairs. I ran up ahead of them to start the bath and then turned around for a minute to get their post-bath clothes ready. When I turned back around I saw this! Apparently they got up the stairs a lot faster than I thought they would and didn't bother to be stripped down. What's funny is I'm sure the water was freezing cold cuz it takes a while to heat up, but they didn't seem to mind. In fact, they were extremely irritated when I had to take them out to get their clothes off. Oh, what silly little boys!!!

A sixth sense

If you come to our house you will notice that we don't leave our chairs around the table. It's because Owen & Jacob have a sixth sense for when someone gets out of their chair. They instantly make a mad dash for the chair and climb onto the table. And if there's food there, all the better. The other day Landon left his pancake and chocolate milk out and of course the boys spotted their opportunity within seconds. Owen helped himself to the pancake while Jacob guzzled the chocolate milk.

Pictureka!

Our older kids love to play games. Whether it be simple card games like UNO or Old Maid or board games like Candyland, Clue Jr., Life, etc., they like it all. There is one game that they are particularly fond of. It is Pictureka! the Disney version. They are very good at it and beat me and Marie almost every time we play it. Maybe that is why they like it.

I swear Landon has the cards memorized. He can easily beat anyone he plays during the first round. With all the cards laid out on the ground it can be overwhelming to find such a small item on the cards. It is especially frustrating when Landon doesn't even try and sometimes is not even paying attention and still finds the item faster than you. Cailyn is just as equally good but I think Landon amazes me because he is 3 years younger than Cailyn yet is her equal. Plus it is fun to hear his little voice shout out "Pictureka!" when he finds the item.

What goes up, must come down.

We have lived in this home for a little over a year now. We love it and enjoy how much room we have compared to our previous home. The previous home was one story and 1843sq ft. This home is two story and 3842sq ft. Did you read the important part of those last two sentences? No, not the size difference. The fact that this house is two stories. With Cailyn and Landon we never had to worry about stairs when they were babies/toddlers. When we moved here, Owen and Jacob were just five months old. The stairs were a big fear for me and Marie. We installed some gates downstairs to keep the boys "contained" in the family room and kitchen area. It also kept them away from the stairs. We never found a suitable gate for upstairs so we used to keep the portable playpen parked right in front of the stairs at the top. Despite our efforts we have still had a tumble or two down the stairs. We have since stopped putting the playpen in the way upstairs. We don't really worry anymore because they are good about being carefull around the stairs. When they do go down the stairs they do just fine. We had to take some video of how they come down the stairs because this will only last so long. Soon enough they will grow up and walk down the stairs like anyone else. For now though we like how they slide down the stairs.