Merry Christmas!!!

Happy Christmas from Matty, Gus, Rals and me.

I know, I know, it is shocking that I have time to blog on Christmas, but I do. I am enjoying my first cup of coffee from my brand new Keurig. Yummy, hot and quick - two thumbs up from me. Thanks Mom! The boys were fabulous this year. What a treasure to watch them light up with glee when they opened their presents. They were patient, thankful and eager to open the presents. We asked them if they liked Santa, and they said "ya, ya" which means they really like him...otherwise, it is just a "ya." We'll have plenty to do indoors with all the presents theyreceived. What lucky little men! Matthew and I scored some great gifts as well, so we are lucky and blessed too. I think my parents enjoyed their calendar and picture of the boys running naked into the Gulf. We showed Nannie and Poppy their presents via Skype since we totally slacked and did not get them in the mail before Christmas! We can always blame their postal strike...

We had a busy day yesterday with an early celebration at Nonnie and Pickles house for Christmas Eve. We ate, drank, and opened presents. Santa made his way to their house early as well. On the way home we were able to see some big, redneck Christmas light displays and some fireworks. Then we spent almost an hour Skyping with Nannie and Poppy in Oz on their Christmas Day. They watched the boys open presents, and their faces were so hilarious watching the boys tear into their presents and toys. The good thing is that they boys can say "thank you" or at least sign thank you (Gus). We then packed up and headed to my Aunt and Uncle's house down the road an hour. The boys were very well behaved and had fun checking out the boat, pool table, and third cousin Ella's toys. The boys were excellently behaved and only Raleigh fell asleep on the way home. Tonight it is Christmas dinner at our house. Steak and lobster...yummo on the lobster part for me! The boys are napping now, hoping for a good solid few hours so they can make it through the night. We miss all of you who we are not able to celebrate with this year. We hope you all have a safe holiday and survive the snow!!! We also hope Nan and Pop get some downtime after their busy season. Peta - we'll catch up when you are at a place with a better connection, we're saving the vet and dr. set presents until we can Skype! Love you all!

Raleigh giving Nonnie a big kiss and her present!

Eli - the boys LOVED the horse, Raleigh in particular, he is a little cowboy and was hard to get off of it. You are too sweet! XOXO.

Remote control "po po" and a firetruck!

Boys open the Lego Thomas the Train set with Nannie and Poppy on Skype in the background. The love this!!! Many fights already...you know it is a good present then;)

Augustus being Gus, cracker in each hand, and one in the mouth:)

my mom enjoying mimosas at Harry's - delish, especially with my mom's fresh squeezed OJ!

Holidays are Coming. Cookies - Check, Toys - Check, Wrapping - Not Yet

I cannot believe it will be Christmas Eve tomorrow. Where has another year gone? Last year at this time we were sipping champers in Australia with two little nine month olds. Looking back I can barely even recognize the chubby little men that made the trek across the world with us. What a great time. We sure will miss Nannie and Poppy and of course, Auntie Peta this year. Good thing we just saw them though. We have been laying low the past couple of days. Unfortunately, the boys got some runny noses going on. They may have caught something at the twin holiday party, we noticed a lot of snot, but it could also just be the colder weather. They are sleeping well, but are just full of snotties. Yuck! Of course, I should be wrapping their presents while they sleep, but alas, the blog was calling, oh, that and General Hospital;)

We had a play date at our house this week, and Augustus was displaying his usual selfish phase. He had it out again with his little friend "E" when she wouldn't give him the toy he wanted. Those two can go round and round, and it usually ends when Augustus is fully frustrated and attempts to bite her. Ugh. I am really hoping this phase passes quickly. I know it is just out of frustration, but it is frustrating to us as well.

Augustus, patiently putting on his sprinkles!

Rals, very determined with his decorations

Augustus, diving right into the cookies!

Today we spent the morning cooking cookies with Nonnie. I even got to take Augustus to Target by himself before we started; which he loved. They are so funny, when we drive by Target they point and want to go there. When I asked him if he wanted to go to Target he said "ya, ya" with such enthusiasm, so how could I resist. We got some last minute pressies and cookie cutters. Here are a few shots of the boys decorating one cookie on their own. Augustus ate his whole cookie, but did not do it until it was nice and decorated. Raleigh, he was more interested in the berries, trees and sprinkles to go on top of the cookie to eat it. He literally licked all the frosting off and picked up all the decorations and then left the cookie part whole. Thankfully, despite all the sugar, they fell asleep for naps early.

Gus points to his new hair cut.

Yup, that is right, Gus got his hair cut. For whatever reason, Gus' hair has been really dry, frizzy, and much lighter than Raleigh's hair has been. Thus, the impromptu chop this week. There is no way anyone could not tell these boys apart now! Although, Raleigh did get his bangs trimmed a bit.

Exciting Week of Snow, Holiday Parties and More Poo to Boot!

So, the last post was about poo poo, this one won't be all that glamorous. However, last night as I was about to head out for a moms' night out Raleigh did another poo poo on the potty. Not to be gross, but it was amazingly huge for such a little man. Whoa Nelly, this potty training thing will be interesting! First, after dinner, Rals did a pee pee in the Ikea potty; then after we did a happy potty dance for him, he wanted to try to poo poo. After a few overly dramatic grunts, I turned the potty around to face the wall and walked a few feet into our kitchen and let him have a moment. I really wasn't expecting anything after he was being so goofy beforehand, but then he walked away from the potty all happy-chappy so I decided to walk over and look in. I almost got knocked over...there it was in all it's glory. No, I am not posting the picture, but I sure as hell did a Jon and Kate Plus 8 and made him stand next to his poopy for posterity!

On to other news. We have had another full week. I cannot believe Christmas is next week. We still have not put up a Christmas tree, but after visiting my friends M's house last night and seeing how beautiful it looked I am feeling a bit guilty. Then my BFF Kristy sent pics of her beautiful baby in front of their Christmas tree and I have to say I started feeling really, really guilty. Maybe tomorrow I can talk Matty into putting one up.

BTW - hoping Kristy is feeling much better today and has no more hospitalizations before the next beautiful baby girl arrives in February!!!!

Today we went to our multiple moms club holiday party. It was a blast for everyone who went, not just the kiddos. We even had a nice moms' night out last night and were all still able to make it to the play date by 10! Way to go moms!!! The boys loved the giant sized playhouse, the goats, sheep, bunnies, chickens and horse that were there too, in addition to all their favorite playmates. Of course Raleigh was overly excited to see his girlfriend E, and greeted her by telling her the flowers on her dress were lovely, then he proceeded to wrap his arms around her and give her a big kiss.

However, at lunch he was smitten by an older lady, Miss Issa. He just could not stop looking at her and following her around. This is little L's big sister, who Raleigh has also shown affection for too. The boy gets around. Santa made an appearance, but the boys were really not that interested, I think mostly because there was so much to do at the party. Candy canes were a brilliant idea to have close by, and that is the only thing that got them on the big guy's lap. Both boys rode a horse again. Daddy took Raleigh first, and I took Gus. Gus had a ball. He was waving to everyone as he rode, and hummed the whole time, which he has started to do when he is content. Aw!!

The start of the week was ridiculously hot, so we were able to go to Nonnie and Pickles pool. Truly, the experience was so much easier then it was a few months ago. I know we are going to have a ball this summer in the pool!!! Raleigh was about as happy as I have EVER seen him too. He did not lose any of his swimming skills and was a fish in the water. Gus is about where he left off too. He loves the water, but prefers to play, not swim. They had a ball with the grandies too!

The day before, they were at the park and it was too cute to watch them chasing their shadows.

The boys went to visit Daddy at one of the offices he works at and we went to a local park that has lots of lights on display for the boys to see. The loved it. We even stopped at Outback on the way home and they were so well behaved that it makes me feel a lot less anxious about doing it more often. We did not get bed until later then usual and they still were such wonderful little men.

The weather cooled down a bit later in the week, and we went to a play date at the aquarium one afternoon to see the "snow." In Florida snow is hard to come by, but they want to give the kids a chance to experience it. We were there for all of one minute of the fake snow, which was really this sudsy bubble product, but Gus wanted nothing to do with it, and just as Rals was getting excited it shut off. No worries though, the boys had a great time running around the outside explore a shore area with all their buddies. Until Gus almost bit one of his friends trying to "share" the helm of the ship with him. Mortifying to say the least. I have to remember that the day before they were so well behaved, so it gives me hope that the terrible twos won't be all bad. Gus did well in time out after the attempted bite, and did not do it again. I don't know what is up with the biting rampage again, but both boys have had good shots in on each other this week. Surely frustration over sharing, but we are working really hard on being good at taking turns. They are having good days and bad ones. I'll take it any day over heading to work though!

Below is a picture of Gus in the sea horse, by himself. He really is into "mine" and basically was not making any friends that particular day...here's to hoping this phase is a short one!!!

Who Would Have Ever Thought Pooping on a Toilet Would be Soooo Exciting

If you would have asked me a few years ago if poop would have been such a big deal, something to write about in a blog, I would have laughed my head off. However, since these little men arrived in our world, poop has been a topic of serious discussions - i.e. "Augustus has not pooped yet, and it has been five days, what do we do, doctor?" and made us laugh - i.e. Augustus after we gave in and gave him milk of magnesia shot poop onto the wall and door, about four feet, at 3 in the morning, and poo-poo has really become an everyday topic - i.e. me asking them at least twice a day, "did you go poopy?"...they always answer NO...to which I always think "no, then what on Earth is that smell?"

Well, poop hit a new high this week when Raleigh decided he could make a poopy on the potty, and yes, before you ask, I do really talk like that! Another thing that I really did not think would happen in my life! The best part is that it was not on a fancy potty training seat or toilet training cover, just on our toilet in our half bath. He was so excited! Gus was there to cheer him on too until he grabbed the toilet brush and basin and made off into the kitchen.

It all started when I was about to change them for naps after lunch. They were pretty messy so I was stripping them down and throwing a pair of boxer-esque shorts on them. Well, in the meantime, I let them run around naked for a minute or two because they just love it...men, right? Then I noticed Rals looked like he may have to poo-poo. So I asked him if he wanted to go poopy on the potty and he answered in a resounding "yeah, yeah." On the potty he went and I was shocked to see he was not just fake grunting as he usually does - what an actor I tell ya - but was making his serious poopy face. I had to check it out and I could see the actual poo coming out - I know, I know, being a mommy is quite glamorous at times;) I was so excited I think I scared the poopy back in. I went to grab the camera off the kitchen counter - not far, don't worry, I was right there the entire time - and was able to catch the momentous occasion on film. I know you are all shocked!!! He jumped off to check out his poopy prowess and the three of us had a great time looking in the toilet at the smallest piece of poo you have ever seen! Then I said, "Do you have to poopy more?" He said yes, so on the toilet he went again. This time he wanted to see his business, so he sat there with his head between his legs almost, and started peeing!!! Whew, close call, but no one got sprayed. The video is classic, and seriously, I know these kids will be scarred later in life when they get to see the clips!!! The most ridiculous part now is that every time he jumps on the toilet he has to get off and check the toilet. Really, really check mind you, with his head almost in the toilet. Nannie and Poppy got to see that for themselves yesterday on Skype - I am sure they were proud to see their grandson with his head in the toilet at such a young age. No poopy on the potty yesterday, but a few farts and another successful pee-pee. BTW - the boys are just 20 months, so we are so happy to have this progress, but are not ready for full fledged potty training.

Here's a picture of Rals with Dean. Raleigh really liked Dean and was impressed that he could hold all the trains he brought to "share" with him. Dean and Chick have not seen the boys for about a year, man have the little men changed! I think they were particularly impressed with Raleigh's affinity for sauerkraut.

A picture of the boys attacking Grandpa Pickles. This was also the first time they showed interest in his bald spot. Raleigh just kept slapping it and thought it was pretty funny. Watch out Uncle Tommy - next time he sees you, he'll probably have some fun...

No real other news to report, just lots of fun in the warm winter weather. We celebrated St. Nick's on the December 6th. St. Nick brought tiny toys for their stockings and some really cute t-shirts too! If you don't know what St. Nick's is about, Google it. It is a cherished tradition from my youth and I am passing it on to the boys. If we had wooden shoes for St. Nick to fill up that would be cooler, but the stockings with the boys names on it from Nannie and Poppy are pretty cool too. Auntie Peta got to experience they boys finding their stockings this year and even helped St. Nick pick out some pretty cool Paul Frank hockey shirts that the boys wore today.

We Miss You Auntie Peta!

We miss you Auntie Peta!!!

It is safe to say the boys genuinely adore Auntie Peta, and were so glad to have so much time with her on her first trip here. As proof of their sadness, the boys had an awful night sleep the night before Auntie Peta departed. It really made us feel like we had newborns again; seriously how did we survive months of that!?! They must have felt/sensed she was leaving, or seen her pack her tiny little backpack to go. Whatever it was, it passed after that night. They slept in until 9:30 after waking several times that night, for that I was thankful. Matthew and Peta had to get up and out by 4:30 am, and then Daddy headed to work to boot. By the time the boys and I woke, Auntie was in Miami. They did okay in the morning, but at lunchtime, they were pointing to the stairs and asking for "Pete." So sad. They did the same thing that night when Daddy got home and we were Skyping with Poppy and Nannie, "where Pete." Today, a few days after she has been gone they went into the guest room and pointed to the bed and said "Pete." Seriously, they are breaking my heart. At least Peta got to her destination and is enjoying her travel time so far.

The other heart wrenching thing was watching them kiss Nannie and Poppy on the big screen TV while we Skyped with them. It is so cool that we can hook our laptop to the TV so they can see Nannie and Poppy almost life size while we video call them. The boys gave them big kisses while saying goodbye and I think all of us were in tears!

On a brighter note, we had a fun play date yesterday at the zoo. The boys did better walking around and getting in and out of the stroller. They were too cute with their friends C & E (the "girlfriend") holding hands and running around the zoo. These four are fast friends!!! It was good to see our other twinkie mom friends too. Hopefully next time our MNO crew will be able to join us too - you were missed Miss M, S, and P.

Even more awesome news is that our new next door neighbor is a stay-at-home mom with an eighteen month old boy. We knew this going in to the move, but it is funny to see how good everyone gets along. The boys love having a playmate at all hours of the day without having to drive or walk far! Miss A is as sweet as pie too. Growing up my mom and my BFF's mom were so close, always hanging out and drinking coffee, enjoying grown up talk while my BFF K and I played Barbie or walked to the beer mart;) I hope Miss A and I can have that same relationship, and more importantly, the boys have a great friend too. The only drawback is her hubby is military, so they never know how long they will be in one place. Still, we'll enjoy it while we can. This morning the boys were playing with sidewalk chalk and little C stopped over to play chase with the boys before heading out. Most afternoons we get together for a half hour or hour just to have some chill time before dinner. It is great for the boys and a much needed sanity break on most days waiting for Daddy to get home. Just another reason to love the new house!!!

Some Funny Stories

Here the boys are getting ready for Christmas at Nonnie and Pickles house. They have a train around the tree and everything. The boys just squeal with glee. The train has a remote control and everything so they can drive it forward and back and turn the music on.

Life is settling down a bit since our touring has ended. The boys miss Nannie and Poppy very badly. This time, leaving has been harder on everyone I think. The boys seem to be much more aware when Matthew and I leave, and they are a bit more upset at nigh time too. It will be bad again when Auntie Peta leaves next week. They are going to wake up really sad when she is not here to entertain them.

On a brighter note, here are a few things that have just made me smile and driven me crazy lately. So, we have the new house, and with the new playroom we have instilled a timeout chair. When they bite each other or do something really awful they head to the chair. I know they understand not to bite each other and are at an age they can understand what they should and should not do most of the time. Of course, I realize trying to rationalize with two 20 month olds is a bit far fetched, even comical, but we needed to try to set an appropriate consequence for biting in particular. So, recently Augustus bit my tummy, not hard, just a nip. I struggle with punishing him because he is not a biter out of anger or to get what he wants most of the time like Raleigh tends to be. But, a bite is a bite, and is not something I want to see him to do someone else, so I put him in timeout. Raleigh in the meantime watched me and put his little finger up to signal "me next." Uh oh! Timeout is not something that should be wanted, right?!?!?! So I said "no, you don't need timeout, you're being a good boy." When Augustus was done with timeout, Raleigh came over and pretended to bite my arm and then put himself into timeout. Oye! How am I supposed to deal with that? I wanted to laugh, and cry at the same time. It gets even better though...the kicker is that we were retelling the story to Nannie and Poppy via Skpe and Raleigh came over and pretended to bite me again and went to timeout. What a little shit! Of course I am impressed at his intelligence, but I know I will have my hands full with him for a long time. He is too smart for his own good! Still love that little bugger, smart little bugger indeed! If any of you moms or dads out there have any experience with this and have any advice, we'd take it. Mostly we just ignore the crazy stuff that does not hurt them or anyone else. The junk behavior so to speak.

Back to the little finger gesture from Raleigh. Love it! He puts his finger up, or both fingers up if he is really excited to do or have something. It basically means 'me next." We also do the gesture back to the boys when we want them to take turns. They understand it and are usually so good at it. I am genuinely impressed with their ability to wait their turn. Raleigh is amazing at giving something to Augustus, but Augustus is still working on that skill at this time. They are definitely getting closer to the terrible twos though. They both can throw a fit when they don't want to do something or we end something too early for their liking. It almost makes you want to not do something you know they will throw a fit at when they have to move on, but what is the fun with that!?!

They are still taking everything in, as evidenced by the story about Raleigh pretend biting me when I told the story to Nannie and Poppy. I started calling Raleigh "parrot" as he will repeat almost anything he can. Their language continues to blossom. My favorite sayings right now are "dude" and "wow."

Here the boys are with the mall Santa. They had no tears, no fear, well, Gus was not overly fond of Mrs. Clause at first, but they only needed to take two shots. Of course both were great. This was my favorite shot. I was so excited the boys got to wear their footie sweaters from Gigi (aka by BFF Kristy's mom). She bought them last year and that they finally got to wear them for one day because it was cool enough, and of course the cutest pairs of Uggs ever!!!