My 3?th birthday

I had a great birthday this year. It started out with Chris taking us out for breakfast which was awesome. We had to break out the iphone and ipod to keep M&J entertained but it was so nice to be waited on!!!

After breakfast Nana took the kids and me to Disney on Ice. Madison went last year with Nana but Jackson and I had never been. We had really good seats. I just took a few pictures. Madison was completely transfixed and yelling out all of the characters' names as they came out. Jackson was a little antsy but definitely enjoyed himself.

They were so happy with their mickey balloons. Jackson's popped as soon as we got home that night because it touched our rough ceiling. Since then they've been fighting over Madison's.

After we left Boston Nana dropped us off at my parents' house. We hung out there for a couple of hours before Chris and his parents came over for dinner. My mom was silly and bought all the party stuff including a ton of balloons and a tiara for me. The kids loved it and I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty happy with my tiara.

After cake it was time for a high stakes game of bowling.

Photos

Maddie hugging her Valentine bear from Grandma.

That's Jackson's Valentine bear from Grandma in his bed.

Some of the screaming I was referring to. I think Jackson had taken something from her.

My fashion forward girl. While playing at Max's house she peed through her diaper and onesie so Gia put them in the dryer for us. Until it was ready she was running around like this. The glasses complete the look for sure.

Visit with Max and Lane

A couple days ago I went to my friend Gia's house so the kids could play. Max just turned 2 and he is the exact same height as Jackson. They all love to play together and they play very well together. Lane is almost 3 months now and I seriously didn't recognize him from his photo session 2 months ago. He looks like a completely different baby. He's the header on my photography blog at the moment.

I LOVE this picture! The look on his face is priceless.

Max wanted nothing to do with having his picture taken with his brother.

36 Months

Dear Madison and Jackson,

This is the last month of me having two year olds. I am clinging to the hope that with twins 3 is better than 2. I'd do it all again but 2 was really hard.

Since I lost my job a few weeks ago I've been able to be home at night with you. Since at the same time daddy was starting to have a really hard time getting you both to go to sleep at bedtime I decided to make a change. You have consistently been waking up at 7:30 every day so I wanted to try not letting you nap during the day and starting bedtime routine at 7:30 pm. It worked like a charm and now most nights you are asleep by 8:30. I've also taken over the bedtime routine and made it very consistent and you have both responded so well to it. You both know what is next before I even say it. We usually watch a show all four of us from 7-7:30 and I make sure to tell you that when the show is over it will be time to brush your teeth. Tonight I said "When the show is over..." and Jackson finished my sentence "it's time to brush teeth". After teeth daddy changes your diapers and gets you in jammies then I take you in your room and let you each pick out a book. Jackson has no interest in me actually reading the book so he just sits in his bed and looks at all the pages while I read Maddie's book to her. Then I turn the lights out and "cuddle" Jackson which consists of me laying my head down on him and counting to 10. When I get to 10 he says "one more time" and I say "one more time and then I'm leaving. Do you understand?" he replies "yes". I count to 10 one more time then he says "Cuddle Ma-ee". Maddie took a few days to realize what the whole script was but now she knows it too. I say ni-night as I walk out the room. Maddie still sings at the top of her lungs for about 5 minutes then it's silent in there. It makes me so happy that bedtime is (at least for the time being) not stressful for anyone anymore.

You both know how to put your coats on all by yourself. Nana taught you how and you are so proud to show people you can do it on your own. You can also put your shoes on but need help knowing which foot they go on.

You both continue to get better and better at playing with each other. Tonight you were both sitting on the kitchen floor playing with cars and conversing with each other about how the cars needed gas so Jackson ran over to the train table to get the train's gas station. You love to play hide and seek. Physical play is a ton of fun for both of you but ONLY if it's initiated by Maddie. Maddie can push, shove, and take Jackson down to the ground and all is right with the world but if Jackson looks at Maddie the wrong way she will scream at the top of her lungs.

I absolutely love spending my entire day with you even if you both exhaust me. After you go to bed at 8 I seriously have to stop myself from going to bed.

We talk about going on the potty every single day. About wearing big kid underpants and not peeing in them. Neither of you have ANY interest in using the big toilet or your potties. I'm not worried about it. I know it will happen eventually.

We were at the library a few weeks ago for story time for the first time in over a year. They sang the song wheels on the bus. You totally weren't paying attention to the music but later that day at home Madison was alone in the room with me and I heard her starting to sing it. Then a little while later Jackson came in the room and was singing it on his own. But the think that cracks me up about it is the way you sing it. You both say "babies on the bus go beep beep beep, all through the town". No matter how much I try to correct you'll both randomly bust out in your own rendition.

You both learned to do a somersault on your own the other night! I was so proud!!

Dear Jackson,

You are starting to sing a lot more. You can sing the ABC song with completely made up words because you still have no idea what the alphabet is. You mostly just sing along with Madison to all the other songs although I've heard you do too-ra loo-ra on your own. You don't recognize any letters or numbers by looking at them and you know a few colors but you're still not real solid on them.

You continue to be naughty. You just love to get into things you shouldn't be into. It's just in your nature.

This last month you have learned how to push Madison's buttons. You know if you take her bear or anything that she even looked at in the last week that she will flip out and cry. You will even wave it in her face and when she reaches for it you will run away with it. It actually surprises me that it took you this long to figure it out.

You are very aware of when you are getting a good reaction out of someone. When someone laughs at something you do you will immediately do it again. You really have a great sense of humor and you make me laugh til I cry at least once a day. And your laugh just kills me. I could listen to it all day long.

Unfortunately along with your laughter comes a lot of whining still. Daddy and I are starting to wonder when the multiple breakdowns a day are going to simmer down. You cry when we try to change your diaper on occasion. You cry when the show you want isn't on tv when you want it. You cry if I don't pick you up right when you want. You cry if you want markers but it's not time to do that. The list goes on and on. We're really ready for a little less crying.

I just can't imagine my life without you. I really have no words to describe the love I have for you.

Dear Madison,

Your singing as been taken to a new level. You are now experimenting with the songs you know and singing the words to your own made up melody. You also have a medley of songs that you sing. You start with ABC, then Twinkle twinkle, then Too-ra Loo-ra, followed by you are my sunshine.

In the last few weeks you've started to refuse to kiss daddy when he leaves or comes home from work. It makes him so sad.

I've tried to teach you to count between 10 and 20. You'll try to say them all but you say them out of order.

You're starting to have clothing preference and if you see another piece of clothing during the day you will insist to be changed into it. I don't want to be the mean mom that doesn't let you make your own clothing choices but for now I'm not ready for the drama that comes with it. I've really had to put my foot down. Tonight you had on a pair of jammies and a while later decided you wanted a different pair. I kept saying no but you kept on insisting. I had to go to the basement to do some laundry just so I could ignore you.

You've been very attached to your purple tutu lately. You ask for it every day and I let you wear it cause it's cute that you want to :-)

You join your brother in the whiny department. You scream when we don't understand something you say. You scream when Jackson brushes up against you by accident. You scream when you don't have a cup of milk in your hand instantaneously after asking for it. Really, you can stop any time now.

I really do miss our naps together. I really really enjoyed them. You are just ridiculously precious to me and I don't know how I ever lived without you.

Bad week

Imagine you're pushing a shopping cart across a parking lot/street.
You've got a 25 pound bag of potatoes in the basket part of the
cart. Then imagine running into a rut in the street that stops the
cart dead in its tracks and flings the 25 pound bag of potatoes out
of the cart onto the pavement. Now imagine that 25 pound bag of
potatoes is your daughter landing on her head.

It. was. awful. and only one lady stopped to see if she was ok! and
it was the lady who said she saw it happen and that she didn't
actually land ON her head even though she has bloody scrapes on her
scalp. I sat there in the middle of the street holding Madison as
she cried and I was in a complete fog. I had to keep reminding
myself to check on Jackson who was still in the cart sitting in the
seat part. He was facing away from Maddie when it happened so he had
no idea what was going on so he was yammering about how his balloon
from Trader Joe's was blowing "away". I eventually pulled it
together enough to pull the cart out of the middle of the road and at
that point the only lady that helped us left in complete denial that
Madison had actually gotten hurt.

I really was on autopilot and was trying so hard to slow down and
think clearly about what I should do. I was about to bring them to
the car and leave then I realized that the rut in the road could
seriously be a hazard for anyone else walking out of the store and
that they should probably know about it. So I brought them both back
in the store to the customer service area and the nice lady that had
checked us out saw that we were back and knew something was wrong. I
told her what happened. By that time Maddie wasn't even crying
anymore but the lady went and got us some frozen peas and was trying
to engage her in conversation. She wasn't really responding but I
knew it was just because she was being shy. It was funny because
every time she asked Maddie a question Jackson would answer. I was
able to calm down a little while we were in there and we both decided
it would be a good idea to have the doctor check her out.

The whole drive to the doctor I was nauseous and light headed.
Maddie was singing and yelling at Jackson so I wasn't worried about
her but I knew I would feel better to have her seen by a medical
professional. And they agreed that she was indeed fine.

We spent the rest of the day playing at my friend Gia's house with
her son Max.

So all of this on top of Maddie, Jackson and I having a stomach bug
earlier in the week. Tuesday was absolute misery for me being so
sick and needing to take care of M&J. Although I wouldn't really
categorize what I did as "taking care" of them as much as just being
under the same roof with them. It was bad.

Hanging around

These were just from tonight with the point and shoot.

At the barn again

Last Wednesday we were expecting a huge snow storm. School was
canceled the day before. That should have been hint enough that we
wouldn't get any at all. I had plans with Jenn that day. She was
going to come over and watch the kids so I could go grocery shopping
and then we were all going to go to the barn to see her horse. It
was a slow day and we didn't end up getting to the barn until almost
4. We stayed about an hour. M&J helped brush Major, they watched
some kids having a lesson inside and then we went outside so they
could have a ride on Major.

Last summer when we were there Maddie wanted nothing to do with getting on the horse but this time it was all she could talk about. She was so happy to get up and take a ride.

Nana's birthday

Yesterday was Nana's birthday. She came in the morning and picked
them up to go to a kids concert at her school. She ended up bringing
them back to her house for the rest of the day while we visited our
friend Jenna and her new baby. We met everyone back at Nana's house
for dinner and cake.

Alyssa got her first haircut a few days ago. It looks so cute!

All 5 grandchildren. Not a bad attempt.