Mommy's Rewards

After a long hard day of work and play, Mommy found her reward after the boys were in bed ...

A once gummy, now dried on Gerber puff stuck to her pant leg. This was a leftover from snack time much earlier in the day. Wondering who might have seen this little treasure besides Daddy, Mommy was relieved that this day was spent only at home:).

The Gerber puff seems like a great reward:), but Mommy's real reward are these 2 award winning smilers, who were fast asleep when the reward was found. Brock and Kyle, you are the best rewards ever!!

Boyz in hoodies:)

These super cute hoodies were gifts from Aunt Kara earlier this year. Don't they make them look like little boys?? I can't believe my babies are almost 1. It goes so fast!! Next thing you know, we'll be taking them skiing a Keystone Mountain. Oh the fun to come:).

Adventures in eating

Eating is a very time consuming event in our house these days. Including meal prep, feeding time and high chair cleanup (oh, my - what a job - times 2!!!!), it can take over an hour per meal. And we're not talking gourmet cooking here - just the basics!! The good part is that the boys are really starting to love their food and only want big people stuff - so yea!!-no more double cooking and no more baby food making:). The hard part is being creative enough to find things that they like and will eat, trying to introduce new foods, and wondering the whole time if they're getting enough of the right nutrients. Here's some pics of our recent eating adventures:

Brock has thoroughly enjoyed this meal!! His new thing when the camera comes out is to give us a cheesy grin, which usually means his eyes are shut (you'll notice this on a lot of these pics:).

"I'm so full!! I need to relax for a bit."

Brock loved the chocolate crinkle Christmas cookies that Grandma Martin and Aunt Kara made. So yummy!!

What happens when you run your hands through your hair with food on them??? You get a new hairdo, of course!! And a bath!!

"Can you see my peas??"

"I'm all done!! Will someone clean my hands, please??"

When Brock decides that he is done - HE IS DONE!!!! I'm not sure how people used to keep their children in highchairs without these wonderful 5-point harnesses. He definitely puts all parts of it to good use while Mommy's trying to clean him up!! I'm sure that we would have had several flying attempts by now without them:).

Toilet paper trials

A favorite activity of Brock and Kyle lately is anything involved with the bathroom. This mecca of forbidden things is typically off limits to them, but occasionally, one of us is forgetful and leaves the door open. They seem to have a sixth sense about an available bathroom, either that or the toilet calls their names:). I can just imagine that as they get close, they are devising a plan in twin talk. "Kyle, you unroll the toilet paper, and I'll flush incessantly to waste water:). " We imagine Brock as the instigator, because, well, it just seems to be the roll that fits him best!! Often times, by the time I get both of the boys out of the bathroom, I'm frazzled enough that I just shut the door and forget the mess until later. Last weekend, Grandma and Grandpa Martin came for a visit. Grandpa went to use the restroom and found the evidence of the latest bathroom raid by Brock and Kyle. "What's taking him so long??" wondered Grandma. "Uh-oh!!" I responded. I had not gone back to clean up after evacuating the bathroom. Sure enough, Grandpa came out a short time later. "I re-rolled your toilet paper, and don't worry - I threw away the pieces that had been chewed on:)!!" Thanks for the clean-up reprieve, Grandpa, but unfortunately, I'm sure that it won't last long!!

Scenes from Christmas

Our Christmas 2008 was a fun one - for 2 obvious reasons!! But it was even more enjoyable when compared to last year. For just a minute, we'll wander down memory lane to Christmas 2007. We were awaiting the arrival of our little bundles of joy, but not quite ready to meet them when I was struck by the dreaded stomach flu on Christmas Eve Eve (12/23). Now any of you who have had the stomach flu know how hard it is on the stomach muscles, but can you imagine that combined with a 7 month pregnant belly full of 2 babies?? Needless to say, it wasn't a pleasant experience and the dehydration caused the start of contractions that had us a bit worried. I was admitted to Bromenn for hydration and monitoring for 24 hours. Thanks to IV fluids and some anti-contraction medication, things calmed down and I was released to finish recuperating at home. Needless to say, this Christmas was much better with no end of the year hospital visits and 2 very energetic 10 and 1/2 month olds to entertain us with their antics!!

We started out our holiday celebrations with the Leman clan. Good food, time with family, and presents were enjoyed by all! One of the Leman traditions is to spend time singing Christmas carols, and the music is quite beautiful. It's one of my favorite times of the evening, and Brock and Kyle seemed to enjoy it, too. They danced and "sang along" almost the whole time we were singing. So cute to watch!!

Here they are, opening some of their many wonderful presents from their Grandma Leman, aunts, uncles, and cousins. How grateful we are that they love our boys so much!!

Aunt Ruthie and Brock. Isn't he handsome with that Santa hat??

Daddy and his boys.

Madison and Kyle. "Do I have to have a turn with this hat??" Kyle is definitely not our hat boy. He's much better at taking them off than he is at leaving them on!!

Christmas Eve found us at Grandma and Grandpa Martin's celebrating with Arlys, Arlene, and the Iowa Uncles. Again, good food, time with family, and more presents made for another enjoyable evening!!

Brock was in awe of the Christmas tree. It was much bigger than the little one that we put up on top of our book shelf, but the boys had less time to work on taking it down at Grandma's. She also had it in a room with a door that we could shut to keep the boys from removing and eating all of the tinsel within their reach when we weren't around:).

Brock and Grandma Martin - "I just can't get enough of that tree!! Daddy, can WE get a real Christmas tree next year?!?"

Grandpa and Kyle - opening yet another toy that makes noise!! Playing at our house is no longer a quiet experience, but boy do they love all of the lights and sounds that their new toys make!!

The biggest hit of the evening was a big box that Arlys and Arlene's gift came in.

It was big enough for one to sit in.............................

..................and even 2 if we squeezed real tight. This made for a fun ride around the living room!!

We spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa, and wouldn't you know it, they had more presents for Brock and Kyle on Christmas morning (and a few for us, too:). I think that they had a lot of fun getting ready for Christmas this year!!

Here are Grandma and Grandpa with the boys.

And here's a picture of our little family on Christmas morning. Hope you all had a blessed Christmas season!!

Is this not too cute??!!??

It's the everyday things that are so hard to catch on film that make life with twin boys the best. But, this morning, I was actually able to capture one of those great moments so we can remember and treasure it always.
Lately, the boys have been holding hands while in their high chairs. It doesn't happen all the time, but we catch a glimpse every once and awhile. It's so cute and warms my heart. I'm so glad to have been able to get this shot - for them and for us!!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!

Brock and Kyle had a VERY successful first Christmas. They ate good food, got lots of presents, and were loved on by lots of family. Thanks to all of the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who made it so special. We love and appreciate you all!! Merry Christmas!!