Chore time and other exciting things!!!

Mommy and Daddy are very pleased as Brock and Kyle are learning to "help out" around the house. They are so much help, in fact that Mommy is being forced to clean more, organize and reorganize, and work quicker to stay one step ahead of the boys. Here are a few pics of our new skills and the job list that Mom and Dad have come up with. We hope this trend continues as they grow up!!

Kyle loves to unpack the groceries after a day of shopping. It is very helpful not to have to empty the bags by ourselves, and no one really minds the teeth marks in the bread wrapper as long as the drool doesn't make it through the bag:).

Brock has become quite helpful in getting things out of the refrigerator and making Mommy aware of what things need to be used up that have been pushed to the back of the shelves. He and Kyle are both always on call when the refrigerator door opens!!

As you can see, a lot of Brock and Kyle's work is done in the kitchen. Here we are helping Mommy unload the dishwasher, even though it isn't clean yet. I think we've posted pics of Brock pre-licking the spoons before. Like the refrigerator  the boys are always listening for the clink of dishes, calling them to come and help!! Notice the chocolate on his chin?? Daddy was sharing his chocolate pudding - yummmm!! What a treat:).

Both boys are very efficient in doing laundry, or banging on the washer and emptying the dryer of the wet or dry clothes. We are expecting someone to choose the drums as their instrument of choice when 5th grade hits, as both boys seem to have rhythm:).

"Here Mom - we noticed that this shelf needed to be rearranged AGAIN, so we emptied it for you. Can we look up a number for you in these wet phone books while we're at it??"

After the laundry has been emptied from the dryer, Brock is a great help in folding it. Here he is working on a set of sheets. He also does a great job with the "baby loads", emptying those laundry baskets with great efficiency!!

Kyle has become our resident register licker, I mean cleaner. I never knew they needed washing so often before Kyle check them out for us:). He can routinely be found moving from room to room, licking each register on the floor, making sure that he saves Mommy time in dusting them!!

I knew that some of you wouldn't believe me, so I managed to get a shot of the little licker in action!! And, no, for all of you concerned loved ones, he is not deficient in anything. We checked with Dr. T at our last appointment and she drew blood to check- just in case. She says that he's perfectly healthy - just exploring:).

Here's Kyle, all tired out from working so hard!! "Can't a guy just get a little rest, Mom??"

Here's Brock, relaxing in his high chair. "I'd better kick back and use this like a barca-lounger now, because I'm sure that Mommy or Daddy will be starting dishes soon, and I'll need to be ready to help!!"

On a different note, the boys are starting to play together very well. They follow each other around the house, and some days spend good time in the living room playing toys. Mostly they just steal each others' toys, but neither seems to mind too much!!

Here is Brock standing on his own. He is getting very brave and very steady, getting into a standing position in the middle of the room on his own, and even taking a few steps (5 is his record so far) when prompted. We'll be very surprised if he's not fully walking by Christmas:).


Kyle has definitely developed attitude about eating. Baby food brings on the snooty face and clenched lips most of the time. I guess he just wants to eat like a big boy, but the problem is that he still gags easily. Mommy's challenge is finding things that he will eat, besides his beloved cheese!!

Here's Brock, showing off his "big boy" skills. This is also one of his favorite dance moves - hands in the air while jumping up and down to the music:). Both boys love to dance when the chicken song starts(see duck beside Brock) as well as the radio and commercial music on TV. The radio is on a lot of the day and occasionally the boys hear the music and start to groove. It's so funny to watch, and neither of them usually dances alone - when one sees the other dancing, he joins right in:).


Here are some cute high-chair shots of the boys. They both have such great smiles, and know just how to use them to melt Mommy and Daddy's hearts.


Brock and Kyle - you are Mommy and Daddy's funny bugs!! We love you very much!!

Hilton Head, SC - part 2 "The beach and other fun"

Wow!! I can't believe that it's almost been a month since our vacation and I'm just now getting the pictures on the blog. Sorry to our faithful readers. Life is very different now with 2 VERY mobile almost 10 month old babies:). They are BUSY BUSY BUSY every waking moment and those opportunities that I had to blog when only one was awake are long gone. They are no longer good blog helpers because they won't sit and watch or play toys. No, they'd rather pull every piece of paper off of the desk, pound on the keyboard, or crawl under the desk and unplug all of the cords from the computer (which is really bad because mommy doesn't know where they all go!!:). Needless to say, when I thought I was busy before, I was really kidding myself. And, I have a feeling that it's not going to get much better any time soon:). All that said, they are becoming more and more fun every day. Challenging, yes, especially as we see those little eyes peek to see if we're watching as they head towards the forbidden for the 10th time in an hour. But its also fun to see their personalities continue to blossom, and their obvious love and attachment to us continue to build. I'll try to do better in the coming days, but no promises:). Without further ado, here are the vacation pics:

The Lemans hit the beach!! The boys loved the water and the sand on their feet. Too bad the water was so cold. It was a challenge to keep Kyle upright and dry. This little taste made us look forward to many more beach vacations in the coming years.

Brock, traditionally a warm water fellow, didn't mind the chill. He was in awe.

Kyle and Aunt Kara. I'm so glad that he will have a fish-like soul-mate to spend lots of time swimming with in the coming years. They both have a love for the water. She did a few baby-swimming lessons with him and even dunked him underwater. He didn't care a bit!!

"Let us go!! We're ready to run!!"

Grandma and Grandpa Martin with their boys. It was a blessing to have so much help and many extra hands along!! It actually made it seem like a vacation, not just another day in the busy life of twin boys in another location. We especially appreciated Grandma and Aunt Kara taking over for 3 nights so we could get some good sleep:).

Mommy and Daddy with Brock and Kyle

Tiptoe fun!!

Playing toys with Grandpa on the glass coffee table. Mommy was a little worried when we saw the glass topped coffee table with wrought iron legs, but thankfully, there was no broken glass and no head injuries from falling on it:).

Funny faces!! Brock did a funny little growl by rolling his tongue daily while we were in Hilton Head. We figure he must have been talking to the alligators because he hasn't done it at all since we've been home!!

Petting the cow that mooed at the ice cream shop. The boys were way more thrilled with the ice cream than the cow:).

Brock and Grandma watching the birds and checking for alligators.

Aunt Kara and Kyle reading many, many books. He could listen to stories for hours - at home or on vacation!!

Brock always liked to help with dishes, sometimes even pre-licking the spoons!!

Funny boy Kyle!! He found another cord to pull. I think this one belonged to Aunt Kara's laptop - oops!!

Brock ready for a swim.

"Do I have to wear the sunglasses, Mom?? Isn't the hat bad enough??"

"Wow! I'm glad that Grandma and Grandpa got this van!! We sure did ride in style, and with lots of room for all of our gear."

"Bye Bye Vacation!! We had a great time!! Can't wait to see where Mommy and Daddy take us next year!!"

Hilton Head, SC-part 1 "Critters of Hilton Head Island"

We spent the first week of November relaxing on beautiful Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. The boys traveled great and put up with many car-seat hours without too much of a fuss. Our weather for the first 3 days was cool and rainy, but the sun did appear for the last half of the week. Even though it was cool, we relaxed, took walks and rode bikes on their awesome bike trails that cover the island. After the sun came out, we got a glimpse of the critters of Hilton Head. Which ones do you like best??

The gators were visible on many of the lagoons in the golf courses, and in the one behind our condo. This is about as close as we got, although Rob would have liked to get closer to test the theory that aligators only bother humans if you poke them with a stick (I hope he was thinking of using a very long stick!!!)

These drainage pipes seemed to be a gathering place for the turtles.

These two critters loved looking out the window overlooking the lagoon. We had a great view, and the window was the perfect height for them to see out:).

Our little monkey Brock only liked swimming in the warm indoor pool. Who could blame him??

Our water bug, Kyle didn't care what the temperature of the water was - he just wanted to be in it. He loved realxing in the floatie that we bought, in between leaning forward to put his face in and take drinks of the pool water. What a crazy kid!! He was a little popsicle coming out of the water some days, and could have cared less. He still cried to go back in the water. I have a feeling that he will be our little fish. More vacation pics to come:).

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween!! From our little pea pods to all of you. May you have a safe and happy halloween filled with all treats and no tricks:).

Toothless Grins:)

...for now, but not for long!! Both boys have had their 2 bottom teeth for some time now, but more are rapidly appearing. Brock has 4 teeth on top that we can see just below the surface, and Kyle has 1 just breaking through. Maybe this is why they still don't sleep that well??!!?? Those open mouth kisses that we love so much may start to get painful in the near future. Oh well. What you'll put up with for a kiss:).

When Mommy turns her back................

............funny things are starting to happen. Babies that she left in a certain spot are no longer there, sometimes, not even close!! The boys have become more confident with exploring the house and have discovered Mommy and Daddy's bedroom, the kitchen(a definite favorite, especially when we're there), the hallway, and the front bathroom. Brock is pulling himself up on everything and cruising along furniture and between exersaucers and toys. Sometimes, it seems that he's convinced that he can walk, and he boldly let's go and promptly falls down. Kyle is also pulling himself up more and more, but doesn't have the balance that Brock has. All of this results in multiple crashes and quite a few tears every day:). The sound level in the Leman house has also increased dramatically. Both boys babble a majority of the day. Kyle's favorite sounds to make seem to be "ma ma ma ma" and "num num num num". Num num is what we say when we feed him and he's really picked up on it. Brock is quite the screamer, likes to growl, and has a new-found talent of clicking his tongue. Another wonderful sound is the sound of baby laughter. The babies have been laughing at us for sometime, but now can be frequently heard giggling at the antics of each other. The other day after a walk, I had put them in the kitchen while I put the stroller away. I heard noise inside from out in the garage, and when I got into the kitchen, they were sitting there with Kyle rubbing Brock's head and Brock giggling away!! What a funny site that seems to be replayed almost daily.

Here we are in front of the coffee table. This is where we head the minute that the big people leave the living room or even just look away. It's a favorite place to explore because Mommy and Daddy usually leave paper of some sort lying around here. We love paper!!

"Anyone want to listen to some music?? I'm just learning how to work this thing!!"

Kyle, for some reason, is drawn to the walls. He can often be found laying along-side one and kicking it with his feet. I think he likes the sound. Last week he tested out the walls in a new way. It was very quiet, so I figured that I'd better investigate. I found him sitting quietly, staring at the wall in front of him, which contained a very large tongue mark with drool running down either side - GROSS!! Who'd have thought that he'd try out the paint flavor?? I've often wondered how children in older homes could get lead poisoning - I mean, who would eat paint?? Wonder no more - Kyle would:)!!!

"Need any help cleaning these messy highchairs, Mom??? I can reach the place where most of the food ends up - the seat!!"

"Whoa!! This basket kind of got the best of me, but don't worry, I got my toy!!"

"Can you see me??? I can!! What a handsome boy!!"

"Hummm. All of these books to choose from. The biggest one must be the best, right??"

"Mommy thought she was sneaky, putting the plant behind all of those big toys. But I'm sneakier than that!!"

When the boys wake up, there are many new odd noises that we hear. Kyle likes to move the blinds, and when he tires of the cool noise that it makes, he can see what's going on outside:).

I'm not sure why I couldn't get this picture to turn, but it will give you the idea. The monitor base sits on a small table in the corner next to Brock's bed. He has discovered the little green light on it and likes to tap it. It's not such a big deal, except when it's magnified about 20 times and you're sleeping next to the receiver. What a wake up call!!

This is just a fun pic of 2 cute boys getting a ride in a box. Mommy and Daddy were definitely more excited about what came in the box - a new vacuum sweeper - But the boys were completely satisfied with the box itself, both inside and out!!