Hoose House Hold

Rainy Day fun!

2010-05-26T23:32:00.001-04:00

We had a blast on Saturday playing in the rain. Olivia wanted to wear her bathing suit then her rain gear and then switch them back again! It was a muddy mess...but pure fun!

Catching raindrops on tongues...classic

I love the way Gryffin is looking at Hunter like he's the coolest kid in the whole world.

Collecting rain in cups...they did this for at least 20 minutes!

In other news, Hunter has advanced in belt. He and Tom are loving their classes and Hunter is of course looking forward to the day he starts training with the sword.

In a flash

2010-04-17T20:12:00.002-04:00

It seems as though life is really moving along here with the Heese(plural form of Hoose). I have yet again lost track of this blog and at the urges of my Dad, I have decided to make a quick post with some recent photos and a couple updates.

Hunter's Kindergarten school year has moved into the final quarter! It's so hard to believe that a whole school year has gone by, well almost. Hunter is an excellent student and an incredible reader. He amazes me everyday with his eagerness, determination and brilliance. The kid is just plain smart. It kind of makes a mom feel a little intimidated and I wonder if I do enough to satisfy his curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Hunter adores his teacher and will really miss him this summer and when he's in first grade. He was pretty lucky to get a young, male teacher for kindergarten, as this is a rare occurrence. To be able to talk to a teacher about video games and superheroes on a daily basis must be any six-year-olds dream! I'm sure Hunter will visit Mr. Shaffer all the time when he's in first grade just to talk about video games and tell him his latest knock-knock joke.

Olivia and Gryffin have become such funny little people lately. They love and adore their older brother and each other. On the other hand, they fight and torment each other just as any normal siblings would. Most days, this can really push me over the edge and I'm a mess come bedtime. There are those rare occasions when the planets and stars align and we have a peaceful, productive day from start to finish. This is life with toddlers and I've come to accept it as so. I have finally learned to choose my battles and for my own sanity, try not to control every little aspect of their daily lives. Does it really matter if Olivia wants to wear fleece leggings on an 80 degrees day? Not really, and it only takes 2 minutes to change them when she get too hot verses 10 minutes of trying to reason with her in the morning before I've had any coffee. I'm more likely to be brought to tears than she, for her will is pure iron. If Gryffin needs to have his glow worm, motorcycle, water bottle, and my green sweatshirt as his blanket in his crib every night before going to sleep who am I to deny him his ritualistic, toddler routine? These things are certainly not tear worthy and never will a tear be shed for them again!

In other news, I purchased a trampoline a few weeks ago and we absolutely LOVE it! We will pray that it doesn't bring us any serious injuries as it is something all three kids love to jump on for hours everyday. I recommend a trampoline for anyone that has that kid that just won't tire out because my kids have met their match!

My boys have also become particularly fond of Indiana Jones in case you couldn't tell by the hat and whip photos. We have one hat and one whip which are shared, for the most part, quite nicely by Hunter and Gryffin. Hunter is particularly fond of the catch phrases he's learned and Gryffin loves it all and prefers to be called "Indy" on most days.

Tom and Hunter have started taking Kung Fu together on Tuesday nights and love their time together and the fact that they are getting some fun exercise into their schedules. Hunter's T-ball season has also started and this is the first time we've had two activities for him during one season, so we will see how it works out. I have promised myself that two will be the limit, at least for another few years and maybe as a rule in general. I can only imagine how hectic our lives will be when all three kids have extra curricular activities to attend!

Terrible Two Toddler Twinzles...and me too!

2010-01-28T07:31:00.005-05:00

It's rare that Olivia and Gryffin get called by their given names. Nicknames are an art form in our house. I believe I posted about Hunter's obsession with giving the babies new nicknames every week when they were infants. In general, Tom refers to them as the twinzles, or singularly, a twinzy twinzleton. It seems much more complex than Olivia or Gryffin to me but they enjoy the game so what can you do?

Apart from sharing the same womb at the same time, they are as far from alike as could be possible. I guess that's to be expected when you have a boy and girl set of twins, but somehow in my mind I always thought twins share this incredible bond that can't be broken. Maybe with fraternal twins it's something that is developed over the years and when they really need each other for protection and comfort it'll be there. So far, I have not seen this "connection" that we hear so often about with twins. It's more like a sibling rivalry times 100!

These past couple of months have been particularly difficult for me. The challenge of raising and parenting a two-year-old was practically non-existent with Hunter. He didn't have tantrums, control issues, potty training problems and he communicated in paragraphs. If I had to complain about Hunter as a two-year-old, it would be that he talked too much. So, to say we were unprepared for toddlerhood as parents would be the understatement of the century.

On most days, I feel like throwing myself on the floor and kicking and screaming and pounding MY fists on the floor in frustration. It's emotionally intense and I don't like feeling so out of control.

I've been told by my mom and dad that I was just like Hunter as a baby and toddler, even-tempered, easy going and good natured. I pretty much remained consistent with this persona throughout my life into adulthood and parenthood. I find it odd that I should go through MY terrible-two's at 31 years of age but at least I can go through it and experience it with my precious twinzles....I do feel really sorry for Tom though!

Let it Snow!

2010-01-06T21:27:00.002-05:00

We've been having lots of fun in the snow the past few weeks and there's more on the way!

Hunter said to me on the walk back home from the park today, " I guess winter's not so bad after all!"

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-23T01:57:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone has a joy-filled holiday!

Going and going and going...

2009-12-02T22:40:00.004-05:00

It's been forever since I last posted, and I started to feel a little guilty about it. We have been very busy and having two very active 2-year-olds can really take it out of you! I pretty much always take pictures, so if I could remember to just post one photo with a line or two, I could have a post every week. There's something really De Ja Vu-ish about that last thought, like maybe I had that idea last year and it never worked. I guess I'll give it a go again.

The photo above was taken right before trick-or-treat, which is about where I left off. Hunter was Link, of course, and Olivia and Gryffin went as Steve and Blue from Blue's clues.

Tom's sister Sarah and her adorable baby Matan came to visit at the end of October. We spent the day with them on November 1st and walked to the park where I got some really nice shots of all the kids. It was a beautiful day and a really nice visit. Sarah lives in Israel and this is the first time she's visited since Matan was born last January.

It was a perfect day and the trees were very beautiful and colorful. Sarah wanted to collect some leaves to bring back to cousins in Israel who have never seen leaves change colors at all! I thought that was a great idea and Olivia was very eager to help.

This beautiful sweater was knitted by a client of mine who is very talented. She saw the pattern for this and thought it would be fun to make and wondered if Olivia would like it. Olivia calls it her rainbow and she adores it!

We also celebrated Noah's 10th birthday on November 5th. It's so hard to believe he's already 10! We had Ice cream cookie sandwiches instead of cake which has never really been Noah's favorite because he hates icing. I have to say, I prefer the ice cream cookies as well!

Olivia and Gryffin loved the Polar Bear tunnel on a recent trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo.

Over Thanksgiving break, my nephew Eli came over to hang out a bit and spent the night too. The boys played video games and had popcorn and tried to watch a movie but were just too tired to stay awake. They were very cute snuggled up together on the couch.

Thanks to Nina for these adorble new hat and mitten sets for Olivia and Gryffin. They're so cute, maybe they'll actually keep them on!

I promise to try harder at posting. I have to blame the lack of posts on facebook. Because I post so many photos there, I feel like I've done my part on keeping up to date with friends and family. I do miss the blogging aspect though.

More to come...

Happy 6th Birthday and first lost tooth Hunter!

2009-10-19T00:01:00.003-04:00

Hunter's birthday party had to be indoors this year due to inclement weather, but we still had a great time and Hunter lost his first tooth to boot! We're pretty sure he swallowed it while eating bat shaped PB&J sandwiches though because he noticed it was gone right after eating and we scoured the floor and didn't find a trace of it.

A quick game of "Hot pumpkin" before cake eating.

Hunter opening his present from his dad, a superhero video game he's been waiting for to be released for about a year now. Tom, being the trickster that he is, has been telling Hunter that the release date had been pushed back to December and that maybe he should put it on his Christmas list instead. Hunter was pleasantly surprised if you can't tell by the expression on his face!

Gryffin giving me his best mischievous face as he cheated at bobbing for apples. We had to resort to pears because my kids kept eating all the apples I bought for the party and we were only left with about eight apples for the game. Pears don't float...except for the red ones!

Blowing out the candles!

Mom mom used trick candles a few family birthdays back and Hunter has been waiting and waiting to have his turn with the trick candles. He thinks they are about the coolest thing and he's grinning from ear to ear as he watched them relight!

Thanks to Aunt Aubrey for her homemade dark chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate buttercream. Hunter's absolute favorite!

Hunter's good friend Ella and cousin Nadia reconnected for the first time in months and were super happy to see each other and play together at the party.

I always feel overwhelming anxiety when I'm about to have more than 20 people in my house, but everything turned out great and my sisters helped me so much with the preparations and clean up and didn't seem that bad at all. Thanks to everyone who made Hunter's birthday so special!

Super Mom...or at least striving to be!

2009-10-09T22:23:00.002-04:00

We have settled into a great routine for weekdays that I can't help but feel proud of. I am gone most mornings until it's time to pick up Hunter at school at 2:00 PM. We walk home together and he tells me all about his day. I love this little bit of time we have together and I can see how much he has grown in just one month of Kindergarten. None of the material is new to him as he had 3 years of preschool at Noah's Ark, but his social skills are ever increasing and he LOVES his classmates, teacher and school in general.

When we get home, mostly, the twins are still napping and Hunter gets to have a little bit of down time. He can choose either an hour of TV or an hour of video games. (yes, I let my 5-year-old play video games, some one call child services!) When Olivia and Gryffin wake up, we head over to the school playground for some energy release and to keep the peace between the kids. They never fight or pick with each other there because there are other kids to keep them busy and no toys to fight over! An added bonus is I get to interact with other mothers and actually get to have conversations that don't involve Blue's Clues, string cheese or more goldfish crackers!

We head home around 5:45, or whenever the crowd disperses. I feed the kids dinner and clean up while they play in the bath. Hunter is starting to be annoyed by the toddler bath antics and I usually have to wash the twins quickly and remove them from the bath before the bathroom becomes a small pond.

Olivia and Gryffin usually need to be in their cribs by 7:30 or the situation can get quite hairy. There is usually very little resistance if any at all. A book is read to them by either Hunter or me, brush teeth and up to bed. Again, Hunter and I get to have a few moments together to reflect on the day and read some books together before he heads up to bed.

It's usually about 8:30 PM by the time I get back downstairs for a little bit of me time. I have about 2 hours to finish cleaning up, do laundry, blog or load pictures off my camera onto the computer, read or just watch TV before Tom gets home at 10:30. The routine is working great for now and I'm not really looking forward to the cold weather and being cooped up inside. I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it...

First day of school! First day of school!

2009-09-05T22:19:00.003-04:00

Well, we've made is through the first week of Kindergarten without a hitch. Hunter seems to be adjusting well and having a great time in his new school. He's made some new friends and gets along well with his teacher, Mr. Shaffer. His only complaint so far has been that "It's a really long day, Mama!"

This is Ella. She lived next door to my mom for the first 4 and a half years of her life. She and Hunter get along quite well and we were a little sad to find out that they didn't get the same teacher. Hunter says that they "stick together" on the playground though.

He was very excited to enter the building and get to his class. Olivia and Gryffin were sad to see him off and Gryffin ended up being the only one to shed tears as we said goodbye to our Hunter Bean. He tried so hard to get back in the school. Olivia and I had to literally walk away from the school to get him to come with us!

The whole walk home both of them asked "Where Hunter go?" about 50 times. We miss our Hunter in the mornings and look forward to picking him up at 2:00. He has learning to do and people to meet and adventures to go on. He is such a sweet boy and kind brother and will be an excellent student too.

I think I'm more proud of this drawing than Hunter is but I think it is so cute! On his second day of school, they practiced writing the letter "A" and then were supposed to draw something that begins with the letter "A". This is what he drew.

Sweet boy Linky...

2009-08-27T00:07:00.008-04:00

Three weeks ago, I read my friends Sayward's blog about her dog Hagrid, who had become ill and she made the difficult decision to put him down. I cried when I read it. Two weeks ago, we took our dog Link, who seemed to be having quite a bit of trouble with his leg, to the vet. We got some very sad and quite shocking news that he had lymphoma, and probably had about a month to live, at best. I cried when when we got the news, a lot. A week ago, we were scheduled to go back to the vet to see how Link was doing. He had been prescribed some prednisone to make him more comfortable and help with the pain in his leg. It seemed to work for a few days and he had quite a bit of energy and didn't seem to have a problem walking. However, that didn't last long and he started to become more and more sick as we approached the appointment. Tom and I discussed that we would not allow him to suffer, and if the vet suggested it was time to let go, we would. It was an extremely difficult decision and I cried a lot, again. We said goodbye to our sweet Linky dog on Tuesday, August 18 at 11:30 AM. We took him to Tom's Aunt Kathie and Uncle Paul's property in New Castle and buried him in one of his favorite places to be. We miss him terribly and treasure every moment of the past seven years that he spent with us.

Looking quite regal in his old age

Looking handsome and golden in his younger years

Rides in the Wrangler were his all time favorite

Feeling quite sad as Tom left for the army...at least we had each other!

Quite possibly the cutest puppy ever!

...even when soaking wet!

One of all time favorite pictures. Maya drinking at the sink, Link drinking at the tub!

They were the best of buddies... finally together again.

Maya teasing Link by eating his food right out of the bin!

Helping newborn Hunter to drift off.

Not really sure why we're paying so much attention to that tiny human that makes so much noise.

Check out Linky's tongue sneaking a taste of Hunter.

Halloween doggy's all time favorite candy...wildberry Skittles

Winking Link

Smoking a licorice on Christmas.

How he would wake up Tom when I told him to.

Looking a bit frail and sad but still as cute as can be.

Having a moment with Gryffin.

Taking care of our babies is what he did best. That and eating used tissues!

Link, you will be forever loved and missed!

...while writing this post, I cried...a lot!

Happy 2nd Birthday Olivia and Gryffin!!

2009-08-10T19:05:00.005-04:00

Olivia and Gryffin celebrated their 2nd birthday on August 3rd. I can't believe how quickly the time seems to have gone by! We had mostly family and some friends come to celebrate with us at the house. The day was a weird one with periods of heavy rain and periods of sunny skies. A fun time was had by all!

Here is the lovely and expecting Aunt Danae with the masterpiece of a cake she created! I picked out a homemade vanilla cupcake and buttercream recipe off of the internet and Danae was kind enough to do the baking while her sister Gloria and I prepared other foods for the day. I found an adorable Very Hungry Caterpillar cake that I had my heart set on creating and Danae did an absolutely perfect job. Unfortunately, we never got to eat the cake because a light bulb broke right over where the cake was sitting. My mom quickly ran to Giant Eagle to buy some "cookie" cakes from the bakery. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit upset about it. After all, Hunter has had a homemade cake for every birthday and my sister Aubrey made homemade chocolate cupcakes for the twins first birthday. I quickly got over it and everyone seemed to like the cookie cakes just fine... disaster averted.

Olivia was very pleased with her Maclaren baby doll stroller. Gryffin covets the stroller as well and it has become the number one thing that causes arguments. Thanks to Gloria (Aunt Boo Boo) for the stroller.

Tom's Aunt Kathie made these adorable hats for Olivia and Gryffin. They are super cute on and the babies couldn't love them more! Thanks to Aunt Kathie for a beautiful and practical gift!

Olivia admiring the Hungry Caterpillar cake

Having their cookie cake on the steps

Happy boy Gryffin at their birthday lunch at Bahama Breeze

Aunt Danae and Uncle Aaron stayed with us for a week while they we waiting to close on their new house. Luckily for us it happened to be the birthday week and we had some extra sets of hands around the house for preparations and kid watching. The soon to be parents did a great job and Hunter, Olivia and Gryffin all loved them so much and were so sad to see them go! They will be great parents to their little guy and we can't wait to play with him too!

Olivia and Aunt Nae Nae playing peek-a-boo at the park

My Little Criminal

2009-07-29T23:52:00.004-04:00

It all started with this really awesome Melissa and Doug puzzle I bought for my little key loving tinkerer, Gryffin. I thought it would keep his little fingers busy for a while and away from the more dangerous situations he usually gravitates towards. I never thought it would so rapidly teach him one of the more crucial skills necessary for a life of crime.

I walked into the room to discover Gryffin working on one of his favorite pastimes, trying to open the file cabinet. He climbed up on the computer desk via the swivel chair and retrieved a key and commenced the breaking and entering. I caught him right at the moment of success.

Caught red handed buddy!

The kicker is, he didn't even use the real key for the cabinet! It was actually a bike lock key that he skillfully used.

Thanks again Melissa and Doug!

Fourth Fun!

2009-07-10T22:58:00.006-04:00

We had a really busy and fun Fourth of July weekend. We went to New Castle for fun with family, friends, food and fireworks.

It was a blast as usual. I have lots of work to do so I don't have much time for writing so enjoy the photos!

Boys and their toys

Swinging like big kids!

The best seat in the house

Olivia and the cutest pregnant lady (Aunt Danae)

Not too sure about this

Badminton, a family favorite

waiting for a turn on the tractor

pretty flowers and girl

Olivia loves horses...these belong to the neighbor

Magic says we smell funny!

Yummy flag cake(we had two!)

Tom and all of our babies including the first born, Link(our Golden retriever)

Don't worry, he's not as close as he looks.

Out with a bang!

Thomas and the Amish!

2009-06-17T21:25:00.006-04:00

Last Wednesday, we embarked on our decidedly annual trip to Lancaster to ride on Thomas the Tank Engine and go to Dutch Wonderland. We had so much fun last year, we planned on bringing the kids back this year. The 5 hour car ride is less than desirable, and we squeezed everyone(Tom and me and our 3 kids and Aubrey and her 2 kids)into our good old Saturn Relay. Needless to say, with 5 kids ages 5 and under, it seemed a lot longer than 5 hours! We survived the ride there only to squeeze our families into a two room suite. We were really trying to be thrifty and I think we succeeded.

Luckily, our incredibly charming hotel(The Historic Strasburg Inn)had this really awesome Amish built playset in the back to keep the kids occupied while we packed for each days events. The above picture of Olivia reminds me of Little House on the Prairie with the field and log cabin in the background.

Thursday had rain and thunderstorms forcasted so we planned to do a few indoor things including visiting The Choo Choo Barn. We took Hunter to this awesome miniature railroad the first time we came to ride Thomas when he was two. It is a gigantic layout of the city of Lancaster with tons of moving details. There's a baseball game, a carnival, a miniature Dutch Wonderland, an Amish Barn raising, and my personal favorite, the house on fire. So much cool stuff to look at! A little fire truck actually drives to the house that's on fire and a little fireman puts a ladder up and another guy gets the hose out and actual water gets sprayed on the house to douse the flames! This is totally amazing to watch.

There are dig sites, and gas stations and a parade going around one of the blocks in town, and of course...the trains!

Outside of the miniature village, the kids climbed around on this wooden engine.

I love how this shot floated down here, crazy blogger!

From the left is Malacai, Olivia, Gryffin, Nadia and Hunter on the gazebo swing at the hotel. It's more difficult than you think getting a photograph of the five of them!

Hunter looking cute.

Gryffin was obsessed with this monster truck ride at Dutch Wonderland. He must have ridden it about 10 times!

We had a blast in the water park called Duke's Lagoon. There are baby water slides and water shoots out everywhere!

We rented a stroller from the park because we couldn't fit ours in the van, and I knew the babies would need a nap during the day. Unfortunately, the rented stroller is nowhere near as comfy as our cadillac of a stroller and it was difficult for them to fall asleep while sitting so upright in the hard molded plastic stroller. Eventually, I found a nice peaceful trail by a river that was away from all the noise of the park and they drifted off.

All 3 of my kids sleep with their eyes partially open, it's kind of creepy.

We wrapped up our trip on Saturday with the Day out with Thomas event. It was a very beautiful but hot day and patience was wearing thin with kids and adults. Everyone was excited to ride the train and we even saw some Amish farmers with a horse drawn plow harvesting some sort of crop during the ride.

All in all, it was a great trip. Olivia and Gryffin were suffering from some sort of stomach bug and that wasn't too fun but it wasn't enough to ruin our trip and I'm sure we'll be back next year...

Practically Perfect Peonies!

2009-05-31T11:46:00.003-04:00

Olivia and Gryffin enjoy Papa's Peonies in the back yard. They smell good enough to eat. So, of course, we have to remind Olivia not to!

Memorial Day... and most of May

2009-05-28T22:44:00.009-04:00

We've had a very busy month, jam packed full of lots of milestones and memories. We started off with a traditional Mother's day celebration at our house put together by my wonderful husband and Uncle Kurt. This is the fourth year that they have pampered all of the mothers in the family(Tom's side and mine)with a wonderful brunch including quiche, fruit salad, pancakes, sausages and lots more. It was a fabulous time for all the lovely mothers in the family(12 mothers were in attendance).

My mom and her two sisters

The Monday after Mother's day just happened to be Tom's 30th birthday. So, while Tom napped after all his hard work on the brunch, my mom helped me put together a surprise party for him at her house. The above picture is his arrival at the party, thinking we were just going over for dinner to my mom's like we do every Sunday. All of his sibling and mine were there and he was truly surprised. Needless to say, this fun-filled day wrapped up with an early bedtime for all.

Tom and his sisters and brother and Hunter pause for a picture before the DQ ice cream cake

Gryffin reminds me so much of Hunter at this age with those big blue eyes!

I love this picture of Hunter...such a big boy now

Izaya recently went to her friends Bat Mitzvah and Emily wanted some pictures of her dressed for the occasion. All I can think of is, Wow I wish I looked like that at 13! Isn't that supposed to be the awkward phase. There's nothing awkward about this 5'7" beautiful girl!

Last Sunday, my mom and Brian came over with all kinds of tools and a big box of contractor bags to do an Emergency Landscaping at my house. It's a really huge yard and a really huge job that is going to take several weekends to complete. This is a rather daunting job, and I am extremely grateful for their help. I can't wait until we are finished and we can enjoy the backyard fully for the first time since we moved in!

Even Gryffin helped out with the little wheel barrow that my mom brought.

While raking some debris, I found this little guy. Olivia just loved him and was sad when I let him free. She called after "foggy" and nearly pitched a fit when he disappeared into the hillside.

On to the Memorial day parade and picnic. We set up camp right on the curb at the end of Pryor way. The twins were absolutely thrilled at the candy throwing. It was just the best thing ever!

More candy, please Mama!

Noah and Hunter got to actually be in the parade for QVRA. All the baseball and T-ball players were allowed to march in the parade if they wanted too. Noah is in the middle, holding the sign.

Hunter didn't so much march as ride on his dad's shoulders. It was a very hot and sunny day, and we Scotch-Irish folk are ill-equipped for the sun and heat. As soon as the boys got to us, they hopped out of the parade and joined us on the curb to enjoy the rest of the parade.

We headed back to my mom's house for a picnic and some fun with the sprinkler and water balloons. Olivia wanted so desperately to hang with the big kids and tried several times to climb up into the tree house(unsuccessfully). She settled for the bench instead.

We hooked up the sprinkler to the hose and let all of the kids cool off in the street. My mom lives on one of the few remaining brick streets in Sewickley which is scheduled to be paved later this summer after some sewer work is complete. It will be a sad day, and I've been taking lots of pictures of the kids playing in the street. I hate for McCready way to lose it's charm, and gain some unsightly potholes this winter!

Trying to cool off!

Running on McCready Way and splashing in the puddles! Gryffin carried around a corn-on-the-cob and dunked it in the puddles and continued to nibble on it...priceless!

Lastly, our little Hunter graduated from Pre-school on Tuesday and is now officially a Kindergartner! His class, along with Noah's Ark I and II had a performance at the ice cream social and Hunter practiced his line and Spanish songs with me all week long. He did a great job with his part. "A rainbow reminds us of God's promise not to flood the whole earth again" and remembered all the other Bible verses and songs. We are so proud of our little guy!

Hunter receiving his "diploma" from Miss Morgan, one of his teachers this year.

Olivia especially loved the bagpipers and danced her little heart out with each passing group. Here is a little clip from the last set of bagpipers in the parade.

Boys of Summer...and a girl too!

2009-04-24T15:03:00.004-04:00

Hunter started his first year of T-Ball a few weeks ago and I thought I would share a few photos from his first game. He really seems to enjoy playing the game(unlike soccer)and especially loves the uniform. I had a hard time getting the shirt off of him to be washed. Watching five-year-old kids play any kind of team sport is always entertaining but I have found T-ball to be ridiculously cute.

At the end of the inning, which is after everyone on the team has had a chance at bat, the last batter gets to run around the bases as if they had hit a homerun. This is Hunter's favorite part of the game. Look at that big grin as he runs toward home!

This is Hunter and his best friend from school, Max P. There are three boys named Max in Hunter's pre-school class this year. I find it hilarious that Hunter always refers to him as Max P. even though he's the only Max that Hunter hangs out with outside of school. It's been really fun to watch their friendship throughout the year. Sadly, Max P. will be going to Osborne and Hunter will go to Edgeworth for Kindergarten.

I hope Hunter sticks with T-Ball and continues on with baseball. It was always my favorite sport to play and it's something I can teach him and play with him.

Gryffin and Olivia both enjoy watching their big brother play, but prefer the playground next to the ball field. I've been having lots of fun getting to know my new camera and try to take at least a few pictures every day. I am going to be posting a few of my favorites from so far this spring so stay tuned.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T23:04:00.004-04:00

We started the weekend off right with an Easter egg hunt at War Memorial Park on Saturday morning followed by egg dyeing and cookie decorating at my mom's house. Olivia and Gryffin weren't really sure what the egg hunt was about until they discovered what was in those colorful eggs...chocolate!

They soon became quick comrades on their hunt, and then the ever so tricky task of peeling the foil from the chocolate. Olivia quickly became impatient with the unwrapping and ate hers wrapper and all shoving as many as could fit in her little mouth at once. All while Gryffin slowly and meticulously peeled the foil from his chocolate and savored every bite of his miniature peanut butter cup. This is an accurate example of how these two little characters eat on a daily basis.

Hunter and I went back to my mom's house to dye some eggs and decorate sugar cookies while Tom took the twins home for a nap. Hunter did a great job with both activities and had a nice time doing something artistic and creative without Olivia and Gryffin getting into everything and bothering him.

Sunday afternoon, before dinner, there was another egg hunt at my mom's house. Now seasoned pros, Olivia, Gryffin and Hunter made quick work of searching out the eggs with the help of all the cousins.

Hunter is such a great big brother and designated himself Gryffin's "hunting helper" in the back yard garden. Both my little guys looked so handsome in their Easter outfits. Olivia, of course, had to wear her favorite Matilda Jane knot dress. Even though all three kids consumed way too much sugar, we escaped the day without any major episodes and all three of my angels were asleep by 8:30. I think Tom and I are getting the hang of this parenting gig...

Success!

2009-04-07T00:24:00.003-04:00

After 2 weeks of persistence and determination, Hunter has mastered the art of blowing a bubble... and Olivia has mastered the art of pulling the gum out of Hunter's mouth while said bubble is being blown.

The Lowen Sisters Six

2009-04-02T22:10:00.003-04:00

My dad, his wife Wendy, and their daughter Abby(my youngest sister) visited from Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago and we got all the Lowen sisters together at The Spaghetti Warehouse in the Strip District for dinner.

It was a little crazy considering we were a party of 17, but it was a good time and it was great to get all the sisters together.

Emily and her oldest Izaya (who's 13!)

Aubrey's the oldest at 33, followed by me and then Emily. Daughters four and five are twins Claire and Nora. I can't believe they're already 15!

And daughter number six is Abby who is just a year older than Emily's youngest, Eli with whom she's pictured here. I'm glad they got a chance to visit. We don't get to see them that often and it's usually only for a short period of time. We were hoping to make the trip to Minnesota this summer but traveling far with the twins is still a little tricky. Maybe next summer...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T20:47:00.004-04:00

We had a great weekend starting off with playing at the Hunter Gym on Friday night with Aubrey, Nadia and Cai. Olivia and Gryffin were still recovering from a nasty stomach virus that apparently swept the nation so they didn't have nearly as much fun as they usually do. It was nice to get out of the house after about a week of being quarantined.

Saturday morning we packed up the kids and dog and headed up to New Castle for some birthday and St. Patrick's Day fun. It was a beautiful weekend with a nice feel of a much anticipated spring air. The kids played outside and so did the adults.

Tom's sister, niece and uncle all have March birthday's that are celebrated together with his Irish family's St. Patrick's day celebration. It is a fun tradition that I am happy to have been a part of for the past nine years.

Gryffin is my little fix it guy and loves to help out with everything. He picked up this giant wrench to help fix the hot tub and actually carried it around.

Tom's sister Danae couldn't make it so Emily and Uncle Paul were the remaining birthday crew. Every year my pictures of the day look similar with the exception of a very fast growing little girl. I can't believe Emily is already eight-years-old! Kids change and grow way too fast.

My sweet little Livie in her favorite dress. She actually made me take off her green shirt so she could wear it even though she wore it the day before. I don't know where she gets it from but this little girl loves her clothes and shoes.

Hunter actually made it in to the hot tub this time and so did I for the first time in over two years! I forgot how relaxing it really is.

The kids got to icing the birthday cake and took full advantage of the opportunity to lick the icing spreaders.

The kids use this tree as a clubhouse and it makes a really great place to take photos too.

Even with their age difference, there is a good connection between Emily and Olivia. Emily can't wait to put makeup on her and do her nails and show her the ropes of being a sweet little girl.

We love Laurie Berkner!

2009-03-09T00:27:00.009-04:00

Hunter has LOVED Laurie Berkner since he was about two. For those of you who don't watch Noggin, she is a really great singer of super cute and creative kids songs. We drove to New Jersey to see her in concert when Hunter was three. It was a very long drive and the concert was somewhat of a let down to Hunter because our seats were so far away, and Hunter couldn't see anything because he was in desperate need of glasses but we hadn't figured it out yet. So, when we found out she was playing in Cleveland (only a two hour drive from Pittsburgh), we decided we had to go.

I packed us a lunch and plenty of snacks for the ride to and from and we headed out on our adventure. We picked up Nadia (Aubrey and Cai had to stay home due to a nasty stomach flu that we are now suffering from) and my brother Noah who benefitted from Aubrey's extra ticket. The ride there was a breeze thanks to Wall-E in the DVD player.

The kids had a blast singing and dancing and climbing on and off the chairs. It was a really great show and Laurie played all of our favorites. Olivia and Gryffin were tired from not having had a nap but still managed to enjoy themselves thoroughly.

Nadia danced her little heart out and had a great time just hanging out and being silly with Hunter.

This is Nadia's third time to see The Laurie Berkner Band live, although the first time was in New Jersey and she was too young to remember. Hunter asked constantly when we could go to another Laurie Berkner concert. It looks like we have a couple of groupies on our hands.

Hunter decided our seats were less than desirable and asked if we could move up for a closer look. I took him and Nadia up to the front row so they could be right where the action was and they just stood in awe. It was so cute. Hunter was excited beyond belief and actually thought Laurie was talking directly to him when she was addressing the audience. Just the thought of this brings a smile to my face. Oh, the wonder of a five-year-old.

Tom took this photo less then five minutes after we left for the drive home to Pittsburgh. Three of five children are asleep, and Noah would have been too if Hunter wasn't still buzzing with energy from the show and talking his ear off. All in all it was a grand time, even if the ride home was really, really long.

Way to go Steelers!

2009-02-02T17:00:00.006-05:00

We packed up the kiddos and headed to Tom's Aunt Kathie's house for a Super Bowl Party. We had a great time with great food, family and a great football game too! Aunt Kathie really knows how to throw a party! We even converted Tom and Hunter to mega Steeler fans.

Here's a shot of the women of the family all decked out in their Black and Gold and ready to cheer their hearts out.

Olivia enjoys all of Aunt Kathie's homemade goodies, starting off with the coconut and chocolate layer bars.

Gryffin's just happy to be somewhere other than our playroom.

Nate and Hunter play a little ping pong as their own pre-game show.

Olivia and Gryffin have been fans of the pool table since last year at the St. Patrick's Day Celebration and March Birthday parties we have every year at Aunt Kathie's house. These are pictures from yesterday and then a couple from last March. It's so interesting to see how the twins have changed and grown during the past year. They still love the pool table as much as they did then.

They played their own version of pool where Olivia put all the balls in the pockets, then Gryffin took them all out. It was endless fun. That is, until they began to throw the balls off of the table, then the game was over.

Gryffin was ultra pleased with himself for taking the balls out faster than Olivia could put them back in...which in turn irritated her...which is every little brother's ultimate goal. Mission accomplished, Gryff.

Here they are upon the pool table last March. They look so different to me. They already had a lot of personality to them here at 7 months but now, they are truly their own little people.

Back to the Super Bowl Party and it's half time 3-D Commercials. This was the only part of the game the kids really watched. Notice Tom as one of the kids in the back.

Here's my favorite post win celebratory group hug shot of Tom, three of his sisters and his nephew. It might look like they've had too much to drink, but really they are just thrilled at the nile-biting victory of the Steelers. Did I mention that none of these people are originally from Pittsburgh? See how infectious the enthusiasm of Steeler Nation is!

I'll turn Tom into a full- fledged Steeler fan before long.

Share...Share...Share...

2009-01-27T05:18:00.004-05:00

Teaching a toddler to share has got to be one of the most challenging tasks as a parent. It's in their nature to be selfish, and it's a hard pattern to break. We are trying our best here in the Hoose household and I think we're getting through...somewhat.
I have to mention, yet again, the favorite show around the house, Yo Gabba Gabba. Sure, the host may be a little different looking, but we don't judge a book by it's cover, right? The messages are good and valuable to a toddler and come with catchy repetitive tunes that really stick into a kids head, or a mom's. For example, Olivia and Gryffin can both say the word share, and they know what it means to share. The sharing song on Yo Gabba Gabba just happens to be one of their favorites. Here are the lyrics: I love to share. I love to share. It's more fun to share. It's more fun to share. Sharing with my friends is fun. Sharing with my friends is fun. Share, share, share, share... and repeat about 1000 times! Seems kind of remedial and irritating, but I even hear Tom and Hunter sing it around the house so at least I know we're all being brainwashed into sharing our things and food. Most of the photos are evidence of recent sharing that has taken place.

Olivia "shared" the favorite gardening clogs with Gryffin who was more interested in teething on a leather belt.

Gryffin sharing his yogurt with Olivia

And he's very thrilled about it too!

Olivia sharing the yogurt on her hands with Link

See how happy sharing makes Olivia!

We love to share!

Other happy news in Sewickley:

My cousin Dana had her first baby boy on Saturday. I went to see them at the hospital on Sunday and everyone is doing fine despite the 3-week-early delivery. His name is Nori James and he is super sweet!

Lost and Found

2009-01-17T10:53:00.005-05:00

My camera was lost for the entire month of December, so we're making up for lost time here and I'm going to post a bunch of pictures. This is one of our "Friday Nights" with Aubrey and her kids, Nadia and Cai.

My 16-year-old cat Mozart, more commonly referred to as "Bubba" researching recipes on the Macbook.

This is one of the few pictures I actually took in December before the camera was lost. We put up our tree quite early this year, and our tradition is for Hunter to put on the star. This year, Hunter did not want to do it. He was scared of being so high up and despite what it looks like in the picture, he's screaming and terrified. He got over it pretty quickly though.

My little girl and me hanging out before bed, and yes, I have another binky kid!

The other day, we gave the babies marshmallows for the first time. Obviously, they were a huge hit and have now become a bribing standard. We quickly realized that they were ready to graduate to the jet-puffed variety and the look of joy on their faces was priceless. When Hunter was about two, he got his first marshmallow. He proceeded to ask for "Marsh-pillows",I loved the word so much, I wouldn't correct him or pronounce it properly. We still refer to them as marsh-pillows to this day even though Hunter has learned better.

Olivia definitely takes after her father when it comes to food. She's a bottomless pitt and she shoves things completely in her mouth instead of taking manageable bites.

Gryffin found the old Bumbo in my bedroom because I'm getting ready to sell it.(Don't worry, it's the newer kind manufactured after the recall which has a lovely safety label printed on the side reminding you not to put it on a high surface and leave your child unattended...duh.) He dragged it out into the living room to use as a chair for watching their favorite Yo Gabba Gabba. Olivia thought that it looked neat and she wanted it as a TV chair too, so the struggle commenced. In the end, Gryffin was victorious by shear brute force.(he outweighs her by 2.5 pounds)

Victory is so so sweet!

Olivia pretty much dances during the whole show, so the seat wouldn't have worked for her anyway.

This is Olivia discovering that I used electrical tape to affix her baby Lee Lee's hat on. She was not pleased and promptly ripped it off.

The brave dog Link, dutifully taking his daily dose of toddler abuse...I mean love.

Here is a sweet, albeit rare moment of cooperation and harmony during playtime.

My sword weilding boys fighting dragons and ogres on the castle

Hunter insisted on a perfect midair shot of him jumping off the castle and attacking...it took about 20 tries to get what he considered to be acceptable...sometimes I curse the digital camera and it's instant view capabilities!

Happy New Year!

November Notables...

2008-12-09T10:40:00.005-05:00

Having popcorn and watching The Polar Express

Olivia discovering that she likes candy and fairy wings

Hunter discovering he doesn't like the hot tub

Friday nights at the YMCA

Move over Nastia Lukin., here comes Olivia Hoose!

Hopping Hunter

Loving Hula Hoops

Mee too!

Go Big Blue!

Giving Hunter kisses

Giving Livie tickles

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T18:10:00.002-04:00

Here's the crew just before Trick-or-Treat time. In Edgeworth, it was Thursday night.

Your friendly neighborhood Nintendo characters are Noah as Luigi, Eli as Mario, and Hunter as Link. All these costumes were coutersey of my Mom.

Gryffin was a little disgrunteled about his costume at this point.

Olivia was pretty happy with her costume.

Olivia, Gryffin and Cai were becoming a little impatient at waiting in the wagon while Hunter and Nadia cashed in on the candy.

Falling Back...

2008-10-30T14:22:00.004-04:00

I've decided myself to be a considerably bad blogger. I've always been a procrastinator of sorts but managed to get the job done. Even up until now, I haven't been all that bad at updating my posts. Then it dawned on me that I have two newly vertical and extremely curious toddlers. Yep, that's it. My last blog occured two days after the twins had started walking and it took me three days to finish it and post it. I take so many pictures and want to share them with everyone but I'll just have to keep the writing short and the pictures plentiful.

We've had so much fun in our yard this summer and early fall that I hate to see the weather turn. Olivia and Gryffin always fight over the blue van (it's always been Hunter's favorite car too) and I caught them in a rare moment of sharing the coveted car. It didn't last long though, Gryffin promptly pushed Olivia out the door so he could be on his merry way. Our litttle Gryffin happens to be a B-I-T-E-R! The above picture was a tender moment turned sour immediately after the picture was snapped. Gryffin took a mighty chomp out of poor Hunter's cheek and crying ensued.

Olivia's only thoughts during this photo are... Don't even think of taking my apple Hunter, I found it fair and square! Our neighbor has an apple tree and we've been enjoying the tart (better for pie) apples the last few weeks. Livie and Gryff have quite a few teeth and are both currently cutting all their canines(ouch!) They are fourteen months old and at this point Hunter was just cutting his first tooth!

Hunter dressed up for "Elegant Day" at Noah's Ark.

Peek-a-boo Olivia! I love it when they play together nicely. It's so much more common for them to fight over everything.

Hunter was a real hat baby. He had a hat for every occasion and he loved to wear them. I finally got one on Gryffin and the only reason he kept it on is because I distacted him right after I put it on him.

Tom's Aunt Kathie had her annual Pumpkin Carving Party this past weekend and we all had a blast. She lives in New Castle, PA about 45 minutes from Sewickley in a real country sort of setting. It's beautiful, especially this time of year. The kids had a blast playing in the leaves and getting rides in the wagon and on the tractor. They also really love the neighbors' horses. The rest of the pictures are from that day. You'll see a picture of Hunter in his costume that my mom made for his 5th birthday which was October 17th. Sadly, I couldn't find my camera before the party started and since it was at a park a few miles from our house I didn't get to take any pictures at his party. We took some video though and hopefully I can figure out how to retrieve the still shots I took with our video camera. He is currently obsessed with The Ledgend of Zelda games and his costume is Link, the hero.

Olivia's so big!

Gryffin hanging out in the leaves

Here, have a leaf mama.

Big piles of leaves are so fun!

Hunter in his awesome "Link" costume courtesy of "Nina"

Hunter and Daddy having fun with pumpkin seeds.

Hanging out in jammies with the best teether ever, the Tylenol bottle.

End of Summer Blues...

2008-09-13T11:00:00.010-04:00

We have had quite a run this summer and in a way I am happy for it to end. After all, autumn is by far my favorite season and I'm really looking forward to enjoying the weather and taking some great photographs. I still can't help but feel a little blue at the closing of our carefree summer existence. I'll have to remember for next year to not let the staying up late get out of hand. It's really hard to convert a nearly five-year-old from 10:30 PM bedtime back to the school bedtime of 8:30. Hunter is thoroughly enjoying his third year of Noah's Ark(pre-K). He missed the cutoff for kindergarten by about two weeks.

These are just a few of my favorite pictures from this summer. We didn't travel far from home this summer for obvious reasons. We only made it to the pool a handful of times which both babies loved but was a lot for me to handle. Mostly, we filled our pool at home and played in the yard or parks within walking distance to our house.

Gryffin wants so badly to ride Hunter's bike. He tries to climb on it every chance he gets. He is a get into everything kind of kid. Tom and I have no real experience with this since Hunter was so obedient as an infant. If we told Hunter no, he backed off. When we tell Gryffin no, he gets this devious little smile on his face and proceeds with the banned activity. Olivia pretty much does the same as Gryffin so it's doubly hard to keep up.

Olivia and Gryffin are now both walking almost full time. It happened within about a week of each other. Gryffin has been cruising like a pro since July but just wouldn't let go and take that first step that starts it all. When he finally did, Olivia had been getting pretty steady on her feet and followed suit within a week. I'm really proud of her because of all this PT we've done has really paid off. She and I have worked really hard to keep her on track. Although she never preferred to crawl, she could do it and that's what really set her up well for the walking. I expect her to be discharged from PT within the next few weeks which will be a huge relief. It has been a bit taxing on us.

I'm not sure how Tom coerced Hunter into standing next to Kenny at Kennywood because Hunter has alway been terrified of people dressed up in costumes like this but it's a really cute photo.

According to Hunter, it's not summer without cotton candy at Kennywood!

What a handsome looking Amish Family! In June, we went to Dutch Wonderland while in Lancaster for the Day Out With Thomas event. It turned out to be a really great amusement park for younger kids and we are definitely planning a return trip for next year. Hunter got to return to Lancaster over Labor Day weekend with Tom's family to visit with some of Tom's Aunt Kathie's Menonite friends. They have a huge farm with thousands of chickens and various other animals. Hunter really enjoyed it and got a taste of what it would be like to live without electricity, cars, and his precious video games. He told me upon his return home that "Those people have a really different kind of life, mama!"

Nothing like a long day at the zoo to tire out some babies.

This summer, two baby girl elephants were born at the zoo, so naturally we had to go check them out. They are adorable and Hunter, Olivia, and Gryffin were almost as enthralled as I was at the sight of them. I can really relate to the mother here because this little baby would not leave her mom alone, she just constantly wanted to nurse. She followed her around the newly built elephant house and I cringed at the sight of her weaving in and out of the giant adult elephant legs to get to her mama.

On most days, my back yard looks like a daycare. We have a ridiculous amount of cars and playhouses and even a kiddie rollercoaster. Not to mention my three kids, Aubrey's two and my little brother Noah who joins us every Saturday afternoon while Brian is at racquetball. To some it may seem like pure chaos, but to us it's just home.

Hunter started his first year of soccer a few weeks ago. I'm not trying to fill up his schedule and have him be involved in every activity out there, the kid really just needs to get out more. A couple of boys that are in his preschool class also attend soccer, so I'm hoping he'll make some connections. That and I love soccer and I'm hoping to pass the love of athletics on to my son.

At last we've reached the end of summer and this lengthy post with my favorite picture of the entire season. Hunter almost always has a bowl of cereal as a bedtime snack. On this particular night, I let him eat it on the couch and watch an episode of our favorite, Avatar. I didn't even notice that he was asleep until I heard the closing music and looked up to tell him to brush his teeth. He was dangerously close to spilling the bowl, but I had to grab my camera and take the picture anyway. There's nothing sweeter or cuter than a sleeping kid.

I'm it...

2008-08-30T17:06:00.003-04:00

So, I've been tagged. The easy part for me will be listing the six quirks about me. I love lists with a passion. In fact, it happens to be one of my quirks that is the same as my "tagger", Emily. The hard part will be chosing three people to tag because other than Sayward(who tagged Emily) and Emily(who tagged me) and my non-blogging family, I don't know of anyone else who reads my blog. I'll do my best, here goes...

1. I love lists with a passion. (I believe I mentioned this) I guess the quirky part of my list obsession is that they can only be written on 3"x 5" index cards. If I need to make a list and I haven't brought any index cards with me(rarely ever happens), I will transfer the list to an index card once I'm at home.

2. I cringe when I hear a parent tell their kid(s) "shut up". I have always hated the phrase and avoid it at all costs. It's different when said to a peer. I don't mind it as much. It's really only when a parent says it to their child that I despise. If I hear you saying it to your kid, it will make me think less of you!

3.I don't like any condiments. No ketchup, mustard, mayonaise, relish, end of story.

4. I've read the entire Harry Potter series three times and secretly wish to be a student at Hogwarts.

5.I take my coffee very seriously. I drink it from the same mug everyday. The sugar goes in first , then coffee, then cream. No other order is acceptable.

6.I love the PBS kids show "Arthur". If you're wondering where I am at 4PM M-F, I'm probably at my house watching Arthur. If for some reason I can't be there to watch, there's no worries... it's my #1 series recording on my DVR, I just watch it when I get home. Hunter's finally old enough now that he likes to watch it too, but nowhere near as much as me.

Here comes the hard part...The only other blogger I know of that reads my blog is Wendy. I tag you Wendy, and if anyne else reads this blog I tag you too, provided that you haven't already been tagged.

Bye Bye Binky...

2008-08-27T08:38:00.005-04:00

Tom and Hunter reading books before bed in December '05

Hunter has had a love/hate relationship with his pacifier since he was four-months-old. It brought him comfort and peace at the price of falling asleep. I thought that at about two, he would give it up for some sort of favorite stuffed animal, but that never happened, so we made the rule of binky in bed only.

Hunter and Nadia on one of our "Friday nights" December '07

Hunter was never a binky addict where he wanted it during playtime or even out of the house. For example, when my niece Nadia falls down and gets hurt, she cries out"Binky!". There's a binky addict for you. However, Hunter had a very difficult time falling asleep without it. That is until about 2 weeks ago.

Hunter Christmas Eve December '07

I am pleased to say that our nearly five-year-old son is no longer a slave to that silicone sucking device he so lovingly referred to as his "B". I don't know why it was so important to me to be rid of it, other than the fact that it will cost me thousands of dollars worth of orthadontics in the near future. Sucking is a basic human need. For some, the need is more intense and lasts for a few years longer than others. He really has been ready for a while now and really wanted to stop using it, but just couldn't seem to give it up. Alas, his will is stronger than his desire and for that I am proud of him.

Olivia and Hunter before an afternoon nap September '07

According to Hunter, it has been "13 nights without my B". I wonder how long he'll keep count...

Happy Birthday Olivia Luna and Gryffin Leo!

2008-08-05T22:58:00.005-04:00

Olivia and Gryffin thoroughly enjoyed their first birthday party this past Sunday at Walker park with all of our family. It is a great spot for a party and the weather was awesome. It wasn't too hot or humid as it usually is in August. I've been bored with the standard picnic food for a while now so we had the party a little early and served coffee, bagels and cream cheese,sausages and a make-your-own-fruit, yogurt and granola parfait bar. Aunt Aubrey made her famous homemade chocolate cupcakes as well. Everyone had a great time and it was a little more relaxing for me than most of the parties I've thrown in the past.

Here's Olivia looking adoringly at her daddy for sneaking her cupcake number one before we even sang Happy Birthday.

Gryffin wasn't really sure what to think of the cupcakes. He didn't eat very much of it.

Olivia after cupcake number two looks over sugared and over tired. She ate both cupcakes entirely. Her appetite is insatiable!

Hunter, my little brother Noah, and my niece Nadia were the only kids at the party. My sister Emily's three kids are visiting their grandparents in North Carolina right now so they missed the fun time in the creek.

As usual, it was impossible to pry Hunter from the creek for anything. He would live there if he could.

Gryffin and Olivia both took well to present time. It tends to get overwhelming for most but they were pleased with their new things and played with them all afternoon.

Olivia was particularly fond of this cute little puppet from Aunt Danae.

What a cute little present!

Gryffin would have been happy with just a box full of plasticware.

Neat and tidy Gryff...messy and chocolatey Livie

Let's go home and take a nap, Daddy!

Countdown to one!

2008-07-17T23:09:00.006-04:00

It's so hard to believe Gryffin and Olivia are nearly one! Just a few short weeks and I will have officially survived a year with twin babies plus a four-year-old. I have to be honest though, it has been easier than I expected but not easy by any means. They each have their own unique personality that somehow mesh together perfectly. I hope it stays that way for a while though, before the sibling battles begin.

Olivia has a very unique way of getting around and if I can figure out how to get my video files onto my computer,I will post a video of it. She scoots around everywhere on her bum using her heels as her method of propulsion. It is hilarious to watch and an effective method of travel. The only problem is her physical therapist doesn't want her to scoot around anymore so she can learn to crawl. Her torticollis is almost completely gone. As you can see in the photo above, her neck shows almost no tilt.

Her other new favorite thing to do is point at everything and everyone. If your from Pittsburgh, you'll know who the attorney Edgar Snyder is. You know the guy in the commercials that says "There's never a fee unless we get money for you!" and then fiercely points into the camera. Her pointing and face is strangely reminicient of him. It makes us laugh, especially when she points and tells her brothers No! She is quite the bossy boots.Gryffin has finally found his taste for solid foods. Although he prefers to eat paper or whatever else he finds on the ground, he is definitely a meat eater. Nadia and Hunter had soft tacos outside at the picnic table and Gryffin crawled under the table and found part of a taco in the dirt. He proceeded to shove the whole thing in his mouth and then continued to eat the dirt as well.Don't worry, we don't use chemicals or pesticides on our lawn. I figure I'm not going to be able to prevent both babies from eating things off of the ground, so there's no reason to freak out about it. I also use the rationale that they don't get exposed to other babies at a daycare so it helps to build their immunity as well.I'm not really sure where the Mardi Gras beads came from, I think they are Nadia's, but Gryffin thought he was pretty cool wearing them and eating ground tacos!Hunter is lost without his school buddies. He misses his teachers and friends and has become quite bored with summer. We don't get to the pool too often because frankly it's just too much work with the twins. Hunter doesn't swim yet, so I really still need to watch him closely. I just can't fully trust the teenage lifeguards with my son't life yet. Some of them even listen to their ipods while guarding the pool! Hunter has a great time hanging out with his cousins, so we try to visit as much as possible. Hunter and Nate are two very different little boys but are still great friends.We had some really great swinging fun in the back yard the other day. The temperatures have been really high and the humidity just kills me but the trees in the yard provide enough shade to really make it tolerable, at least for a little while.

Gryffin is a platinum member of the diapers only club.

My little Olive is my main thrill seeker who would swing all day everyday if she could. She spent a majority of her time as an infant in a cradle swing.

Happy 1st Birthday Cai! Happy 10th Ayonna!

2008-06-29T09:46:00.007-04:00

I can't belive how quickly this year has gone by for us! My niece Ayonna (Emily's middle child) has just turned ten, and Aubrey's baby Malacai has just turned one! That means my babies are almost one! It's so hard to believe how quickly they grow, even though I watch it happen right before my eyes.

Ayonna, Eli and Noah are all into the Webkinz craze. Yonnie got a few for her birthday and some clothes for them. If you don't have kids or just don't know, they are these stuffed animals that come with a code that you enter on an internet site in order to virtually "care" for your animal. If you fail to feed or nuture your online friend they will eventually die but at least you still have the stuffed animal to play with. It does help them learn about responsibility, however, I'm not sure I like the idea of kids sitting at the computer during summer.

Cai's party was a blast. The event was held at Walker Park which happens to be right on Little Sewickley Creek, one of Hunter's favorite places to play. The kids built quite the impressive dam, and worked hard at it all day. The picture is of Hunter sifting through the sediment to find fossils and Ella, a neighbor and good friend of Hunter's, perfecting the wall. Sadly, I'm sure all the flash flooding we've had this past week washed all their hard work away but they had a great time building it. Here's a glimpse of what Gryffin might look like with beautiful curly brown hair, like Izaya's. She adores her baby cousins and they her. Have you ever seen a more beautiful, nurturing twelve-year-old? She's the first grandchild of eight, my sister Emily's oldest, and if you even mention to my mom "thirteen" she says it's not going to happen, and she's not allowed to become a teenager. I say she can become whatever it is she wants to be, but she's not getting out of being a teenager. I'm just glad I still have about eight more years before I have of of those...

We Love Thomas the Tank Engine...and the Amish!

2008-06-21T00:02:00.010-04:00

When Hunter was two, he had a toddler obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine. For Christmas, we took him to the Strasburg railroad for the Day Out With Thomas event where you get to ride on a train pulled by Thomas. It was awesome and Hunter loved it thoroughly. Though his obsession dwindled, he never stopped talking about the ride and continually asked if we could go back. We finally got up enough nerve to take a four hour drive with two infants in tow and invited my sister, Aubrey and her kids and my mom and little brother. It was a ton of fun and we also made it to a quaint little amusement park called Dutch Wonderland. It's geared toward younger kids, and since they're what we have plenty of, it was perfect for us.

We stopped for a picnic lunch on the way there and let the kids run off some energy in a field at the rest area. Lined up are: My little brother Noah, My sister Emily's youngest Eli, Hunter, and Aubrey's two kids Nadia and Malacai. The twins don't stand on their own yet and were chowing down on turkey sandwiches and goldfish crackers just to the left. Our kids are extremely fair skinned and Tom noted that Hunter looks like the cream of an Oreo cookie.

Here's the whole crew(minus my mom and me) waiting for Thomas to pull into the station. We missed our scheduled train, but there were no worries, they just put us on the next one. This is a very popular event and it was extremely crowded. We had perfect weather, and all the kids were really well behaved and patient. I recommend this to anyone who has a Thomas lover. It is a really fun time with lots of other activities besides the train ride.

Gryffin claps for Thomas as he pulls into the station. Olivia mastered clapping quite a while ago, but it is a new skill for Gryffin. He couldn't be more pleased with himself. It's the cutest.

Olivia's first Carousel ride was awesome! She loved every minute of it and screeched and squealed with delight. I think we've got a real thrill seeker on our hands which will be quite a change from the ever so cautious Hunter.

My mom with her three newest grandchildren. It was the end of the day and everyone was ready to go home. We had a great time in Lancaster and the kids got a kick out of the Horse and buggies(equipped with turn signals) driving around. Next time, we'll plan to stay a little longer and bring a babysitter for the kids so we can see some of the more historical sights and Amish farms with homemade root beer(yummy).

Aubrey, Nadia and Cai at Dutch Wonderland

My little Olive on the Train

Mama and Hunter on the train

Playing on the tracks after our ride on Thomas

Turning 30 and loving life...

2008-06-07T22:55:00.013-04:00

This past week our dog Link turned six, the twins turned ten months and I turned 30! I feel a sense of empowerment as I enter my third decade of life as if it's going to be the best decade of my life! Hunter, Olivia and Gryffin are all full of such unique personality and it is a wonderful honor to be their mama. They will keep me young no matter how old I grow.

I had give up on growing Olivia's bangs long with the rest of her hair and cut her a cute little girl haircut. She looks adorable but less and less like a baby.

It somehow always amazes me how much Hunter loves his babies. He is such a loving and caring little guy and an awesome big brother. He loves to wrestle with Gryffin and tickle Olivia(who's very ticklish).

Hunter has a constant battle to keep his glasses on. Both Gryffin and Olivia are really quick and grab at them anytime he's close enough. They are relentless little buggers!

Just having some fun in jammies on a warm summer morning.

Gryffin looks on in disbelief as his big brother charges him four dollars a gallon. Gryffin thought that buying a foot powered truck would keep costs down, only to be ripped off by his own brother! Get used to it Gryff, that's what big brothers do to unassuming little brothers and sisters!

Alright, alright, I admit it, I love pictures of crying babies!

And last but not least, my first baby who's now six! Happy birthday Linky!

Raining on our parade...

2008-05-30T02:33:00.005-04:00

The weather for the Memorial day parade was overall good but it did rain for a few minutes. This was the first parade for the twins and they liked the bands and my favorites, the bagpipers. Olivia clapped for everyone, even the State Representatives.

This is probably my favorite parade photo opportunity, kids lined up on the curb eagerly waiting tootsie rolls to be chucked at them. Thankfully, they've really cut back on candy at parades. I've always thought it was really cruel to the parents to get the kids sugared up at 10:00A.M. on a holiday that most people spend at someone elses house for an afternoon picnic, just as your kid is crashing from the sugar high.(never a pretty situation)

Hunter has never really been much of a dancer. He does, on occasion, do silly dances and he really loves music. Hunter and the babies really like this goofy, semi-creepy but good message type show called Yo Gabba Gabba. There are these intermitten blips of kids dancing throughout the show. The kids say my name is so and so and I like to dance. Hunter( an extremely rational child) says "The only thing these kids like to do is dance, that gets boring after a while." The above picture is Hunter refusing to dance to the bagpipers.

This is one of my favorites of the day. Hunter and Tom are both wearing Tom's Army issued hats, watching hummers and jeeps full of soldiers roll by and clapping for their service. This photo is a reminder to me that had Tom not had a congenital knee defect and been discharged in basic training for it, Hunter would not have been born. I'm quite thankful that Tom never had to go to Iraq, which would have been a certainty. Ironically, the guys driving by in the picture are members of what would have been his unit.

Hunter loved the Civil War reenactors(Mr. Hague and sons). The shots they fired were quite loud and scared the kids half to death. Then, of course, they wanted them to shoot again.

Back at my mom's house, Olivia pilfered a pear from the fruit bowl on the table and proceeded to try out her new choppers. Four of her top teeth are cutting at once and it makes her food possibilities endless.Gryffin preferred to chomp on his hand as usual. Although, he is finally starting to come around and eat more solids. He has days where he'll eat a few meals and days where he only wants to nurse. He hates all green vegetables and even when I try to sneak them in with other food, he spits out the green veggies and eats everything else.(Note the dirty, chubby little feet tops from crawling around everywhere and getting into mischief)

To top off the day , Olivia and Gryffin got to sit on my Uncle Mark's Harley Davidson. I also have a picture of Hunter sitting on it when he was just about the same age. It is a really pretty bike, but not my cup of tea.

Spring Sports Fever!!

2008-05-03T16:59:00.006-04:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love sports. I played just about everything growing up and had I not had reconstructive knee surgery seven years ago, I'd probably still be playing them. It makes me so happy to see the kids in my life take part in the sports I love. This is my little brother, Noah. He's eight-years-old and this happens to be his first year playing baseball. I went to his first game today and he did great! All the little guys did. Below is Noah being coached on first base by his dad, know as Papa to all the grandchildren. Most of you all reading this know him as Brian. There's just something about playing baseball with your dad that makes me think spring.
Next is Izaya, my twelve-year-old niece. Wow! I can't believe she's so grown and playing one of the most brutal sports around. Even the pink Lacrosse stick doesn't take away her toughness. Go girl! This was a big game against QV's rivalry, Sewickley Academy. Izaya and team pulled off a 6-2 victory with some great goaltending by Greer Monahan.

Then there's Hoose's school of Jedi training. The force is definitely strong with these kids.

Here's Gryffin mastering his current favorite sport, pulling himself up on the train table to get Thomas and wreck the track.

Success!

Olivia and Malacai shared an order of Pad Thai for dinner last Friday. Apparently Cai's idea of "sharing" is different than Olivia's.

Can someone get this kid under control, please?

Seriously though, eat your own!

See, all you have to do is move the chairs a little bit apart, then everyone's happy.

Here's Link playing the get in the "No dogs allowed play zone"game, and winning.

We love our new stroller! Worth every penny!

And lastly, Olivia mastering the sport of falling asleep sitting upright on the couch. She's got an early start on this one considering most leaders in this sport are forty-year-old men. Go Livie!

Getting it done...

2008-04-20T22:56:00.003-04:00

About a month ago, my mom bought the kids matching outfits. Since photography is a hobby of mine, she figured I could take some pictures of the kids wearing their adorably coordinating outfits so that I could replace the terribly outdated ones I have hanging in my livingroom of Hunter when he was eighteen months old.
Anyone who has kids knows that they grow extremely quickly, especially when they are infants. So, I had a pressing deadline to get these photos taken before the babies outgrew the outfits. Factor in the hit or miss weather in Pittsburgh during spring and a husband that works weekends and you have a near impossible photo shoot scenario.
I don't mean to boast but... I actually did it! Not to mention I'm pretty happy with the results. The kids were cooperative, mostly, and it was a gorgeous day. Normally I wouldn't pat myself on the back for such an ordinary thing but lately it's been getting harder to get things done.
I'm having one of those "feeling overwhelmed" kind of weeks. I don't want to be inside since the weather is so nice and I like to totally ignore the multiplying mess in my house. I pack up the kids in the stroller and get as far away from the house as possible secretly wishing that it will be magically cleaned by the time we get back. Hasn't happened yet.

I guess getting this one thing done gives me hope that all the other things I think will never get done actually will. Does that even make sense? Maybe it will give me the momentum to keep going. If momentum is mass in motion, am I the mass that has to be in motion or is it my giant mass of dirty laundry that has to be moving? At least I have some nice pictures of my beautiful children in their lovely outfits.

Believe in Spring...

2008-04-11T16:23:00.007-04:00

After months of being couped up inside the house, we have finally been able to get outside and have some fun. We take advantage of every opportunity to walk to the park by our house. We went to the zoo last week and had a blast. It wasn't a terribly warm day so it was virtually deserted except for a handful of other families. The kids had a blast and so did Tom and I. It's the first time we've seen the polar bears since they came to Pittsburgh and they were definitely the highlight. Gryffin and Hunter loved watching the elephants getting a bath and Olivia was enthralled by the aquarium.

Olivia is really great at trying new foods and thoroughly enjoyed her first experience with frozen wild blueberries. Amazingly enough, Gryffin had a few as well...and liked them! They are both teething now and I can only imagine the relief the frozen blueberries brought to their sore little gums. I'm reluctant to call this progress with Gryffin but it was definitely encouraging. He seems to like the more "snacky" foods that aren't substantial enough to keep his belly full for very long. He'll pop the occasional fruit or veggie puff and really seems to like Veggie Booty and Pirate's Booty.

When I was still pregnant with the twins, a friend of mine constantly teased me about naming the babies Luke and Leia. I like both of those names a lot but it seemed way too corny to name them after Star Wars characters. However, since Hunter's light sabers are the most coveted item they like to get their little hands on, perhaps the names would have been quite fitting.

The rest of the photos are from the other day at the park or in our yard. It was absolutely gorgeous outside and we pretty much spent the entire day outside. I'm so happy that it's finally warm out that I don't even mind that the song that moose sings on Noggin, Belive in Spring, is constanly running through my head. I suspect I won't be watching nearly as much Noggin in the coming months...not if I can help it.

Daunting Deadlines

2008-03-29T10:08:00.011-04:00

My goal of April 1st to move the twins (and Hunter) to their room has come and gone. Most nights, Olivia sleeps about eight hours before waking up for a feeding. It is still a struggle with Gryffin and food. The "little" guy just doesn't seem all that interested. I may have to give in and feed him a formula bottle before bed so that he can sleep for longer durations. They are both teething now and have two teeth each. They are growing so quickly! Gryffin crawls all over the place and though Olivia seems uninterested in crawling, she loves to stand and walk while holding my hands.Hunter just got his first pair of glasses! Tom and I have suspected for quite some time that he needed them, and took him to see an eye doctor shortly after his second birthday. The doctor said it was negligible at that point but after he failed an eye exam at school this year we took him to a pediatric opthamologist who told us he has needed them for quite a while. So the search began for "Harry Potter" glasses. Since rectangular glasses are the style right now, it was very difficult. Finally, after the fifth store we went to, we ordered a couple that looked round. I told Hunter that we had to pick one of these pair, even if they weren't perfectly round. Luckily, one of the pairs was round and looked like Daddy's and Harry Potter's. Tom and I are very fortunate to live close to our families. My sister Aubrey lives a mile down the road from us and she brings her kids over every Friday after work to hang out and play. Her daughter Nadia is three and she and Hunter are just like brother and sister(closeness as well as rivalry). Tom's sister Gloria lives on the other side of the city so we see them a little less often. Her son Nate is also three and Hunter loves to play with Nate for a little more rough, wrestling action.

Nadia and Hunter as Batgirl and Batman .

Nadia and Hunter after a bath.

Hunter and Nate as Batman and Superman.

Ready for a nap after playing hard.

Swimming in sweaters

Gryffin and Olivia love the pool table at Aunt Kathie's house.

Winter pays a visit...

2008-02-16T23:46:00.009-05:00

This has been quite possibly the weirdest February, weather wise, that I can remember. We finally got the snow that Hunter's been dying for since Christmas. It snowed about 5 inches all day on Tuesday, and by the end of the day the snow had turned to rain creating a nice icy gaze over everything. My house has no gutters(which is terribly annoying)so during the winter, icicles or ice daggers as I refer to them, hang from our roof the whole way around the house. It is quite a beautiful site in the morning as the sun hits them.

Hunter and Tom played outside all day and Link (our golden retriever) joined in the festivities. Olivia, Gryffin and I watched from the window except for the few moments I stepped outside to take a few pictures. Hunter doesn't like his coat zipped up all the way(insert dramatic choking sound here)so as you can see in the picture, the snow is actually inside his turtleneck! He didn't care at all and it was impossible to get him inside.

The boys were having so much fun romping around in the yard, I was sorry the twins and I couldn't join them. Maybe next winter.

This is a picture I took of Hunter just one week prior to the snowstorm. It was roughly 60 degrees outside and the grass was a brilliant shade of green. I had to keep reminding myself it was February. Hunter is a natural when it comes to posing for pictures. I have pretty much been shoving a camera in his face since he was about eight months when I received a digital camera for my birthday. Everyone says you never take as many photographs of your second or third child as your first, but I have found that to be completely untrue. I have my computers' full hard drive to prove it. I really should think about burning them all to disc someday soon.(This is one of those mental mommy notes that disappear from the brain the instant my finger taps the last key.)

Olivia has cut her first tooth! At the tender age of six months, her tiny little chopper erupted on her bottom gum. She has been overly drooly for quite sometime now but she never complained about it. The face she's making in the above picture is about as cranky as she's been about the whole teething ordeal, so far. I'm bracing myself for the sleepless nights and entirely new nursing experience.(She's already bitten me)Hunter didn't cut a tooth until he was thirteen months old and long after he was done nursing.

I'm happy to say her physical therapy is going well and she's showing signs of major improvement. She's reaching all her major milestones within the expected time frames. She's eating food like a champ now with the clear favorite being avocado. Gryffin, however, is another story.

He's as cute and chubby as they come but up until a couple of days ago refused solids at all costs. He learned to blow raspberries for the sole purpose of spitting out any food that came into contact with his mouth. Because of his adamant refusal to eat, he needed to nurse every two hours to keep up with his calorie needs. Needless to say, I haven't been getting much sleep lately. Then, on Friday afternoon, he ate like an old pro for his dad. Then he ate for me on Saturday and again today. I feel a sense of relief knowing there are sleep filled nights ahead.

Hunter loves to participate in tummy time. He plays with the babies and brings them his action figures when they get bored with their own toys. He gives them a new nickname just about every week. Olivia has been Cupcake, Peanut, and Pretty Pretty Princess. Gryffin has been Cake, Giftcard (I have no idea where that comes from) and Gryffles. They both wave hello and Aunt Aubrey taught Olivia how to clap just today. They are getting so big so fast but they'll always be my little peanut and Gryffles...

Go Giants!

2008-02-02T08:24:00.001-05:00

My Mom got all of her grandchildren towel and washcloth sets for christmas. In my opinion, it was a brilliant idea! Afterall, she has eight grandkids now and my little brother is only eight so that's a lot of kid gifts to think about. Everyone needs new towels especially when they're this cute. The older kids disagreed with the choice, of course. Perhaps they were just jealous that only the babies got hooded towels.

Here's my attempt to "style" Hunter's hair like Wolverine's. He wears this outfit everyday. Even on the days he goes to school, he comes straight home and takes off his school clothes and puts on a pair of jeans and a white undershirt. It is the middle of winter, and I never turn the heat over 65 in my house but he insists on wearing it anyway. I frequently wonder what his next obsession will be.I still squeeze Olivia and Gryffin in the co-sleeper. My goal for relocation to their bedroom and a real crib is April 1. Tom says that it's a "joke" literally. I can only hope that it will be a smooth transition. Hunter loved his crib and never, ever tried to climb out of it. I realize every child is different and these babies may hate their cribs, so I'm prepared for whatever is to come. In the mean time, I'll enjoy the time I have left nursing them in the middle of the night without having to actually wake up fully. Our bedroom is downsairs and the kids are upstairs so I'll have to trek up there for any lingering nighttime feedings. Maybe Gryffin will be eating food by that point and sleeping through the night!

Tom is from New York and a die hard Giants fan. As you can imagine he's really excited for Super Bowl Sunday. Hunter's first words were football and coffee. One of his first phrases was Go Giants! Hunter spoke at a very early age and I only wish I could have gotten this on video because it was really adorable to hear a thirteen-month-old baby say Go Giants! and with enthusiasm. We will be going to a Super Bowl party at Tom's Aunt's house tomorrow and starting the festivities with a Wii bowling tournament. I can't wait to get out of the house for a while and have a few free moments to myself while relatives hold the babies. I have my mind set on the hot tub for a relaxing soak!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Global Warming????

2008-01-21T17:28:00.000-05:00

Here in Pittsburgh, we started out our year with some awesome, albeit disturbing temperatures. On Sunday January 6, it was 58 degrees, Monday 62 and Tuesday reached a record high of 69 degrees. I welcomed the weather with the same enthusiasum as most people in the area. We took a walk outside, went to visit Tom's sister and her kids and went to the park there. Hunter had been bouncing off the walls because the weather had been so lousy, we hadn't been outside for weeks. This is something one grows accustomed to living in the Northeast. I accepted the weather here for what it is when I was quite young, maybe nine or ten. That's when I began to really love books. However, from a four-year-olds perspective, it totally stinks.

The kids had a blast at the park and didn't want to come home, unfortunately it gets dark at 5:30 in the afternoon and our daylight had run out. It was fun while it lasted. On Wednesday the temperatures dropped back down to about normal for this time of year.

I have always been one to worry about the condition of our planet. Since having children, the threat seams more real. We try to be more concious of our choices at home. We switched to all energy saving light bulbs, have energy efficient appliances, have only one car, wash our clothes in cold water, eat less meat. I find myself wondering, do these small things really matter? We're just one family. How many other young parents wonder about the condition in which we're leaving the planet for their unborn grandchildren? I could sit and think about it for hours, but time is a huge commodity in my life right now and this will have to be the extent of it for now.

This is my niece Emily. She is a 6-year-old ballerina, princess, first grader and big sister. She is already dreaming about her wedding and already thinks boys are "cute". Does this seem crazy to anyone else? She and Hunter are good pals and she loves to help me take care of her new baby cousins. Olivia will have someone to show her the ropes of being a girly girl, which I am thankful for. I was always tomboyish growing up. So far, these are Olivia's favorite toys: Hunter's action figures, mainly Wolverine.

Here she sits in her Bumbo, and happily chews on the deadly claws of Hunter's favorite X-Men.

The dilemma here is, I have a serious objection to Barbie dolls. I don't want my little girl thinking her body should look like Barbies, and if it doesn't, for her to have a poor self-image. (Just call me Lisa Simpson) Is it even possible to aviod Barbie all together when raising a girl? Am I just worrying about it too much? Afterall, she isn't even six months old yet!

It doesn't take very long to go from this:

To this:

Hunter is currently refusing haircuts and naps. The haircut thing won't really bother me until it's summer. He told me he wanted to grow his hair long so he can style it like Wolverine. Hunter has had a buzz cut since he was an infant. It's much more manageable in the morning, requires no maitenance and never goes out of style. A sensible choice on my part. I guess letting your child express his individuality is part of being a parent. There have to be some choices you let them make on their own so they can grow as a decision maker, and so you can make the choices on the things that are really important when they are so young.

It's the cutting out of the nap that is really disturbing to me. I guess I'll just have to be happy that he takes a nap about 3 days out of 7. It's pretty hard to refuse a nap once you're already passed out on the couch (Thanks to Maurice Sendak and my favorite show Little Bear).

Gryffin and Olivia both think the world of Hunter. It's so much fun to watch their faces when he's near them. They laugh histerically at just about anything he does. It must be such a confidence booster for Hunter. He loves them just the same and rarely ever gets annoyed that they need so much of my time. He's always there to help me even if sometimes it is begrudgingly. I really do have three amazing kids...

Here's Hunter looking like a really big kid (with shaggy hair).

Another Year Gone...

2007-12-31T22:55:00.000-05:00

Like I mentioned before, time flies when your life is filled with babies. I remember Christmas 2006 like it was yesterday. I made a shirt for Hunter to wear stating that he was going to be a big brother. I had him wear it on Christmas Eve when we were with Tom's family and on Christmas Day at my mom's to reveal our big news. It was four more months before we knew that our family would increase by two.(Although Hunter had insisted he was getting two babies from the moment we told him he was going to be a brother!) A year has passed and we have two happy healthy babies that have brought such joy to our lives. Hunter absolutely adores them and smothers them with love and kisses.
Our lives are a little more chaotic, messy and loud, but they are also more fullfilling, rewarding and loving. We wouldn't have it any other way. If Tom had his way, we would have one more child before our family is complete but we'll see how he feels about that at the end of 2008 when he's chasing around two one-year-olds!
Olivia and Gryffin are almost too big to fit in the co-sleeper that's attached to our bed. It will make me sad to move them to an actual crib. When I got into bed the other night and looked into the co-sleeper to check on my sleeping angels, Gryffin had a tight squeeze on Olivia's hand. They were sleeping so peacefully that way I had to fight back the urge to grab my camera and snap a picture.
I will always cherish this photograph of Hunter. It's every avid reader's dream to have their child love to receive a book as a gift. You can imagine my delight when Hunter opened this present on Christmas and flashed the biggest smile of the morning. Granted, it was a Where's Waldo type book with Super heroes but it's a start. Note the Candyland box in the background. I wonder what Tom and I will be playing for the next few months...

He did it!

2007-12-22T09:09:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, Hunter finally agreed to have a visit with Santa Claus. The mall set-ups are a little too intimidating so luckily Santa is right in Sewickley at Wolcott park every Saturday in December. There's no line so he didn't have any time to back out of it. He was very brave and sat on his lap for a picture after about five minutes of chatting with him. The best part of the whole thing according to Hunter was the large candy cane he received from Santa when we left. Hunter loves loves loves candy canes and I only give him the mini size ones because even though I have been a mom for over four years now, I still hate sticky messes.

Gryffin has reached a key developmental milestone. He has learned to pout. Here's a ray of hope to newer parents: pouting is only effective for the first two years of a childs life. After this time, the pout no longer makes you bend over backwards to comfort your precious baby. It does, however, spark the disciplinarian in you which is important for the two-year-old pouter. The pout still remains the cutest and most effective manipulation move used by humans of all ages. The cute antlers on Gryffins head in combination with that cute pout on his face made me unstrap him from his torturous carseat even faster.Hunter has to get on Daddy's shoulders to decorate the tree because we have to put our tree on a table because of the dog and cats. It's also less tempting for Hunter who would have eaten all the candy canes the first night if he could have reached them. The night we decorated the tree was cold and snowy, perfect to get us in the mood for Christmas. Today is 52 degrees and quite balmy and I had to brave the Saturday before Christmas shopping crowd to purchase a new dryer. Ours broke last week and with two infants a four-year-old,and three adults(Tom's brother is home from college on break)the normally under control laundy pile has grown to quite the heap. It wasn't too busy at Lowe's and the dryer is to be delivered the day after Christmas and I can't wait! I will never again take for granted my household appliances.I recently tried solid foods with the twins. Rice cereal mixed with a little breastmilk looks and smells strikingly like paper mache paste. Olivia gobbled it up and laughed between bites and took the spoon from my hand after a couple bites. Apparently she believed she was ready to feed herself but really she was ready for her first eye exam. Gryffin's response was rather less enthusiastic. He made an awful face, gagged, spit it out and cried. I think he thinks I'm trying to poison him because he's done the same thing at every subsequent feeding. I think he's just waiting for bigger and better. Maybe I'll try to give him some mashed potatoes at Christmas dinner. Who can cry at mashed potatoes?

Fall Flew by in a Flurry

2007-12-06T18:36:00.000-05:00

Autumn is by far my favorite season. I love everything about it. The vibrant array of colors, that sound the leaves make when you crunch them with your feet, pumpkins and Halloween. The only disappointment is how quickly it's all over and we're thrust feet first into the bitter cold that is Pittsburgh winter.
Needless to say, we spent as much time outdoors that was possible given the fact that it takes significantly longer to get three kids ready to take a walk outside than just one. Luckily, I live right around the corner from an elementary school with a playground, so most of our time was spent there where we could easily return home if Gryffin or Olivia needed to be fed.

There were a few times when Hunter and I snuck away on our own for some much needed time together. All in all he has taken really well to Olivia and Gryffin. He loves them dearly and his presence and help has been invaluable especially on those nights when Tom is working and I feel as though the day will never end. I'm lucky to have such a sweet and compassionate child.
Olivia and Gryffin have just passed the four month mark and surprise me everyday with their incredible adaptability to this world. Their personalities are slightly different but they both have a sweet disposition. Olivia has just begun physical therapy for torticollis, a condition she was born with due to her position in the womb and lack of space to move around. It is defined by tight neck muscles and causes her head to have a slight tilt. With PT once a week and a lot of work at home, she should fully recover from the somewhat common condition. She's a little trooper and tolerates the treatment well. She's so smart she has already mimicked the sound to say Hi! Gryffin is my first chubby baby. Hunter was on the scrawny side and I call Olivia my little peanut because she is quite petite. Gryffin, however, is round and rolly and the jolliest little guy you'd ever meet. His smile is huge and lights up his whole face. He's also my singer. He coos and oohs and has the sweetest voice that melts the heart.
So far life with these little angel babies has been delightful. I don't take for granted that I am so lucky to have had three easy going babies. Don't get me wrong, twins are a lot of work. There are days where I just want to sit down and cry my eyes out and there have been a couple of times when I have. It does get easier and has. Tom and I make a great team and can get things running pretty smoothly. I'll start nursing a baby and Tom will get the other one changed and ready to eat next. If the first baby happens to take a bit long, than he'll entertain the baby in line. Occasionally, I'll nurse them at the same time with a special pillow I have. They look across and smile at each other while having their meal. It's quite amazing to watch the bond form that is only to grow stronger with each passing day.
This is the first year where Hunter is actually aware of Christmas before the actual day. He knows about Santa Clause and has been obsessively watching all the old Christmas classic movies. He received them in a box set last year for Christmas. He watched Rudolf The Red-Nosed-Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and Santa is Coming to Town a few times today. He asks everyday if tomorrow is Chistmas even though we do the Advent calender together and he knows perfectly well that it's not. I can remember being that excited as a kid. We've revised his letter to the big man in red several times. Maybe he'll be ready to go see Santa this Saturday in Sewickley. This is also the first year he is not deathly afraid of Santa. Although, he is still a bit apprehensive about going to see him. I think this is the reasoning behind the revisions of the letter, to postpone the actual visit. It will be worth it just to see the look on his face when he finally does it.

I hope to do this at more regular intervals because the first year of a baby's life goes by so rapidly. I mean to say that time seems to go by more rapidly after having kids. Weeks escape me and days are a blur. I'm going to try for one more blog this year after Christmas, try being the operative word. Happy Holidays!

4-Year-Old Boys...

2007-10-18T01:26:00.000-04:00

4-Year-Old- Boys are fantastic! Today was Hunter's 4th birthday. It seems like he was just

born yesterday. Time definitely moves at an accelerated rate once you have kids. He had a

really fun and event filled day. He was the leader today at school where they also had a parent

tea with a special performance of the kids singing. We took him out to lunch at his favorite place

to eat and went shopping for some things for his party on Sunday. Olivia and Gryffin cooperated

the whole day and are now sleeping soundly because of their big day out. When we finally got

home, Tom had prepared a treasure hunt with a map and a flashlight for Hunter to find his gifts

around the house. He had a blast and as delirious as he was from his big day, he still managed to

stay awake for a whole movie(I, of course, fell asleep).

My little boy is growing up so fast. Every day he gets smarter and more ready to take on the

world. He still tells me he loves me 1000 times a day. 4-year-old boys are really fantastic...

New Beginings

2007-10-09T10:40:00.000-04:00

I've never ventured into the blogging world until today. I always kept a journal when I was young but stopped in my early 20's. After the birth of my first son, Hunter Orion, I vowed to resume my journal writing but simply never got around to it. Here I am four years and two more kids later doing what I was meant to do...write about it.

This is a picture of Hunter and me, just before the delivery of my twins. I was nearly in tears as my mom took the picture just thinking that this would be the last photo taken of us when Hunter was an only child, my baby.