Brotherly Love

The boys love to nuzzle up next to one another. I love this. Of course, the one time I have my camera ready to capture it, the battery dies! I have only a few seconds, but I still find it completely adorable. This is something they do several times a day... getting as close as possible and rubbing heads. It just cracks me up! Of course, they're still big on eye-poking and hair-pulling, but cuddling and nuzzling are also two of their favorite activities. At least it balances out!!

Fall Splendour

We both love this ball so much!! Let's hug it together!


Who would have thought a picnic table could be so entertaining? The boys were completely enthralled with the grain of the wood, not to mention the fact that the table made the perfect fort!


It's unanimous, Mom! We love it out here!

Yes, we do!


If you don't mind, I think I'll just camp out here tonight.

Peek-a-boo!!


The boys and I have been able to spend some glorious afternoons outside recently. This fall weather is so amazing! On this particular afternoon, I was able to fulfill so many of my romantic notions of motherhood. It was true frolicking in the grass, complete with cozy sweaters, sunshine, leaves, giggles, sticks & twigs and a perfect breeze. We explored tree trunks, blades of grass... we traced the grain of the wood on the picnic table... everything was fascinating to the boys. I felt like we were living one of those postcard moments that you never want to forget... and luckily, I had my camera along (imagine that!). Dex is in the green sweater and Jax is in the brown. I remember knitting these sweaters when the boys were just weeks old. Now, they can barely squeeze into them!

Fun, fun, fun!

"Hey, bro, watcha doin'? Sorting shapes?"

"Cool... mind if I join you?" "Or... maybe I'll just hang out in here, for awhile."

In the hopes of being the best mom EVER (yes, I know, my mom already won that award... but I can aspire, right?), I recently bought a few books on good activites to do with toddlers. I had glorious visions of scheduling our days with wonderful learning opportunities for the boys. Hmm... our first attempt went something like this:

Activity #1: Shadow Play

I took our incredibly powerful Mag-Light Flashlight and shown it on the living room wall. The three of us had quite a rowdy game of shadow play, until the boys discovered the source of the light and decided it would be WAY more fun to use it as a drum stick on our kitchen floor. Hmm...

Activity #2: Face Painting

In a fun attempt to teach the boys body parts, I "painted" their faces with a soft (and dry) paintbrush, saying, "I'm painting your nose (ears/mouth/etc). The soft tip of the paintbrush elicited many giggles and I truly thought I was onto something, until the boys decided it would be WAY more fun to use the paintbrush as a drum stick on our kitchen floor. Hmm...

Activity #3: Ball Roll

I set up a large cookie sheet on an incline so we could roll balls downwards. We were going to work on words like, "ball" and "down." Let's just say, this was a lot of fun until the boys discovered they could take the balls and bang them against the cookie sheet, producing a loud and lovely CLANG! Hmm...

Maybe I should worry less about structuring our days and more about providing the boys ample opportunities for sensory discovery. They love new things, they love making noise and they love playing together. So, we didn't exactly do the activities the way we were supposed to. Big deal! They opened the door to a few of the most creative percussive jam sessions I've ever been exposed to. How exciting!

And maybe I should buy our downstairs neighbors a few high-quality sets of earplugs. :)

The Yogurt Experiment

Is this how you eat yogurt? I let the boys try feeding themselves with spoons for the first time last week. Let me tell you, it was quite a show! There was yogurt flinging, bowl biting and full-fledged face dips in the yogurt. The boys LOVED it and, I have to admit, I did, too. It was worth all the clean-up time just to see how excited they got to be feeding themselves (though, I have to wonder how much they actually ate).

I have a short video clip of the boys enjoying the moments after their feeding frenzy. Let's see if this works:

My Most Prized Posessions

Yesterday, on our way to church, we were hit by another car. Although a good 30 hours have passed since the accident, I haven't been able to stop replaying it in my mind. It was so sudden... so loud... so jarring... so unbelievably frightening.

We are all okay. D.R. has some neck pain and Dex has a small abrasion on his neck from his seatbelt. The mini-van is no more.

We're in the process of sorting through the next steps: insurance claims, saying farewell to the mini-van, deciding what to do about a replacement vehicle... Through it all, I can't help but get choked up everytime I look at the three loves of my life, knowing that they're all here, safe and sound. Luckily, all three of them have been understanding of my need for a few more hugs and cuddles (in fact, Dex and Jax think it's a really fun new game). It makes it easier to deal with the difficult logisitics involved with a car crash when you know your most prized posessions are all within reach.

Ride 'Em Cowboy

They usually prefer to ride solo, but we were able to catch them riding tandem for a few minutes! Dex has got the reins and Jax appears to be holding on for dear life. Hee hee!

First Petting Zoo

One of the great benefits of living in university housing is all of the events and structured activities we have for children. About a week and a half ago (see, I'm catching up on my posting!), we had a petting zoo right in our back yard! The boys got to see and touch baby goats, rabbits, sheep, ducks, chickens, cows, llamas, ponies and even a donkey. They got quite a kick out of these curious animals... especially when the baby donkey started following us everywhere! In the photos above, Dex is with Mama and Uncle Seth and Jax is with Daddy.

Seriously, how many people get to have a petting zoo in their backyard every year?

These are the moments...

Last night, we got home from a long and wonderful day spent with D.R.'s family. Tired, we found ourselves sprawled on the living room floor watching Dex and Jax climb in and out of a large box. One would crawl in and the other would clap and squeal with delight. Then the other would crawl in and they would both just giggle!! D.R. turned to me and said, "I really need to be studying right now, but I just can't take my eyes off of them. I feel like if I leave, I'll be missing out on a moment I could remember for the rest of my life."

....sometimes, I think letting everything else wait until tomorrow is just the perfect way to enjoy these two little boys. These moments are so fleeting and these two precious children are changing so fast!...

So, we made ourselves comfortable, sat back and enjoyed the show.

It was definitely worth it.


The boys have really turned into two little monkeys. They adore trying to squeeze their way through small spaces and get an even bigger kick out of climbing everything in sight: chairs, couches, stairs.... I even found Dex trying to climb on top of the piano yesterday! They seem to have no fear and are such adventurers! Both of these photos are of Dex.

Why is it so unbelievably adorable when babies feed themselves? I can't help but giggle whenever the boys get a full face of tomato sauce, yogurt or anything else, for that matter! Dex is on the left, Jax is on the right.

Cupboards are a HUGE hit with both boys. In fact, they prefer having the cupboard door closed once they crawl in. It is so funny! On more than one occasion, I have run upstairs to grab something, only to come back down to find one or both boys hiding behind closed cupboard doors. This is Jax crawling in and out!

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

Sarah and Christopher's last visit to our home. Dex is with Sarah and Jax is with Chris.
Mom and Dad were also able to come say a final farewell (and get a bit of playtime in with the boys).

Our last day with them... Sarah taught the boys to play SkipBo. Dex on left; Jax on right. Below, Dex silently contemplates how sad he'll be when they're gone. Good thing he has Daddy and Woobie to comfort him!

A few weeks ago, my sister and her husband made their big move out East so that she can start work on her masters degree. I am so proud of her for taking this step, but I have to admit that this has been one of the most difficult transitions I have ever dealt with. I look back at my first year of motherhood and I am so glad that she was here to share in (and help me through!) so many wonderful (and challenging!) experiences. She was here for everything from first giggles to my first day alone with the boys, just three days after we brought them home from the hospital. I distinctly remember all three of us (the boys and me) crying for a good three hours before I accepted the fact that I needed help! Sarah was here within minutes, helping me feed the babies... and helping me get them back to sleep so that I could get dressed and take a shower. She has been here for middle-of-the-night trips to Urgent Care and middle-of-the-night 'I just need help!!' moments. D.R. had such a crazy schedule and there were so many nights I was alone... and whenever I was feeling the most helpless and overwhelmed, so would be here within minutes!

Not only do I look at the next year and wonder what I'll do without her, but I regret the fact that she'll no longer get to share in so many excited "firsts." It also saddens me to think about her new baby boy arriving (in 11 weeks!) and me not being able to be there for her the way she has been there for me. Will I know her little guy the way she has grown to know the boys? Will they remember her when we see her again? I have been sending her a daily video clip of the boys in a desperate attempt to keep her and Christopher involved in their daily achievements... but it's just not the same! I miss her!

Twins share such an incredibly unique bond... and I feel so lucky to be able to share this with my sister. I only hope that Dex and Jax will have the same sort of rapport throughout their lives. In the meantime, I will continue to send videos, emails and letters... I will continue to call her 10 times a day... and I will continue to plan for the day when we can buy houses next door to each other and live happily ever after... hee hee

The Last Days of Summer

Oh, my sweet little boys... no longer tiny babies. We have had so much fun playing outside and exploring the world around us this summer! From playing in the sand, picking up leaves, sticks and grass, feeling dirt squish between our toes... to chasing squirrels and hunting for trees... we've had a rich summer. In the top photo: Dex- left; Jax- right.

I'm constantly amazed at how and when the boys choose to interact with each other. This morning, they chased each other saying, "Ba ba ba!" as loudly as they could. Each time one would say it, the other would giggle with pleasure. In the photo above, the boys were learning to cooperate by pushing the stroller together. What a thrilling game. Oh, the squeals of delight that accompanied this new endeavor! On the right, Dex contemplates eating a leaf. Yes, EVERYTHING still goes in their mouths... perhaps they just like to see how fast Mom's reflexes are? I've also included photos of the boys practicing their silly faces... Jax on the left and Dex on the right.

The boys are famous for their bear-walk! They rarely crawl when they're outside... rather, they move around on their hands and feet, like little bears. It's quite a scene to behold... and it's amazing how quickly they can get around like this!

Family Vacation

What a great time the boys and I had with our extended family!! The boys had so many fun things to do (paddle boats, swimming, swinging... running wild!) and I had so many helpers! Here, Dex is swinging with Uncle Christopher and Sis. Yipee!!

Jax loved the dolphin swing because he could sit all by himself! What a big boy!!

The birthday celebration the family threw for the boys was so much fun! The boys were thrilled to find themselves in the center of a circle of people who clapped for them about every 30 seconds. It was quite a spectacle! My personal favorite, however, were the birthday glasses. Check out Jonathan, Uncle Bruce and Granny!!... quite a good-lookin' group!