Life with Toddlers

I'm not exactly sure where the time has gone.  My last post was months ago and in the mean time so many things have changed, I feel. 

There was a moment these past several weeks when I looked at Jack and Maddy and realized, they're little kids now.  They're not babies anymore.  They have long stable legs versus chubby toddling legs.  Their faces are less round and they talk more to express their frustration, versus crying.  They are potty trained! 

At this stage, there are two things I absolutely love.  They have reached a point where they play TOGETHER versus side by side.  They make up games to play together, they "read" each other books, they do puzzles, they play trains, they play kitchen.  It is so sweet to watch.  Also, the phrases they come up with are absolutely hilarious.  I wish I had a pen and paper at all times to write them down. 

We are also in a "me do!" phase.  Everything has to be done by them, they can do it!  Putting shoes on, getting dressed, buttoning shirts, clearing their plates, loading the dishwasher, filling washing machine, sweeping, vacuuming.  They try to do it all. 

Madelynn told me once after library story time "I want to be library story time teacher when I grow up."  The next week after a visit to her Dr. because she was sick she told me, "I want to be a Dr. when I grow up to help people like my Dr. helps me."  These things out of a two year old's mouth melt my heart. Madelynn likes to dress herself and pick out her own outfits.  She comes up with very interesting combinations.  A sweater when it is ninety degrees is not out of the question for her.  Lately, it has been her ballet leotards and shoes that have come on in the morning and don't come off until bath time.  When I come home from work she says, "so, tell me about your day,"  "that sounds nice momma," "and what about lunch, when did you eat lunch?"  She sings the ABCs at the top of her lungs.  When she counts to 10, she skips 4 and 5 routinely.  She tries to mother Jack sometimes, which he ignores.  She is so sweet to her Chloe dog.

Jack is such an observer, he likes to watch and see how things work.  As we are driving in the car he likes to point things out to me.  "See that big truck, mom?"  "See that motorcycle?"  When he agrees to something he says "Yeah, okay."  When we leave in the morning to go to school he says "see you next time," to daddy and Chloe.  He loves to feed Chloe, she gets fed several times a day when Jack remembers.  When the music goes on, he dances around and sings twinkle twinkle, itsy bitsy spider and row row row your boat.  He likes to hold hands and pretend we are rowing a boat when he sings.  He jumps, runs, climbs, grabs everything.  He is not interested in going to bed, but once he falls asleep he sleeps forever, as opposed to his sister who goes straight to bed and is up at 7 am. 

We have finally reached the point when I feel like the benefits of having twins outweigh the challenges.  It is so exciting to see them grow into their own little people, while developing a sweet friendship with each other.

The past few months in pictures

A new year...

It has been awhile since my last post (do all my posts start out that way?)  Well, there are so many things about Jack and Madelynn right now that I want to remember, I figured I better get it all down. 

In the past several weeks these two have become very verbal, they are suddenly speaking in sentences at times and have several key, absolutely adorable, phrases.

Maddy:
"what up to guys?" when she enters a room.
Jack:
"this is mine," to every single item in our house, no matter who it actually belongs to, now it is Jack's, according to Jack.

He also says, "mommy where are you" when he runs off to hide and then bursts into uncontrollable giggles when he sees me coming around the corner to tickle him.  Maddy likes to reenact stories for me.  One day, several weeks ago, the dog jumped over the couch and accidentally scratched Jack's face.  Maddy likes to tell this story, with actions on a daily basis.  It must have made a real impact on her to witness that!

They are having a blast right now playing with their new play kitchen from Santa.  They cook things all day long, and use their little oven mits because things are "super hot" when they come out of the oven.  They love to pretend to eat the creations they have made and "mixing things up" is their favorite task.  They have also started to have quite the parties in their bedroom when it is time to go to sleep.  Luckily, they are still in cribs (riding that one out as long as possible) but they throw all of their pillows and blankets out of their cribs, squeal and chatter back and forth to each other and jump as hard as they can on their beds.  Sometimes I listen at the door to hear what they are saying to each other.  The other day Maddy was telling Jack, "shhh, hear momma, go night night now."  Oh boy. 

Jack has spent the night a couple of times with Auntie Cait, which he loves.  I think they do enjoy some time apart from each other, although they ask where the other one is the whole time.  Maddy hasn't wanted to go yet but sometime soon she will have a turn for a sleepover with auntie Cait as well.

Mealtimes have become an absolute insane struggle in our household.  Particularly dinner.  Our previously wonderful eaters have become less interested in eating dinner and more interested in throwing forks, plates, splashing their hands in their milk and banging on the table with silverware.  Honestly, these are the moments Brad and I look at each other and wonder how we stay insane.  Maybe we haven't?  I just remind myself that like all the parenting challenges we have faced up until now, this too shall pass :)  And in the mean time I have occasionally used bribery so that I may have one single second of a normal meal time. 

Jack has been spending a lot of time in the garage with Brad, fiddling with scrap wood, wearing his safety glasses, playing with the tape measure and clamps.  Maddy goes out there occasionally but she prefers to stay inside where she dresses and undresses her dolls, paints pictures or reads books.  She can sometimes become very bossy so we have to remind her how to say things nicely.  She does not hesitate to let Jack know what she thinks about what he is doing.  Jack is such a great brother.  He is always making sure "add" gets to come too (that is what he calls her) and if he has a snack "add" must have one too and "add" must come with him wherever her goes. 

They still keep us constantly busy, amazed and entertained. 

2nd Birthday Pictures

Checking out the train table

Maddy hopped right in to her new baby crib

Meet the Flinstones!

Pebbles

Bam Bam

Reading to us

trying to put on his new pjs from auntie

loving his new rain boots from auntie!

The three cousins

Coloring, in his new boots and bike helmet

bikes from Nana

bikes from nana

reading in their new tent from auntie Jesse

another day, another party...this time with twin friends

and here are the rest...we didn't all fit in one room :)