Miracle Miles

Still Growing...

2010-03-26T21:29:00.001-07:00

So I took the kids for their 4 year old check-ups!! It just AMAZING how far they have come in such a short amount of time.

Just as a reminder - Noah was 2.3 pounds and 14 1/2" and TJ was 1.12 pounds and 14"!!

As of today, Noah is 37.2 pounds and 40 1/2" and TJ is 33.2 pounds and 39 3/4"!! WOW!!!

It is just amazing to me all of the changes they have gone through. Life is truly miraculous.

On a side note... even though they lost tonight...

Happy Birthday!

2010-03-17T22:50:00.000-07:00

It's official - Noah & TJ are 4 years old! How crazy is that! It really seems like yesterday I was able to scoop them both up at the same time since they weighed a combined 6 pounds. (That was when they were 3 months old!) They sure have come a LONG way. Not a day, wait hour, goes by where we are not fully entertained by something one of them says or does. Life is such a joy and is filled with so much love, joy, and humor. Life IS good.

2010-02-10T23:39:00.000-08:00

So the kids' preschool is a non-state funded program. It is THE most magical place one could ever imagine for a child to grow. I honestly cannot say enough about this place. Where else can a 3 year old dissect a salmon, go out to roast marshmallows around the fire pit, play pirate on a giant ship that you can paint any color you want, and then help take apart an old laptop computer complete with scientist's goggles!?! At Roseville Community Preschool that's where! So to help with yearly finances, they have an annual benefit. And a BIG one!

Want to take a chance and win a trip to Hawaii PLUS $500 in airfare? How about an Apple iPhone 3GS? Or perhaps a $100 Home Depot Shopping Spree?? Click on the link http://www.rosevillecommunitypreschool.org/ to purchase raffle tickets!

1 ticket = $5
6 tickets = $25
30 tickets = $100

You can purchase them directly from me or from the above link and you can pay via paypal. From the above link, click on "Forever Young Benefit Auction". That page will allow you to select how many tickets you want to purchase and that's it!!

I know it seems as if I'm always sending something out asking for money but how else can I afford to send my kids to college?! Just teasing. :o)

March for Babies 2010

2010-02-03T14:08:00.000-08:00

It's time again to ask friends and family for donations to a wonderful organization that made it possible for Noah & TJ to be doing so well. Every dollar is GREATLY appreciated! Please pass the word along to everyone that you know. A lady in my area recently lost her twin boys after delivering them at 25 weeks. The March of Dimes provides answers for those unanswered questions that families like the lady in my area have. It they do not know the answers, they utilize funds raised from walks all over the country to find them.

Thank you for your continued support!
Kevin, Jill, Noah, & TJ Miles

http://www.marchforbabies.org/Jillmami

Roller King!

2010-01-08T23:55:00.001-08:00

We had a Mothers of Multiples get-together at Roller King!! There were 3 sets of twins all together as well as the younger sister of one of the sets of twins. 6 girls and Noah. :o)

The kids all had a great time!!

So they lock the kids' wheels when they start out to help them get used to the skates. Apparently TJ does not need hers locked all the way. She pretty much RAN everywhere around the rink. And fast, too! It was pretty funny.

TJ all accessorized and ready to go roller skating! "Mom, I have to wear my 'neckalis' so that all the kids can see it."

Noah chilling with a friend as they enjoy their private little light show!

"Mom! I did it!!" TJ excited after a successful pass at the limbo bar!

Noah and another friend just hanging out practicing their moves.

Another view of TJ "skating" aka running!

Santa?

2009-12-23T22:38:00.000-08:00

So the other day TJ said, "Mom, what color is Santa?"

Anyone? Anyone?? (I'll accept any and all responses.) :o)

Here are some of our Santa photos from this holiday season.

Life

2009-11-20T07:35:00.001-08:00

has been rolling along. Crazy how busy things get when your kids start school. Yes, even preschool. We have been doing play dates, trying not to catch swin flu or any other type of flu, I've been busy with the 2 businesses, and Kevin has been busy working on his television ideas for kids' shows. One show is going to be pitched to Disney in a week or so. Yes, Disney! So we'll see. He has been working his tail off to make sure we can make ends meet and can move one day. :o)

In addition the Mothers of Multiples board I am now part of the board for a foundation that is raising money to buy additional RV's for families to stay in while their child/children are in the NICU. Even though our drive was a good 30 minutes each way, there were some families we met that lived hours away! I can't imagine what we would have done. Here's a link to the foundation if anyone is interested. They are looking for fabric, people who know how to knit/sew/etc. So if you know how to make any of the NICU items, most have patterns online, it would be a wonderful gift to pass along the info so that we can receive as many of these items as we can to share with the local hospitals and families. http://alybooandizybee.org/

Let's see what else has been going on... TJ is slowly learning Spanish. Hee Hee Hee I heard her yelling "E-u-da-may!" "E-da-may!" At first it just sound like "Eda May" and I kept wondering who "Eda May" was! I looked around the corner and saw her pretending to be stuck and needing help from Noah. She was actually saying, "Ayudame" which is Spanish for "help me". LOL It was pretty funny. She'll also speaks nonsense words whenever we go through a drive-thru and the person is Spanish "looking". Then she'll say, "adios!" It is pretty funny.

They are continuing to grow and learn and could not be more inquisitive. TJ drives me bonkers with her "why" questions and other traits however I know that I used to do the EXACT same thing when I was younger. Ah karma... gotta love it!

The kids are SOOOOOO excited for Chrsitmas. They already informed me that our house was "NOT cool" for Halloween so I definitely have to step it up this year! I cannot have two 3 year olds thinking our house is not cool.

Well, it's official, the holidays are here! My favorite Christmas music radio station is on and the kids and I LOVE it!!

Well, my 'free' time is over for now. We are off to the library! Hugs to you all.

Fall

2009-11-01T10:17:00.000-08:00

is upon us and the change in weather is fabulous! Love all of the leaves changing, love all of the changes in my kids, ... life is certainly changing.

The kids are LOVING school and they are both growing and developing in such a way that the director noticed it and mentioned it to me. Noah is completely comfortable with his body now and his movements and is taking a lot of risks. WONDERFUL news for him!! They both love being able to paint their arms/legs/etc. and make body prints or just let it dry and run around painted. They love coloring eggs at school. They love painting pumpkins. They love climbing on the pirate ship. They love working with a friend to get the ship from one side of the yard to the other. They love climbing across rope mountain to get to the zip line. And they LOVE spinning around as fast as they can on the indoor swing.

For those of you with swings, put little bells at the top that will jingle/chime as the kids swing. Make sure to get some that have a light, ethereal sound. It's so relaxing!

I will work on getting pictures uploaded and posted. I am still getting used to a different format on this computer.

I am also working on a Halloween post.

College Here We Come!

2009-10-05T21:35:00.000-07:00

If only it were that easy to get them $$ for sitting and looking pretty. :o) (No, I'm not biased at all.) These were taken at a local photo contest an acquaintance does every year. Apparently she's not that good of "friend" since the kids have never won.

Not much else is going on. Kids are LOVING preschool. TJ got to take apart an old radio the other day with various tools. Last week they both got to dissect some salmon. TJ especially enjoyed taking apart the salmon eggs. Let's see what else... TJ is going to be a mermaid for Halloween, Noah can't decide but his latest idea is Nemo and I have to be Dorie while daddy gets to be a puffy fish. So we'll see what comes up next week for ideas.

Well, TJ is feeling a bit under the weather. We had our flu mist this past Saturday and are working on getting that bit of virus out I guess. Night to all and hope everyone is doing well!

Say What?

2009-09-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

TJ went to walk by me earlier and I had my legs in her way. She paused and said (in a British voice mind you) "excuse me sir."

Hoping to "Get By With a Little Help From My Friends"

2009-09-22T14:43:00.001-07:00

and FAMILY of course!!

http://CaliforniaUsborne.com/

Here's the link to my new 'store'. I hope that every single one of you will take a few minutes to look around as there are FANTASTIC books for kids of all ages. I also hope that you will all be able to help support my children through college by purchasing a few books here and there. :o) If you would like to receive double free books for hosting, we can set up an e-show. ( It's as if I was right there in your home to promote the books but it's done all online!!) PLUS, who couldn't use free books! You can use them as gifts, for your own children, or donate them to a local hospital/charity. If you could pass the link around to other friends/family I would appreciate it greatly. I am very excited as I have used these books in my classroom and they are wonderful. Now to be able to share them with you all as well as with Noah & TJ is special.

Thank you very much!!
Love to you all,
Jill

wow!

2009-09-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize how long it has been since I last posted. We have been busy so this will be a LONG post. Lots to tell about!

Our first big item to discuss is the trip to Ohio that we took a few weeks ago. It was the kids' first plane trip and they had a BLAST!! It's so nice to have others compliment your children on their good behavior. We went to Ohio to surprise my family - especially my Aunt Katie for her 80th birthday celebration. Success!! The kids had a terrific time in Ohio. We visited the Columbus Zoo, the very cool COSI museum, and had fun meeting new family members. For the majority of our family, it was their first time seeing the kids. The kids were so excited about all of their "grammies" they couldn't see straight! Not to mention Kevin and I had our first taste of "Corn Hole". Is that right? It actually is a fun game and we can't wait to share it with our CA friends. Maybe we'll start something out here!

Yes we took pictures of family (not a group shot though - duh!) but they are on Kevin's camera and he is out of town so those will be added later this weekend.

Our second big news is that the kids began preschool!! Can you believe it?! They are in a parent co-op preschool 3 days a week for 2 1/2 hours. It's not a traditional type of preschool and they absolutely love it! They have cried quite a few times when I pick them up because they do not want to leave! The school has a zip line, a huge pirate ship they can paint a new color every day, a giant garden to investigate and find yummy fruits/veggies to pick/eat, a huge sand mountain with various hoses to create channels, floods, swamps, etc. a fantastic indoor art center, lots of niches with pillows and comfy blankets to hide in, etc. It is so much fun for them and for me. Once Kevin gets his paper work completed, he'll be helping out also.

Our 3rd recent adventure was our trip to Indio (near Palm Springs). We drove down to help celebrate Riley's 4th bday! I went to jr. high with his mom. The party was a Cars themed party complete with swimming, pizza/cake, and a pinata! Everyone had a great time!! I also got to see another friend from jr. high and her family. (She also has twins but they are now almost 8.) We had a really cool timeshare down there with several kiddie pools, adult pools, play areas, and a lazy river! We pretty much had the pool to ourselves on Monday. Which the kids loved!) To finish off our trip we were able to see my dad/Gloria for lunch. The kids LOVE seeing Grandpa and spending time with him. Especially when he draws cars and fairies on their new drawing boards. Grandma Gloria had some more beautiful clothes for TJ's dress-up collection and a neat project for me to do with the kids. *Pictures to come on those. The visit with Grandpa and Grandma Gloria was the perfect way to cap off a lovely trip.

The kids are enjoying life. They have definitely entered the "sibling/fighting/challenge" phase. They sure realize they are individuals and are not liking sharing and not being the only one getting attention. Yet another wonderful phase in the journey to adulthood. But they are loved dearly by so many. Thank you to EVERYONE that made time for us in the past few weeks. We had a TERRIFIC vacation and enjoyed seeing so many friends/family.

Mama's Bringing Home the Bacon!

2009-08-31T10:50:00.000-07:00

Or at least trying to help out a little bit! :o)

I have a new job selling Usborne books! If you aren't familiar with them, they are FANTASTIC!!

With the holidays approaching, now's a good time to take advantage of online specials!

http://www.myubam.com/ecommerce/main.asp?sid=E3707&gid=86420445

If you need any children's books, please keep me/my site in mind! I'd love it if you could forward the link on to family/friends as well.

Thank you so much!!

I Used to...

2009-07-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

So Noah is always telling me stories about what he "used to" do and how he "used to" be and what not.

For example:
Tonight he started telling me about how he "used to be bigger and he had a different room. It was diamond shaped and my bed was bigger. I used to have a cat that would sleep in a cubby. That's what I used to have, mom."

He has also told me about how he "used to" have kids that came out of his... yep - uterus. He will go on and on with details.

Interesting...

"Just Keep Swimming"

2009-07-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

As the kids get older, I really miss not having my mom around to ask questions about the things Todd, Julie, and I did as kids. Doesn't help that I can't ask them either. I cherish the stories I do remember and am working on getting them written down for Noah & TJ to hear one day. One particular story that has always stayed with me is about Todd. Our neighborhood pool growing up had a children's pool. This wasn't anything fancy like they have today but your basic, rectangular pool that's about 18-24 inches deep and was as warm as can be. Todd LOVED being in the water. He was like a fish. One particular time my mom had been chatting with some other moms when she noticed Todd face down in the water floating. She jumped in and grabbed him only to be scolded by Todd. "MOM! I was FIMMING!" And back he went head first to "fim."

Noah definitely is a "Todd" in the water. He can swim about 5-9 feet between Kevin and me!! Two days ago he was doing it but it resembled more of an underwater "run". But today... a full-on swim. Kevin and I are SO excited and proud of him. He could care less. The second he comes up for air, he catches his breath, turns, and pushes off to "fim" back to the other parent. He will do this repetitively until Kevin and I MAKE him stop. He also does this with his eyes open. And if Kevin and I are standing too close to one another, Noah will pause just in front of us so he can continue blowing bubbles and look around underwater. It is GREAT! He just cracks us up! TJ enjoys going under the water as well but is still working on combining all of the necessary required skills. She will be joining him soon enough and then we'll be in big time trouble with 2 fish! Maybe I should start reading "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish".

Hoping to have pics/video soon...

Budding Artist

2009-07-19T17:58:00.001-07:00

Here are a few of Noah's latest drawings. Why is this so exciting? Because up until the past week, he didn't have any interest in drawing anything specific. He is so proud of his artwork! In case you are wondering, he drew pictures of WALL-E, the robot. He said the first one has "2 eyeballs and a nose" and the second one "it just has eyeballs, mom. But it has legs."

Stike a Pose!

2009-07-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

I wanted to capture a shot of TJ before they left with Kevin this am to run some errands. Little did I know that my index finger would cramp up from the photo shoot TJ was about to put me through. That girl is so aware of the camera, where it is, and how she looks. She was cracking me up! Not to be left out though was Noah who jumped up and said, "I want to give TJ a hug, mom!"
Enjoy.

Birds & Bees? At 3???

2009-07-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

So the other day the kids and I were in the pool relaxing and escaping the 100+ temps.
Out of the clear blue Noah says, "Mom, you can go in my uterus and Daddy can go in TJ's."
I was like, "SAY WHAT??"
He repeated it for me.
So I said, "honey, you don't have a uterus. You were both in my uterus at the same time."
He said, "well, I can go to the store and buy a uterus then."
So then I said, "boys don't have a uterus, just girls."
He emphatically said, "when I get bigger and am a daddy, I can have a uterus!"

And so the conversation began...

The things kids say!

'N' is for...

2009-07-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

Napping - Nauseous

Nutty

Nautical

Nerdy

Noah

(his first 'N') He usually doesn't care to write his name and he came up to me on Sunday and said, "Mommy I wrote my name. Do you want to see?" You can see the 'o' and the 'a' below the 'o' and we're still working on the 'h'.

Phew! Only Two!

2009-07-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

So I tried various times to get a pic of the kids the other day. You can see that it is a bit

difficult to get them both to look at the camera AND give a 'decent' expression. I don't know what I would do if I had more than two kids!

I will take what I can get! PLUS, I LOVE their 'natural' experssions.

OWs & Eyeballs!

2009-06-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

That's pretty much all the kids have said for the past week. It all started with their love of our neighbor, Cody. Whenever he "falls", goofs around, etc. he'll say, "ow!" So the kids began saying it. ALL THE TIME. I had a discussion about "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and how we use words like "help" "ow" "fire" only in emergencies. So the kids ditched the word "ow" and began using the word "eyeball" in it's place. NOW they use "eyeball" ALL THE TIME. Not sure why but that's THE word to use.

At the store, "Hey little girl. You are a cutie. How are you?"

TJ: "eyeball!"

Noah: "eye-ball eyeball. eye-ball eyeball. eyeball eyeeee-ball eyeball." (aka "Jingle Bells")

He also does it to "It's a Small World" and just about every other song he wants to sing.

TJ: "Hey eyeball!"
Noah: "What eyeball?"

TJ: "Do you want to eyeball?"

Noah: "No, you eyeball. I eyeball eyeball yesterday."

And so on... good thing they are cute!

2009-06-23T13:20:00.001-07:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

1st Family Pics

2009-06-10T23:16:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to have won a free family photo session!! This link will take you to the photographer's blog where you can view a bunch of shots. We had SO much fun with the photographer and she really captured some terrific pics. Enjoy!!

http://www.torreyjamesphotography.com/blog/

Damn Good Salsa

2009-06-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

I had the kids running errands with me today and we decided to stop for "chips & salsa" at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Both kids INHALED the salsa which has quite a kick! Not to mention it has chunks of tomatoes, onions, and peppers which I can't get Noah to eat at home but he chows down on when in salsa.

In the middle of his "mmmmm's" and "yummy yummy's" he looked at me as serious as one can be and said, "Mommy I'm sorry."

I said, "Oh sweetheart, why are you sorry?"

He said, "For crying mom."

I said, "For crying? When honey?"

He said, "I'm sorry for crying the other day, mom. I'm sorry."

I said, "it's okay Noah. Thank you though."

He then said with the biggest, sweetest eyes, "I wuv you mom."

Then he returned to devour more chips & salsa.

Now THAT'S some DAMN GOOD SALSA!!

We are Family!

2009-06-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

So we finally got around to having some real FAMILY pictures taken. This is a sample photo. The rest should be available to view sometime in the next week! We are looking forward to seeing what Torrey captured! She definitely appeared to catch the kids at their finest!

Really? REALLY??

2009-06-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

It's June?

It's possible to pee through a name brand nighttime diaper?

It's June and we won't hit 80 degrees today?

I don't have any photos on our Kodak site for June?

It's JUNE??

My kids are 3?

Their original due date was in June. 3 years ago this month.

It's June! So many thing to celebrate and be grateful for. Loving life and my children. It's June!

Good Times

2009-05-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

TJ said, "mom when I get my wand I'll do a magic and make grandma not sick anymore. Then she can come from heaven to visit us and ride in our car. We can go all over then." Noah chimed in, "and I will give her yellow flowers. She can sit right here, mom."

I overheard the kids telling each other to, "Rock it out!" the other day as they jammed with their toy instruments.

Noah: "TJ, wanna play with me?"
TJ: "nope"
Noah: "TJ, wanna play trucks?"
TJ: "nope"
Noah: "TJ, wanna play trains with me?"
TJ: "nope"
Noah: "TJ, wanna play blocks with me?"
TJ: "nope"
Noah as SAD as can be: "I'll just play by myself then." (lip out and all. )
Finally TJ said, "really? you want me to play with you?"
Noah: "yes!!" (with much excitement)
TJ: "um, nope." (with an evil smile)

The other night TJ did something rude to Noah so while he is telling her "how sad he is feeling" she says to him, "Noah - it's nothing to freak about! Gosh!"
And then while I'm trying to talk to her she just says, "but Mom - he shouldn't be freaking about it."

TJ just came up to me with her harmonica and said, "I can't do it. My humming isn't working and I can't do any probwem sawving. Can you help me?"

Does this count as a Mother's Day gift: Noah came up to the bathroom door and said, "Mommy, when you are done I will wipe YOUR butt! OK?"

A few weeks ago I asked TJ to come here. She ran in saying, "I'm coming Ms. Miles!" Noah says it now too.

Noah crying because TJ took a toy from him. She said, "I'm sorry noah as they hugged." He said, "it's ok sweetie."

Any time they hear the ice cream man, they run to the window and yell, "Wait ice cream man! I have to eat all of my dinner and then I can come out and get some ice cream!" Then they hum/sing/etc. the "ice cream truck song" over and over and over until they move on to soemthing else. lol

And finally, here is a link to the photographer's blog where you can preview some shots of the kids from last month's shoot. You have to scroll down until you get below the "stroller fit" segment.
http://claycombphotography.blogspot.com/

Enjoy this beautiful life!

TJ Tells A Joke

2009-05-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

TJ was playing with a toy saw and held it up to Jill, balanced it on her finger and moved the ends in an up and down motion, then exclaimed, "Look, mom. A See Saw." A 3-year-old who uses conceptual metaphors and visual puns to deliver a punch line? I know she's my kid, but damn that's impressive...

Pic Preview

2009-05-11T10:32:00.001-07:00

Here is the first glimpse of the kids' photo session. Just a little teaser of what's to come!

TJ's "On Color" Commentary

2009-05-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

This evening during dinner, TJ made the following revelation:

"Noah and dad's shirt are both red. Mom's shirt is bluish and my shirt is greenish."

Suffice it to say, there's never really any gray area with the colorful Ms. TJ.

Our March for Babies Event!

2009-05-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
to everyone who helped with a donation as well as with your inspiring words. We had a walk recently and had a terrific time. It is so rewarding to meet other families and to share their struggles and success stories with their babies. The kids had a fantastic time seeing all of the families and other kids on the walk. It was a beautiful day that we filled with memories to last a lifetime. This was our 3rd year doing the walk and we look forward to continuing that tradition for many years to come.

Baths, Ladders & Mushrooms, Oh My!

2009-05-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

Jill went out with the moms from her multiples group this evening, for dinner and drinks, so I got to give the kid's their baths and put them to bed this evening. Of course, all of you who read this blog know, the only thing better than TV is HBO, and the only thing better than HBO is Noah and TJ. In tonight's episode, as I was combing and braiding TJ's hair, she noticed that the linen closet was open in the hallway. Here's what followed:

TJ: Hey, dad, who opened that?

Dad: I don't know, TJ. It was probably mom.

TJ: I think it was Noah, dad.

Noah: No it wasn't me. I'm not tall enough to open that, TJ.

Dad: That's right TJ.

Noah: I could get the ladder and then I could reach it. And then I could step onto a mushroom.

Like I said. It's not TV. It's not HBO. It's Noah and TJ.

Picture Time Preview!

2009-05-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

We had some pictures taken last year that didn't turn out as well as we had liked. We finally got around to finding a good time with the photographer to have them redone. Here are few candids that I shot before/after the 'real' session. I hope to have some professional shots to preview in a few days!

Feelings... Whoa Whoa Whoa Feelings

2009-05-07T16:55:00.003-07:00

So the kids are totally into showing their myriad of faces - sad, happy, angry, etc.

Here is a sampling of my crazy kids!

Yes, this is TJ showing me her "mad" look on command. It's pretty good I think!

The Young, The Tired & The Precocious

2009-05-07T02:25:00.000-07:00

I knew the kids were tired this evening before I took them upstairs for the night, but I didn't realize just how tired they were--especially the little man of the house, Noah. This was quite evident after he got tired of "coloring" and pushed a cup of markers onto the floor. When I asked him to clean pick them up, his response, after plopping down on the floor from frustration and exhaustion in equal measure was, "No, dad. I'm too tired. I'm too tired to pick those pens up."

Then he proceeded to kick his sister and when I asked him to apologize he said, "Dad. I'm too tired to apologize."

Which, of course, is when his sister TJ chimed in with this little ditty. "Noah, you still have a mouth and you can use it to apologize. Just like you still have two eyes and two ears. And two arms."

Wanna Ride?

2009-05-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I was eavesdropping on the kids as they were doing some imaginative play. Here is what happened when daddy entered the room. I typed whatever I heard so this is pretty much verbatim what transpired. Enjoy!
CAUTION: Reading the following may cause you to feel drowsy and thankful that you don't have twins. :o) OH, remember to read this with as much enthusiasm, speed and excitement as a 3 year old would use. (Times two!) THAT will give you a better glimpse into a 5 minute section of my day.

tj: Come on dad, it's fun. We're playing pirates. You can come; there's lots of room. Sit here, dad. No dad, you sit right here!

daddy: TJ, I can't get my big butt right there.

tj: Yeah dad, you can. Ok, can you sit right here then daddy?

daddy: That's too small.

tj: No, that's big daddy. Ok, now hold the eggs dad.

noah: You have to just sit now dad. We're on our trip. Just listen to the music.

tj: Hold the baby. Yeah.

noah: Here are the eggies. They have colorful chicks inside of dem. You have to match the faces dad. Open up my eggs. They are prastic. Dad, open the eggs.

tj: You can sit here now dad. Right dere. It's ready.

daddy: Where are we going?

tj: We are going on the Small World ride.

noah: No, we are on the pirate ride! (Yes, the Pirates of the Caribbean)

tj: Daddy - sit right here! No, daddy here! Put your feet right here.

noah: No no no no no we are on the rocket car now.

tj: No, we're on a pirate ride now.

daddy: Where are we going?

tj: Pirate ride and Small World ride.

daddy: Small World/Rocket Ship/Pirate ride?

tj: Yep. No wait, just Small World ride now, dad.

daddy: I don't hear the music.

noah: It's on my computer dad. Can't you hear it? Do you hear it dad? Dad? Do you hear it?

tj: Daddy, you have an owie on your arm. Are you ok? Dad, are you ok?

daddy: Yes TJ, thanks.

tj: Ok daddy. You need to be careful dad. I have 5 owies. They are on my knee and that's all of them.

daddy: Oh yeah? I'm sorry that you have owies, TJ. Ok, I have to leave now. It was fun you guys, thanks. I have to run some errands.

tj: No dad. We're still on the Small World ride.

Words of Wisdom from TJ

2009-04-28T12:49:00.001-07:00

Lately TJ has been sharing her philosophies on life. They are quite humorous!

*Kevin was making breakfast, waffles, the other morning and TJ started asking him about eggs. After a few moments she said, "Dad, some people can eat eggs. Some people can't. That's how it goes."

*I told TJ that when I ask her to "come" that's what she needs to do. She looked at me with total seriousness (and just the right amount of attitude) and said, "MOM! You don't do that to me! That's what you say to dogs!!" So I asked her how she learned about that with dogs and she said, "Mom, my mother and my father told me all about it. They told me lots of stuff about dogs. You did, mom."

So the looks of an angel - yes. The mind of one? Still up for debate. Whatever the verdict, we love her dearly!! Although we are still trying to find out where she gets it from. :o)

Disney Love

2009-04-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

So on a DAILY basis the kids continue to recount their trip to Disneyland as well as rant and rave about it. We still listen to Noah belt out "It's a Small World" with as much glee as he can possibly muster. They also discuss new "rides" they are going on as well as how much fun Nemo was yet it was a little scary, too. I finally got pics from Kevin's camera so here are a few more shots from our memorable trip! You can see the kids in their "Disney ears" that Grandpa Karlak bought for them. They still wear them around the house from time to time and think it's funny that Grandpa was wearing TJ's pink hat. As the kids both say, "Grandpa wore a girl's pink hat! That's funny!"

While we were nursing TJ's bumped noggin (from her swinging around like a monkey on the bars as we waited in line for a ride) Noah went crazy in the water fountain area. He ended up getting soaked but loved EVERY minute of it!

Noah and Grandpa waiting patiently in line to drive the cars. If licenses were handed out, Noah would surely have failed the test. :o)

Maybe all of the zig zagging was due to his mouse ears over his eyes...

It most certainly is the "happiest place on Earth" in my children's eyes and so it is in mine.

MAN Work

2009-04-14T17:06:00.001-07:00

Noah just informed me that I need to go to the store while he and daddy do "man work" in daddy's office. Uh... ok. That's better than him wanting a uterus on Friday I guess. If TJ or I dare enter daddy's office while Noah and daddy are doing "man work" we are told to leave and go in the kitchen. "It's 'man work' time."

How funny is that?! Where do they get these things!

Speechless

2009-04-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

I have no clue where this came from but it needs to go back!

The kids were busy getting dressed this morning when all of a sudden I hear TJ exclaim, "MOM! My booty smells like pineapple!"

Noah followed with, "yeah - pineapple juice because my booty is juicy!"

Hmmmm..... what exactly can you say about this? I am simply speechless.

2009-04-10T12:11:00.001-07:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Kids DO Say the Darndest Things!

2009-04-10T09:31:00.001-07:00

Noah: "Mom, when I get older I will have a uterus." *We were discussing babies and how Noah & TJ were in my uterus at the same time.

TJ: "Dad you need to come into my woom. Noah has a pwobwem."

TJ: "That's pretty. We need to get some more pretty dresses for me to wear, mom. It's a princess TJ dress."

Noah: "Mom, it is a beautiful day. Like you!"

TJ: "Oh my goodness." "Mom, you are my favowit wittle girl." "I wuv you SO SO much."

Every Letter...

2009-04-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

So the kids have been obsessing over LeapFrog's "The Letter Factory" for quite a while now. Except for "It's a Small World", it's their favorite song to sing. And sing. And sing. But, how can you complain when that song is helping them to spell words? My thoughts exactly.

You will notice that TJ stops a few times during her song. That's because Noah was interrupting her from the bathroom. If I would have kept the tape rolling, she (or they) would have finished the entire song. If you can't make out what she says in the song after the letter and it's sound - "every letter makes a sound".

Have a wonderful day and enjoy every moment of it!

Future Politicians Perhaps?

2009-03-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

"I will not do that eber eber again, mom. I promise."

This can be heard on a daily basis in our home. Any time the kids do something they shouldn't and I talk to them about it, I hear, "no, mom. I don't want to " or "I won't do that eber again." It's very cute!! They are also going to give me a run for my money with semantics. Yesterday TJ was doing something and I asked her to please stop yelling about whatever it was. She looked at me and said, "no mom, I'm just talking loud, not yelling. It's ok mom." I will have to choose my words carefully with these two!

They also have caught on that when mommy is irritated, lots of hugs and kisses might help diffuse the irriration. The other night Noah squeezed me tightly and said, "Mom, I love you for eber and eber." TJ had to follow that up with, "Mom, I love you with all my heart." Just makes me melt!

Privacies

2009-03-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

The kids are doing SO well with potty training. Actually, I guess you would say that they are potty trainED!! Just need to get nights down and they really aren't showing signs of that just yet. They are so funny when one of them is on the potty. Whenever Noah is on the potty, TJ just HAS to bug him. He could care less when it's the other way around but she is little Ms. Nosey!

Noah: "TJ! Go away! I need my privacies!!"
TJ: "Noah, everyone has their privacies you know."
Noah: "Yea, that's right. They do. Ok TJ."

I now know that whenever I hear TJ say, "I love you", "I'm OK", "don't mind me", or "I'm sorry" I need to quickly see what she is doing. LOL At least she gives me a heads up.

We were outside playing yesterday and Noah said, "Mom, please help push me up the driveway?" So as we got to the top he said, "thanks mom. You're a great helper. That was just awesome!"

It's so funny to hear them use phrases they have heard and how they talk to each other. A friend was over the other day and said that they sound like an old married couple. :o)

We're Baaaaaack!

2009-03-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

So we made it home safe and sound from our vacation. We had a FANTASTIC trip and the kids are now going through Disneyland withdrawal! We were able to spend some time with cousins Linda, Charlie, 2 of their sons (and significant others), baby Emily (who is just as cute as can be), Grandma Gloria and Grandpa Karlak, and Aunt Krista (and her two beautiful boys). Lots of new faces and places were on the agenda and the kids handled it very maturely. After all, they are 3 now! :o) It's interesting how they seem more mature all of a sudden. The conversations they have with each other and with adults are hysterical! The kids really enjoyed getting to meet their Grandpa and Grandma Gloria. TJ had grandpa read her a few books, Noah enjoyed matching flash cards with Grandma Gloria and just as the door shut behind them Noah exclaimed, "I had a great day mom!"

Here are a few highlights from our trip. I'll be adding pics to the Kodak photogallery on Tuesday evening and then I'll be adding the pics from Kevin's camera when he gets back in town this weekend.

The kids enjoyed going on rides although Noah took a little longer than TJ to get comfortable on some of the rides. Most rides were too slow for TJ :o) No surprise there! They talked about every ride for days and still do. They enjoyed the "Finding Nemo" submarine ride. (I was freaking out on that one since I am a tad claustrophobic though.) I would have to say their favorite was "It's a Small World". I found a 14 min. clip on YouTube that someone took and Noah is constantly asking me to watch it. If I say "no" then he wants the song on our ipod. LOL They are already planning a return trip. They are just so much fun at this age and seems to get better with each passing day. Stay tuned for more on our trip in the coming days.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all for of the thoughtful and delightful birthday wishes! Also, the kids' dress-up box has some real fun items in it now so we are excited to get some dress up days going!

What's Up?

2009-03-06T00:19:00.000-08:00

Here are a few updates:

Both kids are potty trained!! TJ has been for a few months and Noah for about a month. Now we need to work on naps/nighttime.

The kids are finally in their "big kid" beds! They are doing really well! TJ stays in hers like nobody's business meanwhile Noah is up to visit her and do a few jumps and then runs back to his bed when he thinks he hears me coming. The video monitor is GREAT!

TJ thinks that she is a doctor around here. After the car accident, she came over to me and said, "mommy, lie down so that I can fix you!" as she grabbed her play doctor kit. Any time someone has an issue, she will run into the other room to grab her med kit and demands you sit still as she checks your blood pressure (correctly I must add), temperature, ears, nose, and then listens to your chest/back.

We are getting ready for our vacation to Anaheim! We'll be going to Disneyland twice, California Adventure, and a hands-on science discovery museum. Stay tuned for pictures in a little over a week!

They are still talking up a storm. This does cause issues since they think they are allowed to say whatever the want whenever they want. This has been lots of fun to deal with on a daily basis. Just the other day TJ said, "Mom, I'm not in the mood for any of these games. I'm not mom." I just look at her and smile. My latest is that I tell her she is draining my energy and we'll have to think of some way to put it back. She informed me that she could be a sweetie and help clean the house. :o)

Noah is spelling words now, knows all of the alphabet letters/sounds, and more. It is just amazing what he picks up.

TJ is more into her art. Although Noah does have an uncanny ability to imitate almost any sound and can still sing on key. He also uses different words for songs and keeps the tune/rhythm. Right now TJ is into creating little works of art with each color. And don't you dare bother her! She'll call you out in a second for interrupting her. She'll say, "excuse me, excuse me mom. I'm coloring right now!"

I guess that's about it. We're looking forward to spring and our vacation. The kids are growing and doing really well so life is good.

Daddy Love

2009-02-21T21:47:00.000-08:00

And next comes the video games. NO!!!

Loves to Read

2009-02-21T21:11:00.001-08:00

TJ loves to read just like her mommy and daddy do. (Noah does also.) TJ really enjoys reading her own version of a story to us these days. It's very cute! In this video, she has a bit of a snotty nose which makes her sound a bit funny but she had a blast telling me about the book.

My Bwadder

2009-02-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

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And I shall name her...

2009-02-13T18:36:00.000-08:00

Kika!

TJ named her first friend today! Usually she calls her babies/stuffed animals (friends) whatever they look like, "pink baby, blue baby, ducky, etc." Today she told me that she was going to carry Kika on her shoulders. I was like, "who?" She said, "Kika, mom. My bear." Pretty cool!

And Kika it is!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!

Just Missing the Tongue

2009-02-11T20:10:00.001-08:00

We all know how dogs LOVE to let that tongue just flap in the breeze as the car

cruises down the street. Apparently my kids are similar. Not sure if they were dogs

in a past life or what but as they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words."

The Dozens

2009-02-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

So it's 8:30 PM and Kevin and I are listening to the kids play 'The Dozens". If you aren't quite sure what that is... they are basically trying to one up each other with name calling. Yeah, name calling. Here is some of what we heard:

TJ: hey Noah, you're a peanut head.
Noah: No, you're a chicken head.
TJ: dinosaur head
Noah: snowman head
TJ: sign head
Noah: boot head

They giggle and laugh in between each name. They are seriously cracking themselves up! It is just too funny.

Oh, TJ came up to me the other night after I took a cookie away from her (since she was throwing toys around the room while eating it) and said, "mom - don't you ever ever ever take my cookie away from me again. OK?" She said it with THE MOST serious look that I have ever seen. I was like, "um..." (Gather my thoughts here without laughing!!) Oh the things they say.

So Noah naps in a separate room from TJ. I put some glow in the dark planets that hang from the ceiling in there today. He started jumping up and down and said, "woohoo! This is my favorite room! How cool is this TJ?! I am so so so so happy! Thanks, mom!" :o)

Kevin and I are off to do some car shopping Monday to figure out/narrow down our choices. We want something big enough, not to big, and SAFE!!! At least our insurance company settled with a decent offer that we are happy with but I still have to find a new "used" car.

Drury Lane? Nope!

2009-02-06T20:43:00.000-08:00

We now know where the Muffin Man lives! He lives at The Nugget Market near our house! I had the kids with me today at the store to pick up a few things. As we walked by their bakery a man dressed from head to toe in traditional baker garb, hat included, walked by from one of the lanes back into the bakers area. TJ yelled out, "Mom, Mom! There's the muffin man! He lives in here! Did you see him, Mom? It's the muffin man!" The baker didn't hear us but it was quite humorous!

**update**
We received our initial estimate for my car which are looking over. It seems to be pretty close to what we were thinking we'd get for the car. Of course, who has time to go car hunting? There aren't any cars like I had within 75 miles and we don't want to go older so we'll probably get something different. Not that we have much to spend over what our check will be so who knows what will happen. The most important update is that the kids are doing GREAT! They are not waking up as much and aren't mentioning the accident on a daily basis but every other day. So that's good. My headaches come and go and I have post concussion syndrome that I am hoping will go away in a matter of weeks. Still seeing my chiro 3x/week and will get new scans in 7-10 days to compare to the original ones. Keeping those fingers crossed!

The Moral of the Story is...

2009-01-31T14:51:00.000-08:00

"stay home and cook - like we did back in the day." That's what my wise Aunt Jane conveyed to me in an email. Then I wouldn't have been out and about for that accident. Such sage advice! Now I need your help ladies! I am someone who doesn't mind cooking for the family but needs assistance. I have lots of my mom's recipes but am looking for some good ones for the freezer as well as tips for freezing food for later. I know I should have this info but it's one of those things that I never thought much about until my mom wasn't around to ask. SO - if you have something tasty that freezes well, please pass it along! Thanks for the love!

What a Week!

2009-01-30T21:13:00.001-08:00

So I know that mentioned I would have some snow photos/videos from our awesome trip. We had a (everyone is ok) little accident on Monday that threw me for a loop. I was taking the kids for lunch and then to the park when a guy ran a red light going about 35 mph and ran right into my door. Fortunately I "had" a very reliable and safe vehicle which, although totaled, kept the kids and me safe. My head hit the window and other than some minor head pain this week I escaped mostly pain free. Thank God! We DEFINITELY had our share of angels to keep us safe. Obviously the incident brought up a lot with my sister/brother's accident as well as my mom not being here. Then I struggled with feeling as though the accident was my fault. I couldn't remember all the details and doubted myself since I had the kids in the car. I don't know what I would do if something would have happened to them. I don't know how my mom managed for so long. They were all with us on Monday though. The accident didn't traumatize the kids but it certainly scared them. Noah has been very clingy with his "I love you's" as well as his hugs. He told me tonight that he was scared of the truck that hit us. :o( They both tell people that my car is at the doctor being fixed. They remember the firemen getting their car seats out of the car and putting them in daddy's car, too. Hopefully it will quickly pass. I had the kids checked by my chiropractor and she didn't see any issues so that was a big relief. I will have my neck/back scanned in two weeks to compare it to this week's scans and I'm hoping all remains healthy.

So... with all of that out of the way, I happened to find a woman on Craigslist who was selling 5 preschool board games for $5. I only paid attention to a few of the titles and thought for $5 - how can I turn it down! So I picked them up today after I had picked up the accident report from the police station. I got home and started to go through the games only to notice one game is called, "Let's Go To McDonald's". Nothing too exciting about that except that is where I was headed with the kids the day we had our accident. It also says, "Anything can happen on your way." Umm... FREAKY!!

Another weird happening was the day of the accident. Kevin took me to the doctor to have my noggin checked. On our way home, he stopped to get some food since I hadn't eaten anything and it was already 3pm. As we pulled into our driveway with KFC in hand, I happened to remember back to Kevin's car accident - which was about 6 years ago. He was on his way home from picking up KFC when a lady ran a red light and smashed right into him. (It was a block from my accident.) We obviously didn't get to eat our KFC that night since I took him to the ER to be checked. How weird that we ended up with KFC all these years later and after another accident.

So, here are a couple of snow pics. There are more on the Kodak site and I will be uploading snow videos this weekend. Again, we are all doing well and are bracing for the "buying a new car" process as well as dealing with the other guy's insurance company. He was in a company vehicle so hopefully it will be a smooth deal. Take care and we are sending extra hugs this week!

Those Crazy Kids

2009-01-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

So we just got back from the kids' first trip to the snow. We had a FANTASTIC time! Sleding, snowballs, and snowmen. I'll post more details and pictures later on this evening.

I did want to share a few funny moments compliments of the kids.

TJ needed her night diaper put on before bed last week but didn't want Kevin to do it. When he persisted, TJ started to do that lovely cry/fake cry that kids do. He said, "TJ, I'm going to put your diaper on whether you like it or not. You can just keep crying."
TJ said, while crying, "but I don't want to cry."

Friday TJ said, "Mommy, look at me. Do you see my tricks? Pretty cool, huh?"
I replied, "Yes, TJ it was! That was pretty fly for a white gal!" (I know, silly. Don't ask. :o)
Noah was running around and I said, "Noah, are you pretty fly for a white guy?"
He said as serious as can be, "no, for a brown guy."

Saturday night Kevin and I were getting the kids ready for bed and we were all being silly. I asked Noah, "hey, who is cuter - mommy or daddy?"
After much serious thought he said, "me. Noah is. I'm cuter, mom."
*Can't argue with that can you?!

Duct Tape? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Duct Tape!

2009-01-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

According to Noah, all one needs in life is Vaseline and batteries. If he bumps into something, he will ask for Vaseline. If he has any type of ouchie - Vaseline. If anybody trips, is bleeding, etc. - yep, Vaseline. If a toy stops working for ANY reason - batteries. Kevin amasses quite a collection of toys in his office on a weekly if not daily basis that are just waiting for batteries.

California Dreaming

2009-01-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

The weather here has taken a wonderful turn for the better! It has been absolutely beautiful here! We took a little family trip to the park and the kids had a terrific time!!

Mommy's Boy? Daddy's Boy?

2009-01-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

So on any given day, Noah is ALL ABOUT the mommy. (I definitely LOVE it!) But whenever Kevin goes out of town, Noah is just a mess. This past week, Kevin was gone* for 3 days and Noah woke up between 4-6am each morning!! YUCK for me! At 4am, the day Kevin was coming home, Noah woke up screaming, "I want to get on a plane! I want to get on the plane!" It was just the cutest thing ever! Much better that he went back to sleep too! :o)

*Kevin was down in LA for a music video shoot. He is a top 10 finalist for a contest featuring Cadillac. The top 5 videos will be shown during The Grammys!! Now, THAT would be fantastic if something came out of that!! Keeping those fingers, and toes, crossed!

Celebrations!

2009-01-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to announce that TJ is no longer eligible to receive services from the county! WAHOOOO!! She actually could have been exited 6 months ago if we had pushed for it but since Noah is still eligible, why not include her as well! Made it much easier for me and their OT since she was there with Noah. She is eligible to attend Sensory Gym as a sibling so that will be helpful. Noah will no longer receive services once he turns 3 - which is in 2 months! HOW CRAZY IS THAT?! They will be 3 in a few months?! Here is what they looked like at birth. What a long and I mean LONG way they have come!

Here Noah & TJ were 7 weeks old. They came home from the hospital a few days after this picture was taken. TJ was almost 4 pounds and Noah was about 6 pounds.

On the left side of the picture is Noah with Kevin's wedding ring up to his shoulder at a few weeks old. On the right, Noah has his ring on and he is a little over 1 1/2 years old.

TJ is also a few weeks old on the left and 1 1/2 on the right.

Pinwheel Drama!

2009-01-14T19:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight Noah was in his "I am so hyper because I am really so tired but I don't want to go to bed because I want to run around" mood and he accidentally hit TJ with his pinwheel. She of course played her "Scarlett O'Hara" card and acted as if she would keel over and die any second.

She said to Noah, "Hey, Noah! You just hit me. I don't like it!"

He responded with, "TJ. I'm sorry TJ. It was an accident."

He then hugged her and said, "I'm sorry TJ. I love you."

Then he kissed her hand and hugged her again. TJ then jumped up and down and yelled out, "my brother just kissed me cuz he loves me, mom."

Awwwww!

Dr. TJ

2009-01-06T09:06:00.001-08:00

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Dr. TJ

2009-01-05T20:28:00.001-08:00

So TJ received a doctor kit from Santa and now refers to herself as "Dr. TJ." Whenever anyone bumps into something or has a pain, she comes running and says, "I'll fix you. I'm Dr. TJ!" So today when I went to get Noah some medicine, TJ pushed me aside and said, "I'm Dr. TJ and I'll fix him mom. Come sit down, Noah. Noah, come sit down." I of course grabbed the camera and at first thought that she was going to perform an ob/gyn check-up! She actually said, "Noah spread your legs." It's kind of hard to hear. She follows that up with, "Noah spread your butt." Not sure where THAT came from but it's funny. Right? :o) I've included a guide to the video to help you better understand the dialogue if need the help.
I love how Noah just lays there. LOL
"Ok Noah I've got my stesop---- (stethoscope). I'm a doctor. I'm going to fix you.
**Long pause as she 'gets ready.'** "It's going to tickle."
Noah - "thank you TJ.' Then she puts her hand on his back as she checks out his ear. She doesn't get to check the other ear though as he has to 'get the air out.' Not sure what that's about but it's important apparently! There's also a part 2 that you shouldn't miss. It's at the "movie" link to the right.
*Video SHOULD be here but it's too large so you can either look to the above post where it "should" be visible from another source. Otherwise, you'll have to click on the 'movie' link at the right. Sorry! I'm still learning this technology stuff!

A Boy After Daddy's Own Heart

2009-01-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

Noah possibly following in his daddy's advertising footsteps? I can't tell you how many times he asked to watch this commercial. (*hint - it was a lot!) You should be able to hear him loud and clear joining the animals in their screaming. He has pretty good pitch too!

Bad Hair Day

2009-01-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

So unless you have someone in your house under the age of 6, you probably haven't heard of "The Imagination Movers." It's a great kids' show that incorporates music and life lessons for kids. Noah & TJ LOVE the show and often request them on the ipod in their playroom. One episode had to do with one of the movers who was having a bad hair day. Noah and TJ wanted to have a "bad/crazy" hair day so that's what we did.

Hmmm

2008-12-30T22:52:00.000-08:00

So for some reason the link to our videos is not working. I have contacted the company to find out what is going on. HOPEFULLY, it will be resolved soon and my videos will be back up!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

**Our video link is back up and is working. I added a few new videos and will be adding

more in the next few days. Wow, another year has ended. Crazy!

X-mas 08

2008-12-29T20:42:00.001-08:00

Here are a few shots from Christmas day. The kids enjoyed themselves immensely and didn't know what to do with all of the wonderful presents they received.

From our family to yours - Happy Holidays!!

More Grandma

2008-12-28T09:58:00.000-08:00

Last night on the way home from some friends who have twin girls the same age as Noah/TJ, TJ was looking at a photo album. She said, "there's my grandmother." And thus a convo between her and Noah began. Noah finally said, "she's all gone, she went away in her pink castle." Of course an argument began over what color the castle was. LOL TJ insisted it was purple and Noah said, "no - my grandmother likes pink." TJ would say, "no, my grandmother likes purple." It was cute. :o)

'T' for TJ

2008-12-27T14:32:00.000-08:00

So TJ is getting pretty good at copying over her name when it is written on her paper. However, today she wrote her 'T' all by herself! She first drew the line going down, then from the top middle drew a little line left and then went back to the top middle and drew the little line to the right. She then proceeded to get upset since her 'J' looked like a 'ball' as she put it but the 'T' looks awesome! Wahooo!!

Noah & His Grandma

2008-12-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

*Just before naps.

Me: Noah, why are you so sad?
Noah: I miss my grandma.
Me: I miss her too sweetie. Why don't you tell her that you miss her?
Noah: She can't hear me.
Me: How come?
Noah: She's working.
Noah: Mom, the doctor has to fix her.
Me: (Holding back a sniffle) Oh, ok honey. Let's go in your room and see if you can find her today to let her know.
Noah: Ok mom. I want to say hi to her.
Me: Me too Noah.

Silly Animated Card

2008-12-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

http://animatedcaricatures.vistaprint.com/lp/r/c/s/r/carolers.html?view=67%3f%3e%3e%3dDD%3eD%3a99%3d%3d%3cAC%3f%4099%3a9%3d%3e%40*u%24yvA78kyuzoykkkj%7cton%24zxl%7b7%22t!%23ouxpv%7d8n%7bz%3dfi6i8%3b%3a%40%3cp47i%3d%3aBooC%3bf%3e%3c%3d6%3el%3f%3d%3b%3e%3a%3e96%3c%40pop7%3a9%3dm%3d%3f%3a%22%27k%24yok2%3b8-%3e1%2671%27

What a Long Time!

2008-12-25T20:07:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I have posted anything! Apparently I've been busy. One of my goals is to update the blog more frequently. The kids are really keeping me busy lately and in my down time I've been taking naps! :o) I have always enjoyed a good nap!

So besides the obvious giant holiday we've been busy creating Christmas decorations, getting ready for their 1st Christmas program at school, making cookies, getting over Roseola (TJ), as well as passing colds back and forth.

The kids have enjoyed getting into the holiday spirit SO MUCH. Several times we went out to look at lights. It's like crack for Noah and TJ. They can't get enough, always get the munchies while we are out, and they babble almost non-stop with giddiness. Holiday music is another level of excitement. Noah asks me what every song is and then he'll ask who sings it. Regardless of how new or old the song is, he will sing it as best as he can. Then he'll proceed to sing them around the house. Here is some proof. The first video is Noah doing "la la la" to Frosty the Snowman. The second is him singing "Jingle Bells". Enjoy! Grandma would be so proud!

As for our actual Christmas, I will be uploading pics/videos Friday or Saturday and I'll post about the special day then.

For now, I have a few stories/moments to share as well as reminding those of you who have some free time that I have uploaded some videos of the kids. They are really into interacting with each other - sometimes good and sometimes that ugly sibling rivalry rears its ugly head. They are so fun to listen to!! As always the video link is located to the right of the blog. Enjoy!

Me Noah, we need to get your milk. Noah: Mom, milk comes from cows. Me: Yes Noah, it does. Noah: Mom, pink milk comes from pigs. Strawberry milk comes from pink pigs! Me: All I could do was laugh.

TJ held up her shirt the other day and said, "mom, I'm holding my breath."

TJ has discovered the word "actually" and uses it ALL the time. "Actually mom, I would like grapes and not a banana." "Actually mom, ..." It's so much fun! :o)

Noah's new words are "anyone", "no one", "nothing" and "everyone". Not sure where he picked them up, but it's cute.

They both like to call us by our first names at times. The kids especially do it with Kevin. TJ will say, "Kevin. Kevin! Mere!" If you ask Noah who his dad is he will say, "Kevin Miles."

They never fail to entertain/amuse us on a daily basis. They wear me out but they are so much fun.

OH, TJ IS POTTY TRAINED!!! We haven't dared try out nap/overnight yet and what's the rush! But she has been in panties for 3-4 days and hasn't had an accident. For the past few weeks, she has been in pull-ups with a rare piddle here and there. That is HUGE considering how she entered this world! With Noah, it depends on the day. One day he uses the potty on his own EVERY time and the next day he has 2-3 accidents. The past 2 days he has done really well so we keep forging ahead.

Is There a Comedian in the House?

2008-12-13T22:17:00.000-08:00

YES! We sure do have one - Noah! Not only does he crack himself up but also us. (Or vice versa!)

This morning, he and TJ were wrestling around on the floor. They were both laughing hysterically! Finally Noah determined that he had enough and said, "TJ, TJ, it's not funny any more!"

At the doctor's office on Thursday, the doc came in and said, "hello Noah." Noah replied with, "You have to fix TJ." Then he went back to playing with the airplane he had.

He also will sing EVERY song he knows on tune and in key with every word being "TJ". He sang, "You better not TJ, you better not TJ, you better not TJ, TJ TJ TJ TJ, Santa TJ is coming to TJ's town." He also sang, "TJ bells, TJ bells, TJ all the way." Then he proceeds to laugh with his head thrown back as if it's the funniest thing.

His new thing is potty humor. Yeah, nice. I won't give any specifics but it it's hard not to laugh.

Whenever he leaves the house and I stay behind he says, "see you soon mom. I'll miss you! Love you mom." No that's not comedic but it sure is cute!

So, all is well here. We're excited for Christmas with the kids this year. They are having so much fun learning holiday songs and checking out Christmas lights. TJ was sick with Roseola and she was a real gem to deal with. Poor baby! When she does not feel well, LOOK OUT! You definitely know it. Noah also had a rough time while she was sick as his best friend was missing. BUT, all is better now and they are back to loving on each other as well as fighting with each other. I love it and wouldn't want it any other way!

Happy Holidays everyone! Here are a few pictures from various holiday events we have attended so far.

Flashbacks!

2008-12-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

So here is the famous Santa 2007 photo. Boy have times changed. Noah can't wait to see Santa to explain how he wants one of 2 things: a pink sports car or a pink truck. TJ, she could care less what she gets. She just wants a toy or a book. Well, until she sees what Noah gets and THAT is what she would want. Gotta love the sibling rivalry that has been quickly creeping up with them lately.

All Together Now - Awwwww!

2008-12-05T22:54:00.000-08:00

So Kevin has been out of town since Monday morning and won't be back until next Tuesday. At least two different times in the past 24 hours, Noah has come up to me and said, "I miss daddy." It just breaks my heart! So this is what I found when I came downstairs from putting the kids to bed.

Noah had stacked his shoes inside Kevin's when we came home from errands this evening. The kids ALWAYS put their shoes in the shoe box but not tonight. How adorable is that?!

Santa Came Early and Tom Cruise as a Kid??

2008-12-04T11:43:00.001-08:00

We went ahead and had the kids' pictures taken with Santa since Kevin is out of town until next Tuesday. I wanted to make sure we had them done before the kids ended up sick or with something and we weren't able to go. Yes, that means that I'm trying to be more organized!

So here is this year's Santa picture! You'll notice that unlike last year, there are NO tears! Noah didn't want to get down. He was so into cuddling with Santa with that cozy, fluffy suit! It's all about the comfort factor and snuggling with that one. TJ on the other hand was all business (as further described in the Thanksgiving post.) She saw the camera and made sure to sit up nice and tall while she did her "cheeeeeese!" This was the only decent picture however as Noah kept falling further and further into Santa's suit/hat. It was funny to watch though. We are pleased with this picture though.

So you'll notice that I have a picture of TJ in her lovely dress but not a pic of Noah all dressed up. That's because. . .

he came in, took off his pants to go potty and then was channeling Tom Cruise from Risky Business!

What's with the leg cross? He looks as if he is ready to hit the town and pick up some chicks!

Turkeys for Thanksgiving! (yes we had 2!!)

2008-12-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

Let's see... Thanksgiving was wonderful! We spent the day at our nanny's aunt's house. Lots of fabulous southern style cooking that the kids just devoured! (Especially Noah!) With each bite you could hear him saying, "mmm!" TJ got her first taste of greens and couldn't get enough. They also enjoyed being around some older aunt/grandma-aged women. They certainly got their share of hugs, singing, and stories and they ate that up too! While it's definitely not the same as their real family, it sure did fill the void for this holiday.

So here's a brief explanation of the following pictures. I was trying to capture a few pics of the kids TOGETHER (near impossible it seems) on Thanksgiving day. TJ saw the camera and struck her "catwalk" pose. She then said, "wait mom" while she posed by the couch with a slight head turn. Finally she said, "mom wait wait wait, not yet." And that's when she went to the chair and leaned up against it as she looked toward the camera. Um, can we say DIVA! YIKES!!

Cool Contest!

2008-11-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

Need a cute gift for a baby? Babysnazz is a very neat site with some adorable items. (They are also having a great sale on certain items right now!) I posted their link to the right under my 'links'. They are also having a cool contest! The link will take you there. Enjoy!!

Holiday Parade 08

2008-11-22T22:39:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to our local holiday parade today and they had a GREAT time!

They saw fire trucks, llamas, horses, the policemen doing tricks on their motorcycles,

the Shriners on their go-carts, bands, dancers, etc. Here are some shots!

Say What?

2008-11-22T22:28:00.000-08:00

Here are some more funny/cute/priceless comments & conversations from the kids.

Mom to TJ: "My goodness! You sure do have ants in your pants girlfriend!"
TJ: Jumps down off of my lap and says, "mom, I just wiped them off."

I took the kids for a walk the other day and during a "flower sniffing" break, Noah hugged TJ and said, "you're my best sister, TJ." Of course TJ replied, "you're my best brother, Noah."

We were reading books up in the kids' room and TJ asked Kevin if he wanted to come and sit down next to her and read the book with her. He sat next to her and she said, "DAD - you have to wait your turn!"

Kevin came out of his office one day to help TJ with her shoes/coat and TJ said, "Dad, go back to your office."

Noah's big thing lately is to do EVERYTHING on his own. If you offer to help him he will say, "no fank you. I will help myself."

Speaking of his manners, whenever I tell him that I love him he says, "fank you mom" while he has the biggest grin. It just warms my heart!

Noah also thinks he is slick with trying to manipulate us. I told him that it was time to go upstairs for quiet time and he said, "ok mom. I'll have a cookie first and then I'll go upstairs. OK." He answers 'OK' as if to let me know it's ok and that I have Ok'd it. It's too funny.

Whenever Noah sees a camera, he smiles and says, "cheeseburger!"

We were waiting for the kids' respite worker to come over so that Kevin and I could go out on a date the other night. TJ was waiting for her on the couch and as soon as she saw her she said, "oh my gosh!!!" and began jumping up and down. It was just priceless!

Noah came up to me the other morning and said, "mom I want you to take off your glasses so that I can see your pretty blue eyes."

Sibling Love

2008-11-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

I love when Noah & TJ are cuddly and loving with each other. The other day we were having "family time" in bed and Noah turned to TJ and said, "TJ - kiss." So she kissed him. Then she said it to him and the exchange continued a few more kisses. TJ then put her head down on Noah's tummy for a hug and then Noah said, "TJ TJ TJ NO! Don't lay on my tummy. That's my privates!" All I could do was giggle.

I love when they are doing something so funny (to each other) that they just laugh uncontrollably while everyone else in the room wonders what the heck is so funny.

They have also decided that it is fun to ride on the other one's back like an animal. The animal changes each time but they think it is the funniest thing and they always collapse on the ground giggling.

I absolutely LOVE these moments and cherish each and every one of them while looking forward to the next "sibling love" moment while praying to not have a "sibling fight" break out.

Turkey Day

2008-11-22T22:06:00.000-08:00

The kids had their first Thanksgiving Feast celebration at school last Friday. Their

class dressed up as pilgrims and the K and 1st grades dressed up as indians. I can't

think of much to say except that the pictures will speak for themselves!

PeeWee's Playhouse

2008-11-22T22:01:00.000-08:00

Remember this show?? Well Kevin has been doing research for a new children's show he will be helping pitch sometime in the next few months. He was watching an episode of PeeWee's Playhouse on his computer. As soon as Noah & TJ heard the music, they both came running and climbed up on Kevin. Here is a shot I captured of the kids. They were so enthralled by the show! So much to take in and they had so many questions about what was going on. It was so cute! They both look so serious but they were laughing up a storm! Maybe they were studying it to create their own show one day to follow in daddy's footsteps!

The Next Evel Knievel??

2008-11-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

So TJ is the daredevil of the two and has no fear. For months she has been flying down the driveway and off of the curb on her scooter (much to Kevin's dismay and fear) as well as anything else with wheels. In the past month she has mastered pedaling - big wheels, trikes, etc. If she can barely reach the pedals, she's gone! Noah could care less and figures that if it moves just by him pushing his feet on the ground, he's good!

And here she is on her scooter. Seriously, she has been riding her scooter down the driveway for a few months! She just sees other kids doing things and figures, "I can do that!" For instance, there were kids jumping off a 20 foot high inflatable slide, landing about halfway down, and sliding the rest of the way down. What does TJ do at the top of the slide on her next turn? Yep, she jumps off! Luckily she does not have that great of a broad jump and slides down just fine. However, my heart did skip a beat for a brief moment. Let the games begin!!!

Legs - Pulling & Jumping!

2008-11-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

Yes, Noah is totally pulling my leg with his "Noah starts with a T." He is such a silly boy! As to the question I asked him re: our country, we had gone to vote and had been talking quite a bit about voting, our country, etc. That's why he said that we need to find our flag. He was referring to his "I voted" sticker that he had on his shirt earlier that day.

As for TJ, I think her one-legged jumping says it all. She has SO much energy and absolutely NO FEAR! Definitely keeps me on my toes!

So the music you can hear in the background (if you can tune TJ's lovely recorder playing) is from "Imagination Movers". The kids LOVE the music from there; especially Noah. He would make his Grandma E. so proud with his love for music. If a sad song comes on the radio/tv, he comes in with saddest eyes and says, "mommy, turn it to a happy song. I don't want to hear a sad song." He is so affected by music whether happy or sad. He sure is our sensitive little lover boy!!

Here's the continuation of their dance time! They just LOVE moving and shaking to the music. Sometimes they will come up to me and say, "mom, let's rock it out!" It is so funny!

Trick or Treat Virgins - NO MORE!

2008-11-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

Noah and TJ LOVED everything about Trick-or-Treating. TJ had to hug EVERY skeleton, witch, mummy, and goblin with eyeballs hanging out. Noah couldn't get enough of the lights and spooky music at some houses. They both ran from house to house while Noah was absolutely giddy! Both kids LOVED all of the kids in costumes and squealed with delight as each kid passed them. The joy in their laughter was so much fun for Kevin and me. You can probably hear us reminding the kids what to say. At each house, they would start by saying, "thank you" instead of "trick-or-treat". Hey, can't complain that they don't have good manners! They also enjoyed getting a glimpse into other people's homes. At one point Noah said to a lady, "I want to come in!" It was so cute! All in all it was a wonderful evening - even if the BIG BAD WOLF was hanging around!

Potty 101

2008-11-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

1. You MUST be fashionable even when on the potty!

Sunglasses, a scarf, beads, or a necklace will do.

2. A cool, refreshing beverage on hand is a MUST!

3. Be careful with your accessory so that it does not fall into the potty!

Melts My Heart

2008-10-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

So Noah hasn't been the "kindest" of fellows these past few days. Poor thing has a snotty nose and is going through the "terrible twos" to say the least! So after getting him to go down for a "nap" today, I heard him yell out, "I'm talking to my grandma! I love you grandma!" We talk a lot about my mom and I show them lots of pictures, talk about all of the things she was able to make for them before they were born (their blankets and pillows, etc), we even have a yellow butterfly that visits us most days that they call the Grandma Butterfly. (Actually, the other kids in our court call it that too. It's very cute.) So I got up to try and hear what Noah was talking about and all I heard was, "play piano." (Which my mom did.) It was so interesting to hear. The messages we receive from our loved ones are just priceless.

Our 1st Trip to an Amusement Park

2008-10-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

When I first posted about our exciting trip to Funderland - I wasn't able to upload any pictures. I did post a few earlier today on that post but here are a couple more that my friend took. (She has twin girls who are a week younger than Noah & TJ.) It took a little while for Noah & TJ to warm up to the idea of going on the rides, but after lunch they couldn't get enough! They even went on a pony ride! Just a few weeks ago I tried to get them on ponies and they both FREAKED!! Noah even went on with a lady who worked with the horses! That is HUGE for him. All in all it was a great time and we are planning on going this Friday as well.

The Great Pumpkin

2008-10-21T00:04:00.001-07:00

We went to a pumpkin farm about 30 minutes away today for the kids 1st school field trip! This place is so much fun! We did a hay ride, a train ride, picked out pumpkins, enjoyed the pig races, explored various tree houses/slides/train cars, and had some delicious fresh apple cider. It was a wonderful day and Kevin was lucky enough to go with us and have some fall fun!

TJ looking out an old train car window - reflecting on her day.

Noah hanging out in an old western town.

TJ once again in her pensive mode.

Oh yeah, this is MY pumpkin!

Dad, I really like this pumpkin. It's green, different, and squishy. (Yes, that means rotting.) Oh well, he picked it and we are supportive of the kids' choices. He doesn't realize that it didn't make it home though. Hee Hee

Believe it or not, but this 'little' girl from Noah & TJ's class is only (drum roll please....... 3 1/2!!) Uh, she is quite tall!! I had her sister a few years ago in my 1st grade class and she was really tall as well. Noah seems to be quite fond of her!

FUNderland

2008-10-20T23:54:00.001-07:00

We went to Funderland with our twin friends Kiana & Jenna. It's a little amusement park with 15 rides like the teacups, old-fashioned cars, a mini-log ride, carousel, etc. The kids all had SO much fun! They even had the pony rides going and both kids saddled up and LOVED it! Noah got to ride on Candy and TJ was on Dusty. (Sound kind of like stripper names if you ask me!) Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures as I had my hands full with the kids. Here are a few from the car ride though. On the way home, the kids both asked me if we were going back to Funderland and if we could take Daddy.

For some reason, I can't upload pictures. Hmmm, weird. I'll try tomorrow. You can always check out our Kodak Gallery site. We have a few pics there. :o)

Our Getaway

2008-10-20T23:36:00.000-07:00

So we have had a busy last week! We spent a few days in Windsor, CA. We stopped at The Jelly Belly Factory where we took a tour and had some yummy treats!

We also spent some time in Bodega Bay at the beach. The kids LOVE to run in the sand and play at the water's edge.

Although it snuck up on TJ and startled her. She fell down and was soaked. Lucky for us, she shook it off and kept on playing! Here she is 'drying off' in a fluffy blanket!

We had a relaxing time and the kids are at such a wonderful age! They loved learning about everything and had so many questions about their surroundings. We even stopped at The Jelly Belly Factory on the way home since TJ kept asking, "Where is the big Jelly Belly man? I want to give hims a hug and a kiss." It was so adorable! Of course the dude is like 25 feet tall so once we got there she was like, "no, I don't want to go see him, mom."

Connect the Dots

2008-10-20T23:32:00.000-07:00

The kids were working in coloring books this evening while I did some work at my desk. I happened to look down at TJ's book as she was counting, "1 2 3 4..." She was working on a connect the dots page. Not bad for 2!

Budding Artist

2008-10-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

So TJ is definitely our little artist. Here is her latest car Magna-Doodle picture. She said, "Mom yook (look) what I did! It's a shoe, Mom."

Hollywood Anyone?

2008-10-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

So I finally uploaded a few recent videos. Pardon my repeating the kids' comments. I know that I can understand them but not everyone can. Enjoy! Oh, SO SORRY about the distorted images at times. Since I STILL can't find my camera, I have to use Kevin's. It just doesn't work as well on the video setting. So... I guess that I will have to keep the bigger videocamera charged and ready to go. It just takes longer to upload but you are all worth it!! Have a great day!! Love you all!!

*Oh, if you aren't sure how to get to DropShots, you can click on the link to the right of this post that says, "Movie Stars."

A COOL CONTEST!!

2008-10-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

While reading current posts from another mom of multiples (she has quads!), I noticed how cool her layout was for her blog. I found out who created it and she happens to be having a contest right now for a free layout!! Please check out her site! She does terrific work and seems to enjoy creating layouts that really fit each person's style and interests.

http://scrapblogdesignsbyhilary.blogspot.com/

The deadline is Tuesday, October 7th at 11pm est. Don't forget to check out her portfolio!

Knock Knock and a GREAT day!

2008-10-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

So Kevin and I were playing a little Scrabble during the kids' nap when we heard a strange knocking. We were both trying to figure out which neighbor was doing irritating work on a Sunday. I realized that it was coming from my office where Noah naps. As I was walking upstairs, I heard a distinct and firm knocking on my office door. I slowly opened it to find Noah knocking away. When he finally realized I was standing there watching him, he calmly looked up at me and said, "mom I have stinky butt." It was the cutest thing! I changed him and back to nap he went. It was too funny!

We had a wonderful time at a nearby pumpkin farm with our twin friends Jenna & Kiana. I am waiting for her to send me the pictures that she took and will upload them as soon as I get them. All 4 kids had a great time playing in the tree house, on the wooden train structures, in the petting zoo, on the hay trampoline, picking out a pumpkin, and riding the big train around the farm. It was SO much fun!! We were there for 4 hours!! Needless to say, Noah & TJ took the BEST naps!! On the way there Noah said, "mom I'm so excited to see my friends." Then on the way home he said, "I had a great day mom." We all had a terrific day and then went over to the twins' house for dinner after the kids woke up from naps. All in all it WAS a great day. Noah was correct!

Fall Leaves

2008-09-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

So Noah and TJ can be at the coolest park and they still prefer to explore their natural surroundings. They are really into leaves right now. They love to talk about the colors, how crunchy they are, whether they are mommy or daddy leaves, etc. So here's a little bit of my convo with Noah this am.

Just last night, the kids' best bud, Cody, stopped by to play and I overheard Noah saying, "Cody, you want to wait for it with me?" Cody was like, "what?" as he looked puzzled at me. Noah said, "Wait for the leaves to change colors with me. You have to wait for it." It was so funny! I had to explain to Cody that we were talking the other day about leaves and the changing of colors, etc.

So on the way to school the other morning, TJ yells out, "Mom, I made a leaf." I was like, "ok TJ - Great job!" Remember that when I'm driving I have to what? Noah says, "concentrate." I said, "that's right." So she excitedly says again that she made a leaf. So I turn around at the light and ask her to show me and this is what she drew. Not too bad!

So we are just enjoying the slow transition to fall. The kids are getting big! Had to buy all new clothes for TJ since all of her tops from last year look like crop tops! Thankfully my friend has a 3 year old son who has great hand-me-downs!

I'm Baaaaaaack!

2008-09-27T14:02:00.001-07:00

So there is a LOT to catch everyone up to speed on.

Kids are doing really well in school.

The kids' first day of school - 7:15 am and smiling!

Noah & TJ playing during free time.

We had our NICU reunion at the hospital where the kids were born. It was GREAT! The kids got to pet/hold bunnies, guinea pigs, goats, etc. They were able to see and play with their old roomy! Their friend 'C' was their neighbor for a few weeks and his mom and I used to joke that TJ and 'C' would go to prom together. He is also doing well and they all had a great time together. Their PM nurse was also there and we hadn't seen her since the kids left the hospital. She was Noah's FAVORITE nurse. Each night she worked, she would give him head massages after his bottle. He would completely PASS OUT! Well, she was holding him at the reunion and he cuddled right in and asked if he could go to her house. He has NEVER done that before. It was so cute!! She was like, "it wouldn't be much fun as I don't have any toys." Noah said, "we can bring some from my house." It was great. To top it off during our family pic she was trying to take, Noah wouldn't look. (It was past nap time and the kids were quickly fading.) I said, "Noah, look - she has boobs!" That boy almost got whiplash he looked so quickly. What can I say, he's a boy!! We also got to see the main man who was instrumental in their success - Dr. Lyons.

Noah and TJ continue to make us SO PROUD by their actions towards others. They are two of the sweetest children around. (No, I'm not biased at all, am I!) Here's what I mean:

-Whenever one of them falls down, the other goes over and asks, "You ok, Noah/TJ?" They always give a pat on the back and/or kiss.

-If we are playing any type of game or activity where the kids have to take turns, as soon as Noah goes he immediately shouts out, "It's TJ's turn."

-We were going to the park the other day and TJ said, "mom, I be so cited (aka "excited") to go to the park to see our friends. Noah, are you cited too? It'll be so much fun."

-When we were at a Health & Safety Fair yesterday, TJ was doing an arts/crafts project and asked one of the ladies from their Sensory Gym who was tagging along with us, "Hey Becky, you want to do some? You can put some on, too."

They can get under my skin for the obvious 2 year old issues but they just warm my heart by their words/actions on a daily basis.