Whilrwind Roadtrip

Flights are expensive; flights for FOUR are very expensive; flights do not fly directly into San Angelo, TX (where we needed to be for the Walts/Gilbert wedding that our kids were in). SO...we DROVE! We are crazy people, yes. Armed with dvd's and lots of snacks, here's our trip in a nutshell...

Thursday:

We left Overland Park around 8:30am and drove straight thru to Lubbock, TX (a 10 hour drive that was elongated to only 11 hours with a few pee stops and Cracker Barrel in OK City for lunch). Kids were actually very good despite that Piper never naps in cars and Porter has to be contained when he's usually moving at all times. At the 8 hours mark, he got a bit whiny and restless, but then again, so did I! We were greeted in Lubbock by Tyler's aunt, uncle, cousins, and even a special visit from Santa!

Friday:

We visited Tyler's 93 year old grandma before leaving Lubbock. She hadn't seen the kids before and she was so happy to finally see her "babies":) After some Tex-Mex lunch, we headed to San Angelo (4 hours) for the wedding rehearsal. I was informed that the kids were not just walking down the aisle, but Joseph wanted them to be ON stage with everyone the entire time. I was sweating, praying for Jesus to help us all, and the kids did awesome in rehearsal and were so excited about their "job". Rehearsal dinner next, then back to the hotel for a hard time getting Porter to fall asleep despite his tiredness. I'm sure our hotel neighbors were loving us at 11pm with a screaming child.

Saturday:

Up early...boys all went to breakfast and girls to a bridesmaid brunch. Porter was GRUMPY, but it all panned out fine once eggs and pancakes were in the belly. Just a few minutes to rest before everyone gets dressed in wedding gear. NO NAPS this day, let me remind you. Pictures were first--good idea! Kids...AWESOME! Smiled in all pictures, stood still and followed directions. I could not have asked for better. However...minutes before the wedding, we had full melt down mode...Porter throwing a fit in the hall and Piper asleep on me with fingers in her mouth. BUT...when Nicole walked out, they remembered their very important job, I left them with the wedding party to go sit down, and they proceeded to be model flower girl and ring bearer...from walking down the aisle with cousin Natalie (whom they loved!), to standing on stage "mostly" still and very quiet, to dancing back down the aisle during the recessional. The wedding was so wonderful and I'm so happy for Joseph and Nicole! Porter did fall asleep as soon as he was in his car seat on the way to the reception, but one nervous mommy turned quickly into one very proud mommy!!!! We're thinking about hiring them out as professional ring bearer and flower girl:)

At the reception, I did start a little fire at our table when my camera strap sat on a candle and burned in two pieces, I flung wax and burned rubber onto my hand trying to put it out, and Tyler finally put the fire out on the tablecloth, ruining a nice white table topper:) Oops!!!

Sunday:

After a goodbye breakfast with the fam, we headed to Dallas (5 hours). We had a great visit with Papa, Gigi, and aunt Teen; a yummy dinner; laughs and games; and lots of Christmas presents!!! The kids CRASHED that night and slept all the way thru!

Monday:

Heading home (8 hours)!!!! This was the easiest leg of the trip!!! The kids were occupied with their new Leapsters! Thank you, Papa, Gigi, and Teen! I've never had these kids behave that well on that long of a ride. With just one major stop in Wichita for lunch and Starbucks, we made it home by 5!

We all had a great night's sleep and today I feel like a stronger person for driving across 3 states, 26 hours total, toddlers in tow! I also feel like a plumper person because we ate like cows the entire time and sat on our butts a lot, but oh well--if that's the only negative outcome, I guess I'll take it:)!

First Snow??

Well, it's not the first snow we or the kids have seen. It's not the first snow since we've been here in KS for sure. It's not the first snow of the year...it snowed in Jan., Feb., March, and yes--even April! It isn't even the first snow of the month...it snowed a "dusting" as they say last weekend. However, as the weathermen here declare (and we should know as one lives next door!)...a one inch accumulation makes yesterday the FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON. However, by the end of the day, we had THREE inches! And, because we haven't had this much in about 7 months, it was still wonderous and fun to play in...

Run Porter, Run!

Tyler and I got a treadmill for our early Christmas gift to each other--for those days that it's just not convenient to haul off the the gym (like when we're snowed or iced in!!!). Little did we know, our kids...especially Porter...would take to it and run like maniacs. He LOVES it and is an amazing runner at 3 years old. By the time the day was done, he'd ran a MILE on the treadmill--no problem!!! (We later put pants and shoes on him--don't worry!) Plus...my voice sounds horrendous in this video. Yuck--how do you all put up with that?

Just for Fun...

Anyone up for blogging a survey?

Here's mine...

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? not that i remember

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? when we gave opie away:( boo hoo...yes, i'm getting soft in my old age

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? if i am being neat, it's ok

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? turkey pastrami

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? twinsies

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? yes!

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? no! (said sarcastically)

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Never!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? any...maybe frosted wheat, though?

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? sometimes

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? i think, therefore i am:)

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? braum's cappuccino chunky chocolate frozen yogurt!!!! i miss you!!!!
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? style and humor

15. RED OR PINK? red

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? worry wart, care what others think, mercy is not my gift

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? everyone!

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? I hope they blog it!

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? none

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? animal cracker

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? computer humming

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? today--orange

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? starbucks and my kids

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Jerri Lynne

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Love her!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Football if i have to pick...or the Olympics!!

27. HAIR COLOR? blondish

28. EYE COLOR? greenish

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no, but i'm thinking i may needs glasses...finally!!:)

30. FAVORITE FOOD? pizza

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy endings

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Baby Mama...laugh out loud hilarious!

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? black

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer here

35. HUGS OR KISSES? both!

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? do i have to choose?...ice cream, pecan pie, bread pudding, red velvet cake, etc., etc.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ???

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ???

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? none...i need a new one. my book club is starting the twighlight series, though

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? it's grey

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Amazing Race

42. FAVORITE SOUND? music

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME??? Hawaii

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? special??--not so sure about that, but i sing, play very basic guitar, and am a little crafty:)

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Corsicana, Texas

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? everyone's

Just in case I didn't say it clearly...

This is a great summary of my thoughts on the Presidency...Donald Miller's blog "From Reagan to Obama, a Brief Political History"

My Vote

Well, I think I'm in the minority among ALL my family and many friends as I voted (and my kids too since I took them with me...ha ha) for Obama. So, I thought I'd explain it so I don't have to re-tell it over and over:) I've never been one to think much about politics and have always voted Republican because it's just what I thought I should do. However, when the races started, someone at our church presented a very challenging message and I was up for the challenge for the first time ever. I picked three issues that were important to me, did my research, prayed, and voted for the one who I felt answered those issues accordingly. If you look at EVERY issue or just the ones people TELL you are important, you will (or I will) go crazy! So, my issues are...education, poverty, and health care, with side issues being Darfur - because I think it is so amazingly devastating, and gun control - because I hate guns. Obama was in line with what I feel is a Biblical perspective on all those issues (whether he knows it or not). I do not believe people should be denied health care because they don't "earn" it. If I can help by be being taxed a bit more--I think that is my duty! As a wise friend said recently...I haven't "earned" anything God has given me--that's called grace! I didn't find that McCain ever really even addressed the poverty issue where Obama addressed it fairly aggressively with raising minimum wage significantly, tax cuts for the poor and old, tackling hunger in America, transforming poor neighborhoods, etc. I also see that Obama is planning on investing more in education--especially that in poorer areas that are in most need, as well as making it easier for lower income families to go on to college through grants, etc. Regarding Darfur, I looked on Darfurscores.org , and saw the scores of politicians based on how they vote in helping the tragedy there...Obama got an A and McCain a C. Gun control...Obama wants to make it illegal for citizens to own assault weapons while McCain does not. That's a given for me--we do not need those guns in our hands...or our children's. I think McCain seems like a great person, served our country well, and I feel so sad for his days as a POW. However, I stuck with my issues and how I believed they were best addressed. As a Christian, I believe I should be okay with some of my money being taken to help those less fortunate...I think we are commanded over and over to do such aren't we?...Deuteronomy 15, book of Luke, etc. for further reading. Moreover, I hate that poverty is still so rampant in America--the land of opportunity! So, I'm for whatever and whoever can help combat that--again, Biblical. Please know, I am not judging others on how they voted, slamming their candidate or party--their important issues may have been different than mine. I'm just explaining how and why I voted since it's been in question:) As an added bonus, I think it's wonderful that only a few years ago, African Americans were in slavery and yet now we have a black President! What an accomplishment! Above all, my wise friend also reminded me...GOD is in control--no matter who the President, what the issue, or how we vote! And THAT is comforting!! P.S. I don't believe in abortion so don't go there.

Fall!

So, I'm not so good at the blogging anymore. To catch up...we are enjoying the Fall here. It's my favorite time. We've been to pumpkin patches, enjoyed the cooler weather, drank lots of coffee (and hot chocolate for the kids), carved pumpkins, put out mums, roasted pumpkin seeds, had parties, etc.!!!! I won the "Great Pumpkin" at our neighborhood carving party, and the kids had a party at gymnastics and school. Sugar, costume, and party overload!!!! I made "take home treats" for their pre school class...brownie pops that look like jack o lanterns. Cute, but hellacious! Do not attempt them unless your patience far outweighs mine. Thank you, Mom, for helping:)

Our most favorite event of late is our trip to Oregon to see our best buddies, the Askews (Israel, Allison, Isaac, and Eden). I went out at the first of the year after Eden was born, but we haven't been out as an entire family in 2 years!!! To start, the kids were great on the plane...3.5 hours non stop. Piper had a few fits on the way and on the way back wet her pants so she went pantless most of the flight home, but whatever. Porter was perfect, though, and even slept! Usually, when we go there from Texas, we are shocked at the cool weather, but their temps were about the same as ours in KC if not warmer! Weird. Anyway, we had a blast with them as always...pumpkin patch, apple festival, yummy restaurants, pretty parks, lots of coffee, kids playing together...it was a great trip. At night after kids were in bed, the adults all played a game...different each night from Moods to Scrabble. We laughed and laughed at Israel's lack of expression and Tyler's lack of spelling:) Of course Allison and I were good at all of them--haha:) We were very sad to leave and still remember our time there everyday. We look forward to their visit to us in the summer.

Getting ready to trick or treat Friday night. Good news is Friday is the warmest day this week, so they won't freeze walking up and down the street:) We've already had freezing temps this week--nuts!!!

Oh yeah...Tyler has decided to get rid of Opie. Supposedly he's moving to a ranch in Wisconsin, but we're still waiting for it to be final. The kids and I want him to stay, but looks like mean ole' Daddy is winning this battle...haha. It will be nice to have paw print free windows and floors, though:)

Just ONE

Our neighbors have boy/girl twins a year younger than ours, a 4 year old boy AND a house in the Ozarks. What a blessing! Plus, we love them:) So, Matt asked Tyler and Porter to go to the lake for a guys' weekend while I stayed behind with just ONE child ALL weekend. Oh my gosh...can you say "What a breeze!"??? Yes, I love my boys and we missed them tons and it was weird to have one twin and not the other, but boy, was it easy! We had some fun girl time to boot while the boys did boy stuff and bonded...fishing, paddle boats, caves, grilling, and video games. We got our toes done, ate ice cream, shopped, rode the carousel, played with our friends, and took a long morning walk to starbucks:)!!! Both kids were angels alone with mommy and daddy and we cherished special time with each of them. Next time we'll switch! It was so funny to see Porter and Piper's reunion after being apart. They truly missed each other, but you could tell they liked their alone time, too! I guess after 3 1/2 years of togetherness, they earned a weekend apart:)

in a special chair just for her, getting her toes a nice bright orange:)

on the carousel with Jen and Elise (a little blurry since we were in motion!)

**Tyler only took pics on his phone at the lake, so I have none of their adventures:(

Tyler had to go to Denver today after the Ozark trip, so that kind of stunk, but we had a full day and visited our nearby Farmstead that we haven't been to in a while. It's all decked out for Fall!

This is how we dooz it...

Just a few random pics from the end of our summer days...

As we were washing every single toy imaginable after the dust storm from the basement...I got a big tub filled with water to make things easier. My mom was helping out and as I came upstairs with another bundle of toys to be rinsed, this is what I saw....

"Get your underoos on, kids, and go on out in the new pool!" Ha ha.


Next, Piper has an addiction to sweets, especially chocolate as you may know. She was helping me make brownies and I let her lick the bowl...and spoon, and fingers. Porter wanted nothing to do with it...odd since he's the messy one of the bunch. I guess the girl will do anything for chocolate. Won't we all?!?!

Porter insisted on wearing these red and white socks with his brown sandals to the gym one day. There was no talking him out of and really no reason to, I guess. He was very proud and didn't even care that I kept calling him "Socks".

Pre school has started. Today was their second day and they LOVE it! I'm so happy that they are happy. They tell me all about their day and their favorite parts of it...growing so fast!

Long Time No Post...

Well, needless to say, we've been a little crazy in the the Price household.



We took a trip to Houston for a wedding and to see some friends. It was fun, but too short!



After our basement flooding fiasco, we had all the basement stuff placed in various rooms all over the house. Just last week, the cement stainer man came to do our floors. First...SANDING the cement. Can you say, "DUST!"??? Then, staining, then sealing, then evacuating the house to my mom's because of the fumes!!! In the mean time, we also got an itch to re-do lots of other things in the house while we were at it...our room, guest room, kitchen back splash, kids' bathroom. I feel (and my body feels) like we're moving in all over again. It's settling down now, though. We really do like the new basement floors and just a few more walls to paint and then we're done for a WHILE!



Tyler's also been traveling in the midst of things; kids are starting pre school next week; and I'm finding time to lead a pre-teen praise band at church, sing back up vocals for an all girl praise team, and start going to a new small group. Yikes.



Kids (especially Porter!!!) are pros on the potty--woohoo! I thought the day would never come. They are even more funny and chatty than usual. Growing up so much every day. Piper is a loud talker and a non stop talker and will repeat what she wants you to hear until she is acknowledged! Porter is a ham and always making us all giggle. They play and entertain each other in their make believe worlds every day. My joys and my insanity in these two individuals:)



In the midst of it all, I often find it an ever present challenge to "be still and know...". I like to be busy, to feel productive, to have a sense of purpose. But, so quickly in my "doing" I forget that the state of my heart is what matters. Is God receiving the glory in it all? The gifts and time I have are for Him, not me. He loves me and wants me to also have rest so I can be all He desires for Himself. I am forced into that (a little, at least) this week with a nice end of summer cold. Blegh. I'm wiped out. In my "resting", I pray to come back with a newer perspective and always remember to "be still..." because He said so!



Now, all that said...it is going to take a lot to keep me from the American Idol Tour in downtown KC this Friday night. That's right, folks, we have FREE tickets and they are GOOD! It pays to have connections. Thank you, Tyler and happy birthday to me:)!!!!

Beasley's and the Basement...

We spent 5 great days in Hot Springs, AR with the Beasley's...Manley, Shirleen, and June. They are technically our friends, but I like to think they are my family. They lived across the street from us when I was in high school and Manley was the pastor of my home church. He even married Tyler and I 9 years ago. Our kids called him "Uncle Bubba" and her "Aunt Shirleen". They have an amazing place on lots of land with beautiful views, a pool, a huge deck, a fish pond, etc. So nice and relaxing. We swam every day, ate yummy food (including Shirleen's signature pancake breakfast and some delicious ice cream from "Scoops"). Overall, we just had a really fun, restful visit and enjoyed ourselves immensley. Porter and Piper were even little angels on the long car ride and entire trip! On top of a big hill looking out...
on the back deck after some yummy ice cream:)

Feeding the fish!

It's always good to be home after a trip, though. So, as we are unpacking the car, the kids want to play in their toy room in the basement. So, Porter goes down and yells up at me..."Mommy, Opie peed!" So, I run downstairs and see not Opie's little spot of pee, but an entirely FLOODED basement. We knew it rained while we were gone, but it apparently stormed enormous amounts of rain, so much so that our sump pump (for all you Texans, that is a pump in the basement that pumps water out from around your foundation during rainy times) got overwhelmed and couldn't keep up! YUCK! We frantically tried calling 20 different places to come get the water and carpet padding out, but they were all booked up since it also happened all over town. Thank GOD for amazing neighbors who rescued us with 3 wet vacs and lots of man power to take out the carpet and padding and donate tons of fans to dry up everything up. We came out of it with a few ruined toys and bags, a couple of split baseboards, and a dirty cement floor in our finished basement. However, we (unknowingly) had coverage for our sump pump on our insurance policy and the guy cut us a check the next day. So...NO more carpet (just in case). We are staining the cement and throwing down some big rugs. Yay! God is good and never fails to keep us humble, but also show us love, grace, and mercy! one of the many helpers and many wet vacs!

my wet couch slip cover--eeewww! Washable, though:)!

July 4th in 3 parts...

FIRST we started the day at the top of our long street with a 4th of July parade. A police man led it and bikes, walkers, dogs, and wagons trailed behind (all decked out in red, white and blue). It ended at the pool for popsicles and fun. The best part was we met two sets of brand new neighbors that moved onto our street. They are our age with young kids and we hit it off right away. Later that weekend, they even came to a neighborhood bbq. I see new friends in our future:)SECOND we went to another part of town called Prairie Village...very cute, quaint, older area. They had "Village Fest"...all kinds of booths, free give aways, animals, parades, you name it! It was fun! After that, we ate at a great new place, Blue Moose, where the kids got these animal masks. Piper fell in love with hers (a cow) and wore it for 2 days. Even if she was eating, she would keep it on and just flip up the bottom to put food in her mouth:)
THIRD we ended the day having dinner with friends, Paul and Missy (expecting their first baby girl soon!), at Spin Pizza on the patio...our favorite! Then all headed over to Corporate Woods to watch fireworks. It was amazing weather--don't think we ever sweated! Paul and Missy brought their little doggy, Toby, that the kids loved, and we just hung out till the sun went down and watched a great fireworks display.
What a memorable 4th! Some people recently asked me about doing stuff like this with Porter and Piper since they are so young, get in bed late, etc. But, to have experiences and live life once in a while is all worth the grumpy kids I have to deal with the next morning:)!!!! We will always sacrifice and do our best so they have some fun family memories!

Fun in this City

Have I shared how much we like it here?? First of all, it has barely hit 90 degrees and it's July!!! And there is always fun stuff to do with the kids that's accessible...no traffic to fight!!! So, this past weekend we went to the Overland Park Farmer's Market. It's in cute downtown OP...street gets blocked off, lined with vendors of all sorts of fruit, veggies, bread, herbs, flowers, etc. We ate an amazing breakfast sandwich on the sidewalk, saw a really good little band perform, and popped inside a few cute shops. We got some good stuff to cook and grill that night, too! I just kept thinking how neat it was that we could do that with our family...I never got to do stuff like that! Then, Sunday after church, I heard about something on the Plaza near downtown KC called the "Duck Derby". I thought they put rubber ducks in this creek there and race them. Well, that was only part of it! They also had streets blocked off, tents set up with all sorts of things for kids, food, free stuff, etc. If you "adopted" a duck to race, the proceeds went to a children's therapy center. They also had this group that played drums and danced come down the street and perform. They were of all ages and some were tiny, but amazingly talented! SO good and the kids loved watching them. Then, one of our local favs, "Funky Mama" performed and P&P sang and danced and Porter cried when it was all over.

So, it's not perfect here by any means, but we truly do love it! I think it's even appreciated more after having the longest winter ever of my life:) We still mourn the distance from friends and family and will always do so (but we sure love visits)!! Texas will always be our home. However, we are glad that this is our home away from home.

River Rats...

Updates...

-Children are potty training like champs this week. Finally! Porter is 5 for 5 pooping in the potty! Didn't you all need to know that:)?!?!

-The warm weather is here and so nice...we LOVE the pool! Porter is a brave fish and it's so crazy! Piper is a lot more timid, but warming up to it more lately.

-The kids can both get in their car seats and buckle themselves. When I tell them "You don't need Mommy anymore...so sad", Porter tells me I can still buckle his top buckle and he'll just do the bottom. Sweet boy:)

-Last but not least, we just vacationed with some of our best buds and had a blast...

On the Illinois River in OK, we rented a cabin and had a most memorable week...

Tarrah's head could not be placed more perfectly:)

coming in from their 6 mile float

throwing rocks in the river...favorite past time

SMORES!

3 Years Old Already???

A week ago today, I celebrated my 3rd Mother's Day and my precious twins' 3rd Birthday. What an extra special day! We had a fun time having a party at Deanna Rose Farmstead the day before (despite the cold and rain kicking us out a little earlier than we'd planned). Then, on our shared celebratory day, Sunday, we had brunch at Classic Cup and had BIG pancakes which all three of us share a love for, then walked around the Plaza in the pretty weather. After naps, Uncle Patrick took the kids to Build A Bear which they (and I) thoroughly enjoyed. Back home, we all got some neat presents (as if we needed anything more) and ate outside on the patio for the first time this year. How nice! Being a mommy to my two beautiful 3 year olds is a joy of my life. I would never trade it or change it. I love Mommyhood and I love those to whom I am "Mommy". It is HARD, but it is GOOD! And God is good and humorous and teaches me so much through these little wonders. As my heart swells with love for them more and more each day, I understand more and more, how the Father loves us and the eyes He sees us through.

I've Been Tagged...

Julie B. tagged me this week (unless it was another Amy??)

Four jobs I've had:
1) Nutritionist
2) Human Resource Manager
3) Preschool Teacher
4) mommy

Four movies I have watched more than once:
1) Coal Miner's Daughter
2) Raising Arizona
3) Good Will Hunting
4) Land Before Time (and still counting, folks!)

Four places I have lived:
1) Richardson, TX
2) Austin, TX
3) Katy, TX
4) Kansas!!!!!

Four TV shows I watch:
1) The Office
2) Lost
3) The Hills
4) American Idol

Four places I have been:
1) Hawaii
2) Cozumel
3) Puerto Rico
4) NYC

Four people who email me regularly
1) Allison
2) Sara
3) Tarrah
4) Tyler

Four of my favorite foods:
1) pizza
2) ice cream
3) sandwiches
4) chips and dip!

Four places I'd like to visit:
1) Italy
2) Colorado (no, I have never been!)
3) Canada
4) Africa

Four things I'm looking forward to this coming year:
1) Family camp
2) camping with our friends
3) WARM weather!
4) two cousins' weddings, one of which our kids will be in!

Four friends I'm tagging:
1) Angi
2) Tarrah
3) Sheila
4) Julie

5 Days of FUN!

"Wanted Dead or Alive"

2 weeks ago today, Tyler and I went with another couple to see Bon Jovi and Chris Daughtry!! What a fun night!!! Probably the biggest concert we've ever been to and it was a BLAST! We ate downtown with our friends, then walked over to the new Sprint Center. Thank goodness my mom gave us her umbrella when we dropped the kids off with her, because we would have been soaked...many people were! Anyway...we were high up, but it didn't matter--so fun (and my camera has a nice zoom!)! I think I want Tyler to get a Superman tattoo now:)

Then, the next day, our wonderful friends, the Lancasters...Adam, Tarrah, Sage and London drove all the way from Dallas to see us!! I hope they thought it was worth it because we had a wonderful time!!! The kids loved playing together and Sage and Piper had a special bond and held hands everywhere they went:) London also had a little crush on Tyler--too cute! We ate some good food, went to Crown Center, the Farm, church, roasted marshmallows, and played a little guitar (thanks, Tarrah for all the entertainment!). They also taught me Boggle which I immediately excelled at. Ha! JOKE! So, now periodically, Piper says, "I miss my Sage", Porter, "I miss my London" and Mommy and Daddy say we miss our Adam and Tarrah:( So, anyone that hasn't come to visit us yet, I hope you come soon...we are FUN!

These Kids O' Mine...

This is such a wonderful age...extremely challenging--don't get me wrong, but hilarious all the same! Just a few of the funnies we've experienced lately...

• Porter's new FAVORITE food is corn on the cob (which he calls "corn in the top"). He will eat as many as I will make him and it's so funny! He has even said "My tummy hurts...I need corn in the top!"


• Many of you may know...Porter pees in the potty now (poop is another story, but whatever). Piper refuses it all...UNTIL she spotted a Little Mermaid set in the Disney store she wanted, so I said when she started peeing on the potty, we would come back and get it. That's all it took and for two days she peed on that potty...UNTIL she got Little Mermaid and now she refuses the potty again.


• They BOTH love pretending...they turn into animals, characters, babies, etc., make their toys talk to each other in different voices, make up songs. It's so fun to listen in on them when they don't know we are there:)


• Piper is in LOVE with chocolate. She sneaks m&m's, asks for it at breakfast, goes to the candy dish at Nana's first thing. I can't blame her...it's in our genes!


• The lady, "Anna" who cuts Porter's hair and is his "girlfriend" that he adores is pregnant and I said she had a baby in her tummy...Porter asked if she ate it.


• We are cleaning out for a garage sale/charity and of course they see and want all their old toys back, so Tyler tries to explain we need to let people that don't have as many toys as they do get them. Today as Nana is also cleaning out her basement...Porter says "Are you cleaning up? Going to give it to a poor baby?"
• We were going over our "senses"...eyes are for seeing, ears are for hearing. What is your nose for, Porter? "To PICK it", he says.

...So, sometimes we have to laugh to keep from crying. Twins are tough and I'm sure it always will be, but it's twice the love, twice the hugs and kisses, twice the smiles and giggles, twice the fun, and twice the blessing. We just attended a "Love and Logic" parenting conference (which I highly recommend for parents of pre schoolers!). Hopefully, we can put some of the good advice into practice during those days that laughs don't come so easily:)!!! We learn in the tough times, becoming stronger and wiser so that we enjoy the sweet days all the more!!!!