15 montharoonies

This post isn't to necessarily "brag" or complain about my boys. I don't even know if they are "on track," "behind," or "ahead" compared to other kids their age. This is more for me to be able to look back on to see how much they have learned and grown.

Right now they have a major love/hate relationship. They get so excited to see each other after naps or waking up in the morning. They will run around and play together, and then all of a sudden there will be screaming and usually I find Connor on top of Greyson with some part of Greyson's body in Connor's mouth. In rare cases Grey will have a firm grasp on Connor's hair. They also duke it out over who gets to sit on my lap when I'm playing with them. :/

These are all the "words" they can say right now:
-mama
-dada
-baba
-nigh-nigh
-papa (grandpa)
-mah (more)
-bah (ball)
-cah (car)
-caca (crackers, food)
-meh [?] (milk)
-mmm (yummy!)
-nana (banana)
-doddy (doggy)
-kee-y (kitty)
-bubba (bubbles)
-uh-oh
-go (most often used as "go go go" to yell at Nilla)
-ck (yuck)

I am very surprised that at this point they do not have names for each other. There is no "bubba" for brother or other word trying to sound out each other's name. Maybe they think they are the same person? ;) Grey is trying really hard to talk though, and is making all of these crazy sounds--Connor isn't quite there yet.

They can identify (point to) their head, hair, nose, tummy,  tongue, all articles of clothing (pants, shirts, socks, shoes, diapers). We are working on eyes and ears, but they don't have much interest in learning lately. They would much rather play, or cry because one of them isn't getting their way.

They are completely terrible at sharing. I don't know how to fix that, but they have to learn soon because I'm already over all of the fighting over silly toys! I'm thinking about breaking out a timer like I had to do at The Kendall School.

They don't much care for eating meals. After about 5 bites they are usually over it and ready to play. But they are steadily growing, so I guess they are getting enough! Bananas, peanut butter, freeze dried apples, apple sauce, pretzels, and goldfish are their favorite snacks right now.

And, that's what's going on in the lives of Greyson and Connor :)

Day 30

day 30 – movies you can watch again and again.

This blog brings an end to my "30 Days of Blogging" project. I stole this idea from a few other people and now I'm one of the only ones who kept it up for some reason.

My favorite movie list probably isn't that exciting to others. Like my television programming, I prefer to watch silly stuff because it keeps me entertained and they are very easy to watch repeatedly....Also, I've gotta through in some cult classics. These following movies I've seen far too many times:

40 Year Old Virgin

I love You, Man

Stepbrothers

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Role Models

Garden State

Clerks 1 & 2

Mallrats

Princess Bride

The Goonies (though, I will admit, I'm actually getting sick of this one)

The Breakfast Club

I'm also a sucker for all of the Harry Potter flicks.


I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch, but oh well

Day 29

day 29 – favorite tv shows and why you like them

Sadly, with being home all day long I tend to keep the tv on for something to glance at while the boys play with each other.At least I'm the one being a bum and watching tv and not the kids ;)

My favorites are:

The Office--The cast is great, the humor is right up my alley, and I've rarely been disappointed throughout the seven seasons. We didn't have cable for a few months and we watched this show every day--I'm still not burned out on it so that says something! Sadly, I can probably recite every episode. And who doesn't love Jim and Pam?!

Family Guy--Mindless programming that makes me giggle. Sometimes they take things too far (like every one throwing up for 3 minutes straight), but for the most part this show doesn't disappoint me either [my mom would have to disagree with that]. I have seen every episode of this show a trillion times as well as The Office.

Parenthood--This is my new favorite show. It's only been on for two seasons, but the cast is amazing, the writing is phenomenal, and the situations the family finds themselves in are easy to relate to.  This show isn't necessarily one that I can watch a million times like the other two (mostly because it's more of a drama I suppose), but it is SO good. As dysfunctional as the Braverman family can be, it makes me want a big family that is close like they are. Plus, I have a soft spot for Max :) The hit the nail on the head when it comes to portraying a child with autism.

Cupcake and Cake Wars-- I just think it's fun to see how creative these people get when making their cakes! I secretly wish I could make cute stuff like that, but apparently it's not in my skill set.

Day 28

day 28- cruise a thesaurus and pick out 10 words you like the sound of

I don't own a thesaurus. Does anyone? Anywho, I perused dictionary.com so I'm sure that's a suitable substitute. I'm being mean and not putting the definition. If you like the sound of it too and are curious as to what it means you have to do the work and find out :) Well, it's not too much work to find out, but you do have to click on the words. I know, I make things so difficult.

Enjoy!

apocopate

crepuscular

kvetch

tenebrous

bailiwick

hubris

donnybrook

gewgaw

pelf

susurrus:

day 27

day 27- my day job verses my passion

My day job--Here's another tough one for me to answer. My day job consists of loving on two crazy kids all day. Well, I do babysit in the mornings, so I suppose that's my "job." But, for the record I'm unemployed and am a stay-at-home mommy.  I mostly love staying home with my boys, and I am definitely very glad that I can help out two friends and watch their daughters. It's a little crazy sometimes with four kids under the age of 4 in the house, but I don't mind it one bit!

My passion?--I graduated college with a BA in Liberal Studies, thinking that teaching was my passion. However, after getting my diploma I had little desire to get my credentials. I'm not sure the exact reasoning, but I think I was just burned out on school to be honest. Also, all those tests looked daunting. Before graduating, my friend told me about her job being a one-on-one aide for children with autism. That was right up my alley even though I wasn't even sure what autism truly was. I worked with those amazing children for a little over two years and loved it tremendously. I didn't necessarily like all of my bosses, but who ever does?! It was amazing to see the difference that I made in those kids' lives. I stopped working there after the boys were born and I miss those kids to pieces! I don't know if working with autistic children is my passion, but even after being hit, kicked, scratched, bit, and spit on, seeing those kids FINALLY get what you've been teaching them is one of the best feelings in the world.

My calling?!--I've always had a love for candy. I used to tell my mom that I wanted to be a "candyologist" when I grew up. I'm not exactly sure what a candyologist would do, but maybe that's for me to figure out. There's a new show out called "Kid in a Candy Store" where the guy goes around to candy stores and eats delicious treats all day long. Maybe that's what a candyologist does. I could definitely do that...

day 26

day 26- list 10 things that you are thankful for

I was typing out people's names and other various items, but I'm stealing what my pal Jessica wrote--that this is asking for THINGS that I'm thankful for, not people, so I'm tossing all you people out of my list. Just know that I do like (most of) you ;)  hehe.

This is in no particular order.

1) Ice cream

2) cell phones

3) eye liner

4) potatoes

5) Converse shoes

6) flat irons

7) Facebook (sad, I know....but since I stay home all day long it's my main glimpse into the outside world)

8) chapstick

9) naps

10) hoodies

These things make me a happy girl :)

Day 25

day 25- what I would find in your bag

This isn't going to be very exciting. I'm very much a minimalist when it comes to my purse.The only things you will find in there are:

my wallet (with no cash)
a compact
a tube of cherry flavored chapstick
a pen
two diapers (even if I go out with no babies)
a few wipes
and usually a crumpled up receipt or two

That's it. Sorry that's kinda boring, but hey, that's me ;)

Day 24

day 24- post your favorite quote or verse of scripture and why

I have many quotes that I say often--most are from some silly comedy movie that I've seen far too many times. Or, a lot also come from my favorite show, The Office. I was compelled to put my answer as "that's what she said" because it can be used in so many contexts, but I'll refrain.

Instead, I'm going with part of a speech. This speaker always talks with such dignity and grace. Words just flow out of his mouth like sweet, sweet molasses. He never stumbles, and always knows exactly what to say....

"There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on --shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again."  --George W Bush.

ok, well, at least he's always good for a laugh.

Day 23

day 23- something you crave a lot

Mexican food

 I'm pretty sure that Mexican food is the most delicious food ever created. I would seriously have no problem eating it every day for a long time (at least I think I would be down for that). One of the best things about going to a Mexican restaurant are the chips and salsa--they are usually very tasty and always free -- I eat far too many, but still always manage to gobble my plate down too because it's oh so yummy. And I don't play favorites either--tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos, chimichangas--they're all welcome in my mouth. Oh, I just might have to go to El Jardin tonight.

Reese's Blizzard

What a better way to follow up a yummy Mexican dinner than with a Reese's peanut butter cup Blizzard?! Ice cream AND candy--you just can't go wrong there. mmmm

Day 22

day 22- what makes you different from everyone else

This is a toughy. I honestly don't really know what makes me different. The fact that I have twin boys makes me different from all of my friends. I'm the only one I know who has a set of twin boys. But that only sets me apart from the people I know, which probably isn't that many now that I live a life of a secluded mom. That's also too easy of a response, most likely.

So, what else can I say? I put on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for the boys, but I'm the one who watches it.  I like to go to the beach, but I don't like to go in the ocean. I have a fear of seaweed touching my feet--if I get grazed by it I freak out and am done with my ocean experience. I eat far too much candy and ice cream despite the fact that my teeth are far from perfect. I suffer from what I like to call "itchy ear syndrome." Sometimes I scratch the inside of my ears so much that they are swollen the next day, which I know is no good, but I just can't help it--it feels so darn good. I think I would be addicted to getting tattoos, but I've never gotten one. I have extremely low self-esteem, although all the boys in my life seem to think differently of me.I wouldn't mind being girly, but I don't think I would be very good at it. I think I'll be happy wearing jeans and t-shirts my whole life. I married my best friend. My eyes sort of change color depending on what I'm wearing--they can either be greenish, bluish, or grayish. My fingernails grow really fast and are very strong, but I usually keep them pretty short. I have glasses that I barely ever wear, but secretly want to and can't make myself.....

I'm sure there's a million more things I could write, but that's all for now. I doubt there's anyone out there with all these same similarities and that is what makes me different from every one else!

Day 21

day 21-a picture of something that makes you happy

 I am feeling very compelled to put a picture of Greyson and Connor up, but every one obviously knows that they make me happy all the time. I also promised to be more creative than yesterday, so here we go.

Santa Cruz :)

Nathan and I go here at least once a year. Oddly enough, we don't really ride the rides.We love to just walk around, stare at the ocean, and go downtown in the evenings. Oh, and we enjoy the food. You gotta love all that deep-fried goodness! We went here for the first time together on his birthday (the first one we celebrated together as a couple 6 years ago) and it became a tradition. Sometimes we go near my birthday or at other random times since going in the middle of summer results in driving for 2 hours in stopped traffic just to find a parking spot at the Boardwalk. As long as there aren't a million people there, we love it!

Hopefully the babies won't change our tradition. But, how could they not love it here? I'm sure they'll be up for coming along on the trip whenever we go!

Day 20

day 20- write a letter to someone

Dear Blog,
I'm cheating and writing a letter to you. Truthfully, I had a very long day and am not in the blogging mood. I'm sure this is a blog no-no, but sometimes a mommy just needs a night off! I promise I will be more creative tomorrow-- and I honestly don't plan on cheating on any more of the 10 days I have left of this silly project (that I for some reason feel necessary to complete.) Good night, dear blog, I shall see you tomorrow.

Your Pal,
Lindsey :)

Day 19

day 19- write about a sweet memory from your past

As a child, my best friend (since I was three years old) was Jessica. Now, 22 years down the road we're still good friends... Anyways, on to the memory(memories)!

p.s. Jessica, don't hate me for these photos I'm about to post.

We used to hang out in my backyard a lot. Upon multiple occasions we would gather various items from around the yard and make up a pretend circus (at least I think it was a circus?). Our favorite things to include in the show were our wooden "horses." These horses were actually my dad's saw horses that he used for his projects, but Jessica and I would drag them out to the middle of the yard, hop on, and "ride" like the wind. I'm pretty sure we named them Brown Charlie and Red Charlie...Thinking back to it I'm sure my dad didn't appreciate us rocking out on his saw horses, but apparently we didn't think of that back then.

Here we are on the saw horses--I'm so pumped my mom actually had a picture of it!

We also used to bob for apples in a metal bucket on random hot days to cool off. I guess that's what kind of creative lengths kids without pools had to go to. But, sticking our heads in a nice cool tub felt pretty darn good at the time!

I also had this area in my backyard where we could dig (later my dad built an awesome clubhouse there). Spending multiple days we made a sweet fort out of dirt. It had built in couches and secret holes to stash our goodies. I'm pretty sure it was the coolest dirt fort ever created. At one point, possibly before the couches were carved out, we filled the huge hole up with water, threw some toys in and went fishing! I'm pretty sure we fished on several occasions.

Jessica and I still have fun together, but I miss all the silly things that we did as kids. Maybe we should bob for apples this summer, or take a ride on a piece of wood some day soon :)

Best buds as tom boys.

Homemade teeter totter! This is completely awful. Had to do it, sorry Jess.

Day 18

day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have

Plans-- First and foremost, I plan on taking a shower once I'm done with this. As far as plans for life, I don't really know. I plan on staying home with the boys as long as I can. I (mostly) love being with them all day long--to help them learn and watch them discover new things :) I'm also planning on growing my hair out. Lately I've been cutting it shorter and shorter, but I think I'm finally over that. I just have to push through my "awkward" length that I don't like and then hopefully get a longer length that I can do!

Dreams-- Everyone would love to win the lottery, and don't get me wrong, I'd gladly accept a winning ticket. However, I'm going to say that I want us to strike it rich by inventing some awesome thing and selling a bajillion of them. After this happens I would love to move out of the state and live in a heavily wooded area so my boys can explore the great wide open! I'm undecided on whether or not I'd like the boys to have a sibling, so maybe I'll leave that up to a higher power.

Goals--I would love to get motivated and lose at least 30 pounds. I'm not giving a date to do that by, but I want it to happen at some point. Um, other goals can be seen in my bucket list post. Other than those I'm fresh out of ideas!

Day 17

day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why

Nilla Chilla Wafer Miles

 I didn't want to choose some celebrity, because truthfully I could care less about any of those people. I don't think I'd do well "in the spotlight" anyways. So, instead I'm choosing to switch places with my annoying little doggy, Nilla. I'm pretty sure I would love a day full of sleeping and eating all the treats that the boys drop down on the ground. That's basically all she does all day long (aside from following my every movement). Who wouldn't want to just sleep and eat all day? That sounds completely amazing. Anyone have any "Freaky Friday" magic sitting around to make the switch possible?

Day 16

day 16- a picture of yourself

This blog challenge sure does challenge me to find a lot of pictures! This was so broad that I didn't know which picture to choose. So I'm going with this. This is me (of course) in Yosemite during the middle of April in 2009. This was one of the last pictures taken of myself before becoming pregnant with my precious boys.

So, this is how my life before parenthood shall be remembered. :)

day 15

day 15- put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play

So, here's the problem with this one--I don't have an iPod, nor do I have music saved to my computer. I know, you probably think I'm crazy. Buuut, this house is amazing and is wired so we can listen to music in 3 rooms--well, anyways we have a Rhapsody subscription so when we want to rock out I can put that on and listen to just about anything I want!

So, I'm going to cheat. I'll put on Pandora and put the first 10 songs that come on there. Not as fun, but oh well.

1. Manhattan-- Kings of Leon
2. World at Large--Modest Mouse
3. Read my Mind--The Killers
4 Someday--the Strokes
5. Here in my Room--Incubus
6. What I Got--Sublime
7. Bitter Sweet Symphony--The Verve
8. Today--The Smashing Pumpkins
9. Pardon Me--Incubus
10. Wonderwall--Oasis

day 14

day 14- a picture of you and your family

This is (most of) my amazing family :) Not the greatest, but a picture of the four of us doesn't happen often!

Here's us with Dallas--he doesn't get to be with the family often, but he is a very important part! We miss him so much!

This is my family too! ;) Parents, brother and sister-in-law, and babies in the belly :)

Day 13

day 13- your 5 favorite books and why

I'm not a big reader...I actually do enjoy it once I start but I often find myself not finishing books even if I am really into them. So, I'm stretching my brain here a bit...Most of these I read in high school, because apparently that's the only time I was an avid reader out of sheer necessity.

1- Ender's Game. This sci-fi book is intended for a male reader I'm sure, but I've always loved it. And I'm not even big on science fiction in the first place...Back in the 7th grade I had a P.E. teacher who made up my most favorite P.E. game ever and it was named after this book. Years later I read it, and I've always loved it. There's a few books in the series and I like them all, but I think this first one is still my favorite!

2- Wicked. I actually thought some parts were kind of wordy and boring, but overall I loved this take on the Wizard of Oz.

3- Flowers for Algernon. A lab rat test put to use on a mentally disabled dude--you can't go wrong there.

4- Lord of the Flies. A group of marooned boys going crazy. I always secretly wanted to join them on the island, but just for one day.

5-Where the Wild Things Are. Who doesn't love this one?! I'm sure my boys will end up like Max--having to be locked up in their room for being too wild ;) Never cared to watch the movie that was made for it though...

Day 12

day 12- write a poem to someone you love

Well, here it goes--this is to Nathan, my wonderful husband! :)

Ode to Nathan

Your name is Nathan, but I like to call you Natey.
I guess that's more endearing than Nate.
Remember like 6 years ago, matey
We went to Starbucks for one of our first "dates."

 Now we're married and are as happy as can be.
Like Dr Evil said, "...you complete me."
We are amazing and made two handsome boys,
now our house is full of cookies and toys. 

I just changed the rhyme scheme, but that's ok
I'm not much of a poet, anyway.

I love you lots, forever and always.
And I'll eat ice cream with you for days.
Someday we'll go back to Shmoopty Falls
And there we'll practice our Yosemite bird calls.

Roses are red
Daisies are white
I love you Natey,
And that's all I'm gonna write.