This time next month, my view will be this.....

don't be jealous...i'll be thinking of you with daiquir in hand :-)



our home for the week!

 We are meeting my dad, Gay, Kiki and Molly in Virginia Beach for a week! Reh will be in Africa (he leaves May 30, please keep him and his group in your prayers! He will be gone for 2 months and will be missed!) and Drew will be in Seattle working, BOO! We will miss him as well! We are really hoping my other brother, his wife and their son can come!

I seriously cannot wait to get to the beach! It is a sad sad fact that I have not been out of Delaware (PA, MD or NJ do not count!) for an extended time since November 2009 =0 Needless to say we had many plans for 2010 because while we were trying to get pregnant, we had NO clue I would get pregnant with twins.... there was no traveling during that pregnancy!

So here are and I am SO EXCITED!!!! Not only to get out of Delaware but to see family and just relax with everyone...well as much as you can relax with a soon to be 3 year old and almost 10 months old twins who I am SURE will be on the move by then. Which reminds me, I might need to add a compact baby gate to my packing list. eh hem...yes me and my Type A personality started that months ago :-P Don't judge!

According to Google maps it should be about a 6-7 hour drive for us...let's tack on an extra hour for stopping to let everyone stretch out and lunch. Hopefully everyone stays content for the ride, I have toys J&K have not seen before, DVD's for Gavin, there will be plenty of snacks to go around and I will have to stock caffeinated beverages for Marcin to keep him attentive and also so he doesn't go crazy from the chaos that I am sure will ensue in the back of the Swagger Wagon, hehe! (We love you honey!)

=0 Maybe Marcin and I will even get a couple date nights in while we are there? ::wink wink Pop Pop & Gigi::

I am so tired:-P Jakob was up today at FIVE A.M. thanks to dirty diaper. Kaleb was up not long after and then Gavin popped his head up at 5:45, wth?! Thankfully they cooperated, J&K somehow managed to get back on their usually nap schedule, Gavin took a good long nap AND I got a much needed nap. Marcin had to work late tonight so I got all the kids in bed and I am thinking its time for me too with my book :-)

Nite Nite!

Our first road trip as a family of five, we survived!

But we had a fun time!!! We traveled to Germantown, MD about two hours from our house for our friends, Dan and Jami's daughter Reagan's 4th birthday :-) We were so happy to be able to make it and to see them! Hard to believe I met Dan just a FEW short years ago at our college orientation (eh hem...notice I said a 'few' short years ago because I  mean really....it wasn't THAT long ago, geez only 15 or so years =0) And then I  met Jami a few months later after we moved into the lovely dorms at Coastal Carolina University :-)

Anyways, we were able to get there early to hang out with the Trumbowers for a bit before the party while Gavin made sure to play with EVERY door in their house and EVERY door at the party place. Gavin went on a bug hunt with his cute bug jar that he made. Reagan and her little brother Reed had fun playing with J&K who also enjoyed all the extra attention :-)

All of the boys did fabulously well on the car ride! YAY!!!! Of course we had hoped J&K would fall asleep on the way there and they did about 10 minutes before we go to their house :-P That figures right? And on the way back everyone went to sleep....aaahhh sweet sweet silence :-)

Look at these sweet faces...I love a sleeping baby or toddler in Gavin's case :-)



Jakob is like Gavin...loves to sleep with his blankie on his face :-)

All in all a great day!!! J&K did great even though they missed a nap, they handled it well. Gavin had a blast playing with everything. Marcin and I enjoyed seeing the Trumbower's :-)

Now to get ready for our next road trip....6 hours to Virginia Beach in just 32 days! WOO HOO!!! We are meeting my family from South Carolina in VA Beach for a week at a beach house, I cannot wait. It will be a much needed break from Delaware (we haven't left the First State for a vaca since before I got pregnant with J&K!, it was past due!) and just go play, relax at the beach. Well as much 'relaxing' as we can get with 3 under 3 :-) But Pop Pop, Gigi, Aunt Molly and Aunt Kiki will be there too!! And hopefully my other brother Thomas, his wife Jessica and their son Jesse (same age as gavin!).

Must go catch up on the Event even though stupid NBC cancelled it, HMPH!

3rd Birthday?!?!

How is baby boy almost 3?! In just 2 months he will be 3! And yes, my Type A self already ordered his birthday invitations, hehe I cannot believe he is going to be 3, how did that go by so quickly?
But then I look at him and he doesn't have that baby face anymore, he has the little boy face and he is getting so tall! He is already in 4T! In March I started getting his summer clothes and I bought 4T because he was in 3T for fall/winter. But when I got all the 4T clothes, they were too big in the waist, too long and I thought there was no way they would fit him. Since it has been warm, he has been wearing them and they fit perfect...when did he have that growth spurt?!

He is such a amazing little boy. He loves to talk and does not stop unless he is sleeping. He is so energetic and fun. I can see how people say kids keep you young, you really don't have a choice. You might not FEEL like climbing those monkey bars but you will for that sweet smile and now I get 'Good job mama, I am so proud of you!' can't beat that! He has such a sweet spirit about him that I love so much. I love it when he cuddles, says to me' come sit by me mama,' and the other day came up, put his arm around me and said "I love you mama'....melted my heart.

He is still a picky eater but is more willing to try new things, he loves to be outside and is still trying to figure out how everything works. He has never really played with toys in the traditional way or the way they were meant to be played, he will turn them over and over to figure out how they work and of course to find the 'speaker' :-D

Gavin is doing fabulous in his big boy bed, I am so relieved...for now at least, hehe!!! Now if only we can get better with the potty. It is a constant work in progress and ALOT of patience. Everyone keeps telling me when he is ready, he will do it. That is great but what if HE decides he is not ready until age 4?! lol So we constantly encourage it, praise him when he uses it and just keep at it.

He is starting preschool in August....I am going to miss him the 2 days a week 3 hours he is gone LOL But on the other hand, it will be great for him! I know he is going to love it...so much to learn, he can play at the 'blue' park and make some new friends!

My baby is growing up too fast. I have a feeling J&K will grow up even faster *sigh*

Big Boy bed, J&K first restaurant experience and Mothers day, whew!

We had quite the weekend! And such a good weekend!

We converted Gavin's bed Saturday morning into his 'big boy' bed and he loves it! We were both pretty nervous about it since we are quite used to having our full nights sleep back after the rough first 3 months with J&K lol We are on Day 3 with big boy bed and Gavin has done wonderful so far! I don't think he realizes that he can get out without our help..he still will ask for us to come get him. Fine by me! I have heard of other kids who do this but I thought certainly we wouldn't be that fortunate :-P Although I am guessing it is just a matter of time before he discovers his freedom....maybe :-)

For Mothers Day I wanted to us all to go to Deer Park for brunch, I love their Eggs Benedict!!! Marcin isn't always crazy about taking all 3 kids out...I admit it is stressful & chaotic at times but still it is doable, especially with two adults! So thankfully J&K's naps worked out and we all went to brunch. All the boys did a fabulous job! YAY!!!! J&K ate their yogurt. Kaleb was infatiated with this table of bikers sitting by us and pretty much stared at them the entire time trying to catch someone's eye so he could smile at them (Gavin used to this also!) Jakob was too busy checking every thing out and experiences all the difference noises of the cars going by and people. Gavin...well he was being his normal silly self, talking nonstop, asking for this and that and ready to go within 10 minutes. Thank goodness for cell phones and apps! :-) Brunch was delicious and we made home in time for J&K to nap with full tummies!!!!




Getting ready to go to brunch!

 

"The Circus" as Marcin likes to call us when we go out lol

Then that afternoon Marcin's parents came over and we grilled, YUMMY!!! I love warm weather and grilling :-D

It was a great busy weekend! And we are getting so much done around the house, I love it!!!! I was able to get to the Fabric Outlet and found some great chocolate brown fabric to recover our chairs, which are in desperate need....I mean they are WHITE! Didn't seem like a big deal when we bought the table and chairs years ago long before kids but with spills, splashes and squished unknown things....they get dirty quickly! So that is next on my list and also the foyer light!

I should be watching The Event but I am just too tired so I will have to catch it On Demand later, I need some sleep. It was a very long with a very whiny Kaleb (teeth) and Gavin asking me a million times "Mama, what u doing?' I have decided instead of asking "Why?' a million times, Gavin has decided he will just ask "MAma, what u doing?" silly boy!

nite!

I love productive days!

Honestly, I can remember when Gavin was born and thought I would never get to finish a load of laundry again. Then we adjusted but I still felt like I had SO much to do with one child to take care. Then J&K are born and all hope is just about lost because I don't have time to do anything at all, ever! But I keep telling myself things were like that when Gavin was born and it got better. Well guess what....believe it or not, it has gotten better with J&K too! As a matter of fact, sometimes I have NOTHING to do ::shocking::

My day today started at 6:00 a.m. like usual. I got a load of laundry done, vacuumed house, cleaned up clutter (drives me nuts!!!), went to Babies R Us with everyone, got on treadmill for 40 minutes, made all bottles, grilled pork shoulder, chicken breast, hot dogs and corn (dinner for weekend WOO HOO!!! no cooking for me hehe) and played with everyone, fed everyone and changed numerous diapers.

Considering there was a time when I didn't have time to take a shower or eat, I am pretty proud of myself when I have productive days and 3 sweet monkeys to keep up with :-) And it makes laugh to look back when it was just Gavin how I barely had time to do anything :-P

Happy 8 Months Jakob and Kaleb (REALLY?!)

Ok I know I say this everyone month but where is the time going?!?! It is flying by....I thought it was going too fast with just Gavin, add J&K and a week is gone in a blink of an eye. They are going to be ONE in 4 short months....that will be here before we know it!!! Oh but that also means NO MORE BOTTLES OR FORMULA!!!! WOO HOO!!!!

J&K are more entertaining every day and learning so fast! I love to watch them learn and how differently each one of them learns things, it is amazing!

Jakob is still the more inquisitive, gentle guy. I can give him a toy and he will hold onto for a while turning it over and over in his hands, feeling the different textures, eating it (of course) and patiently playing. He is a big wiggle worm though, although still scooting on tummy when he feels like being on his tummy...not often :-P
I feel like he is cutting all this bottom teeth at once, poor lil guy :-( and his top eye teeth are still right there but no break through...if I remember correctly from Gavin those take a long time to cut. But his bottom is all white and swollen, although this has not slowed down his eating! I swear the child has hollow limbs because I don't know where he puts it all!!! He has gained 2 pounds in the past 2 months putting him at 19lbs but he is much longer, anxious for their 9 month appt to see their stats. Thankfully it is getting warm because the length won't matter so much on his clothes, he is currently in between 9 and 12 months sizes =0

Kaleb is the little bull in a china shop. He throws toys, take toys from Jakob (who in turn scrunches up his face while it turns red and then starts screaming lol), occasionally he will hold onto something longer than a minute if he is chewing on it :-P Also loves to scoot on his tummy when he feels like but lately has started scooting around on his bum while sitting....he can get pretty far!!!
Kaleb has his 2 bottom teeth and is definitely working on some more, how many is the question....this round seems to be harder on him than the first two :-( When Kaleb's teeth hurt..he won't eat, period. lol He is still growing strong and has started wearing some 18 months clothes =0 My goodness!!!

They are both finding their voices and lots of babbling in our house, along with Gavin who does NOT stop talking! Neither are showing any interest in crawling or walking....no complaints here :-) Gavin wasn't crawling until close to 10 months and then started walking right before his 1st birthday, I am good with that. On one hand I am ready for them to be mobile because it will be easier for them to get around but on the other hand, it is going to be challenging watching all 3 in 3 different directions. Plus they aren't the most coordinated when they start walking, lots of falls and head bumps...Gavin was always falling and one trip to AI after almost completely biting through his tongue.

2 BOYS!!!

This time last year we were getting ready to go for our big ultrasound for the twins to find out their gender and make sure they were developing well.

I was 19 weeks pregnant and little did I know the challenges that lay ahead of me for that pregnancy. I knew from talking to others that a twin pregnancy would be difficult and a number of issues could arise but sheesh....actually doing it instead of hearing it....two completely different things! It was very hard to carry two babies. It was about this time that the pregnancy really started to slow me down. Even though I was in the 2nd trimester, it felt more like the end of the 3rd trimester already. Of course when finding out i was actually measuring 26 weeks pregnant explained a lot LOL

Add an energetic toddler to the mix and you have one tired momma! Everyday I counted down the hours until Gavin's nap because then I knew I could get at least 2 hours of rest and get off my feet! And I tried to keep us out and about with friends, Marcin's family was a huge help and my family when they were able to visit.

We were so excited to find out we were having two more sweet boys. Of course a girl would have fun too but we just wanted them both to be healthy. Not only were they healthy but both were growing right on target. This was the only time during my pregnancy we were able to see Jakob's (Baby B) face, after this he turned to face my spine and we couldn't get a good picture of his face after that. Kaleb  (Baby A) was snuggled in my pelvis (this would explain why it hurt so badly to walk) but he would turn occasionally to show us his sweet profile.

I was so happy to carry these boys to 37 weeks along with  SIX trips to triage,  contractions for 24 hours a day for about 2 weeks and Gavin repeatedly saying " Mama's tummy hurt. Needs to rest.' What a great patient child he was during my pregnancy :-)

I wish I would have journaled or blogged during my pregnancy with J&K but it was all I could do to get through a day :-P

My new pantry!!

YAY!! Happy Mothers Day to me, hehe!!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! thanks to my fabulous husband for installing it for me...I helped with a little hammering so I am taking a little credit too lol

Discombulated Monday :-P

sheesh...only 10:30 and I need a nap! Gavin and Kaleb slept in until 6:45 (yes that is sleeping in for my children!) and Jakob who is usually the first one up didn't wake up until 8:00.

Now I like that they all slept later but it throws the entire day off for me LOL I've got one baby waking up while the other is just going to sleep and Gavin running around like the crazy monkey he is lol

So earlier while I am taking Jakob upstairs to take a nap, Kaleb is downstairs playing with Gavin. I hear a loud thump (that would be Kaleb falling over) followed by a small scream. And then Gavin starts running in circles around the house (this is his cue that he is doing #2). So I hear all of this while upstairs with Jakob, I quickly put him in bed, run downstairs telling Gavin to get on the potty while he is bargaining with me over peanut butter cups. I tell him he can have one if he uses the potty..he says he wants two LOL fine...whatever LOL So he on the potty playing with ipad while I type this :-P He loves playing the app on the ipad :-P
Kaleb is happily playing on his tummy. Oh and Kaleb seems to be cutting all of his bottom teeth so he doesn't want to eat, well he wants to but it seems to hurt him too badly. Jakob has some teeth coming too but no break through yet, this has not stopped him from eating....yet. I swear the child has hollow limbs because he eats more Kaleb and I have no clue where it goes lol

I am still in my PJ's which for some reason makes me anxious, LOL I am usually dressed by now and that makes me feel like a normal person.

Very discombulated kind of day LOL

On another note, the US Armed Forces finally found and killed Bin Laden. I am so thankful for this and hope that those who lost loved ones and friends in 9/11 are able to find some sort of closure. I also hope that while Obama is our current President and has done his part in this search, we also have Bush to thank as well, along with all those over there fighting for our country.

OH and the pantry is done!! I have to upload pics, it is so beautiful hehe