Whew! Need to catch up!

It has been a very busy couple of weeks! My grandmother from mississippi came to visit, Jakob and Kaleb had their ear tube surgery, Gavin is switching schools, Kaleb trying super hard to walk with Jakob right behind him, getting coupons for free shutterfly photobooks and having only a few days to finish them up and order and I STILL need to do J&K's thank you cards! Along with the rest of the hecticness in our lives....it has been just a little bit busy :-) Instead of doing a bunch of different blogs, I am going to put it all in here, so you have been warned that this will probably be a lengthy one :-)

Grandmother's Visit!
My Grandmothers visit was so much fun! This was her second time seeing J&K since they were born. It is not the easiest thing for her to travel, I think it is more intimidating than anything. I cannot blame her because flying is not one of my favorite things at age 33, I would imagine it will be at the bottom the list when I am 76 y/o! She arrived on Thursday evening with no flight delays (miracle in itself considering she connected in Atlanta and flew in to Philly!) Friday we played around the house for a bit with the boys. Then that afternoon we went to the Polish Festival so Gavin could ride some of the rides. The rides there could really use some updating or just a paint job :-P I can remember all the amusement parks, carnivals I went to as a kid....I never thought of the cleanliness or safety of those rides....strange how being a parent gives you an entirely new perspective on those things :-P Gavin had a BLAST!! He kept screaming " I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!" and I rode the ferris wheel with him...um that was scary! lol which is strange because I used to be the first one on all roller coasters but the kiddie roller coaster at Dutch Wonderland made my back hurt....I love getting old :-P
Friday night I took my grandmother to the Moms of Multiples Resale and found some great deals! She had never seen anything quite so large and seemed to enjoy it as well! I got a lot of utensils, sippy cups and plates for the boys. It seems I can never have too many of those :-P A few books, a fun Busy Zoo for a steal and a few light fall clothes for J&K. They have a ton of 18 and 24 month clothes from Gavin but most are too warm for fall.
The rest of the weekend we spent time at the house, went for walks and played dominoes! My grandmother taught me to play dominoes as soon as I could add or maybe she taught me how to add!  It is always fun to play with her :-) Growing up, my mom and I lived right across the yard from my grandparents in Mississippi. They are a huge part of my life. My grandfather passed away a couple months before Gavin was born. I miss him so very much. I know that both he and my mom would have so much with Gavin, Jakob and Kaleb! And I also know that we have two very special angels watching over us everyday, that makes me smile :-) I am so blessed that the boys have their Great Grandmother in their lives. She may live far away but she is always sending them cards, talking to them on the phone and keeping in touch with their lives.
Gavin definitely missed Nanny when she left on Tuesday. We were outside playing later that day and a plane flew overhead. He told me that Nanny was on the plane in the sky. I said, 'yes she took a plane ride to get to her house.' he thought about that for a second and yelled "I LOVE YOU NANNY!" so cute!

J&K's Tubes!

We did not want to get tubes. We went to the specialist with an open mind. We saw Dr. Barth at AI and cannot say enough good things about him. He was very straight forward and we felt comfortable with his suggestions. He had 2 very good points 1) they have had all of these EI over the summer....winter will be worse 2) Gavin is in preschool and will bring home every germ he comes in contact with! We decided to wait until the boys got one more infection before tubes. Wouldn't you know, a week later Jakob had a really bad EI in his right ear *sigh* So we decided that we would do the darn tubes! I was super scared but I was nervous. It isn't a major surgery but still.....I had more anxiety about the fact that they couldn't eat or drink before the procedure. Jakob is just like me....if you don't feed him, he is CRANKY! Luckily, we got a morning slot for their procedure. J&K did great without their breakfast!! Kaleb was expressing his starvation more than Jakob, surprising :-P I am pretty sure the funniest part of the morning was when the boys got their 'loopy' nose spray....that was hysterical!!! Jakob is normally a very happy, laughing kid. After he got the loopy stuff....he looked like a drunk toddler, glazed over eyes and even more silly than when sober. He was starting at things like they were the best things ever and just laughing at all the nurses. Kaleb got his and just chilled out on my shoulder sucking his thumb. Can these two be any more different? hehe They took Jakob back first and within 10 minutes the doctor came out and said he was done and did great. They took Kaleb back and he was also out within 10 minutes! Once they were coming out of the anesthesia, that was tough. They were really upset and the nurses told us to expect that. After a good afternoon nap, they were back to their normal selves! Now let's see if the tubes do their jobs and we are EI free this winter!!!
On another note, the staff at AI were amazing! They were so nice and accomodating, especially since we took the big double stroller and had all our of stuff and so much going on. Not to mention, not a single person told me I had my hands full when they found out we also had a 3 y/o at home...that alone makes them great in my mind :-P

Gavin's School
For the past month, Gavin has been attending TLK Learning Center by our house. He goes 2 half days a week. You may recall the drama we had with original school :-P We weren't actively looking but a few weeks I had scheduled a tour of Glasgow Christian Academy for yesterday. It was intended as a tour for Gavin to possible go to 4 y/o preschool there. Once I got there, I was told they still had spots in the 3 y/o rooms!!!!! ( cheering silently in my head!) So we saw the classrooms, I asked all my questions and I really liked it. It was so clean and not cluttered, lol of course this stands out to me first thing :-P They do bible stories, show and tell, colors/numbers/letters of the week, holiday plays, etc. It was just more of a school setting that we were looking for intially. But when I called there earlier this summer, Gavin was not potty trained :-( Of course after all the drama, he is...well for the most part. So we withdrew from TLK today and Gavin will start at GCA Tuesday!!! Not only did I like it better but it is so much less expensive than TLK! YAY!!!!!! And Gavin will be in his friends class which I think may help him transition a little easier :-) I feel like that worked out for the best.

My photobooks are getting done!!! I had blogged a while ago about making the boys each a photobook from their previous year every birthday. I have them partially done but not 100%. I was waiting for coupons to finish them. Well all the coupons came within 2 weeks of each other and I only had so much time to finish! So I have made and received Gavin's. Waiting for Jakob's and need to have Kaleb's done by Monday! Two of them free and one I got 20% off :-)

I am giving Kaleb 2 weeks and he will be walking. Jakob won't be far behind, YIKES!!!! I want them to walk but then I feel like they are still too young to walk :-P They will always be my babies. I wish they could go from crawling to expert walking. The drunken clumsy walking is not going to be fun with 2 toddlers and Gavin, whew! But it will be so much easier to get them places once they are good walkers, so I am looking forward to that!

ok must go get on treadmill and get those thank you cards finished! have a great weekend everyone! If you kept up with me this long, thanks!:-)

9/11..I can't watch it again :-(

I remember this day 10 years ago....it's like it was a few days ago. I was on my way to a psychology class and talking on the phone to my dad. I had saw something on tv going on when I left my apartment, I got a text from a friend and immediately called my dad to see what was going on. He told me and it seemed so surreal,  How could this happen in our country?! I went to class and told my professor I couldn't stay today. He looked at me and said it would be an unexcused absence, I said that was fine because I didn't know what was going on but I sure couldn't sit in class.

I left, went home and watched the news all day long in complete awe. It was like watching a movie. I remember trying to call all my friends that were in NYC, DC and PA but not being able to reach them because the cell lines were so busy. Seeing all the footage again is still unreal. Even when I moved to NYC 2 years later to live with my bestest friend in Battery Park, a few blocks from Ground Zero, and saw all the destruction....I just kept asking, how?! How did this happen here?

All week I have seen the 9/11 specials on tv, magazines and everywhere. I think it is wonderful, amazing, sad, horrific and all these emotions mixed together. I have an entirely new perspective of 9/11 now that I am married and have children. I cannot imagine how all those families felt losing their loved ones. It breaks my heart. And my children...knowing I wouldn't see them again. I guess this also plays a part on why I can't watch the specials. The kids talking about their moms or dads they didn't get to meet.......I do love the State Farm commercial with the kids singing 'New York,' way to go State farm!

It is a wonderful thing to memorialize this day, celebrate those brave people who lost their lives looking for others and honor everyone.  I have been thinking of those families all week leading up to this day, and praying for them to have strength on this day. Having lost my mom at a young age, the feeling of loss and wishing them to be here never goes away. She is always in my thoughts and my days as I am sure their lost loved ones are.

Hold your kids and family a little bit closer today, and every day :-)

Bye Bye Bottles!!!

Today is day #1, we are doing same thing I did with Gavin. Starting with morning bottle, giving that a week or two. Then midday bottle and then bedtime bottle. They have been taking only 3 bottles for the past 3-4 months. They have had milk in their bottles for the past month and didn't mind the change from formula at all :-) I didn't think Jakob would be a big fan...he wasn't. He screamed, threw his sippy cup down, refused his favorite foods and threw a big ole hissy fit :-P  Good thing we are starting this now because Jakob seems to be developing quite an attachment to his bottle. Kaleb didn't really mind...no surprise there lol

They ate ALOT!!! My goodness we are going to go broke feeding these boys LOL Together J&K ate a big bowl of cheese grits, 6 strawberries, a fruit bar and handful of cheerios!

After Jakob got some grits in his tummy, he was happier :-) They drank their milk ok, I am sure it will get better over time. But overall, I'd say they did well.

Now they are all playing with their 'boss' Gavin, seriously the child is so bossy!!! He is helpful in running to shut the bathroom door so they can't get in and constantly telling them not to do things or things they aren't supposed to touch. He is a mimic of marcin and I disciplining him, so funny! He puts them in time out all the time for not listening....welcome to my world Gavin :-P

I love to see how J&K faces light up when they see Gavin or his is telling them something. They absolutely adore their big brother. And likewise, Gavin loves to give them 'cuddles' and 'BBIIIIGGGG hugs.'

Going to play with the boys! have a good day everyone!

Is it Friday yet?!

Whew what a week! I don't know why this week has lasted forever but it has just been one of those weeks. I cannot get myself together! I still need to sort through things for yard sale, put away birthday things that are currently stashed in the office (thank goodness those doors are always closed!) and just straighten the house in general. Always something :-P This rainy weather we have had this week is not helpful either. I will be glad when the sun comes out. The weather has also made me realize how badly I am not looking forward to winter :/

Yesterday I told Marcin that I could really use some time out of the house by myself :-) So I decided to go to the mall because I need a new pair of jeans because my jeans from last year...TOO BIG!!! Loving that!!! I got a cute pair from the Loft a few weeks ago but I need more than one pair! We also have a wedding in South Carolina next month so I thought I could look around for something to wear...I am not sure what I am looking for. I hope that when I see it, I will know. This probably won't happen, I can never find something when I am looking for it. It's when I am not looking or in a rush that I spot THE perfect outfit, go figure. The wedding is in mid- October in Beaufort at my Aunt and Uncles house on the riverfront, gorgeous view! I know it is will be a beautiful wedding. I am just not sure what to wear...nothing formal or too dressy. But I don't want too casual either. Anyone want to take me shopping and dress me?! That would be easier for me :-P
My shopping expenditure didn't happen :-( I got to mall only to find that it was closed due to a power outage. I saw the signs from the parking lot but I thought surely they must still be up from Hurricane Irene. The parking lot was oddly empty also. Sure enough...they were closed. HMPH! I did get some good deals on clearance stuff for the boys at Old Navy. So I headed over to Michael's to get some supplies to make our Christmas cards :-) I found the cutest paper, I really think they will turn out nice! Yes I know it is September but honestly, if I plan to have them completed in time to send them out before Christmas, I need to start now! I guess I try shopping again soon :-P

Gavin is having a tough time adjusting to school. I knew this would happen but still frustrating to me. I am constantly second guessing our decisions and wondering if we are doing the right thing. This parenting thing is tough at times :-P I talked to the Director today and inquired what the staff can do to help him. I feel it is harder for him because he is new to this, the staff is new to him and the his entire routine is different. Gavin loves a routine because it allows him to know what is coming next. When he doesn't know what is coming next, he isn't a big fan unless it involves cupcakes or a surprise lol I asked the Director if she had any ideas, she said she would think about it and get back to me. I also suggested after talking to a friend that perhaps whomever is there in the morning can take 5 minutes to greet him. This way he gets to know them all better and isn't so thrown off when he comes in and his teacher is out sick and he has to go to a different classroom...like what happened today : / This will pass....just as everything does but in the meantime, it makes for a challenging 3 y/o in my house.

Jakob has a bad ear infection in his right ear. The right ear has been the trouble all along, so not surprising. I took Kaleb to doc today, his does not have full blown EI but his ears are not 100%. He has been on antibiotics for a month straight and his ears are not where they need to be :-( I scheduled them both for tube placement on Sept. 22. Are we crazy for doing both the same day? Perhaps. But honestly, I just want to get it over with. We have to do a pre-surgical appt prior to the surgery. I hope and pray it gives these little guys some relief.

Currently, J&K are getting 3 bottles a day. Since they are officially 1, I think it is time to take one away. I am going to start with the morning bottle. I have a feeling Jakob is going to have a tougher time than Kaleb letting go :-P He throws quite the fit in the mornings when he wants his bottle :-P He is just going to have to settle with a sippy and a bowl of cheese grits :-D I am SO ready to be done with these dr. browns bottles and cleaning them, oh vey! Sippy cups are much more fun to clean but at least we 'll only have 3 parts instead of 6 :-P Wish us luck!

Otherwise, same craziness in our house :-) My grandmother is coming to visit next Thursday! We cannot wait for her to get here! I am sure she is excited to see the boys...and Marcin and I. But more the boys, hehe Can't blame her for that! I forewarned her that its a little crazy and loud, so I understand if she needs frequent breaks lol She will get to experience the MoM's resale when we go next Friday night and I hope to get to Milburn Orchards with her and the boys. Their fall festivities start Sunday Sept. 17! YAY!!!

I should get off computer and get things done around here :-) have a good one!

J&K's birthday weekend!

It was such a fun weekend!!! My dad and Gay came for a visit, wish they could have stayed longer! Althought they were probably ready for a rest from the craziness in our house :-P They were a big help with the boys and getting ready for the party!

Friday we spent some quality time with the boys and then headed to dinner at Deer Park. Iron Hill was my first choice but we figured it was a Friday afternoon on college campus, most likely no tables outside. So we went to end of Main Street to Deer Park. The boys can be loud, there are cars to watch and I don't mind so much that J&K throw everything on the floor. Deer Park really needs to assign someone to super clean their high chairs as part of their nightly closing side work, GROSS!

Saturday was a busy day! Marcin spent the entire day working hard outside to make it pretty for the party, he definitely succeeded like always!! We have come a long way from when he killed all of our grass at the townhouse...granted it wasn't much grass but it was all we had at the time, hehe! Live and learn :-P After J&K woke up from nap and had a snack, we headed to Toys R Us. My Dad started this little tradition for Gavin's first birthday...you know they give the kids the paper crown and a balloon. So we needed to continue it!

Normally I don't go to TRU, I don't know why....it's just not a store I am fond of. Like Gay said, it is a necessary evil, well put. They need to renovate or clean it or something...Anyways, the boys had a blast! J&K picked out a few toys (because we don't have enough in our house :-P....I know, I know it's their birthday) to bring home. And Gavin snuck a pair of rollerblades in the cart, hehe. He has had his eye on rollerblades since his birthday. Pop Pop and Gigi to the rescue! :-)
Sunday was the big day! Our babies were one....amazing how far we have all come in just one short year. I say short because it was super fast, time flies when you are having fun, right? I can remember rushing to triage for the 6th time in 3 months because of the constant contractions I was having. We expected to be sent home but J&K had other plans, which was FINE with me. Whew.....carrying two babies was super hard and I had a relative easy pregnancy for twins. No wonder my body is so different! I mean, who feels better after a c-section than they felt when they were pregnant?! something is wrong there LOL

It was a super busy morning getting ready for the party but I felt like it all came together so nicely! We I worked really hard on the decorations and had so much doing it all, it was fun to see it all come together. Ok Marcin helped me with the balloon wreath and a few other things. Here are a few pics for those of you not on Facebook,

Cupcakes turned out cute! My friend designed the toppers for me and I cut them out.

I saw this on a blog and had to make it! really easy and inexpensive!

This turned out better than expected! It took about 600 balloons but I liked the balloons when they were tighter than the looser ones I have seen elsewhere.

Dining room set up with dessert table.

The banner across the window had J&K's monthly pictures on them. I did this for Gavin's birthday also.

I think everyone had fun! I always feel like I never get to chat with everyone enough because I am trying to keep up with Gavin, Jakob and Kaleb! I know they are probably fine but then I worry about Gavin wondering to the front of house (like he did, thankfully Krista told me, thank you!!!) So if I didn't get a chance to sit down and chat with you....I have to apolgize, I tried lol

We have lots of cotton candy, cracker jacks and pixie sticks left over....the kids are going to love our house at Halloween! hehe Any other leftovers were sent to work with Marcin :-)

Happy 1st Birthday Jakob & Kaleb!

I seriously cannot believe they are one! Not only are they one but Marcin and I survived! lol We couldn't have done it without the help of our supportive family and friends! I remember them being born like it was yesterday....I feel like we just brought them home. And they are already one....time is going by way too fast!!!

J&K are so funny together, throw Gavin in the mix and we have a 24/7 comedy club in our house! It is so much fun to watch them grow and play together. Gavin is quite the parent when it comes to bossing them around. He is constantly telling Kaleb to stop touching the speaker under the tv. Or he will take off running to go close the bathroom door so they can't get in there. And the sharing of the toys...oh vey! I have a feeling this will be an issue until they move out of the house, by then they can deal with it themselves:-P

Kaleb is still our little bull in a china shop! He is rough and tough, throwing things and crawling over anyone (including Jakob) to get where he wants to go. He is also a big teddy bear and loves to cuddle! He is not walking yet but not far from it. Just this weekend he is letting go of things to stand on his own and starting to figure it out, it won't be long! He loves his monkey blankie and has started to take it with him everywhere, so cute!

He likes to say 'mama' and 'dada' and shake his head 'no.' He is working on tooth #8, whew! I guess that means I should be on the look out for eye teeth and molars, OUCH! Those were the toughest for Gavin so I am anticipating the worst for them also :-( He has mastered climbing upstairs and loves to practice coming down them, that will be so great when they can go up and down steps on their own!! WOO HOO!

Jakob will sit still.....this is so strange to me because I am used to Gavin running crazy. Kaleb seems to be following in his footsteps but Jakob will hang out and play! He loves loves cars...he will carry a Hot Wheel car around all day long lol So cute :-) He loves to laugh, growl and make all sorts of noises. If you make a beeping sound at him, he will laugh and do it back to you. Jakob is very insistent when he wants something and he certainly knows what he wants....he is almost always a happy baby but if he doesn't get what he wants, he is very dramatic until he gets it :-P He is not walking yet but also on his way! He loves to cruise around the furniture and yesterday I caught him standing on his own. I don't know that he knew he was doing it but he was doing it! AH!!! He is also saying 'mama' and 'dada', love it!

J&K together are so funny! Whether Kaleb is crawling over him, they are playing with the FP house with each other, playing drums together, eating....someone is always taking someone elses food off their tray :-P And along comes Gavin to encourage them to walk, crawl up the steps or come somewhere they probably shouldn't :-)

We are so blessed with these three healthy boys.....some days I just look at them in amazement and how wonderful they are.

I have to cut this short because I have lots to do to get ready for the birthday party! I will post pics later!

"Mrs. M, do you have children?"

I was asked this question countless times when I was working as an elementary school counselor and during my year long practicum. I always brushed it off because I thought 'what did it matter if I had children or not, as long as I did my job well?" This is one of the few times I will admit...I was wrong!

I wish I could back and tell those parents how right they were. I get it now....I have an entirely new perspective on things. I realized I was gaining this perspective when Gavin was born and I was so protective of him. But when he started school last week, it really hit home. The first week of school went pretty well.
This week, the second week, not so much. He has had a really rough time with drop off. I know from experience with the kids I used to work with, this takes time. The kids would always come to my office saying they missed mommy, their siblings, their grandparents, their pets. I knew what to say to comfort the kids and I thought I knew for the parents but I would have done a much better job now having gained this perspective.

I called today to check on Gavin to make sure he was able to calm down and it was odd for me to be on the other side with the teacher reassuring me and telling me that Gavin was fine. That this adjustment was completely normal, it will take him a little longer because he is only there 2 days a week and he is not the only one having a difficult time. I know all of this.....I knew all of this but like I told her, it is so different when it is your child :-) I just want to go see him and give him a huge hug and tell him it will be ok.

At the same time, I also know he needs this. I need this. Marcin needs this...this will help us to become better parents letting Gavin learn things on his own, away from us. This is learning experience for all of us. And I know it will get better. I have seen it happen when I worked....after a month, most of the kids loved school and would cry when it was time to go home LOL

I will admit, the time with J&K is great! They are becoming such little people with the silliest personalities! But I miss Gavin too. The quiet time and 'me' time when J&K are napping is great! It gives me a little time to myself and time to clean, prep for dinner, laundry or maybe just to sit down uninterrupted for 10 minutes so I can blog :-)

Kids are amazing.....and so resilient. I feel like adults need to take a clue or two from kids :-)