Thursday, July 29, 2010

Raising Twins II

Now that the boys are 11, I sometimes wonder how we survived! (Actually, sometimes I how THEY survived!) They were constantly getting into things, there wasn't a child safety device they couldn't figure out. They took off cabinet ties, door locks, and outlet covers! I had a sitter once tell me she thought her house was child proof but it wasn't Nathan proof! We brought their sister home from the hospital when they were two. Chris tried to go into their bedroom. The doorknob nearly came off in his hand! He called for Matthew, handed him a screwdriver, and asked him what he was supposed to do with it. Matthew then proceeded to continue working on the screws in the door!

Matthew has always been a fast learner. He has always been inquisitive. Once, when he was four, he came to me and asked, "Mama, why does people have teeth and cows don't?" I explained how they do, but they are used for different things than people teeth, they weren't used the same. He then asked, "Mama, why does cows not use their teeth the same as people teeth?" I THEN proceeded to tell him about tearing, shredding, and grinding teeth. After a minute, I said, "You know Matthew, that was a VERY smart question." He responded, "Oh, I know. I'm very smart. I think I'm gonna be a genius one day..."

Nathan's intensity comes through in many things he does. The one thing Nathan does REALLY well is get scared. I have NEVER heard a boy scream like he can, which, of course, makes him a target occasionally. Probably the best time he got scared was a complete accident. I had begun reading this LONG series of books, THICK books. It was late at night in the summer, last summer to be exact. It was probably after midnight. I was reading with the book propped up on my chest. I had no idea that Nathan had come in the room. I had one leg out from under the covers. As Nathan walked by my foot up to the top of the bed to tell me he had had a bad dream, his hand brushed across my toe! Well......needless to say, I was a LITTLE startled. I started screaming and kicking BOTH feet up and down in the bed! I knew I needed to stop screaming, but, couldn't! Chris was laying on his stomach and FLIPPED up to his back and nearly fell backwards off the bed! Meanwhile, Nathan begins screaming and dives over me, headfirst, into the middle of our bed. Well, then, I started laughing and couldn't stop. Poor Nathan. We finally all settled down and went back to sleep, after I held Nathan for quite some time and apologized profusely. By the way, I am still not sure how Chris stopped himself from falling off the bed!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Raising Twins


I don't even know where to begin with this post. Raising identical twins is a joy, a pleasure, and a challenge! You may not know that Chris and I were married 8 weeks and found out I was 6 1/2 weeks along with twins! That brings all kinds of excitement and panic! The most important thing was for me to do my VERY best to keep them in as long as possible and get them as big as possible. This is NOT as easy as one might think considering I am 5'3" tall! I was ALL baby! The boys were born three weeks early and I measured as if I were 8 weeks overdue!

Well, my healthy baby boys started out at a healthy 6 lbs a piece and 19 inches long. Give a quarter pound and quarter inch to Matt over Nathan. Now it's about 5 lbs and 3/4". They were so identical we had to leave their hospital bracelets on them until they outgrew them! Luckily, by then, we could tell them apart :P

The most fun thing about Nathan and Matt is that their personalities are so distinct! Even in the womb, we could tell they had different personalities. Nathan is VERY intense! He is the go-getter who jumps into any situation and has a ball. Matthew is more analytical. He is more laid back and thinks about things a bit more than his brother who is gung-ho. However, together, they have ALWAYS been mischevious.

Their mischief knew no bounds when they were little. It is a little more controlled and precise now. They REALLY plan it out. One of the earliest bits of mischief they got into was when they were 18 months old. They were in the nursery at church. The nursery worker watched them sit down together. They had name tags on their backs. They took the tags off of each other, swapped, and put them back on the other one. Oh yes! They started early fooling people. Once, when they were 10 months, they INTENTIONALLY looked at me every time I called their names. However, NATHAN would look when I said, "Matthew" and MATT would look every time I said, "Nathan". They did this for a couple of minutes! It was VERY intentional.

Another bit of mischief they got into was when they were around two. They were supposed to have been taking a nap. They were in our bedroom. After a bit of time, I told Chris that I smelled something, and it smelled sweet. Then he smelled it. So, he got up and checked on the boys because it seemed to be coming from our room. I hear Chris say, "BOYS!" He then reaches for the light switch, turns it on, causing the ceiling fan to come on and a CLOUD of baby powder to come flying out the bedroom door. They had emptied the ENTIRE bottle of baby powder all OVER our bedroom!

I will leave off for now. There are so many more stories I could share, but I will save them for later. I hope you enjoyed this!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Being Lonely

I have learned a few things about myself with this move. I am sure many of you already realize I am quite the social being. I am used to being able to hang out with people whenever given the opportunity. I am used to being able to just go or call someone and spend time with friends and family. There was always something to see or do and someone to be with.

Well, now, I have nobody to be social with! I have met a few people, but, it's not quite time to call up and say, "Hey, Girl! Let's go to the movies!" I have had to rely on Chris for entertainment, but, I have to think it all up! Poor guy, he even had to go see "New Moon" with me.

Growing up, I was always the new kid. To compound things, I was shy (YES I WAS!! Don't roll your eyes at me!) I was the epitome of the kid hiding behind Mama's skirts. Well, I feel like the new kid all over again. With the military, you kept in touch with your friends from the last assignment for a couple of months, and then it all changed. You made new friends, they made new friends and you were forgotten. I have just this morning realized that this has been part of my problem.

I have been up here feeling lonely and friendless. I have had that mindset that my friends have already moved on and made other friends. I haven't called them like I should. I have sent text messages and picture messages, but, not contacted people. I have been too afraid that they wouldn't have time for me or that they were busy and I was interrupting.

Then, I realized a few days ago, these are the same people I talked to EVERY DAY! If I am missing them, they are at least noticing the silence of their phones from me NOT calling every day like I used to! DUH! My pastor had a way of saying, "It's not about YOU, Dummy!" That is striking me in the forehead right now because, I was the one who left! But, when we left, they were feeling the pain of my leaving, too. So, in reality, they are probably feeling the pain of our separation, too.

I owe a big apology to a few people. I am not going to list names for fear someone might be left out. So, I will just say, I love you, I am sorry, please forgive me :) I will try to do better. It's ok to call me and ask why I haven't called because right now, I feel like a jerk. Love to ALL my people!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Beginning a Blog

Well, this is my first attempt at a blog. I have had several people suggest I start one. Of course, the main reason they want it is to get their grubby hands on my recipes! Anyway, I think this may be fun, I will need advice from people on how to do things, though. I am so challenged when it comes to things like this. Any suggestions (worded nicely!) on ways to improve this page will be welcomed :) I intend to post recipes, coupon saving tips, and I am sure family anecdotes will find their way here. Thanks for stopping by!