The Christmas Photo Saga..... was at present frustrating but historically humorous

This past December I busted out the camera,  a hobby I'm into,  and costumed the kids to get some photos and, hopefully,  a Christmas card shot.   Getting three kids in one shot is difficult.  Getting three kids in one shot looking normal is nearly impossible.  Getting three kids in one shot,  looking at the camera with a pleasant look on their face and hands NOT somewhere unnatural or doing something weird is a case for divine intervention.   Looking through my photo archives I see I have more outtakes than successes but I think that's just photography.  I think that's just kids.
Grouped together they're actually kind of funny.  Even to this slightly high strung mom of three cute kids that had a vision in her head.  Here's her hail mary mother of the photo shutter....

Scene wasn't quite what I'd pictured.  The half of a mirror was bad...  Kids cooperative and pleasant looking.  Should have quit while I was ahead!

What a bunch of sweeties.  No,  they're not in a mexican restaurant.  That wall is just mauve like that.  It would be difficult to change and oddly enough a lot of the recent stuff we've acquired works with it.

Nose picking child #1

Nose picking child #2

I thought they'd like this prop....I'll bet Tom is wondering if he keeps shining that light in his ear and opens his mouth,  will light come out?

Really mom?

Not bad except there is supposed to be three...

Thomas about to throw down.  Mom about to throw down too.  At least I wasn't forced into a vest.

no comment

naughty

getting positive reinforcement from brothers for being naughty

change to more natural scenery is helping...

whew.  Ok.  Let's eat lunch!

Happy 4th Birthday (and one month... oops)

I'm almost caught up on this blog!  I had a post I wanted to do today so I thought I better catch up on the backlog.
The boys turned four!  They're such great little guys.  I can't believe they're not babies anymore.  I know everyone says that but  raising twins is an intense experience and while some days,  hours, minutes go slowly,  the rest by and memories of them can be fuzzy.
Four has been a magical age and having two constant companions make for some fun times.  They are constantly pretending and talking and talking and talking...

 

Benji,  besides being so handsome you are so articulate and smart.  You love stories and TV and have a great recall for things. You get so excited to go do things that sound fun to you.  We recently found out that you're tireless on hiking adventures or fun walks.   You're developing such a sense of humor,  often repeating funny things and laughing about them over and over again.  You have mommy's habit of talking to yourself and you frown when you ask questions too.  You're so curious and you love to play with toys and tinker with things. You are always making up silly sayings like "never pever wever" or play with your "electrical dectrical gun." You have a very long attention span.    You want to know how things work.  Often you are the instigator to imaginative games and you are so good at sharing and helping your sister.  You also have a feisty side.  You weren't intimidated by our wild dog when we brought him home and I've witnessed you sticking up for yourself to other kids at the park.  Sometimes you're complicated and other times you have no problem speaking your mind! While you seem like our most reserved kid on the outside when we ask for one you give the best hugs.  We love you. 

Ben played for thirty minutes with this game:  hitting the ornaments with the lollipop ornament to see what they sounded like.

 

Tommy,  you are still busy busy busy and you area constantly looking for things to do.  You love to dress up and get a hold of daddy's things.  You love to work on projects with us and you never miss a thing.  You are always asking questions and you rarely take no for an answer.  We've been calling you the hustler because you are always scheming for the extra cookie,  for someone to open the sprite at the back of the fridge or for someone to take you to the park,  or for Dad to bust out the tools for something.   You are little boy mischief in it's purist form.  You recently broke the lampshade and we've had to explain to you on more than one occasion why you don't get to drive the car or why you can't see the back of your own head.  You are the first one up,  the last one to sleep and always on the lookout for something to get into.  You're very attached to your brother.  When Ben had to go to the Dr the other day and I told you to wait on the couch while I put Rachel down you said, "but I always sit with Ben."  You ask at least three times when Daddy is coming home and whether guests are going "to sleep here."  It's also a good chance that you'll go visit them in the wee hours of the morning too.   You are such a ham and always showing off.  If you get a laugh from someone you're bound to do it again.  You are such a charmer and I don't know a cuter smile.  You take a lot of energy to keep up with but life wouldn't be nearly as fun. 

Wearing Daddy's coat  

  

Thanksgiving Weekend 2011.

Thanksgiving 2011 was at our house this year!  Since Aaron and I married over 10 years ago (wow) we've eaten everywhere from a restaurant with my parents in 2001 (our first apartment was soooo crappy),  our next little house in Austin with my folks and a few other friends,  Aaron's parents house,  Aunt Kathy's house in San Diego (I was sooo pregnant with the boys that we had to stop for Mylanta for my heartburn and I was wearing flip flops)  and Aaron's sister, Valerie's house.   Based on that lineage alone,  we have so much to be thankful for: people who love us and share their homes,  plenty of food lovingly made.  We've never had a year without somewhere to go. 

This year was particularly fun for me as I love  entertaining in our home here.  Our kids are also getting old enough to understand holidays and traditions.  Their excitement motivates me to make the most of these annual events.  Also,  for the first time in a few years I had the energy (sleeping through the night) to tackle and enjoy extra project.  We had 15 people for dinner and two sets of house guests:  Aunt Alene and then the grandparents.  Opie enjoyed getting to play with Lacey,  who I guess would be his mother in law? 
Unfortunately,  I took very few pictures!  A couple of these I stole from Alene who is excellent in the kitchen and behind the camera.  She's good at Lego building too.

Rachel evaded any photo that I wanted to take.  She also threw a coup about sitting in her high chair.  Daddy still had a lovely meal in the extra lawn chair. 

Aaron got up at 4:30 to put the 18 pound bird in the smoker.  It was fabulous and my whole oven was freed up!

I made this centerpiece using a Country Living as inspiration,  a growers bunch from the store and stuff I had around.

Aunt Alene caught the boys in their matching shirts.  Apparently Tommy was feeling feisty.  He told one of our guests that they "sure had a big,  fat head"  sigh.

  

It's The End of the Year as We Know It! And I'm Behind!

My last blog post was Rachel's turning 2 and now that's old news!  From Halloween till New Year's we're super busy and having fun.  All the kids turn a year older and Thanksgiving and Christmas are staggered between.  After having lots of colds and stomach bugs last year we've been very healthy this year,  and that I'm very thankful.  Here's a look at some of our happenings.

This is the usual business around here.  We're so lucky that Daddy loves to play and has a strong back!

 Only one very little snow and we're taking advantage of it.  The weather has been milder this year.  Less windy too.

The last snowman of 2011

Candyland!  Ben gets so excited to play games.  Rachel she loves to do what the boys to.  They're getting so big!

Our Rachel is Two Now

Rachel Autumn turned 2 this past month.   When she showed up in 2009  I hadn't realized anything was missing here.  I guess what was missing was a little girl because we just love everything about her.  Her brothers,  the neighbors, older women at church,  the dog-  all love her.  She's been growing into a happy,  independent,  talkative,  expressive little girl.   Happy Birthday Rachel Autumn!
I'm really not sure where else to take this post.  Here's a list of random things both that you may not know and I want to remember.
1. The morning that she was born there was the most brilliant harvest moon I have ever seen.  I will not forget it as long as I live.
2. When she was born she screamed the entire time they cleaned her, took her stats and eventually quit when they wrapped her up and were "done."  When they took me to our room Aaron wasn't holding her but watching her in a box thing.  "She's quiet."   After that she was the most peaceful baby ever.  Amen.
3. She has pinky fingers that turn inward,  like her mother and great grandmother.  The boys do too.  All over the house there's little handprints with crooked pinkies. 
4. She's never tired at night..... party girl...  ready for college I guess.
5.  Whoever gets her out of bed in the morning is obligated to hold her for at least 20 minutes.  She's our snuggle bug.
6. She now tells us "no,  no way"
7. When it's time for the last bedtime book she holds up her finger and says, "Just one more,  one more book."
8. She loves to play with her baby dolls.  When she gets upset she goes and gets one to love on.

October Has Come and Gone But Left Behind 10lbs of Candy....

Like most of our lives this "season" we've been busy!  In my mind I'm about three blog posts behind so for our faithful readers I'm doing a monthly wrap up.  The kids have been happy and busy and we've kept up with some traditions and done some new things.   Rachel is getting big and talking a lot.  She's enjoys being with her brothers.  She's at that challenging age where her words aren't quite up to speed with her mind so we're trying to understand her!  The boys are heading into that really magical age where the world is innocent and full of whimsy yet they understand so much.  The work in raising them is less physical work rather mentally and emotionally challenging.
Here's what we've been up to!

I've just had a lot o' trouble getting a good photo of all three of these kids.  Hooligans

Rachel is off with her pumpkin from the MOPS pumpkin patch trip.  They got to enjoy a hayride to the patch,  choose a pumpkin,  play on the tower of hay,  hay maze and farm animals. 

Ben's pick. 

Tom's pick.

The hayride with Daddy,  Rachel,  Thomas and BillyBob

This was Rachel's favorite thing in the animal barn.  Farm Animals, Bowling Alleys and County Fairs do not sit well with Rachel.  I guess she's our 5th Avenue Girl!

All dressed up for the local nursery pumpkin patch/photo shoot.  

Good Gourd,  this kid was grouchy there and hard to work with.  It's a shame as she's so photogenic!  I guess you don't have to be a teenager to know how to get under you're mother's skin! 

This was the best of the three of them. 

Ben was so excited to carve a pumpkin with Daddy. 

The boys preschool has a dress up day and they set up a place to take photos.

Trick or Treating in our neighborhood.  This year the boys picked their costumes.  Ben loved loved loved trick or treating.  When Tommy got tired I took him and Rachel home (after doing about 20 houses.  Ben and Daddy did one whole other street.  They came home when he couldn't carry his candy bucket!  Ben would also tell neighbors to "Give Racheee one!"  when they were doling out treats.  It was a fun night.  Lots of our neighbors were home and the weather was good. 

All the Creatures That Live Here; the young, the old, the ones we like and the ones we tolerate.

Most blog posts are devoted to what the humans that live around here are doing.  This household is nine members strong.  Only five human members and four that belong to the animal kingdom.  This is post is about them.....


This is Iris, otherwise known as Kitty.  She's been with us the longest.  She's made two major moves with us and has even gotten to fly on an airplane.  Aaron and I adopted her from a shelter when we still lived in Texas.  She's pretty low maintenance and boring.  She doesn't go outside often,  she doesn't come around guests and she won't acknowledge that our offspring are here to stay.  She's stated her position on small children and dogs quite clearly... they're all afraid of her.  With the boys she's hissed when cornered and has growled a few times.  Now when we send the kids to another room for something and they see her at the end of the hall or sitting on some furniture they'll refuse to go any further.  "Kitty's in there!"  It's a similar reaction that one would have to a ghost.  We recently got a dog (see below) and when the dog was sniffing innocently around our upstairs loft the cat came tearing out from behind the couch and chased him downstairs.  The dog and the cat have an understanding now.

"Watch you're step tow head." 

Last year I thought it would be fun for the kids to have some fish.  So now I have some gold fish to feed and change the water for.  If I tell them to they're happy to feed the fish and Ben has found a new job in catching them in the net for a water change.  Here we have Bert and Ernie II.  The first Ernie lived a long time for a goldfish but unfortunately never had his life documented.  He rests in the potted dogwood tree in the backyard....

And our final animal,  and the most popular for reason that should be obvious is our new addition,  Opie.  Opie is an English Springer Spaniel that's been with us for three weeks now.  We were going to Spokane for the day to pick up a beef order.  I thought it would be a good idea to check out in person the dog breeder that I've been getting updates from and if we liked the looks of the place and still felt like a springer would be a good fit for us we'd get a puppy NEXT YEAR.  I still stand by the opinion that I am not a sucker for a cute face,  Aaron not withstanding.  The short of it is that when we went to visit Opie had recently been returned from a couple that could no longer keep him and he seemed like a wonderful dog for us.  He's six months,  crate trained, housebroken and has been to obedience school.  Outside of being a high energy and young he's a great dog.