A Post For Those Asking about Birthday Present Ideas

Lots of people are asking what to get the boys for their birthday, so I thought this is a good place to post my suggestions.

Quite frankly, I've never had one-year-olds before. So I'm not really any better than anyone else at guessing what sort of things they are going to like over the coming months. At this point in time, they really enjoy dropping balls into things. They like banging things. They like climbing into things. And they like soft things, such as stuffed animals and pillows.

So, if you want to get them some sort of gift, here are possible suggestions:
BATH: toddler bath towels, robes, toys, toy storage, etc.
CLOTHES: Cold-weather clothing: size 18months Warm-weather clothing: size 24months; Shoes: size 4 (Note: It's easiest for me to dress them identically or in coordinating outfits.)
FURNITURE: Kid-sized furniture for the playroom, such as little chairs, flip sofas, tables, playtents, etc.
FEEDING: Sippy cups, feeding utensils, dishes, etc. Please get BPA free (the front of the packaging will mention if it is.)
TOYS: toys to pull, push, connect, or have wheels (so they can push/pull/drive.) Also, outdoor toys for next summer could be fun (and they are probably on clearance right now!)

And of course, savings bonds, Google stock (haha, Jess!), and those sort of things are always wonderful.

Hopefully that'll be helpful to those of you who were wondering. I always have trouble shopping for... well, for pretty much everyone, but I find trying to figure out what to get toddlers especially daunting.

27 Days of Babyhood Left

Look how close we are getting to the 1st birthday! These babies aren't going to be babies much longer. It's bittersweet, really. Months 10 and 11 have been absolutely amazing, as the boys' personalities are really becoming evident now. They are behaving less like babies and more like toddlers every day. They are both experts at climbing stairs now (we've got gates up, but they get to climb when it's time for bed.) We've got new teeth appearing each day (at least that's how it feels), and Joel is especially pleased to be testing them on his brother. (Evan's arm was covered in marks a couple days ago. Poor kid. I guess Joel is retaliating for Evan "bullying" him over the past few months.)
It's been a lovely time, really. They've been really cuddly over the past few weeks, which we are eating up, considering neither of the boys have ever really been cuddlers. Nowadays, they've been playing "Climb the Mommy/Daddy Mountain" while we lay on the floor. I guess climbing us is an exhausting feat, because once they reach the top, both lay on us for a few minutes, which makes the two of us feel like the greatest people on the planet. Then it's roll down the mountain, and off to fight over the same toy; nevermind the fact that there are probably two hundred other toys right next to them. A few bites out of Joel, a few slaps and scratches from Evan, tears shed, and back to Mommy and Daddy once again.
Beyond the fighting/playing/fighting (or vice versa on a good day), we've learned that these are FUNNY kids. They love to laugh. Games like "Fly-Swatter Mission Impossible" are especially fun. (The game consists of Mommy grabbing the fly-swatter and slapping at imaginary flies while making amazing kung-fu-like moves. It's hilarious, at least when you are 11 months old. Although Todd seems to appreciate it, as well.) The boys find joy in just about everything, whether it's a game of chase, playing Shake-the-Gates-as-Hard-as-We-Can, chewing shoes (I don't know where they come from, they just keep reappearing!), or whatever, life is just generally fun when you've got a twin to share it with.

We've been sick lately (Todd first, then the boys, now I'm finally getting over it), so I haven't had time to take pictures or post too much.) Here are a few pictures over the past few weeks. Enjoy!

We borrowed this horse strictly for pictures. I didn't realize how huge it was! They fell off pretty quickly.


A day in the pool


Not walking on his own yet, but Joel loves to stand!


Scrapbook page



P.S. A BIG THANK YOU to those who have been sending me coupons! I'm loving them! I've been getting some great deals, thanks to you all. Keep 'em coming! (Yesterday's shopping alone: I believe I bought around $200 worth of items for an out-of-pocket cost of around $45, give or take!)

As for Julia's question re: diapers, we've gone back to cloth (Joel gets rashes in disposables), but we use Pampers wipes. When I get coupons that I don't use, I can trade them for ones that I need. Also, expired coupons go to military families (they can use them), so even those are useful.

Will You Do Me a Favor?

Hello to all my lovely readers! I have a favor to ask. Being a stay-at-home mom, I am quickly learning the value of a dollar (oh the things I wish I had known before having kids!)

Anyway, I have become a major coupon clipper, and I am asking all of you to save coupons for me! Those who use them, keep doing so, but if you are someone who gets them and doesn't want to deal with the hassle of clipping, I'd love if you'd be willing to save them for me! Unclipped, just toss them into a bag and set aside. I'll pay shipping, just email me whenever you have a stash for me. My email is whitepeapod@gmail.com (and for those wondering, it doesn't matter where you are in the country reading this. Manufacturer coupons can be used all over the place.)

Coupons are hot commodities in my little world, and I'm not above begging to get extras whenever I can! I'm somewhat tempted to start some good ol' dumpster diving (through recycle bins), but for the sake of my family (who will no doubt throw a fit just by me mentioning the term) I'll leave that option alone for now. So please, if you want to keep me out of the dumpsters, save those precious inserts for me!!

(Just for a little guidance, the majority of coupons are generally found in the paper as a booklet, with one of the following headers: SmartSource, Valassis, and Red Plum.)

Thanks in advance!

The Hat Series

I know I just posted yesterday, but I just got these back and have been dying to share them with the world! Remember those incredibly gorgeous b&w photos of the boys from last December? Well, Drew did another photo shoot of them back in May. He is absolutely incredible. I got a lot of beautiful pictures, but what I call "The Hat Series" are by far my favorites. I hope everyone gets a kick out of these- there is such humor in the set! Please, please take a moment to leave a comment and let Drew know how fantastic he is. If you could see him in action, you'd appreciate how much went into these five photos alone.

Without further adieu, here is "The Hat Series" by Drew Pistilli.

Ten Months and Counting...

I know I'm very behind on posting; it's been a busy summer so far! July 6th marked 10 months for the boys. Doesn't it feel like January was just here? How on earth are we already halfway through July??
Last month, I took the boys to the dr. and got heights and weights. At the time (so, at 9 months), Joel was 18lb12oz, and Evan was 17lbs4oz. Evan is generally the better eater, but he's also very active, whereas Joel is... let's say laid back... so I guess Evan must burn more calories, and hence, remain the smaller twin.

Both boys are now ALL over the place, all the time. They are incredibly fast crawlers, and of course always heading in opposite directions, so as to keep Mommy on her toes. They are very happy, playful little boys, and enjoy playing together as well as apart. Actually, "playing together" usually consists of a lot of ear-pulling, paci-stealing, and other such behaviors. In general, they often head different directions to play, but I notice they constantly look at each other from across the room, and often smile, laugh, and babble together. It's really the most amazing thing to watch the two of them growing up together.

Our anniversary (5 years) was June 21st, so we went to a local hotel for the weekend. It's got a really nice indoor waterpark, and was all around a great place to take the boys. (Todd and I are both HUGE waterpark fans, so this was right up our alley, too.) It was expensive, but SO nice to finally have a vacation together.

Speaking of vacations, Todd left for China today. He took a group for a 13-day trip. I think he was pretty sad leaving the boys, but he loves travel, so he'll enjoy himself. He promised this is the last trip without us, though, and I plan to hold him to that! We've traveled with this same company multiple times in the past (we took students to Italy and Greece, and went on our own to Amsterdam and Paris. He also went to Barcelona this past January.) It's a great tour company (ACIS), and with the dollar so low, we're glad he had chosen China versus another Europe trip this time around. The boys' and I have lots of playdates and family visits planned, so hopefully we'll keep busy enough not to miss him too much (I'm already sad that he's gone. Oh well; maybe he'll bring me back something nice to make up for it.)

We took a lot of pictures throughout the past month, so I thought I'd share a random selection:

One of our playdates with the moms' group I run. Joel and Evan are in the middle.

At the hotel. This is where Joel really learned to crawl!


Lounging in the Lazy River:


These boys LOVE food! Joel automatically smiles like this whenever he sees my camera. What a ham!



Playing with one of our awesome toys! (Joel being a ham again.)


Fun in the cribs:



And one of my favorite pictures: Evan in the duck toybox!


Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day!

The boys and I gave Todd a video as his Father's Day gift today. He asked me to put a link on here so everyone who wants to can view it.

(There's music, so you need your volume on.)

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Nine Months... sigh...

Where has the time gone? How it is that my pregnancy felt like an eternity, and now, nine months has flown by in the blink of an eye?

These sweet boys are seeming less like babies every day. They are growing so quickly, and I feel like I need to hit some pause button on life just to take each moment as it comes.
I'm so thankful that I get to be home with them each day, so that I get to live all these special moments with them. So much of the time I am wishing someone else were here to witness it all with me. Our boys are just plain fantastic. Really, truly, FANTASTIC little boys.
Three more months until their birthday. I'm going to be a wreck that day, I can feel it already.


Moving on...

As for growth info, I don't know their height/weight info right now. They both seem to be growing fine, though. They certainly have fabulous appetites! We're still nursing about four times a day (each), but they also eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday as well. These boys will down just about anything! They are especially big fans of fruit, and one of their favorite treats are "popsicles", which is frozen fruit in a mesh container. It's probably the messiest thing I can give them, but man, they LOVE it!


Like I said, MESSY!!



Evan is very close to "official crawling", but hasn't actually gone forward yet. He is quite efficient at getting around, though, and I really can't turn my back on him for a moment. Joel is not really interested in crawling (he will put half-effort into it for about three seconds, then get bored.) He is much more interested in standing. Constantly. He can't pull himself up, but he fights when I try to get him into a sitting position. I figure he'll just skip the crawling thing and eventually start trying to take steps.


Here they are practicing standing in Evan's crib. Notice the pride on Joel's face!

And I just have to throw this one in because they are so stinkin' cute!!

Prayer Requests:

I know lots of people who are in need of lots of prayer right now, so I thought it appropriate to get the message out for them.

A friend of mine just lost one of her twins (the baby was 3 days old), and is need of prayer for comfort. The babies were born at 31 weeks, and the son is doing well but has a long road ahead in the NICU. The mom spent 77 days in the hospital, as her water broke at 20 weeks. The chances of survival were slim for baby A, but she lived long enough that her brother was able to survive to an appropriate time for delivery (it truly was a miracle; baby A lived without any amniotic fluid the entire time. Had she gone into distress, they would have had to deliver both babies and surely would have lost them both.) Please pray for peace and strength for this family.

There is a lot of stress at the moment in Todd's family, so please pray for guidance for all of them.

My very dear childhood friend has a friend who is very pregnant; her husband just had a heart attack and passed away (at 37 years old.) She already has a four-year-old daughter, so is now dealing with both the grief over losing her husband as well as the impending arrival of her child (and the suddenness of having to raise them alone.)
There is a song we used to sing when I was little. I have to share, because it always comes to me whenever I feel like things are getting out of control:
>I cast all my cares upon You;
I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet,
and anytime I don't know what to do,
I will cast all my cares upon You.

Well, if you've made it this far in the blog, you get a reward! Here's a video of the boys' first bath together (about 3 weeks ago.) Get ready to SMILE!!