Kennedy Twins

I give up!

2010-01-28T15:46:00.001-06:00

For now I will not be blogging. If I find more time in the future I will start it up again!

I am on Facebook for those that would like know what we are up to!

New Year's Resolution

2010-01-12T11:38:00.002-06:00

My New Year's resolution is to keep up on my blog. So far not doing well but will start from this point forward...I will attempt to blog at least once a week to keep people updated on the family!

what is new...the kids are growing up too fast. Our dog is at the vet right now attempting to find out what is wrong with her and pat and I have our first real vacation coming up in February!

I will upload pictures by the end of the week and update on our dog, Molly!

Still not doing well keeping up on blogging!

2009-11-25T13:30:00.003-06:00

It has been over a month since my last blog. I just don't know where the time goes!

Gavin's surgery went well. He was off daycare for a week and talked very funny for awhile but is pretty much back to normal now! There were a couple rough days but we made it and I think he will do much better now!

Abby has been a handful lately. She seems to always want what she can't have. If she is home she wants to go to our friends house, when she is there she wants to be home,etc. And she is AWFUL at bedtime lately...she fights it and comes up with every excuse possible to not go to bed!

here are some pictures from the kids night of painting!

Gavin is having surgery

2009-10-21T16:17:00.003-05:00

Gavin is having his tonsils & adenoids removed on November 3rd. I am a little nervous becuase last time he went in to have ear tubes put in they had a hard time waking him up and his dad also has issues with being put to sleep. I also hope he does okay with the surgery...it seems like such a scary thing for a 3 year old to go through but I am very optimistic that once they are taken out he will start to feel much better!

I keep reminding myself that this is a pretty minor procedure compared to what some of my friends children have had to go through so if they can do the big procedures we can make through a small one!

more illnesses

2009-10-19T12:54:00.002-05:00

Gavin was sick over the weekend and his tonsils are huge so we are taking him back to the ENT on Wednesday! wish us luck! I am pretty sure he will be having his tonsils and/or adenoids out!

Abby's ears are also still draining so she is back on ear drops but I am guessing she will be going back to the ENT very soon!

Maybe once all these health issues are taken care of they will sleep through the night!!! wishful thinking for me!! :)

Pumpkin Carving!

2009-10-19T12:49:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we had friends over to carve pumpkins. The kids had a lot of fun (along with the adults!)

Gavin actually put his hands inside the pumpkins this year and Abby was very stubborn and insisted she do hers all by herself. so with very little assistance she cut out her own pumpkin face!

Meet Molly!

2009-09-23T11:21:00.003-05:00

We picked up Molly our new puppy on Sunday and then made the four hour drive back home! Her father is my best friends dog and the mother is another friend of ours from Rice Lake area. Molly did better on the ride home than the kids did! My children are just not good travelers!

so far things are going pretty good...Abby runs screaming anytime Molly comes near her and Gavin likes to pick her up! She tolerates it very well! Yesterday in the rain she didn't want to go potty outside and preferred the living room carpet but we made her stay outside until she went and that seemed to do the trick!

It's been awhile since I last blogged...

2009-09-17T09:46:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures from the past few months...my proud kids in their big kid undies, on a ride at the fair, Gavin wearing his sisters Packer cheerleading outfit to make her mad (and it obviously workes) and Gavin wearing his Packer helmet!

The kids went back to daycare on Monday, August 31st. On Wednesday afternoon I got a call that Gavin had a temp of 102.5 so he had to go home and was home all day Thursday. On Friday afternoon Abby got sent home with a fever...then the next week Abby got sent home again on Wednesday with a fever. I took her to the doctor to find out she had a virus and it was almost done but she should stay home from daycare on Thursday. so Pat and I have used up quite a bit of leave time in the 2 weeks since they have been back to daycare!

Weight loss is very slow. Since I started I am only down 2 lbs. but I am happy to be 2 lbs in the right direction rather than the other way! We are hoping to go on vacation with friends in February so now I have incentive to lose weight...I want to be comfortable wearing a bathing suit since that is what we will be wearing most of the trip!!

and the last piece of news I have is we are getting a puppy! We are getting an 8 week old Viszla puppy this Sunday. I will post pictures of her next week. Her name is Molly! Wish us luck!!!

My Babies Turned 3

2009-09-17T09:41:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe that Gavin and Abby just turned 3. I can still remember the day there were born, their stay in the NICU and bringing them home! Where does the time go!

On Saturday, September 12th we celebrated thier birthday at our house with family and friends. Instead of writing all about it I will just post pictures from the party!

I can't believe Summer is almost over!

2009-08-19T07:59:00.003-05:00

In less than 2 weeks the kids go back to daycare and in just over 3 weeks they will be 3 years old! I just don't know where the time goes!

Both kids are pretty much potty trained now. they still have some accidents but are doing great overall! This week we started working on getting them to go to bed on their own without mommy or daddy in the room or in the doorway! We are putting a sticker on there row on the weekly calendar for each night that they go to bed on their own. I told them if they do it all week they can get a Cinderella dress and a baseball glove! so far so good! After we get them going to bed on their own then we will tackle the nuks!!!

Weight loss is at a standstill...this week 0 lbs change! I need to get my butt exercising but am having trouble finding the energy to do it!

We need a bigger house!!

2009-08-07T09:42:00.003-05:00

Here are some photos of the kids playing with their new toy! (not really intended to be used in a living but until the basement is finished we don't have too many other options when the weather isn't cooperating for outdoor play!

And weight loss is at a standstill...no loss but also did not gain! This week I started walk/jogging on the treadmill so hopefully that will help! I am really out of shape and can't jog very long or very far but my goal is to someday be able to jog 5 miles!

Good news!

2009-07-23T07:48:00.001-05:00

My doctor's office called yesterday and told me my CT scan came back normal so that was great news. Now just have to figure out why I have headaches all the time...I am thinking sleep deprivation might be a large part of cause!

Also have to have my blood pressure looked at again...and this time I will not have any coffee before I go!!

Can't seem to find enough time...

2009-07-22T13:47:00.004-05:00

I have good intentions of blogging at least twice a week but so far have not been doing a very good job! I am attempting to study for the CPA exam (BEC section) and have not been doing very well at that either. I take the exam August 27th so hope to have a little more time after that (at least until I start to study for another section!)

Updates on everyone: Abby is still in dance and loving it. She is a very independent child that can be rather difficult but can also melt your heart! She picks out her own clothes and doesn't want help with anything. She is going through a "mom has to do everything with/for her" stage so Pat doesn't get to do much with her lately.

Gavin just finished his 5 week tumbling class at the Y and loved it so we signed up for the next 5 week session. that starts next Wednesday! He also LOVES hitting his ball off the tee and having someone "catch" it for him! We also went to the Barron County Fair last weekend and he loves animals. He didn't want to leave. His sister spent the entire time at the fair glued to mom's leg or being carried.

Since my last post I have lost 1/2 a pound! better than going up I guess. I also went to the doctor on Tuesday because I have been having lots of headaches. At my appointment I also had very high blood pressure, which is very unusual for me. I have never had a bad blood pressure reading. So...today I went in for a CT just to rule out anything abnormal in my head causing the headaches. I go back to the doc on Friday for a follow up and will discuss plans to stop my headaches. so wish me luck. Last night at home I realized that my high blood pressure is most likely related to two little kids that won't listen to their mother and are constantly testing the limits!!!

Never a normal illness at our house!

2009-07-15T12:22:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday Abby woke up in the middle of the night with a 101 fever. I gave her Tylenol and that helped for about an hour and then the fever started coming back again. She went to the doctor on Friday. They did a strep test and it came back negative. The doctor thought it was something viral and sent her home.

She had a fever all weekend and kept complaining that her mouth hurt. I thought maybe she was getting her 2 year molars. We did the Tylenol/Motrin cycle all weekend to keep her comfortable and took her back to the doctor on Monday. She ended up having Aphthous Stomatitis...little canker like sores on her tongue and throat! So no wonder she was complaining that her mouth hurt! I looked in her mouth several times and could not see anything but it is also very hard to get a good look in a 2 1/2 year olds mouth!

She is finally starting to feel better so hopefully now she will start sleeping at night again! Well as well as she did before anyway! (she has never been a sleep through the whole night kind of kid!)

Gavin loves to play with his bat and ball! He likes to hit the ball when you throw it to him but misses quite a bit...so we got him a t-ball set and he is really, really good! I was amazed how well he did and how far he can hit it!

And I am going to steal an idea from a fellow Mother of Multiples club member and start posting my weight loss progress (failure) on here!

I don't want to share my actual weight but will share that to start I would like to lose 35 lbs! I will try to post weekly on how I am doing

I just stepped out of the room for a second...

2009-07-09T12:13:00.001-05:00

Busy 4th of July Weekend!

2009-07-07T13:21:00.003-05:00

Thursday night my friend Crystal and I took her almost 5 year old and my two almost 3 year olds to see Half Empty downtown Appleton. They were really good and had a great time chasing each other in the grass and dancing to the music.

Friday I took the day off and the kids and I met a little girl from daycare for a play date at the park. They were very happy to see each other. I think the kids are enjoying being home for the summer but also miss their daycare friends! Hard to believe one month of "summer break" has gone by already! Friday night we went to a friends house to watch the City of Appleton fireworks. We grilled steaks, hamburgers & hotdogs and the kids played on a slip n slide. They had a great time. Gavin loved the fireworks and Abby started crying at the finale...must have been too loud for her!

Saturday we headed down to Grafton for a 2nd birthday party. It was a pool party and we learned that Gavin has no fear of water. Pat got in the pool and the kids were standing on the edge of the pool checking it out. They were taking their time so Pat turned to say hi to a friend and heard a splash...he looked over and didn't see Gavin and then realized he was at the bottom of the pool! Definitely time to get them in swimming lessons! We got home around 4 PM and my in-laws came down to visit the kids. Pat and I went to a movie (the Hangover) and out to dinner. It was nice to have a date with him, we don't get to chat much at home with the kids these days! I also found out that my in-laws are going to try taking the kids overnight this Saturday! I am so excited!!! I hope it goes well so it can happen more than one time!!!

Sunday we hung out at home and played/worked outside! It was nice to not have to go anywhere!

Not much new...

2009-06-25T15:53:00.003-05:00

I finally remembered to bring my camera to work so here is a picture of Abby walking on the top of her toes.

Abby is still enjoying dance class and Gavin is loving tumbling at the Y!

Here are some other random pictures of the kids!

Making progress on getting rid of the nuks!

2009-06-15T12:34:00.003-05:00

I have learned over the past week that the kids only "need" their nuks when they are with Pat and/or I! They don't use them at all during the week while we are at work. On Saturday they spent the day with my in-laws and didn't use the nuks all day...not even for nap. the minute I got there to pick them up they started whining and asking for their nuks!

so yesterday we didn't give them their nuks all day until bedtime. both kids had a few meltdowns and tantrums when I told them their nuks were only for bedtime. I am hoping within a week we can get rid of them for good. I am tired of looking for them when they misplace them!

Potty training is still going really well for Abby and Gavin will occasionally go on the potty. I think he will be a little bit yet!

Gavin started Tumble Tots at the Y last Thursday...he loves it and it allows him to run off some energy! Abby still loves dance class and likes to show off the things she has learned!

Is Summer ever coming?

2009-06-09T10:25:00.002-05:00

Well we are into Week 2 of the kids being home for the summer and not at daycare! So far it is going really well. Gavin gets to sleep in and I get extra time to get ready for work and have actually been on time most days! that is a big change!

Abby just finished up her Spring dance class. She loves it and has actually learned some stuff! After watching her on her tippy toes I am confident we got her in the right class! she curls her toes under and then walks on them...my camera needs to be charged but once it is charged i will add a picture! She is also doing really well potty training! but when she doesn't make it to the bathroom she cries "I didn't make it" as she pees all over the floor wherever she is standing. it is actually quite comical!

Gavin is definitely all boy! He is very into wrestling, climbing, hitting and biting right now! We are working on controlling these behaviors but Abby gets most of it directed at her! I am looking for something to get Gavin in since Abby has dance and Pat doesn't really want him in that! Hopefully we can find something at the Y for a boy not quite 3.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-03T07:52:00.002-05:00

Same old...

2009-05-28T11:00:00.002-05:00

Don't have much to report...my recovery of my wrist surgery is taking longer than planned. I had physical therapy on Tuesday and thought that would be my last one but I still can't bend my wrist as far as prior to surgery so have to go 2x per week for the next 2 weeks and then hopefully will be done. But at least I am done with the big bandage and the splint!

Gavin is doing well...he is such a sweet boy. Lately he has been so nice to his sister. When she throws a tantrum about something he will get her whatever she wants or even give up what he has to make her happy (or maybe he just wants her to stop screaming...)

Abby is also doing well. She has been doing really well at daycare wearing her big girl undies and staying dry. Now if she can just figure out how to do that at home we will be well on our way to being potty trained! She is enjoying dance class and also has a new talent! She curls her toes under and and then walks on them. I am in pain just watching her but doesn't seem to bother her at all. I will try to post a picture to show what I am talking about...hard to explain!

Back to work!

2009-05-14T11:32:00.003-05:00

I am finally back to work!! I got approval from my doctor around 10:30 yesterday!! I am still typing with one hand so am pretty slow getting things done but it beats sitting home!

Abby had her first dance class last night. She did great and had lots of fun. At the beginning of class she didn't want to go in and started crying saying she needed Gavin...I guess maybe we need to split them up once in awhile!

While Abby was at class Pat took Gavin by the river to see the ducks and geese. He thought that was great!

What's new with the Kennedy's

2009-05-13T08:05:00.003-05:00

Last Wednesday I had a ganglion cyst removed from my left wrist. I thought I would be back to work on Friday but my doctor has me off until May 19th. I am trying to get him to release me early but so far no luck. I should be making good use of my time off and be studying for the CPA exam but I always seem to find better things to do!!

Abby has a follow up appointment on Friday for her ear infection. She has been on 2 antibiotics and it still isn't completely cleared up...hopefully soon!

Gavin went to the allergist and they didn't anything he is allergic to but he did have a slight reaction to cats and since we have 2 cats we have to keep an eye on him! So I guess all his health problems are related to his tonsils/adenoids.

Abby starts dance class tonight...I hope she has fun. I am still looking for an event for Gavin to do!

The illnesses continue!

2009-05-04T15:46:00.003-05:00

We met with the ENT doctor last week and he thinks Gavin is on the path to having his adenoids and tonsils removed...but thinks he is too young to do it now. So his advice was to try and get him through the summer and re-evaluate in the fall. He did not think it was allergy related so I cancelled the allergist appointment!

Gavin is still miserable so I called our regular doctor and he thinks we should see the allergist so we are back on for Tuesday!

Abby went back to the doctor last Thursday...her ears were still draining and they stink! So we found out the antibiotic she was on did not work and she is on a new antibiotic that she hates so medicine time has become a real challenge...thank goodness for M & Ms!

The kids did get to play outside quite a bit this weekend...Gavin has a new motorcycle that he LOVES and rides it all the time. Abby sometimes rides with him or she rides her little 4 wheeler but gets really mad when the battery drains (which is quite quickly when they ride in the grass!)

I will post pictures of them riding together tonight or tomorrow and will keep everyone updated on our illnesses!

More illnesses

2009-04-24T11:40:00.003-05:00

Last week Friday Gavin went to the doctor for a cold. Deep cough, runny noes, fever. He was put on antibiotic and then Wednesday I got a call from daycare that his ears were draining and he said they hurt. I was in Madison for work so I told daycare Thursday morning that I was going to call and get him into the doctor sometime during the day. Between leaving the daycare and getting to work (about 15 minutes) I got a call from daycare that Abby's right ear was also draining so I might want to get her in also!

So we got the kids in at 3 yesterday and Abby is now on antibiotic and Gavin is going back to the ENT doc next Tuesday and the allergist on Wednesday. Our doctor said that Gavin's glands are swollen in his neck and his sinuses are not draining properly which is creating the ear drainage. So he wants us to see the ENT doc to check out Gavin's adnoids (sp) and tonsils. He also thinks it could be allergy related so we scheduled the allergist appointment but have to see what the ENT doc thinks.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-15T12:57:00.002-05:00

Crabby, Crabby, Crabby

2009-04-08T20:01:00.004-05:00

Today Gavin woke up on the wrong side of his toddler bed!!! And it continued until bedtime! This morning he screamed (not cried, screamed) about having to get dressed. He didn't want clothes on, he wanted to wear his PJ's. Then he screamed because he didn't want shoes on, or his coat. After we finally got everything on so we could head to daycare then he didn't want to get in mommy's car, he wanted daddy's car. We finally get in mommy's car and he is screaming because he doesn't want to be buckled. So I try some reverse psychology and close the door and get into the drivers seat...of course then he is crying because he wants to be buckled! We get to daycare and he wants to be carried in. When we get inside the teacher peels him off me and I tell them good luck, have a good day and head to work. I like my job but I have never been so happy to go to work!

Abby is still having sleep issues. She has to have someone in her room to fall asleep and she ususally wakes up between 12 and 1 and comes in our room. I keep hoping it is a phase that will pass but I am starting to think we might have to go back to the cry it out method to get her to go to sleep on her own. Usually when she comes in our room I carry her back to her bed but sometimes I don't even really know she got up until I wake up and she is next to me! I might try the sleeping bag on the floor next to our bed and tell her she can sleep there!

Both kids are really talking a lot and their "stories" are quite entertaining! Both kids heard a girl at daycare say someone was having a pity party for themselves and they were all excited and wanted to have a pity party! If they only knew!!

Not sure I will get back on before the weekend so if not Happy Easter everyone!

Fun with Stickers!

2009-04-02T08:06:00.004-05:00

The kids had lots of fun decorating my car for me with their stickers! We were on our way back from the play area at the mall and they kept themselves very busy! I was brave one night and took the kids by myself to the mall to run off some energy! I was happily surprised at how good they were...sometimes they run wild and don't listen to me!

Abby is now in her big girl bed! She likes her bed but she started last weekend not liking bedtime so she wants someone to sit in her room with her until she falls asleep and often wakes up in the middle of the night and ends up in our bed! Hopefully this is a stage that will soon pass!

Yesterday Gavin got sent home from daycare because he threw up. He continued throwing up until about 8 PM and then was fine. The weird thing is he really had no other symptoms than throwing up and he wanted to eat, he just couldn't keep any food down. I am hopeful he is the only one that gets it!

Weekend

2009-03-30T11:35:00.003-05:00

Friday night Pat and I went out with some friends and had a blast! (a much needed break!)

On Saturday I took the kids to an Easter egg hunt put on by the mother of multiples club. Our babysitter Shanel came with to help out with the kids so I could help set up. The kids didn't really get the concept of finding eggs and putting them in their bags. They would find them and tell us they found them but just leave them on the ground! Abby is scared of the Easter Bunny so she would cling to whoever was near her when the Easter bunny came around!

Saturday night Abby screamed when it was bedtime and did not want to go to bed. She wanted mommy or daddy to sit in her room with her and when we would leave the room she figured out how to climb out of her crib and would scream at the door. So Pat laid on the floor in her room to calm her down. She has a cold so I thought maybe that was the problem but she did it again last night. She is also a huge fit/tantrum thrower and it is very trying on the patience!!

Sunday we just hung out at home and did some cleaning and playing!

oh...the kids had a lot of fun on their field trip but I forgot the camera so no pictures! both kids went down the big slide by themselves!

I wish I known this 2 years ago!

2009-03-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

At my twins club meeting this past Thursday people were sharing their tips on saving money. Two moms said they make their own baby wipes. I had never heard of this but it sounded so easy! I bought all the ingredients over the weekend (the hardest item to find was a container to put them in!) and made some on Sunday! I LOVE them! They smell great and are gentle on Abby's sensitive skin!

I only wish I had known this when they were born...I think we could have saved a lot of money and maybe even saved Abby from some nasty diaper rashes!

Tomorrow the kids have another field trip that I am helping with. Gavin asked if daddy was going and I said no...then Gavin said Daddy not going, Daddy too big. it is so cute! I wil try to remember to bring my camera and post pictures tomorrow after the field trip!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-16T20:16:00.002-05:00

My goal is to blog at least twice a week (hopefully more!)

Updates on the kids, Gavin had to call me from daycare last Friday to tell me he went poop on the potty! He was so excited!!! He is starting to do really well going potty so I am hoping by the end of summer we will be completely potty trained! Abby is still doing well but not ready for training pants quite yet!

I got the kids a little store that came with play money and a play credit card. Abby asked what the credit card was and I told her that when we go shopping you use it to charge it. Now she says we go shopping, charge it! it is very cute! and we because we laughed at her she says it more often.

Here are some photos of the kids in their St. Patrick's attire!

I need more hours in my day

2009-03-09T11:54:00.004-05:00

I am so far behind in blogging...I just can't seem to find the time to blog! I always have intentions of doing it before I go to bed at night but I get busy doing stuff after the kids go to bed and never get to it!

Not much new to report...Abby is still working on potty training and I think Gavin is getting closer...he now tells me when he has pooped and wants to be changed! The kids still use their nuks! We will get rid of them by the time they turn 3! I am just not ready to deal with Abby's tantrums when she can't have her nuk!

here are some pictures from our trip to Funset Boulevard last weekend!

Field Trip

2009-02-27T07:59:00.003-06:00

On Wednesday I chaperoned my first field trip for the kids. We went to Wild Air with their daycare. The kids had a lot of fun and Gavin was a daredevil. His teacher tried to get him to go down the big slide on the big kids side but he got sidetracked by all the video games! Maybe next time!

When we were leaving the daycare to get on the bus to go to Wild Air one of the other chaperones mentioned that the bus driver was Santa Claus (he looked just like Santa) and Abby immediately started crying! She is terrified of Santa! I had to carry her onto the bus and then when we sat down the bus driver came over and tried to talk to her...she started trembling and buried her head in my shoulder and stayed that way until we got inside Wild Air. Then she started asking about Santa and I told her he was still on the bus and was not coming in. She was okay then and started playing!

Wordless Wednesday (a day late)

2009-02-19T08:25:00.002-06:00

They are not babies anymore

2009-02-17T20:07:00.003-06:00

Gavin got a hair cut last week (his 2nd one) and after this one there is definitely no baby left! All the whispy baby hair is gone and he just looks older! (very sad moment for mom!) He did awesome while getting his hair cut and after when we got home he kept wanting me to lift him up so he could see himself in the mirror!

Abby wanted a hair cut after watching her brother get one but she really doesn't have enough hair to cut yet! We finally have enough for a tiny pony tail on top of her head so there is no way we are cutting it yet!!

Abby is still doing really well with going on the potty but hasn't quite figured it all out! Gavin says he wants to go potty but he just sits on it and then goes in his diaper!

We are really getting cabin fever here and can't wait for Spring so we can get outside! (and wear off some of the endless energy the kids seem to have)

I will post pictures tomorrow for wordless Wednesday

Potty training

2009-02-08T19:51:00.002-06:00

Abby has been doing fantastic! Last week between Tuesday and Friday she only went one time in her diaper all the rest were on the potty...and most of the time she told her teacher she had to go potty! She has been doing good at home, but not quite as good as at daycare. I just try to remember to ask her if she has to go.

Today I decided to let her try training pants just to see how it would go. She did good until we went outside to play and then I think she was having too much fun to tell me she had to go potty!

And along with being a big girl using the potty she also developed a little (actually ALOT) more attitude! She has been very sassy the past few days. Talking back, whining, screaming, tantrums, you name it she is doing it! She has even started getting physical with Gavin and myself...hitting, biting, slapping.

Gavin is still not very interested in potty training. On occasion he will sit on the potty but hasn't actually gone on it in a quite a while. maybe once Abby is fully trained he will be ready! And Gavin's new thing this weekend was not taking a nap during the day. Saturday we fought with him for 2 hours to get him to lay down. Finally he fell asleep and slept for about an hour. Today he didn't take a nap at all but fell asleep around 5:30 and is still sleeping. I am sure he will now be up at 3 or 4 AM and want to stay up!

weekend update

2009-02-02T20:28:00.002-06:00

On Saturday we had a family Christmas celebration in Osseo, WI. It is about a 3 hour drive from Appleton. The kids did really well on the ride there and had lots of fun playing with their cousins! They got to open stocking stuffer gifts and eat candy! Gavin loves his candy! Abby got some jewlery that she loves! I will post a picture soon of her wearing her new necklace, bracelet and earrings!

On Sunday we we went to some friends for the superbowl. They have a 2 year old son and an 11 year old son. Abby has her first crush...on the 11 year old. She followed him around like a little puppy dog and wanted to know what he was doing all the time. He was very patient with her and let her tag along and watch him play his video games! Then later in the day he came back down to watch the game with all of us and Abby ran up to him and smiled and then before I knew what was happening she was taking her pants off. Next came the diaper and then of course Gavin thought this was hilarious so he had to follow suit! I cannot believe she took her pants and diaper off somewhere other than home. At home she often has to wear a onesie or she gets duct tape around her diaper to keep her from taking it off! Hopefully when she is potty trained she will leave her clothes on!

The kids played hard all afternoon and evening so slept great last night and did not wake super early like normal! it was GREAT!!!

Thank goodness January is over!

2009-02-02T20:20:00.002-06:00

I think I used over a week of leave time in the month of January due to illnesses with the kids...and Pat used 2 or 3 days! Abby woke up at 3 AM last Friday morning with a fever so she had to stay home from daycare. While we were playing in the morning I noticed something stuck in her hair near her ear...when I got it out of her hair I discovered it was her ear tube. I called our doctor's office and talked to the nurse...she said our doctor was not taking anymore patients but she knew we were taking Gavin to the ear, nose & throat doctor (I will get to that later) so she said to call them and let them know Abby's tube fell out and that she had a fever.

I called the ENT doctor and they said Abby could come along. I had the appt scheduled for Gavin because his left ear had been stinky for over a week and the ear drops didn't seem to be helping. At the appt we found out that both Abby's tubes had come out but her ears overall looked good so the fever must have been from something else. (I am guessing 2 year molars!) The doc looked in Gavin's right ear first and said his tube was just sitting in the ear canal so he took it out. then on to the left ear...that tube was also just sitting in the ear canal so he removed that one also and said the left ear was infected so prescribed more ear drops. Since using them his ear is smelling better! still not 100% but atleast I can breath when we snuggle now!

That was better news than I thought we were going to get...I was sure he had stuck something up his nose...since the day before I got a call from daycare that he had torn part of his goldfish cracker bag and put it up his nose and they had to use a tweezers to get it out!

Traveling Time Out

2009-01-23T21:00:00.004-06:00

The kids have been quite entertaining while being naughty lately! On Wednesday night the kids were being naughty. Gavin was throwing everything he could get his hands on so I put him in Time out in the recliner. he kept trying to get out so and I kept putting him back. finally after he was allowed out Abby picked up a book, smiled at me and threw it then said time out? I put her in time out and of course she tried getting out so I would put her back in and both kids were laughing hysterically! so I decided to find a chair they couldn't get out of and decided on their old boster seats. I got them out and set them on the floor and tried explaining to 2 year olds that these were the new "time out" chairs. of course they started playing with them and even though they are exactly the same they both wanted the same one. Gavin got mad at Abby and pinched her cheek. I told him no, time out and strapped him in the chair. He started crying that he wanted out. I told him no and then he stood up with his little chair strapped to his butt and started following me through the living room crying that he wanted out. I just kept telling him he was in time out and to sit down. (while trying really hard not to laugh outloud!!!)

I have now decided that time out will consist of them going to their rooms with the door closed!

And we had another trip to the doctor yesterday! Daycare called in the afternoon and said Gavin's left ear was draining and he kept sticking his finger in it. and it was very stinky. The doctor could not find anything wrong with his ear so thought maybe we just got water in it during bath and it was irritating his ear. So we are putting drops in and hoping it clears up because it is really stinky!

Not a great start to 2009

2009-01-15T11:14:00.002-06:00

Gavin was sick over the weekend with a fever and a cough. By Sunday night he was breathing very rapidly so I took him in to our doctor on Monday. The doctor put him on Predisolone to open up the lungs and make breathing easier for him and put him on an antibiotic. So he was home from daycare Monday and Tuesday. ON Tuesday morning daycare called and said Abby had a fever of 101.2 so she had to go home. She was home Tuesday and Wednesday! They are both back to daycare and I am back to work today, hopefully everyone stays healthy for awhile now!

Yesterday on Gavin's first day back for the week he was inseparable with his little friend Emma! I guess they were together all day and he even held her hand when she went potty!

Abby has started going potty on the potty chair again but not consistently! Maybe we are on the path to being potty trained! I am still not pushing it but if they ask to go I take them! which sometimes is every 30 minutes!

Happy New Year

2009-01-07T11:24:00.004-06:00

Gavin is starting out the New Year with a new bed! Last Friday I spent the day cleaning and reorganizing his room which included getting his toddler bed made up. We got him a 4 pc Thomas the Train bedding set so put that on. The toddler bed has been sitting in his room for about 3 weeks now along with his crib. When he got home from daycare I told him to go look at his new bed. He was so excited! since then he wants to sleep in his new bed. as you can see from the photo he is very proud of his new bed.

Abby has not attempted to climb out of her crib yet so we bought her a new princess sheet for her crib so she didn't feel left out! I am fine with her staying in her crib as long as possible!

The kids seem so grown up lately and are really talking up a storm! After the holidays we had some extra cookie dough leftover so I let the kids help me decorate the leftovers...as you can see they had a great time and they really love sprinkles!

Photos from Christmas 2008

2009-01-07T11:21:00.002-06:00

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T11:40:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Our Christmas was really nice and the kids got spoiled! We now need a bigger house! (or to finish the basement to move toys down there!)

We spent Christmas Eve with my in-laws, had our own little family gift opening and breakfast Chirstmas morning and then packed up and headed to my parents in Rice Lake for Christmas Day through Saturday.

I will try to post pictures later this week!

Happy Holidays

2008-12-18T19:43:00.003-06:00

Things have been so busy lately that I just can't find the time to get done all the things I want to! Like working out, blogging, finishing Christmas shopping, wrapping Christmas presents and spending time with the kids. (cleaning, laundry...the list goes on and on)

So I am writing to say Merry Christmas to everyone and let everyone know I probably won't post again until the week of December 29th.

Hope everyone has a safe and healthy Christmas!

Cute picture

2008-12-11T20:38:00.003-06:00

This was one of the pictures taken at our church. I just love this one of the kids!

Fun at McDonald's

2008-12-11T20:30:00.002-06:00

Tonight the kids and I met my friend Lisa and her three kids (twins girls and a boy) at McDonalds. I forget how little you actually get to talk to people when you have young kids. I spent the evening chasing kids that were trying to escape from playland, taking kids to the bathroom to change diapers and helping them eat! But the kids had lots of fun...they love chicken and french fries!

Yesterday Santa came to visit the kids daycare and Abby is very afraid of him. The teachers told me that she cried when he came and then was very emotional after he left! The teacher also told me that when the kids start getting wild and naughty at daycare they have been telling them that Santa is watching and has his eye on them and I guess Abby has a meltdown when they say it. So we have to try to convince her Santa is not all that scary! I am sure she will love the presents he leaves (if she can be good that long :) )

Gavin is still sleeping in his crib even though we brought the toddler bed up. Hopefully this weekend we will take naps in the new bed and get him used to it so we can just have one bed in his room.

And lastly, I can't believe it is only 2 weeks until Christmas and I haven't even really started Christmas shopping yet! I better get moving before everything is sold out! maybe I will just do it online this year and hope it arrives on time!

My Little Escape Artist!

2008-12-08T20:43:00.004-06:00

I think I jinxed myself last Thursday at the Mother of Multiples Mom's holiday party! I was talking about how lucky I was that my kids had not tried to climb out of their cribs yet! Saturday I put Gavin in his crib for a time out and when I started walking down the hallway to get him out he met me in the hallway! Saturday night I had my work Christmas party so we had a babysitter and I told her that Gavin had just learned how to climb out of his crib so I wasn't sure how bed time would go. She said it went fine, he laid down and fell alseep almost instantly. Sunday night I put him in his crib and a couple minutes later I heard him trying to open his door...he wanted more juice!

So tonight I decided to bring up the toddler bed and let him get used to it...apparently it looks more like a trampoline than a bed! I couldn't keep Gavin and Abby off the toddler bed so finally we closed the door. Gavin talked about his "new bed" all night but didn't really want to sleep in it so he is back in his crib tonight and so far has not climbed out. Hopefully in a few days we can get him to sleep in his bed (and stay in it!)

Yesterday some friends came from Rice Lake...Dad and son went to the Packer game and Mom and 2 daughters came to our house to visit. Gavin had a great time playing with the girls but Abby just wanted to hang on mom. But when the guys got back Abby was in love with Jason, who is around 8! After the Packer lost Emily and I said the Packer stink...so now Abby says the Packers Stink...PU!!

Winter is here!

2008-12-03T09:04:00.004-06:00

We have only had snow for less than a week and I am sick of it already! I like it better when it doesn't come so often! But I will be happy that there is snow on the ground for Christmas...I love a white Christmas.

Well I know I am way behind in blogging, it is amazing how hard it is to find the time to sit down and enter a few words on the computer! This time of year tends to get a bit hectic with planning holiday meals, parties, cleaning for the holidays and shopping!

Quick update on the kids...Gavin has been being very mean to his sister. He is constantly pinching and hitting her. He gets time outs but it doesn't seem to phase him. Hopefully it is a stage but if anyone has any advice I am all ears!

Abby is 2 going on 16! She wants to pick out her own clothes in the morning which is fine but it takes her 20 minutes to decide, which we usually don't have that much time to spare in the mornign! She is very into tights and skirts right now! She is also wanting to go potty every 30 minutes. She doesn't actually go on the potty yet but I take her in and let her sit on it!

I am hoping to get the kids over to see Santa early next week so hopefully I will have a picture to post. I didn't get any pictures over Thanksgiving becuase I forgot to charge my camera!

And lastly...I went to the Packer game last weekend and am so disgusted with the Packers! They are very frustrating to watch right now but I will always be a Packer fan! Lets hope they can get it together for next season!

Weekend Fun

2008-11-24T15:50:00.003-06:00

We didn't do much at all on Saturday except play and clean! Gavin is such a good helper when cleaning. He loves to have a "job" to do!

I did get the kids inflatable chairs to sit in. Abby got a princess chair and Gavin got a batman chair. They really like them. Now Abby will sit in her chair and look at books for a little while before wanting to sit in our laps! I took a couple pictures of her in her chair...Gavin wouldn't cooperate in his chair but we got some pictures of him in his fire truck. As you can see in the pictures Abby thinks tights are pants! She wanted to wear her tights but no skirt or pants!

On Sunday we had a play date with a little boy that used to go to the kids daycare. We should have those everyday...the kids slept very well last night and didn't wake up until almost 7 this morning! They had a great time and I had a nice visit with his parents!

Cold Season

2008-11-21T16:05:00.002-06:00

I was just thinking the other day how we have been pretty lucky lately and not had any illnesses! I should have never had that thought! yesterday I got a call from daycare that they had cleaned out Gavin's eye 3 times and if it gooped up again he would have to go home in case it was pink eye. I schedule a doctor appt for Gav so he could get the all clear to go back to daycare because I knew that he did not have pink eye and the drainage was just from his cold. We went to the doctor and I was correct. No pink eye but a very bad cold.

Last night Abby started showing signs of getting the cold that Gavin has so it will probably be a very long weekend at the Kennedy Household! Hopefully everyone can get healthy by Thanksgiving so they can have fun with Grandpa and Grandma!

This morning Abby finally agreed to wear her new Gymboree boots! I just love them and she refused to wear them for the longest time. Everyone was telling her how cute they were this morning at daycare so maybe she will want to wear them all the time! I will try to get some pictures of her in them and post them.

Happy Friday to everyone!

Potty training adventures!

2008-11-18T21:08:00.004-06:00

Over the weekend Abby told me she had to poop...so we headed into the bathroom and she gets on her potty and sits for awhile. (This is the usual routine, we sit for a LONG time and nothing happens). Gavin wanted something so I went into his room to help him and Abby comes running out telling me that she pooped. I tell her good job, stay in the bathroom I will be right there (all the while thinking she is still telling me she has to poop) so I go walking in the bathroom and she was telling the truth! She went poop in her potty. so I dump the little bucket out and we flush. Abby says poop bye, bye! and we praise her. Gavin still thinks going potty is just sitting on the potty chair in your pants and diaper and filling that up! But at least he is sitting on the potty. WE will eventually get there! :)

Tonight I was changing Gavin's diaper on his changing table when Abby says she has too poop. Before I can help her she goes in the bathroom, takes off her pants and diaper and is quiet for a couple seconds. Then she comes running out saying I pooped but this time she came out a little too early...she was not completely done going! So I in a panicked sounding kind of voice tell her to get back in the bathroom and wait for mommy! I try to hurry putting Gavin's diaper on, which is hard to do when he is kicking and squirming, but finally get in the bathroom to discover that she either filled her diaper and then took it off or didn't quite make it to the potty chair!

so that is our adventures in potty training so far this week!

New Goal!

2008-11-14T12:23:00.004-06:00

I have really been slacking on a lot of things lately...keeping up on my blog, exercising, healthy eating and studying for the CPA! So my new goal is to blog, at a minimum, every other day, workout at least 3 times a week (hopefully 4), start studying on Monday and really try to watch what I eat! I really need to lose some weight and it isn't going to happen without putting some effort into it!

Updates on the kids...both are doing well. They have been in pretty good moods lately except mornings have been a little challenging! maybe they just aren't morning people!

Last weekend we celebrated Pat's, Pat's mom and his youngest brother's birthdays. His mom recently had knee surgery so I did all the cooking. I loved it. I like cooking but don't get much alone time to spend in the kitchen anymore so it was really nice to do some cooking with no kids hanging off my legs begging me to pick them up!

Before we headed to the birthday celebrations I attempted to make Pat's favorite chocolate cake (his mom's secret recipe) of course it did not turn out quite right but was closer than the last one I tried. After making the frosting I gave the beaters to the kids to enjoy. As you can see in the pictures they did enjoy!!

Stubborn!

2008-11-11T15:26:00.002-06:00

I recently purchased very cute pink boots from Gymboree for Abby! I just love them. Today I got Abby dressed and wanted her to wear her new boots. She said no and would kick her feet and try to run away from me when I tried to put them on her! I cannot believe that at the age of 2 she already knows what she does and does not want to wear! I thought I would get to dress her for a few more years yet but I guess I was wrong! I am hoping when the snow flies and she has to wear winter boots outside maybe she will wear her boots!

Halloween

2008-11-05T13:44:00.003-06:00

Our Halloween was nothing too exciting! We took the kids to Grandma & Grandpa's in Green Bay and then Pat and his brother took the kids over to see Great Grandma while I helped Grandpa get some food for all of us! The kids had a little party the day before Halloween at day care so really didn't need much more candy! They don't get candy very often so when they do they are quite hyper!

The kids were dressed in 50's attire...Gavin had on jeans, white T-shirt, black leather jacker and black Converse Chuck Taylor's! Abby was in a white/pink/black poodle skirt and black Mary Jane shoes. I did not get any good pictures so we will probably re-dress them up and take some pictures...I will post as soon as I get them taken!

pictures from the weekend

2008-10-30T13:35:00.002-05:00

here are some pictures from Abby's haircut and the children's museum

Event filled weekend!

2008-10-29T10:47:00.003-05:00

On Saturday Abby and mommy went to JC Penney in Green Bay for haircuts! I found a stylist I just love when we lived in Green Bay so I keep going back! I had an appt on Saturday and brought Abby along hoping Dawn would have enough time to cut Abby's hair also! She said she had time so she trimmed Abby's fly-a-way hair first! Abby did really well for her first haircut! then after her hair cut it was my turn. Abby sat in the chair next to my chair and was "reading" her books! Then she decided she wanted to get down and of course fell on the way down and hit her head on my chair. She ended up with a black & blue mark in between her eyes! She was crying and wanted ice for her boo boo but they didn't have any. So Dawn got a mini peanutbutter cup and unwrapped it for Abby and give it to her. Abby took the candy and put it on her forehead like ice! I told her that chocolate makes mommy feel better too! it was too cute! the candy left a nice chocolate mark on her forehead. I took a picture but haven't uploaded it yet...I will get it up this week!

After our haircuts we headed home to pick up daddy & Gavin and headed down to Milwaukee to meet some friends at the children's museum. I was really disappointed...I thought it would be bigger and have more for the kids to do. They are definitely too young for most of that museum! After the museum we headed over to our friends house for pizza. Their 1 year old showed Gavin and Abby where the food pantry was so my kids helped unload all the cans and boxes of food! It sure is hard to visit with friends when you have toddlers! I spent most of the time tending the kids needs and keeping them out of things!

Sunday the kids were supposed to go for a play date with one of their friends that used to go to their daycare but Abby took an almost 4 hour nap so we had to cancel! She woke up very crabby so I thought for sure she was sick but so far she is just whiny and not really showing any signs of illness! we will keep our fingers crossed.

Tonight we hope to decorate pumpkins so I will add those pictures along with the haircut, chocolate ice and children's museum photos!

Another illness!

2008-10-24T10:14:00.005-05:00

I took Gavin to the doctor yesterday because his ear and breath were very smelly (and not a good smell) I thought for sure he had another ear infection but I was wrong. He has issues with his sinuses. The doctor checked out his ears, nose and throat and did not see any foreign objects in the nose or ears! He put Gavin on antibiotics and said if it didn't clear up soon we would probably have to go see the ENT doc so they could take a closer look up the nose and make sure Gavin didn't shove something up there! So I am praying it clears up on its own. he seemed in a much better mood already this morning so hopefully it is just a bug that will clear up soon!

Abby is developing some of the same symptoms so we are keeping a close eye on her...she will probably be going in next week for the same thing!

Abby has become quite the little mother hen...when Gavin gets in trouble by mom he also gets yelled at by Abby! Poor guy will probably always have 2 mothers and a little tattle tale to report all his actions to mom and dad!

Well...we still haven't gotten rid of the nuks! But it is more me than the kids I think. I know I need to just do it cold turkey and get it over with! We did a trial run last evening and you would think we broke a bone on Abby the way she was crying and screaming! I have been told by a few people to cut the tip off and tell her it is broken...maybe we will try this weekend. Hopefully by Monday we can report we are nuk free or at least have the nuk usage confined to nap and bed time!

Church pictures

2008-10-16T12:26:00.004-05:00

Last night at 6 PM we had our first family photograph taken for church. At about 5:45 Gavin got up on our bed and was jumping and fell and hit his forehead on the metal decorative part of our bed! Luckily he didn't split it open but he did get a really nice purple bruised goose egg right above his eye. Very nice for pictures! Thank goodness they can "touch up" pictures and remove the bruise! I wish the touch up feature included weight reduction for your photos...I looked HUGE and was not a big fan of the pictures I was in but did order some so we could have a real family photo! time to get serious about losing weight! Once we get our pictures back and I have to look at that everyday that should be plenty of incentive to get to work out class and eat better!!!

Gavin's New Car

2008-10-15T08:58:00.003-05:00

Over the weekend Gavin found what was supposed to be a Christmad present in the garage. We had a Step 2 fire truck for 2...I decided to get it out and let them get some use out of it before winter arrives! Now they will just not have a big gift to open for Chrsitmas but I don't think they will care (and they will get plenty of gifts from the grandparents)!!

Since we got the car out Gavin has been in it non-stop...he loves it. Gavin usually drives and Abby rides on the back! On Sunday during the Packer game, Pat and I wanted to watch the game but Gavin wanted to go outside to play with his "new car". We decided to bring it in the house so they could play with the car and we could still watch the game! Pat decided to give them a push and they loved it!

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-15T08:52:00.003-05:00

On Saturday we went to a pumpkin patch in Hortonville with the mother of multiples club. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go back next year! the kids had fun climbing on hay bales, running through the cornfield and sitting in the tractor! Instead of writing all about it I will just post pictures!

Catching up

2008-10-10T13:45:00.004-05:00

I have not blogged in a while so have a little catching up to do! I am not even sure where to start! The kids are both still working on the potty training thing. Abby does good for a few days and then goes back to going in her diaper and not wanting to use the potty. Gavin still isn't very interested. he likes to sit on the potty but has not actually gone in the potty yet.

Abby likes to take her diaper off and when she keeps doing it we have resorted to using duct tape to keep it on. you will see from the pictures that it is working:)

We are still using Nuks and I have to be honest I have not put much effort into taking them away. it is so much easier to just pop the nuk in their mouths when they are having a melt down than it is to listen to them scream for 20 minutes.

I took some pictures of Abby throwing a tantrum...sometimes her tantrums just make me laugh so I thought I would take a picture of it!

Last night I had an upper case living party and the demonstrator put up my expression for me as demonstration. It turned out better than I could have imagined. I also posted that for you to see.

I think that is it for now. We are taking the kids to Cuff's Pumpkin Patch tomorrow with Mother of Multiples club so hopefully we get some good pictures to share!

Another big day for Abby

2008-10-01T07:42:00.003-05:00

Abby had another big day...she went potty 3 times on the potty yesterday at daycare! She gets so excited when she goes on the potty! and we also learned that when she tells you poop you don't have much time to get her on the potty! Last night during bath I was getting Gavin out of the tub and Abby said poop. I was in the middle of lifting Gavin out so I didn't get to her right away and she pooped in the tub. Good thing we were almost done. Gavin still isn't showing much interest in actually going potty on the potty chair...it is still just a cool toy to him. But I still let him sit on it when he wants to get him ready for potty training. I am not going to force him...it will happen when he is ready!

So Pat was gone over the weekend and I think Gavin really, really missed him. Last night after we put the kids to bed Gavin started crying for daddy. Pat went in there and got him calmed down and came back out in the living room and Gavin started screaming for him again so he ended up laying down in Gavin's room with him. And Gavin has been talking about daddy's home for the past 2 days non-stop! Abby is still clinging to my so she doesn't seem as stressed out about daddy being gone as her brother is!

Gavin's 1st haircut

2008-09-25T09:39:00.003-05:00

Last night we went in for Gavin's 1st haircut! He did really well! They had to chase him around a couple times because he didn't want to sit in any of the chairs but overall he was really, really good! It is hard to see much of a difference in the before and after since his hair is so blond but he had some really long curls around his ears that needed to be cut!

After his haircut he touched his head and said pretty. I told him no you are handsome so then he said handsome and Abby said "I'm a pretty girl" just to make sure we hadn't forgotten about her!

Big day for Abby

2008-09-24T12:14:00.002-05:00

Just had to post...Abby's teacher from daycare called me this morning to let me know that Abby pooped on the potty today! She said that Abby came up to her and said poop. The teacher went to changer her diaper but there was no poop so she thought she would take her to the potty. she said Abby sat down and shortly after sitting down pooped on the potty! So I guess we are going to give potty training a try!

And tonight is Gavin's big night...his first hair cut!

4 nights in a row...

2008-09-23T12:28:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it...Abby has slept through the night for 4 nights now! Today we were up at 4:30 but I still like that better than up at 12, 2 & 4! Gavin did wake up once early this morning but I made Pat go see what he needed and he quickly went back to sleep!

The kids are talking so much now and are repeating EVERYTHING they hear! This morning Abby kept trying to tell me something or ask for something but I could not figure it out and she wouldn't show me anything, she just kept repeating herself and getting frustrated with me because I wasn't doing or getting whatever it was she wanted. I still have no idea what she was trying to communicate to me!

Yesterday at daycare both kids sat on the potty! Neither has actually gone in the potty yet but they are getting used to it and they like to sit on it before and after bath. I am not pushing them...I think they will do better if I let them do it in their own time. And if daycare wants to start the process even better! Just have to find out exactly what their procedure is so we can kind of follow it at home.

and we are still using Nuks...hopefully this week sometime I will get brave enough to take them away! I think it is more for me at this point than for them! Patrick is going to New York this weekend for his annual "guys weekend" to watch the NY Jets football game. I am so jealous that he gets to go to NY and see Brett Favre play! Maybe we will surprise him when he gets home and we will have gotten rid of the nuks!

Family Picnic

2008-09-22T15:02:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we went to Rice Lake for a family picnic. It was at my parent's house for my dad's side of the family. The kids were excited because I told them we were having a party! Gavin still thinks anytime we leave the house we are going to a party!

It is always nice to see relatives that you don't get a chance to see very often. But with the kids I don't get much time to sit down and visit so have to do it while running to catch one of them. but overall the kids were really good. They enjoy being outside and we were outside most of the weekend. I really wish we lived in the country like my parents with lots of land and things to look at and explore. Our yard is so boring with no trees or plants! (We need to do some landscaping but that requires money and time that we don't have right now)

And some good news...Abby has slept through the night for the last 3 nights. She is up at the crack of dawn but I would much rather get up at 4:45 after sleeping 5-7 hours straight than be up every couple hours with her! Each night I put her to bed I keep waiting to hear her crying because I can't believe she could really be sleeping through the night. hopefully it lasts!

Wednesday night Gavin is going in for his first haircut! I will post pictures after we get done!

Gavin's first naughty word

2008-09-18T13:18:00.002-05:00

Last night we went to Fond du Lac...Pat was playing baseball and the kids and I went to visit a co-worker. On the ride home Gavin was talking and then it sounded like he said bulls&*t. I asked Pat what he thought he heard Gavin say and he agreed! We didn't say anything as he kept saying it and then it turned into no bulls#%t. I am still not 100% sure that is what he is saying but it sure sounded like it! And then of course Abby had to try repeating what her brother was saying but it was not very clear when she said it.

Earlier today I took Gavin to the doctor. His right ear has been kind of smelly (not a good smelly either) the past few days. At the doctor appointment we learned that his tube has fallen out of his right ear which is fine and the tube is still in his left ear which is infected. And not only does he have an ear infection but he also has bronchitis! I would never have guessed he was so sick...he has been acting normal and playing! Good thing I took him in!

hopefully Abby stays healthy...we are heading out of town this weekend!

banana cookies

2008-09-17T10:22:00.002-05:00

I forgot to add the picture of the banana cookies I made for the birthday party...so here it is!

Sleep deprived

2008-09-17T10:15:00.003-05:00

This week has been horrible in the sleep department! Gavin doesn't want to go to bed and Abby doesn't want to stay sleeping! Gavin screams for mommy and then wants me to lay down by his crib. Which is fine but I usually fall asleep myself and then get nothing done so the cleaning and laundry really start piling up! Two night this week he seems wide awake when he goes in his crib and we have tried different bedtimes but it doesn't seem to matter. The good thing is that once he gets to sleep he usually stays sleeping!

Abby on the other hand goes to bed really well but wakes up several times a night and wants to get up and play! We make her stay in her crib and either rub her back until she is settled down or we just let her "cry it out." She rarely sleeps past 5:30 and both kids wake up crying and crabby.

Any advice people have on the topics of getting kids to bed, keeping them sleeping all night and getting them to wake up happy would be very helpful. I think I will be investing in some sleep books to get some help! By the end of the week I am barely functioning...I sort of feel like I did when they were infants...a walking zombie!

2nd Birthday Party

2008-09-15T09:08:00.004-05:00

On Saturday we had the twins 2nd birthday party. I had found really cute invitations made for twins that had 2 monkeys on the front and it said monkey see, monkey do. On the inside it said we are having a party, and inviting you!! so we did a monkey themed party. I made two monkey cakes (the first cake wasn't as large as I had anticipated so made a second one) and banana shaped cut out cookies! It turned out better than I had anticipated!

The kids had a great time opening presents and then playing with the boxes that they came in!! I still can't believe they are 2 years old. Time sure does go fast after you have kids. Before I know it they will be starting school, graduating and getting married.

Now that they are 2 I am getting ready to tackle the big obstacle of getting rid of the NUKS! I am ready to be done with them so we don't always have to remember to bring them along on trips. Wish me luck, I am sure it will not be easy!

My babies turn 2 today!

2008-09-12T20:36:00.002-05:00

Wow where did the last 2 years go! I can't believe my babies are 2 today! We didn't do much to celebrate today but will be having a party tomorrow with some family and friends. I will be sure to post pictures after the party!

Now I have to get back to baking and cleaning for the party tomorrow. We are doing a monkey theme so I am baking banana shaped cut out cookies and a cake that I hope to decorate to resemble a monkey! If it turns out I will post pictures of the that too...so if you don't see any monkey cake pictures you know it didn't turn out as planned! :)

Am I raising a bully???!

2008-09-10T14:54:00.002-05:00

This morning when I dropped the kids off at daycare Gavin and Abby each had a package of Yo-Go's. A little girl game over to Gavin and smiled at him and reached in to take a Yo-Go and Gavin pushed her down and swatted at her! I told him that was not nice and asked him to tell her he was sorry and he told me no! Then a little boy tried to take one of Gavin's snacks and he pushed him down! I know the other kids should try to take things that aren't theres but my kids should not be pushing other kids down! Guess we will definitely have to work on that!

Here are some pictures of Abby with her pretty in her hair! Her teachers at daycare put in some green and gold ribbon for the Packer game on Monday! She really loved it! Maybe she will start letting me put things in her hair but it will still be a challenge...she doesn't have much to work with!

I am also attaching photos showing why not to leave the markers within your kids reach!

and also just wanted to let everyone know we are still watching Ice Age morning and night!

Crazy life!

2008-09-08T09:58:00.003-05:00

I have been meaning to get on here for a while now but just can't find the time. I have a few spare moments at work so thought I would just write a few things but hope to get completely caught up this week!

The kids are talking up a storm now! And Gavin LOVES the movie Ice Age so we have seen it about 100 times in the past couple days! I need to find another movie he will like...I can't take much more if Ice Age! it is a really cute movie but gets old after the 100th viewing!

On Saturday the kids and I (and Uncle John because daddy was sick) went to the Aurora Miracle Baby Celebration in Green Bay. The Aurora Fertility Clinic sponsors the picnic. It was great seeing the nurses and Dr. Severino again and they really enjoyed seeing the kids. It is amazing to see all the people that have used the fertility clinic...makes you know you are not alone!

well that is all I have time for today...but will continue to update all week!

A day at the zoo

2008-08-27T13:24:00.003-05:00

Monday the kids got to go to the zoo in Greenville. Some friends of ours were brave enough to take them! Before the zoo they took them to IHOP for breakfast and I was told they were angels there! One woman even commented on how well behaved they were...I still don't think she was really talking about my children but that is what I was told!

When they arrived at the zoo Gavin got freaked out in the gift shop on the way in but once they got past all that scary stuff he was okay! When they went in the petting zoo section Gavin had to be carried because he is easily spooked but Abby was brave and went on her own!

Tuesday was Patrick and I's 8th wedding anniversary! To celebrate I went to an Uppercase living party with a friend and Pat got to watch the kids! We actually celebrated a couple weeks ago when we went to see Trace Adkins:) The Uppercase living party was a lot of fun but now I have to try to make some decisions on what I want to purchase! I cannot afford to purchase everything I would like to! So tonight I will go home and do some measuring and imagining and hopefully have my order ready!

Little Escape Artist!

2008-08-25T12:32:00.003-05:00

We have a little escape artist on our hands! Abby will not keep her diaper on unless we put on a onesie or a one piece outfit! I am sure it will not be long before she figures out how to unsnap her clothes so she can get that diaper off! Usually we catch her taking it off but on Sunday she got her diaper off before we could catch her and of course she had pooped! So we had a mess on the kitchen floor where she dropped her diaper and then she squatted on the living room carpet so we had a huge mess to clean up! And when I was trying to put her diaper back on and dress her in a one piece outfit she kept pulling the tabs off her diaper so it was a long process to get her dressed again!

So far Gavin only tries to take off his diaper if he sees Abby doing it but when you tell him no he usually stops! I am sure this will not last too long!

I also learned over the weekend that markers that say washable are not as washable as one would think! Abby found a green "washable" marker and decided that the walls, table, refrigerator and herself needed to be colored! It came off the fridge and Abby really well but took lots of elbow grease to get it off the wall and table. There is still some on the wall that is visible but I will just wait until they outgrow coloring on the walls and paint!

One night last week the movie "Ice Age" was on television and Gavin really seemed to get into it so we bought the movie and now Gavin keeps asking for the movie to be on. He watches for a while and then goes off to do something else and then comes back and wants the movie on again. I think we have seen Ice Age about 15 times over the weekend! I tried putting a different movie on and he did not want anything to do with it...he just kept telling me "movie on, movie on" so we put Ice Age back in and he was a happy boy! I might try sneaking in the 2nd Ice Age movie just to watch something different!!

Talking up a storm

2008-08-20T08:16:00.003-05:00

I am just amazed! Less than a week ago the kids were saying a word here and there...now they are constantly talking and repeating everything they hear! Now we really have to watch what we say!

Monday night Gavin was playing with the radio and must have turned up the volume before he turned it on! When he hit the power button it was really loud and I said something about the music being loud. For the next 10 minutes Gavin was walking around the house saying "loud, loud" but it is so cute when he says it...he puts his tongue way out to say the L! It just cracks me up!

Last night I met a fellow member of the Mother of Multiples club to do some shopping for the summer picnic and while I was at Wal-Mart I puchased some tiny barrettes for Abby. This morning we tried to put some pretties in her hair but she just doesn't have enough but she still wanted me to try. and then she had to bring the whole strip of barrettes to daycare to show them off! when we were at daycare Gavin decided he wanted a pretty in his hair so I put one in for him! Daddy would not be happy!!!

Repeat after me!

2008-08-18T12:06:00.004-05:00

Once again I am WAY behind on blogging! I will run down the more exciting events from last week and weekend!

Beginning of the week was fairly uneventful! On Thursday I picked up a patio set for the kids. it is a small table with a little umbrella and 2 chairs. It is so cute and the kids love it! When I got home from picking up the patio set the kids came running up to me and I saw that Gavin had a little pony tail on the top of his head. He must have wanted "pretties" in his hair when the teachers at day care were putting them in the little girls hair. Abby wants nothing to do with pretties in her hair...might be because she still doesn't really have enough to do anything with! hopefully soon but then she probably won't let me touch her hair!

Friday night I went to see Rodney Atkins at the Brown County Fair. It was an awesome show and we had excellent seats! I had a great time! Saturday morning we took the kids to the Little Gym because we didn't make it Tuesday night. They did really good until about 10 minutes before the end of class and then they lost interest and were just running around like the wild children they are! :) Saturday night we got a babysitter and Pat and I went to Fox Cities Stadium to see Trace Adkins. That was also a great show and it was nice to have a date with the hubby! It isn't very often we get to enjoy each other's company anymore!

Sunday we went to the in-laws for dinner. The kids were good most of the day but shortly before dinner (or supper depending on where you are from) Abby wanted a toy Gavin had and Pat told her no. She started throwing a fit and wanted her Nuk and blankie. I gave her the Nuk and told her that we left her blankie at home...wow, wrong thing to say! After that she was in a full blown tantrum. We tried giving her a small towel and a knit blanket but that didn't work so Pat made an emergency run to Target and saved the day! Now we know...never, ever leave home with out the blankie!!!

I am way behind on blogging!

2008-08-12T08:06:00.002-05:00

I will try to give a quick recap of the past week and weekend! The week was just a normal week, the kids went to daycare, Pat and I went to work and we played and cleaned in the evenings! The weekend was fairly uneventful. Saturday the in-laws came over and some of Pat's relatives stopped in for a short visit. His cousin, his wife and her son and their new puppy came over for a while. Pat's cousin and his wife just recently moved to Wisconsin from Hawaii! I bet they will LOVE winter! Their puppy was adorable and even though it was almost small enough to fit in the palm of your hand my kids were afraid of it. they have a huge fear of dogs which I think is from the neighbor's dog barking in their faces this past winter but I am not sure!

After our company left we got ready to go to our babysitter's graduation party. The kids had a great time and are quite spoiled. She had juice boxes and cheese it crackers there just for the kids!

Sunday we took the kids to High Cliff for a little while. We went for a walk and then took them down by the water. They really have no fear of water, they both just started walking in! And then of course had to squat down so they got their butts all wet! but they had fun!

Last night Pat and I went to the Packer pre-season game. It was very strange watching a Packer football game with no Brett Favre. It didn't seem real! I thought Rodgers looked okay but I am still not on the Rodgers band wagon!

Slammin' the salmon 2008

2008-08-04T20:32:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was our annual fishing trip in Algoma...only this year neither Pat nor I fished. We just went to visit with family we don't see very often. The trip is a bunch of my aunts, uncles & cousins on my mom's side. The group that did fish had enough people for 2 boats and between the 2 boats they only got 9 fish. In the past we have gotten more than that on just one boat so it was a pretty slow evening!

Pat, the kids and I arrived on Thursday evening. We stayed at a house along with my mom, my aunt Anita, my cousin Tracia, her husband Adam and son Mason. The kids had a great time together...they really enjoyed playing the piano! The kids did pretty good sleeping Thursday night but were up at 4:45 AM! Friday we hung out at the house and played outside. In the evening everyone came to the house to grill out and play games. Gavin went bed great and Abby not so great. She usually has to cry herself to sleep and since we were all in one bedroom I couldn't put her in her pack n play to cry herself to sleep since Gavin was in there...so I rocked her and walked with her and sang to her in the living room but she was fighting it! I finally got her to bed around 10 and went out to visit with my family for about 10 minutes and then went to bed myself!

Saturday most of the group went to Green Bay to watch the Packers practice but Pat and I thought it would be kind of stupid to drive to Green Bay, back to Algoma and then back to Appleton the next day so we stayed back in Algoma with my mom, my aunt Marlene and my cousin's two daughters. We all went to the beach. The kids had a great time! They loved the sand and Gavin liked throwing rocks into the water. He also decided to taste the seaweed and some sand!

My aunt Anita and cousins Tracia, her husband and son left Saturday so that night we had an extra bedroom so we could separate the kids. Everyone slept much better! so I guess from now on we need 2 bedrooms just for our family!

Weekend fun

2008-07-28T20:02:00.000-05:00

Friday was my annual work golf outing! It was a lot of fun but I must say my golf game needs a lot of work! Perhaps I would improve if I played more than once a year! Pat joined the group for dinner and a great time was had by all!

Saturday we played outside, visited with Grandpa and Mimi Kennedy, uncle Rob and Uncle John and had a cookout. The kids were quite crabby by Saturday afternoon. My mother-in-law now knows what I am talking about when I mention Abby throwing a temper tantrum! she was full of them on Saturday. If someone looked at her wrong she would throw herself on the floor. Then Saturday night she went to bed at the usual 7:30ish time and woke up at 11. She was wide awake and kept saying "bye-bye". I told her know, nigh-night! then she wanted her shoes on and some juice. After 3 hours of fighting with her I finally got her back to bed. So I slept until 6 when they woke up. I was really looking forward to nap on Sunday because I was exhausted! We laid down about 10 and Abby was up before 11! I couldn't believe it!!!

Sunday after Gavin and daddy woke up from their naps we decided to go try out Picnic Express. It is a little park that has a few inflatable toys for the kids to jump on, slide on and run through. Gavin loved the slide and the Wacky World which was like a little obstacle course! Abby loved her snocone! After an hour or so of fun at Picnic Express we headed to the drive through at Culvers for a late lunch! After lunch we played out in the sprinkler and then played in the house.

Monday night the kids were crabby again and fighting with each other over everything! then Gavin started playing with the vacuum cleaner and the kids thought it was hilarious for Abby to put a goldfish cracker on her hand and have Gavin suck it up with the vacuum cleaner! they were laughing and laughing...very entertaining!

Now they are sleeping but I am sure not for very long! I think Abby might be working on her 2 year molars so I gave her some Motrin tonight...we will see if that helps at all!

Isn't Peacock everyone's favorite word!

2008-07-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Monday night we had the kids pictures taken at a park in Neenah. Of course they were not very cooperative in sitting together for a picture but Dave (the photographer) got some really great ones of them together on the merry-go-round! It is much easier to get their picture together when they don't actually realize that is what is going on! We got lots of pictures of them playing on the bouncy toys...the kids loved those! And I think we got our pictures done just in time...it started pouring about 5 minutes after we left! Now I am just anxiously waiting for Dave to put our proofs on his website so we can see them. He showed us a couple on the camera as he took them and they were awesome. He really does great work. check out his work at www.davidejackson.com

Last night was the Little Gym night and just Gavin and I went. Abby was too crabby and too busy throwing tantrums! Gavin did super most of the night, until he discovered the water fountain in the corner. After he found that he just wanted to play in the water so the instructor covered it up so he couldn't get to it! His favorite activity last night was this big padded thing shaped like a giant donut. the kids would lean on it and then we would roll them forward and they would end with a sommersault. He must have done it five times...we would get done and he would run back to do it again.

I just have to share Abby's new favorite word...Peacock! We have a book that has a peacock in it and she must have liked the way it sounded! so now she says it all the time!

And also have to share that the kids both slept all night with no night wakings last night! yeah!!! I wish that would last more than 2 days at a time!

Time Out

2008-07-21T16:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the kids got their first "official" time outs. Gavin got to spend a couple minutes in Abby's crib and she got to spend a couple minutes in Gavin's crib! It started when Gavin decided to climb up on the kitchen chairs and onto the kitchen table. I told him to get down and he didn't listen so I lifted him off the table. When he started climbing on the table again I told him no. He didn't listen so he went in time out. After a minute or so I brought him back out and then both the kids did it so they both got time outs. Abby was crying very hard during her time out but Gavin didn't seem to phased by it! After they came out from their time outs Abby sat on daddy's lap very quiet for a while and Gavin went right back to the table. I asked him if he wanted a time out and he thought about it for a second and got down! so maybe it worked or maybe it was just coincidence.

I bought the kids a bop bag for them to hit around when it is too hot outside or raining. They prefer to sit on it but it was really fun to watch them play with it! Gavin loves it...he carries it around with him which is quite a site since it is about double his height!

Other news from the weekend...Pat and went to see the Dark Knight movie and LOVED it! I would go see it again! We also went to Paperfest on Friday night and had WAY TOO much fun...Satuday was a very long day!

Ladies Night

2008-07-18T08:23:00.000-05:00

Last night was my monthly mother of multiples meeting. It is so nice to have a night with no kids and the chance to ask questions/advice of other mothers that are often going through the same challenges you are! It is also nice to be reassured that it is not just happening at our house!

Before I left for the meeting the kids were pretty crabby and whiny so I was worried Pat was going to have a long evening but when I got home he said the kids were really good. They were playing together (no fighting) and even played by themselves for a while. I am starting to think they just save their naughty behavior for me!

Catch up post...

2008-07-17T07:57:00.000-05:00

My goal of posting every day is obviously not going very well! Things have been so crazy lately...I am so busy at work and then continue to stay busy when I get home. When I put the kids to bed I try to get some cleaning done and then am too wiped out to blog! maybe I will try blogging after I put the kids to bed and before the cleaning begins!

Monday night the kids played outside. It was really warm out so we got the sprinkler out...they were so fun to watch! They both love the water but Abby loves it more than Gavin! He doesn't like to get water in his face but it doesn't bother Abby at all! They were running through the water and then they would both go up to the sprinkler and get really close to it, I think they were trying to figure out how it was working!

Tuesday it was too hot to be outside so we played inside. We did some coloring, played with Playdoh and got out the bubble machine! Gavin was not too happy he had to stay inside and he cried and whined quite a bit by the door but overall it was a pretty fun night. It was supposed to be The Little Gym night but Gavin has a cold or allergies so we decided to just stay home and try to get him healthy!

Last night we decided to take the kids for a drive and check out all the flooding in our area. There were a lot of homes in our neighborhood that had yards and ditches full of water. I had heard the thunder while I was at work but I had no idea that we had gotten so much rain! It was really amazing to see all that water. Luckily we did not have any water in our yard or our basement! After our drive we went through the drive thru at Culvers and got the kids chicken tenders and fries! They love their fries!

I think I am raising a monster!

2008-07-14T09:19:00.000-05:00

Gavin was very naughty with biting and hitting this weekend! On Sunday when he wanted a snack out of the pantry 10 minutes before dinner I told him no snacks and he started crying and insisting that I "help him". He was pulling on my hand to go help him open the pantry door. I again told him no and he leaned over while screaming and bit me in the arm! He has also been pushing and hitting Abby this weekend so I am going to have to figure out how to stop this before it gets any worse!

Abby was pretty good except when Gavin takes a toy away or she doesn't get her way she still throws herself on the floor and cries! We just ignore her and the tantrums seem to be getting shorter and shorter so I think she is starting to figure out that throwing a tantrum does not help her get her way!

Here is a picture of Abby accessorizing! she might not have hair yet but she likes to wear headbands! and the picture of Gavin is him right after I told him no (he was throwing one of his toys!) His expression says it all!

Can I just crawl back into bed!

2008-07-09T13:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had one of those days you just want to crawl back into bed and hide from the world because you just know it is going to be a bad day! Well today is one of those days! The day started with the kids getting up at their usual 5:30 AM and from the time they got up until we left for daycare either one or both was crying about something. While trying to get ready for work I couldn't find one of my shoes or my pick to comb my hair, the kids got into a tote of notecards and spread those all over the floor and then started fighting over who got to hold the tote! They have both been unusually crabby the past few days...I hope it is just a stage that will end very soon! (before I lose my sanity)

Last night was the kids Little Gym night! They really seem to love going and I am amazed at how fast they are catching on to things! But they still like to run off and do their own things and not what the group is working on. The instructor said that is normal for their age and they will get better! While they were exploring Abby was crawling across a grouping of different sized mats they had set up only she was going the wrong way and holding up the line of kids that were trying to go the right way, so Pat picked her up and moved her to the line to go the right way and she threw herself on the floor and started crying. Pat took her outside for some cool off time and after about 5 minutes they rejoined the group!

Abby has been throwing lots of tantrums lately...over small little things and she has become very jealous of her brother. anytime one of us picks up Gavin she throws herself on the floor and starts crying. When Gavin picks up a toy she wants it and whatever sippy cup or NUK he has that is the one she HAS to have. Hopefully this too is just a phase that will soon pass.

Gavin has been pretty good lately except he likes to pick on his sister. He pushes her down, pulls her ears and what little hair she has. We have started making him sit on our laps for "timeout" when he does this and try to explain that he can't do those things because they hurt but so far I don't think it has sunk in!

On a brighter note...the kids got a pool this past Christmas that we finally blew up outside. It has a small slide and both kids are really enjoying it...they even went in with their clothes on after daycare one day! But I have learned that Abby has no fear...she just jumps right in head first! will be interesting to see her at a big pool this summer!!!

4th of July weekend

2008-07-07T12:28:00.001-05:00

I was hoping I would have lots of fun things to blog about but due to illnesses we didn't do much! It started Thursday night with Abby. She threw up about 4 or 5 times between 8:30 and midnight. Friday I wanted to take the kids to Green Bay for the 4th of July celebration and the taping of the ESPN Titletown USA search contest but since Abby still wasn't 100% we decided to stay home. Saturday Pat and I went to a 4th of July party in the evening and Saturday night I woke up in the middle of the night and started throwing up. That continued through Sunday mid-morning and Pat also got sick once on Sunday. So needless to say we didn't do much that day either! overall a pretty boring weekend!

Since we ended up not doing anything for the 4th the kids wore their red, white & blue to daycare today!

Put your feet up...

2008-07-03T12:48:00.000-05:00

Last night the kids and I were playing outside and they decided to get on their little 4-wheelers. They still are not very good at remembering to lift their feet up when they push the button to go forward. After watching them run their feet over a couple times I reminded them to put their feet up. They did what I told them and they put their feet up on the front of the 4-wheeler and rode around that way. It was so cute!

Tuesday night we went to out 2nd class at the Little Gym. The kids got more involved this time and didn't do so much running around like wild children. Gavin still amazes me at how strong he is when he hangs on the bar and lifts his legs up like he is doing an ab workout! and Abby is quite the little tumbler...she loves doing rolls and somersaults!

No more snuggling

2008-07-01T08:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning Abby and I had to be at the Groth Surgery Center at AMC at 6:30 for Abby to have a tube put in her left ear. Right before I left for Arizona her tube came out of her left ear. She did great at the hospital! Eveyone there loved her! I was planning on a day of resting and snuggling but I did not get it. We were home for a couple hours when Abby started pulling on the door knob of the front door wanting to go "bye, bye" I asked her if he she wanted to go to school and she say yeah so I got us both ready for shoool, work and off we went. I think she was missing her brother!

I am sad that the kids are getting to the age where they don't want to snuggle with mom much anymore! I guess now it will only be right before bed and when they are sick!

Both kids are talking up a storm but still just one or two word sentences. It is amazing how much they seem to learn from one day to the next! Before I know it they will be talking non-stop all the time!

I love Wisconsin

2008-06-26T07:56:00.000-05:00

I am back from Arizona and I have to say it really made me appreciate where we live! When I told people I was going to Arizona everyone said oh it won't be too bad it is a dry heat! I don't care what people say...hot is just plain hot, dry or humid! It was between 112 and 117 each day I was there and the breeze that was blowing felt like a someone had a giant heater blowing on me!

I think the kids really missed me while I was gone, since I have been home they have been very clingy and want to be held a lot! Hopefully I won't be gone from home again anytime soon! It was nice to get some sleep but I really missed them.

Now on to what is new with the kids...both are talking a lot but still only 1 or 2 words at a time. It won't be long and they will be starting to say sentences! I have noticed that they also repeat almost everything they hear so we really have to watch what we say. On Tuesday night we took the kids to The Little Gym for a free trial class. They LOVED it. they were running around exploring everything! Abby loved jumping on the big air mat and doing somersaults down the mat. Gavin liked walking on the balance beam and hanging on one of the bars. I was amazed how strong he was. I don't think I could hang on a bar and lift me legs in the air!!! I think we are going to sign them up for the Tuesday evening class but still haven't made a final decision.

Arizona

2008-06-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let those that check my blog know that I am going to be in Arizona for work next week so there probably will not be any new posts until Monday June 23rd!

We are not ready for public dining!

2008-06-12T07:42:00.001-05:00

Last night we decided to take the kids out for dinner. We headed over to the Darboy Club for the Wednesday night all you can eat broasted chicken! The kids did really good for about the first 5 minutes! After that they did not want to sit in the high chairs so we had them on our laps. They didn't really eat much but certainly made a mess! I don't really think we are quite ready for public dining unless we can have the restaurant to ourselves. When Abby is not happy the whole place knows it!

I am not sure if this a toddler girl thing or just my daughter but she now thinks she can decide what she is going to wear for the day! When I get clothes out she tells me no so I keep picking things out to see if she is just saying no to everything or if she really has something in mind. This morning we went through a few outfits before she stopped saying no and let me dress her! It is especially difficult to find something for her to wear since it has to be a one piece outfit for a onesies for the shirt! If we don't put her in the one piece or onesies she will have her pants and diaper off in about 30 seconds! I really hope this a phase that passes quickly!

Teeth are not for biting

2008-06-09T15:32:00.000-05:00

I don't even know where to start...I really have to try to get on her more often! I guess I will start with Friday night and go from there!

Friday was a pretty normal night. Played with the kids, fed them dinner and put them to bed. Then we get to Saturday! Saturday morning around 7 AM Gavin was playing with the telephone and apparently he called someone because I got a phone call from a guy that said our number just called him! I told him my son must have accidently called him and apologized. Luckily the guy was really nice about it! After I put the kids down for nap I left to go help out at my friend's family rummage sale that I also had stuff in. Got back home in the late afternoon and played with the kids, fed them and got them ready for bed. After putting Abby's PJ's on she decided she didn't want to wear pants so she kept taking them off. Finally she left them on and kept them on all night. This is a new phase we are going through so we might have to buy some one piece PJ's!

Sunday morning I got Abby dressed in shorts and T-shirt. About 5 minutes after I dressed her she took off not only her shorts but her diaper too! so we took off the shorts and t-shirt and put on a one piece outfit! I think I will be investing in more one piece outfits to get through this phase! Gavin showed the little devil in him this weekend. All day Sunday he was constantly harrassing his sister. He pushes her, hits her, takes her toys away and bites her. Then in the afternoon he took something away from Abby and I took it from him and gave it back to Abby. I told him she had it first and he had to wait his turn or find a different toy. He got really mad and started crying and then ran over to me and bit me in the back of the leg. I picked him up and looked him in the eye and told him we do not bite, that hurts and set him in the chair for "time out". I of course had to hold him in the chair becuase he kept trying to get out but hopefully he got something out of it. I think we will be reading more of the book "Teeth are not for biting!"

Rain Rain Go Away

2008-06-05T12:02:00.000-05:00

This rainy weather has got to go! The kids are so crabby because they want to go outside and we havne't been able to get out much. They just stand at the door and cry, I feel so bad for them so I have been trying to find fun things to do in the house but am quickly running out of ideas. The bubble machine we bought has been getting quite the workout!

Well three weeks ago when Abby was throwing a tantrum she jumped up and hit me in the chin and I chipped my two front teeth...now it is Gavin's turn!!! Tuesday night we were playing, I was laying on the floor lifting him up in the air. While he was in the air he decided to drop his sippy cup which landed right on mom's face! Now I have a very nice bruise on my upper lip! Honestly, what will happen next!

Both kids are really starting to talk a lot. Still only one word at a time but I think putting words together is right around the corner. I didn't really realize how many words they say until we were looking at a book and they were naming everything they saw!

Busy, busy weekend

2008-06-02T09:21:00.000-05:00

Friday afternoon we left for Rice Lake (about a 4 hour drive from Appleton). The kids were not too happy to sit in their car seats for 4 hours! They slept for about 1 hour and cried/screamed the rest of the trip! When we arrived at Grandpa & Grandma's the kids were very happy to get out and run around. They were up way past their bed time but still woke up early on Saturday morning.

Saturday we spent most of the day outside. Gavin enjoyed seeing the sheep and baby lambs, riding on the four wheeler with Dad and looking at Grandpa's tractor. Abby also liked seeing the sheep and baby lambs but was not too interested in the four wheeler or tractor! Daddy took the kids for a ride on the four wheeler around the yard and Abby wanted off right away! Gavin would ride all day if you would let him! In the afternoon I had a ThirtyOne party and my friend Emily brought her three kids over! Gavin and Abby loved playing with Jason, Breanna and Taylor!

Sunday we got up and had breakfast and then hit the road. We had to be in Green Bay in the afternoon for Pat's Grandma's 92nd birthday. The kids had fun playing outside and visiting with relatives until about 5:00 when the hit the wall and were ready to go home! We ate quickly and headed back home. Both kids were in bed by 6:30 and Mom was in bed at 7! It was a very fun but LONG weekend!

Bubble Mania

2008-05-28T08:13:00.001-05:00

We were doing so many random things over Memorial Day weekend that I forgot to write about the bubble machine we bought for the kids! They LOVE it! Now they walk around the house saying "bubbles, bubbles" all day! It was a great investment, we have already gotten our money out of it in just 3 days! As you can see in the pictures from the weekend they love watching and chasing bubbles. (and as you can see in one of the pictures we were all dressed and ready for our pictures before they got cancelled.)

Last night I let the kids try pickles for the first time! :) It was hilarious. They would put a piece in their mouths and then spit them out and make a really strange face, but they kept wanting another piece. Sometimes they are quite entertaining!

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-27T09:50:00.001-05:00

On Saturday I took the kids to the NEW Zoo. The plan was to meet a friend and her kids there but it didn't work out so it ended up being just me and the kids! Overall they did really well. We took a break to share some popcorn and water and Abby is not a big fan of sharing! Everytime Gavin tried to get some popcorn she would scream. Gavin on the other hand is very good at sharing with his sister...but I am not sure if he likes sharing or just doesn't like hearing her scream!

On Sunday we were supposed to have pictures taken at a park in Neenah but the weather didn't cooperate so we have to reschedule. I was not too upset about this because Gavin's mark on his face from when he fell at daycare was not cleared up yet so hopefully he will have a nice mark free face for the rescheduled date! In the afternoon the kids went to visit Grandma & Grandpa Kennedy while we went to Celebrate De Pere for a few hours. The weather was great while we were there...it didn't start to rain until after we left. It was nice to have a few hours with no kids to just sit and relax and listen to some bands.

Monday was a very long day! Gavin was up a lot Sunday night coughing and did not take a very good nap on Monday so he was really over tired and crabby all day. Abby was also a bit cranky so there were lots of tantrums and crying at our house on Monday.

Boys will be boys!

2008-05-22T09:32:00.001-05:00

Why is it that when you have pictures coming up at least one child will mark up his/her face! I was out of town for a meeting yesterday and when I got out of my meeting I had a voicemail from Patrick just letting me know that Gavin fell at day care and cut/scrapped up his lip. He told me Gavin was fine but wanted to let me know before I saw him! We have pictures scheduled for this Sunday and I am pretty sure the mark/bruise on his face will not be cleared up yet! Guess Gavin will get to wear some of mommy's make-up;) (Dad will love that!!)

Not much new with Abby...she still likes to tell mom, dad, her brother and the two cats "no, no" while pointing and shaking her finger at us! We have Grandma Julie to thank for that!

Weekend update

2008-05-19T08:58:00.000-05:00

I finally attempted to give Gavin is first hair trim (I don't think you could call it a cut) I just needed to shorten the long wispy hair around his ears. He was not very cooperative so I have some touch ups that need to be done but it looks better than it did! Definitely have to get it fixed by picture day on Sunday! I will try to post a before and after picture in the near future!

Abby has pink eye and needs 1 drop in each eye 4 times daily. Now 1 drop doesn't sound too bad but anyone with a toddler knows how difficult it is to pry open a toddlers eye while holding the head still and getting that one drop to fall into the eye! Now she sees us grab the eye drop bottle and takes off running...only 7 very long days of drops left!

One exciting thing that happened this weeekend...we have battery-powered 4-wheelers for the kids and Gavin finally figured out how to put his feet up and push the power button all at the same time. He was just cruising through the yard yesterday. Abby has not quite put it all together yet but she is getting there. I personally think she just prefers mom to do the work for her and run beside her while pushing in the button and steering! This is very hard on the back!

Here We Go...

2008-05-15T13:08:00.000-05:00

I am new to this whole blogging thing but it looked like a great way to keep family and friends updated on what the kids (and Pat and I) are doing!

This week has been an eventful one! Tuesday night after bath Abby was throwing a tantrum because she didn't want me to dry her off with a towel, it is much more fun to run around naked, dripping wet! She was standing up bouncing up and down and as I reached down to try to dry her off she bounced up and her head hit me in the chin which caused me to chip my top two front teeth! So Wednesday was off to the dentist for mom so her two front teeth could be repaired!

Wednesday was also shots day for the kids. I absolutely hate those days. I feel so helpless as my kids are screaming and there really is nothing I can do for them except comfort them when it is over!

Hopefully the rest of the week is much less eventful!