The Things We Do...

I have a long list I've been keeping of all the things Austin and Logan do and some of our games that we play every day. Life is getting so busy and so hectic, I can't keep up with it and I don't want to forget it all! So, here goes....

Three and autonoME - you guys have nailed this phase!

We all know by now - you dress yourselves. Every day. You're very opinionated about what you wear and you have very specific reasons for wearing it.

You're VERY opinionated and VERY stubborn if it's any way BUT your way. When angry - Logan immediately takes action and throws any object near him, or simply whacks the object of his anger: Austin, Mommy, Daddy, Nonnie.

Time out doesn't work anymore. We have now "graduated" to being sent to your rooms.

But your quest for independence and entrance into the Big Boy world has it's pro's too.

Cuz - you guys like to do everything by yourselves! Like -

Cooking! You make cookies and brownies all the time. You make your own scrambled eggs (including cracking the eggs, mixing 'em with milk, adding S & P, pouring it into the pan and then gently stirring them with the wooden spatula and then repeating all the steps for the next twin). This has never been captured on film and probably never will be for very obvious reasons - Mommy is very, very busy during the cooking portions of our day!

You must mix your own mac and cheese bowls with Nonnie and you must be in charge of the microwave - opening and shutting the door, hitting all the buttons. Same goes with popcorn.

If you get up early enough to "catch" Mommy making coffee, you insist on making it for her - you get the coffee out, you get the measurer out, then measure out the coffee, Mommy helps you pour the water and then you push the buttons. What smart cookies you are!

You help Daddy do yardwork - you rake, you pick up Chubby's presents. You guys handle most of our recycling. You help Mommy bring in the groceries. You help with the laundry.

Yes, we have many ways of implementing the 'MY DO!" phase of your toddlerness!

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Mommy and Me:

Somewhere along the way, when you get belly aches - Mommy starting giving the tummies a stern talking to. "Listen up, belly. This is Momma. And I said stop hurting my little baby right. this. minute. Mommy says, "ah, ah, ah, belly" no hurt my baby." And I repeat it as often as necessary while the belly is hurting.

We also have our little made up spider game. I used to play the role of both Mommy spider and baby spider. But the baby spider role is now played by either Austin and Logan. I use two fingers and Yellow-book style start walking around the table/chair/bed and saying, "Where's my baby spider? Where's my baby spider?" Baby spider is always hanging out atop one of the twins heads. Baby spider jumps up and down and responds, "Up here, Momma. Here I am!" To which Momma exclaims in frantic excitement "I need a bridge, I need a bridge!" And Austin and/or Logan shoots out a leg or an arm and makes a bridge for the Mommy spider to climb to her baby (some tickling inadvertently always happens on the climb up the bridge). When Mommy spider reaches the top, she jumps up and down "Hi, baby spider" "Hi, Mommy spider" "Hey Baby spider, lets run around Austin/Logan and have some fun" "Okay" And Mommy spider (and baby spider) run ALL around Austin/Logan and LOTS and LOTS of tickling ensues!!

Mommy's hair clip: Neither one of you likes Mommy's hair clip. And despite Mommy's many yelps, you both pull it out constantly. Rip it out. It hurts. Logan likes to jump on Mommy's back at every given chance. This means there's a good chance my hair clip will hit/scrape your belly or your chin. So, the hair clip must be removed (forcibly and without notice) before pouncing on Mommy. Austin has a smoother move. He reaches up to hug me. Wraps his arms around my neck. Then, reaches up and (forcibly and without notice) rips my hair clip out. "Yeowwowwww! Austin, why do you do that?" To see your pretty hair, Mommy. I don't like it not on your face." oh.

Hot poo-poo. Anyone? It's what they call diarrhea - it burns. Hot stuff burns. Hot poo-poo. oww-eee.

When we go over bridges (and hit all the ridges in the roads), we giggle and laugh and scream and say "Cars are going under our butts, ha ha ha ha ha !!"

Cute stories:

On their homecoming day, I was telling them all about how we finally got to bring them home, etc and they partake in the telling of the story now. So, Austin says "...and you were soooooooo happy, Momma!" and in an effort to make sure they knew that they were happy and well-cared for before coming home, I asked, "And what were you doing before Mommy and Daddy came to get you?" Austin's response, "Um....we was in a box." A box? You were in a box? "Yes, we were just sitting there waiting in a box." Now, on the lighter side, I think this is such a creative and adorable answer. On the more serious side, I reminded him of his loving foster family and all the fun things he and his brother did in Guatemala. Now, where the box came from? Who knows!

Unfortunately, we do not live on a cul-de-sac. We do, however, live on a street with lots of kids and lots of outside playing. So early on, we taught the boys to "run like crazy" to the side of the road and sit when we yell "Car!!"
This has worked great and has never been questioned until recently, when along with everything else "Why?" was the response I got instead of the hauling ass to the curb I was expecting. After the offending twin got out of time out, I reiterated the rules and when he asked "Why" this time, I was able to respond much calmer, "Because honey, if you don't get out of the road, the car will squoosh you. You don't want to get squoosh'd do you?"

Channeling Nonnie's inner eye-tal-yon (Italian), he responded, "Momma? The carz-a-gonna- squoosh me liyka-apotatoe?"

"What? Uh, yes baby. The car will squoosh you like a potato. So please get out of the road, okay?"

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I think I posted this before. After 1 year of co-sleeping and another year getting up and down with the boys all night long, they finally started going to bed by themselves, all night long (thanks to big boy scooters and stickers!) So, I was surprised one night when Logan said, "Momma, lay down my pillow, please." No, honey. You're a big boy now, You can go nite-nite all by yourself. "But, Mommy, I need a family on my pillow." Me, thinking: awww that's sooo cute, but saying "Well, you have your brother. Austin is right here beside you baby, okay? Give Mommy a kiss." Logan pats his empty pillow, looks all doe-eyed and says "But. Mom. YOU make my family." slight pause. I wipe away a little tear and say, "Scoot over, baby."

We're always playing characters. Mom you be Tasha, I be Pablo. Mom, you be Sean and Ryan's Mom and we'll be Sean and Ryan, okay? And then they tell me what I'm supposed to say and do. Sometimes they get a little bossy. lol

Most of their words, they're saying correctly now, but my favorites that they're still saying:

pen-nan-ya (pinata), yo-grit (yogurt), ice-scream

The other morning, Austin told me his fingers were all squish-a-ly. Squish-a-ly? "Yes, momma sometimes at night when I go to sleep, my fingers get all squish-a-ly." He was wiggling his fingers around when he was saying it and I think he was trying to tell me that his fingers had "fallen asleep." lol

One night at dinner, Austin and Logan were singing their ABC's, "a, b, c, d, e, f, mur, gum, heche..." and a bunch of other jumbled sounds - BUT they were singing them in UNISON. Gary and I laughed and asked, "Now where did you learn THOSE abc's?" The answer, "In Guatemala." Parents exchange confused incredulous expressions!

When taking the kids to Vacation Bible School, Nonnie excitedly asked the twins, "Do you know who's gonna be there?" The surprise answer was gonna be "their best buddy, Van." But the twins surprised Nonnie when they jumped up and down and said, "Jesus!!"

And for those of you who stuck around for pictures, here are some clips of their new do's compliments of their brother, Evan:

Yes - mini-mohawks!