The Beach - September 2012

Myrtle Beach in September is awesome.  I don't know why anyone would want to go to the beach in the south during the summer.  The weather was great - low to mid 80's everyday and the water was a perfect temperature.  We had a blast.

Since the boys are early risers (yes, they wake up by 6am daily), we were able to be on the beach to watch the sunrise every morning and it was great.  Watching my little men run in and out of the ocean, chase the birds, wave to the old folks, and collect shells was just amazing. 

We had a great family vacation and can't wait to return in November.

When we weren't at the beach, we were spending lots of time with Aunt Alli, Decky, and Carrig.  Uncle Paul too...but he is in season and stays pretty busy.  Carrig and Scott really got along quite well and Decky and the boys worked at sharing toys. 
The day before we left, we all got together and Decky stole Matthew's car (the same car he picked out for Matthew for his birthday).  The next day, as we are driving home to Georgia, I notice a strange blue truck in the backseat with TJ....he stole Decky's truck....paybacks are tough Decky...these twins stick together. 

Early morning on the beach

TJ Up to watch the sun come up!

Matty loves the water and has no fear

My nephews Declan and Carrig & then TJ and Matty. Trying to get 4 boys under age 3 to sit still is nearly impossible.  Best picture we could get.

Family Vacation....bout time

As I sit at school, wrapping up my day I realize that I am no better than my students. I am so excited to leave this place and head to the beach for a week.  So, Saturday morning, bright and early, the four of us head out to Myrtle Beach to enjoy a little family time.  This vacation will be the first time we have been on vacation as a family and the first real vacation for Scott since our Honeymoon 5 1/2 years ago!!!

Shortly after our Honeymoon Scott took a new job and since then he has not been able to leave work for anything longer than a 4 day weekend.  Since the boys arrived, he has not had any time away from home with them.  I have taken them on several trips, but Scott's never been. 

Every morning this week Scott says "Just ____more wake-ups until we leave".  Last Sunday as he was finishing cooking us a ridiculous breakfast he said "this time next week we will be sitting on our balcony, looking at the ocean, drinking a cup of coffee".  I am so excited to get away with my favorite men, but I am more excited to see Scott's reaction to the little guys running all over the beach.  Hopefully we will get to enjoy some beautiful weather and get some quality time with Paul, Alli, Declan, and Carrig! 

Pictures of our road trip to follow!!!!  For now...20 minutes until I am out of here, heading home to pack, and then on the road by 7am! Look out Myrtle Beach, the Henson twins are headed to town...

Two years ago

It was two years ago that Scott and I found out that we would be blessed with two babies.  Today a coworker told me that she is 13 weeks along with twins.  I could not be more happy for her.  I told her about this wierd "sorority" of mothers of twins.  There aren't many of us, but we sure understand each other.  At my school there are 5 moms of twins, with one on the way.  It's nice to have someone to talk to someone who can empathize! 
The news of her pregnancy instantly brought me back to my first feelings about being a mother of twins.  I came back to my blog and I looked at some of my first posts.  I remember being so happy and so nervous at the same time.  If I had to it again, I wouldn't change a thing. 
When I was pregnant I kept hearing songs that really just spoke to me.   One in particular, by Darius Rucker, felt like it was written for me.  The song, "This", is about the journey one takes and how every decision we make in life has led us to the exact point where we are.  While I understand that this song is about his life and likely his life with his wife, it speaks to me about my struggles getting pregnant and why every time I didn't get pregnant is the reason why my two angels are with me now.  If I had gotten pregnant years ago, I certainly wouldn't have had the need for IVF, and thus TJ and Matthew wouldn't be here today, making me laugh, smile, and cry with joy every day.  So this song is for all of my boys, Scott, TJ, Matthew, and Roger.  Here are some of my favorite lines from this song.



My Life, My Loves

 I don't really know how I got here
But I'm sure glad that I did
And it's crazy to think that one little thing
Could've changed all of it
All the fights and the tears and the heartache
I thought I'd never get through
And the moment I almost gave up
All lead me here to you

I didn't understand it way back when
But sitting here right now, it all makes perfect sense

For every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the nights I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart

All the doors that I had to close
All the things I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
'Cause it led me here to this

What we did this summer

Over the Labor Day holiday I actually had a few minutes between loads of laundry and other chores, to sit on the couch, get the boys down for a nap and watch one of my guilty pleasures....One Tree Hill re-runs.  This particular episode in which Brooke reflects on all that she did over her summer vacation, got me thinking about what I did with TJ and Matthew all summer.

As the school year wrapped up in May, I was really looking forward to spending time with my boys.  During the school year I leave the house by 7 and don't pick them up from my mom's until 6pm.  My time with my guys is usually at their worst....they are typically crabby from 6-8pm and then they relax and go to bed.  I basically get 2, maybe 3, good hours a day with them and it breaks my heart.  I love my job and I need my job both financially and for mental well-being, but I hate being away from these two little boys.
So, vacation begins....which really meant that the hard work was just beginning.  I had the task of trying to get these boys to sleep in their own beds, all night AND I had to wean them from breast feeding.  Yes, I was still nursing them at 14 months.  Quite frankly it was just too easy to keep nursing them, so I did.  I kept delaying the weaning process because I was terrified of how TJ would react.  Matthew is pretty "go with the flow" but TJ can be quite opinionated and temperamental.  As it turns out, it was HARD to wean them...It took almost the entire month of June.  It was harder for me than it was for them.  I felt like I was letting go of the last thing that connected them to me...just me.  Nursing them was something only I could do and it soothed them better than anything else.  These two guys are not attached to anything..no pacifiers, no blankets, no toy...Just Mommy!  By the end of June they were fine, TJ will still occasionally make a move to try to nurse but I push him away. He is so stubborn.
During the summer I spent all but 2 days with my boys, when I let their grandmother take them for the day so I could get some things done around the house. 
So, what did we do all summer...
Well, they mastered climbing.  These guys must be part Monkey.  They climb on anything and everything.  They have no fear.  I had to remove the patio furniture from my deck so they wouldn't jump off the deck.  They went swimming in Nana's pool a bunch, they fly to NY to visit my family, we went to Cagle's Dairy Farm twice and had a blast.  I dragged these two to the farmers market and to garage sales all over the county. We have played at the Bounce House, had play dates with friends, been to a birthday party, climbed and jumped some more, and we wrapped up the summer with a trip to Zoo Atlanta.  I also discovered that these two, while messy little boys, love to clean up.  They help load the dishwasher, take clothes out of the dryer (unfortunately it is at the same time as I am trying to load it) and they go crazy trying to vacuum and mop the floors.
What we didn't do this summer.....go shopping...they are complete disasters in a store or a restaurant for that matter.  These boys HATE to be strapped into a shopping cart or their stroller. HATE IT.  They scream like they are being beaten or they just pull a "Houdini" and escape!  I'm serious, they can get themselves out of everything but their car seat.  High chairs are a joke...we don't even use the straps anymore. 


Garage Sale find #1 - IKEA kid table



Father's Day with Nana and Pop

Getting ready to jump at Cagle's Dairy

NYC - pool time at Aunt Marie's

With all of their NY cousins

TJ and Matthew with their very best buddy - John

Yankee Boys

Play date with some friend

Happy Matty at the Bounce House

TJ loving the bounce toys

1st Haircut

Post Hair cut bliss

Loving some Onion Goggles

Onion goggles take 2

Matthew loves some glasses

Playing with bubbles at Nana's

Typical family photo....I have a feeling this is how it's going to be for a few years

Enjoying the Zoo

Loving the petting zoo

All in all....we had a great summer, even if I was selfish and kept them to myself for the majority of the time.  I just don't want to share them....is that wrong?   Probably, but I only get one chance to have this time with them!

Go Dawgs



Touchdown Matty



On Saturday the boys watched their first Georgia game of the season.  While they were exposed to football last season, this year they actually "watched" the game.  TJ did focus on the game at times and really loves watching "Bootball" on tv.  They both know the sign for "touch down" too!  We had a great day watching the Dawgs win!  And, we discovered that the boys are big fans of guacamole.



Daddy's Birthday - representing the Dawgs!



Sweet guy.....

Tough guy...

TJ focused on the game.

Celebrating Daddy's birthday with the best cake ever.

Touchdown TJ

1st Hair Cuts....

Squiggy

These boys are growing up too fast.  A few weeks ago we decided to take them to get their hair cut.  TJ looked like a hippie and Matthew had some sort of reverse mullet.  His hair won't grow on the sides or the back, but it is nice and thick on top....My brother said he looks like Squiggy from "Laverne and Shirley"...can't say that I disagree.

Little Hippie

Before

Before

During

After

During

After