Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Favorite Pictures

Father's Day 2012

Giving kisses through the door

Chillin in Roger's bed

At Cagle's Dairy Farm

Bounce House..this boy loves to jump

Not sure...he was just happy!!!!

Helping Mommy cook for Thanksgiving...bigggg help

New shades
Disgusting......feeding himself yogurt...not so good with a spoon

Handsome

About to get himself into something

My all-time favorite picture of them

Picnic


Halloween 2012

We had a lot of fun on Halloween.  We went to Mom and Dad's again since their neighborhood is a lot better for trick-or-treating than ours.  The boys have been really obsessed with fire trucks lately so we dressed them up as fire fighters.  They had a blast...Matthew kept trying to go into the neighbors houses...particularly if they had any dogs inside.  TJ sat in his car most of the time and made everyone come to him to give  him candy.  He really thinks he is a prince...











Cousins

I recently saw something on Facebook that read:

"Cousins are usually the first friends we have as children".  In my case that couldn't be more true.  I grew up close with my family and consider my cousins to be my closest friends.  I hope the my boys grow up with the same feelings about their cousins.  Being so close in age with Decky and Carrig is such a blessing.  I can't wait to watch them grow together...even though I am sure we are going to lose our minds when they are all teenagers at the same time!  Yikes!
"Cousins are friends that will love you forever"
After a few days at the beach these were the best we could do as far as pictures of the kids together...It is a mind-numbing process to get an almost 3 year old, 9 month old, and two 18 month olds to sit and pose....not gonna happen.  TJ and Matty loved time with Decky and Carrig.  TJ is still obsessed with the "Bay Bee" (baby) and "Daaa" (Decky).  He loves to look at pictures of them and Paul and Alli (Bol and Ayyeee) and kiss the pictures...lots of lip prints on my pictures!

Back to the beach

This time, not so much time spent by the ocean.  Our pre-Thanksgiving beach trip was cold and rainy.  Thankfully we had a heated indoor pool.  The boys LOVE swimming and after watching thier big cousin Decky jump in  the pool, the boys too had no fear of the water.  We ended up buying the water wings because I was terrified that they would just run and jump in the water...which is exactly what Matty will do....TJ...not so much, but Matt is crazy.

We did get to go to the Aquarium and to do gymnastics...which the boys loved.  They got to jump and play for 90 minutes of craziness.  It was perfect for them.  Unfortunately I was not able to take pictures, as I was chasing them all over the gym trying to teach them the concept of "waiting your turn".  That didn't work out so well. 

All in all, we had a great trip.  We got to spend a lot of time with Alli, Paul, Decky, and Carrig.  We miss them already and hope we get to see them for Christmas.
Cooooold Morning chasing birds.  We lasted about 5 minutes outside before TJ started heading back to the hotel.  My boys are real southerners...they want nothing to do with the cold.


Sharing (bahaha) Decky's car.  This quickly escalated into a war.

At the Aquarium at Broadway at the beach.

Uncle Paul tossing TJ around....TJ though Uncle "Bol" was the greatest.

TJ Trying so hard to push his brother around the yard.


Fascinated with the Aquarium


I love my handsome nephews!



Beautiful Carrig!

Monday, December 3, 2012

18 months

A year and a half....can't imagine where the time has gone.  My boys are big and crazy and the absolute light of my life.  We just got back from their 18 month checkup...it was not a lot of fun.  The moment we walked back to the patient rooms TJ figured out what was going on and threw a fit.  That little boy is very aware!
Anyway, the appointment was typical...I asked about TJ's patch of skin on his left calf - Exzema as I thought.  Asked about Matthew's obsession with, how should I say this, "his favorite toy"?? The doctor laughed and said it was "normal" and that we should try to potty train him soon since he appears to be interested.
After weighing and measuring the boys, (they are the exact same height and weight) this is where we are at:
Height:  33.75 inches  puts them in about the 85%ile
Weight:  28lb 4 oz   puts them in the 85%ile
TJ's head remains larger, which is funny since his face is so tiny, but he has a big head.

What they are doing now:
Matthew:
Obsessed with naked...must be naked at all times.
Obsessed with his penis....goes along with naked
Pees and Poops on the hardwoods on a daily basis...again...naked...Seeing a pattern?
Is able to get his diaper off despite pants and a onsie..not sure how he manages this, but he is quite talented.
Love hot dogs, mac and cheese and meatballs.  Bananas and apples are his favorie fruits.  Loves his bottle before bed.  We are trying to get these boys off of the bottle and on to cups but they are able to pop the tops or unscrew the tops on all sippy cups.
Bubble Guppies..absolute favorite cartoon.  Gets a deep belly laugh every time it comes on the tv. 
Outside....loves to play in the park (Nana takes them every morning) and ride his roller coaster.
Does not feel much pain...falls, slams his head, you name it...rarely gets upset.
Happy....just a happy boy.  He loves to laugh, dance, get tickeled, dance and he even tries to sing.
He loves his cuddles with Mommy but sleeps attached to his Daddy most nights. 
First words....he is not saying much other than Hi, Bye, Mama, Dada, and just this week said "two" "bootball (football)", and up.  So, we are getting there...I just think he does things when he wants to.  He has complete comprehension of what is being said.  He is quite sharp. Hates nap time..thinks he is going to miss something.
He is adorable.  People stop me all the time to say how beautiful he is...his eyes sparkle!  His hair still hasn't grown much, except on top.  It looks like a bad hair piece. 

Matthew - 18 months




TJ:
Funny, handsome, smart, Mama's boy. 
TJ loves to watch Bubble Guppies..obsessed.  He loves to watch sports.  He will sit and watch most of a football or baseball game.  He really pays attention. 
He loves apples "Bapples" and bananas, and watermelon...he could eat just those three things and be happy.  He loves hot dogs and meatballs.  He loves mac and cheese too.  He will eat anything that is on my plate too.  He is smart and sneaky and will hide from you when he has a full diaper.  He does not like to get changed.  Although, he likes naked time too...just not as much as Matt.  He loves taking baths and loves the pool.  He loves to dance and talk.  He says Hi and Bye to everyone. TJ has lots of words...baseball, football, ball, up, milk, Matt, Nana, Pop, Mama, Dada, Buddy, lots of words.  It might only be Daddy, Mommy, Nana, and Pop that understand him, but he is good a communicating.  He loves nap time and will go right to the couch after lunch and pass out for a few hours.  TJ loves to cuddle with Mommy and is a Mama's boy through and through.. He loves to play with my hair to help him fall asleep.
TJ - 18 months


Sleeping......not a good subject these days.  My boys will not sleep through the night and if they wake up, they have to come in my bed.  Two reasons behind this is:
1.  They pitch a fit and will scream forever...we have tried "crying it out" and after 8 minutes (yes, I've timed it) TJ will projectile vomit across his room and Matthew will give you 15 minutes before he does the same.
2.  I get up a 5:30 and don't get home until 6:30pm....I am exhausted and need sleep.  If they come to my bed, they are asleep in moments....it is just easier.
Lately, TJ has decided that he really doesn't need much sleep so he likes to wake up at 3am and party with the Bubble Guppies until about 6am when he falls asleep again on the couch.  Problem is I can't sleep on the couch with him if he is awake and dancing all over the place.  So, I have been very cranky lately.  Matthew typically wakes up when he wets the bed, which is nightly, so he gets up by 1am most nights. 

Play time...great stuff.  These boys love the park and can climb and slide, and jump and run like the 2 and 3 year olds that are there.  They love to be active and it usually wears them out.  Nana takes them to the park almost every morning for a few hours.  She is lucky if she can get TJ lunch before he passes out on his tray.

At this point, they are very typical 18 month olds.  I think they may have slightly more developed gross motor skills than most kids their age, but everything else seems to be right on pace.  Not sure if their physical abilities are advance or if they just feed off of one another and the natural competition makes them want to "one-up" the other.  Either way, they are moving........a lot!


TJ and Matthew 17 months at the beach!






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.








Friday, September 14, 2012

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...