The babies had a rough night. I got up three times for Aubrey and once for Carter. The first time with Aubrey I just gave her a paci. Then she got up about thirty minutes later so I gave her some Tylenol. Then not too much later she got up and I gave her a paci again and fortunately she made it the rest of the night. She actually didn't wake up until after 5:00. Likely because she didn't sleep well. Carter woke up a few times as well. I gave him a paci the first time he woke up. After that he actually was able to go back to sleep without any intervention.
We got the kids ready and I dropped them off at daycare. Then I headed off to the gym. I'm happy that I was able to get to the gym a few times during my vacation.
I finally got my Onkyo receiver back that I sent off for warranty work a month ago. I got it all hooked up and so far so good. I'm not sure what took them so long, but at least I have it and it works. Hopefully I don't have any more problems with it. I searched online to see if others were having the same problem and it seemed that many (almost everyone) had the same problem. I also read that the warranty work appeared to solve the problem.
We donated almost 500 babies items at Goodwill today. Then we went to Stein Mart and Marshall's which were next to the Goodwill place. We had never been in a Stein Mart before so we didn't know what to expect. It actually was sort of an upscale Marshall's or TJ Maxx. I picked up a tie and a couple of shirts and some other things from Marshall's. When we got back home we realized that the tie wasn't in the bag. I called the store and they couldn't find it. They said if I came back they would give me another tie or refund my money. I hate situations like this because I always feel like they think I'm trying to steal from them.
We got all of our Christmas stuff put away in the basement. I even finally had a chance to play the PS3 for a little bit before leaving to pick up the kids. I was pretty tired so I only played for a short while before laying down to take a quick nap.
I left a little early to get the kids so that I could stop by Marshall's to get another tie. The tie that I bought was back on the rack so I just picked it up and they let me have it. At least I got the tie. I got the kids loaded up in the car and we headed home. Calvin wasn't happy on the ride home because I put Brayden on the driver's side which Calvin is normally on. He kept fussing so eventually I reached back and started tickling him. He stopped crying and started laughing and saying "no tickle". When I stopped tickling he would start crying again so I just tickled him some more. Eventually he figured out that if he didn't cry he wouldn't get tickled.
When we got home Brayden went straight for the train set. Calvin went to the train set too, but eventually ate some of his dinner. Calvin also ate a bit of dada's chili with Fritos. His hands were a mess because he would completely dunk the Fritos in the chili before eating the chips. Now he would usually want to sit on my lap, but today he just wanted to stand next to me and eat.
Carter and Aubrey were having a great time playing with their brother's toys. They both were grabbing Hot Wheels and trains and playing with them. By playing with them I mean putting them in their mouth and banging them together. Carter was also having a great time batting around one of the giant bouncy balls until Calvin took the ball away. Carter seemed sad when Calvin took it away. We asked Calvin to give him the ball back, but he wouldn't. So dada came to the rescue and found another ball for Carter to play with. And all were happy.
The babies went down to bed very quickly and easily as usual. Dada gave Calvin and Brayden a bath tonight. Auntie Carrie had given them some of their cousin's old Thomas bath time trains to play with. This was perfect since they love trains right now. We also put the whale that shoots water out of its spout in the bathtub tonight. Brayden seemed rather amused by the whale. Calvin just wanted to play with the trains. Fortunately the whale doesn't shoot water very high. I suppose the makers realized that people would get upset if the water was too high. That or the fact that the pump to shoot the water higher was $1 more expensive.
Calvin and Brayden were very difficult going to bed tonight. We have been trying to tell them "one more book" or "this is the last book tonight". I'm pretty sure they know what this means, but they don't care. They always want another story. Eventually we get to the point where we just leave them and turn off the monitor.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Mama's birthday
The babies did well again last night. Aubrey got up once and I was able to give her a paci and she went back to sleep until about 5:00. Erin got up and fed Carter when he woke up around 4:00. We decided to get the kids up close to normal time and take them to daycare.
We don't get a lot of time to ourselves without the kids so it's nice to have a few days to get things done without the kids. The kids were actually quite quiet on the way to daycare. Once we got there though they were happy and started playing right away. I think the daycare lady forgot that we were bringing them or thought we were bringing them early because I knocked on the door for a few minutes and no one came to the door. I had to call her to get her to open the door. It wasn't a big deal at all. It was pretty chilly this morning though. There was a heavy frost on everything.
After dropping off the kids I headed to the gym. Erin decided to work out at home. After working out we met at Wal-Mart to do our normal shopping. We were low on all diapers so we had to get four boxes plus a box of wipes. It's a good thing we didn't have the kids because we used two carts to get everything. After Wal-Mart we headed home and unloaded all the groceries and stuff.
I took a shower and then we went out to the Mall to do some shopping. Erin is finally able to go clothes shopping now that all swelling is gone and she is to her new normal size. She has always been picky with her clothes (as one should be, I suppose), but she did find a pair of jeans. We also had to go back to Wal-Mart because we forgot to get Formula in the morning.
After shopping we went to Firehouse Subs. I got an Italian Sub and tried a few more types of soda on the Coke Freestyle. The Raspberry Coke was terrible. The Orange Mello Yellow is quite good. Cherry Vanilla Coke is also quite good. They should definitely make Cherry Vanilla Coke and sell it in stores. Erin tried a number (about five) different drinks as well. I told her the trick was to only partially fill up your cup so you keep going back to try something new.*a
We headed back home and pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning. Before I knew it I had to go pick up the kids from daycare. They were all happy to see dada. We got loaded up and headed back home. We we got home grammie and pappap had just pulled up. I got the boys out and they ran over to see them. Erin's family came over to have cake for her birthday.
Brayden wanted to go straight for the trains when he walked in the door. Calvin went for his dinner. Brayden and Calvin started running from the train set to their dinner table and would grab a bite and then head back to play with the trains. Cute little guys. Brayden then took his Hot Wheels and put them one at a time in the loader of a dump truck and lifted it to dump the car in the bed of the truck. He did this over and over until he had about twenty five cars in the dump truck. I was impressed that he knew how to put cars in using the loader.
We all had some birthday. Brayden ate, no, devoured his cake in a few minutes. Calvin was a little more meticulous in eating his cake. After a while the babies went to bed and then the older boys. Everyone headed home and Erin and I watched a little TV before she headed off to bed. Now it's time for dada to head off to bed. Happy Birthday Mama.
We don't get a lot of time to ourselves without the kids so it's nice to have a few days to get things done without the kids. The kids were actually quite quiet on the way to daycare. Once we got there though they were happy and started playing right away. I think the daycare lady forgot that we were bringing them or thought we were bringing them early because I knocked on the door for a few minutes and no one came to the door. I had to call her to get her to open the door. It wasn't a big deal at all. It was pretty chilly this morning though. There was a heavy frost on everything.
After dropping off the kids I headed to the gym. Erin decided to work out at home. After working out we met at Wal-Mart to do our normal shopping. We were low on all diapers so we had to get four boxes plus a box of wipes. It's a good thing we didn't have the kids because we used two carts to get everything. After Wal-Mart we headed home and unloaded all the groceries and stuff.
I took a shower and then we went out to the Mall to do some shopping. Erin is finally able to go clothes shopping now that all swelling is gone and she is to her new normal size. She has always been picky with her clothes (as one should be, I suppose), but she did find a pair of jeans. We also had to go back to Wal-Mart because we forgot to get Formula in the morning.
After shopping we went to Firehouse Subs. I got an Italian Sub and tried a few more types of soda on the Coke Freestyle. The Raspberry Coke was terrible. The Orange Mello Yellow is quite good. Cherry Vanilla Coke is also quite good. They should definitely make Cherry Vanilla Coke and sell it in stores. Erin tried a number (about five) different drinks as well. I told her the trick was to only partially fill up your cup so you keep going back to try something new.*a
We headed back home and pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning. Before I knew it I had to go pick up the kids from daycare. They were all happy to see dada. We got loaded up and headed back home. We we got home grammie and pappap had just pulled up. I got the boys out and they ran over to see them. Erin's family came over to have cake for her birthday.
Brayden wanted to go straight for the trains when he walked in the door. Calvin went for his dinner. Brayden and Calvin started running from the train set to their dinner table and would grab a bite and then head back to play with the trains. Cute little guys. Brayden then took his Hot Wheels and put them one at a time in the loader of a dump truck and lifted it to dump the car in the bed of the truck. He did this over and over until he had about twenty five cars in the dump truck. I was impressed that he knew how to put cars in using the loader.
We all had some birthday. Brayden ate, no, devoured his cake in a few minutes. Calvin was a little more meticulous in eating his cake. After a while the babies went to bed and then the older boys. Everyone headed home and Erin and I watched a little TV before she headed off to bed. Now it's time for dada to head off to bed. Happy Birthday Mama.
The Train Keeps Rolling On
The babies have been doing fairly well sleeping at night. Carter hasn't been feeling well. He has had a slight fever and a runny nose. I'm not sure if he got it from Erin or if she got it from him because she hasn't been feeling well either.
The boys have continued to play with their train set. and play with their train set. and play with their train set. Definitely the best gift they could have received. They have also been playing with their Hot Wheels and Lego Duplos quite a bit.
I know that my parents and brothers really enjoyed spending time with the kids. My parents, middle brother and I took the kids out shopping on Tuesday. We went to a few stores and then stopped by the Grecian Plate to get some Gyros and Souvlakis to take home for lunch. Erin wanted to stay at home and get some cleaning done. My oldest brother also stayed at home because I think he was sleeping when we left.
We spent a lot of time the past few days trying to figure out what we were going to do with all the kids stuff from Christmas. We put a bit of it downstairs in the basement. We took down the tree and moved some other toys out to the Living Room.
The other day Erin was reading a new book (The 12 Dogs of Christmas) to Calvin. Instead of the traditional gifts this book has a different dog for each day. One of the days (Day 10, I think) had Chocolate Labs. Calvin immediately said "chocolate bar" after Erin said Chocolate Lab. That kid is addicted to Hershey's chocolate bars.
My parents and brothers left and headed back home to Charlotte Wednesday morning. I took the kids to daycare at the same time that they left. I was glad to see the kids warm up to my family very quickly. They only get to see them a few times a year so you never know how they will react around them. We used to use Skype a lot, but since moving in March we just haven't used it much. Part of the reason is that we moved the camera to the basement and we haven't been down there too much lately.
The boys really enjoyed playing with everyone and showing off all the neat things they can do.
We didn't really do much the past few days other than play with the kids. We still don't let them watch TV so we didn't have it on at all until they went to bed. We did eat a lot though. I need to get back to the gym and work off some of this holiday weight. I haven't stepped on a scale, but I imagine I've gained a few pounds.
The boys have continued to play with their train set. and play with their train set. and play with their train set. Definitely the best gift they could have received. They have also been playing with their Hot Wheels and Lego Duplos quite a bit.
I know that my parents and brothers really enjoyed spending time with the kids. My parents, middle brother and I took the kids out shopping on Tuesday. We went to a few stores and then stopped by the Grecian Plate to get some Gyros and Souvlakis to take home for lunch. Erin wanted to stay at home and get some cleaning done. My oldest brother also stayed at home because I think he was sleeping when we left.
We spent a lot of time the past few days trying to figure out what we were going to do with all the kids stuff from Christmas. We put a bit of it downstairs in the basement. We took down the tree and moved some other toys out to the Living Room.
The other day Erin was reading a new book (The 12 Dogs of Christmas) to Calvin. Instead of the traditional gifts this book has a different dog for each day. One of the days (Day 10, I think) had Chocolate Labs. Calvin immediately said "chocolate bar" after Erin said Chocolate Lab. That kid is addicted to Hershey's chocolate bars.
My parents and brothers left and headed back home to Charlotte Wednesday morning. I took the kids to daycare at the same time that they left. I was glad to see the kids warm up to my family very quickly. They only get to see them a few times a year so you never know how they will react around them. We used to use Skype a lot, but since moving in March we just haven't used it much. Part of the reason is that we moved the camera to the basement and we haven't been down there too much lately.
The boys really enjoyed playing with everyone and showing off all the neat things they can do.
We didn't really do much the past few days other than play with the kids. We still don't let them watch TV so we didn't have it on at all until they went to bed. We did eat a lot though. I need to get back to the gym and work off some of this holiday weight. I haven't stepped on a scale, but I imagine I've gained a few pounds.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Merry Christmas - The Train Set
Calvin and Brayden were the last to get up on Christmas day. When we brought them downstairs we directed them to the Kitchen and away from the Living Room. They ate some breakfast and then we went over to see what Santa had brought.
They immediately went for the train set that was already assembled. They took turns playing and moving from one side of the table to the other. We knew immediately that this was a hit. Eventually they migrated away from the train set and opened a few gifts. Soon they were back to the train set. I think that Erin and I ended up opening most of their gifts.
They got the two train sets, a bunch of cars (Chuck & Friends, Wee People, Hot Wheels, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks), a big helicopter, a big fire truck, Thomas and Percy the Train pillows, Lego Duplos, Lego Cars sets, a table and chairs set that has a Lego base plate on top for them to build, a bunch of books and lots more. They "made out like bandits" as my grandfather used to say. I think we probably could have got them just the train set and they would have been happy. I'm sure they'll play with the other things over time.
Carter kept getting in the middle of his big brothers When they were playing on the train set he would stand up and pull some of the train track pieces off. Calvin would say "no bubba" and then "get him mama" or "get him dada". Everyone really had a great time.
The babies eventually went down for a nap after an eventful morning. Everyone else had a light lunch since we were eating around 1:00. I had a 20-lb turkey and the package said that it would take 4 to 4-1/2 hours to cook so I started it at 8:00am. I checked it a little after 11:00 just to baste it and to my surprise the button had popped indicating that the turkey was finished. So we turned the heat down to 150F and left it in the roasting pan. I also started a new Christmas tradition by making chili.
We got Calvin and Brayden in bed around 12:45 which was shortly before everyone else showed up. Erin's sisters and their families came over as well as Erin's parents and her aunt & uncle. It was a full house. We had LOTS of food. Calvin and Brayden were talking away in their room and we weren't sure if they were actually going to take a nap. Carter and Aubrey got up shortly after everyone arrived. Erin's mom went up to get Calvin and Brayden out of bed because she heard them talking and thought that they just woke up. She didn't know that they actually just went to bed. We tried to put them back to bed, but they never went to sleep. I imagine that the excitement would keep them from napping.
The food was great. I'm sure we'll be eating left-overs for a while. That's fine with me. After finishing eating I went up to take a shower and then got the boys out of bed. Even though they never slept it's good for them to get away and relax for a little bit. After bringing them downstairs they went right for the train set. I went back to taking their gifts out of the packages. That took just about the entire day to get things out of the packages and get the stuff in garbage bags.
I got a few video games, a head scratcher thing that is awesome, a popcorn maker and cotton candy machine for the Media Room, some shirts and ties and other good stuff.
After a long day of play we got the kids to bed. This will be a Christmas to remember. Everyone had a great time.
They immediately went for the train set that was already assembled. They took turns playing and moving from one side of the table to the other. We knew immediately that this was a hit. Eventually they migrated away from the train set and opened a few gifts. Soon they were back to the train set. I think that Erin and I ended up opening most of their gifts.
They got the two train sets, a bunch of cars (Chuck & Friends, Wee People, Hot Wheels, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks), a big helicopter, a big fire truck, Thomas and Percy the Train pillows, Lego Duplos, Lego Cars sets, a table and chairs set that has a Lego base plate on top for them to build, a bunch of books and lots more. They "made out like bandits" as my grandfather used to say. I think we probably could have got them just the train set and they would have been happy. I'm sure they'll play with the other things over time.
Carter kept getting in the middle of his big brothers When they were playing on the train set he would stand up and pull some of the train track pieces off. Calvin would say "no bubba" and then "get him mama" or "get him dada". Everyone really had a great time.
The babies eventually went down for a nap after an eventful morning. Everyone else had a light lunch since we were eating around 1:00. I had a 20-lb turkey and the package said that it would take 4 to 4-1/2 hours to cook so I started it at 8:00am. I checked it a little after 11:00 just to baste it and to my surprise the button had popped indicating that the turkey was finished. So we turned the heat down to 150F and left it in the roasting pan. I also started a new Christmas tradition by making chili.
We got Calvin and Brayden in bed around 12:45 which was shortly before everyone else showed up. Erin's sisters and their families came over as well as Erin's parents and her aunt & uncle. It was a full house. We had LOTS of food. Calvin and Brayden were talking away in their room and we weren't sure if they were actually going to take a nap. Carter and Aubrey got up shortly after everyone arrived. Erin's mom went up to get Calvin and Brayden out of bed because she heard them talking and thought that they just woke up. She didn't know that they actually just went to bed. We tried to put them back to bed, but they never went to sleep. I imagine that the excitement would keep them from napping.
The food was great. I'm sure we'll be eating left-overs for a while. That's fine with me. After finishing eating I went up to take a shower and then got the boys out of bed. Even though they never slept it's good for them to get away and relax for a little bit. After bringing them downstairs they went right for the train set. I went back to taking their gifts out of the packages. That took just about the entire day to get things out of the packages and get the stuff in garbage bags.
I got a few video games, a head scratcher thing that is awesome, a popcorn maker and cotton candy machine for the Media Room, some shirts and ties and other good stuff.
After a long day of play we got the kids to bed. This will be a Christmas to remember. Everyone had a great time.
Christmas Eve
The babies have continued to do well sleeping at night. The babies woke up around 3:00 so we gave both a bottle, changed them and put them back down. Calvin and Brayden woke up a bit later and so we all headed downstairs for breakfast.
The kids got fussy after a little while (especially Calvin) so we got everyone ready and went out to a store. We didn't know where we wanted to go, we just knew that we needed to get everyone out of the house. We decided to go to the Yankee Candle store so they could look at Christmas trees and other decorations. They did pretty well, but Calvin was still fussy at times. We bought some different flavored fudge to bring home for Christmas day.
We got back home and gave the kids lunch and then put them to bed for a nap. Erin's family came over and brought their presents for the boys. They figured that the boys would be all presented out by the time they got here on Christmas day so they wanted them to open their gifts Christmas Eve. The boys got some Big Wheels. It may be a few more months before they are tall enough to reach the pedals, but I'm sure they will love them.
I ordered pizza from Papa's John for dinner. I like the fact that you can order pizza online which makes it easy. Unfortunately I tried ordering online and it kept giving me an error saying that the store was closed. I looked around online and saw that the store was actually open. I tried ordering again online and it once again gave me an error. So then I decided to call to place the order. Erin's parents stopped to pick up the pizzas on their way here.
We had a really good time with everyone here. The kids were all well behaved. Everyone enjoyed playing with the kids. Erin's aunt and uncle came down from NYC and are staying with Erin's parents so they came too. They enjoy seeing the kids. Everyone headed home and we got the babies in bed. The boys stayed up for a while later. We asked them if Santa was coming tonight and they cheered and said "YES". I'm certain they don't really know what's going, but it's fun.
After they got in bed we started putting out the presents. After getting the presents set out I started putting together their wooden train set and table. That thing took a while to put together. Fortunately my parents and brothers got to our house around 8:30. They came up for a few days which is great. My brothers helped me with the train set and other things that needed to be set up. It probably saved me a few hours of set up time. Eventually we finished and relaxed for a little bit before heading off to bed. The Living Room looked like a Christmas explosion. There were presents everywhere.
The kids got fussy after a little while (especially Calvin) so we got everyone ready and went out to a store. We didn't know where we wanted to go, we just knew that we needed to get everyone out of the house. We decided to go to the Yankee Candle store so they could look at Christmas trees and other decorations. They did pretty well, but Calvin was still fussy at times. We bought some different flavored fudge to bring home for Christmas day.
We got back home and gave the kids lunch and then put them to bed for a nap. Erin's family came over and brought their presents for the boys. They figured that the boys would be all presented out by the time they got here on Christmas day so they wanted them to open their gifts Christmas Eve. The boys got some Big Wheels. It may be a few more months before they are tall enough to reach the pedals, but I'm sure they will love them.
I ordered pizza from Papa's John for dinner. I like the fact that you can order pizza online which makes it easy. Unfortunately I tried ordering online and it kept giving me an error saying that the store was closed. I looked around online and saw that the store was actually open. I tried ordering again online and it once again gave me an error. So then I decided to call to place the order. Erin's parents stopped to pick up the pizzas on their way here.
We had a really good time with everyone here. The kids were all well behaved. Everyone enjoyed playing with the kids. Erin's aunt and uncle came down from NYC and are staying with Erin's parents so they came too. They enjoy seeing the kids. Everyone headed home and we got the babies in bed. The boys stayed up for a while later. We asked them if Santa was coming tonight and they cheered and said "YES". I'm certain they don't really know what's going, but it's fun.
After they got in bed we started putting out the presents. After getting the presents set out I started putting together their wooden train set and table. That thing took a while to put together. Fortunately my parents and brothers got to our house around 8:30. They came up for a few days which is great. My brothers helped me with the train set and other things that needed to be set up. It probably saved me a few hours of set up time. Eventually we finished and relaxed for a little bit before heading off to bed. The Living Room looked like a Christmas explosion. There were presents everywhere.
Ba Rumpa Bum Bum
The babies did well the past few nights. They got up at a reasonable time and we got them fed, changed and then put them back down until it was time to leave. I was able to sleep in since I am off work for the rest of the year. I got up at 5:00 to get the boys ready. I helped Erin get them loaded in the car so she could take them out to daycare.
I lounged around the house for a little while before heading out to the gym. I'm not a big fan of the Williamsburg YMCA. It's crappy compared to the Y that I normally go to, but it gets the job done.
I went to Wal-Mart to get Christmas day food. I also stopped by a few other stores and picked up a few more things. I went to Firehouse subs again for lunch. I love that place. I had their steamer sub which is pastrami and corned beef. mmmmmm. I tried the Orange Coke which was terrible. Then I tried Grape Mello Yellow which was awesome. Might actually be one of my all time favorite drinks.
I got home and got a few things cleaned around the house, did some laundry and then played some PS3. It seemed to be a short day because before I knew it I had to go out to pick up the kids from daycare.
On the way home from daycare The Little Drummer Boy was playing on the radio. Brayden would sing along "Ba Rumpa Bum Bum". Such a cutie.
Friday was more of the same. I went to the gym in the morning. Then I went to a few more stores. I found some nice ties at Ross that were really cheap so I picked up a few. Then I went to get my haircut. I'm glad I got there early because as I was waiting about ten people showed up. After that I went to the Grecian Plate to get a Gyro for lunch. It was really good. The owners are from Greece so they have authentic greek food.
I got home and did some more cleaning and getting things ready for my family to visit. Then I played the PS3 a little more. I got a headache so I took a nap on the couch until Erin got home. Then I got up to pick up the kids. They did well all night.
I lounged around the house for a little while before heading out to the gym. I'm not a big fan of the Williamsburg YMCA. It's crappy compared to the Y that I normally go to, but it gets the job done.
I went to Wal-Mart to get Christmas day food. I also stopped by a few other stores and picked up a few more things. I went to Firehouse subs again for lunch. I love that place. I had their steamer sub which is pastrami and corned beef. mmmmmm. I tried the Orange Coke which was terrible. Then I tried Grape Mello Yellow which was awesome. Might actually be one of my all time favorite drinks.
I got home and got a few things cleaned around the house, did some laundry and then played some PS3. It seemed to be a short day because before I knew it I had to go out to pick up the kids from daycare.
On the way home from daycare The Little Drummer Boy was playing on the radio. Brayden would sing along "Ba Rumpa Bum Bum". Such a cutie.
Friday was more of the same. I went to the gym in the morning. Then I went to a few more stores. I found some nice ties at Ross that were really cheap so I picked up a few. Then I went to get my haircut. I'm glad I got there early because as I was waiting about ten people showed up. After that I went to the Grecian Plate to get a Gyro for lunch. It was really good. The owners are from Greece so they have authentic greek food.
I got home and did some more cleaning and getting things ready for my family to visit. Then I played the PS3 a little more. I got a headache so I took a nap on the couch until Erin got home. Then I got up to pick up the kids. They did well all night.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Stand In The Place That You Live
Carter has continued to have problems sleeping through the night. He has been waking up at least twice each night. On a positive note, the babies have been going to sleep very quickly and easily when we put them down.
Aubrey has continued to do very well sleeping through the night. She still isn't crawling nor does she look like she's going to start anytime soon.
Brayden and Calvin have been playing with their Lego Duplo's a lot lately. They have a number of the animal sets and enjoy playing with all the animals. They don't have many blocks, but Brayden really likes to stack the bricks up as high as he can. The other night we let them stay up quite late because they were playing so well together. Eventually Brayden started throwing the Lego's into the container and accidentally hit Calvin in the face with one of the Lego's. That pretty much ended the playing that night.
Carter pulled himself up to standing holding onto the couch tonight. We couldn't believe it. I looked over and there was Carter standing up. I don't think his brothers did that until about eleven months or so.
Calvin had a pretty rough evening yesterday. He was extremely fussy and didn't want to brush his teeth or go to bed. He was so upset that he couldn't speak to let us know what he wanted. Eventually he calmed down and went to bed.
The kids were extremely well behaved tonight. There wasn't any fussing at all. They all played well and went to bed without any issues.
Today was my last day of work for the year. Where I work always has a shutdown at the end of the year. I decided to take some extra time off and only worked half a day today and took all day Thursday off. Even though I only worked half a day today I still went in at 6am and didn't leave until a little after 1pm. I'm not sure what I'm going to do the next two days. Perhaps I'll just try to clean up the house a little and play some video games. I think I've earned the right to do nothing for a little while. It's been a busy year.
Aubrey has continued to do very well sleeping through the night. She still isn't crawling nor does she look like she's going to start anytime soon.
Brayden and Calvin have been playing with their Lego Duplo's a lot lately. They have a number of the animal sets and enjoy playing with all the animals. They don't have many blocks, but Brayden really likes to stack the bricks up as high as he can. The other night we let them stay up quite late because they were playing so well together. Eventually Brayden started throwing the Lego's into the container and accidentally hit Calvin in the face with one of the Lego's. That pretty much ended the playing that night.
Carter pulled himself up to standing holding onto the couch tonight. We couldn't believe it. I looked over and there was Carter standing up. I don't think his brothers did that until about eleven months or so.
Calvin had a pretty rough evening yesterday. He was extremely fussy and didn't want to brush his teeth or go to bed. He was so upset that he couldn't speak to let us know what he wanted. Eventually he calmed down and went to bed.
The kids were extremely well behaved tonight. There wasn't any fussing at all. They all played well and went to bed without any issues.
Today was my last day of work for the year. Where I work always has a shutdown at the end of the year. I decided to take some extra time off and only worked half a day today and took all day Thursday off. Even though I only worked half a day today I still went in at 6am and didn't leave until a little after 1pm. I'm not sure what I'm going to do the next two days. Perhaps I'll just try to clean up the house a little and play some video games. I think I've earned the right to do nothing for a little while. It's been a busy year.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Catching Up
Carter has not been sleeping well the past few nights. He has been getting up at least twice a night. We typically just need to give him a paci and lay him back down and then he'll go back to sleep. He is really pulling himself up on things now. Every time we go to get him from his crib he's always up on his knees looking at us when we walk in the room. He gets a great big grin on his face when he sees us.
The other night I had to get gas after picking up the kids from daycare. The next day as we were coming up to the gas station Calvin said "get some gas". I asked him what he said and he repeated "get some gas, dada". Smart little guy.
Calvin unplugged the tree so that he could plug in the train. I saw what he was doing and stopped him before he did. I said that they shouldn't do that. My speach didn't seem to work because they continue to unplug the tree and plug in the train. Now they enjoy playing with the train and train cars even if the power is off. They managed to break off one of the engineers from the train engine. That's what super glue is for.
Calvin was crawling on dada's back and flipping over when dada was kneeling on the ground. It started with me flipping him over. Soon he started flipping himself over. There were a few times where he almost landed on Carter. Once I actually had to pull Calvin back up or he would have landed right on his little brother. Brayden had to get in on the action too. They would take turns climbing on my back and flipping. It's a lot of fun doing things like this, but it does wear you out.
After a few nights of Calvin crying when we put him in bed he seems to be better. Now he'll go to sleep without a fuss.
Saturday morning we went out to Target and then to PetSmart. Erin just needed to pick up a few quick things from Target so I stayed in the car with the kids while she ran in. She was quite quick which was good because Calvin was a little fussy. I was doing whatever I could to keep him occupied. He kept saying "PetSmart". We had told them before we left that we were going to see fish and birds at PetSmart so he wanted to get going. After PetSmart we went next door to Office Depot. We picked up a Preschool book which Calvin really seemed to like. We also got a few pads of construction paper for them to draw on. Then we headed over to Belk and then Bed, Bath & Beyond just to kill some time and walk around. We got all sorts of comments about having two sets of twins.
We got home and gave the kids lunch and put them down for a nap. A little after everyone got up we all went to Erin's sister and brother-in-law's house for his birthday on Saturday. We stayed for quite a while and the kids all had a great time. They all had a late bedtime since we got back late. You would think that would help the babies sleep through the night, but apparently not.
I was able to get all presents wrapped on Saturday. Now we just have to wait for Christmas. I'm excited to see how the boys react.
Calvin was really fussy Sunday morning. He kept saying his ear hurts, but he doesn't have a fever so it doesn't appear he has an infection.
We had our routine trip to Wal-Mart in the morning. The kids went back and forth being good and bad during the trip. On the car ride home Calvin was crying just about the whole ride. He didn't really stop until we got him out of the car and in the house. Then he seemed to be quite happy. We got the groceries put away and gave the babies a bottle. Then we put the babies down for a nap.
Shortly after putting the babies down one of my friends came by with his wife and their 15 month-old son. The boys were still up eating their lunch so they played for a while. After forty minutes or so we put the boys down for a nap. My friend left a little while later. They moved out to the left coast (San Diego) a few years ago so I rarely get to see them anymore. It would be nice to travel out there sometime. We'll just have to see how much we'll get to travel with the kids.
Erin's parents came over this evening and helped with the kids. We always welcome the help. I know that they really enjoy seeing the kids so it's a win-win.
The babies went to bed very early (~5:30). They didn't nap very long today so they were tired. We'll see at what point they get up during the night.
Brayden and Calvin got a bath tonight. They were extremely well behaved in the bath tonight. They didn't really fuss at all while getting cleaned. The only thing they don't really like is getting their hair washed. Actually, it's more the rinsing part that they dislike so much. It doesn't really matter if I use my hand, a cup, a towel, a pitcher, etc. they just don't like getting their head rinsed.
After the bath we went back downstairs to play since it was still fairly early. Brayden was playing with a giant bouncy ball throwing it around, bouncing on it, climbing on it and all sorts of stuff. Eventually he started throwing it to dada and playing catch. Brayden figured out how to catch it after a few attempts. I am impressed because it's a fairly large ball and not that easy for them to catch. Calvin saw his brother catching the ball and wanted to get in on the fun. He grabbed the other large ball and started playing catch.
After playing for a while it was time to brush teeth and get in bed. The both did very well and didn't fuss at all when it was time to go to sleep.
The other night I had to get gas after picking up the kids from daycare. The next day as we were coming up to the gas station Calvin said "get some gas". I asked him what he said and he repeated "get some gas, dada". Smart little guy.
Calvin unplugged the tree so that he could plug in the train. I saw what he was doing and stopped him before he did. I said that they shouldn't do that. My speach didn't seem to work because they continue to unplug the tree and plug in the train. Now they enjoy playing with the train and train cars even if the power is off. They managed to break off one of the engineers from the train engine. That's what super glue is for.
Calvin was crawling on dada's back and flipping over when dada was kneeling on the ground. It started with me flipping him over. Soon he started flipping himself over. There were a few times where he almost landed on Carter. Once I actually had to pull Calvin back up or he would have landed right on his little brother. Brayden had to get in on the action too. They would take turns climbing on my back and flipping. It's a lot of fun doing things like this, but it does wear you out.
After a few nights of Calvin crying when we put him in bed he seems to be better. Now he'll go to sleep without a fuss.
Saturday morning we went out to Target and then to PetSmart. Erin just needed to pick up a few quick things from Target so I stayed in the car with the kids while she ran in. She was quite quick which was good because Calvin was a little fussy. I was doing whatever I could to keep him occupied. He kept saying "PetSmart". We had told them before we left that we were going to see fish and birds at PetSmart so he wanted to get going. After PetSmart we went next door to Office Depot. We picked up a Preschool book which Calvin really seemed to like. We also got a few pads of construction paper for them to draw on. Then we headed over to Belk and then Bed, Bath & Beyond just to kill some time and walk around. We got all sorts of comments about having two sets of twins.
We got home and gave the kids lunch and put them down for a nap. A little after everyone got up we all went to Erin's sister and brother-in-law's house for his birthday on Saturday. We stayed for quite a while and the kids all had a great time. They all had a late bedtime since we got back late. You would think that would help the babies sleep through the night, but apparently not.
I was able to get all presents wrapped on Saturday. Now we just have to wait for Christmas. I'm excited to see how the boys react.
Calvin was really fussy Sunday morning. He kept saying his ear hurts, but he doesn't have a fever so it doesn't appear he has an infection.
We had our routine trip to Wal-Mart in the morning. The kids went back and forth being good and bad during the trip. On the car ride home Calvin was crying just about the whole ride. He didn't really stop until we got him out of the car and in the house. Then he seemed to be quite happy. We got the groceries put away and gave the babies a bottle. Then we put the babies down for a nap.
Shortly after putting the babies down one of my friends came by with his wife and their 15 month-old son. The boys were still up eating their lunch so they played for a while. After forty minutes or so we put the boys down for a nap. My friend left a little while later. They moved out to the left coast (San Diego) a few years ago so I rarely get to see them anymore. It would be nice to travel out there sometime. We'll just have to see how much we'll get to travel with the kids.
Erin's parents came over this evening and helped with the kids. We always welcome the help. I know that they really enjoy seeing the kids so it's a win-win.
The babies went to bed very early (~5:30). They didn't nap very long today so they were tired. We'll see at what point they get up during the night.
Brayden and Calvin got a bath tonight. They were extremely well behaved in the bath tonight. They didn't really fuss at all while getting cleaned. The only thing they don't really like is getting their hair washed. Actually, it's more the rinsing part that they dislike so much. It doesn't really matter if I use my hand, a cup, a towel, a pitcher, etc. they just don't like getting their head rinsed.
After the bath we went back downstairs to play since it was still fairly early. Brayden was playing with a giant bouncy ball throwing it around, bouncing on it, climbing on it and all sorts of stuff. Eventually he started throwing it to dada and playing catch. Brayden figured out how to catch it after a few attempts. I am impressed because it's a fairly large ball and not that easy for them to catch. Calvin saw his brother catching the ball and wanted to get in on the fun. He grabbed the other large ball and started playing catch.
After playing for a while it was time to brush teeth and get in bed. The both did very well and didn't fuss at all when it was time to go to sleep.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Watch Your Fingers
Carter woke up once in the middle of the night. Erin got up to plug him and he went back to sleep. Aubrey woke up a little before 4:00 so I got up to feed her. When I was done putting Aubrey in her car seat Carter started stirring. I went downstairs to make Carter's bottle and Erin came down to get it and feed him. I had to be to work by 6am today so we had to get everyone ready on time. Everyone had to get drops in their eyes again this morning.
When I got home after picking up the kids I got the kids out of the car and we headed up to the house. Brayden normally gets to the front door first and opens the door and goes in. Calvin always wants to open the door himself so we ask Brayden to close the door. Normally I tell Brayden to watch his fingers, but tonight Calvin said "Watch your fingers" to his brother. What a nice brother. Then Calvin opened the door and held it open for dada with the babies. Calvin closed the door after we got inside.
Calvin did a pretty good job eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I don't think Brayden touched his dinner.
Everyone was playing and I asked the boys if they were excited about Santa Claus. And they both shouted "Yay!". They I asked if they were excited about Christmas and I got the same reply. So then I had to ask if they were excited to get presents? Guess what they said? "Yay!" and threw the arms up in the air. I'm looking forward to seeing their reaction on Christmas.
The boys got bath tonight. They were really good getting cleaned tonight. They barely fussed at all. Calvin wasn't too happy about getting out of the bathtub first, but I try to alternate which one comes out first. After getting them dried off, loitened up and jammies on we went to brush their teeth. I'm amazed at how much they love to brush their teeth.
The boys cried for a while again tonight after putting them to bed. We read them a number of books. Calvin actually said that he wanted eye drops tonight. Erin didn't want to give them drops because it always upsets them so we were going to forego the night time eye drops. I agreed since I didn't want to make them mad right before bed. When Calvin said he wanted drops that completely changed the game plan. Erin came back up and put drops in Brayden and Calvin's eyes. They were really good when they got their drops. Unfortunately it was short lived. After we put them back in bed and said goodnight they both started crying. Calvin cried for a little over an hour before finally going to sleep. We decided we needed to stop going in and checking on them so that they would stop doing this at night. It should only last a few days then they'll hopefully start going right to sleep again.
When I got home after picking up the kids I got the kids out of the car and we headed up to the house. Brayden normally gets to the front door first and opens the door and goes in. Calvin always wants to open the door himself so we ask Brayden to close the door. Normally I tell Brayden to watch his fingers, but tonight Calvin said "Watch your fingers" to his brother. What a nice brother. Then Calvin opened the door and held it open for dada with the babies. Calvin closed the door after we got inside.
Calvin did a pretty good job eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I don't think Brayden touched his dinner.
Everyone was playing and I asked the boys if they were excited about Santa Claus. And they both shouted "Yay!". They I asked if they were excited about Christmas and I got the same reply. So then I had to ask if they were excited to get presents? Guess what they said? "Yay!" and threw the arms up in the air. I'm looking forward to seeing their reaction on Christmas.
The boys got bath tonight. They were really good getting cleaned tonight. They barely fussed at all. Calvin wasn't too happy about getting out of the bathtub first, but I try to alternate which one comes out first. After getting them dried off, loitened up and jammies on we went to brush their teeth. I'm amazed at how much they love to brush their teeth.
The boys cried for a while again tonight after putting them to bed. We read them a number of books. Calvin actually said that he wanted eye drops tonight. Erin didn't want to give them drops because it always upsets them so we were going to forego the night time eye drops. I agreed since I didn't want to make them mad right before bed. When Calvin said he wanted drops that completely changed the game plan. Erin came back up and put drops in Brayden and Calvin's eyes. They were really good when they got their drops. Unfortunately it was short lived. After we put them back in bed and said goodnight they both started crying. Calvin cried for a little over an hour before finally going to sleep. We decided we needed to stop going in and checking on them so that they would stop doing this at night. It should only last a few days then they'll hopefully start going right to sleep again.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Eye hurts
I was able to get a few more presents wrapped last night. If I can get a few done each night I should be done by the weekend.
Erin and I each had to get up once during the night to give Carter a paci so that he would go back to sleep. Aubrey woke up at 3:30 so I got up and fed her before taking a shower and getting ready for the gym and work. Calvin and Brayden were much easier to get ready this morning than yesterday.
When Erin got Carter up she noticed that he had gunk in his eye. Then when we got Brayden and Calvin up we noticed that they both had an excessive amount of crusty stuff on their eyes. Calvin said "eye hurts mama". It would appear that all the boys have pink eye. I'm certain they got it from daycare again. Oh well. Fortunately we still had some eye drops from the last time they had pink eye. We put drops in everyone's eyes this morning before sending them off to daycare.
The daycare lady didn't mind watching them even though they have pink eye. Erin put in a prescription for more drops and picked them up today during her lunch break. I went to the Post Office during my lunch break to drop off some Christmas packages.
When I picked up the kids today they were all quite happy. On the way home the boys were talking about "Lion King", "Simba", "Christmas tree on TV". This makes us think they are watching TV at daycare. We still don't let them watch TV at home. They never ask to watch TV at home so that's a good thing. We would prefer for them not to watch TV at daycare, but I guess a little bit won't hurt them. They'll be exposed to it eventually.
The boys didn't eat any of their dinner tonight. Calvin wanted Frito chips and Brayden wanted chocolate chip muffins. Then Calvin asked for water and chocolate milk. So I gave him both and he was double fisting. He would take a drink of water and then a drink of chocolate milk.
Brayden and Calvin aren't too fond of getting drops in their eyes. We have to do this for another six days. I suppose it beats the alternative. I have to hold them down while Erin puts the drops in their eyes. At least they get over it quickly.
They were much fussier than normal tonight when we put them to bed. They have been crying a bit the past few nights so we have been going in to their room to try to appease them so they will go to sleep. Tonight we figured that we would let them cry until they went to sleep. After about thirty or forty minutes Erin decided to go check on them. It was the right thing to do after that amount of time. We'll see how they do tomorrow night.
Erin and I each had to get up once during the night to give Carter a paci so that he would go back to sleep. Aubrey woke up at 3:30 so I got up and fed her before taking a shower and getting ready for the gym and work. Calvin and Brayden were much easier to get ready this morning than yesterday.
When Erin got Carter up she noticed that he had gunk in his eye. Then when we got Brayden and Calvin up we noticed that they both had an excessive amount of crusty stuff on their eyes. Calvin said "eye hurts mama". It would appear that all the boys have pink eye. I'm certain they got it from daycare again. Oh well. Fortunately we still had some eye drops from the last time they had pink eye. We put drops in everyone's eyes this morning before sending them off to daycare.
The daycare lady didn't mind watching them even though they have pink eye. Erin put in a prescription for more drops and picked them up today during her lunch break. I went to the Post Office during my lunch break to drop off some Christmas packages.
When I picked up the kids today they were all quite happy. On the way home the boys were talking about "Lion King", "Simba", "Christmas tree on TV". This makes us think they are watching TV at daycare. We still don't let them watch TV at home. They never ask to watch TV at home so that's a good thing. We would prefer for them not to watch TV at daycare, but I guess a little bit won't hurt them. They'll be exposed to it eventually.
The boys didn't eat any of their dinner tonight. Calvin wanted Frito chips and Brayden wanted chocolate chip muffins. Then Calvin asked for water and chocolate milk. So I gave him both and he was double fisting. He would take a drink of water and then a drink of chocolate milk.
Brayden and Calvin aren't too fond of getting drops in their eyes. We have to do this for another six days. I suppose it beats the alternative. I have to hold them down while Erin puts the drops in their eyes. At least they get over it quickly.
They were much fussier than normal tonight when we put them to bed. They have been crying a bit the past few nights so we have been going in to their room to try to appease them so they will go to sleep. Tonight we figured that we would let them cry until they went to sleep. After about thirty or forty minutes Erin decided to go check on them. It was the right thing to do after that amount of time. We'll see how they do tomorrow night.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Tell him Rainman...Wal-Mart sucks
Saturday night Carter got up around 9:30 and Erin took care of him with a paci while I was in the basement wrapping gifts. For now it's easy for me to lock everything up in the media room, but eventually I'll have to find a better hiding place.
Calvin was quite difficult in the morning. He didn't want to put his shoes on. He didn't want his jacket on. He wanted to be held and then he didn't. Brayden was better, but only marginally. They were also running around the yard when we got out and didn't want to get in the car. What a morning.
We were supposed to go to Erin's mother and father's house for lunch. We didn't end up going because the kids were so fussy. We also really needed to do some things around the house because we hadn't been able to clean it yet this weekend.
Wal-Mart was just as frustrating. I had ordered some things that I was going to pick up at the Site-to-Store counter. I received an e-mail saying that it was ready to pick up earlier in the week. As you would expect they couldn't find the package. The guy working behind the counter said he couldn't find it and I said that I was going to be very upset if I didn't get my package. He called another guy to help and he couldn 't find it either. He tried giving me the same line about it not being there. I said that I was told it was there and that they needed to either find it or tell me why it isn't there. He make some smart @$$ remark about "I can't just make it appear out of thin air" which didn't help matters. Normally I would have gone off on the guy for making such a remark, but I just stared at him and said that I wasn't leaving until they either gave me the package or told me why it wasn't there. At that time they called a manager back who also started looking around. Wouldn't you know it that the manager found my package in a matter of minutes. The other two guys said something like "oh, I didn't think it would be in that pile...it shouldn't be there". Idiots. I hate Wal-Mart.
I also forgot my cell phone at home while we were shopping so I couldn't tell Erin where I was. She had Calvin and Brayden while I had the babies. I was back there for about twenty or twenty-five minutes. By the time I was done and found Erin she had almost finished her shopping. So I ran around quickly and picked up a few things.
We didn't get much accomplished while the kids were napping. Aubrey didn't want to take a nap. Normally we feed the babies then put them right down. Since we got back a little earlier than normal we fed them and then put them in their excersaucers. After about thirty minutes they were ready for bed. We got the boys in bed shortly after the babies. They went down fairly easily. I imagine they were tired which is why they were behaving so badly in the morning. *a
Eventually we put Aubrey in a swing in the guest bedroom and she went to sleep.
I checked the tire air pressure for both minivans and filled them back up to ideal pressure. I also fixed the turn signal light on my minivan. This is the second time in the last few months I have needed to replace the bulb. I wonder if something more serious isn't going on with that light. While checking the tires I noticed a cut in the tread one of my rear tires. It's not all the way through the tire, but I'll need to get new tires before too long. Perhaps I'll take care of that over Christmas vacation.
I managed only to get a few more gifts wrapped while the little ones napped. Carter was the first one up and Aubrey wasn't very far behind. Dada decided to surprise the boys by setting up their wooden blocks in a tower so that Brayden and Calvin could knock them over when they came downstairs. We left Carter and Aubrey downstairs while we went up to get the boys from their nap. While up there we heard Carter start crying. We came back down and saw that the blocks were all knocked over and Carter was near them. I can only imagine that he crawled over to them, and they probably fell on him. I'm sure it scared him some.
Calvin and Brayden were quite fussy when they got up. They couldn't decide on a snack, but they kept saying they wanted something and then not taking it. When I walked away from the pantry they would start fussing.
We had to go out to Target because we forgot a few things from Wal-Mart. We always write down things on a list before we go shopping, but the ordeal at Wal-Mart threw us off so we forgot a few things. Anyway, the kids were well behaved at Target. When we got home they ate dinner. Dada made the boys a turkey sandwich. Calvin ate most of his, but Brayden only had a small bite of his. Brayden did want dada's dinner though. The boys both wanted to sit on dada's lap while I was eating. They both wanted to color in their coloring books.
Calvin continued coloring for quite a while. Brayden got down to play with his cars. It's amazing how they can be so difficult for most of the day and then be so good. All the kids were very well behaved when we got back from Target. So the point of the story is...Wal-Mart = bad; Target = good.
Carter woke up after only a few hours after going to bed. He wouldn't go back to bed so we made a bottle for him and I fed him. After that he slept pretty well. He did get up once more during the night and Erin gave him a paci which made him happy. Brayden on the other hand was another story. He woke up twice and was very upset. I checked on him the first time and he was asking for a paci. He already had three pacis, but he wanted another one. I dug around his blankets until I found another paci and gave it to him. After that he stopped crying and laid down. I put his blanket over him and he went back to sleep. Brayden got up again later in the night and Erin went in to check on him. He once again went back to sleep. Hopefully this isn't a new pattern.
In the morning Brayden started crying when we woke them up to get ready for daycare. He kept trying to get away while I was attempting to change his diaper and get his clothes on. When I finally finished getting him ready he calmed down and wanted me to pick him up. He was really good for the rest of the morning.
I went to the gym again this morning. It was a lot easier than last week. The soreness is mostly gone and I felt a lot stronger. I'm sure it helps that I'm finally over the Cold.
Erin said that Calvin came running out of the daycare place to see her because he thought she was leaving without giving him a hug and kiss. She was just getting the babies out of the car, but Calvin loves hugs and kisses when he gets dropped off at daycare.
Everyone was well behaved when I picked them up from daycare. Brayden and Calvin were singing in the car on the ride home. Calvin kept telling me to go "downhill" while we were going uphill. Brayden would say "go fast dada" and Calvin would follow with "go slow dada".
They didn't eat much of their dinner at all tonight. They didn't eat any of dada's dinner either. Erin brought me some Fazoli's lasagna and breadsticks.
Calvin was quite difficult in the morning. He didn't want to put his shoes on. He didn't want his jacket on. He wanted to be held and then he didn't. Brayden was better, but only marginally. They were also running around the yard when we got out and didn't want to get in the car. What a morning.
We were supposed to go to Erin's mother and father's house for lunch. We didn't end up going because the kids were so fussy. We also really needed to do some things around the house because we hadn't been able to clean it yet this weekend.
Wal-Mart was just as frustrating. I had ordered some things that I was going to pick up at the Site-to-Store counter. I received an e-mail saying that it was ready to pick up earlier in the week. As you would expect they couldn't find the package. The guy working behind the counter said he couldn't find it and I said that I was going to be very upset if I didn't get my package. He called another guy to help and he couldn 't find it either. He tried giving me the same line about it not being there. I said that I was told it was there and that they needed to either find it or tell me why it isn't there. He make some smart @$$ remark about "I can't just make it appear out of thin air" which didn't help matters. Normally I would have gone off on the guy for making such a remark, but I just stared at him and said that I wasn't leaving until they either gave me the package or told me why it wasn't there. At that time they called a manager back who also started looking around. Wouldn't you know it that the manager found my package in a matter of minutes. The other two guys said something like "oh, I didn't think it would be in that pile...it shouldn't be there". Idiots. I hate Wal-Mart.
I also forgot my cell phone at home while we were shopping so I couldn't tell Erin where I was. She had Calvin and Brayden while I had the babies. I was back there for about twenty or twenty-five minutes. By the time I was done and found Erin she had almost finished her shopping. So I ran around quickly and picked up a few things.
We didn't get much accomplished while the kids were napping. Aubrey didn't want to take a nap. Normally we feed the babies then put them right down. Since we got back a little earlier than normal we fed them and then put them in their excersaucers. After about thirty minutes they were ready for bed. We got the boys in bed shortly after the babies. They went down fairly easily. I imagine they were tired which is why they were behaving so badly in the morning. *a
Eventually we put Aubrey in a swing in the guest bedroom and she went to sleep.
I checked the tire air pressure for both minivans and filled them back up to ideal pressure. I also fixed the turn signal light on my minivan. This is the second time in the last few months I have needed to replace the bulb. I wonder if something more serious isn't going on with that light. While checking the tires I noticed a cut in the tread one of my rear tires. It's not all the way through the tire, but I'll need to get new tires before too long. Perhaps I'll take care of that over Christmas vacation.
I managed only to get a few more gifts wrapped while the little ones napped. Carter was the first one up and Aubrey wasn't very far behind. Dada decided to surprise the boys by setting up their wooden blocks in a tower so that Brayden and Calvin could knock them over when they came downstairs. We left Carter and Aubrey downstairs while we went up to get the boys from their nap. While up there we heard Carter start crying. We came back down and saw that the blocks were all knocked over and Carter was near them. I can only imagine that he crawled over to them, and they probably fell on him. I'm sure it scared him some.
Calvin and Brayden were quite fussy when they got up. They couldn't decide on a snack, but they kept saying they wanted something and then not taking it. When I walked away from the pantry they would start fussing.
We had to go out to Target because we forgot a few things from Wal-Mart. We always write down things on a list before we go shopping, but the ordeal at Wal-Mart threw us off so we forgot a few things. Anyway, the kids were well behaved at Target. When we got home they ate dinner. Dada made the boys a turkey sandwich. Calvin ate most of his, but Brayden only had a small bite of his. Brayden did want dada's dinner though. The boys both wanted to sit on dada's lap while I was eating. They both wanted to color in their coloring books.
Calvin continued coloring for quite a while. Brayden got down to play with his cars. It's amazing how they can be so difficult for most of the day and then be so good. All the kids were very well behaved when we got back from Target. So the point of the story is...Wal-Mart = bad; Target = good.
Carter woke up after only a few hours after going to bed. He wouldn't go back to bed so we made a bottle for him and I fed him. After that he slept pretty well. He did get up once more during the night and Erin gave him a paci which made him happy. Brayden on the other hand was another story. He woke up twice and was very upset. I checked on him the first time and he was asking for a paci. He already had three pacis, but he wanted another one. I dug around his blankets until I found another paci and gave it to him. After that he stopped crying and laid down. I put his blanket over him and he went back to sleep. Brayden got up again later in the night and Erin went in to check on him. He once again went back to sleep. Hopefully this isn't a new pattern.
In the morning Brayden started crying when we woke them up to get ready for daycare. He kept trying to get away while I was attempting to change his diaper and get his clothes on. When I finally finished getting him ready he calmed down and wanted me to pick him up. He was really good for the rest of the morning.
I went to the gym again this morning. It was a lot easier than last week. The soreness is mostly gone and I felt a lot stronger. I'm sure it helps that I'm finally over the Cold.
Erin said that Calvin came running out of the daycare place to see her because he thought she was leaving without giving him a hug and kiss. She was just getting the babies out of the car, but Calvin loves hugs and kisses when he gets dropped off at daycare.
Everyone was well behaved when I picked them up from daycare. Brayden and Calvin were singing in the car on the ride home. Calvin kept telling me to go "downhill" while we were going uphill. Brayden would say "go fast dada" and Calvin would follow with "go slow dada".
They didn't eat much of their dinner at all tonight. They didn't eat any of dada's dinner either. Erin brought me some Fazoli's lasagna and breadsticks.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Go Get 'em
The babies did very well again last night. They got up around 4:30 so we fed them and then put them back down. They woke up again about 6:30. Carter was the first to wake up. Then Calvin and Brayden got up shortly after. Aubrey was the last to wake up.
After eating breakfast Erin gave the babies a bath. Then we got everyone ready to go to Target and get some shopping done. We also had to run by FedEx and send off my Onkyo receiver back to the factory for warranty repairs. I had been meaning to send it back for some time. The warranty runs out in about six weeks so I needed to get it mailed out. Hopefully it's back before Christmas. The receiver is used in the Media room so I would like to have it for watching any movies while I am off work. I was able to plug the cable box and PS3 directly into the TV so they will still work, but it's not connected to the surround sound.
After FedEx we went to Target to pick up some gifts for my staff and for the daycare ladies. I had Calvin and Brayden while Erin had the babies. They were all very well behaved while we were shopping. I realized that I forgot to get one thing after checking out so Erin stayed with the kids while I ran back to get one more item. She went over to the restaurant in the store and got a pretzel for the boys. They seemed to be enjoying it until we stopped at Burger King and I got a hamburger and french fries. As soon as they smelled the french fries they didn't want the pretzel.
Wrapped presents while the kids were napping. I have a lot to get wrapped so I needed to get started. I didn't get that much done before Erin both babies woke up. Calvin and Brayden were both really upset when they woke up. Not sure why, but it took thirty minutes or so before they calmed down. *a
"Go get 'em" is what Brayden kept saying to me when Carter would be off in the kitchen crawling around. I'm still amazed at how well he crawls. He was crawling all over me tonight. He is so proud of himself when he pulls himself up to his knees.
Went back out to Barnes & Noble after the kids got up from their nap. We weren't sure if we wanted to go today or wait until tomorrow, but the boys made the decision easy. They were getting rather fussy and our patience was starting to wear thin so we packed everyone up and headed out again. We bought some oversized dice since the boys really love playing with dice right now. Brayden couldn't wait until we got home and he managed to get the package of dice open in the car. Of course the dice fell and were all over the floor, but we eventually found them all. Calvin calls the big dice "Bray Bray's dice".
After getting everyone in bed I got back to wrapping presents. I probably got about half done today. We'll see how much more I am able to get done tomorrow. It's amazing to think that Christmas is only two weeks away.
After eating breakfast Erin gave the babies a bath. Then we got everyone ready to go to Target and get some shopping done. We also had to run by FedEx and send off my Onkyo receiver back to the factory for warranty repairs. I had been meaning to send it back for some time. The warranty runs out in about six weeks so I needed to get it mailed out. Hopefully it's back before Christmas. The receiver is used in the Media room so I would like to have it for watching any movies while I am off work. I was able to plug the cable box and PS3 directly into the TV so they will still work, but it's not connected to the surround sound.
After FedEx we went to Target to pick up some gifts for my staff and for the daycare ladies. I had Calvin and Brayden while Erin had the babies. They were all very well behaved while we were shopping. I realized that I forgot to get one thing after checking out so Erin stayed with the kids while I ran back to get one more item. She went over to the restaurant in the store and got a pretzel for the boys. They seemed to be enjoying it until we stopped at Burger King and I got a hamburger and french fries. As soon as they smelled the french fries they didn't want the pretzel.
Wrapped presents while the kids were napping. I have a lot to get wrapped so I needed to get started. I didn't get that much done before Erin both babies woke up. Calvin and Brayden were both really upset when they woke up. Not sure why, but it took thirty minutes or so before they calmed down. *a
"Go get 'em" is what Brayden kept saying to me when Carter would be off in the kitchen crawling around. I'm still amazed at how well he crawls. He was crawling all over me tonight. He is so proud of himself when he pulls himself up to his knees.
Went back out to Barnes & Noble after the kids got up from their nap. We weren't sure if we wanted to go today or wait until tomorrow, but the boys made the decision easy. They were getting rather fussy and our patience was starting to wear thin so we packed everyone up and headed out again. We bought some oversized dice since the boys really love playing with dice right now. Brayden couldn't wait until we got home and he managed to get the package of dice open in the car. Of course the dice fell and were all over the floor, but we eventually found them all. Calvin calls the big dice "Bray Bray's dice".
After getting everyone in bed I got back to wrapping presents. I probably got about half done today. We'll see how much more I am able to get done tomorrow. It's amazing to think that Christmas is only two weeks away.
Friday, December 9, 2011
That Darn Cat
The babies have slept through the night two nights in a row. They're trying to be good babies for Santa. Mama and dada sure appreciate it.
The boys are getting better at singing. They were both singing songs with dada on the ride home. Not too long ago they used to tell us "no singing". Now they seem to like it when we sing. Funny little guys.
I let Calvin and Brayden out of the car after getting home and they ran up to the front door of the house. Brayden opened the door and went in, but Calvin decided to stay outside and spin around and around. Calvin came running over to the car where I was getting Carter and Aubrey out and said "kitty got out". Brayden had left the door open and Elliot got outside. It's not the first time and won't be the last. I had to run around into the neighbors yard to get the cat. Then we finally all got inside and the boys ate some dinner. Erin just gave them crackers and cheese tonight, but it actually worked. They ate!
Carter is still crawling all over the place. He was climbing on me tonight. He seemed to be happiest when he was up on his knees and holding on to dada.
Erin found my old dice from when I was younger and played Dungeons & Dragons and games like that. The boys were having a lot of fun playing with all the different dice. They would hand them to each other, put them in a cup, dump them out, etc. One of the dice is 30-sided and they really seemed to like that one. Probably because it is so big.
Carter and Aubrey went down to bed very easily again tonight. They haven't been fussing at all when we put them down. Brayden and Calvin were a different story. Calvin was fussy from the second I put him in bed. Brayden was pretty good, but it took both of them a while to calm down and go to sleep.
The boys are getting better at singing. They were both singing songs with dada on the ride home. Not too long ago they used to tell us "no singing". Now they seem to like it when we sing. Funny little guys.
I let Calvin and Brayden out of the car after getting home and they ran up to the front door of the house. Brayden opened the door and went in, but Calvin decided to stay outside and spin around and around. Calvin came running over to the car where I was getting Carter and Aubrey out and said "kitty got out". Brayden had left the door open and Elliot got outside. It's not the first time and won't be the last. I had to run around into the neighbors yard to get the cat. Then we finally all got inside and the boys ate some dinner. Erin just gave them crackers and cheese tonight, but it actually worked. They ate!
Carter is still crawling all over the place. He was climbing on me tonight. He seemed to be happiest when he was up on his knees and holding on to dada.
Erin found my old dice from when I was younger and played Dungeons & Dragons and games like that. The boys were having a lot of fun playing with all the different dice. They would hand them to each other, put them in a cup, dump them out, etc. One of the dice is 30-sided and they really seemed to like that one. Probably because it is so big.
Carter and Aubrey went down to bed very easily again tonight. They haven't been fussing at all when we put them down. Brayden and Calvin were a different story. Calvin was fussy from the second I put him in bed. Brayden was pretty good, but it took both of them a while to calm down and go to sleep.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Jingle Bells
Babies did pretty well last night. Aubrey woke up about 3:00 this morning, but I gave her a paci and she went back to sleep until about 4:30. Erin fed Aubrey and I fed Carter shortly after. Then we got Calvin and Brayden ready to go to daycare.
I started going back to work for the 6am meeting today. I have to make sure that I get up on time and don't hit the snooze button a few times or I won't make it to the meeting on time. It was a long day, but it went very quickly so it wasn't too bad. I was ready to get out of there and see the kids today.
It was another very warm December day in Virginia. The kids didn't need jackets or anything.
Calvin was singing along to Jingle Bells on the ride home today.
Aubrey was having the best time tonight. She was sitting up and playing, clapping her hands and laughing all night. Brayden was laying down next to her and had a blanket. Aubrey reached over and grabbed the blanket and kept pulling it closer to her. Brayden thought this was pretty funny too.
Carter is keeping up with his crawling over everything. Brayden had his blanket downstairs and Carter was crawling over it when he spit up a lot on the blanket. We had to put it in the washing machine. Brayden was watching his blanket spin around for a few minutes.
The boys figured out how to plug in the train set. We always unplug it when it isn't on because the transformer makes a humming sound. We weren't sure if we forgot to unplug it last night, but we figured it out when I turned the train off tonight and saw that the plug was only halfway in the outlet. I guess we'll have to pay close attention for now on.
Brayden and Calvin also "used" the potty again tonight. They get us to take off their pants and diaper so they can sit on the potty. They never actually use it, but they enjoy pretending. After they were done they closed the lid to the potty and pushed it near the sink. Then they stood on top of the potty and said "wash hands". At least they are concerned about hygiene.
Calvin and Brayden got a bath tonight. Erin started giving them a bath and I finished. We didn't start the bath until almost 7pm which is usually their bedtime. They did quite well in the bath tonight. There was very little fussing. They brushed their teeth and then got in bed.
I started going back to work for the 6am meeting today. I have to make sure that I get up on time and don't hit the snooze button a few times or I won't make it to the meeting on time. It was a long day, but it went very quickly so it wasn't too bad. I was ready to get out of there and see the kids today.
It was another very warm December day in Virginia. The kids didn't need jackets or anything.
Calvin was singing along to Jingle Bells on the ride home today.
Aubrey was having the best time tonight. She was sitting up and playing, clapping her hands and laughing all night. Brayden was laying down next to her and had a blanket. Aubrey reached over and grabbed the blanket and kept pulling it closer to her. Brayden thought this was pretty funny too.
Carter is keeping up with his crawling over everything. Brayden had his blanket downstairs and Carter was crawling over it when he spit up a lot on the blanket. We had to put it in the washing machine. Brayden was watching his blanket spin around for a few minutes.
The boys figured out how to plug in the train set. We always unplug it when it isn't on because the transformer makes a humming sound. We weren't sure if we forgot to unplug it last night, but we figured it out when I turned the train off tonight and saw that the plug was only halfway in the outlet. I guess we'll have to pay close attention for now on.
Brayden and Calvin also "used" the potty again tonight. They get us to take off their pants and diaper so they can sit on the potty. They never actually use it, but they enjoy pretending. After they were done they closed the lid to the potty and pushed it near the sink. Then they stood on top of the potty and said "wash hands". At least they are concerned about hygiene.
Calvin and Brayden got a bath tonight. Erin started giving them a bath and I finished. We didn't start the bath until almost 7pm which is usually their bedtime. They did quite well in the bath tonight. There was very little fussing. They brushed their teeth and then got in bed.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
He's Making a List, Checking it Twice
Aubrey woke up around 2:00 and Erin got up to give her a paci then she went right back to sleep. Erin actually had to tell me that in the morning. I think the nighttime medication I'm taking is really knocking me out because I normally wake up when the babies do, but I didn't wake up at all last night. The babies were fed around 4:30. Then we finished getting ready and got the boys up a little after 5:00. We were running a little behind schedule this morning (mostly because I just didn't want to get out of bed). I still managed to get most of my workout in before heading off to work.
It was a very warm day today. I think it got up to the low 70s. Hard to believe it's December. Definitely nothing like Northern New York. I was talking with one of the other managers at work and we were discussing how many people are from Northern/Upstate New York that work on the same program. We were talking about how we should contact a few of the local papers from back home and see if they wanted to write a story. Of course given the work that we do we would have to get it approved by our public affairs folks so we'll probably never do it.
The boys were outside playing when I pulled up to daycare. They were watching a squirrel (which Brayden calls a mouse) run around and climb a tree. They thought it was great watching the squirrel climb the tree.
We listened to Christmas music on the car ride home. Dada tried to sing some of the songs, but it's amazing just how few words I actually know. I basically remember the chorus and that's about it. When we got hom Calvin didn't want to get out of the car. He asked to listen to music some more. I actually got him out of the car and he crawled back in. Eventually I got him out by asking him to help dada carry the babies in the house. Calvin grabbed on to Aubrey's car seat carrier and helped carry her in the house.
The boys barely ate any dinner. Erin fed the babies tonight. When Calvin and Brayden were as young as the babies are now we would each feed one of the boys. We didn't really have a choice because they both would get very upset if we took more than a few seconds to give them another spoon full of baby food. I have to say that Carter is most like Calvin and Brayden when it comes to food. Aubrey is quite content to sit there and play rather than eat. Carter will scream bloody murder when he is ready to eat.
Calvin and Brayden were much more needy and fussy tonight than usual. I'm not really sure what was going on with them, but they wanted to be held pretty much all night. It really makes for a difficult night when they behave this way. I wonder if Santa is watching them...
It was a very warm day today. I think it got up to the low 70s. Hard to believe it's December. Definitely nothing like Northern New York. I was talking with one of the other managers at work and we were discussing how many people are from Northern/Upstate New York that work on the same program. We were talking about how we should contact a few of the local papers from back home and see if they wanted to write a story. Of course given the work that we do we would have to get it approved by our public affairs folks so we'll probably never do it.
The boys were outside playing when I pulled up to daycare. They were watching a squirrel (which Brayden calls a mouse) run around and climb a tree. They thought it was great watching the squirrel climb the tree.
We listened to Christmas music on the car ride home. Dada tried to sing some of the songs, but it's amazing just how few words I actually know. I basically remember the chorus and that's about it. When we got hom Calvin didn't want to get out of the car. He asked to listen to music some more. I actually got him out of the car and he crawled back in. Eventually I got him out by asking him to help dada carry the babies in the house. Calvin grabbed on to Aubrey's car seat carrier and helped carry her in the house.
The boys barely ate any dinner. Erin fed the babies tonight. When Calvin and Brayden were as young as the babies are now we would each feed one of the boys. We didn't really have a choice because they both would get very upset if we took more than a few seconds to give them another spoon full of baby food. I have to say that Carter is most like Calvin and Brayden when it comes to food. Aubrey is quite content to sit there and play rather than eat. Carter will scream bloody murder when he is ready to eat.
Calvin and Brayden were much more needy and fussy tonight than usual. I'm not really sure what was going on with them, but they wanted to be held pretty much all night. It really makes for a difficult night when they behave this way. I wonder if Santa is watching them...
Monday, December 5, 2011
MUP MUP and Wolverines
Carter had a really rough night. He woke up around 9:00 and was fed and then put back to bed. Then he woke up again around 1:00. He wouldn't take a paci or anything and just kept screaming. So we put him down and turned off the baby monitor. Eventually he went back to sleep, but I have no idea how long it took. Aubrey did very well last night.
Calvin and Brayden actually woke up before the babies did. Erin got the boys changed while I was making my lunch. Then we went up and gave the babies a bottle. Calvin and Brayden were in the babies' room with us while we were feeding them and changing them.
Erin dropped the kids off at daycare this morning. I actually went to the gym for the first time in six weeks. I did fairly light weight just to get back in the swing of things. Taking six weeks off from the gym is a long time, not to mention that I had the flu a few weeks ago and now I have a cold.
Calvin said, "It's dada, not mama" when I arrived to pick them up from daycare. Carter also had the biggest smile when I got there to pick them up. Calvin and Brayden asked for Golden Grahams for their car ride snack. We sang "itsy bitsy spider" and the ABC song on the ride home.
Erin brought me home a turkey sandwich and ham sandwich from work today. That's one nice benefit of her working in a doctor's office. They routinely get food which she will bring home to me. I had the sandwiches tonight for dinner and Calvin had a number of bites of my sandwiches too.
Carter's socks said "MUP MUP" on the sides. I asked Erin if she knew what it was and she said that it actually said "MVP MVP". Silly dada, tricks are for kids. The font was horrible on the socks. It looks like MUP MUP, trust me.
I picked up some Little Debbie Christmas tree brownies this past weekend and gave one to the boys tonight. They really liked the brownie especially since it was shaped like a Christmas tree. Brayden also ate part of a chocolate chip cookie that they made last night.
I'm still not feeling well. I can't wait to get over this cold.
There is an easy way to tell if the weather is getting cold. All you have to do is look at my fingers. When my fingers start to split open at my fingertips that's when it gets cold. I have tried all sorts of things to prevent the splitting, but nothing seems to work. It's rather painful. If my fingers are going to split open at least I could have some steel claws that come out like Wolverine. Of course if I were like Wolverine I would also have his healing abilities and my fingers wouldn't split open.
Speaking of Wolverine, I saw that the Hokies are going to the Sugar Bowl to play the Wolverines. I'm amazed that they took VT in a BCS bowl game after that pathetic performance in the ACC Championship game. They have still had a really good year, but I didn't think they would get that good of a bowl game.
Calvin and Brayden actually woke up before the babies did. Erin got the boys changed while I was making my lunch. Then we went up and gave the babies a bottle. Calvin and Brayden were in the babies' room with us while we were feeding them and changing them.
Erin dropped the kids off at daycare this morning. I actually went to the gym for the first time in six weeks. I did fairly light weight just to get back in the swing of things. Taking six weeks off from the gym is a long time, not to mention that I had the flu a few weeks ago and now I have a cold.
Calvin said, "It's dada, not mama" when I arrived to pick them up from daycare. Carter also had the biggest smile when I got there to pick them up. Calvin and Brayden asked for Golden Grahams for their car ride snack. We sang "itsy bitsy spider" and the ABC song on the ride home.
Erin brought me home a turkey sandwich and ham sandwich from work today. That's one nice benefit of her working in a doctor's office. They routinely get food which she will bring home to me. I had the sandwiches tonight for dinner and Calvin had a number of bites of my sandwiches too.
Carter's socks said "MUP MUP" on the sides. I asked Erin if she knew what it was and she said that it actually said "MVP MVP". Silly dada, tricks are for kids. The font was horrible on the socks. It looks like MUP MUP, trust me.
I picked up some Little Debbie Christmas tree brownies this past weekend and gave one to the boys tonight. They really liked the brownie especially since it was shaped like a Christmas tree. Brayden also ate part of a chocolate chip cookie that they made last night.
I'm still not feeling well. I can't wait to get over this cold.
There is an easy way to tell if the weather is getting cold. All you have to do is look at my fingers. When my fingers start to split open at my fingertips that's when it gets cold. I have tried all sorts of things to prevent the splitting, but nothing seems to work. It's rather painful. If my fingers are going to split open at least I could have some steel claws that come out like Wolverine. Of course if I were like Wolverine I would also have his healing abilities and my fingers wouldn't split open.
Speaking of Wolverine, I saw that the Hokies are going to the Sugar Bowl to play the Wolverines. I'm amazed that they took VT in a BCS bowl game after that pathetic performance in the ACC Championship game. They have still had a really good year, but I didn't think they would get that good of a bowl game.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Making Chocolate Chip Cookies
I took some Comtrex last night and this morning and I'm feeling better. I know it's just the medicine, but at least I can function without feeling like my head is going to explode. I don't remember if the kids got up or not last night. I know that I fed Carter around 5:00 and then he went back to sleep. I got up, but just went downstairs and laid on the couch.
The kids were well behaved at Wal-Mart today. We started giving the boys some groceries and allowing them to put them in the shopping cart a few weeks ago. Now we can't stop. Sometimes they get a little fussy because their brother has something to hold and they don't. Brayden really enjoys putting things in the cart while Calvin likes to hold on to things. Carter fell asleep while in the checkout line at Wal-Mart. They don't fall asleep while we're out shopping much anymore.
Got home and unloaded the groceries while the kids waited in the car. Erin made the boys lunch while I finished taking the stuff out of the car. Then I got the kids out. I fed Carter and Aubrey lunch. They did a very good job eating. Then we got them down, changed them and let them play for a while before putting them down for a nap.
Brayden and Calvin said that they wanted chicken nuggets with barbecue sauce and french fries with ketchup for lunch, but hardly ate any. They did manage to eat a decent amount of dada's turkey sandwich. Everything is always better off dada's plate.
We picked up more lighted garland and bows from Lowe's. Erin set everything up on the front porch while the kids were napping and it looks really nice. We also got a lighted wreath and put it on the light post by the driveway.
We picked up some Hershey Kisses since the boys love Hershey bars. Although they don't seem to be too keen on the Kisses. Perhaps it's the shape that throws them off.
I set up the baby gate/play yard while the kids were napping. Calvin and Brayden wanted to be inside and play with the babies. I think they just wanted to play with the foam mats that I put under the play yard. The foam mats are all letters and numbers and the boys would pull up the letters and numbers and throw them out of the play yard.
Brayden was doing flips (sort of somersaults) today. He seems to be all better from being sick. He's not coughing anymore.
Brayden hit Elliot (the cat) in the face for some reason. Brayden isn't really fond of animals. He is kind of afraid of them for some reason. I think Brayden wanted Elliot to go away and he didn't so he hit him. This is something we'll have to watch out for. We have seen Brayden hit Calvin before and immediately try to intervene and stop him.
I took Calvin and Brayden out for a walk in the wagon tonight because Calvin wanted to go for a walk. They each wanted to have a soccer ball and basketball with them during the walk. As we were walking they wanted me to get them some leaves so I did. They would pick up the leaves and throw them in the air.
We thought it would be fun to make cookies and let the boys ice their cookies so we did that when we got back from the walk. We bought the premade chocolate chip cookie mix and let the boys use some holiday cookie cutters to make cookies. Then we took two of the big ones and let the boys use some icing in a bag to decorate the cookies. They did pretty well and didn't make too much of a mess. They really seemed to enjoy it.
Erin gave the boys a bath tonight which is normally my job. I'm still not feeling well tonight not to mention that Erin hasn't been able to give them a bath for a while so it seemed like a good change of pace to let her take care of the bath tonight.
The kids were well behaved at Wal-Mart today. We started giving the boys some groceries and allowing them to put them in the shopping cart a few weeks ago. Now we can't stop. Sometimes they get a little fussy because their brother has something to hold and they don't. Brayden really enjoys putting things in the cart while Calvin likes to hold on to things. Carter fell asleep while in the checkout line at Wal-Mart. They don't fall asleep while we're out shopping much anymore.
Got home and unloaded the groceries while the kids waited in the car. Erin made the boys lunch while I finished taking the stuff out of the car. Then I got the kids out. I fed Carter and Aubrey lunch. They did a very good job eating. Then we got them down, changed them and let them play for a while before putting them down for a nap.
Brayden and Calvin said that they wanted chicken nuggets with barbecue sauce and french fries with ketchup for lunch, but hardly ate any. They did manage to eat a decent amount of dada's turkey sandwich. Everything is always better off dada's plate.
We picked up more lighted garland and bows from Lowe's. Erin set everything up on the front porch while the kids were napping and it looks really nice. We also got a lighted wreath and put it on the light post by the driveway.
We picked up some Hershey Kisses since the boys love Hershey bars. Although they don't seem to be too keen on the Kisses. Perhaps it's the shape that throws them off.
I set up the baby gate/play yard while the kids were napping. Calvin and Brayden wanted to be inside and play with the babies. I think they just wanted to play with the foam mats that I put under the play yard. The foam mats are all letters and numbers and the boys would pull up the letters and numbers and throw them out of the play yard.
Brayden was doing flips (sort of somersaults) today. He seems to be all better from being sick. He's not coughing anymore.
Brayden hit Elliot (the cat) in the face for some reason. Brayden isn't really fond of animals. He is kind of afraid of them for some reason. I think Brayden wanted Elliot to go away and he didn't so he hit him. This is something we'll have to watch out for. We have seen Brayden hit Calvin before and immediately try to intervene and stop him.
I took Calvin and Brayden out for a walk in the wagon tonight because Calvin wanted to go for a walk. They each wanted to have a soccer ball and basketball with them during the walk. As we were walking they wanted me to get them some leaves so I did. They would pick up the leaves and throw them in the air.
We thought it would be fun to make cookies and let the boys ice their cookies so we did that when we got back from the walk. We bought the premade chocolate chip cookie mix and let the boys use some holiday cookie cutters to make cookies. Then we took two of the big ones and let the boys use some icing in a bag to decorate the cookies. They did pretty well and didn't make too much of a mess. They really seemed to enjoy it.
Erin gave the boys a bath tonight which is normally my job. I'm still not feeling well tonight not to mention that Erin hasn't been able to give them a bath for a while so it seemed like a good change of pace to let her take care of the bath tonight.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
A Toy Store Train Ride
Carter and Aubrey both woke up a few times last night. Erin gave them both half a bottle at 2:00 so that she could use the stairmaster without being disturbed by babies. Aubrey woke up around 6:30. I took a shower and when I got out Calvin and Brayden were up. As soon as I got them changed I heard Carter waking up. I grabbed Carter and got him changed and then we all headed downstairs for breakfast.
Carter found out he could crawl behind one of the couches that we have pulled out a little from the wall. After Calvin saw Carter behind the couch he decided to go back there...and wouldn't come out. Eventually he finally came out after some pursuasion.
Calvin was a very fussy little boy this morning. Someone forgot to tell him that he needs to be good because Santa Claus is coming to town. He kept asking for "Hershey bar" after we had given him the last one.
Eventually we got all the kids ready and decided to go to the Patrick Henry Mall. We were surprised that the mall wasn't very crowded. Perhaps it's because we got there early. Brayden was flirting with one of the workers at Bath and Body Works. He had taken one of his shoes off and she put it back on. He seemed to enjoy it. The boys rode on a little train at some new toy store. The train has a pedal that the kids had to push down in order to operate. They really seemed to enjoy it. It was set up in a figure-8. The set cost $100 and you can actually buy extra track to make it bigger. It seems like something they would use a few times and then never use it again so we have no plans to buy it.
The boys were singing "la la la" and "tonight tonight" from the song "Tonight tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae during the car ride home. It started with Brayden doing it and Erin and I were cracking up laughing. Then Calvin joined in. We couldn't believe that they were singing the song.
The boys have developed a habit of wandering around to find a place to lay down to get their diaper changed. You'd think they were dogs thinking about where to lay down. We say "lay down right here" and then they go to where they want and say "right here". Then they lay down and we change their diaper. It works.
Aubrey had a difficult time going to sleep for her nap. She had pooped when Erin went up to check on her so she was changed and then put back down. Of course she wasn't having any of it and started crying. We made her another bottle and she took most of it. She still wouldn't go down at that point. Erin brought her downstairs for a while and then we put her back to bed. Eventually she finally went to sleep. Unfortunately for mama and dada that took up precious non-baby time.
Carter was the first to wake up which was probably only an hour after Aubrey finally got to sleep. Calvin got up next. I don't actually remember Calvin getting up because I had fallen asleep on the floor while playing with Carter. Dada still feels like crap. I actually think I feel worse today than yesterday.
I played catch with Calvin in the Living Room with a football that is sort of a mesh type football with holes throughout. He caught a football by his finger getting caught in one of the holes. I thought it was pretty funny.
Dada went out to the garage to get a soda tonight to try to help a scratchy throat. When I opened the door Calvin peeked around the door and said, "Hellooo". Silly kid. He was an entirely different kid this afternoon from the morning.
The boys figured out that they can blow bubbles with straws in their water cups. So they proceeded to do that for a while. They have been doing pretty well using cups, but we mostly give them sippy cups because we don't want to clean up spills all the time.
We all went out for a walk tonight. It was a bit chilly, but we had the babies wrapped up in blankets so they stayed toasty. The cool air felt good to me.
Carter went to bed early which wasn't a surprise since he had a fairly short nap. The boys brushed their teeth again tonight before going to bed. They seem really excited about brushing their teeth. *m
Carter found out he could crawl behind one of the couches that we have pulled out a little from the wall. After Calvin saw Carter behind the couch he decided to go back there...and wouldn't come out. Eventually he finally came out after some pursuasion.
Calvin was a very fussy little boy this morning. Someone forgot to tell him that he needs to be good because Santa Claus is coming to town. He kept asking for "Hershey bar" after we had given him the last one.
Eventually we got all the kids ready and decided to go to the Patrick Henry Mall. We were surprised that the mall wasn't very crowded. Perhaps it's because we got there early. Brayden was flirting with one of the workers at Bath and Body Works. He had taken one of his shoes off and she put it back on. He seemed to enjoy it. The boys rode on a little train at some new toy store. The train has a pedal that the kids had to push down in order to operate. They really seemed to enjoy it. It was set up in a figure-8. The set cost $100 and you can actually buy extra track to make it bigger. It seems like something they would use a few times and then never use it again so we have no plans to buy it.
The boys were singing "la la la" and "tonight tonight" from the song "Tonight tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae during the car ride home. It started with Brayden doing it and Erin and I were cracking up laughing. Then Calvin joined in. We couldn't believe that they were singing the song.
The boys have developed a habit of wandering around to find a place to lay down to get their diaper changed. You'd think they were dogs thinking about where to lay down. We say "lay down right here" and then they go to where they want and say "right here". Then they lay down and we change their diaper. It works.
Aubrey had a difficult time going to sleep for her nap. She had pooped when Erin went up to check on her so she was changed and then put back down. Of course she wasn't having any of it and started crying. We made her another bottle and she took most of it. She still wouldn't go down at that point. Erin brought her downstairs for a while and then we put her back to bed. Eventually she finally went to sleep. Unfortunately for mama and dada that took up precious non-baby time.
Carter was the first to wake up which was probably only an hour after Aubrey finally got to sleep. Calvin got up next. I don't actually remember Calvin getting up because I had fallen asleep on the floor while playing with Carter. Dada still feels like crap. I actually think I feel worse today than yesterday.
I played catch with Calvin in the Living Room with a football that is sort of a mesh type football with holes throughout. He caught a football by his finger getting caught in one of the holes. I thought it was pretty funny.
Dada went out to the garage to get a soda tonight to try to help a scratchy throat. When I opened the door Calvin peeked around the door and said, "Hellooo". Silly kid. He was an entirely different kid this afternoon from the morning.
The boys figured out that they can blow bubbles with straws in their water cups. So they proceeded to do that for a while. They have been doing pretty well using cups, but we mostly give them sippy cups because we don't want to clean up spills all the time.
We all went out for a walk tonight. It was a bit chilly, but we had the babies wrapped up in blankets so they stayed toasty. The cool air felt good to me.
Carter went to bed early which wasn't a surprise since he had a fairly short nap. The boys brushed their teeth again tonight before going to bed. They seem really excited about brushing their teeth. *m
Friday, December 2, 2011
Brush those teeth
Aubrey woke up once last night and needed a paci to go back to sleep. Carter slept through the night. They woke up around 4:00 so it was a pretty good night.
It was cold this morning which is quite a difference from a few days ago when it was in the 70s. I always put my lunch and briefcase in the car before getting boys up. One of the nice things about doing this is that it helps to determine if they need jackets or sweatshirts. We actually had to get their winter coats out today. I had put Brayden's coat on him and Erin was trying to put Calvin's coat on, but he didn't want it on. Erin was about to let him go outside without having the coat on, but I said that he had to have it on. I figure that we don't need to let him think he can get his way just by saying no a few times. I know that we give in some times, but we need to put our foot down now and again.
Dada still isn't feeling very well. I took DayQuil this morning and I guess it helped since I made it through the day. Although I was very happy to get out of work today. I hate feeling this way because I want to eat all the time to try to get some energy.
Aubrey figured out how to clap her hands tonight. I was clapping my hands and she was smiling and watching me. Then she figured out how to clap and kept doing it all night. She was very proud of herself as was her dada.
Calvin was playing with the train again tonight. He was turning it on and off and adjusting the speed and blowing the whistle.
The boys brushed their teeth tonight. We asked them if they wanted to brush their teeth when we were downstairs and they got excited. We brought them up to the bathroom and gave them a toothbrush with the baby toothpaste and they both started brushing their teeth. We'll have to make this a routine each night.
It was cold this morning which is quite a difference from a few days ago when it was in the 70s. I always put my lunch and briefcase in the car before getting boys up. One of the nice things about doing this is that it helps to determine if they need jackets or sweatshirts. We actually had to get their winter coats out today. I had put Brayden's coat on him and Erin was trying to put Calvin's coat on, but he didn't want it on. Erin was about to let him go outside without having the coat on, but I said that he had to have it on. I figure that we don't need to let him think he can get his way just by saying no a few times. I know that we give in some times, but we need to put our foot down now and again.
Dada still isn't feeling very well. I took DayQuil this morning and I guess it helped since I made it through the day. Although I was very happy to get out of work today. I hate feeling this way because I want to eat all the time to try to get some energy.
Aubrey figured out how to clap her hands tonight. I was clapping my hands and she was smiling and watching me. Then she figured out how to clap and kept doing it all night. She was very proud of herself as was her dada.
Calvin was playing with the train again tonight. He was turning it on and off and adjusting the speed and blowing the whistle.
The boys brushed their teeth tonight. We asked them if they wanted to brush their teeth when we were downstairs and they got excited. We brought them up to the bathroom and gave them a toothbrush with the baby toothpaste and they both started brushing their teeth. We'll have to make this a routine each night.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Cinnamon M&Ms
Carter woke up once or twice in the middle of the night. We gave him a paci and he went back to sleep. He woke up again a little before 4:00 so I fed him and then laid back down for a little bit before getting up to take a shower and get ready for work. Aubrey woke up a little after Carter and Erin fed her.
The kids aren't coughing as much as they were the other day. Brayden coughed a little when we put him down to sleep, but it wasn't long before he was asleep. Much better than the other night.
Dada took some DayQuil this morning. My nose was runny, head hurt, neck hurt, back hurt. Blah! As the work day wore on I was feeling worse and worse. I guess I'll be taking some NyQuil tonight.
The boys were really good getting in the minivan when I picked them up from daycare today. I had some Golden Grahams in the car and they both ate them on the way home.
Carter was actually crawling over small items tonight. I still can't believe he is crawling so well already. He managed to climb up on the little baby couch we have. I'm thinking we're going to have to set up the baby gate this weekend.
Calvin turned on the train around the Christmas tree tonight. He was very proud of himself for doing so.
I tried some new cinnamon M&Ms tonight. I must say that they are quite good. Brayden really liked them too. Calvin ate a few, but didn't seem too thrilled with them.
The kids aren't coughing as much as they were the other day. Brayden coughed a little when we put him down to sleep, but it wasn't long before he was asleep. Much better than the other night.
Dada took some DayQuil this morning. My nose was runny, head hurt, neck hurt, back hurt. Blah! As the work day wore on I was feeling worse and worse. I guess I'll be taking some NyQuil tonight.
The boys were really good getting in the minivan when I picked them up from daycare today. I had some Golden Grahams in the car and they both ate them on the way home.
Carter was actually crawling over small items tonight. I still can't believe he is crawling so well already. He managed to climb up on the little baby couch we have. I'm thinking we're going to have to set up the baby gate this weekend.
Calvin turned on the train around the Christmas tree tonight. He was very proud of himself for doing so.
I tried some new cinnamon M&Ms tonight. I must say that they are quite good. Brayden really liked them too. Calvin ate a few, but didn't seem too thrilled with them.
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