Blaine is potty trained!!

It finally happened...both the boys are potty trained! I'm not sure the last time I was this excited for a milestone. I'd made a couple of last ditch efforts to get him there before Landry was born, but no luck. He was off and on about peeing, but he just could not get the poop thing figured out. I'd try to catch the timing and make him sit for awhile, but it never happened. After a couple of weeks of asking him all the time and talking about it he finally started telling me he'd have to go and he was willing to get on the potty and try. Previously he was very obstinate about even trying to poop in the potty. I'd get him on and he'd sit there for awhile, but couldn't do it. I guess he had a shy colon. Bless his heart, there were a couple days towards the end where he'd try 3-4 in an hour so I knew he really was recognizing it, but couldn't make it happen. I admit that towards the end I started getting pretty frustrated. Landry was here and only a couple of weeks old and I was just so tired and stretched thin. To keep strapping a diaper on and off him all the time was getting pretty tiring. Then one night we were at my parents' and he told us he had to go. BJ took him and sure enough he did it! From there the dots seemed to be connected. I think it was the next day he was able to do it here after a couple tries and the rest is history! Hallelujah! I feel badly that I had gotten so impatient and probably slightly berating, but I had lost all hope of it happening before kindergarten. But I have been so impressed that once it's clicked for them neither boy has looked back. They are staying dry though 95% of the nights and haven't had a single accident in weeks. I'm so proud and grateful! Newborn diapers are way less disgusting than 3 1/2 year olds!

Halloween 2014

The boys absolutely loved Halloween this year. They totally got it and seemed pretty excited about the idea of going door to door for free candy. Starting back in September I had been trying to get them to commit to what they wanted to dress up as so I could have everything nailed down before Landry arrived. Aaaand that didn't work at all. Blaine locked in on Thomas again which, although I felt kind of guilty, I was overall good with since all I had to do was pull it out of their closet. Pierce on the other hand changed his mind about every week, usually to some obscure Thomas character. There was no way I was making a homemade box train this year, so towards the end of September he settled on Chuck the Truck for like a solid week. So I (stupidly) believed him and ordered one off eBay. Thankfully I got a good deal because once he saw Tale of the Brave he wanted to be Bill the Train and wanted nothing to do with Chuck anymore. Sigh.

So I had tried so hard to avoid a last minute, homemade costume but yada yada yada I found myself at Hobby Lobby and Goodwill on October 30 at 8:00 PM. Blaine decided he wanted to be Rubble from Paw Patrol and I got Pierce to agree to it too. Once they were back on board with a "twin theme" I couldn't resist. So we trucked it up to US Toy the morning before for hats and I have to tell you my creative juices just flowed from there. Pierce landed on Marshall and Blaine stayed with Rubble and they turned out fantastically. I actually can't believe how great they looked! Proud mom moment! And Landry was an adorable kitty with a costume I had found at Children's Orchard before she was born.

We went up to NovaTech that morning for the annual Halloween fashion show and the boys were so cute. They crawled and barked their way through and charmed the masses. They were so excited for that night. We had our annual neighbor party, but this year was COLD. Most everyone ended filtering inside. Definitely a different year. I missed the sitting out and chatting by the fire, but it was just too frigid. I was glad the boys' costumes could be so warm. We went trick or treating with the Clarks who came by this year and the boys eagerly ran from door to door. They lasted a good 30 minutes, but then decided they wanted to go home to eat their candy. Landry slept through most of Halloween, but did come trick or treating bundled up in a blanket. I couldn't believe I was taking my 2 week old out, but she did great! The next couple of weeks were quite the trip down Candy Lane for those two. They sampled it all!

First Trip to the Dentist

Back at the end of August the boys had their first dentist appointment. We had added them to insurance and I wanted to get it done in the summer before I got too big and Landry arrived. I really wasn't sure what to expect with how they would do, so I entered with very low expectations. Rob had assured me at my appointment previously that it was all about making a great first experience and whatever got done was fine, even if it was just riding in the chair.

I prepped them several days before (which always does wonders for them) and we read "The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist" a couple of times which always helps as well. :) I had purposely scheduled the appointment with Patsy and she was wonderful. She explained everything first and made it a fun and exciting experience. Pierce volunteered to go first which worked out great because Blaine was a little more apprehensive. I believe he was Pluto at the time, so Patsy indulged and went with the puppy theme. He got to pick out his sunglasses and wear the bib. The looked in his mouth and then he got to pick out his polish flavor. Pierce chose bubble gum I believe. She polished a bit and used the water squirter and Mr. Thirsty to suck up the water. I sat amazed at how well he was doing!

Blaine was next and did just as great. He chose his shades and opened bravely. His polish flavor of choice was cookie dough. I told him Daddy would be proud. :) When Rob came in to check them Miss Patsy had schemed with the boys to squirt him with the sprayer. The boys thought that was great! Rob looked in each mouth and that was when I learned that Blaine has an extra top tooth right next to his front teeth! I had no idea and thankfully you would never know just by looking at him. They told me it should take care of itself and fall out and be replaced by just one. I hope so! We also talked about Pierce's more crowded mouth. He may be a candidate for a spacer in elementary school. I hope not because those seem so painful and that sounds so young to be having to deal with that. We'll see. They each got their goody back with bubble gum floss, a new toothbrush, sparkle toothpaste, a pencil, and other toys. I was pleasantly shocked and so very proud of how well they both did. It was a great first experience!

Thank you, Jesus!

I just had an impromptu and wonderful bible lesson with the boys. We were eating breakfast together and I suggested we read a bible verse. Pierce has been resistant to the bible stories out of the Jesus Storybook Bible for awhile now and I finally asked him about it. It turned out he didn't like the pictures and I actually get it. They are a little offbeat and odd. So this morning I just had the idea to read the verse of the day from my Bible app. It was the verse from Isaiah that prophesies Jesus' birth calling him the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace. I told him them that that verse was talking about Jesus.

Earlier this week I taught them the letter J Bible verse which starts with Jesus and taught them the sign for it which points to his scarred hands. I gently explained about the owies Jesus got when he died on the cross. It's funny what really hits them and sinks in sometimes. It turns out bad owies are something that a 3 year old can really relate to and I could tell it really concerned them. That day I think I briefly recounted about Jesus dying on the cross, but then raising again.

So back to today... I asked them if they remembered the sign for Jesus and Pierce immediately got a serious look on his face and did the sign. I said yes! and asked if they'd like to hear the Bible story about Jesus. It is letter J week after all. I expected Pierce to be resistant again, but they both said yes. I got the Bible and opened to the story of the crucifixion. I've tried to be really careful to straddle the line of keeping it appropriate for their little 3 year old minds, but also letting them know the truth of the story. One of my biggest spiritual goals as their mom has been to help them know and understand the extravagant love of their Savior. That it's not about what they do or don't do, but it's about what He did. And his sacrifice is the greatest act of love. I sometimes paraphrased a bit and kept it more about Jesus getting really hurt instead of killed and I could tell it was really sinking in. They asked so many questions, especially about the mean soldiers would want to hurt Jesus. They both had such sad looks on their faces and I was a little worried I was going too far. One page has a closer pictures of Jesus' face with a few cuts and looking sad. Blaine started whimpering a little and said he didn't want to look at that one anymore. I turned the page, but told him the story had a really happy ending. I finished to the point where he appears to Mary and we all cheered as we saw an illustration of the risen again Jesus. It was so gratifying to watch their little faces process and reflect the story. I pointed out that Jesus' owies were gone and before I could say anything else Pierce said, "Not that one!". He had noticed the tiny dot of a nail scar all the way across the table! I tried to explain what a scar was and they asked a few more questions- especially Blaine . He asked if Jesus could get hurt anymore and I assured him never again! It's hard to explain the victory of Jesus conquering death and sin in their place, but not lead them astray that our world is now perfect. I explained at one point that Jesus got hurt instead of them and that he took all of the bad and sad things on himself.

I could tell that Blaine was still a little sad (our sweet sensitive one) and wanted to leave things on a happy note. He asked me to hold him, so I picked him up and asked them who we would get to meet in heaven one day. We went through Jesus, God, and even Grant. (I'm really hoping they don't thing of Grant as part of the trinity!) Then I asked Blaine if he knew what I thought we'd do when we saw Jesus. I told him that we could run as fast as we could and jump in his arms and that Jesus would spin us around. He got a big smile on his face as we spun together and I don't think it's a moment I will soon forget. I get tears in my eyes thinking about eternity with my sweet boys and so grateful that we all have the opportunity to be carried in our Savior's arms together. Then as I was still holding him Blaine looked up at the ceiling and said, "Jesus, I'm sorry you got hurt. Sorry. Thank you, Jesus!" I was stunned and I think my heart just about burst.

Father, I pray that these seeds that are being sown in their little hearts would fall on fertile soil and take deep root. Help them to grow into a true and penetrating love for you. I pray that both boys would continue to understand your sacrifice and live lives of gratitude for all you've done and will do in their lives. Help them to see you as a loving and gracious Father who wants only good for them and has a perfect plan. Please continue to use us as their parents to point them to you. Give us wisdom and the right words at the right time. Thank you, Jesus!

Pierce is potty trained!

I'm a little late posting this. He's actually been completely potty trained for 3+ weeks now! When we got home from Branson BJ and I decided to do a new push for big boy underpants and potty training after taking a break for a bit. They both were fine with wearing underpants which was progress in itself. Both boys were great at staying dry, but Blaine just has not figured out the poop thing. After cleaning poop out of underwear for a couple days I put him back in a diaper, but Pierce never looked back! For the first few days I was vigilant about asking him, but after a short time he was telling me or just going when I asked him and he's done great! The only problem is that he'll sometimes wet himself at night 1-2x times a week. We're trying to crack down on night liquids and maybe should do pull ups to be safe, but he's pretty over diapers and quite proud at what a big boy he is. I can't believe how easy it was. He was holding out on us and just needed to be told it was time! Fairly typical Pierce. :) Now if we could just get Blaine there. Homeboy is completely unmotivated and has even gone back to peeing in his diaper most days. I guess 1/2 before baby sister's arrival isn't bad...

Update September 2014

I've been keeping a random list of everything I want to remember lately. There's quite a bit!

- I am constantly amazed at the boys' language and conversation. They both have little catch phrases that they'll use all the time for awhile and then move on to something new. For a long time Pierce's was "Seeeee?" when he got upset about something. He'd just keep saying it over and over until he could figure out what he wanted to say next. The funny thing was that Blaine then later adopted and now occasionally uses it when he's upset. Blaine is still constantly cracking me up with his phrases, intonation, and facial expressions. One of his more recent catch phrases is "Ummmm, well...." Or "actually...". He talks like a little adult half the time. Blaine also had a brief Popeye looks going for awhile. He's squint one eye while talking and thinking. BJ caught it on camera perfectly once.

- Both boys have really become great helpers. They like to bend for me so I don't have to and will often run to another floor to grab something for me. It's so cute and much appreciated at this point in pregnancy! Blaine also really likes helping in the kitchen. He finds such satisfaction and purpose in helping. It's such a sweet side of his personality. I'm hoping this will continue through baby sister's arrival.

- I've come to notice that Pierce is usually more of the rule follower and Blaine pushes the envelope. This most manifests itself when we're all walking somewhere together. Blaine will often dart ahead in a store and not follow along and Pierce gets really upset and often grabs his hand or shirt to stop him or get him to come. It's really cute. They switch roles though when it comes to opening a door they're not supposed to. They're both very good about waiting to open a garage or front door until a grown up is there and Blaine is always very concerned and vocal that Pierce is not going to wait. I appreciate the built-in checks and balances system we seem to have going here.

- They have become even closer best friends and playmates. I'm telling you I've never been more grateful for the blessing of twins. What do singleton kids do all day? Lately they have been quite harmonious and will go off for up to an hour at a time and play trains or race cars in the basement. They still play with their train table quite a bit and create scenarios involving day and night with the overhead light and family relationships with Molly as the mommy and James as the daddy, etc. I love just listening in on their play time. They also oddly enough love playing on my bed. The unmade bed is a playscape of snow and the pillows are caves and sheds. Very creative! We've  also broken away from trains a bit lately with a new show they both like, "Chuck the Truck". The great thing is it's brought forth a new love of dump trucks and cars that they play in the basement. Pierce has even wanted to be called Chuck the Truck and named BJ and I Porter and Haulie respectively (Chuck's parents of course). And I think it helped nail down his Halloween costume too which was great because I could not get him to commit to a single train. He kept coming up with the most obscure Thomas characters he wanted to be and I have known this is not the year for me to think about creating a random train character from a cardboard box!

- Both boys are pretty excited to be big brothers and seem pretty anxious for Sis to be here. We've talked a lot about it and prepped with a lot of scenarios and explanations. I really think they get it and will be pretty ready. I think they're both going to do really well!

- Pierce has become somewhat of the better eater between the two. A few weeks ago I made a push for trying no thank you bites of everything on their plates. BJ also discovered the trick of setting a dessert incentive out for them to see and that really increased the motivation. Pierce did really well, but Blaine will often wait to the last possible moment and often sits there without eating much. He is also known for taking large bites, chewing for a long time, and then spitting it out in the end. Baby steps, I guess. I need to toughen up about it again. I'm still not sure they'll ever eat normally. I haven't been stressing about it as much, but I think that's mainly because my efforts have decreased some.

- They are still doing great in their new room and bunk beds. But when we left them for a quick overnight with Aunt Rah Rah, I realized how set we are in their bedtime routine. Typically we get jammies on downstairs and watch a bit of a show to wind down. Then we head up to brush teeth and read a story in Blaine's bottom bunk. From there we do a prayer and a song and then they lay down to be covered up. This is where the oddity is. When they were in their cribs, Pierce used to always tell me he was scared and then I would say one more quick prayer for him. Somehow in their new room it has become three of those prayers in a row. I feel like we're saying a rosary or something! It's just a short prayer that I pray three times in a row and hold my fingers up each time so they can see. It usually goes "Dear God, Please help ______ to fall right to sleep and not be afraid. Amen". And sure enough, that usually does the trick. Funny what develops over time. Blaine is definitely our bedtime staller and has been known to call us back in for random reasons or say he needs to go poop right before. Right.

- I can't remember if I've documented Blaine's new ornery face. Anytime he's feeling kind of naughty and he's talking he scrunches up his nose. It's so cute and is a telltale sign that he has not-so-good of intentions.

- The boys and I have really settled into a routine of errand running. I've been taking them out since they were born and they do so well now. I'm nervous about what adding a newborn will do to our footloose and fancy free schedule- especially now that they're not napping. They can climb right into and out of the car alone (And still have to take turns with the coveted seat behind the passenger's seat. We're still not sure what this is about) and we have some of the best, sweetest chats while driving. They're good about riding in carts and are overall quite patient while I shop. I've come to really enjoy those times and will miss them when Sis is here. We've been buying milk at Costco the past few months and one of our favorite things to do is a Costco lunch date. They just sit right across from me at the picnic table and we just eat and chat. It's a fun special treat.

- Just in the last couple of weeks Pierce has shown quite the musical knack. He started bringing his little, plastic train whistle in the car (and now leaves it there so it's ready for him) and quietly whistles along with the beat of his "jams" (current favorite Raffi album). You'd think it would be annoying, but he whistles very quietly and intentionally. It's the cutest thing. Sometimes I can get him to listen to Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off" (Blaine's and my current favorite) and he'll whistle and shake his hand at the same time. Precious! He really does keep a pretty good beat and recognizes the different tempos. The other day he also wanted to bring up the drum set from the basement. At first I was lamenting over the fact of being a "basement toy", but he wore me down and I melted after I saw him haul it on the sofa and play along with the Peg+Cat song that was on. He seems to be a musical kid and I'm curious where it will take him.

- The other cute thing they do speech-wise is adding "es" on to anything plural. It's so cute. So they like to eat "snackses" and play "gameses", etc. Love it!

- They both currently wipe off BJ's kisses, but don't mind mine. They better not ever do that to me!

Dunweil Branson Trip 2014

Another Branson trip as come and gone. We headed down the same week in August when everyone went back to school and it worked out great again. But was it hot! I knew that I probably wasn't going to have quite the same blast as usual. I'd been so looking forward to it all year, but by the time it arrived I was definitely in a third trimester state. The week or two before I'd begun feeling hormonal, hot, and cranky and I was a little nervous about living with friends in my current state. But I think I was pretty well behaved. I told BJ to give me some sort of signal if I started acting too mean or cranky. :)

The boys did really well on the drive there. This year we were staying at the Branson Yacht Club and Abbey had warned us that it wouldn't be quite as swank as the previous year. But it actually worked out well. The only problem was a not great AC in our room and a super firm bed. But both were remedied by me sleeping on the living room couch and a maintenance guy finally doing something that made a slight difference in our room. It was weird being on vacation with my family but not sleeping with them, but a pregnant woman's gotta do what a pregnant woman's gotta do. I really did think the lame AC for the first 12 hours was going to be a show stopper though. After that was settled it really was a good accommodation. We had a beautiful lake view and the living area turned out to be plenty large enough for all of us. We boated most days and experimented with more local Branson eateries based on more TripAdvisor finds. The first night we tried Arandas Taco Shop which was really good. Not at all Branson-y, but still delicious! This was followed by a flat tire we discovered in the Wal Mart parking lot. We quickly drove to the Super Wal Mart on the other side of town and got it repaired even after they were closed. Phew!

We also tried Mel's Hard Luck Diner with singing waiters. This was not a great night for the Weil family as Pierce woke up from the boys' usual drive to dinner nap saying his stomach hurt and holding on to it. It seemed pretty legit. I ate most of my dinner, but just wanted to get out of there is case he was about to lose it. We walked around the cute little shopping area and he went in and out of pain. Finally we headed back and put him to bed and he was fine. Another crisis averted. I had visions of being stuck in a little condo room with a sick boy and wondering if we'd all go down like flies. I was very relieved we dodged that bullet.

Most of our days were spent on the beautiful lake. It was so hot that we got in every chance we got, but still so fun. The boys did great and are little lake rats. They loved swimming and each tubed once. Alice hung in there the first couple of days, but hit her limit shortly after. Aaaron and BJ took the boat out a couple of afternoons to "trash each other" on the tube and get some good skiing in. We hit downtown Branson (the boys loved the free trolley rides) complete with trips to the candy store and sweet little fudge shop where the boys got to lick a fudge bowl, The Landing, and drove the strip every day. We had lots of fun late night conversations and even came away with a great new "inside prank" involving a creepy bunny craft Ava made and hiding spots in an attempt to scare each other that has continued since we've come home!

The boys had known we were going to "Banson" and were so excited. I think they thought our condo was "Banson" because every time we went into town the first couple of days they whined that they didn't want to leave. :) They also began referring to our home as our "old house" which cracked us up. They weren't excited to come home initially, but once we got there they ran around and commented on all of our "new" things. I guess a week is a long time to be away!

 Abbey's Craft Time

  Christmas Village outside Mel's Diner

 Downtown Branson Candy Shop and Trolley Rides

 Movie and Popcorn night

 Horrifying Bunny craft

 Farmhouse Restaurant complete with Blackberry cobbler

 My personal favorite Ava picture that horrifies Abbey every time I bring it up :)

 Licking the fudge bowl at the Fudge Shop

The New Train Room

We finally got the boys transitioned over to their new room. This was a critical step in baby prep since we will take over the nursery. We sat down to look at the calendar and realized that we really should get them in before our Branson trip the second half of August so we'd have time to get her room done. Pressure! BJ spent a lot of time and energy to carry out my creative vision. I'd pinned a several furniture ideas involving pallets and he remembered seeing some by the dumpsters at Mahaffie! It turns out pallet projects aren't quite as simple as they seem since the nails could hold up against the apocalypse, but as usual he persevered and everything turned out great! We'd bought the perfect navy bunk bed off Craigslist (consequently meeting the sweetest family with triplet boys and a younger boy!) and I began to try to gather train paraphernalia and posters to decorate. It all kind of came together in phases, but I am so happy with it. It still needs a few little decor touches, but I can do that over time.

The boys handled the transition quite a bit better than I had thought they might. They were pretty excited about the idea of a bunk bed. We still weren't sure if we could handle Pierce being on the top bunk. I had been the one saying I thought it was doable, but I have to admit that once I saw how tall it was I had second thoughts! We let them practice climbing up and down and went over our big rules...
1. Ask one of us first before climbing up
2. No bouncing of standing on the top
3. No playing with the ceiling fan
4. No rough house at the top
The great thing about those two is that if we set pretty firm and serious expectations, they usually do really well with following through. So we thought we'd give it a whirl. To unbunk the beds would have meant taking out furniture and it just looked so great and functional with the beds bunked. We told them that if they needed anything in the middle of the night or when they were ready to get up to just call us instead of getting out of bed. And it's worked! I love it! I dreaded the day when I was scared out of my mind in the middle of the night with a tiny person at the side of my bed, but they've been great. They are such good sleepers and either whine or call for us when they're up. Pretty great transition I'd say. It's another bittersweet phase as I'm having to accept yet another level of their big boyhood.

Big Boy Beds

We are slowly trying to start the transition of moving the boys to their big boy room. We decided that step one should probably be to take the rails off their cribs. Pierce is able to climb out of his, but really never did. Only occasionally during bedroom time. So it was a hard decision for me to want to voluntarily rock the boat, but I knew it was probably time. We talked about it for a few days and then BJ had them "help" him which was a great idea. Blaine was pretty hesitant about it and first and had firmly stated that he didn't want his rail off. So we started with Pierce's and then he quickly changed his mind. I had a feeling that he hadn't really been able to picture it. They quickly got very excited about it and were pretty hyped. It was really cute! I wasn't sure what to expect the first night. My fear was that they would be all over the house at any given hour of the night or at my bedside ready to be up at 5 AM. But it went really well. The first few nights the only change was that Blaine kept chatting. I mean talking and talking and talking. Poor Pierce. He's always ready to go right to sleep, but it often takes Blaine a lot longer to wind down no matter how tired he is. I figured out that it was probably because he had a much more direct view to Pierce's crib than with the cribs. So really there wasn't much change from their cribs. They slept great all night and woke up in their normal time range. Not bad!

Then a few mornings ago I was standing outside their door listening and I heard Blaine say he was going to come into Pierce's crib and he did. I opened the door and they both grinned at me. I had a feeling this was maybe a new door opened. Sure enough, that night or the next night I hear Pierce start to half real/half fake cry. That's unusual for him and I quickly put it together through the conversation of Blaine saying, "I said sorry", etc. that he had climbed into bed with him again- this time unwelcome. I wasn't sure quite what to threaten if he did it again, but landed on the idea that he would have to sleep in the pack 'n play as Pierce didn't like the idea of sleeping alone. So sweet! They both went right to sleep and that was that. So last night before bedtime we reminded the boys again about staying in our own bed and if not, that the pack 'n play would be used. We tucked them in and I got in the shower. A bit later BJ brings the monitor in and we hear Pierce crying and Blaine trying to desperately hush him. He kept saying, "Hey, hey, hey. Stop crying! I'm sorry. Hey, hey, hey. I have to tell you something. Stop crying!". I was almost crying I was laughing so hard. He was so afraid of us coming back and he knew Pierce was going to get him in trouble. It absolutely had us in stitches! We couldn't even be annoyed. So we just let it go for a bit and within a few minutes everyone was quiet. We'll see about tonight!

So we're adjusting. I'm still not sure when we'll be ready for bunk beds. At first we had worried about Pierce going up and down with the ladder, but now I think it will be Blaine we have to worry about!

Lake Fun

The boys have done great at the lake so far this year. We've had a slow start as June is always a very busy month for us, but we've gone out about 4 times now and they love it. Pierce still asks for chex mix the minute we step into the boat though. He's still in it for the snacks. When it's just the 4 of us BJ backs to boat up and loads up the boys. They launch and then I park and meet them at the dock. It works well. They both enjoy swimming and Blaine especially took to it right away. Pierce was a little slower to warm up to water this year, but has made progress each time. Blaine quickly remembered how to swim alone and his little limbs never stop moving as he tools around the water. It exhausts me just watching him! This last time Pierce was super excited about getting in and didn't want to get out either. BJ was what we call "his dolphin" and Pierce held on as BJ swam around on his back. Both boys can jump off the boat as well. They're quite the little lake rats.

Last weekend was the biggest surprise though. It was just the 4 of us and we'd eaten lunch and swam and were getting ready to head back in. Blaine looked up and said, "So, does anyone want to tube or ski?". It was so cute! We said that we weren't going to today since we didn't have another grown up. We've offered every time for them to tube, but they've always declined. But then he said that he wanted to tube! We both looked at each other with raised eyebrows and kept asking if he was sure. He said he was and Pierce expressed his interest too. So BJ started to inflate the tube and get everything ready. I think we were both pretty sure we'd get everything all set up and then they'd both back out. But sure enough, Blaine hopped right on the tube with BJ! We started out at a crawl just barely moving the tube behind. BJ sat behind and Blaine was all smiles. BJ kept giving me the thumbs up so I slowly crept up the speed and Blaine did great the whole time and loved it! Pierce was next and did the exact same thing. I can't believe my babies were tubing! We were so proud.

The other funny thing from the day was when we were just cruising around a bit. At one point, BJ sped up quickly and did a sharp turn. Pierce let out a yell and BJ looked back to make sure everyone was ok. It was right at the same time that I realized he had happily yelled out, "Rock on!!". We both cracked up!

No More Pacis!

I can't believe I forgot to post about this, but pacis are a thing of the past. And I cannot believe how easy it was! Abbey had said how easy it was once she waited until Ava was closer to three, but I wasn't sure that would be the case for us. They (Blaine especially) were pretty attached to them it still seemed. This was about a month ago and I knew naps were definitely done. But they were still getting pacis for rest time. I felt certain that if they weren't actually sleeping in the day anymore, pacis weren't necessary. They didn't quite agree. But one day (after some potty training frustration) I decided to go for it. I think I felt like I needed some kind of big boy victory if potty training wasn't going to happen. So I told them that we weren't going to use pacis for rest time that day and that if they made it without they could have ice cream for a snack. Pierce was fine with it, but Blaine did his whine/cry for about 20ish minutes and then was fine. I had sent them down with wet chewey cloths as a substitute thinking that might soften the blow. They did great and enjoyed the ice cream after.

It had gone so smoothly that afternoon that I figured we should try keep the ball rolling for bed time. So I prepped them again and once again offered a small morning bribe- breakfast cake in the morning if they did it. I had envisioned homemade koffee kake, but it occurred to me later that they may have been thinking about the leftover Thomas birthday cake in the fridge. They went to sleep with their chewey cloths and no problems! I couldn't believe it. We kept listening in on the monitor incredulously. That was way too easy! The next morning Blaine (my fellow breakfast sweets lover) was totally on board with the koffee kake, but Pierce had definitely been picturing the Thomas cake. I figured a deal was a deal, so a small slice he got. :) They used chewey cloths off and on for a couple more weeks, but that was it. So easy!! I'm so glad I didn't stress about it before now or try to push the issue much sooner. Maybe three is the magic age!

3 Year Old Check Up

A couple of weeks ago the boys went in for their three year old check up with Dr. Hartman. The Kleinbergs had been here the weekend before so I asked Uncle Andrew if they would have any shots this go round. He said they shouldn't, so they were happy about that going into things. I prepped them a few days out and we did our own pretend check ups here (a favorite activity) and read The Berenstain Bears Go To The Doctor. They seemed to be pretty prepared, but you never know how game time will actually go . I was fairly certain one or both would just woof the whole time and not really prove the brilliant boys that I know they are.

They walked right back to the room and each bravely put out their arms for the blood pressure. They've never done it in real life, but knew what it was from their Fisher Price kit. They didn't blink and looked quite proud to be having it done. Next was weight and height. For some reason (and I remembered this from the 2 1/2 year check) Blaine hates getting on the scale. He got pretty stubborn, but BJ somehow got him to step on (maybe we called it a puppy scale?) and he ended up doing fine. Pierce did great. They were about a pound apart and the exact height for the first time!

Then Dr. Hartman came in and they bravely and cooperatively did every single thing she asked. It was so cute! The chatted with her and I was a very proud mommy! At the beginning she told us about a free service elementary schools offer where we can have their speech evaluated if we wanted. I don't think she was concerned, but just letting us know. By the end of the appt, she said, "Yeah, I'm not at all concerned about their speech!". When I looked at their 3 year ability check list later, it confirmed my certainty of their genius. :) Count to 3? Try to 10-20. Recognizes and can say some colors? How about all of them in 2 languages? I know, I'm a biased mommy, but I'm still certain they're ahead of the curve. :)

July 2014 Update

We've settled into a pretty laid back summer routine and it's been fun. The boys are my little buddies and it seems so boring to think back to when they couldn't talk and express themselves. They are constantly cracking me up and I know I need to do a better job of righting down the cute things they say right when they say them!

- Both boys still like to pretend to be puppies. These days Blaine goes by "Clifford" and Pierce is "Pluto" (and will religiously correct you if you call him otherwise). Pierce is the most into it and pants, whimpers, woofs, and sometimes crawls in true puppy fashion. He even gives pretend licks instead of kisses. This was after he tried licking for real and we said no thank you.

- Speaking of which, "no thank you" has become the universal phrase for "stop it, I don't like it". I'm proud of them because it's helped them to communicate in a polite way and that's the signal for someone else to know they mean business. I know I'm biased, but they really are two of the most polite 3 year olds I know. We were at Union Station the other day as a potty chart reward and a big day care group came in. The boys had been playing on the Chuggington train table and kept their cool as a swarm of kids slowly settled around them. They shared and took turns and didn't ever get upset. They both just get very serious and aware though as they hold on to their favorite train and insert themselves into the play. At one point a couple of boys (who were easily a head taller than Blaine) got in the the way of where Blaine was trying to push his train. He just kept saying, "Excuse me, guys. Excuse me." It was so sweet. They either ignored him or didn't hear him and eventually he just went around. I'm so proud of them!

- Blaine is still our friendly extrovert. He says hi to everyone with a genuine attitude and loves meeting new people. BJ and I both say that he's friendlier than we ever were as kids and probably still are now. It always surprises me about him, but he has such a sincere heart and just genuinely enjoys people. We think he'd make a great doctor someday. :)

- Pierce continues to be very structured and particular. Although, I've noticed he's a lot more laid back when well rested and in his routine. He seems to be slowly warming up to some new foods (hot dogs and ramens are recent added favorites), but his new excuse now for not liking or doing something is "I'm getting o-der and o-der, so I don't do that anymore." He has somehow missed the memo that getting older means trying and experiencing even more things than before! He still has his "Pierce voice". I'm not sure how else to describe it. It gets a little nasaly, but it's really cute. He really goes into it when he gets mad or worked up about something. He's still my sweet snuggle bug though and would waller and nuzzle me all day if I let him.

- They have become the best of playmates and we finally can have hour long stretches where they'll just play trains together. It's wonderful and makes having twins so very fun and special. They for sure share a bond now that no one else can quite understand. I love listening to them from another room as they pretend with their trains. They make up scenes at the blue mountain quarry, fix wonky whistles at the steamworks repair, and take turns getting clean at the wash down. I'm amazed at their imaginations and their sweet play time together. I feel like a spoiled mommy a lot of days to have a built in play mate and best friend for each of them.

Some funny phrases from the last few weeks...
- Last week I was getting ready to go to Thursday Zumba. I said bye to the boys as they were eating and Blaine all of a sudden said, "Wait, Mommy. Don't forget your jingle bells!". He had remembered my Zumba bell bracelets and didn't want me to forget. You bet I wore them that night!

- The other day Papa was teasing Blaine by getting him to look away so he could steal his cookie. He said, "look, there's a giraffe in the backyard." They both craned their necks to see and then looked back puzzled and disappointed. They definitely didn't get the joke and so he had to explain that he was just teasing. Then Pierce looked right at him and asked if it was just his imagination. We all cracked up!

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Day Out with Thomas

How do I begin to summarize the experience that was Day Out with Thomas? First of all, I/we had been eagerly anticipating this day for a few months. We bought our tickets early and watched the youtube video that made the whole experience look sunny and magical. A real train ride on a real Thomas engine, meeting Sir Topham hat, activities, story times, etc. Everything in the video had a sunny gleam to it. It began to occur to me that this may not be the actual experience when a facebook friend posted some pics of their day the day before ours. It was at the Midland Railway in Baldwin City and basically looked like the whole event was in the middle of a stock yard. The "coach" (as Pierce would call it) looked like an open air cattle car and the whole event was just set up under tents in the grass. And to make matters worse it was supposed to rain the whole night before and morning of. Not.good. I was also starting to get worked up because the event was supposed to be handicapped accessible and a giant grassy area really isn't that. I'm glad my expectations were tempered because it was pretty much all that I had lowered my expectations to be.

It rained most of that morning and partly on our way, but we forged ahead. Parking was terrible and in nearby church lots and gravel areas and it was definitely not free as we had been promised on the site of lies. We made it in and the whole thing was just on muddy terrain under tents. Under the tents there were lots of train tables set up, a music stage where kids were banging drums, a petting zoo (although we never made it over there), and food stands. The boys went straight for the train tables and Pierce connected with some plastic ones. When it was time to take our train ride he was sooooo upset to leave the trains that he didn't even want to ride. I'm talking major meltdown. We finally got him over there and boarded the train. Ironically that was the most handicapped-friendly, easiest part of the day. Although I would have to say that actual ride was pretty "wame" as the boys would say. It was just down the track backwards for 15 minutes and then back the other way. Booooring. I'm being so negative about this whole thing, but for $18 a ticket I just expected a lot more.

After the ride we went back to the train tables which was a total mistake because it caused another major meltdown as tried to go to lunch. I was ready to call it and just go home, but Nana, Papa, and GG Bon helped calm everyone down and get us to lunch. By this point the ground was so soggy we all had mud up to our ankles. The funniest comic relief of the day was to see GG Bon's perfectly white Keds turn into a mud dipped mess. We still crack up today. Bless her heart! We ate lunch and then pretty much decided to call it. The boys seemed to enjoy themselves (minus leaving the toy train area) for the most part, but even they weren't enthralled like I expected. It definitely created some memories though!