Better late than never...2010 Family Pictures!

So, obviously I am still behind from our big summer of looking at houses and moving!  But, I didn't want to leave out these important pictures since this blog is also a sort of baby/scrap book for the boys growing up!

We had these pictures taken in downtown St. Louis in June, just after the boys turned 2.

286 days!!!

or 9.5 months!  This is how long our family was living apart and/or living in someone else's home.  It was a long time...too long!  But we made it through and after about a month in our new house we are settling in nicely.

Jeff started his new job in St. Louis the first of November.  We finally got an offer on our house in April with a closing date near the end of May.  A long story short, the contract was contingent on the buyers divorce and that ended up being a big mess!  In the end we didn't close until the middle of June.  Jeff and I spent every weekend for many weeks looking for just the right house.  We were very picky!  In the end it all worked out and we were able to get our favorite house out of the 50+ that we looked at!

We are now living just outside St. Louis.  Our house has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a two car garage.  We have two living rooms on the main level so we have turned one into a big playroom for the boys!  They LOVE it!  We also have a basement that is mostly finished.  The finished portion includes a large living area, a storage closet, an office and a bar area.  The unfinished portion includes the laundry area and lots of space and storage.  We are hoping one day to put in another bedroom and a bathroom.  We have a great lawn with amazing green grass and a fence.  It has has lots of landscaping, a storage shed, a wood swing set and a wood gazebo. 

Just a sneak peek!

backyard - sorry not a great view

bar area in basement - still needs some work

half of boys' playroom - lots of work left to do here too!

part of the living room and looking into the kitchen - we got some new furniture, but we are waiting on the rest

our living room in the basement - the open door on the right is the office the door on the left is the closet, the unfinished portion is behind the wall on the left

For the first time since being married we have a mature yard!  We built our last home and has one dinky little tree and all new landscaping.  This mature yard require a lot more time and attention!  We moved in the house in August and the yard was already beginning to look like fall with all the tree limbs, leaves and acorns that fall off on a daily basis.  Some of the flower beds were overgrown and lots of ivy was taking over the gazebo and surrounding flower beds and tress.  We have began the process of trimming and thinning but it will be awhile before we get things the way we want them!

We have lots of things we want to do to this house.  Nothing has to be done though, which is nice.  We have things we want to do to update the house to make it more modern and more our style.  We have some furniture ordered that will be here in a few weeks.  I will have to update when we have painted, hung pictures, and have our new furniture delivered.

Pre potty training to trained at 26 months!

Yes, this is a little late (the boys are now almost 29 months) and yes, I have not blogged in TWO months! That is my new record! BUT, I do have a ton of excuses! I will share them in my next post...whenever that happens! :)

I will start with a little background information. I began cloth diapering Ashton and Ayden when they were 9 months old. A few months later I first learned about Elimination Control (EC). This is in short potty training a baby from birth using their natural patterns and being in tune with their bodily cues. I thought it was a great idea and I could at least use some of the ideas on my now one year olds. We bought them their first potty around their birthday and started sitting them on it by 15 months. We did have several occasions of using the potty as well! Our long and drawn out moving process started when the boys were 18 months and we did not offer them a potty to sit on too often. Their language skills were still a little behind so they were not verbalizing in any way that they needed to go to the bathroom at this time.

Since I wasn't able to do EC like I really would have like with staying with my parents and Jeff's parents and not having a place for our potty or a big potty just for them, I made due. I decided I would do what I called "pre potty training". I was not strict about this, I did not push them, I did not offer any rewards. I didn't even use Pull-ups or training pants! What I did do: I gave them a sign for going pee pee (ASL sign), I discussed most diaper changes including what was in the diaper. Ashton and Ayden both started peeing as soon as they stepped foot in the bathtub around this 18 month mark. I stated "You're going pee pee! Pee pee goes in the potty." every time they peed in the bathtub. While saying this I also did the sign for pee. I continued to use cloth diapers, except overnight. A lot of cloth diapered babies potty train earlier because they can usually feel the wetness more so than with the supersoaker disposable diapers of today. Around 24 months I began getting out the one potty we had with us at my in laws house. As the weeks passed I starting offering them the potty more often until by 25 months they were sitting on it at every diaper change. Now, don't get me wrong! They were NOT actually DOING anything on the potty except maybe 25% of the time. But, this slowly increased over the next couple of weeks until before I knew it they were dry nearly every diaper change and peed on the potty when I took them. They even started telling me when they needed to pee. Pooping was going slower, just a few random occurrences. When they DID pee I sang a song I had made up that celebrated this victory. Because of the tight quarters the boys usually had peed on the potty in their room or the living room so the pot had to be carried to the big potty to be dumped. The boys loved to "help" me carry the pot to the bathroom and dump the pee. This was their "reward" I suppose! By the end of June (26 months) they were staying dry even when we left the house to go to the store, park, or out to eat. It was not fun to take a side snapping cloth diaper off of a toddler in a bathroom stall, have him pee and then try to put the diaper back on said STANDING toddlers because they hate public changing tables!
The end of June I also bought our first package of underwear from BabyGap. They were so cute! But, they really meant nothing to the boys! Before the underwear was purchased Ashton was doing better about staying dry than Ayden. After the purchase, Ayden started doing better and Ashton had a slight relapse due to a pooping incident on the toilet that got him a little scared. We started to put the underwear on around the house or go naked and had very few accidents. If they did start to pee they would stop it and let us know and were then able to hold it until we made it to the potty.
We went to a park around this same time that had a family bathroom with a toddler size potty in it. The boys were not sure what to think and both refused to sit on it. I then went to plan B and had them each stand to pee like big boys and wa-la!...they went! They loved standing like big boys and have hardly looked back since! I now have to hold them over our big potty at home to pee since they are still too short to actually stand at the toilet! Glad we only bought one potty for $1 at the tmoms garage sale!
When we were outside to play and they told me they had to go I just pulled down their pants and let them go. After the first time I did this, Ashton later went in the house and said pee pee and got ready to do it right there on the floor! I decided I had to set some boundaries! After that we only went pee under the tree. Ashton does not pee as often as Ayden and would often not go in the morning before we would leave for our morning outing. This would freak me out that he was going to have an accident so anytime he wouldn't pee before we left I offered for him to pee when we got outside to get in the car. Of course, this worked every time! No, I don't want my child requesting to pee outside and he no longer does. But, I needed him to go and there was a new novelty to peeing outside and it got us through that phase!
My mother in law decided to get us a package of Pull Ups after I told her that they seemed ready to go without a diaper in public but that I was a little nervous. We used the first Pull-Up the weekend of the 4th of July. When we got home they were dry. We haven't used them since except for a couple rides in the car that were over an hour. We have not used diapers, expect for nap and night time, since that first week in July. We have had only a hand full of accidents in the 2.5 months since they have been fully trained. Pooping is occurring on the potty more often, especially for Ashton. Ashton and Ayden have always done their pooping while in their crib when they wake up in the morning and when they wake up from nap. Since they still wear a diaper to bed and they are still sleeping in their cribs I am not going to push this. They don't poop in their underwear so it's not too big of a concern! I think this is morning of a timing issue than an inability issue.
The boys love their "unders" and always remind me "no pee pee in unders" when we put them on. I do have a complaint about them though! It is hard to find underwear in a size 2! :) Going out has not been quite as big of a deal as I had imagined. Or, maybe it's just that I have gotten use to it! We now have to visit EVERY public bathroom we pass! Did I mention I hate public restrooms?! One time we went out to eat with Nana and Papa and each boy visited the bathroom no less than 5 times in the hour or so we were there! Most outings aren't that bad, but we do have to go at least once almost everywhere we go. Sometimes they see a door to the employee area or an emergency exit and say they need to go!

I wanted to write about our potty training journey for me to remember in the years to come and also for the boys to read about when they are older. But, I have had a lot of questions about how I got twin boys potty trained so early and thought something we did may help others! Since over two months have passed I am sure I forgot some facts but hopefully something in here can help someone!

Daddy's Boys

As much as I hate to admit it my boys are growing up. I guess a part of that includes being much more attached to their Daddy! Trust me, I am not complaining! It is really nice, although a little sad too.
The other day I left the boys (all 3 of them), just before lunch. As I kissed Ayden he just waved and sad "Bye, bye". Ashton kissed me and just watched me as if to say "Are you really leaving...or are we just playing a game?!" In the end, there was not one tear shed and Daddy fed them lunch and put them down for a nap all on his own. I didn't get home until after nap. Then, I was only home for about an hour before I left again to go out with some other moms. Daddy then took care of dinner, baths and bedtime all on this own! AND, to top it off...this was the first night that they boys have gone to bed without having any "Mommy's milk"! This was a huge deal at our house! BUT, you better not think for a moment that this continued the following nights! ;)
Other new trends include crying for Daddy when he leaves, wanting to sit or cuddle with Daddy, wanting Daddy to take them to the bathroom and requesting Daddy to read a story before bedtime. I guess the strong preference for Mommy would have to end at some point, but I love watching the boys interact with their Daddy.

Growing up TOO quickly!!

Sorry I have been kinda MIA lately! We have been SOOOO busy! This is such a contrast from the last two summers! Of course, we are busy with the home search, more about that later! BUT, we have been busy going and doing, shopping and playing, and just plain enjoying summer and being TWO! We are lucky if we stay home one day a week. We have been going to parks, story times, playdates, various shopping trips for groceries, freebies, crafting supplies, etc.

The boys are changing so much! They are SO smart! They remember EVERYTHING! This can be both a blessing and a curse! They are talking so much now! Ayden regularly combines two words and Ashton is right behind him. Both boys are trying to potty train! I wasn't going to push the issue until we were moved, but they had other ideas I guess. Ashton was going 2-3 times a day for about 2 weeks until last week when it started to taper off. Last week Ayden started going about twice a day and is now up to 4-6 times a day. Last week we bought some "big boy unders" and I think that is what helped him. SO, I let him wear them all day yesterday, except nap time and he did great! We still only have one potty and I am not pushing the issue, just getting them comfortable with the potty, etc. I think they are ready though so we will work a little harder once we get settled.
They have so many new interests lately! Jada (our dog) is high on the list! They also love their train set and the new airplanes Daddy brought home last weekend. The are getting more curious about numbers, letters and colors. They love to cuddle! They do LOTS of pretend play! This usually involves cooking. The other day they even pretended to give an imaginary Papa a drink! They also love to be in the kitchen with me and watch me cook. I always have to turn the oven light on so they can see what is in there.
They love to play in the water hose (aka: "hoa") and the splash pads! Last year they were terrified of these! It is so much fun to see them have so much fun in the water. I have a lot of childhood memories of my sister and I playing in the hose/sprinklers.


OK, now, about our never ending moving process...
On a positive note, our house in Oklahoma has finally closed!!!

Now we are faced with the daunting task of finding something in our budget, within certain school districts, with the square footage and features on our long list of must haves! Let me tell you, it has been a full time job! We have been to see about 40 homes and have looked at several hundred online. It started out as fun and exciting and has turned into a job I dread! I even have dreams/nightmares about homes!
I think we have our search narrowed down to 5 homes. We are going to go look at these homes on Saturday. Hopefully we will be ready to make an offer on something soon!

Potty training and paintingSand/Water table

Ashton painting

Ayden painting

watering our garden

Ayden painting

Ashton painting

Such a big boy

Ashton playing with slime

Ayden playing with slime

Ashton at the splash pad

musical instruments at the park

Ayden at the splash pad

My cool Cards fans!

Playing in the hose!

Going grocery shopping (notice the baby in the front of the cart!)

Happy Father's Day!

To a wonderful, loving, and fun daddy and husband! We had a great afternoon with you!


It was so cute to be able to have the boys actually say "Happy Father's Day" to their Daddy and Papa's this year! Can't wait to celebrate many more Father's day's with all the great men in our family!

Happy Father's Day!

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?!

Errr...Ashton and Ayden, how does your garden grow? WELL, it grows much better when you don't have 4 baby bunnies living in your back yard!

A couple weeks ago we went back to Oklahoma to empty out our house (phase 5 of our move if you are counting!). Afterward, the boys and I stayed in Grove to visit with Nana, Papa and Gigi while Jeff drove the moving truck back to MO and unloaded it at yet another storage unit. After a few days in OK we made our way back to MO. I was so excited to get home to see baby bunnies hopping around in our backyard! I WAS excited, until I saw that our first red strawberry was nibbled on and half gone!! After closer inspection I saw that even all the white strawberries where nibbled on! I was so disappointed! BUT, the bunnies are SOOO cute that I can't even get too mad! I am not sure what happened to our tomatoes, but the plants had disappeared all the way down to the soil. I don't know if this is a result of the rabbits or some other "hunter" but, no homegrown tomatoes for us this year.

Ashton and Ayden love watering their flowers, herbs, fruits and veggies each day! I got them some small watering cans so they can do it with less assistance now. Now we anxiously await the day we can start eating from our garden. OH, better yet! We anxiously await the day we can plant our "garden" in our very own home garden instead of our make shift/temporary garden! Hopefully I can update more on that later, but I will wait until I have more solid information to share! ;)

Ashton watering the growing garden

Tomatoes - GONE!

This couldn't have tasted good - guess that is why they didn't finish it!

Can you see the bunny? On the left corner of the grass, by the patio and flower bed. (click to see the larger view)

So sad! :(

What is in a name?

Ayden

Ashton

When we got pregnant we never even looked at boy names because if we had a boy it would be Jeffrey Charles III. We found two girl names we liked, but decided if we went to the 20 week ultrasound and found out we were having a girl we would decide then. So, obviously, we didn't just find out we were having one boy, but two boys at the 20 week ultrasound! Now we were in a real pickle! Jeffrey III and Jeffrey VI?!? Uummm...NO! So, we started from scratch finding two boys names that we could agree on. Within a week we had settled on Ashton and Ayden - fairly quick and painless!

A few weeks ago Jeff was taking the boys out of the bath and said something about "Mommy". Ayden immediately repeated "Mommy". Up until this point both Ashton and Ayden referred to me as "Mama" and Jeff as "Dada". After this both boys would randomly call me "Mommy". Random has now turned into about 90% of the time. I loved when they first started calling me "Mama" so often, but I just may love "Mommy" even more!

Ashton and Ayden have an ever growing vocabulary but, their favorite words have always been, and continue to be...names. Ayden does something we affectionately refer to as "role-call". He just calls out everyone's name in the room. Sometimes he adds names to the list as well. Both boys also participate daily in a game where they call out someones name in a way that suggests they have something to tell you or a question for you. We usually respond by repeating their name or by saying "Yes?". To which they always respond with the name of the person again. This will go on and ON and ON. We always participate and think it is really cute! Lately Ayden has been changing it up a bit and will sometimes say "HI!" after my response.

The boys love their "Nana" and anxiously await her arrival home from work each evening! Lately she has also received a new name - "Nanny". They first started this the same time they started calling me "Mommy". I just figured they were playing with a new sound. But, it stuck to "Mama", but not to "Nana". All of a sudden this weekend they started calling her "Nanny" again and doing it probably 75% of the time.

We have referred to my mom as "Grandma". My niece called her "Amaw" (pronounced as if the gr were left off of grandma) when she was little and it kinda stuck, but we were just going to go with "Grandma". As usual, the boys had other ideas! They picked up on "Amaw" really quickly and after visiting them two weeks ago, they are talking about "Amaw" all the time now!

And then their is the issue of "Papa"! We have a "Pawpaw" and a "Popa". The boys don't seem to distinguish much between the two pronunciations though. (It should be interesting to see what happens when they are both in the same room for the first time since the boys have been talking!) Nevertheless, "Papa" is a commonly heard word around this house!

And now the new fav - "Amy"! I wish I could somehow portray over the internet how cute this is when the boys say it! Ayden insists on calling "Amy" almost daily lately - he will actually get daddy's phone out of his pocket while saying "Amy, Amy!!" in a very insistent tone!

I could go on and on with the stories of the boys and their use of names! Everything is about the people in their lives. If they see something that belongs to Nana they say "Nana". If they see a gift from Aunt Amy they point and say "Amy, Amy". When they want to be picked up they say "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, up!"

This is such a fun stage and I am loving every minute of it!