We went to the park!

I actually tried to go to the park one day a couple weeks back with both boys, Liv, and the dog.  It was disastrous!  My friend invited us to join them at the park and pack a picnic lunch today, and I thought sure we'll try it.  This time we left the dog home and the boys were a little bigger to enjoy what the park had to offer.  Liv loved eating her lunch on this blanket outside.

Here's how you do the swings with twins and a two year old:

Liv was so excited to be outside at the park.  We have walked past the park so many times, and she always asks to go. I always have to tell her we can't go with the brothers.  Hurray for today!  We went to the park with the brothers!

 Then she came home and was sitting so cute on the steps.  Only to find out this was what she was hiding behind her back.  Well, our daffodils WERE blooming...now they are all picked and in our house!

 

Everyone is getting so big here.  The boys just had their 4 month check up.  Their stats are as follows:

Camden- 15 lbs 5 oz (56%), 26 inches (84%), head 16.3 inches (28%)

Carter- 14 lbs 4 oz (34%), 24 inches (15%), head 15.7 inches (6% Liv always had a small head too)

I was a little disappointed.  With their chubby cheeks I was thinking they would be in a higher percentile than 50 and 30 for weight.  Looking back Liv was in the 16 pound range at their age and was in the 90th percentile.  I thought in honor of the stats these shirts were fitting today.  Carter's says Daddy's Little Guy and Camden's says Daddy's Big Guy since he's got a pound and two inches on Carter.

 

The boys are getting much better control of their heads and now seem to enjoy sitting rather than laying.  So, the Bumbos are out and I need to pull out the Exersaucers too.

 Liv is my creative kid.  I'm always so amazed at the things she imagines up.  This morning she put this blanket on her head and was walking around telling me that she was getting married in the temple and that she was holding pink flowers.  When  I asked her who she was going to marry she said Grandpa!  I told her he was already married, but Grandma better watch out.

A Day in the Life of Twins and a Two Year Old Continued

5:30 am- Twins wake up to be fed
5:45 am- I crawl back in bed
6:00 am- Liv wakes up, wants milk and to pull my hair (aka twist it with her fingers while she drinks her milk leaving my hair full of knots I have to disentangle), and then to watch something on the Ipad while D and I try to sleep
8:00 am- D leaves me alone with three kids and goes to work.  I stagger out of bed and wish we Costco-stocked Dr. Pepper (It's on sale right now fighting the urge not to give in--twins breast fed on Dr. Pepper fueled Mom's milk probably not good).
8:30 am- Carter awake Camden will wake up any minute and demand to be fed.  I feed Liv left over pancakes for breakfast.  I have some too and load mine up with butter AND syrup AND whipped cream.
9:45 am- Have now fed twins again, dressed them, and already put them back to bed again.  Have already given in to allowing Liv to start a movie and I sneak to my bed room to grab a handful of dark chocolate Hershey's eggs that I am pretty sure Derek bought me for Easter but will definitely at this rate be gone by Easter.
12:30 pm- Have fed twins again, got liv in bed, Camden is surprisingly snoozing I could be snoozing except Carter is awake.  Carter and I do head, shoulders, knees and toes while I eat another handful of Hershey's eggs.  Definitely not making it to Easter, probably not making past the rest of the day
1:40 pm- Load all kids in car to take boys to their 4 month well child check.  Carter screams till he falls asleep.  Liv to Derek's sister's on the way.  She gets to watch Pinocchio in the car.
2:10 pm- Arrive at doctor's office with twin boys (who are both blissfully asleep only to be rudely awakened and stripped down in just a moment), a diaper bag, and a nursing pillow because the last few nursings in the office have been very awkward. 
2:50 pm- In patient room with two fussy both hungry and tired babies waiting for shots.
3:00 pm- Each boy gets three shots and are both screaming and red faced while I try to set up to feed them which is still really awkward despite nursing pillow.
3:30 pm- Pick up Liv who got to watch a Disneyland movie twice while we were gone, both boys alternate crying the whole way home triggering the need to drive through Sonic for happy hour drinks oh and some sweet potato tots and spicy popcorn chicken
5:00 pm- Feed the boys again
5:20 pm- Make dinner while boys fussing in their swings
6:00 pm- Derek having a meeting for YMs in our front room while Liv and I eat dinner to the chorus of two fussing babies and you guessed it another movie
6:20 pm- Derek eats dinner.  I alternate holding which baby is fussiest.
6:25-6:45pm- Derek and I are walking around the house each with a baby trying to get them to sleep
6:50 pm- Both boys asleep in swings.  Derek leaves for Young Mens
7:00 pm- Both boys awake again (already) and hungry.  I try to nurse them but they both keep pulling off to scream at the top of their lung.  Finally give up and decide to just put them to bed.  While changing diapers I see all the band aids and remember--SHOTS.  Both boys get Tylenol.
7:30 pm- Both boys in pjs, all swaddled and still screaming at the top of their lungs.  I call in reinforcements: "Grandma Nancy"as I call her in my ward comes over to help me rock my poor vaccinated boys to sleep.
8:00 pm- One boy asleep, and Nancy working on the other. I get Liv in pjs and start the going to bed process.
8:45 pm- Liv finally tucked in Derek comes home, Liv hears him, and gets out of bed
9:15 pm- Derek leaves again to go play basketball and all the kids are asleep.  I look up a recipe for hot fudge and make myself a hot fudge sundae with all the additionals:  marshmallows, almonds, whipped cream, banana slices

Condensed version:
I'm tired- need Dr. Pepper but don't have one
Free moment- snag chocolate eggs
2 out of 3 kids asleep- more chocolate eggs
Car full of crying kids- sonic cream slush and sweet potato tots and spicy popcorn chicken
Finally everyone in bed, husband gone again- humongous hot fudge sundae

No wonder I'm starting to put weight back on...perhaps that was the motivation behind this crazy venture: Yep you guessed it I took these 3 kids and the dog on a run.  I just did loops around the neighborhood so I could be close to home when chaos broke loose (as if just getting everyone out the door for the run wasn't chaos).  Surprisingly, everyone was fabulous.  The boys slept the whole time, and Liv just sipped away at her milk.  I got 3 miles in before I gave up because I couldn't bare to face the crazy looks my neighbors were giving me after running past them with the whole crew a third time.

Disney Excitement

Ok let's just be honest about something right now...my daughter watches way too many shows and movies in a day, but to my credit I just had twins who have to be fed all day long, we're stuck at home, and it's been the yuckiest winter.  Nonetheless, I really do try to limit how much tv/movie/ipad/smart phone time she has by encouraging her to play in her toy room, or with the dog, or even sometimes with me.  However, there are just some movies that when she asks me if she can watch them, I gladly buckle.  It used to be Leap Frog's Letter Factory because that one I at least justified as educational.  However, lately I'm in a pickle because it's almost every Disney movie...and that is almost every movie.

My Dad just planned a Rowe Family trip in September to Disneyland.  It honestly sounds a bit overwhelming with what will be two 10 month old twin boys and an almost 3 year old; however, this family is getting a little stoked about it (minus the boys--they could care less).  Anyways, Liv is going to be the most prepared almost 3 year old to ever go to Disneyland.  I have located every Disney movie that there is a ride for or that has characters we may encounter, and we have been watching them all over and over. I justify this as preparation for Disneyland.  Some of them, for example today was Little Mermaid (one of my favorites), I get a little giddy over.  She was watching it on the Ipad while I was folding laundry.  I'm folding and belting out all the songs and she's telling me to quit singing (such a killjoy).

Anyways, I sort of love that she is watching these movies.  Who doesn't want to rock out to Under the Sea while folding laundry?  Is it pathetic that almost daily Derek and I will get super excited about something else that is going to be so neat about the Disneyland trip (this trip is not until September folks)?!?  I just hope Liv thinks it's as exciting and we do.  And, I hope that after 3 days at Disneyland with two 10 month old boys and an almost 3 year old I'm still excited about it too.

Liv's non-screen time Disneyland trip preparation:  playing with the Disney castle her Grandpa recently bought for her.

What do you think?  Would you take these 3 to Disneyland in September?  Yeah we are crazy right?

Easter Wishlist

Dear Easter Bunny,

I've been a very good girl, and I was thinking maybe this year we could forgo the whole Easter basket deal (not that you've ever brought me one in previous years) and instead help me with the following:

• Unclog my bathroom sink
• Make some space in the garage to store all the kids clothes they have grown out of
• Tune up my jogging stroller
• Replace the batteries in all the fire alarms
• Move the extra empty dresser out of my bedroom
• Fill up the water empty water jugs we have bought for an emergency supply

In return, I promise to continue being such a good girl by juggling these 3 kids 2 and under and all the fun things that go along with that.

The Blessing

 We had a fabulous experience blessing the boys in church this weekend.  Derek was nervous that the two blessings back to back would sound exactly the same, but I was so impressed with how distinctly different and fitting for each boy they were.  He did a great job.

I was a little panicked about what to dress the boys in.  We wanted it to be white, but affordable and practical so this is what we came up with.

I was happy with the choice.  (P.S.  Our camera battery happened to be dead so all these pictures are taken with our phones and aren't the best quality.)

My Dad and Uncle Nathan both came out for the event, and it was so nice to have them.  My brother went grocery shopping for me and even purchased a root beer keg for the luncheon afterward which was a big hit.  

 My Dad did a Costco run and came back with way more food than we needed, but I have a bunch of stuff in the freezer.  We won't starve and I won't have to brave the grocery store for a long time.

  We also were able to fit in a beautiful hike while they were here.  Well, beautiful and stinky due to London picking a perfect time to take a dump.  Derek was thrilled to carry that poo in his backpack down the entire mountain and all the rest of us were equally thrilled to smell in if we got too close to him.

All weekend we ate some fabulous food.  My fridge is so so full!  At the luncheon we did Philly Cheesesteaks to Derek's delight and they were a huge hit!

The day after the blessing I vowed to do nothing but sit on the couch and watch movies all day with my Liv lu because I was so worn out from the busy weekend, but I actually got my butt off the couch and took all the kids and the dog out for a walk.  Well, actually Liv walked the dog, and I walked the boys.  I was super impressed with how far and fast Liv walked and how well she handled London.  We only had one cat chasing incident that was a little hectic.   All in all pretty good...it just may be a repeat adventure.