Happy Halloweenie!!!

I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HERE! I remember my mom saying that to us (and now that I think about it she said it A LOT, we must have been B.A. D!). Lately I know EXACTLY how she felt. The babies are driving me insane crazy with the fighting and taunting and hitting and scratching and pushing and screaming and crying and and and. The fighting is at an all time high. The difference now is that they know how to antagonize one another which makes it that much worse. I can already see our future:

Mom: Shenzie don’t put your foot on his side of the couch
Shenzie: Puts her foot on his side of the couch
Heaten: WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH accompanied by hitting and pushing
Mom: I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HERE!

Who am I kidding, that is not the future, that is everyday around here.

Everything has to be just so or Heaten has a tantrum. If Shenzie stands too close, touches his toys, won’t give up her toy, looks at him the wrong way he has a tantrum that involves either throwing himself on the floor and crying or hitting her over and over again. Shenzie is really good about giving up her toys to the bully Heaten, but when she doesn’t and he hits or pushes her she retaliates with scratching his face and eyes. I swear she goes for the eye area on purpose. I swear all day everyday I feel like I am constantly saying no, don’t do that, stop hitting, you’re going to time out, etc. Today I’ve been super strict with them. The minute they hurt one another it is super time out. I get lax about it all and things seem to get worse so lets hope me being strict will make it a little better. What do you all of you twin moms do with the constant fighting? When does this stage pass? I feel like I should let them work it out on their own, but they don’t understand the concept yet and end up really hurting each other. Help!!! I’ve had it up to here!!!

The little angels that I love more than anything, but drive me crazy sometimes.

On top of all of the fighting they are constantly testing EVERY SINGLE THING. Going up the stairs (which are steep and dangerous) is a fight every day. Getting dressed - fight. Changing diaper - fight. Brushing teeth - fight. Not giving them everything they want - fight. You name it they are fighting it. My goodness, they don’t call it the terrible twos for nothing! Only a year of terribleness to go! =)

Little Shenzie Bear’s first black eye.

I tried to tell her I’ve had it up to here, but as you can see she didn’t listen. Ok, so maybe I didn’t give her the black eye. Maybe Shenzie and Auntie Kristy duked it out….can you guess who won? (Sorry sissy, I couldn’t resist).

Ok, so maybe Kristy didn’t pop her one. This one was pure Clumsy Shenzie, always on the go, so fast that sometimes her feet can’t keep up!!

On a totally unrelated side note…I love this post!

Over the weekend Jeff and I took the babies to The Haunted Harvest at the Springs Preserve. It was rather hot (still 89 degrees at 5:15pm) so the babies didn’t get to put on their costumes until later (and even then only the tops).

They were SO cute and had a really good time. We debated back and forth over bringing the stroller and decided against it. They did great with all of the walking. We walked A LOT and they held our hands the entire time. I was so proud of them.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the night:

Recycling is Hot

You’ll notice in all of the photos of me with the babies Heaten is trying to escape back to Daddy.

*The rest of the photos can be found here.

Most afternoons the babies and I go for a walk around our neighborhood. I don’t know how I got so lucky, but they NEVER go off of the sidewalk into the street and hold my hand the entire way. If they let go to explore something they always come back and hold up their hand before we resume walking. It is such a big relief that they aren’t always running into the street. Maybe it is because I am a meanie and made a HUGE production the one or two times Heaten wandered into the street. For whatever the reason I am grateful.

Last week on one of our walks we went to get the mail and I noticed an envelope from NC addressed to Shenzie and Heaten. I didn’t check the return address for a name before opening the envelope. Imagine my surprise when out came a card for the babies from their great internet friend Mason filled with the most beautiful colored leaves. The other day Erika wrote about hiking to see the wonderful fall colors and I cried boohoo because we have nothing like that here. Now I have my very own little piece of North Carolina color. One day when I get more time I’ll add them to a scrapbook page to show the babies that not everywhere is as ugly as Las Vegas. =)

Thank you Erika and Mason! We love our beautiful, colorful leaves!

Where oh where did my babies go?!?!? Here are their two year pictures (family, when I get on the ball I’ll be mailing these out to you).

Pumpkin Carving Edition:

Let me just start off by saying I haven’t carved a pumpkin since I was a kid (and even then I don’t remember how it was done). It all started off with pumpkin picking at Gilcrease Orchard last week.

The only problem was they had very few pumpkins left so the ones we got were teeny tiny. I had this great idea to use markers, googly eyes, and fuzzy wire to make really cute pumpkins. Great idea poorly translated. The visions of us sitting around laughing while coloring/carving our pumpkins, this great happy family were quickly dashed when I realized:

1. The googly eyes wouldn’t stay glued to the pumpkin
2. Carving a 6 inch pumpkin is NOT easy
3. Babies running around crying the whole time mess up the entire happy family vison

My fantastically carved pumpkin (HAHAH)

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Shenzie Bear’s Pumpkin

Daddy’s pumpkin

Imagine a picture here. This would be Heaten’s pumpkin, but he was too busy running around crying to paint one.

And then a week later our oh so creative (used VERY sarcastically) pumpkins look like this:

Do you have to do something special to make them last longer than a week? Maybe leaving them out in the 85+ temperatures wasn’t such a good idea??

I read a lot of twin/mommy blogs and lately there seems to be a sort of sameness going around. A quest to find the right balance between being a mom (stay at home or working), being a wife, friend, homemaker, and keeping ones self in the mix. I admit to being a selfish person. It is just who I am and I’m ok with that. However, I try really hard not to be selfish when it comes to the babies. They will only be this little once and I want to enjoy all of it, the good and the bad to the fullest capacity. While I do miss all of the ‘me’ time I used to have I don’t at all feel bitter that it is gone. I love being a mom to my babies more than anything else in the world. I know one day there will be time again to read more, scrapbook again, do arts and crafts, build a bigger photography clientele. Until then I am happy right where I am, in the midst of crazy toddler mayhem struggling to keep the balance.

Sometimes it feels like trying to keep this balance is a juggling act and once in awhile the balls get dropped. I feel like I am on the verge of dropping some balls around here and need to do something to keep them from falling. I feel like I need to carve more me time when the babies are sleeping rather than sitting at my computer reading all of your blogs or blogging myself. Some days I do not feel productive in other areas and really hate that feeling. I feel hard pressed some days to write a post or post photos here when time is running short. So don’t be alarmed if I don’t you don’t hear from me for a day or two each week. I’m still alive and kicking, just trying to maintain my sanity with a smile. =)

We are experiencing some major sickness in Barrville. This is quite possibly the sickest Shenzie has ever been. Jeff was on his death bed a week in a half ago. I find it hard to believe the sickies stuck around here that long, but maybe? Either way this is one GROSS sicky. Between the throwing up, the constant diaper changes and her poor little red bum I feel so sorry for her. I am PRAYING Heaten and I don’t get it, but I think our chances are slim to none. Boooo!

Yesterday both Shenzie and Heaten finally said I love you (not unprompted, but it still counts right?). Coincidence? I think not. She knew she had to lay on the charm for what was coming. Just like the good old days, up to my elbows in throwup and crap. Oh how very glamorous motherhood can be!!

Still my little fashionista, even when sick.

How in the world did Mother’s do it!?!!?

We have an arsenal of creative things around here. Washable crayons, washable markers, washable paint, washable stamps, washable bath crayons, bath bubbles, all non toxic. Notice the word washable. LOVE that word. It means when the babies color on the couch I don’t have to cry. When they color on my car, the floor, the walls, I don’t have to cry. Honestly, how did mothers do it before everything was washable?!?

Notice the word non toxic. LOVE that word. My babies would be poisoned on a daily basis with all of the bubble eating, crayon eating, marker eating they do if it wasn’t non toxic. I still haven’t introduced finger paints or playdoh because I know they are going to eat it. But I have the internet as a great resource to find other alternatives that aren’t harmful. Pudding paint. Colored yogurt paint. Peanut butter playdoh. What did parents do before the handy dandy internet? What did they do before things were washable? How did they ever keep their sanity?!?!?!?! Mom, I expect some answers here…having raised 6 kids you must know the secret truth to back in the day parenting. Spill the beans, inquiring minds want to know!!

When I’m out and about with the babies I get asked a lot how hard it is/was. My answer is the first four months were brutal and it has gotten better since then. While this is true, it is not the entire truth. I know a lot of Moms in real life and online who have twins and they seem to be doing fantastic so of course I don’t want to be the one whiny mom who complains about how hard it is. So not to be the twin mommy whiner…but the low down dirty truth is having twins is really, really hard. I think all moms will agree that becoming a mother is hard. And then you add another baby to the mix. Another crying, screaming, hungry baby. Learning and fulfilling the needs of two separate babies was really really hard. Those first four months are such a blur and I could never imagine surviving that again. I look back and am amazed that I survived at all! And I’m sure in a couple of years I will say the same thing. Looking back at the toddler years how did I ever survive! The upside to twins….twin love. Melts my heart every time.

Twin Love from lesley barr on Vimeo.

My advice to new moms of twins or those pregnant with twins. Ask for help. Any help. Cleaning help. Cooking help. Help to get out to the store. Help to go to the doctor. Help in the form of visits to keep your sanity. If you can afford to do so get night help or a cleaning lady. If you are pregnant and not on bedrest (lucky you) cook and freeze things for later. And just know that it DOES get easier while still managing to be hard at the same time. =)