Video Edition:

This video is one of my favorites. The beginning shows Shenzie stealing from Heaten and being feisty. He gives her a talking to and shares his toy with her, sweet boy. She then steals it again. He gives her another talking to. I imagine he is telling her to be gentle and sharing means caring. =) He scoots in closer and she gives him a kiss. My heart was melting. I LOVE when they show affection without any prompting from me.

Brushy, kissy, talky from lesley barr on Vimeo.

Oh, and the BZZZZZZZ you’re hearing is their new electric toothbrushes. They LOVE them. They were always crying to use my Sonicare so we got them their very own Crayola Babycare.

When does a babies privacy come into play? I’m having a tough time deciding if I want to post a couple of pictures for Foto Friday tomorrow where the babies are just in diapers. I know it is personal preference in how much you reveal about your life, your child, and what pictures you choose to post (if any). I’m pretty open (understatement), but I’m having a tough time with this one. For all of the bad people out there who may look at the photos with evil thoughts or simply for my own child’s privacy.

You all know I post a gazillion pictures here, but I try not to post ones where you see nips nips or nekkie booty. In your opinion is that ok at this age? Never ok? What do you think?

*Edited to add…I just realized I posted nip nips the other day in the bathtub…so I guess it is not as big a deal as I’m making it…but I still want to know your thoughts.

*Thank you guys for the comments and advice. I’ve decided not to use the pictures. Like you said, go with my gut and this time my gut is passing.

*Kristy - Don’t worry, I had permission from Stacey to use those pictures. =)
*Jodi - You didn’t leave your email address…leave it next comment and we’ll “talk shop”.

*For Stacey - Yes, the age is my issue. When babies are tiny and babies and not yet walking I don’t view it the same as when they start walking and talking etc. I posted nips of the twins when they were younger too. Also, before ever posting any picture of a child other than my own that is questionable I always ask the parent for permission before doing so. The older the babies get is when the question of privacy comes into play (for me at least). And too…the picture I posted of Haylee was from a professional photoshoot which I view as art, not a random candid. I would have no problem posting the babies if it were from a photoshoot. Again, just my own opinion, crazy as it is.

Dear Shenzie and Heaten,

In the months leading up to your first birthday I would think to myself ‘in 2 months they will be one’ and get all teary eyed and weepy. Ok, not really teary or weepy, but sort of sad in a way that you were growing up so fast. Now that you are almost two I find that I am doing the same thing. Only three more months until my little babies are two. Not so little anymore. Not babies anymore by any stretch of the imagination, but still, always, my babies.

You both are communicating so much more. Whether it is words, signs, or simple head shakes no or yes you are making your needs, wants, and desires know. A lot of the times the needs, wants, and desires are things you can’t have which leads to cries, whines, and tantrums. Luckily *knocking on wood* we don’t have horrid 45 minute long tantrums….more like screaming, crying, throwing your bodies around for 10 minute tantrums. And let me just say that after hearing multiple tantrums from multiple babies all day long is sometimes enough to drive me crazy. Good thing you’re both so cute and I love you so much or it might cross my mind to run and hide. Oh wait! It does cross my mind, daily in fact!! For as crazy as you both are you are just as much fun. This age is so much fun where you’re learning to talk, learning to say no, learning what you like and don’t like. You make me laugh daily with the little things you do.

We have been practicing our ABC’s, numbers, colors, and songs. When we do the ABC’s sometimes you’ll both “sing” along or do a very loose interpretation of the sign. When we count you’ll both yell out after me the number. And when I say yell out the number I mean some sort of sound that isn’t really the number, but you think that it is so we’ll pretend that it is. You both love Pat a Cake and The Itsy Bitsy Spider. You love the way Dada does Pat a Cake. Really fast…so fast the words all blur together and your hands move a million miles an hour. We’re learning new songs at Story Time at the Library which we’ve started going to and you both really like. The Alligator song is your favorite (mine too!). You also love the Bee song and laugh really hard when the bee “gets” you.

With the summer being so hot we’re forced to stay indoors more or find new indoor activities to do. We do music time where you play the piano, keyboard, or guitars. We do art time where we color with crayons or markers. We even do paint time where we paint the bathtub with food colored yogurt. Most of the “paint” ends up in your mouth, or splattered down your belly. Good thing we bathe right after!

Even though most of the day is spent with me refereeing you and keeping you from hurting each other you do play together. Sometimes. You have your favorite game where one of you (usually Shenzie) will run into a room and close the door behind her (the doors have door stops on them so they don’t close all of the way). Shenzie, you then run to the corner and wait for brother to come get you. He’ll sneak up to the door and peek through and then push it open and run away laughing hysterically. You’ll run back to the door and close it and then it all starts over. You play this game daily and each time is as fun and funny as the last.

Dear Shenzie,

You are such a spunky, funny, sassy little girl. You have so much personality and I suspect you may be a drama queen when you are older (like your Auntie Stacey). You are still feisty and aggressive, but at least the biting has stopped (for the most part). You are so full of energy, sometimes it makes me weary just watching you run and run and run and play and run and twirl and dance and run. You never sit still. Even in your carseat you fidget, move, and wriggle. The few times you actually sit and cuddle in my lap are very precious indeed since the rest of the time you are a whirlwind of crazy energy.

You are still a fantastic eater and sleeper. You’re currently getting your pointy teeth (canines perhaps) and I can already tell it is NOT going to be pretty when they finally start to really come through. Stupid teething!!! You love water. You love to swim, play in puddles, take showers and baths, and “help” Mama do the dishes. You help me do the laundry, clean the counters, sweep the floors, clean the baseboards. Life is going to be great in another couple more years when I really put you to work! =)

Even though most of the time you are running around like a crazed loon you do have a very sweet side. You love to give kisses. You love to “mama” your baby bear. You give him drinks, food, and you even make me feed him. You love to cuddle him and anytime you get hurt you ask for baby. When Heaten gets hurt and cries really hard you will come over and pat his back or rub his arm to help him feel better. Every time you do this is just makes my heart melt a little that you love him and care that he is hurt.

Little Buggle Bean. I can’t even put into words how much I love you, how happy you make me, and how wonderful you have made my life.

I love you,
Love,
Mama.

Dear Heaten Bear,

This past month you have really gone through a lot of changes. Gone is my little, sweet cuddle bug (well, not gone, just temporarily misplaced). You have found your independence and you now challenge me at every turn. You used to be very easy going and laid back, and while that is still true for the most part you also want what you want, when you want it and heaven forbid if you don’t get it. It is really kind of funny to watch you test the boundaries. You will look right at me when you are doing something you’re not supposed to be doing with a little half smile, taunting me….like ‘what are you going to do about it Mama?’ Even funnier is when you put yourself in time out. I try to give you a warning before time out….it goes something like “Heaten, if you hit me again you’re in time out”. You will of course hit me and then walk yourself over to the time out corner and sit down quietly. I try not to giggle when you do this since Time Out is Serious Business. See all of those capitals…I mean business. Or not.

You went through a phase (well, really your entire first year and a half) where you only wanted Dada. You were a Dada addict. And then something changed and you wanted Mama, which of course pleased me to no end. But, those moments are gone, baby gone. You are once again Dada’s little boy and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

You are still a very picky eater. One day eating something with gusto the next refusing to even smell it. You don’t like to go swimming in the pool, but do like bath times. You are talking up a storm and love to walk around naming things. Your favorite sign is ‘all done’ and you use it VERY frequently. All done with the potty. All done with dinner (that you didn’t even touch). All done with playing. All done with getting your diaper changed. You have gotten a lot of miles from the all done sign.

Along with your new found independence came a bit of a temper. Don’t get me wrong, your temper doesn’t even begin to compare to your sisters, but it is still new for you. You will hit or push her if she does something you don’t like. You will hit me if I do something you don’t like. You throw your dog and then of course cry for him back the second he plops where you threw him, usually over the gate or down the stairs. A good part of my day is just keeping you and Shenzie from hurting each other. Referee Mama they call me.

You are still my sweet little cuddle bug and I love you to bits and bites and bits. I can’t even put into words how much I love you, how happy you make me, and how wonderful you have made my life.

I love you,
Love,
Mama.

Instead of a three day weekend we made it a four day weekend. Oh how I heart long weekends! We had a fantastic weekend hanging out together with the babies. Weekend highlights included:

Painting in the bathtub with colored yogurt (and eating it too!)

Swimming in the “pool” and ditching the babies with Dada while I went swimming at Grandma’s (and trust me, you’re glad I don’t post a picture of that!)

Photoshoots with Shenzie

Lots of singing, dancing, twirling, shaking, spinning, and running

Helping Mama and Dada clean up

Practicing sitting (and standing) on our new potties

Tantrums

Hugs, kisses, and love

and the best part…..DATE NIGHT!

Old photo since I have no more current ones of us.

Thanks Mom (Gama) for watching the Crazies. Jeff and I went to see the movie Wanted. I was a little disappointed, but Jeff thought it was good so I guess it is all a matter of opinion. Either way it was super fun, relaxing, and wonderful.

Thank you baby (and babies) for a perfect weekend.

Favorite Foto Week:

One of my very favorite photos of all times.

Some favorites from our playdate at The Discovery Park this week

I come from a big family. Six kids, four girls and two boys, of which I am the second. I honestly don’t know how my Mom did it and still kept her sanity. Growing up my parents never ever played favorites. If one child got something they all got it. To this day my Mom still holds that philosophy and it has carried onto the Grandchildren. If one grandchild gets something they all do (well, for the most part). I never felt growing up that one of my sisters or brothers problems were more important than mine or that they had something I didn’t. I hope that I can raise my kids with that same idea. I never want one of them to think that the other was favored in any way, shape, or form.

When I write posts I always include a picture of Shenzie and one of Heaten. When I write their monthly letters I make sure they have equal pictures posted (I know, a little overboard). When I buy something for one of them the other gets something too. So anyway, long story short….I wrote Shenzie Bugs a post three months ago and intended to do Heaten’s right after and then crazy life caught me and I never got around to it…so here you are baby boy. Your letter, only a little late.

My Little Heaten Bear,

I’m actually glad I didn’t write this letter back when I intended to. Since then you have literally exploded with personality. My quiet, sweet, loving boy has turned into a whirlwind of delight, defiance, and drama. You have always been the emotional baby, crying a lot when you were little. Whining a lot when you got older, and having crazy tantrums over the past few months. You have never lashed out or hit me, Dada, or your Sissy……until now. These past two weeks you have learned that you want things and heaven forbid something get in your way. You start with crying or yelling and then progress to hitting. Luckily you aren’t as aggressive as Shenzie so your hits are more like love pats.

You now tell me no and do things that you know you’re not supposed to do. It goes like this:

Mama: Heaten don’t *insert mischievous behavior here*
Heaten: Looking right at me does it again.
Mama: Heaten, look at Mama….Don’t *insert mischievous behavior here*
Heaten: Looking right at me does it again with a gleam in his eye.
Mama: Heaten, come over here and play with the blocks.
Heaten: Comes over and “love pats” Mama and runs back to doing whatever it was that he wasn’t supposed to be doing.

I can’t help but laugh sometimes when you are testing your limits so obviously. You are so cute when you run over and hit me that I have to hold the giggles in.

You still love to cuddle with me or Dada and are still my sweet little boy. Your laugh is so infectious, it lights up your whole face. You run like frankenstein, clomping along after Sissy. You love to copy your sister. If she crawls you crawl. If she throws something down the stairs you throw something down the stairs. And on and on and on.

You don’t like the water. We’ve taken you swimming two times and two times you hated it. We have a little pool outside that is perfect for you, but most days you won’t even get in. When we go to the park I have to run you through the water for you to get wet and cool off.

You are talking up a storm. Your favorite game is pointing to an object and I name what it is. You repeat it almost everytime. You LOVE the vacuum and ask for it daily. Hopefully with all of your new words your yelling and crying will taper off, but I’m not holding my breath.

Little boy, I love you so much. I could never imagine my life without you in it.

I love you,
Love Mama.

The other night I was literally trapped in Heaten’s room from 2:30 in the morning until 5am. After a couple of mistakes on my part I was finally able to escape back into my bed for some much needed sweet blissful sleep.

How did I get trapped in his room you ask? Well, lets just say Mommy is a sucker! All was well and good in Sweet Sleep Land until I awaken to a horrid screaming. A screaming so loud and tortured I immediately jumped from bed and go running to the loft to determine which baby needed me. I run into Jeff in the hall who said he had just rocked Heaten and laid him back down. Not good that he was still screaming so crazily. I knew he had dropped his dog out of the crib (his newest phase that I HATE). I go in and get doggie, lay him back down, turn and walk away. Before I had even got to the door he had jumped up, threw doggie, and started screaming again. It is nights like these I am SO GLAD we separated them into their own rooms.

This is where it all goes downhill.

So tired after our long night he has to take a cat nap on the couch.

I pick him up. At 20/21 months they know if I pick them up once I will pick them up again and again. And I will, I just don’t want them to know that…it is my little secret. So I pick him up and rock him for what felt like an hour, but was closer to 15-20 minutes (we don’t have a rocking chair and let me tell you….Standing and rocking while holding a 24 pound baby gets REALLY heavy after the first little while). He is very tired, yawning, cuddling doggie and me so I assume it is safe to lay him back down. Big mistake. The screams start up, doggie goes flying, and I leave the room for a regrouping of my tired head. I let him cry for 1-2 minutes, go in, put doggie back in the bed, lay him down, and walk out. Not happening. You can guess what comes next. Thud as doggie gets thrown and of course the screaming. It is now like 3am, I’m tired, Heaten is tired and I just want this horrible nightmare to end. So what do I do? I go back in, pick him up (yes I know, didn’t I learn my lesson already), and rock him while sitting on the floor. I must have sat there for 30 minutes while he kicks his legs, pets my arm, and in general doesn’t get sleepy. Trouble for Mama in Heaten Town!

4:00am. I’m beyond tired and getting a little frustrated. I put him in his crib where he starts to cry and scream and I lay down on the floor so he can see me. This seems to do the trick. THANK GOD! He lays down, grabs doggie, and calms down. Hallelujah! While the floor is not all that comfortable it is definitely better than holding Heaten in my tired arms. He rolls to his belly and I am seriously ready to jump up and run. And then he starts to wiggle his butt back and forth. Kick his little legs softly and then harder and harder all the while making little noises and talking to himself. I look to the door that is closed and want to cry. Freedom is so very close….I can taste it. But it is not to be.

I lay on the floor for about 20 minutes while he plays quietly with himself, kicking, wriggling, and talking. I’m sure he doesn’t even remember that I’m there until he sits straight up, looks at me, and then lays back down. At this point I realize I’m in for a LONG night on the floor and wish I had a blanket or pillow or even some shorts since the floor isn’t very comfortable on my tushy. I decide that he is content enough and get up, walk to the door without looking at him, open door, and sneak out. The minute the door opens he stands up, throws doggie, and starts to cry. You have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! It is 4:30am WHY ISN’T HE SLEEPING!?!?! I rush back in, lay him down, sit on the floor in the middle of the room and make sure the door is open (not making the closed door mistake again, I need a FAST getaway). He rolls over and begins his kick, butt wiggle (which was very cute to see) and I slowly crab crawl to the door. I am certain he isn’t going to sleep anytime soon, but I’m seriously ready to cry from tiredness, frustration, and general Ewww. I crab crawl out the door, sneak out, close it quickly and stop outside to make sure all is quiet. Not a peep. HOLY SHIT! I did it!!!!!

I crawl into bed, snuggle in for a couple hours of sweet, blissful sleep. I just start to doze when what do you know….more screaming. Seriously, I want to run away or let him cry or something, but you know me….Softy McSoftalot. I go in, get dog, lay Heaten down, walk out and FINALLY he stays quiet. I get back into bed and end up sleeping in until 8 when Shenzie wanted up.

Yay for sleeping in! Boo for crazy night!

Ready for naptime….getting cozy with bear.

This is not encouraging since it appears we just went through the 18 month sleep regression, now we have even more sleep drama to look forward too. Sheesh, can’t a girl catch a wink! =)

Happy Canada Day Grandma’s in Saskatchewan and Auntie Leah and Cousins!!!!

Happy Canada Day Husband and Children who are little halvsies.

These are a couple of the VERY few pictures I have of the babies together. These were taken when they were sick and running around in my t-shirts. They thought it was hilarious.

Thanks Eva for reminding me it is Canada Day!

I was so very excited for our Totnastics to start. Not only would it give us something do to once a week that was new and fun, it would keep us out of the heat! Every night when Jeff gets home from work he and the babies have Wrestle Mania. Wrestle Mania includes flips, pillow fights, rolls, hanging upside down, body drops into piles of pillows, you name it they do it. The babies LOVE Wrestle Mania, but especially Heaten. He loves to rough house, hang upside down, flip upside down, and everything else involved in Wrestle Mania. I knew he was going to LOVE totnastics. Rolling, tumbling, hanging, jumping on the trampoline. How much more fun could a kid have?!? Here was Heaten the entire first class…..

I had asked my Mom to go with me to the first class so I could get a feel for how it was and make sure that I could do it alone. Yeah, well, I WILL NOT ever be taking them alone. She had to step out of the class for 15 minutes so I was left on my own with two babies, one who cried the entire time and the other who didn’t want to do any of the activities. My anxiety level was through the roof! All of the other kids were older and had been through the class for 2 and even 3 previous sessions. My babies were by far the youngest and I think the class is a little advanced for us. I had a talk with the sub teacher (the regular teacher was sick) and she didn’t make me feel any better. She said without actually saying that I would need help and didn’t encourage me at all. I was thinking that it was a big mistake to enroll them and I was so bummed about it because I had such high hopes they would just love it.

Last week for our second class Jeff was able to attend (Thank you baby!) and I thought for sure Heaten would do better with Dada there. Nope. He still cried the entire time and didn’t want to do any of the activities except the teeter totter. They both LOVED this. Our regular teacher was there so I told her my concerns about the class being too advanced and my handling them alone. She made me feel SO MUCH BETTER. Her name is Ms. Lesley (although she probably spells it Leslie) and she has 6 year old twins. Any twin Mommy knows that when you meet another Mommy of Twins they just get it. They get the logistics of having two and all it entails. She said that she was never able to take both of hers alone and she was even the coach! She said that they were doing great and not to get discouraged…that all of the kids started off exactly the same way and after a couple of sessions (meaning the 6 week course) they start to “get it”. I was so relieved after talking to her. I still won’t be able to take them alone, but hopefully next fall or spring we’ll be at a place that I can do it alone.

I’ve been really trying to learn more Adobe Photoshop and work on the editing process of photographs. I am using a new software from Nik Software* and so far am loving the results. I mainly use the Dynamic Skin and Glamour Glow filters, but have dipped into some of the others as well. I am also using some new Actions from The Pioneer Woman (they’re free so go get them). My favorite so far is the Boost Action.

It takes this photo:

And turns it into this:

The following two photos have the Dynamic Skin, Glamour Glow Filters, and Boost Action applied (I took the opacity of the Zing Layer down to about 54%…I also bumped up the Curves a bit). I think the new version looks much crisper, brighter, and cleaner without looking too photoshoppy…what do you think?

Original

New

Original

New

A couple of extra filters added to this one

I am also practicing with some new Actions that I bought. Vintage and Urban Processing. You can see some samples of the Actions here. Let me know what you think.

*I’m using the 15 day free trial version. After using it for a week I’ve decided not to purchase it. I don’t think it is worth the hundreds of dollars for the few filters that I actually like.