Welcome Spring!

More like, welcome summer!  Today was about 70 degrees, simply glorious for Minnesota in March.  Grandpa A is visiting, so we put him to work helping move the outdoor furniture to the deck, walking to the playground and pushing kids on the swings.  Then after our THIRD, yes, THIRD meal on the grill this week and our first outside, Grandpa treated us to the recently-reopened-for-the-season Dairy Queen! 

N's pre-DQ swinging smiles

I love you, DQ!

Ice cream cone refresher course for M

Curly Q

Thanks, Grandpa!

P.S. See those girls in the background?  They were running around shortly after this pic (and a bit too close to the road for my comfort) and N was watching them intently, desperately wanting to run with them.  Then they all piled into a minivan and took off.  We hadn't spoken to the family at all, but as they drove away, N called out, waving, "Bye, bye, pink one!  Bye, bye green one!"  So funny that he's already watching the girls! 

Wordless Wednesday: First Day at the Park!

Need For Speed

Do Boy Moms die sooner than Girl Moms? I found myself wondering as I drove home from the most nerve-racking playdate I've attended yet.  A twin mom friend oraganized a playdate for us moms of twin two year olds at a park, so I went, based on my boys' recent good behavior at our neighborhood playground.

I almost turned around when I saw the Valleyfair/Cedar Point/Six Flags/Disneyland playground.  Had I not given my word I'd be there and driven a half hour to see my friends, I would have.  The few snapshots I was able to take will not do this park justice.  There were HUNDREDS of kids RUNNING at BREAKNECK speed, DOZENS of (very calm) moms milling about, water fountains spraying water onto the acre-sized playset in the the stiff wind that nearly blew us away. 

What had I gotten myself into?

The boys googled the playground like it really was Disneyland because it could have been - it was the biggest park they'd ever seen - as I packed up the stroller with our diaper backpack, bag o' water clothes, and lunch.  It took a few minutes to find my friends, amongst what was obviously another mom's group gathering (based on the giant sign that said APPLE VALLEY MOM'S GROUP, of which none of us 7 moms and 15 kids belonged).  

They couldn't get out of the stroller fast enough to join the throng of children in the labyrinth.  I tried greeting my friends while surveying the land for the best lifeguard position, so as to scan the area for my (thankfully) red-clad children.  My boys chose to divide and conquer, each darting a different direction, climbing heights I'm afraid to mention, lest you think I'm a careless mom.  My heart was racing as giant 8 year olds tore about, leaping over the 14 two year olds scrambling beneath them.  I moved to the center of the play system when the fellas chose to climb its opposite side, so I could better watch my children tumble down the dark side of the moon keep an eye on them.  I'm sure my blood pressure would have been sky high had you taken it between 10:30-11:30 this morning.

I tried to small talk with my twin mom friends, whose obedient girl-girl and boy-girl twins played together, buddy-style, even posing for adorable pictures through the bars.  Only one other mom there had boy-boy twins, and I know she understands what I'm saying - one of hers went MIA, she parked the known boy with our gaggle during snack/lunch time, and found the missing one wandering the parking lot! 

N attempting escape in the bottom left

We kept up a frantic pace for about a half hour, ate a picnic lunch (kind of) and dove back into the playground with a Need for Speed.  They found the fastest, steepest slide on the system - nearly straight down, and slick with the spray from the water fountains nearby. (M was a bit unhappy with me that I wouldn't let him in the sprinklers, so I think that's why he chose this one - so he could still get wet and I would, too, standing nearby.)  They couldn't get up the stairs, across the bridge, and down the slide fast enough.  Over and over and over again.   I told myself that at least they're working together on the same side of the structure, which was better to keep an eye on them than their previous tactic, Disappear Into The Tube Slides With Lots Of Big Kids.

A little before noon, there were signs of slowing down, and I knew I had to make a hasty retreat before the puppet wagon arrived (for which the Well Behaved Twins got to stay) and I missed my window of opportunity to beat it home and get them in bed before they fell asleep.  Because if they fell asleep on the ride home, just 30 minutes,  I'd have two grouchy two year olds by 5 pm because they didn't get a "real" nap, a risk I'm not willing to take today. 

I also wanted to get out of there before Anything happened.  Anything being, well, anything.  When the fellas get tired, Anything can happen, which is usually Something Not Good. 

So we left, and as I listed to the Veggie Tales DVD entertaining my very exhausted boys to keep them awake, I wondered if Boy Moms die sooner than Girl Moms.  If I were to reflect on the life expectancy of the women in my family, who primarily have birthed girls for the last 100 years, I'd say, yes, Girl Moms live longer.  Because none of my Girl Mom friends looked like they were about to have a heart attack today.  Just me and the other twin boy mom. 

Relief!

Like today's weather, all was beautiful this evening - much like the entire day minus naps and bedtime.  Because I haven't been fair to you, readers - I've been telling only the awfulness of Big Boy Beds, I snapped a couple of pictures at the playground this evening, and on my dumbphone at that!  Both the phone and the boys redeemed themselves, at least for a short time! 

I haven't been taking them to the playground alone very often, but the weather was too nice and I needed them to wear themselves out before I tackled bedtime, so I took my chances.  I say chances because my boys are reckless!  Last Friday, N fell off the bottom stair of this playset and hit his forehead going down, causing what looks to be a unicorn horn sprouting between his eyes.  He hit the same spot this morning on our own sandbox, so it's not going away anytime soon.  I hear that kids without bruises are now under suspicion for child neglect, though, so we're all good there!

Scrub a dub dub, my boys in the tub!

Cute Boys of the Week

Our bouncing baby boys!

Beach baby, beach baby....

Mmm..the swing tastes better than it looks!

Beep, beep!  Get outta the way!

Buying neighbor K some flowers at the farmer's market...munching our cukes

Aunt L and M on The Big Slide

N reaches for the butterflies at the MN Zoo butterfly garden

Aunt L and M reach for the butterflies

N climbs on the jungle gym at the park

Baby Curves is now a Playground

My regular readers will remember when I blogged in October about turning my living room into Baby Curves.  The training circuit isn't working anymore since the bouncy chairs and swing have been retired.  No, we are on to bigger and better things: our living room has been transformed into a PLAYGROUND!

If you look closely, you'll see the play mat on the left, which they are still loving, and out of the picture are the Jumparoo and the Exersaucer, big favorites.  See, the green bedsheet simulates the green grass of a playground (they won't see that for some time!) and there are noisy, exciting toys in the middle.  We even have a sitting practice area!  They are improving their sitting abilities daily, but I put them in the big blue nursing pillow (it's covered in a yellow blanket here) so they bonk their heads on that instead of the floor.  The sitting area is used as a reading area and nursing area, too, so that's why you see the green Boppy and the Children's Bible near the couch.  (About that big blue nursing pillow: LOVED it for many months, but its glory days are over, being repurposed into a sitting pillow.  The guys push and shove each other off the breast now, poking each other in the eye.  I know I told you they do that before, but now it's beyond belief and I have to nurse them individually.)  This is where we spend our days. 

I'm kind of getting cabin fever and we've been home less than a week!  So I'm looking into some E.C.F.E. classes and will probably be visiting the library for storytime soon.  It's way to cold to go out just for the sake of going out, but I rationalize it's okay if we have a specific destination!

Keeping our feet warm with lambskin booties! My cutie pies kept them on for half the day, which is a huge improvement over regular socks!

Nathan's already loving playing with balls

Must play ball!

Hold laundry, babies, toys, you name it!