Road Warriors

This past weekend, one of my bff's from high school got married.  We've been waiting on his wedding for, oh I don't know, like seven years now, but he and his new wife had to get back to North Carolina and establish some "roots" before they were ready to tie the knot.  Cameron has been one of my closest friends forever, so I was under no circumstance going to miss his wedding... even if no kids were allowed (totally understandable because I asked the same thing!) and we'd have to drive five hours to be there.  Fun times were in store!!

Naturally, my poor husband had to work all weekend and couldn't make the trip with us.  So, Tyler, Caroline and myself headed north on Friday night to stay at my mom's house before leaving out on Saturday morning to drive to Raleigh.  The drive up was uneventful as I timed it perfectly with their afternoon nap, and as soon as we got there, they were able to play for several hours and relax.  Our good friends Kathy & Amy were in town from Nashville and stopped by to visit, so it was great to just kick back and hang out all evening before the big trip occurred on Saturday. 

Have I ever mentioned the fact that my mom and her husband own an RV?  It was nearly bought on a whim after they'd planned a great adventure "out west" this summer. They were going to rent one, but when this one came across their path it was just too good of a deal to pass up.  I'm thinking it was the best move so far, though... they LOVED it on their trip and we LOVED having the luxury of taking two babies, one mom, three grandparents, and one spoiled rotten yorkie (I say that with love :) on a whirlwind trip across the state of NC in 24 hours. 

On Saturday morning, Nathan's parents arrived and we began packing up the RV to hit the road.  Tyler & Caroline got strapped in their car seats, we loaded both pack n plays and enough food to last a week, then headed out.  My mom drove, I sat up front (but turned around to talk the whole way - imagine that!), Grammie & Paw took the couch, and the babies slept for a good portion of our five hour drive.  It was seamless and easy and honestly, the only way to travel with this many people!!  We made a pit stop to eat lunch half way through, but otherwise, no one got uncomfortable (even T & C) and we made it to Raleigh without hardly a cry.  That, my friends, is success.

Ruler of the roost...

Once we parked at the hotel, mom and I started getting ready for the wedding and Tyler and Caroline got to explore.  You wouldn't think there would be so much to look at in an RV, but trust me, there is.  My children can entertain themselves with just about anything, I believe.  We had to constantly pull them off the big console up front... it must've looked like a magical mountain of sorts.

** Pardon for a moment while I become an AW... guess who wore their very own REHEARSAL DINNER DRESS to the wedding?  This girl!  I felt a huge sense of accomplishment from that.  Now, as I was saying... :) **

Nathan's parents got checked into their room and had a quick breather before coming back over to babysit, then it was off to the wedding for me and mom.  There were no pictures allowed during the ceremony so I can't post any for you, but it was beautiful and I was so happy for Cameron & Melissa.  They are truly the perfect couple!  Afterwards we headed to the Marbles Museum downtown for the reception, and I was totally impressed with the fun stuff they had for their guests.  I took full advantage of the the big basket of flip flops placed by the gift table, so off went the heels & on went the flats.  Good thing, because mom and I huffed it (literally, she was out of breath and cursing me, I think) back to the RV after dinner was served so that I could nurse Tyler & Caroline before they went to bed.  Grammie and Paw had strolled them all around the capitol building and through the streets of Raleigh, so they were pretty groggy when I got there.  I had to laugh, though, because as I was nursing one of them, I noticed Steve (Nathan's dad) lacing up his sneakers and had to ask where he though he was going, exactly?  Hold up, Paw, you're not off duty just yet!  The reception was just getting started and I was determined to get back and enjoy some fun times with my friends (whom I rarely ever see anymore!).  He laughed and got comfortable again, so mom and I headed back (impressed with ourselves that the round-trip only took about 45 minutes).  Would you believe me if I told you the only picture I took of the whole night is the one below?  Must've been too busy droppin' it like it's hot on the dance floor...

Girlfriends!  (Carol, Mother of the Groom Jennie, & Mom)

Photo Booth pics for their guest book.  We had way too much fun with this.

The next day, we enjoyed breakfast overlooking the city and visited with family we rarely get to see before heading back to good ol' SC.  The babies were asleep for about two hours the entire trip, but believe it or not, stayed content in their car seats the whole time.  Maybe it was their fun and silly grandparents that kept them entertained??

We made it back to Lake Bowen that afternoon around 3, and decided to stretch our legs awhile before heading back to Columbia.  Cousins Julie & Dean came to see us before we left, and Tyler and Caroline had way too much fun playing pool with them!

All in all, an action-packed weekend that was loads of fun! 

The current plan is to stay put for a few weeks and give our poor suitcases, wheels, and rear ends a break, but you never know with us.  If Nathan gets more than a 24 hour period away from the hospital, we may decide that a little sand between our toes is in order and take off.  We're spontaneous like that :) 

Congrats again, Cam & Melissa!  Hope you're having a wonderful honeymoon!  (JEALOUS....)

Does this mean I have TODDLERS?

As expected, Tyler began taking his first steps just a mere day later than Caroline. 

YAY TYLER! 

They aren't to the point where they can go more than five or six steps without getting ahead of themselves and stumbling, though, so we're probably safe on the "complete walking package" for another month maybe?  I don't know, I've never done this before.  All I do know, though, is that they are so proud of themselves when they go from point A to point B.  Do you suppose it's because I swoop them up and twirl them around, clapping like crazy and screaming "good boy/girl!!!"  Haha!  I think they are starting to realize they're onto something :)

I'm going to give it my best attempt this afternoon to get some footage that I can upload on here.  It's just too cute not to share!

Houston, we have a vertical mover.

There are no pictures or videos to go along with this post, because it's purely for my documentation as I scramble to pack myself & the babies up for another weekend on the road.  (Pictures and stories to follow, I can promise... we are RV'ing it across North Carolina!  With three grandparents and no daddy!  It shall be fun!)

But to the point!...

CAROLINE HAS TAKEN HER FIRST STEPS! 

We came home from seeing friends yesterday and were playing upstairs in the nursery, and lo and behold, she just toddled towards me.  She's become an expert lately with standing up on her own and just standing there, but I thought it may take her a while to feel confident enough (and honestly, to be strong enough) to actually walk.  It's pretty much the cutest thing in the entire world to see because she is such a little peanut!  Tyler towers over her and tackles her quite often, so I suppose she decided that it's time to get a head-start on running away from him.  (Disclaimer:  I say she's "so small," but really, she's average height for her age at 28 inches.  It's the weight that makes her a peanut... only 16 pounds!  Not a bad problem to have for a lady, right?).

Because Nathan was at work while this was going on, I attempted to video her efforts (which made quite a show):
*Caroline in place - camera poised perfectly in her direction - me on bended knee, 3 feet away with arms outstretched.
*Tyler rounds the corner & spots the camera!  Makes a mad dash!
*I crawl after him, swooping the camera up before he can get his drool-covered hands on the lens.
*Caroline wants in on the fun, drops to her knees, crawls up my legs.
*I'm overtaken (they win) - lying on my back with babies clamoring over me - camera stuck up in the air. 

Luckily, after a few minutes of this, I wrangled up Tyler and placed him in his crib for safe-keeping.  Both Caroline and the camera got repositioned, and eventually I convinced her to not stare directly at the camera like a deer-in-headlights.  (It's funny how even babies know that they're on film, because I swear that every single time I break out the camcorder they stop whatever cute thing they're doing and just stare).  Anyway, we did get footage of her taking 4-5 steps toward me, so her daddy didn't totally miss out. 

So, in conclusion, YAAAAAAY CAROLINE!  You are such a big girl now!!

Pen, Meet Paper

You all are used to my monthly giveaways from Pear Tree Greetings, but in August, the Pear Tree Team decided to do things a little differently.  They offered those of us who are part of their blogosphere network an opportunity to get back to the basics.  To reintroduce the hand-written letter to a society of interweb-laden, digitally enhanced folks.  I decided that I would accept their challenge, and practice what I preach when I urge you all to take advantage of their awesome deals each month.

About a week ago, I recieved my packet of stationary in the mail.  There were two sets of note cards - one for me, one for you. 

The premise of the challenge is to hopefully touch someone enough that they'll be inclined to pass it on, so with the note I send them, I will enclose a blank note card for them to pay it forward.  I will be sending out one card each week for the next four weeks, and today marked my first one out the door. 

It's funny how something so simple can mean so much, but as I sat down to pen my first note, I realized that there are far too many people in my life that I don't talk to as much as I should these days.  I get so caught up in my insanely-busy existence, that I forget that good friends of mine have fallen by the wayside while they're going about their insanely-busy existences as well.  This is one of the few reasons that I'm so glad I decided to become a "Pearista" and work with the Pear Tree Greetings group, because they have a wonderful way of reminding you of the power of connecting through stationary.  Sometimes we all should sit down and write it all out, and I don't mean on our laptops. 

I'm counting this as my first blog of the four-week challenge, so you'll see three more on this topic as I go through the month.  I hope that being accountable for just one note each week will ignite a bigger flame, and maybe I'll stop and say hello much more often moving forward.  Even if it means Tyler & Caroline help me write it :)

Then & Now

At exactly this moment, two years ago, Nathan and I were having our last dance to "I've Had The Time of My Life," channeling our inner Johnny Castle & Baby as best we could.  It was awesome.

Hard to believe it's been two years since we said "I do," but now we have two almost-walking-and-talking tots around to help us remember :)  We literally used to throw our heads back in raucous laughter when someone asked us if we were going to start a family soon after marriage, because duh, we wanted to travel.  And enjoy each other first.

Shows how much we knew! 

I'll whole-heartedly admit, though, that "unexpectedly expecting" Caroline & Tyler just so happened to be the best surprise in the world.  A lot of people struggle when they introduce children into their marriage, yet somehow, ours seems to have flourished from it.  I had no idea what to think as a six-month-old newlywed who refused to believe that she was knocked up, but looking back, our relationship almost began at that point.  How can I ever doubt my husband's love for me when he saw me looking like Rosemary Shanahan from Shallow Hal and still wanted to "get romantic"?  (Trust me folks, this is an accurate description of week 36 of my pregnancy).  He dutifully camped out by my bedside when I took a two-week trip to the hospital, let me stretch out all his largest shirts in the closet, and rubbed the fluid from my feet on a daily basis.  That, right there, is love.

For our anniversary weekend, we drove up to the lake (shocker!) and did what we do best... nothing.  We hung out, boated, floated, the usual... but on Saturday night, we had a date! 

We went out for a nice, romantic dinner and talked about all of the "firsts" of our relationship, which was fun to see who remembered more.  (Nathan always wins at those games).  After dinner, we drove out to our wedding site and looked around, and it honestly felt like yesterday that we were there sweating bullets, with butterflies in our stomachs and bursting with excitement.  Here are a few pictures of that day... just because I like looking at them :) ...

As fun as it is to look at those, I find it even more fun to look at these...

(What can I say?  I'm such a mom :) 

Thank you husband, for two wonderful years and for being the best daddy in the world to our little munchkins... you really are one in a million.  Here's to 50 or so more!

10 Months

Caroline & Tyler,

I just laid you down for your morning nap, and I can't believe how easy that was.  We've gotten into a great stride these days, and you two are simply a joy to be around.  I can take you anywhere, anytime - you go with the flow and take it all in.  People are constantly commenting on what good, happy babies I have, and I smile and just say "I know!  They are so much fun!"  I honestly couldn't imagine in the early months that this stage would arrive, but like other twin moms have told me, it has.  They've also told me that it keeps getting better from here, and as much as I want you to stay little bitty forever, I almost can't wait to see what happens next.  You two surprise me each and every day, and it's truly amazing to watch you grow. 

Speaking of growing, I've been keeping a log over the past few days of all the things you do (individually).  I knew that if I stopped to just "write it all out" like every other month, I would inevitably leave something vitally important out.  That's the thing, with every passing day, you become more and more vocal, intelligent, curious, open-minded, and personable.  I realize that every parent in the world thinks that his or her child is the smartest, most beautiful, most wonderful child alive... and well, I'm no different.  Being your mommy is such a blessing!

Caroline, you have really come into your own these days, and you are far less "serious" than you used to be.  You still observe others when they approach you, but your personality is so playful at home and with those you're at ease with.  You absolutely love to squeal, and you seem so delighted with the high-pitched octave that you'll crack yourself up over and over.  You also scrunch your nose up like a bunny and make "sniffles" at me (which you find hilarious), and you love to feed me from your tray at the table.  You'll hold your little arm out and point your finger at my mouth, and if I don't bend down to eat it from your hand, you get your feelings hurt so bad!  So there I sit, eating goldfish, cheerios, smushed up crackers, whatever, until you're done :)  

On the mobility side, you've completely caught up to your brother and you race around this house like mad.  You crawl, pull up to stand, cruise the furniture, walk with a push walker, and you're even able to stand yourself up without holding onto anything.  Once you've stood up, you can balance yourself for up to a minute, so none of us will be surprised if you take off walking first.  I often tell people that you're going to grow up and be a yoga instructor (if not a rocket scientist, obviously), because you still love to do "downward facing dog" and you'll practice it often.  Sometimes, though, you'll just lie back down on your belly and put your hands up under your face... you look like an angel, and you know it!  I know this because you'll sheepishly grin at me, like, "hey there ma!  I'm so cute, huh?"  You also like to clap your hands and occasionally wave bye bye (you did this the first time on Aug 10th - I was shocked!).  You have four teeth now, two on top, two on bottom, and you absolutely love to bite me with them.  If I'm holding you, you'll lay your head down on my shoulder and chomp down, then laugh hysterically when I scream.  I've had several bruises already!  Those teeth come in handy while eating, though, because you can take down just about anything.  You feed yourself like a "big girl," guiding the spoon to your mouth and using your pincer grasp perfectly, and you have quite the appetite for such a little peanut of a girl!  (I can get you to eat almost anything, so clearly, you are my child :).  Your new favorite foods are yogurt, goldfish, cheerios, graham crackers, pasta, banana pancakes, blueberry waffles, cheese, meatballs, and black beans, but that's just a few of the ones I can think of.  When playing, you love to sneak over to any of the doorstoppers and make them "ding," and you love to look at books.  If you get really excited, though, you'll get onto your knees or stand up and bounce repeatedly.  When it's time for bed, you are pretty good at laying down and chewing on your blanket to go to sleep.  (I'm not sure how this is a genetic trait, but you get it from your daddy's side of the family.  So many of them do that!).  Perhaps the funniest thing about you right now is your ability to "fake cry," and to know exactly when and how to use it.  You've perfected the art, little girl, and you can turn it on and off in an instant.  Amazing! :)

Tyler boy, I never would've guessed it a month ago, but you have become a talker!  You babble nonstop, and lucky for me, mama is still your favorite word (or maybe lucky for you... you pretty much own me when you say it).  You are a master crawler, and I'm not sure you're going to want to walk because of how fast you crawl.  I am amazed at the speed of it on a daily basis!  You have the strongest legs, and you almost don't even have to "pull" yourself up on anything because you pop up so easily.  You've gotten braver with taking steps around the furniture, and now instead of just cruising, you'll step up onto anything in your way to get to where you're going.

You've also repeatedly shown how clever you are... one of us will hide our phone/drink/remote/anything-you-shouldn't-have, and you will search until you find it.  Granna was here a few weeks ago and hid her drink underneath the couch, and when you noticed it was gone, you crawled behind the couch, lifted up the "flap," and looked until you found it.  I've been blocking you from certain parts of the living room by strategically placing furniture and baby paraphernalia around, yet you will always figure out a way to scale said item and get to where you're going.  You'll also find Jaxx's food bowl no matter where it is.  After you broke the glass bowl (by pulling it off the chair I used to keep it on), I started feeding him in a tupperware bowl.  I was placing it on a table way above your reach so you wouldn't see it, but you somehow discovered that's where it must be and attempted to turn the table over to get it.  It's amazing to watch your mind work, little man!  You also have the most precious laugh I've ever heard, and you'll chuckle all the time at anything.  I smile at you, you laugh.  I walk into the room, you laugh.  I pick up and toy and show it to you, you laugh.  Per usual, you're simply a happy child and you rub off on anyone around you.  Something else that makes you laugh, though, is the toilet bowl.  You're obsessed with it.  (Actually, you're basically obsessed with anything water-related.  Whether it's in the ocean, the pool, the toilet, the animal bowls, or my drink, you love to make it splash).  You also love to push things around the house when you crawl, particularly things that slide well like magazines, empty drink cartons, and balls.  The dish towel I hang on the oven is particularly fascinating to you as well, and it makes a great tug-of-war rope with Caroline when she sees you playing with it.  Oh, and you have two bottom teeth now that you love to show off!  Your absolute favorite game in the world is biting my fingers (and toes, yuck!), then laughing like a hyena when I pull them away from you.  Seriously, nothing in the world could be funnier than that to you.  When eating, you aren't really sure yet how you're supposed to use those teeth, so there's plenty of times you'll spit something right back out and let it dribble down your chin if you don't want it.  Or, you'll shake your head "no no no" and keep a tight-lip if you're done.  At least you know what you want!  Your favorite foods right now are goldfish, teddy grahams, turkey slices, cheese, waffles, yogurt, banana pancakes, and sweet potatoes.

As for both of you, brushing your teeth has become a beloved nightly activity.  When you see me or your daddy pick up "your" tube of toothpaste, you get so excited you can hardly wait.  You open your mouths like little birds just waiting for your turn.  You also really enjoy using me as a climbing post, and find it extremely fun to gang up on me and pull my hair when I'm flat on my back.  (I think you've realized that I'm completely powerless in that position).  Refrigerator magnets are collectively your favorite play-thing at the moment, and I pick them up and replace them approximately 25 times a day :).  Oh, and no matter what toy is the "it" toy of the moment, you both try to steal "it" from the other one...

Your daily schedule is loose, but consistent:
7am:  Wake up, Nurse.
7:30-9am:  Play
9am:  Breakfast
10am:  Nurse, Nap
11am-3pm:  Play, Lunch, Errands
3pm:  Nurse, Nap
4pm-6pm:  Play
6:30pm:  Dinner
7pm:  Bath
7:30pm:  Nurse, Bed

(Caroline is our "master sleeper" and goes about 12 hours every night; Tyler wakes up about once on average but goes back down very easily).

Lastly, you both have really grown to love each other.  You become fixated on one another while playing, eating, riding in the car, in the stroller, anytime/anywhere and just love to "talk."  You'll babble and laugh at each other, and no one around you can intervene.  I love the bond that I see already, and I can just imagine how strong it will become over the years.

Happy 10 months, angels!  We love you!!

On the road again

I know I just talked about how busy we all are, and seriously, it's true.  (But! ) When we get a block of time, no matter how small it may be, we try to seize the opportunity to get out of town and relax a little bit.  Since we'd just gone to the lake, we figured why not the beach?  So I furiously, miraculously, got all of us together and packed while Nathan was at work last Friday and we took off to Myrtle about 6pm. 

Tyler & Caroline slept most of the way, Connor chilled in his crate in the back, and I enjoyed a sippy cup of merlot to calm my nerves.  (Yes, a sippy cup.  It was tarheel themed & all).  Earlier in the day I had gone out to the grocery store to stock up on some sale items, and Lord have mercy... shopping for food with two babies in the cart is not for the faint of heart.  Oh, and it started pouring rain on our way out.  Lovely!  So anyway, "mommy's sippy cup" was well-deserved.  I digress.

On Saturday, we played around the house, took T&C for many rides on Granna & Pa's golf carts, and went to the pool.  They had an absolute blast there, and really enjoyed staring at all the people who surrounded us - it's funny how "people watching" begins at such a young age :)  After the pool, we came in and took naps, then decided to get out the jogging stroller and head down to the beach for a walk.  By this time, it was well after 5pm and the clouds had rolled in, so we leashed up Connor to go along with us.  It felt AWESOME on the sand and the breeze was the best... then the rain began. 

(He loves to put his hand on her knee... so sweet!)

We started "briskly walking" back to try to beat the downpour, but no such luck. Nathan grabbed the stroller and took off running, so that left me with Connor and trying to decide what to do. Do I run, even though I haven't done so in... um... close to 2 years? I figured I'd just walk & get wet, no big deal, but then the sky opened up and decided to pour rain in sheets. It was brutal. I looked at Connor, took off my flip flops, threw an arm across the chest in a make-shift sports bra, and off we went.

Can I please tell you that I made it home alive with no side stitch to boot?  Best of all, I was almost inspired to do it again.  When the weather in Columbia calms down a bit, I am bound and determined to start "lightly jogging" again.  I promised my friend Ryan that I would run a 5k with her this spring, so I have that to focus on at least.  (I'm sure there are people reading this that do marathons and run 3389040 miles a week... don't laugh.  I am athletic, but I hate to run.  True story).  Anyway, here are a few pics of us all after getting drenched.  Tyler & Caroline were hilarious... they had no idea what to think.

On Sunday we went back to the beach for a bit, and I decided to go sans diapers.  This proved to be not such a good idea, since Caroline's little bottom was FILLED with sand and she wasn't too happy about it.  We only stayed out there for about an hour, because honestly, going out to the beach is just not a relaxing experience with two very-mobile infants.  Tyler was high-tailing it across the sand every time we turned our heads (no keeping him on a blanket - are you kidding me?), and Caroline wasn't happy unless I was holding her.  Wet Sandy Mandy + Wet Sandy Caroline = Not A Fun Situation.  We got a few cute pics, though!

Sadly, Nathan had to leave that afternoon to go back to work, but we stayed to hang out with Granna for a few days.  We never made it back to the ocean, but we swam at the pool, shopped a lot, and rode the golf carts at least a handful of times each day.

Before we left on Wednesday we stopped to eat at River City Cafe... sooooo yummy.  Not a bad view, either!

(Please excuse the sweaty, shiny forehead I'm rockin').