This Christmas

Last night, we read the scriptures and told the story of Jesus' birth.

We snuggled up in warm Christmas jammies and we listened to Grandpa Chuck recite (as is tradition) "Twas The Night Before Christmas".

We wrapped the last of the presents and put them around the tree.

This morning we woke up EARLY, we opened presents and more presents and more presents.

We dressed in fancy Christmas clothes,

We went to church and sang Christmas songs. We came home to a delicious lunch and everyone took naps. Then we woke up and played some more.

This Christmas was a good one. The kids were completely spoiled by their grandparents. Paul and I are exhausted from all the holiday fun and the toddler crankiness that comes with that much excitement. We are so happy and feel so lucky for what we have been given. We wish you all a Merry Christmas!

alive and fairly well

Yes, we made it to Georgia. There have been a few hiccups along the way. Here they are:

• We could only drive 51 mph on the highway on our way here because of the way the trailer was weighted. Our trip went from the guesstimated 10 hours (via mapquest) to 14 hours (via stopping for hungry babies and toddlers) to the grand total of 20 hours!!! Yuck.
• When we got here, we found out that the fence was not finished, the heat was not working, the dishwasher was not installed, and the washer and dryer area was for a stacking washer and dryer not the traditional side by side kind...
• Once the dishwasher did get installed, it didn't drain.
• Unpacking boxes from Arizona that we hadn't seen in over 2 years AND boxes from Miami was pretty challenging. Not every box was labeled, and "helpful" children complicated the matter.
• Having house guests (my Dad, sister Jolie, and nephew Bradley came from Wisconsin and Paul's parents Lee and Stacy came from Arizona) in a freezing cold house, with no guest beds was... interesting. :)

It took a lot of work on everyone's part to get this place in order. Stacy ran around like the energizer bunny organizing the kitchen and all the bedrooms. Lee installed the washer and dryer with Paul. My Dad, Jolie, Paul and Lee built the playset in the yard. Jolie and my Dad cleaned up the yard of leaves and debris. I cooked the meals and played with the kids mostly. Bradley, Matix and Hawken played and watched movies and made lots of messes. Lullaby slept mostly (after hours and hours of screaming in the car). Jolie organized the playroom and ALL the toys. Stacy and Lee left on Tuesday. Jolie and Bradley left today. My Dad will stay here through Christmas. It was SOOOOooooooo wonderful having everyone here to help, unpack, install, fix and build things. We loved having everyone here and finally having a house big enough for everyone to fit! Hooray! :)

All in all though we are really very happy here. Most of the problems have been worked out already.

The title of the post is mostly because of today. Today, Jolie and Bradley left. They missed their flight so after 3 trips to the airport, they finally got to go home to Wisconsin. Then I came home (again) to a screaming baby (she is teething, of course). After calming her down, and falling asleep myself, I woke up to a crying Hawken. He was complaining of leg pain. He got his cast off a little over a week ago, and then today, he slipped and fell, and BROKE IT AGAIN. The next few days will be filled with doctor appointments, carrying around 2 babies instead of just 1, and fussiness. Oh Hawken, please please let your leg heal. :) What a day.

We plan to go see Arthur Christmas tomorrow, in hopes of making Hawken sit still. Wish us luck. Merry Christmas.

moving

We are on our way! We leave early early early tomorrow morning to head to our new house in GEORGIA!! We couldn't be more excited! Hooray! Wish us luck. :)

Thank heavens for this guy. He is a master packer and we are all packed up and ready to go (which is shocking... we are usually packing right up until the last second). Ready or not here we come!

happy

I love them I love them I love them. :) These 3 make my heart so full.

problem solving

After discovering where all the books were disappearing to, I asked Matix to get the books out from under Hawken's bed and put them away. He was in the bedroom for a while, then came out, asked for the "hooky string thing" (bungee cord), hopped on his bike and went back in. I followed him and this is what I saw. First he hooked his bike, then he hooked the bed, then he pulled.

Voila! Problem solved. What a smarty pants, huh? I love to see him figure things out like this. He could be an engineer in the making... Looking for an apprentice grandpa Lee? :)

cookies

Making cookies for daddy, just because he's a good daddy. We love him. :) and the boys loved taste testing the cookies before daddy got home.

free play set!

For those of you who don't know, we're poor. :) We live on student loans but still want to be able to provide a fun experience for our kids... This can be tricky to do, but with a little work, we have found some great deals. Like this! Paul found this guy on craigslist who was giving away the play set in his backyard. His kids are too big for it now, and he was giving it away for free to whomever wanted to haul it away. That's us! Paul drove to his house, helped dismantle it, strapped it to the roof of our car, and drove it home.

We are sooooo excited to be moving into a house with a YARD so that we can have a play set for the boys! So fun! Thank you to this nice man for giving this away, instead of selling it. He just made 2 little boys SO happy! :) The silly part is, it is still on top of our car. We don't get the trailer until Wednesday, which is when we can pack it. :)

sleeping in the car

Do they look like little grumpy old men or what? :)

sleep

This is how the princess sleeps. Still swaddled, although she usually wiggles her hands free, but then fusses unless she is wrapped up tight again. Paci to fall asleep, but spits it out later on. Always on her side, and now that she is so rolly we put blankets in front and behind her to prop her there, which she likes. She likes Great Grandma Evie's blanket (thank you Grandma!) in front, she nuzzles her face on the soft fabric, and Grandma Kim's blanket (thanks Mom!) behind her (it stays put better). She won't sleep on just a sheet either. She prefers to sleep on Liz's blanket (thanks again Liz!). Like I said, she is quite the princess. :)

first trip to the dentist!

On Thursday the boys had their FIRST ever dentist appointments! We read a book about going to the dentist and the boys, after being reassured there were going to be NO SHOTS, were pretty excited about it. I was... hopeful. :) Hawken was first, but this was his reaction to it. Not a fan.

Hawken hid like this for a minute and then we decided Matix should probably go first instead. Here was Matix at first... brave? Nope, he's a faker. Right after this picture was taken, he sobbed.

And by sobbed, I mean screaming, crying, hysterical sobbing. I held his hands, and tried to comfort him, but getting his teeth brushed was way too scary for him. See the tear stained cheeks? This was at the beginning of the brushing. By the end I had to hold his legs down so he wouldn't kick the dentist, yikes!

Hawken however, decided that he actually liked getting his teeth brushed and his biggest problem was that he kept trying to lick the tooth paste off his teeth while she was cleaning them. :) I love the dirty little cast in the picture.

Both boys got stickers, (even though Matix was horrible), and a few little toys.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these dentists. They made the whole experience so much better than it could have been. They showed the boys each of the tools before they used them, and the boys could touch them and ask what they were for. Really, it was a good experience. Matix continued to pout on the way home, and Hawken was all smiles, as usual.

Both boys were congratulated on their good tooth brushing skills and there were no cavities. Hooray! Hawken though has to go in again on Monday because he has very weak enamel on the top front two teeth, the dentist says it's hereditary and not the cause of poor eating or brushing (phew!). He is going to get them drilled smooth and a little layer of something... cement? put over them to make them stronger. He has to get laughing gas for this, so we will see how that goes. He is already excited to go back.

Hawk

The first few days in his new cast, Hawken refused to walk, or crawl, or move around very much at all. I think the break was still pretty painful. Thank heavens for Sarge and all the loves he gave my lazy baby.

Now, however, is a different story. He is wild and tries to run. Today Hawken figured out how to JUMP with his cast on. Great. He is such an active boy, I was really hoping the cast would slow him down a bit, at least long enough for him to heal, but now I am worried he is going to break something else in the meantime... Yikes.

new love

Lullaby's new favorite thing:

She would sit in this little chair and bat at the little toys all day if she could. She giggles and laughs and smiles forever in this seat. She is such a good baby. Really. I can't say it enough, she is perfect.

More of Sarge

Matix finally found a dog busier than he is! Oh, Sarge, I miss how you would wear out our boys! :)

Even Hawken got tired watching Sarge run around his stroller.

These boys have been loving this sand box area in our complex. I think maybe when we get to Georgia, we might make one there. They spend so much time digging.

Sarge likes digging too. :) Matix and Hawken thought that was the FUNNIEST thing ever. They laughed so hard we had to literally run in before Hawken peed his pants.

Lullaby, of course was content to watch all the action from the stroller, she is such a good baby.

Updates

Paul: Is currently working his 11th week (of 12 total) for his internal medicine rotation. He is really liking the doctor that he is working with, although he has later hours than a lot of the other doctors he worked with. He wakes up and studies for about an hour (prepping for the step 2 exam he wants to take in the spring), eats breakfast and leaves for the hospital, sometimes before we get up, sometimes after. He rides his bike still (thank you perfect Miami weather!), and comes home at 6pm at the earliest. Some nights he isn't home until 9 or 10pm, no thank you. In news other than school (can you believe he does things outside of it?), he found a guy on craigslist giving away his kid's backyard playset (I guess they are too big for it now). Right now it is strapped to our car... Hopefully it will remain there until we get our Uhaul trailer in a week and a half. :)

Jessie: I finally figuring out how to do the 2 immobile kid thing. How do people with multiples do it when they are babies?! Having Hawken casted up is soooo challenging. He wants so badly to be able to run and jump like he used to do, but now I have to carry him most places. To the bathroom, so he can make it there before having an accident. To the car so he won't step in puddles. Into the car because he can't manipulate his ankle to climb in himself... the list goes on. Meanwhile I have a little baby who needs even more from me. But I am grateful that we have health insurance that took care of my little guy when he needed it, even if it makes more work for me now.

Matix: Is becoming such a big boy right before my eyes. I can't believe all the things he can do and say and help with. He has his own little personality and can be quite feisty. :) I love him to pieces and am soooo happy he is mine.

Hawken: Has been doing little silly things, then laughing this fake laugh, and saying, "I'm really funny mom!" He cracks me up. He will repeat this little mantra until everyone else joins in and laughs too and agrees that, yes, Hawken is really funny.

Lullaby: Is almost 3 months old! Ahh! She is still the world's most perfect baby. (Well, Hawken was really good too). She cries only when she needs something and she is very predictable. She naps when the boys nap and makes my life a dream. I love these kiddos so much.

That's it for updates really. We are packing and will be in our new HOUSE (yes, a real house, with a yard even!!) in Georgia in less than 2 weeks! Hooray! Can't wait to get a tree and really feel like it's Christmas, so far we haven't really done many Christmas-y things and Paul and I are both missing that! :)

Mr. Matix Man

My poor neglected big boy. Matix has really stepped up in the past few days. Between the packing for our move, Hawken's birthday, basic baby needs of Lullaby and the needs of Hawken because of his new cast, I haven't had a whole lot of time to spend on him. Well, it turns out he doesn't need me as much as I thought he did. I learned this week that he can undress himself completely (I thought he could only do pants and underwear), dress himself, pour his own cereal for breakfast, reach into the silverware drawer to set the table, and many many more things... Not that I was not feeding him or dressing him, just that when I asked if he could try to do it himself, he DID. Yay!

He is such a delight. Matix is so smart and sweet and wonderful. I love him so much. Thank you Matix for being the amazing little boy that you are and helping me with all this STUFF. :)

Hawk and Lullaby

Sweet little Hawkers and his baby Lullaby. I love watching these 2 together. They are just edible. Hawken asked to snuggle Lullably when she was cranky. It worked and she calmed down. When snuggling got boring, he grabbed his ukulele to play her a song... (ignore the fact that he is half-nakey... it is easier with the cast and the frequent potty breaks to go bottomless sometimes)

Hawken is 2!!!

In an hour, my little Hawken turns 2. For some reason, I am really sad about this. He is such a sweet baby, always in my shadow, always asking to be held and snuggled... I just never want that to end. I hope that with this new number, he will still be my little snuggle bug. He is soooo excited about his birthday, and getting a new number. He has been telling people he was 2 for about 6 months now, so finally it will be true.

Hawken can do everything. I know typically I would make a list of the words he can say, or the new milestones he has reached, but really, there is nothing this little boy can't do. He is quite the over-achiever. We are so proud of him and are impressed constantly. Really the only thing he hasn't quite mastered is counting. His numbers go like this: 1,2,3,4,6,9,10. He sings songs, "reads" his memorized books, jumps (or he did before he broke his leg), runs... everything.

We love you Hawken Man! Happy 2nd Birthday! :)

kids say...

Sharing a graham cracker with Matix he said this:

M: "Let me go get some cheese."

J: "Oh, cheese is good on other crackers, but not on graham crackers. "

M: "I like cheese."

J: "Me too, but these don't taste good with cheese."

M: "Yes it do... Yes they does... Yes it doing... Yes it doose? Mommy, I don't like cheese anymore."

He totally gave up trying to figure out the right way to say it, and blamed it on the cheese itself. Ha ha ha! I love this little boy. :)

missing the tub

With his cast, Hawken can't take a bath. :( He has to get little sponge baths in the baby tub. He is not a huge fan and every night asks, "Me take a BIG bath today? Peeeeeeeeeeease?" I feel so bad. I took these "big bath" pics the day before he broke his leg. We look at these a lot. :)

Poor little guy. We have his appointment to get his cast cut off on the 14th. So the countdown begins! :)

Sarge

Our little almost puppy Sarge has moved into his new home with his new family. The boys really had a lot of fun with him while he was here though, which makes me all the more excited to be reunited with our Sakina in a few weeks!! Hooray! Puppy Matix:

Puppy Hawken:

Poor Sarge... he was very tolerant.

And ALWAYS underfoot. His new name is "Finn", another Cars lover named him.