Zander is our quiet little boy.. Well sort of... His sister tries to steal the stage so often that he tends to just let her. His speech has also been a lot slower coming then her, along with many of the other milestones growing up...
NOT ANYMORE!
The other day I was wearing a sweatshirt of mine around the house, and Zander pointed to a letter and told me what it was... And he was RIGHT! I thought for sure it was just luck, but over 3 days of checking and rechecking, it is official! Zander can identify (usually in CAPS) 14 letters correctly!!!!!
It all started with "K, E, N, U, O" and now we've added "M, A, F, I, L, M, R, C, S"
I am SO proud of him!!!!
I checked to see what letters Charlotte can identify... She can get "O"... and guesses at all the others :)
WAY TO GO ZANDER! You will be reading novels before long!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Snippets
Charlotte: "I'm going to eat pancakes like a princess" Me: "Okay honey, how does a Princess eat pancakes?" Charlotte: "With pepperoni!" - Hmmmm
The twins taught me that BUTTER really makes my wood furniture shine! Not so pretty on the floors or rugs or chalk board or hands or cloths or faces... But the furniture is REALLY pretty now! That was last night. This morning I went to make pancakes and remembered I needed to make a butter run! ha!
Daddy has been hard at work putting together the kids new beds! Nana and Papa bought them beautiful new beds that can be bunk beds or two twin size beds with a trundle! Last night they slept side by side on one of the beds, they did SO well! They are SO small on these huge beds though, but it still reminds me that they are growing up so quickly!
That is how our 2010 has been so far. The twins birthday is coming up quickly!
The twins taught me that BUTTER really makes my wood furniture shine! Not so pretty on the floors or rugs or chalk board or hands or cloths or faces... But the furniture is REALLY pretty now! That was last night. This morning I went to make pancakes and remembered I needed to make a butter run! ha!
Daddy has been hard at work putting together the kids new beds! Nana and Papa bought them beautiful new beds that can be bunk beds or two twin size beds with a trundle! Last night they slept side by side on one of the beds, they did SO well! They are SO small on these huge beds though, but it still reminds me that they are growing up so quickly!
That is how our 2010 has been so far. The twins birthday is coming up quickly!
Friday, September 18, 2009
"Whatchoo talk about"
Charlotte is a talker. She has no mute, no slow-button, no rewind (however she's more then willing to REPEAT a few hundred times). She starts talking when she wakes up, and sometimes lays in bed talking to herself before falling asleep..
She get's "shushed" by us every now and then.... And now she has started to sass back. "You no shush me!"
"No, you shush"
"You no talk at me"
Tonight her and Zander were shushing each other back and forth in the car.
Actually, Zander rarely gets a word in when she's "on" (which means, awake)... Poor little boy, he will sit in the car and just stare forward, I wonder what is going on in that little mind of his.
Tonight I tried to get Zander involved more in chatting in the car. He seemed to be excited for a few minutes, but then the little introvert in him appeared, and his sister drowned out the silence yet again.
"Whatchoo talk about" is one of the funniest things to hear her say. It reminds me of that old T.V. show "What you talking about, Willis?!" haha!
"C'mere, I show you summin" - This usually means she wants me to get something down for her that is out of her reach. Often it is something I've already told her she can not have.
"Who's that!" - Okay, apparently it is my job to know who everybody is. This is said with every picture on the computer, and ever face out in public.
"Monssser go away!"- (Monster). Auntie Barbara taught her this, after Alexa told her there was a monster in their upstairs storage closet! HA! You should see the *VERY serious* expression on her face when she is saying this.
Zander... Oh Zander honey, I know you are going to catch up someday, but PLEASE keep that sweet quietness about you as well. I am not sure what will happen if both of you are "on" all day long ha!
Zander's new thing is his fear of FLIES......... Yeah, little tiny flies too, not big ugly ones. I believe it started because he has been stung/bit by a wasp twice this summer, so he knows that a big bad flying bug has hurt him. We had a fly in the living room that kept showing up and my poor sweet boy would go into hysterics! I felt so bad for him, trying to tell him it's OK but still showing him sympathy for his fear... How sad to know it brings him back to the two times he has been stung :(
I can't think of any new words he has been using lately, other then "fwie" which is when he see's the big bad scary fly in the living room. Followed by "Booboo" and "Ouchie".
Have I mentioned that my boy gets his fingers stuck in everything? It's true! Today it was the DVD player. I have seen them stuck in drawers, doors, the fence outside, the fireplace doors, toys, containers, boxes, you name it. The ladies at Kids Zone (at church) informed he that he had gotten his fingers stuck during playtime there. I don't even know what it was that time. Heavens he has even had them stuck in his sisters mouth (with her teeth firmly in place on his fingers)*which was a common occurance when they were younger and he thought putting his fingers in her mouth might be safe!? ha!!* I am so happy the biting stage is almost completely gone!
Zander. My BOY... He is all boy. I use the term "Boy'ed out on me" when describing some of the funny/crazy/aggressive things he has done through the day. I am pretty sure he is a super hero though... His alter ego is "Juggernaught". He has this hollow drum that has a see through section to the side of it. He will put that over his head, and as soon as he does, he is transformed into his alter ego self. He has no fear of obstacles, he believes he can run at or through anything that is in front of him. He puts his head forward, and charges forward, head on into people, walls, doors, furniture, sister, edge of the bed, whatever it is at that moment. Someday this alter ego could serve useful? The drum has vanished to a high place for a while, because until I figure out how it is useful, I prefer not risk concussed toddlers. This does not stop him from "boying out" on a daily basis though.
I am SO blessed, even though there is chaos. I have the most precious boy and girl ever. They challenge me, they humble me, they stretch my patience to the max and sometimes they stretch it to the breaking point. But at the end of the day, through all the good, bad, naughty and nice, I can sit with them and snuggle them and love them and kiss on them. They love me in my weakest moments, and I love them in their out of control moments.
God, be with me every day, as two years old is still just the beginning of all that is to come!
She get's "shushed" by us every now and then.... And now she has started to sass back. "You no shush me!"
"No, you shush"
"You no talk at me"
Tonight her and Zander were shushing each other back and forth in the car.
Actually, Zander rarely gets a word in when she's "on" (which means, awake)... Poor little boy, he will sit in the car and just stare forward, I wonder what is going on in that little mind of his.
Tonight I tried to get Zander involved more in chatting in the car. He seemed to be excited for a few minutes, but then the little introvert in him appeared, and his sister drowned out the silence yet again.
"Whatchoo talk about" is one of the funniest things to hear her say. It reminds me of that old T.V. show "What you talking about, Willis?!" haha!
"C'mere, I show you summin" - This usually means she wants me to get something down for her that is out of her reach. Often it is something I've already told her she can not have.
"Who's that!" - Okay, apparently it is my job to know who everybody is. This is said with every picture on the computer, and ever face out in public.
"Monssser go away!"- (Monster). Auntie Barbara taught her this, after Alexa told her there was a monster in their upstairs storage closet! HA! You should see the *VERY serious* expression on her face when she is saying this.
Zander... Oh Zander honey, I know you are going to catch up someday, but PLEASE keep that sweet quietness about you as well. I am not sure what will happen if both of you are "on" all day long ha!
Zander's new thing is his fear of FLIES......... Yeah, little tiny flies too, not big ugly ones. I believe it started because he has been stung/bit by a wasp twice this summer, so he knows that a big bad flying bug has hurt him. We had a fly in the living room that kept showing up and my poor sweet boy would go into hysterics! I felt so bad for him, trying to tell him it's OK but still showing him sympathy for his fear... How sad to know it brings him back to the two times he has been stung :(
I can't think of any new words he has been using lately, other then "fwie" which is when he see's the big bad scary fly in the living room. Followed by "Booboo" and "Ouchie".
Have I mentioned that my boy gets his fingers stuck in everything? It's true! Today it was the DVD player. I have seen them stuck in drawers, doors, the fence outside, the fireplace doors, toys, containers, boxes, you name it. The ladies at Kids Zone (at church) informed he that he had gotten his fingers stuck during playtime there. I don't even know what it was that time. Heavens he has even had them stuck in his sisters mouth (with her teeth firmly in place on his fingers)*which was a common occurance when they were younger and he thought putting his fingers in her mouth might be safe!? ha!!* I am so happy the biting stage is almost completely gone!
Zander. My BOY... He is all boy. I use the term "Boy'ed out on me" when describing some of the funny/crazy/aggressive things he has done through the day. I am pretty sure he is a super hero though... His alter ego is "Juggernaught". He has this hollow drum that has a see through section to the side of it. He will put that over his head, and as soon as he does, he is transformed into his alter ego self. He has no fear of obstacles, he believes he can run at or through anything that is in front of him. He puts his head forward, and charges forward, head on into people, walls, doors, furniture, sister, edge of the bed, whatever it is at that moment. Someday this alter ego could serve useful? The drum has vanished to a high place for a while, because until I figure out how it is useful, I prefer not risk concussed toddlers. This does not stop him from "boying out" on a daily basis though.
I am SO blessed, even though there is chaos. I have the most precious boy and girl ever. They challenge me, they humble me, they stretch my patience to the max and sometimes they stretch it to the breaking point. But at the end of the day, through all the good, bad, naughty and nice, I can sit with them and snuggle them and love them and kiss on them. They love me in my weakest moments, and I love them in their out of control moments.
God, be with me every day, as two years old is still just the beginning of all that is to come!
Potty in Public!
We're getting closer to "Potty Trained"!
Yesterday Charlotte went potty while on a shopping trip to Costco. She even had to hold her bladder for a few extra minutes while I did a return.
Tonight, we went to eat out, and she said she had to go three times. First time she went fine, second time she did not go at all, third time she went a lot! (then we got home, and she wet her pants two times in the first 10 minutes of being home!) Blah! She did get back on track and went potty twice after getting home.
I am going to work HARD on getting the daytime training finished for her. I'm afraid the 8 pairs of panties is not going to be enough though!
Zander goes really good in the potty. The only problem is, he rarely let's us know when he has to go. I think with bible study and MOMS and church all in a new classroom (that has a potty) will really start to help him recognize the urge and when to tell mommy he has to go. He does really good for a while, like his sister, and like his sister he looses interest and wet's his pants.
What a chore! I never expected I would be working with both of them on this at the same time. It is going a LOT better then I expected, but wow, it can be exhausting!
I can not wait to say BYEBYE to diapers, I really cant!
Yesterday Charlotte went potty while on a shopping trip to Costco. She even had to hold her bladder for a few extra minutes while I did a return.
Tonight, we went to eat out, and she said she had to go three times. First time she went fine, second time she did not go at all, third time she went a lot! (then we got home, and she wet her pants two times in the first 10 minutes of being home!) Blah! She did get back on track and went potty twice after getting home.
I am going to work HARD on getting the daytime training finished for her. I'm afraid the 8 pairs of panties is not going to be enough though!
Zander goes really good in the potty. The only problem is, he rarely let's us know when he has to go. I think with bible study and MOMS and church all in a new classroom (that has a potty) will really start to help him recognize the urge and when to tell mommy he has to go. He does really good for a while, like his sister, and like his sister he looses interest and wet's his pants.
What a chore! I never expected I would be working with both of them on this at the same time. It is going a LOT better then I expected, but wow, it can be exhausting!
I can not wait to say BYEBYE to diapers, I really cant!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Is it really time, this time?
The twins are almost 2 and a half, I keep looking at that huge box of diapers that keep disappearing and the need to buy yet another huge box, and I wonder when diapers will be a thing of the past!
For the past year, Charlotte has gone potty a small handful of times, usually months apart. Her desire to keep it up was not there, and I was not going to try to force this upon her yet.
Over the past few weeks I have seen a lot of progress and interest in not just Charlotte, but Zander as well! He went potty about a week and a half ago for the very first time!
Now, here is where we are.
Lastnight at church, they were in a bigger kids room, and most of those kids are potty trained, so at a certain point in the evening, it was time to get all of those kids on the potty. BOTH of my kids see this going on and get excited to give it a try. Charlotte sorta half goes in her diaper and half in the toilet (and a bit on her onesie ha!), Zander goes (STANDING UP FOR THE FIRST TIME!) and before service is over he goes a SECOND time!!! I come to get them and hear about this, and I am shocked, and THRILLED for them both!
We go home from church, and I am curious what Zander will do if he stands at his potty chair at home, so I give it a try... He stands there, I can tell he is trying but nothing is happening. Clearly the way he is standing tells me if he does go it's not going to land in the toilet, so I hold the potty up closer to compensate the aim... He's still "trying" but it's not working yet... He then grabs the potty chair, turns away from me, puts it on the ground and stands up and pee's!!!! (Of course, most of it does not land in the toilet, but that's ok I guess)! VICTORY a THIRD time!!! YAY! Charlotte didn't quite make it, she started peeing as soon as her diaper was being opened (so I kept the diaper there).
Today, Charlotte has emptied her bladder twice and Zander sat for a long time and presented a tiny little poo. I am starting to see a trend, at least a glimmer of hope perhaps!
Honestly, I am surprised this potty training thing is going the way it is, I had not seen any interest from Zander at all, so to be training them both at the same time is surprising, and a bit challenging (Charlotte wants to stand up and pee now)..
I hope they will continue on, and I can keep them interested and encouraged! I hope this is the beginning of a short lesson, so that diapers can be a thing of the past! I am SO proud and SO excited, and at the same time, it's just one more of those "baby things" to leave our home.... Right now, I don't feel sad about it (I mean, it's diapers after all), but I know in a way, I will be sad to see them be that much older, and that much less reliant on me.
So, this is entry 1 in my "Potty Journal" for now... I hope I can continue with the good news on this topic :)
For the past year, Charlotte has gone potty a small handful of times, usually months apart. Her desire to keep it up was not there, and I was not going to try to force this upon her yet.
Over the past few weeks I have seen a lot of progress and interest in not just Charlotte, but Zander as well! He went potty about a week and a half ago for the very first time!
Now, here is where we are.
Lastnight at church, they were in a bigger kids room, and most of those kids are potty trained, so at a certain point in the evening, it was time to get all of those kids on the potty. BOTH of my kids see this going on and get excited to give it a try. Charlotte sorta half goes in her diaper and half in the toilet (and a bit on her onesie ha!), Zander goes (STANDING UP FOR THE FIRST TIME!) and before service is over he goes a SECOND time!!! I come to get them and hear about this, and I am shocked, and THRILLED for them both!
We go home from church, and I am curious what Zander will do if he stands at his potty chair at home, so I give it a try... He stands there, I can tell he is trying but nothing is happening. Clearly the way he is standing tells me if he does go it's not going to land in the toilet, so I hold the potty up closer to compensate the aim... He's still "trying" but it's not working yet... He then grabs the potty chair, turns away from me, puts it on the ground and stands up and pee's!!!! (Of course, most of it does not land in the toilet, but that's ok I guess)! VICTORY a THIRD time!!! YAY! Charlotte didn't quite make it, she started peeing as soon as her diaper was being opened (so I kept the diaper there).
Today, Charlotte has emptied her bladder twice and Zander sat for a long time and presented a tiny little poo. I am starting to see a trend, at least a glimmer of hope perhaps!
Honestly, I am surprised this potty training thing is going the way it is, I had not seen any interest from Zander at all, so to be training them both at the same time is surprising, and a bit challenging (Charlotte wants to stand up and pee now)..
I hope they will continue on, and I can keep them interested and encouraged! I hope this is the beginning of a short lesson, so that diapers can be a thing of the past! I am SO proud and SO excited, and at the same time, it's just one more of those "baby things" to leave our home.... Right now, I don't feel sad about it (I mean, it's diapers after all), but I know in a way, I will be sad to see them be that much older, and that much less reliant on me.
So, this is entry 1 in my "Potty Journal" for now... I hope I can continue with the good news on this topic :)
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Two and a half...
So the twins are almost two and a half years old already! I realize I have slacked BADLY on this blog, but I want to make some memories as well as share stories and fun things with my readers.... So, let's do some catching up.....
Charlotte: Since she was born first, we'll start with her.. She's a talkative little girl who's favorite color is usually purple but she's also quite fond of pink. If you ask her what she wants to eat, she will most likely tell you pizza, even though she actually does not eat much pizza. She has a fascination with shoes. When walking by perfect strangers she will say "Look mamma, shoes" or today at a park she said to a friend of mine "I wike your fop fops" (can you decipher that?). She is going through a funny phase lately with the word "favorite". She will dig through her drawers picking out various items of clothing and say "dis is my favorite shirt" "dis is my favorite dress!" usually it is her "suit" (swimming suit) or various pairs of shoes, did I mention she loves shoes? She can parrot almost anything you say to her, which has gotten me in trouble a few times when she said "oh crap" and "oh gosh!" (over and over again because Charlotte usually does not say anything ONE time!).
Zander: He has merged into a total boy... No, not that he was not all boy before, he's always been a total BOY, but he used to be a calm little sweetheart who could just sit and watch people, a gentle soul who would come up to me for frequent snuggles and kisses... Now days it is kiss attacks (that sometimes actually hurt, but I still love them), andhis shy/timid personality has been long gone! This kid has no fear at all, and he's not shy! He is quick as lightning, especially when he's doing something I'd rather him not do and gets caught. Zander likes to use the word "share" often, but in all honesty he is REALLY good at sharing. He is starting to use a lot more words lately, and I notice he must be learning his words from Charlotte, because he's using some of her "wrong" words that we love so much (like calling sunglasses "cha-chas" and milk is "milka". Zander loves to blow on our tummy, we call them tummy farts... but he's just as happy blowing on an arm or even leg. He also likes to stand on top of things and jump. He will stand on my tummy while I am laying down, and he jumps off, or he will sit on my belly and bounce (ouch)!
They can both say each others names now, and their own. It's precious to hear them talking to each other. Charlotte seems to try to be "mommy" to Zander. They can both sneak two chairs up to the kitchen counter and scale up them before I realize what is going on, it's been interesting this particular age.
They love to do crafts together, like finger painting, or drawing. They both can draw a circle if you as. They are getting to know their colors really well, and are starting to say/understand some basic shapes.
Zander is still a binky boy, but only during naps and bed time. Charlotte prefers carrying around a blanky (usually insisting on the pink one or green one depending on her mood, it used to only be the pink one).
They love to go to the store, or park and will tell you that is where they want to go. "Go sore!" "go pay swide!" (go store and go play slide). Then as soon as they establish we are going somewhere they both run all over finding and saying: "shoes!", pulling those on then saying "i drive beep beep mommy!" or "we go mommies van!"
I mentioned earlier that Zander has no fears... (except for maybe ME when he's being naughty lol). Charlotte however has a lot of fears. Every now and then she will see a fly or bee or even a blowing leaf, and suddenly she's in hysterics! Lately it's been flies, with the weather being hot, the flies found their way in to the house or car at times, and she would panic!
This summer has been SO busy! They finally like water, so they've gone swimming a number of times. The first time was in The Dalles at my sister's hotel she was staying in during her b-day/Tylers graduation. Next was at Michael's (my friend from Chicago) hotel when he came to visit. We then went on a big road trip with Anthony's family to Roseburg and swam at the hotel as well as at Diamond Lake. After we got back from that, I took the twins to Rock Creek Reservoir in Oregon for my mom's family reunion. We have a little pool in the yard they have used a number of times as well.
It's so fun to watch these two little people grow up and develop. Charlotte is a smart little cookie and really quick with learning, especially with her vocabulary. Zander learns on his own most of the time, I will watch him as he examines his toys and how they function. I try not to miss even the smallest thing, like the perfect placement of freckle/mole's, one on Charlotte's arm, on her chest, and a perfect one on her shin. Zander has an adorable one on his hand near his knuckles. Speaking of knuckles, they prefer that rather then a high five, but often they come in "sets" so you get both!
There are so many more things, and I plan to add more. Please come back let me share with you my joy. Until then, "byebye! You go work?!" (this is what Charlotte will say if someone is leaving the house).
Charlotte: Since she was born first, we'll start with her.. She's a talkative little girl who's favorite color is usually purple but she's also quite fond of pink. If you ask her what she wants to eat, she will most likely tell you pizza, even though she actually does not eat much pizza. She has a fascination with shoes. When walking by perfect strangers she will say "Look mamma, shoes" or today at a park she said to a friend of mine "I wike your fop fops" (can you decipher that?). She is going through a funny phase lately with the word "favorite". She will dig through her drawers picking out various items of clothing and say "dis is my favorite shirt" "dis is my favorite dress!" usually it is her "suit" (swimming suit) or various pairs of shoes, did I mention she loves shoes? She can parrot almost anything you say to her, which has gotten me in trouble a few times when she said "oh crap" and "oh gosh!" (over and over again because Charlotte usually does not say anything ONE time!).
Zander: He has merged into a total boy... No, not that he was not all boy before, he's always been a total BOY, but he used to be a calm little sweetheart who could just sit and watch people, a gentle soul who would come up to me for frequent snuggles and kisses... Now days it is kiss attacks (that sometimes actually hurt, but I still love them), andhis shy/timid personality has been long gone! This kid has no fear at all, and he's not shy! He is quick as lightning, especially when he's doing something I'd rather him not do and gets caught. Zander likes to use the word "share" often, but in all honesty he is REALLY good at sharing. He is starting to use a lot more words lately, and I notice he must be learning his words from Charlotte, because he's using some of her "wrong" words that we love so much (like calling sunglasses "cha-chas" and milk is "milka". Zander loves to blow on our tummy, we call them tummy farts... but he's just as happy blowing on an arm or even leg. He also likes to stand on top of things and jump. He will stand on my tummy while I am laying down, and he jumps off, or he will sit on my belly and bounce (ouch)!
They can both say each others names now, and their own. It's precious to hear them talking to each other. Charlotte seems to try to be "mommy" to Zander. They can both sneak two chairs up to the kitchen counter and scale up them before I realize what is going on, it's been interesting this particular age.
They love to do crafts together, like finger painting, or drawing. They both can draw a circle if you as. They are getting to know their colors really well, and are starting to say/understand some basic shapes.
Zander is still a binky boy, but only during naps and bed time. Charlotte prefers carrying around a blanky (usually insisting on the pink one or green one depending on her mood, it used to only be the pink one).
They love to go to the store, or park and will tell you that is where they want to go. "Go sore!" "go pay swide!" (go store and go play slide). Then as soon as they establish we are going somewhere they both run all over finding and saying: "shoes!", pulling those on then saying "i drive beep beep mommy!" or "we go mommies van!"
I mentioned earlier that Zander has no fears... (except for maybe ME when he's being naughty lol). Charlotte however has a lot of fears. Every now and then she will see a fly or bee or even a blowing leaf, and suddenly she's in hysterics! Lately it's been flies, with the weather being hot, the flies found their way in to the house or car at times, and she would panic!
This summer has been SO busy! They finally like water, so they've gone swimming a number of times. The first time was in The Dalles at my sister's hotel she was staying in during her b-day/Tylers graduation. Next was at Michael's (my friend from Chicago) hotel when he came to visit. We then went on a big road trip with Anthony's family to Roseburg and swam at the hotel as well as at Diamond Lake. After we got back from that, I took the twins to Rock Creek Reservoir in Oregon for my mom's family reunion. We have a little pool in the yard they have used a number of times as well.
It's so fun to watch these two little people grow up and develop. Charlotte is a smart little cookie and really quick with learning, especially with her vocabulary. Zander learns on his own most of the time, I will watch him as he examines his toys and how they function. I try not to miss even the smallest thing, like the perfect placement of freckle/mole's, one on Charlotte's arm, on her chest, and a perfect one on her shin. Zander has an adorable one on his hand near his knuckles. Speaking of knuckles, they prefer that rather then a high five, but often they come in "sets" so you get both!
There are so many more things, and I plan to add more. Please come back let me share with you my joy. Until then, "byebye! You go work?!" (this is what Charlotte will say if someone is leaving the house).
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