Can you hear the 22 gauge gun going off? Hear it? There it goes...that's the sound of the concrete nail gun blowing holes into my circa 1950's mustard-yellow-tiles-up-to-here kitchen walls. The excitement of this day has been building up for quite some time...

When we moved into our little bungalow our first contractor said we had three options. 1) Sledge hammer the walls down to the studs and start over. We have 1/2 thick plaster walls and the tiles are cemented onto the wall- yes, cemented. Apparently they did not have tile adhesive 80 some years ago. Can you imagine the mess? Oh, and the cost? 2) Glaze the tiles. Well, this would not solve the problem of getting rid of the tiles. 3) Cover them up. Hmm, now you're talkin'. So a cover them up we are...with a sawed off shot gun. Did I mention the babes are sleeping through this?!

Fin woke up looking like Micky Rourke this morning...


Her attitude thus far has matched her hair...

"Return to me with all your heart and prove that your repentance is genuine by fasting and weeping and mourning. Fast now so that you may feast hereafter; weep now and you will laugh hereafter. Present mourning will give way to future joy...Never despair of His mercy, no matter how great your sins, for His great mercy can take away great sins."
-From Jerome's commentary on Joel (Joel 2.12)

Today is the seventh Wednesday before Easter Sunday. The day many Christians (and Catholics, of which I am one) are reminded of death and the sorrow they should feel for their sins. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season and the 40 days we are asked to change or give up something in our lives just as Jesus voluntarily spent 40 days in the desert preparing for his ministry.

I have been thinking a lot about what to 'change' in my own life, what to give up for the next few weeks. Whatever you choose, it should be difficult. It should be a sacrifice. My initial thought was to give up the computer- what could be more difficult than that?! No email, no blog, no online banking, no surfing...but after a some thought I realized this was a little impractical. How would I pay my bills this month? Where would I go to get a phone number? Giving up technology in this day and age might just prove a little TOO difficult...so, what will I change in my life?

My goal for the next 46 days is to attend church once a week. B, I can hear you groaning. This should be something we do as a family anyways and, yet, I am sad to say we do not. It's not that I wouldn't like to or that I don't enjoy mass, I do. Logistically, however, church just doesn't seem to fit into our lives right now. It should. Our children were baptised in the Catholic church and as a family we should honor Lord's day as an expression of our love for God. The 'change' we commit to during Lent should be hard and I can assure you, this will be HARD. Two 18 month olds sitting in one place for an hour. I'm getting a little anxiety just thinking about it. Honey, mass is at 5pm tonight...get ready.

Brian and I got married a few years ago. I registered for the most exquisite Tiffany china. I received about a third of it. The rest we figured would be purchased over time, perhaps as a Christmas gift or anniversary present. I received a terrible email this afternoon letting me know that the china pattern would be discontinued. How dare they! I have three plates! THREE!

If anyone is interested in coming to a dinner party or holiday get together at my house I can entertain ONE person. Me, Brian and ONE guest...everyone else gets paper...I thought luxury goods were recession proof.

I have a problem. I love to buy things for my children. Our latest purchase was a purse. What took me so long?! The girl needs a purse! What girl doesn't? She wore it proudly around Target and even offered to show it to one couple who very nicely obliged. She refused to take it off for the check out girl and thus it had to be scanned while still on her body. It was buckled into her carseat with her and has remained attached ever since.

My mom always tells me the story when I was about two and we were backing out of our driveway on our way to a friend's birthday party when I gasped in such an emergency-like way she slammed on the brakes and asked what was wrong. "I forgot my purse!" I screamed. Like mother like daughter I suppose...

I LOVE this economy! Did I just say that? So it may be completely unPC to utter the words out loud (or write them for the world to see) but I think it's just grand!

The government is throwing money at us left and right, just handing it out like it's Milk Duds on Halloween. We were generously gifted EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS just for putting a roof over heads this past year. Seriously! Nothing to pay back, no interest, just handed out like it was our 'bonus' for fulfilling the American dream. Oh and then there's the $800 dollar credit we get just for making less than $75k. Thank god residents are paid like shit. Oh did I mention the serious expansion of the EIC? We get that too. And then there's the doubling of the food stamp progam which if we applied for I'm sure (actually 100% positive because I called) that we would qualify for. At the rate our stellar government is handing things out I'm half tempted to stop paying our mortgage for a few months. If I do they are promising to renegotiate the terms and LOWER our monthly payment! Can you believe that! IF WE ARE IRRESPONSIBLE THE GOVERNMENT WILL BAIL US OUT NO QUESTIONS ASKED!

So let me just recap: Barama's government will buy our food, give us huge credits for all of our children, shower us with money if we remain 'poor,' and give us generous bonuses for buying houses we can or cannot afford because either way they will also lower our monthly housing payment on our behalf.

Have I thanked all those hard working middle class men and women out there who voted for this guy? Thank you! Thank you so much for giving nearly one third of your hard earned paychecks to people like me. People who don't need a dime of government hand outs. People who live quite comfortably and quite responsibly without government intervention. Thank you for voting to expand government in a way we have never seen before. Thank you for opting to live with a little less so our President can 'spread the wealth around.' Your 'wealth' just bought our new 46" plasma screen tv. This economy rocks!

It has been three weeks since the inception of my 'open house' idea and I have yet to post a picture. I will not lie, this one is a cheat. You have already seen this room. This is not to say I have not made major strides on the house front. In the past three weeks we have:

*found and purchased new living room furniture, a rug, window hardware, curtains
*painted the living room
*found a rug for our bedroom
*hired a contractor to start work on our lovely pink bathroom
*hired a contractor to refinish our hardwood floors
*hired a contractor to start work on finishing up the kitchen (cabinets and wainscoting)
*purchased a new vanity/sink/faucet for the bathroom
*purchased a new light for the kitchen
*organized our two storage rooms
*got a quote on putting in a new bathroom in the basement
*found towels/accessories for the babies' bathroom (although they have yet to be ordered)
*special ordered a new glass door for the front (I couldn't stand the old one so I ripped it off- literally- only to find that our 100 year old front door is quite drafty. Like you can see the outdoors from indoors if you look through the cracks!)

So you see, even though I have yet to have a 'finished' room to post as proof I have been quite active in fulfilling my new year's resolution.
Although you have seen this room before, I did finally find a mirror (which I consider quite an accomplishment as it has taken me four months to do so). When we moved in the room was a sickly yellowish beige- almost flesh colored. We painted, hung new drapes and bought a new sideboard. The chandelier remained, updated with Restoration Hardware shades. We hired a someone to hang picture molding, which I LOVE and highly recommend as a cheap way to add some architecture to any room....

The finished product. I thought about a rug for this room but quickly remembered our two very messy children. Bare floors it is for now.

Next week I'm hoping to have the babes' room finished- I'm currently in the process of finishing the valances for the windows...or maybe the living room- I just have to reupholster the fabulous bench I found...

My children are big. No they are HUGE! Finley is 95% in height and 65% in weight.


As you can see, Parker is well off the charts in both categories. The doctor just says greater than 95% but I wonder what it is when you are FIVE boxes ABOVE the chart line?! 130%? 140%? Either way we have a big boy on our hands! He has always been tall (as you can tell by the upper graph) but he has not always been chunky monkey (weight is the bottom graph). We might need to cut back on the "tut tees" (Parker's word for cookies) P!


Other than being gimongous Dr. G says we are right on track with language and quite ahead (at the 2 to 2 1/2 year-old level) with our other skills! Don't you love when your 'I-think-my-kids-are-so-advanced' mentality is medically justified?!

Your favorite thing to do used to be sleeping on our chests. Now you have all kinds of real favorites. Parker, you LOVE going outside. You could swing for hours. Your favorite food in the world is mac and cheese followed closely by oatmeal. You can't sleep without Shrek, your bink and your blankey. You LOVE Yo Gabba Gabba and ask for it all day long. Your best friend is the dog and you love to hang all over her, climbing, sitting, petting.

Finley, your favorite food is raspberries- you can eat an entire carton of them! You also love ketchup. If we can't get you to try something we put a little ketchup on your plate. If you can dip it, you will eat it. You LOVE your baby Stella and don't go many places without her. You play pretend all day long- making things in the kitchen and then feeding them to baby in her highchair, playing with empty cleaning bottles and wiping everything down, playing with empty hair products and 'spraying' them into your hair. Your best friend is Parker. You LOVE him. You tease him and hug him and chase him and get things for him and then take them away. You vy for his attention all day long. You also love to dance- with or without music it doesn't matter. You LOVE to show off. Being the center of attention is your thing.

Parker, I am in awe of your intelligence. You can figure anything out. You love to take things apart to see how they work and then try to put them together again. You model behavior like a three year old- if you see mommy or daddy do it, you can do it just as well. You are a helper. You like to throw things in the trash, load and unload the dishwasher, and feed the dog. If asked by a babysitter where X is, you will lead them to it. Your comprehension of language is incredible. At 16 months you started using the potty all by yourself. At 18 months you go 3-4 times per day and always tell someone when you have to go. You are an incredible sharer and give things willingly to your sister even if you had them first. You are sweet beyond comprehension yet have a temper that rivals all others. You get frustrated easily when you can't communicate what you want but are pacified when we let you do whatever is you wanted to do without any help. If you want to drink out of a glass and we help in some way, all bets are off- the screaming begins. You are happiest when left to do things on your own.

Finley, you never stop. You are so busy! You run and jump and climb and play and don't slow down until you crash. You tell us when you need a nap or to go to night night by signing. You are typically asleep minutes later. Although you usually take a minute or two to warm up to new people and new situations you are so outgoing. You make friends so easily. When you meet someone new your age you usually give them a kiss and a hug. You know your friends' names and love to play with them. You are full of personality. You 'talk' on the phone with eye rolls and hand gestures. You 'yell' at your brother when he is not doing what you want him to be doing- complete with a pointed finger. You can play alone and usually when I check on you you are lost in a pretend world of your own. Language comes easily to you and you can repeat almost any word when asked. You always think of others and offer bites or get toys to give to your friends. You love to test us and have had your share of timeouts because of it. You are going to be our handful and I am looking forward to every second of it.

It is so hard to believe that you have become little people right before our eyes. In six months, six short short months, you will be TWO! We are so proud of the people you are becoming and cannot wait to see more of you emerge. Happy birthday my little ones! I love you more than you will ever know...

Our Godmother took us to Build-A-Bear Workshop this morning. I have to admit when she suggested it I was a little nervous that they wouldn't quite get it, that they weren't quite ready. I was totally wrong. The babes are OBSESSED with their new animals. Fin picked out a monkey which we named named MoMo and Parker picked out an elephant aptly named Ellie. They had so much fun stuffing their animals and putting the little hearts inside. Although P got a little carried away with the hearts- I think Ellie has four, maybe five.


Finley insisted on carrying the huge (seriously almost as tall as she is) box with her monkey inside all by herself from the store all the way out to the car. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen! She was so proud of herself!


We then went out to lunch and, of course, had to eat with our animals...They have slept with them ever since- still toting them around in the cardboard 'Cub Condos.' Thanks for making our Valentine's Day so sweet Mares!

Every night before I lie my head onto my pillow I check on my sleeping angels. Every night I cover them up. Every night I take their empty milk cups from the corners of their cribs. Every night I deposit a binky or two- one on top of a pillow, one in the nook of a teddy or a baby as not to get knocked out onto the floor. Every night in their heavy slumber they reach out and grab these deposited little treasures, clutching them close and breathing a gentle sigh of peacefulness.

A night rarely passes where these gentle sighs and slumbering little bodies don't produce a tear of happiness, of pure fulfillment. Every night my heart flutters with a happiness I have never known. I wish I could stay the binky fairy forever.

The babes are really into boo boos lately. If B or I have a scratch or bruise they will point to it and say 'boo boo' and/or 'ouch.' Fin looks gives a very worried look when she has or sees a boo boo and often tries to give kisses to make them 'all better.'

I was at Container Store over the weekend and found some boo boo packs (Mr. Happy and Mrs. Helpful) that were a must have. We have boo boo bunnies but somehow lost one of the terry bunnies and only have the ice cube. If you have twins you know that you either have two of something the same or similar or nothing at all. While the babes are very good at sharing, sometimes it's just easier to have two...

Since the new purchase they are getting 'boo boos' ALL the time!

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

I am a fiscal conservative, however, I believe VERY strongly in LGBT rights. I couldn't resist sharing this incredible video. I hope and pray that my children will grow up in a world where ALL people have EQUAL rights. Where people are judged on their actions, NOT their skin color, religion, or sexual preference. I live in a state where gay rights (in every form) are illegal. It doesn't have to be this way. Take a stand against hate. It is the right thing to do.

I took these pictures on Friday (gotta love the super fast shutter speed) and I'm not quite sure whether to smile or be seriously worried about my future...Fin LOVES to talk on the phone. She babbles on and on and on. Rolling her eyes. Flipping her hands around in the most dramatic way. Sometimes she even fake laughs. I mean, who does an 18 month old 'talk to' that would illicit so much chatter?! Between the stealing of the mirror at 6 months and the talking on the phone at 18, we are in for it with this one!



It doesn't help that she already has Daddy wrapped around her finger...last week I bought them a bunch of Schleich animals and Fin LOVES the horses. All day its either baby or horses. As she and B played with horses I overheard him tell her that one day when she is bigger he would buy her a pony. WHAT?! A PONY?! When I asked him about this he, dead seriously, said, "well, if she is still loves horses that much when she's bigger what's wrong with having a pony?" Oh geez...

Yes. We're having one. It started last night at around 7:45pm with Brian locking his keys in the car. $108. They think that's fair. Then an hour later we needed television. Needed it I tell you. Guess what? There was nothing on. Nothing. As B is on call tonight we went to sleep early instead.


Then came 1am. Fin is screaming so fiercely I thought she might have been being attacked. Up I jump only to find her sitting up half asleep in some type of dream like state. I scoop her up (with the THREE binkies she had somehow horded) and rocked her. And rocked her. And then rocked her some more. When she was good asleep (which I could tell from the drool ring on my shirt and the loud snoring) I very gently placed her back in her crib.

Nope.

Screaming. Lots and lots of I'm-being-attacked-shrill-top-of-my-lungs screaming.

We repeated this twice. Finally I had had enough. It was now nearly 2:30am and it was time for both her and I to go to sleep. I trudged downstairs hoping B would stay asleep as his alarm would be going off in a two and a half hours.

Nope.

Long story short, Fin wanted to party. Or sleep on a warm body anyways. She was in and out of sleep (read, mom got NO sleep) from the hours of 1am to 5am. Awesome.

Needless to say this morning has been grump-tastic. We ate lunch at 11am and went down at 11:45a. That's as long as we all could last. I'm praying and hoping and begging that they last at least another hour. They need a three hour nap. NEED it. PLEASE SLEEP FOR THREE HOURS!

We are going to the playground this afternoon and to the mall to run. No shopping (I promise B) just running. Then maybe having a hot date in the food court. When we get home I'm planning on unfolding our new couch (it has a bed in it. Imagine that.) and watching Shrek while we eat snacks before bedtime. I'm really hoping we don't have a repeat of last night...

I have been trying over the past few days to get Fin to show off her 'tricks.' This is the best outtake I've gotten...It seems that when the video camera is rolling she all of the sudden becomes quite shy.

Sometimes Brian surprises me. After 9 years together you would think I know the man pretty well. The other day while unloading the dishwasher (dishes are his thing) he voiced his annoyance that the children's plates and bowls don't all match and, therefore, don't stack neatly. Ahh, my closeted OCD hubby. I knew I would wear off on him for the better...


To be honest this never really bugged me. Which, in retrospect is slightly strange. We have a couple Spidey plates, a puppy plate, a Michigan State plate (a hand me down that Brian has, on two occasions attempted to throw in the garbage. Go Blue!), a handful of whale shaped plates, some penguin bowls...you get the idea. So when I heard that Orla Kiely was doing a line for Target and that she would be doing melamine plates, bowls, accessories, etc. I was pumped! I own her beach bag (which I currently use as my diaper bag) and am sooo thrilled to purchase a new set of plates and bowls for the babes! And maybe a new apron for myself?! They hit the shelves sometime this month...be on the lookout!

At almost 18 months old I can say for certain that these have been and continue to be the best months of our lives. At 18 months old we talk just enough to portray our needs and wants and have yet to talk back/sass/or give the dreaded NO (when the babes don't want something they simply shake their head and say 'nah'). We use utensils. We pick out our own snack every morning and every afternoon- you'd be surprised at their choices, yogurt, cheese, dried papaya, once they even asked for peas. I no longer use a diaper bag (ok, so I stopped this a long time ago). To leave the house we only require ourselves, my purse and our sippy cups. We rarely use a stroller and the babes are quite good at holding hands and following directions.

At 18 months when they ask for something and it is given they say 'tan tu.' When told 'I love you' they say it back. At 18 months the babes LOVE to give love. When they have been on an outing alone the first thing they do when they walk into the house is find one another to give hugs and kisses. We give kisses, noses, and bear hugs every night before we go to sleep. Today they ran around the house hand in hand, getting the biggest kick out of this new 'connection.'

At 18 months when one gets a binky (before going to sleep) they always ask for two so that they can bring it to their sibling. When given a binky from the other they reply 'tan tu.' When Parker gets his blankie out of his crib he always goes to get Fin hers too.

At 18 months we know what playing hide and seek, chase, and jumping on the bed are. We play these games every day. Mom's best hiding spot is behind the curtains. Parker's is in mom's closet. Fin, well she's better at seeking than hiding. She always gives herself up.

At 18 months we LOVE to pretend. We break our wooden eggs into the bowl and stir and wisk. We 'bake' cupcakes and love to have people 'taste' our cookies. We like to go shopping for produce and put it in our baskets. Then after saying 'bye bye' they get into their cozy coupe, placing their fruits and veggies in the 'trunk.' Finley loves her baby Stella. She rocks her and feeds her and puts blankets on her. She doesn't go many places without her baby. At 18 months we are also very good at playing alone or with one another. Our favorite alone activity is reading.

At 18 months we can say two of our friends' names and love to give them hugs and kisses when we see them. We are REALLY good at sharing. All mom has to do is say 'share please' and the object in question is immediately surrendered to the person desiring it. We are also really good at showing off. When mom or dad has a friend over P will climb/jump/bounce on any surface available, Fin will dance and spin and jump and stand on one leg- with our without any music. We have NO stranger anxiety whatsoever.

At 18 months we sleep from 7:30pm to 7:30am and usually play in our cribs for 15 minutes before mom comes to get us. We take one afternoon nap from 1p-3p. The babes have never protested sleep and at this age it is no different.

At 18 months Parker uses only 2-3 diapers a day. He signs diaper when he needs or wants to use the potty. He loves the big person potty. He likes to see himself go. He also likes to flush, say 'bye bye' as the water recends, close the lid and lock the toilet lock. Finley has yet to be productive on the potty but she loves getting an M&M for sitting on it.

At 18 months my children's minds are like sponges. They repeat almost every word you ask them to. They learn new signs on a daily basis (and remember them! We were reading a book about stars today and Fin signed star- a sign we learned a few weeks ago but haven't really used! I was shocked!). They are soooo independent- especially Parker- and I am happy to give them space to grow and learn. At 18 months my kids are AMAZING! I wish they could stay this age FOREVER!

We currently have a bagillion pairs of shoes...Vans (x2), Pumas (x2), Merrells, hand-me-down snow boots (which are nearly impossible to get on), and Lacoste slip-ons, for Parker; gold Mary Janes, polka dot flats, red velvet Christmas shoes, some Addidas tennis shoes, Converse (high and low tops) and the cutest pair of pink Uggs you've ever seen for Fin.

I am convinced that 18 month-olds should own three pairs of shoes a year. In fact going forward I have determined that if you have to wear them with socks, we're not owning them. I HATE socks. I hate them for me and I especially hate them for the babes. They pull them off, they slip in them, they get lost. They're a huge pain. From now on we plan on owning Uggs in the winter (they slip on, no socks needed, they can be worn in the snow and are dressy enough to wear for Christmas- well for P anyways), rain boots for Spring and Fall (again, they slip on and no socks needed), and Crocs (yes they're horribly ugly, but guess what? Yep, they slip on and you don't need socks!). The best part of all of the above footwear...they can put them on all by themselves (I cannot stress how important this is for my crazily independent children)!

As we were getting ready to head out to Target this morning Parker threw an all out fit. He couldn't get his own shoes on. Heaven forbid I should try to help. If I so much as touched his foot or the shoe (slip on Pumas) he lost it. Goodbye socks (and velcro, and ties, and laces, and...) boots and Crocs here we come!