Worst Shopping Trip Ever

So it happened, we had the worst trip to HEB last week. We needed groceries and I had a meeting that evening so I decided to push through and take the girls with me. We get to the store and luckily there is a racecar shopping cart in one of the shopping cart corrals. I park right by it, get out and grab it then load one baby then go to the other side and load second baby. Lock the car and we're off. Not even in the store completely and Sloane stands up in the seat. Strap must be too loose. Sit her down mess with buckle, try to tighten but doesn't budge much. Oh well, I'm going to be quick, lets just start moving. Grab grapes, strawberries, and bananas. She's up again. Stop, buckle her back in, head to the meats. Pretty much every time or every other time I stopped she was trying to stand up. I had crackers in my purse so I tried to bribe her with that but she wasn't hungry since she had just had snack. So I proceed to carry her and push Stella in the cart. Do you know how hard those darn things are to push?!? And one handed??? I had to put her back in before my arm fell off and Stella was crying because I wasn't carrying her. Oh ya, I was THAT mom. The one they all look and say, Awww you have your hands full. Yes I do, now get out of the way!!!
Finally get to checkout line and there are only a handful of checkers today. This is the worst part of the shopping trip on a good day much less when we are near meltdown. I glance around for anything that I can give them to make them happy for 5 minutes while I unload the cart and pay. (Or wait several minutes for our turn to even get up the little belt to unload) I see some little plastic easter eggs with Hello Kitty and Princesses. Score! I grab 2 and hand them to the girls. Happy for a second then Stella wants the one Sloane has. Geez! I give them both another one. So now BOTH girls are banging eggs together and having a great time. I get some of the groceries unloaded then Sloane stands up and holds her hands up "Mommy, Mommy!" No Sloane, Mommy can't hold you. Sit down. Where are the eggs?? Oh ya, on the ground under the basket. Geez, just get the eggs (which are A DOLLAR a piece) and be quiet for a few more minutes! Please just a few more minutes!
So we get to the checker and I tell him I need to pay for the eggs but I only want two not four. So I hand him 2 and he scans them and hands them back then I grab the other ones and I say I don't want these. He gets confused and starts hitting void. I said no I want the first 2 just not these. I smile and say I promise you will get it when you have kids. (I am not paying $4.00 for 4 little eggs! come on!)
So we're not done yet, no, not even close. Walk out of the store and some guy and his wife/girlfriend are arguing. She is carrying a middle aged baby on her hip abnd he is pushing the cart. He keeps stopping in front of me to bug her about what is wrong and why she's mad. I try to steer away from them and not make eye contact so he doesn't get mad at me but before I know we are on the same aisle again, then they are parked 2 cars away. He is cussing and yelling at her and making me very uncomfortable. I just want to get the stuff in the car and go. HEB is usually great about helping me out with the groceries when I am by myself with the twins but I think this day they were a little short staffed and didn't offer. The one time it would be really nice to have someone who works there outside with me for protection, assistance, moral support! haha
I open the back hatch and start loading groceries. I am holding Sloane so she won't fall out onto the concrete because she keeps standing up. I can't load the stuff fast enough and of course being "green" like they are, the little checker didn't bag my milk, liter of diet coke, dishwasher detergent and something else(I forgot what it was now) But anyway several items that could have gone in a bag to make it easier to load and unload at home.
I start to lower the back hatch and realize the cart is in the way. I try to push it back up thinking if it senses my hand it will go back up. (That was what our Acura did, not the Expedition apparently!) All the sudden it is getting close to squashing Stella in the cart. I'm one handed still holding Sloane so moving that tank of a cart is work! I push it out of the way just in time. Oh and in case you are wondering, white trash guy is still yelling at her. They have the baby in the car and are loading groceries but I can still hear him saying all kinds of inappropriate things. I see a man standing by his car a little ways down who looks like he's just waiting for someone to come out of the store and I thought about saying something to him, but I didn't know what. Um can you come help this girl? Or get him to stop using terrible language in front of my daughters? But I just decided to get in my car and mind my own business. I just felt bad for this girl. If he is this bad in public what does he do at home? All I can do is pray that she is safe and that she gets help if she needs/wants it.
Get home and pull in. Now that we have the huge car that barely fits in the garage I cannot pull in and unload because then the back won't open. So I have to take one girl out of the carseat and inside the house then come back and get the other one so they won't run in the street. Took Sloane inside and went back to get Stella. When I come back with Stella, Sloane is climbing up on her highchair. Newest very dangerous trick. I run and grab her and try to distract them with something. I know I need to at least get the cold stuff out and Nick can unload the rest when he gets home. I go out and grab the handle to open the back. As soon as it lifts open out come the gallon of milk. $5.00 organic busted on the driveway. I grab it and try to maybe save it and it just keep spewing out from all kinds of cracks. I toss it in the grass, grab a couple things that have milk on it and run in. Girls are on top of the coffee table about to knock each other off. THey stop and look at me and Sloane says "Muh" (milk) Yes, I have milk all over me and some sprinkled on my face. I call Nick and he thinks it's wildly hilarious. I know it will be at some point, that's why I am writing about it, but in that moment and even now, it gets my blood pumping!
If you ever wondered what it was like to go to the grocery store with 2 very active toddlers, now you know. Usually if I have to take them, I take snacks or toys and they are fine. That day just wasn't our day. So now you see why I leave them at home every time I can when I shop or Nick and I go together so one can actually shop and the other mans the babies. I know one day I will read this and laugh and remember how crazy our life was but until then I just say a lot of prayers that God gets us all through the day. :)

Love Story

Since I am feeling happy and lovey I thought I would post about something other than our adorable daughters. They might sneak into to this post a little bit but mostly I want to focus on my sweet hubby. I like to reminisce about years past and try to keep the memories of our life events alive in my head. As some of you might know (my husband definitely does) that I don't have the best memory. I forget things ALL the time! It was bad before I had kids and now it's just terrible. Anyway, I want to write about our love story and just some of the memorable times Nick and I have had over the years.
Our story starts in October 2006 when Hillary (a teacher friend of mine at the time, we are both SAHM now) says that she has a good guy friend she would like to introduce me to. Nick lived in Colorado then and I wasn't sure I was up for a long distance relationship. But I met him for a blind date in Houston (The Woodlands to be exact) on the first weekend in November and we've been together ever since. We spent our first Valentine's day ('07) together in Midland for Hillary and Sean's wedding. He got me a Tiffany chain necklace and I thought he hung the moon (well I still do!) Our second Valentine's day ('08)we closed on our house here in League City. (Yes, we moved fast! Our first dance song at our wedding was Elvis' Fools Rush In. But we knew we were meant to be together and we just went for it!) I was still living in my apartment of course so I made Nick dinner and I can't remember what he got me, I guess a house! :)
Our third Valentine's day (09) Nick made us a wonderful steak dinner at home and even had chocolate covered strawberries! I can't remember 2010 (see I told you I have a bad memory) but I know last year (2011) we had a nice heart shaped pizza from Papa John's! HA! The girls were little and it had been freezing all that month. We decided a nice evening at home together was better than going out, or cooking!
Which brings me to V-day 2012. Nick had planned to take me to III Forks in Houston. Of course he sprained his ankle last week so I really didn't think he would feel like going on crutches but he did. Mom was here to watch the girls so on Saturday we both got dressed up for our fancy dinner out. I wish I would have gotten a picture but we were just trying to hurry up and leave before the girls noticed and then at the restaurant we were too busy eating! Oh my word! If you haven't eaten III Forks, you have to go. It's pricey so probably for a special occasion but worth every penny. I won't even say what all we ate because you will think we are pigs but the steaks (melt in your mouth!) and the mac and cheese with crab meat were our favorites.
Today the girls and I baked cookies for Daddy and we are planning a nice evening here at home. We might even order a heart shaped pizza again! I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's day with your special someone!
(The picture I posted is from our Engagement photos in Galveston)

Toddler Cuteness

I just have to blog about a few cute things the girls are doing before I forget. While we still haven't been back to our normal sleeping, it is a little better and I am hoping that after this little cold is fully gone they will be good as new! Other than being exhausted lately, it's been fun watching the girls change everyday.
Now when you ask Stella "What's your name?" She will say "me". And we say no, it's Stella, she smiles really big and says me again. Just precious. She has also started going in for kisses pretty often now. I love when I am in the middle of something else and she just leans in for a kiss out of nowhere. It's just too sweet! She just learned how to say the sound a dog makes, woof woof. It seems like I was trying to get them to say it forever and now she is finally doing it. I think the w sound was hard for her. Sloane is trying to copy her but you can't really tell what she is saying. We taught them both to say "Go Texans" and that was really fun to have them shout at the TV during playoffs! Too bad we didn't get to the Superbowl this year, but I'm still very proud of our team!
Sloane is just climbing up everywhere!! She can climb the back of the couch and peek her head over the top. We're not even sure how she is doing it, she's just so strong! She can get up on the coffee table and now is trying to climb the baby gate in front of the TV. Her latest words are mow (rhyme with cow) for what a cat says and shoes. She can say shoes pretty clear and she knows where to go to get them and that if she wants to play outside she needs them. ;)
They also can saw Mamaw now instead of just signing it and they can say Bo-bi. A nickname Sloane made up for her cousin Mikalya. I know, we have no idea how she came up with Bo-bi but it's what she started saying so we go with it. They did try to say Maddie last time and it sounded like Mimi. We'll see if that sticks. They do love their older cousins and I love seeing them interact. Precious.
Their latest game is grabbing a throw blanket and wanting to hide under it. They want me to put it over them then get under with them. They aren't really satisfied playing alone, we ALL have to be under there. Then they just giggle and pop out. Then back under, then out, about 10-15 times till I have had enough and walk away (they cry and fuss at me and sometimes I go back for a few more rounds then I say, really I'm tired, you play, which only works sometimes).
My grandma got them a gift card to Wal-mart for Christmas for books. I took them yesterday and when I got the book aisle I let them look at the books. They both immediately said Dog-dog and reached for the same book. It was a really cute one that has little sound buttons you can push for several different animals. They LOVE it! They also got another book that has sound buttons that says different words they should learn like car, boat, ball, dog, cat, shoes, apple, etc. I was so happy that they knew most of them already and were able to push the button when I asked them to find certain ones. They are just learning so quickly these days. The teacher in me wants to be more intentional with my teacher and start working on more things but then again, I know that what I am doing already with them is working and they are learning everything just fine. I have plenty of time to teach them to read. haha
I am getting ready to register them for Mother's Day Out next fall. I can't believe I am already planning for this but it will be here before I know it. And I know that they need to be around the other kids (and away from me) for a little bit. Especially since they will be 2 by the time it starts.
I feel like there was more I wanted to say but of course I can't think of it. Going to go spend a little time with the hubby before we both crash.
Girls will be 19 months next week!!

A year and a half

A year and a half really doesn't seem that long but then again it does. It seems like forever ago that we brought the girls home so tiny in their car seats and just sat there staring at them and taking a bazillion pictures. Now here they are 18 months old and they won't hold still for a second so picture taking is pretty much out the window. That's why our Christmas card has only pictures of Nick and I holding them. We tried and tried to get them to sit in front of the tree, on the stairs or anywhere together for a second to snap a picture but they just wouldn't. Oh well, I still think the card turned out cute and I'm sure I will get many more of them sitting in front of the tree in the years to come.
So I wanted to update on some things they are doing lately....
Talking so much more! Since Christmas now when Sloane sees a Santa face she says Ho, ho, ho. I didn't know what she was saying at first then one time I saw her looking at a Santa and I understood what she was trying to say. I don't know where she learned it because I really didn't talk much about Santa but I do think it's cute.
They still say dog-dog for dog, ba-ba for baby, and nack for snack. They have recently started calling each other sissy. I always have called them sister but sometimes sissy would slip out too and I guess that is what's going to stick. I don't have a sister but I know most girls who do tell me that they called their sister sissy at one time or another, or still do!
Sloane says D-da for grandad and calls for him often. They sign for Grammy and Mamaw often too.
They try to copy lot's of things we say now so it's really fun to say something to them and try to get them to say it back. Especially names of friends. :)
Because of the nativity scene they now really know their animal sounds. They can say Baa for sheep, moo for cow, neigh for horse, and hee-aaw for donkey. We didn't know a sound for camel so Nick made a spitting noise. That stuck so now they do that for camel. They also say ssss for snake and quack quack for duck. We were going to the park the other day and some duck were crossing the road in front of us. All the sudden Sloane starts quacking in her carseat. I was so impressed! I didn't think she could even see them much less make the connection. So smart
Speaking of the park, she loves it! I took them yesterday by myself and there were tons of people there. I wasn't thinking about all the kids still being out on vacation. I would have just left but they already knew where we were so I went ahead and let them play. It was a mistake! When there are so many other kids you have to watch for all of them too. Make sure the girls are walking in front of the swings or slides or climbing up too high or chasing dogs! Sloane ran after one so fast I almost thought I wasn't going to catch her. Yes, picture me carrying Stella and sprinting full speed after my other run-away one year old! I got home exhausted and told Nick "I don't know why I thought that would be fun".
The girls are also getting all of their incisors at once! They have all four front top and bottom and four molars, now just filling in the gaps. This has been the hardest set of teething yet. They have been waking up at nights, sometimes several times each and these past few mights they have been getting up and staying up. It's so frustrating because I don't know what to do. I give them Tylenol I try to comfort them back to sleep then as soon as I walk out they are screaming again. I know what you are thinking, let them scream. No, you don't understand, it's not an I don't want to go to sleep cry, it's the I'm in pain cry. These girls are good sleepers, been sleeping through the night since 4 months and really not needing much help to sleep then. They go to sleep fine normally, and still do at the beginning of the night, it's just once they are up they can't go back to sleep. I know it's just a season and it will be over soon (hopefully) but some of these seasons are really hard to live through. I'm so thankful for healthy babies and the privilege to stay at home with them no matter how hard it is. I count it all as joy! On that note, I'm going to try and go take a nap while they are. The rack full of ironing, sweeping, and cleaning the bathrooms can all wait.

Christmas 2011

I finally have a chance to sit down and write about Christmas while it's still fresh (kinda). The girls were so overwhelmed with the whole experience this year. SO many new toys, all at once, they didn't know what to do!! Last year, they were still so little (5 months) that it was all a blur, even to me! This year though, they started to get the idea of singing songs, playing with their nativity scene and opening presents. We decided to put the tree in our entryway that is protected by baby gates, so that we wouldn't have to spend all day chasing them away from it. It really did work out well because they got to see and touch it (softly) every time they went upstairs. We went to church on Christmas Eve and I must say it was one of the best Christmas Eve services I have ever been to. Mom made it into town just in time for church and we are so glad she did. The music and message were both wonderful and I love the way they had the church decorated. They had these huge bare trees on the stage so it looked like winter and these beautiful lights shining up them. Then there were strings of lights hanging from the ceiling and they would make them brighter and softer throughout the service. The girls went to the nursery and created a Happy Birthday Jesus card. I'm and so happy that they love church now. For the first 4 or 5 weeks they cried when we dropped them off but now they just walk right in. They are getting so big!
It was very cold and rainy Christmas Eve but we all made it to car and home safe and sound. I planned to have appetizers for dinner and it all turned out pretty yummy!
Since this felt more like the first Christmas to me than last year, or maybe I just had a little more time to think about and enjoy it, I really tried to plan out traditions that we want to do with the girls. I made an egg casserole and biscuits for Christmas morning then Nick cooked tenderloin for dinner when the rest of the family came over. I made my great Aunt Dot's bean casserole (passed down from my Aunt Lisa) She always makes it and I always loved it. Since we weren't going to Uvalde I wanted to try it on my own. It turned out almost as yummy as I remember and I definitely plan to make it again!
It was so cute when the girls came down Christmas morning! I was so glad mom was here to video tape them! Every since we put the tree up they loved looking at it on the way down the stairs but I didn't put a single present out till Christmas Eve after they were in bed so they were so surprised to see everything! I wish I wouldn't have wrapped as much but oh well. We had to do most of the unwrapping and then they just wanted to open it all right then and play with it. Sound familiar to anyone? We go them this "Elefun" ball popper and they love it. They still play with it everyday, almost all day. I thought the music would bother me but it doesn't and their little laughs and squeals when the balls pop out are just too precious!! My one huge lesson of being a mom on Christmas is to check everything I buy to make sure if it needs batteries. The Elefun did NOT come with batteries and I thought I was going to have to call a friend and borrow some batteries but luckily mom thought of something that had some in it and we stole from there. Most of the things we use now are AA or AAA not D or C. I learned my lesson and I will make sure I am prepared for that next year.
The week before Christmas we had our nieces over for a couple days. It was great to have them get to bond with Sloane and Stella. We baked cookies, watched movies and played with the babies. I think they had a good time, I know we did! Sloane nicknamed Mikayla Bo-bi and it's just the cutest thing. I hope it sticks. So far it has because when she sees her picture she says Bo-bi in her little high pitched voice. :)
Christmas was fun but so exhausting too! I feel like I learned a lot this year and will hopefully be a little more prepared next year.
Oh and one more thing, Christmas Cards! We love them!! I love getting the mail and getting to open and see who is sending us joy each day. The girls love them too! Especially the ones with babies and dogs or friends they recognize. Those are the ones that are wrinkled out of love. ;)
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas as well!!

What we're up to these days...

I feel like the girls have been doing so many cute things and I want to write about them before I forget it all!! I'll start with Stella and how she is all the sudden giving real kisses with a little smacking noise and all! It just melts my heart! She has always been the more affectionate one and she has been giving kisses for while but she would just lean real close and put her lips on you. Now it's a full out lean in and smack on the lips! Tonight she even pretended to "tuck" in her baby and gave her kisses too. I know it's just part of her growing up but the fact that she is really getting interested in baby dolls is so sweet too. They put a baby doll in their old entertainer today and they were spinning her around and turning music on for her.
They both have been really interested in this little block set that we have where you have to fit them in the correct slots. All the sudden they love it and they will sit still for several minutes (which is RARE) and put all the blocks in. They are starting to get really good at it too. Sloane can almost always get the star in on her own!
I love that our sweet daughters are also starting to say more words. They try to copy so many more things and I am starting to understand more and more. I have been worried a little because I have known other kids this age that talked more but I asked their pediatrician at the last visit and she said that they are normal. She said they should know 5-8 words and signing is good too. When I started thinking about it I realized that they do know that many or maybe more.
They LOVE to play outside and have recently learned how to climb the ladder and go down the slide all by their selves. I stand close to make sure they are steady before sliding down but usually they don't need me at all. They still love airplanes and birds and spend most of their outdoor time looking up.
One thing that is good (and bad for me) is their climbing ability. They are climbing any and everything. We almost go nuts keeping them from climbing on the kitchen table and chairs. They are fast and can pull themselves up before you know it. I know it's just a phase but this is one of the hardest ones! As soon as I get one of them down the other is climbing up, then I get her down and the first one is back up again. And it goes on until I can find something really fun to distract them from it.
They are still great eaters and pretty much always have been. Every few days they will have a meal or two that they eat less but then by the third meal they are gobbling it all up again. I know I am lucky that they eat all the variety of foods that they do and I pray they keep up over the next couple years.
Its so funny when I think of how different everything was this time last year. I found a video on the camera of them in their bumbos and I had just fed them rice cereal and they were about 5 and a half months old. Stella is "cooing" at Sloane and they are trying to grab each other and it's just the sweetest thing. I teared up watching it because it feels like that "baby" stage went by SO fast. I mean I knew it would, but I think my girls grew up especially fast because they started walking so early (9 months). It's like all the sudden they were toddlers! I can only imagine the difference I will see next year. I need to video them soon so I can remember this fun and challenging stage too.
And my favorite S&S thing lately is them "loving" each other. One will get on top of the other and they will both start giggling and laughing. The they will start kissing each other on the head or belly like we do to them and make each other laugh even more. We love to watch them interact like this and pray they always love each other.
Oh, and they are obsessed with belly buttons! They will try to lift up our shirts and say "bu-bu-bu" for belly button. It's funny because they have no social boundaries so they are always trying to look at our belly buttons at the weirdest time or trying to check out their grandma's and other friends' belly buttons whenever they can. All we can do is apologize and hope they outgrow it soon. :)
We took them to a restaurant for the first time in a long time and they did surprisingly well. Here is a pic of them enjoying some chips and queso.
Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

16 Months Old...Already?!?

I really don't know where the time goes because most of my days seem very long and tiring but before I know it another month has passed. Our sweet twins are really a handful these days. Climbing up on everything and no sense of fear or danger at all. It's pretty scary to say the least but I can only pray we get through this phase as quickly as the others. I have been so worn out by them lately and really needing a break. I am going to start tutoring Tuesday and Thursday so I can get out a little. My cousin Christine will be watching the girls and I just feel so blessed that it has worked out for her to do it. I am not worried at all about leaving them with her and that was my main concern before I decided to do this.
We went to the doctor for their 15 month check-up on Friday (yes a month late) and the doctor said that her toughest time with her son was 15-18 months. I was so glad to hear that it wasn't just me. I think with me getting out a little bit during the week I will be able to handle the rest of the days much better. They both weigh 22 pounds now and Stella is measuring just a little bit taller than Sloane even though Sloane looks taller. Other than the climbing, they really do mind well and want to please us. I can't wait to see how they react to Christmas this year!
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