Sunday, April 11, 2010

The baby jail = productive day


WOW, has it really been over 2 months since I last posted? There is a GOOD reason for that... twins have turned 1!!! I'm literally chasing them around NONSTOP. They have quite the personalities which keep me sane, but they are into EVERYTHING and are constantly going in opposite directions. It's humorous at first, but at the end of the day I'm at my wit's end with tupperware all over my kitchen, laundry turned upside down, toys in places I never thought they could fit, remotes lost, dressers completely empty because clothes are ALL over the floor, lotions, powders, make up thrashed, trash cans upside down and so on. Now I'm usually the one who PROMOTES chaos for learning, but there is a point where it ALL has to stop so we have a sense of "normalcy". SO.... I invested in one of man's greatest inventions ... a BABY JAIL!!! LOL. That is what the previous owner referred to it as and now I see why. It cages these monsters in (and I say that VERY lovingly)!!! Seriously, it has been a life saver! I can take it anywhere and the twins LOVE being in there (as LONG as they are together ... if just ONE is in there it's torture, they NEED their playmate). The sides are close enough to give them (OK just Ramsey) the confidence to walk!!!! She toddles back and forth and laughs at her abilities. Slade watches in jealousy and confusion wondering how in the world she manages such a feat!

The last 2 months have been full of vacations, spring breaks, and birthdays, etc. I turned the big 3-5!!1 OUCH! We celebrated the day (and Keller's Spring Break) at Mimi and Diddy's in AZ! Mimi of course makes every holiday and birthday as special as can be! The house was decorated with balloons and birthday signs! She took the kids out shopping for gifts and made an INCREDIBLE dinner (including T-bone steaks!!!!) We had a great week swimming, shopping, spending time with Mimi, Diddy and Ellie! We returned home to a house decorated with bday signs, chalked up driveway with birthday messages and a shopping spree (thank you KIngsley:)

IN the last few months we also welcomed a new cousin to the family, Caleb Cohen. We surprised Kingsley's youngest sister by flying out to Virginia to meet our adorable nephew and cousin. We flew into DC and had a whirlwind trip! We spent the night in DC and visited the smithsonian museums and White house, capitol building, memorials, etc... We had dinner with my Brother in law's parents (who are family to us:) in Alexandria, VA then set out for Richmond, VA! We spent the night and met up with Kingsley's brother Bobby and his son, Jo Jo. Nana and Pop Pop also drove down. We showed up to Didi's the next morning and SHOCKED her (had previously told her hubby we were coming). We spent some good quality time loving on our newest family member then we continued on to Charlottesville to visit with Kingsley's older sister, Gigi and her family! Kingsley's ENTIRE family showed up. We got to see sister Roberta and family, Bobby and Jo Jo, Didi and Josh also drove over along with Nana and Pop! IT was QUITE the reunion. The kids had so much fun reuniting with their East Coast cousins. I was overwhelmed with a thankful heart for the opportunity to be there and have them all bond!!! Nana took them all to walmart and everyone picked out a DS game.... We then continued our trip to Fork Union Military Academy. We showed the kids where daddy spent time developing who he is today... a man of discipline:) Kingsley went to high school there so we showed them his old "stomping ground". Keller loved standing and saluting in the very spot his daddy did! It was fun to see Kingsley reminisce! We then drove down to Kitty Hawk, NC and "popped in" on the Doyle's (again... hubby knew of our arrival). Bethany was SHOCKED and confused when she saw us! We were able to meet ANOTHER family member, Lily, for the very first time!! She is such a happy, elated baby. She smiles at the slightest thing and has "eyes" for her daddy. What joy it was to see them interact as a family! We also saw Brant's "finished" work on the house... and to sum it up in one word: AMAZING. That boy has talent. He built this house from nothing and it's just amazing to see them living there now. After that we returned to Richmond for one last night with the Cohens then back to DC for our flight home. Flying with 4 was an experience:) We were THAT family that NO ONE wanted to sit by... and I took NO OFFENSE:) I wouldn't want to sit next to TWO babies (who were crying before we took off) either!!! I had both babies in my lap while Kingsley ate dinner, so the seat next to me was the LAST on the plane to be filled. The look on the POOR POOR man's face when he looked at me with TWO lap babies and the MIDDLE seat... lol. I simply said "I apologize, and I feel your pain right now". He laughed and said "is this REALLY the ONLY seat left"? hahaha!!! Thankfully the babies were VERY good and the man wasn't bothered TOO much (an occasional ecstatic scream in his ear or tug on his shirt). All in all it was one of the best vacations we've taken and we returned home to our beautiful beds:) I'll post pics of the trip in the next few days....

Now we look forward to our little princess turning 5 in May and starting kindergarten in the fall. Keller has been attending the Santa Clarita International Charter school and the wait list for kindergarten is well over 400! Siblings are a "shoe in" so Saylor made the cut and will be a PROUD kindergartner soon. She is quite excited about school and has been in training at home. We do home school preschool at home and she has mastered everything she needs to know for kindergarten. She loves writing!!! She has been my little buddy while Keller is gone. We spend our days looking for lady bugs, roly polies, butterflies and BEES!! She loves bugs (they all end up taking LONG LONG naps by the end of the day). She is also my new walking buddy. She truly wishes she could sit in a stroller but her little 4 year old legs carry her on our 2 mile hike a few times a week.

Kingsley has been busy with work. He's doing more testing these days. He's CNHP (certified natural health practicioner) and does dried blood, live blood, urine and saliva testing, along with iridology and BIA testing. This week starts his phlebotomy course and in the end he'll be able to draw blood. He'll be in the hospital the next few weekends. He never ceases to amaze me... and it's always a plus to have our own "N.D." in the house to draw blood when we need it...

So that is our life in a nutshell. We couldn't be more thankful for all God has blessed us with. We know what a privledge it is to raise and nurture these 4 little lives. My prayer is that they will grow to love and fear God and impact the world around them. They teach me daily to humble myself, seek forgiveness and love with all that I have.

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