State Fair

This is the last week of the State Fair of Texas, and we wanted to take the boys, since it will be an annual tradition for our family. After five, admission is only $5 for adults with an empty DP can, and we have plenty of those. :) Sweet elixir...

We were planning on going today (Thursday) but Jonathan left work early yesterday to take my car into the dealership since I needed an oil change and had a nail in a tire. He said he didn't want to take any chances with us driving on a bad tire. My sweet hubby! Since he had already taken off work, I suggested we go ahead to the fair so he didn't have to miss another afternoon of work.

It has been chilly this week, so we bundled the boys up well - OMG, they looked so cute all bundled up in their seats. They wore their new Christmas hats to keep their noggins warm, and I love those hats!

I'm used to getting lots of stares and comments when we go out; I think twin babies are sort of a novelty. I didn't think we'd get many at the fair with the amount of people and hustle & bustle, but surprisingly people would still try to stop and comment on the boys. It was kind of funny.

Our first family picture in front of Big Tex is below. Here's to hoping our angle and pictures improve in the coming years.

I think the trip was a success! They weren't really interested in the car show or the animals, but they were looking around at the lights and people. They were all smiles when we stopped in a pavilion to feed them and were happy campers the whole time. My sweet boys were tuckered out after this - we left around 7:30, which is bedtime for them. Jack fell asleep in the stroller, but Ben held on until we got to the car. After a late bedtime, my boys slept in until almost 8:00 this morning!

Ben is out; note no pacifier, since he threw 2 on the ground :)

Fall Fun

This weather is amazing! It finally feels like fall. This morning we decided to take advantage of our family membership at the Dallas Arboretum - it is seriously so gorgeous out there. Unfortunately it was a little cooler than I had thought, and I found myself without my stroller blankets in the diaper bag. I think I'd taken them out to make room for swim towels and stuff. Anyway, it was fine, we just went to the gift shop and got a shirt and a tiny little jacket that maybe one of the boys will wear some day. Also, Jack decided to get a Bevo doll, seeing as how he grabbed it off of the display and started gnawing on it's horn. Just what we needed - another Bevo. It's cute though. See?

The boys took a little nap as we strolled around, but woke up in time to stop by the petting zoo - they saw a cow, baby billy goats, and a sheep! No petting, I told them they're too young. Today was our first time in our City Mini stroller, too - J put it together for us last night. I loved it; it's so much easier to maneuver than the snap-n-go. The boys have outgrown the snap-n-go, as whomever is in back kicks the one in front. This stroller is so great, and it was fun to have the boys facing outward to see everything. There was a petting zoo to see, after all!

Sleepy, cozy warm boys

Their first time to wear a pants outfit!

In-between grins. Love those baby blues!

When we got home, the boys had lunch and floor time. They are loving looking at each other these days! I got a great video of them talking to each other, but it's a little long for the blog. Here's a pic:

Since they're also putting everything they touch in their mouths, I got out some frozen washcloths for them to chew on - it worked so well!

Last photo is of Ben just now in the swing. Sadly, I think we have just about outgrown our swings. I was putting away laundry while Jack got a few extra minutes of nap in, and came back into the living room to see Ben twisted around in the swing reaching for the back of the net. He thought he was so clever, and twisted back around to grin at me.

I ran into a twin mom who had cute two-year-old boys and an infant at the Arboretum today. I love seeing twin moms out - usually they tell me & J that it gets easier, which is fun to hear :) It reminded me, though, of a twin mom we ran into at Target a couple of weeks ago. Her twins were around ten, and she had a third. She was really nice, but at the end of the conversation, she said "These weekend days are so long, aren't they?" I walked away thinking, maybe she meant to say the opposite, when J commented that he couldn't believe she'd said that. I'm fortunate to not have to work right now and get to stay home with the boys every day, so clearly I love the weekends when J is home too and we get to do family stuff together. But even during the week it's not like I'm watching the clock for the day to be over. I asked J if he feels like the weekend days are long and if he can't wait to go to work on Mondays, and he laughed. I think he loves our time with the boys just as much as I do. It made me remember to never take for granted that I get to spend so much time with them. I'm sure I'll feel the same ten years from now. Beyond blessed :)

Water Babies, etc.

This Saturday was our third baby bears class with the boys, and each week they've gotten better and better in the water. This week they were making more eye contact and smiling during the water activities (rather than looking around) and splashed some! Jack had trouble with his first couple of submersions the first weeks but did great this week! No inhaling under water. :) Ben's been a water baby from the first class. You should see them kicking when they go under water - it's so cute! Next Saturday is our last class, and we'll get tiny baby bears certificates and everything. We've really enjoyed it, and will likely be doing another class as they get older.

Aunt La visited this weekend, and it was so much fun! She came with us to the swim class and got to play with the boys at the end of the class and help out. We also went to lunch - the boys' first trip to a re-done Terelli's - Yum.

 

In other news, on Friday we decided to make our first trip to the Galleria. We were strolling along, and guess who we ran into? G'ma Lainey, G'dad Lawrence, Aunt Teresa & Uncle Barry! What a small world :) We took some pictures, of course, because I'll take any opportunity to take pictures.

 

I think there's probably more I could post on (and really, I could just go on and on posting pictures of my boys) but I still need to get bottles ready for the morning and fold some laundry. Plus, J got the new iPhone, which means I get his hand-me-down iPhone 4, woohoo :) So I've got to get off the computer and let him finish moving all my stuff to the new phone.  But anyway, the boys have been AWESOME this week, as usual. Saturday was one of our best days ever; they were just so happy!

Below are some pictures of Jack with cereal all over his face this morning after he blew bubbles while being fed, and Ben, tummy time king, as well as a couple of my smiling boys in the car. Last is a pic of my sleepy boys from tonight - they had such a full weekend. :)

Silly Jack, blowing bubbles while eating cereal is messy!

Ben: Tummy Time King - he loves it!

 

Sweet, sleepy baby boys

An Eye, A Lunch, Pinterest, & Baby Kisses

It's been a whole week since I last posted! After my almost-daily posts in September, it feels almost as if I have abandoned my new love - our family blog. I haven't, but I will say that my time for internet fun is being divided even more with my Pinterest account. Oh. My. Goodness. I think I'm addicted - how much fun is Pinterest? Love it.

Last Monday, we took Jack in for his eye procedure. He has had a blocked tear duct since birth that we had to have "probed" at the opthamologist's office.  Little Jack was such a champ! He fell asleep in my arms in the waiting room, and was great during the eye exam. Jonathan went back with him for the procedure while I waited with Ben - judging by my reaction to their shots, I don't think I could've handled it. It was super quick, thankfully, and although he cried loud enough for me to hear down the hall, he stopped as soon as Jonathan picked him up. J said Jack clung to him afterwards - poor baby! But the upside is that we have clear eyes! It would get so bad that in the mornings when he woke up, he could only open one eye and the other was glued shut with gunk. No more gunk, no more massaging the tear duct 8 times a day, and wide open baby blues. I wish I had taken before and after pictures - maybe I'll get better at picture-taking. At any rate, the best picture I could find is the one below - it's not great (because I was really good at keeping his little eye clean :) but you can see the tearing out of the outside corner of his eye that usually left a little raw spot and a little gunk on the inside corner.

And this is post-eye-procedure, in a trance on G'ma Lainey's shoulder - you can see how both eyes are open (the left isn't slightly swollen, as it has been) and clear:

Today we had lunch with the Solomon fam, since Tia Katie was in town. We met at Cafe Express (yum) and the boys did great, despite missing a nap! Somehow we didn't get any pics of their Papa, or me & J. I think there were a couple of cameras going. Also, you may note that the boys are in their green & gold (thanks Stacy!) - we are only allowed to wear double BU colors on Sundays, since Dad has claimed Saturdays are for wearing burnt orange and white. :) Here's a few pics from the morning:

Jack enjoys a backrub from G'ma Lainey

G'dad Lawrence & 2! babies

Cousin Lauren and Ben, as Ben discovers breadsticks are fun!

Tia Katie and Ben :)

Aaaaand, he's out :)

Finally, baby kisses from Ben. He has started giving wide-open kisses! First he grabs my face in his tiny baby fists (which actually kind of hurts, but it's a trade-off) and pulls me close, then open-mouths my cheek/mouth/chin/whatever he is close to. I L-O-V-E it. How cute is he? Here's a video Jonathan took today:

Little Pumpkins in a Pumpkin Patch

This weekend we went to the pumpkin patch at the Dallas Arboretum. It was a full weekend, with our first swim class Saturday morning, a simultaneous UT game & Rangers game with Honey & Papa Saturday night, and the Arboretum & Cowboys game with Gigi & Poppy on Sunday. More on the swim class later - I'm hoping for better pictures next weekend, since our first class was really just about getting our feet wet - hah!

Anyway, we got the cutest little pumpkin outfits (complete with football jeans) and the boys started out wearing their cute pumpkin bibs from G'ma Lainey & G'dad Lawrence. The Arboretum was beautiful! We ended up getting a family membership so that we can go back as often as we want - we were so busy with pictures we didn't get much walking around since we had to get the boys home for lunch.

These baby boys are so cute! We weren't as focused on getting smiles as much as we were on getting them both to look at the camera and sit up/lean back with the pumpkins. It's harder than it might seem. Just as an aside, Ben woke early from his nap, so he helped me with putting the pictures up, and laughed three times while I scrolled through the pictures of his brother and him amidst the pumpkins. Guess he knows he's cute. Love! Here are some pics from the day:

                                      

Little Boys, Big Personalities

I think these two photos (both taken the day of their baptism) sum up the boys' personalities pretty well.

Ben

Jack

Ben is our little social butterfly, he loves smiling and interacting with others. He's quicker (than his brother) to smile for us at home, and is fairly laid-back and easy-going. He's also always on the move, bouncing, rolling around, and getting into things. Jack, on the other hand, is quicker (than his brother) to laugh for us but tends to be more reserved with others. He's our little rascal; he makes up his own games (like initiating his version of peek-a-boo), will throw around his paci or carseat toys, and will get our attention with a silly growl or fake cough (it's the cutest thing, with tongue stuck out and everything). From birth, Jack has tended to be more alert and cautious, while Ben is happily laid-back and can fall asleep anywhere.  They are so different, but it's funny how some days they take on each others' traits, or sort of "trade-off." It's so much fun getting to know them as the little human beings they are, especially as their own little personalities become bigger and bigger. :)

Crooked Smiles & Baby Breaths

For the last several weeks, Ben has been giving us crooked smiles. Sometimes it looks like he's jutting out his lower jaw, and other times he's moving his lower jaw to the right or left. It's so cute when he shows his upper gums! No matter what he's doing, I love when he grins.

Jack, I've noticed, is a little mouth breather. It completely melts my heart when I'm holding him and he turns his face past my ear and I hear those little breaths. So, so sweet.

In other Jack-related news, he's learned how to take his pacifier out of his mouth and repeatedly pulls it away, then tries to put it back in. Sometimes he's successful. Other times, like this weekend, he drops it and I run around Target like a crazy person because it's our favorite paci, only to find that it fell in the basket under the stroller.

Also, Jack likes to turn himself in the Bumbo seat, which is one of the reasons why Ben is usually in the Bumbo while I hold Jack sitting up. Today I had Jack in the Bumbo and he turned his body all the way to the left so that he could bang his rings on the wood floor, off of the rug. He's so smart!