Bikes

Jay and Owen got new bikes as an early birthday present. Jay got a "Cars" themed bike and Owen got a "Toy Story" one. Jay does not like his new bike because it has "wiggles." Because both training wheels aren't on the ground at the same time, it wobbles side to side a bit. What's he going to do when I take the training wheels off next summer? I read somewhere that a child is ready to ride a bike without training wheels when he can stand on one foot with his eyes closed for thirty seconds. I can't even do that sober.

Questions?

Me: Owen do you ever stop talking?
Owen: No, I have lots of questions?
Me: What do Grandma Carole and Beth say when you ask them questions?
Owen: "That's brilliant!"
Me: Jay, do you have questions too?
Jay: uhuh
Me: What are your questions?
Jay: I'll tell you in the morning.

Sir?

The boys call each other "sir." I have no idea why. Occasionally they will call each other "son." When they are mad at each other, they call each other made up names (e.g. "You bobee!" "You momo.") It is pretty cute and they could call each other worse.

One of those mornings

Owen wet the bed, changed his pants and crawled into bed with me. Owen hasn't wet the bed in months. Jay comes into my room and wakes us up. He wet the bed too and is soaked from head to toe. I get up to clean him up and get him dressed. When helping Owen get dressed I discover that when he changed his pants, he kept on the wet underwear. I check their beds next and find everything soaked except the pillows. I gather up their bedding and head for the laundry when I discover the dog has gotten into the trash and has scattered it everywhere. While picking up the trash I find another present the dog left for me, poop on the floor. I guess I'll be spending my Sunday doing laundry.

"This Is Why You Shouldn't Give Me Popcorn!"

We had just finished dinner and sat in the living room to watch tv when Owen started coughing and crying. I asked what was wrong and he said, "This is why you shouldn't give me popcorn." He then pointed to his ear. I asked him what he did and he said he put a popcorn seed in his ear. When my efforts to get it out failed, I took him to the emergency room with Jay tagging along. Owen has been to the emergency room many times for asthma. We have always had good experiences with the emergency room staff in the past but not last night. The nurse practitioner was very nice but the nurse was just rude. The only time she said anything to us was to tell me that the boys needed to be quiet because there were sick people in the hospital. I told her this is as quiet as two 3 year olds get when they are tired, upset, and cooped up for 2 hours with nothing to do. When the popcorn kernel was finally removed with a lot of screaming and even some blood, the nurse had me sign some papers then told us we could leave. She disappeared quickly and we were left to find our way out of that maze of an ER. As we passed some occupied rooms, Jay declared rather loudly, "Owen, I saw a dead guy!" When we got home, I got the boys ready for bed. Jay wanted to sleep with his stuffed Tigger that he got on a recent trip to Chicago. Owen informed Jay, "You can't sleep with tigger tonight because he's dead." I assured Jay that Tigger was not dead. In case you are keeping track, Jay stuck a foam letter up his nose. Owen has swallowed a penny, swallowed prescription medication (not his), and now has stuck a popcorn kernel in his ear.

What Ducks Do When It Rains.

In case you were wondering, Jay offers this explanation for what ducks do when it rains. "When it rains, ducks go under water so they don't get wet."

That's two.

Owen and the power wheels strike again. Owen ran over the neighbor boy with the power wheels. Owen is not getting his license now until he is about 30.

You Stress Me Out!

The boys started at a new sitter's house August 3. Their previous sitter, who lives in the neighborhood, is moving soon to Des Moines (3 hrs away). They seem to be adjusting okay. The new sitter told me that Owen said to her, "You are stressing me out!" She told him that she is the one supposed to be stressed out not him. I almost feel like a used car salesperson whenever I subject my kids to a new sitter, hoping that she doesn't discover their little idiosyncrasies before I peel rubber down the street.

Places You Shouldn't Pour Water....

In the air purifier especially while it is plugged in.

Don't Run Over Your Brother

Jay and Owen took the Power Wheels Mustang out for a drive. They drove around the block stopping frequently for me to catch up. As they rounded a corner, however, I lost sight of them. They got a little ahead of me. I could hear them though. They were yelling and screaming at each other. When I rounded the corner I could see that they had the car backed into a light pole and were beating each other up while still sitting in the car. I pulled Jay out of the car and told Owen to drive it home because they were not going to be allowed to drive it for a while. Jay didn't want Owen to drive the car so he stood in front of the car. Owen hit the power pedal and ran his brother right over. When I asked Owen why he would do that, he told me that Jay was in the way. I may not let him drive until he is 25! Jay suffered a scratch to his leg where the wheel ran over him.

Garden

In May, we built a raised bed garden and planted tomatoes and peppers. We are starting to get produce now. The boys are so excited to pick tomatoes that they don't even wait until they turn red. I found about a dozen green ones tossed around the yard so far.

It's the FBI

Do You Like My Tatoo Mommy?

The Bunny Can't Hear.

Jay and Owen got into a fight the other day. They were admiring their foam rabbits they made at Easter time when Owen grabbed Jay's rabbit and bit off an ear and spit it on the ground. Jay got mad and retaliated by biting off the ear of Owen's rabbit and spitting it on the ground. Then Owen bit off another ear followed by Jay biting off an ear. I ended it then.

Jay and Owen Rate the Movies

We took the boys to see "Up." Owen gives it a thumbs down. "I don't ever want to see this movie again." He shouted this out in the middle of the movie. It was good for a few laughs from the audience. It was just too scary for him. Jay gives the movie a thumbs up. "I like it. I want some popcorn."

Owen Swallowed a Penny

Owen started coughing and crying. I knew he had a penny and I asked him if he swallowed it. He said no. I asked where his penny was. He said it was in his piggy bank. His piggy bank is not accessible to him since he was caught throwing it around the room. He admitted he swallowed it. He was crying and saying he was sorry. I asked him why he swallowed it. He said, "Because I got tired of holding it." He was upset because now he doesn't have any money anymore. I told him he'll get it back in a couple days.

Pick a Movie

Last weekend, we decided to watch a movie. I asked the boys to "pick a movie." Jay points to my chest and says, "I pick this boobie."

Speed Demons

The boys have a Mustang Power Wheels. The other day, Jay said he wanted it to go faster. I hadn't yet taken out the screw that lets it go into fast gear. Since he now knows how to steer the car, I obliged and took out the screw. He took off driving around the block with Owen. I struggled to keep up. They got too far ahead and my calls to them to stop went unheeded. They made it around the block and started around a second time. I caught a glimpse of them at the top of the street. Jay was "idling" while Owen was out of the car running up to a neighbors door. I yelled for Jay to wait. I hear, "Hurry Owen! Here comes mommy." Owen runs across the yard, jumps in the car and they are off again. I turn around and go the opposite direction and eventually catch up to them as they come around the block. Jay is banned from driving the car for a month.

Potty Trained

The boys are potty trained. No more diapers. Yahoo!!!!!!!!

Hugs

I asked Owen the other day why he kept coming into mommy's bed to sleep. He said, "So I can give you lots of hugs." That boy knows how to play the game.

Let's Skate

The boys wanted to make their own ice skating rink in my kitchen. They dumped sugar all over the floor and were "skating" in it.

Swimming and Hockey

It is not easy finding sports that 3 year olds can play and enjoy. The boys took swimming lessons and hated it. I couldn't even watch them swim because if they saw me they would start to cry. I would go out into the lobby and put a magazine in front of my face and peek over the top every now and then. We did this for 2 sessions then I needed a break. Towards the end I was finally able to be in the same room with them without them freaking out. I next tried ice hockey. They had to learn how to skate using a tot cart first but now they can get around without one but try convincing them of that. The boys don't like hockey either. Actually, they don't like the coaches. I guess big guys on skates are pretty scary. They do like to skate with Michelle and I. We are all learning to skate together. Michelle is the only one who can't skate without holding on to something and even that is a challenge. I think she is going to take lessons. We go to family skate night at the rink for extra practice for the boys. The boys have one more week of hockey then they are done for a while. They don't have enough skills right now to join a team. But I think we will keep up with the skating.

Jay

Jay and Owen

A Nose Ring and a Tutu

Yesterday Owen asked if he could get a nose ring. He is three. Where do they get these ideas? Then at hockey practice, the coach said no tot carts. The coach told the kids that carts were for figure skaters and if you don't have figure skates and a tutu you couldn't get one. The boys wear figure skates at hockey practice because that is what the rental skates are. Owen started crying that he wanted a tutu.

Cooking with Twins

My boys love to cook. I have learned to keep them away from the stove. Once I had Owen help me make Rice Crispy Treats. His job was to dump the marshmallows into the pot. He was kneeling on a stool by the stove and I gave him the lecture on not touching the stove, burners, or pot because they were hot. He began to dump the marshmallows into the pot and a few dropped onto the gas stove below the burner. Owen went to reach for them and I swatted his hand away and in the process, knocked him off the stool onto the floor. Now they are no longer under any circumstances allowed within 5 ft of the stove when I am cooking.

I make cookies with them because it is something that can be made mostly away from the oven, they are simple to make, taste good, and they have enough steps to occupy the boys and not so many to try my nerves. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to make snicker doodles with the boys. I left the butter on the counter to soften. Owen took the butter and used it to draw all over the glass sliding door. He had to clean the door of course, not a real punishment since he likes to clean everything but his toys. Owen called the cookies, "sneaker poodles." Jay called them "those sneaker cookies"

The Difference Between Boys and Girls

The boys have started to identify people by gender. Last night they were busy naming the people they know and stating whether they were a boy or girl. I asked Owen what the difference between boys and girls was and he said, " Girls have really big swing sets with lots of swings and a slide."

The Diagnosis is....

Jay came running out of his room last night to tell me that his belly was making noises. I asked him if he was hungry. He said no. I asked him if he burped. He thought about it then said yes. Then he said it made noise again. I didn't hear anything and thought the boy might be hallucinating. I picked him up and put him on my lap and he hiccuped. I told him he had the hiccups. With much excitement in his voice, he declared that he needed to go to the doctor. I explained to him that the hiccups will go away on their own and he doesn't need to go to the doctor. I told him that when he was very little and still in my tummy, he used to get hiccups all the time. I miss that.

He Can Be Sweet Too.

The boys were fighting over a toy the other day. Owen had it first and Jay wanted it. I called Jay over to me and picked him up and started hugging and kissing on him. Owen is very jealous of any attention that I show Jay. Owen walked over to us and offered Jay the toy thinking that Jay would leave me for the toy. Instead Jay says, "Okay Owen I'll get it when I'm done hugging my mommy." He actually chose me over his toy. He can be so sweet sometimes.

Don't Make Him Mad

Jay got mad when I told him he could not play with my hand lotion and ripped the door off my coffee table. He didn't break it at the hinges. He actually broke the wood. If he is capable of this at 3 years of age, what does the future hold?