The Many Faces of Mr. G

The Three Amigos

This past weekend, Brandy and Carter came down for a visit. The kiddos had a blast. On Saturday, we went shopping at Walmart. Carter was in his stroller and G & V were in their limo-sized stroller. Brandy and I were walking next to each other when all of the sudden, Gavin and Carter reached out towards each other and held hands. Brandy and I had to stop "traffic" to photograph the event. It was adorable. Then, we went to the park. And, it was HOT! So, we only stayed for 20 minutes. The three amigos played until bedtime, at which point, everyone piled into the nursery to listen to a few books. Well, I think I'm using the term "listen" a bit loosely. They were all in the room, but I think that Viv was the only one actually listening.

They all went to sleep and then the unthinkable happened. Okay, well maybe it's not "unthinkable." Let's try again: They all went to sleep and then the night of horror began! Wes, Brandy, and I stayed up chatting until about 10:45-11 (don't laugh- that's late for all three of us, especially since we all usually wake up at 5am!). Then, from 12:30 to 5:30am, I was awake with either Gavin or Vivian screaming their heads off. At 4am, I was at my wit's end with Viv (Gavin went back to bed at 1:30am). So we went into the living room and watched Elmo. She finally fell asleep around 5:30 and then woke up at 7:00. It sucked.

Sunday morning was spent feeding the kids scrambled eggs, playing, and attempting some finger painting (which did not go well). Brandy and Carter left for Maryland around 10am and G & V went down for a nap shortly after. We had so much fun together.

Other highlights of the weekend:

• Brandy and I running down to the playroom to find Carter trapped underneath the flipped over pack-n-play and Gavin looking very guilty standing over it.
• Vivian reading a magazine with Brandy and Brandy saying how wonderful it was to have a cuddly toddler sit for more than 2.5 seconds.
• Carter being super tall. It was unbelievable. He's six weeks younger than the twins, but already a few inches taller. He can open all of the doors at our house and reach everything on any table. It's incredible.
• Wes, Brandy, and I watching the video from the hospital when the twins were born. Somehow, it is incredibly hilarious and precious at the same time.
• Listening to Carter say "Bye" with his country accent.
• Carter, Gavin, and Vivian only wanting to drink out of each others' sippy cups and wanting nothing to do with their own sippy cup the entire weekend.
• Watching Gav, Cartie, and Vivi bond more this trip than they have in the past. They seemed like they really enjoyed one another's company!

Family Night

On Friday, there was a Family Night at Viv and Gav's school. All of the parents and other family members were invited for food, games, and fun. It was really nice to see how comfortable the twins were. They immediately ran inside and hugged their teachers. Adorable. We ate and played- but mostly played. Gavin and Vivian ran around from place to place, including the awesome jungle-gym-climbing-with-a-ball-pit-room.

At the end of the night, there was a dance-off. I know, it was crazy. But, it ended up being really cute. They had a Wii set up and people played against each other. And, the grand prize was a one-year membership to Sam's Club! We didn't compete, but Gav and Viv loved watching- and so did all of the other kids.

Other highlights of the evening:

• Vivi waving at every single person who passed by her.
• Gavin trying to climb into other kids' empty high chairs (we didn't bring our travel high chairs and Gavin is a hungry hungry hippo).
• Other parents telling us that Vivi gives them (the other parents) hugs whenever they drop their kids off during the week.
• Gavin chasing around the other boys and actually keeping up.
• Vivian dancing during the tournament.
• Gavin climbing on EVERYTHING in the jungle-gym room.
• Vivian and Gavin being in a good mood the entire time we were there.
• Both kiddos falling asleep in the car, allowing us to transfer them to their cribs, and staying asleep until 7:00am the next morning!

He's a Barker

Gavin is a barker. He likes to bark at Chubbs (or other dogs) any chance that he gets. It adorable. If we're inside the house and Chubbs is barking out front, Gavin will go to the front door and bark. Soemtimes, all we have to do is say that we're going to see the pup soon (like on the way home from school) and he'll start barking. It's ridiculous.

Shit, F%@&, Firelations!

On Wednesday, I left work at 4:15 to get Gavin and Vivian from school before heading over to Wes' work to pick him up. I went inside and did the usual- gathered their things, kissed their faces, and received a large amount of hugs. Then, we walked outside, one toddler holding each hand. I opened the car door, Gavin crawled inside and I strapped Vivi down in her carseat. Then, as usual, I threw my keys in the driver's seat, closed the back door and walked around to the other side so that I could put Gavin in his carseat. Directly after I closed the door, GAVIN PUSHED THE LOCK BUTTON! They were now LOCKED IN THE CAR! And, it was 90 degrees outside. Shit, f&%#, firelations! My cell phone was locked inside as well. So, I ran inside to use one of the teachers' phones. They informed me that this has happened before and that the fire department would come out and unlock my doors for free. YAY! We called the fire department and they arrived in minutes, unlocked the doors and all was okay in the world again. Gavin and Vivi were pretty sweaty, but they were okay. An ambulance even came and some EMTs checked them out. It was a lot of excitement and rather dramatic. But, so is the rest of our life... no biggie.

No More Bottles!!!

We are officially DONE with bottles! Viv and Gav have not had a bottle, at any point during the day or night, for 3 weeks now! I think it's safe to say: We. Are. Done!

Tent Time

E-L-M-O

Wes and I have found ourselves spelling out the name of that little red monster more and more these days. Why? Because if we say it out loud and E-L-M-O is not around, Vivi may have a conniption. She absolutely, positively loves E-L-M-O and wants to be with him at all times. She sleeps, eats, and plays with him. Just the other day, we were driving G & V to school and realized that we didn't have E-L-M-O. We HAD to immediately turn around to go back and get him. We didn't want to imagine what would have happened if she was without her BFF for an entire day! The cutest part about her love for him is when Viv hears the "Elmo's World" song. She holds E-L-M-O out in front of her (face to face) and looks at him, smiles, and sometimes laughs or squeals. It's unbelievably adorable.

Virginia Corn Maze

On Monday afternoon, Wes and I took Gavin and Vivian to a local corn maze. Well, we didn't actually do the maze part, but we did do all of the other fun activities there. Once we arrived, Gavin immediately noticed these little ceramic baby pigs. He LOVED them. He would squat down, pet the pigs, and make noises at them.

Then, we went to the arts and crafts table where there were a lot of markers (Viv's favorite) and these little puzzle pieces that they could color. They didn't care about coloring the puzzle pieces as much as hording the markers and running aound while squealing.

Then, it was time to pet the piggies again.

There were also these adorable tractor tricycles and normal tricycles. Vivi and Gavin enjoyed taking a few laps around the track.

There was also a VERY long tunnel slide. Gavin and Wes went first and then Viv and I followed closely behind. Let's just say that the slide was way faster than any of us had expected.

Separate from the huge corn maze was a little "maze" for little ones. Gavin and Vivian LOVED running around, walking through the tunnels, pulling the string to ring the big bell, and repeatedly going over the bridge.

There were also goats, baby cows, a donkey, and bunnies to pet. Then, we spent a good amount of time playing on some of the playground equipment before we took a ride on their hand-painted carousel.

When we left, the owners of the farm gave us a free 4 adult pass for the next time we went. Whoever comes to visit us first gets the other two tickets!

they heart magazines

The New Nursery & a Sleep Update

Since we moved to Virginia, Gavin and Vivian have been sharing a bedroom. Our house has three bedrooms, so one belongs to us, one is where V & G sleep, and the third is a playroom (post to come). Every night, we head into their room around 7:15-7:30 and begin the book reading extravaganza (which usually lasts about 30 minutes). We have a twin-sized foam mattress (thanks Claudia!) on the floor as our "Reading Nook" and we all pile on for a few good books. The reading extravaganza always ends with "Where is my mother?" by Dr. Suess (it's their favorite and the only book that they both sit almost completely still for). Once baby bird has found his mother, we turn on a lullaby CD, put G & V in their respective cribs (thanks Jen Gibb-Hall for Gavin's new crib!) with their respective pacis (Remember, Viv has become hooked since we moved to Virginia) and leave the room. And then, THEY GO TO SLEEP! FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT! It's actually quite ridiculous. We're not exactly sure how we got to this point, but we have definitely arrived. And, we love it.

Well, enjoy these pics of the new nursery...