twinskin

3/52

2014-01-22T18:35:00.001-07:00

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014.

Henry ~ He's made himself quite the Fun Loom bracelet collection.

Wyatt ~ This one sticks his tongue when he's thinking.

2/52

2014-01-18T09:08:00.002-07:00

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014.

Henry ~ Admiring his collection of treasures.
Wyatt ~ Making his own morning snack.

twin tuesdays: the same but different

2014-01-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

It’s been my experience that having twins necessitates some strategic planning when purchasing not only gifts but every single item that a child may require. This so called strategic planning might be self-imposed but it seems to work well at my house.

For instance, Henry and Wyatt have the exact same backpack but in different colors. They have the exact same coat but in different colors. They have the exact same bike but in different colors. You get the idea.

In order to promote a fair and equitable childhood, Henry and Wyatt often have to give up any personal identity. It’s strategic. And it usually prevents an argument or a meltdown unless, of course, they both want the red coat. But I have a strategy for that, too. It’s called you-don’t-get-a-choice-and-Mom-picks-all-the-colors!

Sometimes people ask me about gift giving or doling out basic necessities and how we decide who gets what. That’s when I explain the strategy.

I recently had to veer from my fool proof strategy after buying two identical pairs of the shittiest ever $9 winter boots from Sierra Trading Post. After the boots literally fell apart, I prepared myself to buy two identical pairs of $55 Kamit boots. But I could only find one pair, which went to Wyatt because it was his boot that fell literally apart. Nearly three weeks later I finally found a pair of boots for Henry in a completely different brand and color.

This might all sound ridiculously silly to those of you without twins but the whole experience kinda blew my mind. Not really. But I did appreciate that my plan to keep everything the same was an utter flop and resulted in two very different pairs of boots. Interestingly, there is now no fighting over whose identical boot belongs to who. Go figure.

Any other folks out there put this much thought into buying stuff for your kiddos?

1/52

2014-01-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014.

Last year a couple of the bloggers who I regularly read participated in the 52-week portrait project. That may not be the actual name. I can't find the origin of the project so I don't really know whether there are any rules or whether I should be attributing the idea to someone specific. I am inclined to think there are lots of 52-week portrait projects after searching around on Pinterest this afternoon and so I am doing something similar to what I saw on a few other blogs.

I kinda of lost interest in taking photos for a few months (hence a dry spell in blog posts) and I am hoping this project will inspire me to pick up my camera more often. And hopefully my children will become more comfortable being photographed. They weren't very cooperative this week and my first series didn't turn out as anticipated - why am I not surprised.

Henry ~ He always hams it up for the camera.

Wyatt ~ Just out of the shower, so fresh and so clean clean.

the longest hair in second grade

2013-09-04T19:54:00.000-06:00

Out of all the boys.

And some of the girls.

Wyatt.

jack's graduation in three acts: act two

2013-09-02T21:23:00.001-06:00

On March 23, 2013, Jack graduated from UCSD with a masters degree in theater arts...sound familiar?

Well, if you read act one, it should - I lead in with the same damn sentence! And that's probably all that will be similar about act two because I don't have a witty (yes, I'm always witty) story to tell about the actual graduation ceremony.

I will reiterate that it wasn't the expected pomp and circumstance of your typical graduation ceremony. Nope, it wasn't. I don't have any photos but before the handing out of diplomas, we were all encouraged to mill around the auditorium and admire the portfolios from graduates in costume design, direction, sound, and choreography. It was all very inspiring and creative and fascinating. Who knew that you could get an advanced degree in creating believable wind noises? Seriously, I feel cheated. I can blow across the top of an empty beer bottle like nobody's business!

Anyway, let me set the scene:

A handsome young man with a strong, chiseled jaw and a contagious smile paces through the university auditorium in a sleek suit finished with a skinny tie. His family - grandparents, parents, sister and her (amazingly awesome) family chat amongst themselves and with the families of other prospective graduates. Everyone waits for the ceremony to commence. The thick auditorium air pluses with excitement. The handsome young man has waited three years for this moment. Plus, the pressure is on - each graduate is given the opportunity to express their gratitude for not only for their learning experience but also for the people who supported them along their journey.

That's right Jack, we've been cooking you dinners for years, buying all the booze, and we drove 15 hours to get here so you'd better have something nice to say about us!

And he did! Jack had lovely things to say about all of us - grandparents, parents, sister, brother-in-law, and of course, the brother who couldn't be there - we all got a shout out. Apparently Jack loves us and has nice things to say about us - at least when it's expected and other people are listening.

Anyway, here are a lot of pictures of handsome Jack and a few of the rest of us.

This is probably an overshare, but here's what I like best about my littlest brother:

Whenever I let myself wallow in the fact that I grew up to be a state employee rather than an artist, I turn to Jack. And instead of telling me to pull myself together, he reminds me that deep down he can see the free spirit I long to be. That I write and photograph in a way that is unique to me and entertaining to other people. That we (the collective we) create in many ways that should not be defined. And then I feel better. And then I go to work and make Idaho a better place to be, 'cause that's important too. And then I come home and take pictures of my babies - equally as important, especially to me.

Also, the second thing I like best about Jack is that he played dress up well into his tweens whereas Dylan pretty much shut me down when he reached 3rd grade.

Jack.

squeezing it all in

2013-09-02T11:19:00.000-06:00

We spent most of August hurriedly marking family outings off our summer to-do list.

First stop was Les Bois Park to watch some horse racing. Henry had wanted to visit the park last summer but we never found the time. It cost 0 bucks for us to enter the park and we left with 20 of the 40 dollars we took for snacks and bets. I'd call the two hours we spent watching the horses a superfecta win!

A week to the day following our visit to the track, we rode our bikes to the baseball field and took in a Hawks game. The Hawks won and the boys scored some miniature ball caps as souvenirs. It was one homerun of an evening!

A few days later, we mounted our bikes again and rode all the way to town to join the Tour de Fat bike parade. The boys dressed up as cowboys. Well, kinda. They looked more like hicks with their cutoff jean shorts and boy-tanks (remember how there were no "nice shirts" for the first day of school?) but I didn't want them to overheat in regular cowboy clothes - it gets hot in August. They were also sporting penciled in mustaches and cap guns courtesy of the Best Mom Ever!

We also spent a Saturday night at the Western Idaho Fair but I've probably left you with enough photos for one post.

the first day of second grade

2013-08-27T22:24:00.000-06:00

So second grade started on Monday. No big deal. Wyatt kept asking why I cared so much. They're just seven. It's just second grade. No big deal, Mom.

And Wyatt was right, it was no big deal. Old hat. Been there, done that. Get off my back and just let me go to school, Mom!

In fact, the biggest deal was probably their first-day-of-school-outfits, which I want everyone to know had absolutely nothing to do with me. I could have given a shit about what they wore on the first day of school just so long as they were clean and didn't smell like stinky belly button lint. Stephen, on the other hand, laid down the parental law over their clothing selections. Now, some of you might think this is out of character for an easygoing, laid back fellow like Stephen - but you'd be wrong.

You'd be wrong because Stephen has a tendency to get hung up on random particulars like clothing or hairstyles. For example, and speaking of hairstyles, through the entire spring Stephen was adamant that the boys not cut their hair. He would not even entertain the idea that they have short hair. He was (and still is) growing his hair long. Long hair is cool. Long hair is counterculture. Long hair is alternative (but shhh, don't tell Stephen I told you that, he's so far beyond the hipsters). And by God, his boys were going to join him in his long hair statement!

I know. I suspect you're confused, but it's true. His preferences make no sense and Henry and Wyatt will just have to learn how to deal with it. But really, it could be worse. He could insist that they learn how yodel or learn how to recite the alphabet backward, which could really benefit them in the long run because we all know that that skill might inevitably come in handy. I hope not, but I am a realist.

Anyway, on Sunday night, when the boys were laying out their first-day-of-school-outfits, Stephen insisted that they wear "nice clothes" rather than their standard graphic tees. Short story long, this caused some problems because they don't have any "nice clothes". Nope, they've got a lot of graphic tees from Old Navy and the thrift store. Which is totally fine! Has anyone ever seen the thrifted shirts in Stephen's rotation - he's got no room to talk! No room!

Anyway again, Wyatt ended up wearing a collared shirt from last year and Henry ended up with a graphic tee purchased within the last two weeks but only because I cut off the sleeves of the other two "nice collared shirts" for the Tour de Fat (maybe I'll find the time to write about why) and because I told Stephen that Henry would be too hot in both a long sleeved shirt and long pants (it sounds like common sense but the more I hang out with Stephen, the more I realize just how smart I am).

Really, I need to wrap this up, so the take home here is that, as parents, we are inconsistent and make no sense. Second take home, my boys are beautiful regardless of their clothing and I love them a whole bunch. Third take home, husbands are silly and we should not pay too much attention to them, especially when it comes to fashion. Fourth take home, Stephen and I have successfully made it this far and we are just as proud of ourselves as we are as proud of them.

Side note: Henry currently has short hair while Wyatt has long hair. Henry got a haircut in June. For practical reasons, Henry had been asking for a haircut to remove the hair from his eyes since mid-March. In June, after both boys came home from the Boys and Girls Club confused as to why other children kept asking whether they were boys or girls, I took Henry to the nearest beauty school for a trim - but not because he was being made fun of! At the same time, Wyatt was given the option of cutting his hair but chose to stay strong, like his dad.

And that's that. Happy new school year!!

jack's graduation in three acts: act one

2013-08-19T13:27:00.000-06:00

On March 23, 2013, Jack graduated from UCSD with a masters degree in theater arts. I think. If that's not his exact title, it's something very close to that. His graduation just happened to coincide with spring break - kinda. In order to actually get there for the ceremony, we had to leave two whole days before spring break actually started because let me tell you, driving from Boise to San Diego is no quick trip!

Nope, it's a real long trip. Real long. Let me set the scene for you:

An attractive and moderately well-groomed family of four is traveling across the Nevada dessert in a 2010 Subaru Forester. It's late afternoon. The parents have minimal snacks for the children, no plan for dinner, and no hotel reservation, although at some point they will have to stop for the evening. They eat a shitty dinner from subway while driving into the setting sun. The father continues to ask the mother to drive but she pretends to have temporarily lost her hearing. They eventually agree to spend the night in Las Vegas thinking they will be able to find a room at the Flamingo for about $75 using the same Players Card that allowed them to stay at Harrah's in Reno for just $30. They were wrong.

Cue the first of many fights between the parents for the next 16 hours.

The mother calls the Flamingo only to be told that the cheapest room available is $275. The parents then remember that they are not the only people traveling during spring break. After a few phone calls to low budget and completely booked hotels, a bit of driving aimlessly away from The Strip, and a bit of shouting followed by the silent treatment from both parents, the attractive and now irritable family of four find themselves at the Gold Strike Hotel in Jean, Nevada where the rooms are just $40 a night and the hot tub is open until 11 pm giving them one hour to soak away their sorrows.

And that's how we started our spring break trip two days early. The next day I drove from Jean to San Diego and I was not very happy about it. I don't care for driving and I especially don't care for driving in California where everyone with a car is an asshole with a capital A! I stopped talking to Stephen somewhere near Barstow and Henry and Wyatt were not allowed to speak louder than a whisper for an entire five hours lest my concentration be disrupted. By the time we made it to the rental house my clothes were drenched in sweat and my shoulders were knotted beyond repair. And Stephen - the man who should have been driving because that's what men do - was not my favorite person until I'd had dinner and wine much later in day.

But really, the whole point of this story is to tell you about Jack's graduation, which was not your typical cap and gown BS. Quite the contrary. The weekend started with a dance performance followed by a dry run of something called The Showcase. So around 4 or 5 pm on Friday afternoon we headed over to the theater department (or some artsy building on campus) and watched Jack dance with his seven fellow graduates.

He's pretty good. I got a little teary eyed watching him because A number 1) I was just so proud of him and B number 2) I totally regret giving up dancing and it makes me a little sad to think about that ridiculous decision.

Anyway, after the performance, family members were invited to join the dancing. Jack danced with my mom and grandmother. I danced with Henry but he wasn't what I would call a willing participant.

There was about an hour break between the dance performance and The Showcase so we all bumbled around the campus waiting for the second part of the evening to begin. There wasn't much to do but sit in this extra large and extra red but very artistic chair. And make sour faces at everyone, including the camera.

Finally it was time for The Showcase! Jack had warned me beforehand that almost all 14 performances offered a healthy dose profanity, vulgarity, or sexuality in some way. He, in particular, was in one of the most provocative pieces and would be demonstrating his range of profanity, vulgarity, and sexuality for the audience. There was definitely going to be some adult material. I told him that it was cool and plopped my two seven-year old children in the front row between myself and Dana.

And it was cool. But afterward I still felt compelled to explain my belief that it is necessary for me to expose my children to the arts in all forms. My mom told me she completely agreed and indicated (in a nonverbal way) that I didn't need to worry about what other people thought about my parenting decisions. Or maybe she just wanted me to stop talking. Either way, Jack gave two very moving performances and am I glad we were able to participate in the Friday evening activities.

Presumably there are two more acts just waiting the wings...but you all see how frequently I post these days. Plus, Jack graduated in March, I started writing this post in June, and it's now mid-August. Add up all those factors and it may be another six months before I post Act Two. Point being, that as much as I look forward to sharing these stories, I just want to make sure that your expectations are appropriately low!

boys in the bathroon

2013-08-14T12:57:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, over my lunch hour, I ran some quick errands with the boys before dropping them off at the movie with their cousins. One of our last stops was Barnes and Noble where I decided that I needed to use the restroom. Within the last year or so I've relaxed about having to be with the boys at all time in busy public places. So instead of making them wait for me inside the ladies room, I asked them to just wait outside the door by the drinking fountain.

Except yesterday Wyatt also had to use the restroom. He asked if he could use the boys and I gave the okay but only if Henry went with him, which I've let them do in Fred Meyer a few times. Henry didn't want to be his brother's bathroom chaperon so in a quick panic of what's-the-safest-choice, I made Wyatt come with me and left Henry by the drinking fountain.

As the restroom door closed I immediately realized the complete lack of reasoning behind my decision. I had safely kept Wyatt away from all the creepers just waiting around in the Barnes and Noble men's room but I'd left Henry all alone by the drinking fountain directly next to the men's room and with every other stranger in the entire store! If my original goal was to keep them safe by relying on the buddy system, I'd just royally fucked that up and exposed Henry to more nonexistent danger than I was comfortable with!

But really, I was just trying to make it up to Henry after another bathroom incident that happened a week before. Henry and I had a little movie date and after the show let out we both needed to stop by the toilets. It's important to know that we only go to movies at the cheap seats. Now I know this is completely irrational but for some reason the restrooms at the cheap seats seem even creepier than the restrooms at the big full-price movies. So of course I made Henry use the women's restroom with me, which was initially no big deal until Henry exited his stall.

In the few short moments that Henry and I had been in the restroom a wave of girls looking to be his age had descended on the row of oval mirrors directly opposite the stalls! Henry and I proceeded to have a very awkward dance of him wanting to get out, me wanting to help get him out but only after he washed his hands, and me not wanting to let him loose in the lobby while I washed my hands because we were at the cheap seats! It was a cluster, to say the very least.

So what is a mother to do? Are they ready to enter the men's room? Alone? And at any location? I just don't know.

PS: Stephen has not requested that I share this additional bit of information but he would probably like everyone to know that I bought that worthless little toilet in June, did nothing with it after that first afternoon, and then he potty trained the boys without my assistance over the course of about two weeks in December/January. He also thought it was poor judgment to let them piss in the living room even if they were just practicing. I don't know whether I agree with him on that one but he can teach a kid how to pee in a pot and I'll give him that!

swimming lessons

2013-07-12T10:09:00.000-06:00

Henry and Wyatt took swimming lessons in June. Stephen took them everyday at 4 pm for two weeks. I was able to join them on "safety day" which is way they are wearing lifejackets in one of the photos.

They were allowed to wear goggles, which Stephen had mixed feelings about. As former captain of the Twin Falls Bruins Swim Team, he thought they might be better off learning how to see under the water without goggles. As someone who is basically terrified of water, I could give a shit so long as they don't drown! And interestingly, Wyatt wore his goggles across his forehead rather than over eyes. It makes no sense - silly kid!

Henry is a bit more timid in the water than Wyatt. Ultimately, that might make him a better swimmer. He seemed to approach his lessons as do or die and I noticed that he took crossing the pool much more serious than Wyatt, who was busy either trying to always go first or jump off the steps. Regardless of their different comfort levels in the water, they both rocked their lessons and they are well on their way to joining their dad as captains of the swim team. I'll be watching from the bleachers.

duct tape wallets

2013-06-19T12:25:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I fool myself into thinking that I will post a tutorial for some awesome project. I will take photos that not only capture what fun my family had completing the project but also demonstrate the project step-by-step. What a load of shit!

First of all, our projects never go smoothly. Second, rarely do they turn out as anticipated. And third, taking pictures while also overseeing (otherwise known as doing it all) a project with two seven-year olds totally sucks. It's not at all realistic to think that any child working on a project is enjoying the moment with a parent in his or her face demanding that the child hold that pose or recreate that action. I love a good tutorial and frequent a number of crafty mom blogs for ideas to co-op, but they're not fooling me. I know that it's all fake, fake, fake.

Of course, that doesn't stop me from occasionally trying my hand at a well-photographed project to share with my five readers (Hi Grandma). These failures are a necessary reminder that life is not about taking pretty pictures of your kids doing shit and you attempting to present yourself as a happy and crafty family. Nope, and these failures keep me grounded.

But whatever. I am still sharing our DIY duct tape wallet project! We started with some duct tape leftover from the boys' robot party.

Next we all watched this YouTube video.

And then we got down to work. Watch the video if you're curious about what the working bit entails because this is NOT a mother trucking tutorial (despite my original intention)!!

The tape was sticky (duh), sometimes difficult to cut, and we had to keep stopping to rewatch the actual tutorial. There were also a few distractions along the way.

But eventually I stopped snapping pictures and we were able to assemble two very awesome duct tape wallets just perfect for storing allowance money and library cards!

The next morning I both shamelessly and hopelessly tried to take some quick photos of the boys using their wallets as I was leaving for work. Except they weren't really using their wallets. They were just holding the wallets while watching cartoons, which of course meant they were unavailable to even make eye contact with me as I encouraged (or demanded, same difference) them to show off their wallets. Then I just ended up with really unflattering photos of my children watching TV.

So there you have it. Zombie children and a not DIY duct tape wallet tutorial. Enjoy!

the dust bowl

2013-06-12T22:58:00.002-06:00

We went camping with the boys' school over the weekend. The trip was organized by a parent and close to 40 families supposedly showed up. And it was a blast. Stephen couldn't get over the fact that we were camping as a school.

For reals. It was like the idea of a school sponsored camping trip for families was the most fantastic things that had ever (EVER) happened to him. I quickly grew tired of him saying, "Oh my God! We're camping with the school! How many other schools do you think are camping right now? None!" Of course he was wrong. I am sure lots of other schools were camping on Saturday. Maybe even one in Idaho.

I didn't get the opportunity to camp once last year and it was so nice to be out in the woods, so to speak. Stephen and I are hoping to squeeze in a few family camping trips this summer and we might have to go back to this spot because the boys had the most fun they've ever had on a camping trip. I am not sure whether it was playing with friends for almost 24 hours straight or the Dust Bowl.

See the haze between the trees - that's the Dust Bowl. Or the Hell Hill, or the Dirt Gulch That All the Children Slid Down for Hours on End When They Weren't Having Pine Cone Wars. And they came back looking like this:

The pictures don't really convey just how filthy they really were. They were disgusting filthy. Maybe the dirtiest they've ever (EVER) been! We heard from parents who'd been there before that one year a rain storm turned the Dust Bowl into a Mud Bowl. Those parents ended up just throwing their children's clothes away. What fun that would have been!

Besides the Dust Bowl there was some communal meat cooking and a potluck. I heart potlucks. I always fill up on salads and this this potluck was no exception! Stephen opted for some soft spreadable cheese. I think he was trying to spite me or prove some ridiculous point. The last time he bought soft cheese I was disappointed in his choice. I had wanted something else and so I was mean to him about his soft cheese. But it's okay. He likes it when I am mean to him. Plus, he gets confused when I am kind.

After dinner Stephen looked for opportunities to show off his short shorts. We also had a campfire. I brought leftover Peeps and offered them to all the children but my own - I don't want them eating that crap!

And that was that. The boys went back to the Dust Bowl. Stephen and I drank wine well into the night with new friends. We had blueberries and pancakes in the morning, loaded up the car and headed home. A weekend well spent as the first and last people ever (EVER) to camp as a school.

da cubs

2013-06-03T12:13:00.000-06:00

Henry and Wyatt played baseball this spring through the North Boise Little League Association or something like that. They finished the season two Fridays ago with a loss and pizza party. Technically the league doesn't keep score and everyone loves pizza, so it was really a win.

During the game Wyatt made it to first base with a solid hit and he also made a play at first that resulted in an out for the other team! Henry wasn't as lucky but he played well throughout the season. I don't think he ever got an out but he did make to second base at least twice.

And that's really saying a lot because their team was awful. Bad News Bears awful. Theirs was the only team in the league made up of boys from different schools and this was the first year that many of them had ever played. I don't think Henry and Wyatt even understand the rules of the game.

But they still had fun and made a few new friends. I haven't taken many photos since December and despite my best intentions, I forgot to bring my camera to the last game. I did take a handful of photos throughout the two-moth season with my phone and those will have to do.

Aren't they just the most precious little ballplayers you've ever seen?! I love their long shaggy hair under those ball caps.

I don't know why but they both closed their eyes when the coach handed them their trophies. That must be something they both do when experiencing pride and embarrassment at the same time. Still, super cute.

you'll shoot your eye out!

2013-05-29T13:17:00.000-06:00

For Christmas - yes, I am so far behind in my storytelling that we are still talking about Christmas - Stephen received a 50 dollar gift card to D and B Supply. Not that this is relevant to the story but Stephen loves D and B. He tries to buy everything that he possibly can from D and B. He goes to D and B at least once a week. The clerks there know the names of our children, if that tells you anything. So a 50 dollar gift card to D and B for Stephen is money well spent.

Stephen spent about 2 days considering what he might purchase with his 50 dollar gift card. A new rake handle. An ax. Some irrigating boots. Seeds for the garden. Work gloves. Bacon jerky. No - not bacon jerky but the sky was the limit with 50 dollars to spend. He could have bought so many things. So many things to beautify our yard or maintain our house or feed our bellies come summer. But he didn't.

Nope. Instead he bought the boys a BB gun. You read that right. A gun. He bought my babies a gun! Not that I should actually pretend to care. I am so over all of that. And by all of that I mean any false hope that I would raise children who were uninterested in guns or violence or war or battle or blood or combat or whatever else little boys are drawn to. And also, by children I really mean boys or sons because obviously I don't have daughters.

I believe that my next statement comes from an educated place in both an academic and real world sense - boys and girls are innately different and many (but not all) boys are drawn to physical interaction and destruction. At least in my opinion as a women's studies major and the mother of two sons. Of course, I've been wrong before.

Getting back to BB gun. It's a Daisy Red Rider. The Christmas Story kind, which was fitting for a Christmas gift. The boys love it. Or they did love it. The novelty has already worn off. But that's okay with me because their Free Range father let's them shoot the gun without parental assistance. They've had a gun safety lesson. They have protective eye wear. They have some empty beer cans and some distance guidelines. What more do they need?

I'll tell you what they don't need - an overprotective mother up in their business. It's true. As hard as it is trust Stephen's ability to teach them gun safety and as hard as it is to let my children enjoy a small amount of freedom, I know that it's the right decision.

I am sure that many of you - because many of you are reading my blog, right? - will disagree. How could I possible let two seven-year olds handle a gun without immediate adult supervision? How could I let two seven-year olds handle a gun in the first place? What sort of irresponsible, negligent mother am I?

First, let me remind you that it's just a BB gun. Second, I trust Stephen to instill proper gun safety. Third, I recognize the value in trusting the decisions my children make. Fourth, I am from Idaho. Fifth, not only am I from Idaho but I am just hella cool - ask anyone who knows me. Sixth, the the Zombie Apocalypse is coming. That shit is for real - how many cans of Manwich do you have in your cellar?

a lost tooth

2013-05-22T21:57:00.002-06:00

Hello, hello. How nice to be back. And what a story to reconnect with...

Henry B has lost his first tooth! That's right, one more milestone on the books.

It's been loose for weeks but today it was finally hanging by a string. Stephen and the boys stopped by my office after school and I asked Stephen to please wait until I got home to yank that sucker out. Of course, that A-hole didn't respect my request - not surprising at all!

So apparently Stephen used a wet washcloth to pull Henry's tooth out rather than waiting for Nature to do it's thing. But whatever. I am still driving this tooth fairy train. I found the cute printable and I took the pictures that we will remember forever. And there's still Wyatt - maybe I'll get to be the one who gets to rip out that little guy's first tooth with a damp cloth.

As I write this, Henry has placed the tooth under his pillow and is waiting impatiently for the tooth fairy to make her appearance. His tooth is placed in this super cute tooth fairy emergency kit that I found at Hellobee maybe a year ago!

Obviously, I can't be sure but I think the Tooth Fairy might leave Henry two dollars. She may have stopped by the Shell station on her way home for a pack gum and five bucks in ones after finally using the two dollars in her wallet to buy a cup of coffee after waiting three weeks for this tooth to take care of it's business on the exact same day Henry lost his tooth. Anyway, we'll see what the morning brings.

In the meantime, congratulations Henry!

Have you ever seen a more handsome boy? Nope. You know you haven't. He's beautiful, especially with that missing tooth.

screen time

2013-02-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Stephen received a Google Nexus 7 from my parents for Christmas. It was originally intended to be family gift but it ended up going to just Stephen. Not that any of that matters because the boys still play with it and consider it to be their tablet.

After we got to the condo on Christmas Day, Stephen downloaded the free version of Angry Birds and handed the Google Nexus 7 the boys. I told Stephen I felt as though we'd crossed over to the Dark Side.

I don't believe I've yet voiced my disdain for parents who do nothing but let their children play video games on any number of mobile devices. For some reason, I try to keep my more offensive thoughts to myself. But whatever, it's my blog. Stop reading if you let your two-year play with your iPhone - you'll probably be pissed at me because let there be no pretenses, I am judging you. Hard.

I'm also judging myself pretty hard. Nearly six weeks have passed since Christmas and the boys seem to be spending more and more time in front of one screen or another. It's cold outside. I'm currently trying to juggle more responsibilities than normal. All three boys have been stricken with either a cold or the flu.

What I'm saying is now that we have the Google Nexus 7 it's suddenly become a lot easier to give in. To just let them play games on either one of two laptops or the new tablet. Or to let them watch cartoons for hours on end while Stephen and I try to catch up on our sleep over the weekends.

But it's got to end! This is not the childhood I envisioned for my boys. No! I will not succumb!

And that's about as far as I've gotten with that parenting declaration. We've already failed at distributing screen time tickets in exchange for agreed upon chores. We've already failed at limiting screen time to 30 minutes each day following an invigorating jaunt outside for 30 - 40 minutes.

But fear not. I am sure I will come up with the perfect strategy for balancing screen time with the rest that life has to offer us - just as soon as I have the time or the energy. In the interim, I will continue to judge myself and second guess my parenting abilities. And most importantly, I will continue to believe that my babies are the most beautiful things on the plant, regardless that their heads glued to a tiny little screen and especially because they, on occasion, rock totally 80s homemade sweatbands.

it's always a good time

2013-01-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

Over the Christmas break Henry and Wyatt attended theater camp for a second time - thanks Grandpa and Grandma! Theater camp is in Ketchum and starts the day after Christmas. So as I mentioned at my Christmas recap post, we took off for Ketchum on the 25th.

Last year Stephen and I joined the boys in Ketchum just in time for the recital and then we stayed through the new year. But this year, we all went up and spent a relaxing week in the condo. Anyway, back to theater camp!

I don't actually have much to say about theater camp other than I like sending my kids. It's good for them to get up on stage and interact with new kids. In the photos Henry looks less than thrilled to be there but he was sick all week and we still made him go to camp everyday. Of course he looks a little apathetic - we're so cruel.

The other thing I have to say about theater camp is that it brings me to tears. Happy tears, of course. I cried during the entire performance, regardless of whether my own children were on stage. Something about children singing and dancing and enjoying the simplicity of their youth hits me every time I attend any sort of childrens' activity. I'm weird like that.

Stephen is not weird like that but his head is big and mine is not.

Someone needs to teach those boys to dance! As a former dancer I seem to have failed them as a mother. You have to look closely for Wyatt in the first video. For whatever reason he was positioned in the back of the group, next to the Time Machine sign. But you can definitely see him in the second video, and after watching Henry dance in the first video and Wyatt in the second, you might agree with me that an immediate dance lesson intervention is absolutely necessary!

Aren't they just so cute! Wyatt had a speaking part and I just about missed taking a photo of his big debut. He had two lines:

Has anyone seen Miss Franklin? She was just here.

and

Aretha's on next? What will we do!

Oh! You might benefit from knowing the plot of the production. A bunch of children stop by a weird old professor's home and travel back in time to the 60s where they receive a lesson in music history. Good stuff.

I have one more thing to say about theater camp. It's organized and ran by good people. People we like and trust. People who know our mothers. People who've acted with Jack. I feel good about sending my babies there for the day. I guess I just add that because I like reminding myself of good things and good people. I like goodness. And now I'll stop because I am nearing the overly sentimental and positive outlook crap that drives me crazy in other blogs I sometimes (okay, all the time!) frequent.

And just because I can't help myself, here is one more video of my kids that you probably don't want to bother watching! But if you do, enjoy.

sew proud

2013-01-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

I've never made any effort to hide my lack of humility in most all matters. When I know something to be true, I don't bother to pretend otherwise. For instance, if Stephen were to say to me, Hannah, you light up a room every time, I would not respond with a thank you. No, instead I would say, Yeah, I know.

The same holds true for my crafting accomplishments. When I am proud of myself, I will tell you! And I am super proud of the success of my most recent sewing project - mending jeans with patches!

I've attempted to patch the boys pants in the past but my efforts have all been half-assed because I've let myself be intimidated by the correct process of sewing patches. But not this time! This time I opted not to sloppily iron on some not-so sticky patches. Nope. This patch job is for real. I pulled each pant leg apart (six legs total) and actually sewed on patches I cut from last summer's shorts.

And not that I need to say it, but I am hella pleased with myself. It worked. The patches are holding up so far, plus they're super cute.

I should probably confess that the only reason I was able to throw caution to the wind this go round was because my mom just bought the boys new jeans. So if I totally and completely fucked up when taking the pant legs apart, my kids still had pants to wear. The stakes were much lower.

Also, I am not making any New Year's resolutions because I am tired of letting myself down - plus, shouldn't we all just be trying to be the best people we can be with the happiest lives ever because that's kind of point anyway? - but I am hoping that I make the time to try more sewing projects in the future because obviously, I've got potential. Here's to hoping!

snow day

2013-01-11T13:12:00.001-07:00

It's been dumping snow all week and all I can say is, finally! Because it finally feels like a real winter. I'm not a big fan of being cold but I absolutely despise being cold without the joy of a snowy landscape. Finally.

It snowed all day Monday and most of the day on Thursday. In fact, school was cancelled across the valley and Henry and Wyatt had their first snow day ever! No doubt they went sledding with their dad and few friends.

I miss snow days. Do you?

christmas recap

2013-01-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for the longest post ever? Actually, it's not that long and I'll go easy on the text.

Our Christmas was fantastic. My grandparents hosted dinner on Sunday. Everyone but Dylan was there. It was awesome. As we all (we meaning my cousins) grow older it becomes more difficult to get everyone in the same room but we managed to get it done this year - sans Dylan.

Tom has much better photos from that evening but these will do. After a delicious feast of prime rib, we opened gifts. The littler kids still get a handful of gifts to open. The older kids get a a big'ol wad of cash and this year my grandmother also bought fingerless gloves for all the boys and toe socks for all the girls. It was pretty silly.

Not pictured are the photo calendars I made for each of my grandparents. I used pictures of all their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They make memorable gifts - in my opinion - but if only I could remember the actual year my grandparents got married because this lapse in memory totally botched my thoughtful gift. The cover of the calendar reads: The Straubhars, est. 1953. Except that's not the year they got married - it was 1956!!!!!

I am now 0 for 2 when it comes to giving gifts with the est. date. Last year I made a print for my parents that read: The Mikesells, est. 1979. Except that's the year I was born not the year they were married! Pointless story, but worth telling on the off chance that someone finds my inability to count or remember dates entertaining.

We spent Christmas Eve with my parents and Jack. My grandparents stopped by for a bit as well on their way to a crab cook at my aunt and uncle's house. Stephen and Jack did a splendid job preparing rack of lamb and mussels - there is actually a disproportionate amount of food pictures from that evening. But we all know that if I love anything in this world it's a big'ol chunk of meat.

After my grandparents snuck out we opened gifts. Tom came away with the biggest haul - Dana got him a new bike! I also think Tom and Dana were pleased with the homemade yet thoughtful and quality gifts we crafted for them. We had a good bit of fun opening gifts and chatting before everyone left around 8:30 pm.

Even though the boys got to bed by 9 pm they still slept in. I don't think we were up and out of bed before 8 am. It didn't help that Henry had a cold (maybe even the flu). Wyatt was up for nearly 45 minutes before we decided to wake Henry.

Opening gifts didn't take very long since we were adhering the read, want, need, wear trend. You know how I hate anything matchy-matchy but when it comes to gifts, we keep it pretty even. The boys each got a new bike from Santa. This was their need gift. I didn't snap a picture but these bikes are legit. And they'd better last a long time because Santa paid a lot of money for them!

To read they each got three Easy-Reader books from National Geographic. To wear, I sewed them each two pairs of pajama bottoms and made graphic tees with their personal spirit animals, a squirrel and a bald eagle respectively. As always, I was super pleased with my ability to be crafty and I was equally as pleased that the boys are still young enough to think my creations are cool. Also, I already had all the materials I needed for the wear gifts save two bottles of fabric paint costing about a buck fifty total!

Henry and Wyatt had to share their want gift, which I suppose is one of the burdens of being a twin. They have had to endure their fair share of shared gifts over the years and I imagine the sharing will only continue. Anyway, we gave them this crappy plastic Bey Blade dome thing that they've literally played with three times because it doesn't work well. But I was expecting this. It's the reason we only bought one!

Stephen and I don't exchange gifts but I wrapped up a pair of lounge pants he knew I was making for him - he selected the pattern and the print. We were both super pleased with the final product. Me because I made the pattern from scratch and the pants fit! Stephen because the pants are just his kind of hideous plus they're cozy!

Between opening gifts and hosting brunch with the Crumrines, we made a quick Skype call to Dylan who was enjoying Christmas in France with a buddy. Then we started pulling together yet another delicious holiday meal. But don't worry, we took a break to open gifts with Glenn, Stephanie, and Tia-D.

The boys scored some fun gifts, this Foosball table being one of them. Again, I think our homemade gifts went over well, although for a brief moment Diana thought we bought her pancake mix from Trader Joe's. Luckily for her I'd just run out of regular gift boxes.

PS. You can catch a glimpse of one of those awesome new bikes in the picture above. It also substitutes as a coat rack.

In addition to our homemade gifts, I gave Stephanie framed family photos taken by the photographer at Wes and Melissa's wedding in June. They were so amazing that Glenn and Tia-D felt compelled to ooh and aah over them!

And then it was time to eat! Stephen made a scrum diddly umptious crab souffle and Tia-D brought fresh fruit and scones. We also had scrapple - a classic Crumrine traditional Christmas brunch staple. If you don't know what scrapple is, you should really click that link. I will tell you that scrapple is some hella good shit and I look forward to the one morning a year that scrapple is placed on the table!

After brunch we high-tailed it out of there and headed up to Condo Town for a five-night stay in our snowy little haven - another post. Although don't hold your breath, I am way behind in my story telling!

Also, I lied. This post was heavy on the text. I guess I just had a lot to say after weeks of silence.

Hope you all had a nice holiday and are enjoying the New Year!

happy new year

2013-01-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Last night, for the first time ever, Henry and Wyatt were invited to stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year! We played board games, watched movies, ate grocery store sushi, and did our best to stay awake. At 12 am we watched the ball drop in Times Square and then ran outside to light a few sparklers.

I think it may have been my best New Year's Eve celebration yet!

it's official

2012-12-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

For the second year in a row we drove to Idaho City and cut down our Christmas tree, making the event an official holiday tradition!

Last December I wrote about two separate activities I hoped would become Christmas traditions: cutting down our own tree and a Christmas book advent calendar countdown. Alas, I don't think the books are going to stick. It was just too much effort and money to wrap 24 books, plus trade out the books I didn't care for and actually build a collection of 24 books - I think we have 19.

But the Christmas tree trek prevailed and boy, is that tree a thing of beauty!

It rained the entire time we were searching for a tree. It rained hard. There were flash flood warnings for Idaho City that day. But we didn't let that stop us, although the downpour did quicken our pace.

On our way home, we stopped by the same restaurant for lunch as we did last year, Trudy's. It's a great place. I had the chicken strip basket. Everyone else stops there too and the parking lot is lined with cars and trucks each hauling at least one tree. It's a sight. It makes us feel good about our new tradition.

This year we had the genius idea of cutting a tree at the maximum height - 12 feet - and using the extra branches to make wreathes and decorate the mantel. This genius idea probably saved us at least $50, if you don't count the gas to and from Idaho City - which I don't. Our ceilings are 8 feet high and we ended up with about 4 extra feet to decorate with.

I am super, super pleased with my new found wreath building talents. Like way too proud of myself. I made a second wreath for the back door but the photos didn't turn out. You can trust that it's just as awesome - like the rest of our decorations!

It was Wyatt's turn to place the star on top of the tree. And this year I let Henry and Wyatt decorate the tree all by themselves. I actually do this every year and then rearrange all the ornaments once they're in bed. And that's what I didn't do this year. I just left the tree alone and it looks pretty sharp. And I feel good about my ability to let go of perfection this year. Life's too short, you know.

We're all set for Christmas now. This year we're trying the four-gift approach that's all over the Internet. I'm sure you've heard of it. One gift you want, one you need, one to wear, and one to read. I actually came across this idea last year but we'd already placed our presents under the tree. I share that because I really just want you to know that I was ahead of the trend.

Anyway, that's our plan. I think it's a splendid idea. I think we (the collective we) get too caught up in wanting stuff we don't need. Stephen and I are also making most of our gifts and we've set a budget that we're sticking to. I am very excited about the whole thing. It just feels good to change you're perspective a little. Not that my perspective was so far off from what I've just described - but it's a bit more dialed in now. Or something. Whatever. I'll let you know how to goes!

i cup

2012-12-13T12:49:00.001-07:00

On Monday evening, Wyatt ran into the kitchen and asked me to spell "I cup."

What?

Yeah, spell "I cup."

Okay. I-C-U-P...Aw! You got me!

I see you pee! I see you pee! Ha ha, Mom!

Of course, I knew all along what he was setting me up for. He is my own raunchy little child, after all!

alliteration

2012-12-04T12:59:00.001-07:00

Do you know what an alliteration is? I do, except I can never remember that it's call an alliteration. Like I am always needing to make sure it's not an onomatopoeia. I can't keep'em straight!

But an example of an alliteration might be baby bump. Or baby boy bump. Or baby boy Brewer. Or even baby boy Brewer bump, which I took pictures of just before Thanksgiving!

My co-worker Mo and her husband Ryan are expecting their first baby toward the end of the month (hopefully closer to Christmas than New Year's). They wanted some pictures to remember their pregnancy but they wanted to keep them simple and low key. So I stopped by their house one afternoon and snapped a couple of photos - some of my favorite amateur photos to date!

I love the warm cozy feel of the fire and the sweaters and that fake fur thing. I can't wait to get that little baby on that fake fur thing and take a million pictures! It was also fun to watch Mo and Ryan. They are clearly madly in love and over the moon about their baby. I tried explaining this to Stephen with tears in my eyes. I got a blank and bewildered stare from him in return. I just really love babies!!!! Like really. And this little baby is going to be beautiful.