Destressing & Decluttering

Tonight as I sat in our house folding the seven loads of laundry that were washed and have been sitting in my living room since last night I began to think about what is important and what I can cut out of my life. Facebook, my great and wonderful old friend, I decided needed to leave. I check it all the time just because I am bored and its so convenient from my phone... seriously, it was a huge waste of time. There are so many things I need to get accomplished through out the day and Facebook just distracts me. So as of today I have deactivated my account. It is kind of of a relief. I feel like I have to think about other things to do besides stalk people on Facebook, and lets be honest you know you do it too. I still have a blog (obviously) and twitter and pinterest. I think that is enough social media/networking for me. I am just excited to get back into blogging and keeping a written record of what happens in our family.

Tonight: A & C found some flashcard puzzle pieces I had bought a couple semesters ago. We spent a good 15 minutes sitting in their room looking at the pictures and spelling out the words. It was so exciting to see them make connections and learn. I love those little guys and the awesomeness that they produce on a daily basis. Best thing ever!

This morning, I woke up to a cheerleader in my bed. His name is Cooper and this was his cheer: "I'm Big! I'm Strong! I'm big and strong!" Followed by him falling down and laughing hysterically. He continued this cheer over and over until I decided to get out of bed and feed him.

Brotherly Love

These boys love one another so much!

I just love how much Aiden and Cooper love one another. They play so well together and get each other's inside jokes. They are the best of friends and so protective of one another. I can't wait to see how much their relationship grows as they get older. 

Mean Muggs

Cooper's silly face...

Aiden's attempt at making a silly face

We got a brand new camera because Kevin won a Best Buy sweepstakes and got a crazy amount of Best Buy Points. This was the first day I pulled out the camera with the boys and they were so excited to have their picture taken. They love to look at themselves after a picture is taken but are not patient enough to stand still for one.

Today, I Felt Kinda Old

Hi. Have you missed me?  Yeah our lives are a little hectic with school and work and summer school but I have a funny story about today. Maybe it's only funny to me, but that's quite alright because well, this is my blog. Right? Right.

Today during my Biology 101 lab the girl who sits behind me, and is undoubtedly a freshman, says to me:

 "You married? You can't be old enough to be married. I saw that ring on your finger and I was like there is no way you can be married"

I kinda laughed and then responded:

"I'm twenty-five and yes I am married."

She then preceded to freak out and ask everyone who was sitting around us if they knew I was twenty-five. All of them had a look of shock and awe on their faces as they replied "No! Really?"

I then preceded to tell them not only was I married but I had two twin boys who would be three in September. The all pretty much fell out of their chairs.

I am aware it is a good thing I look so young for my age, but at the same time they made me feel really old today. Maybe it's because it was the first time since my birthday I had to verbally admit my age, or simply due to the fact most of the people in my class are freshman. Either way, they totally made me feel old. Thankfully, Kevin is 7 years old than me so all I have to do is call him old man to feel better about  myself. {Just kidding, but not really}

Swashbuckling Swordsmen

Last weekend Kevin and I rented the newest Chronicles of Narnia from Redbox because we had a free rental and there wasn't anything better to choose. We let the boys stay up and watch it because they had lots of energy to burn. During the movie there is a sword fight between two of the characters. Immediately following the end of the scene Cooper ran to the silverware drawer and produced two butter knives. Kevin and I at first were surprised and told him to put them away. But after he went to his brother and said "Here Aiden," then attempted to sword fight with him. We thought it was too cute and imaginative to take away the fun factor. So after a good 15 minutest of sword fighting between the four of us we put the butter knives away and continued to watch the movie. It's the little things like that which light up my days and remind me how great it is to be a parent.

Recap/Dirty Laundry

I realize I should do weekly recaps just so I can remember what happens in our daily lives. It has been kind of crazy around here trying to make sure both Kevin and I have our homework done on time, while keeping Aiden & Cooper busy with something educational. Thankfully, I am getting almost two weeks off of school so I will be able to focus on the boys more and on some projects I need to get completed. Kevin was super busy this past weekend because he built our fence! Well, just the front two sections because the other 3 sides were put up for us. (Thanks neighbors!) It looks really good ad It has been so wonderful to go in the backyard and run around without having to worry about A & C taking off down the neighbors lawns. This weekend Kevin went on a campout with the scouts so I have been home alone with the boys. But, we were very productive today and tackled the laundry. Arkansas as finally warmed up enough that it feels like spring! I took full advantage of the nice weather and hung our clothes on the clothes line Kevin built for us last year. I love it! So do A & C because they can run through the clothes.

I could barely fit the last load I ran on the line. Next time, I need to even out the loads a little bit more. 

On a side note, I bought A & C a drum/musical set at Target a couple weeks ago because they love music. It has been the best purchase in quite some time. It might even trump WALL-E. They are obsessed with their drumsticks! Aiden's is purple, Cooper’s is green, and they know who gets which color. They bang on their drum, our chairs, the floor, random objects to make music. When they go out side they have sword fights with one another and the chains from our porch swing (that is being refinished). Today when I put them down for a nap Cooper threw a fit because he didn’t have his drumstick. “My drumstick! My drumstick!” Once I gave it to him he calmed down. They even sleep with the drumsticks like they are a stuffed animal. Its precious.

Aiden with his beloved drumstick.

Cooper and his drumstick.

I love it! Also, this week I introduced them to finger painting and ice cube painting. They loved it. I’ll take pictures of their work and post it later. I have lots of homework to finish before Monday rolls around and need to take full advantage of nap time.

To Honor the Presidents

Yesterday was Presidents Day and in honor of them we headed out to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum. Kevin suggested that we go because a) it was free on Presidents Day, b) they have a Dr. Seuss exhibit right now, c) we have never been, and d) I didn’t have school that day.

I told the boys when they went to bed that we were going to go see Dr. Seuss the next morning. Before we left I told them we were going to see Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat. This was their reaction.

At first I was a little apprehensive because I assumed that it was going to be overflowing with people who all wanted to get in on the free day. (One time I went to the Zoo on the free day, so not worth the crowds!) Thankfully though, the Little Rock schools decided to make up a snow day so I think that helped cut down on the amount of people. Also, we went first thing in the morning… well like 10:00, but whatever. The museum is really cool! I want to go back without grumpy children so I can take in all the info that they have set up. From what I did get a chance to see while Aiden wasn’t throwing a full blown tantrum on the floor because he couldn’t get in the elevator, was really interesting. They have a set up of the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room. I would have snapped pictures, but it was a little crowded and Aiden felt like moving. By the end of our trip there Aiden was pretty tired of the whole thing, probably because he woke up at seven, but we did get to swing into the Dr. Seuss Exhibit. It was really awesome! It included art from his books, as well as when he used a different artist name. Aiden & Cooper are big Dr. Seuss fans. Cooper reads “eggs and ham” all the time which is adorable, and they LOVE watching the Cat in the Hat on PBS in the mornings. We each snapped a pic with the famous Cat.

me & aiden with the cat

kevin & cooper with the cat. I don’t know why there is a weird shadow/double exposure on c’s face.

The boys really seemed to enjoy the Dr. Seuss and the stairs. They love stairs, going up, going down. Really, I think they just love moving around. Once we got outside we let the boys run around to get out all their pent up energy from being carried through a big space. First they played at the water fountains until Aiden decided we wanted to climb in them. We headed for the car when they spotted the bike rack. Aiden started by going through it and Cooper followed shortly. It was fun to see them be creative with their surroundings and that they view the world differently from us.

aiden

cooper w/kev

ps. those backpack harnesses our kids are wearing are the greatest invention ever! yes, people sometimes look at us like we are crazy. but, most of the time people wish they had them for their kids when they were little. we use them everywhere we go and I always know that a & c will be safe when we are alone at the grocery store or the zoo. seriously, they are awesome.