Impromptu cuteness

This morning I was woken up by a little girl burrowing into my right side and a little boy digging his way between JT and me. We shifted and allowed them to invade our space and held onto the hope that we'd all be allowed to go back to sleep.

Well, the twins pretended to sleep for about 2 minutes before that got too boring. I was woken up again by vigorous high fiving going on over my left shoulder. Then said shoulder became something to hide behind and pop up giggling!

I tried to calm them and invite sleep once again. Porter wasn't thrilled with the idea and decided that it was time to take matters into his own hands and wake up Daddy. Poor JT.

JT was assaulted with good-morning kisses and then appeased with a gentle little hand rubbing his face while repeatedly calling his name.

How could anyone have the heart to ignore that?!?!?

Definitely not JT.  He told me that he'd be back shortly and then headed into the living room to set up breakfast, toys, and a morning tv show. Unfortunately for him, the twins were no longer cooperating and I decided to get up and help start the day.

It was a little earlier than we had planned, but we definitely smiled the rest of the morning.

JT Update

Now it's time for me to make JT blush. ;)

JT has had a VERY busy year. Actually, it's much more accurate to call it a whirlwind.

Employment: JT really amazes me with that crazy work ethic of his. Even with all the job changes, he made sure we never went without. I am absolutely sure that it is all due to the dedication of my sweet husband and the tender mercy of our Heavenly Father. As stressful as it was for us at the time, I can now laugh in relief and say that there wasn't a single job he held that wasn't exactly what our family needed at the time. God's hand in everything was very obvious to us.

But now it's time for the EXCITING news!!! Monday was JT's FIRST day at Northwestern Mutual! He is so excited for this new opportunity and we can't begin to explain how right it all feels. With unemployment rates being so ridiculously high, knowing that JT not only found a wonderful job, but secured a job that will lead him directly into his career choice---there really are no words.

Plus, my baby looks good in a suit. :)

Hobby: JT's temporary job as a physical fitness trainer with Gold's Gym got him back into the fitness world.  He loves studying the latest training techniques, making his own gym equipment, and watching the progress that he and others make along the way.

JT even ran the Spartan Race this year! I was so proud of him. He tripped at the beginning of the race and jammed his shin into a rock that cut him pretty deep. He just got right back up and continued on with the obstacle laden half marathon! That right there is the definition of tenacity.

His renewed interest in fitness has had him lose a LOT of weight. We're still trying to find the before pictures he took, so the Christmas family picture from 2010 will have to do. I wish I had better pictures though. The before and after don't do him enough justice.

He won't be slimming down much more though. He has toning and muscle gain on the mind now. I can't wait to see how he does! 

Church: JT has moved up from his cub scouts calling in our last ward to the 11 year old boy scout troop. He has a lot of fun with those kids and it's a lot of fun to see his inner kid get to come out and play. There have already been 2 overnighters and although I'm not a fan of him leaving, I'm glad he gets the opportunity to go rough it up once and a while. At the end of the day, it's about connecting with the kids. It warms my heart to see the boys excitedly call to JT when they see him in the front yard and invite him over for a basketball game. I get a quick kiss on the cheek and away he goes!

Us: JT definitely keeps us young! His youthful antics are never at an end. This summer I ended up with an entire bucket of unused water balloons and JT started an impromptu fight in the backyard. We were ducking left and right and trying to take each other out! I finally ran around the side of the house and hid in front of our garage so I could get him when he came around the corner. I guess I'm pretty predictable because JT came barreling around the corner will balloons ready to go! I ran away screaming and he ran back to the backyard laughing. In my righteous anger, I turned around and ran back to attack him...only to have him jump out at me from behind the trashcans! I jumped backwards screaming and was completely annihilated by water balloons. There was a lady walking down the driveway next to us who saw the entire thing. She died laughing and told me that she wished that she carried a video camera with her. I'm kind of glad she didn't...but I can definitely appreciate the humor of the situation. :)
He'll also go to any length possible to make me smile. When I told him one night that I was in need of a good laugh, JT immediately got to thinking. A couple minutes later he came back into the room with a stack of paper and began to teach me how to make my own paper airplanes! It was so sweet of him! Then we had paper airplane races down the hallway. Probably not the smartest thing we've ever done since the twins were already in bed...but it was worth it! It's actually become one of my favorite memories of JT.

Parenthood: When we dated, I knew that JT liked kids. I never could have imagined how much he REALLY loves kids. There are so many times that I've been frustrated by something the twins are doing and ready to cry about it when JT comes home. He of course thinks whatever they're doing is the most adorable thing he's ever seen and just melts. He is so happy to be a dad.
The kids adore him too. There was one time where JT surprised us at the gym. He went in with me to pick them up from the daycare and created a big scene. The twins screamed their heads off and took off running as fast as they could to get to their daddy. He melted, of course, and scooped them both up. I'm so glad JT isn't a little guy. Otherwise, I don't know that he could survive two 2 year olds slamming into him at full speed on a regular basis. Haha. Anyways, the entire thing was absolutely adorable and had a lot of the workers smiling. You'd think that he'd been gone for days--not hours.

So there you have it. JT in five minutes or less. :) I know there's no way I can do him proper justice, but I figure that I'll fill in the things I've missed as I begin to regularly update.
Up next: Me!

Delilah Update

Our sweet little Delilah girl is never at a loss for words. I guess it's a good sign that JT adores that about her--she obviously gets it from me.  His favorite thing in the world is to come home from work, have her hop up into his lap, and curl an arm around her as he asks her to "tell Daddy a story".  Needing no further encouragement, Delilah promptly begins saying all kinds of unintelligible things accompanied by every necessary head nod, eyebrow raise, and hand gesture.  If her "captive" audience seems to be slacking off, she has no qualms about take their face in her hands and turning it back until you are nose to nose with her. She will not be ignored! 

Her vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds! I can't even begin to estimate how many words she knows now. I'm always being surprised by a new one or a 3 word sentence. 

Delilah isn't quite as cuddly as her twin, but she's definitely a close second. My favorite are the ones prompted by her little moments of joy. I recognize them as such because it's exactly how my mind works. I can see it happening each time. For example, for lunch today they sat at their little kids table with a peanut butter sandwich(shocker) and a glass of milk. I instituted a chugging contest and Porter won. Porter and I then began to cheer Delilah on until she finished hers. She slammed the cup back onto the table and lifting her little fists in the air and let out a wild scream of victory! Her cheeks were red and the ear to ear smile she wore couldn't have been bigger. When I leaned forward and kissed her forehead telling her that she had done a good job, I saw the moment happen. She was so proud of herself and felt so loved and happy to be here that she couldn't help the cuddle effect. She made her signature purring noise and threw herself into my arms and hugged me as hard as she could. Sometimes she shakes from the effort! I am really grateful for my cuddly little ones and really do get a big kick out of how different their cuddle moods are. Porter takes after JT 100% and Delilah is definitely mine. It's nice in that there is always a parent who understands what they're feeling and thinking. I really hope we don't lose that through the teen years.

Current obsession: All things girly

Just as Porter is into all things physical, cars, and sound effects, Delilah loves dresses, bows, and mirrors. Her daily ritual goes like this: I tell her that it's time to get dressed and she starts bolting down the hallway while screaming "DRESS!" at the top of her lungs. That isn't her agreeing with me--it's her letting me know what she WILL be wearing. I dress her in a dress and she runs into her bedroom to look at herself in the full length mirror. She smiles shyly and points at her reflection while saying "pretty". Then, as if the very thought has just slammed into her brain, she will turn on the spot and scream "BOW!" and take off for the bathroom. I will follow and brush her hair while she cries. We will pick out a bow together and she will smile happily at her reflection once it's in her hair. Then she will jump down off the counter and run back to the full length mirror one more time to take in the entire picture.  At some point during this morning ritual, Porter will decide to have some fun and stake his claim on the mirror just before Delilah gets to it. He just stands there staring at his reflection--completely immovable. Delilah will shove and whine to no avail until she comes to me crying, "my turn!" 

Having himself declared "handsome" by his mother, Porter's interest in the mirror then wanes and Delilah's monopoly on its attentions is once again set to right.

She doesn't confuse her day dresses and her princess dresses though. Unfortunately for her, she only has a Sleeping Beauty one that I purchased at a yard sale a year ago. It's 4T and WAY to big for her. But try telling her that. Every time we watch Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella, she will have me put the dress on her, hold it up by the skirts like I've taught her, wait for me to place her little crown on her head, and spin in circles until she's too dizzy to see straight. Poor Porter is pretty patient about sitting through the replays of the dancing scenes. After the 3rd time though, he starts getting a little antsy and I pull the plug.

Favorite food: CHICKENS

Delilah is never more excited for dinner than when we are having chicken, or "CHICKENS!" as she likes to call it. She is thrilled when she sees me pulling chicken out of the freezer and just starts hollering her approval over and over again. I sure didn't get quiet children. Lol.

Other than that, all her foodie likes coincide with Porter's to a T, minus the spinach.

Anyways, I figure that's enough anecdotes to keep your hearts warm for a few days. Next up is JT! See you soon!

Porter Update

Porter is now a happily active little 2 1/2 year old boy. I have a hard time keeping up with that one. When people ask me if boys or girls are easier to handle, I tell them yes and no. It depends on what's easy for you. If you have oodles of energy to chase a child all over the house, then boys are easier. However, if you prefer to deal with feelings, then girls are easier. It's honestly a tie in my book.

One of Delilah's favorite TV shows right now is "Curious George".  JT and I allow the twins to watch it with some trepidation. You see, there are way too many things that the monkey and Porter have in common. 

In fact, I'm almost positive that Porter never once considered unrolling an entire roll of toilet paper in our bathroom until he saw first saw George do it. Peer pressure begins early.

Porter enjoys climbing all over JT and myself. He will attack, climb, run, jump, throw, and scream out his war cry in a matter of minutes. The war cry is the one you have to watch out for. I'm pretty sure my ear drums will never heal.

His speech is coming along slowly. He can now say about 20 words. I'm very excited to start working with a speech therapist for him. It's really heartbreaking to not know what my little boy is trying to tell me. The one whole phrase he has completely mastered though, is "I love you".  It makes me smile every time I hear it. We tuck him into bed at night, say "I love you", "goodnight", and then blow a million kisses on our way out the door. He plays along with all of it! Right down to the last kiss! 

He's also very much a cuddler. JT was and still is, so I'm not surprised at all. If I'm not in the room with him, Porter will come find me to cuddle with me once every 15-20 minutes. It's hard getting things done, but absolutely adorable. Less so though when you desperately need to go to the bathroom. 

Meh.

Latest obsession: Pixar's Cars.  That kid eats, dreams, plays, and sleeps Cars. I keep checking DI (a local thrift store) for any Cars products I can find. So far I've gotten a rolling backpack that's perfectly sized for Porter and a pajama top.  I became less excited about the pajama top the more days Porter wanted to wear it, though. JT was finally able to coax him out of it (yay!) and it is finally in the washing machine.

Favorite foods: Any sort of fruit is equal to candy for both Porter and Delilah. I have a hard time keeping any fruit around the house for any length of time! Last week it felt like I spent hours washing grapes and cutting up watermelon. It took 3 days for it all to be gone. Don't even get me started on the bananas!!! I have to buy 2 bunches just to make it 24 hours.

Porter's favorite meal is a plain peanut butter sandwich. In fact, he'll grab the PB and bread to get started on his own if I'm moving too slowly. Sometimes I really appreciate this one simple meal. Most toddlers love pizza, hotdogs, macaroni and cheese, etc. I can't give that to the kids though because it upsets their stomach too much. The quick fix meals are definitely a struggle in this house. That's why if I'm running behind and there's no time to put together something nicer, the whole family is now very used to PBs. If anyone has any other quick food ideas, I am totally open to suggestions!

Motor skills: muy bueno

Porter continues to amaze me with how easily anything physical comes to him. It took him hardly any time at all before he was zipping around the sidewalks on his tricycle. His overhand throw is pretty accurate and strong. I foresee baseball for his arm, football for his love of tackling, and soccer for his awesome kick. Who knows...he may surprise us and decide that Hockey is more his thing!

All in all, I am very proud to be the mama to a very sweet and loving little boy. I was on the phone with my mom not too long ago while Porter was busy attacking me with relentless hugs and kisses. I was a little frustrated and wishing that I could get a minute's rest while I chatted on the phone. My mom chuckled and said, "It's hard to be so loved, huh?" Now when I think of that, it makes me laugh. Being a mom is hard work and I know I'm far from the best at it. 

But I love it. And so does he.