Oh Crap! moment #29-32

Oh Crap! # 29

 There was a language barrier and the possibility of offending a well intentioned family, so there was no avoiding it! Caleb is eating Doritos!!! I feel guilty every time I pop one of those things into my own mouth (which is not often), so of course I don't consider these saturated fat filled, artificial colors and artificial flavored snacks appropriate for anyone, especially not my own children!

Oh Crap! #30

 Eli climbed all the way to the top and there is only like a 3inch lip on either side! Those skidders give them some seriously good traction : ) Uncle Garret to the rescue while I snap pictures and take a video. Here is a video of the boy in action....


Oh Crap # 31

I was inside preparing the boys a quick meal when I kept hearing some happy yelling every few seconds. I finally got curious/worried and went to check on the boys. I keep that baby gate up because I'm afraid of someone falling down those dirty concrete stairs and into the infinite abyss (our basement)! Apparently Caleb was trying to play peek a boo with me. 

The chair placement was a parental mishap!

Oh Crap!# 32

While the boys nap I clean up and sweep the living room, I put the cars on the couch so they aren't in my way. Usually either I or the boys take them down to play with once they get up. I heard the boys stirring after a long nap and went in to get them out. First I grabbed Thomas and sat him down on the couch and went back in for Eli. As I come out I find Thomas like this about to take off with his car! 

After warning him not to move an inch I grabbed the camera and snapped a quick picture and then got him down safely. Forgetting that there were two more cars on the couch and an easily influenced Eli that had just witnessed the whole thing, I left to get Caleb and of course Eli had to try it out as well nearly giving me a heart attack again and making me feel like a complete idiot!

Ok, so in keeping with the theme of fear, I was starting to convince myself that once the boys turned two I'd turn their car seats forward facing. I figured that's at least twice as long as most people keep their kids rear facing. That is until I saw this picture floating around! I had no idea that it's recommend until the age of four. There is NO WAY I'm taking any risks with my PRECIOUS cargo, and I'm also grateful that we are hardly ever on the freeway! I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they make this a law but really it begs the question, why isn't it already?!!!

Little kids' heads are just proportionally too big for their little necks! Broken legs are better than broken necks or heads in my book!

Happy 8th!

Happy Anniversary! 

a picture of us 8 years ago on our honeymoon to beautiful British Columbia, last year I wrote about how we met on A Love Story post if you are new to the blog and would like to read about it : )

We celebrated our anniversary a little early this year to take advantage of free baby sitting by the boys' uncle Garret : )

We let the boys open our gifts, a sewing machine for me, thanks babe! It's my new favorite hobby once I learn how to work the darn thing...it took me a 1/2 an hour just to get the bobbin loaded! I better just find someone who can teach me because it's gonna take me forever to read the manual : ( Anyways, I'm really excited about the possibilities and shock myself all the time by how much I enjoy domestic life (I also love gardening and cooking, could I get more domestic than that!). I can't say I'm a crafty person but I am resourceful! My first project will be making pillows and pillow cases for the boys cribs (I think they are old enough for that, right?)...Then I'll be designing the boys 'big boy' room, I'm already starting to gather ideas on Pintrest for the theme (a big secret but worth the wait...it will be a while), I figure if I stick to right angles I shouldn't need too much skill on the sewing machine (sheets, curtains, pillow cases), haha...all I need now is TIME!

unwrapping gifts just wore out little Eli out, (btw we've been married too long to care about fancy wrapping paper so we just used newspaper, hehe!)

Phil has taken up smoking! That's right, I got him a smoker so we can eat the smokiest of meats : )

First we went out for a drink and appetizers

Who knew a grilled cheese sandwich could be so dang good! Next we rode our bikes to get sushi at our fav spot, you know you are getting good sushi when the chef has a thick Japanese accent and his wife is the waitress! No picture of the beautiful spread, my appetite got the better of me : )

a few days later we went to a friend's wedding, our 3rd night out within a two week period! I must say, I think the baby honey moon is over because I can really enjoy myself now when I'm away from the babies and look forward to it...I think it's about time but I'm still not sure why everyone was so anxious for us to 'get out' when the babies were just a few months old, I mean we had just spent 6 baby-free years together when everyday was a date night! 

Now some cute pics of the last few days...

mixologist

ECT

C with uncle Garret

baby pile!

I've gotten so good at gardening that I've started to grow babies!

E, such a goofy boy!

T flashing his pretty eyes <3

Uncle Garret is back in China again, we'll miss him sooo much and not just because he watched the boys are three different occasions all by himself! When the boys were little babies and our visitors were about to leave I'd always have this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, kind of panicking I'd think 'how am I gonna do this by myself again!?' Then our visitor would leave and of course I'd manage just fine by myself. I stopped getting that feeling shortly after the boys turned one but I must say that Garrets bon-voyage brought back that feeling! He is just THAT good with kids, seriously you should become a preschool teacher someday Garret : )

The Oregon Garden

Since Phil had the day off yesterday we headed to the Oregon Garden in Silverton, but not before stopping at their charming little downtown. They had several streets closed off where people were selling antiques. Although tempted many times we didn't buy anything, here's to will power!

 as long as the snack cups are full the boys are content to just people watch

 a nice man with weird shoes let the boys pet his sweet dog, Eli gave him many pets and hugs : )

Off to the gardens now....

T

 the boys favorite part of the gardens

C

 E

The onlookers, don't blame them since the boys were putting on a SHOW with their silly screams and funny antics. I'm sure they were marveling at the fact that Caleb and Eli were soaking wet and Thomas was as dry as dust!

 Garret and Eli

 E, short dark and handsome!

 attack, attack!

CET

The gardens were beautiful and after working in my not so small yard I can appreciate all the hard work that goes into it. I used to think my yard was small but right now the weeds are kicking my butt even though I obsessively weed when I'm back there, I can't keep up (and that's just the back yard)! I'm sure the record breaking rain in June has something to do with it!

21 months!

CET in their Sunday best not looking too happy : (

 T

too cool to smile

The boys have been loving their uncle Garret this week!

A lot of the pics on this post were actually taken by Garret : )

 E

 If you saw this in person you would agree with me, 'this doesn't look right, you are way too small to be on a bike!'

 This is such an Eli expression : )

 T

 C

 If his shoes weren't so wide I have no doubts that he would have made it to the top!

 E

Updates

I have no other kids to compare them with it's hard to know what my boys do that's typical for their age and what things are unique to them. That's why I always appreciate hearing observations from others. One of the boys teachers at their nursery school told me that the boys are really good self soothers. Like when someone takes something away from them or it's time to leave an activity they are never upset for very long, that is if they even get upset at all. So nice to hear : ) 

On a funny note, if their teachers know the boys are coming they put away all the baskets because 'the dumpers' are coming! Sooo true, the boys love dumping out anything that's in a container in one fell swoop, this one I thought all kids did but apparently I was wrong. I don't blame them since at home I put away their blocks, legos, and hotwheels  and only let them play with one each day otherwise the mess would be monumental!

This one I'm certain is unique to them. Seriously, the boys are worse than beavers, they gnaw on everything! That cute little wooden rocking horse I worked so hard on to repair has lots of spots where the paint is missing and several small chunks out of it! Also, our cute little bench that I use to put the boys shoes on and that I want to do the boys 2 year pictures on had a spot on it where the boys had been chewing on it. I sanded it out but need to sand the rest of it so the color of the wood matches throughout the bench. They are getting better about this but not before ruining lots of nice things : (

As summer moves forward and we're all getting more sun the boys hair is several shades lighter and their skin is several shades darker. Pretty soon they'll all be one color! 

bye bye, I'll miss you