The J Crew

4 years old

2010-12-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

Connor & Isaac turned 4 years old on Dec. 10th. Here they are at their 4-year-old checkup.

Here are their stats:
Connor
Weight: 40.5 lbs (80th percentile)
Height: 42 7/8" (94th percentile)
BMI: 49th percentile

Isaac
Weight: 31.75 lbs (15th percentile)
Height: 40 1/8" (46th percentile)
BMI: 3rd percentile

CRAZY to me how different their bodies are!

Our Summer

2010-08-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

Since our kids are not in school, and Ryan & I still have to work normal full-time schedules, we don't get to feel the spirit of Summer as much as we'd like. We did try to do some fun things this summer though.

Last month we drove to Utah and left the boys for 4 days while Ryan & I went to Telluride, Colorado. Ryan had a conference there, so it was a perfect time for me to tag along for some R&R. Telluride is beautiful & it was a perfect place to relax & spend some alone time with Ryan. This was our first overnight trip away from the boys, but they didn't seem to mind our absence. They had a blast going places & doing fun things with grandparents (Steve & Deanna), Aunt Sheri, and cousin Mason.

Telluride (2 large waterfalls in one canyon!)

Connor, Isaac & Mason

We also put the boys in swimming lessons for the first time. They have probably only been in a pool (other than a kiddie pool) a handful of times, so they've not had an opportunity to learn to swim. Thankfully, they're not afraid of the water...so they just need to learn what to do once they're in! They had fun in their level 1 class. They aren't swimmers yet, but they learned some useful skills that we can help them build on. Most importantly, they had fun & gained a little more water confidence.

Other than that, we grew corn in our garden for the first time.

Ryan built one gorgeous nightstand for our bedroom (he gave it to me) and plans to build a whole bedroom set eventually.

And we learned new ways to restrain the boys when they get a little unruly.

When I Grow Up

2010-06-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

So, earlier this week I asked the boys what they want to be when they grow up. Here were their responses.

Isaac: I want to be a Daddy.
Me: That's a good thing to be! What kind of job will you have when you are a daddy?
Isaac: (thinks for a minute) I want to be a train!
Me: Oh! A train driver is a good job to have!
Isaac: No, not a train driver! A TRAIN!
Me: Well, that would be interesting.
Isaac: And then I want to be a monkey.

I guess he took it literally when I told him he could be anything he wanted.

Me: Connor, what do YOU want to be?
Connor: I want to be a doctor so I can wear my stepascope and listen to my heart.
Me: That would be a good job!
Connor: Yeah, and then I can play tennis.

The workings of their brains at this age really crack me up!

Sweet Summer Garden

2010-06-05T22:28:00.001-07:00

This was the strawberry harvest from our garden last night. Our strawberry plants have been going crazy for several weeks now. The boys love helping pick the berries, wash them, and eat them! I love having a summer garden!

Memorial Day

2010-06-03T12:50:00.001-07:00

We had a nice memorial day cookout with Ryan's PhD advisor (Jack Beauchamp), Jack's family & a couple of their friends. The boys had a blast in the pool. This was their first time in the water this year & I couldn't believe that after being in the pool for less than an hour, Connor was jumping off of the diving board with no float! He doesn't know how to swim, so he can't do this unsupervised, but he would have jumped over & over for hours if we had let him.

After swimming & dinner, Isaac was totally entertained by this drum set that belongs to Jack's son. It doesn't actually make any noise because it plugs into a Wii video game. That didn't stop the little rock star...

Summer Fun

2010-05-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

We have finally had some hot weather this weekend to kick off the unofficial start of summer. The boys had fun playing with water guns & their new slip n slide. They've never played with a slip n slide before, and the instructions specifically prohibit adults from playing on it, so there was no one to show the boys how it's supposed to be done. It was funny to watch, but they still had fun.

Sneaky

2010-05-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

For a few weeks now, Connor has been playing this little game with me. I'm sitting at the computer when I see something move in my peripheral vision. I turn to see that Connor has snuck up to the doorway & is peeking at me. When he knows I've seen him, he laughs, squeals, and runs away...knowing he's been caught. The first video is Connor. The second video is Isaac's attempt once he realized I had shot video of Connor doing it. Not quite as sneaky.

Dress-ups

2010-05-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

So, I guess it's feast or famine with my blog posts. That's because I only sit down at the computer to download pictures & video from the cameras once every month (or longer). Sorry! I'll try to be better about making time to tend to the blog.

This is just a fun little video of Connor & Isaac playing with dress-up clothes that they got for Christmas. It's nice that I'm able to enjoy watching them play together more & more.

First Camping Trip

2010-05-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Up until now, we've not been brave enough to go camping with the boys. We used to love camping before we had kids, but the thought of doing it with two 1-year-olds or two 2-year-olds seemed too daunting. Somehow age 3 seemed to be the right time. Ryan and I had also never been beach camping, so we decided we might as well go for it & try two firsts in the same trip. We only went for one night since we weren't sure how the boys would do. They loved it & we had a pretty good time too. I see several summer camping trips in our future this year...

Here are a few pictures & videos from our little adventure.

Playing on the beach

Chasing waves. Connor on the left (being a big chicken) and Isaac on the right.

Back at the camp, Connor counting the rocks he collected from our campsite.

Whenever they see fire, they think of the fire on their birthday cake...

All tucked in for bed. They actually slept very well!

Yummy camping breakfast. Neither of the boys like eggs, so Ryan & I enjoyed eggs while Connor ate oatmeal & Isaac had a poptart.

Ketchup

2010-02-08T21:41:00.001-08:00

I've really been in a blogging funk lately, so this will just be a quick catch-up post with some pictures from the past month or so...

Our little In-n-Out fans

Isaac was acting like a baby. So, I threatened that if he was going to act like a baby, he had to wear a diaper & bib like one. Not to be intimidated, he said, "I want to wear a diaper & a bib." Great. So, here he sits, in timeout, in his baby garb.

"Helping" Dad work

Isaac is fascinated by flossing...so he wanted to try it himself.

Um, I'm not quite sure what to make of this combination...but he sure thought it was cool.

Isaac "fixing" Nemo.

A favorite game lately is to squish their faces together & laugh hysterically. It's such a cute thing to watch...until one of them gets annoyed & starts pushing. Or screaming. Or crying...

Y.M.C.A.

2009-12-31T15:03:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve we put Connor & Isaac to bed....only to find two of the village people had taken their places on Christmas morning.

Our Thanksgiving

2009-12-21T08:17:00.000-08:00

I'm a little behind on blogging, so I'll try to catch up in a couple of long posts.

For Thanksgiving this year, we went to Salt Lake to visit family. I was really hoping it would snow while we were there so the boys could play in the snow for the first time. Luckily, when we arrived, there was a little snow left over from a recent storm. The boys loved playing in it.

They also loved playing with Grandpa & Grandma's Karaoke machine...singing children's primary songs (from church).

Unfortunately, both boys were sick for most of our visit, but they did get to play a little with their cousin Mason.

Apparently, Connor was not in the mood for hugs.

Isaac & his Aunt Sheri

I think they both look like they've been hittin the sauce here...

And since their 3rd birthday was only 10 days away, Grandma threw them a fun little birthday party.

Church

2009-11-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

Church is never dull when you have two 3-year-olds.

Today, as we were listening to the speakers, Isaac said (not quietly, of course), "Mommy, that boy said 'cool beans'!"....what the speaker really said was "obedience".

In this very same service, Connor, for no apparent reason shouted out "Ta Da!".

Usually my boys are very well behaved & fairly quiet in church. I don't think they were trying to be loud today, but I have no doubt that some people around us were having a little chuckle.

Third Person

2009-10-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

After successfully using the pronoun "I" for quite some time, Connor has started referring to himself in the third person. Instead of "I need" he says, "Connor needs." Today Ryan had the funniest exchange with him.

-------
He likes to play this game where we pretend we can't find him...

Ryan (asking Jenn): Where's Connor?

Connor: Here he is! He's right here! I found him, daddy!
-------

I really love this age. Rarely a day goes by when one of them doesn't crack us up.

Babe

2009-10-25T18:02:00.001-07:00

I'm still laughing from this little exchange with Isaac this evening...

Isaac: Mommy, can I call Babe?

Me: Sure, go ahead. (I'm thinking he must have watched that movie at daycare about a little pig named Babe.)

Isaac: Okay. Baaaaabe! (pause) He's not coming.

Me: Isaac, who is Babe?

Isaac: It's Daddy. He's not here.

I guess I call Ryan "babe" more than anything else when we're at home. Apparently Isaac likes that title better than "daddy".

So Proud

2009-10-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

The boys came home from daycare singing this today. I'm not sure whether to be proud or frightened. I guess "Bad" was from Michael's more normal days, so maybe I don't need to be worried...

Connor's Quirks

2009-10-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Connor is kind of a quirky little guy.

Ever since he began calling me by name, I have been known as "Monny" (pronouced exactly like mommy, but replace the m sound with the n sound). Try as I might, I could never get him to say my name correctly. Then, all of a sudden, one day this week he started saying it right. I have mixed feelings about this. All this time I've been frustrated at his inability (or unwillingness) to correctly pronounce my name, but now that he does, I'm sad. Another phase gone...one more step away from being my baby.

Another strange habit Connor has is wiping his hands on his hair. I can't get this kid to understand that a napkin is the proper place to wipe his hands....but even his pants or shirt would be preferable to his hair. Last night he ate a chocolate that melted a little faster than he could eat it. This was the result.

In case you can't tell, the "hair product" in his spiked hair is chocolate.

It must be Fall

2009-10-07T20:19:00.001-07:00

Here in Southern California, the traditional signs of fall are few. A little over a week ago, we had high temperatures around 110. The trees don't really display fall colors...they are either still green or have already gone from green straight to brown. Here is what we've been doing to feel the autumn spirit...

This past weekend we went apple picking. The orchards didn't open until September 1, and they were already nearly picked clean only a month later...so it wasn't as cool as we thought it would be. We did manage to fill a bag & the boys (especially Isaac) had at least a little bit of fun.

Connor studying the map

Connor picking

Isaac picking

The loot

Isaac enjoying the fruit of his labor

Ryan was just in Utah for work, and he brought the boys back some mini pumpkins from their Grandma Leitch. They had a fun time painting them tonight.

I don't believe it

2009-09-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

If I hadn't been around for all of those sleepless nights with 2 newborns at the same time, I don't know if I would believe that Connor & Isaac are twins. I mean, seriously. Connor is 2 inches taller & 7.5 lbs heavier than Isaac. People always think Connor is older because he is so much bigger (and he's big for his age). Isaac has blonde hair and blue eyes and Connor has brown hair & brown eyes. Their personalities could not be more different. It's so fun to see how they grow more and more different as they get older.

Isaac(l) & Connor(r)

Isaac

Connor

Sedona

2009-08-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

We spent the past few days in Sedona visiting Papa and Granny C. We were joined by Ryan's sister, Jennifer, and her husband, Brett, as well as Ryan's brother, Michael, and his little girl, Reese. I hadn't seen Michael & Jennifer for 7 years and we had never met Reese. The kids had lots of fun playing together & we really enjoyed spending time with family we hadn't seen for so long.

Isaac & Connor "sleeping" on the hotel bed

Connor yelling "CHEESE" for the camera. We had dinner at Javelina Cantina for Claire & Jennifer's birthdays.

Isaac being silly on the slide at the park in Sedona

Papa helping Connor cross the creek on our hike

Isaac & Connor taking a snack break with Granny C on our hike

Isaac eating an apple he picked from an orchard on our hike

Isaac & cousin Reese holding hands in Uptown Sedona

All of the kids holding hands in Uptown

First Fishing

2009-08-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

The boys had several "firsts" on our trip to Utah this summer. In addition to hiking, Connor and Isaac also went fishing for the first time. Grandpa took them to a nearby fishing pond and had a fish on the hook within 30 seconds of his first cast. We only caught these little baby bluegill, and of course we threw them back. The boys loved it!

Donut Falls

2009-08-04T20:46:00.001-07:00

When the boys were born, we never invested in those backpack carrier thingies that you use for carrying babies/toddlers while hiking. We just decided we wouldn't take them hiking until they could walk on a trail on their own. At age 2 1/2, Connor & Isaac went on their first hike while we were visiting family in Utah.

On the way up, Connor set the pace and left Isaac in the dust. He took this hiking thing very seriously. We had to remind him several times to slow down and not run. Isaac hiked for all of about 10 minutes & wanted to be carried the rest of the way up. They both wanted to be carried all the way back down. They have never had any sort of energy shortage until this adventure. I think they need a little more practice with the hiking thing.

Connor & Isaac chillin in the car on our way to Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Isaac & Connor ready to hit the trail

Donut Falls (it used to be much more impressive, but a rockslide ruined it a few years ago)

Ryan & Connor at the falls

Jenn & Isaac at the falls (Grandma in the background)

The ride back down

Helping daddy build a dam in the creek near the bottom of the trail

Through the Eyes of a 2 1/2 year old

2009-07-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

Isaac was being ornery in the car...
Ryan: "Isaac, do you want a knuckle sandwich?"
Isaac: "No, I just want a peanut butter sandwich."

Driving down the street past these palm trees...

Connor: "WOW! Look at the big flowers!"
Jenn: "Connor, those are big trees...they're called palm trees."
Connor: "No! Those are flowers!"
Isaac (impatiently): "No, Connor, they're palm trees!"
Connor: "No! Flowers!"

Endless Entertainment

2009-07-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

I think my boys watched this video about 30 times yesterday. Pretty well done....

New Bike

2009-07-05T22:23:00.000-07:00

I want one of these. Do you think the boys would jump out?

Major Milestone Successes

2009-06-25T09:44:00.001-07:00

I often receive comments about how difficult having twins must be or how I must have my hands full. I usually reply with, "It can be challenging at times, but it can also be SO much fun."

I have to say that with the trials of having twins, God has certainly been merciful toward me. We have somehow been able to get through most of the major milestones of babyhood/toddlerhood without much fuss.

Bottles - We got rid of bottles when the boys were about a year old. I anticipated much wailing and gnashing of teeth, but instead received little to no resistance!

Pacifiers - I have heard horror stories about kids who are 4 and still won't give up the pacifier. I was afraid of starting this habit with my infants, but quickly realized the benefits. Isaac gave up his pacifier in favor of his fingers around 8 months old...he has since given up the fingers as well. At 18 months we decided Connor's pacifier needed to go. He was already only allowed to have it while sleeping. He cried a little the first time he went to sleep without it, and that was the end of it.

Toddler Beds - Wow, this one scared me. I can't even count the number of stories I've heard about toddlers ripping their rooms apart as soon as they have the freedom of a bed instead of a crib. We switched the boys to beds when they were 23 months old. Beginning with night #1 they went right to sleep, and did not get out of bed. To this day, they stay in their beds (except to grab a book to sleep with). When they wake up in the morning, they stay in bed until we come to get them. I was (and still am) so relieved by this.

Potty Training - I have boys. They are 2 1/2. I am told this is a little young for boys to be ready to potty train, but Isaac has been showing signs of readiness. So, last weekend we decided to give it a try with him. I fully expected it to be a bust and for us to try again in a few months.

Day one ended with a total of 3 accidents, day two with 2 accidents, day three with 1 accident, and days four, five, and six were perfect! I am so amazed by this, and thankful. So thankful. I don't think I could have swished very many pairs of Thomas the Tank Engine underwear in the toilet before giving up & saving the training for another time. He is still newly potty trained, so anything can happen, but it seems to have been a success! Connor is not ready yet, so we'll tackle that when the time comes.

So, I'm not sure what's worse....challenging day-to-day life or challenging major milestones. Or worse yet, challenges with both. We do have challenging days when we are just going about our everyday routine, but I'm so thankful that the major milestones have not pushed me to the breaking point.

Things that go bump in the night

2009-06-24T08:11:00.001-07:00

When I peeked in on the boys last night before I went to bed, I found Connor clutching this sword.

I can only assume he decided to sleep with a weapon to defend himself against anything that might come out of his closet or from under his bed. He woke up a little when I turned the fan off in their room, so that's why his eyes are open. I guess he was checking to see if he needed to use his sword on whoever was in his room.

America's Got Talent

2009-06-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

Move over Stevie Wonder....Connor dominates with his awesome moves.

Royalty

2009-06-15T11:28:00.001-07:00

In 2003, Ryan and I graduated on the same weekend. Ph.D. for him and B.S. for me. We got some fun pictures of us together in our monkey suits.

Yesterday, Isaac saw this picture on our refrigerator. After studying it for a few minutes, he exclaimed, "Mommy's a king! And Daddy's a king!" He has since conceded that Mommy is a queen, but he is still convinced that we are wearing crowns.

The grass may be greener

2009-06-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but you still have to mow it.

--Ancient Proverb

The grass everywhere around us has been greener for the entire 3 years we have been in our house, but we finally have a lawn! Well....sort of. And we don't have to mow it.

The grass we chose for our lawn is a buffalo grass that only needs to be mowed once a month and watered once a week (after the 30 day establishment period). Sounds great, right? Well, it IS awesome once it's installed. This type of grass is not available as seed or sod, only plugs.

A few guys from church came over & helped Ryan plant yesterday morning, then in the afternoon, Ryan, Sheri (my sister), and I worked on it some more. We're all sore today, as this is a fairly labor intensive type of installation. The planting is not quite finished, but will be in the next day or two. Several people have asked to see the progress as the lawn fills in, so here it is...

(Click picture to see larger)

Day 1: Installation (2,000 sq. ft. yard)

A Tray of plugs

One plug in Ryan's hand

Our yard before plugs

The guys planting

The yard with plugs

An installed plug

Iron Chef Isaac

2009-06-11T22:28:00.001-07:00

Isaac is obsessed with cooking lately. Neither Ryan nor I can stand at the stove without Isaac coming over to ask if he can see, or more common, stir. Ryan is an amazing cook, so I hope our boys learn that love from him. I think it's a trait most women love in a husband!

More Fun With Grandparents

2009-05-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

May continued to be a fun month for us with another visit from family. This time we enjoyed the company of Ryan's mom, Deanna and his step-dad, Steve. We went to the park, the botanic gardens where we saw turtles and flowers, and another park where we played & fed the ducks. It was a fun week & Connor and Isaac thoroughly enjoyed their grandparents!

Mimi's visit

2009-05-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

My mom visited us this past weekend. Connor & Isaac had so much fun with their Mimi! They took the longest naps of their lives while she was here becuase we did so much to wear them out! Their favorite activities were playing on their "waterslide" and playing at the new city park that just opened. Mom & I also walked a local 5k and took the boys. Here are a few fun pics from our weekend.

Playing Trains

2009-04-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

The boys have been obsessed with trains lately. Tonight, after bathtime, they were playing quietly in their room. "Quietly" is usually interchangable with "mischievously," so I decided to go take a peek. I found Isaac building a train track on the floor. I'm so glad we spent the money to buy them a train table for Christmas so they can build tracks on the floor instead.

This is the first track built by one of the boys. I could say it was built without any parental assistance, but I did have to help Isaac redirect the track when it began to run under the bed. He did the vast majority of it alone. Well, Connor helped by testing out the track as it was laid. In the end, Isaac declared his track a triangle.

Where does it come from?

2009-04-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when my kids say funny things I wonder where they got it.

When Isaac wants something to make noise or he wants to hear it louder, he sometimes asks me to make it "loudy". I assume this is a combination of loud and noisy, but how did he get the idea to combine them?

The origin of Connor's "funny" is a little easier to understand since he still has a hard time properly pronoucing many of his words. The cutest (and funniest) one is "Obeepo Peepo". For those of you who don't speak Connorese, this means Home Depot.

Here is one more thing that I guess they must have picked up at daycare. I've never said this to them, but they both were saying it the other day.

Sweet Brothers

2009-04-14T13:35:00.001-07:00

Mad Dog

2009-04-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

Please make sure you are up to date on your rabies shots. There is a mad dog on the loose...

The New Cali Workshop

2009-04-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Some husbands have hobbies that their wives hate. Mine has one that I absolutely adore. He loves woodworking. This translates into pieces of furniture for our home that are custom built & much cheaper than store-bought items. This is a tv stand that he just finished this past week.

Aside from woodworking, Ryan has recently remodeled our whole master bathroom. Some of you might remember when I blogged about the new shower that he built. Since then, he gutted the rest of the bathroom. He custom built the cabinets and tiled the counter. He replaced the sink, ripped out the old nasty linoleum & replaced it with tile, replaced the toilet and put in a larger mirror.

Old, nasty linoleum and new cabinet skeleton

New floor and toilet

New counter, sink, and faucet

New cabinets

Fear of Water

2009-04-05T10:56:00.001-07:00

I think it's safe to say that my children are not afraid of getting water on their faces. Last summer they were little fish & loved going under the water. I hope this trend continues through pool season this year!

Oh, and I thought I better add a note that the water is yellow thanks to Crayola Tub Tints....lest you think I let my children bathe in a tub full of their own urine.

Twilight Insanity

2009-04-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

This will only be funny to those of you who have read the Twilight books (which is probably most of the people who read my blog). It was just too funny not to share...

The Deserts of California

2009-04-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

Did you know that we have elephants here in the deserts of California? After the boys watched the Planet Earth episode about elephants in Africa, they demonstrated to me that there can be elephants anywhere! (I think they forgot that they are supposed to have trunks)

Darth Wash Cloth

2009-04-01T11:52:00.001-07:00

I swear, many of my funny videos of the boys are taken while they are in the bath. They get so silly when they are in there.

My Two Sons

2009-03-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Most people don't get the benefit of seeing Connor & Isaac standing up straight, side by side. Unless they do this, you can't fully appreciate the size difference between them. This picture is a little blurry & not perfectly straight, but you can easily see the height difference with the benefit of the deck railing behind them. The crazy thing is that Isaac is not short. He is in the 75th %tile for kids his age. Connor is just a giant. It's so amazing to me that they were born on the same day & can be such different sizes...

Our Lives

2009-03-23T22:22:00.001-07:00

I can say with 100% certainty that our lives have not been boring since the day our twins joined our family. These two boys are certainly characters. They say and do some of the funniest things. Here are a couple of our recent gems.

Connor is a little confused about which holiday is approaching. He insisted that he wear all three of these at once. It took a lot of complaining on his part (that he couldn't get them to stay) and a lot of patience on mine (as I tried to help him make this work) to get all of them to stay on at once.

Isaac decided that this is the way to push a train around the living room. Head down and walk...

I guess goldfish crackers taste better after they've been in your nose.

Policy Change

2009-03-23T22:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, I haven't had a single taker on my homemade giveaway. I suspect it is because no one wants to be obligated to create their own homemade items to give to others. Because I'm the boss of my blog, I'm changing the rules. There is no longer a "catch". I will make you something with no strings attached (figuratively....whatever I make you might have strings attached). You do not have to post this on your blog, you don't have to pass it on, you just have to enjoy it...or at least pretend to be thankful....

Handmade By Me! The 5 Things Giveaway.

2009-03-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It’ll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it’s going to be.

One additional thing added by me: I have to know you…if I don’t know you, I’m sorry, your not eligible…

Boys & Their Brains

2009-03-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Since I'm a girl, I guess I will never understand this, but there must be some glitch in the male brain that makes them think that wrestling & beating up on each other is fun. This is a daily activity in our house.

Birthday Fire

2009-03-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

According to Connor & Isaac, if there's a fire, there must be a birthday cake somewhere nearby. Ryan made a fire in the wood-burning stove tonight & the boys were totally fascinated. They kept saying, "Fire, birthday cake" followed by Connor singing "Happy Birthday".

Sorry this video is so dark. They wanted the lights off to see the fire better. Besides, Connor is very shy about letting me capture his singing on video. He seems to be less timid in the dark. Oh, and he calls me "monny" and is apparently singing happy birthday to me in this video.

Maybe next year.

2009-03-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

Someone give me hope & tell me that someday my kids will cooperate for posed pictures.

We finally got around to having 2-year pictures taken (3 months after their bday) today. All Connor wanted to do was throw & chase this ball that the photographer gave him. All Isaac wanted to do was the opposite of whatever I asked him to do. I wish we'd gotten a better one of them together, but oh well. Here's what we ended up with.

Yoga Master

2009-02-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

Apparently I have a yoga master on my hands.Isaac pulled my silicone baking mat from the baker's rack, brought it in the living room & struck this pose. I haven't done yoga since before this child was born, so I have no idea where he got this idea or even what he thought he was doing.

Bathing Brothers

2009-02-14T21:30:00.000-08:00

Baths are more fun if you have a twin brother to share them with.

Wrestle Mania

2009-02-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

Some days they won't tolerate the other even touching them. Other days we have wrestling with squeals of delight. Isaac just kept egging Connor on to keep wrestling him to the ground.

Little Star

2009-02-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

Connor & Isaac both love to sing. Over the past few days, Isaac has been spending a lot of time back in his bedroom listening to their lullaby CD. His favorite song is "I Am Like a Star." He listens to it over an over, and we can hear him singing it at the top of his lungs when we're out in the living room. Maybe he's the next American Idol...

Peanut Allergy

2009-02-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness the boys DO NOT have a peanut allergy. They are definitely their father's children & have recently become OBSESSED with peanut butter. They like to eat it straight off of a spoon, on waffles, on pancakes, on sandwiches, and pretty much any other way they can get it in their mouths. Tonight, Isaac broke into the pantry & brought me the jar, begging me to open it. At least it provides protein. I can think of much worse things for them to eat. In this video I captured round 2 of peanut butter & honey sandwiches last night. They ate them for dinner & then wanted more later.

The Next Generation

2009-01-25T20:57:00.000-08:00

The next generation of kids is learning about technology at a very early age. At the end of their Baby Signing Time show, the host says, "Visit us online at www.babysigningtime.com. See you soon!". Today, spontaneously, without watching the show, Connor started repeating this over and over and over. Isaac thought it was funny, so he decided to say it too. I thought it was pretty darn hilarious.

Please, Thank You

2009-01-24T14:13:00.000-08:00

Connor decided to combine his two favorite shows into one. He's doing the "Please, Thank You" ditty from Yo Gabba Gabba (see below - you only have to watch a few seconds to get the idea) while signing Please and Thank you (from Signing Time). The signs for Please and Sorry are similar, so in the second part of the video he's saying Sorry, but signing Please. Silly goober.

Door Stop

2009-01-23T09:52:00.000-08:00

Connor has always been an amazing sleeper. Ever since he could walk, upon hearing the words "Time for bed," he would run back to his bedroom with glee. He would fall asleep at almost the same instant that his head hit the pillow.

Then we moved Connor & Isaac from cribs to beds. Still, Connor was a champion sleeper.

Then he turned 2.

Now the child believes sleep is of the devil. Naptime is a battle. At night, he won't even lay down when we put him in his bed. I have to race him to the door to close it behind me before he escapes.

Once the door is shut, he plays with toys, messes with Isaac, and tries to turn the door handle to let himself out. Eventually, he realizes he's tired and he goes to bed.

Until last night.

Each night, I peek in on them to make sure they're sleeping okay before I go to sleep. Last night, I turned the handle & tried to open the door. It wouldn't open more than about an inch or two. My first thought was that Connor left a toy in the way. Then I peeked through the crack & realized that Connor was not in his bed.

Apparently he set up camp on the other side of the door in hopes that someone would let him out to play during the night. He was sound asleep. I wish I had a picture of this, but he got up when I pushed a little harder on the door to get him to move so I could get into the room. I don't think using his head as a door stop is exactly what he had in mind.

Mr. Bossy

2009-01-19T14:02:00.000-08:00

I was trying to get a picture of Isaac wearing my shoes. I told him to say cheese, and he very sternly told me no.

Random Videos

2009-01-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

Isaac's favorite song right now. (Yes, he lost his mind during the 2nd verse, but was able to regain his composure for the 3rd)

Isaac was coloring, but needed to have his diaper changed. I told him he could hold onto the crayon as long as he didn't color on the wall while I changed his diaper. I told him he could draw pictures in the air instead. This drawing in the air continued even after the diaper was changed...

Being Silly

2009-01-12T20:20:00.000-08:00

Slight Obsession

2009-01-12T20:18:00.000-08:00

Connor & Isaac are obsessed with this show called Yo Gabba Gabba that comes on Nick Jr./Noggin. I'll admit that the show is a bit weird, but the kids seriously love it & the songs are catchy. I find myself singing the tunes in my head (and sometimes humming aloud) at work. Anyway, here are a few pictures of the boys with their favorite stuffed toys. They never showed any interest in stuffed toys until they got the Yo Gabba Gabba crew.

Table Manners

2009-01-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

Recently, the boys both decided that they are too old to be sitting in booster seats at the table. This is probably because they never had traditional high chairs. They had these seats that can also be used as a booster when they tray is removed. So, I think that to them, these are "baby" seats.

They are still a little short to reach the table when sitting flat on the chair, so now they either kneel on the chair or stand. At least they're eating, right?

Signing Time

2009-01-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

When the boys were much younger, they loved watching the two Baby Signing Time dvds that we have. Now that they are older & more interested in cartoons on Nick Jr. and Disney, the Baby Signing Time shows have fallen by the wayside.

A couple of weeks ago, I was sick of all of their shows & decided to put on a Baby Signing Time dvd to see if they would even watch it. They didn't move a muscle while it played & asked for more when it was over. Since then, we have watched many hours of Baby Signing Time. Both Connor and Isaac love to go around the house singing the songs from the two discs we have.

Here's a little clip of Connor singing the Baby Signing Time theme song.

Stitches

2009-01-03T21:09:00.001-08:00

Without going into too many gory details, Connor got his finger smashed & busted open while we were out running some errands today. It looked really bad & was bleeding quite a bit, so off we rushed - all four of us - to urgent care. 3 hours, an awful lot of screaming, and 5 stitches later, we made it home. He will be fine, and in fact, he was happily jabbering away as we were leaving the hospital. So we made it exactly 2 years and 25 days before we got our first stitches.

A cute sidenote...the whole time while Connor was screaming, Isaac kept rubbing him & saying, "You okay, Connor?". It was so sweet to see how worried he was about his brother.

Spinning

2008-12-29T14:26:00.000-08:00

No, not the kind of spinning you do at the gym. From now on, whenever the boys misbehave, I think we'll just spin them in this chair. It's more difficult to hit your brother if you can't even walk straight....

Where are my kids?

2008-12-27T20:10:00.000-08:00

About a week ago my kids disappeared. In their places, I found a couple of stereotypical two-year-olds. You know, the "terrible" kind.

I spend most of the day telling them to stop hitting. The game goes like this: Connor smacks Isaac on the head or in the face. Isaac laughs. Connor does it again. Isaac laughs. This continues until it hurts or until Isaac decides he doesn't want to be hit anymore. Isaac cries, or yells, or hits back (or all three). Now, don't go thinking that Connor is a big bully. You can switch the names for an equally accurate story.

They have also recently developed an allergy to sharing. Exposure usually results in agonized screams, crying, and falling on the floor. Isaac believes the cure for this allergy is Time Out. Recently, when he wanted a toy that Connor had, and Connor would not give it to him, Isaac ordered Connor to go to Time Out.

Both of these stories provide sound evidence that the children living in my house are not mine. I would appreciate it if the person who kidnapped my children would return them ASAP!

Like Father, Like Sons

2008-12-26T20:54:00.001-08:00

I think they both inherited their dad's mental instability...

Christmas Jammies

2008-12-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

Like many people I know, we have a tradition of getting a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve each year. Here are Connor & Isaac in their Thomas the Tank Engine jammies on Christmas Eve 2008.

Christmas Elves

2008-12-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Elves...

My Brother the Singer

2008-12-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

My mom just sent me this recording of my brother, Mark, singing O Holy Night. I think he has a gorgeous voice, and this is one of my favorite Christmas songs, so I thought I'd share. Click the link to hear it.

O Holy Night - performed by Mark Donnelson

The Real Family Picture

2008-12-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I posted outtakes from our family picture session. It was pretty disastrous, but we did end up getting a decent picture. Here is the Julian family, December 2008.

Ryan is holding Connor and I am holding Isaac.

The History of Eggnog

2008-12-16T15:24:00.003-08:00

I hope this does not offend anyone. I saw it & couldn't stop laughing...

Growing Boys

2008-12-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

We took Connor & Isaac to the pediatrician for their 2-year-old checkups yesterday. She confirmed what we already knew. We still have 2 tall boys!

The Stats
Isaac is 35.25" tall (75th percentile) and weighs 25 lbs (15th percentile). BMI 14.1 (1st percentile)

Connor is 37.5" tall (off the chart) and weighs 30 lbs (75th percentile). BMI 15.1 (10th percentile)

They are certainly not babies anymore!

Santa 2008

2008-12-15T11:10:00.000-08:00

We took the boys to see Santa today. I was very surprised at how well they did.

Early Christmas

2008-12-12T21:07:00.001-08:00

Connor & Isaac opened birthday presents yesterday. They received a package from Grandma & Grandpa Leitch today that contained birthday presents and Christmas presents. The Christmas presents went under the tree and they got to open the birthday gifts. They were told not to touch the gifts under the tree.

Shortly after they opened their gifts, I left to pick up something for dinner...and the boys stayed home with Ryan. I came home to find that Isaac had opened almost every gift that I had just put under the tree. He only opened them enough to see what they were, then he moved on to the next one. He didn't even try to play with the ones that were toys for him.

My first reaction was to burst out laughing. My second reaction was to laugh some more as I grabbed the camera.

I guess I'll have some extra wrapping to do & we won't be putting any gifts under the tree until Christmas eve...

2nd Birthday

2008-12-11T19:52:00.001-08:00

Connor & Isaac turned 2 years old yesterday! Here are a few pics from our small family celebration.

Brotherly Love

2008-12-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

Family Pictures

2008-12-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

Now I remember why we haven't ever tried to take a formal family picture since Isaac and Connor were born...

Here are a few outtakes from our photo session today (click each photo to enlarge).

Jingle Bells

2008-12-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

Playmates

2008-12-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

Connor & Isaac really have fun playing with each other these days. They love to copy each other & then laugh uncontrolably. The other night, Connor started saying "Wee Wee Wee" then slapping his knees. Isaac thought it was hilarious, so they both kept doing it over & over. They seriously crack me up.

Isaac is in love...

2008-11-16T14:56:00.000-08:00

with everything.

About 2 weeks ago, Isaac started saying "I Love You." At first, it was just to me. I'd be laying on the couch & he would come lay on me & say, "I love you" over and over until I had to tell him to stop. Then he started saying it to Daddy.

This weekend is when he crossed the line into insanity. He started grabbing his blanket & snuggling it while saying, "I love you, blanket."

This morning, in the bath, he was playing with a Thomas the Train toy...a train named Salty. The next thing I heard coming from the tub was, "I love you, Salty." And Salty isn't even his favorite...

He's a little nutty.

Cautiously Optimistic

2008-11-09T20:14:00.001-08:00

In a recent blog, I indicated that we might be switching the boys from cribs to toddler beds soon. We did it this weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, while the boys napped, Ryan and I assembled the toddler beds. After they woke up, we disassembled the cribs and moved the toddler beds into their room. Connor was distraught to see that his crib was no longer an option. He is pretty sensitive to change.

By Saturday evening, they both had played on their beds enough to think they were pretty cool. Ryan put them to bed while I was out fulfilling a church commitment. They both went to bed without so much as a peep! They slept through the night with no problem and even let us sleep in a little later this morning.

My darling sleeping boys on their first night in the new beds. (We have a pretty amazing flash!)

I was fully prepared for this to be a very difficult fight. I've heard countless stories of toddlers who were still awake 3 hours after bedtime, toddlers who were in & out of bed a billion times, and toddlers who tore their room to shreds. We had none of that. In fact, tonight is their second night in beds & it was just as easy as last night.

We have not done naps in the new big boy beds yet, but we will on Tuesday when I'm home for the Veterans Day holiday. Hopefully it will go equally well.

I'll probably curse myself by saying this, but never in a million years would I have guessed it would be this easy.

Chicken Anyone?

2008-11-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

Last night I made a whole chicken for dinner. I put it on the cutting board to rest before we cut it & Isaac decided he couldn't wait.

Synchronized Swimming - Mormon Style

2008-11-05T12:49:00.000-08:00

My sister sent me the link to this & I thought it was hysterical. Just thought I'd share a little silliness today.

Two Little Monkeys (a.k.a. Halloween 2008)

2008-10-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

The Best Toys

2008-10-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

The best toys are the simplest ones. I actually got some things done yesterday, thanks to this box and these laundry baskets.

Super Letters

2008-10-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

Connor was playing on the floor the other night when I heard him start saying, "eye" over and over. I thought maybe something was wrong with his eye, so I asked him to come over to me. When he came over, he had a little toy in his hand (a construction barricade), that looks like the letter "I" when turned upside down. We sing the alphabet all the time & we try to reinforce letters when they watch Super Why on PBS, but I had no idea any of it had sunk in! We discovered that he can also consistently identify "O" and "R".

How did this happen?

2008-10-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I got so lucky, but I just have to brag on my amazing husband for a minute.

Ryan works so hard at his "real" job, then comes home & helps me with the boys. On the weekends, he is usually working on the house. The current project is custom building the vanity (cabinets) for our master bathroom in which he already built a custom tile shower.

He actually enjoys being in the kitchen. He makes dinner at least once or twice a week. He bakes bread from scratch. Last night he made eclairs. And they were heavenly. All day I've been thinking about the rest of them sitting in the fridge.

He empties the dishwasher, cleans up after he cooks, and helps keep the house clean in general.

He even takes me out on a date every now & then.

Seriously, could it get any better?

Naptime Wars

2008-10-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

Nap War I
The boys sleep in cribs at home, but they sleep in pack n plays (a.k.a. porta-crib or playpen) at daycare. When I picked the boys up from daycare on Friday they informed me that Isaac climbed out of his bed during naptime. He was quietly playing when they went in the room at the end of naptime, so no one knew if he slept at all. I suspect not. Thank goodness he hasn't tried to climb out of the crib at home yet. We are going to begin preparing for toddler beds just in case.

Nap War II
The boys fell asleep in the car on the way home from church today & got about a 15 minute nap before we could get home & get them out of their carseats. We brought them in & put them directly in bed. 45 minutes later they were both still awake. We got them up, gave them something to eat, and let them play a little. Finally, around 2:30, we decided to try again. After 30 minutes I could still hear Isaac back there talking. I went back to listen at the door & heard him saying, "Connor sleeping". After an hour I finally let him get up. So, no nap for him again today.

Broccoli

2008-10-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight, while I was eating dinner, I asked Isaac if he wanted a bite of my food (it was a Thai curry). He looked and me and said, "want broccoli".

I nearly spit the food out of my mouth from laughing so hard. This is a child who eats VERY few vegetables (same with his brother). He will occassionally eat canned green beans and canned mixed veggies (mostly the carrots & potatoes), but those are not consistent. He does love asparagus though. In any case, he has developed a very recent affinity for broccoli & will ask for it spontaneously. So, I made him some broccoli. He likes it steamed with nothing on it.

He only ate a couple of bites of the rest of his dinner, but inhaled a fair amount of broccoli.

Silly Bath Time

2008-10-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

The boys really enjoyed bath time tonight & they were totally hamming it up for the camera. (You can click on a picture to see a larger version.)

Potty Chair

2008-09-28T21:14:00.001-07:00

We've been thinking lately that Isaac is showing some signs of readiness for potty training. In preparation for this introduction, I bought a potty chair. This potty chair will go in our guest bathroom since that's the one we use for bathing the boys. We had guests over for the weekend when the chair arrived, and I didn't think it would be polite to put the potty chair in their bathroom....so it has been in the living room by their toys for the past 3 days. Obviously Isaac has no idea what this contraption is for, but he's found some creative uses for it.

1. The removable bowl makes a fine hat.
2. It makes a perfect tunnel for toy trains.
3. It's a great place to keep a barking toy dog.

4. It's fun to sit IN rather than ON.

New Olympic Sport

2008-09-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

We just bought the boys a new slide. On the first day, we let them play with it in the house. Connor is totally obsessed with it & will slide over and over (and over and over...). He is the most proud of himself (and usually claps for himself) when he "sticks" the landing.

Best Dancing Yet

2008-09-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

If you thought the previous dancing post was funny, wait til you see this one! He kept pushing the button on the toy until he found just the perfect dance mix...
If you don't laugh at this one, you need to have your funny bone checked.

My Little Wiggles

2008-09-15T16:18:00.001-07:00

I think the boys have been learning their dance moves from The Wiggles.

Soccer Star

2008-09-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

Connor absolutely loves to kick balls. He kicks them outside and all over the house. Here's a little video of our soccer star. He will go on kicking like this for 10 minutes at a time.

Big Shoes to Fill

2008-09-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Utah Vacation

2008-09-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a week-long vacation to Utah. We visited family & friends, but mostly we got to spend some time together as a family. Here is a little slideshow with some pictures from our time away.

Monkey on His Back

2008-08-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

I bought these little backpack harnesses in hopes of being able to let them walk sometimes when I'm out with them by myself & don't want to be afraid of losing one. I tried them a few months ago & neither of them wanted anything to do with them. Fast forward to last week...Connor thinks this monkey is so cool & will bring it to me so he can wear it around the house!

Scarface

2008-08-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

Isaac heard that his cousin Bennett is sporting some pretty awesome bumps, bruises & scrapes. So, in trying to keep up, he tripped & landed face first into our wooden TV stand a few days ago. The first picture is minutes after it happened. The second picture is only 3 days later. Healing nicely, I think.