Tree Huggers

Two X Two

What is it about your child's birthday that takes you right back to the day they were born?I know you've seen all the current Jabe and Phoebe pictures, so today I thought I'd show you a few from the day they were born.

The Oven

There have been many blessing that have come out of my infertility. Life lessons, patience in waiting, a strength in my marriage, but by far the best gift has been the raising of twins. I would have never, ever wished twins on myself. I mean the whole idea is rather absurd. These two have brought me so much joy. The kind of joy that makes me miss them when they are sleeping and happy to greet them in the morning.  

Happy Birthday Jabe and Phoebe. You and your big brother made all those years of sadness melt away. And you guys taught me that even the most scary task of having two newborns in the house...... wasn't so bad after all. 

 

Botox Gone Bad

Why babies and Botox don't mix.

I came across this picture of Jabe just minuets after delivery. Made me laugh. 

Home Secured By Taekwondo

So I've never given martial arts a second thought. Mostly I associate it with the instructor from Napoleon Dynamite.
But I was on a mission to find an activity that would be good for Tobin this summer. He was offered a free class in Taekwondo (or Twantaedo, as Tobin calls it) so we went and I watched to see if Tobin liked it. He was hooked right away. After only six lessons I can see a major improvement in Tobin's attitude, coordination (Tobin trips over air molecules......a few times a day.) focus, and esteem. He is required to do four chores at home daily with out being asked. Weekly he turns in his progress reports from home and school to make sure that he is behaving like a black belt in training. As a parent I welcome this new tool to use to motivate this little ninja to do what he is told the first time. And as a mom it melts my heart to see him focus on something for 45minuets and respond with, "Yes Sir!" after each command during class. So look out Rex Kwon Do, Tobin is moving in.

Master Graduate

It was hot and the ceremony was about to start. I saw some empty spaces way up in the cheap seats and knew that my mom would never be comfortable without a chair. I saw a row that was free but with a sign that said, "Reserved for President Guests" as I was reading it the usher asked if I was a guest of the president. I confidently said yes and my mother and I proudly took our comfy seats. I am ashamed.....not really. I have another confession to make. I was a little board listening to all the speeches and the name after name and blow horn after blow horn and the silly string.....my gosh. Anyway that's when I started people watching. I didn't have to watch far before I got my first good laugh. In front of me was a grandma and her preteenish grandson. He was looking on the stage at the hearing impaired interpreter. There conversation went exactly like this:
Grandson: "Grandma, is that lady doing sign language?"
Grandmother: "How the hell should I know."
Grandson: silent

Wow. I'm going out on a limb to say that this is the first graduate in that family.

Next I was drawn to a young 20 something man next to me who looked like he was just kicked out of the computer lab out into the sunshine for the first time. He solved his boredom from the ceremony by reading. Not just any book but, Demon Flower. A closer look showed me that it was a comic book. It must have been a good one cause he chuckled like we were watching a comedy act. I liked him so much that I took a picture of him for you.

Did you notice his rad hat? It has wings. Awesome.

Ok now for the real reason for this post. My little sister got her masters of education! Isn't she pretty?

With her daughter Mariko

With her husband Rhyan (who also graduated with this BA)

With my mom who got her though

Sunday House Update

So this house building is really getting exciting. We have most of our exterior bottom floor vertical walls up. This really helps my visual brain get excited about making this new place my home.

Tonight I just got back from taking my mom and sister on a tour of my lumber smelling, no walls house. They indulged me as I was trying to explain where we were standing and how I have been agonizing over what kind of bathtub I should get.

Here is a look at some of the progress.

I thought this would be a great picture of my shadow until I saw how flippin huge my torso and thighs look in this picture. On behalf of my hips and thighs can I just say that this angle misrepresents them. They thank you for not judging them.

In other exciting news we saw four deer in the front of our property a week ago. It's really fun to think of the wild life that we will soon be enjoying.

How Becca Got Her Blog Back

I miss blogging. I feel like I am off my blogging game and I miss it. After our move, my daily routine changed and my baby blog has been neglected. The deal is, I have so much to say. So many pictures and stories that you all must, MUST see and hear. So in efforts to get into a rhythm I here do pledge to post every day for one whole week. WOW. I know that was an impressive announcement. One of those that I should have teased you with throughout this post but alas I am no Ryan Seacrest.

What can you expect this next week? House building updates, graduation stories, a new baby in our family, a happy birthday post for these twins I know that are turning two!, and I won't give it away now, but someone is our house is taking Taekwondo lessons (and it ain't me). Stay tuned for all this and more!

Oh before I go I leave you with some random pictures that I love and shall now live in the blog universe for eternity.

Phoebe modeling in Old Navy

These piano playing fools at my uncles 60th surprise party

and Jabe. I call this one: Chill

Bear With Me

I'm out of it. I have blog topics, family events, tragedies, Tobinisms racing though my head all the time and just haven't taken the time to post them. Well today Glory Laine readers need to just grab a snack, lock yourself in the computer room and prepare to be caught up. (Well sort of).
Stef wrote a wonderful post about a dream weekend with my girls that really took quite a different turn. I came back after just spending one night at Stef family beach house to a very sick little Jabe. He just couldn't shake a bad flu that had him not eating for five days. (Of course the five days before his weigh-in with the doctor.)
I had plans that weekend. Fun plans. Plans that included going to the beach with Stef and Jill and sleeping in, watching chick flicks, eating....whatever..... just not being a mother. I wasn't able to go last year because the thought of taking my little nursing twinado's to a tiny cabin with other mommies who needs rest sounded like a heart attack waiting to happen. So this year was my year. I left only because Jabe looked like he was on the mend. Matt called me Saturday morning to say that Jabe didn't look good. Very lethargic and still could keep anything down. He was off to take him to the doctors with all the kids. He couldn't get a hold of any grandparents so Pastor Ben came to help with the healthy ones. The doctor said Jabe was on the verge of hospitalisation if we couldn't keep electrolytes down him. I immediately came home. Turns out you can't turn off the mom button once you ativate it. We got Jabe to start drinking and he was on the mend after just a few hours. That same day our Dog was hit by a car. I had know idea how much I loved that stupid dog until I thought we lost him. But God still has plans for little Roscoe because after a 15 hundred dollars and a fractured hip he is still with us.

You have to see Mr. Jabe in Tobin's old swim suit....

And Ms. Phoebe loves to kiss

Tobin being Tobin

I told him the other day while shopping that we needed to start thinking of a gift for daddy for Fathers day. He thought for a while and said, "Mom, when is it kids day?" Sometimes it takes a lot of restraint for me not to shake some gratitude into him.

I love these pictures of Phoebe on the teeter toter. I swear I took them with-in seconds of each other. It's so hard being almost two.

I leave you with some more random park pictures.

My motto for the last few weeks: Life Comes At You Fast and if you blink you might just end up with a fat lip.