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We seem to have an underwear issue at our house. Josh has decided that any type of undergarment is more appropriately worn on the head. In fact when he finds a pair of skivvies, he promptly says, "hat" and places it on his noggin.
It was pretty cute when he put is brand-new Thomas underwear on his head and harmless when he found his pull-ups and donned them as well. I must admit, I was a little alarmed when I found a pair of Gabe's older and not-so-gently used spider-man underpants pulled down around his ears.
And it seems as if he has now converted his brother. When they are finally potty trained, don't asked me how we're going to get these off their heads and onto their rears....
The twins have reached an amazing milestone. They will now sit through a half-hour show. Yeah, yeah, and double YEAH! This means I can get dinner started when I get home from work with out a twin on one hip and the other crying at my feet. This means I can clean one bathroom on Saturday without "help" (don't worry, I still get help with the other two.) This means I can sit on the couch with my boys and snuggle with them for more than 15 consecutive seconds before they run off. I love this!
And a very cute side effect is that they are beginning to love certain characters-- mostly Thomas and Elmo. They are the most requested favorites at our house. We've seen Elmo's Top Ten Count Down at least 5 zillion times and I feel like I know Thomas and Friends personally. And Josh just loves Thomas! He loves to watch them on TV, and carry around the trains, and when he got Thomas underwear, well....as you can see he wore them both as pants and as a hat.
We are sad today at our house. Agnes, our dog, died. She's been with us for almost 15 years. Agnes really had a rough couple of months. She was growing tumors all over her face, she was often confused, and had a hard time with her balance. It was heartbreaking to watch our once vibriant, energetic dog stumble over small items.
She was our only child for 7 years before Gabe came along and we survived a face-lift (she had so many wrinkles as a puppy that her eyelashes were rolling over into her eyes), a false pregnancy (complete with her building a nest for the puppies that only ocurred in her mind), an ACL reconstruction and the tail surgery that happened after getting it shut in a door.
She hated having her teeth brushed, her nails clipped and baths. She loved dog bones, racing through the house and sleeping on our bed & couch (especially when she didn't think she would get caught). She was stinky and grouchy and shed all over the place, but she was our stinking, grouchy dog and we loved her. Our house just won't be the same without her.
Several weeks ago we took some time off work, loaded everyone in the car, and drove to Yellowstone park. I was a little worried about time in car for the kids (and the parents!) but the kids were great and we had a wonderful time.
This is a great time of year to go. The crowds are gone, the animals are out and about, and the scenery is just beautiful. We saw elk, and deer, and buffalo. In fact, Josh's new favorite word is "buffawhoa". Ask him to say it for you next time you see him; it's the cutest thing you've ever heard!
Kathy and Dave drove up with us. The kids spent most of time fighting over who got to drive around in the truck. Who can blame them? Grandpa can spot an animal a mile away, Grandma has a stash of treats that never quits, and neither ever say no to little boy requests! It was actually great to have 2 cars and 2 sets of adults to swap the kids out. It kept them from getting restless and they each got to spend quality time with both parents and grandparents.
We took lots of hikes around the boardwalks. The twins did surprising well, always wanting to do it themselves. Calvin was especially adamant which made me a little nervous around the hot springs. But he was just fine and didn't stumble once.
They were troopers and we only had one melt down each. Calvin objected to being put back into his car seat and Josh objected to Grandma walking away from him. Seriously- the Grandmas tantrum lasted for 30 minutes (she took Gabe on a walk and we had to wait for them to return) and ended with Josh getting a huge sliver in his hand on the aging wood handrails. Getting the sliver out is something we won't soon forget, not only because of Josh's very loud protests but also because he tell's on me to anyone who will listen..."My hand owie. Mommy did it!"
On the way home, we took a detour to the top of a mountain in Island park. As we drove into the valley, I looked up at the peak and said to Pat, "Sheesh! I hope that's not where we are going." Well it was and it turned out to be a great sideline. The view was awesome and it was so quiet (well until the twins got out of the truck).
Pretty isn't it?
The whole trip was great. Some of my favorite childhood memories are exploring Yellowstone with my family. I'm glad my kids got to do some of the same things. I hope their memories are as good!
