Monkey's Treehouse!

It's not snowing today (and the sun is actually out and melting everything now), but we got about two inches last night and the hills and roads weren't worth risking with the kids, which means today was a snow day! I decided to take the kids up to Monkey's Treehouse (actually had Lance drive us up there) and try to get some work done while they played. They love that place and I probably could have done some work if I would have let them be - but I just had to take a few pictures :)!

Tyler is still all about the train table, or the car table, or really anything that has a track!

Katie was all over the place, but discovered the doll house and the boat this time instead of just playing with the food store and shopping cart.

Tyler is our little mechanic - trying to figure out how everything works and getting so enthralled with the details. Katie doesn't quite have the same attention span and focus!

The way they made it to the slide is a perfect example in the difference in their personalities - Tyler realizes the stairs are easier!

Tyler made it down the slide a few more times than her - maybe that is why he was absolutely exhausted by the time we got home! It's always so much fun while we there - leaving is a completely different story!

"I Do It Self"

The kids are in a difficult stage (but I should say that I have a very, very annoying cold that doesn't help my disposition). They are testing out their independence and they want to do everything by themselves. If you make the mistake of helping them down the stairs or into their carseats, buckling anything, or helping them take their jackets off you are rewarded with instant crying and whining about "want to do it self," and then them asking to put things back on, walk back to where you picked them up, etc. so they can do it over on their own. I am usually ok with it, but it can drive you crazy when it is raining (or snowing more likely lately), when you are in an hurry, or when they are just being defiant when you have something you need to do. As much as their newfound, even more pronounced defiance toward us is frustrating - their new appreciation for each other is absoloutely adorable. This afternoon Tyler hit his eye with a book and asked me to kiss it and make it better. I was driving and couldn't so he looked at Katie and said - Katie kiss it. Katie blew him a kiss and said all better Tyler and he said thank you Katie it IS all better. So sweet, and just one example of how they are interacting lately. They are having more "conversations," and playing together with less (I know that it could just be for right now) fighting and whining. They are definitely in a tv stage - a few shows absolutely mesmerize them and they are starting to interact with them when Dora asks a question or Yo Gabba Gabba teaches them a dance. All in all everything is pretty manageable and the tv distraction admittedly helps and is a new consequence to throw at them for misbehaving, but if this is just the beginning of why people say 3 is worse than 2 then we are in for it!

Some random photos!

One of our only pics from the circus.

Tyler insisted on wearing his undies with his raindrop boots (that is what he calls them because of a book we read). We aren't working with him much, but Katie is doing great. She doesn't have accidents as long as we remember to take her to the potty - a step in the right direction, now if we can just get her to tell us when she has to go!

Katie in the rocker in Gatlinburg.

Whack-A-Mole was fun for our destructive twosome!

So Behind!

Well, I am again behind on posting - I think this time I'll blame it on the snow :)! It has been crazy around here weatherwise - well above the average amount of snowfall - but fun. I am glad that it happened this year, instead of last. The kids are able to get out and enjoy it (yesterday was more sledding) and it wears them out to take good naps (still very rare for Katie). We've had lots of fun in the last couple of weeks - the trip to the mountains, playing in the snow, the kids spent time with Liz while we got to go to a birthday party (the next day they couldn't stop asking - "where's Liz" - they don't seem to understand that everyone doesn't just live at our house and hang around for their entertainment), and THE CIRCUS! We weren't able to get great pictures at the circus, but we had fun. Luckily it was six adults manning the two kids, so when they got restless (they did good but it was a pretty long show) we were able to hand off! Katie has been "reading" her circus book (the program) to Tyler every night telling him about the tigers, the baby elephant, and "lotta, all the dancers." I loved it (and haven't been in a long time), and it was fun to watch what caught the kids attention, and now to hear what they still remember. I didn't really think they noticed the baby elephant, but they have talked about him since we left.

The kids are the last ones in their class to be potty trained (which is just crazy because the average age is 3, and 2.5 is when our pediatrician said we should even start), and they are really encouraging us to work with the kids more to get them fully trained. They are doing good - but I definitely don't think they are there yet. We did let them wear underwear yesterday and they thought it was the greatest thing ever. Katie was dancing around the house, and twirling and jumping and she kept telling me that she was not going to "go" in them, but she did just a little. Maybe wearing underwear will help them realize that they need to tell me when they have to go - that is the big hang-up right now - they go when you put them on the potty, but they won't tell when they have to go and we haven't stepped it up yet to spending all of our time in the bathroom putting them on, taking them off, and trying to get them to hurry just a bit while not discouraging the progress! Katie has gotten kind of "shy" all of a sudden and won't talk to people when they visit, and gets really silly trying to hide from new people and pretty embarrassed if she thinks you are laughing at her or are watching her. Tyler is the opposite, he has started being real social and trying to engage everyone - way different than just a few months ago when he would cling and refuse to look at anyone if we were in a strange environment, or had friends over. It is crazy how different they are, and how often it changes, but if it has taught me anything it is not to make predictions or think I have everything figured out, so despite what the teachers hope I am going to follow the kids lead on the whole potty training thing for a bit. I really do think they are doing good and just don't quite have it down yet! Oh, and we have not made the switch to toddler or twin beds yet either. After talking to a lot of people the main advice was that if they aren't jumping out, you might as well keep them in. They aren't (knock on wood) and I recently read that twins usually don't make a habit of jumping out (even if they do it once) because they have each other and have no reason to get out. We WILL change them soon - but for now they are definitely nowhere near night potty training and we don't have to worry about them getting in and out of bed on their own or deciding that wake-up time is a lot earlier so we aren't going to mess with a good thing until we have to. The other deciding factor for moving them is if the crib gets too small and that is not an issue at all either - in fact, I am getting pretty tired of everyone talking about how "tiny" they are and the guesses of how old they are - in Gatlinburg we got 18, and 16(!) months, but they are still munchkins and the cribs are on the larger side so all is good. They are growing, too! Since it turned cold the kids have been in mostly 24 month stuff, and even some 18 month pants for Katie, but just recently the 24 month pants especially are too short and a little snug so they ARE getting taller :)!

Gatlinburg

We've been talking about making a trip to Gatlinburg for a while now (we used to go quite often, but haven't been since the kids were born) and since I am off for MLK day we decided to take advantage of the long weekend and make the trek. Traveling with toddler woes, icy roads, and the expense of even a "cheap vacation" are all worth it when you see your children having so much fun. We went to the Aquarium yesterday and to Ober Gatlinburg this morning (going to Smoky Mtn. park after nap) and the kids have just had an absolute ball.

This was the kids area at Ober Gatlinburg. It was packed with skiiers so these was a find - an area just for little ones!

Sledding!

We are in Gatlinburg and I have some pictures of our fun at the aquarium and Ober Gatlinburg, but first just a couple from sledding at home! They are little sledding fiends (found a way to sorta do it here, too)!!!

A Good Use For the Dirt Hill

Anyone who has been to our house knows that there is an annoying dirt hill in the empty lot next to us that everyone in the neighborhood cusses because it is hard to see cars coming when leaving the neighborhood. Well, today we found a reason to like it, and it is safe to say that the kids LOVE it! We brought out the sleds (unfortunately our camera had already died) and it worked perfectly for Katie and Tyler. They had so much fun going down that hill and went surprisingly fast. They would get down the hill and run back up carrying the sleds to do it, in the words of Tyler "just one more time." I went down too and it was pretty fun, so I imagine that for a two year old it was a real thrill ride. We had fun in the snow today (even though I didn't get work done like I should have). We had snowball fights, tried to build a snowman, went on a wagon ride, and made snowballs and the kids were bundled up well and didn't want to go inside. Up until now I have kind of dreaded snow days because we couldn't stay out with them and they didn't really enjoy it and got kind of irritable stuck inside - but today was really fun and it wore the kids out too! Some pictures from our first trip out before nap.

Busy New Year

Sorry for being MIA for so long, the Christmas festivities combined with troublesome two year olds and a really busy work schedule have kept me from posting! All is well around here, though. Tyler had a bout with an unshakeable cold that required albuterol and steroids, but he is back to the runny nose minus the cough that seems to be a winter mainstay so we are happy with that. Katie has been going through a "difficult" period - she is learning independence and refusing to eat, get in the car when I really need to get to work, or leave school without lots and lots of cajoling and bribes, but they are still learning new things every day and we are having lots of fun with them at this age in between all of the negotiating and frustration. Tyler isn't being an angel by any means - he has started fighting with Katie ALOT, but at this point (I know it changes daily) he can still be distracted and reasoned with whereas our little drama queen just has a very strong will. They are still impressing all of their teachers with how much they are talking and understanding, and have started to make friends which is fun when I drop them off and the other kids start chanting their names and giving them hugs. I feel like everything is moving so fast these days - work days are full, get home late, find something to eat, then bath and bed for the kids so I am looking forward to this weekend and hopefully getting some new pictures of some family fun. It is supposed to snow Monday so we might have a snow day and get some new snow pictures! Tyler is asking for "more lot of nanas" (bananas), so I've got to sign off. For now, here are two pics of the kids - one of Tyler's new haircut and one of Katie in desperate need of one but really I am just at a loss because it needs to grow, not be cut!