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We planned an official first birthday party for Aaron and Sean, but it wasn't going to happen until about 2 weeks after their actual birthday. So, we had a pre-party on their actual first birthday, way back on December 29th. With all the holiday craziness and the plans for a "real" party, it was very low key. But, anything simple still ends up complicated.

Sean got a fever for his birthday. It was a present from Will, who had been diagnosed with strep throat the day before. The day after their birthday, Sean and Aaron got checked out at the doctor office and they were both diagnosed with strep through too. So there was lots of last minute calling between my mom, my sister, and me to see if anyone even wanted to risk the germs at our house. A little bit of Tylenol and Sean was feeling better. And our germs didn't even scare people away. So a "simple" birthday event was held.

First up was the first annual birthday picture. My dad gave us this little chair for Marcus's first birthday. It belonged to my dad and my uncle when they were little. The word from my dad was that it was a really old chair even way back then. So every year on their birthday, my boys have had their picture taken in this family heirloom.



With the help of big brothers, the gifts were unwrapped.




We got them their own little bicycles. Aaron was not a fan of the helmet.




Then, cupcakes!



As everyone in the grocery store likes to point out, Sean and Aaron don't look alike at all. Not only are they different on the outside, they are very different on the inside. One is very physical, plows through life, and dives right into whatever is presented to him. The other is a little more cautious, likes to study things, and takes his time. Can you guess which is which?


Eventually Sean had enough of the cupcakes, or else he was mad that there wasn't much cupcake left. Or maybe the Tylenol was wearing off and he remembered he had strep throat.


Eventually Aaron decided that cupcakes were a good thing and getting a little messy on your birthday is certainly an approved activity.

I get Marcus. It has been like that since as long as I can remember. The way he thinks and acts and processes things... I just feel like I get it. That isn't to say I always like the way he acts, but I understand his behavior. The way he can sometimes be so shy people wonder if he speaks and other times be so loud and outgoing I wish he would stop speaking, it reminds me of myself as a child. He is sneaky and smart and fiercly competitive and a perfectionist and I have been/am all those things too.

Last night I was cooking dinner and he came into the kitchen and asked if he could help. (Him always wanting to help me with chores and cooking is definitely NOT like me as a child at all. I'm not really like that as a grownup either actually.) I said, "Sure! You and Will need drinks. Sean and Aaron need their cups filled. Daddy still needs a drink. And we all need spoons."

He said in an exasperated voice, "Does it look like I have three arms? No. You are just going to have to be patient."

I burst out in laughter. That is exactly what I would have said had he rambled off a list of things he wanted me to do.

Somehow I ended up with my own little miniature version of myself, who came to me from thousands of miles away.

(Here is where I would post a recent picture of just Marcus and me if only I had a recent picture of just Marcus and me. Guess I better get someone to take some pictures of all my kids alone with me at some point.)

Nope, not behind in blogging at all. Just thought I would try to extend the joy of the holiday season well into January. Yes. That is my excuse.

We had a lovely Christmas around here. A couple lovely Christmases. Although it was exciting to get to celebrate Sean and Aaron's first Christmas, it was even more exciting to get to experience the joy of giving (and receiving) with Marcus and Will since they fully get Christmas now. At least the fun parts of it.

As usual, our Christmas morning started out by caging in the big kids so they couldn't see what Santa brought them before we were ready to witness them seeing it.

Then it was time to attack the presents!






I got a computer!

My jokester of a husband made me think I was getting a new computer at least. Further on in the present opening I did stumble upon a tiny little jewelry box that contained a haiku poem that was the beginning of my scavenger hunt for the grownup computer that I received.

I'm blaming the new computer in part for why I am just now getting around to blogging about Christmas. My lack of blogging of course has nothing to do with having 4 kids. Having 4 kids isn't time consuming in the least.

After presents at our house, we went to my parents to meet up with my sister and her family for brunch. We left everyone there and came back to our house so the kids could get a rest and Greg and I could get ready for Christmas dinner over here. Our family decided this year to try to make things simple and have ham sandwiches and other cold foods. That way, we could eat when we were hungry and no one would have to spend the holiday in the kitchen. It was definitely nice to get to enjoy being together as a family and exchanging gifts, and not have to be preoccupied with oven temperatures and timers. (Making things look effortless takes a lot of effort though. There were some long days leading up to Christmas of housecleaning and baking and cooking and planning. But it was all worth it.) And yes, there were more gifts!




It didn't take long at all for all four of the kids to abandon the toys specially selected for them in exchange for their brothers' toys. Ever change the diaper of a baby armed with a light saber? I have.


It was a busy and wonderful day. One of us ran out of steam before the festivities were even over.


And there was still one more side of the family to celebrate Christmas with! Stayed tuned for Christmas #2... which I will probably get around to blogging about by Independence Day.

We had a great, but very busy, holiday season around here. We kept up with some of our holiday traditions and did some new things this year. I decided to try my hand at baking holiday treats this year. Four kids and no real knack for baking? Yeah, that's me. But I did it anyway. And then I couldn't stop. I think I might still have enough cookies in my freezer to last me through next year.



Will's preschool class put on a musical that told the story of the first Christmas. He got to play the part of "Map Holder". Not sure if everyone knows this, but there were two map holders that first Christmas season. They helped Mary and Joseph pack by bringing a map to put in their suitcase. (There were also two toothbrush holders and two teddy bear holders.) Will's job was to speak into the microphone when the narrator asked what he was putting in the suitcase. His line was to say, "A map." He was fabulous.


My mom has built gingerbread houses from kits with my niece and nephew several times. This year Will and Marcus got to give building with edible objects a try. It was messy and gooey but it was fun!



Once Christmas Eve hit, we dove into our family traditions. Aaron and Sean received their first ornaments to put on the Christmas tree. We all get a new ornament each year on Christmas Eve to add to our collection. Most of the ornaments are pretty simple, but each of our kids have a special ornament for their first Christmas with us.



We got all dressed up and went to church, followed by some time with friends.


Then it was time for bed. We get our kids new pj's for Christmas Eve each year.


At last, time to settle in for the annual reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas before heading to bed to await Santa's arrival.

Mornings are crazy around here. I get up 2 hours before I need to be out of the house. All to get myself ready (i.e. stick my hair in a ponytail and of course, put on my mascara), and then get the little guys up and fed before I even attempt to get my big kids out of bed to get them off to school. This means some really early mornings for Sean and Aaron. Sometimes they fall back to sleep after they eat. Sometimes one falls back to sleep and the other one decides to cuddle with his brother.

Cute picture? Yep. But even cuter is the non-PG version with their diapers off.

Once again, on to more things I never said until I had kids. For past links, follow these links.

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#251-275

276. Did you just fart on my chips?
277. No ninjas at the dinner table.
278. Does it have a pickle on it? Then put it on.
279. You don't need to eat my chest hair.
280. Quit smelling it and wipe your eyes.
281. Can I have the remote and a Muslim to chew on?
282. We don't need to sing about your scrotum.
283. He is using the tail as butt floss.
284. Do you want your face to melt off?
285. No wonder you got broccoli on your head.
286. It's "Hakuna Matata", not "Avocado Cello".
287. You don't sit on the toilet and swing your pants around your head.
288. There are no swords coming out of your butt.
289. You don't get up and and walk around in the middle of pooping.
290. Now you have a table stuck on your head.
291. You're gonna get your tongue stuck in there.
292. Who's butt was that?
293. You have meatball in your ear.
294. It is just a regular scented butt.
295. If Jerrod had herpes, would you want that too?
296. I don't think there will be any killing at this birthday party.
297. I should never have to pull spoons out of my butt.
298. I sold some of your poop stains.
299. Whoa! Look at that furry tower of legs!
300. Let's stay out of the dishwasher.

This year we felt it was time that our big kids start to realize that Christmas means giving, not just getting. We wanted them to give presents this year so they could experience the joy of making someone else happy. Marcus and Will both were really excited about getting presents for their family and wrapping them. There are a lot of hard lessons to learn about Christmas though, and like most people, I think they mostly enjoyed the act of shopping more than the actual act of giving. To make this exercise economically feasible, Marcus and Will got to do all their shopping at the dollar store. (Marcus's school does a "Santa's Workshop" where he got to pick out additional gifts for people.) I didn't provide any help with the selection of the gifts because I wanted it to be something that came from the heart of both boys. I let them pick out a toy for Sean and Aaron at Target just because there wasn't much at the dollar store that was suitable for babies. I thought Marcus did pretty good at selecting gifts. Will mostly just grabbed things off the shelf and assigned a name to them. So, a good lesson in giving for Marcus and Will, and no need to have a gag gift grab bag this year for the rest of us! Here were the gifts.

Marcus gave:
Watch - Greg
Dish Towel - Grammy
Flashlight - Pap pap
Serving Tray - Grandma
Play Money - Grandpa
Christmas Napkins - Uncle Randy
Clapping Sound Maker - Aunt Kim
Markers - Maria (cousin)
Cars Watch - Scott (cousin)
Glow in the Dark Necklace - Uncle Willie
Stuffed Santa - Aunt Sindy
Toy Story Coloring Project - Uncle Jeremy
Silly String - Aunt Bethany
Ninja Action Figures - Will
Rope Tug Toy - Maya (our dog)

Will Gave:
Mini Notebooks - Greg
Christmas Plate - Grammy
Glass Bowl - Pap pap
Air Horn - Grandma
Foam Craft Sheets - Grandpa
Ice Scrapper - Uncle Randy
Baby Shower Decorating Streamers - Aunt Kim
Flashlight - Maria (cousin)
Money Bank Shaped like a Crayon - Scott (cousin)
Index Cards - Uncle Willie
Plastic Bowls - Aunt Sindy
Snowflake Ornaments - Uncle Jeremy
Plastic Cups - Aunt Bethany
Ninja Action Figures - Marcus
Rawhide Bone - Maya (our dog)

My two little guys celebrated their first birthday today!! Hard to believe that a whole year has gone by, and yet I can't remember life without them either. A year ago I never would have thought that we would be where we are now. In just 365 days, we went from this:


to this:


I have heard more than once parents of twins say that the first year just flies by in a huge flurry of craziness and there is no way of pausing long enough to figure out how you made it through that time. It certainly was insane! But I was able to pause. A lot. I was able to soak up those moments holding one of both of these wee tiny little people. I am sad I never got to experience those newborn moments with Marcus and Will, which I think made me appreciate all that time when all I could do was hold sleeping babies, even at 3am. This past year I was able to spend time surrounded by all these boys in my house and feel how truly blessed I am. Through all the craziness of this year, I have never felt so much love or felt so much gratitude for the life I have been given.

Sean:
Sean was the first born of the two. Born 6 weeks early, he was taken to the NICU right away. He never had any respiratory problems and was only put on a feeding tube briefly (24 hours I think). He had some brachicardia issues where his immature nervous system would forget to tell his heart to beat and lungs to breathe often enough. It never turned into an emergency and he would always get himself back on track without intervention. But it did land him with a 13 day stay in the NICU. Then he was home for good. Apart from a couple colds, he has been very healthy. (He did receive a fever for his birthday though and has an appointment first thing tomorrow since there has been some illness in our family.) In the womb, I could tell he was a wild man. He continues to be a wild man. I call him Dozer because he just plows over anything and everything. As soon as he learned to crawl, he was gone. He world expanded from a small area wherever I put him down, to anything and everything he could get his hands on, which was usually things he shouldn't have his hands on. Meal time is a wild frenzy of picking up handfuls of food and shoving it in the vicinity of his face in hope that something ends up in his mouth. He still doesn't have any teeth but that doesn't stop him! He is pretty easy going and often doesn't even care if Aaron grabs a toy out of his hands. He is friendly and loves to play with other kids. However, he doesn't like to be too far away from me either. He has to check back in often by crawling over, getting some hugs and kisses. And then he is off to play again. He is not a happy kid at all if I he sees me leave the room or he suddenly realizes that I am not around. He loves hiding in his crawl tunnel he just got for Christmas, playing peek-a-boo, and chasing after his ball. He also likes to "help" load and unload the dishwasher. He is a happy baby who loves to cuddle and give kisses. And I love to receive his cuddles and kisses.

Aaron:
I still call Aaron "Pinenut" sometimes. Just like when he was born, he is still smaller than a peanut. For such a little guy, he was very healthy when he was born. It just took him a long time to catch on to how to eat and to eat efficiently enough that trying to take in calories didn't burn up more than he was getting. His lungs and heart were healthy from the beginning, but his feeding issues meant he had to stay in the NICU for 18 days. I was scared to death when they told me I could bring him home. In part because then we had two new babies, but mostly because at the time he came home he only weighed 4 lbs 2 oz. It took him a couple weeks at home to catch on to nursing and for us to feel confident that he was getting enough to eat. Then there was a little health setback when he had to have hernia surgery when he was about 2.5 months old followed by getting his tongue tie fixed. After all that, it has been smooth sailing. Aaron is such an easy baby. He is independent and doesn't want anyone to help him with something he can do himself. He just smiles all day long, until you make him mad. If that little guy doesn't get his way, you can see the definition of a redheaded temper flair up! He might be a lot smaller than Sean, but that doesn't stop him from putting Sean in his place, taking his toy, and protesting loudly if Sean attempts to take something from him. His favorite toys right now are doors. Yep, doors. Bedroom doors or doors to cabinets or really anything that he can swing back and forth. The big heavy front door is the best. He is also a big lover of music and starts bouncing and dancing as soon as he hears it. He is happy to smile at anyone he comes in contact with, but prefers not to get too friendly. He is a little sensitive. He is quick to startle and often is not a fan of new people/places/situations. Aaron pays attention to detail. He finds every tiny piece of fuzz on the carpets (which go right into his mouth) and takes his time picking up his food carefully and neatly putting it in his mouth. Up until 2 weeks ago, he has been perfectly happy to sit and observe the world or whatever toy was within arms reach. He didn't seem to have much interest in learning to move about the world, but instead liked inspecting and observing. Then he learned to crawl. A few days later, he learned to pull up. He still uses his mobility mostly to find new things in the world to inspect and observe. He smiles. He smiles all the time. He smiles ear to ear when he is doing something he isn't supposed to be doing, all the while shaking his head back and forth to signify, "no no no!".