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Yesterday Brodie woke up at 3:30 AM.  I tried repeatedly to get him to go back to sleep in his crib, with no luck.  Finally at 4:30 AM, Lucas woke up from all of Brodie's fussing.  So my day started bright and early, or rather dark and early.  There is nothing bright about waking up to crying at 3:30 AM.  Thursday was a long day. By 1PM, Brodie still had not taken a nap.  Lucas fell asleep with no problem.  Brodie just continued to scream the entire time he was in his crib.  Knowing he was safe, I took a "time out" to shower and dry my hair.  With the bedroom door closed, the bathroom door closed, the sound of the shower, and then the sound of the hair dryer, I couldn't hear Brodie.  I felt so much better.  So while Lucas continued to nap through all the noise of his brother,  I enjoyed 15 kid free minutes.  Usually after 10-15 minutes, if Brodie hasn't stopped fussing, he won't fall asleep at that point.  So I went in, picked him up, and we hung out in the playroom while Lucas napped.
Today is Friday and amazingly, both Brodie and Lucas are napping at the same time!  This hardly ever happens!  As I sit here in silence and reflect back on this month, no wonder I am exhausted.   October has been a long month!  Dealing with my sick twins simultaneously just about put me over the edge.  
Brodie and Lucas caught a cold the 2nd week of October.  Later that week, they had their one year vaccines, in addition to getting their 1st, and now 2nd set of molars.  Then they caught a stomach virus.  Brodie had diarrhea for 24 hours, then Lucas followed suit. Just when I thought they were getting over the worst of their colds, Brodie got his first ear infection, and  Lucas caught a stomach virus and threw up numerous times.  The funniest moment was when Lucas threw up all over Daddy.  Poor Lucas.  Steve, however, handled the situation very calming.   
It is now October 31, the last day of the month.  I can officially say, Brodie and Lucas are finally feeling good.  They are still teething, but this is nothing compared to everything else we've dealt with this month.  We're looking forward to a healthy November! 

How could I have a bad day at work?  I'm a stay at home Mom. 
It all started Monday of this week.  The pilot light on our hot water heater went out.  My husband and I didn't figure it out until we were both home together that evening.  Its still under warranty, so he called the 800 # Tuesday morning.  They diagnosed the problem over the phone and Fed X'd the part to arrive Wednesday.

In the mean time, we had no hot water.  Basically, we only had cold water.  So Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons I loaded Lucas and Brodie into the car and we went to Grandma's house to take baths and I took a shower.  It was quite the ordeal.  It threw off the kids' bedtime routine. 

The part arrived Wednesday.  My husband attempted to install it Thursday evening, but he didn't have the tools to install it correctly. By Friday, living in a house with only cold water was getting old.  Driving to my parent's every afternoon was getting old. 

To make matters worse, Lucas and Brodie have been sick, going on the 2nd week.  They started out with a basic head cold.  Then they caught a diarrhea illness, and now Brodie has his 1st ever  ear infection.  Lucas spiked a fever over 102 Friday morning, and has been fussy and inconsolable ever since.  I think he may have an ear infection now too. 

We were suppose to leave for Santa Cruz Saturday morning for the weekend.  This has been canceled due to sick kids. 

Our friend came by Friday morning and fixed the hot water heater.  But it wasn't that simple.  The part that was shipped to us was not the problem.  Luckily, he was able to figure out what part needed replacing and it was available at Home Depot.  Quick solution right?  Wrong.  He got everything put back together, and left stating there would be some air in the pipes.  Not to worry, once the air comes out, we would have hot water. 

Once the air came out, there was no water.  No hot, no cold, nothing!  After having no hot water all week, and sick kids that were getting worse, I just couldn't even deal with no water.  I was almost to tears.  I couldn't even make soy formula for Brodie to drink.  Lucas was sick of drinking milk, and wanted water.  Neither of them will drink anything but milk or water.  Not to mention, I was thirsty.  After running over an hour earlier that morning, milk was just not going to quench my thirst. 

Our friend finally came back over, and had the hot water problem fixed by 5PM.  We have old pipes in our house (40 years old).  The air in the line caused all the sludge particles (yucky stuff) to clog the filters, so no water could come out.  After all the filters were cleaned, our water problem was solved. 

For the first time since Monday, we were all able to take hot baths and showers at home.  And I thought  I was just having a bad day at work.  It was really just a bad week.  The only saving grace, was we were able to get out each morning to run or ride. 

This morning while I was running pushing Lucas and Brodie in their running stroller, I heard another runner's foot steps behind me.  Occasionally the sound of the footsteps would disappear, and then they would be back again.  The sound of the footsteps getting closer motivated me to run faster even though I was feeling sluggish from a full week of exercise.  We (Lucas, Brodie, and I) ran 1 hour Monday.  Tuesday we rode 1 1/2 hours.  Wednesday we ran 40 minutes.  Thursday we rode 2 hours 10 minutes.  Now it's Friday, and we ran 1 hour 15 minutes. 

Just before the Watt Avenue Access, I slowed to a walk to drink water before exiting the bike trail.  A few seconds later the woman that had been the footsteps behind us for the past 3 miles ran by.  As she passed I said, "Good Morning", and she said, "You're an inspiration."  I responded by saying, "Have a great run."  Then she turned around to run back from where she came, and we continued on our way across the Watt Avenue bridge toward home. 

As I reflect on the runner's comment, I smile.  It's nice to know I inspired another runner.  On the flip side, she gave me the motivation to run faster despite the weight of pushing 70 lbs of stroller full of kids and gear. Everyone could use a little inspiration and motivation at times.  But who knew that two runners out for their daily run could inspire and motivate each other.  How cool is that!

  

Yes, a Flea Afflair.  I hadn't heard of it until recently, when my Mom told me about the event.  It's a cross between a garage sale, craft fair, and antique boutique.  Since my Mom had a booth at the 1st Annual Flea Afflair last weekend in Auburn, I drove up to check it out with Brodie and Lucas. 

We had fun looking around at all the vendors booths.  There were all kinds of things for sale, including vintage aprons, vintage clothing, knitted wool purses, tea pots, jewelry, antiques, house and garden decor, bird houses made from recycled materials, and the list could go on and on and on.  It was the most unique sale I've ever been to. 

We left for home with a new pair of floral garden pants (made by one of my Mom's friends) and 6 children's books (given to us free by one of my Mom's friends). 

So, if you are the least bit curious, and you hear that there is going to be a Flea Afflair again, its definitely worth the drive to Auburn to check it out.  Plus, you'll want to bring your camera.  The property has some great photo opportunities.      



 

Having twins, keeps me busy.  This is a understatement.  Time flies by.  I hardly have any time to stop and take it all in.  Now that they are both walking, they are constantly on the go. 

As we were all getting ready for bed last night, I watched Lucas walk the length of the hall.  I realized he was walking farther than I had ever seen him walk before.  Granted, he was holding on to the wall with one hand, and moving slowly, but he was walking all by himself. 

I felt a bit sad because at that moment I realized with all the excitement of Brodie being the first to walk, and now just about to start running, Lucas had been left in the shadows, so to speak.  Brodie loves attention.  If he isn't getting the attention he wants, he'll doing something to get it.  Most of the time he gets our attention by doing something funny.  He is quite the comedian at 14 months.  While Lucas is very easy going and mellow.  He goes with the flow and does things on his own time.  He loves attention too, but he doesn't demand to be the center of attention.

This morning after Brodie and Lucas woke up and we were all walking down the hall, Lucas was in the lead.  I walked along side him, at his pace.  Brodie walked behind him, giving him little pushes to hurry him along.  We stayed together, walking down the hall, around the corner and into the kitchen, letting Lucas set the pace. 

Lucas helped remind me of how important it is to slow down, and make the time to "take it all in".  Lucas just needed a helping hand, and someone to walk at his pace.  So we're moving a bit slower today.  Brodie still zooms by us at warp speed, but occasionally, he'll even stop, check in, and join in on the slow walk.

Ever since, Lucas has been taking more steps without holding on.  He'll be up to Brodie's speed in no time. 

 

Lucas and Brodie have a new shiny red fire truck.  It has lights and various sounds it makes.  When they first got the truck, they used it as intended, as a push toy.  It has provided hours of day time entertainment.  Besides using the truck to help them walk all around the house, they ride on it, push each other off of it, tip it over and spin its wheels, sit on it forwards, backwards, and sideways, sit on it with their feet on top of the steering wheel, squat on top of it, stand on top of it, and fall off of it.  Their stunts have been getting increasingly more brave as the days go by.  The first time I saw Brodie standing on top of it, is when I had to intervene.  The fire truck had to take a time out in the other room.

Brodie and Lucas know when it's time to go "Bye Bye".  They sit on the only step in our house, while I put on their socks and shoes.  Then the race begins.  Brodie and Lucas against Mommy. 

They race towards the garage in an attempt to get out the door and into the garage before I can get both of them buckled into their car seats.  I have to keep the garage door closed or one of them will inevitably make their way down the driveway.  (Brodie being the more adventurous of the two, has crawled full speed through the garage, and halfway down the driveway before I could catch him.)

One technique that seems to work, at least for the time being is, I pick up the twin that is the closest to me and set him down in the playroom, as far away from the garage as possible.  Then I run, pick up the other twin, go into the garage, and quickly buckle him into his car seat before the other twin makes his way into the garage.

It's a race.  They thinks it's a game.  I always win. I have to or Brodie and Lucas would be roaming free outside of the house.  Of course with me in close pursuit to catch them.   

Many people have asked me, "What will you do when they are both running, and they run in opposite different directions?"  My answer,  "Chase after the one who is the most danger." 

For now, I have a few more weeks before they'll be running.  Brodie is speed walking.  Lucas is just starting to let go of the security of the wall. So I don't need to worry about the whole running thing right for now.

Lucas and Brodie have had colds all week.  They are also both getting 4 molars all at once.  The combination of colds and teething has made each day seem like it would never end.  It has been a long week.  They have been waking up at different times in the morning, anywhere between 4:30 AM - 6:00 AM.  Their morning naps have been as early as 7:30 AM or as late as 9:00 AM.  By the time they are ready for their afternoon naps, around 1:00 PM, they fight going to sleep.  A couple of days, I couldn't get Brodie to even take his afternoon nap.  One afternoon, they were both so fussy, both wanting to be held, but not wanting to share me, that I put them in their stroller and we went for a walk.  Thankfully, walking always mellows them out.  We walked around the neighborhood for a good hour, passing the time, looking and pointing at dogs, cats, trees, squirrels, flowers, cars, trucks, and whatever else they try to say or recognize.  By 6:00 PM, they have usually already had dinner, baths begin, and they are both in bed asleep around 7:00 PM.  Once they are asleep, it's dinner time for my husband and I.  There's not much relaxing going on for me.  Dinner has to be made, the kitchen cleaned up, laundry kept going, and whatever else I couldn't do during the day with my twins hanging onto my legs.  Even though I'm still working, the peace and quiet is nice.  I no longer have to clean snotty noses.  I don't have to worry about stepping or slipping in snotty drool puddles on the floor.  9:00 PM and I'm off to bed.  Finally, it's my time to relax.  Well, until Brodie wakes up, sometime around 1:00 AM or 2:00 AM. 

I feel very fortunate to have two great kids.  Even when they aren't feeling well, they are happy little guys.  They have their moments, but for the most part, they really are easy going.

The Autumn Sacramento Mothers of Multiples Clothing & Equipment Sale was a success!  The sale was huge.  There was a continuous flow of shoppers arriving through the entire event.  During the peak hours, 9AM-11AM, the line to purchase items was almost as long as the auditorium itself.  No one seemed to mind.  Starbucks coffee, donuts, and other homemade treats were on hand to purchase and eat during the wait.

At the end of the sale, I was pleased to find out that all of my large equipment sold. I only had a few items left that did not sell.  And these items are now posted on Craig's List at "deal of the century" prices.  Now I can park my car in the garage again, and our office/guest room is no longer a storage room. 

If you missed the SMOM Clothing & Equipment Sale this weekend, don't worry.  You'll have an opportunity to go to their Spring Sale which is usually in April. 
 

A good nights sleep can be so sweet after over a year of lack of sleep. Granted the amount of sleep has been increasing overtime to an average of 5-6 hours of uninterrupted per night.  Monday night Lucas and Brodie fell asleep at 7PM, their usual time.  Brodie woke up at 3AM for a feeding, then fell back asleep until 5AM.  That's 10 hours of sleep for Lucas, and 9 1/2 for Brodie.  And 7 hours for Mommy....I should have nothing to complain about.  Ha!
Last night the kids went to bed at their usual time.  Brodie slept until 2:30 AM, and didn't fall back asleep until 3AM. Woke up again at 3:15AM, woke up again at 4AM.  Finally fell back asleep, then Lucas woke up at 5AM, and wouldn't go back to sleep.  So good morning world, my day has begun on 6 hours of interrupted sleep.  The ironic thing is Brodie is still sleeping, and he is usually the first to rise.  4:30AM being his favorite time of morning.  Well, he's missing out on all of the early morning fun:  Lucas is exploring under the kitchen table, behind the couch, and beside the chaise lounge, climbing up and down, up and down the kitchen step, pushing chairs around the floor, and crawling under and through the kitchen counter bar stools.  All nice quiet good morning adventures.  

I was cleaning up the kids' late morning snack, when the phone rang.  I could hear Lucas and Brodie in the playroom next to me while I talked with my Mom.  A few minutes went by and I could still hear the kids them playing.  A few more minutes went by, and now my Mommy sensor was going off.  Still on the phone, I walked into the playroom to check on them.  Brodie was content playing on the floor, but where was Lucas. I quickly scanned the room, and still no Lucas.  I walked down the hall, all the doors were closed, just like I thought.  But then I second guessed myself.  What if I forgot to close one of the doors and Lucas is in one of the rooms by himself.  I started to panic.  I told my Mom I had to go, Lucas is lost in the house and I can't find him.  I called his name, as I opened the nursery door and looked under the cribs, changing table, and behind the gilder.  Still calling his name, I opened the guest bathroom door.  Nope, not there. I opened the master bedroom door, looked under the bed, in the bathroom, in the closest, under the dirty laundry piles.  Still no Lucas.  The house was dead silent, except for my voice calling his name.  I opened the office door, still no Lucas.  I kept thinking to myself, "How could I lose my kid in my own house.  Where could he be?"  I went back into the playroom.  Finally, I heard Lucas;  He was in the corner, behind the exersaucer, curled up in a ball, inside the folded up IKEA play tunnel, crying.  Thank God, he was alright. 

Lucas and Brodie both like to crawl into and under whatever obstacles they can find.  So Lucas must have crawled under the exersuacer, and into the IKEA tunnel, and got stuck.  Then to make matters worse, he had to go poo.  So the little guy was in quite a predicament.  I picked Lucas up, gave him a big hug and kiss, and changed his diaper.   Once I got Lucas all settled down, I called my Mom back to let her know everything was okay. 

My husband and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary over the weekend.  We went on vacation for 3 days and 2 nights to Hope Valley, while our twins stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa.  This was our first vacation without kids, since January 2007.  That's right, it has been almost 2 years.   

The weather was cold and windy with occasional rain and hail showers, but the cabin we stayed in at Sorenson's Resort was warm and cozy.  Sleeping uninterrupted through the night was a nice treat.  Riding our mountain bikes in the wild weather on Friday and Saturday was quite the adventure.  The Fall colors of the Quacking Aspens and views of Lake Tahoe were beautiful. 

We had a wonderful kid free vacation, but the best part was seeing Lucas and Brodie's smiling faces and getting big hugs and kisses upon our return home.  Our time away was nice, but being back home is equally nice.

Today while Lucas and Brodie were at their playgroup, they crawled and walked through the grass, flower beds, and dirt.  They played with leaves, gravel, bark, sticks, and grass.  While they were in the tunnel, they knocked it over, causing it to collapse, trapping the other kids inside along with them.  Of course, no one was hurt, but the other kids were a little upset and cried.  My boys, they were fine.  In fact, they were having great fun and thought what they did was funny.  Well, Brodie fake cried along with one little boy.  But when I checked on Brodie, he stopped his fake crying and grinned ear to ear.  Then he continued to play.  When it was time to leave, I changed them out of their wet dirty clothes into something clean.  Washed their hands, and we were off.  They napped while I took them grocery shopping at Trader Joe's.  They are very easy going guys, as long as they get a chance to get their wiggles out!  They definitely have a lot of energy.  I love my boys!

The mom's group I am part of is in the beginning stages of creating a parent-child play school program for our toddlers, all nearing or just over the age of 1.  We are considering applying for a grant for funding, and trying to decide the "play based curriculum". 

We had our first meeting today.  There were 14 parents attending, including one dad.  Everyone shared ideas on what they would like the play school to include. Some just want an opportunity for their children to play and interact with other kids their own age.  Others want a more structured approach.  I left the meeting feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Do you have any experience with participating in a play school with your children?