Food, Hooligans, Shenanigans, and MORE FOOD

Hey guys. You probably were starting to think I was dead, weren't you? Well, I'm not. Not yet, at least. And boy howdy do I have a lot of things to blog about. Also, this is probably going to contain about a billion pictures. Give or take. Be brave, my friends.

Let's start with PIEVEMBER, shall we? See, I love pie way too much to limit how many pies I make, but there are only so many people to eat pie at my house on one day, and not that much fridge space. Thus, PIEVEMBER WAS BORN! I decided at the beginning of November that I was just going to spread out my pie making. All month long. Oh yeah. So we got started right away. We ended up making banana cream, Swedish apple, caramel apple crumble, chocolate satin (twice) and pumpkin (more than twice). You probably saw all the pictures of Katie modelling pies for me if you follow me on instagram. Except for the last one, which we didn't make until it was technically December. And Katie said, "I don't like caramel! I don't want a picture with the pie!" So Joshy got in on that action.

As a result of all this, my children love pie. Admittedly, none of them were super keen on the apple pies (more for me, hooligans!), but all of the other kinds of pie got cheered for quite enthusiastically. My kids can sure put away pumpkin pie. And cool whip is probably their actual new favorite food. Because Mike taught them that the proper way to eat pumpkin pie is to cover it in whipped cream so much that you can't see the pie until you cut a bite out. And they're fans of that, apparently.

Of course, we did eat more than just pie. As you can probably guess, we did not travel for Thanksgiving. So I cooked it. It wasn't elaborate or huge or complicated, but it was still Thanksgiving. And it was delicious. I made pies on Wednesday, so all I had to do Thursday morning was put the turkey in the oven and start bread dough, and potatoes and gravy and stuffing are super easy (hello, Stovetop!). Tada! Thanksgiving! I almost feel like a responsible adult when I do this.

"PIE!"

What makes me feel even older is that Mike went Thursday morning to go play football with the priesthood (Elders' Quorum vs. Aaronic Priesthood). And he was sore for, like, a week. Because we're old. And out of shape, but we're not talking about that part. I'm trying to keep up the illusion that I'm an amazing supermodel who also eats baked goods constantly. I have a miracle metabolism. (HA! No.)

After we ate, we all just collapsed and played, and when the kids were in bed, Mike did all the dishes (I technically helped dry, but I feel like that's not really helping all that much). He's the best husband ever. Seriously.

But BEFORE that, he was home for two whole weeks for Thanksgiving break, because the quarter ended right before that. So he worked his buns off for finals' week, then got to only vaguely worry about his next microbiology test for two weeks while sleeping in (not really) and playing with his kids (or getting trampled by them).

"More pie?!?!"

When the break was starting, I had all these plans to go into the city and do big things as a family while I had Mike to help me. As soon as the break actually started, though, it was pretty obvious that what we really needed was to hunker down and be together as a family. Especially because Mike's last break was . . . 14 weeks ago. So we did. There were multiple days when we didn't get dressed until afternoon, because why would you wear clothes if you're not going anywhere? It was awesome.

Of course, we did end up leaving the house a few times, and we did have fun together as a family. We even tried to go to the mall to see Santa, but it turns out they won't let you take your own pictures. You only get to see Santa if you pay $30 for 2 4x6s.

Sticking scarves and fuzzies into the wind tube.

But we did spend one day going to the DuPage Children's Museum (not in the city, here in Naperville). It was really cool! We only saw part of what was there because our kids got tired, but we got a membership so we have a place to go all winter when it's too freezing to be alive. Also because we have enough kids that going once was almost the same price as a membership. But the hooligans LOVED it. They had rooms for playing with light, sound, shapes, shadows, and giant puzzles, rooms full of build-your-own machines with marbles and ramps and gears and such, giant bubble pools, a wind tunnel to stand in with pinwheels, and a whole waterfall thing to float rubber ducks on. I'm pretty sure that if it weren't for certain children still being of an age to need a nap to function, we would have stayed all day. It was that awesome.

Joshy and his friend Emily

We didn't get to while Mike was still on break, but this last weekend (Saturday, to be specific), we went out to see the lights and things at Brookfield Zoo! It was so fun. Katie got a kick out of being allowed to go places when it was already night time (we didn't bother reminding her that the sun sets just after 4 these days). They had lights EVERYWHERE, music and magicians, people dressed up in Christmas costumes, people dressed up as animals, and dancing trees (you know, lights set to music). They even had Santa, but the line to see him was about three miles long, and we were already freezing. It was a good time. We went with some friends, and it made me laugh a little when we stopped to see something and there were six little blond heads lined up in a row (only at the indoor exhibits when they got to take their hats off, of course).


And I only started hyperventilating after we left the costumed characters. I managed to keep it together for the sake of the kiddos. I'm quite proud of myself.

So now Mike only has two more weeks of class before it's CHRISTMAS BREAK!!! Wahoo!!! And now he's wondering why they don't always have classes and breaks in two and three week intervals. Unfortunately, he has a whole bunch more weeks of class after new year's. So the kids and I are brainstorming new hobbies to keep ourselves sane while Mike is studying during the coldest months. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Since I've just had a lot of time to hang out with my family recently, I've notice a couple of things. One is that Peter is really, really confused about something that I thought was pretty clear. See, he calls me Mommy, but he calls Mike both Daddy and Mommy. So he'll be sad, and start crying for "Mommy," but he won't be talking about me. He just loves his dad so much, he gave him both of the important titles. We'll keep working on that.

Watching the garbage truck

Luckily, Joshy is the king of all momma's boys, so I don't have to worry about him getting confused. And he's strong enough that I can't escape his death grip on my legs if he wants me to hold him.

Mainly, I've noticed that my boys are turning into humans. Peter has been saying a lot of words for a while now, and said his first complete sentence ("I want a treat!") a few weeks ago. But the last couple of weeks, both boys have really taken off linguistically. It's kind of freaking me out.

This is Peter's "I'm a hooligan" face.

Peter basically speaks English. Obviously he's still working on his articulation, but he'll walk up to me while I'm making dinner, grab my legs, and say, "I want to hold you." There are even a few words he says that sound completely clear, like "Katie." And I think it's because he's just like a little parrot. He absorbs and copies everything I say, then uses it later when I least expect it. He's like a little sponge for language. For example, just this afternoon I was on the floor with the kids, and Josh came over and tooted right in my face. I made a face and said, "Whoa, buddy!" Peter immediately started waving his arms in the air saying, "Whoa, buddy! Whoa, buddy!"


Josh, on the other hand, is still monosyllabic, but his list of monosyllables is getting quite expansive. A few weeks ago, he called his siblings "Kuh" and "Puh". (The "uh" was silent.) Now they are "Kay" and "Pete." He says things like "treat", "truck", "milk", "candle", "night night", "bear", "cow", and "buckle." And those are just his favorites. It's like he realized all of a sudden that when he uses his real words he can get me to understand and respond a lot faster, so he's really trying to use language. I love it.

But even more than that, while they've been growing and learning so much, I've realized something. Being a twin mom, I get to see a lot of amazing and adorable things that most parents don't get to see. Like this.

"Okay guys, come over here so you can get daytime clothes on." 

But seriously, it's one thing to have a bunch of naked kids running around, and another to see two brothers growing and learning parallel to each other. They even teach each other. Josh has learned a lot of words from Peter, and Peter has learned a lot of his physical skills from Josh. And when they play together, it's hilarious. They know all of each other's best ticklish spots, and neither is afraid to get the other back.

They were feeding each other Cheerios.

And that whole special twin bond you hear about but can't really imagine? They already have that. I'm almost jealous. The other day they were sitting on the couch eating a snack (also because Peter is really into getting under a blanket to go "night night"), and Peter just leaned over and snuggled on Josh's shoulder. I almost died. Of course, then Katie jumped up with them and Josh face-palmed Peter, and it was all over, but still. It was an amazing moment while it lasted.

Or when one of them is sad or hurt or offended that he needs his diaper changed, I'll say, "Josh, can you find a story for Peter?" Or "Peter, can you give Joshy a love?" and they totally take care of each other. When they hug it usually ends up in a huge wrestling match because they always knock each other over, but they do it even when I'm not prompting them. Occasionally I'll look over and see Peter give Josh a kiss on the head. You know, right before he snatches the train Josh was holding and runs away with his brother screaming and chasing him.

It's his own fault for lying on the floor.

Speaking of trains, both boys now officially LOVE trains more than just about anything. (Well, except popcorn. Nothing can ever dethrone popcorn.) They both call them both trains and "choo choos". It's really adorable. They love to build tracks and they take turns fighting Katie off (she likes to destroy it just to mess with them; you know, to get back at them for being her little brothers). And they LOVE LOVE LOVE Thomas the Train. Remember how I used to use Curious George to have a few minutes to shower? Well, George has been deposed. Thomas reigns supreme.


Katie's cool with it. She likes Thomas. But you know what she likes even more? Primary!!! This last week, they had all the "pre-sunbeams" come into primary just for singing time, to get them used to primary before they're officially sunbeams in January. Which means Katie got to come play and sing with me!! (Did I mention I got called as the Primary Chorister? I think I did.) We played a game where I had one of the older kids be my Christmas tree and we decorated him with paper ornaments while we sang fun songs. They loved it. And Katie was actually surprisingly obedient and reverent, but I think it was just because we got back late the night before from the zoo. She was just a wee bit tired. Just a little.

I almost missed you there, kid.

She is also really growing up. Every time we sit at the table and I just watch her tell stories I'm amazed at this girl who's so smart and funny and witty and clever and I think, "wasn't she just barely a baby?" Now she's stylish and opinionated and the boys at preschool have crushes on her. The other day I was flipping through radio stations in the car and she made me go back to a song that she liked that I had skipped. If I pick out her clothes, I risk her having to go switch an article of clothing for one that "matches" better. She even occasionally tells a clever joke that makes sense and is funny. It's disconcerting.

Sorry, I'm waxing all sentimental. I can't believe how much my kids are changing and learning. They're supposed to stay my little babies. I just have to take advantage of the cold weather and make them all snuggle me under blankets as much as I can. If I sit in the rocking chair, both boys will run over to me. Peter will be saying, "Snuggle night night!" and Josh will be saying, "rock!" Joshy's definitely more into the thrill-seeking.

She really likes to turn people into statues.

And Katie will just be ignoring me completely because she's telling me a story about a unicorn that saves the planet from an evil octopus alien that turns everyone into potatoes. She doesn't have time to breathe, let alone hear me ask if anyone wants to snuggle. The only time she snuggles me is when she comes into my room in the middle of the night saying she had a dream that daddy was an alien who cut off her hair. Then she'll climb in bed with me and stick her freezing little popsicle feet on me and I'll try not to inhale her fuzzy little hair or get kicked in the spleen. And it usually doesn't last long before I can't take it and I have to take her back to bed.

Besides all of that, I took advantage of an extra pair of hands and took pictures for our Christmas cards!!!! I'm only sending out physical ones to, like, immediate family and such, (on account of they're expensive!) but the week of Christmas I'll probably post the results of our photo shoot. It was really hard to decide which one to put on the card, because my hooligans are . . . well, hooligans. There were no pictures where all three kids were happy and smiling and not blurry. But there were plenty of cute ones. And you'll all just have to wait and see what we decided. And now, since you've been so patient through this whole post, here's a sneak preview:

Aren't you all just dying with the suspense right now? I bet. Now here are the rest of the pictures that I couldn't decide to get rid of but couldn't work into the body of the text. If you don't care, you don't have to see them. But I thought they were cute. 

Of the whole family, Josh takes the best selfies.

"Mom, I'm going to the Gallopy Gala!"

At the Children's Museum

Pre-Thanksgiving Pie-Making is serious business

All my men walkin' into church together, holding hands.

Banana Cream! This one was probably the prettiest.

Ain't nothin' can get in between Peter and his trains.

Mike thinks this "accurately portrays my personality". Crazy boy.

This is Joshy's "I'm a hooligan" face.

Mike found him this way, and like a good parent, took a picture before rescuing him. (I think he followed Josh, but hasn't learned to climb down like Josh has.)

The Three Bears is Josh's favorite. Bet you can't guess his favorite animal.

I found this racecar shirt in the 2T box, so the Lightning McQueen shirt (which shows Josh's belly) can quietly disappear without any screaming tantrums. Phew!

Merry Christmas!

Warning: Cute Picture Overload Ahead!

[PICTURE ALERT] There will be a lot of them.

At the park the last really warm day

Well, Happy November everybody! As you can probably guess, my life has been a crazy mess of crazy busy mess. For one thing, I am now the primary chorister. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) (Those are happy exclamation points.) See, when I was 15 (?) and I got my patriarchal blessing (which if you don't know what that is, here's an explanation), it said I would have many callings throughout my life with music and with children, because that's what I'm good at. As we left the patriarch's house, my mom looked back at me and said, "So you're going to have the same life as me, you're saying?"

Pretty much. My mom has more experience being in primary than I have of being alive. She's been chorister, like, a dozen times or something. And I've been in primary a few times, including teaching classes and being the pianist. So when Brother House asked me to be the primary chorister, I said, "Shoot, that'll be a piece of cake." Because I've got this totally awesome resource/help line called my mom.

Rockin' out!

Also, I almost cried I was so relieved he wasn't calling me to the nursery to be with my boys. That would just have been cruel. But they do that to the dads sometimes, which I feel is slightly less cruel.

But it does keep me busy. And between that and preschool, Halloween, a bunch of different germs we’ve gotten, and all the other random stuff that manages to fill my life, I’ve been running around like a crazy mad woman the last couple of weeks. I’m not proud of it. But it has been happening.

Well, I got one of my preschool days done yesterday (we teach twice a week, but there’s no school for the big kids today, so we moved preschool so the families with big kids could all do something fun together). And I’m now the coolest mom ever, because we talked about . . . DINOSAURS! And let’s face it, what’s cooler than digging in the dirt, even if you don’t find any dinosaurs?

At the Preschool Halloween Party last week

Also, I just love all of Katie’s little preschool friends, this year and last year. Maybe it’s because they’re not my kids (and all kids behave better for other people than for their own parents), but I think they’re all adorable.

And now, what you’ve actually been waiting for: Halloween!!! (Please note that now that I have an Instagram account, I post all the really cute ones there. So there will most definitely be repeats. But you’re not offended, because my kids are the absolutely cutest things in the universe.)

Almost immediately after my last blog post, we carved the pumpkins we picked from the pumpkin farm. Katie and Mike were the primary participants in this (meaning they cleaned out the pumpkins and decided which side was best and were in charge of making the decisions). Katie had a BLAST. They pretended they were doing pumpkin surgery . . . which is a really gross analogy if you think about it too hard. Yeah, we'll just leave that one alone.

But then Katie was also in charge of what to carve on her pumpkin. We got two big 'ole pumpkins to carve, and Mike and Katie decided to carve one and leave the other for me. Katie was adamant that hers be a scary smiley face, like the pumpkin Curious George carves in the Curious George Halloween special. (Can you tell what we've seen a lot of this last month?) (Although, to be fair, the Curious George Halloween special was a lot cuter than other holiday specials that I have seen. And not too dumb.)

With their scary smiley face

I'm quite proud.

Naturally, they expected me to do something cool. I saw some really cute ideas, including one that I tried . . . that didn't work. But then I ended up doing a really cool one. Unfortunately, after we bleached the pumpkins, mine dried out and Cinderella's head shriveled down, so for the last week and a half we've had a pumpkin with a headless Cinderella in it. Alas.

A  big truck went by.

Then there was the ward trunk or treat. It was the week before Halloween, and it was so much fun! For the actual trunk-or-treating, Mike stayed at the car and handed out candy, and I took the kids around the circle of cars. I had one hand on each boy, and Katie was the leader. They LOVED it. Except that they didn’t get the hang of the whole receiving candy thing until the end, when they decided to trick-or-treat from Daddy’s bucket several times over. And actually, I was surprised at how few Elsas there were. I thought half the primary girls were all going to be Elsa, but I think there were only two or three. There were some pretty amazing costumes, though.

We tried to streak my hair like Anna . . .

After that we all went inside for dinner and games and such. Katie is the master of primary games (bean bag toss, bowling, etc.) and might be a little too assertive for her own good. But she had fun. And Olaf and Sven got to roam the church being cute at everyone while we walked around socializing. Man, my boys are cute.

That Sunday was not only my first day being the primary chorister, but also the first day we left the boys alone in nursery (they technically were allowed to the week before, but Peter had a hard time so Mike stayed with him). But that week we decided to just leave him and let him learn how to deal with other people. He’s a bit clingy. And it was the BEST day of church we have had in MONTHS.

Some brave YW did a snowflake for her

I don’t know if you grandparent types remember, but going to church with sub-18-monthers is the worst. And if you have two sub-18-monthers, the thought of going to church elicits more groans and headaches and fake flu symptoms than thoughts of spiritual growth. Mike and I have been . . . not too enthusiastic about church for the last . . . oh, 18 months. But now, oh boy.

When I left primary and met Mike over by the nursery room (where we picked up THREE children. Yes, we have THREE children in nursery right now), he was almost giggling he was so excited. “Brittany, guess what I just did. I went to Sunday School AND Priesthood, and I got to hear the lessons!” That’s a really big deal for us. The best part? Peter didn’t actually cry the whole time. Even if he cried for longer than is probably awesome, the leaders acted like he was totally fine (which is how it’s supposed to be, am I right?). Awesome. So church is once again a spiritually enlightening experience, even if it’s still a little tiring for me.

Last week we did a lot of things, most of which I can’t remember. I’m probably on the top ten list of sleep-deprived people in the world. But Mike had multiple tests, and I definitely did things. I know for sure they involved freezing our buns off, because it decided to have a teaser-trailer for this great new thing called WINTER. Yeah, it was cold. When it wasn't freezing, we were crunching leaves. We don't really have a yard, but we have a couple of trees right over our driveway that have been more than generous.

Then, Friday was Halloween. And I actually got pictures of all of our costumes. You know you can't handle the awesome and cute.

It snowed on Friday. And I bet I can guess what who caused it.

We were recreating the scene when Anna gets turned into ice and Elsa cries on her.

All night long he was just saying, "Hat? Hat?" He didn't want to take it off.

Josh loved his Sven costume, too, but it still took bribery to get this picture. He's waiting for me to open his candy.

We decided he was Kristoff from Once Upon a Time, where he's had a haircut.

The headless snow queen modelling my Anna cape.

Aren't we adorable?!?!?! I loved the boys' costumes. I made my costume and Mike's, but my mom got to make the kids' costumes. I only had to take Katie's dress in a bit and then add some velcro and such. So, naturally, about a billion people almost died with how cute my babies were, and everyone asked if I made them. And I didn't. Geez, mom. Steal my thunder.

But we had tons of fun. The boys had really figured out the whole trick-or-treating thing by the time it was actually Halloween, so they got quite the haul. Not as good as Katie's, though. That girl got CANDY.

And it was actually awesome that we decided to do Frozen for Halloween this year, because it was wicked cold, and all of our characters were supposed to be dressed for a snow storm anyhow. Oh, except for Elsa, with whom I got into a very loud argument about whether she needed to wear tights and a coat to go trick-or-treating, because YES. The COLD DOES BOTHER HER ANYWAY, whether she thinks so or not. Little sassy-pants.

She was all happy because I let her wear some sparkly eye shadow.

We didn't end up staying out very late, because my children are not very old, and are not quite able to tolerate sugar buzzes like the big kids get to. There were a significant number of tantrums that night when we got home, especially when we put their buckets out of reach. But they were still cute.

Also, their costumes were really big on them and we might start using them as pajamas.

Besides Halloween, we've just been hanging out trying to be awesome.

Katie, as always, is full of many, varied, and unusual ideas. She loves to play in the leaves and seems to think that because she dressed as Elsa for Halloween, the cold really doesn't bother her. But then her lips and fingers start turning blue and we have to drag her kicking screaming popsicle body back into the house.

Want to hear a sample conversation from dinner? Please ignore the nerdiness of the conversation Mike and I were having.

Mike: But episodes I, II, and III come chronologically before the other ones.

Brittany: Yeah, but they are kind of terrible, and the other ones came first. Seriously.

Katie: No, there are no sheep on farms, actually. Gram and Papa don't have sheep or piglets.

Parents: . . .

No helpless princess complex here.

She's a really interesting kid. After Halloween, we went to Target to see what they had on clearance, and maybe supplement our already-impressive dress-up bucket. Katie picked out a mermaid costume, and because I will never be able to make costumes like them, I grabbed Spiderman and Wolverine. But the smallest costumes they had were 4-6x. 

So, naturally, Katie assumed ownership of the superhero costumes. And she's been rotating through everything in the dress-up box this weekend. Sometimes you gotta be a princess or a snow queen, and sometimes you gotta put on your muscles and fight bad guys.

Here's what I find most mornings.

What I'm really worried about is what she's teaching her brothers. Whether she's doing it on purpose or not, they follow her every move. And first thing every morning, after the boys wake up, Katie goes into their room and sits on the floor making silly faces at them until I can drag my lazy mommy carcass out of bed. They love her. And she's just the ring leader.

As for Josh, I don't even know what to tell you. The kid just seems to be growing like a weed. Every time I look at him he seems to be older. He's noticeably taller than Peter, and definitely holds his pants up better. And he's really starting to talk. Not quite as much as Peter, but he definitely does. Although, remember how I said he used "yeah" and "no" properly? Nevermind that. Now shaking his head "NO" and saying "no!" are his favorite activities. Although, he's usually smiling as he does it.

He LOVES dinosaurs and trucks, and I'm pretty sure he does a better roar than any kid I know. In fact, it applies to most animals. Both boys have really gotten into cows and sheep recently, but Josh is a little confused.

Mommy: What does a cow say?
Peter: Moo!
Josh: MOOORAAAAAAAWWWRRRRR!
Mommy: What does the sheep say?
Peter: Baa!
Josh: BAAAAAARAWAAAAAWWWWWRRRR!!!

There is no doubt that Joshy is a manly man. He makes sure of it. But he still loves to snuggle his mom when he's tired or sick. We all decided to get a nasty cold this week, so I've gotten a lot of snuggling time with my Josh. He doesn't make a big deal out of it, he just climbs up on my lap and sits there, no big deal. Just Joshy and Mommy time. I kind of love it.

He also has SO MUCH HAIR. Seriously. I think he got his dad's and his Uncle Parker's hair genes. There is a ton of it. He needs haircuts almost more often than Mike. It's kind of ridiculous. He's just so blond that you can't tell in these pictures. Also, because my boys have that silly obsession with hats.

I can't get over this little man.

Peter is . . . Peter. He's so much cuteness I can't even stand it. We had their 18-month checkup a couple of weeks ago and you want to know what they weighed? Josh weighed 26 1/2 pounds. Peter weighed 21 1/2 pounds. That's a FIVE POUND difference. Seriously. And it's not because Peter doesn't eat. He can shovel pizza like a maniac. He's just . . . skinny.

 And he's the real talker. This boy is like a parrot, and repeats every word I say to him. When I'm getting him out of the bath, I say, "Want me to get you in a towel?" And he says, "Towel!" I say, "Do you want me to make you a sandwich?" And he says, "Samma!" (Please note that a lot of these are approximations of his actual pronunciation.)

My favorite one is when I ask if everyone wants to go get in the car to go somewhere and I say, "Everybody get their shoes on!" And Peter starts chanting, "Shoes! Shoes! Shoes!" Peter LOVES shoes. He always wants to be trying on whatever shoes are in the room, be they Katie's sparkly flats or Mike's slippers. And when we come in from the garage and he sees the shoe pile (because they never end up nicely on the shelf), he starts stacking them up in a line. Because he loves shoes. Like mother, like son.

His favorite now is when he messes his diaper, and starts pointing to his bum and saying, "Poop!" Actually, both boys have this one. More than once have I thought I was entirely on time to go pick Katie up from preschool, when both boys started pointing to their bums and saying, "Poop! poop! poop!" And they have been right. Sometimes they aren't, and they're just excited, but whenever I'm late for something, they're right.

I especially like how Katie is tied up in her dress behind him.

 And now for all the pictures I liked but couldn't figure out how to work into the body of the text. If you're bored, you don't have to look at them. :)

The boys caught on pretty quick to the whole "leaf-crunching" thing.

They love hats. Can you tell?

Stylish men after their first day of going to nursery by themselves!

Look at that handsome guy! I sure am lucky.

  

We celebrate National Chocolate day in this house. It was Oct 28.

He's seen me pose Katie in front of these bushes before, so now he runs over there to say "cheese!"

Trying not to freeze to death on our walk!

Happy Halloween!