Tattoos and Popsicles

Last weekend we took the boys out to the Twins Club end of summer ice cream social, where they discovered a new fascination - temporary tattoos!!  They were a little unsure during the application process of putting the sticker on their arm, pressing down, and wetting it, but when the paper was pulled back to reveal a shiny new tattoo, they were hooked!  Oliver got a red fire engine, which he pointed at and said vrrrm, vrrrm for days when asked where his fire truck was.  Owen got a green frog, which he pronounces as "frrr frrr".  The tattoos lasted through 2 baths, and I think the boys (happily) were beginning to think they would be there forever.  But during bath time tonight, they faded away.  When we were drying Oliver off afterward on the changing table in their room, he realized it was gone and started frantically searching his arm, twisting it around as far as he could to search for the fire truck - it was both sad and cute.  Luckily we snagged a couple extra tattoos :)

Oh, and there was an unfortunate mix up with the arrival of the ice cream...but they had Popsicles!  Owen didn't want to try one, but as with most new foods or treats, Oliver was up for it!!

Brushing Teeth With Grandpa

Another fun activity Grandpa helped the boys with this past weekend - brushing teeth!  I must admit that some days are so hectic, with the added variable of trying to keep the noise down in the hallway if Spencer is napping or getting put down for bed, that we forget to brush teeth.  The boys go absolutely crazy over getting to brush their teeth; the process starts out with loud excitement and often ends in crying during the battle to get them to relinquish the tooth brushes!  You would think Babies R Us sprinkles some crack on these "Sesame Street" brushes from the way the boys salivate and scream for them!  

So excited to use a cup and practice rinsing!!  More like making a mess and then swallowing the water... 

Octopus

Spencer loves his octopus!  The twins used to love this toy too, they would hold it up over their faces and suck on the legs.  Now Spencer does that too.  Maybe this means I'm bound to have seafood eaters...

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Sunday we took the boys to church, and for the first time left the big boys in the nursery.  Oliver immediately took off running to play with the toys without a worry about us leaving...and Owen cried for 30 seconds as we tried to put him down surrounded by strangers.  All we had to do was point out the cars and trucks and he was off playing as well.  Spencer stayed with us in the main area and was a good boy as usual.

Afterward, we took a detour on our drive home and discovered a really beautiful place - Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.  The boys really liked the gardens because there was lots of open space for them to run around and explore.  We saw turtles, frogs, and a snake in the visitor's center, and lots of bees outside around the flowers for the boys to point to and make buzzzz buzzzz sounds.

Stopping to smell some flowers...

Trying to climb the steep hill with Grandpa!

Twin Talk

Right around the 18 month mark, the boys' vocabulary dramatically increased.  They are picking up new words left and right now!  And also talking away a lot faster and louder to themselves in a jibber jabber we can't understand.  Could this be the beginning of their secret Twin Talk?  This video is far from a You Tube sensation, but still funny as they run around babbling to each other!

And here was a wild night at dinner last week - Dada came home early, and then went out the back door to attend to the pool.  They couldn't contain their excitement after catching a glimpse of him pass through the kitchen.

Bye Bye Megan :(

Last week, after 14 wonderful months, our awesome nanny Megan had to return back home to Utah :(  She came to live with us when the twins were just 4 months old, in June 2011, and quickly became such a big part of our family!  She mastered the art of taking care of two babies alone when I returned to work last summer, and also stepped right in and was a huge help all throughout my pregnancy with baby Spencer and when he arrived.  Who else could we have relied upon to take care of the boys at a moment's notice, in the middle of the night, when we rushed off to the hospital this past March!?  For over a year she kept a log of everything they ate, drank, times they slept, and time of day they even pooped!  This has already proven fun to look back on.  We never could have hoped for such a genuine, kind hearted, caring individual to take care of and love our boys during their first year of life!  We are happy Megan is continuing school and starting a new adventure in her life...but miss her so very much already :(  I am sure our paths will cross again one day. Ski trip to Utah anyone?!

Megan with the twins on the 4th of July, 2011

Megan's last night with the boys - August 13, 2012

And Megan with baby Spencer the day we brought him home from the hospital!

Last night of fun... Megan and Katie were so kind and bought the boys a going away gift - a basketball hoop!!

One last bit of fun.  Ryan and I were able to get a babysitter and take Megan and Katie out to dinner at P.F. Chang's their last Saturday night in Virginia, during which the topic of what the boys might be when they grow up was discussed.  This was what the girls told us, and I thought it was so cute that I need to document it here and check back when the boys are "grown up" to see how close they were!  Sorry boys, if you're reading this in the far off future and think we're all a little crazy!!

Owen - businessman

Oliver - professional athlete

Spencer - opera singer

Spencer Laughing

So silly this baby!!

Momma's Shoes

The boys have always gravitated toward my house shoes, wanting to play with them and, uh, put them in their mouths...but now they've graduated to just wearing them, which is better!  Is this the boy version of wearing Momma's high heels?  Or maybe it's just that I don't wear "nice" clothes anymore!!

Rice Cereal and Thumbs

Spencer's two favorite things to munch on!  We started giving him rice cereal the day after his 5 month birthday and he's been doing pretty well with it over the last week or so.  I actually tried giving it to him a couple weeks before that and he had no interest at all, letting it all ooze out of his mouth!  He's been getting his cereal at the same time the big boys eat their dinner (I've been putting his bouncy chair up on the kitchen table so all three boys are in a row), and I think he likes being served up something yummy alongside his brothers.  Oliver often eyes the little bowl of rice cereal I'm giving Spencer, points and makes noises indicating he wants to try some, thinking he's missing out on something.  But Oliver eats everything - he's even taken a liking to fire roasted hummus lately!

We also have a thumb sucker...