Kentucky's latest....

Since most people reading this blog probably have never been or lived in Kentucky, I figured that I would dedicate a post to some random highlights........

During the summer we enjoyed the heat (especially since we have central air conditioning) and that heat continued well through September and the beginning of October. As nice as the heat was, I was really looking forward to the lack of snow, and the warmer winter temperatures. Well, that hasn't really happened. It went down hill very quickly and it has been about as cold if not colder, on some days, than Connecticut. And Ben had 3 snow days the week before his Christmas vacation started. The first was due to an inch and a half of snow! And the second and third were due to a half of an inch of ice. I expected the ice, but snow?! I thought we would get off easy the first year. Although 1 1/2 inches is much easier to handle - - especially when you have the day off. (if you look hard enough in the picture, I think you can still see some of the grass poking through - - and yep this was on a day when Ben's school was canceled!)

We live just outside of Louisville and just past our neighborhood it gets pretty rural. Because of that, on clear nights we can see stars and the moon really well. Here is the full moon through the window in our foyer. I thought it was pretty cool.

Our neighborhood is pretty hilly. And we seem to be a one of of peaks and it ends up being pretty windy on most days. During the summer and fall this was problematic for Ben's grilling as he always had to keep moving the grill around the deck so his burner wouldn't blow out. But being at one of the peaks does have a benefit.....we get some of the most beautiful sunsets looking out of the back of our house. I just love the nights we have pretty sunsets. Here is one night, about 5 minutes too late from a gorgeous sunset. (We were scrambling to find the camera).

Alex

It has been so long since I have blogged about each of the kids. I feel they both deserve their own blog post because so much has change din what seems to be such little time. Our little babies have grown into jabbering, energetic toddlers who seem to be getting close to not being toddlers anymore. Alex is no exception. he is so full of energy - - it must be a boy thing! He hit 2 1/2 and it was like he exploded with energy. And the jabbering thing is definitely him as well - - sometimes I think his mind is going so fast about what to say next that he cannot even get the words out fast enough which results in him saying some pretty funny things and being difficult to understand (the missing tooth doesn't help!).

And he is just like his daddy. He may not look a single thing like him, but he is so much like him. i don't think his mind stops churning and thinking when he goes to sleep at night. He will wake up int he middle of the night and when one of us goes to see what is going on he'll say things like "what we having for breakfast tomorrow?" or "you make my breakfast tomorrow?" or "can I turn the football guy on tomorrow?" It is always so random, and so funny. We get frustrated when he wakes up after he goes to bed, but we never get a chance to express our frustration because we are greeted with something that just makes us laugh. One time in particular, Alex went to bed with a Corduroy stuffed animal that had removable overalls. He called my name several times after going to bed, and I had already been to his room several times, and this last time was the straw that broke the camel's back. I was so frustrated with having to constantly go upstairs, that I was going to be really tough with Alex this last time. When I walked in his room, I was greeted with "Corduroy naked mommy!" Yep, Alex had taken off Corduroy's overalls! How can you be tough when you are dying laughing?

Alex always has food on the brain. He isn't a particularly good eater (in fact meal time seems to be his stage), but he is always thinking about food. At breakfast, he'll ask "what we havin' for lunch?" The few times I have picked him up from school, I am greeted with "what we havin' mommy?" He is always talking about who is going to make his meals, and now asks in the morning "what we havin' for dinner?" and when I respond with "chicken and carrots", it seems like it isn't good enough because the response I get is "what we havin' with chicken and carrots?" But it is just his inquisitive nature.

And inquisitive he is.......about everything....not just food. Every night when he goes to bed he asks "what you gonna do?" Now he is so use to our response it usually goes like this: "what you gonna do? You do the dishes? You take Dudley potty?" He frequently asks "is the garbage truck coming to our house today?" He wakes up asking "I watch Dora with daddy after school?"

As much as he talks, he still is our gadget guy! he knows how to turn the television on and off better than me, I think (and he doesn't even watch that much tv). A Christmas tree (make that 2) with lights and Alex was in HEAVEN!!! One day after school, the kids were in the basement playing on their own while Ben was making dinner. Once we got the kids down for bed, we went to the basement to find the Christmas tree lights on. Yep, Alex had plugged in the lights. And he did this every day he had the chance. In fact, our artificial tree is still up because Alex asked me to leave it up for one more week.

He is full of energy and loves to make people smile and laugh. He loves to be the center of the party - any meal time typically results in Alex putting on some sort of show. When he does get going, it does get a bit out of hand, and he usually brings his sister down with him. But we struggle to get angry with him because ultimately he is just trying to make you laugh and put a smile on your face. Alex gets very sad when one of us is sad, or not feeling good. In fact, he gets very upset until we tell him we are not sad. And this is what happens when you try to get a serious picture on Christmas eve....Alex thinks its time to be silly!

The questioning never ends, and the high energy boy never stops, and at times it is exhausting (especially when he gets mad if you tell him the garbage truck isn't coming to our house), but nothing puts a smile on my face more so than how inquisitive he is and how much he tries to make people laugh. He truly has a heart of gold and a sister who he loves so dearly.

2 years, 8 months

What I have discovered about twins is the best thing is that as a twin, you have a built in playmate. But also have a person who is with you almost 100% of the time (at least as a child) and they get on your nerves, they know all of your buttons, and they take joy in pushing all of those buttons. Alex and Olivia are no different, in fact they are really good at pushing each other's buttons. But starting at a young age they never really interacted much with each other. We always assumed it was because they were so different in their personalities.

Then there was a day in November that both kids were home sick with a stomach bug. I stayed home from work with them and besides the effects of the stomach bug, they were perfectly fine. I had planned to play/hang out with them in the morning after we ate breakfast. The next thing I realize, I am int he basement trying to get some things done and Alex and Olivia are playing together. Yep, it was one of those times that if Ben was there I would have turned to him and said quietly "hey look, they are playing together, and so nicely." Yep, that is how rare it is in our house. Typically playing together for Alex and Olivia means arguing or fighting over toys (2 - 2 1/2 was a rough time which is probably why there are no blog posts, we were EXHAUSTED!). But this day, it wasn't just 5 minutes of playing nice with each other, it was more like 3 HOURS!!! I couldn't believe it, and at one point I found myself kind of bored since I am usually breaking up the fights while trying to get my own stuff done.

So 2 years and 8 months, in my mind, is the magical moment a twin sees their twin as a positive in their life and not a hindrance. Now I should clarify, that in our house "playing together" typically means Olivia is calling the shots, and Alex is doing whatever Olivia tells him to do. I suppose he is in "husband training" for the rest of his life. And with this style of playing, it could mean they both end up in princess dresses playing with dump trucks.

And it wasn't just this one fluke day. It has actually been like this ever since, and it is SO wonderful. In fact, the day following the day I was home with them, Olivia was fine to go back to school, but I suggested to Ben to keep her home because his job would be easier since Alex would have a playmate. And I was right. They now go down in the basement when they get home from school and play on their own while Ben cooks dinner.

This may come back to get us though, as they seem to also enjoy ganging up on us, and plotting against us together.

And some issues never seem to die......as the never ending "who gets to go first" battle......but I'm hopeful.