KIP Spring Program

We just got home from Alex and Olivia's spring program at their preschool. What an amazing job all of the children did singing with their classes. I thought for sure Alex and Olivia would be shy, but they were not one bit shy on stage singing in front on a room full of parents and extended family members. I think the teachers brainwash the children because Olivia has been telling me for weeks "at the program, you cannot stand next to me" and "if I sing I will get a cookie".

It's amazing what some wonderfully dedicated teachers can do with some 3 year olds.

A year in review....at least since the move.....

As I sit here on Mother's day without a peep in the house, as Alex & Olivia spent the weekend with their grandparents, I find myself thinking about all the things we have been done since we moved here and how I have completely neglected the blog. But I guess all of that comes with us both working, Alex & Olivia going to preschool everyday, and trying to keep our lives sane all at once while 2 3 year olds are peppering with questions all day long and over and over again. But in the end, as crazy as our lives are on a daily basis, I would not change it for anything - - there is nothing greater than being a mom and nothing greater than seeing your children grow and develop every day.

So with that said, here is my attempt to "catch up" from neglecting the blog and filling in what we have been up to since we moved here.

About a month and a half after we moved here, we went on our first beach vacation with Alex & Olivia. We stayed at a condo on Isle of Palms, South Carolina which is just outside Charleston. It was such a wonderful and relaxing vacation - - the only downfall is Ben wasn't able to join us as the trip was just as school started here and he landed a job interview the day before we left and was unsure if he would be getting a job and would have to start the week we were on vacation. Luckily for me, Ben's parents had already planned to go on vacation with us, so I did have some help. Alex & Olivia loved the ocean and loved swimming in the pool! We also hit up the Charleston aquarium in which the kiddos loved seeing all the fish and animals! We'll be heading back again this summer, with my parents this time, and Ben will definitely be joining us this year!

After vacation we finally decided to take Olivia to get her first hair cut! She was always jealous that Alex would get a hair cut and she wouldn't. We use to tell her that boys get hair cuts and girls where "prettys" (her word for pony tail holders, bows, etc) Starting out with very little hair, I must say it has taken a long time to grow! But now as Ben would say, it is pretty much a "hotmess" of hair at times due to the curls! Now she is happy to get a hair cut about every other time or every third time that Alex does.


Uncle Dave came to visit us in September. Alex & Olivia LOVE Uncle Dave! In fact, whenever we have anyone staying with us, they ask if they will be sleeping in "Uncle Dave's room". He's a legend in our house! We had a fun weekend with him playing in the yard, going to the Louisville Slugger Museum and making our first trip to the Louisville Zoo!

Unfortunately the job that Ben stayed home for when we were on vacation didn't work out. But he did get a call in the middle of September (school started mid August) and he landed a job 4 weeks into the school year! I believe he said it happened right after he had convinced himself he would be home with Alex & Olivia for the school year! So off we went to find a school for Alex & Olivia. A number of places we called only had one spot open! :( But we ended up at a wonderful school that Ben's cousin Carrie's children went to and they made space for us (since we knew Carrie!). Every day they have to bring their own backpack to school and it is so cute to see them carry them! Here they are on their first day of school - - they were so excited! And they have learned so much!

I was sad to have left Connecticut around Halloween as last year we found the perfect place to get pumpkins with the kiddos. But this year, we did find an even better place. We found a great place about 45 minutes away in Indiana, Huber's. The scenery was absolutely beautiful on the way out there, and then we got to ride a tractor out to the pumpkin fields and pick our own pumpkins. Afterward we were able to enjoy a great meal of pulled pork on the grounds! Can't wait to go back next year!

Halloween was bitter sweet for us this year. We were so excited for Alex & Olivia as it was probably their first Halloween where they understood a little bit and they learned a lot about it at school. At school they had a day where they had to dress up in their costumes and they did a Halloween parade for all the parents. Alex was dressed up as a Purdue football player (thank you Zink's for the costume!) and Olivia was dressed up as a Purdue cheerleader (thank you Zink's for the outfit again!). They had a such a fun time getting dressed up and get candy from their friends at school! We were excited to take the kiddos out for Halloween around the neighborhood, but were so disappointed when they both took a super long nap (never a good sign) on Halloween and both woke up with a fever! We were so sad for them as we had been talking about it all day about getting dressed up and going out to the houses. I think we were more upset than they were, but we let them pick a piece of candy from our bowl we were handing out and Ben went to the neighbor's house and got some candy for them. But when we put them to bed, Olivia said to me "don't be sad mommy, I told daddy that one day I will be able to hand out candy with him!". It broke my heart as she thought all she was missing was handing out candy! We are hoping next year is more of a success!
And I can't leave out that since the Zink's were nice enough to lend us the Purdue football outfit that we let them borrow our Tigger costume from when A&O were little so they could use it for "baby Joshua" (as he is called around our house). But before we gave it to him we felt the need to try it on! I was a little disturbed how well it fit Olivia (besides being short in the arms and legs!) as it was size 6 - 9 months, I believe! It was fun though and made for some good pictures!
Thanksgiving we spent in Michigan - - it was great to be able to hop in the car after Ben's last day of school and drive up there for the long weekend. Something we could never do in Connecticut! Although we did miss spending Thanksgiving with the Healy/Morrison clan! We spent Christmas Eve at our house as we had Ben's parents, grandmother, and his Aunt and Uncle over for dinner, and everyone except for his aunt and uncle stayed the night and watched the kiddos open their gifts! It was a great night, and there is nothing better than seeing Alex & Olivia's reaction when they saw the presents under the tree. They were really into opening their presents and enjoying every minute. We drove to Ben's parents for lunch/dinner on Christmas and then back to Louisville the next day to meet my parents who stayed with us for a few days and we enjoyed Christmas with them. This highlighted exactly the reason we wanted to move closer to family. It was so nice to be able to see everyone for the holidays and I know Alex & Olivia absolutely enjoyed every minute. I love seeing the relationships they were building with their family and it is amazing to see the family dynamic when there are two little kids in the picture.


And Dudley's favorite gift....his very own Purdue jersey!
Alex & Olivia turned 3 in March - - so hard to believe my little babies are 3! I will do a separate post about their birthday (and I promise it will be in the near future!) and about Derby!

We've come along way......

Most of these posts are always about the kids and how much they have changed, but I feel the need to reflect a little bit as Alex and Olivia's 3rd birthday is quickly approaching......

Although it was more than 3 years ago, I can very vividly remember the moment at our 7 week ultrasound visit when the ultrasound technician told us we were having twins. I also remember sitting in a chair int he hallway of the doctor's office waiting to see a doctor after the ultrasound to discuss twins. I had so many thoughts swarming my mind, and I can only imagine the thoughts that went through Ben's mind. Having a math background, my thoughts beyond the "oh my goodness thoughts" focused on the financial aspects including the idea of needing 2 cribs, 4 car seats, pay double the amount of day care, which all culminated into a single thought that I was so glad we had waited until we were in a good financial position to have children. And there are still some days that I think "I can't believe we have twins - this happens to other people, not us", but then there are days that I am SO reminded that we have twins whether it is a bad day or an extra special day where you see the bond between Alex and Olivia shine.


We are almost 3 years into being parents of twins and boy what a ride it has been. We have definitely had our ups and downs but if there is one thing I have learned is that Ben and I make a great team. I couldn't do it without him. It hasn't always been easy but at times we have had such a rhythm and routine that we didn't think it was too bad. Then came 2 - 2 1/2 came and that involved a move from Connecticut to Kentucky....it was a rough time for all of us between getting settled, getting molars, not behaving, etc. but in the end it has all been worth it as I really do believe Alex and Olivia have become so much closer because of the move and the experiences they have had. We changed a lot in their little lives, but they have always had each other.

But as I loo back, I am amazed at how things have changed over time with going through this experience as a first time parent, and two children to learn the ropes and practice on rather than just one.

Bath time - We used the kids' infant tub until they were 9 or 10 months old which is probably crazy because once they could sit up it probably made the most sense to put them in the regular bath tub together. But Ben and I had such a routine to bath time, so much that we wouldn't have ever wanted someone to help us out because we had it down pat. Then we moved into the bathtub when they weren't fitting any longer in the infant tub which involved both of us washing the kids. And I don't remember at what point this happened but we eventually went down to just one of washing - - not sure why we tried to squeeze two of us next to the bathtub when one of us could handle it. Now the other gets some free time during bath time (although it isn't that long but long enough to decompress from work or to get the dishes done).

Taking the kids into daycare - Super easy when they were both in infant car seats, that is if you classify "easy" as carrying two 10 lbs car seats each with a baby inthem. We finally grew out of them at around 9/10 months but neither could walk. So my choices were to set up the stroller every morning or put one in the Baby Bjorn and carry the other. The stroller would have beena pain, and Ben can attest to the fact I have never been good at pushing the side by side stroller in close spaces, so I opted for the Bjorn. It worked great! And some people would say to me "I can't believe you put that on every morning" but in all honesty, what else was I suppose to do? Then they got too big for the Bjorn, so I had to have them walk, but they didn't always want to hold my hands, so it was NEVER easy! It seemed to always result in someone throwing a temper tantrum or someone running away in the parking lot. But now we are in such a better place. They both love to hold my hand, and they even enjoy holding each others hands. So typically you will see us in a parking lot with me holding one of their hands while they are holding their brother or sister's hand. We do still have some days though where it feels like I a herding sheep.

Weekend morning routine - Since they have been born we have both always gotten up every Saturday and Sunday morning when they woke up. When they were younger they both needed to be fed which was easier when there were two of us and as they got older we still did it so that someone could take care of the kids while the other takes care of Dudley. And we have always been luck with our kids sleeping in on the weekend as typically it isn't any earlier than 7:30 and sometimes as late as 8:30. We still complain it is too early, but we always have to remind ourselves that we are blessed with kids who are not getting up at 6 on the weekends (not sure I could function with that). One morning a few weeks ago, Alex woke up before Olivia so I got up with him and let him play until Olivia woke up. I made sure to take the monitor with me so Ben could get some extra sleep. I ended up entertaining the kids until 9 and let Ben sleep in. I think he truly enjoyed the extra sleep, and so now we have tried to make this a regular thing. We take turns we each get to sleep in one day each weekend.

Going out to eat - this use to involve high chairs, booster seats, bottles, sippy cups, bibs, their own silverware, diapers and everything that goes along with diapers. This is so much easier......no highchairs as they sit in boosters now, and soemtimes they get to sit without boosters if they are being good, no bottles, no sippy cups, and no diapers. It is WONDERFUL! Since most places give kids a cup with a straw we just use that and they are starting to use regular sized silverware and are both potty trained (we are down to just 1 pullup each day just for Alex!)!!!! It is truly WONDERFUL!!!

And being home with both of them is not so overwhelming and daunting as it once was, well unless you have to put them down for nap. But they play with each other and typically really enjoy each others company which makes the job that much easier. But I do enjoy any time that I get to have one on one time with them since it is so infrequent but yet so special.

Thanks Ben for being a great teammate!!!!

Olivia

In one way, Olivia is a lot like Alex....she likes to talk. She has energy but not as much as Alex. She instead is extremely good at entertaining herself with her vivid imaginiation and can stay focused on one thing for quite a long time. Being at home with just Olivia is a really easy job because she will entertain herself and doesnt' have to go to the bathroom very often which helps me because I often forget to remind them to go! Since Ben and I started taking road trips together several years ago I have often referred to the "Krausman Bladder of Steel"; which refers to my bladder and my ability to drink all sorts of liquids and not have to go to the bathroom for a very long time. Olivia may not look like me but she has definitely inherited the "Krausman Bladder of Steel"!

Although she likes to talk like Alex it is a whole different kind of talking. She doesn't peg you with questions like Alex and she isn't always thinking about food. Instead, she is thinking about why things are, making comparisons from one thing to another, and really trying to formulate her own thoughts and opinions about things while trying to learn and soak it all up. She amazes me sometimes with some of the conversations I have with her or that others have with her. Sometimes I really wonder if she is really just about to turn 3. She has had a lot of curiosity about her brother's "man parts" that she doesn't have. She has tried to hold "her's" to go to the bathroom only to realize she didn't have one. She tries to push "it" doewn like Alex does when he goes to the bathroom. And now she has brought it to a whole new level learning why she uses toiler paper and Alex doesn't when they go to the bathroom. In fact, here is a conversation she had with my dad when he was in town:

Olivia: "Papa, do you use toilet paper?"
Papa: "Yes"
Olivia: "Dudley doesn't because he has a penis. You use toilet paper, so you don't have a penis?"
Papa: "No, I do have a penis, and I don't use toilet paper."

Blows my mind that she has put that all together and make sense out of it. I think my dad never expected to have that kind of conversation with his 2 year old granddaughter. When she is in a good mood, she can be such a funny little girl.

Olivia's speech has always been next to perfect....unless she is mumbling (which does happen from time to time). I have never had any problem understanding a single word that she says. She enunciates so well with every word that she says. Although she initially had trouble with her "v"'s and pronounces them like a "b" instead. But we have figured out that she can say "v" but just likes to be called "Olibia". But her speech has always been so good that we sometimes ask her to translate what Alex is saying and a lot of times she is very successful.

She has recently started making up her own songs. It is so adorable. Out of nowhere she will start singing a song about anything whether it be the new bookcase we got or something else in the house. I often will ask her where she learned the song and she replies "just me". It is very sweet. She is also my big helper. She loves to be included in anything that we do and is always looking for ways to help us out. She has started to bring her stool in the kitchen and help me when I am cooking or baking. I sure this is something the continues to enjoy as she gets older as well, as it is always nice to have a partner in the kitchen.


And my once bald little beauty has turned into a little girl with a whole lot of hair (okay she still doesn't have a LOT of hair, but it is long).She got her first hair cut shortly after we moved to Kentucky. She had been watching Alex get hair cuts for about a year and would always say "boys get hair cuts, girls wear pretties in their hair". That is always how we explained it to her. But in August, we finally figured she had enough hair and it made sense to get her hair trimmed to even it out. Here are a few snap shots of her first hair cutting experience:

BEFORE:
AFTER:
She doesn't get her hair cut every time Alex does, but whens he does she loves sitting in the little cars watching Dora.

And there isn't anyone else in this world that she cares more about then her twin brother Alex. I think she will be keeping a close eye on him for many years to come! In fact, we have always said that once in school we will split them up into different classrooms because if in the same class we see Olivia doing Alex's homework for him and he having absolutely no problem with that situation. And sure enough in their preschool class earlier this year, the teacher accidentally sat Olivia next to Alex during art (the teacher makes an effort to split them up since she is a twin as well), and when the teacher looked over she found Olivia doing Alex's art project for him while he was chatting away with his buddy next to him.

Olivia may always be trying to figure everything out and outsmart us, but she is one very loving and caring little girl who loves to laugh and she shows us every day as she plays mommy to her baby dolls!

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.