Thursday, January 29, 2015

Cute Things They Say

The other day Parker and I went through my Facebook page starting from when I joined in 2009 and I was reminded of some cute things the boys have said throughout the years so I decided to post them on here so I'd have them for my blog book: 

"Joshy you can hold it, just pinch it in your bum really hard." (Jackson was on the potty and Josh had to go really bad and was waiting).  November 2009

"Mommy, if we got a car that FLIES then we would get places a lot faster! Do you have monies for one of those?" ~Josh  October 2010

Jackson: "Mommy, why does Daddy have to go to work every day?" Me: "Because he makes money for us to live and buy things." Jackson: "Well, I have monies in my piggy bank, lots of monies, so he can just come back home." August 2010

"Mommy, I can't wait to marry a girl so I can dress her up like a princess!" ~Jackson  March 2010

 "Joshy, will you hold Tyce still so I can color on him?" ~ Jackson  March 2010

 Me: "Do you guys want tacos or spaghetti tonight for dinner?" Josh: "Chocolate please."  February 2010

"Mommy, I love Tyce SO much that I want you to have ANOTHER Tyce!" ~Jackson   February 2010

"Mommy, why do you wear a bra?" "Because I'm a girl." "Can I be a girl tomorrow and wear one?"   November 2009

So I gave the boys each $15 to take to their Holiday Gift Shop at school. Jack was supposed to get something for Parker and Josh was supposed to get something for me. It was to be a lesson in economics and giving. What does Josh come home with? One small present for me and he bought FOUR FOR HIMSELF! Hahahaha! Sweet Jack picked out three perfect things for Parker and nothing for himself. So indicative of their personalities... December 2011

While in the tub the boys managed to soak my bathroom floor. I asked who did it, Tyce pointed to the twins and the twins pointed to Tyce. I said, "ok I'll just write Santa a letter tell him you've been naughty." Jack said, "fine, he'll just write you a letter back saying it was Tyce not us!"  December 2011

Josh came home early from school today sick. When Jackson came home I asked him if he missed Josh, "nope, I was having too much fun." It made me sad. Then Jack was showing me all his school papers and he pulls out some blank paper, "this is for Joshy, I thought he'd be sad he didn't get to color at school so here ya go." November 2011

Jackson's morning prayer this morning: "please bless me and Joshy to find kids who have no one to play with them so we can play with them. And please bless us to show the bad kids how to be good."   October 2011

"Mommy this girl at school asked if she could be my friend today but she talks a lot and gets in trouble a lot. I told her if she can NOT talk for 3 weeks, and get good again, then I will be her friend."  ~Josh   September 2011

This morning after they had their healthy breakfast the twins wanted some Resees Puff cereal (SO gross but I caved and bought it yesterday). Josh took a couple bites and Jack said "Josh was there a magical surprise in every bite?" Josh said "no." Jack said, "dang it, I guess it just happens on TV!"   August 2011

"Mommy for your birthday I'm going to make you a cake with a big heart on it because I love you so much and angels on it because you're pretty as an angel."   ~Josh  August 2011

Jack's dinner prayer: "Bless Josh not to write stupid on my coloring book. Bless Tyce and me not to fight in the tub. Bless Josh to close his eyes for prayer. Bless Josh not to plug his ears while I pray. Bless Josh and me not to fight over who is funnier to Tyce. Name of Jesus Christ amen."  November 2012

Jackson: "Mommy I love you, but I love daddy a little more. But don't worry, Josh loves you a little more so its all fair."  ~Jackson   August 2012

When the twins landed in Oregon at the Portland airport Air Force One was out one of their windows and the decked out Oregon Ducks plane was out the other window. Can you guess which one they were more interested in? I asked Jackson why he thought the Duck plane was cooler and he said.."well mommy, ducks are just more cool than President Obama."   July 2012

Jackson: "Mommy, Izek at school says 'I'm sexy and I know it,' what does sexy mean?" Me: "Umm...it means you're pretty." Jackson: "Oh, well then mommy you are sexy!"   May 2012

Jackson: "mommy how much do you weigh?" I tell him. He says, "wow, THAT'S why the car goes down so far to the ground when you get in it!"   December 2014

So proud of my Tyce today...he woke up asking if he could pick out his own shirt and was dead set on wearing a purple Chuck E Cheese shirt. I was annoyed but let him wear it. He came home from school today to tell me "Mommy, do you wanna know why I wanted to wear a purple shirt? Cuz kids in my class make fun of Joshua B. for wearing a pink shirt and he cried so I thought if I wore a purple shirt today they would make fun of ME and not poor Josh B. BUT...they didn't make fun of me cuz, well, I guess everyone loves Chuck E Cheese!"   October 2014



Thursday, January 15, 2015

Sleepovers and Other Fun!

Tyce is my social butterfly and would be in heaven if he could have a friend over every single day of his life.  Over Christmas break he was able to have FOUR sleepovers!  One at Kenshi's house, one at Leah and Sarah's house, then we had Kenshi and Leah and Sarah over to sleep here.  He is such a cute host, always making sure his friends have everything they need, so sweet.
 
Here's him and Kenshi at the Jackson and Josh's basketball practice...
We took them to McDonalds for dinner...
Tyce reading to Kenshi ("Kenshi I'll teach you how to read in English and you teach me how to talk in Japanese")...

So cute these two...
Kimberly and I took the twins, Brianna, and Jake skating again.  The twins just cannot get enough of skating!  However, there's also a stupid arcade there and all the kids kept begging for money and tokens, we stood firm and said no each time.  SO, they spent their skate breaks crawling on the ground looking for tokens, money, or tickets.  Jack somehow hit the jackpot...
After four hours there they all ended up with enough tickets to buy some cheap crap that they were all thrilled with...
After skating we stopped at Café Rio for dinner, yummmmy steak nachos!!!
Tyce decided to help me clean all the bathrooms upstairs, he did a great job...love the butt crack and cowboy boots, I think that's a great way to clean...
Josh and daddy were watching the Broncos game and Josh decided to dress up as a...superhero football player?!

Sleepover with the Stathis girls, check out the awesome fort Parker built for them to watch a movie and eat popcorn in...


Tyce got Leah and Sarah breakfast in the morning while Parker and I were still in bed!
Playing games...
One day Jack decided to dress up like a cowboy and go out in the rain to shoot bow and arrows.  He told me I could take a picture as long as I didn't get the rainboots in the picture because then he would look "ridiculous."  Hahaha...

Brody being cute...
So I get a call from the assistant principal last week telling me that Jack was suspended from the bus for two days for...throwing a pencil.  One pencil, while they were still at the school waiting for everyone to get on, and he stopped as soon as he was asked to.  Our school is so over strict, especially considering it's his first "offense" and he stopped immediately after he was asked.  The east coast is a such an overly cautious place.  Anyway, I was upset because suspending him from the bus is MUCH more a punishment for ME than for HIM!  He was thrilled I had to drive him to and from!  So I decided he had to walk to school, it was under 25 degrees one day and one day it was raining.  He didn't complain once and walked the whole 1.5 miles...Obviously I followed behind him in the car so no one called child protective services on me...


He also was grounded for two full days, he spent a total of eight hours in his room without a peep.  I was proud of him and hoped he learned...not so much the dangers of throwing a pencil...but the importance of obeying rules.

We had our friends Sarah and Doug and Traci and David and all their kids over for a fun little get together, I didn't get many pics but here's two of the kids eating pizza...

 And Tyce, for some reason, was in my washing machine...

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Another Basketball Season Has Begun

The twins just started their fourth year playing basketball at the Manassas Park Rec Center! 
 
The first year when they were 5...
 Second year when they were 6...
 Third year when they were 7...
 And this year when they are 8! 
Looking forward to a fun season with Jack and Josh!

Tyce also started this year!  The first couple practices were rough, he kept saying he didn't want to play.  However, when it was game time he was beyond excited and had SO much fun!  He scored two of his team's five baskets and was so proud of himself.  He kept calling himself lightning (because of his speed) and Michael Jordan (because of his skill), which, if you know Tyce at all, is hysterical. 
I snapped a few pictures during warm-ups (I couldn't get any during the game because he was running fast as "lightning"!  Or maybe because I was laughing so hard).  Tyce is the only white kid...

Totally coincidence too that Tyce and the twins are both on Bulls teams!  There's like ten teams in each age group and they happened to be the same!  They all thought that was pretty cool...

Basketball is not my favorite sport to watch but it's my favorite season because it is the closest and least time consuming of all the sports we do!  Looking forward to a fun, low key season! 

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

The Twins Split Up

Since the minute the twins were born they were together, they slept together, ate together, did everything together.  They were even in the same classes until 1st grade.  I think it's safe to say they have spent almost their entire lives side by side in their daily lives....
 
In the NICU...
At home...



When they were about nine months old we split them up and "naptime" was their favorite time to climb from one crib to the other...




After playing for a long time they would finally fall asleep, together, in one crib...

Then we switched them to big boy beds, but still in the same room...







 
About a month ago we were talking at dinner and I mentioned that in our next house each of the boys will have their own rooms and no one will have to share.  Tyce starting BAWLING saying "that's no fair!  That means I'll never get to share and I'll always be alone!"  He frequently yells from his bedroom at night that he is lonely and wants to sleep with someone.  So, without thinking, I said "well do you guys want so switch rooms around?"  They all three shouted YES!  Josh said that he wanted his own room and Jackson said he would love to share with Tyce.  SO..we made the switch!
 
Here is Jack and Tyce's room...

And here is Josh's room...

 
After eight and a half years, they're separated...

That night I found myself so sad to think of the twins no longer together.  I mean, it's always been Jack and Josh, like a pair.  If you know them at all you know they are NOT clingy twins, meaning they do fine apart and always have.  But there is also a closeness about them, I have witnessed many experiences that remind me how close they are in a way only twins can be.  I have always envisioned them being together and close forever.  I hope this is not symbolic of them losing that bond.  An interesting dynamic has come about over the past year, however.  Jackson and Tyce have become very very close.  They fight way more than the twins EVER did but they also have SO much fun together!  Josh is frequently the one on his own while his brothers play something slightly more juvenile than he would prefer.  Josh is much more mature than Jackson in so many ways.  I am amazing at the conversations I am able to have with Josh, he seems so much older than 8 sometimes.  That being said, I think Josh is fine on his own because that's his nature.  Jack was always the boss and he was always the follower which I think is why the two of them got along so well.  Considering they've been side by side for eight years they rarely rarely fight.  Their personalities are just so different.  Tyce and Jack have more similar personalities so they fight more but have a lot of fun too.  They've been doing great in their separate rooms and we'll see if/how their relationship changes!  I think having twins was one of the biggest blessings in my life, there's nothing like it.  Love my Jack and Josh!!