Wow, this week has been busy. We sent Ellie and the fam off on Sunday and things still have not slowed down. Several appointments this past week, working on the house and straightening it up, and so much more. Aunt "Veva" flew in town yesterday and is helping out for the next two weeks. Big daddy is out in the field so this is definitely a relief to have a helping hand. The dogs were thrilled to be walked so early this morning without the disruption of a stroller and slow pace. hahaha. The compromises made =)
Today is the boys first party they will attend. It is a swimming party for their friend Tenny who will turn 3. We are so excited. We monogrammed a bag for her and need to pick up a gift card for her to buy books that she enjoys. So fun!
Fast forward a few hours and we have gone to the party. The boys had a blast and practiced floating on their backs and holding their breath. They actually start their swim lessons in two weeks. We are so excited to have them in the water and have no doubt they will be water babies like their mama.
Well, this is a litle scattered, but that is life with twins =) I am off to pull out the Fall/Halloween decor and start decorating. Wish me luck. The attic is congested with all my inventory!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Friday, August 31, 2012
Welcome Friends
What a great day! Our close friend and her two children and dog surprised us and drove down for the weekend. We have been entertaining a 6 and almost 5 year old boy since midnight. Good times. We even left Chris with them for a while. Here is to good training. hahaha!
Today is all about sight seeing and visiting. We are heading to downtown Southern Pines to do a little shopping. Ellie is crazy about Tyler candles ever since we brought her some this March. So that is our first stop. Then off to the park and possible Wally World for some sippy cups for the boys. We have a nice dinner prepared and will most likely put on a chick flick and make Chris suffer through it. What a great husband!
It is funny how life changes in a matter of time. Typically we would be out on the lake throwing back a few adult beverages, but not anymore. =) Ellie asked earlier - is being a parent everything you expected. My answer is yes and no. Yes, because you want something so bad and love them so completely and are overwhelmed with love and joy about their presence. No, because you always forget about the hard part of raising a family. Don't get me wrong - I knew the ins and outs of parenting; however, until you are one and experience the late night feedings, blow outs, sleepless days, etc you can't fully appreciate it all. We love it so much that we are thinking about doing it again. Uh oh - hopefully in the near future we will have a little sibling for our wild men. Wish us luck!
Well, we are off to celebrate. Thanks Browy for have ship duty so the family could come and play.
Today is all about sight seeing and visiting. We are heading to downtown Southern Pines to do a little shopping. Ellie is crazy about Tyler candles ever since we brought her some this March. So that is our first stop. Then off to the park and possible Wally World for some sippy cups for the boys. We have a nice dinner prepared and will most likely put on a chick flick and make Chris suffer through it. What a great husband!
It is funny how life changes in a matter of time. Typically we would be out on the lake throwing back a few adult beverages, but not anymore. =) Ellie asked earlier - is being a parent everything you expected. My answer is yes and no. Yes, because you want something so bad and love them so completely and are overwhelmed with love and joy about their presence. No, because you always forget about the hard part of raising a family. Don't get me wrong - I knew the ins and outs of parenting; however, until you are one and experience the late night feedings, blow outs, sleepless days, etc you can't fully appreciate it all. We love it so much that we are thinking about doing it again. Uh oh - hopefully in the near future we will have a little sibling for our wild men. Wish us luck!
Well, we are off to celebrate. Thanks Browy for have ship duty so the family could come and play.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Easy Gnocchi
Italian blood runs deep. So deep that of course we love to eat pasta and carbs. Gnocchi is a treat in our family and I found a shortcut to eliminate some of the time consumed to make this favorite in our house. Hope you enjoy.
Serves 5
2 1/2 C Dry Potato Flakes (Yes, from a box)
2 1/2 C Boing Water
2 1/2 C Egg, Beaten
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3 3/4 C Flour
***You can add any flavor to this recipe if you like - ie, pesto, sun dried tomato
ENJOY
Serves 5
2 1/2 C Dry Potato Flakes (Yes, from a box)
2 1/2 C Boing Water
2 1/2 C Egg, Beaten
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3 3/4 C Flour
***You can add any flavor to this recipe if you like - ie, pesto, sun dried tomato
- Place potato flakes in a bowl and pour boiling water in bowl; stir until blended and let cool (I have let it cool and worked with it right away - either are fine).
- Stir in eggs, salt, pepper and blend in enough flour to make fairly stiff dough. NOTE - if you plan on adding additional flavor this is where you do it. Turn dough out on well floured board and knead lightly.
- Divide dough in half and shape each into a long thin roll, thickness of bread stick. With a knife (floured) cut into bite size pieces. If you are game for a challenge you then would take your thumb and press the piece and roll towards you to make unique gnocchi look and texture.
- I usually let pieces sit on a floured cookie pan and place in the freezer to harden.
- In a sauce pan bring water to a boil. Add gnocchi and once they come to the surface and float they are ready to eat.
ENJOY
Entertaining the little ones..
I have quickly found that the boys get into everything. They get bored and move on to the next activity, toy, or parent. That said, today is a day to make more stimulating toys for them to entertain themselves or us entertain them.
Picture coming soon of these projects:
I am off to Lowe's in a bit to get paint samples (chips) for the boys to learn colors and use clothespins to help with that recognition.
I am also getting some pom poms from the Dollar Tree so the boys can learn different textures to help with their sensory skills
I am going to make a book of all the family with names, spellings, phonetics, and the different languages we know. This will be fun and let the boys know the special people in their life, while assigning a value and meaning to them.
I am going to buy some glycerin soap and use food coloring once melted to make bath crayons for the boys. I realize they may be a bit young for this, but I figure it will help them with hand eye coordination and give them one extra toy to play with in the tub.
I also found a free printable flashcards with animals, colors, and more to help the boys learn. This is more rote learning, but a foundation is a foundation.
Finally, I found a 1x4 and wrapped it in butcher paper. I nailed a couple of nails in it and attached different color rubberbands to make a noise maker (similar to a guitar). Hope they like it. I plan to make a few shakers to with either an easter egg or old coffee cans/milk jugs.
Fun times here in NC. Today I was discussing with mom the importance of kids to be kids. Yes, we want them to be successful in all their endeavors, but they need to be happy and enjoy each year and stage of their life. That is why I am trying to make simple, but fun toys/games to entertain them. When they are ready to become even bigger boys and wow us with their intelligence they will. Until then, we are content with babbling, talking, inquisitive minds, muscle memory, coordination, and every other milestone they have shared with us. Yea for little boys!
Ok, we are off to shop and get this party started. I may just even create some wonderful items with the embroidery machine. Oh no, I opened pandoras box. Here we go!
Picture coming soon of these projects:
I am off to Lowe's in a bit to get paint samples (chips) for the boys to learn colors and use clothespins to help with that recognition.
I am also getting some pom poms from the Dollar Tree so the boys can learn different textures to help with their sensory skills
I am going to make a book of all the family with names, spellings, phonetics, and the different languages we know. This will be fun and let the boys know the special people in their life, while assigning a value and meaning to them.
I am going to buy some glycerin soap and use food coloring once melted to make bath crayons for the boys. I realize they may be a bit young for this, but I figure it will help them with hand eye coordination and give them one extra toy to play with in the tub.
I also found a free printable flashcards with animals, colors, and more to help the boys learn. This is more rote learning, but a foundation is a foundation.
Finally, I found a 1x4 and wrapped it in butcher paper. I nailed a couple of nails in it and attached different color rubberbands to make a noise maker (similar to a guitar). Hope they like it. I plan to make a few shakers to with either an easter egg or old coffee cans/milk jugs.
Fun times here in NC. Today I was discussing with mom the importance of kids to be kids. Yes, we want them to be successful in all their endeavors, but they need to be happy and enjoy each year and stage of their life. That is why I am trying to make simple, but fun toys/games to entertain them. When they are ready to become even bigger boys and wow us with their intelligence they will. Until then, we are content with babbling, talking, inquisitive minds, muscle memory, coordination, and every other milestone they have shared with us. Yea for little boys!
Ok, we are off to shop and get this party started. I may just even create some wonderful items with the embroidery machine. Oh no, I opened pandoras box. Here we go!
Where has time gone?
I know I have said it before and I will say it again. I am sorry I have been away and I will never do it again. hahaha! My goal is to try and update you all daily. Whether it be funny baby stories, dog tails, or the ups and downs called life - I promise to try my best and keep you up to date. So, let me fill you in on the past year!
Chris started school last August and finished top of his class. Once in the field (June 2012), he suffered an injury which may end our military career. We are bummed, but know that things of this nature do not happen without divine intervention and knowing! We are awaiting an appointment that will dictate our future. We will know for sure next week. Cross your fingers that whatever we encounter will be a smooth transition for our family.
We had several fun parties in the past year ranging from Halloween, to birthday celebrations, to Christmas, and more. A lot of great friends were made and good entertaining and memories made.
Mom came out at Halloween as Jericho tore his ACL and I was pregnant with the boys and was in no shape to pick him up. He had surgery first week of November and he is healing well. Although nobody warned us that a dog's gate could change and as a result he would have a bit of a pimp walk =) Hopeful that once he gets to swimming more he will loosen up those joints and have a smooth stride.
A week after surgery (on the 9th of November) to be exact I went into preterm labor. Crazy! I was 31 weeks and progressing just fine. I had to take some meds, get a steroid shot to sustain and develop the boys lungs, and take it easy. Say bye bye exercise. Knowing me that is a difficult task to sit still and take it easy. hahaha! Well, the day I got off the meds (34 weeks) I started to have crazy contractions again and the next morning we were at the hospital, I was dialated to a 3, my water broke, and before I knew it the boys arrived at 7:19am. Thankful for a wonderful team of nurses and doctors that brought the boys to us. They stayed in NICU for 13 days to help them learn to eat better. They never had to be on O2 and they did great. They are now 9 months old and are crawling, talking, standing, and moving. Camden and Paxton are our little angels and we could not imagine life without them. The dogs adjusted great to the boys and vice versa.
We made two trips to Dallas. One in January to meet and greet the family. We took the boys on an airplane and they were awesome. Not a peep. Then again in June and returned end of July. Road trip - that was a bit crazy, but we survived and had some fun stories to tell. Upon our return we quickly went into contractor mode. Dad and Chris ripped out toilets and replaced them with new eco friendly ones. Adam came out and he and I ripped out two bathrooms and retiled them in white. We wanted to keep it simple and fresh for the next owners. An easy pallete to work with =) It was a fun project and I look forward to any future DIY activities!
So, here we are - enjoying life and learning to be parents, a couple with children, individuals, and more. AND - we promise to update you all on the daily happenings here in NC!
Chris started school last August and finished top of his class. Once in the field (June 2012), he suffered an injury which may end our military career. We are bummed, but know that things of this nature do not happen without divine intervention and knowing! We are awaiting an appointment that will dictate our future. We will know for sure next week. Cross your fingers that whatever we encounter will be a smooth transition for our family.
We had several fun parties in the past year ranging from Halloween, to birthday celebrations, to Christmas, and more. A lot of great friends were made and good entertaining and memories made.
Mom came out at Halloween as Jericho tore his ACL and I was pregnant with the boys and was in no shape to pick him up. He had surgery first week of November and he is healing well. Although nobody warned us that a dog's gate could change and as a result he would have a bit of a pimp walk =) Hopeful that once he gets to swimming more he will loosen up those joints and have a smooth stride.
A week after surgery (on the 9th of November) to be exact I went into preterm labor. Crazy! I was 31 weeks and progressing just fine. I had to take some meds, get a steroid shot to sustain and develop the boys lungs, and take it easy. Say bye bye exercise. Knowing me that is a difficult task to sit still and take it easy. hahaha! Well, the day I got off the meds (34 weeks) I started to have crazy contractions again and the next morning we were at the hospital, I was dialated to a 3, my water broke, and before I knew it the boys arrived at 7:19am. Thankful for a wonderful team of nurses and doctors that brought the boys to us. They stayed in NICU for 13 days to help them learn to eat better. They never had to be on O2 and they did great. They are now 9 months old and are crawling, talking, standing, and moving. Camden and Paxton are our little angels and we could not imagine life without them. The dogs adjusted great to the boys and vice versa.
We made two trips to Dallas. One in January to meet and greet the family. We took the boys on an airplane and they were awesome. Not a peep. Then again in June and returned end of July. Road trip - that was a bit crazy, but we survived and had some fun stories to tell. Upon our return we quickly went into contractor mode. Dad and Chris ripped out toilets and replaced them with new eco friendly ones. Adam came out and he and I ripped out two bathrooms and retiled them in white. We wanted to keep it simple and fresh for the next owners. An easy pallete to work with =) It was a fun project and I look forward to any future DIY activities!
So, here we are - enjoying life and learning to be parents, a couple with children, individuals, and more. AND - we promise to update you all on the daily happenings here in NC!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Turkey Robinson
Saw this great recipe on food network today!
Ingredients:
garlic infused olive oil
package of ground turkey (white/dark meat)
2 cups of low sodium chicken stock
bag of spinach leaves
can of cannelloni beans
salt and pepper to taste
Heat up olive oil in large pan with rounded edges.
Add and saute turkey.
Saute turkey.
Once turkey is cooked through add stock and bring to a simmer.
This will help glaze the food and bring out all the flavors.
Add spinach and beans and mix.
Add salt/pepper to taste.
I have not made it, but it looked delicious. The suggestion was to spice it up to your liking and take your last name instead of Robinson and make it your own family recipe! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
garlic infused olive oil
package of ground turkey (white/dark meat)
2 cups of low sodium chicken stock
bag of spinach leaves
can of cannelloni beans
salt and pepper to taste
Heat up olive oil in large pan with rounded edges.
Add and saute turkey.
Saute turkey.
Once turkey is cooked through add stock and bring to a simmer.
This will help glaze the food and bring out all the flavors.
Add spinach and beans and mix.
Add salt/pepper to taste.
I have not made it, but it looked delicious. The suggestion was to spice it up to your liking and take your last name instead of Robinson and make it your own family recipe! Enjoy!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Baby News
Well, the day has come. We found out the sex of our fraternal twins. Drum roll please.......................................we are having two boys! Go figure. I am outnumbered now. All the girls said that there only needed to be one queen in the house so that works. hahaha. We are so excited to welcome these two little boys. Technical due date is January 9. Doctor thinks with this being the first successful pregnancy and delivery for us that they will come anytime starting 34 weeks. That said, we are prepared to meet these babies November 28ish on. Both looked great and are weighing between 10-13 oz based on measurements. Baby A is in the 40 percentile in terms of size and baby B is 44 percentile. So, he was very pleased with our progress. We are 20 weeks in 2 days so we are enjoying this process and preparing for their arrival. Thank you for all the well wishes and advice. Belly pics will come soon!
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