No! Not him! Not Santa!

The babies in their "cages"

I have no idea what Tucker is doing. He wanted to snuggle with the nasty front hall rug. Gross

The less successful Santa visit. Note: Tucker clinging for dear life to his Daddy's neck

I'm doing this backwards. Jim is still working so I can't use his cool computer to upload pics. I'll write the text, then add the pics.

One thing I really wanted to remember to blog about is how much fun Tucker has making faces in the mirror at himself or with me. It cracks me up. Happens every time we wash hands.

This week I cut Tucker's hair and played phonic videos for them, per a friend's recommendation. Holy cow. They love it! Tucker was great during his 30 min hair cut. Except one side of his hair looks great and the other side, well, you can tell which side I had better access to.

This week we went to the Garden d'Lights. Wow. That was absolutely incredible. I didn't think a lights display could ever compare to Temple square, but this one just might compare. They made the gardens with lights. They made all sorts of plants with lights. For example, there was a garden patch. A strawberry patch, corn rows, tomato plants, carrots and a scarecrow all made with lights. Silly me didn't take pictures. A friend did, though. Any pics from there are from her. Jim was supposed to meet us there, but he ended up working, so it was a little crazy with them both. I didn't have the stroller in the car because we had taken it out for sledding and didn't put it back in. It was awesome until Tucker got cold. Then it was a lot of screaming. Whitney seemed to be enjoying herself, though.

Santa came to visit our house this week. It was super cool! Tucker wouldn't let go of Daddy. Had a death grip on his neck. Whitney wasn't too excited either, but they both were very gracious and said Bye a bunch when it was time for him to leave.

This week is the shortest day of the year. I can' wait! That means the days will be getting longer. Something I'm looking forward to more than any other year.

I watched a friend's kids this week as part of a babysitting trade. Whitney and Tucker had a blast helping with the baby. They both liked feeding him his bottle, something that really stressed him out, but he drank faster that way. Whitney liked sharing her crib and high chair with him. When she saw him at church, she pointed to him and said Baby! like she was excited to see him.

Whitney has been saying "asleep, asleep" a bunch this week. I just connected why. We've been playing the children's christmas songs and the Away in the Manger song says that in the chorus a bunch. Very cute to me that she picked up on that.

Today in church mention was made of a storybook that tells of a mom that had a great service opportunity. Each week the family draws names and serves the other person during the week. When they do the service, they add a straw of hay to the manger they have on display in order to prep for the coming of Baby Jesus. Very cool. Now. All I need to do is remember that for next year, or the year after.....

the festivities!

Tucker cooking with Whitney

Whitney so cute in her outfit playing with magnets

Whitney being really cute

Daddy's fins arrived. Whitney's first SCUBA lesson

Family fun together

Whitney munching on her Skittles while building the gingerbread house

Whitney poking her head out of the log at the Children's museum

Last week when Tucker and Whitney were snuggling in Mommy and Daddy's bed.

Whitney chasing the cat at a friend's house. It went behind the couch

Tucker helping our friends with their tree lights

Tucker having a blast with the cat at a friend's house

Whitney trying out the sled

Listening to choir practice before church started. Tucker's got a cheese stick

Listening to choir

Whitney helping take out the christmas decorations at a friend's house

This is what Daddy sees when he comes home from work. Tucker shouting "Papa!"

We had a lot of fun enjoying the Christmas season this week. It started off with some friends inviting us over for dinner and helping them put up their tree. I didn't want to put a tree up this year because of all the effort and then the policing that would happen, but maybe I should have. Whitney had so much fun unwrapping all the ornaments. Tucker liked helping with the lights. These friends have a cat and Tucker and Whitney ran around chasing it. Now every time they see this friend of mine, they start meowing.

Monday we cleaned and cleaned. Tucker was taking an early nap. Couldn't make it past 11 am, so Whitney was helping me this time. She finally was able to get her hands on the small hand broom and can sweep all the stuff into fairly well. She can't get the last bits, but she can do all the rest. I was very impressed. And this whole time I had no idea how well she can sweep because Tucker is a bit of a broom hog at times.

Tucker really likes to help. He likes to set everything up. He helps get everything set up in the bathroom for Whitney to poop when we are in public, including shutting the bathroom door, which, (exciting!) has a latch at his level. He also likes to turn the lights on and off when we are using different rooms as well as get the room ready for bed, nightlight, radio and toys and blankets.

Tucker is Whitney's biggest cheerleader with the potty training. He claps for her after each success and monitors her progress on her successes, just like Mommy and Daddy.

I started playing Inzey Winzey spider with them this week. They love it! Tucker has a certain way of holding his hands to ask to play it that melts my heart.

They are imitating a lot. Whitney and Tucker both imitate words and action. I am starting to see a reflection of me. For example, Tucker shushes the dogs the same way I do, then says "basta!". Whitney often tells Sammy "out!" and shuts the door every time she goes to the bathroom. Or tells Sammy "move!" when he walks in front of her or tries to get petted. She copies a lot of the words I say. I think the cutest thing is her trying to say zuchinni.

Another thing that Whitney does that is imitating me is me getting ready. She has been giving me my toothbrush to brush my teeth first, then brushes her teeth right after. This week I got a big laugh from her. She has progressed to doing everything I do to get ready, including putting in her contacts. One morning, she brushed her teeth as usual, then asked me for my contact case just after I put in my contacts. She opened it up, poked her finger in each well, one at a time, and then poking at each of her eyes with the fluid on it, just like I do. She also put lotion on her face and chapstick on her lips. Her "putting in her contacts" cracked me up the most because her actions were just like Mommy's.

She is also starting to put together three word phrases and is saying 1-3 new words a day. For example, we went to the pet store and she saw turtles and called them turtles. I didn't know she knew that word. She also pointed out a hat in a book and said hat when I hadn't even pointed out the hat. I don't feel like she is smarter than any other kid, I think what startles me is how much they know at such a young age but are just now able to communicate it. And it is fun!

Yesterday the babies played in the snow for the first time that they were able to participate. Whitney and Tucker both LOVE sledding. Whitney likes it longer. She doesn't mind the cold hands and feet as much as Tucker. As soon as his hands got a little cold, he was done, but Whitney put up with cold hands and feet much longer for the thrill of the riding. She loved to say "bump, bump, bump" as we hit some bumps. Just like they do in the car when we hit speed bumps.

Yesterday us and two other families Jim knows through work got together and planned a winter fun day. Jim cooked, another family found a sledding place and the other work buddy (a girl) made gingerbread house parts from scratch and brought all the candy and stuff to put the house together. We also had a bit of hot chocolate. It was a blast! One of the other kids, only seven, built a fence, a utility pole off the chimney and a sled from candy and gingerbread house parts. I was impressed with the ingenuity.

I went to a music time group on Wednesday for the first time. Some moms that have younger kids that want a little more structure but not so much to do a joy school or play school have put together a music time group. And Tucker and Whitney LOVED it! Their favorite part was the parachute. Tucker loved the balloons they had and Whitney loved the fuzz ball that was part of the art project to make a reindeer puppet with paper lunch sacks.

Thursday was a fun day for Mommy. I went to my first clogging class. I'm wearing tap shoes, so the sound isn't quite right, but I'm learning the techniques. There is a lady in our ward that is part of a women's group that meets once a week to clog as a workout for them. This lady has an older daughter that can come and play with the kids in the gym while we dance on the stage. Tucker took a great liking to her right away when she showed Tucker about making a basket with a basketball. They played in the gym with her for an hour and a half while I learned some basic steps. I'm very excited to be part of this a little more long term.

And least but not last, I'm getting very excited for some awesome Christmas presents to give. I almost can't stand it! I usually never come up with these great of ideas or prices, but I guess I have more time and energy around Christmas than I've ever had and I'm way excited about it!

setting up for Christmas

One tab off

then the other tab off...

checking for "stinky poop", very, very gingerly..

Whew! That was a stinky one!

Now.  How do I get this thing back on?

Ask Mommy!  All done!

Learning to wind the santa music box.  Looks a bit like surgery or working under the car

Seriously.  Does life get any better?

So this week has been adorable and very busy.  I think I'm starting the time that people have always referred to when they heard I was going to have twins.  "Wow.  You're going to be very busy".  It's really fun as they start talking and putting words together to express thoughts, but boy is it busy.  They are both in constant motion.  As I'm cleaning up glass from an ornament thrown down the stairs, Tucker is attempting to pull all the cups out of the cupboard........  It truely is non stop.  And they still nap.  I seriously don't know what I'm going to do when naptimes end.  Let's not think about that and move on to the really cute times of this week.

Most of these I didn't have a camera handy because it is a constant motion, so I'll have to describe them.  On Monday we decorated for Christmas.  I decided not to have a tree this year.  It won't be used and I didn't want to have ALL of my ornaments broken this year, so I put only a few out for them to break.  Case in point as referred to above.  As soon as Whitney and I decorated the bannister with the holiday garland, Tucker spied the red glass ornaments, exclaimed "Apple!", plucked the fruit off and promptly threw it down the stairs, in say, 2 seconds.   Whitney loved gently unwrapping all the different snowmen ornaments and christmas stuff in general out the box.  I think she is really going to like opening presents this year, just for the surprise factor.  We have some friends in the ward that said when their kids were little, they put the tree on the porch, so they could see the tree through the window but not touch it.  That tickles my funny bone and seems so sensible!  As long as you don't live in a ghetto.

I rented videos from the library this week once I realized the babies wanted nothing to do with playing outside longer than 10 minutes at a time.  Not even Tucker.  Too cold.  He was pushing the stroller around, a favorite pastime that normally occupies up to 45 minutes in a day.  After about 10 minutes of pushing it around, he suddenly stopped and started crying, looking at his hands, and promptly went to the front door.  So video time after dinner is a way to stop the destruction for a moment.  I got a few Elmo videos for Whitney.  She can spot Elmo a mile away in a store.  I have no idea how she learned about him, but she has.  This morning, practicing her newly acquired skill of putting words together she said "watch Elmo?" as she bounced on the edge of the mattresses we have on the floor down there as an indoor trampoline.  Very cute, but it was Sunday. 

Another absolutely adorable word phrase she put together is "snuggle mom"  She says it whenever she wants to be picked up.  Which is a lot more than I previously thought she wanted to be picked up.  This phrase is used more frequently if we are outside or as I'm cooking dinner.  A little frustrating, but seriously.  Who could possibly resist, least of all the mom.

We went to the Festival of the Nativities today.  It's where there are hundreds of nativity sets set out on display tables.  Tucker and Whitney were impressively good.  No touching.  They seemed fascinated with the lit trees that were in the room, the metal trap door type thing on the gym floor that covers the holes for the volleyball net poles, and they walked around either saying "baaaaa" or "mooo" whenever they saw a sheep or a cow, or any animal for that manner.  With hundreds of nativities, you can imagine how often that was said.  Whitney also pointed out the "papa", "mama" and "baby" in many of them.

This week we went in public and had no accidents in public.  I'm very impressed.  Whitney seems to increase the frequency of saying "poop" when we are in public.  I think she really likes public bathrooms.  I'm not sure if she just likes to try them all out, or if it because when she shouts, which she does while on the throne, there is such a loud sound in response.  Tucker likes it when Whitney goes in the bathroom.  The first time we went in a public bathroom, he passed a stall, then as he passed another, he paused, looking in.  he did it for each stall.  I think he was fascinated at how many pottys there were in one room.  He also likes to show Whitney where she needs to be to do her business and monitor said business.

Whitney also started increasing her frequency of asking to go to the bathroom at home.  Each time she asked for a fruit snack, but it sounds like "poop snack" how she pronounces it.  All the same, right?

We had a lot of fun just starting the festivities in general.  The first time I turned on the Christmas lights, Tucker's eyes lit up and he kept saying "wow!" every time he would walk back into the room.  He loves to wind the Santa music box.  The first time they started trying to do it on their own, it scared me, but they have been amazingly good and careful when they carry it to me to wind and they always bring it back to the table on which it belongs.  So far.

Whitney had a ton of fun helping me roll out sugar cookies.  See video.  While Whitney was intently cooking, Tucker was taste testing.  And boy does he like dough.  In fact, he was so sure all of it tasted good, that he started licking various measuring cups and spoons, too.  After we rolled out all the dough, Whitney expertly cleaned off the floor on the counter.  I was very impressed at how she swept it off into her hand.  I had to have my hand below hers as her aim was a little low, but she got the concept.

On Monday night, Tucker realized how warm it is in Mommy and Daddy's bed.  For some reason, he figured out how to climb up and snuggle in the covers, singing to himself. Whitney soon joined them.  They had a great time.

One last thing.  Let it be known.  Tucker DOES NOT eat defective fish of any kind.  I have no idea why, but he won't eat it, even if it has a tiny speck missing out of it.  Accountant?  Auditor? Engineer?

See separate posts for videos