the daily spill

Eliot Joseph Twist

2010-10-19T18:53:00.003-07:00

October 2, 2010
5:16 a.m.
8 lbs. 14 oz.
20 inches

Adored by brothers all around

Cooper was a little uncertain when he first visited us, but now

dotes on and adores his baby brother.

Happy Easter

2010-04-08T20:43:00.005-07:00

Back on the blog. It's been a while. Anyone still checking here? Anyone...

Instead of an Easter bunny basket, Erik took the big boys to buy bow ties. Cooper wore one we already had. I mean, come on, look at them!

Summer Part 3

2009-09-17T19:54:00.013-07:00

Okay, so, here it is. The rest of summer. Or, tidbits of Missouri with family. We relished our time outdoors, in the lake, spraying the hose, playing baseball, and seeing dear friends from Oxford days.

At the bluegrass festival.

Loving a visit from Uncle Pat and Aunt Kendra

Carter riding cousin Dani's horse, Buddy

Hosing

Balling with Uncle Adam

Swatting bubbles with light sabers

And, THE LAKE

Chatting with Baby Drew

So happy and so handsome

Dad and Uncle Doug on the tube. Wowza.

Carter watching Dad and Mace tube.

Carter and Dad on the tube.

Finding the lost chairs on the bottom of the lake.

Lovely Aunt Jess and sweet Baby Dwew

And, cousins

The only shot of all four boys together from the whole trip. All wearing blue.

A wonderful summer, indeed.

Summer Part Deux

2009-08-29T08:10:00.004-07:00

Daddy and Uncle Dude took the boys camping in June, the highlight of which was the BB gun.

While they were gone, Cooper and I did a lot of sleeping.

Summer Part 1

2009-08-27T13:54:00.004-07:00

Cooper was baptized, wearing a gown on loan from his godparents. The gown was first worn sometime in the 19th century, and has since been worn by numerous relatives, on down the line, including Cooper's godmother and her five children. So special.

We saw the Diamondbacks! The game was sencondary to the treats we consumed. Mason, without his nap, enjoyed the game so much that he fell asleep during the fifth inning.

We had lots of JUMP PARTIES.

May

2009-05-16T20:53:00.007-07:00

We've been busy...

At Kiddie Land two weeks ago (the last bearable weekend outdoors before the summer settled in)

At DC Ranch water park with bestbuddy Josh. The boys squealed when he arrived and they saw they had matching shirts.

And Cooper. Swimming for the first time. I think he looks like a turtle in this picture.

Mama the boy magnet.

This really captures him right now.

This too.

And this.

Mason working the camera

2009-04-29T20:39:00.006-07:00

The child is so photogenic.

I think he kind of looks like a soccer mom in this last picture, with his bangs sneaking between his glasses and (what looks like) a piece of gum smacking between his back teeth.

We DO have three children...

2009-04-29T20:11:00.006-07:00

I told Erik recently that it had been almost a month since we snapped a shot of Cooper. Poor third child. Here are a few.

Almost smiling.

Watching the brothers "scrimmage." (Click to enlarge)

Not Cooper, but an Easter shot of the boys. Like the 80's glasses? That one's for you, Aunt Jess!

The other day we were headed outside to play soccer (which we do EVERY day) and Mason said, "Mom, you're not a brother." Indeed.

Angel #3

2009-03-17T22:41:00.007-07:00

Cooper Benedict Twist
February 26, 2009
12:42 a.m.
8 lbs. 4 oz.
19 inches

Embarassed to admit.. but this is funny

2009-02-01T22:39:00.004-07:00

Been saying this since August...

2009-02-01T14:58:00.001-07:00

-isms and habits

2008-11-07T15:30:00.007-07:00

Carter (procrastinating, instead of sleeping, in bed last night): "Dad..."

Erik: "Yeah, buddy?"

Carter: "I just wanted to tell you that I really like the shirt you're wearing."

****

Carter: "Josh taught me how to pump my legs on the swings. He's my Jedi teacher."

****

Mason's expanding vocabulary:
"Tink oo, Mommy": Thank you, Mommy
"Cue, me": Excuse me
"Wunny!": Funny!
"Wee-woo": firetruck/ambulance/police car
"Wee woo guy": fireman/ambulance driver/policeman

****

Carter (talking to himself and Mason, in a singsong voice during lunch today): "I know the game. I am the boss!"

Me: "What are you guys talking about?"

Carter: "When I make up the game, I'm in charge. I'm the boss."

Me: "So what if I make up the game?"

Carter: "I'm still the boss. Kids are always in charge."

Me: "Oh really, who said that?"

Carter: "Jesus."

****

Erik (teasing me while we're all in the car): "Allison, you are crazy."

Carter: "You don't even know, Dad."

****

Most mornings when Erik leaves the house, Mason has to hug and kiss both of Dad's legs.

****

When Erik takes his vitamin in the morning, the boys both insist on touching it before he swallows it down.

****

We (usually just Erik, not me very often) play a game to see who can give the hardest high fives (yes, this is a house full of boys). Each time before Mason slaps Erik's hand, he puts his three middle fingers in his mouth, gets them nice and wet, and swings away. The origin of this is completely unknown.

Andrew!!!

2008-10-27T12:38:00.004-07:00

He's here! Our first newphew, Andrew Boyd Connolly, was born on Thursday. About an hour before he was born, we prayed for him and Aunt Jess because things were moving pretty slowly. Carter said, "Dear God, please help Aunt Jess get the baby out." And here he is!!!!

Just... frustrating. Okay, and cute.

2008-09-16T20:47:00.003-07:00

Three weeks ago there was a terrible storm that frightened Mason so badly he was shuddering with sobs after only two minutes of hail and wind. He got in bed with me; Erik went to the couch. The pattern has continued, as our laziness/grogginess prevented any stern action when he woke in the middle of the night and I would put him in our bed and DaDa would relocate to the couch. This has come to a head in the past ten days as Mason has increasingly resisted his own bed in favor of ours or even Carter's (two nights ago he refused to get into his crib but fell sound asleep as soon as he climbed into Carter's bed and his head hit the pillow). Carter said, "Guys, he just needed to cuddle with me!" Every time we'd relocate him back to his crib, fits of rage ensued. Two days ago we had enough. We bought a nightlight. No luck. Put a pack'n'play in Carter's room. No luck. Made the chair-chaise in his room into a bed with blanket and pillow. No luck. Tonight, after a total of 9 hours of sleep in 24 hours (he usually gets about 14) we let him scream it out. Surprisingly, thankfully, it took less than ten minutes (his voice is hoarse today b/c I've tried to let him cry it out each time he went into his crib the past few days). He's been asleep now for about an hour. We'll see how this holds up.
Something in the computer is preventing us from downloading pictures from the memory stick from our camera. For now, you can't see the cute pictures from Erik and Carter's first days of school.
It's hard to sew straight lines. I'm taking a quilting class and, as the youngest by no fewer than 30 years, I have not only the disadvantage of less experience, but NO experience sewing. Ripping seams stinks. But I'm getting better. Carter said today that he likes how my seam ripper feels in his hands. Wish I could say the same.
The other day Carter and I came to wake Mason from his nap (in our bed, no less). He didn't have a shirt on and was covered by the blanket up to his belly button. Carter tiptoed in, gently climbed onto the bed and just peered at Mace. He turned to me and said, "Mom, this is what it's going to be like when the baby comes!" Yep, we're having a wee babe. Due in March. Gender available to us October 6 (day after ET turns 31). After this hoopla with Mason sleeping we're sort of left wondering what in the world we've done. But, then Carter melts my heart with a comment or Mason sits on my lap and just caresses my arms, cheeks and nose with his pudgy Macey fingers.
Letting Mason sleep in our bed has put us in a frustrating spot. But, gosh, do I just adore having him close to me, laying still, breathing softly. Precious. Bring on the babies.

Vacation Pictures... at last!

2008-08-28T21:05:00.005-07:00

Part 1: Missouri

Brave Carter, feeding that enormous giraffe at the zoo.

Yeah, Mace! The train ride!

Rrrroar.
Naptime. Need it.
Lambert's. Throwed rolls. Honey. Yes. Delicious.

Obamania

2008-08-28T21:01:00.005-07:00

While watching the acceptance speech-extravaganza.
Carter: Why is Barack Obama a Democrat?

Me (murmuring while listening): I don't know, honey...

Carter: I don't want to be a Democrat. I want to be an American.

Mason, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2008-07-11T05:30:00.005-07:00

Mason turned two on Sunday! I have forgotten my camera adapter to be able to post pictures while we are away on our trip, so in lieu of any photo tribute, I have a milestone recap of our precious, busy, naughty, cuddly little kiddle.

As of now, Mason's vocabulary includes, and does not much extend past Dada, Mama, wah-wah (meaning bye bye), ball, wow, bummer, juice (which he uses to mean any sort of liquid, including water, milk, juice, swimming pool, ocean, garden hose...), duck, dog (woof!)... and others. The two most entertaining words he has are "A!" and doodlebop. He uses both to signify things he doesn't know the name for. "A!" is usually used when he's serious in trying to show us something and he doesn't know the name for and wants us to decipher. Doodlebop is his go-to funny word, which he uses to tease us about things' names. He also just walks around the house saying or singing doodlebop. He doesn't say his own name or Carter's, but he does say doodlebop about 50 times a day. Go figure. His best new phrase is "Whack that ball!!!" We played A LOT of baseball while on our vacation and Mason loved it. Now he cheers himself every time he hits a ball or wants to go out to play.

He is so athletic. He hits many of the balls we pitch to him and loves to celebrate his home runs by running around the yard. And as the last post demonstrates, he loves basketball also. Tonight he is sleeping with a soccer ball in his bed. Ball really was one of his first words.

Mason is stubborn and frequently defiant. His lack of vocabulary is made up for by loud, vehement cries and sometimes screams. Does this define a typical two year old? Yes. Does that make it any easier to deal with him? No.

While being stubborn he is also very sweet. He is my hip-hugger, our cuddle bunny, the lap child. He loves to be close, to give love pats, kisses and squeezes. His friendliness is darling. He waves at people and loves to give hugs to his brother.

Mason, you are our precious treasure. Your joy and laughter, hugs and tickles fill our lives with immeasurable joy and pride.

Happy Birthday, darling boy!!!

Ballers

2008-06-15T22:11:00.002-07:00

Their new fave. They do this all the time. ALL the time.

Lunch today

2008-06-05T21:30:00.006-07:00

Today we ate at Fox Sports Grill (weird to anyone that a TV STATION has a restaurant?) and had a pleasant time. The boys were fairly well-behaved. Mason ate some hamburger bun, french fries and chocolate milk for his meal, Carter actually ate his burger, and don't even get me started on what Erik ate.

As we were leaving, THREE Orkin pest control guys were being taken to the back by the hostess.

Take a minute to let your mind contemplate what that means.

Talk. About. Gross.

By the way, I'm a crummy blogger for not posting for over a month. AND, Hi Kerri, Louann, Rhiannon and Jennifer! Thanks for actually reading my blog.

Candy Land

2008-05-02T13:27:00.004-07:00

This morning Carter got out Candy Land so we could play. This is of course an easy request, considering how well and still he and Mason like to sit, playing quietly and contentedly for hours on end. There are mornings when I ask myself if they are actually around, because they're never crying or grabbing onto my legs for attention. I peek around the corners wondering what they are doing. Then I find them sitting on the floor, generously and kindly sharing toys back and forth, never whacking the other on the head, never complaining that something doesn't work, never beseeching me to play with them, never jumping off couches, never throwing pillows all over the room, never running out screaming because someone took his really special toy and won't give it back. As you can see, we (ALWAYS) have a very quiet, calm, placid household.

But today, things were different. Instead of taking turns turning over the cards and then moving their individual gingerbread men along the board, Carter insisted that they were NOT just gingerbread men, but were in fact gingerbread police men. His green gingerbread police man did not spend any amount of time on his colored block, waiting his turn. He instead flew around the room shooting bad guys with his lasers. When it was his turn to move to a new square, he'd bolt the gingerbread police man into the air with a "psshoww!" and land it on a colored block far too many blocks ahead of his designated color. While Carter and I "played," Mason's two gingerbread police men fought aerial and ground combat, hitting each other, falling on the ground, "bkeew"-ing each other.

I guess none of this should really come to much of a surprise to me, since the other day while Erik and the boys were in the car, Erik told me that both Carter and Mason were shooting bad guys out the window with their lasers. Mason is not yet two. He already knows how to make a laser sound.

My name is Allison Twist. I have two sons.

-isms

2008-04-28T13:23:00.005-07:00

Carter: "See you later, Mom. We're going to a meeting at St. Possible's."
---
Mason: "Oh, bummer!" (with hands turning upwards)
***This, I'm not kidding you, sounds like "Oh-Bahma!," which reads like "Obama!"
---
Erik: "I have to drive this fast to maintain my equilibrium."

ENGAGED!

2008-04-14T20:28:00.005-07:00

Jonathan proposed and Kristen said YES!

We had the honor of helping set up the proposal site before the big moment...

Carter was in charge of the champagne. He was a big help. :)

Mason threw rocks.

There it is! Ready for the lovely lady.

"When Uncle Dude and Kristen get here we're going to yell 'Surprise!'"

"Sorry, Carter, we're not staying."

"WE'RE NOT STAYING?!"

Texting Uncle Dude to tell him it's all ready...

So, we couldn't help ourselves... we drove by while we knew the big moment was happening!!! If you look closely you'll see Jonathan standing, opening the champagne.

"Come on, guys. There's CAKE!"

SURPRISE KRISTEN!

Her mom (and sister) came from Wisconsin and Chicago to surprise her as well.

Finally! Cake, at last.

March Pics

2008-04-10T14:44:00.007-07:00

Got nothin' but love for my boys.

SERIOUSLY.

Taken before Erik and I went to bed, while we were checking on Carter. Yes, his leg is dangling off the bed, hoovering above Pita (what Carter calls his Elmo).

I mean, C'MON! (Gob Bluth voice).

Look at those eyes. And guess who took this picture -- CARTER!

LOVE. MY. GUYS.

How to hunt Easter eggs, the Twist boy way: find an egg, open it, decide if the contents are desirable. If so, put it in your bucket. If not... keep it anyway.

Working

2008-03-28T22:25:00.006-07:00

Profile. Love it.

Yesterday as I unloaded groceries the boys were playing in and around the car. Mason ended up in the driver's seat while Carter rambled around inside and out. While he was manuevering the doors open and closed he informed me that they were busy, on their way to a meeting at Chuck E. Cheese and that they'd talk to me later. All this time with them and I have no clue what they're doing as a side job.

**Please also notice the chalkings on the walls of our porch. I told them one time to go out and use the chalk for fun. Minutes later I walk out to see their work and, of course, they use the wall. What was I thinking? Thanks for the chalk, Aunt Jess. :)

The ROCKET

2008-03-25T14:48:00.005-07:00

Harkening back to his childhood, Erik bought Carter (and himself) a rocket yesterday. I have no pictures of the rocket flying because, I'm not kidding, it went SO HIGH.

Mason with his "sick ball." He has two ear infections and we got this for him at the grocery store.

Carter's First Rocket Launch!

2008-03-24T19:58:00.002-07:00

I'm trying, Daddy...

2008-03-16T13:16:00.004-07:00

Erik: Did you have fun with Stella today, Carter? She's a great new friend, isn't she?

Carter: Yeah... but she doesn't share.

Erik: Carter, she does share. She shared her (Daddy's) Sprite with you.

Carter: Yeah...

Erik: And sometimes you have a hard time sharing, too, don't you?

Carter: Yeah, but I'm still growing and that's why I'm concerned... because making mistakes is how you learn...

Erik: Are you just saying that or are you really learning from your mistakes?

Carter: (Pause) I'm trying, Daddy...

Erik: I know you are and I'm so proud of you.

Unbelievable

2008-03-11T07:22:00.002-07:00

Last night, after watching two episodes of Arrested Development (never seen it? We might consider loaning it to you if you're really nice to us...), Erik and I turned off the light, rolled over and readied for some sleep. Just as I close my eyes, Mason started crying. This is not a new phenomenon for him, waking in the middle of the night, and needing a bit of help going back to sleep.

This time we just laid there and laughed at his impeccable timing. We decided to just let him ride this one out and try to settle himself (I mean, he IS 20 months old!) After about 10 minutes we were feeling bad for him and really wanting to relax ourselves, so I rolled out of bed to get him and sit with him on the couch for a few minutes, which is our new routine for helping him settle. For some reason he does not want to stay in his room and sit in the rocking chair. We HAVE to be on the couch.

I climb out of bed and make my way for the bedroom door when... he stops crying. Impeccable timing. I stood there frozen in our bedroom, not wanting to stir him by my toe scratching the carpet. Then I turn my head and Erik and I say to each other: HOW. DOES. HE. DO. IT?

Definition of precious

2008-03-10T07:20:00.002-07:00

We like to say push pause when one of the boys does something just precious.

In our car a few days ago Carter told Erik and I:

"Guys, I had this silly dream about me Mason. He was being so silly! He tickled my feelings! Can you believe it?!"

And Erik and I said, "Please, can we just push pause?"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARTER!

2008-03-08T12:50:00.001-07:00

Carter is 4 today!

Happy Birthday precious boy!

Napping

2008-02-26T13:42:00.008-07:00

I just can't get enough of Carter when he's sleeping. Here are two recent naps. In the first I was trying to get a shot of his grimy fingernails and didn't quite succeed. The second was taken after he protested a nap, watched a bit of a movie and crashed on our bed. Mason is equally precious when asleep, but, unlike Carter, he will wake at the slightest hint of someone else breathing while in his presence. Carter is a locomotion sleeper -- he can sleep while a train chugs through his room.

*** Taken today, when I went in to wake Carter. When I asked him why he slept on the floor he said, "Because I wanted to." Oh. Of course.

Boys' Club

2008-02-25T13:59:00.009-07:00

Carter: "Guys, I need some privacy. But Mason can come in...

Is this cool, Mace?"

Mason: "Yeaaah!"

We have lots of dance parties

2008-02-21T14:34:00.006-07:00

The Carter Mix

Free and Easy Down the Road -- Dierks Bentley
Our Song -- Taylor Swift ("Mom, our favorite song is on the radio!!!" he yells when it plays)
Small Town Southern Man -- Alan Jackson
I Believe in a Thing Called Love -- The Darkness
Shift Work -- Kenny Chesney and George Strait
Should Have Been a Cowboy -- Toby Keith
Summertime -- DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
If You're Going through Hell -- Rodney Atkins (didn't know who sang that till I googled)
All My Friends Say -- Luke Bryan (ditto about the googling)
International Harvester -- Craig Morgan

So. This is an interesting list you're saying to yourself. One of them has hell in the title. Another smoothly winks as it almost uses an expletive (Shift Work). Another is by THE DARKNESS for goodness sakes. Who are his parents? More importantly, where are his parents? We're here, singing along with him. Loudly.

Me: (singing) All my friends saaaay...

Mason: yeah, yeah, yeah

Oh dear.

Cinder Pit

2008-02-13T14:35:00.005-07:00

Just after Christmas we made a drive up to the mountains north of Phoenix for some sledding at the Cinder Pit. The slope was crowded and icy, so we moved on to a field for some fun in the snow.

Like the hats Erik and I are wearing? They're from the Lake Placid Olympics, from 1980 -- THE YEAR I WAS BORN.

Isn't Mason yummy in the snow suit by the way?

Chawwwlie!

2008-02-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

Makes us miss the Ol' Country, and our friends' kids there.

click here for video...

Carter's Hallelujah Chorus

2008-01-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, after listening to the DJ Jazzy Jeff' and the Fresh Prince's "Summertime" (yes, Erik bought it for Carter because Carter has decided he likes rap and Erik thought this was more wholesome than newer rap...) the London Philiharmonic Orchestra and Choir came on performing the Hallelujah Chorus. As it was playing, Carter asked, me what they were saying.

I told him "hallelujah."

Carter: "Oh, ha-way-wu... WHAT were they saying?"

Me: "Ha-lay-loo-yah"

Carter (after thinking for a minute): "Oh. Ha-way-BOO-yah."

Me: "No, Carter, Ha-lay-loo-yah."

To which Carter replied, "I know, Mom, but I say Ha-way-BOO-yah."

I blame the rap music. BOO-YAH.

SMOOSH!

2008-01-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

This IS the desert, but...

2008-01-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of rain in November and December. The first picture is a tree that blew over just outside our building. It was so funny because we were out and about in the morning, came back for the boys' nap and on our way back out in the afternoon the tree was down.

The second two pictures are from the greenbelt just behind our complex. Normally it's a dry wash, where we go out to play and where people walk their dogs. After a few days of rain, it was like a little river.

Everyone here was all abuzz about the rain. We were kind of like, "Ah, it's just rain." But then again, we've been in England for two years where it rains A LOT. :)

Mason's DuRag (sp?)

2008-01-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

We have Uncle Dude and Kristen to thank for this one. They so generously brought Erik and I each a DuRag from Walgreen's (yes, Walgreen's) the other night. Mason definitely had the most fun wearing one of them. And, yes, it appears that he is kissing the oven, floor and cabinet... not sure why. I still laugh out loud every time I watch this! (Please excuse Carter's nudity... they were about to get into the bath when we put the cool head gear on Mason). :)

Bed Jumping

2008-01-12T12:39:00.001-07:00

Last night, before bedtime, the boys did some leaping into Daddy's arms from our bed. Carter started and then Mason HAD to join in. They were both so excited, and so trusting! Carter would jump to Erik, full steam ahead, and Mason would just step off the bed for Erik to catch him. They loved it. We succeeded in getting Carter suitably riled up before going to sleep. He was really tired before the jumping; afterward he couldn't stay in bed. Oh well. :)

Bath Snorkeling

2008-01-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

Love these smiles

Tonto Natural Bridge National Park

2007-11-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

The day after Thanksgiving we took a day trip north of Phoenix to Payson where we ate lunch at the Beeline Cafe and then found our way to Tonto Natural Bridge National Park. I have lots of pictures of this beautiful place. We hiked down quite a ways to the bottom of the "bridge" which was sort of like a cave/tunnel. It was spectacular and a perfect place for two boys who like to climb, explore and throw rocks. I hope the pictures demonstrate how big and beautiful this place was.The approach to the cave. See how little the people are in the bottom right corner. This place was huge!

Inside the cave.

See Erik and Mason, tiny in the middle of the picture. (Mason's wearing a bright blue fleece jacket).

Carter and I "rescuing" people in the cave. He was a little too busy to take this picture with me; too many people needed his help.

Thanksgiving After-Party

2007-11-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

Apples on the floor before bed time. Erik and I stuffed ourselves but the boys still had room after all the turkey.

Music in his underoos

2007-11-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

With Mason, the adoring (and rocking!) fan.

Carter's First Day of School!!!

2007-11-27T06:51:00.001-07:00

Carter was so excited about his first day of school. He couldn't wait to put on his uniform and go. We were nervous that he would have a meltdown and not want us to leave, but he just waved from the play ground and said, "Bye Dad! Bye Mom!" and then gave us a thumb's up. It happened that his first day was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving so they had a party in class. Carter made a handprint turkey and underneath it said, "I'm thankful for candy!" As other kids were leaving school behind Carter I saw that theirs said, "I'm thankful for Mom and Dad" or "I'm thankful for Grandma and Grandpa." Not Carter. His loyalty is for candy.

Carter quotes

2007-11-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

"Yeah, cool dude, rock it!"
Yelled out the window, to an unidentified neighbor, while driving through the parking lot of our complex. We had all the windows down and were listening to rockin' music.

"That's what I'm talking about, baby!"
After opening our mail box and seeing we had mail. Our first visit to the mail box and it was full... of coupons. He didn't care. It seemed like a lot of fun stuff to him. He pulled out each piece individually.

"Mason, watch, I'm shooting rockets out of my nose!"
On the couch, with pillows thrown everywhere, while he and Mason jumped and played. It should be noted that Carter was wearing his new HotWheels sunglasses, which have been on his face pretty much nonstop since we bought them at Target yesterday.

HAPPY (30th!) BIRTHDAY ERIK!!!!

2007-10-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, honey!

I love you!!!

Fun Outside

2007-10-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we spent a good amount of time (maybe 2 hours) playing outside at Mom's. Here are a few shots. There are lots of Mason; I couldn't pick just one. I love his little face.

Getting ready to pet Smokey, the neighbor's cat. Carter calls him "Sokey." The boys love him.

Mason spent most of the time outside playing in this toy car loaned from the neighbors across the street. He will get in, close the door, wave bye-bye, steer for a minute then get back out. The process repeats many, many times. Hours of entertainment.

At the Zoo

2007-09-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

Happy to be back blogging. Here are some shots from yesterday's visit to the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, MO. Mom and I took the boys for an afternoon outing and it was great. Carter was intent on seeing the elephants which the zoo-folk cleverly placed all the way in the back of the zoo so you had the pleasure of viewing half of the other animals on your way up and the other half on your way down. Until we got to the elephants, Carter was like, "Yeah, cool monkey Mom. I want to see the elephant," and "No I don't want to see the cheetahs, just the elephant." Of course, once we saw the elephants, including the baby, it was, "Where's the lion, Mom?" Ah, the attention span of our 3 1/2 year old. We were majorly bummed because the train around the zoo closed about 2.5 seconds before we got to the depot, so we didn't get a chance to ride around. Carter was upset, until we offered an ice cream cone as a consolation.

Carter contemplating petting a goat at the petting zoo.

Inside the giraffe house, seeing the big animals for the first time.

We went to the giraffe feeding platform and got to feed them. Look at that tongue!

Me feeding while taking a picture.

After I fed the giraffe he turned his head and exhaled right onto Mason and Mom. This is all I could capture on the camera. Mom was more freaked than Mason. :)

Watching the lions.

"Wow!"

Every time I ask Carter to take a picture with me now, this is what he does. I'm not complaining.

A-MERRRRR-ICA!

2007-08-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

**I don't know if the title reads like I want it to, but think of the chorus to "America the Beautiful." :)**

So, we've been here for over a month and I haven't posted once. Just a quick update from Charleston. It's been lovely. It's hot. And humid. And wonderful.

Here are shots from our beach trip with Jess and Doug. I say trip, but it's only a 20 minute drive.

Building a sandcastle with Uncle Doug.

Love his profile. Look at that sweet little curl in the back!

Family picture. Miranda July swimsuit. I'm a nerd.

For Stacy

2007-08-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

This is our washing machine while we're here. It's huge. I can do half of all of our laundry in one go. All the darks at once. Or all the lights at once. Luxury. Stacy, come to my house and do laundry whenever you want. :)

Final trip to Londontown

2007-07-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

We were in London this weekend for our final visit before heading home. We've had such fun times in London over the past year, thanks in large part to Griff and Julie's hospitality and lovely home. We had a great time with Griff at their house while Julie was, sadly, away in the States. On Thursday Erik and I visited the House of Lords, courtesy of Baroness Caroline Cox who Erik met a few months ago and is a friend of Bishop Ben Kwashi (who is a friend of Christ Church SA). It was a really cool experience to go into Westminster, see the amazing interior architecture (lots of gold, high ceilings, paintings and statues everywhere), sit in the lobby of the House of Lords while different Lords and bishops walked by, and to sit on the floor of the House of Lords for a bit while they discussed and debated.

We were also in town for Rod Green's ordination (Erik and Jan went to the ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral). Erik said it was a great, and long, ceremony and we went to celebrate with them at their house in East London that evening.

Saturday we went to the Science Museum. It was great. Carter was so excited to run around and see rockets and astronauts and cars hanging on the wall and from the ceiling. The highlight was the Bob the Builder live action show. It was both a performance and an interactive show. We were split into four groups and each group had a job to do to help Bob and Wendy fix something. He LOVED it.

Erik and Carter working and Carter in front of Scoop.

Precious Mason

2007-06-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

Picture-taking and Strawberry Picking

2007-06-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we did our best to take a nice family photo to send to Christ Church in San Antonio to be included in the upcoming photo directory. Pat and Kendra were graciously patient and took multiple shots in and outside of church for us. Carter wasn't exactly cooperative. This was the best we could get out of him. :)

After church, naps and lunch we went with Kendra and Adam to pick strawberries near Port Meadow. It was lots of fun. Carter did a great job of picking and not eating too many. Mason crawled in the straw and ate a few...

Mason -- caught red-handed. :)

For Jess...

2007-06-18T14:50:00.001-07:00

The boys in Erik's study room. Carter loves his Mason. Notice Carter's mohawk? We have more pictures; I'll add them later. :)

More pictures

2007-06-18T01:56:00.000-07:00

Here are links to other photo albums I've posted on Facebook:

Snakes 'n' Ladders

Spring Fun

Erik's Exams

Spring Fun

OxfordFamilyFun

At long last, some pictures!

2007-06-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

I'm embarassed to have neglected the blog for a few months. Here's a link to some pictures I posted on Facebook today. I PROMISE more frequent posts in the future...

Click Here

March Madness

2007-03-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

Spring is upon the Twist household, and Oxford! We've had a wonderful month. The bulbs are blooming in University Parks, we've actually had some sunshine and Carter and I took off our jackets at the playground today while we kicked the soccer ball around. Here's a rundown on our month so far. :)

March 1: AUNT JESS GOT ENGAGED! Wedding in Austin, on September 28. Welcome to the family, Uncle Doug! I can't wait to see our boys dressed like little men for the ceremony!

March 2: Mason took his first bonafide crawl/scoot! Some friends were over and the two babies, Mason and Sienna, were entranced with their older brothers, Carter and Harry. Mason was so enthralled that he did all he could to get in on the action and started to propel himself towards the boys.

March 8: Carter turned 3!!!!!! It was such a fun day. We took our family along with Stacy, Luke and Caleb Barnett and our neighbor Lucy and her two sons, Misha and Vanya, to an indoor playing area called Snakes and Ladders. The boys as well as parents climbed all over, played in the ball pits and flew down a huge slide. The boys also got to drive little battery operated motorcycles which was a dream come true for them! It was SO fun! Check out Erik's blog for a short video of the slide ride. Sadly, our computer seems to have swallowed all of the photos and videos from the day. Grrr.

March 11: We took the boys to the Ferry Sports Complex indoor pool and both loved it. Mason is so content to sit with me on the steps and watch as well as be in the middle of the kids' pool among the splashing. Carter put floaties on for the first time and loved jumping to us, splashing and he became increasingly confident in his ability to float on his own (with floaties). Great fun!

March 14: Great news! We heard from the Bp. of South Carolina that we can stay at Jan's house in Massachusetts next year for Erik to complete his Oxford degree work. We are so excited about spending a year in Chatham, near the ocean, near Boston, near lobsters (for Erik!) We will also be able to spend extended Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with our families. But we know it's going to be cooooold there during the winter!

March 18: Erik, Pat, Kendra and I went to town to see "Luminix," a pyrotechnic installation in honor of Oxford's 1000th (that's right, one thousandth) birthday. It was pretty cool, with different stations of fire on Broad Street and some ethereal music being performed.

March 17-21: Mason has really gotten good at crawling! It's exciting and a lot more work! For a few days we wouldn't really keep an eye on him and he'd just appear about five feet from where he started, without any real crawling technique. Now he can truly crawl and is so curious. He is very interested in the desk area, with the trash can and cords underneath. Carter loves to crawl with him and they like to hang out underneath the kitchen table. Sometimes Mason emerges with a crumb or two... my little puppy. :)

March 20-25: Our dear friend Dave Nichol and his lovely new bride, Sarena, came for a visit! We shared meals at home, went for tea at the Old Parsonage and traipsed around Oxford for a cool and windy afternoon. It was SUCH fun.

March 24: Carter got a much-needed haircut!

March 25: Carter and Daddy made COOOOKIES! (Cue Cookie Monster singing "C is for Cookie" and imagine Carter devouring a cookie like Cookie Monster). :) Carter shaped one himself...

Please visit our family website for more pics!

McDonald's

2007-03-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

We indulged today for lunch. Carter had McNuggets, Mason a rice cake and they both had a snooze after. Here are some pics:

He's the Boss

2007-02-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago Erik and Carter were playing soccer in the house. Before they could play, Carter insisted that Erik take his hands out of his pockets, take off his glasses, put his shoes on, wear his sweater, stand in the right place and not kick the ball; only Carter could kick (!?). It took about three minutes for him to convey the importance of each of these tasks, for Erik to understand the command and finally follow through. By the time Erik was all situated, Carter had lost interest... go figure. :)

At Six Months

2007-02-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

At Five Months

2007-02-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

Life and laughing

2007-02-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

Carter is hilarious. Really, he is. He understands how to make people laugh and does his best to entertain us. All the time. He LOVES to make Mason laugh. He knows how to tickle him, talk to him ("A-Boooooo!") to get a laugh, he understands that Mason is little and sensitive so he knows to be gentle with him and not get too loud. He was getting great laughs out of Mason the other day just by playing peek-a-boo. Then he said, "Here, Mason, give me five!"

One of his new funny things is to jump on the bed and shout "Coke! Coke! Coke!" Last night he was jumping on the bed singing/yelling a song. It goes like this:

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Mommy is Allison
Daddy, Daddy, Daddy
Me-mace, Mason, Mason
Da-da-da
Yeah, yeah
Gee-Gee, Aunt Jess
PARTY!
Carter on the bed
Mason in his jumpy seat
Yeah, yeah, yeah

We were laughing so hard because while he was doing this Mason was on the floor playing with Carter's trains and Erik was calling him Mason-zilla as he destroyed the train, train track, animals, etc. Everything went in his mouth. Here's how it went:

Carter in the background singing/yelling.
Mason gurgling and eating wooden train stuff.
Erik giving play-by-play "Now I'm going to eat your head. A-ha-ha-ha!" in a sinister Asian accent.
Carter yelling, "Look at me! Look at me!"
Me laughing so hard my voice got raspy and throat got dry.

I love being a mom.

Long-time-no-blog

2007-01-31T14:02:00.000-07:00

I'm tired. Life is normal. Two babies. Busy husband. Cold weather. Mason awake two-plus times at night. Carter has a cold. Dirty dishes. Laundry piled up. My allergies are annoying. What does next year look like? Will my floor or bath tub ever really be clean? Can I just wear my pjs all day? Will someone come to cook tonight?

And to think, we can't wait to have more kids!

Woe is me. :)

New Background

2006-11-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

For some reason that last template was preventing text from appearing, so I've switched the background. Hope this works better. :)

From Thanksgiving to Christmas

2006-11-26T05:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the big (90+ people!) Thanksgiving meal we organized and hosted at Wycliffe. It was GREAT. Somewhere we have a photo of Erik and the other guys carving one of the three 30 pound (!) turkeys we had. The kitchen staff at Wycliffe cooked the birds for us which was so helpful, because one of them alone was about the size of our fridge and in no way would have fit in our oven. The rest of the meal was potluck and we had an amazing spread with all of the traditional trimmings, including stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. ALL of the food was eaten, save for part of one turkey that we delivered to a homeless shelter in town. Once I sift through our pictures I'll post some.

While all of the boys in my house are asleep I've just put the lights on our precious little Christmas tree. It smells AWESOME, even though Erik says he can't smell it. Here's the thing about our Christmas tree lights, which I'd forgotten since putting them on last year: in the States, the lights on a string have a plug on one end that goes into the outlet and the other has an inverted plug for, well, you know what I'm saying. Our lights here have a plug on one end and the string of lights is like a loop. The string begins and ends with the plug and there's no inverted plug to connect another string to, so you have to separate the loop and wrap it around the tree. Huge pain in the neck, especially since I didn't distribute the lights properly and had to unwrap and start over. Things are definitely easier in the States.

I hear Mason awake from his nap; both the boys have chest colds and have been under the weather the past few days. Poor little boys were so good yesterday for the whole time at the party despite not feeling well at all. Pray for them to resume their heathy and happy selves.

A Baby Comparison

2006-11-21T06:31:00.000-07:00

In the following five posts are side by side (or on top of) photos of Carter and Mason in consecutive months so we can all see how similar -- and different -- they look during each month. In each post Carter's pictures will appear first. On the "three month" post there are two of each, two of Carter followed by two of Mason. Tell me what you think, how they look similar and different and who, if anyone, they look like. I'll try to continue this each month...

At the hospital

2006-11-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

Both with their tongues sticking out!

At one month

2006-11-21T06:22:00.000-07:00

Look at that mohawk!

At two months

2006-11-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

At three months

2006-11-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

Two of both because they look so yummy

At four months

2006-11-21T06:04:00.000-07:00

Baby Blue

2006-11-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

Mason @ 4 months

My friend, Princess Atta!

2006-11-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

Carter loves tv. A part of me admits this with a tinge of embarassment, but I'll save that for another entry. He actually loves dvds and videos since we don't pay for tv here. Lately he's been hooked on his two new movies. We bought A Bugs Life and Toy Story at a flea market in the city center and he's been in love with them since we first poppped them into the VHS player.

He's learned some of the characters' names and will point them out when they're on screen. He loves to stomp around the house like a grasshopper, bent over at the waist with his hands on his hips and a half smile on his face. It's sweet because he doesn't really seem to get that the grasshoppers aren't the nice ones. He just likes the way they walk. He'll stomp around and say, "Uh-oh, grasshopper's comin'!"

A few days ago he started including Princess Atta in everything we were doing that day. He told me that Princess Atta was going on the train with him when we built one out of couch cushions. She was coming with him and Dot to Flick's house (Flick, by the way, is Princess Atta's love interest in the movie; to Carter they're brother and sister.). He said she needed an airplane ticket when we went to the back yard to get on the "airplane" to go see Daddy at school. He shows me how he "crashes," (wrestles) with her on the couch. Erik got him ready for bed and was ready to lay down and read him a book. He told Erik to leave because Princess Atta was going to read with him. Two days ago he announced that he was going upstairs to talk to his friends Princess Atta and Flick. He wants Princess Atta to sleep when he takes a nap and when he wakes he immediately reminds me that she's awake too.

This morning he wouldn't eat his oatmeal so I gave him a big bite and told him it was a grasshopper size bite. "No, Mommy. Dot-sized bite."

A few nights ago after he'd gone to bed I heard him talking to himself. I went to the bottom of the stairs to hear better and heard him in his own Carter-speak saying "To infinity and beyoooond!"

All of these little examples to say: I love two year olds' imaginations. I love our Carter.

2006-11-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

This marks my entry into Bloggsville. Enjoy.