Andrew!!!

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.

• 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!

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

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!!!

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

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

Lunch today

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

I'm trying, Daddy...

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

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

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!

Carter is 4 today!

Happy Birthday precious boy!

Napping

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

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

Is this cool, Mace?"

Mason: "Yeaaah!"