"Big Mess, Mommy!"

Yes, once again, our Patrick after breakfast. Delightful.

Grrrr!

Luke always seems to get the worst of the sicknesses that go around our house. Joe has been fighting a cold for a few days, but last night, Luke work up hollering, “Oh, No!” When we went in to see him, he was all stuffed up and coughing. The “oh no” was referring to how he felt. Poor little thing. Joe’s an old pro at sleeping with mom and dad, but neither of the twins ever have. Because he was in such bad shape, Scott suggested moving him into our bed. I thought Luke would be too distracted to sleep. When we put him in between us, the previously miserable and crying little boy got the biggest smile on his face and reached for the pillow. He laid down as best as he could and was quiet and content most of the night. It was so sweet to snuggle with him.

Why I hate living in Wisconsin: The number one reason, of course, is that it’s so far away from our family and friends. A close second is the stupid government here. Our property taxes are twice what they would be in KC and they’re on the rise again – among other out of control taxes. Also, we have to have our cars emissions checked all of the time. I let our neighbors use our van to jump their car, (never do this, by the way. My dad warned me!) and our “Check Engine” light has been on ever since. Most folks know that this light is pretty touchy and mostly worthless as far as your car actually performing. More than one mechanic has suggested “fixing” the light with a little electrical tape – right over the light itself. Well, here in good old WI, a Check Engine light being illuminated is an automatic failure on your emissions check. This prevents you from renewing your license plates. You can “reset” your computer, but this only lasts for a little while and doesn’t guarantee passing your test. The annoying part is that my barely-running old ’89 Mazda passed this test with flying colors. It had no complicated computer. Certainly the van is not spewing hazardous, harmful emissions, but you can’t tell anyone on the state payroll that as long as the light is on. Grrr! So, then, the number three reason I hate living in Wisconsin is the obviously crummy weather from November to May – Winter season here. Maybe some day I will talk about why I love living in Wisconsin, but I can’t think of any reasons right now.

Happy Veteran's Day

Okay, so I didn't mention Veteran's Day in the blog yesterday. We want to wish our family Vet's a happy day and thank them for their service:

.

Great-Grandpa Elvin - WW2, Europe

Great-Granddad Carrol - WW2, Pacific

Great-Grandpa Norbert - WW2, Pacific

Uncle Jeff - Iraqi Freedom, Iraq
Aunt Janelle - Iraqi Freedom, Kuwait

.

Did we forget anyone?

.

(Patrick)
.

Today and yesterday were absolutely BEAUTIFUL here in Milwaukee - low 60's, no wind, and sunny. Since our tree guy finally ground our stumps last Sunday, the boys were delighted to play "King of the Hill" and basically just throw the soft dirt and wood chips around. There was lots of joyful sounds coming from that measly pile. It was a little boy's dream.

. .

.

It's so much easier to be outside with them now than it was earlier this summer. Joe is very good about staying where he's supposed to and answering me when I call.

.

The twins are getting better, too, about playing without getting into things they shouldn't (like my garden and the tools in the garage) Maybe it's the language development - they actually understand instructions now. We had a great time playing outside for what will probably be the last time until late March. sigh.

New things

I’ve been hesitant to post since we are still missing the camera with Halloween pictures on it. Maybe it’s a lost cause and we should just dress everyone up again.

A lot has been going on in the twins’ development lately. They’ve been particularly vocal these past months. Luke loves repeating and does a great job articulating even difficult words. He counted to 11 for me and sings his ABC’s – mostly just imitating the song, he couldn’t say his alphabet, by any means. Luke also seems to be a bit more aggressive than Patrick, but he can now say “I love you” unprompted, usually when giving hugs. Since Patrick is usually the object of his aggression, I was pleased at something Luke did the other night. We had a sitter who had put the boys to bed in the wrong cribs. When Luke woke up when we checked on him, he was very concerned that he had Patrick’s doggy and wouldn’t stop whining about it until I gave it to Patrick. Luke can also whisper now.

Patrick is not quite as articulate just yet – he still needs some serious interpreting, but he tries any word we ask him to. I feel a little bit like a bad mom because I only realized that they have different voices just a few weeks ago. If there is ever laughing and merriment in the tub or in their rooms after naps, for instance, it is almost always instigated by Patrick. He loves being silly and playing games with Luke. They are really starting to get along quite well.

Speaking of getting along, we went to an educational toy store yesterday. They had a big Thomas train set with two other kids already playing. I sat back and watched the three boys choose trains that were not in use and play in areas that were not really in the way of the other kids. No screaming or frustrations, except for a few protests when it was time to go. We also visited a bookstore that had a Bluegrass band performing. The twins “danced” by bobbing up and down. At one point, they were bobbing in unison with the beat but staggered with each other. They looked a little like Oompah’s. The band got a kick out of them as they listened quite contently for three whole songs!

Hostages

Our Halloween pictures are being held hostage in Scott's camera, which is currently MIA. This is disappointing because they were darn cute.
.
The twins had their 2-year doctor visit this morning. They're doing great. Both of the boys jumped into the 75th percentile for head circumference, height and weight. Maybe they will be football players after all. All 3 boys got flu shots, too. The twins hardly cried at their shots. Tough kids. Joe kept asking for his turn to "hear his heartbeat." Well, his "turn" was actually just to get his shot. It was a very unpleasant surprise for him. The doctor came in again before we left and kindly listened to Joe's heart. He was all better after that.

Viva

Joe accidentally saw a Viagra commercial the other day. Those drug commercials always end with "Ask you doctor about... (whatever drug)" When the spot was over, Joe told Scott, "We should ask our doctor about it. Do you know what he'll say? He'll say, 'yes!'"