PB&J Junkies (and being camera aware)

Lunchtime can be such a struggle sometimes. It usually met with fussiness and cranky boys, over-tired and an exhausted mum. It is so hard. Parenting is just hard. There is nothing easy about this shit. The days it goes all good in the morning, the afternoons just lead to chaos.. and vice versa. It's rare that we have a seriously good day. It sucks. I want them to be all good days. But alas. No. 

I recently gave up trying to be healthy for lunchtimes, well at least for a couple of days. Usually we have things like edamame, whole grain toast with tuna, mostly healthy and as unprocessed as possible. Then, it all turned to custard. I threw in the towel and decided to make them PB&J. ARGH!!! There was no bread. Out come the tortillas. I know I was a PB&J kid and still am. But now I know why. The boys were so happy. I was happy. All good.

You can't be that mum everyday. Somedays you have to feed them PB&J for lunch and baked beans for dinner. 

And it's ok.. 

The new lunch favourite

And quickly, look at this little heartbreaker above. He has been quite lovely lately and it's amazing. While Willem has had a pretty bad week, Hendrik is the one to help out. He gets their socks and shoes when Willem is having a tantrum on my lap and gets into the pram without question. And not to mention, he can work a camera like no other little boy! ;)

xx

Our very uneventful Halloween

Sometimes, holidays sneak up. 

I was completely unprepared for Halloween this year. 

I promise, next year will be different. 

But we did manage a quick trip into the city for a little Day of the Dead celebrations!

And yes, the boys DID have a good time! It may not look like it though! 

Hope everyone had a good Halloween!!
xx

A very special Monday..

Most Monday nights, we have a small group of very good friends come over for dinner. We all take turns cooking, which is a great break for me, but I love seeing what crazy things everyone makes. Anything from fondue to pork hocks, or coq au vin to spaetzle. It gets a little out of hand some nights. After consuming a ridiculous amount of food, we game. Like the geeks and nerds we are. 

But most of the time, the boys are already bathed and in bed and only hear of the stories of the dinners, or via leftovers. But on Labour Day, everyone came over early and got to hang out with H&W. They loooooooooooved it! And they loved the BBQ everyone pitched in for. 

Willem  trying on Aunty Jess' boots

And not everything had bacon! See!!

Aunty Jess having some boy-time.

Thanks guys for making our guys' day!
Love you all!!! xx

What's our favourite snack right now?

Vegemite. On anything.
Good thing I had a chance to wipe the messy faces before Oma came to visit!

Hope everyone's week is going great! x

Another Sunny Weekend!

Life is good here in Wellington. We have lucked out with the weather. It's been simply stunning. Being able to play outside and get that fresh air makes all the difference in the world. 

We had a great weekend spent with family and spending the time to catch up on little things ie. tree trimming and mending dresses (that I can actually fit into again!).

Happy 22 months to these little flower children of ours!

Hanging with Opa!

Finally fixing some summery clothes. 

And school holidays are now over! Thank goodness! The boys and I were back at Playcentre today. I'm so happy they love it! 

Good times.

And happy Monday!

xx

Yes. It's time to play catch-up!

And by that, I mean - Mom, here are the latest photos of your grandsons! Yeah. Seriously. Oh and I'm also catching up on the hundreds of photos I've taken over the past week, with a NEW CAMERA! (My heart swells) xx

So much climbing. And running. And chasing each other and poor Timmy-Dog. They are non-stop. 

And when they do stop, it's quiet and you might think the worst, but lately they have really taken to playing together and having little adventures. And they help each other... H helped W put the trailer back on the bike so he could take the clown for a ride to their room. So lovely.

Speaking of their room. It's slowly becoming "Their space". Full of their toys, I've been slowly putting everything back in their room and making it fun for them to be there. They now have an old CD player they can listen to, access to more books, and most of their toys out. 

Hendrik's cot. "Peter Rabbit", Lion and "Red Monkey"

Willem's cot. "Lellow Monkey" and "Teedy Bear"

I know in the not-too-distant future, all of this is going to change. Cots will become beds. Baby toys and toddler bikes will be too small. But even though, this age has had some hard times, we have seen some amazing milestones. And some milestones that not all parents get to experience. Twin milestones are something that are a blessing. While the boys scream and fight a lot, they are becoming such good little mates! They work together and help each other out. They bring each other food and snacks and their drink bottles. They share toothbrushes. (Yuck) But watching them spend time together (when they aren't fighting) is something lovely beyond words. One morning, they sat on the bean bags in the room, listening to music, sharing books and chatting. It was that moment, I felt I could breath. 

More of that please boys!

xx

More adventures of little men

Thing One, Thing Two, and Thing Timmy waiting for the weather to clear.

Sunshine, water play and some garden exploring.

So many moods. So many hats.

Slightly warmer weather makes...

... everyone happy.

Lack of a computer is...

Refreshing.

But when it's time to play catch up - it's an afternoon sitting down and sorting images.

Since the reno has started, I've been without a computer pretty much since. But not without my camera. After these last few weeks, I was able to finally get about 300 images on to my machine! Yikes.

So here is the beginning of a quick catch up...

The destruction

Strange food requests and so many new words!

The boys are getting more and more vocal everyday.

"Please"

"Thank you"

"Curry puff"

"Proper fluffy please" (Hendrik)

And I ask "What veggie would you like for lunch?" Willem says, "Lettuce please."

19 months. Crazy.

But I am shocked and amazed that somehow they have taken to eating salad! And requesting it on a regular basis. It's probably just a phase and they will hate it next week. But still pretty cool...

 

 

Life with twins..

 

Some new adventures...

The Potty. Well, potties. I can't believe how eager they are to use them. We're only starting out and I'm not putting any pressure on them right now. But both of the boys are telling me when they need to poo and potty, so I thought we'd give it a go! Not too bad so far. They are more into washing their hands after and singing songs while sitting there... Pretty damn funny! 

And yes. New ouchies. *sigh* This we had to put a plaster on Willem's toe from a really bad scrape. And later in the morning, Henk's forehead decided to meet the edge of the coffee table. Within ten minutes of cuddles and drinks of water, we was back to bouncing on the couch and reading books. 

Ugh. 

This is what being a mum of boys is all about huh? 

x

*ps

Sorry for the icky iPhone pics. :P 

When toddlers go bad...

Yeah. It's been one of those weeks.

On and off eating.
Clingy.
"Up!"
Nappy rash.
Not napping.
"Up!"
Full on napping. Talking like 2+ hours.
Tantrums.
More not eating.
Cranky.
Cranky.
"Up!"
Cranky.
"Up!"

Teething? Possibly. I hope so.
Growing pains? How can you tell?

Any ideas?
xx

Holy Winter! Where's the playdough!?

Ok ok. I know it's not THAT cold - or rather what cold used to be. Living in Minnesota for the better part of 8 or 9 years makes you hard. But winter here in Wellington just makes you grumpy. It's still cold. There is rain. 100k+ wind gusts. Almost freezing temperatures. But never cold enough to snow! At least seeing snow would make it alllllll worth it. 

We've all been trying to keep busy. Playgroups. Baking. Trying to evade those cold grumpy moments. And as we try to find new and fun things to do, my new favourite recipe for the boys is...

PLAYDOUGH. LOTS AND LOTS OF PLAYDOUGH.

Both Hendrik and Willem have been requested "plydu" every day since I made this first batch. It's one of those recipes that make you wonder why anyone would ever have a want to buy it in the shop. Easy. I got it at one of my new most visited blog/sites, The Artful Parent. You can find the recipe here.

It's so scary that these little men will be 18 months old in a couple weeks! Amazing. I remember seeing other kids at 18 months, thinking "I CAN'T WAIT!!!" And honestly, it's better than I ever imagined. Even with the newly found screaming and running and temper tantrums, watching them at this stage and all of the cuddles are truly amazing. 

Hendrik. Eating. Wanting cumr (camera). Watching birds. Eating.

Willem and his new favourite word, Helloooo. Getting upset. Getting more upset. Getting REALLY upset.

But they love each other. Cuddles and hi-fives on request.

And in case playdough, markers, toys, snacks, etc etc... Balloons. Always balloons. *pop*

With Love,
vH
x

Growing up..

Today was one of those days when you realise how fast it all goes. Today was filled with questions being asked and actually answered. It's so odd.

"What would you like?" "Snack."

"Would you like some water?" "No."

Hendrik especially has begun to become this very adventurous, curious, independent little man. During playgroup, he wanted to go off and see what was over "there", he came back holding a hand of another mum, looking above the tops of the heads of other kids sitting on the floor, sees me waving to him and smiles his big smile with dimple and all, and comes trotting over. He came over, flung his arms around me and gave me a huge cuddle. It almost made me cry..

Then in the afternoon we went to the Lyall Bay playground. It was a stunning day, so it was a no brainer. As soon as they saw the water, "OSHN!!" Yep. Ocean. Hendrik decided he was going to walk on his own to the playground, looks out over the wall to the beach and the waves, and decides that's where he wants to be. He keeps walking past the swings and slides and down to the beach.

After finding their footing on the sand and finding a couple of shells for Dad, Hendrik sits himself down in the sand. He sits, quiet and calm, watching the ocean, the waves and the surfers. Quiet and calm. The seagulls and the airplanes, taking it all in. Willem cuddles my shoulders asking about passing surfers and pointing to them in the waves.

It makes me so proud on days like these. Some days, I'm happy just to have survived. But these are the days that make this journey truly amazing.

Have a happy weekend!

X

 

A short afternoon to Waikanae

One of Jacob's best friends lives in Sydney with his beautiful partner and their, now, TWO kiddos! We got to meet the newest edition this past weekend out in Waikanae! 

Hello Ollie!!!!

Such a happy and handsome little man! The boys were a little curious about him. Willem especially. Sorry Willem, no little siblings for you! You'll have to make due with the "cousins"! 

We had a lovely time and it is always so nice to see so many lovely people, I always feel like I'm part of their family and that makes me feel incredibly special, even though it's usually chaos with our boys around.. So thank you!!!

And how could we all not love a picnic lunch for the boys and Eden!! (Thanks Sue!) They LOOOOOVED the chocolate yogurts! Hopefully, next time, Hendrik will actually use his spoon!

xoxo

Willem and Apple.

I know I post a lot of photos of my two wee nuggets... But I can't help it! And of course, I have to post them for Grammy Weber! We love you! Miss you!! x

Hendrik wants the camera. Always. Wants. the Camera.

These toes of Hendrik's are now walking toes. Look out world.

Willem and apple. And YES this is Willem...

Giggles for Timmy.

Have a great weekend!!

x