The last of the celebrating!

On Sunday we celebrated the twins' 3rd birthday with lots of family.  It was kind of a crazy day so their cakes got pushed to the last minute...which meant they didn't have time to cool properly...which meant the layers were sliding all over the place.  Oh well, at least they tasted good!  They were loving being the center of attention, and they sure are lucky to have so many people who love them!  They really loved showing off their underpants & potty skills; since they are now potty trained.  Thanks grandma Thomson for the two packs on unders...they were much needed! Guess what finally did the trick for getting them to seriously potty train...diapers weren't an option, and they got to pick a two pack of starburst every time they went potty.  If they didn't want to go...or wouldn't in Joshy's case...I ate the pack in front of them.  Really mean, I know, but it only took twice for him to get it together!

 On Monday night, Maggie picked playing Parcheesy for FHE.  I couldn't get over this funny kid.  He'd roll the dice and make his moves then put his hands up on his face while waiting for his next turn.  

 

How did they turn 3 already?

 This morning started off very different than it did 3 years ago! (Click older or newer at the bottom of the page for more about their story) It began with this little cutie wandering upstairs asking for some cereal and milk.  This is his favorite thing right now, of course in a green bowl...it's his most favorite color...he'd eat cereal for lunch and dinner too.  We had some unique quiet time together before the rest of the kids joined us.  It was quite nice.

 Josh is such a funny little character.  He is very stubborn...which leads to tantrums and slow going sometimes, but he's also very independent...he can put his shoes and socks on by himself, and buckle his car seat. He's also extremely loving and kind.  He loves to help and is very clever.  He surprises me all the time with the things he comes up with.  

 Then Jack joined us.  He is such a funny kid.  When they were little Josh was way more outgoing and social and Jack would either cry if anyone outside of our family looked at him or just stare.  Now he's our little social boy.  He loves making people laugh and he's quite the little charmer.  Jack is very loyal; he defends his siblings.  He is our goof ball...he's always giggling and being silly.  Jack is very good at putting his feelings into words.  He can tell me exactly what he's thinking and it's so fun.  I can tell by the look on my kids faces what they are feeling, but Jack is especially an open book.  He is super sweet, but doesn't like to be stroked or soft tickled...at all.  It's very rare for him to let me tickle him when we snuggle.

 I had picked up some little tub toys for them for this morning and they were a big hit! Look how much change two years brings.

 Man I love these two!  I can't even imagine our life without them.  I can't believe we've all survived 3 years together...there have been rough patches, but mostly, we have pretty awesome days...who wouldn't with these cute faces smiling at them?

 They definitely have a special little bond that's unique to twins.  I love hearing them talk to each other.  They are getting to be quite eloquent and it's my favorite to listen to them.

"How old are you today?"

Just chillin'

We have been cleaning out our basement...not fun...but the kids have found lots of put aside stuff.  For instance, this Tweedle Dee hat Josh is sporting.  I'd been downstairs and came up to find him sitting in the sun, on the pillows, eating a treat from the neighbors, and reading a Little Critter book.  He is so funny!

Monster unders are so exciting for a 2 year old

Today is the first day of Christmas break and we are loving it.  No school or gym and we have been snuggled in all day.  The kids have been on a Harry Potter kick, so we've watched 2, 3, and now #5. This morning Jack came running in to me saying he needed to go potty...a wonderful thing I wish he did more of.  Basically, he was potty trained about 3 months ago...even on shopping trips he'd be dry all day. Then, he just decided not to.  So I was excited when he was interested. We jacked up the heat and the boys are sporting their unders today. How cute are those hinies! See if you can guess who's is who.  It's really pretty easy.

So far no accidents.  We talked about not peeing or pooping on the cute monster...we shall see.

Josh has actually been going a lot more than Jack lately...my motto is don't push them and it will happen, but I'm starting to get a little impatient with two very capable little boys who hold going potty for ransom!!!  Maybe today is the day?

It must be love

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a loss as to what to get for Kendall to take to work for lunch.  He was tired of all the Costco stuff, so I decided to make a huge batch of one of his favorite things...spicy breakfast burritos.  It started off with two huge rolls of sausage from Costco.  I added a lot of heat with cayenne and red pepper flakes.  This is where the love part comes into it...I do not like sausage...at all!  For me to cook this much of it was almost making me gag...just looking at this picture is gross.

 Then came the eggs.  It ended up be 6 dozen eggs in total.  I added a jar of jalapenos and a little bit of milk.

 Maggie cooked a ton of tortillas for me.  She loved being in charge of making sure the bubbles were all popped, then flipping it over.

The finished result was 2 of these trays of 50 breakfast burritos.  We put two in a ziploc bag and threw them in the freezer.  He has been ever so happy to take these babies to work.  It ended up taking way longer than I thought it would, but at least he has a nice change of food for work.

 On this Costco trip I picked up a huge box full of suckers to try to entice Joshy to be more interested in using the potty.  It worked for a day, then we had stubborn fits over wanting the sucker, but not wanting to go #1 or #2.  Oh well, I guess he'll get there when he's good and ready...and not a minute sooner!  He was pretty happy about these green suckers...green is his favorite.

"Cold Mama."

The other morning, I was making breakfast and I hear Josh making a funny sound.  It was like a high pitch little squeal, then he'd say, "cold mama."  When I turned around to see what he was doing I just starting laughing.  He was lifting his shirt up and pushing his tummy against the cold window.  He kept doing it over and over.  So silly!  This kid is such a little imp.  

 He definitely keeps us on our toes...his cleverness and quickness often times gets him into sticky situations...like yesterday when Sam climbed our back fence, Josh followed him right up, then got stuck at the top. {It's been asked how tall the fence is...just a normal 5 or 6 foot fence...little psycho!}  He can definitely be a handful, but he is also always so willing to give out hugs and kisses and most days he gets his face kissed off by his momma!

But seriously...who could resist that face?  Especially when it's all puckered up for a kiss!  He's my little man and I can't believe how grown up my babies are getting.  They are both little mocking birds that parrot back everything we say.  Josh is really feisty and usually gets what he wants from his bigger but less scrappy twin brother.  They love to wrestle and Jack, knowing he's bigger, will try to pin Josh by laying on him.  Joshy is so wiggly and bendy that he can usually worm his way out, then he lays on Jack and Jack just cries and cries...even though Jack could easily push him off if he wanted too.

Having twins has definitely taught me a lot about myself and these incredible spirits our Heavenly Father is sending down.  They are all so unique and you'd think that having two at a time would make them more alike...same parenting, same exact stages, same little milestones...but really it's shown us how very different each of our kids really is.  They are reaching the same milestones but at different paces and with their own talents.  They are both very loving and sweet with each other, but they both have their own way of showing their love, frustrations, sadness, and even happiness. They keep us on our toes, but man I love having these smiling faces look up at me!!!

What do you do for entertainment?

At our house, all we have to do is turn Jack and Josh loose.  They always come up with something silly and hilarious!  Today it was this little tiny bucket.  For some reason Jack decided to climb into it and take a little rest.  It was so funny...these pictures don't do any justice!  

 Then of course, since Jack was having so much fun, Josh needed a turn!

 Everything is all better.

 Jack kept climbing in, then bossing everyone around.  Can you just see him shouting out orders in this picture?

Never a dull moment at the Johnson house!

Crazy boys

Just like my last post, this was just another normal day.  Getting these two in and out of the tubby can be quite the process, but they really love to play in the water.

 Josh kept trying to get closer and closer to the lens...he likes seeing his reflection.

 They love to toss anything they can and make a splash...today it was the shampoo and conditioner bottles.

 It's all fun and games till someone gets bonked!

 Having twins is a lot of work...I could easily elaborate, but I'm not going too...and they are also SO MUCH fun!  They really love playing together and whether they are getting into some sort of mischief or another, they always have a willing buddy.

Talent in the making!

Lately this girl has been doing a lot of this:

 She loves to sing and "accompany" herself.  She flips threw the pages to find just the right song, then comes up with some great lyrics to sing along with her beautiful playing. Today I caught part of one song saying, "and the children are good with no whining..."  Apparently I must say no whining a lot!

I love that she looks like she is really reading music, even though she's only 3 and can't even read yet!

She even lets her brothers sing too, as long as they don't turn the page before she's done with it!

I have to admit that the piano player in me really hopes she will want to pursue this when she gets a little older!!!

Our little contortionist

Josh is and always has been a very wiggly and bendy baby!  He is also extremely daring...not a very good combination for a mama; great for daddy (he loves that Josh will try crazy things.)   He likes to stress me out...he actually laughs when he knows he's making me nervous!  Lately we are seeing a ton of this:

He stretches and reaches and climbs and wiggles!  If he doesn't want to do something or go somewhere he goes limp and it is literally impossible to hold on to him!  With all this climbing and reaching you'd think there would be more falling.  Occasionally he does fall, which is how he got the nice scrape in this picture.

 He'd climbed on the electric box in front of our house and was standing on top when he somehow fell and scraped his forehead.  He's also covered in chocolate frosting because I was making it for Sam's cupcakes when my mom stopped by to give Sam his birthday present.  So Josh went in to the kitchen, scooted a chair over to the counter, climbed onto the counter and got into the big bowl of delicious chocolate frosting!  It was pretty funny because he gave himself away! We could hear him in the kitchen going, "nummy, nummy, nummy."   Little turd!!!  But man, we sure do love him.  He has always been and will always be a contortionist. Maybe that's because he was born breech, or was he able to be born breech because he is so bendy???