A SNOW STORM AND A MEETING WITH SANTA!

Living in the North East we are used to this kind of snow! We love it around Christmas but sometimes we are still getting blizzards in March! Addy and Lincoln loved playing in the big piles from the snow plows. I did notice that at age 5 and 7 they are still eating the snow.... not sure if that is normal! The pile at the end of our drive way....

Every December The Country Club of Rochester (where my husbands spends many of his summer days!) has appointments for the kids to meet Santa. They do a great job! There is an elf that greets the kids before they go in- They also have a "good" list with all of the kids names on it. It is a nice way for the kids to tell Santa their wishes with out going to the crowded malls! Jack and Spencer had just one wish this year.. Candy Canes!

Meeting with the Elf outside Santa's door....

~BEST BUDDIES~

Having twins has been such a whirlwind! Sometimes Matt and I look at each other and have to say "do we really have twin boys running around this house?" There are moments when I wonder if I am going to make it until bed time, and then there are moments when they take my breath away with their little relationship- Every night they lay in their room and they talk FOREVER! We have seen them climb out of their beds, turn the lights on and pull everything out of their drawers and toy boxes. We separate them into different rooms at nap time, otherwise there would be no sleeping! The other night I went into their room to check on them and this is what I found....... I loved it!! Jack had climbed into Spencer's bed and they fell asleep talking to each other. They are so precious!!! Anytime they are separated they are constantly asking where the other one is. It is such a neat experience to watch these boys grow! Spencer looked at Jack the other day and said "Me going to me soccer game with me other friends!" I thought I would die laughing!! There are times in their car seats when I look back and they are holding hands! I am so glad we get to experience having these two boys in our home... they are constantly keeping us on our toes and making us laugh!

IT'S CHRISTMAS TREE TIME....

Starting once again at the grand finale...
Lincoln held on to this star for dear life! He carried it with him the whole time he was decorating so that he could be the one to put it on the tree! How cute is a 2 year old concentrating so hard to get that ornament on...

Notice Addy's outfit... This is what kind of thing she will change into when she gets home from school. A summer skirt, random headband and fleece jacket! She has been doing this for years and I love what she comes up with! The other day we were driving home and I told her I could not wait to get my sweat pants on. Her response was "when I get home I am going to put on a skirt, some tights and my tap shoes!" Sometimes I wonder if we are even related!

Spencer's turn! Since the first night of decorating most of the ornaments have been moved at least half way up the tree. I think we have another year until those boys understand they can't pull them all down. It took a few shattering noises coming from the living room for me to realize it was time to move them all up out of reach!

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE CHRISTMAS TREE~

This year our niece, Caroline was in in the nutcracker. The kids had a good time watching it, except for 2 minutes into the play when Addy looked at me and said "do they ever talk Mommy?" Caroline played a little dancing angel and they were very excited to see her! We picked the worst day this year to get the Christmas tree- It was FREEZING!!!! The twins and I were only outside for about 5 minutes and then we watched them choose it from the warm car! I will take pics of the final product after it is all decorated!

MEMORIES.....

It has been almost 12 years since my sister Adrienne passed away, I just wanted to write some of my favorite things about her~
She was always outgoing and upbeat about everything, there was not much that could get her down! She was always caring and took care of everyone in her family- She had something about her that made you always feel comfortable. She had a way of making everyone feel included and wanted- Some of my favorite memories of her come from the two of us laying in bed talking for hours every night! She tried many different hair styles out on me, including frosting my hair in her room... it turned out to be a bright orange color!! I will always remember how proud I was to be her sister. I loved having her as a cheerleader in my first varsity basketball game..it is something I will never forget! We had some great battles playing HORSE on the basketball court- They did not always end pretty if she happened to beat me! I would not change one thing about growing up with her as my sister, I only wish I could have had more time with her. She was beautiful on the outside and even more so on the inside. Anyone who knew her would tell you that there was just something "special" about her. I will never forget the day she left our lives and I am truly grateful that I was so blessed to have her as my sister and my friend.

IT IS FINALLY HERE........

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLD MAN!!!

This post is a couple of days late... but just wanted to wish my "man" a Happy Birthday! It is nice to always be able to call him old, and remind him I will always be younger than him! He is a great person and an incredible father! Just wanted to say some of the things I love about him since it is his moment:
He is always happy, there is rarely a mood swing from this man! He is ALWAYS positive and looks on the bright side, no matter what the situation. He is loving and sensitive (sorry had to tell everyone!) He loves to "pretend" to be handy around the house and is known to use duct tape to fix anything! He is loyal and dedicated to his family above anything else. His kids ADORE him! He is the first to jump up in the night if one of the kids wakes up. He is involved in everything I do around the house and ALWAYS helps with out me even asking. His got the most beautiful brown eyes which he passed along to to two of our kids! He is an all around good person and the love of my life! Happy Birthday Matty P!

HALLOWEEN 2008

This is my Anakin Skywalker, every year he chooses to be something from Star Wars~ Have you ever seen a mailman with a binky and a black eye?????

This is my little peacock- I love this costume, and Addy loves to dress up- She will wear this one for years!

Last but not least here is the UPS man with his dog in the background peeking out the door! The twins loved Halloween this year, they were so cute knocking on doors and so excited that they had "lots" of candy!

We had friends come over to eat before trick or treating.. this was our "witch's brew"! The kids loved it!!

AFTERMATH OF HALLOWEEN-

This is the scene at my house the day after Halloween 8 am! Look in the back ground of this picture and you can see Spencer hiding on the floor eating lollipop's as fast as he can!

PUMPKIN CONTEST

This is the proud winner of the pumpkin carving contest in our home... Aunt "Alla"! After hours of cleaning and cutting she crowned herself the champion! I made Carmel apple dip for the kids while carving... The old man thinks he has rights to anything that is at his level. I caught him putting his paws on the kids chairs and pulling down chocolate milk the other day. He has some issues lately~

Taking a break from the messy pumpkin and seeds!

These pictures are in the wrong order! This is the day before at the pumpkin patch!

Spence trying to pick the perfect pumpkin! He loved cleaning out the pumpkin and using whatever he could pull out of the drawers to do it... can openers, pizza cutters, and spatulas!

THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT FALL....

For the past couple of years our family has gone to a place called Brown's Berry Patch. It is about a 45 minute drive from us, and it is nothing but trees and lakes- It is beautiful this time of year! We picked a perfect day to go.... 75 degrees and sunny! This place has everything for kids- playgrounds, petting zoos, corn mazes, a giant trampoline, you name it they have it. They also have a great farmers market with the best apples, dips, fudge, and ice cream! This is Spencer cruising around on the bike track-
Lincoln posing as a cow.....
This is a little duck race, you put the rubber ducks on a track and then you have to pump the water to get them to move- Jack was trying his best to do it... maybe next year he can get those muscles to move that duck!
Addy, after running all day from one thing to the next.......
This was a playground shaped like a big wooden ship- Jack loved it!

THE SWEET PART OF TERRIBLE TWO'S.....

Okay so this is a double post... scroll down to see the second part of the "terrible two tornadoes!" This is Jack and Spencer on their first day of nursery school. They love going, but are very concerned about where I am going to be. They are not happy to hear that I am going to the grocery store, they love going! They are saying the funniest things right now! Every night before Spence goes to sleep he says "good night Canada!" We get such a good laugh over their personalities. Although we have some rough moments managing two little active boys, I would not trade this experience for the world! I love this one of Spence, his bag weighs more than him! He has had bird legs from birth, no matter how many donuts we feed him!
AHHHH no more diapers!!! They have been sooo easy to potty train- After reading about potty training twin boys I thought I was in for it! We have not had many accidents at all and they are soo proud of themselves. They love wearing their "big boy" underwear and showing them to everyone! The cutest thing is they always say "mommy you so proud of me?" after they go potty! I love it!

THIS IS WHEN I TELL MYSELF TO TAKE DEEP BREATHS.......

This is when I am thankful for what yoga has brought into my life... deep breathing and some sanity!! I needed to post these pictures so my mom could see what all my phone calls have been about! Lately the terrible two's have hit our home... This is Jack getting all of the canned food out of the pantry and making towers. This I actually thought was very cute because they kept telling each other that they were making "triangles and bridges"! All of this took place while I was making dinner one night...... After the cans, they moved on to stuffing- They opened and dumped it all over the family room floor. This is when I am thankful for my wonderful vacuum Louie!!! He cleaned it all up!
Causing more trouble in the living room... always climbing!!!
Yes I know this picture is a blur.... that is what they are, two tornadoes that fly through the house destroying everything in their paths! Once again Lou in on the action, I think he secretly is glad there are two of them, more messes for him to clean up!
This is what they did when I was on the phone with the vet- The got the BUCKET of hot cocoa mix out of the pantry and dumped it all over the couches, the floor, and themselves. I spent the entire afternoon vacuuming and mopping while Lou licked himself into a chocolate coma! Addy came home from school that day and asked me what I baked, the whole house smelled of cocoa!

STITCHES.....

I got a phone call from Lincoln's school on Tues, It was his principal. The message she left said that Lincoln had hit his head and had a pretty big gash, and that I needed to come get him! As I drove to the school I thought of how quickly life can change. Of course It never crossed my mind that one of my kids would get really hurt at school, you always think they are safe. I felt so bad for him, he had hit his head on a metal stair railing while walking out during the fire drill. Anyone who knows Lincoln can absolutely see this as a possibility! He has what we like to call the "Dunn" speed which is short for no speed at all! By the way I did not inherit this speed thanks to my mom's side of the family! Poor Lincoln his shirt was covered in blood, with towels drenched also. It broke my heart when I saw him sitting there. He held it together until we got into the car and then he decided to cry. He is such a strong boy. He laid in the hospital with not a tear or a flinch as they numbed and stitched him. Had this been Addy or the twins we would have had to put a straight jacket on them. He is one tough boy!! It makes you appreciate having healthy kids and never taking anything for granted!!

~YANKEES~

This weekend Matt and his Dad had an opportunity to go see the Yankees play. This is the last season they will be playing in this stadium so it was great for them to see them play here one last time- They had great seats, second row, and a perfect New York day!!! The Yankees pulled it off in the 9th inning... Addy and I watched to see if we could see Daddy and "Boppa" in the stands! Matt brought the kids home shirts and hats... bright and early the next morning they got their baseball gear on and put some bases out to play! Lincoln was happy to say the Yankees won the world series that morning... if only that could be possible this year!!!
walking into the stadium to their seats. They did a lot of eating this day, first fried dough in "little Italy" and then on to Soho for a nice dinner!

A BOY AND HIS "MONSTER" TRUCK~

My little boys LOVE trucks! Jack has his favorite truck which he calls "me monster truck!" He brings it in the car, up and down the stairs and even in his bed! Of course it happens to be the biggest truck we have! He loves this picture, every time he sees it he screams "look there is me monster truck in me bed"!! I love it~ Both boys are going to a 2 year old program that Lincoln and Addy did also. It is 2 days a week for 2 hours. They have not started yet, but they need a picture of themselves to put where they hang their bags. These are some of the ones we took. They can not wait to go, every time we pass the school they say "There's me school!" Also their teachers names are Mrs. Schwarz and Mrs Whiteside- They call them "Mrs. Shorts and Mrs. Whiteshorts!" They say the cutest things right now, I love hearing their conversations- Although Spencer has decided he likes using a lot of potty words at age 2... we are in trouble with that little guy!