Camping in the Backyard

A few weeks ago, before the freezing temperatures, Marc set the tent up in the backyard for a fun night of "camping".  The boys ate hot dogs, popcorn, and smores.  We sat around the fire pit and listened to Christmas music.  Mason was so appreciative and said, "Thanks for the best night ever Daddy!"  He is definitely a special boy that one!  We all really enjoyed ourselves.  When it was time to go to sleep, the twins and I were snug in our beds and Mason and Marc slept outside in the tent.  Mason slept like a champ, but Marc was not so comfortable.  He would do anything for his children and that is why I am so blessed to have him as my husband!

Waiting for the popcorn.

Hot dogs for dinner.  This made all the boys in my house happy.

 Playing in the tent.

 Noah was helping Marc make dinner.

Marc had put up the Christmas lights that day, so the boys wanted to check out the front of the house.  Mason helped with all of the decorations.  

My Favorite Holiday Tradition

One of my most favorite Christmas memories was making cookies with Momma.  I love that my boys get to continue this tradition.  Mason really got into it this year.  He mixed the ingredients, kneaded the dough, and decorated the cookies.  He worked the whole time until all of the dough was gone.  Noah and Dylan lost interest pretty quickly, until it was time to taste our creations.  I look forward to many more years of making Christmas cookies with Momma!

Dylan was upset that we didn't let him eat the raw eggs.  Yuck!

We were very happy that Me-ma (Monica) joined us.

He took his job as head baker very seriously.

Waiting so patiently for the cookies to be ready.

Mason loves Momma and Poppa's lemon tree.

No more high chairs for these boys:(  

This picture makes my heart so happy!

Sebastian and Nicole came over for a bit to hang out.

I love that sweet smile!

We ended the day with swing music and dancing in the living room.  This is another favorite memory of mine.  Momma and Poppa are quite the dancers and the boys love to join them!

Merry Christmas

We have been super busy the whole month of December.  We had an amazing Christmas filled with family and presents!  I have lots of pictures to share!  I will catch up on posts this week.

Merry Christmas!!!

I can't believe we actually got a picture of all five of us where no one is crying!

Dylan loves Santa Claus!

Clearly Noah did not want to take this picture.

Oh Noah!

These two could have sat there all night long!  Santa even talked to Mason about Beanie, our scout elf. Mason was very surprised by this!

Noah finally warmed up to the jolly old man as we were leaving.

Happy Hanukah!

We had everyone over to celebrate the first night of Hanukah for my dad.  We had a great time hanging out, eating, and lighting candles.  Auntie Jaime spoiled the boys with presents. With the help of my dad (via phone) saying the prayer, we lit the candles for all 8 nights.  The boys were obsessed with taking turns lighting the candles.  The twins would say happy birthday and did not understand why they weren't allowed to blow out these candles.  Maybe next year they will be able to understand the meaning of Hanukah.

I was brought up 1/2 Jewish, so it is important that my children learn about their culture.

My handsome guy!

These two are always eating!

Mason's look makes my heart skip a beat!

Noah is always happy and relaxed with Saba!  These two have a special bond.

2 Year Check-up

Going to the doctor with these two boys is no picnic.  The tears start flowing as soon as we start heading back to the room.  It is impossible to take them alone, so thank goodness my mom was there to help.  I was expecting lots of crying and screaming, but was pleasantly surprised by their behaviors.  Of course they cried when they were getting weighed (I cry too) and measured,  but once we busted out the veggie chips, they were pretty content.  Noah was in awe of the colored squares on the floor and the ballerina on the wall.  Dylan liked sitting on Gaga's lap munching on chips.  With the exception of getting shots, this was one of the best visits yet.  We have two extremely healthy and smart little boys.

Noah

• 32 pounds (94th percentile) The doctor wants us to start paying attention to the calories he is eating.  This boy loves his food!
• 33.75 inches (24th percentile) He may be little, but his voice makes up for his size!
• Noah can name every shape and knows most colors.
• Noah recognizes letters.  He was pointing out the letter A on the wall to the doctor.  Both the nurse and the doctor were impressed by him.
• If he wants your attention, he will grab your face to make sure you are staring into his eyes so he can tell you what he wants.  He also screams everyone's name, not in a bad way, but that is how he gets your attention.
• When driving in the car, he has to tell you everything he sees (school bus, bridge, tunnel, city bus, tree, car, etc.)
• Noah speaks in full sentences.  We may not always be able to understand him, but he is very confident in his speech.
• Noah is obsessed with cell phones and knows how to navigate through them to play his favorite games.
• After I lay him down in his crib, he looks up at me holding his pointer finger up and says "one more time" so that I pick him up and cuddle him one more time before he goes to bed.  I am a sucker for it every night! Every morning he calls out from his crib "Oh Mason! Oh Dilly Bar!" It makes me giggle every time.
• Noah is very content in his high chair.  He wants to eat every meal there and even watches TV while sitting in it.  I am convinced that he will be a teenager still sitting in his high chair!

Dylan

• 30.1 pounds (83rd percentile)  He is starting to like more foods now.  
• 34 inches (31st percentile) 
• Dylan's favorite foods are prunes, yogurt, anything in a pouch, and chocolate.  I can bribe him to do anything if I offer up one of these foods.
• Dylan is very independent.  He always says "My do." This means he wants to do it himself.  I have to give this guy credit because he is a pro at feeding himself.  He is a lot neater than Noah when it comes to eating.
• Dylan knows most shapes and some colors.  
• Dylan is my little snuggle bunny.  He will always give me a kiss or a hug when I ask him, and even surprises me by doing it on his own.  He loves to cuddle on the couch, with the lights off and only the glow of the Christmas tree, and Christmas music.  
• Dylan has graduated from the high chair and will only sit at his kid table or even the big table.  
• Dylan is extremely ticklish and has the best belly laughs when we tickle his neck.
• If we are watching TV and something is about to happen to a character, Dylan screams out, "Oh no!"  
• Dylan is my tank.  He loves to wrestle and tackle Mason.  We have to remind Mason that Dylan is smaller than him, but Dylan can hold his own.  I've even seen him take Mason down a few times!

I can go on and on about all of the things these two boys are doing and how obsessed I am with them. They are so protective of each other and it makes my heart melt watching them play together.  I can't believe they are two years old and I look forward to the many adventures we have ahead of us!

Oh "Two"-dles!

We celebrated the twins with a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party at the house.

We've got ears, say cheers!

Thanks Therese for making these awesome Mickey Mouse cookies!

We had an awesome Mickey bouncy house.  It had a basketball net, a slide, and lots of room for jumping.

The adults had a blast!

The train was a hit with all the kids.

Everyone loved the popcorn too!

Best Friends Forever!

Dylan did not stop eating the entire time!

My boys love bubbles!

Happy birthday munchkins!

Poor Noah got stuck in the bouncy house when the breaker popped and the whole thing deflated.  Thank goodness my old coworker and friend, Brenda, was there to rescue him.  It took him a few hours before he went back in, but he finally did and was full of laughter bouncing around again!

You open the present Noah, not sit on it!

These boys are growing up way too fast!