Volcanic Eruptions

Since Derrick started finishing the basement, we've been uncovering many treasures that were once packed away or tossed on a shelf. One of them was a long lost gift from Uncle Darin (a Christmas gift, I think). A volcano kit from Hobby Lobby. When the boys came upstairs with it last week, I was very excited...well, not really, but I put it together anyway. So, we opened it up and started getting it together. We mixed the plaster mix and water and poured it into the mold. As it hardened, they it became warm, which the boys thought was very cool. After letting it sit on the counter for a few days, it was time to paint it. I needed to stay home with Natalie last Monday, and as the boys were walking out the door, Lucas suggested I paint it since I was going to be home all day...I guess he thought I had nothing else to do than paint his volcano. I painted it :).

Later that night, they so wanted to check it out. Lucky for them, I had some vinegar and the monstrous bag of baking soda that we got at Sam's so long ago. As we were getting ready to put the baking soda and vinegar together, Matthew had a funny look on his face. He thought the thing was going to shoot way up in the sky like a real volcano. Sorry, no. I also think he had it in his mind that it was going to magically turn from baking soda and vinegar into hot lava. No, buddy, not going to happen. They happily took turns scooping out baking soda and pouring the vinegar, listening to and watching it bubble over. After about 2 turns each, the reservoir was full of a baking soda paste, and the fun was done.

Orange Belt-CHECK!

Matthew and Lucas in front of sensei.


After several weeks of learning to count in Japanese, as well as most of the terms for some karate terms in Japanese, the boys passed their test for their orange belt. They started at white, earned the yellow about a year ago, and have now moved on to orange. Matthew's personal goal is to go up two belts in karate this year-very doable if he keeps up with it.

Matthew and Lucas performing their breakfalls.

They had to stand-together-in front of sensei and say the Japanese words for certain moves like "upper level block", "horse stance", etc., and then demonstrate them. It was funny to watch from the back of the room because Lucas was asked the words that Matthew knew better, and vice versa.

Lucas finishing his rolling breakfall.

Then, they had to perform their first and second kata-a routine of karate moves. However, the important thing is that they passed, and we are SO proud of them. They'll get their belts in class this week, so sensei can present them in front of everyone. I know they'll be so excited!

Matthew doing one of his katas.

Natalie-17 months

I think Natalie needs a little blog time of her own. As I look through some past posts, I've done a poor job of updating after her checkups, posting pictures, and giving her some cyber space. So, here's the rundown on her at seventeen months:

Weight: 24.8 lbs, 50th percentile
Height: 32 in, 75th percentile

Words she's saying:
Mommy, daddy, baby, night-night, peek, tickle-tickle, bye-bye

Cute things she does:
*blows kisses and frantically waves goodbye
*tries to put on her shoes or socks while sitting by the door
*gets a book and sits on the bottom stair step, a rug, or a pillow to read it

*rocks and burps her baby-good thing the babies aren't real because I think she's a little rough
*puts her finger to her lips and says "shhh" after she's laid down her baby and covered it up
*dances to ANY music-it's particularly cute in church
*stops everything she's doing when the "Hot Dog" dance comes on during Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
*winks with both eyes
*sings "la, la, la" along with her Sing a ma Jigs
*stands on a chair at the counter and "helps" when we are cooking

Mischeivous things she does:
*scoots up the steps at mach speed when she hears me coming down the hall because she knows she's in trouble
*unloads the lower cabinets and strews storage containers and cups all over the kitchen
*blows raspberries-while eating crackers
*runs straight to the street when we go outside
*pulls Derrick's books off the shelves in his office

She'd starve if it weren't for:

*bananas
*ritz crackers
*yogurt
*just about anything-the kid loves to eat, and will try almost anything. She's a much different eater than her brothers were.

Pickles, Nickels, and Rubber Buns

I suppose there comes a time in every boy's life when he learns lovely rhymes. I'm not talking about the Mother Goose rhymes. I'm talking rhymes of the second grade variety. You know, the type where you repeat what your older sibling tells you to all your friends at school, then those friends go home and repeat them? My boys fall in the latter category-coming home and repeating.

Here is what we've learned so far in the rhyming world (and mind you, we have to explain EVERY one of these to the boys because at first they have NO idea what they are saying...and it's kind of funny. Ok, we laugh out loud sometimes).

**"I'll give you a nickel if you tickle my pickle."

**"Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, look at these (as they pull their shirts up). I know, that's an oldie but goodie.

**"What did you have for breakfast?" Answer: Rubber Buns.
"What did you have for lunch?" Answer: Rubber Buns.
"What did you have for dinner?" Answer: Rubber Buns.
"What did you do to the old lady when she was crying?" Answer: "Rubber Buns", which is to be interpreted as "Rub Her Buns."

This one was followed by, "Daddy, what are buns?" And hysterical laughter.

Yes, there is much learning going on at the fine institution we call school.

Hot Girls and Secret Agents

My two eight year olds :) Matthew and Lucas, February 15, 2011.

For their birthday, Matthew and Lucas chose to go to Olive Garden. Well, to be honest, because it's all you can eat breadsticks. Also, I told them that if they wanted to go out for their birthday it had to be to a restaurant with a waitress. I mean, if I'm going out to dinner-which is EXTREMELY rare in our house-I'm going to sit down and be served. I also told them that if we went to a restaurant with a waitress, sometimes they come and sing "Happy Birthday" to you and maybe bring you a balloon or something fun.
Lucas with his salad and bread :)
Dinner was great-they had their favorite, which is pasta without sauce but with lots of Parmesan cheese, and they ate their whole plate of salad before their meal came. I tell ya, to see my boys gobble up salad before a meal makes me proud. While we ate, all were happy. Then, we told the waiter that when he got around to it and a few people together that they could come and sing when they were ready. Every time the guy walked by, the boys asked when they were coming to sing. In the course of that time, two very well dressed, professional looking men came in and walked by us to their table. As they walked by, Matthew leans in towards us and says, "Are those guys secret agents?" Too funny. To be honest, they did look the part-trench coats, bluetooths, ties, etc. Matthew with a HUGE excited look on his face while they sang, and Lucas trying to hide his excitement and embarrassment from my comment about the hot girls.

Finally, the waiter arrives with two very lovely young ladies to sing. Matthew and Lucas couldn't have been more excited. Before they sang, I said, "Look, he even brought two very pretty girls to sing to you along with him." Red faces from the boys, and a sideways glance is what I received for that comment. They were in heaven for the short time it took the song to be sung.
Natalie enjoying her crayons and children's menu coloring.
Afterwards, we headed back home with a stop to WalMart...not of my choosing, but because they had gift cards to spend. Again we were reminded why Marysville needs a Target and why I haven't been to WalMart since I don't know when...but I digress. After much deliberation, we left with two LEGO Ninjago sets and two happy boys. It was home..we weren't going to hit KMart, too..another gift card...but we don't need my opinion on that one either...and put their sets together while I got Natalie to bed.
Matthew patiently waiting for his food.
They're eight...and they will remember this birthday as one where they recognized hot girls and secret agents.

The Big 8

We celebrated Matthew and Lucas's birthday last night with our families. We decided to not have a friend's party this year-we'll do that every other year. We decided on a karate theme for their party...and they even agreed to wear their karate uniforms for the festivities. Here's the gift rundown:

*DS Mario Bros-Grandma and Papa
*DS My Sims Sky Heroes, clothes, shoes-Mommy and Daddy


*Wii MarioKart-Devon, Christopher, AnnaMarie, and Skylar
*Dual Spinning Electronic LightSabers, LEGO City diesel truck and airplane-Grandma Patty and Grandpa Keith
*Fishing Pole/Tackle Boxes-Auntie Linds and Ben, Wesley, and Riley

*Ben 10 Action figures-Darin and Sarah
*$8-Great Ma
*LEGO Store Gift Card-Auntie Kristin and Uncle Joey
*WalMart Gift Card-Omi and Opa *KMart Gift Card -Grandpa and Joyce

We had cupcakes-chocolate (for Matthew), and white (for Lucas) both types with chocolate frosting. We also had ice cream, and all was good.

I can't believe they'll be 8 on Tuesday...they're halfway to the driving age, and only two more years til they hit double digits! Tuesday night we'll be celebrating with dinner out at Olive Garden...they're choice because they're all about all the breadsticks you can eat :)

Eight Years Ago....

I'm reflecting today on what happened eight years ago....as I think about the events of that day, I remember being filled with fear, love, excitement, stress...and somehow a strange calmness. Here's what I remember:



Friday, February 15, 2003, Derrick drove me to the hospital around 8 am. We drove on icy, snowy roads, and to get to the hospital on a typical day took about 10 minutes. This day it took about 20 or so. It had snowed heavily the day and night before. So much that EVERYTHING had closed down. I remember being scared, and feeling contractions. I remember that before we left I made sure I showered and had a little something to eat-I had toast with butter and sugar. Derrick had pop tarts-in fact, I think he left one uneaten in the toaster oven. I was by NO means going to give birth without taking a shower...anyway, I digress. I remember I was wearing gray maternity pants and a red shirt. We got there, and walked in together. We rode the short (but it seemed like FOREVER) elevator ride to the maternity floor and checked in. As we were walking to our room, I could hear so much, but what stood out in my mind were the sounds of women moaning and crying out in childbirth pains. I was freaked! I knew an epidural was a must-in fact, I was so dosed up that if the doctor needed to perform a Csection, I would be ready for that.



And so it began. I got my epidural, and remember watching the snow outside, wondering if my parents and sisters were going to make it to Cincinnati in the weather. As I was laying in the bed, I wondered if I was having boys or girls...if I'd have to have a natural delivery AND a Csection for the second baby...lots of things going through my mind. My doctor came in and started pitosin. She wanted to speed up the process because she wanted the babies born on her shift...what a sweetie. She, the nurse, and Derrick would take turns moving my legs around to keep the blood flowing-I was feeling NOTHING!



The hours ticked by. My parents and his parents finally made it. Derrick's parents went to our house to wait out the birth, and my parents made their way to a hotel. My dad was teary as he saw me laying in the bed, ready to give him his first grandkids. He said to me, "Carrie, there better be some stems on those apples." Slowly, slowly..so slow in fact, that Dr. Bonar's shift was over, and Dr. Lee came on. No anxiety though, even though I had never met her. Of all the doctor's at the practice, she is one I hadn't managed to see during my prenatal check ups. She was great! As my delivery began, I recall the nurse beside me watching the monitor and telling me when to push as the contractions came across the screen. She was awesome-and we found out through the long day of conversation that she, too, was Lutheran :)



Suddenly, the room began to fill up. Derrick was holding my hand, the doctor was ready to "catch", the nurse was on my other side telling me when to push...there was a nurse for each baby, a bed for each baby, a pediatrician for each AND a neonatologist for each...so many people in that little room. At 7:59 pm., Matthew Alexander was born. He was so pale, he didn't cry, his face was sunken in...but I didn't notice that until many minutes after. Next, at 8:04, came Lucas James. He was red, crying, face filled out-he looked like a typical newborn, in comparison to his older brother. Finally, Matthew cried as Lucas was being born...and then the room was empty. It was just Derrick and I with these babies. Our families came back and took turns holding them, visiting with us, etc. I wanted Subway SO badly, but NOTHING was open. So I had to settle for a sub sandwich from the Meijer deli...funny the details that we remember, huh?



All of a sudden, we were a mommy and daddy. Our family size doubled in a matter of minutes, and we were "ready" to care for these sweet boys. It was amazing, wonderful, God-filled..all in a matter of 12 hours. Our first night was interesting. I sent them to the nurse's desk so I could sleep...and Derrick was trying to sleep in the room with me. Not easy, when he could hear me breathing, the nurses kept coming in to check on me, so the second night I sent him home to get some sleep.



Miraculously, we were ready to go home on Monday-President's Day that year. We came home to Derrick's family at our house-they had been staying there since we were at the hospital-and his mom had made us cookies. They stayed another night, and then headed back home. As they left, we stood at the picture window in our dining room, each holding a baby, and we BOTH cried..overwhelmed and on our own.



It was so hard at first...new parents, unsure, two babies-equal number of "them" and "us". We didn't outnumber our kids like most adults do with their first child...it was hard.



For the past eight years, we've grown into a deep love for Matthew and Lucas. The day we became parents-and parents of multiples for that matter-changed us as people for the better. Happy Birthday, boys. We love you.