Pigs R Flying

P3's first wedding

2011-06-03T19:48:00.005-05:00

All 4 boys had the wonderful experience of sharing in Mike & Caroline's special day on April 2nd. They did a great job and Peyton loved wearing a tux. My handsome men!

Stella

2011-05-28T13:55:00.003-05:00

Today we had to make the tough decision to let Stella go. Stella had not been doing well for some time. The boys seem to be taking it okay, but I'm not. She was such a good girl - could not have asked for a better dog. We'll miss you Stella.

Blizzard Feb 2011

2011-02-02T14:33:00.003-06:00

The Blizzard of 2/01/2011. It was predicted we would get anywhere from 14 - 20 inches, yet we maybe got 12 (Thank God!). Maybe is the thing; there is no way to measure it out here because it is mainly drifts. The snow plows finally came through at 1:30 this afternoon. The boys were bouncing off the walls here, so we finally went outside to dig the van out & do some sledding out back.

Ask a question, you get an answer

2010-10-01T19:16:00.002-05:00

Have had a rough time more so latelty with the boys listening to me. Especially in the morning getting ready for school & at night getting ready for bed. For probably the 10th time this week, last night I asked "how many times do I have to ask you boys before you do it?!?!?". Peyton responded "seven". Had to turn away so that he did not see my face.

Summer 2010, Part 3

2010-09-21T18:56:00.003-05:00

Yes, I skipped part 2 & am going out of order, but couldn't wait to download our family pictures that were taken by my friend Brandi earlier this month. Am so glad we finally had them taken. Was scrambling Paul's 2nd week of school when we had to provide a family picture & I could not find one of all 5 of us together so had to give him the one when the twins were 2 months old. Just love these shots.

Summer Fun 2010 - Part 1

2010-07-22T10:28:00.004-05:00

Children of the corn....

Porter

Peyton

Paul

The boys enjoyed their swim lessons at the Rec. Paul has become quite the fish. He can swim under water pretty well, but doesn't float very well.

"Heidbreder" Twins.

The three sets of twins from the Heidbreder side. It was great to see cousin Karen with her two (Robert & Emma) and of course the Neitzel family (Ian & Connor)

Deep Thoughts with Porter

2010-06-11T18:26:00.003-05:00

Conversation with Porter the other morning going to daycare:

Porter: Why don't Grandma's work?
Me: When you get older & the kids are grown Grandma's & Grandpa's take some time off & don't work has hard as they used to.
Porter: When are you going to be a Grandma?
Me: Not until you are 27, hopefully.
Porter: Will I be an adult when I'm 27?
Me: Yes
Porter: So I can have a mustache when I'm 27?
Me: Yes. Do you think you'll have hair or be bald like Daddy?
Porter: I'll have bald hair.

"That's what you get with boys"

2010-06-07T20:40:00.002-05:00

Back when Porter was about 18 months old, his brother Paul (who was 3 at the time) pushed him down a little too hard & Porter tried to catch himself. It resulted in a fractured elbow & Porter got to sport his first cast for 4 weeks. Well, 3 years later, Peyton has a rock lodged in his ear with a little help from Porter. Porter poured rocks over Peyton's head this past Friday & one fell in his ear & Peyton tried to get it out. Unfortunately, he shoved it in deeper. We've seen an ER Doc & today to ENT specialists who were unable to remove it. So, tomorrow they will place Peyton under general anesthesia for about 5 - 10 minutes to get out it so the poor guy won't feel it. He's bringing his Batman action figure with him.

It's amazing how many people have told me "that's what you get with boys" or "boys will be boys". It's a boy thing & sometimes a girl thing. I'm just waiting to see what Peyton might do to Paul in the next few years, because it's probably his turn.

Hello Again - it's been a long time

2010-03-16T21:19:00.003-05:00

Since it's almost been a year since my last post, I have some catching up to do. So, I plan to try to post something twice a week to get caught up on this last year. So, I'm starting with the summer of 2009 and the boys swimming lessons.

Peyton - he alwasy covered his ears when his head was in the water.

Belated Easter photo

2009-05-05T11:47:00.003-05:00

After much attention being paid to the live baby chicks instead of the photographer, we finally got a great shot of the boys.

We've been very busy; Peyton is now potty trained, Herman has been trying to plant, but the rain keeps coming, and we've had the stomach flu go through the house recently. Paul will soon be "graduating" from Pre-K & starting Kindergarten & the twins will start Pre-school in August. They are growing up so fast.

Look who is....

2009-03-27T18:48:00.003-05:00

...needing a bigger bicycle for this summer

...going to have quite a few cavaties filled (will have to go under anesthesia)
...WEARING UNDERWEAR!

For a couple of weeks now, Porter has been wearing big boy underwear. Wow what a difference that has made in my purchase of Pull-ups. Porter is so proud, he's been telling everybody & hardly any accidents. Peyton hopefully isn't too far behind - just need to get him to poop on the potty.

Prayer Request

2009-03-26T19:38:00.002-05:00

A good friend of mine through work (Val) just got news this week that her 8 month old nephew John has neuroblastoma. John was being checked at the Dr's office for a bad cold, they did a chest x-ray & found the tumor. He was flown to St. Jude's where he is receiving excellent care. John gave his parents & Dr's a scare yesterday when the tumor moved and cut off his breathing. He is currently in the ICU. Please pray that they have found this tumor early enough and that the Dr's will be able to put together an effective treatment plan after further testing tomorrow. Please pray for comfort for the family, as John as a twin sister named Lilie & and an older brother Sam (2 1/2 yrs old).

I have a link to Val's blog on my side bar (Adventures of a Single Chick) & she hopes to keep updates on John there.

Questions

2009-03-03T13:30:00.002-06:00

It's been one week since "Opa" (Grandpa in German) passed away. The boys are still struggling to understand what exactly death means & what happened to Grandpa. We did let the boys view Grandpa. I think that's when it finally settled in with Paul. He's been really thinking hard about it. Asking questions about if "Grandpa had pushed Jesus out of his heart & that's why he died" and then "What happens when you push Jesus out of your heart?". They did wonderfully during the funeral - with the exception of having to go potty during the sermon (which is what they normally do every Sunday - when the sermon starts, we feel the need to go). They have asked every day if Grandpa is still dead & if Jesus still has him. Porter keeps asking if Jesus is going to wake him up. My inquisitive boys - I'm glad they're asking questions.

We're also battling upper respiratory infections. I'm home right now with Paul who spiked a fever of 102 at daycare today. I had to take Porter to the Dr last week the day of the visitation because he was running a temp & had a cough. So illness is running through the household again (including myself - sinus infection ugghh!)

Grandpa

2009-02-24T20:16:00.002-06:00

You were our one & only Grandpa that we knew. We'll always remember you speaking to us in German, feeding us crackers & cookies, pushing us in our swings and watching you ride in your tractor. We are so glad that we got to spend the last couple of Saturdays with you at the Railer basketball games, knowing that that was something you greatly enjoyed. You will be greatly missed.

Peyton, Porter, Paul & Grandpa (1926 - 2009)

"It looks like a hot dog"

2009-02-18T19:44:00.004-06:00

~Another Porter moment~ (if you are not fond of poop stories - stop reading now)
The boys are still not completely potty trained. There seems to be a problem with letting go of the poop over an open area. I would think by the age of 3 that the feeling of mashed poop on your bottom would not be too appealing, but yet, there it is - everyday. Porter has made some progress. He will tell Ms. Rita at Daycare that he has to poop and will make her wait with him while he tries to poop. Sometimes it takes 30 minutes before he gets one out; and on those days he will happily report to me that he "pooped a small one". The other day he was so proud that he went in the potty earlier doing a small one & in the same sentence told me he had just pooped his pants.

But tonight, he took a dump on the potty at home (first time pooping at home). He was sooo proud. We had to call Daddy & let him know. And then we told daddy this; "I pooped a big one & it looks like a hot dog!" So, this was apparently Porter's first good look at a turd that wasn't smashed. Another proud moment for mom.
Sorry for the lack of posts. It seems like this time of year things get crazy in the house. The boys have been cooped up all winter & Herman is home more. And it's just a lot of people & time spent in our 2 bedroom home. We start to get on each others nerves because we are always in each others way or faces. We've rarely had a quiet moment in this house because the boys are being their active, loud, sword fighting selves (they are boys after all & it is to be expected). This all leads to frustration in not having a bigger house & having enough room for the boys to have their own space & for the parents to have theirs. Also, we have 5 people wanting computer time. The boys love getting on to www.NOGGIN.com and www.nickjr.com . They get around on the computer quite well - it's almost scary.

Bad Blogger! Bad, Bad Blogger!

2009-01-18T21:28:00.002-06:00

Slap my hand. I know, I know, I've let quite a bit of time go by without a post; but nothing too exciting is going on besides the usual everyday stuff. Of course, the boys are grounded (again) from going to Walmart, Walgreens or any place where carts are used for shopping for the rest of the month. Yes, I have already started that grounding thing. Before I even venture to Walmart or Krogers, I will give the boys a lecture on how if they throw a fit, misbehave or do anything that makes Mommy have to get after them, they don't get to come back for quite a while. They are just like any other kids, they will point out things to me & say "I want that" all through the store. And they don't throw fits if I don't pick it up (which is the case 99% of the time).
It's the cart. We fight over the cart. If we're at Walmart, who's going to sit in the two seats & who's going to ride on the end or walk it at first. I even tell them every time that they are going to have to rotate during our visit, it's still a race to see who will get to the cart first to get those prime seats (which is usually Porter & Paul - Peyton doesn't have the competitive edge yet). So, needless to say the last trip to Walmart didn't go so well; it started off great, but ended very, very badly.
And telling them they can't go shopping - oh, it's the end of the world. They had the best time at Menards a few weeks ago; who would have thunk it. Of course we walk in the entrance & they have toilets on display right there. Porter & Peyton being the new toilet enthusiasts they've become since the whole potty training thing thought they should try them out. That was the only time I had a close call with melt downs. We picked up paint for the boys room & I let them each pick up a cheap foam paint brush. Of course, I've been asked everyday if we are going to paint the room today. I just haven't found the time yet to get started; but, I do hope to at least get started on it by the end of the month.
I've also tried to download the video footage of the Sunday School Christmas program, but it's not working. Will try to do it from somewhere else & see if that works.

Leaving you with a shot of Peyton wearing Hulk gloves, with his cousin Forrest & Porter in the background. The gloves were Forrest's gift & they were a big hit. Maybe they boys will get some for Easter (if they're back in stock - I was lucky to find those on line). I promise to not be such a blogger slacker again.

Christmas

2008-12-27T21:07:00.004-06:00

We spent Christmas Eve with Herman's side of the family. The boys love going to Grandma & Grandpa's this time of year because Grandma has about 10 Animated, musical, Christmas toys (you know, like the one's you get at Hallmark). They set them all off at once & kept doing it the rest of the night. And there were lots of presents under the tree, which they had fun passing out.

Peyton, Porter, Paul & Grandpa

The big hit for the night was a tobogan that Uncle Eric gave them. I don't think Uncle Eric was expecting that. They all got in it & had Uncle Eric pull them real fast for a short distance. I tried to get Eric to sit on the sled & have the boys pull so I could get a picture, but he wasn't game. Instead I got this one with Uncle Eric.

Paul, Peyton & Porter

Of course the boys opened their gifts from Santa Christmas morning which consisted of a lot of John Deere & Thomas the Train stuff. We then did my side of the family at my brothers house & had a wonderful time over there. Their Aunt Cheryl, Uncle Rick & cousin Forrest were up from Georgia, so we had a nice visit with them as well. My sister Debbie & her family could not make it down from Wisconsin due to the weather & they were missed. Hopefully we will see them next week (weather permitting).

Speaking of weather - a week ago we had wind chills of -20/freezing rain and today it got up to 66 & we were under a tornado & flood watch. What the heck! We did have one major storm hit today that knocked down power lines, towers and did some structural damage in places. It's been a crazy month weather wise.

Too much going on

2008-12-26T21:15:00.004-06:00

I beleive my last "post" was early December & a lot has happened since then, but I haven't found the time until now to write about it.

First off, I had an outpatient procedure done on the 5th. Have since found out that my lump was benign and I believe am fully recovered from the procedure now (I can finally pick up the kids!).

During that time, Herman had a monumental birthday (half a century). The actual night of his birthday, we attened the Farm Bureau Christmas party at the Conklen Dinner Theater. A couple nights later I was able to surpise him (with the help of friends) at Rusty's. And I am very pleased to say that he had no clue.

Herman, John & Andy (my partner in crime)

Herman's favorite new hat

Over all, had about 30+ there to help him celebrate/rub it in

He received some really great cards & gifts. We are truly blessed to have the friends we do.

We also had the kids Sunday School Christmas program & I will try to post the video footage from that next post.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T17:45:00.003-06:00

We hope everyone had a blessed & safe Christmas!

What we learn in Sunday School

2008-12-04T21:36:00.003-06:00

The boys love to pretend & act out characters they've seen on TV, movies or out of books. They will commonly pretend they are The Wiggles, Scooby Doo, any Disney movie they will pick a character to be. Sunday night however, was the first night we pretended to be people from our Sunday School lesson.

The boys were playing in our bedroom and Paul stated that "Jesus was killed for our sins". "Jesus must die for our sins!" "Kill Jesus, Porter!" and poor Peyton was slated as Jesus. So they attacked Peyton & he fought back and then I gave them a diversion of Blue's Clues. I thought that this would pass, except for the next night it was "we must throw Jesus in the water!"

At least I know that Paul is paying attention in Sunday School, just not grasping all the details of the stories yet. I'll have to work with them on Jesus dying for our sins & that Jesus is not the bad guy (Porter & Paul will always try to make Peyton be the bad guy), he's the good guy.
Of course, my sister-in-laws sister probably would have just explained to the boys that someone already beat them to it (killing Jesus).

I hope they don't learn about baptism anytime soon - that could be a problem.

Snow! Snow!

2008-11-30T19:37:00.004-06:00

You would have thought it was Christmas morning here. Paul & Porter were the first ones up & they went right to our big window (as if they new) to see the first snow of the season. They were running, jumping, yelling snow! snow! (or in Porter's case No! No! - we don't quite have our S's down yet). And then they had to wake up Peyton to let him know. Of course that lead to the repeated question of the day "can we go outside to play in the snow?". First I told them after Sunday School, then it was after I locate all your boots. I obviously was not ready for this. After squeezing on their snow boots from last year & locating a few mis-matched gloves we went out side. As you can see, there was maybe an inch on the ground in spots, if that.

Target practice on the tree

Paul, Porter, Peyton

Paul getting ready to throw

Snowball fight! (this lead to the target practice on the tree)

And they say agression is learned - HA!

So, tomorrow I will be running to Walmart to pick up some snow boots that might fit them a little better along with some gloves. Oh how I miss having a Payless here in town.

Thankful for...

2008-11-27T20:00:00.007-06:00

...best friends & brothers

Cousins & Grandparents

Family

Happy Thanksgiving!

Time is flying

2008-11-18T21:23:00.004-06:00

It seems like the older you get, the faster time flies by; or maybe the more kids you have, the faster time goes by (it's probably the combination of both). Anyway, I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week. NEXT WEEK! And Herman, just might finish combining this week. The weather earlier & later this year has really set harvest back. Herman & I celebrated our 6th Anniversary earlier this month, we attended a Jaycee function in Naperville this past weekend, bought a newer van for Mommy to chauffeur the kids around in & have a busy week yet ahead.

I still can't believe that Paul is 5 (one of my reasons for having a hard time dealing with time flying by). I'm also noticing how much more of a young man Paul is & that too soon, that childlike innocence will be gone. We've already seen glimpses of it slipping, but his teacher gave me something to keep. The previous week his teacher at daycare left me a note, with a dandelion stem taped to it, about a conversation they had. Paul had picked up a dandelion that had seeded, she told him to make a wish & blow it. Mrs. Barbara asked him what he wished for and he said a tractor. She then took the dandelion and blew on it. Paul asked her what she wished for and she said a tractor for Paul. He just laughed & giggled & felt special. The teacher said she really hoped that he would get a tractor for Christmas. I think he will.

Coming soon (hopefully), a post from Herman about farming.

Recap of last week of October

2008-11-05T19:05:00.007-06:00

It's been a while since my last post because I lost the cord to download the pictures (and just found it tonight). Anyway, we celebrated Paul's Birthday on Friday at home with cake, balloons and presents. Below are a few pics from that night.

Then the next night we celebrated Paul's, Uncle Gary's & Grandpa's Birthday with a small weiner roast. It was a good night for it.

And sometime before Paul's B-day I had lunch with some of the girls I used to work with. I just had to throw Shelly's shot in here because she always takes a good picture.

We also met Aunt Debbie at the Cherry Valley Mall.

And then of course we had to go Trick or Treating Halloween night.

Paul, Porter & Peyton

We trick or treated several places.

But Marcia & Karen provided beverage treats for Mommy & Daddy as well as candy for the boys.

Herman & Peyton

Happy Birthday Paul!

2008-10-24T16:25:00.006-05:00

Five years ago today, Herman & I had new names; Daddy & Mommy. We were just 2 weeks shy of our 1 year Anniversary when Paul was born. We had known for a week that this would be his birthday due to a scheduled C-Sect. We also knew he was a boy & that he was going to have lots of hair. But what we did not expect was the color of his hair. When we first saw Paul we were quite surprised to see orange hair (he was literally a carrot top). Since then it has toned down quite a bit. Paul was the sweetest baby. I remember Grandma swearing he giggled when he was just two weeks old. And now, my sweet boy is five. Where has the time gone.

Paul 15 Months

With his best bud (not quite 3)

Almost 4

And just this month (his favorite picture pose lately)

Happy 5th Birthday!

Porter's World

2008-10-21T18:39:00.004-05:00

Well, I've had the posts about Peyton & his crocodile & Paul with soccer, so it's Porter's turn. Porter is the most verbal right now of the twins. He has ideas and he voices them. There are a few things he has done or said lately that I just need to jot down so that I can remember them later.

First, there are the stories he tells his teacher at daycare & she loves it. First there was the time that he told the teacher that "mommy is dirty & needs to take a shower". He will repeat this throughout the day. And then there's the time that Ms. Stephanie was squatting down attending to another child & he came up behind her, pulled the back of her pants out (like he was checking her diaper) and told her "no poopy". I'm glad she finds it humerous. On a side note - I've been told that Peyton likes Ms. R's "pillows" as well (takes after daddy).

Porter speaks pretty well with the exception of R's. So the funniest story from Porter was when Uncle Mark watched the 3 boys & took them to the park. Porter told me later that "Uncle Mawk took us to the pawk. And it was Dawk"- Kennedy accent thru & thru. We also call Walmart - Walmawk.
He is a sharp little guy & doesn't miss a thing.

More pumpkin patch fun

2008-10-19T12:21:00.006-05:00

Paul, Peyton & Porter in the small covered wagon

... with our friends George & Megan O.

pumpkins make wonderful seats (just their size)
and sometimes I wonder.......
We went to Black Bart's Pumpkin Patch last weekend & met up with some friends. We had a great time & mommy came home with some more pumpkins. I think we have enough now. If the boys had their way, we would be going back to Black Bart's again this weekend.

This past week however illness struck again. I finally took Porter to the Dr. Thursday & they could hear something in his lower left lobe (possible pneumonia) so he started antibiotics & nebulizer treatments & now so have the other boys (the nebulizer's - they're not running a fever - yet).

Head injury count

2008-10-12T19:50:00.003-05:00

Paul - a few scratches from soccer Saturday

Peyton - a bump on his forehead & rug burn to boot (he's graceful, like his mother) He biffed on the way into his room at daycare Thursday morning

Porter - still recovering from his shiner from the previous week & Mommy got called to daycare on Tuesday because he ran into a wall. Had a big old knot on his head the size of a super ball. Now it's just another bruise.

Can't wait to see what this week brings :)

Peyton's Crocodile

2008-10-08T21:35:00.003-05:00

When we were at the Brookfield Zoo two months ago, we let the boys pick out a puppet that was a plastic head of an animal and you could manipulate it's mouth from the bottom of the post the head was stuck on. Paul picked out a shark head, Porter a Clown Fish & Peyton a Crocodile. The clown fish bit the dust within 2 weeks & the shark didn't capture their attention as much as the crocodile. The crocodile usually rides with Peyton in the van, he was played with everyday and had a wide variety of "foods" he was fed. The Croc always grazed on grass outside. Now this was all Peyton, rarely did the other boys get to play with the crocodile.

Peyton with his beloved crocodile before going to bed.

Peyton feeding him a chicken nugget

The crocodile attacking a dinosaur
And the most common thing the crocodile attacked was Woody! I can't tell you how many times we would see Peyton walking around with his crocodile and Woody's body hanging out of it's mouth.
He also fed him cereal & fruit snacks (Peyton is very good about sharing). But I think it attacked the dinosaurs too many times - they broke the crocodiles jaw. I'm amazed it lasted 2 months since it was played with daily.
This was one of Peyton's favorite toys, so now I am on the search for a toy crocodile to get him for Christmas.

Steph's Senior Pic

2008-10-07T11:53:00.005-05:00

I tried pulling this from Steph's webpage, but I can't make it any larger. Anyway, this is a picture of my sister Debbie & her daughter Stephanie as part of her Senior pictures - aren't they beautiful. Apparently this is the thing to do now with Senior pics - have mother daughter ones. I can't wait to see her other pictures - she is very photogenic (unlike her Aunt).

Getting the hang of soccer - maybe

2008-10-05T12:36:00.004-05:00

Paul is into his 3rd week of soccer & may just be finally taking an actual interest in it. Before at games, he kind of just walked & looked around - not really paying attention to the game. It probably hasn't helped that we haven't been able to make the last two soccer practices. But he finally scored a goal yesterday (actually, 3). We cheered him on, even though he scored it for the other team. They couldn't seem to get it in while they were all standing there by the goal, so he just thought he would help them out. Below are a few pics of Paul in action. He's number 4.

This is his favorite part - a drink & snack after the game.

I have to admit, it is humerous to watch all these 4 year olds running after the ball. Eight kids running for the ball (except for those that are daydreaming) at the same time.

Boys will be boys

2008-10-01T21:08:00.003-05:00

Again, we've been busy - too much going on.

I attended a parenting class last week offered by the Healthy Community Partnership (and it was free!) titled "Why Are These Boys Driving Me Crazy". The title called to me - it described my thoughts. I learned a lot & hope to apply what I've learned to how I am with the boys. The biggest thing I learned is boys will be boys. They are aggressive, they are visual and need a physical outlet for all that energy they have - for example wrestling; which the twins do at least 10 - 15 times a day. They are also loud and do actually have a smaller tube in their inner ear so, yes, they do not hear as well as women - that explained what I called Peyton's male selective hearing that I believe he has had from day 1.

This past weekend I took the boys to Gail's Pumpkin Patch and Grandma H. came along as well.
Below are some of the pictures from the Patch.

The "Train" that was pulled around the farm by a riding mower

Peyton & Porter

Yes, I made them sit facing the sun & tried to get their picture. Not the smartest thing to do (lots of squinting & looking down)

Porter wiped out yesterday at Daycare & his face landed on a toy firetruck. Porter has developed a nice black eye from it. Just in time for pictures this friday.

Paul also came up last night with a bump & bruise on his head. I'm just waiting to see what Peyton ends up doing.
Oh, and another boy thing - Porter decided to put rocks in his ears today while playing outside at daycare. Fortunately, the teacher caught him & was able to get it out.

Gotta love those boys!

This & That

2008-09-24T21:10:00.002-05:00

We've been kind of busy these last few weeks, but also haven't had too much excitement.

Paul started fall soccer with the YMCA a week ago. He had his first game this past Saturday. Needless to say that competitive spirit is not quite there yet. We spent a lot of time tugging on our over sized team shirt and observing the game instead of actually participating in it. What more can you expect from a nearly 5 year old boy. Now I'm sure if Porter & Peyton were on the
other team, he would be all over getting that ball and scoring a goal.

I celebrated my birthday with the boys on Monday. Daddy even taught them about birthday spankings & that it's okay to do it only if it's my birthday. And for the first time in a long time, Herman was able to take me out the evening of my Birthday. Thank you Hurricane Ike for dumping over 5 inches of rain - the fields are too wet to start harvesting. As of today, Herman still hasn't started yet - it should be interesting to see when harvest wraps up this year.

Names

2008-09-12T15:49:00.006-05:00

We sometimes wonder now what we were thinking naming all of the boys with P names. When in the heat of the moment (and sometimes even not), when I'm needing to call out one of their names, I inevitibly call out the wrong one. I've been told that no matter what you name your children, as long as there is more than one, you will shout out the wrong name. Anyway, here are some of the nicknames we (as well as others) have come up with.

Paul -aka Mister, PC, Stinky Pete, Red, Number 1 Son, Clouse, Mr. Stubborn

Peyton - aka Peyty, PJ, Peanut, Lucipher (or Satan), Marky Joe, little Joey, little Flirt, Heinrich

Porter - aka Porter House, PW, Chunk, Satan (or Lucipher), Mr. Suck Up, little Schmoozer, Freidrich

Now, we don't call the twins Satan or Lucipher to their face - Herman will sometimes reference to them in that way when talking to others depending on how the day went with them. The twins are also sometimes referred to as the "Twinkies" by one of their God parents.

It is amazing how the names suit them, especially the twins since our logic in naming them wasn't after seeing them, but that the first one that was delivered would be Porter & the second Peyton - and the names fit. These pictures were actually taken a year ago, so the twins are 2 and Paul 3 1/2.

Illinois Winery

2008-09-10T20:29:00.006-05:00

A friend of mine is getting married (Hockey, Handbags blog) in a just a little over a month and I had the opportunity to attend her bridal shower this past weekend at the Mackinaw Winery. The shower & the winery were both beautiful. I would love to go back when the leaves are changing.

The view from the deck

If your are ever in the area (& enjoy wine) you should stop.

Also discovered, after having to make a pit stop that I hadn't planned on, that Gill's is not too far from it. I may have to plan a group outing some evening.

Some catching up to do

2008-09-08T22:18:00.006-05:00

We've been quite busy the past week, so just finally got some pictures downloaded from Peyton & Porter's B-day.

We had the party out at the farm. Below are some pics from that day. The kids had a great time.

Daddy brought these balloons home for the boys on their birthday.

Amazingly, the balloons lasted through being jumped on, swung at, sat & rolled on.

You name it & the boys tried to do it.

A great birthday weekend. I can't believe they are 3. Paul is already preparing for his.

The two have turned 3

2008-08-29T18:13:00.007-05:00

Happy Birthday Porter & Peyton!

Porter - 6 lbs 11 oz

11 months

2 years

Almost 3

Peyton - 5 lbs 13 oz

11 months

Peyton (L) 2 years

Almost 3

3 years ago today....

2008-08-28T06:34:00.008-05:00

....the world still revolved around Paul
....people along the Gulf were preparing for Katrina
....my legs were as big as tree trunks (for a month by this point)
....the average cost of gas was $2.30 a gallon
....Herman was preparing for harvest
....I was collecting pee in a jug (I know, TMI)
....it was announced that Brittany Spears was naming her baby Preston
....we were scrambling to come up with another boy name because the name Preston was no longer appealing
....we were still clueless regarding the impact of having twins
(even though we thought we were on top of it)
....I was officialy 37 weeks pregnant (full term) with the twins

Me at 33 weeks

On the mend

2008-08-27T17:54:00.004-05:00

Paul's stomach flu lasted for 48 hours. He was finally able to keep food down yesterday afternoon (thank heavens!). Paul was skinny before; now he is very thin. He is my pickiest eater (or most stubborn). I've re-introduced the Carnation Instant Breakfast to his daily routine, but if anyone has any recommendations on how to fatten him up, I would gladly take them.

A Day with Scooby Doo

2008-08-24T19:07:00.003-05:00

I survived the class reunion (and so did Herman). It was nice to see some of my old classmates.

Today though is a new day. And it is also close to the end of the month, which means it's illness time! Yes, Paul started upchucking this morning. I'm just glad he held off until we got home from Sunday School. This will make 3 months in a row that some type of virus has befallen our household. I am just praying that the twins don't get it, but am being realistic.

So, today we spent the day indoors (even though the weather is perfect) so that we don't spread our germs to the neighbor kids. And I had the best time watching "Scooby Doo Where Are You" all day on the Cartoon Network with the boys. It was the original ones from when I was a kid. The boys have only seen a few of the originals & a lot of the newer ones. Scooby Doo was my all time favorite cartoon as a kid & it was neat to watch it with my kids.

I'm praying for a speedy recovery for Paul (because he doesn't need to lose any weight) and that the others don't catch it. I hope the flu doesn't hit your home either.

Balloon Fest

2008-08-23T15:52:00.003-05:00

The boys & I went out early this morning to catch the balloons as they were landing. The boys really enjoy watching them. This was the first time they got to watch the balloons come down & see how they are deflated. Most of them had to land on the county roads.

This is the Balloon I was supposed to help crew last night, but it was too windy for them to go up.

Over all, there were about 30 balloons that launched this morning. We won't get to catch them tonight as we are heading out to my 20 year class reunion.
How the heck did 20 years go by - it seems like 10!

Mini Vacation (Day 2)

2008-08-18T17:50:00.008-05:00

Day 2 we traveled to Union, IL to have a Day Out with Thomas (the train). The boys loved it! We could not believe how many parents and kids were there.

Paul & Peyton on the Thomas Train cars waiting to take off

Porter during the trip

Paul & Herman next to Thomas the Train

Thomas taking off again

If your kid is into Thomas & the wood railway, this is the place to go! They had every possible wood piece you could buy at their gift shop & there were other kids activities besides riding Thomas.

After 3 hours, we called it a day & headed home.

Overall, a nice getaway for the family.

Mini Vacation (Day 1)

2008-08-16T19:26:00.005-05:00

Mommy & Daddy took us on a little vacation that evolved completely around us (sort of). We took off Wednesday night and headed to Villa Park where we stayed at the Hilton Suites (or as Paul liked to call it - "the Big House"). We loved the elevator as we could watch out the back of it to see everything below. Ms. Caroline came that night to welcome us with Chocolate Milk and some adult beverages for Mommy & Daddy. She read us a Thomas the Train book and hung out with us for awhile. We really enjoyed her visit.

The next day we hooked up with Addison, Johnny & Tommy to go to the Brookfield Zoo (and their parents too).

The Penguin House

Here we are at the Dolphin Show with our friends having a snack

Tommy, Addison & Johnny having fun

And the best part was the water area. Mommy brought our swim trunks so we could play

We had a really great time at the zoo.

We went to Addison, Johnny & Tommy's house later to play and have pizza. We can't wait to see them again.

(Stay tuned for Day 2)

Potty Time

2008-08-09T06:51:00.004-05:00

We've been working on the twins in trying to get them potty trained. With Paul it was like pulling teeth. He is a very strong willed boy & if he doesn't want to do it, he's not going to do it. It actually took me taking something away from him that he truly loved before he started doing #2 on the potty regularly (and that was at the age of 3 1/2). He then got his prized possession back.

The twins will turn 3 at the end of the month and have been peeing daily in the potty, but not every time. I've been talking to them about their poop & how it goes in the potty. Well, Peyton did his own thing last week. He pooped AROUND the potty. Yep, he told me he had to potty, we dropped his shorts & pull-up, he stood by the potty & told me to "Go!" I left & when I came back to check on him a few minutes later, he had dropped turds around the outside of the toilet while facing it. I was speechless. He hasn't tried that since.

Also, while at the Fair, Paul tried to whip it out at the Republican Tent to pee. He obviously has that part down in what Farmers can do or was stating his opinion about the Republican Party in a different way.

Ode to July

2008-08-01T22:25:00.006-05:00

What a month. Of course, we had to end it like we did June with passing a virus around. The last weekend of July consisted of Porter spiking a 104 temp & a trip to the ER and Paul & Peyton following suit (but going to after hours instead of the ER). Their temperatures are back to normal, but they all have a nasty cough. Here's a few pics of other things we did in July that I haven't had a chance to mention before.

We ended the month with a trip to the County Fair

Paul, Herman & Porter

The boys on the "boat" ride

Paul ran into one of his classmates - Everett

Peyton on the Merry-Go-Round

We got to spend some quality time with Aunt Linda & Uncle Gary

And we played with our neighbor Caroline & our cousin Forrest (from GA.)

And Porter took his first tractor ride

We have a lot planned for August.

Go White Sox!!!

2008-07-25T18:37:00.008-05:00

On Wednesday, Herman & I got the chance to get away & go to a White Sox game with about 40+ other people from our town. We took the train to and from Chicago. We couldn't have asked for better seats (thanks to Tony S.). Below are a few pics from the game.

Swisher coming in (pre-game)

The National Anthem

The view from our seats (we could put our beers on the dugout!)

The Gang

Me & the Hubby

And this pic was from the Tribune (Quentin after hitting is home run). There we are, right behind him. Again, couldn't have asked for better seats - this was the best game ever.
Not the best pic of me(am not photogenic!), but a great one of Herm, Michelle & Merlin.
A great time was had by all, perfect weather, fun with friends and the Sox beat the Rangers 10 - 8. Some of us were a little sun burnt when we left the park.

The boys had a wonderful time at home with Aunt Jennifer & Uncle Mark (thanks!!!)

We hope to do this again next year.

Trip to Bloomington

2008-07-24T10:27:00.002-05:00

Mommy & Daddy decided this past Sunday that they needed to go to Bloomington to look for bunk beds & for White Sox attire. They took us with them to Furniture Row & we had a blast climbing up on their displays. We want to go back again. After that, Mommy & Daddy dropped us off with Aunt Linda & Uncle Gary for some "peaceful shopping".

Mommy & Daddy asked Uncle G & Aunt L if they would want to go out to eat with us. We went to a restaurant that we haven't been to since we were babies.

Our waitress had a familiar face. We haven't seen her since we were babies when her Mommy (Shelly) would watch us now and then so Mommy & Daddy could go out. So Mommy had to get pictures of us with her.

Porter & Kristina

Kristina & Peyton

Kristina & Paul

She was really fun & gave us balloons (which made our night!).

Daddy said we behaved so well that we need to go more often.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-07-13T16:16:00.003-05:00

We've been pretty busy this past week between the 4th of July, Cardinal Game, going to the Circus & a Family Reunion (Sara's side). Here are a few pics.

Cousin Heather having fun with the boys on the 4th

Uncle Mark & Peyton (Peyton looks a lot like Uncle Mark when he was a boy)

Watching Fireworks on the 4th

Mommy & Daddy got to go to the Cardinal/Cub game
in St. Louis on the 5th (and the Cards won!!!!)

And the boys had a great time visiting with some
of their cousins at the family reunion on Saturday.

Paul at the pool

2008-07-03T09:12:00.001-05:00

Paul at his swimming lessons.
We hope he sticks with them - he's pretty stubborn about it.

So Far So Good

2008-07-02T13:11:00.003-05:00

The boys are adjusting to their new daycare. Actually, I tell them they are going to school - that seems to get them excited. Yesterday morning was a little harry - I had to carry Peyton in kicking and screaming, but he eventually got over it after 10 minutes. They seem to like it. Thank God!

Big Change - Porter Trouble

2008-06-26T21:28:00.006-05:00

Today was the last day that the boys were with their current daycare provider - Lonna. Lonna is changing careers & going to State Farm which is wonderful (and also makes it the 2nd daycare provider that Paul has seen go to State Farm - hmmmm, I see a pattern). The Twins have been with her since they were 10 months, so it will be a major adjustment for them.

The boys will start at Christian Childcare on Monday, so mornings next week are going to be rough with this major change. After taking them for their physicals today, we stopped by the new daycare so that the boys could check it out. I was introducing the boys to the Assistant Director and Porter told her "I Trouble" and he was proud of it. I had been teasing Porter about a month ago how his middle name is trouble and he will now and then tell people "I Porter Trouble". So, Porter pretty much gave her a heads up of whats to come.

Porter is very particular about names now. I can not call him sweety, chunk, Mr. Suck-up or any of the other nicknames we have for him. He will correct you in a hearbeat "No, I Porter". I was asking Herman a question last night & began it with "Dear" and was shouted at that "his name not Dear, it Daddy!". Oh, we try to hide our laughter, but sometimes it's hard.

Guilty

2008-06-25T17:56:00.005-05:00

I'm guilty. I did something today that I dislike when people do it to me. And better yet, Kristi L. witnessed it. I asked someone when they were going to have another child. In my defense, she only has one, but it is something that sometimes rubs me the wrong way when said to me. Especially when it is asked & I respond No, we're done. And then it continues; "Don't you want a girl?" - No, God blessed us with three healthy boys & we are fine with that. And then there's the "You really should have another to even it out - it's not fair to Paul & it would make it so much easier". What I would like to say is take on my current 3 for a week (financially as well) & see if you still feel the same; but my usual response to that is knowing our luck, we would have twins again & we would still have an odd number. Never mind the fact that we're getting older.

So, my apologies to Jenny for asking the question and a slap on the hand for me.

Fun on the farm

2008-06-23T20:53:00.004-05:00

Daddy & Porter on the John Deere Gator (Porter's favorite ride)

Peyton & Paul on their John Deere Gator (notice a theme)

Porter's turn on the Gator (you will notice there are no willing passengers)

Farmboy in training

"I don't want to go home" (Peyton)

The boys love to go out to Pa Pa's & Grandma's. There's lots of space to run & Daddy always gives us a ride on the John Deere Gator besides the one we get to drive around. We also have our swingset/fort out there (it doesn't fit in our yard at home - our back yard is very small). Someday we will live out there, until then, we enjoy our visits.

New Camera

2008-06-20T23:02:00.004-05:00

Joseph's 19th Birthday Party (can you believe he's 19!)
Safari Peyton

Cowboy Porter

We purchased a new camera a month ago & I just now finally downloaded some of the pictures. So my next few posts will show some of the happenings with the family.

The hits keep coming

2008-06-18T21:53:00.002-05:00

Well, Peyton & Paul are on the road to recovery & Porter just can't quite shake it while Mommy is trying to fight it. To top it off, Herman came home early tonight with either a severe case of the stomach flu or food poisoning. He has been quarantined off to the bedroom & I will be sleeping in the living room tonight. The Lysol will be sprayed quite heavily tomorrow.

Virus

2008-06-16T09:57:00.004-05:00

I hope no one else catches this. After 5 days of running a temperature, Peyton is finally fever free - still has the terrible cough, but no fever. Porter & Paul are still running temp's and if it runs like it did with Peyton, Porter should be fever free tomorrow (I pray) & Paul on Wednesday. They haven't been this sick in a long time, but I'm glad to see that they are starting to recover & act more like themselves.

At least we are getting this out of our household before the big family reunion next month (I know that Cheryl & Debbie will appreciate that).

Hope everyone had a wonderful Fathers Day!

Share & Share Alike

2008-06-14T14:51:00.002-05:00

The only time the boys share completely without any reservation is when one of them comes down with a virus. It doesn't happen everytime where the entire family comes down with the illness, but it does happen quite often. And that is what we are going through right now. Their Father came down with bronchitis a few weeks ago & it has taken him that long to get over it. On Tuesday, Peyton spiked a fever and had been coughing for a few days before that. Thursday - Porter decided to join Peyton in running a fever along with the cough. Paul has the cough - but no fever (yet - knock on wood). The Dr. stated that the fever could still last a few more days & it is for Peyton - he is still running a temp today. Porter is as well, but his doesn't get as high as Peyton's. I worry more about Peyton as he was hospitalized 6 days for RSV when he was 7 months old and we were told that he would more than likely have problems with asthma as he got older. You would never know they were sick since the Children's Motrin works great until it wears off.

It also never fails that when I answer the question of how are your boys doing & I respond great, wonderful, loads of trouble - someone gets sick. I did stop responding to questions like that or would answer with a "they're doing fine" just so I wouldn't jinx their health. I know that sounds crazy & their health & well being is in the Lord's hands, but it never failed if I bragged how great they were doing, something would happen in the next 48 hours. And so, it happened again. I just commented how great they were doing & how we hadn't had to take any of them to the Dr. for an illness in a while. We used to be regular visitors to our Dr. It was about once a month or once every two months there for a while I was bringing one of the boys in for an illness, ear infection, possible broken bone (the boys are very rough & tumble). We had actually gone quite a few months without seeing Dr. Z.

So, when asked, I will be going back to my standard answer of "fine" or "I do not wish to comment at this time regarding their health" until enough time passes again & I forget about "the jinx". I like to see the boys healthy & causing trouble - as usual.

I hope to post some pictures from on the farm as soon as I have time to download them.

Stephanie takes 1st at State!

2008-06-01T19:34:00.004-05:00

Stephanie took 1st in 100 m hurdles in Wisconsin.

Congratulations Stephanie!!!!

link to the news article below
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080601/OSH0205/806010619/1148/OSH02

Identical Twins?

2008-05-26T22:42:00.004-05:00

Peyton & Porter 12/05

We ventured out this past week to some graduation parties and encountered people that we hadn't met before or people who had not seen the boys in quite sometime. One of the usual questions we are asked is "are they identical?" The answer to that is Yes. We were told early on in the pregnancy that they were "monozygotic ". Tests were ran after the delivery to confirm it. In the picture above the boys were 4 months old. Peyton on the left & Porter on the right. You will find that is how I have them pose 99% of the time when taking pictures. Porter has always weighed at least a pound more than Peyton (now even more). So, there has always been a physical difference between them. Peyton also has the most unruley hair compared to Porter -Peyton has a natural mohawk. The picture below was taken a year ago.

The older they get, the more physical differences you can see. They've always had different personality's (more on that on a later post). They do enjoy each other though. They honestly get along quite well & I hope that will continue always. In fact, I am sad that Dancing with the Stars is over this season. The boys would try to imitate the couples dancing. I should have video taped them, but they always stop what they are doing when they see the camera & want to look through the camera themselves.

Visit with Friends

2008-05-19T21:25:00.013-05:00

Addison showing Paul how to make a "Birthday Cake".

It's been a few weeks, but we had friends from the Chicago area pay us a visit. They just happen to have 3 children under the age of 4, which include a set of twin boys born a year to the month after our twins.

We had a great time & so did the kids. We hope to see Addison, Johnny & Tommy again soon (and their Mommy & Daddy too).

Tubes

2008-05-15T14:35:00.003-05:00

I took #1 son to the ENT Specialist today to have a tube removed from his ear. He got tubes when he was 14 mos old. This one has remained lodged & has not budged in 3.5 years . So the specialist recommended we have it removed so that there is still time for the hole to close over. Then again, he could start having ear infections again. We'll see. The procedure was painless & Paul had no clue what was going on - which was good. Paul did great.

The Godson

2008-05-14T22:19:00.006-05:00

Here's one of my nephews.

He's a lean, mean, running machine. He'll be a sophmore this fall at IC.

Prom Pic

2008-05-12T21:02:00.003-05:00

My beautiful niece Steph & her prom date.
She's growing up too fast. They all are.

Kind of new to blogging

2008-05-10T16:51:00.004-05:00

My 3 sons. Here they are. My three P's. We of course had use names that began with P. The first two shots are of the twins, Peyton & Porter & than Paul. I have so enjoyed reading my friends blogs that I thought maybe it was time to start my own; afterall, it's a great way to keep your friends & family who are not near up to date on the latest. I don't know how we were so blessed to end up with three red head's but we did. Time is flying with them. I miss having a baby in the house - they're not babies anymore.

Today we are preparing for Mother's Day. I am cleaning house, spouse is cleaning the grill & picking up a big table & extra chairs. We are having both sides of the family to our small "retirement" home (that's another story - too long to go into right now). We're praying for good weather.