Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Christmas Tree Attack!

How to get two Toddlers to wear hats that should be burned!

Sucker, I ain't wearing one of those hats!

Maybe if we hide, they won't see us and then they can't put the hats on us!

We lost!

Happy Big Baby Boys are what the holidays are all about!

Christmas Morning!

A little Tikes Police Car, a Little Tikes Fire Truck, a Little Tikes Kitchen, and an empty wallet and rich Little Tikes corporate executive later, I give you Christmas morning.

Nice hair Hayden!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!

Santa Claus was cursing in our living room for the last 4 hours while he was assembling a Little Tikes Police Car, a Little Tikes Fire Truck, and a Little Tikes Kitchen and Grill set. It will be worth it in 7 hours when the boys wake up though!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Thanks for visiting us Grandpa!

Grandpa Tom, thanks for all of your hard work on our house and for visiting us!
Donovan was sad that Grandpa was leaving

and Hailey was sad as well!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

My dad and the granite

We are having over 70 square feet of granite countertops installed today. As we tear out the old counters, we are finding a few things like old pictures from the former owners (several times removed). Kind of neat.

We have a lot of touch up painting to do and we have to reinstall the sink pipes, garbage disposal and some old fittings, and we are also putting in a new faucet. How exciting!

Fortunately, Grandpa Tom came up to help us with this project and with some other projects. Whenever Grandpa Tom comes back to Wisconsin in the winter, it snows like crazy. It just started snowing and we are now set to get 6 to 12 inches on Thursday. Thanks for coming up Dad!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Chilling in front of Grandma's Christmas Tree

Too Much Cookie!

Cuz I'm a very happy, very happy, happy happy guy!

Ummm . . . Hayden, (1) wrong finger, and (2) wrong direction. Doodle, you don't have to hide your finger behind your hand. We know you both don't like these pictures but they must be taken!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Best Evening Ever!

I took the boys out Friday night after Thanksgivin' for the heck of it. Each place we went, something went bad. First we went to Sam's Club. In the spirit of and consistent with the training of my Sam's Club Sample Snagging Jedi father, we hit up many of the sample stations with stealth and swiftness not seen by most Wisconsinites. Most importantly, we tracked down the cookie sample station where they give away whole cookies as samples. Some 15-month old ham-and-egger singleton was in line ahead of us and the old lady cookie sample giver pumps a whole chocolate chip cookie into the hands of this 15-month old and then pops a cookie to her mom and dad each. When I roll up in the double-wide cart, packing the heat of two cookie monsters, this same out-of-it sample giver gives Donovan and Hayden (who are much cuter than that singleton) one cookie . . . total. So I bust out, "Yo, you know what you jus' did? Kno' wha' you jus' did?" Actually, I said, "Can they each have a cookie?" while looking in the direction of the singleton. Her response was a grunt in a "negative" tone. I then said, "c'mon!" to which she reluctantly busted out a second cookie. I wanted Donovan to crumble them in his hands and then hand them back to her, but we just walked away and enjoyed our cookies. Consistent with my father's training, we only ate samples and did not buy anything. I think we might join Costco.

From there, we went to Toys R Us. The boys hung out with the Little Tykes Fire Engine Car in the back corner of the store, which they absolutely loved. It was nice until a lady approached me and asked me if their mother was shopping somewhere else in the store and how wonderful it was that someone with XY chromosomes and related to the one's he was with by paternity was spending time with his children in a public place. I don't remember how I responded but I was polite.

We then left Toys R Us after about 20 minutes of free play time with the Fire Truck (which I think they may be getting for Christmas) to go to Brookfield Square Mall. On our walk over, we almost got hit by a car speeding in the parking lot. Thank you safe lady driver in the mid 1990's Geo sedan, color blue, for almost taking out my children and our stroller. You just missed us, and we could have used a new stroller.

The best part of the evening happened when we sat down for dinner. This very nice couple was sitting next to the three of us. We chatted for a little bit while I got the boys ready for dinner and I learned they were recently married (five months ago). The woman told me that she "always wanted twins." I looked at her and only smiled, and I did not question whether she was sane or a masochist (but I could tell her new husband was not excited about her exhuberance). But Donovan immediately responded to her by throwing up all over himself and his Brookfield Square green high chair. Probably too much cookie. I then had to clean up barf in front of 20 people. The nice couple smiled and walked away. I do not know if they want children anymore.

In light of the sample lady from hell, the people who do not think a father is capable of taking two toddlers to the store alone, parking lot racecar drivers, and vomit, the most important thing is that Donovan, Hayden and I had a really good time together. I have always enjoyed taking them to the store and the mall. They always love just looking around at the lights, merchandise and people, and they have seen a lot of really neat things, including the Gravedigger, Gilbert Brown. I'd do Friday night over again in a heartbeat.

Special Shout Out

to Grandpa Dan for (1) delivering our snow blower, (2) taking away our old broken one and a bunch of other stuff, (3) fixing our toilet, (4) rebuilding our countertop behind the stove, (5) building floor tiers for our hardwoods to stone floors, and (6) watching the boys!

and to Aunt Laura for coming from Eau Claire to watch Tubby and Chunkilla on Saturday night while Melissa and I went to a party and for Aunt Laura's help on Sunday!

Thank you very much!

This is what happens when we get left alone in our room

Maybe I can fit in this box

I am gonna be this tall some day, without even having to stand on the toybox

You do not want to know why I am squatting . . . too late!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Toddlers!

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this gate. I don't think the gates are going to last much longer. They are figuring out how to get out and get through.

Tackle playtime in the new living room!

Thursday, December 4, 2008