Sprawl

Hailey is home

She is sore and she will be on meds for a while, but she is home.

Keep Hailey in your Thoughts

Hailey was sick last night on the ride home from Madison. She is normally a great car rider. When we got her home around 10:00 p.m., I took her for a walk and she had some diarrhea. I gave her a bath and she slept in her kennel around 11:00 p.m. Around 1:45, she woke me up and I took her outside. When she came back in, she was bleeding from her backside. We went to the ER Vet and I stayed there with her until 5:30 a.m. They examined her, gave her some medicine and IV fluids (in an uncomfortable way) but couldn't really diagnose her without x rays and blood work, so I took her home. They noted she had an internal infection but could not examine her any further. She slept for a while when I got her home since they gave her a pain medication. They gave us three other medicines to give to her. This morning we put her out around 8:00 a.m. and she had some pretty severe bleeding. We took her to the vet this morning and she is there now and will be there until at least tomorrow. The Vet did call me to let me know the X-Rays showed no blockage or tumor or polyps, so that is good. They will keep her on pain meds and fluids so she won't be in too much pain. Keep Hailey in your thoughts. She is a good dog and we love her very much.

Our DVR just erased itself

Someone is going to pay dearly for this. We lost 12 episodes of Jack's Big Music Show and 20 episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba! And we just lowered our satellite service to a cheaper package without the boys' favorite channels. There will be blood.

Roo's and Tubby's Superbowl Pick

Steelers 30, Arizona 24. We would like to see Arizona win though, cause we like their cheerleaders better than the Steeler cheerleaders.

Just Happy!

Overtaking Mommama's Rocker!

Schwinn

Props to Schwinn for sending us a brand new jogging stroller! We got the same model but since it is newer, it came with a built-in rain and wind shield. Sweet. We can throw out the Hefty trash bag that we would have used which could have also suffocated our children. Now only if Little Tikes would make a Little Tikes molded plastic Food Chopper so we didn't have to let the boys play with our Cuisinart fine chopper in their Little Tikes kitchen. Maybe we should just unplug it and remove the blades . . . .

Time for a complaint session about Kashi

The boys like the Kashi rice pilaf packs (tonight they had Morrocan Curry). Why, I don't know. Kashi is swahili for "tastes like aardvark $#!t" Plus, the boys are not 58-years old and recovering from their first heart attack or some crazed flaxed up health nut who thinks that Kashi is not only healthy, but is also mighty tasty compared to the lettuce leaves they ate for the last 9 years. That said, Kashi rice pilaf is a real pain in the neck for them to eat. The stuff doesn't clot together and stay on a baby fork with ease. Instead, they get a scoopful o' Kashi, and by the time it reaches their mouth, we have Kashi all over. I don't know if you have ever had Kashi all over your house, but I remember some times when my parent's dogs were locked in the laundry room all night when they had the runs and it would resemble that. So tonight, we had Kashi to the left, Kashi to the right, Kashi on the floor, and Kashi all night. But the boys were happy. The other night we had a Kashi pilaf dish that smelled like an ashtray. I have some Kashi granola type cereal to try with them next. If you have ever eaten it before, it is like eating a bowl full of gravel, which for some reason it tastes like gravel. Pretty interesting how Kashi was able to take 7 grains and screw up the mixture and make it taste like gravel. I think there is a Nobel prize for that. That said, we will keep buying Kashi stuff if it makes the two of them eat. Kashi, send us coupons.

Thanks

Thanks to Grandpa Dan, Grandma Sue, and Aunt Laura for helping us clean, paint, and tear off wallpaper in our bathrooms. There is a dark cold place in hell for the person who invented wallpaper, and they rank up there in evilness with Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Gary Glitter, and the purple Telletubby (Tinkie Winkie).

Today I am laying tile. I can think of nothing worse to do on any day in the history of mankind than cutting and laying floor tile.

Best and Worst of 2008!!!

Like last year and the year before, we wish all of you a Happy New Year! Donovan and Hayden have a compiled another "Best of the Best" and "Worst of the Worst" list from their experiences during their second year of existence!

Best Diapers: Pampers
Worst Diapers: Huggies still. An S3 could blow the side outta that there Huggies rag.

Best routine Comment from a Stranger: "You are blessed."
Worst routine Comment from a Stranger: "Double Trouble." Runner up: "Wow, they must be a lot of work."

Best Accomplishment: Walking and talking
Worst Accomplishment: Frequent attempts at trying to match last years S7.

Best Parent: Momma (two years in a row!!!)
Worst Parent: ? Runnerup: Britney Spears

Best Emergency Room Visit: Donovan's seizure
Worst Emergency Room Visit: Donovan's seizure

Best Presidential Candidate: None
Worst Presidential Candidate: the One. Runnerup: John McCain

Best outfits: Any sleeper with Zippers
Worst Outfits: Anything else

Best thing to do in the Boys' free time: Watch Yo Gabba Gabba
Worst thing to do in their free time: Nap.

Best travel provider: 1995 Chevy Astrovan, Jayco Edition
Worst travel provider: The Graco Stroller Runnerup: The umbrella stroller

Sportsman of the Year: Until October, it was C.C. Sabathia. For the whole year, though, it was Aaron Rodgers when he keeps his mouth shut.

Best Dog: Hailey
Best Cat: Tie: Moose and Heretic

Best Song: The Wheels on the Bus Go . . . Runnerup: Air by FLO-rida
Worst Song: Anything by Natasha Bedingfield or Beyonce. They are both awful.

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!

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!

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!

A nice Christmas photo shoot going from good to bad

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!

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!

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!

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!

Our 10,000th Visitor

does not get a prize.

We are Thankful for . . .

Our broken jogging stroller which will hopefully be fixed some day

Toys!!!!!!!!!!!

But we are not thankful for swings that are too small for both of us to fit in and people who try to fit us in one swing.

Happy Thanksgiving

Pictures of these two turkeys to follow!

Going to the 2008 Holiday Parade

The boys got to go the 2008 Holiday Parade on Saturday! Hayden didn't mind getting bundled up (it was cold)!

Donovan did mind!

Behaving for the first 15 minutes of the parade!

The last half hour (Chase chase chase)!

Weigh Out and Weigh Out

The boys went to the doctor Friday afternoon. They got shots. They absolutely hate shots. Hayden screams right when he gets into the examining room since he knows shots are coming. We both go because it is difficult to deal with two unconsolable children during this process.

At the Friday appointment, Donovan weighed 28.0 lbs and was 32 3/4 inches long. Hayden was a bit tinier at 23 lbs 8 ozs and 31 3/4 inches long. Donovan, though, has given Hayden a great opportunity to catch up! Last night, Donovan blew out the o-rings that keep the food from coming back up his throat and proceeded to barf through two bed sheets and three towels that we laid down for him through out the night! Way to go Doodle! Hopefully he feels better today, but he will be on the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast).

Sick

Poor Tubby has the chucks. He can't keep much down. It started this morning when he was laying in bed with me and Melissa. Clean up in aisle H immediately commenced along with a scrub-a-dub-dub of the sheets and pillow cases. Breakfast was a separate disaster. Fortunately, Doodle hasn't erupted yet. He and I went to Menards and the grocery store tonight. Hayden stayed home and watched Yo Gabba Gabba on the DVR. Donovan will probably erupt tonight and give us a nice double dose tomorrow.

The boys home life is finally getting back to normal. After being banished from the living room and dining room for a week while the hardwood floors were refinished and being allowed on that hallowed ground, they were instead wisked away to Rome to send off the camper for the rest of the winter, then to Wausau to see Great Grandma Lucy, then down to Madison to Carson's birthday and then up to Eau Claire to see Aunt Laura and Uncle Scott and then back home, all in three days. The drive home from Eau Claire was a real joy with icy roads slowing traffic to a crawl for the last leg of the drive. But the boys now have all their rooms to roam in. I do not know if we will even both putting the Superyard (Baby Gitmo) back up for them. Maybe to protect the Christmas tree.

But with all the fun, it is often so busy that you forget to stop and watch them grow up, which they are . . . very quickly. They build things, tear things down meticulously, give hugs, and share (when asked or forced). It seems like something new happens each day. I can't wait for it to be loading the dishwasher.

Illegal voting by Doodle and Tubby?

Bad Mini Schnauzer!

At the Veteran's Day Parade!

I have a wonderful lesson I can tell my sons after tonight

Any person can grow up and be elected President of the United States (provided you meet Constitutional eligibility requirements).

Post-Culvers Car Ride

What a way to spend Saturday night after Candy Commotion Frozen Custard. Thanks for the Culvers subsidy Grandma Carol and Grandpa Tom.

Halloween = Skunksarific!!!!

The boys had a great Halloween and their Skunk costumes were an absolute hit everywhere they went. We thought about helping the boys take their skunk costumes to the next level by not changing their diapers for three days, but the possibility of a severe diaper rash was simply too great. Thanks Grandma Sue for the great costumes!



Playing with Pumpkins at Betty Brinn!

Check last October for boys picture on the couch in the halloween sleepers and pumpkin hats. That will show how much they changed in a year.