The dentist

I went to the dentist on Monday to get a cavity filled.  It was probably the easiest one I ever had.  I get quite a few cavities because I don't have the best teeth.  Then the dentist called me the next day and said I had to go back in to see him.  So I did.  He was going to numb me without any topical so I stopped him and told him I wanted the topical.  With some irritation, he called his assistant over to put that pre-numbing stuff on.  He told her I needed it all over my gums because he was going to numb my entire mouth.  When he stepped out of the room, I asked the dental assistant what I was getting done.  She wasn't really sure.  As soon as the dentist walked back in I asked him.  He said he needed to file down all my teeth because my voice was whiny like Rachel Ray's.  I shot out of that chair and ran for the door.  As I was running I said "I don't care if my voice is whiny, there is no way I'm going to let him numb my entire mouth."  And then I woke up.  I was so happy it was only a dream.  It was so real.  I really did go to the dentist on Monday and had a minor cavity fixed.  I'm so thankful I didn't need my entire mouth numb.

pure insanity

Pure insanity.  Yup, that's what it feels like when you have 2 babies crawling at the same time.  I thought the hardest part was when they were first born, but this, for now, comes in second.  One twin goes one direction and the other goes the opposite direction.  Or they follow each other and get into stuff together.  Today, while I was cleaning up the dining room, I felt the need to check on them in the living room and they were both trying to pull the lamp cord out of the socket. 
For the longest while, we thought that Luke would be the leader and Reed the follower.  We were definitely wrong.  Little wiry Reed is the instigator.  Luke is usually following him around.  Reed is into everything and he can not sit still.  At least with Luke, the toys captivate his attention for a couple of minutes.  I really need eyes in the back of my head. 
They are also starting to feed themselves.  I thought baby food was a mess, this is way worse.  Smashed up bits of cracker everywhere.  Well, at least if I don't have a chance to clean up the floor right away, they can help themselves to a snack while they're crawling around.  I know it's gross, but I wash my floors quite a bit, so it can't be that bad, can it?  Like they say, a little dirt never hurts.
Yup, it's crazy here.  Yup, it's busy here.  Yup, there's plenty of kisses and hugs going around in this crazy busy house. 

Tulip Time

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to dutch dance.  I loved the costumes and the sound of the dancer's wooden shoes hitting the pavement.  Three years ago, me and my friend Tara went for it.  We practiced with the high school students to become alumni dutch dancers.  There were probably 20 of other women doing the same thing as us. 
This is my 2nd year dancing.  I took last year off because I was pregnant with the twins.  It's a wonderful work out and so much fun!!!  Every year our costumes have to go through inspections.  And the inspectors are STRICT!  They can make you replace certain parts of your costume and make you shorten/lengthen parts of it too.  If you fail inspection, you have to get reinspected after you fix your costume.  This year I passed, thankfully. 
Friday night was our first time dancing.  The first time I always feel a bit clumsy.  The wooden shoes have no give or bounce to them so it feels funny.  And I have to get used to people watching us too.  It can be a little nerve wrecking, but it is so much fun.  I'm sure Tuesday night I'll feel much more at ease with the whole thing.

Tara is the one in the orange and you can't see me in this picture(I'm holding her hand)

not the greatest picture either, but Ross only took these 2 pictures of us dancing

Top 5 questions I get asked about my twins

These are the questions/statements I get asked when I take the twins out in public

1.  Are they twins?  Yes, they are.  My thoughts- no I just take an extra baby along for the fun of it.  Of coarse they are twins.

2.  Wow you must be busy!  Yes, it can be busy but they are good babies.

3.  Do you have more children?  And this is where I really don't want to answer the question because I know what their reponse is going to be.  Their eyes are going to bug out of their heads and I feel like their going to look at me like I'm too young to have that many kids.  Gulp, giggle and I answer "they are number 4 and 5."  They look at me like I'm crazy and I tell myself I am not crazy, I love my kids. 

4.  How old are your other kids?  My oldest is 6, I answer.  This is where their jaws fall open and they can't fathom having this many kids.

5.  How do you do it?  Moment by moment, day by day.  I don't include that I try to close my eyes when I see my laundry pile up or when other household duties need to be done and I just can't seem to get to them.  It's true, I try not to look to far ahead or I will have a melt down.  I always conclude my conversation with "I wouldn't change it for anything"  and that is how I feel.

I think it's funny how people have a fasination with twins.   I used to be one of them.  It is a special gift to have 2 babies at once.  I know that when I go out that I will be stared at and if I take them all with me then eyes are going to pop out of heads.  It's okay, it's my life, my family and I wouldn't change it for anything. 

Chicken Fun

We started out with 6 chickens over a year ago. We got them from TSC and the rule is you have to buy at least 6 chickens. Their life started out in our garage in a box with a red light bulb heating lamp (so they don't peck each other). The kids loved them from the very start. They visited them often in the garage.
The following are high lights in the life of our chickens:

The chickens had started getting bigger and they were almost ready to go out to there coop after we got it set up. They could perch on the side of the box in the garage and sometimes we found them beside the box and not in the box. One day Ross said to me "Erin, we're missing a chicken." We searched all over the garage and could not find it. We looked everywhere. We finally gave up and thought that the chicken had escaped when the garage door was open at some point. The kids were disappointed, but we consoled them that we still had 5 chickens. Three days later, on a Sunday morning, as we were getting ready to get in the car to go to church, Ross noticed that we had 6 chickens again. The prodigal chicken had returned!!!!!! We thought for sure he would be dead by the time we got back from church. The poor chicken couldn't even stand up because it went without food and water for 3 days. We got home from church and peered in the box and all 6 were still alive. We couldn't even figure out which one was the one that had escaped. To this day, we still have not learned where our chicken had gone.

Leanne was usually the one out playing with the chickens and by this time they had moved into their coop. She had noticed that one of them was a rooster. They were supposed to be all female. Leanne ended up being right (she usually is). We knew eventually we would have to get rid of the rooster(when he found his voice) or the neighbors might complain and make us get rid of all of them. One day I was sitting inside with the slider door open and I heard the strangest sound. I couldn't figure out what it was. I went outside where the kids had started going to the chicken coop. And the it did it again. The rooster had found his voice. It didn't sound like I expected it to. It sounded like when a boy's voice was changing and cracking. I didn't know that they could sound like that. It came time that we had to figure out what to do with the rooster. We didn't follow Leanne's suggestion of "killing him and eating him". Ross had found a place for the rooster to live and now the problem was getting him to his new country home. Ross tried to catch that rooster and put him in a big bucket. He had to chase him all over the yard. The kids were laughing so hard at him. He finally managed to get the rooster tucked into the bucket and put him in the back of the van. They got him to his new destination and the new problem was getting him out of the van. I guess the bird wouldn't get out. He got loose from the bucket and flew around inside the van. Ross finally managed to get him outside and then that bird sat underneath the van. They couldn't get him to budge. it took a while and finally they coaxed him out from there. The new owners of our rooster said that he would crow and peck at there door various times through out the day.


Like I stated before, my kids love the chickens!!!! They play with them all the time. I would look outside and see Clay picking up a chicken and swinging him around in circles, they've been on swings many times, pushed down the slide, and shoved inside buckets. But the one that takes the cake is the time that Clay shoved one up the inside of a toy semi truck. First I need to give you the graphics of the trailer of the semi truck. It's about 20 inches long and the opening is about 6 inches by 6 inches. It also has a door on the side of the semi trailer. My sister was over with her kids and they were playing outside with the chickens. Gina said to me "Erin, I think Clay put a chicken in that trailer." I said "no he couldn't have. They try to put them in buckets all the time and the chickens won't fit. There's no way a chicken could get shoved up there." Then I peered closer-there were little chicken feet sticking outside the semi trailer. I yelled to Clay "Do you have a chicken in there?!" He slowly nodded his head yes. I said "You better get him out before that poor chicken gets hurt." He tipped it upside down trying to get the chicken through the opening at the bottom of the tailor. The chicken was STUCK!!!! I called for Ross to come and get that chicken out of there. Ross was laughing hysterically when he saw what Clay had done. Ross took the semi trailer and shook it hard up and down. Chicken feet started coming out the bottom. Ross was making progress. You could hear the chicken cackling inside. Then Ross did another up and down motion with the trailer and out of the side door of the trailer poked out the chickens head. So if you can picture it- feet out the bottom of the trailer and head sticking out the side. We were all rolling with laughter. One last up and down motion with the trailer and the chicken came out. And he walked around like nothing had happened to him.

Our kids love their chickens. They are an excellent pet and they benefit our family with they fresh eggs they lay for us every day (I can't believe they lay for us after all this). To this day we still find chickens stuck under crates in the kid's play club house in the back yard.

Our Funeral

So I performed my very first funeral today. Poor little Flick, not even a week old. We got him last week from TSC. What an adorable duck! We got 2 ducks from TSC. One named Petal and the other Flick (a few days later Clay renamed him Flip). During the few days Flick (or Flip) was with us, he went to kindergarten testing (we got Flick right before we were supposed to get Clay tested), he played with Petal and got played with by Clay, Leanne, and Allison. He also got to be show and tell for preschool and kindergarten the day before his death. Then today, Clay and Leanne asked to play with their ducks outside. I gave them specific instructions not to let them out of their sight and be gentle with them. Clay had the hose running and had a little "stream" going int he front yard. I went back inside to clean up and then Leanne came running up the deck steps saying that Clay killed Flick. Sure enough Clay carried little lifeless Flick up to the deck. He drowned in the stream and Clay said he didn't mean to do it. I had him lay Flick down on the deck and I tried to get him to come back to life. I pushed on little Flicks heart with 2 fingers several times (chest compressions). Water came out of his beak, but he never did breathe again. I tried to stimulate him with a dry washcloth and still their was nothing. Leanne was crying by now and she was taking it pretty hard. We found a little box to put Flick in and I had the kids choose a burial site. I dug the little grave and had Leanne place the little box in the hole. She was now wiping her eyes and nose with Kleenex. We each said something to Flick. Clay went first. He said "good bye Flick. I'm sorry I killed you." (at this point I'm trying to keep a straight face and not laugh) Leanne said sobbing and wiping her eyes, "good bye Flick, I'll miss you." Alli said "bye duck" ( I really don't think she understood what was going on) and then I said "good bye Flick, you were a good duck, Petal will miss you. So will Clay, Leanne, and Allison." Then I prayed at the little funeral. We finished burying him and found stones to put around his grave.

So that night we went back to TSC and bought 2 more ducks (you have to buy 2 at a time). Leanne named one Feather and I convinced Clay that Aflac would be a good name for the other. So while we were there I looked at a pamphlet about ducks and it said that baby ducks love playing in water, but tire very easily and will drown. oops. I guess I should have looked for a pamphlet the first time around.

Clay with Flick (Flip)

mommy's quiet time

I know I shouldn't be up past midnight, but I don't get much time to myself anymore. I love it when all the kids are tucked in bed and my hubby is sleeping and it is finally quiet. I have the dishwasher running and I love that sound. It makes me feel relaxed and comfortable. After this rough past week, it's just nice to take a little time for myself. A little time to reflect on the day and think about tomorrow. Winding down from a very busy day and a very busy week. We're also moving on Saturday. Like I said, it's been a very rough week.
But I can't think of the negatives, I need to stay positive. I thank and praise God that he restored my little Reed to health again. My poor buddy was a very sick boy. I'm so thankful that he is rolling around again and cooing and smiling. I heard that Luke was pretty sick while I was at the hospital. I'm thankful he's back to his normal happy drooling self. It's when your children don't feel well that you realize what's really important in life. It's not about money or anything material, it's about family, health, loving one another and praising God for all He's given us in this life. When someone is ill, you realize what your priorities are.
My priorities are or need to be
1. God. knowing and loving God by praying and reading the Bible. Not just reading the Bible, but taking it to heart. We get so caught up in life that we forget to take the time to really read and listen to God. It's also so very important to go to church and actively listen to what the minister is saying.
2. Husband. We need to take time for each other. Try to go on a few dates here and there. You don't have to spend money to go on a date. Take a walk, go for a drive, or play a game. Our favorite is monopoly. I used to hate that game, but Ross doesn't like to play other games. I found that I now enjoy playing that game because it gives me more time with him (and I like to win).
2. Family. The importance of good, quality family time. Sitting and listening to each other. It's easy to let children ramble on and not really listen, so we need to to take the time and hear what they are saying. If I'm not paying attention to Clay, he will say listen and make me look directly into his eyes before he will tell me what he wants to say. He loves undivided attention. I believe this is one way to show them good communication skills.
3. Friends. We need friends. Someone we can talk to and be able to share with. My husband is my best friend but I need my girlfriends too. It's good to have someone that can relate to what you're going through in life. It's good to support and encourage each other.
4. Household duties. This is another way to show love to your family. Cooking, cleaning, and laundry are all acts of love. It's important to maintain a house. I'm not saying it needs to be spotless (mine never is) but it should look like you at least tried. Sometimes I feel too tired to pick up or do anything, but I try to remind myself that this needs to be done to show my love.
There is so much more I could list, but I'd better get to bed. We have a big day tomorrow, followed by a big weekend. Good night.