New Look Nate

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Nate has recently decided to ditch the baby look and go for a more erudite persona, like his cousin Ella. It may not be evident just from looking at this picture, but Nate did not exactly get excited about wearing glasses. He is sitting pretty calmly in my lap in this picture, but this was the first time in MANY attempts that he tolerated the glasses for more than a few seconds. Of course, now that he can actually see his environment, he is wearing them almost all the time. We will probably have to get one of those nifty head straps for him because he still will take them off and just leave them wherever. We have a fairly big house, which makes finding the glasses quite challenging. Anyway, there is a pretty good chance you will notice the new look Nate in most of the pictures from now on. He will be getting new frames pretty soon (these are just loaner frames), so keep an eye out for that.

Flying Solo

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Well, the last 48 hours or so have definitely been interesting. For the first time since the boys were born, Gina is out of town and I am with them all by myself. Gina has become a pro at holding down the fort while I am away, but I had never taken on the "around the clock" duties by myself until now. So, how am I doing? I would say I am doing pretty well so far. I mean, I am writing this blog post, so I must have things fairly under control. I had to teach this morning, and I had a faculty meeting yesterday, so we had a baby sitter come in and watch the boys while I was at work.  Getting to spend so much time with the boys has been great, and we have managed to have a lot of fun. On Tuesday, we took a long walk outside and had a great time naming all the things we saw ... puppy, car, light, truck, bus, ball ... the list goes on and on. The walk took a little of a negative turn when Nate stumbled and fell on the sidewalk. His feelings were hurt more than anything, but there was a fair amount of crying on the way home. Yesterday we ran errands around town, which included a stop at Hobby Lobby, the post office and the grocery store.  We liked the grocery store the most because they have those cool buggies for kids with a steering wheel. Our mode of transportation on this particular visit was a space shuttle, but Sam still called it a bus. For Sam, calling a four-wheeled motorized vehicle a bus is the highest honor. If you are an automobile of any kind and Sam calls you a bus, then you have his ultimate affection. And if you happen to actually BE a bus, well, you will be his obsession. And if you are a car or bus and you can actually read this, then I definitely am watching too much Disney and probably need medication.

Anyway, the major events of the day have gone off without a hitch. They are both taking good naps, sleeping well at night and eating great at mealtime. I have managed to have them fed and dressed by the time the babysitter gets to the house (which was 7:00 this morning ... ouch!), and neither of them are walking around with boogers in their noses or food all over their faces. This is a win in my book. More than anything, I have a renewed appreciation for Gina and how much of a rockstar she really is. I mean, last year when I was traveling all over the country for conferences and job interviews, she gladly took on the parenting responsibilities by herself. And this was while she was finishing her dissertation. Parenting is hard work, parenting twins is even trickier and parenting twins alone is exhausting. There is nothing like a glimpse of the "big picture" to see how blessed I really am.

Birthday Roundup

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Yesterday we had a birthday party for Sam and Nate, and it was a pretty big hit for everyone that came. The boys have made some good friends since we moved here, and they were all able to make it to the party. As you can see from our invitation, the theme was a Cowboy party. The boys have cowboy hats they got from Uncle Clay and Aunt Gail, and we bought them some cowboy boots on our trip to Texas over Thanksgiving. So, all the conditions seemed right for a Cowboy Birthday Roundup.

We were able to find some great Western decorations for the party, including a saloon-style swinging door decoration, which the kids loved running through. I also brought the boys' rocking horse in from the garage and let everyone take turns riding the bucking bronco. On more than occasion a child snuck off to get  a solo ride on the horse without any other kids around (Sam did this 2-3 times).

Once again, Gina hit a homerun with the cakes. You may remember, she made two football players for their Super Bowl birthday party last year, and this year she continued with the Cowboy theme. And trust me, the cakes were every bit as delicious as they look.

Other activities included decorating a personalized cowboy hat, making a horse puppet with a yarn mane, eating snacks and participating in a good ole' country sing-along (led by me, of course). Every one had a great time, though I can say I would love to do it again, I don't even want to think about the boys' 3rd birthday. I am still letting this moment sink in.

There are a lot more pictures of the party, which you can find here. Toward the end of the party, I did feel a little sadness as I thought about the party last year and how excited Big Mama was to get all the details. I even made her a DVD of the party, which I think she watched over and over. I will really miss not being able to tell her about the boys and all the milestones in their lives. Being a native Texan, she would have really gotten a kick out of this one.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

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Yesterday afternoon, the boys grew tired of playing in the family room and eventually migrated to the dining room. They were busy playing with their cars on the windowsill, so I decided to grab my laptop and steal a quick glance at my e-mail. As usual, I took a little longer than I intended because I wanted to see the result of the UVa vs. Wake Forest basketball game (not good, by the way). In the corner of the room I could hear a faint clicking noise. As I looked over the table, Sam said, "Hi Daddy!" and this is what he and Nate were doing ...

One of them (Sam, I assume) managed to take it off the table, unplug it, open it, and yes, turn it on. Amazing. By the time I was able to grab the camera, they were getting antsy and asking for me to put on a video. So, I gave them their snack cups and put on a children's music video. Even when I think they are doing something else, these two little sets of eyes are always watching.

Bye-bye, Snow

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At least, that is what Sam was saying for about 2 weeks. I know it snowed when I lived in Ohio, but I don't remember if I liked it or not. I know it didn't snow when I lived in Arkansas, and if it did ... even half an inch ... the whole town shut down. It definitely snowed in Wyoming, and I remember not really liking my first winter there. Still, I learned how to ski and got pretty accustomed to the snow and cold weather after that. Why am I saying this? Well, it seems that at least one of our boys hates the snow. In Wyoming, he screamed if we even set him down. When we returned to Illinois, there was a lot of snow on the ground, and he didn't even want to walk to the car. Who is this child? Sam of course. Well, I looked out the window into the backyard this morning when I woke up, and it seems Sam may finally be getting his wish after nearly 3 weeks. Almost all of the snow is gone, and the rain that is supposed to fall today will surely wipe out what's left. This is surprising to me because I thought for sure the snow here would stay until March or at least late February. Perhaps the weather here is more like Virginia than I thought: cold rain, some snow, and that wet, cold air that goes right to your bones. Needless to say, cabin fever is starting to settle in.

Heroes in Training

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Today Sam and Nate got to attend a birthday party for their two friends, Jordan and Gayle Kinley. These friends are the children of Jenene and Ken, and Jenene is a first-year faculty member at UIS. Her office is next to mine. Jordan turned 5 this week, and Gayle Kinley is the same age as the boys. The theme of the party was Superhero Training Camp, and the boys had to undergo some harsh and rigorous training in order to earn their superhero capes (which they wouldn't wear).

Some of the training requirements included an obstacle course, in which the children had to rescue stuffed animals from a burning building (cardboard box decorated as a burning building) and put them safely in the shelter, finding hidden ballooons, and my favorite, "pin the Spiderman sticker on the villain." We also got to refuel on delicious hotdogs and chili. The boys especially liked eating superhero birthday cake.

I know it's risky to put top secret information on the Web, but here are some pictures taken from this stealth training.

Snowbound

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When we left Springfield for Wyoming three weeks ago, it was cold but not unbearable. We got some snow in Wyoming, but it never got really cold. As we were driving back, I noticed the thermometer in the car going down, down, down. When we left Casper, it was around 40 degrees. By the time we were halfway across Nebraska it was in the teens. It was 10 in Kearney and 5 in Lincoln. Driving across Iowa was paradise, with a wind chill factor of -19, and it has pretty much been that cold since we got back. We got more snow today, and it's supposed to get bitterly cold until sometime next week. So, what do two boys do when it's this miserable outside? Watch Sesame Street in their new rocking chairs from Granny and Granddad, of course.

Journey to the top of the world

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Over our Christmas break to Wyoming, my dad, my brother-in-law and I took a snowmobiling trip to Burgess Junction, WY. My sister and her husband are friends with the owners of Bear Lodge, where we stayed and ate for two wonderful days in the high country. I have to admit, when my parents told us on Christmas Day that we would be snowmobiling in the Big Horn Mountains, I was a little uneasy about it. Having grown up in Wyoming, I'm still a sucker for vigorous outdoor winter activities. I always tell Gina that "the cold" doesn't feel cold anymore when you get out and move around. She's not buying it, but that's a topic for another time (I love you, Gina!). However, when I think of snowmobiling in Wyoming, I think of Rulon Gardner, and frankly, that scares me a little bit. But this was my Christmas present and I wanted to be open to the possibility of a new adventure. So, with a little nervousness and a bag full of cold weather gear, we embarked on the snowy Wyoming roads for a two-day getaway in the mountains.

We arrived at Bear Lodge in the evening just as it was getting dark. We checked into our room, put our stuff down and headed to the dining room for dinner. It was delicious, and we spent a little while longer just sitting around watching a bowl game. The next morning we awoke to the news that it was -15 degrees F. Yes, you read that right. We decided to wait until the temperature had risen a little bit before venturing off into the wilderness, so we went down to get some breakfast. By 9:30 or so, we were ready to get started. I mean, who wouldn't? By this time the temp was up to -5 degrees! After getting dressed and filling out the snowmobile rental paperwork, we were off.

I won't give you every detail (and thankfully there are no really scary stories to share), but I will tell you that I am a new fan of snowmobiling. Now, I'm not about to go out and buy one, but I will definitely go again. It was cold, but driving the sled (this is snowmobiler lingo for a snowmobile) kept me just active enough to stay warm. The scenery was amazing, and it was a lot of fun being able to share this with Joe and my dad. We talked about going again and bringing the wives and kids. We'll see how that goes. For the record, we stayed on the groomed paths and didn't do anything risky or daring.  Looking back, I can't think of a better Christmas present: I was able to share it with others, it represented everything I love about Wyoming, it was a great adventure, and I didn't have to find a place in the car to put it for the drive back to Illinois!

Home for the Holidays

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I know it's been a few days since my last post, but we have been pretty busy the last few days. Actually, busy isn't the most accurate word. We've just had a lot of activities that have seriously decreased my computer time (which I don't consider a bad thing, by the way), including traveling to Wyoming (a two-day drive), visiting with friends and family, and resting.

We left Springfield early on Friday morning, and the travel conditions were pretty much ideal all the way. We stopped briefly in Omaha, NE, for dinner with Auntie Flo, then stayed the night in Lexington, NE. If you aren't familiar with Nebraska, then chances are you have never heard of Lexington. I am familiar with Nebraska, and I'd never heard of Lexington. Anyway, we got back on the road early Saturday morning and arrived in Casper about 3:30 that afternoon. The boys traveled like champs, and they were very excited to see their GiGi and PaPa. My sister and her family were supposed to arrive later that night, but the huge snowstorm (that's been all over the news) kept them stranded in Virginia. They were able to catch a flight on Monday, and they arrived late that night.

We have had a great time hanging out together, and the cousins are having a ball. Their favorite activities so far are singing Christmas carols, playing with the train set GiGi borrowed from a friend and riding the Christmas train at the mall.

On Sunday, before the Murrays arrived, my parents had an open house for friends of the family to drop in and say hello. The twins were a hit in their Christmas outfits GiGi made for them, and they loved meeting all the new people. They especially liked all the yummy snacks sitting out for the taking.

I'm sure there will be a couple more updates before we have to head back to Illinois, but for now just let me say the trip has been wonderful and very restful. It snowed all day today, so unless an infamous Wyoming wind comes up tonight, chances are pretty good we'll have a white Christmas. Gina is pretty excited about that, and even though I grew up here, I have seen only a handful of them myself. It will be a special day for everyone.

Winter Fun

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Sam and Nate have really enjoyed some of the activities that come with winter and Christmas. Over the weekend we went to the mall to walk around and let the boys catch all the sights and sounds of Christmas. They rode the little train all by themselves with no drama.

In what turned out to be  a total role reversal, Nate rode the carousel all by himself (actually, I was standing right next to him). Sam had a minor meltdown brought on by having to WAIT for the ride to start. He and Gina walked around the mall and rode the escalator while Nate and I went round and round.

We then sat down for a nice lunch in the food court. Again, Nate ate a little of everything but Sam was partial to the chicken fingers. In Sam's defense, he has not felt very well the last couple of days, so his tolerance for anything new or out of the ordinary is pretty low. Even so, it was strange to see our "calm" child freaking out about everything and our "dramatic" child taking everything in stride. I guess this is what we get for putting labels on our children (which we really don't do, by the way).

Earlier in the week, Gina took the boys out for a quick romp in the snow. This was not a huge snow, and the majority of it was gone by noon, but it was still fun to bundle the boys up and watch them explore their icy surroundings. This is just a small taste of what they will see in Wyoming in a few days. Hopefully there is some snow for them to play in, either in town or on the mountain.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

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Gina, the boys and I started getting the house ready for Christmas this week. I started by putting up our tree, then Gina and the boys have been decorating a little at a time all week. We are leaving town again in a couple of weeks, so we aren't going all out with the decorating, but we wanted to make it look like Christmas at our house at least a little bit. The boys haven't quite caught on to the decorating thing, but they do like seeing Christmas lights on the houses in our neighborhood. Nate got the Christmas season kicked off right by doing his best Rudolph impersonation with ketchup, then Sam did an interpretation of "... settled in for a long winter's nap ..." at the end of lunch.

Back Home

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Our Thanksgiving trip to Texas had to finally end, and we arrived home today. The drive home went pretty well, but there were a few more rough spots than there were on the trip down. For entertainment, we have been relying on videos I have saved on my computer. We keep it charged with an AC adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter. Well, the adapter died about an hour from our hotel last night, and the boys were not happy about it one bit. In my world, I can rationalize that the battery died and the thing that charged the battery isn't working, so it's perfectly reasonable to go without Elmo for an hour until we get to the hotel. In a toddler's world, the video was working one minute and not working the next, and they want it back with no explanations or rationalizations. Needless to say, within minutes I pulled over and got the other laptop out of my bag so they boys could watch the rest of their video. Thank goodness Gina married a geek who happens to have 2 laptops. Let me explain briefly that Sam and Nate don't watch a lot of videos. We usually let them watch one 30-minute video per day, and it's usually while Gina is working on dinner. However, long road trips are a different story altogether. I can't speak from experience, since my childhood was during the time before car seats and my parents let my sister and I play in the back seat untethered. So, I have to use my imagination when I think about how boring car seats must be. There is really only so much a toddler can do in a car seat before he starts to lose patience. And when our toddlers lose patience, they yell and scream, which means Gina and I will lose our minds shortly thereafter. So, on long road trips videos are a good way to break the monotony of being strapped in a car seat like Hannibal Lecter.

Overall, the trip was great and the boys traveled like little champs. We loved spending time with family and friends, and we are already talking about our next trip in May. I included a couple of great shots from our last days in Texas.

Notice the cowboy boots!

On our last night in Dallas, Granddad took the boys to ride a special Christmas train, which is actually in a guy's backyard. It's really quite amazing and was a lot of work to construct. Sam loved the train and took 2 rides. Nate ... well, he screamed and the driver had to stop the train to let him off. He did, however, love watching it go around and around while sitting with me on the ground. I was happy with that, too.

Cousins and Friends

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Sam and Nate got to see their cousins on the Kelly side again today when we stopped in to the Great Wolf Lodge on our way back to Garland. We can't wait until the boys are a little older so we can take them here to swim and do all the other activities.

Later that day, Gina's friend Lisa came to the house with her little girl Ruby. She is a couple of months older than the boys, and they had fun playing together while Gina and Lisa visited. When she left, she was able to sneak a good-bye kiss from each of them. Don't let Sam or Nate tell you they didn't like it. They both tried to sneak another one before she left.

Visiting MaMa

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Gina and I had been a little uncertain over how the boys were going to do on the trip to Texas this Thanksgiving. They have not done so well on previous 12-hour road trips, so we were expecting there to be a few meltdowns along the way. Well, they surprised us once again by handling the whole trip like champs. By the time we got to MaMa's house on Saturday afternoon, they were totally recharged and ready for action. We had a nice lunch at Golden Corral, then we spent the rest of the day playing and visiting at the house. MaMa had to go back to her rehab facility for the night, so I drove her there and we settled in for the night. Gina and the boys went to bed, and I watched the Texas v. Kansas football game.

We are now in Dallas and we've had a great time so far. Gina and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary by going to the Melting Pot for dinner on Sunday night. It was unbelievably delicious, and we once again ate way more than we could hold. We are looking forward to seeing the other set of great-grandparents on Wednesday, then more family on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Here are few more pics of our stop in Shreveport.

Prayer Request

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As many of you know, my sister's daughter Ella has a rare skin disease called Epidermolysis bullosa, which means her skin is very fragile and gets injured easily. Katie and Joe are awesome parents and have been amazing in their care and maintenance of Ella's "boo boos." On top this, Ella is a toddler and has learned to express her dissatisfaction with things she doesn't like, such as going to the doctor. Well, these two circumstances met each other head on today when Ella heavily resisted getting an important eye exam she really needs. My sister is asking for prayer for the next appointment, which is next Wednesday (11/25) at 8:45. Specifically, she would like prayer for Ella to be calm and cooperative. You can read more about Ella on her blog: teamjoella.blogspot.com. Your prayers mean a lot to Joe and Katie, and to our entire family.

Park Fun

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Sam and Nate got to enjoy what might be their last blast at Washington Park this week before the cold weather rolls in. They met their favorite friend Nina for a play date last week, and based on the forecast it may have been one of the last "outdoor" days for awhile. Nina's dad is a professor at UIS, just like me, and they live about 2 blocks away from us. We've had a fun time getting to know this family, and we look forward to doing more fun things with them this winter. As you can see from the first photo, Gina is releasing her inner Ansel Adams with some creative shots.

Fun Fall Videos

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I have some fun videos from last week I've been meaning to post. The boys have loved the extended summer and the ability to get outside and play. It's way more fun than being stuck inside, and probably better for them. Sam and Nate play in a huge pile of leaves with mommy and Auntie Flo.

Nate is showing all the baseball scouts out there how he brings the lumber. His next new word will be "Homerun!"

Sam slides into a big pile of leaves that magically appeared at the bottom of his slide. I swear, I had nothing to do with this.

Sam and Nate decided to take a quick romp in some leaves after church. We didn't even bother changing their clothes.