A Day in the Life...

I had written this as a draft a long time ago... not sure why I never posted it.

Sorry this post is so long... I tried to highlight the funny parts for those of you (like me) who don't have time to read. I composed this throughout the day... I'd never have this much time at one sitting!

I constantly hear from strangers that they have always wished they had twins. I know this is true, because I secretly wished for twins all my life, too. I even had twin Cabbage Patch dolls when I was a little girl.

My post today is to let all of you out there in blog land know what a day in the life of a twin mom looks like. Today isn't anything out of the ordinary... just a plain old vanilla day... some days are better and some are worse... much worse. So here goes...

6:00 am... Hear baby on the monitor... try to pretend to be asleep so Carter will get up
6:05 am... Drag myself out of bed to get crying baby
6:10 am... Cuddle on the couch watching some strange show on Noggin I've never seen before
6:30 am... Twin 2 wakes up... cuddle time over
6:45 am... feed two hungry boys
6:55 am... pick up all the food thrown on the floor, get boys out of chairs
7:15 am... Carter leaves for a meeting in Midland, the three of us play with blocks for a while
7:45am... change a stinky (and I mean STINKY) diaper
8:00 am... play with stickers, attempt to put blocks away
8:15am... search for the toy Palmer is screaming about... distractions don't work this time
8:17am... a quick lesson on sharing
9:20am... put boys down for morning nap, sing Snuggle Puppy
9:25am... Mom finally has time to wash the dishes in the sink, run the dishwasher, do 2 loads of laundry, print off my calendars for the week, check email, write a thank you note, finish unpacking suitcase from Dallas trip
11:00 am... both boys wake up when neighbor runs lawnmower right outside their window
11:02am... change one wet and one stinky (not so stinky, but still) diaper
11:15am... dress both boys
11:30am... load everyone in the car (including 2 Elmos) for a trip to Wal-Mart
11:45am... sit down at McDonald's in Wal-Mart for a quick lunch
11:46am... 3 people ask if they are twins and 1 tells me a story about her 17 year old son
12:00pm... begin grocery shopping
12:05pm... Palmer screams to hold the Dora yogurt, so I move him into the cart basket
12:06pm... Palmer rips open the yogurt 6-pack, so I take it away. Drama.
12:08pm... Harrison spots the Cheetos, so we put some in the basket
12:09pm... another lady asks if they are twins and what happened to Palmer's head
12:15pm... Harrison throws a fit to get some bananas... he wants to hold the bag
12:16pm... Harrison rips the first banana off the stem and puts the end in his mouth
12:17pm... I take the bananas away. Drama.
12:20pm... we head for the toys to get a present for Patrick, who's party is tonight
12:25pm... the boys scream everytime they see a character they recognize (Dora, Elmo, Thomas, etc.) I begin to think this aisle wasn't the smartest choice
12:30pm... Carter calls my cell phone as Palmer is throwing a fit... I'm sure I sound angry
12:31pm... the boys cry to talk to Daddy on my phone. Drama.
12:45pm... we finally have everything we need (except i forgot dish soap and mac & Cheese... they'll have to wait until next time)
12:50pm... we make it to the checkout line
12:51pm... the lady behind us asks if they are twins and wants to know why they aren't dressed alike (I want to tell her I'm lucky that they have clothes on AT ALL... much less matching)
12:52pm... the checker is clearly frustrated that Harrison has ripped apart ALL the bananas
12:53pm... Palmer won't let go of his pop-tarts for her to scan them... it almost turns into that commercial from PetSmart where they drag the Dachshund across the scanner with his toy
12:54pm... Harrison starts thowing the leftover chicken nuggets over the basket edge like missiles
12:55pm... I scan my credit card and away we go (by this time I'm holding Palmer because there is no room in the basket...man, he's heavy!)
12:56pm... we head to the car, and 2 more people stop me to ask if they are twins (my arm is getting tired from holding Palmer!)
12:58pm... we arrive at the car and I notice the boys' happy meal drink is spilling directly into my new purse
12:59pm... I load the boys in the car (still holding pop-tarts and bananas) and attempt to dry out my purse. everything is soaked with orange drink
1:15pm... we arrive in the driveway of our house and my mom calls my cell phone... we really don't have time to talk, but she always listens to my crazy stories
1:17pm... unload boys and ask them to carry their bananas and pop-tarts into the house while I make a trip with grocery bags
1:20pm... continue bringing bags into the house... notice the boys are on the front porch trading bananas and pop-tarts
1:22pm... get all grocery bags inside, but boys are still on porch trading their goods
1:25pm... get everyone in the house (including the cat who escaped through the open garage door)
1:27pm... Harrison falls and scrapes his knee on the driveway
1:29pm... we doctor his owie and put on a Dora bandaid
1:30pm... take pop-tarts out of the demolished box... Palmer screams. Drama.
1:32pm... find 7 bananas strewn through the hallway with a bite taken out of each one
1:35pm... fill bottles with Milk and put the boys down for their nap (a little early)
1:40pm... pick up bananas and put groceries away
1:45pm... take a quick nap on the couch... Carter comes home
3:30pm... boys wake up and immediately want pop-tarts
3:45pm... I get to take a bath and get ready while Carter plays with the boys
5:00pm... time for Patrick's party... can't find the invitation, but we think we can find the house
5:15pm... drive all around the neighborhood looking for their house
5:20pm... the boys play in Patrick's backyard (Palmer finds and throws golf balls, Harrison digs in a flowerpot on the back porch)
5:45pm... Raider Red shows up and we take a group picture (Palmer is a little scared, Harrison is in awe)
6:00pm... we head out to our next party, Amma's 95th birthday
6:15pm... the boys each eat a few bowls of potatoes, but nothing else
6:30pm... we chase the boys up and down the stairs, Palmer falls down a few but gets right back up there climbing them again
6:45pm... we sing Happy Birthday to Amma and the boys eat cake
7:00pm... most of the family leaves, and we come home to take a bath
7:15pm... Carter is bathing the boys when I walk into the bathrooom and ask "Is that poop in the tub?"
7:16pm... we get the boys out of the tub (unwashed!) dry them off and put on PJs
7:30pm... we read stories and sing Snuggle Puppy
8:00pm... the boys go straight to bed after a hard day of playing
8:01pm... Carter and I crash on the couch for a few minutes before doing work around the house, working on Power Points for work, entering music into next year's marching show, changing out the laundry, feeding all the critters, cleaning out the garage so the Saturn can fit before the storms hit, blogging, checking email, washing dishes, and getting ready to go to bed

AND THEN WE START ALL OVER AGAIN TOMORROW! Do you still wish you had twins?

Happy Birthday, Mimi!

Today is my mom's birthday... and now that I'm a mom, I have an all new appreciation for her. Our relationship has changed so much over the years... from my dad having to referee fights between us in my lovely teenage years... to being one of my best friends, shoe shopping buddies, and clothes swapping kindred spirit (to quote Anne of Green Gables!)

In honor of my mom, here is a list of things about my family that are strange to other people...

1. Our standard greeting to each other is "Girls..." followed by what we have to say. For example... "Girls... you'll never guess what happened to me today!" The weird part to people is that we say this whether we're talking to one person or 5 people. The not-really-plural "GIRLS" is just what we call each other.

2. We have this silly phrase that means we need a potty break... I have no idea where it came from. Maybe one of the Potts family or Gaither family can comment here and help us all understand. Our "code" for this is that we need to go see Sally. I guess maybe we're trying to be inconspicuous about it... instead of yelling it outloud? Hmmm.... and I guess now everyone out there knows the code... so it is no longer a secret.

3. We have a parking fairy. I don't know how the rest of the family will feel about me calling him a "fairy," but when we find a great parking space we always say "Howard Shepard, Howard Shepard" who apparently was the most patient man at waiting for parking spaces that we now bless his memory everytime we get a good one.

4. Another funny thing we say when greeting each other is "YO." What a throw-back to the 80's! That is usually how we greet each other on the phone... and sometimes we even combine the "YO" with "Girls" and then people really think we're strange. Usually, though, the Yo is followed by "Sister" which is our other term of endearment for each other. We are ALL Sisters... whether or not we are actually biologically related or not. I call my Aunts "Sister" just like my mom does. Is that weird or what?

5. We are suckers for a good sale. Maybe that's not so weird, but I definitely inherited my shopping genes from the Potts and Gaithers. Gee Gee Gaither is one of the best bargain shoppers I know... I have much to learn from her master jedi shopping skills.

6. The Potts family are insanely talented gardeners. My grandad's yard is a showpiece... and has been as long as I can remember (and I'm sure it was way before I was even around!) Unfortunately for me, that talent stopped at my mom's generation. I have about as black a thumb as you can possibly have. Good thing I inherited those shopping genes...

7. Another talent that ended with my mom is cooking and baking. Potts family gatherings are always centered around food... usually pot-luck. Man... my mom, aunts and grandmother can cook! My favorite things we eat are cheese grits, sweet potato casserole, and pear salad! My mom's cooking talent is hidden by her busy schedule, and so I learned my cooking skills from my dad. They consist of Hamburger Helper and Macaroni and Cheese. Thank God I married a good cook or my kids would think pasta was a food group.

8. We are dog people... cats are much despized in the Potts clan. I held this belief until I was married, and adopted a cat "Roxy" who still is my cuddle bug. Roxy is some sort of miracle worker, though, because my mom used to hate cats like the rest of her family... but when mom spent so much time at our house after the boys were born, she miraculously warmed up to Roxy. We caught her napping with Roxy on many occasions... and she won't admit it to anyone, but I think she really likes cats now.

9. Everyone has a nickname. Well, most everyone. Some people even have multiple nicknames... such as my grand dad who is known as "Pete" by some family members and "Jimmy" by others. Ask my uncle Robert about that one. Other nicknames include Sweet Linda, Cakes, Skeet, Speedy, Duck-Duck, Coach, Bop-Bop, Janie, and Uncle Dave just to name a few. People outside the family have nicknames, too... but those would have to be an entire blog topic.

10. We span the ages... I have a cousin younger than my kids and an aunt closer to my age than my mom's. I love this about my family! I love that my boys are growing up with my cousins... and the special bond I've always had with my aunt Mary Jane. (People are always telling me how much I look like her... what a compliment!)

I love my family... crazy as we may be, and today I am especially thankful for my mom.

Happy Birthday, Mimi... here's to many more years of crazy fun memories!

Easter pictures

Here is a collage of the boys Easter outfits. Their hats (which didn't last long) were too funny... everyone said they looked like miniature golfers! Appropriate that it was Master's weekend as well...

Their Easter gift from Mom and Dad was a Tickle Me Elmo Extreme... shown in the bottom right picture. We've tickled him to pieces this week... and I can't tell you our excitement level when we found the on/off switch! Carter tells the boys that Elmo has to go night-night, and they lay him down and cover him with a blanket. It is too funny.

We had Easter dinner with my family Saturday night at mom's house. It was fun for the boys to have their cousin Korie help them hunt eggs. She was so sweet with them... helping them find eggs and putting them in their baskets. Harrison was the egg hunting champ... he loaded his basket so full he couldn't carry it! Palmer got about 7 or 8, but then one busted open and he realized there was CANDY in those eggs! He was done hunting... he just sat down and stuffed his chipmunk cheeks with jelly beans. Wish I had a picture of that!

Sunday night we did Easter dinner with the Biggers' family... and that was fun, too. Isaac, Luke, Carter, and Daniel all had a confetti egg fight (which has become an annual tradition!) but 2 funny things happened. First, Daniel locked Carter out of the house, and Carter ran into the front door giving himself knots on his temple and cheek bone. You'd think that would slow the fight down, but no! Carter also took an egg in the mouth from Daniel and was spitting out confetti for a few days. I don't know how Gran cleaned all the carpet... it was a mess!

Here are the boys with Mimi and Papa D on Easter Sunday... what a great picture of all 4 of them!





And here is our family picture... you can see Palmer's forehead scar which looks MUCH better now that his stitches are out!

We're Recovering...

Last week was a TOUGH one for our family!

1. I was diagnosed with Mono... YUCK! I missed a whole week of work and am still recovering.

2. Palmer was sick all week, too. He missed a whole week of daycare.

3. Palmer's fever spiked to 105.6 Tuesday night which won him a trip to the ER.

4. Palmer the acrobat fell off of a chair and got his first SEVEN stitches.

We were once again blessed to be near family during this crisis! Thanks to Gran, Big Daddy, Mimi, and Papa D for all of their help while Palmer and I were out of commission.

Sunday at church the boys both got to process with all the children for Palm Sunday... here is a cute picture. Palmer is being held by his nursery teacher and Harrison is in denim shirt in the wagon holding the palm branch.