Almost Two Year Old Pictures

Last Saturday we had R&Q's 2 year old picture session. First, I can't believe I almost have two year olds! Aghhhh. Where did the time go? Just 10 short days :( Secondly, I didn't originally plan to do professional pictures this year. In an effort to save money while we go through this whole house building/house selling thing, we were planning on using our "good" camera for once (instead of the iphone) and trying to get some decent pictures ourselves. But then these ladies at 241 Photography had a deal we couldn't pass up. They are sweet college-aged girls and were looking to build their portfolio of pictures of young people. I figured if I didn't like them then I only really was out some time and effort and not much else. BUT they came out great - at least I think so : ) They perfectly captured their personalities and even managed to get some precious shots of them together. That is a feat in itself.

Quinn, of course, was predictably "busy" during the shoot and never.wanted.to.sit.down.or.smile.or.stay.still.or.follow.directions. But we still managed to get some precious pics of her - although none with her huge cheesy smile she has. She was just too enamored with exploring everything else to be bothered to look at the camera and smile. Typical Quinn. Love that girl.

And Ryan was just Mr. Chill as usual. Pretty content to let us move him wherever we wanted and actually smiled at the camera quite a few times, showing what a huge ham he can be. He just looks like such a BOY in these pictures --- no more baby. All boy and all toddler. And those eyes? Those baby blues, a gift from his grandfathers, just melt me.

The most surprising thing to me was to see how much they are starting to look alike. They both can have similar expressions (nose scrunch while smiling), same smiles, similar eyes, and virutally the same color hair. And I also realized wow, they are ALL CLANAHAN. If I didn't carry them, I would wonder if they were mine : ) Totally all Matt's side. Quinn is really starting to resemble Matt's mom and sister to me. Crazy how genetics work. But there was a time where Q was starting to look like my clone so I suppose it all could change again. For now, I think they really are looking like twins and not just siblings, especially since Q continues to grow and put on weight -- she's not that much behind her brother as she used to be!

Oh, my children. I can't believe we are already two years into this roller coaster ride. We love you to the moon and back.

Here are some of our favorites:

This one? Yeah. That would be my favorite.

Excited about Heartwaves!

So thrilled to be a part of a wonderful organization like www.heartwaves.org. Their goal is to provide expert information, informational blogs from parents of heart children like myself, and a place for other heart parents to connect within our community. If you are a heart mama or daddy (or just someone who wants to read some inspirational stories about these incredible children), make sure you like their page on facebook and sign up for their blog notifications.

It's amazing what's  happening in the world of CHD technology these days. It gives me such hope for these children 5, 10, 20 years down the road that perhaps interventions won't be as invasive, survivability rates will be higher, and quality of life will be that much better. So exciting!!!

Oh, and they asked me to share with the heartwaves community about a special piece of technology called the "Berlin Heart". It truly is a lifesaver for the most desperate of cases -- and something that was not readily available to all infants and children until recently. Read about it here...

http://info.heartwaves.org/bid/140242/The-Berlin-Heart-Overview

Yay, heartwaves!!! Grateful for you!

Last Day of MDO. Pooh.

Yesterday was the kids' last day at Mother's Day Out. And yes, I wrote "pooh" in the title. Very mature of me but that's kinda how I feel. Pooh, pooh, pooh, and more pooh. I know they will miss going and man, I sure will miss that nice little five hour break.

In reality, I actually only recall having one day where I had absolutely nothing to do for the short time they were gone and immediately jumped back in bed (per my mother's wise advice and instruction) and took a nice long nap in the middle of the day. That was an awesome day. Tear.

Typically though, I used the time to do major work catch up and run errands - and wow, I forgot how super productive I could be when I don't have two happily screaming toddlers at my feet or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as background noise. To be able to concentrate in complete silence was an amazing gift. Most days I didn't even turn on the tv. It was THAT nice to hear NOTHING.

I guess what really, really surprised me is that I missed them so much while they were gone. I mean obviously I've left them for over 5 hours, but this was a different situation. This time they were without mommy or daddy, in completely their own environment, and just a little independent. I always wondered what they were doing, if they were happy, did they eat their lunch, did Quinn settle down for a nap, and were they on their best behavior? So when I would pick them up, I couldn't wait to hug their little bodies and "hear" all about their day via their report cards they received weekly.

And what was truly awesome about our time apart is that I think they missed me too! Plus, my paitence 'o meter had time to reset itself so I was super fun (at least in my mind) to be around when they got home. Suddenly I had newfound energy to play games, read more books, and just be "cool mommy" instead of the "grumpy, OMG if you hit your brother over the head one more time, I'm going to toss you in the backyard, multiple time out because I don't know what else to do to make you listen" kind of mommy. I don't like the latter mommy near as much but such is the nature of what happens when you spend that much "quality time" together for days and weeks on end.

But truly the best part, besides the way it selfishly was a great thing for me : ) was the kids truly, truly enjoyed it. It was only about 3 1/2 months but I feel like they matured and grew during that time. Heck, just for them to be able to sleep on nap mats, eat meals away from Mommy, and learn to play with other children were all valuable lessons and it shocked me that they did so well from the beginning. Goes to show what peer pressure does : ) ha. At least in MDO, it's the good type of peer pressure - the kind where you take a nap because all the other kids are doing it.  Lord help us all when it's a different kind of peer pressure. My heart palpitates just thinking about it.

We really couldn't have asked for a better first school experience for the kids. One day a week was perfect so they could have a little transition time to when they will attend two times a week in the fall (can you see my smile about 2 days a week from here??). They had a wonderfully sweet teacher who loved on them from day 1 and gave me such confidence that it actually was ok to leave them behind with an almost perfect stranger. Who's definitely not a stranger anymore --- when I ask the kids what they liked about school that day, they say "Kara, Kara, Kara". Well, Quinn sort of says it and Ryan says the "Kkkkk" sound but they both get big grins on their face when I mention "Miss Kara" or "school".

Below is a video I took the night before their last day. I typically pack up their stuff when they aren't watching or are sleeping, but I wanted to get it done ahead of time. Of course, they saw their backpacks and had to immediately put them on. See, love school. Lord, I pray that they will always have that excitement about school --- that may be asking a bit much but I do pray that they will always love to learn.

And here is their first "school" picture. Wow. I may or may not have cried a little bit when I saw this. My babies. At school? With classmates? And teachers? Ughhh. It may just have triggered me speeding up our timeline to perhaps trying for a third. Maybe.

Yes, Quinn is the only girl in the class. Thus she was spoiled rotten and was the teacher's helper the entire spring. She ruled that class. And sweet little Ryan --- poor thing had a rough haircut the week before the pictures and he sort of has the bowl thing happening. He still looks adorable though and I can't tell you how much he resembles pictures of Matt when he was little - with almost the same haircut too : ) 

 (In other news, we're working on growing that haircut out and then I may never let anyone touch his hair again. We are like 4 for 4 on bad haircuts and we've tried everything, the Great Clips down the street, the little place JUST FOR KIDS AND NO ONE ELSE (but we still give horrible haircuts), and even our adult people who cut our hair. He just has very, very difficult hair to cut. It's very straight, thick and he has about 5 cowlicks that swirl in different directions around his head. Please ask for blessings on the next pair of scissors that touch my son's head)

I realize that whole paragraph above was sort of useless but I thought I should explain and honestly I needed to vent a bit. I just want the boy to have a decent haircut. Just like I would like to have the time to go get  my hair done and remove the oodles of gray that just magically appeared. Maybe someday soon. But not on a Tuesday when the kids are at MDO. POOH :(

Product of the Week - Get your MOJO on!

First, I feel badly that I haven't participated in POTW for a few weeks - my head has been all over the place. Anyway, I am deviating from my usual "hair/beauty/baby" POTW and going south of the border.

To marinade.

Yes, you heard that right. Makes me sounds very housewife-y, huh?

It also says a lot about how cool I am right now - when I totally get excited about a marinade. My 22 year old self would totally kick my 32 year old self in the you know what.

I digress as usual.

The hubs actually discovered this amazing bottle of goodness a couple of years ago at the HEB. If you don't have an HEB where you live, I'm so sorry. It's one of my favorite places to grocery shop - except on the weekends or after 5 or on any holiday or really any other time when lots of people are there. I'd rather stick needles in my eyes and then pull my eyelashes out one by one.

BUT I recently discovered they have DOUBLE shopping carts (and I don't mean the big bulky car-type ones that I can't push or turn, although they have those as well) - I mean, just the good 'ole fashioned shopping cart with space and belts for 2 toddlers. So once a week at least, the kids and I set off for a mid-morning grocery shopping adventure. And surprisingly, most of the time it's lots of fun and I try to make it educational while we are there.

"Ry Ry - what is that? Can you say asparagus?" (Never mind that he calls any semi-rounded fruit regardless of color an "apple". We are getting closer.)

"Quinn, see that bag over there - those are momma's CHEETOS." (Then she appropriately freaks out because we HAVE to get the Cheetos. She makes me.)

And the favorite - "Kids, see those large glass bottles? That's mommy's JUICE. Her juice so she can survive your toddlerhood." (Then we have to get Daddy's "juice" too. Always keeping it classy buying "juice" at 11am on a Wednesday)

Oh my gosh. What in the world is wrong with me - ramble bamble.

THE MARINADE.

Ok, this is the marinade. It will change your life.

I like to make my own marinades but sometimes I just don't have all the ingredients on hand and it's a pain. This makes life so simple. And it's fresh, delicious, and low calorie with tons of flavor.

We've used it on pretty much everything, chicken, pork, steak, and even fish for when I make my tilapia or catfish fish tacos (although you definitely don't want to marinate it longer than 20 minutes or so with the fish because of the acid in it).

By far, our favorite recently has been on thick, bone-in, center cut pork chops. One of the only reasons I love summer in Houston is Matt will grill out at least 3 times a week. And this is the perfect marinade for grilling chops - especially thick ones like those. Note: we learned you can marinate those for up to 24 hours and it's AMAZING. But if you only have 3-4 hours, it's still delicious. Served with a side of roasted asparagus and my sweet potato cubes, I was a happy girl.

Now, after all of that - go get your Mojo on! (Typically you will find it on the ethnic aisle with the speciality Mexican/Latin products). Enjoy!

When Worlds Collide

I've mentioned my friend Tiffanie a few times on here --- and perhaps some of you have seen me link up with her "Product of the Week" party on Thursdays. What you may not have known is we have never met in "real life". We've followed each other's stories, commented on our respective blogs, and sent emails. It's always a trip to meet someone outside this virtual world, someone you feel like you absolutely know, and a family you actually passionately care about.

Long story short (and you can read more about P's story on Tiffanie's blog), her son was diagnosed in utero with a very severe heart condition. Actually, so complicated and severe that they didn't know if he would survive birth, much less the very serious surgery that would soon follow. But God had BIG plans for this little man and he not only survived, but has absolutely thrived. He is a walking, talking, heart baby miracle.

So this is where the small worlds come into play --- my good friend Katie (who yes, I've mentioned here too before) went to high school with Tiffanie's husband. So she knew about their story and shared with me. And then as luck (or God) would have it, Katie's friend from college Lisa (who I connected with the same way & eventually met as well last year), was also at TCH with HER son, Field, having surgery the same day as little P. So I had the privilege of praying for these two very special families at the same time. And Tiffanie & Lisa got to meet and keep in touch. Then when it was our turn for surgery, all of these families in turn rallied and prayed for Quinn. Kinda amazing. No, actually really amazing. I love how God works.(And does any of that make sense??? ha)

Matt couldn't understand why I was a little nervous to meet Tiffanie, Mr. Gherkin (as she calls her hubby), and P. But there's this little safety in our blogging world --- and my stupid insecurities led me to wonder if she would like me outside just reading our stories, would we get along, how would our husbands like each other, etc, etc. I know, kinda stupid and a little "high school" for someone who's 32!

But I was also super excited to finally get to hug her and her sweet little miracle. Which I finally did last night. And all of my worries were wiped away almost instantly. Tiffanie is as warm, sincere, cute, and funny as she is on her blog. Her husband is such a nice guy and had a lot in common with Matt. And P, well, I just wanted to squeeze him all night (he didn't really want me to though!). He was just too precious.

And there was a moment last night when we were all just sitting around on a beautiful Houston night, sipping our drinks and eating delicious food, and watching all of our miracle kids play together - and I was just almost brought to tears. I never expected this journey and roller coaster we've been on, but it has brought some great blessings into our lives. Forever grateful for those.

And as is forever the case in our house as we rush out the door late with babies, booster seats, and food in tow, we forgot our camera. So I'm stealing this picture of P&Q that Tiffanie took. Quinn likes the younger men too apparently : ) At least she didn't try to kiss him too many times. Oh, that crazy daughter of mine.

Thanks, Tiffanie & co, for a great night and meeting up with us. We so enjoyed it and look forward to hanging out again. And to Katie, for always being the best hostess and terrific friend. Her house feels like home to me --- probably because Matt and I spent more than a few nights there during Q's surgery process : ) Love to you all!

What's Happening Lately...Sorta

Well, what's been happening is a whole lotta not bloggin'. But it has been just that crazy. Not to mention I seem to have a crude case of writer's block --- I think of stuff to write down, memories to capture, milestones to remember, and then poof- I sit down at the computer and get pinged by a dozen work emails, interrupted by children who would like to be fed or something else incredibly demanding, or I just want to nap. Usually it's the latter and I have zero willpower in that department.

But here goes --- just some random thoughts and catch up with the Clanahan's. I also have a few pics to dump from my i-phone but I think I'll save that for another fascinating post. Or maybe not. Let's see if I can get through this post without someone yelling "Mommy" or "MEEEEEE!" 

1. Mother's Day Out is going FANTASTIC. It has been so good for R&Q and so good for me as well : ) Although those 5 hours pass darn fast. At any rate, the kids both love it and barely give me a second glance as I leave. From the feedback I get from their wonderful teachers, they do really well listening, actually follow directions (what???!!!), and play wonderfully with the other kids. So warms my heart that even if I have a hard time getting a "please" or "thank you" here, they are doing it in public, where I suppose it matters! For Quinn, her report cards mostly say that she is a total doll, wants to be the class helper all the time, keeps up with the "big boys" without a problem, and is chatty and busy all.the.time. The only issue she's had lately is either rarely napping or only taking a 30 minute snooze. Which actually works out for me, because she usually crashes for another hour or 2 when she gets home. Ryan's feedback is that he is always sweet and cuddly, curious about almost everything, loves to play outside and read books, and has really come out of his shell the past few weeks. He's talking more and always takes great naps. His main issue is eating. The boy is PICKY and sometimes just won't eat at all - just will drink milk & water. But to be fair, he's used to having mainly "hot lunches" at home and is not a huge fan of lunch meat or anything else that I can send with him. So I try to stock him up on crackers, cheese, and peaches - things I know he will eat. Then he devours snacks as soon as he gets home!

Here are a couple of pics of the kids worn out on their way home from MDO, yay!

2. So the house has officially been on the market almost a month. We've had about 8 showings, all with mostly positive feedback. The main issue has been that our house unfortunately backs up to a fairly busy road (which wasn't nearly as busy 6 years ago!) But we still feel confident and did a little price adjustment yesterday so we'll see if that helps. I am SO tired of cleaning constantly in case we get a call for a showing. I literally have gone through twice as many paper towels this month, 2 containers of granite cleaner and 3 things of Clorox. FUN. If you know me at all, I am not a cleaner. I like things clean, but I do "surface cleaning", meaning baseboards and scrubbing shower scum is not my bag. Nor is vacuuming. Matt has always like to vacuum (did I score in that department or what?) so I never do. The other day we had a showing and I had a momentary freak out when I had to figure out how to turn the vacuum on. Turns out there's this handy little red button at the base. Hmmm.

So we'll see --- we are hoping that the next month will bring in a buyer and then we can get this show on the road! We haven't broken ground on the new place yet until we feel a little more positive about selling here. And it's a 4 month building process, barring weather. So now I am just hoping that we can be in the new house by mid to late fall. Here's hoping...

3. I believe we can now safely say we are getting entrenched in the terrible 2's. A little early for my taste. But we are dealing with multiple tantrums a day and plenty of time outs. It's interesting to see how they each get in trouble. For Ryan, I think he sometimes just "forgets" that he shouldn't do something and then knows immediately to stop. So he doesn't get timeout too often because the behavior doesn't continue. For Quinn, well, ... she's special : ) She knows exactly what she is doing, knows that it is wrong, and then she keeps doing it. And then melts into the floor and throws a fit if I take her away from it. Then her timeouts are used as "plotting" times when she thinks of what she will get into next. It's just such a science experiment to see their little personalities. I love them equally --- I love that Ryan doesn't want to disappoint and wants to be "good" and no matter my level of frustration, I love that Quinn is strong-willed and independent. Each set of their qualities will serve them well in life, and perhaps they can even learn a little bit from each other. Here's hoping!

4. We've had some GORGEOUS weather around here. Perfect for playing outside almost all day - and especially in the evening when Mommy is trying to get dinner ready and have a few moments of silence. And that's reason #2589 why I love my husband --- for the past few weeks, almost religiously, he takes the kids outside, blows bubbles, plays balls, whatever, as soon as he gets home from work. It's like HEAVEN to me. A thirty minute heaven, but wonderful nonetheless.

5. I am finding it more and more challenging to work from home, raise the kids, get errands done, house stuff, cook dinner, ya know, the works. It's such a balancing act. Most days I feel just torn --- knowing that I should have given the kids more attention and worked less, or on the days where the kids have my full attention, I know that I may not be on as top of my work as I used to be. But I know I will look back and I won't remember the times that I didn't meet that one self-imposed deadline, but I will remember if I told R&Q that "Mommy is too busy to read you a book right now". I'm still just trying to find my footing. Some days I am more successful than others. But we're working on it.

6. I've had a lot of teeth and dentist related dreams lately. It's so bizarre. The first one, the dentist pulled out 10 of my teeth without pain meds because they were "bad". The second, my teeth just fell out. And then last night, I had a dream that I had my teeth polished and cleaned for hours. I have no idea why I feel the need to share that, but I'm pretty sure it means that my mind is working overtime at the moment.

7. While 2012 hasn't been the least stressful year --- I  have been incredibly blessed by a wonderful group of girlfriends who keep me sane. I know that I am not always the best friend in keeping up with everyone, but I am so thankful that I have people that I can call at the drop of a hat or shoot an email and know I will get back heartfelt advice and prayer. So thankful! These women are like family --- and I couldn't make it through everything without them! Or our "Mommy's Night Outs" : )

8. I think that's quite enough for now. I know I have more to update on the twins specifically and some milestones as we quickly approach their 2nd birthday in 6 weeks, aghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! How did that happen? But I'll save you from all of the words. Plus, naptime is over and mommy is back on duty!

Love to you all,

We have a climber.

So we have a climber. And I'm not even going to pretend I am happy about it. I am not at all.

I'm sure if you've read this blog for any amount of time or know my family at all, you can guess who it is.

QUINNIE QUINN QUINN.

It all started early last week when we.had.just.run.out.of.complete.patience. and put her in "big time out" in her crib. That's a last resort time out punishment as we typically put her in the corner. But the corner had failed us at least 4 times, so Matt put her in the crib.

Later he came to tell me that when he went to rescue her from the pit of unimaginable hell, she was just waltzing around her room checking things out.

Nice.

Well, we hoped it was a one-off thing and maybe she had gotten herself so mad and upset that she had an extra boost of energy to get herself out. She didn't do it again for 3 days.

Until I put them down for naps on Thursday and sat down working on training a new co-worker.

Then came the unmistakable knock on the door. Then the sound of books hitting the floor.

Ran in there and sure enough, that stinker was out. UGhhhh. Put her back in, told her to "STAY" (yeah, like that was going to work) and of course, she just did it again, and again, and again. And kept her brother up in the process. And since I was working, there wasn't a whole lot I could do at that moment. Finally, 2 hours after  her naptime should have started, she finally gave up and passed out.

And that night was much of the same. We finally ended up pulling out the crib mattress and Matt slept next to her on the floor until she finally fell asleep. Let me tell you how much fun we all are when there's no sleep in this house. Pleasantries and compliments were not exactly exchanged the next day. After scouring the internet for crib tents (OMG, places have stopped selling them and the two places left that actually carry them WERE ON BACKORDER), I made a dash in the pouring rain for toddler rails since I was scared to death she was going to get caught on a rung climbing out.

Of course, those did nothing to contain the beast that had just discovered UNTOLD FREEDOM. I was by myself that night as Matt was at a men's retreat, and I spent a good portion of the evening crying into the phone with my mom as my child screamed from the unfairness of it all and Ryan cried because he just wanted sleep already.

Me too, bud, me too.

The main dilemma is separating them right now isn't really a reality. We have to keep the house staged for selling and the other room is a guest room. So we are a bit stuck. After doing some research and talking to friends, we stuck her in the pack 'n play so we could all get some sleep and do some eval on the situation. Wouldn't you know it worked like a charm on Saturday night. And Sunday's nap. And Sunday night. So, sold. We are going to pack 'n play her for the meantime. I just don't think she is "there" yet on being able to stay in the bed, and although we could do the whole training thing now, I am just not there yet energy-wise. I need prep time. There was no warning for this madness. And if you know anything about me, you know my little a-type, anal retentivness wants to pick the day, pick the schedule and roll with it on my terms.

Roll your eyes. I know you want to. This is just a small taste of what the kids are going to do that's NOT in my plans. I get it. But for now, I'm granting myself a reprieve. Because carrying the child back to bed 30 to 40 times in a night doesn't sound appealing right now with everything going on. I know she will eventually be ready and so will we.

And Ryan. Dude, I think he would just stay in the crib until age 12 if he could. He's just watched the action from afar with a bemused smirk on his face, like "glad it's not me, sucker." Just like his daddy. Learn from other people's actions. So I guess that would make Quinn like me. Yikes. I've heard the stories. Thanks, Mom.

But if he gets any ideas and leaps out of the crib anytime soon, someone will need to call in my Xanax stat.

My babies are definitely not babies. :(