Mother Hen

If Henry survives growing up in our house with all these women, it will be a miracle.  He will either be a fantastic husband or a lifelong bachelor. 

As if the older girls don't mother him enough, then he has Mary Catherine hen-pecking his every move. 

She informs him when he is finished eating, "Mommy, Bubba done!" To which Henry responds on que, "All done!"  Let's hope that eventually he learns to form his own opinion as to when he's finished eating, or playing with a certain toy, or what he wants to watch when it's movie time. 

All kidding aside he does stand up for himself sometimes when it comes to toys, but Mary Catherine does spend much of her time informing me all about her Bubba in a mothering way that cracks us up for such a little girl.

Where Do You Eat Breakfast?

While I was sitting on couch looking for a recipe, I glanced up to find this...

I wish you could have heard them carrying on their little conversation.  Precious times ahead watching these two grow into the best of friends...


*yes, they are eating snacks from my wedding goody bag for breakfast... i'm tired and it's easy. don't judge.*

Singing

The Twins love to sing now and it's so cute to watch them.  I have attempted to video them, but it's not great.  It's the kind of video only grandparents would love.

I realize there is a big pile of laundry in my chair in my bedroom. 
Don't judge me. :)

The Twins Are TWO!

Can you believe it?

Mary Catherine and Henry are two years old!  How can that be?  It feels like I was just struggling through nursing two uncooperative twinkies while severely sleep deprived... I'm sure some of you remember, especially those of you who helped me bottle feed one twin while the other twin 'practiced' nursing for those three months... Weighing them before and after every feed for three months...Thankfully, they both nursed full time after those initial months of training.

Jason grimaced the other night when I mentioned those three months of middle of the night feedings.  It's still a little too fresh for him to look back on fondly.  With our other three he never lost a wink of sleep so having to bottle feed a twin every night for three months was not something he loved, but he never complained.  I can still picture Mary Catherine with her teeny tiny hands wrapped around his hand as he fed her.

Sweetness

Little did we know then what a stinker-doodle she would turn into two years later.  I'm not sure that DIVA is a strong enough word for Mary Catherine.  Can we blame her?  The way her siblings dote on her it's as if she has her own entourage.  They adore her and have always treated her like a princess.  Mary Catherine is the perfect mix of her older siblings, she has Jackson's eyes, Kinsey's hair, and Kerrigan's fiery personality. 

Mary Catherine (aka Sissy) splits her time between taking care of Henry's needs and screeching at him for one thing or another.  I am sure that poor boy doesn't know if he's coming or going with her. 

Henry, Hank-the-Tank, Bubba... what a sweet, sweet boy.  Henry can often be found playing alone, reading books, wandering the house, and chasing Mary Catherine.  Not surprisingly, Henry knows exactly how to irritate Mary Catherine; isn't that some unwritten code that all brothers have memorized?

When Henry was a baby he suffered from acid reflux, so of course, he puked often.     Since most people do not enjoy being thrown up on, I ended up being the one that held him the most as Mary Catherine was passed around to everyone else.  He wasn't the cutest baby there ever was either, very skinny and scrawny, like a plucked chicken. I'm his mother, so I can say that. Thank goodness he's a cutie now. I didn't mind having him to myself, because as everyone knows, there is something sweet about mama's boy that cannot be explained. 

Henry and Mary Catherine-two weeks old

Henry and Mary Catherine-almost 2 years old

Now, they are two years old, full of personality, 

talking non-stop, running around, and bringing us never ending joy. 

Pool Time

The twins went to the pool for the first time today.  What a blast!  They loved it.  We tried several times to get pictures, but they would not sit still.  I finally got one with Jason's phone when they were eating pizza. 

Nothing like some time at the pool to make me realize that I have a long way to go with liking other people. 

I know you might find this surprising, but I'm not afraid to say something if someone's child is misbehaving.  After about 15 minutes of our arrival to the baby pool, I was having words with the lifeguard about all of the children that flock to the baby pool during break.  The pimply faced teenaged boy attempted to give the children a talking to, but it was weak at best. 

People, why in the world would you let your child go into the baby pool with toddlers during break? Is it because it's easier for you?  Well, guess what?  I have five children and I do not want to parent your kid! 

A few minutes later another unsupervised child tried to come in the fence and I told him he needed to come in with his mommy.  Is that the rule?  Don't know.  However, it should be and until someone tells me differently, that's what I'm telling every child who wants to come splash all over my babies. 

Hand-Me Downs

Mary Catherine has a few church dresses that used to be Kinsey's (and then Kerrigan's and then Jamison's and then Parker's).  I thought I would share the dress new and 9 years later...

Something Strange in Staunton...

Something strange happened on this trip to Staunton... 

Mary Catherine went from being terrified of Uncle Eddie to preferring him above everyone.

 Mary Catherine insisted that Uncle Eddie "hold me" on the tractor ride.

 Taylor, Uncle Eddie & Mary Catherine

 Almost fell asleep on Uncle Eddie...

Whenever Mary Catherine lost sight of Eddie while we were picking she would run up to him and say, "Hand! Hand!" because she wanted to hold his hand.

Most bizarre thing I've ever seen.