Ummm.....hi

Not a single post in February is seriously no bueno. To what can I attribute this hiatus? Thirty inches of snow that had us snowed out of our house? (Seriously, who gets snowed OUT? Apparently the Parkers do!) Maybe it's because the boys recently started going to a new school? Perhaps I spend too much time on YouTube looking at hair and make-up tutorials? I know....it's Netflix! I discovered the wonderful world of Netflix and Amazon streaming video and became addicted to Downton Abbey. I watched the entire three seasons whenever I had a free moment. Did I mention that Ryan and Evan have been on my case about their birthday party and this has prompted me to start planning already? Three handmade superhero capes down and 17 more to go! In any case I hit a serious dry spell, but I've been bitten by the blogging bug again, so I am motivated to get back in the saddle. I miss chronicling our little lives!

Ryan and Evan are doing absolutely awesome! They are growing and changing so much it's unreal! Most of these changes are good, but I have to admit that three has seriously been hard for me. My boys didn't hit the infamous "terrible twos." Three? Lord,  Jesus it's a fire! (gotta love Sweet Brown)
R & E are in perpetual movement from the time they wake up until the time they go to bed. They play hard and fight even harder. And when I say fight I mean this quite literally. It's exhausting, frustrating, and nerve-wrecking! Three hasn't been all bad though. Ryan and Evan have morphed into these two delightful little people with huge personalities and they keep us in stitches! Ryan has overcome his shyness and is a pure comedian! Like, he's funny but he doesn't try to be. It's just the way he says things and the expressions that he makes! Evan is still as headstrong is ever, but he can be  both sarcastic :( and witty :) He's definitely an old soul.

They've taken this superhero thing to a whole 'notha level! They insist on wearing their Spiderman and Batman costumes every single day. They even sleep in them some nights. Evan's new name is "Spiderman Evan Peter Parker." Ryan is simply, "Batmaaan" in a deepish, gravely, scary voice. See:

Whole 'notha level! It's cute and funny and a little dangerous! They start to jump off high places, twirl around, and "catch the bad guys" when they wear these things. Evan's costume has been stitched back together more times than I can count and even though he has a new one he prefers the one in this picture. Ryan's new Batman costume has a fake muscular chest, which makes sleeping in it a bit awkward. I had to draw the line at him sleeping in the mask though! They talk about their birthday party every single day and Evan un-invites me at least once a week. This year they actually "get" the whole birthday thing and it's pretty neat. Gone are the days when these two were my little babies! I have full-fledged big boys now.

More posts, pictures, and stories are coming...I promise! If you still read this blog, thank you so much. We are back :)

First Drawings

I was so excited the other night when Evan ran up to me showing off a picture that he had drawn on his  Etch-a-Sketch. "It's Oswald!" he declared. And it was Oswald! I could clearly see that he had drawn an octopus with eight (or thereabout) legs! He was so proud and I was too. On MLK day we spent they day inside since it's so so SO cold up here :( and the boys wanted to draw again. This time they both wanted to draw a picture of themselves with their daddy. Check out my two little Picassos!

These two pictures are now hanging in my classroom right near my desk. I'm 2peasmama and I'm proud of my boys y'all!

Birthday Party Fun

Last weekend Ryan and Evan celebrated their friend Sterling's fifth birthday at Kids U. I had to do a bit  of prep work beforehand to remind them that this was not their birthday party. The minute they heard that we were going to a party they were so excited! They kept talking about having a superhero party and seeing all of their friends. Lately they've had their birthday on the brain! That conversation was a stark reminder of two things: 1. My babies are growing up...fast! 2. My days of choosing the birthday bash theme are officially over. R & E want a superhero party this year; this is all they talk about. Well, if it's a superhero party they want, it's a superhero party they'll get! Let the party planning begin :)

Notice who refused to be a part of the picture! 

Kid's U is a pretty cool. It's a gymnasium for kids and the kids had a really good time. Ryan and Evan don't eat pizza, so for them the food was a bust. At least they enjoyed the cupcakes!

Hi!

Two Things

There were two things that I wanted to do in this new year. First, I wanted to create one a memory jar that I pinned to my Pinterest board a few months ago. The idea is that you keep a jar and write down your memorable moments all year long. On New Year's Eve you empty your jar and reflect upon all those special moments. I think it's an excellent way to be reminded of all your many blessings. I can only speak for myself, so I confess that I get so caught up in day-to-day life sometimes that I sometimes forget to take life in. I wanted to do better this year. I'm so glad that I remembered that I had this pin. I washed a pasta sauce jar, fancied it up a bit with some scrapbook paper, ribbon, chipboard, stickers, and mod podge. I keep it in my kitchen and I have been intentional about writing down things that happen that I want to remember.

Next, I wanted to journal for Ryan and Evan. These years are going by so, so quickly! Our boys are growing and changing so much. They say and do the most outrageous, funny, sweet, scary, and shocking things and I want to remember these times. I want to bottle them up and have them for always. Plus, I want them to know about their lives when they were young. I want to give them this journal one day and share with them these funny and embarrassing stories.  Most of all, I want them to know how loved they are; that's what really matters. Life is so precious. It's also fleeting and can change at any moment. There's nothing like the tragedy that happened in our little state just a few weeks ago to remind us of this.

I think everyone needs a memory jar. It's a great visual reminder of how blessed we are. And our jar? It's filling up fast. Bring on 2013!

Riding Their Bicycles

Ryan and Evan learned how to ride their bicycles a few days after Christmas. Looks like they'll be riding in the house for the next couple of months. It's cold up here, y'all! R & E would like to thank their grandparents for the awesome bikes. They are really enjoying them. :)



disclaimer: I have three year old twin boys...we are in their play room...the play room is PLAYED in...a lot...yep, it's messy! 

Introducing....

The Parkers singing their latest hit, 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!