First Harvest of 2010

The garden is doing suprisingly well, so far, this year. The compost and mushroom soil that we added before planting seems to be making a difference. The plants are looking pretty good and are much bigger than they were last year.

I'm still kind of "new" to gardening, and I still have a lot to learn. I'm not quite sure how to get rid of insects? They are wreaking havoc on the leaves of the plants, especially the bell peppers. We're trying "Sevin" and hoping it helps. Another thing, too, is the rabbits! I've been finding some nibble marks on some of the veggies and have seen rabbits in the garden. Ugh. Needless to say, we are looking for free or cheap fencing for next year....

Tonight, I had some cucumbers and zucchini that were ready to be picked. Mmmm!!

Collin was amazed by the size of the zucchini. He compared it to the height of his head. lol

Corey wanted a picture with the big zucchini too.

Oh Man!

Quote of the day: "I feel like a man", by Corey.

Collin was up late last night/very early this morning because he was not feeling well. He has a cough that kept him up most of the night and he was near vomitting. So, today when Collin asked to stay home, I let him.

It's still kind of weird when just one of the twins goes to school. It's most comparable to that feeling that you are just forgetting something. So, having just Corey this morning and because of the rain, I drove him down to the end of the driveway. He sat in the front seat, a place he has never been with the van in motion and that is when he said he felt like a man. I guess, to him, manhood begins when you can sit in the front seat. LOL Too cute.

Sleeping arrangements...

The boys were pretty rough on the old beds that were given to us from Uncle Larry. One bed was broken beyond repair, thanks to my over-active and bouncy boys. My mom gave Brad a double bed and we decided to give Brad's old bed to Corey and Collin. They know the importance of this bed, since it is the very bed that their dad slept in when he was young. Collin knows this and was telling Corey all about everyone that has used that bed in our house. He knew that Brad had it just before they did, and Trevor had it before Brad. He told Corey that I slept in it before that and his dad slept in it first. (There we go again....I think they see us as siblings?? lol)

At first, they were pretty good with having the old "different" bed. They'd alternate each night until Corey decided they should sleep in it for a week at a time before they'd switch again. That was alright for a while, too, until they forgot what day of the week they'd started with.

Tonight, I got a bit frustrated by all of the bickering. Collin came to me asking if whoever cleaned the bed off (tons of stuffed animals!) to sleep in it should be "the one" that gets to sleep in it that night. I thought it sounded pretty fair, at first, until I asked who'd slept in it the night before....Collin did!

We were "brainstorming" how to solve this problem. Bunk beds were mentioned and I told them that bunk beds wouldn't change much because they would both want the top bunk and they'd fight over that. They each gave each other reasons as to why they should get the top bunk. Corey told of how he would not be afraid if the Johnson's made a zip-wire from the roof of their house to our pool, he would not be afraid of how high up it would be. Collin told Corey that he is not one bit scared of heights. It became a competition until Collin decided that 2 sets of bunk beds would solve the problem. He even showed me where the bunk beds would be positioned in their room.

So you see, my boys can fight over things that they don't even have. I'm not quite sure just how we'll fix this problem and I'm sure there will be many more fights over it until we figure it out.

Oh, and in case you were wondering who got "the" bed tonight.....it was Corey!

A twinism......

I overheard a conversation between Corey and Collin tonight. Corey was asking Collin what would happen if one baby is born at 11pm and then the other at 1am? He didn't say it in so many words, but I think what he was getting at was, would they still be considered twins? They then began to talk about Dennis and me. I'm not sure if they see us as twins too, or maybe even siblings? lol Dennis and I are pretty close in age, born the same year and about 3 weeks apart. Because of the closeness in age, I think that is why they think we have to be somehow "related" to each other? I often wondered when they were so small what they'd think of them being twins or if it would even mean anything at all to them. It's quite obvious that they know that they are twins themselves and kind of neat that they talk about their "twin-ness".

Last night.....

Brad hates that I do this, but again, the title is not about the song by The Travelling Wilburys. I can pretty much take anything that he says and relate it to a song. Gift or nuissance, I'm not sure, but it's kind of fun for me.

So, speaking of last night, (my whole intent of this entry!).......It was 11pm or later, 11:30pm at the latest. I was at the computer enjoying the peace and quiet after a roller coaster day. I thought I heard something and when I looked behind me, there he was.

Corey.

He had such a look on his face and I wasn't prepared for what I was about to hear........

Corey: "Mom"

Me: (with a slight whisper) "What, Corey?"

Corey: "I can't sleep good. I need a Temprapedic Bed. It automatically adjusts to my size."

Me: (holding back the laughter) "Well, I'll have to see what we can do about it"

Corey: (walking away) "I can sleep in it for 90 days without paying for it and then if I want it we can buy it"

I couldn't help but laugh. I also wasn't sure that I should. I must be allowing too much tv time for him to be a walking infomercial. Yikes!

I'm hoping Corey gets some good sleep tonight, on his "regular" bed, and if he should happen to snore, I will probably recommend the "Breathe-Rite Strips". Oh, and I can't forget the "Sham-Wow" for the tv screen. It's a bit dirty. ;)

Going to the chapel.......

I don't quite remember what day it was last week but I remember how serious Corey was when he asked me to talk with him in private. He had something very important to talk to me about and it was even more important that no one else hear our conversation. If you should happen to see Corey, please don't ask him about what I am about to post. He'll know that I let the "secret" out. Corey, if you are reading this I hope you appreciate the fact that I blogged this and you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed our conversation.....

Like I was saying, Corey needed to talk to me in private. We went into my bedroom and Corey was so happy when he closed the door and saw that my door has a lock (his doesn't). He locked the door and then sat on the bed with me. In his cutest little whispering voice, I wasn't sure what to expect, and then he layed it on me..... He's getting married and needs my help with the wedding plans!

His main concern was the cake. It had to have a boy and girl on the top, that is, until I explained to him that it didn't have to. His dad's and my cake had two hearts. I asked him if he remembered seeing pics of my wedding, and he did, but he didn't remember the cake. He did remember the picture of his dad with cake on his face, hanging on the living room wall. He needed to know what that was all about too.

Invitations...we'd have to first make a list of who would be coming. Food......we need food to feed everyone that comes! He was so serious and was so sweet as we discussed all of this.

He asked me if I knew who he was marrying. I guessed "Kristen", but I was wrong. She was last week's love. ;) LOL He is going to marry "Madeline"! Wanting to know more about his future wife, I asked an important question, "Does "Madeline" know that you two are getting married?" To which, I got the response, "Not yet". Hmmmm.....he didn't "pop the question yet"...... I kept up and asked, "Does "Madeline" know that you like her? Does she like you?" (hey, you never know?) His response was that she knows and she does like him back. Then, with a somewhat "grossed out" or angry tone, he told me, "She tried to kiss me on the lips!!!" I wasn't sure what to say, but I know that first grade is just a bit too young to be kissing a girl. I responded with an, "Oh no!" and said that they are too young for kissing! He said that he didn't like that and he would not kiss her. He also reminded me of what he had told me once before, "You can't get married until you are at least 18 and older than Trevor." I guess, then, that I no longer have to worry. Corey will never be older than Trevor. ;)

It wasn't long after our conversation that Collin figured out how to get in to my room. He went in Trevor's room and came through the unlocked bathroom door that is shared between the rooms. LOL Corey was a little upset and wanted to know if Collin heard anything. He didn't and they both went giggling off to the living room to get back to their video games.

So, I'm sorry to say, there will be no wedding this summer, no wedding reception (hey, who doesn't like a wedding reception? ;) ). Corey's got lots of time yet and I'm sure there will be many more girlfriends before we find out who the lucky girl will be that he spends the rest of recess, um, I mean, his life with.

Corey, I know that when the time does come, you will make a wonderful husband (and father) one day! You've got such a big heart that is just overflowing with love to share. I love you bunches!!

Not following the rules......

I'm breaking my own rule tonight. I've been trying to be in bed by 11pm. It's now 11:05 pm. I will pay for it in the morning and I will fight off a nap during the day, I'm sure. (Another new rule: NO NAPPING!)

I'm not the only one who has broken rules and had to suffer the consequences. Corey found out what it's like too. The school held a "school wide celebration" on Friday and he was not able to participate. He had 2 pink slips for bad behavior in the past few weeks. Two slips means no celebration.

I'll be the first to tell anyone that my kids are not angels. They don't always follow the rules no matter how blue in the face I get. I've been stressing to them from day 1, that bad behavior on the school bus or at school will not be tolerated. I was getting warnings from the bus driver about the boys and I've tried to correct that by not allowing them to ride the bus home in the afternoon. I think the almost hour long ride makes my boys antsy. We live 3 minutes from the school, yet my boys are the 2nd to last to get off of the bus. It's working out fine now, even though I'm not all that excited about having to go and get them every day.

One of Corey's pink slips was from a bad decision he'd made on the bus. He spit on a boy because the boy said he could run faster. Ugh. I questioned Corey about this and his response was, "It was just a little bit". UGH!! I explained that it didn't matter how much, it mattered that he did it. He was not thinking before acting!

The other pink slip was because of his behavior in the boys' bathroom. He was caught swinging on the stall door. Another case of not thinking before he acted. He knew it was wrong.

I understand school rules. I know that it is for the safety of the children and I know that proper behavior is expected. I am not against Corey's pink slips, although, it just about killed me to escort my crying son to the car on Friday afternoon. Everyone looked at him as he sobbed. I wanted to sob with him, even though I wanted him to learn his lesson too. It's so hard to see your child hurting so bad.

The school wide celebration was "game day". I volunteered to help with Bingo in the cafeteria. While some grades were playing Bingo, others were in classrooms playing the board games they'd brought to school. I think the salt in Corey's wound was that on Thursday (day before celebration) he wrote a letter to "Mom and Dad" asking if he could bring a board game to school. It was signed, "Love, Corey", and in his best handwriting. I'm pretty sure that the teacher had all of the students write a letter, but I don't think she'd realized that Corey was not participating in the celebration. It just wasn't like Corey to be in so much trouble and if either of the boys would be in trouble, we'd think it would be Collin. (He can be so devilish!)

So, here it is, now 11:24 pm. I'm still awake, but I know that I won't be as hurt as Corey was on Friday. Thankfully, there is one more school wide celebration this year. I'm sure Corey WILL be participating and hopefully, I'll be awake enough to volunteer my help.

Goodnight.

Video Fun Starring Corey.....

Corey's broadcast....Take 1

Corey...Take 2 (not much different from the first, but he insisted he do it again! lol)

Interview with Corey.......

Corey, age 7 (Asked him these questions on February 27, 2009)

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Do you want to eat supper?
2. What makes mom happy?
when I help you do the dishes
3. What makes mom sad?
when we don't do our homework
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
say funny jokes
5. What was your mom like as a child?
what were you like?
6. How old is your mom?
38 (typed in by Corey)
7. How tall is your mom?
I don't know, how tall are you?
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
go on the computer
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
do chores
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
being funny
11. What is your mom really good at?
typing
12. What is your mom not very good at?
doing notes that are separated on guitar hero
13. What does your mom do for her job?
wash the dishes and clean
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
pork chops
15. What makes Mommy proud of you?
doing my homework
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Mary from Mary had a Little Lamb
17. What do you and your mom do together?
play Monopoly Jr.
18. How are you and your mom the same?
we both like to play games
19. How are you and your mom different?
one is a girl, one is a boy
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
cause you always smile at me

Quote of the day.....

Corey: "I love learning about Jesus".

*sigh* I love that he is learning so much at Good News Club and is so anxious to go.

Marriage.....

This morning, Corey and Collin were up early. I didn't have to wake them. (That's unusual!) I was doing my own thing, folding laundry, when Corey came into the laundry room with a question for me. He asked me how old I would be when he was 18. I'm not one for math, especially so early in the morning, so without much thought, I just told him 50. He was fine with that answer so we let it go at that. He then told me that Trevor is 18, so he's old enough to be married. He then walked into the kitchen to his brother.

Corey told Collin that Trevor is 18 and he's old enough to get married. Collin added that when Trevor was 17, he could have had a girlfriend and then marry her at 18. Corey agreed and then asked Collin if he would get married when he was 18. Collin said, "yes". Corey then asked him, "Who would you marry"? I couldn't wait to hear the answer, it was such a cute conversation. Collin responded with, "Mom". To which Corey replied, "You can't marry Mom! She'll be 5o!"

My sweet little boys are just too much. LOL I still laugh just thinking about it. They will make fine husbands one day, but let's not rush it! :)

Remember when....part 4 (I found another notebook)

I found another notebook, a steno notebook to be exact. Today, I will take you back to 2001-2002, when we found out we were pregnant with Corey and Collin and their birth story.


June 8, 2001 - We're pregnant!

July 3, 2001 - I had an ultrasound, due to some "spotting"....We're having TWINS!!

*It's hard to see baby "A" on top, baby "B" on bottom.

"A" is Corey, "B", Collin

Their birth story:

01/10/02
8:30am - non-stress test at Gnaden Huetten Hospital. I joked with the nurses that I couldn't go into labor that night because final episode of "Survivor 3" would be on that night, a special 2-hour episode from 8-10pm, ending with the million dollar winner. Could NOT miss that!

9:50pm - Lying on the couch, "Survivor" down to the final two, WATER BROKE! No labor pains. My mom got a "little" excited and woke Dennis after aproximately 5 minutes of sleep. Mom got me a change of clothes and whil Dennis was getting ready, I called Angie (Wentz) Eidem to tell her what happened.

10:30pm - got settled into a bed in "labor room". Had small contractions, but not too regular, was about 3 and a half centimeters.

01/11/02
6:00am - finally opened to 5cm, got shot in my back to ease labor pains. (Nurse called it an "intrathecal".

abt. 7am - open to 9 and a half centimeters, taken to delivery room

7:33am - Corey Evan was born, looked really good and cried right away. After Corey was born, Dr. Miller tired to reach in and turn Colin around (he was breech), but he would not turn, could not deliver breech. Colin's heart rate dropped below 60, and they rushed to give c-section. Dennis was "shoved" out of the delivery rom, I was "knocked out". I remember them putting mask on my face, a terrible feeling of being smothered and it didn't smell good.

7:55am - Colin was born, although I was unaware of it. :(

abt. 10am - was waking up in recovery room in a "daze", could not speak right away, heard nurses commenting on my episiotomy and my I.V. was a mess (right hand). When I could finally speak, I asked how Colin was and where Dennis was. I didn't really get answers right away, but then they said Colin was on oxygen and a heart monitor and should be o.k.

abt 10:30am - I was taken to my regular room in a lot of pain and complaining of terrible pain in my belly. Chrissy (my sister) was in my room when I got there. She gave me my glasses. Then, a nurse came back in to tell me that they had to take me back to the delivery room to repair my episiotomy. I learned later, that Dr. Miller never stitched it because of rushing to do the c-section. They told me it would not hurt, but it did. Also found out that c-section was an "up & down" cut and had to be that way because it was an emergency and that was the quickest way to get Colin out. C-section was stapled with 20 staples! OUCH!

abt 10:55am - I got to see Corey, but could not hold him. I was still too groggy. Colin had a feeding tube and heart monitor on, he was brought in later for me to see.

01/12/02
abt 2pm - Catheter was taken out and potossin was stopped. Being on the pitossin was like being in labor, even though I had already deliverd my boys. Not fun.

01/13/02
I.V. was taken out

01/14/02
2:00pm - I was discharged from the hospital, but the boys had to stay. We went back later that night for feeding.

At home, I cried like a baby when I saw the nursery at home. I was shocked to see what my mom, Dennis, Ted (my brother), Terry (Ted's wife), Chrissy (my sister), my dad, and Aunt Linda (my mom's sister) were up to while I was in the hospital. Ted and Terry bought 2 beautiful dressers, bedding for the cribs ("Blue Jean Teddy" print), and material for curtains that my mom made. Dad & Marilyn (his wife) bought me a new crib and so did Rich and Polly (Dennis' dad & step-mom) but it wasn't assembled yet, that would come later. Chrissy and Aunt Linda got sweater sets and Aunt Linda won 2 stuffed animals from a "claw" machine at Wal-Mart. Diane Moser (a friend and Chrissy's neighbor) got 2 blue buntings for the boys. It was awesome! I can never thank them enough! (I feel lke the luckiest person in the world!)

01/16/02
abt 9am - Dr. Ambani called and said we should be able to bring BOTH boys home sometime this morning after bili ruben results.

11:30am - Both boys can come home! Nurse called and said my "little giants" can come home!

*Collin on the left, Corey on the right*

*Collin*

*Corey*

*Collin on the left, Corey on the right*

*Not written down, but I remember- Uncle Bub was there when the boys were being discharged. The nurse, Patty, suggested that I spell "Colin" with a second "L". She said people would probably pronounce his name like "colon". I asked Dennis what he wanted to do, and as usual, he let it up to me. Uncle Bub agreed with the nurse, so I added the second "L". I really didn't care much about spelling at the time. I was just anxious to take my boys home.

?:??pm - Corey peed and got dad all wet. Dad's 1st "golden shower"!

01/17/02
11:00am - We went away for an appointment at W.I.C. It was a quiet trip in the car. Both boys were angels! The ladies at the W.I.C. office adored them and commented on how cute the boys are.

11:30am - We made it! We survived our first 24 hours at home. Corey and Collin are to be woken up every 3 hours for feeding. Both are drinking from 1 to 1 3/4 oz. of formula. Collin is the more sluggish eater and neither of the boys will eat as good for dad as they do for mom.

01/18/02
One week old today!

01/20/02
Baby shower! It was a total surprise! I thought my mom's friend was coming to see the boys and that was why she forced me into the shower. I was in Corey and Collin's room, hanging pictures on the walls and when I came out, everyone was in the living room and dining room. I was told that everyone met at Wal-Mart so they would get here at the same time. Chrissy put blue balloons on her car so everyone knew it was her. Those here were: my mom, Chrissy & Alyssa, Aunt Linda & Katie, Polly, Roxy, Ashlee, Amanda, Abbi, Steph & Josh, Raymond & Petey, Angie, Amber, & Sammy, Lois, Dad, Marilyn & Sammy, Uncle Leon & Aunt Pat, Sue & Betty, Aunt Betty & Savannah, Brook & Lucas.

*I didn't have this written down, but it's something I'll always remember. Marilyn (Dad's wife) had a heart attack at my shower. It was so scary. It seemed like it took forever for the ambulance to get here. She ended up having by-pass surgery and she felt that she ruined my shower. She didn't and we were all glad that she recovered.

01/22/02
Our first appointment with Dr. Ambani (pediatrician). Uncle Leon went along to help me. I got down to the last step out front and I fell with Corey. Luckily, I took the brunt of the fall and it was like nothing even happened. Corey never made a sound. Dr. Ambani weighed and measured. Corey: 5lbs. 8 oz. , 19 1/4 inches. Collin: 5lbs. 3oz., 18 1/4 inches.