Saturday, March 28, 2009

It's the process, not the product!






I recently got a new book called 'First Art' and it is full of great art project ideas for toddlers and twos. A few weeks ago I decided to give one of the projects a try. Finger painting! I wanted to let the kids be able to do it however they wanted and experiment with whatever way they thought they could get the paint onto the paper. I tried to remind myself to give them as little instruction as possible, just sit back and let them create. I have to admit, I have definitely shied away from any sort of painting with Owen and Mason because of the thought of four little hands flinging paint everywhere. We usually stick to cleaner types of art. I gave it a try though, and they had fun getting messy. They hate dirty hands and usually ask several times during meals to be cleaned off. Today I made them stay messy until the we were done which they loved and hated me for...they kept saying 'all messy!' We started off using our fingers and of course, Mason must have thought the paint was ketchup because the first thing he did was lick his finger. Once he got that over with he really got into it. Owen loved it too and actually made more of a mess than Mason at first. They moved from one finger, to two, to the whole hand...smearing, slapping, dotting...anything they could think of. Eventually I gave them a paintbrush and they figured out how to flick paint off of it, which they thought was super cool!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Weekend fun with Kyle and Manda

Well, Erin's been keeping pretty busy with a bunch of sewing and home decorating projects lately, so I thought I'd try and catch everyone up a little bit on what's been going on in the Crews household.

A few weeks ago, Uncle Kyle finally got a break from tests and projects (he's in the PPA program in the Texas A&M business school) and Manda was able to join him from nursing school in Dallas and they came to Houston for a nice weekend visit. This time of year is absolutely the best time to get outside in Houston because it's nice and warm, but not humid yet and there aren't yet any mosquitoes to worry about.

We took advantage of it and went to Hermann park and rode the train, which Owen and Mason thoroughly enjoyed. They clapped at each stop to confirm these sentiments. The park was super crowded so afterward we swung over to the heights to get some park time in there, and then polished off a perfect spring day with some quesadillas and molletes (oh so good) at 100% Taquito. Can't beat that!

Weekend fun with Kyle and Manda

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Are They Twins??

Aaron ran across this article about annoying questions that parents of twins constantly get while out and about. We were cracking up so we thought we'd share! I've added a few of my own too!

"Are they twins?" – No, we just had a double stroller, two car seats, two high chairs and two cribs laying around so we thought we better have two in a row! Maybe the next time someone asks if we have twins we should say, "No, one is from an affair that I had with a coworker...isn't my husband a trooper?"

"Two for the price of one!" – This one makes me want to scream. As if my two babies require the same amount of formula, diapers, clothes, etc. as a singleton! Two for the price of TWO!

"Wow you must have your hands full!" – This one seems ok on the surface, but the person saying it rarely does so out of sympathy. Usually you can tell that what they mean is "wow you must have your hands full and I'm glad I'm not you!"

"Do twins run in your family?" – Do annoying strangers that bother obviously overstressed mothers at the mall run in yours?

"Did you take fertility drugs?" – Ok. Seriously. Where do people get off?

"Which one is the cute one?" – Which eye do you want blackened?

"Oh I had my kids 11 months apart, so I know what it’s like to raise twins" – This isn't a question, but it is quite possibly the most annoying comment anyone can say to a mother of twins. Really? I doubt you know what it was like. When our twins were 2 months old, in our spare time all we did was sleep not try to make another baby.

"Are they identical?" After answering yes, the comparisons begin...his hair is lighter, he's heavier, he must be the outgoing one, etc. AHH!

"How do you tell them apart?" – Oh darn their name tags fell off again. It's back to the hospital for another DNA test.

"How do you do it?" Ummmm...I don't, I hide one in the closet and just pretend to only have one baby.

"So are you going to have more kids?" How about you let me settle into this gig a bit and then we'll talk!

"Wow! Double Trouble!" Give me a break...that is so cheesy...if anyone was ever close enough when they made that comment I would probably slap them.

After seeing one twin and then seeing the other they say "Oh, there's two of you!" No, there's one of him and one of him. They are not the same person!

"I'm glad it's you and not me!" Yes, they're twins and I'm glad they're mine and not yours too!

**Don't get us wrong, Aaron and I are very blessed and happy that we have twins. We would take all these silly comments that come along with having twins over not having twins any day! We just thought this spoke so true to our everyday that we had to share, just for a laugh!**

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Santa Fe Day 6



Well, it was our last full day in Santa Fe, so we wanted to make sure to get out with everyone and get some outdoor fun in before we head back to Houston, where it's already summertime. Unfortunately Owen and Mason were just starting to get sick, so they didn't get to enjoy it quite as much as we'd hoped. They are troopers, though, and they made it through a picnic lunch (Cheetos have a way of making you feel better) and some rides on the sled. Everyone else took turns riding the sled and Aunt Lindsay started to push the limits with the steepest hill she could find. She, Erin, and Granddaddy all made it through alive. Barely.

Afterward (and after a nap on the car ride back to town) we went to a market/zoo thing in Santa Fe called Jackalope, where the kids got to see some barnyard animals and play with maracas, hacky sacks, and various hats (the kids have really embraced the New Mexican culture). We finished off the night with dinner at Maria's.

Now everyone is headed back to Lubbock, then San Antonio, and eventually Houston. We had fun, though, and we all got to get in some great family time together.

Here's Lindsay's sledding attempt:


Mommy giving it a shot (sorry, I accidentally recorded this sideways):


Granddaddy catching some air:


And, finally, Papi providing some comic relief as he gets on the sled and heads down the slope:


As always, we got some great pictures of the kids and family, which you can find here:
Santa Fe Day 6