Meet Spike!

We're excited to announce the newest member of our family!
Yesterday, Daddy took us to the pet store and we picked out a fish to bring home. We named him Spike.
We have enjoyed watching him swim, and it's fun to watch him eat! It was a rainy weekend, so it was a good weekend to get to know our new fish. Of course, we still do our daily chore of feeding Cheyenne. We love our cuddly dog.
When we were watching Spike swim yesterday afternoon, we saw Mommy come home from her Moms of Multiples garage sale - she put a teeter totter in the backyard! We were excited for our new toy, so we put our shoes & coats on and tried it out! Of course, we just tried it out for a minute or two...then we decided to swing since the rain finally stopped for a short time and we were able to swing. We enjoyed being outside for just a short time, but didn't get to play with our teeter totter much. When Noah wanted to teeter totter, Hannah wanted to swing. When Hannah decided to teeter totter, Noah wanted to swing.
That night, we went to the grocery store to buy some bananas and got a super cool cart! It was a car. It was almost as cool as the store that has little carts. (The store with little carts is our favorite because we get to push our own carts through the store)
After we "drove" around the store, we went to see our friends Trevor & Dylan. We played & watched movies with them until it was time for us to go home and go to bed. What a day! We were worn out!
The past week has been fun. We had a lot of nice days, so we got to play outside at daycare every day. We love getting outside to play!
Tuesday was even so nice that Mommy put on roller blades and took us out in the stroller. When we got back, she turned on the sprinkler and we ran through it. We were wet, but it was so much fun! Then, we went in the house to find Daddy made our favorite meal - MOSTACCIOLI!
Have a great week. We'll keep busy and enjoy our lives!
Noah & Hannah

We can't believe it - our babies have done preschool screening!
They're growing up so fast.
This morning, we woke up to a lot of thunder & lightning - enough to knock out power for a few hours. Luckily, Noah & Hannah slept through it despite the fact that Cheyenne paced the floor wanting to be outside and check out the big booms. When the kids woke up, we told them that we were going to get ready and go to school. (Preschool Screening was held at the school we took ECFE classes at last year, so Noah & Hannah associated that school with their classes.) They were so excited! When it was finally time to go, Noah appeared in the ktichen with backpacks for each of them, so they strapped on their little backpacks (full of a coloring book, crayons and a container of Lucky Charms) and got in the car. We went into the school and found our room, and that's when Noah decided he was shy. He stood outside the door and wouldn't come in for a while, but after a trip to the bathroom, he decided it was OK to take off his coat and go play with Hannah. After a short playtime, two teachers came to talk to Mom, then took Noah & Hannah back to their offices to test them. I could hear them shouting out answers and getting excited when they completed a task successfully. It didn't take long for them to be done, and while I talked to the screeners, the kids enjoyed the toys in the waiting area. They started with the dollhouse, but ended up sharing the kitchen and cooking up a big feast!
Hannah did very well - she excelled at her tasks in comparison with children her age. Noah also did quite well, but since boys develop later, his fine motor skills, balance and attention span need a little more time to develop to the point where they can approve him for kindergarten. We'll go back next year to check his progress, but it's good to know both kids are doing well for 3 year olds.
The kids had a fun weekend. Saturday, we played inside and outside, including having to hurry out of the house to search for our dog who had gotten out of the fence! Noah & Hannah were very worried about her, but were helpful in searching. We found her 3 doors down after driving around a few blocks. After we found Cheyenne, Daddy came to pick us up and take us out to eat! Noah & Hannah got to eat with Mom & Dad's volleyball friends - they thought they were so cool sitting at the big table with tall chairs. After an afternoon visit from Daddy's cousin & aunt, Noah & Hannah got to go to the park to fly their kites. It was a beautiful day and they'd been wanting to fly their kites ever since they got them from their cousins at Easter. Of course, kites were nothing compared to the allure of the playground, so Mom conceded after a short round of kite flying (and after Noah let go of Hannah's kite and had to carefully reel it back in from a fenced off city garage property). The kids really enjoyed all the slides & climbers in the playground, and were much more independent than our last visit last year. Noah really loves slides. Hannah likes slides, but is much more cautious especially when the slide takes a turn or twist. She liked the monkey rings though - although Mom helped her, she held most of her weight by herself. Both kids used their time at the park wisely, going from slide to climber to sandbox - they didn't waste their time swinging, since we have a swing set at home!
Sunday, the kids were excited to go back to Sunday School - it's been a couple of weeks with Easter & Palm Sunday festivities taking up the Sunday School time for two weeks. After Sunday School, we took them to Ron & Carol's Sandbox for some sand volleyball. Last year, we didn't have very good luck being on the court at the same time, since one of the kids usually needed our attention. It's nice that they're more independent now. We were both able to play volleyball while Noah & Hannah played with all the other kids there (out of 9 kids there, there were 3 sets of twins!) They played tag, in the hammock, in the sandbox and in the treehouse, but when the adults stepped off the court, all the kids swarmed the court! They just wanted to play on the volleyball court, so they had fun.
After such a nice week of getting out to play while at daycare and over the weekend, Noah & Hannah have slept well at night! I think they're already beginning to appreciate spring in Minnesota.
Have a great week!
Go Twins. :-)
Mom (Shari)

Happy Easter!

That Easter Bunny sure was busy this weekend, and so were we!
We had a fun week - Wednesday at daycare we got to spend all day watching the house next door get knocked down by BIG tractors. How cool! We are just excited to get outside and play, but this was a great bonus to see the house demolition. We are tired of being cooped up inside. We take every opportunity at home and daycare to be outside.
We got new swings over the winter, and we're LOVING the big kid swings at home.
Friday, we got to drive to Grandma's house. It was a LONG drive, but we were excited to see Grandma, Angie & Grandpa when we got there. Grandma & Grandpa still have just a little bit of snow left in ditches & shady spots, but the flooding around them is amazing to see. We don't live near any rivers, but we drove past several that are really full and spilling right out of their banks! Dani, Jason, Lauren & Ben came to Grandma's later so we got to see them, too.
Saturday, we went into town to the park where the Easter bunny had hidden a whole bunch of eggs - we helped him collect them and got candy for our efforts. Then, Mom & Dad let us play at the playground. After that, we went to Great Grandma's for dinner, then the Easter Bunny hid MORE eggs for us. YEAH!
After we opened all our eggs and got all the fun toys & candy out of them, Mom took us for a walk to look at tractors. Most of the tractors were different than what was in our neighborhood to fix our roads last year, but they were still HUGE and COOL! But, that wore Noah out because he fell asleep on Great Grandma's couch after that. There were so many people there, he was really tired to sleep through all that!
When we went back to Grandma's we opened more presents from our aunts, uncle and grandma & grandpa. And were so tired, we fell asleep right away when Mom & Dad put us to bed.
This morning, Mom and Dad told us they heard the Easter Bunny INSIDE Grandma & Grandpa's house last night - he filled our Easter Buckets with more eggs, a puzzle, cool new toothbrush and new umbrella for each of us. That tricky Easter Bunny HID our stuff from us so we had to look behind chairs and inside grandma's tent to get our stuff.
Great Grandma, Cathy & Jim came over to eat dinner at Grandma's today, so we got to see them today. After dinner, Daddy left on his motorcycle. We were ready to go home after he left. But, we had to make sure Mommy remembered Cheyenne! We think she was just kidding when she said she was going to leave our puppy at Grandma's, but we helped call Cheyenne and remind Mommy to let Cheyenne in the car. It was a long drive, but we were happy to get home and happy to fall asleep in our own beds tonight.
Happy Easter!
Noah & Hannah

Yeah! We finally got to go OUTSIDE this week. Daddy put up both of our new BIG KID swings so we got to swing at home, and got to play outside at daycare. We got to see our neighbors again - it's been a long time since we got to play at Griffin's and have him over to our backyard to play.
Daddy told us we had a surprise waiting for us when we got home Tuesday - it was ANGIE! We were SO EXCITED to get to see our auntie! She could only stay for dinner, but we love to play with her!
Wednesday, we got to go outside to play because it was so nice. It was St. Patricks Day so we made ourselves look like leprechauns, and I really liked being a leprechaun! We tried to catch the REAL leprechaun, but we just missed him. Maybe next year.
Saturday, Mommy was gone ALL DAY playing volleyball. We got to hang out with Daddy, so we had fun playing outside, playing games inside and eating yummy pizza!
Today we went to Sunday School and had fun there, then after I napped (Hannah slept a little later than me this morning, so she just laid quietly for quiet time while I napped this afternoon), we went to a bookstore. It was so fun! A WHOLE BOOKSTORE for kids books. They had kitties and a chicken running around the store - Noah wanted to catch that chicken! They also had a rat, a lot of different birdies, a tarantula, chinchillas and a big lizard in cages. We loved to look at the animals! There was a dark cave with scary books. Mommy went in the cave (that's where the rat lived) and stuck a snake out at us. We were apprehensive, but Mommy told us it was OK. Hannah realized it was "dolly" snake, so she pet it and played with it, but I just wanted Mom to pick me up so I could see the real birds in their cage.
When we got home, we told our neighbor all about it - Hannah told him they had bunnies (she thought the chinchillas were bunnies) and I said that we saw "LOTS of animals!"
And, I was a good boy tonight. When I was in the bathtub, I let Mommy cut my hair. I didn't sit very still for her, but for a long time, I have told her NO and not let her cut my hair at all. It feels shorter & cooler now, so hopefully that means warm weather will stick around. Unfortunately, when it's short, it sticks up everywhere! I don't care and don't like Mom to comb it, but it seems to bother her. Whatever.
I really hope we can go back to the bookstore soon. But, we're just hoping for nice weather so we can go outside and play again tomorrow.
Have a nice week!
Noah

Happy St Patrick's Day

Can you believe a week ago, we were playing in snow that was over a foot deep in our front yard, and today we took a walk in the sunshine and played in our backyard?
This has been a week of "guess what the kids said". Monday, Dad said Noah sat down at the kitchen table, rubbed his feet and said "My dogs are barkin'!"
Wednesday, Mom mentioned to Hannah that St Patricks Day is coming up. (At daycare, the leprechaun pays a visit to the kids on St Patricks Day, and they try to catch him. He leaves small toys and trinkets for them, but they haven't caught him yet.) Mom asked Hannah if she was going to catch that leprechaun this year, since she and Noah are older and wiser. Hannah scrunched up her face and said "Mom, them are bitey". So, apparently, Hannah doesn't want to catch a leprechaun this year for fear of being bitten!
Saturday, we all got to hang out as a family in the morning before daddy went to play volleyball. Noah took a nap while Hannah and Mom waited for him. After supper, Mom took the kids to Menards to buy new window blinds, and Daddy came to meet us there. The kids were so excited to see him. And, they had fun at Menards, getting to go play in the displays of doors and checking out all the bathroom cabinets while we just watched them explore the store.
Sunday, Mom left bright and early for volleyball and the kids got to stay home and hang out with Daddy. When Mommy got home, she took the kids for a walk with Cheyenne. It's been several months since the kids (and Mom) took Cheyenne for a walk. Mom got out the wagon, but the kids decided they both wanted to pull it and nobody wanted to ride in it, so it stayed home. After our walk, we got the bikes out and rode bikes for a little while then went in the backyard. Hannah was ecstatic to open the sandbox and play in the sand! Noah tried to clear out all the toys from the "clubhouse". It was inaccessible during the winter since the door was covered by the snow, but now the kids are excited to get inside! Noah pulled out both baby swings and brought them to Dad - however, Dad was in the process of trying out the NEW swings the kids got for their birthdays. Big kid swings - no more baby swings. Yeah! Noah and Hannah each got to try it out for a short time before we had to go run an errand.
It's funny how the kids are like little sponges. Yesterday, Noah was playing and yelled "don't get mad - get glad!" Today, as he was pulling out baby swings that Dad wouldn't put up, he said "Oh, this is not a good day!"
Have a great week, and Happy St Patrick's Day. We'll keep you posted whether the kids actually catch a leprechaun (or if they really are bitey!).

Is it spring?

It's been a tiring week. Noah has been waking up early for the past 2 weeks, and sometimes he wakes me up when I'm not ready to wake up. So, I've had some tired days, but still don't want to nap at daycare!
It has been nice enough this week to bring out a lighter coat. Mom said my green coat is too small for me, so she got out one that I wore last spring - she says it's thinner but still warm enough for the weather we've had this week.
Friday night, Daddy got Candyland out and taught us how to play a board game. We had fun! We asked about it (especially Noah) all day Saturday.
Saturday, we got to go out and play in the backyard. We went sledding - Cheyenne even gave me a sled ride when she stole the sled rope from Mommy's hand!
It was sunny and nice - I love playing outside and can't wait for it to get warm again so we can put up our swings and play in our clubhouse again!
Then when we came in, we started making cards with markers, stickers and fun stuff. When Mommy made dinner, she set up our kids table in the living room and we all ate in the living room - Noah and I ate our noodles on the table and Mom & Dad sat on the couch next to us. That was pretty cool - like a picnic in the living room.
We went to Sunday School today and painted with stampers made out of potatoes. They were hearts, so I made a pretty picture while Noah played.
After church, we played Candyland, but Dad wasn't there telling us rules so we skipped straight to the castle and let our gingerbread people play in the castle.
When we were supposed to be napping, I laid all my stuffed animals out for their nap, turned on the music on my crib toy, put on some of my dress-up clothes and laid down to listen to the music. I wasn't tired because I got to sleep until almost 8:30! Of course, Noah was up at 6:30, so he was tired by 1:00 and ready to nap.
While Noah was napping, I asked Mom if I could make brownies so we made brownies. They were delicious!
Mom and Dad told us to get ready to go, so we got in the car and drove to a pharmacy...The minute we pulled up, I said "I don't want a shot!" Mom and Dad don't know how I knew it but I'm a smart cookie! Luckily, the nurse was busy and couldn't see us, so we came home to eat supper.
Have a great week! I'm hoping to see more sun and grass this week so I can go out and play more, but Mom and Dad say they're expecting more snow before we get nice weather.
We're gearing up to catch the leprechaun at daycare this week - the last 2 years, we've missed him but maybe we can catch him this year, since we're older and wiser!
Have a good week!
Hannah
PS-Props to Noah in his potty training! He has not had an accident where he peed his pants in a long time, and only pooped his pants once in the past week. Mom and Dad are proud of him, and I'm very happy for him!

We're exhausted! What a weekend.
We've had some really early mornings this week (we just woke up early with the sun!) and we were so tired by Friday.
Saturday we got up and went to Aunt Angie's house. We had fun hanging out with Grandma, Angie & Mom. Grandma gave us new blankets, we painted, we played ball and just got to show off to Angie & Grandma. After Grandmpa came, we went out to a restaurant. We tried so hard to be good for the three hours we were there, that we were WIRED by the time we got back to Angie's and put on our jammies. We gave hugs and kisses and got in the car - the next thing we remember is waking up in our own beds!
Today, we were still pretty tired - we went to church, came home for dinner and we were so tired that we didn't eat much. We just went straight to bed! Mom & Dad woke us up from our naps and brought us to a party with lots of KIDS to play with in a BIG room full of toys! (It was a party with the Divas on Mom's volleyball team, so we knew all the kids and grown-ups there.) Hannah spent the whole time playing Barbies and Noah got to play with new trucks, games & Action figures. We had fun, but were really tired when we put on our jammies and went home. We stayed awake all the way home, though. We watched the moon. It is SO BIG and pretty tonight.
Maybe March will be less busy - we sure have kept busy in February!
N&H