Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Runners at the Ready

These hundred degree days we've been having the last TWO MONTHS (okay, okay, we had one day off last week- best morning walk in months) has kept us rather home-bound. But we do venture out from time to time. For about 15 minutes, by which time we're all wiggling from the sweat dripping down our backs. Here's what goes down when we do spend some time outside:
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"Come over here Dash, let's have a race!"

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"Alright! Let me just get down from this grass. Feet first, you know."

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Racers at the starting block? Ready? On your mark, get set---

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THIS RACE HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WILDLIFE ON THE TRACK. RESCHEDULED FOR NEXT NOVEMBER.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Clean Teeth

Ever since I (finally) bought kiddie toothbrushes, it's become the most coveted activity amongst my favorite twinners.
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Every morning before we go on our walk and every evening after bedtime snack, I ask the boys, "Do you want to brush your teeth?"

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Instantly, their eyes brighten as if I'd offered them ten cookies and they whisk themselves to the bathroom. And I beam with pride because (1) they appreciate personal hygiene and (2) understand what I'm saying and know how to act on it.

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If they ever happen to catch sight of their brushes at other times, they beg me for another turn with the brush. I oblige.

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Dash also likes to help clean the floor with his toothbrush. How, erm, wonderful.

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And by the way, look at those cute curls. I thought they had inherited my hair but I have never once found a natural curl atop my head. Lucky ducks.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Compartment

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Upon spying the empty green storage container, Liam scurries over and climbs in. And sits. Scurry scurry scurry climb sit sit sit.

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Correction: Scurry scurry scurry climb sit sit sit and look cute.

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Dash too. After all the sitting and cute looking, eyes start to dart around the rest of the room...

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And he's off! To play with Dad! Who has Saturday AND SUNDAY off! Happy weekend!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Box Car

You know those boxes they give you at Costco to put you milk and your bag of carrots and your block of cheese in? Did you know they double as the perfect race car? Liam and Dash discovered this truth for the first time last week.
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Dash is an obedient boy, always doing as mommy says, going "feet first!"

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While Liam gets everything in except his feet. The stinker.

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Let the pushing begin!

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Observing Liam's ride, Dash can hardly contain his giddy anticipation.

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Sean did all the pushing, since I had the important job of taking pictures. Besides, I wanted to get a good look at those ha-cha-cha-cha legs of his. Add a little barbecue and eat 'em up.

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Whee!

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Wahoo!

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This is better than the Teacups!

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Ahh, they're heading straight for me! Clear the way!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

All About the Eye

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I have one very basic portrait photo tip for you.

First, a disclaimer: I know very little about photography. I've learned enough to take some good photos here and there, but I've a long way to go.

Now for the tip:
Always keep the eye(s) in focus.

You can have the best lighting, the most incredible depth of field, the most vibrant color, but if the eye's a little fuzzy, that photo's dead in the water.

Sure, there are exceptions- if you really want the focus on some other aspect or your trying for an artsy out of focus thing, or whatever. And I've been known to put up a less than crisp eye picture on the blog because the action in the photo's too juicy to pass up. But at least one glittering eye is what I always strive for in my photography.

How I go about achieving this is to set up my camera to have just one point of focus. Then I focus on my subject's eye, then recompose the photo how I want it, all the while keeping the shutter button half depressed to maintain the focus.

Now maybe this is completely obvious and I'm a dumbo for even pointing it out. But I have a testimony of in-focus eyes. It had to be shared. Happy shooting!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Funnies

I started gathering up some of the funnier pictures of the boys and they ended up being mostly Dashi. Que interesante.
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Kickin' it back, having a re-lax.

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He went through the trouble of climbing up into the front seat and scaling over onto the back seat, only be foiled from reaching his favorite button toy by the sun canopy. Oh the humanity!

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Must point out every passing car. A fairy dies with every car you miss.

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47... 23... 16... hut... hut hut!

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The Sunday Sleepies. Speaking of which, Sunday sleep is just as annoying as I expected. We've had four Sabbaths since we started one-a-day naps, resorting to two-a-day for Sunday. This is how they went
Sunday 1: Skipped church!
Sunday 2: Went down great for both- total shocker.
Sunday 3: Fell asleep before church fairly well, took over an hour to fall asleep after church
Sunday 4: Took 45 minutes to fall asleep before church, wouldn't go down after church. Total nap time of 35 minutes. Ouchies.
I think we might need a new strategy.

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Ah, there's the Leemer. This is the face I get 20 times a day, with accompanying yell/whine, when in need of urgent help. In this case, pulling apart two tight Legos.

Friday, August 19, 2011

'Rents Room

Mom: So guys, what do you like about Mom & Dad's room?
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Dash: Well, I really like digging in the bathroom drawers. I just figured out how! That's where I got this tasty tube. Didn't you say that Burt's Bees gives a nice pepperminty zing?
Mom: Hang on, hang on, people are going to think I let you eat chapstick. You very well know I kept careful tabs on that thing.
Dash: I was just kidding, mom, you're a good mommy.
Mom: Thanks Dash Dash, your eyes look really fantastic.
Dash: Aw shucks, mama!

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Liam: I really love to look out the window. Sometimes I see that squirrel that runs along the fence- it's too exciting! But the best part is seeing the cars drive by. I can't get enough!
Mom: You do love cars, don't you, Leemer?
Liam: I do, so much! Almost as much as I love you!
Mom: I love you too, darlin! You have magnificent eyes, too, have I mentioned?
Liam: Thanks, Mama!

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Dash: I really like it when you take pictures of us in your room because then I can attack the camera!
Mom: I can see it in that face, you're about to pounce.
Dash: Rawr!

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Liam: I just discovered these cups that are SO AWESOME! I can unstack them and bite them and stack them back up and gnaw on them and then do it all over again!
Mom: Maybe you'll grow up to be a cup stacker.
Liam: I can only hope.

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Dash: My FAVORITE thing is the band-aids!
Liam: Oh yeah, totally, I LOVE those!
Mom: Do you remember when you first found them? You spent at least 20 minutes playing with those things.

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Dash: Yeah, because they're so fun! Look, see, you just take them out of the box and then you put them back in the box. It's so cool! I could do it for the rest of my life!
Liam: Me, too! Hey mom, could you maybe, erm, possibly, if you want... get us some of those bandaids? Oo, oo, and cups?
Dash: Cups!
Mom: As you wish.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Video Onslaught

I'm feeling the need to feature some of our recent video clips. Pull out some popcorn (gross) and get cozy, we've got a nice little show for ya.

(While Skyping4 from Katie Bradley on Vimeo.)

A little impromptu shirtless peekaboo while talking to G&G Z on skype. All that stuff on the floor used to be the barrier to keep the kiddos out of Pogo's food, which was hidden under the table. As you can see, it aint workin' no mo'.

This is why I don't eat anything when they're not already eating. It almost triggered a fight or flight response when they descended upon me. They took such big bites with juice running down my arm, bleh. You better believe the floor was littered with little apple bites- why swallow when you can just let the food flop out?

Think Liam likes the dog? Love DVR, he could experience it over and over again. Oh, and he totally does the dog bark all the time, he was just so utterly overcome with delight to be able to perform on command.

They're really loving those walking toys. Seeing Liam zoom by in the background cracks me up.

Dash, so resourceful in his steering, while Liam enjoys a little sit. It just occurred to me that I haven't put any true walking videos (OR photos) up on this here blog. I'll work on that.

Here's a little video of the brotherly love I talked about in this post. My hearts goozing all over again.

I have such funny children. And you know, it was Liam who started doing this but when I grabbed the video camera, they completely switched places. Tag team style.

Finding the Dragonfly is a mealtime favorite (we've since added the Bee). It's tricky because each highchair has a shifted pattern, so they really have to look instead of remembering one spot. Also, this is while Liam was sick a couple weeks ago, you can see how quickly he crumbles, poor fella.

I love seeing them so peaceful as they slowly drift off to slumber. I have to resist the urge to peek in on them because half the time I end up startling them/waking them up. I tried to be so quiet for this video but Liam totally noticed me at the end. Whoops.

And with that we end our show. And in case you're curious, I have new stats for the boys straight from a real live doctor of pediatrics. Guess what, Liam and Dash are twinners! Dash just has an eighth of an inch larger head circumference.

Weight: 20 lb 14 oz (5-10 %ile)
Height: 32" (75 %ile)

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Legos

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Them boys love them Legos. Them boys good at Lego building.

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Liam was the first, many moons ago, to really practice putting the pieces together.

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Now he's pretty fantastic with his Duplos. And, okay, he didn't do all of the work to put that pictured building together but he did do a lot of it.

My firstborn in action:

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Dash jumped on the band wagon a little later but has been practicing hard to refine his technique.

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A technique that doesn't disqualify the involvement of teeth.

My youngest at work:

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Sometimes it can be a little frustrating when pieces don't move how they obviously should (to a 15-month-old's mind at least). But that doesn't stop them from having Lego adventures.

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And, in case you didn't know, the little flowers are finger-tip adornments. They're all the rage.

Otherwise, use them like this:
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Lego(R) is here to remind you to only speak words of beauty. Thank you.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Sip Chomp

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Sometimes you've just got to take a break for a sip of water and a little snack.

Monday, August 15, 2011

The Car Says "Bttt"

I think people generally agree, imitating animal sounds is a rather important landmark for the developing homo sapien. It's a sign off a whole bunch of wheels turning in their little noggins. For a good month, month and a half, the boys have been able to do two really good impressions on command. Do you know Liam and Dash's first animal noise?

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A car. Okay, so what if it's not an animal, it's the same idea. They just loves showing off how well they can "Bttt."

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They can pick out cars so well, in places I don't even notice- in the background of a television show, driving by our fence, far off in the distance in the scene of a picture book... they've got eagle eyes for vehicles. They drive their little toy cars around a dozen times a day and it's easy to keep track of their whereabouts with their continual soundtrack.

(My mom bought the kids a book of pictures cards, like the one Dash is holding, and their favorites are, of course, the car images. Though, whenever the one featuring a hairbrush floats to the top of the pile, Dash sweeps it across his lovely locks. Smart cookie.)

I weirdly only have one video of them performing as cars, it's in the middle of this clip, coupled by their second animal imitation: the dog bark. I've never heard it quite they way they do it, like a closed-mouth yelp. It sounds similar enough for them. So enjoy that as well as a few of their other tricks: