Like Being Thrown Into Boot Camp (Ft. "The Two Nates")

When I've had a rough day with the boys and don't want to re-live it just yet via a blog post, I will often go digging in the archives to see if there's a happy thing to post about instead. Apparently this has been a rough week since I wasn't coming up with much.

And by that I mean it's been a rough week for me. The boys are having a great time without question:

Those smiles are 100% legit by the way since you all know what happens when I ask them to smile for the camera. This was earlier in the week when they discovered that they could stay up late and keep Mommy hopping if they said "Pee-pee! Potty now!".

We went through a lot of duct tape that night.

The really big kicker though was "at the same time" diaper changing – and in case there's any doubt this was their idea, not mine. After about the third pass I decided to get the camera out.

Unfortunately I erred on the side of error and the rest of the "Pee-pee! Potty now!" trips came with additional requests to "Take picture now!".

Whoops!

Bedtime (complete with sleeping toddlers) ended up being about an hour later than usual that night. By the time I took the pictures the boys were about ready to orbit the room. 

– I flying high on lack of sleep everyone!

Also, this is the look Nate gets on his face when he's about to cut loose with getting up to no-good in a way that he thinks is most hysterical: 

– Mommy say I not have good poker face. I not know what that mean
so I keep making 'dis face until I figures it out.

Of course all of this was before they managed to defeat the duct tape. From start to finish it lasted just over a week, so not such a great solution as it turned out despite my optimism. We are duct tape free once again. Perhaps the take-away here is that at least no one has made any impromptu art, except that there is no take-away really. You wouldn't believe the things they've been into and I'm grasping at straws. 

Like I said, it's been a rough week and we are missing Gamma Rita more than you know because clearly the kids saved it up until the ratio was back to two against one.

This is not good.

If there's anything to be salvaged here it's over this way in the form of a new video on our YouTube™ channel. The first part (and then some) is my boys after breakfast putting on a bit of a show yesterday morning. It took me awhile before I realized they were pretty serious about it and went to grab the camera.

As you all know, camera sometimes = Michigan J. Frog so I had to do a little prompting, but not much. They definitely ran with it, even with some fairly serious jam-face going on.

The good part though is around the 1:50 mark and it's why the video is called "The Two Nates". Don't worry, Seth isn't confused about his identity (check out his slip up at 2:57). It's just his way of driving his brother around the bend. "The Two Nates" act shows up quite a lot around here and tonight it's a comfort to see someone other than me going a little batty. 

Misery loves company after all. Enjoy!

- L.

A Series Of Happy Accidents

"Remember our golden rule: we don't make mistakes, we make happy accidents, so we can turn this into a beautiful painting no matter what, because between the two of us, we can do anything.” 

– Bob Ross 

Apparently my boys are familiar with the golden rule of Bob Ross because they made what they considered to be a very happy accident all over their room a week or more ago. Also, between the two of them they can do just about anything (especially when no one is looking) which has been well documented here and here. I'm not sure if the "painting" they made was beautiful or not since no one took the time to fully appreciate it before Gamma Rita and I sprung into action with a lot of soap and water and bleach, but even a cursory glance indicated that my sons certainly gave it their all "no matter what".

And just in case you aren't sure where I'm going with this post, it's about poop.

Things ended with a bucket of legos and a few other assorted toys drying outside after a thorough scouring:

And also this: 

Why yes, that IS duct tape!

I bought it in white to fix a one-time thing around the house and despite an occasional empty threat here or there, it's laid dormant among the fix-it supplies.

At least until now.

I did not stop to take pictures of the carnage I walked in on in the AM last week, but by complete happenstance Gamma Rita enjoyed a Klondike bar after lunch the same day and shared a little chocolate and ice-cream with her grandsons. I guess you could say it was another happy accident – at least if Seth recreating a smaller scale version of the "painting" in chocolate rather than poop counts for anything. 

– It look a lot like 'dis everyone, but original was bigger.

– And I doesn't want to alarm you, but when I say bigger I mean lots bigger.

– Almost as big as my poop-eatin' grin everyone! I help with morning art project
so 'dis is qualified opinion.

As for the duct tape, it turns out Nate and Seth were pretty impressed and more than happy to show off for the camera. 

– 'Dis our new and improved diapers, everyone!
– And so far they is holding up despite our best efforts to make more morning
painting fun in room.

– Is OK though. We likes a challenge.
– Also we like duct tape as it turn out. 'Dis really was a happy accident, everyone!

- L. 

PS. I started writing this post last week, so the original pictures pre-dated my discovery of this: 

Duck® Brand duct tape comes in tons of fun colors and patterns as it turns out. You should have seen the look on Nate and Seth's faces when I pulled out the roll of blue penguin tape at bedtime a few nights ago. Trust me when I say it was a definite hit, and much like the plain white it's doing a fine job (so far) of keeping the diapers on in the morning until I make it in to the boys' room.

PPS. My apologies to the late Bob Ross for taking his beautiful quote places it never should have gone. It was, however, too good to pass up.

It Would Be Easier To Get Mad At Them If They Would Stop Being So Cute

We've been through the food-flinging stage and back again and I thought we were mostly over it – and mostly we are, but every now and then when my back is turned and it's time to play "AAATS!" whatever is left on the plates tends to go airborne before I suspect a thing. 

Hence this:

And even though Seth was making some feeble effort to redeem himself here and even though Nate was making a silly face and had absconded with the evidence, I think they both knew they'd have to bring out the big guns: 

Because how can you ever be mad when they bring out the "fore, fore, fore...":

"FORE-STAINS!" 

'Dis work every time, everyone!

It really does work every single time and they know it! 

*sigh*

• • • • • • • 

In unrelated news the next week (even though they're wearing the exact same outfits so it kind of looks like it's the same day), the cupcakes Grandma Leslie sent over were a big hit! 

– I chooses "villanen". Sounds a little like villain, but is tastier.
Tastes sort of like vanilla according to Mommy.

– I chooses chocolate, everyone and despite messy reputation and messiness of chocolate
in general, I appear tidier somehow. Unless you look under table that is.

- L.

PS. I did look under the table and it wasn't pretty.

Make-Up

Although I'm mostly pointing the finger at everyone who voted in the infamous "Stalemate" poll and declared it a good thing, you all aren't entirely to blame.

95% to blame, yes – because as we all know the boys not only read this blog, but post polls in their spare time (polls that are easily swayed by readers who appreciate hijinks, I might add).

*ahem*

The other 5% I'll take credit for, as follows:

• My boys are aware that Mommy wears "make-up". 
• They are also aware that Mommy sometimes makes "hair-do". 
• They aren't especially aware of the difference between the two, but I'll admit I do encourage moments like these by taking pictures because it's too funny not to share. 

And now my boys putting on their "make-up" over dinner the other night...

While it's evident they were actually making "hair-do", they kept saying "Make-up! Make-up!" while giggling up a storm and any attempts to correct them were summarily ignored. Seth is looking rather proud of himself here, but he always was one for a bit of flair when it comes to "foodstuffs in the hair":

No, that's not a barrette by the way – it's a carrot.

Nate also had a fine time applying his "make-up!":

And since he has a lot more hair than his brother at this point, I nearly missed one of the tomatoes he had stuck in there:

Seth's hair was also pretty much a disaster zone by the time all was said and done:

I picked out what I could and did my best to wipe off the rest (the rest mainly being salad dressing) since it had been a long and weary day and I just didn't have the energy to throw them in the bath like I should have.*

I told them they both smelled like salad bar as I tucked them in to bed that night, which strangely enough pleased them to no end.**

And just in case you were wondering if a meal at the OP is ever complete without some of whatever this is:

... the answer is still a resounding "no".

We still love this game very, very much as it turns out. And yes, that would be Nate once again attempting the under-the-shirt feeding manoeuvre.

Equally popular? A good old-fashioned "Fore-stains!" of course:

"FORE-STAINS!"

I really wish those sippies hadn't been in the way while my boys were busy hamming it up, but I think you get the idea.

- L.

*No worries – a very thorough scrubbing ensued the next morning. 

**I figure if Seth can comment on my scabby elbows with such candor, the least I can do is return the favor occasionally.

The Great Tse-Tse Capers: Part I

Yesterday while I was making lunch and the boys were playing in the living room I couldn't help but notice things had gotten a little... quiet. 

And as you all know quiet + toddlers = trouble. Really it does, and very nearly every time.

I warily went to investigate and it's not so much that I was relieved at what I found, but in the big scheme of things a pillaged box of kleenex is pretty small potatoes.

And truth be told, I enjoy these moments. 

– It wasn't me, everyone!

– Oh, who I kidding? It totally me!

*stuff stuff stuff* *giggle*

Hey... 'dat look like fun, brother! I think I take some notes.

– So I can do 'dis.

– And whatever 'dis is.

• • • • • • •

"Whatever 'dis is" turned into 15 minutes of making clouds and snow and seagulls and just about anything else a 2 year old imagination could dream up to make out of Kleenex.

Watching them play with those ill-gotten tissues was a delight, but also a timely reminder of some posting that I've been meaning to get to – namely the often-mentioned-but-never-blogged-about "Great Tse-Tse Capers". 

Last December I never would have imagined that this humble box: 

Combined with this very hallway: 

... would be the impetus for not only the first of many "Great Tse-Tse Capers", but also the birthplace of my boys' first twin-speak word: "tse-tse"*.

And although I have referred to (and will continue to do so) incidences of tse-tse's as "The Great Tse-Tse Capers", not all tse-tse's are, in fact, capers. I was however already calling them that before I decoded what a "tse-tse" really is and truth be told 95% of the tse-tse's that happen at the OP are capers of one sort or another. I don't see that changing any time soon so the title stands, but truly a tse-tse is as follows:

Tse-tse 

– noun 

1. any mutual undertaking where hilarity is the end result. 

• • • • • • • 

– I is thinking 'bout making up a word right now.

– Funny you mention 'dat. I is thinking same thing.

– I think I call 'dis one "tse-tse".

– Is like you reading my mind brother. Oh wait... you is!

• • • • • • •

Of course, this post would be nearly meaningless without a video, so I posted one on our YouTube™ channel.

Special highlights include liberal use of the term "tse-tse!" (of course), as well as Seth sampling the flavors of this particular tse-tse at the 2:05 mark (at which point it's clear that intentional hilarity is not necessarily the exclusive domain of the tse-tse purveyors if you catch my drift). 

- L. 

*I hadn't a clue what was going on at the time, or that "tse-tse" would become such a big part of our vernacular at the OP. To be honest, I wasn't really even paying much attention to what they were saying at the time since it just sounded like toddler gibberish. It was only long after the fact that it became clear that "tse-tse" was a real (albeit made-up) word with meaning.

PS. This and this were likely the early iterations of this particular caper, but my boys were still working hard on saying "UP!" at the time (former) or things like "book", "apple" and "baby" (latter). In all fairness, they probably needed to get a few legit words under their belts before they branched out on their own.

Raise Your Hand

Really. Raise your hand if you didn't see this coming: 

Admittedly, I think there was a greater possibility of the sun not rising this morning so I'm 100% confident that zero hands were raised.

Less predictable though? Nate upping the ante at dinner tonight. I didn't bother taking pictures other than this one: 

And even though you can probably tell exactly what's going on here, it's still worth a peek at the new video on our YouTube™ channel featuring this evening's antics. When I say Nate upped the ante, I really mean it.

Enjoy!

- L.

In Case It Looks Like We Live At The Kitchen Table...

We don't – even though it feels that way most days. What can I say? Mealtimes at the OP are lengthy affairs.

I could say it's due to the volumes of food my boys inhale during the course of any given meal since that would be at least partly true – my boys are growing and have the appetites to show for it. Heaven knows our hour long plus mealtimes are certainly not because they eat particularly slowly.

No.

This right here though:

This is the real reason and in case you need a hint, I'll tell you that it starts with "shen" and ends with "anigans". That look Seth is giving speaks volumes.

And so it was on. 

– "FORE-STAINS!"*

Today's "breakfast special" also included some very creative clothing rearranging: 

In case you couldn't tell, Nate was pretty pleased with himself. Well, at least until the novelty wore off.

"Mommy fix it!"

Don't worry, I did. : ) 

- L.

*Fore-stains is a recent addition to our cryptophasia catalog at the OP. To be honest, I'm still trying to suss out the nuances but at this point I do know that touching their heads together in a mind-meld fashion constitutes "Fore-stains!" without question. Other examples include something that looks like they're trying to suffocate each other with pillows and mashing one's face into someone else's hand.

In an act of silliness last week while changing the boys' bedding, I balanced a balled up sheet on top of my head expecting a laugh. Instead Nate declared, "Mommy doing fore-stains!" and Seth agreed ("Mommy is doing fore-stains!"). They seemed pretty excited about it actually.

So other than fore-stains obviously having something to do with one's head, the rest is a bit of a mystery – to me at least – but it's quite clear whatever it means, it makes perfect sense to my boys

- L.

Like Throwing Sand In My Eyes

I mentioned a few posts back that my boys have been taking extra pains this past week to keep me entertained and/or distracted.

And as much as the entertainment itself has been a distraction of sorts, that isn't exactly what I meant. What I really meant to imply, of course, was shenanigans.

I walked in on the last frame of this scenario a couple of mornings ago:

At which point I realized I will never live to see my seventies (much less ninety-nine) at the rate my boys are currently taking years off my life. This particular shenanigan must have cost me at least 6 months. 

And no, I did not stop to take pictures. How could I when Stern Mommy™ was right there, plucking toddlers off their precarious perches and shooing everyone out of the room?

I took the pictures much later that day after Stern Mommy™ had long since been replaced by Weary Mommy™ who gave up on removing Nate from the back of the couch after about the 8th time. Really, by that point it was fairly clear he had things well under control. Still, it made me miss the days when the simple act of standing was thrill enough.

*sigh*

- L.