The Twins Turn[ed] Two!

Ok, so I am a little behind and will probably be for another few days until VBS and Jason working over nights is over, but I wanted to get you excited for the birthday post jam packed full of pictures that I promise I will get to soon.

Our Little Loves

I love the fact that I have over 600 and some photos to share with the Eli and Kenna some day to help them "remember" their special day and what they mean to their daddy and me. The celebration turned out exactly how I imagined when it was dreamed up. Will share soon!

Time to get some sleep...hopefully more than 1 hour and 42 minutes like I did last night due to an adorable little girl who shall remain nameless deciding that she wanted to keep her mama up ALL.NIGHT.LONG! Granted, she was in a good mood the whole time, but I felt like a zombie getting up for work at 6 [50 minutes later than normal, really] when I just laid my head on a pillow and promptly fell asleep at 4:18 am. I will also help her "remember" times like those haha.

Two Years Old!

Happy Birthday to this sweet little girl and boy!!!

                    

[Less than 1 day old in all the above pictures.]

They can not possibly be two years old already, can they?! Just yesterday they were teeny tiny.

Seems extremely hard to believe how they have transitioned from babies to big kids now. I remember their "birth" day like it literally just happened 15 minutes ago. Vivid...and extra special memories for sure (well, minus the emergency c-section part; that portion of the day is not recalled upon with fondness). You know how the story ends that day, though; Jas and I got an amazing little boy and girl out of the ordeal and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

And now, in the blink of an eye, they are two years old - running, jumping, singing, fighting, hugging, kissing, full on talking - little kiddos with big personalities. They even knew what kind of cake they wanted to have tonight for their mini celebration. Tried to change their mind, but that was pointless haha. Definitely more work now than two years ago, but they are certainly a ton of fun. 

8 pm: McKenna was EXACTLY 2 years old!

8:14 pm: Eli was EXACTLY 2 years old!

Blowing out the candles together on the cake they picked out (they are also very excited for their Sesame Street party and the cupcakes and cake their Aunt D is making them; they will tell you if you ask lol)

Opening a few presents

Checking out their new extra huge sand box that their daddy made for them

It's the big birthday weekend, so I'll post pictures on Saturday night! For now, it is nearly 1 AM and I still have a lot to do before I head to bed. Busy day tomorrow.

Mama loves.loves.loves. you Eli and McKenna. You are the best thing that ever happened to your daddy and me and we love you to pieces. Happy Birthday!

A Busy...but Fun, Weekend (and it isn't even over!)

On Friday, we took the kids fishing at my dad's pond below our house. It was a bit chilly, but they got excited when the little sunnies were reeled in.

And then today, we went to a Messiah College Alumni Kids Easter Egg Event. Cute time for the kids. Then, we did some birthday party shopping to get things moving for the 2 year celebration. And, we topped it off with lunch and a playdate at our friends. Eli and McKenna had fun with Mackenzie and Sawyer.

Three of the four of them; Sawyer was napping for a bit. They all had a lot of fun and our kids were asleep before we actually left their development.

You can't see Mackenzie in this last one, except that they were all being "froggies" and playing follow the leader all over the house. So adorable.

Such a fun day. Now, for a super laid back and relaxing Saturday evening and Sunday too. 

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

What a Blur!

Since I left work on Thursday afternoon, the past several days have been nothing short of a complete blur.


There were some sweet times and some trying ones and I.AM.EXHAUSTED. My contacts are so dry that I can hardly keep my eyes open.


Let's recap.


1.) We went to the Maundy Thursday service at church on Thursday night. Jason was part of the drama team for the evening. Who knew - my husband can act?! He was pretty darn good too - maybe even missed his calling. Eli and Kenna even kept quiet for the most part and even joined in the Last Supper celebration, eating the bread and drinking the juice out of the teeny tiny cups. Only spilled it once each. Not too bad for a first go-around I suppose :). I am laughing just remembering. Then, it was off to Rita's for some Italian ice with friends - 4 kiddos with icecream in the back hatch of my SUV equals - A RAINBOW SPRINKLE NIGHTMARE. They were packed in there, having fun, and every time one of them turned this way or that, they took some icecream to the hair, coat sleeve, pant leg or a hundred other places. Note: If you know me at all, you would know that it was making me cringe the entire time. Needless to say, the mess is still there. I'll save that for tomorrow night.

2.) Friday. Well let's just say that it was certainly the funniest of my time off. Jason and I woke up to laughter. And, running. And more giggling. Pretty normal sounds coming from the monitor as Eli and McKenna play and throw things at each other in the nursery until we come and get them. Except for this time, it didn't sound like it was coming from their room. So, off I went to investigate. Nursery door open. Hmmm, that's not normal! A peek inside. Hmmm. No kiddos in sight. Interesting for sure. I followed the laughter and found those little buggers downstairs in the living room with toys piled high, sitting on the couch. Yep, that's right, they climbed out of their cribs and proceeded downstairs. I yelled NOOOOOO to Jason! (while semi-laughing; you see this mama and dadda were hoping for some more cribs time. We do like our weekend sleeping in.) I did what any normal human would do - I asked them what they did. Kenna chimed right in, "I climbed!" (Clear as day). I told them to come show me how they did it. They were quick to get back up there and do it again.


I will try to post a video of the escapees in action - not uploading at the moment. For now, here is a picture :). More on this later.

We ran errands and generally just had some fun all day (not without a half of a bag of jelly beans opened and spilled in the grocery store first, though. Sort of funny now; not so much at the time.) Friday night we celebrated my dad's birthday. Made homemade strombolis and had homemade red velvet cake. Then, it was egg painting time. Definitely a fun time and some adorable pictures. Here are just a few.

3.) Saturday was pretty calm; for the most part, but I'll get to that. Jason had to go to work for a while, so the kids and I played all morning, took an hour and a half walk, visited with Pa and Mama and got tractor rides (they did, I walked), played outside in the beautiful weather for a while, baked homemade dog treats for the dogs' Easter baskets, baked homemade cookies for us to enjoy and had dinner. You can tell that I'm going somewhere with this, right?!? As I was clearing the dinner table and Jason was bathing the kids so we could have a relaxing evening (it was already after 8), he yelled for me to come quickly.  As in the, make my heart drop, scare the crap out of me, kind of yell. So, I tore off running up the steps. Brad and my mom had just stopped by to pick up a plate of cookies and for me to quickly review a paper with him for school. I run into our room, grab Kenna from the whirlpool, run her to my mom and go to see what's wrong. Eli is bleeding (it appeared fairly badly as Jason was covered) and had a towel over his head. By then, I was FREAKING OUT! To make a long story short since this post is already long, he fell out of our whirlpool and hit his head nicely on the place where the carpet meets the tile. So, we very quickly got everything together for our second trip to the ER, for the second child in less than 2 months (we just paid the bill for Kenna's visit and off we went for round 2). Thankfully, he did not have a concussion from his crash and only needed three stitches. It was torture, though, to watch him have to go through that. I HATE THE ER and would like not to need to go again thank you very much!

There is numbing medicine on his head to prep him for the stitches. We read books and watched Sesame Street on daddy's iphone.

They took good care of our little guy, fixed him up nicely and we were home shortly after midnight.

4.) We had a great Easter. Jason and I were in the nursery today during the morning service, so E & M got to play with their friends and hang out with us. We ended up skipping Sunday School today so that Eli could sleep a bit longer and so we could pick Kenna up from her impromptu sleepover. We came home, got some sweet pictures of the kids and headed next door for the festivities. They got Easter baskets, we enjoyed some yummy food, had an Easter egg hunt, played with their toys, even took a nap and had dinner with Brad before he trained it back to school tonight. Then, we headed home to turn our sweet little angels' cribs into toddler beds (reference Point 2 above). So sad for mama, but they were PUMPED. And, now, an hour and a half later as I type, I have heard nothing. Time will tell, but for now, that nursery is as toddler proofed as possible - ottomans gone, check; gliders locked in place, check; all creams, powders, and other such fun stuff put away or placed at a higher elevation, check; pillows on the floor by the opening, check. We will see if caffeine is needed tomorrow or not :).

In reverse order for the day lol...

Check out the stitches on the little guy. Will definitely make the Easter pictures more memorable.

 

Whew. I am re-tired just typing it all. But, above all the craziness and despite all the curveballs life throws my way, I am so glad that I have a Saviour who took away my sins and rose again. Yes, thankfully, He Is Risen! and loves my little family so much that we can live a life that we really don't deserve. It was a crazy few days; no doubt. But, it was a time of thankfulness and remembrance for what He did for all of us - something I need to take time to do more regularly. 

Hope and pray you all had a Happy Easter!!! And, here is to a "calm" week.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Eli and McKenna are at the point where they copy E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. we say and are trying to act all.grown.up...tear! They are little goofballs and we find ourselves laughing at them frequently. Special note to the grown-ups: Must.be.careful.what.is.said!

A few of our favorites:

"I wanna nack!" (I want a snack - while pointing to the pantry; or in the case of this past Sunday, promptly announcing upon arriving and plopping down at the kiddie picnic table.)
"Yum, yum"
Pretending to be Cookie Monster and gobbling up their food...real or pretend.
Peez, daddy. Peez mama. And, also Peez moor, dadda/mama.
Shouting ball, while promptly throwing it directly at you.
Melmo! (For Sesame Street)
Pwane in sky (while pointing upwards)
Potteeee (of course AFTER they have done their business - which they can identify)
Attempt to say the word "Disgusting" after picking up dog you know what in the yard
Jooooooce (For juice; the key is drawing out the middle of the word)
Big ball!
Pa
Barn
Bwacet (for bracelet, which McKenna loves to wear; either one she made or mine haha - the girl likes jewelry, I tell ya.)
Nake
Uh Oh! (this has been going on for a loooong time, and is often emphatic)
Cheeeez while smiling a huge toothy grin
A Bite! (Kenna tattling on Eli, either justified or not. Think he earned himself a reputation?!)
EOEOEO (no idea what this means, other than we say EIEI-O)
A no - bed, book, or whatever else is on their mind.
Up.....dowwwwwn.

And, Eli just said battereee while stealing a battery as a type this. Oh, it is endless and not so quiet in the Peryea home anymore.

They also know how to put their puzzles together, run at top speeds, help to set the table and feed our dogs, nearly climb out of their cribs (mostly Eli, and oh dear to this one), identify all key body parts, count, identify basic colors, jump off of all furniture (whether you are waiting to catch them or not haha), identify the majority of their animals and what sounds they make, answer you "yes" or "no" now, blow their noses, go and get things for you (hahahaha) and many, many, more.

Ok, ok; I know I'm bragging, but they are pretty stinkin' smart for their age :)! Oh yeah, and also wrestling right now. Gotta go break it up.  Time for books and bed.

We Are Alive...

...just busy. As if that comes as a surprise to anyone who has kids.

Between the new job, which I am now 6 weeks into so I guess it is becoming less "new", traveling to each of our regional offices across the state, working to develop a VERY LARGE strategic marketing plan, two 10 meetings a day (no joke), taking a mini vacay with the fam, nursing a sick toddler while Jas was away for work, playing, making memories, and all the other odds and ends of life, we have been relaxing and laying low when we can and having fun with Eli and McKenna. Note: The job is going well for those of you who are wondering, albeit, very busy. And, much too early (We have the opportunity to have flex time, so I have chosen to start early and get home much, much earlier than my last job.).

They are in a super funny stage right now...copying everything we do, running around like crazy kids, talking up a storm and working those little personalities, so we laugh pretty hard on a daily basis at all the new things they are now doing.

As I work to gain a new balance again for being a full time working mommy and wife and find myself feeling a bit scattered at times, I often relate to the words of this song by Francesca Battistelli, a Christian singer, and find myself laughing when I hear it on KLove. Must be deja vu...or something haha. Anyone else relate?

The lyrics to This is the Stuff:
I lost my keys 
In the great unknown 
And call me please 
'Cause I can't find my phone 

This is the stuff that drives me crazy. 
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately. 
In the middle of my little mess 
I forget how big I'm blessed 

This is the stuff that gets under my skin 
But I've got to trust You know exactly what You're doing 
Might not be what I might choose 
But this is the stuff you use 

45 in a 35 
Sirens and fines 
While I'm running behind 

This is the stuff that drives me crazy 
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately 
In the middle of my little mess 
I forget how big I'm blessed 

This is the stuff that gets under my skin 
But I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing 
Might not be what I might choose but this is the stuff You use 

So break me of impatience 
Conquer my frustrations 
I've got a new appreciation 
It's not the end of the world 

This is the stuff that drives me crazy. 
This is the stuff 
Someone save me 
In the middle of my little mess 
I forget how big I'm blessed 

This is the stuff that gets under my skin 
And I've gotta trust you know exactly what You're doing 
Might not be what I would choose but this is the stuff You use 

This is the stuff You use

So true. I think this song brings a little bit of perspective :).

Oh Happy Day!

PS: Pictures on the next post - promise!

Bittersweet Day...

Today is what I like to call one super huge bittersweet day! It is my last day "off" with the kids - I head to my new job on Monday and I have been anxiously awaiting/dreading this day for the past 130 days. Yes, I am thankful for the opportunity and this next chapter and the blessings that have been afforded us because of it (including what appears to be a lot less extra hours and stress like at my less job, but time will tell), but I would give anything to get to stay home with E & M. I am super emotional about it and have only cried about two thirty times so far. It is SO.MUCH.HARDER. this time.

I'm not gonna lie; it has been tough. I've been stressed, mad, felt like the maid, gotten cabin fever, been exhausted and I could go on and on. But I loved the special times...cuddling over Dinosaur Train and Sesame Street in the mornings. Taking walks. Hanging out in tents. Baking cookies. Making boats out of boxes. Digging in dried pasta. Coloring pictures. Reading books. Teaching them new things (they know some colors, most animals, can say many new words, etc.) Getting E & M kisses throughout the day and hearing them yell "mama" as we play. Things like these are what I will miss the most and I am jealous of everyone who gets to take care of them when I just want it to be me. I hope one day soon my dream can come true.

So pray for me...this weekend. And, Monday...And, next week. Because I am really, really sad to leave them. Who knew getting laid off would be such a huge blessing?!?

A few lot of pictures of the memories we made...

I love them so.so.so. much!