Finger Paint Fun

It seems like it takes a lot more to entertain the Boys than it use to, which means it takes more from me to keep them entertained. Boredom means cranky kids and then they start getting into things they shouldn't.

I've been wanting to try finger paints for awhile now, but just wasn't sure if the Boys were ready for it, in other words, I wasn't sure if I was up for cleaning up the mess.

I found a recipe for washable paint and mixed up a batch. It turned out great. And the boys had a ball.

 

I was a little afraid that with all the food coloring they may have been blue for a couple of days, but luckily it all washed off.

Even the clean up was fun!

Bailey is supervising.

Washable Finger Paint

 

2 tbls sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 cups water

1/4 cup dishwashing soap

food coloring

 

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and water.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens into a smooth gel.  Stir in the dishwashing soap.

 

Pour into individual containers and add food coloring. 

 

 

Twins Play Date

The Boys had a play date with the Prince Girls this week. The Prince family recently moved back to Oklahoma and I've been eager to get our twins together.  This was our first time to meet in person. 

Erin and I have a mutual friend and even though we hadn't met up until this week we shared being pregnant with twins at the same time (her Girls are five days older than the Boys).  It was so nice to moan, groan and celebrate life with twins (we celebrated more than moaning).  I think it's something that only those with twins can fully understand. 

Brooks was a little protective of his car in the beginning, but after a few turns around the house he shared...somewhat willingly.

It was IMPOSSIBLE to get all four to look at the camera at the same time.

They played, they snacked and they kissed. So sweet! Clint thought they looked like a Doublemint commercial.

Once the girls left we headed outside to play and within minutes Brooks broke out a window with a plastic golf club. To be honest I'm surprised it's taken this long for a window to be smashed in by one of the Littles.

While I was hustling Brooks in the door, Jackson made his way to the window and cut his finger. I didn't realize he had cut it (tough guy didn't cry) until I ushered him inside and saw blood gushing everywhere. Since all the broken glass was inside the house I swooped up both Boys and headed upstairs. I finally got it to stop bleeding, bandaged it, and then called the doctor.

J screamed the entire time the doctor cleaned and inspected it, my ears are still ringing, but thankfully no stitches were needed.

I'm sure this is just one of many more accidents to come.

Just a day in the life of the Bridges Boys!

Don't be fooled...

I love this picture. It makes our days look calm, quiet and structured and makes my kids look like perfect angels.

 

But don't be fooled. This is more what our days are like. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Last weekend Trent went on a deep sea fishing trip with some friends from high school. Check out the fish they caught.

 

 

While Trent was gone, Mom and Dad watched the Boys for most of the weekend and I got some much needed downtime as well as some one-on-one time with Brooks.  I can't get over how different they act when they are alone.  I didn't have to referee or be a short order cook and I actually got to sit on the floor and play with Brooks without being interrupted.  Next time it will be Jackson's turn.

 

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My favorite part of the day is checking on them right before I go to bed.  No matter how crazy the day was, seeing these two precious sleeping angels melts away the day.

 

 Until next time!

I'm Back

So I've been on a bit of a hiatus, ok a long hiatus but I'm back. So much has happened in the last year but instead of trying to recap I'll just start where we are now. More to come so stay tuned. In the meantime here are a few pictures from the summer. 

 

Big boy haircuts.
Little J cried and screamed the entire time so I didn't get to supervise Little B's haircut.  They chopped off all his hair, but it will grow back.  At lease this time maybe we can make it four weeks between haircuts instead of three.

The Boys love to push the strollers. 

Our new pet.

Little B and my nephew Blake

Bailey's new bark collar.  It's worked beautifully so far.  Why didn't I get her one a year ago?

No Tears

A couple of months ago the ear, nose and throat doctor told me that Brooks is tongue tied. He said that we could either get his tongue clipped now or wait until he gets a little older to see if it causes any speech difficulties. We decided to go ahead and do it now. So this morning at 5:30 AM we were checked in at Mercy Hospital. We got in and out quickly. Brooks was such a big boy. He never cried one time at the hospital. He did have a rough day the rest of the day but that is to be expected.

Wordless Wednesday

C.I.O. aka Crying it Out

Crying it Out, Controlled Crying, Tough Love.  No matter what you call it, it has worked (so far) on the Bridges' Boys.

Everything I've read said that it takes 3-5 days for them to realize that you aren't going to rescue/feed them every time they cry. It took us all 5 nights. Thanks to the kind words of my friend, Julie (see comment from previous post stating "you need to show them who's Boss") and Trent encouraging me not to rescue them, we started sleep training Friday night and here is how it went down.

Friday:  Around midnight Brooks woke and cried for 50 minutes then fell back asleep.  Soon after Jackson woke and cried/screamed for 2 (long) hours.  We were all tired and cranky the next day.

Saturday:  Both slept for 7-8 hours and didn't have to cry themselves back to sleep.  I think they were so worn out from the night before.

Sunday:  There was a little whimpering between 1:30 AM and 3:00 AM.

Monday:  They both slept about 8 hour stretches.

Tuesday:  Brooks slept for 11.5 hours.  I never heard a peep out of him.  Jackson slept for 8.5 hours, I fed him then he slept for 3 more hours.  It was glorious!

Sleep training has not only helped at night, but they go down a little easier at nap time, too.

All in all, it was less painful then I had anticipated.  The first night was certainly the toughest for me, but each one got a little easier. 

I'm sure there will be bumps in the road, but at least 8 hour stretches of sleep are way better than 4-5 hours.  Fingers crossed they continue sleeping well.  Hopefully, I didn't jinx it by posting about their accomplishment to soon!

Mom. Needs. Sleep.

Dear Little Boys,

Why won't you sleep?  I know I'm a lot of fun to play with, I give excellent hugs, I'm a great snuggler, and I'm the one with the bottle.  But, Mom needs sleep.  You need sleep.  So, please, please, please sleep like the good Little Boys that you are.  I promise you won't miss anything while you sleep; all your toys will still be here in the morning.

Love,
Mom

__________________________

I wish it was that easy.  To just tell them to sleep.  I'm constantly questioning what I've done in the past, what I'm doing now, what I should do differently.  I try different techniques, but just when I think I have it figured it out they switch it up on me.

I've tried an earlier bedtime, a later bedtime, one long nap, two shorter naps, rocking them to sleep only for them to wake as soon as I put them in their crib.  I've let them cry it out, but this just makes me feel like an awful parent and we all end up in tears. 

I'm sure I didn't do things right in the beginning.  If they made a peep I was there by their side trying to get them back to sleep because two crying babies is harder to get back to sleep then one at a time.  Sometimes one wakes the other and other times one can sleep right through the other one's screams.  I've tried playing soft music while they drift off to sleep.  I feel like I've tried it all.  I'm sure teething isn't helping the situation either. 

This weekend they are staying the night at Mimi and Grand's.  I hope that with me out of the picture they will do a better job at soothing themselves and getting back to sleep on their own.  Maybe if they don't sense my presence they will sleep tight for an eight hour stretch.  Fingers crossed!

If you have any suggestions for sleep strategies I haven't tried, I'm all ears.

Wordless Wednesday - Dinner

Teething, Tumbles and Tears

Now that the Boys have mastered pulling up on everything, each day they get a little braver.  Jackson holds on to the couch with one hand and Brooks is stepping between two chairs in the kitchen.  But with all this bravery comes tumbles, falls, bumps and tears.  And today has been no exception, between teething and falling it's been a tough day. 

But after their baths they were all smiles and I was able to capture them playing together. 

A few updates on the Boys:

Jackson should get his helmet later this week or next week.  He will then have a 10 day break in period which will transition him into wearing it 23 hours a day.  He has to wear it 2-3 months; I'm hoping it's off by his 1st birthday.  I'll post pictures of him in his new hat in a couple of days.

We found out a couple of weeks ago that Brooks is tongue tied.  This explains why he had trouble nursing, drinking from a bottle early on and now from a sippy cup.  His surgery is scheduled for August 26.  

The Boys and I are super ready for Fall.  All this heat has us trapped indoors and we are in need of some fresh air.  I just keep telling myself that in about another month we can get outside and resume our walks. 

Teething Time

The Boys are teething, which means fussy babies, sleepless nights and a lot of drooling. But today Clay discovered Jackson's first tooth. Now it's Brooks turn to get one.

Jarred Baby Food

Up until this past week, the Boys have only consumed pureed fruits and veggies that I have made. In other words, no jarred baby food.

But when I was at the store the other day I checked out the baby food aisle to see if there were any fruits and veggies that I've been missing. That's when I spotted Pasta Primavera, Lasagna, Turkey, Rice and Vegetables, etc.

So, I picked up a couple of jars to give to the Boys and...

Oh My Goodness. 
They love it!

They can't eat it fast enough. They want more and more of it.

This goes against everything I've tried to prevent them from consuming like "ascorbic acid". Really, that can't be all that great for them. But, then I realized how many children eat jarred baby food (me and Trent included) and we turned out alright (kind of).

I will give into their love of purred lasagna once a day. I eat a cookie once a day, so why shouldn't they get the same treat!

Fourth of July Weekend

We had a great Fourth of July weekend, which was spent with family, friends and food!

Robin, Brad and his three girls drove from Columbia, Missouri to visit.  While they were here, the swimming pool and diving board got a workout.  There were a lot of raft races, flips and dives.  The Girls were such a big help with the Boys; they took turns feeding them and bathing them.  We had big fun!

Debbie, Roger, Jamie and Mitchell took time out of their busy weekend to join us for dinner.  It was great to see them and hear all about Aunt Debbie's goats and chickens; we can't wait to take the Boys for a visit when they get a little older.

On Monday, July 4th, we participated in our neighborhood parade.  The Girls made signs and we all walked the parade route. It was fun and HOT. We were treated to watermelon in the park afterwards. 

Here are the Boys in the parade!

Hey Mom, we are HOT!

Here are the Boys and Girls on the last day of their visit.

Riley, Jackson, Lauren, Brooks and Payton

A Star in the Family

My cousin, Kelly, has made several commercials and this one is currently running here in Oklahoma City.  Check her out.

Crawling, Crawling and More Crawling

My little guys are on the move!

Jackson started crawling over a week ago and Brooks started a few days ago.

Jackson has it mastered. He crawls and pulls up everywhere without too much hesitation. It took him a few days to get used to the wood floors, but now they don't slow him down.

Brooks doesn't crawl with as much confidence, but I know that in a matter of days he will have it mastered. When he hits the wood floors he pulls his knees up and crawls on his toes; it's pretty cute.

Speaking of toes, they are keeping me on mine now!

On the move

8 Months Old

The Boys turned 8 months old yesterday.  Here's a little bit about each of them at the moment.

Jackson
17 lbs
He crawls, pulls up, stands, no teeth.  He tolerates solid food.  You can just look at him and he smiles.  He wakes up giggling and is so happy to see you.  He makes really sweet sounds, bats his eyes, but has an extra loud cry.  He loves to swim.  He wakes up two to three times a night. 

Brooks
19.5 lbs
He pulls up, stands, no teeth yet.  He will eat anything you put in front of him.  He started crawling this morning! He has a great belly laugh.  He loves to swim.  He wakes up once or twice a night.  He recently got tubes in his ears and has outgrown his fussy tummy.  Such a happier baby now.

What we are working on...
Waving and Clapping

My biggest struggle right now...
Getting the Boys to go to sleep without a fight.
Getting the Boys to sleep through the night.
Leaving the room without Brooks crying (separation anxiety...already).

What they are eating (gumming/gnawing) besides pured baby food...
Diced steamed carrots
Peas
Cheerios
Bread
Raw apple slices

Eight months ago, my life forever changed.

I couldn't imagine my life without these little guys.

Wordless Wednesday - Jackson Giggles

Wordless Wednesday is back!

(Brooks is on the left and Jackson is on the right.)

7 Months and Growing

I can't believe the Boys are 7 months old.  Where has the time gone?!?!

A few things about them now.  They sit up well.  Brooks has eating solid food mastered, Jackson still prefers the bottle over the spoon.  The clothes that they've outgrown are piling up.  I have still have a lot that Jackson can wear, but since Brooks (aka Bruiser) is several pounds heavier, he is wearing a larger size than Jackson.   I think we will have some crawlers in the next month.  Brooks can hold his own bottle (hallelujah) and they are starting to play together.  This makes me happy on so many different levels. 

I have a lot of pictures to upload, hopefully, I will get to it soon, but in the meantime if you have an iPhone, upload the Instagram app (free) and search for ksbridges.  There you will find many many pictures of the Boys.  They capture our daily funnies. 

I'll be back soon with more updates.  They are so much fun these days and I can't wait to share more fun with you.  Thanks for being a part of this crazy journey.