Busy Time at the Dillner House

The last few months have been very busy at our house. You probably already guessed that by my lack of updates lately. All are doing well. Work is keeping David and I both very busy. They boys are doing good. They find ways to keep themselves very busy as well.

The past couple of weeks, we have been enjoying the holiday season. We took a trip to St. Louis to enjoy Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family. While we were down there, the weather was so nice, we were able to enjoy a visit to the St. Louis zoo. We decided to have a real Christmas tree this year. We went to a local farm and picked out our tree. We have also been to see Santa twice. This is the first year, that they both were happy sitting on Santa's lap. In years past one or the other was unhappy. We have also had friends over the decorate cookies. Yesterday we had a great time at the Twins Club Christmas Carnival. The boys enjoyed making reindeer food and other crafts. We are looking forward to trips to both grandparents house to celebrate Christmas.

I've posted a couple of pictures from our holiday adventures here, but the rest can be found at the following link.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129527&id=598762182&l=39b68a9c07

Brave Boys

I am a very proud momma of two brave boys. On Monday the boys had their first teeth cleaning and dental visit. They both did very well. Michael went first, he was a little timid getting into the chair. He did great once he was up there. Thomas watched very closely to see what was happening to his brother. When it was his turn, Thomas hopped up onto the chair and was ready to go.

This afternoon I picked them up from daycare and took them to the doctors office for their flu shots. Once in the doctor's office the nurse asked if they knew what was going to happen. I told her they knew they were getting flu shots, but they really had no idea what that meant. It was Thomas' turn to go first today, since Michael went first at the dentist. Thomas barely even made a face when he got the shot. Michael of course watched to see what was going on. Michael made a bit of a face, but no crying.

Visiting Beloit

At the end of August we took a trip to Beloit to see Grandma and Grandpa. the boys had a great time. We spent some time at the lake. The boys loved throwing rocks into the lake and also fishing for moss. We spent some time at David's Aunt Karen's house, where the boys discovered their love for fooze ball.

Very Busy

Things have been very busy at our house lately. School is back into full swing. The boys are loving being back at daycare and playing with their new friends. I will let you read the following link to see what has been keeping David very busy these past few weeks.

http://www.ottawaherald.com/story/090809edgertondillner

Vacation

My cousin Wesley got married on August 8, and the boys were ring bearers in his wedding, which was down by St. Louis. We left Kansas City a few days early and enjoyed a mini vacation before his wedding. We had a great time. We enjoyed The Museum of Transportation, Grants Farm and The St. Louis Science Center. We were also able to spend time with my family in the area.

The boys did a great job in the wedding and had a blast. It was a bit of a struggle to get them all dressed up, but as soon as the tuxes were on, they weren't coming off for the rest of the night.

I've included a couple of pictures from our trip, but the rest can be viewed at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=100311&id=598762182&l=0128ca3966


I will end with a couple of the memorable moments from the trip. The journey to St. Louis along I-70 includes crossing over some bridges. We would point out the bridges to the boys as we went over them. Their favorite river to cross was the Mississippi, as we went back and forth between Missouri and Illinois many times. Each time we got into the car, they would ask if we were going over a bridge and if the answer was yes. They would ask if we were going over the Mississippi River. They would not rest until we crossed the Mississippi River!

As we were driving home on Sunday afternoon, Thomas asks from the backseat, "What time is it?" We tell him the time. He falls asleep, wakes up and asks "What time is it?" As we are getting back into the KC metro area, he begins to ask frequently, "What time is it?" I have yet to figure out why a 3 year old needs to know what time it is!

Brotherly Love

This morning, I was working around the house, while the boys were playing. All of the sudden Michael is crying. So I ask Thomas what is going on? Shrugging his shoulders, as if no big deal he gives me this answer, "I just bit Michael on the arm." Away we go to time out. The morning continues, I hear Michael crying again. Go through the same routine again, Thomas what happened. I get this response, in the same manner, "I just hit Michael with my flute." Thomas gets to spend another 3 minutes in time out. I don't know how I didn't laugh at Thomas' explanations, as he was so matter of fact and it was no big deal.




I find this interesting, as usually Michael is the more aggressive one. When the boys are wrestling, I usually hear Thomas yelling or crying first. I wonder if Thomas finally got fed up!

4th of July Fun

We had a jam packed, fun filled 4th of July weekend. The fun started off with David and I taking the boys to see Ice Age 3, Dawn of the Dinosaurs on Friday. They enjoyed the movie. Later Friday night, we had some friends over to play, eat cupcakes and go to see the Edgerton Fireworks. The boys had fun playing with their friends, and watching people shoot of fireworks in their yard. They weren't as excited about watching the big display down by the lake. The fact that it was way past their bedtime, probably had nothing to do with that.

Our fun on Saturday day began with a visit to the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Historic Farm. While visiting we got to play historic 19th century games, make some cookies, churn some butter and take a stagecoach ride. Pictured above is Thomas riding with mom and Michael riding with Dad. After our stagecoach ride we went to a local park and hand a picnic lunch and played with our friends. Before heading home we made a stop at Bass Pro Shop, where we made a bird house and got these pictures taken.

After a nap at home, we went down the street for a 4th of July BBQ and to watch people shoot off fireworks, we even did a few of our own, as seen below.

After that busy Saturday we were very happy to relax at home and not have too much to do.

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday, Thomas and Michael turned 3. Where does the time go? Last weekend we celebrated their birthday with a construction vechiles party. The boys and their friends had a blast. We were also very lucky to get to spend the weekend with our families. My family and David's family were able to make it to town for the party. So when we weren't partying, we were enjoying time with family. The pictures above are from our family celebration last night, Michael is wearing the truck bib. Pictures from the rest of the weekends festivities can be found at the following link.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=91011&id=598762182&l=6da3d66cbc

Backseat Drivers

During the past couple of weeks as the boys and I have been out and about, the boys began commenting on the colors of the stop lights. So as we drive along we talk about what the different colors mean. At first I stick to explaining red and green. Eventually they saw a yellow light and wanted to know what that meant. So I explained it. We have also been working on our lefts and rights and will discuss what way mom is going to turn. Well, what started out as educational and teachable moments has turned into a pair of backseat drivers. Now as we are driving along and the boys see a stop light, they let me know what I need to be doing, if I need to stop or go, or if I need to slow down. If we are at a red light, the moment it changes green it is time to go, who cars about the five cars in front of us. Green means go and mommy needs to go. I also get directions about which way I need to go. They aren't quite as specific as stop and go, but more like go this way, which way that is, I'm not sure. Often times when we get home, I get two excited cheers from the back seat, "we made it mom! or you did it!" I wonder how to explain to 3 year olds the process of turning right on red? Luckily they haven't questioned me on that, but I'm sure it is only a matter of time.

The many uses of foam swords

Back in February we were at the store and bought the boys foam swords to play with. When saying we bought the boys, I mean we had to buy 3 swords, one for daddy. It is no fun to play swords with out daddy. Amazingly enough we still have intact 2 of the 3 foam swords. I didn't expect them to last very long at all before getting broken.

The boys really have had a great time playing with their swords during the last few months. I will share with you the many games they have played with the swords. Of course their is classic sword fight with sound effects and all.

By far the boy's favorite game to play with the swords is baseball. One of the boys will pitch the random purple Easter egg that never got put away, the other will swing and hit a home run, then run the bases.

Using the same plastic egg, they will use the sword to hit the egg like golf ball and play a round of golf, usually only playing 9 holes, not the full 18.

Moving away from the purple plastic egg, to the letter magnets on the fridge. They will take a magnet off the fridge and put it on the floor, and use the sword as a hockey stick. The puck will slide along the floor and they score a goal when the puck goes under a rug.

I'm sure the swords have been used in other creative games, I'm just not thinking of them right now. I'm surprised they haven't use the swords to go fishing, which they generally do with sticks. The pictures above are from February when we first got the swords, Thomas is in the grey and Michael in the red.

Rainy Day Fun

We have had a rainy week in the Kansas City area. Our outdoor plans for Tuesday had to be cancelled, so we took a trip to Walmart instead. We found these kits to make puppets on clearance. So we went home and made puppets! The boys had a blast putting them together and playing with them! Surprisingly enough after a couple of days they are mostly intact, minus a lion's tail and bird feather.

Wednesday was rainy as well, but that didn't change our plans to see our first movie in the theater. We met our friends at the mall, played a little, ate some lunch and then went to see Charlotte's Web. The boys were pretty good during the movie. We got kind of restless in the middle. The theater offers movies for kids during the summer for super cheap, so the theater was full of kids. Which makes it nice for those restless moments. I believe we are going to see the bee movie next week.

I woke up to some sunshine this morning, hopefully it sticks around!

Bubbles

We were outside playing with chalk and bubbles last night. Thomas was trying to put a wand into a bottle of bubbles. As you might expect when a 3 year old does bubbles, the bottle was tipped and bubbles were being spilled on the ground. While doing this he says "The bubbles are peeing mom!"

Today we went to the ENT to check and see how our tubes were doing. I believe 3 of the 4 tubes are still in, but we have fluid on all four ears. That means we get to put ear drops in! After you see the doctor you get a snack and a sticker. The boys were super excited to eat their snack in the car on the way home. The boys were both so tired that practically fell asleep eating their snack. They were going for another cracker, but fell asleep in the mean time. I successfully transferred them to their beds when we got home and am enjoying a little quiet time!

Quote of the day!

Today's quote of the day is. "I gotta get my feet on" said by Thomas!

Deanna Rose

The boys have gotten to go to Deanna Rose Farmstead twice this summer and have loved it. They get so excited to go to the farm. They love looking at all the animals, feeding the goats. More pictures can be seen at this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=83894&id=598762182&l=5ad07798d3

Shoo Fly

The entire conversation at dinner one last week revolved around the fly in the kitchen. The boys were very concerned about the fly. They wondered where he was going to land next, if he would eat their food. We also started shooing the fly away when it landed near us. It is a good thing the fly finally left the kitchen, otherwise I'm not sure we would have been able to eat dinner that night.

Roller Skates

I was out and about checking out some garage sales, when I found at two different sales, two pairs of roller skates for the exact same price. I was going to put them away for bit, until the boys got a little big older. I washed them up before putting away and the boys found them before I got them put away. There was no putting these away now. The boys continued to ask us to skate. You can see a picture of them enjoying their skates. It was pretty fun having mom and dad push them around the house. I know they will enjoy many more skating adventures.

Buzz Cuts

So we go to Grandpa Brian's and Grandma Suzie's for Easter and we come back with buzz cuts. We get up Saturday morning eat breakfast and get asked if we want a hair cut. We comply because we know there is usually some kind of treat involved, used by the parents to get us to cooperate. Michael decides to go first. He gets a little impatient while Grandpa Brain buzzes off all of his hair. By this time, I'm not sure if I want to go through with the hair cut, but because Michael did it, I don't think I have much of a choice. Plus I want to see what kinds of goods I can get out of the deal. So I go ahead and take my place on the chair and now we both look the same. Neither of us liked it at first, but it is growing on us. We very much enjoyed the candy we got as our special treat for being good boys during our hair cuts.

You can check out some more pictures mom took of us at the following links: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=75806&id=598762182&l=b202999b9a

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=71969&id=598762182&l=ba91a5f009

Too much Sonic???

Last night was a busy night and I didn't have anything out for supper, so the boys and I swung by sonic on our way back to Edgerton. I pull into the parking stall and roll down my window. As I am doing this, I hear a little voice from behind me say "Push the red button". Apparently Michael knows the Sonic drill. We really don't eat at Sonic all that often, so I was really surprised.


More pictures of the boys can be seen at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1633394&l=f38aef19d3&id=598762182

Silly Faces

These pictures are just a taste of what dinner is like at our house each evening (Thomas has his tongue out). The boys have become little funny men lately. The other thing they have been working on is potty training. They are still hit and miss, but enjoy going potty on potty like a big boy.



Otherwise their favorite thing to do right now, is play NASCAR, they love lining up there cars for a race. You can usually here them cheering on Jimmy Johnson and an occasional Jeff Gordon.

We took a trip to St. Louis over spring break and visited my family. It was good to see everyone.

I will try to post more pictures soon.

Sticker Wall

Check out the boy's sticker walls! When the boys try to go potty they get a sticker to put on their sticker wall. We are really good about sitting on the potty, but haven't much luck going potty. More pictures of the boys can be seen at the following link. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=67721&id=598762182&l=af13f

Toilets, continued

David decided that he would try the do it yourself route before calling the plumber. So he borrowed a snake from a friend and tried to get it unclogged that way, but no luck. So he determined the next step would be to take the toilet off the wall and attack it from the back side. We jumped to conclusions when we blamed the boys for putting something in the toilet. We will just say that the last person to use the toilet (David) is to blame and we won't say anymore! David was successfully able to clear the toilet of the clog and put the toilet back in place.

Toilets

I was enjoying a peaceful nights sleep when I was suddenly awoken by the sound of profanity and running water. I get up and go out into the hallway to see what is going on. I find David disparately try to plunge the toilet in the boy's bathroom, but not having any luck and water was spilling over onto the floor. While cleaning up the water on the floor and trying to determine what may have happened. The best explanation we can come up with is that a 2 1/2 year old that lives in our house, must have flushed something. We will find out soon enough when we call a plumber, luckily we know one. We are taking guesses as to which twin it was, Michael or Thomas, and what may have been flushed down the toilet. If you guess right, you won't get anything other than knowing that your brain works like the brain of a 2 1/2 year old! After a visit the plumber we will update you to let you know if it was something artificial flushed down the toilet, or if it was David's fault as he caused the flooding!

Bug houses

On a recent trip to Walmart we found bug houses, to keep bugs we catch in. No I don't planning on catching many bugs with in February, but at the end of last summer, we were unable to find a bug house. So we bought the first ones we saw.

Right around the same time we bought the bug houses, the bears that they slept with disappeared. (I wonder how that happened?!) The boys had a tendency to chew on the arms of their bears and I decided that this probably wasn't very good for their teeth. The last time I washed all of their sheets and bedding, the bears never returned.

After that random tangent, back to the bug houses. Since the bears disappeared the boys have been playing musical bedtime animals. Each night they were picking out different animals to sleep with. One night Michael decided that he needed to sleep with his bug house. If Michael has to do something, then Thomas has to follow, either by choice or by Michael making sure he does the same thing. One would think this would not be very comfortable to cuddle up with. Nevertheless, they both slept with the bug houses in their beds. If they are happy and going to sleep without any problems, I won't complain.

Brotherly Love

The boys have made the transition to their big boy beds very well. The only problem we seem to have is that Thomas wants to spend a little extra quality time with his brother. More than one time, after being laid down for naps, we have heard Michael getting upset about something. When going to check it out, we find that he is upset because Thomas is trying to take a nap in his bed as well. Last Sunday the boys were taking naps and had been asleep for awhile, but not long enough in my opinion, when Michael started crying. I decided to go and check out what was happening. It turns out that Thomas was curled up sleeping on Michael's bed, I think he was even on top of Michael's legs. Michael wanted nothing to do with this. I thought the easiest solution, was to put Michael in Thomas' bed, so as not to have both boys awake by moving Thomas. All is fine until Michael realizes that he is not in his own bed. So David goes in and puts both boys back into their own beds and all is well.

Life Lesson Number 2

Apparently we aren't a very fish friendly family, as the boys, had to close the lid, say goodbye and flush their second goldfish. One of the joys of being two and a half, is that now that all the fish tanks have been removed, they don't ask about them.

Life Lesson

We are sad to say, that now we are down to only one fish. The boys said good-bye to the fish, before closing the lid on the toilet and flushing it. They didn't quite understand why the second fish couldn't join the first fish. The joy of being 2 years old. They quickly moved on to feeding the living fish. We are hopeful the second fish will live for longer than a few days.

Goldfish!

The boys got their first pet this past weekend. We got the boys goldfish. They love the fish. They are so excited to help feed the fish, talk to the fish and watch the fish. The fish are still unnamed, since we haven't thought of any good names yet. The boys haven't given us any good ideas. Imagine that!

Picking your team

Tonight in the Dillner household will be a divided night. KU is playing the Huskers in Lincoln. I have no problems cheer for the Jayhawks, unless they are playing the Huskers. All week David and I have been gearing the boys up for the big game. Each of us chanting our team's cheer, hoping the boys will agree with us. Michael was the one who would cheer with me. Thomas usually stuck with the Jayhawks. This morning it was time to break out the collegiate team apparel. Michael got to wear the Husker clothes and Thomas the Jayhawk sweatshirt. Although Thomas did fight putting on the Jayhawk sweatshirt. It will be fun tonight to see who the boys cheer with!

Up and Running Again

After some delay and technical difficulties, the Dillner's blog is up and running again. Here are pictures of the boy's new big boy beds that they have moved to around the 1st of the year. Look for more updates and pictures!