Untold suffering seldom is. ~Franklin P Jones.

Pretty soon I'll be bitching for no reason at all.
I didn't want to tell you this, but I feel like omitting it is as bad as my straight out bitching about it, which would be a big huge lie.
My big boys have been super easy for a while now.   I am so grateful for them.
They are pretty independent.   They can get themselves something to eat and drink.   They wipe their own ass.  sometimes better than others.  which is huge people.   HUGE.

They do what I ask of them and usually the first time.  and even sometimes without complaining.
They help me.    Spencer will ask me all of the time if he can help.   Yesterday he cleaned his bathroom.  and good I might add.   If they spill they will clean it up.    If they have skidders in their underwear they will change them.

They are sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.  so sweet it would make your teeth ACHE.   I mean darling wonderful sensitive and cute. super cute. boys.
By 7:30 am they come into my room and announce that they've made their beds, got dressed, had breakfast and brushed their teeth.   "can we watch TV mom ?  can we ?"

(insert fairy tale music...mostly made up of harps and the tinkling of little bells)

I feel like my milk is letting down just writing this.   Like phantom let down.    That unconditional maternal love that I felt while feeding my boys just rushes through my body.  :)   ooooooh I could squeeze them (said through clenched teeth)

This 2nd set put me over the edge.   In so many ways.   I had 3 other little kids who needed my attention and was spread transparently thin.   Which left room for these last 2 to pretty much run the show which had me run into the ground by 9:30 every morning.
but you wanna know what.    I'm seeing glimpses of that same bit of independence show through every now and again....their little brains are starting to hard wire to the better of all mankind.
ie.  I haven't cleaned up....this :

for a while.
There were so many more not pictured here.  and so many more that I wasn't in the right spirit to grab the camera and take pictures.  but this needs to be documented.

There are still messes.  Mostly that include water and soap.   I can't leave lotions and sugar out.   I keep my bathroom and closet locked.   pretty much everything seen in the pictures above have been locked away and placed in high unreachable cabinets.   Which reminds me....I've got to get the eggs  back down from the top of the fridge.

I will admit.   twins are still HARD.    What one doesn't think of or do, the other one does.  but holy shit.....I see a life ahead of me where I can enjoy the little things and not the little things that I'm removing from the toilet either.  good little things.  because one day it'll be the little things that mean the most.

brought to you by Calgon !

not really.
but I should honestly write commercials for those people.   I could SO give them 101 reasons to appreciate the need for a warm bubbly bath.

This is the part where I tell you.....they never said it would be easy.
Nathan is squishing grapes on the counter.  gotta run.

A picture's worth

AAAAAAAH !   There's a check spelling option !   I just noticed it.   OH MY GOOTNESS !! THANK YOU BLOGGER !  Oh the goodness that comes from such a small little thing.
ha ha... I just tried it.   half of my words are misspelled because they aren't really words.  :)
ah well.  NOW, if they'll just get a grammar editor button.  That'd be Swell I tell ya.

Ok, back to my original post title.
When I post pictures and I'm sure this is true with a lot of you......I take 40 and maybe 1 makes the cut.   It only takes one picture to document the best of the weekend.  Sadly this weekend it was more of a 1 in 140 pictures...I had very few in focus, happy real smiley pictures all weekend.
Don't get me wrong.  There were LOTS of happy real smiles.  and our lives were very in focus although it can feel a little blurry from beginning to end most times :)
One day I'll remove certain posts and pictures from my blog and I will print the whole thing.
This way I will have memories with photographical proof of just how wonderful our lives were.   And all will be used in the kids therapy sessions which will baffle their psychologists, bringing up the questions as to WHY ? WHY are you so messed up when you had the PERFECT childhood.   Look.  Look at all of these wonderful experiences.
note to self. remove all of the posts in which I use my inside voice.  or my PMDD voice.  or the voice I use right after Ryan and Nathan have done something.  to my house usually.  which usually includes more than one 4 letter word.

ok.
St George.
A vacation spot we go to that's only a 4 hr drive away.   1 hr from Vegas.
We have had the best time going over the years and never need an excuse.
3 bedroom condo.  (again.  never staying at a hotel with my children, ever...go check out the VRB list of homes and condo's for your next family trip, I promise...you won't be disappointing)
St George is  a giant sandbox of fun stuff to do, with a pool to use and 70-80 degrees to do it in.
And now....here are a lot of the 140's and also some of the 1's.

meals out felt like a blur.  a really chaotic, loud blur.

they flock like seagulls as soon as YOUR food arrives.  mine. mine mine mine mine.

super cute buddy

We were told twice that this firetruck was only for pictures and not to play on.  and if we weren't so busy taking pictures of them playing on the firetruck, they'd be off of it for sure.
Boys.  GET OFF !

Cam loved loading his straw up, spilling it all over the table to blow and see how it moved.
and I SWEAR I have a picture of him crunching up those perfectly edible crackers too.  

because he was asked to smile

because he was asked to get down.  NOW.  I'm serious Ryan ! didn't you hear that lady all 3 times.

because capturing someone rolling down the sand hill is hard to capture in focus...but damn it, it was fun. it must be remembered.

Cam, will you please smile for me ?  please ?  Cam ?  come back and smile.

I asked for a smile and got a baby response and a hand full of sand.
Just for the record.  the "acting like a baby thing" is like nails on a chalk board.  Which is more reason for him to do it.  right ? urgh

This was to be the picture perfect moment.   He had the best smile, he was in focus, no people in the background...and  right as I had him locked in.  wind blew sand in his face

thanks for finally holding still and smiling Cam.  Next time, let it be a real smile, aye ?

matchy matchy sweet as a creamsicle.  The only problem with this picture is, no sunscreen.   Nice job moms.
but still super cute picture.

We found some Sunscreen.  It was called...in too deep spf 350.   We didn't apply it to his face though, dang it.   

sadly, the most exercise I've had in weeks.

The St George Narrows.  aka red crack.
I had the choice to go through, but since I'm grown...I know crack kills.
 I just walked away with my wide birthing hips and extra 20 lbs I'm packing, and met them at the top.
That is crazy narrow.

This is a picture of the kids coming out.  Look how tiny that space is.  Hell no was I fitting between mother natures butt cheeks.

They climbed

They explored

The posed. 

and smiled

yip.  that's a wrap.

Ok, so a lot of those pictures would have made the cut.    They are pretty cute....even in the crappy blurry pictures I MUST say.  :)
Hope everyone had a great weekend to write down in the books.

I'm Wordless Wednesday

Nyanya-Ninya Scrib.   I know you read here....because it seems that once you've read my posts, you then post them on your blog as your own.
That is so not right.  
I have clearly posted, and maybe I should move it to the top of my blog for noticability sake, my copyright of this blog.
Just to explain this....a copyright means that you can't take ANY content, written or otherwise, from this blog.    You may come here and read it.  comment if you want to.  and then leave.  
It seems weird that you would post my words and my pictures as if they were YOUR life.  

Cute kids, no?  I can see why you would want them to be yours.   but they are not.  they are mine.
as are the stories that go along with them.
Do not continue copying my work.  
Thank you,
Yours truly,
Mine Mine Mine Mine and Mine.

Oh and thank you bee house for the heads up.

GNO !

Was the theme of our party this year.
Girls Night Out

Syd and her 3 very best friends (they've been friends since before they were born) got together for a girls night out birthday party.

The 4 girls went to dinner and a movie by themselves.   Well, the moms stayed a table and a couple of rows away...but they ordered their own food.....picked their own seats for the movie and giggled and giggled without anyone telling them to be quiet.
They loved it.

fancy glasses for their lemonade

The birthday song

 Our waiter was AWESOME.   He brought out the cupcakes after dinner was over and sang.  alone.  very well I might add.  in Italian.    After it was over I saw Syd's face flush and her bottom lip quivered.   She whispered to her friend that she didn't know why, but she felt like she was going to cry....and before she could swallow it back...the tears started flowing.   She was extremely embarrassed by all of the attention I guess.
We moms turned and started talking....acted as if we didn't notice....we didn't want to embarrass her with anymore attention.  Her friends were able to comfort her and she quickly recovered and all was good.

The Lorax

Hailey

Nia

Imani

high heeled dress up shoes.   NO WAY !

I love these girls !  Thanks for sharing such a fun day with my Syd.