My Halloween Scare

Here are some pictures of tummy time tonight. Lil Miss Prissy and Mr. Pitiful.

Question: Does that stuff that runs out of a chicken pot pie down to the bottom of the oven catch fire the next time you use it at 450*?

Answer: Most definitely YES!

Last night I promised Victoria that we would make blueberry muffins for breakfast this morning. I timed the babies eating just right so that I could make muffins and still have time to sit and eat breakfast with her before the screaming from the nursery began. I preheated the oven and began making the mix. I saw smoke coming from one of the burners and we curious about the cause. I opened the oven to find about 8-10 inch flames. I stood there wondering what to do and then I remembered flour was sitting just to the right of me on the counter. I grabbed it and threw the whole thing of flour in the oven until it was gone... not enough. I still had some flames in the back so I had to close the oven and reach in the cabinet above for my backup flour that I bought just this week. That did the trick. Needless to say we had cereal this morning. I had to empty my hand held bag less vacuum twice getting the flour out of the oven. So yes if you have been keeping up with my blog I store things in my bathtub and I vacuum my oven. Only in the Craig house.

I opted not to trick or treat this year. My neck has decided to go out again and I have spent most of my time on pain killers and ice packs. Carrying two car seats and corralling a toddler just didn't appeal to me today. Mom came over and brought some chicken so I made some biscuits formed into pumpkins. We just did our trick or treating earlier at the zoo with the cousins. I don't need another excuse to have sugar in the house I am fattening up for winter just fine. After dinner we enjoyed watching the babies have tummy time. My how they are growing. Hope all had a Happy Halloween!

Neonatal Follow-up

Things that suck having twins at a doctor visit:

1. Twice the stuff to keep track of to bring with you.
2. Twice the paperwork with asking the same information. (as if paperwork isn't fun enough to fill out I have to fill out the SAME paper twice for separate files)
3. Twice the questions to ask and keep track of what questions belong to what babies.
4. Double co-pays OUCH!

Today was the doctor visit for their neonatal follow up. I just can't begin to praise the team connected with Norton enough. They have just been wonderful. I have been really concerned about Addison she just didn't seem to be keeping up with Anthony as far as development. The doctor took her time with me and answered all of my questions. Addison is doing very well actually. I am just needed to concentrate a lil more on "tummy time" so they can develop their upper body muscles. Addison is having a hard time moving her neck and tends to favor her left side. I am thinking because she was so low in the womb maybe her head was stuck to one side and she just needs to work the muscles a lil more. Doctor says that they are right where they need to be even in weight. Mr. Anthony is now 9lbs even and Addison is 8lbs 11oz. Needless to say we have no concerns about them growing. I am now able to give them cereal in their bottle to help with a possible acid reflex. Doctor says that will help them sleep through the night consistently. I have had 7 hours sleep twice this week and 5 1/2 to 6 the other nights. I am very proud! You are going to get a kick out of this though. I asked the doctor about Anthony's eyes he seems to have a dry skin issue right in the inside of his eyelids. The doctor told me he has a case of cradle cap. She said if I treat that the dry skin around the eyes will take care of themselves. Can you believe it?!?! I am a retired hairdresser and my son has dandruff! Go figure.

We won the prize!

Victoria and I are very proud this weekend. We attended a Halloween party and chili cook off for our friend Marlina's family and friends. We really enjoyed ourselves. James became nominated as an official chili taste tester and helped name (unknowingly) Marlina's grandma, the hostess of the party, as winner of the chili contest. Victoria and I won for best dessert. Our ghosts that we made earlier in the week and my latest concoction were a hit. I had so many left over pretzels and chocolate chips that I decided to get another package of white chocolate and make some Halloween bark. I just melted the chocolate and spread it on some wax paper. I then added crunched up pretzels and sprinkled them on the chocolate and added the mini chips and Halloween sprinkles. It wound up looking like the chocolate bark that you spend 20 dollars on for school fund raisers and get only 2 pieces. I was tickled because I spend the span of two days working on a cake that I thought would be a sure winner of the contest and it was hardly touched. It was two bunt cakes placed end to end on top of each other and frosted to make it look like a pumpkin. I just used marble cakes and added orange food coloring to the yellow to make Halloween colors and all. I mixed 3 different shades of orange in the icing and made leaves and stem out of pipe cleaner. I really sweat over that thing and it was barely touched. I think people were afraid to mess it up or something. I got tickled though it was proof that sometimes simple things are the best. Two day cake.....barely touched. 5 minute candy.......GONE!!

We then went on a hay ride in the field behind the party. We were all piled up on the first wagon ride and crept through the corn to be greeted by monsters with chainsaws and skeletons in trees. Needless to say we were not expecting this when we piled Victoria and Brooklyn on the wagon. The hay ride ended in tears from both girls and much more elbow room than we started with. The 7 or 8 pre-teen girls on the end of the wagon with us condensed themselves down to the seating space of about 2 people by the end of the ride. Each surprise guest from the surrounding woods moved them one foot closer to the tractor pulling us. We convinced Victoria that the glow necklace that Marlina gave her earlier was her protection from the monsters and she clung to it for dear life on the ride and never took it off even on the ride home. When we finally made our way home from Elizabeth IN we put the girls in bed and Victoria made sure I still had my glow bracelet on when I went to bed to make sure that the monsters wouldn't get me. How sweet she just wanted to make sure everyone was safe before she went to sleep. Surprisingly no nightmares that night for anyone.

On a side note Victoria got her first kiss tonight from Marlina's cousin Devin. He hung on her the whole night and was repeatedly in trouble from his parents for dragging her around his grandma's place like a dog on a leash. Apparently this happened on a walk that they took to "get married" in the back yard. Victoria came in to tell us that he kissed her and he never once denied it. He seemed almost proud. Shortly thereafter he dropped his pants in the yard and peed in front of God and everyone. Thankfully Victoria had decided she wanted to go in the house just before this display of "manliness"

Sometimes rainy days are the best

Last weekend turned out to be really nice with the wedding and the trip to the zoo. James left yesterday morning and I am back to mommy duty. I have laundry to catch up on and baths to give. Babies are now sleeping about 5 hours before their next feeding and sometimes going 5 1/2 to 6 at night. It has made all of the difference in the world to have that extra hour.

Mom stopped by and dropped off some clothes for the babies. She has made a habit of yard saleing and thrift store shopping and found some great clothes for them and spent so little. I find it so hard to justify buying brand new clothes when they are out of them in a month. Plus you can get a stack of clothes for the price of one outfit at Babies R Us.

Mom came at the perfect time to help me feed them lunch and put them down for a nap. Victoria was due for a nap too. It worked out perfect! Mom fed Anthony and I fed Addison. When we were finished I got to actually take a shower for the first time in longer than I care to admit. I have never had a shower feel so good in my life and it was great to be clean along with the kids and not just envy them. After I was done I got to do something else that I haven't done in quite a while I TOOK A NAP! I forgot what that felt like. It was great and I woke feeling so fresh and renewed.

When Victoria woke up I decided to have some Mommy and Me time and brought her into the kitchen to help me make some treats for the party we are going to this weekend. We made white chocolate ghosts riding pretzel broomsticks wrapped in fruit roll up bristles. She really got a kick out of handing me the pretzels and eating the ones that were broken. After making the ghosts we made use of the brown bananas on the counter and made the best banana bread that I ever have.

All of the kids are now behind me , Anthony and Addison included in their bouncy seats, watching America's Next Top Model. The babies eyes are glued to the tube. Addison is yelling at the TV periodically just babbling away. Today was a great day. Company of someone over the age of 4, I got a nap, I got a shower, I got to spend time with Victoria without wanting to strangle her, and I have some wonderful treats to munch on when I wake up to feed them tonight. Life is good!

Trick or Treating at the Zoo

I don't have a lot of energy to write tonight. Watching Anthony fall asleep in my arms about did me in . I am exhausted! I had a ball tonight some of the Pennington side of the family went to the zoo for their Halloween party. There was 16 of us I believe, we had a great time and missed the ones that were unable to make it. ( I know it was a long night before with the wedding I don't blame you for sleeping) Victoria's costume was a hit! And no she didn't ride to the zoo with that on. We had it in the back of the car.

Nikki's wedding

Tonight was my cousin's wedding. Nikki married her middle school sweetheart Adam. I am so happy for them. God has meant for them to be together all along they just took the long way around.

Mom, God love her, helped out so much today. I have not had a chance to go to the grocery store in a while and mom came over and watched the kids so mommy can go and run her errands. Just those 2 hours away helped out so much and I have never flown through the grocery store so quickly. Every single minute was precious today thinking about all that I have to do to get everyone ready for the wedding tonight. My front door is covered in To Do lists and don't forget lists. When I arrived home Mom and Victoria were on the porch with their arms out to help me carry in groceries. What a help! By the time I got home mom had both babies fed and all three kids bathed. She is super helper when it comes to the stuff. I don't' know what I would do without her!

The wedding was beautiful and of course I cried through most of it. When the doors were opened to reveal Nikki Addison in my arms started farting away! I thought she was filling her pants the way she was grunting and groaning. I was cracking up. My children's timing is just uncanny. Addison with her butt at a wedding and Anthony at church during communion I guess it was just bread into her through James and I. Then after she was done "letting off some steam" she decided to fall back asleep and proceed to snore. Poor thing just has no manners. We did have a great time laughing and cutting up with my cousins. Tiffany (pictured above with me) got to hold her new cousin for the first time. She is expecting and due in Feb. I just can't wait to see her lil one. She is having a little girl and has picked out the name Brooklyn Nichole. She looks like a natural holding Addison. It5 was great night out for mom regardless of all of the work to get ready to go. Plus it was nice to sit down and have a meal while it was still hot, something I don't get to do often these days.

Calgon take me away!

8:00 and I am still alive and kicking. That is kicking and screaming. Today started off great I spent the night at my mom and dad's house due to storms in the area. Let me tell ya you become VERY aware that you live in a mobile home when the wind kicks up. I heard a comedian once say concerning bad weather, go to your basement ,if you do not have a basement get to a central location in the house and if you live in a mobile home drop to your knees and repeat after me... Our father who art in heaven. That is about the size of it. So off to Grandma Harbs we headed. Mom had fresh sheets on the bed in my old room and all. I have to say it we very weird to be back at home in my old room with MY children in the playpen next to the bed.

This morning mom fixed pancakes and eggs..yum! We headed off to see my sister and my neice for a bit. They haven't seen the babies a whole lot due to me placing them in a bubble for about a month to keep them from getting sick. She has been very patient and now I want them to see the babies when a chance presents itself. My sister is so cute with them. Addison grunted the whole time and Anthony true to self made all kinds of faces to make up laugh.

I picked up Addison's costume this afternoon also. I borrowed it from my friend Melissa one of her clients made it for her daughter. She took a sleeper and sewed ballet slippers and a tulle skirt to it. So she is goin to be my lil ballerina. I can't wait to take them to the zoo on Sunday

I flew home after my visits to finish all that I could before I passed out. ( I had a really hard time sleeping last night with the storms) I am proud to say that the closet is done!! My house is finally how I want it, well besides the 3 extra bedrooms and pool. James called to say that he took another load to Detroit and I had a melt down on him. We were suppose to go to my cousin's wedding tomorrow and now it is just me and the kids. Bless his heart he is such a hard worker I couldn't ask for a better provider for our family. I just hate that he has to work so hard with me being home. The meltdown today was sporatic lasting from about 4 to next Wednesday. Everyone asks me how I am doing with everything and I always say "Depends on what hour segment of my day you catch me on." Well this evening you would of have to have a bit of time on your hands to listen to me whine. Again ,wonderful man, James is God blessed him with listening skills matched by no other. I am one lucky girl.

Victoria went with her mamaw and papaw to visit family and they didn't know if they were goin to spend the night or not. Well they decided not! Victoria made it home at 6 with about 15 minutes notice. Then I found out at 8 tonight as my butt is hanging out of my bathtub trying to scrub it that when I called to see if she had eaten dinner and was answered yes that papaw neglected to tell me that it was actually lunch. Poor Victoria had been asking me for a snack since she got home and had been putting her off till I got all of my stuff done telling her we would have one together.

Needless to say the day started off great and ended with me being frazzled. So much to do and such precious time to do it in. Just packing up the kids to go to two Grandparents houses yesterday took everything that I had. I almost left without bringing bottles and formula. I think this mom needs a break and I am goin to see to it that I have one soon if only enough time to go to the bathroom. Maybe a bubble bath tonight after everyone goes to sleep will do the trick.