Schultes Family: February 2010

Sunday, February 28, 2010

The Tote System

The "tote" system is incredibly effective around our house. I am sure many moms use this system. We take all of the boys' toys and books and divide them into several plastic totes. This accomplishes two things: First, there are only 75 toys and books on the floor at any given point in time, as opposed to 750. The livingroom only looks like a F1 tornado passed through rather than a much more destructive F4. And secondly, it is like Christmas morning each time a new tote is opened. This effect works every time. The boys are actually more intrigued and excited to see the toys and books than they were the first time they saw them.

This weekend the boys were acting a little bored so we pulled out a new tote and voila! 30 minutes of serious play time.

For those of you with children, 30 minutes is a very very long time. I would compare 30 minutes to what 2 or 3 hours felt like before I had children. This 30 minutes gave me time to cut up apples so we made some blueberry applesauce. HUGE hit with the boys. YUM!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Little Panthers

One of my college roomies, Julie, and her family recently came to visit from Kansas City.

Ahhh, college.

Those were the days. I remember being in such a hurry to graduate and start working. 4 years seemed like an eternity. I wish I would have realized at the time that 4 years in college with very little responsibility is a fraction of time compared to 40-ish years of work. I have millions of the greatest memories from my UNI days and nearly all involve Julie Jo!

I have two children (seems reasonable). Julie has three (also seems reasonable). For some reason all 7 of us together in a picture seems a bit crazy!

Thanks for coming, Julie Jo! Can't wait to see you again soon.

Kristin, Prior, Sydney, Mason, Julie, Reese, Bennett

Prior, Reese, Mason

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

12 Month Stats

PRIOR	Birth	4 Mo.	6 Mo.	9 Mo.	12 Mo.
Weight	5 lb 2 oz	13 lb 10 oz	16 lb 1 oz	18 lb 1 oz	19 lb 8.5 oz
Height	18”	25”	27 7/8”	28”	30”
Head		42 cm	44 cm	46 cm	47 cm

MASON	Birth	4 Mo.	6 Mo.	9 Mo.	12 Mo.
Weight	5 lb 3 oz	13 lb 4 oz	16 lb 0 oz	18 lb 1 oz	19 lb 8.5 oz
Height	18.5"	25”	27 1/2”	28”	30 1/8”
Head		42 cm	44 cm	46 cm	47 cm

The boys were in for their 1 year check-up this week. There were 10 needles involved – 5 each. I thought they might run out of band-aids after all of those needles. Mason did well with the shots – he cried but just a little. Prior was furious. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him that upset. He went first and after his round of shots he did not take his eyes off the nurse for even a second. He even chimed in with some sympathy cries while his brother was being poked. Both boys were more than willing to show off their new “buh-bye” wave when the nurse left the room.

Thankfully Noi was able to go with me to the doctor. I’m not sure it would physically be possible to take twins to the doctor by myself!

Other than the needles it went well. The boys are about to break the 20# mark!

Here are just a few of the many things they are up to at 1 year. It is so cool to watch them learn new things every day.

walking
saying words that resemble: “mama, dadda, puppy, buh-bye, no-no”.
how to give hugs and kisses when asked
they love to drink out of real cups (with assistance of course). Once they take a drink they are extremely proud of themselves!
give “five”
“so big”
they know how to “check for fuzz” (some of you know what that means!!)
Their naps now usually includes several minutes of them each standing in the corners of their crib closest to each other and "talking" to each other before settling down and going to sleep.
signing "more"

Monday, February 22, 2010

Thirty

In celebration of this birthday milestone, I thought I would accumulate a list of 30 things that I love. There are so many things it was hard to choose. But here is what I came up with (in no particular order):

My two beautiful children who continue to inspire me daily.
My successful and supportive husband - he's a great husband and an even greater dad.
My parents, my sister, my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas, grandpas, and even my in laws!
Being motivated.
Taco pizza - especially from Happy Joe's.
Giving nicknames.
The perfect pair of jeans - it's a lifelong quest.
Drinking out of a straw.
Shopping.
Cereal. If I had to choose only one food to take with me to a deserted island I think it would be cereal.
Liquids in general. Growing up my mom would buy frozen juice by the case.
All sweets - I don't even discriminate by saying chocolate is my favorite. I like them all.
A "good deal". Who doesn't?
Sleep. I loved sleep even before the boys were born. Always have.
Swearing. It adds emphasis when needed.
Reality TV + my DVR. A few of my favorites right now include: American Idol, The Bachelor, Big Brother, and Project Runway. The reality TV shows and the DRV go hand in hand. The DVR makes it all possible.
My aupair, Noi. She takes such great care of my boys and is always teaching them something new.
A good sense of humor. I love to laugh!!
Warm weather. Some days (most days this time of year), I remind myself that I chose to live here.
Traveling. While I have been to many fun and exciting places, there are many more on my to-do list.
Learning and being informed about things.
Traditions - whether it be for holidays, birthdays or just any days.
Being a mom. Being a mom has exceeded all expectations. It is a million times cooler than I ever even imagined (and I imagined it being pretty cool).
My job. It's challenging and rewarding.
My dog, Gus. Despite how ill-behaved he can be.
Real estate. If I wasn't an accountant I think I would be doing something in real estate.
Taking pictures of my boys.
Jewelry. I should start another list of things I want to do before I die. Making jewelry would be on my list.
Scarfing. What is "scarfing", you ask? It is the name Ben gave to my knitting and crocheting hobby. He calls it scarfing because for the longest time all I knew how to make were scarfs.
Weekends.

I also thought today would be a good day to post a picture of me when I was a baby. As much as these little boys look like their daddy, I think there is just a little resemblance to me! Here I am - circa 1980.

What do you think?

(thank goodness the boys didn't get my "elf" ears!)

Playdate

We recently had a playdate with our friends, Will and Ben. Will and Ben are ONE, too (they were born in December so they are just a few months older than us). Will and Ben also have an au pair from Thailand, her name is Ouy. Even cooler! Noi and Ouy are going on vacation in April to Norway - how fun is that?! We are excited because that means auntie Cara is coming back to watch us and momma is also going to take some time off from work. Here are some pictures from our playdate.

Will, Prior, Mason, Ben

Noi, Ben, Prior, Will, Mason, and Ouy

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Perfect

Saturdays are typically just that - perfect! I love love love spending time with the boys on the weekends.

This Saturday we slept in (the boys typically get up in the morning between 8 and 9), had some oatmeal and pears for breakfast, read books, skype'd with Grandpa and Grandma Schultes, played, took some pictures, and now the boys are taking their nap. Almost time to go pick up Noi from class so I better run.

These outfits are from Grandpa Don and Gina and the shirts say "perfect" - how cute is that!?

Prior and Mason - I love this picture!

Mason - playing with his new discovery. Check out those teeth!

Prior

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Will you be our Valentine?

Thursday, February 11, 2010

1st Birthday Party: Cake, Cupcakes, and More Cake!

I took a day off from work and my sister Cara and I were in full-blown baking mode to get ready for the party on Saturday the 6th.

First, we made Elmo cupcakes. They were a blast to make and the cousins loved them! We made red frosting and put it on the cupcakes using a special tip to make it look like "fur". The mouth is half of an oreo (sawed in half very gently), the noses are orange skittles, and the eyes are large marshmallows sliced with a cheese slicer.

After the Elmo cupcakes we made individual "smash" cakes for Prior and Mason. I definitely won't be opening a bakery anytime soon, but at the same time I was pretty proud of our accomplishments!

After the cupcakes and smash cake, it was time to call a professional. I picked up these cakes from Byerly's. They give you a free cake for first birthdays - how cool is that?

Prior and Mason enjoying their baseball cakes. It was their first real taste of sugar. Safe to say they liked it. If they inherited my sweet tooth they are in trouble!

And finally, here are a few videos. The first is the family singing the official Happy Birthday song to the boys. The second video is the live version of them digging into their cakes. I put this video to music because it got a little long. Based on the number of flashes you'll see in the video you'll think the paparazzi was at the party.

"Happy Birthday to You..." from K Schultes on Vimeo.

Smash Cake - 1st Birthday from K Schultes on Vimeo.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

1 Year Photo Shoot

We had the boys' 1 year pictures taken a few weeks ago. Yet another step in the process of mom accepting this milestone. A milestone which seems to be harder on me than turning 30. The photos were taken by the photographer that took our Christmas card pictures, annie torrini. I love all of the very very happy expressions that were captured.