we are officially a side show

ok, it seems that no matter where we go, we are the side show. while i never get tired of hearing that my babies are beautiful, i do get tired of hearing some of the other comments. here are just a few of the things that people think are good converstation starters...

-"are they twins?" usually followed by "how do you tell them apart?" now really, if you couldnt tell them apart, were you really questioning if they were twins? and do i really have to explain how i tell them apart? i love them, thats how i tell them apart! and honestly, they dont look alike to me.
-"oh look, its double the trouble!" if people even knew what we went through just to get pregnant, this would be the last thing to pass through their lips
-"are they natural?" as opposed to fake? but really, is it your business how they were conceived?
-"oh look, there are two of them!" i am still not sure how to respond to this one!
-"how do you do it?" the same way we all parent, you just learn as you go.

the attention can be draining. but i also sometimes really feel bad for fin, because generally it is all directed at his brothers. i try to include him by saying he is the best big brother or something like that. but people generally follow that up with something rude like, "so when are you going to try for a girl?" or the equally witty "oh poor you, three boys!". it does make the quick errand turn into an event. people actually block your way to tell you about who they know that is a twin. recently, the wife of a twin got really snippy with me because i was talking to her husband (the twin). she actually asked if i was talking to him because i figured out he was a twin. umm, no, actually your husband initiated the converstaion and i was trying to politely answer his questions about my own children.

when we are not performing as the local side show, we are busy meeting other milestones. keegan rolled over (from front to back) this weekend twice! the first time he really scared himself i think. then the second time he was soo proud he was giggling with glee. i guess it wont be long before they become mobile. i am not sure what i am in for once that happens! poor keegan still has pink eye - we just cant kick it. we are on our third round of treatment and will end up at the opthamologist next week if this doesnt do it. fingers crossed we dont end up there. apparently his blocked tear ducts and reflux are both contributing to the problem.

max sat up for the first time a few days ago - of course just for a few seconds. but he is getting stronger and stronger and i think he is close to rolling over as well. they will be 6 months old this week!

fin finished preschool last week. i am regretting not signing up for more camp/activities already. but i guess it will be nice not to set the alarm everyday. hopefully he will be well occupied in our own backyard. there was a graduation ceremony to cap off the year of preschool that was adorable. the whole school participated, even though just the kindergartners officially graduated. the music teacher at calvary is amazing - she had the whole school up there singing at once. then when the 5 year olds got their diplomas, she sang them each a little song and played the guitar as they each walked across the alter. i was teary eyed - so i can only imagine how their parents felt. i will really miss the school if fin ends up in the public school in the fall.

memorial day

over 3400 US men and women have died in iraq alone. over 24,000 US men and women have been wounded in iraq. somehow memorial day has become a day of picnics and barbeques - i am guilty of it myself. i hope everyone can at least take a moment today to remember all the fallen soldiers who have given their lives so that we can remain free.

my husband, the snake wrangler

ok, so its saturday night and jon and i are settled in to watch a movie. i am laying on the couch and something at the back door catches my eye. at first i thought it was this black cat that has been lurking around the birds nest, now full of babies, that was recently built in the eaves of our addition. then i saw it move, and i said "what is that - a snake?!" (in case you dont know, the only thing that grosses me out more than eyes are snakes!) so we creep over to the door and turn on the light, sure enough there is a snake curled up on the ledge of the glass opening on the door. mind you this is the door on our deck - a full flight of stairs up from the ground level!! so jon runs to put some long pants, shirt and gloves on. in the meantime, the snake sneaks into the hot tub. i am not kidding! i am watching from the safety of my house. so out jon goes with a flashlight and snake garb on. and i hop on the 'puter to check out poisonous snakes of maryland. sidebar - what did we do before the internet? anyway, after much hunting, the snake eluded him. so in he comes. however, he reaked - apparantly the snake musked him. gross!! so he gets cleaned up and peaks out the door and sure enough there it is again. still after those same birdies that the cat has been eyeing, i suspect. so this time jon captured it. i sacrificed one of fins toy bins, with a tight fitting lid and jon wisked it away in his car. i was kind enough to throw his keys out the front door. not sure if i will ask where he deposited the snake - i hope he doesnt bring the toy bin back!

funny, i was just thinking now that we have a house full of kids, saturday nights arent as exciting as they used to be.

growing up

well, we knew keegan was getting big and bigger than max - but we found out today there is a 3lb difference (plus change)! keegan is over 17lbs and max is over 14lbs! i cant believe my 3 and 4 pounders are this big. they are doing soo well. their heads are even rounding out and it looks like the helmets are really off the table now which is fantastic news. i highly recommend the orthotic pillow route!

both boys are really starting to gain interest in one another and are big belly laughers now. keegan gets laughing soo hard that he does that silent laugh while he tries to catch his breath. he cracks himself up, which is fun to witness. he *loves* the johnny jumper and would jump (and nap) in there all day long if we let him. but sometimes max needs a turn too! max is much more content being held or just napping on his belly. max *loves* his little blue duck blanket that each of the boys were given as a gift while i was on bedrest. we don't dare leave the house without it! it is soo exciting to see their personalities start to emerge. max is very serious, always checking things out cautiously and keegan is like the class clown, always looking for a laugh.

fin is doing well too. when i look at him now, he seems like such a big boy! i know partially it is because i spend my days looking at two babies. but even looking at pictures of him from this winter there is a marked difference. he is starting to dress himself in the mornings (which can lead to pretty mismatched outfits) and he now asks for the lights to be turned off in his room when he is ready to settle into bed.

ok, the blue angels are roaring overhead as i type and i can hardly hear myself think so i am going to sign off for now.

rough day at the office

this bouncing sure is hard work - tired keegan right out!

happy mother's day

i hope everyone has a wonderful mothers day this year. i feel so fortunate not only to have 3 wonderful children, but to have a wonderful mother myself!

its hard to get a picture with all three of them looking towards the camera - here is our mothers day in town. it was a great morning, we had fractured prune donuts, fed the ducks and played in the park - what could be better?!

an early mothers day treat

yesterday i had tea at an early mothers day party at fin's school. it was perhaps the most adorable event there yet. each of the kids recited poems and sang songs (fin did a poem about a wise owl). the mom's were then seated at a table and served by the kids. it was so funny having muffins and fruit hurled onto our plates. the kids were using their hands to dish out cut strawberries and yelling across the classroom to see what the moms wanted to drink. we were each presented with two special projects, a cute wreath with flowers glued on and a special mothers day hat made out of paper plates and bowls. but the best laugh came when i picked fin up from school and checked his folder. he brought home an art project, which the teacher had laminated. the children were asked to draw a picture and then tell the teacher why their mommy is special. fin drew a picture of wormy's (his imaginary friend) house. and here is the best part... the line below the picture reads: "My Mommy is Special. My mommy likes construction workers." i havent laughed soo hard since i cant remember when!!