Bike riding

When Kyle turned 2 we got him a little red wagon so we could go for walks around the neighborhood. It was the deluxe model with two seats, cup holders, and most importantly, seat belts.

He loved riding around in that thing. Of course he brought everything but the kitchen sink on our evening strolls, and once he learned he could throw things out of the wagon and Mama and Daddy would have to chase down the ball, or run back for the paint brush every time, well then the fun just exponentially multiplied. Mama loved it too, for a different reason:

After all, one of the main reasons to have children is for slave labor, right? Even though I loved the ride, letting little Kyle out of the wagon was a big mistake. Just like so many other things in life, once kids learn something new, there is no returning to the old. Once Kyle realized what it was like to walk instead of ride it was like trying to throw a cat in water any time we tried to put him in the wagon. So this year he got a bike for his birthday.

Being the fashionable 3 year old boy that he is, Kyle insisted on a helmet that would make a statement. The statement he chose is "get out of my way or I will eat you!"

We started out with some coaching.....

....a little hands on help.....

....added pure determination....

a few more instructions....

..and we have a rider!

Emily demonstrated her fashionability too, and we ended up with a picture reminiscent of one taken when Kyle was a baby

Emily 2011

Kyle 2009

Twins!

Happy Birthday Kyle!

Three years ago today, at 11:12 p.m. we welcomed an 8 lb. 6 oz., 21 1/2 inch long "little" baby boy into our lives

It was this moment that changed me, made me Mama for the rest of my life. In the weeks and days leading up to your arrival we could never know how naturally you would fit right in. Within moments we couldn't remember what life was like without you.

In this moment Travis also changed, becoming Daddy for the rest of his life. You brought out a tender compassion in him that I had never seen before. Priorities changed and you gave both of us a new reason for living.

My darling boy, you are strong and brave, silly and full of laughter, learning new things every day. I always know when I say a word or a phrase that you don't understand because you repeatedly say "what, Mama?". The moment that I finally explain it in a way that you understand is clear because you simply say "oh" and continue on with whatever you were doing.

You are brilliant and inquisitive beyond all belief. Somewhere inside of you is stored an boundless energy, and you would live outside if we let you.

You get your love of being around other people from Daddy, and delight in saying "hi, guy" to the random passer by, giggling with pure happiness when they say "hi" back. You are always willing to help, and I love that you want so much to be doing what ever Mama and Daddy are doing.

We know that all too soon the day will come when you will want your space and independence, making these moments even more precious.

You are a loving big brother, accepting Emily into your life like she's always been there. Already you are her protector and her tormentor, maybe even her biggest fan, often saying "I love my Elowee" 

You own a huge piece of my heart, sweet boy, and I am honored to have been given the opportunity to love you and have your love in return. I will always be here to kiss your boo boos and while I may not be able to fix all your hurts, know that I will do what I can to help you through them.

Happy birthday Kylesaurus Rex, today we celebrate you!

Construction woes and giggles

Kyle's fascination with tractors has been ongoing since he was old enough to point and grunt "oo, oo, oooo" whenever he saw one. Our neighborhood is pretty much a construction zone with houses going up on all sides of us. Since moving in to this house Kyle has spent countless hours like this:

Both kids are very heavy sleepers (thank you Jesus!) so the various crashes, bangs and seemingly endless cacophony of living in a construction zone rarely disrupts nap time. Except for today. I have no idea what was so different about the sounds eminating from the new house next door, but Kyle would not go to sleep. Not even for a nano-second. Most of us know what if feels like to be sleep deprived, but maybe you've never thought of what it may look like. Until now. By 5:00 Kyle was bouncing rapidly between every emotion nameable including whiny and completely distraught/inconsolable to giddy. One second he was throwing himself on the floor to bury his face in his Bobo and the next he was doing things like this:

 

and then there was this:

That would be a pajama shirt on his legs and pajama pants on his head. Of course this was one of the nights when Daddy had a meeting after work and so needless to say by 8:00 both kids were in their pajamas and we were cruising the streets in the Pilot. It worked like a charm and within half an hour we were all back home, the itty bitties both off in dream land.

A tea party

Nothing witty or funny to say here, just sharing a simple moment on Livesay Lane.

Spring, where art thou?

Spring-like days have been few and far, far between this year, and so when the sun peaked out and the thermometer climbed up into the 70s today, we celebrated! A perfect day for the debut of shorts and sweet little baby sun hats

What could be better for a little boy than a yard completely devoid of grass but filled to the brim with dirt, glorious dirty dirt just perfect for scyooping?!?!! Kyle doesn't realize how lucky he is to have a Nana that never throws anything away. See those trucks? They are heavy duty, real metal trucks the Travis used to play with as a little man. I have no idea where Nana keeps all of the stuff she has, but I've learned that she has an endless supply of treasures hoarded stored away, and you just never know when something wonderful is going to appear. It just so happens that another one of these wonderful surprises brought out from storage is responsible for my basement continuously being in this state:

Oh, this may not seem so bad, but this is just the beginning. The choo-choos and tracks have just been liberated from their storage container and the state of this room within 30 minutes is far too shocking to share with you today.

With Emily supervising, Papa came over to help Travis hang the shutters on the front windows.

The next project for the two Mr. Livesays to tackle? A big, beautiful porch across the front of the house, I can't wait!

Being so cute is truly taxing work, isn't it Emmie? See that Newcastle on the step? Having learned a lesson from when Kyle was 1 we are determined to postpone Emily's introduction to the warm weather beverage of choice on Livesay Lane, as having too many pictures like this floating around just wouldn't be good for our reputation:

The Party

As long as the itty bitties are, well, itty bitty, we will probably have one joint birthday party for Kyle and Emily. Partly to help mama keep her sanity semi-intact, and partly as a favor to our family and friends. Being the intelligent mother that I am, I do realize that eventually this plan will not work indefinitely, and that the day will come when Kyle will not want to share his birfday,  not even with his Elowee.

Both of the kids were sleeping as all of the guest arrived, and one by one Daddy went to wake up the littles. I wish I had captured the moments on film, but alas you will just have to relive the moment in your imagination. Kyle was first, and as he rounded the corner, bobo in hand, he was less than excited to see a room full of people when all he usually wants is to cuddle with mom or dad upon waking from his nap. It took a few minutes for the scene to set in, but once he spied the balloons and presents, he was all smiles.

Emily took a little longer to warm up to the crowd. Holding onto daddy's fingers as she walked down the hall, she rounded the corner, stopped, eyes became huge and then .....tears. I think she was so upset because she realized that Daddy hadn't put on her special birthday outfit that Mama and Grannie had been working so hard to finish. Off we went back to her bedroom for a quick wardrobe change. Re-emerging as a little princess:

 There were still some tears until she spied all the pretty presents

and then she was all smiles!

Friends, family, food, balloons, presents, and of course, cake!

 Obviously that purple frosting was just too tempting

 Happy Birthday Emmie!

Happy Birthday Ky!

Emily had a similar response to her 1st birthday cake as Kyle did to his ~ bewilderment. Even the tempting pink frosting didn't evoke the usual baby-sees-cake-baby-grabs-handfuls-of-cake-and-shoves-in-face response. Being the ever helpful big brother that he is, Kyle decided to show Emily exactly what one does when faced with a delicious chunk of sugary goodness by offering to "eat her"

There were tons of gifts to celebrate the day, and in the end obvious favorites had emerged

The perfect ending to a perfect day? The post-sugar-high-sugar-coma-crash. Good night everyone!