I’ve got to get the boys’ 11 month update in real quick before they turn 1 (one? one???) on Saturday. This Saturday. I’m having issues about that. Anyways…
My cutie patootie 11 month olds Owen on left Rhys on right
Owen started crawling on their 11 month birthday and they have had a motor skills explosion since then.
I can’t believe their birthday is in two days!
Its February. Its time I go over my 2010 books. I read 38 books this year which was great. I had no expectations coming in to 2010 so I’m pretty pleased.
38. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
37. The Girt Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
36. The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris
35. Have a New Kid by Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman
34. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
33. Your Two-Year-Old: Terrible or Tender by Ames & Ilg
32. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
31. Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
30. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
29. Your Four-Year-Old: Wild & Wonderful by Ames and Ilg
28. A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers
27. The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
26. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller
25. Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz
24. Then Sings my Soul: 150 of the World's Greatest Hymn Stories by Robert J. Morgan
23. The Trouble with the Tulip by Dr Frank Page
22. The Outcast by Sadie Jones
21. The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
20. Radical by David Platt
19. The Unexpected Adventure by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg
18. Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup
17. Greater Love by Robert Whitlow
16. Confessions of an Organized Homemaker by Deneice Schofield
15. House Rules by Jodi Picoult
14. The Power of Half by Kevin Salwen and Hannah Salwen
13. Split Second by David Baldacci (listened to on CD)
12. Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay
11. Dinner With a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory
10. Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell
9. Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver
8. Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy
7. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
6. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen R Covey
5. Superfreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
4. Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
3. Mothering Multiples by Karen Kerkhoff Gromada
2. Kabul 24 by Ben Pearson and Henry O. Arnold
1. Grace-Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel
Favorite Fiction: Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz- be careful where you read this. It may or may not have had me crying hard at my OB’s office.
Most Intense: Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell- My dad gave me this book to read and it just happens that Marcus is an identical twin. Fascinating story.
Everyone Should Read: Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore Seriously. You should read this book.
Most Challenging Spiritually: The Unexpected Adventure by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg- inspiring and challenging all at the same time
Book That Caused Me to Eat Better: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan- Real food stuff. Good info.
Book I’ve Checked Out From the Library So Much That I’m Actually Going to Buy It: The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease- should be required reading for every parent
There you go. Now its your turn to recommend the best books you’ve read lately so I can put them on my 2011 Books to read list!
Kiran asking if she can have peas for dessert
creatively figuring out new ways to hold both babies at the same time
watching the sun rise out my back door while nursing the twins this morning
taping back together Sienna’s favorite book
speedy games of hide and go seek
the girls had a friend over to play this morning. this friend has bunk beds in her room at home. she saw the girls’ trundle bad and exclaimed that they had bunk beds too! then she asked, “How does Sienna sleep in there? Does she get smooshed up?”
singing “O Holy Night” with my four year old
the cutest little crawler
exercising for the first time in… I have no idea how long
S running to give me a hug after her nap
This is life, right?
2 years, 5 months.It may be my favorite age.
She rarely wears all her clothes.
She says things like :
Daddy: Who came over today?
S: Natalie. But we named her Jonathan.
and
Mommy: Eat your corn.
S: Is that a law?
and
Mommy: S, sit properly in your chair.
S: Like Jesus says?
I was laying in bed with S and I whispered, “I love you” “I love you too Mommy” she whispered back. “That makes my heart happy.” I told her. “Is your heart happy?” She whispered softly “I don’t know”
She gives great eskimo kisses and does a mean rendition of “So Long, Farewell” with her sister
At Costco, Kiran told the sample lady that she was 4 and she went to preschool. Sienna said, “I’m 2. I go to…” looks around… “ Costco!”
She turns me upside-down in all the right places.
I love that girl.
There is a new website that will offer daily discounts of 50-90% off that we want you to know about called Moolala.
Many of you may be familiar with sites like Groupon, Living Social and Restaurant.com. Moolala is like those except that you earn cash back on everything you buy - and on everything bought by those you refer to the program!
And right now, if you sign up and get some friends to sign up, you have the chance to win a Kindle! You have until noon Friday to add 5 friends to be entered to win. I'd love it if you'd consider signing up under this link. And then be sure to invite your friends!
The founders of this site are the children of former medical missionaries, and they hope to use this as a potential revenue stream for many to support similar work.
Sign up for Moolala
All this cold and snow and ice made me think about one of the craziest things that happened while we lived in Blowing Rock, NC.
We rented the bottom floor of a duplex. It was just a few miles from downtown Blowing Rock and right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The back porch had a wonderful view of Grandfather Mountain. The whole thing probably wasn’t 1000 sq ft but it was perfect for the two of us. It had two bedrooms joined by a kitchen/den/dining area. And a turret. It was heated by a gas fireplace in the living room.
One cold December night, our phone rang about 1:15am. It was our upstairs neighbor, Jason. He said their carbon monoxide detector had gone off and the firemen were there. Could they come in and check our levels? Sure.
The fireman came in and his little machine started beeping like crazy. He starts yelling yelling at all of us to GET OUT now. We ran out of the apartment into the 11 degree weather in our pjs.
Any reading over 50 is dangerous. Our levels were over 100. If J & I had slept all night in levels over 100, we may not have woken up in the morning. We huddled together with our neighbors while the firemen did their thing. We praised God that they had a carbon monoxide detector and that we were spared carbon monoxide poisoning or early death. After the levels were lowered, we bundled up and slept under heavy blankets. And bought a carbon monoxide detector the next day.
Moral of the story: If you have any gas in your house, please please please have a carbon monoxide detector.
See. A turret.
