Same but different.

Parker and Jack came home with their Christmas photos from school the other day.  Owen was looking at them so I asked him who was who.  Of course he named his bros correctly so I asked him how he could tell them apart.  He replied:

"Dad, they have the same face, but Dad, they don't have the SAME face."

Exactly son, that is what we have been trying to tell everyone this whole time!!!

7 years ago

On this day in 2004, I received this note when I went to pick up Jen for dinner at her apartment.  We were going to The Melting Pot and celebrating her acceptance into nursing school...or at least that is what she thought.

During dinner, she told me that we should definitely wait to get engaged/married until after nursing school so she can just focus on school.  After internally freaking out because her engagement ring was in my pocket, I decided to ignore that suggestion and ask her anyway.  I figured a diamond would change that tune real quick!!

After asking her to marry me and Jen responding with "I don't feel so good" I had to ask again...when she FINALLY said yes!  That was a pretty long 9 seconds if I have to be honest with you.  In her defense, after that initial conversation,  I think she was caught a little off guard.

Jen forgot all about saying that she wanted to wait as we called our parents to tell them the big news.  When Sissy found out, she yelled so loud in Middleton library that they asked her to leave!!!!!

That night was one if the best memories I have.  I am so thankful for my best friend and all the happiness she continues to bring me. 

I love you Jen.  Thanks for saying yes.

Thanksgiving 2011

This Turkey Day adventure starts out with a 14 hour ride to SC with 4 kids. Yes, I am thankful…thankful that it is over.

Actually, it really wasn’t a bad drive to see MawMaw, PawPaw, Nana, and Aunt Kelly. Ignoring the 4 year old who averaged an “Are we there yet” type of statement 6 times an hour for 14 hours and it really couldn’t have been better. We didn’t hit bad traffic; didn’t have any explosive diaper situations, there was minimal crying from me Ben and we arrived safe and sound.

On Sunday, Jen and I were able to take a mountain retreat, sans children, to see Mimi and Uncle Jack. With BOGO Starbucks holiday drinks in hand, we got back in the car and drove about 2 hours west toward Ashville to Flat Rock, NC. We went on a chilly dusk boat ride, had terrific BBQ, saw a deer in the driveway, hiked up Glassy Mountain, and ate outside at the Wrinkled Egg, it was great. Oh yeah, then there was Jen’s terrible allergic reaction to the 7 cats at Hillgay…but other than that, it was great!!

Back to reality on Monday, everyone was good while we were gone and over the next couple of days we crammed in as many relaxing activities as we could:

1. Numerous trips to the Grandparents Park playing on the swings, slides, and jungle gym.
2. O’s trip to “Rescovery Place.”
3. A Trip to Caribou Coffee.
4. Walking and running the hills of Sun City Carolina Lakes.
5. Golf cart rides on Lucy.
6. An Excellent Thanksgiving Day Feast.
7. An LSU Tiger victory over Arkansas.
8. Late Night/Early Morning Black Friday shopping adventures.
9. A Chinese lunch date with Nana.
10. A Visit with Aunt C.
11. Countless shopping trips to Harris Teeter.
12. Mani/Pedi trip for the girls.
13. A few naps.

Another 14 hour ride home but this time, Jen found it effective to let Owen know quickly that that she didn’t want to hear him talk about “not being able to see our house yet” which surprisingly kept him pretty quiet until around Mobile (a solid 9 hours). We participated in 3 trips to the McDonald’s play place (which apparently sponsored our trip) and consumed practically a full bottle of Germ-X due the that very sponsorship, but we all survived until Denham Springs. How does this place, or what I like to call “Baton Rouge’s armpit,” have traffic at 6pm on a Sunday night, heading INTO the city? I was about to lose it, Owen had to pee, it was dark, and we were all tired and READY to be out of the car.

Thankfully, we finally took the back way and got off the interstate. GaGa and Pops were waiting for us when we got to the house, dinner prepped and fridge stocked with milk and bread so we didn’t have to run out that night. The kids were fed, bathed, and put to bed so Jen and I were able to relax after that car ride.  That was definitely a huge help!!

All in all it was a great trip, just a few hiccups here and there, but we made it and hopefully as the kids get older, it will continue to get easier. Next item on the to-do list for our summer trip: Cracker Barrel. Yes, we might actually be insane.

Ben’s Best Friend

Ben is 15 months old and has a best friend…his name is Elmo. He cannot get enough of Elmo. I am afraid that Ben will begin speaking in the 3rd person as Elmo does because that is how much Ben is in love with him. Anywhere he sees Elmo, Ben will point him out - on TV, in books, petting a stuffed animal, looking at the Pampers diapers with his picture on them, and most recently, staring at a random balloon at the grocery store so far away that Jen insisted to Ben that there was no Elmo around. Its gotten so out of control that the first 3 people that Ben asks for when he wakes up and wants to get out of his crib are:

1. Mommieeeeeee
2. Daddieeeeeeeee
3. Elmoooooooooo

The kid is obsessed with Elmo.

Fosstule Bosstule Returns

Our magical elf has returned from the North Pole and Owen is even more excited about him this year. P and J just repeat his name and point to him unknowing what significance he has for Christmas. Awesome. Maybe next year he will earn his keep with those two, until then, we apparently can’t hold the idea of not having Christmas presents over their heads so they will behave.

Anyway, we pull out the book and read it again while not one of our children had absolutely any interest in it. Fortunately, Owen did remember that:

1. You can never touch him.
2. He goes to the North Pole and tells Santa if you have been bad or good.
3. He is magical.

Hopefully this year, Fosstule will remember to fly to a different location in our house everyday so that Owen knows he went to the North Pole the night before. Mommy and Daddy don’t want to have to tell Owen that he just chose the exact same spot as the day before. That was kind of a tough sell last year, not sure it will go over at all this year.

PS, we have discussed, but are unsure what the answer will be, when Owen sees Fosstule at Target and wonders why he is there, sitting in a box, instead of staying at our home. Any suggestions?

O's Thanksgiving Feast 11/18/11

Our little Indian.

Sidewalk chalk

We play outside in our driveway an awful lot.  O, P, and J have been coloring with chalk for a while now, mostly scribbles,  but O can now draw his letters.  Usually it is Momma or GaGa drawing letters, pictures, or hopscotch squares, but the boys do their fair share of coloring.  I have found sidewalk chalk on our cars, the front door, the garbage/recycling bins, the mailbox and even on our walls when we forget to confiscate a piece after heading back inside. 

Now Ben is big enough to get into the mix (although I did have to remove chalk from his mouth on more than one occasion).  Our littlest dude is getting so big!

Halloween 2011

 

After much questioning, Owen decided he was going to be a police officer for Halloween so we thought we were set for a costume.  Come to find out that Aunt T acquired a bargain basement dog costume for Ben and Vince for next year, but Owen tried it on and happen to fit into it and LOVED it.  Parker and Jack were not quite enthused when trying on their costumes.  Well, Parker did ok with the firefighter, but Jack was having none of it.  N.O.N.E.  Everything Jen put on him, he immediately took it off, even the simplest of outfits (a cape).  This was obviously not going to work when we were out and about with the guys so Jen decided to make them costumes they wouldn't/couldn't take off.  Something simple, cute, and easy, so she made them Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Suess books.  She got some red shirts, some cardboard, and fabric glue and went to town.  The finishing touch was the blue hair spray.  I kept trying to snap a good picture, but they were not having any of it (as you can see).

Ben was dressed as a pumpkin which is apparently the traditional one year old costume in Connisonville as Owen, P and J have all been pumpkins before.

.

We went over to Katie and Rob's house, had some dinner and hit the streets trick or treating.  Always apprehensive at first, Owen warmed up after the first house or two and kept bragging about all the candy he was getting.  Parker and Jack were holding hands with me pretty much the entire time not too eager, but not yet scared of the the whole situation.  Ben was good in his stroller the majority of the time, until the end when he was just worn out.  After all the treats, Parker learned how to ask for a sucker, even though he originally was saying "peppa please" instead of  actually asking for it by name.  It took about 15 minutes of him rolling on the floor and finally pointing to Owen's to get us to realize he wanted a sucker.  Overall, Halloween was a win, and I think they all had a good time. 

Ben's First Kiss

This is Ben's pucker up face.  Anytime you ask him to give you a kiss, he gives you the Bubba Gump lip.

Carpooling

I can just hear the conversation now...

Me:  Hey O, can you go pick up Jack from soccer practice for me?

Owen:  Yeah, I guess, but can I take the Hummer?

Me:  Sure, but you break it, you buy it.

P/J Mother’s Day Out

Last week, Parker and Jack started their Mother’s Day Out program at Jefferson Baptist. They are going two days a week (Monday and Friday). We have really liked the MDO program and we are really happy that we can send them there while Owen is in their preschool program. At the open house, we got to meet their teachers, Ms. Bonnie and Ms. Nancy, and the boys got to check out their room and some of the other kids. 

First Day of School!!

They are in a class with other kids whose birthdays are right around theirs and we are happy to have them get some more time with kids their own age. Their teachers are great and we expect that they will fall right in line with the routine of school. They did great on their first two days, with a minor/major meltdown when the other mommies were picking up their kids. Those mommies were early by comparison and P/J didn't understand that Jen was coming in a little bit. Jen had a disaster picking them up while they were sobbing, but they were soon over it and she was told they had a great day…up until the end.

Hopefully we will avoid these meltdowns in the future, they start staying later and having lunch at school on Friday so we will see how that goes.     

As the weather gets cooler…

We have migrated outside!! Finally, after having the Labor Day weekend filled with rain and Tropical Storm Lee, we were able to venture back outside. The weather has been great this week and we are trying to spend as much time outside as possible. The A/C is no long on overdrive and we couldn't be happier. I got home from work yesterday to the boys playing out front (Ben was chilling in his walker). Owen spent a large amount of time jumping off of the cable boxes in the front yard, laughing and horsing around with his bros. They absolutely loved it and couldn't stop laughing.

Owen wanted to be thrown in the air like the old days and Parker and Jack followed suit. They were cracking up laughing when I threw them in the air…it reminded me of this pic. O/P/J are a little bit heavier than I remember, I was getting a workout trying to throw them higher and higher!

We know the heat isn’t totally over, but we are so thankful for the break this week and hope to spend as much time as we can enjoying the weather.

LSU Lakes

Back in our pre kid days, Jen and I used to walk/run/bike around the LSU lakes a lot. The view around the water is great and it is such a friendly environment where it makes you want to get out and be fit. During our own personal Baby Boom, venturing to the lakes has been somewhat non-existent. With the nice weather this week, we took all the guys out there this past Sunday. Owen rode on his “4 year old bike” for the first time outside of the neighborhood. He was a little apprehensive at first due to the change in terrain and the dropoff from paved road to dirt trails, but he adjusted nicely learning that he needs to push his pedals more on the uphill and less on the downhill (NOTE: These are not really hills, more like small inclines, we don’t have any real hills in BR). Parker and Jack were pretty happy to be strolled around when they weren’t fighting over some toy or their Cheese-Its. Of course, Ben was perfectly happy getting pushed around as well. We stopped for a juice box break and were able to snap this pic. Now that everyone is a bit older and much more mobile, we plan on making a habit of heading out to the lakes more often.

All grown up

After Owen's 4th birthday and Momma's weekend trip to the beach (read:  the outlet mall in Foley), Owen got a few things that made him seem a little grown up for his little 4 year old self:

• a button down collared shirt
• new jeans
• a belt
• Sperry boat shoes

 

Seriously, he looks like he just turned 17, and I am pretty sure that is something similar to what I wore to work last casual Friday.

 

Ah, the comments

We get many comments about having 4 kids, especially so close together.  LOTS of comments.  Unsolicited comments.  Rude comments.  Nice comments.  Why on earth would you do that comments. 

The most common is everyone trying to be funny asking "Don't you know how these things happen?"  Why yes, actually, we do...  The best comment I have heard to date, has to be a co worker of mine.  When he found out that we had a 4th boy after our twins, his reaction was:

"Dude, y'all need to get cable.  No, I'm serious, they have some good stuff on TV nowadays, you should check it out."    

Compared to all the other things people say, it caught me so off gaurd and I couldn't stop laughing. 

Ben in a Big Boy car seat

Our baby Ben has graduated to a big boy car seat and he finally gets to see the world now. No longer riding backwards so we have reconfigured the Swagger Wagon once again. We removed one bucket seat with no middle and placed 3 car seats across the back. It gives us a makeshift changing table, easy access to the rear seats and Jen loves it. Nuff said. When Momma is happy…we are all happy.

Mommy Vacation/Daddy Weekend

Jen went on a well deserved trip to be beach sans kiddos. The family condo in Perdido Key was available and she took the opportunity (with Dad and grandparent’s assistance) to head out of town to get some R & R. MawMaw and PawPaw were in town for night number one, with Sissy and Gaga coming to the rescue for day number 2 (and the rest of the weekend). We split the guys up and I took P and J for the weekend while O and Ben went to NOLA.

It was really nice to spend some quality time with Parker and Jack as they rarely get time alone (well, no one gets too much one on one time, we have to work on that). Having two 2 year olds might not sound like the most exciting weekend, but I was great. I felt like I could go anywhere with just 2!! We went to the LSU Lakes in the midst of 95* temps (not terribly smart) but I was prepared with plenty of juice, water and snacks to make them happy. It has been quite some time since I went running with them in the double stroller...and pushing around 70 lbs plus the stroller is quite the task!! I made it about 2 miles which, considering the weather was pretty good. We ran some other errands: went to Target, had lunch at McAllister’s Deli, and went to visit Lod Cook while I looked for our anniversary brick (after 20 minutes, I still failed to find it). The house was much quieter without big (and little) bro around, but both P and J were much more verbal when Owen wasn’t around to speak for them. They did look around the house and say “Owie?” with a puzzled look on their face…so I know they missed him.

Jen came back relaxed and rejuvenated and I know she had a good time, but we definitely missed our Momma.   

First day of swimming lessons.

Or pool school, as O coined.

We went, we cried, we swam, we got ice cream. Just look at that face....

Makin' groceries.

If one more friend with their one or maaaaybe two babies tells me its hard to shop with kids, I'm going to rip every last hair off their head, k?

Never too early.

From the womb to the laptop in this family...

Balloon Championship

On Friday after work, we went for an adventure to watch all of the hot air balloons take off from Pennington.  We ate a quick dinner and packed up the guys, grabbed snowballs, and went to park the car.  We were right on time at 6:30 for all the balloons to inflate and take off...so we waited, and waited, and finished our snowballs, and kept waiting.  The air deflated and the balloons went away with an anti-climactic fizzle.  Finally we headed home towards the black storm clouds and figured out the they had to cancel the festivities due to the weather. 

Big bummer.  It was especially a bummer to have to explain to Owen that the balloons "popped." We would have planned to come back later in the weekend, but it was going to be 1000 degrees so friday night wad the only way we were venturing out. Oh well, maybe next year.

Cousins.

About once a week, we have a little get together for 7. Would this stress some people out? Not us. The more disastrous the house is at the end of the play date, the better.

I guess they're twins..

And sometimes they just don't wanna hear it.

Our feathered friend.

We've been taking a walk in the mornings this summer before the devil's breath burns up the day-- and there's a house in the neighborhood that strangely houses ducks. Their garage is slightly opened at the bottom for the little fellas to go in and out. And Parker has befriended one of these pals as his very own. He cracks up laughing upon sight of him. So I let him out of the stroller and they play chase for a few minutes before he needs a water break and then we tell the Duckie goodbye. It's way cute.

Bye Mrs. Marilyn!

This was owen's last day of class with our beloved Mrs. Marilyn! I could have not asked for a better teacher for Owen for his first time away from his mama! He (we) cried for about the first six weeks of Mother's Day Out-- but Mrs. Marilyn and her co-teacher Mrs. Anita were so positive and encouraging. We are so thankful to have found Jefferson Baptist and to have had a wonderful first year of preprepre-school :)

Just like Daddy

For Father's Day, Jen spent an afternoon having a photo shoot with the dudes playing dress up.  She put them in my work shirts, dress shoes and sunglasses and put them to work on the laptop!   She framed all the pics so I could have all my guys at the office with me all the time!

Little does she know that we are starting our in consulting firm soon. We will specialize in shape art and color designs with sidewalk chalk!

Eyes Wide Shut

Apparently I have been known to sleep with one or both eyes slightly open.  This is very creepy to those who have ever seen me sleep.  Sorry, there's nothing I can really do about it...I assume that this is just a flaw in my genetic makeup as I seem to have passed this little "quirk" down to all 4 of my boys.  Back in our college days when I lived with Uncle Joe, he would catch me napping on the couch, see an eye open and not know if I was sleeping or not.  He would then proceed to get REALLY close to my face and scare the ever living daylights out of me as I woke up with his mug in my face saying "You were doing it again, that's really weird." 

 

A while back, I was rocking Ben to sleep when Jen was at work.  Since Jen always puts him down at night, I guess it has taken me this long to notice that he also falls asleep with one eye slightly open too.  I have witnessed Owen, Parker and Jack all do this and now it has been confirmed that Ben inherited this trait as well. 

 

Sorry buddies for passing this one down!!

A big boy transition

Look at our big boy Ben who is starting to use a sippy cup.  What did Jen put in there, he is really putting it back!

Geaux Ben!

Daddy's a pimp, Daddy's a pimp!!!

I have fallen off the radar when it comes to blogging.  My apoligies.  I have a lot to catch up on.  I have spend the recent past in deep studies for my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.  Who doesn't want to be a certified pimp?

 

After long nights and seemingly short naps that I used to study, I took the test and passed.  What does it all mean?  Well, as of right now, it is just some initials and a line item on my resume.  I am hopeful and looking forward to more doors opening and more dollar bills rolling in, but we will see how all that plays out.

 

After successfully passing the test, I walked into the house to see Jen, P, and J all yelling and Owen holding his sign and cheering "Daddy's a pimp, Daddy's a pimp!!!" 

 

It was awesome and hilarious. 

Summer 2011 (NC)

NC
I saved up some vacation time for the summer so we packed it up and headed to the Carolina's for almost 2 weeks.  Step 1, survive the car ride there...  Luckily, we were leaving from NOLA and in a caravan with Gaga, Pops, Sissy, Uncle Doos, and Anna.  Without too much hassle outside of an overturned 18 wheeler and a detour off the interstate, we made it in decent time to Mimi and Uncle Jack's lakehouse. 

We were camping wilderness style in what we affectionately referred to as The Love Shack.  Attached to the lakehouse property is a 3 BR trailer rental property that was presently empty, so we took advantage of that and we made it work with pack and plays and some air mattresses.  It worked out great.  We are steps away from the action, but able to let the boys sleep at night.  It was perfect. 

It would be a short trip to NC for the boys as they were heaed to MM and PPs house in two days.  We did play in the lake, take some boat rides, and went to Hillgay to let the boys run around the grounds.  As the years progress, it will be easier to let the guys around the deck and not have to worry about the lake so much, but for now, we have to cut their trips short and let Mommy and Daddy play in the lake!!

garden pics at Hillgay

Once we dropped the kiddos off with MM and PP, Mom and Dad had fun at the lake.  We took a trip whitewater rafting on the Nantahala and had a great time.  The weather was perfect and Jen and I just kept thinking of the future when we could take all the boys!!

Rafting on the Nantahala

We spent the rest of the time, kneeboarding, tubing, kayaking, eating and drinking and we stayed for the big 4the of July fireworks festivities (fireworks on the lake).  In addition, we had a run in with the cops...we had to be towed back into the house by the Sheriff as we got the ski rope tangled in the boat propeller...I think we learned our lesson that trip - make sure the ski line is clear BEFORE you start the boat!!  Anyway, we had a great time, but it was time to pack it up and drive to SC to meet the boys and MM/PP.

Happy 4th of July!

Summer 2011 (SC)

SC
We went on a few adventures in SC too.  We took the boys to Lazy 5, which is a a safari adventure place where everyone could touch and feed the animals, luckily it was overcast so the sun didn't beat us down.  After losing a few animal feed buckets to wondering llamas, we made it through and had lunch there.  The boys were all good, though Ben didn't have a choice as he was strapped in the Snugli the whole time!

We also went to the Discovery Place Kids and had a great time (even though it was sort of sensory overload by lunchtime).  They have so much to do there, it is a great place and everyone will have such a good time in a year or two when we don't have to herd them like cats!!  Owen (ok, I) had fun building cars to race down the ramp against other kids (and their dads).  We beat the top seated champions!!  Well, I'm guessing he was since he and his son looked like the head design engineer for Nissan.

our winning car

We all had fun playing in the pool at SCCL and going on adventure walks down the paths and just relaxing in less than 100% humidity.  It was pretty hot, but without the Louisiana humidity, it was totally bearable.

14 hours in the car later, we returned home safe and sound as usual, but the last few hours were a bit tough to get through!!

Perdido Key 2011

In true Connison fashion, we took over the condo in Florida and made it our own.  All the boys loved the beach, including Ben though he was a little apprehensive of the sand between his toes.

Here were some of the highlights:

• Parker and Jack sitting in the sand digging with the waves crashing at their feet for so long, that when then stood up, 16 lbs of sand were in their bathing suits.
• Owen repeating the "Doors Opening," "Doors Closing," "Going Up," "16th Floor," "Doors Opening," everytime we got in the elevator.  Also, he HAD to press the buttons! 
• Taking all the big guys out on Pop's boat.
• Being able to get away from BR with everyone and change things up a bit. 

And the lowlights:

• Jack falling off the piano bench and hitting his head on the hard tile floor.
• Owen accidentally throwing the boat into high gearwhen he was "driving" and scaring himself and everyone on the boat...luckily we were in open water.
• Parker and Jack having a fit on the boat, for not any other reason except that Daddy forgot to give them their snack and once fed, they returned to normalcy.
• Less than 30 minutes out of BR, Owen wanted to know when we were going to get to the beach because he couldn't see it yet.

 The beach is still hard work with these little guys and its not quite the relaxing trip it once used to be, but it is definitely worth the effort to get away and have a little change of scenery. We definitely can't wait to come back next summer when everyone is a little older, wiser, and more compliant when we tell them not to run in the water!!

Dudes in the elevator

Obsessed with digging

  



Ben on the beach

  





Splash Park

On these ever so hot weekends in South Louisiana, we have headed out to the Gonzales Jambalaya Park where they have fountains, buckets, and other water park features. If we get there early enough (before 9am), we basically have the place to ourselves. We make arrangements with Katie, Rob and their boys, and get a good 60-90 minutes of outside time where you don’t want to kill yourself due to the heat. The boys play nice for the most part; Owen was a bit apprehensive at first, but warmed up to running around and getting totally soaked. Parker and Jack are still feeling their way around there and seem more to enjoy the goldfish and apple juice snacks instead of the water.

By the time we leave, everyone is soaking wet, getting hot, hungry, needs to be changed, and/or whining because they want to leave and it turns into a semi meltdown as we make our way to the car. All of the adults then turned to each other and wonder why we do this to ourselves…

Add another thing to Dad’s toolkit

As a dad of 4 little dudes, I realize that I need to be prepared for a variety of events.  Items in my toolkit that I should never be without:  cash, a handkerchief, a pocket knife, and now…an umbrella.  I have never had a great love affair with umbrellas.  Why?  I would have to guess it has something to do with how I can't seem to get in a car and close the umbrella without getting totally wet.  Umbrellas are very useful, but I never liked carrying them and always preferred running into/out of a building or car to get out of the rain as fast as possible so I wouldn't get wet.  I now have learned that this is not sufficient when children are involved.

As I go to pick up Owen from school yesterday, I find myself in the middle of a torrential downpour, complete with thunder and lightning so close, I'm pretty sure that if I had hair, it would have looked like Doc Brown from Back to the Future.  I am in the parking lot planning my attack to get into the building and I have a good parking spot close to the door, but it is still a ways away.  I catch a lull in the rain and trot for the door without getting terribly soaked.  As I get Owen from class, the rain picks up so much so that I can barely see the parking lot anymore.  With a semi-laughing spectator (another MDO parent) in the foyer, I prep Owen getting him psyched up that daddy has to hold him and run and run and run and get to the car as fast as we can, even though we are going to get wet, VERY wet.  I told him that it's going to be so much fun getting wet and made it a cool thing that "daddy forgot the umbrella," (i.e.  I am ill prepared as a parent).  Owen couldn't stop laughing after we ran to the car and got him buckled.  He thought it was hilarious and really fun, but he did mention multiple times that he was a cold with the A/C on.  Daddy was sorry for the afternoon shower!!

I have since acquired an umbrella that will remain in my car from here on out. 

Coloring

We have been playing with a lot of sidewalk chalk on the driveway recently.  If you mistakenly think Parker has a wooden circle when you put him down for a nap and realize later that its actually red chalk, this is what you find when he wakes up.  Awesome.

Rub a Dub Dub

Rub a Dub Dub, three dudes in a tub, and who do you think they be?  No seriously, this is a test...can you pick out who?

Owen and "the bros" enjoying some tubby time 

This is an easy one...
.
..
...
....
.....
......
.......
........
.........
.......... 
It's P!!!!

Lunch for the Big Dude

During week 2 of Pool School, I had to meet Jen for lunch in the parking lot at the pool so she could escort Owen in while I stayed with the little dudes in the car (otherwise how would Jen have been able to walk all 4 dudes into class to drop Owen off).  Jen packed a lunch for all of us and we had a Swagger Wagon picnic.  We had the following:

PB&J sandwich

Grapes

Goldfish

Nilla Wafers

Bubble gum snowball

Yes, I'm 30 years old and had the lunch of a toddler, including a blue snowball. I then proceeded to go back to work with a bright blue tongue.  I didn't have any meetings,  but really that wouldn't have stopped me anyway.

It may sound strange that I had to go eat lunch in the car in the parking lot but I consider this one of the many advantages of our crazy life...I got to have lunch with my fam and see my dudes during an otherwise boring workday.

Hey Mommy, Hey Mommy

Thia is by far, Owen's new favorite phrase.  It is sometimes followed by a question, remark, or observation, while other times it is just said out of habit and he doesn't know what to say after it.  In the latter case, he spends an enormous amount of energy trying to get Jen's attention only to have nothing to say!

This is really cute for a curious little boy who likes to have his voice heard, until that voice is heard 5,000 times a day... 

Parker's circle

Parker loves holding something at all times.  ALL TIMES. 

Eating, sleeping, running, playing, and even swimming, Parker will be holding his circle.  He has a few specific ones he likes, they are little wooden blocks and he never wants to be without them.  I guess it is like Linus and his blanket, just a little security for him. 

It is cute but can be downright frustrating if he is yelling and fussing because he dropped it in the car or he left it in his crib and can't reach it or if big bro O takes it to mess with him.

He will even switch hands with it if he needs to eat or hold hands to cross the street but he certainly won't let that circle go.  This has become a defining trait for those who can't tell P and J apart.   You can bet money that it is Parker and not Jack if one of them has a circle in his hand!

I'm not sure how long this phase will last but it is a funny little quirk that Parker has picked up along the way.

Pool School

Owen has started taking swimming lessons at Crawfishu Aquatics here in Baton Rouge.  We have had mixed emotions from Owen...day one he had so much fun, day two we had a bit of a crying fit, and day three he was the best swimmer in his class!

How do I know all this?  The teachers keep the parents well informed and my crazy wife was watching through a construction fence.  She took the picture below while laying on the ground in the parking lot.

Momma bear also sent me this text:

"They're making him put his head under and swim back and forth between two people like two feet apart. We're approaching sobbing hysterics. Him. Not me.

He using goggles. Sobbing sobbing sobbing.

I'm about to go smack these people."

Obviously, momma is a bit protective of her #1.  So far he is doing great with no floaties and I'm sure by next week he will be competing with Michael Phelps.

Mother's Day 2011

This is an uber special day in the Connison household.  These 5 dudes would be lost without our momma.  Everyday should be Mother's Day where Jen gets any and everything she wants.  She deserves that treatment WAY more than just once a year. 

For a special dinner, GaGa, Pops, Sissy and Uncle Doose came over and we had steak, shrimp, and chicken kabobs, bacon wrapped asparagus, and onion potatoes. Jen and I prepped everything while the dudes were napping. Jen topped it off with awesome fruit pizza.  It was delicious!

It was a really nice day to celebrate my wife, best friend, and best momma we could ever ask for. Thanks for all that you do for us.  We love you!

B, O, P, J, and B

The FUNK

After running the Crescent City Classic, Jen and I got "the funk."  When I anayzed it, I am actually happy about this considering how bad I felt after running 6 miles.  It is good to know that I might have just been sick.  We both thought it was just allergies as we were all congested and just didn't seem to recover like we should have.  A few days later, Jack got it, then two days after that, Parker went down.  Another day or so later, and Ben was congested and filled with boogers and this funk turned into his first ear infection.  Only Owen has been safe so far, and he started coughing the other day...

Thankfully, Parker and Jack's tubes have been lifesavers.  I think they have easily saved us for a number of ear infections.  They saved us this time too, but we couldn't avoid passing around germs in our own household.  Something tells me it is going to be that way for a long time to come.

Ben's Tooth Update

Ben has progressed into 3.5 teeth.  Yes, three and a half.  His first two bottom teeth have been out for a little while now and his top right tooth is pretty far along as well.  The left front tooth has broken the skin but it isn't really out like the other one so it looks like he has one Chicklet. 

You can kinda see that top tooth poking out.  

Doing a little light reading.

We went through a rough patch with his sleep patterns due to this new tooth, but I think we are past the tough part and only have to deal with ALL the others coming in...  Ben was waking up frequently during the night, and the only thing that would sooth him was Momma.  Thankfully we are over that now, but Ben has been starting to enjoy to early morning hours and has been waking up in the 5s.  This especially isn't great since I am usually at the gym by this time and Jen is on her own and forced to get up. 

Having gone through this a few times before, we know this little routine change will be shortlived, but until then...it is quite annoying until little Ben gets on the same schedule as his big bros!!

Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

As you are well aware, Jack loves letters.  A LOT.  We have letters all over our house, all of which he likes to point out, randomly shouting the alphabet or spelling his name.  We have these foam letters that connect with each other to make an alphabet mat that all the boys like playing with.  Frequently, Jack likes to hold two of these letters in his hands, he puts one behind his back and says the letter in his hand, and then alternates them.  Yesterday, he decided to pick up the U and the F. 

F - U !!!
F - U !!! 
F - U !!!

He kept shouting it and shouting it and shouting it.  I was cracking up laughing as he is cursing at me.  Instead of scolding him for his potty mouth, I reacted like any parent should, I scrambled to try and record a video from my phone.  Of course it didn't work fast enough and the picture came out fuzzy.  Thankfully, this morning he did it again so at least Jen was able to hear him swear at his dad.

Jack, in a few years when you know what these words are and what they mean.  You are grounded mister.  

NOLA Sleepovers

Here is the configuration for all previous NOLA sleepovers: 

Owen in Sissy's room

Parker and Jack in Jen's back bedroom

Jen and I in twin beds in Dave's room

Ben in pack-n-play in Dave's room

If and when Dave has been in town, we (with Ben) have bunked in with Park and Jack in the back bedroom.  Ben has slept very well and those guys are used to sleeping through some noise since they have roomed together since the womb.  With his teeth coming in, we have had some rougher nights waking up a few times here and there, so we decided to switch it up.  Also, due to the anticipated move for the 3 older guys to bunk together so Ben can get out of our room and into his own room, we decided to test the waters at Gaga's house.

Owen, Parker and Jack went to bed at the same time, and all woke up at the same time.  We expected some chattering in order to fall asleep, but they were quiet and fell asleep almost immediately.  Owen was so excited upon arising, however, that he jumped so hard on the bed, that the hardware came out and the mattress came crashing to the floor.  Wakeup call ~ 6:15am.  The next day, Owen and I were out during naptime, so naps weren't an issue and the second night went good as well.  Jen and I were getting excited as this potentially meant that this could work at our house and we might soon have our room back when Ben moves out.

Then naptime on Sunday came.  Owen is still in a crib at Gaga's house so we weren't quite sure how this would play out since he can't just get up and walk out of the room.  Well, he was singing, yelling, etc. and nobody was headed toward dreamland.  This is NOT GOOD.  45 minutes later and 3 visits to calm everyone down, P was asleep, but J and O were still up.  Finally O had to be removed in order to not wake everyone up and went without a nap.  While this isn't the most terrible thing in the world as he only naps about 3-4 days a week at home, Jen is alone in BR and trying to take this on at our house might cause her to have an aneurism if they all don't nap…

Needless to say, we haven't permanently moved any beds in BR, but we have plans to continue this in NOLA and get them used to their new shared room. 

Observations of a child

Lately, Owen has been arising somewhere between 6:15am - 7:00am.  With my morning workouts, I am usually back from the gym and in the shower by then, or in the process of getting dressed for work.  In order to occupy his time and not cause too much noise, he usually plays quietly in our closet until I'm dressed and we are ready to get breakfast.

 

Today, our conversation went something like this:

 

Me:  "Good Morning big guy.  How was your rest?"

 

Owen:  "It was good.  I dreamed about Tigers and Lions and Alligators." (this is his standard answer about what he dreamed about, though he sometimes substitutes various animals)

 

Me:  "That is good." 

 

 

(Owen looking at me in my towel)

 

Owen:  "Dad, you are all wet and you need to put some pants on.  Where are your clothes?"

 

Me:  "I know buddy, I just got out of the shower and need to get dressed."

 

Owen:  "I still have my jammers on!!"

 

 

(Owen looking around the closet)

 

Owen:  "Dad, Mommy has a lot of shoes.  Why does she have all of these shoes?"

 

Me:  "Well, you have shoes to go outside, and your sandals and Crocs for the summer time, so mommy has shoes for different things too."

 

Owen:  "Dad, you have many shoes too.  But Mommy has many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, MANY shoes."

 

Me:  "I know she does buddy, I know she does..." 

old man goes to a wedding

Let's talk about a few of my darling dears ailments after two nights of some friendly beverages, staying up way past kiddie bedtime, and not being able to sleep late due to old age. Hmmm....
Can't stop pooping
Or groaning.
major vacation stomach.
Emergent purchase of execedrine at overpriced airport kiosk
Stated he missed being away from his own toilet paper.
Morning oj gave him heartburn.
Continues to mildly grunt and sigh followed by a yawn.
Refused coffee upon waking and asked for water (have you met Brett?)
Expressed various body aches.
Reporting legs and feet are sore from walking too much in dress shoes (or was it his professional dance moves? Unknown...)
Continuous eye rubbing
Unable to finish burger at lunch because "there's no more room"

I love my little spring chicken. Whens the next wedding?

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Peeing all over Baton Rouge

While we were out last Sunday, Owen decided that he would take the opportunity to reinforce his excellent pottying skills.  We drove to see Mike on campus, and just as we were leaving to go to the outlet mall, he decided that it was the opportune time to pee.  We then proceeded to the outlet mall, where we had to stop on the way; we ended up at the mall, only to pee one final time.  I felt like Jen was preggers again and we couldn't drive for 5 minutes without having to stop.

Stop #1 – LSU's campus at the corner of Highland and Tower Drive  - Sorry LSU, but this isn't the first time a male Connison has ever peed on campus…and I'm sure this won't be the last.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Highland+and+Tower+Drive,+baton+rouge&aq=&sll=30.407275,-91.175451&sspn=0.006098,0.013915&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Highland+Rd+%26+Tower+Dr,+Baton+Rouge,+East+Baton+Rouge,+Louisiana+70808&z=16

Stop #2 – Hwy 30 Truck Stop and Services Center - Yes, they have a small casino attached and no, we did not go in.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Hwy+30+Truck+Plaza+Services+Center,+Louisiana+30,+Saint+Gabriel,+LA&aq=0&sll=30.248928,-91.079793&sspn=0.012215,0.027831&ie=UTF8&hq=Hwy+30+Truck+Plaza+Services+Center,&hnear=Hwy+30+Truck+Plaza+Services+Center,+4001+Louisiana+30,+St+Gabriel,+Louisiana+70776-4605&ll=30.248354,-91.073656&spn=0.023504,0.055661&z=15

Stop #3 – Tanger Outlet Mall – Approximately 5 minutes after getting to the first store at the mall, Owen had to go…AGAIN. 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Tanger+Boulevard,+Gonzales,+LA&aq=0&sll=30.248354,-91.073656&sspn=0.023504,0.055661&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Tanger+Blvd,+Gonzales,+Louisiana&ll=30.213036,-90.950704&spn=0.01222,0.027831&z=16

I guess these are the things that you have to reinforce good bathroom behavior and avoid accidents.  It spawned the conversation for this summer and Jen and I are just wondering how long it will actually take to get this travelling circus to the Carolinas…

Time to go inside

Parker and Jack love being outside.  They get mad when the garage or backdoor is opened if they can't go out.  We sometimes have to sneak out to run or cut the grass just to avoid a meltdown.  I should be happy that they love being out there so much and they aren't totally glued to the TV.  The flip side is that they break down in tears when we have to go inside.

Note: No twins were harmed in during this photo shoot.

Which one is that?

Owen is very good at telling his brothers apart.  He is on a short list of those able to tell apart Parker and Jack.  Understandably, it is difficult for others as Parker and Jack are identical twins but their differences are just so striking to us.  Their personalities and mannerisms are so distinct that it is just so obvious to Jen and I.  I wish that Owen would be able to voice to grandparents, loved ones, and perfect strangers how he is able to tell them apart, but I think it is just a function of time spent around each other.  Basically, if you don't take the time to tell them apart, they are definitely hard to distinguish from one another.  Occasionally, he has his moments when he is confused too.

 

In two different episodes, Owen has asked me who was who. The first time, I made him go around Jack and look at him in the face and then he told me who it was correctly, "oh, that's Jack." 

 

Then the other day, Owen was watching TV and comes running in the kitchen and he pointedo both of his brothers and asked me "Dad, Dad, Dad...which one is that?   I said "Who?" asking which twin he was referring to since they were standing next to each other.  Owen replied, "the one standing next to Jack."  He then answered his own question, realizing that he knew who Jack was and said "that's just Parker silly!!"  Even in his own confusion, he knows who is who!! 

B-e-a-utiful weather

For the past couple of weeks we have been enjoying crazy awesome weather. We take walks at night, mornings and afternoons are spent in the backyard, and lunch is served outside for the dudes.  We have really felt like we live in southern California.

Today from the backyard, I probably saw a dozen Jeeps with the top down and more convertibles than Parker can shake a stick at (he really does shake all the sticks he finds in the garden).

It got me thinking about our limo bus that will cart these guys around for years to come.  I haven't searched the interwebs, but I don't think anyone makes a 6 passenger convertible. The Swagger has a moonroof but come on, with todays advances in automotive technology, we can do better than that.  Have you seen the ridiculousness they configure on Pimp My Ride?  When I hit the big time (or when Xhibit comes knocking on my door) I'm custom building a Suburban with a removable hard top and waterproof DVD players.    This weather is so great, it needs to be enjoyed by dudes in car seats too!  We have to take advantage of it while we can...100% humidity and oppressive heat is just around the corner.

happiest baby ever award goes toooo...

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

luckiest girl.

Its probably one of the most beautiful days of the year. And I would be so so miserable if my babies were stuck inside in a daycare somewhere. these are the hardest years and the best years of my life ...
I've had two dear friends say two different awful things to me since I've been a stay at home mom... One from a working friend without kids say, "I'm too driven to ever stay home". And another from a friend on maternity leave say, "I can't wait to go back to work so i'll have some meaning in my life".
These are the most heartbreaking words.
And I actually can't even find a way to respond tactfully without ripping apart their character as human beings.
Anyway... Thank you daddy. Thank you thank you thank you. I love our life!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Mardi Gras Madness

We had big plans to take the big guys on Saturday and watch the Krewes of Iris and Tucks before the craziness that ensues for Endymion.  Last year, we made it out with O and he had a blast, but it was quite the experience leaving during all that with a 2.5 year old, a prego wife, and a ladder with a toolbox attached to it.  The weather didn't quite hold out for all that, so we had high hopes for the Sunday day parades.  That didn't quite work out for everyone either.  Long story short, Owen and I ended up heading out with T and Vincent, Josie, and Timmy. 

Well, to say it was crowded is like saying a few people go to Mardi Gras.  We had to manuever our way across the street to the "Sidewalk Side" where we actually could get a spot with Vincent's brother and his family.  This was no small feat but we made it happen.  

Approximately 15 minutes later, Owen was ready to go home.  Wonderful.  Distraction and marching bands and beads and cheering and PB&J sandwiches let him last a long time.  3 parades later, we were still there and not one of us thought we would ever last that long with two 3.5 year olds.  It came down to the fact that we couldn't leave.  There was Okeanos, then Mid-City, and then Thoth (followed later by Bacchus and Endymion back to back).  We misjudged it that Thoth was actually so big.  Float L came passing by and then we saw float #1.  Oh wow.  After asking around, there were 24+ more to come so we had to figure out a way to make our great escape.  Vincent found us an outlet to cross the street and make our way through then entire crowd gathering for Bacchus and a rescheduled Endymion.  Let me paint you a picture:

• Vincent carrying with our wagon on his head (filled with beads) leading the way.
• Timmy behind him with the ice chest on rollers.
• Antoinette behind him with Josie in one arm and Owen in the other.
• Me brining up the rear with a 6ft ladder  

We should have never attempted this.  It was terrible.  Once we made it through the neutral ground and into the street, lovely NOPD decide at that specific time, it was appropriate to blare their sirens forcing everyon to clear a path and get out of the way so they could make a right hand turn in the middle of a sea of people.  Turns out that Owen and Josie had just been put down with their ears basically on the NOPD siren...so both of them had to cover their ears.  Next, one of the bags of beads falls out of the wagon and breaks as Vincent is crossing the street and we are surrounded by people.  We then have to get O and J in the wagon to get the heck out of Dodge.  It was a sight for us, though I'm sure hardly anyone noticed, maybe only a select few who felt the wrath of the wagon, ice chest, or the ladder in their face.  Sorry everyone, and thanks for letting us through.  10 blocks later, we ended up at the car, still intact and ticketless so that was a win. 

After these shenanigans, Antoinette had a few choice looks that basically said...

• Was this really worth it?
• I can't believe we just did that.
• I'm not sure I ever want to do that again.
• Why oh why did we think this was a good idea?

All in all it was fun and the kids had a good time, but Mardi Gras is definitely an ordeal...

Birthday Party for 2 Little Princes

2 years old.  UNREAL. 

We had some family and friends over to the house to celebrate Parker and Jack turning 2.  Jen made cute t-shirts to help out everyone distinguish who was who.  The tent was up, the tables were out, and it was a gorgeous day outside.  The boys didn't even realize or care that it was their b-day, but whatever, we all had fun anyway!!  The garage was set up outside so any and everyone had a bike or car or something to ride and everyone was just happy playing and running around.  When it was time for cake, Jen had the brilliant idea to break out the bubbles as P and J LOVE bubbles.  Well, when you put them away to sing/take pictures/eat king cake, they both spazzed, as noted by the pictures.  Again, awesome idea Jen…

These two years have flown by, with the latter one being substantially easier than the first.  Nonetheless, we have survived, and we can't wait to see what the next one brings!

We love you Parker.  Happy Birthday P!!

We love you Jack.   Happy Birthday Buddy!!